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Marywheeler, I agree that some of the displays have been facinating, such as the puppets, but I couldn't help but think that such a display would've been better suited for a children's museum or the art museum. It really had nothing to do with history. I think the museum would get more support if it would concentrate on history not current pop-culture better suited for a different institution.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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Everyone keeps talking about how WONDERFUL the museum and OHS as a whole have become, however no one is addressing whether or not the museum has been operated in a fiscally sound manner, no one is addressing the inability of OHS board members to work with the state legislature and community, etc.

This program seems like just another OHS love-fest to blackmail the state legislature into rescuing the museum.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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Another question that must be asked is whether or not the closure of the library violates contractual obligations of the OHS. Membership to the OHS entitles members to access to the library. Does closing the library violate this membership agreement? The state of Oregon provides a large sum of funds to the OHS earmarked for the library. If the library is closed, then does this violate legislation authorizing state funding to the OHS? These membership agreements are more than just a fundraising tool. They are also a legally binding contract agreement.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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The OHS doesn't want public input into its financial problems -- it just wants your money. The OHS doesn't want the state legislature's input either -- it just wants your money.

Proof can be found in that the meeting OHS held for members to discuss member input into the current financial crisis for the museum was schedule for the evening of St. Patrick's Day, a holiday, when most people would be occupied with other plans and not available to come speak to the OHS board.

My family stopped supported the OHS when a veteran's organization we belong to informed us that the OHS is one of the only museums of its kind in the nation that refuses to give a discount admission to ACTIVE DUTY military personnel visiting the museum. Letters and calls were made to the museum which ignored the complaint.

The museum is being operated by individuals who are out of touch with reality and the will of the people of Oregon, but it wants to dictact that money be given to it nonetheless.  I believe it is a complete disgrace that the museum doesn't honor our active duty men and women with a discount or free admission.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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It has been said by political pundents from both political parties that current economic stimulus proposals by Congress would've paid-off over 90% of ALL American mortgages including those not facing default which would've done more to secure our economy than the Christmas tree of gifts that the current bill. Yet, members of Congress felt that this would be too "socialist" in nature to accept, however bailing-out large financial contributors to members of Congress was quite acceptable.

I think its time we had some good old fashion trials for treason including public hanging to eleminate the greed and corruption in Washington DC.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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If you think there are issues related to regular emergency rooms in Oregon, then try going to the emergency room at the VA hospital here in Portland. About 8 months ago, I had to take my partner to the VA emergency room as he is a VA patient, and we waited 13 hours before seeing a doctor. He suffers from a broken hip sustained in the Iraq War, and he had a muscle tear away from the bone. We were told the 13 hour wait was due to one doctor being on duty and 10 people ahead of us. VA hospital waits are getting worse and worse with more and more injured troops returning from the Middle East, and their treatment is getting ignored.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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I'm waiting for the Think Out Loud staff to get called into the OPB head office and asked why the Trailblazers and Comcast are threatening to withhold their donations to OPB this year because Think Out Loud "dared" to "question" their business practices. I would not put this past Comcast or Paul Allen.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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Since the Trailblazers management has chosen to be unprofessional and unethical in refusing to provide a spokesman for this discussion, I'll be writing complaint letters to the NBA president's office as well as Trailblazers' corporate headquarters about this issue. I cannot believe that the NBA public relations people would approve of this snub to local public broadcasting. I believe that I am more angry about this than the television issue. Who do the Trailblazers think they are? They take millions in tax breaks from our city and receive free police overtime to provide street level security for them. They have responsibility to speak to the local media.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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The Blazers receive millions of dollars per year in tax breaks to keep the team located in Portland. The fact that the community is financially subsidizing the team should be reason enough to require local games to be accessable to local residents. As for Comcast, they are an evil, vile company. The Oregon PUC refuses to act on complaints against them saying that they fall under FCC jurisdiction, and complaints made to the FCC receive replies directing you to contact the Oregon PUC. Its an illegal racket. Nothing more.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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Are we certain that they did not invite Mr. Marsh? He may have chosen not to appear.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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I admittedly didn't check his company's stock history until you mentioned it, and you are absolutely correct. It has been on a steady downward cycle other than a small bump in 2004. PXLW went from a high of $143.00 in 2000 to its current value of $0.98 at market open today.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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I don't mean this to sound like a slam on Elliott Smith, but this is not the kind of topic that one would expect to hear on a program like Think Out Loud. I am a bit disappointed.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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I'm of the opinion that the next treasurer needs to be a person with patience who does not act on impulse. Investments such as the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund are long term investments that a manager should not jump the gun to buy or sell stock from because of short term declines in the market. The current economic slump will correct itself. I want someone in the treasurer's office who isn't afraid to ride the wave. Hmm, perhaps we should elect a surfer.

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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Our host had an obvious pro-opera bias. I notice that he didn't discuss any of the negative or questioning comments posted online or take calls. It was entirely an all pro-opera conversation. That sort of violates the whole premise of think out loud. Today, it was think out loud only if you agree with the host.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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Stage musicals and live bands do not get state and federal dollars to put on their shows, yet opera and orchestra get public funding -- and they are still way over priced. Maybe this is a sign that the art form is not as "popular" and "vibrant" as many would like to believe. Make it compete on an even scale with other forms of music and other stage acts. If it can't survive, then let it die.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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This IS America. For half the guests to have to be Brits to report on the story, then it is NOT an American art form, now is it? Or, maybe just the show's production staff aren't industrious enough to find Americans to interview? I dunno.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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Again, another Brit... even more proof that this is NOT an art form for Americans.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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So, the director of the San Francisco opera company on right now is a Brit. I think this provides further evidence that most AMERICANS are not fans of opera. It is an art performed for a foreign audience in a foreign language. It doesn't evolve. It is stuck in the 17th Century. Maybe if they hired Americans to manage their opera houses then they could speak to an American audience.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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This is the other major problem with opera. Tickets are extremely expensive. It is priced to a point that the average person cannot attend except for the handful of "charity matinees" that they produce throughout the season.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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As my grandmother once told me, "No one ENJOYS opera. People who attend the opera do so because they believe it boosts their social status."

When the operas we listen to were contemporary pieces, theaters of the day would not have performed pieces that were hundreds of years old. They performed ONLY contemporary pieces. Why is it today that it is rare to here a MODERN/CONTEMPORARY piece for our day and instead only hear those that were written hundreds of years ago?

I would argue that the modern stage musical is contemporary opera and pieces like La Traviata need to be performed on rare occasions instead of frequently to reflect our modern age.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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