One of the perils of living in the information age is the ready availability of so much misinformation. Want to hear how the moon landing was faked or how Obama was born in Africa? Just punch a few keywords into your browser and —Poof!—you’ve got confirmation of your worst fears and insecurities. Such is the case with the anti-vaccination movement that stoked fears among parents about the safety of giving their children the once-routine shots to prevent diseases like mumps, measles and whooping cough. Twenty years ago, the idea of voluntarily putting your child at risk of diseases that have killed more people than any natural disaster or all accidents combined would have been unthinkable.

 

As a longtime Bend resident, I am periodically reminded that we live among good people. There are days when it is easy to forget how kind our neighbors can be. A fantastic example of kindness occurred during the [Pole, Pedal, Paddle] PPP. We entered this year as a family, and were enjoying the event when a bike mishap injured my son (he’s fine now) and destroyed the rear wheel of the bike, preventing us from completing that portion of the race. But, kindness and sportsmanship appeared immediately. I’d estimate that at least 95 percent of racers slowed or stopped to offer assistance. A kind gentleman at the aid station (Sorry, we missed your name) offered to help us and loaned his personal tools to try to fix the bike. Unfortunately a dozen broken spokes prevented a roadside repair.

 

There aren’t many issues that Democrats and Republicans can agree upon these days. It’s one of the reasons that our two-party system is so often mired in indecision and partisan gridlock even as our state and our nation face challenges that are among the greatest in our collective history.

Still there are a few areas where members of the major parties can sometimes find consensus. Public safety measures and proclamations to support American troops are two that come to mind. And, of course, there’s children’s safety.

 

5.1%

That’s how far home prices dipped across the country when compared to the first quarter of 2010. The drop is the third straight quarter of losses for the nation’s housing stock and brings home values down some 32 percent from last decade’s market peak. According to CNN Money, prices are now at the pre-boom level of 2002. Bend, of course, continues to be at the top of the loser list, dropping a whopping 8 percent since this time last year.

Kudos to The Bulletin for pointing out the silver lining: Bend is no longer officially in the Top 20 worst performing markets ranking, 288 out of 309 in home appreciation. For the mathematically challenged, that puts us in solidly as the 21^st worst place to be invested in a home.

Break out the champagne.