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SATURDAY
FEBRUARY
7
•
2015
YESTERDAY’S NEWS
LETTERS
Food for thought
MOMENTS IN TIME
The History Channel
A few days ago I reached
into a plastic bag for what
was left of a loaf of bread that
had been bought at least a
month and a half prior. What
struck me as odd — no, it
really didn’t — the slice of
bread had just a little tiny bit
of green mold, just a small lit-
tle pinch.
I recall a few years back
watching a YouTube video in
which some guy with a host
of credentials said, as he pro-
ceeded to unwrap a burger
from a very well known fast
food establishment, “I bought
this burger a year ago,” and
he also claimed that the burg-
er looked as good as the day
he bought it.
I suppose, we as individu-
als could perform the same
experiment. However, the
way I see it, what does all
those preservatives do to the
human body and our health
that our government seems to
be concerned about?
Now I can understand shelf
life — the longer a product
sits on the shelf without going
bad is a plus for the manufac-
ture — but why with food
that is suppose to be con-
sumed almost immediately
need all those preservatives?
We have been told that X
parts per million won’t hurt
us. I think it does matter how
many parts per million will or
won’t hurt us. After 20, 30, 40
years, what about those X
parts per million, what then is
the effect on our health? I
think, we know with the high-
er rates of every disease and
every ailment known to man.
And yes, I consume those
well-preserved burgers.
Vernon James
Florence
• On Feb. 10, 1763, The Seven Years’ War,
known as the French and Indian War, ends with
the signing of the Treaty of Paris by France,
Great Britain and Spain. France lost all claims
to Canada and gave Louisiana to Spain, while
Britain received Spanish Florida, Upper
Canada and various French holdings overseas.
• On Feb. 11, 1805, Sacagawea, the
Shoshone Indian interpreter and guide to the
Lewis and Clark expedition, gives birth to her
first child, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, two
months before the trek begins. The baby, nick-
named Pompey, went on the expedition, carried
on his mother’s back. Clark paid for Pompey’s
education when the boy grew up.
• On Feb. 14, 1842, fans of Charles Dickens
organize the Boz Ball, an elite party for the cel-
ebrated English writer during his first trip to
America. (Dickens’ earliest works had been
published under the pseudonym Boz.) Only
members of New York’s aristocracy were invit-
ed.
• On Feb. 15, 1903, toy-store owner and
inventor Morris Michtom places two stuffed
bears in his shop window in Brooklyn, adver-
tising them as Teddy bears. Michtom had earli-
er petitioned President Theodore Roosevelt for
permission to use his nickname, Teddy. The
president agreed.
• On Feb. 12, 1938, best-selling author Judy
Blume, known for her children’s books and
young-adult novels, including “Tales of a
Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Are You There
God? It’s Me, Margaret,” is born in Elizabeth,
New Jersey. Blume’s books have been beloved
by several generations of readers.
• On Feb. 9, 1960, Adolph Coors disappears
while driving to work from his Morrison,
Colorado, home. The grandson of the Coors’
founder and chairman of the Golden, Colorado,
brewery was kidnapped and held for ransom
before being shot to death.
License pedestrians
I agree with Portlander Bob Huckaby;
walking should require training, certifica-
tion, licensing and taxing. Oh, he is only tar-
geting bicyclists? Why stop there?
Training: Our educational system uses the
model that citizens must be taught, told and
advised by public agencies down to the
smallest aspect of their lives. Compliance
requires indoctrination in approved ways.
Since the young must be accompanied, high
schools and colleges could provide.
Certification: Pedestrians continue to
cross roads where it’s not as safe. They
should not be allowed to share space with
those authorized unless certified and retested
every few years as laws change.
License: Our enforcers need to know who
is in compliance. The license would be worn
around the neck or pinned on the chest. It
would be of a size, color and shape easily
recognized.
Tax: Sidewalks cost money to build and
maintain, a cost pedestrians should bear.
There is also training, administration,
enforcement and imprisonment. Our public
bureaucracies typically consume 80 percent
of the revenue, leaving 20 percent for the
sidewalks. And government can claim job
creation.
USPS# 497-660
Rather than become a criminal, those not
given permission could use alternative
authorized forms like bicycles, motorcycles,
cars or buses. (Maybe allow an exception to
go directly to and from a bus stop to reach
work.) These alternatives also create more
jobs dealing in pollution, medicine, resource
acquisition, retailing, bureaucracies and
infrastructure.
We have all been taught, told and advised
that more taxes, licensing and regulations
means better quality of life and superior
societies.
Keith Stanton
Florence
Going the extra mile
On Jan. 13, our small community was
without water. We have a well and storage
tank and a distribution system that includes
10 lots, of which five are occupied. As the
system manager, I checked all that I could
but knew I needed professional help.
Until the recession, we had a company in
town that serviced our well, but he is now
long gone. I started calling plumbers first
thing Thursday morning but all were
already out on calls. I explained the situa-
tion to each office person and they prom-
ised to pass the info on to the plumbers.
(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.
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Postmaster, send address changes to: The Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439. Phone (541) 997-3441 (See
extension numbers below). FAX (541) 997-7979.
John Bartlett
Jenna Bartlett
Ryan Cronk
Susan Gutierrez
Cathy Dietz
Ron Annis
Jeremy Gentry
When I called Scott Ryland, I spoke to
the man himself. He admitted that this was
a bit outside the normal plumbing area but
also knew there was likely no one else in
town more qualified than himself. He
promised to get out to take a look as soon as
possible.
He and his crew arrived about noon, and
after checking the system, determined that
the distribution pump had failed. He called
about a dozen places in Eugene trying to
find a comparable pump, but all were much
smaller.
We were about to give up when he called
someone in Coos Bay. They had the exact
pump we needed.
It was now 2 p.m. and he said he would
personally drive down there and pick up the
pump and try to get it installed later that
evening. At 6:30 p.m. I got a call from Scott
to check my water. Sure enough it was back
on. Needless to say my neighbors were
pleased and so was I.
So Scott went not just the extra “mile,”
but an extra 100 miles to get us water. And
the price he charged? Way below what I
thought it would be considering the number
of hours invested. Thanks Scott, from all of
us on Lakeview Drive.
Brad Hanscom
Florence
• On Feb. 13, 1991, Sotheby’s announces the
discovery of a long-lost manuscript of
“Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. The man-
uscript was the first half of Twain’s original
version, heavily corrected in his handwriting,
which had been missing for more than a centu-
ry.
Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. John Kitzhaber
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us