Unfamiliar Fishes: Sarah Vowell makes reading about history lively
Hawaii’s history is at once as fascinating as it is sad. The subject of hundreds of academic thesis and of one huge tome (James Michener’s Hawaii), that history gets a unique treatment from writer Sarah Vowell in her new book Unfamiliar Fishes.
Bend Park Board Candidate Sends Out Bin Laden Press Release
There is no shortage today of press on the announcement that U.S.
How about an elected Bend mayor?
Although quickly dismissed by our local daily newspaper, I think current Bend Mayor Jeff Eager is correct in suggesting that our mayor should be elected. I served as mayor from 1997 to 1999 and while thankful for being selected for the position by my fellow councilors, the job proved to be purely ceremonial.
Win Tickets to See KT & Etouffee at Three Creeks Brewing on Saturday
This week in our continuing Three Creeks Brewing Co. giveaways we’ve got tickets for the KT & Etouffee show up for grabs.
Win Tickets to 2nd Street Theater’s Anniversary Show
On Friday and Saturday night, 2nd Street Theater is celebrating 10 years of providing a stage to local productions with a celebration that includes performances picked from some of the theater’s favorite plays and musicals over the years. We’ve got some tickets to give away to each night’s shows.
Enough Already: My continued crappy weather blues
For most of March and all of April to date, I’ve been trying to be optimistic about the blah weather. Optimistic, as in saying to people complaining about it: “well, it means there will be great wildflowers and terrific mountain bike trails when it stops_________ (insert your favorite): raining, snowing, sleeting, blowing, or doing all…
For Bend Parks Board Position 2: Scott Wallace
There are two words that really stand out in the race for the parks board between incumbent Scott Wallace and newcomer Justin Gottlieb: goose poop. The fecal matter paving the paths and covering the lawns of our public parks is near the top (or perhaps at the top) of Gottlieb's agenda. He wants to hire…
For Bend Parks Board Position 1: Dan Fishkin
We love our parks here in Bend – like really love our parks. In fact, the only thing that we love more than our parks is probably our pets, or our Subarus. So it's probably no great surprise that our parks district isn't without its politics. However for the last few years, the politics of…
Grete Waitz: Farewell to a long-distance running icon
Last week came the stunning news that Norwegian long-distance runner Grete Waitz had died at age 57. If there’s one person who had a profound affect on long distance running it was Waitz She put women’s running on the map what with nine New York Marathon wins including the inaugural running of the event.
The Hidden Crooked River: A chance invite turns into an epic exploration on the lower Crooked
Imagine seeing your guide being catapulted a dozen feet in the air, legs running airborne above water that's raging over boulders the size of a small car. Not a normal occurrence for my friend and river guide David Kinker or the Crooked River. Yet it's those moments that brought 27 boaters, made up of two…
Holy Hair! Why playoff beards are better than the actual playoffs
I don't watch much hockey. During a standard non-Olympic year, which we happen to be in presently, I would guess that I take in a culmination of about three full games, maybe more if you add in the amount of hockey I watch at bars during the commercial breaks of college basketball games. But last…
Songs of Spring: Listening to the sounds of Pacific tree frogs
You've been hearing 'em for more than two weeks now, singing their hearts out to call their lady loves to join them in irrigation ponds, snow melt, backyard ponds and mud puddles. They are the true songsters of spring: soon-to-be daddy Pacific tree frogs. The persistence of nature to ensure the survival of her kind…
The Traveling Camera: Beer on the move
During our Night Photography Workshop last Friday, we were shooting in downtown Bend when the Cycle Pub of Bend made its way down Wall Street. We did not expect this to happen, so I shot it with my 24 to 70mm Zoom lens at 58mm.
History Drags On: The Conspirator is high on facts, but low on energy
The Conspirator is a production by American Film History, a company committed to accurately portraying history in movies. Sure enough, Robert Redford's most recent flick since Lions for Lambs seems to have all the facts straight, but delivers such a deadpan and boring tale that by the end it seems like it probably belongs on…
The Elephant in the Room: Water for Elephants tries to live up to expectations
When you enter the theater to watch Water for Elephants, there's an elephant in the room, and I'm not just talking about the 9,000-pound animal that plays a significant role in this film. In this case, the elephant in the room is expectation. For some, expectation comes from the novel of the same name by…
Wedding Royale!
Didja hear? Didja hear? The New York Post reported that NBC may be cutting back on its coverage of this week's royal wedding because, according to inside sources, Prince William and bride-to-be Kate Middleton have as much sex appeal as an apple rotting on a windowsill. “This could not be more false!” squawked a rep…
A Dog Day: Okamiden drops us off where we left off with 2006's Okami
The land of Nippon is sick. Patches of dying grass creep across fields and meadows. The skeletons of trees poke up into a murky, eggplant-colored sky. Stagnant ponds choke with decaying plants. Acrid wisps of black cloud smother the sun. It seems like I just cleaned this place up. But my notes tell me that…
The Read of the Town: Teddy Wayne on race, New York City and having his novel, Kapitoil, chosen as this year's Novel Idea book
Written by New York native Teddy Wayne, Kapitoil, is this year's Deschutes Public Library Novel Idea community read. The acclaimed book chronicles the pre-9/11 life of Karim Issar, a computer programmer from Qatar who attempts to reconcile his Muslim faith with the trappings of American culture as he begins a wildly profitable career predicting oil…
Same Place, New Face: El Jimador gets a makeover courtesy of Baltazar Chavez
Remember El Jimador? Wait a minute.
Same Place, New Face: El Jimador gets a makeover courtesy of Baltazar Chavez
Remember El Jimador? Wait a minute… remember it? Isn't it right where it's always been, Franklin and Wall? Well, yes and no. Yes, the name is the same, but pretty much everything else is different… and improved. The service is fast, but not rushed, and friendly. The new menu highlights seafood and quality beef, and…
Drinking: The Next Generation
It's human nature to want to pass something down to the next generation. Some people leave behind wealth and prestige for their family to enjoy for generations. Others give us great pieces of literature, sprightly sonatas or inspirational sculpture. My legacy is to give a few the gift of bartending, which can either ensure them…
Deschutes Goes to Missouri?
What is a “collaboration beer” exactly? We weren't quite sure until we learned more about the tag-team project Deschutes Brewery is engaging in with Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing company. It appears that Bend's largest brewery is teaming up with the Missouri-based craft brewer to create a white IPA, taking advantage of Boulevard's known ability to…
A Party for Everyone: Ozomatli mashes up cultures for you, the kids and even for those who don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Last year, the city of Los Angeles recognized what thousands of Angelinos already knew: That Ozomatli has become more than just another L.A. band, but perhaps the city's de facto house band – combining L.A.'s wide range of cultural and social influences into a sound that's as good of a soundtrack to real life in…
Out of Town 4/27 – 5/5: Portugal. The Man, Fleet Foxes, Menomena, McMenamins Crystal Hotel Opening with M. Ward
portland friday 29 Portugal. The Man Word is that this band of former Alaskans never plays the same show twice, which is great for those of you who've had the pleasure of seeing them before. Portugal. The Man plays experimental, alt-rock and bring to mind bands like Muse and Grizzly Bear when playing their mellow…
Kapka Butte: The Orphaned Sno-Park That Wants to Hear From You
The Forest Service announced this week that it is soliciting comments on the plans for a new multi-use sno-park at Kapka Butte. The agency has been working for several years on the plan that would expand parking for motorized and non-motorized forest users to relieve some of the overcrowding at Dutchman Sno-park.
Brandi Carlile – Live at Benaroya Hall With the Seattle Symphony
Over the past half-decade, Brandi Carlile has rightfully earned a seat in the highest echelon of contemporary singer songwriters, mostly through the folk rock mastery she displayed on 2009's Give Up the Ghost. Her studio records have been impressive, but it seems that this album – recorded live with the Seattle Symphony at the gorgeous…
Our Picks for 4/27 – 5/5: Sara Jackson-Holman, Northwest Hoop Gathering, Floater, The Staxx Brothers, MadRad, The Big Wave Challenge and more
Sara Jackson-Holman, Eric Tollefson friday 29 Last year, around this time, we introduced you to Sara Jackson-Holman, a Bend native who exploded onto the music scene with her debut disc, When You Dream, which showcased the pianist's dynamically sexy voice and Regina Spektor-like fusion of jazz and indie rock. If you haven't seen her yet,…
One Man's Trash: Bag ban faces a long road forward in Salem, plus other local legislative news.
Like most ocean lovers, Gus Gates spends a lot of time strolling along the beaches of Oregon's iconic coastline. And like others who spend time around the water, Gates has found himself using less of his time to contemplate the wonders of the sea and more to clean up litter. More often than not, that…
Shut Up and Drive, Oregonians
Once upon a time not all that long ago, in a kingdom not much different from Oregon, there were no cell phones. And life was hard. But somehow, because they were tough and resourceful, the people of the kingdom managed to get by. And then the Good Fairies Motorola and Nokia appeared and bestowed the…
More Details on La Pine Standoff: Man fired a slingshot
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office released more information this morning about last week’s bizarre standoff between authorities and a 69-year-old La Pine man that occurred last week. Today’s report told more about how an altercation between Curtis Jack Berger and his 73-year-old neighbor on April 18 eventually resulted in a deputy shooting at Berger and…
Straight Poop Direct from Our Far-Flung Reporters to You
Monday, April 18 Need a bill-payer loan? Standard & Poors lowers long-term credit outlook for US from “stable” to “negative.” Republicans in Congress stick out their tongues and go “Nyaaah, nyaaah!” … Chew on this: Pentagon investigation of Rolling Stone article in which Gen. Stanley McChrystal said, among other things, that Vice President Joe Biden…
This Week’s Number: 33%
That's the number of Oregon high school students who will not graduate on time this year, according to a report issued this week by the Oregon Department of Education. While the state's drop-out rate is actually much lower, under four percent, the numbers show that a large percentage of students who enter high school don't…
Don't Criticize It
In these financially challenging times when Bend Residents are concerned that we cannot afford basic city services, we look to our fiscal conservatives and rational businesspeople on our Bend City Council for simple and decisive action. Because of our tightening economy and already stretched budget, the plan to hire 25 new police has been shelved.…
