7 reasons America will fail on climate change

7 reasons America will fail on climate change - Vox

http://www.vox.com/2014/6/5/5779040/7-reasons-America-fail-global-warming
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The Chamber of the 1% can rejoice -- at least those without kids or grand kids, or hopes to have any in the future:  the threat of sensible action to avoid the worst of climate disruption and mass extinctions seems to have been averted, and many astute observers have concluded that we (humanity) are like the astronauts in the Challenger Space Shuttle at the moment of launch on the too-cold morning in 1986: our doom is sealed, but we don't know it yet.

And as for those in the Chamber -- well we can just hope that they are so darn proud of their righteousness that they take the time to record prominently for history exactly how hard they fought against the hoax of global warming, and how they helped defend freedom by ensuring that nothing interfered with the absolute right of the ruling class to treat the planet as their personal toilet without any restraint at all.  

Because their progeny and descendants-- all mankind, really -- should know exactly who is responsible for all that freedom that we will leave them.

Elevate People, Not Boondoggles!

ELEVATE PEOPLE, NOT BOONDOGGLES!

As consultants and construction contractors in the Chamber of the 1% salivate over the prospect of spending further millions of your money to lay the groundwork to grab hundreds of millions more, it’s time for the people of Salem to send a clear message to every elected official within 100 miles:

It’s an obscenity to pour money down the planning rathole for a project that backers are trying to sell with an ever-changing rationale but will never be built, in a city that is so apathetic to the actual residents’ needs that it doesn’t even provide weekend bus service.

We’re against blowing four to eight hundred million dollars on an enormous elevated boondoggle. 

What are we for instead? It’s simple: we are for ELEVATING what’s right, not what’s wrong.

·      We support elevating people, not pork-barrel bridges.

·      We support elevating transit in Salem above the level of a third-world country.

·      We support elevating transparency over the backroom, backscratching maneuvers by politicians conspiring with their campaign funders, the maneuvers that produced this camel pretending to be a racehorse.

·      We support elevating honest government instead of the profits of the CH2M-Hills and the others sucking at the teat of a giant pork project.

·      We support elevating health for people by spending on projects that support biking and pedestrians, not just drivers.

·      We support elevating downtown Salem businesses, not the ones in Keizer and beyond West Salem.

·      We support elevating the needs of the “bridgehead” neighborhoods over the profits of the contractors who want to destroy those neighborhoods.

For all those reasons and more, that is why we support elevating the “Salem River Crossing” just enough to drop it in the trash can and move on to more important things.

Salem and ODOT in a few graceful sentences

The most insidious result of the car-first development pattern is the constituency of car owners it creates. Once you own a car - and so mentally discount the cost of insuring, maintaining, fuelling the car - then every trip looks free. Political discussions and public investment decisions begin to assume that everybody comes with a machine; they conflate 'driver' with citizen, and relegate non-cyborg humans to a category of 'other', the 'pedestrian' who isn't naturally considered first in site layout or public space design, but who must be 'accommodated' by so-called 'complete' streets and 'extra' features like crosswalks.

(Hat tip to Strong Towns blog)

Marginal cost of transportation: robotaxis and sprawl repair

Jun 09, 2014 05:00 am | Neil Salmond

The most insidious result of the car-first development pattern is the constituency of car owners it creates. Once you own a car - and so mentally discount the cost of insuring, maintaining, fuelling the car - then every trip looks free. Political discussions and public investment decisions begin to assume that everybody comes with a machine; they conflate 'driver' with citizen, and relegate non-cyborg humans to a category of 'other', the 'pedestrian' who isn't naturally considered first in site layout or public space design, but who must be 'accommodated' by so-called 'complete' streets and 'extra' features like crosswalks. Sidewalks are the original war on the car.

Read More

Autosprawl is killing our future

Organizing Salem around cars and pouring money into autosprawl amenities like the Bridgasaurus Boondogglus is killing us.

The millions squandered on that should be spent on making Salem safe, convenient and accessible for all, rich and poor, young and old, with or without disabilities. That means first a robust transit system and then sustained, amply funded attention to bike and pedestrian access, not yet more money to serve single occupant vehicles and promote sprawl to the west of town.

We need to make it a priority to ensure that every child in Salem gets abundant, daily physical exercise, and has a working bicycle and lots of safe routes to ride on. That would be an outstanding use for the money we are currently giving CH2M-Hill to plot how to worsen our city.

> Without taking measures such as weight loss and increased exercise, 15 percent to 30 percent of people with prediabetes typically go on to develop type 2 diabetes within five years, the CDC report said. . . .

> Left untreated, diabetes boosts the risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, vision loss, kidney failure, limb amputation and premature death. Diabetes can be managed through physical activity, diet and the use of insulin and medications to lower blood sugar levels.


> Unless diabetes can be prevented or well treated and blood sugar controlled, we face an escalating and devastating future of human and financial cost," she said.

Frighteningly accurate prophecy

In the 1960s, John Brunner wrote two astoundingly prescient novels, Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up.  

In these dystopian times, it is a strange sensation to greet each new horror (like today's shooting in Troutdale) with a sad feeling of recognition and to think, "Ah, so he was right about that too."

http://books.google.com/books/about/Stand_On_Zanzibar.html?id=tGAzAgAAQBAJ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sheep_Look_Up

Get a gift match 1-1: Only 3 days left!

$10 could buy you a nice lunch or a new book. Most of the time $10 donated to Marion-Polk Food Share provides 1 family with a 3-4 day supply of emergency food. For 3 more days only your $10 can provide assistance for up to 7 hungry families. You will help more families thanks to a generous match. Click here to see full infographic. Thanks to the CenturyLink Foundation any gift given as a part of the CenturyLink Backpack Buddies Feed the Children Food Drive will be generously matched! This is a great opportunity for you to help even more children, seniors and families access needed emergency food.    If you're interested in giving at this time  click here to make an online donation. For your donation to be matched it needs to be in the doors here at Marion-Polk Food Share by 5pm on Friday, June 13th, and designated as a part of the CenturyLink Food Drive. I've already made a contribution of my own and I hope you will join me in this great opportunity to feed even more families. Thank you,   Rick Gaupo President & CEO Marion-Polk Food Share P.S. - If you have already heard about the match and have made a gift thank you! I will be sure to let you know your impact as soon as all of the numbers are tallied.  Click Here to Give Today

Going to Eugene this Summer?

Consider trying the Amtrak Cascades, a nice way to go.  

With a nice 30% fare discount running until Sep. 12

Take Amtrak Cascades to Eugene: Leave your car and save big! (PDF attached) 06/04/2014

June 4, 2014

For more information: Shelley M. Snow, ODOT Public Affairs, (503) 986-3438, mobile/text: (503) 881-5362

SALEM - The Oregon Department of Transportation is partnering with Amtrak Cascades and Lane Transit District for the ninth annual "Dump the Pump" campaign, encouraging commuters and other travelers to take an alternative to a personal car on an upcoming journey or two...or ten!

During June, if your destination, via Amtrak Cascades or POINT (Amtrak Thruway) bus, is Eugene*, then you get a free day pass for Lane Transit District (LTD). LTD provides connections in Eugene, Springfield and throughout Lane County – even up to the McKenzie River area. It just goes to show: sometimes you can get around without a car!

National "Dump the Pump Day," Thursday, June 19, is aimed at raising awareness of the financial and environmental benefits of choosing a commute option other than driving alone (use an alternate mode of transportation, and you don't have to go to the gas pump!). In addition to saving on LTD bus fares, travelers on Amtrak Cascades in the Willamette Valley may take advantage of a 30% discount running now until Sept. 12. (You must use this link to access the discount.)

"We're hoping people who haven't taken our passenger trains lately, or ever, will venture out," said Hal Gard, ODOT Rail & Public Transit Division Administrator. "We have the two new trainsets now, so we're encouraging everyone to consider the train/bus option. Give it a try – you might find you really like it."

Get the details (PDF attached) on the free day pass from LTD, and prepare to dump the pump!

##ODOT##

*Take the train or bus from Portland, Oregon City, Woodburn, Salem or Albany. For 30% off details, visit http://www.amtrak.com/save-30-percent-between-portland-and-eugene-on-amtrak-cascades. 

 

Second of Two Great Events (starting) at Straub, Sunday June 15

Subject: Two Events at Straub Environmental Center this coming weekend!
Reply-To: FSELC Upcoming Events <fselc@fselc.org>

Spring Nature Hike
Sunday, June 15th
Kingston Prairie
Meet at Straub Environmental Center to carpool
8am - 11:30am

This 52-acre Nature Conservancy Preserve southeast of Stayton is the best example of native prairie remaining in the Central Willamette Valley. Both wet and dry habitats harbor native grasses and a host of wildflowers. The hike is free and open to the public.

To register and get carpooling instructions, call John Savage at 503-399-8615 after 7p.m.

First of Two Great Events at Straub Environmental Center

Subject: Two Events at Straub Environmental Center this coming weekend!
Reply-To: FSELC Upcoming Events <fselc@fselc.org>

Citizen Science Class
Saturday, June 14th
Straub Environmental Center
12noon - 4pm
$5/person

Citizen Science is the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.
 
Join other community members in an opportunity to be involved in collecting authentic and meaningful data to support the preservation of species and ecosystems with our first ever Citizen Science Class at Straub Enviornmental Center!

In partnership with the City of Salem and School District employees, participants will:

• Participate in two local data collection projects – Urban Tree Inventory and Neighborhood Inventory
• Investigate a wide variety of regional and national data collection opportunities online
• Select a project to participate in
• Share the experience of data collection at an August meeting

 
Please RSVP at nichole@fselc.org or via phone at (503) 391-4145

Awesome resource for every thinker: Quandl - Find, Use and Share Numerical Data

http://www.quandl.com/about/data

THIS is what the Interwebs are for. Like a giant planet-sized reference library that you can wander through to your heart's content.

Genius.