SIDEWALKING: Portlandia II

Japanese American Historical Plaza Bill Of Rights Memorial, Portland, Oregon, 9:34 AM by JONATHAN VALANIA RELATED: Using thirteen engraved stones of basalt and granite, the Japanese American Historical Plaza in Portland tells an important story of the Japanese in Oregon. Landscape architect Robert Murase created the theme and design of the plaza to tell the story of the hardships suffered by Japanese immigrants and the indignities imposed by the incarceration of persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II. The plaza shows how the rights of Japanese Americans on the West Coast were denied, and honors the bravery of those […]

NewsPosted on:

BOOKS: A One Man Fringe Festival

STEVE VOLK:  It was late at night, and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross had swapped her hot cups of tea for whiskey sours. The room was filled with cigarette smoke. Kubler-Ross and her research partner, the Reverend Mwalimu Imara, were putting the finishing touches to On Death and Dying–the book that would make Kubler-Ross a star, introduce the once ubiquitous Five Stages of Grief and galvanize the international hospice movement. But there was one chapter still under discussion, a chapter in which Kubler-Ross addressed all the strange stories resuscitated patients told: about floating out of their bodies and meeting with deceased loved ones, […]

Books , NewsPosted on:

THE NEW AUSTERITY: Governor Corbett Gets Fancy New Ride, Drives Chevy Over The Levy Of Hypocrisy

INQUIRER: Gov. Corbett has a new ride. So does his first lady. And his lieutenant governor. And the lieutenant governor’s wife. The taxpayer tab: $186,000. Even as his administration is proposing dramatic cuts in the state’s next budget, Corbett, his wife, Susan, and Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley and his wife, Suzanne, will all get to ride around in brand-new sport utility vehicles. The men got 2011 Chevrolet Suburbans, each at a cost of $53,000, according to state records. The women received 2011 Chevy Traverses, at a cost of about $40,000 each. MORE SAMUEL JOHNSON: Nothing is more unjust, however common, […]

NewsPosted on:

Great White Spotted Off The Coast Of Jersey Shore

MYFOXPHILLY:  Beachgoers in Central Jersey may want to be little careful after a great white shark was spotted off the coast of Seaside Heights, N.J., the town made famous by “Jersey Shore.” The 12-foot shark was spotted 200 feet off the coast in Berkeley Township by a fisherman. That’s at the south end of the Seaside Heights beach. Seaside Heights is also the location of MTV’s popular “Jersey Shore” reality TV series.The Coast Guard can’t confirm the sighting independently. Beaches remain open. MORE

NewsPosted on:

Obama Tosses Chief Economic Advisor Under Bus

LOS ANGELES TIMES: A White House official said the president would have “loved” for Austan  Goolsbee to stay. […] No president likes to lose a trusted confidante — a role Goolsbee played as campaign advisor and then as senior government official. But for Obama, the problem isn’t so much personnel as policy. Goolsbee’s departure comes as a recent spate of troubling economic news is sparking fears that a full recovery could be years away. Unemployment rose to 9.1% in May — its second consecutive monthly increase — and housing prices have dropped to their lowest level since 2002. Obama has […]

NewsPosted on:

CONCERT REVIEW: The Roots Picnic 2011

[Photo by JONATHAN VALANIA] BY COLONEL TOM SHEEHY Philadelphia has always had its great musical and cultural traditions. From the Mummers and their string bands in the winter, to the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Welcome America celebration on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway during the summer months, and now Philly has The Roots Picnic on Festival Pier every June. Walking onto the pier, you are at first taken by the sweep of the place. First there is the big stage. Big it surely is, but most importantly, the sound production is outstanding. Next, one would have to notice the floor. […]

NewsPosted on: