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July 2007 Archives


Return of the 'Dead Zone'

4:58 PM Tue, Jul 31, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

It's a summertime sequel for OSU biologists. For the sixth straight year the oxygen-depleted "Dead Zone" has returned off the Oregon coast.

The evidence, though not yet definitive, points to global warming as the cause:


In 2002, Chan says researchers thought Oregon's dead zone was an anomaly brought on by a perfect storm of changes in wind and water circulation patterns. However, he adds, "now we're seeing tha...



What was Intel thinking!?

11:49 PM Mon, Jul 30, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

I'm baffled that anyone at Intel would green light this print ad:

>> Continue reading: What was Intel thinking!?



Little people, big drinks?

8:40 PM Mon, Jul 30, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

We're not sure why the press release just came across now, but the Washington County Sheriff's Office tells us that Matthew Roloff, the dad from TLC's "Little People, Big World" was arrested for driving under the influence last month.

Obligatory celebrity mug shot, soon to be featured on The Smoking Gun and TMZ, I'm sure:

>> Continue reading: Little people, big drinks?



Have you braved IKEA yet?

5:45 PM Mon, Jul 30, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

LeLo in Nopo did. She includes this helpful tip:

Crowded shopping pisses people off. To the blonde mom and daughter blocking the way to the pillows: honey, don’t be snappy with strangers like that in front of your daughter. She’s going to grow up to be a bitch just like you. And yes, I really did smile back at you and say thanks. That’s how civilized people speak to each other. (My mother taught me that skill: thanks mom!) (

Portland's crime comic

9:05 AM Sun, Jul 29, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Metblogs brings word from ComicCon that suspense writer Greg Rucka is working on a hard-boiled detective comic called Stumptown.

stumptown_1.gif >> Continue reading: Portland's crime comic



Drunk in space

12:06 PM Fri, Jul 27, 2007 |
Frank Mungeam

How did we ever land a man on the moon?

The bad PR continues to pile up for NASA with the revelation that a study found heavy use of alcohol by astronauts before launch.

On the same day, it was learned that a subcontractor had tried to >> Continue reading: Drunk in space



Review Roundup: The Simpsons, Sunshine

10:27 AM Fri, Jul 27, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

The Simpsons Movie


Matt Groening: Springfield = Beaverton

8:56 AM Fri, Jul 27, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

After complaining for two weeks that Matt Groening wasn't giving Oregon any hometown lovin', he finally came through with an interview in this morning's Oregonian.

So where IS the Simpsons' hometown really? "We
from Oregon will know the real answer. Secretly, I've
always believed that the Simpsons live in Springfield,
Oregon -- or possibly Beaverton." ( >> Continue reading: Matt Groening: Springfield = Beaverton



The Brewers Festival Crowd

4:09 PM Thu, Jul 26, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

The Willy Week isn't necessarily known for its clever humor, but you need to go read AP Kryza's guide to the Nine people you meet at Oregon Brewers Fest.

The Wrecking Ball

His mission, should he choose to accept it, is to make a beeline to all the beers with the highest ABV (alcohol by volume) concentration and drink until he’s stumbling into blind oblivion....

The cat that predicts death

2:53 PM Wed, Jul 25, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

oscar_cat.jpg From our corporate cousins in Rhode Island comes the creepy story of Oscar, a cat that predicts death. He was raised by nursing home staff, and has been at the bed of more than 25 residents when they died.

[Oscar] goes into another room, where another woman, surrounded by family ...

Scam artist or sob story?

11:11 AM Wed, Jul 25, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

david_downtown.jpgJack Bog follows up on the the story of the now-infamous man in the blue T-shirt who keeps asking people downtown for cab fare to get home to Welches. Jack's readers are filling in the d...



IKEA madness

5:35 PM Tue, Jul 24, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

ikea_meatballs.jpgA couple years back, I flew into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on the way to visit the folks back in Tucson. The drive south took me past the new IKEA, which had been open for a little more than a month.

It was nuts, even by Phoenix traffic standards. The IKEA in Tempe is along I-10, an...



Merkley joining the Senate race?

4:36 PM Tue, Jul 24, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

jeff_merkley.jpgNigel Jaquiss cites "highly-placed" sources who tell him Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley will join the U.S. Senate race, aiming to unseat Gordon Smith in November 2008.

That sets u...



The duct tape committee

6:45 PM Mon, Jul 23, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Remember the Grand Floral Parade taping brouhaha? Amanda Fritz is thrilled she got asked to sit on Portland's Official Duct Tape Committee:

And perhaps the most enticing aspect of this issue is that nobody's life will be irreparably damaged, whatever the Council adopts in the new policy. So many City issues involve millions o...

Matt Groening's Springfield cop-out

10:06 AM Sun, Jul 22, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

From today's NY Times, we learn that Springfield, Vermont is not the true home of the Simpsons.


In what state is the Simpsons’s fictional Springfield located? Certainly not Vermont. You’ll find out in the movie. We actually reveal the states that Springfield borders on.

Can you tell me now? Maine, Kentucky and — I can’t remember what the others are. The point is that Springfield is ...

How annoying is Reed College?

5:55 PM Fri, Jul 20, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Not very annoying, according to Gawker readers.

The poll we mentioned yesterday is now up, where you can vote for America's most annoying liberal arts college.

Added to the list since yesterday: Olymp...



Review roundup: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Joshua

4:33 PM Fri, Jul 20, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Hairspray


Nike under pressure over Vick

12:40 PM Fri, Jul 20, 2007 |
Frank Mungeam

Michael Vick's federal indictment for dogfighting has unleashed a strong backlash from the animal rights community. Read the full indictment here.

Nike, Vick's biggest sponsor, quickly announced suspension of production ...



Is Reed the most annoying liberal arts college?

8:50 PM Thu, Jul 19, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Gawker's preparing a poll to find America's Most Annoying Liberal Arts college.

Portland's own Reed College is the only west coast representative on the list so far. Go join the f...



Survival skills

5:34 PM Thu, Jul 19, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Undercover smoking cops

3:17 PM Thu, Jul 19, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

The Columbian brings word that Clark County wants to hire private undercover contractors to bust bars that violate Washington's smoking ban.

Why can't the health department do it themselves?


The undercover contractors are needed because the county's public
health team -- two women and a man -- doesn't feel safe visiting bars
late at night to enforce the law, Cross said. (Undercover smoking cops



Presidential fundraising, part 3

11:09 AM Wed, Jul 18, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Today's Murmurs column in Willamette Week says oregon is "making a splash" in the presidential fundraising race.

A splash? More like a sprinkle.

Heading back to Open Secrets, we see Oregonians have donated just over $1 million to the candidates so far this election cycle. New York and California e...



Insert lawyer joke here

10:08 AM Wed, Jul 18, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

This week's rogue over at Willamette Week is a winner of a divorce lawyer, Allan Knappenberger.

The Bar has suspended Knappenberger's license for a year, now he's suing 25 former clients. At least one of Knappenberger's targets is fighting back:

James Barri of Birmingham, Ala., filed countersuit June 29 after Knappenberger sued him April 16 for $74,758.72 plus interest. His countersuit claims fraud and malpractice by ...

Portland breakfast map

8:52 AM Wed, Jul 18, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

AltPortland brings us a great Google Map mashup showing where to find breakfast.

breakfast_map.gif >> Continue reading: Portland breakfast map



Presidential fundraising, part 2

11:33 AM Tue, Jul 17, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

By Aaron Weiss

In addition to Open Secrets, The NY Times campaign finance site is an amazing tool for comparing candidate fundraising.

nyt_fundraising.gif >> Continue reading: Presidential fundraising, part 2



Real estate: Good news for buyers

9:19 AM Tue, Jul 17, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Salvador at the Portland Real Estate Blog says housing inventory has reached 5 months. Looking at the overall trend, that's good news for buyers, bad for sellers:

For comparison purposes, inventory at this time in 2006 was only 2.6 months. And in 2005, during Portland’s record breaking year, inventory was at an all time low of 1.5 months. In other words, the number of homes for sale in Portland and the suburbs has doubled and...

Presidential fundraising in Oregon

4:08 PM Mon, Jul 16, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Open Secrets just posted the complete 2nd quarter fundraising numbers for the 2008 Presidential race.

In Oregon, Mitt Romney continues to lead the pack, with $323,190 raised so far. John Edwards is running second with $207,792, followed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, each over the $100,000 mark. ( >> Continue reading: Presidential fundraising in Oregon



Student art 1, Lars & Malkin 0

8:18 PM Sat, Jul 14, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Loaded Orygun takes a moment to explain to Michelle Malkin and Lars Larson why the student art at PDX reflects an anti-war/anti-oil sentiment:

We've spent the last seven years with an administration that has made a mockery of Christianity while shooting thousands of innocent civilians overseas in their
ridiculous, trumped-up war while wrapping themselves in the flag. And Malkin scratches her brain cells wondering why p...

City Hall bathrooms, part 2

7:10 PM Sat, Jul 14, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Amanda Fritz sees a little irony in the Mayor's plan to open up City Hall bathrooms in the overnight hours:

But the six month trial period, at a cost of $46,000 for additional security staff, comes at a time when the neighborhood Citywide Parks Team volunteers have been told we may no longer meet in City Hall at 7 p.m. on third Thursdays, unless we are willing to pay for a security guard ourselves. People wanting to volunteer...

Woody Guthrie, Columbia river propagandist

7:50 PM Fri, Jul 13, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Tonight's All Things Considered has a fabulous piece on the month in 1941 that Woody Guthrie spent writing songs along the Columbia River.

In what must be one of the cheapest government PR contracts ever, the Bonneville Power Administration paid him all of $266 to promote the Bonneville, Grand Coulee, and other dams. (That would be about >> Continue reading: Woody Guthrie, Columbia river propagandist



The jailhouse beating tape

1:05 PM Fri, Jul 13, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

By Aaron Weiss

Matt Davis at the Mercury takes us to task for trying to "influence public opinion" on the jailhouse fight/beating story. He also whines about us not linking to their YouTube video, which is just not true. There's a link in the middle...



Going potty at City Hall

12:22 AM Fri, Jul 13, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

In a great piece of news for late-night bar hoppers, Mayor Tom Potter's office announced the 1st floor restrooms at City Hall will soon be open overnight.

It's one of the final steps toward enforcing the "Sit-Lie ordinance" that aims to keep the homeless off city sidewalks during the day. Also coming: 26 new benches. The Mercury h...



Stuff stolen? Look online

7:03 PM Thu, Jul 12, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

It's a good thing thieves are greedy. Some of them can't just settle for their neighborhood fence who pays pennies on the dollar and passes the goods on to unscrupulous second-hand stores. Instead, they try selling it themselves on eBay or Craigslist -- where their victims are eagerly awaiting.

The latest case comes from BikePortland, where Mike Kloeppel found his stolen high-end bike parts listed on eBay. Portland Police >> Continue reading: Stuff stolen? Look online



When your lunch tastes like cardboard

5:31 PM Thu, Jul 12, 2007 |
Aaron Weiss

Counterfeiters in China continue to go to amazing lengths to imitate real food. First it was egg piracy, now we get word of dumplings stuffed with cardboard.

...