2018-01-18 Eugene Weekly

11.2 MB·English

by  Eugene Weekly

16 January 18, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
Curious about Eugene’s
Oregon Humanities Center
new rain gardens?
2017–18 Kritikos Lecture in the Humanities
[phone] • ohc.uoregon.edu
2017–18
These plant-filled, curbside
swales are part of many
neighborhood construction
projects. They reduce
flooding, filter pollution and
provide wildlife habitat.
You can help keep them
functioning by not disturbing
the plants, and by keeping
“American Identity
pet waste and litter out.
in the Age of Trump”
George Packer is a staff writer for The New Yorker, and author of The Unwinding:
An Inner History of the New America. In Packer’s view, “The Trump Presidency is a
symptom of the fracturing in American society that goes back years and runs deeper
than economics and politics to the meaning of being an American. None of the
currently available narratives of national identity point a way out of our failure. Is
there another way to think of ourselves as Americans?”
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
7:30 p.m. in 182 Lillis Hall
955 E. 13th Ave., UO campus • free and open to the public
Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show
happLyearrinv meorrse .aot rthge
, January 19-21
Eugene Weekly Ad - 1-18-18.pdf 1 1/5/2018E O 9/:3A2A:2/A2 DAAM institution committed to cultural diversity
or go online to
DID YOU
KNOW?
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
The Y is the largest
K
after school childcare
provider in Lane County.
SO MUCH MORE.
Eugene Family YMCA. Serving Eugene since 1887.
Learn more at eugeneymca.org NewYMCA.org
2 January 18, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
NEW NAME • FRESH LOOK
CON30T E.E 11TNH, ETUGSENE
(CLOSE TO CAMPUS) VIDEO
[phone]
GAMES
January 18, - January 25, 2018
1/31/2018
4 Letters
MUSIC
8 News
11 Slant
12 Bravo! MOVIES
18 Calendar
23 Movies BUY • SELL • TRADE
24 Music
27 Theater
28 Sports
28 Classifieds 3 0( 5E4. 11)1 T3H0,2 E-3U0G4E5NE
31 Savage Love
OCT’S THE FLICK
FORMERLY
CD GAME EXCHANGE
SAC PRESENTS Friday, Feb. 2 | 7:30 pm
The LaSells Stewart Center, Corvallis
Fully restored for the Pioneers of
African-American Cinema Collection,
with a remix score by “DJ Spooky” Paul
D. Miller, performed live by Miller with
Mike Gamble, guitar; Dana Reason,
piano; Andrè St. James, bass and Ryan
WHO YOU GONNA BLAME? Biesack, percussion.
Body and Soul: A Film
editorial
by Oscar Micheaux
Editor Camilla Mortensen
Tickets and info:
Arts Editor Bob Keefer
Calendar Editor Meerah Powell Silent film with live ensemble liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/SACpresents
News Reporters Corinne Boyer, Kelly Kenoyer
Senior Staff Writer Rick Levin
Copy editor Emily Dunnan
Contributing Editor Anita Johnson
Contributing Writers Blake Andrews, Ester Barkai, Brett
Campbell, Rachael Carnes, Tony Corcoran, Jerry Diethelm,
Emily Dunnan, Rachel Foster, Mark Harris, Kenny Jacoby,
William Kennedy, Paul Neevel, Kelsey Anne Rankin, Carl
Segerstrom, Ted Taylor, Molly Templeton, David Wagner,
INFORMATIONAL MEETING
Robert Warren
Interns Matthew Denis, Hunter McNie, Kyla Ramsey, Max & SITE VISIT
Thornberry
Art department Sunday, January 21st 3-4:30pm, Eugene
Art Director/Production Manager Todd Cooper Call for directions
Technology/Webmaster James Bateman
Graphic Artists Trask Bedortha, Sarah Decker
Contributing Photographer Paul Neevel
Social Media Athena Delene
advertising
Director of Advertising Rob Weiss
Display Marketing Consultants Carrie Mizejewski,
David Fried EVERGREEN
Classified Manager Cecilia Shipley
NUTRITION
business
Controller Paula Hoemann
Distributors Bob Becker, Pedaler’s Express, James Kalafus, 15-20% OFF*
Trey Longstreth, Mike Goodwin, Quick Draw, Gwen Bailey, Liz
Levin, Janet Peitz
CBD OIL
Printing Signature Graphics
how to reach us by e-mail
(editor): [email protected] PRODUCTS
(letters): [email protected]
(nitpicking): [email protected]
(advertising): [email protected] IN JANUARY
(classifieds): [email protected]
(I saw you): [email protected] Studies show that CBD oil can
(calendar listings): [email protected]
(music/clubs/special shows): [email protected] be helpful for anxiety & stress. January 20 – April 29, 2018
(art/openings/galleries): [email protected]
(performance/theater): [email protected] OPTIONS INCLUDE:
(literary arts/readings): [email protected] Opening Reception | Friday, January 19 | Members, 5–6 p.m. | Public, 6–8 p.m.
• Capsules • Softgels
(movies/film screenings): [email protected]
(EW red boxes): [email protected] • Oral Sprays • Drops
(food): [email protected] Conversations in the Gallery | Saturday, January 20, 2 p.m.
(bizbeat): [email protected] • Topicals • Concentrates
With Keith Achepohl; exhibition curators Jill Hartz and Danielle Knapp; Robert and Desirée Yarber,
For People & For Pets
Eugene Weekly office directors of the Morris Graves Foundation; and Cory Gundlach, Curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania,
1251 LINCOLN ST. EUGENE, OR 97401 NOW FEATURING and the Americas, University of Iowa Museum of Art
541-484-0519 • FAX [phone] GREEN EARTH MEDICINALS
OREGON-GROWN CANNABIS
Keith Achepohl: Vision of Nature/Vessel of Beauty is made possible with the generous support of the Coeta and Donald Barker
EW subscriptions: send name, address and check to *15% OFF CV SCIENCES & NEW GEM CBD ; 20% OFF MB SCALAR CBD Changing Exhibitions Endowment; the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation; the Oregon Arts Commission and the
1251 Lincoln St., Eugene, OR 97401-3418. 1653 Willamette Street National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; Philip and Sandra Piele; Diana Gardener; and JSMA members.
$25/3 mos. $45/6 mos. $85/12 mos. Printed on recycled paper.
Eugene Weekly is published every Thursday by What’s Happening Inc. M-F 9-6 • Sat 10-5 • Sun 11-5
Five free copies maximum per person from newsrack. FREE OFF-STREET PARKING
Postmaster: Send address changes to Eugene Weekly, 541-485-5100
1251 Lincoln St., Eugene, OR 97401-3418. www.evergreennutrition.com
©2016 What’s Happening Inc. All rights reserved.
eugeneweekly.com • January 18, 2018 3
LETTERS
A WARRIOR'S FAREWELL nalistic objectivity, but this lack of con- as dumb as any other fitness gimmick. to do so, and urge you all to acknowledge
I am a chief petitioner for the Freedom text tends to be woefully lacking across “Not to be a stickler,” he writes, buttress- that what some recognize as flaws can ac-
from Aerial Herbicide Spraying Bill of the board in recent reports on white su- ing himself in a caveat, “rebound exercise tually be occasions to grow and learn as a
Rights. premacy in America. Folks who take care is at best aerobically mild.” community.
I am coming to the end of the activist’s to consider history and study society and The article’s last column of text is al- Rebecca Snowdale
path, trod by our beloved Audrey Moore political systems see this as a glaring er- most wholly dedicated to quoting Mon- Eugene
(Josephine County) and Jan Wroncy (Tri- ror that could doom humanity to repeat the roe’s blog where Monroe expounds upon
angle Lake). I am dying of cancer after a mistakes of our past. “medical genocide” perpetrated by “in- EAT YOUR ETHICS
long healthy life. I don’t want us to drop the ball on ternational Communists.” Undoubtedly, In 1976, when I was a young “back-to-
This is not a fight any of us chose. We this challenge, because the consequences Levin knows the best way to disabuse the-land” hippie, having just started the
did not put ourselves in harm’s way. The of fascism are too widespread. someone’s authority is by appending it to Newport Farmers’ Market, if someone had
timber companies came to our homes with For local readers who are interested in the reek of conspiracy. told me that one day you would be able to
their herbicide poisons. developing a deeper understanding of the I can’t imagine the self-satisfied plea- buy “organic” food at Safeway, I would
My friends, neighbors, colleagues and social and historical context of how fas- sure Levin felt printing those quotes. have laughed.
co-conspirators, I am so sorry to be leaving cism is developing, a “Nature of Fascism” Bryce Jones But some 40 years later, not only is
you so soon. class is hosted every Saturday at 2 pm at Eugene there “organic” food at Safeway but at
Timber Guys: Examine your con- the Growers Market. Walmart and Costco, which are putting the
sciences. You cannot say you didn’t know Candice King FORBIDDEN FRUIT small farmers who started and nurtured the
or were just following orders after 40 years Communist Labor Party of Eugene There’s a female ginkgo biloba just out- movement out of business.
of widespread harm. side of Villard Hall at the University of Or- When Big Ag saw the premium prices
Lynn Bowers LEVIN IS WRONG egon that is posted to be removed Jan. 15. that “organic” products were getting, they
Eugene Rick Levin’s cover story on Troy Mon- It’s proposed to be replaced with a male jumped on the bandwagon, bastardizing
roe — the “rebounder” on the corner of ginkgo, but in an attempt to spare the ex- organic practices to fit their economies
LOCAL FASCISM Coburg — in the Jan. 4 issue of Eugene isting tree, I’d like to bring to attention that of scale. Is this a good thing for consum-
It appears that our little city has gar- Weekly treated its subject with condescen- the inconveniences of the “mess” produced ers? Does cheaper organic produce from
nered international attention once again. sion and cruelty. by the fruits of the female do not outweigh Mexico have the same quality and care for
Sadly, Eugene’s most recent notoriety is Before Levin has introduced Monroe the benefits the tree provides. the environment that local organic can pro-
related to our long-time problem of bold into the article, ostensibly written to pro- Not only does the existing tree provide vide? Is Earthbound organic lettuce mix,
and outspoken white supremacists and mote Monroe’s fledgling career as a fit- canopy, add substance to the arboretum grown in greenhouse factories and packed
their newfound momentum for all things ness coach and nutrition adviser, Levin and attract wildlife, but the nuts of the in plastic boxes with gas to extend its shelf
“fasci.” establishes his authorial disposition as one ginkgo biloba have been well known for life, as nutritious? And what kind of carbon
The UK Daily Mail released a NYE re- of smug patronage. Monroe’s profile is centuries to possess a plethora of scientifi- footprint does that have compared to a bag
port that, while hyperbolic, described an presaged for three paragraphs by Levin’s cally-proven medicinal uses. of locally grown lettuce mix?
atmosphere of escalating activity, recruit- facetious accounts of humankind’s striv- The fruit’s scent is somewhat unpleas- For the past five years my farm, Phoe-
ment and hate crimes from area Nazis. ing for “sexy immortality” through diets, ant, but removing a well-established tree nix Farm Enterprises, Inc., has had a great
While most online readers know the Daily cosmetics and “plastic surgery disasters,” just because the fruits don’t smell great partnership with Ninkasi Brewing. Ninka-
Mail is a garbage rag, locals count The Or- wherein the disastee looks like a “shrink- doesn’t seem fair, and in fact appears to si pays half of their employees' CSA share
egonian as a legitimate news service. wrapped cadaver.” contradict the Campus Tree Plan. Further- as a health benefit. This is a win-win-win
Neither story was a “New York Time- Levin ends this digressive preface by more, the Ginkgo fruits are only produced for Ninkasi, their employees and Phoenix
sian” level puff piece, but they did provide ditching his bloviated standard English to for two months out of the year. Farm.
another platform for white supremacist say “[Y]’all can stop scouring the ends of Surely the genetic diversity of an arbo- Just imagine what it would do for the
ideas; both reports eagerly contextualized the earth. The Fountain of Youth is within retum with a mated pair of living fossils local farm community if Symantec, the
the Nazis' re-energized activity in the cur- us!” This parodic tone disadvantages Mon- is better than one containing solely males. city of Eugene or EWEB offered their em-
rent political climate. roe to the reader’s credulity by biasing the By removing this tree, the UO community ployees the same benefit?
Yet, they failed (miserably) to contex- very topic of discussion as humorously in- would miss out on a great opportunity to It is time for conscientious consumers
tualize the confluence of those factors in admissible. educate and inspire students, faculty and to “put your money where your mouth is”
the history and characteristics of fascism, In his arrogance, Levin believes being visitors who might not realize how valuable and eat your ethics.
a system for which white supremacists are a journalist grants him dialectic say-so; in these extraordinary female trees can be. Angela Andre, farm director
gleefully wielding a torch. this instance Levin’s impartation of a deep- I encourage anyone with the power to Phoenix Farm Enterprises, Inc.
Perhaps it is a consequence of jour- er truth is that jumping on a trampoline is revoke the removal of this fine specimen Springfield
annualĐ Every dollar donated to ShelterBox USA during the Show will be�
matched up to $10,000 by Show Management. Make your donation�
at the Eugene Delta Rotary exhibit with the actual emergency aid�
supplies & tent delivered to families worldwide who have lost everything�
during natural disasters and humanitarian crises. ShelterBoxUSA.org�
Clear Clutter. Flip Flops. Top Yard Sale Secrets.Đ
January�19-21� PRIZES & Book Signings FollowĐ
Feed the Painted LadiesĐ
$5 EntryĐ
“Backyard Nest”Đ
DIY Kit or FinishedĐ
International Homes of CedarĐ
4 January 18, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
Congratulations, MaryAnn!
BEFORE AFTER
UNDERMINED EFFORTS BOUNCING TRASMISSIONS
Can I wonder who is really behind the at- Re: Troy Monroe in “On the Rebound”
tack against Cylvia Hayes and her goals for (EW, 1/4): Is that do-rag covering a foil
clean energy and protecting the ocean? How hat? Just curious. Thnx. PeaceHealth patient, MaryAnn, is on the path
frustrating to be so close to the governor and Richard Leach
to a brighter future after weight loss surgery.
the center-of-state efforts on climate change Coburg
and see only the opposite legislation!
We now have solar credits eliminated, tax WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?
on bikes, no transit improvements, increased More than 13,000 Lane County resi-
emissions, high-emission VWs still on the dents have signed petitions in support of
Love your
road and another biomass plant proposed! a ban on the aerial spraying of herbicides.
Ruth Duemler The signatures were turned in after two
Eugene years of hard work.
What could have been a simpler pro-
BELIEF AND BEHAVIOR cess enacting a common-sense law to pro-
new life
As a nation of religious freedom, Chris- tect real people was made difficult by the
tian sects in America may teach discrimi- “corporate people” who have the money
nation, and followers like former Gresham and resources to obstruct the democratic
bakery owners Melissa and Aaron Klein may initiative process that serves Oregonians
harbor belief in those teachings. Nonethe- so well. They continue to obstruct.
less, laws can prohibit hurtful actions regard- Rural families and organic farmers have
less of individual biblical interpretation. been victimized for decades. The health is- Losing weight can help you move well,
The Kleins did not violate the law be- sues suffered due to exposure from toxic
cause they believe that same-sex marriage drift, along with threats to the livelihood breathe easier and reverse some health
violates their religious beliefs, or by saying of those who grow our food, solely for the
homosexuality is an “abomination.” They convenience of the timber industry, is un- conditions. What’s not to love?
violated the law because their business just.
refused to sell a wedding cake. The people prevailed, and submitted
There are many actions that we no lon- signatures that were verified. Now timber  Weight loss surgery
ger sanction. Followers of Christian sects in industry advocates Stan Long and Dennis
our historical past hanged Quakers, burned Miller have again taken steps to keep the  Nutrition counseling
Pagans, banned Catholics from public office initiative off the May ballot.
 Accredited for national surgical quality
and evicted Mormons from state boundar- If the system keeps the people from
ies. Some used bible interpretations to justify qualifying the initiative to protect their
owning humans, barring medical treatment health, safety and welfare over the inter-
from certain races and allowing the rape of ests of the timber power brokers, then we
wives. the citizens of Lane County demand that
Actions matter, and we no longer toler- the Board of County Commissioners put
ate religious interpretation to justify harm- the Freedom from Aerial Spraying of Her- peacehealth.org/weight-oregon
ful actions, including businesses refusing bicides Bill of Rights and the companion
service to our neighbors. initiative for Right of Local Community
The USA is as James Madison wrote Self-Government (which also had qualify-
in 1785, “an Asylum to the persecuted and ing signatures submitted) on the ballot for
oppressed of every Nation and Religion.” our vote.
The Kleins may believe what they want, With elections in May 2018, it is time
and generally say what they like, but they for the County Commissioners to show us
must control their actions or risk violating whether they represent the people or the
our sectarian laws. monied timber industry.
Thanks be to the Gods. Bernadette Bourassa
Ed Gerdes Eugene
Eugene
eugeneweekly.com • January 18, 2018 5
VIEWPOINT
BY BOB WARREN

They Saved Our Butts
A GENERATION AGO, ACTIVISTS PROTECTED LANE COUNTY FROM A PROPOSED NUCLEAR PLANT
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
O
n May 18, 1970, the Eugene Water and where in Lane County.” By the late ’60s, even public EFPC decided in late 1969 to put a measure on the
Electric Board (EWEB) ran an ad in The power companies like EWEB had become infected ballot. However, rather than calling for an outright
Register-Guard. The ad read, in all caps, with the nuclear power virus by the Bonneville Power ban, they opted for a more moderate ballot measure
bold print: “EWEB IS ON THE COAST Administration (BPA). calling for a four-year moratorium, in the hope that in
TO STAY. VOTE NO ON MEASURE BPA was predicting a huge surge in demand for four years EWEB would come to its senses. And they
52. SAVE YOUR NUCLEAR PLANT.” The ad also power that could only be met, they asserted, with the adopted the slogan “We Can Wait. We Should Wait.”
touted nuclear as “the safest of all industries.” nuclear option. BPA proposed 20 nuclear power plants EFPC miraculously gathered the required 4,528
Twelve miles north of Florence, Big Creek meets to be constructed by the end of the 1970s in the North- signatures in time to put a measure on the May 1970
the sea. It’s the first of two lovely small concrete arch west. ballot.
bridges, designed by Conde B. McCullough in the The original proposal was to build the plant on EWEB fought back hard and created Citizens for
1930s. There’s a turnout just north of the bridge where farmland north of Eugene. The farmers, in a classic the Orderly Development of Electricity (CODE) to op-
you will find a sign indicating the land is public and outpouring of NIMBYism, were OK with nuclear pose the EFPC ballot measure and to promote nuclear
owned by Oregon state parks for you and me. power, just not there. So EWEB decided to build the energy. CODE assured Eugene voters there would be
Chances are you are the only person there. Except plant on the Oregon coast, eventually settling on Big “zero release of radiation” and the plant would create
for the cars driving by on the highway, it’s quiet here, Creek, where no one lived, so there would be little “desperately needed electricity and jobs,” and a four-
compared to what it almost was. local opposition. year delay would cost ratepayers millions of dollars as
As you wander you might spot Roosevelt elk in With EWEB’s primary argument for the nuke pred- well as cause electric brownouts.
the forest, salmon or steelhead in the creek, harlequin icated on a huge surge in demand for power in the Wil- EFPC fought the way grassroots groups always
ducks in the outlet or a small reddish butterfly flutter- lamette Valley, EWEB worked to hedge its bet. They fight, with community meetings, letters to the edi-
ing about the salt spray meadow. In 1980, this was the started paying residents to install baseboard electric tor, door-to-door canvassing and organizing. With the
only known viable population of the federally endan- heating in their homes and created Eugene’s first orga- original bond vote to finance the nuke winning with
gered Oregon silverspot butterfly. nized effort to “recruit” industrial power users. 85 percent of the vote, EWEB did not expect Measure
Think about this. Were it not for a small group EWEB also funded a lecture program in Eugene 52 to win.
of thoughtful, committed Eugene citizens stepping schools called “This Atomic World” and joined the However, sometimes miracles do happen. On May
forward and making themselves heard, it would not Atomic Industrial Forum, the nuclear industry’s na- 26, 1970, Measure 52 passed by a slim margin of 850
be like this today. Were it not for the Eugene Future tional trade association. votes out of over 21,000 votes cast. EWEB would have
Power Committee, you would likely be looking at the What EWEB did not tell Eugene residents was that to wait four years before fulfilling its nuclear dreams.
remains of a decommissioned nuclear power plant. the power from the nuke would not go to Eugene at all. Shortly before the four-year moratorium was to
Everything you see here now would be gone. It would go into the BPA grid, and much of its power expire in 1974, EWEB cancelled plans for the nuke.
In 1968, voters in Eugene, with 85 percent support, would go to aluminum plants on the Columbia River. The excessive-demand predictions were proving to be
passed a ballot measure allowing EWEB to borrow After the 1968 vote, questions began to emerge bogus, while cost and safety issues had grown around
$225 million to build a nuclear power plant “some- about the cost and safety of nuclear power. In July nuclear power. The public had become skeptical about
1969, the City Council had a public meeting with that “atomic world” EWEB had promoted in the local
EWEB to discuss whether EWEB should hold a public schools. And energy conservation was proving itself
hearing on the nuke. Citizens at the meeting were not a safer and more cost effective tool for managing de-
allowed to speak, and EWEB announced it would not mand.
hold a public hearing. By 1974, EWEB officials had come to realize build-
A small group of people walked out of the meet- ing that nuke would have been a huge mistake. At the
ing, determined to be heard. In the hallway outside, 16 time, I don’t believe they could even imagine how big
people signed a notebook creating the Eugene Future of a mistake it would have been. Hundreds of millions
Power Committee (EFPC). over budget to build it, hundreds of millions to keep
A day later EWEB changed its mind and scheduled it operational until it would eventually be decommis-
a public meeting. Too late. EWEB’s continuing arro- sioned, and hundreds of millions more to tear it down.
gance had created a group that, in the end, would win And then what to do with the radioactive waste? It
the battle and stop EWEB’s nuclear dreams, and in the is possible it could have bankrupted EWEB with Eu-
process, change EWEB forever while also saving Big gene taxpayers picking up the tab. And today, instead
Creek from nuclear Armageddon. of rare butterflies, threatened Chinook salmon and elk,
EFPC was led by Jane Novick, Chris Attneve Big Creek might have been left a radioactive industrial
and Joseph Holaday, with former U.S. Congressman junkyard.
Charles Porter as their lawyer. These were just regular EFPC had saved EWEB from making a horrible
folks, small business owners and “housewives,” and mistake, changing EWEB in the process.
they were taking on the pro-nuclear juggernaut of The lesson was not lost on EWEB. In 1974, EWEB
EWEB and the BPA as well as the nuclear power formerly acknowledged it when Keith Parks, the new
industry. general manager, said “they (EFPC) did a great favor
If there ever was a David and Goliath story, this for this community. They saved its butt.”
was it. Parks would usher in a new breed of EWEB man-
According to Daniel Pope in his essay “We Can agement. The days of treating opposing viewpoints
Wait. We Should Wait,” “EWEB’s tactics probably like “dogs” were over.
benefited the antinuclear forces. EWEB had at first Big Creek was saved from EWEB’s nuclear mis-
dismissed the protesters as annoyances and treated take. A decade later, another small group of committed
them with scarcely disguised hostility.” citizens would need to save Big Creek again.
Years later, when asked about EWEB’s response But that’s another story.
to the EFPC, organizer Novick said: “We were treated
Bob Warren retired in 2012 as the regional business development
like dogs. They loathed us with such passion that you
officer for Business Oregon for Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Benton
could see their teeth grinding in their jaws; they were counties. He is currently a member of the board of directors for
livid with rage when they’d see us walk into the room.” McKenzie River Trust.
6 January 18, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
CAPE The Shedd Institute
BY DARREN REILEY

www.theshedd.org - 541.434.7000
Rethinking Our
Schools
EDUCATING GLOBAL CITIZENS
Fri Jan 19
A
s humanity becomes globalized in its economy and information
sharing, and as the number of media messages bombarding our The Carl Woideck Jazz Heritage Project
brains grows each year, it becomes ever more important for in-
dividual citizens to stay sharp and ask hard questions. In 1787, The Latin Side of
Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison, “Above all things
I hope the education of the common people will be attended to; convinced that
Trane, Miles & Monk
on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of
a due degree of liberty.”
The education of everyone is not a privilege bestowed upon the people by
a democratic institution; rather, it is a necessity for a democratic institution.
Billy Boy Arnold
We simply don’t spend enough time in public dialogue about what educa-
RJ Mischo
tion is, or what qualifies as a good education. Sure, we spend a great deal
of time and money evaluating whether a student can solve basic algebra, or Deitra Farr
name the causes and consequences of World War I, and of course, this content Oscar Wilso
is important. Certainly, we need basic standards by which we judge whether
John Primer
someone has actually been educated or not.
Billy Flynn
However, with the takeover by profit-driven standardized testing in recent
years, two issues in education have become painfully clear: 1) no one method & more!
of assessing content knowledge is complete, and 2) we must be diverse in
Mark Hummel’s Sat, Jan 20
deciding what that content is, and who decides it.
Especially given the current mental health crisis in this country, as evi-
Blues Harmonica Blowout
denced by the recent rise in mass shootings and other pervasive violence, basic
coping skills and conflict resolution seem like a high priority, yet there are
almost no content standards for the one subject that literally everyone deals Chicago Blues Celebration
with from cradle to grave: conflict.
Mark Hummel Workshop 2-4 pm Saturday
The education of everyone is not a privilege bestowed
upon the people by a democratic institution; rather, it is
a necessity for a democratic institution.
Real education is not something that can be measured like a long jump or scored
like a soccer match. Real learning doesn’t only happen in a classroom, but in the
world, at home, with friends and in the community. A full education requires not just
knowledge, but wisdom. We need to learn the critical tools for processing informa-
tion relevant to the world, and an understanding of our power to influence it.
I work for an educational program combining conflict resolution and so-
cial-emotional skills with community project design, social justice education
Ladysmith
and a survey of the work of recent Nobel Peace Prize winners. PeaceJam was
Jan 24
developed with the help of the Dalai Lama and 13 other Nobel Laureates to
inspire young people to learn concrete skills through creating real projects
Black Mambazo
in their communities that address global issues at a local level — issues like
understanding racism and poverty and resource conflicts. I have seen firsthand
the way that such an education engages students.
A class working on a water catchment project, for example, will incorpo-
rate geometry, chemistry, algebra, planning and budgeting, and, if the project
is done well, the social and legal context of water rights and access to building
materials. Students’ progress can be assessed — by the actual teacher work-
ing with them — through measures of work ethic, project completion or even
self-assessment.
Jan 25
Granted, this requires flexibility for teachers in conducting their own class-
rooms, and there is no profit in this model for Pearson, the global education
David
testing conglomerate, but there is a great deal of profit for students and for the
society they will certainly be shaping.
Even better, when students have input into creating a project that is mean- Grisman
ingful to them and even fun, addressing a pressing issue, they become engaged
citizens, invested in the workings of their communities. And if education is not Quintet
about preparing and empowering young people to be informed and engaged
citizens, what is it about at all? In the current flood of false information, po-
larizing political identities and thinning budgets, can even a fake democracy
afford not to invest in such an insurance policy?
Darren Reiley is the Coordinator for PeaceJam Northwest ([email protected]) and a
member of the Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE, OregonCAPE.org), a coalition of Tue, Feb 6 (2 shows)
parents, teachers, professors, students and community members who challenge the many assaults
on public education and who believe in a strong public education as the foundation for American Chick Corea Trio
democracy. We meet first, third and fourth Wednesdays at Perugino.
eugeneweekly.com • January 18, 2018 7
Edited by:CM BK
Images: 2 options, on server
Caption:
Photo Credit: University of Oregon (map) or Cilesse Anderson
(interpretive image of restored waterfront)
Web headline: Short and Sums Up the Story
Social media kicker: Twitter length and makes readers want to
click.
BY KELLY KENOYER
KEY
1S0e0tb-faocokt Conservation General Hardscape Development Site
BRaipnakr iLaany Rbeasckto &ration Seasonal Wetlands PRheycrseicaatilo End Fuicealdtion &
Native Planting Bike Path Building Footprint
Neighboring
EWEBPr Mopaesrtteyrplan General Open Space Trail
Lookout
PLeodoeksoturitan/ BFeoascshil UnderpBaikses WILRLIAVMEERTTE
Bike Bridge Lookout
PPC Launch
City’s Proposed
Turnaround Design
MILLRACE TRAIN TRACKS
OUTFALL
NORTH CAMPUS CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT
DRAFT ILLUSTRATIVE CONCEPT 2 10.19.2017
UO PLANNING TO and the train tracks, and synthetic turf fields lit by flood- moved to Eugene partially for the river, and so he opposes
lights near the footbridge. developments close to the sensitive area.
Emily Eng, a senior planner for University of Oregon “I think it should combine, ideally, some academic
EXPAND TOWARD and the project manager for the North Campus Condi- use,” he says, “habitat, and just protecting an environmen-
tional Use Permit Project, says the plan does not guarantee tally sensitive area for the experience of the people who
that these projects will happen. “When you see a building walk, bike or ride along that path. And restoring some of
RIVER footprint here it doesn’t mean that there’s building here, the land to a more natural environment would be great.”
it means that we are asking for permission for that to be a Evans says buildings would ruin the capacity to restore
possibility, so what this is showing is that this is the maxi- the whole area to a more natural environment. “Once you
Controversy dogs the early stages of mum footprint,” she says. “We don’t have any plans for put buildings on it, it’s very hard to take them off,” he says.
that now.” “Nobody is arguing that this is pristine land that’s never
the permitting process for the North
Eng says that the development is “basically extending been touched. The question is can it be restored to some-
Campus project the university campus across Franklin” and says the project thing wonderful.”
would make the area “feel more park-like, I would think.” Eng says she has received general support regarding the
“This green area over here would be restored riparian project. “The community seems excited about facilitating
A
debate is growing around the future of the riv- area by the Willamette,” she says. “We’d lay back the bank active uses in the area and increasing safety,” Eng says.
erfront near the University of Oregon campus: to a more natural slope, get rid of all the invasive plants “Active recreational fields, an improved bike path, and
Keep the land as is, develop it as an extension to replace them with natives; there would be soft walking limited buildings north of the tracks, along with riparian
of the University of Oregon campus, or focus on paths, seating areas for contemplating, resting, and there restoration, are seen as positive.”
environmental and habitat restoration. would be an improved bike path, and there would be out- Eng says the proposal takes environmental concerns
The UO is seeking a conditional use permit from the door recreation.” into account. “If the university found the need to build new
city of Eugene for future developments along the Willa- Hancock, who previously organized against other de- recreational fields, it would explore design measures to ad-
mette River near the Frohnmayer Footbridge. University velopments in the area north of the railroad tracks in 2010 dress the impacts of the fields on the environment and wild
representatives say they plan to send the proposal to the to 2011, isn’t so sure it would feel like a park with these life, such as stormwater treatment, no-infill or alternative
city at the end of January, but numerous stakeholders have developments. He’s concerned about “acres of synthetic infill options if using artificial turf, designing field lights
come forward in opposition to the proposal. fields with the runoff and the volatile emissions with the for minimal light spillage, and limiting the operating hours
Allen Hancock is a Eugene resident concerned about sun striking on it. There’ll be fences to secure who can use for lights,” Eng says.
the project. “This whole area is precious,” he says. “It’s it, so it will be a very harsh environment very close to the She also adds that important habitats — vernal pools
our backyard, and sometimes you don’t realize that your river.” — near the Millrace outfall would be protected under the
backyard is world class. But the Willamette River is really The current fields in that location are often too soggy current plan. A 100- to 200-foot buffer area from the riv-
a world class river.” to use in winter and are a common resting place for geese. erbanks would be restored to native planting, she says,
The UO proposal spans from Franklin Boulevard to “It’s a riparian zone there, so that’s why there’s geese adding that most of the proposed construction is focused
100 or 200 feet from the bank of the river and from the there,” Hancock says. “There’s a grassy field, and geese behind the train tracks, where many university buildings
Frohnmayer Footbridge to UO’s property line with EWEB, love grassy fields.” already exist.
where a bike path from 6th Avenue cuts between two chain Hancock got involved once he realized that proposed “We have limited land, we have limited resources,” and
link fences toward the river. buildings could cut off a more effective bike path linking the university wishes to preserve the campus’s high-quality
The permit plan is a bit vague to allow for future chang- Alder Street to the river park system. “An innovative uni- open spaces, she says.
es to the development, but includes a few buildings near versity will find a place, will find a way, to put the fields
People who wish to comment on the proposal can find more information at cpfm.
the 6th Avenue bike path and near the Frohnmayer Foot- somewhere else.” uoregon.edu/north-campus-conditional-use-permit and can send comments by
bridge, numerous buildings between Franklin Boulevard George Evans, a UO professor of economics, says he email to Emily Eng, [email protected].
8 January 18, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com
NEWS BY MATTHEW DENIS
EUGENE MAN
SUES INTEL
Computer buyer seeks class-action
status in suit over Meltdown and
Spectre flaws
W
hen Eugene’s Wyatt Mann bought a $2,000 statutory damage — protesting that he would not have pur-
Lenovo computer from Best Buy in early chased a computer had he been aware of this problem.
December, he didn’t expect its Intel chip to His suit also seeks class action status for all Intel cus-
open the door to crime. After the holidays, Mann seeks a refund tomers similarly affected.
however, Intel revealed that a chip design “I just want my client indemnified for his right to choose
flaw may allow hackers to access his computer. the best product as a consumer,” Fuller says.
or $200 in damages
No evidence has emerged that cybercriminals have Mann’s case could be consolidated with a similar class
exploited the widely publicized flaws, dubbed Meltdown action suit filed in California.
and Spectre, but consumers are nervous. A software fix from Intel ... protesting Fuller is not looking for a coupon settlement.
released in early January patches the vulnerability but re- “A coupon settlement offers consumers a small dis-
duces performance by up to 30 percent. that he would not have count on the next purchase from the defendant,” Fuller
Mann hired Portland attorney Michael Fuller, who filed says. “This is usually more lucrative for attorneys and es-
a class action complaint in federal court in Eugene on Jan. sentially forces plaintiffs to continue buying from defen-
purchased a computer
4 against Intel. dants. Mann, however, simply wants his ability to choose
The suit claims that Intel Corp. knew about the defect whether or not to purchase Intel products reinstated.”
in November but did not tell consumers until January. Ac- had he been aware of Fuller would not make Mann, about whom he would
cording to media reports, a Google representative said Intel provide no other information, available for comment, say-
knew of it in June. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich sold off a ing an interview could affect the lawsuit.
the problem.
large portion of his company stock in November, before
Eugene Weekly was unable to locate Mann.
the flaw was made public, though Krzanich has claimed
this had nothing to do with defective chips.
Mann seeks a refund or $200 in damages from Intel
— the minimum amount in Oregon that can be filed for
beads
d
f rl
r o
o w
m around t h e
2833 Willamette • [phone]
www.harlequinbeads.com
eugeneweekly.com • January 18, 2018 9
NEWS BY CORINNE BOYER
IDENTITY, POLITICS
AND DISTRUST
Journalist George Packer
examines democracy, education
and the transformation of America
GEORGE PACKER
SPEAKS AT THE
UO JAN. 24.
I
n 2012, journalist George Packer published The Un- How do you think American identity has changed over the Do you think that blind trust will always keep Trump’s
winding: An Inner History of the New America, in few years before the last presidential election to today? base — I know he isn’t polling very well right now, and he
which he documents the stories of Americans in vari- I think that you have to go back further. Trump is a might not have a very high approval rating — but I feel like
ous U.S. regions over the last three decades and the symptom; Trump is a creature of a long transformation that he can still say things like “shithole countries” and people
results of changes in culture, politics and economics. has a lot of causes — there is no single cause. But to gross- will still support him.
Packer describes modern American identity as “tribal." ly oversimplify, the country has gone from being a middle- Yeah, we’re way, way past the point where those hard-
Packer’s talk “American Identity in the Trump Era” is class democracy in the post-war era, where there was, to core supporters would have peeled off. There were so
part of the University of Oregon’s Humanities lecture se- be sure, tremendous inequality and injustice — much more many moments for them to get off the train, and they’re
ries, “We the People.” The lecture is 7:30 pm Wednesday, in some ways than now — but was also economically a still on it and will stay on it, and it’s partly just a kind of
Jan. 24, at 182 Lillis Hall at the UO. fairer place and didn’t have the same dramatic inequalities primal identification with Trump. I don’t think it has any-
In 2003 Packer wrote a story for The New Yorker about a we have today. thing to do with policy. It has to do with his rhetoric and
prosthetist from Brooklyn who wanted to help fit amputee It had a culture that was more of a common middle- almost just the frequency he gives off that seems to join
victims of Sierra Leone’s civil war who’d had their limbs class culture, it had a media that was broadly influential with theirs, and it’s a big “fuck you” to people who they
forcibly amputated by rebels, some using dull machetes. and was rather confined to just a few sources, a few news- think might disdain them.
He says it took a year and half to get the piece published papers, TV news, news magazines. It’s all pretty blindingly
“because in the meantime 9/11 happened and suddenly Si- obvious, but you have to look back at that period and how Do you think this is — just how you described American
erra Leone wasn’t as interesting.” it slowly broke up to understand how we could end up with identity as tribal right now — do you think that has any-
Packer became a staff writer for The New Yorker the a president and a significant minority of Americans who thing to do with a failure of public education in any way?
same year. Since then he has reported from Iraq and, just don’t seem to see the value of the institutions that were part Yes. I don’t want to blame too much on the schools be-
before the 2016 election, he interviewed Hillary Clinton of that middle-class democracy. Institutions ranging from cause the schools are also symptoms, they can only do so
and wrote “Hillary Clinton and the Populist Revolt — The government to media to the legal system to our foreign much, but just to pick one small cause — there was this
Democrats lost the white working class. The Republicans policy — all of that seems to have collapsed but it actually dreary thing called civics that was taught when I was in
exploited it. Can Clinton win it back?” was a long time weakening and destabilizing. school. And no one wanted to take it, and yet it probably
had an effect in teaching us not just about how a bill be-
Will you talk a little bit about what your lecture will be I still am amazed when people I have conversations with came a law, but about what the value of a democracy was.
covering? — especially police officers — look at me strangely when Civics I don’t think is really taught anymore.
I’m going to talk about the background to my last book, I say that I’m a journalist. I think civics is considered dangerous because it quick-
The Unwinding, some of the longer-term trends in Ameri- They don’t trust us, and we don’t trust them. No one ly can become partisan politics in the classroom, so it takes
can life that The Unwinding is about and the meandering trusts anyone, except the blind trust people put in the ce- a certain kind of teacher who can keep the discussion open
path that led us to this new place we’re in. So some of lebrities and the leaders that they’ve chosen as their tribal ended and philosophical and not land on certain hard parti-
the background to the politics of the Trump era, and the head. And once that trust is given, it’s blind: nothing can san positions. But it’s essential because without that, edu-
ways in which the country is becoming — the word I use is shake it. So, sort of the ideal of a citizen in a democracy, cation just prepares us to be consumers, to be careerists,
“tribal” — more balkanized into groups that don’t under- which is someone who thinks for him or herself and pays and there’s a gap in the teaching of American history;
stand each other, that don’t want to understand each other, attention to public life, to contrary views, to facts, and there’s a gap in the teaching of critical thinking.
that are in a perpetual fight and that don’t feel part of the comes to semi-rational conclusions and basically engages
same national fabric. with other people who disagree and engages with institu-
tions. That citizen doesn’t seem to survive very well.
10 January 18, 2018 • eugeneweekly.com