LeLo in Nopo is boycotting OPB's upcoming fundraiser featuring This American Life creator Ira Glass. The reason: OPB is renting out a right-wing church that actively campaigned for Measure 36.
According to John Bell, OPB's Associate Director of Membership, New Hope was the only space available. I really don't buy that one bit. Word is there are plenty of other places available that night. SSsshhh, no one will mind. Well, I do mind, and I won't support it. And do you think Ira Glass would really support that if he knew? (Link)
LeLo's encouraging OPB members to call Glass' people and Chicago Public Broadcasting to express their displeasure with OPB's choice of venue.
My prediction: OPB moves the fundraiser site within a week.
The Merc's all excited about rumors that Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's 12- and 14-year-old kids are at a Scientology summer camp in Oregon. Matt Davis asks "So: Where is this camp? Why didn't we bloody know about it already?"
They've got a whole website dedicated to their summer program, summeratdelphi.org. Though the website claims the camp is "nonsectarian", it's filled with Scientology buzzwords:
The purpose of The Delphian School Summer at Delphi program is to challenge young people in and out of the classroom and help them discover that their potential for success is unlimited.
Do you buy it? Can you believe him? Idaho Senator Larry Craig stepped before a microphone today to proclaim, "I'm not gay. I never have been gay." As to what he was really doing that a male police officer took to be an attempt to solicit sex in an airport bathroom, well, the senator didn't get into that.
Minneapolis police didn't hold their own press conference to discuss the charges; the arrest report will have to suffice. But when Craig's best defense is that he has a "wide stance" in the bathroom, I'm sure you'll want to read the rest of it.
This isn't the first time Craig's faced questions about his sexuality. This past spring, the Idaho Statesman investigated the rumors swirling around the senator. Their story dealt with incidents ranging from Craig's frat boy days to a DC train station bathroom several years ago.
Update... the Washington Post now reports Sen. Craig was on his way back to DC to help block a vote of no-confidence in soon-to-be-former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales when he made his stop-over in the Minneapolis airport.
Stay tuned - this story's not going away anytime soon.
So now the star has officially fallen. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty this morning to a federal dogfighting charge, a plea that will likely send him to federal prison when he's sentenced on December 10th.
But will his off-the-cuff, no-notes apology earn him some leniency from the court? Judge for yourself here. Either way, that apology has been a hot topic on the web and on the radio.
It'll be months before we know Vicky's punishment. His attorneys are pushing for probation for the star. Federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 12 to 18 months, but the judge could punish him more severely than that. But crazy as it sounds, it's conceivable that Vick would be better off with a prison term of slightly longer than a year than with a 12-month sentence. It's even possible that under certain scenarios, Vick could serve his year sentence and still make it back in time for next season - assuming the NFL lets him back on the field that soon.
From the quasi-Portland-based indie rock band Spoon and Wired Magazine comes a freakin' adorable video of a small yellow robot named Keepon dancing to Spoon's track "Don't You Evah."
The NY Times biz section has a lengthy profile of Netflix's customer service call center in Hillsboro.
What's interesting is that Netflix has gotten rid of e-mail support in favor of phone support from real people in the U.S.
Netflix set up shop here a year ago, shunning other lower-cost places
in the United States and overseas, because it thought that Oregonians
would present a friendlier voice to its customers. Then in July,
Netflix took an unusual step for a Web-based company: it eliminated
e-mail-based customer service inquiries. Now all questions, complaints
and suggestions go to the Hillsboro call center, which is open 24 hours
a day. The company’s toll-free number, previously buried on the Web
site, is now prominently displayed. (Link)
With enlistments slumping, the Army has announced it will pay a signing bonus of $20,000 to any new recruits.
The signing bonus is offered to new privates who ship out by September 30th, the end of the Army's fiscal year -- proving that while business may be war, war is also a business.
Currently the Army spends nearly $1 billion in incentives. This includes bonuses, iPod and backpack giveaways.
"There are a lot of opportunities out there for young people, and the army is one of them", Major Bob Grambell told KGW.
With more than 3,700 U.S. soldiers killed in the latest Iraq war, and another 27,000 more injured, it remains to be seen if young people will see this cash carrot as an opportunity to serve or an opportunity to die.
Rock band struggles to survive. Rock band hits big time. Rock band struggles with sex-drugs-conflict. Band members break up and go solo. Band reunites.
In many ways, it's an old story. But the announcement Tuesday that Van Halen was reuniting and going on tour was still a shocker.
As break-ups go, David Lee Roth's departure from the 80's rock supergroup was epic, the kind of fracture you'd think would never be repaired. Frankly, I'm fired up to see these hard-rockers make their return, appearing on stage in Portland on December 1st at the Rose Garden.
Following closely on the heels of the Beavers' amazing second straight College World Series Championship title , a cynic might say the Ducks were tired of being left high and dry while the Beavs basked in the national baseball spotlight.
On the one hand, if true, you have to give the Green kudos for hutzpah. On the other hand, it seems so un-Civil. Beavos rest easy, Meehan writes that Casey said no!
What do you think -A poor taste poaching play, or all's fair in love and civil war?
One of the world's biggest bands has a new interest in an issue Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has been fighting for - net neutrality. Pearl Jam claims AT&T censored part of its set during a webcast last weekend - a part that included some lyrics taking shots at the President. The enraged rockers hit the web themselves, posting a response that includes the unedited verson of the song. AT&T denies any malicious censoring, calling the whole incident a mistake. Sen. Wyden has been pushing legislation to ensure net neutrality; so is he joining the Pearl Jam fan club? Too soon to tell...
What could possibly go wrong with something called "the Texas Redneck Games?" Shockingly, a whole lot. The games feature such family-friendly events as the Mattress Chuck, where the goal is to drink a whole bunch of beer, hop into the bed of a moving pickup and throw a mattress as far as possible. Who'd get upset with that wholesome fun? The neighbors, that's who.
So Stumptown runners - our little secret is out. The New York Times is out with an article today on the joys of massive relay races, featuring our very own Hood to Coast. And yes, the MSM zeroes right in on what makes it fun - "Part of the draw is the relatively short mileage of individual legs, not to mention the bragging rights of racing overnight." And, of course - "Most participants want to finish quickly for a more tangible reward: beer."
While we were at the Times, this little tidbit from the dating scene - salads are out, sirloin is in. "Everyone wants to be the girl who drinks the beer and eats the steak and looks like Kate Hudson," says one New Yorker. Ringside and Ruth's Chris, consider yourselves warned.
And in case you missed it from earlier this week, Portland's newest (and tallest) millionaire isn't letting the Benjamins go to his head. Check out Blazers center Gred Oden's video tour of the (very small) Indianapolis apartment where he's living with his mom and brother this summer. Can a guy seven-feet tall be any more down-to-earth?
Allergy sufferers might have been inconvenienced, but when lawmakers forced pseudophedrin off the shelves and behind the pharmacy counter, home 'cooking' of meth plunged in Oregon.
Randy Leonard thinks we should do the same with spray paint. The Portland City Commissioner is proposing to lock up spray cans . The idea is to make it harder for teens, especially teen gangs, to get their hands on the tools of the "tagging" trade, and ultimately reduce Portland's graffiti problem.
Has the graffiti problem become so severe we need to check ID's at Home Depot? And would this really work? Or if we 'outlaw' spray paint, will outlaws be the only ones with cans? Cast your vote here in our poll.
Oft-injured Blazers forward Darius Miles appears to have had some time on his hands during rehab - not to mention some serious cash. Check out the pics of his tricked-out ride posted on a NBA blog spot here. Even a bigger shocker - it's supposedly parked at the Blazers practice facility. Maybe D-Miles is on his way back????
More athlete news - there's no shortage of dog lovers in Portland who'd love for Lassie get ahold of accused dogfighter and NFL quarterback Michael Vick. Enter an enterprising entrepreneur. Yes, it's the Michael Vick chew toy. The manufacturer promises the toy is so strong and flexible, it will challenge every breed. Especially The Pit Bull. Ouch. Don't waste your time ordering - can't imagine the lawyers will let this one last long.
I still remember pleading with my mom to let me stay up late to watch Hammering Hank Aaron, the night he bested Babe Ruth's home run record.
I watched on a 12" black-and-white TV, riveted. When he struck the record blow, I even took a Polaroid photo of the TV screen as they replayed the shot.
Over the weekend, Barry Bonds launched his 755th homer into the left-center field stands in San Diego. I wonder how many kids even cared? Do you?
The question now facing baseball is - should Bonds get credit for the HR record, or should it be marked with an asterisk?
Bonds' achievement, long awaited and long dreaded, has been clouded by the now-familiar allegation about steroid use. But the questions don't stop there. A simulation done for ESPN.com attempts to project how many homers Hank would have hammered if he played in the Bonds era. The folks at Image Sports who developed the simulation say Aaron would have hammered 766, and still hold the record.
Also today, Universal Medical Systems, Inc. of Ohio released a fascinating study of how the baseball itself has changed from the Aaron era to the Bonds era. Their results, using sophisticated imaging technology, conclude that Major League baseball itself colluded to "juice" the ball to purposely increase home runs.
Their research suggests the 'new, improved' baseballs added 30 feet to the carry of a home run blast, and they note that, in the first year Rawlings became the exclusive supplier for the League's baseballs in 1977, the majors witnessed a 63% increase in home runs (2,235 in 1976 vs. 3,644 in 1977) with the new baseball composition.
So, asterisk or no? Click on "comments" and tell us what you think.
We wrote "Place your bets now on how long it takes Intel to pull the ad and apologize for offending, well, everyone."
If you said "1 day," you're a winner. The apology was posted the very next day. I didn't catch it until just now.
Unfortunately, our execution did not deliver our intended message and in fact proved to be insensitive and insulting. Upon recognizing this, we attempted to pull the ad from all publications but, unfortunately, we failed on one last media placement. (Link)
More from the Gawker universe that sparked the outrage here, here, and here.
In a surprise to just about no one, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley announced he's entering the U.S. Senate race to challenge incumbent Gordon Smith.
LeLo in Nopo is boycotting OPB's upcoming fundraiser featuring This American Life creator Ira Glass. The reason: OPB is renting out a right-wing church that actively campaigned for Measure 36. 
In a surprise to just about no one, Oregon House Speaker 