Mayor Sam Adams had a very, very, very long day yesterday. Some of it was pretty good: City council approved the “Made in Oregon” sign deal his staff helped assemble, and he (reportedly) agreed with Chief Mike Reese’s decision to fire the police officer who shot Aaron Campbell. Some of it was awkward: Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen accused Adams of making outrageous demands and holding up work to replace the dangerous Sellwood Bridge. And some of it was rather embarrassing: The Oregonian found out the mayor had defaulted on a home loan last month. Again.
Beaverton has refused to just say no, and, now, so has Portland. But the most awkward celebration anywhere of Mexico’s bicentennial might be in Mexico itself. Joy will be tempered by the sorrow and sadness of spiraling drug violence.
You history buffs may recall: The English don’t much like the Catholics. So, it seems that Pope Benedict XIV, making the first ever papal state visit to the apostate British Isles, may have tried to warm up his reception by making his strongest statements yet condemning priestly sex abuse.
Bears are hungry. Lock your car doors and coolers and gas-guzzling, 90-wheel, air-conditioned camper coaches. That is all.
They crisscross neighborhoods, silently, all around the country: natural gas pipelines like the one that tragically exploded south of San Francisco last week. The utility company that controls that pipe is being asked whether it raised rates to fix aging pipes but then never actually, you know, fixed anything.
Boeing wants to send you into space! The aerospace company wants to sell commercial seats on a space vehicle it’s developing for NASA. Exciting, except that, these days, Boeing can’t be bothered to build working airplanes. But, hey, why sell your dreams short!
In continuing news, the economy still sucks. The proportion of Americans living in poverty—14.3 percent—is the highest since 1994. And that doesn’t capture the many more millions of Americans who aren’t in poverty—the poverty line is shockingly low—but who are suffering economically. How should Uncle Sam respond? Blame China?
The fine folks fattening our asses with sweet food at International House of Pancakes have sued the International House of Prayer (the spiritual equivalent of empty calories, no doubt) for use of the pancake chain’s cherished acronym: IHOP.
GOOD MORNING, DENIS! HOW ARE YOU?!?
YOU ARE INCORRECT ABOUT POPE EGGS BENEDICT XIV BEING THE FIRST PONTIFF TO VISIT THE UNITED KINGDOM. POPE JOHN PAUL RINGO II VISITED THE PLACE IN 1982
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastoral_trip…
I CAN’T WAIT FOR BOEING TO SHOOT ME INTO SPACE! I’VE BEEN PROMISED THAT KIND OF FUTURISM MY WHOLE LIFE; THESE UNFULFILLED PROMISES HAVE LEFT ME JADED AND CYNICAL. HOPEFULLY THIS DOESN’T EXACERBATE MY PROBLEMS!!!
GOOD MORNING, DENEE ET GRAHAME!
I’M SO THANKFUL FOR THAT LAWSUIT! IT’S BEEN A SOURCE OF GREAT CONFUSION! ENTER A HOUSE OF PRAYER ASKING FOR THE “ROOTY TOOTY FRESH N’ FRUITY” AND AWKWARD SIDE-GLANCES WILL ABOUND!
HI GRAHAM! ACTUALLY, THIS *IS* THE FIRST “STATE” VISIT, AS I NOTED. REMEMBER THAT THE POPE IS THE HEAD OF A GOVERNMENT BESIDES BEING A PRIEST. YOU’RE RIGHT THAT JP-TOO CAME ON A LESS-FORMAL “PASTORAL” VISIT NEARLY 30 YEARS AGO.
OOH, POPE FIGHT! POPE FIGHT! I WOULDN’T TAKE THAT IF I WERE YOU!
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING GRAHAM, TSW, DENIS AND WM.
I PERSONALLY THINK THAT IF YOU CAN’T MASTER YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING MAYOR. /RANT
STOP BEING A RIGHT WING HOMOPHOBE FRUIT CUP.
ADAMS IS MAYOR FAIR AND SQUARE, GET OVER IT ALREADY.
@DENIS: I WAS UNAWARE THAT THERE WAS A DISTINCTION BETWEEN A PAPAL STATE VISIT AND A PAPAL PASTORAL VISIT. THE HOLY SEE IS GODDAMNED FUCKING RETARDED AND WE SHOULD ALL READ PREACHER BY GARTH ENNIS.
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. I WANT MORE FIGHTING ABOUT THE POPE. THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE IS DISCONCERTING. I’M REALLY SICK OF UPPER MANAGEMENT BONUSES.
IT’S HARD TO BE A HOMOPHOBE WHEN YOU’RE GAY, SO BLOW ME.
GOOD MORNING COMMENTERS. TENSIONS SURE ARE HIGH. AND APPARENTLY COMMENTERS IS NOT A WORD.
GOOD MORNING ALL! FRUIT CUP IS RIGHT, IF YOU CAN’T BALANCE YOUR LITTLE CHECKBOOK, YOU SHOULDN’T BE IN CHARGE OF BALANCING THE STATE’S BIG CHECKBOOK. THIS GOES FOR GAY DEMOCRATS LIKE ADAMS AND ANTI-MASTURBATION, JESUS-FREAK TEABAGGERS LIKE CHRISTINE O’DONNELL! MATH IS FUN, SO DO IT RIGHT!
WHOOPS! I MEANT THE CITY’S CHECKBOOK. TOO MUCH ENTHUSIASM. STILL A PRETTY BIG CHECKBOOK.
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE-IS IT OKAY IF I JOIN YOUR ALL-CAP MORNING FUN GROUP?
HEHE, I UNDERSTOOD YOU’RE MEANING MR. DARKNESS; IT IS A PRETTY DAMN BIG CHECKBOOK. STILL, THAT’S THE POINT. HOW CAN WE EXPECT ADAMS TO BEHAVE RESPONSIBLY WITH STATE MONEY IF HE HAS NO PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HIS OWN FINANCES?
VOTES SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO CANDIDATES CREDIT REPORTS. I HAVE TO GIVE OUT MINE WHENEVER I APPLY FOR A JOB, SEEMS FAIR.
GOOD MORNING NOON YOU GUYS! I AM HAPPY SAM ADAMS IS AS TERRIBLE WITH MONEY AS I AM. ALSO IT IS A RECESSION AND WHEN HE PURCHASED THOSE PROPERTIES HE PROLLY DIDN’T REALIZE THE HOUSING MARKET WAS ABOUT TO BE COMPLETELY FUCKED AND SO WAS HIS PRIVATE LIFE.
WELCOME PORK CHOP!
Actually Oregon passed a law this year making it “an unlawful employment practice for an employer to obtain or use for employment purposes information contained in the credit history of an applicant for employment or an employee, or to refuse to hire, discharge, demote, suspend, retaliate or otherwise discriminate against an applicant or an employee with regard to promotion, compensation or the terms, conditions or privileges of employment based on information in the credit history.”
There are a couple exceptions. Now you know!
Oh yeah, I think I remember that. How does it work if the hiring company is not incorporated in Oregon, though?
WOW, I CAN’T EVEN RESPOND TO THAT. BEST OF LUCK!
DENIS I KEEP FORGETTING TO ASK IF YOU ARE RELATED TO DOUG (BRILLIANT AVANT GUITARIST FROM PDX)???
@ABUSIVE: ALAS, I AM NOT. AT LEAST NOT DIRECTLY. BUT POSSIBLY DISTANTLY. I ONCE READ SOME WHERE THAT EVERYONE WITH MY LAST NAME IS RELATED TO A COMMON ANCESTOR, A FRENCHMAN WHO LANDED IN ACADIA SOME 400 YEARS AGO. THANK GOD MY FATHER MARRIED OUTSIDE NEW BRUNSWICK. THE FAMILY TREE UP THERE IS A BRAID.
TEAM PANCAKE.
AND GOOD NIGHT.
GOOD MORNING. THE UK IS SPENDING THE EQUIVALENT OF $20 MILLION USD FOR POPE SECURITY. SOME CRAZY PROTESTANT WILL PROBABLY TRY TO TAKE A SWING, Y’KNOW.
I’M GLAD THAT THE POPE IS EVEN MENTIONING THE WIDESPREAD SEXUAL ABUSE, BUT WHAT ARE THEY ACTUALLY GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
I am guessing it applies to all jobs located in Oregon Fruit Cup, but again there are exceptions for some job titles. Washington state has a similar law.
I really appreciate the spirit of the law though, people get into personal financial trouble for all sorts of reasons; medical bills, shitty real estate market, unexpected legal bills related to a puritanical witch hunt, and so on. I think it is better to judge someone for how they do their job than their FICO score.
I agree completely. My statement was more in line with the absurdity of the request on the part of employers, rather than thinking it was a good idea to request it for candidates. Nothing makes my stomach tighten and flip over more than having to authorize an employers request for my credit score; it’s certainly a violation of my privacy.
That said, public records for public employees are fair game.
Glad to know tha Oregon does not allow the credit score to hinder the hiring process. Does anyone get this yet we are being controlled by big banks what happened to bjust applying for. A job and doing it well. I guess we will all be on state assistance if ourb credit score is will I say f*** fico a way to keep us complacent.