Baby boxes are back. Don’t know what a baby box is? Apparently it’s an antiquated way to ditch your unwanted child, and it’s making a comeback in Europe. Let’s just say the UN has its concerns about the practice. Just a question, Europe: is it really that hard to put on a fucking condom? Money, […]
Nathan Gilles
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Killer in custody. George Zimmerman, the man that shot Trayvon Martin, is in police custody. Rehashing an old controversy, The Oregonian is reporting former Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield received bribes from a Greek arms dealer. Through a Freedom on Information Act request, the paper has revealed that the arms dealer, Basil Tsakos, was secretly indicted […]
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Earthquake Cassandra: A Conversation with Jerry Thompson
If you’ve been following the Mercury’s occasional stories about our region’s coming earthquake disaster, then you will no doubt know the term Cascadia subduction zone. If not, here’s an oversimplified refresher: it’s a fault just off the West Coast stretching from Vancouver Island to Northern California. It’s pretty quiet, as far as faults go, but […]
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Greek sex industry screwed by debt. Yup! As it turns out, living in a debt-ridden country on the brink of total economic collapse is a real disincentive for buying sex toys and pornography. I can understand the toys, but who buys porn? What are they still on dial up in Greece? If (when?) Greece takes […]
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Shaking Behind the Scenes
City Quake Tour Dances Around Fears Over Portland’s Harbor Wall—and Bridges
Why a city earthquake tour danced around concerns about Portland’s harbor wall—and its bridges.
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Mapping Destruction: City Releases Locations of Portland Hazards
Yesterday, the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM), our city-run bulwark against catastrophe, released a series of maps revealing Portland’s many hazards. Listed are floodplains, wildfire areas, local fault lines—you name it. PBEM’s maps also list evacuation routes, helicopter landing spots, hospitals, and fire stations. Well that’s reassuring…but wait! The maps also list a number […]
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What?!! WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange a politician? According to a poll conducted by Australia’s Labor party, if he ran for office in his native country, Assange might actually get some votes. Speaking of leaks… Holy Moly! The Vatican is none too happy with a new book chocked-full of leaked documents about the sacred institution. Don’t worry, […]
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Jail Drug-Testing Shows Weed Popular as Ever
Our May 3 story “Marijuana ‘On Board’” talked about a federal drug-testing program many people had never heard about, including some civil libertarians. Under various names, the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program (or ADAM II), tested male arrestees in ten cities, including Portland, for over two decades. But earlier this year, due to a lack […]
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Gay money. How will President Obama’s support for gay marriage affect the upcoming election? Follow the money, honey. Politician adulterer par excellence. Bill Clinton set many precedents as president. Not the least of which, it turns out, are legal strategies for politicians dealing with extra-marital affairs. Or at least this is what John Edwards’ lawyers […]
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Teenagers Occupy Pioneer Courthouse Square
Well, sort of… A crowd of well-over 1000 filled Pioneer Courthouse Square this afternoon to protest budget cuts to Oregon schools. But unlike other recent protests, this one was composed almost entirely of teenagers. There were also some educators, a few Portland mayoral candidates, and some (notably excited) parents, who beamed with pride as they […]
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Protesting Putin. As Vladimir Putin gears up for his third (official) term as Russian president, protestors are like, “really, this guy again?” In Syria, rebels and President Bashar al-Assad<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/06/us-syria-idUSBRE84507E20120506?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FtopNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Top+News%29“> continue to go at it as elections near. As the European Union struggles with its debt crisis, the sleeping giant called democracy awakens as France […]
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Masonry on the MAX
The advertisement on side of the MAX said “got light?” Playing off the “got milk?” campaign, I thought at first it was an ad for Portland General Electric. No, it was an advertisement for Freemasonry. Yes you read correctly. Freemasonry is now taking its message to the public by taking public transit. The famed fraternal […]