Republicans never met a tax cut they didn't like, unless of course it comes at the expense of their corporate masters. To wit, view the most recent partisan showdown in Washington that has Senate leaders wrangling over a no-brainer payroll tax extension.
Source Weekly
Posted inOpinion
Stock Up Now On Fresh Straight Poop For The Holidays
A gathering of happenings in the news from the previous week.
Monday, Nov. 28
Mr. Excitement: Atlanta businesswoman Ginger White reveals 13-year affair with pizza king and would-be president Herman Cain, says it was “fun” and “exciting.” Who would've thought? … Parting shot: Rep. Barney Frank, D-MA, first openly gay member of Congress, announces retirement, takes dig at Newt Gingrich, saying his nomination would be “best thing to happen to the Democratic Party since Barry Goldwater.” … Tattletale: Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says his office “overreacted” to Tweet by 18-year-old student saying he “sucked,” apologizes for reporting her to principal … Party animal? Pippa Middleton, sister-in-law of Prince William and possessor of one of the most-admired asses in Britain (it has its own website) reportedly inks $625,000 deal to write guide to party planning … No, life is NOT fair: Three affluent wealth managers from posh Greenwich, CT share $254 million Powerball jackpot.
Posted inOpinion
Throwing the Boat-Rockers Overboard
Where UO is heading after the departure of President Richard Lariviere.
When University of Oregon football coach Chip Kelly was handed the trophy for winning the Pac 12 championship, he immediately turned and presented it to “the real leader of our university, President Richard Lariviere.”
It was a touching tribute to a man who, in two years at the helm of Oregon's flagship university, had made important strides in improving the quality of education and had won the affection of faculty and students. Unfortunately that affection wasn't shared by the State Board of Higher Education, which instead of a trophy handed Lariviere his walking papers last week.
In fairness to the board, Lariviere had given it plenty of provocation. The problem wasn't so much with what he did, but with how he did it.
Posted inOpinion
Leaders Should Share Our Schools
How often have your heard a parent encourage children to share, take turns, and to play fair? Our basic role as parents is to instill a spirit of cooperation in our children. And in schools, educators promote the same values, including respect, honesty, good citizenry, and democracy. Teachers understand that the foundation for a positive learning environment is based on mutual trust and an ethical standard. Sounds good, right? Absolutely, well, until you run into something like the Bend-La Pine School District's policy on magnet school admission. Everything about the policy stands apart from the “fairness” principle that teachers/parents impart to children.
The very meaning and purpose of magnet schools is to “magnetize” students from across geographical, socioeconomic and cultural boundaries, so they can participate in an alternative learning approach. Currently, the admission policy for the local magnet schools exempts families within a “magnet zone” from having to participate in a general lottery. Any spots left over are “given” to the general population to compete in a general lottery. In other words, for those of us who can't afford nor want to live in the downtown corridor, we have to fight for the scraps. In the case of Amity Creek Magnet School this academic year, there was one – yes, one – space available to the general population. Magnet schools should not be treated as regular “neighborhood” schools since these neighborhoods are already being served by High Lakes or Miller elementary schools.
Posted inOpinion
Magnet Take Was Off The Mark
Take on magnet schools was off the mark.
This is in response to the The Boot on November 24 titled, “Tear Down the Magnet School Class Barrier.” The writer encourages readers to support getting rid of the Bend-La Pine School District policies for magnet school admissions.
The argument that the policy is inequitable is primarily based on the fact that three of the four magnet schools in Bend are located on the “relatively affluent westside.” While the westside does have some very nice areas, the elementary schools in question are certainly not located in those areas and the areas that are included in those schools' boundaries are filled with primarily old, and some of the most rundown, homes in the entire city. And even though the schools are located on the westside, the writer offers ZERO evidence that the students who live in the neighborhoods surrounding the schools actually attend their neighborhood school.
Posted inCulture
Our Picks for 12/2-12/7
The Source Weekly’s picks for the upcoming week.
The Ascetic Junkies, Chris Beland
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We could go on and on about all the diverse styles The Ascetic Junkies blend together to create their signature sweet-and-saucy indie-folk rock, but you need to see this band for yourself. The Portland act goes from a sweet bluegrass-tinged number seasoned with the vocals of husband-and-wife tag team Kali Giaritta and Matt Harmon to raging indie rock song in no time. Give a listen to their excellent This Cage Has No Bottom and you'll be ready for this sure-to-be-rad show. Local songwriter Chris Beland. $7 at bendticket.com, $10 door. 9pm. Silver Moon Brewing Co., 24 NW Greenwood Ave.
First Friday
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Looking for a way to kick-off your Friday night? First Friday art walk is always a good call. Whether you're a true art collector/connoisseur, casual admirer, or are just out for the people watching, free apps, wine, and music, art walk's offerings are many. From Sheri McGovern's knitted goods at Amalia's, to the blues and fine art at Velvet, to the “wine samples” found at just about every participating downtown retailer, First Friday art walk truly has something for damn near everyone. 6pm. Free. Downtown Bend.
Posted inFood & Drink
Simpler Times: Sargent's Café serves up classic American diner fare for more than six decades
Sargent’s Cafe brings cheap home-cooking by the plateful.
“How ya'll doin' today,” hollered our waitress as she approached the corner booth that a couple of friends and I recently occupied at Sargent's Café. She was sassy and frank with bright blue eye shadow and a purple plaid shirt tucked into Wrangler jeans. It smelled just like the truck stop restaurant where I used to waitress, the continental breakfast-style cereal boxes looked like the ones I'd seen sold at a flea market as vintage items, a dusty record player sat atop the milkshake machine.
Sargent's Café is a place I've always wanted to go. I had high hopes of finding a diner that was completely immune to a changing world outside its doors. Native Bend friends have shared stories of childhood meals at Sargent's, of paying regular visits to a grandmother who passed the days drinking coffee and chain-smoking in the café. I even once tried to get a waitressing job here.
Our waitress wasn't sure exactly how long Sargent's has been open, but offered an estimate of around 60 years. The exterior has gone through a few facelifts (the most recent coming when a car crashed into the café one night a couple years back) and the interior showcases vestiges of various decades with nothing more recent than the 1970s.
Posted inCulture
It's Me, Mario!: The elder statesman of video games gets the 3-D treatment
Everyone’s favorite plumber is back with another dimension.
The two-dimensional world of classic Mario is the perfect place for 3-D. The ground stretches out flat and even. Hills climb upward like staircases. Cliffs and ledges are square, tidy drops that descend forever into nowhere. Overhead, the flat blue sky is interrupted by clouds so solid that Mario can run across them like fluffy white tabletops. The colors are primary and flat, as though they had been filled in by someone using a small box of crayons, and the sunlight shines brightly from overhead.
Super Mario 3D Land looks like a storybook, and the 3-D effect provided by the Nintendo 3DS turns it into a pop-up book. Mario has been moving around in three dimensions since the advent of 3-D modeling. But I haven't been able to see him and his world in 3-D until now. Instead of the free-flowing landscapes of Super Mario 64 or Mario Sunshine, however, Nintendo has elected for Mario to make his 3D-display debut in game that resembles the classic Super Mario Bros. The simple landscape, with its flat contours and staggered layers, is an ideal match for the 3DS's diorama-like display, where things don't reach out as much as they recede into the distance.
Posted inOutside
High-Pressure Blues: No new snow is a chance to scout new terrain and identify future risks
Scouting new terrain and identifying risks.
It's not snowing and, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) weather forecasts, it's not going to snow with substance anytime soon.
I know it's just barely December, but I'm about one weak storm system away from stripping down and throwing a half-gallon of gasoline and a match on the pile of old straight skis and broken snowboards that has been building up in the garage for the last few seasons. All I want is one big storm. Then another. And another. Piled up on the horizon, loaded and heavy with precipitation for months to come. Nothing like a sacrificial fire and ceremonial booty-shaking dance to get that fickle bitch La Nina and all her snow-god pals on board.