Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not necessarily all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door! Want a handful of Popcorn before you dive into a whole bucket? Start with this month’s four Popcorn stories, then take a look at the samples below, one from each month in 2021.

Construction comes to Sellwood… again

(from The Sellwood Bee) “Properties on both sides of the entrance of the Sellwood Bridge at the east end may soon look different. This is the first preliminary artists conception of this new project, coming to the eastern bridgehead of the Sellwood Bridge. Ever since the new Sellwood Bridge reopened in 2016, neighbors and commuters alike have wondered what would become of the properties at the eastern Sellwood Bridgehead, the space on either side of S.E. Tacoma Street between the landing of the Sellwood Bridge and 6th Avenue…”

Portland’s Fertile Ground creative Festival

(from the Fertile Ground website) “Fertile Ground Festival of New Works is an 11-day arts festival that is held every January/February in Portland, Oregon. The festival offers dozens of Portland-generated “acts of creation” each year. Projects range from fully staged world premieres, theatrical workshops and play readings, to ensemble, multidisciplinary and collaboration-driven work, to a variety of dance, comedy, film events and more.” And we have a selfish reason to tell you about Fertile Ground, because one of our guys is working with Don Merrill on the highly anticipated “Pledge- The Musical” about Public Radio Pledge Drive. It premieres this Saturday, so please check it out!

Now they’re teaching goldfish to drive cars

(from Agence France-Presse) “Goldfish may have short memories but, according to an Israeli university study, they might be able to drive. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found that a goldfish’s innate navigational abilities allowed it to steer a robotic vehicle towards a terrestrial target if given a food reward. To conduct their unusual experiment, the team placed a fish tank on a set of motorized wheels. A camera system then recorded the fish’s movements in the water and translated it into navigational directions – effectively moving the contraption in the direction where the fish bumped up against the glass. In a video released by the university, the fish can be seen “driving” the vehicle toward a visual target, a colorful mark on the wall of the experiment room, visible through the clear sides of the tank…”

Why you are not a Sovereign Citizen… legally

Amid the Big Lies that get the Big News, there are other much quieter lies that have been growing for years. One that has metastasized into a movement is the Sovereign Citizen movement. It has different flavors, as most conspiracies do, but the fundamentals are that the original Constitution considered people to be ‘Sovereign Citizens’, unanswerable to any government and each a law unto themselves. Thousands of our fellow Americans believe it and it has deep impact to the far-right conspiracies so prominent today. Of course, it’s horse puckey, but it’s hard to explain why in a sentence. That’s why the Montana Law Review did a deep dive on why, precisely, it’s wrong on every legal level. Good reading for your crazy uncle!