The last sentence in your political endorsement jumped out at me. It states, “Likeable as Dudley is, Oregon can't afford to give the governorship to a guy who'll need on-the-job training.” In your 2008 presidential endorsement you could have used the same sentence only with three substitutions and you would have been right-on: “Likeable as Obama is, the U.S. can't afford to give the presidency to a guy who'll need on-the-job training.”
Source Weekly
Posted inNews
Yes, I'm That Jackass: How I horribly underestimated “spring” in the Cascades
I was that guy. You know, the idiot that you read about who gets into a situation way over his head and you're left wondering, “How the hell could anyone be so friggin' stupid?”
I was that guy. You know, the idiot that you read about who gets into a situation way over his head and you're left wondering, “How the hell could anyone be so friggin' stupid?” Yeah, well, what started out as a nice spring ride through Oregon's Cascade mountains almost exactly one year ago was followed by me, a little lycra-clad bike racer, hiking uphill through five-feet-deep soft snow, road bike in tow, before hitching a ride on the back of a snowmobile. This tops the list of absurd things that I've encountered while cycling – or, generally, have done in my life.
Just the day before I'd done a nice, controlled ride from Sunriver up to Mount Bachelor. It was a lovely, steady climb to the base of the ski area with a gain of maybe 4,000 feet. Conditions certainly changed en route; I was greeted by a lot more roadside snow than I'd anticipated and a biting snow squall to boot. The end result was a 40-some-odd mile round trip, a good little workout, the mandatory shot of my bike perched in a big snow pile in front of a chairlift, and a nice, albeit tame, story of adventure.
Posted inOpinion
Bookstores Do More
Letter to the Editor
Heading home from work last night, I happened to turn my head while passing Dudley's bookstore. The store's lights were off. If I hadn't glanced, I wouldn't have seen the candles lighting up the darkened room and the Argentinean Tango Dance group whirling around in pairs, well after 9 p.m.
It was a sight of unusual beauty en route to home, but more than that, it is one small sign of the goodwill that local bookstores promote in our community. Garden readings (Between the Covers), music, entertainment, meeting space, tango…Rick Steber's book release party (Camalli).
Posted inCulture
Don't Watch It!
Guys! What… are… you… doing? Are you seriously thinking about watching TELEVISION this week? Dudes, if you're going to pick ANY week to watch TV, for the love of god, don't make it this one!
Guys! What… are… you… doing? Are you seriously thinking about watching TELEVISION this week? Dudes, if you're going to pick ANY week to watch TV, for the love of god, don't make it this one! This is the absolute WORST week to sit in front of the tube, and it's not just because there's a bunch of absolute crap on (even though there is, and you love watching absolute crap). The problem is that next week is going to be the busiest television-watching week of your entire life – and if you don't conserve your energy, you're gonna totally shoot your wad (in a bad way), and have no wad at all for next week! GUYS! You gotta save your wad!!
Posted inMusic
Hooray for Surprises! David Clemmer, The Ascetic Junkies
Sound Check likes surprises. Dang it, we actually love surprises.
Sound Check likes surprises. Dang it, we actually love surprises. If you were to stand outside our office and soak us with a fire hose when we came out, we wouldn't even kick you in the nards. We'd actually be jazzed about the whole affair – as long as you yell “surprise” before you drenched us.
Thus, we were pleased as punch (punch is quite pleasing) with this surprise-filled week of live music that began at yet another Thursday night Last Band Standing gig at Boondocks Bar and Grill. It was there the emo/alt-rockers of Elliot – fronted by Corey and Casey Parnell and their self-described Justin Bieber haircuts – took home the audience vote and advanced to the next round. But after punking out like it was 1999, runner-ups Tuck and Roll earned a wild card and also advanced. The surprise here was yet another huge turnout for Last Band Standing- – did people think one of those guys was actually Justin Bieber or something? Either way, this is excellent for local music.
Posted inMusic
Love Is All: Two Thousand and Ten Injuries
So, what the hell is going on in Scandinavia? All sorts of fantastic releases are streaming outta there, especially from Denmark (Mew, Raveonettes, Figurines) and Sweden (The Hives, Peter Bjorn and John, Shout Out Louds).
Love Is All
Two Thousand and Ten Injuries
Polyvinyl
So, what the hell is going on in Scandinavia? All sorts of fantastic releases are streaming outta there, especially from Denmark (Mew, Raveonettes, Figurines) and Sweden (The Hives, Peter Bjorn and John, Shout Out Louds). Scandinavia is perhaps better known for the righteousness of its death metal, which inspired Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth to do their thing in the '80s, but that vein is pretty much mined out, and the region is now pumping out tons of groundbreaking indie pop/rock (so much so, in fact, that I dedicated my last show on KPOV to it).
Posted inCulture
Our Picks for 5/12 – 5/20: Richard Louv, The Sprout Film Festival, Larry and His Flask, and more!
What to do in Central Oregon this week.
Richard Louv
wednesday 12
Are you thinking that maybe those kids of yours are spending too much time on the interwebs and Twitter machine and not enough time bounding across mountain streams and gazing upon majestic fields of grain? If so, check out this appearance by Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, who discusses saving children from nature-deficit disorder. $10. Info: 541-383-7575. 6:30pm Summit High School Auditorium, 2855 NW Clearwater Dr.
Posted inNews
Election Endorsements – For Governor: Kitzhaber and Alley
The Source Weekly’s Election Endorsements for Oregon State Governor.
For fans of Oregon political theater, the cast of this year's race for governor is familiar. There's a former governor, a former secretary of state, a former candidate for state treasurer, a former candidate for governor and a convicted racketeer. (The last two are the same person – Bill Sizemore.)
The former governor, of course, is Democrat John Kitzhaber, who served two terms from 1995 to 2003 and wants to give it another shot. According to the polls, he's way out in front of his only major opponent, Bill Bradbury – who, ironically enough, was appointed secretary of state by Kitzhaber in 1999 and served 10 years in that job.
Posted inOpinion
Excluding Freedom and Common Sense
“Exclusion zone” – it sounds like such a great idea. Define certain people as “undesirables,” draw a line around the area where you don't want them to go, and tell them that if they're caught in that area they'll be charged
“Exclusion zone” – it sounds like such a great idea. Define certain people as “undesirables,” draw a line around the area where you don't want them to go, and tell them that if they're caught in that area they'll be charged with trespassing.
In practice, though, exclusion zones often don't work as well as they do on paper. And they can lead cities that adopt them into a dense thicket of civil liberties issues.
For years, downtown Bend merchants and businesses like the non-profit Arts Central have been annoyed and frustrated by people hanging out in the plaza off Brooks Alley and the breezeway between the alley and Wall Street. They smoke, they sometimes drink, they occasionally panhandle, they sometimes behave obnoxiously toward passersby. There have been more serious reports of drug use, drug sales and vandalism. This situation, some people very reasonably conclude, is not good for business.
Posted inOpinion
And Justice for All: Supreme updates, Tea Bag revolt in Utah, giant beaver dams and more!
The author has been sent on the road to discover a lost country formerly known as America. He is reporting from a gas station, thanking BP and Fords with 460 horses, on assignment for Or-Bust.com and The Source Weekly.
The author has been sent on the road to discover a lost country formerly known as America. He is reporting from a gas station, thanking BP and Fords with 460 horses, on assignment for Or-Bust.com and The Source Weekly.
Enter Elena
“Government is itself an art, one of the subtlest of arts,” she was quoted in a 1977 yearbook, unaware that her other note, “Brad is super cute!” will soon be used against her as well. Elena Kagan has been nominated by President Obama to succeed Justice Stevens on the Supreme Court, and the 50 year-old “acclaimed Constitutional scholar” nicknamed “Shorty” by legendary Justice Thurgood Marshall won't see much subtlety as Republicans sharpen their spears to attack the same person they confirmed as Solicitor General 61-31 last year (for more toxic environments, see below).
