Here’s something that I believe is consistently true no matter what the context: Sex between two consenting adults is not a matter for public concern. Therefore, I’m delighted that Portland Mayor Sam Adams has declined to step down from office over the recent fervor over his affair.
I don’t reject the latest versions of computers, phones or software. I just wait until they’re affordable, because something newer, smaller, faster and cooler always comes along.
OK, if this doesn’t qualify as unfit parenting, then what does? Recently, an Oregon judge and the state’s Department of Human Services (DHS) have gone head-to-head in an exceptional standoff.
One of the greatest things about being a United States citizen is the protection of our civil liberties, particularly those contained in the First Amendment to the Constitution, the amendment that guarantees our rights to free speech, of free press and the right to assemble peaceably. This is something that I support with complete conviction–although there are times when this challenges my other dearly held beliefs. It’s frightening how close I can come to being a total hypocrite about the right of free speech for people who don’t (in my opinion) deserve it.
Fox 12 Investigators, a local KPTV news segment spotlighting hot topics in (alleged) investigative journalism, recently aired a segment that is about the furthest thing from “news” that I can imagine, a feature on “The Five Most Dangerous Places for Women.”
On Oct. 28, Leroy Morley boarded a TriMet bus with his leashed dog, a 50-pound Rottweiler/Sharpei mix. The driver asked Morley if his dog was a service animal, which he, untruthfully, confirmed. The large dog was well behaved for the duration of the trip, until they were exiting the bus, when he attacked and killed another passenger’s smaller dog, which, as it turns out, was a doctor-approved companion animal that was considered a service animal.
On Oct. 28, Leroy Morley boarded a TriMet bus with his leashed dog, a 50-pound Rottweiler/Sharpei mix. The driver asked Morley if his dog was a service animal, which he, untruthfully, confirmed. The large dog was well behaved for the duration of the trip, until they were exiting the bus, when he attacked and killed another passenger’s smaller dog, which, as it turns out, was a doctor-approved companion animal that was considered a service animal.
I enthusiastically endorse web-based learning, whatever minimal downsides might be involved. If I hadn’t had the opportunity to finish at least some portion of my general education requirements through distance education, I probably would not be in school right now, and I definitely would be a long, long way from finishing my degree.
One of the items included in the current ASPSU student government platform is this: Education is a right. On the “PSU Vision, Mission and Values” page on the university’s Web site, one of the core values listed is the commitment to providing access to learning. Not only do I agree with these ideas, I’d like to link the two and elaborate a bit–affordable and functional access to education is a right.
Portland is consistently found at the top of lists celebrating the greenest, most sustainable cities in the United States. Living here, we hear and see adjectives describing things that appear to be eco-friendly, sustainable, organic and green nearly everywhere we go–and it’s become second nature. Pretty much everyone recycles (there was a time when this was considered odd, perhaps even radical), it’s completely common to use environmentally friendly products, unexceptional to seek out organic food, normal to compost and garden, and not out of the ordinary to take public transportation or ride a bicycle to get around–we are living an environment that promotes earth-friendliness.
On the day that I attended the new student orientation, I skipped lunch to take my place in the long line of people waiting to have a picture taken for their student ID. The line stretched all the way down the balcony outside the Smith Ballroom; my hope of accomplishing this necessary step in the process of becoming a member of the PSU student body came to a grinding halt when one of the student ambassadors apologetically told me that the cut-off point for picture-taking (within the time allotted for lunch, mingling and exploring student services through some sort of bingo game) would end with the student directly in front of me.