Opinion
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The Freshest, Straightest Poop That Money Can't Buy

From E. coli to crotch shots on Twitter, an update on all the news for the week.
Intern

Monday, May 30
Shook up: In wake of Japan's nuclear disaster, Germany decides not to build any more nuke plants and phase out existing ones by 2022 … Set back: Regime of Libya's Muammar Qaddafi takes a hit as eight top generals defect and flee to Italy … When produce goes wrong: Outbreak of E. coli linked to tainted Spanish cucumbers kills at least 14 in Germany; other European countries close their borders to the deadly vegetables … This is gross: US Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) accused of sending photo of his crotch to woman via Twitter, but DailyKos says analysis shows it was PhotoShopped … This is the grossest ever: “Hangover II” becomes top-grossing comedy movie of all time, grossing more than $138 million over Memorial Day weekend. Did we mention it was really gross?

Tuesday, May 31
Big win for the right to bear rats: National Labor Relations Board rules unions have right to erect 16-foot inflatable rats outside business as protest symbol. Wow, that's a relief … Meeting of the minds(?): Possible presidential candidate Sarah Palin and ex-presidential candidate Donald Trump get together over pizza in NYC. No word on who picked up the check … 'Bye pyramid, hello pie: Obama administration ditches decades-old “food pyramid” in favor of “food pie” as guide to healthy eating. No, not chocolate cream pie … Too funny to be true: Former fundamentalist pastor Ted Haggard, ousted after gay sex scandal, to have cameo role in “Christian sex comedy.” We always thought that was a tautology … Just too funny: Rep. Anthony Weiner lawyers up with view toward possible suit against whoever sent that crotch photo.

Posted inOpinion

Republicans' Stall-and-Strangle Tactics

Source Weekly

There aren't many issues that Democrats and Republicans can agree upon these days. It's one of the reasons that our two-party system is so often mired in indecision and partisan gridlock even as our state and our nation face challenges that are among the greatest in our collective history.
Still there are a few areas where members of the major parties can sometimes find consensus. Public safety measures and proclamations to support American troops are two that come to mind. And, of course, there's children's safety.

Posted inOpinion

The Freshest, Most Wholesome Straight Poop Served Weekly

Eric Flowers

Monday,
May 23
Back to the Ould Sod: President Obama – uh, make that O'bama – arrives in Ireland for state visit, has pint of Guinness at local pub, performs a few Riverdance moves. Yes, I made the last bit up … At least 122 confirmed dead, 1,500 missing after Sunday's ferocious tornado in Joplin, MO … Gaga over Gaga: Demand for Lady Gaga's new album, Born This Way, on sale for 99 cents, is so heavy it crashes servers at Amazon … Here we go again: Britain and France escalate conflict in Libya, sending helicopters against Muammar Qaddafi's forces … Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder: Indescribably weird hat worn by Princess Beatrice at royal wedding sells for $130,000 on eBay … No, really, it's coming, trust me: Rapture prophet Harold Camping pronounces self “flabbergasted” that the Rapture didn't happen last Saturday, then predicts it actually will happen on Oct. 21. Okay, as long as it doesn't disrupt the NFL season.

Posted inOpinion

Think Before You Spend

Eric Flowers

A big Thank You to the Source in bringing such an important matter to the forefront of all who love Central Oregon and live, work, and play here. Many of us moved to Central Oregon to play on such a wonderful playground with some of the most friendly people anywhere. Some have moved here because we have a vibrant downtown, the Shops at the Mill, wonderful restaurants and of course, the breweries. I have seen many changes in our retail landscape in the past 22 years but none compare to the lack of consumer dollars coming into local businesses. I ask you to think about the $5-$10 savings you may experience by shopping on the Internet. Who are you supporting? Consumers vote with their pocketbooks. I believe if this trend continues we will see many more local retailers closing and the shopping experience we love will diminish dramatically.

Posted inOpinion

Respect For Other Creatures Is Absent in Central Oregon

Eric Flowers

Doug “Hayduke” Peacock once said to me, “We're not going to make it simply because that which evolves does not persist without the conditions of it's creation.” I was reminded of this while on a dog walk in Shevlin Park where I was confronted by several dozen screeching fourth graders from High Lakes Elementary School. One of the boys was carrying a bucket and yelling, “Dude! He's flopping around!”
There in the bucket was a small fish, fighting for its life. I questioned one of the adults and was flippantly told that the fish had swallowed a hook and would be dissected. After seeing the look on my face, the young man blew me off with a, “It's just a school project, I wouldn't be too concerned about it.”

Posted inOpinion

The Summer Concert Scrooges

Eric Flowers

I am writing because I was down at the Old Mill this past weekend during the concerts, and was shocked and upset at how patrolled that area has become on concert nights.
What used to be a fun community event – the Les Schwab Concert Series – has become very unfriendly to pedestrians, cyclists, and those passing by. The promoters of the show have decided that people walking by might hear the music – and so now the foot bridge is policed, the sidewalks are patrolled, and 1/4 mile back on the dirt-nature part of the area are as well.
Anyone who isn’t a ticket-holding patron who stops longer than 30 seconds is told to move along, and move on. And, quite aggressively I might add.
What a sad state of affairs! These concerts used to be good for our town – they brought people together, they were fun, they were a place where high

Posted inOpinion

Tearing Down the Affordable Housing Fee

Scrapping or capping the affordable housing fee won’t do anything to revive Bend’s moribund building industry, but it will hamstring the city’s present and future efforts to ensure that people who work here will be able to live here.
Source Weekly

Five years ago, in the midst of one of the craziest real estate booms in the country, Bend slapped a fee on new construction projects to raise money to help create more affordable housing.
The fee, the only one of its kind in Oregon, has been successful in achieving that objective. So far it has generated more than $2.7 million, and it's leveraged many times that amount in federal matching funds.
But the Central Oregon Builders Association has never met a fee it likes, and now that the affordable housing fee is coming up before the city council for renewal, COBA is doing its best to kill it – or at least put it in the intensive care unit.

Posted inOpinion

If You're Reading This Poop You Didn't Get Raptured

Scoop Lewis covers all the weeks past news including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s love child, The Rapture and more.
Source Weekly

Monday,
May 16
The Impregnator and the Rapinator: Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals he fathered a love child 10 years ago; estranged wife Maria Shriver pleads for “compassion” for herself and children … Ex-International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, accused of raping hotel chambermaid, is picked out of police lineup by alleged victim, undergoes tests for DNA evidence … One out, one in: Donald Trump announces he's bowing out of the presidential race, says he would have won, but “business is my greatest passion, and I am not ready to leave the private sector” … Meanwhile Mitt Romney, at fundraiser in Las Vegas, says he's “activating” his campaign, although he hasn't formally announced yet … Bringing up the rear: Intense interest in Pippa Middleton's ass sparks rise in plastic surgery in Britain as women seek to emulate her “curvy but not too peachy” contours.

Posted inOpinion

Prineville to the Lions

Residents in Prineville are trying to save Christmas from the godless atheists over at the ACLU who would stop the city from erecting a Nativity outside Prineville's town hall.
Source Weekly

While folks in Bend have been praying for spring, a group of residents in Prineville has been focused intently on another season as of late and it isn't summer. They've been thinking about Christmas, and thinking hard. Some of them have been hitting the streets, gathering signatures in an effort to save Christmas – not from the Grinch, mind you. No it's worse. They're trying to save the holiday from the godless atheists over at the ACLU who would stop the city from erecting a Nativity outside Prineville's town hall.

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