November 1999 November 3 November 10 November 17 November 23 back to Archives home Volume 26, issue 3, November 23, 1999 NEWS 500 Words Tax Fraud: The "kicker" that arrived with the mail this week hurts Oregonians who need help and helps those who don't. Lead Story Fat Guys Kick Ass: Fat guys are strong, sexy and happy. Puppies and children love them.So go ahead and pig out this Thanksgiving: Fat is good for you. Religion The Mormon Connection: Why is a group that has helped millions of people trace their genealogy fighting to keep Oregon adoptees from getting their original birth certificates? Politics PERS Strings: A $40 million charge for benefits 13 years after the fact is just one reason city officials are fuming at administrators of the state's public-employee retirement fund. Politics Bureau of Elusive Contracts: City auditors are trying to figure out how a Vancouver computer consultant managed to get more than $88,000 of work in Portland's 911 center without having a contract. Letters "Instead of accepting reality, enlightened Portland theater artists threaten not just the First Amendment, but people, too. " NewsBuzz WW Reader Contest: Hai2k | Chief Speculation | No More Marshall Plan? | Corrections Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week Our Rogue-o-meter tells us that the folks in charge of Delta Airlines need to be grounded. LIFE Willamette Week's 25th Anniversary Party Pictures from our birthday bash Feature Working Wardrobe: In a city with perhaps the most lax business dress codes, completely wacky uniforms pepper the service industry. Q & A Richard Bertagna Shop Leg Warmers CULTURE Feature Baby New Year Finds His Silver Spoon: If you're steeped in liquid assets, you'll have plenty of options this Dec. 31. These are some of them--plus one for the rest of us. Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Music Column Daydream Nation Preview His Cup Runneth Over: For many of us, coffee's just our morning fix. But for DIY jazzman Darrell Grant, the ubiquitous bean inspired his latest disc, Smokin' Java, a musical brew to brim the city's cup. Preview Beyond Static: After years of spawning odd ambient sonics, Mark Spybey of Dead Voices on Air is learning the potent craft of proper songwriting. Sort of. Recorded Music Reviews of new releases from Sweet Trip, Cavemanish Boys, and The Rootsman. Screen Review His Head's On Straight: Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow is a visual feast, a beautiful fairy tale/horror story reminiscent of old-style moviemaking. Review Enough Is Enough: Despite the new gadgets, new settings and new Bond girls, the latest entry in the 007 chronicles is the same old story. Dish Mash beer column Performance Preview Souls for Sale: Sowelu Theater launches its season with an excellent British play. Words BiblioFile Reviews of three new books Volume 26, issue 2, November 17, 1999 500 Words To Resign, or Not To Resign? Whether 'tis nobler for Portland School Board member Doug Capps to suffer the slings and arrows of fellow board members, or just quit. Lead Story The Haunted World of Andrew Vachss: Will the child-abuse crusader and bestselling crime novelist vanquish his demons in Oregon? Lead Story Sidebar Raising The Stakes: Vachss' current legislative campaign. Environment Cutting through the CRP: What's the connection between urban river pollution and sick salmon? It depends who you talk to. Education Muddle School? As most students--and plenty of parents and education experts--will tell you, middle school is a drag. Now, some folks at Chapman Elementary are asking: What's wrong with good old K-8? Urban Pulse Phone-Book Gypsies: Sure, your fingers do the walking. But it's a nomadic band of carriers who do the heavy lifting. Letters " I wonder if Mr. Lydgate would find it necessary to report on the steel-toed boots worn by welders or steelworkers? Pretty sexy stuff, eh? " NewsBuzz WW Reader Contest: Hai2k | Typo of the Week | Homeless Horses? Advocates Say "Neigh" | Vote Local, Think Global | Corrections | Slowing the Pace Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week Everything is not coming up roses at the Rosie awards. LIFE Willamette Week's 25th Anniversary Party Photos from the November 10th party Feature Sears Has Arrived: You want a mod anorak with that washer and dryer? Sears now delivers rad fashions alongside trustworthy rototillers. Q & A Craig Thompson Shop Counting Down Chaos CULTURE Feature An Award of One's Own: The Oregon Book Awards kicked off in 1987 with local boy Ken Kesey getting nasty. Since that date, a boatload of writers have pocketed one of these prizes and hit a fast plane out of here. But some things never change--this year, Kesey's back. Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Music Column Daydream Nation Preview For Real: Boston's hardscrabble Real Kids hit '70s punk with heartfelt, unpretentious working-class rock, then faded away. Until now. Music Story The Land of the Free: Avant-jazz explorers Flatland look to blaze trails deep into strange territory. Recorded Music Reviews of new releases from Uri Caine Ensemble, Barcelona, and Unwound. Screen Review G.I. Joan: Luc Besson's The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc is a simultaneously hilarious and terrible story of a beloved saint. Dish Review A Miracle in St. Johns: St. Johns might be Portland's dumping ground, but the John Street Cafe keeps the faith. Performance Classical Music The New New Voice: The Northwest is often criticized for its lack of diversity. Could it be we're just not looking very hard? Third Angle finds what's been here all along and follows it to the future. Visual Art Review Stubborn Phantoms: William Kentridge's animated short films and prints refuse to let us forget South Africa's past. Volume 26, issue 1, November 10, 1999 500 Words Letter From The Publisher Our 25th Anniversary Issue Willamette Week celebrates Portland 1974-1999 Politics Secretary's Day: As it turns out, Gail Achterman didn't block Bill Bradbury's sudden rise to the top of Oregon's political ladder. Education A Matter of Principals: A WW study shows that Portland's new merit pay for public-school principals is creating disparities based on race, poverty and geography. Politics Tension Fund: Portland Mayor Vera Katz is gearing up for a tough--and expensive--political fight. But not the one you'd expect. Letters "We will never be safe until we are taught to lose our anger and to lose our concept that adjusting the constitution for the future safety of our children is not so sacrilegious after all. " NewsBuzz Rerouting the Money Trail | Omission | Controlling the Animals | Badge of Dishonor | City Clubbed Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week Kirk Hall, executive director of the Professional Liability Fund, is our Rogue of the week. LIFE Feature Lullaby Lore: Are you June Cleaver or Joan Crawford? Bedtime tells all about parenting technique--and whatever your style, there's a book to back you up. Q & A Pam Houston Shop Red Eye Redux CULTURE Feature Say It Loud, I'm Polish And Proud: After decades of bad jokes, polka parodies and scorned sausage, it's finally hip to be Polish. Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Music Column Daydream Nation Record Reviews Teenage Angst Has Paid Off Well: Long after alt-rock's death knell, a few familiar faces soldier on. Meet the new dinosaurs of rock. Story Now Departing: Luther Russell. The local singer/songwriter sets aside his acoustic guitar, dives down in the dirt and takes you higher on Down at Kit's Preview/ Q&A Toog et Moi: Bizarro French pop auteur Toog charms his way into Portland this week. Écoutez avec nous. Recorded Music Reviews of new releases from Company Segundo, Meg Lee Chin and Jared Louche and the Aliens. Screen Review Dog Food: Kevin Smith's fourth feature, Dogma, is simplistic, adolescent and full of cheap laughs... but it thinks it's so much more. Dish Graze A rotating guide to restaurants we like. Review On Broadway: Two eateries on either side of the eastside thoroughfare offer familiar comforts with an urban edge. Performance Stage Review A City as a Cauldron: Theatre Vertigo opens its season with a powerful work on the Holocaust. Words BiblioFile Reviews of three new books Volume 25, issue 53, November 3, 1999 NEWS 500 Words Suburbs Ho! Portland's daily newspaper wheels its shopping cart into Washington County. Lead Story Sweeps Stakes: In their race to be No. 1, local TV stations bank on the cult of personality. Lead Story Sidebar Anticipation: how the weather report drives the local news. Crime & Justice To Be Continued: The ruthless fight over victims' rights might seem to be over, but both sides are determined to keep the issue alive. Business Leftovers Again: If Vince and Ralph Gilbert have their way, truckloads of bruised apples, wilted lettuce and coffee grounds will end up in your back yard. Politics Workin' on the Railroad: The union representing Tri-Met light-rail operators wants its members at the controls of the new city streetcar. Letters "I, for one, will never stop using what rights I have at my disposal to draw attention to, and hopefully change, the wrongs of my society. " NewsBuzz Gruff Daddy | Shifting Gears | Dr. No Strikes Again | Rewriting Sentences | Doing Unto Others | Correction Scoreboard This week's winner and losers Rogue of the Week On Oct. 25, Senate Bill 975 quietly became law, draping a veil of secrecy over one of the most important government functions: investigations of alleged police misconduct. LIFE Feature Hair Today: Navigating a relationship with your stylist can be as hard as trying to talk to your lover. Q & A Dwight Slade Shop Four Wheels, Two Navigational Geegaws and One DVD Player to Freedom CULTURE Feature Fall Forward: Fall is the blockbuster season for fans of thoughtful movies with provocative themes. Here's the lowdown on three films opening soon that will make you grateful for the rain. Dinner Palace of Love Suey Chow's personals column Music Music Column Daydream Nation Review Close Shave: Jazz deconstructionist Patricia Barber doesn't like playing by any rules but hers and doesn't mind letting you know it. Rock Preview Don't Mess With Texas: Austin and Los Angeles have already faced the raw power of Texas Terri Laird and her punk- damaged band, the Stiff Ones. Now it's Portland's turn to feel the force. Recorded Music Reviews of new releases from Zen Guerilla, Stereolab, and Bill Rieflin. Screen Review Local Flavor: Now 26 years old, the Northwest Film and Video Festival continues to define our regional identity. Dish Graze A rotating guide to restaurants we like. Dish Globe Trotters: Oritalia, the new high-end fusion restaurant on the block, offers more than a few solid and significant dishes. But watch out for cruel and unusual culture clashes. Miss Dish This week's food and drink events Performance Preview Feature In the Beginning, There Were Strings: Classical fusion pioneers the Turtle Island String Quartet play jazz in chamber music's clothing.