VIEWPOINTS
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Rail line would answer
transportation demands
■ OUR OPINION: Oregon
should suppor t the
proposed high speed ran
Far a nation that consid
er* itself to bn the leading
itipurpowBr in the world,
(he United Slain* certainly
isn't making much pragmas
in improving the transporta
tion system
While other nations such
as France, Jajmn and Swe
den have all implemented
high speed railway systems,
some that have existed for
16 years without one fatal
accident, we have automo
biles, buses and airplanes
that produce air pollution
and cause congestion and
fatalities
With the passing of the
1992 Surface Transportation
Act, federal funds have
finally been allocated to cre
ate mom efficient forms of
transportation, such as high
speed railway systems,
across the nation Cities in
Florida, New York. Texas
and Washington have
already started building
high-speed railways to test
their effectiveness.
With the rec ent failure to
gain support in the state
laogislatum. Oregon is now
moving further away from
making this long-awaited
trans|K>rtation improve
ment.
Fortunately Cov John
Kitzhaber refuses to allow
this rail line, which is
planned to run from Eugene
to Vancouver. BXI. to lose
its status as a federally rec
ognized high-speed rail cor
ridor.
If the federal funding it
revoked due to lac k of sup
port, the PM) million project
will be too costly to imple
ment.
Them is no reason the
legislature should turf cup
port line profiM t Though n
eppMn they have deddied
that improving transports
lion is not Ibir responslbilt
Iv. it l* undeniably an issue
that is nut going to go sway
With ihr increasing popu
lation in Urns and Benton
counties and the Willamette
Valloy causing massive con
gestion in I he Interstate 5
corridor, wo t annul afford to
allow this project to lose its
funding
An «* pension of 1-5 wit)
not solve pollution prob
lems Any student who has
espwrienood this stretch of
highway during rush hour
or holiday traffic would
benefit from a high speed
rail system that would not
only lie untouched by poor
weather conditions, but will
make the trip from Portland
to Eugene in a quick hour
and 22 minutes. This cuts
the amount of time it takes
to travel to Portland from
Eugene via Am Irak by two
hours.
The state of Washington
i>«» found $50 million to pul
into the project along with
the $40 million that Salem.
Eugene and Marion County
have pledged
Even though Ballot Mea
sure 5 prevent* Oregon from
u*mg money from property
taxes to match federal fund*
for co*t-effective transports
lion, action can still be
taken to provide the funds
for this prefect
If Willamette Valley cities
and counties support this
project by pledging the nec
essary St5 million to match
federal funds, it will ensure
this project's success, mak
ing it impossible for Con
gress to ignore Oregon's
need and desire for more
efficient and cost -effective
transportation
I
GRIEVANCE
A«x/r waco
Oft. SOME
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/NX»RE *>NINVOLVED
AMTRAK PASSENGERS
Major Derailment
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—■i ^ tV
Wild Duck lays huge egg, goes lame
If you're looking for * groat place with good
food and wonderful live mutn . forget th*
Wild l)ol If* a i r**h court* in how not to
da*ign < brvwnry
A friend and I want downtown cm April 6 to
hoar John Hammond and Duke RobilUrd at the
Wild Sihmutk Wa ll iwwr go hack, and unlmt
you're into mpantive *t»uw I *u$g«Ht you avoid
tha place, too
Th* cover charge, even at 114. didn't intimi
data u» If* worth thru (or mora) to bnar good
tr<u»» *11 m fjwwu iihk » wrni
goad food — whn h u what w»
wore emptm-fin#
Wa planned i« arrive «n
bout early. find a good mmt.
onl«*r dinner and wttle in fot a
Rrwai ahow NOT W* (Mid out
I2H and walked into what
look* Itlu* a weird ttma
between a miniature mu via
theater and black uymtuuumi
There are no chair*. |u*t hat
•tool* with no arm* and no back*
OPINION
I Ms t% weird Miough, foul you can t even imi
voui elbow* on the table Why? Because the
table*' are really little lew he* and they're
iboiw than the siuoU.
So you sit on a Moot and can't quite reach
vmir t**r on the heath below your knee*, and
twforB ym» know it you're peering around six
loot tail guy* who haw* no idea how tall and
aue they are You're trapped on an unroot
tile (tool with your beer in your lap and no
view
And about that great food? Well, they don't
**rve any in the bar Why anyone would not
want to *erve food in their bar t* beyond me — I
pu rated over thi« a* my friend laved my
bantool *o I could leave the bar and walk over
to the restaurant portion of the building
My friend fended off caah offer* for my (tool
while I inquired and made sure there wu no
possibility I could eat in the musk bar
I scanned the menu and derided on the "arti
choke and Parmesan bread.“ A number of
restaurant* in the area serve different versions of
this, and norm of them are bad
None of them except the Wild Duck's that is.
Instead of crusty homemade bread. I got what
appeared to ha SLICED HOTDOG BUN. A paper
thin layer of something they think is artichoke
spread sat on top of the "bun* *
I'm pretty sure the only artichoke in there was
artificial artichoke flavoring. On top of that were
shaved piece* of dry cheese — not even melted
On top of that rested six darling little specks of
tomato The tab was $5 75
So then I have the ultimate dining experience
standing outside the music lounge, leaning
against a lamp pol* and munching down mis
incredible (oust I went beck in and assured my
stool guarding friend that I hadn’t ditched him.
then ordered a couple of drinks Because I did
n’t want to fight my way back to the bar for a
while. I ordered doubles Seventeen dollars
I don't know what they charge for good
orgnat. but $17 for two mixed drinks is unreal 1
expect that sort of shaft at the Denver airport,
but not downtown Eugene!
Seventeen dollars' worth of alcohol at Ren
me * will get you four people passed out under
the table On top of that, they were served in
plastic cups! For seventeen dollars I expect to
drink from a GLASS
By now we've contributes! over $50 toward
the cost of the Star Wars cash register system
and the nifty radio headsets worn by the door
attendants The headsets are in case of an emer
gency. such as people attempting to smuggle
good hard in from Cafe Soriah or Mona Lixza's
My only consolation was that our $50 was
also helping pay fur the space-age sound system
In a oast life. 1 mixed sound for a rock n roll
band I know a killer system when I see one. and
1 was REALLY looking forward to hearing killer
blues on a killer system
Guess again Hammond opened with an
acoustic solo set, and his vocals weren't even
mixed in lo the main speaker* We sat there li*
tening to Hammond sing through the monitors,
staring at each other and wondering if it was a
bad dream
But it gets worse Hammond finishes hi* set,
and because all the equipment and instruments
are set up for the Duke Robillard band, we figure
we're facing a ten minute break right? FORTY
FIVE MINUTES LATER, when the band finally
takes the stage, the sound man experience* tech
nical difficulties.
As in no band As in another 10 minutes
1 had to be physically restrained to keep from
walking out in disgust When the band finally
DID start. I expected that the sound would be so
good that we'd ail be levitated to blues ecstasy
and everything would be okay again
You tone-deaf folks who were there might
think that was good sound, but with a system
like that, believe me. Robiltard's guitar (even a
stinkin' Falcon) should have sliced right
through the hubbub and knocked you up against
the wall
If you like the idea of forking over 50 bucks
for two drinks and some dry cheese on hot dog
buns, listening to bush-league sound mixing
while you hunker over on a bar stool or stand
up with no table, head right down to Sixth and
Chameltnn
If you like that sort of abuse, the Lame Duck
will dish out all you can take.
telly Andemon, a mtuar maporing in poumalatm.
it a columnitt for the Emerald. Email:
boonirltoregon uoregon edu