People are dying from eating. You heard me. Dying from eating! Of course, it’s not just any kind of food. The devils come from the ingredients used to feed our livestock. Antibiotics are being used nationwide in order to boast the amount of meat in the United States.
Sound great, but in reality, it’s killing us. Consuming meat enhanced by antibiotics make us resist the medication when we actually need it. Statistics show that every year more than two million Americans get infected by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Tens of thousands of people die from these infections because they’ve been feeding on the antibiotics that were supposed to be used to treat them.
By spreading the word about the dangers of antibiotics used in our meat, we could save lives.
Selina Tsang
Amherst
The writer is a member of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group antibiotics campaign.
Urges caution with Amherst project
A new downtown office building is proposed in Amherst. What a swell idea. Let’s continue to turn our much loved residential and educational New England town into a second-rate city.
We need to develop “a more urban environment,” because “we so want to compete with a city like Northampton.” We do? Who does?
We are now asked to take the next step of this urgent odyssey by building another much needed office building. I’m sure we can find some bodies to put in it. “Several businesses might locate there.” We did fine with the peculiar Tucker-Taft architectural eyesore … err building, right? (Did any of you know that’s its name?)
And then there’s the flatiron whatever it is at the corner of Triangle and East Pleasant. How did we ever get along without that? Never mind, all of these beauties are symbols: they exist to persuade us that we can turn Amherst into Something Else, to keep us moving … motion is good. It’s not standing still. Moving.
At the moment, we are an allegedly ‘50s-style town unsuited for a “21st-century economy.” What’s a 21st-century economy? you ask. It would appear to be a world where there are fewer locally owned businesses, more chain stores, taller buildings (Look how height restrictions ruined Paris) — and also parking garages to attract more and less anxious visitors … shoppers. And no convenient service station or (ugh) funeral parlor. No walk-to grocery store. More buildings, more bustle. More is good. More.
For years we have established our identity by complementing Northampton, not by competing with it. But there appears to a portion of our population who want to change this identity by turning us into a shopping center. Amherst is not nor has it ever been a shopping center. It is a relatively quiet town where people live, walk to school, teach, pick up the essentials at local shops, grab a bite to eat. And now, thanks to some right-thinking developer, go to quality movies.
For some, we are actually the envy of Northampton. Imagine that.
Robert Neill
Amherst
Must advocate for
ValleyBike Share
After years of preparation and planning, ValleyBike Share is coming to our Valley next year. I, for one, am excited.
We are uniquely situated to gain from the benefits of a bike-sharing program, and ValleyBike has the potential to catalyze economic growth in the Pioneer Valley for decades to come.
But in order for it to succeed, we must be leaders in promoting and advocating for ValleyBike. We are fortunate to have a reliable network of rail trails already linking our communities, but we can do more. Our roads are too often clogged with traffic as people travel between our area’s colleges and universities.
A thriving ValleyBike Share could provide efficient and safe alternative public transportation in our region, reducing car use, improving public health, and encouraging sustainable lifestyles. We must take an active role in adapting our area to the reality of bicycle use for commuting and recreation.
Many millennials — myself included — prefer not to drive if we can get from place to place efficiently, whether we use the PVTA, a bicycle, or our feet. People are increasingly likely to settle in communities that offer reasonable alternatives to driving, and attracting and retaining people to live and work in our region is vital to our continued prosperity.
Creating bike lanes on major roads, especially Routes 9 and 47, installing more bike racks near points of interest, and reminding bicyclists and motorists alike on the rules of the road would all help make alternative modes of transportation in the Pioneer Valley quick, safe, and easy.
Some of the world’s brightest minds come to our valley for their education. But, if we want to encourage them to stay and enrich our communities, we need to advocate for ValleyBike.
Matt Waskiewicz
Hadley
