Letters for May 10, 2012

Show some respect

Re “Warriors in cages” (Cover story, by Jaime O’Neill, May 3):

I have the utmost respect for Jaime Jara and all he has accomplished. If I had written this article, I would have shown as much respect, if not more, but I would not have disrespected or taken away from his opponent.

I’m a two-time world champion; I’m 9-2 as a pro. I have a boxing, wrestling and weapon-defense background, and now seven years in mixed martial arts, two of them coaching. Most of my career I’ve been helping other fighters.

Give credit where credit is due: We both deserve it—yes, Jamie more than myself, but I don’t deserve to be belittled.

Justin Baesman
Susanville

Editor’s note: Jaime O’Neill contacted Mr. Baesman about this and was told that what concerned him wasn’t the story itself, but rather the caption to a photo that described him as “embarrassed” by his victory over Jaime Jara. He wasn’t embarrassed, but rather overwhelmed, he said. Our apologies for the misleading description.

What about Bob?

Re “Religious eviction?” (Newslines, by Vic Cantu, May 3):

I am saddened to hear of the potential eviction of Robert Taylor, lovingly known as Brother Bob. I first met Bob almost 10 years ago, while working at Has Beans Coffee on Fifth and Main. The coffeehouse culture was diverse, with patrons ranging from budding artists, philosophers, musicians and students to espresso aficionados, nine-to-fivers and the occasional riff-raff, and in the midst of it all was the shining light of Brother Bob.

I can honestly say Brother Bob is one of the most compassionate and accepting people I have ever known; a Christian in the genuine spirit of the word. This man has dedicated his life to the service of others, opening his heart to anyone and everyone in need. Of course a man with such compassion will attract diverse people, including the most suffering and distraught.

While I recognize Ms. Grossman’s desire to maintain a safe and private apartment complex, it would be a shame to evict Brother Bob without exploring the issue further. If Bob is mindful and respectful of who he allows into his home, and the rules of the property are observed, then why can’t a fair solution be reached?

Theo Badashi
Chico

Schindelbeck misleads

Re “Hot under the collar” (Newslines, by Tom Gascoyne, May 3):

Chico City Council candidate Toby Schindelbeck’s Facebook petition to get Chico Fire Station No. 5 reopened appears to be intentionally written to mislead the public as to who should be blamed for the closure.

Schindelbeck wrongfully states that the Chico City Council closed the fire station. Thank goodness for reporter Tom Gascoyne of the CN&R. If it weren’t for his objective reporting about the temporary closing of Station No. 5, the public might think the current City Council is responsible for the closure. In fact, the City Council had nothing to do with the closing. It was the fire chief himself who chose to close the facility.

Schindelbeck’s petition is additionally inaccurate when he implies that the money saved from the closure is to be spent on public art. In fact, as Mr. Gascoyne points out, there hasn’t been any public art purchased for several years, and when it was purchased it was by a different City Council.

Either Mr. Schindelbeck is purposely trying to mislead Chico voters or he’s just not competent enough to check his facts before he speaks. Either way, he’s certainly not the kind of person I want representing me on the City Council. If I had the choice as to whom I’d vote for Chico City Council, I’d vote for Tom Gascoyne. He gets his facts straight.

Karen Laslo
Chico

Mansion updates

Re “BMA gets back in action” (Downstroke, May 3):

In standing up for the Bidwell Mansion Association, Assemblyman Dan Logue has proved himself a true representative of his constituents. As mediator between the BMA and State Parks, he is making sure that the amazing efforts of Chico citizens are not in vain.

Dan Logue is a man of integrity and action who, along with his hard-working staff, deserves our recognition and appreciation. He has added his name to the long list of those who have fought for Bidwell Mansion over the years.

Gloria Veith
Chico

I am happy to report that all is well with the Bidwell Mansion Community Project! As everybody knows by now, we raised more than $130,000 during our fundraising campaign. We’ve submitted our proposed donor agreement to the State Parks system and expect to hear positive things back from them imminently. That fulfills Phase 1 of our mission.

Now we are squarely in Phase 2: to identify a sustainable solution and create an organizational structure that ensures we never have to come to the brink of the abyss again.

The BMCP is committed to maintaining local control of this precious Chico cultural resource. We’re doing it with a renewed sense of optimism and appreciation for the good will and support of the community and all parties concerned.

Maria Phillips
BMCP Steering Committee

‘Put another nickel in…

“In the Nickelodeon.” These words from the 1950s tune “Music, Music, Music” seem apropos. What has happened to our sense of values? The demise of music curriculum at both the Chico Unified schools and Chico State spells trouble.

We used to talk about carryover value in planning curriculum. Music skills and appreciation provide as much or more of these values as other disciplines. Consider the spin-off of learning fractions through notes, the cognitive skills in remembering words and sounds, the manual dexterity and strength required in playing instruments, the teamwork learned through group performances, the discipline of practice, and, no less important, understanding the role of music in history.

Music education should start at an early age. The loss of elementary music instruction in the Chico schools has had a devastating effect, especially at Bidwell Junior High and Pleasant Valley High School. Loss of job opportunities and students has canceled the music-education program at Chico State. Music skills, like athletics, are cumulative, requiring much practice.

Maybe music questions should be put on the required state tests to reverse this de-emphasis trend. No culture should be devoid of music.

So, here is my nickel’s worth: “All I want is lovin’ you and music! music! music!”

Dick Cory
Chico

Pop-up success

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Northern California Art, I would like to express our gratitude to David Halimi for generously donating the space at 325 Broadway during the month of April for our first Pop-up Museum. Because of this exposure to the community, we were able to introduce more than 3,000 visitors to a small part of the museum’s collection as we search for a permanent space.

In addition, more than 30 new volunteers were recruited, and we received significant donations that will allow us to complete the purchase of our small school bus for the Mobile Museum/Driving Docent program.

Reed Applegate’s endowment of a most significant art collection to the museum is a gift that will greatly benefit Chico and the North State for years to come. See where we’ll pop-up next by following us on www.monca.org and Facebook.

Pat Macias
monCA board president

Honk if you love nature!

Thank you to those who have supported the ongoing habitat restoration efforts at the corner of Ninth and Hazel this spring.

Gratitude goes out to the community volunteers who helped weed and pull garbage out of adjacent Little Chico Creek during cleanup days; Sherwood Montessori and Chico Country Day School students for their efforts to remove invasive plants, plant native species, and document insect species at the site; and, last, to those of you Chicoans who gave all of us all a moral pick-me-up with a courtesy honk and wave as you drove past.

If you haven’t been to Ninth and Hazel before, take a moment to sit on the stump spiral while the hummingbirds go about their business among the sage flowers.

Jeremy Miller
Program director,