News The Barrel Room was the first bar ever to let in Maddy Eivers. It was a Saturday night, it was summer, and she wasn’t yet 21. The memory is sharp for Eivers, not only because of the bouncer’s    More

News U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley came by our office last week for a chat. The first-term junior Senator is not up for reelection for two more years (The political blog Roll Call has suggested that he may be vulnerable) and, refreshingly, he seemed more interested in talking issues than touting his own accomplishments. Merkley has a style that is more languid than dynamic, but he got, for him, quite animated ...   More

Music Stories This summer, acclaimed New York City singer-songwriter/comic artist Jeffrey Lewis toured China for 10 days. Portland’s own Lewis, Jack—a singer-songwriter in his own right who often doubles    More

News Today's withering front-page piece in The Oregonian about the mass staff defections from the office of Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.)—and the congressman's run of bizarre behavior—apparently isn't a disqualifier from getting the nod to an invite to a state dinner at the White House. The guest list for tonight's state dinner (PDF) for Chinese President Hu Jintao includes Wu, a long-time critic of China's ...   More

Arts & Books I am writing this on a 12 inch Apple MacBook. Its sleek, light aluminum body and bright screen are the last word in cutting-edge product design, it responds to my every whim like some sort of genie and, if monologist Mike Daisey is to be believed, it was likely assembled by a 15-year-old working a 16 hour shift in an unthinkably massive factory in ShenZhen. The writing of The Agony and Ecstasy of ...   More

Music Thermals frontman Hutch Harris was rad enough to take us up on our offer to keep a diary while touring China last month. It will appear in three parts this week. Disclaimer: This journal is my personal account of The Thermals' recent trip to China. It is in no way intended to be a historical or political lesson about China. Certain information has been censored for your protection. — Hutch ...   More

Music SPIN Magazine posted one of their "In the Studio" features today, checking in with Portland's favorite pop-post-punk (TM) band the Thermals. Thermals frontman Hutch Harris is always a quote machine, as evidenced by this turnaround: Do the Thermals have any pastimes in the studio? We smoke a lot of weed. But there's some more substantial information here as well. Turns out that Kathy Foster is ...   More

News U.S. Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.), no stranger to raising awareness in Congress of China's dismal human-rights record, has introduced a resolution supporting two activists prosecuted for their activities following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Wu's resolution, which was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last week, expresses support for activists Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren "for engaging ...   More

News Amid reports that the Chinese government plans to lean on Portland's City Council today, the city's Tibetan community is planning a protest outside City Hall. Jampa Lathsang, a volunteer for the Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association, says the political scuffle started last week when the City Council declared Wednesday, March 10, as Tibetan Awareness Day. Lathsang says officials from the ...   More

News Since introducing a City Council proclamation last week recognizing Tibet's struggle for freedom, Commissioner Randy Leonard has heard from quite a few angry parties. The local Chinese business community, Portland's Suzhou sister city committee and the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco have all pressured Leonard over his action. Leonard says the Tibetans warned him the proclamation would ...   More