en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/320524 Comments by MyQuestBe http://www.katu.com/news/local/Police-Ferrari-driver-killed-in-crash-on-Ore-Hwy-97-153813535.html#IDComment367037960 Correction: 10% of the population is red/green color blind, myself included. We don't see gray instead of red, that would be a dog. We see Ferrari red just fine, though it may or may not be quite as bright as someone else might see it. What's tricky for folks like me is seeing small red berries on a green bush, or telling the difference between a thin red wire and a thin green wire in low light, no matter how hard I look at it. As a result, I rarely get calls to help with bomb diffusings. Think of it this way...for most people 2 + 2 = 4, but for color blind people, no matter how much they understand it should equal four, 2 + 2 = 5. 2 + 2 never equals 0 (gray) however. Colorblindness is just the price paid for having a superior intellect. ;) Fri, 25 May 2012 13:53:48 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Police-Ferrari-driver-killed-in-crash-on-Ore-Hwy-97-153813535.html#IDComment367037960 http://gresham.katu.com/photo-gallery/environment/472610-solar-trees-go-city-hall#IDComment353397452 Yes it's $624,000 of my tax dollars, but think of all the unemployed citizens with no hope who drive past Gresham City Hall each and every day while looking for work who think to themselves, "Even though I have to give up my home, my health insurance, my kid's college education and work well into my retirement, at least I can take solace in knowing the PERs receiving employees of the City of Gresham have found a "...very visible way of showing that the city is committed to sustainability." What is the environment of waste at the City Hall where someone can come up with this idea, think it's valid and everyone champions it to completion because it's "cool" or "green"? Have they no perspective or sense of the Oregon economy? Yes, solar is a technology we should invest in, especially to break the grip of the Middle East, but the citizens of Oregon did not elect to have a local City Hall be the place to develop solar efficiencies. Their job is to provide resources which help the community thrive, grow and excel, not to create unnecessary projects they think would be fun to spend money on so as to keep themselves busy. The fact this idea could move forward when even a cursory B/E or ROI analysis would reveal it as a boondoggle reveals a environment of waste and too many employees with not enough to do at City Hall. Wouldn't it have been smarter to invest the time in obtaining a $624,000 grant to attract and grow 10 new clean technology start ups (a.k.a. "green) which would in turn create 20 to 50 new taxpaying jobs? Thu, 3 May 2012 16:06:41 +0000 http://gresham.katu.com/photo-gallery/environment/472610-solar-trees-go-city-hall#IDComment353397452 http://www.katu.com/news/local/124567289.html#IDComment167002601 Time to hold a "50% Off to Anyone Who Brings In A Clear Photo of the Vandals Who Trashed My Store" sale. With everyone wielding a smart phone these days, combined with social media, the power no longer belongs to the anonymous "anarchist" throwing a rock through a store window, it has shifted and now resides with the store owner, just like in Vancouver after the riots. Mon, 27 Jun 2011 02:48:15 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/124567289.html#IDComment167002601 http://www.katu.com/news/national/122803049.html#IDComment157561427 I find it disappointing that a "political entertainer" such as Sarah Palin would use a run for the Presidency as a marketing vehicle for her speaking tours and books. In my opinion, she has no plans nor desire to win the Office of President, but instead will position herself as a serious and viable candidate throughout the campaign, offering up such cliches as "It's time to put Americans back to work" or "It's time the American people had a voice in Washington", and as the campaign gets close to the end, some kind of "personal issue" will arise and Sarah will be forced to bow from the race, all stated amidst considerable tears and a promise to continue to fight for the American people...through her FOX News appearances, speaking engagements and book tours. She won't have to be President, FOX gains more credibility having a "Presidential candidate" on the payroll, she receives far more in speaking fees and her books sell millions more per issue. Sarah Palin and those who made her into a political entertainer will have reduced the American Presidency to a marketing tool. Mon, 30 May 2011 16:06:26 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/national/122803049.html#IDComment157561427 http://hillsboro.katu.com/news/business/grocery-store-tests-out-cart-sanitizing-machine/439409#IDComment137805562 Sanitzit, you need to change the positioning on the concept. Instead of relying on customers to show interest, you should point out to Fred Meyer that they need to, as a matter of policy and customer service, run EVERY cart through your sanitizer every time it's returned so customers automatically get a sanitized cart every time they select one. Fred Meyer, in turn, should advertise that they're the only company in which every store offers sanitized carts. Thank you, BTW, for pointing out toddlers are sitting in their diapers where I place my fruit in the cart. I hadn't thought of that before, but now...yeech. Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:20:24 +0000 http://hillsboro.katu.com/news/business/grocery-store-tests-out-cart-sanitizing-machine/439409#IDComment137805562 http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/05/16/walt-disney-world-iphone-app-v2-7-another-update/#IDComment116848434 The photography in the new "Walt Disney World Guide Notescast" Version 3.0 app (December 2010) is stunning! Over 750 high-quality photos, plus over 300 pages of in-depth information. Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:42:30 +0000 http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/05/16/walt-disney-world-iphone-app-v2-7-another-update/#IDComment116848434 http://springfield.kval.com/content/missing-man-found-ok#IDComment98786236 On his way to a planning meeting with Sam Adams to discuss the Columbia River Crossing and how best to mitigate its effect on global climate change. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:28:26 +0000 http://springfield.kval.com/content/missing-man-found-ok#IDComment98786236 http://springfield.kval.com/content/missing-man-found-ok#IDComment98784215 Nice job working in the pun. My point is that if this was the very same story, but with a climbing context, Mr. Wheeler would've been blasted online for not carrying a cell phone or some kind of locating device, chastised for using taxpayer dollars and called a variety of names because he was "foolish", at best (For the record, I think what he did was fine, and I like how he got stranded, dealt with it and continued fishing.) My apologies for keeping the Coast Guard and Douglas County Sheriff references, but I didn't want the story to stray too far from the original. I'm always amazed at how fishermen, hunters, snowmobilers, tourists, drivers, mushroom pickers, etc. get a pass when they get stranded outside overnight, but if a climber gets lost, then they catch an ear full from people who can't get past a stereotype. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:13:00 +0000 http://springfield.kval.com/content/missing-man-found-ok#IDComment98784215 http://springfield.kval.com/content/missing-man-found-ok#IDComment98767028 Mr. Wheeler went out for a day of fishing and adventure, got into a jam, didn't play the "victim" but instead made the most of it and was responsible, for the most part, for himself. In turn, everyone wishes him good will. (As it should be. ) However, I can't help wonder what the reaction online would've been if the story had been written as follows: A man reported missing Monday was found OK by his sister after he spent the night on Mt. Hood stranded by bad weather on a ledge. Johnny Wheeler, 65, had gone climbing all day on Mt. Hood on Sunday. As darkness fell and the weather came in, ran out of time and became stranded. Meanwhile, acquaintances in Winchester Bay noticed Wheeler was missing and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard. The Guard looked for Wheeler Sunday and called the Douglas County Sheriff early Monday to report him missing. Meanwhile, Wheeler spent the night on the mountain. On Monday morning as the weather cleared, he was able to continue - and decided to climb all day Monday. Then when he decided to head back to Timberline Lodge, he ran out of food. Wheeler slowly made his way down and walked to Highway 26. He was walking to get food around 5:45 p.m. when he was spotted by his sister who was driving to Timberline Lodge. Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:03:07 +0000 http://springfield.kval.com/content/missing-man-found-ok#IDComment98767028 http://mouseketweeter.com/2010/01/disney-vacation-connection-desktop-application-coming-soon/#IDComment51755664 Between this and the "Walt Disney World Guide" Notescast for my iPhone and iPod touch, I'll be back to WDW in no time! Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:30:53 +0000 http://mouseketweeter.com/2010/01/disney-vacation-connection-desktop-application-coming-soon/#IDComment51755664 http://www.katu.com/news/80749197.html#IDComment50694370 Here's something to consider. A good portion of government loves to compile data. (As well as attend out of state seminars) It gives them the sense they're actually working, while not doing anything. Happens in the corporate world, too. Once compiled, a press release is issued and the data goes into a notebook on an office shelf never to be seen again. The process is then repeated. My guess is the Cascade Policy Institute knows this and sold a division of the State of Oregon on the idea of commissioning a study to increase traffic speed and flow. The Cascade Policy Institute then published a blatantly controversial and well-worn solution they know will never gain acceptance with the public and then held their hand out to collect their fee. (Your tax dollars) This "solution" cited in the press release will never come to pass, and it's not meant to. It's designed only to cause a day or two of Letters to the Editor while the government division which commissioned the study stays busy, the Cascade Policy Institute gets paid and everyone does it all again tomorrow. That is the business model here for staying busy and spending your tax dollars. Wed, 6 Jan 2010 19:57:09 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/80749197.html#IDComment50694370 http://www.katu.com/news/80666957.html#IDComment50599954 Before I reply, I want to reiterate my appreciation for everyone's efforts in the rescue, but, while on the one hand I'm hesitant to create an stir, I think it's best if we at least raise the issue of a potential problem and discuss what happened. I don't think they were near Silcox. Based upon my ascents of the route, I would be surprised if they are still high on the face. (I could easily be wrong here, though) Given the autopsy of Mr. Gulberg indicated he did not fall, but instead died of exhaustion and hypothermia, and conditions were relatively good for both ascents and descents in the latter part of the week, I doubt Mr. Gulberg died of exhaustion and hypothermia simply by descending the route. That just seems tough to do for a man in his 20's in those conditions. Since his camera indicated they reached high on the face, my GUESS is that two of the members suffered a fall from somewhere above Leuthold's Couloir, where it starts to broaden out and slope back a bit, and quickly fell out of Mr. Gulberg's site. There are a couple scenarios as to why Mr. Gulberg would've been disconnected from the rope for a brief moment at that point and would not have fallen with them. In turn, he then descended as quickly as possible to search for his friends, possibly suffering the minor cuts and abrasions noted in the autopsy as a result of trying to slide on the lower portion of the face to speed his descent. Once he reached the lower portion of the wall, he was faced with the tough decision to go for help or search and assist his friends in those first critical moments. He chose the latter, and that is where he exhausted himself. This amazing man gave his life to help his friends. In 20 degree temperatures, it wouldn't take long to suffer hypothermia once he slowed down and the adrenalin stopped pumping. From approximately mid-week until the following Sunday or Monday, no significant snow fell on the mountain, and the West Face should've been fairly clear of any deep snow. As such, any "tailings" from a snow cave high on the face should've been evident. In addition, if these guys were prepared, and I believe they were, and Mr. Gulberg went for help, I can't help but think he would've marked the snow cave entrance with the rope, or at least three items in a row, the international symbol for help needed. The fact neither the snow cave tailings or any markings were found high on the wall makes me think that they did not dig in. Also, I've seen some bowling ball sized rocks come barreling down the West Face, though not in winter. They grab your attention pretty quickly. I can imagine one climber suffering a fatal or near fatal blow from one of these, but the odds that two suffered such a catastrophic accident must be pretty slim. If one climber suffered a blow and the other stayed behind in a snow cave with that climber, I would think the odds that the second climber in the snow cave could've survived long enough to be spotted by the rescue team are pretty good. I say this because I've been in a similar condition at that age and was forced to stay overnight in a snow cave without a sleeping bag, though I did have an insulating pad. My guess is they are at the base of the face, either in a crevasse or perhaps much, much further down than the rescuers were searching. As an alternate, perhaps two of them descended down and over a bit to peer down the Sandy Glacier Headwall and suffered a fall to the base of that wall? Fell down the Sunshine Route? Pure speculation. I think applying "Occam's Razor" and the "Law of Parsimony" here will speed finding these two climbers. I sure hope they find them, as the entire situation is just sad. All three were great people. Wed, 6 Jan 2010 05:34:01 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/80666957.html#IDComment50599954 http://www.katu.com/news/80666957.html#IDComment50492221 With all due respect to Mr. Roberts, his following comment causes me a great deal of concern... "Then, the helicopter would deliberately rock from side to side, swinging the man on the end of the line like a pendulum so that he could try to hook the side of the mountain with his ice axe." What troubles me about this is it's eerily similar to the kinds of comments made by people who are unfamiliar with climbing. Perhaps he misspoke, but this kind of comment and mindset fits with the decisions made during this search which I found troubling, including 1) The decision to suspend the search due to avalanche conditions, 2) the conclusion reached of Mr. Gulberg suffering exhaustion and hypothermia simply by descending the West Face and 3) the decision to search high on the mountain. I've climbed this very route a number of times as part of 28 ascents of Mt. Hood, often in conditions experienced by these climbers, and I'd like to raise some questions about the search process which some may find troubling and perhaps offensive, but I think they need to be addressed. However, I would like to do so from an informed viewpoint. If you were involved in the rescue efforts, can I ask you to share your thoughts on the following: 1) What did you think of the decision to suspend the ground search due to possible avalanche conditions on what was a clear, sub-freezing day in the critical period immediately after the tragedy and following a week of freeze/thaw conditions with no snow? Do you agree with this? 2) What is the evidence you saw which leads you to believe two victims were still high on the West Face? 3) Do you see any similarities between this search and the search for the Kim family in southern Oregon a few years ago? I'd appreciate it if only those involved in the search replied so that we would all be informed. Tue, 5 Jan 2010 17:13:05 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/80666957.html#IDComment50492221 http://www.katu.com/news/local/79135417.html#IDComment46947134 "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:29:44 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/79135417.html#IDComment46947134 http://www.katu.com/news/local/79135417.html#IDComment46939598 A couple points... 1) I hate tax dollar waste as much as anyone. I think much of (not all) government is in the business of spending, instead of helping its citizens. 2) The Mountain Rescue / helicopter teams are always training, ready at a moments notice to rescue hunters who go out without proper clothing, campers who fail to heed weather forecasts, urban hikers who are always falling from Gorge trails, mushroom hunters who get lost, web site bloggers who get their cars stuck in the snow, etc., (Read: All of us) so a "live" situation to rescue someone isn't a waste of tax dollars, it's another opportunity to hone their skills. If they aren't rescuing someone somewhere, they're training to rescue someone. As a result, there's no extra tax dollar cost searching for these climbers. 3) Pick up the Oregonian on any given day, and you'll find countless articles about people sucking away our tax dollars and resources by doing drugs, stealing, beating family members, neglecting their animals, smoking and sitting on their ***es waiting for their next handout, so have the intelligence and courage to think beyond the tired cliche about Mt. Climbers being nuts. What is this, the 1920s? I'd rather have my tax dollars helping someone getting the most from life rather than going to someone needing the cops over at their house for the third time this week. 4) If you want to criticize someone you don't know, then Google Teddy Roosevelt's quote about living life to the fullest, and then ask yourself who you really are and how you stack up against these guys on Hood. (No, I don't know any of them) 5) The climbers on Mt. Hood will be just fine. If they texted that they may be in a jam at 1:00 in the morning, then they've probably hunkered down and are smart enough to know not to venture out in a whiteout, especially on the West Face. They may be embarrassed at the attention, but they'll be fine. For those who don't know, you begin ascents of Mt. Hood in the middle of the night because snow conditions are safer then. Good luck to them, and way to get out and take on life! Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:41:40 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/79135417.html#IDComment46939598 http://www.katu.com/news/67858457.html#IDComment41314331 KATU, how about doing an investigative story on the never-ending practice across all government divisions of employees travelling for "training seminars" and "fact-finding" missions? The line constantly touted when hiring people is that government has to pay larger salaries and PERS benefits to attract and retain the best, yet so many are constantly traveling to listen to someone tell them something they already know, or were hired and compensated with the understanding they were already experts in the field. My frustration is that I constantly read about many (not all!) government employees traveling to seminars as a replacement for work and public service. Sure, preparing to travel, flying to the destination, sitting in a seminar and then returning home all have an air of importance to them and a sense of work being accomplished, but in the end, the topic is old news and all that is gained is a notebook that ends up sitting on a shelf in their office upon their return...before they plan their next trip. Traveling and attending seminars to regurgitate that which you are already expected to know is not a replacement for work and public service, but instead takes food from the children of a single mother, heating oil from an elderly couple, books from our schools, police from our communities and more. KATU, how about you request, under the Freedom of Information Act, the travel records of a number of government agencies to see just how much travel is occuring, the travel destinations and the subject matter as related to the attendees expertise for which they are being compensated? Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:01:23 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/67858457.html#IDComment41314331 http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/50981032.html#IDComment27517678 With PERS you get to retire at 58, with many retiring at 55. As the government saying goes, "30 and out." What this means is that while Sam Taxpayer wakes up on his 58th birthday and goes to work in the cold Oregon rain, just like everyday for the next 1,540 workdays until he retires at age 65, Joe PERS wakes up next door on his 58th birthday and begins his 7 year taxpayer paid vacation (1,540 workdays) until he's 65. Every workday for the next 7 years Sam Taxpayer will be working to generate the tax dollars his neighbor, Joe PERS, will be spending poolside. Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:30:43 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/50981032.html#IDComment27517678 http://www.katu.com/news/45435797.html#IDComment21920213 Help me understand how birds of all shapes and sizes can fly through tree top canopies, sometimes chasing each other through countless branches at high speed, yet they cannot avoid a huge slow moving turbine blade? The point made earlier about "my big bay window kills more birds each year" was right on target. Wed, 20 May 2009 19:08:31 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/45435797.html#IDComment21920213 http://www.katu.com/news/39990787.html#IDComment15572080 I understand why they need to check my bags, but what I don't understand is how my piece of luggage with that thin paper ID tag attached to the handle, the one with the teeny, tiny elastic cord that would snap if you breathe on it, somehow survives flying across the country time and time again, but that 1" nylon woven strap capable of holding thousands of pounds somehow gets torn right off of my bag, leaving a big hole?? (Happened on two different bags the first time we used them, even after we secured the straps.) Go figure. Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:30:05 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/39990787.html#IDComment15572080 http://www.katu.com/news/local/39398597.html#IDComment14953708 This looks cool! When will the Portland Notescast for the iPod come out? Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:59:18 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/39398597.html#IDComment14953708