Posted inStrange Up Salem

The good side of “strange,” as in… Strange Up Salem

Several years ago I realized that I wanted to strange up Salem. It just seemed so right. I didn't spend a lot of time -- well, actually not any time -- pondering what "strange" meant before I dived into writing a Strange Up Salem column for our city's alternative paper, Salem Weekly, from 2013 to 2015.  I'm still strangeing away on a Strange Up Salem Facebook page. (Give it a like! I love likes!)  Yesterday someone left a visitor post that simply said, No, let's not. That shocked me. How could anyone be opposed to strangeness? It's obviously so wonderful! But…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Trans-Pacific Partnership not looking good to me after Salem City Club talk

I've been on the fence about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). On the whole, free trade makes sense to me. But opponents of this proposed agreement between the United States and eleven other Pacific Rim countries have made some good arguments against it.  So I went into today's Salem City Club talk, "The Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Look at the TPP Through an Oregon Lens," with an open mind.  I'm good friends with Russ Beaton, who gave the talk. Russ is a retired economics professor at Willamette University. He's heavy into sustainability, progressive politics, organic gardening, and other Good Stuff.  I don't…
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Posted inSalem

Progressive Salem is all about positive change

Hard to believe. But I believe it. Because this fits with what I know about Salem Mayor Anna Peterson and her right-wing city council majority. Last night I attended a Progressive Salem meeting where someone said, "The Mayor thinks that people don't want change. They're happy with Salem as it is." Wow. This shows how out-of-touch with reality the folks currently in charge at City Hall are.  Ask homeless people if Salem is fine as it is.Ask people needing to ride a bus on weekends and evenings if Salem is fine as it is.Ask relatives of the eight pedestrians killed…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Malheur Refuge militants ignore reality of “welfare ranching”

Anti-government militants' takeover of buildings at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge here in Oregon has a lot of absurd aspects.  For example, the ranchers (convicted of federal crimes) they supposedly are supporting have disavowed the militants. Seemingly most of the people in Harney County, where the refuge is located, want the outsiders to leave. Also, the militants claim to be defending the Constitution. But the founders of this country set up a method to decide how the Constitution is to be defended. It's called the Supreme Court. Until that court rules federal ownership of land is unconstitutional, those who say otherwise have…
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Posted inStrange Up Salem

Here’s all of my Strange Up Salem columns

A couple of days into the New Year, today I felt a strong desire to complete an undone resolution -- get all of my Salem Weekly Strange Up Salem columns uploaded into one freaking long blog post.But it's "just" 4,400 words. The 49 columns total almost 25,000 words, being 500 words each. Each one is perfect bathroom reading! (depending on your toilet habits) For each column below you'll find a title, download link, and an excerpt that gives a feel for what the column is about.  I enjoyed digging up the columns -- OK, not literally -- and recalling what…
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Posted inHome life

How two old folks spent New Years Eve 2016

Youngsters, maybe you've been wondering what New Year's Eve will be like when you reach the ancient age of 67.  Well, wonder no more. I'm exactly that age! So I'm perfectly qualified to reveal fascinating details about the Not-so-Secret Lives of Senior Citizens on the evening of December 31. Based on a sample of two -- me and my wife. This year, like most years, we didn't sit on our butts at home. No, indeedy. Far from it.  First we sat on our butts in our Chevy Volt as we drove to the 6 pm showing of "Youth" at Salem…
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Posted inSalem

Salem suffers from linear, unimaginative, more-of-the-same thinking

Do I have a New Year's wish for Salem, Oregon? Oh, yeah, I sure do. This long-time resident -- I've lived in and near Salem for 38 years -- hopes everybody in this town, but especially our Mayor, City Councilors, and other city officials, will become way more creative, inventive, and non-linear in their thinking about how to make our area better. For a great example of how things have gone wrong with prior assumptions that the future will, and should, be like the past, check out a recent Salem Breakfast on Bikes post: "Our Habits in Modeling and Overbuilding." …
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Posted inFood and drink

How to make Crock Pot Pot with coconut oil

Knowing what my interests are, a friend just sent me a link showing how to make a cannabis edible out of ground marijuana buds/leaves and coconut oil -- with a crock pot. Since edibles and extracts can't be legally purchased here in Oregon by "recreational" users until late in 2016 (currently only those with medical marijuana cards can buy these products), this is a way to make your own.  I'll also share a video that extols the benefits of coconut oil in cannabis cooking. Put on your apron and fire up the crock pot!    
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Posted inSalem

Swans at flooded Minto Brown Island Park: unexpected beauty

Yesterday I'd just started riding my StreetStrider outdoor elliptical bike at Salem's rural'ish Minto Brown Island Park. Coming to a flooded area just west of Parking Lot 1, I saw a woman with her smartphone out, taking photos of an unexpected sight. Two swans.  I'd seen the swans a few days before, when I was riding at Riverfront Park. They were hanging out by the dock in the Willamette where the sternwheeler ties up. (I'm assuming these are the same swans, since until now I've never seen any swans out and about in the wild here in Salem.)Some kayakers were…
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Posted inEntertainment Health

Cowspiracy movie presents powerful reasons to go meatless

I'm no psychic. But it doesn't take any ESP abilities to say that most of the people reading this ate meat today -- Christmas.  My wife and I didn't. Nor do we ever.  Which explains why we felt a pleasing sense of self-satisfaction when we watched "Cowspiracy" at the Salem Progressive Film Series last week, since the basic message of the documentary is that eating meat and fish is one of the most environmentally destructive actions a person can engage in.  The "spiracy" part of the title comes from the assertion that environmental organizations like the Sierra Club and Greenpeace…
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Posted inHome life

2015 Hines Christmas Letter released to mild applause

clap... clap... clap  I'm pretty sure I hear three sentient beings applauding today's release of our annual Christmas Letter -- me, my wife, and our dog (all three of whom are, not surprisingly, featured in it). Otherwise, who knows? Christmas letters printed on paper and mailed to people seem to be going the way of buggy whips.  But traditionalists that we are, in some ways, every year we decide to keep on doing the Christmas Letter thing -- even though we actually title our missive "Holiday Greetings" given our secular scientific leanings. I do, of course, also share the Christmas…
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Posted inMiscellany

Still HinesSight: blog design just got modernized

Wow, old bloggers CAN learn new tricks. I've been thinking about changing the design of my two blogs for quite a while, but wrongly thought this would be difficult. It wasn't. Just took a bit of clicking around today. I'm trying out a "responsive" TypePad style that is mobile friendly. I also deleted some extraneous stuff in the sidebar. To me the look and feel is considerably cleaner and more modern now. And I've heard that the Great God Google has taken to rewarding web sites that are mobile friendly in his/her/its search results. So... another benefit.
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Posted inSalem

Four possible sites selected for new Salem police facility

Well, after more than five years of planning -- much of it poorly done -- a Salem City Council subcommittee has selected four possible sites in this town where a new 150,000 sq. ft. police facility could be built.  This happened tonight at a meeting in a third-floor conference room at City Hall. I and some other members of the Salem Community Vision (SCV) steering committee attended the meeting, sporting purple stickers with the SCV position: $50 Million Police HQ & Seismic  Salem Community Vision has the answer to this question — a 75,000 square foot facility, 50% larger than the police facilities we have — with…
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Posted inSalem

Decision to demolish LeBreton Hall points to habitual Salem City Council dysfunction

Going to a Salem City Council meeting isn't the most entertaining way to spend a Monday night. But for me these meetings are interesting on several different levels.  There's (1) what is going on between City officials and the public in the present moment, and also (2) how these interactions point to habitual ways of acting by the City Council -- which is sort of like Blake's "see the world in a grain of sand" notion. Last night the City Council -- which consists of Mayor Anna Peterson and eight city councilors -- voted to accept a recommendation by city…
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Posted inSalem

Speak up for low-income housing at Dec. 14 City Council meeting

Yesterday I heard from an advocate for Salem's homeless who asked me to publicize this important message: Advocate for low-income housing on Monday! The Salem Housing Advisory Committee is asking that the City set aside 25% of the repurposed State Hospital property for low income housing.  The Salem Housing Commission will receive this recommendation on Monday.  Date: 12/14/2015 Time: 6:30 PM -‎ 10:00 PM  (Housing is first hour or so of meeting)Location: City Hall, Council Chambers, Room 240. Let's show up en masse in the early part of the evening to support more low income housing in Salem.How about signs "Off our steps, off the streets-housing for the…
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Posted inHome life

I’m loving my Public Rec “All Day Every Day” pants

Kickstarter rocks. I've enjoyed every product that I've gotten after contributing some cash to a start-up company via Kickstarter. But I'm absolutely loving the pants that Public Rec sent me -- which they're calling the All Day Every Day men's pant. When I saw the video that was part of their Kickstarter appeal, and read a description of the pant, I was immediately sold.  Here's the video. It could have used some narration, I suppose. However, before viewing it I'd already perused the features list. Elastic waistband with internal drawstring for maximum comfort Two deep, front zipper pockets to keep your valuables…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Anti-abortion zealots supporting domestic terrorism have blood on their hands

Today it became totally clear that the man who shot up the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, Robert Dear, was motivated by a hatred of abortion and those who provide abortions.  From the New York Times story, "Colorado Shooting Suspect Declares 'I'm Guilty' in Court." In a bizarre scene at what was expected to be a routine hearing, Robert L. Dear on Wednesday disrupted his first in-person court appearance since a shooting rampage at a Planned Parenthood clinic here with angry outbursts, a declaration of his guilt and vehement expressions of his anti-abortion politics. “I’m guilty. There’s no trial. I’m a warrior…
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Posted inSalem

Devastating critique of Salem Statesman Journal by experienced journalist

Baby boomer guy that I am, I'm old-fashioned when it comes to newspapers. Meaning, I still read them! My wife and I subscribe to the print versions of both the Salem Statesman Journal and the Portland Oregonian. I also have a digital subscription to the New York Times.  Given that I like newspapers, and have read one or more almost every day of my life, I've been saddened by how far down the Journalistic Quality mountain our home-town paper, the Gannett-owned Statesman Journal, has slid. I've written numerous criticisms of the newspaper on this blog. Type "Statesman Journal" into the…
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Posted inSalem

Strange Up Salem logo: story behind the art

I'd never compare the new Strange Up Salem logo to the Mona Lisa, but... No, wait! I would!  Art is art. Unless it isn't art. But clearly, this logo is. It is an original creation by Ryan James Rhoades of Salem's Reformation Designs. And moi. (Now that I am an artist of sorts, having collaborated with Ryan on the logo -- not to mention paying for it -- I am going to speak more French; but wear a beret? Non.) Regarding the Mona Lisa, imagine that it was possible to know what Leonardo da Vinci was thinking when he created…
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Posted inSalem

Salem officials want to demolish another historic building, Fairview’s LeBreton Hall

Another day, another worrisome effort by City of Salem officials to demolish our town's history for no good reason.  Recently they overturned a Historic Landmarks Commission recommendation to preserve Howard Hall, the last remaining building on the School for the Blind property. Instead, the City Council voted to tear Howard Hall down. (So Salem Hospital could build an over-sized parking lot.) Now LeBreton Hall, a majestic 1908 structure that was one of the first to be built on the Fairview Training Center property (which used to be called the State Institution for the Feeble-Minded; we've made progress) is on the…
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