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Penny_From_Eugene's comments:
on Getting Back to Work: Jobs and Identity
Maybe 20 million illegal aliens illegally working in the country might effect employment. Perhaps two wars costing presently $1 trillion may also have a dampening effect on economic growth. Then again, maybe, the capitalist class taking all the good manufacturing jobs to countries wil low labor costs and few taxes and rules may also be involved in our jobless situation. -- Gereng — Fri June 4th 4:29p.m.
Excellent point, Gereng. I am pretty sure that those are all factors in my difficulty getting even an entry-level job. I have many years of work experience in foodservice, retail, and customer service, and so should have no problem getting an entry-level job. I was at a local fast-food outlet here in Eugene the other day, and I could see that the majority of workers in the kitchen were Latino/Latina, and couldn't help but wonder how many of them were of dubious immigration status.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Getting Back to Work: Jobs and Identity
I went back to school in 1999, to study accounting. My intent was to change careers, from fast food/retail. I was advised that I should continue after getting my AAS, and pursue a BS in accounting, and that if I did, I would be able to "walk off campus and into a position with an accounting firm." HA! What a joke! The firms are not the least bit interested in talking to non-traditional students as interns, let alone as candidates for permanent positions. I would have been better off if I'd never gone back to school...I likely would still have a job, I wouldn't be buried up to my (well, you know...rhymes with "pits") in student loan debt, and I wouldn't be spinning my wheels job-wise in the current sinking-into-the-sewer economy.
25 months and counting, by the way...
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Who Owns the Ocean?
Legally, the state controls the ocean from the shoreline three miles out. Federal waters start there and go to 200 miles from the shore.
Okay, we heard Terry Dillman tell us that the distances for these are measured in Nautical Miles (nm), rather than statute miles, but I happen to be curious which shoreline? The high-tide shoreline, the low-tide shoreline or the mid-tide shoreline? While the difference seems trivial, it could matter, since (from Oregon's perspective) the low-tide shoreline is further west, in turn pushing the territorial lines out.
Mainly, I'm just curious....
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Who Owns the Ocean?
"Who owns the ocean? Who is responsible for how it is treated?"
We all are responsible for how the ocean is treated, for all of us own the ocean together, and none of us owns it individually. Those of us who are inland, however, have to look to those who live along the water to act on our behalf, and with our appreciation. We who live inland, however, are responsible for how we treat the rivers and streams that flow through our communities and how that impacts the oceans.
That said, I still think that we need to hold to account those who despoil our oceans, as has occurred with the Deepwater Horizon Disaster (and the eerily similar Ixtoc Disaster in 1979).
On her show last week (Wednesday, May 26, I think) MSNBC's Rachel Maddow outlined the timeline of the Ixtoc Disaster and how the Deepwater Horizon Disaster is parallelling that incident, attempt for attempt, failure for failure. (They tried the "junk shot" and failed; the "top hat" was called "Operation Sombrero" which failed; the top-kill, which failed...the only thing that DID work was when they finally completed relief wells 9 months later. And that well was in only 200 feet of water!)
Supplemental: Hurricane season begins today (June 1).
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on What Wind Means for the Gorge
Maybe one day -- hopefully one day soon -- reliable fusion will be figured out, and then we can shift to that, and away from the toxic oil such as that which is gushing forth in the Gulf of Mexico...
On her show last night (Wed, 26 May, 2010) Rachel Maddow outlined the parallels between the Deepwater Horizon Disaster and the Ixtoc Disaster of 1979...one glaring difference, however, was the depth of the drilling: Ixtoc was in just 200 feet of water, whereas Deepwater Horizon was in 5000...otherwise the parallels are eerie.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Stiffing the State
"... We provided all the supporting information required and now we cannot find anyone who will verify receipt of our information (faxed and followed up with hard copies), phone calls requesting an update are not returned, and we are still out $4700..." -- geddycorn
Sorta reinforces the importance of sending anything that is going to the state, especially ODoR, via Registered Mail, Return Receipt Requested, huh?
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I do not blame you for your aggravation one bit...I, too, am rather unhappy with our State Masters.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Stiffing the State
It would help the state/county/municipal budgets if they (cities etc.) would not use tax waivers to attract businesses in the fahion that Eugene lured in Hyundai/Hynix, only to have them cut and run when the tax waiver expires, as Hynix did.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Stiffing the State
On the other hand...I might be more willing to "repay" this so-called debt if the state were to provide some REAL help with securing employment...instead of handing out referrals and saying "good luck...you're on your own from here." If the state actually did some screening and placement, that would be more of a help than what they do.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Stiffing the State
The state has screwed me time and again, and now they are trying to tell me that I have to re-pay some $3000 I received in unemployment funds. I am very reluctant to pay this, as I know what will happen the next time I try to ask for any help from a state that my partner and I have paid Thou$sand$ of dollars in income taxes to. (Yep, you guessed it -- the state will likely screw me again -- and I likely will derive no 'pleasure' from it.)
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Primary Election 2010
By having primary elections, we give the major parties (Democrats & GOP) the chance to narrow their field down to one candidate for each race, allowing them to concentrate their spending for each race on a single "horse."
It also allows the legislature to wimp out and refer to the voters any and all changes to the law or (state) constitution that they think might cost one of them a re-election next time around. (I thought we elected them based on their willingness to take on the tough issues...at least that's what their campaign ads say.)
Personally, I disagree with the first reason for publicly funded elections...after all the Democratic and Republican parties are private organizations, so they should be paying for their own primaries...shouldn't they?
posted 3 years ago
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on Primary Election 2010
Well, I for one am pleased to see from my morning R-G (that's Register-Guard for those of you oustide Lane County) that Oregon Scofflaw and Tax Evasionist Bill Sizemore didn't even get out of single digits as far as percent of votes is concerned.
Can someone give me a refresher on what Chris Dudley's qualifications for office are, aside from his time as a professional basketball player?
posted 3 years ago
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on Downsizing as a Senior
While this is a timely and important topic, I think that a look back at Mt. St. Helens and its eruption, (It was 30 years ago today; Harry Truman said, "I'm not goin' away.") and its effect on the Northwest might have been a more opportune topic.
posted 3 years ago
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on Downsizing as a Senior
Although if those old National Geographics are in good shape, they might be useful to a Library. (If not as an augmentation to their periodicals collection, then at the Friends of the Library sale. Somebody will buy them and the money would go toward new acquisitions for the library's collection.)
posted 3 years ago
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on The Viability of LNG
Why NOT a photo lof a hurricane? Well, how about the fact that our coastal waters are too cold to support a hurricane, for one. They probably chose the photo of a range eye since it was likely the one way their listeners are MOST familiar with Natural Gas.
posted 3 years ago
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on Fishing for Answers
While it may be possible to distinguish a difference in taste between a steak harvested from a steer and a steak harvested from a buffalo, I honestly doubt that anyone can truly tell the difference by taste and 'mouth-feel' between hatchery salmon and wild salmon.
posted 3 years ago
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on Fishing for Answers
But they're so tasty! Whether grilled, poached, or smoked, salmon is such a tasty dish! (Indeed, I consider myself a member of the PETA that actually has some common sense: People Eating Tasty Animals. Don't make me give up salmon!)
posted 3 years ago
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on Fishing for Answers
I know there are some who espouse the sentiment "Friends don't let friends eat hatchery salmon," but given the choice between eating hatchery salmon, NOT eating salmon at all, or paying a very high retail price for salmon, I will go with the hatchery salmon. If this is our best solution at present for preserving the species, then I'm all for it.
(The scenario in Star Trek IV with the whales was awe-inspiring, especially Spock's comment that "only human arrogance would assume the message was meant for them." We are pretty arrogant to think we're the only intelligent life on Earth, let alone in the Universe. WHAT IF an 'alien probe' comes to Earth looking for its 'children' only to find that salmon are extinct?)
posted 3 years ago
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on Faith Fissure
You have a point, Tom, when we consider that for centuries the Bible as we now know it was passed down as verbal tradition from father to son for something like 40 generations before anyone had the means of writing it down (whether it was a lack of a written language or the lack of a medium to do so). This was then passed down from father to son for something like 40 more generations, with transcription errors and errors in translation (from Aramaic to Greek to Hebrew to Latin to English, etc.) alike being introduced in the process. So is it any wonder that no two people (let alone groups) can agree precisely what it means?
Finally, it seems to me that anyone who tries to justify their war by calling it a "Holy War" is missing the point?
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(From a spoken word piece heard some time ago on KLCC's folk music show Friends & Neighbours.)
posted 3 years ago
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on Faith Fissure
I'm sorry...I don't really have any use for organized religion... especially when such organized religions preach homophobia and hatred for those of us in the LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Intersexed) community.
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(Explanation provided for those who are unfamiliar with the abbreviation.)
posted 3 years ago
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on Primary Conversations: Governor (R)
This question is specifically for Tax-Evasionist Bill Sizemore:
Do you honestly expect anyone to contribute to your campaign. let alone vote for you, when you are ineligible to serve in any elected office due to your failure, indeed, refusal to pay your taxes?
Yes, I know you are an anti-tax crusader, and that you are responsible for the sorry state our schools are in, thanks to Measure 5, but get real, and go turn yourself in, like you know you should, you criminal.
posted 3 years ago
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