Thursday’s thumbs

The final digital feedback before the year turns

Today marks our final installment of thumbs for 2017. It’s hard to believe it’s time to change over the calendars, again. May 2018 bring mostly reasons for casting upturned digits for us all. A year from now, our hope is we should need to give thumbs up to a great economy, significant advancements for the benefit of humans and their environment, and something closer to the “peace on earth” longed for every year around this time. For now, here are a few digits for recent developments:

Some view the whole subject as a bit ghoulish, the acceptance by the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences of human bodies from people willing to become part of the future of health care. Every year, about 100 people sign up to donate their bodies, when the time comes, through the UAMS Anatomical Gift Program. And every year, future physicians get to explore the bodies of those who made good on their pledge, for the benefit of medical education. We appreciate the respectful treatment UAMS strives for as instructors stress that these aren’t just “cadavers,” but the vessels that carried people through their lives. And we applaud the people willing to donate their bodies to science. Do the math: A recent class of 174 students can be expected to see about 9 million patients over the course of their careers. What they learn by exploring a real body will prove invaluable and would not be possible without the thoughtful donations made by people in life so that their giving could continue even after their deaths.

Bikes, Blues & BBQ , the annual motorcycle rally started in Fayetteville, recently presented around 40 nonprofit organizations more than $270,000 in proceeds from last fall’s event. We supposed the question among residents of whether this rally is welcome or not will go on and on. Some will never care for it, others will simply tolerate it while others enjoy the annual influx of motorcycle enthusiasts. Still, the best part of the rally, almost all can agree, is when nonprofit organizations get checks for helping with the event or just for doing what they do for our communities. The rally represents one of the most successful festival-type events ever dreamed up locally and it generates appreciable spending in local hotels, restaurants and businesses along with those short-term headaches one might be tempted to concentrate on (especially if one’s housing is near downtown Fayetteville). The rally could be done without much impact on other organizations, but we appreciate organizers of Bikes, Blues and BBQ for keeping the community in mind.

Even though the evidence appears anecdotal at the moment, it’s good to hear Benton County’s experience in expanding its “convenience center” program is paying off with fewer complaints about illegal dumping. The county gave up its twice-annual countywide cleanups in favor of expanding convenience centers where trash can be disposed of. Sites in Centerton, Rogers and Siloam Springs create opportunities for people to dispose of waste properly, reducing the pressures to dump illegally. Give people a chance and they’ll often do the right thing. Keeping our communities clean is smart business.

It’s sad when one doesn’t follow through on a commitment, and that’s what officials at the Washington Water Authority say is happening with some customers of its rural Southeast Phase II water project. Landowners along the water system’s route signed five-year contracts that, taken as a whole, allowed the water authority to obtain federal funding on the 75-mile water line extension. Now, about 5 percent of those who signed contracts aren’t paying. It’s not huge money, but it matters. We’re glad 95 percent of those who signed up are living up to their promises, which empowered the water authority to make treated water available to an area that’s never had such a transmission system before.

It’s exciting news that the third season of HBO’s crime series “True Detective” will begin filming in Northwest Arkansas early next year. Oh, there’s that whole “brushing elbows with the famous” aspect, but more than anything, we’re glad to see a production with an estimated $70 million budget unload a lot of that money right here in our region. At least 300 people are expected to be employed in the making of the series, which state officials say is “the largest and most expensive production we’ve ever had in the state.” Hey, Hollywood, pay attention. Arkansas has a lot to offer when it comes to interesting locales. The show was created by Nic Pizzolatto, who earned a master of fine arts degree at the University of Arkansas.

The idea of a large-scale “decentralized” sewer system near the banks of Beaver Lake was a bit unnerving, even if people with faith in such engineering offered many assurances. So it was welcome news that the bank that owns the land along U.S. 412 has decided to sell about 12 acres to a church. That change effectively kills plans for that sewer system and more than 125 homes developers had hoped to build. Beaver Water District officials had warned against the project, fearing its long-term impact on Beaver Lake, the major water source for residents and businesses in Northwest Arkansas. If in doubt, protect the water supply.

A Democratic congressional candidate in central Arkansas has signed a pledge limiting himself to three two-year terms in the U.S. House of Representative and two six-year terms in the U.S. Senate if he’s elected. Naturally, it’s easy to make such pledges when the odds are long that even one of those terms will be served. Still, we prefer candidates who believe they have the abilities to represent Arkansans well enough that the electorate will be fully capable of making the final decision about when they leave office. Such pledges generally are meaningless: Remember Bill Clinton’s Arkansas tour to see if voters would “release” him from his 1990 pledge to serve four full years as governor? Well, he ran for president in 1992. Do the math. If all U.S. representatives and senators are term limited, that’s a different scenario. Otherwise, why should a small state like Arkansas hamstring its representation in Washington with randomly selected term limits?