The Domino Effect: Midtown packs ’em in for some underground hip-hop
Blender headed over to the Domino Room last night fully ready to get down to some good underground indie hip-hop, sample some Bud Light and maybe even unleash some popping, locking and dropping. At least two of our three intentions came to fruition.
The Meltdown: Pols Play the Blame Game
Jeff Merkley is pointing the finger at Gordon Smith for the meltdown of the American capitalist system, and Gordon Smith is pointing the finger right back at … Ron Wyden?
We’re Still No. 2 in Overpriced Houses
Home prices in Bend continue to drop, but we’re still the second most overvalued real estate market in the country, according to the international economic analysis firm Global Insight.
Suicide Buzz Draws Oregonian’s Notice
The buzz in the Bend blogosphere about suicides among local developers has gotten loud enough for The Oregonian to devote a lengthy story to the topic Saturday.
Renaissance Homes Headed for Bankruptcy
Renaissance Homes, one of Oregon's biggest home builders, will soon file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, The Oregonian is reporting.
Research: Conservatives Are Wusses
An intriguing note from the world of science: People may hold conservative political views because they're hard-wired to be more fearful than liberals, according to a team of eight researchers.
“Undecided” Leads in Westlund-Alley Race
A poll out this week shows Democratic state treasurer candidate Ben Westlund has opened up a double-digit lead over Republican rival Allen Alley, but there's less there than meets the eye.
Problem Stick wows David Allan Coe’s Crowd
Holy cowboy boots, tank tops and leather vests, Blender readers, what a show on Wednesday night at the Midtown. It was Mr.
Fresh Legs on Smith Illegal Worker Story
Willamette Week is saying it has proof that Sen. Gordon Smith's family-owned frozen food company has employed at least some illegal immigrants.
City County remain split on airport district: Joint meeting doesn’t produce any resolution
Summer is nearly over but city councilors and county commissioners saved a few fireworks for their Monday night work session where they clashed over a proposed urban renewal district around the Bend airport. The urban renewal district, which would help subsidize infrastructure improvements at the airport, is something that the city badly wants to bolster…
A Fine Line
A revamp of state ethics laws has closed the door on lavish gifts and trips for lawmakers. However, it doesn’t prevent members of Crook County's staff and planning commission from accepting bar drinks on a resort developer's tab, local and state officials say. Rumors had been swirling for months around the small community of Powell…
The Schools’ Corporate Sell-Out
America already has the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the FedEx Orange Bowl and the Allstate Sugar Bowl - not to mention the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, the AT&T Cotton Bowl and the Chick-fil-A (formerly Peach) Bowl. So why shouldn't Bend-LaPine schools let businesses (for a price, of course) attach their names to athletic fields and other…
Senor Smith vs. the Willamette WeekTabloid trash, Fey does Palin and more, more, more
When Portland's Willamette Week ran a cover story last week alleging that Republican Sen. Gordon Smith's family-owned frozen food company in Eastern Oregon employs illegal immigrants, the senator did what Republicans do best in the face of media scrutiny: make the media sound crazy.
Letter of the Week: Wake Up and Smell the Jet Fuel
This week's LOW comes from Dave Hatfield, owner and head chef at Café 3456 at the Bend municipal airport. We've gotten an earful already on this topic, and while we stand by our Glass Slipper for the county commissioner's opposition to the plan, we welcome contrasting views.
Don’t Hate on STP
When I opened up the most recent issue of the Source I was extremely disappointed to see that there was no mention of the last concert of the season, STP, at Les Schwab. The Stone Temple Pilots rocked the house like I have not seen in a loooong time.
Attack Ads Are The Real Waste
I keep hearing every night from Gordon Smith how much Jeff Merkley has wasted. I keep hearing every night from Jeff Merkley how much money Gordon Smith has wasted.
Fair and Balanced
I found Sunday's editorial by John Costa "Convention Coverage Was Fair" to be laughable. I believe every publication has the right to espouse their beliefs, but why hide behind a smokescreen of impartiality when it is abundantly clear the Bulletin has been a GOP mouthpiece since the current owners took over? The Bulletin continually whines…
Going Fisties at Phil’s Trail
Well the inevitable happened this Saturday when two mountain bikers collided with one another and I had the opportunity to witness it all. One cyclist was climbing, having the right of way, the other blasting down the trail on a 6" travel bike. The descender did not yield to the climber perhaps thinking he had…
Under Pressure: Atelier 6000 gets things rolling … literally.
Last Sunday afternoon, a group of 27 artists, art aficionados and curious bystanders crowded into the parking lot of Atelier 6000 - a small art studio/workshop in the Old Mill District whose name was derived from the French word for "workshop"-to watch an enormous steamroller run over wooden plates that the artists spent as many…
Ticked Off by Lyme Disease: Staying safe in the waning days of tick season
Female ticks pre and post meal. Summer is quickly sliding away, fall is soon to arrive and by October we'll see the end of the so-called "tick season." Although rare, tick-borne diseases can leave us with serious medical problems, perhaps one of the worst is the dreaded specter, Lyme disease (LD). This illness is no…
Gratitude: Surviving a close call
I'm grateful to be alive. On Labor Day, I decided to go for a quick little late-afternoon out-and-back ride on Skyliner. I was just about home, cruising down Galveston toward the Flaming Chicken, when a beige Toyota Prius in the oncoming lane suddenly turned left directly into my path. The scene has been replaying itself…
Time to blow more stuff up! – Mercenaries 2:World in Flames
Back in 2005, game developers Pandemic and LucasArts released Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction on the original Xbox and PlayStation 2 systems. This game was one of the few that was able to take the sandbox game-play of the Grand Theft Auto series and put a fun and exciting spin on it. As in the first…
Hell and Back Again: Lakeview Terrace doesn’t add anything new to a familiar thriller sub-genre
There’s a place where I can go…It took Lakeview Terrace to remind me that we didn't know how good we had it in the early 1990s. The Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall had crumbled, leaving post-Cold War America without a real international threat; terrorism was a vague concept. Yet if you were to judge…
Self Righteous: DeNiro and Pacino take on water at every turn
Even the dynamic duo can’t save this disaster. Expectations abound for a movie co-starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Their only recent movie together, Heat, although considered brilliant by most observers, had just one scene in which they were on screen together. In their new film Righteous Kill, they are Siamese twins, cop buddies,…
Quick Bites – The Walk of Wine: Promenade du Vin
Pouring a little out for a cause. One event that helped put Bend on the culinary map is the annual Sagebrush Classic, a golf tournament that hosts a lavish feast featuring famous chefs from around the country. With no shortage of golf courses, or those who love to golf, other such events have sprouted up…
Quick Bites – The Walk of Wine: Promenade du Vin
Pouring a little out for a cause. One event that helped put Bend on the culinary map is the annual Sagebrush Classic, a golf tournament that hosts a lavish feast featuring famous chefs from around the country. With no shortage of golf courses, or those who love to golf, other such events have sprouted up…
Sushi for the Masses: Mio brings the dollar down on Japanese cuisine
Mama Mio, affordable sushi in Bend? Bonzai!When someone mentions sushi as an option, the dollar signs often start flashing in diners' minds. That's because the commonly held notion is that this Japanese culinary treat is expensive and not really that filling. Mio Sushi is trying to put an end to that perception and is doing…
Sushi for the Masses: Mio brings the dollar down on Japanese cuisine
Mama Mio, affordable sushi in Bend? Bonzai!When someone mentions sushi as an option, the dollar signs often start flashing in diners’ minds. That’s because the commonly held notion is that this Japanese culinary treat is expensive and not really that filling. Mio Sushi is trying to put an end to that perception and is doing…
Anywhere, Anytime: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad’s bold movement
An American Band in Jamaica, part I.Taking your all-white, six-piece reggae band to Jamaica is a bold move. It certainly takes some balls. In some respects, this is akin to growing up in Norway crafting since the age of seven what you believe is an authentic and high-quality country western act, then taking your show…
Alice in Republicanland
The best laugh of the day - of the year, maybe - comes courtesy of Michael Funke, who found some unbelievable rhetoric on the Deschutes County Republican Party website.
Hip-Hop on Parade: Trading E-mail with Aesop Rock
You need goggles like that when you send these kind of e-mails.Aesop Rock is coming to Bend along with the esteemed gentlemen of the Hieroglyphics crew and a gaggle of other hip-hop all stars for what very well might be the most prolific hip-hop event this town has seen since we got that shipment of…
