LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard Downtown needs more people The strange belief that tall buildings shoulder to shoulder will frighten vagrants away from downtown needs to be rethought. In big cities, police officers on foot, along with door attendants at each of those buildings, do the job. It would be a lot more urbane and possibly cheaper to provide such a permanent human presence in downtown Eugene. Adam's Place does just that. The dark little safety building across from the Kiva kiva (kē`və), large, underground ceremonial chamber, peculiar to the ancient and modern Pueblo. The modern kiva probably evolved from the slab houses (i.e. doesn't quite do it. Something between that and the Saturday Market might. Susan Kenyon Eugene Don't worry about teen caffeine The article about caffeine usage by teens (Register-Guard, Oct. 30) was interesting in that right below the article was an ad for a study aimed at teenagers who get migraines. The caffeine article didn't mention that a withdrawal sign from caffeine is headaches. It didn't mention "tolerance," (one has to drink more caffeine to keep the headaches away). It seems we are a society driven by a need to alter our mood by ingesting something. Then it seems we avoid looking at our compulsions by focusing on and then judging others for whatever is their mood-altering method. We adults continue to model behaviors and then seem amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. when teens copy us. Some of our parents said, "Do as I say, and not as I do." I would rather have kids drink legal speed than do the illegal stuff. If one has to alter their mood, caffeine might be a lesser of evils (I love coffee). Adults who worry about teens drinking coffee and other kinds of energy drinks are probably the same ones who get all hopped up hopped up Drug slang A popular phrase for being influenced by drugs on caffeine. These are probably the same adults who complain about cars speeding in their neighborhoods and then they themselves drive a million miles an hour in other people's neighborhoods. Please slow down, no matter what you ingest in·gest tr.v. in·gest·ed, in·gest·ing, in·gests 1. To take into the body by the mouth for digestion or absorption. See Synonyms at eat. 2. . Eugene used to have more courteous drivers, who didn't honk just because they were annoyed at another driver. Kristy Murray Eugene Leaf program good use of taxes My first two truckloads of city leaves have arrived. This is the best bang per buck for my tax dollars. It's a pity more of my tax money doesn't go to community-minded, self-sustainable actions like this one. I appreciate the city of Eugene and its public works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. crews. Sarah Ruth Eugene Clear-cutting is like strip mining The Oct. 29 article "A Clear-Cut Solution" doesn't provide very many solutions, except for mill owners. Research has shown that diverse, old forests prevent disease, resist fires and provide the best habitat for animals and plants. Turning our forests into a mono-crop, with a single cloned species, is inviting disaster. With global warming global warming, the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. we should preserve our diverse forests and plant more drought-resistant trees, so more trees survive the coming changes. Our water is becoming scarce, and our fish endangered. We need to protect watersheds more, instead of decreasing the buffer zones around streams. Using herbicides after a clear-cut to eliminate all trees and vegetation in an area results in loss of habitat, loss of topsoil, landslides and pollution of our water. Use of Round-up-ready crops is creating herbicide-resistant weeds. The same is happening with pesticides. We should minimize spraying, eliminate clear-cutting altogether, and go back to the selective cutting programs that worked so well before. Clear-cutting is like strip mining and is not sustainable. Instead of more roads, we should investigate sustainable, small-scale logging, like horse logging. This provides more jobs and protects the environment. We should cut only the diseased trees, or those in need of thinning. Clear-cuts create fire dangers. Our communities do need more funds, but instead of government handouts, they should advocate a cap-and-trade carbon offset program, where polluting pol·lute tr.v. pol·lut·ed, pol·lut·ing, pol·lutes 1. To make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter. See Synonyms at contaminate. 2. industries would pay for planting more trees to absorb their carbon dioxide carbon dioxide, chemical compound, CO2, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is about one and one-half times as dense as air under ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure. and pollution. Jerry Brule Eugene Speakers help Hult Center sound The excellent review of Eugene Symphony's Oct. 25 concert mentioned that both harps could be heard in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of "tumultuous explosions in the winds, brass and percussion." Perhaps this is because the Hult has added speakers in the mezzanine. Now, I can even hear the triangle! Such a seemingly small addition to the Silva Concert Hall has paid off in a much more enjoyable musical evening. Those of us who love music are blessed to live in Eugene! Thomas E. Gilbert Eugene Young man's letter was moving On Oct. 29, I got a phone call asking if Benjamin Morales was my son. After reading his letter in the Mailbag on that date, I would be honored to be related to him. I, too, am not happy with this war in Iraq. Benjamin should hold his ground. His mother already has one son to worry about. He should continue his education. He expresses himself well. Perhaps a career in journalism awaits him. Teresa Morales Eugene At least one real man in Eugene Though the general tone of the letters to the editor in The Register-Guard sounds like the moaning moan n. 1. a. A low, sustained, mournful cry, usually indicative of sorrow or pain. b. A similar sound: the eerie moan of the night wind. 2. Lamentation. v. of the deep depression ward at the local mental institution, there is an occasional contrasting note which still offers some hope for the population of our sister city across the broad Willamette. In this case, the contrast is provided by two letters published on Oct. 29. The first features the whining of a young man, Benjamin Morales, whose complaint is that the armed forces recruiters are pestering him. That's a situation - if it is true - which will be soon solved when the military reads his letter and realizes they have been trying to buy a pig in a poke a blind bargain; something bought or bargained for, without the quality or the value being known. See also: Pig . The other letter offered the intelligent, manly observations from Steve Hawke, which immediately followed the missive of the neurasthenic neu·ras·the·ni·a n. A psychological disorder characterized by chronic fatigue and weakness, loss of memory, and generalized aches and pains, formerly thought to result from exhaustion of the nervous system. No longer in scientific use. adolescent. I appreciated having Hawke show that Eugene is not populated pop·u·late tr.v. pop·u·lat·ed, pop·u·lat·ing, pop·u·lates 1. To supply with inhabitants, as by colonization; people. 2. solely by anti-American, anti-war, anti-everything aunties masquerading 1. (networking) masquerading - "NAT" (Linux kernel name). 2. (messaging) masquerading - Hiding the names of internal e-mail client and gateway machines from the outside world by rewriting the "From" address and other headers as the message leaves the as men. Reis R. Kash Springfield Lender using sleazy slea·zy adj. slea·zi·er, slea·zi·est 1. a. Shabby, dirty, and vulgar; tawdry: "sleazy storefronts with torn industrial carpeting and dirt on the walls" tactics While others are having difficulty obtaining new mortgages, I'm being bombarded almost daily with junk mail See spam and junk faxes. and telemarketers representing my lender, one of the largest in the country and the subject of many recent articles. While I'm lucky enough to have good credit and solid equity in my home, I'm appalled by the sleazy tactics my company is using to convince me to pay in the neighborhood of $5,000 in refinancing costs. They mention that my loan is coming up for a re-fi shortly (it doesn't re-fi for nearly three years) and that a payment increase will occur. My rate is tied to a government index and they couldn't possibly know what that index will be in three years. I encourage others to beware of this scam from a supposedly respectable financial organization who is driving this good payer away when or if I ultimately choose to re-finance. Bruce A. Nelson Eugene Model, schmodel - save forests Bureau of Land Management "ecologist" Richard Hardt, with his hard hat and cold calculations, wants to triple logging on Oregon's public lands. He assures us that this is not sub-prime mortgaging the future, because they've "modeled it out for 400 years." Sure they have, but I prefer my own model. I think that once every millennium there is either a cultural high point or a social breakdown. Four hundred years Four Hundred Years was a melodic screamo band from Richmond, VA. Although they were only together for just over two years, the band produced two full-length releases and a compilation of singles on Lovitt Records. from now will be one millennium since the beginning of the European Renaissance, and two millennia since the fall of the Western Roman Empire Western Roman Empire See Western Empire. Noun 1. Western Roman Empire - the western part after the Roman Empire was divided in 395; it lasted only until 476 Western Empire . I think 2400 AD may bring a massive environmental crisis or an "invasion" by foreigners buying up huge parts of this country. Naturally, we can't be sure of anything that far in advance, but if the sky really does start falling on the heads of our descendents, it will take a lot more to save them than a yellow plastic hat. It's not about the spotted owl. It's about serving people by preserving forests, and starting right now to protect the planet by saving trees that live for centuries. Edwin Stuart Eugene Loudest game? Oregon/Cal 2005 I work as an audio engineer at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts The Hult Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts facility in Eugene, Oregon, opened in 1982. 27 architectural firms competed for the opportunity to design the Center, but in the end the Eugene City Council awarded the contract to the New York firm of Hardy , and in the same capacity for ABC/ESPN Sports whenever they come to the Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley (pronounced [wɪˈlæ.mɪt], with the accent on the second syllable) is the region in northwest Oregon in the United States that surrounds the Willamette River as it proceeds northward from its for telecasts. I have worked on the field holding a parabolic microphone A parabolic microphone is a microphone that uses a parabolic reflector to collect and focus sound waves onto a receiver, in much the same way that a parabolic antenna (e.g., satellite dish) does with radio waves. (the "big dish" that is hand held on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. to capture the sound of tackles being made) for the past eight seasons, and I have some observations regarding Mark Baker's Oct. 27 article on the decibel decibel (dĕs`əbĕl', –bəl), abbr. dB, unit used to measure the loudness of sound. It is one tenth of a bel (named for A. G. Bell), but the larger unit is rarely used. levels during football games. I have made it a habit to carry a decibel meter during games I have worked, as well as at Hult Center events. For comparison, most classical music concerts come in around 80 decibels (dba) constantly at my mix position, which is more than 90 feet from the stage. The single loudest football audio I have ever measured was during the 2005 Cal/Oregon game when Oregon stopped Cal on fourth down in overtime to win the game. I measured 117 dba from the Cal sideline (30 feet from the nearest sound source) when the pass fell incomplete. Another loud peak came during the blocked kick on the final play of the Oklahoma game - 112 dba - despite the absence of a large segment of the crowd. The Michigan game was constantly over 108 dba. Bruce Hartnell Eugene |
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