January 2009
46 posts
Poo Powers Oslo Buses →
Hummer Drivers Get More Tickets. A Lot More. →
WatchPETA’s banned Super Bowl ad.
Oregon's teacher quality gets a D-; Washington... →
Oregon was marked down largely because when schools rate teachers’ job performance, they can ignore how much or how little their students learn… The report also marks the state down for failing to provide every new teacher with an experienced mentor to help them learn the ropes.
WatchDog and Orca whale can’t get enough of each other.
WatchPresident Obama lashes out at Wall Street bankers and their hefty bonuses during the recession.
School can expel lesbian students, court rules →
(via antsonalog)
What Red Ink? Wall Street Paid Hefty Bonuses (NY... →
Despite crippling losses, multibillion-dollar bailouts and the passing of some of the most prominent names in the business, employees at financial companies in New York, the now-diminished world capital of capital, collected an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses for the year.
Obama’s Order Is Likely to Tighten Auto Standards... →
Why Adams Should Stay (Portland Mercury)
From the Mercury’s editor Steven Humphrey:
Though some may have forgotten, Adams was elected for a reason. Sexual proclivities and crafty schemes aside, Adams has been instrumental in helping grow Portland into a town envied across the nation for its environmental and transportation policies. And he’s just getting started.Mercury readers, and a majority of Portlanders, made their choice, and...
Sam Adams Problem: SOLVED (The Portland Mercury) →
Passengers endure 16-hour ordeal on flight from... →
Officials at PDX wouldn’t call in customs agents to process passengers when an international flight had to divert from Seattle. Passengers sat for four hours (after a six hour flight), were threatened with arrest if they got off, and eventually had to return six hours to Mexico.
Inauguration Music Wasn't Live But A Recording (NY... →
“The somber, elegiac tones before President Obama’s oath of office at the inauguration on Tuesday came from the instruments of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and two colleagues. But what the millions on the Mall and watching on television heard was in fact a recording, made two days earlier by the quartet and matched tone for tone by the musicians playing along.”
Obama Orders Secret Prisons and Detention Camps... →
Just Out Editorial Board Asks Portland Mayor Sam... →
By his own admission, by committing the act of lying to the citizens of Portland, Adams has failed to show the principled character that this publication feels is a basic requirement for an elected official… Adams’ apology of yesterday, including specific reference to the gay community, while sincere, is not enough… Adams has previously stated his hope that gay and lesbian youth might...
The Future Is Here (If You Have To Drive)
If you are going to buy a new car this year, and don’t need a SUV for its size or off-road capability, you should buy the 2010 Toyota Prius ($23K+), 2010 Honda Insight ($20K+), or the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid ($27K+) this spring.
All of these hybrid cars are well built and offer 50, 41, and 38 mpg respectively in combined city and highway driving (EPA estimates).
Gas prices...
Two Men Survive 25 Days At Sea In A Cooler →
Transition Holds Clues to Obama Governance (NY... →
“I don’t think it maps into traditional right-left, but nor is it Bill Clinton-like triangulation,” said Robert B. Reich, Mr. Clinton’s labor secretary and an economic adviser to Mr. Obama. “My sense is he genuinely believes that people can come to a rough consensus about big problems and work together effectively. I don’t really get a sense of ideological position. He’s obviously a man of...
HBO Blames Presidential Inaugural Committee For... →
(via antsonalog)
Statement from Portland Mayor Sam Adams
From Mayor Sam Adams:
I want to publicly acknowledge a mistake I have made and I want to apologize for it.
In the past, I have characterized my relationship with Beau Breedlove as purely non-sexual. That is not true. Beau Breedlove and I had a sexual relationship for a few months in the summer of 2005 after he turned 18 years of age.
I should have been honest at the time about the true nature...
The governor is almost on the shelf. Here’s how... →
If you haven’t seen this week’s edition of Willamette Week, you should read the incredibly thorough and interesting report on Oregon Governor Kulongoski’s record during his 1.5 terms in office.
Goats! The environmentally responsible weed...
“Goats are eco-friendly fire-fighting wonders that produce fertilizer as they weed-whack, clearing high-risk areas of dangerous dry brush… According to the 1947project, the citizens of Los Angeles demanded goats for fire safety last fall after the serious wildfires in the Griffith Park and Hollywood Hills destroyed vast swaths of urban wilderness and wildlife.”
Read the story.
New Insight hybrid pulls into view, but Prius... →
So now, after five years, the Prius — the very form and fashion of eco-consciousness — has a direct competitor. One car is cheaper off the lot, the other appears to be more fuel-efficient… Who will win? I have to think consumers will.
WatchThe Daily Show teaches you how to become an effective television pundit.
Wow. Justices Say Evidence Is Valid Despite Police... →
Yes! House Votes to Expand Children’s Health Care →
WatchPresident-elect Barack Obama makes several “mistakes” in his recent press conference. (The Daily Show)
Porn industry seeks federal bailout →
(via antsonalog)
Roll carts help boost Oregon's plastic recycling... →
Carmakers lean toward higher gas tax to fuel... →
The auto industry is warming up to the idea of higher taxes on gasoline to force buyers to keep considering fuel-efficient and small cars… That doesn’t surprise Mike Jackson, CEO of car-shopping site AutoNation, who has pushed for higher fuel taxes for more than a year. He says consumers talk about wanting fuel-efficient cars but don’t buy them until gas prices are...
Toyota Reveals All-New 2010 Prius
50 mpg in combined driving and a tech nerd’s (me) ultimate dream: over 1000 patents. Wow! Now if only I had an extra 28K…
From Toyota’s release:
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., unveiled the all-new 50-mile-per gallon rated third-generation Prius hybrid vehicle today at the 2009 North American International Auto show…
The midsize third-generation 2010 Prius...
Blazers adjust their snoozing -- to stop losing...
When the words came out of Nate McMillan’s mouth, the Trail Blazers players had to laugh…
“He was like, ‘You all go out, curfew is 2 a.m.,’” LaMarcus Aldridge said. “We all had to laugh.”
By then, the players understood McMillan’s reasoning. He wanted the team to stay up late in order to keep their bodies, and sleep patterns, on Portland...
What’s the Value of a Facebook Friend? About 37... →
You may not be able to get a coupon for a digital TV converter box, but if you’re experiencing a bit of bloat on your Facebook friend list, you can snag a free burger by dropping 10 of your Facebook friends, courtesy of Burger King. Read more.
I Want To Play Poker With Harry Reid (Jane... →
Everyone is calling Reid’s bluffs…
Wyden, Feinstein at odds on CIA pick (Jeff... →
I’m sure even the KGB station chief in Washington, D.C. is mulling this one over: Why did Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the incoming chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the No. 2 Democrat on the committee, have divergent reactions to word about the new CIA chief?
Apple to expand DRM-free music, new pricing (CNET) →
Apple has cut deals that will finally enable iTunes to offer songs free of copy protection software from the three largest music labels, according to two sources close to the negotiations. In exchange, Apple has agreed to become more flexible on pricing, the sources said.
“Bush kept America safe (provided his presidency began Sept. 12, 2001). He gave...”
– Frank Rich, The New York Times, Sunday, January 3, 2009
Organic farms got spiked fertilizer (The... →
California - A key supplier used synthetic material in its product, and the state kept quiet.
Japan auto sales plunge as young lose interest... →
TOKYO -To get around the city, Yutaka Makino hops on his skateboard or rides commuter trains. Does he dream of the day when he has his own car? Not a chance. Like many Japanese of his generation, the 28-year-old musician and part-time maintenance worker says owning a car is more trouble than it’s worth, especially in a congested city where monthly parking runs as much as 30,000 yen ($330),...
The Bailout Bowl: Big-Game Sponsors Scored... →
Football fans watching this year’s college bowl games may have noticed that some of the biggest sponsors were also recipients of federal bailout money, including Citigroup Inc., which presented the Rose Bowl game, as well as Capital One Financial Corp. and GMAC LLC.