Once again, a "sentence" is a grammatical unit of one or more words that express a single statement, question or thought.

I suspect this author also occasionally posts on this blog. And again, my reply is the same as my 7th grade teacher.

"Step to the blackboard and diagram the first two sentences of the first paragraph above in the format of: Subject, Verb, Object "

You have five minutes. Begin.

Watched an OPB show about the Rajneeshis last night. This reminds me of that.

"Demonstrate to all who pass through that this is a Place: inhabited, known and loved by its residents," said the Bagwan. "Honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world."

Jack, you really should include the picture from the front of that report. It features some sort of butterfly car in the sky.

I don't know if any of you remember the film Airplane 2 from thirty years ago, but there was a scene in that film that reminded me of this. Specifically, as different news venues reported on the movie's impending shuttle crash, we suddenly cut to commentary involving a sign language interpreter. (It's available at http://youtu.be/q8_R4AG2o1w for your review, and I recommend going straight to 1:37.)

I want one of them there flying SUVs! Hell yeah! And maybe some color crayons to finish off the purdy cover of that there VBC thing-a-ma-jig.

From:

http://cityrepair.org/

"City Repair began in Portland, Oregon with the idea that localization - of culture, of economy, of decision-making - is a necessary foundation of sustainability. By reclaiming urban spaces to create community-oriented places, we plant the seeds for greater neighborhood communication, empower our communities and nurture our local culture."

I mean really. Any normal person wants community space and friendly neighborhoods, and since the program is primarily volunteer, with donations from real honest-to-goodness businesses, why use "hip-speak" to describe it? "Empower?" "Nurture?" Puh-leeze!

So many words. So little content.

Uh oh... 2:36 on the timeline to this vid:

http://cityrepair.org/2011/02/city-repair-transforming-space-into-place/

(Yeah, I'm obsessing a little. But just look at the first comment under the video)

How much does the city pay for this drivel?

Portland has been turned into a tax-subsidized playground for make-believe while adults and other thinking people prepare to abandon ship, if they haven't already.

"Progressives" targeted it for change, now it's on borrowed time.

Hey- I found Waldo on the cover!

lyjd...I think we had the same teacher!

I love these people that coin all these neologisms to they can talk to each other yet no one else can understand.

Kinda like a teenager trying to keep the old farts out of a conversation.

I was hoping this was some other city because "Portland" didn't jump out immediately. Once I did see the word "Portland", I was hoping for Maine. Then I saw PBOT enabling this trash, and prayed to the porcelain god.

I’ve been gone for about four months now. I feel guilty for the sucker that bought my house even at a depressed price. My life in Clackamas County is superb compared to living in the Roseway neighborhood. No crime in my development in the last ten years, shopping within a five minute car ride. The private development I live in picks up garbage every weekday, no limits and everything. I have no stupid recycling bins, but and option to do so at a location within the area. I get plastic bags for my groceries where ever I go shopping, am able to purchase spray paint without ID and it is not locked up. Gasoline prices about 10% less. Here are much more friendly and real people. The economy and Portland policies killed my business which I closed and let seven employees go. I hated to do it, but it was a survival move as I was subsidizing the business with personal savings which I couldn’t sustain. I am no longer a slave to the city of Portland fees and taxes. I now a retired and have no reason to visit the city at all. My only hope is that Sam Adams will not be hired here by anyone and has to leave for somewhere else,.

City Repair finally got to a little substance in one of their endless sentences. It's listing hopeful outcomes. The one that struck me the most are solutions to "issues your neighborhood is facing". I sure hope they confront the NO PARKING required for condos/apartments. The issue of what color of caulk to color the sidewalks at street intersections doesn't cut it with most citizens.

I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the "convergence" on Jun "2th." Or is it Jun "2rd"?

In other words, the simple act of turning an ordinary bus stop to a place where people congregate for multiple reasons - socializing with neighbors, getting community info, taking a rest from a walk or finding a shelter out of the rain.

Of course, because I used the word "bus", my identical idea will be shot down as unsexy and uncool, because buses are not desirable. But had I used the word "trolley", "tram", "streetcar", "rail", "light rail" or "MAX" then the exact idea would be loved and cherished by Portland's planning elitists.

Erik, that's the truth. I met the most wonderful people and made the best acquaintances while waiting for and riding the bus. It was the great leveler in so many ways. I worked in retail at the time, but shared my travel and life with judges, students, CPAs, architects, janitors, attorneys, etc. It was exactly what is trying to be recreated. The only difference is that back then busses used to run often and regularly.

These people really are nuts.

Come on. You all knew that, when the city installed its first Loo, they would soon begin to recycle the material collected there.

The one that struck me the most are solutions to "issues your neighborhood is facing". I sure hope they confront the NO PARKING required for condos/apartments.

If PBOT is involved, more than likely they see that issue as one of too many parking spaces already. Brace yourselves.

Dave: "Hey, City Repair! It's Dave; may I inhabit this space?"

City Repair: "Dave's not here, man."

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the Chinese are testing the aircraft carrier they plan to use in collecting unpaid debts.

Translation: "God forbid that neighbors should sit and coverse on their porches and front stoops, kids should skateboard or scooter, play stickball, kickball or street hockey and adolescents should hang at parks and in their neighborhoods, when their are taxes to be raised, special interests to be subsidized, developers to be catered to and politicians to be paid off."

"...multi-layered process within which citizens foster active, engaged relationships to the spaces...."
Does the two-ply toilet paper I put in my bathroom count?

This is all well and good, but let's get down to the bottom line: Who is responsible for bringing the juice boxes and cookies?

And they say smoking dope doesn't cause brain damage...
I give you, City Repair, as an example it does.

Note that one of City Repair's strategy proposals is to unpave roads. Who knew... Portland is already ahead of these goofballs on that one.

Yet one more steaming stinking pile of Portlandia. Careful not to step in it, it's hard to scrape it off.

their office is in a church, St. David’s of Wales Church to be exact. So they have God on there side. nice

Where is the money coming from to finance this stuff? I watched the handy informational video and was rather taken aback by that smug bastard telling me I can't be having any meaningful relationship with the world if I'm driving somewhere. I'm surprised this organization isn't a city bureau already.

Vancouver is looking real good now. However, if the city lets me paint a huge picture of Tupac on the intersection by my house maybe I will change my mind.

Here's your path to becoming one with City Repair:

http://www.ruderal.com/bullshit/bullshit.htm

Note that one of City Repair's strategy proposals is to unpave roads

Since Vancouver actually pre-dates Portland by several decades, and of course New York predates Oregon by a century, and Europe even before then...

Shouldn't the ultimate goal of these looneys be to move to the origins of human civilization? And, shouldn't they just help the cause by MOVING? Aren't they part of the problem by remaining in Portland, a city that 150 years ago was nothing but marsh and wetland (while Fort Vancouver was being settled)?

My earlier comment called the strategy "unpaving." The correct hipster term in the City Repair document is "depaving."

The flying vehicle looks quite a bit like the T-Horse. Remember the T-Horse? I used to see it at the park near my house during their events. Here are a few photos:

http://cityrepair.org/2009/06/t-horse-artspiritnow-pt2/

So there's a guy who likes to hang out at my bus stop downtown, and when he wants to have it all to himself, he has a very efficient and effective method of "placemaking" that requires no vision statement, nor glossary for said vision.