Flag display is a must-see exhibit

Take advantage of a special gift we have until May 3. Give yourself some time to stroll the paths in front of SOU's Churchill Hall. You will be moved. Each flag represents five civilians who died from war violence since 2003; the red ones Americans, the white Iraqis. There are no flags for wounded,  permanently disabled, or heartbroken survivors.

While placing flags in the soil, I counted another 55 people doing the same. When I stood up and looked over our work, I shook my head in sad disbelief. The lawn was covered with 100,000 flags, yet we had  many more boxes full of flags to plant.

And then I remembered this was only one-fifth of civilians killed by war in Iraq. Many thanks to the local groups and SOU Students for Truth who sponsored the exhibit. For more information go to  www.iraqbodycount.org. Bravo to the wise decision makers at SOU who made possible this educational event for our community.

Selene Aitken

Ashland

Taking to task Ashland water and climate change

Your April 15 headline story, "Climate change could be affecting Ashland's water," is invalid, inaccurate, a bit infuriating and perhaps has overtones of brushing aside some real issues/explanations for the declining water quality that we have going on. It does not really matter what the city's hired consultants say about water in Southern Oregon as a whole because Ashland's water supply is locally occurring and produced; is maintained, monitored, and sold locally as well. It therefore is the responsibility of the local entities to ensure that before it hits the taps, that it is at peak quality after it has been efficiently and thoroughly scrutinized/tested. To take money for it when it does not meet stringent requirements of quality is nothing less than wrong.

First, to use the word "could" in this headline is clearly vague. You cannot try to explain specifics in scientific areas when you use a nebulous term like could. I hope too that the tone of this article is not as such to in someway take the focus off of the utility department here who is responsible for monitoring our water! The regulation, management, testing, and sale of water, the most precious natural substance on our planet, is an exact science and there is no speculation about it.

Climate change is a popular and generalized term in use today, usually put forth in the same breath when using the term "global warming." Lately however, it looks more like global freezing! Again, it is a general term, but moreover, climate change in actuality is a constant. Things are constantly changing with and within the climate: the environment, the atmosphere, the flora and fauna, ad infinitum!

Locally, and in any specific geographical area, you also have added elements to the local environment like the pollution factors, development, etc. that all contribute to the constantly changing climate and the local environmental conditions.

I am a former geo-hydrologist and have worked in that field for 10 years in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we evaluated water quality by field testing and performed remediation of polluted or damaged local water tables. I know from where I speak when I state that to blame climate change for Ashland's serious and repeated water issues is not entirely true. And I want to believe that the article is not an attempt to use common vernacular to pull the wool over the tax paying, utility paying, public's eyes!

Stephen Mellini

Ashland

OSF production over the top

My husband and I saw a production of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" years ago in Regents Park in London. It was absolutely delightful. The scenery was the trees, shrubs, and greensward of the park itself. The costumes were in keeping with the time and simple as befitted the play. We recently saw the production of this play at OSF and were appalled at the extravagance displayed in all aspects. We left at, I should say the intermission, but halftime seems more appropriate. 

Maxine Scott

Ashland

'Merry Wives' is worth seeing

I thoroughly enjoyed the Rogue Opera's performance of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" last night.  We are so blessed to have such a talented small opera company in the Rogue Valley. "Merry Wives" is a fun and familiar Shakespeare story, and I especially liked that it was sung in English — not Shakespearean English, but just plain English. The "imported" performers singing leads were incredible — their voices soared through the hall. But I was just as impressed with our local singing talent — the SOU voice students in the chorus — and the amazing orchestra. The costumes were fabulous and the backdrops wonderfully inventive.

I hope that the rest of the Valley climbs on board and enjoys the next two performance in Medford and Grants Pass. Rogue Opera is a gem, and we need to keep it shiny with our support. 

Eliza Kauder

Ashland