Thursday, July 30, 2009
Letters: Suffering, sarcasm in response to rising temps
Posted by Readers , July 29, 2009 8:00PM
Categories: Letters to the Editor
Print publication: Thursday, July 30, 2009
I am horrified to learn that TriMet is sending drivers out in buses without air conditioning on days when the outside temperature is in the neighborhood of 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
I am horrified to learn that TriMet is sending drivers out in buses without air conditioning on days when the outside temperature is in the neighborhood of 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
We all know the warnings against leaving our children or pets in such virtual cookers. And if there was any doubt, Wednesday's Oregonian provides a recipe for baking cookies on the dashboard when the outside temperature is "at least 95 degrees."
Yes, the air is moving -- somewhat -- in the buses. Yes, the passengers without underlying health conditions might not be at significant risk during a 20-minute ride.
But nothing justifies requiring workers to pull a four- or eight- or 10-hour shifts in these murderous conditions.
TriMet, please rethink this policy immediately. Please do not put these valued citizens' lives at risk for one more day or one more hour.
KATHERINE DREYFUS
Southeast Portland
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Study Shows Danger of Texting While Driving
A new study warns of the dangers of texting and driving. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that truckers who were sending text messages on their phones were twenty-three times more likely to be involved in a collision than when they weren’t texting. Despite the danger, texting while driving is still legal in thirty-six states.
Monday, July 27, 2009
SERVICE ALERT? [expect delays where, max?]
Expect delays after 5 p.m. August 2-15th due to Washington Park concert congestion.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
THINGS ARE SLOWING DOWN!
Due to high temperatures, MAX trains are operating at slower speeds. Expect minor delays of 3-5 minutes.
TOO BAD, CAN'T GO ROUND, YOU GET TO LEAVE WHEN WE DECIDE
Police action at E 181st Ave MAX station causing buses to serve stations between 181st and Cleveland Station. Expect some delays.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
TriMet July 2009 Board Meeting
INDIVIDUAL EPISODES HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0447EC0252D2787C
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0447EC0252D2787C
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
YET ANOTHER STUNING SUCCESS FOR GEORGE W BUSH
Study: Teen Pregnancies, STDs Rose under Bush
New figures show teen pregnancies and certain sexually transmitted diseases saw a sharp rise during the administration of former President George W. Bush. According to the Centers for Disease Control, teenage pregnancies have risen in half the United States since 2005, reversing a long trend of decline. The number of teenage girls with syphilis also rose by nearly half. A two-decade decline in gonorrhea infections is now on the reverse. And the number of teenage males contracting AIDS has nearly doubled. The Bush administration pursued an evangelically driven policy on sex education that shunned contraception and instead promoted abstinence. Pregnancy and STDs were highest in Southern states, where abstinence education has been most widespread.
MERANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH
US Toll Passes 5,000 in Iraq, Afghanistan
Meanwhile, the official US death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan has surpassed the 5,000 mark. The Pentagon has recorded at least 5,002 military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. The number doesn’t include the dozens of soldiers who have committed suicide in war-related incidents.
THEY WHINE ABOUT OUR BENEFITS AND SAY NOTHING ABOUT THIS!
Top Banks Set Aside $74B for Bonuses
And new figures show some of the top beneficiaries of the Wall Street bailout are increasing their employee bonuses over a year ago. According to the Washington Post, the top six US banks have allotted $74 billion to pay their employees, up from $60 billion at the same point last year.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
BIKES AND BUSES ON WILLIAMS AVE
Thoughts, observations on N. Williams bike traffic
BikePortland.org - Portland,Oregon,USA
I WROTE THIS ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO:
I attempted to get a decent photo of the "swarm" before they entered
into attack phase, however I could not activate my camera phone in
time.
As some of you know, these bicycle swarms attack buses using two
attack units, the "blockers" and the "confusers".
The bus generally comes upon one of these swarms at red lights. When
the light turns green the swarm breaks up into these two types of
attack units. The "blockers" pedal as fast as they can to get ahead
of the bus, their aim is to prevent the bus from ever getting ahead
of them, thereby "blocking" the bus. See my photo "blockers"
The "confusers" stay behind the bus, swarming to the left and right,
so the driver really never knows where they are or how far back they
are. This of course confuses the driver almost to a state of utter
despair.
Like the hyenas of the Serengeti, who relentlessly hound their prey
until they eventually just give up to exhaustion, the bicycle swarms
hope to break down the poor exhausted bus driver!
Gov’t Agency Withheld Research on Dangers of Cell Phones & Driving
The New York Times reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under the Bush administration withheld research showing that cell phone use by drivers caused nearly 1,000 fatalities and 240,000 accidents overall in 2002. The agency withheld the evidence in part because of concerns about angering Congress. Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety said, “We’re looking at a problem that could be as bad as drunk driving, and the government has covered it up.” Federal researchers also shelved a draft letter they had prepared for Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to send, warning states that hands-free laws might not solve the problem. Research shows that motorists talking on a phone are four times as likely to crash as other drivers and are as likely to cause an accident as a drunk driver with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08.
Watchdog: Financial Bailouts Could Cost Taxpayers up to $24 Trillion
The watchdog overseeing the federal government financial bailout says the government’s maximum exposure to banks and other financial institutions could total nearly $24 trillion, or about $80,000 for every American. But Neil Barofsky, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, said the government would only be on the hook for that much money in a doomsday scenario. Barofsky said, “We’re not suggesting that we’re looking at a potential loss to the government of $23 trillion. Our goal is to bring transparency, to put things in context.” In a report issued Monday, Barofsky also criticized the lack of transparency in the Obama administration’s management of the giant financial services bailout program. Barofsky said the Treasury Department has declined to require bailout recipients to explain what they are doing with their government funds.
Execs, Top Earners Account for More than Third of All US Wages
The Wall Street Journal is reporting the nation’s corporate executives and other highly compensated employees now account for more than one-third of all salaries earned in the United States. According to Social Security Administration figures, top earners pulled in $2.1 trillion of the total $6.4 trillion paid in 2007. The numbers don’t include several types of stock options and other benefits that would add hundreds of millions to the top bracket’s earnings. From 2002 to 2007, the average worker saw a 24 percent pay increase, half the 48 percent increase for the highly paid. The rising pay for top earners appears to be adversely affecting Social Security. With more wages beyond the maximum that can be taxed to contribute to the Social Security trust, less money is available to fund retirement benefits for American workers.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
TRIMET BENEFITS UPROAR----LINKS FOR STORIES
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