Ramsay Lets the Cat Out of the Teabag
Bend City Council candidate Scott Ramsay has invited all his fellow Tea Partiers to an “election results rally” tonight at the Sun Mountain Fun Center. You say you didn’t know Ramsay was a Tea Partier? That’s not surprising – neither did we.
Is the Tower Theatre Haunted?
On Friday evening, I paraded around downtown Bend with a group of folks in search of haunted buildings. It wasn’t one of those night-vision investigations, but rather the Des Chutes Historical Society’s tour of haunted buildings.
Regarding Bedbugs (as in “Crazy as a … “)
Whenever I feel in need of a dose of right-wing nuttiness, The Bulletin's editorial page never lets me down. If the editorials themselves fail to deliver, the “In My View” pieces or letters to the editor always come through.
We're Number 14 in Business Tax Ratings
The Tax Foundation has released its 2011 ratings of state tax business tax climates, and Oregon is holding its own at Number 14 – the same position as last year. The non-partisan but conservative-leaning foundation ranks states according to five factors: corporate tax rates, individual income tax rates, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes and property…
Obama Loves Phil’s Trail
Tea Partiers and other members of the Obama-Care/B.Hussein nation, stop reading here.
Rally to Restore Sanity Music Lineup Leaked: The Roots, Sheryl Crow, Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples
Although plenty of enthusiasm about Comedy Central’s Rally to Restore Sanity (Saturday on the National Mall) has built up since the event’s announcement, what exactly this rally entails has been quite vague, with organizers keeping the details and guest appearances largely a secret. How exactly does one restore sanity, anyway? Well, the Christian Science Monitor…
Playing Hurt: The Favre melodrama continues
Years ago the NFL's iron man standard was Raiders center Jim Otto. Wearing his famous 00 jersey, Otto played 14 seasons without missing a game at football's most unheralded and unglamorous position.
Video from Last Night’s Laura Veirs and Weinland Show
From the stage last night at the Laura Veirs and Weinland show at the Tower Theatre, Henry Abel announced that it would be the last PDXchange show of the year. Most of us already knew that, but it was a chance to reflect on what’s been perhaps best addition to the local music scene in…
Backporch Coffee Moves Roastery to Century Center
One of our favorite coffee shops, Backporch Coffee Roasters, is opening a second location in Century Center. They've also collaborated with Boneyard Brewing on Boneyard's newest beer, a chocolate espresso cream stout.
Trilogy of Error: Hereafter grasps at profundity by tying three dull stories together
Here's a handy tip for any aspiring screenwriter out there: Let's say you have three or four moderately interesting but half-baked story ideas and can't figure out how to develop any one of them into a feature-length narrative. Why don't you just combine them into a single script and make everything seem deeper and more…
Merry Banjos!: Tickets for Bela Fleck’s Holiday Show are on Sale
Banjo master Bela Fleck, who happens to be one of my top five instrumentalists (and should be in your top five, too) is coming back to Bend, this time as part of a fundraiser for KPOV, our community radio station. The show is slated for December 8 at Mountain View High School and tickets just…
The Courage: Fearful Bones
Noah Gundersen has dropped his own name from that of his band, known now only as “The Courage,” but that doesn't mean the songwriter's creative stamp isn't found on the band's new full-length record, Fearful Bones. Still, the record is a departure for Gundersen and company, who were originally known as a folky acoustic act…
Fly Fishing is Spooooky!
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Manipulation in the Digital World: Catfish casts its hooks into Facebook and the human psyche
It seems just about everyone is on Facebook these days. From your mom to your grandma to your boss, people you don't necessarily want to share every aspect of your digital identity with have sent you a friend request, but they aren't the only ones. You're also inundated with messages from people you've never met.…
Bringing the Islands to the North Side: Bend Fish Company adds Hawaiian fare to its menu
Five years doesn't qualify a business as an “institution,” but given the recent mortality rate for Bend restaurants, we need an apt label for tenacious establishments like Bend Fish Company. “For the first 18 months… we hit a home run, but then the [stuff] hit the fan,” recalls Mike West who, along with his wife…
Winter Work is Underway: Expect more good things next spring
Although winter seems to be “officially here,” as Bend's esteemed godfather of mountain biking Bob Woodward wrote last week, it doesn't mean the Central Oregon mountain biking opportunities have disappeared. All those suggestions are worthy. The enthusiasts can get our tires on dirt yearround; it just becomes a matter of clothing over weather. Make sure…
Trip of a Lifetime: Three weeks of water and wilderness in the Grand Canyon
The party in the Grand Canyon started in the parking lot of Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe even before we left Bend. The group of nine of us gathered on the grasses near Geoff Frank's large passenger van, sharing beers and stacking gear and kayaks on top of the roof. Although we had a fourteen-hour…
Invisible Monsters: Paranormal Activity 2 expertly ratchets up the tension, but forgets to pay it off
The found-footage genre is not for everyone, but for some reason it works for me like gangbusters. I saw Blair Witch before all the hype, so it scared the crap out of me and the original Paranormal Activity had me spellbound for most of its running time until the dodgy CGI-enhanced ending. The Internet tells…
Ain't War Hell? Latest Medal of Honor is a demotion
I’ve been dropped into so many war zones I no longer notice the details – the golden chains of bullets strung through the air, pings and pops from various calibers of shots, voices screaming in English and whatever non-English my opponents scream…
The Poop Inside My Pants
I'd like you to stop whatever you're doing right now, and deeply inhale the inside of my pants. Now: what do you smell? Perhaps… nutmeg? Maybe a touch of lavender? The lingering scent of last night's sex sweat mixed with a trace of Axe Body Spray? Okay, so tell me this: What's missing? CORRECT! Poop.…
Terra Madre Delegate Checks In From Italy
Currently, three Central Oregonians are in Italy for Terra Madre 2010. The bi-annual event from the Slow Food movement brings together delegates from 150 countries to discuss food sustainability.
Bringing the Islands to the North Side: Bend Fish Company adds Hawaiian fare to its menu
Five years doesn't qualify a business as an “institution,” but given the recent mortality rate for Bend restaurants, we need an apt label for tenacious establishments like Bend Fish Company. “For the first 18 months… we hit a home run, but then the [stuff] hit the fan,” recalls Mike West who, along with his wife…
The Crazy Act Isn't Funny Anymore
When I want to find out what rational (well, mostly rational) Oregon Republicans are thinking I go to Oregon Catalyst. When I want to have a laugh at the antics of the far-right lunatic fringe I go to NW Republican.
Restoring Sanity
The author is reporting from D.C., in a mall full of hipsters and hippies all looking to restore sanity, and someone named Molly. A bizarro world was revealed on Sunday when Republican National Committee chairman Michael “Not of” Steele and Republican smear-mongerer Karl “Turd Blossom” Rove appeared on opposite talk shows. As Steele insisted on…
After the Crash: Central Oregon's displaced construction workers see few prospects in a changed world
Alan Maxim has been on his hands and knees all day, placing paving stones in a patio for a remodel project he's been working on for the past week. His hands are callused, rough and dry from the job and his back and knee, which he injured during his time in the military, pain him…
That Weird Anti-Dallas Brown Ad
Richard Gorby likes Tony DeBone. He really, really likes him. He likes the Republican candidate for Deschutes County Commission so much, in fact, that he made radio ads supporting him and attacking his Democratic opponent, Dallas Brown. Recorded them in his own voice and paid for them with his own money.
Newspaper Integrity
The front page of the newspaper has always been held with a certain amount of reverence within the world of journalism. So it was disappointing to see that our local newspaper saw fit to serve up this past Sunday's paper wrapped in a political ad for the extremely partisan Central Oregon Association of Realtors.
Building A Better USB, Counting Campaign Cash and more!
Apple ReInvents The World If you listened closely last Wednesday, it was possible to hear the simultaneous blowing of minds of the entire city of Cupertino, Calif., when Steve Jobs gave his keynote address to introduce the latest humanity- changing updates to Apple products. As Jobs' speech was streamed worldwide to MacBooks, iPads, iPods and…
Dallas For Deschutes
I recently reread Lee Iacocca's book Where Have All the Leaders Gone? In his last chapter, he has a “Call to Action,” where he reiterates his “9 C's of Leadership.” We have a unique opportunity here in Deschutes County to elect an exemplary candidate for county commissioner who embodies these important qualities of Leadership: Curiosity,…
Bulletin's Board Did a Disservice to Wyden and Readers
What’s up with the Bend Bulletin? They write an incomprehensible editorial about why we shouldn’t vote for Ron Wyden and then cut off all letters to the editor so no one can respond.
Kozak Is the Logical Alternative
Mike Kozak is the most capable candidate running; the one who makes the most sense; the one with the proven track record. As mayor of Bend, his applied vision set the track for most of the things we now cherish about our community.
Telfer Ain't the One
As a Bend City Councilor, the current Republican candidate for Treasurer, Chris Telfer, advocated and voted for the passage of Measure 37 in 2004. Measure 37 mandated that property owners may sue state or local government if they believe their property value is reduced by land use regulations. The Treasurer is, of course, in charge…
Dallas Is The Real Deal
I am inclined to support young people – our generation is smart, ambitious and has seen so much in our time with our ever-increasing access to information.
Eating Animals: Taylor's Sausage makes a good case for carnivores
I have recently been contemplating cutting meat out of my diet. It seems, however that the restaurants that have opened as of late in Bend are meat-centric, and truthfully, I'm elated. Because that's the only excuse I can muster for why I ate three of the largest ribs I've ever seen on top of wolfing…
A Seismic Shift at Volcano Vineyards: After half a decade downtown, big changes are in store for one of Bend's leading micro-wineries
The irony of two people who lived and worked for many years in the heart of California's grape-growing region deciding to start a winery only after relocating to a city nearly 4000 feet in elevation with a two-month frost-free growing season is not lost on Scott and Liz Ratcliff, owners of Bend's Volcano Vineyards. But…
