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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2004)
'Culture jammers' protest holiday shopping rrhe activists outside a Portland mall celebrated 'Buy Nothing Day,' a 24-hour fast from consumerism BY TYPH TUCKER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PORTLAND — On the biggest shopping day of the year, a small group of mostly youthful activists stood outside a local mall Friday urg ing shoppers to take part in a 24-hour moratorium on consumer spending. - minimum 1 or 2 year contract - certain restrictions apply - see stores for details X cingular raising the bar Motorolla V180 + CAR CHARGER WITH ACTIVATION 600 Anytime Minutes Unlimited Nights & Weekends ONLY $39.99/month SPOT THE TEACHER IN THIS PICTURE. It’s just as difficult to spot Army National Guard members in their civilian jobs as it is here in the field. That’s because Guard men and women are citizen-soldiers, woven into the fabric of the communities t hey serve. Most Guard members serve just one weekend a month and two weeks a year while pursuing full-time careers. They serve for many reasons: money for college, tuition assistance, skills training, an extra paycheck and other military benefits. For some, it’s a way to give back to their country and community. And even though they’re sometimes hard to see, they’ll be there for you when you need them. If you or Oregon someone you know would like to learn more, call today: I -800-GO-GUARD www. I -800-GO-GUARD.com While thousands of Portlanders celebrated the spirit of the season by watching a parade and browsing downtown stores in Oregon’s busi ness capital, a dozen and a half self proclaimed “culture jammers” were celebrating “Buy Nothing Day,” hop ing to throw a wrench into what they say is society’s blind habit of consumerism. To the tune of “Jingle Bells,” they sang, “Buy some more, buy some more, you don’t have enough.” “It’s a consumer fast. You basically make a pledge with yourself to not buy anything for 24 hours,” said 62 year-old Kalle Lasn, editor in chief of the Vancouver, British Columbia based Adbusters Magazine, who founded Buy Nothing Day in 1992. The protest made little or no dent in the shopping frenzy that swept the Portland area and the rest of the nation. “It’s crazy here,” said a spokes woman Kristy Kummer, for the Woodburn Company Stores outlet mall in Woodburn. “Some of our stores have been open since 4:45 (a.m.). It’s been very good.” Shoppers crowded into Powell’s City of Books, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, which houses over 1 million books. “It is packed wall-to-wall with people having a wonderful time,” said Meredith Schreiber, manager of Powell’s main Portland branch. The shopping frenzy was reported across the country, with consumers lining up before dawn, despite freez ing temperatures in some cities. The National Retail Federation es timated that up to 130 million con sumers — roughly 44 percent of Americans — would go shopping over Thanksgiving weekend. The spree begins with “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving, so named because it often marks the turn from red to black ink, or debt to profit, for many retailers. At the protest in Portland, as a brass quartet piped out “Joy to the World,” picketers marched outside the city’s largest mall, holding up signs urging shoppers to take a break. “We realize that everyone is a consumer but we are giving them some alternatives,” said 15-year-old McKenzie Debuk, of Portland. Inside the mall, buying continued, unfazed by the scene outside. IN BRIEF Earthquake hits Japan, at least eight injured TOKYO — A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido early this morning, swaying buildings, throwing objects off shelves and triggering a small tsunami wave that reached the shore. The 3:32 a.m. quake injured at least eight people, but there were no imme diate reports of damage. Japan’s Meteorological Agency quickly issued a tsunami warning for the eastern shores of Hokkaido’s Pacif ic coastal area. Tsunami are dangerous waves triggered by seismic activity. But agency official Masahiro Ya mamoto later told a televised news conference that the agency had lifted its warning, saying it had detected a 4 inch tsunami and expected only small changes in the ocean’s surface. The quake was centered off Hokkai do’s east coast, about 550 miles north west of Tokyo, 30 miles below the sea surface. Citizens throughout northern Japan felt the rocking, including in Hokkaido’s largest city, Sapporo, and Kushiro, on the island’s eastern shore. A 4.6-magnitude aftershock fol lowed about 30 minutes later. National broadcaster NHK showed footage of desks rumbling in offices and convenience-store goods thrown from shelves by the force of the quake. Most of those injured were in the cities of Kushiro, Nemuro and Bekkai cho. An 80-year-old woman living in Nemuro was thrown to the floor and later had to be treated for broken ribs, and an 85-year-old suffered cuts to his face after he was struck by falling ob jects, NHK reported. The others in juries weren’t serious, NHK said. Hundreds of homes in Hokkaido temporarily lost power and natural gas services, NHK reported. — The Associated Press Earthquake and tsunami hit Japan A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido early Monday and triggered a tsunami that lashed the shore. There were no immediate reports of damage. CHINA RUSSIA 7.1 magnitude earthquake N KOREA „ ' Sea o f .V'-JaP“" fk KOREA, ***>*" L - x- .. 9 Tokyo Ocean 300 mi 0 300 km SOURCE: ESRI AP Stitch: Personalized sifts to delight children Continued from page 1 kit, arts and crafts kits and Klutz books, a brand of activity books th 'it irar*li 1H0 trite will be a good present for Shinekwa because she’s Buddhist, Cathcart said. At least she was Buddhist over the summer; Cathcart admits she’s Cathcart said she thinks the children will be thrilled to get her gifts because they are personalized. “They’ll get better guts; people in nere are being very generous,” she said. One of those kids, Shinekwa, will be receiving a book of Zen. The book TAKING ACTION For more information on donating gifts for LGBTQA Codirector Crystal Cathead's gift drive or to join ‘Stitch and Bitch,’ contact Cathead at 346-3360. noi sure sue sun is. Many of the gifts will come from the ‘Stitch and Bitch’ group, which meets for about two hours, at 8 p.m. on Mon days. lonignt s meeting will be the third meeting for the group and the last meeting before the gifts are mailed on Apartments Available Now! 1,2, 3 & 4 Bedroom Furnished Apartments Individual “By the Bedroom" Leases Recreation Center w/ Computer Lab Fitness Center, TV Lounge & Pool Table Large Pool and Indoor Spa Volleyball Court & 2 Basketball Courts and so much more .... 3225 Kinsrow Avenue, Eugene (541) 485-7200 Models open Mon-Fri 8-5 and Sat 9-1 www.ducksvillage.com Wednesday. But the meeting won’t be the last for the group. Participants have had so much fun, they’ve decided to keep the group after the holiday season. Ryan said it will become a drop in gathering where people can so cialize or learn how to knit. “As for coming here late at night, it’s a way to hook up with friends after a long day,” Miller said. “It’s a way to take a break. That way we don’t have to be studying all of the time. ” jaredpaben@dailyememld.com
