2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session 2013 special election 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 international 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 television terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

Nicely put Bluewater42.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

If rich folk don't pay their fair share of taxes, why should I?

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

I understand the significance of OHS and would like it to be supported, but I'm squeezed by long-term unemployment and rising prices. If OHS can't support itself with its current patronage then perhaps its business model is not sustainable. Those who use OHS regularly can provide more support. I've never been to OHS or used it services directly. Oregon history is a luxury and it exists at a lower priority on my budget than food, health, transportation and housing.

I use Trimet once every 10 years. I use Max once or twice a year. I realize many in Portland rely on Trimet and Max to get to work. In theory Trimet provides societal good, but Trimet's costs continue to rise as they cut service. What is being done to address shortcomings in Trimet's business model?

My cell phone and electric bills contain subsidies for the rural and poor. Over the last decade I've supported approximately 10 organizations with small donations. But I've reached a point where self perpetuation outweighs my desire to support society. Can't spend dollars I don't have as much as that stinks.

I want Multnomah County commisioners to be honest, ethical and wise. I want them to be resistant to special interests and corruption. I want them to do what is in the best interest of the majority of the county's residents. I want them to openly and honestly consult with their constituents using the best democratic practices.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

To fix the problems of gang violence our society will have to repair itself. The civil rights movement was a step in the right direction. The peace and love fomented by the hippies was the right direction (not the drugs and dysfunction.)

Gang youth must have stable families, real opportunities to participate in society productively, and so forth. I think Geoffery Canada's cradle-through-college program in Harlem, NY is an example of a comprehensive system designed to eliminate the cycle of intellectual and spiritual poverty.

When I was a youth there was an emphasis on actively recruiting minorities. From high school through college I worked for private and public companies as a civil engineering trainee. Hard work got me in the door and good pay allowed me to pay for college without debt.

During the last 20 years jobs and interviews have been hard to come by. Most potential employers tell you they have selected someone else but they don't tell you why. To be a fly on the wall....

Parents would serve their children well by teaching them to think for themselves; to lead instead of dumbly following the herd or gang.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

Many of the jobs lost over the last decade occurred under the Bush administration with its tax cuts. I don't understand the Republican argument that taxes kill job creation in Oregon. Many businesses opted to move their operations overseas to avoid paying U.S. taxes and to take advantage of less expensive foreign labor.

Two problems come to mind: the destructive and vague plans of Republicans which fuel their ability to drag down forward progress of government; and the inability of Democrats to be thoughtful social and fiscal leaders.

Is it possible to reform our political system so we have competent and honest candidates to choose from? Can we ban negative campaigns built on deception?

Negative campaigns don't work. Why would I vote for negative campaigners who propose no viable solutions for improvement?

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

Do you dream musically and/or verbally? Many of my dreams are sound scapes based on verbal language but I don't recall "hearing" music during dream time.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

Do you have a favorite musician or album that influences your desire to play music? The album that inspired me to play trumpet was Milt Jackson's Sunflower which I heard as a freshman in high school.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

My spiritual struggle occurs when I ask, "Why do humans keep doing the same stupid things  over and over and expecting a different result?" All the problems humans have now are problems they've wrestled with in the past and will wrestle in the future. I live better when I pay attention to my code and ask fewer questions that have no meaningful answers.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

Since schools are purportedly a place for developing open mindedness and the ability of students to reason and discover truth for themselves, teachers should not be restricted in their conversations with regard to sexual orientation, provided that these conversations occur at the right time, and in the right context.

The conversation of sexual orientation is different with a fourth grader than it is with a high school student. The high schooler theoretically has more life experience than a fourth grader so the sexual orientation conversation can be more involved and specific.

I'm opposed to more laws prohibiting what can be said and when. Life is inherently risky and we shouldn't box ourselves in unnecessarily. Provide education and opportunity so people can guide their lives without undue interference from meddlesome authoritarians.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

I heard of Esperanza a few weeks ago and was happy to hear that Portland was her initial home. Is it necessary or valuable for young jazz musicians to learn the licks of previous jazz masters before attaching modern idioms?

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

I didn't watch or listen to the debate. My mind is already made up. I'm deeply disappointed that the candidates point fingers at each other. Neither has made me confident they are capable of doing what is best for the majority of Oregonians. They are fools full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

posted 2 years, 7 months ago
view in context

After the bull was killed I haven't attended another rodeo. But I did attend a Warm Springs Sun Dance. Seeing Chief Lelooska's show as a grade schooler was my previous "exposure" to Northwest indigenous culture. The sun dance was one of the more eye and heart opening spiritual experiences of my life. I was simultaneously saddened, amused and enlightened to share similar outlooks and experiences with my native cousins. At one point I felt that I was participating in a giant group therapy session. The sun dance provided me with long-lasting and powerful medicine which continues to fuel my meditation.

http://www.lelooska.org/

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

Father took several of us children to a rodeo when we were quite young. A bull and rider charged out of the chute. After a few wild gyrations the bucking bull broke it's spine and crawled around for a few agonizing moments using its front legs. Rodeo operators tied a rope around the bull's legs, dragged it off the pitch, and ended its life. I'll never forget wincing at the sound of that gun shot. A snapshot of reality frozen in the petrified amber of my 10-year-old mind.

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

I see bike riders with cell phones mashed to their heads as they negotiate bikes through car traffic. My friends look up things on their smart phones creating big gaps in our conversation as they check out socially.

How has the recent pervasive use of cell phones and other technology influenced your thinking and writing?

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

The opponents appear to have Oregon law on their side as the opponent's link states. Don't we have enough casinos in Oregon and Washington? Create businesses that pay workers living wages; that aren't service jobs; and that don't enrich a few self-interested business owners.

Oregon Casinos

http://www.americancasinoguide.com/oregon.shtml

• Chinook Winds Casino Resort
• Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort & Casino
• Kla-Mo-Ya Casino
• Mill Casino Hotel, The
• Old Camp Casino, The
• Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Resort
• Spirit Mountain Casino-Oregon
• Three Rivers Casino & Hotel
• Wildhorse Resort & Casino

Washington Casinos

http://www.americancasinoguide.com/washington.shtml

• 7 Cedars Casino
• Angel of the Winds Casino
• Chewelah Casino
• Coulee Dam Casino
• Emerald Queen Casino at I-5
• Emerald Queen Hotel & Casino - Fife
• Little Creek Casino Resort
• Lucky Dog Casino
• Lucky Eagle Casino
• Mill Bay Casino
• Muckleshoot Casino
• Nooksack Northwood Casino
• Nooksack River Casino
• Northern Quest Casino
• Okanogan Bingo Casino
• Point Casino, The
• Quil Ceda Creek Nightclub & Casino
• Quinault Beach Resort and Casino
• Red Wind Casino
• Shoalwater Bay Casino
• Silver Reef Hotel Casino Spa
• Skagit Valley Casino Resort
• Snoqualmie Casino
• Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort
• Swinomish Casino
• Tulalip Casino
• Two Rivers Casino & Resort
• Yakama Nation Legends Casino

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

The NY senate just imposed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the watershed that provides much of NY with its drinking water. Will Mr Bragdon be working on the hydraulic fracturing issue? In 2009 NYC Mayor Bloomberg didn't take a stance. What are Mr Bragdon's thoughts about hydraulic fracturing and how it could affect the 16 million people that rely on that watershed for their drinking water?

http://wccny.org/2010/08/05/new-york-state-senate-passes-moratorium-on-hydraulic-fracturing/

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

If one choses to live in Hurricane Heights, Tornado Alley, a flood plain or tsunami zone, or they live near a forest, they ought to be prepared to have their lives uprooted by natural and human causes. 

One can only do so much to protect property from fire. Life has risks so plan accordingly. If one lives in a hazardous place their insurance premiums should reflect the relatively higher risk. 

Did indigenous Americans fight fires or did they get out of the way and let them burn? Seems like we need to absorb pages from their wisdom. They lived here 10,000 years before we arrived. They obviously developed methods for dealing with fire. Of course there weren't as many of them as there are of us, but we might adapt if we magically attain some common sense.

It's rather difficult for a rain forest to burn when there are a whole lot of wet and mossy trees keeping the climate cool and rainy. Seems that if we cut down a bunch of trees, build enough condos, strip malls and parking lots, we create general conditions for non wetness.

Fires become more frequent and destructive as things predictably dry and shrivel up over several hundred years of human-ecosystem imbalance. Global climate might be warming up because we've cut down a lot of forests that were keeping the planet cooler. But we all know global climate change isn't real.

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

Sorry, My chrome browser ate my homework! I hit the wrong button before I was finished. Sorry to eat server space and reader patience with this additional edit.

@Tom D Ford

I didn't say women were better than men. I created an idealistic hope list. I hope women will do things that nurture and improve humanity. I hope men (and women) put down their egos and aggressiveness to correct and improve humanity. I'm tired of men-bashing too, Tom, but I look in the mirror every day and acknowledge that I must improve.

I take short cuts and make unwise "man" decisions. I light a cigar in a house filled with natural gas and wonder why I end up laying on my back pulling glass and splinters out of my face. I seek to understand the causes of my self-created suffering so I can reduce and eliminate it affects on myself and others.

We are raised in a society with strong undercurrents of class, sexism and racism, and these components have created psychological headwinds that are subtle and challenging to correct. But we won't come correct if we longingly gaze into our mirrors and proudly proclaim, "I'm so perfect!"

I've encountered a few people (women and men) who have not developed enough self introspection and self correction in my opinion. They do what they want and effectively say, "To hell with everybody else, I'm going to get mine."

A few act without thinking situations through thoroughly. Ready, fire, aim! We contemplate a 10 or 12 lane Columbia River Crossing even though there are only six lanes leading up to the thing from either direction! Is this reasonable? Build a new bridge and leave the existing bottlenecks? Create moe pollution and traffic congestion?

A few (okay I mean many this time) seem unaware how their actions (or inaction) harms others. We can be purposely or unintentionally oblivious to others' needs. My fervent hope is women and men realize they are part of a whole which requires more than intent focus on their belly buttons.

Finally, I write commentary with feather-ruffling generalizations and stereotypes in the hope that my words spawn thought, commentary and amusement. The limitation of the blog is that there isn't space to expand thoughts entirely. Maybe I could become a better writer.... Nah.

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

@Tom D Ford

I didn't say women were better than men. I created an idealistic hope list. I hope women will do things that nurture and improve humanity. I hope men (and women) put down egos and aggressiveness to correct and improve humanity. I'm tired of men-bashing too, Tom, but I look in the mirror every day and reflect on what I must do to improve.

I take too many short cuts and am prone to making unwise and impulsive "man" decisions. I light the cigar in a house full of natural gas fumes and wonder why I end up laying on my back pulling glass and splinters out of my face. I seek to understand the causes of my self-created suffering so I can reduce and eliminate it affects on myself and others.

We are raised in a society with strong undercurrents of class, sexism and racism, and these components have created psychological headwinds that are subtle and challenging to correct. But we can't come correct if we longingly gaze into our mirrors and proudly proclaim, "I'm so perfect!"

I've encountered too many people (women and men) who have not developed tools for introspection and self correction. They do what they want and effectively say with their actions and words, "To hell with everybody else."

Many people act upon the words they speak without thinking the situation through thoroughly. Ready, fire, aim! We'll build a 12-lane CRC even though there are only six lanes leading up to the thing from either direction! Are we idiots and whackaloons?

Too many of us seem woefully unaware of how our actions (or inaction) harms others. We can be purposely or unintentionally oblivious to others' needs. I hope women and men become aware that they are part of a whole which requires more than intent focus on our belly buttons.

posted 2 years, 9 months ago
view in context

@ Tom D Ford

I'm concerned that waiting for "old guys to leave" won't change much, Tom. My white male friends complain about not getting a raise for five years. They ask, "What about equal employment rights for me?" They stare at me sheepishly when I say, "I haven't had a job offer or interview in years."

I recently attended Chip Shields and Lew Fredericks Living Wage Jobs Town Hall. About two-thirds of the audience were in their 50s and they asked why they weren't being hired even though they had proven work history?  

Many businesses had human resources representatives who claimed, "We've got jobs," but when I talked to the recruiters they mostly said, "Go to our online website and submit your application for our current position." Same old same old. If you're serious about hiring someone, get them an interview immediately. Don't send them to the black hole of an impersonal web site.

posted 2 years, 9 months ago
view in context