Viva La Revolution!: Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

Posted inCulture

Viva La Revolution!: Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

Shawn Wallbaum

Fly me to the moon. Anybody who played PC games in the early '90s could tell you that the original Civilization, which was released by MicroProse in 1991, was the most interesting strategy game. A single player game, Civilization let you build a small settlement into a mighty empire. You were allowed to explore, use diplomacy, or go to war. This formula has been updated for PCs and the next generation consoles (Xbox PS3, etc).

Civilization Revolution is one of those games that would seem to be hard to translate to a console. But in this case, the developers were able to take the best parts of the PC version of the game and keep the console owners happy at the same time. The developers mainly cut the game's micromanaging so that players can concentrate on global planning. Developers wisely limited the use of controller buttons, helping the game adapt to the console platform. Design changes aside, the game is in essence the same; construct a Civilization and dominate the world.
The game starts in 3,500 B.C. with a primitive Civilization and ends in a technological future. Between the two time frames you choose how to reign over your virtual nation. Also, in getting started you need to choose a leader. You can choose from celebrity chiefs such as Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, and Cleopatra (Abe in a wooly mammoth pelt? Cleopatra in anything, or nothing…) Each character has its advantages and disadvantages; one may excel at warfare while another might have a large cultural influence.

Posted inCulture

Gonzo At Large: In search of an American icon

Intern

Hells angel. "Gonzo journalism" is the self-coined phrase that Hunter S. Thompson used to describe his writing because it seemed so far out of control it defied normal terminology. And it was a word he liked. Over time he became all things "Gonzo." Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson expands on this theme… or tries to.

There have been several films focused on Thompson and I was hoping this was going to be the definitive movie. It holds your attention at the beginning with a Natural Born Killers feel and follows with great interviews and archival footage, but ultimately the story is conveyed a hell of a lot better in Tom Thurman's 2006 film Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride.

Gonzo follows Thompson's writing years, detailing his journalistic Fear and Loathing books and articles, his reporting on political campaign trails and drug and alcohol experimentation. The movie begins in Thompson's home of Woody Creek, Colo. showing him firing guns to an exhilarating choice of music, Bob Dylan and the Band's live version of "All Along the Watch Tower." Narrated whimsically by a sometimes on-screen Johnny Depp, it includes interviews with Jimmy Carter and George McGovern. Jan Wenner from Rolling Stone magazine is prominently figured as is a surprisingly reverent (to Thompson) Pat Buchanan.

Posted inCulture

The Art of Darkness: Comic book icons reconvene in chaos-ridden Gotham

Intern

one more time, kids. Who stole my damn wig?After a record breaking weekend at the box office the question is: Does the Dark Knight live up to the hype? The answer is yes and no.

In the latest and best installment of the long-running serial, writer/director Christopher Nolan plunges ever deeper into the realm of madness and self-doubt, adding more evil and more complexity to the story. The result is a film so dark, at least by the series' standards, that not even the director can find his way through to a consistently coherent plot.

When a triumvirate of crime-fighters-Batman (Christian Bale), Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart, who also plays Two-Face)-believe that they've finally mopped up a notorious mob crime-ring, a demonic Joker returns to spread chaos throughout the city. From then on, the challenges of betrayal, corruption, and sadism, combine to generate a relentlessly nerve-wracking sense of dread.

Posted inFood & Drink

Quick Bites: Don’t Call It A Comeback

Intern

Redmond’s dining scene often gets overshadowed by that of its sister city to the south. But recent additions to the culinary scene in north county have diners reconsidering what Redmond has to offer. Here’s an A-B-C rundown of some of the places that are worth the drive for Bendites and worth the investment for Redmond residents. Remember in this economy, it’s use it or lose it, folks.
Avery’s Wine Bar
427 SW 8th St., 504-7111

This relative newcomer has emerged as a gem on the local scene. The elegant little cottage restaurant is tucked in the city’s historic downtown neighborhood and offers unique small plates to pair with their ample wine selection. A relaxed ambiance will have you trying all kinds varietals and vintages you never thought you’d get in Redmond. From the fare to the fine wine it’s matched with, the prices are reasonable and your taste buds will thank you.

Posted inFood & Drink

Quick Bites: Don’t Call It A Comeback

Intern

Redmond's dining scene often gets overshadowed by that of its sister city to the south. But recent additions to the culinary scene in north county have diners reconsidering what Redmond has to offer. Here's an A-B-C rundown of some of the places that are worth the drive for Bendites and worth the investment for Redmond residents. Remember in this economy, it's use it or lose it, folks.
 Avery's Wine Bar
427 SW 8th St., 504-7111

This relative newcomer has emerged as a gem on the local scene. The elegant little cottage restaurant is tucked in the city's historic downtown neighborhood and offers unique small plates to pair with their ample wine selection. A relaxed ambiance will have you trying all kinds varietals and vintages you never thought you'd get in Redmond. From the fare to the fine wine it's matched with, the prices are reasonable and your taste buds will thank you.

Posted inFood & Drink

Read Your Food: A buffet of summer food reads

Intern

As Central Oregon basks in the balmy days of summer and locals spend more time in lawn chairs, sitting by pools and lounging on beaches, I can’t resist recommending some good food reads. Included are some readable cookbooks, a little fiction, a biography or two, and, of course, a dash of food politics.
Omnivores Dilemma
by Michael Pollan
If ever there was a book to change your eating habits, this is it. Michael Pollan follows the food chain of four meals: industrial (the way most of us eat), industrial organic (the Whole Foods crowd), pastoral (the way our great-great grandparents ate) and hunter/gatherer (the way Ted Nugent eats). It’s a fascinating journey as Pollan illuminates what the act of eating has become and should be required reading for all Americans.

Posted inFood & Drink

Read Your Food: A buffet of summer food reads

Intern

As Central Oregon basks in the balmy days of summer and locals spend more time in lawn chairs, sitting by pools and lounging on beaches, I can't resist recommending some good food reads. Included are some readable cookbooks, a little fiction, a biography or two, and, of course, a dash of food politics.
Omnivores Dilemma
by Michael Pollan
If ever there was a book to change your eating habits, this is it. Michael Pollan follows the food chain of four meals: industrial (the way most of us eat), industrial organic (the Whole Foods crowd), pastoral (the way our great-great grandparents ate) and hunter/gatherer (the way Ted Nugent eats). It's a fascinating journey as Pollan illuminates what the act of eating has become and should be required reading for all Americans.

Posted inMusic

An Orchestra for Everyone: Getting intimate with the 4 Peaks Music Festival

Mike Bookey

Ties it all together. It's been almost a year since organizers of the 4 Peaks Music Festival stood onstage at the end of New Monsoon's headlining set and took a bow. They'd taken a ranch in Tumalo and turned it into a certifiably well-done music and camping festival - the only such event of its size in the region - and produced a vibe that was like a county fair for people (from kids to the silver-topped tourists) who would never dream of going to a county fair.

In a letter to neighbors of the pastoral Tumalo area neighboring the farm deemed "Rockin' A Ranch," 4 Peaks organizers announced last week that the 2009 festival will move to a yet-to-be-announced location for the festival's third installment. Wherever the festival lands, it's sure that this down-home vibe will follow, which is something any music festival strives for - a sense of identity in a crowded summer music market place.

Along with massively expanded campgrounds and a new site plot, the festival also wrangled in some larger scale touring acts (Zilla, Flowmotion, Hot Buttered Rum, and, of course, Poor Man's Whiskey, among others) while remaining within its means and also true to roots and jam music genre on which it was built. Tea Leaf Green is at the top of the bill for the festival, taking the penultimate lineup slot on Saturday night. The San Francisco piano-driven jam rock quartet released a new record (Raise the Tent) this week and their stop off at 4 Peaks is just one of the band's festival shows this summer, a season that saw them taking the stage at big-name events like Rothbury, Floyd Fest and the Mile High Music Festival, among others. Tea Leaf Green might be the reason a good handful of music nuts from Bend and far beyond flock out to the 80-acre ranch, but the quartet might not be what people walk away talking about. There's sure to be some chatter about the Everyone Orchestra, the band comprised of, well…just about everyone that is set to close out 2008's 4 Peaks Festival and basically tie the whole two-day shindig together.

Posted inMusic

The Plight of the Indie Rocker: Conor Oberst comes out from behind Bright Eyes with a new record

Intern

Emo Idol, POp god, or Freedom Rocker? You decide. but choose wisely.When it comes to indie rock credibility, a few names come to the forefront: Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), James Mercer (The Shins), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes). A marketing explosion later, it's all major label contracts, national tours and MTV face time for these bands. And Oberst has been riding shotgun throughout.

True to rock star form, Oberst snubbed this paper for an interview, stating that interviews and press were not part of the tour agenda for his new musical venture, Conor Oberst and Mystic Valley Band. (Actually, he's not doing ANY press for the tour, so we can't feel that bad.) He did however snub Portland, giving Bend the only Oregon date - a surprising coup for our little Midtown venue.

It’s a new venture for alt/pop/emo-god Oberst. His backing "Mystic
Valley Band" was pieced together from seasoned musicians that have
either recorded on one of his labels or supported him on tour. Included
in that mix is Rilo Kiley drummer Jason Boesel. A mature and
refurbished Oberst has emerged with his Mystic Valley Band and an album
full of songs that demonstrate truly polished emotion and lyricism, a
direction that properly post-scripts Bright Eyes. The songs "Lenders In
the Temple" and "Eagle On A Pole" are complete audible testament to
that evolution and embrace a 1960s folk revival. The album comes across
as a sort of cut and paste of everything I appreciated about Bright
Eyes and surprisingly more than I expected from Oberst. 

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