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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2005)
Enrollment 2005-2006 TO THE EDITOR refuse. His final suggestion, “if all else fails, write to me. I’ll be happy to be your friend,” is about as substantial as the aforementioned bread with the crusts cut off in the rain (thanks to Gaylynn for that one). Where’s his address and contact details? EW hung out my dirty Coolmax by printing my website, and I have since received some postings from folks who are relishing the chance to be Dr. Phil from the anonymity of their own Internet connec- tion. Ah, everyone loves talk shows! Matt is a clearly a well-balanced individual who has a full address book of baseball buddies from his Thurston High School days on his mobile phone, but who has probably never traveled outside his own zip code unless it was on a package deal, well-insulated from brown and slanty-eyed people like me. Perhaps he’s one of those Dr. Phils pos- turing away anonymously on my blog. The only thing I admire more than authen- ticity (in a land where “people pay money to do courses on how to be honest” — to quote a friend) is GUTS. We’re all born with them, but they’re stuck under folds of fat and flesh — no wonder they get under- utilized. Lynette Chiang www.galfromdownunder.com LINE OF FIRE I just wanted to offer a brief response to Clayton River’s letter (7/14). I’ve only just recently learned about Critical Mass and the efforts of bicycle activists in this town, and I wanted to say to Clayton and all the participants of Critical Mass that I whole- heartedly support your efforts. I too have suffered a fair number of near misses with careless drivers. I too am greatly frustrated with the growing number of cars on our once peaceful streets. I too long for a day when responsible transportation decisions will not put you in the line of fire of the uncaring, self-centered and hostile drivers of SUVs and other large vehicles. I hope that those of you who do choose to drive will recognize the real threat auto- mobiles pose to the rest of us, and for safe- ty’s sake, please hang up your phones! Rachel Jensen Eugene Cyclist SNEAKY ANNA Hats off to recent press reporting for exposing the June 1 secret conversation between Commissioners Anna Morrison, Faye Stewart and McKenzie-Willamette top brass. What part of the public’s right to know don’t these politicians understand? It is obvious that these talks included conversations about Triad’s purchase and possible partial land swap of its old hospi- tal building in a package deal with the county. A free press is the public’s guardian against official corruption and secret deal-making. Open government protects the broad public interest over nar- row special interests who prefer secrecy. Morrison has this bad habit of sneaky backroom deal-making that reflects con- tempt for the rights of the press and the public to know about key decisions. Along the same vein, she recently had undis- closed talks with development interests about the 80-acre Florence-Glenada dunes property sale. Before that, it was secret conversations with Eugene Sand & Gravel owners, again causing a public uproar. The Lane County Fairgrounds issue is too important and complex for political hacks to be cutting deals — leaving fellow commissioners, the press and the public totally in the dark. Marilyn V. Miller Florence The Village School is a tuition-free Steiner inspired public charter school serving children K-8. The Village School provides a holistic, arts-integrated curriculum educating the whole child using artistry, music and movement. LAST MEETINGS! Friday, August 19th • 10am Friday, August 26th • 10am The Village School - 2855 Lincoln St • 345-7285 village@4j.lane.edu • www.happyvillage.org LOVE THE VOID Like Gabriella Anelauskaite (7/28), I also enjoy going to the library and finding new DVDs available for free. I’m just sorry that she thinks the wide-screen for- mat is her enemy. You see, since a TV screen is obvious- ly shaped differently than a movie screen, a theatrical film usually has to be “format- ted” in order to fill that entire screen. Unfortunately, that formatting inevitably involves trimming the image itself. While these trims are sometimes limited to the borders of the picture, there have been cases where 40 percent of a film’s surface area had to be cut away in order to cram it onto a TV screen. Wide-screen, on the other hand, preserves the entire image as it was originally shot and meant to be seen. Comparing the wide-screen and full- screen versions of films like Pulp Fiction and 2001 clearly shows how much of the picture is lost with full-screen. The reason wide-screen is becoming such a dominant format on DVD is because people who know and care about film refuse to settle for anything less. As far as “special new TVs” go, my wife and I have a beat-up old set we bought from a neighbor for $40, and we’re able to watch and enjoy widescreen movies without a problem. Hopefully, Ms. Anelauskaite with stop worrying and learn to love the “black void.” All it means is that she can watch a film the way God (or Martin Scorsese) intended. Kris Bluth Eugene WHO YOU GONNA BLAME? EDITORIAL Editor Ted Taylor Associate Editor Melissa Bearns Executive/Arts Editor Lois Wadsworth Contributing Editor Anita Johnson Staff Writers Alan Pittman, Kera Abraham Calendar Editor Molly Templeton Contributing Writers Brett Campbell, Rachael Carnes, Rachel Foster, Kate Rogers Gessert, James Johnston, Sharleen Nelson, Mary O’Brien, Sylvie Pederson, Vanessa Salvia, Steven Sawada, Sally Sheklow, Lance Sparks, Martha Ulman West Interns Sara Brickner, David Constantin, Emily Freeman, Ursula Evans-Heritage ART DEPARTMENT Art Director/Production Manager Kevin Dougherty Graphic Artist/Webmaster James Bateman Graphic Artists Todd Cooper, Sandra Rossetter Contributing Photographers Kurt Jensen, Paul Neevel ADVERTISING National Sales Manager Mark Frisbee Display Marketing Consultant Jennifer D’Angelo, Rob Weiss Advertising Traffic Coordinator Geneva Miller Classified Manager Jeffrey Stout Classified Marketing Consultant Danica Zapata BUSINESS Director of Sales and Marketing Bill Shreve Circulation Manager Garet Frana Controller Paula Hoemann Distributors Bob Becker, Alex Bibicoff, Roc Dosland, Kevin Greene, Tim Risch, Ethan Simpson, Pedalers Express Printing Signature Graphics HOW TO REACH US BY E-MAIL: (letters): editor@eugeneweekly.com (advertising): ads@eugeneweekly.com (classifieds): classy@eugeneweekly.com (personals): personals@eugeneweekly.com (calendar): cal@eugeneweekly.com (music/clubs/special shows): music@eugeneweekly.com (art/openings/galleries): visualarts@eugeneweekly.com (performance/theater): performance@eugeneweekly.com (literary arts/readings): books@eugeneweekly.com (movies/film screenings): movies@eugeneweekly.com (circulation): distribution@eugeneweekly.com Eugene Weekly • 1251 Lincoln Street • Eugene, OR 97401 • 541.484.0519 • fax 541-484-4044 AUGUST 11, 2005 7
