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PET OWNERS BEWARE

Bend Parks and Rec should be congratulated for Alpenglow Park. The finished product sets the benchmark for local parks. Unfortunately, the park has not been cleared of foxtails and cheatgrass. These dangerous weeds are everywhere including inside the dog parks, and barbs cover the walkways. I have personally witnessed the damage these weeds can cause as in the past one of my dogs inhaled a barb and suffered a collapsed lung. Another dog required surgery on his leg to remove a barb that had worked its way up his leg. Recently Bend Parks had a crew of workers at the park for cleanup on two occasions. These weeds were obviously not on their list for removal as they are still present. Perhaps Bend Parks can have a cleanup day and ask for dog owners to help their crews rid the park of this danger. —George Brant

HAYDEN HOMES CONCERT SEASON 2022

To the Concert Organizers:

Your season is winding down. I’m betting you are tallying revenue, concessions, attendance, chair rentals and more. I bet you think it’s been a rousing success on every front. I bet you are proud you “take care of the neighborhood” by shutting down at 10:00pm.

Here’s what you also (should) know— this, from a longtime Bendite who visits a friend half-a-mile from you: The best time to sit on a deck, relax in quiet with a drink and/or dinner, enjoy a leisure evening outside is BEFORE 10:00pm.

Yet, it is impossible to escape the music (especially the bass). This outside quiet has not been available most weekends and several times per week. All. Summer. Long. You’ve taken away the option.

Next year, how about giving the neighborhood half of those evenings back? Have your season, make your money, but give the theater’s surrounding residents some weekends and other evenings to enjoy the quiet we used to have. Share the nights! Summers here are brief—your 2022 Concert Season seemed quite greedy of our precious quiet evenings.

—Nancy Tyler

MONKEYPOX

Pull up your socks, It’s MONKEYPOX A-falling from the trees. From hand to hand Across the land. It’s an ugly new disease.

So do your part To help to thwart This new menace on the way By wearing mask and washing hands And far from others stay.

From money land, we understand, Come welts and sores and such. No fun, for sure, so let’s endure To stay far from its clutch. —Bob Greenlee

STUPIDITY

Stupidity, have we finally reached the height and outer limits of human stupidity, I ask you?

Stupid is, as stupid does. Italian economic philosopher Carlo Cippola did recommend you watch the YouTube post, “The Five Laws of Stupidity,” which gives you a reference point for my written rant. Does activity involving fossil fuels really contribute to global warming or do the crazy rantings of our Worldwide Scientific Community have any validity at all? It seems kind

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of stupid to deny what is becoming increasingly so obvious.

The 55 MPH speed limit was enacted by President Richard Nixon on January 2, 1974, was that smart or stupid? Driving at 80 mph reduces fuel economy by 28%. Sixty percent of the fuel burned is used to overcome the poor aerodynamics on those monstrous pickups. I have asked the poor souls that pump fuel if people who drive large vehicles seem upset about fuel prices, and I got a resounding “yes.” Did the people who bought and drive these rigs really believe fuel prices would go down, not up? It would be nonsense to believe that or maybe even stupid to believe that. Go ahead fact check it, then look around at all of the outsized pickups, SUVs and other less-than-economical forms of transportation and recreational vehicles. Not only do we waste fuel and money with our appetite and need for speed, but human life in the form of traffic fatalities and serious injuries. Who in their right mind would follow closer than three car lengths at 65+ or even 85+ MPH, by my observation quite a number of people. How about texting at any speed?

So the first of Cippola’s laws states, everyone underestimates the number of stupid people, no offense intended? I think it’s high time we wised up. I know I still do stupid things myself and I am still trying to recover from my level of stupidity, how about you? By the way the biggest waste of fossil fuels is the world’s war machines and we own the biggest war machine in the world. —Stephen Schaffer

Letter of the Week:

Stephen—You wanted to remain anonymous, I wouldn’t let you—but look, you get Letter of the Week because of it! Come on by for your gift card to Palate. —Nicole Vulcan

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