Seasons Greetings: A Merry Christmas to all
Every year as Christmas approaches, I think of two favorite my two people names Charles – the great novelist Charles Dickens and the wondrous cowboy artist Charles Russell. And while there’s no historical link between the two men, their words link them together in my mind.
David Clemmer’s “Christmas Sweater Party”
David Clemmer, lead singer of The Dirty Words and David Clemmer and the Stoics, passed me this refreshingly low-fi Christmas tune today. It’s an excellent break from all the jingly, jangly sounds of the season that have inundated my brain for the past three weeks.
Café Sintra, El Jimador Still Going Strong
A couple articles we recently ran caused some confusion that we'd like to clear up. As you may have seen, we misreported that El Jimador was closing.
How the Source Staff Collectively Ate a Whole Cow
This past weekend, the staff of the Source gathered for our annual Holiday Party. This year, we had the pleasure of dining at Tumalo Feed Company.
Video from Saturday’s Winter Soulstice at the Century Center in Bend
Saturday night Eric Tollefson and the World’s Greatest Lovers joined the Mosley Wotta band to rock out for the upcoming winter solstice and to raise money for Kids Center. The brave souls who weathered the snow storm and icy roads were treated to amazing sets by both bands.
DADT, Gay-Bashing and the “Icky-ness” Factor
For the past week or so, “Zeo” of the NW Republican blog has had his jock strap in a knot over the prospect of Congress repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” rule. To hear Zeo tell it, if DADT is repealed and gays are allowed to serve openly in the US military it will…
A Wake-Up Call for Wyden, and the U.S.
The news that Sen. Ron Wyden has prostate cancer reminds us of the need for all men over 50 to be screened annually for this potentially deadly disease – and for the United States to improve its health care system.
Four Loko Watch: 73-Year-Old man arrested with an open can, and is it still in Oregon?
Continuing our ongoing coverage of Four Loko — the 23.5-ounce cans of caffeinated malt liquor that have since been banned in Oregon and many other states — I wanted to pass on this story of a 73-year-old man arrested in Florida for driving with an open can of Four Loko.
Census Numbers Tell a Tale of Two Cities
The New York Times has posted a series of interactive maps based on US Census data, and they seem to confirm the view that Bend really is two cities. There’s always been an argument over what the real line of demarcation between East Bend and West Bend is.
Dick Dale Tonight at the Domino Room
As you may have noticed in my music feature this week, I’ve become obsessed with the yacht that Dick Dale has for sale on his website. I’ve also recently been quite enthused by Dale’s legendary surf guitar stylings, which I hadn’t heard for about a decade until this month when I reacquainted myself with his…
No Trespassing: Backcountry bad vibes in the Rockies
Thanks to Seth Masia of the International Ski History Association for a heads up on a story in the Telluride (Colorado) Watch newspaper entitled “Public Lands Access For Backcountry Skiing Debated Elsewhere.” It’s a cautionary read for skiers in parts of the backcountry ski world where getting to the best skiing often means short treks…
Redmond to Residents: Wait to Skate
Ambitious plans to get an outdoor community ice rink up and running in Redmond’s Centennial Plaza this winter were scrapped earlier this week. According to a press release from the city of Redmond, the city’s plans hit a roadblock when arrangements to bring a compressor over from Portland fell through recently.
A Touch of Glass: Former Breedlove builder may have the “hottest” guitars on the market
Jayson Bowerman is one of Bend’s favorite native sons, a world-class kayaker and surfer who exudes a brilliant smile and “hang loose” grace seldom seen outside any island resort. His new line of glass lap and tenor guitars is the stuff drool was made for, instruments of distinction highly sought after by musicians for their…
A Huntin' We Will Not Go: A reflection on legal and illegal hunting
This fall, while eating supper on the back deck, my wife, Sue said, “Listen,” which to a person like me who’s deaf as a post, means nothing. What she saw when she looked toward the sound were hundreds of white-fronted Geese heading south, which is a reminder that waterfowl hunting season is just around the…
Who Needs a GPS? Getting out of town to explore Sisters by ski
It is easy to get stuck in ruts, even when it comes to outdoor adventure. With so many opportunities for both groomed and backcountry skiing so close to Bend, it can sometimes be hard to justify the gas and time it takes to head out of town and explore some new areas. But for the…
Coaches Should Be Allowed to Tackle: What the Jets' coaching staff taught us this weekend
If you've been as bored by this NFL season as I have, this past Sunday just may have been more entertaining than the first 14 weeks of the season combined. First, the collective disappointment in the Vikings' season and/or the functionality of Brett Farve's key body parts became so massive on Sunday morning that their…
Off The Hook: Bend Rocks US Cyclocross Nationals
Like a snowball rolling downhill, the energy surrounding last week's cyclocross nationals grew bigger and bigger, culminating in an estimated 10,000 spectators for Sunday's races. The combination of tough racing and effervescent parties uniquely showcased Bend as a work hard, play hard kind of town, and has set the standard for other host cities.
The Bad Ass Trail Fun Run
You've been training consistently and are prepared to throw down. Your priorities are straight. You aren't afraid of snow or ice, and probably have a pair of running shoes with sheet-metal screws already in them. Yep, you're a bad ass.
Eat Cake as America Collapses: Obama's tax cut time machine, attack on the Royals, and the other Holbrooke
The author is reporting from a bunker, surrounded by brilliant gold. The confusion over the past week is understandable, as President Obama suddenly emerged as a Reagan-right-winger. Even this column was proved utterly wrong; none could have guessed that our president was indeed a trickle-down-your-leg traitor. Elected as a liberal until being declared a Socialist…
The Hollywood Superstar Equation: Does The Tourist add up to chemistry between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie?
Finally, the gods of Hollywood have fulfilled one of my biggest hopes and dreams in cinema – Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are staring together in a movie. As pathetic as that may sound, you know you were secretly hoping for the same thing. The big question looming on everyone's minds though: Will they have…
Far from the Extolling Crowd: Intellectuals, infidelity and teen infatuation run amok in Tamara Drewe
Tamara Drewe, the latest installment from director Stephen Frears, has both great moments and glaring faults. This is a black comedy adapted from a comic-strip-turned-graphic novel by Posy Simmonds, which itself is based on Thomas Hardy’s novel Far from the Maddening Crowd. In the countryside of a writer's retreat, the once ugly duckling Tamara Drewe,…
Hands-Free Holidays: A gift guide to videogames in the age of motion perception
ONLY KINECT This year, thanks to the Kinect ($150), the Xbox 360 steps into the “oooo, cool” spotlight that the Wii has been hogging for the past few years. The Kinect is a camera (of infrared-and-other sorts) that can track players’ whole bodies as they move around the room. Not only that, but it can…
Be Your Own Mouse: Taking the iconic Mickey into another dimension
Right away I’m forced to choose: Will I be a creative, “good” Mickey? Or will I be a destructive, “dark” Mickey? Will I be Mickey Mouse, innocent hero beloved by billions, or a tough, antihero animated for a new generation? Topolino or Mik3?
Humpy's Millions
See, here's the thing: I want to be a millionaire, but I don't want to do what's necessary to become a millionaire. What follows are eight things one can do to become a millionaire: (1) Make at least one million dollars – perhaps by working for it. BOOOOOO!!!! Did Donald Trump “work” for his million…
From Airstream to Haute Cuisine Spork serves dinner for two nights and knocks everyone's socks off
Last Thursday evening, I walked down the frosted sidewalk of Bond Street. The day’s rain had made the air bone-chillingly cold and if it had been any other night, I would have probably stayed in with a cup of tea and a Mad Men marathon. But for this night, I would have trekked three miles…
Hop Aboard with the King of the Surf Guitar: Dick Dale comes to town, and you should buy his boat
The first thing I learned about Dick Dale came to me around the age of 12 on a school bus by way of a pair of headphones, the cord of which led to a since-forgotten contraption known as a Discman, which my friend kept on his person at all times. The sound coming through the…
Gary Wilson: Electric Endicott
Somewhere Linda, Karen, Mary and Lisa are wishing they never met Gary Wilson. The unbelievably strange cult singer is haunted by the same girl-ghosts on Electric Endicott who have stalked his psyche and dominated his songwriting on his past three records. Wilson is still obsessed with those ex-girlfriends. But on Electric Endicott, the freakish experimentation…
Our Picks for 12/15-12/23: Charles Dickens, The Soulstice Jubilee, and more!
Dick Dale thursday 16 Holy crap! You could own Dick Dale's yacht! Read about all about the king of the surf guitar and his up-for-sale boat in this week's Sound section $20/adv, $23/door. 8pm. Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave.
Baby Steps: Don't expect EPA to jump on greenhouse gases
Let’s get one thing straight: The EPA's plan to limit greenhouse-gas emissions from standing sources is nothing radical. States may sue, a bipartisan swarm of senators may politick to stop it, and energy lobbyists may fret about jobs and the economy, but no matter what the alarmists say, the rule won’t shut anyone down.
Cross at Your Own Risk: A recent death highlights the difficulty of making Bend's roads safer for pedestrians and bikers
A few years ago, Cheryl Howard put new brakes on her Volvo wagon. She says this was perhaps the only reason she was able to stop fast enough to avoid a three-year-old boy who stepped in front of her car at a crosswalk on the Bend Parkway. His mother had gotten her stroller tangled in…
Muchas Gracias!
A big thanks to everyone that bid on items in our recently concluded Charity Auction and to all of our business and community partners that donated goods and services to this year's fundraiser. Thanks to you, we managed to raise more than $5,500 for our charity partner, the Family Access Network. It's money that will…
Mean Mother Nature, Lawn Mower-Toting Tweakers, Deschutes Wilderness and More!
his Week's Sign That Things are Just Fine: Tornados in Oregon If you're like us, you probably watch those television programs that feature unkempt young men chasing after tornados in armored Ford Escapes and think of the people living in those often-storm-ravaged Midwest locales and say something like, “Isn't it great we live in Oregon…
Don't Let Swampy Go To The Dogs
When you go ski touring at Swampy Lakes, step lightly and carry a pooper scooper. You may soon be sharing the trails with frisky off-leash puppies (and Big Dogs too). It's not happening, yet. But if DogPac bends the arm of the Deschutes National Forest hard enough, and the Forest Supervisor caves under pressure, that…
A Better Local Stimulus Plan
It has been reported that this City Council recently forgave the collective total of a five-figure debt to six corporations. As I understand, these monies were legally owed for the privilege of doing business in our town. These were monies owed to a city in the middle of financial crisis, a city that is in…
Strange Things Are Afoot
Dear City of Bend, I bring you curious news from the civilized mainland. I heard a rumor of a glorious chariot, one that is capable of systematically pushing snow from the asphalt trails with a large mass of steel at the helm, known simply as a plow. This incredible marvel simultaneously prevents further snow and…
The Definition of Political Insanity
The current craze over the attempts by Interpol to arrest WikiLeak culprit Julian Assange is incredible. Media organizations of all kinds of stripes devote so much space to how the Swedish police need to “interview” Mr. Assange over “sexual misconduct” of some sort (recently reduced to sex without a condom). The leaks in question associated…
