That Ain’t No Hummingbird: Life among the sphinx moths

Posted inOutside

That Ain’t No Hummingbird: Life among the sphinx moths

Jim Anderson

HEy Baby!"No, maam, 'baby hummingbirds' do not have antenna, multicolored wings and three body parts; those are the sphinx moths," I told the woman over the phone. Sure, sphinx moths hover like hummingbirds, poke their long "tongue" into flowers and slurp up nectar like hummingbirds, but they are insects, not birds.
 
Every summer about this time, phone calls and e-mails flood my home from people wondering about strange looking "baby hummingbirds" feeding in flowers, especially at night. As far as I know, there are no hummingbirds around here, or anywhere else, that feed at night. But "hummingbird 'moths'" do.
Moreover, we have a wonderful selection of these moths to watch and enjoy. The largest is the white-lined moth, and as I recently learned on a butterfly census at Big Summit Prairie in the Ochocos, the smallest may be Clark's Sphinx Moth.

Posted inOutside

Beating the Heat: Sea Kayaking, Skiing & More

Pam Stevenson

Paddling at Hosmer LakeSEA KAYAKING THE HIGH DESERT
 
Who woulda thunk that Central Oregon could be a Mecca for sea kayakers? On a recent morning bike ride up to Mt. Bachelor, I was passed by approximately 30 rooftop kayaks enroute to various Cascade Lakes. Just a couple of weeks ago, some avid kayakers I know had to park along the highway and drag their boats across the snow to put in at Sparks Lake. Now, there is good access to all of our lakes and it is prime paddling season.
Sparks Lake, the closest lake to town for a decent paddle, is especially good in the early season. It is a shallow lake that dries up as summer progresses, but right now it is full and fun. It offers nooks and crannies to explore, paddle-up campsites and is a wonderful lake from which to watch a full moon rise behind Bachelor. I remember one magical full moon paddle when we were accompanied by a deer swimming across the lake. Hosmer Lake is another favorite of kayakers and fly fishermen alike. It is a beautiful sinuous lake filled with gorgeous yellow water lilies and reflections of South Sister, Broken Top and Bachelor. The water is clear and the fish are plentiful. There is a special treat if you manage to navigate the maze of reeds to the inlet- a sparkling waterfall. I also enjoy taking a lap or two around Elk Lake followed, of course, by an ice cream cone at the lodge. Other great lakes for getting your sea kayak wet include Cultus for a woodsy feel, Crescent if you like sandy beaches and Waldo if you're ready for the potential of bigger conditions.

Posted inCulture

In the Beginning…There was Genesis

Shawn Wallbaum

After the video game crash of the early 1980s, Nintendo was able to dominate the video game market with its original Nintendo Entertainment System until the Sega Genesis was released in 1989. The Genesis was part of a wave of the first 16-bit game systems released that also included the TurboGrafix 16, Neo Geo, and the Super Nintendo.
 
The Genesis initially competed with Nintendo's 8-bit system and had trouble selling in both the U.S. and Japan. Sega of America made a smart move by dropping the price of the system and including with the system its own Mario-type mascot in the form of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega also went head to head in print and TV ads with Nintendo, showing off the quality of the Genesis next to the NES, and the Genesis finally took off.
The biggest test, however, was to compete with Nintendo's 16-bit giant, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) which was released in 1992. Sega had a big advantage due to a two-year head start with its Genesis and a slew of games including big entertainment names like Michael Jackson and sports giants like Joe Montana, Arnold Palmer and Mario Lemieux. Having been labeled the "cooler" game system through marketing, the Sega Genesis had almost 50 percent of the gaming market in 1992 and owned the video game market through 1993. From that point, Sega started losing market share to Nintendo, which was releasing some fantastic games. To compete with the Super Nintendo, Sega introduced the Sega CD late in 1993.

Posted inCulture

What Happened, Man? New Murphy movie is a must miss

Intern

Eddie Murphy is obviously trying to hurt the world on purpose. Why else would he inflict this "movie" on the masses? (I say "movie" with quotation marks because stringing together one poop joke after another is not what I'd call a movie. I'd call that sixth grade.)
 
Remember Raw-era Eddie Murphy? The Eddie Murphy who shit-talked Bill Cosby and wore the tightest leather pants in the universe? Or remember Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop? Yeah, well, forget about that Eddie Murphy. All we have now is an Eddie Murphy who lazily fulfills contractual studio obligations by making stupid comedies about spacemen who poop money. I'm not kidding. This actually happens in his new movie. And it happens inside an Old Navy.

Posted inCulture

Burning Love: Hellboy’s campy twisted vision pummels onward

Intern

nuthin’, waddya you doin’?What is it this year with the superheroes? Bringing to life more comic book superhero blockbuster razzle-dazzle, we now enter the monster-dwelling realm of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The original showed Hellboy (Ron Perlman) as the demon-turned-super-hero battling present-day Nazis and inter-dimensional monsters, and the sequel continues pulling out all the stops.
 
The movie begins with a sickeningly cute Hellboy (as a boy) brushing his teeth, excited for his bedtime story. And the story is? Yep, the saga of the Golden Army, and told in wooden puppet form, it looks pretty cool. Cut to: the present-the bedtime story is now a reality. An evil prince has to assemble three scattered pieces of a golden crown to raise the evil Golden Army from its dormancy to unleash Hell on earth…here's where Hellboy excels. He likes to kick monster butt.
Hellboy resides in a paranormal research center that is actually the home of a bunch of human oddities that would fare well in a freak sideshow. Oh, and they fight crime. Everyone's back, including sidekick fish-boy Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), but without David Hyde-Pierce's voice. Stepping into the webs-flipper-gills, Jones brings some credibility. Hellboy's girlfriend, Liz the Fire-Girl (Selma Blair) returns as does their totally lame love story. Manning (Jeffery Tambor) is once again the head of the government funded super-freak hideaway.

Posted inFood & Drink

In the Raw: Forgetting the oven with Central Oregon’s raw foodists

Intern

Cooling out with the raw food gang. There is a group of people scattered around the globe that believe raw food is the key to their health. Over the last five years, celebrities like Woody Harrelson and Donna Karan have helped the “Raw Food” movement (as it is now being called) giving rise to a host of restaurants that specialize in “raw” menus.
Many of these folks are the followers of the “mother of raw foods,” Ann Wigmore, a holistic health practitioner, nutritionist, whole foods advocate, and a doctor of Divinity. Also at the forefront of the movement is fellow holistic health practitioner Viktoras Kulvinskas, who brought raw foods into prominence in the early 1990s.
A big part of their teaching is that food loses much of its nutrition once it reaches the chemical reaction most of us call cooking. That happens at approximately 110 degrees for many foods, which is why this has become the magic number among raw foodists. Raw food is defined as anything not heated over 110 degrees.

Posted inFood & Drink

In the Raw: Forgetting the oven with Central Oregon’s raw foodists

Intern

Cooling out with the raw food gang. There is a group of people scattered around the globe that believe raw food is the key to their health. Over the last five years, celebrities like Woody Harrelson and Donna Karan have helped the "Raw Food" movement (as it is now being called) giving rise to a host of restaurants that specialize in "raw" menus.
Many of these folks are the followers of the "mother of raw foods," Ann Wigmore, a holistic health practitioner, nutritionist, whole foods advocate, and a doctor of Divinity. Also at the forefront of the movement is fellow holistic health practitioner Viktoras Kulvinskas, who brought raw foods into prominence in the early 1990s.
A big part of their teaching is that food loses much of its nutrition once it reaches the chemical reaction most of us call cooking. That happens at approximately 110 degrees for many foods, which is why this has become the magic number among raw foodists. Raw food is defined as anything not heated over 110 degrees.

Posted inMusic

Local Metal Reborn?

Intern

Vengeance Creek
 
Vengeance Creek
★★★✩✩
Upon first listen to Vengeance Creek's new self-titled album, an instant image of tribal tattoos or truly rockin' '80s hair may come to mind. It's common for a metal band in a smallish town to hop on stage and rattle off four to five songs in the vein of a half-baked Metallica or Godsmack imitation.

Posted inMusic

Walkin’ Blues: David Jacobs-Strain puts some youthful spin on the blues

Intern

The writing is on the wall – DJS can shred.David Jacobs-Strain sings the blues like he's personally experienced them and channels blues greats like Skip James, Charlie Patton and Tommy Johnson. His fingers slide effortlessly over the fret board of his guitar while he picks at the strings with rapid-fire efficiency. But Jacobs-Strain is only 25 and he grew up in Eugene. So, while he may not be the first image that pops into your head when you think blues, he's definitely leading the way for this generation's blues scene.
 
"I've always been drawn to the trance-oriented, heavier, Delta blues-to the driving, passionate, raw, distraught sound of somebody like Son House," said Jacobs-Strain in his biography. The young blues performer has just released his seventh - yes, seventh - album entitled Liar's Day, produced by legendary bassist and recording guru Kenny Passarelli. If the politically charged title track doesn't draw you in with its catchy melody and funky edge, you'll be enticed by "Rainbow Junkies," a track laved with driving steel guitar riffs and Eastern-sounding breaks.
The song "Walkin' Blues" showcases the artist's skill and goes well with his soulful vocals. "Alright, let's play the blues," says Jacobs-Strain towards the end of the song. He then proceeds to shoot off a succession of notes while strumming at Hendrix's "Machine Gun" pace before slowing back down.

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