Oregon
updated
9:26 a.m.
Today the Kitzhaber Campaign released an ad profiling the differences between John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley. The ad compares the two candidates’ experience, commitment to Oregon, and records of accomplishment. ...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - 9:26 a.m.
Start Date: Mon, 2010/09/20 - 5:30pm - 7:00pm Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Avenue. This debate and forum is held pending acceptance from Art Robinson and is sponsored by the Corvallis Gazette-Times. ...
Benton County Democrats - 9:08 a.m.
“Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” – a popular campfire and children’s song in Australia – has received a bit of an augmentation, at least in one school. Principal Garry Martin of Le Page Primary School in Melbourne said he instructed students to substitute the line “Fun your life must be” for [...]...
Just Out Blog - 9:07 a.m.
From The Underground Man (1971): He gave me the tricky look of a half-smart man who had never learned the limits of his own intelligence. She wasn't the sort of woman you confessed human weakness to. "It was a shallow grave, ma'am. Girls can do about anything boys can do when they set their minds to it." I could smell her sun-tan oil, and I felt as if everybody but me was paired off like t...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - 9:07 a.m.
Two days ago on my morning trip down to the coffee shop to get a little wisdom at the ORG (Old Retired Guys) Table, a driver blasted right through a stop sign and almost made it my last day on a bicycle. So what did I do? Two things. First, since I ended up about five feet from the driver's window, I did not yell or make obscene gestures, not even any dagger eyes, Instead, I waved and smiled a...
New West Bend - 7:22 a.m. - 2 clicks 
I'm a little late to this story, but given how this has the potential to essentially end Kevin Mannix in Oregon politics, it's a pretty big deal. Mannix's sugar daddy, Loren Parks (who has a, shall we say, colorful...background ) has shut off the money spigot for Mannix. Les Zaitz, The Oregonian : One of Oregon's most high-profile political alliances – between Republican activist Kevin ...
BlueOregon - 7:02 a.m.
One of the fascinating things about my boyhood haunts in northern New Jersey was how homeowners would paint some of the concrete around their properties green. From an airplane, it looked like grass -- and maybe it kept the house a tiny bit cooler in the blasting heat of the summer. Here in Oregon, we haven't quite reached that point. But we're getting close. Accordingto a KGW story last night...
Jack Bog's Blog - 5:46 a.m. - 4 clicks
Chris Dudley would have you believe that he's pro-choice. He even deliberately picked a fight with Right to Life to make the point. But the fact is, as Carla Axtman noted a few weeks ago, Chris Dudley is not pro-choice . He supports parental notification - which Oregon voters rejected at the ballot as recently as 2006. (And here's why.) But I can't put a finer point on it than Roey Th...
BlueOregon - 12:27 a.m. - 5 clicks
Here's more good legal news for the vast majority of Oregonians who want our state to stay as green as possible -- both environmentally and economically. Hot on the heels of a Marion County District Court judge's reversal of the......
Hines Sight - Wed 11:08 p.m. - 4 clicks
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire an d Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! Claire h...
JoyStory - Wed 10:20 p.m.
That pic was taken just before they started to unload my Mom's van into Ed's Dad's car at Rice Hill OR yesterday afternoon. Once home I brought in only the essentials for the night. My day started at 7am. Got breakfast and coffee and woke up enough to help Ed unload the car before he left for work at quarter to eight. We piled the couch with the stuff and I spent the day pulling smaller ...
JoyStory - Wed 9:45 p.m.
I just tried to download some updates to some iPhone apps. Before I could do so, Apple insisted that I agree to the new version of iTunes's "terms and conditions." O.k.... At the bottom of the first page of legalese that constituted such "terms and conditions," I noted that it was "Page 1 of 55." I could read all 55 pages, or just click on "Agree" at the bottom of that first page. Gee, which ...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 8:28 p.m. - 6 clicks
by Sean Cruz Portland, Oregon-- Proponents of Measure 75 and the Wood Village Casino have placed their bets on the “Pass” line, but they will come up craps regardless of how the November vote turns out. Measure 75 is fatally flawed with several violations of the Oregon Constitution. The first issue lies in this line: "The Legislative Assembly has no power to authorize, and shall prohibit , ca...
Blogolitical Sean - Wed 8:28 p.m. - 15 clicks
A wonderful day to start the month, with a downpour, a brilliant clear sky for sunset, and good work done. The highlight of the day was celebrating with Ricardo his win in our World Cup Soccer bracket contest from earlier this summer. As he savored his victory beverage, he signed up for our next sports prediction adventure -- the second annual NFL Charity Underdog Pool, in which all proceeds g...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 7:26 p.m. - 5 clicks
meanwhile, we've got "lamestream media" journalists like Ben Smith publishing anonymous corrections of anonymous quotations without ever providing any proof that it's the same anonymous source (from another journalist's work, which Ben Smith has no way of knowing). ...
His Vorpal Sword - Wed 5:28 p.m. - 3 clicks
On Thursday, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission takes a look at a new Wolf Management Plan. For those who care about the future of wolves in our state, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The agenda includes time for comments from the public. Wolf supporters – and detractors – are hoping for a good turnout so the Commission can finally hear what Oregonians think about...
Natural Oregon - Wed 5:28 p.m. - 5 clicks
Thanks to Kristen Hagstrom, Deputy Director, SE Uplift, for the following information. Southeast Uplift has announced the projects to receive $8,486 in grant funds allocated by the City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement through the 2010-2011 Graffiti Abatement Community Grant Program. In an attempt to get fund...
City Commissioner Amanda Fritz - Wed 4:25 p.m. - 5 clicks
Yesterday, Vanity Fair’s scathing story on Sarah Palin started circulating the internet. Writer Michael David Gross followed Palin around the country (on her “road show,” as he calls it), documenting her every move, examining her every speech, and interviewing (or, rather, trying to) anyone who is or ever has been close to her. While most [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 4:02 p.m.
Nikki Araguz, a transgender widow in Texas, is currently fighting a legal battle to maintain death benefits following her firefighter husband’s death. Her late husband’s ex-wife and parents are suing to prevent Araguz from receiving the benefits, arguing that her marriage was void because she was born male and Texas does not recognize same-sex marriage. Transgender [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 2:46 p.m.
Britain Foreign Secretary William Hague said a male special adviser with whom he shared a hotel room had resigned Wednesday over “malicious” claims that they had an “inappropriate relationship,” reports the Associated Free Press. Following days of newspaper and Internet chatter about Hague’s relationship with adviser Christopher Myers, along with rumors of Hague’...
Just Out Blog - Wed 2:21 p.m. - 9 clicks
Just a couple of weeks ago, Portland-by-way-of-Hawaii crooner Niki Villiarimo journeyed down to San Francisco to audition for American Idol for the second time in three years. Having come off of a stirring third place finish in Red Cap Garage’s first Portland Idol competition in late July (a competition won by the very deserving Tamra [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 2:21 p.m. - 8 clicks
The Republican senator from New York sure has done well on a public servant's salary. Even the O is catching on ....
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 1:26 p.m. - 16 clicks
Ed. note: The following book review comes to us from Robert Geary. His look at Travels in a Gay Nation: Portraits of LGBTQ Americans (U. of Wisconsin Press), by Philip Gambone, follows. Mr. Gambone’s spare writing prompts me to wonder if he, an observer of our community, missed the riches of a Liberal Arts education. Why [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 12:27 p.m.
It is worth asking what was accomplished by spending tens of billions of dollars to prop up the market for a bit over a year with these tax credits. First, this allowed millions of people to sell their home over this period at a higher price than would have otherwise been the case. The flip side is that more than 5 million people bought homes at prices that were still inflated by the bubble. Man...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 12:03 p.m.
Originally posted at the Reform Immigration For America Driving home our point: Immigrants boost the economy We’ve been saying for months that immigration is an overall net-positive for our recovering economy. With unemployment at a scary high and our economy still limping slowly towards recovery, many have repeated history by scapegoating immigrants as “taking our jobs” and hav...
CAUSA:blog - Wed 12:03 p.m.
Finally, the stalker-friendly Facebook application Foursquare is using its powers for good. The app, which awards “badges” for frequent “check-ins” to places like the bar or the gym, will allows you to announce to friends when you “check in” to the bar, the gym or the office, now offers a special badge for those who check [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 11:46 a.m.
Oregon's minor political parties don't want their party names abbreviated on the ballot. Since Secretary of State Kate Brown and her election folks are planning to do just that for the November election, the whole thing is going to county court down in Salem. You can't blame the small parties. They sit up all night dreaming up names for themselves like Working Families Party, and then Brown p...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 11:22 a.m. - 5 clicks
When the United States initially advanced the Bush family's mindless vendetta by invading Iraq, the common wisdom was that our country's military could never withdraw from that land without starting a bloodbath. But now, seven and a half years and thousands of young American lives later, we're declaring our "combat role" in that country over. We're wishing the Iraqis luck, and pointing out that ...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 11:22 a.m. - 2 clicks
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 1, 2010 Contact: Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694 Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263 Children's March & Rally at the Oregon State Capitol to highlight Need for Immigration Reform Salem, Ore.-- Over the last couple months, immigration restrictionists and right-wing politicians in Congress have been calling for...
CAUSA:blog - Wed 11:22 a.m. - 3 clicks
This land is not the land of antigays, at least not if you ask Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey. The surviving members of folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary have asked the National Organization for Marriage to stop using their iconic song “This Land Is Your Land” during its antigay “Summer for Marriage” tour, The [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 11:22 a.m.
Now’s the time to put up or shut up: put up the season and enjoy it all winter long, that is. Just Out’s resident Sassy Gardener, LeAnn Locher, loves food preserving almost as much as she loves gardening. If you’ve been wondering how to get started in home canning, now is the perfect time with peach [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 11:22 a.m.
The Dating Game returns this week with your benevolent host Poison Waters at Red Cap Garage! Every Thursday through November 11 for an admission of just $3, you can try your luck in the dating pool, or get your Lube Wrestling on immediately following intermission, or both – something like this: The swimming pool and slippery [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 11:22 a.m.
Fidel Castro: I Take Responsibility For Cuba's Persecution Of Gays Calling it a "great injustice," today Fidel Castro told a Mexican newspaper that he accepts responsibility for Cuba's persecution of its gay citizens, thousands of whom were rounded up and placed in internment camps during his regime. Castro said that the revolutionary government's actions represented "a great injusti...
Willamette Reds - Wed 11:21 a.m.
Back in New York City, where a debate rages about whether the city's water system needs to be filtered, somebody's taken out a microscope and looked at what comes out of the tap. And they've found -- yikes! -- these guys . In Portland, a similar debate about water treatment is in progress -- although it's a stretch to call a verbal interaction with Fireman Randy a debate. Anyway, you wonder ...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 10:46 a.m. - 6 clicks
Mitt Romney wants to be President of the United States. Since his failed attempt in 2008, Romney has been squirreling away cash and chits in an effort to build an infrastructure as he prepares to try again in 2012. Other than efforts to build this infrastructure, I'm not aware of any significant ties to Oregon for Romney. A search (albeit not comprehensive) yields no news stories of Romney vi...
BlueOregon - Wed 10:46 a.m. - 3 clicks
Today was the first day of the Bike Commute Challenge, and most of our staff are committed to participating. As you can see, Randy is ready for City Council with a tie and suit jacket, but instead of pants, he......
Commissioner Randy Leonard - Wed 10:46 a.m.
By Sam Forgione, Contributing Writer Readers may remember Bob Hannick from the back page of the July 9th issue, when Di Agee wrote a caption explaining why Bob is her favorite Street Roots vendor. Though I had met Bob once … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Wed 10:46 a.m.
By Amanda Waldroupe, Staff Writer A facility providing storage spaces for homeless individuals to store their belongings during the day is expected to open in mid-September as the result of a public-private partnership between the City of Portland and the … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Wed 10:46 a.m. - 4 clicks
Success in the classroom begins and ends with our educators. As I have traveled across Oregon, meeting with teachers and community leaders, I have been reminded of a clear fact: Oregon’s educators are a fantastically dedicated and instinctively innovative group who work everyday on shaping the future of our state. Ensuring that we can grow, support, and revitalize our educators means a commitme...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Wed 9:46 a.m. - 5 clicks
In the war of the Bald Eagles vs. the Port of Portland Bulldozers out on Hayden Island, the wildlife and its defenders have scored at least a modest victory. Now the City of Portland and the state DEQ say they are taking another look at the Port's practice of routinely dumping dredge spoils from the Willamette River on the west end of the island. It seems that the dredging picks up low level...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 9:24 a.m. - 5 clicks
The cover of the latest issue of Veronica, released in stores today, premieres Kevin Keller into the world of Archie Comics. Kevin is romantically pursued by Veronica, but… “It’s nothing against her,” he tells Jughead when he refuses her advances. “I’m gay.” The news was first announced in April, when Archie co-CEO John Goldwater told The Washington [...]...
Just Out Blog - Wed 9:24 a.m.
This past week I had an online conversation with Michael Brendan Dougherty of The American Conservative on Bloggingheads.tv regarding comprehensive immigration reform. Part of that conversation is being featured today on The New York Times website. Check it out....
Chuck Currie - Wed 8:47 a.m.
By Alex Lawson of Washington, DC. Alex is the communications director for the Strengthen Social Security Coalition . Debate rages in Washington about how to reduce our nation’s growing federal deficit, and pundits and politicians alike propose cutting Social Security. Even Congressman Earl Blumenauer was recently featured in a major New York Times article about the effort to reconsid...
BlueOregon - Wed 8:07 a.m. - 3 clicks
A reader in central Portland writes: Little Miss Ella needs a home! She's now 3 months old, has had first two series of shots, etc. She is very sweet, smart and affectionate. She loves to play and will keep you laughing! She was supposed to stay with my friends who have taken care of the Mama kitty and kittens, but they have had a huge emergency surgical bill for one of their dogs, and ju...
Jack Bog's Blog - Wed 7:02 a.m. - 7 clicks
By Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons of Portland, Oregon. Rev. Lyons is co-director of OPAL Environmental Justice and a Unitarian Universalist Community Minister affiliated with First Unitarian Church of Portland. Today at 4pm, bus riders organized by OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon are rallying at Portland City Hall saying “enough is enough” to fare increases and service cuts. In a regio...
BlueOregon - Wed 6:48 a.m. - 6 clicks
But, nearly eight long years later, and nine years after Nine-'Lebbin, somehow we continued this war for at least seven years after we found that our ONLY justification for going to war was false.... ...
His Vorpal Sword - Wed 4:21 a.m. - 2 clicks
Get Low , Robert Duvall's latest production, is a rural American folktale. Gruff and mysterious Felix Bush (played by Duvall) emerges from a 40 year hermitage in the Tennessee backwoods to make arrangements for his eventual internment, which he senses is near. Bush enlists the help of a fast-talking Chicago undertaker, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) and his assistant...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Tue 11:09 p.m. - 2 clicks
Meet Bruiser, my in-laws new dog, a two-year-old Standard Beagle who was added to the family while I was in Longview this summer. These two pics (above and below) were taken this afternoon shortly after Ed and I returned from a run to the library and grocery store which included a stop at Subway where we'd eaten lunch and I had taken one bite out of the second half of my twelve incher and sa...
JoyStory - Tue 10:27 p.m. - 3 clicks
Will there be shortcuts in workmanship, or massive cost overruns? Hard to believe that this rush-rush project will be completed without one or both of those. And if that sewer line caves , it's Katy bar the goal. Meanwhile, it looks like the roof on the stadium will soon be gone for good . The soccer fans will be getting as much of a soaking as the taxpayers. UPDATE, 10:17 p.m.: Fa...
Jack Bog's Blog - Tue 9:01 p.m. - 5 clicks
Nor, in all likelihood, the bottom two. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. In what makes for the most apocalypse-signaling roster yet, the Powers That Be have announced the latest lineup of “celebs” set to hoof it on the coming season of Dancing With The Stars. Some are understandable — and immediate frontrunners. Case in point, Jennifer Grey [...]...
Just Out Blog - Tue 5:27 p.m. - 4 clicks
No sooner have we recovered from last night’s ridiculously trashy and bat shit crazy Real Housewives of New Jersey reunion special are we, ahem, gifted, with this teaser of the upcoming A-List: New York — aka The Gay Housewives of New York City. The featured “boys who brunch” include Reichen Lehmkuhl (the Amazing Race winner better [...]...
Just Out Blog - Tue 3:41 p.m. - 2 clicks
Posted: August 31st, 2010 2:43 PM Portland Fire & Rescue arson investigators arrested Randolph C. Hubbard last night in relation to fire damage to an ATM. Mr. Hubbard was arraigned this afternoon. Early on August 1, 2010, a surveillance camera......
Commissioner Randy Leonard - Tue 3:06 p.m. - 7 clicks
Fidel Castro has claimed responsibility for the persecution of gays in Cuba during the 1960s but says that the distraction of foreign affairs, rather than homophobia, is to blame, according to The Globe and Mail. While the former Cuban president was, as he told Mexican newspaper La Jornada, “immersed, principally, in the Crisis of October (Cuban [...]...
Just Out Blog - Tue 3:06 p.m. - 2 clicks
Tonight the president of the United States will address the American people and announce - as he promised during the 2008 campaign - that he has ended combat operations in Iraq. Over 90,000 U.S. troops have returned home. Another 50,000......
Chuck Currie - Tue 2:03 p.m. - 5 clicks
A Texas court of appeals has ruled that gay couples legally married in other states cannot get a divorce in Texas, where same-sex marriages are banned, reports AP. The 5th Texas Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a Dallas judge did not have jurisdiction to grant a divorce to two Dallas men who wed in Massachusetts. The [...]...
Just Out Blog - Tue 2:02 p.m. - 7 clicks
by: Katy Daily Today, Oregon State Senator Frank Morse , who represents Albany and Corvallis, made the national League of Conservation Voters ’ inaugural state-level “Dirty Dozen” list , a list of12 of the...
OLCV Blog - Tue 1:23 p.m. - 6 clicks
by Shannon Andrews Perplexing solutions gone amass Hope stands still The guardian of chance Brings us to an unconditional society It’s either to go under or find success Whether it’s by choice or out of control Where does this infinite … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Tue 1:23 p.m. - 2 clicks
A strategy of sustained early childhood investment can significantly reduce the number of children who arrive at school burdened with an achievement gap. To build on this foundation, we must also advance some important policy initiatives and structural changes in the enterprise of primary and secondary education itself which include: Putting a high priority on a good supply of highly qual...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Tue 12:01 p.m. - 5 clicks
This morning we recieved the City of Portland's official patent certficate for the Portland Loo. It has been approved for an exclusive design patent. The City Attorney's office believes this is the City's first ever patent! We are very excited......
Commissioner Randy Leonard - Tue 12:01 p.m. - 8 clicks
When critics of Measures 67 say that it caused or is causing Oregon businesses to flee across state lines, I have - along with many others - been imploring the media to insist: Show us the math. The critics almost never even point to an actual business that's actually moving. When they do, they never provide the hard numbers. They just wave their arms wildly and expect us to believe that an...
BlueOregon - Tue 10:22 a.m. - 7 clicks
Street Roots is sad to announce that one of our regular vendors has passed away this month. Daphne Andrews was found dead in the Hollywood neighborhood in early August. She was 39 years old. SR is waiting to find out … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Tue 10:08 a.m. - 6 clicks
On August 30, the Progressive Party of Oregon, Working Families Party of Oregon, and State Senator Larry George (R) filed suit in Marion County Circuit Court to stop the Secretary of State from dramatically altering Oregon's general election ballot by removing from it all party names next to the names of candidates. The text of the complaint, motion for preliminary injunction, and a...
Independent Party of Oregon - Tue 7:49 a.m. - 11 clicks
I have a confession to make: I lack some discipline in my spiritual life (actually in many other parts of my life as well, but let's focus on just this one area for now). Prayer doesn't come naturally outside of......
Chuck Currie - Mon 10:45 p.m. - 4 clicks
My wife loves horses, but we don't have one. So she's always on the lookout for good trail rides. We've paid our money and taken our chances with quite a few stables in the Willamette Valley and central Oregon. Almost......
Hines Sight - Mon 10:44 p.m. - 10 clicks
Glenn Beck keeps attacking the president's faith. The Washington Post reports: During an interview on "Fox News Sunday," which was filmed after Saturday's rally, Beck claimed that Obama "is a guy who understands the world through liberation theology, which is......
Chuck Currie - Mon 6:44 p.m. - 5 clicks
In our campaign's second television spot, tree farmer and small businessman Paul Sansone of Gales Creek talks about his respect for Senator Wyden for opposing the $700 billion bailouts and fighting taxpayer-funded bonuses for CEOs. ...
Ron Wyden for U.S. Senate - Mon 6:24 p.m. - 9 clicks
About 10 people experiencing homelessness set up a small tent community on a tiny triangle of land on North Wheeler Avenue just west of Dixon Street. The camp has been in existence for two-weeks. This afternoon, a 24-hour notice for … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Mon 5:27 p.m. - 3 clicks
From the always interesting Oregon Economics blog , Professor Patrick Emerson provides this graph, courtesy of the New York Times Economix Blog : State economist Tom Potiowsky describes corporate profits in Oregon as "booming" , largely due to staff cuts and pay. Apparently all those incentives for businesses in Oregon are helping somebody, if not the rank and file Oregonian. Tax reven...
BlueOregon - Mon 4:05 p.m. - 8 clicks
I passed by the Laquedemitasse while he was watching television. A promotional spot came on for a sitcom described as "the new hit series." He and I had the same reaction: if the series hasn't started running yet, how can......
Isaac Laquedem - Mon 1:47 p.m. - 2 clicks
Over at this Oregonian blog, Jeff Mapes makes a hilarious suggestion : Here's the next thing I think the Blazers ought to do: host a half-time free throw shooting contest between Dudley and Kitzhaber for charity. It would be entertaining - and generate a lot more publicity than you could buy with the money the team gave the two candidates. Given that Chris Dudley is the worst free-throw...
BlueOregon - Mon 12:26 p.m. - 9 clicks
Editorial from the August 20 edition It’s a tough one. The alcohol impact zone issue. For months, the city has been messaging downtown businesses, particularly shop owners who sell alcohol, to get on board with its proposed alcohol impact zone. … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Mon 11:10 a.m. - 2 clicks
By Amanda Waldroupe, Staff Writer The Portland Housing Bureau plans to solicit proposals from social-service agencies on Aug. 26 on how to spend a special appropriation of $1 million for homeless and housing services. The money is earmarked for outreach … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Mon 11:10 a.m. - 8 clicks
By Amanda Waldroupe, Staff Writer The City is continuing its push to create an alcohol impact area in downtown Portland, despite the dismal failure of a voluntary agreement between the City of Portland and downtown convenience store owners to not … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Mon 11:10 a.m. - 8 clicks
Listen to the interview in Spanish or English here . MT: Gobernador, muy buenos días. JK: Buenos días. MT: On behalf on Radio Movimiento , El Latino de Hoy newspaper and the free Latino press of the world I would like to thank you for agreeing to be with me today. Governor it’s an honor to be sitting down with you and I see that you are still wearing your trademark blue jeans ...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Mon 10:24 a.m. - 4 clicks
( Updated below.) The route of my morning commute for the last couple of weeks had four traffic lights and one four-way stop. Two of the signals have sensors in the auto lane, but they don’t detect bicycles. One has a sensor in the bike lane, but it apparently doesn’t sense bicycles either, for reasons of its own. (I’m thinking about experimenting along these lines .) One has a sensor mounte...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Mon 8:47 a.m. - 2 clicks
Technology is changing education. E-textbooks are not online learning, but they are a step in that direction. Bill Grave has an Oregonian article "Oregon universities put iPads to the test" that discuss the use of e-texts and e-textbooks in Oregon......
Global Strategies - Mon 8:24 a.m. - 8 clicks
Oregon's Yellowstone hosts 1,400 known plant species--over 100 of which are found nowhere else on Earth. This week's flower is pine in name only......
Oregon WildBlog - Mon 8:02 a.m. - 11 clicks
Opponents of the president - who question not just his birthplace but also his faith - seem to be more overt today in their racism than during the 2008 campaign. As I noted earlier this week, The American Spectator's loyal......
Chuck Currie - Sun 8:48 p.m.
I took this picture of a Stellar Jay this afternoon at a rest area Ed and I stopped at on our way over the Sexton's this afternoon. I think I'll let that stand for the trip home today for now. I'm exhausted as I elected to spend six hours hanging with the Longview library books after I'd finished packing last night and thus got less than three hours of sleep between 6 and 9. My choice. But...
JoyStory - Sun 8:48 p.m. - 3 clicks
There are some serious drawbacks to electing people who warn of government takeover, socialism, who fan immigration flames and warn of death panels. I'm tired of hypothetical hysteria. If you jumped out of an airplane over Washington D.C. and you had 24 hours to report everything you learned at the Glenn Beck rally, what would you say? ...
BlueOregon - Sun 5:47 p.m. - 6 clicks
I never miss one of Lars Larson’s little commentaries on the Oregon Catalyst site. They’re some of the best free entertainment on the Web. In his most recent entry, Lars warns of a sneaky plot by the Obama administration to ban bullets. Well, it wasn’t exactly the Obama administration that wanted to ban bullets – it was some conservationist groups. And they didn’...
The Wandering Eye - Sun 1:24 p.m. - 23 clicks
by Sean Cruz Portland, Oregon-- I was my mother's sole caregiver at the time my children were taken into concealment in Utah, had been so for a year. My mother's voice on this tape, with its references to my birthday and the death of Richard Nixon, dates the series of messages to May 1994, about 8 months before she came to live with my children and me. My mother, whose name was Olive Cruz, died...
Blogolitical Sean - Sun 1:24 p.m. - 16 clicks
2010 is setting a pace for bank failures not seen since the 1930s: 118 so far. Against the series of gloomy press releases from the FDIC announcing bank failures is set one piece of good news: the first bank opening......
Isaac Laquedem - Sun 11:43 a.m. - 2 clicks
Yesterday in our nation's capital, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin soiled the national mall with their cynical perversion of Dr. Martin Luther King. Apparently the conservative policies of bankrupting the country with tax cuts and massive defense/pork spending while obstructing any and all attempts at reform of the health care and financial systems are popular with the estimated 87,000 folks that sho...
BlueOregon - Sun 9:24 a.m. - 6 clicks
( Updated below.) I'm not even going to mention what went on at the National Mall yesterday. Let's just go straight to Daryl Cagle's toon round-up for the week. p3 Picks of the Week: Mike Luckovich , Mike Lester , Nate Beeler , Mike Keefe , Steve Sack , Adam Zyglis , Larry Wright , Joe Heller , Bill Day , Cal Grondahl , and Monte Wolverton . p3 "House United" Medal: John C...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Sun 8:44 a.m. - 2 clicks
Just as Ayn Rand provides you with a series of pallative rationalizations for acting like a greedy prick and sneering at the less fortunate, so, too, Glenn Beck today provided his rationalizations for behaving like the worst kind of bigot against anyone not white, not in agreement with you, and all those horrible people with colored skin tones and liberal, humanitarian notions. ...
His Vorpal Sword - Sun 2:45 a.m. - 10 clicks
And, clearly, it works, else we wouldn't see giant futuristic Coors® Locomotives appearing as irrationally as in any Magritte painting, splattering frost on the hot people in the street (and that "hot" is used in two senses). Coors® beer makes you cool! (And that "cool" is used in two senses.) ...
His Vorpal Sword - Sun 2:45 a.m. - 2 clicks
So last night my sister helped me dye my hair auburn. Only the second time in my life that I've dyed my hair and the last time it was really just highlights as my sister was using up dye left from her last time and there wasn't enough left to cover my thick hair completely. She had a hard time getting full coverage with the complete tube this time and we were wishing we'd picked up two kits...
JoyStory - Sun 2:07 a.m. - 4 clicks
Katherine and Frances with Governor Kitzhaber This afternoon Liz and I were among several co-hosts for an event benefiting John Kitzhaber's return to the Governor's office. Related Post: Why I'm Supporting John Kitzhaber The turnout was great (particularly for late......
Chuck Currie - Sat 10:02 p.m. - 6 clicks
Okay, I'd love to tell you I'm far too cool to post about this, but . . . no, I'm not. I was not online much this week and so I only today discovered that Krugman -- yes, that Krugman, the Shrill One -- linked to a 2005 post of mine from his NYTimes blog on Tuesday. The consequences for my meager traffic flow were pretty startling. The consequences for comments on my blog were about the sam...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Sat 7:20 p.m. - 2 clicks
"The first day of the dwarves' New Year is as all should know the first day of the last moon of Autumn on the threshold of Winter. We still call it Durin's Day when the last moon of Autumn and the sun are in the sky together. But this will not help us much, I fear, for it passes our skill in these days to guess when such a time will come again." The Hobbit Durin’s Day would have landed somew...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Sat 4:26 p.m. - 2 clicks
I had the chance this week to talk with Michael B. Dougherty of The American Conservative, a publication started by Pat Buchanan, about comprehensive immigration reform and other issues on Bloggingheads.tv. Take a look....
Chuck Currie - Sat 3:22 p.m.
Ooh, I love it! A judge gets into a slapdown. Not literally, of course, but judicially. A front page story in today's Statesman Journal tells the tale: "Judge blocks 43-lot subdivision in south Salem." Download SJArticle-Laack subdivision I had the......
Hines Sight - Sat 2:05 p.m. - 19 clicks
Would the state of Oregon be better off if it was its own banker? Ann Kramer thinks so. Kramer, chair of the board of the Gorge Grown Food network, an organization trying to promote a regional food system in the Columbia Gorge, writes on the Blue Oregon site that having a state bank could help “recharge Oregon’s economy.” “The State of Oregon collects and spends lots o...
The Wandering Eye - Sat 12:29 p.m. - 14 clicks
In this video, Jim Clifton, CEO of the Gallup Polling Commpany, comments on the relative economies of China and the U.S. The "playoff games for our lives," as he sees it, is between our 50 million K-12 students and China's......
Global Strategies - Sat 12:28 p.m. - 3 clicks
On August 28, 1963, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his historic "I have a Dream" speech (originally titled "Normalcy, Never Again") on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom . The goal of the event was to pressure Congress and the Kennedy Administration to pass a Comprehensive Civil Rights Bill, put an end to voting rights inju...
CAUSA:blog - Sat 10:42 a.m. - 2 clicks
Last week the Seattle Times ran a story in its sports section -- it was the lead story -- on the collapse of what the writer described as Seattle's three major sports teams. What are Seattle's three major sports teams?......
Isaac Laquedem - Sat 10:27 a.m. - 4 clicks
How's your Portuguese? YouTube poster guthera says: O Gênio Ray Charles numa belíssima performance de I Can´t Stop Loving You, ao vivo no tradicional Dick Cavett Show, da TV americana, em 1973. And that's hard to argue with. Numa belissima indeed. ...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Sat 9:03 a.m. - 2 clicks
Enjoy this video and watch the other related too. This cartoon is hilarious. My favorite is the one where the cat is chasing a fly as Simon sleeps. But I posted this one in recognition of the two cats in my life: Bradley, my nephew's cat who will be 'helping' me pack this weekend and Merlin, our cat, who will be 'helping' me unpack in Phoenix Sunday night. And Monday. And Tuesday. ...
JoyStory - Sat 3:06 a.m. - 5 clicks
I watched about an hour of the Hood-to-Coast relay (here) near Sellwood Riverfront Park with my peace placards out. I clapped a lot....
Global Strategies - Fri 10:27 p.m. - 5 clicks
For voters, debates are an important recognition of a candidate’s willingness to outline specific plans and answer unscripted questions. They are a unique showcase of American democracy and an important display of the accessibility of those who seek to serve in public office. A few weeks back, John Kitzhaber announced the following debate schedule: Here’s where you come in… We're go...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Fri 4:50 p.m. - 7 clicks
Off roaders are going to start seeing a lot of “closed” signs in the Mt. Hood National Forest. A new Forest Service plan dramatically cuts back where off road vehicles are allowed. Environmental groups couldn’t be much happier. Just how much of a reduction are we talking about? Currently, off road vehicles are allowed on more 2,300 miles of roads and trails. Under the new rule, t...
Natural Oregon - Fri 4:49 p.m. - 5 clicks
Now I know what I've been missing every time I sped through Loma, Montana, on my way to somewhere else. This sleepy little ranching and farming community, located 55 miles north of Great Falls on U.S. Highway 87, is a gateway to some fast-action fishing like you probably have never experienced--catching a variety of warm-water species on a free-flowing section of the Mighty Mo. To call it "...
New West Bend - Fri 2:21 p.m. - 2 clicks
We’re going to use local sourcing and in-state supply chains to make sure Oregon businesses serve Oregon business and those jobs stay here in the state of Oregon. Oregon needs to emphasize the use of Oregon-based companies to supply other Oregon companies, thus re-circulating capital within the state and reducing the loss of capital through imports. Local sourcing and in-state supply chains...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Fri 12:43 p.m. - 10 clicks
Portland, Ore.--Join the Oregon Latino Health Coalition and CAUSA, Oregon's Statewide Immigrant Rights Coalition in Portland for a Latino Health Policy Assembly on September 23rd The purpose of this assembly is to bring together policy makers, healthcare advocates and legislators to discuss: Legislation that would expand access for uninsured Latino children to the Healthy Kids Program Incre...
CAUSA:blog - Fri 11:41 a.m. - 9 clicks
by Sean Cruz Portland, Oregon-- Ever since the rise of Ronald Reagan, no matter what the real issue is, most political arguments have to deal with the phrase "taxing and spending" and the attitudes behind the phrase. There are many who see government at any level in no other terms. Tax and spend. Tax and spend. This mantra is far more a matter of attitude than it is sound economic or political t...
Blogolitical Sean - Fri 11:08 a.m. - 18 clicks
Increase Demand for Biomass to Create More Forestry Jobs. Fifty-eight percent of Oregon’s forestlands are federally owned. Due to years of political gridlock, inadequate funding, the absence of a consistent federal forest policy, and lack of coordination between various local, state, tribal and federal government entities, these forests have become overgrown and present a major risk of fire...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Fri 10:49 a.m. - 16 clicks
Here are some more pics from our beach trip yesterday. This one was of Captain Fishhead a 2nd hand store located practically under the Astoria bridge. We drove past it several times because the bridge was temporarily closed for a wide load vehicle and we were going to get lunch while we waited but my sister couldn't find the fish and chips place she remembered. We wanted to cross the Colu...
JoyStory - Fri 2:48 a.m. - 3 clicks
Artichoke This afternoon, I cut out of work and began my late-summer vacation. Right on! Time to "sharpen the saw," as Dr. Covey puts it. I'm going to be staying here at home, for the most part. But I'll be pretty busy. I've got some general goals for this time of recreation. Couple saints enjoying the cool weather up at St. Stephen's Catholic...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Thu 9:47 p.m. - 2 clicks
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, 100,000 New Orleanians have yet to return On the fifth anniversary of Katrina, survivors and advocates praise work of humanitarian agencies Reprinted from Church World Service NEW YORK and NEW ORLEANS -- Five years after......
Chuck Currie - Thu 9:02 p.m. - 2 clicks
Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn Mike Rogers reports on closeted Gay politicians whose actions harm the LGBT community. He had reported for years about Ken Mehlman and he was out front awarding him the "Roy Cohn" Award even before the article in the Atlantic was on the news stands. Mehlman was one of the chief strategists for the 2004 re-election campaign of George W. Bush. It was the m...
Willamette Reds - Thu 5:21 p.m. - 4 clicks
The No Soy El Army 2010 tour kicks off a multi-stop tour across Oregon, 6-8 p.m. tonight at Rotture, 315 SE Third Ave. The event will be followed by a benefit concert for the Portland Central America Solidarity Committee. No … Continue reading → ...
For those who can't afford free speech - Thu 5:08 p.m. - 11 clicks
Over the last few weeks, Ron Wyden has taken swings through Eastern and Southern Oregon to highlight the work he is doing to help our state's rural and coastal communities get back on their feet. In visits to Hood River, Pendleton, La Grande, and Baker City, Wyden touted his work to create jobs and fight for rural Eastern Oregon. And, on Oregon's coasts over the last few weeks, Wyden has bee...
Ron Wyden for U.S. Senate - Thu 4:22 p.m. - 16 clicks
Today The American Spectator, a conservative publication, posted an article that again questioned the president's faith: Why does a significant chunk of the American electorate think Obama is a Muslim? Let's count some of the reasons: he speaks of his......
Chuck Currie - Thu 3:28 p.m. - 5 clicks
by Sean Cruz Portland, Oregon--I loved the sound of my children's voices so much that I saved the messages that they left for me on my answering machine. About a year and a half after my kids left these messages, they disappeared into Utah. This is the first part in a series of movies I am producing to document the lives of my children before their abduction. I'm limited to the photos, videos a...
Blogolitical Sean - Thu 1:43 p.m. - 12 clicks
Beck Has Urged Followers To Quit "Social Justice" Churches; Dr. King Was A Social Justice Preacher Glenn Beck will be holding a rally this week at the Lincoln Memorial - on the anniversary of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,......
Chuck Currie - Thu 1:43 p.m. - 7 clicks
Help Grow Oregon’s Businesses Oregon’s small and mid-sized businesses need access to capital to grow. While much of this problem is due to the tight credit market nationally and globally, Oregon should review its collateralization requirements to help community banks start lending again. By doing this, more community banks can consider participating in the Oregon Treasury’s Timed Certificates...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Thu 10:29 a.m. - 10 clicks
Originally posted at the Reform Immigration For American Blog Right now, 1,100 people are deported every day under the Obama administration – an all time high for deportations in the past 10 years. Each person deported represents a family separated, a community suffering and a dream deferred. On September 15th people of faith and community leaders will gather in DC to carry with th...
CAUSA:blog - Thu 9:45 a.m. - 2 clicks
Start Date: Wed, 2010/09/01 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm Benton County Fairgrounds, Guerber Hall, 110 SW 53rd St., Corvallis What kind of help do you or your neighbor need to select the right health insurance plan for you? Could an insurance exchange help you ? Is it important to you and your family to have the CHOICE ...
Benton County Democrats - Aug 26 - 17 clicks
An Oregonian editorial "Choosing online schools" goes part way in getting it right on virtual schools (here, 8/26/10): It is, of course, essential that Oregon ensure the rigor and quality of online charter schools and demand financial and academic transparency......
Global Strategies - Aug 26 - 14 clicks
Remember the last time you heard somebody say a federal agency did a great job? Not recently, eh? I, too, confess to not saying it often, but I'm saying it today. Three years ago (click here). I wrote about an innovative new shuttle system getting underway in Glacier National Park. In my first line, I asked, "If we built it, will they come?" The results are in, and the answer is yes....
New West Bend - Aug 26 - 2 clicks
The Independent Party of Oregon has released the results of the second of a two-part survey of its members that the party will use to shape its 2010 campaign and its 2011 legislative agenda. CLICK HERE TO VIEW RESULTS The 400 members who participated were asked to select from a list of choices on issues, including balancing the state budget, strengthening the economy, good government iss...
Independent Party of Oregon - Aug 26 - 15 clicks
We did go to the beach today. Actually two of them as Long Beach in Washington was socked in by fog and a brisk, cold breeze. I was the only one to get out of the car there to go stand at the edge of the surf and take pictures. The pic heading this post was taken at Sunset Beach on the Oregon side, near Warrington and Astoria. My sister drove Mom, me, Jamie and our niece. Got back to Lon...
JoyStory - Aug 26 - 11 clicks
Call me old-fashioned, but even though I enjoy Stephen Colbert's humorous take on truthiness, it still seems to me that social policy debates go better when people on both sides of an issue respect the facts. Such as: Oregon isn't......
Hines Sight - Aug 25 - 18 clicks
As if he didn’t have enough headaches being behind Chris Dudley in the polls and in the race for campaign cash, John Kitzhaber has gotten involved in a scandal. On second thought, better put quotes around “scandal.” Maybe it’s a scandal, maybe it’s something else. The background: Cylvia Hayes is the longtime “significant other” of John Kitzhaber. She&...
The Wandering Eye - Aug 25 - 15 clicks
Oregon Fish and Wildlife is giving us our first look at the newest members of the state’s growing wolf population. The three photos, released late Wednesday afternoon, show the two pups born this year to the Wenaha wolf pack in Northeast Oregon. ODFW captured, weighed and measured, then released the pups last Friday. As far as anyone knows, these are the first two pups born in the Wenaha pac...
Natural Oregon - Aug 25 - 13 clicks
We will connect Oregonians seeking work to the education and training needed to qualify for immediate job opportunities. High demand occupations like healthcare workers, technicians, and welders and new occupations like wind power and other clean technology technical jobs offer obvious targets for new or redirected training investments and help to attract new economic investment to Oregon. Th...
John Kitzhaber for Governor - Aug 25 - 9 clicks
Tom Friedman says that I'm part of a movement. I'm trying to reform public education in Oregon. Friedman's NY Times op-ed "Steal this movie, too" (here) says: that there is a movement stirring in this country around education. From the......
Global Strategies - Aug 25 - 6 clicks
There must come a time in every presidency when the generals whisper to the president that they, not he, are in charge — whenever they choose to be. Call it the “Commander-in-Chief” chat. My guess is that seasoned presidential candidates probably get this hush-hush lecture long before they hit the campaign trail. Who knows, it could come with the assignment of the secret service detail. And who...
The Red Electric - Aug 25
What just happened in Alaska with Ballot Measure 1 is just the tip of the iceberg of a national story about the unscrupulous manipulation of our electoral system by shadowy billionaires ...
His Vorpal Sword - Aug 25 - 2 clicks
Whether or not you care about the recovery of grizzly bears, we face a serious challenge today of how to protect the safety of people who live and recreate in grizzly country, as whitebark pine, the driver of the health of the population for Yellowstone grizzly bear population, continues to suffer from a climate-driven beetle epidemic. At this critical juncture, it has been confusing and unconstru...
New West Bend - Aug 25 - 2 clicks
Start Date: Thu, 2010/09/09 - 7:00pm Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Avenue, Corvallis Please join State Representative Sara Gelser and a special guest to discuss the outlook for the state budget in 2011-2013 and to explore how to build the best possible budget for our state with limited resourc...
Benton County Democrats - Aug 25 - 10 clicks
Start Date: Tue, 2010/09/28 - 7:00pm Corvallis Benton County Public Library, 645 NW Monroe Avenue, Corvallis read more ...
Benton County Democrats - Aug 25 - 11 clicks
Continuing my summer of reading Cold War fiction (the local library just sent me a note that "Diamonds are Forever" has finally come in): I finished "The Manchurian Candidate" several weeks ago. It was not what I expected, although it was fun. With the benefit of hindsight, I'm not sure if it was meant to be an over-the-top treatment or not. It's sort of like the anti-Strangelove: The novel "Re...
Persuasion, Perseverance, and Patience - Aug 25
Scene : Sunday morning, August 22, 2010. The sitting room of a New York hotel suite. Scarlet carpet and drapes. White-liveried servants (mostly of dark complexion) service a small breakfast bar to one side. Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor are watching a massive television screen, on which David Gregory is speaking ...
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing - Aug 25 - 2 clicks
From the moment I left Phoenix July 11, I have intended to have my hair cut before going back down into the oven that is the Rogue Valley in late Summer. I was beginning to wonder if we would be able to cram it in this week though. But this afternoon my sister asked whether I'd like to get it done before or after tomorrow's beach trip. Since I'd just washed it before bed last night and the...
JoyStory - Aug 25
Portland Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a fire at the Portland Street of Dreams on Monday, August 23, 2010 at approximately 7:47 pm. Upon arrival, responding crews found that a deck area surrounding a fire pit at 8317......
Commissioner Randy Leonard - Aug 24 - 7 clicks
ODFW just released this photo showing the alpha male of the Imnaha pack in Wallowa County. The photo was taken a couple of weeks ago as he and the alpha female stepped in front of a trail camera. If you’ve been following the wolf news this summer, you’ll remember that his radio collar stopped transmitting in late May. He went missing just as the controversy over wolf attacks on livest...
Natural Oregon - Aug 24 - 7 clicks
Most people who track the news at all see a good deal of news about their own state, but little about others. That allows a particular sort of dishonesty to spread: Making all sorts of claims that one’s state is (depending on the agenda of the speaker) doing a whole lot better or worse than [...]...
Ridenbaugh Press (Oregon) - Aug 24 - 2 clicks
