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Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011 • 9B
COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE
Giving,than'ks is good for your health
WHERE I STAND Members of TOPS Club Inc.
....................................................................................................... (Take Off Pounds Sensibly),
TOPS CLUB
TAKING OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY
tops.org
When the pilgrims celebrated
the first Thanksgiving in 1621,
they spent three days feasting
and celebrating a good harvest
that would sustain them
through the winter. The
pilgrims didn't know it, but
they were on to something.
Scientific studies show that
giving thanks is good for your
health, too. People who give
thanks regularly sleep longer,
exercise more; report a drop in
blood pressure; and have low- •
er risks of several disorders,
including depression, phobias,
bulimia and alcoholism.
the nonprofit weight-loss
support organization, know
that adopting healthy atti-
tudes is an important part of
everyone's self-care plan. The
organization eficourages its
members to live a healthy
lifestyle, including min d ,
body and spirit•
One movement and philos-
ophy oriented toward an
attitude of gratitude focuses
on finding value and content-
ment in what you have.
Patricia M. Amborn, MSM,
educator, wellness author
and motivational expert for
TOPS, works to employ
tactics of gratitude in her
everyday life and offers
suggestions on how others
can achieve it.
"When you believe you
have all you need, you are
naturally happy," Amborn
said. "There is physiological
evidence that when one is
happy, the body produces
more dopamine, a natural
chemical in your body that
enhances well-being."
Dopamine is commonly
associated with the pleasure
system of the brain, provid-
ing feelings of enjoyment and
reinforcement. Dopamine is
released naturally by reward-
ing situations.
Amborn uses a quotation
from author and inspirational
speaker Dr. Ken Blanchard
as a focus for her personal
attitude of gratitude. "Blan-
chard's quote, 'Your mind
believes what you tell it,' is a
good place to start in forming
your gratefulness," She said.
"If you tell yourself you have
all you need, you will beliex;e
you are happy.
"Giving thanks for what
you have is how to start with
an attitude of gratitude.
"We always have a choice to
be grateful and the simplest
things -- smelling, touching,
seeing, hearing-- are all
blessings."
Amborn offers these steps
to achieving an attitude of
gratitude.
Start each day by reflect-
ing on your blessings and
visualize them.
. Carry a notebook and write
down the things you are
grateful for and review that
list several times a day.
Listen to your words and
thoughts, paying attention to
the amount of complaining
you may do. Make a positive
effort to stop complaining
and a deliberate attempt,
instead, to focus on your
blessings.
Identify how adversity or
difficulty in your life resulted
in a blessing.
Compliment others daily.
Think of others you can
help by donating your time or
resources on a regular basis.
Read your favorite quotes.
that remind you of how fortu-
nate you are.
Ask others what they are
grateful for.
End your day by counting
your blessings.
Check your progress
throughout the day and focus
on your gratefulness to boost
your energy.
Practice forgiveness.
According to Amborn, the
main focus of an attitude of
gratitude is the understanding
that every day is a gift. "The
attitude can be achieved when
one pursues what matters'
most -- a quality life."
"Every experience we have
molds us," she said. "Choices
come with consequences• But
we have control over how
those consequences affect us
and who we become."
Public Works reminder: avoid being towed this winter
WHERE I STAND
PLUMAS COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
The cold storm that rolled
through Plumas County
during the first week of
November is just a preview of
the wintery weather that
residents can expect for the
next four - five months. That
first snow means that it's time
for the Department of Public
Works to remind Plumas
County residents that they
have a legal responsibility
to park their vehicles off
county roads and state high-
ways during and after snow-
storms so that snow removal
equipment operators can do
their jobs effectively.
Vehicles parked on the
strdet make snow removal
difficult and they contribute
to. the narrowing of traffic
lanes -- making winter
driving tougher on all of us.
More than just a big lump in
the snow, such vehicles are a
hazard to motorists and are
subject to damage from snow-
plows and other vehicles.
Here's the legal stuff: Local
Ordinance (Section 4-3.502 of
the Plumas County Code) and
the California Vehicle Code
(CVC 22510) prohibit parking
a vehicle on the road or street
right of way, or in any way
hindering snow removal.
That means no parking on or
along the pavement, at the
end of a street, around a
cul-de-sac or on the shoulder
of the road during snow
removal. These are the loca-
tions that are needed for
snow storage.
If you need to park on the
streei short-term, go ahead,
but keep i n mind that your
vehicle needs to be out of the
way when the plow comes by,
and you can't park out there
at all if you will be blocking a
lane.
If you violate these provi-
sions, you might very well
end up having your vehicle
towed at your expense per ,
CVC 22651 (L), and receiving
a citation, which takes up the
department's time and your
money•
Plan ahead for a winter
parking spot off the street •
and make sure you can get to
it during snowy conditions.
This applies to trailers, boats,
RVs and disabled vehicles as
well, so it's time to find a
place for them, too. The
winter parking law also re-
quires the removal of basket-
ball standards, firewood, etc.
from the right of way. If a
snowplow can hit it, it needs
to be moved.
Where do you put the snow
you are snow-blowing, shov-
eling or plowing from your
driveway or Sidewalk? One
place it doesn't belong is out in
the street. The act of putting
snow or other materials on a
public right of way is a viola-
tion of CVC 23112 and Section
724 of the California Streets
and Highways Code, and is a
misdemeanor.
When Public Works snow-
plow operators attempt to
plow through this snow, most
of it will become part of the
berm in front of your property
(or your neighbor's). What's
worse is that the rest of it
will stay in the street as an
icy, dangerous bump that
could contribute to an acci-
dent. Please keep your snow
on your property.
Obeying winter parking
and shoveling rules makes
our job of snow removal
easier, safer and faster. More
miles to plow and fewer '
plows means that road main-
tenance crews need to be as
efficient as they can. Because
of the reduced manpower at .
the county (down over 10 per-
cent since 2005), residents
will find that fewer'warnings
will be issued for illegally
parked vehicles and more
vehicles will be towed at
their owners' expense.
Your cooperation will help
avoid these unnecessary
c00ts.
Questions? Telephone the
Plumas County Department
• of Public Works at 283-6268.
LETTERS to th.e EDITOR
Guidelines for Letters
All letters must contain an ad-
dress and a phone number.
We publish only one letter per
week, per person and only
one letter per person, per
month regarding the same
subject. We do not publish
third-partyl anonymous, or
open letters. Letters must be
linited to a maximum of 300
words. The editor will cut any
letter in excess of 300 words.
The deadline is Friday at 3
p.m. (Deadlines may change
due tO holidays.) Letters may
be taken to any of Feather
Publishing's offices, sent via
fax to 283-3952, or e-mailed to
mail@plumasnews.com.
Shop local
We have so many great
stores and business establish-
ments in Plumas County,
let's keep our dollars in our
communities and support our
local businesses• Without
them, what would our towns
look like? Let us make an
effort to show our apprecia-
tion to our local businesses
for being there for us and for
making our towns v¢hat they
are.
I can picture an old-
fashioned Christmas card
with the town folks, bustling
here and there, in the little
towns, greeting one another,
supporting one another, that
is our Plumas County!
Lori Simpson
Quincy
Cohesive and caring .
The Pioneer Quincy Parent
Cooperative Organization
(PCO) would like to express
our heartfelt gratitude to
the community of Quincy
for their incredible and
enduring support during our
Spellathon fundraiser.
Each year our community
rallies to bring money into
our schools and provide Our
students with opportunities
for educational events, field
trips, facilities improve-
ments, classroom support,
technology upgrades and
more. These basics and a
few fun extras cannow be,
provided to our students at
Pioneer Quincy Elementary
thanks to the generosity of
individual donors, caring
families, dedicated school
staff and our tremendous
local merchants.
PQES students do the leg
work and make us proud to
be Quincy parents time and
• time again. We had a par-
ticularly successful fund-
raiser this year, but our
greatest assets are tle people,
and the magnificent commu-
nity that make it happen.
Each and every day, we
are grateful to live in such a
cohesive and caring place.
Thank you.
Pioneer Quincy PCO
Rural aura
Thank you for the nice
articleconcerning the
Quincy barn quilt brush-and-
ink paintings that I donated
for reproductions to the
Quincy barn quilt project. I
do need to clarify, however,
that I'm in no way involved
in the pricing, sales, place-
ment and profits. I was just
happy to be able to spend the
time creating the artwork,
which I will be showing at
the courthouse this summer.
These barn quilts add so
much to the aura of rural life
here that it was a pleasure to
take part.
Nansi Wattenbur-Bohne
Quincy
Support restoration
While Plumas County and
the Feather River watershed
make for a beautiful place to
live, the area provides 65
percent of the water for Cali-
fornia's State Water Project,
generates hydroelectric pow-
er and di'aws tourists that
boost the local economy.
Meandering streams allow
meadows to act as sponges
that delay the release of
water into the system, pro-
viding flow later into the
summer.
Due to a number of natural
and manmade causes, many
streams have degraded into
gullies that cause water to
rush into the Central Valley
faster, lowering th'e water
tables in the local watershed.
Dry conditions alter the
vegetation which leads to
increased risk of wildfires•
In addition, whether you
believe humans are heating
up the planet or not, in-
creased temperature s will
likely make the situation
worse in the future. For these
reasons, effective watershed
restoration efforts will be
vital to the continued func-
tioning of this system.
Stream restoration projects
vary from-location to loca-
tion, based on the needs of
landowners in the area as
• well as specifics of geology,
vegetation present and the
proximity of residences and
businesses ,to the floodplain.
Slowing down the flow is the
goal of the projects, by restor-
ing the stream channel to a
more natural state. In some
cases fish habitat has been
improved.
Stream restoration is a
relatively new science, but
there is a technique called
plug and pond that shows
promise. With complex pro-
jects undertaken over several
years and involving multiple
and varied interested parties,
not everyone embraces the
restoration work. However,
to the extent local water table
levels can be lifted, the long-
term benefits to all concerned
will be substantial. For this
reason I urge all citizens of
Plumas County and the rest
of California to support
restoration of the Feather
River watershed.
Paul Cavanaugh
Quincy
Fair and balanced?
Last Wednesdayl a group
of 35 people gathered at the
corner of Main and Court
streets in downtown Quincy.
The group carried signs
saying "We are the 99%,"
"We want our democracy
back," "Tax the 1%," "Jobs,
not Cuts," "End corporate
control of government" and
"Pass the Jobs Bill now."
This group, sometimes
swelling to as manyas 60
people, has been gathering in
this same spot for about six
weeks• The group represents
a cross-section of Plumas
County: students and re-
tirees; employees, business
owners and job seekers• At
least 70 percent of the people
who drive by honk or wave in
enthusiastic support.
Similar "occupations" are
occurring nationwide and
receiving worldwide atten-
tion in the media. Regardless
of where you stand on the
issue, these demonstrations
are news. Despite this, our
local newsPaPer has not
written one single .news
article on the Quincy gather-
ings.
Now, maybe I missed some-
thing. Or maybe I'll be
pleasantly surprised by this
week's paper• Then again,
maybe this is just another
example of coverage that is
"fair and balanced."
Stephanie Leaf
Quincy
..... Stop the 1 percent
No matter what certain
citizens in Eastern Plumas
think, the Occupy Wall
Streeters in over 160 Ameri-
can cities are concerned with
what is currently happening
to America.
The richest, most powerful,
most privileged 1 percent of
the people in.our country, in
league with thousands of serf-
ish opportunists in civil life,
are intentionally savaging
the well-being of America's
majority and aggressively
suppressing the democratic
rights that make America
unique. And for what? Solely
for their own accumulation
of wealth and power.
Using the GOP and Tea
Partiers as their political foot
sOldiers, the billionaires in-
tend to dismantle the public
sphere, crush all unions, down-
size the (once powerful) mid-
dle class and banish equality
and equal opportunity as
basic American ideals.
We have a new and nasty
civil war going on with
moneyed elites now influenc-
ing legislatures and the
courts to separate their
obscene good fortunes from
the working class and to
create a new form of govern-
ment -- a plutocracy instead
of a democracy. They're the
new robber barons of the
1800s, and'the aristocracies of
Europe before them.
The need for power and
control has always been
an obsession in certain indi-
viduals historically (the
emperors of Rome and the
monarchies of Europe come
to mind) and the present crop
of dictators around the world
indicates those traits are still
alive and Well. Occupie'rs
want to prevent that from
happening in the United
States. We want to take back
our country and we're taking
to the streets to show it!
They are using lies .and
misinformation to keep
people confused and non-
involved. Why is it that as
soon as corporations begin
making money, all concern
for others and for the health
of the Earth go out the
window?
The Occupiers are trying to
educate the American people
of the 'need to stop the 1
percent before it gets worse
and we lose our country.
Germany was lost to the
extremists in the 1930s. Don't
think it can't happen here!
Don Dailey
Quincy
Boot on throat
President Obama's latest
comments, linking Ameri-
cans to being "soft" and
"lazy," are no accident on
his part and undeserving on
our part. This is the latest de-
flectionary tactic of avoiding
the ineptitude from the
leader of the ruling party in
Washington. Now three years
into this administration, are
you better off now than you
were four years ago?
This newspaper publishes
data of local hardworking
people losing their homes in
foreclosure due to lack of
economic activity and un-
certainty in the future, not
their lack of initiative and
eptitude. Put your golf clubs,
and your gas credit card for
Air Force One away and fall,
buck and hand split 10 cords
of wood with me and then
call me "lazy." Call off your
EPA, USDA, DOE and DOJ
dogs, and get your boot off
our throats!
We need more abundant
fuel sources, utilization of
domestic resources, not more
green boondoggies.
Brian Luce
Portota
Ox gored
"Wow!" I thought as I
read Dr. Saxton's letter, "He
finally wrote something i
agree with." We are both
angry at conservative Repub-
lican Rep. Tom McClintock
for doing nothing to help the
Portola hospital's skilled
nursing facilities survive.
But in the last paragraph
this somehow becomes the
state Democrats' fault.
McClintock is a federal
congressional representative.
He's not a Democrat. The Cen-
ter for Medicare/Medicaid
Services is a federal entity
and the California Hospital
Association is suing in
federal court. I don't see state
Democrats in any of this.
It's also curious that Dr.
Saxton, who regularly bashes
creeping socialism, is now
angry because the govern-
ment is cutting funding for
the supposedly socialistic
government-run MediCal
program. You'd think he
would be dancing for joy over
these anti-socialist cuts;
denying all those greedy folk
with their hands out who
want the government to pay
for everything.
Mr. Kailing, our other
regular conservative letter
writer, sees Medicare as
being formed on a "commu-
nist model," surely this
would apply to MediCal as
well.
You can't have it both
ways, Dr. Saxton, either
you oppose government-run
socialistic health care or
you don't. It's hypocritical
to demand these • payments
continue when it's your ox
that's being gored.
Mrs. Rose Pettit
Portola
Editor's note: The California
Hospital Association's lawsuit
names both the state Depart:
ment of Health Services and
the federal Department of
Health and Human Services.
Cut the smut
There is something fishy
aboutHerman Cain's cam-
paign. Clarence Thomas
gained a great deal of support
from a sort of backlash when
he was probably rightfully
accused by Anita Hill. Her
character was assassinated
and Clarence Thomas now
sits on the Supreme Court
following Justice Scalia's
conservative agenda.
Whether the accusations
against him are real or not,
Herman Cain is getting a
great deal of publicity from
them and the latest Fox news
bits and pictures are keeping
the whole business alive. He
is even flaunting a "who
cares" attitude by showing
himself attached to a bevy of
girls.
Let's cut the smut. Let's
concentrate on his political
agenda, which, on the whole,
is not favorable to 99 percent
of the population.
Salvatore Catalano
Taylorsville
Error
In my letter which ran
Nov. 16, I erred after an
interruption and forgot to put
an "at times" after "control
of situations." I would like
to apologize for any wrong
impressions.
Thank you.
Daniel L. Funke
Quincy
....... t ..... b