News aggregator
Goldman Plays, We Pay
The story of the financial debacle will end the way it began, with the super-hustlers from Goldman Sachs at the center of the action and profiting wildly. Never in U.S. history has one company wielded such destructive power over our political economy, irrespective of whether a Republican or a Democrat happened to be president.
HAITI EARTHQUAKE LIVE BLOG: Who to Follow and What to Read for Breaking Developments
Here is the link to Thursday's live blog. Please check the page regularly for updates.
7:45am PDT: The BBC has a disturbing first hand video report from a hospital in Port-au-Prince where, last night, injured people waiting for treatment slept amongst dead bodies.
Arlington: Possibly Thousands
Possibly Thousands Of Mishandled Arlington Graves
July 29, 2010 Washington…The estimate of possibly mishandled graves at Arlington National Cemetery soared into the thousands Thursday, and ousted cemetery officials conceded that they knew about problems at least five years ago.
A Senate report released Thursday said that 4,900 to 6,600 graves among the 330,000 veterans and others buried at Arlington may be unmarked, improperly marked, or mislabeled on cemetery maps.
Probes Open in Military Insurance Death- Benefits
Gates Says Pentagon to Help Death-Benefits Inquiry
29 July 2010 Defense Secretary Robert Gates pledged to help the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs probe how insurers reap profits from death benefits retained for the families of deceased military personnel.
“I will be very interested in the outcome of the VA investigation,” Gates told a Pentagon press briefing. “We will do everything we can to help.”
Earlier today, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo began a fraud probe into the life insurance industry and subpoenaed MetLife Inc. and Prudential Financial Inc. for information about profits on the retained death benefits.
Nick Kristof Hits on Afghan Exit Strategy, Cost Same as 246 Soldiers
Not only is your tax money funding the Taliban to an extent which is perhaps even greater than the opium trade; not only is the Pakistani military helping Afghan insurgents attack American troops (again most likely with part of that $1 billion a year we give them); not only is the $50 billion Congress just borrowed to keep the war going making us even poorer; the kicker is it could all be done and won for a teeny tiny fraction of the cost. In a remarkably subversive piece of journalism for the NYT, Nicholas Kristof lets the cat out of the bag: this military spending is all one big, huge waste. We could be borrowing that money from China for other things. Today he writes:
I-19 Shutdown in Tucson- Spanish and English
*Partial justice is no justice at all! Despite Judge ruling to block parts of SB 1070, racial-profiling, raids, deportations and the militarization of the border will continue unchallenged. This is why today we shut down Interstate 19 (I-19)*
*Sigue en espa**ñol abajo:*
*DIRECT ACTION DISRUPTS ARIZONA RACISM!*
*Partial justice is no justice at all! Despite Judge ruling to block parts of SB 1070, racial-profiling, raids, deportations and the militarization of
the border will continue unchallenged. This is why today we shut down
Interstate 19 (I-19)*
[ Arizona Indymedia link: http://tinyurl.com/22n8vks ]
Activist Advice: Ask Vinny
By David Swanson
Michael Pertschuk's new book "The DeMarco Factor" is a guide to political activism in the form of a chronicle of the work of one man, Vincent DeMarco. A lot of people may never have heard of him, especially if you're not from Maryland, but DeMarco led campaigns over the past 20 years that successfully passed legislation in Maryland strengthening gun control despite the opposition of the NRA, raising taxes on cigarettes despite the opposition of big tobacco, and providing more people with healthcare despite the vicious opposition to that agenda we should all be familiar with. The strategies employed are worth examining.
Dozens Arrested in Protests of AZ Immigration Law
PHOENIX - Opponents of Arizona's immigration crackdown went ahead with protests Thursday despite a judge's ruling that delayed enforcement of most the law, and dozens of people in Phoenix were arrested after peacefully confronting officers in riot gear.
Gov. Jan Brewer called U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton's Wednesday's decision halting the law "a bump in the road," and her spokesman said they'd appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco later Thursday.
Military Stress: Army Releases Report on Suicide Prevention
I just can't think of anything more to add, as not only myself but many others have stated over and over thousands of times in these years, to the three reports and link to the study then are stated within them!
This is a 10MB, 370page pdf download, you can visit the Army site by click the graphic or the link.
Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Report
What a Legal Pot Economy Would Look Like (Video)
How everyone stands to benefit from ending the war on weed.
How US Ignorance Helped Doom the Afghan War
Americans' lack of knowledge about Afghanistan is virtually limitless. Which matters, because the U.S. is at war there. And which explains why the American military is losing its longest war.
During my 2001 trip, where I covered the Taliban defeat at the Battle of Kunduz for the Village Voice and KFI radio, I met a British reporter who offered an amusing prescription for American military action. "If the average American cannot identify three cities in a country," he suggested, "the U.S. should not invade it."
BP & the Oil Spill Catastrophe: How Capitalism is Wrecking the Planet July 29th 7:30pm - PSU
Over two months have passed and there is yet to be any relief from the steady gush of oil destroying wildlife, coastline, jobs, and lives in the Gulf of Mexico. Following the onslaught of oil, BP execs have proven time and again that their main priority is restoring their image-and their profits-rather than the fragile environment they laid waste. Meanwhile, government officials have done little to oversee BP's "clean up" efforts or reform the corrupt Mineral Management Services. On top of this, offshore drilling continues with business as usual and no new regulations to prevent another blow out like the Deepwater Horizon from happening again. The crisis has put a spotlight on the way that capitalism sacrifices all other concerns for the sake of the bottom line, potentially producing even greater problems such as catastrophic climate change. Come to a presentation and discussion on the socialist alternative to unconstrained ecological devastation.
U.S. and Major Powers Urged to Join Cluster Munitions Pact
GENEVA - Activists called on the United States and other major powers on Thursday to join a global treaty banning cluster munitions that goes into force on August 1.
Dropped from aircraft or fired from artillery or rockets, the weapons scatter bomblets over a wide area, but have limited military impact today as they were designed to attack tanks on an open battlefield, an increasingly rare scenario, they said.
BikePortland.org is five years old today
in March 2005.
Five years ago today I started an exciting new project. I had published about 150 posts in about four months on The Oregonian's website, but I was itching to do more. I had all sorts of crazy notions about what a blog that focused on Portland's bike scene could become and I wanted to do it on my own -- without any editors or outdated blog software holding me back.
So, I grabbed a free Wordpress theme, bought the BikePortland.org domain name, added the "To inform and inspire" motto, and off I went. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I knew I loved it.
So much has changed since those early days it's hard to put it into words. My author page says I've posted 6,397 articles. Among them are stories and comments (about 114,000 of them!) that have taken me on an amazing roller-coaster of emotions and experiences. There have been countless controversies, celebrations, glorious bike parades, tragedies, triumphs, and everything in between. Day after day, week after week, month after month: We've covered just about every bike topic you can imagine (and maybe some you can't!).
This is a big year for BikePortland. I've got a lot of skin into this game and I don't feel like waiting around and just hoping for it to all turn out well in the end. J.R. and I have been working hard to build a stronger infrastructure so the site can grow into a sustainable business and so I can start to have some of that skin back. We're making good progress, but we're not quite there yet.
With everything that has changed, I remain 100% committed to the pursuit of high-quality bicycle journalism and the (sometimes complicated) role I play as an advocate for bicycling. I take both of those roles very seriously and I'm constantly learning how to balance them.
Whether you've been reading for five years or five days... Thank you! This site only works because of your contributions, comments (especially the critical ones) and emails. I'm also extremely indebted to everyone that has contributed articles, especially Ms. Elly Blue, our former managing editor who now does the weekly Monday Roundup. Her help in keeping me sane these last few years was invaluable.
I'd also like to thank all of our supporters and advertising partners. Without your financial support, I would have had to get a "real job" a long time ago. It's only because of our advertisers that BikePortland.org is what it is today.
If you think we've done a lot these past five years, you ain't seen nothin' yet. There's so much more we can do; the opportunity and potential we've created for ourselves is staggering. Journalism is a powerful tool and one that I think will be key in pushing bicycling in America into it's second Golden Age.
I hope you'll stick around for another five years to see what happens next.
With gratitude,
Jonathan
Are Our Oceans Dying?
Microscopic marine algae which form the basis of the ocean food chain are dying at a terrifying rate, scientists said today.
Phytoplankton, described as the 'fuel' on which marine ecosystems run, are experiencing declines of about 1 per cent of the average total a year.
According to the researchers from Dalhousie University in Canada the annual falls translate to a 40 per cent drop in phytoplankton since 1950.
The research into phytoplankton comes as a separate report today offered evidence that the world has been warming for the past 30 years.
House Votes to Eliminate Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
Washington - The House of Representatives passed a historic bill Wednesday that narrows sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine convictions, which civil rights and civil liberties experts say contributed to the disproportionate imprisonment of African-Americans in recent decades.
The Senate passed its version of the bill in March. President Barack Obama, who during the 2008 presidential campaign said the current legal disparity "cannot be justified and should be eliminated," is expected to sign the legislation.
Breakthrough? Abbas Gets Arab Backing to Enter Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks
Jerusalem - Setting the stage for the Palestinians to negotiate directly with Israel, the Arab League agreed in principle today to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas holding face-to-face peace talks with the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The decision of the Arab League's forum on Israeli-Palestinian talks is significant because it provides political cover for Mr. Abbas, who has been locked in a battle for legitimacy with Islamists from Hamas who oppose negotiations with Israel.
First look at PBOT's new sharrow, 'neighborhood greenway' marketing
The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is embarking on year two of a four-year strategy that will blanket the city with 60 miles of new bicycle boulevard streets. From Spokane Street in the deep southeast Portland, to neighborhoods in north and outer east Portland, bike boulevards are popping up everywhere. Recently re-named "neighborhood greenways" to reflect their non-bike and stormwater retention attributes, the streets are easily identified thanks to over 2,000 sharrows that are in the process of being placed on them.
"Portland is creating a citywide network of safe, traffic calmed streets where people on foot, on bike and at play are given priority..."
-- From a postcard being mailed to Portland residents
PBOT has held numerous public meetings for each individual project, but they've yet to do a coordinated branding effort for their overall strategy. Explaining new signage (like the sharrows) and creating awareness of new bikeways is just as important as the infrastructure itself. On that note, PBOT is about to launch a marketing campaign for sharrows and the 'neighborhood greenways' concept.
In addition to explaining what the streets are all about, PBOT has to undo some horrible PR damage (does "sewer money for bike lanes" ring a bell?) that still exists after the communications debacle around Mayor Adams' $20 million PBOT/Bureau of Environmental Services 'Green Streets' funding plan.
In the coming weeks, PBOT will hold a series of ribbon-cutting events on recently completed bike boulevard projects. With community leaders -- and hopefully TV cameras -- by their side, the goal will be to explain the benefits of how these green, rainwater-catching streets improve the safety of our neighborhoods and save the City money on stormwater management.
I recently got a look at a postcard that PBOT will mail out to thousands of Portlanders in an attempt to educate them about sharrow markings and introduce the neighborhood greenway concept. The front of the postcard is above, and the back goes into more detail about the sharrow markings. Here's the back side:
The text reads:
"Portland is creating a citywide network of safe, traffic calmed streets where people on foot, on bike and at play are given priority. These “neighborhood greenways” will help improve the health, sustainability and livability of our city.
You’ll know you’re on one of these streets when you see a “sharrow”, a white symbol showing two arrows and a bike. Yes, you can still drive and park on these streets.
Sharrows do not designate a particular part of the street for the exclusive use of people riding bikes. Instead they highlight the presence of bikes and remind everyone to share the road safely."
You'll also notice that they're working on a new website, NeighborhoodGreenway.com, that will organize all the information from each project into one place.
Stay tuned for more details, dates, and information on ribbon-cutting events as well as updates on the BES/PBOT partnership and the many bike boulevard projects going on around town.
Tea Partyers in Wonderland
The mythmongers in Tea Party land and millions more Americans seem to prefer fiction to fact.
Based on a mid-April New York Times/CBS News poll of about 1,600 adults, we learned that 52 percent of Tea Party supporters believe "too much has been made of the problems facing black people." Could it be because 89 percent of the Partyers polled are white? They also have above-average incomes: 31 percent of Tea Partyers earn more than $75,000 a year, as opposed to 26 percent of all poll respondents. A cool 68 percent of Tea Partyers consider themselves middle-class or above.