This story at Slate is sad and funny and interesting: It’s about how the internet has turned used book buyers from a specialized kind of craftsman into automatons: I make a living buying and selling used books. I browse the racks of thrift stores and library book sales using an electronic bar-code scanner. I push […]
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Posted inMovies & TV
Handjobs, I, Anonymous, Hump, and You
This is not just an I, Anonymous about a handjob: Really? You have to get a handjob on a public bench, at noon, so close to the busy sidewalk that I have to step around your feet? I’ve called the police exactly twice in my life, and the second time was calling in your sorry […]
Posted in$$$
Hey Wells Fargo! Give Up the Overdraft Greed Already.
I’ll admit I’m a biased, bitter, ex-Bank of America and ex-Wells Fargo customer but Wells Fargo is just looking crazy these days. On August 11, a California court came down in favor of a class action lawsuit filed by Wells Fargo customers who said the bank was ripping them off (read all about it in […]
Posted inVideo Games
Let’s Take A Look At Japanese Game Sales
While driving last night I was listening to the latest episode of Warning: A Huge Podcast — one of the few gaming podcasts worth the bits it’s printed on — when the hosts began discussing the latest video game sales figures from the Land of the Rising Sun. While most of the discussion was further […]
Posted inGossip
Rumor of the Week: Call of Duty Gets A Subscription Fee?
Important Disclaimer: Before you go any further, please keep in mind that this information is only a rumor. It does come from some rather solid sources who could possibly be in the know if such a thing were true, but until I get confirmation from certain parties, this remains nothing more than a rumor. So […]
Posted in$$$
Poors, You Get Another Dime! Oregon Minimum Wage Jumps 10 Cents
Good news, y’all: Oregon’s minimum wage will rise from $8.40/hour to $8.50 on January 1, 2011. That’s thanks for Measure 25, which squeaked past voters in 2002 and increases minimum wage as inflation increases. “It’s a great law, it’s working very well. It’s solved the problem of large, unexpected jumps in the minimum wage that […]
Posted inCity Hall
Politics: The Gig That Keeps on Giving
City lobbying reports for the three-month quarter ending June 30 were posted late yesterday afternoon. You can see who came to City Hall to talk about which issues, and which city officials reported receiving gifts. Take a look here to download all the goodies, in raw form, or just take a look below for highlights. […]
Posted inPolitics
Budget Pain Isn’t as Painful This Time Around
Only $377 million more? That’s cool. It’s strange to call this good news, but some people are: The latest state revenue projections by the Office of Economic Analysis were “only” $377 million off earlier forecasts. That will trigger a new round of program cuts. But because of Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s previous tryst with the machete, […]
Posted inPortland
Want $100? Be an Extra on Portlandia.
Why yes, I am pretty awesome at photoshop So if you haven’t already heard, there’s this show Portlandia, which is currently planning to shoot at various locations around our fair city. (INCLUDING, PERHAPS, AT THE OFFICES OF A CERTAIN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE PORTLAND MERCURY*.) Anyway, they’re gonna need extras […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Your Lemonade Sucks! OR How to Run a Successful Lemonade Stand in Portland: A Guide for Seven-Year-Old Entrepreneurs
There has been much uproar about the Multnomah County Health Department’s attempted shut-down of seven-year-old Julie Murphy’s lemonade stand during Last Thursday, last Thursday [as covered in yesterday’s Good Morning News]. Everyone seems appropriately up in arms, and the Health Department has even apologized. But as a food critic, I don’t think I’m remiss in […]
Posted inNews
Supportland “Expanded Beta Launch” Tomorrow
Remember how back in May I wrote this piece about Supportland, the local-business incentive plan that they don’t like to say is the creation of a new sub-currency but kind of is? And how back then it was slated to launch on June 10 but never did? Well it’s finally launching! Sorta! Beta! Tomorrow! Early […]
Posted inComedy
A Brief and (ONLY SEMI-) Dramatized Transcript of the Conversation I Just Had with My Bank
Some Woman: Hello, this is Cynthia, how can I help you?Me: Hi, Cynthia, I have a question about my account.Cynthia: Sure thing. Let me pull it up for you. Oh! Ha ha, you are poor, which I hate!Me: Yes, that’s what I’m calling about. I noticed that I got so poor that you stole a […]