Trimess

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Money money money EVERYWHERE at Trimet

Just not for buses or bus service. (Who's the director of transit 'equity'?)


Interesting correspondence between union members and union officials

The following are some communications between ATU 757 members and union officials:

It can pay to evade (fares)

Report: Subway Fare Evaders May Have Upper Hand - NY1.com

Transit that needs no public money

The impending departure of Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief Jay Walder for the more lucrative shores of Hong Kong to lead its metro and commuter rail system has one silver lining: It has brought our attention to a top-notch metro system that not only can pay its chief a million-dollar plus salary, but which doesn't need public money at all. In fact, the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corp. actually makes money.

C-Tran

C-TRAN VOTE: How much rides on November bus service ballot measure?

Express bus service to Milwaukie area soon to be a thing of the past due to rail

Too bad that rail is such a fixation around here, people could be riding like this:

Swank new high-tech buses heading here | SILive.com

NW Portland today

Another walk down Portland's famous 23rd ave
And another walk down Portland NW 21st ave

This bus driver couldn't wait to get his fried chicken I guess

Raw Video: Bus Crashes into KFC - Bing Videos

LOOKS TO ME LIKE THIS BUS DRIVER IS FILLING OUT AN ACCIDENT REPORT

http://youtu.be/S4lSosWriKI

RUSSIAN BUS DRIVER OF THE YEAR!

Trimet wants your bid-can't figure out what it is though

TriMet: Bidding Opportunities

WEEKLY READERSHIP REPORT

This guy did an interesting video about Portland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Fxlvd7AwM

While the earth exists in constant chaos, there is something bigger and more important

Republicans have intentionally destroyed this country

The reason that the Republicans deliberately destroyed the balanced budget and created unprecedented government debt was precisely in hopes that at some point they could use the debt as an excuse to destroy social security, medicare, and myriads of educational and health programs. They represent rich people, and the rich don’t want to be having to bear their fair share of the national burden. What better way to get out of having to pay those pesky taxes than making sure the government doesn’t do anything for anyone but the rich.
So everything unfolding in Washington was planned out in a room in 2001, and is going according to plan.

A Story More Important than Debt Limit Kabuki | Informed Comment

EMAIL FROM DRIVER

Yesterday, two thermometers in Hillsboro read at 93 degrees.Like filthy buses,hot vehicles
which sit for 20 minutes at layovers,are a health risk.As a heart attack survivor,I was very uncomfortable for the last 5 hours of my shift as were my passengers.I even saw 2 dinosaurs working the 57 line even though there were many rows of 2900's ready to go at Merlo.
(It's very sad indeed that our management allows us to suffer even though they have the means to fix the issue)

Saturday, July 30, 2011

and here they are, direct from REAL PEOPLE...TWITTER REPORTS


PortlandAfoot: Signature-gathering is allowed on TriMet because it's categorically a "free speech" activity, TriMet says bit.ly/rewHjA ·
  mikerigsby: A hot, stuffy #Trimet bus with several off work fast food workers on it. Nothing like the smell of sweat & french fry grease. :p
zfekede: #trimet has to be the worst transportation system in the world
esseAdamDavis: The trimet outfits look like police uniforms haha #pdx
eenrightsguy: @trimet trimet has made an enemy of me, & i really don't see the wisdom of it. i will keep people aware of the agency's inexcusable behavior
transit_tweets: RT @teenrightsguy: @trimet that is outrageous. i've already put you on notice via these tweets that i have concerns. i will not go out of my way further
sisterthyme: My love/hate relationship with Trimet is only matched by my love/hate relationship with rhubarb. And the Trimet iPhone ap? I just hate you.

Twitter

edwartica: Trimet keeps saying how they're so desperate for money. Meanwhile they create two brand new positions.

Bike Sharing petition

I Support Bike Sharing
(and I personally support the concept of bike sharing)

Be on the lookout for ryan614@hotmail.com

He is harassing a Trimet bus operator making false claims and complaints!

As America Continues to Tank, What Will You Do?

When we are born, we are born free. As we grow older and are shepparded through public schools and out into the work force, we begin to face the realities of a centralized society – one that continually tries to collectivize people's time under a life-long bond to the State. It is as if there are fields full of gallows with fresh nooses swaying gently in the winds of time awaiting the necks of all the fresh blood entering the workforce. The heads slip in and the serpent-like noose fastens itself – for life. And once a person succumbs to the pressure, they lose their abilty to think. For who has time to think when one's life (time) is constantly being robbed by a collectivist State?

THE DAILY BELL 

Letter from an ATU 757 member to Jon Hunt

Mr. Hunt.

It seems like we have lost another brother in "our" union. His name was Larry (forgot last), and he started a little bit after me (3yrs), he was older (50's), he stayed a mini-runner for his designation at Tri-met. He past from cancer. He'll be missed. Since you probably have not heard anything. I'll tell you that he worked while he was sick. He worked out of Powell around the last time I seen him (on a holiday run), he had lost 30lbs since I saw him before this. I didn't get a chance to talk with him at that time. He worked the 3, 10hr. shifts.

Layover at the Hillsboro Transit Center




One of the great perks on saturday is the Hillsboro Farmers Market. I came home with raspberries,blueberries and zuchinni.

Bus drivers under constant surveillance

Bus driver doing paperwork at the wheel | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun

VIDEO LOG

7/29/11

TriMet increases police presence in light of recent attacks

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/TriMet-increases-police-presence-in-light-of/8W1YwR3kSUm07w9W1F6GuQ.cspx

To the Riders of Trimet

http://www.portlandmercury.com/IAnonymousBlog/archives/2011/07/29/to-the-riders-of-trimet

Poor Local Union Leadership

Our Union has its Bylaws, Constitution and General Laws that governs how it is to operate. Section 21.7 “Disclosure of Union Business” of our Constitution and General Laws states “No officer or member of the L.U. shall furnish to any unauthorized person a list of the names and addresses of the membership. All business of the L.U. must be kept strictly private from persons outside of the Union, unless publication be authorized by the L.U., and persons giving out any information contrary to the L.U. shall, after proceeding in accordance with the provisions of Section 22, if found guilty, be fined, suspended or expelled.”

http://betrueunion.blogspot.com/2011/07/poor-local-union-leadership.html 

Friday, July 29, 2011

I love that blue!

BTC bike report-2 inside (1had just left)

BTC report-2 bikes unsecured

Elderly woman beat up at MAX stop


Portland area disabled speak to the board

Michael Levine says Trimet will make disabled "homebound" and is "wrong wrong wrong"
Portland disabled address the Trimet Board/part 1
Portland area disabled speak to the trimet board/part 2

Downtown Portland getting most of the $$$$$$ (we knew that)

“There are bad streets everywhere, but the city is spending most of its money in just one place, downtown,” says David Hampsten, a member of the Portland Bureau of Transportation Budget Advisory Committee, using the common term for the planning district that encompasses the urban core.
Street projects lose traction

Sam Adams calls it quits

http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=49278&a=358679

Jack Bogdanski commentaries

Two seniors badly injured on MAX
However they may trump up statistics, they can't deny these: a 65-year-old man with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a train on the west side, and an 84-year-woman thuggerized by a sicko on one of the MAX system's many dangerous east side platforms. Does this stuff happen on buses, and we just don't hear about it?
Read more: http://bojack.org/#ixzz1TXF8nh3J


You'll never guess what just happened with Milwaukie MAX
All together now, kids:
It's too late to turn back now!
Public process in the Portland area is such a bad joke.
Read more: http://bojack.org/#ixzz1TXFFjacg

My very own red line cup

Oh boy, no comment on this

There is no end to the amount of bureaucrats that this place is willing to hire.
(Cultural competency?)

HEAR YEA HEAR YEA!!

At the August 14 charter meeting ATU members will consider weather charges against
sister E**** F** are worthy of being further entertained.

Sometimes you just don't care

Mocking bus riders for profit

Photo Richard Layman
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/11454/arlington-credit-union-mocks-bus-riding/

Trimet's latest self mastabatory event

Trimet's latest self mastabatory event from al m on Vimeo.

Trimet congratulates itself and other bureaucrats for their brilliant vision for Portland Orygon, the whitest city in America.

Catching bus drivers in the act

Metrobus drivers caught using cell phones by different kind of camera | Kytja Weir | DC | Washington Examiner

Killing transit fare evaders

http://sfbayview.com/2011/riding-muni-is-getting-dangerous/

Trojan asteroid caught circling Earth

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/29/trojan-asteroid-caught-circling-earth-the-greeks-deny-involveme/

Public testimony Trimet board of directors-7/27/11

David Kay says changing lift will flood fixed route service
Cameron Johnson says "we can not trust you"
RA Fontes says don't degrade the bus service for streetcar
Michael Levine says "forget bureaucrats, reach out to the disabled"
Big shot doctor wants streetcar to get to his office
Anything is better than funding highways says streetcar supporter
Streetcar supporter says gas is running out

VIDEO LOG-JULY 28

http://vimeo.com/27054370

An 84-year-old woman survives an attack at a MAX stop

Max service is just so wonderful isn't it?

Pedestrian trying to catch train hit by MAX in Hillsboro

 http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Pedestrian-hit-by-MAX-train-in-Hillsboro-126360208.html

Trimet bus riders pay and pay and pay for rail

Too bad Trimet management doesn't inform our beloved public just what happens when MAX service goes down for one of its numerous reasons.
Trimet management PULLS BUSES OFF IN SERVICE ROUTES in order to take care of its beloved rail riders. This includes high density routes like the 57 and 76 at rush hour!
So what does that mean for bus riders? Long delays, overcrowded buses, missed appointments, reporting to work late, and other assorted misery's.

VOTERS? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING VOTERS!

Clackamas County commissioners reject sending Portland-Milwaukie light rail project to voters | OregonLive.com

Party on dude

Red line extravaganza:

Thursday, July 28, 2011

I'm sure glad Trimet has loads of $ for newspaper insert advertising but not our health insurance!

Truth in Advertising

My very own Trimet luggage tag!

Bike&ride- 9 parked outside the facility!

BTC bike&ride-1 bike

Pedestrian struck by MAX train in Hillsboro

http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2011/07/pedestrian_struck_by_max_train_in_hillsboro.html

Man uses fists for random attack on women at Gresham MAX platform

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Man-uses-fists-for-random-attack-on-women-at/W_L8hfzbUEKfJi5WdJMpLA.cspx

Checking out the new Trimet head lawyer-Jana Toran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6RBoUG_qQo

Time for my performance report

It appears another year has gone by and now its time for my performance report. I guess it looks alright?

Mass Transit Is Good For Poor People

http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/07/26/279850/mass-transit-is-good-for-poor-people/

Al-Qaeda Claims U.S. Mass Transportation Infrastructure Must Drastically Improve Before Any Terrorist Attacks

Click Here!

Erik Halstead comments on the Trimet Red Line celebration

ERIK HALSTEAD: TriMet celebrates MAX Red Line: 10 million passengers to PDX

Bus driver pleads guilty in death

Story here!

RAIL FAILS AT TRIMET TODAY

Max Train hits a pedestrian at Washington.


Car crash in Beaverton stops WES service.


Bus bridge in Hillsboro due to another pedestrian collision.

Trimet pats itself on the back

TriMet celebrates MAX Red Line: 10 million passengers to PDX | OregonLive.com

Transit executive likes porn at work

Metro chief suspended over adult content

Crumbling America

America Will Lose Thousands Of Jobs And Billions Of Dollars To Weak Infrastructure

Rail and switch review

MAX FAQS

VIDEO LOG-JULY 27

http://vimeo.com/27015179

July Trimet Board of Directors

Trimet board of directors-July 2011 from al m on Vimeo.

ANOTHER SILLY EVENT GOING ON AT THE AIRPORT RIGHT NOW

A blogger in attendance comments:
The whole thing was very masturbatory when you consider neil was in charge of capital projects for the red line, so his speech was essentially thanking himself

Light rail news: Art committee, NDA leaders debate public input, giant deer art

Full story here!

2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES DEPICTS TRIMET'S "DARK SIDE"

3 summers ago many of us "overpaid" Trimet employees suffered through a grueling heat wave. I became physically ill during that summer due to the disgraceful working conditions at this company. The company that is supposedly the "world leader" in transit. Well those of us that work here know the ugly truth about Trimet.
The only thing they are the world leader of is PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES. There is a dark underside to Trimet's shiny downtown rail bonanza facade, and it was captured in this film by Dave Stubblefield, staring me of course. The funny thing is, not a thing has changed as far as equipment is concerned in the two years since this was filmed. Culture of safety? My ass!
THE DARK SIDE OF TRIMET THAT THE WORLD DOES NOT SEE.

NEW TRIMET PODIUM SPOTTED AT AIRPORT

Our political elite selling our lives away, Americans go to sporting events

Richard Wolff: Debt Showdown is "Political Theater" Burdening Society's Most Vulnerable

Race is everything in the land of the "free"

Wealth Gap Between Minorities and White Americans Doubles After Housing Crisis, Recession

Bus Haiku #7

http://trimetdiaries.com/2011/07/bus-haiku-7/

Trimet legal department loses appeal

http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/A141388.pdf

WAKE UP AMERICA! - The Real U.S. Budget Problem: Defense & War Spending Equal 94% Of All Federal Income Tax Revenues




I thought this kind of puts things in perspective. In 2010, the US government collected $898 billion in federal income tax revenues. The same year, we spent $847 billion on useless wars and national defense. That means that 94% of all federal income tax revenue is equivalent to what we spend on the Pentagon. Who out there thinks it was money well spent?

Also, just to piss you off a little bit more - defense spending is equivalent to 443% of what we collect in total corporate taxes

George Carlin warned us!

This is going in come hell or high water

TriMet, cities sign off on agreement to begin Lake Oswego streetcar refinement work | OregonLive.com

REST IN PEACE ALAN TOWNSEND


Alan Townsend was a pal that I met on the group BUS EMERGENCY, this is the post that I made on that group.

One of the very first people that I met online and became pals with I met right
here in BUS EMERGENCY.
Those of you who have followed this group might remember that occasionally
someone would post some wise ass comments always directed at me, his name was
Alan Townsend, he lived in Seychelle Canada.
We became friends and chatted often via video chat. I even drove up to Canada
and visited with him. As time went on we chatted less and less but always kept
in touch with each other.
I got word today from his daughter that he died.
Rest in peace old pal

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Beaverton bike&ride report-1 bike

David Kay

Treating us like children

This is actually a piece of a comment made on another post but it describes pretty well how we are treated in the eyes of the management and how far the management goes sometimes to placate the public. Remember, complaints from the public are ALWAYS embellished.

The last conversation I had with my Chief was over a customer complaint which said basically "Driver was talking too much and not paying attention to his driving". My Chief proceeded to lecture me - a 45 year old, college educated father, ex-military member and all-around grownup - about "the need for safety while driving a bus".

Cameron Johnson says "we can not trust you"

JANA TORAN (took over for Playfair)

TRINET HOME PAGE DISAPPEARS

San Antonio says 'GIVE US THE PORTLAND MODEL"

Full speed ahead for light rail, streetcars - San Antonio Express-News

TRIMET TACTICS DEBATED IN FLORIDA

Florida Train Heist: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul on SunRail | Sunshine State News

Board of Directors uses delaying tactic

Main Entry:   
delaying tactics
Part of Speech:   n pl
Definition:   an action taken to defer or postpone an event in order to avoid the outcome or gain an advantage; also written
TriMet delays decision on raising rates on LIFT service for disabled | OregonLive.com

Video log-July 26

http://vimeo.com/26972790

Closed light rail station

Gresham Central Platform back open after police closed it for stabbing investigation | OregonLive.com

MO MONEY MO MONEY MO MONEY

http://trimet.org/pdfs/meetings/board/2011-7-27/Res-11-07-51.pdf

Tom Hall gets his recertification card

Trimet bus drivers discuss recertification card

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Actual re-certification card issued by Trimet!

Don't ride your wheelchair down the stairs at Sunset TC

http://trimetblues.tumblr.com/post/8114302067/trimetblues-wheelchairs-and-stairs-dont-mix

Assorted transit pics this month

Merlo MAX stop

City of Roses @ Beaverton Transit Center

Beaverton TC Bike & Ride

Bus stop closeup & Wells Fargo tower



BTC bike report- 2 locked inside/3 outside

2011 TriMet bus rankings

http://portlandafoot.org/w/2011_TriMet_bus_rankings

Steve Fung's movie of the week

Operators need to do the job right

Now that Trimet management has gotten hysterical about the fares, we operators need to make sure that we have handed out the correct transfers! This is not the time to put riders through additional stress because of operator errors!

Hiring Fare Inspectors is good business

Chris Day was looking at the Jack Bogdanski post and did some calculations. What he came up with is that hiring fare inspectors is actually a money making venture.

OK another numbers game here. So from what I am reading here is what I come up with:

One Fare Inspector/Supervisor would cost about $100,000.00 a year (including benefits)

If this inspector gave two tickets an hour for an eight hour shift
TriMet =$1,104.00
Portland =$1,696.00

A five day work week that inspector
TriMet =$5,520.00
Portland =$8,480.00

In one year
TriMet =$287,040.00
Portland =$440,960.00

NO FAN OF TRIMET

Matthew House, J.D. (teenrightsguy) on Twitter

WU TO RESIGN

Rep. Wu to resign amid teen sex allegations

SEATTLE METRO NEWS

Local News | Council postpones vote on $20 car-tab fee to help Metro | Seattle Times Newspaper

Candidate for VP Bruce Peek

How much are our union executives making?

Full Time Officer Positions - These positions are voted on by the entire membership

President-Business Representative
The average income for the past 3 years:
$119,405.00

Vice President-Assistant Business Representative
The average income for the past 3 years:
$108,807.33

Financial Secretary-Treasurer/Recording Secretary
The average income for the past 3 years:
$105,227.33

VIDEO LOG-JULY 25 (updated)

http://vimeo.com/26927098

UNION FACTS.COM

http://www.unionfacts.com/lu/1158/ATU/757

20 Clever Bus-Shelter Ads to Brighten Your Travels

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/20-clever-bus-shelter-ads-brighten-your-travels-133561

Jack Bogdanski weighs in on the fare evasion action

Woo hoo! Fare-jumper tickets on MAX.

Tri-Met's acting all rough and tough on the legion of scofflaws who don't pay money to ride Portland's wonderful, turnstile-free rail network. Those tickets are $175 apiece!
Yes, but Tri-Met actually nets only $69 of that -- the rest goes to the state and the county. And so, to pay for the six new fare "supervisors," who probably make $100,000 a year including benefits, it would take 8,696 citations that actually get paid every year to break even. That's 24 new paid citations every day, including weekends, above what Tri-Met's already been collecting. Think that's gonna happen?
They don't have this problem on buses -- at least the ones on which the driver actually enforces the fare rules.

WES RIDERSHIP DECLINES IN JUNE!

MAY  RIDERSHIP  8200
JUNE RIDERSHIP 8100
100 trips less!

$6,250 fine AND 1 year in STATE PRISON if you go on the tracks!

Al-Tom-Jeff discuss the bike situation

Monday, July 25, 2011

Tom Hall for governor

Feerless Leader Recieves Commendation



Good job Al!

Layover-Beaverton TC

! People everywhere! Driver's room insane! 1 of the worst places for a layover!

BTC bike&ride report-

2 in storage/1 outside

TRIMET REAL STATS FOR LAST MONTH

TOP PERFORMER-BUS SERVICE AT 58,431,700 trips
RUNNER UP-MAX SERVICE AT          41,200,200 trips
DEAD LAST IS THE PUNY WES AT          370,800 trips

Dangerous offender: man jailed indefinitely for attack on bus driver

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/126130568.html

Transit authority hits end of the line!

. The KRM project fell victim to a tough economic climate where officials would not support construction of new transit systems as bus service is being cut back, said Karl Ostby, chairman of the Southeast Wisconsin RTA.
(WOW! UNREAL!)
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2011/07/25/transit-authority-hits-end-of-the-line.html 

Creating a 'culture' of safety

Rose Quarter

Max Faqs

MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA!

TriMet ridership tops 100 million mark again
I love watching our ministry of propaganda doing its spinning, it's fascinating to me. And I always give credit where credit is due. This public service agency really has perfected the art of spin, my hats off to you in the propaganda department. Todays news release starts off with (you'll never guess), the HUGE WES increases! Of course if you have 100 riders and get 50 more that is a 50% increase, hurrah for WES!
Of course the big disappointment is the bus service, alas, broken down, germ infested, late or never even showing up at all , that bus service will be the death of Trimet huh? (sic) 

You coming to work these days?

June saw a noted improvement in Operations Department attendance. The summer attendance campaign is continuing through the months of July and August.
Why is good attendance important for our organization? On the maintenance side, strong attendance means:
• Our daily maintenance needs are met. Absences prevent work from being completed as scheduled.
• By being here and performing your job at the highest level, you serve our customers who depend on our service to get to work, home, and manage their lives. You can take pride in the work you perform daily and appreciate the impact you have on the metropolitan area. The public appreciates what you do.
• When journey workers and service workers aren’t here as expected, it puts a burden on other members of the work group to get critical needs met.
• You are missed when you are not here. Your daily contribution to the overall mission is critical to our success in maintenance.
Our “In it to win it” attendance incentive is about reminding everyone of the impact of absenteeism on our daily business. By increasing our attendance we improve our service and our workplace. Thank you for your

Watch out Dumbasses!

The Transportation Safety Committee recently noted that frequent Operator injuries have occurred while Operators are stepping on or off the bus. Operators are reminded to please use caution when manuveuring the high step on an off the bus in the yard.
If you have a question or concern about this safety reminder or any safety issue, feel free to contact a Transportation Safety Committee representative at your garage:
• Center Street: Dowell Kearney, Laverne Martin
• Powell: Brian Runyan, Joyce Ray
• Merlo: Patti Pellegrin, Jan Lamascus
Safety is great unless you’re late.

Nobody Knows Anything

Here in the pitiful tweet-sphere that contains the atomized remnants of USA governance, there is no such clarity. We don't know if that's spaghetti hitting a wall or the shit hitting the fan. But due to the amazing obduracy of the parties involved, the next sound you hear may just be the wall itself tumbling down, perhaps even the famous wall with the famous street attached.
James Howard Kunstler

Football is the priority of our broken and twisted culture

Winners and losers in the NFL labor deal - ESPN Chicago

2012 ATU757 Elections

Nominations of candidates will be held on the first regular union meeting in May 2012 at 7:30pm as set forth by the Financial Secretary-Treasurer. Names of the nominated members shall be recorded at the time of nomination by the Financial Secretary-Treasurer/Recording Secretary and shall be placed on the ballot in alphabetical order. Chick here for a list of all ATU757 elected Offices.

Is safety a value here?

Safety is great unless you’re late.

Oregonian editorial board

TriMet finally taking action

Fascinating video of bullet train disaster in China

Anger in China as bodies 'fall from carriages' during train crash clean-up - Telegraph

Woman fights transit system

Winston-Salem woman fights public transportation battle | JournalNow.com

Opening up transit court proceedings

New York Civil Liberties Union fought a good fight to open Transit Authority's court to the public

The place where I learned how to drive a bus now provides 'official' transit program

UMass, Hartford bus company offer transit training - BostonHerald.com

Bus vs Rail debate

Rising cost of Purple Line reignites bus vs. rail fight | Liz Farmer | Local | Washington Examiner

Rail Fail

Passengers rescued from sweltering train stalled in Westport - Connecticut Post

Layover at Meridian Park Hospital

There is a picnic table in the shade where one can enjoy their lunch with peace and quiet.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

YOU TUBE CHANNEL OF INTEREST

‪Trimet22543's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

GREECE-TEST CASE FOR AMERICAN AUSTERITY BALONEY

The crisis in Greece must be seen in a global context for another reason. People in Canada, the United States, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Britain, and many other countries are being given the same message: your well-being must be sacrificed in the name of "austerity."
There is increasing resistance around the world to this latest form of class warfare.
In reality, however, transnational economic elites want an ever greater share of wealth, even if it means that poverty and inequality are increasing for the majority.
In 1940, when Mussolini demanded that Greece surrender or face invasion, the Greek response was a single word: "No" ("Oxi"). When Mussolini's troops attacked, the Greeks inflicted the first military defeat ever on the Axis powers.

Another vehicle in the Merlo boneyard





This was one heck of a collision to trigger two airbags.

Dead Souls

While riding the subway through the Boston rush hour, I have been able to observe just how well these personal electronic mental life support units work in shielding people from the sight of their fellow-passengers, who are becoming a rougher and rougher-looking crew, with more and more people in obvious distress. By focusing all of their attentions on the tiny screen, they are also spared the sight of our well-worn and crumbling urban infrastructure.
http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2011/07/dead-souls.html 

Wikepedia

Sunset Transit Center - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TWITTERS-rapidly becoming one of my favorite Trimet posts

JacoBrucker: RT @nataweejones: if you can't afford a car, you can't afford kids. so many screaming babies on Trimet right now. #notokay

ea12l: I'm so glad @trimet is actually checking fares now- even on the street cars! Maybe this way there wouldn't be yearly fare hikes.

maxfaqs: MT @SauntChris God damn I love the @trimet tunnel when on a westbound MAX you burst forth into the sunlight.

bryanstearns: Wow, the 14 Hawthorne smells like sunscreen. Nice change,

The response to Max's comment

Catenary power

Expectations of every Trimet operator-SOP B101

This procedure outlines the primary duties, responsibilities, and expectations of every operator. More detailed information on how to complete specific duties and tasks may be found in other standard operating procedures.
If you have a problem or concern regarding work expectations, TriMet encourages you to talk with your supervisor or to use any of the following avenues to find a solution:

More on the economics of transit use vs driving

Portland Transport

ATU 757 CANDIDATE BRUCE HANSEN-1994

WISHY WASHY MANAGEMENT

I have been speaking to numerous operators all of whom get confused about stopping the bus after the bus has left a stop. It really is a safety hazard to make these stops but many of us "feel badly" about leaving people behind so we stop.

Trimet management could rectify all this mess by declaring publicly a firm policy on this problem:

Trimet management has directed its operators to not pull over for passengers once the bus has departed! All complaints regarding this issue should be addressed to customer service and not the operators.

Not hearing much from this guy, who was the guy that designed the original safety program

Wars OF terror, not war on terror

These so-called "wars" (so-called because they are not constitutional) are not "wars ON terror", but "wars OF terror", of which not all the victims are among these foreign tribes. The American people are victims, too. The Middle Eastern tribes do not hate Americans' freedoms, with which they have had no experience whatsoever; rather, they hate America's leadership class, which is bombing, shooting, and otherwise trying to kill them on a daily basis. And if Americans want to preserve their freedoms, they should begin to look closely at this situation through those tribesmen's eyes.

WEEKLY READERSHIP REPORT

Switzerland takes over #3 spot!

Power Elite, the Police State and Opposing the Authoritarian Trend

I am not aware of any evidence that Hitler, Stalin, or Mao ever shot some political enemy in the back of the head; but hundreds of thousands of supposed "enemies" were shot by their lackeys. "Great men" of that stamp are apparently "great" because they can convince large numbers of "little men" to behave in the most bestial ways towards even larger numbers of their completely innocent and harmless fellow men. The questions that need answers, then, are: Why do the "lesser men" follow the Hitlers, Stalins, and Maos into the labyrinth of evil? And why do the masses allow themselves to be herded, and even slaughtered, by these thugs as so many sheep?
THE DAILY BELL

German unions call for healthy lunchtime siestas

The DGB confederation of trade unions argues that a short, lunchtime power nap makes sense for health and performance reasons. "Even though the siesta is something that isn't a given anymore in the southern European countries, it is still a good idea for health reasons," said Annelie Buntenbach, a DGB executive board member. "A short afternoon nap reduces the risk of, for example, a heart attack, and provides an energy boost," she told Tageszeitung in an interview.
Studies bear this out. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Athens Medical School in Greece found that Greek workers who took regular siestas had 37% lower mortality rates from coronary illnesses than their napless counterparts.
The idea has caught on in Germany, where big German companies such as BASF, Opel, Hornsbach and Lufthansa provide special rooms for their workers, and employers say they benefit from the increased productivity of well-rested employees.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/17/german-unions-lunchtime-siestas-naps 

Details released for SEIU tentative contract agreement with Oregon

“Over the course of the two-year contract, people will not go backward,” SEIU Executive Director Heather Conroy said. “In fact, they’ll go forward.”
Under the tentative agreement, SEIU-represented workers would begin paying 5 percent of the cost of their health insurance premiums in 2012, the same as workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 75.
But SEIU negotiated a richer health care subsidy to help lower-paid workers cover the cost of their premium share.
The state will provide SEIU-represented workers a monthly $40 subsidy for people making less than $2,816 a month, SEIU spokesman Ed Hershey said.
Full story here! 

Amtrack goes down on the east coast

Amtrak Service Between New York And Boston Suspended Until Saturday - NY1.com

One-day strike snarls Italian transit

Europeans know how to hold a protest.

Corvallis Loop Bus

City hopes to raise money for loop bus

Gang rail 7-16-11

Crazy world of Stealthwaveraptor

Gresham seeks your input on transportation goals, policies

http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2011/07/gresham_seeks_your_input_on_tr.html

Seattle

Local News | In tunnel vote, 'no' may not mean 'no' | Seattle Times Newspaper

Scores Of Metro Bus Riders Urge King County Council To Save Current Service

Light rail around the country

But HRT and other transit officials that operate light rail say there's little that can be done to control how people act around the trains. A 2009 Federal Transit Administration report shows that more than 90 percent of fatalities and injuries in light-rail collisions over the previous five years were caused by "public behavior."
"There's a wide range of bad habits out there, egregious bad habits," Price observed after a few weeks of test runs through downtown. "Something happens pretty much every day."
Norfolk light rail's start-up could start up rash of accidents | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Non medical financial and operating report

http://216.25.208.100/pdfs/meetings/tctag/2011/jul21-11/Non-Medical-FO-Memo-2011-03.pdf

A Marc Maron WTF moment

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Tri-Met touts benefits of flesh-eating bacteria on buses

lister.serendipityThumb Tri Met touts benefits of flesh eating bacteria on busesby Dave Lister 

You have to question the motives of the city of Portland, Multnomah County, Metro and TriMet when they seem to spend as much effort fueling their public relations machinery to promote their agendas and convince us they are doing a great job as they do in doing their jobs in the first place.
It’s a constant barrage of direct mail, emails and PR-flack radio interviews exhorting us to drive less and save more, or walk and bike the neighborhood, or jump on transit. Even during the wettest spring and early summer in recent memory, with the Columbia River dams’ spillways opened to maximum capacity, the radio jingles urging us to conserve water are already in full swing. And every dime spent to persuade us to behave one way or another is a dime not being spent on the services we require.

SAFETY IS A VALUE