She & Him to Open for Band of Horses in Bend
On Friday I wrote about the fact that Band of Horses are coming to the Les Schwab Amphitheater on May 30, prompting at least one reader to complain about that band’s lack of guitar solos. I also stated that info on an opening act would be coming soon.
Taking the Plunge: My dip in the Deschutes at the Polar Plunge
So after a week or so of mock-preparation for the Polar Plunge, writing an article about it and raising a few hundred dollars for the Special Olympics with my team, I kind of had to do it. So I took the plunge. And it was cold.
A Hairy Situation: Waxless skis make an Olympic showing
During the first week of the Vancouver Olympic Games, daily e-mail wax updates from the Swiss ski wax maker Toko noted that the waxing for the cross-country races was relatively easy. Competitors were using a mix of klisters.
Short Takes: Green Power, Podiuming and Blossoming
The conservation group Greenpeace has criticized Facebook for using coal-derived power at its planned Prineville data center instead of more Earth-friendly alternatives. This week The Bulletin fired back with a defense of Facebook, noting that Greenpeace’s power isn’t 100% green either.
Medal Times part II: awards for the best amnd worst of week two of the Vancouver Games
As a dedicated Nordic nerd, the best story of the entire games for me was the success of the U.S.
Band of Horses at Les Schwab Amphitheater! In Bend! May 30!
Yeah, I had to read that headline a couple times myself before believing it myself, but yes, indeed, Band of Horses, the massive-sounding rock band now located in South Carolina, are coming to Bend on May 30. The announcement came by way of a Twitter post from the Old Mill District yesterday.
For the Audio Geeks: Silver Moon Brewing Gets New Soundsystem
Given that it’s become one of Bend’s most visited live music venues, it’s fitting that the Silver Moon now has upped it’s in-house sound system. I’m hardly an audio guru, and for the most part don’t complain about a venue’s sound during a show — unless it’s unavoidable — but from what the venue had…
The Hangover Isn't Over Yet
Bad news for anybody betting on a quick real estate rebound: The Commerce Department announced yesterday that new home sales fell to a 50-year low in January. In news that surprised the so-called experts, purchases of new homes dropped 11.
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Training Day: A scientific approach to preparing for Bend's Polar Plunge
Some athletes spend months or years training for one day of glory. In preparation for the Vancouver Olympics, skier Lindsey Vonn trained six to eight hours a day, six days a week, engaging in a mix of hardcore cardio and weight training. My day of glory arrives this Friday, when I will join hundreds of…
The Icing on the Cake: Crust cruising, our missing ice rink and more
The closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics are almost here and most of Bend will probably go into TV withdrawal. I mean, how can you sit there and watch Desperate Housewives after the thrill of seeing Apolo Anton Ohno in action? ICE CRIT Seriously, is there anything more fun to watch than a criterium on…
Creating Ghosts: Migraines, hurricanes and insanity mix for a warped psychological mystery in Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese was my favorite filmmaker for at least two decades. It was not until the Dicaprio era kicked off with Gangs of New York and the Aviator that I started to lose faith. Not to blame Leo so much (as most do), he isn't such a bad actor. But with Shutter Island comes near…
What a Shocker: BioShock 2 goes to the well again and comes up empty
First times are special. First kiss, first hearing of a song, first taste of a certain food – they're special because the second time around they might not be so good. The kiss turns out to be attached to a moron, soon everyone else is listening to the same stupid song and the food gets…
Marriage: Can't Recommend It!
Take it from somebody who's been married THREE times (as far as I know): The institution is OVERRATED. Let's take Mrs. Wm.™ Steven Humphrey the First, for example. Lovely woman – if you exclude the blackout rampages. I thought we were staying together for the sex, until I learned that almost every sexual experience was…
John Day Takes On the Fourth Reich
The circus might be coming to town in John Day, and people in John Day don’t like it. According to reports in the local weekly paper, the Blue Mountain Eagle, the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations group is looking to relocate from Athol in northern Idaho and has been scoping out John Day as a likely new…
Digging for Documentaries: The best of the Archaeology Film Fest Series comes to Bend
After attending the first weekend of the Archaeology Film Fest Series, having not considered archaeology much since metal detectors were all the rage in 1990s England, I second a statement that I found on the website of the Archaeological Legacy Institute: Archaeology is humanity's rearview mirror – enabling a much better understanding of our place…
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
You just never know what you are going to get in the ladies' restroom. This past weekend I walked in to see a neatly laid line of crisp white powder gleaming on the edge of the sink. Thinking that the 80s were back and someone was clearly not vigilant, I licked my finger and tasted…
The Passionate Life: Getting philosophical (and sun tanned) with Noah Gundersen and The Courage
In the back yard of Angeline's Bakery in Sisters, a young and dreadlocked Noah Gundersen and an even younger Abby Gundersen stood on a small stage, playing deftly arranged, intensely emotive folk songs and rarely looked up from the wooden deck below their feet to meet the gaze of the capacity audience rapt by their…
Shearwater: A Golden Archipelago
Shearwater A Golden Archipelago Matador Records
When Jonathan Meiburg decided to leave behind his shared writing duties in Okkervil River to focus more on Shearwater (a side project he and Okkervil band mate Will Sheff started in 1999), the result was the critically acclaimed Palo Santo. Less than two years later, with the release of…
Our Picks for 2/24 – 3/4: Ignite Bend 4, Warm Gadget, Polar Plunge, and more.
Ignite Bend 4 thursday 25 The multi-media bonanza that crams a mountain (or several mountains, also known as a mountain range) of information into entertaining and topical five-minute slideshow is back now for the fourth time in Bend. Topics vary incredibly and chances are, you'll learn something. Free, or $3 suggested donation. 7pm. Tower Theatre,…
Park It, Buddy: City parking crackdowns, the Bus Project and a Salem summary
The city of Bend plans to crack down on downtown parking scofflaws by boosting fines for repeat offenders. The city council voted last week to jack up fines by as much as four times for repeat violators who are caught abusing the two hours of free parking by hopscotching around downtown parking spaces. The practice…
The 911 Board's Weaselly Maneuver
For a six-year period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Oregon's state slogan was “Things Look Different Here.” Although that was replaced in 2003 with “We Love Dreamers,” many things still are different here – including the way public officials are able to hide things that are the public's business from the public. The…
From Vancouver to Kandahar: Shaun White spins, Tiger counts his sins, and more!
The author has been sent on the road to discover a lost country formerly known as America. He is reporting from the land created by Mr. Cheney, where myth and facts entwine – on assignment for Or-Bust.com and The Source Weekly. Olympics, Ughh Haven't our standards for Olympic “sport” sunken rather low (or gone too…
This week's number: 150 million
The number of dollars that Bank of America has agreed to pay the SEC to settle claims that the banking behemoth failed to disclose to its own shareholders the massive bonuses and mounting debt at Merrill Lynch when B of A acquired its rival. The revelations of Merrill's debt in the wake of the deal…
Letter of the Week: A Bomber By Any Other Name
This week's letter comes from Mr. A. Plum who wonders why the media is having such a hard time applying the label of “terrorist” to the man who intentionally flew his plane into the Austin IRS building last week. Thanks for the letter, Mr. P, we couldn't have said it any better. You can pick…
To Hell In A Teapot
Our glorious brave Teapotty Patriots need not worry about our Great White Nation. Our obscenely rich ruling class and their obedient wealth worshippers will stop at nothing to protect and extend their enormous power, wealth and God-given free-market program, from which all poverty and misery flows to the rest of us! Their blessed tax-gobbling, multi-trillion…
The Politics of No
It is very evident that the Republican Party in Washington is playing the game of saying “no” particularly when it comes to any medical care bill that is presented by the Obama administration. The same attitude seems to apply to many other areas of what Obama is trying to do to get us out of…
Bee Should Sharpen Its Pencil
The irony is not lost on me that a Trivia Bee benefiting the education of our district's students (Tower Theatre, February 20, 2010) should be rife with errors of all kinds: procedural, factual and typographical. Here are some suggestions for next year's Trivia Bee organizers to ponder. * Ask fewer multiple-choice questions and more free-form…
The End of Democracy
Folks, elections do indeed have consequences, as we have seen in the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling on “Citizens United… ” affirming corporate “personhood.” Each of the majority justices was appointed under a Republican administration. It is obvious from Republican congressional “stonewalling” of President Obama's agenda that this party is aligned lock-step with mega-corporate interests -…
Tea Party Has Answers
In response to Mick McMenamenuto's (hey, it's a fake name anyway) claim that Tea Partiers have no answers but just want to complain, you are wrong. The answer to the gigantic government deficit is to stop wasteful spending in Congress, in state government, and on the city commission. Stop pork barrel projects. (Yes, that includes…
She's the One: Our Woman of the Year, Cassondra Schindler, on art, social media and the importance of playing nice
When you meet Cassondra Schindler – and if you live in Bend, you will – you'll feel immediately at ease. She's one of those rare people whose charisma brightens any room she's in. And when she says, “I am so happy to meet you,” you believe her. Because she really means it. You may know…
Seriously, Matthew Fox? You had to do that in Bend?
In case you’re not the sort of person who hounds the In Touch website, you may not have heard about part-time Central Oregon resident Matthew Fox allegedly having a two-time affair with one of the professional, err, dancers at Stars Cabaret here in Bend. The In Touch story tells about how Fox (who is married)…
Catch It If You Can: Spork serves up sexy streetfood that's always on the move
The “food dude,” the brains behind Portland’s www.portlandfoodanddrink.
Catch It If You Can: Spork serves up sexy streetfood that's always on the move
The “food dude,” the brains behind Portland’s www.portlandfoodanddrink.
