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The story of the financial debacle will end the way it began, with the super-hustlers from Goldman Sachs at the center of the action and profiting wildly. Never in U.S. history has one company wielded such destructive power over our political economy, irrespective of whether a Republican or a Democrat happened to be president.

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Here is the link to Thursday's live blog. Please check the page regularly for updates.

7:45am PDT: The BBC has a disturbing first hand video report from a hospital in Port-au-Prince where, last night, injured people waiting for treatment slept amongst dead bodies.

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On the eve of Labor Day in 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt warned in his “Fireside Chat” of a potentially dangerous surge in class divisions if more was not done to support ordinary workers.

For FDR, providing the opportunity to labor for a “decent and constantly rising standard of living” was fundamental to a healthy democracy.

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VIENNA - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog has invited Israel to consider joining a global anti-nuclear arms pact and to place all its atomic facilities under his agency's inspections, an IAEA report said on Friday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report said Director General Yukiya Amano met with Israeli leaders during a visit to Israel last month to discuss an Arab-led push for the Jewish state to accede to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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While this points to blair the taking of responsibility the World waits to come from here, the United States, and the Accountability must come from the people of both, as the World watches and waits, but especially in the Destroyed Iraq!

Blair should take responsibility for Iraq. But he won't. He can't

This is not a debate, it's a bloody, blood-soaked disaster for which the former PM should take responsibility

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Reflections on Jack Kennedy - by Stephen Lendman

Though much about his background and public service warrants criticism, he also deserves praise rarely given properly, this article offering some and the writer's personal reflections on his commencement address to my June 14, 1956 graduating class, a message not heard now by US leaders - erudite, incisive and timely. More on it below.

Some Background

Had an assassin not taken his life, his health surely would have, some around him saying "from a medical standpoint, (he) was a mess." Indeed so, having been hospitalized more than three dozen times in his life and given last rites on three occasions.

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Richard Krebs, the man who was involved in a collision with a TriMet bus on SW Morrison and 6th on August 12th, has come forward with his side of the story. He takes issue with several important parts of TriMet's official statement and says he was under medication from his injuries when he made incriminating statements to the police. TriMet says they stand by their version of what happened, but they acknowledged today that the bus operator did not perform his left turn correctly prior to the crash.

Krebs is a 36 year old medical student doing his residency in integrative medicine at OHSU. He spent eight days in the hospital following the crash, which included a broken clavicle and several skin grafts on his leg.

"If you were to freeze the bus in the turn he is in the center lane. He moved too far over... that's a concern for us and that's what he's been re-trained on."
-- Josh Collins, TriMet Operations

According to TriMet, Krebs was behind a bus headed northbound on SW 6th (the transit mall) and both were in the left lane (there are three lanes on 6th, one for light rail only, one for bus only, and one for buses, bikes, and cars). As the bus approached SW Morrison, TriMet says the bus operator, 39 year old John Nations, swung wide to the right to execute a left turn to go west onto Morrison. When the bus turned back to the left, its left front wheel came into contact with Krebs, smashing his bike and running over his leg.

On August 31st, TriMet issued a statement saying that Krebs had been issued a citation for running a yellow light and slamming into the bus "at a high rate of speed."

Krebs told me today that he remembers things a bit differently.

Krebs said he distinctly recalls the bus being to his right prior to the crash. He recalled riding along at about 10-15 mph with the bus in the lane to his right. "I was by myself in left lane, with a car in front of me. The bus was in middle lane the whole time. This is not at all fuzzy. I completely remember it. And I didn't see any signals."

Three of the four witnesses in the police report also said the bus was in the center or "bus only" lane as it made the turn. A TriMet bus operator who witnessed the crash told police Krebs was traveling "at a high rate of speed" which she estimated at about 10-15 mph.

I spoke with Josh Collins of TriMet Operations today to gain more clarity about the lane question (TriMet has watched the on-board video, but they haven't release it yet -- more on that below).

Collins said the bus operator, John Nations, was in the center lane prior to making the left turn. Collins added that Nations began in the left-most lane, but he swung further to the right than they recommend and ended up in the center lane. "If you were to freeze the bus in the turn he is in the center lane. He moved too far over... that's a concern for us and that's what he's been re-trained on."

The movement Nations made, Collins said, "is closer to a jug handle" type turn, which is contrary to statements made by TriMet communications director Mary Fetsch, who said that Nations made a "button hook" turn. It's important to note that the ODOT Commercial Driver's Manual labels jug handle turns as "incorrect" (see graphic at right).

Here's the police reconstruction drawing that shows where both vehicles came to rest:

Collins also said that Nations had his left blinker on the whole time, but acknowledged that, given the wide swing to the right the bus made prior to the turn, if Krebs didn't see the blinker, "He could assume the bus is going toward the right."

"I can't believe I said those things about the brakes. The brake on my bike works fine. What I meant to tell the officer is that once the bus was right in front of me it was difficult to stop."
-- Richard Krebs

TriMet's media statement on August 31st also claimed that Krebs was given a citation in the crash. However, as of today (9/2) there is no record of a citation ever being written to Krebs. When asked to verify the information, TriMet said "Based on what's written in the police report, it's our understanding that he will be cited... they [the police] must still be in process." The police report TriMet refers to was written on August 13th and Police Bureau Traffic Division Sergeant Todd Davis says the citation should have been processed by now. In a subsequent follow-up with TriMet Operations spokesperson Josh Collins informing him that the citation had not yet been issued, he said, "We should have called and verified they'd written and given it to him. It's our understanding they still will be citing him."

This is an unfortunate oversight on TriMet's part because several local media outlets, including us, KGW and The Oregonian all reported that Krebs has been given a citation when in fact he hasn't.

In the police report taken on 8/13, Officer Kent Scott writes in a section titled, "Conclusion" that Krebs was to be cited for running a yellow light (ORS 811.265 - failure to obey a traffic control device). Officer Scott came to that conclusion in large part because of incriminating statements Krebs made following the crash. Here are some key excerpts from Krebs' statement in the police report:

"Krebs watched as the car in front of him drove through the yellow phase..."

"Krebs said that the brake on his bike isn't working that good."

"Krebs told me he should have stopped and that he felt bad for the driver."

I asked Krebs to explain the discrepancy between the statements he made to police on August 12th and what he's saying now. Krebs said that when he gave his statement to the police, just 1-2 hours after the collision, he was still being treated at OHSU and was "completely drugged and in pain". "In situations like that," he said, "I tend to blame myself, for the life of me I don't know why I say things like that."

What about your brakes?

"I can't believe I said those things about the brakes. The brake on my bike works fine. What I meant to tell the officer is that once the bus was right in front of me it was difficult to stop."

As for whether he ran the yellow light, Krebs says he's positive the light was green.
"The crosswalk [countdown timer] was on "2"... I was focused on it... Somehow I think the officer made the suggestion it was yellow and I just went along with it."

The on-board video from the bus would clarify a lot of things, but TriMet has not released it. On August 30th, TriMet said the video, "is currently not releasable at this time because it is material evidence that may be used in court in relation to the citation." Reached via phone today, TriMet spokesperson Bekki Witt said they can't release the video because they're waiting for clearance from the DA. TriMet wouldn't comment further on any potential court action and they referred me to the DA for questions about a possible criminal investigation (which is the only reason I can think of for the DA having the video). I'm awaiting a call back from the DA to find out why they're holding the video.

Krebs says that when he asked TriMet to see the video (at the urging of his insurance company) a representative for TriMet told him the video is "damaging to their case". "They said the bus operator improperly executed the left turn and the video showed he turned right in front of me." Krebs' insurance agent has now requested the video.

Krebs has plenty of time to think about the crash and figure out all the details of how it happened. He's still bed-ridden from his injuries and doctors tell him it could be several weeks before he'll be able to walk normally again.

- Browse our previous coverage of this story here.

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From the New Economics Institute:

In its report "The Great Transition" our London partners the New Economics Foundation (neweconomics.org) sketch an outline of how to reach what E. F. Schumacher would have called an "economy of permanence."

The sections of the report include: The Great Revaluing, the Great Redistribution, the Great Rebalancing, the Great Localization, the Great Reskilling, the Great Economic Irrigation, and the Great Interdependence. We wi ll focus on each element separately in future eNewsletters.

"In the Great Revaluing, we make the case that building social and environmental value should be the central goal of policy-making. We also argue that this needs to be true for private as well as for public decision-making, with market prices reflecting real social and environmental

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Update 8:24 am Eastern, Friday:

After initial reports of an oil sheen spreading from the site of the burning Mariner Energy oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, crews have been unable to find any further evidence of a leak, according to the Associated Press.

Update 4:48 pm Eastern: 

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The organizer of the Rally for Jobs events? The American Petroleum Institute (API), with help from other industry groups including the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association and the International Association of Drilling Contractors.

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When we got our first look at the cycle track on SW Broadway one year ago this week, it was an exciting time. Mayor Adams had fulfilled one of his "100 day" promises and -- after talking about it for nearly four years -- we finally had our first, physically separated bikeway in the central city. Combined with new buffered bike lanes downtown (on Stark and Oak), we were off and running into a bold new era for our bike network.

"From the mayor's perspective, it's a success."
-- Catherine Ciarlo, Transportation Director for Mayor Adams

But what's happened since then? Has the cycle track been a successful experiment? If so, are there plans to improve and/or extend it? What's the current thinking from the City on separated bikeways in general?

This one year anniversary seemed like a good time to ask those questions.

Chris Monsere is an assistant professor at Portland State University. He's the principal investigator on an evaluation being done on the cycle track to help PBOT decide how it's working.

Reached this morning in his office, Monsere said the evaluation is primarily survey-based. They've been asking people who drive, walk, and bike on Broadway a series of questions about it. Monsere is still tabulating results, but says one thing that's "jumped out" has been concerns from people trying to walk across the cycle track. "From the pedestrian survey, I noticed mentions of cyclists not stopping at the red light." (Note that these are T-bone intersections without motor vehicle cross-traffic.) In addition to the surveys, PSU is also using video footage in their evaluation.

Echoing those preliminary survey findings, Ian Stude, the Transportation Options Manager at PSU and a member of the City's Bicycle Advisory Committee, says "It seems people [using the bikeway] are struggling to see the traffic signals." He'd like to see PBOT install some bike-specific traffic lights as well as curb extensions on the east side of Broadway to shorten the crossing distance. (The Mayor's office says they're currently searching for a location to experiment with bicycle priority signals.)

"We'd really like to see it enhanced beyond what's there now and extended to offer that same level of comfortable treatment throughout downtown."
-- Ian Stude, PSU

Stude feels the Broadway cycle track is a "good first step." He reports many glowing reviews from riders he describes as "interested but concerned." But those same people, Stude adds, also express a lack of connectivity. "They want to ride that type of facility from the Broadway Bridge all the way into PSU. We'd really like to see it enhanced beyond what's there now and extended to offer that same level of comfortable treatment throughout downtown."

Stude hopes the evaluation and one year of having it on the ground will give PBOT the information they need to do something "really bold." "Hopefully, what they'll learn will give them what they need to push forward to take it to the next level."

Mayor Adams' Transportation Policy Director Catherine Ciarlo says they too consider the Broadway cycle track a success. "We get mostly good fedback on it. At this point, I have not gotten any negative feedback on it. From the mayor's perspective, it's a success."

If the Broadway cycle track is a success and the Mayor's office feels separated facilities are important, are there plans to improve and extend it? No. At least not right now, says Adams' Chief of Staff Tom Miller.

"When mayor launched the cycle track last year," Miller told me via telephone yesterday, "he said it was experimental. Based on analysis that should be done in a matter of weeks, we'll decide whether to scrap it, extend it, or more likely do something in between."

One issue that remains is whether or not the Broadway cycle track is a good demonstration to base future plans on. The location PBOT chose -- SW Broadway from Clay to Jackson -- lacks major features that need to be understood before more cycle tracks can be implemented downtown. These features include motor vehicle cross traffic (to assess right-turn and signalization issues) and businesses directly adjacent to the facility (to address what are sure to be concerns from the downtown business lobby about parking and customer access).

Ciarlo, the Mayor Adams' transportation advisor, said a true test of a cycle track with right-turning motor vehicle movements has yet to be done. "The next challenge," she said, "is to test a cycle track in a location where there are right turns. That's going to be a difficult design challenge and it will be important for us to tackle that challenge."

Researcher Chris Monsere said his evaluation will have some important results, but he also acknowledged that as for "the main thing people are worried about, those conflicts of right-turning traffic, we won't be able to make any conclusions about that."

PSU's Ian Stude agreed that PBOT installed the cycle track in a "relatively safe location" for an experiment (in terms of its engineering and political difficulty), but he thinks a major driveway into a parking lot at SW College and the right turn where the cycle track ends at SW Jackson will give PBOT and PSU plenty of solid evaluation data.

"Our intention is to hit a 25% mode split by 2020 and we know that as a city we need to adopt strategies that yield more and greater separation to grow that mode split."
-- Tom Miller, Mayor Adams' Chief of Staff

As for separated facilities in general, Ciarlo says Mayor Adams, "Continues to believe that separated facilities are an important piece of the way we will achieve our goals to attract the 'interested by concerned' cyclists and we plan to continue to press for them going forward."

When asked about their progress on installing separated bike facilities, Miller pointed out several projects currently on the horizon (two-way cycle tracks planned for South Waterfront and as part of the SE Corridor Project, on NE 7th as part of the Eastside Streetcar, and on N. Williams). "Our intention is to hit a 25% mode split by 2020 and we know that as a city we need to adopt strategies that yield more and greater separation to grow that mode split."

While both Miller and Ciarlo understand the importance of separation, it's clear that they're moving forward cautiously. "It's fair to say we're in experimental mode rather than wholesale street realignment mode," Miller explained. "Dedicated right of way for bicycles is a brand new phenomenon for American streets, including in Portland, so we're still working on it."

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Washington - Military auditors failed to complete an audit of the business systems of an Ohio- based company - Mission Essential Personnel - even though it had billed for one billion dollars worth of work largely in Afghanistan over the last four years.

In September 2007 the U.S. Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) awarded Mission Essential Personnel (MEP) a five-year-contract worth up to 414 million dollars to provide 1,691 translators in Afghanistan. MEP was a start-up company created by three men, including Chad Monnin, a U.S. Army Special Forces reservist who was injured in a parachute accident.

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Peak oil has happened or will happen some time around this year, and its consequences could threaten the continued survival of democratic governments, says a secret Germany military report that was leaked online.

According to Der Spiegel, the report from a think-tank inside the German military warns that shrinking global oil supplies will threaten the world's economic foundations and possibly lead to mass-scale upheaval within the next 15 to 30 years.

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Glenn Beck's newly created Black Robe Regiment -- which he has said would be apolitical -- apparently has a clear political direction, according to two of its members.

Dr. Richard Lee of the First Redeemer Church in Atlanta, Ga., and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, both said part of the group's mission is to return to their places of worship and boost voter involvement.

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Since Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999, Caracas has maintained a testy relationship with the United States, a nation which Chávez views as the primary threat to his dream of reproducing the Bolivarian Revolution. Although the U.S. and Venezuela experienced a very brief honeymoon once President Barack Obama assumed office, the two countries’ relationship has quickly begun to sour. Responding in kind, Chávez has vamped up his anti-imperialist rhetoric in recent months, repeatedly taking stabs at the U.S.

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Government scientists have found that private water walls in Pavillion, Wyo. are polluted with toxic chemicals used in the controversial gas drilling technique of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking — and residents have been told not to drink from them.

The findings offer the latest evidence that the fast-spreading gas-extraction method could be endangering public health.

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