Aren't they lovely pair?

If you would like to see our county commissioner and city of Vancouver mayor riding in a local bicycle club ride, here is your chance to enjoy the view!

http://www.columbian.com/weblogs/local-politics/2011/jan/28/let-me-tell-you-bout-my-best-friend/

And yes, mr. commissioner, that DOES look like a great manly bike with antlers!

Restanding up this blog

After a number of local blogs have closed, shut down or have not been updated in YEARS, I decided it was time for me to reput up my own blog here on Blogspot.

There is going to be some modifications here as I work out some kinks (Wondering if I will be taking comments here or not, posting controversial political stands or ?)

If you have any ideas, you too can put up your own blog with a tad bit of work on your end. If your from another part of the country, world or ? go to www.blogspot.com, sign up, agree to the rules and conduct and start posting away!

Clarkblog goes down.

For those who may not know, Chief of Clarkblog.org fame has decided to close his local infamous blog.

I'll let him tell it in his own words:

" September 28, 2009

My friends;

Today is the day that Clarkblog.org finally comes to an end. We set out from the start to try and find enough things to speak of to warrant a full time blog here in Clark County, and I think that I have proven beyond a doubt that it is possible to do so.

Along the way I have picked up a number of enemies in the traditional media. The site has been under increasing attack of late from those enemies, much of which I have openly invited by being as "in your face" as I felt I needed to be in order to challenge some of the political paradigms that exist here in Vancouver. I've never shirked from a decent argument, but in many cases I am not dealing with decent people.

But the fact remains that I have carried this experiment as far as I can by myself. A lot of people read this site and some of them are very threatened by what they see here. Under other circumstances I would relish the fight, but my health leaves me increasingly unable and even unwilling to do so.

Thank you to all who have regularly checked in on this website and for the silent support you gave it. I wish you all well, and I'm sure we will bump into one another around town. My very best to you all

Cheers!

Bob Koski
Vancouver, WA"

I want to wish him the best of luck on his health recovery and thank him for being the voice of standard for clark county and taxpayers for a couple of seasons.

Most do not know I was a regular and fond memorialist over there remembering all the wonderful things as well as loving good challenges of further research into local politics.

My hats are off to you for a wonderful ideas that continued to fester and spawned so many local campaigns, political and social change in our local piece of heaven of Clark County Washington.

You set a wonderful standard Bob. I am really going to miss your tutelage, friendship, kindness, email chats and wonderful disagreements! Take care and get better soon.

Mr Plow ( a human powered snow removal machine)

For the past week and a half, (watch out for those side walks!?!?!? Today I slipped and fell on an ice patch I did not see. And no, I am not going to sue some one because of it. So shooing away those ambulance chasers..) there has been some where in my neighborhood of Vancouver near 39th and Main street about an average of 1.5 foot with some small drifts.

Roads were ice at times, slush at times and other times, ice prone.

So when I can across this little idea from Mr. Plow who recycled an old garden tractor-mower, added a bicycle chain and gear system, he was able to use his own power with a nice, small scraper to clear out the snow.

If you would like to see more, please take a look here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VozlU8TXEvA

Happy Holidays

Yep, just a short note to any one who may have started to read this blog.

"Happy (enter name of Holiday or religious belief here)"

OR I will just say have a happy, merry, christmas and happy new year!

Does the Citizen Communications time too large?

From Seattle Times: (in an article about keeping guns off city property.)

You may find this article off this tinyurl link: http://tinyurl.com/7ozsjw

"Any sort of ban is gun control," she said, after speaking for her allotted 90 seconds against the measure. Moments later she told a newspaper reporter: "It's the same old argument going around and around." Carender said she is among those "trying to protect their right to keep and bear arms."

<..Snips rest of article..>

Now is this really gettting to a point that 90 seconds is the absolute time for the community member to discuss how they feel about a subject? Now I understand that the City of Vancouver sets it up as 3 minutes or 180 seconds.

But why did they shorten a community members time to discuss an item in front of the Seatte City Council?

I am curious to know why Citizens are not given time to discuss a subject?

Going to do more research do to find out more about the amount of discussion time. (This thread is NOT about the gun control measure. If you want to discuss that, please go to the link and post on the seattle times forums.)

Thompson Metal Fabricators created parts of "The Tram.."

Some locals may not have known and some may call it a waste of money to uplift the elite and hierarchy up to the top of OHSU in Downtown Portland.

What people may have not known is that Vancouver's Thompson Metal Fabricators did some or a decent amount of the main stems to the "tram."

If you want to see verification, please take note of Sam Adams and Royce Pollard in the photograph.

http://www.commissionersam.com/node/699