School’s out for the summer, but PolitiCorps—a national political leadership training program, or “political bootcamp,” based here in Portland—is now in session. I’m on the campus of the Catlin Gabel School, just over the West Hills, where 24 college-aged future political leaders are listening to the Bus Project’s Emily Kintzer, as she gives an overview of the program.

Last year, the program registered 1300 voters, canvassed for ballot measures, and recruited political volunteers—and the PolitiCorps fellows also juggled classes that taught them how to do political organizing. It’s a long, tough summer: They work all day long, seven days a week, for eight weeks. The current crop, who arrived in town over the weekend, spend the night here at Catlin Gabel, crashing on the floor in this academic building.

Kintzer polls the group, to find out why they signed up for the stint: Did they like the idea of spending a summer in Portland? A few raised their hands. How about “the appeal of learning how to do grassroots organizing?” she asked. Nearly everyone raised their hand.

Watch out for this crew—they’ll be out in communities around the state this summer, with an eye toward outreach about the fall election. And after the summer’s over, these folks will fan out across the country—direct Caitlin Baggott is telling the group about future opportunities in political campaigns and civic nonprofits, and how what they’ll learn this summer in Oregon will prepare them for those roles, if they want them.

Discuss:

Comedian George Carlin died.

Hillary Clinton puts on a forced smile and gets ready to join Barack Obama on the campaign trail this Friday.

The Supreme Court won’t be hearing an appeal by two environmental groups, who’d hoped to challenge the Department of Homeland Security over the environmental laws they’ve waived to build a fence on the Arizona-Mexico border.

New York City is the most exciting place on the planet: “A dump truck coming off the Manhattan Bridge Monday morning jumped a curb in Chinatown and crashed into a bus, killing one pedestrian and injuring several others, cops said… The truck mounted the curb near Bowery and Canal St., ran over a fire hydrant and slammed into the back of a Fung Wah bus loading passengers for a trip to Boston.” It’s like in the movies! Except someone really died.

A ferry caught in a typhoon in the Philippines capsizes, and more than 800 passengers and crew are missing.

For some reason, the “pro-life congressional candidate Mike Erickson paid for my abortion” woman—who surfaced, anonymously, in the last weeks of the primary in May—is talking, again. This time to the Oregonian.

Headline of the day: “Crime writer, suspected of murder, found dead”

It’s sunrise at Dave’s Killer Bread factory. Outside the sky is pale blue and pink and Mt. Hood is picture perfect. Inside, the light is florescent but the air is pleasantly intoxicating — my eyes droop at 5:30a.m. but every breath is a pick-me-up of warm bread and grains. “Bread is a fickle mistress,” says my friend Dan, the Farmer’s Market manager for Dave’s Killer Bread. Today is the summer solstice, so that makes this morning the first Farmer’s Market of the official summer. It’s going to be big.

Bread sellers Dan, Helen and Jessica load the truck with 1,000 loaves of Dave’s all-vegan, all-organic brand which was all baked wrapped and sliced yesterday.

Black Sabbath blasts from the truck speakers as we pull onto the highway. It’s 6:22 a.m.

Okay, this one is cuter than a basket full of “Cat Fridays.” After learning that Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster has started eating fruits and vegetables in addition to cookies, Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report flips out and takes the blue monster to task. Check this out if you’re in the mood to feel good.

Amy and I got a tour of the 66,000 sq ft Leftbank building this morning (here’s a post with more background)—originally three separate buildings that have been built together to form one rambling multilevel structure, the space has at various points housed a restaurant and bakery, MultiCraft Plastics, and a short-lived illegal jazz club called the Dude Ranch, which was shut down in the mid 1940s after a shooting occurred. (Our tour guide Joanne Agee told us that the shooting may have served as an excuse to shut down a club in which black and white patrons mingled freely.)

The building is currently undergoing a massive facelift, and is looking for businesses to join their “community of mission-driven tenants.” Despite all the talk of community and sustainability, there are no specific requirements for leasing in the space; Agee simply says that they “hope that the way we talk about the space attracts the right kind of tenants”—and that so far, it has.

Mum’s still the word on releasing the names of businesses that have already signed on, but we saw one huge room which is being leased to a bike business, while a craft brewer doing open-air fermentation will occupy the basement. They’re looking for a restaurant and cafe to move in as well—as Agee put it, the building is kind of an island, so they want to create a space that’s pretty self-sufficient, for both tenants and other area businesses and residents. (To that end, there are even showers onsite for tenants.)

Amy snapped some great photos, which I will post after the jump along with a few more details.

Okay, here’s the deal: I have a wedding to go to, but not just any wedding. It’s a Western-themed camp-out wedding. Thinking about what to wear to this thing has been a challenge. Actually, I thought I had it dialed in—I knew everyone else would be in cowboy gear, so I was going to go Indian, with moccasins and feathers and shit. Then I talked to some friends yesterday (one of which is going to wear a lovely Liza Rietz dress) who are also going, and realized the horrific potential of showing up to an event where everyone could wind up looking really nice and here you are in a somewhat offensive Pokahontas Halloween costume. It would be like when Bridget Jones showed up to the party in a bunny costume only to find that it wasn’t a costume party after all.

And dear god, there is nothing I want in common with Bridget Jones. I need to strike a delicate balance between classy, respectful, hot, and… “western”. Considering the overnight in a tent/all night party factor, I am anticipating this will require at least two outfits. Luckily, I am good on footwear, between a modest collection of cowboy boots and a pair of good moccasins, but otherwise, this is all I’ve got:

It’s a Rachel Comey shaped waist belt I just picked up during my lunch break at Frances May that I know I’ll get a ton of mileage out of well beyond the wedding day. So shoes, and a belt, and nothing in between. I have a few other ideas but I haven’t purchased anything else yet. I thought I’d fish for some suggestions here.

Oh yeah, and to make it fun? The wedding is tomorrow. (Help?)

Play more dress up games on MOD.

Yesterday I got a phone call from Erik, who works in the next room. He said, “You need to come in here immediately.” I’m not in the habit of taking orders from men who collect action figures, but it sounded important and so I went and looked out his window and OMG kittens!!

Somehow every chick in the office heard about this within minutes and descended on the kittens. A girlgasm of staggering intensity (and decibel-level) ensued. It was really remarkable.

Speaking of remarkable, Matt Davis sent me this link. Less remarkable than the link itself is the fact that Matt “Cute Things Threaten My Masculinity” Davis sent it to me. It’s an olive branch, people. Take it.

In a couple of hours, summer will have officially begun. Yay! And in honor of the momentous occasion I offer you another round of drinks sent in from friends and Blogtownies alike.

I’ll start it off with the Ginger Rose, created by a Blogtown reader who will remain nameless because I did not ask her if I could put her name on the website. (Pssst. If you’re reading this, send me another e-mail so I can give the credit where it’s due!)

1/2 lemon,
1 1/2 to 2 oz vodka (depending on your tastes),
1/2 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec,
dash angostura bitters (optional),
squeeze of fresh ginger juice (press a chunk through a garlic press),
soda water

Muddle the lemon in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka, Cointreau, bitters, and ginger. Shake well to mix. Strain into a highball or double old-fashioned glass, add a few ice cubes, and top off with soda water to taste.

Yum! Lemon-y ginger goodness will sure as hell take the edge off those hot summer nights! Well Done.

Our second option is a little, well, odd. It comes to me courtesy of good friend and drinking buddy, J.B. Barker. I first learned about his creation, the Euro Boilermaker, when he sent a drunken, late night video message to my phone. I couldn’t quite make out what was happening, but he was all grins. It wasn’t until later that I learned the awful secret of his happiness. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Euro Boilermaker:

One glass of cheap red wine - Mr. Barker points out that you”l probably want to buy something that he’d pretentiously describe as “too jammy.”
One shot of frozen vodka

Pour wine into a tumbler or stemless wine glass. Pour frozen vodka shot into a shot glass and place beside glass of wine. Step back and admire. Try not to think about the abomination you are about to ingest. Now, before you lose your resolve pour the vodka into the wine glass and “chug chug chug.”

Mr. Barker proclaims that the experience is, “head rush city.” He also says that it is much better than you might expect. I say you need a pretty substantial set and maybe some type of mental deficiency to try this drink.

I’m not sure what the Euro Boilermaker will do for your summer - aside from granting some alcohol related amnesia to help you forget all the stupid shit you did while drinking Euro Boilermakers all summer. That is, at least, a small blessing.

And while we’re on the subject, check out 40 Things Every Drunkard Should Do Before He Dies from Modern Drunkard Magazine (one of my favorite publications). I’ve completed maybe half of this list. Guess which ones!

If you’ve got any summer cocktail recipies, send them along. They may just end up on Blogtown next Friday. Cheers!

How many times have you whined, “But I don’t have time to watch every episode of The O’Reilly Factor!” Well, thanks to the funny guys over at 236, you can now view Bill O’Reilly in all his glory… and in only ONE MINUTE. (And with every inch of the “no spin zone” still intact.)

I haven’t played any sort of musical instrument since I was forced to haltingly learn the rudiments of the recorder in like fourth grade, and I am resolutely, pathetically tone deaf—which means if you probably shoudn’t ever invite me somewhere if you plan on having a jam session, or even if you’re just planning on singing “Happy Birthday” to somebody you don’t loathe. All the same, I ended up at Weezer’s “Hootenanny” last night, at the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion of all places—an event that was more or less a combination between a secret show and what I imagine it felt like to be a marching band nerd in high school.

Elementary school is probably the better comparison, actually, as long as you imagine your favorite music teacher is Mr. Cuomo. 94.7 sponsored the show—one of a series of such hootenannies that Weezer’s traveling around and putting on to mark the release of their latest album—and the basic idea is this: A local radio station invites like 200 people out, who are told to bring whatever instrument(s) they play, and, beforehand, to learn the basics of the songs that make up the setlist. In Portland’s case: The 200 or so people were invited by 94.7, and they brought instruments that ranged from plastic kazoos to a drum that was the approximate size and shape of semi-truck’s wheel. Also: trombones, guitars, trumpets, violins, cellos, tambourines, maracas, clarinets, those drums hippies like, tubas, and those egg-shaped shaker things that don’t even really count as instruments. And then Weezer played six songs, and everybody played and sang and hummed along, and it was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a really long time.

The homeless protesters outside city hall are planning a Soltstice Campout tomorrow night, and are appealing to Portlanders to camp out in solidarity on their front lawns.

Any takers? If so, can we take your picture?

True or false: New City Commissioner Nick Fish plans to join a camp out on city hall’s steps this Saturday night—a continuation of last month’s long protest against the sit-lie and camping ordinances.

False!

Chalk that rumor up to a “lame attempt at humor” on Fish’s part, he says. On Wednesday, when Fish presented Sisters of the Road’s Patrick Nolen with an award, Fish remarked: “Patrick and I had lunch the other day and today I gave him an award. By this rate we’re going to go camping this weekend,” Fish relayed to me last night. It was a joke, “since we were spending a lot of quality time together,” he says.

Fish didn’t realize there is a camp out protest this weekend, but his comments at the awards ceremony sparked speculation that he’d be swinging by. That’s a big deal, as it appears Fish will be the swing vote if the council revisits the sit-lie or camping ordinances this fall.

As for his views on those ordinances, Fish is still exploring the issue before he makes up his mind. “What I said to [Nolen] was I need some time to go around the horn. There’s a half dozen people I’m going to meet with to talk about it,” he says, including Police Chief Rosie Sizer, the PBA’s Mike Kuykendall, folks from the advocacy community like Marc Jolin and Nolen, his colleagues, and representatives from those who’ve been testifying in front of city council on a weekly basis about the ordinances. “As the new commissioner and as someone who is now going to play a leadership role on this issue, I wanted to make sure I understand this issue completely.”

And as for Fish’s weekend? “I’m hoping to spend the weekend in bed. I have these flu symptoms.”

If you’ve ever visited the Mercury’s NE Portland office, you’ve discovered that we’re in a food black hole. We’re between KATU’s offices and the Jantzen Building’s medical offices. In a four block radius, we’ve got a convenience store, a coffee shop, and two smoky dives that grill up burgers—and not much else.

Until last week. Two blocks away, Black Sheep Bakery opened a storefront addition to their commercial kitchen, at 523 NE 19th. From 7 am to 4 pm, they serve their baked goodies, coffee, sodas, and other standard coffee shop fare. They’ve also got egg sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, and a “Frittata o’ the day” for breakfast, then sandwiches, salads, soup, and a “Hot dish o’ the day” for lunch. I think I know where my disposable income’s going to disappear to over the next few weeks. (Notable: The original Black Sheep Bakery location on SE Main boasted “always vegan” treat. This shop has the aforementioned eggs, and there are meat options for the sandwiches. There are also lots of vegan offerings.)

Haven’t you always wanted someone to carve a bust of you… In cheese? I know I sure as hell have! Imagine my luck when I received a press release yesterday from Sarah Kaufmann Sculptures. The heading on the press release read, “A Sensational Holiday Gift:Custom Cheese Carvings.”

Kaufmann, known as “The Cheese Lady,” is a professional carver who creates custom cheese sculptures. Her cheese carvings are unique, entertaining and memorable — important attributes of the perfect holiday gift.

I was a bit confused because the only holiday in the near future is Fourth of July. For some reason, carving an American flag into a 30 pound block of Vermont cheddar and leaving it to ripen in the July sun while friends and family proceed to get wasted, just doesn’t sound appealing to me. Because you know that Uncle Herb is going to have his whole face jammed into that block of cheddar by the end of the night. Just imagine him there, burbling, drunk, neck deep in semi soft cheese while the little kids circle him, waving sparklers and singing God Bless America.

So maybe it’s not for me. But Rosie O’Donnell seemed to like it, She commissioned a carving that included her face among the patriots on Mt. Rushmore.

Rosie: Literally Cheesy

I seriously wonder if anyone digs in to these cheese sculptures or if they are purely aesthetic. I can’t imagine someone happily munching the cheddar saying,“Hey! Hey look! I’m eating Rosie O’Donnell.” Ewwwww.

Oh! Oh! And here’s another “ewwww” inducing food item! It’s a new malt liquor called Hard Creamer.

I will punch these people in the face

I’m sure that there have been tons of confused porn surfers who have stumbled onto HardCreamer.com only to be disappointed at the lack of any hard creaming.

But there is this somewhat salacious quote:

Hard Creamers are so easy to drink, it’s always easy to enjoy another.

Basically these are alcoholic cream sodas. The flavors so far are orange and strawberry. You know those teenage girls that went in on the pregnancy pact? I bet Hard Creamers had something to do with it. Call it kinder-hol or alco-pop or whatever. If I ever see an adult drinking this shit, I will punch them in the face. Or at least think really hard about punching them in the face.

Now here’s something fun for a Friday night—Blogtown is giving away THREE tickets each to TWO lucky people for tonight’s Sportfight XXIII at the Rose Garden (courtesy of Global Spectrum). If you’re into mixed martial arts or just enjoy the thrill of two guys beating the holy hell out of each other, you’re gonna want to go for this. AND THEY’RE GREAT SEATS, TOO, IN THE 100 SECTION.

Here’s a description of tonight’s main event:

Main Event: Welterweight Championship

Welterweight Michael Pierce, SportFight Champion (7-0), Braveheart MMA/Gresham, OR vs. Nathan Coy (4-0), Team Quest/Portland, OR

At SportFight 21, Michael Pierce used his superior grappling skills to frustrate champion Ed Nuno and take the welterweight belt. But his time around he’ll have to defend his title against another top-notch wrestler in Nathan Coy, who was an All-American at Oregon State. Coy has also shown he can let his fists do the talking, winning his last two fights via knockout and submission (strikes). In addition to the welterweight championship, both pride and team bragging rights will be on the line for these two fighters, who used to train together at Team Quest before Pierce moved on to Braveheart MMA.

Read more about tonight’s bouts HERE! Want the tickets? In the comments below answer the following question and LOG ON WITH YOUR REAL EMAIL ADDRESS: “If there’s no way you would get arrested, what would you like to do to Humpy’s face?”

Cut-off time is 3 pm today, I’ll alert the winners via email, and you gotta pick up your tickets here at the Mercury office by 5 pm! GOOD LUCK!

“Not the face! NOT THE FACE!”

The weeks between June 19th and September 5th are known, in my home country, as “silly season.” Because everyone is on vacation, and the news slows to a trickle. Not unlike here in Portland, frankly. Still, it’s reassuring to know that the Daily Mail can turn a Jelly Wrestling Attack into a 1400 word news story: “Pictured: The bikini-clad Cambridge student arrested for attacking spectator at jelly-wrestling match.”
TABLOID STORIES: Make you proud to be British…

She then grabbed a bottle of Lambrini and made for the exit but was stopped by two burly bouncers. When they tried to confiscate the bottle of cheap perry, she punched one and headbutted the other, forcing them to call for reinforcements.

Police finally arrived and arrested her after the jelly debacle unfolded on Sunday afternoon, taking her to a nearby station where she received a caution for common assault.

One undergraduate who witnessed the incident said: ‘The crowd gets to choose the victor by cheering - the fighter with the louder cheer wins.

‘Nadia had been a bit aggressive and probably wasn’t as attractive as the other girl, so she was booed although she’d probably been the better fighter.

‘She went mad and punched a girl dressed as a butterfly standing at the edge of the crowd. Blood gushed from her nose everywhere.

That is THE PINNACLE of our trade, ladies and gentlemen. The absolute pinnacle.

Tell, me, how did it feel? Did you require medical attention? What were the circumstances? Following the Reverend Phil’s controversial Taser incident last week, it’s disturbing to hear this morning that one third of people Tasered require medical attention. Drop me a line or leave your story in the comments. Thanks.

Okay, grab a co-worker. Both of you put five dollars down on the table. Now, one of you choose “blue granny” and the other choose “red granny.” Then click play on this heee-larious video of two Russian grannies beating the crap out of each other with their purses, and may the best person win!

Israel rehearses bombing Iran, say U.S. military officials.

“Brazen and obscene” political intimidation in the recent Zimbabwe election - 70 protesters were killed! - means the E.U. is “considering further sanctions” against the country.

The U.S.’s stinking economy is making Mexican workers rethink crossing the border.

No home birth! The AMA cracks down on midwives and angers womenfolk.

Midwest flood was the levees’ fault too.

And in Portland, the talk is all rules rules rules. It looks more likely that the City will be forced to spend millions cleaning the water of a bacteria that doesn’t exist. And starting in 2012, high school students will have to give three speeches “that meet state standards” to graduate.

posted by Sarah Mirk

Remember that event we used to have every month with the Bus Project? I think it was called Debate Club.

Well.

It’s been reborn! Meet Brewhaha, our new, shinier, funner, faster-paced, variety-show style monthly forum on the weighty topics of our day.

This month, we’re kicking global warming’s ass, with an hour-long program that’ll cram in a pub quiz, a policy 101 that’ll explain what you can do to impact climate change in Oregon, a guide to the most fashionable ways to live more sustainably, and a very exciting presentation on some of the City of Portland’s biggest ideas for combating global warming (those ideas are so big, I can’t even mention them on this blog). We’ll have special guests from 1000 Friends of Oregon, and a special appearance by enviro-smarty pants Jules Kopel-Bailey, candidate for the Oregon House. (If he can’t explain the difference between a carbon tax and a cap and trade system, no one can.)

That’s all going down next Wednesday evening at edge of belmont, at 33rd and SE Morrison, 7 pm, all ages—and it’s free! (And through the magic of edge of belmont, it’s both all ages and there’s drinking.)

Randy Leonard has been reticent about whether Sam Adams is going to give him the police bureau to manage in January. Adams, too, says such decisions are a long way off. But I will bet you $50, anybody, that Leonard gets it in January. Just email me and we’ll seal the deal. It’s the biggest open secret ever. I mean, it’s obscenely open. Everyone I know is saying, “Oh, yeah, that’s been the rumor for months now.” And they’re pretending it’s still under consideration. Why?

I went to the courthouse for the first time today and stood in line for the metal detector as everyone around me emptied their pockets of prohibited items. I looked up some case files and headed out into the sunshine again when I saw this entrepreneurial establishment:

Yep, Matlock’s owner Bill Roadman will hold your mace, scissors or giant knife for up to 60 days as you do your courtly duties. “People will forget their stuff, so I wind up with a big bag of mace!” he laughed, flipping out a $100 switchblade he keeps on his belt loop after its owner never returned.

“It depends on what cop is on duty, but usually they’ll say to people in line, ‘The hot dog man’ll hold it for you!’” He doesn’t take guns or hash pipes, he says, because “the cops came snooping around” for the politely held drugs back when he started the impromptu business a year ago. It doesn’t make him a lot of money — at $1 an item, he only brings in $5-$10 a day — but it keeps things interesting. The biggest item he’s ever held was a sword. “It was an ornamental sword,” he explained, as if it the need for an an ornamental sword in the court house was more understandable than your classic broadsword.

The hot dogs smelled so good I almost caved and bought one. “But I haven’t eaten beef or pork for years,” I lamented to Bill. “Me neither,” said Bill, “Funny thing is I’ve been a vegetarian for 30 years!” That means he’s never tried one of his hot dogs despite running the stand for three years, ever since he saw it for sale online and thought it would be a good business venture. “People will ask me which hot dog’s the best and I just say, ‘All of them!’” he laughs. And why no veggie dogs at the stand? “This court house crowd, they’re meat eaters!”

posted by Sarah Mirk

Oh happy day! The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and Andrew R. Tonry delivers a brand new episode of Easier Than Reading. Listen in and get a sneak peak at the live music happening around town this week. On today’s show, you’ll hear tunes from the Dodos (pictured), AU, Be Your Own Pet, 127, and more.

Why is everything happening tonight? I just want to go see Frightened Rabbit. (Is anyone else absolutely having a relationship with The Midnight Organ Fight?)

But I can’t. Because:

1. Inspired by San Francisco’s Porchlight, the Back Fence PDX storytelling series commences tonight. Because Melissa Lion is hard to say no to, I will be participating. When I get nervous, I pee. It should be good.
Tour de Crepes, 2921 NE Alberta, 473-8657, $7

2. There’s a new “literary convergence” in town: The Unwin-Dunraven Literary Ecclesia (gulp) tonight presents readings from Bethany Ides and Emily Kendal Frey, with music from Old Time Relijun’s Arrington de Dionyso. It’s the second quarterly event for the series, with plans to eventually evolve into a full-fledged small press—and the name, UDLE founder Garrett Strickland explained to me, is a Borges reference. What, you didn’t get it?
Funky Church, 2456 SE Tamarack, 7 pm, $5-12 sliding scale (“includes a free chapbook of previously unpublished work by the writers featured the night of the event, as well as free wine, beer, and light snacks.”)

3. DIY, Portland Listening Party at the Waypost. Tonight’s topic: gender expression. “Can gender be a DIY project?” I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the answer is YES.
Waypost, 3120 N Williams, 7 pm, FREE

4/5. Saša Stanišić is reading at Powell’s Cedar Hills, 7 pm; John Price at Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 pm. These are both great-sounding readings: What I’ve read of John Price’s goofily titled memoir Man Killed by Pheasant and Other Kinship is surprisingly funny, while Stanišić’s How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone has gotten some good reviews. (Read an excerpt here.)

Seriously, literary types? Start a phone tree or something. This is too much for one night to handle.

It’s no great secret that I worship actor Steve “Das Gut” Guttenberg. His work in such films ranging from Police Academy to Cocoon to Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol clearly show a man whose attention to the subtlety of art can not be understated. However, as this picture taken by the paparazzi on the streets of NYC also clearly shows… YOU DON’T MESS WITH DAS GUT!

Thanks to the Superficial, and see Das Gut putting an even finer point on it, after the jump.

Oh, man. Awkward.

In today’s Mercury there’s a story I wrote about Can’t Stop the Serenity, an annual worldwide benefit organized by fans of Joss Whedon’s TV show Firefly and its spin-off movie, Serenity. Basically, it works like this: Fans show Serenity in movie theaters and charge admission, and the proceeds are then donated to gender equality group Equality Now.

I’ve attended the event since it was founded in Portland in 2006, and I’m looking forward to this weekend’s screenings. But that said: Whoa. Somebody fucked up. A couple of people fucked up, actually, and they fucked up pretty bad.

Turns out that two of the cities that participated in last year’s Can’t Stop the Serenity screenings failed to actually, you know, hand over the money they earned. Equality Now has reported that they never saw the funds from the 2007 events held in Denver and Dallas/North Texas, which ostensibly raised a combined total of $7,500. Portland blogger the One True b!X, who founded Can’t Stop the Serenity, broke the news on his blog today.

In the case of Denver, the person ultimately responsible for the estimated $1,900 raised… has since disappeared and reportedly become completely incommunicado. That money, as near as anyone can tell, simply is gone forever, although no one knows why. Equality Now reports having no record of those funds.

In the case of Dallas/North Texas, the roughly $5,600 raised wound up in the account of the lead organizer there and got “lost”. He currently is under a signed agreement to make monthly payments over the next two years to Equality Now.

The fact that these two cities had “missing” funds has been known for some time—at least since February, in fact….

B!X also notes that in the Can’t Stop the Serenity community, there’s been some debate over whether, and when, to come out with this information:

While this year’s organizers in both cities on Wednesday posted a statement to other CSTS [Can’t Stop the Serenity] organizers, the global coordinator (and some other local organizers) requested that those statements and the facts they contain not be made public. I disagreed with the notion of a delay, as I have for some time now.

The event-going public has the right to know what happened. There is no ethically-defensible way in which to withhold the fact that someone’s money did not go where it was supposed to, while asking them to give more money again this year.

I just got off the phone with Anna Snyder, one of the organizers of this year’s Portland screenings. “We really haven’t decided on our position on this,” Snyder said. “Obviously we’re talking about it. We’re taking it very seriously.” I asked Snyder if Portland’s screenings had ever had any problems with getting their money to the people at Equality Now. “No!” she answered. “Not at all. Ever.”

Portland’s Can’t Stop the Serenity events will proceed as planned. “We’re hoping that people realize that it was just two cities out of 40-plus [cities],” Snyder says. “It’s not the norm. I’m hoping people will realize that it’s just two cities. We expect people to still come out and still support Equality Now and support what we’re doing.”

Whedon fans and Can’t Stop the Serenity participants and volunteers are talking about the issue over at Whedon nerd hangout Whedonesque. The full blog post by b!X on the matter can be found here.

UPDATE. Local writer and cartoonist Mike Russell—who has volunteered with Portland’s Can’t Stop the Serenity event in the past, and who tipped me off about b!X’s post—summed up the situation pretty well, describing it to me as “embarrassing and appalling.” “Each city’s screenings are separately organized and run,” Russell wrote on his blog, CulturePulp, “and Portland’s effort has always been (A) the biggest earner nationwide and (B) completely transparent and reliable, to the best of my knowledge.”

Over on MOD, Mercury fashion blogger Brett Glass has been bringing up the pertinent issue of men in shorts. See his argument in defense of short shorts on men here, and a word on long and lean versions here. It also so happens that Wm Steven Humphrey, who is an avid shorts-wearer, brought up the issue of cargo shorts this morning, expressing a strong distaste for them because of their common association with the frat boy “aesthetic.” I agree, with the caveat that rugged army pants (or something similarly non-mall-ish) cut off on the right sort of guy is hot. Whaddaya say?

(I was looking for a photo of what I mean about the cargo shorts, but I accidentally found something even better.)

THE BEST SHORTS ON MEN ARE…

Another week, another Mercury music section to read while you curse Japan for having the world’s greatest vending machines.

Au goes pop. Well, sort of. It’s experimental pop music and it is quite excellent. Way better than that experimental funk-metal record I made that no one bought.
MP3:
Au - rr vs. d

Journey to the land of Blue Giant. And unlike a certain other colored giant, this supergroup (with members of Viva Voce, Golden Bears, and Swords Project) doesn’t care if you eat your damn veggies or not.
MP3:
Blue Giant - Blue Sunshine

You like your Scots depressed? Hey, who doesn’t? Well then Frightened Rabbits are for you. Besides, if you had to eat haggis all day and listen to the Bay City Rollers every S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y night, you’d be bummed too.
MP3:
Frightened Rabbit - Good Arms vs. Bad Arms

Be Your Own Pet will cure all your neurotic ways. So that means you can now sell me all your unused medication. Oh, do you have any Demerol? I love those.
MP3:
Be Your Own Pet - Becky

End Hits: We love music, and pills. But mostly just pills.

Hot-poop Mercury freelancer Kiala Kazebee is working on a fun article possibly titled “WHO IS PORTLAND’S BEST KJ?” (You know, the people who spin the karaoke discs at your favorite bars.) And she needs your help! In the comments below, let us know your nominations for Portland’s Best KJ—and while I know you will do your best to remain objective, I’m not expecting miracles.

Here’s Kiala’s list of her current faves in no particular order:

1. Sean - The Hutch on Holgate

2. David - The Alibi

3. Dan - Chopsticks II

4. Luke - Chopsticks III

5. The Captain - Joe’s Cellar

6. Whoever the hell at Yen Ha (no one would answer their goddamn phone).

You can also weigh in on the criteria for what makes a great KJ (or a crappy KJ)—but try to be nice! (Once again, I’m managing expectations.)

YOUR SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE!

I’m on the advisory board for Portland Fashion Week, and last night we had a meeting. While my contribution has been (and, I feel like, as someone who also covers the event, kind of has to be) mostly low-level, one thing I can do is make sure that people know about it, particularly local designers, who should be aware that applications are now being accepted for the October series of shows. There’s always been some debate about these events in the community. One of the main things that I hear are local designers who feel threatened by having a fashion week in Portland, because they feel the lack of desire to conform to what other cities do is an important part of why they are in Portland rather than… one of those other cities. I’m curious about what people have to say now after last year’s event, and how that is shaping expectations for the coming one. How do you feel about the “green” angle? Some call it a trend and a gimmick, but it’s the only real toehold Portland has in the fashion world at large, and is something that has the power to drive national and international interest to a Portland event where our designers could have a chance to be seen by some of the higher ups. Beyond fashion, having a well supported event of this type could contribute to luring progressive companies to the city (jobs! cool jobs!). One of the things that comes up during these meetings is the contention that Portland sucks at marketing itself, and has the attitude that we’re so awesome the world is just going to come to us. Thoughts?

Summer is the best time to fall in love. So. I’m overjoyed that three of my favorite people, and four more I’m yet to meet, are telling unrehearsed, true, six-minute long stories tonight on the theme of summer love. Also, for those of you cynical and jaded enough about love to need extra motivation to attend, there’ll be swimsuit models on intermission!

Mercury arts editor Alison Hallett, Mercury film writer and local blogger Kiala Kazebee, and novelist Melissa Lion (who is co-hosting the event with Frayn Masters) are the three I know. There’s also Becky Poole, of New York Sketch Comedy Group, Meat, Cathleen Mullins, a photographer and former scientologist (I think her story might be on the theme of breaking up with scientology…but who knows), Eric Reid, who describes himself as an actor and recent homeowner (it must be family money), and Brian Belefant, a film maker and writer.

7:30. Tour De Crepes, 2921 NE Alberta Street Portland, OR 503.473.8657. More info here. See you there.

• Barack Obama opts out of the federal campaign public financing system, since… well… the public is already happily financing him, right?

• If elected, John McCain vows to build 45 nuclear reactors by 2030 (presumably to provide power, rather than blow the shit out of the middle east).

• Suffering from devastating floods, residents of Iowa welcome President Bush, who—surprise—left his disaster relief checkbook back at the White House.

• A Gladstone, Oregon teen dies because his stupid family belonged to a stupid “faith-healing” religion that denied him medical treatment. Oh, and this is just a few months after the teen’s TODDLER COUSIN also died after being refused treatment for a curable disease. Can we all agree now that prayer DOESN’T work?

• A sixth human foot (not attached to anything) was found on a British Columbia beach, confounding police. Okay, I see Al Pacino as the disgraced cop assigned to the case, with Katherine Heigl as the scrappy forensic scientist/love interest, and … we need an ethnic comic sidekick. Is Chris Tucker available?

• According to Us magazine, Jamie Lynn Spears (the 17-year-old sis to Britney) has given birth to her first bouncing baby hillbilly. (Only 27 more to go, Jamie!)

• Oh, and congratulations also go out to Tori Spelling who had a baby last week as well.

Looks just like her.

Mercury favorite—and not-so-favorite—Girl Talk has just unleashed his new album Feed the Animals under the pay-whatever-you-want system made popular by Radiohead.

You can download it for free (320 kbps MP3s), pay $5 for the fancy FLAC files, and if your pockets are deep you can drop $13 (this includes shipping) for the bigger files and a copy of the disc that will be shipped to you when its “properly” released in September.

I spent $13. Even if I am not totally sold on his live show, Night Ripper has given me years of quality entertainment and I’m anxious to hear if he can capture that magic once again. If you downloaded it, let us know how much you paid (if anything), and why.

End Hits: $13 poorer.

Sisters of the Road Community Organizer Patrick Nolen was given an achievement award by City Commissioner Nick Fish this afternoon, along with six others who have shown “tireless dedication to addressing and ending homelessness in our community.”

“It’s definitely Sisters that got this,” said Nolen. “If it weren’t for them believing in me and believing I could be more than just a guy who walks in and wants a meal…”

It was all very cordial, however: Nolen, along with several of his allies like Israel Bayer of Street Roots, is currently trying to persuade new housing commissioner Nick Fish to vote against the sit/lie law when it’s revisited in the fall. Fish’s will be the deciding vote, and if he votes for it to continue, he’s likely to face a lot of angst in the homeless community. Then again, Fish took money from the pro-sit/lie Portland Business Alliance, and plenty of its members, during the election campaign. So he’s sitting on the fence right now. Fish did tell the Mercury during his endorsement interview that he would have to “look at the numbers” before making a decision on the sit/lie. If it was being used to target a specific group, he said, then he’d have to vote against it.

Well, the evidence that the sit/lie is being used to target a specific group is pretty overwhelming, and Nolen has been among the most persistent advocates to point this out. Play nice, chaps. But figure it out.

Best quote of the afternoon, from Dennis Lundberg, who was awarded for his work with Janus Youth Programs: “I like to think I’m a lot more articulate out on the street talking about abscess infections, so I’ll keep this brief.”

The last time I talked to the folks at PICA about TBA:08, they were still scouting out locations for the Works, TBA’s late-night music/performance mixer.

Then yesterday this hit the inbox:

Leftbank goes live
Web site launched, TBA’s THE WORKS,
and Bike Oregon’s Oregon Manifest to be held at Leftbank

Wha? At where now?

Leftbank, a newly unveiled commercial space in North Portland in what some folks might remember as the old MultiCraft Plastics space (240 N Broadway). It’s part of the Leftbank Project, which also encompasses two other buildings in that area, including an Ecotrust-operated events space called the Green Room. I spoke with Joanna Agee about the project and she gave me some details, which I’ll post after the jump—and I’m visiting the space on Friday, so check back for photos.

Art?

So: I don’t know any thing about visual art. (The irony of the title “Arts Editor” is not lost on me.) And I would like to up our coverage of the visual art world here on Blogtown—it’s been getting short shrift since Chas Bowie departed. (If you miss him, he’s got a new website).

I’m looking for someone who’s knowledgeable about the local arts scene. Goes to art openings for fun. Is interested both in both art itself, and art news and gossip. Can construct a sentence. (Like that?) My needs are primarily blog-related, but pitching stories for the paper is also a possibility.

If you’re interested, email a resume and writing samples to ahallett@portlandmercury.com—title it “Art Blogger,” please—and we’ll talk further details.

When I hear about “German Love,” I immediately think about Hasselhoff fetishes, those sexy scenes in Das Boot, and my German safe word (“Uwe Ochsenknecht”).

But when local band Starfucker—posing above with a Celtics-colored basketball in loving tribute to the long struggle of NBA champion Brian Scalabrine—sings about “German Love,” things are far less creepy. In fact, this breezy little song (the first preview from their upcoming self-titled full-length due out in September from the good folks at Bad Man) nicely captures why this band is all the rage these days.

MP3:
Starfucker - German Love

Photo by Ingrid Renan

End Hits: We’ll stop sexualizing Germany now.

Yesterday, an unfortunate message appeared on the MySpace blog of Charleston, SC band The Explorers Club:

As it so happens, misfortune has struck The Explorers Club. Just outside of Forsyth Montana (which is in the middle of nowhere) our big green monster of a van came head to head with a 250 pound deer… We are now stranded in Forsyth, waiting to hear from the mechanic tomorrow on what the damage is going to be. Needless to say this puts us in quite a hole. We’re not going to be able to make the Seattle or Portland shows, but will do our best to catch back up in San Francisco if we can get repaired in time… A Paypal Donate button has been added to our page as well… Love you all, we’ll hopefully be back on the road soon!

Well, as fate would have it, good luck intervened and the Explorers Club have bounced back! (I wish I could report the same for the deer.) I just spoke with multi-instrumentalist Dave Ellis on the phone, who told me: “It was the damnedest thing. These mechanics in Forsyth, Montana were able to get us a new radiator, so we’re back on the road. We’re at the Doug Fir right now. We missed the Seattle show, but we are GO for tonight.”

MP3:
The Explorers Club - Do You Love Me?

As you can hear above, the Explorers Club make sunny, vocal-harmony-drenched pop songs that sound very much like another band… whose name I can’t place right now… you know, one of the quintessential American bands of the ’60s… the Surf Kids? or something? The Sand Lads? At any rate, thankfully it takes more than a deer to the radiator to keep the Explorers Club down, but after mechanics’ expenses and hotel rooms, they could still use any extra cash. They’ve set up a Paypal donate button on their MySpace page, so if you’re feeling generous, you can click to help them out. OR you can go to the show tonight and buy lots of merch!

The Explorers Club open for Lightspeed Champion and Flowers Forever tonight at the Doug Fir; 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12

End Hits: The music blog that smashes your radiator.

I could sooo go for some Potachos right now! What’s a potacho, you ask? Well, according to Denny’s hip new late night menu, it’s nachos made from potato slices! Get it? Potacho? No?

In an effort to harden the “food-that-old-people-don’t-need-to-wear-their-teeth-for” vibe, Denny’s has launched an effort to woo the post-nightclub youth market with Denny’s All Nighter. Their alluring slogan reads, “Nothing Good Happens After Midnight. Except Denny’s.”

Participating Denny’s (82nd Ave at Clackamas Town Center and Stark St. at Mall 205) relax their atmosphere at midnight by playing rock music, allowing servers to dress casually, and offering bar type fare like potachos. Potachos!

The menu also includes a Smokin Q’ Four Pack of mini BBQ cheeseburgers, “‘cause bbq ain’t got a curfew.”

If bad grammar ain’t good ‘nuff to snag no wiley youth market, Denny’s has also launched an All Nighter website. There, you can listen to music from Myspace bands and vote for your favorites to be “adopted” by Denny’s, which entitles them to free meals while on tour! Score!

So, if you see your favorite Myspace band this summer and they’re looking a little portly and lethargic, you can bet you’ll see them at Denny’s after the show. No Way! Potachos with Foxy Shazam!

Foxy Shazam: Potachos make us sad.