Can't wait 'til I travel on one of these flights.

Remember when the newly minted Portland commissioner went out and visited 100 businesses in 100 days? He's at it again now that he's mayor. Adams and the boys did such a good job his first time around that now he's encountering vacant storefronts. But hey, some day they'll all be filled with green, sustainable something or other, and we'll all be happy -- just wait.

I love the photo. Adams is saying "Streetcars? Got it. Convention Center hotel? New soccer and minor league baseball stadiums? Check." The guy on the right is thinking "Tualatin."

One of the fun outings from the snowy Portland Christmas was a walk over to Irving Park, where there's a hill that's just the right size for junior sledders. We caught it both on a powdery evening and on a more slippery late afternoon, and it was a blast both times -- particularly with the addition of a couple of human-made bumps that were built about halfway down the slope on the second day.

Anyway, our friends Barb and Roberto had their brood up there one of those days, and they recorded the festivities for safekeeping. We'll have to be sure to come back to these images in the dog days of summer, to cool off:

Coincidentally, we were alerted to this video by our mutual friend Matt Whitman, whose latest addition, a Boy Named Cheese, has joined The Gus on the family blog.

According to the state land use appeals board, it's o.k. to dedicate Pearl District property taxes to pay for a new public school way out on the eastern outskirts of town, rather than using those taxes to pay off the Pearlie "urban renewal" toy bonds or (heaven forbid) to pay for police, fire, street lighting, and other municipal services provided to Pearl District residents. If the state statute doesn't say you can't do something, then I guess the city bureaucrats can go for it, regardless of how badly they're twisting the intent of the law.

Oh, but you have to recite some sort of "benefit" that the Pearlies get from having a new school out in David Douglas. How long will it take the city's small cadre of paid liars to come up with that? About a half hour.

On with the bizarre story of Portland City Hall. Go by streetcar!

Mayor Sam the Tram is going to take risks.

Hey, why not? Putting him in City Hall shows that the voters of Portland love risk.

The Trib confirms today what we've been telling folks for years: that "urban renewal" and police and firefighter pension and disability benefits are gobbling up property taxes in Portland at an alarming rate.

The worst part about the police and fire pension reality is that it's going to get a lot worse over the next few decades. The city's unfunded liability for benefits to the retired and disabled cops and firefighters now stands at about $2.5 billion. (The latest official number is due out later this month.) If you tried to pay that debt off over 30 years at 4 percent interest, the payout would be around $144.6 million a year.

In the most recent fiscal year, the city collected about $100 million in property taxes for the police and fire pensions. That would have to increase by 44 percent immediately to make the liability go away in 30 years. In other words, when it comes to a burden on taxpayers, you ain't seen nothing yet.

By the way, the Trib apparently didn't link to the official report that inspired its story. It's big and it's slow to load, but it's here.

Another Arctic blast has Portland in its icy grip. At this hour, there is 0.0016 inches of treacherous slush on the ground. And the light rain that's falling is not only wet, but cold. It is currently 37 degrees Farenheit, which means that if the temperature falls another five degrees, things will freeze up, making travel even more life-threatening.

A frightening story from Southwest Portland: A couple is perched on the Vista Bridge, threatening to jump to their deaths if the schools are closed and their children stay home for one more day. Police negotiators and Schools Superintendent Carole Smith are on the scene trying to talk the pair down off the ledge to safety. Grim neighbors near the bridge report hearing Smith's voice through a bullhorn saying, "How about two hours late?" and the woman on the railing letting out a chilling scream.

Repeat: Slush on the ground. Cold rain. Do not leave your homes. Stay tuned to bojack.org Storm Center 9000 for further updates.

This one is bugging me again.

In our e-mailbag this afternoon:

Hi Jack--

First of all, I want to say thank you very much, both to you and to the generous winner of your "Buck a Hit" day contest. As Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities here in Portland, I'm deeply grateful for the $250 contribution -- which I believe is our very first from the "blogosphere"! I also deeply appreciate the affirming comments made by both the winner and others who added their approval. During 2008, nearly 1,600 families stayed at our two Portland Ronald McDonald Houses while their children were being treated for serious illnesses or injuries at local hospitals. The comfort, care, and support they receive is only possible because of the caring contributions of nearly 4,000 donors each year. We're honored to have received your creative contribution! I invite you to visit in the near future so you can actually experience the fruits of your generosity! Thanks again -- and happy new year!

Tom Soma, Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington

A reader who read our post of yesterday about the new bottle deposit rules in Oregon writes:

Another observation I made today regarding new laws that take effect -- only anecdotal, of course. But like the bottle bill, there may be some story here.

Driving north on MLK / Grand, I noticed that the population of street people seemed to have tripled overnight. On second look, they were only standing in specific doorways. Looking closer, it was only at the bars. And it was only smokers that were standing around. Head-slap moment once I realized what was going on.

... but it's been snowing again (and sticking) for the last hour or two here in Portland. Wet stuff, and now turning back to rain.

UPDATE, 3:33 a.m.: Looks like there's a slide blocking U.S. 26 up around Brightwood, and another slide has smacked into a house in L.O. down near West Linn, injuring five people and causing evacuations of other homes amidst the strong smell of natural gas.

UPDATE, 4:26 a.m.: I always get a bad feeling when the forecast mentions "debris flow."

We're still looking for advice on this weekend's pro football games. We need an underdog that will delight its home crowd with a win. If you think you know, take our poll here. We have to pick a 'dog by tomorrow night.

From Astoria, a gorgeous blog.

Today the recent revisions to Oregon's beverage container deposit law take effect. As the waste manager at our house, I look upon this development with a mild sense of dread.

Now plastic water bottles will have a nickel deposit on them -- which means that tons and tons more plastic will go through the deposit process. Will the retailers, who clearly despise the entire deposit system, ramp up their return processing machinery to cope with the increased volume? Of course not. And so the grim scene in their parking lots will take on a new, greater scale. The ragged street people rattling their shopping carts full of oozing, stinking contagion left to them by the better-offs. The working-class folks cursing the filthy, creaking, banging machines as their feet stick to the gross pavement. The indifferent teenage grocery workers shirking instead of making the machines work properly. Now there will be twice as much of this.

For tightwads like me who refuse to give their deposit money away, the trips will be more painful -- even if we never buy bottled water. The only bright side is that retailers who sell soda will have to take back all deposit soda bottles; retailers who sell beer will have to accept all deposit beer containers; etc. When the infernal machines spit out your containers that they don't like, you bring them to the teenager and make him write you out a receipt by hand. Freddy's gets to take back Safeway cans now -- and like it, dammit. That part, I can't wait for.

The real losers here are likely to be places like New Seasons, who still have human beings count out the returns and write out the receipts. When the homeless people show up there with their cartloads of Kirkland water and Kroger soda bottles, they'll be able to demand service. Eventually, every chain will have about the same level of service. And as experience has amply shown, that level will stink, literally and figuratively.

I like the bottle bill. I agree that water bottles should be included -- wine, too -- and I think the deposit on all containers should be a dime. But without minimum standards for the retailers and meaningful state supervision of the process, it's another case of politicians throwing the consumer to the corporate wolves.

1. 2,000 situps a week.

2. Run 300 miles for the year.

3. Less alcohol.

4. Less high-fructose corn syrup.

5. Sunscreen.

6. Vegetables.

7. Tea.

8. Water.

9. Cooking.

10. Gardening.

And others...

Got plans for tonight?

The latest Palin baby story gets fishier and fishier by the day. Now it turns out that the only media outlet claiming any firsthand information about the blessed event, People magazine, says it got its information from Sarah Palin's aunt, Colleen Jones. And Jones says she only knows about it because she got an e-mail about it from her sister, Sarah Palin's mother. Jones lives in Kennewick, Washington; the many Palins live in Alaska.

No one has claimed to have seen this baby. No one has claimed to have a photo of this baby. There is confusion about the date of birth. There is confusion about the birth weight. No one knows where the baby was born. But hey, some distant relative of Sarah Palin says she got an e-mail saying that Bristol Palin just had a baby, and that's good enough for the mainstream media in the United States.

Big character-builder.

It was a dud of a week for me in the pro football underdog pool. I went with Buffalo over New England, which in turn went nowhere. One of the players ahead of me had Indy over Tennessee, which was a winner, and so now I'm 3½ points out of second place, 4 points out of first. Behind me, four players had the wild Oakland win over Tampa Bay, and with their 13-point pickups I now have a couple of folks 11½ points behind me in the race for third place.

This week's setup is out, and there won't be a whole lot of movement this time around. All four home teams are favored to lose, but not by much:

3 MIAMI vs. Baltimore
3 MINNESOTA vs. Philadelphia
2 ARIZONA vs. Atlanta
1.5 SAN DIEGO vs. Indianapolis

So which of the four underdogs (in caps) should I choose to win its game outright? The point spread is not relevant, except insofar as that's how many points I'll get for a correct pick.

Part of the game at this point is not picking the same games as the players ahead of you. If we all choose the same teams throughout the rest of the pool, I won't advance. Here's what the two players ahead of me said over the last five weeks (winning games marked with an asterisk), if that's any indication of where they'll go this week:

Next week, the spreads should be larger, but again there will be only four games. After that is the final week of the pool -- only two games, probably with a smallish point spread. It's entirely possible that things will be completely settled before that last week's kickoff.

Anyway, readers, I'm counting on you once again for some advice for this week. Miami, Minnesota, Arizona, or San Diego?

UPDATE, 9:35 p.m.: Hey, let's make it easy:

Since two of the games are on Saturday, please vote by Friday night.

Supposedly.

Portland Mayor-elect Sam the Tram Adams is reportedly putting the finishing touches on his inaugural speech, which will be delivered at a midnight ceremony tomorrow night at the Arlington Club. Adams will be sworn in by Catholic Archbishop John Vlazny, after which Randy Gragg, editor of Portland Spaced magazine, will read two of his original poems. Although City Hall observers don't anticipate many bombshell announcements as part of the new mayor's address, Adams is expected to unveil the city's plan to fit all of the its new public toilets, known as the "Portland Loos," with free wi-fi access. Adams is scheduled to be joined on the platform by Fireman Randy Leonard, who recently became the first openly goofball commissioner of a major U.S. city.

The recycling truck is here. First time in three weeks.

Can we make it that long before a Big One goes off somewhere?

Why are the taxpayers paying $75 an hour to have somebody look into this? Isn't this the kind of thing that we have detectives, DA's, and a labor commissioner for?