Seen Around: interesting new West Salem web site

www.FreeWestSalem.Info

(Salem: 54) kelly norton: The Pleasant Places to Live

http://www.kellegous.com/j/2014/02/03/pleasant-places/

Where in the U.S. will you find the most "pleasant" days in a year?

"pleasant" here means the mean temperature was between (55° F and 75° F), the minimum temperature was above 45° F, the maximum temperature was below 85° F and there was no significant precipitation or snow depth.

It has been a winter of dreadful weather so far. I spent January flying back and forth from New York expecting to find a different set of conditions at the end of each leg. Whichever way I went, bitter cold greeted me at the end of the jet way and often with a coating of slick ice. It's hard not to dwell on anomalous and unpleasant weather. It got me wondering, though, where in the U.S. do you go if you want the most "pleasant" days in a year?

I decided to take a stab at what constitutes a "pleasant" day and then aggregate NOAA data for the last 23 years to figure out the regions of the United States with the most (and least) pleasant days in a typical year. The results, I think, are not that surprising and pretty much affirm the answer given off the cuff by many of my west coast friends when asked about the best places, "Southern California?" For the areas with the least pleasant days, I admit I would have guessed North Dakota. However, it's much of Montana that gets an average of a couple of weeks of pleasantness each year. I'm sure, though, they would shake their frost-bitten fingers at me and remind me that not everyone can take the overwhelming heat of 55° F. True, there is a bit of subjectivity to the range I selected. It's just that a lot of subjects share that same preference.

Data: NOAA Global Summary of the Day data archive

Let's get a yardsharing movement started in Salem!

This is from the "Hyperlocavore" site (see blogroll to the right). 

We're still looking for a gardener/urban farmer who needs great raised beds to grow organic produce -- here at LOVESalem HQ, we have drip irrigation, double-deep raised beds, good sun, most beds enclosed in a fenced yard where no one will bother them (and have not had much problems with the other beds).  You can have a substantial garden/produce operation right here in the city, less than a mile from the Capital.

So if you are a person who has garden skills and needs space, join the Hyperlocavore group and contact me there.  We have virtually everything you will need, except your knowledge and time. We ask only a fair split, to be negotiated with you, of what is harvested.

A staggering stinker s4@t into the State Capitol by the goons at ALEC

ALEC, the corrupt faux-nonprofit that has its claws and strings into far too many Oregon legislators, vomited up this hideous bill designed to turn all Oregon into West Virginia and Mississippi, play pens for the rich and thuggish who don't like the idea of being constrained by pesky regard for future generations and who don't want to be held accountable for destroying the things that make Oregon so treasured.

Briefly, SB 1548  [and HB 4153] overrides state and local land use laws and potentially every environmental and safety law related to construction and operation of industrial facilities. The bill allows any city or county with 7% or higher unemployment for 12 consecutive months to site "industrial, manufacturing, or natural resource facilities" without regard to state or local land use laws. These uses are defined in the bill to include "power generating facilities and mines, used to treat, process or manufacture materials into products" among other things. The bill has no criteria limiting the siting. Once the siting is approved by the city or county, all state agencies and local governments must issue all permits, licenses, and certificates and enter into intergovernmental agreements necessary for the "construction and operation" of the facility.

Hi all-

One of the most over-reaching bills we have seen in a long time is SB 1548,  currently scheduled for a hearing and possible work session on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 3:00, in the Senate Rural Communities & Economic Development Committee.  The link to the bill is:   https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2014R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB1548

I have attached a detailed summary of the bill.  Briefly, SB 1548  overrides state and local land use laws and potentially every environmental and safety law related to construction and operation of industrial facilities. The bill allows any city or county with 7% or higher unemployment for 12 consecutive months to site "industrial, manufacturing, or natural resource facilities" without regard to state or local land use laws. These uses are defined in the bill to include "power generating facilities and mines, used to treat, process or manufacture materials into products" among other things. The bill has no criteria limiting the siting. Once the siting is approved by the city or county, all state agencies and local governments must issue all permits, licenses, and certificates and enter into intergovernmental agreements necessary for the "construction and operation" of the facility.

In addition, this bill provides that a review of any siting decision is by the circuit courts, not LUBA, where it gets priority over all other circuit court proceedings; it requires ODOT to prioritize transportation funding to serve these sites; and it allows employers in a city or county of high unemployment to get a tax credit for creating new full time jobs. 

1000 Friends of Oregon opposes SB 1548, and the Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) has declared it a "Major Threat"  (along with its companion bill in the House, HB 4153)

Please call and/or e-mail the members of the Senate Rural Communities & Economic Development Committee to express your opposition.  The Committee members  are:

Chair	Senator Arnie Roblan
Vice-Chair	Senator Herman Baertschiger Jr.
Member	Senator Ginny Burdick
Member	Senator Betsy Close
Member	Senator Floyd Prozanski

Thank you, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Mary Kyle McCurdy
Policy Director
1000 Friends of Oregon

Limits to Growth–At our doorstep, but not recognized | Our Finite World

http://ourfiniteworld.com/2014/02/06/limits-to-growth-at-our-doorstep-but-not-recognized/

Added sugar = added risk of death

It's not lead or arsenic, but sugar is definitely a poisonous substance in excess, and excess is a lot less than most Americans are accustomed to using. 

http://www.livescience.com/43065-added-sugar-heart-disease.html

Added Sugar May Boost Risk of Heart Disease, Death

...

What's more, people who consumed between 17 and 21 percent of their daily calories from added sugar were nearly 40 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease over a 14-year period than those who consumed about 8 percent of their daily calories from added sugar, the study found. [9 Snack Foods: Healthy or Not?]

People who drank seven or more sugar-sweetened beverages (such as soda) per week — a common source of added sugar — were about 30 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease during the study than those who drank one or fewer sugar-sweetened beverages per week.

"...

In the most recent survey, results showed that Americans consumed about 15 percent of their daily calories from added sugar, on average.

The more added sugar participants consumed, the greater their risk of death from heart disease. Those who consumed 21 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugar were about twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease during the study compared with those who consumed between 0 and 9 percent of their daily calories from sugar.

The findings held even after the researchers took into account factors that affect heart disease risk, such as body mass index, blood pressure and total calorie intake

In Salem as in Portland as in Seattle: Mega-Project Mess: All This Could Be Yours - BlueOregon

The Salem Sprawl Lobby continues to push the "Salem Alternative" without ever even honestly addressing any of the warnings about how these projects go.

http://www.blueoregon.com/2014/01/mega-project-mess/

"As Governor Kitzhaber pushes Oregon's lawmakers to go it alone on the costly, risky Columbia River Crossing mega-project, it might be wise for everyone in Salem to get a subscription to the Seattle Times, Crosscut, and The Stranger, stat.

Over the past two months, the Times has had headline after headline about WSDOT's latest mega-project, the Seattle tunnel. Most are about how Bertha, the world's largest tunneling machine (custom-built for this project) hasn't moved for nearly eight weeks; contractors and WSDOT have undertaken an expensive and potentially dangerous investigation.

As Oregon has no experience with such mega-projects, and ODOT has a terrible track record with its recent large projects, it is incumbent on CRC-backing legislators to learn from others.

We know Oxford University's Bent Flyvbjerg's meta-analysis shows 90% of mega-projects go over budget, with a billion-dollar cost overrun about average for projects the size of the CRC. We know how Boston's Big Dig, projected to cost $2.8 to $6 billion, ended up costing $22 billion.

Closer to home, we remember the OSHU tram, which came in at two to four times its projected cost, and with a fare more than double the estimate. That's a project one-hundred times cheaper and simpler than the CRC.

But Oregon lawmakers should also notice similarities with mega-projects in Washington, where the DOT – an agency with much more experience than ODOT in managing mega-projects, and that oversaw much of the groundwork the CRC – is struggling mightily with a big bridge project and a two-mile tunnel in Seattle. . . ."

Don't miss this -- making Salem work for everyone, not just drivers

AGE-FRIENDLY CITY EXPERT VISITING SALEM

News Release from Cherriots - Salem Keizer Transit
Posted on FlashAlert: January 29th, 2014 3:30 PM

Gil Penalosa is a champion of advocating quality of life for people of all ages, from eight to 80 (and beyond). The Executive Director of a Toronto based non-profit, 8-80 Cities, Gil bases his practice in a simple philosophy: If you create a city that's good for an 8 year old and good for an 80 year old, you will create a successful city for everyone. This is an 8-80 City.

Mr. Penalosa is adding Salem to the long list of cities in which he has lectured with the hope of sharing ideas and inspiration that will help Salem become an 8-80 City. He will present his ideas in a public lecture in Salem on February 19.

As former Commissioner of Parks, Sport and Recreation for the City of Bogota, Colombia, Gil successfully led the design and development of over 200 parks of which Simon Bolivar, a 360 hectare park in the heart of the city is the best known; here he created the Summer Festival, with over 100 events in 10 days and more than 3 million people attending, making it the main annual recreational and cultural event in the country and an economic engine for the city.

Salem-Keizer Transit General Manager Allan Pollock said, "I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Penalosa speak in Washington D.C. Like many who hear him, I was inspired by his vision. Gil articulates the importance and benefits of active transportation in a compelling way. We are honored to have the opportunity to host him in Salem and hope that many will join us to learn how we might improve livability in our own community."

Elements of an 8-80 City are simple:

-8-80 Cities are communities built for people. They are made up of public spaces that create equal access for diverse groups.
-They nurture our need to be physically active by providing safe, accessible and enjoyable places for everyone to walk, bike and be active as part of our daily routine.
-They recognize that people are social creatures and prioritize human interaction by fostering vibrant streets and great public places where people can rest, relax and play.
8-80 Cities encourage vibrant communities and healthy lifestyles for everyone regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity or economic background.

Locally sponsored by Salem-Keizer Transit and Willamette University, the event is free to the public. Doors will open at 6:00pm. Penalosa's presentation will begin at 6:30pm. Light refreshments will be available.

Willamette College of Law, 245 Winter St. SE, John C. Paulus Great Hall
February 19, at 6:30pm

Contact Info:
Sadie Carney
Director of Community Relations
503-588-2424
carneys@cherriots.org

By two Salemites! The Health Care Movie!

By two residents here in Salem!  A terrific movie about how a country much like our own overcame the power of special interest money and gave all its citizens full, universal access to health care by fixing a broken financing system that excluded the poor . . . the system that is still killing thousands of us annually in the US.

Look for a showing here in Salem this Spring!  And go the HealthCareMovie.Net to buy your own copies and spread them around!

A Forecast of Our Energy Future; Why Common Solutions Don’t Work | Our Finite World

If you want to understand why every dollar wasted on Bridgasaurus Boondogglus is being stolen from our very hides, read this cool, clear-eyed analysis of our predicament vis a vis energy and other resource limits.

And the $400-$800+ million Bridgasaurus is the least of it -- For that matter, we are very unlikely to pass even the $70+ million dollar bond for a new police HQ. Indeed, it's a good bet that we are never going to build anything at the scale of the City Hall bunker from the 70s again, at least without defaulting on it afterwards.

Food security is the emerging critical issue. Three days after the trucks stop delivering, the stores are out of food.

http://ourfiniteworld.com/2014/01/29/a-forecast-of-our-energy-future-why-common-solutions-dont-work/