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All the Elements at Play: an essay by Jason Arias
Portland writer Jason Arias, author of the short story collection Momentary Illumination of Objects In Motion, writes a humorous essay for Cascadia Magazine: “All the Elements at Play.” He insists it’s an absolutely true story of an incident at a game park safari on the Oregon coast–a morality tale that features a chimpanzee named George, Arias’ two sons, Pokemon, and karmic redemption.
“The chimp acknowledges the man in cut-off jeans, who is now picking imaginary things from his head hair and armpit hair and pretending to eat them. George does that Billy Idol lip curl thing and shakes his head like he either feels sorry for Spicoli or is thinking that Spicoli’s got a lot more work to do before they can be friends.”
Let’s just say you should always pay attention to any sign that says “Do Not Taunt the Chimpanzee.”
Read the essay online here.
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Oregon Dems have high hopes for legislative session
OPB has a preview of Oregon’s new session of the legislature, in which Democrats hope to use their wide majority to pass a fee on carbon emissions, increase education funding, and the first statewide rent increase limits in the US. Meanwhile, Investigate West looks at what’s in Washington governor Jay Inslee’s $1.1 billion plan to save orcas, and what its chances of passing are.
Top BC officials spent taxpayer money lavishly
CBC has details on a newly released report that finds that two ceremonial officials of the British Columbia legislature spent vast amounts of taxpayer funds on lavish travel, personal items, and an alleged “truckload of alcohol.” Charlie Smith at The Georgia Straight looks at how the scandal makes the leader of the BC Liberal party look foolish.
US government shutdown takes toll across Cascadia
As the US government shutdown continues as Trump holds firm to a demand for a border wall, the Pacific Northwest is feeling the pinch of shuttered government offices: the Seattle Indian Health Board clinic may be forced to reduce hours and send patients away; Alaska’s profitable halibut fishing industry is on hold because inspectors aren’t working; and dairy farmers in Idaho could lose business if the shutdown continues.
Hunting invasive deer on Haida Gwaii
Hakai magazine has a fascinating story of how conservation teams are working to cull non-native deer from the islands of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. Introduced in the 1870s, the deer are destroying native forest cover, and teams of trackers are working to trap or shoot deer in order to restore the complex rainforest ecosystem.
New plays & performances on stage in Vancouver, Portland & Seattle
Oregon Arts Watch reviews the new play Judge Torres, the true story of Multnomah County judge Xiomara Torres and her journey from El Salvador to Portland. In Seattle, I’m curious to check out the innovative new play Everybody, which explores big issues of race, relationships, and finding meaning in life — but the amazing detail is that the entire cast switches rolls according to a lottery before the performance! Meanwhile, Vancouver is hosting the PuSh Festival of multicultural theater, performance art, spoken word, and much more through Feb. 3. One fascinating event on the calendar: a version of Hamlet completely in sign language.
Poetry by Spokane’s Tim Greenup
Over at Pontoon Poetry, you can read Spokane poet Tim Greenup’s “I Walk Through a Snowy Wood,” an idyll set beneath frozen hillsides.
“I walk through a snowy wood
in search of ambition. Let’s say
ambition looks like a gold swan.”
Read the full poem here.
That’s this evening’s collection of news & arts from across the Cascadia bioregion. Congratulation to former Mariners designated hitter Edgar Martinez for being elected the Baseball Hall of Fame today. If radio announcer Dave Niehaus were still alive today, he’d be smiling broadly. Edgar provided us with the greatest moment in Seattle sports history, and I was grateful to have been in the Kingdome to witness it. Thanks, Edgar. –Andrew Engelson
Photo credits Edgar Martinez by Clare & Ben via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0.