An EIFS finish coat is a textured, paint-like material. It’s usually made with acrylic resins or a blend of acrylic resins and other resins, such as silicones. The hardness of the coating and its textured surface make it susceptible to getting dirty.

by Taylor Griggs

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! 

Good morning, Portland! There's rain on the menu for today, but you probably didn't need me to tell you that. Hopefully you know how to layer for November in Portland by now. Anddddd that's all the small talk we have time for this morning, so chop chop. It's news time. 

IN LOCAL NEWS: 

• Portland City Council is set to vote today on a five-year contract renewal for the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe district, as well as a major expansion of the service area it covers and a fee hike. A couple weeks ago, when this item was first brought to the council, many Portlanders testified against the contract renewal. Now, four incoming city councilors (Mitch Green, Sameer Kanal, Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo)—along with community organizations and dozens of residents, have penned a letter to the current City Council asking them to postpone the contract renewal. 

Why the negativity for Clean & Safe? Well, as an excellent new article from our Courtney Vaughn details, the Clean & Safe district is overseen by an organization that has significant overlap in its management with the Portland Metro Chamber, AKA the Portland Business Alliance. The new contract would funnel a good portion of the $58 million contract to the Metro Chamber, which they will spend on lobbying efforts for private business interests. The program is also convoluted and lacks oversight, and it contributes majorly to the criminalization of homeless people in downtown Portland. So there's a lot wrong with it. Read the article for more of the details, and stay tuned for City Council's decision today. 

• The Portland Auditor's Office has released a much-anticipated (by me, at least) report on the Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) Vision Zero Action Plan, which the city adopted in 2016 in an effort to eliminate traffic crash fatalities and serious injuries. But in the eight years since the Vision Zero plan was adopted (and been updated twice), traffic crash deaths have increased in Portland, especially in the last four years. In 2023, 69 people were killed in traffic crashes on Portland streets. Given the current reality, it's understandable that people are questioning how effective the Vision Zero program is. 

While the Auditor's Office isn't seeking an overhaul of the program, the report recommends PBOT makes several key changes to improve Vision Zero outcomes. The audit report says PBOT should create a better project evaluation system, install more speed cameras, and use more qualitative data to determine the most equitable safety projects. According to PBOT, most of the concerns expressed in the audit report have already been addressed in the most recent Vision Zero update.

PBOT leaders did say they are hopeful more traffic safety improvements will be possible when Portland finally (fully) transitions to its new, less-siloed form of government in January. The report just came out this morning, so there hasn't been much in the way of community response yet, but I'm sure it will spark some Thoughts, capital "T." 

•  On a related note, the World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims is this Sunday, an annual day to honor the many lives lost prematurely to traffic violence. Community organizations Families for Safe Streets, BikeLoud PDX, and Oregon Walks will join PBOT, elected leaders, and community members for a gathering at Portland City Hall. Find out more about the event here. 

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Families for Safe Streets PDX (@fss_pdx)

• Here's a painful fact, courtesy of a new investigation from OPB and ProPublica: Despite President Biden's repeated promises to save old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, the Bureau of Land Management is allowing timber companies to log such forests now more than in the last 10 years. Biden's BLM is on track to log 47,000 acres of public lands during his four years in office— about the same amount that Trump oversaw during his first term in office. And, get this: This is after Biden made an executive order to protect mature and old-growth forests in 2022! Considering the rare beauty of these forests—and, more importantly, their importance to ecosystems and ability to mitigate carbon emission—this is very unfortunate. The Biden administration hasn't answered for the BLM's actions, or if they're planning to take steps to further protect old growth forests in preparation for the next Trump administration. Let's hope he makes some changes while he still can, because we all know Trump will be a lot worse. 

• Rene Gonzalez, after losing his bid for mayor, is seeking donations of up to $579 because his campaign is in debt. I wonder if anyone will pay him. 

Stealing this from the other site because y’all need to see it. Anyone gonna donate $579 to Rene Gonzalez’s failed campaign for mayor??? @pradapdx.bsky.social

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— Taylor Griggs (@taylorgriggs.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 5:11 PM

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: 

• President-elect Donald Trump (ouch) has asked Vivek Ramaswamy (ouch again) and Elon Musk (commentary unnecessary here) to lead a new government agency that he plans to create in order to regulate federal spending. The new agency will be called the Department of Government Efficiency, which just happens to create the acronym DOGE, a reference to the Shiba Inu meme of the mid-2010s and the joke cryptocurrency by the same name that Musk promoted. Apparently, a Department of Government Efficiency needs to be run by two people. I hope I am adequately conveying my tone of contempt here. 

As ridiculous as this all is, it's also extremely bad. Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy's plan is to fire thousands of federal employees, cut necessary regulations, and ultimately destroy many of the most crucial components of the federal government. All we can do is hope that SOME Republicans in Congress (we don't need all of them!) will realize how idiotic this is and block Trump's attempt to create a new government agency, which he can't do without congressional approval. Or can he? The limit to this idiocy knows no bounds.

However, given these men's volatility—which is replicated in many others in Trump's sphere—it does seem pretty likely that they'll all be in a huge fight by the time Trump takes office. I do think there are some major catfights on the horizon, if that gives you any comfort in these trying times. 

fundamentally this is what Trump administrations are all about: the guys. there will be new guys every week. they will startle you, you'll be astounded by them, and then as quickly as they appeared they will fade into an indistinguishable mass, leaves on the forest floor.

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— Peter (@notalawyer.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 4:39 PM

• Here's something that will NOT give you comfort in these trying times: Despite the hope last year would mark a global carbon dioxide emissions peak, humans are burning more fossil fuels this year than we did last year. The world is on track to put 0.8 percent more carbon into the atmosphere than in 2023. Though this is not surprising, it IS actually crazy behavior from humanity (and let me be clear, it's a tiny minority of humans leading the charge on this, though a substantially larger minority are eagerly/mindlessly participating in burning fossil fuels at a rate incompatible with the future of life on this planet). Good thing we will have strong climate leadership in the White House come January. NOT!!!! 

• One way people are attempting to #resist Elon Musk after he helped Trump get into office and will now seemingly play a key role in his administration? Leaving Twitter, AKA X, the social media site he bought and ruined. Bluesky may be the place to be now. (I am finding it much more pleasant.) 

In the week since the U.S. presidential election, Elon Musk has used X, the social media platform he owns, to reiterate his support for President-elect Donald Trump. Some of X’s users have decided they want to post elsewhere. Among the largest beneficiaries of that desire is Bluesky. nyti.ms/48JtYAt

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— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) November 12, 2024 at 10:46 PM

• Okay, here's some actual good news: The U.S. House voted down a bill that would've helped Trump censor and persecute his political opponents. The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act had previously received bipartisan support, but after Trump was elected, some Democratic lawmakers (and The Intercept) raised alarm bells. The bill would give the U.S. Treasury Department complete authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits it deems are "terrorist supporting organizations," which Trump could use to enable the destruction of nonprofits that the future president doesn't politically align with. WHEW. 

• Finally, please watch this video of a little boy and his crow friend. ???????? Bye bye! 

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Dogs | Puppies | Family (@yourpaws.global)

Nuclear energy hasn't been a growing industry in decades. But now, it seems to be making a comeback. This week, the Biden administration announced a goal to triple nuclear energy capacity in the US by 2050. And over the past few months, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have all made deals to use nuclear energy to power their artificial intelligence appetites. Today on the show, could nuclear energy work differently this time?

Related episodes:
The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission (Apple / Spotify)
Wind boom, wind bust (Two windicators) (Apple / Spotify)
How China became solar royalty (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Ford is idling production of its F-150 Lightning, the latest in a series of announcements signaling a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles. What are other automakers planning?

FIS has announced a partnership with

Homeless advocates erected a line of tents outside the Echo Park office of City Councilman Mitchell O'Farrell Feb. 12, 2020 to pressure him into meeting with them.; Credit: FILE PHOTO

Members of several groups of homeless advocates from across Los Angeles converged on a homeless encampment at the north end of   Echo Park Lake on Feb. 12 to protest the routine weekly litter collection.

A cleanup crew assisted by park rangers and city police officers did a once-through the campsite for miscellaneous trash, followed closely by a chanting and critical crowd of protesters.

The homeless advocates had erected extra tents that morning in protest of what they consider invasive cleanups. They also were trying to get City Councilman Mitchell O'Farrell to agree to meet with them as a group, same as he has met with other local organizations of homeowners and residents.

O'Farrell's spokesman Tony Aranga had insisted staffers were willing to meet with individuals to address their housing and other support needs.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation, gestures as he makes a speech during the New Economy Summit 2014 in this file photo taken in Tokyo on April 9, 2014. The company said Thursday, September 18, 2014, that Ellison would step aside as CEO and become chairman and chief technology officer.; Credit: TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images

Oracle says Larry Ellison is stepping aside as CEO of the company he founded. The business software maker promoted Safra Catz and Mark Hurd to replace him as co-CEOs.

Ellison will reclaim the title of chairman at Oracle and is also taking the role of chief technology officer. Oracle says Ellison wants to focus on product engineering, technology development and strategy. Jeff Henley, Oracle's chairman since January 2004, is now its vice chairman.

Catz and Hurd were co-presidents of the Redwood Shores, California, company. Catz will be in charge of the company's manufacturing, finance and legal functions. Hurd will be in charge of sales, service, and other global business units.

Ellison founded Oracle Corp. in 1977 and was its chairman from May 1995 to January 2004.

Food Processing Conveyor has newly redesigned leg supports for improved sanitation

Dynamic Conveyor will display the DynaClean™ line to the food processing industry at Process Expo in Chicago for the first time

Cleaning and sanitizing time is greatly reduced with the patent pending removable retaining walls on DynaClean Food Processing Conveyors from Dynamic Conveyor

Hauppauge, NY, January 13, 2014 – The Ross MegaShear Ultra-High Shear Mixer is designed for homogenizing dispersions and disintegrating large solid particles or droplets suspended in liquid. 

The new division will focus on developing innovative snacks and capitalizing on emerging consumer trends.

Mobile Auto Glass Inc. provides repair and replacement services for various kinds of vehicles in Los Angeles County.

One of the reasons driving is such a delicate task requiring your utmost concentration is that you're sharing the road with many different kinds of vehicles.

Meridian Rapid Defense Group protects the 2013 Grammy Awards against vehicular intrusion.

The accident lawyers in Atlanta would like to remind motorcyclists to drive safely this winter. These vehicles are not meant for driving on slick roads, and they are much more difficult to control than cars or trucks when sliding does occur.

As reported in the National Highway Traffic Safety Association's (NHTSA) "Traffic Safety Facts," 4,280 people were killed in pedestrian versus car accidents in 2010.

Motorcycling has become very popular in recent years.

A motorcyclist riding through rainy weather might coat their visor with a water repellent spray. However, they then have to travel fast enough for wind resistance to blow their visor clear. At slower speeds, their visibility remains compromised.

This Bikerguard invention, created by two engineers in Slovenia, is a remote-controlled wiper blade for motorcycle helmet visors. You do have to drive two screws through the top of your visor to attach the mounting base, and you can then pop the Bikerguard on and off as needed. A wireless remote control attaches to your bike's handlebars.

The POV demonstration does seem convincing:

The developers claim that motorcycle police bodies in Slovenia, Hungary and Germany "are in the process of evaluating BIKERGUARD for potential integration into their motorcycle fleet." In the meantime, they sell these online for €319 (USD $339) a pop. A three-pack of replacement wiper blades runs €25 (USD $27).

I wouldn't be surprised if, in the future Oakley develops a visor for runners with one of these attached.

Drew McLellan has been hacking on the Web since around 1996 following an unfortunate incident with a margarine tub. Since then he's spread himself between both front- and back-end development projects, and now works as a Web Developer for Yahoo! Europe in London, UK. Drew gave a plenary talk on "Can Your Web Site Be Your API?".

The Institutional Repository (IR) had a meteoric rise to fame. In a brief blaze of glory, it was heralded as the facilitator of a free exchange of information within the academic research community - a faster, cheaper and more effective way to conduct scholarly communications in the twenty-first century. Then, just as quickly, fame changed to infamy. The technology, the ownership, and the very ideal of the IR has been called into question by many and varied voices in the wider academic community and beyond. I would like to explore the really controversial aspects of the IR, and ask my audience to consider that perhaps, just perhaps, there was something useful there all along.

The Forgiven Giclee by Master Peace Collection is a(n) Open Edition. The Edition is Limited to Open Edition No Serial Number pcs

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Meyer’s Zephyr duct cleaning vacuum features a 31-hp engine, which powers both its custom-engineered fan and KleanSweeper compressor to help eliminate potential problems and maintenance on a second engine, while saving weight and space.

Chinese media, Global Times, citing a state media report (CCTV):

• China’s annual production of new energy vehicles surpassed 10 million units on Thursday, info via China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
• the first country to reach this milestone globally
• output for the whole year is expected to reach 12 million

The US and EU have quickly built walls (tariffs and other imposts) to protect domestic vehicle producers. This is not usually a recipe for thriving industry.

For more details please see attached the Request for pre-qualification.

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BAKU, 29 December 2014 – The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku announced today the results of a contest aiming to raise awareness of the issue of domestic violence in Azerbaijan. Prizes were awarded to the best media reports on the issue written in 2014.

The evaluation committee, comprising representatives from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku and the State Committee for Women, Family and Children Affairs, reviewed some 20 articles submitted by journalists from various print and online media outlets in Azerbaijan and selected three winners:

-          Jeyhun Musaoghlu, from Aznews.az, won first place. In his article, Musaoghlu looked into the role of media in raising awareness about domestic violence and the protection of victims, as well as the importance of ensuring gender equality to reduce domestic violence;

-          Aynur Elgunesh, from Var.az, won second place. She investigated current challenges in implementing the law on the prevention of domestic violence and highlighted the importance of co-operation between government agencies and civil society organizations in the operation of shelters for victims of domestic violence;

-          The third place winner is Fuad Huseynzade, from Interfax-Azerbaijan. He investigated the main reasons that lead to domestic violence and analysed socio-economic and psychological aspects of this phenomenon in Azerbaijan. 

The winners of the competition received monetary rewards as follows: first place: – 1500 AZN (approx. 1430 Euros), second place – 1200 AZN (approx. 1150 Euros) and third place – 1000 AZN (approx. 955 Euros). They will also receive certificates from Ambassador Alexis Chahtahtinsky, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku.

This contest was part of a project supporting the implementation of the law on the prevention of domestic violence in Azerbaijan.

Related Stories

• More Muslim voices in Europe condemning anti-Semitism needed, says Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism
• OSCE and Azerbaijan discuss cybersecurity
• OSCE trains legal professionals on preventing domestic violence

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After the House passed the Social Security Fairness Act in a vote of 327 to 75, the legislation is now facing its next hurdle: passage in the Senate.

The post Legislation to eliminate WEP and GPO clears the House first appeared on Federal News Network.

Charles Hoskinson, the founder of the Cardano (ADA) blockchain, has sparked excitement within the crypto community after praising Ripple (XRP) CEO Brad Garlinghouse, calling him a “great CEO” while describing their interaction as “extremely collaborative” in a subsequent post made on X.  The positive public interaction by both founders has fueled speculation that Cardano and [...]

Find the latest Lovebrush Chronicles codes here! Keep reading for more.

Republicans will maintain their slim majority in the House, surpassing the 218-member threshold and cementing GOP control in the House, Senate, and White House. Democrat Kirsten Engel conceded to Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) on Wednesday, pushing Republicans past the 218 votes needed to secure the House majority, according to projections from multiple networks. The Associated Press has […]

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The Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] responded to the Coalition’s concerns on Clean Air and Water Resources Acts. A Government spokesperson said, “The Department of Environment and Natural Resources [DENR] notes the Coalition’s concerns about the Clean Air and Water Resources Act and welcomes the opportunity to clarify several key points. “The public […]

For Europe to remain both a decarbonisation pioneer and competitive, it must focus on three key priorities: common financing, strategic coordination, and support for demand.

Russian Nuclear Weapons Are Keeping NATO Troops Out Of Ukraine: Top Admiral Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute, A top NATO military official said that NATO forces would have deployed to Ukraine to drive Russian soldiers from the country if Russia did not have nuclear…

By Matt Solomon Published: November 13th, 2024

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle aims to put you in control of the wild and wacky adventures you’ve seen… Continue reading Indiana Jones and the Great Circle pre-order bonus explained

The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle pre-order bonus explained appeared first on ReadWrite.

If you’ve watched any of the movies, it’s easy to see why the Indiana Jones franchise is so popular and… Continue reading Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Collector’s Edition: What’s included and more

The post Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Collector’s Edition: What’s included and more appeared first on ReadWrite.