Opinion
Posted inOpinion

tSW Primary Primer: For President… Barack Obama

It will take an extraordinary president to heal the wounds inflicted upon America and the world by the disastrous George W. Bush regime. Both Democratic
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It will take an extraordinary president to heal the wounds inflicted upon America and the world by the disastrous George W. Bush regime. Both Democratic candidates say they can do the job. And both basically have the right ideas about how to do it.
 
But only one seems able to unite and inspire the nation to bring about the kind of fundamental change in our corrupt and dysfunctional political system that we urgently need. That is Sen. Barack Obama.
Hilary Clinton has touted her superior experience. It's true she's been around Washington longer than Obama - eight years as First Lady, seven as a senator. But in these times, is that really a plus?
Hilary and Bill Clinton have been in Washington so long they are woven into the fabric of its culture and politics. Our worry is that a Hilary Clinton presidency would mean more triangulation and temporizing, more sacrificing progressive principles to accommodate corporate contributors, more going along to get along.

Posted inOpinion

The Sawyer Dog Park

Dogs - you can love ’em, you can hate ’em or you can be indifferent to ’em, but whatever your feelings about Canis lupus familiaris,
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Dogs - you can love 'em, you can hate 'em or you can be indifferent to 'em, but whatever your feelings about Canis lupus familiaris, you have to admit that sometimes dogs and human activities don't mix.
 
The Bend Metro Park and Recreation District, hoping to make Bend a more "dog-friendly" place, wants to create two more dog parks - fenced areas where dog owners can let their animal companions run around off the leash - by this summer. (Currently there's only one Park & Rec-sanctioned off-leash area, at Big Sky Park on the eastside.)

Posted inOpinion

It’s Gettin’ Hot In Here: Return of the Flat Earth Society, Barbie’s revenge and more

Maybe it was the hangover from an unusually cold or snowy winter, but the number of people who believe that the temperature of our planet
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Maybe it was the hangover from an unusually cold or snowy winter, but the number of people who believe that the temperature of our planet is rising has dipped in the past year, according to a recent Pew Research Center study.
Roughly 71 percent of Americans believe in the theory of global warming, compared to 77 percent at the beginning of 2007, the study found. Not surprisingly the biggest dip came amongst Republicans. Those in the GOP who believe that global warming is real are now officially in the minority in the Flat Earth Party, down to 49 percent from 62 percent in 2007. Democrats also saw a small slip in their numbers dropping from 86 percent to 84 percent. Roughly 75 percent of Independents say they believe the Earth is growing hotter - down slightly from 78 percent.

Posted inOpinion

Leash ‘Em Up

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Letter of the Week 
It was sad to see in The Source last week that a group of Ultimate Frisbee enthusiasts might lose their traditional playing field in Sawyer Park to dogs.
At one time, the issue of off-leash dog parks did not exist.

Posted inOpinion

BAT and Dial-a-Ride Cutbacks

Although it hit a couple of potholes along the road - the worst being the purchase of some second-hand buses that turned out to be
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Although it hit a couple of potholes along the road - the worst being the purchase of some second-hand buses that turned out to be lemons - Bend Area Transit has become an important part of the city's transportation system. It provides close to 6,000 rides a week, many of them to people who have no other way of getting around.
 
Now the City of Bend, facing a $12 million budget shortfall, wants to cut back service on BAT as well as on Dial-a-Ride, the companion system that provides transportation for seniors and the disabled. We understand that the city has to make tough choices now that the easy-money days of the real estate bubble are gone. But this is a bad choice, at a bad time.

Posted inOpinion

Rock Stars vs. Porn Stars: Sex tapes, classroom wizards and city scale acupuncture

Joseph Oguiza

Text Me a Dime Bag
Back in the dark days before Blackberry's and smart phones, college kids had to score their illicit drugs the old fashioned way - with Ma Bell and the doorbell. Not anymore, at least at San Diego State University where authorities recently arrested 75 students in a massive drug dealing investigation. According to the Associated Press, one of the suspects had recently sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" informing them that he and his friends would be unable to provide cocaine over the weekend while they were in Las Vegas. The message also advertised an ongoing "sale" and listed the reduced prices for some drugs.
In all, authorities nabbed two kilos of cocaine, 350 Ecstasy pills, as well as marijuana, hash, mushrooms and methamphetamine. Among the places raided was the Theta Chi fraternity house where authorities said fraternity members were openly dealing drugs.
Which got Upfront to thinking that there are a lot of frat traditions that probably should be abandoned: binge drinking, hazing, racial discrimination etc. But maybe that whole trafficking in barrels of Bush Lite wasn't such a bad business model after all, at least when you look at the alternative.

Posted inOpinion

Technology Marches Backward

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Letter of the Week  
I am disappointed with the new Bend Broadband billing method that penalizes customers for their Internet use. One reason I moved to Bend was because they had high speed Internet service. I use the high speed Internet to its fullest. I download media content through my wireless TIVO interface for viewing on my TV, I stream Internet music through our stereo, and I use Skype to web cam my friends and family. Isn't this exactly the type of usage that Bend Broadband fostered with their TV and print ads?
According to you, most Bend Broadband customers (91%) use less than the 10 GB per month. However, isn't the trend towards greater usage? Aren't the people who are simply surfing the web and reading their e-mails likely to start using newer media services? I believe that while I might be "pioneering" uses for the Internet, I am not that far ahead of the majority of customers. Isn't this a step back in technology? Will customers be discouraged from trying new non-Bend Broadband services for fear that they will overuse their service?

Posted inOpinion

Recessionary Musings

2008 recession! Why do companies lay people off and then hire them back two months later? Why would anyone give loyalty to a company when
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2008 recession! Why do companies lay people off and then hire them back two months later? Why would anyone give loyalty to a company when they know at any given moment that they can be cut loose? If a company wants loyalty from their employees then they should inform all personnel that a down time in business is not very far off and hours may have to be reduced. Simple communication is all that need apply here, and then there will not be any further resentment towards that company.
I was recently laid off and had no warning - just pull me into an office and announce, "Sorry dude, we gotta let you go due to lack of work for you." Now that company may say two months later, "We need you since it is now busy," but why would anyone go back knowing how unstable the management is?

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