dkSez : : : : : : Don Kahle’s blog

Architects and urban planners are beginning rediscover “old and improved.” Building standards are beginning to calculate and consider the energy that went into building the original structure as something worth saving. The future is calling AAA to reuse the past.

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If Coburg votes for sewers, they will be voting to make room for more and other future Coburg residents. That faith in the future is what drives civilization forward — regular people trying to make things just a little bit better.

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The city has gotten admirably creative about swapping with Springfield or with Lane County to achieve shared goals, but this issue demands no fancy footwork. A nickel lost by our schools is a nickel paid to our schools. Period.

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How about a big, squishy, orange Umbrage? Whoever leaves as the most aggrieved party could take Umbrage with them, but they’d then be responsible for its care of feeding, until somebody else took Umbrage.

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Accepting responsibility is just one more act of everyday heroism we should be able to ask of our police officers. Instead, we blame the system, arguing that everyone shares responsibility, so nobody has to own it.

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If a chicken and a pig get together to make some ham and eggs, the chicken’s involved, but the pig has to be committed.

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Busy storefronts have merchants inside. They open their doors and sweep their sidewalks. They shoo away miscreants. They call the police when things get out of hand. Empty buildings don’t do any of that. Empty buildings cause most of the trouble downtown, yet their owners pay less for the services that aim to keep downtown safe, clean and attractive.

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Wandering through the Lane County fairgrounds this time of year, I often feel like a fly on a spin-art machine. Holiday Market is colorful and dizzying, in equal measure.

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Shelter and clothing keep humans warm by covering them from the outside. But food isn’t warmth until the body processes it. Likewise, respect is a fuel that can be converted into dignity — another warmth.

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