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Posted inOutside

A Resolute New Year: Plenty of outdoors and volunteer opportunities await in 2012

Resolutions of an outdoor enthusiast.
Source Weekly

After weeks of prayer and breathless anticipation, Mother Nature finally responded with a quality snowfall to finish off 2011. Saturday's reported foot of snow (depending on whom you ask) and morning temperatures in the single digits meant I was heading to Todd Lake for my final ski of the year.
Trading my usual ski partner (dog) for a much prettier one (wife), we arrive at Mt. Bachelor's Nordic Center by 8 a.m. While I'm not generally considered an early riser, I do support weekend alarm clock usage for outdoor activities. A lack of crowds and better snow conditions trump sleep every time.
Anybody out and about on the last day of 2011 can attest to what a gorgeous day it was. We skied the Common Corridor to the Todd Lake Trail, circled the 45-acre Todd Lake and headed back up the Cascade Lakes Highway. We happily broke trail most of the trip, with the exception of the groomed corridor and snow-covered highway. The five-plus mile journey was the perfect way to finish off 2011 and energize our wish for a good 2012.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for 1/5-1/12

An assortment of events for the upcoming week selected just for you.
Source Weekly

Tony Smiley
thursday 5
Once there was a man who came to Bend from the other side of the mountains and began playing a weird, one-man-band sort of rock and roll. His name was Tony Smiley and they called him the Loop Ninja. We profiled the Ninja himself in this week's screen section. Free. 7pm. McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 NW Bond St.
First Friday
friday 6
There will be art in 2012. Oh yes, there will be art. And with the weather looking more like spring than winter this year, expect plenty of action downtown and in the Old Mill on the first art walk of the year on Friday night. Check out the Local Arts section of our events calendar for some pointers of what to see and where to see it. Begins at 5pm and continues until, like, whenever people are done looking at the talent of our locals.

Posted inNews

What's Wrong With Siri?: Apple's personal assistant doesn't mean to be sexist

Women use iPhones, too.
Source Weekly

If you tell Siri you've been raped, she wouldn't tell you to go to a hospital, or to the police. If you tell Siri you want some Viagra, she knows where you could get it.
Tech and feminist blogs recently erupted with a startling story: Siri, the iPhone 4 app that responds to voice queries with preprogrammed or search-engine-based replies, refused to direct its users to abortion clinics. Not only that: Apple's Siri seems programmed to respond to sexual or sex-related questions almost invariably as if the user were a certain kind of cisgender man.
If you tell Siri you've been raped, she wouldn't tell you to go to a hospital, or to the police; if you tell Siri you want some Viagra, she knows where you could get it. If you tell Siri you want “a blow job,” she looks up escorts for you; if you tell her that you “want your pussy eaten,” she’ll direct you to pet stores. (Also, she knows the word “dick,” but not the word “clitoris.”)

Posted inOpinion

This Is the First Straight Poop of the Rest of Your Life

A gathering of news makers and headlines from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Dec. 26
Guess they're considering the alternatives: Gallup Poll finds 47% of Americans approve of President Obama, first time since last summer that positive rating's been higher than negative … Now this is a shocker: Independent panel finds Japan wasn't prepared for disaster at Fukushima nuke plant … Arab “Spring” in December: Arab League observers arrive in Syria and tour city of Homs; residents say government troops fired mortars and machine guns at them … No spring in Moscow: After tens of thousands of demonstrators call for ouster of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, government says it's open to “dialogue” but won't give in to protesters' main demands … Oh, the indignity! Jennifer O'Neill, former personal assistant to Lady Gaga, sues ex-boss for $380,000 in overtime, complains she was forced to “ensure the promptness of a towel following a shower.”

Posted inOpinion

Bogged Down on Mirror Pond

Mirror Pond tax district is a bad idea.
Source Weekly

A river wants to be a river, not a pond. You can make a river behave like a pond for a while by putting a dam in front of it, but sooner or later – sooner if the pond is shallow – the area outside of the main channel will fill up with sediment and the river will go back to being a river again.
Therein lies the dilemma for the City of Bend, which for decades has been wrestling with what to do about Mirror Pond.
The pond, formed by a dam built a century ago, is often described as “the jewel of downtown Bend,” but that jewel has a tendency to tarnish. Silt keeps building up until the pond threatens to become a mud flat – a problem exacerbated by spring and summer irrigation flows, which wash soil away from riverbanks upstream.

Posted inOpinion

Ring Out the Old Straight Poop, Ring In the New

A gathering of news and headline makers from the previous week.
Source Weekly

Monday, Dec. 19
Flameout: Newt Gingrich's lead among Republicans evaporates; Gallup now has him in virtual tie with Mitt Romney … With friends like these: Website that promotes adultery endorses Gingrich, puts up billboard of him with caption: “Faithful Republican, Unfaithful Husband … The Daily Gaffe: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, fading fast in GOP presidential race, describes defunct Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il as “Kim Jong the Second.” Wonder what happened to Kim Jong the First? … No deal: With Department of Justice antitrust enforcers looking over its shoulder, AT&T drops plan to take over T-Mobile USA … Syria agrees to allow Arab League to send in monitors as violence rages on; UN says at least 5,000 killed since protests started in March … Stand by votre homme: Anne Sinclair, wife of sex scandal-plagued Dominique Strauss-Kahn, voted Woman of the Year in France.

Posted inCulture

The Last Day of the Year: A whole page of things to do on New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve festivities in Bend.
Source Weekly

New Year’s Dinner with Raise the Vibe
Expect saxophonist Duncan McNeill and his band Raise the Vibe to lay down a funky blues and jazz soundtrack to your New Year’s evening at the Common Table, where all are welcome. The gracious folks at the pay-as-you-can restaurant are hosting two separate countdowns: one for the kiddos at 9pm and another right before midnight. Dig the music and a cocktail (or five) or call ahead with a reservation and enjoy a four-course meal that includes wine pairings and a glass of bubbly ($60). 6pm, Common Table, 150 NW Oregon Ave.
New Year’s Eve Bash at the Summit
Sometimes you just want to dance your ass off with your crew and a pile of strangers. You can do this at a number of places on New Year’s Eve, (see, Shaken Not Stirred, the party going on at Seven Nightclub and the shindig happening at Velvet), but the sheer size of the Summit will almost guarantee you can find a spot to celebrate. DJ Steele’s beats will likely drag a quarter of Central Oregon into the Summit’s spacious insides for a night of gyrating and 2012 revelry. There’s a $10 cover at the door so don’t forget to check “yes” for cash back while you’re out and about that morning. 8pm, The Summit Saloon and Stage, 125 NW Oregon Ave.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for 12/28-1/5

A gathering of events for the upcoming week.
Source Weekly

Free Nordic Ski Lesson
wednesday 28
Want to learn how to Nordic ski, but got turned off by cost of lessons? Then take advantage of this free session. You can even rent the gear from Pine Mountain Sports for free while you get real, on-snow experience under the watchful eyes of a seasoned vet. All you have to do is email bendskibuddy@gmail.com to nail down a time. Do it on your own time, because this an ongoing offering brought to you by the Central Oregon Nordic Club. Pick up your gear at Pine Mountain Sports, 255 SW Century Dr.

Posted inMusic

Top Ten Overlooked Albums of the Year

Ten overlooked albums of 2011
Source Weekly

1. Sleeper Agent, Celebrasion: On riffy rockers like “Proper Taste” or “Force a Smile,” Sleeper Agent sounds like The Who on speed. But just when you think you have a fix on the band's sound, out comes a sweet pure pop tune like the ballad “That's My Baby” or a Strokes-ish rocker like “Get Burned.”
2. Centro-Matic, Candidate Waltz: Though its music falls under the roots rock/Americana umbrella, Centro-Matic is more sonically adventurous and creative than most such acts. There's crunchy rock (“All the Takers”), lovely but sturdy balladry “Shadow, Follow Me” and ghostly, grainy, yet pretty pop-rock (“Estimate x 3”). No newcomers, (the band dates back to 1995 and its frontman, Will Johnson, is a member of Monsters Of Folk), Centro-Matic should be vastly better known than it is.

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