Author & Artist
Madison Clell
“Cuckoo: One Woman’s
True Story of Living With
Multiple Personality
Disorder"
University of Oregon Bookstore
895 E. 13th Avenue, Eugene
Thursday, November 7
7:00 p.m. • Free
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
BOOKSTORE
More information on author events online at uobookstore.com
“Work, Welfare
and Politics:
Confronting
Poverty in the
Wake of Welfare
Reform"
University of Oregon
Knight Library
Browsing Room
Wednesday, November 6
7:00 p.m. • Free
I
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
BOOKSTORE
Joan Acker, Margaret Hallock and Sandra Morgen will join their publisher and host, the University of Oregon
Press to speak about their book as well as current local election issues facing our community, state and
nation. A booksigning will follow the discussion. More information available online at uobookstore.com
going overseas? catch the Oregon daily emerald
on the world wide web: www.dailyemerald.com
I-..<
Danielle Hickey Emerald
Paul Simon spoke about his new book at the Knight Law Center Monday.
Former senator
gives lecture
on water issues
Former UO student and U.S. Senator Paul Simon says desalination
is the key to easing a future international water shortage
Jody Burruss
Environment/Science/Technology Reporter
Former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon spoke to a full house in the Knight Law Cen
ter on Monday, stressing that the issue of water shortages is one that must
be addressed internationally.
Simon, who attended the University for one year at age 16, discussed his
new book, “Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We
Can Do About It,” and water’s role in international inequality.
“I think we ought to have a dream,” he said. “I think it ought to be tied in
with the rest of the world.”
Simon spoke about the world’s population growth and how the need for
water is exceeding the supply.
“You don’t have to be an Einstein to figure out we’re headed for some prob
lems,” he said.
Overpopulation, Simon said, is a growing problem, and more educational
services for women in developing countries would bring about a decrease in
birth rates. Also, many places do not charge enough for water, he said. If the
prices of water were raised, use would go down drastically.
Simon gave suggestions for easing water use, saying that in the short run,
conservation needs to be implemented everywhere. But, he said, this will
only prove to be effective for a limited amount of time.
The ultimate answer, he said, is desalination, a process that turns saltwater
to freshwater but is relatively expensive. Simon said as new technology is
developed, desalination may compete with the cost of freshwater.
Simon ended his lecture by urging the audience to write their representa
tives and ask them to appropriate funds for desalination research, adding
that this can really make a difference.
“We all change history,” he said. “I want you to change history positively.”
Simon, who grew up in Eugene, began teaching at Southern Illinois Uni
versity in 1997, after retiring from the U.S. Senate. He is the founder and di
rector of the SIU Public Policy Institute at the Carbondale campus, which
promises to “find new ways of solving some very old problems.”
Simon will also talk to students about water-use issues during visits to six
classes, including Professor Jeff Ostler’s environmental history class. Ostler
said Simon’s book is timely and interesting. His hope is that Simon’s lecture
will provide students with awareness of water issues.
“He seems to be one of the most knowledgeable people, not only on envi
ronmental issues, but other issues as well,” Ostler said.
Contact the reporter atjodyburruss@dailyemerald.com.