President wants $200 million for Portland-Milwaukie SLAX

The slacker's rail, Portland-Milwaukie MAX, won't die: President Obama wants $200 million for Portland-Milwaukie MAX.

The expense is absurd. 'Light Rail' is anything but, and this will cut deeply into the far more effective buses which don't shut down when ice storms strike. Curitiba, Brazil implemented Express Buses in lieu of rail with a 99.5% savings; not my figures, see the 1996 Scientific American cover story at http://goo.gl/k5qwi .

Now, factor in the fuel and labor savings intelligent driverless vehicles will bring, and this clearly is one of the last 'light' rail projects to be proposed, as 'light rail' boondoogles for the benefit of construction companies and their political friends go the way of the buggy whip and the whale oil lamp.

Fox News: Fairly Unbalanced

You expect Faux News to have a conservative agenda, and factor for it, right? Well, here's proof their agenda is not truly conservative, but self-serving in some other dimension; they falsified reaction to Ron Paul, the sole true conservative in the House, winning the CPAC straw poll, and then covered it up with denial and misdirection.

Red State Socialism Works

North Dakota's got its own state bank. The state's in the black, not slashing services left and right.

It doesn't bar commercial banks, indeed, it works with them.

It gets to recycle the interest in municipal and other government bonds, bonds so expensive the state university system pushed through a ballot measure allowing them access to marginally less expensive bonds.

Government bonds have driven many city and county governments into bankruptcy and cost Oregon billions annually, money we could recycle locally.  

Why not?

 

Fire tracking

C-COM, our county's Public Safety Answering Point, the folks who answer your calls to 911 and non-emergency calls to 503-655-8211, have collaborated with Washington County's similar agency, WCCCA, and offer visual tracking of fire and EMS calls.  You can see every fire and EMS call, with dispatch, arrival and departure times at http://www.wccca.com/PITS which is a laudable benefit to the folks of both counties.

Here's an example of the response list for today's Foxfire Aprtments multi-alarm fire which had 11 engines, including mutual-aid callouts, and many other responders, including voluntary response agencies.

Lie of the day from the Internet slams Beavercreek, Oregon

UPDATE: 'TeleTruth' and 'NewNetworks' caved and rewrote the screed. Now, the only remnant of the original lie is the whiny comment, "NOTE: BEAVER CREEK, the ski resort, is supposedly not affiliated with the phone company." They could confirm that if they wanted to, but as long as no one calls them on their irresponsibility, this, as well as many, many other websites, will continue to post lies as truth.

Reader, beware.

---

The Universal Slush Fund: Or How Out of Control is the Government Phone Tax? Why does Beaver Creek gets over $10,000 a line? is just flat wrong in an important area. Please allow me to quote:

An example?
Beaver Creek is a high-end ski resort which received $11,892 per line.

Wrong.

This amount is unfathomable when the average local bill, according to the FCC data is $25 a month (the last FCC data is from 2008).

Beaver Creek is, among other things, serves a high-end ski resort with the marketing line “not exactly roughing it”. http://www.beavercreek.com/Summer-Site-Home.aspx

You're mixing up Beaver Creek, Colorado, the ski resort, with Beavercreek, Oregon, which has the telco in question, four states over and 1,200 miles away.

Sure makes your case looks better, in the 'throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks' method of litigiousness, in order to serve your corporate interests, but trying to conflate the wealth of Vail, Colorado with the telecom needs of rural Oregon is just plain wrong.

The company states: “Beaver Creek Cooperative Telephone Company (BCT) is a member-owned organization that provides friendly, high-quality, professional service at reasonable rates to the Beaver Creek and Oregon City region. At BCT we focus on combining advanced communications technologies with local customer service.” http://www.bctelco.com/index.asp

Now, I'm just an unemployed PC and telco technician (with no connection to Beaver Creek Telephone, OBTW), but even I know to double check my facts before I go public on the web with a screed.

You didn't. Shame on you, NewNetworks.com and 'TeleTruth'.

An apology to Beaver Creek, in fact, both of them, is in order.

I shall look forward to your response.


PS: You also might want to spell the name of your advisors correctly: It's Robert, not Rober, Garnet at http://www.teletruth.org/About/boa.html

Public meetings to gather feedback on new library designs

Drop-In and See the Designs for the New Library in Gladstone

Two Open Houses:

1. Tuesday February 22, 2011 3:30-5:30pm
Gladstone Senior Center 1050 Portland Ave. Gladstone
Babysitting services will be provided
Cookies and drinks will be served

2. Thursday March 3, 2011 6:30-8:30pm
Rose Villa - Fellowship Room
13505 SE River Rd Milwaukie
Cookies and drinks will be served

You are invited to join us and give us your valued feedback on the designs for the new library in Gladstone. Meet and talk with the architects from THA Architecture and your community members serving on the New Library Design Committee.

Feel free to share with friends and neighbors; the QRcodes at right can be scanned into your smartphone to enter the dates into your calendar.

Questions - call or write Mary Nixon, Library Director 503-656-2411

Information about the new library project can be found at
http://www.ci.gladstone.or.us/library_new.html

A letter to Rep. Dave Hunt

Dear Rep. Hunt:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measures/hb2600.dir/hb2602.intro.html is bad law, and I hope you will oppose it.

http://www.blueoregon.com/2011/02/bikeshoes suggested Rep. Schaufler be asked to participate in a 'drive-off' to demonstrate the harmlessness of driving with a Bluetooth earset or Walkman headphones. Not a bad idea, but I don't need that to know cyclists are *very* aware of our environment even with audio devices. However, you and I have both observed many folks driving cars who are unobservant due to stereo systems, as we don't ban those.

Oak Grove and Gladstone are pleasant places to live, in no small part due to the lack of excessive and intrusive silly ideas. Let's leave this one at the curb.

Saturday benefit for stolen food cart

The bar code at right is a QR Code which automatically loads a calendar event into your smartphone (Android-Apple-Blackberry-Treo et al.), and this event is a good idea. Oregonlive details Saturday's upcoming benefit for the owners of a foot cart which was abducted, vandalized, and dumped in an unusable state. It's at their cart pod, http://www.alacartspdx.com, 4921 SE Division. Vendors include:
Jazzy’s Barbeque – Old-fashioned BBQ
VanSchnitzels – German
Azul Tequila Mexican Taqueria – the stolen cart that needs rebuilding
Vagabond Cafe – Ethiopian/Indian/Bento
fon-due-it – on-the-go fondue
Chicken Run – Thai
Coffee Can Cafe – coffee/tea
Off The Griddle – solar powered veggie burgers
Bayou Fixins – Cajun
Over The Top – wild game burgers
Shut Up And Eat – Hungarian/Italian
We Be Weiners – Hotdogs/Corndogs/Chilidogs
Southwestern Pizza Company – Pizza
Om Nom Nom... – Gourmet Sandwiches
The Deadliest Catch Fisherman – Seafood

Elk burgers. Yum yum yum.

Calendar of Public Meetings, February 2011

Calendar of Public Meetings, February 2011
Note that meeting times and places may change so data should be confirmed in advance.

Tuesday the 1st
8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
6:00 PM Natural Restoration of Risley Park at OLSD offices.

Wednesday the 2nd
10:00 AM OLCC Board work session at the Oak Grove Fire Station
7:00 PM Traffic Safety Commission meets at DSB on Beavercreek Rd.

Thursday the 3rd
9:00 AM Land Use Hearing with Hearings officer at DSB.
10:00 AM Board of Commissioner Hearing at PSB on Kaen Rd.
6:45 PM C-4 meets at DSB.
7:00 PM NC12 Board meets at District offices.

Monday the 7th
6:30 PM County Planning Commission meets at DSB

Tuesday the 8th
8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
6:30 PM Oak Lodge Sanitary Board monthly meeting at Board offices.
7:00 PM North Clackamas Planning Assoc. meets at Bilquist School.

Wednesday the 9th
7:00 PM CIA meets at Rose Villa 13505 SE River Rd. We will have an in depth discussion of traffic safety devices with Rick Nys from Clackamas County.

Thursday the 10th
10:00 AM Board of Commissioner Hearing at PSB.
5:30 PM North Clackamas Parks and Rec District Advisory Board meets at the Oak Lodge Sanitary office..

Tuesday the 15th
8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
7:00 PM Oak Lodge Water District Board meets at District offices.

Thursday the 17th
9:00 AM Land Use Hearing with Hearings officer at DSB.
10:00 AM Board of Commissioner Hearing at PSB.
7:00 PM NC12 Board meets at District offices.

Monday the 21st, Presidents’ Day Holiday

Tuesday the 22nd
8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
7:00 PM Jennings Lodge CPO meets at Homewoods Heights.

Wednesday the 23rd
4:00 PM North Clackamas Park Stewardship Committee meets at the Milwaukie Center.
7:00 PM Oak Lodge Community Council meets at Rose Villa.

Thursday the 24th
10:00 AM Board of Commissioner Hearing at PSB.

Monday the 28th
6:30 PM County Planning Commission meets at DSB
7:00 PM McLoughlin Area Plan Committee meets at OLSD.
7:00 PM Fire District No. 1 Board meets at Mt. Scott Fire Station.

Oak Lodge Sanitary District board vacancy

With the election of Paul Savas to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, there is a vacancy on the Oak Lodge Sanitary District Board of Directors. Applications are being accepted to fill this position through January 31. In February the Board will appoint someone to fill the vacancy. If you would like to apply, please pick up an application from the District office at 14644 SE River Road.

If you have any questions about serving on the Board, please send an email to wwild@olsd.net.

New Library Design Committee Meeting

The Oak Grove library will close, and the closest library as per last year's vote will be shared with Gladstone. A replacement for the current (tiny) Gladstone library is in the works, and a committee is studying its design. Their next meeting is

Thursday, January 20, 2011 6:30-9:30pm
Gladstone City Hall, Council Chamber, 2nd Floor

Want more government and more taxes for Oak Grove-Oak Lodge-Jennings Lodge ?

The soi-disant 'Friends of Local Control' encourages you to consider attending the following Oak Lodge Community Council meeetings. The February meeting should be of special interest to those of you that have concerns about the delivery of county services to our area.

We have added a community calendar to our web site, www.friendsoflocalcontrol.org. There you will find information about meetings and events of interest to our community. We will keep this information updated regularly, so check back often! If you have an item you would like us to post, send an email to friendsoflocalcontrol@gmail.com and enter "Community Calendar" in the subject line.
________________________________________________________________________

January
Wednesday, January 26th, 7 to 9 pm, at Rose Villa Fellowship Hall.
Gail Curtis of ODOT, Mike McCallister of Clackamas County and Christa Gardner of Metro will join us to discuss how these three entities each influence McLoughlin Blvd. They have been asked to address issues of code enforcement, speed, pedestrian safety, right-of-ways, landscaping, zoning, etc. If you are not able to attend and would like a question to be asked, please feel free to send it to me and I'll be sure it gets presented.

February
Wednesday, February 23rd, from 7 to 9 pm, Rose Villa Fellowship Hall.
Commission Chair Lynn Peterson and Cam Gilmour, Director of Dept. of Transportation & Development, to discuss and clarify the relationship and responsibilities between the County and our unincorporated area.

Calendar of Public Meetings, January 2011

Calendar of Public Meetings, January 2011
Meeting times and places may change so data should be confirmed in advance.

Mon 1/3rd, 5:00 PM Swearing-in of Clackamas County Officials in Board Hearing room.

Tue 1/4th, 8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
6:15 PM Ped/Bike Advisory Committee meets in DSB on Beavercreek Rd.

Wed 1/5th, 10:00 AM OLCC Board work session at the Oak Grove Fire Station

Thu 1/6th, 9:00 AM Land Use Hearing with Hearings Officer at DSB.
10:00 AM Board of Commissioners Hearing at PSB.
7:00 PM NC12 Board meets at District offices.

Mon 1/10th, 6:30 PM Planning Commission meets at DSB.
7:00 PM McLoughlin Area Plan Committee meets at OLSD office.

Tue 1/11th, 8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
6:30 PM Oak Lodge Sanitary Board monthly meeting at Board offices.
7:00 PM North Clackamas Planning Assoc. meets at Bilquist School.
7:00 PM NC12 Budget Committee meets at District offices.

Wed 1/12th, 7:00 PM CIA (Citizens Informed and Aware) will meet in Rose Villa Fellowship Hall 13505 River Rd. An annual review from various groups on their activities to make Oak Lodge a better place.

Thu 1/13th, 10:00 AM Board of Commissioners Hearing at PSB.
5:30 PM NCP&RD DAB meets at the Aquatic Center.
6:30 PM NC12 Budget discussion at Putnam High School.

Mon 1/17th, Holiday: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day

Tue 1/18th, 8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
7:00 PM Oak Lodge Water District Board meets at Oak Grove Fire Station.

Thu 1/20th, 9:00 AM Land Use Hearing with Hearings officer at DSB.
10:00 AM Board of Commissioners Hearing at PSB.
1:00 PM Tree planting at Rivervilla Park.
7:00 PM NC12 Board meets at District offices.

Mon 1/24th, 7:00 PM Fire District No. 1 Board meets at Mt. Scott Fire Station.

Tue 1/25th, 8:30 AM Board of Commissioners study session at Board offices.
5:30 PM NCCWC meets at the Plant.
7:00 PM Jennings Lodge CPO meets at Homewoods Heights.

Wed 1/26th, 4:00 PM North Clackamas Park Stewardship Cmte meets at the Milwaukie Center.
7:00 PM Oak Lodge Community Council meets at Rose Villa.

Thu 1/27th, 10:00 AM Board of Commissioner Hearing at PSB.

Have Borders Gift Cards? Spend them NOW.

Appears that Borders has admitted they are in deep financial trouble. If you have a Borders gift card, it's a wonderful idea to spend it *now*.

Why does this happen so often? Because of IRS rules, validated by the Supreme Court, without benefit of Congressional approval. which stress the need to turn over inventory that forces booksellers into borrowing money, and make it very difficult for booksellers to hang onto old inventory.

Unhealthy 'Organic' Eggs in your markets

The healthier the hen, the healthier her eggs, and outdoor access to real chicken food instead of chemically processed feed is a major part of optimal health for food producing animals. A Mother Earth News 2007 study showed big differences in nutrition between factory-farmed and organically raised eggs.

Eggs from hens raised on pasture, compared to federal data on factory-farmed eggs, may contain: 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E and 7 times more beta carotene. These dramatically differing nutrient levels are most likely the result of the differences in diet between free-range pastured hens, vs. commercially farmed hens.

Health conscious organic consumers expect organic free-range eggs to be produced by hens that have ample access to the outdoors. But as The Cornucopia Institute says in a ground-breaking report, "a high percentage of the eggs on the market should be labeled 'produced with organic feed' rather than bearing the USDA-certified organic logo," because many of these birds never actually get to set foot outdoors. Mass-producing organic egg farmers circumvent the free-range criteria by providing tiny enclosed porches with roofs and concrete or wood flooring – a far cry from what most organic consumers would associate with the word "free-range."

According to Cornucopia: "Many of the porches represent just 3 to 5 percent of the square footage of the main building housing the birds. That means 95 percent or more of the birds have absolutely no access whatsoever."

Champoeg Organic Eggs (in Aurora, OR!) got the one-egg award in the report for "ethically deficient - industrial organics/no meaningful outdoor access and/or none were open enough to participate.”

Brands with a “1-egg” rating are generally produced on industrial-scale egg operations that grant no meaningful outdoor access. “Outdoor access” on these operations generally means a covered concrete porch that is barely accessible to the chick- ens. Means of egress from the buildings are intentionally small to discourage birds from going outside, and make it possible for only a small percentage of birds to have “access” to the outdoors. No producers in this category were willing to participate in The Cornucopia Institute’s project, and none shared their production practices with Cornucopia researchers. This is disturbing to many organic consumers, since transparency has always been viewed as a hallmark of the organic food movement.

Also slammed for prison-like farming techniques were producers whose eggs are likely to appear in your local markets: Chino Valley Ranchers, Eggland's Best, Eggology, Glaum Egg Ranch, Horizon Organic, Land O'Lakes, Nest Fresh, and Oakdell.

House brand labels like Costco's Kirkland Signature, Safeway's O Organics, Trader Joe's, Walmart's Great Value, and Whole Foods' 365 Organic also were found to be predominantly jail-farmed.

"Two-egg" outfits were described as

'Some Questions Remain Concerning Compliance with Federal Standards': These are either industrial-scale operations or others with outstanding questions or concerns regarding their compliance with USDA regulations. One of the primary features that distinguish these organizations from the ethically challenged brands below is their willingness to share with their customers (and Cornucopia researchers) some of the details as to how their chickens are cared for and how their eggs are actually produced.

The Country Hen was the only such egg brand likely to appear here.


Wilcox Farms, Stiebrs, Clover Organic Farms and Organic Valley (in order of quality) received a "Three-Egg" rating:

“Very Good”—Organic, Complying with Minimum USDA Standards. Brands with a three-egg rating are very good choices. Eggs from brands in this category either come from family-scale farms that provide outdoor runs for their chickens, or from larger-scale farms where meaningful outdoor space is either currently granted or under construction. All producers in this category appear committed to meeting organic standards for minimum outdoor space for laying hens.

Hi-Q's eggs got the “4-egg” rating:

“Excellent”—Organic Promoting Outdoor Access: Producers in this category provide ample outdoor space and make an effort to encourage their birds to go outside. They provide an excellent outdoor environment, often either rotated pasture or well-managed outdoor runs, with an adequate number of popholes/doors for the chickens to reach the outdoors.

Misty Meadows Farm, Trout Lake Abbey, Skagit River Ranch, Vital Farms, and Phoenix Egg Farm received the top "5-egg" scores:

“Exemplary”—Beyond Organic: Producers in this top tier manage diverse, small- to medium-scale family farms. They raise their hens in mobile housing on well-managed and ample pasture or in fixed housing with intensively managed rotated pasture. They sell eggs locally or regionally under their farm’s brand name, mostly through farmer’s markets, food cooperatives and/or independently owned natural and grocery stores and sometimes through larger chains like Whole Foods.

Thanks to Mercola.com for analysis of the report and background, and to The Cornucopia Institute for the research on these, and other, industrial farms masquerading as organic. And, here's a recap on what's really organic on Oregon/Washington eggs, with the best farms at the top, to add to your shopping list:

1. Misty Meadows Farm
2. Trout Lake Abbey
3. Skagit River Ranch
4. Vital Farms
5. Phoenix Egg Farm
6. Hi-Q
7. Wilcox Farms
8. Stiebrs
9. Clover Organic Farms
10. Organic Valley

A New Yorker Don't Understand Necessities of Farm Life

The volunteers of the City of South Fulton Tennessee Fire Department are taking BS from Keith Olbermann, and it ain't fair.

The firefighters kept their word and met their mission, to protect the property of folks who pay for them, plus the lives of all nearby folks, and they could not have done more under the circumstances even if the guy had 'remembered' to pay his (exceedingly cheap in comparison to other rural fire departments) subscription (after, that is, he got his reminder call when he didn't pay from the notice mailed to him).  That subscription pays for the protection gear, equipment and training that lets them save lives, and the insurance which pays their medical if they get hurt on the job; it doesn't come from any county taxes which that overfed farmer paid.

And, the firefighters aren't covered in their health insurance if they fight fires on non-subscriber land. I'm pretty sure that's why the incident commander held them back, for their own safety.

Let's do the math.

It wouldn't have done any good, anyway. It's at least 8 minutes from the fire station to the fire (that far out of town, there are no hydrants, so they have to take a tanker, and tankers are even less like Corvettes than fire engines).

Add in

• the time for the farm owner to notice there's a fire and report it,
• the time for 9-1-1 to receive the call and to process it, 
• time for volunteer firefighters to hear their pages/siren, drive to station, saddle up and get out,
• plus the time once arrived for the chief to size up the situation, 
• unpack the hoses, point them at the point of attack and 
• get up pressure, 

it's more like 15 minutes from the time the fire is noticed to the time the first water pours onto the fire, by which time, that farmhouse is *toast* under the best of circumstances.

OBTW, I not only spent a few years or so growin' up on a similar farm, but I've been going out to fire scenes at oh-dark-thirty and answering fire calls as a volunteer for my local Red Cross chapter for over eight years. That's where my estimate of added time comes from, experience.

Look at the guy's property, and think.

 
If you live on a farm, out in the country (his location is marked with yellow circles), common sense dictates not only do you damn well support the folks who just might save your family, life and farm, you also have extinguishers and a high pressure hose and pump so you can put it fire quick and early yourself (like, in case there's a train sitting on the crossing, east of town, blocking the fire truck - look at the railroad tracks, in red, at left - and there's another rail line east of MLK, not shown in this picture).

And, if the county commissioners have been wrangling over this matter for two years, and your son had a fire three years ago (as noted on Countdown), well, you should be even more conscious of the need to spend the cost of a truck tank of diesel for your fire protection.

This is non-news, and I'm disgusted by the lack of common sense in Keith Olbermann's production team. This stuff is supposed to be checked before air, and they had a field producer on the spot with the camera and sound crew. If I can do it from Portland via the web, they darned well could do it in South Fulton.

Shame, shame on msnbc, and the folks who don't think before they open their mouths.

Secretosity

There are a surprising amount of Top Secret facilities and offices, surprisingly, right here in River City, revealed by a Washington Post investigative series.  Now, the Feds aren't talking about their TS-ness, but there were multiple Top Secret contractors found nearby:

iMove, in Portland
Jive Software, in Portland
PLEXSYS Interface Products, in Camas WA
S&D Eng. Sol., in Lake Oswego
Talent Scout Assoc., in Stayton
Thetus, in Portland

Wall Street's Bailout Hustle

When Dr. Jerry Pournelle, an Opus Dei member and genuine rocket scientist, and Rolling Stone, the preeminent rock magazine, both agree we're about to be swindled, again, by Wall Street, it's worth a read.

Drug War Won in Portugal by decriminalization

Portugal decriminalized all drug possession in 2001 [time.com], and since then:

"(A) Cato (Institute) paper reports that between 2001 and 2006 in Portugal, rates of lifetime use of any illegal drug among seventh through ninth graders fell from 14.1% to 10.6%; drug use in older teens also declined. Lifetime heroin use among 16-to-18-year-olds fell from 2.5% to 1.8% (although there was a slight increase in marijuana use in that age group). New HIV infections in drug users fell by 17% between 1999 and 2003, and deaths related to heroin and similar drugs were cut by more than half. In addition, the number of people on methadone and buprenorphine treatment for drug addiction rose to 14,877 from 6,040, after decriminalization, and money saved on enforcement allowed for increased funding of drug-free treatment as well."

Why are we inflicting very expensive criminality on these losers who are addicted to the abuse drugs inflict on them? When treatment is a much more effective and much less expensive solution than jail?

Why do we inflict the War on Drugs on Mexico, a war which kills many innocents as well as costing us an obscene amount of money better spent?

Do the math; look at those numbers, and tell me why?

Clear clearly unclear, again

A follow-up story to: http://clackablog.blogspot.com/2010/03/clear-internet-service-failure.html, in which many and various blunders at CLEAR leave us without Internet service for > 4 days.

Come home tonight after a wonderful movie, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, and went to Google Mail; instead of my friendly pile of 9,947 messages, every PC in the house is stuck at Clear's welcome screen, shoehorned in by their proxy servers. Every web page anywhere, on every browser, on every machine, is replaced with the picture you see below. Can't get anything else.

Now, it's a pretty page, but we don't pay for a 3 Mb/sec high-speed internet connection just so that one web page can be served up really, really fast. And, their instructions to clear it on said web page, well, can you guess how effective they are?

So, luckily, Clear-as-Mud Internet hasn't quit taking calls, yet, so off we go to the phone. Agrapinal assures me he has the solution, and has me do exactly what Mark the L2 Supervisor told me to do two days ago. Mark, too, assured me his fix would be a permanent solution, but since the problem recurred in 48 hours, well, not that permanent, eh?

The irony is lost on Agrapinal, who then suggests if the problem he just permanently solved forever recurs after they close, we can use their web chat help line. He also suggested, since this problem prevents access, that I could get another broadband Internet connection so I could report the problem through the web. Gee, Clear suggests having a backup broadband Internet connection for when Clear fails.

Clear-as-Mud, indeed.

Portland Wireless Data Speeds Compared

PC World published a new multi-city survey which shows Verizon's 28% faster here than last year's testing. Here's the results for Portland, showing all four carriers, their data speed and reliability, for both laptops and smartphones:

Put another way, here are bar charts comparing the carriers and their Portland speeds:

It's interesting that T-Mobile outperforms Verizon in download speed, especially given the price differential between the services.

Best Clackamas Broadband Choice Just Got Tougher To Get

Now, I know a few folks who like the Internet.  As you can tell from the prior post, Mrs. Clackablog and Yours Truly just had a leetle problem with our broadband (settled last night after our fifth call to our current provider, who CLEARly had not troubleshot the problem with their equipment well).

So it is with dismay that I read Verizon, the provider of FIOS, is cutting back expansion plans. Verizon serves much of Clackamas County, and their FIOS system is not only technically superior, but also, according to everyone I know who uses it, is purely addictive and the best darned broadband ever.

DSL Reports, a reliable source for broadband industry information, provides cutback details:

Verizon's essentially cutting and running on additional deployment plans, leaving a very large chunk of their footprint on last-generation DSL and copper-based voice networks.

(Industry analyst) Burstein tells Broadband Reports that he doesn't see Verizon expanding any further (with the exception of major cities where they've signed franchise agreements) unless they get money from Uncle Sam (aka, taxpayers). "They want to get on the gravy train, although I think the new, less competitive leadership is the primary explanation," says Burstein when asked why Verizon's shifting tactics. (CEO) Seidenberg, the driving force behind the first wave of FiOS, is on his way out -- and his replacements aren't quite as bullish on angering investors for the sake of this whole "future" thing.

The feds gave major concessions to telephone companies, Verizon included, based on the promises made to the Congress for the Telecommunications Act of 1996, to encourage broadband growth, and although broadband makes money for the phone companies in unexpected ways (see next-to-last paragraph), they haven't delivered on their promises to open up broadband. 


That's why Google is experimenting with high-speed Internet deployment, which Portland will compete for, for Google makes money if the economy booms.


And, if Verizon cuts back on FIOS rollout, that's bad news for Clackamas County.

CLEAR no-speed internet

Beware of CLEAR, they're anything but.

Two days ago: 7AM Thursday, no internet (as per Mrs. Clackablog, who didn't tell me).
Called CLEAR @ 10AM, report problem when I found no dial tone on the phone.
Perform every troubleshooting step, technician diagnoses problem as being in the tower site equipment. Says they will send someone to the site. No idea when that will occur.
Called again Thursday evening, was told once the technician is dispatched, it takes a day for that to occur.

Yesterday: No CLEAR internet service. Mrs. Clackablog called tech support, and was told there was no problem; and then they closed. Unable to chat with their chat system with two cellphones and three cellphone browsers (including Opera Mobile).

Today, day three: No CLEAR internet service. Cycled all equipment, performing all steps prescribed by CLEAR's website:

1. Powered down the modem for 120 seconds.
2. Re-positioned the CLEAR Home Modem until it has 3 light ‘bars’.
3. Shut off the computer.
4. Connected the CLEAR Home modem directly to your computer using the Ethernet cable, bypassing all other devices like wireless routers.
5. Checked cable connections from the modem to computer. The cable fits securely in the sockets and did not wiggle loosely from side to side.
6. Restarted the computer. Still no internet connection.

After a web chat (took a laptop to a hotspot), a chat session with 'Kathy Jetson' was useless (why does CLEAR have their staff use such ridiculous aliases?). I then called CLEAR, at 23 cents/min, and eventually talked with 'Michael' who 'works with' their level two support (after asking for a real supervisor) and was told to go back home and go redo everything we've already done.

My next window to do so is Monday, as although their call center opens at 5AM Pacific, they robotically reject all calls from the Pacific time zone until 0900 (a shining example of customer dissservice in action).

Also, when we signed up for CLEAR internet and voice service, it was with the understanding that CLEAR would port our phone number from Vonage. Well, they didn't, and won't cancel even though that was our reason for signing up for CLEAR VOICE; definitely a lack of honor on their part. 

Fool me once, shame on you. I won't stay with this miserable excuse of a provider past my contract expiration date.

Beware of CLEAR, they're anything but.

Surf the web, see an ad, get a virus

cNET, a web division of CBS, documents how simple it is to get a virus if you use Windows to surf the web.  Web servers from Yahoo, Google and other webvertising companies automatically delivered ads that looked for Windows and out-of-date software, and infected computers automatically:

Users don't need to click on anything to get infected; a computer becomes infected after the ad is loaded by the browser, Avast (Ed. note: A trusted antivirus company) said.

Solution: Get Ubuntu Linux. I just installed the latest version on my PCs, and it automatically found everything in my Lenovo ThinkPad and HP Pavilions, found what space was available for Linux, and left my Windows intact; when I boot, I have a choice of Linux or Windows.

Linux can automatically connect to the Windows side of the hard drive, and use pictures, movies, movies and Office files you created or downloaded previously. It can even run World of Warcraft. Updates are automatically offered, and downloaded when you're ready, also for free.

Free is a very good price for an operating system and all the programs which work on it, and when it protects you from viruses, all the better.

South-Side Amateur Radio Classes and Exams

Amateur radio's evolved greatly in the last century, and in that evolution, saved many lives, and advanced the art of communications. FM, television, digital, Ethernet, satellite radio and cellular are all innovations pioneered by radio amateurs.  A pocket sized two-way amateur radio can talk to all seven continents and the space station.

Amateur radio helps recovery effort today in Haiti and Chile, and provided yeoman's service in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. When, not if, the major subduction zone strikes the Pacific NW, amateur radio will give communications when cellular and landline phones fail from overload and facility damage.

Local publicly-spirited amateurs are offering two-day classes, free, with the only charge $12 for the Federal Communication Commission to receive the exam result. Pass the test, and you've got the first of three amateur licenses; and there's no Morse code on any exam.

The format and times will be the same, one week apart..

Friday evening runs from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM (perhaps only 9:00 PM, depending on questions posed in the class). Saturday runs from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM; a (BYO) brown-bag lunch break for questions and review, with testing at about 2:00 PM.

Two churches have donated their facilities for these April sessions:

• April 9-10 in Oregon City, at the LDS Church, 15344 S Henrici Rd
• April 16-17 in Tigard, at the LDS Church, 15555 SW 98th Ave

We can't prevent natural disasters, but we can be ready to overcome them. Would you prefer to be a victim, or a survivor?

More proof that Vitamin D is important for your health

http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/vitamin-d-its-a-linchpin-to-your-immune-system/4835 offers more proof that Vitamin D is an essential booster for health. It shows Stockholm researchers proved Vitamin D is required so that the T cells of your immune system can do their job.

Many folks don't get enough Vitamin D, for other research revealed Vitamin D amounts in milk and other foods is not enough to do the job.

Vitamin D3, the form best metabolized, is $17 for a 300 cap/2,000mg bottle at Costco; very, very cheap prevention against heart attack, diabetes, colon and breast cancer. Please make sure to show this article to your friends, as this is the best and most effective cancer preventative known.

Global Warming Natural?

Is global warming natural? German and Russian research suggests so. And, Havard researchers have found periods when glaciers covered even the Equator.

Those friendly CO2 emissions may not only not be pollution, contrary to recent EPA fiat, but they might just be holding off the next batch of glaciers.

Macy's latest credit card outrage

http://www.creditbloggers.com/2010/02/new-gimmick-in-credit-cards.html boggles the mind: 219.96% APR on a department store card.  Beware of Macy's!

But it wasn't strictly a subprime mortgage crisis

Robert X. Cringely the Third, who, for a time, lived in Bend and produced technical industry documentaries for PBS (Triumph of the Nerds among others) as well as a column in the influential computer industry trade journal Infoworld, has joined a project focusing on the finance industry. Today's interesting post, titled Panic Attack, explains as per:

a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Great Recession wasn’t the result of a bursting housing bubble at all but rather a bank panic in the long tradition of American bank panics. Yes, subprime mortgage securitization was a mess -- a house of cards probably doomed to fall -- but subprime by itself simply wasn’t big enough to put the entire financial system at risk. That required a failure of the Renew Sale and Repurchase (REPO) market for collateralized securities that over the last 30 years had quietly come to backstop global finance.

Read the report. It is fascinating and chilling.

Make them no better than us

"An idea whose time has come"

For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress.  Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn't pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws..  The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is being considered...in all of its forms.  Somehow, that doesn't seem logical.  We do not have an elite that is above the law.  I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever.  The self-serving must stop.  

This is a good way to do that.  It is an idea whose time has come.

Have each person contact a minimum of Twenty people on their Address list, in turn ask each of those to do likewise..

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.  This is one proposal that really should be passed around.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States".

Tips on flying and luggage

http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/ which tracks airfare specials, recently blogged via Yahoo! on the advantages of shipping luggage items by UPS/FedEx instead of the airlines, who have gotten a bit spendy on luggage recently.

But, if you're flying to a state which respects the Second Amendment, or going hunting someplace, the report at http://deviating.net/firearms/packing/report.html explains which airlines freak out, and which airlines actually follow Federal law on transporting guns.

The next time you think our legislature is silly

http://comics.feedtacoma.com/tacomic/tacomic-broke-ass-washington-state-set-give-microsoft/ leads with a cartoon illustrating that, despite a 2.8 gigabuck revenue shortfall, the Washington Legislature is absolving Micro$oft of a billion dollar tax liability.  Explanations (some with language unfit for small children) follow the cartoon.

Mind boggling.

John Kroger wants your help with regulating multi-national banks

Here's an e-mail I received from Oregon's Attorney General, John Kroger. Makes sense to me; hope you ask Martha Schraeder to vote for it. We have a great opportunity to protect Oregon's consumers. The Senate will vote on HB 3706A within the next two days. If approved, this bill will help citizens protect their rights against large multi-national banks. Presently, these institutions are not regulated by any state agency. If an unprincipled lender takes advantage of an Oregon consumer there is very little that we can do.  We need your help to change this.  Almost every business in Oregon falls under the jurisdiction of the Unlawful Trade Practices Act (UTPA). Unfortunately, the UTPA does not apply to loans or extensions of credit. HB 3706A would close this loophole by giving the Oregon Department of Justice the authority to hold lenders accountable when they violate the law, just like any other industry. Last week HB 3706A was passed with strong bipartisan support in the House. Now the bill is headed for a vote on the Senate floor. Please contact your Senator within the next 48 hours and urge them to support HB 3706A. You can locate contact information    for your senator, or email them directly   . The fate of HB 3706A will be decided within the next 48 hours, so please act now. This is a tremendous opportunity to help protect Oregonians from unprincipled lenders. I hope you will join us in this fight.

Be Very Careful at ATMs!

Here's a security blog which shows a very professional 'skimmer'; a device which attaches to an ATM card slot, and both rips off the data from the ATM card magnetic stripe AND the PIN card you punch in. Be VERY careful at ATM machines from now on to make sure it does not have a skimmer attached, and watch your bank account balance diligently!

Haiti Earthquake

Americans in Haiti can Twitter directly to @safeandwell with contact info, how and where you are, to the American Red Cross Safe and Well site:
http://twitter.com/safeandwell or at the Safe and Well website at https://disastersafe.redcross.org/default.aspx

Families in the United States whose U.S. citizen relatives abroad may be directly affected by the crisis can use the website above, or contact the Department of State through the Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management at 1-888-407-4747 or (202) 647-5225.

Planning for closure of Oak Grove Library

The Public Survey Meetings for the new Gladstone Library, which will replace the Oak Grove Library as per the last referendum on our library system, will be held on dates and times shown below. All meetings will have the same survey questions and info, so people need to go to only one of them. Refreshments will be provided by GG's Deli and Restaurant (except Rose Villa will be doing their own).

1/21 Thu 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm , Rose Villa Senior Living Community, 13505 SE River Rd., Oak Grove

1/22 Fri 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Gladstone Senior Center, 1050 Portland Av., Gladstone

2/4 Thu 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm, Gladstone Comm. School Cafeteria, 18800 Portland Av., Gladstone

2/11 Thu 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm, Clackamas Elementary School, 15301 SE 92nd Av., Clackamas

2/25 Thu 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm, Rex Putnam High School Library, 4950 SE Roethe Rd., Oak Grove

Jewelry thieves working between Milwaukie and Gladstone

Thelma Hagemiller reports:

Another community issue - there are jewelry thieves operating in our area - Milwaukie to Gladstone.

One of our neighbors got hit on Dec 16th, broke out 2 windows to get in, grabbed a pillow case and swept up all the jewelry he could get out of the master bedroom.

He may have been spooked by the resident when they got home or some outside noise.

The Sheriff’s deputy said this has been the pattern.

We need to all keep our eyes open and alert each other if we see suspicious people around etc.

The deputy said a woman on Oatfield got some of her stuff back by visiting the pawn shops along McL. (there are 5-6 of them).

Citizens Informed and Aware meetings

CITIZENS INFORMED and aware (CIA)

seize today!

it will not be repeated!

The CIA Forum Starts at 7:00 pm Wednesday, January 13, 2010

In the Fellowship Hall at Rose Villa Senior Living Community

13505 SE River Road in Oak Grove, OR

(Please do not park on the Rose Villa property itself)

(It is OK to park on either side of River Road or in the lot across River Road from Rose Villa)

==========================================

“Seize Today! It will not be repeated?”

So - What does that mean?

It means that the McLoughin Area Plan (MAP) Citizen Committee is nearing the completion of phase one of their work to arrive at the final "Vision, Values, and Guiding Principles” statements for the MAP planning process. Upon completion and acceptance of these final statements the MAP Citizen Committee will be moving forward into phase two of the MAP planning process. As a Citizen who lives, works, shops and plays in the Oak Grove, Jennings Lodge and Oatfield Ridge areas of Unincorporated Clackamas County, you also have a responsibility to make sure your voice is heard by the MAP Citizen Committee members. Tonight is your last collective opportunity to provide that input!

One of the advantages we cherish as Citizens living in an Unincorporated Area is our independence, but along with that independence comes responsibility. Help maintain that cherished independence by seeing to it that this truly remains a Citizen driven / Citizen guided process. Be involved in this unique opportunity for determining the future design and destiny of our overall Community. Don’t be one of those Citizens who abdicates your Citizen responsibility and goes for the alternative – letting government drive the process and then grousing about it forever after.

==========================================

If there are Land Use Issues to be discussed by the OLCC (Oak Lodge Community Council) a Special Land Use Meeting will be held at Rose Villa after the close of the CIA meeting. The Special Land Use Meeting will not start before 8:30 PM.

==========================================

Please feel free to pass this Email along to your neighbors, friends and relatives and to share this information with other Citizens who might be interested in the CIA Programs. We value each and every one of you and the more, the merrier!

==========================================

Questions may be directed to CIA Program Coordinator - Thelma Haggenmiller at thelma.haggenmiller@oaklodgepost.com or 503/659-5590

We want to be sure this email is being delivered only to Interested Citizens.

If, at any time, you want to be removed from this email list please send such a reply to Thelma.

==========================================

Other Activities / Events of Community Interest

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 7:00 pm

The next Regular Meeting of the JLCPO (Jennings Lodge Community Planning Organization).

At Homewood Heights Assisted Living Center

17999 SE River Rd. in Jennings Lodge, OR

All are welcome.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm

The next Regular Meeting of the OLCC (Oak Lodge Community Council).

In the Fellowship Hall at Rose Villa Senior Living Community

13505 SE River Road in Oak Grove, OR.

All are welcome.

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 7:00 to 10:00 pm

Open Mic Night at the Oak Grove Coffeehouse

2144 SE Oak Grove Blvd in Oak Grove. OR

Everyone is invited to come help build our community spirit.

Open Mic Night is fun, interesting, playful, and warm-hearted.

If you would like to perform, whether it be music, poetry, story-telling or stand-up comedy, contact Edrid at edrid@oakgrovecommons.org or 503 901-3700, or just show up at 7 pm.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 7:00 pm

CIA (Citizens, Informed and Aware

Community Discussion of the Construction Plans for the Trolley Trail

In the Fellowship Hall at Rose Villa Senior Living Community

13505 SE River Road in Oak Grove, OR

Public interview of candidates for County Administrator

A note from the chair of the Oak Lodge Community Council:

Dear Members and Friends of the Oak Lodge Community Council -

Below is a message cut and pasted from the County regarding the hiring process for our new County Administrator.

This is a critical position that affects us all. Please attend the Monday evening event if at all possible.

I have been invited to be one of interviewers for the candidates.

And a reminder that our regular monthly meeting is tomorrow night, Wednesday the 2nd, from 7 to 9 pm in Fellowship Hall at Rose Villa on River Road. Hope to see you there.

Eleanore, Chair
Oak Lodge Community Council


Clackamas County is nearing its completion of a nationwide search for a County Administrator. The county administrator manages the employees and activities of the county by implementing the policies and goals of the Board of County Commissioners.

Members of the public and citizens of Clackamas County are invited to meet the candidates for this important job over coffee Monday, December 7 at the Abernethy Center, 606 15th St. in Oregon City, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The candidates who will be attending are:
· Grace Crunican, director of Seattle’s transportation department, former director of Oregon’s Department of Transportation.
· Christopher Beschler, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Operations for the city of Richmond, Virginia.
· Duncan Ballantyne, County Administrator of Martin County, Florida (ed. note: An area of severe economic contraction, where food stamp use has doubled in two years, as per this map from the NYT).

Steve Wheeler, interim county administrator for Clackamas County, is also in consideration for the job but will not be in attendance.

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet these exceptionally qualified candidates and to offer your feedback and perspective on who will be our next county administrator.