Editor's Take: August 06, 2009
Credit: roland, Flickr.
Bicycling Toward the Future
Yesterday it was trains, today bikes. Bicycle commuting is a solution that's getting press time. San Francisco experiments with bike sharing, which has been popular in Europe. Portland may be next to pilot the program. After a large Critical Mass bike ride in Vancouver, BC, last week, talk about better bike lanes emerges. For those un-inclined to ride bikes: electric-car-stations may be coming near you.
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Your editor today is Christina Claassen | View All Today's News
Views: Beyond bikes-versus-cars in Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Sun
08/06/2009
The recent experimental dedication of one Burrard Bridge lane to bicycles has animated residents, who are debating it (and last week's Critical Mass ride) like few other issues before. That's because the Burrard bike lane experiment marks the possible beginning of the next step in creating a proper infrastructure for Vancouver bicyclists of multiple ages, shapes and sizes.
Go to article.
Views: A bike-friendly S.F.? Don't hold your breath
San Francisco Chronicle
08/06/2009
To understand the bicycle controversy in San Francisco, consider the concept of bike sharing.
In theory it is a lovely idea - utopian, trendy and green. With a swipe of a card, commuters could rent a bike and ride to the office, a restaurant or the store. In reality, there are some kinks.
Go to article.
Light rail makeover for Portland's downtown Milwaukie
Oregonian
08/06/2009
By the time the first TriMet light-rail train slides into downtown Milwaukie sometime in 2015, city leaders expect riders to see a dramatic new welcome mat to their city.
Go to article.
WA farmers preparing for strict immigration rules
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
08/05/2009
Farmers in Washington are taking part in special training sessions in preparation for immigration investigations that the Obama Administration says will audit employers suspected of hiring undocumented workers, hoping to avoid the heat of the crackdown.
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San Francisco's algae solution
San Francisco Bay Guardian
08/06/2009
The San Francisco Bay may soon host a dramatic new environmental project that backers say could solve three problems at once: clean wastewater, remove carbon from the atmosphere, and produce biodiesel fuel. Yet it's gotten remarkably little attention.
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Demystifying Oregon's high jobless rank
Eugene Weekly
08/06/2009
The latest data showed that Oregon's unemployment rate jumped more than the rate in every state except Michigan from June 2008 to June 2009.
Politicians and others have wondered aloud, "Why is Oregon's unemployment rate high like Michigan's? Have our economic wheels also gotten wobbly?"
Go to article.
WSU researchers home in on bee malady's causes
Spokesman Review
08/05/2009
Washington State University researchers on the trail of a mysterious honeybee killer have narrowed the list of contributors to two - a microscopic pathogen and pesticides.
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Kleenex maker to reduce use of old-growth timber
Washington Post
08/06/2009
The Kimberly-Clark Corporation, a giant in the paper-goods industry, has bowed to pressure from Greenpeace and agreed to reduce the amount of old-growth forest cut down to make its Kleenex and toilet paper.
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Eat your history: the amazing pasts of local food
The Tyee
08/06/2009
While creating the 100-Mile Diet, James MacKinnon realized local foods have amazing pasts.
Go to article.

