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At first the list looks like allot but upon further reading, it appears that there is only outdoor sports here. Just another sports jock import? Portland is rather much deeper in its intrinsic arts and culture than another Vale Colorado Ski resort or California Surf beach. Note the other items in this persons list. Christmas celebrating? God fearing? SPAM hating? These say nothing about a city that is the King of Role Model to city planners across the nation for decades. Unfortunately they cannot import the Oregon geography to their states. The cleanest ecology in the continent for over 40 years.  Lets get to the real reasons that locals born and raised here [have stayed here.] We would be blind to leave Portland and say find the same in Denver several thousands miles from the Pacific ocean. Or other top rated cities I could never understand- like Nashville Tennessee? I won't even go to travel into the southern US after stories I have heard from those who once lived there- They are now permanently here in Portland. Texas anyone??? It is obvious to all of us native Portland Oregonians, that we have so many attributes beyond the rest of the nation, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about this today. Why are they coming here,[knowing they do not need work? It says something that no other place can even dream of. There is a reason they are keeping the jobs down- This controls the sprawl from those who do not belong here. But then we have the second largest homeless population in the nation after LA. And we feed them all! [that is an inside secret that only the homeless know.] Let those other states call us liberal but we are more humane than other places too.

posted 1 year, 4 months ago
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As a retired native Portland grandparent who has contributed in the education field for years, I might not agree with all your sentiments here about the neuovo generational upswing righteous existentialisms but I'll defend your right to say it. However when you use generalized loose phrasing like saying those old weird types from "here" that ruined the place, I just hope that you may have forgotten that most of those "old types" you may be mentioning were the ones that originally preserved Oregon and the Portland design many decades ago that all these newbies are running here now to hang out for free and enjoy this so so-called weirdness- their newly discovered Disneyland. There is really nothing "weird" about this. It is so many now that loosely throw these misnomers in terms around like this. A good example of the large opposite demographic natives here that you may be missing- Read some Oregon history- Our Governor Tom McCall in the 1960's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McCall

Oregon was the creator of what is now known as the bottle recycling and other environmental protection programs we pioneered here that is environmentally saving the nation in toxic pollution. Portland has a very unique urban growth boundary that protects it from the urban sprawl of other cities like Seattle, outer San Francisco and LA. The city is very carefully and thoughtfully planned and the laws here are some of the most respectably known in the nation- This in turn drives an early respectable society here. See the contrary when you drive over the Columbia River to Vancouver. It’s like another country in Washington State that is not at all the Portland culture. Clark County Washington boasts the most runaway girls and divorcee women in America. I believe you are correct in your final statement about generalizing and that these people you mention are not actually original locals or they are otherwise a very small minority that does not really reflect the original Portland culture that we are known for nationwide for many decades. This is what might now be compromised in the flood of youth that come here with no career intention. Here is the latest mass imported type:“Hey man we hear this the new music scene! Lets go there!”

posted 1 year, 4 months ago
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My name is Mark Seibold.

While taking three trips to the Fiji Islands from October 2003 ~ June 2004 to work on my wife’s immigration to the US, I initiated to provide many hours of public astronomy, aside form additional time spent at Fijian schools with children. The special telescopes that I provided many hours of observing and astronomy teaching with were not only rare instruments for the Fijians to experience for their first time, one of these was a solar research grade telescope with what is known as a hydrogen alpha filter. This allows the observer to witness solar flares and activity on the surface of the sun. Not even the islands large International university had ever experienced this. I was invited for a return lecture to show what is only known as mere popular astronomy in the United States, yet their Education Ministers and many Fijian teachers viewed this as a profound and necessary education for their students. Featured in their news many times, I was also asked to present this to their Prime Minister and his family.

 I had previously provided this free teaching service across the US and Canadian continent on a ten thousand mile solo road trip I made in 2000 for the public and schools. 

Not only were the live images as observed through these telescopes I provided reported to change many peoples lives across the US and Canada, where many large local colleges in America do not possess special expensive solar telescopes, this had an even further pronounced effect in a foreign country such as the Fiji Islands where they could not afford these instruments.

That information may be viewed here > http://markseibold.squarespace.com/about/

More recently forced into early retirement, with all this professional astronomy equipment and related art knowledge, so needed for education today when we see so much being cut from schools budgets, I am willing to keep providing this service as I do for the public often. If schools or teachers would find this a necessary part of education, they should feel free to contact me. My time is entirely unlimited to the universe.

Mark Seibold, Retired IT Tech, Artist-Astronomy Educator, Portland Oregon  www.markseibold.com

posted 1 year, 9 months ago
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As autism runs higher in left handed people who also show higher IQ and creative capacity [I am a retired left handed awarded artist and astronomy educator, as all of the greatest artists-musians in history, scientists, most prominent leaders of the world are mostly left handed people]  I'd love to see my DNA. See this report just off the BBC World News moment ago >

 http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/08/10/New-brain-scan-test-for-adult-autism/UPI-35891281484423/

posted 1 year, 9 months ago
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Would you like your genetic code divulged to the world? What the preview to the show does not indicate tonight, I would like to write or call in tomorrow morning at 9AM and ask; as I have heard that the government is compiling a new program that everyone in the world will be required to have their DNA code displayed on the web one day soon. This program has already started- Guess where it will be? It’s currently called Facebook and it will be more than an elective social networking site that we currently think of it as just for fun. Charlie Rose interviewed the woman a couple years back that is leading this new requirement for the government. Don’t laugh or wince as she did in the interview as she says her DNA is already displayed- I cannot remember her name now or even find the search info, but she said she has no fear of showing her DNA to the world as it has no defects. This won’t hurt a bit as the doctors used to say but just imagine the uses of this for everyone else with defective DNA; it will now show if you are diabetic, alcoholic, schizophrenic, your crime tendencies, everything about your personal life will become the scrutinizing of future Health Insurance Companies, employers, etc. You might be rejected in belonging to some club or benefit or employment for your less than perfect DNA. Welcome to the “New World Order.” Will you take the red pill or the blue pill? You may have no choice in our near future.

posted 1 year, 9 months ago
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Re: "Many of those experiencing foreclosures obtained their mortagages in a too liberal, underscrutinized lending climate. "

Really? Wasn't this the entire banking industry for the past century?

To have loved to designed and build my own home for my family and maintain it was not a decision of the banks to cause it to become lost but ultimately, the banks have caused this mess with the help of the government. We as long time homeowners that worked overtime on our jobs for many years feel disrespected now to see comments like these.

As many of us designed and built our own homes and maintained them for over 20 years only to have the banks ruin our homeownership through the bad savings and loans industry of bankers and government greed. The homeowners had nothing to do with this.

- This simple philosophy of real home-ownership that you stated above in so many words is still available to us as Americans if the government would control the run-away banking industry of fast greed, Wall Street spinsters, Day Traders, and others who only see all this as monetary investment.

A persons home is a large part of their life- Not simply a question of monetary investment or does the 'new generation' now degrade to only low rent because that is the way the banks have made it?

Drive through any properly maintained neighborhood of beautiful homes with gardens and artful landscaping as I created in my home- then drive through a low rent district and ask yourself where you would really like to live- Do not mention money controlled by bankers and tremendous job losses created by government and corporate outsourcing when you consider this life.

This banking vs. a meaningful life in a home that you built to stay for life in now becomes a double edged sword that only leads to the question- Your money or your life- Brought to you by your local bankers and governments failed business laws.

Mark Seibold, Elder Retired IT Tech, Artist-Astronomy Educator, Portland Oregon

posted 1 year, 10 months ago
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So Einstein would drop the price to where he receives no equity back? [Hence the term "under water".]

Has said Einstein designed and built his own home, maintained for over 20 years to allow some cheap buyer called the "greedy banks" to take it away by dropping the price to eventually nothing? If this were the simple case, we would not be here today discussing this. We would not be seeing our entire world of collapsed economies.

You might have to be Einstein to figure this out? Have you designed and built your own home yet? Planted all of the entire gardens and maintained it all for over 20 years?

This problem is more complicated than Einstein could figure out if he were alive today- It involves a huge conundrum of banking criminals controlling it all and worse? Those bankers are out of control thanks to our fair government policies.

Einstein should stick to the philosophy of the universe- Our real home. Not the insanity of the banks and the government.

Mark Seibold, Retired IT Tech, Artist-Astronomy Educator, Portland Oregon

posted 1 year, 10 months ago
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The original guests opening statements mentioned that homeowners who had homes for 25 years or those who lived in the inner city or [older neighborhoods] were not necessarily vulnerable to foreclosure. This is not true. For my home that I designed and built 22 years ago, which I planned to stay in for life was foreclosed and I was evicted from two years ago even when I attempted to file bankruptcy to save it- bankruptcy court judges laughed me out of the court, dismissed yet it is still on my personal credit record. Even when I returned to work and offered the bank partial payments under their inflated adjustable rate loans that my bank of over 25 years, WAMU advised me to take.

Why should anyone who has designed and built their own home be forced to sell it under a harmless sounding term like “short sale” or face foreclosure, eviction from the bank when we planned on staying in this home for life? Isn’t this situation we have now really controlled by the banks who ruined our mortgage loans? Now they want to force us to sell by using terminology that slights the situation to sounding like a lesser damaging effect yet still taking the owners home away for only the good of the bank getting their money faster- “Short Sale”. It sounds cute doesn’t it, but it creates the same economic downfall- The banks give you a lesser amount and they are happy but the homeowner is now degraded to what? No more home-life? Homeless?  

The term “under water” is a vague generalized term that really states nothing with so many aforementioned terms of “Relief Acts”, Forgiveness Acts, untruthful bankers who have manipulated all of this, along with failed government business laws.

Yet we continue to discuss this as if we as homeowners are mental patients or drug addicts that cannot comply with the sick banking industry which is ultimately controlled or lacking control by the government.

Mark Seibold, Elder Retired IT Tech, Artist-Astronomy Educator

posted 1 year, 10 months ago
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I may have forgotten to mention that I too sat for hours with our daughter, when only age 3 or 4 in showing her how to sketch, also allowing her much time for both her and my wife to observe celestial objects in the night through my telescopes. We kept our daughter engaged in meaningful activities, she was also quite diversified in many sports activities and other extra curricular interests aside from school- We never condoned television watching, actually avoiding it as much as possible. I have a broad interest in music, self taught in many instruments aside from taking clarinet in the 5^th grade. As many commented here on air today, a concerted interest in music improves a student in many unforeseen ways.  

My wife and I had our daughter privately tutored in classical violin for nearly ten years. She also had great grade school and high school orchestra teachers that inspired her. Many neighbors in our local neighborhood asked our daughter when she was only 14, to teach their children to play violin. She became a great asset to other children in the neighborhood, and she eventually went on to counsel troubled children and worked as a special education teacher at a local high school.  

I believe that teaching may be mostly influenced by the schools and especially for those parents that may not have the schedules or abilities to teach academics well to their children, yet many children may also still learn as much from the parents if those parents use their best skills to influence their children from an early age.

posted 1 year, 12 months ago
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Our parents are our first teachers as artists, musicians and life learning of the arts-

Our father was an art major in the Portland Art Museum School in 1950 taking painting lessons from Louis Bunce and art history from Michael Russo, known famous Oregon Artists, a few years before we were born. Both of our parents performed, if only in subtle ways as artists daily in the house. My brother, sister and I were obviously influenced by our father sketching and painting and his historical scale model aviation hobby of building many of these models, so we too became art majors in some ways. He also played harmonica in the home. Our parents are our first teachers. I wanted to participate in more art classes in high school but a shortage of art teachers already in 1971 limited my art studies then at Parkrose High School.

Our father passed away a little over a week ago. As the eldest sibling who majored in art, photography after high school and self taught the science of astronomy, yet another influence of our father, I spoke of this at his eulogy a few days ago at the funeral. I went on to teach astronomy as a public outreach program that I initiated, yet my most recent endeavor is that of having my astronomy large sketch artwork shown in online venues such as NASA for the past several years. I receive emails from around the world from random viewers online asking me how I accomplish producing this realistic art. * See markseibold.com

As I hear Emily read a message from one about an example of bad school teachers, we cannot forget that our parents may have been our best teachers in life. Mark Seibold, Retired IT Tech, artist-astronomy educator, Portland, OR

posted 1 year, 12 months ago
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I commend Emily and the TOL staff for another great discussion. This is tantamount right now as is the first president ever to have the guts to take on such important issues with such expediency.

 

President Obama is making a concerted effort to make necessary changes for the first time in our history and. The [other side] would rather we do nothing to improve? They do not acknowledge that the last regime of 8 years offered nothing to improve this broken system, instead to allow the corporate factions to control and waste billions in hidden costs as they have done for years. There is a divisionism of partisan or religious belief that should not pervade in political and business issues where all citizens should be equal when questions are of life and health.  

 

Conversely, I never hear anyone say: I am nearly retirement age now forced at 55 to take early retirement pensions due to lack of employment in my home town of Portland. My company terminated thousands of employees and I lost my 20 year job 9 years ago and the 100% health insurance coverage I had automatically free for all those years, which I hardly ever used. I have had no health insurance for over 9 years now. I exerted a daily philosophy of proper diet and exercise; took careful care of myself; I am fortunate to have remained in nearly the identical physical condition for life. Now at retirement after contributing for most of life to our systems, taxes, community service volunteer work, etc., as many elderly people find in America, we are forgotten by the general system. Will the records show this? Should there not be a merit system that rewards those of use who hardly ever used or spent any of our allotted health insurance?

 

There seems to be no accountability for this. Where is the technology? The law? The respect for those of us now in our elderly years that have paid into a system for the better part of our lives which we hardly used that now ignores us when we should be first to have medical help, when and if needed in our aging years?

posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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This discussion apparently catered to those with excess money to save/spend as they clamored lost wondering what to do with it. The tone of fear kept appearing, of course we all know what is causing this. 15 million people who permanently lost their jobs across the US, and half of that number, 7 million occurred in the past couple years. My republican friends want to blame this condition on [others.]

One could not help seeing the other comments here about those who have nothing to save. It was interesting that the discussion did not address those people. I may have missed part of the discussion but the bank that took my home of 20 years in foreclosure due to job loss last year that I designed and built, lacking a few payments, now offers little or nothing in savings returns for holding my funds in the bank. Where did all those interest payments go for years that I paid the bank? This is a corporate and government caused problem that they refuse to admit ran amok and unregulated as allowed business crimes. Now they want us to invest in them?

I am semi-retired as many today, taking my early retirement pension because of severe lack of employment, and Portland is especially suffering this condition worse than other regions of the country. My home town, now said to be the most desirable place to live by national surveys now has the highest number of unemployed and homeless per capita by states in the nation.

 

I have spent much of my time providing community service public astronomy, across the nation and overseas, lecturing for students of art and astronomy with my award winning astronomy art as I know this is missing in education systems today. I receive little if no honorariums for this voluntary work. I have spent thousands in travel expenses to do this yet education systems cannot compensate me. Instead of saving, I have invested in human nature and needed education that is missing from our learning institutions.

 

Mark Seibold, Retired Artist-Astronomy Teacher

 

 

 

posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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Very good points made here. I am particularly interested in the left handed syndrome so highly misunderstood and not believed by many (as I too am left handed as an artist and astronomer.) It is actually a biological fact. The current modern medical science believed and accepted is that this occurs at 6 weeks after conception in the fetal stage. High testosterone presence in the mother’s amniotic fluid causes the left hand side of the brain growth to suppress. When I was hired to teach in a university we as new faculty were put through a class on the human brain and learned this.

Left-handers have a slightly larger right brain, for visual creative thinking, abstract thought, multitasking, etc, but are often plagued with other disorders. If Einstein were here today (left handed as was Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and are Wozniak, Jobs, Gates, most presidents and leaders, they would be shown to be ADD, and yes a little arrogant and even narcissistic (over or self awareness) Left handed also runs higher in twins and more so in female twins. Many people are forced to change to right handed, a severe mistake on parents and teachers part.

Educators in schools need to know this about their students. Encourage them to read with other interests as an incentive.

*And oh yes! I read most of the dictionary for fun at age 8. Read the World Book Encyclopedia in high school study hall from A ~ Z in a term. My parents were artists and read allot.

Mark Seibold, Artist-Astronomy Teacher, Portland Oregon

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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A very important topic so detrimental to necessary communications.  I commend Emily for this discussion today as this spans all parts of our society.

I was listening earlier but could not get to a phone or computer. I am particularly interested as one mentioned dyslexia.

Not to stray too far from the general discussion here but many people are not aware that dyslexia can be unknown and hidden for many years as we forget to ask or test the student for it. Also this much unknown aspect of it: It runs higher in *left handed people. Also this: Left handed people by biological fact have higher skills in the arts, shown to have higher IQ and genius level. Also better multi-taskers.

See the Wikipedia online Encyclopedia for a good introduction. Many difficult students have been shown to be left handed yet the greatest achievers in history: Most presidents are left handed, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Einstein, Feynman, Pauling, Gates, Jobs, Wozniak, etc.

Mark Seibold, Artist-Astronomy Teacher (Left Handed)

 

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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There is a general public misunderstanding of how the sun actually works. I think both guest have done well to explain the general physics of the sun and I commend Emily and the TOL staff for this fine discussion. However as an astronomy educator for years and especially focusing on observing the sun as a professional amateur astronomer allowing thousands of the public to literally observe the sun through solar research grade telescopes across the nation and overseas while teaching astronomy, I can tell you that in general, most people do not understand that the sun is streaming electromagnetic energy and has been doing this continuously as far as science tells us, for over 5 billion years as have all the stars in the universe. A further misunderstanding is that it actually transmits through the atmosphere on cloudy days. Again, it is constant flowing energy naturally and is responsible for all life on the planet, i.e.; photosynthesis; skin is sunburned on cloudy days [nothing to do with simple light or heat], but the electromagnetic spectrum and the UV part of the electromagnetic spectrum is always there. Even when the earth is turned away at night for 12 hours, there is a partial flow enwraping the planet. A physical fact of the 'solar wind'. 

 

This needs to be stressed more in science education. Although I am not well versed to comment on the political and business aspects of developing solar power as that becomes a political argument too often that I believe always deems the discussion of this as only a political and economic argument, thus deters it further education of the development of solar power as a needed source of clean natural energy. The actual factual physics and science of this should be taught more in schools as there is no denial of its actual existence which is responsible to all of life as we know it.     

 

Mark Seibold, Artist-Astronomy Teacher

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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I apologize for another reiteration but I should also point out that I had attended a 2 yr college with my own earned wages in the late 1960's ~ early 1970's just out of high school in 1972 to pay for the tuition for a couple years of classes. I also returned to school many years later again. I have worked solid since age 16 in 1970 till 2000 when the job situation in America really started falling apart. At 55 yrs age in August, I hope to collect my early retirement pension, but now even that retirement pension is compromised and diminished due to the educated investment Madoff's of America. The life clock is ticking; money is now becoming worthless in our society. It is merely a dated and dead concept of the past. I have also worked overseas teaching in a third world nation for no pay. You think its bad here? Travel and learn.

Just because someone does not earn the final paper degree does not mean they are not worthy of a descent career. Where does our society judge one as better for completing the degree and another who is hired to teach without a completed degree as I did? It is really only mere opinion of judged conventional and traditional perceived worth by school law, is it not? This is no longer the real world in the US when the government deems closing thousands of manufacturing jobs [ie; US auto workers] and moves them to cheap labor in Mexico. Do you think a degree shingle hung on a wall will change this? Let’s change the greed factor math of America first. Is that being taught in school? Especially the schools going out of business? Can you say MBA’s out of work? Sure you can.

Mark, Artist-Astronomer, Portland OR

posted 3 years ago
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Did I forget to mention that not only teachers jobs are being cut everywhere; yet worse, some institutions such as Eastern Oregon University is virtually going out of business?

No one can afford to be educated in this economy. Even if you are, good luck in finding the jobs. 300,000 jobs are being eliminated nationally ever month now. I believe most of those positions were employees with degrees; MBA's Masters and PhD’s. Something has obviously gone wrong with our business and higher education systems. The government perhaps?

Mark Seibold, Artist-Astronomer

posted 3 years ago
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As 'uncommonsense' comments on rights to education; one might believe that no one has a right to a degree without attending school for it; but what is worse now is that the economy is rendering many people who have degrees as unemployed; losing their homes in foreclosure. What good is a degree when there are over 15 million unemployed nationwide, no less the higher percentage in Oregon per capita now? 

I designed and built my own home for my first family 20 years ago. I just lost it in foreclosure last year due to lack of work here in my native state. I do not have a college degree but instead I am self taught. I was hired to teach in a university as adjunct Professor of Astronomy a few years ago. My award winning astronomy art is featured in NASA web sites and has inspired the world of artists and astronomers. I am asked to lecture about this. I receive no pay for these lectures; only commendation letters. People write to me and ask for my art for free! What does this tell you about a failing economy that unemployed workers cannot afford to attend school for a degree? I would love to attend school but as a local Oregonian, many local jobs now in few are taken by new immigrants to the state. The president says that Pell Grants are increasing to help us attend school. Is this true? I have student loans from the past I cannot pay now due to increased job losses. The real problem is lack of jobs leading to lack of affordability to educate the masses. You might be one of a few who have a degree but you will now be surrounded by a degraded society out of work; degree or not. (400 architectural engineers out of work in Portland with Masters and Phd’s!)

Mark Seibold, Artist-Astronomer   

posted 3 years ago
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This writers comment from Katie D bears repeating >

$8.40 to $10 an hour is the job that helps you LOSE your house and gets you into debt. People who have these jobs don't support the economy because they are only spending on subsistence items. (or drugs, alcohol and gambling to forget their problems) It is not a living wage unless you live with your parents or in your car.

Better to spend the money helping people start small businesses, or go to school, or subsidizing employees who make real wages and might otherwise be laid off. Better to help people keep or create living wage jobs than simply slow the slide into abject poverty.

I commend Emily and the TOL staff for another important discussion:

That is exactly how I lost my home last year after designing and building and maintaining it for 20 years, invaluable landscaping not to mention in the tens of thousands, our system is a total mess and shows no regard for people who have contributed to our culture for into our golden years, to be foreclosed and evicted from our homes.

The point made here by the previous commenter is so true. After I worked for 30 years in the high tech computer industry here in my home town of Portland, about 2000 is when things began to fail. We have been going downhill ever since. I worked in a university as adjunct  professor a few years ago. That paid $500 per month! When I was forced to take what I could find a year ago, a courier driving job at $10 per hour for 25 hours a week, the Bankruptcy court would now allow me to save my  home on that wage. It is not only the jobs losses, it is the entire government system that is terribly insensitive to our needs and survivability.

Mark Seibold, Artist-Astronomer

posted 3 years ago
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Many people are in denial and will not admit it. Using a cell phone while driving is quite similar to being under the influence of drugs. Left handed people are proven to excel at multi-tasking; it is a biological brain function of the left hander.

It has been proven by medical tests that the mind is blanked out (for most people) while talking on a cell phone in a much different way than while drinking coffee, eating, talking to the passenger next to you or even reading a book while driving. Do not confuse the difference of all these varied situations. They are not the same, just as many different variances in life occur daily. We are not sacrosanct when behind the wheel, but some people feel special and invulnerable when they are in their private vehicle world. A special last rite of passage. Literally last!

Those in denial are taking the attitude that they are an exception; think about it; just like a drug addict, they want to contend that it won’t happen to them. Like a smoker, “I am going to quit tomorrow, on New Years, at the first of the month, because the excuse is the denial, a number is special, anything when you are addicted to information . . . We are driving ourselves to a quick death for the addiction to the technology . . . Have you ever had a meaningless conversation on a phone that could have been avoided? Is that cell phone call important enough to kill yourself; or someone else? -Mark, Left handed artist, astronomer 

posted 3 years ago
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