What I find intriguing is the location of the Top 10 and Bottom 10 cities. Look at the locations and think about the politics. Then think about who is currently and soon-to-be leading our country. I think this country is in a great position to begin to design and plan communities that are energy efficient and improve our quality of life, not degrade it.

As a Portlander, I’m glad to see us at #7. Of course, with all great cities there is room for improvement. Portland recognizes this and continues to make strides. I just hope the bottom 10 recognize it because the ones paying for it are the citizens.

Top 10
1. San Francisco
2. New York
3. Washington, DC
4. Seattle
5. Oakland
6. Chicago
7. Portland, OR
8. Philadelphia
9. Baltimore
10. Boston

Bottom 50
41. Louisville, KY
42. Omaha, NE
43. El Paso, TX
44. Nashville, TN
45. Memphis, TN (tie)
45. Fort Worth, TX (tie)
47. Tulsa, OK
48. Indianapolis, IN
49. Jacksonville, FL
50. Oklahoma City, OK

Couple Shots of the Little Guy!

I’m told that I need to post more photos of our son. For now on, I will be sure to include at least a couple photos in my posts. Also, if you are on Facebook, we post a bunch of him on there. You have to be added as a friend though.

That's my boy!

Family hike

Photographs by Miguel Lisa

A friend tipped me off to these beautiful photos of Osprey in Oregon. I remember writing a research report on Osprey in 1999 for an animal biology course at San Jose State University. They are truly magnificent birds of prey. Visit one of my favorite websites to learn more about Osprey.

The article in the top right on the Alaverdi Copper factory was especially intriguing to me because Laura and I lived in Alaverdi during our Peace Corps service.  The fact that the hazards arising from the pollution are being exposed is a step in the right direction.  Many of the local people felt that the factory is a problem but that it was important to the economy for it to stay open.  I am not sure this true.  The factory employees 400 employees in an area of 20,000 people.  I think that by shutting it down, their will be health improvements, the local vegetation will improve, and more tourists will choose to visit and STAY in the area.  Right now, tourists quickly shuffle in to see the churches and then leave, staying maybe an hour or so.  Eco-tourism has huge potential in the area.  The site of the factory turns many people off to the idea of this venture. The economy can improve more if the factory was not in service.
The other articles are important in shedding some light on the environmental/human rights issues that plague Armenia.  Restructering of the government needs to be done in order for any of these issues to be dealt with properly. If the people continue to unite, to speak up and to encourage the government to listen to their concerns, I think that there may be some hope.  All the issues are difficult to work with because of the instability of the infrastructure and the weak economy, though it is improving.

To view the top two articles, “This Land is Our Land…” and “The Breath of Death…”, click the link next to the English link in the top right corner.  This link says “Armenian” and is spelled in the Armenian language.  Once it is in Armenian, click the article, you will view the article in Armenian, then click the English link in the top right corner again to view.  For some reason these two articles are not linked properly, otherwise the others can viewed just fine.