RE: Climate Change

About little are climate scientists more confident than that global warming is happening at an alarming rate and that human-induced emissions of climate pollution is responsible. This phenomenon poses an existential threat to humanity because climate projections suggest greenhouse gas emissions may dramatically compromise not only global natural systems and biodiversity, but also agriculture, fisheries, and forestry across the planet.

There are very few, if any, concepts that are endorsed by as high a percentage of the scientists practicing the discipline (97 percent), by every professional scientific society and academy of science expressing an opinion, and by every nation on the planet besides Nicaragua, Syria, and now–thanks to this callous, indifferent, and self-centered President–the United States.

Fortunately, there is still some sanity left in the country. Within hours of the President’s announcement ten Governors (including Oregon’s Kate Brown) and 61 Mayors across the country indicated they would commit to upholding the goals of the Paris Agreement.  Simultaneously, CEOs of many major multi-national and US corporations expressed disappointment in the President’s decision. 

Our legislature can assure Oregon stays on track with Paris targets by passing HB 2135, the Clean Energy Jobs Bill. Encourage your representatives to support this bill.

Kathy Conway

Re.: Trump Editorial

Emperor Trump? Does this mean your commentary is a comic~tarey? Or are you just in short phrases of immature wording? I once admired & loved when journalism gave information and the reader could form an opinion. I shut down from reading when the writer, think they should put a ring in the noses of the reader. No thanks .. From someone who turned off on your 1st sentence. Write with maturity ..Just saying .. Your wording is another example of why people are turned off from the media.

Carrie Davis

Hey Messenger,
I have a good friend who owes me $5,000. He’s owed me for awhile and I could really use the money. I don’t want to lose him as a friend, but I really want my damn money. What can I do?

-Anonymous

Dear Anonymous: It’s hard to say without knowing how many times you’ve already asked for the money. One thing you could try is getting a mutual friend you both trust to serve as a mediator. With the mediator, you two can collaboratively create a repayment plan and schedule. Five thousand dollars is no small amount. Depending on what you have already gone through, you may not get through this with both the friend and the money. You may have to choose which one is more important. One more thing, if you choose the money, don’t feel too badly about it. A friend who takes that much money from another friend without paying him back is not really a good friend anyway.

Hey Messenger, I really want a BJ from my girlfriend. I make jokes about it all the time to try to drop hints. Today at Wal-Mart, I made a bet with her about how much the cart of groceries and supplies would cost. Basically, if I guessed closer to the total amount, I’d get a BJ. However, I sadly undershot the cost and lost the bet.  I said 140$ and she said 150$, but it was actually 200$. I’m out of ideas.

-A.J.

Dear A.J., It sounds like you are making it more complicated and awkward than it needs to be. Making jokes about something repeatedly can often backfire. It also sounds like you are focusing more on the promise of one rather than the event itself. Things like this should not be turned into appointments. It’s not the doctor. What can you do to make things go that way more naturally at home? What can you do to make it more appealing for her? People tend to enjoy things more when it feels like their own idea, at least partially. Is “losing a bet” really what you want her associating with giving BJs? You may end up getting even fewer in the future if you go down that road.