Bonus Coverage: Hanks crosses Pope, Source takes to the air and more

Posted inOpinion

Bonus Coverage: Hanks crosses Pope, Source takes to the air and more

Joseph Oguiza

They don’t care how big tom hanks is. Vatican to Hanks: Get Lost
The Vatican has told Tom Hanks it doesn't want him in church. It's not his religion they have a problem with - it's the movie he's making.
The producers of Hanks' new movie, Angels and Demons, had asked permission to shoot inside two of Rome's historic churches, Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria. Fuhgeddaboudit, said the diocese of Rome.
Angels and Demons is a prequel to the 2006 movie The Da Vinci Code, based on the blockbuster novel of the same name by Dan Brown, which espoused the controversial (at least to orthodox Christians) theory that Jesus had married Mary Magdalene and had children.
Monsignor Marco Fibbi, a diocesan spokesman, told Reuters that the diocese had denied the filmmakers access to the churches because of the movie's subject matter. "It's a film that treats religious issues in a way that contrasts with common religious sentiment," Fibbi said. "Normally we read the script but this time it was not necessary. The name Dan Brown was enough."

Posted inOpinion

Advice Goddess Grates

Intern

Letter of the Week 
We're not exactly sure who brought us this week's letter of the
week, as she flies under the righteous handle of Mora Lee Sound. But
anyone who calls out the Advice Goddesses' panties has our respect. Go
Mora Lee!

Amy, the Advice Goddess,
My commentary is in reference to your wellspring Source of advice to Nun for Me in last week's paper:
Is this really what our world has arrived at? Has God been replaced by a goddess whose "good advice" is to ditch the woman with high morality and a sense of self-worth in favor of floozies who will drop their pants at the first fluctuation of a hormone?
As for Biblical criticisms, please open your Bible more often than you open your "after-one-night-stand" birth control pills, and you might see that the Old (Mosaic) Law Covenant in which disobedient children were "stoned" was replaced by an entirely New Covenant dominated by Christian principles. (Romans 7:6) Yes, "principles" - another word you may want to look up in the dictionary, the other dusty book presently buried by the thong undies of your avid advice-takers.

Posted inCulture

La Sirenita: Lori LaBissoniere’s expressive painting

Intern

Dog days in the studioBend, with its urban center situated just minutes from beautiful landscapes, is attracting a growing community of artists. One painter, Lori LaBissoniere is developing an expressionist style that contrasts with the mainstream aesthetic found in many polished art galleries. LaBissoniere and I talked on a Friday afternoon, one of the first (and only) really hot days this spring. Sitting in her cozy studio downtown, and having been inside teaching all day, LaBissoniere was feeling restless.
"We should have done this interview outside on a day like today," she told me. As a young artist, LaBissoniere is artistically adventurous, drawing on multiple sources of inspiration and trying new styles in her work.
When I asked her about her artistic influences, LaBissoniere mentioned Jaimie Lynn, a snowboarder and contemporary graphic artist. "I find inspiration from street art, and art that I happen upon by chance - not only from famous artists," she says.

Posted inOutside

If you care, leave them there! How well-meaning caretakers turn into kidnappers

Jim Anderson

Bambi belongs in the wildEvery spring, it's the same old story; people kidnap fawns from the forest, seal pups from the coast, and other baby animals from their parents in the wild. No matter how often and how forceful wildlife officials say it, some people still can't seem to get it: wildlife babies are best left in the wild.
When I was working for Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, I took a group of young people down to the coast near Seal Rock to study tide pools, when I noticed a woman coming up from the beach with what appeared to be a flipper poking out from under her coat.
"Excuse me, ma'am," I said, stepping in front of her, "but are you carrying an animal under your coat?"
"No!" She blurted out, trying to get around me. I considered that the huge lump on her abdomen could be a sign she was pregnant, but then the lump and flipper moved. If she was pregnant, this was going to a big surprise for someone.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," I said, "but I think you're carrying a baby seal and if so, you're not only breaking the law, but causing a lot of problems."

Posted inOutside

Surfing the High Desert: Stand-up paddle surfing, human power in the Tumalo backcountry & more

Intern

SUP
Stand-up paddle surfing
Stand up guys(SUP) is a relatively new sport making waves around the country and in Central Oregon. Stand-up paddlers make use of a long handled paddle standing on top of a longboard surfboard. The paddle is used to propel the surfer out past the surf break in the ocean and to catch waves. It can also be used like a rudder for steering once the surfer is on the wave. The sport has also taken off as a flat-water paddle sport. Stand-up surfers in Central Oregon can be found cruising the Deschutes or one of the mountain lakes. A small, core local group of paddlers has been quickly increasing in numbers. Last year, a group of 10-12 gathered on a weekly basis to paddle up and down the Deschutes after launching near Alder Creek. The group has now exploded to 45-50 folks that may show up for the Wednesday afternoon "sessions."
I met up with a bunch of SUP-ers a couple weeks ago to find out more about the sport and to learn why it's popularity is rising so quickly. A few of the initial core group were present including Peter Miller and Randall Barna and it is easy to see the passion glimmer in their eyes as they talk about their growing sport.

Posted inCulture

Scrap This One: Marvel’s Iron Giant

Shawn Wallbaum

Hey Rocket ManWhen the "Iron Man" video game was released in May, I wasn't looking forward to it. It seemed like that there were a ton of superhero movies coming out, meaning that a slew of video games would soon follow. Unfortunately, most of these titles are either bad or even worse. I had hoped "Iron Man" would be different. Well, it is. It might not be entirely successful (to say the least), but Sega's adaptation at least tries to escape the usual formula. Instead of just a regular beat-em-up or a poorly thought out open-world adventure, Sega gives us a game that has parts of some really above- level games like "Battlefield," "Ace Combat 6" and "Hulk Ultimate Destruction." This sounds like the making of a great game, but don't get too excited. While Iron Man's shiny red and gold metal plating armor isn't riddled with the usual malfunctions, it still has a lot of flaws.
Some of the flaws are apparent right from the start. After the first cut scene, the game kick starts into arms tycoon Tony Stark's escape from a Middle Eastern terrorist compound in his prototype metal suit. It's a sub-par level that rapidly exposes the worst aspects of the game like fiddly controls, a loose targeting system and repetitive fighting animations. To make things worse, you're tethered to the ground and surrounded by canyon walls for the duration. It can be understood why some of the game's various issues proved difficult to solve. With the likes of hovering, flying, close-combat abilities and three different weapons systems to control, there was bound to be a bit of trouble getting it all mapped onto a controller. Sega's approach makes the game very difficult to come to grips with. For the first hour or so you'll struggle with the basics of flying and hovering. With more time after you'll still find it hard to keep fast moving targets in your sights. Gamers looking for a simple and casual game won't like this at all.

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