As early as the 19th century, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals noticed that many people who returned from military service had serious difficulty coping with the horrors of war. So many men (mostly) became disabled by combat experience – unable to continue fighting – that the US government set its best mental health professionals […]
Pacific Northwest
Posted inCulture
Conscious Uncoupling
“The Lobster” is a singular sensation
“The Lobster” is a romantic science fiction/black comedy about coupling, loneliness and the possibility of getting changed from a human into an animal. Singularly strange, sad and hopeful, there has never really been anything like this movie and probably never will be again. Colin Farrell plays David, a doughy, depressed man whose wife has just […]
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
Camping Concerts: A Legacy of Peace
In the 1960s, protest events and concerts during the Vietnam Era drew massive crowds united by the messages of musicians such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and John Lennon. The Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 drew 400,000 young people, billed as three days of peace and music. Anti-war music inspired protestors and Jimi Hendrix’ rendition […]
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
Summer Music Guide 2016
Music under the stars
Summer music, could two words sound lovelier together? Live music under a deep blue sky on a warm starry night could very well be one of the best things in life. In the 2016 Summer Music Guide, we’ve included Central Oregon’s outdoor music events and a few more within driving distance. From Memorial Day weekend […]
Posted inCulture
Art Station Summer Camps
Entering through the doors to the enchanting Art Station is like a visit to the atelier of a famous artist. There are tall shelves full of mysterious supplies, large work tables, open space and lots of light. Art Central’s creative learning center is a nonprofit visual arts school in the heart of Bend for all […]
Posted inCulture
High Class in the Grass
Glamour + Camping = Glamping
Glamping is the clever combination of the words glamour and camping. The act of glamping combines nature with the luxury to which one may be accustomed and can no longer live without. Though many people have the desire to spend a few nights in the wilderness or attend a multi-day music festival, often sleeping on […]
Posted inCulture
Punks vs. Skinheads
“Green Room” paints Portland in a violent light
Jeremy Saulnier’s modern classic, “Green Room,” viscerally punches the audience in the face with every death. The script gives each character at least one moment to be human, even those who wouldn’t deserve it in a lesser film. Nothing is easy here, every choice is fraught with dire consequences and repercussions. There aren’t very many […]
Posted inOutside
Spiders in the Northwest
Revisiting hobos, widows and violins
Judging from the phone calls, emails and text messages, things have gotten out of hand in the spider world, especially regarding those thought to be dangerous. Hence, right from the get-go, let’s put the real “Bad One,” the brown recluse, also known as the violin spider—behind us. One, it does not and cannot live in […]
Posted inOpinion
Seven Things to Reflect On As The Forest Fire Flames Subside
1. Fire isn’t always bad. Fires can be beneficial to forests. By eliminating undergrowth, wildfires create openings in the forest, which enable diverse vegetation growth that provides fruit, seeds, and nectar for wildlife to thrive. Fires also create standing dead trees (snags) that many animals rely on for food and shelter. Dry ponderosa pine forests actually need fire to control […]
Posted inCulture
Two of Bend’s Most Gruesome Unsolved Crimes: Beware crazies in the wilderness
Bad things happened at a cabin near little lava lake one cold winter.
The brutal butchering of three trappers at a desolate cabin in the dead of winter, 1924 and a psychotic axe attack on two college students in 1977 make up two of many examples of brutal unsolved mysteries across Central Oregon.