As the quality of life in Portland slowly wanes, yet another magazine about our lifestyle springs up. I think there's a direct inverse relationship between the two.

This one's called inPortland, and it came with today's Oregonian. A young couple buys their first house, cool stuff about Division Street, a poll on Potter (Tom, not Harry), things readers want fixed, we want your input, lots of ads.

At least this one isn't of the Pearl, by the Pearl, for the Pearl.

One item of note in there: Former Mayor Katz wants to start blogging. She's going to ask b!X to use some space over on Portland Communique. If he turns her down, the indication is that she'll seek an outlet elsewhere.

If she calls us, we'll let our readers know right away.

While the Portland City Council is busy with other matters, the bankruptcy trustee in the Enron case has quietly initiated a new formal auction process for Portland General Electric Company that could favor other prospective purchasers. Given the expressions of interest, which are multiplying weekly, the latest move could spark a lively bidding war for the utility.

Portland movie theater mogul-turned-real estate tycoon Tom Moyer is breathing easier today. Yesterday he and his co-defendants on felony charges of making campaign contributions under false names got the law prohibiting such conduct stricken down as an unconstitutional infringement on free speech. The judge scheduled to hear the criminal charges apparently ruled from the bench that the law is "overly broad and restrains political speech," according to this morning's Oregonian (motto: "Always right there when West Hills money gets off the hook on corruption charges").

Among the arguments that the defense made in the case was this one, according to the O:

The defense told [Judge] Wittmayer that the law could put a lot of innocent political contributors in jeopardy. [Defense attorney] Hoffman suggested that if a group of teenagers washed cars to raise money for an environmental campaign, they could be compelled to report to the campaign the names of the people who gave them money.

It's kind of ironic, though, that a guy who's accused of having other people make his campaign contributions for him is now making other people's constitutional arguments for them. So it goes with the Bill of Rights. I ain't complaining.

Anyway, here's the text of the bad, bad unconstitutional law:

No person shall make a contribution to any other person relating to a nomination or election of any candidate or the support or opposition to any measure, in any name other than that of the person who in truth provides the contribution.

What does the State of Oregon need right now?

You betcha -- a capital gains tax cut. Gotta have it.

Those of you without capital gains, never mind, you don't need to understand, get back to work.

Google has a Van Gogh theme on its logo today, in honor of the great artist's 152nd birthday. Like millions of adoring fans, I love his work -- I awake to see a print of his glorious painting "The Starry Night" on my bedroom wall most mornings -- but this cautionary tale, penned by another great artist, helps me keep things in perspective:

Happy birthday, then. "But I could have told you, Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."

Given the dual headlines on the front page (.pdf) of today's O -- one on Portland's pulling out of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the other about the city's refusal to endorse the Mrs. America pageant -- I suggest we start referring to the city's governing body a bit differently. Rather than the "Portland City Council," why not just call it the "PC Council" for short?

Some days, I almost miss the Scone.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a new beauty contest -- the "Mr. or Ms. Person-in-a-Loving-Relationship America" pageant. But set your watch -- we'll soon hear from those who aren't in loving relationships, who will be demanding equal time. I'm sure the PC Council will pass some sort of resolution reflecting their concerns.

Don't think we didn't notice that the Portland City Council voted last week to reject the latest design for a 14-story condo tower slated to grace the intersection of Northwest 23rd and Burnside. The council sent the proposal back to the legions of planners and designers and other minions who occupy their own little municipal skyscraper down by Portland State.

In the end, there is going to be a condo tower wedged into the smallish space currently occupied by the parking lot of the Uptown Shopping Center (formerly the home of Elephant's, and the site of the world-famous Brotherly Bento Blood Feud). Some views are going to be stolen and some unwanted shadows cast. And traffic and parking during the construction are going to be particularly miserable. Those are all the givens. The only remaining question is how tall and bulky the building is going to get.

Voting against the developer's latest design after hearing a full afternoon of testimony were Fireman Randy, Opie, and Tram Adams. Mayor Grampy actually voted in favor of the developer, noting that the neighbors had had ample opportunity to express their views. Not present was Big Pipe, who was busy preparing to deliver baskets full of goodies to small children Saturday night.

Anyway, nice going, Northwest neighbors, for forestalling the latest in the continuing Californication of Portland for another few weeks.

She's no "Maya Hee," but the keyboardist Belinda is rocking the house over in Croatia.

Now that the Easter Bunny action is slowing down around the house, I just got a look at myself on the videotape of yesterday morning's debut of the Outlook Portland show, with Nick Fish.

The verdict? I look old. An incipient case of old-guy neck and everything. Note to self: Stick to radio.

I'm still fooling around with podcasting. Here's my third installment -- an .mp3 file about 8 minutes long. (While bandwidth lasts.)

A reader who's got a theory writes:

As the earthquake activity in the NW and Eastern Pacific has declined, so have our split jet stream rejoined into one and our normal weather and rain returned.

http://www.geophys.washington.edu/recenteqs/
http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_ir_enh_west_loop-12.html
Is it this simple, or what?

There was a story in yesterday's New York Times that's generating quite a buzz here in P-Town. It points out that our fair city is filling up quick with empty nesters and DINKs (double-income, no-kid couples), while families are fleeing to the 'burbs in droves.

Mayor Potter is wringing his hands over this trend, and vowing to do something about it. He's bringing kids in to speak at City Council meetings, and surely he's got more meaningful steps in mind as well.

Let me make a suggestion: Put people on the Portland Development Commission (including a new CEO) that will demand that child-friendly housing be the city's number 1 development priority for the next four years. Right now the vast majority of what the PDC is paying our tax dollars to build are luxury condos and low-income housing. Not that New Columbia doesn't look great -- it does. But it's just a drop in the bucket when it comes to welcoming families, particularly middle-class families, back to town.

We're racing as fast as we can, it seems, to become another San Francisco or Seattle, both groovy as can be to the Graggies in the trendy restaurants and black T-shirt lofts, but no place to raise kids.

To reverse that slide will take radical action. The hundreds of millions of dollars that flow through the PDC every year could be the perfect agent of change.

Nick Fish's new public affairs video talk show, "Outlook Portland," debuts this Sunday morning on Portland's WB, also known as KWBP-TV, channel 3 on your cable box, channel 32 if you don't have cable. It's that station's first foray into public affairs programming, and they're taking no chances, assigning the show to the 6:30 a.m. slot favored by churchgoers who prefer the early service, and newspaper delivery folks who are heading back to bed. (Rumor has it, however, that the program will be moving to late Sunday afternoon before too long.)

Nick's guests on his first show are Commissioner Randy Leonard and yours truly. The topics include Mayor Potter's first days in office, the controversy over the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force, the future of the Portland Development Commission, and blogging. It was a fun half-hour to participate in, and even though the makeup artist was a no-show, it should be a decent show to watch.

At our house, given that we'll be working on what the Easter Bunny left behind Sunday morning, we'll all be watching dad on TV later in the day via the miracle of videotape. Meanwhile, we're making room on the mantel for the Emmy.

The U.S. Senate has passed a compromise bill allowing a federal court to review a controversial foul call that determined the March 11 Big East basketball conference tournament game between West Virginia and Villanova.

President Bush has cancelled his vacation to return to Washington and sign the bill into law. The White House released a statement that read in part: "In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of letting the players play. Particularly in the last two minutes."

The disputed foul was against Villanova guard Allan Ray, who was called for allegedly pushing West Virginia's Mike Gansey in the back on the way up to the rim. The foul was called with 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock. Gansey sank two free throws to win the game.

The passage of the bill was hailed by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who had guided it through emergency procedures in the lower chamber. "After four days of words, the best of them uttered in prayer, Congress has acted, and a league title may have been saved. Democrats and Republicans, congressmen and senators all deserve respect and gratitude for their commitment to giving the Wildcats the chance we all deserve."

Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Portland immediately flew back to Portland to be interviewed on the subject for City Commissioner Randy Leonard's radio program, Sparky and Me. Speaking over a double tall nonfat decaf mocha latte, Blumenauer said the new law's language was "so broad and sweeping that it would call into question every traveling call and three seconds in the lane."

Villanova fans immediately set up camp outside the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, where the latest appeal is expected to be heard. One of those keeping vigil, Bob Herndon of Chester, Pa., called the ruling "a clear-cut case of referee tyranny. Ray-Ray might have gotten his hand caught on the guy's shirt a little, but that's not a foul."

In West Virginia, Mountaineer boosters deplored the congressional action. "We don't want politicians deciding our fate," said Hector Haggard, a season ticket holder. "We already have instant replay and the possession arrow. Who's next, America? Your kid's soccer team?"

Marty Seward, a former junior varsity reserve for West Virginia, agreed. "These guys in Washington, D.C. don't care what happens to Villanova in basketball. They're just using this to draw attention away from the deficit and the war."

A spokesman for the Vatican expressed strong support for the new court review of the call. "The Pope has recently made himself very clear on this issue," said Cardinal Vito Sorrentino. "You must respect the sanctity of the rebounder at the end of the game, even if he is going over the back. 'The letter of the law killeth, but the spirit giveth life.' We must put an end to the culture of stopping play whenever it is convenient." Villanova is a Catholic school.

While the Schiavo case has had everyone thinking about advance medical directives (or "living wills," as they're sometimes known), I stumbled across a somewhat related issue: Who owns your e-mail after you're gone? The father of a slain Marine and Yahoo are currently tussling about just that issue. The dad wants to see his son's e-mail, and the 'Hoo is saying nay.

There are so many interesting blogs popping up here in Oregon. I thought The Appliance Blog was a runaway winner of best special-interest blog honors, but he's got competition. Check out Cat Trapper's Journal -- an instant classic.

UPDATE, 6/9 5:37 p.m.: The site is no more, and the web address has been taken over by someone else. So I've removed the link.

When it comes to exercise, the first quarter of 2005 has turned out to be my worst in two years. There has been one excuse after another -- an overload of professional projects, the annual Portland respiratory crud, a couple of business trips, an ill-fated job prospect, stress.

Tonight, a few days into spring break, I finally got back on the road. And it hurt.

There's that burning sensation in your throat when you're running in cool air after a long layoff. The situps highlight every little ache and pain in your upper body. The weights that you tossed around last summer are astonishingly heavy. You don't even want to look at the stopwatch when the run's over.

Nonetheless, there's a feeling of accomplishment at the finish. "At least I got out here and did it. I haven't put on any weight to speak of. By Fourth of July, I'll be as fit as I've ever been in my life, and by Labor Day, I'll be a true physical specimen."

For now, however, there's Advil, and the hope that I don't wake up with a cold in the morning.

The same thing the traditional media and the politicians are bringing to it: nothing.

It's a truly sad situation, involving questions for which there will never be final answers on which a society can agree. You want to show respect for life and human rights? Say a silent prayer.

Well, the bulldozers have hit the site of the old Baloney Joe's soup kitchen on the east side of the Burnside Bridge. For years, this was the place for down-and-out denizens of downtown Portland streets to go to get a meal, a prayer, maybe some clothes. It's been shuttered for a long time, and now they're finally tearing it down to make way for a more upscale occupant for what could be a very attractive piece of real estate. Some other structures were demolished last week, but today it's the real Baloney coming down.

Along the with ghosts of Baloney Joe's patrons roaming around that space are the ghosts of the participants of the Cascade Runoff -- the annual 15K road race that used to take thousands of runners up the Terwilliger Hill and back down Front Street to Burnside. It was absolutely one of the best-organized running events anywhere in the world, and 15K world records were often set there. And it all started on the east side of the bridge, in front of Baloney Joe's.

I'm still working on getting a music podcast series going on this site or somewhere hereabouts. But right now I'm hung up on the legal side of things.

What does it take to play, say, James Brown doing "I Feel Good" in a podcast, and still be legal?

Well, it's clear that you've got to pay for two different licenses to do that. (At least two -- two that I know of.) One is from the composers of "I Feel Good," or whomever they've sold or left their rights to over the years. That license gets you the right to publicly perform "I Feel Good" on the internet. And if all I want to do is sing it myself in a blog-linked .mp3 file with my friends on kazoo, that's all the license I need. You can get licenses to cover a year's worth of that stuff for about $750 total from the three outfits who play the enforcers for the composers -- ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.

Actually, me doing "I Feel Good" might be good for a couple of laughs, but I'm not sure it's worth that kind of dough.

So then there's the right to use the musical recording of James Brown singing it, and that belongs to a separate copyright owner. (It's the little (p) on the CD label, rather than the (c) next to the song.) That right typically belongs to the record company, but they generally use the reviled knee-busters over at something called the RIAA to do their collection work for them.

Now the RIAA was never too keen on this internet music thing, and for a while they were threatening to make life tough for folks like Radio Paradise, who stream traditional-radio-like content over the web 24 hours a day. But Congress stepped in and required the RIAA to play ball with "webcasters." Now the law specifies just how much the RIAA can charge webcasters for the annual right to play their recordings. And the RIAA has set up a division called SoundExchange to run the government-mandated licensing program.

As an eager podcaster wannabe, I've been trying to see how much it would cost for me to get a SoundExchange license. And so far, I'm stumped on two points. First, there are two kinds of licenses that could potentially apply to a guy like me: a commercial webcaster license, or a "small" commercial webcaster license. They're different in how the royalty rates are set up. As I understand it, the small webcasters pay a percentage of revenue, whereas the other commercial webcasters pay a set fraction of a penny per performance. But there are minimum annual fees under both arrangements, and they're actually larger for the small webcasters -- $2,000 a year rather than $500 a year. So would I rather be in with the "bigs" rather than the "smalls," given that I probably won't have enough revenue or traffic to exceed either minimum?

Second, and more fundamentally, it's not 100 percent clear to me that podcasting is "webcasting" within the meaning of the copyright rules. My show would be like Radio Paradise, which is definitely "webcasting," only in the senses that (a) I'd mix in songs by all sorts of artists, (b) I wouldn't announce them in advance, and (c) the listener wouldn't be able to select any particular song. But it would be unlike Radio Paradise in that the listener would be able to start and stop the show, contained as it would be in an .mp3 file; further, my show would run for only around, say, 45 minutes, and sit on my server at least until the next one is ready, probably weekly. So maybe I wouldn't be a "webcaster" at all.

And if I'm not a "webcaster," I believe I can't force SoundExchange to let me play under the mandatory licensing scheme. I'd likely have to track down individual record companies and negotiate deals with them, which seems highly unlikely.

Well, nobody said it was going to be easy. I'll try calling SoundExchange this week and see if I can find out what they're thinking about this. Guess it couldn't hurt to do some hardcore legal research on the copyright law myself as well.

I know there's a kazoo around this house somewhere.

Another fun day on the NCAA men's basketball front -- most interesting day so far. I caught the last few minutes of regulation, and both overtimes, of West Virginia shocking Wake Forest. I kept wondering whether Raging Red has picked a hottie or two out of the Mountaineer squad -- strictly for entertainment purposes, of course.

I cheered as Bobby Knight's Texas Tech squad took out Gonzaga. (What a difference a week can make as far as one's sports allegiances are concerned.)

And my boys from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee stomped the Gonzaga-like dudes of Boston College to make their way to the Sweet 16 round next weekend.

Stunning. Not too many folks with those picks on their office pool tickets, I'll bet.

The restaurant at NE 24th and Fremont that used to be the Dining Room (and before that, the east side branch of Marco's) is open again. This time it's called Aja, subtitled Pacific Kitchen, and it opened on Tuesday.

With a name like that, I was expecting a Thai fusion kind of thing, but a quick spin by there on a family walk this afternoon gave us a gander at a much different menu posted in the doorway. Burgers, salads, and fairly traditional-looking entrees like meatloaf and salmon were prevalent, with only a few interesting Korean dishes listed (including several pork items).

It looks like they're going to try to go for three meals a day -- this in a gruelling business, and a location whose only commercial success over the last three decades was the original Nature's food store. Meanwhile, our friends at Perry's, kitty-corner across the intersection, continue to plug along, unfazed by the false starts and stops.

We still miss the grocery store, but we welcome the newcomers and hope they can make it.

What kind of impression is Portland making on the rest of the world these days?

Here's something some folks are hearing about. To go along with this.

'Twas a good St. Paddy's Day in Milwaukee. (That's the original one in Wisconsin, not the spelling-challenged namesake in the Portland, Oregon suburbs.) The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team upset the University of Alabama to move on to the second round of the NCAA tournament. It's the school's first win ever in March Madness play, and the Panthers, as they're known, get to try for two in a row tomorrow against Boston College.

I spent a "formative" summer in Milwaukee in the mid-70s, staying with some friends I adored there on my Great Solo Journey West. And during that time I noted well that the locals were very fond of "UWM." The school never enjoyed the reputation of its Big Sister, the main campus of the state university, out in Madison. And as a basketball power, they were nothing in those days next to the heavy hitters down the road at Marquette. Heck, even Wisconsin-Stevens Point had glory days when Milwaukee native and Trail Blazer-to-be Terry Porter (now coach of the NBA team the Milwaukee Bucks) led that team as its point guard. But UWM... well, it was kind of like the Portland State analog in Wisconsin.

Today dawns on a new era there, however. Congratulations to the team and the school, and may the Cinderella slipper fit over the weekend.