Earth Hour 2009 - Photo link

The Boston Globe published a very interesting series of photos taken around the world during Earth Hour.

According to the Internet site Boston.com, Earth Hour "started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and quickly grew into a global observance. More than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday March 29th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. Collected here are a series of before-and-after photographs - which (starting with the second one below) will fade between "on" and "off" when clicked. "

Check out the interesting photos here.

New Bike/Walking Lane for Morrison Bridge

City crews will begin work this week on a new bike and walking path over the Morrison Bridge. The current configuration will be replaced by a 15 foot wide, 2-way lane on the south side of the bridge making for safer and easier crossings. This should take some of the traffic away from the Hawthorne Bridge which at times can seem like a pedestrian freeway.

Farmers Return to Downtown Portland

The downtown Farmers Markets are getting back to business. The large market on the Park blocks by PSU is now in operation every Saturday thru December 19. The Wednesday market will open on April 29th and run thru the end of October while the Pearl District gathering will being in June.


Please be aware that there are new restrictions on pets. Due to over crowding and other concerns, shoppers will no longer be allowed to bring their dogs and other pets to the two South Park Blocks markets. The new pet rules are similar to those in place at farmers markets in Beaverton, Hillsdale, Seattle and San Francisco.



More information can be found at the farmers web site.

Work resumes at Waterfront Pearl

According to the Portland Daily Journal of Commerce, construction work has now resumed at the Waterfront Pearl Project.

In case you didn't know, Hoffman Construction had not been paid for several months of construction activity during a period of time when the developer was renegotiating his financing package with his lenders. As a result, Hoffman stopped work and filed liens against the complex. This problem further resulted in buyer purchases being held up until the cloud hanging over the project was cleared.

The developer has now apparently received new financing and Hoffman is back on the job. Remaining tasks involve completion of the water feature surrounding the two building and general repair/touchup.

Housing Market Signs

Media attention to the housing market is beginning to take a more positive spin. This may be due to the fact that we are all looking for a market floor (i.e. bottom) and trying to interpret the most recent series of activity reports. These reports are beginning too show positive signs that the housing market is getting better or at least not getting any worse.

Home sales for February were higher then last February. These sales were up quite a bit for the Western US, 24 percent. Also, in some of our worse performing markets such as San Diego and Orange County, list prices are beginning to creep upward. A sign that these markets are levelling off.

Government programs to help banks with troubled mortgage assets has been positively received by investors causing a rally on Wall Street.

It's still too early to call, but like spring, signs of life are beginning to appear around us.

Lecture: "The Civil War in Oregon"

If you are a history buff would might be interested to know about a cultural event happening tomorrow, Tuesday March 24th. A lecture regarding the Civil War will be presented 7:30pm at The Newmark Theatre, Antoinette Hatfield Hall, 1111 S.W. Broadway in downtown Portland.

Speaker Robert K. Sutton is the current Chief Historian of the National Park Service. Prior to this, he served as the Superintendent of Manassas National Battlefield Park and directed the Historic Preservation and Historical Administration public history programs at Arizona State University. He has published several books, articles, and reviews on public history. One of his primary interests is preparing for the Civil War Sesquicentennial. Presented as part of the 2009 Mark O. Hatfield Distinguished Historians Forum.

See the Oregon Historical Society website for ticketing information.

Future Technology Today

Touch screens are becoming an increasingly popular way to control mobile phones and other devices. How does the technology work, and where is it heading?

Perceptive Pixel (what's this?)

CD of the Week: New from U2

For music lovers, there is a new CD out by U2 – No Line on the Horizon. According to the Greg Kot at the Chicago Tribune, U2 tries to “shrug off years of staleness” with its 12th album. Coming off two popular but artistically unsurprising releases, the new CD looks to “reconnect with the sense of yearning and mystery that once made it special”. While half the songs “sound as fresh as anything U2 has done in a decade,” the other half fall prey on predictability.

No Line on the Horizon isn’t meant to reinvent U2. Rather, it’s a “record about searching for meaning, but always knowing the way home.”

U2’s new music is available at amazon.com (where the album gets a four star rating), the Itunes music store, and music sellers throughout downtown Portland.

Downtown Sports Exciting

Things have really taken off this week in the downtown sports scene. The Trailblazers are fighting for a playoff spot and every game is big. March Madness has arrived at the Rose Garden Arena with eight of the best college basketball teams in town for the NCAA tournament regional playoffs. On top of this, the Portland State basketball team (our own downtown university) is the Big Sky Conference champ and will play in the NCAA regionals over in the Boise.

But wait, there's more. Portland is knocking on the door of professional soccer. After lengthy discussions and a very public hearing at City Hall, a plan emerged to support our city as a possible site for a Major League Soccer expansion team. If we get it, there will be considerable changes over at the Rose Quarter as a new stadium is built and we will see another big renovation at PGE park. Look for updates on this very soon as MLS is scheduled to make it's decision in the next week or so on expansion cities.

For sports fans, this is really exciting stuff.

Monthly Real Estate Market Report

The data gatherers over at RMLS just published their monthly report for February and the results are mixed. One the one hand, sales and pendings compared to prior years is still showing a downward trend BUT... compared to prior months we are seeing a slightly upward trend.

Inventory levels are down from January (a good sign). Sales and pendings are up from January (another positive sign). Average sale price and median sale price are both up compared to January (means the free fall is stopping).

It may be too early to know for sure but we could be turning the corner on this real estate bubble thing and nailing in the floor for future prosperity.

Gardening at South Waterfront

The first South Waterfront community Garden planning meeting will be held next week on Tuesday, March 17th at 6pm. All South Waterfront residents are encouraged to attend. The purpose of the meeting will be to get hear information, contribute ideas and learn how to be involved in process.

The meeting will be held at Community Relations Town Home #115 in Atwater Place (entrance at street level on Gaines

Interesting First Thursday Events

Tired of looking the same galleries on your First Thursday evenings? Try one or more of these interesting events tonight.

Lizard Lounge: Featuring art work from Ashley Montague and live music by Mark Twain Indians, the First Thursday Reception Party at the Lizard Lounge will benefit Mercy Corps. Join Mercy Corps volunteers to learn more about their programs and ways you can help. Enjoy complimentary beverages from Widmer Brothers Brewery, a 10% discount on Lizard Lounge merchandise and 15% of all sales are donated to Mercy Corps. Music, drink, art, shopping and philanthropy – it doesn’t get any better than this. Lizard Lounge, 1323 NW Irving, 503.416.7476.

Wine Unwind: Romantic and thought provoking photographic images of vineyards from around the world by Emma Juhli. Wine Unwind 1019 NW 11th Ave, at Lovejoy, 503.946.8482

Forever Art & The CEO’s Home: Meet International Artist, Alexander Voitsekhovsky, Here from St. Petersburg, Russia. Exhibition through March 7th. Forever Art & The CEO's Home, 828 NW Hoyt St (corner of 9th & Hoyt), 503.227.2010

Urban Wine Works: Arletha Mueller Ryan's exhibit will be on display for all to see during the entire month of March. Join us for a First Thursday reception in honor of this talented artist and enjoy her artwork while treating yourself to complimentary appetizers, live music by Alfonso Pe Benito and Bishop Creek Cellars finely crafted Pinot Noirs and Pinot Gris. Arletha Mueller Ryan will be on hand to discuss her work and reveal her barrel-top art. Join us for art, food, music and wine! (Artwork will be featured until March 31st). Urban Wineworks, 407 NW 16th Ave., 503.226.9797.

South Waterfront Neighborhood Park

Work has been taking place on the developement of South Waterfront Neighborhood Park. Plans are done and a contractor has been choosen. Get ready to see action on the site soon! the new park should be fully open by October.

The park includes an Urban Gardens area, an Open Lawn area, and a Naturalized Landscape area.

Urban Gardens: A community gathering area with movable tables and chairs and a built-in bocce court, a garden retreat area with granite seat walls and a historic marker honoring the site of Portland's first cabin, and an environmental play area with a spray/play stepping stone feature and seating logs.

Naturalized Landscape: Boardwalks, naturalized plantings, undulating topography with stormwater detention, and Song Cycles public art created by Doug Hollis.

Open Lawn: Flexible space, including an 8' tall sloped landform for seating, sunning, and play.

Other Features: A variety of trees and plantings, pathways with benches, park lighting, a festival edge on Bond, electrical infrastructure for events, bicycle racks, a drinking fountain, dog waste bag dispensers, trash receptacles, and streetscape improvements.

Bicycles on the Water Front

As part of Portland Parks & Recreation’s (PP&R) effort to revitalize the former McCall’s restaurant site in Waterfront Park, PP&R has leased a kiosk at the site to Albertina Kerr for three years to launch Kerr Bikes, LLC, a new venture set to open this spring.

Kerr Bikes will offer a fleet of unique bikes for unparalleled outdoor recreation, sightseeing, people watching and a touch of exercise that will enhance any leisure time experience in the park. There will be a variety of bikes to rent, such as tandem bikes, deuce coupes and surreys, offered in sizes for couples or for the entire family to share.

The new bike rental business is an employment opportunity for people with developmental disabilities who are in a Kerr program.

Kerr Bikes will be located on the north side of Hawthorne Bridge at Salmon Street Springs next to the old McCall's Restaurant in a separate kiosk.

Besides offering employment to the people Kerr serves, all the proceeds will go to benefit the programs of the nonprofit. The new project is financed in part by a $75,000 grant from Meyer Memorial Trust, which also gave an additional $100,000 in a low-interest loan.

Albertina Kerr is the leading provider of services to children, adults and families with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities. A private non-profit organization headquartered in Portland since 1907, Kerr spends more than 91 cents of every dollar to help Oregonians. Private donations and community support make this vital work possible.

-Portland Parks and Recreation website