The Winter Olympics in Turin have come to a close but I think that all of us here in the Portland metro area are excited about the next games which will be held just across the river in Vancouver in 2010. I haven't heard much hype yet regarding the next games and I am curious to see if Portland will be hosting any of the events. I'd assume that because of it's close proximity to Vancouver that we might see some events being held in or around the Portland area.
Not to say anything bad about the Couve but it seems like an odd choice for an Olympic host city. I am not even aware of any Olympic caliber sites in which any of the events could be held. Unless they are planning on building venues from the ground up, specifically to host the Olympic games.
In any case, it will bring a lot of business and publicity to the entire area and I am sure that all of us will be jazzed and get behind it. It's going to be cool seeing the parade of athletes and watching the flame burn bright above the city of Vancouver.
Eh, wait a second. Okay, my bad but apparently I was just told that the 2010 Winter Olympics are being held in Vancouver, British Columbia and NOT Vancouver, Washington. Silly me.
When I first became serious about photography, those oh so many moons ago, I began with an old Minolta X-370. Minolta made great cameras even though they forever existed in the overhyped shadows of Canon and Nikon. So throughout the years I stuck by Minolta up until their recent announcement that Konica Minolta was getting out of the camera making business.
So when it came time to purchase a new, general purpose DSLR my obvious choice was going to be the Maxxum 7D but after hearing those bastards at Konica, forcing Minolta to get out of the camera business I was not about to purchase from a company that was being killed off. It really chaps my hide that a third rate company like Konica was able to acquire a fine company like Minolta, simply for the name, and then destroy a great legacy. Konica is the K Mart of the copy machine world. But I digress.
Faced with having to choose between a Canon or Nikon I chose the Nikon D50. It has a solid set of features and the body is the most comfortable in my hands. It has been a week now that I have been doing some general shooting with the D50 and I am very pleased. One thing that really amazed me was how well the built in flash works. Typically I avoid using the flash at all costs because it tends to wash out the photo, but the Nikon D50 ttl flash is superb. Additionally, whether shooting with a high ISO or low light, noise is not an issue. The camera meters beautifully and even though it does not come equipped with an anti-shake feature I find that I am able to shoot in low light without a tripod at some pretty slow shutter speeds.
If this little camera turns out to be as wonderful as it is starting to appear, I will be a true Nikon fan. I'll be heading into the wilds of downtown Portland for some more photo tests and I am confident that my new Nikon D50 will measure up just fine.
Who is this Tammy? Is she real or just an internet myth? I know a Tammy here in Portland but I am quite certain that she is not "the" Tammy. It is my personal opinion that Tammy is not real and that she is a clever constuct that was created to draw traffic to various websites in order to generate profits from the links posted on them.
But just in case Tammy is real, well, she isn't so never mind.
Here is a thrilling follow up to my previous post regarding Miss Becky O'Donohue who had been enjoying a whirlwind 15 minutes of fame as a contestant on American Idol and by slutting around with her twin sister in the pages of Maxim magazine.
Turn out the lights, the party is over. Sorry girls but take heart, I'm sure there is an opening as a bartender or exotic dancer for you guys.
Apparently there is an attention hungry whore named Becky O'Donohue competing on American Idol who had teamed up with her equally attention seeking twin named Jessie to pose in some provocative shots for Maxim magazine a couple of years ago. As luck would have it and thanks to a viewing audience fascinated with individuals with little redeeming quality other than the ability to show us just what little talent they possess, these merely average twin sisters have been milking their 15 minutes of fame.
God bless America. Becky and Jessie, you lucky bitches. Congratulations. Be sure to start a scrap book so that when your temporary fame has passed you can sit around with the family and reminisce about the good old days and what might have been, if you had possessed any real talent.
I am beginning to realize that I am never going to be able to make a living out of blogging. Luckily there is a 5 cent bounty on aluminum cans in Oregon.
If you work for Stream in Beaverton, Oregon and you are viewing my blog entries, a word of advice. Take the time to peruse the want ads and find yourself a better job instead of wasting time reading my bullshit rants.
Mr. Viddy is less than two months away from packing his bags and relocating to the Land of Enchantment, more specifically Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'll be accepting a part-time position with my current employer while getting my photography studio up and running. For the most part I have enjoyed my time in Oregon but to be perfectly honest, I am fed up with the fucked up weather we have here.
I have gotten some great photographs and met quite a few good people here in the Portland area but it's time for a change of scenery.
Hell yeah, Crimson Skies used to be my favorite game on the Xbox and it was the sole reason I subscribed to Xbox Live. Unfortunately my many adult responsibilities caused me to drift away from hours of online gaming fun but I've been jones'ing for a little taste of Crimson Skies so its about time I dusted off my goggles and took back to the skies.
Hopefully there is still a large audience for this game because I like to fly in a full server. I'll be certain to report back to you once I am back to playing Crimson Skies on a regular basis.
Well, the South sure as hell hasn't risen again but it looks like there are plenty of people in Russia who are positioning themselves for the second coming of the Soviet Union. The chief of Russia's general staff issued a warning to the United States against using military force against Iran if they continue to pursue their nuclear weapons program. Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky made the following quote regarding the danger of the United States launching a strike against Iran, "This may stir the whole world, and it is crucial to prevent anything like that."
Seems pretty harmless but if you read between the lines what the good general is telling his comrades here in Amerika is that a strike against Iran would be a lovely opportunity for Russia to intervene in order to prevent a global conflict. Thus setting the stage for the rebuilding of the Iron Curtain.
Oh yes, the good old days when the United States shared superpower status with the Soviet Union. In a way it wouldn't be so bad. With another superpower around to take some heat off of us maybe the United States can get itself out of this perpetual war on terror and get to work solving some of our domestic issues.
The United Nations Recommends The Closure of Gitmo
I am not a big fan of the United Nations but when I read the headlines that they are recommending that the United States close it's detention center on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba I had to agree. Enough is enough. There are people who have been locked up for almost 5 years who have yet to be tried for anything. Prosecute or release. This is one big dog and pony show and it reflects badly on the nation. If these people have ties to terrorism then we have had enough time to build a case and prosecute them. If not, send those poor bastards home already.
If the government does not have enough evidence to prosecute and they feel that some of these individuals are a real threat then they should just fabricate the evidence needed to condemn them. It's not like we aren't skilled in that area.
I was sitting around today just relaxing, watching some TV and surfing the internet when I got to thinking about life in the United States and just how crazy we all are. When you get to thinking about the situation in Iraq and this so called war on terror it makes you wonder about the big picture.
It can be debated whether or not Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or whether or not they had a hand in training and supporting the 9/11 terrorists. Some will say Iraq posed no danger to us and that Bush was following a personal agenda. We can talk all day about bringing democracy to a region that historically has never cared about giving rights to the individual citizen and those same citizens have never much cared to have freedoms and choices like in America.
So you see, we can talk in circles all day long about Iraq and terrorism and people will always be divided over these issues. What cannot be debated is the nearly half a trillion dollar defense budget that is going to support these issues.
We will continue to pour billions of dollars a year into a region that may or may not become stable. And it is still debatable as to whether or not the future governments in those region will choose to ally themselves with the United States. Billions of dollars are being gambled away and there is not a single person who can honestly say that this money will end up being well spent.
Speaking just for myself, I never believed that Iraq posed a direct threat to the United States. Saddam Hussein was an evil ruler and he did commit many atrocities during his reign, I do not dispute that. But I do not believe he would have presented a serious threat to mainland USA. I also believe that by invading Iraq like we did, we succeeded in destabilizing the entire region and as a result of the invasion we now face serious threats in the future. Prior to the invasion, prior to 9/11 and before this bullshit war on terror began our country faced very real dangers in the form of illegal street drugs. Coke, crack, heroin and meth just to name a few. The majority of illegal drugs are grown and manufactured outside of the United States.
Stop, don't point to the news stories about the busting up of meth labs or burning of a large marijuana crop. These are small scale operations that have been destroyed. The bulk of the drugs are coming from foreign countries. So please tell me why we can spend billions of dollars to overthrow sovereign nations like Iraq and Afghanistan under the guise of stopping terrorism but we have been so impotent when it comes to stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.? Illegal drugs most definitely generate large profits for both foreign and domestic criminal gangs. Gangs who in turn wreak terror on the civilian population both in large cities and small towns right here in America.
It is a very real threat to the safety and security of our citizens but you do not see the Army and Marines invading Columbia or Bolivia or even eradicating poppy crops in Afghanistan. If we took direct military action against foreign drug cartels and their growers we would no doubt wipe them out with little effort and possibly far fewer casualties than we are seeing in Iraq.
Why does the government choose to pursue agendas in which there is no guarantee in final victory but they can turn a blind eye to the illegal drug problem? Are Bush and Cheney trying to tell us something? Perhaps they are just a couple of real cool dudes who want us all just to go out and catch a nice buzz.
I recently caught a bit of an interview from Scarborough Country, hosted by Joe Scarborough in which he was speaking to Curtis Sliwa of Guardian Angel fame and that apeshit crazy fool from Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Before I begin, let me just say that I have always felt that Sheriff Arpaio suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. And in case you are not familiar with this insane motherfucker, he is the guy who runs the tent city jail in Arizona where everyone is issued pink undies.
Anyhow, I digress. To get back to this interview in which they were discussing the growing trend of cell phones being smuggled into prisons and jails all over the country, I felt that it was pretty bizarre that a member of law enforcement and a man who has intimate knowledge of jail operations could sit there and say that guards and cops play a very small part in prison and jail smuggling operations. Sheriff Arpaio really went out of his way to push the blame onto visitors and other non-law enforcement personnel as being the culprits when it comes to who is smuggling contraband into prisons and jails.
He gave an example which I believe to be highly unlikely but I suppose that it could be within the realm of probability but it would be a big reach. He claims to have caught an inmate who smuggled in thirteen packs of cigarettes concealed up his rectum. You heard me, thirteen packs of smokes stuffed up the old poop chute. I don't believe this but I was not there so I cannot fully disprove this story.
Obviously a lot of people who are doing time are very clever when it comes to trying to circumvent the laws of society and I acknowledge that on their own they are more than capable of finding ways of smuggling forbidden items into the jails and prisons. But it would be plain ignorant to believe that in a great many instances these inmates do not have the support of insiders, whether it be staff or guards or deputies. Think about this, most jails and prisons are closed environments. There is not ready access to the outside world. Only a limited amount of any contraband item can be brought in by an incoming prisoner. Yet our jails and prisons are overrun with drugs, cell phones and other items.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is due to corrupt prison and jail personnel. A common excuse that I hear is that these people are not being payed enough to deal with the riff raff that occupy our prisons. My response is this. It should not be an excuse that a guard or deputy takes to breaking the law just because they feel they are underpaid. I am sick of hearing about people in corrections and law enforcement cry about not being compensated for the work they do. The last time I checked, nobody is drafted into law enforcement or prison corrections, it is a voluntary choice to pursue that career path. And it is very easy to find out how much the pay is.
So if you make the conscious choice to become a corrections officer or law enforcement officer do not use the pay issue as an excuse if you are ever caught breaking the law. And perhaps Maricopa County, Arizona can spring for some psychiatric help for that crazy motherfucker, Joe Arpaio.
Vice President Dick Cheney is taking a lot of heat over the recent shooting accident on a Texas ranch, note that I refer to this as an accident. I fully believe that this accident could have happened to anyone, it was simply a series of misfortunate incidents that led Mr. Cheney to unload a shotgun blast on Harry Whittington. I also believe that we all know that this would escalate into a major incident in the press.
I think that it is unfair to vilify Dick Cheney just because of this incident, after all it would appear that he has taken no steps to deny or sweep any of this under the rug. At least not yet.
One area were I do feel that Dick Cheney is acting inappropriately is his failure to directly address the accident. He has yet to make a formal statement to give his version of events. It is definitely in keeping in step with the Bush administration. By that I mean when something questionable occurs, the first action is to hide. Duck the press, hope something else occurs to distract the nation and then move on.
Mr. Cheney has most definitely given people the impression that he believes himself to be above the law. Here he is, involved in an accident which leaves a man in intensive care and he feels that he can just move on like nothing has happened. He feels no obligation to the American people when it comes to any of his actions or his boss, George W. Mr. Vice President, you are a "public" official, you do owe us a statement. Perhaps you are afraid that if you went before the cameras we would all see that you have no remorse.
Talk about someone desperate for attention. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta had to go on record to say that Britney Spears was irresponsible for driving with her little tyke on her lap instead of safely secured in a child seat. First of all, how many people even know who Norman Mineta is? I can only guess that he is suffering from the loneliness that comes with his position within the federal government. Unlike the President, V.P. or Secretary of Defense you really don't get a lot of camera or press time overseeing the Transportation Department.
This was his 15 minutes of fame, so I need all of you to take a moment and perhaps mail or email Norman Mineta to let him know that he might be out of sight but he is certainly not out of mind. Come on Oregon, show your support!
Beaverton Man Experiences False Moment of Enlightenment
I experienced a revelation late last night but I was tired and needed to get some sleep so I had planned to blog about it this morning but when I woke up I had totally forgotten what it was that I had found to be so enlightening the night before. After several hours I finally began to remember what it was so I started a new posting here on Le Petite Morte but the more I wrote the more I realized that I had nothing profound to say.
It turned out to be nothing more than a convoluted essay about my opinions concerning a popular movie trilogy and what I thought to be as massive plot holes was nothing more than me being blinded by my own supposed genius. Thankfully I came to this realization before sharing my thoughts on that subject and thereby avoiding much embarrassment.
The moral of the story is, fatigue and keeping late hours is not conducive to lucid thoughts and ideas.
I was in downtown Portland this afternoon waiting for the MAX at Pioneer Square to bring me home. I was just minding my own business and a little tired when I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around there was an older looking man, kind of looked middle-eastern but he didn't look very threatening. Anyhow, he has another guy with him but they were both older gentlemen so I wasn't too worried about anything bad happening. I figured that they saw me smoking so they wanted to bum one off of me. Sure enough, the taller of the two asked me if I could spare a smoke. I gave it to them and then they asked for some spare change, but as a rule I never give out change so I lied and told them I was broke.
Holy shit, both of them started preaching to me about helping those in need and being honest. Anyhow, this went on for about fifteen minutes until the train showed up and I was able to leave. But as the MAX was pulling away it finally dawned on me why those two old dudes looked so familiar. One of them has been in the news quite a bit lately, it was none other than the Prophet Muhammad and his cousin Ali. Slumming it in downtown Portland.
Good morning Oregon! It looks like the wind is still blowing hard throughout the area but at least the sun is shining. The November elections are just around the corner and as with any election year it brings hope for a brighter future.
We are dealing with many serious issues in the state of Oregon. Unemployment remains high and education continues to remain a neglected issue and we are still looking at a rather stagnant bunch of cronies down in Salem. It is not unique to Oregon but it is still worth mentioning that we have a large contingent of impotent and dysfunctional politicians leading our great state. This is not to say that we do not also have a few shining stars in the legislature but by and large we are lead by politicians with no real vision for the future of the state.
But this post is not going to end on a dark note. I am definitely looking forward to some change and to see better times return to Oregon, for all of us.
I'm trying to figure out a way in which I can somehow make a living doing freelance photography, graphic design and creative writing. I don't want to make a fortune doing it but I'd like to be able to at least keep food on the table and rent paid. I'm not sure what the market is like for freelancer's down in Albuquerque but I am giving serious consideration to freelancing down there.
It's a tough gig no matter where you live but I'd definitely get a lot of enjoyment getting back into a creative field. In the past I have worked in the graphic design field, specializing in print advertising and logo design as well as doing portrait photography on the side. I see the writing on the wall and it reads, take a chance even if it means winding up homeless and living in an alley.
Some of you may ignore Jason Atkinson simply because he is young but that would be foolish. Jason Atkinson appears to be a politician who has a real sense of commitment and duty to the state of Oregon and it's residents. He has taken some criticism lately over his views on illegal immigration but if you revisit his ideals you will see that what he supports are things such as better legislation to assist in job growth for Oregonians, laws that will keep citizens safe from predators and keeping Oregon beautiful by supporting conservation.
I would suggest that any of you who care about Oregon and the future of the state to take a good look at what Jason Atkinson really stands for and in November ask yourself which is better, to cast a vote for a candidate like Jason who really cares or waste a vote on a typical cookie-cutter politician who will continue supporting special interests and protecting their political careers.
The Fine Art of Relocation: The Short Con vs. The Long Con
I keep getting advice from people who have no experience in long distance relocations and it is starting to drive me nuts. Without going into too much detail, Mr. Viddy has lived in California, Nevada, Oregon, Hawaii, Georgia and Florida. And my next move will be taking me to New Mexico. I have a lot of miles under my belt so planning a move to a new city is nothing new to me yet friends and family members keep offering up advice that I just don't need. The majority of people that I know have pretty much stuck around the same area they grew up in, with the exception of perhaps having gone someplace for college. I understand that my friends and family are trying to be helpful but they act like this is the first time I have ever moved in my life. Considering some of my past relocations, going from Oregon to New Mexico is a rather short trip down south.
Yes, I know how to pack, plan the trip route, arrange for lodging and food along the way and how to secure temporary lodging once I arrive. I am also familiar with scouting out neighborhoods and schools once I am there. I have been pouring over various demographic information, classifieds, craigslist and other sources of information so that I can begin to develop a plan on how to proceed once I get to New Mexico.
I have no worries on my part, I have made plans and contingencies for those things which I can control and as for unforeseen problems, well you just have to go with the flow if they occur. I am not going to stress out over something that may or may not happen.
I became interested in this article because of the fact that it attempted to explain why elite athletes continue to break records which in the past had seemed to be unbreakable. For example, Roger Bannister running the mile in under four minutes back in 1954 or Eric Heiden's five gold medals in speed skating in the 1980 Olympics. These were remarkable feats by gifted athletes yet not so remarkable by today's standards.
The simple explanations given are the safe ones. Things such as improved technology, advanced training techniques and a larger group of people having become interested in sports are mentioned as the reasons why today's athletes are almost superhuman compared to individuals from the past decades. Some sports science experts also claim that there are no known limits to the human body and that with advanced training techniques the body can overcome any limitation, it is a claim which I find to be preposterous.
Granted, there are many areas in which speed and endurance have been improved upon through the use of new technologies, better training and diets and having a larger group of individuals to draw upon but why did the author of this article choose to ignore the very real and widespread use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs? Athletes at all levels, from high school through professional sports are now using all manner of drugs in order to become stronger, faster and more competitive. It does a great disservice to athletes from the past to merely dismiss the fact that their great records have fallen simply because today's athletes are better equipped and trained.
It was not always the case but for the most part, in the past, athletes competed for the love of the game and to push themselves to their natural limit. But now, it is about the money and endorsements. There are fewer and fewer athletes doing it for the competitive spirit and this is why you are seeing so much emphasis on the use of drugs in sports.
What was a greater feat, Roger Maris hitting 61 home runs using his natural athletic ability or people like Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds shattering that record with the help of performance enhancing drugs? Athletes today are evolving into mere entertainers, albeit highly paid entertainers and in the not to distant future I predict that most sports will become about as authentic as professional wrestling.
We should just close down the various hall's of fame and record books because with all of the various forms of cheating going on today, these new records are becoming meaningless. Comparing a modern athlete with his or hers counterpart from the past is much the same as comparing a NASCAR car to one coming off the showroom floor.
Possible Nerve/Chemical Agent Detected In Senate Building
Why can't CNN just wait to see what develops in the suspected Nerve/Chemical agent situation happening in Washington D.C.? You have all these people tossing out theories and heresay about what is going on rather than just moving on to other stories and waiting until some real facts emerge. Certainly they did a good job of bringing the story to our attention in a rapid fashion but all we can do now is wait and see.
Paula Zahn keeps giving conflicting statements, talking about all the confusion but she is adding to the confusion. Let's not rush to conclusions. We'll have to wait and see. Just the facts ma'am.
Sheryl Crow And Lance Armstrong: Atypical Celeb Breakup
It is my opinion that the decision made by Sheryl Crow to split from the bicycling man, Lance Armstrong was simply a natural course of events and in no way is typical of most celebrity break ups. What you had with Sheryl and Lance were two very busy people who probably enjoyed a very romantic time together because they didn't get a chance to be with each other 24/7. With Lance retiring that changed the dynamics of the relationship and as a result, breakup. Nothing tawdry or sinister.
Now the divorce of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, that was pure scandal. I'm not putting any blame on Angelina Jolie but you know that Brad was tapping that ass and hiding it from Jennifer. Brad Pitt knew he was married and if he was not happy in that marriage he should have been a man and confronted Jennifer Aniston and walked away prior to banging Angelina Jolie.
And as far as K-Fed and Britney Spears. Leave the poor kids alone. I'm quite certain that even though Britney Spears is no rocket scientist she fully realizes what a lazy, piece of shit that Kevin Federline is. For whatever reason, she is choosing to bear his numerous rich but still white trashy, children and support his soon to be failed musical career.
Like the saying goes, three trees in the valley will not support the weight of the falling boulder.
The writing is on the wall and Oregonians across the state are started to rally around their candidates and cut ties to those who do not have a fighting chance. Golden boy, Jason Atkinson continues to lose support for his campaign for governor as Republicans begin aligning themselves with front runners such as Ron Saxton and Kevin Mannix. Mannix and Saxton are Oregon juggernauts in the political arena and young Mr. Atkinson needs a few more years of development down in the minor leagues before he will ever stand a real chance of winning the big ticket.
But even with all the hype and spin being tossed out for Kevin Mannix and Ron Saxton, the GOP realizes that November will not be a victorious time for them. Not all is rosey in the Democratic scene either. Incumbent, Ted Kulongoski has not done much for the state of Oregon and November may see a changing of the guard with Pete Sorenson gaining a lot of support from throughout the state.
I think that if Jason Atkinson is serious about wanting to lead the state then I'd say look out for this young fireball in about 8 years. By that time he will have some real experience and knowledge to bring to Salem instead of just youthful exuberance. And Jason, one word of advice. Next time around skip the Blogger for Atkinson idea. Have you seen some of the nut jobs who are supporting you? Scary!
The Philadelphia Inquirer had published one of the drawings that has sparked the recent Muslim violent spree and what I found to be insane was the following quote from a U.S. based Muslim:
"It's disrespectful to us as a people," Asim Abdur-Rashid, an imam with the Majlis Ash'Shura, an umbrella group for mosques in the region, told the Inquirer in a story that appeared on the newspaper's Web site. "It's disrespectful to our prophet to imply that he's a prophet of violence."
Now kick me in the genitals if I am wrong, but doesn't the last sentence in his statement seem a little contradictory? He is saying that the prophet Muhammad was not violent. But for some strange reason the Muslim's revere him so much that they honor him with these ongoing acts of violence.
We are beginning to see our conservative Oregon brothers and sisters lose interest in the fad that was Jason Atkinson for governor. It was not unexpected, for most people could see that this was merely a feel good effort. Bloggers for Atkinson, nothing like a good old fashioned grass roots campaign to draw in the crowd. Americans love rooting for an underdog and for conservative Oregonians they had it all in Jason Atkinson. He was the ideal poster boy. Youthful, photogenic and Christian. Heck, this dude was a skier and a cyclist and best of all, he is caucasian.
But as election time looms on the horizon, people are beginning to see that he doesn't stand a chance and they are now getting ready to cast their votes for a candidate with better odds of victory. I have already noticed that many bloggers have removed the Atkinson for Governor button from their sites and you are starting to see former supporters offer up lame excuses as to why they no longer support him.
No worries though, you had fun for a while but now the ride is over.
On March 1, 2006 Comcast Cable will be raising it's rates for service once again. The reason for this increase is due to continuing investments by Comcast to it's services such as their new Digital Voice phone service, video-on-demand and digital video recorders. And once again the media will go into a feeding frenzy with their stories of how cable rates in the Portland area have increased at a pace that is four times higher than inflation or how the poor and the homeless are being overcharged for a service that is a luxury not a staple of life. The Oregonian is always ready to offer up a juicy piece on Comcast raising it's rates even while mentioning how the city of Portland is considering building their own fiber network which could offer TV and high-speed internet service. Whether through a partnership with private industry or on its own, the cost of such a project would run about $470 million. A price that would be more than the city could afford and perhaps a price so high that a private investor would balk.
Just consider that last paragraph. People criticize the cable operators for raising their rates and even when companies such as Comcast try to explain the reason, pointing to such items as upgrades to services and infrastructure, nobody seems to or wants to understand the high cost of doing business. The city of Portland claims to be pursuing the possibility of building a fiber network to compete with cable operators but in the end, nobody will be willing to foot the bill. $470 million is a huge amount, and like the OHSU aerial tram project you can bet that the budget on such a project would far exceed original estimates.
So before you become outraged by the coming rate increase for cable service, take the time to remember that there are huge costs involved in maintaining such a system and perhaps Comcast and other cable operators do indeed have valid reasons to increase their rates. For the most part they do an excellent job of providing service, they are willing to invest vast sums of money to ensure a quality product and with the exception of Verizon not many companies are will to put up the money to try and compete.
Daddy, are the Muslims coming to kill us? Yes dear, yes they are...
How much sympathy can you have for a group of people who are so ignorant and filled with hatred that they advocate violence over a series of cartoons? Even though I am not a follower of your faith I can understand how seeing a key figure in your religion being mocked is an upsetting thing. But this is overkill. No, what it is is yet another sorry excuse for Muslims to go around killing and destroying. This is a culture that would find itself with a complete feeling of emptiness and worthlessness if they found themselves unable to kill or destroy someone or something.
These people have no conscience, at least nothing like that found in a normal human being. The prophet was shown in a series of cartoons and their first reaction, kill. Spin it any way you want to but their actions speak for their character.
Once again we see how failure to use common sense ends with a traumatized young lady and a company facing a lawsuit. All of which could have been easily avoided if at any time any of the people involved would have stopped, and thought about what was happening.
The basic story is as follows. A female worker was accused of stealing $50 from a customer, after the end of her shift she is outside with her mother when the manager asks her to return with him to his office. The manager claims he has a police officer on the phone who wishes to speak with her. The caller instructs the minor female to completely undress in front of the manager. She complies. At some point the young girl is sitting on a chair, naked with her legs closed and the caller instructs her to spread her legs so the manager can see between them. She refuses. Finally, after 45 minutes the girl's mother comes in and instructs her daughter to get dressed and they leave.
Now let us review and perhaps question the actions of everyone involved. First, if you are in a position of authority and you receive a call from someone claiming to be in law enforcement who is asking you to follow bizarre instructions over the phone shouldn't you at least attempt to verify this person's claim? The story never explains how the manager came to be on the phone with this caller to begin with.
Second, even if your company has placed you in a position of authority it should be obvious that you do not have the right to ask any employee to strip down for you, much less a minor female. This guy managed a Burger King after all, it was not exactly a high-security government facility. Third, you are a parent and your child has been accused of a crime by her employer and you just let her be taken away for questioning without accompanying her? Bad move. And then you sit idly by for 45 minutes before you check to see what is going on? Ok, not criminal perhaps but still bad parenting.
The girl involved can be excused. Even though it should have seemed obvious that getting disrobed for your manager was not company policy she was definitely feeling intimidated and she had to assume she was speaking to a real police officer because that is what her manager had told her.
Personally, I think the manager should have known better and in addition to being sued he should have faced criminal charges. For one thing, in my position at work I have received calls from people claiming to be in law enforcement asking me to provide them with customer information. Perhaps these were legitimate law enforcement officers, perhaps not. But in each case I refused to comply and I directed them to the proper people within our organization for assistance. So again, the manager of the Gresham Burger King should have known better.
Here is a real gem. A Louisiana man is attempting a class-action lawsuit against Apple claiming that the iPod is inherently defective and not sufficiently labeled with warnings regarding the potential for hearing loss. Of course this noble man is not in it for the money, he is merely concerned for the well-being of music lovers and he even stated that he was not certain if he had suffered any hearing loss as a result of using the iPod he purchased last year.
So what we have here is yet another yahoo needing attention and trying to bring some meaning to his seemingly pointless life.
My son has an iPod Nano and in the packaging and literature that came with it, Apple did include warnings advising people to use caution when listening to music. This was more than sufficient for me. I do not see a need for further labeling or modifications to the iPod line just because some idiot got bored and decided to file a lawsuit.
It is a no-brainer. Music player makes noise, loud noise damages hearing. Music player has volume control. Consumer has free will. Connect the dots. Common sense will prevent the average person from listening to an iPod or any other music player at a level which would damage their hearing. Of course there are ignorant people who know better but will still blast music into their ears but again, that is their choice. It is not for some jerkwater in Louisiana to waste the valuable time and docket space of the courts in such a frivolous manner.
Think about it, he claims the iPod needs modifications and additional labeling because it is currently defective because at maximum volume it an exceed 115 decibels which is enough to cause damage after 28 seconds of exposure. But 115 decibels is pretty intense and not many people will sit there and crank it up to full volume.
Why not a lawsuit against pencil makers? After all, it is possible to damage your hearing or sight by sticking a pencil in your ear or eye but I do not see a call for warning labels on a pencil. And anyone can walk into a store and buy a set of shoelaces, which can cause strangulation of tied around a persons neck. Again, not many warning labels on shoelaces and I think that even minors can purchase them.
Stick to common sense, it is one of the best safety tools anyone can use. By the way, the humanitarian who is bringing the suit against Apple is named John Kiel Patterson. Maybe someone out there can nominate him for the Nobel Prize next year.
It appears that due to a widespread lack of interest and general feeling of apathy, not much is going on in the Portland Metropolitan area today. I too am feeling the effects and would really enjoy a nap right about now.
One in four of Oregon school children meet the definition of overweight or obese. There was a bill which was defeated in the Oregon House of representatives that had called for an increase in PE. Not surprising, considering that education in general is a low priority in Oregon. So get used to more little piggies in the classroom. This is Oregon, land of the fat and dumb.
What a legacy, but at least we have an overinflated real estate market.
