And The Winner Is…The factory outlet stores may offer a nice view of the Cascades, but the blank storefront between the Paper Factory and Rocky Mountain Chocolate hosts no resemblance to Borneo, or any of the other exotic locations of one of TV's most spun-off game shows. Survivor begat the likes of Big Brother, the Bachelor/ette, and the most classy VH1 set (Charm School, Flavor of Love, you know, the really irresistibly trashy ones). So when local Bend radio station 104.1FM decided to apply the Survivor convention to the wedding season, Bend found itself in reality heaven. While in this economy I can rationalize $10,000 in prizes, I can't quite rationalize a week posing as a store mannequin with sorority-hazing inspired personal hygiene, while competing in "tough" games like Hollywood Celebrity Matchup, or Name that Peak Tune. Aren't brides supposed to be poised, graceful and glowing, not strategizing and competitive and self-deprecating? When did Anna Nicole Smith replace Audrey Hepburn?
Bridal Survivor: A Do? A Don’t? The council is still out
The Wedding Crashers: Neighbors want to put an end to growing rural wedding business
At the Rockin’ B RanchImmediately after becoming engaged last year, Hillery Johnson took stock of the various wedding venues in Central Oregon. Not especially interested in getting hitched at one of the numerous country clubs or destination resorts in the area, she stumbled upon an ideal venue that fit with her personality.
The 11th-Hour, Back-Door Council Appointment
Bend's newest city councilor was sworn in at 9 am Tuesday in a little-advertised and sparsely attended ceremony in council chambers. Considering the circumstances of his appointment, we're not surprised that those who appointed him wanted to keep the event low-key - if not invisible.
The council had been deadlocked 3-3 for a month over picking a replacement for Chris Telfer, who left the council to become a state senator. If a successor hadn't been chosen by last Friday's deadline the city would've had to hold a special election.
Obama: Communicator-in-Chief. Truth Committees, Flax seed oil and random notes from the apocalypse
"I inherited the deficit that we have right now and the economic crisis that we have right now," said President Obama during his primetime speech on Monday, given in hopes of speeding passage of the 'stimulus' bill now mired in partisanship and hypocrisy, and to set the record very straight: "The notion that I just came in here ginned up to spend $800 billion dollars – that wasn't how I envisioned beginning my presidency." Well, good luck with that… And good luck to Republicans so quick to forget that they followed Dubya into an abyss - blowing a balanced budget and surplus, ruining America's standing in the world, and leaving the new president with two wars (Afghanistan is so very Taliban right now) and a debt of several trillion. Former POW and presidential candidate, and future Geritol spokesman John McCain calls the stimulus "generational theft." Meanwhile, TARP funds from the $700 billion banking bailout (devised by Bush and zealously endorsed by both Obama and McCain) have proved to be utterly untraceable, with Wells Fargo's $25 billion buyout of Wachovia seemingly underwritten by us. US, as in you and me…
Underwater Pot and Dim Knights
Left Field doesn't really give a damn about Michael Phelps taking a
bong hit. And we're pleased that so many others don't care either.
After Kellogg's (the cereal and snack company that also employs other
cereal peddlers like Tony the Tiger, as well as Snap, Crackle and Pop)
decided not to renew Phelps' sponsorship contract, the blogs have lit
up with voices decrying Kellogg's seemingly silly actions.
There
are even online petitions that have gathered a few thousand signatures
from individuals pledging to boycott Kellogg's products. Here's an
excerpt from one particularly hilarious petition: "The Kellogg's has
profited for decades on the food tastes of marijuana using Americans
with the munchies. In fact, we believe that most people over the age of
twelve would not eat Kellogg's products were they not wicked high."
Holy Migration, Batman: Robins, robins, everywhere!
American Robins doing what they like to do best, drinking and bathing… Unless you're not paying attention to what's going on around you, you
can't help but notice a few robins swooping about Central Oregon these
days. Few can be placed in the 10,000 to 15,000 number, and I think
that's a low count. On the week of this year's Christmas Bird Count
(CBC) there were almost half-a-million of them over in the Pauline/Post
country, east of Prineville.
Where did they come from? is the
most-often asked question when people notice robins flocking to
junipers and pooping all over their cars and porches. I never saw this
many last summer, is the usual comment after the question.
The
answer is that these are not our robins, that is, last summer's robins.
The robins we're seeing and hearing in the junipers and backyards
during winter are down from the Far North , probably from Canada and
Washington, perhaps a few from Alaska and the Northwest Territories.
And they're here for only two reasons: companionship and food. When one
robin finds food, everyone finds food, and food means juniper berries
(and other fruit).
Happy Valentine’s Day! Treat your sweetie to wax and Winterfest
WAXING POETIC
We're jammin'Valentine's Day is upon us and I'm sure you've planned a romantic getaway for your main squeeze, right? Well, if you're at a loss for what to do for your sporty sweetie, here's an idea. Personally, I think a bouquet of glide waxes and a poem on my doorstep would be quite romantic. Something like:
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Here's some Toko
So I can ski with You!
Everyone is familiar with the symbolism of roses of different colors, but why not "Say It with Wax?" Just follow the temperature chart to pick a wax to match the warmth of your feelings. With Toko, it's simple: Blue, Red or Yellow. Swix and Solda allow for more colorful bouquets and a wider range of feelings. Here's a quick guide to the Meaning of Wax:
Raiding the Tomb Again!: Tomb Raider Underworld
Adolescent boys rejoice, Laura has returned. Tomb Raider helped define the original Playstation. The game sold
millions of copies spinning many sequels and a brassiere-busting silver
screen turn from a pre-tabloid Angelina Jolie. Now Laura Croft returns
for another adventure with Underworld. Making her way through the
wilderness of the Mediterranean, the deep jungles of Mexico and other
exotic locations around the world that would give Indiana Jones a run
for his money. On Laura's plate this time is the quest for the
legendary Hammer of Thor. As with most of the Tomb Raider games you
have to make your way through mind-numbing puzzles and just about every
trap you could think of.
Most Tomb Raider games follow a basic
outline, and this one is no different. The layout of the game is
gorgeous, and the lush landscapes team with life. A lot of time was put
into the environments and animals to make them more realistic than the
original Tomb Raider game. Crystal Dynamics was able to blend Tomb
Raiders' old-school puzzle solving, shooting, and climbing so they
overlap each other. The result is smoother and more realistic. A neat
change also new to this edition is the melee combat system that makes
Laura fight and keep her distance from her attackers at the same time.
Another Dimension: Coraline takes the animated movie to another level
Give a hand to 3-d animation.After My Bloody Valentine, I was convinced that every movie should be
in 3D. Now that I've seen Coraline I'm not so sure. It's already so
cool to look at with its ingenious concepts and artistic designs, so I
say why bother? This movie is a psychedelic treat to the eyes and more
colorful than anything I can remember. Using stop-motion animation,
puppeteers moved models 32 times for every second we see, so this movie
took about five years to make. The 3D, as effective as it was, almost
distracted from the already flawless animation.
Cute and
warped-that's Coraline in a nutshell. This movie sends mixed messages
and creates a metaphor that reinforces the age-old belief pounded into
the heads of children that being good will bring you the things you
want. But given the twisted approach, Coraline might just be too creepy
for kids. Moms and dads will have a lot of explaining to do if they
bring the kids. It's definitely dark and there are some real blatant
sexual themes, including cartoonish fat old English biddies showing off
their scantily clad, enormous hooters. But in addition, moms themselves
are depicted in two ways: completely evil or incompetent.
Labor Pains: Push is purely work for moviegoers
We told you Dakota Fanning's cute days were limited.During the closing credits for Push, a sci-fi lark with an incoherent plot, boring action sequences and listless dialogue, I felt like I was being given a list of people to blame. Though I know they cannot all be held responsible for this movie's failures, the smart ones would have picked a pseudonym.
Push is a little like reading an Encyclopedia Brown book, except the ending pages have been ripped out and most of the mystery's clues are covered in graffiti and fecal stains. The movie stars Chris Evans (the fiery dude from Fantastic Four) and Dakota Fanning as Nick and Cassie, young superheroes blessed with, respectively, telekinetic and clairvoyant superpowers. These powers make them targets for government capture and control by a badass agent and "pusher", played by Djimon Hounsou, virtually the only adult in the film. Luckily, Nick and Cassie are not alone. An entire race of humans with these rare abilities walks the earth. Think X-Men without the sideburns.