Cinema is robust enough to feel almost limitless as an art form. Although movies are nearly 130 years old, a few filmmakers continue to push the medium forward every year, finding innovative and groundbreaking new ways to tell stories. While it’s rare to come across a film that feels wholly singular, I still find joy […]
Culture
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Llama Love: Spreading Joy
A La Pine man and his llama casually stroll around Bend
“I can’t believe I saw a llama.” That’s a phrase often repeated as folks encounter Jeff Wagner and his llama, Yogi. Wagner hauls Yogi in a trailer, from La Pine to the Old Mill District, on a regular basis so they can take a stroll. He started doing this during the pandemic because he thought it […]
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Horoscope Week of May 8, 2025
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Classical ballet dancers often seek to convey the illusion of weightlessness through highly stylized movements. Innovative Taurus choreographer Martha Graham had a different aim, emphasizing groundedness. Emotional depth and rooted physicality were crucial to her art of movement. “The body never lies” is a motto attributed to her, along with “Don’t […]
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Not-So-Superheroes
The Thunderbolts* is a return to what made the MCU special
It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been struggling lately. Post-“Endgame,” the MCU has fumbled extensively with telling stories in their intricately interconnected universe, while films like “The Marvels,” “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania” and “Captain America: Brave New World” didn’t come close to reaching their projected grosses (which was still more than […]
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Understanding Intimacy
A column that fosters deeper love between couples
Dear Dr. Jane, My husband and I have some minor communication problems, but overall we get along pretty well. Last summer, we started couples’ counselling because I discovered that he was secretly watching porn. My sister said that it wasn’t a big deal, but it feels terrible to me. We have a pretty good sex […]
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Preserving History Nearly Lost in Time
Bend’s Colored Men’s Business Club started 100 years ago
A little-known piece of Bend history, nearly lost in oblivion, has been recovered and pieced together. The project was inspired by one tiny newspaper article from 1925 titled, “Colored Men Form Club for Betterment of Race.” “I have no idea how long ago I found that story and printed a clipping of it for future research,” […]
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Passages of Time
A quick guide to exploring some of Central Oregon’s museums
Story is a part of life in how we exist and make meaning. Lucky for us, Central Oregon is home to a number of museums that hold history, science, and nature in deepening our understanding of the world and our experience of wonder. Spring is a great time to delve into some of the regional […]
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Awakening Your Inner Hero: I AM RIGHT—YOU ARE NOT!
A column to help locals live a kinder and more courageous life
Synopsis There is a ton of “I am right, you are not” energy going on in our world these days. Sometimes it may be necessary. Most times there are more peaceful and respectful ways to hold different opinions. Agreeing and/or being right is not as important as peace. It is hard work worthy of our […]
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Around the Bend Farms:
Growing food, growing community
Growing food, educating and innovating, building community. These are the core values of Braided Roots Urban Farm, an area tucked away in the eclectic neighborhood of Deschutes River Woods where something pretty amazing is happening on only an acre of land. The farmers are not just cultivating locally grown produce, they are also transforming what […]
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Horoscope Week of May 1, 2025
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus author Nellie Bly (1864–1922) was a daring trailblazer. It was almost impossible for a woman to be a journalist in the 19th century, but she did it anyway. One of her sensational groundbreaking stories came when she did an undercover assignment in New York’s Women’s Lunatic Asylum. Her reporting on […]
