We are a culture that has gone through a massive transformation in the way we connect to one another and information over the last 20 years or so. Ironically, while we have the tech for such tremendous connectivity, we may have simultaneously lost some of the incentive for old-fashioned physical connection and closeness — trading […]
Culture
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Late-Stage Existentialism
Bong Joon Ho takes slapstick to space in “Mickey 17”
I‘ve been saying this for a long time and feel no need to refute myself now or at any time in the near future: South Koreans make the best movies in the world. Bear with me while I show my work. In the 1950s and ’60s, we had filmmaking innovators like Han Hyung-mo and his […]
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Horoscope Week of March 13, 2025
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I’m not exactly sure where you are going, Pisces, but I’m certain you are headed in the right direction. Your instincts for self-love are at a peak. Your ability to see your best possible future is lucid and strong. Your commitment to gracefully serving all that gracefully serves you is passionate […]
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A Tower-ing Figure
Ray Solley announces his retirement as executive director of the Tower Theatre
You know the health of a town by the state of its theaters. Opened in 1940, the Tower Theatre was the jewel of downtown Bend from the date of its opening until its closure in 1996. When I moved here in 1999, downtown felt lessened by its boarded-up windows and darkened marquee. After a herculean […]
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Understanding Intimacy
Is she “withholding sex” or just taking good care of herself?
Dear Dr. Jane, I love my boyfriend but we have problems in the bedroom. We met in college and have lived together since graduation in 2020. We love each other and get along great. The problem is that when we fight, I don’t feel like having sex. Every time this happens, he accuses me of […]
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Heed the Call
A meditation “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
Uncle Fred has died. He died in the street across the way from a brothel in the middle of the night. Shula, Fred’s niece, is on her way back from a costume party where she dressed as Missy Elliott from the music video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).” When she finds his body, she […]
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Rising Above
Bend’s Jeff Swaney looks back on a life of adventure and found wisdoms in his memoir, “None of the Answers: Racing Through Life in Reverse”
When Jeff Swaney was 14 years old, an insurance salesperson knocked on the door of his home in Detroit, Michigan, extolling the soundness of a dizzying policy scheme to his parents. Detecting some dubious math in the pitch, the 14-year-old Swaney stepped in to quibble with the solicitor, trying and failing to convince his parents […]
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Horoscope Week of March 6, 2025
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): No cars drove through London’s streets in 1868. That invention was still years away. But the roads were crammed with pedestrians and horses. To improve safety amidst the heavy traffic, a mechanical traffic light was installed—the first in the world. But it had a breakdown a month later, injured a police […]
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Have You Grown Up Yet?
Aging is not related as much to time and years as it is to what we do with our time and years. Listen up: We need your youthful spirit!
Who would you truly want to be when you grow up? Maybe you’ve already grown up. Maybe not. We’ll begin by defining what we mean by this age-old concept. First, as with most things, there’s not one understanding of this often-misunderstood word. There are generally as many understandings for grown up as there are readers. […]
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Just an Honor to be Nominated
It’s time to predict the 2025 Oscar winners
The time has arrived for the 97th annual Academy Awards, and you have more options than ever to watch them. You can either tune into your local ABC affiliate, stream it live on Hulu or YouTube TV or you can attend the BendFilm Gala and Watch Party (which starts at 3:30pm at the Unitarian church) […]
