Ed Rosenthal
Rosenthal, author of more than a dozen
books on marijuana, was convicted in
February in federal court of cultivating mari-
juana in a controversial case that has attracted
national attention. Rosenthal was operating
legally under California’s medical marijuana
law passed by voters in 1996. He had autho-
rization from city officials in Oakland
California to provide marijuana for medical
patients through local dispensaries.
During his trial, U.S. District Judge
Stephen Breyer would not allow any evi-
dence of medical use to be introduced. When
the jurors in the case discovered, after the
conviction, that Rosenthal had been provid-
ing medical marijuana for patients, they apol-
ogized for convicting him and demanded a
new trial.
Rosenthal and his team of attorneys are
still fighting to get a new trial or to appeal the
original verdict. Rosenthal faces a manda-
tory five-year sentence.
GLOBAL MIDWIFERY
The U.S. has a high infant mortality rate
and a low reliance on midwives. Is there a
connection?
Elise Hansen and Georganne Clark, both
direct-entry midwives practicing in Eugene,
will give an informational talk in honor of
International Midwives’ Day, Sunday, May
4, from 2 to 4 pm at the Eugene Public
Library. Hansen and Clark have been in-
volved in the birth community here for the
last five years.
“The idea of a day to honor and recog-
nize midwives first came out of an
International Confederation of Midwives
(ICM) conference that occurred in the
Netherlands in 1987,” says Clark. “The day
was first observed on May 5, 1991 and has
been recognized ever since in over 50 coun-
tries around the world.”
Clark explains that midwifery has a
greater following internationally than it
does here in the U.S. “Worldwide, greater
than 80 percent of babies are born into the
hands of midwives,” she says. “In the U.S.,
this number is dramatically less — about 8
percent. We have significantly fewer num-
bers of midwives practicing, which in turn
reduces the number of women who have ac-
cess to midwifery care.”
Currently the U.S. is 27th in the world
with relation to infant mortality (compared
with other developed countries). Clark says,
“Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. place us
15th in the world overall, and these rates have
not improved in the last 20 years, despite in-
creasing amounts of technological involve-
ment in birth. Many of the nations that have
much lower rates of infant and maternal mor-
tality rely heavily on midwives.”
For more information, contact Clark at
242-3601. — Bobbie Willis
WENDOVER UPDATE
The Eugene Planning Commission is ex-
pected to vote this week to approve a new 19-
unit housing development at the end of
Wendover Street in north Eugene. Neighbors
have been fighting the development, object-
ing to the destruction of trees, riparian
wildlife habitat and fertile farmland.
Half of the nine-acre parcel owned by the
Huling family has been earmarked for pur-
chase by the city for parkland, says neighbor
Kevin Jones. Part of the land “was two feet
under water in ’96 and six feet under water in
’64, and the additional runoff of a road and 19
large roofs and driveways is of great concern
to the neighbors,” says Jones. “If there
weren’t a win-win solution in sight, I’d save
my breath, but there is.”
Jones and other members of the Seacon
Park Neighborhood Association are calling
for a smaller “clustered subdivision with less
paved surface, and leaving the majority of the
land open for growing food for our county’s
residents.” Jones says the group can raise
$300,000 to buy the developable land.
For more information, call 461-3798 or
see EW archives for Sept. 19, 2002.
— TJT
matic bridges around the world. Looming
ahead are complex challenges in recon-
structing Iraq, leftover issues smoldering
• Dennis Taylor, Eugene’s new city manag- in Afghanistan, the unresolved Palestine
er from Billings, Mt., showed up for work in issue, and staggering economic and social
April. Will he last longer than Vicki Elmer, problems at home. Alas, we can look for-
the only other outsider hired to run the
ward to more simplistic policies that defy
city bureaucracy in three decades? Taylor logic as they advance an ultra-conserva-
will have smooth sailing until he tries to
tive agenda. Let’s hold accountable pro-
tackle some of the city’s serious issues
gressives and moderates who go along
such as sprawl, pollution, downtown dol-
with this agenda, and campaign to dump
drums and contracting of city legal ser-
Bush and the GOP in 2004.
vices. We wish him well in the challenges
ahead. His first big chance to shine or flop • Conservatives have been saying for
will be in hiring a new police chief — will
years that we’re taxing ourselves to death.
we get true community policing or a con- They’re wrong, according to an Oregon
tinuation of the heavy-handed, intimidat- Center for Public Policy study showing
ing and alienating police tactics that have that state taxes as a share of income have
plagued the EPD for years?
remained flat for 20 years.
• President Bush has shown little finesse
dealing with foreign policy, burning diplo-
• Dress ‘m Up Dubya
www.oddcast.com/vhost/bush/host.php?id=1
Arguably the funniest George W. site on the
web right now, unless you love our prez, in
which case it’s the most idiotic and disre-
spectful site on the web. Needs Flash plug-in.
• O’Neill’s Bali
www.BaliBlog.com
A one-stop travel guide for Bali and a Daily
News section — written by former Eugene
resident Nick O’Neill — following the trials,
tribulations and daily life in this unique part
of the world.
FIRE SALE
Free Intro Class:
Tonight (May 1)
7:00-9:00 pm
The city of Eugene has three old fire sta-
tions up for sale. Bids are due by May 30. You
can walk through the stations May 7. Call Jeff
Norman at 682-5072 for information.
SLANT includes short opinion pieces and rumor-
chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any
good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519,
or e-mail editor@eugeneweekly.com
• Write to Free
www.freefreenow.org/support.html
A new site to support Jeffrey “Free” Luers,
currently serving 22 years in the state pen
for burning SUVs. Info on how to write to
him, read his essays, help with his appeal
costs, etc.
• Impeach Bush
www.votetoimpeach.org/
Includes Ramsey Clark’s draft articles of
impeachment, historical notes and an e-mail
message to send to lawmakers.
Websitings is a list of useful and sometimes quirky web
sites. Care to contribute to the list? Send suggested sites
and a short description to editor@eugeneweekly.com
‘As the heart opens, fear disappears.’
BREEMA
The Art of Being Present
May 2-4 Intensive in Eugene
Three supportive days of . . .
•
•
•
•
C I NC O D E M A Y O
J o h n H e n r y ’ s • 9 pm • $ 4 c o v e r
21 CEU’s for LMT’s
21 CEU’s for DC’s
21 hours, $295
Presented by
Breema Northwest staff
instructors and guest
Jon Schreiber, D.C., author
of several books on Breema.
A workshop for anyone interested
in a practical connection with
the instinctive wisdom of
the body and our natural
state of vitality and
balance.
w i t h g u es t s
I C an Li c k A n y S . O. B. i n t h e Ho u s e
L o s P is to l a s Me x ic an os De l N or te
B REEMA N ORTHWEST (541) 344-8741
www.BreemaNorthwest.com
www.breema.com
photos: George Draper, Bruce Barrett
•
B REEMA ® BODYWORK
S ELF -B REEMA ® EXERCISES
Beginners welcome
Partial attendance avail. N INE P RINCIPLES OF H ARMONY
MAY 1, 2003 9