Jim Lynch is no stranger to the Northwest. He grew up in the Puget Sound and while his career as a professional journalist took him around the country, he returned seven years ago to the Northwest where his two recent and critically acclaimed novels are set. The books are lyrical meditations on the geography of Northwest and the people who inhabit a landscape that is pinched between the mountains and the sea on the edge of the continent. In his most recent novel, Border Songs, Lynch focuses on the imaginary line that separates America from its hockey and health care loving neighbor to the north. It's an imaginary line that seems to be growing more hard and volatile in our age of immigrant insecurity and post 9/11 boogeymen.
Source Weekly
Posted inCulture
wRite: Life After Facebook
You can’t really know the poppy by its photo – how the blossom holds the last of sunset, how the pollen is silky on your finger. You have walked along the shining river.
You can’t really know the poppy by its photo – how the blossom holds the last of sunset, how the pollen is silky on your finger. You have walked along the shining river. You are tired and a little lonely. When you discover the poppy glowing against its dark leaves, you stop. A man walks by with his dog. “Gorgeous time to walk,” he says. The smoke from his cigarette drifts back.
I had breathed deep and imagined writing about life after Facebook, about all of it: the loneliness, the poppy, the sweetness in the stranger’s voice, the harsh scent of his smoke. I took myself off Facebook because my daughter had been exploring the privacy violations she and so many others found outrageous. But there was more. I can’t think of a time in history when it has not been dangerous for one institution to hold huge amounts of information about so many. Consolidation of data is consolidation of power.
Posted inOutside
Work It, Baby! Metolius-Windigo trail is good to go as COTA crews continue their high elevation work
With recent warm temps exacerbating the dusty conditions closer to town, riders would do well to focus their energy on shaded and high elevation trails where summer has been slowest to chase the moisture from the soils.
With recent warm temps exacerbating the dusty conditions closer to town, riders would do well to focus their energy on shaded and high elevation trails where summer has been slowest to chase the moisture from the soils. The snow's recent retreat has allowed crews to ramp up their trail clearing efforts at elevation, opening up more miles of riding a little further from town.
Some of COTA's recent work includes the not insignificant task of clearing the entire Metolius-Windigo trail from Todd Creek to Park Meadow trail head and north toward Sisters. Crews have also been out in the Vista Butte area just north of Century Drive where single track riders should find that most of the blowdown and debris from this past winter has been cleared. Please keep in mind the Flagline trail will be closed until Sunday, August 15 to protect elk breeding habitat. Wait until next week to ride that, please.
Posted inFood & Drink
Little Bites: Eat, Drink and Be Merry: A glimpse inside the Source's new Happy Hour guide
If you picked up a copy of last week's Thirsty: The Happy Hour Guide, you know that Central Oregon has more than its share of cheap food and drink specials.
If you picked up a copy of last week's Thirsty: The Happy Hour Guide, you know that Central Oregon has more than its share of cheap food and drink specials. In making the guide, we tried some of the best happy hours we didn't know existed. If you haven't picked up a copy of the Source Weekly's new happy hour guide, grab one before they're all snapped up or head over to www.tsweeklychow.com for a full listing of Central Oregon's Happy Hours.
5 Fusion and Sushi Bar
Daily 4:00pm-6:00pm, Fri. and Sat. 9pm-midnight Drinks: $3 beers, $5 cocktails, $5 wine Food: $5 assorted appetizers and sushi rolls. Lilian Chu of Hong Kong Restaurant fame and Soba founder Di Long opened their joint venture in Deep's former Wall Street location last year. Though named for the core seasonings in Chinese cooking, you won't find any chow mein on the menu here.
Posted inNews
The Big Leak: Why an act of treason ought to wake up the country
MUMBAI–“An appalling irresponsible act.” That’s how General James Nattis, fresh at the helm of U.S. Central Command, characterizes the release of more than 76,000 classified Pentagon reports released by the website WikiLeaks.
You may recall that the Pentagon, headquarters of the Department of Defense, is the same outfit that loaded $24 billion in $100 bills onto shrinkwrapped pallets and loaded the cash onto C-130 transport planes bound for Iraq–guarded by enlisted men who earn $20,000 a year. Not one of those Benjamins has ever been heard from since. Which, given that the money was supposed to be paid to corrupt tribal sheikhs, is just as well. Don’t be surprised if you see contractors installing one of those great new Gunnite pools at the house belonging to your recently discharged veteran neighbor.
Posted inCulture
The Sights of Summer
The Source Weekly’s editors pick their favorite summer movies.
Every summer there is an array of blockbusters vying for our attention, but only a few resonate with us and are still memorable years later. The Source editorial staff shares our favorite summer movies, which may be some of your favorites, too.
Stand by Me (1986)
Filmed in Oregon, this is one of the greatest coming-of-age films ever put on celluloid. Adapted from a Stephen King novella, Rob Reiner’s cinematic rendering captures the restless spirit of a tribe of young boys on the cusp of adolescence who embark on one last summer adventure – a quest to find the body of a dead schoolmate – before they outgrow such childish escapes. I’m not a fan of voiceovers, but Richard Dreyfuss' narrative is pitch perfect. – Eric Flowers
Posted inCulture
Our Picks for 8/11 – 8/19: Franchot Tone, 4 Peaks Summer Jamboree, Robert Randolph and The Family Band and more
What to do in Central Oregon the week of 8/11-8/19/2010.
Show us Your Spokes – Franchot Tone
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Franchot Tone is best known around town for his sound production work at Rage Films and his collaborations with Reed Thomas Lawrence. He's also the guitarist in Culver City Dub Collective, but now he's stepping out on his own with his solo project. The sounds are poppy and sunshiney and will go nice with the setting sun in the Parrilla parking lot. $5. Benefits Commute Options. 7pm. Parrilla Grill, 635 NW 14th St.
Munch and Movies: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
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With the weather as nice as it's been in the last month, who wants to go inside to watch a movie? Um, nobody. Luckily, this event lets families throw down a blanket in a park and take in a free flick. The chosen film is the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in which, as you may have guessed, food (including meatballs) rains from the sky like rain. Film starts at dusk. 6pm. NorthWest Crossing's Compass Park.
Posted inOpinion
We Can Do Better Than This
Letter to the editor.
These are really tough times for many people in this region. Big hangover from the binge party of over-building and over-pricing of houses, and really, the party itself wasn’t that hot either for most of us. So what? This is a great place to live, right? It’s not great if you can’t find a decent job and/or you’re getting kicked out of your house.
Seeing first hand what happens when a region depends too much on a couple of cyclic industries, everyone now says we need to diversify our economy. Easier said than done, as every other region also wants good companies that provide good jobs. Quality of life we got, but honestly, we’re pretty thin in some other key components.
Posted inCulture
I Put A Spell On You: Harry Potter makes its way onto the small screen
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, which utilizes four volumes of the novels’ magical locations as blueprints for several hundred virtual wizarding playsets.
The behavior of tourists who persist in visiting Florida during the hottest summer on planet Earth can possibly be explained by the presence of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a Universal Orlando Resort island that boasts several wizard-themed roller coasters, a faux enchanted castle and refreshments such as butterbeer. It just opened and it’s a smash hit.
But for Potter fans with lower tolerances for heat and ride-line congestion, the sensible alternative is LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, which utilizes four volumes of the novels’ magical locations as blueprints for several hundred virtual wizarding playsets. Although they are woven into the Harry Potter narrative, the game’s levels are basically romps through Harry Potter LEGO toyboxes.
Posted inCulture
Here Comes the Judge!
I'll admit it! I've got a huge beef with American Idol. For years I have (okay, perhaps unwisely) used this column as a bully pulpit to point out Idol's numerous flaws – the worst being that I've never appeared on the show, or won. It's freaking ridiculous, guys! Their job is to choose America's next worship-worthy singing star, AM I RIGHT? And yet? They've repeatedly barred me from competing because of stupid and completely discriminatory age requirements! Result: AMERICA LOSES.
