This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on February 7, 2011 8:44 AM.
The previous post in this blog was Getting it right.
The next post in this blog is The real Aliki.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
Here's a funny one. Portland's happening mayor is now the "curator," on behalf of the city, of a Kickstarter page. He's hawking everything from bamboo notebooks to a junket to Cancun to electrocute some sea creatures.
No sign of how much that is costing the city's taxpayers.
What's even more amusing is that the city is now claiming intellectual property rights on its official seal:
If anybody else uses that seal in a way that might confuse consumers, the city will sue the pants off them. But who else is sufficiently like the city that the public might be confused?
If it truly is a service mark, then the mayor may be misusing it. It is pretty clear that he is offering a personal endorsement, rather than a city sanctioned endorsement.
Here in the office of Portland Mayor Sam Adams, we are delighted to be able to shine a small spotlight on a rotating selection of Kickstarter projects dreamed up in our city.
Meanwhile, several hundred "Portland based" small businesses that don't involve hipsters or making cute crap that nobody needs would kill for such attention and publicity.
Honestly, does Adams have no clue at all how out of touch with reality--and the vast majority of working Portlanders--he really is? Can he actually be this mediocre and clueless?
When did intellectual property rights become "amusing"? It is necessary because every Tom, Dick and BoJack may try to use the City Seal to appear as if they are endorsed, sponsored or otherwise getting City approval. The City needs to be able to control use of the Seal. How amusing is that?
The City needs to be able to control use of the Seal. How amusing is that?
Very, for the obvious reason: Adams in this case--once again--makes use of the seal to endorse his own personal preferences and political agenda linchpins. Let me simplify: Adams uses the seal however it pleases him. But since he's been voted into office, he's free to abuse the privilege of public service as often as he likes (while in office).
Why haven't any of the city employees not realized or cared that they will be pinged and outed on these pages?
And, ain't it grand to have city computers and city bandwidth scanning the blogosphere for dissent, no matter how petty?
I thought the city types didn't like government surveillance. Maybe Mr./Ms. Duh was on an authorized break, or perhaps Jack is on Double Secret Internet Probation, and Duh is his assigned watcher.
Sadly, Jen, it isn't. It's become the Etsy of fundraising: some legitimate and interesting projects that can't get standard funding, alongside a gaggle of complete delusions that would never make it past a bank loan officer's initial interview. I wanted to believe that KickStarter was an interesting alternative to standard fundraising, but it's really just a slicked-up version of the old PayPal tip jar buttons you used to see on blogs back in the early Aughts. (And the projects Sam's endorsing are particularly sad. Bamboo dayplanners? REALLY?)
Intellectual property rights for CoP... what's next... royalties for using the word "Portland" on mailing addresses? Has the us-versus-them disdain of City Hall for the citizens of Portland exposed itself again?
It's common for municipalities to own all sorts of copyright. The feds have different rules.
I'm stunned that the Mayor of Portland would spend time promoting a begging bowl for someone to make "bamboo notebooks", when actual, existing small businesses struggling to get by--and providing real local goods and services--can't getthe time of day on such a site.
But let's consider the source. This site's largely maintained by a sycophantic staff with minimal skills in governance, but maximum time to generate "work". Watching the Adams "policy analysts" act as press release writers has been particularly goofy. Honestly, I'm not sure how Adams keeps a straight face.
I have wondered about Mayor's staff. Several months ago, I tried to find information on the education and experience, etc. of his staff, what I found were pictures. The Commissioner sites had more information about their staff's education, etc. Mayor's staff information may be online and I may have missed it?
Also, how many people does this Mayor have on staff compared to former Mayors?
I'm still puzzled how any government is entitled to intellectual property rights in regards to content that is funded by taxpayer dollars.
Example: PortlandOnline.com is Copyright the City of Portland.
When the city buys a car, it's not supposed to be used for the personal benefit of government employees,which is what Adams in essence is doing by attaching the seal and his name to a non-governmental enterprise.
I'd like to know if the city wasted money on actually registering the service mark.
In looking at the city seal I can't help but notice how out-of-date it is...no tram, no streetcar, no bike, no tatted-up hipster creative types begging for money. Jack, I think you need to run a contest to create a NEW SEAL for the City of Portland.
Allan: Obviously I do not expect to drive a city car however many government agencies on the state and federal level make their content "public domain" for anyone to use.
I would expect the city to follow suit by allowing use of their content by the tax payers that paid for it to be created.
If protecting intellectual property rights to use of the City seal is important (and I'm not saying it's not), why did it take the City so long to take this step?
My guess is that maybe someone in marketing or legal thought "Portlandia" was going to take off and all sorts of entrepreneurs would start flogging tacky t-shirts ala Times Square with the City of Portland seal or humorous variations thereof (such as Portlandia dead center astride a bicycle) before the City itself could do so.
The wagon wheel and hammer in the lower right already sort of look like the front end of a bike).
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (27)
NAMBLA?
Posted by Allan L. | February 7, 2011 9:13 AM
I see this as another avenue for the Mayor as part of his "Kickstarter" campaign for reelection.
Posted by clinamen | February 7, 2011 9:24 AM
Further evidence that Portland has turned into another big corporate enterprise.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | February 7, 2011 9:28 AM
If it truly is a service mark, then the mayor may be misusing it. It is pretty clear that he is offering a personal endorsement, rather than a city sanctioned endorsement.
In other news, I couldn't find the logo on the USPTO website, but I did find this one for Skin City Tours of Portland, which looks like it was a side project of Dan and Louis Oyster Bar.
Posted by Garage Wine | February 7, 2011 10:11 AM
Now I know why Jack is worried about the SM:
Posted by Garage Wine | February 7, 2011 10:16 AM
Meanwhile, several hundred "Portland based" small businesses that don't involve hipsters or making cute crap that nobody needs would kill for such attention and publicity.
Honestly, does Adams have no clue at all how out of touch with reality--and the vast majority of working Portlanders--he really is? Can he actually be this mediocre and clueless?
Posted by the other white meat | February 7, 2011 11:17 AM
the other white meat,
Yes, it may be what Mayor is best at, using our money for his attention and publicity!
Posted by clinamen | February 7, 2011 12:32 PM
When did intellectual property rights become "amusing"? It is necessary because every Tom, Dick and BoJack may try to use the City Seal to appear as if they are endorsed, sponsored or otherwise getting City approval. The City needs to be able to control use of the Seal. How amusing is that?
Posted by Duh | February 7, 2011 12:40 PM
What's really amusing is your IP address:
IP Location: United States United States Portland City Of Portland
Resolve Host: 142.152.ptldnet.portlandoregon.gov
IP Address: 74.120.152.142 [Whois] [Reverse-Ip] [Ping] [DNS Lookup] [Traceroute]
NetRange: 74.120.152.0 - 74.120.155.255
CIDR: 74.120.152.0/22
OriginAS: AS12102
NetName: CITY-OF-PORTLAND-OR-USA
NetHandle: NET-74-120-152-0-1
Parent: NET-74-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Assignment
NameServer: NS2.PORTLANDOREGON.GOV
NameServer: NS1.PORTLANDOREGON.GOV
RegDate: 2009-12-10
Updated: 2009-12-10
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-74-120-152-0-1
OrgName: City of Portland
OrgId: CITYOF-152
Address: 1120 SW 5th Ave
Address: Room 450
City: Portland
StateProv: OR
PostalCode: 97204
Country: US
RegDate: 1998-10-23
Updated: 2007-04-06
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/org/CITYOF-152
Posted by Jack Bog | February 7, 2011 12:50 PM
The City needs to be able to control use of the Seal. How amusing is that?
Very, for the obvious reason: Adams in this case--once again--makes use of the seal to endorse his own personal preferences and political agenda linchpins. Let me simplify: Adams uses the seal however it pleases him. But since he's been voted into office, he's free to abuse the privilege of public service as often as he likes (while in office).
How amusing is that?
Posted by the other white meat | February 7, 2011 12:52 PM
Carrying it one step farther then Jack:
Technology Services, Bureau of
1120 SW 5th Avenue, Room 450, 97204
Phone: 503-823-5198
Posted by Darrin | February 7, 2011 1:47 PM
How amusing is that?
Not amusing at all to other candidates.
Posted by money matters | February 7, 2011 1:56 PM
For a small peek into the web surfing habits of city employees, Google "ptldnet.portlandoregon.gov".
Posted by the other white meat | February 7, 2011 2:02 PM
Why haven't any of the city employees not realized or cared that they will be pinged and outed on these pages?
And, ain't it grand to have city computers and city bandwidth scanning the blogosphere for dissent, no matter how petty?
I thought the city types didn't like government surveillance. Maybe Mr./Ms. Duh was on an authorized break, or perhaps Jack is on Double Secret Internet Probation, and Duh is his assigned watcher.
Posted by Roy | February 7, 2011 2:31 PM
Is the "Kickstarter" site a joke?
Posted by Jen | February 7, 2011 4:03 PM
Sadly, Jen, it isn't. It's become the Etsy of fundraising: some legitimate and interesting projects that can't get standard funding, alongside a gaggle of complete delusions that would never make it past a bank loan officer's initial interview. I wanted to believe that KickStarter was an interesting alternative to standard fundraising, but it's really just a slicked-up version of the old PayPal tip jar buttons you used to see on blogs back in the early Aughts. (And the projects Sam's endorsing are particularly sad. Bamboo dayplanners? REALLY?)
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | February 7, 2011 4:37 PM
This is an interesting discussion.
Intellectual property rights for CoP... what's next... royalties for using the word "Portland" on mailing addresses? Has the us-versus-them disdain of City Hall for the citizens of Portland exposed itself again?
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | February 7, 2011 6:21 PM
It's common for municipalities to own all sorts of copyright. The feds have different rules.
I'm stunned that the Mayor of Portland would spend time promoting a begging bowl for someone to make "bamboo notebooks", when actual, existing small businesses struggling to get by--and providing real local goods and services--can't getthe time of day on such a site.
But let's consider the source. This site's largely maintained by a sycophantic staff with minimal skills in governance, but maximum time to generate "work". Watching the Adams "policy analysts" act as press release writers has been particularly goofy. Honestly, I'm not sure how Adams keeps a straight face.
Posted by ecohuman | February 7, 2011 6:55 PM
I have wondered about Mayor's staff. Several months ago, I tried to find information on the education and experience, etc. of his staff, what I found were pictures. The Commissioner sites had more information about their staff's education, etc. Mayor's staff information may be online and I may have missed it?
Also, how many people does this Mayor have on staff compared to former Mayors?
Posted by clinamen | February 7, 2011 8:51 PM
I'm still puzzled how any government is entitled to intellectual property rights in regards to content that is funded by taxpayer dollars.
Example: PortlandOnline.com is Copyright the City of Portland.
Posted by Benjamin Kerensa | February 8, 2011 12:13 AM
Well, Benjamin, when the city buys a car, you don't get to drive it as a taxpayer. Does that help your understanding?
Posted by Allan L. | February 8, 2011 6:23 AM
When the city buys a car, it's not supposed to be used for the personal benefit of government employees,which is what Adams in essence is doing by attaching the seal and his name to a non-governmental enterprise.
I'd like to know if the city wasted money on actually registering the service mark.
Posted by 880 | February 8, 2011 6:51 AM
I'd like to know if the city wasted money on actually registering the service mark.
No.
And from my half-hearted search, it appears this is the first time the SM has appeared.
Maybe our mayor should change his name to ℠ Adams.
Posted by Garage Wine | February 8, 2011 9:01 AM
In looking at the city seal I can't help but notice how out-of-date it is...no tram, no streetcar, no bike, no tatted-up hipster creative types begging for money. Jack, I think you need to run a contest to create a NEW SEAL for the City of Portland.
Posted by Rich | February 8, 2011 9:56 AM
Allan: Obviously I do not expect to drive a city car however many government agencies on the state and federal level make their content "public domain" for anyone to use.
I would expect the city to follow suit by allowing use of their content by the tax payers that paid for it to be created.
Posted by Benjamin Kerensa | February 8, 2011 10:24 AM
Isn't this site a bit like KIVA? Making micro-loans to people in the 3rd world? Fitting that Portland has adopted the same concept.....
Posted by pom mom of LO | February 8, 2011 10:31 AM
If protecting intellectual property rights to use of the City seal is important (and I'm not saying it's not), why did it take the City so long to take this step?
My guess is that maybe someone in marketing or legal thought "Portlandia" was going to take off and all sorts of entrepreneurs would start flogging tacky t-shirts ala Times Square with the City of Portland seal or humorous variations thereof (such as Portlandia dead center astride a bicycle) before the City itself could do so.
The wagon wheel and hammer in the lower right already sort of look like the front end of a bike).
Posted by NW Portlander | February 8, 2011 12:39 PM