Silicone Valley I’m a guy who hates fake boobs. I’ve dumped women I really liked upon discovering they have them. Total dealbreaker for me. However, I obviously can’t just ask whether a woman has them. What should I do? I don’t want to waste my time or hers. —Real Deal Right. Not exactly a first-date […]
Columns
Posted inCulture
Smoke Signals 3/30-4/6
A new perspective on the war on drugs
Thanks to the War on Drugs, America now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. In the summer of 1969, President Richard M. Nixon called the use of illegal drugs like cannabis a growing menace and a serious national threat to the personal health and safety of millions of Americans. Nixon declared illegal drugs […]
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Take Me Home: Inclusionary Zoning in Bozeman
Last November, an affordable housing program was adopted by the Bozeman Commissioners that included requirements for a percentage of housing units in new developments to be priced at levels considered affordable. The current median price of a home listed for sale in Bozeman, Mont., is $300,000. In Bend, it’s $360,000, according to realtor.com, with a […]
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Smoke Signals: Oregon Dept. of Agriculture Issues Pot Pesticide Warning
One of the many strange consequences of America’s paradoxical cannabis laws is that there are currently no pesticides specifically labeled for use on cannabis crops. Most cannabis consumers are like most consumers of other food products in that they prefer to consume cannabis that has not been treated with pesticides. That’s because pesticides have been […]
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Take Me Home 3/16-3/23
Growing Pains
Bend has changed a lot over the past 15 years and definitely has experienced a lot of growing pains. With the expansion of the urban growth boundary and as we move from a small mountain town to a city, based on our actual and projected population growth, one hopes we can do better and learn […]
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Smoke Signals 3/16-3/23
The MFL—Marijuana Football League
American football is a brutal sport. Many players leave the NFL disabled and many die young. For professional football players, “your job automatically gives you the symptom of chronic pain,” says Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. Currently, most NFL team physicians, like most physicians nationwide, prescribe opioids for pain relief. But these drugs come […]
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Smoke Signals 3/9-3/16
The Million Stoner March
Last week, Smoke Signals explained how the federal government’s classification of cannabis as a very dangerous drug with no medical value has stymied experimental scientific research into the actual benefits and/or dangers of cannabis. We also explained that President Barack Obama has the legal authority to change this classification – without legalizing cannabis – so […]
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Take Me Home 3/9-3/16
First Impressions Are Very Important
When sellers put their homes on the market, they often focus a lot on major interior work in terms of updating, but often forget the importance of the exterior and simple details. First impressions are important to potential buyers, and this is why the notion of curb appeal is a big factor in how fast […]
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Change Schedule 1 Classification
A federal law known as the Controlled Substances Act sets cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that it is considered to be a dangerous substance with no accepted medical value. By comparison, cocaine, meth, and hydrocodone are Schedule 2 drugs, meaning they are deemed less dangerous than cannabis under this law. In the 44 […]
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Take Me Home 2/24-3/2
Effect of Commuting Costs On Home Buying Decisions
Last year, millenials surpassed baby boomers as the nation’s largest living generation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. These 20 and 30-somethings are now becoming first-time home buyers and their needs for affordable housing and difficulty in finding housing are the subject of many real estate blogs. Another aspect of this generation not often considered […]