Kicking It Blogstyle

A bit of a mention here about thanking BlogBurst for activating this here blog. I just visited the dashboard and found that an article I posted, noting the grim state of the Chinook salmon runs here in the Northwest, was picked up by a newspaper's blog, the Gary, Indiana Post-Tribune.

Nifty! Thanks BlogBurst!

I am still posting like mad over at Preemptive Karma, so don't forget to join me there too!

Pacific Wonderland Vintage Plate? I Am Totally There For That!

One of these would look soooo cool on my '72 VW:



Over on Oregonlive (where I nicked the above image, lensed by Randy Rasmussen) they've broken the story of a proposal to bring back the old Pacific Wonderland plates for a 25,000 limited edition.

I mentioned this to my wife and she said it was, well, a fait accompli. We weren't alive when the PW plates happened, but both our families were the kind to keep cars - and plates - around for an awful long time.

Not everyone is impressed: a commenter opined:

Since Oregon museums are reducing hours and laying off staff, I believe we don't really need a new history center.

Legislators. This may come as a surprise to you in the ivory tower but we have real issues to deal with in Oregon.

Yeah, whatevs, buzzkill.

I'm going to be lining up for them plates! Maybes they can get prisoners to stamp them like they used to ...

The Long UO-PDX Made In Oregon Sign Nightmare Is Over

It's just going to read Oregon.

The compromise with UO which gives the City right of purchase if UO ever quits the building is a nice touch, I thought.

WaPo Columnist Names The Best Oregon Political Blogs ...

... and the envelope please!

The Fix, Chris Cizilla's (wasn't that a Japanese movie monster?) blog on the WaPo, has laid out the best reads amongst the politiblogs infesting the noosphere like a plague (did I say that?), and of Oregon's amazing population, he could only come up with two:

1. The Shadout Mapes On Politics at The Oregonian
2. Blue Oregon

That's it, people. Just two. I am a little miffed that mine didn't make the cut, but I'm a sprout, so I'll get over it. But there are others which were quite worthy (LoadedO for at least one).

And so it goes.

We'll try for it next year, of course.

A Completely Tasteless and Insensitive Statement About The Nature Of Desperation These Days

Making the below is wrong and tasteless and sad and I apologize in advance, but the moment I saw the story on the news I couldn't get it out of my head.

It's wrong, and once again, I apologize:

I am a rotten person.

Update: they got the dude in northern Cali.

Can Unicorns Save Our Made In Oregon Sign?

I don't know. Kinda scary actually:



Yea, I'm late to the gathering as usual.

Stole it from here. You know actualy, after that last curmudgeonly rant, one look at that sign and I'm feeling better already.

Mannix: You Know Their Tired Of You When They Won't Even Laugh At Your Jokes Anymore

So it seems that Kevin "Not The 1970s TV Detective" Mannix knows how to see in April – with a rather high-quality joke:



Because Oregon doesn't have an LG, you see. In case you aren't in on the joke.

Read here at the WW Kev's press release. I don't appreciate Republicans (and Kevvy less than most) but I do appreciate a healthy sense of humor, and this was a good one.

But boy, do his Republican cohort wish he'd just enjoy retirement. One editorial in the Oregon Catalyst and the disdain just happens. It ain't pretty. You can read it at this URL:

http://nwrepublican.blogspot.com/2009/03/kevin-mannix-is-back.html

which I'm going to make you cut and paste because I'm not going to sully my beautiful blog with links to a place like that.

Kevin, you are now an outcast in your own party.

Didn't think that would happen, did you?

That's the way your party rolls, though. Anyone on the outside could have told you that.

But anyone on the outside is an enemy, amirite?

But seriously, I thought it was a good one.

But everyone knows that, out of respect, John Lim was going to get to be LG first.

Thoughts for Chuck Butcher in a Terrible Time

A recent aquaintance and the person I think of as The Bravest Person In Baker County, Chuck Butcher, has suffered a tragic, tragic loss.

In my opinion, some thoughts by all kind and decent people should be sent his way. A word of support on his blog would not be at all amiss if you have any compassion at all.

As the son of a mother who's had to lay a child to rest, I can tell you that most parents would trade Sisyphus's own task if they never had to deal with the task of the passing of one's child.

That being said, I won't say I know what Chuck's feeling, for certain reasons. My late brother was taken by an accident. But I've already probably come off as a little too haughty and familiar, so I have a better idea: go read Chuck's heartachingly honest eulogy about his son, where he lays it all out for you and, while I'm guessing he didn't intend to, make you think about why such things happen.

Tip O' The Blogger Cap to EK

I noticed that Ellen Kimball has tucked me into her list of interesting blogs. Much obliged! I do, if anything else, try to keep it interesting around here.

My-te-fine of you, ma'am!

I will say this: I'd always wondered what it's like to work in broadcasting. Talking on the radio is something I wanted to do once, back when I imagined the world was open to let me do what I wanted, rather than what I had to do ...

Happy Three Times Five Day!

Tomorrow is the 15th. Halfway through most months, it's been seen as a mere "hump day" for quite a while though.

But no longer. This month we celebrate the New Math and join the ranks of the growing mathematically-themed days by declaring that the fifteenthing is "Three times Five" day.

There are many benefits over "Three times Five" day over "Pi day" or "Square Root Day" or "Hyperbolic Arc-cosine Day" (Heaven forbid!). Among them:

1. Almost anyone can conceptualize "three times five". WFT is "ln" supposed to be anyway?
2. "Three times five" is easy to work out, even for Lars Larson and Victoria Taft listeners (though for them, this may require the doffing of a shoe).
3. Both numbers have pleasant visual aspects, almost no matter how you represent them. They are also infinitely meaningful: The number three is considered perfect and holy amongst Christians, and the number five is quite popular amongst secular folks and people who shop at Saks.
4. Perhaps best of all, you don't have to wait two years or six years or 100 or whatever if you missed this months "Three by Five" day to have a party. There's one next month! Or the month after that! And so on, and so on ...

So, there you are. From the enlightened cosmopolitan in the retail district on NW 23rd Avenue to the self-made preacher who thinks calculators are the work of the Devil, suspiciously eyeing the world from his armored-up compound in the hills out near Molalla, there's something for everyone here!

So join us this month for "Three times five" day! Unless you don't! Then, hey, next month for sure!

Portland Now Officially Over-rated

The Oregonian: "Portland Has Weak Showing In Manliness Rating":

Portland has been rated the 47th manliest city in the U.S., but before we reach for our color-coordinated hankies, let's note that Los Angeles and New York finished 49th and 50th -- out of 50 -- and that the list was commissioned by "the cheese-filled snack of NASCAR."

I've never thought of NASCAR as a cheese-filled snack though.

Will the rating lists never end? Oh, boy, that's got to be the Number One most irritating and irrelevant ...

... oh, wait, now I'm doing it too! Crap!

How To Win Free Maher/Coulter Tix If You Were In Boston

NB: The contest is over, and the tix have already been awarded

Funny for the day: The Boston Phoenix just concluded a contest where the winner gets two tickets to an upcoming debate between Bill Maher and Ann Coulter. To enter, one had to correctly guess a list of three things the two actually had in common.

My favorite was from one Michael Denham, who wrote:

They both are belligerent, get surprisingly large media coverage, and are both men.

Well you can't please everyone, I suppose. For the record, the answers were:

1. They both attended Cornell.
2. They've both written New York Times Best Sellers.
3. Neither has ever been married.

The author of the post also pointed out that both dated New York Times best-selling authors; to be exact, Dinesh D'Souza and porn star Karrine Steffans, which I have trouble believing completely. After all, I can see Ann Coulter dating Karrine Steffans, but I just don't think Dinesh D'Sousa is Maher's type, seriously.

PS: You were'nt going to Boston anyway. Don't lie to me!

Thank You, Blue Oregon! And Preemptive Karma Too! (updated)

I notice that I've been tipped more than once by the mighty Blue Oregon, in my mind the cream of the progressive blogs around here.

It's flattering to be on the BlueO radar, and to Kari, Carla, and all there that I admire, thanks! You've brightened my day!

Updated: I just found out that Preemptive Karma has extended an link of friendship. Must reciprocate if I havent already!

Quite a day!

Three Republicans and a Democrat Want To Tax You Again To Ride Your Bike

In these days of fluctuating energy prices, global climate change, and decreasing incomes, the last thing the Oregon Legislature should be thinking about doing is making ecologically-friendly alternatives more expensive, but that's just what Reps Sal Esquivel (R-Medford), Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach), Bill Garrard (R-Klamath Falls) and Mike Schaufler (D-Happy Valley) want to do.

A liberal complaining about a new fee or tax may be odd, but really, only if you're a conservative who thinks using talking points instead of a brain. It's a matter of fairness.

The bill in question, HB 3008, sponsored by the four State Representatives, asks bicyclists–many of whom either own at least one car and is therefore already paying vehicle-registration fees, DEQ fees (if you live in the metros), gas taxes and insurance just to maintain the privilege of using an automobile to pay even more–$54 dollars every two years, to register a vehicle which delivers little or no wear on your neighborhood roads, makes you more fit, and pumps zero hydrocarbon emissions into the road.

Of course, I suppose there are many who use bicycles because they don't have or can't afford a car. Now it will cost them more. Many such people presumably ride a bike because they don't have that much of an income. Now they'd have to pony up $54 just to avoid getting a $25 ticket every time they get gigged for it (viewing the breeziness of the way the newsreaders on KATU simply dished off the cost as No Big Deal shows just how out-of-touch some people can get)

This can only lead to fewer people getting on two-wheelers to improve thier health, the health of the environment, and thier own economies. What we need to do is encourage people to get on bikes, not discourage.

As a person who owns two cars (and pays into the commonweal commensurate to that posessiveness) I am certainly not for being taxed again for doing the right thing. Bikes are not the problem, and making it more expensive to ride them will not solve any problems either.

If you feel as I do, you might want to contact these representatives and explain to them that this is not innovative, but rather a lack of vision:

Contact Rep Esquivel here.
Contact Rep Kreiger here.
Contact Rep Garrard here.
Contact Rep Schaufler here.
Go here to find out who your state representative is and tell them too.

And if you want a PDF with the complete text of HB 3008, click here for the download.

This is an official Bad Idea™. It needs to die.

Also, the BTA, who has the right of it, clues you in on Rep Krieger, the chief sponsor, who just seems to hate you if you ride a bike.

Surgeon General: So Much For Sanjay

The dreaded "personal reasons":

Television news celebrity and surgeon Sanjay Gupta will not be the nation’s top doctor, after pulling out of consideration for the post.

“Sanjay was under serious consideration for surgeon general. He told us he was going to withdraw for personal reasons. We hope he stays involved in public service,” said an Obama administration spokeswoman.

I'm not that disappointed. I wasn't that in love with Dr. Gupta as SG.

Let's get someone with a little less celebrity in there, please. Now, just who would be smart enough and passionate enough and largely responsible for the win for the good guys in the last election? It's right on the tip of my tongue ... who could it be ...

The Oregonian: Dropping Comics? Did We Say That?

The Oregonian can cut staff, merge the Monday Metro into Section A, give sections goofy names like "How We Live" (apparently "Living" was too vague), and nobody complains.

Threaten to dump comics, though, and the villagers line up with torches in front of 1320 Southwest Broadway:

The response: more than 9,500 votes in our comics survey, almost 1,000 e-mails and about 400 letters. Your votes and your letters reaffirmed the importance comics have in the newspaper and how much you depend on them for a few moments of levity in these difficult times. Thanks to all who participated, and thanks for the heartfelt and thoughtful responses.

For now, we're not changing a thing.

For my money, the good news is that Portlanders showed taste in voting up Pickles, Cul-de-Sac, Bizarro, and Non Sequitur. We are baffled that fewer people liked Ziggy and Cathy than Close To Home, which, in our books, is far and away the worst-drawn and least funny comic in synidication today. While we aren't surprised that Ziggy and Cathy scored low, we were surprised they scored that low, and we don't understand why so few people like Edison Lee ... it's like Pearls Before Swine with you guys.

Anyhow, it occurred to me that they could have saved themselves some strife. After all, every time they've vouchsafed rethinking the funny pages, they've always had the villagers at the door and near-riot conditions in Portland.

Well, you know what they say about people who don't learn from history. I'd also remind that the second time 'round history repeats itself, it's as farce ... which would be appropriate.

I'll let P.Bhat, Tha Oregonian's editor, have the last word:

And if we ever bring this up again, just feed us to the crocs in "Pearls Before Swine."

Consider it done.

The rest of you: Just be thankful this isn't the Post-Intelligencer.

You See? I Told You Twitter Makes You Stupid.

"It Books"? Publishing a dead-tree collection of tweets, fahgawdsake?

Put a fork in us. We're done.

Doesn't seem a fair exchange for losing a respectable non-fiction imprint, but what do I know? Mom always said there'd be days like this.

So Long, (G.I.) Joe's?

This is the worst news I've heard since they lopped off the "G.I." part.

Joe's Sports & Outdoor filed for Chapter 11 reorganization Wednesday, seeking to keep its stores and Wilsonville-based headquarters open until it's sold -- possibly within 30 days.

The Oregon retailing icon, bought by the equity firm Gryphon Investors of San Francisco in 2007, has no immediate plans for layoffs and will cover its 1,600 employees' salaries and benefits through a potential sale, said John Mangan, a Joe's spokesman.

And here's a cogent POV:

"Joe's forgot about the common guy who went in to buy a decent pair of work gloves," said Gary Livingston, a construction company owner and longtime customer. "Since it was bought, the store changed the product line, and now, everything is high end."

Livingston and others said the company -- previously known as G.I. Joe's -- has moved too far from its retailing roots. And they hate the new name.

Well, the idea was maybe to improve GIJoes right out of business anyway. Mom always said there's trouble in town when the equity firms show up.

242 Oregon Cities, 242 Mayors, One Blog

In the comments to the post about the unicorns, a commenter billing himself as orygone posted a response and I followed the link back to his blog.

What an amazing thing this is, my friends.

The blog Oregon's Sesquicentennial is celebrating said occasion by visiting each one of Oregon's 242 cities, contacting all of Oregon's 242 Mayors, and getting an autograph from each one.

Sounds like a tall order, but a fun one. Worth Following.

Go here!

I Visited Members Of The Entitled Class Today

Or, as I like to call them, my family.

People who know the price of everything and the value of nothing like to moan and complain all day about how expensive PERS retirees and the poor are and how they're destroying the state and how maybe they don't deserve what they have coming to them.

I'd like to introduce you to a couple of people.

One's my mother. She worked for more than two decades with the developmentally disabled in the Oregon State system, at Fairview. Now, the system assisting the mentally and physically disabled is and was flawed, to be sure. People are still arguing over whether or not closing the Fairview Training Center and Dammasch State Hospital was a good idea. But for the majority of her working life, my mother was in the thick of it and she did a lot of good, not only caring for people in the State's charge but also taking her own time outside of work and helping foster a child or two as far away as Coos Bay.

Thing about my mom is, she can't stop mothering. Some of our most vulnerable citizens are maybe a little better off because of what she cared enough to do. She was paid adequately for it and now lives on her PERS pension. She is far from getting rich on it. They have enough to keep from being homeless and live in an excuciatingly-modest, cosy, well-maintained manufactured home.

She wouldn't feel comfortable in a mansion anyway.

The other person is my nephew. He's a nice, smart fellow with a blazing quick mind but a lot stacked against him. He was rescued by the state foster care system which has placed him with my mom who, as I said, can't stop mothering. After a great many alternatives have been tried to help him get a grip on his emotional problems, he's on a medication and counseling program that have given him real hope. He's as happy today as I've ever seen a kid with so many odds against him.

And how can he do it? The Oregon Health Plan. Without which, I might add, at $800 a prescription, we'd have no chance of getting on it, and he might well eventually go into the state system as a problem, not as a potential success story.

So if anyone wants to come at me with how spending for state retirees and the OHP is a waste on people who don't deserve it, you'll get a deaf ear over it from me.

Do you think I'm too close to the problem? So what? I'd argue that you are too far away from it.

I like to think of it as my tax dollars at work.