Only 291 more days to go in the collective nervous breakdown.

Actually it's closer to 2,116 days.

About half a year into the Brady-Nolan-Novick era, were going to see billboards with a picture of Sam Adams wearing a bike helmet reading, "Miss Me Yet?"

Water quality is a key element as well. Bull run's "mineral free" water is easier on the water purification systems needed. Well water has a much higher content of "dissolved solids" and fouls reverse osmosis membranes quickly.

How ever did we survive before the well field? (Yes, a backup water source is a good idea. How much we use it another point.)

To think Rivergate Rock may re-open their quarry on St. Helens Road as we will need boulders to fill those big holes where manufacturing businesses once stood.

Jobs? We don't need no stinking' jobs...and ewww, 'blue collar' jobs that support people with children!?...We want only barista boys and cute young hipsters on bikes who will support our vision of Portlandia.
Put a bird on it!

The rate increases are likely related to our lack of available water in this particular area. Pardon me now while I paddle down to the local Target Store for some more rain gear and winter supplies.

Portland Native beat me to it, we don't need no stinking jobs, work just gets in the way of all the fun stuff we have in store for you.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/03/portlands_bike-sharing_plan_ad.html

And don't forget,

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/03/southwest_portlanders_look_for.html

Have a friend who worked there (straight of college) for the past 12 years. He's being transferred. And taking his three (PPS) kids, his $160k income, and his wife's $90k income. Another for sale sign in Raleigh Hills. One quarter million less income to tax.

I'm afraid our Europhylic Mayor doesn't grasp the correlation between the cost of inputs

(water/energy/materials/labor/transport)

and international competitiveness. Put a bike on it.

All this bike sharing at vast expense...such nonsense, when at the same time! PDX is implementing a program to ease the screening procedures on those seniors 75 years and older, exempting them from among other things, taking off their shoes. And why is PDX a beta site for this program?....because PDX has MORE travelers in this demographic.
Anybody but me see a disconnect here?
By the time Sam and Randy finish out their remaining 291 days the only people left in Portland will be too old, infirm, and poor to turn out the one remaing light left at city hall.

The working model probably asserts that once formed, a carefully molded community of "correct" thinking people will be economically self-sustaining on its own and that events such as these are to be expected as "incorrect" thinking elements are flushed from the system. It probably also warns against detractors who will use these cleansing events to claim the model is faulty and not to take heed.

Equivalent big layoffs at Columbia Sportswear in this morning's Oregonian as well.

As noted the other day when I mentioned the Siltronic layoffs, this is nearly half of the Portland workforce. While demand is down for their 150 mm wafers, they might have re-tooled to the larger sizes, but elected not to.

When they located in Portland in 1979, this was the first plant they'd built outside of Germany. A primary reason underlying their decision was the abundance - and purity - of Portland's water, at inexpensive rates. With another 85% rate increase projected over the next 5 years, why retool?

Miss me yet

Hah, nice. =-) But it won't be a bike helmet, it will definitely be that Elmer Fudd hat he wears whenever the Bojack Storm Center 9000.2 is activated. That, and the requisite tranquilized bug-eye stare from those famous RPG's.

We told Siltronic execs et al, this would happen if they and the other water coalition members supported the variance just announced yesterday. The variance is just a political band aid for a problem that does not exist with no expectation of ratepayer benefit. It can be withdrawn at any time. The only solution remains the waiver I have already proposed and outlined. Who's next? The microbrewers or some other industry that moves out?

You have the opportunity to elect someone as mayor who already knows how to fix this situation. Please use it.

"The mayor's goofy international junkets sure aren't producing much" - just a larger personal carbon footprint he wants everybody else to reduce. What a jerk!

SamRand: Turning Portland's 'Silicon Forest' into another stump field.

Phil, you link to:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/03/southwest_portlanders_look_for.html

is very interesting. I had not been aware of this plan. I know of at least four or five churches within this route that will be within the borders of the streets that will be closed for the day - Sunday. I'd love tho hear their reactions to this.

I worked at Siltronic for a summer during my college years. The work was long (7pm - 7am shift) and kind of boring (well, my job was essentially giving the wafers an acid bath, so that was kind of neat sort of?) but there were good people that worked there. Unfortunate to hear this.

Christian, They don't care about no stinking churches, otherwise they would not have changed parking meters to no longer be free on Sundays.