Saturday, May 26

Portland Police Advise iPhone Users Not To Stare, Zombielike, At Their Devices

News Portland police yesterday announced that they'd caught that most elusive brand of criminal, the smar... More

May 25, 2012 12:32 pm by COREY PEIN | Comments 1

Oswego Lake Access Issue Heads to Federal Court

Lawsuit says the city has a responsibility to “protect and preserve the public’s right of access to and use of the Lake.”

News A federal judge may decide if Oswego Lake is open to the public. A lawsuit filed this morning in U.... More

May 24, 2012 01:16 pm by Martin Cizmar | Comments 9

Oregonian's Sister Paper To Cease Daily Publication; Updated

News In another sign of the difficult financial realities for print newspapers, the New Orleans Times-Pic... More

May 24, 2012 09:20 am by NIGEL JAQUISS | Comments 2

Oregon Senators Back Bill Aimed At Citizens United

News Speaking of money in politics… U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is among those speaking on the Senate... More

May 23, 2012 11:08 am by Corey Pein | Comments 0

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Home · Articles · News · Dr. Know

Dr. Know: Snoop Out the Vote

Is it legal for election authorities to disclose who has voted and who has not?

Dr. Know Recently, I was unnerved that a canvasser who called my house seemed to know that my roommate hadn’t voted yet. Is it legal for election authorities in Oregon to disclose to individual campaigns More

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: A Swarm of Choppers

Why are there so many helicopters around the new light-rail bridge?

Dr. Know Lately, I have noticed an increase in helicopters around the new light-rail bridge. The cops suggest asking the news stations, but no big news stories correspond to the time and place. Any idea More

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: Idling Thoughts

If idling causes pollution, why do we have to stop at lights before entering the freeways?

Dr. Know On the drawbridges in Portland, there are signs telling you not to sit with your car idling because of pollution. So why do we have to stop at lights before entering the freeways, forcing thousand More

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: All Sinked Up

What’s with all the sinkholes lately?

Dr. Know I can’t help noticing there have been an awful lot of sinkholes opening in the ground lately. Are we under attack from some malevolent, subterranean menace? How long before the Earth swallows us More

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: One-Screened Bandit

Does the Oregon Lottery tweak video poker machines to entice people to play?

Dr. Know Does the Oregon Lottery manipulate video poker machines to be “looser” at certain times—like when Social Security checks come in... More

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: A Welcome Climate Change

Is there a local upside to climate change?

Dr. Know The nice weather got me thinking: Is there a local upside to climate change? If the weather changes everywhere, some places are bound to improve—why not us? I’m willing to sacrifice a few po More

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: FOODday of the Dead

How do I stop FOODday?

Dr. Know How do I stop FOODday? I’ve tried phone calls... More

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: Mobile Misanthropy

If overpopulation is a concern, why have cellphone driving laws?

Dr. Know Recently you wrote about the lives saved by the hands-free cellphone law. Since we’re overpopulating and running out of resources, shouldn’t we stop trying to reduce deaths with laws like th More

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: Volcanic Panic

Will Mount Hood erupt anytime soon?

Dr. Know Like you, I’m a big fan of natural disasters. I’m especially keen on that volcanic time bomb, Mount Hood. Will it erupt? How soon? And how many souls will I be able to harvest when it does?&nb More

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 MARTY SMITH

Dr. Know: Rental Rebuttals

Readers call foul on Dr. Know’s mortgage vs rent calculations.

Dr. Know You made a huge miscalculation in your segment on home ownership [“Lies My Newspaper Told Me,” WW, March 14, 2012]: You assume that rents won’t rise for 30 years… —G.B.F. …remember More

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 MARTY SMITH