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Show tPie Page B3 '0Itmgg-3tlgPen- Thursday, August 5, 2004 gn On Two Wheels A pedaling periodical of bicycle-relate- d by Ron Georg No-Wi- ders Youre n pointing fingers at obvious causes, carcinogens that are bom to good stock, with longevity in your genes. You eat well. You work hard. You dont smoke. You drink in moderation, if at all. Aside from consuming more ice cream per capita than any other group on the planet, Utahns are a healthy bunch. Still, cancer rates are unnaturally high in the state. Thats been the case since poorly-protecte- nuclear above-groun- d It shouldnt come as any surprise that Salt Lake has high cancer rates. A study from Denver demonfour-year-o- ld strated that childhood leukemia rates are six times higher in children who live near areas. In Salt Lake durhigh-traff- ic ing an inversion, the entire c area. In valley is a Lake often ranks Salt fact, and even than Denver, higher Los Angeles, in a number of trapped pollutants. The Sierra Club released a paper last month that included the Denver study with over 20 others to conclude that living neai; a high traffic area increases the chances of developing cancer for both children and adults. So, forget about whether or not youre downwind; in fact, a good stiff breeze might be all that saves high-traffi- sphere, only to drift back down where it came from. All the while, the people who perpetrated this crime maintained there was minimal risk to the general populations health. So are justifiably outraged. Now even Salt Lake residents are making claims, and others are suggesting the effects may reach even farther than the Wasatch Front. With cancer rates inexplicably high all across the country, perhaps they have a reasonable argument. rs you from your own toxicity. No one wants to hear this. We already know auto emissions are toxic, and we ignore it. People will even turn to industry apologists like the Tech Of course, well never know for sure. The culprit in cancer cases doesnt leave fin- Central Station website gerprints. That difficulty shouldnt stop people from (Where Free Markets Meet Vacation Bible School August 9-- 1 3, 2004 Monday - Friday 9:30 to fr 1 1 Age3-4th-6t- h Welcome Mat ten-year-o- ld test- ing or the family car. started dragging uranium out of the ground here and shipping it upwind, where it was blown high into the atmo- down-winde- Technology) to try and discredit the paper. The TCS argument goes that since the Denver study is based on numbers, it doesnt take into account improvements in auto emissions. It also claims that, because the highways in the study saw 20,000 vehicles per day, it doesnt apply to most of us. Well, as to the second point, the study found a sixfold increase in childhood leukemia. So, if you live near a highway with half the traffic say, Highway 191 then it seems reasonable to assume that the effect would be lower, not nonexistent. As to the second, you can argue until youre blue in the face that a Prius hybrid is good for the environment, as Toyota claims, but it still burns gasoline and emits toxins. If you dont believe it, then to the TCS website, and go print out a copy of their attempt to discredit the Sierra Club report. Then go borrow a Prius, if you dont already own one. Park it in an enclosed space, with the windows down, and leave the engine running while you study the TCS account. Youll soon know what blue in the face really means. We already have too much intentionally blown into our atmosphere by things like miners d news and views traffic and too much pollution in Moab. Now the Utah Department of Transportation is expanding our roads to send us more. We need to stop them now, before were looking back on this era with the same sort of remorse we hold for the Nuclear Age. Prices- hopping is sociopathic. When you willfully ignore all the other factors, the social and environmental costs of production and distribution of an item, and make your con- sumer choices simply on price, you are abandoning compassion. You are supporting a market that is far from free, its exploitive. Sometimes youll suffer direct consequences for that attitude. A while back there was a hepatitis outbreak back east, and it was traced to green onions. Well, green onions dont carry that disease. Actually, it comes from human feces and blood. So, those onions were produced in conditions where were, at best, unsanitary, or, at worst, violent. They came from Mexico, where conditions arent so tightly regulated or closely monitored. Still, thanks to NAFTA, well see more and more produce from south of the border, and it will be cheap. It will arrive on trucks that wont carry the modern emission controls of the American fleet (see above). You get what you pay for. However, the usual result of buying cheap is more insidious. That is, if you devalue what you consume, you devalue what you produce. WTien you drive to Junction for a new drill because its ten bucks cheaper, youre denying your neighbors their livelihood. When you buy your green onions from Mexico instead of leading up to here is an apology. I plan to shop out of town, or on the internet, for something I can probably find lo- cally, and Im sorry. On a recent vacation in Colorado, I got out my fly rod. I havent fished since I moved to Moab in 1996, but I was quickly immersed again, mesmerized by the rhythm and flow, entranced by the possibility of a fish taking my offering of fur and feather tied to a hook. Plus, trout sure taste good. Now more, albeit not as painfully as the little brook trout, I dug out my supplies and set fly-tyin- g youre doing the same (not to mention the hepatitis). How much do you think those neighbors are going to be able you for whatever you :30 a.m.' Grade 1 . Need Printing? Stop by for prices THE g 35 E. CENTER as I rolled up toward the front of the store, I saw a sign. Actually, it was several identical signs, posted on the front of the building. You see, 259-75- 25 Can Save You We Time and Money CI3 gfilSIEIillSB 9.95mont ( Save,$60 ) mg INST'AUIJA'TION Save$49.95 G01WIREUESS! nmt o the interne It fiypOTIiMi The world wide wait is officially over because Precis High Speed Internet was made for speed' With connection and blazing speeds, there's no waiting and no need for an extra phone line Precis, youll get an always-o- n And now. you can GO WIRELESS' Share your Precis Internet connection with ati the PCs m your home Connect anywhere without being tied to your modem - from your couch, porch or bedroom Call today for more information' Special offer expires Aug. 30th this really is too big Pastor Cole Howe HIGH SPEED INTERNET out more from Wendell Berry, Jim Hightower, Kalle Lasn and others. What Im actually STATIONS' CABLE CHANNELS' 1 Precis Cable communications If youre truly interested, seek Moab Baptist Church BROADCAST 1 find out. a soapbox for me, in this space. 1 259-3052- store that advertises hunting and fishing gear. I dont know if they stock materials, but now I wont be able to to-pa- Now, 259-848- You can reach Ron Georg with comments or information , regarding this column at or send email to o n t wow h ee s 1 &v a rt h i n k n e t. to refilling my fly boxes. I need just a couple of basic items to tie some of my favorites, so I was going to stop by a local fly-tyin- and spend some go inside, money. the local Farmers Market, do? 356 W. Kane Creek that Im hooked once They say, No skateboarding, bicycle riding, or roller blading of any kind. The owner of the building had obviously gone to considerable expense in posting the signs, so I had to assume that he chose his wording carefully. Im not splitting any semantic hairs in observing that his signs left no room for my kind of biking, which is the kind w here I ride up, park my bike, 1 TV customers get $10mo. off regular rate! 637-681- 3 (in Price) ' wwwjjreciscom.com |