Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber says he'd be interested in a Cabinet post in the Obama administration, but so far the Obama transition team hasn't contacted him about one, at least publicly.
Obama Looking at Kitzhaber for Cabinet?
Posted inNews
Republicans Over the Edge
The Eye has long suspected that some members of the Republican "base" weren't too tightly wrapped, but the election results seem to have completely unwrapped them.
Posted inOpinion
City Should cut its losses at Juniper Ridge
The financial situation at Juniper has continued to deteriorate since the June 16th City Council meeting on that project. Taxpayers should be extremely concerned with the City's recent announcement that Juniper Ridge is "broke" again, and the Council is seeking, among other things, a loan of $200,000.00 from the general fund, which is also strained.
The massive debt being incurred at JR cannot be justified by the possibility of future land sales as ODOT has frozen that option indefinitely. The chronology that follows recaps deteriorating trends and managerial miscues at JR during the past five months, which will assure ultimate failure of the project.
One week after the June 16th meeting, Ron Garzini addressed the Council stating, in effect that he had ODOT covered, and that sales would be booming by August. ODOT replied: NO MAS again. Ron also said that he found new buddies in Jeff & Ray (Juniper Ridge Partners). With friends like those, (fill in the blank).
Posted inOutside
Cluckers On the Prowl: Chickens yearn back to their dinosaur roots
Those of you who keep chickens and other livestock know what joy there
is in talking to them. (Yes, chickens are "livestock," even though the
sheriff doesn't think so when a stray dog kills one of mine.)
"Good
morning, chickies," is my usual greeting. Then I ask them, "How many
eggs are you going to lay for me today?" slyly pointing to the pile of
empty egg cartons I keep close by to remind them to keep their minds on
their business.
I have a few beautiful Buff Orpingtons, a
couple of Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds and handsome Aracanas, the
last of which lays lovely green-shelled eggs. When I greet them in the
morning, they all respond with the usual clucking and chicken grunts
that means "all's well" and "What goodies do you have for us this
morning, James?"
Posted inOutside
First Tracks!: It’s time… for Studs, Muffins and Stud Muffins
FIRST TRACKS
First tracks across Dutchman FlatWhat more could you ask for on November 4th - an Obama
victory and a foot of fresh powder on Bachelor! Yippeee! The day after
the elections, my friend Lisa and I scored some of the very first
tracks of the season on Woody's and Easy Back. We skied across Dutchman
Flat into the nordic area through perfect snow and found the groomer
had just made a pass to pack down the base. I'd say it was an
auspicious start to a new season and a new era.
Posted inCulture
Dead Space: Electronic Arts makes a strong showing in its first jump
Like you never fantasized about eye-lasering an alien. As a kid, the movie Alien gave me the creeps, the slowly building
tension and tight scenes made the sci-fi/horror movie a classic. Game
developer Electronic Arts has been able to recapture that sick death at
every corner feeling with Dead Space. This action horror game has much
in common with the way that the Resident Evil games play. With a third
person or over-the-shoulder perspective, this game is a nice change of
pace from the million-plus first-person shooters. With this being EA's
first foray into the survivor/horror genre, it doesn't repeat what
Capcom has done with recent Resident Evil games wherein the lead
character is a badass. Instead, this game takes a normal person and
puts them in a really bad situation.
Posted inCulture
Testing the Laugh Formula: Even children using profanity can’t save Role Models
And that, boys, is why you wouldn’t last five minutes in Sturgis. In the recently ended political season, there was a comment much
dissected and analyzed having to do with lipstick on a pig. I am trying
hard to forget the context, but watching Role Models this unfortunate
image came roaring back at me.
I suspect Judd Apatow is responsible
in large part for the new comedy genre, which created the following
formula: relentless amounts of crudeness, the raunchier the better,
followed by an awakened heart, followed by a gauzy enlightenment. And
in capable hands, it works. You get potty humor and leave the theater
feeling good about the world. We're going to make it, man.
Posted inCulture
Weekend At Bernie’s: Soul Men swan song has its moments
A temporary resurrection. Soul Men is Bernie Mac's last movie; that alone lends his portrayal of an over-the-hill backup soul singer an eerie undertone. Coupled with the passing of Isaac Hayes (playing himself), this comedy could prove a real tearjerker for some and there is a fitting tribute done via clips of interviews and outtakes during the ending credits. But the meat of the movie, which was directed by Malcolm D Lee, (Undercover Brother) is an old and simple story. Two old friends are reunited for one last hurrah, with some road trip hijinks mixed in.
Posted inMusic
Liner Notes – By Way of the Bay: The Mighty Underdogs
Hip-hop fans in Bend know they don't have it as tough as one might think. Of course, there are a few quality local acts to feast on, but it's our proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area that makes Bend the benefactor of high-profile hip-hop tour stops.
Posted inMusic
Indie Meets…Elton?: The Dirty Words glow by going clean on International Machine
The Dirty Words: Seeing through the trees.At times during the past two years, it seemed that there was only one
indie rock band in Bend. Well, let's just say there was only one indie
rock band playing shows in the city. While there were plenty of
burgeoning, still-in-the-garage acts, it seemed the Dirty Words were
the only band that would actually play a steady line of shows.
But in
the last year, the high school scene and the just-out-of-high-school
set have come forward with a number of bands and other veteran groups
have shored up their acts, and giving hope that there might be more to
be found in Bend than roots rock, metal, bluegrass and, surprisingly,
hip-hop. The influx of indie rock sounds is a splash of cold water to a
face largely hung over from too much of the same and it's with that in
mind that The Dirty Words release their debut full-length album,
International Machine, which has been in the works for the better part
of the past year.