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

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.

Posted inCulture

The War on Art: Rape of Europa investigates Hitler’s attack on culture

Intern

One of the many graphic rape scenesI can't say that this movie is boring. Let's just say it's longer than it should be. It's the kind of documentary you can watch on the History Channel and be glad there are commercials so you can take a well-deserved break.
There are, however, a ton of interesting facts. In fact, I wrote down a lot of them just so I could feel smarter. But the gist of this movie is pretty simple: Hitler stole or destroyed a bunch of artwork. Some items are lost forever. Some were found and restored. There are debates on who gets them after they are rediscovered. The End.
Rape of Europa provides a fairly detailed history lesson on the rise and fall of the Third Reich, introducing a theory that most cities were targeted due to the artwork they housed to accommodate Hitler's desire to build the ultimate Nazi art museum. There was a hit list of cities to be plundered and pillaged for masterpieces he deemed Third Reich-worthy. The film suggests, for example, that Russia's Leningrad was bombed for its Armitage museum. On the other hand, Warsaw was almost annihilated because like the Jews, the Nazis considered Poles a vile race and their art degenerate. That's right, the film suggests that Warsaw was virtually destroyed because its residents had bad taste. Soon, cities got wise to the fact that museums were obliterated and/or looted. There were massive evacuation relocation plans from the Louvre and other museums, moving the precious treasures to remote castles miles away. Oddly, Hitler spared Paris, because he wanted it to be a mere shadow next to his uber museum.

Posted inCulture

Thrusting With Scissors: And other stylin’ tricks gleaned from the Zohan

Intern

Sandler stars in Teen Wolf IIWho knew that cutting hair could be so gross? Or that co-authors Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow (seemingly in a professional freefall from triumphs such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The 40-Year-Old Virgin) could create any relationship at all between a Mossad agent and the gyrating hair stylist in New York City he morphs into? If you think the previews look bad, the movie proves downright nasty. Director Dennis Dugan (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) delivers a movie that even made a grown guy sitting next to me cover his eyes more than once.
Sandler combines every disgusting pelvic gesture imaginable with sticky, icky hair crรจmes, as he pours, squirts, and spurts various liquids on the manes of middle-to-older aged women in a hair salon. And unfortunately those aren't the only things spurting in this film. For some reason, he then feels compelled to escort these by now willingly wanton women, fairly panting into the back room in order to facilitate their youthful imaginings. Uck. Whatever happened to just bestowing an exaggerated compliment, like "Boy Mrs. Wilson, you look at least thirty years younger with those new gold highlights and spikes?"

Posted inFood & Drink

Goin’ To A Hukilau: Laying the theme on thick at Bungalow

Intern

BungatimeTheme is king at the Bungalow Tropical Bar and Grille, a new no-holds-barred tropical fusion restaurant in north Bend, where cabana boys greet outside the front door. “Aloha,” they crooned to our group, while shivering in Hawaiian shirts, and directing us to the stairs that led up to the expansive second-floor.
Once inside, we were greeted with more “Alohas!” this time by young women in print sundresses who asked us if we want “formal” or “casual.” Peering around a wall of water, we saw half of the restaurant outfitted with high-backed chairs and white linens with rain forest sounds piped in for that extra tropical boost.
The other side is split between the “Sand Bar,” which is covered with the requisite grass shack roof, headquarters for “Bungatime” (otherwise known as happy hour) and a dining area with booths decorated in mini surfboards. At the Bungalow there’s no skimping on atmosphere-enhancing props. A soundtrack marked by Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” resonated from overhead in the Sand Bar as surf films played on the big screen TV. There’s also a large tropical fish tank to help set the ocean tone.

Posted inFood & Drink

Goin’ To A Hukilau: Laying the theme on thick at Bungalow

Intern

BungatimeTheme is king at the Bungalow Tropical Bar and Grille, a new no-holds-barred tropical fusion restaurant in north Bend, where cabana boys greet outside the front door. "Aloha," they crooned to our group, while shivering in Hawaiian shirts, and directing us to the stairs that led up to the expansive second-floor.
Once inside, we were greeted with more "Alohas!" this time by young women in print sundresses who asked us if we want "formal" or "casual." Peering around a wall of water, we saw half of the restaurant outfitted with high-backed chairs and white linens with rain forest sounds piped in for that extra tropical boost.
The other side is split between the "Sand Bar," which is covered with the requisite grass shack roof, headquarters for "Bungatime" (otherwise known as happy hour) and a dining area with booths decorated in mini surfboards. At the Bungalow there's no skimping on atmosphere-enhancing props. A soundtrack marked by Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville" resonated from overhead in the Sand Bar as surf films played on the big screen TV. There's also a large tropical fish tank to help set the ocean tone.

Posted inMusic

Liner Notes: Super Freaks

Intern

Nylon is always in style
David Bowie and Dennis Rodman face new extra-terrestrial competition in the form of Taboo (guitar), Intellijamus (bass), Otto E. Roticize (drums) and their adopted father Dr. Wonder Bred (keys) of Seattle's Super Sonic Soul Pimps.
According to the band's Website (which we take as gospel, as we do all Websites), the three "humaliens" were adopted by Dr. Bred after the death of their pimp father in the heat of "cruel alien passion" with the triplet's alien mother. The three hybrid triplets and their adopted mad scientist father have managed to keep under government radar long enough to release three CDs and gather quite the following of fans.
While their ancestral planet is unnamed, it's probably somewhere near whatever galaxy Parliament and George Clinton hail from. Super Sonic Soul Pimps spin out a blend of funk, rock and even some metal-sounding songs that are unlike anything you've ever heard. From weird Axl Rose-style screams and Beavis and Butt-head voices to funked out guitar riffs and beats, SSSP never fails to surprise their human listener. And they do it all in skin-tight leotards because whatever planet they're from they clearly believe that spandex is a right not a privilege.

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