We hear a lot about how China censors its news and limits Google searches and all that. But when we look at their top news site (Xinhua) and compare it to, say, one of our top news sites (CNN) we see who really is not getting the full picture. Let’s take a look.  

Metro-area voters, please vote Yes on 26-80! Within the next 25 years, over 1 million more people will move to the Portland area. Growth is inevitable. But preservation of core natural areas is not. This year — with the Natural Areas, Parks, and Streams Bond Measure — we have a unique opportunity to permanently protect [...]

The peak oil stuff keeps coming up again and again. As an environmentalist, I am of course attracted to any argument and fact that might reduce consumption of CO2-producing fossil fuels and promote local economies. However, despite this, I cannot help but seriously question the underlying science and logic of peak oil. Whether or not [...]

As we all already know, Measure 37 is now law: Over 66,000 acres—more than three times the size of Crater Lake National Park—are affected by Measure 37 claims. As of October 25, 2005, the State had received 1255 claims. Over 85% of the claims submitted to the State are for subdivisions and other land divisions, [...]

I’ve blogged about this on Daily Kos and Land Use Watch, but it is important enough to highlight again and again. Bush wants to privatize hundreds of thousands of acres of national forest. According to the forest service (and the pandering Oregonian), this land has no value. But wait… It turns out that part of [...]

President Bush’s budget proposal calls for raising more than $1 billion over five years by selling off public lands deemed to have little scenic, recreational or resource value [...] In surely one of the most obscene gestures of this Administration, the current budget proposal calls for selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of public [...]

I “need” a new car. Given the recent sad news of layoffs at Ford, I feel like buying one of theirs. A unionized workforce is a natural left-leaning ally. And as an American, I do feel that buying USA-made is increasingly important. The Japanese imports, while occasionally produced State-side, are non-union. And the noticeable quality [...]

From my bountiful inbox: In April, 2004, on seven acres of garden, field and forest, tucked into Tryon Creek State Park, a small group of committed individuals saw boundless possibility. And they planted the seed that would become Tryon Life Community Farm (TLC Farm), a sustainability education and demonstration center serving the Portland community. At [...]

The GOP doesn’t love “up or down” votes that much. If they did, perhaps they would let the Senate vote on ANWR by itself, rather than forcing it into the must-pass Defense Bill. In my ebox this morning: It’s all come down to this: the U.S. Senate will vote in the next two days on [...]

Let’s state the obvious: any charm that Bend once had is pretty much gone. Replacing the small-town, high desert feel are row after row of big box mega-stores, from Home Depot, to Lowe’s, to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Now, Bend is just another Anytown, USA. It wouldn’t be so bad if this bland sameness infected [...]