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Wednesday | March 16, 2011

Radiating Peace

Bleached Bones And Jumbled Residues
(Blurb in progress.)

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Go to story: Rally For Peace

The nature of the most dangerous cults is that "they are led by unstable, power-wielding authoritarians who believe they alone know the true answers and can change the fate of the world." Shortly after the Dear Leaders step into the "emotional abyss," the people follow. Whether the cult leader is a charlatan preacher promising a "socialist paradise," or a b-grade movie actor cum U.S. President announcing "morning in America," the delusional fantasy always ends badly. The people become upset, and the poison Kool-Aid is dispensed.

Tuesday | March 15, 2011

Oregon Convention Center, the venue. Photo by Cacophony.

April Fools: Metro invites the public to climate summit on April 1, but makes attendance inconvenient
Metro, the Oregon agency that supports the Oregon parts of the Portland Metro Area, is hosting a climate summit on April 1 that is free and open to the public. The event is intended to bring together local planners, elected officials, and the public to discuss climate strategies. However, scheduled at 8am-12pm on a Friday, and with an unnecessary but required registration, very few interested citizens will likely be able to peek their heads inside. The stated goal to "Learn about public attitudes about climate change" seems insincere when, as usual, convenience for public attendance is either ignored or intentionally discouraged.

Go to story: Metro hosts Climate Summit

Calendar page with details and registration (required, though free): Calendar

Monday | March 14, 2011

US energy consumption by energy source.

More Logos: Desperately Clinging To The "American Dream"
These days lots of hands are wrung over the notion of the demise of the American "middle class" and accompanying disappearance of the fabled "American Dream." Fretting gets evermore earnest as the Great Recession continues to plague most Americans, even as rapacious profiteering by Wall Street's casino operators and corporate chieftains becomes evermore blatant and obscene. But dreams of maintaining lifestyles propped up by massive energy consumption, corporate owned media-induced hallucinations and vacuous consumerism have profound consequences. Among them: endless resource wars, catastrophic ecological collapse, nuclear reactor meltdowns, and widespread ignorance of how and why such havoc persists. If we hope to continue living on this planet, has the time come for an alternate American Dream to emerge? One that doesn't require industrial war mongers and criminal casino operators? One that the whole world can admire? One that is more fulfilling and results in happier people?
Still wanna try and salvage the "American Dream"? Go at it:

Save the American Dream!

• Tuesday, March 15, 2011 - 5:30 p.m.
• Terry Schrunk Plaza, SW 3rd & Madison
• 1200 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, OR 97204

Go to rally page: Defend the Dream Action

Go to story: American Dream

Sunday | March 13, 2011

Tsunami Early Warning System

"A Swirl Of Agencies" Manage To Cooperate
Despite a "hardware glitch" preventing Curry County from using its reverse 9-1-1 system to notify residents, and sirens in Tillamook County that didn't activate, "a swirl of agencies" managed to cooperate anyhow, "ensuring that thousands were evacuated to higher ground." There were no major accidents and no visible panic as improvised warnings were sent out by email, text and Twitter messages. Gov. John Kitzhaber thought "the response of the local folks was really quite remarkable." On the flip side, no massive quake had just severely damaged or completely destroyed emergency response infrastructure, as had just happened in Japan.

Go to story: Tsunami triggered by Japan quake tests Oregon's emergency relief, showing need for education, communication

Saturday | March 12, 2011

Cascadia Subduction Zone

Cascadia Rising! Or Maybe Sliding, Shaking Or Falling...
Japan's unfolding tragedy of a massive earthquake, immediately followed by a devastating tsunami, catastrophic nuclear power plant breakdown, and the quake's major aftershocks is a wake-up call for the Pacific Northwest. Does "the big one" lurk just around Cascadia's corner?

Go to story: Japan tsunami a wake-up call for US west coast: Japan’s earthquake and tsunami is alerting the US west coast that the same kind of thing could happen there. Experts who study the earth’s shifting crust say the “big one” may be past due.

Friday | March 11, 2011

Govenor Kitzhaber to Oregonians: "Head for the hills."

Big In Japan; Small In Oregon; Minuscule Along The Willamette
An "extraordinary powerful earthquake" struck a wide area of northeastern and eastern Japan including Tokyo on Friday at 2:46 p.m. local (Japan) time. At an estimated magnitude of 8.8 to 8.9, the massive quake "the biggest quake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s." The quake triggered "dozens of fires and a massive tsunami that swept away houses and cars...." Estimates of the number of people killed during the quake and subsequent tsunami had already reached 1000 as PortlandWikiNews went to "press". The first waves from the subsequent tsunami caused by earthquake reached the Oregon coast at Port Orford, Oregon "around 7:30 a.m. PST Friday" according to Geophysicist Gerard Fryer at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu. Gov. John Kitzhaber issued a statement urging "all Oregonians along the coast to heed tsunami alarms and follow instructions from public safety officials about heading to higher ground." Waves the size of a small ripple are expected to reach the banks of the Willamette River in Central Portland.

Go to story: Tsunami Swamps Hawaii Beaches, Brushes West Coast

Thursday | March 10, 2011

Potato Champion at Cartopia in inner Southeast. Photo by Sarah Gilbert.

National & international media continues breathless praise/stereotyping of Portland
While satirical TV show Portlandia still loudly echoes through the streets of Portland, national (and international) media attention to Portland's "quirky" culture continues to grow. Nearly all coverage of PDX praises and/or ridicules Portland as a haven for progressives, artists, foodies, hipsters, hippies, punks, and sex workers. Today's scrap of moderately accurate out-of-towner commentary comes from the UK's The Guardian, praising Portland's food scene.

Go to story: Top 10 places to eat in Portland, Oregon.

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