After a long hiatus, Oregon Street Talk is now This Sheltered Life.

With somewhat different focus and purposes, Oregon Street Talk is now This Sheltered Life .

http://thisshelteredlife.wordpress.com/ 

* The past entries of Oregon Street Talk will be preserved here for the foreseeable future.

Coldest winter since 1978?

This article was originally written for Street Roots.

Nice, warmer autumn; extreme winter:
Oregon meteorologists look to oscillating, often unpredictable, weather pattern

By Sarah Morrigan

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 24 – Four prominent Oregon weather experts presented their predictions for this fall and winter weathers in the annual “What Will Winter Be Like” event this morning at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Southeast Portland.

Good news: The meteorologists believe that it will be warmer November and December, with below-average precipitations.

Bad news: They predict heavy snows and a very cold winter, starting late December through March.

The presenters, representing local meteorological and climatological agencies, agreed that the shifting patterns in oceanic temperatures lead to a “neutral” year with somewhat La Niña-like conditions at times. Using statistics from “analog, or surrogate, years,” in which the patterns of oceanic temperature changes, observed weathers and sunspot counts are similar to the upcoming season, they concluded that this year’s climates in Portland area will resemble those in 1955, 1974, 1985 and 1989.

“I don’t expect a constant theme, but rather a roller-coaster ride of oscillating weather,” said Pete Parsons of Oregon Department of Agriculture. “In January, it will be either extremely mild or extremely cold; it may even be like 1930, when the Columbia River froze over.” Parsons likened 2008 also to 1978, calling for a 30 to 50 percent possibility of a major arctic outbreak. It is defined as an episode of more than seven days of continuous below-freezing temperature. To dramatize this point, Parsons showed a mock tabloid front page screaming: “Coldest winter since 1978!”

Former Oregon State University meteorologist George Taylor pointed out that in December 1955 there was a major flood in Portland under a climatic pattern similar to this year. According to his analysis of Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Taylor believes that there will be a considerable cooling in global atmosphere during the coming 15 or more years. “Though urban effects are reducing snowfalls in Portland, but it’s not necessarily so in Corvallis or rural areas in this region,” said Taylor, also calling this winter a neutral one. “It’s very tough predicting La Niña or El Niño, meteorologists may as well get away with tossing a coin.”

Sidebar: Winter emergency shelters in Portland
Between Nov. 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008, the City of Portland contracted with the American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter to open three emergency warming centers (EWC) during extreme winter conditions. EWC were activated when it was below 35 degrees and there was snow or sleet, or over an inch of rain in a 12-hour period; or in a dry weather, when it was below 25 degrees. “City and the Chapter are still working on an agreement to cover the EWC for the coming winter, so specific details are not yet available,” according to the Red Cross. It is also reviewing the EWC activation requirements. EWC opened for 11 nights as early as Nov. 30 and until March 27.

Does Bill Sizemore help reduce homelessness and create affordable housing?

Yes, if the Ballot Measure 63 passes.

Oregon Ballot Measure 63 (IRR 21) is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Oregon. It allows homeowners to make improvements costing less than $35,000 to their home/real estate without first obtaining a building permit.
Specific provisions

The exemption would apply for changes to existing residential or farm structures and for building new farm structures that will not be lived in by people.
Changes would not be exempt if the total value of changes in a year to a given structure exceeded $35,000.
The addition of a story to an existing residential structure would not be exempt from building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical permit requirements.
Measure 63 would not allow an addition that violates uniformly applied requirements for property line setbacks or that violates regulations establishing reasonable, uniformly applied limitations on the height of a building.
Electrical wiring work would not be exempt unless performed or inspected by a licensed electrical contractor.
A property owner could not accept an offer-to-purchase the property without giving the purchaser a detailed description of changes made to the property.

Rents are already high in Oregon, often beyond the reach of low-income and working-class Oregonians. Many are now forced to choose between paying the rent and paying for gas and food. Numerous government red tapes, zoning regulations and building codes work to reduce the availability of affordable housing. When landlords are required to obtain expensive inspection and permit every time when they need to fix their apartments or rental houses those costs are naturally passed down to tenants.

Opponents of the M63 cite concerns about homebuyers; pre-transfer inspection is done exactly for that reason. With or without the permits M63 are about to eliminate, houses will still be inspected when they are sold to new owners.

Measure 63 will let property owners upgrade and improve their own homes while helping lower the skyrocketing cost of housing.

That is much more humane than forcing more people onto freeway underpass, bridges, doorways and sidewalks.

Vote yes on Measure 63 if you care about freedom and human rights.

For the sake of fairness: Opposing views here: http://causaoregon.blogspot.com/2008/10/no-on-measures-58-60-and-64.html

Vote YES on Measure 58

Oregon Ballot Measure 58 (IRR 19) is a citizen initiative sponsored by Bill Sizemore that will appear on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Oregon. The goal of the initiative is to create a new Oregon state statute (not a constitutional amendment) to require "English immersion" in Oregon's public schools.

Specific provisions

The measure would limit the use of foreign language instruction in public schools to:
1 year for students in kindergarten to 4th grade.
1.5 years for 5th grade through 8th grade.
2 years for high school students.
It would also prohibit ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching programs for longer than the mandated time.

This is a pro-immigrant, multicultural ethnic unity measure!!

1. This is not a racist proposal. Those who play the "racist" defense on this are mistaken. Being mostly Spanish speakers, they fail to acknowledge the painful truth that even Spanish is a language of their European colonizers. Why not refusing to speak Spanish, while they are at it? Why not make the kids speak Mayan, or Aztec, or Olmecan, or any number of indigenous languages instead? For that matter, is it fair to non-Spanish-speaking immigrants when the bulk of public school resources are put to create Spanish-medium programs when there are also immigrants who only speak Laotian, Hmong, Korean, kiSwahili, isiXhosa, etc. and there is really nothing for them? I am all for making Spanish an official language of Oregon (whether as a co-equal official language or a secondary official language), but until that is done through a constitutional amendment, let's be fair to all immigrants.

2. This is not about freedom of speech or academic freedom. Rather, this is about using wisely limited state funds on public schools that receive quite a lot of state tax revenues. Foreign language education will still be permitted at all private and parochial schools throughout Oregon.

3. This is about American unity among all ethnicities, and about desegregating our schools. In the 1980s Singapore instituted a mandatory English-medium public education for all children even though a minority of them spoke any English at all at home. In so doing Singapore eliminated its ethnically segregated schools (those for Chinese-speakers, Malay-speakers, Tamil-speakers, and so on) and fostered national unity and social harmony. A positive by-product of this scheme was to elevate Singapore into a world-class cosmopolis in which everyone under the 30s now speak good English and be an active part in global commerce and international academics, as English is the de facto language of the world today. In fact, even North Koreans today acknowledge this reality (in the documentary "Crossing the Line" the head of the engineering department at the Kim Il Sung University concedes, "90 percent of all literatures available on the topic of electronics is written in English; thus it's important to study English if we were to stay on top of the latest technological development.") and thus English is taught in their schools and colleges.

4. This is about upholding America's promise and American dream while educating world-class citizens. When I see an immigrant parent speaking to his or her U.S.-born, U.S. citizen children in a foreign language, I must wonder if that should constitute a form of child abuse. After all, the parents are depriving their children of being able to compete in America on an equal footing with other, English-speaking, American children. Unless they are planning on returning to their home countries in a year or so, in which case they should not be using public school systems, they ought to be required to speak English at home and at school.


Vote Yes on Measure 58. Children deserve better than ghettoized classrooms and dumbed down curriculum. Children deserve a school that is not divided along ethnic or linguistic line. Bill Sizemore may be a "racketeer" but this time he's right on this issue.


For the sake of fairness: Opposing views here: http://causaoregon.blogspot.com/2008/10/no-on-measures-58-60-and-64.html

a change is in the air

The Oregon Street Talk will soon re-emerge from a hiatus, and it will be all new. Stay tuned.

Oregon Street Talk on indefinite hiatus

I know I haven't been posting here a lot lately.

Like many others I've lost the steam which everyone seems to have had back in the heady days of mass protests. I am moving on and trying to do some other things, including dealing with some serious personal issues.

My political views have undergone some shifts over recent months, largely informed by my own life experiences and the realities on the streets.

I feel that it is more worthwhile to actually do something than unleashing my venom here on Oregon Street Talk.

In the mean time see http://streetroots.wordpress.com and http://causaoregon.blogspot.com for contents similar to OST.

Also: no more war on TriMet for now. I've ditched TriMet in favor of bicycling. I suggest others to do the same, at least it will minimize your spending on shorter-haul trips. (Well, I'm realistic: I'm not going to ride my bike from Troutdale to Forest Grove.)

beautiful, peaceful borders...

Visualize serenity.

Impending immigration raid in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: acpollack2@juno.com <acpollack2@juno.com>
Date: 2008/8/22
Subject: [isn] day of/after protests if Hattiesburg raid occurs?
To: solidaritymira@bellsouth.net
Cc: nnirr@nnirr.org, agarcia@nnirr.org


I just saw the press release below, and had earlier seen a warning from Bill Quigley (without any details available at that point) about a possible Hattiesburg raid.
I think folks around the country are still mad enough and conscious enough after the Postville raid to be ready for a coordinated national response to this one, perhaps including (but not limited to):
1) A phone/fax/email campaign now to ICE and the media demanding no raid at Hattiesburg;
2) Plans for immediate day of and/or after a raid pickets at ICE offices all around the country;
3) Plans for continual protests after that (round the clock vigils at ICE offices?) until all Hattiesburg detainess are released (and the mothers in Postville under house detention are freed?)
In solidarity,
Andy Pollack
Brooklyn, NY

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights <agarcia@nnirr.org>
Date: Fri, Aug 22, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Subject: For Immediate Release: ICE Preparing Ominous Raid in Mississippi



You're receiving this email because of your relationship with National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights. Please confirm your continued interest in receiving email from us.

You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 22, 2008

TO: Editor/News Director


Contact:
Patricia Ice-office 601-354-9355
Bill Chandler-office 601-968-5182

JACKSON, MS - A series of preparations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Gulf Coast has local advocates on edge about the possibility of yet another worksite raid, and yet another devastating blow to businesses, families and communities in the name of immigration enforcement.

"The preparations we are seeing ICE make are alarmingly similar to what occurred immediately prior to the raid on the Agriprocessors, Inc. Kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, a few months ago, " said Patricia Ice, an immigration attorney and spokesperson for MIRA. ICE has reportedly booked dozens of rooms in hotels on the Gulf Coast. They may be checking in as early as tonight.

Perhaps even more worrisome are the reports that the federal court in Hattiesburg is being readied for a response similar to the response to the raid in Postville, when nearly 400 plant workers were arrested on trumped up identity theft charges, and slammed through criminal prosecution and judicial removal (being forced to waive all their criminal defense and immigration claims) within just days of the raid.

"What happened in Postville was an absolute travesty of justice that must never happen again," said Ms. Ice. "ICE must assure that any future enforcement actions are conducted in a humane manner and that detainees are permitted their constitutional rights to due process and to legal counsel."

With all the signs pointing to an impending raid, Ms Ice, other staff and local leaders are working quickly to identify possible targets, educate workers and assemble a team of attorneys to offset the burden on public defenders and provide immigration advice.

The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA) is a membership-based alliance which guarantees the human rights of immigrants and all workers in Mississippi.  MIRA works to support immigrants in the exercise of their rights through providing services, organizing, advocacy and public education.

www.yourmira.org

# # #
_____________________________________________________________

For additional stories of abuse and background information on ICE raids and enforcement abuses, please contact the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR).

Please see NNIRR's human rights report, Over-Raided, Under Siege: U.S. Immigration Laws and Enforcement Destroy the Rights of Immigrants, where NNIRR documented over 100 stories of immigration law enforcement abuse and some 200 ICE raids during 2006-2007.

NNIRR's new initiative, Hurricane: the Human Rights Immigrant Community Action Network, continues tracking and reporting human rights violations perpetrated against immigrant and refugee members of our communities, including over 80 ICE raids to date.

Please call:
Arnoldo Garcia, (510) 465-1984 ext. 305 or (510) 928-0685 Cell.
Catherine Tactaquin, (510) 465-1984 ext. 302

Join HURRICANE: The Human Rights Immigrant Community Action Network -- help build community power for justice & human rights!
Unete al HURACAN: la Red de Accion de Comunidades Inmigrantes para los Derechos Humanos -- construyendo el poder de las comunidades por la justicia y los derechos humanos!

Click here for Hurricane/Haga click para info sobre el Huracan:
http://www.nnirr.org/resources/docs/NNIRRHurricaneInitiative2.pdf

Click here to get a copy of Over-Raided, Under Siege, NNIRR's new human rights report! http://www.nnirr.org/resources/docs/UnderSiege_web2.pdf

Haga clic aqui para el resumen ejecutivo del informe en
http://www.nnirr.org/resources/docs/ResumenRedadasDesmedidasOver-RaidedUnderSiege3.pdf

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Red Nacional Pro Derechos Inmigrantes y Refugiados
310 8th Street Suite 303 Oakland, CA 94607 | Tel (610) 465-1984 | Fax (510) 465-1885
www.nnirr.org

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The sweet, tempting trap of advocacy journalism

As someone who once worked as the editor of a small weekly newspaper, and presently as an on-and-off news reporter for Street Roots, I must say that it is a constant challenge to have a fair and balanced news coverage when the publication is understaffed and is on very tight deadlines. It is always tempting to seek resources and information only from those whom one knows and feels familiar with, because it is easy and fast.

In newspaper business, there is no such thing as a fully unbiased newspaper. And there is a place and need in society to have the media outlets that truly advocate for those whose voices are unheard. But that must be done in a way that does not silence the opposing views, in a way that gives a fair and good-faith chance for the "antagonists" to tell their sides of the story, and in a way that allows readers to make a well-informed decision on the matter. This is also a matter of promoting media literacy.

This is why traditionally the media make clear distinctions between news coverage and editorial (unsigned editorials, op-ed, columns, analysis).

We can have a good, solid advocacy in media and still uphold a good journalistic standard. Many newspapers were founded and are operated on certain political or ideological views. For example, the Christian Science Monitor was originally founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1908 as a way to counter the sensationalistic and hostile tones of the newspapers in reporting the Christian Scientists (thus an advocacy for a marginalized religious sect; and even to this day the Monitor stays away from topics such as death and medicine), nevertheless, it has always insisted on journalistic integrity. In fact, the Christian Science Monitor has won several Pulitzer prizes and is among some of the most respected newspapers in the world.

First there was hype, now there is reality

In some ways, starting up a "competition" against a well-established and trusted paper is kind of like being a Ralph Nader, a Bob Barr, or a Ross Perot running against the two major party candidates. Perhaps "winning" is not even the real objectives, but the idea is to inspire the major party candidates to shape their campaigns in such a way that the concerns of these minor-party candidates would be addressed in the major race.

Of course, there is always an accusation that these candidates "steal votes away" from the major candidates. But in reality they are of little consequence to the presidential campaign itself.

If anything goes well, the first "official" roll-out of the Bridgetown Ambassador will be not be until the spring of 2009 at the earliest. I am envisioning several "pre-launch" guerilla issues in the mean time, but such issues would be mostly to drum up readership, build an advertiser base, and to get some hype going.

This is not a war on Street Roots. I repeat. NOT A WAR ON STREET ROOTS.

I hope Israel Bayer is not freaking out (he left a little message on my phone this past weekend). If so, he sure sounds like Barack Obama [or John McCain] freaking out at the specter of Ralph Nader [or Bob Barr, or Ron Paul]. Big fish and small fish.

In any case I'd like to learn a lot more from the workings of Street Roots and its fine organization. And I think Street Roots is a great cause to support and participate.

In reality I'm going through quite a lot in my own life, and with two other big things that I am instigating, the Bridgetown Ambassador will only happen if it will be a team effort, with a good mix of talented, motivated and productive people who are willing and able to work together. I often have a load of "good ideas" and I instigate a few of them, but not very many actually materialize -- hence lies my problem that I must overcome. I can no longer afford to be complacent with being a loser. I can no longer afford to be a failure in life -- indeed, "failure is not an option."

Stay tuned for the Bridgetown Ambassador, but don't let the hype blind you from the reality.