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neighborhood news
Winston Churchill famously said, "first we shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us". Indeed, the 'built environment' -- the collection of structures, streets and open spaces that makes up our cities, towns, and suburbs -- affects each of us deeply. It makes a difference who constructs what where, how many 'empty' lots are left empty, and which business moves in down the street. This section is for posts about zoning, planning, gentrification, sprawl, neighborhood association goings-on, urban growth boundaries, the effects of Measure 37, anti-Walmart and Starbucks campaigns, and anything else dealing with life not-in-the-country. It's also the place to post small local news that doesn't fit any of the grander categories. For example: interesting weather, non-political community events, star-gazing anamolies, etc.
From the open publishing newswire:
Healthcare activists and their supporters, take over the campus of Regence-Bluecross, in an attempt to meet with their CEO, and have demands heard, but are denied justice, and refused entry.
This is Martha Perez, reporting to you live from SW Portland, where about 50 healthcare advocates are gathered for a non-violent, peaceful sit-in, rally and march around the campus of Regence Bluecross, home to one of the largest healthcare insurers in Oregon state. I am being told the building now is in lock-down, and will remain so, for the time being, in response to this latest action.
From the open publishing newswire:
With a designer chicken in a circle and someone who clearly does his own media work the urban farm store is here. Great place for a bunch of hype. Overpriced chicks, feed, and 275$ for a chicken coop!!! I'm not kidding. No selection of seeds. Many good, solid glossy books on the subject of gardening. Go to the library for info, and buy "gardening west of the cascades" ANYWHERE ELSE.
"The backyard food and chicken raising craze has many societal and public policy implications for Portland. Explore them with the man at the center of the local chicken and homegrown food scene, Robert Litt, owner of Urban Farm Store." Local chicken and homegrown food scene? What? And my guy is claiming to be at the center of it? Excuse me? My big problem with the commodification of this movement is that food has gotten incredibly spendy. I do not want anyone to be turned off from growing food because they only have access to overpriced goods. The Urban Farm store is taking advantage of peoples ignorance in prices, and selling an image to yuppies. A very clean, upper middle class image.
From the open publishing newswire:
A 10 lane bridge, while still too big, would be preferable to the current 12 lane concept, and there are signs that a smaller bridge might become the new concept
One of the things that jumped out at me from the fact sheets I got at the recent Columbia River Crossing "open house", (last Wednesday), was a projection from a sheet titled, "Traffic Effects of 8, 10 and 12 Lane Scenarios." This sheet compares the "local streets impacted by I-5 backups" in a 10 lane and 12 lane bridge scenario. In the 12 lane scenario, of course, there are no local streets impacted by an I-5 backup, either in Portland or Vancouver. But in the 10 lane scenario, there are six streets or highways that are impacted. All but one of them are in Vancouver. So this really is a Clark County thing. The new bridge must be as large as possible so drivers from the northernmost reaches of Clark County, and probably beyond, can get to Portland in time for...whatever.
From the open publishing newswire:
"Twelve Lanes? That's Insane!" chanted 70 Portlanders as they rallied at Mississippi Avenue, just south of Mason Avenue Sunday evening. The rally was accompanied by a mobile bike-carted sound system, live musicians, and a huge banner unfurled from the roof of a nearby construction site reading "More Lanes=More Cars=More Climate Change. No CRC!" The protest followed a "Pedalpalooza" bike ride earlier in the afternoon - organized by Portland Rising Tide which toured areas of North Portland impacted by the current Columbia River Crossing (CRC) proposal, talking to neighborhood activists opposed to the project.
From the open publishing newswire:
Over 800 million people are going with out regualr meals as a result of
the global economic crisis. Over 20 percent of public school students in America are homeless. Record forclosures are sending families to seek meals at Food Not Bombs in communities all over the globe. Join us Wed March 18th at the Red and Black Cafe at 7pm for a presentation by one of the founders of food not bombs, Keith Mchenry. Intrested in learening more about Food Not Bombs history or wanting to help out in portland? Come on down for the presentation and meet people from Portland Food Not Bombs and learn how to get involved in the local chapters.  http://www.redandblackcafe.org
From the open publishing newswire:
March is upon us, comrades! There are many exciting things happening this month at the Red and Black; in particular, there are several benefits happening for people that really need your support. Show some solidarity and come out! Please note that all events start at 7pm unless otherwise noted. Also, not every event is listed here - consult the calendar for a complete list!
http://www.redandblackcafe.com
From the open publishing newswire:
20 Hour Street Medic Training: The last weekend of this month we're having another 20 hour street medic training. It'll be the usual schedule of 5-9pm Friday (the 27th) 9am-6pm both the 28th and 1st. Location TBA for now (but PSU is a likely general area).
We are in need of simulation patients on Saturday and Sunday in the afternoon!! To get registered for the training or volunteer as a simulation patient please email Oliver at ahayes8 (at) gmail (dot) com.
From the open publishing newswire:
Are army recruiters harassing your high school aged siblings or children? I was absolutely disgusted to find an Army Reserve flyer on my door today. Nobody at this house is interested in state sponsored murder. They were targeting my younger brother who just had to register for selective service and he too was upset about the note. It was left on our doorknob without a sound, we never heard anybody walk up on the porch, never had a knock at the door. Are they afraid they'll spit on? Well, probably here.
This is essentially just a reminder to call your local recruitment center and tell them to leave you alone! If you have a younger sibling or a child that they send their junk mail to on a monthly basis, let them know it's a waste of a tree (which is also disgusting), that no matter how bad the economy gets no one should be forced to harm other humans for money and that they are not welcome in our communities.
From the open publishing newswire:
The Town Hall on the Economic Crisis was a great success with over 800 people participating in the plenary sessions and workshops. But we know that the Town Hall was just a start.
Join us on Wednesday evening as we figure out how to continue building a movement for a just economy. We will hear short (2 min) presentations from groups working on different aspects of the economic crisis. Whether you want to figure out where to plug in or just find out more about what is going on, this will be a great opportunity. And we want to come out of this meeting with concrete ideas for actions and/or campaigns that will unite us across our different issue areas and continue to broaden and deepen the network developed out of organizing for the Town Hall. We need your ideas and energy to help make this happen! Wednesday February 18, 2009 6:30 PM SEIU Local 49 3536 SE 26th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
From the open publishing newswire:
There's a dwindling number of jobs out there to apply for, as evidenced by a quick glance at the WW jobs section .. It's easy to flip through WW and wonder where the jobs classifieds section is. A few weeks ago I was leafing through the paper, and couldn't find the section at all, and wondered if it had been eliminated altogether.
**Some ideas for job seekers...
From the open publishing newswire:
The controversial Mississippi Ave Lofts received a federal low income loan from The Albina Community Bank. I reread it several times because I couldn't believe my eyes. I think there is something terribly wrong with a high end condo project such as MAL, with 721 sq ft studios selling just below 300,000 and housing high end retail stores like Pastaworks, qualifying for a federal loan for low income communities.
Not only are they high end, but these developers have a documented track record of trying to bend rules and being less than honest in their drive to capitalize as much as they possible even in spite of community opposition. Then after they finally get their way (city capitulates, big surprise) they hire Gray Purcell a non-union, hire anybody off the streets(literally), company.
From the open publishing newswire:
The Red and Black Cafe is thriving one year after being forced out of our old location, and business is getting better every month! However, we reopened on a shoestring budget and we are still recovering from the costs associated with our move. We are also preparing for increased payroll expenses with Oregon minimum wage goes up in January!
Dear friends of the Red & Black Cafe, We are pleased to announce that the Red & Black Cafe (a worker-owned, collectively-managed cafe and community space) is surviving and thriving 1 year after being forced out of our old location on SE Division. We reopened at 400 SE 12th Avenue in January, and over the last 9 months we have sold untold amounts of coffee and black dragon noodles, acquired a beer & wine license and a brand new beer cooler (check out our selection of local microbrews!), and hosted lots of film screenings, music shows, and benefits for community organizations. With each passing month, business has improved. We feel confidant that we will be able to provide empowering jobs, delicious vegan food, and a welcoming community space for years to come. However, we are facing a few financial hurdles. We re-opened on a shoestring budget and we are still recovering from the costs of renovating and equipping our new space and renewing our licenses. Also, Oregon minimum wage is going up by .45 per hour in January! On behalf of all low-wage workers in the state we celebrate the increase. Unfortunately, this will also increase our payroll expenses. Ultimately we hope to provide living wage jobs, but we are still struggling to balance this goal with our mission of providing ethical, high-quality food at working class prices.
From the open publishing newswire:
Is anyone else watching the black helicopters fly low over southeast Portland right now? They are small and fast and going back and forth over Powell Blvd. There were four at first count, now there are only two. No numbers or insignia that I can see but my eyes are bad, as is my camera. They seem to be carrying some kind of instrument arrays (?). Anyone know who these people are or what they're doing?.. Besides making me vaguely uncomfortable? Update: now they seem to be criss-crossing the neighborhood, though still too fast and low for me to photograph. [ Helicopters | black helicpoters ] |
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