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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2004)
Counter Military Recruiting, which does educational out- reach to high school students targeted by the military. A mas- querade ball, with prizes for costumes, most foolish fool, most ghoulish ghoul and most jewelish jewel, will be held from 5:30 to 11 pm upstairs at Grower’s Market, while a vegan lasagna dinner will be held concurrently at Morning Glory Café, 450 Willamette. The ball will also include items for sale from the Bust Bush Boutique and music by Peter Wilde. The ball is free with a food donation and mask or costume, otherwise the charge is $5. Dinner at Morning Glory is $5-$8. • Students and labor activists in Corvallis are uniting for what’s being billed as the first ever Farmworkers’ Rights March and Rally in the city. The event is from 4 to 6 pm Friday, March 26 and begins at the inter- section of Monroe and 11th streets. The two-mile march is being organized by PCUN, Oregon’s farm- worker union, and MEChA, the national Chicano student organi- zation. Its purpose is to support the farmworker movement and farm- workers’ right to union- ize. In the wake of “unbal- anced, pro-business farm- worker collective bar- gaining proposals” in the Oregon Legislature last year, PCUN is promoting what it calls “a fair, balanced collective bargaining bill that will guarantee farmworkers the right to unionize and will not inordinately protect employers or limit workers’ rights.” For more information, call PCUN at (503) 982-0243. • Our cover story last week on the sheriff’s deputies’ wild party has generated little response so far; however, we did get an anonymous call from a woman who said local law enforcement officials were emptying EW red boxes downtown over the weekend, and dumping the papers. Just a rumor? We did find a lot of empty boxes downtown Monday, but that’s not unusual, and we haven’t found any stashes of papers, only a crumpled wad of EWs by the bus station — looks like somebody jumped up and down on it. Again, not unusual. Sheriff Jan Clements tells us he hasn’t heard anything, but if deputies are accused he will “pursue an administrative investigation not unlike the one your paper purportedly covered.” Sanipac drivers will be looking for EW stacks as they make their recycling rounds. Anybody seen anything suspicious? Perhaps it was just a deputy grabbing five copies for his mother. • Some civil rights activists are comparing the debate over same-sex marriage to that of the struggle of blacks for racial equality. Is this such an absurd comparison? Gays and lesbians seeking to marry are not forced to the back of the bus, required to send their children to separate schools, or denied property, employment or housing, but they are denied the numerous legal and economic benefits that accompany “conventional” wed- lock. In short, they are discriminated against in very real and measurable ways. Same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue, and like the battle for racial equality, it must be fought on both the local and national levels. Hats off to Benton and Multnomah counties for show- Darin J. Ward DDS PC, F.A.G.D. Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry Health Centered Dentistry 300 Country Club Rd. Ste. 290 • Eugene, OR 97401 At Health Centered Dentistry, we focus on your overall wellness. By tak- ing a holistic approach and arranging for health rather than merely treating disease, we offer an opportunity to restore your oral health to its optimum. We look at the whole picture, consider sys- temic health and underlying factors, and take steps to perfect your smile while pre- venting problems before they occur. Friendly faces welcome you in a relaxing, stress-free environment to ensure you are as comfort- able as possible. Call today and experience the benefits we offer with the extraordinary people and unique setting only Health Centered Dentistry can provide. (541) 686-2441 TRASH SNATCHERS COMB OREGON’S COASTLINE The 19th annual Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup takes place from 10 am to 1 pm Saturday, March 27. The cleanup is orga- nized by statewide non-profit organization SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) in conjunction with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The cleanup is an opportunity to work with thousands of volun- teers, spend time at the ocean and participate in restoring a more healthy environment for coastal wildlife and visitors. The 4,000 Beach Cleanup volunteers of 2003 covered the entire 362 miles of Oregon coastline. According to Bev Ardueser, SOLV program coordinator, they removed 38 tons of trash. Not bad for a rainy, cold day. SOLV was founded in 1969 by Gov. Tom McCall. At that time SOLV focused on litter pickup and illegal dumpsite pickup. In 35 years SOLV programs have “expanded many-fold,” Ardueser said. The organiza- tion’s work now encompasses watershed restoration, cleanup and enhancement as well as working on small town restoration pro- jects. On Saturday the coast will be organized into 42 check-in sites, each with a “beach captain.” Volunteers arrive at 10 am, register and receive a trash bag. They are encouraged to wear gloves and boots and dress for the weather. Volunteers can find access to a coastal map and further information at the or- ganization’s website, www.SOLV.org — Kate Storm GENESIS STILL AFLOAT The Genesis Juice sign behind the counter at the Bijou theater says “RIP,” but the embat- tled organic co-op reports it’s having some success staying afloat with direct sales to cus- tomers. Contrary to rumors, “subscriptions are not the only choice,” says Benjamin Cutler, co- owner and president of the company. “People may come in and prepay for juice a week at a time and then pick it up when it is ready.” Cutler says Genesis will have “an online ordering system linked to our website within a couple of weeks so that people can order and pay for their juice before coming in.” And he adds, “We’re also looking for businesses and stores who are willing to offer a drop point for people to pick up their juice.” The website is www.efn.org/~genesis — TJT ing some insight and guts in this issue. Lane County should be on that list. • Meanwhile, Oregon’s dailies are debating how to deal with same-sex marriage announcements. Do they run alongside conventional marriage announcements and anniversaries? Do they go in a different part of the paper? Are they paid or free? We say they deserve equal treatment, so at EW we will run them, along with any other personal announcement our readers want to make, from bat mitzvahs to dog obituaries. Our space is very limited so we can’t offer them for free, but we will make them as cheap as we can and still cover our printing costs. • Looks like the two parties petitioning to refer the Riverfront Urban Renewal District to voters are going to be working together, which makes perfect sense. The petition is a good idea and we support having urban renewal go to the voters. We need more public discussion about how our tax dollars are collected and spent. The petitions that will be turned in are the ones available at Paul’s Bicycle way of Life. • Paul Pierson, native Eugenean and now a professor of political economy at Harvard, talked to a big City Club crowd recently about Bush, taxes and the erosion of American democracy, and afterward offered a provocative “can do.” He said that 30 or 40 years ago in America, citizens had in place an infrastructure of people they trusted in politics, maybe union leaders, teachers and others. That intermediary social structure is now gone, but the networks of trust and interdependence need reconstituting for the sake of democracy in America. An interesting assignment for Eugene and Oregon! SLANT includes short opinion pieces, observations and rumor-chasing notes compiled by the EW staff. Heard any good rumors lately? Contact Ted Taylor at 484-0519, editor@eugeneweekly.com ATTENTION LOCAL MUSICIANS HAVE YOUR BAND FEATURED BY EUGENE WEEKLY & PABST BLUE RIBBON! If you think you fit the PBR image then submit a short bio, sample CD and band photo. (If you don't know what that image is, this ain't for you!) THE RULES: All members must be at least 21 years old. No one in the photo can be consuming alcohol. (Hint: You can have the beer, but you can't be drinking it.) SUBMISSIONS CAN BE SENT TO Eugene Weekly ATTN: Mark Frisbee 1251 Lincoln, Eugene, OR 97401 Ads begin April 1, 2004. For more info Contact Mark Frisbee @ 484-0519 x12 MARCH 25, 2004 9
