Portland, February 2nd, 2013. Over 10,000 people converged on the Oregon Convention Center for the TET (Vietnamese New Year) Festival. It’s a time of dance and celebration. Vietnamese Community of Oregon is a resource for the community and offers tax help, a health fair, cultural activities and more.
American and South Vietnam National Anthem on the New Year 2013. Vietnamese American Community of Oregon
A big attraction is the annual beauty pageant. Miss Congeniality 2013 of the Vietnamese Community Community of Oregon. Miss Huong Nguyen.
Miss Áo Dài Vietnamese Pageant 2013 of the Vietnamese Community of Oregon. Miss Nhi Nguyen.
President of VNCO Mr. De Tran with Colonel Hoàng Minh Hoà of the Republic of Vietnam
As political refugees in the United States of America seeking freedom and preservation of our Vietnamese cultural heritage, the Vietnamese Community of Oregon (VNCO) unites and supports the voice of All Vietnamese in Oregon. Acting as a forum for activities, VNCO will encourage, develop, support and maintain activities enabling the Vietnamese in Oregon to thrive and be contributing citizens.
Portland, February 8th, 2013. The VIP preview of “Quartet” drew dozens of Portland’s movers and shakers. The new restaurant will open on Valentine’s Day. It features an upscale menu offering Pacific Northwest cuisine with a Southern influence. Portland restaurateur Frank Taylor says of his new waterfront venture, “Quartet is a combination of hospitality, cuisine, music and lively, friendly ambiance.”
Portland restaurateur Frank Taylor smiles at the opening of his new restaurant with Multnomah County Commissioner, Loretta Smith.
Roy Jay, President of the African American Chamber of Commerce and principal in several Portland hospitality-related businesses, is one of the backers. He’s pictured with Juanita Walton. Quartet is owned and managed by Keeler Hospitality Restaurant Group.
The establishment’s first fundraising preview party will take place on February 13th and benefit Self Enhancement, Inc., the a local non-profit helping at-risk youth.
Situated in a single-story standalone building 10 feet from the Willamette, Quartet retained much of Lucier’s interior design including, African hardwoods, a water channel which snakes around the dining room and dramatic bronze tube chandeliers. (Lucier held Oregon’s only AAA four-star rating at the time, but closed in 2008.)
Barbara Brady, Josh Brett, Rachelle Jacovr and Craig Boretz
While much of the Lucier decor remains, new additions include a grand piano for performers and a pared-down bar to take advantage of the river view.
Daryl Mitchell and Ashley Anderson
Robin Tompkins, Martha Caldwell and Marcia Turnquist
The Quartet staff is gearing up for the February 14th opening.
Menu items will include table-side Caesar service, truffled lobster mac & cheese and other Seafood entrees which range from $33 to $55. Quartet will be open for dinner seven days a week and is located at 1910 S.W. River Drive.
Portland, February 7th, 2013. The Northwest Film Center’s 36th annual showcase of new world cinema is off and running. Mary C. Hinckley, Kim DeMent Smith and Steven Smith joined Northwest Film Center Director, Bill Foster, to toast the evening. The Portland International Film Festival features 135 films—92 features and 43 shorts—from February 7th – 23rd.
The Oregonian’s Shawn Levy, Chelsea Cain, Bill Foster, Marc Mohan, MIke King, Julia Bartholomew-King, Alicia Rose
Drawing an audience of over 35,000, the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is the biggest film event in Oregon, premiering more than 100 international shorts and feature films to Portland audiences each February. Audiences can experience a variety of parties, visiting artists, and plenty of festival adventure taking in this feast of cinematic fare.
Over 800 film lovers filled the Newmark Theatre on opening night to watch a screening of “Blancanieves,” this year’s Spanish submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is a 1920s, silent-set reworking of the Brothers Grimm fairytale “Snow White.”
Here’s the trailer for this beautiful film which many compare to last year’s Academy Award winner “The Artist.”
Fred Cann, Northwest Film Center Education Director, Ellen Thomas; Educator Paige Battle; Enie Vaisburd whose short film will be screened at the festival; and Kristi Conrad the Membership & Sponsorship Manager at Northwest Film Center
Katherine Frandsen, Mark Frandsen and Bill Foster
Chris Sears, David Keller, Wyatt Pate, Ryan Jacobson, Jon Neighbors
This year’s Festival features the Portland premieres of 21 films submitted for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, including: Clandestine Childhood (Argentina), Lore (Australia), Our Children (Belgium), War Witch (Canada), No (Chile), In the Shadow (Czech Republic), Purge (Finland), Keep Smiling (Georgia), Unfair World (Greece), A Simple Life (Hong Kong), Just the Wind (Hungary), Barfi! (India), Caesar Must Die (Italy), Our Homeland ( Japan), Kon-Tiki (Norway), 80 Million (Poland), Blood of My Blood (Portugal), Beyond the Hills (Romania), White Tiger (Russia), Blancanieves (Spain), and Pieta (South Korea).
Some of the film expected to draw big crowds include: Happy People, a film by Werner Herzog, No, a Chilean film starring Gael Garcia Bernaland Tabu. Art films such as Renoir and The Painting are also expected to attract film lovers.
Established in 1971, the Northwest Film Center is a regional media arts resource and service organization founded to encourage the study, appreciation, and utilization of the moving image arts, foster their artistic and professional excellence, and to help create a climate in which they may flourish. The Center provides a variety of film and video exhibition, education, and information programs primarily directed to the residents of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.
Portland, February 5th, 2013. Oregon Governors Atiyeh, Kulongoski and Kitzhaber were among the 600 Concordia University supporters at a gala to raise funds for student scholarships. Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith had talked education with former Governor Atiyeh, Concordia President Charles Schlimpert, Oregon Governor Kitzhaber and former Governor Kulongoski. (Photo credit, Steve Harmon)
Former Oregon Governor Victor Atiyeh (center) handed out Concordia’s Governor Victor Atiyeh Leadership in Education Awards to Carilyn Alexander (accepting on behalf of her late husband Dick Alexander) and Ken Thrasher, chairman of Compli.
Richard C. “Dick” Alexander died on Oct. 16th. He was the Founder of Viking International and is widely credited with persuading the Oregon Legislature to pump $25 million more a year into Head Start, ensuring that 3,000 more kids attend each year. Gov. Kitzhaber commented, on Alexander’s legacy saying, “Dick always put the needs of the community first and served the state of Oregon with dignity. He had a deep commitment and a gentle heart, and his legacy will continue to touch and shape the lives of Oregonians for generations to come.”
Keynote speaker Salman Khan earned a standing ovation when he shared his story of founding and growing Khan Academy to now seven million monthly users. He emphasized its mission to provide “A free world class education for anyone anywhere,” and closed the event by stating his view that “Education should be a right, like drinking water.”
600 attendees filled the Kridel Grand Ballroom at the Portland Art Museum
Concordia University President Charles Schlimpert at the podium.
The second annual Concordia University Governor Victor Atiyeh Leadership in Education Awards, presented by HotChalk Inc, recognized two honorees – Ken Thrasher and the late Dick Alexander – for their leadership in early childhood education in Oregon.
Following the event, 120 iPads used on the tables were donated by presenting sponsor HotChalk Inc., to Faubion School, a local, urban, preK-8 public school adjacent to Concordia University. The iPads will be used by students and educators to help improve access to technology resources for Faubion’s students.
Concordia, Faubion and Portland Public Schools are expanding their partnership to create a national model committed to helping young people fulfill their potential from age “3 to PhD.”
This year’s 2013 Atiyeh Scholars include the following 16 Concordia University students: Anab Abdirahman, Temari Asazuki, Scott Cozza, Marcie Fitzgerald, Megan Haug, Emmanuel Henreid, Feliza Lopez-Sanchaez, Shannon Mackaben, Jennifer McDonnell, Danetta Monk, Damien Ntawumpora, Sable Phillipi, Yuki Rutherford, Naiby Tejero, Angela Tsoumas, and Leily Villela.
Concordia University is pioneering education innovation in the region by preparing the next generation of teachers. The University’s greatest growth over the past few years is in its Masters of Education degree programs online. Now, Concordia’s EdD will launch online and on ground this spring.
ABOUT CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
Concordia University is a private, nonprofit, Lutheran, liberal arts university founded in 1905 with a mission to prepare leaders for the transformation of society. Concordia is currently Oregon’s fastest growing university with more than 23% enrollment growth in 2012 to more than 3,500 students. For the fourth consecutive year, Concordia was recognized on the U.S. President’s Community Service Honor Roll and as 7th in the nation in service by Washington Monthly magazine. Its College of Education is committed to preparing the world’s best teachers through its courses in Portland, across Oregon, and online.
PORTLAND, Ore. February, 8th. In an agreement finalized today, the zoo assumed legal ownership of Rose-Tu’s new calf from Have Trunk Will Travel, the California-based company that had previously held rights to the young elephant.“Lily’s living arrangements were never in question,” said Kim Smith, zoo director. “But this makes it official: Lily will live her life with her family herd, the way elephants should.”
Lily plays in the sand back yard of the Oregon Zoo’s Asian elephant habitat. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.
Smith said the zoo also will retain Tusko, the 13,000-pound bull elephant who sired both Lily and Samudra and has been here on a breeding loan since 2005. The zoo arranged to acquire both elephants for $400,000, thus voiding its loan agreement with Have Trunk Will Travel and putting to rest any speculation that Tusko’s future offspring might not belong to the zoo. The purchase was funded entirely by the Oregon Zoo Foundation, the private nonprofit fundraising arm of the zoo, and did not involve public monies.
“We are grateful to the dedicated donors who recognize the zoo as an important community asset and support our work through the Oregon Zoo Foundation,” Smith said. “The ongoing support these gifts provide not only made this ownership transfer possible but helps advance our daily efforts to create a better future for wildlife.”
Lily’s status was secured today with a payment for half the total purchase amount, while the transaction involving Tusko is complete pending a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (a requirement since Tusko was born outside the country).
Smith said she understands the need for reassurance about the fate of Rose-Tu’s calf, as well as the initial public outcry over some misleading reports.
“Given the sensationalized story people were first presented with, that’s exactly how they should have reacted,” Smith said. “If I thought for one minute that this baby was going to be taken from her mother — taken from her home — I would be outraged too. But Lily was never going away, and I think everyone understands that now.”
Controversy first stirred when a Seattle newspaper ran an article suggesting the zoo’s newborn elephant calf could be plucked from her mother and dropped into a traveling circus. As evidence, the paper produced a copy of the 2005 breeding loan for Tusko; the agreement stipulated that Tusko’s second, fourth and sixth offspring would be owned by Have Trunk Will Travel.
The contract, Smith said, was a standard one — and old news to those who’d followed Tusko’s story in The Oregonian. In the zoo world, she noted, ownership is not an indicator of where an animal will live. Even so, the timing of the Seattle article hit a nerve with local residents, who had fallen hard for Rose-Tu’s baby and sought reassurance that she wasn’t going away.
“This controversy was much ado about nothing,” Smith said. “But it’s still been incredibly gratifying to see our community come together like this on behalf of elephants. The passion we’ve seen is precisely what we aim to inspire — it’s what gives me hope for the future, because Asian elephants are facing serious threats to their survival right now.”
Considered highly endangered in their range countries, Asian elephants are threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans and disease. It is estimated that fewer than 40,000 elephants remain in fragmented populations from India to Borneo.
The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its successful breeding program for Asian elephants, which has now spanned 50 years. Lily’s grandmother, Me-Tu, was the second elephant born at the zoo (just months after Packy in 1962), and her great-grandmother, Rosy, was the first elephant to live in Oregon.
The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission of inspiring the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Oregon spotted frogs. Other projects include studies on Asian elephants, polar bears, orangutans and giant pandas. The zoo relies in part on community support through donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation to undertake these and many other animal welfare, education and sustainability programs.
The zoo opens at 10 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.
General zoo admission is $11.50 (ages 12-64), $10 for seniors (65 and up), $8.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $4 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
Portland, February 1st, 2013. Opening night of The Portland Opera‘s Tosca brought fans to their feet. With featured American soprano Kara Shay Thomson in the title role, the sweeping production epitomizes vibrant opera on a grand scale. Diehard opera fans and first time attendees were riveted by the production.
Here’s the story of Tosca from The Portland Opera:
When her lover, Cavaradossi, faces execution for aiding a political prisoner, Tosca must make an unthinkable choice: submit to the loathsome Baron Scarpia, chief of police … or send her true love to the firing squad. Her decision brings the opera to a breathtaking climax.
A passionate tour de force, Puccini’s thriller has been beloved by audiences since its premiere. The revival of this grand production is a Tosca to remember.
Kara Shay Thomson as Tosca, Mark Schnaible as Scarpia, (Photo credit, Portland Opera/Cory Weaver
Tosca is sung in Italian with English projections above the stage and runs 2 hours, 45 minutes. Tickets are available online, or by calling the box office at 503-241-1802 (m-f, 9-5). Performances continue through Feb 9th.
Here’s a video from the dress rehearsal of the “Vissi d’arte”. It’s the aria from act II of the opera. It is sung by Tosca as she thinks of her fate and how the life of her beloved, Mario Cavaradossi, is at the mercy of Baron Scarpia.
This is a translation of the Italian she sings:
I lived for art, I lived for love,
I never did harm to a living soul!
With a secret hand
I relieved as many misfortunes as I knew of.
Ever in true faith
My prayer
Rose to the holy shrines.
Ever in true faith
I gave flowers to the altar.
In the hour of grief
Why, why, Lord,
Why do you reward me thus?
I gave jewels for the Madonna’s mantle,
And songs for the stars, in heaven,
That shone forth with greater radiance.
In the hour of grief
Why, why, Lord,
Ah, why do you reward me thus?
Kara Shay Thomson as Tosca, (Photo credit, Portland Opera / Cory Weaver)
Portland, January 24th, 2013. There was a call to action at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest’s Evening of Impact. The event was sponsored by the agency’s African American Advisory Board. Big Brother Walter Fuller of Nike was honored with the Rob Ingram Impact Award. He’s pictured with Chabre Vickers of BBBS, his wife Jocelyn and son. (Photo credit, Al Sigala)
NW Natural’s Von Summers accepted the Corporate Impact Award. He’s pictured with Rob are Pamela Weatherspoon of Legacy Health, Angelo Turner and Andy Nelson, CEO for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Over a hundred community, business, and educational leaders gathered to honor those who have made an impact in the African American community by supporting efforts to serve more children with a Big Brother or Sister. The event raised funsd to establish the Rob Ingram Impact Fund which will be used to support mentoring efforts in the African American community. The award is named for Rob Ingram, a former Big Brother and president of the African American Advisory Board who passed away in 2011.
Special awards were also presented including the Community Impact Award which was presented to the EMBODI Program for its efforts in recruiting more mentors, the Corporate Impact Award, which was presented to NW Natural for its support of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Rob Ingram Impact Award which went to Big Brother Walter Fuller of Nike.
The African American Advisory Board works with Big Brothers Big Sisters to help recruit more African American volunteers and to ensure the agency’s approaches are culturally relevant, strategic and sustainable for the future.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest provides children experiencing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. The agency serves Clackamas, Clark, Cowlitz, Multnomah, Skamania, Wahkiakum and Washington counties. In 2012, Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest supported over 2,200 children — and the volunteer mentors who serve them, making it the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency on the west coast and 9th largest nationwide.
Portland, January 31st, 2013. Zia McCabe, a Musician from the Portland band The Dandy Warhols, won the OnPoint Community Credit Union Celebrity Spelling Bee. The event drew 373 people and raised $250,000 to support the mission and programs of Schoolhouse Supplies. G-N-A-T-H-O-N-I-C was the winning word; it means, deceitfully flattering, sycophantic. (Photo credit, Joni Photo)
Zia McCabe and Pencil Pete (Photo credit, Joni Photo)
The Onpoint Community Credit Union Spelling Bee, presented by Comcast was held at the Portland Art Museum and offered a chance for supporters to celebrate Schoolhouse Supplies’ growth and success over the last twelve years.
January 30th, 2013. Every year Bill Gates drafts a letter encapsulating the efforts of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This year he recalled, “From time to time we should step back and celebrate the way that the right goals combined with political will in developing countries, aid, and innovation have achieved so much.” Gates is most proud of improving health for the world’s poorest children; according to Gates, in 1990 over 12-million children a year died and now that’s down to 6.9 -million. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had donated over $26-billion dollars over the last 18 years to help the world’s most venerable.
Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and co-founder of Microsoft, is considered the richest man in America, with an estimated net worth of $65 billion.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Portland, January 30th, 2013. Fertile Ground 2013 is a 10-day arts festival running through February 3rd at 26 different venues. This city-wide festival showcaces new work including 90 live performances: staged readings, developing works and a myriad of other arts events from the Portland creative community. From fully staged world premieres, to ensemble and collaborative driven work, dance, comedy, visual art and film, the festival seeds the next generation of creation.
The Lost Boy Artists Rep Geoff Kanick, Elizabeth Houghton, Sam Dinkowitz (Photo credit, Owen Carey) *We’re having a ticket giveaway for The Lost Boy for PortlandSocietyPage.com highlight subscribers!
Fertile Ground was launched by the Portland Area Theatre Alliance in 2009 to provide a platform for Portland theater companies to showcase their commitment to new work. Single tickets for all festival events are purchased directly through the producing companies. All-access Festival Passes are $50 and are available on the Fertile Ground website: www.fertilegroundpdx.org
For the most accurate and comprehensive information on locations, times and tickets is on the Fertile Ground website: www.fertilegroundpdx.org
Rebecca Lingafelter, Shelley Virginia, Paige McKinney, Cristi Miles (photo credit, Gary Norman)
Unlike a typical fringe festival, Fertile Ground features the finest new work of our local artists, performers and resident theater companies, ensuring that the artistic and financial benefits of the festival stay in Portland.
Living The Room, Sub Rosa Dance Collective (Photo Credit, Design By Goats)
Part Time Playhouse, a local black box theatre on live television at Metro East Community Media, broadcast a Fertile Ground 2013 Preview Special. The show featured performance excepts from RIBBONS OF WAR by Andrew Fridae, THE GODMOTHER by Sandra de Helen, FORTUNE COOKIES by Donna Barrow, HAIL! by Sally Stember, and interviews with Miriam Feder of PDXPlaywrights and Festival Director Nicole Lane.
Key producers this year include Artists Repertory Theatre, CoHo Productions, Hand2Mouth Theatre, Portland Playhouse, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, and more, along with many emerging theatre companies, individual playwrights and chorographer producers. For FG13, MilePost5 presents a group of theatre and visual art works under the title “Ripen,” Polaris Dance Theatre presents the “Groovin Greenhouse” again with a variety of choreographers and dance groups, and PDX Playwrights presents 17 staged readings.
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