Thanks for Sharing
A sincere thanks to all those who took the trouble to screw the cap tightly onto their soda/water/liquor bottle before tossing it aside or leaving it upon the bank as you drove/biked/walked/boated along the shores and waters of the Connecticut, the Green, the Miller’s Rivers. You must have thought carefully about the future of your refuse and how the volunteers of the Source-to-Sea clean-up would find your bottle, because it floated, cap tight, instead of sinking, like those other bottles,to the bottom of the river, where it would degrade over the next 450 years.
Repeal Automatic Gas Hikes
I urge readers to vote yes on Question 1, which would repeal the 2013 law that ties gas tax increases to inflation, allowing for automatic annual increases in the state’s gas tax to fund transportation projects. Commonwealth drivers are spending $675,000 per mile on road maintenance. For that price our streets should be paved in gold. The national average is $162,000 per mile.
It is clear that we are paying enough to fix our roads. The problem is that they are wasting our tax dollars. I am voting yes on 1 to repeal automatic gas tax hikes. I will not give the state any more of my money to waste.
Parking in Amherst
I just left a meeting sponsored by the Amherst Planning Board. The subject was the state of parking in Amherst. Inadequate facilities and lack of space were all deplored by the Planning Board. “There just aren’t enough spaces,” one member declared. “It’s time to do something about parking in Amherst,” they all cried. Meanwhile the Planning Board has approved a downtown housing development that provides no parking for any of its residents. Another is on its way that, again, will not provide parking.
If you should decide to publish this letter, please consider placing it under “News of the Weird.”
LDL and Breast Cancer
I was excited to see that Boston has a citywide breast cancer initiative, Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer. I lost my grandmother to the disease when she was just 64 years old, and other women in my family have survived it, so breast cancer is a cause close to my heart. If the participating chefs are creating their baked goods using eggs and dairy products, however, they might be unintentionally contributing to the problem. Cancer cells, including breast cancer cells, feed on LDL or “bad” cholesterol. And animal products, especially eggs, are loaded with it.
As a woman who is considered to be at high risk for breast cancer, going vegan is one of the best decisions I’ve made for my health. I would love to see many more women join me in slashing their own risk.
