EDITORIAL
Quakes are proof:
Eugene is no island
Although not close enough to do much damage local
ly, the recent rumblings of the Oregon earth have nonethe
less succeeded in wiping the smirks off the faces of many
lifetime Eugene residents, who have long considered earth
quakes yet another reason why Oregon is better than Cal
ifornia
The two Oregon tjuakes that have made the headlines
in the past year, one centered in Woodburn in March and
another two weeks ago near Klamath Falls, were both
comfortably distant from Eugene — close enough to be
felt, if only slightly, but far enough away (and weak
enough) not to cause any serious emotional distress to
people living here.
Still, both quakes have served to raise earthquake aware
ness locally and have forced government officials to dust
off their mostly unused earthquake contingency plans
and re-examine the con
struction cod os, which have
so far boon adequate. But in
the event of a truly power
ful quake, they may prove
to be loss than enough.
The common perception
of Oregon as a disaster-free,
geologically blase island in
a world of natural peril is
slowly giving way to the
Students have a
responsibility to
inform
themselves
about what to do.
realization that no region is completely sale. Hopefully,
however. the nudges that this area has been receiving will
result in greater preparedness, without greater panic.
With the possible exception of our large California con
tingent, students at the University, as woll as the local
population as a whole, have a responsibility to inform
themselves about what to do in the event of an earthquake
or other emergency.
It may seem mundane, but taking time to decide what
to do in an emergency, from finding the closest exits and
the nearest fire extinguishers, may eventually prove to be
time well-spent. With all the daydreaming that the aver
age student does during a typical class period, what harm
could there be in dedicating a few’ moments to planning
an escape route?
The natural forces ut work on this planet have chosen
this year to showcase their awesome power. Another earth
quake shook southern India Sept. 30, and while it was of
similar magnitude to the Oregon quakes, the damage it
caused was immeasurably worse. Insufficient construc
tion methods, hardly unexpected in such an impover
ished and overpopulated nation, were responsible for the
deaths of at least 20.000.
The tragedy in India makes it impossible to ignore how
fortunate Americans are to live in a country that measures
deaths by natural disaster in tons, not tens of thousands.
Still, the floods in the Midwest this summer, as well as
the tornadoes in Virginia and Hurricane Emily along
the coast of North Carolina, brought the destructive
strength of nuture home to America.
These disasters, locally, nationally and international
ly, each serve to prove once and for all who’s ultimate
ly in charge in this world. And it ain’t us humans.
Oregon Daily
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OPINION
Student experiences McCulture
Kevin Tripe
onto six months ago ! made
the decision to do the
\^J Europe tiling this summer.
My original plan included meet
ing an old friend in England and
traveling the continent with
him.
Unfortunately, his trip was
made with the intention of
studying abroad, and by the
time 1 could escape the state of
Oregon, he would have returned
home. So be it. I thought, if I
want to do the Europe thing,
then the Europe thing I will do;
with or without him
A few months later, 1 found
myself at London's Meathro
International Airport with a
large pack strapped to my back,
some Visa travelers checks in
my wallet, and absolutely no
uleo where I was going Kecog
nizing the name Piccadilly .Sta
tion on the London Under
ground map gave me just
enough reason to make that my
first European destination.
When I made it to my stop. I
climbed the stairs to the street
level of the famous Piccadilly
Square and got my fist glimpse
of Europe — a Burger King. So
Ixtgan my trek around the conti
nent. with its many interesting
and historic people and lan
guages, bars and beers. So, too,
began my strange and fattening
experience with McCulture.
if you're thinking about mak
ing a trip similar to mine and
hoping to experience a fresh and
completely foreign culture, con
sider Sri Lanka. The language
barrier may be a sticking point,
and their occasional civil wars
could cut your trip a bit short,
but in the end. I doubt you will
ever be asked if you want fries
with your order.
I, for one. was not able to
escape the grasp of the Extra
Value Meal (yes. they have them
there, too). In almost all of the
11 countries I visited, I had, and
excepted, the opportunity to
sample the many versions of
America's favorite fast food —
McDonald's.
Don't get me wrong. I was by
no means a slave to the Golden
Arches. Most of my culinary
experiences centered around the
traditional fare — from fish and
chips to bratwurst. Still, 1
believe 1 am more enlightened
for allowing myself the experi
ence Although McDonald's
restaurants in the United States
tend to be more or less identical
in menu and atmosphere. 1
found that their European coun
terparts often vary a good deal in
these areas. Americanization of
Sweden is nothing like that of
Germany.
So for those of you who are
considering a trip to Europe in
the near future, and are open to
the idea of experiencing fast
food a la Europe, l offer to you a
brief overview and a few
reviews:
The food: For the most part. it
sucks. ("Sucks" must be put in
context; 1 know many people
reading this think that McDon
ald's food here sucks, so if
you're one of them, it sucks rval
bad.) The portions are generally
small, the meat undercooked,
and the Cokes watered down.
However, the fries were general
ly pretty tasty, as well as salty
enough to warrant another Coke,
or. as many locations offer, a
cold t>«ur.
The atmosphere: For the most
part, a welcomed change from
the generic layout of the Ameri
can franchises. Most restaurants
utilized either an upstairs or
downstairs eating area, and sev
eral had cafe-esque outdoor
tables (it is. after all. Europe).
Kudos to the Stockholm. Swe
den. franchise, which is actually
located in the city 's central park
and features a duck pond next to
its patio.
On the downside, and I hate
to be judgmental here, but it is
true what you hear about East
German women, and unfortu
nately. many of them congregate
in the Dresden. Germany, fran
chise. As well, several locations
feature bathroom attendants
who don't appear to do much
besides sit in the hallway and
collect money from the patrons
(myself included).
The portions are
generally small,
the meat
untlercooked, and
the Cokes watered
down.
However, even with my keen
observations, I thought I should
get an expert opinion on the top
ic, so I phoned up the friendly
people at McDonald's media
relations in Chicago. 1 was par
ticularly interested in their
recent expansions into former
communist, east-bloc countries.
(Specifically. 1 found the Prague,
Czech Republic, franchise a use
ful means for observing Prague
culture — specifically the
Prague prostitutes).
And. as it turned out, the folks
at McDonald's Corporate Head
quarters have also set their
sights on these newly intro
duced bastions of capitalism
(the countries, not the prosti
tutes), saying that they hope to
soon have 20 franchises in
Moscow alone Check the news
papers. guys.
Although it does seem. look
ing back, a little sad to travel
halfway around the world just to
plug up my arteries with the
some starch and fat that I regu
larly travel to Villard Street for.
there is something to be said for
these outposts of Americana. I
have been in U.S. embassies
abroad and have found them
about as warm and inviting as
the DMV.
The Golden Arches, on the
other hand, have a sort of secu
rity to them, especially if you've
been wandering around a city
like Oslo or Milano, where every
spoken tongue makes you think
what it must have felt like to be
an immigrant fresh off of the
boat on Ellis Island. After you've
put five weeks of backpacking in
11 countries behind you. it's
nice to hear the words, "Would
you like fries with that, sir?"
even if it is. "Mochten Sie gem
pommes frites?"
Kevin Tripp is a columnist for
the Emerald.