Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Dallas Mavericks in the second to last home game of the season. Dallas, led by the German mouth-breather Dirk Nowitzki, is playoff-bound, while the Trail Blazers will be golfing (or playing video games where they make Mario golf) a week from now. Fore!

Pre-Game:
The Blazers have lost 15 of the last 16 against Dallas (I'm depressed just typing that), but Portland has a prayer seeing how Dallas might be limiting their starter's minutes with the playoffs around the corner. But, then again, Dallas is still in a tight race for playoff positioning—they win and Denver loses, they will be guaranteed a 7th seed, and they have a shot at catching Phoenix for the 6th seed, but to explain that would require and abacus and a Texas Instruments T-80 graphing calculator—so it's safe to assume their stars will get minutes. Plus last year, the Mavs rested their starters at the end of the season and were streamrolled by Golden State in the first round.

In other news, Jason Kidd looks like a scary bridge troll. He'll let you dribble by him to the basket, but you have to solve his three riddles first.

So here is my idea. Tuesday is the final home game of the season. The Blazers should suit up Greg Oden and have him "play" for the first 30 seconds of the game. He doesn't have to do anything, just stand there and smile, but since it is "Fan Appreciation" night, it would be a nice treat for a very patient fanbase. But if his knee snaps like a meaty SlimJim during this cheap PR stunt, it wasn't my idea. I swear.

First Quarter:
10:02 - Dirk'in It! Nowitzki with a quick jumper and Dallas has yet to miss a shot. 9-4 Mavs.

8:01 - Channing Frye starts off where he left off over the past couple games, he hits a 18-foot jumper and the Blazers are in the lead. I like this new aggressive Frye, although I sort of fear that the better he does now, the more likely he is to be shipped away during the off-season. 14-10 Blazers.

4:36 - Dallas looks sluggish (dreams of candy apples, sugar plums, and playing against Chris Paul in the first round of the playoffs are dancing through their heads), and Portland is padding that lead. 25-14 Portland.

1:06 - Brandon Roy gets busted for a carry. I thought being an all-star meant you never got that call against you. Doesn't really matter, on the next possession Roy hits a three and now it's getting messy, 35-21 Portland.

Second Quarter:
12:00 - That might be the best quarter of basketball the Blazers have played all year, too bad it's buried in a late season game like this. The team shot a stunning 72% from the field, which is nice, but it won't last.

10:16 - It took less than two minutes, but the 16 point lead at the break is now down to 10. What's even worse is that Dallas' bench players have led the comeback. 38-28 Portland.

8:53 - Jarrett Jack with a steal and he doesn't even turn it over on the other end. What strange, wonderful planet are we on? One where the Blazers are better than the Mavs, evidentially. 41-29 Portland.

7:00 - Roy with a stutter-step, drive, layup and foul. Damn. Time to dust off Dirk, he's back in the game. 45-33 Portland.

3:25 - Everything is coming up Portland. Steve Blake knocks back a three at the shot clock buzzer and the lead is back to a dozen. 51-39 Blazers.

1:32 - What the fuck just happened? Jarrett Jack leads a fast-break and turns it over alley-oops it to Roy for a flying dunk. Wow. 58-43 Portland.

0:20 - This is getting ridiculous. Steve Blake knocks down a jumper and the Blazers (who are shooting 65%) now have three players in double figures—Aldridge, Roy, Blake—before the half. They also have a 13 point lead. 62-49 Portland.

Third Quarter:
10:23 - The pride of Würzburg, Germany hits a three. Then a two. Then another two. Portland calls a timeout. Oh, I'm talking about Nowitzki, not Juwan Howard, just in case you were confused. 66-57 Blazers.

8:09 - Panic! Here comes the Mavs. Eddie Jones (yes he still plays) for three and Dallas only trails by 6. Somewhere Dallas owner Mark Cuban kicks a blogger with delight. 70-64 Blazers.

5:38 - The incredible shrinking lead keeps getting smaller and smaller. It's now down to a single basket, as Nowitzki (again) scorers for Dallas. Schei! 73-70 PDX.

3:07 - Frye with a jumper and now all five Blazer starters are in double figures. Plus, they have held off the Dallas charge... for now, at least. 81-74 Portland.

0:02 - Jason Kidd pushes Brandon Roy out of bounds, and it's rules a Blazers turnover. The big screen plays a weird "weak sauce" graphic. Is that new? Did they save that for the second to last game? Hmmm.... Oh, the lead is back to seven with 12 minutes to go. 87-80 Portland.

Fourth Quarter:
10:03 - Still mad at that Kidd thing, Roy swishes a three in the hobbit's face, and the lead returns to 9. 91-82 Blazers.

8:39 - Travis Outlaw with a little fancy above the rim action, which is something he rarely does. Dallas is still going to make a run, but Portland is still red hot from the field (59%) and doesn't show any sign of slowing down. 93-84 Blazers.

7:18 - Oh Jarrett! A line violation? Seriously? Even for the turnover king, that is embarrassing. 95-86 PDX.

5:48 - Tyronn Lue, who played all of 39 seconds before this quarter, has added a little spark to the Mavs offense. He buries a three pointer and then gets a (generous) goal-tend call against Frye. 99-93 Portland.

2:56 - It ain't over. Not at until the big Dirk (Nowitzki, not Diggler) hits the showers. He hits another shot (he has 22) and Dallas trims the lead, with plenty of ticks of the clock remaining. 99-95 Portland.

1:36 - Dallas' Jason Terry was about to trim the lead to two points, but the long arm of Aldridge swats the ball into the seats. Nowitzki cares not for long arms, he hits a shot and it's a two point game. Uhoh. 101-99 Blazers.

0:58 - Dirk ties it. 101 up.

0:49 - Aldridge does him one better. He unties it, and hits a free throw. Portland is back in the lead. That feels right. 104-101 Blazers.

0:38 - Jason Terry misses his runner, but is sent to the floor. He hits both foul shots but the Mavs need a defensive stand on Portland's next possession. 104-103 Portland.

0:28 - There will be no defensive stop. Dallas' press defense leaves Outlaw wide open for a short jumper, and the lead is back to three. Mind you, Nowitzki hit a dramatic three pointer as time expired the other night, so Portland is not in the clear. 106-103 PDX.

0:20 - Dirk is fouled by Frye and hits both shots. So, again, Dallas will be looking for a quick foul, dramatic steal, of act of God. They are from Texas, so God is clearly on their side. 106-105 Portland.

0:19 - Jarrett "Trade Bait" Jack hits a pair of free throws to push the lead (again) back to three, and Dallas blows an easy basket on the other end. But they recover the ball and now have 4.8 seconds to hit a three or go home like a bunch of Texas babies. 108-105 Blazers.

0:00 - The three rattles off, and the Blazers win. They just might get to .500 yet...
Final score: Portland 108, Dallas 105.

Last night at the Jupiter Hotel was the grand old Buckman Bash, a benefit for Buckman Elementary School Arts Focus that featured performances from Stephen Malkmus (that’s Stefan Malkmoose!), Shins frontman James Mercer, plus art auctions, and a super fun water slide lots more.

We sent the amazing Minh Tran to take some photos. Enjoy!

Andrew Dickson:

Stephen Malkmus:

James Mercer:

Today, at a Hilton in Eugene, Chelsea Clinton answered questions from Oregon democrats. She spoke in a soft, deliberate manner. She seemed approachable and down to earth. She explained her mom’s positions on energy, healthcare, Iraq, and Israel. She cracked a few jokes.

Most surprising, Chelsea looked kinda hot, something the following pictures don’t capture at all. Is it possible she’s just entirely un-photogenic?

MP3 of Chelsea’s Q & A

More pics after the jump…

ALSO...

Earlier today, the democratic candidates for Attorney General - Greg Macpherson and John Kroger - held a forum while attendees ate lunch.

This weekend, Democrats from across the state have gathered in Eugene to vote on next year’s legislative agenda.

This morning and afternoon, state delegates (of which there are about 350-400 in the state) are meeting in small groups of 20-40 to vote on 13 different topics.

A state delegate can be any registered Democrat nominated by a county Democratic party. Although there are 36 counties in Oregon, there are 26 active county Democratic parties.

An example of one of the 13 topics is Human Rights (which encompasses prisoner rights, immigration policy, abortion issues, etc). Another example of one of the 13 topics is Forest, Field, Range, and Fisheries.

Each topic has 10-15 agenda items. An example of one of the agenda items is:

Ban use of private corporations from military functions requiring use of weapons.

Under the topic of Foreign Policy and National Security

In the small groups of 20-40 delegates, each agenda item is reviewed and modified to best represent the views of the majority. This means discussing/debating the intent and phrasing of each item.

Eventually, each person in the room votes on their top 6 items of the topic. These are tallied and the top 6 items overall are then sent to the main vote (along with the de-prioritized loser items).

The main vote will be held tonight and tomorrow morning. In the main vote, all attending state delegates (there are about 280 here) will be given a ballot and told to vote on their top 6 items in each of the 13 topics.

The weekend will end with the state delegates voting to put the top items in each topic into the Oregon Democratic Platform for 2008.

For the next year, the Platform will be the legislative agenda for all elected Oregon Democrats.

Hi, everybody, this is Ann Romano of the Mercury column “One Day at a Time.”

In my April 3 column, I wrote a small piece about Thomas Beatie appearing on Oprah—and I admit it. This time I really let my mouth get ahead of my brain. While trying to make a point about my own confusion about transgender issues, I accidentally made some unthinking, smart-assy comments that unintentionally marginalized the entire transgender community. To say I’m sorry is an understatement. It really goes to show that even someone who considers herself to be a strong supporter of the community, can still really goof up. I really feel awful and ashamed, and I’ll be issuing an apology in this coming week’s paper, plus we’ll be printing some of your letters to help myself and our city better understand the continuing struggles of the transgender community. However, I wanted to let you know right now how sorry I am. I promise to work hard to continue to understand, respect and spread the love to those who are different from myself.

With utmost sincerity,
Ann Romano

Those who know me are aware that I have, shall we say, an affinity for Spider-Man. “Obsession” is a bit too strong of a word, but not by much: Peter Parker/Spidey has always been my favorite comic book character, and, now that I think about it, he’s one of my favorite characters in pretty much anything, actually.

And it kind of goes w/o saying that Michael Chabon is one hell of a writer, and he’s also—in case The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay didn’t tip you off—a big old comics nerd. So years ago, when news broke that Chabon was working on the script for Spider-Man 2, you can imagine how stoked I was.

Once Spider-Man 2 actually came out, though, Chabon only had a shared story credit—also getting credit for the screenplay was Alvin Sargent, as well as the Smallville team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Though Spider-Man 2 was pretty great, and easily the best of the Spidey movies so far, it was unclear how much (or how little) of Chabon’s work had made it into the film.

Well, Spidey/Chabon nerds can now find out exactly what a purely Chabon version of Spidey would have been like. Over at McSweeney’s, there’s a downloadable PDF of Chabon’s complete Spider-Man 2 script. “As far as we know, this script hasn’t been seen anywhere else,” McSweeney’s says, “and it won’t be seen here for long.” Grab it while you can, webheads.

Tonight, those lovable and hilarious dudes known as Tennis Pro are in town having a CD release party for their third album Are You There God? It’s Me, Tennis Pro. I first fell in love with this band back in May 2004, at a chance meeting at the EMP Liquid Lounge in their hometown of Seattle. For months after that first hit, you could hear me blasting their energetic and addictive debut album, Happy is the New Sad, nearly nonstop.

Tennis Pro combines fun, tongue-in-cheek lyrics with catchy rockin’ hooks, and they do it well, without being annoying. I’m not really sure how they make it work like that, as many bands have tried that equation and failed. From what I’ve observed at Tennis Pro shows, they just seem to have a lot of fun, and don’t take themselves too seriously (they’re not pretentious, though they poke fun at it), but serious enough to create and execute really great musical arrangements.

So what should you expect if you show up at the Towne Lounge tonight? A fun time with lots of good energy, some laughs, and a lot of rockin’ out.

Tennis Pro w/ Westfold, Bryan & the Shredding Tears, Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Place, 9 pm, Tonight, $5, 21+

Tennis Pro: Shelly Gets High

Tonight!

Aladdin Theater–Portland Cello Project, Stephanie Schneiderman, Rick Emerson, Weinland, The Builders & The Butchers, 8 pm, $10-12, all ages
The Artistery–Georgie James, Dirty Mittens, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, 9 pm, all ages
Backspace–Panther, Starfucker, White Fang, 9 pm, $7, all ages
Berbati’s Pan–Bouncing Souls, Dead to Me, Static Radio NJ, 8 pm, $15, all ages
Doug Fir–31Knots, The Joggers, Experimental Dental School, 9 pm, $10
East End–King Brothers, Shellshag, LKN, 9 pm, $8
Hawthorne Theatre–RJD2, Dalek, Happy Chichester, 9 pm, $16-18, all ages; David Daniels, 9 pm, free
Jupiter Hotel–Buckman Bash: Stephen Malkmus, James Mercer, 7 pm, $50
Kelly’s Olympian–Welcome Home Walker, The Whips & The Whales, The Knast, The Wires, 10 pm
Someday Lounge–Dusty York Trio, 5 pm, free; Portland Rescue Mission Benefit: Ohioan, Tractor Operator, The Morals, 9 pm, $5
Towne Lounge–Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, Oliver Future, Tennis Pro, Disposable Thumbs, 9:30 pm, $5
Wonder Ballroom–Portland String Sampler: Sassparilla, Cross-Eyed Rosie, Clampitt Family, Jackstraw, 8 pm, $10-12

Check out the hot picks for Saturday after the jump…

SATURDAY

Aladdin Theater–Live Wire!: Laura Veirs, Grand Archives, Ralph Huntley & The Mutton Chops, 8 pm, $15, all ages
The Artistery–AF Jamison, Steven Kado, Tres Gone, 8 pm, $6, all ages
Ash Street Saloon–Today Is the Day, Complete Failure, Roanoke, El Cerdo, At All Cost, 9 pm, $10
Backspace–KPSU Pledge Drive: The Estranged, The Girls, Ex Post Facto
Branx–Supernature: Atole, DJ Copy, E*Rock, DJ BJ, 9 pm, $3
Chaos Parlor–Save Dave's Leg Benefit: Typhoon, Double Plus Good, Maggie Morris, White Fang, 8 pm, all ages
Dante's–Fernando, Casey Neill & The Norway Rats, 9:30 pm, $8
Doug Fir–Tift Merritt, Sara Watkins, 9 pm, $15
Fez–Billie Holiday Tribute: Tahoe Jackson, Acoustic Minds, Reina G. Collins, Oracle, Midnight Serenaders, Morgan Grace, Malcolm Rollick, Beth Willis, 9 pm, $12-15
Eagle's Lodge–Night Owl Record Show: The Universal DJ Sect, King Tim 33.3, Discus Noir, 5-9 pm, $2, all ages
Kalberer Warehouse–Red Dress Fundraiser: Storm Large & The Balls, DJ Harmonix, Paula B, DJ Gregarious, 7 pm
Kelly's Olympian–Dagger of the Mind, The Valkyries, Knites of Neon, Cull, 10 pm
The Know–Crook & Nanny, All Good People, 7:30 pm, free
Lewis & Clark College–Sunburn Music Fest: Panther, The Cave Singers, Rafter, Fist Fite, The Joggers, The Whips & The Whales, 6:30 pm, $5, all ages
Mississippi Studios–The Starlings, Ezra Carey, 7 pm, $7-8; A Weather, Carcrashlander, 10 pm, $7-8
Roseland–Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Heaven Shall Burn, Keep of Kalessin, 7:45 pm, $23-26, all ages
Rotture–Starkey, Jon AD, Dial M, Ryan Organ, DJ Monkeytek, 9 pm, $5
Someday Lounge–Belmont, The Movie Fundraiser: Bark Hide & Horn, Andy Combs, 9 pm, $7
Twilight Cafe and Bar–The Buttfrenchers, Sleepwalkers RIP, The Wilde Angels, 9 pm, free
Valentine's–Fangs Dance Night: Fleshtone, Guidance Counselor, KC & The Killers, DJ B'retta, 9 pm

The greatest thing about Washington D.C. duo Georgie James—and there are a lot of great things about them—is that they just sort of came out of nowhere.

John Richards, a onetime fanzine editor (oh, and former drummer for this band) who wrote about bands like Frodus and Juno (the band, not the messy cinematic pop culture abortion of a movie) picked up the guitar and teamed with Laura Burhenn, a local singer-songwriter, and the result was Georgie James.

Although the duo formed in 2005, only recently have they started to turn heads with Places, their Saddle-Creek released full-length of concise, yet still grandiose, pop gems. The dual voices of Richards and Burhenn mesh seamlessly, the music bounces along, and, in fact, everything about this band just seems too damn easy. Like the New Pornographers, Georgie James effortlessly churn out perfected pop songs with such ease, it’s a little unsettling.

But who says art needs to equal suffering? If these two can write an album like Plans while confidentially resting their feet upon a desk as they clutch sifters of brandy and puff on cigars (at least, that’s how I picture their recording sessions), it’s fine by me.

In fact, pass the brandy.

MP3:
Georgie James - Need Your Needs

Georgie James perform at the Artistery tonight.

End Hits: If you had a music blog, we’d totally RSS that shit.

Today, I’m finishing up my lunch with some Yan Yan! What’s Yan Yan, you ask? That’s what I wanted to know! So I picked up the cute pink package and purchased it along with my mysterious noodle-juice-pork-carrot salad. After plowing through the salad, and gulping down some guava juice, I’m going straight for the Yan Yan.

Peeling back the lid reveals a handful of long cookies and a separate pink dipping sauce. So far so good! Dipping one of the cookies in the sauce I’m pleased by the crunchy strawberry goodness. I cannot believe my luck. Not only is Yan Yan good, it goes perfectly with guava juice!

Hey, what’s this? There’s writing on the cookies. Hmmm…

“Giraffe Tallest Mammal.”

How informative. My Yan Yan taught me something! Let’s see what else it has to say…

“Starfish Star + Fish.”

Okay, less informative, but yeah… it’s true. Ooooo, here’s another…

“Goat You Are Lucky Today.”

Wait. What?

“Stag Beetle Love It”

Hold it. Just hold on one damn second, Yan Yan! What is this all about?

“Rabbit Eat More Carrots”

Eat more carrots? But you’re a cookie coated in sugary strawberry candy! How dare you tempt me with your sweetness and then rebuke me for it! Double standards, Yan Yan, double stand….

“Cow Muuuuuuuu”

And now you interrupt me! Besides, Yan Yan, that’s not how you spell “moo.”

“Fox Beware Of Lies”

… Okay, you have completely stumped me, Yan Yan. I have no idea what to say to that. I mean, aren’t you made for children? Are lies a real concern for children? My god, Yan Yan… You are promoting paranoia in children! You’re promoting paranoia in me! That’s it… We’re never talking together again.

“Snail Snail Mail?”

Well, okay… I guess I could write you… but that’s it. Goodbye Yan Yan. Maybe forever.

Once again, national press is fawning over Portland, and this time around it’s Lucky Magazine, which in its newly released May issue features Portland stores Nolita, Lille Boutique, Stand Up Comedy, Canoe, Hermitage, Liza Rietz & a broken spoke, Mario’s, Moulé, Odessa, Seaplane, The English Dept.. For avid-followers of local fashion, it’s a must-read. Grab a copy at your local newsstand or just peep it here.

Get more fashion fix on M.O.D.

There’s a great thread over at BlueOregon today, where Mayor Tom Potter’s wife Karin Hansen jumps into a post about the Adams-Dozono poll, first to express her support for Sho Dozono. Then—when someone says Dozono is “someone with little experience in city government, and no clear grasp on policies or city functions. This has been my continuing frustration with the current Mayor as well”—she starts defending her husband’s body of work. (She also plays the sexism card when another commenter points out that her opinion might be not be the most credible, since she’s the mayor’s wife. Hmm…that’s sexism?)

It’s interesting for two reasons: One, the race between Dozono and Adams is, in part, a referendum on the job Potter has done. Potter has endorsed Dozono, and Dozono—thus far—has been short on specifics and long on wanting to listen to people and bring others to the table when he’s elected, which were very strong Potter campaign themes. (Thanks to his “few specific ideas that anyone can critique or use to forecast what he’d do as mayor,” we endorsed Francesconi.)

Also, Hansen trots out “a list of many of the accomplishments of the Potter Administration,” which—again, echoing the Potter theme—is short on specifics, citing things like “city-business relationship improvement,” “State-wide, nation-wide, and worldwide relationship improvement,” and “Day Laborer Hiring Center” (which isn’t off the ground, and has been rife with criticism that Potter screwed up city-business relationships by not bringing local business owners to the table).

Still others on the “list of accomplishments” point toward the committees Potter has created to make it appear like he’s doing something; Almost without exception, his committees either haven’t finished their work, or their work has yet to be implemented—I’m talking about the “Community Connect” initiative, “addressing racial profiling,” and the Independent Police Review outside audit.

The few things on the list that jump out as things Potter can actually cross off his list are “removal of PPB from the Joint Terrorism Taskforce,” “promotion of Rosie Sizer to Portland Police Chief,” and “City Charter improvements (three out of four ain’t bad).”

Her full list is after the cut.

Hansen writes:

The work that Tom Potter does isn't about building monuments, he is about building up people and empowering people. He believes, as I do, that we build buildings to meet the needs of our community in order to strengthen it. And, he is continually doing that. He doesn't believe in building things to say, "See. I did that."

Below is a list of many of the accomplishments of the Potter Administration:

Youth engagement (Youth and Children's Bill of Rights, Youth Planner Program, etc.)
Removal of PPB from the Joint Terrorism Taskforce
City-business relationship improvement
School districts relationship improvement
School-year funding rescue
State-wide, nation-wide, and worldwide relationship improvement
Neighborhood restructuring (Community Connect)
City Charter improvements (three out of four ain’t bad)
Day Laborer Hiring Center
Creation of the Office of Youth and Violence Prevention
Creation of the Office of Human Relations and Human Rights Commission
Overhaul of city employee practices (Bureau Innovation Project)
Improved budgeting process
Promotion of Rosie Sizer to Portland Police Chief
Portland Plan development
Portland Development Commission responding more to community needs (small businesses, and women and minority owned businesses)
City-wide drug strategy
Immigrant and refugee task force
Independent Police Review (IPR) outside audit
Addressing racial profiling
Creation of the Office of Film and Video
Creation of City Hall 101 to educate candidates and community members on how our city functions.

This is just a brief and incomplete list that doesn’t include all of the many political fires that have been calmed or put out. If you want to see more, go to http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=46194

This week in our continuing retrospective of the ’90s, we take a look at former New Kid on the Block JORDAN KNIGHT. And not only because the “new” New Kids have leaked their new slow jam single (listen to it here), but because it is in my very knowledgeable opinion Jordan got freaking robbed of his chance in the solo limelight because of two things: 1) Justin Timberlake, and 2) a white turtleneck sweater.

While Justin and Jordan are arguably equally handsome and excellent singers, the popularity of boy bands in the late ’90s made Jordan look like an old used up Grampy— Justin’s breakout solo career two years later only stuck the knife in deeper. HOWEVER! If you ask me, it was really the white turtleneck sweater that murdered Jordan’s shot at stardom.

Check out the following video for a great example how a white turtleneck sweater can put the kibosh on a potential solo career—in this case, 1999’s “Give it to You.”

BEST PART OF THE VIDEO: Very catchy Timbaland-style production, with fine singing, and alternately awesome/weird choreography. Cute nerd girl, too!

WORST PART OF THE VIDEO: Omigod, that white turtleneck sweater! Pair it with the overtly sexual lyrics, and you have one very horny grandpa!

Season two of Animal Planet’s Meerkat Manor came out on Tuesday. The popular reality TV-style show closely follows a family of meerkats, dubbed “the Whiskers,” one of about a dozen meerkat families that’ve been part of an ongoing study conducted by Cambridge University scientists over the past decade.

And… I made a mistake a few weeks ago.

I said, “Erik! Request me Season Two of Meerkat Manor! I will totally write a review of it for the blog!”

This was a mistake because, while Meerkat Manor is undeniably compelling, it's also incredibly stressful. The last time I watched multiple episodes, it was while heavily self-medicating myself through a bad breakup. Watching back-to-back episodes without the benefit of Percocet is not recommended.

The show's premise is simple but incredibly effective: The meerkats are given names—Flower, Mozart, Zaphod—and their daily struggles for food and territory are dramatized, reality-TV style. Much is made of the turf wars between the Whiskers and neighboring families the Lazuli and the Commandoes, as well as the Whiskers' family bonds and the individual personalities of each meerkat. Thing is, though: Nature is mean. Nature kills the cutest meercats. I don't want to give anything away, so... let's just say that it's one thing to watch an OBP show where a cheetah takes down a zebra; it'd be totally a different thing if you knew that the zebra's name was Sandra and that she had a husband named Edgar. I don't know how Samwise Gamgee manages to narrate without breaking into sobs every few scenes.

It's hard to review this two-disc set because it's not like the show's schtick has changed at all from season 1. It's more of the same: The meerkats fight, have tiny adorable babies, hide from goshawks. Sometimes they die, or disappear and don't come back. Sometimes they play-fight and it's really freaking cute.

The narration (provided by Sean Astin) can be florid: when we are told, for example, that Flower "has a thorn in her side"; or when one meerkat is described as a "wayward daughter." This gives the impression that events are controlled, choreographed, that the meerkats are characters playing roles that have been scripted for them, an impression reinforced by a syrupy score, and by contrived "cliffhangers" that rarely deliver the promised dramatic payoff. All these machinations, though, make it even more startling when nature's harshest realities really do intrude.

While I like this show in theory, I had a hard time making it through the second disk. These would be great to have on the shelf for those Saturday nights when you and a couple friends are kinda drunk and kinda high and don't really feel like going out and you've already watched all your TiVo'd episodes of Project Runway. Watching it alone, sober, it's hard not to dwell on just how bleak life can be.

Do you have a strong stomach and a deadened emotional response to violence? Yeah, me too. You’re going to need that numb-inside feeling when you catch Saturday’s screening of Cannibal Holocaust (in which the term “holocaust” is used aggrievedly). The always amazing curators at the Grindhouse Film Festival are presenting the repulsive 1980 exploitation film this weekend at the Hollywood Theatre. Oh yeah, this film was made long before the “No animals were harmed in the making of this film” end credit became de facto.

Cannibal Holocaust (in 35 mm)
Saturday, April 12
Hollywood Theatre
7:30 pm, 17+, $7

Check out our review here.

Sam Adams compared his mayoral rival Sho Dozono to Tom Potter at a debate on the South Waterfront last night and warned voters against voting for Dozono because like Potter, he might have Portland “treading water” for another four years while he learns how city hall works.

CHESS GAME: Candidates trade moves…

Adams made the remarks at the first of two evening debates last night at the Discovery Center on the South Waterfront—in front of a crowd of mostly middle-aged and older residents of the newly-developed neighborhood, where condos start in the 300-thousands. “We face some very serious issues as a city,” he said. “And Sho could very well come in at the top and be successful. He’s a bright guy. But it’s a hard place to start and I’ve seen it for the last three years. I think our current mayor has been very frustrated with the learning curve and despite best intentions we’ve been treading water as a city. If I’m elected mayor, we’re going places.”

The remarks may sting Dozono, who was endorsed by Potter last month. More after the jump.

Fittingly enough for the brand new neighborhood, the debate focused largely on development issues—Dozono said he had "some challenges" with council's decision earlier this year to take control of the budget for the Portland Development Commission. He said "political people can become too involved by bringing their political agenda to the development commision." Adams argued that "PDC has a list that includes some really wonderful work and some really awful work," and that citizens had a right to expect council to hold PDC accountable for its decisions.

The SoWa residents said they want council to deliver on a pedestrian bridge they'd been promised, over the I-5. Dozono said he wanted council to be held accountable for promises it made, while Adams said he felt city had to make some tough choices about where to spend its limited finances, pointing out that SoWa has been promised $270m worth of new amenities and that there are other neighborhoods in the city who have been waiting for promises to be kept for over twenty years.

On education, Dozono struggled to be specific about his plans for the future. While Adams proposed including schools in Portland's 25-year plan and starting a college scholarship program for high school kids from poor families, Dozono spoke largely about his experience in the early 1970s as a school teacher, and said he'd collaborate with people from various foundations to make education a priority.

Most importantly, food was laid on by the newly-opened Vietnemese bistro Bambuza. There were several $10+ bottles of wine being poured, too. I doubt the North Portland neighbors were treated to such a spread:

CHI-CHI FOOD: This reporter ate five spring rolls, three chicken skewers, three shrimp and spinach rolls and four chocolate truffles...also several strawberries...

After the debate I asked a few residents if they'd been swayed by the debate. Those I spoke to seemed broadly in favor of Adams, although some did express interest in hearing more from Dozono. The vehemence of Adams' supporters compared to Dozono's, however, was striking: "If I could vote twice for Sam, I would," said SoWa resident Gordon Caron, contemplating election fraud to get Adams elected.

As you may have heard, rapper/reality TV star VANILLA ICE was arrested after his wife called deputies to report “her husband was hitting and kicking her.” So now let’s imagine you’re a news anchor reporting this story about domestic abuse—how would you handle it? By rapping with “fly girls” in the background, of course!

While I’m tempted to take another pop at John Canzano after reading this abysmal interview (and ridiculous photo—he’s blogging… from the heavens!), I’ll take the high road and praise some excellent sports journalism, both local and national.

Jeff Coplon’s “Absolutely, Positively the Worst Team in the History of Professional Sports: A eulogy for Isiah Thomas’s New York Knickerbockers” just might be the single greatest piece of sports writing I have read in years. Published in New York Magazine, Coplon is extremely gifted with the pen, and this well-researched, and fascinating, piece stands tall in the usually shallow pool of sports journalism. Here is an excerpt:

Now that the Thomas era is dead, the obituary can be written. The temptation in these moments is to gloss over the faults of the deceased—to remember through a lens, brightly. But Isiah’s tenure was so contemptible—so bereft of redeeming value, on court or off—that such tenderness is hard to muster. In the Knicks’ me-first self-regard, they’ve blasphemed the most gorgeously collaborative of games. Worse, they’ve severed the connection between players and fans, that idealized first-person plural that makes us part of something large and wondrous. It’s not so easy to love a pro sports team in the 21st century, yet we’re willing to lend our heart, and get hurt, and lend it again.

On the local level, Ben Golliver at Blazer’s Edge has conducted an excellent interview with Chris Bowles, Director of Player Programs for the Trail Blazers. Bowles—whose job is to act as a liaison between management and talent—is an interesting personality, and, quite possibly, the behind-the-scenes architect responsible for the rebuilt image of the franchise:

I’m 35 at the end of the month, I can look back at some of the decisions I made at 25 that were regrettable. But I learned from them. But I didn’t have the burden of a microphone in my face or paparazzi or camera phones following every move or every mistake that I’ll chalk up youthful indiscretions. Your 20s are primarily spent messing up and figuring out, learning from your mistakes. My message to all of the guys is lets not do anything or make a rash decision at 23 or 24 that they might look back and regret at 35 or 36.

Make your next move your best move.

I have some good news for all you Blogtownies out there who love to sew. Bolt Fabric Boutique is having a store-wide sale this weekend. ALL fabric in stock is 10-50% off. Selected patterns, books, and notions will be marked down as well. The sale starts today, and runs through Sunday, April 13.

Bolt Fabric Boutique, 2136 NE Alberta, 287-2658. Get your sale shopping on: Fri 10 am - 6pm, Sat 10 am - 5 pm, and Sun 11 am - 4 pm.

This just kind of… transcends description.

Thanks, New York.

Hello there folks! Special *VIDEO* Edition (plus a Ben Stein link) of this week in news…

1. Dangers of being a TV reporter!!

2. What!? You want more?? OK, if you insist!!

3. Borat Does Baywatch!

4. Nerve.com presents its 50 greatest comedy sketches of all-time!

5. In tact baby MAMMOTH found! Clone mammoth awaiting approval…

6. This undoubtedly should have been reported last week, but this will have to suffice. Colbert wins a Peabody!!

7. McCain on the View!

8. Aaaand Ben Stein thinks Darwin is to blame for the Holocaust. Nice.

Have a good one folks!

Sho Dozono and Sam Adams faced off twice tonight, in SW Portland, and North Portland. I didn’t catch the SoWa debate—Matt covered it, and I expect he’ll blog about it eventually—as I was at the North Portland debate sponsored by a pile of groups, like Oregon League of Minority Voters, Oregon Action, the Urban League, and the local NAACP branch. City and county commissioner candidates were up first.

It’s Adams and Dozono’s turn to tell the sizable crowd why they’d be the best mayor. (Meanwhile, Dozono’s campaign manager is positively giddy, talking about the newly released poll showing this as a neck and neck race: “It’s outstanding,” says Amie Abbott, adding that she thinks Adams is “freaking out.” She says their campaign was “pretty confident” the next poll—i.e., this one; an earlier Portland Tribune one showed Dozono in the teens, and Adams in the low 40s—would “tighten the gap.”

Up at the microphone, Dozono says he’s the better option for Portland’s future, thanks to his business experience, his immigrant background, and his love for Portland. Adams points out his “unique life experiences,” laying it all out on the table: A mom who raised four kids with the help of food stamps, a personal bankruptcy, and he’s gay.

The moderator—a community member—is asking about “disparities in income and economic security between people of color and the majority population of Portland,” and the city’s recently adopted recommendations for immigrant and refugee communities.

“I would be the very first person of color to be the mayor of this city,” Dozono points out, and is emphasizing the importance of minority communities registering to vote and participating in the political process. Adams says he wants to “lead the discussion” about race, and embracing minority and immigrant communities.

They're both opposed to racial profiling, with Adams expressing "impatience" with the slow progress of the Racial Profiling Task Force, though co-chair Jo Ann Bowman has told him to be patient. "In the next six months to a year we need to see some real progress to address the problem of racial profiling," he says.

With a question about whether the candidates support the voter-owned elections system, there's a snicker through the crowd. "There's no way I would be spending 6 hours a day," dialing for dollars, Dozono says, explaining why he tried for public financing. "January 31, I qualified," he adds. "But unfortunately for me, it was overturned by an administrative law judge. I don't have any complaints about that. I could have appealed, my law firm friends said 'you'd win this appeal." But it would have taken too long, so he stayed in the race and committed to only spending $200,000. Adams also supports and believes in it, and credits the "spirited" races for the city seats to the new system, calling them "vigorously contested municipal races without lobbyist contributions."

Finally, the moderator asks about low income housing. Adams says he was the first commissioner to support a PDC set-aside for affordable housing, and he helped Erik Sten backfill "millions and millions of dollars" in cuts in federal housing money. Dozono says the money "has not gone into affordable housing," but into the lowest of the low income housing, "creating untenable situations for the residents." The one-bedroom units aren't family friendly, he says, and talks about "what kind of housing are we going to build for you."

I told you those tips were cryptic—I ended up down in SoWa, looking for a press conference or publicity stunt.

ANYWAY.

The full poll results are here.

The 39-38 percent split is a statistical tie. If the poll’s accurate and only 10 percent are undecided, and no voters switch to the other candidate, that would mean neither Dozono nor Adams wins outright in May, and we’re looking at a runoff.

Some highlights:
Younger voters like Adams, older voters like Dozono. People of color break just slightly for Dozono, while whites break just slightly for Adams. Woman prefer Adams, men prefer Dozono (by 41 percent each way). Adams gets 43 percent of Democrats to Dozono’s 35 percent. Republicans go for Dozono by 59 percent, and for Adams by 18 percent. The conservative-moderate-liberal split is the same—the more liberal, the more for Adams, the more conservative, the more for Dozono.

The Adams’ campaign just sent out a statement, and it’s after the cut. I’ve got a call in to the Dozono campaign to get their take on the numbers. (UPDATE: Dozono’s response is after the cut now, too.)

According to poll conducted exclusively for KATU-TV by SurveyUSA, “Liberals back Adams. Conservatives back Dozono”

Among voters who say schools are the most important issue for Portland's next mayor, Adams leads by 14 points.

“The poll does clarify what is at stake in the race: My support is coming from people who care about schools and who share Portland’s progressive values. Sho clearly is drawing his support from conservatives. There is a definite contrast here, and I think that as the campaign continues, that will be good for us,” Adams said.

Jennifer Yocom, Adam’s campaign manager, had this to say: “It’s healthy for the city to have real choices for Mayor and we’ve been expecting a good contest. As these results demonstrate, there are clear differences between Sam and Sho. The poll clearly shows that people interested in a progressive future that includes strong schools support Sam. To those voters who have the progressive values that we have built this city on, the message is clear: vote.”

Sho's Got the Big Mo

Mayoral candidate Sho Dozono has the momentum he needs to move ahead and win
in May, according to a poll conducted exclusively for KATU-TV by SurveyUSA. The poll revealed that Dozono has 38 percent of the vote - up from 20 percent in February's KPTV Channel 12/Portland Tribune poll, while his opponent's numbers have remained flat.

"I am excited because this shows that people are interested and involved in this election," Dozono said. "It shows that people believe we need a Mayor with a fresh perspective. It's time to demand more accountability from government and spend our resources much more wisely to make Portland an even better place in which to live and work. Residents want a mayor they can believe in, someone they can trust to do the right thing."

Dozono is running a real grassroots campaign. In the last few months he has reached out to thousands of voters by attending dozens of house parties, participating in numerous debates and public appearances, and canvassing neighborhoods in every corner of the city.

In the last two weeks, he has raised nearly $100,000, closing the money gap with his opponent, who was once widely expected to simply walk into the mayor's seat.

"As Mayor, I will focus on spending your money wisely, Portland's economy, creating good jobs, and getting our public schools the resources they need so that Portland remains a great place to live for our children and grandchildren" Dozono said.

For more information on Dozono's campaign or to get involved, visit
www.shoformayor.com

Cryptic tips deciphered: Katu has done a poll of 600 likely Portland voters. Of those polled, 39% say they’d vote for Sam Adams if the mayoral election were held today. 38% say they’d vote for Sam Adams Sho Dozono.

Dozono says he’s “very thrilled” with the poll numbers, it’s the “best news” for his campaign. Meanwhile Adams tells Katu: “All the polls that are usually done about me in the races that I’ve done show me further behind than I am on election day.”

While the poll is close, 56% of people think Dozono would handle city spending best, while only 22% think Adams would. 46% of people think Adams would handle schools best, while 32% think Dozono would.

The two candidates face off in a mayoral debate at the Discovery Center on the South Waterfront tonight, starting at 6pm.

Matt McCormick’s introduction at the Northwest Film Center’s “An Evening with Matt McCormick” last night was short: a quick rundown of what we were about to see, and a “thanks for coming,” which was fitting for a filmmaker whose work often borders on photography. Matt McCormick has been producing his films, playful mixes of documentary and experimental filmmaking, for over ten years. Ranging in subject matter from the American West to the plight of nutria to tugboats, Matt’s films are clear of complicated metaphors, preferring to simply present images and let the viewer patiently observe and draw their own conclusions. This style was particularly evident when viewing so much of Matt’s work in one sitting: For example, the bridges and underpasses in the Shins’ music video “The Past and Pending” reappear in other scenes in later work, such as his 2001 “hit” “The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal.”

That isn't to suggest that there isn't growth in Matt's work. "Fifty years later," an immersive documentation of the West's abandoned spaces, serves as a travelogue, documentary, and art film simultaneously; its patient, beautiful scenes of ghost towns and forgotten motels gently remind us of America's hastily discarded history, and expand the possibilities of our American experience.

It was this newer work that highlighted the evening. While McCormick's work has been collected before, in the 2004 DVD "From Tugboats to Polar Bears," the past few years have matured his work considerably, and newer works like "The Problem with Machines that Communicate" and "Fifty Years Later" are exciting indicators as to where this talented filmmaker is headed.

For more Matt McCormick, click here

You can meet these contenders in person, tonight, in North Portland:

6 to 8:30 pm, 2225 N Lombard (Oregon League of Minority Voters’ Headquarters) City commissioner candidates are on at 6, county commissioner candidates at 7, and mayoral candidates at 8.

Sponsored by: Oregon Action, Latino Network, Portland Chapter of NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, OR League of Minority Voters, Center for Intercultural Organizing, Community Alliance of Tenants, Urban League of Portland and the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods.

Until then, this should tide you over:

Beyond improving education, what can Portland do to be a better city for youth, specifically teenagers and young adults?

Chris Smith
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: citizensmith.us
Financial status: $150,000 in public funding, $120,279.10 currently in the bank

I’m sure folks would be shocked if I didn’t say let’s make the transportation system safer so youth can walk, bike and take transit so they are mobile before they get the coveted driver’s license (and maybe even afterwards without a car if we make the alternatives attractive enough), so let’s just assume I said that :)

One thing I regret about the way American families frequently move is that young people are often raised a long way from their extended families. My step-kids have to travel 3,000 miles to see their grandparents. A lot of opportunity for inter-generational contact (and transfer of life experience and wisdom) is lost. I’d love to see if Portland could help foster opportunities for youth to interact with the elders in our community and restore some of that inter-generational contact to our culture.

Charles Lewis
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: charleslewis.com
Financial status: $150,000 in public funding, $114,451.18 currently in the bank

As the founder of Ethos Music Center, a non-profit that provides a music education to thousands of Portland children, I have a demonstrated track record of getting results for young people in our community. Ethos and partner organizations such as the Police Activities League have given children of all ages a place to go after school and in the summer months. The perspective I bring to City Hall will be profoundly influenced by my ten years of experience as Founder and Executive Director of a non-profit that has organized programs for thousands of kids in over a hundred community centers and schools across the city.

Funding programs like the Portland Children's Investment Fund (CHIF), that aid the development of children, is one essential thing the Council has done. CHIF helped Ethos bring a music education to several hundred children in North and Northeast Portland elementary schools. On council, I will work tirelessly to give community based organizations the resources they need to provide for our children.

We must also ensure that Portland is a "family friendly" city. Over the past decade we have seen a mass migration of families leaving for the suburbs. This migration has cost our schools 11,000 students and $60 million in revenue. We need to increase our investments in affordable housing and allow families to stay in Portland to raise their children. On council, I will support the Schools-Families-Housing Initiative and would like to establish a "Homestead" program that would provide $10,000 grants to first time home buyers if they stay in their new houses for five years. These two programs will require significant investment from the city, but are clearly a better use of our resources than subsidizing million dollar condos on the South Waterfront.

I am proud to have earned the endorsement of organizations and individuals that work tirelessly to support young people including Stand For Children, Cynthia Guyer (PPS Parent and Founding Executive Director of the Portland Schools Foundation) and Sue Hildick (President of the Chalkboard Project). To find out more, please visit CharlesLewis.com.

John Branam
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: john4pdx.org
Financial status: $150,000 in public funding, $69,956.44 currently in the bank

Supporting our schools as they work to improve the quality of Portland’s public education is the most important way Portland can become a better city for our youth, specifically teenagers and young adults. Please visit my website at www.john4pdx.org to learn more about how I plan to support our kids, teachers and schools while serving on our City Council.

Beyond improving education, however, there are several things Portland can do to be a better city for our young people. And although we’re blessed to live in a city in which many things are working, many of our youth are struggling. The truth is, Portland has thousands of school-age children that have dropped out of school, are homeless and/ or are unemployed. Some of the statistics are worth noting both for the context they provide, and for the way in which the clearly illustrate our challenges.

• Only 57% of all high school students who enroll in high school in PPS graduate.
• Less than 20% of all Oregon high school graduates earn a college degree.
• 8,000 young Portlanders ages 16-24 are not in school and are not employed.
• Annual income is dropping for every segment of our population except college graduates. People without a high school diploma face the sharpest drop in earnings.

So what can we do to become a better city for our youth, teenagers and young adults? The good news is that we’ve examined the challenge, have a broad plan that we’re beginning to execute, and the potential for change is encouraging. Connected by 25, a collaborative effort between 35 key organizations including the City of Portland, Portland Public Schools, alternative education providers, businesses, advocacy organizations, the State, County, and Worksystems, Inc. (the region’s workforce development agency), has been working on this issue for approximately one year now. It is an effort that uses hard data on how young Portlanders are actually doing. It also looks across the country at best practices. Its implementation is a hands-on strategy that provides multiple opportunities to connect all Portland teens and young adults. Connected by 25 itself embodies one of the most important steps Portland can take to improve the quality of life for our younger citizens: working collaboratively to improve the lives of our younger citizens.

After conducting significant research on the challenge of young people who are falling through Portland’s societal cracks, Connects by 25 has identified the following three strategies to re-engage and support our youth:

By coming together: In addition to the 35 partners who are currently members of Connected by 25, Portland organizations including more businesses, churches and non-profits must continue to come together and support the collective efforts with time, money, program resources, and creative vision to put young Portlanders on a path to success in adulthood.

By expanding resources: There are a whole host of factors that at-risk youth must overcome in order to succeed. This challenge is made more difficult if you are a kid of color, poor, or new to America. Fundamentally, then, we need to grow and target our services and resources to address the growing inequities while putting all young people on a path to success. We also must do this work by using best practices by using best practices from around the country.

By demanding action: Given our rapidly evolving and fast-changing global economy, Portland’s economic vitality rests on the shoulders of tomorrow’s workforce. Making sure they are prepared is our responsibility. City, education and business leaders must come together today to ensure our kids have the skills and experiences to compete globally.

By adopting these three approaches and by leading in a collaborative manner, Portland will become one of the nation’s first cities to make serious inroads to connecting all of our young people by age 25. I look forward to supporting these efforts on behalf of Portland while serving on our City Council.

Jeff Bissonnette
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: portlandersforjeff.com
Financial status: $150,000 in public funding, $121,023.34 currently in the bank

Young people are often caught in a difficult place. Being told to "grow up" or "act your age," they are many times not given the tools to be meaningful participants in the world around them. In worst case scenarios, they are viewed with suspicion simply for being youth, falling victim to stereotypes and even prejudice.

As adults, we need to change our perspectives and see young people as assets for our community. By and large, they want to be contributing members of the community and we must provide them with meaningful opportunities to make their contributions while also making sure we meet their needs.

First, we have to provide extra-curricular activities for young people and these activities have to be as diverse as young people themselves. While some youth may be drawn to sports, others may be drawn to the art and theatre, others to politics, others to scientific exploration and still others to technological pursuits. And we cannot depend on the K-12 schools alone to provide these extra-curricular opportunities. The city can play a role through its Parks Bureau, community colleges can explore offerings targeted to young people and community groups can consider how to make themselves more available to young people.

Second, we have to provide meaningful ways for young people to have a voice in community affairs and decision-making. Adults often lament the fact that young people often do not vote. But voting comes from being taken seriously in wider community discussions and being able to serve the community. While we must always stress the importance of voting, adults must also make sure young people see a connection between ongoing community work and voting.

Third, young people must have role models and mentors. Whether those role models are teachers, relatives, employers or community leaders, having adults with direct interest in a young person is vital. Mentors can provide opportunities, advice, be an advocate or simply be there just to listen. That type of one-on-one support can truly make a difference in the life of a young person and both the public and private sector can play a role to connect young people with mentors.

Fourth, we must ensure that young people have opportunities for fun and recreation that are safe and are theirs. There are not enough all-ages venues for music and socializing. Athletic facilities need to be more available to young people. And there needs to be community space that is dedicated to the needs of young people as well.

Fortunately, we have an existing framework in Portland and Multnomah County to have young people play a larger role in the life of our community. I support Portland's efforts to facilitates youth participation in developing the Portland Plan. I support increasing youth-oriented material available on the city's website. I support broader outreach to youth in all aspects of city government.

Another part of that frameword is the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. Developed by the Multnomah Youth Commission and adopted by the Portland City Council and the Multnomah County Commission, it is the first such Bill of Rights in the nation. Written by youth, it is a powerful statement of the needs and desires of our community's youth. It will provide the guidance for my actions in support of youth as a city commissioner.

Amanda Fritz
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: amandafritzforcitycouncil.com
Financial status: $150,000 in public funding, $115,073.95 currently in the bank

Portland's most urgent needs for teenagers and young adults are the same as for the city as a whole:

1) Wise choices in funding, to provide basic services citywide;
2) Support for our local economy; and
3) Full-service education in schools, colleges, and job training programs.

Portland is a great place for young people to live and grow. Portlanders care about youth, and we have voted time and again to pay increased taxes for schools, parks, and social programs serving children and young adults. I will make sure money from taxes and fees is spent wisely, so it buys more. Teenagers and young adults need many of the same services as older people and children. Increased public safety, and well-maintained streets/sidewalks/bicycle facilities, will improve life for all Portlanders. I will prioritize the City budget to fund necessary infrastructure and programs, in all 95 neighborhoods. When bond measures promise particular amenities, such as skateparks and swimming pools, I will make sure the facilities are built on time and on budget.

Teenagers and young adults need entry-level jobs and training programs, as well as academic education through public schools and affordable higher education choices. I will work to attract and retain small and large businesses in Portland, and improve the local economy so young workers can move from minimum wage temporary jobs to satisfying employment with living wages and benefits. I will continue to support apprenticeships in the trades, in coordination with unions and community colleges. I will promote advertising of trades programs in Portland's middle schools and high schools. For example, today few students or parents know that a high school diploma can lead to a good job as an electrician, paying $32/hour plus full benefits. Awareness of that career path might encourage many to stay in school and graduate, regardless of whether college is considered as an option for the future by a student in 9th grade.

The question eliminated discussion of education as a separate issue, so I won't review curriculum, tuition, or similar challenges for youth. Schools and colleges should provide supportive social services as well as academic classes. Young people need health care, and preventative services such as immunizations and contraception. I will coordinate with Multnomah County and the School Boards to fund clinics in all high schools. Substance abuse, family and street violence, and mental illness, are far too prevalent. After 22 years working in inpatient psychiatry in Portland, I know that this week's tragic death of a Reed student due to a heroin overdose is not an isolated incident. It hit the headlines because the young man was a student at a private college, but many teens and young adults struggle with drug addiction, in homes and on the streets. Portland in 2008 can be a tough place to deal with adolescence and emerging independence. I will work with other jurisdictions to provide adequate counseling staffing in all schools, and affordable counseling and treatment services in the community for adults.

I live with a teenager and a young adult. I know Portland needs better bus service, safer streets, improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities, affordable rental housing, support for the growing community of creative artists, a wider range of entertainment and recreation activities, and more, to become even more vibrant and nurturing for young people. Often it is those most affected by needs who create the most effective solutions, and I will empower young people to help identify problems and craft mechanisms to resolve them.

My husband and I decided to raise our family in Portland when we were young adults, 22 years ago. That remains one of the best choices we ever made, and I look forward to spending the rest of our lives here. Over my 22 years in Portland, I have helped solve problems in schools, parks, natural areas, housing, jobs, health care, transportation, planning, community involvement, crime prevention, and other issue areas, affecting people young and old. If you elect me to the Portland City Council, I will work with people of all ages to make our city even better for youth.

Mike Fahey
Position sought: Commissioner #1
Website: friendsofmikefahey.com
Financial status: $14,630.00 in contributions to date, $10,523.99 currently in the bank

Did not respond by deadline.

It seems my Hall Monitor column, out today, is already causing headaches for the staffer in Mayor Tom Potter’s office who replies to concerned citizens.

That’d be because I picked apart Potter’s argument that spending $5.5 million on moving the Sauvie Island Bridge to NW Flanders is a bad idea, because we could use that money for sidewalks in East Portland.

Nice spin, I said. But not exactly the reality, I argued.

A guy named Ron Sporseen—who had already written to the mayor, criticizing his no vote and saying “sometimes leaders with vision need to step out from under their rocks… Good riddance”—sent this to the mayor’s office:

It seems that The Portland Mercury has debunked your funding sleight of hand. I know you are going to dig in your heels on this which is sad. You could just admit you were wrong to oppose this and do the right thing.

Well said, Ron!

The Mayor’s office responded to Ron, offering a new argument—that the real issue is the various sources of potential bridge funding aren’t secured. Well, according to another email—this one from the PDC’s Director of Government Relations, Keith Witcosky—the PDC is “glad to assist” with $2 million in funding for the project.

More after the cut.

So here's what the mayor's office is saying about the funding now, courtesy Jeremy Van Keuren, the mayor's public advocate:

Thank you for responding regarding the Sauvie Island Bridge project. Mayor Potter has asked me to respond on his behalf. I appreciate your perspective. The $2 million cited in The Mercury article from the River District Urban Renewal Fund is administered by the Portland Development Commission (PDC). However, this request was not vetted by the PDC budget work teams. Ultimately, the funds must be approved by the PDC Commission. The Commissioners had not approved $2 million for the Sauvie Island Bridge project by the time of the City Council hearing last week (and have not yet). Regarding the $2 million from System Development Charges (SDCs), it is true that the Bridge project was on the list for renewal projects with 43 other projects. I have attached a list of some of these projects to this email for your review. Also on that list are projects such as street improvements in the Cully neighborhood. The Mayor has stated clearly that he feels these projects are higher priority, considering aging, failing, and (in some cases) unavailable infrastructure in east Portland. That $2 million is available for spending on projects citywide. The Mercury also noted $1 million from transportation enhancements, a fund administer by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). ODOT also has not approved $1 million for the Bridge project. Furthermore, though community fundraising prospects for the project appear very promising, those donations (which would need to be at least $500k) are not yet secure. Again, the Sauvie Island Bridge project is a great idea and we look forward to PDOT bringing forward a proposal that addresses City Council's concerns. However, the Mayor feels that infrastructure improvement projects elsewhere in Portland are a higher priority at this time.

A) Here's the PDC email essentially pledging $2 million for the project:

Tom/Commissioner Adams:

This email memorializes the conversations of the past few days and most recently the one [Adams' chief of staff] Tom Miller and I had at City Hall about 2 hours ago.

PDC can assist with $2M out of the 2007/08 River District budget for the Flanders Street bridge project. $2M is definitely the ceiling.

We are glad to assist in the $5.5M effort to bridge the divide between the River District and the Northwest District Association. You've got a very exciting and innovative project on your hands. Congratulations.

Keith

Keith Witcosky
Director of Government Relations
Portland Development Commission

B) The $2 million in SDC funding is spendable citywide—but I'd argue (and I'm not the only one who'd argue) that those funds are supposed to build projects that increase capacity near the projects that are increasing the demand for infrastructure. In other words, if a condo project in NW is paying into the SDC pot, and bringing more people to the neighborhood, it makes sense for those SDCs to pay for capacity increasing projects in the same area. As it stands now, only 17 percent of the $4.3 million in SDCs collected in NW Portland over the past ten years have been spent in that area.

C) I've got a call in to ODOT about the transportation enhancements. Adams' office works closely with ODOT, and my sense is they aren't grasping as straws when they count on that million bucks.

D) Now the mayor thinks the project is a great idea??

According to incredibly cryptic tips received here at Mercury News Team HQ this afternoon, “something big” is going to happen in regards to the mayoral race, tonight at the South Waterfront. There—an hour before a 6 pm debate between Sho Dozono and Sam Adams—you’ll apparently find me, searching the sky for a candidate rappelling from a helicopter, or looking for an announcement of a big endorsement, or… any ideas? Anyone have any insider info?

Andrew R. Tonry delivers a brand new episode of Easier Than Reading, the musical podcast that gives you a sneak peak at the live music you should not, nay, can not miss out on this week. Hear tunes from the Daniel Johnston, Dirty Projectors (pictured), Dalek, Thao Nguyen, 31 Knots, A Weather, and Braille. Click here for the goods.

Kudos to the Oregonian’s inPortland editors for running Aimee Green’s story, The Heavy Hand of the Law, today. It follows the cases of five individuals on whom the Police used force, only to watch the charges against them collapse in court.

“Some jurors interviewed by The Oregonian said it appeared defendants in these cases were prosecuted more for objecting to police behavior than for any criminal activity,” Green writes.

Good signs: Police Chief Rosie Sizer declined twice to be interviewed for the story, and Robert King of the police union responded with a statement citing the “thousands of arrests made each year.”

I have just two questions: Why was this story relegated to the inPortland section? And why did the paper wait to cover these cases as a quintet, rather than as they arose?

The city is only punishing human beings under its sidewalk obstruction ordinance, and letting unlicensed sidewalk signs go unpunished because it doesn’t want to harm small business, according to the city’s sign specialist, speaking at this morning’s Street Access For Everyone Committee.

TWO BITS OF ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR DOWNTOWN: BUT DISPARATE PUNISHMENT…

The mayor’s office and Portland Business Alliance have been arguing all along that the sidewalk obstruction ordinance was about providing everyone equal access to the sidewalk for everyone, and that the law was not targeted at people, especially any specific group of people. But the city has yet to punish a single unlicensed sign under the ordinance. Meanwhile, it has gone after plenty of homeless people.

"Nobody from the city attorney's office ever said [the sidewalk obstruction ordinance] affected us," said Janice Dole, the city's non-electrical sign specialist, at this morning's meeting. "And when I've talked to the police before about enforcing this they said they weren't willing to have any part of it."

It's Dole's job to write the permits for 4000 sign-holders in downtown Portland. A business can pay her office $48 for a 1-year permit, $86 for a 2-year permit, or $450 for a permit that never expires. Her department walks through every commercial area on a yearly basis, checking for unlicensed signs, and if it spots them, it sends three warning letters over a 120-day period, before removing the sign and fining the business $35.

The problem is that as well as contravening the permitting process, unlicensed A-boards also contravene the new sidewalk obstruction ordinance. Under it, violations—illegal sign owners, or people sitting or lying on the sidewalk, obstructing passage—are potentially subject to a $400 fine, and there's no such thing as a warning letter or 120-day process.

"Both are laws that say you can't have something unpermitted on the sidewalk and it appears to me that one is being enforced, the other one isn't being enforced that much," says Patrick Nolen of Sisters of the Road.

With the sign portion going unenforced, "there's a perception of unfairness that if someone leaves their belongings out on the street we're threatening them with a $400 fine," said Marc Jolin, of homeless nonprofit JOIN. "But we're only fining people $35 for obstructing the sidewalk with a sign for their business, when it seems clear to me that that's also a violation of the sidewalk obstruction ordinance."

Dole also admitted stopping enforcement in Old Town/Chinatown and downtown recently at the request of the Old Town neighborhood association, "because we didn't want to make anybody go out of business," she said. Her department is supposed to only allow one sign per entrance, and the signs are supposed to be six inches from the curb. Dole said the department only responds to complaints because it "doesn't want to be unreasonable."

"It's a contradiction," said Doreen Binder of Transition Projects, inc.

In an effort to go after people with unlicensed signs, the Portland Business Alliance's Clean & Safe officers have been logging their contacts with unlicensed sign owners. In March, they logged 117 conversations with unlicensed sign owners, but the city hasn't been following up with punishments for any of them.

Here are a few signs I counted in twenty minutes walking around downtown this morning, all of which appear to be missing the city permit sticker, and don't appear to be following the city's placement rules:

SIGNS: SAME LAW, DIFFERENT TREATMENT?

DO NOT FORGET! Tonight marks the return of some of our very favorite NBC shows including new episodes of 30 Rock (8:30 pm), The Office (9 pm), Scrubs (9:30 pm) and E.R. (10 pm). So program your TiVo accordingly. OH. And you might want to consider giving VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club a season’s pass as well. Why? Check out this clip from the show featuring Joanie Loves Chachi’s Erin Moran having some kind of meth-fueled freakout which devolves into the most horrifying fake orgasm you are ever likely to see.

THE FIGHTERS:

• Uwe Boll (Alone in the Dark, House of the Dead)
• Michael Bay (Transformers, The Island)
• Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel)

THE INSTIGATING COMMENT:

Some context: There’s a petition online to get Uwe Boll to stop making his terrible, terrible movies. When asked about it, here’s what Uwe said:

FEARNET: Are you aware that there is a petition online, signed by 18,000 people, requesting that you stop making movies?

UWE BOLL: Yeah, I know that. 18,000 is not enough to convince me.

How many would it take?

One million. Now we have a new goal.

Then Uwe backpedaled, and asked his fanbase (wait, what?) to start up “like, a pro-Boll” petition. Get ready to hear some mad shit-talking and unintentionally hilarious boasting—all delivered via a wacky German accent!

THE RESPONSES:

Michael Bay: “I find people who rant like that—calling shit about both me, and George Clooney—comes from someone screaming because he is not being heard. He is obviously a sad being.”

Eli Roth: “Greatest compliment ever.”

George Clooney has yet to respond, probably because he’s busy having the exact opposite career of Uwe Boll, Michael Bay, or Eli Roth. In related news, hearing Uwe say “fucking retard” (it sounds like “fuggink reeeetahd!”) might be the best thing ever.

Thanks Cinematical, Kotaku, Michael Bay, and /film.

Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you submit photos to your new favorite website. Bruce Jenner, you’re a mess…

Bundle up for the chilling whisper-folk of A Weather, whose debut long player, Cove, is one of the best releases of this young year.
MP3:
A Weather - Spiders, Snakes

Let the praise begin for the bouncy melancholy pop of Thao & The Get Down, Stay Down. Plus, if I had my way, every article we publish would be like this one and have at least one mention of Island of the Blue Dolphins in it. Rontu!
MP3:
Thao & The Get Down, Stay Down - Bag of Hammers

Portland. Chicago. Los Angeles. It doesn’t really matter where Shelly Short lays her head, just as long as she continues writing those smoky folk ballads of love, transit, loss, and (of course) ponies. Yes, more ponies and more Island of the Blue Dolphins. This music section is clear