pected colony of the destructive Gypsy Moth.
Agencies who use Btk for this purpose make
claims that imply it is specific for Gypsy Moth,
but this is not true. Not only can spraying kill
moths or butterfly caterpillars of any species
feeding in the area, but certain caterpillars
(Tiger Swallowtail for example) are far more
sensitive to Btk than is Gypsy Moth.
Sunlight degrades Btk quickly, suggest-
ing that effects should be short-lived, yet a
Michigan State University study showed
that droplets of spray shielded from the sun
could kill caterpillars up
to 30 days after spray-
ing. Non-lethal doses
also affect the fertility
of resulting adults. Paul
Severns, who has stud-
ied effects of Btk on
butterflies after a
Dexter spraying, says
there is not enough re-
search to predict non-
target effects of Btk,
and suggests it would be
of benefit for people who butterfly-garden
to keep track of what butterflies they see
and how many of each they count. The data
could contribute to anecdotal records of
what happens in urban spray areas (see
story on butterflies this week, page 31).
— Rachel Foster
ITALIAN PEACE FLAGS
GROW IN POPULARITY
Colorful “Peace” flags have been seen in
the Eugene Celebration parade and else-
where around Eugene at peace demonstra-
tions since the Bush administration an-
nounced its plans to invade Iraq. Where did
these flags come from?
Eugene peace activist Betsy Steffanson
says she first saw the 3-by-5-foot cloth
Italian flags with the word “Pace” (“peace”
in Italian, pronounced pah-che) when her
friend
Sharon
S c h u m a n
brought 20 back
from Italy last
year. No other
country
was
making
the
flags, so she got
the name of the
manufacturer in
Italy, and called
them.
“They speak
English,” she says. “I asked them if they
could make the flags with ‘peace’ in
English, and they asked me if I could buy
500.” She agreed and is now working her
way through her second shipment of 500
and says the flags are being displayed and
carried all over the country.
• Our news story this week on the city attorney and his amicus brief on behalf of
PeaceHealth raises all kinds of issues, some old and some new, but all related. What’s
wrong with our city charter that creates a powerful city manager and allows our private
city attorney to represent our best interests one minute, then turn around and facilitate
competing interests the next minute? And who’s really running the city when our assis-
tant city manager is meeting with our city attorney to talk about intervening on
statewide policy issues? And what does it mean for Eugene to lose a major medical
center to Springfield? How do we calculate the cost of lost jobs, lost medical services,
lost opportunities and lost prestige, not to mention lost street and road funding that
will be sucked out of Eugene to accommodate a huge, sprawling development in
Springfield? ODOT and LCDC dropped the ball in this court case, but fortunately we
have 1000 Friends of Oregon, CHOICES and the Jaqua family fighting for Eugene’s (and
Springfield’s) best interests.
• The city’s plans to divert property taxes away from schools and into urban renewal
projects along the Willamette River in Eugene could go to voters if local citizens can get
the 3,722 valid signatures required. Will it happen? EW’s coverage of the topic (including
last week’s page 11 news story) appears to have stirred some interest in people beating
the streets. E-mail lists are buzzing and at least one person, Zach Vishanoff, has volun-
teered to gather signatures on campus every afternoon. Once the council has given
final approval to the expanded Riverfront Urban Renewal District, petition gatherers will
have 29 days to gather the signatures. One of the major concerns with the new urban
Steffanson figures $15 covers her costs,
including shipping from Italy. Flags can be
purchased from her by calling 686-2531 or
e-mail nfp@efn.org — TJT
STUDENTS COMPETE
IN ACADEMIC PURSUITS
In the late 1970s, Vernon Jarrett,
renowned author and journalist, initiated an
“Olympics of the Mind” to promote and re-
ward African-American students as acade-
mic achievers in the same way sports heroes
are honored. Twenty-five Eugene and
Springfield high school students of color
will continue this tradition of competition
Sunday, March 14 in the annual Afro-
Academic, Cultural, Technological and
Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), sponsored
by the Eugene/ Springfield chapter of the
National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People.
Local students will compete in 14 of the
24 categories in sciences, humanities, per-
forming arts and visual arts. Competitions
will begin at 9 am in the Hult Center, with a
visual arts exhibit and performing arts pre-
sentation open free to the public at 7 pm.
The evening event will include perfor-
mances in dance, oratory arts, music (vocal)
and dramatics. Student poets will also
present their work during the evening pro-
gram.
“With such a small population of African
Americans in the area,” says Dr. Snell
Fontus, local NAACP’s ACT-SO chairper-
son, “giving these students a venue to exer-
cise their gifts and present their talents is im-
portant. It develops self-confidence in what
they are capable of doing.”
Eugene student winners will be awarded
with bronze, silver and gold medals, and ad-
vance to compete in the nationwide ACT-SO
competition in Philadelphia in early July.
Fontus says, “The national competition
takes place the same weekend of the
NAACP conference. So, not only do the
kids get to compete with the best and bright-
est, but they get to rub shoulders with ac-
tivists from across the country.” National
winners receive scholarships and educa-
tional aid prizes such as computers.
ACT-SO centers around the dedication
and commitment of community volunteers
and business leaders to serve as mentors and
coaches promoting academic and artistic ex-
cellence among African American students.
— Bobbie Willis
CORRECTIONS/
CLARIFICATIONS
Vanessa Salvia’s music column last week
referred to Against Me! releasing “seven per-
cents;” of course, that should have read
“seven-inch” recordings.
renewal plan is vagueness about how the money can be spent. Here’s a radical idea:
How about opponents agreeing to abandon their referral efforts if the City Council
amends the plan to make it more palatable?
• Looks like Mayor Torrey is going to become Citizen Torrey for the foreseeable future.
Torrey’s a personable guy with good intentions, and he’s been a strong advocate for
education. But we’re not sad to see him go. His tie-splitting votes on development and
other land-use issues have contributed to a lowering of quality of life in Eugene, and for
many of us, that will be Torrey’s legacy. What will be our next mayor’s legacy? It won’t
be guesswork. Our two leading candidates both have clear voting records over time on
a broad range of issues.
• We’ve been stealthily probing our buddies down at the R-G to leak us some hints
about what’s the buzz in the newsroom, but they are keeping mum. We think the R-G
owes its readers the courtesy of outlining the new pecking order. Who ya gonna call
with questions, complaints and story ideas? Titles have changed on the website and it
looks like management is trying the trendy “team” approach once again, and feature
writers are now also knocking out hard news. Margaret Haberman is no longer city edi-
tor and Executive Editor Jim Godbold is now working under Jackman Wilson on the edi-
torial pages. Who’s covering the environment?
SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard
any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, or email editor@eugeneweekly.com
Darin J. Ward DDS PC, F.A.G.D.
Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry
Health Centered Dentistry
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MARCH 11, 2004 9