The GOP’s Human Pinata
Pity Tucker Bounds, U of O grad and John McCain's spokesman for the state of Oregon. Beating up on him has become a favorite pastime of the media … both left and right.
Dems Try to Tie Stevens to Smith
The Eye almost - ALMOST - has to feel sorry for the GOP: Just when it seems that things can't get any worse … they do.
Right-Wingers’ Credibility Gets Carved Up
When the story about McCain campaign worker Ashley Todd being attacked by an Obama supporter who carved the letter B into her cheek appeared on The Drudge Report, right-wing news media gobbled it up like a kid with an ice cream cone - and none more enthusiastically than the NW Republican blog.
Smith Assails McCain Tactic
Sen. Gordon "I'm Not Really a Republican" Smith has made another gesture to distance himself from his party, becoming the fourth Republican senator to denounce John McCain's scurrilous "robocalls" against Barack Obama.
Poetry in Motion: A local author’s take on the Nature of Words
As a writer, I am dubious about whether creative writing can be "taught," suspicious of an art form that, when everything is flowing, brings words that link themselves together with an almost supernatural effortlessness. But one conversation with Ekiwah Adler-Beléndez, the youngest author, at just 19, to present a workshop during this year's Nature of…
Cancellations, Mega Rap at Midtown and Axl Rose spoils perfectly good bets
Many of you already spotted this in the print edition of the Source, but we thought we'd further spread the news here that the LNYX and Jamie Janover show slated for tonight at the Silver Moon has been cancelled. Word is that Janover has an ill family member and was forced to cancel the remainder…
Poem for a Ballot
"Where the heart is without fear, and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow, domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not…
More Testing is not the Answer
Retiring 18 years ago as a former science teacher and school librarian for 22 years, I escaped the "No Child Left Behind" education wrecker. I have been around many, many, teachers every day of my wonderful career. And I am still in awe of all the talented, concerned professionals I spent 23 years with. To…
BAT Needs To Do More Homework
In a previous editorial I pointed out that fewer than four out of every 1,000 Bend residents ride the bus each day, and that number is declining on a yearly basis, even as oil prices increase. In fact, Bend Area Transit's numbers indicate that ridership is now down to one person per mile. Thus, even…
That’s Us!: Bend gets some face time in the new Warren Miller flick
Fellow Bendites, have you ever been watching a ski film as dudes bomb through powder or tear up a terrain park and found yourself at the edge of your seat saying to the buddy next to you, "Hey is that here?" only to have him or her reply, "Nope, that's Whistler." "Wait, that's here, right?"…
It’s More Than Just a Fantasy
After reading Mike Bookey's guest Left Field rant last week, I had to pull back and contemplate the relationship between my Fantasy Fandom and my real life Fandom. What I've realized is that Books is right.
Wavin’ the Flag
In these election times, it's all too easy to wave Old Glory; we see a lot of well-meaning folks standing in front of the flag when delivering a political message, or hiding behind it when things go wrong. Last week, I received an e-mail from my daughter, Kristin, who manages a medical clinic in North…
Scary Stuff: Politicians, bureaucrats and vampires
Death By Meeting Local Rick Wright with Ron WydenBack in my California windsurfing days, we would occasionally sneak out of the office on a blustery afternoon for a "Board Meeting" at Coyote Point in San Francisco Bay. That's my kind of meeting. I would much rather be out on a trail than sitting in a…
More War Games
Back to the Front!Well, it seems that we can't get enough World War II shooters on the shelves and sometimes it's a pain to pick the good from the bad. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is the exception and it's worth a look. This game is the third game in the Brothers in Arms series.…
Girl Star Power: The Secret Life of Bees
The Queen BeeCasting can be everything. A well-chosen cast can make the fairly unimaginative adaptation of a well-loved novel into something worth seeing. Writer/director Gina Prince Bythewood (Love and Basketball)did well by the characters from Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling novel The Secret Life of Bees, though at the expense of plot development. A waif-ish and…
Integrity First: Stone breaks out the kid gloves for W.
Over the falls in a barrelAt first I thought I was watching a trick movie. This is no scathing statement on the evils of the Bush administration, nor does it take a feel-good, pro-Bush stance. W. paints an unflattering yet surprisingly sympathetic picture of George W. Bush. This is perhaps even more surprising given the…
Keeping it Local
Between the "Make Local Habit" bumper stickers and the new personal I.D.
Keeping it Local
Between the “Make Local Habit” bumper stickers and the new personal I.D.
Bring a Bib
Double the BunThere's nothing like a good Italian delicatessen. With an array of products from the old country and a deli case stuffed with cheese wheels and lengths of salamis of every size, delis serve up atmosphere, neighborhood camaraderie and customer service that's as alluring as the food. Rick Adamo and Tom Coleman felt there…
Bring a Bib
Double the BunThere’s nothing like a good Italian delicatessen. With an array of products from the old country and a deli case stuffed with cheese wheels and lengths of salamis of every size, delis serve up atmosphere, neighborhood camaraderie and customer service that’s as alluring as the food. Rick Adamo and Tom Coleman felt there…
Out of Town
portland friday 24 Umphrey's McGee Indiana's famous anything-goes jam band is known for their exciting concerts and mix of pop-rock, jazz, prog-metal and classical. Touted as the heirs to Phish's throne (which, with the reunion of Phish, now makes UM lowly princes of jam bandom we suppose) and with the June release of Jimmy Stewart…
Ray LaMontagne: Gossip in the Grain
Ray LaMontagne: Gossip in the Grain Ray LaMontagne got his groove back. His new album, Gossip in The Grain, is by no means breaking new ground, but with soul singers leaning on a wall of horns in the upbeat opener "You are the Best Thing," Ray sets a mood much more akin to his debut…
Corner of Political Avenue and Music Street
There are some folks we ardently believe music and politics should be separated by some sort of church-and-state dividing line. These are people who cut their ties with the Dixie Chicks when they went anti-Bush and dumped their Pearl Jam CD collections when Eddie Vedder wrote "Bushleaguer." But cutting a line between music and politics…
Our Picks for the week of 10/23-10/30
Free Thinkers Ball thursday 23 Take a break from election season and eat, drink, dance and enjoy music from El Dante with KPOV and "Political Follies" from Around the Bend players. Go to kpov.
Priority Planning or Pet Project?Investment in community planning effort could be a liability
Can Bend 2030 Save Mirror PondPutting plastic baggies in public parks to deal with doggie land mines is arguably not an idea many people find important right now, but the Bend 2030 project, funded by $340,000 of city money over the last three years, lists it as one of its achievements on its website. Created…
Election 2008: State Measures
Measure 54: Yes Amends Constitution: Does away with a non-enforceable law that requires voters to be 21 years of age to vote in a school board election. Measure 55: Yes Amends Constitution: Changes operative date of redistricting plans by allowing affected legislators to finish their terms in their original district.
Election 2008: Our County and State Endorsements
For Deschutes County Commission: Alan Unger
Alan UngerThere's a running joke about Deschutes County Commissioner Mike Daly and the punch line is essentially: Mike Daly. Anyone who has followed his career to any degree can't help but marvel at the two-term commissioner's resiliency. He somehow manages to survive despite his gaffes and extreme provincialism. Daly…
Destination Resort Laws
Back in the dying days of the Central Oregon timber economy, mills were closing, unemployment was in double digits and downtown storefronts were sitting vacant. Things weren't a whole lot better at the national level in the early 80s with the country mired in a deep recession. Out of this economic morass came a proposal…
Taxing Our Patience: Palin on SNL and Joe the Plumber
Upfront along with about 17 million other Americans suffered through Gov. Sarah Palin's guest appearance on Saturday Night Live this past week. Like the rest of the country we had tuned in to see if SNL alum Tina Fey would reprise her Palin bit. She did, but we also got a solid dose of the…
Local GOP Embarrasses
I am sitting at my desk right now sick to my stomach and embarrassed for the citizens of Bend. On Friday in the local Republican office, a man working there was wearing a T-shirt with a picture of (Barack) Obama shining Sarah Palin's shoes.
Setting the Record Straight
This week's letter of the week comes from local peace activist and Vietnam era veteran Phillip Randall who points out that the campaign rhetoric doesn't always match up with reality. Everyone should be as diligent with their political fact checking as Phil.
And…Cut.: BendFilm’s executive director resigns, board decides to restructure
The latest news on the BendFilm Festival plays almost like a rerun of last year. The local film festival that's earning an increasingly strong buzz within the film industry is again saddled with a vacancy at the top of the non-profit organization. But this time around, there's more changes written into the BendFilm script, with…
