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Thursday | December 9, 2010

HAP's Elizabeth Trinh.

Interview: Public Servant & Bike Pusher
Elizabeth Trinh first became a part of the Holiday Bike Drive when she began signing up participants at the Housing Authority of Portland. Now she volunteers for the Community Cycling Center's Holiday Bike Drive, and translates bicycle safety materials into Vietnamese. Her efforts "have greatly enhanced" the organization's "ability to reach more families more effectively."

Go to story: Holiday Bike Drive Stories: Elizabeth Trinh, Community Partner and Volunteer Translator

Wednesday | December 8, 2010

Working spy.

Carefully Crafted Jobs Program For Imprisoned Spies Squashed By Authorities
Nathan Nicholson, the son of the highest ranking CIA officer ever to be sentenced for espionage, just wanted to help his imprisoned father reestablish his spying career. "Daddy spy"--Harold James "Jim" Nicholson--is currently serving a 283-month (23-year) sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Sheridan, Oregon after pleading guilty in 1997 to spying for Russia. The younger Nicholson--who pleaded guilty last year to helping his father restart his spying career--was sentenced Tuesday to probation and community service "for continuing his jailed father's espionage activities."
Go to stories:

• Son sentenced for helping ex-CIA father restart spy career from prison
• Imprisoned Spy Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Government and Money Laundering

Tuesday | December 7, 2010

Brain meltdowns. Courtesy the cell tower near you?

Will Cell Phone Microwaves Really Fry Your Brain?
Find out for yourself. You can participate in a cell tower follow-up meeting today:

Tuesday, December 7th from 7 to 8 at SE Uplift.

Location: 3534 SE Main St. (SE Main Street, between SE 35th Avenue & SE 36th Avenue), Portland, OR 97214.

This meeting will focus on getting organized and creating working groups around the many issues facing us when cell towers are placed in neighborhoods.

Go to stories:

• Cell Tower Follow-up Meeting Tuesday, December 7th from, 7pm to 8pm at SE Uplift.
• Clearcut Cell Towers; Leave The Trees

Monday | December 6, 2010

Portland Streetcar to NW 23rd Ave.

Fuel Tax For Public Transit: Fund Robust Public Transit & Reduce Motor Vehicle Use
Unlike current funding schemes for public transportation, funding for road construction and maintenance doesn't rely on payroll taxes and high fares (the equivalent to road tolls). "Instead, the funding mechanisms for these come primarily from general fund sources (city/county property taxes), fees (construction assessments, license/registration fees), and fuel taxes--a kindasorta user fee..." Is there a better way? How would Portland benefit if riders had access to quality, frequent and fare-free public transportation?

Go to story: Rethinking transit: Funding and equity

Sunday | December 5, 2010

Carbon cycle.

A New Low For Portland, But It's A Good One!
In 1993 the City of Portland became the first local government in the United States to adopt a plan to reduce carbon emissions. Last week Portland City Council received Year One Progress Report from the City of Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability for Portland and Multnomah County's Climate Action Plan.

The report finds that Portland and Multnomah County have made substantial progress in carrying out the actions identified in the plan. Local emissions have dropped 15 percent since 2000, sharply countering the national trend. Despite rapid population growth, local greenhouse gas emissions in 2009 were two percent below 1990 levels, the baseline year referenced in the Kyoto Protocol. On a per-capita basis, emissions in Multnomah County have fallen by 20 percent since 1990.

Go to story: Portland Reduces Carbon Emissions, Bucking the National Trend

Go to Climate Action Plan: Portland Climate Action Plan "Portland Climate Action Now!"

Saturday | December 4, 2010

Clean Coal

Boardman Buys Itself Another Decade
Oregon regulators are endorsing Portland General Electric's plan to close its coal-fired power plant at Boardman by Dec. 31, 2020. The state Department of Environmental Quality says Boardman's guaranteed "early closure date" lets it off the hook for investing in expensive new pollution controls. The Boardman plant opened in 1977.

Go to stories:

• DEQ backs coal plant plan
• DEQ gives coal-fired plant until 2020

Friday | December 3, 2010

"Think Big, Publish Widely"

Memo To Confidential Document Writers: "Think Big"
WikiLeaks, the publisher of "leaked documents alleging government and corporate misconduct," continues to help confidential document writers find wider audiences. PortlandWiki contributor and wiki inventor, Ward Cunningham, observes that "the authors of diplomatic dispatches thought that they were talking to a small audience, not the world." Cunningham adds "I'm proud of the fact that wiki has given a voice to new authors."

Go to stories:

• The inventor of the wiki, Portland's Ward Cunningham, reflects on WikiLeaks
• Is WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange A Hero? Glenn Greenwald Debates Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News
• One Day We’ll All Be Terrorists

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