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Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes News: Happenin' Person: Jonathan Livingston CHEMICAL QUANDARY The Hynix semiconductor plant in west Eugene has applied to nearly triple its emission of hydrogen fluoride (HF), a toxic air pollutant and acid rain contributor, in an effort to reduce its greenhouse gas output. Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) seems poised to approve the increase, but does not appear to be exploring a potential link between HF gas and lung disease. Three long-time neighbors on Louis Lane, about two miles from the Hynix facility, developed pulmonary fibrosis and passed away in quick succession between April 2005 and February 2006 (see "Pulmonary Paradox," EW 5/4). The cause of their illness is uncertain, but pulmonary fibrosis experts acknowledged that three cases occurring on the same street is unusual and merits investigation. Asked whether pollution from the nearby semiconductor plant may be a source of the men's symptoms, none of the experts saw a red flag. Hynix's request to hike its HF emissions prompted EW to revisit the mystery. And it does appear that the chemical has been linked, although vaguely, to the little-understood disease. A letter from Abbott Laboratories in the spring 1997 Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation newsletter listed pulmonary fibrosis as a possible symptom of short-term exposure to a high concentration of HF. It is unclear whether a chronic, low-concentration exposure — which neighbors of the Hynix plant are likely to breathe — is likewise linked to pulmonary fibrosis. Federal worker safety regulation agency OSHA describes HF gas as a "severe pulmonary irritant" that can cause edema, or fluid buildup in the spaces between lung tissues. LRAPA permit writer Doug Erwin said that Hynix's current output of 1.8 tons of HF per year exposes people 1 mile away to about 1.5 micrograms of HF per cubic meter per hour. If Hynix increases its emissions to 5 tons per year, residents 1 mile away will inhale up to 4.1 micrograms per cubic meter per hour. According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, it's safe for people to inhale up to 14 micrograms of HF per cubic meter per hour on a chronic basis. Thus, Erwin said, Hynix can increase its HF emissions to 5 tons per year without harming the health of nearby residents. But not everyone is so confident. In a Dec. 11 letter to LRAPA, Oregon Toxics Alliance requested a public hearing before the permit is approved. Erwin confirmed that the hearing will soon be scheduled, as required under LRAPA rules. According to Hynix spokesman Bobby Lee, the company is only trying to be a good corporate citizen. Hynix has joined an international effort among semiconductor manufacturers, in partnership with the U.S. EPA, to reduce emissions of perfluorocompounds (PFCs), a powerful greenhouse gas. The modified manufacturing process produces more HF, which Lee claims is not a contributor to global warming. "Of course the public should question it, and that's why you have the process through LRAPA," he added. "Our intention, of course, is to reduce [PFC emissions] along with all of the semiconductor industry." Hynix is located in an area that already exceeds national ambient air quality standards for PM10, or coarse particulate matter, which is linked to respiratory problems such as asthma. — Kera Abraham. Nicole Fancher contributed research to this report.
PROGRESSIVE VOTE KILLED COUNTY TAX Eugene's progressive vote killed the county cops and jails tax Measure 20-114 last month, according to an analysis of precinct voting results. While Eugene progressives voted heavily in favor of increasing their taxes to support parks, they voted heavily against the county law enforcement tax measure. The parks measure 20-110 passed in Eugene with 59 percent voting yes. The county tax measure — criticized as favoring jails over treatment and for giving tax breaks to corporations — got only a 49 percent yes vote in Eugene, the same percentage by which it failed countywide. If the county tax measure had received the same pro-tax vote in Eugene as the city parks measure had, the county measure would have passed with a countywide total of 53 percent voting yes. In half of Eugene's precincts, mostly in south Eugene, the discrepancy was big: The parks yes vote was more than 10 percentage points higher than the jails no vote. In one Whiteaker neighborhood just north of West 11th, 83 percent voted for parks, but only 38 percent voted for the county jails measure. Money measures have traditionally relied on strong support from pro-government progressives in south Eugene to push them over the top. But funding measures for law enforcement have struggled in the face of south Eugene voters' skepticism of their police emphasis. Eugene has passed two parks bond measures and a library measure in the same time that three police station measures have failed. The voting pattern could point to a new strategy for the county passing its tax measure by changing it to put more money into prevention and treatment rather than incarceration and by shifting more of the burden to corporations and the wealthy. But while such a strategy might play well with south Eugene progressives, it might not be popular with the current conservative majority on the Lane County Commission. However, in January a new west county commissioner, Bill Fleenor, is expected to shift the balance to the left. — Alan Pittman
SHREDDED SPEECH Jeanie Schauerman regularly brings her large, rainbow-striped "Peace" flag to local rallies. So one day, when it wasn't on her porch, no alarms went off — until Schauerman noticed that her McKinley Street neighbors' flags were also missing. Residents soon learned that sometime between Nov. 28 and Nov. 30, thieves had stolen four peace flags and left one torn at the base of its pole. Neighbors first thought the culprits were kids playing a joke, but to Abby Sliwinski, who owned the ripped flag, the thefts felt too "mean-spirited" to be done by kids. McKinley Street runs parallel to City View Street and curves north from 18th Avenue to 14th Avenue, a quiet four blocks with no cross streets. Resident Jennifer Rowan says the stolen flags came from the street's north end. Five or six flags from the south end and several political yards signs remained untouched. Whether the thieves were protesting "Peace" itself or the rainbow colors that could symbolize gay pride, they "violated our neighborhood," Schauerman says, "our freedom of speech and our right to be different." Members of Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC) printed up cautionary flyers for McKinley Street residents about the incident. CALC's Michael Carrigan says the thefts constitute a hate crime because they targeted people's beliefs. At press time, EPD has no new leads. EPD Public Information Director Melinda Kletzok says the crimes are considered misdemeanors based on the stolen items' low economic value. But Schauerman rejects EPD's perception of value. "[The flag] stands for what we believe," she says. "You can't put a price on feeling safe and comfortable in your home." Schauerman has since funded the flags' redistribution, as she did originally. While peace flags show their colors once again on McKinley Street, many are now displayed from inside. — Nicole Fancher
FINDING ROOM AT THE INN In Mexico at this time of year, many people are preparing to celebrate La Posada Navideña, also known as Las Posadas. Just in case you're not up on your Spanish, una posada is an inn or a hostel, and just in case you're not up on your Baby Jesus, here's the scoop: The (very) pregnant Mary and stepdad Joseph, looking for a safe place between Nazareth and Bethlehem for Mary to give birth, kept on finding posadas llenas. That is, there was no room at the inns. Las Posadas is a reenactment of this search for shelter, when members of the community gather to celebrate the season. Middle-grade students may recognize the event from Pam Muñoz Ryan's award-winning 2004 book Becoming Naomi León or from their own parents' descriptions, and those who attend church services have probably at some point heard a sermon connecting Mary's journey to immigration. And it's not lost on the Latino immigrant community that finding shelter in a sometimes hostile country can be a perilous and dramatic experience. So Amigos Multicultural Services Center and its youth group, Juventud FACETA, planned the reenactment not only as a seasonal celebration but to pay tribute to International Migrants Day, established by the U.N. General Assembly in the year 2000. "In celebrating International Migrants Day," says FACETA's press release, "we offer our support for the protection of the human rights of immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers around the world, including those residing in our own local community." FACETA advisor Patricia Cortez notes that it's important for the youth to keep traditions going so they stay connected to their cultural heritage. Las Posadas begins at 6 pm Wednesday, Dec. 20 at the old Whiteaker School, 21 N. Grand St., and Amigos invites the entire community, especially children, to the celebration that will include the reenactment, Christmas songs and a party. — Suzi Steffen
A WORLD THAT WORKS? Sharif Abdullah, founder and president of the Commonway Institute and author of Creating A World That Works for All, will be speaking at 7 pm Thursday, Dec. 14 at Harris Hall, 125 E. 8th Ave. Organizers of the talk say they hope to pull together groups in Eugene based on Abdullah's ideas. Abdullah was raised in the violent slums of Camden, N.J. He was a Black Panther and founder of the Black People's Unity Movement, an organization dedicated to self-help and development in Camden. He practiced law before turning full-time to work for social change. "America is pulling itself apart at the seams," according to Abdullah on the Commonway website, www.commonway.org "The dividing lines that separate us — lines of class, caste, color and ideology — are getting wider, with no end in sight. We have lost our spiritual center. No one person or group can solve our problems: Only by learning and practicing inclusivity will we be able to pull together instead of pulling apart." Abdullah says people are meeting the challenges of our times with "creativity, joy and a deep spiritual reverence. They are acting like their lives have meaning in the world. These turbulent times are calling forth authentic leaders who are adept at surfing through chaos. These leaders are creating a world beyond war and beyond fear: a world that works for all."
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS "Flames of Dissent: Pt III" (11/22) incorrectly stated that a 1999 juvenile justice bill created a central "Animal Terrorism and Eco-Terrorism Clearinghouse." Although the bill passed in the House and Senate, it was never enacted as law.
JONATHAN LIVINGSTON
In 2001, on his way to a bachelor's degree in sociology at the UO, Jonathan Livingston started as a volunteer with HIV Alliance, in the gay-bi outreach program. "We would go to places where gay men gather," he says. "I'd give a talk about safer sex practices." As a high-school student in Tualatin, Livingston had come out at age 15. "I stopped being harassed," he notes. At 17 he started a gay-straight alliance at the school. After six months as a volunteer with HIV Alliance, Livingston was hired as a staff outreach worker. "I also did HIV counseling and testing," he says. "The work was more satisfying than school." Still, he did graduate, and since 2002, Livingston has served the alliance as a case manager for people living with AIDS. "I like the idea of an ongoing conversation, getting to know people better," he says. "Our mission is to help people stabilize and maintain their health." Three full-time case managers attend to 190 clients for the alliance. "Jonathan is so caring and generous," says co-worker Erin Ehly. "For some clients he's the only person they've got. I don't know if he knows that."
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