Posted inCurrent affairs

Japan’s Sendai earthquake shows value of government

Here's a lesson for rabid conservatives and Tea Party types: What good has the free market been in responding to Japan's catastrophic earthquake? Are people relying on the government or on the private sector in dealing with the horrific consequences of the quake and resulting tsunami? The answer is obvious. When there's a huge seismic shift -- in the earth, in the economy, in the environment, in geopolitics, in national security -- governments are the glue which keep the social fabric from ripping apart. Yes, communities help. Non-profit organizations help. Volunteer groups help. But these entities are "governments" on a…
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Posted inWeb/Tech

No bars at home? How I got an AT&T 3G Microcell for free

iPhone users like me are fond of trashing AT&T. For good reasons. For several years my wife and I have paid a hefty monthly fee for the "privilege" of getting crappy (basically, unusable) cellular reception in our home. So we've got cell phones which will barely make telephone calls when we're not out and about. Not a huge deal, since we have a landline, but irritating. Sometimes I want to make a call when my wife is on the phone. Other times, someone who has AT&T and wants to use their phone has to walk up our driveway and search…
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Posted inHealth

Health insurance companies discourage colon cancer screening

Colon cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer in the United States. You'd think that insurance companies would want to do their utmost to prevent it. But I've learned that almost all of them don't -- including my insurer, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. On February 18 I had a colonoscopy. I didn't have any symptoms of colon cancer, but my Gastroenterologist recommended that I get another one, because (1) two years ago my first regular colonoscopy revealed a benign polyp (which was removed), and (2) an imperfect colonoscopy prep obscured part of my colon, so the doctor…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Art Robinson, crazy conservative, insanely attacks Oregon State

I'm sorry that Keith Olbermann isn't on MSNBC any longer, because Art Robinson's newest display of deceptive craziness would make him a great candidate for a "Worst Person in the World!" dishonor. Robinson, who lost to Peter DeFazio in last year's 4th Congressional District race, is claiming that Oregon State University is retaliating against his three children because of "political payback." This struck me as ludicrous when I learned about Robinson's attack on OSU's Nuclear Engineering department via a chain email that was forwarded to me. Why would professors risk their careers by unethically (and probably illegally) targeting Robinson's children…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

My fantasy endings for Wisconsin standoff

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's efforts to destroy public employee unions under the ruse of cost-cutting is great political theatre. Wow, in recent weeks we've seen... Massive rallies of 70,000 people or more calling for compromise, rather than Koch-brother commanded Republican intransigence. Fourteen Democratic state senators fleeing to Illinois to deny a quorum and, hence, a vote on the union-busting bill. And today, Walker refusing to negotiate with the Dem senators. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Monday dismissed as "ridiculous" a letter from a Democratic state Senate leader who suggested a meeting "near the Wisconsin-Illinois border" to discuss the state's budget…
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Posted inSustainability

Oregon cattlemen out of touch with wolf reality

As I've said before, ranchers shouldn't be afraid of the Big Bad Wolf -- now that a small number have established residence in Oregon. Disease and severe weather kill vastly more livestock, so cattlemen's freak-out over wolves returning to our state is uninformed and irrational. (Political correctness note: I would prefer to say cattlepeople, but ranchers have decided to call their umbrella group the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, so I bow to their preference. And it's good to see that two women have been past presidents of the OCA, one even daring to be photographed -- gasp! -- without a cowboy/cowgirl…
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Posted inWeb/Tech

Localscope is my favorite “where is…?” iPhone app

I'm always looking for new and better GPS'ized apps for my iPhone 4. To me never (well, hardly ever) getting lost and nearly always being able to find restaurants, coffee houses (!!!), shopping centers and such is one of the top advantages of having a smart phone. A few weeks ago an email blurb from the Localscope P.R. manager popped up on my iPhone. Glancing at it overly quickly, and failing to scroll all the way down the message, I learned about this recently released "where is...?" app, but failed to notice that I could get a promocode for a…
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Posted inHome life

I sell my mother’s silver in a hotel room

So what do you do with a cardboard box full of silver stuff -- teapot, candle holders, serving dishes, trophies -- that's been sitting in the garage for over twenty years, tarnished beyond belief, when you have no idea what it's worth or who might want to buy it? That was my problem when my wife, who's been doing most of our pre-spring garage cleaning, told me "You've got to do something with your mother's silver. It's been taking up space for too long." Dutiful husband that I am, I picked up the box from the floor of the garage,…
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Posted inEntertainment Salem

“Salemia” could be a lot funnier than “Portlandia”

Yesterday I survived -- no, thrived -- my audition for a part in "Salemia," Salem's answer to "Portlandia" -- an Independent Film Channel series that casts a quirky eye on lifestyles in the city that is an hour drive to the north and lightyears distant on a Hipness Distance Scale. After the casting call went out, I got excited about appearing in a video series that will poke both gentle and finger-in-the-eye fun at our excessively boring city. (There's some controversy over how to pronounce "Salemia." To me, it has to be Sa-lame-ia.") But then I remembered all the times…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Salem

Photos of pro-union rally at Oregon capitol

Wow, I'm energized! Today's Rally to Save the American Dream in Salem, a.k.a. "We are WI," got me fired up to defend truth, justice, & the American way against any and all enemies -- notably Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his Republican cronies, the Koch brothers. Here's some photos of the event, which was mirrored in every state capitol across the United States. There was a lot of love expressed toward Wisconsin from Oregonians. Looks like your best chance of getting interviewed by a media type is to wear an attention-getting outfit. Many stout-hearted, hard-working union guys and gals were…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Government spends my money better than I can

Today I gave our 2010 tax info to our CPA. In a few weeks we'll learn how much we owe the federal and Oregon governments. My wife and I won't be thrilled with writing out the checks, but deep down we're pleased to do our part to "promote the general welfare" -- one of the six goals our founding fathers set out in the preamble to the United States Constitution. See, Tea Party types, your interpretation of what it means to be a proud American is historically twisted. Cutting taxes isn't mentioned in the preamble. But promoting the general welfare…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Republicans’ overreach will result in voter backlash

Recent actions by Republicans are giving me a serious case of outrage. When the House voted to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood, that was just plain idiotic. As Ruth Marcus says: House Republicans voted to increase the number of abortions, raise federal health-care costs and swell the welfare rolls.That wasn't their intent, of course, and certainly not their stated policy. But it is the predictable and inevitable impact of their twin moves to eliminate funding for the federal family planning program and strip Planned Parenthood of all federal money.If anything, this assessment is understated. The sharper, and still accurate…
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Posted inHealth

How to (almost) enjoy your colonoscopy

I don't know if it's possible for anyone to say "my colonoscopy was fun," unless they're a masochist. I've had three now, two regular's and a virtual, the most recent a few days ago. None of them was enjoyable, except in this sense: I know that I'll feel much better getting colonoscopies rather than colon cancer. So like I said in a previous post, don't think twice about having the procedure if you're over 50 or otherwise in a high risk group. Once you're scheduled for one, I've got some tips for making your colonoscopy more pleasant. Some of what…
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Posted inScootering

2009 Suzuki Burgman 650 Exec for sale in Salem, Oregon

[Sorry, no longer for sale.] Spring is almost here -- in western Oregon, at least. Our bulbs are blooming, and it's going to hurt when I can't ride my much beloved 2009 Suzuki Burgman 650 Exec scooter during warm weather this year. But I've got to sell this beauty. (click on photos for larger images) So says my wife. If it was up to me, I'd keep the Burgman after my recently-ordered 2011 Mini Cooper S makes its way from England to our carport. However, my wife has put a limit on the number of "boy toys" I can keep…
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Posted inCurrent affairs Sustainability

Testifying at the Oregon Legislature can be oh-so-frustrating

Last Tuesday it happened again. Four years after I blogged, "Why have a public hearing if you don't want to hear the public?," the Oregon Legislature's House Judiciary Committee held an excruciatingly inept, slanted, and frustrating public hearing on three bills that would drastically limit citizen involvement in land use decisions. Yesterday, fellow hearing sufferer Kris Bledsoe wrote a terrific piece for Blue Oregon, laying out details of how committee co-chair Rep. Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach), who hates land use planning, threatened her when she asked why she never got a chance to testify. In "A Formal Complaint for Deaf…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Democratic state legislators leave Wisconsin to stop union-busting

Oh, way cool! This is so Egypt'y. Thousands of protesters camping out at the seat of power to thwart an evil leader's nefarious rule. And now... Democrats in the Wisconsin State Senate have reportedly left the state to prevent a quorum, and hence a vote, on the Republican Governor's horrendous union-busting legislation. Meaning, the state police can't come after them. If any of the senators need a hideout, give me a call. (Oops, guess I should have kept this a secret.)
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Posted inHumor Salem

“Salemia” casting call gets my Inner Actor excited

Oh, man, I want it so bad -- a role in the "Salemia" series that local filmmaker Michael Perron and his posse are planning to make as our city's answer to the Independent Film Channel's "Portlandia." The Salemia notion started off as a Twitter craze, but is morphing into something more. What that turns out to be is limited only by Perron's wonderful creativity and sense of humor, which is on full display at his You Tube home. As alluded to below, my top strategy for getting a part in Salemia isn't my acting ability, but my fawning ability. Along…
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Posted inHumor Salem

Meet the talented (and funny) guys behind #Salemia

I hope the fawning title of this blog post gets me a role in a "Salemia" production being planned by Twitter-meme founders Mike Perron and David Jenkins -- even if it just appears on You Tube. (The competing "Portlandia" is on the IFC cable channel, which isn't exactly highly watched either.) Gino Corridori, a local cameraman for Portland's KATU, put up a well-done, entertaining interview with Mike and David on, where else, You Tube. Check out hIs "#Salemia: What's it all about?" blog post on the Salem KATU site. I was thrilled to see one of my OregonBrian #Salemia tweets…
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Posted inCurrent affairs

Republicans go bat-shit crazy on global warming

I'm not sure what the origin of the term is, but calling Congressional Republicans bat-shit crazy sounds so right to me. They're acting insane on many issues, but global warming is where their disconnect from reality reaches its zenith. I've never seen a political party in this country go so far astray from facts. We're not talking here about a difference of opinion, a philosophical dispute, or a questioning of which data are more accurate. No, the freshly empowered Republicans who have taken control of the House of Representatives are purely and simply lying. So I'll amend my description of…
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