Smoke, Perfume and Grinding at Pole Creek
OK, time to quit complaining about the smoke, the cost, loss of timber, damages to the watershed and Cascades ecosystem, the lost scenic values and all the other negative things about wildfire. It's over; it's done. There ain't no goin' back. As of the end of September, no one seemed to have an idea how…
Paddle the Inside Passage to Alaska
For seasoned sea kayakers, paddling the Inside Passage, from Bellingham, Wash. to Muir Glacier in the East Arm of Glacier Bay, Alaska, holds the same mystique as backpacking the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trail for backpackers. And it takes about just as long. For those who can’t miss three or four months of work at…
Back to the Future (with Guns)
Right off the bat, you can tell Looper is going to be different. Its edgy approach reinvents and, for the most part, rejects standard Hollywood formula. Director Rian Johnson is the guy who brought us new lingo and changed the face of noir with Brick, followed up with the con-man tale The Brothers Bloom which…
So Much Money So Many Duds
There have been movies about indulgence, such as Barfly, Lost Weekend and Le Grande Bouffe, but to me the ultimate sign of indulgence is either spending a ton of money on a film or creating a dud that nobody wants to watch. If you Google “the most expensive movies ever made” and “worst movies ever,”…
Bend Film
Next week, BendFilm returns to big screens around town. The festival, which has become a rite of Fall in Bend, is the region’s signature celebration of independent film and a great chance to get out and appreciate filmmaking as both art and entertainment. See the films that Hollywood is too timid or too stupid to…
Out With a Bang
There have been years when the releases almost stagger the imagination with studios putting one “gotta have” title after another. There have been years when it was a decent year, but mostly rehashes or sequels. But the best may be yet to come. Let’s run down some of the more anticipated games left to release…
Top Five Super Dicks
Here are the top five superhero dicks in ascending order of dickishness: #5) Batman—Total… dick. First, he calls himself the “world’s greatest detective.” Umm… Encyclopedia Brown is the world’s greatest detective, dick! Batman may be the world’s greatest “brooder,” though. Look, I’m sorry his parents died and all, but a) I’m pretty sure that doesn’t…
Let Autumn RingHoly Rollers
On the surface, not much changes from seasonal festival to seasonal festival here in Bend. Like clockwork, streets are closed off, artisans sell their wares, food carts sprout up and music is played. It’s really the lineup of bands that makes one festival better than another. This year’s Fall Festival, held Oct. 5, 6 and…
Gluttony: A Sin Of Satisfaction
Bend offers so many ways to indulge your culinary senses, paring down a list of the most special delicacies in these parts was no easy feat. Here are our favorite, and priciest, ways to live the good life through food in Central Oregon. Leonardi Balsamic Vinegar, Newport Market: For deglazing, for dipping or for drizzling,…
Tinseltown or Bike Town?
Rainn Wilson Claim to Fame: Had his stapler ensconced in Jell-0 by John Krasinski, aka Jim Halpert. Last Known Location: Universal’s sound studio Wilson, i.e. Dwight Schrute from NBC’s The Office, showed up in Sisters a few years back. A Northwest native who grew up in Seattle, Wilson keeps a relatively low-profile, but has made…
Little Bites: Hideaway Gives a Shot to Southeast Bend
I recently moved out of northeast Bend, a virtual wasteland when it comes to food and nightlife. (The last vestige of culinary civilization, Little Pizza Paradise, picked up stakes and moved to Cascade Village Mall earlier this summer.) I didn’t improve my lot much by moving to southeast Bend, particularly when it comes to nightlife.…
Our Picks For 10/03-10-09
Music of India wednesday 3 Want something different? Here it is—classical Indian raga played by two of South India’s most accomplished violinists. Brothers Mysore Nagaraj and Dr. Mysore Manjunath join forces with percussionist Srimushnam Rajarao to play tunes both soothing and exciting. It’s that awesome type of music you always hear in Indian restaurants and…
News_Commentary.txt
Curses, Foiled Again Scott Douglas Jury, 53, notified authorities in Charlotte County, Fla., that someone had withdrawn money from his checking account several times without his permission. He filed a claim with the bank to be reimbursed for the $1,515 that was taken but was told he needed an official sheriff’s office report. When Jury…
Risky Bussiness
By Wednesday, the city of Bend hopes a construction crew will begin the heavy work needed to lay a 30-inch pipe across two channels of Tumalo Creek and down Skyliners Road. It will be the first step in completing the city’s controversial surface water improvement project, and one that opponents and many city council candidates…
America The Aggressive
Americans overwhelmingly oppose the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. Even many veterans say the post-9/11 war on terror was a mistake. Antiwar sentiment is the majority opinion when it comes to the prospect of future conflicts. Of the two countries the U.S. is currently most likely to attack militarily, nearly seven out of ten people…
O One Day at a Time
In celebrity news that will make your skin crawl off your body and down the street to the nearest bar, pop starlet Rihanna tweeted her love and prayers to the former boyfriend who beat her senseless and threatened to murder her—umm, that would be Chris Brown. The R&B singer is still on probation for the…
Bankster Ethics
In its last session, the Oregon Legislature – faced with more than 120,000 Oregon homeowners being “underwater” on their mortgages – came up with a good idea for helping them keep their homes. It passed a bill requiring lenders to enter into mediation with borrowers who were at risk of foreclosure and try to work…
