Before revisionist history in the 21st century, the Founding Fathers were considered deists. After the writing of the Constitution and fighting the war for independence, they returned to their mansions, whiskey stills and the raping of their slaves.
Source Weekly
Posted inOpinion
The Republican War on Women
President Obama's healthcare reform law requires Catholic hospitals to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives to their employees.
Republicans like wars. Iraq I and II, Afghanistan, and now (potentially) Iran – they've been gung-ho for 'em all. But now they've embarked on a project that's ambitious even by their standards.
They've declared war on half the population of the United States. The female half.
It started when Catholic hospitals and other institutions complained that President Obama's healthcare reform law requires them to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives to their employees. That, they claimed, interfered with their freedom of religion.
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
Woman Of The Year; Jen Burgess Thompson: Cancer Survivor
Woman of the year, Jen Burgess is a cancer survivor after being diagnosed with aggressive ovarian cancer.
The day after being diagnosed last August with aggressive ovarian cancer at age 36, Jen Burgess Thompson gathered up her two young sons, some friends and her husband. They drove to Mt. Bachelor and made a movie.
In it, the stunning blond runs through a golden field of wildflowers with her sweet and handsome sons, Cohen and Cooper. She writes messages on a chalkboard like “We will not be defeated” and “Eff Cancer.” She tears pages from a small notebook after writing bits of her story. “I am Jen” “I am a mom” “I am an artist” “I am not cancer.” The pages blow away and snag in the flowers.
It is deeply moving and has been watched thousands of times. The video is the beginning of her very public and vivid chronicling of her battle with cancer. Thompson, who has her own photography studio in Redmond, documents every step of the journey, through her blog, on Facebook, and in the photography and videography of some of the most talented photographers and cinematographers in Bend who donated their time and effort to the Source's
2012 Woman of the Year.
Posted inCulture
Back to Fun-damentals: John Carter gives even familiar sci-fi material a spark of energy.
Taylor Kitsch stars in Disney’s recent film, John Carter.
If you've spent any amount of time as a professional film critic, you get used to a few common rejoinders. We all know exactly what unhappy readers think about our thwarted real career goals, and the various contracts we've clearly signed in blood with residents of the underworld that robbed us of our capacity for joy. But among the most persistent are variations on uses of the word “fun.” To wit: “Hey, lighten up, it's not supposed to be Shakespeare; it's just meant to be fun.”
The unspoken assumptions accompanying the use of that word are many – that “fun” is an objective measurement; that the intent to create “fun” is a holy shield, a sort of artistic “get out of criticism free” card; that “fun” trumps all other considerations. The “fun mafia” is wrong about many things, but at the core is one easy-to-understand truth: a movie that puts a goofy smile on our face makes it easy to forgive a multitude of sins. As many little things as John Carter does that could tip the scales over to silly, it somehow manages to stay just on the right side of fun.
Posted inOutside
Under Pressure: Snow and sun mix for a perfect weekend of turns and touring
The late winter in Bend brings exceptionally perfect mountain conditions.
I'd like to thank both high and low-pressure systems for working together to bring us some perfect late season weather. Depending on where you were, between one and four feet of snow fell in the mountains, as well as Bend, and hung around because of the low temperatures. Even Mt. Bachelor announced the snow level was above average. I filed that declaration between Bend's reported 300 days of sunshine and Central Oregon's fluctuating, fear-based water reports.
After that storm system headed east to terrorize the Midwest, we were left with bluebird days and multi-sport dreams. Quite frankly, if you couldn't find a reason to play outside last weekend, you live in the wrong town!
Posted inOpinion
Good Bridge, Bad Bridge
A proposal of building a bridge based off of two chosen sites.
A front-page January article in the Bend Bulletin discussed two proposals for a footbridge to be constructed below the First Street Rapids as an important connection in Bend's Deschutes River Trail system.
Planning proponents have provided two options called Alternative A and Alternative B.
Posted inOpinion
Equal Access at the Schools?
In response to last week’s Walking The Line.
I was very surprised to learn that right wing religious groups are legally proselytizing to children in trailers located next to the public schools. Of course they want to spread their religious bile while the children are young enough to not have fully developed critical thinking ability.
Posted inOpinion
The GOP's Bogus Foreclosure Negotiations
Representative Gene Whisnant makes an appearance in Salem.
It's not often that we see Rep. Gene Whisnant (R-Sunriver) poke up his head in Salem other than to stump for the most provincial and honorary pieces of legislation. This is not a legislator who's ever been accused of having too much vision. But like a rock chuck sensing spring, Whisnant popped up a few weeks ago in the whirlwind February session to block a pair of bills that would have helped Oregon homeowners who are facing the prospect of foreclosure.
While we're usually looking for Whisnant to do more with his time in Salem, in this case we wish that he would have just kept on hibernating. After refusing to allow the bills to come up for a hearing in the House General Government and Consumer Protection Committee, Whisnant offered an amendment that proved to be a deal breaker for the bills' backers and on Tuesday Democrats announced that the home foreclosure bills were essentially dead in the waning hours of the session.
Posted inFood & Drink
Dogfish Head: World Wide Stout
The World Wide Stout beer holds a whopping 18 percent of alcohol, one of Bend’s most cellar-worthy beer available.
When this beer burst on the microbrewing scene in 1999, it was the strongest beer around. Though other beers have since topped World Wide Stout's current 18 percent alcohol marker – including Dogfish Head's 120 minute IPA, which clocked in at 21 percent several years ago – this 70 IBU stout is still one of the most cellar-worthy beers available in Bend these days.
Posted inOpinion
Mt. B's D-Bag Gaffe
CEO Dave Rathbun curses at a pass holder and later apologizes via email.
It's no secret that Mt. Bachelor's relationship with its season pass holders runs hot and cold.