LETTERS IN THE EDITOR'S MAILBAG.Byline: The Register-Guard Story headline lacked flair I was appalled to see the headline on the Aug. 27 article about the intersection painting at 22nd Avenue and Garfield Street, "On the road, with flare." The correct last word should be "flair." Flare is defined as: 1. to burn with an unsteady, swaying flame, as a torch or candle in the wind. 2. to blaze with a sudden burst of flame (often fol. by up). 3. to start up or burst out in sudden, fierce activity, passion, etc. (often fol. by up or out). 4. to shine or glow. 5. to spread gradually outward, as the end of a trumpet, the bottom of a wide skirt, or the sides of a ship. Flair is defined as: 1. A natural talent or aptitude; a knack: a flair for interior decorating. 2. Instinctive discernment; keenness: a flair for the exotica ex·ot·i·ca pl.n. Things that are curiously unusual or excitingly strange: such gustatory exotica as killer bee honey and fresh catnip sauce. . 3. Distinctive elegance or style: served us with flair. Unfortunately, we have become entirely too reliant on spell check and have forgotten some of the basics of the English language English language, member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Germanic languages). Spoken by about 470 million people throughout the world, English is the official language of about 45 nations. . Shame on the editors. Laura Cunningham Laura Cunningham is a 26 year old singer from Dublin, Ireland. She grew up in Ranelagh as part of a large musical family. She started off her musical career as part of The Young Dublin Singers, travelling Europe to various musical festivals and competitions before studying Walton Be responsible; keep cats home My deepest sympathy to the cats Sarah Yamada spoke of in her Aug. 25 letter. No animal should have to suffer the way those two cats did. I note with interest, however, that Yamada feels the incident would have been avoided "if only" the company announced the mowing. She failed to mention another option. The cat owners could have been responsible for their own animals and not allowed them to roam onto other people's property. Every year, cats are hit by cars, chased and mauled by other animals and exposed to deadly diseases simply because their owners do not keep them at home. Before you start in on the nature of a cat's curiosity, remember that we don't allow dogs to run free, and they, too, are curious and would prefer to roam free and explore. It's not right; if you are taking on the responsibility of an animal, then by all means, be responsible for it. Cats are destructive to property and an annoyance to neighbors. They use anyone's garden and flower beds as their toilet, scratch the paint as they are climbing on cars - even when they're parked in the car owner's own driveway - spray their scent all over, and they aggravate dogs who are restrained in their own yard or home. Keep your cats at home and they won't face life-threatening dangers, and they won't destroy the neighbor's property. Gerald Lacey Springfield We need a flushable doggie bag doggie bag n. Variant of doggy bag. Noun 1. doggie bag - a bag for food that a customer did not eat at a restaurant; the transparent pretense is that the food is taken home to feed the customer's dog doggy bag The Aug. 25 article on the problem of pet waste was startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. and informative. Most dog owners who conscientiously bag up their dogs' waste probably are aghast at how even our good intentions don't quite eliminate, so to speak, the problem. Flushing the stuff down the toilet is a simple solution, but what about that bag? I suspect that living in Eugene is a clever entrepreneur who can develop a sturdy yet dissolvable bag that can be flushed without clogging the plumbing. Dooooooo it, please! Barbara May Eugene Venues, icons and footprints Has anyone else noticed that we don't have concert halls, or sports complexes, or convention centers, or museums, or theaters, or, for that matter, facilities anymore? They've all morphed into venues. There was a time when venue mostly had to do with legal matters, but not now. Even Iceland is a venue. I realize this is how language evolves, but sometimes I miss hearing a pub called a pub. And there is the ubiquitous icon, once a word that referred primarily to religious symbols or representations. But media types have discovered the word, and now the Space Needle Noun 1. Space Needle - a tower 605 feet tall in Seattle; a tourist attraction Seattle - a major port of entry and the largest city in Washington; located in west central Washington on the protected waters of Puget Sound with the snow-capped peaks of the Cascade , the Golden Gate Bridge Golden Gate Bridge, across the Golden Gate from San Francisco to Marin Co., W Calif.; built 1933–37. Its overall length is 9,266 ft (2,824 m); its main span across the strait, 4,200 ft (1,280 m), is one of the longest bridges in the world. Joseph B. and Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park (yōsĕm`ĭtē), 761,266 acres (308,205 hectares), E central Calif.; est. 1890 as a result of the efforts of conservationist John Muir. Located in the Sierra Nevada, it is a glacier-scoured area of great beauty; Mt. are all icons, as are Andy Rooney Andrew Aitken Rooney (born January 14, 1919) is an American radio and television writer. He became most famous as a humorist and commentator with his weekly broadcast A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney, a part of the CBS news program 60 Minutes since 1979. , Martha Stewart <noinclude></noinclude> Martha Stewart (born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. She is also a former stockbroker and fashion model. , Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse Famous character of Walt Disney's animated cartoons. He was introduced in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first animated cartoon with sound. Mickey was created by Disney, who also provided his high-pitched voice, and was usually drawn by the studio's head animator, , and, I suppose, Britney Spears. There are even iconic acts, such as George Washington's crossing of the Delaware Washington's crossing of the Delaware, occurring on December 25, 1776 during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey in the Battle of Trenton. River. Icons are popping up like dandelions. One other word that has gained new legs - so to speak - is footprint, which in its current usage has nothing to do with the impression left by a foot. Footprint is now used to refer to the space or area required for a building or some activity or even environmental impact. Thus, the World Trade Center left a footprint; the Indianapolis Speedway has a footprint, as does the North Slope North Slope, Alaska: see Alaska North Slope. Oil Drilling Project. There is even a carbon footprint A carbon footprint is the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service. - whatever that is. I know this sound oxymoronic, but sometimes I find myself wondering if a bike path has a footprint. Nah, it couldn't. Could it? Jim Ohman North Bend North Bend is the name of several places in the United States of America:
Be patient with teenage drivers My teenage daughter recently began driving with a learner's permit Noun 1. learner's permit - a document authorizing the bearer to learn to drive an automobile license, permit, licence - a legal document giving official permission to do something , and I've been discouraged by the rudeness of some of the drivers that we've encountered. Please remember that beginners are on the road who could use some extra patience. LINDSEY PETERSEN Eugene Good riddance to Gonzales Regarding the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales For the New York Yankees infielder, see . Alberto Gonzales (born August 4 1955) is an American jurist who served as the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. : I say goodbye and good riddance, Alberto. Don't let the door hit you on your way out. I wonder how long it will take to undo all the harm he has done to this country. Barbara Coulson Bandon Let's cheer for Oregon Ospreys We have a perfect solution to the "problem" of the osprey osprey (ŏs`prē), common name for a bird of prey related to the hawk and the New World vulture and found near water in most parts of the world. nest above the lights at Autzen Stadium: Keep the nest and make the osprey the new team mascot! This tenacious, high-whistling fish hawk is more uniquely qualified to represent Eugene's river habitat than the Disney duck. Besides, the "Oregon Ospreys" has a catchy ring to it! Now, just move those lights over and you'll have a real live mascot at the stadium, guaranteed to return year after year! Fight on, Ospreys! Abby Gershenzon The Gershenzon Pearce family Eugene Can Vick be rehabilitated? Michael Vick seemed contrite con·trite adj. 1. Feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses; penitent. 2. Arising from or expressing contrition: contrite words. and ashamed in his unscripted un·script·ed adj. Not adhering to or in accordance with a script written beforehand: "his unscripted encounters with the press" Eleanor Clift. statement on television, and his contrition con·tri·tion n. Sincere remorse for wrongdoing; repentance. See Synonyms at penitence. Noun 1. contrition - sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation contriteness, attrition seems to be well received. Sports and other media commentators hope his transgression will not mean a life ban from professional football, for which he has such remarkable talent, and that he will rehabilitate himself so he can be forgiven and welcomed back to the sport. Legal experts discuss sentencing scenarios. Not as much is said about the reason for Vick's troubles. It is appropriate to hope Vick that can rehabilitate himself. It is appropriate to forgive when forgiveness is deserved. It is also important to understand just what dog fighting is, and that Vick fought dogs not just once or twice recently, but many times since at least 2001, perhaps longer. The Humane Society of the United States The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a Washington, D.C-based animal welfare advocacy group. It is the largest animal welfare organization in the world, with nearly 10 million members and a 2006 budget of US$103 million. has three short videos on its Web site, www.hsus.org/acf/news/vote_video_contest.htm, that everyone should watch. The videos are the finalist entries in the HSUS Knock Out Animal Fighting Video Contest. Two of them are particularly hard to watch. Nevertheless, it is important to understand Vick was doing this to dogs for six years in his off-time from the Atlanta Falcons. It's important to remember that he lied about it until his two co-defendants made that impossible. It's important to ask ourselves what kind of person gets pleasure from making animals tear each other apart, and if such people can be rehabilitated. Sometimes they can be; sometimes they can't. With Michael Vick, time will tell. Marjorie Beck Eugene Were the cats trespassing? Wait a minute. There is something I don't understand about Sarah Yamada's Aug. 25 letter. Is she saying that the farmer who mowed and baled the field got over onto her aunt and uncle's property where the cats live? Or, perhaps, were the cats trespassing in the farmer's field? Responsible pet owners should know where their dogs and cats are at all hours. And they should not be wandering the fields at any hour of the day or night. Linda VanOrden Junction City Fund weatherization programs Energy efficiency doesn't need to be painful, and it isn't expensive, either. As Nicholas Kristof says (Register-Guard, Aug. 25), conservation is "the low-hanging fruit on the energy front," a highly cost-effective energy source. Conservation can reduce our dependence on less-reliable sources more cheaply than capital-intensive projects such as power plants. If conservation is low-hanging fruit, weatherizing low-income housing is fruit on the ground in the front yard, just waiting to be picked up. The federal Department of Energy estimates that weatherizing low-income housing and upgrading heating systems would reduce usage 20 percent to 30 percent for at least two decades and lower bills an average of $358 a year. That helps elderly households, people with disabilities and others who must choose between buying groceries or prescription drugs and paying utility bills. Low-income weatherization also creates jobs, stimulates local economies and generates taxes. Details are posted by Oregon Housing and Community Services at www.ohcs.oregon.gov/OHCS/SOS_WX_Economic_Impact.shtml. OHCS works with locally based Community Action Agencies to weatherize weath·er·ize tr.v. weath·er·ized, weath·er·iz·ing, weath·er·iz·es To protect (a structure) against cold weather, as with insulation. homes throughout Oregon. Yet, the Bush administration would have cut federal funding for low-income weatherization in half. The proposed cuts were reduced to 15 percent, thanks in part to opposition from Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Darlene Hooley and David Wu. Instead of cutting such funds, we should be doubling them. Few investments achieve so much, with so little, for so many - families in need, local businesses, the nation's energy security and ultimately, planet Earth. Robert Roth Eugene |
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