Posted inOpinion

The Solution

Jim Owen's In My View was published for a second time within a week in Bend's daily paper. The second printing (Jan. 14) is titled "Recent oil crisis demonstrates the need for nuclear energy." An odd title in that Owen doesn't really make a case for nuclear. But I thank him for bringing up "Peak Oil."

But first let's talk about nuclear energy. Owen neglects to inform us that as a resource (uranium) it's finite like fossil fuel! The U.S. only has 11 percent of the world's exploitable sources. U.S. annual consumption is about 62,000 tons. If consumption stays flat, our uranium would last about 57 years. However, if we double, triple or quadruple production, we'd run out in short order, and with a bad investment. Fission produces only electricity, less than 40 percent of our energy needs. And, the source of the remaining 60 percent? Another problem is disposal of radioactive waste.

Posted inCulture

The Best of the Bunch: Defiance proves the lead in this season’s pack of WWII films

James Bond goes back in time.If we agree we go to movies in large part to be entertained, Defiance is a success. If further we can agree we also go to be moved or educated, Defiance does that as well. Lastly, if we care about movie pedigrees (director, actors, cinematographer) Defiance scores again as a full-blooded thoroughbred.
Director Edward Zwick (Glory, Blood Diamond, Legends of the Fall, Last Samurai) has a style and pace that are recognizable and satisfying. There are typically a few overly romantic moments in his films that are otherwise wonderful examples of story telling. His heroes thrive on long odds.

Defiance
Starring: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell. Directed by Edward Zwick.
Rated R.

Posted inCulture

Working in a Coal Mine: Finally, a 3-D movie transports us back to the ’80s Slasher Flick

I'm your biggest fan. 3-D is the perfect way to remake an 80's slasher flick. In a word, My
Bloody Valentine 3-D rules. With newer, higher-tech 3-D glasses, as
soon as your eyes adjust everything starts looking more realistic. It's
a mess-with-your-mind effect. The initial scenes cause a voyeuristic
wax museum feel then soon become hyper-realistic. Sitting around a
diner counter, actor Kevin Tighe looked so real I expected him to walk
up, shake my hand and say, "Hey Salvo, how ya likin' the movie so far?"
Other
things get more noticeable too-a blood-spattered wall, the character's
complexions, fog on windshields, hell, even tire treads stand out. Gore
has never looked more eye-poppingly gruesome, especially when someone's
ribcage is split open. Okay, enough about 3-D, let's talk about the
flick itself. It's a pumped-up remake of the drearily hacked together
1981 flick of the same name and it's a gazillion times better. The
original was so dark that you couldn't even see what the hell was going
on. Well, that's all been changed. There's nothing you don't see in MBV
3-D.

Posted inFood & Drink

Quick Bites: The Mating Ritual

Animal Planet doesn't run nature shows on human mating rituals because
they don't want to be confused with Girls Gone Wild. As all bartenders
know, courtship and mating rituals are among the most varied and
fascinating of all human behaviors. The sequence and variety differ by
age, but a few essentials are usually in place – cocktails, dim
lighting, and music.

Most courtship takes place in the evening,
starting with bathing and preening. The female of the species may spend
hours working on her plumage and makeup. The male concentrates on
shaving his facial hair into the desired effect to attract the right
mate: clean shaven for the girl who cares about success and prosperity,
a goatee for the woman who desires adventure, and no shaving to attract
the female who prefers life in a Volkswagen bus. Aromatherapy is
usually in play as well. The female douses herself with a bouquet of
floral or fruity aromas, while the male is drawn toward woody or spicy
scents.

Posted inFood & Drink

Quick Bites: The Mating Ritual

Animal Planet doesn’t run nature shows on human mating rituals because
they don’t want to be confused with Girls Gone Wild. As all bartenders
know, courtship and mating rituals are among the most varied and
fascinating of all human behaviors. The sequence and variety differ by
age, but a few essentials are usually in place – cocktails, dim
lighting, and music.

Most courtship takes place in the evening,
starting with bathing and preening. The female of the species may spend
hours working on her plumage and makeup.The male concentrates on
shaving his facial hair into the desired effect to attract the right
mate: clean shaven for the girl who cares about success and prosperity,
a goatee for the woman who desires adventure, and no shaving to attract
the female who prefers life in a Volkswagen bus. Aromatherapy is
usually in play as well. The female douses herself with a bouquet of
floral or fruity aromas, while the male is drawn toward woody or spicy
scents.

Posted inFood & Drink

Any Way You Slice It: Pisano’s makes a nice addition to the pizza scene

chet dzienis pulls a slice from the oven at Pisanos. There is a new entry on the block in Bend's pizza-by-the-slice wars,
primarily a dogfight between Mondo's and Cibelli's until relative
newcomer Pisano's Pizza came on the scene last fall at Northwest
Crossing right next door to Riley's Market.

Pisano's is owned and
operated by Ed Barbeau, and it's the restaurant's second location in
Central Oregon - the original Pisano's is in Prineville, but Barbeau
said he plans to close its doors by the end of this month due to the
slumping economy. The Northwest Crossing location is doing fairly well,
he said, thanks to a steady volume of customers attracted to the
mixed-use neighborhood center, which according to its website has
20-or-so businesses whose doors remain open.

Posted inFood & Drink

Any Way You Slice It: Pisano’s makes a nice addition to the pizza scene

chet dzienis pulls a slice from the oven at Pisanos. There is a new entry on the block in Bend’s pizza-by-the-slice wars,
primarily a dogfight between Mondo’s and Cibelli’s until relative
newcomer Pisano’s Pizza came on the scene last fall at Northwest
Crossing right next door to Riley’s Market.

Pisano’s is owned and
operated by Ed Barbeau, and it’s the restaurant’s second location in
Central Oregon – the original Pisano’s is in Prineville, but Barbeau
said he plans to close its doors by the end of this month due to the
slumping economy. The Northwest Crossing location is doing fairly well,
he said, thanks to a steady volume of customers attracted to the
mixed-use neighborhood center, which according to its website has
20-or-so businesses whose doors remain open.

Posted inMusic

View from the Top: Moon Mountain Ramblers humbly look back at going from garbage cans to the Tower

"We walked into Parrilla tonight to get something to eat and it was a
flashback for me of the goals we used to have," says Moon Mountain
Ramblers guitarist and singer Matthew Hyman.
He's referring to the
band's early target of securing a gig at Parrilla Grill, which they did
- playing in the corner of the Westside eatery in front of a garbage
can with no P.A. system. That was in 2000 and now, more than eight
years later, the band is unveiling its new album, Let it All Be Good,
at a much-talked-about Tower Theatre show.
Four-fifths of the
group is gathered in percussionist Dale Largent's home studio space
near downtown Bend before a Friday night rehearsal with a collection of
five or so friends sitting outside the semi circle we've formed in the
center of the room. Beers are sipped freely and frequently by all and
the mood is laid back to the point that it's tough to tell whether or
not the actual interview will actually begin. But soon we're discussing
the band's popularity in Bend, the year-plus recording of its new
record and why they don't mind being called a bluegrass band.

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