Excellence in Punditry award for week of May 11, 2009

James Howard Kunstler:

We've digested the so-called "stress tests" for now with nary a burp and in a few weeks General Motors will step into the dark cave of bankruptcy. All the ancillary businesses linked to the US car-makers face contraction and annihilation. A couple of things occur to me which have not even entered the national debate on these matters:

1.) the US will still need to manufacture engines and chassis for military vehicles. Do we intend to send out to Mitsubishi for those things in the years ahead?

2.) the US will need rolling stock (i.e. choo-choo cars and engines) for a revived passenger railroad system. Do we intend to buy all that from the quaint peoples of other lands? (While the US workforce instead focuses on updated releases of Grand Theft Auto.)

At the moment, there is tremendous hoopla and jubilation over the start-up of so many "shovel-ready" highway projects around America -- as if what we need most are additional circumferential freeways to enhance the Happy Motoring lifestyle. How insane are we? Is this the only thing we know how to do?

Once more into the breach! CITY @ City Hall this Monday!

Update: SJ story on tonight's meeting.

Urgent - Please attend City Council

Mon., May 11, 6:30-8:30 pm

City Hall, 555 Liberty St SE, Rm 240
(Room 240 extends over the parking lot)

Let’s fill the City Council Chambers with C.I.T.Y. supporters!

C.I.T.Y. and other supporters of hens in Salem will be giving presentations. Supporters of this cause will be asked to stand and we want to show City Council that our support is growing and we are stronger and more determined than ever!

Bring your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers . . . anyone you know who supports our cause. We're on the City Council agenda, so we need a good showing to remind City Council that there are plenty of voters who want the opportunity to keep a few hens for eggs and as pets.

Unsolicited Plug 3 -- the most delicious one yet

Willamette Valley Fruit Company has a new store just far enough out in Marion Co. from Salem to make it a terrific bike ride where you can reward yourself with an amazingly delicious scone or other treat, while you pick up a pie or two to bring back home (bring an insulated bag or cooler on your bike). Riding out Sunnyview is also quite beautiful, although there is no bikelane for much of it :^(

The wonderful WVFCo. not-yet-baked frozen pies are also available at the Fresh Start Market on Center St, which gives you an outstanding way to support a worthwhile effort and get your pie jones satisfied too.

But no matter where you get them, they make a dessert that is out of this world.

Informative series

The Association of Oregon Counties and the League of Oregon Cities have prepared a series of informative fact sheets on road funding. Here's an OAC chart on the cost of a ton of asphalt that bears careful pondering -- keep in mind that we're now on the peak oil downslope (meaning that, while there will be a lot of price volatility, the overall trend for asphalt costs -- like all oil-derived products -- is going to keep climbing sharply).

We've stretched auto dependency to the point that it's going to snap and hurt us badly--everything we do to try to prop up the road system is going to take more and more money, meaning people are going to limit driving and spending even more.

Wouldn't it be nice if the Willamette Valley had the same level of streetcar service today as it had in 1909?

Transit saves ... if you have a functioning system

Nice article about how much money you can save by taking transit. Only one problem -- you have to have a transit system that supports riders with enough service to make it possible to be car free or car lite (which Salem definitely does not -- yet).

Many of you may not realize that there are another round of service reductions in the works for Salem's bus system, Salem-Keizer Transit (a/k/a Cherriots). Given the defeat of the last three operating levies, the staff has developed a plan to live within the current funding (about 10% fares, with the rest of the money coming from property tax of 76 mills, supplemented by millions of payments in lieu of payroll tax from the State of Oregon).

Four seats on the Transit Board will be decided in the upcoming election (ballots must be received by the Elections office by May 19). If you want to see the League of Women Voters interview with candidates for one of the races, look for it on Channel 21 (station CCTV) at these times:

Thursday, May 7, 9:30 p.m. . . . Monday, May 11, 3:30 p.m.
Friday, May 8, 10:00 p.m. . . . Thursday, May 14, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 9, 4:00 p.m. . . . Saturday, May 16, 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 10, 10:00 p.m. . . . Monday, May 18, 2:00 p.m.

You can also stream the program in on your home PC or Mac .

Thurs. May 14: The Accidental Advocate

The Salem Progressive Film Series offering for May is an especially good one:

May 14 , 2009, 7 PM, at the Grand Theatre (191 High St NE).

When Claude Gerstle, a surgeon and athlete, suffers a tragic bicycle accident that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down, he and his daughter, Jessica, discover hope in the politicized area of science called stem cells. "The Accidental Advocate" is a wheelchair odyssey of a father and daughter who track down the thinkers, the politicians, the crusaders and the naysayers in an effort to understand the potential of the science and why a political quagmire is stalling a cure. The film sorts the hope from the hype, the ideas from the ideology. The promise of stem cell research has united diverse patients and families — rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, religious and secular, a group of millions of Americans — creating a very vocal national movement to reverse limits on the federal funding of the research.

This is a film about science. This is a film about politics. This film is about ethics. But, finally, this is a film about a family. It tells the intricate, delicate, personal story of how one family deals with the life-changing impact of this kind of injury.

Taking control of development: preparing for a post-oil world

Taking control of development at the local level

by Christopher J. Ryan, AICP

The model of land development practiced today will surely be the scavenged ruins of tomorrow. Peak oil will guarantee this outcome...

Most people connected to the business of urban development like I am understand that decisions and action is driven by the availability of money, the developers that employ the money and turn a hefty profit, and the landowners that seek to maximize their return also. The lucrative nature of the business for practitioners who follow the formula (i.e. what has always worked thus strip shopping malls and cul-de-sac subdivisions in the exurbs) continues to drive sprawl and an enormous waste of land and resources clearly diametrically opposite to actions that should be taken to relocalize and become more resilient. What this amounts to is a criminal waste of dwindling precious resources at a time when we need to swiftly retool our communities in the face of peak oil and climate change. (more)

Equal Justice Rocks!

Justice Rocks II
Second Annual Campaign For Equal Justice Benefit Concert

Rock out and raise your glass for a noble cause with local musicians. Join us at The Roxxy this Friday night at 8pm-2am for an evening of non-stop music. Live music by Norman, the Upsidedown, Coco Cobra & The Killers with DJ JD between sets. $5 (minimum donation) at the door to benefit the Campaign for Equal Justice. Unique items provided by the bands will also be available for auction and sale.

This event aims to raise funds for The Campaign for Equal Justice, which provides free legal assistance to thousands of low-income Oregonians in need. The CEJ mission is to champion access to justice for low-income Oregonians through education and by working to increase funding for legal aid. We live in a free society and The Campaign for Equal Justice plays an essential role to realize that freedom for some of the 600,000 Oregonians living in poverty.

Kaylie Heimel (503)581-1240 / kheimel@kite.com Crowell Ing, LLP -

Additional information:
The Event - http://www.myspace.com/justice_rocks_music
Campaign for Equal Justice - THE ROXXY •1230 State Street

Your Right to Know about Toxic Releases

OMB Watch today launched a redesigned and expanded website for the Right-to-Know Network (RTK NET) at www.rtknet.org. The website serves as a source for information about environmental and public health threats and opportunities for public engagement with environmental policy, and it offers news, data, and analysis of environmental right-to-know issues.

Constantly evolving since its initial launch in 1989, RTK NET continues to provide free access to several government databases of environmental information. Users can identify sources of pollution in their communities, learn about the transport of hazardous waste, search reports of chemical spills and accidents, and much more.

RTK NET allows users to conduct countless types of data searches, including in the Toxics Release Inventory - a database containing information on toxic pollution from facilities across the nation. Visitors will also find interactive maps for comparing states and easy-to-understand graphs that clearly identify pollution trends.

In addition to offering access to extensive amounts of environmental data, the redesigned RTK NET presents information on how environmental data are being used to protect air and water quality, wildlife habitats, children's health, and more.

Visitors will also find news items dealing with government transparency, public access to information, and public participation in environmental decision making. Opportunities for grassroots action and citizen involvement are available, as well as tools for outreach and education.

By providing both the raw information and the context for how it can be used, RTK NET empowers citizens to make a difference in their communities and beyond.

RTK NET can be found at http://www.rtknet.org. Please take a look and let us know what you think.

Welcome, Friends! (Friends of Salem Saturday Market)

Excellent news. One of Salem's most charming attractions now has a non-profit auxiliary group, Friends of Salem Saturday Market, to build awareness and appreciation for the market:

Friends of Salem Saturday Market is a newly forming 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are a dedicated group of individuals who are passionate about our local farmers markets and want to increase awareness of the wide range and benefits of using locally produced products. The purpose of Friends of Salem Saturday Market: 1. Provide outreach and education to the public on food production, nutrition, preservation and general cooking and food preparation 2. Collaborate with other community organizations to organize charitable and educational programs and activities in support of local, sustainable agriculture 3. Strengthen and encourage community support of local, sustainable agriculture in order to help preserve Oregon's unique agricultural heritage 4. Help provide a creative and vibrant community gathering place

And they're not just gazing fondly at the SSM -- they're bent on making it even better:

Upcoming Events at Salem Saturday Market

Canning and preservation demonstrations by Marion County’s OSU Extension

Knitting Day at Salem Saturday Market

Bike valet service

Produce tastings

Chef’s demonstrations

Education and outreach on topics ranging from nutrition to sustainable agriculture to crafts

Off-site Events
We will also host year-round events away from the Market, including tours of local farms employing sustainable practices and partnering with other local organizations.