Two Parks in the Pearl District

Two Parks in the Pearl District

The two current parks in the Pearl District have different uses and a different feel to them.

These photos were taken the day (5/11/06)of the dedication of the new bear sculpture in Tanner Springs by Portland artist Mauricio Saldana.

Jamison Square Park is used more by active children and adults.

Tanner Springs Park is more for strolling and sitting.

Chanticleer

Chanticleer was in Portland this last week and sang this song as one of their encores.

in time of daffodils

in time of daffodils... (16)
e.e. cummings

in time of daffodils(who know
the goal of living is to grow)
forgetting why,remember how

in time of lilacs who proclaim
the aim of waking is to dream,
remember so(forgetting seem)

in time of roses(who amaze
our now and here with paradise)
forgetting if,remember yes

in time of all sweet things beyond
whatever mind may comprehend,
remember seek(forgetting find)

and in a mystery to be
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me,remember me

Family Garden

clipped from writersalmanac.publicradio.org

Family Garden

by Hank Hudepohl

Tell me again about your garden
Tell me how you planted, in the small

flat of mountain land, corn seed

and bean seed, how your finger poked the soil
then you dropped in three dark bean seeds

for every yellow seed of corn.

Trees and mountains collared your land,
but the fenced garden opened freely

to sun and warm summer rains.

Your potato rows bulged in July. You ached
from digging them up, your hands down in dirt,

the cool lump of a tuber, brown-spotted,

just recovered, a greeting, like shaking hands.
Baskets full of bumpy brown potatoes filled

your basement until fall, until you gave

away what you could, throwing out the rest.
You gave away honey from the white hive too,

that box of bees beside the garden,

honey stored in Mason jars, a clearest honey
nectar from lin tree blossoms and wild flowers.

The bright taste of honey on the tongue

spoke of the place, if a place can be known
by the activity of bees and a flavor in the mouth,

if a person can be known by small acts

such as these, such as the way you rocked
summer evenings from a chair on the porch
tending your inner garden, eyes closed.

"Family Garden" by Hank Hudepohl from The Journey of Hands. © Word Press, 2007.

Must we always be civil?

Extracted from "The Civility Solution: What to Do When People are Rude" by PM Forni.

"FOR TO BE RUDE TO HIM WAS COURTESY"

Must we always be civil?

It's a question I've heard many times since I started giving talks on civility and manners: "Are we always to be polite or are there circumstances that call for a less than civil response? When I hear this question or one of its variations, such as "If someone is rude to us, can we be rude in return?" I am reminded of a famous line in Dante's Divine Comedy. The line, from canto 33 of the Inferno, reads "e cortesia fu lui esser villano," which John Ciardi translates as "for to be rude to him was courtesy." Dante is referring there to his own treatment of Friar Alberigo, a notorious traitor whom he encounters on the frozen lake of Cocytus.

Given the circumstances, Dante argues -- dealing with a rogue enduring eternal punishment at the bottom of Hell-- I was right in being discourteous to him; caddishness was the correct choice.

With all due understanding for Father Dante's behavior in the netherworld, I simply cannot conceive of any circumstance in our own daily lives when it would be appropriate or advantageous to be rude or boorish. The powerful combination of self-respect and respect for others should make it almost impossible for us to choose incivility, if we manage to remain clearheaded even in challenging situations.

But what if we are dealing with somebody whom we don't respect or who says or does something we believe to be wrong? The answer is simple: let's not lose sight of our own standards of behavior, of our own rules of engagement. It is possible to be civil and true to one's beliefs at the same time. The issue is not whether to stand firm or compromise but how to express our firmness. When we express it with poise rather than rudeness, not only are we truer to our better selves, but we infuse our dissent with a power that it wouldn't have otherwise. To brawl is human. To be civil works.

For more on civility Click Here.

Report from a friend West of Nashville

We have no internet, limited phone and less time to write so I have included just a few of you on this.

After 14 inches of rain on sat the rivers swelled to levels never seen by anyone alive. Although we live on the Harpeth River we are on a hill above the river so our house is fine but many of our neighbors were submerged and several fatalities occurred in our neighborhood. The Harpeth is normally a small recreational river with canoeing fishing swimming and a boardwalk trail. On sat night it rose faster than I have ever seen a river rise and turned into a torrent. I was left on an island with no power, phone etc. (But I had booze and 2 dogs!)

It is now Wed and life is returning to normal but the devastation in Downtown Nashville on the Cumberland River as well as along the Harpeth is incredible. It was a surreal sight on Monday as it was sunny and 80 degs and with birds chirping and helicopters flying overhead and the smell of everyone bbqing all their meat from freezers on grills. It has been amazing to see the outpouring of volunteers and people helping out to do whatever. Shirtless young men roaming the streets ripping out carpets and drywall and piling up trash in the heat and sun. I worked yesterday along the river pulling debris and garbage from the water as it receded and am know headed to the community ctr to see what needs doing. If anyone knows how to get a waterlogged couch and garbage cans stuck literally 20 feet up a tree in a tangle of wood you can imagine the scene. All the big tourist and historic areas in downtown Nashville are underwater right at prime tourist season and it will be a long road back but we will do it.

It has been an amazing experience and still is ongoing. Now we have a potable water shortage ironically. We have much to be thankful for here.

Come see us (in a few months)

We Care Solar

clipped from www.wecaresolar.com

To hear an NPR story on this Click Here.

WE CARE Solar promotes safe motherhood and reduces maternal mortality in developing regions by providing health workers with reliable lighting, mobile communication, and blood bank refrigeration using solar electricity.

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Maternal mortality worldwide accounts for more than half a million deaths a year; 99 percent of these occur in underdeveloped countries. For every maternal death, at least 20 women suffer severe complications from childbirth.

Maternal mortality rates in Nigeria are among the highest in the world, with a ratio of 1100 maternal deaths occurring for every 100,000 live births. Nigeria is the site of our first installations. Rural women in Northern Nigeria, most of whom do not receive prenatal care and deliver at home, are estimated to have a lifetime risk of maternal death from childbirth of 1 in 13. Major causes of maternal death include obstetric hemorrhage (massive bleeding from childbirth), obstructive labor (labor where the mother is unable to deliver the baby), eclampsia (life threatening seizures related to high blood pressure), and sepsis (widespread infection). These emergencies cannot always be predicted, nor are they always preventable. However, with prompt, appropriate and reliable medical care, they are unlikely to result in loss of life.

Sporadic electricity impairs the operation of surgical wards, delivery wards, essential hospital equipment, and hospital communications. This compromises the ability of Nigerian health workers to provide safe, appropriate and timely medical care. Labor and delivery nurses cannot quickly notify on-call physicians of emergencies. Midwives and physicians are forced to make treatment decisions without the benefit of necessary diagnostic tests. Obstetric procedures and emergency surgeries are conducted under grossly suboptimal conditions, and can have tragic consequences. The kerosene lantern on our home page was taken in the maternity ward of one hospital - this was the only light available in the ward!

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Solutions
We originally designed a photovoltaic system to power lighting, medical equipment, a blood bank refrigerator, and communication equipment in a major municipal hospital in Northern Nigeria. We installed this system in early 2009.

Our emergency obstetric photovoltaic system powers the following:

• Overhead surgical lighting in areas of critical need such as the operating room and labor and delivery
• Mobile telecommunications between hospital staff and on-call physicians
• Existing on-site surgical equipment that is currently underutilized
• A blood bank refrigerator that utilizes DC electicity
• Battery chargers that power LED headlamps for night duty workers

Solar Suitcase
We also designed a portable solar electric system that fits in a suitcase. The "solar suitcase" powers two overhead LED lighting, charges walkie-talkies and cell phones, and includes LED headlamps that come with their own rechargeable batteries. The first deployment of these systems occurred in June 2009. Now these systems have been introduced in nine countries. Most recently, we were asked to send solar suitcases to Haiti, where they are being used by medical relief teams and maternity clinics.

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These systems are designed to be user-friendly, robust, durable, and nearly maintenance-free. They can be reproduced and easily installed in existing hospitals and clinics that have unreliable/problematic power systems. Improved surgical lighting, enhanced usage of existing medical equipment, and the establishment of a sustainable telecommunication system is being shown to reduce delays in providing care, and to increase the capacity of health workers to care for patients with obstetric complications. In addition, workers report more confidence in performing skilled care, and no longer fear night duty.

Seed Funding
WE CARE Solar received seed funding and support from the Blum Center for Developing Economies, UC Berkeley Big Ideas, and the Bixby Center for Population, Health and Sustainability.

We're Growing
We receive ongoing requests for our solar suitcase systems and for consultation on solar electrification of health care facilities around the world. Our organization relies on the generous support of individuals and organizations wanting to make a difference. Of course, our efforts takes time, money, infrastructure and lots of hard work. We're trying to build our capacity to respond to the widespread interest in our mission, and seek donations for this purpose.