WORD: But no cop, DA, or judge will be jailed or even fined over this

Image via Wikipedia

Death for the death penalty

By Leonard Pitts Jr.
. . . Graves' release came after his story appeared in Texas Monthly magazine (www.texasmonthly.com). The article by Pamela Colloff detailed how he was convicted even though no physical evidence tied him to the crime, even though he had no motive to kill six strangers, even though three witnesses testified he was home at the time of the slaughter.

The case against Graves rested entirely upon jailhouse denizens who claimed they'd heard him confess and upon one Robert Carter, who admitted committing the crime, but initially blamed Graves. Carter, executed in 2000, recanted that claim repeatedly, most notably to District Attorney Charles Sebesta the day before Sebesta put him on the stand to testify against Graves. Defense attorneys say Sebesta never shared that exculpatory tidbit with them, even though he was required to do so. . . .

Will Rogers's ghost writes from the present about the GOP takeover

Image via WikipediaKenneth Chapman
Astoria

WORD: our banana republic

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Oregonian Nick Kristof, with his mokita (New Guinean word for the truth that everyone knows but no one admits).

Grandpa, do you know who I am?

Image via WikipediaAn important subject at Salem Public Library:

The Alzheimer’s Network of Oregon presents

Grandpa Do You Know Who I Am?

6 p.m. Wednesday, November 17
Loucks Auditorium, Main Library, Salem

Grandpa Do You Know Who I Am is an HBO Project Alzheimer’s DVD presentation featuring Maria Shriver and focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and the family, especially grandchildren. Following the presentation of this DVD there will be a question and answer session with a panel of children and professionals.

Grandparents, grandchildren, and families are encouraged to attend. This program is presented by the Alzheimer’s Network, a non-profit organization serving those dealing with Alzheimer’s in Benton, Linn, Marion and Polk counties, with sponsorship from the Cedar Village Memory Care Community.

This presentation is free and open to the public. More information about the program and the Alzheimer’s Network is available at 503-364-8100 or 1-866-425-9638 or www.alznet.org.

Probably last chance to tell DEQ to stop climate destabilization at Boardman

Boardman needs to get off coal sooner, not later.

WORD: Our winner-take-all economy is rooted in our winner-take-all politics

Important event in Portland at the end of the month:

Winner-Take-all Politics w/Paul Pierson

1st Unitarian Church, SW 12th and Salmon, Portland OR
November 30, 2010, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Sponsored by Alliance for Democracy - Portland

Winner-Take-All Politics, How Washington Made the Rich Richer - and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class, with co-author Paul Pierson

A groundbreaking work that identifies the real culprit behind one of the greatest economic crimes of our time - the growing inequality of incomes between the vast majority of Americans and the richest of the rich.

Paul Pierson and his co-author, Jacob Hacker, demonstrate convincingly that the usual suspects - foreign trade and financial globalization, technological changes in the workplace, increased education at the top - are largely innocent of the charges against them. Instead, they indict an unlikely suspect - American politics. The winner-take-all economy is primarily a result of winner-take-all politics.

Sponsored by Alliance for Democracy, Economic Justice Action Group of the First Unitarian Church and KBOO - Community supported radio

Cost: $5 - 20 sliding scale, no one turned away. More information: David Delk,, Alliance for Democracy. 503.232.5495

From Salem to Harpers

Now that's marketing. The famous "Index" feature in the November 2010 Harper's magazine has this as the first entry:

Date that Tea Party Bookshop of Salem, Oregon, changed its name to Tigress Books: 8/24/10

Alas, Tigress Books has decamped to Monmouth and we're the worse for it. Best wishes to JoAnne there.

Salem: Map the Commons

Do you appreciate local parks and national forests? What about clean drinking water and your public library? Do you find the internet useful? Welcome to the commons. Some things are no one's private property — they belong to all of us. They not only enhance our lives; our very existence depends on them. They are priceless and in need of defending. Oregon Commons, a project of Onward Oregon, is presenting a series of workshops this fall as a step toward our larger goal of strengthening active stewardship of the commons — the gifts of nature and civilization we share across generations. » Confirm your spot at "Mapping the Commons" workshop (no charge) Join us for "Mapping the Commons," a fun and interactive workshop designed to help grow our awareness, our network and our commitment to serving the common good. Together, we'll explore the many facets of the commons and identify opportunities to become more active as its caretakers. This workshop will be at 10:15 a.m. November 13th, at the Main Library in Salem. It's free and open to all, but advance registration is required. » Sign up now for "Mapping the Commons" workshop Onward, The Team at Onward Oregon www.OnwardOregon.org

"Mapping the Commons" workshops will be offered: Saturday, Nov.13th 10:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Salem Main Library Salem Plaza Room 585 Liberty St NE » Sign up now! (no charge)

Mailing Address:
Onward Oregon
P.O. Box 15132
Portland, OR 97293
US

Contact Name: Lenny Dee
Telephone Number: (503) 609-0340

Getting into this Chicken Outfit

Image via WikipediaGreat roundup of notes from Barbara Palermo, spark plug of the "Chickens in the Yard" (CITY) group:

Habitat for Hens:

A family has been chosen to be the recipient of our first Habitat for Hens event! The family consists of a grandma, grandpa, daughter and son-in-law, along with six kids (most of whom are adopted), and two part-time foster children. They live near the fairgrounds in a home with a large backyard, garden area, and a perfect place for a chicken coop. Some of the adopted children come from very troubled homes and I
believe they would benefit from "chicken therapy." I am very excited to help get this family started raising chickens and I hope you can help.

Jon Henderson, owner of the Old Mill Feed & Garden Store in Dallas, has kindly offered to donate an adorable ready-made chicken coop for this family. We will need to assemble it, attach a nest box, and build a sturdy, predator-proof chicken run surrounding it. We plan to do this, with the help of volunteers, on a non-rainy Saturday or Sunday as soon as possible. Potential dates are October 30 or November 6, 7, 14, 20, or 21. The date will be totally dependent upon the weather, so we may
not be able to give you a lot of notice.

If you are able to help, here's what we could use:

People to help carry things, hold things, hammer things, fasten things (please bring shovels, staple guns, hammers, cordless screw gun, if you have them).

Materials needed: 2x4 lumber, 4x4 lumber (at least 6' long), hardware cloth, bags of cement, 3" screws, joist hangers, bricks or pavers, straw, pine shavings, waterer, feeder.

If you can donate materials and/or labor please contact Kristi at kristineznanski@gmail.com and let
her know what you have to offer as soon as possible. THANK YOU!

Chicken-Raising 101 Class:

There are a few seats left for our first chicken-raising class scheduled for Saturday, November 13 at the West Salem Public Library. Even if you've raised chickens before, you might be surprised by what you can learn. Class is from 9:00 – 11:00 am, and will be immediately followed by a visit to a backyard coop, also in West Salem.
Participants will need to pay $5 at the door (kids under 13 are free) with cash or check. For a list of topics covered and further details, go to http://www.chicken-revolution.com and click on the Events page.

Chicken Coop Tour:

Just as they do in Seattle, Portland, Austin, Madison, and Las Vegas. . . Salem residents will be able to show off their backyard chicken coops in our first annual coop tour! The self-guided tour is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, June 19, 2011. If you are interested in having your coop included on the tour, contact Shannon at 88corndog@comcast.net. Also, if you own a business and are interested in selling the coop tour booklets on our behalf and/or advertising in the booklets to help offset the cost of printing, please let Shannon know that as well.

The bosses of LOVESalem HQ take a breather

When the temps drop, they remember how nice a friend is.

They hired us to cater to their every need 10 months ago; we auditioned at Salem Friends of Felines and apparently passed muster -- Simon (the black one) took one look at the Mrs. and knew he had found a real sucker --- I mean, sweetheart. Gus was (and remains) quieter; he came up to me quietly and jumped in my lap, settled down, and began purring, letting me know he had picked me. Both were older cats and, therefore, were less likely to be adopted.

The Mrs. was at SFOF recently dropping off a donation, and she said she had to avert her eyes because they are overrun with unwanted cats and kittens, and are bursting at the seams. :^(

If you need more love in your life, go see them. But you can't have these guys, they're taken.