THE REST IN CLASS

RE: "The Mercury Back-to-School Issue Presents..." [Feature, Aug 21], a look at Portland's "other" colleges and universities.

Thanks so much for this insider's look at an institution I never knew was in the 'hood [Multnomah University]. Was recently recalling some of the more inexplicably odd overheard conversational drift at the Bipartisan Café, bits of it in Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew, with laptop-illuminated animated discussion about biblical arcana. [They were] some especially hip students, 'cuz the gab I caught was definitely more vision questing than dogmatic. Wonder if these episodes were eavesdroppings from the Multnomah Bible College liberally sprinkled [with] the caffeine and fresh baked pies of the Bipartisan?

posted by Laylow Studios Mitch

Naturopathy is pseudoscientific, harmful crap. If these people [enrolled at the National College of Natural Medicine] want to do medicine, they should go to real med schools... It might be harder to get into a real med school than magic doctor school, though.

posted by Will Radik

PNCA [Pacific Northwest College of Art] is currently unranked as an art school but for some reason it costs well over $160,000 for a four-year degree. My alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, has the number two-ranked design school in the world, DAAP [College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning]. And it only costs students around $26,000 for a four-year degree, if you're willing to live at home with your parents and commute. Unfortunately I know many graduates from PNCA who are waiting tables while waiting for their career as a professional artist to emerge.

posted by Jonathan Boys

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HALES FIRE

RE: "Rewriting the Script" [News, Aug 21], regarding email correspondence in city hall surrounding the ouster of a protest camp outside the building, plans for the area to become a food cart pod, and newly announced funding for homelessness programs.

Quit beating around the bush and call a spade a spade—[Mayor Charlie] Hales is a professional liar who's in the pocket of the PBA [Portland Business Alliance]. And this newfound money is just a way of buying the complicity of various nonprofits in exchange for them keeping their mouths shut while policies of criminalization are enacted. This is certainly a win for the PBA and the nonprofit industrial complex, less so for the homeless who will continue to be targeted and harassed by the city and their hired thugs in the police department.

posted by Rob Banks

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WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

RE: "Mindfulness" [Portland as Fuck, Aug 21], in which columnist and comedian Ian Karmel contemplates his imminent relocation to Los Angeles.

Good luck, Ian. There's a great community of comics in LA, so be mindful and take time to notice that, because, er... the rest of it... Uh, Dave Anthony and Greg Behrendt are particularly swell guys; try to get to know them if you can. I left there just in time to get to know your column, and though I'll miss it, for a comic I think you're making the right move. I hope your adventure is going to be a thrilling one, and I've really enjoyed reading you. But dude. As Patton (another completely awesome human being to know) once said, it is an involuntary-sexual-relation-based economy down there. Really get into comedy, because you are gonna miss this place.

posted by torkfool

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THE CHILI JAMBOREE!

RE: The Mercury's next food and music event, the Chili Jamboree! It will combine a chili cook-off with some of the city's best culinary masterminds competing, and a lineup of live country music headlined by Lucero. It's taking place Sunday, October 6, at Mississippi Studios/Bar Bar, and will sell out! But it's still too soon to start begging us for entry like Graham here.

DEAR MERCURY—Can I get put on the list for this? I don't know why I deserve this sort of thing, maybe because I should be rewarded for not going all caps all the time anymore?

Graham

NO GRAHAM, BUT THANKS FOR CUTTING IT OUT WITH THE ALL CAPS ANYWAY. WE CAN, HOWEVER, OFFER YOU TWO FREE TICKETS TO THE LAURELHURST THEATER, WHERE YOU CAN FIND INSPIRATION FROM A VARIETY OF CHARACTERS JOINED IN THE PURSUIT OF GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.