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Three items to mention:
1) The graphic novel introduction to Google's new browser, by Scott McCloud
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/

2) The "Steal Back Your Vote" based on the work by Robert Kennedy, Jr., and Greg Palast. http://www.stealbackyourvote.org/

3) Scott McCloud's huge non-fiction trilogy work ABOUT comics/graphic novels:
Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics. See
http://scottmccloud.com/

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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That does look like what's happening, as the numbers keep going up. Perhaps my compliant lies with the Lane County Elections office, which reports that all 83 precincts (100%) are counted, and that the "VOTER TURNOUT - TOTAL" is only 51% (at 10 am).

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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What surprises me most is the LOW level of turnout that Lane County elections shows on their web site. Perhaps I am mis-interpreting what I see, but it looks like the turnout is only 45%, well below the figures cited for Oregon and the nation as wholes.

http://www.lanecounty.org/Elections/results/20081104.htm

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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When living in Austin, Texas, I made grape jam with the wild mustang grapes I found growing wild around town. They had an incredible tart flavor, and deep. deep color. The juice was as dark as ink, and was easier to drink if cut to less than 50% with water. The jam kept the rich flavor, much better than anything available in the store.

I also made prickly pear cactus jelly twice, with a few years between. I only made them the second time because enough time had passed after the first time for me to forget how bad the tiny little spines can be, particularly in the fingers and thumbs. After the second batch the memories were clear enough not to repeat the mistake. FYI, the jelly was a lovely red, but mostly tasted of lemon juice. Definitely NOT worth the effort, let alone the spines.

(Also, FYI, the fruit of the prickly pear cactus are called "tuna", so I actually have made "Tuna Jelly"!)

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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The direct URL is
http://oregon.gov/DHS/spd/pubs/autism_2005.pdf

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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You have it absolutely right. Consumption of cheap goods is a major problem. 2/3 of our economy is based on consumer activity (statistic from just post-9/11, when W said that to support our society, citizens needed to go shopping). We import goods from China, exporting the pollution generated in their production to China as well. (Of course, that's where our CF light bulbs come from!) Many people go into debt, trying to buy happiness or keep up with the lifestyles of advertisements, while not actually making themselves happy.

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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OK, so we've changed out our incandescent light bulbs for CFCs, added R25 of insulation to the attic and under the floor, and drive a 40 MPG car. We use 100% "blue skies" renewable electricity. We're ALSO trying to eat more of a local and vegetarian diet. Those are the changes we can easily, directly make.

As someone else pointed out, we need to change at a national level. Australia has new laws that will eventually eliminate incandescent bulbs. An easy national change would be to lower speed limits as a means of improving gas mileage.

HOWEVER, just changing direct obvious consumer consumption won't be enough to reduce our consumption to 1/6th of the present level. That's HARD. We have many greenhouse costs that are more hidden. For example, I understand that the production of dry concrete (the mix, not the sidewalk) is the second largest use of energy (behind transportation). Changing that will require a change in construction and architecture. Aluminum production uses huge amounts of energy, as witness aluminum operations located near lignite (soft coal) strip mines.

We must make the small changes AND the big ones as well.

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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A simple point:

The timber industry brought revenue from across the country into Oregon and into the counties now affected, providing jobs and finding local and county services. Having lost those funds and wages, those counties will not be able to support the services OR POPULATIONS they had. Without the wages, no amount of local taxation can fully replace the lost revenues.

I think a state-wide solution will be required. Unfortunately, some areas will need to provide the funds to other areas, and thus, the effort will be very challenging.

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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