Anchorage Daily News

Fairview roadwork such a delight

A big thank-you to the city of Anchorage for the recent road work done in the Fairview area. Now I can enjoy gravel being thrown at my car during the summer and the winter by drivers who have no consideration for anyone except themselves (thanks to the loose gravel left on the roads by the city, especially at the intersections). It is also a joy to walk down the street now with dust flying when drivers pay no attention to the speed limit or those who believe the speed limits are just suggestions. At least the roads are protected, if not the windshields and paint of vehicles. A definite benefit to everyone.

-- Ken D. Stone

Anchorage

Walkers aren't psychic, bicyclers

Bicyclers, please announce yourselves when you are coming up behind a pedestrian. If you do that, the pedestrian will have time to turn around to see which way to go to get out of your way.

On July 31, I was knocked down by a bicyclist. He was coming fast down the hill near A Street and Chester Creek. I heard him just a second before he hit me. I didn't have time to turn around but stepped to the side hoping to get out of his way. Though shaken and lip-bleeding, luckily I was able to walk away from that accident.

-- Mary Ellen Mitchell

Anchorage

In bear country, carry bear spray

In all the letters I have read recently against bears in Alaska, not a single person has approached the topic of bear spray. I understand that carrying a handgun around is unwieldy and I know, downright heavy. However bear spray has been found to be an effective deterrent in over 90 percent of the cases it was used (see "Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska," Journal of Wildlife Management, April 2008).

Bear spray is a safer alternative to firearms, and a study done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed that while guns were effective in only 50 percent of cases, "persons with pepper spray escaped injury most of the time, those that were injured experienced shorter duration attacks and less severe injuries" (see "Bear Spray vs. Bullets," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Also bear spray is much easier to obtain and can be bought by people under the age of 18.

Lastly, I realize that this may come as a shock to many readers but you live in Alaska. A part of living in this state is the knowledge that mosquitoes, heavy snows and BEARS are a part of life. If this is too intense for you or your grandchildren, please leave now. There are many of us who understand that a safe bear sighting is a thing to treasure.

-- Julie Stafford

Anchorage

City is implementing a bear plan

The story addressing Anchorage bear issues ("Collision Course," Aug. 3) speaks well to the complexity of balancing wildlife management in Alaska's largest city. The public may not be aware of the proactive steps the Municipality is undertaking with our partners to address conflicts with bears.

Over a year ago, Mayor Mark Begich and state Fish and Game identified several steps to address the department's primary concern: bear habituation to human garbage. Some of the actions now being implemented include:

• Increased code enforcement in bear hot-spot areas to ensure trash is properly managed; educate the public and issue fines, as necessary;

• Installation of bear-resistant trash containers in city parks and consultation with ADFG on new trails;

• Active involvement with the Anchorage Bear Committee;

• Implementation of recycling services to improve garbage management;

• City funding for production of bear-safety education/outreach interpretive information; and

• City funding for pilot program placing several hundred bear-resistant residential trash containers in three Anchorage neighborhoods.

Finally, our creek restoration program does NOT focus on increasing salmon abundance, but targets improvements to sustain the salmon we have. These projects also address other community priorities including flood management, erosion control, public access and water quality improvements.

In the future, the city will continue to collaborate with all parties to sustain the economic benefits of our natural resources and minimize human-wildlife conflicts.

-- David Wigglesworth

Municipality of Anchorage

Cooked vs. raw isn't either/or

I would like to comment on a few misconceptions related to raw foodism: Cooking is not always bad, nature (raw / unprocessed foods) can deliver toxins too, and food enzymes only play a minor role in the digestion process. I do commend raw foodists for a high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds -- all greatly lacking in the typical Western diet.

While it is true, cooking (heat) can destroy some nutrients, it can also offer higher amounts of select nutrients than eating food uncooked. For example, tomato sauce vs. raw tomatoes: Cooking increases the bioavailability, thus offering five times more lycopene (an antioxidant) per serving.

A recent study from the British Journal of Nutrition found nearly 80 percent of their subjects that strictly adhered to a raw food diet had lycopene levels below average. Furthermore, the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry concluded cooking was better for carrots, zucchini and broccoli, showing more nutrients were absorbed compared to raw.

My point -- some cooking and some processing can be beneficial, an extreme approach to eating may actually place you at risk for nutrient deficiencies, and no research to date has proven all raw vs. cooked is healthier. As a registered dietitian, I do understand the benefits of an adequate fruit and vegetable intake. Check www.mypyramid.gov for your recommended servings per day (cooked and raw).

-- Rikki Keen

Chugiak

Stevens was betrayed by 'friends'

As we watch another of our legislators fight for his political life and legacy, I and most other Alaskans are deeply saddened. Ugly demagoguery reigns along with battle cries from the press attempting to tear down yet another important person in leadership through innuendo, bias and assumption of guilt.

Where are balanced views of Ted Stevens' story? (That wouldn't sell as many newspapers.) Why was his indictment timed and unjustly placed just before his election? Isn't that a "legal" form of election tampering?

We all unfortunately expect the press to take a negatively biased and sensationalized spin that sells more newspapers. However, the Justice Department's timing and execution of their indictment is just plain odious. Living up to Orwellian double-speak, their true offering is injustice.

As for Bill "Judas" Allen and his ilk, betrayal continues in the name of income preservation and the promise of non-indictment for co-conspiring family members. Now that is a proud family legacy. I wonder what it feels like to spend such blood money?

-- Todd Pollock

Kasilof

Fund could build our own refinery

We have the people, brainpower, know-how and such to run our own gas and oil business in Alaska. We have enough funds in the Permanent Fund to build any infrastructure needed.

How about a refinery, for starters, that would, after purchase with Permanent Fund dollars, then belong to the people of Alaska?

If we drilled our own oil and refined our own fuel we could all have special resident fuel cards that should allow us to buy our gas for prices of 10-plus years ago as it would be sold for the cost of production rather than the influence of global demand.

All the excess oil and gas could then be exported to the world market at the going rate, thus regenerating cash into the fund.

There is a lot of talk these days about individuals being self-sufficient. How about a whole state's people working under one corporation? We own all the oil, get inexpensive fuel, and still turn a profit.

Back when there was the big scare several months ago with the new taxes and the worry of oil companies leaving Alaska I wondered what the fuss was all about. Let them leave. There are enough Alaskans with the drive to get the job done without "big oil."

-- Chad Chilstrom

Wasilla

'Busy grownups' have messed up

According to "Obama just one more big spender" by Bob Scott (Aug. 5), it seems that environmentalists, healthy foods and video game players are all to blame for our current state of affairs. Funny, I thought the current administration, which has dragged us into war and given us the biggest national debt of all time, was the more likely culprit.

Mr. Scott goes on to talk about experience, but our current leaders (Bush, Cheney, Rove and McCain) had years of experience, which suggests that experience isn't necessarily a prerequisite for good leadership. He goes on to mention "stupid" wind farms, biofuels and universal health care as costing money but fails to mention the current oil price increases, the millions of uninsured due to corporate greed and the logical, scientific benefits of alternative energy sources to help rid us of foreign dependency.

Contrary to Bob's request, we "youngsters" ARE going to be at the voting booths on election day. We will be voting for Sen. Obama, who is promoting things Bob Scott thinks are stupid. And while "busy grownups" are watching Archie Bunker reruns, millions of us will be playing our Xboxes, climbing a tree or two and making the world a better place to live.

-- Dave Shapiro

Eagle River

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