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lOB Wednesday, April 6, 2011 Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
EDITORIAL and OPINION
EDITORIAL
t'
For the 19th consecutive year, April has
been designated Stress Awareness Month.
During this 30-day period, we encourage
everyone to learn about causes and cures for
our modern stress epidemic.
The Health Resource Network (HRN), a
non-profit health education organization,
sponsors a national, cooperative effort to in-
form people about the dangers of stress, suc-
cessful coping strategies and harmful miscon-
ceptions about stress that are prevalent in
our society.
"Even though we've learned a lot about
stress in the past 20 years," said Dr. Morton
C. Orman, founder and director of HRN,
"We've got a long way to go."
Studies have shown stress is a reaction to
the fight-or-flight response in our bodies and
we have been programmed to react to certain
situations automatically. It is a way for our
body to protect itself.
The HRN lists on its website, stress-
cure.corn, five stress myths. One that we
found interesting is we can't deal with stress.
We need to face stress and ask ourselves,
"What specific problems or conflicts are trou-
bling me, and how can I deal with each of
these problems effectively?"
Your thoughts form your choices and,how
you respond to the world around you. Your
choices form your life. We encourage every-
one this month to examine your thoughts and
see if they are leading to a stressful life.
Two-thirds of all Americans say their stress
is directly related to their work or career and
how much money they make, not to buy gad-
gets and gizmos but so they can take care of
their family and plan for a nice retirement.
There is not much some of us can do about
where we work or how much we get paid at
the moment. But we can take advantage of re-
training opportunities at Alliance for Work-
force Development or Feather River College.
The best,advice for dealing with stress is to
look for resources in the cdmmunity to help
change your life. Start by reading the stories
in the pape and looking at the advertise-
ments. We list doctors, counselors, churches,
career experts, job openings, exercise facili-
ties, restaurants, etc. Hundreds of people are
ready and willing to help you relieve a little
stress each day.
One of the best ways to reduce stress is to
spend some time outdoors. Take advantage of
our glorious spring with outside activities. In
the next month we will be releasing the 2011-
12 edition of the Plumas County Visitors
Guide filled with ways to relax and bring joy
into your life.
as the tiniest laptop computer, come com-
plete with all kinds, of convenient abili-
ties, including the ability to surf the Web
on the fly, give you step-by-step directions
from point A to point B, even tell you
where the best sushi restaurant in a 160-
mile radius is. You can find the answer to
virtually any known fact with a shrewdly
MY TURN built application, or watch a recent
................................................................................................................................................... episode of your favorite TV show.
PATRICK SHILLITO Smartphones, tablets, e-readers are all
Staff Writer powerful, yet small devices designed to
pshillito@lassennews.com
test the limits of how we interact with the
Since the invention of the cellphone, I world around us. Yet the one question
can't remember a phone number to save that keeps popping up in my mind is how,
my life. if cellphones eliminated the need for
Thank goodness for 911. memorizing numbers, will hyper intelli-
All jokes aside, I know any of you who gent devices like an |Phone eliminate oth-
aren't in high school remember the days er parts of our brain?
when you were given a phone number, the Gone are the days where a person could
only thing to do and you either had to write dazzle the intellect of his or her colleagues
it down or (God forbid) memorize it. Now, with knowledge of useless trivia and fac-
we have the third option of entering phone toids. People can find out those facts with
numbers directly into our cellphones. This the push of a button, from almost any-
of course eliminates the need to memorize where in the country. Asking for direc-
those numbers, freeing up space in those tions? No longer an issue for the people
over-crowded melons of ours. with a GPS built into their phone. Learn-
The next step in phone evolution has ar- ing how to make a meal? Take .a look at an
rived in the form of the increasingly popu- instantly accessible database of millions
lar "smartphones." These devices, some of of recipes. Need to send an email but
which are as powerful and cleverly built aren't near a computer? Again, your bases
Wkere in the world?
Bud and Joanne Kibbee, after paying their annual dues to the Thoroughbred Horse
Owners Benevolent Society at Santa Anita, drove south to revisit Laguna Beach,
where they had their honeymoon in August 1950. Next time you travel, share where
you went by taking your local newsp.aper along and including it in a photo. Then
email the photo to smorrow@plumas news.com.
are covered with your smartphone.
I understand the same argument was
made when the Internet first rose to
prominence in the early '90s. Many people
said the amalgamation of so much knowl-
edge that could be accessed from any com-
puter with an Internet connection was go.
ing to eventually make people less intelli-
gent because of the lack of the ability to
learn.
I personally remember what it was like
growing up in high school while the Inter-
net becoming legitimate. As a stu-
dent, I was still required to go to a library
and cite sources from actual books found
with the use of the Dewey Decimal Sys-
tem. Eventually, sources from the Inter-
net were allowed in a limited capacity,
but I remember the mentality of so many
teachers who were afraid there students
were just going to find all the information
they needed for a book report by going on-
line.
At the time, it seemed impossible to
imagine a future where there would be so
many different, portable ways to access
information. I can only imagine the trials
and tribulations educators have had to go
through with children who have access to
smartphones.
Yet is basking in a seemingly limitless
supply of information really making us
lazier? It seems like the people I know
who own these diabolical devices (myself
included) don't always use them in a re-
sponsible manner. Rather than look up
what the value of your car is online prior
to selling it or checking a legal database
for law questions on the fly, I'd rather find
out the latest stupid thing Charlie Sheen
did or play "Angry Birds."
The point is I believe smartphones and
other high-tech mobile devices aren't go-
ing to make us dumber or lazier. I think
we're already there, and these devices are
just facilitating it.
We are an information-saturated soci-
ety, and it's simply gotten to the point
where we have become so accustomed to
having access to this information, we are
tailoring it to suit our needs. It's up to the
user on whether they are responsibly dis-
seminating important information or us-
ing their mobiledevices in a useful man-
ner. Customization is the name of the
game, and these days we can customize to
our hearts' content.
It all comes down to responsibility, and
I'm as guilty as the next person for.becom-
ing too dependent on my phone. In order
to keep our brains stimulated, we should
all be willing to unplug every once in
awhile. Take a break, go for a walk, read a
book. There are hundreds of thousands of
books available for your mobile device ...
REMEMBER WHEN
KERI TABORSKI
Histonan
A .%~..
g
/ Breaking News ....
go to plumasnews.com
Michael C. Taborski ............. Publisher
Keri B. Taborski ...Legal Advertising Dept.
Delaine Fragnoli ........ Managing Editor
Alicia Knadler ........ Indian Valley Editor
M. Kate West ............. Chester Editor
Shannon Morrow .......... Sports Editor
Ingrid Burke ................ Copy Editor
Staff writers:
Joshua Sebold Ruth Ellis
Will Farris Brian Taylor
Sam Williams Pat Shillito
Barbara France Diana Jorgenson
Susan Cort Johnson Mona'Hill
Kayleen Taylor
Feather River Westwood
Bulletin PinePress
(530) 283-0800 {530) 256-2277
75 YEARS AGO ....... 1936
The beautiful new grammar school at
Portola was presented to the community
at dedication ceremonies Monday night.
25 acres of ~round was obtained from the
MY TURN
M. KATE WEST
Chester Editor
cnesternews@plumasnews'c°m
When choosing which is the better loca-
tion to live, urban versus rural, a variety
of facts or likes would probably support the
"pro" side of either argument.
Folks in the city might cite the number
and variety of restaurants, a local theater,
a museum, or even the number of major
chain stores.
Less crowding and traffic might be a win
for those who choose to live in less populat-
ed regions or even in high mountain com-
munities like we do in Plumas County.
For myself, I would tend to agree some-
what with the discourse provided by both
debates!
I like the choices available to me when-
ever I stray down offthe mountain, yet,
while I'm on the mountain, I appreciate the
Lassen County Chester Progressive fact that I'm not standing in long lines or
Times : -< $823115 dealing withthe brown haze that is de-
l by freeways.
"Indian Valley / In weighing all the facts, the-one that tips
Portola Reporter Record
(530) 832-4646 (530) 284-7800 | my personal scale is the sense of communi-
• i ty you share with the neighborhood at
Western Pacific Railroad Company, part
of it for the school building and part of it
for the playfield.
50 YEARS AGO ....... 1961
5,000 Plumas County color brochures
and 10,000 small Plumas County map
folders were taken to LOS Angeles this
week where they will be made available
to southern California people attending
the Pan Pacific Sports and Boat Show next
week.
large in a rural setting.
While I am not implying that things
aren't friendly in the city, I am saying
that when you come from a small town
of 2,500 people you are more likely to
know more of the general population
then you would in a city of 130,000.
You tend to gain your sense of com-
munity from the information that is so
readily available from so many sources.
When you hear about who is doing
what to help another neighbor you can't
help but feel proud of where you live.
While I'm sure there are many worthy
endeavors occurring in the city, I don't
believe as many people are aware that
they are actually happening.
In Lake Almanor, the word is shared
through a variety of networks. Both A1-
manor West and the Peninsula have spe-
cial email systems. Our Plumas County
District 3 Supervisor Sherrie Thrall main-
tains a tremendous database and provides
timely public updates. She is also known
for sharing less official information to
benefit a good cause.
Then we have our local Chester joke that
says, "If you want to hear what's going on,
be at the post office by 11:30 because you
will meet everyone in town!"
And last, but certainly not least, we have
the Chester Progressive newspaper, a pub-
lication that works to keep the greater
community linked.
It is through all these pipelines that you
learn what others need, or what is being
done for those in need.
It is through many of those sources that I
learned about the good works of many of
28 YEARS AGO ...... 1986
Local Plumas County lakes are up in ele-
vation now and will continue to be that way
for the next two years according to PG&E.
10 YEARS AGO ....... 2001
The Plumas County Board of Supervi-
sors this week made a decision to demolish
the old courthouse annex building located
near FeatherRiver College in Quincy and
build a new 52,000 square foot building
costing $10 million.
1
our local organizations. Over the winter,
the Lake Almanor Elks Lodge, the Chester
Lions Club, Ducks Unlimited, the Lake
Almanor Snowmobile Club and Never Nev-
erland Preschool all worked and con-
tributed to medical bills of B-year-old
Alexandra Gaither.
Last summer, a very large and collabora-
tive effort called "LemonAid" made a
tremendous difference in another local
family's life.
Most recently, I have learned that
volunteer board members and supporters
of Sierra Hospice will be hosting a June 4
"Good Grief" golf tournament.
And while I am in the midst of writing
an opinion piece, let me say right out that
this is an organization most worthy of
your support. Throughout time and in
many circumstances, they have woven
their threads of healing among many of
our friends and neighbors.
Community sharing doesn't just
happen in times of need but also in times
of joy. The birth of a new baby, winning
the homecoming football game, or even
the purchase of a new car all generate
good news.
While the ability to call your neighbor
by their first name or even to know your
county wen enough to name every town
makes ruralfun -- it's the who and what
you know that makes rural the winner.
Hands down for me, it's the open hearts
of local churches, the selfless volunteers
who serve on local boards, and the
members of our local service organizations
that work so hard on behalf of the many.