worldwide pablo

The day the music died

Today was the day everyone at 1320 SW Broadway feared, when The Oregonian threw in the towel and finally reneged on its industry-unique lifetime job guarantee for employees. A former colleague of WWP writes about it:

The Oregonian's job guarantee is evaporating Feb. 5, the staff needs to be cut, more unpaid furlough days and must start paying for health care. We've already had a big pay cut, several buyouts, furlough days. More fun to come: another buyout in a month and highly-likely layoffs come February.

WWP no longer doubts his decision to leave his newspaper days behind him.

No small beans

When is a Starbuck's not a Starbuck's?

Happy Birthday, America

Nixon Agonistes

"Richard Nixon Avenue": Let that roll trippingly off the tongue for a few moments.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving city.

Twist of fate

A friend writes:

2007: Chinese year of the Chicken - Bird Flu Pandemic devastates parts of Asia.

2008: Chinese year of the Horse - Equine Influenza decimates Australian racing.

2009: Chinese year of the Pig - Swine Flu Pandemic kills hundreds of pigs around the globe.

Has any one else noticed this?

Next year: 2010, Chinese year of the Cock. What could possibly go wrong?

I am airport, hear me roar

If you live in northeast Portland, you're familiar with the attendant sounds of our "international" airport nearby. Seems this summer that the noise will worsen, as some jets will be diverted to the neighborhood noise-busting "crosswind runway" while the north runway is being repaved.

PDX's solution? Plug in your earphones. But only for one.

Overheard at Petco

Woman 1: "No, I didn't move this weekend, I ..."

Woman 2: "What?"

Woman 1: "... not ready yet."

[Pause]

Woman 1: "Gotta stay for the recall. You know."

Categories: Jumping the shark  Death spiral  Dead man walking

At last

Here’s something refreshing: a gay/lesbian organization that looks beyond the black-tie fundraising circuit and dares to accomplish something.

[h/t Joe.My.God]

And a talking donkey for a ringbearer

Ah, the sanctity of marriage.

That is the question

To tweet, or not to tweet? MoDo asks the question.