THIS JUST IN

This just in: City of Albany to revitalize downtown area, refurbish crumbling schools and construct Oregon’s first legit Nascar track.

Well, probably not.

But, since the Albany City Council voted to sue a subsidiary of PepsiCo for more than $100 million over the company's decision not to build a Gatorade and Propel Fitness Water factory in the city, it stands to collect some loot.

The city council voted 4-0 Monday to authorize the lawsuit, which alleges breach of contract.

Under a 2006 agreement, a PepsiCo subsidiary said it would build a $165 million beverage plant and a separate $85 million bottle-making factory on 241 acres the company bought.

Last November the company notified the city that because of market changes it had changed its mind.

With the country’s every state and municipality in dire economic straits, one has to wonder if the Council’s unanimous decision to sue was motivated by the city’s own lack of money.

To be sure, this legal battle will be costly and hard fought. PepsiCo is a giant organization with a team of skilled attorneys on its side. If the City of Albany doesn’t win the sum for which it is suing, this lawsuit may cost it more than it can muster and further compound its financial predicament.

Still loopy

I went to the 32nd annual Newport Seafood and Wine Fest today. It was great. In addition to the typical weekend warriors, I saw sluggish wine slobs drifting aimlessly and bead-draped cougars on the prowl, speaking in shrieks and wearing enough makeup to shame Tammy Faye. All gathered peacefully in a giant tent to drink copious amounts of vino, eat shrimp cocktails and cheer emphatically at the shattering of a glass.

Though I'm no connoisseur, I enjoyed several delicious wines from all over the Willamette Valley. Still, it was amusing to watch the clueless dorks pretending they could tell the difference between a spicy cab and a mellow syrah with a fruity finish.

When in Rome, make lemonade, eh?

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when life gives you lemons...

The nation’s economy is in a recession. Stocks and markets continue to falter, unemployment is on the rise, the dollar’s value is dropping and foreclosures are still mounting. While our elected officials struggle to balance budgets and decide which programs get funding and which don’t, our President has done little to rally the people and buoy spirits.

Consumer sales are at record lows, folks are worried about their jobs, investor confidence is waning, and some people are holing up and hording what little they have.

It’s clear that the country’s situation is dire. The last thing we need is the fluffy, happy talk reserved for a child: “there, there, it’ll be okay.” I, for one, find that insulting.

At the same time, the real talk that we’re getting from Obama is terribly gloomy. Though he’s taking care to treat the economic crisis with the utmost seriousness, he’s speaking too solemnly with a furrowed brow about the long slog ahead of us. I, for one, find that overwhelming.

So what’s needed? Obama obviously can’t please everyone. I think a mix of speech and action would serve him, and the population, well. The real talk should be given to us straight but it should be tempered with a sense of optimism and a mention of what we, as citizens, can do to help.

In his defense, he has expressed confidence that the nation will bounce back. These statements though, are delivered with the consternation and stiff body language that leaves me feeling more worried than comforted.

Bill Clinton echoed these sentiments in a recent television interview. "I like trying to educate the American people about the dimensions and scope of this economic crisis," he said. "I just would like [Obama] to end by saying that he is hopeful and completely convinced we're gonna come through this."

Side note: imagine the pressure. All eyes are on Obama. His every move is being dissected by critics, his most ardent supporters are expectantly waiting for him to fix everything, and guys like me are straddling that line, just hoping he can make the lemonade.

Fight

A fight at a skatepark in Tualatin that left four injured will end up being yet another thorn in the side of the movement to construct new skateparks across the state.

The fight, in which one person was stabbed, happened last night around 7 p.m. and has prompted the all-too-familiar stereotyping of skateboarders.

“Just more proof that skateparks attract the wrong crowd. Fill the darn thing in and make it a basketball court or another playground,” commented one reader on The Oregonian’s website despite the fact that none of the fighters have been identified as skaters.

While business owners complain about the destructive, dangerous and noisy presence of skateboarders on their property, residents fight skatepark construction in their neighborhoods. ‘Not in my backyard,’ they say, citing skaters’ tendencies toward substance abuse and general delinquency.

Still, the past decade has seen Oregon and the greater northwest become an internationally-renowned destination for skaters due to its abundance of world-class skateparks.

The most recent wave of new construction began in November 2002 when Portland voters approved a parks levy which, among other things, provided for two new skateparks at Pier and Glenhaven Parks in north and northeast Portland. The Portland Parks Foundation helped secure funding for a skate spot in the new Holly Farm Park in southwest Portland. Thanks to special funding approved by City Council in 2006, a new skatepark opened July 2008 in Gabriel Park in southwest Portland and a skate area is almost completed in Ed Benedict Park in southeast Portland.

Now, with plans to build another, much larger skatepark in the city’s Old Town near the west ramp of the Steel Bridge, skaters will likely see increased opposition to the construction and/or increased police presence when the project is finished. It’s also likely that the entire project will be postponed indefinitely due to the nationwide economic crisis and the city's financial woes.

Letterman vs Phoenix

David Letterman hosted actor Joaquin Phoenix last night. Together, the two engaged in what was surely one of the most unforgettable and uncomfortable exchanges in Late Show history.

Phoenix, hiding behind dark shades and a full, unkempt beard, was awkward and distant. Appearing on the show to promote his new movie, he mumbled one and two word answers to Letterman’s questions and prompted the host, himself truly gifted at moving conversations from mundane to memorable, to exploit the situation’s potential for comedic value. Letterman soon began mocking Phoenix, playfully ribbing the actor with sarcastic one-liners, until Phoenix grew contemptuous of the host, the co-host, and even the audience.

The whole exchange culminated when Letterman remarked, “Maybe I'll come to your house some night and chew gum." Phoenix responded by taking the gum out of his mouth and sticking it to the host’s desk.

Whether or not Letterman was actually irritated and whether or not Phoenix was really on another planet, it was some damn entertaining television, and surely sent millions of viewers off to bed wondering whether they just witnessed a stoned actor falling apart before the cameras, or a daring performer tearing apart the very conventions of the late night TV talk show.

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXpYk7WGN5Y. We'll see how long it lasts.

Beaver Cleaver

Beaver Cleaver and his television family were the iconic nuclear unit of post-war suburban America.

RAVE ON

Fifty years ago today, Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens played a show in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Their short Upper Midwest tour was billed as the Winter Dance Party and predated the mega-festival super-tour concert scene of today. The lucky few that braved the bitter winter weather to see these young men perform were in the presence of a greatness that was soon to be prematurely snatched away.

Just hours after the show, the three were killed in a plane crash in the early hours of the day that came to be known as “the day the music died.”

Holly was only 22 years old but had already left an indelible mark on the developing rock-and-roll sound. Paul McCartney recalled singing and playing his songs with John Lennon when they were boys. Indeed, the first song the pair ever recorded with a young George Harrison was a cover of “That’ll Be The Day.”

One could speculate that had there been no Buddy Holly, there might be no Beatles. To me, that’s more devastating of a thought than the loss of Holly at such a young age. As sad as his untimely death was and is, at least we can be thankful that he was around long enough to leave a small but lasting body of influential work.

LISTEN TO WORDS OF LOVE, OH BOY!, RAVE ON and MAYBE BABY