Drifting down

K enneth Jones can deal with the slings and arrows, the twists of fate, the Catch-22s and the Section 8-style housing. He and the three cats can survive on 100 cans of Bumble Bee tuna each month in an apartment decorated by Goodwill, Freecycle and Craigslist. And as he proves with his latest tax return, he can live on $3,300 a year.
The Hondurans -- that's how they're known among book scouts like Jones and the book buyers at Powell's -- are a family business, an entrepreneurial phenomenon, the irresistible force around the scavenger bins at Goodwill's Milwaukie outlet store. "They are," Jones sighed, "the bane of my existence."

cell text messages

About a year ago, Joe Shields got an unwanted text message on his cell phone promoting an astrology Web site, and Wednesday Shields learned he'll get up to $150 for his trouble.

Shields was among several cell phone customers participating in a class-action lawsuit intended to strangle mobile phone spam before it can spread as it has on the Internet.
Mobile phone carriers walk a fine line concerning cell phone solicitations or ads.

While they hate having customers annoyed by unwanted messages, they also are looking for ways to boost revenue through advertising that their customers buy into.