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From urban neighborhoods destroyed by freeway projects to pristine wilderness torn up for highways to the tons of pollution spewed into the air, the effect of automania on the earth and life has been deadly over the last century. Over 40,000 people are killed each year in auto accidents in the United States, and wars are fought for control of oil, massacring countless more. Additionally, the car-centered suburban lifestyle is a form of social control in which close community has been replaced by lonely individualism and people are penned into TV-molded alienation where they are brainwashed into what to think and believe. Corporations profit and people lose. Clearly, something needs to change.
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bikes/transportation 09-Sep-2009 17:57

Benefit for cyclist hospitalized in crash!

From the open publishing newswire: This Friday 9/11 at Circadia 4705 NE Columbia! Starts 9 pm

Come support Dan, Sarah, and their 3 yr old daughter Birdy. Dan was involved in a severe bike accident with another cyclist that was drunk. The handlebars crushed his face and shattered every bone. He lost his entire body volume of blood. He will need multiple extensive reconstructive surgeries. This is further complicated by the fact that he has a heart problem and his medication that he needs to live makes him bleed excessively, adding to both his risk under anesthesia and his hospital length of stay.

Dan & Sarah moved from Portland recently to Nebraska in search of work and a career opportunity for Dan. He had just secured his dream job, as Sarah got laid off. Things were looking up and it seemed the move was worth the struggle after all. Then as they were riding their bikes on an evening outing tragedy struck. Fortunately, he has medical benefits but they only cover so much. He did not have any sick/vacation pay. Money will be miserably tight for them over the next several months, possibly years.

So come have a good time and give til it hurts :)
Bands & details at:  http://twitpic.com/gxxsy

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bikes/transportation | community building 22-Jun-2009 07:27

Stumptown Joustdown

From the open publishing newswire: The Stumptown Joustdown is one of those events in Portland that make this such an amazing city. Today I made my way over to Col. Summers Park in SE Portland with my brother Andrew to take in the action.

Portland's bike culture did not disappoint. The Stumptown Joustdown is absolutely insane. Competitors speed their bicycles, chariots and other wheeled craft straight at each other while wielding a jousting pole with which to pummel their opponent, hopefully to the ground. The action was fast and the impacts spectacular. There is no way I would compete in this event. My hats off to those that picked up the joust and competed today. We saw bicycles, mini bikes, a bride/groom match and chariots but had to leave before the open class. Thanks Portland.. you weirdo. ~H

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actions & protests | bikes/transportation | environment | neighborhood news 17-Jun-2009 13:02

Report on Hella fun Pedalpalooza / Portland Rising Tide no I-5 Expansion Ride!

Post Ride Banner Drop on N. Mississippi From the open publishing newswire: "Twelve Lanes? That's Insane!" chanted 70 Portlanders as they rallied at Mississippi Avenue, just south of Mason Avenue Sunday evening. The rally was accompanied by a mobile bike-carted sound system, live musicians, and a huge banner unfurled from the roof of a nearby construction site reading "More Lanes=More Cars=More Climate Change. No CRC!" The protest followed a "Pedalpalooza" bike ride earlier in the afternoon - organized by Portland Rising Tide which toured areas of North Portland impacted by the current Columbia River Crossing (CRC) proposal, talking to neighborhood activists opposed to the project.

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bikes/transportation | government 21-Feb-2009 11:23

Fareless Square Changes Proposed

From the open publishing newswire: TriMet's commissioned report on Fareless Square modification options has been released, and times have been set for Open House events seeking public comments. Download the full report here:  link to www.trimet.org

Open House Meeting times: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 4-7 p.m.

Portland Building, Room C [,] 1120 SW 5th Ave.[,] Portland, OR 97204

[Many more meeting times in the "READ MORE" Link]

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bikes/transportation | community building 21-Feb-2009 11:06

bike guerilla gardening

From the open publishing newswire: Start: 02/26/2009 - 4:33 p.m., Timezone: Etc/GMT-8 , Location: sustain ability now, call 15034384093. (2nd floor city repair 3125 e. burnside)

guerilla gardening bike "hit and run" squad.[:] unofficial spring is almost here. why not help start some raised beds and plant some seeds and transplants? we will be skill sharing, each one teach one, various permaculture knowledge. if you know alot thats great, if your thumb is black thats great too, we'll make it green, and cruising portland sowing seeds, and throwing seedballs. we will also have mushrooms to grow. prepare to ride, weather permitting at a medium-gentle pace. taking time to stop and plant some roses.

Suggested Materials: something to plant, something to dig with, something to plant in, soome water to drink, something vegan to share and eat.

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bikes/transportation | energy & nuclear 21-Dec-2008 02:12

about the buses

From the open publishing newswire: 'll just call this the Great BP Blow of '08. 'Cause believe it or not, this cold weather is brought in by excessive retained solar energy, which will doubtless bring us more yet, knocking dents in our global-warming civilization. If the ice storm follows as predicted (a big if), we could call it the Fina Freeze. And so forth.

In any event, the fact that the Pacific has teased us so, has worn out the Tri-Met bus service. Days of driving with tire chains in expectation of --well, of today's phenomenon-- has overtaxed the mechanics, who have had to maintain chain repair/removal/installation stations in four locations constantly. Their fatigue is tremendous, and they are running out of chains as the bare asphalt tore them to pieces. They look like coal miners after a double shift. I feel so sorry for them.

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bikes/transportation 24-Jul-2008 16:19

SE Portland biker in Coma from collision

From the open publishing newswire: On Monday, July 14th 2008 Karl Hugo was in a serious bicycle collision with a truck in the intersection of SE 50th and Lincoln, a well traveled bike route for SE Portland cyclists. Karl was taken to the Intensive Care Unit at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in SW Portland where he arrived in a coma, with one collapsed lung, and severe trauma to the Thalamus region of his brain.

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TRANSPORTATION 29-Jun-2008 15:54

Alberta Last Thursday Street Fair "guerrilla" street closure

jpg From the open publishing newswire: Last Thursday on Alberta, attendees discovered that the usual street fair there had become a temporary carfree district. But definitely not on the initiative of city officials...

More pictures here

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bikes/transportation | police / legal 11-Jun-2008 10:53

Cyclist Tased tonight, 9:30ish, on SE 7th

From the open publishing newswire: My friend just called saying that she was stopped by a copcar for riding her bike without lights. She was pulled over around SE 7th and Morrison. As they were writing her a ticket another biker was biking North on 7th. They used him as an example how bikers cannot be seen without lights. So the cops told the other cyclist to stop and when he did not stop quickly enough/was confused why they were telling him to stop, they ran after him, pulled him off his bike, threw him against a nearby wall and tased him multiple times. When my friend called I could hear him screaming in the background and the cops yelling at him.

One commenter says: "I'm pretty sure I heard somebody talking about this experience on the bus late this evening, at least it was somebody with a similar story, he was like talking to somebody on a cell phone or something & said the paramedics had a hell of a time carving the taser barb out of his chest. Said he was charged with assaulting an officer for touching the motherfucker's boot while he was writhing around on the ground screaming. Sounded like a really fucked up event, yet another example of how tasers are just torture toys for sadists.."

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bikes/transportation | police / legal 12-Mar-2008 08:08

Police admit fault in killing 2 California cyclists, no drug test, no answers given yet

From the open publishing newswire: Police in California report that an officer accidentally crossed the median and killed 2 cyclists Sunday March 9, 2008. A 3rd cyclist was seriously injured. An initial news report stating the "The group collided with the deputy's car" has been corrected. Despite this one correction the news media are not reporting if the officer was given a medical/blood test.

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bikes/transportation | police / legal 12-Mar-2008 08:06

Eugene Police Randomly Assult Naked Bike Ride of 100

From the open publishing newswire: During a mass Naked Bike Ride at 7:30 PM Saturday in Eugene officers harrased the procession and "attempted to arrest" some of the participants. Early evening event "protesting oil dependency and celebrating human body" was assulted Saturday. The local newspaper reports that as cyclists wended, "...down Charnelton, one officer stopped his car in the middle of the intersection, got out and ordered the cyclists to stop and women to put their tops on."

Several additional police and police vehicals showed up to act as voyeurs. "Most of the riders kept going, but when an officer grabbed one of hem, an angry group of naked bicyclists surrounded the officer, shouting and chanting for him to let the biker go." The officer released the cyclist free, but then, "grabbed the rear rack of another rider's bike." A policeman tackled Cassandra Hurd, a 21 year old Eugene student wearing only panties, to the ground. "Another officer trained his Taser on a naked man, who approached the scene.

The other cyclists chanted, "Leave her alone! Leave her alone!" After the brief assult, the policeman released her, without charge, and the riders continued. "We attempted to make arrests but the crowd turned on the two officers... they elected to disengage before someone got hurt." Eugene police Lt. Rich Stronach told the press later, covering the department's rear.

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actions & protests | bikes/transportation 28-Feb-2008 07:58

Leap Day Actions in Portland

From the open publishing newswire: This leap day *February 29* imagine everyone who feels smothered living a mediocre life within the current insane system rising up to resist in whatever way they can. Take leap day off work and live life like it really mattered. Spend the day as a free and whole being. Maybe that means spending time alone, or maybe it means with friends, or with your whole block, or even the whole city. Maybe it means tearing down the forces that seek to force you back to work and back onto you knees on March 1. Maybe living free for a day means spending the day creating new structures, new ideas, new forms of cooperation and a whole new reality which make you happier and freer. You don't have to wait for tomorrow, and you don't have to ask anyone for permission.

We are going to meet at Critical Mass at 5:30pm under the West Side of the Burnside bridge. Then ride round and round, where the action stops nobody knows.

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bikes/transportation 11-Feb-2008 07:59

Wanna Ride Your Bike and Deliver Valentines?

From the open publishing newswire: Siren Nation is a local non-profit that produces a music and arts festival in November (www.sirennation.org for details). We have put on a fundraiser, taking orders for Valentines (card + vegan chocolate) to be delivered around town by bike.

We got so many orders! Yay, awesome for our fundraising, but we need help!! We got so many Valentine Bike-o-Gram orders that we need help delivering them! This week is your chance to costume up and ride your bike, delivering love notes!

Can you help us? Email  valentinebybike@yahoo.com and let me know the days and times you're available this week (mon-thurs), Thank you!!

 http://www.sirennation.org

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