Oregon Literary Review co-hosts First Wednesdays, a series of readings, performances and wine-tasting at the Blackbird Wine Shop, 4323 NE Fremont, 7-9pm. This show is 21 and over. Contact Julie Mae Madsen at maemadsen@gmail.com for more information. The readers for April 7 are Jackie Shannon-Hollis, Peter Sears, Brian Christopher and Elizabeth Enslin Peter Sears is the author of The Brink (winner of the 2000 Western States Poetry Prize and 1999 Peregrine Smith Poetry Competition), Tour: New & Selected Poems (1987), and Luge (2008). He received his M.F.A.

Dear Attorney General John Kroger and Governor Ted Kulongoski:

The Oregon Public Records Law was created by the Oregon legislature with the intent of giving the citizens of Oregon a legal tool to help them keep Oregon's public institutions accountable and their activities transparent. It is enforced by Oregon county District Attorneys and the state's Attorney General. Despite their disparate circumstances these defenders of the Oregon Public Records Law are expected to interpret and enforce the Oregon Public Records Law on a more or less equal basis, giving latitude only at the margins.

In a legal opinion dated March 4, 2010 Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk established the following criteria related to his interpretation of the Oregon Public Records Law:

1. Requests for any kind of information from any public entity need not be addressed by that public entity unless the words, "Oregon Public Records Law" are included in the request.

2. Oregon District Attorneys may arbitrarily and with prejudice determine which citizens may or may not use email to conduct official business regarding the Oregon Public Records Law.

3. A public entity may withhold information indefinitely by merely refusing to send a letter of denial to the person requesting public documents.

4. Information kept by a public jurisdiction on a computer database is considered, "nonexistent" and cannot be compelled.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk's ignorant, misguided, prejudicial, indeed, perverted, albeit legally binding, interpretation of the legislature's intent is tantamount to a revocation of the Oregon Public Records Law in Multnomah county.

O Freedom!

We the puppies of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Declaration of Indiepuppies. In other words, we want an off-leash area in Columbia Park!

Portland City Council Testimony 3-10-10

My name is Richard Ellmyer. I am a candidate for the North Portland House seat.

Candidate for city commissioner Sam Adams acknowledged that you can’t make good public policy without good public data. He supported Equitable Distribution of Public Housing.

City commissioner Sam Adams twice asked HAP for statistical data, voted against a HAP nominee who opposed revealing HAP statistical data, supported mayor Potter’s announcement to gather HAP statistical data and, as mayor elect, instructed commissioner Fish to provide him with HAP’s Public Housing statistical data. In EVERY case Sam Adams FAILED to obtain the data and shrugged off the rebuffs to his authority. Adams failure to follow up on any of these efforts demonstrates his disingenuous and dishonest commitment to a public policy of Equitable Distribution of Public Housing.

Mayor Adams has the singular authority to nominate persons to the HAP board. Mayor Adams has never vetted a nominee with regard to the most important policy issue. Do they support Equitable Distribution or UNLIMITED neighborhood concentration of Public Housing? Mayor Adams has instructed his staff not to inform Richard Ellmyer of HAP nominations lest he embarrass the mayor with public testimony challenging the unvetted nominees.

Radical Women’s monthly organizing meeting will include a report back on the March 4th National Day of Action to Defend Public Education at Portland State University and universities nationally. There will also be discussion on upcoming plans to celebrate International Women’s Day and defending reproductive rights on Martin Luther King Blvd. Everyone welcome to share ideas and participate in the discussion.

Celebrate the hundredth anniversary of International Women's Day by saluting the emergent leadership of Portland Radical Women Organizer-elect, Emma Allen. Saturday, March 20 at 7pm, the Bread and Roses Center, 819 N. Killingsworth, Portland (on Tri-Met lines #4 and #72). International buffet served at 6pm for $8.00 donation. To arrange childcare, work exchange, or additional information call 503-240-4462.

What can we learn today from the only successful slave revolt in human histroy? Explore the powerful rebellion led by Toussaint L'Ouverture that defeated the forces of France, Britain and Spain to establish an independent Republic. Share your ideas about the interconnections of race, gender and class and prospects for revolution in this hemisphere.

Sunday, March 28, 3pm.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk has joined the ill fated former Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, in making an end-of-career public pronouncement that exposes him as either a fool or a liar or both. Powell destroyed his credibility by unequivocally asserting the massing of large quantities of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq requiring a march to preemptive war. Schrunk destroyed his credibility by unequivocally asserting that the Housing Authority of Portland is above the law and therefore exempt from the Oregon Public Records Law.

We Americans continue to live with the costs in lives and treasure from Colin Powell's United Nations debacle. Mike Schrunk has now set a legal precedent in Oregon that will seriously diminish the ability of Oregonians to hold their public institutions accountable and in so doing he has provided evidence upon which citizens will rightfully view government with ever increasing cynicism.

In a letter dated March 4, 2010 Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schrunk established the following criteria related to his interpretation of the Oregon Public Records Law:

1. Requests for any kind of information from any public entity need not be addressed by that public entity unless the words, "Oregon Public Records Law" are included in the request.

2. Oregon District Attorneys may arbitrarily and with prejudice determine which citizens may or may not use email to conduct official business regarding the Oregon Public Records Law.

3. A public entity may withhold information indefinitely by merely refusing to send a letter of denial to the person requesting public documents.

4. Information kept by a public jurisdiction on a computer database is considered, "nonexistent" and cannot be compelled.

Singer/songwriter Dale E. Miller will be at The North End Pub/Rivergate Brewing, 3011 N. Lombard on March 12th at 8pm. He'll bring back an evening of "Some folk, some blues, some ballads" that was so well received for the North End Pub's "Pre-Valentine's Day/Mardi Gras" festivity! It's a Family Friendly show in keeping with North End's desire to provide a neighborhood environment everyone can enjoy.

Camp Vida 2010

"The study data shows 20 percent of Multnomah County children live in poverty, compared to just 11 percent of children in Washington County and 12 percent of Clackamas County children." http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=126765237912823900

1 in 18 residents of Multnomah county is a Public Housing client.

1 in 76 residents of Washington county is a Public Housing client.

1 in 84 residents of Clackamas county is a Public Housing client.

PUBLIC HOUSING IS A REGIONAL ISSUE. I have proposed that Metro administer the Housing Authorities of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties under a policy of Equitable Distribution of Public Housing throughout the region. Candidates for public office in these counties need to address this issue in their campaigns.

In a fit of pique Mult. Co. Asst. DA John Hoover threatened retaliation against a candidate for the North Portland House seat, Richard Ellmyer, because Ellmyer challenged Hoover's competency to professionally judge a public records request from the Housing Authority of Portland (see below).

 
Time flies when you're having fun and we are happy to say Atomic Pizza has been open for one year. To celebrate, we are giving 10% of our sales to two very dedicated local non-profit organizations. Saturday, March 6th 10% of sales will be donated to Family of Friends Mentoring Program. www.family-of-friends.org And Sunday, March 7th 10% of sales will be donated to Project Pooch pet rescue program. www.pooch.org. Please come celebrate with us and help support these great programs.

The plan seeks to address how to restore endangered species...not just hold the line or lessen the negative impacts, but actually increase the rapidly declining populations of the most acutely affected species: Salmon and Steelhead in our section of the river. The decline is mainly through loss of habitat, so restoration will have to be through recovery of habitat. It has been estimated by scientists that Salmon need shallow rest & feeding areas near the riverbank about every quarter mile. The plan has been compromised to offer less than that, but it is a step in the right direction since currently the North Reach offers close to no riverbank habitat.

The plan also addresses upland connectivity because we are now seeing alarmingly sharp declines in mammals, once common birds, reptiles & amphibians as well as plants native to our community.

This can also be found at:

http://www.edforpdx.com/cms/?q=node/85

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The Dark Side of the CRC and other "Done Deals."

I have spent most of the last 4 years being a member of the CRC Community & Environmental Justice Group (CEJG). I also proposed the moratorium and planning process that stopped the Wal-Mart from coming to Hayden Island (in 2006), and then spent two years as Co-Chair of the Hayden Island Plan (for the city of Portland) which was developed in significant collaboration with the CRC.

I had some concerns that the CEJG was being "facilitated" too much. When I arrived, only one person from Hayden Island was on the group (of about fifteen). There were all kinds of small things with regard to language and organization that diminished the significance of the project to the actual island residents (where most of the Oregon construction will happen). As the project moved forward, the facilitators went away and were replaced by two co-chairs (one from each state) who were clearly hand picked by CRC. I was up for Oregon co-chair, but suddenly a number of fallen away participants re-appeared, and Walter Valenta came as an alternate from his neighborhood and committed character assassination with regard to my candidacy for co-chair. I lost by one vote. Walter doesn't live on Hayden Island either (he lives in Bridgeton), but has real estate interests on the island and sat on the CRC main committee. Five of the folks who had appeared for the vote never returned to any more meetings.

Milagros is six years old and still growing! Come celebrate our anniversary by enjoying some special savings in our shop this week including 30 percent all Bravado Bras and Buy One Get One FREE on all solid American Apparel baby and kid clothing!

More details on our website: milagrosboutique.com

Important new application for silver might not necessarily become a major factor in demand for silver as early as next year, it promises to become a very sizeable marketplace.

China is forecast to become a huge adopter of electric cars to curtail its rising dependence on foreign oil and to reduce its air pollution. In fact, electric cars and hybrid plug-ins will account for more than half the auto market in China by 2020, according to Dr. Wolfgang Bernhart, an auto industry expert with the international think tank, Roland Berger.

“10,000 Black Men Named George” depicts the courageous fight of African American sleeping car porters to win the right to collectively bargain and improve humiliating and sweatshop working conditions and poverty wages. Set in the 1920s, this inspiring film features Andre Braugher as union activist Asa Philip Randolph, a Black journalist and socialist, who organizes the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters for a twelve year battle with the Pullman Rail Company. A post-film discussion follows.