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osprey2008's comments:
on Who Are Your Neighbors Now?
Unable to chime in during the live show, but I do have two principal comments.
1) When I relocated to the Portland area about twenty years ago I was struck not only by the lack of cultural diversit--color, language, socio-economic, sexual preference, etc.--(except in small, largely segregated pockets), but even more so by this fact: When I took a look at the leading institutions--at government, the mainstream cultural institutions, as well as in philanthropy and the large charitable organizations, in higher ed., in health and hospitals, and finally in business, whether it be the technology sector, in professions such as law or finance, everyone looked, thought and sounded the same. 99% Caucasion, 75% men, and lacking diversity in just about every category one could imagine. Additionally it seemed quite literally, when one examed surnames and family relationships, it seemed that about the same twenty-five or so families managed and controlled every instution in every sector of society here in Oregon. Particularly when one examined boards of directors and appointed commissions and advisory boards, etc. That is only a slight exaggeration. In some respects, the gestalt here seemed more late 19th Century than late 20th Century. [Despite the vaunted environmentalism, planning-oriented ethos, and ostensible liberal political regime.] How extraordinarily predictable and boring!
Having arrived here from a fairly major cosmopolitan city, this was nothing less than shocking. In the past twenty years as I have seen that gradually change in some quarters, more quickly in other quarters, as I have seen a greater degree of cultural diversity in many neighborhoods, entire communities, in the streets, in the shops, and at the civil society leadership level, I can only imagine that it has been all to the good. Including of course, all the youthful, entrepreneurial, creative, optimism of many arrivals during the last decade, college educated or not. Sure there are certain challenges presented by greater diversity. But what as far as I am concerned, what a net benefit to Portland and to the state of Oregon.
Welcome to the 21st Century, Oregon. Welcome to 21st Century America and the modern diverse, cosmopolitan world!
posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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on Missoula Floods Revisited
When one travels from Missoula, MT to the Willamette Valley, you need only a little information--combined with some imagination--to observe the changing terrain and comprehend the fact that huge walls of water rolled across the landscape. From the mountains above Missoula to the soils of the Willamette Valley, the remaining evidence is striking, and the impact extraordinary.
For those who have not done so, the most striking sections of the flood path are the immense coulees, the magnificent--and uber immense--dry falls, and the channeled scablands of Eastern Washington are the most dramatic and unusual visual features that remain. Portlanders who have yet to see those features are missing the most striking features on today's landscape. (In addition of course to the Wallula Gap and the entire Columbia Gorge.)
Just go to Crown Point and look East into the Gorge. Imagine that wall of water exiting out the West end of the Gorge, perhaps overtopping Crown Point by as much as 100 feet, barreling at you at something close to 60 mph, carrying unbelievable loads of gravel, sediment, and large granite boulders imbedded in huge icebergs, rafting in the floods all the way from today's western Washington. (And of course, this phenomenon happened 40 or more times, at this scale.)
PS It is worth noting that Congress has authorized, but not yet funded, a new linear park, the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, with new interpretive pullouts and visitor centers, all the way from Missoula to the Willamette Valley.
These were the largest floods in the entire geologic history of this planet. As everyone now cites, for periods of time in the Columbia Gorge, the floods contained a volume of water ten times that of all the rivers that flow on earth today!
posted 2 years, 6 months ago
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on The Bard in Oregon
Not to take anything away from the wonderful Oregon Shakespeare Festival, as I am a big fan of Shakespeare in general and the OSF in particular. However, as usual the local media like to highlight all of the superlative and special attributes of Oregonians the unique culture of the Pacific Northwest tend to forget that Ashland is in fact an outpost of Northern California. The OSF can provide those figures, but the demographics of their ticket buyers are heavily weighted towards Northern California, in particular the San Francisco Bay Area. Both overall tourist visitor numbers and newly arrived residents and homeowners (lets say during the past 15-20 years) is also heavily weighted towards Northern Californians. Arguably one could say if it weren't for the relatively easy access of Ashland and the OSF for Northern Californians, there wouldn't be an Oregon Shakespeare Festival, at least not one that is so vital to this day, including right through this current recession.
posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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on Banning BPA
For coffee drinkers, I would urge everyone to seriously reconsider their method if they have a conventional drip/filter coffee making device. Nearly all of them have internal plastic piping system that contains BPA. Remember there is hot water regularly circulating through that system.
Alternatives: a good quality French Press with a glass carafe, a stainless steel stovetop expresso maker, or an old fashioned manually filled glass carafe filter coffee maker. (There is available one brand of high end filter coffee makers that feature all internal steel components. Of course their devices are considerably more expensive than all the common ones out there.)
posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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on Portraits of War
One cannot address this subject without referencing "Waltz with Bashir" an animated film about the Israeli experience in Lebanon in 1982. A thoughtful, probing examination, an "animated documentary" told in first person, about the experience of a unit of the Israeli army, in Beirut. One of the best war movies ever made, and one of the best (adult) animated films ever made.
posted 3 years, 4 months ago
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on Fall of the Berlin Wall
This is not a comment about the fall of the Wall, per se, but rather about the former East Berlin. Though I am not German, I did experience the Fall of the Wall, through my brother who lived in Germany at the time, and still does. Though I have been fortunate to travel around the world, and to live in Europe, it was not until 2006 that I visited Berlin for the first time. I stayed with my brother and devoted most of my time to the former East Berlin, with some forays into West Berlin and beyond, to historic sites such as Potsdam. My comment is this, all Portlanders would love the former East Berlin. Unlike most other major European cities, it is not dominated by any one aspect, neither the architecture, nor the history, nor the tourist trade, nor its beautiful museums. What left the most striking impression was its low key DIY culture, its anti-wealth, anti mainstream attitude towards just about everything. A thriving, funky, street level visual and performing arts culture, a thriving wine bar & coffee shop culture, beautiful, though somewhat shabby parks, an unbelievable amount of creativity in the food arena. There is chic if you want it and can afford it, but by and large that is not representative of East Berlin. Hip, yes, and trendy in some respects. The $ is still mostly in the former West Berlin, and that is where the chic department stores and the like can be found, if you need it or want it.
If you haven't been, Portlanders, do visit the former East Berlin...it is an eye opening place. If you want history, the entire city of Berlin of course has it in spades. But if you want to feel right at home with kindred spirits, just hang out in the former East Berlin. You will love it, and the Germans and others (including many immigrants of course, from Turkey and elsewhere) might just defy your stereotypes of what is a German personality...
posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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on Bull Run Water
Unquestionably Bull Run is pristine, and deserving of protection. A natural treasure and a superb municipal water supply. But, like everything local that so many claim makes Oregon and Portland so unique and special, Bull Run is not unique. Please Oregonians examine the rest of the nation and the world before you claim the superlative or "unique" designation. Take a look at Seattle's municipal water supply. Also...heaven forbid...New York City's municipal water supply! It is as pristine, and of equal quality to Portland's. There are even entire books written about it.
posted 3 years, 9 months ago
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on Bottling It Up in Cascade Locks
I am entirely in favor of Cascade Locks attempts to pursue economic development and improvements to its community. However, with all recent attention to improvements to the air quality of the Columbia Gorge, and to reducing pollutants from key sources, what about the consequences of the huge additional amounts of pollution from inefficient, particulate producing diesel trucks entering and exiting Cascade Locks and presumably heading to points both East and West on I-84 throughout the Gorge?
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on Encyclopedic Ambitions
Very important, timely, meaningful topic. Thank you. Interesting, informed guests. Excellent questions, Emily and excellent answers. These are two different approaches, each perfectly valid and valuable, each highly useful, in documenting, and interpreting Oregon history. (Yes, no matter many hands in the writing/editing or just one writer with an editor, it is still all about interpretation.) I will say this, that the Oreg. Encyclopedia Project, as each entry will have one author/writer with his or her unique style, will likely convey more of a sense of "story" in conveying the details, unlike the Wiki approach.
Here is yet another model, offered by the Oreg. Historical Society. Some very useful on-line historical and biographical details there as well:
http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/timeweb/
(This poster has no formal relationship with the OHS. Not on staff. But the OHS and its resources, not just brick and mortar, is sometimes an overlooked institution. All controversies aside...)
posted 4 years ago
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on Fishery or Laboratory?
This is a very imp. topic. However, the larger question looms...how is the Mt. St. Helens Monument being managed and how should it be managed? What federal government agency is best equipped to manage it, for the landscape and wildlife, and for the human appreciation of nature and low impact outdoor recreation? I am not one to take sides, still reserving judgment on the Forest Service vs. National Park management model. But there are a ton of overarching issues that impact on this specific question of to fish or not to fish at Spirit Lake. Please pay attention to the work of the Mt. St. Helens Advisory Committee's deliberations on this. Thank you T.O.L. for attention to this story...and please consider planning another one to address the larger issues. Do keep in mind that there are a host of economic and political issues here, as well as natural resource management issues.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Society's History
As to the OHS, it should not be an either/or scenario. The research library and museum are each important, yet each appeals to a different set of users. The museum is the public face of the institution, to school groups, to tourists and to newcomers to Oregon. It belabors the point to describe the users of the library. But it is important to note that the publications, films, etc. that result from their research informs the lives of everyone, regardless of age. It is an extraordinarily rich resource, one of the best of its kind in the nation, with a highly trained and service-oriented staff. Ideally the OHS should maintain-and sustain--both. But if it comes to a choice, perhaps in the long run the library is more important. However, this is what it comes to...like most early generation Oregon cultural institutions, the leadership--meaning the board--though comprised of good, thoughtful, well-intentioned individuals, simply does not offer the breadth of knowledge, the diversity, the nonprofit management expertise, and particularly the youthful, entrepreneurial dynamism to properly steer this venerable institution into the 21st Century.
As to the situation in Oregon City. also a very unfortunate and unhappy scenario. Perhaps the model of Clackamas Heritage Partners is simply not a successful model. Perhaps there has been inadequate leadership there, again at the board level, perhaps not dissimilar to the situation with the OHS. Again, given the primacy of Oregon City in the origins of this state, it is very bad timing indeed. Clearly in the case of these Oreg. City museums, there is also the challenge of updating exhibits and programs...and the challenge of raising funds to do so.
Beyond solving the immediate crises and surviving the hump of this long term ailing economy...These institutions need to take a revolutionary look at membership, at programs, at fundraising, at public and media relations, at marketing. They need to revitalize their board of directors. Fundamentally...like most Oregon institutions they are too provincial and inward looking., thinking we have all the answers locally. We need to be scanning the nation to look at models for similar institutions, to learn from the lessons of failure and success by examining comparable institutions, public, private and public/private partnerships from across the nation.
posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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on Join Our Studio Audience on MLK Day!
Though Oregonians and Portlanders rightly pride themselves as being different from the rest of America--in certain aspects of culture, society, environment--this is one category where if we were more like most the rest of America we would be all the richer for it!
posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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on Protecting Public Lands
Do you think maybe it is worth talking about the benefits to the natural world first, and human benefits secondarily? You bet.
It is not about human use, but rather nature's use.
posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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on ARCTIC BLAST 2008!!!!
PS It would be wise for TOL to devote an entire program to this topic.
posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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on Fishing for Clarity
Now, all Pacific salmon species are of equal biological value. Let's remove the commercial or sportcfishing nterests. (And the importance, culturally and biologically, to all native peoples of this region is another story all together.) They all fulfill an equally valuable ecological niche, in our river systems, in the ocean...and on land. Maybe one of your smart interns will google "salmon forest" and learn something about the amazing role that salmon protein, fat and other compounds have historically played in all the forests and soils that are within the watersheds of the rivers & creeks of the Pacific NW, of "Salmon Nation"...in addition to the biology of the waters, in terms of invertebrates, water plants, and of course the vertical layer of predators in the water and on shore (and in the air). Now, there is a meaningful discussion for you to consider.
posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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