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Slant: short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes. Feature: You Are Here: Happening People: Aaron
Durland, Brandi Crye& Nat GLOBAL EMPIRE OR GLOBAL PARLIAMENT? Global democracy should be more than a slogan, says Richard Falk, a world-renowned international law scholar and human rights advocate who will speak about the U.S.-led "War on Terror" in a free lecture at 7:30 pm Thursday, Nov. 20 at the UO School of Law, room 175. A professor of international law at Princeton, author of numerous books, and frequent contributor to The Nation, Falk has been at the forefront of the debate concerning the U.S. response to terrorism. Falk believes Americans who oppose the Bush administration's international policies must do more than complain or succumb to the "global war machine" of the U.S. Falk acknowledges that the "Bush administration's enthusiasm for undermining international law and institutions is deeply disturbing." However, he says, "Unless a counter-movement articulates an alternative approach to global security that captures the popular imagination, the dismal prospects are for perpetual war in quest of global empire." Falk offers one such counter approach: a citizen-elected global parliament, modeled on the European Parliament. "What I am suggesting is not a pipedream nor a grandiose scheme for world government," he says, "but a new institution established initially by progressive democratic countries that would be willing to act as pioneers." "Once in place," Falk says, "a global parliament would over time grow in influence and stature." For more information, see www.morsechair.uoregon.edu or call 346-3700.
POSITIVE RESPONSES TO BUSH POLICIES? Progressive Responses, an arm of Community Alliance of Lane County, will hold the first in a series of forums on positive responses to post-9/11 Bush tactics at 7 pm Tuesday, Nov. 18 at First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. Entitled "Two Years After Sept. 11, are We More Secure: Alternative Policies That Can Create Security And Justice," the presentation includes participants who will "first state the problem the U.S. has had since 9/11 as a disastrous situation under Bush and then focus on positive alternatives," says Progressive Responses member and UO political science professor Dan Goldrich. "We're reacting and responding to a situation where there is gathering despair about the dominant strategy but not much sustained discussion of positive alternatives," he says, adding the discussion will be "beyond the sound bites that have occurred through Democratic so-called 'debates.'" The evening will be moderated by Oregon senator and former Springfield Mayor Bill Morrisette and will include three presenters: UO's Linda Kintz will summarize how the Bush administration has taken the U.S. on a disastrous course through its "preventive war" policy; Goldrich will discuss how to move out of the Iraqi quagmire and avoid future quagmires through internationalization of both the peacekeeping and rebuilding effort in Iraq; and Dan Carol will discuss how the U.S. can meet security, economic development and job needs through an alternative, sound energy policy. — Aria Seligmann
EUGENE SOUNDS NOW BROADCASTING ON-LINE The Lane Independent Living Alliance (LILA) has announced that Eugene Sounds (ES), an Internet streamed radio service, which the blind, seniors and others with disabilities can hear with the latest news from EW, the R-G and other media, is finally up and running. Log on via www.omnimedianetworks.org/Due to limited private funding, LILA took longer than expected to gather the resources and equipment needed to implement the program, but the tiny recording studio is finally broadcasting, although there are not enough readers to air the news daily. The LILA website, still under construction, will offer links to the ES stream at Live365.com. Project coordinator Mary Dole, who is blind, is still encouraging volunteers to share their favorite periodicals or books with ES. They are especially looking for someone available to read the Sunday edition of the R-G For more information, call 607-7020, see the EW story in the Sept. 11 archives, or stop into LILA, located in the Atrium building at 10th and Olive. — Karman Ratliff
'WOMEN IN PRISON' TOPIC OF SYMPOSIUM Those interested in reforming the criminal justice system may want to mark their calendars now for a symposium entitled "Women in Prison" from 10:30 am to 5 pm on Friday, Nov. 21. in Rm. 110 of the Law Center. The event is co-sponsored by The Portia Project, a nonprofit corporation formed to assist women who are incarcerated in Oregon, and the UO Women's Law Forum. Eight law students will discuss topics ranging from "Childhood Sexual Abuse and Female Criminality" to "Jail Alternatives for Women." The keynote speaker will be Joan Palmateer, newly appointed administrator of all Oregon prisons. The program, which is free and open to the public, will close with a panel of three defense attorneys, who will discuss sentencing guidelines, the treatment of women who kill their abusers, and a variety of other topics. A reception follows.
There are many ways to support local independent bookstores, but here's a new one: Have an indie book store serve you dinner. Board members at Mother Kali's Books will be dishing it out Friday, Nov. 14, at Keystone Café. The restaurant is donating space, cooks and food to host a benefit for the struggling store, which has been a fixture for the feminist community in Eugene for more than 20 years. Mother Kali's financial difficulties came to the community's eye this summer when board members invited the public to discuss the store's precarious future, as well as its value to Eugene as a feminist resource. There was hope among the board, staff, and public that the UO book rush would help allay some of the monetary burdens that threaten to overcome Mother Kali's. "The fall book sale did not meet our financial expectations," says Tracy Scharn, board/staff liaison for the store, "the store is, very seriously, struggling financially." Mother Kali's is looking into different business plans to try and keep the store afloat — Internet sales, sharing space with another business, introducing a coffee shop within the store. Of the upcoming benefit, Scharn says, "Essentially this is for the basic expenses for the store … the store really needs people's support right now." Scharn is hoping that the benefit will bring Mother Kali's needed attention. "We want people to remember the store is still here and we need the community's support to survive," she says. Seating times for the benefit at the Keystone are at 6 and 8 pm. Those attending can expect vegan, vegetarian, and meat options, as well as dessert donated by The Sweet Life Patisserie. Diners are welcome to bring their own beer and wine. Suggested donations are $7 and up. For reservations, call 343-4864. — Celene Carillo
TAYLOR, NEVILLE TALK ABOUT LETTERS EW Editor Ted Taylor and R-G Associate Editor Paul Neville will be sharing the spotlight talking about letters to the editor at City Club's lunch meeting at 11:50 am Friday, Nov. 14. This week City Club will meet at the Wild Duck Music Hall, 169 W. 6th Ave. and the program will be taped and broadcast at 6:30 pm Monday, Nov. 17 on KLCC-FM. The two editors will be talking about how many letters they get, which ones get printed, and what the letters say about our community. Then in a follow-up event, letter writers from the past month are invited to gather with Taylor and Neville from 5 to 6 pm Tuesday at Café Paradiso for a "letter writers slam" organized by Don Kahle of the Comic News. Letter writers will have an opportunity to read their letters aloud (with feeling) and field questions. For more information, visit www.CityClubofEugene.org
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT GETS NEW NON-PROFIT Having worked in Eugene's social service field for 10 years now, local youth activist, advocate and educator Tonia Valadez is firing up her own non-profit for social change, Youth Centered Youth Development Institute. Valadez will present an introduction and information session about YCYDI at 6 pm Monday, Nov. 17 in the UO Ben Linder Forum. "This is for anyone interested. We're recruiting board members, volunteers, just anyone who wants to get involved," says Valadez. The information and introduction session is sponsored
by ASUO Women's Center. For more information, contact Valadez at
NATIONAL ADOPTION AWARENESS MONTH Adoptive Families of Lane County is sponsoring a two-day conference, "Adoption Issues and Perspectives," to celebrate Adoption Awareness Month. The conference is co-sponsored by the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center. The conference will be Saturday, Nov. 15 from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday, Nov. 16, from 10 am to 5 pm at the EWEB Training Center, 500 E 4th Ave. The event is free and open to the public. The purpose of this conference is to provide education to parents, educators, teachers and social workers. For more information, call 344-1599.
Thanksgiving conflicts with our usual Thursday morning paper deliveries, so our paper that week will be printed early and distributed on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Our early advertising and Calendar deadline for that issue will be at 5 pm Wednesday, Nov. 19. EW will be closed Thanksgiving and the Friday after.
Eugene
Celebrates Kesey One of Ken Kesey's most enduring qualities on the second anniversary of his death is the regard fellow writers have for his love of the written word, his regard for the classics — the Bible, Shakespeare, Melville, Whitman, Crane, Hemingway — and his dedication to the craft of writing. Kesey famously studied creative writing under Wallace Stegner at Stanford in the early 1960s, along with a class of luminaries that included Wendell Berry, Ed McClanahan, Ken Babs, Gurney Norman, Larry McMurtry, Robert Stone, Ernest Gaines and Tillie Olsen. Pieces by Kesey's writing pals, Kesey and others are included in the 25 stories in Spit in the Ocean #7, the final issue in the series. Edited by writer Ed McClanahan, some entries speak of Kesey's literary work while others enjoy his manifestations as tripmaster, Prankster, performance artist. Some recognize his love of home and family, his great fondness for reading to his grandchildren and other kids. Paul Zarzyski's poem titled "Further-Bless-America Big-Bang Future-Flashback Boogie," captures Kesey's spirit in its final passage:
Your kaleidoscopic mind keelhauls Kesey would have loved the metamorphosis of his late 1960s jail journals into this oversized, lavishly illustrated book published Nov. 10 by Viking, Kesey's Jail Journal. His artwork enhances the hand-written text, which is reprinted in conventional book form. Written in the language of the time, 1967, Kesey's journals reveal again what makes his storytelling memorable: keen observation and true dialogue. The "characters" — his fellow cell-mates and the deputies who try to keep everyone in line — come alive on the page. One night following the clandestine delivery of "five good old Owsley purples" (high-quality LSD) to the low-security camp in the redwoods where Kesey worked, he sets this scene: "We sit around the dayroom listening to James Brown, watching Liso and Breems pantomiming the words, playing with the pens Ed [McClanahan] brought me (very popular items; our dayroom table's filled with Bloods sketching and doodling — looks like a CORE art class) — passing time and waiting for the Friday night flick to be announced. Bland is tipped back in a chair, stocking feet on the table watching Liso and Breems bop around. Bland is a straight-haired Blood, tall, good-looking and probably got some Louisiana in his background. Talks very low and very slow and watches Liso and Breems with the super-cool benevolence of the older Negro patiently waiting for the young bucks to wise up. Finally says, 'Breem — ?' … like a note blown across a big black jug. 'What is it ex-act-ly … you in here for?'
Breems says 'I'm in the county jail, sir, for goin' too fast, stepping too quick … and for not bein' too cool.' Then he goes at Liso with a karate stance. 'Haw!' Liso returns the gesture 'Haw!' and makes a swipe 'Eeeeyaw!' 'Bitch! You kicked me with those big brogans! Almost break my blue glasses …' Bland sniffs at the whole performance: 'Bunch of wet-nosed cock lickers,' obviously pleased with the way this younger generation is shaping up. " Plan to be present at 7 pm on Thursday, Nov. 13, at Tsunami Books for "The Last Kesey Test." Guest readers include Ed McClanahan, Ken Babbs, David Stanford, Glen Love, Eileen Babbs and Pat Mackey. various Pranksters and friends. Free. Also, the UO Ken Kesey Symposium, Nov. 14 -16, celebrates Kesey's work and his influence on literature and culture. On Friday, Nov. 14, the symposium begins at 7 pm in the EMU Fir Room, with a panel, "Fifty Years Young: the Beats Go On," chaired by poet Paul Dresman, with panelists Dan Elkinson, William Lawlor and Jody Spedaliere. At 9 am on Saturday, Nov. 15, David Mackay chairs "Electric Art for Mind and Body" with panelists Martin Blank, Katie Mills And Timothy D. Ray. At 10:45, Suzanne Clark chairs panel on "Kesey the Writer," with panelists David Scott Arnold, Bennett Huffman and Stephen W. Potts. At 9 am on Sunday, Nov. 16, Mark Chilton chairs "Living the Novel: Community, Collaboration and Performance," with panelists Rick Dodgson, Lynn Jeffress and Michael Strelow. At 10:45 Matthew Buonincontro chairs the final panel, "Facing West: Literary Encounters at Perry Lane," with panelists Thomas E. Douglass, Stefan Fleischer and Carolyn Coppola White.
Stone
Sculptor Pete Helzer was commissioned to create a life-size, bronze sculpture called "The Storyteller" as a memorial to Ken Kesey. And thanks to the efforts of Kesey friend and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Brian Lanker, the project has been supported by more than 250 donors so far, meeting 90 percent of the $120,000 goal. Donors include Phil Knight, Paul Newman, Milos Forman, Larry McMurtry, Dave Frohnmayer, Michael Douglas, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Tom Wolfe, Tom Robbins, Ed McClanahan, Kenny Moore, Rich Brooks, Jean Auel, Sterling Lord, Dale Wasserman, Brian Booth, Bill Walton, Rolling Stone Magazine, Viking Penguin and the Chambers Family Foundation. The sculpture will become part of the City of Eugene's Art in Public Places collection. Fundraising will continue, and contributions are tax-deductible.
The sculpture, which depicts Kesey seated on a granite bench, reading a book to three children, will be unveiled at 1 pm on Friday, Nov. 14, at the intersection of Broadway and Willamette. Speakers include Barry Lopez, Mayor Jim Torrey, Faye Kesey, Lanker and Helzer.
Play One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, adapted for the stage, will be performed at the UO Robinson Theatre through Nov. 22, and Eugene Weekly's theater critic, Aria Seligmann, says "don't miss." See review on page 23. Song The String Cheese Incident (Untying the Knot) will hold a holiday benefit concert at 8 pm on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the McDonald Theatre. The "Ken Kesey Memorial Benefit" is a fundraiser for the Kesey sculpture to be unveiled in downtown Eugene on Nov. 14. Night of the concert, doors open at 7:15 pm. For ticket information, log on to www.sciticketing.comor call (303) 544-5875. The band will play the Salem Armory on Dec. 11 and the Paramount in Seattle on Dec. 12 and 13. For more info, www.stringcheeseincident.com.
Guts
Wrencher EDITOR'S NOTE: Hey, Eugene, where are you, and what're you doing for fun, for work, or just to pass the time? This new, occasional column is part observer and eavesdropper, part day-after gossip, reflecting upon the Eugene scene. Dude, I Don't Feel so Good As Chuck Palahniuk read a new short story called "Guts" at WOW Hall last week, several of the 550-plus audience members had to step outside for fresh air. Others put heads between knees and took deep breaths. Three fainted. Woozie fans are all over Palahniuk's latest book tour — the running total: 39 down (two were treated in hospitals). Many others, this writer included, were left feeling kinda ookie. Palahniuk's story, three tales of male masturbation gone very wrong (one based on an incident at the UO), was originally rejected by Playboy for being "too extreme." They've since changed their minds, offering to publish the story for more than 300 times his Fight Club advance. Palahniuk, looking Mr. Rogers in a sweater vest and fresh from an interview with Conan O'Brien (where he caught a cold after drinking out of sickly Quentin Tarantino's cup) seemed downright gleeful about the gross-out. Ever faithful to his fans, he signed books and appendages for two and a half hours after the reading. He inscribed a copy of Diary for the event's coordinator, UO Bookstore's Brian Juenemann: "To Brian — Thank you for 3 More!!! Fall Downs …" —JP
From the Lunch Department It's noon and you're caught in the lunch rush spilling from South Eugene High School to shops near 18th Avenue and Pearl Street. The adolescents saunter or shuffle in packs, some wearing headphones connected to portable disk players, others bumping like puppies in a cardboard box. Standing among them at the crosswalk, you feel a little tall. They laugh so much, you wish you were laughing with them. You think about slouching to fit in a little. But you don't, because you're the grownup. Safeway on 18th is swamped with freshmen. "I wish we could drive," says one. But they only walk still, so they walk here each day for half an hour of freedom — freedom to talk and swear, to partake of grocery goodness. Ten or 15 kids wait at the deli for sandwiches or the $1.99 "Snack Attack" — jojo potatoes and a barbecue burrito. Gobs of teens sit in an eating area near the store entrance — boys and girls poured into chairs, draped onto tables, leaning into conversations about things they don't want you to hear, exploding aloud over things they do want you to hear. Their faces are fresh and bright as new apples; you smile at the sheer hope of them. The boys eat lunches like: a bagel, a donut and a candy bar; jalapeno poppers and chocolate milk on sale. The girls, sigh, eat one kind of lunch: sandwiches, fruit, juice and water. Mr. Brian Pech, store manager, says, "For the volume of people, these kids behave themselves pretty well." Whether there's a favorite item they wipe out, he only says, "I've seen them eat everything from sushi to corn dogs." Polishing off the last of lunch, they disperse, orderly as a colony of ants. Pumped on food and freedom, they head back to the day. — BW
The Blue Ribbon On a recent Tuesday at John Henry's, a new band called Yeltsin opened for Pellet Gun. Maybe you wore your knit stocking cap and your black Converses and your favorite orange shirt; maybe you left your cap on all night — it was that kind of night. The band played that urgent music that vibrates your table and hums through your body, making you feel good and young and a little wild. The guitar player sounded like a forlorn Billy Idol, and the bass player looked like a guy from a literary editing class you took at the UO. "We're paying our dues," said the drummer twice during the short set. What's curious is how you might've learned about this band — in an EW ad for Pabst Blue Ribbon. Curious because San Antonio-based PBR was promoting an unknown Eugene band. Turns out it was PBR's idea, part of a national marketing strategy to tap into local hipsters and the anti-mainstream values they espouse. Instead of slicky beer advertising with twins and catchy slogans, PBR "supports" bike swaps, snowboarding videos and alternative country bands like Portland's Moonshine Hangover. In a June New York Times Magazine article, Rob Walker compared Pabst to "some kind of small-scale National Endowment for the Arts for young American outsider culture." Pabst has sponsored the Eugene Vespa club's spring rally two years running. "When we first approached them, we were looking for free stuff," says Matt Milletto, a 25-year-old web designer/Pabst memorabilia collector. Pabst sent jackets, hats, patches, stickers, and keychains and let them use its logos on flyers. "Really, a lot of younger alternative or punks or whatever you want to call them beer drinkers who aren't into big corporations have always been drinking Pabst," Milletto says. "The company wants to keep that feel. They really dig sponsoring events." Does it matter that Pabst is owned by a large company that also owns Schlitz, Stroh's and Old Milwaukee and has ties to the decidedly un-alternative Miller Brewing Company? "I know all that," says Milletto, "but I've been drinking Pabst since before the marketing. It doesn't matter." Nor did it matter a week later at Lucky's as Yeltsin, performing between Stacked and Ailment, gave in to fans cheering, "Encore, Encore!" Then came Ailment, unfurling a PBR banner, the lead singer flashing a giant PBR patch on his jacket. — JP
AARON DURLAND, BRANDI CRYE & NAT
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The
Lane Computer Recycling Project, a non-profit corporation, seeks donations
of Pentium-class computers to be refurbished and given away to low-income
Lane County residents. "We've given out 40 computers this year so far,"
says LCRP's Brandi Crye. "Our goal for the year is 50." LCRP was founded
in December 2001 by Crye, who serves as secretary, along with Aaron
Durland, president, and resident "technomancer" Nat (who goes by one
name only, and is too camera-shy to be pictured). All three grew up
in Eugene. "We average 40 to 50 hours per week between the three of
us," Durland notes. A techie since the early '80s, Nat began refurbishing
computers as volunteer "lending librarian" for Oregon Public Networking.
There he trained OPN volunteers Crye and Durland. "I was terrified of
computers," Crye admits. "Now I'm studying for a degree in computer
science." When pilferage became a problem at OPN, the trio departed
to continue the good work on their own. "I filed with the state," Durland
says. "It was a lengthy process — we paid a $500 fee." For information
on how to donate or receive a computer, visit LCRP online at