2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

It's true - kids do learn teamwork, cooperation and discipline from sports - but they can learn those things just as well from privately sponsored local leagues after school.

You want to talk about parity and competition?

In a comparative worldwide study in 2007, American students ranked 29th in science performance, behind countries like Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Liechtenstein (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), and the trend has been downward since then.

If you feel as I do you probably think that spending one dime of our shrinking education budgets on uniforms, equipment and buses is an incredibly shortsighted waste of resources.

And if you don't then you should probably be spending a lot more time on the soccer field with your kids because soccer is going to be an important part of their lives - just like it would be in any other third world country.

posted 3 years, 5 months ago
view in context

Either the rep from Wells Fargo doesn't have a clue about the real world or the branch in Salem didn't get the memo that they are actually nice people. This bank backed us into a corner on a second mortgage, pulled a bait-and-switch on us with the new note, raised our rates beyond our ability to pay, wouldn't talk to us about rewriting the loan until the house was one month from the auction block, and then sent us a letter raising our payment to over $3,000.

Two days ago we left our home in Salem and moved back to Lake Oswego to live in a condo. If I met your guest on the street today the nicest thing I would do is spit in his face.

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
view in context

We operate multi-ton machines at high speeds by manipulating a wheel that can make the difference between life and death by being turned a fraction of a degree at the wrong moment, and we do this while mentally computing the speeds and intentions of all the other vehicles around us.

And in the middle of this we think it's okay to hold a device in one hand to have mostly unnecessary conversations with other people?

I absolutely support this law.

posted 4 years ago
view in context

I'm 58 and have always considered retirement a luxury of the previous generation. With no 401k or personal savings, social security will have to supplement an income that I long ago   resigned myself having to earn as long as I am physically able.

When I listen to Suzi Ormond tell people to set aside their "latte money" I wonder if she realizes that half of her audience can't afford to buy a latte if they wanted to. I hope your guests today have a better grasp of reality.

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
view in context

So, as I understand it, we don't want to expose our high school kids to controversial or adult themes and content in an environment where they might learn how to deal with them maturely and intelligently - it makes more sense to shield them until they are completely independent and have them figure it out by themselves without any guidance.

Am I missing something here?

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context

All monuments are transient absurdities.  Everything I am existed as part of the Earth for 4 billion years and will still exist even after the sun has shrunk to a white dwarf 10 billion years from now. How people dispose of my body is up to them - throw it in a dumpster for all I care.  All that matters to me is that everyone have a good time at my wake.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context

I am 58 years old and can honestly say that I don't know anyone personally who has NOT been affected by addiction.  It's one of the defining characteristics of American culture that is bred into us from the time our eyes can first focus on a tv screen and the indoctrination never stops. We are assured that it's OKAY to be addicted if it's a socially acceptable behavior and that the most accepted drug of choice is MORE.

I don't particularly like alcohol so my drug of choice is pot but the price is astronomical so most of the time I do without. Right now my wife and I are in our third week of quitting cigarettes for the umpteenth time and I was doing great until yesterday when she admitted to sliding. Knowing she gave in makes it tougher to resist but I'm determined this time to succeed. Both my parents and my best friend were killed by Phillip Morris and it's that memory that provides my best motivation.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
view in context

I would love to be an optimist about the future but the fact is that a lot of the climate change we have initiated is irreversible at this point. I see a huge influx of population into Oregon and northwards as the southern latitudes become increasingly unlivable. For the next few centuries, at least, Oregon is not going to be the idyllic paradise as we have known it.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context

We need a serious investment in our schools,  on education technology and in teacher training so that our children are able to compete in a global market. Without a focused commitment on developing tomorrow's entrepreneurs, any economic recovery we achieve is meaningless.

Putting in a high-speed MAX line from Portland to Salem would create immediate jobs, boost the economies of both cities and take thousands of commuters off the freeway.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context

I could care less about what 2 consenting adults do in private.
The only issue here is that an elected office is a position of public trust and if you can't maintain that trust you have no business in that office. Every other moral question is irrelevant.
I don't know if Adams is sorry for lying or just sorry because he got caught, but the fact that he didn't come forward on his own compounds what he did.
In my view he has shown himself unfit and should resign.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
view in context

Local TV is hilarious when this happens. Every year we get to see who drew the short straws and has to stand on an overpass somewhere kicking at the ice and trying to think of something to say to fill the time. These stations put so much time and energy into launching their "storm teams" that they can't pull them back when it turns into a non-event like Wednesday.
And so far as the resources are concerned, most of the money would be better spent teaching local people how to drive in snow.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
view in context

Three years ago my wife and I bought a house in Salem when our income was 105k. Within four months we had both lost our jobs. A year later our mounting credit card debt forced us to refinance and Wells Fargo, who holds our mortgage, took us for an interest-only, variable rate mortgage. My wife is still unemployed and we have struggled every month to make the payment and so far we have never missed that payment.
In October Wells Fargo received $25 billion in bail-out funds, and then last week we received a letter informing us that our rate was going to increase to the tune of $300. They say that we can qualify for a fixed rate but our income needs to be around $1000 more a month than we now make.
We made our choices and we have to live with them, but what drives me crazy is knowing that, on top of losing the home that we have poured everything into, we will now be working and paying taxes for the rest of our lives to cover the no-strings-attached $25 billion that was given to the people who are pushing us off the deck without a second thought.
No repeatable words can express how I feel about the insanity of our government's "solution" to the nightmare they helped to create.

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
view in context

For the record - I don't drink, ride motorcycles, skydive or indulge in any number of other risky lifestyles other than smoking, and the health insurance I pay reflects that. At one point in my life, when I was very depressed, I gained 30 pounds but it felt so bad I lost it all in a few months.
When I see an extremely corpulent person my first internal reaction is sorrow - I know that that person is probably in pain and is struggling and will likely die prematurely.
What disturbs me most, however, is the prevalence of that body type. Every time I go to the local Fred Meyer's - which is pretty much every day - I am surrounded by fat people. Yesterday I counted 22 people in 15 minutes who fit the definition of morbidly obese.
While Oregon schools struggle to keep teachers, state police slash troopers and/or patrols and the cost of maintaining all services continues to skyrocket we continue to get fatter. There is something seriously wrong with this picture.
Someone has accused me of "Fat Hatred". Not true. I don't hate fat people, as my friends who battle their weight will attest. I do, however, dispise those who would defend it as an acceptable or even preferable lifestyle that I should support.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context

I still weigh what I did in high school 40 years ago (160 lbs) and the primary reason for that is the choices I've made.
For most (not all) people obesity is a choice and the rest of us pay to support their lifestyle through increasing medical and insurance costs and through tax dollars spent to alter public facilities to accomodate them.
If you think fat is beautiful, fine... Just don't ask me to pay for it.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context

I have a Popular Science magazine from May, 1958, in which Ford advertises a new car that "can get you up to 30 miles a gallon!"
You can focus all you want on the energy ratio of moving a car built at that time to a car built now over the same distance, but the fact remains that it still requires the same amount of gas to move a human being the same distance that it did 50 years ago. That is not progress.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context

While I do support the idea, in the absence of an aggresive national policy and with fuel effeciency in automobiles virtually unchanged in 50 years I would have to say that this measure is, at best, a noble gesture that will have little effect on global climate change.

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
view in context

I lifted this list verbatim off the website of Science Debate 2008, "a concerned citizens initiative now cosponsored by the AAAS, the Council on Competitiveness, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, and signed by over 175 leading American universities and other organizations, representing over 125 million Americans."
So far they have been unable to get the candidates to commit to a live debate on these topics but any or all of these questions are more than worthy of serious answers by people who aspire to lead this country.

1. Innovation. Science and technology have been responsible for half of the growth of the American economy since WWII. But several recent reports question America?s continued leadership in these vital areas. What policies will you support to ensure that America remains the world leader in innovation?

2. Climate Change. The Earth?s climate is changing and there is concern about the potentially adverse effects of these changes on life on the planet. What is your position on the following measures that have been proposed to address global climate change?a cap-and-trade system, a carbon tax, increased fuel-economy standards, or research? Are there other policies you would support?


3. Energy. Many policymakers and scientists say energy security and sustainability are major problems facing the United States this century. What policies would you support to meet demand for energy while ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable future?


4. Education. A comparison of 15-year-olds in 30 wealthy nations found that average science scores among U.S. students ranked 17th, while average U.S. math scores ranked 24th. What role do you think the federal government should play in preparing K-12 students for the science and technology driven 21st Century?


5. National Security. Science and technology are at the core of national security like never before. What is your view of how science and technology can best be used to ensure national security and where should we put our focus?


6. Pandemics and Biosecurity. Some estimates suggest that if H5N1 Avian Flu becomes a pandemic it could kill more than 300 million people. In an era of constant and rapid international travel, what steps should the United States take to protect our population from global pandemics or deliberate biological attacks?


7. Genetics research. The field of genetics has the potential to improve human health and nutrition, but many people are concerned about the effects of genetic modification both in humans and in agriculture. What is the right policy balance between the benefits of genetic advances and their potential risks?


8. Stem cells. Stem cell research advocates say it may successfully lead to treatments for many chronic diseases and injuries, saving lives, but opponents argue that using embryos as a source for stem cells destroys human life. What is your position on government regulation and funding of stem cell research?


9. Ocean Health. Scientists estimate that some 75 percent of the world?s fisheries are in serious decline and habitats around the world like coral reefs are seriously threatened. What steps, if any, should the United States take during your presidency to protect ocean health?


10. Water. Thirty-nine states expect some level of water shortage over the next decade, and scientific studies suggest that a majority of our water resources are at risk. What policies would you support to meet demand for water resources?

11. Space. The study of Earth from space can yield important information about climate change; focus on the cosmos can advance our understanding of the universe; and manned space travel can help us inspire new generations of youth to go into science. Can we afford all of them? How would you prioritize space in your administration?


12. Scientific Integrity. Many government scientists report political interference in their job. Is it acceptable for elected officials to hold back or alter scientific reports if they conflict with their own views, and how will you balance scientific information with politics and personal beliefs in your decision-making?


13. Research. For many years, Congress has recognized the importance of science and engineering research to realizing our national goals. Given that the next Congress will likely face spending constraints, what priority would you give to investment in basic research in upcoming budgets?

14. Health. Americans are increasingly concerned with the cost, quality and availability of health care. How do you see science, research and technology contributing to improved health and quality of life?

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
view in context

I heard John Foote complain that the system is weighted too heavily on the rights of the accused.
Would he care to explain what the purpose of having a system at all is if not to defend those rights?

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
view in context

The lesson of "12 Angry Men" was that the majority can be wrong. If I were selected to serve on a jury that could simply override what I felt were reasonable doubts in order to deliver a verdict and go home I would have to refuse to participate.
It is a mockery of the system to select 12 people and then only have to listen to 10.

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
view in context

I know ex-soldiers with PTSD from combat and many more civilian friends with PTSD from personal traumas and it just isn't practical to accomodate everyone with a problem. I'm not a big fan of fireworks - like many people I have to sedate my dog to make it through the 4th - but they are an important tradition to many and especially for kids. None of the veterans I know would be willing to deprive their children or anyone else's because of their own discomfort.
I can think of one thing, however - how about local theaters and concert halls offering free or discounted admission to veterans on the 4th to give them a place to go that is somewhat insulated from the public celebrations outdoors?

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
view in context