Multnomah County Library Podcasts

An evening with Randy Shaw, author of the new book Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW, and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century . In "Beyond the Fields," Shaw reveals the untold story of how the spirit of "Sí Se Puede" that began with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers in the 1960s still sets the course for today's social justice movements. Shaw finds that the influence of Chavez and the UFW has ranged far and wide: in labor campaigns like Justice for Janitors, in the building of Latino political power, in the fight for environmental justice, in the growing national movement for immigrant rights, and even in Barack Obama's presidential campaign. SEIU Executive Vice-President Eliseo Medina praises Shaw's book as a "stirring account of how the UFW transformed people's lives," and LeRoy Chatfield of the Farmworkers Documentation Project says it is a "must read" for former UFW volunteers.

Jean Johnson reads and presents no-fuss recipes from her book, Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well without Formal Recipes.

Demonstrations included simple no-cook recipes — like sliced pears dipped in flax meal laced with cardamom, cottage cream and raspberries with homemade whole grain muesli, or roasted garlic on whole-grain bread.

Are you helping your parents downsize or move? The task of sorting through a lifetime's possessions can be physically and emotionally challenging. Explore new options, including senior move management and charitable giving.

Bill Smith created a senior move management company, called Take Care Move Assistance, to serve the needs of the Portland senior community. Lorca Harrison is the owner of DoughNation, a service that helps clients donate and dispose of their possessions in an organized and sensitive way.

LeAnn Locher writes the popular Portland blog, LeLo in NoPo. She'll talk and share photos of her 3-year experience of creating and growing her blog, how it began as a personal journey and self exploration, and what she found along the way. Blogging creates connections to people, issues, cultures, and even social change, and has led to real-world connections, clients, and friends. She'll share a case study of blogging a topic that grew into a quick community action, with a flurry of news throughout the blogosphere and local media outlets. With writers now blogging and bloggers now writing, is there a place for the two to meet?

Kristian Williams, a journalist and a member of Rose City Copwatch, is the author of Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America and American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination. Jules Boykoff teaches political science at Pacific University in Forest Grove and is the author of Beyond Bullets: The Suppression of Dissent in the United States. The authors discuss their books and answer questions from the audience.

Are you finding it difficult to talk to your parents about their care needs? Learn about community resources, websites and checklists that can help you help them. For this presentation, please download or link to Prepare to Care: A Planning Guide for Families, a handbook published by AARP: http://www.aarp.org/makeadifference/gettinghelp/articles/prepare_to_care.html

Loriann McNeill is the Family Caregiver Support Program coordinator for Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services, and has extensive personal and professional experience in family caregiving. Questions? Contact Loriann McNeill at 503-988-3646 x26263