Old news

This page is where stuff on the main page's news section goes when it changes from news to olds. Observe forgotten current events and primitive human societies from the dawn of time!

Wednesday | January 12, 2011

Greenlick To Bicycle Trailer Pullers: "Lose the kids."
State Rep. Mitch Greenlick (District 33, Northwest Portland/Forest Park) don't want you to pull no trailer full o' li'l tots with no bicycle. Maybe he reckons it's dangerous. Figures some car drivin' fool could run over the little ones, trailer 'n' all. Why don't somebody tell ol' Greenlick he oughta ban humans beings from drivin' them dang fool horseless carriages instead!?! That'll save a coupla lives, at least.

Go to story: Oregon House bills would prohibit wearing headphones, carrying kids under six while biking - Updated

Tuesday | January 11, 2011

Filthy Lucre Update!
Last week, PortlandWikiNewsLeakers brought you a report about "a series of workshops about managing money" (Thursday | January 6, 2011 - "Now You Can Learn To Deal With Your Share Of The Root Of All Evil!"). Good news! Now you can learn about handling your filthy lucre from a public sector source: Multnomah County Library. Smart Saving is the library's new financial literacy program that "helps people develop the skills to plan a budget, pay off debt, save for retirement or college, invest, and make sound home buying decisions." The series begins Wednesday, January 12, 2011.^[1]

Go to story: Multnomah County Library's Smart Saving

Monday | January 10, 2011

The Banality Of The Bloody Ordinary
Bloody Ordinary is the "controversial examination of American injustice" through a reinterpretation of Harold Pinter's masterpiece, One for the Road. Directed by David Berkson (Readers Theatre Repertory), the story depicts a master interrogator and his torture victims. After the performance, political science professor Norm Diamond will moderate a "talk with" among the audience and the cast. "I wish I could say that this play's subject matter is dated, but unfortunately, it's not," says Berkson, who sees the production as a thought-provoking starting point, rather than an end. Bloody Ordinary opens at Blackfish Gallery (420 NW 9th Ave. | 503-224-2634 | www.blackfish.com) Fri., Jan. 14, 8 p.m. and Sat., Jan. 15, 8 p.m. Admission: $8. More info: www.readerstheatrerep.org.

Go to website: www.readerstheatrerep.org

Sunday | January 9, 2011

Infant Babble
Are you a clueless parent when it comes to communicating with your infant? There was a time when human parents mysteriously just knew when their baby was hungry, thirsty, or not feeling well. Perhaps it was instinct, or maybe parents in the olden days just had fewer distractions and spent less time stuck inside their own minds. But none of that matters now because help has arrived. Tiny Talkers workshops promise to "help eliminate the guesswork parents face in trying to teach their kids how to sign." Hey, if Doctor Dolittle could "talk with the animals," perhaps there's hope that modern parents might learn to connect with their own child(ren).

Go to story: Parents Learn to Communicate with Infants - Local Workshop Teaches Parents How to "Talk" to Their Baby Through Sign Language

Saturday | January 8, 2011

Motorists No Longer Drive On Columbia River's Surface
Automobile traffic is a constant menace. It's a source of relentless slaughter of pedestrians, bicyclists, wildlife and even other drivers. In order to acquire fuel supplies, infidels must meddle in faraway lands; evil doers respond by flying jetliners into buildings. But there's at least one thing we can all heave a sigh of relief over: motorists no longer drive across the surface of the Columbia River.

Go to story: It just doesn’t snow like it used to

Friday | January 7, 2011

Getting Elected: It's a dirty job. Can voter-owned elections make it a little cleaner?
Portland's publicly funded campaign system was turned down by voters (50.3 percent to 49.7 percent, according to the Oregonian) in the last election cycle. Perhaps the "nay" 50.3 percent of the vote contained folks who still have faith in corporate-owned elections. Lucky for us, Portlandians may get another chance to choose again. Spencer Burton, a former city council candidate, is leading the effort to put voter-owned elections back on the ballot.

Go to story: Effort to revive publicly funded campaigns launched by former Portland City Council candidate

Thursday | January 6, 2011

Money's evil roots. Illustration: Amy Hood, "Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil"

Now You Can Learn To Deal With Your Share Of The Root Of All Evil!
Are you one of those folks who just can't handle your "filthy lucre"? Cheer up! No need to feel ashamed. Both Wall Street and the Pentagon have "money issues" too! Their problem is handling too much...of ours. Now there's hope, at least for you. Portland has someone willing to offer you "a series of workshops about managing money."

Go to blog: Good ¢ents Series, Money Management Workshops

Go to story: Is money the root of all evil?

Wednesday | January 5, 2011

Lease Solar For $20 A Month
"Oregonians put off by the high price of renewable energy can now go solar on the cheap, installing panels for no money down. Contractors in a handful of states are starting to offer solar to the masses with lease deals that eliminate upfront costs. Oregon is joining the trend..."

Go to story: Oregon homeowners can now go solar with no upfront costs

Tuesday | January 4, 2011

Portland's Manufacturing Employment Edges Up; Continues To Drop Statewide
Portland ranks No. 21 in total manufacturing employment, though the number of manufacturing plants and industrial jobs statewide declined in 2010. According to Manufacturers News, Portland had 46,787 industrial jobs as of December 2010. Overall, the nation's top ten industrial cities have lost 95,805 manufacturing jobs, or 8.4 percent, since 2008.

Go to story: Ore. manufacturing jobs down 3.3%

Go to top 50 list: TOP 50 U.S. CITIES BY NUMBER OF INDUSTRIAL JOBS

Monday | January 3, 2011

University Of Portland's Green Transportation Initiatives Take Root
At University of Portland more students, faculty and staff are using "greener" transportation modes. Discounted TriMet passes, a University to MAX line shuttle, carpool programs, Zipcars and increased bicycle ridership are all part of the mix. Fifty-seven percent of the University's 3,810 students live on campus.

Go to story: North Portland: University of Portland's green transportation programs breaking records

Go to Public Data Explorer: Google Public Data Explorer

Sunday | January 2, 2011

"Future Is Black" Asserts Triumphant Will
In a recent op-ed, Washington Post columnist George F. Will found the opportunity give a big "thumbs up" to big coal while offering a backhanded "complement" to Portland ("a green reproach to the rest of us"). Will also pointed out the apparent irony that Oregon and Washington are phasing out coal-fired electrical generation even as Cowlitz County, Washington (just up the road from Portland) has "approved construction of a coal export terminal from which millions of tons of U.S. coal could be shipped to Asia annually." Taking another dig at the presumed eco-poseurs he imagines, Will smirks that "the future looks to greens as black as coal." In that case, the future is also more mountains with their tops savagely ripped off of them, more acid rain, more lung disease, more runaway climate change, more resource wars. Indeed, the future looks as bleak as coal.

Go to story: China has seen the future, and it is coal

New Year's Day | Saturday | January 1, 2011

Happy New Year & Joyride To The World!
From time-to-time, Portlandians may find themselves feeling a teensy bit smug over the breathless accolades routinely laid at the pearly gates of our greenily fragrant Rosebudtown. Portland is frequently praised as the "greenest" or "most sustainable" or even the "most bicycle friendly" city in the United States.^[2]^[3]^[4] Portland is also widely celebrated for having the foresight to establish an effective Urban Growth Boundary to try and control urban sprawl long before anyone else thought Urban Growth Boundaries were cool.^[5] But it took lots more work than merely drawing up urban growth boundaries for Portland to establish its "green cred." And Mia Birk is one of the many who're doing the hard work. For the past twenty years, Birk has helped lead a "crusade to integrate bicycling into daily life."^[6] But the fight for "sustainable living" is far from over. For instance, China--once considered "bicycle kingdom"--is now known for sixty mile traffic jams that last for weeks.^[7]^[8] Obviously, there's a lot more work to do. If you need a little inspiration, or just want to know where to start, you can come hear Birk talk about her experiences as she pitches her book at Powell's Books on Burnside this coming Tuesday, January 4th @ 7:30PM.