Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Portland's Cheers to Belgian Beers

Cheers to Belgian Beers
Saturday, May 1, noon - 9pm
Hopworks, upper parking lot
2944 SE Powell Blvd
Free; $5 for required tasting goblet, $1 pours

Cheers to Belgian Beers is a great beer event that features different styles of Belgian beer, brewed with the same strain of yeast. In the last four years, the festival has grown from a handful of Portland breweries to over 29 breweries from all over Oregon. The event is a competition, with the winner getting to host next year. The festival raises money for the a charity chosen by the host (this year is Parkinson's Resources of Oregon). This is a great opportunity to sample a variety of beers from a country with a long, rich brewing tradition and have a great time doing it.

Dining Out for Life--Dine Out. Fight AIDS on 4/29

Since AIDS is a global issue and this event is a worthy cause and cool idea, I thought I'd share this with you.
 
One of the many perks about living in Portland is getting to enjoy the amazing restaurants we are beginning to be known for around the country. This Thursday, April 29th, Portlanders can enjoy those restaurants while supporting the OHSU Partnership Project and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's HIV Day Center by taking part in Dining Out for Life. Dining Out for Life is a national event in its second year in Portland. On the day of the event participating restaurants will donate between 20%-30% of their food and beverage sales to the participating AIDS services organizations, EMO's HIV Day Center and OHSU Partnership Project.
 
Participating restaurants are: Bridges Cafe and Catering, Broder Cafe, Detour Cafe, Dingo's, Echo, Egyptian Club, Firehouse, Gilt Club, Gracie's Restaurant, Il Piato, Kir Wine Bar, Lauro Kitchen, Lincoln Restaurant, The Original, Por Que No (Hawthorne), Red Star Tavern, Rose and Thistle, Stickers Asian Cafe, SubRosa, and West Cafe. For more information go to www.diningoutforlife.com/portland.

I have heard good things about Detour Cafe, Eco are good and Por Que No.
Rose Grech

Monday, April 26, 2010

UK Election (YP Discussion Group)

UK Election (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our biweekly discussion group:

Wednesday, 28 April 2010 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

May 6th will mark the end of a refreshingly short campaign season in the UK. No matter the outcome, the result will have major consequences for the UK, Europe, and the United States. If Labour loses, it will end a period of outward looking foreign policy and alter the "special relationship" with the US. A recent surge in support for the Liberal Democrats has made the possibility of a hung Parliament look increasingly likely, which could limit the ability of the next UK government to remain a global political leader. Who will win and what does it mean for the rest of the world?

Monday, April 19, 2010

Be Green While Traveling

Be Green While Traveling - Download a pdf guide representing a diverse array of knowledge and expertise that will help you, the traveler, make responsible travel choices. By choosing wisely, you can make positive contributions to conservation, communities and sustainable travel around the world, one eco-trip at a time. On this site, you can also sign up for e-newsletters, explore eco volunteer opportunities and more.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Interested in other cultures? Have a spare bedroom? Become a World Affairs Council International Visitor Host!

The World Affairs Council of Oregon is excited to welcome 5 Russian visitors through the Open World Program! This group will be in Oregon from Friday, May 21 through Saturday, May 29, 2010, on a program focusing on Accountable Governance and Women as Leaders with a Focus on Environmental Protection.

Home stay hosts provide a spare room, breakfast and dinner, lunch on the weekend, transportation to and from the Council office, and an American home experience. We will provide lunches (M-F), cultural events, transportation to meetings and appointments, and full-day or half-day weekend activities.

What does hosts say about hosting?

“Hosting is fun. You get to meet people, and in many cases, you keep in touch with them after they leave. I’ve been hosting international visitors, especially those from Russia, for 25 years now. I keep a map in my house with pushpins on places I had visitors from.”

- Joseph Corso, Open World homestay host

If you are interested in hosting, or if you have friends of family who may be interested, please get in touch with Mariko Gilman at mariko@worldoregon.org or (503) 306-5252.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Brown Bag Lunch Briefing on International Trade and the Environment 4/14 Noon

Wednesday, April 14 * 12:00 noon
Sierra Club Office * 1821 SE Ankeny * Portland, OR

Join Rachel Ackoff of the national Sierra Club's "Labor, Workers' Rights & Trade Program" for a brown-bag lunch (please bring your own) briefing on the latest topics facing environmentalists regarding international trade policy. This includes background on:

* The opportunities and obstacles posed by the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional Pacific Rim trade agreement currently in negotiation by the Obama administration

* Efforts to address illegal logging and the unsustainable consumption of tropical woods through better enforcement of the Lacey Act

* The campaign to hold governments and corporations accountable for the management of natural resources through the Energy Security Through Transparency Act

* The promise of a new model for international trade embodied in pending legislation called the TRADE Act

Rachel's quick, informal briefing will include plenty of time for questions and discussion. Local "fair trade" activists will also be on hand to discuss ways to get involved in these and other issues at the local level. The briefing will wrap-up by 1:00 pm.

Background on the Sierra Club's trade program is available online at: http://www.sierraclub.org/trade/

http://orsierraclub.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/brown-bag-lunch-briefing-on-trade-the-environment/

Monday, April 12, 2010

Political Action in Asia (YP Discussion Group)

The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our biweekly discussion group:

Wednesday, 14 April 2010 | 7:00 p.m.

Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)

Huge crowds in Kyrgyzstan and Thailand are protesting what they claim to be unfair policies by their governments, while in Myanmar the ruling junta continues to wage war against minority groups. Is it possible for these governments to compromise before wider fighting occurs? How should the governments react to mass protests? More generally, in this part of the world where democratic reform is limited or nonexistent, can popular opposition force actual changes?

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Earth Day activities in PDX on 4/17

Earth day is on 4/22, but SOLV and other great local nonprofits have a bunch of 1/2 day volunteer opportunities available this Sat 4/17. Get involved in a global movement!

Check out: http://solv.org/volunteers/volunteer_calendar.asp#April

Most are from 9am - 1 pm, some offer free breakfast or lunch.

Rose

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Tears of Joy Theater - Malika, Queen of the Cats - openining night this Friday

Tears of Joy Theater is presenting Malika, Queen of the Cats, a Palestinian children's play about Sitti, a kind and generous old woman who helps a cat and is rewarded with great wealth by Malika. This folktale from Palestine teaches that kindness and generosity are values intrinsic to Middle Eastern Culture.

The Arab American Cultural Center of Oregon (AACCO) has limited seats available at a special discounted price for Malika. The tickets are $14.00 for children and $16.00 for adults for the Friday April 9, 2010 opening performance at 7:30 p.m. at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. If April 9 does not work with your schedule, please review the other performance dates below as well as more information about Tears of Joy Theater.

AACCO, a co-sponsor of the play, is hosting a Palestinian exhibit and the P.S.U. Middle East Studies Center is hosting a free reception after the show on April 9.

For tickets, please email Hala Gores at Hala@goreslaw.com or call (503) 295-1940.

Tears of Joy Theatre presents
Malika, Queen of the Cats
by Nancy Aldrich


Friday, April 9th -
Sunday, April 18th
$18.75 adults/ $16.50 children (12 & under)

Tickets: The PCPA box office <http://www.pcpa.com/tickets/boxoffice.php> , Ticketmaster <http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/123086/?brand=pcpa>

Tears of Joy Theatre is nationally recognized for its commitment to excellence and innovation in puppetry. A resident company of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, Tears of Joy is a three-time recipient of American Puppetry's highest honor, the citation of Excellence in the Art of Puppetry. Tears of Joy touring performers entertain and inspire more than 200,000 people annually in theatres, community centers, festivals and schools throughout the US and abroad. Please visit www.tojt.com <http://www.tojt.com/> for more information.
__,_._,___

Monday, April 05, 2010

Israeli Krav Maga Women's Self Defense Seminar April 17

Did you know that April is a Sexual Assault Awareness Month?  To mark it, Krav Maga Worldwide Official Training Centers across the globe are offering self defense seminars for women as a service to the community.  I attended a 3-hour seminar last Saturday, and can attest that this may be the best $40 I spent for a three hour hard-core training/workout.  I have several serious bruises to show for it, but the training was well worth it.  The trainers (current law enforcement folks who are also Krav Maga instructors) are great and encouraging, the information and techniques they share are easy to remember and follow, and you never know when it will save your life.

So what’s the international connection, you may ask?  Well, the technique being taught is Krav Maga, which is a self-defense technique used by the Israeli military forces and which is widely used by the police departments in the US, including Oregon.  Tenuous, you may say.  Well, yes, probably.  But if it’s good enough for the Israeli Defense Forces, it’s good enough for me. 

See announcement below for more information and how to register. 

Natalia

_________________________

Nationally certified self-defense instructors and defensive tactics experts will be available to answer questions and give advice to the general public on how to prevent and survive a violent encounter! 

Milwaukie ,  OR - On April 17, 2010, the  Krav  Maga  Worldwide  Official  Training  Center in Milwaukie, OR will be offering all women ages 16 and older a 3-hour self-defense seminar. This event will be held from 1:00-4:00 PM at Krav Maga Self Defense & Fitness,  5484 SE International Way ,  Milwaukie , OR  97222 . Krav Maga Self Defense & Fitness, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, and Canby Police Dept. will sponsor it.

Each of the sponsoring law enforcement agencies will provide defensive tactics instructors trained in playing the role of attacker and the use of specially designed padded assailant suits. The seminar participants will be able to practice the self defense techniques taught in a realistic manner, utilizing full force strikes and kicks against the padded assailants.

Although participants do not need any previous self defense or martial arts training to participate, the seminars will be very physical, and participants should be at least moderately fit to get the most out of the seminar. However, women who are pregnant, for example, or injured, or in some other way limited in the ability to physically exert themselves are welcome to attend and sit out during any of the physical exercises and fights vs. padded assailants if they deem them too strenuous to perform safely. Even though a person may not be able to fully participate, they will benefit greatly by attending and participating at whatever level they are able to. Please view video highlights of last year's seminars at http://kravmagaport land.com/ RapePreventionSe minarVideo. html  to get a better idea of what the seminars are like.

The cost will be $40. The proceeds of the event will be donated to Clackamas Women’s Services (http://www.cwsor. org). Since 1985, Clackamas Women's Services has been the only non-profit organization in  Clackamas  County dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence against women and children. CWS has safely harbored over 7,000 women & children within their two shelters.

Participants may register and pay online using secure Google checkout at http://kravmagaport land.com/ RapePreventionSi gnUp.html. 

Krav Maga (pronounced krahv muh-GAH) is the official self-defense system for the men and women of the Israeli Defense Forces, and is required training for scores of law enforcement agencies in the United States, including the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Canby Police Dept.

Krav Maga is recognized as the most efficient self defense system for real-life situations, emphasizing practical defenses against real attacks. Thousands of civilians nationwide, and many celebrities on the screens in  Hollywood now embrace the system.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 2.5 million women experience violence annually. Statistics also show that every 90 seconds a woman is raped in  America.

The greater  Portland area needs community involvement and support. We must recognize that rape is a crime of violence, and its occurrence is never the fault of the victim. Everyone must work together to raise awareness and promote strong, alert, confident and healthy attitudes and defensive skills to end  America ’s sexual assault epidemic. Krav Maga Self Defense & Fitness will make this training available to all women in the community who wish to possess the skills needed to prevent or survive a violent assault.

Ms. Renee Jenkins, a certified Krav Maga Worldwide Instructor and women’s self defense expert will be conducting this empowering course. Ms. Jenkins has trained hundreds of students in the  Portland area. Every week, she teaches women and men how to protect themselves and stay safe using Krav Maga.

Learning self-defense is not just learning to kick and punch an attacker. Self-defense begins with an attitude of: “I will not be a victim!” Attackers choose their victims the way predators choose their prey. Predators always go after the weak, isolated, young or old because they are an easy target. If you appear strong, alert and healthy, you have a much better chance of avoiding an attack. Krav Maga instructor Renee Jenkins empowers women with the self-confidence and skills required to AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM.

Participants may register and pay online using secure Google checkout at http://kravmagaport land.com/ RapePreventionSi gnUp.html.

Please help spread the word about our seminars. Invite everyone you know who may be interested. You can download a seminar flyer at http://kravmagaport land.com/ RapePreventionSe minars2010. pdf. Please print and post it wherever you can and email it to friends. We also have high quality color printed flyers available at our school at  5484 SE International Way in  Milwaukie . Please feel free to take some anytime during class hours and post them wherever you can.

 

Friday, April 02, 2010

Portland ranks a lowly No. 40 for young professionals

This article does not have an international angle, but thought it was interesting to share about being a young professional and living and working in PDX.