Category: Featured

Portland Crime

 

Generally things in Portland – and especially in my residential, suburbia neighborhood – are nice and quiet and that’s how we like it, especially with the little ones.  But of course, as we all know too well unfortunately, no city is completely crime-free. 

I know that crime exists, and I also know that there are very sick people everywhere.  But I guess I hadn’t heard about the two men who had been accused of sexually molesting little boys.  That really hit home, especially given that I’ve got two boys of my own.  Anyway apparently they were arrested a year ago but sentencing was only passed just now at the US Federal Court, Medford.  They got pretty substantial punishments, so that was at least something.  It seems they will be in prison for more than 25 years and then, after that, will have a 20-year term of supervised release.

Still, I like to focus on the nice things about where I live and this was a bit unsettling.  I guess that’s why – as much as I can – I avoid the news. But Daniel happened to be reading the local newspaper and I saw him look a little troubled so I asked him what it was about.

Let’s hope there’s some good news to counter this in the next few days.  Sorry to have been a bit of a downer today…hope you are privy to some nice news, wherever you are.

 

 

Jayden Jumping on the Bus!

So we took Jayden to his first theater performance last night.  Since it was his first time, we decided to splurge on three tickets at the Oregon Children’s Theatre.  Jayden’s been watching ‘Magic School Bus’ since my colleague Michelle (who happens to be half my age…now that’s enough to make you feel old!), recommended it as an educational show she’d grown up on.  So when I saw it playing at the theater, I suggested to Daniel it’d be a fun family outing. Well, for the three of us at least; we got a babysitter for Ethan who would have spent the entire evening throwing popcorn or screaming his head off.


We got there at 4: 30 (the show was scheduled to begin at 5) and of course Jayden immediately wanted to eat.  Thankfully, I’d bought some of his favorite snacks, so he was munching on apples and Cornflakes and then of course he got thirsty (I hadn’t thought that far ahead) so Daniel had to go locate some juice, but the only one he could find was mango and Jayden decided this was “ewww.”  Still, at least he didn’t spill it all over the chair or anything and we weren’t thrown out of the theatre, something for which I was thankful.


Jayden overall seemed to enjoy the performance, but I think he’s become so spoilt with the Disney movies he watches nightly as I try to navigate what’s new in the world of Asia finance (a long story; some possible business venture my brother and I are trying to start; one of our many attempts at making some much needed money), that he was a bit bored.  It got me thinking that perhaps he’s stopped enjoying the basic loves in childhood and that it could be my fault because I let him watch too much TV. Hmmm, something to consider, but I see I am digressing.
Anyway, at the end of the show, I asked him if he had enjoyed it and he said in his all-too-cute voice (I must get Daniel to record that at some point), he replied with a smile, “it was fun mommy; can we do it again?”  So I was happy.  And then afterwards, as a treat, we went for bagels and cream-cheese – Jayden’s favorite – at the Portland Bagel Co. and I had the yummiest sandwich with my favorite topping – Tillamook Cheddar and Egg.  Yum; the whole evening was worth it just for that!
 

Baby Breathes Again

Five-and-a-half minutes can feel like five hours when a baby isn’t breathing.  That’s exactly what happened on Thanksgiving on President Street, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, when 8-month-old Josiah Alexis stopped breathing and firefighters failed to find a heartbeat.  Seconds before getting to six minutes, in a small FDNY ambulance came the sounds they so desperately joyously received: a pulse was found along with a small cough.  Firefighter Neil Malone said simply, “it was the best Thanksgiving I ever had.”  The little boy is not yet out of the woods, but the situation looks good.

Fire Precautions

Clearly fire safety precautions were not taken.  A cigarette ended up touching a mattress which set off the blaze.  In an attempt to save the situation, people were trying to drag it out.  But what happened instead was that a huge puff of heat and smoke ended up trapping them. A woman who was trying to go back inside was screaming, “my baby is inside” and the firefighter grabbed her (she was bleeding) and then went inside to retrieve the baby who was limp and in cardiac arrest.

It really was an incredible miracle tale and a wonderful end to Thanksgiving, that everyone survived.

 

 

Some Thanksgiving Heartening Stories

With Thanksgiving upon us tonight, it’s good to look back at some heart-warming stories from years past.  On the night of Thanksgiving why not share happy tales of what one is grateful for as well as  picking up some inspiration from others is also enjoyable? 

So we look back a few decades to Thanksgiving Day in 1976.  An American couple thought that they would be celebrating the festivities without their son – John Michael Zion – who was stationed at Fort McClellan, Ala.  He was doing additional training for his position as an army police officer.  But his parents were extremely disappointed and saddened that he would be unable to join them.  Then his mother suddenly an idea; she told her husband, “let’s take the dinner to Alabama.”  And that’s exactly what they did.

If John Won’t Come to the Thanksgiving…

…let’s bring Thanksgiving to John! A full turkey dinner with all the trimmings was prepared, placed in a cooler and the couple set off to Anniston.  They set up shop in a motel fitted with a lovely kitchen and enjoyed the best dinner ever with “super” pumpkin pies!  Once they had eaten their fill, they took the rest of the food back to John’s base where his friends polished everything off.  A great Thanksgiving Day was had by all.

When Even An Owl Needs Some Tenderness

 

Everyone needs love, affection and attention.  No matter if you are human or animal – or even what type of animal – a bit of caressing goes a long way.  Well, this could be no clearer than what is seen on the recent youtube video that was posted about a “lovely owl.” Fast approaching 5 million hits to date since its posting just over 2 weeks ago, this viral video is now up to number 2 on the Top 20 List as comprised by Viral Video Chart.  It seems that the lowly owl – the animal not really seen as a cutesy snuggler – has finally enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame by coming this far.  Well, actually if you want to get really pedantic, its 1.47 minutes of fame.

It seems that this video marks the only time an animal has made it this high in the Viral Video Charts ever – indeed, no other animal video has ever even made it onto the list.  The list primarily comprises music videos.

Take a look at the video and see the pet owl Molla being caressed at a medieval falconry event which takes place near Milan, Italy. It is a celebration of various types of birds of prey.  You will see different types of owls on the video but Molla is clearly the movie’s star.