Slow poke

Another plank in the universal healthcare platform being promoted by Democrats in the 2008 campaign cycle was unveiled in Portland recently. Look for this to be a real "sticking point" in the health care debate.

And an artist in Portland, Oregon has stuck a 23-foot needle into the ground by the Willamette River and hopes to plant more. Adam Kuby says it's a really large version of acupuncture. Kuby says he wants to help the city rejuvenate its "chi" — its vital energy.

"It's a visual way of expressing what a lot of people already know. [The city is] one organism, one body, one very complex, independent system," Kuby said.

This isn't the first odyssey into oddity for Portland, which is or has been home to the 24 Hour Church of Elvis, the voodoo doughnut shop, nude bike festivals and what was billed as the world's longest drag queen chorus line.

When reached for comment, the City of Portland said, "Ow! Hey, quit it! Get away from me with that thing, you freak!"