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Frankly, I have a hard time buying the concept of medical marijuana.  I live in an area where several of my neighbours hold cards, including people I know.  They are always 'bending' the rules... hiding plants, hiding extra product... and my next door neighbour's constant flow of traffic coming and going at all hours of the day and night I imagine has little to do with his so-called 'medicinal needs'... and I am not comfortable with the sort of people that this grow operation next door attracts. 

The enforcement for keeping these guys within the constraints of the law is minimal at best.  People become growers to profit, I've heard some acquaintances brag about their huge monthly income from being a grower.

I don't disagree with the use of this drug, as long as it doesn't adversely affect me, or my property value, and in truth, I wonder how much my property value is affected by the frequent and unmistakable pong of pot hanging around it thanks to my neighbour, not to mention the constant traffic.  The fact that this is a legal issue creates all these factors that have adverse effects on everyone else, including attracting crime and criminals.  What people choose to do with their own bodies is their business.... but when it starts ruining my time at home and taking dollars off the full value of my home, I have issues with that.

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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Yes, there are people who object to sprawl; especially when driving around the east side of Portland and seeing the multitude of desolate spaces, empty storefronts, abandoned spaces and ramshackle homes.  There are a lot of people who get upset when acres of farmland are being crammed full of homes, and communities are burdened with more traffic and the schools are bulging, when inner-city spaces can just as easily be turned into modern residential and commercial use where they already have the infrastructure to deal with the influx of people.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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I think that all this communication media/technology is creating more opportunities for kids to say and do things without really having to be accountable for the consequences.   It's too easy for them to get away with inappropriate behaviour--and it's even becoming socially acceptable to use technology to hide from the effects of their actions.

As for the other media, gaming, etc... It is creating a more isolated and self-absorbed world-view for these kids. They are less empathetic to others because of being increasingly isolated while being exposed to gratuitous violence etc.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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Just how extensive should police training be? Are they supposed to make on-the-spot-diagnoses of mental illnesses and disabilities when coming onto the scene!? They can't know that someone hasn't had their meds or whatever... All they know is how to interpret what they see, and if they see a public danger, or a danger to themselves, they are trained to react accordingly.

It's completely deluded to think that police officers should be able to do that, and still maintain the objective of keeping the peace and minimizing peril to others.

They have to make these really hard decisions, and then be held accountable for them just like everyone else. It's a tough job; it's pretty thankless, and people jump all over them if something like this happens...

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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I think sometimes we take the idea of public 'expression' a little too liberally.  Let's face it... if i decided that my idea of public expression was to scream at the top of my lungs for hours on end, I'd likely be arrested for public disturbance.

The truth is, I'd probably rather jab an icepick in my eye than be exposed to someone's private parts swinging in the breeze. However someone thinks they have a right to 'express' themselves with nudity, I believe i have a right to not have to see some pasty behind or worse when I'm out in public.  Children aside...

It's selfish to put one's desire to be expressive with nudity over the perferences of society in general. Face it, 99% of the population probably doesn't really want to see someone's flab. 

posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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My husband and I usually go to the Astoria and Seaside area in April, early May, or November.  We like to go then because I am not a person who can deal well with crowds and screaming children.  We take the dogs, we walk on the beach, which is rarely has unpleasant even during those months, it's been cool, but more than tolerable, and the dogs run and play without much worry of them running into aggressive dogs or interfering people.

We are from the Mount Hood area, which is a tourist draw of its own, but we do not get a good respite from tourists where we live.  The hikers morph into skiiers... we have no 'shoulder' season. We have the brief time when the rain drives campers and hikers away, and where there isn't enough snow on the slopes to pull in the crowds from town.  But it's not a long break.  So we go to the coast for some quiet. :)

posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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A little recognition goes a long way. Kids (especially at risk youth) thrive on positive reinforcement.  In a volunteer Program I was directing back when; we gave the kids as many recognition events and incentives as possible, it kept them volunteering, and when you say 'thank you' and 'well done' you can see them shine. These were kids htat didn't hear a lot of positive feedback in their lives, and they would strive to hear more of it.

AmeriCorps also provides a final service stipend after the time-committment of volunteer work... it can be used towards school, or obtaining school supplies, like a laptop.

If that sort of recognition works for volunteers, then it surely will work to keep students engaged and make them feel good about their accomplishments.

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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First of all, I think it's amazing that these guys showed up today to share this experience. I think a lot of us take our literacy for granted, and I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must be to navigate in this world without the ability to read.  I think it's an amazing feat that they are applying for and holding jobs, faking it, driving to new places, operating machinery... Just think about how important words are in completing these tasks require... and they're doing it without being able to read! WOW!

I think it's even more incredible that they are at this adult age, making the effort to learn, and swallowing their pride.

These gentlemen should be congratulated.

posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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Europe has been integrating wind power into their systems for DECADES and they've somehow managed to figure it out; and continue to add turbine farms to land and sea... so obviously they see an advantage in it; and don't waste inordinate amounts of time discussing every downside ad nauseum as we Americans tend to do whenever there's something new and shiny that we're afraid to venture into. 

No we are not going too fast, we're going TOO SLOW. 

posted 4 years ago
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Things that I find hilarious/infuriating about Oregon:

The left-lane pace-drivers who hold up traffic for miles.

Short-haired, be-spectacled, Teva/Birkenstock wearing Subaru drivers.

The ruts in the road made by studded tires, that make changing lanes like trying to derail a train.

People wearing utili-kilts.

People with B/O.

Snowboarders that smell like they marinated in themselves in marijuana on their drive up to the mountain.

posted 4 years ago
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I've been struggling with fertility issues for years.  In Vitro Fertilization (IVF-ET) is hardly affordable for us, but even if it were I would hesitate simply because I fear ending up with a 'litter' of babies.  I suppose it should be left up to the family to decide if multiples is possible for them to care for, as long as their choice doesn't cost me as a tax-payer.  If they cannot afford to raise their brood, they should not be allowed to bring so many of them into the world.

However, I can understand trying as an older woman; my clock is ticking and I don't want to give up.  I've always wanted to be a mother. I will try as long as I can.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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I think one of the biggest painted-tigers of the Greenwashing movement is GE and its boardroom-generated "ECOMAGINATION", which always just raises my hackles when I hear it.  GE's companies are environmental transgressors extraordinaire, and they focus all their advertising on small experimental environmental programs that were likely created to divert attention from GE's global environmental impact.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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Having been raised in Europe, I am a polite person by nature.  I often find American brashness a bit offputting; but it doesn't necessarily mean I don't voice my opinions, nor am I passive-aggressive about it as some people would be; smiting you with a smile.

I don't usually pursue debate with those who don't agree with me if they're obviously not going to listen to my arguments.  A lot of people will simply stand there and wait for you to stop talking so they can make their next point--paying little to no heed at all to whatever point you may have made.  There are times when you know there is going to be no open-mindedness; and certainly no convincing them of anything. They believe they are right even when presented with facts that prove them wrong.  Many people stick to certain ideas and do not deviate; nothing I say will change that.

It's easier to bite my tongue. It's a waste of breath, so it's best to lean back, listen to their ideas no matter how impossible they seem to me, and let them believe what they're going to believe.  It's no use screaming about anything with someone who is passionate about their ideas and unable to hear others, it acheives nothing.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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Suicide has been a recurring issue for me throughout my life.  I am stricken with a type of chronic depression called 'dysthymia', and it happened once during one of my really terrible bouts that I attempted suicide.

I think the problem is on the most part is that people with tendency towards depression and suicide have a support system that really don't quite 'get' what they're going through.  A lot of times, people who don't suffer from depression or mental illness don't grasp that it's something that cannot simply be controlled or 'gotten over', and telling them to snap out of it doesn't usually cut it.

In my moment of clarity, I finally came to that moment where I realized that I didn't want to die, I just wanted to stop feeling the way I did.  With medication and therapy, I was able to grapple my way to some semblance of normalcy, however just getting out of bed in the morning can be a significant challenge for me every day.  My support system still doesn't understand.  The best thing I did for myself was to separate myself from them, not having my problems simply dismissed as something easily resolved has helped a great deal in allowing myself to see it as something worthy of serious consideration.

I believe that the suicide of a trusted family acquaintance had a lot to do with my actions as well.

My advice to you if you have a family member with mental illness; no matter how impossible it is for you to understand why then can't just grow past it; accept it. They're in danger. It's not always within their power to struggle against their own brain chemistry.

Be there for them. Be aware of it.  And don't let their excuses and non-cooperation stand in the way of your helping them.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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OUCH! I drive from Welches to Portland on a daily basis for work. How much is this going to cost the driver?

How about an alternative? How about banning the use of studded tires and apply truck-weight restrictions to amerliorate the state of the roads and reduce maintenance? Maybe if Oregon did that, then maybe they wouldn't have to constantly resurface the roads. Why is it acceptable to allow people to destroy the roads for additional traction that really only helps a few days out of the year? Instead, you'd rather punish people like me who are already burdened with a hellish commute, hydroplaning on damaged, rutted roads nonetheless, by forcing us to pay a mileage tax?

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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I'm on the edge of tears listening to this program. I struggle with infertility and would give my left arm to get pregnant. However I can see where these ladies are coming from, and I cannot judge them. But it is still almost physically painful to hear this as someone who is incapable of conception.

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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I think its wholly unrealistic to expect cars to just disappear altogether, that's a really idealist view. However it still blows my mind at how short-sighted US car manufacturers have been; It's not like this is a recent issue... and still as they are floundering and failing, they're putting out new models of the H3 (H3-T).. it goes to show how they're walking around with blinders on. And I wan't even go into the whole EV-1 story.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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We live in Welches, and both my husband and I work in Portland. He's down on Airport way, I'm over on Johnson Creek Blvd. We were spending almost $800 in fuel a month; and as the price has gotten so high for gas, we've started carpooling; which means my having to get up even earlier, and having to stay in town a lot later. My trip is a bit longer, but we're saving a little from carpooling, but it's more stressful. I feel bad for our dogs who are alone all that time. We are doing what we have to in order to make ends meet. It's the price we're paying to live where we want to. Decent-paying jobs are not easy to find around Mt. Hood.

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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What keeps me up at night?

Bills. My husband and I are firmly middle-class earners, and we have no excessive credit, or even car payments, yet somehow we are still beyond our means. We live modestly with very little 'selfish' spending. We 'own' a small home. Fuel and increased grocery costs are making things much tighter than they already are; and we are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. We've even considered stopping the funds going into our 401Ks and health plans to make things a bit easier. At our age, we shouldn't be asking our parents for help. At our age, we should be able to start saving a little bit, but it's just not happening. We don't have children.

I do lie awake at night fretting how we're going to make our next mortgage payment; and wondering which Peter to rob this month to pay that looming Paul. It's what we bicker over the most. It's one of my primary sources of stress.

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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