Carl Bernstein: Not much reporting any more

Carl Bernstein

         
Carol Forsloff---Margaret B sat at a table nearby, peering up at the television set in the back of the restaurant and exclaimed, "Not much on television these days except people saying there's breaking news, but then it isn't new at all, do you think?  And there's lots of just conversation back and forth, with young folks laughing as they are talking.  Doesn't sound like what I remember newscasts used to be."  Her observation mirrors that of Carl Bernstein reporter of the Washington Post and Watergate fame.

Bernstein was on the show Reliable Sources today, observing what others have often said about the media.  Too much of the news is of the armchair type and too little is news.

Hillary Clinton was the top of discussion on many of the news channels this weekend.  But for the most part the articles were speculation on how the new revelations about her personal life was going to impact her future possibilities as a Presidential candidate.  Bernstein offers the observation that it is often this type of news that dominates the air waves and the print form of the news as well.

The woman at a restaurant takes a moment to say out loud what she believes has happened with the news and offers her observation, albeit "no real names, please" to a reporter sitting nearby.  "I just don't watch much television anymore because I hear the same things repeated over and over.  And they say it's breaking news.  I mostly read the Portland Oregonian because at least I get some news about what's going on around here.

Local is what counts to many people.  But even local news is invaded by online "newspapers" that don't report the news but instead offer a series of canned articles that are cut and pasted from somewhere else.  So that's why people say they get tired of repetitions, the same formats in the same way, by armchair writers who don't go out and cover news on foot.

A casual conversation becomes the news of the moment, reaffirmed by Carl Bernstein, a reminder of what even people in the news media have said about themselves and expressing the concerns of many, that the old-style method of going out into the public arena and gathering information is a value many hope won't fade away.  In fact it is that style of reporting that leads to good investigative journalism.

Rajneesh cult and former girls hotel example of Oregon, where beingdifferent thrives

Martha Washington

Carol Forsloff-----More than 30 years ago, Oregon became the home of an unusual sect with its unique practices and unusual members.  The group took over acres of land around Antelope, Oregon as well as a former fine residence for girls in Portland once called The Martha Washington.  Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the founder,  started the sect in the 1970's, where many of his ideas were rejected; so he went on to the United States and Europe to expand.  He ended up settling in Oregon, offering a story of eccentricity in a place where doing your own thing can thrive---for awhile.

The story of Rajneesh is indeed an example of Oregon's tolerance and unique ways, offering refuge to the refugee, Rajneesh, seeking tax shelter, indeed from taxes owed in India.

Oregon is the place where nude bicyclists move through the byways of Portland regularly every summer, and pantsless day is celebrated by young people through the city on an annual basis.  It is a city that draws in the homeless, and where myriads of young people protest where protest is part of tradition.  But Rajneesh was more than Oregon ended up being able to tolerate, for his behaviors caused some local residents some serious trouble.

Rajneesh was not a man who believed in either poverty or propriety in many ways.  He owned elaborate cars and residences.  He believed in, and promoted, sexual pleasures.  On the land in Oregon Rajneesh created a community, with the help of Ma Anand Sheela, also from India.  Together they and their followers built Ragneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon.  There they ran into conflict with local residents when they launched a bioterrorist attack and poisoned restaurant food in the Dalles.  At the height of their activity, the group had approximately 2500 members.  Rajneesh ended up being deported for immigration fraud, while other leaders and community members fled the area.

The story of Rajneesh continues to fascinate Oregon residents and visitors.  Portland's newspaper, The Oregonian, has covered the group over the years, including during their sojourn in Oregon that began in 1981.

Visitors continue to explore the remnants of the community and hear the tales from residents about the curious band of cult members whose ways were particularly unusual, even to the Oregon taste of wildness and different and where tolerance reigns sublime.   Blogs of those who travel through the area often mention Rajneesh and his followers.

The backstory of Rajneesh  talks about the man and his disciples.  While some portrayed the followers as loving and gentle people, the memories of the leader remain as someone who left India, owing taxes, and found his way to Oregon in order to continue his reign of infamy.

The former girls residence, once called The Martha Washington and located within a close walking distance of Portland University, is part of that history of Rajneesh, as many of his followers lived there a few years.  It is part of the tale a journalist, born and raised in Oregon who once lived in that residence learned.   This is just another reminder of how the Pacific Northwest State continues to fascinate its own residents, as well as visitors, as a place where almost anything can happen---and does.

Atheism becomes haven and the faith of discontents

[caption id="attachment_22228" align="alignleft" width="200"] symbol of atheism[/caption]

Leanne Jenkins---Is atheism a religion?  Is the lack of belief in God a reasonable foundation for building a religious framework, complete with membership guidelines and a place to meet for ceremonies?  Some folks think so, and the notion is growing.

In Portland, Oregon there are billboards that advertise the atheist organization, complete with meeting announcements and a campaign to promote membership.  Oregon is one of those states with a low involvement in religious organizations, and this may be a mechanism for those outside the mainstream, or even the alternative, spiritual organizations to align themselves with atheism.   In fact there are atheist meetup groups in the greater Portland area that advertise themselves as simply "neighbors getting together to learn something, do something, share something?  But what is there to share in an atheist group?

It turns out the discussion centers around everything from vegetarianism to information about Christianity, entitled "Christianity Explored."  And the vegetarian meet-up group narrows its definition to accommodate the membership generalities of non-theistic approaches to interaction by referring to its membership discussions as "agnostic vegetarians."

Many of these people maintain they have either not found religion to be coherent, supportive or necessary, and that they have been discontented with the fractionalism that occurs among sectarian groups.  Others see belief in God as mere superstition, reflecting instead on science as the solution to man's ills.  A number of discussions advertised by the national group are centered upon the sciences.

The American Atheists organization centers on civil rights interests and issues, making sure that other religions don't overstep certain boundaries in ways that would identify a state religion or a religion that indicates that all people belong to a particular religion designated unofficially, or subtly, as one defining the principles by which most people should live.

Experts tell us that it's hard to identify the demographics of atheism, as much of the world's populations identify themselves with a particular religion.  One estimate is 90% of the people of India and the United States.  But there is evidence that the fastest growing religion in the United States is "no religion."

Still while there is a claim by atheists and agnostics that their segment of non-belief is growing faster than faith groups, there are those who differ with this claim.  For example Foreign Policy Magazine observes Islam to be the fastest growing religion in Europe,  and its growth rate the highest in the world.  The rate of growth of Islam worldwide was 1.84% in 2010, the Baha'is at 1.7% puts it at Number 2 in the world in growth rate,  and Sikhism at a growth rate of 1.62% comes in at Number 3.  Christianity's growth rate of 1.3% places it at Number 6.

 

 

A cultural difference is reflected in visiting not your mother's LasVegas

Las Vegas Strip

Carol Forsloff-----Years ago when folks went to Las Vegas they looked forward to that special meal in a casino, played a few slot machines, and took in a show for an inexpensive vacation that had a little magic that was affordable and didn't break one's personal bank, but those days are gone in a Las Vegas your mother, and surely your grandmother, would not recognize and likely could not easily afford.

The Strip is all that glitters in the night where its glorious lights and majestic buildings line up in a fashion that makes the proverbial jaw drop, even as it all is a reminder that they weren't built by businesses seeking visitors who relish the good deal but those people willing to set aside all of that for the quick fix of the quick buck won and mostly lost.

Want to spend your children's inheritance as fast as possible? This is the place to begin. Visit a headliner show, if you can get there on a night when someone you want to see is available and doesn't require a major physical and financial effort to get there after all. The Donny and Marie Osmond show is highly acclaimed by Las Vegas insiders and outsiders alike, but at the usual $150 per person price tag (not counting the taxes and other fees) most middle-class folks would have to make serious choices after getting the bill back home. Other shows are also pricey, ranging at the minimum of $75 each for the cheap seats and in the several hundreds for the best.

A four-day trip turns out to be two days and partial days spent traveling, finding where to go, thumbing through event brochures, checking baggage and standing in endless lines for food, show tickets and entry into anything. This Disneyland for adults isn't for the person looking for rest and relaxation or just a vacation on the cheap. Instead it's for someone seeking excitement and who has endless energy and funds as well. For the food is just as pricey relative to the shows on the Strip, and those relatively cheap meals that were the temptations for folks to go to the casinos and try things out no longer exist. Every square inch of the casino territories is dedicated to making money, so there isn't even a coffee pot in the room let alone potable water, as everyone in the know knows not to drink from the tap in Las Vegas town. Add water to the price.

A journalist and spouse went to the city that sleeps only during the day for many folk to spend time with family and entertain at a locally-sponsored party and event. Food with family and free food at a party can substantially help a budget be less excessive than it could have well been for the couple lost in the inebriating textures of Las Vegas. Still the venue was overwhelming, of the nature that made rest a four-letter word of the past.

Expect, if you gamble and do that only minimally, to easily spend with that round-trip, airfare and hotel included at a lesser price, if you can get it, of $560 from Portland, Oregon, for just one show at $200 for two for a lesser-than-major-celebrity show, $125/day for food that includes one sit-down meal and otherwise fast food, which comes slowly after long lines of waiting, $100 each allowance for gambling, t-shirts for the happy couple at $40, a couple at $6 and counting for soda ; and that not-your-mother's Vegas turns out to be a high-priced rendezvous indeed. It is not easily affordable for the folks back home at the grand total of $1500.

We did it for less without the gambling and drinks, but the magic that brought folks from anywhere is slowly disappearing along with the water table, both in short supply. But if you like that and fighting crowds that are like the worst at the midday hour at the Chicago airport at Christmas than leave your mother home.

Statistics show autumn most popular season for a bike to be stolen

[caption id="attachment_12133" align="alignleft" width="300"] Travelers bicycle[/caption]

Marsha Hunt---Oregon, Washington and California,  like many places in Europe, favors bicycling, often as an important source of transportation, so it's important for everyone to know when to be especially vigilant to prevent a bicycle from being stolen.

In Great Britain, according to TRACKER’s annual stolen motorbike recovery figures, 31% of all bikes it recovered in 2012 were stolen in the autumn months.   TRACKER states this is the time to be especially vigilant, to prevent bicycles from being stolen.

This same pattern of bicycles thefts being more prevalent in the fall occurs in other places where biking is popular and there are apt to be more bicycles used than in other places.  Around the greater Portland area, that's especially true.

This is what Stuart Chapman police liaison officer for TRACKER says about the problem, “Our figures show that autumn sees the highest increase in the number of bikes being stolen with the summer months having the lowest amount of bikes being stolen and recovered. In fact we saw a drop of 10% in bikes being stolen during the winter months, compared to autumn. Overall £477,200 worth of motorbikes, mopeds, scooters and quad bikes were stolen and recovered by TRACKER during 2012.

“At the end of a good biking season, it always pays to ensure you have taken adequate measure to protect your bike when you are not using it. These simple steps can save heartache and the expense of finding that your bike has been stolen while in storage for the winter.”

The following are some of the tips offered by TRACKER to help prevent bicycles from being stolen:

TRACKER’S MOTORCYCLE SECURITY TIPS

• Fit a tracking device to ensure recovery if the bike is stolen.
• Always put the steering lock and chains on.
• Keep your keys with you at all times and keep them safe at home.
• If you have a garage, use it to store your bike.
• Make sure your garage is fitted with strong locks.
• Mark the main areas of the motorcycle with your registration number or post code.
• Purchase a good immobiliser.
• Do not advertise your motorcycle to the world by leaving it on the drive. If you do not have a garage, cover it or park it in the back garden.
• When you park your bike in a public place, cover it and park in a well-lit area.

Celebrating 20 years of the successful vehicle recovery, TRACKER is a system used in Europe to help recover stolen vehicles.   TRACKER is the only vehicle tracking system operated by all police forces in the UK, offering bike owners what it claims to be the ultimate in security.

Other people in the world, as in the United States, are also trying to stop bicycle theft.  The Bike Index is an attempt to do just this, by allowing people a place to register bicycles so there is a record of ownership and location.

In the meantime experts remind us to keep particularly vigilant in the fall and early winter, when bikes are more readily stolen than at other times, even though the exact figures aren't known.

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Marsha Hunt is a free-lance writer who also enjoys bicycling around the West Coast of Oregon.  She became acquainted with the Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, where she contributes articles about the environment and other areas of interest, in this case the bicycle.

Washing Well Wenches bring top performances in female comedy teams

Carol Forsloff-----

[caption id="attachment_20270" align="alignleft" width="300"] Washing Well Wenches[/caption]

The Oregon Renaissance Festival is one of the magic moments folks can have in the dregs of summer that finalize the season with the best, and one of those bests is the Washing Well Women, a comedic group of talented women who are a must-see event at any place they are featured.

This group travels to festivals and offers performances that keep audiences laughing and enchanted with the energetic women who interact with the crowd with verve and funny lines.

The usual audience participation brings out even more of the humor that is conjured up instantly or planned. It's hard to tell how much is spontaneous unless you are one in the crowd who is called, as Del Forsloff was at the Oregon Renaissance Festival, as he got in the groove with the girls and embraced the event with the same good humor that others did on a mid-September fair in Hillsboro, an annual event that brings crowds to the little town bordering Portland, Oregon.

The story is best told in videos and pictures that are here for all to enjoy, the Washing Well Wenches in one of their best routines along with clips that show the fun that await folks fortunate enough to be in an area where these festivals are found, where they are “Good, Clean Fun”

And as the festival is winding down in Oregon, these funny women, The Washing Well Wenches, have a schedule of where they are performing on their website here.

High school reunions offer summer refreshments in a whole new way

[caption id="attachment_19943" align="alignleft" width="300"] Franklin High School all class reunion[/caption]

Carol Forsloff----Every year the class of every year gets together to celebrate that graduation time of years ago, most often the most significant one of the transition from childhood to adulthood, and in the summer it brings refreshment in a whole new way, with or without food.

While folks tell humorous stories about poor Dick and his hair loss or Sue with her string of husbands and over-bleached hair, for the most part high school reunions are a way of keeping the past in perspective, allowing the individual to examine his/her life and changes that take place as they compare with former classmates over the years.

High school reunions are also a time to take stock of one’s own life, to measure how one fares in relationship to peers of a certain age, and to recognize that every individual will age in a different way.  Dick’s hair loss may be the topic of humor, but his intelligent conversation can be a reminder that he has retained many of the bright and interesting patterns that made him student body president or the class leader in some other enterprise.  Or it can be a time to observe how Dick has settled into life as just that average next door neighbor everyone wants to have a beer with.  Still it is a time to get to know Dick and have the rest of the story of how he has fared over the years.

Along with the joys of high school reunions also come some of the heartaches as the number of classmates dwindle as a factor of time and circumstances.  Those who graduated decades ago find fewer and fewer of their classmates available to reminisce about those good old days in class or on the football field.

Franklin High School,  in Portland, Oregon, like many of the larger high schools in a metropolitan area, has a reunion every summer for its decade of graduates, those every ten-year reunions that folks either anticipate or dread for a host of reasons.  But there are those smaller, more intimate reunions where people can visit with a random assortment of graduates, as can occur with an all-class gathering.  While the older graduates have fewer and fewer of their peers to reminisce with there are graduates from other years who can fill in the time and the interest as on an August afternoon in 2013.  Franklin High School, like many others in the United States, has its celebrations; and there can be no more fun than meeting new friends and finding time to reflect on those years of growing up and growing older and to savor the golden years with folks with whom there is that special relationship of graduating from the same high school.

Cougar – cub relationships open new vistas of friendship and romancefor seniors

[caption id="attachment_19934" align="alignleft" width="300"] Ann Lindgren and Jared Johnson[/caption]

Carol Forsloff --When one thinks of special friendships among older women and younger men, they think of young to middle aged adults; but among seniors the attitudes have also changed, as some have found new vistas to explore in relationships.

Since women live longer than men statistically, there are more women available in the later years of life.  This means the pool of women is large, and the number of men available for close friendships, or even romance, dwindles.  So it is a clever woman who is able to bypass stereotypes to find that younger man to fill the need of having a mate, even if it’s for a simple social event, like dancing.

Ann Lindgren and Jared Johnson are a bright, happy couple with the eagerness for life that one often sees among those who forge their own individual path in life and relationships.   Lindgren had been married and lived in the East Coast, returning to the Portland, Oregon area after the death of her husband.  Through information provided by friends and family, she found herself at a senior center and other social events, where she met Johnson, sharing with him mutual interests, especially dancing.

Now the couple is seen at dances and picnics and other events, continuing to share those common interest and the passion for life and living that is reflected in their faces and their interaction with each other.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has written about cougar-cub relationships and like many who have observed the phenomenon, treats the topic as one that shows how diverse seniors can be and how they too take on some of the patterns of modern life in order to make their way through autumn and winter years.

Cougar – cub relationships are more acceptable now, so that as seniors expand their social choices some will include that sizzling someone whose attraction is not limited to the physical but the interests and activities folks can share at any age.

Portland offers the beauty of gypsy culture as its message of diversity

[caption id="attachment_19918" align="alignleft" width="210"] Festival Romani[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---Portland, Oregon is known for its environmentally friendly atmosphere and liberal politics, but it also stands out as an eclectic place where anything goes and everyone fits in.  So it was on a Saturday afternoon on August 17 at a Portland Romani Festival.

The gypsy culture is born in the minds of many in myth.  The reality of a colorful social style and music with its unique rhythms of mystery and magic, however, are the major elements that one considers part of gypsy culture.

Add to that the friendliness of the folk, from the performers to the people who work behind the scenes in promotions and support, and a festival that fosters the gypsy style, and it all adds up to a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

A journalist, unprepared for a story but simply arriving in mid-afternoon after other obligations,  found a feast for eyes and ears at the Festival Romani, worthy of pictures and music snippets.  Without the accoutrements of media,  one is left with the old ways of reporting, pen, paper, memory and parts of a program to offer.  What can be done, however, is to offer the reader a small bit of wonderful with more to come from a delightful community worthy of one’s time and appreciation.

Gypsies are a much misunderstood group, although many people might prattle about their lineage involving them.  It is likely true that considerable numbers of people can trace their lineage from the gypsies, as they became immersed, as they were able, with the residents of every country where they resided.  The often nomadic gypsy style and other appealing features brought new folks to the ranks as mates, then children and grandchildren, so that descendants of the gypsies remain in all parts of the world, although it is said they originated in India about 1500 years ago.  They are severely persecuted still in many parts of Europe.  In fact it has often been reported how the persecution of these people is "the shame of Europe."

On this Saturday,  August 2013, the group of entertainers included Via Romen, Colleena Shakti, Galbeno band, Ritim Egzotik, Kef, El Cuadro Gallo at an after party with highlights during the afternoon that included some of these same entertainers, accomplished with vocals, keyboard, violins, guitar and a range of artistry that brought the audience to dance, to sing and become emotionally with the performances.

Booths lined with brightly colored artifacts, clothing, crafts and musical instruements and a more than adequate supply of various foods rounded out the offerings at the Festival.  Portland's arms embraced the gypsy charm, holding it up for the world to see and appreciate, in the style and manner that a town that celebrates diversity knows best.

Music is available at www.ViaRomen.com

Portland, Oregon: A night of music, roses, and everything good abouttown

The garden in the park

Carol Forsloff--Every year Portland spreads out its skirts, with roses dancing upon the flounces of green that stretch through the town's parks, but even more wonderful is all of that with a night of music that represents every good thing about town.

You can watch and listen and stretch out on the grass with the large crowd that gathers, many families with children, with picnic lunches or a sandwich and soft drink from one of the vendors that serve the festival guests.

The Johnsons, enjoying the concert

Or you can be a first-class observer, and offer an example of how to enjoy the best while bringing the best along with you as one couple did, to the amazement and amusement of many, and those many somewhat envious as well.

Pink roses in gardens of Portland, Oregon

It's summer festival time, and at Washington Park, home of the magnificent International Rose Test Gardens and the Japanese Gardens, one can hear music nearly every night, each evening of a different variety.

Folk band at concert in Portland, Oregon

Folk band[/caption]

Folk music, music of African origin, symphonies and solosits bring their voices and instruments to perform in the warm ambiance of a friendly crowd with the scent of roses everywhere and the view of the city below that brings people to gaze in wonder.

The view at sundown in the Rose Gardens in Portland, Oregon

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But this is something better told in pictures, for it is in them one feels like being there.  So this photo essay brings to you those roses, that stage, the music and the view from the hillside that offers you, the reader, a glimpse of that something special that makes Portland the green capitol as well as the rose city that brings beauty home for everyone.

Hispanic immigrants melt harmoniously into Hillsboro, Oregon culture

[caption id="attachment_19638" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hispanic salesman with his welcoming smile[/caption]

While many people maintain a stereotype of Hispanic immigrants,  Hillsboro's recent farm fair gives a bird's eye view into the success of one company, whose hat sensations make a stand out, as do the people  that attracted diverse crowds, apparently just for being themselves.

Hats for all occasions, featured at the Classic Collection, and at a booth at the Hillsboro Fair, brought the message home to many about the importance of hats.  Cowboy hats became a special enticement for those who wandered by, as in minutes the blue hats were sold out to happy Democrats, referred to the booth in order to have the latest thing to show off during political campaigns.

But it was the personality and engaging manner of those selling the hats, mostly Hispanic,  that seemed to bring in customers the most.  The engaging man in charge thrust out his business card, but demurred with his personal name, giving the respect to the company name as opposed to his own.  And the business card reflected the modesty as well, a simple, straight forward business card with modest print and arrangement reflecting the down home character of the fellow handing it out.

The Hillsboro Fair showed the face of immigration in the greater Portland area.  Downtown Hillsboro, Oregon sports many signs both in English and Spanish and a community where mixing locals with new immigrants, and second and third generation ones, has made for a stew of sorts that seems to satisfy the belly of the town.  There are, of course, the areas of town that like many who have recently gone through recession, that have the broken down houses and the reputation for not being a "good neighborhood," but if the fair is any indication of getting along, then the town has met its goal of maintaining the small town appeal along with the welcome sign for both new and old residents, immigrants, people who have arrived to work in the technological arenas and companies that dot the area, and a host of other people who have made Hillsboro home.

An event like a local fair often brings the perspective of the entire community, as most of the townspeople of any area support the major annual events.  Hillsboro's fair maintains that status, of the watering hole that brings a diverse group of people to drink and feel refreshed and happy just being part of a community of people coming together to live in support of one another while having fun as well.

A personal journey offers an intimate view of aging issues, skin cancerand facial reconstruction

[caption id="attachment_13545" align="alignleft" width="454"] Squamous cell skin cancer - wikimedia commons[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---The nose is a high risk place for skin cancer.  From childhood on, almost every year mine turned red, even after moments in the sun.  Growing up in Oregon in the early 1940’s and 50’s, people had not heard of sunscreen, and instead used coconut oil to allow the skin to tan as opposed to burn.  Here is my personal experience of the consequences many people have as they face aging issues, skin cancer and reconstruction.

My nose never tanned, and the result of sunburns in my early years became dramatically painful after I turned 60.  That's because those sunburns had become small sores diagnosed as skin cancer, requiring surgeries

I had two Moh’s surgeries on my nose, one after I turned 60, in 2001 and another six years later.  But it was when I had a more aggressive cancer on my nose in 2013 that I learned how important it is to prevent sunburns and to take precautions in one’s early years.  So it is with this admonition,  on how to care for yourself I have done this video, that sunscreen and a hat are critical essentials from childhood to the grave, even on those colder days when the sun’s rays don’t look obvious.

Skin grafts and nose surgery are procedures that according to historians go back thousands of years, with sometimes strange results, as doctors tried everything from using the buttocks of slaves to places on the arm and other parts of the body to cover wounds after cancer sores were removed.  But it wasn’t until the 20^th century these procedures were refined, so that surgeons now use  nasal reconstruction using a paramedial forehead flap.

The details of the process are on the Internet on both medical sites, such as Medscape, and YouTube where a few individuals have shared their personal experiences with this surgery.  Suffice to say, it is debilitating and disfiguring and requires many weeks of recovery at various stages.  It is one of those operations we might define as potentially painful and difficult.  Yet when the surgery is done well, as it usually is, the result can be dramatically favorable.

Still the surgeon’s hand needs help, and that’s what this video is all about.  It is done with major gratitude to Dr. Dieter F.  Hoffman of Kaiser in Portland, Oregon, whose surgical artistry provides the foundation for that gruesome to glamorous journey, for it will take additional time to heal wounds from a surgery that took place just 10 weeks ago.  But I can do it, and others can as well.  Those of you who facr skin changes in your later years can also benefit from this information.  At the same time, anyone who finds a sore that does not heal anywhere should see a dermatologist for an evaluation for the possibility of skin cancer.

Values-based education seen as critical for sound child development and learning

Desiree Rowling--How do we raise children to be responsible caring, sharing adults?  There are organizations set up these days to help educate children specifically in humanitarian values, and these organizations tell us that children and parents are actually increasing their activity in service groups and in working together harmoniously.

Kim Simon in Voices of Compassionate Education writes of her experience when asking herself, and responding to others about the question she poses: “What can we do to help young men respect women, recognize consent, and have healthy sexual relationships? Teach them kindness to others—and the courage to go against the crowd.”

Kindness she believes is the essential quality in life.  And that means not being involved in activities that are harmful or unkind to others.  She also says it is important to teach boys to be brave, to go against the crowd when that crowd applauds or seeks to do bad things.

Other groups are focused also on values-centered education.    Values-based schools promote an ethical vocabulary and behavior as part of good educational practice.  It encourages adults to participate in their child’s education and to reflect values in their own lives.   School that do this receive the Quality Mark as Values-based Schools.
Values-based Education  is said to be successful as it nurtures a sense of the self and supports good academic standards.  The Catholic Church has maintained for many generations the importance of a spiritual development within the context of learning.  The Church maintains good values can stay with young people often throughout life.

Many faith-based groups have their own schools, but there are organizations that do not teach sectarian views on values, but instead universally appealing and important ideas related to the community as a whole and a spirit-filled life.    Julie Rubenstein, an active member of the  Baha’i Faith, maintains these programs reach out to entire communities where she lives in Washington County in the greater Portland area that extends to the Northwest sections to Hillsboro and Beaverton, Oregon.  Many children attend values-based classes during the summer where they learn how to work together on projects related to service.  “These are very successful, and many, if not most of those who attend these programs are not Baha’is themselves.”

But it isn't just schools and faith that believe in value-centered learning.  Even dance groups have found that teaching values in dance can help people learn and live together in harmonious ways.

Values in education do not mean sectarian ones but those based on learning about one's relationship to others and the development of a spiritual life in motion.  It is that central idea of "do unto others" that remains a significant part of that value-centered curriculum.



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Desiree Rowlings is a retired educator who is presently traveling across the United States, following a long career as a teacher.  The publisher of this journal received her article, appending some of the last paragraph as an addition.  Values education is Rowlong's special interests.  She has been an educator in Catholic schools.

New bike reaffirms value in physical activity in a safer mode on all terrains

Bicycle, the kind that can be good on all terrains

Portland, Oregon is one of those locations where bike is king and dedicated bike lanes are everywhere. So it is a major area for the development of new ways to make biking safe. In fact it is a location where different electric fat bike designs are emerging that can perform well in both snow and sand. The Big Easy is one of them.

Gizmag outlines the newest, safety-minded bicycle. That Big Easy is said to master some of the hardest terrains. That makes it a good choice for biking in Oregon terrain, whether that is along the coast of Oregon, such as Seaside and Astoria where sand reigns supreme, or snow in the state's mountainous areas.

The Big Easy sports those fat tires for safety and also electric power that can be sustained for 20 miles. It's designer - distributor, Defiant, maintains it is the kind of bike that can be used all year. And since Oregon is one of the states with considerable variety in both weather and terrain, it becomes a viable option for those who want a safe and reliable commute all year long.

Some of these bicycles are being made in Portland, but they are not cheap. Expect a price tag of about $4, 495.

Oregon region working to remove its red, to be green in race relationships

[caption id="attachment_10684" align="alignright" width="336"] La Grande, Oregon--one of the conservative towns in Eastern Oregon[/caption]

Carol Forsloff — The South has wonderful traditions of courtesy, decorum, family connections, and a friendly way of greeting people that make people smile. It is, however, a region that remains in the shackles of its past, still struggling to cross the racial divides. But it is not the only place where racial divisions continue and where history put an X on the hearts and minds of people for generations, with Oregon being one of those places that many would not know, or remember, with its own racist past.

Oregon also almost became a slave state. There were loud voices from those who saw the potential of the new frontier, discovered for the country’s expansion by Lewis and Clark, sent by Thomas Jefferson following the purchase of the Louisiana territory, extending to Oregon. The expedition brought a hardy type of folks with rough and tumble ways and also a tradition of using slave labor or cheap labor for expansion. That was particularly true of the gentlemen farmers and the new entrepreneurs, who saw opportunity in the new lands. Those new lands promised a level playing field for the new, bright business man of land and cattle and later railroads and the industrial movement, that also maintained a caste system of color throughout much of the Wild West.

The Oregon County provisional government may have outlawed slavery in 1844 but that was to keep African Americans out of the state and was not a voice of the abolition movement.

When Oregon became a state in 1859, the country was divided North and South. The term Yankee often did not reference the Westerner, but the classic country man was not one dedicated to the expansion of human rights in the new territories. And the restrictions on personal affairs continued until the 1950’s, a time when intermarriage between people of color, including Hawaiians, African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans, was illegal under Oregon law. Miscegenation laws were passed in 1866 and remained until 1951, with a number of legislators opposing the law as "unfair to children"

The problem continues in some places in Oregon. While the spotlight often focuses on the South, the rural areas of Oregon retain its racial divides. Portland, the progressive city that folks point to as modern, upbeat, and environmentally friendly, still has a low percentage of African Americans, and most of these people live in defined districts, areas of the city that have been labeled by color for generations. Only 6.4% of Portland's population is African American. And Bend, Oregon, about a three-hour drive from Portland, is one of the ten cities in the United States with populations over 50,000 with the least population of African Americans at .3%. Folks who visit there notice it is a "very white" city, yet still extol the friendliness of the folks.

There have been pockets of enlightenment and the enlightened, dating back decades. Girls Polytechnic, a technical high school that no longer exists, with the transitions of its once active base  in central Portland. Girls came from all over the city to attend the school.  African American girls (as it was an all-girls school) were on the rally squad, student council offers and figured into school beauty contests, albeit not the more prominent one at Rose Festival. That has changed, and many of the high schools have integrated May courts and representation at major affairs. But it has been a long, hard road for the rank and file of African Americans who continue to face problems related to the state’s past in many areas of Oregon. And Oregon as a whole is considered enlightened with most people cringing with notions of racial prejudice and looking forward, not behind, when it comes to the advancement of minorities.

Those government officials and humanitarian groups often focus on the South and sections of the Midwest for racial imbalance, but Oregon is one of those areas in need of education and communication on matters of race. It may be green on the outside, but it has conservative areas and its redness in the areas of race continue to haunt a state known for its enlightenment and yet a place that has had its own struggles with race in America.

 

Top eco-friendly cities of 2012 present going green as good idea

Sophie Banat — The term ‘environmentally friendly’ is used to describe laws, goods, services, and policies that inflict minimal damage (or no damage at all) on the environment.  Many cities are trying to assume responsibility for going green and being eco-friendly.  Let's examine some of them.

[caption id="attachment_17108" align="alignright" width="300"] Rose Test Garden of Portland, Oregon[/caption]

Companies all over the world label themselves environmentally friendly, or eco-friendly, in order to advertise the way they make their products and dispose of their waste. Many more invest millions of pounds in their workers, installing a renewable mindset and encouraging them to stay eco-friendly outside of the work place.

Eco-friendly living has also been adopted by hundreds of cities, and governments are trying to implement radical changes in order to ensure sustainable living. Eco-friendly cities are designed to benefit the environment as well as reduce the damage of pollutants, and although there is no set definition of an eco-friendly city, many populous areas across the globe claim to be meeting the needs of the present without sacrificing the environment of future generations. Here are some of the most eco-friendly cities of 2012.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Thanks to progress made by Iceland’s capital city over the last ten years, it’s truer than ever that eco-friendly cities can contribute to the environment. Not only has Reykjavik  has hydrogen busses on its roads for quite some time, but the city’s entire heat and electricity supply come from renewable hydropower and geothermal sources. Furthermore, the country aims for Reykavik to become completely fossil-fuel-free by 2050, paving the way for the cleanest city in Europe!

Portland, Oregon

Portland’s approach to urban planning has certainly earned the city a place on the top eco-friendly list. Not only is it the first city in the United States of America to actually go through with a plan to reduce CO₂ pollution, but it has also implemented a number of green building schemes. For example, the city has one of the most advanced bus, rail, and bike systems in the world, helping to keep cars off the streets and thus reducing pollution. Furthermore, Portland has over 74 miles of running, biking, and hiking trails.

Curitiba, Brazil

From municipal parks to flocks of lawn-eating sheep, the city of Curitiba has been hailed as one of the most independent and specialist combined heat and power cities in South America. Not only has it become a model for many other metropolises, but over three quarters of its population rely on public transport! The city also boasts around 600 square feet of green space per inhabitant, and according to a recent survey, over 90 per cent of Curitibans are very happy with their city.

Vancouver, Canada

Situated between beautiful mountains and sea, the city of Vancouver has been a historic home for nature lovers for many years. It’s made dramatic progress since becoming an eco-friendly town, and it now draws 99 per cent of its power from clean, renewable energy sources. Furthermore, Vancouver has also made plans for huge wind farms, wave, and tidal energy systems to boost the city’s renewable power line. Over 200 hundred parks litter the capital, and there’s also a 100-year renewable living plan in place for its habitants.

Portland has the blues real good

[caption id="attachment_15578" align="alignleft" width="300"] Buddy Moss Green, the type of image of the blues given in the music history of the play[/caption]

It was a balmy evening in Portland, Oregon on Sunday and at the local downtown theater was a performance based on the blues  that made folks want to dance, sing and celebrate, as the crowd was doing tonight.

Portland, Oregon inherited a number of jazz musicians from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. As a result, it now has a solid fan base for jazz. Every summer Portland has a major jazz concert and is known to be one of the best venues for jazz on the West Coast.   That's because that fan base extends to almost everyone who appreciates good music in the authentic way it is performed in New Orleans. That city, of course, birthed many of the blues musicians, and is often the topic of songs that are identified with blues and jazz.

It Ain't Nothin But the Blues played to a packed audience at Portland Center stage Sunday night. This was its final performance in the town. The play looks at the history of the blues from its African roots and continues the thread of discovery through mountain music and those other music forms that are derived from the blues and gospel identified with African-Americans. But the musical.   But the play makes sure that folks recognize the blues as a form of musicthat belongs to everyone. Even so, its heart beats in the black culture of America

A fine cast that included Mississippi Charles Bevel, Eloise laws, Sally Mayes, Sugarray Rayford, Chic Street man, Jennifer Leigh Warren and Trevor Wheetman presented the kind of performance that brought the audience to a standing ovation several times.   Classic favorites included Danger Blues, Black Woman, Child of the Most High King, St. Louis woman, Sweet home Chicago, and Crawling King snake as well as rendition of Good night, Irene in a rocking blues form. Many other songs rounded out the program that gave the audience an opportunity to see some talented performers sing these traditional songs in ways that were thrilling to the audience and blues fans. A standout performance by Jennifer Leigh Warren of Strange Fruit showed serious skill of the vocals in this musical. The rest of the musicians were of the same category of wonderful

So if you're in a town where It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues is offered, waste no time to get a ticket for one of the best performances you will find anywhere, and the joy of listening to your favorite blues songs by some of the best musicians around.

Portland Saturday market a major contribution for summer fun

[caption id="attachment_15463" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="handmade musical instruments"][/caption]

Summer is that special time in many parts of the world where people take advantage of the sunny weather and people out and about to offer open markets and festivals where folks can socialize and look for art and other products often not found in ordinary department stores. So it is with Portland's Saturday market.

Portland Oregon is a town known for its unique ability to allow varying points of view and behaviors in the mix. It is not uncommon fora  protest group to be organized almost anywhere. Bicycles are a popular mode of transportation, with dedicated lanes for bike riding and many places for bikes to be parked. There are even dedicated places for bicycles on the commuter trains, so that people can ride their bikes to the nearest train, hop that and proceed to ride the bicycle after the train is stopped to that special place of work or play.

Portland's Saturday market is a part of that mix of different that makes the town stand out among the rest. The colorful nature and culture of the Saturday market brings people from all over the world to the downtown area to visit the numerous booths that spell fun for everyone.

One of these wonderful booths is that of Silver Moon creations. Randy Haislip makes musical instruments that are unique and beautiful.  He specializes in  making flutes and ethnic instruments in beautiful woods. These are artistic in design and at the same time functional. He tells us that his flutes can be used by almost anyone, even those without musical training. Randy says, "My own my hope is that we will all become more open to expressing our love for each other and the world"

In the same context of unique and special our designs of clothing, done by a woman of mixed heritage who takes her creativity with knits and turn these into masterpieces that people can wear.

[caption id="attachment_15465" align="alignleft" width="221" caption="clothing art"][/caption]

There are many things to discover at the Portland Saturday market  so popular with residents and tourists alike. It's that thing to do in Portland Oregon in the summer that offers the taste of something special folks associate with the town.

Premonitions: An exploration of the 'sixth sense'

Premonition, a painting of Henry Wysenhoff, 1893

Carol Forsloff - Dr. Linda Okerke attended a special academic high school in Natchitoches, Louisiana, for gifted young people. I was her patient at an orthopedic clinic in Portland, Oregon, and saw her for the first time in 2012, a year after leaving Natchitoches, where my husband and I had lived six years. Dr. Okerke and I shared the remark: "What a coincidence," when we discovered we had both lived in Natchitoches, a statement often made in such circumstances. But are there such things as coincidences, or is there some predetermined or mystical planning that brings people together at opportune times?

People speculated after the death of Whitney Houston that she had a premonition of her own death as she spoke of wanting to be with Jesus. TMZ relates the conversations that Houston had with friends in the days before her death. She was said to have made this statement: "You know, he's so cool ... I really want to see that Jesus."

Others, however, maintain that there are no such things as premonitions, only coincidences. An article in the Daily Mail reasons that Whitney Houston took drugs on a regular basis and that the fact she mentioned her love for Jesus and wanting to be with Him was simply something that happened as it would at any other time in the singer's life, considering the regularity of her drug-taking.

Larry Dossey, MD tells us, "I used to believe that we must choose between science and reason on one hand and spirituality on the other, in how we lead our lives. Now I consider this a false choice. We can recover the sense of sacredness, not just in science, but in perhaps every area of life."

For me, I had been anxious about seeing a bone specialist, as the increased pain signaled that perhaps my osteoporosis condition was worsening, and I feared the type of medical treatment that might mean hospitalization or some special medication that would cause me to be unable to do the type of concentrated work in writing and music that I enjoy. I hoped, and literally prayed, for support or solace when I saw a specialist for the first time in Portland.

Having a doctor from the same town from which I had recently moved, and had so loved, immediately quieted my fears, as I recognized that in some fashion I had received that special solace that I seemed to know would come. It is this type of "knowing" that Dr. Dossey maintains is possible and that is a gift that helps us plan ahead and to manage problems that might otherwise have no answer.

Dossey writes, "Most researchers believe premonitions are trying to do us a favor. They are mainly about survival."  He goes on to say that whereas many premonitions are of possible danger, there are also positive ones as well. As he says, "They come in many flavors."

After interviewing many people about their premonitions, Dossey wrote a book entitled "The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing the Future Can Help Shape Our Lives." His scientific work and conclusions are based about anecdotal evidence, something others question.  On the other hand, the possibility of having that special something that comes to us, for whatever reason, in answer to a prayer or a feeling or a belief, folks say can certainly bring comfort and relief in times of crisis.

Red state Louisiana gives Portland the blues

[caption id="attachment_6399" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Blues on the River"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff - It was hot on the river with the sun overhead and the folks swaying to the blues Louisiana style.  If you think New Orleans has  the blues, you might want to wander West and find where that great Southern city has sent its favorite sons.

Portland, Oregon has been jumping and jiving in an annual blues festival that brings thousands of visitors and millions of dollars to the Oregon Food Bank.  This weekend the crowds were brimming over onto streets, boulevards, and city parks from all parts of downtown, but the park along the Willamette River held most of the multitude of fans.

Those fans sure got the blues, as some of Louisiana’s finest musicians merged with Oregon artists to bring a blues concert considered among the biggest and best on the West Coast.

The party started Friday and will continue through the 4^th of July with fireworks and other celebrations spreading out along Portland’s famed river front.  The beauty of the river combined with the colors and flavors of Portland’s own special melting pot have made the occasion something  special for residents and tourists alike.

On nine different stages from Friday July 1 through July 4 the blues will be part of Portland weekend fun with such noteables as Jaceo Parker, Lucinda Williams and Buddy Guy  just some of the name groups in town.

For the Zydeco fans Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band and Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys had them rocking in the aisles and all the way down to the water.

Yes, this City of Roses for sure got the blues  on a weekend of red, white and blue.