Pullout: The Food Issue
Phil Busse
Posted inNews
On Thin Ice
City Council Trades Public Good For Christmas Lights
With hardly a nod to the city’s squalid budget, City Council voted unanimously to ratchet up business property taxes to pay for Christmas lights and to plop an ice-skating rink in the middle of Pioneer Square. It’s estimated that the increase will earn $4.5 million over nine years–$3.5 million will be spent on stringing and […]
Posted inNews
Highway to the Forest Zone
Debate Over Forest Service Roads Stirs Up Hornet’s Nest
Stretching from the shorn top of Mt. St. Helens nearly to the banks of the Columbia River, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a primary battleground for federal environmental policies. Unlike wilderness areas where no commercial and only exceedingly limited recreational uses are allowed, national forests and parks permit everything from logging to snowmobiling. Over […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Mercury Video Picks
Mow My Grass!
In recent years, the lawn boy has replaced the cowboy as the hero of American cinema. He’s a loner; a noble champion for the little guy against the powerful forces of the rich. What follows are lawnmower movies designed to cut the villains down to size. • Summer Catch (2001)–Other than batting his lashes and […]
Posted inNews
And They’re Off!
The Race for City Council Begins in Earnest
Shakespeare once noted that how a character enters a scene is perhaps his greatest attribute. One would think a representative from the local theater community would instinctively understand this wisdom. But when Christian Gunther, the marketing director from Artist Repertory Theater, announced his candidacy on Monday for a vacant seat in city council, his entrance […]
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Bumfight Tonight
Blumenauer Huffs and Puffs About the Homeless
In one scene, a homeless crack addict sets his own hair on fire. In another, a homeless man and woman swing wildly at each other in a public bathroom. A pet project of two California film students, a gratuitous shock-value video called Bumfights has attracted the condemnation of Oregon’s representative Earl Blumenauer. In fact, the […]
Posted inNews
All About Dick
Activists Yell and Scream About Vice-President Cheney
From outward appearances, the gathering may have been a family picnic. Under the shifting summer skies on Sunday, about 400 people gathered in the Park Blocks, just a stone’s throw away from the hotel where Vice-President Dick Cheney was lounging. Middle-aged men with pressed khaki shorts milled around with teens in crop tops. With noticeably […]
Posted inDestination Fun
“Make Your Own Fun” Summer Instruction Guide!
What?!? Summer’s here, and you’re already bored crapless? Then consult our do-it-yourself tips for making this summer more funner!
The “MAKE YOUR OWN FUN” Summer Instruction Booklet What?!? Summer’s here, and you’re already bored crapless? Then consult our do-it-yourself tips for making this summer more funner! by the Mercury Staff, Edited by Phil Busse; illustrations by Greg Stump
Posted inNews
A Sleeping Giant Ready to Fight
NAACP’s New President Promises A Forceful Offense Against Racism
“I’m putting Oregon on notice because unfortunately racism is alive and well,” says Skip Osborne, the newly elected President of the local chapter of the NAACP. Osborne has an intense and unflinching smile. A former Air Force intelligence officer and a current student of divinity, he pulls strength and inspiration both from physical and spiritual […]
Posted inNews
Rebels Without A Home
Street Youths Face More Problems With Closure of A Favorite Shelter
With the announcement last week that a city-sponsored youth program plans to shut down an ad hoc, all-hours night shelter, street youths around Portland began to wonder what’s next. For the past few years, the Janus Youth Access and Assessment Center–fondly and/or bitterly nicknamed “Jackass” by street youths–has provided space and a revolving door for […]