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Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes News: Feature: SPYING ON SPAWNING Wild Chinook salmon are completing their life cycle this time of year by returning to small streams to spawn and die. The phenomenon can be witnessed in a protected, no-fishing area about 45 minutes from Eugene at Whittaker Creek Campground. The salmon were born in the creek about five years ago and made their way downstream to the Siuslaw River, and then to the Pacific Ocean where they lived and fed for about three years. Now they are returning. To watch salmon spawn, drive west toward the coast on Highway 126. Roughly six miles past the town of Walton, look for a small BLM sign directing you to Wildcat Creek and Whittaker Creek. Take a left and follow the signs for about two miles. Take a right turn and drive across a bridge and look for Whittaker Creek Campground. Park near the creek and explore upstream across the footbridge. Please do not allow dogs near the water or otherwise disturb the salmon.
ELECTION QUOTABLES "When you hear people saying, 'Take a deep breath, we will pull through this, we need to work harder, we need to organize,' no. We will not. It's over. Unless electronic vote tabulation is history, and these companies are driven out of business, it's their country. Not ours. Nobody knows, and no one will ever know, what the actual vote count was. There are no checks and balances left. The U.S. Senate now has 55 of these Republicans. When they hit 60, which is what will happen in 2006 mid-term elections — trust me — that means that no matter what Bush and the crime family want to do, they can do it. The House (of Representatives) is gone for the next two to five generations. It's gone." — Larry Chin, Online Journal (http://onlinejournal.com) "I am committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year." — Walden W. O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. in a fund-raising letter to fellow Republicans last year (New York Times, 11/9/03) "The global implications of the U.S. election are undeniable, but international monitors at a polling station in southern Florida said Tuesday that voting procedures being used in the extremely close contest fell short in many ways of the best global practices ..." — International Herald Tribune (11/3/04) "There was trouble with our elections in Ohio at every stage. It's been a battle getting people registered to vote, getting to the ballot on voting day and getting that vote to count. There is a pattern of voter suppression; that's why I called for [Ohio Secretary of State] Blackwell's resignation more than a month ago. Blackwell, while claiming to run an unbiased elections process, was also the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Ohio. … Blackwell learned his moves from the Katherine Harris playbook of Florida 2000, and we won't stand for it." — Ohio State Sen. Teresa Fedor "The election in Oregon was very successful. Nobody in Oregon has any reason to apologize for this election. The things that we worked on we did very well. It was the Floridians and Ohioans and people like that who had problems; not here. It's so easy to think that because the national election went south, somehow or another we went wrong. It's not as though we can accept responsibility for that one." — Rep. Phil Barnhart MARSTON LEAVES LABOR GROUP Hope Marston of Eugene-Springfield Solidarity Network/Jobs with Justice organizer has left ESSN for a part-time job at UO. Marston says she hopes to pick up another part-time job as Western regional organizer for the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, beginning in January. Fund-raising is currently going on to support the position. "Given the apparent results of the apparent election, there is plenty to be done to continue agitating the grassroots about abuses of our fundamental rights," says Marston. She was one of the key people in the region during 2002 and 2003 coordinating local resistance to elements of the USA PATRIOT Act, including persuading local governments to write resolutions in opposition. Marston had the simple title of "organizer" at ESSN, a staff position she took over when Sarah Jacobson left last year for Guatemala. Jacobson is back and doing some work for ESSN, along with Jeanine Malito, an ESSN co-chair and member of the steering committee. ESSN has been advertising for a new organizer since September, and the deadline for application is this week. Application materials can be requested from essn@efn.org The non-profit group is dedicated to promoting economic and social justice through fair wages, improved working conditions, sustainable business practices and building community. — TJT 100 BANNERS FOR 100 YEARS The Eugene Public Library (EPL) will turn 100 years old Nov. 14 and 100 commemorative banners by 100 local artists will go on display on the second floor of the downtown library, to be auctioned off Dec. 4 at the fifth annual Authors & Artists Fair.
Artist Bob DeVine came up with the idea for the banner project. He was inspired by a banner his partner Tylar Merrill had decided to make last fall for him to paint in order to mark the location of his birthday party. This year, as Merrill, who is EPL's marketing coordinator, was thinking about ideas for the library's 100th anniversary, DeVine suggested producing 100 original banners. The EPL Foundation invited community members to participate in the banner project on a first-come, first-serve basis. "The most important thing," DeVine said, "is that we reached out to everyone, not just artists, so the community itself could express its relationship to the library." Indeed, respondents included community members of all ages and walks of life as well as established artists from Eugene, Springfield, Albany, Cottage Grove, Noti and Veneta. They used painting, drawing, calligraphy, photography, printing, quilting, collage and assemblage to decorate the banners. One of the artists is legally blind, another a paraplegic, and some banners were a group effort. "We didn't have a library or a literary theme," DeVine explained. "It could be anything they wanted to express in a visual form that they felt could be auctioned." The backside of the banners shows the commemorative logo and signature of the artist. Each banner will be assigned a number corresponding to the name of its maker, as listed on the display's brochures available to visitors. This system, developed by Merrill, will allow visitors to search for the banners of specific artists and to identify the creators of the banners they may be interested in bidding for at the silent auction from 7 to 10 pm Dec. 4. Bidding starts at $25 and proceeds will go to the Library Foundation. To volunteer, contact Barbara Dellenback at the Foundation office, 682-5338. — Sylvie Pederson SUPPORTING THE TROOPS Veteran's Day is this week and a gathering supporting U.S. troops and opposing the Iraq War is planned from 7 to 9 pm Thursday, Nov. 11, at McNail-Riley House at 13th and Jefferson. Refreshments will be served starting at 6:30 pm. The meeting is sponsored by WAND (Women's Action for New Directions) and will include a conversation with Army Sgt. 1st Class (Ret.) Laurie Anderson. "Laurie"s perspective may help us explore ways to connect with Oregon's Guardsmen when they return. This election brought back the divide between veterans and the peace community," says a statement from WAND. "Let's not let that happen again." Topics for discussion will include reactions to the election, Pentagon mismanagement and waste, ongoing actions regarding the Iraq War, and efforts to collect care packages to send to member of the Oregon National Guard. For more information, call WAND at 338-8605. SCHOOL'S OUT Parents wondering what their kids can do during this week's parent-teacher conferences might want to check out The Science Factory offerings. Thursday, Nov. 11 is a Treecentric Day looking at all elements of the watershed, combining collective forces with members of the Young Writers Association, Lane Arts Council and the Science Factory. Friday is an all-day trip to the Oregon Zoo in Portland. Call 682-7888 for information. CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS In last week's news story "Renters' Rights" on a proposed housing standards for city residents, Jim Straub, a board member of the Rental Owners Association, says the ROA position statement we quoted from opposing the new code was never approved by the board, and in fact the board has decided to support the housing standards ordinance, with some suggested amendments. Straub says the board is not pushing for expanding the ordinance to deal with blight at this time. Also, the chair of the Housing Policy Board was quoted as opposing the new code, but he was only listing the arguments opposing the code in his memo to city staff. Another page not provided to EW listed the arguments in favor. He states in the memo that he personally voted in favor of the code. LCC Board member Jay Bozievich responded to our Slant item last week criticizing him for calling local Kerry supporters "terrorists," as reported in the R-G and in e-mail discussions. He claims he never called Kerry supporters terrorists, but rather "referred to the behavior of some of the Kerry supporters present that evening as terrorist actions." He reportedly did, however, send a note to fellow Republicans Oct. 24 urging sign-waving on Ferry Street Bridge, saying "Let's show the D's that Bush supporters don't run from terrorist[s]!" Bozievich also said he has "never voted against increased funding of higher education." We were referring to his vote last year opposing an LCC Board endorsement of HB 2152, the Legislature's three-year tax package that would have supported higher education.
They might have knocked on your door on Halloween, daring you to "trick or vote." Maybe you were one of the 6,000 Oregonians who registered at their hip-hop voter drive in Portland. Or you might have noticed a bizarre series of "I Saw You" ads in EW's classifieds seeking gorgeous men in Elect Prozanski T-shirts.
However quirky their methods, volunteers for the Oregon Bus Project — an organization working to engage and educate voters to elect progressive candidates in the state — have been grabbing a lot of attention. And for the most part, it's worked. All five of the Project-endorsed Oregon Senate candidates won, resulting in the first progressive-controlled state Senate in 12 years. The Project also endorsed seven triumphant state representative candidates as well as winning Lane County candidates Bonny Bettman, Andrea Ortiz, Betty Taylor and Kitty Piercy. The secret to their success, according to Oregon Bus Project-Lane Chair James Mattiace, is planning. "The idea for changing the Senate was a plan that started three years ago," he says. "Everything was geared toward the end goal of achieving that. We never lost sight of the big picture, and we had fun while doing it." Most of the Project's 6,000 volunteers — 450 in Lane County alone — are younger than 30 years old. Mattiace, a high school teacher who dedicated 20-30 unpaid hours per week to the project, is 29. And one of the Project's two local paid staff members, Ron Batdorf, is a UO freshman. Sen. Floyd Prozanski credits the Bus Project for engaging youth in the campaigns. "It's crucial that young people understand the political and civic processes, and they [the Bus Project] help foster long-term involvement among youth," he says. Perhaps one of the Bus Project's greatest appeals is that it cleaves to the weird and creative. When activist-writer Arianna Huffington visited Eugene last May, four local Bus Project volunteers — Jonathon Manton, Gary Gillespie, Clark Morberg and Mattiace — were her escorts for the evening. At one point her cell phone rang; it was Dennis Kucinich. "Oh hello, Dennis," Huffington said. "I just got picked up by four gorgeous men." She then posted the phrase on her web blog: "I just arrived in Eugene, Ore. It's absolutely beautiful. I was picked up by four gorgeous men of the Lane County Bus Project." The guys rolled with it. "None of us are gorgeous," says Mattiace, "but we're milking that as far as we can get." So they made up T-shirts that read, "Just one gorgeous man making a difference for the Oregon Bus Project" and placed "I Saw You" ads in the EW classifieds seeking a "tall, gorgeous blond guy with an Elect Prozanski shirt." Mattiace says it's just another way to draw people in. "It's funny, so we'll use it," he says. "We'll use any schtick that gets more attention for the Bus Project." In addition, the local Project hosts community-building
events such as the Stuff-the-Bus drive for FOOD for Lane County and
a donations drive for Centro Latino. "There While it's not technically partisan, the Project tends to endorse mostly liberal-leaning, progressive candidates who support what Mattiace calls the "six e's: environment, equal rights, economic fairness, education, election reform, and 'ealth care." Mattiace pauses to let the last one sink in. "We couldn't call it five e's and an h," he says. To decide where to dedicate their efforts, the Project looks to groups like the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Senate Democratic Caucus, and local progressive coalitions. "We listen to folks that are really aware of what's going on statewide and have their ears to the ground," says Mattiace. "It's a calculation, and a lot of it's based on rumor. We don't get involved in issues that split progressives." Despite all their efforts, not all of the Project's endorsements won. Measure 37, which the Project opposed on environmental and economic grounds, passed soundly even in Lane County. State Rep. candidate Bev Ficek, outspent 2-1 by her opponent Debi Farr, narrowly lost. And East Lane Commission candidate Don Hampton was defeated by Faye Stewart. But the bus isn't parking now that the campaigns are over. Local Project volunteers are planning to hold a fundraising drive in December, drive people to Salem for organized Lobby Days, and keep close tabs on the Eugene City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners. That's good news for local progressives. "The Bus Project is the best thing that ever happened to politics in Eugene," says activist Ruth Duemler. "It really gets your imagination going."
Shades
of Green The people who may rule this country for the next four years, and many of the people who voted for them, have no connection to the earth and would not mourn its passing. These people believe there is a better world elsewhere, and/or imagine themselves to be so thoroughly cocooned that whatever happens to the rest of us can't touch them. One clear path of positive action and resistance to this mess is to take care of our planet. We can create splendid examples of living well and gently together in our homes and communities, leaving light footprints on the earth. Month by month, "Shades of Green" will bring ideas about living sustainably in our homes and gardens. How can we build and change our environment in ways that do no harm? I think often it's possible to do this, even to heal our surroundings, and other times, we must settle for doing as little harm as possible. This column will give a variety of green approaches, from restrained to all-out, and will differentiate among materials that are deep green, pale green, and not green at all. I'm in favor of totally sustainable houses, and also partly sustainable houses, apartments, rooms, and gardens with a native plant landscape or just a native corner. We might yearn to do it all, but time, energy, and money intervene. Or we're renting. Yet a small project, well-planned and beloved, may create more of a ripple effect than something large-scale.
Sustainability means asking questions about everything we use: Where does this come from? How it is made? How does it affect the environment? How is it maintained? How long will it last? We can ask the same questions about rocks for a wall, roofing materials or garden mulch. It can be embarrassing to ask such questions in stores. You become a Fussy Shopper, especially when you're a woman in the mostly male realm of building materials. Yet a shopper who questions is taking care of the world. My husband and I recently built a house. Our builder is a skillful designer and a consummate craftsman, happy to use sustainable materials as long as someone else hunts for them. I was the designated hunter. Sometimes I got tired or things went haywire, so the house turned out semi-sustainable. We thinned trees from our forest and hired a man with a portable sawmill to cut them into framing lumber. Partway through sawing, he decided to change professions. So when our builder framed the house, some boards were missing and had to be ordered from a conventional lumber yard. We have some linoleum floors (eco-friendly) and some vinyl (not!), because we couldn't find linoleum colors we wanted in local stores and were too burned-out to drive back to Portland for wider choices. We gave up on sunflower-hull counters: material was available only in vast quantities. And so on. I want to make it easier for people to locate environment-friendly building materials, garden supplies, and plants. I'd like to share ideas that work on many scales and budgets, from an apartment to a whole house and garden. Readers are welcome to send ideas and sources to shadesofgreen@eugeneweekly.com.
NOT SO BIG HOUSES Scale is an important factor in sustainability. Little houses cover less of the earth. Small spaces that are intricate and individualized may take as much money and materials to build as large box-shaped spaces, but small spaces require less heat and cooling and are easier to maintain. Yet "starter mansions" are abundant, with ballroom-sized family rooms and vast cedar decks, What drives this? The house my husband and I built also grew bigger than we planned. We craved storage space, hoping it would make us better organized. Our growing-up kids wanted rooms to come back to. Beware too of this common advice: "Too small! No resale value." Yet if you love what you are building, someone else will too. "Defend your intuitions!" advises Karyn Kaplan, building a new house. Aaron and Sarah Whitney of Habitats, a sustainable design/construction firm, think houses have expanded partly because people have more and bigger stuff: kitchen and sports equipment, toys, video and computer systems. To live in a modest-sized space, they recommend thinning out your belongings. When Ed and Diana Sheridan moved to a smaller house, they rented a truck and drove their big furniture to their grown children in California. David Gordon and Lysbeth Rickerman, who moved from a Eugene house to a 400 sq. ft. houseboat off Bainbridge Island, are astonished by the many things they don't need. Smaller houses and apartments abound in Eugene, Springfield and Corvallis. Many graceful bungalows from the 1920s and '30s have been lovingly restored. Donna Kaehn lives in a 1,000 sq. ft.1970s cabin clustered with 11 others in an oak grove on Spy Glass Lane in Eugene. She extends storage space with a hollow bench and a bookcase-pantry, and her living room is vibrant with golden-yellow paint and bright Mexican crafts. Indoors or out, it's crucial to design spaces that match the size and shape of what you want to do. If a space is too small, you'll feel cramped. If it's too large, you'll feel overwhelmed and drifting. Annick Todd remembers first seeing her new house. "So tall! Not the way it was on paper. I felt embarrassed." Karyn Kaplan sleeps on the edge of her new bedroom as she tries to get used to the wide floor and high ceilings. "I like nesty places," she says. "It feels huge." But she's thoroughly at home in her snug living room, with its low ceiling and plentiful windows. If you get it right, your space can fit your needs, feel both cozy and spacious, and fit you like a second skin. To figure this out, set aside conventional labels like "home office" or "terrace" and think about what activities you would like to cluster together in the same space, and how you want that space to feel. Use rope or hoses to outline a hypothetical space. Arrange any furniture you'll be using, and move around, acting out the things you plan to do. Adjust as needed. To add room without building or remodeling, reorganize spaces so they all are used every day. You can also create an alcove in a living room, with shelves and a desk for an office niche, or a wood screen and comfy chair for listening to music. In A Pattern Language, Christopher Alexander points out that alcoves adjacent to a common space help people be together while doing their own activities. GOOD BOOKS: The Not So Big House and related books by Sarah Susanka; A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander et al.
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