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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2013)
of the layout. Traffi c volume would be reduced since through traffi c would bypass on Amazon as well as accessed from Amazon. Deliveries should access the stores from the streets behind. Utilities should be buried underground to reduce visual clutter and trees planted along with other calming green shade features to attract consumers. Bike paths, sidewalks and bus transit could fl ow through the district facilitating access to the various stores in a park-like setting. A Willamette commercial district should focus on a multi-mode circulation pattern for destination shoppers by eliminating through traffi c. Without that congestion and traffi c pressure, more people would be attracted to visit and shop with far less stress. Mark Murphy Creswell FILL A BUS! Our church has a group that supports health care as a human right. We are planning to charter a bus and go to Salem to join others from across Oregon at the rally on the fi rst day of the new legislative session, Monday, Feb. 4. We plan to fi ll the bus to show our legislators we want comprehensive publicly funded health care for everyone! A majority of people in our congregation has health care coverage, many of us, Medicare. So why should any of us care if health care is available to everyone? We’ve got ours, right? But wait, my children are not eligible for Medicare. Neither are my grandchildren. Well, maybe the new Obamacare will take care of them. Or, maybe they won’t get sick. Or, maybe they’ll land a job that provides health care with their employment. Or, maybe if a frog had wings, he wouldn’t go bump when he jumps. Are you interested in making health care available to all? If so, gather your friends, car pool, take the train, rent a bus on Feb. 4 and come to Salem to support the cause of “Health Care, a Human Right!” Wear a red shirt. If the people led, the leaders will follow! The local chapter of Health For All- Oregon meets regularly. See www.hcao.org Blake English & Deb McGee Eugene GOD’S COUNTRY As a young man I left Howard Beach, N.Y., for points unknown. Somewhere in the Northwest I saw my fi rst uncut rain forest. “This is God’s country,” I thought. While still in the Northwest I saw my fi rst large clearcut. I was shocked. As far as I could see in every direction was a Hiroshima-like scene of gray and brown. I’d never seen anything like this. “How in 1970 could we still be doing this?” I thought. Unfortunately, clearcutting and the transformation of forests to tree farms continues in Oregon and elsewhere. I was shocked to learn Gov. Kitzhaber wants to clearcut federal forests to pay county bills. Under timber company and Lane County pressure a proposed clearcut on publicly owned former O&C railroad lands is in the works. These lands, if reconfi gured, would stretch a mile wide from the West Coast to the East Coast with 500 miles still to go. Millions of acres. A lot of trees. My former hometown, Howard Beach, was fl ooded by Hurricane Sandy. Cars and boats fl oated down the streets. My old grade school was damaged. I was reminded of an incident in my fi fth grade biology class. Two frogs accidentally left in jars on the radiator were found dead. I asked my teacher, “Why didn’t they jump out?” He said, “Put frogs in hot water they will jump out, but slowly heat the water and they will stay.” He added, “They can’t understand what is happening to them.” Dr. Kitzhaber should. Leslie Weinstein Eugene BETTER SCHOOLS This is in response to Michele Renee’s letter [“Guns for Teachers?” 12/27] about the state of schools. I agree with your sentiments with regards to the state of our schools and the way we teach our students. The school I teach at in Eugene actually meets the criteria you set forth for better public schools. The Network Charter School limits class sizes to 15 middle school and high school students per class. We also have three-hour-long classes where teachers are able to build community with the students. Classes are taught by the organizations Peace Village, MECCA (Materials Exchange for the Community Arts), Nearby Nature, and Le Petit Gourmet. Our students can take classes ranging from peace studies to permaculture to printmaking. Our students cook our breakfasts and lunches under the guidance of a trained chef using whole foods. We have students from all over Lane County who make the daily trek to our classes. In this era of increasing class sizes and more limited options for schools, Network Charter School is a true alternative education. Josh Livie Eugene SINGING PRAISE We would like to thank Scott Landfi eld from Tsunami Books and all of the fi ne folks who attended the Egan Warming Center fundraising concert on Dec. 22. Scott gave his time, effort and space to help make this event a success. The patrons donated over $800 in cash and two carloads of warm clothing, blankets and more in addition to their attendance on a cold, rainy Saturday evening. Every dollar and all donations were delivered to the St. Vincent de Paul drop-off site on Seneca Road on Dec. 28. The participation of everyone involved exceeded our expectations and we are very grateful for the generous Eugene community. It is our intent to make this an annual event so we’ll see you again next year on the Winter Solstice! Sean McGowan, Beth Wood and 14 co-signers of the Caldera Songwriters Group WINE AT THE HULT As a strong supporter of the recovery community in the Eugene/Springfi eld area, I was surprised to fi nd myself sitting The Shedd Institute www.theshedd.org - 541-434-7000 The Shedd The Magical Moombah! 10 am & 1 pm Rumbles & The Wild Skies! Saturday Jan 19 Solas: Shamrock City Thursday Jan. 24 Black Prairie Friday Feb. 1 Afro-Cuban All Stars Victor Wooten Friday Feb. 15 Saturday Feb. 16 eugeneweekly.com • January 17, 2013 5
