a little red hen

Occupy Portland: UNSUBSCRIBE

The headline Occupy Protestors Do Some Damage shocked us.  Just across the river in our family's neighborhood--not downtown.  It was an Oregonian story buried on the second page of the Metro of Tuesday's Oregonian.  According to news reports, the people who did the window-breaking and related damage (a 15 year old boy among them) were not representative of an Occupy group.  The "official (?)" group was on a nighttime march intended to protest police brutality in Oakland, California. From the news report:

"At one point, protesters began fighting among themselves, arguing about how to proceed. Some demonstrators advocated keeping the protest peaceful and others disagreed." 

As I wrote here a few days ago,  Occupy Portland seems unfocused in its publicized interest in stopping housing foreclosures.  Others have questioned consequences of the dominant "whatever" attitude, the resistance to organizational structure or any form of leadership.

On the first page of the same Metro section, columnist Steve Duin described attending a Sunday meeting of the official (?) Occupy group.   One of them acknowledges that many were:

"...happy to see the Park occupation end. We'd lost control.  Totally.  By the end, we had 75 to 80 percent homeless there."

Duin echoes what I wrote here five days ago on the need for focus and positive actions on substantive issues:  

"...[they] must remain engaged in the housing and health care debates, link arms with the interfaith commmunity and remind Portlanders that the symbol of free speech has evolved from a speakers' corner..."

His column must have been delivered to the paper before Monday night's outbreak.  I look forward to a follow-up column.  Perhaps he can decode the twisty rationale at Occupy Oregon, titled  "Police Respond Violently to Anti-Police Brutality March."

A non-violent movement must find a way to distance itself from any kind of violence.  It must also look at its own behavior.  If its anti-police-violence statements and marches attract out of control actors, then is this an appropriate use of its time and energy when there are on the ground issues that need attention?

And so I unsubscribe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OCCUPY supports homeowners, sometimes singing

Every few days Portland Occupier sends a message.  It is always a reading challenge with its absence of paragraphing in the email form.   Here in a more readable way is "Saving the Home of Angelah Hill," [photo by Paul] about an employed, registered nurse who has run an adult care home in Portland, Oregon for over 10 years.

In 2008, her income dropped "through no fault of her own," and her home has been in and out of foreclosure since then according to this report.  While I struggled to put the pieces together, it was not hard to appreciate the post's description of racist practices by banks.  In this case it was Wells Fargo.

What I expected to read was not there:  what Occupy Portland plans to do to support Ms. Hill.  In other cities, the Occupy groups have been pro-active. Detroit, the 18th worst city for foreclosures in the U.S. (down from its #1 spot in 2008) has more than 70,000 unoccupied homes.  This week, according to Think Progress, with efforts from Moratorium Now, Occupy Detroit and Homes Before Banks, a family won back their home;  the bank accepted the family's revised offer to buy back their home.

 On the Rachel Maddow Show tonight an earlier effort in October 2011, was featured about a group known as  Oranizing for Occupation brought along women and men, black and white, to sing "Listen Auctioneer" in a Brooklyn foreclosure court.  Some were arrested.  Only one of four foreclosures took place that day.

 

Again last week, in a detailed post from the Village Voice via Occupy Las Vegas, (please do not ask me to explain) more song by many more advocacy organizations (and their supporters sang in a Brooklyn, New York  courthouse-- "driving the police crazy." Among the recently organized supporters Housing is a Human Right and  Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE).

Many thanks to the blog, The Faculty Lounge, for the words to "Listen Auctioneer."  Let's learn them, Portland:

Mrs. Auctioneer, all the people here

we're asking you to hold off the sales right now.

We're going to survive but we don't know how.

A complete rendition below, music with words, from Organizing for Occupation, New York City residents from the "activist, academic, religious, homeless, arts, and progressive legal communities who have come together to respond to the housing crisis."

 

 

Joe Vithayathil & Happy Cup Coffee meet on Fox News

It is late afternoon, Wednesday, February One, in my world.  Many happenings in the past two days.  To begin:  a little red hen got a new outfit.

To make the changes, I used the re-design service at TypePad, thanks Melanie. The next blogging year (#6 begins in March) features fixed width margins, an enlarged hen and chicks, part of the loaf of bread hen has made--with no help from the neighborhood cat, dog, pig.  And so much more RED.  With a serious line failure in my building, I had no way to make an "announcement."  Thanks to the universe, Ellen of Cinderellen's Corner happened by, noticed, liked it.  Approval from Cape Cod, excellent.

We awakened too early yesterday.  That was Tuesday.  Why, we wondered, then remembered it was a BIG day for our liquid of choice,  HAPPY CUP COFFEE.  Joe V. from the local Fox TV News was coming to visit at the roaster.  An early morning guy, Joe Vithayathil did six segments of  "Joe on the Go."  We were impressed with his 5 a.m. energy and enthusiam.  Listen to one segment HERE and watch the roaster spin.

KABUM is the name of the Ugandan coffee beans he's holding.   Last month the company came to Happy Cup because they wanted to make the connection with another organization like theirs, one working to improve the lives of  the less fortunate in the world.  There's an impressive story at the Kabum website:  sending the majority of profits back to the individual grower, who gets bonuses for a quality product and micro-loans to buy their own land and  equipment.

 After asking about the art, music, theatre programs for people with disabilities at  Full Life, the twelve year old organization behind Happy Cup,  Joe V. stayed to meet several clients as they assembled the new Happy Cup Valentine Gift box (now with Portland's own Moonstruck chocolate).  The name of the client who packs the coffee is stamped on each bag. 

Flash TV and a radio program  are other activities women and men enjoy at Full Life.   There's an impressive Drum Circle led by one of those talented musicians attracted from elsewhere to Portland's lively creative life.  Clients and staff enjoyed Joe V's  interest and look forward to a return visit to see more of all that goes on at Full Life

 

Chinese New Year greetings: John Fu & Warren Buffett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning's email brought a dramatic, red, Chinese New Year greeting from John Fu in Copenhagen.  He was a college student when we met in Xian, China eleven years ago.  Determined to get his next degree in the English-speaking world (he was a proficient translator in 2000),  he got his MBA in Denmark where he now lives and works as a business consultant.  We had hilarious experiences with Chinese government officials he helped me to interview in Xian.  I wanted to know how they were dealing with garbage issues. Did they have a problem?  Mayo, as they say in Chinese.

As we sat in a cab on our way to Xian officialdom,  John asked what was in my backpack.  Unzipping the green bag, I pulled out the world's smallest kitchen composter and a red knit worm to explain my kitchen composting mission.  "Oh, so this is your religion," was his insightful reply.*

Dedicated capitalist that he is, John will surely be delighted to be headlined with Warren Buffett performing at a charity fund-raiser.  If you can read Mandarin, let me know how the translation works.  When I went to YouTube for the embed code, I found such ugly, racist comments!  Opened another window on why the U.S. is in deep stuff politically and socially.  Of course, you already knew everything about that from at weeks of the Republican side-show that dominates every TV news program. 

But I digress.  Busha Full of Grace raised my consciousness about the Year of the Dragon.  Currently this spunky, knitting Grandma is nanny to a Chinese family. To expand her knowledge of the celebration, her search led to the ten important facts she posted.   "No sitting in a bedroom" knocked me out;  Number 10, "Songbirds are Good," was more expected.

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*To honor my "religion," John Fu had a chop mark made  with "compost"  in Mandarin.    For "This Dirt Museum: The Ladies' Room," my 2001 installation, I  enlarged the image,  added the word in Spanish. It had a prominent spot in the show and still hangs in our apartment.  Shown here with a few of the 150 red worm interpretations I knit for the exhibition.  [You too can have a chop; order here.]

Though amused by the idea that my intense practice of transforming  kitchen green waste into a useful, earth-enhancing amendment might be considered highly spiritual, perhaps a "religion," John's response has grown on me.

When we moved to our retirement community, a woman in the mail room invited me to join the Green Team.  What a vintage designation my NYC self thought.  Not that at all I discovered.

 We now live in Portland, Oregon, sustainability-intense city where you never forget your reusable grocery bag.  [See latest "Portlandia" episode.]  Once again we kitchen compost.  I am very involved in encouraging neighbors to do likewise.  No longer do red wigglers in our living room transform the stuff, but the intention is the same.

 

Happy Cup, bread, politics: Little red hen's peripatetic days

Rye breads recently made where I neglected to label recipe source.  They were very good.  One on right is 1968 New York Times Sourdough via Craig Claiborne.

And what better to go with a slice of homemade bread than my newest political button.  Yes, 17% is the stunning percentage of women in Congress.  A special election in the quirky district where we live is about to (fingers crossed) give Democrat Suzanne Bonamici a seat in the House of Representatives.  She will replace an unsuitable man I wrote about at length HERE.

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MOM MARKETING,  is a pro bono effort on behalf of HAPPY CUP ; it is my very own "start-up" for 2012.  Timmy Straw, composer and musician, who works at the other wonderful Portland bookstore, Daedalus, in the Northwest, was the first person I tried the idea on.

She listened to my pitch (we are already acquainted).

Three years ago our daughter Rachel (at right) had the idea to open a coffee shop to provide more jobs and more social outlets for her clients with disabilities.  Full Life Coffee Shop quickly attracted other programs who bring their clients on outings to socialize--and drink coffee.

In late 2011, through a circumstance that could only occur in Portland, Rachel had an opportunity to develop a coffee roast.  Happy Cup joined the lively java scene overtaking  America (end of pitch).

Tee-shirt and  mug have been added.  Of course, proud parents tell the Happy Cup story, distribute this small, informative brochure.

As part of  Mom Marketing I give the listener  a sample package of coffee.  Next month:  Happy Cup debuts at Whole Foods in Portland.