From cnnmoney.com, "Music's lost decade", we see one impact of the digital music age. According to the Record Industry Association of America, recorded music sales have fallen from $14.6billion in 1999 to $6.3billion in 2009, with forcasters predicting a bottom of $5.5 by 2014. The music industry's fledgling attempts at licensing digital music brought in $84million last year. About two-thirds of those who buy digital music think it's worth it, and 90% of all downloads are unauthorized.
Free music is readily available. A digital music collection of thousands of songs takes up almost no physical space, and songs can be readily added and deleted. Many users care little for biographical information, instrumentation and lyrics. Hell, all that stuff's digitally available, too.
Some folks blend technologies by creating portable, digital versions of their physical libraries. Some have not adopted the latest technology, and pursue their musical tastes in a CD, and even LP(record) format. Physical recordings cost money, contain biographical information etc., and have a physical presence.
I'll not make social commentary based on these outlooks. I will say ipods are easily lost or stolen and all info can be lost. Physical collections take up space. One can listen to a record with a lazy susan, a needle or straight pin, and a dixie cup. It's kinda hard on the record.

Read more here

Thought you all should know that the City of Corvallis is considering whether or not to make busking illegal or by permit only along the riverfront. (It's apparently already not legal in the rest of the city.)

There is a public meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 17th at noon across from City Hall at 300 S.W. Madison Ave. to take public comment. It behooves all musicians in Corvallis to attend and stand up for keeping music free and legal. It also would be good for us all to get out and busk more often, since, at least as things stand now, we can.

Wishing you all a joyous almost Spring,

In love of the music,

Shari Ame

Come celebrate Mardi Gras New Orleans’ style with music by the local group Gumbo and enjoy traditional bread pudding with friendly people. More than four years after Katrina devastated their community, many children in New Orleans still do not have their own beds. MLK Charter School in the Lower Ninth Ward reports that children continue to sleep with siblings or parents, or on blow-up mattresses or the floor.

The concert is scheduled for Friday, February 12, 7 p.m., at Troubadour Music Center, located at 521 SW 2nd Street in Corvallis, across from The Beanery. A donation of at least $15 at the door will help a child crawl happily into his or her own bed. Seventy-five dollars will provide a new bed and sheets for a child whose family is continuing to rebuild their lives. A New Orleans-style cookbook will also be available for an additional $15 donation. Donations can also be mailed to Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, 2945 NW Circle Blvd. Corvallis, OR. 97330.

Gumbo, a popular Corvallis musical trio, draws from the roots of the music of the American south. The group’s loose acoustic Gypsy-jazz swing includes clarinet and flute to complement the guitar and bass. Their music is upbeat and joyous. Sid Beam. Joe Casprowiak and David Fournier have been honoring their musical craft individually for forty years and have come together for the last five.

The Social Concerns Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis is joining forces with All Souls Unitarian Church in Manhattan, New York to support a distribution of single beds to help fill the need. They are sponsoring the benefit concert at the Troubadour Music Center in Corvallis to help raise funds for these much-needed beds.

Ginger Gouveia, a former Corvallis resident, has been traveling to New Orleans since 2005 to help collect and distribute furniture to residents who lost everything during the flood. “ Families continue to rebuild and, although used and donated furnishings have become more readily available to low-income residents, beds, especially single beds are scarce and beyond reach for many.”

During a three-day event Last year, Gouveia and members of All Souls Church distributed over 120 new and used beds. They hope to have similar success this March with thoughtful donations coming from both coasts.

IT'S NO SECRET Multnomah County is strapped for cash. County Chair Ted Wheeler was even moved to quote former President of Czechoslovakia Václav Havel in the introduction to the county's 2010 budget.

"Hope is a state of mind, not of the world," wrote Wheeler, cutting $46 million out of the $1.2 billion budget because of the recession. Of those cuts, the sheriff's office took a $1.8 million hit, losing 26 positions and negotiating a wage freeze for some employees. Available jail beds have also plunged from 1,690 in 2007 to just 1,367 today, and there's little sign of improvement on the horizon. Unless....

A revived proposal by the district attorney's office suggests outsourcing health care in the county's jails to a private contractor. The idea could save between $4 million and $5 million a year, says Deputy District Attorney Chuck French, who convened the 2009 corrections grand jury, which made the recommendation last December in its report.

"One of the problems in our mental health system is that there has been no support for community mental health," says French. "And that's really where you get the best bang for your buck."

As such, the jury suggested shifting the savings to support community mental health services like Project Respond—which aims to treat mental health problems before people act out in ways that could be construed as criminal, and end up in the county's jails ["The Criminalization of Mental Illness," Feature, Jan 14].

French first made the recommendation as part of a corrections review in 2006, which highlighted a contract between nearby Washington County and a company called Prison Health Services, Inc. (PHS), based out of Tennessee.

"A huge benefit of the contract signed by PHS and Washington County is that by the terms of the contract, PHS accepts all legal liability for judgments against the county involving legal actions for inadequate jail medical care," reads French's report.

"Recent events have demonstrated just how significant a contract clause like that might be," the report continues. "As Multnomah County is now facing the prospect of defending against a probable multi-million dollar lawsuit involving the death of an arrestee brought to the jail."

Since then, the county has settled its portion of the lawsuit mentioned for $925,000, relating to the 2006 death in custody of James Chasse Jr.—a man with schizophrenia.

Mental health advocates agree that Chasse should have had better care in the community before he was arrested, but they are also concerned about farming out jail health services to corporations just to save money on potential lawsuits.

"This is the canary in the mine," says Roy Silberstein, president of the Mental Health Association of Portland, saying PHS has faced more than 1,000 lawsuits at facilities across the country.

"The expense of these settlements is merely the acceptable cost to PHS of doing business," Silberstein continues. "But our association believes the efficiencies and savings PHS provides are at the expense of systemic and unconscionable paucity of quality health care."

For example, PHS paid $1.5 million in December to the widow of a Virginia man with mental illness who died of pneumonia and dehydration in one of its jails. In November 2008, an Idaho jury awarded $3.6 million to a woman who gave birth on a prison ramp in a PHS jail. Her baby was run over by a wheelchair, and now has cerebral palsy. Meanwhile the New York Times branded PHS care "flawed and sometimes lethal" at the conclusion of a 12-month investigation back in 2005.

Interim Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton is looking into the grand jury's suggestions, and will make recommendations to Chair Wheeler on March 2. Staton says people have suggested to him that he might be in favor of contracting out, but that such a characterization is "totally inaccurate."

"I have no intention of making any move on this until a full and thorough study has been done," says Staton, emphasizing that the quality of health care inmates receive "is obviously going to be foremost."

Wheeler says the county considered this idea before, back in 2006, but that the potential savings did not justify the risks.

"The question is: What are you giving up?" says Wheeler. "There are some cost savings that can't be justified as a matter of conscience."

"I would be opposed to anything that would give the jail inferior services," French responds.

Fear
Drop the f from fear. Fear promotes unnecessary vibrations in the body (ear). When you are vibrating and trying to feel/hear vibrations of sound, that is too much vibration to deal with. The ear operates best when it is unfettered.



Note: This is a weekly column by long time Corvallis resident and jazz drummer Dave Storrs.

Yesterday, a man set himself on fire outside Ungar Furs, and burned himself to death. We know his name now: According to the Alliance, it was Daniel Shaull. And we know that what he did appears to have been in solidarity with the animals who continue to die horrible deaths, day after day after day, to keep Nicholas Ungar in business. We know that, even as he was on fire and undoubtedly in terrible pain, he mustered great strength and tried to go inside the fur store to spread the flames to the coats and garments and blood-stained profits of the last fur store in Portland.

I would like to know more.
Indeed, it was strange to find out he was someone most of us did not know. Those of us who were not there yesterday, who scrambled to find out who it was, we each had a fear in the pit of the stomach, each of us sure we would know him, each of us having someone or other in mind that it might be. I know I did. When I finally heard his name, a small sense of relief washed over me, because it was a name I did not know. But someone knew him. And he deserves his story. If you knew Daniel Shaull, please post your stories of his life here.

If you did not know him but you just want to offer your critique of self immolation as a tactic, please just keep your useless judgments to yourself. This is the morning after, the place where all the bone-pickers will come in and make dismissive claims about this man and his last act of sacrifice. You know what I'm saying. "This is going too far," "he was just crazy," "he was a terrorist," "this tactic is too extremist," and perhaps the most unforgivable of all, "this will make us all look bad."

I'm not ready to dismiss the significance of this man's last act so easily.

Every year, more than 50 million animals - many of them dogs and cats - die for the fur industry. They die needless, painful, and suffering deaths so that people like Nicholas Ungar can make a lot of money, and so that vain, selfish, irredeemably thoughtless people can wear those animals' skins. Fifty MILLION beings, every single year, killed in horrific and unceasingly bizarre ways. For nothing. Absolutely nothing. Some of them are picked up by their hind legs and pounded against the cement until they die. Some have metal bars shoved into their mouths, and electrodes pressed against their anus, and are electrocuted. Some are gassed. Some are trapped in the wild, and spend days on end struggling to free themselves. Terrified, dehydrated, hungry, cold, and mutilated, they wait for the trapper to come. I have personally witnessed a fur trapper approaching a frightened little bobcat like this, right here in the woods of Cascadia, and then unceremoniously beating her over the head, repeatedly, with a baseball bat. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. Until she finally died.

Sometimes, these animals are beaten unconscious, and they awaken while they are being skinned alive. This is not just some far off, urban legend thing. This is something real and immediate and horrible. I have seen this happen, and watched as the trapper just laughed and taunted the half-skinned, dying animal. Her last screams jeered at, the violation of her being complete. Her bloody little body went into a pile of bloody little bodies just like hers. Her skin was sold in someone's garage, on the first leg of the journey to Ungar or Schumachers, or Nordstroms.

This is what Nicholas Ungar sells.

Unimaginable suffering, for nothing. A lot of people just don't care. A lot of people think wearing fur is acceptable, and that making a living off this kind of unending suffering is tolerable. It's the people who care that are labeled "terrorist." The killers are just "businessmen." Some people actually defend the practice, many more just don't care enough to do anything about it. Still others like to get all philosophical and "tolerant" and pretend to be above it all. (I have seen a lot of that here on this site in recent days. These are the people who also defend slaughter houses, and lab experiments. Cold, academic justifications for horrific acts of violence. Disembodied philosophizing and dismissive tomes meant to put those who actually give a damn "in their places." Here, for example: 

Is it really all that hard to understand, that someone could find that they just can't take it any more? They just can't stand by and do nothing, even when there is nothing left to do? Is it really so difficult to comprehend that this man could be so profoundly moved by such an unimaginable injustice, that he would be willing to actually sacrifice his own life in a last desperate act?

Not to me. I get it. I can understand that frustration and pain and desperation. I have felt it myself, and I think that any one of us who was born with the ability to empathize with non-human animals in this cold-hearted world has felt it too. We might not be lighting ourselves on fire, but deep down inside, I think we understand Daniel Shaull's desperation and despair. Even if we did not know him, we know what it feels like to bear witness, day after day, to the intentionally inflicted pain and suffering of others, and to feel so mutely powerless to make it stop. We watch in horror as a never ending stream of animal victims is poured into the maw of human hatred and indifference. We cannot understand how humans can be so needlessly, thoughtlessly, cruel. And we cannot understand why their eyes cannot be opened to the pain and suffering they are causing. Sometimes, even our "friends" turn out to be the kind of people who either cause this suffering, or try to excuse it. God, it gets so frustrating after awhile... and it never ends.

If you care about animals in this human world, it's easy to feel like you are alone in a sea of inexplicable hatred. It isn't even just the people wielding the metal pipes in the slaughter houses, or the electrodes on the fur farms. It's not just the people with the guns and the deer heads tied to the front of their "rigs." It's not just the people shoving load after load after load of cats and dogs into gas chambers, or the people gouging baby mice out of their mothers' bellies in laboratories. It's not just the assholes offering "chicken chokin" classes, or the old men making money selling furs. It's also all the mind-numbingly cold people who build word monuments to themselves over it - defending it and justifying it and dismissing it. It's the overwhelming awareness of all the suffering in the world, and the strange ostracism of anyone who can see it, who tries to point it out.

This can be a cold, hard world for people of compassion for the animals. Even radicals often just don't get it.

It may actually turn out that Daniel Shaull suffered from mental illness. But in this world, I sometimes think mental illness and desperate acts might be the only sane response. - Cat

SOME are calling Gabriel Holt "a terrorist and a pervert," but the Reed College senior says he just wants to teach people about responsible eating.

Holt planned to lead a chicken-slaughtering class—and a subsequent barbecue—at his Eastmoreland home on Sunday, January 24. He sent out a campus-wide email promoting the event, with the title "Chokin' the Chicken."

Members of the Animal Defense League (ADL) were not amused. They publicized the event on the Portland Indymedia website, including the address of the off-campus house where Holt lives.

Somebody stole his chickens the night before the class. But they stole the wrong birds: Holt and his roommate also kept four egg-laying chickens, two of which had been rescued from a neglectful owner. For the slaughter, says Holt, he had arranged to get two old hens from a local free-range poultry farm. "The other option was for the farm to kill them," he says.

When he woke up on Sunday, Holt went out to feed his chickens and discovered the theft. He decided to cancel the class. Holt had already received some angry emails.

"One message said, 'Go kill yourself and eat your intestines,'" he recalls.

Matt Rossell of In Defense of Animals takes a more measured stance, but says that the issue of "which chickens were stolen" is not important. "Why do you consider some chickens beloved pets," he asks, "when you're prepared to slaughter 'spent hens' the next day?"

Rossell says he sent Holt an email when he heard about the class, asking if the participants "would have the skill, the training, and the ability to humanely kill the chickens." Holt never responded.

Chrissie Zaerpoor, co-owner of Kookoolan Farms in Yamhill, says it's possible the killing would have been humane: "There's very good instruction available in books or online. But the key to handling an animal humanely is deliberateness and care."

Rossell notes that many vegans and vegetarians think "humane killing" is an oxymoron. But it's not all black and white: Holt says he has many vegan friends.

"They were really disappointed with this whole thing," he says of the uproar about the class.
 

How to Win the Online Mcgraw Hill Business Strategy Game
A History of the Canadian Dominion, William McGillivray and the Canadian Clique
History of Russians in the Pacific Northwest
The Basics of Making Cheese
Lyman Beecher and the Second Great Awakening
Bus Schedules
The Tulsa Race Riots
An Inquisition Torture Session
History of Mathematics in India
Corvallis dogs and Jack London's Call of the Wild
Corvallis Serial Killers
Thomas Egarton Hogg and Corvallis
The Modoc Indian War in Oregon
The fur trade in the Northwest
Imprisonment of OSU students 1942
The History of Astoria and Washington Irving's Trip to Oregon

The children of the Willamette Chinese School will perform a series of traditional Chinese dances at 7:30 Sat. Feb 6th, at the Majestic Theater (tickets are online at http:www.majestic.org) to celebrate the school's 10th Anniversary as well as China's annual Spring Festival, also known as the (Lunar) New Year or the Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It consists of a period of celebrations, starting on New Year's Day, celebrated on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar, i.e. the day of the second new moon after the day on which the winter solstice occurs, unless there is an intercalary eleventh or twelfth month in the lead-up to the New Year—in such a case, the New Year falls on the day of the third new moon after the solstice. (The next time this occurs is in 2033.) The Chinese New Year period ends with the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the month. The children performing the dances presented on Feb. 6th are usually considered as the most talented and well- coached in the Northwest.

Dear Savage

One of the reasons given for the nomination of Pope John Paul II for sainthood is that he "whipped himself with a belt, even on vacation," according to a new book about the pope. If that's what it takes, why isn't David Carradine a saint? What is the link between Catholicism and sadomasochism? As a former seminarian, Dan, perhaps you can explain this.

-When Holiness Is Painful

First, I was in the preparatory seminary—a high school for boys considering the priesthood—not a full-blown seminary, WHIP. (I stopped considering the priesthood when it dawned on me that I could still wear dresses, fuck boys, and live in a big house filled with Catholic kitsch without becoming a priest.)

As for the link between Christianity and sadomasochism, well, considering the way Jesus died (whipped, verbally abused, crucified) and the gruesome deaths of so many early Christians at the hands of Romans, what other choice did Christians have but to view suffering as evidence of divine favor and personal virtue? But taking sexual gratification from the infliction of pain predates Christianity—go read your ancient Roman sex comedies—so you can't pin all the kinksters out there on the Catholics.

Speaking of whipped saviors: Mike Gerle was International Mr. Leather in 2007 and he's had it with the goody-two-shoeing of the gay BDSM scene. Guys entering leather-title contests today seem more interested in raising money for charity than they are in BDSM sex.

"This has got to stop," Gerle writes on Leatherati. "If for no other reason, it is driving the kinky men I want to hook up with out of the few spaces we have left. This is cock-blocking on an enormous scale."

My two cents: I think the demise of the anti-BDSM bigotry once so prevalent in the gay community and the advent of the internet have done more harm to the gay leather scene. Kinky guys don't have to sneak into leather bars and pray that their friends don't see them anymore; they can post personal ads at sites like Recon and GearFetish—and they do, in droves. And thanks to the destigmatization of kinks generally, and thanks to concepts like GGG (you're welcome, kinksters!), kinky gay guys don't have to limit themselves to other kinky gay guys. They can date guys they're into—vanilla or not—with a reasonable expectation that their kinks will be indulged.

Still, Toys for Tots drives and platitude-spouting leather-title contestants are contributing to the general lameness.

 
- Dan Savage

“One of these fine days the public is going to wakeup and will pay for
eggs, meat, vegetables, etc., according to how they were produced.”

-J.I. Rodale., 1942.

The recently published and expanded fourth edition of The Transition Document:
Toward a Biologically Resilient Agriculture (200 pages) by Harry MacCormack is
arguably his most important work in a long and winding career of poetry, politics,
farming, writing, and spiritual discovery. Originally published in 1988, this edition of the
book is the result of a major rewriting by MacCormack and includes a considerable
amount of new material and insights gathered in the 15 years since the third edition.
Along with fundamental discussions of soil biology, farming practices, nutrition, and
much of what he teaches in his workshops at Sunbow Farm, MacCormack narrates The
Transition Document like a progressive journal, commenting as he goes along about how
various ideas expressed in earlier editions of the book have changed, developed, or
proven out—making this work absolutely critical to understanding the steady evolution
of organic practices. Sixty-seven years after J.I. Rodale wrote the quote above, it is safe
to say the awakening is upon us.

Harry MacCormack came to Oregon in the late 1960’s. In 1972, he bought
Sunbow Farm outside Corvallis and entered into the adventure of raising a family on a
homestead farm. As a back-to-the-land farmer and natural-born activist, he immediately
focused his efforts on getting the chemicals out of farming, and in 1984 became a central
player in the creation of Oregon Tilth, one of the nation’s first organic farming advocacy
organizations. MacCormack became Tilth’s executive director in 1989 and later was the
director of research during a time when the Willamette Valley was the proving ground for
leading edge organic practices. And this, in a sense, is the tale within the tale that is new
to the fourth edition of The Transition Document. While primarily a handbook on organic
farming, MacCormack’s narrative provides an intimate view of the organic movement at
ground level—in the soil labs, brewing compost tea, helping put together the guidelines
for the Federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, and doing the fundamental work
of transitioning farming practices from conventional to organic.

This is where book’s title The Transition Document comes from. As MacCormack
writes in the introduction, “When we first conceived of transition the direction was clear.
We were speaking of a move from conventional or chemically-based agriculture to
organic or biologically-based agriculture. We were challenging the slogan that guided
post WWII society throughout the 50s and 60s: Better living through chemistry. What
was termed conventional agriculture was understood to be an aberration, a deviation from
customary, prescribed, or natural condition.” This book is about the long and difficult
process of reversing sixty years of chemical farming and transitioning not only tainted
land, but also long imbued ideas and practices as basic to farming as the moldboard plow.

The Transition Document begins by detailing the motivation for the transition.
What does it really mean to have a chemically-based agricultural system? What is the
long-term impact of two generations of Americans being raised on products tainted with
DDT or chlordane? Chapter two describes the process of transitioning the land. This
includes chemistry lessons and anecdotal stories about how long the chemical residues
are in the soil and how they can be absorbed and concentrated into the things grown in it.
Chapter three talks about the agricultural practices that can facilitate the transition.
Chapter by chapter, piece by piece, MacCormack thoroughly discusses tilling techniques,
crop rotations, green manures, weed management, and the soil itself—focusing on the
biology of the soil, the “herd,” as he refers to it, of microscopic living things—
microorganisms, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes—that form the soil foodweb
and are so critical to mineral absorption by the plant, the health of the plant, and
nutritional value of what it produces.

This last piece is an important new theme in the book. Increased awareness for
microbial populations and the soil foodweb represents a key advance in the philosophy of
organic farming during the last fifteen years and is emphasized by MacCormack, not only
throughout the book, but also by his change in the book’s subtitle. In the three previous
editions of The Transition Document, the subtitle was “toward an environmentally sound
agriculture.” The new subtitle, “toward a biologically resilient agriculture,” reflects this
elemental philosophy change, and as MacCormack puts it, encapsulates “where we were”
twenty years ago, and “where we are” now.

The book includes a chapter on genetics, genetic engineering, and what it means
to be patenting living systems. There is a view of organic farming through the lens of
modern physics, quantum mechanics, quantum waves, the biodynamic resonance of all
living things, and the deeper meaning of life itself. No clump of clay is left unturned.
This is as much a spiritual discourse as it is a handbook of practical applications. One
chapter is devoted to the value of using compost and compost tea. Another delves our
diet, the minerals and amino acids that are critical to optimizing nutrition and our health.

The book’s final chapter, “Toward a Local Agricultural at the End of the
Petroleum Age,” appraises the impact of peaking oil production on agriculture and
outlines a vision for our future—what will the rebuilt food system look like once the
transition has been completed and how it will contribute to food security and healthier
living in an age beyond cheap petroleum fuels and inputs.

In many ways, the expanded fourth edition of The Transition Document is a
compendium of modern organic practices. With an assortment of tables and charts,
articles and drawings compiled over twenty years, MacCormack describes the work of
soil scientists like Alan Kapuler, Elaine Ingam, Diana Tracy, Arden Anderson and many
others who have influenced his ideas and fueled the evolution of organic agricultural
science through the last twenty-one years.

No matter what one’s level of understanding, MacCormack’s The Transition
Document is a must read for anyone involved in or interested in organic farming or
anyone who simply wants to know what they are eating. This is an important book by a
long-time contributor to what might be the most crucial work of our time—the transition
from better living through chemistry to better living through natural processes.

To look at the table of contents and/or to purchase go to www.sunbowfarm.org. This book is available as an encrypted pdf for $19.95 or hard copy for $29.95. The hard copy is at the south coop also.

Cheri Clark and Harry MacCormack
Sunbow Farm- Certified Organic since 1984
Ionways Alkaline Water Ionizers Dealer
Shaklee Products Distributor
Institute of BioWisdom-Workshops/Consulting
6910 SW Plymouth Dr
Corvallis,Oregon 97333
541-929-5782
www.SunbowFarm.org
www.Ionways.com/sunbow
www.sunbowfarm.myshaklee.com

Hi, kids!  This week we are bringing THE YOUNG VICTORIA, with Emily Blunt; and the gorgeously restored Buster Keaton silent classic, THE GENERAL.

We are holding over Pedro Almodovar's BROKEN EMBRACES, with Penelope Cruz; the gorgeous, re-mastered METROPOLIS (1926) by Fritz Lang; Terry Gilliam's THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS featuring Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell; and of course--everyone's favorite Japanese film: DEPARTURES.
Sign the kids up now for the
2010 da Vinci Film Festival
YOUTH FILMMAKER WORKSHOP

On Thursday, Feb. 4 and Friday, Feb. 5 (509J no-school days) the YOUTH FILMMAKER WORKSHOP will offer classes to students ages 12 and up. In this two day hands-on workshop presented in collaboration with CCAT*, student filmmakers will learn the basics of filmmaking--from story through editing and everything in between.

February 4 & 5, 2010
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location: CCAT Classroom at CHS
Fee: $25

Students ages 12 and up can register. Class is limited to 25 students. To reserve a spot, email the organizers for course curriculum and registration form.

* CCAT is Channel 29, our very own Corvallis Community Access Television. They rock!

Coming soon: PRODIGAL SONS, THE WHITE RIBBON, THAT EVENING SUN
Click to jump to each section ...
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
THE GENERAL
BROKEN EMBRACES
METROPOLIS
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
DEPARTURES
OTHER STUFF: This essay is invisible
THE YOUNG VICTORIA -PG
Show times this week

In The Young Victoria, Emily Blunt (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA) delivers an incredibly compelling performance as Queen Victoria in the turbulent first years of her reign. Rupert Friend (PRIDE & PREJUDICE) portrays Prince Albert, the suitor who wins her heart and becomes her partner in one of history's greatest romances.

This love story, set amongst all the intrigue of the court, also features Paul Bettany (IRON MAN, THE DA VINCI CODE), Miranda Richardson (HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE), Jim Broadbent (THE DAMNED UNITED, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA), Thomas Kretschmann (VALKYRIE), and Mark Strong (SHERLOCK HOLMES, TRISTAN & ISOLDE).
Genre: Drama, Foreign
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Cast: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Mark Strong
THE GENERAL -G
Review by Paul Turner

Show times this week

THE GENERAL was filmed in Cottage Grove, Oregon over 80 years ago, where Buster Keaton took advantage of the local railroads to film one of the most renowned movie chases ever. By today's standards THE GENERAL might seem an unlikely film. I mean, how can there be a chase between two trains on the same tracks? Well, there is a reason this film is number 137 in the IMDB list of top 250 films of all time-and number 18 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Laughs."

Keaton uses his acrobatic agility to do his own stunts throughout the film. Today's closest comparison might be to Jackie Chan, who, at 56-years old continues to do his own stunts. Both Keaton and Chan are adept at comedic acrobatics and storytelling through movement.

But Buster Keaton did it first, and arguably better.

The story of the general is not too complicated, as this plagiarized synopsis shows:

The two things engineer Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) loves most in the world are his Southern belle sweetheart and his locomotive. When Northern spies steal the latter, the intrepid Confederate...The two things engineer Johnny Gray (Buster Keaton) loves most in the world are his Southern belle sweetheart and his locomotive. When Northern spies steal the latter, the intrepid Confederate single-handedly takes on the entire Union army in order to get it back. One of the greatest chases in movie history unfolds against a backdrop of magnificently photographed Civil War battle scenes. Set almost entirely aboard moving trains, Keaton's THE GENERAL is physical comedy refined to elegant perfection and widely considered to be the actor-director's greatest film.

Keaton, who began in vaudeville, knows how to bring the story to life with a look and a gesture. His sincerity and juvenile sweetness allows viewers to care about him immediately. He moves through his stunts without the "Look at me, Ma!" action that so many movies today use. In one iconic scene he crawls out onto the train's cowcatcher as the bad guys in front of him toss railroad ties onto the tracks. He grabs the first tie while teetering precariously on the front of the train, then tosses it at another tie on the tracks which bounces both ties out of the way of the moving train. He does this without playing to the camera.

We've all seen silent films rife with over-acting, exaggerated knuckle-biting, and flickering, jerky motion. That jerkiness comes from the inconsistent frame rates used in the old films. Today's movies run at a standard 24 frames per second all over the world. Back in the day of silent films, movies were shot at anywhere from 16 to 23 frames per second. This meant that unless they were played back at exactly the same frame rate as they were shot, the motion appeared jerky and exaggerated. In the restored version of THE GENERAL playing at the Darkside, the film is corrected for today's frame rates and the action moves smoothly, allowing easy suspension of disbelief, a requirement for enjoyable movie viewing.

When I tested THE GENERAL on our projector, I almost panicked when I saw the opening credits. They appeared to have colour! If they sent us the colourized version of the movie, heads will roll; leave that trash for the Philistines. Fortunately for the Philistines, this restoration uses the subtle sepia hue, chosen to match the way the original negative had aged. Projectionist Joey and I watched some of THE GENERAL between our pre-show duties. It was so engaging we had to remind ourselves to get in gear and get those doors open. We knew you'd like to see it, too.

THE GENERAL is rated G. No, really. The Darkside Cinema is playing a G-rated movie.

This film review is reprinted here with the kind permission of myself.

BROKEN EMBRACES -R
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A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he not only lost his sight, he also lost Lena, the love of his life. This man uses two names: Harry Caine, a playful pseudonym with which he signs his literary works, stories and scripts, and Mateo Blanco, his real name, with which he lives and signs the film he directs. After the accident, Mateo Blanco reduces himself to his pseudonym, Harry Caine. If he can't direct films he can only survive with the idea that Mateo Blanco died on Lanzarote with his beloved Lena. In the present day, Harry Caine lives thanks to the scripts he writes and to the help he gets from his faithful former production manager, Judit García, and from Diego, her son, his secretary, typist and guide. Since he decided to live and tell stories, Harry is an active, attractive blind man who has developed all his other senses in order to enjoy life, on a basis of irony and self-induced amnesia. He has erased from his biography any trace of his first identity, Mateo Blanco. One night Diego has an accident and Harry takes care of him (his mother, Judit, is out of Madrid and they decide not to tell her anything so as not to alarm her). During the first nights of his convalescence, Diego asks him about the time when he answered to the name of Mateo Blanco, after a moment of astonishment Harry can't refuse and he tells Diego what happened fourteen years before with the idea of entertaining him, just as a father tells his little child a story so that he'll fall asleep. The story of Mateo, Lena, Judit and Ernesto Martel is a story of "amour fou", dominated by fatality, jealousy, the abuse of power, treachery and a guilt complex. A moving and terrible story, the most expressive image of which is the photo of two lovers embracing, torn into a thousand pieces.
Genre: Drama, Foreign
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo, José Luis Gómez, Rubén Ochandiano, Tamar Novas
METROPOLIS
Review by John Ginn

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The first time I saw METROPOLIS was around 1974 at a retrospective theater. Chopped into pieces, subplots cut entirely, the film was a spectacle, but it made little sense. Yet even in that form, it was undeniable that it was some kind of masterpiece, especially considering it was made in 1927. The sets are astounding, and the "Machine Man" was, is, and always will be one of the most iconic images you will find in cinema. The special effects are still amazing even to this day of CGI madness. The art design is spectacular, and technically the film still remains an astonishing feat.

I've seen the film several times in the intervening years, with different edits and different music scores. There were a few good and earnest attempts at restoration among the group, but I never had a full appreciation for the film until I saw the restored version now showing at the Darkside. Digitally remastered, and containing all known existing footage, the film is now gorgeous, a visual delight in black and white. Digital restoration allows for all kinds of wonders. Gone are the muddy blacks and the blown-out highlights of previous versions I've seen. Hello, to shadow details and wonderful mid-tones restored to the lush art deco expressionism of Fritz Lang's original vision.

Though footage still is missing, the plot elements are restored through inter-title cards explaining what has been cut, and how the story was intended to fit together. Unlike previous versions, there are no more mystery characters--fugitives from banished subplots--popping in from time to time to make the viewer go, "Huh? Who was that?"

Also enhancing the experience is the film's original music score, making its first appearance since 1927, when it would have been performed live by an orchestra. It's a wonderful score, and days later, I can't get the soaring Metropolis leitmotif out of my head. How exciting to imagine seeing the film as part of the premiere audience: the conductor enters the pit and raises the baton... roll cinema!

In short, for the first time I was able to watch the film without having to try and figure out what was going on. It was the first time I could think about the film's themes and meanings, and place it in a deeper context. Just seven years after this film was made, a man named Hitler declared himself grand exalted poobah of Germany, and it's not hard to see certain precursors of this event in METROPOLIS. The story involves the struggle, or--in the terms of the movie--the miscommunication, between the drone hive of workers who live underground taking care of the machines, and Joh Fredrickson, the genius creator who designed the machines. Thanks to those machines, life for the citizens who live above ground is a virtual paradise, and Joh doesn't seem to have devoted much thought to the obvious disparity built into his plan.

The film's epigram reads THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN HEAD AND HANDS MUST BE THE HEART! The sentiment is repeated several times in the film, almost as if there is some kind of equality between the two parties. Once the two are reconciled, the film asserts, what human vision of greatness can not be achieved? Babel can arise at last! A tower to the very throne of God!

It's all very fine and flowery, but once Joh Frederickson's son, a clean-cut and throughly decent chap, goes through hell to mediate an impending revolution, it should escape no one's notice that once the mediation has been reached, one of the parties will be going back to their frolicking in the Gardens of the Sun, and that blessed party sure as hell ain't gonna be the hands party. They got work to do.

Deep

under

ground.

The writer of METROPOLIS was Lang's wife, Thea von Harbou, who later became an enthusiastic member of the Nazi party. Lang, for his part, joined the contingent of German film makers who found it best to flee to America. Talk about your irreconcilable differences. Watching the film, I was impressed by the curious infusion of touching humanity which is often at odds with its will-to-power sub theme. Half the film bemoans the fate of the workers while the other half seems to insist that the only thing wrong with them is that no one has bothered to explain the important role their menial labors fulfill.

Though its themes may seem dated, the film's (or von Harbou's) yearning for the rising of a fascistic paradise can also be seen as being as relevant as ever. For its boldness, design, audacity, effects, and visual splendor, METROPOLIS easily remains a must see experience for any true cinephile.


THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS -PG-13
Review by Paul Turner

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It was the opening night of THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS and our print of the movie was hung up in Portland. When it arrived we had about two hours to assemble it properly with all the reels attached head to tail and in the right order. That late arrival meant we didn't get a chance to screen the movie before the first show--which was well attended, to say the least. So we spun the platters, threw the switches, opened the dowser and hoped for the best, as two miles of 35mm film raced through the projector.

It came off perfectly.

However, it became evident that it wouldn't have been the end of the world if a couple of reels were in the wrong order. Terry Gilliam's films (BRAZIL, TIME BANDITS) seem a little less concerned with a linear story line than most. While THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS doesn't go all MOMENTO on your ass, it takes more than one tub of popcorn to figure out what the hell is going on. But there is a payoff.

The story is good. Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plumber) is the mind behind a sideshow wagon rolling around London. He is surrounded by the usual suspects--from the irascible small-person performer (Andrew Garfield) to the beguiling young daughter (Lily Cole). The good doctor is a little different from you and me, in that he is immortal. But he didn't get his immortality cheaply; his deal with the devil (Tom Waits; as Ebert wrote, "of course") involved handing over his ravishing daughter when she turns 16--which is due to happen in two days. Parnassus is also the amplifier/facilitator for your imagination as soon as you walk through the mirrored curtain on his stage. Those who enter take on a reality that will be very familiar to those who discovered better living through chemistry in the 60s. And Terry Gilliam, who has carved this cinematic landscape, renders it with amazing clarity.

If you've heard about THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, you probably know that Heath Ledger died during the making of the film. Rather than shutting the project down, they enlisted the help of like-aged actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. These actors enter and exit the story as the different personalities of the Ledger character with surprising success and ease.

The Lewis Carroll-like twists and turns of the story thread nicely with the imagery. And the imagery is what THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS is really about. Gilliam has always had the ability to move one idea into the next with psychedelic whimsy. If the story sags a little, very soon the screen explodes with mindscapes where the impossible lives and is often portrayed as one might imagine the love child of Maxfield Parrish, Salvador Dali, and Jimi Hendrix. As the viewer is transported through this climate of changing colours and impossibilities, the real world goes away--whether it is the real world of London or the real world of 4th Street, right outside the Darkside Cinema.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS is a very clever film. There is Monty Python humor (Gilliam's alma mater) and clever dialogue dropped about the film like rose petals-taking an extra half second to register in your mind because the rest of the film is so overwhelming. The bystanders enticed onto the stage of the Imaginarium are a joy to watch as they wander about the recesses of their own minds, taking direction from the good doctor himself or Satan. The old struggle of good and evil is played out more with imagination, rather than with computer graphics.

While I watched THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS on opening night--hoping to all that is holy that we got the reels in the right order--I also watched the audience. A lot of ooh-ing and ahh-ing came from all the demographics represented in the auditorium. In the middle of the movie the story seems to slow down a bit and there was a little fidgeting, but Gilliam finished with a splash of creativity and flamboyance. THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS is not a piece of over-recycled entertainment destined for the landfill of mediocrity. The film will leave the theater with you. Already we have had people back to see it again--many of whom had not been baptized previously in the waters of Terry Gilliam's mind. For them, this is like their first kiss or the first time they read Alice in Wonderland. It is not something soon forgotten.
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Jude Law
Film review reprinted here by kind permission of myself.


DEPARTURES --PG-13
(Subtitled Japanese)
Review by Paul Turner

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Most movie reviews I write for films playing at the Darkside are not written to sell the film. If we're playing it, once the lights go down and the projector rolls it usually sells itself. The object of these reviews is to convince you that you need to see it here-to motivate you into coming through our door, up to the counter, and into an auditorium. Oftentimes the motivators can be that the movie may never be on DVD, or that the film must be seen on a big screen and experienced with other people, or that you can rent 50 FIRST DATES anytime (God knows why) and it is time to get the heck outta the house and take a chance with something that features neither Adam Sandler or Drew Barrymore.

When it comes to the movie DEPARTURES, there is little chance this film will not be in a single-digit position on your list of the top 20 films of the year. This Japanese feature won the Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2008. This doesn't always mean it's a great film, but it presents a pretty solid indication that the film is worth a look.

Daigo is a young man whose life as a musician in the big city falls apart. He is forced to relocate to his dilapidated childhood home in the country. This is a big step down for him and his wife. Soon after they arrive in his hometown he begins pounding the streets looking for a job and finds himself accidentally working with the dead.

Daigo answers an ad for a job in "departures." Figuring it has to be in the travel industry, he applies and happily shows up for his first day of work. This is when he finds out he is helping with the ceremonial "encoffination" of the "departed" prior to cremation. We know what's coming: the first day on the job exposes Daigo to the most odious and odiferous aspects of the job. It's not too much of a surprise that he doesn't tell his wife what he really is doing. Daigo finds that the work-and his avuncular boss, Sasaki-grow on him. But when Daigo's wife Mika stumbles across what he's been doing to pay the bills, she isn't too keen on her husband being one who handles the dead for a living.

DEPARTURES lets you into a different world and reality through the story of Daigo, his wife, his boss, and his return to the community he was raised in. But the movie uses the beauty and pomp of the preparation for cremation to address wider issues about death. It does so without bludgeoning us with sappy sentimentality. Okay, maybe a little. Daigo has developed a deep understanding that the ceremonial dressing, washing, and honoring of the departed is more for the benefit of the living than the dead. The subtlety and ease with which they dress the dead without compromising modesty in the presence of the mourners seems like a magic trick-at the same time intones reverence for the mystery of death. There is flamboyance and grace in the way Daigo and his boss do what they do. It's a bit of a show for the loved ones, who see that the care and ritual afforded the shell of those passed is a way of celebrating the life that has ended. And the lives of those yet to depart.

The magic of DEPARTURES is how quickly the viewer becomes familiar with the culture and landscape of the story. One is drawn into that life and away from one's own, which is the gift of cinema done well.

DEPARTURES is subtitled Japanese and is rated PG-13.

Film review reprinted here by kind permission of myself.



As always, thanks for your continued support!

Lainie and Paul Turner


Darkside Cinema
215 SW 4th
Corvallis, OR 97333
darksidecinema.com
541·752·4161

Note: Corvallis officials are making a good faith effort to address issues raised on this log. Please be as specific as you can when filing a complaint. The interactive possibilities of "Web 2.0" are available now for citizens and public officials to track existing problems ranging from street repairs to law enforcement to library problems.  Use the map to drop a flag on the location of the problem and describe it. And you're done. Diligent public officials (yes, there are more than a few at the non- managerial level in this city) will be left to check the map on a regular basis, as do officials in Albany, Salem and Eugene, for their respective areas.  No matter how interested a public servant may be in serving you, he or she cannot be everywhere.

Week of February 2nd, 2010

BLOCK 15 RESTAURANT AND BREWERY
300 W JEFFERSON AVE (758-2077)
www.block15.com
Bourbon Month Returns to Block 15!
All 28 days of February celebrate the art of bourbon!
Bourbon Barrel aged Beer
We are releasing two, limited edition bourbon barrel aged beers; the much anticipated “Pappy’s Dark 2009″ specialty strong ale (10% alc/vol) and “Super Nebula 2009″ (11% alc/vol) Imperial Stout matured with cocoa nibs. Both brews were 100% aged in fresh emptied bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery. These amazing barrrels lend great character of vanilla, figs, tobacco, oak,and bourbon to the beer.
Rare bourbon list: We have worked hard to procure 10 rare bourbons only supplied in limited amounts to Oregon; Pappy Van Winkles 23 & 20 year, George T. Staggs Single Barrel, Hancocks Presidents Reserve, and Old Forester Birthday bourbon to name a few. Experience these bourbons neat, or mixed up in classic cocktails.
Bourbon Food Specials: Blue Cheese, Bacon, and bourbon Cheese Cake; Bourbon Street Shrimp Pasta;Hand Cut Painted Hills Sirloin marinated in bourbon’ and Bourbon Hazelnut Chocolate Torte.

BOMBS AWAY CAFE
2527 NW MONROE AVE (757-7221)
www.bombsawaycafe.com
Thursday, February 4th, 8:00, FREE
BrO’Shea
With doppelganger’s abound on Facebook, the real life pseudo-twins of Noah and Conner O’Shea take the stage for a second time as their two headed acoustic rock monster, BrO’Shea. Guest performances as well.
Friday, February 5th, 10:00, $5
Norman
Norman is a collective of musicians from throughout Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Formed initially as a solo act by Eric Nordby in 2004, Norman eventually became what it is today; a creative Northwest exploration in music, art, and culture. Norman is diverse in its influences. It’s a melting pot of sounds, ideas and styles. We’ll save the genre branding for you! The Corvallis Gazette Times described Norman’s sound in a review in 2007: “rock, pop, folk, alt-country, funk, and experimental flavors …create a singular sonic soup for you to sip at your leisure.”
Saturday, February 6th, $7
Belly Full of Bob: Bob Marley Birthday Celebration!
Belly Full of Bob was born out the love and admiration for the work of Bob Marley & Wailers. The band premiered in May of 2009 to packed houses with an overwhelmingly positive response. Whether you are an occasional Bob listener or grew up under the influence of the Wailers, you don’t want to miss an evening with Belly Full of Bob.
Its members include musicians from such NW bands as audiophilia, The Badfish Band, Stairway Denied, Jenna Summer Smith, and Moniker.


CALAPOOPIA BREWING CO.
140 HILL ST. ALBANY, OR
www.calapooiabrewing.com
Thursday, February 4th, 7:30
Rusty Hinges
Sounds like a creaky door blowing in the wind on a hot summer day
Friday, February 5th, 8:00 pm
Walk the Plank
Genre blurring jazz featuring The 2009 Alchemist Award Winner for Best Electric Performer Mark France. Walk the Plank is consider to be the most accomplished electric jazz/improv group in the city, in the eyes of many.
Saturday, February 6th, 8:00 pm
The Bush Pilots
The Bush Pilots are a bluegrass-style trio that plays their original songs and add a variety of interpretations of other tunes. Their unique style is difficult to place into a single category. Call it what you will, newgrass, jazzgrass, or bluegrass with a twist—no matter what you call it, Bush Pilots music will put a smile on your face and have you tapping your foot in no time! Carefully structured harmonies flow on top of interesting musical arrangements. The Bush Pilots’ up-tempo, driving repertoire is sprinkled with just enough soulful ballads to let you catch your breath before they launch into another wave of dynamic, energetic tunes.
Sunday, January 7th, 4:00
Blues Jam

CLOUD 9 & THE DOWNWARD DOG
126 & 130 SW 1ST St. (541-753-9900)
www.dinecloud9.com & www.drinkthedog.com
At Cloud 9
Wednesday, February 3rd, 9:00 pm
Improv Comedy Theater (www.infiniteimprov.org)
Now every FIRST WEDNESDAY!!! *The most hilarious game – Review of Improv at ArtCentric. “Ideas fly around the room as seven men and women burst into song and scamper in all directions, bouncing off verbal and non-verbal cues as if they somehow have access to each other’s thoughts. Meanwhile, captivated onlookers are rendered limp with laughter.”
Thursday, February 4th, 5:00 pm
CV Fundraiser
A dine-out fundraiser for Jackson Street Youth Shelter, Old Mill Center and Children’s Miracle Network. A percent of the evening’s sales will go directly towards these charities.
Friday, February 5th, 9:00 pm
Sideways Portal
Sideways Portal formed serendipitously in the Fall of 2007 after a series of chance encounters: a summer potluck, a broken down van, and conversations that ended with “okay, let’s get together!” What began as a series of jam sessions at Dave Storr’s (Drums/Percussion) Califas studio with Rob Birdwell (Trumpet/Flugelhorn), John Bliss (Guitar) and Page Hundemer (Bass), evolved into recording sessions and eventual live performances that showcased the group’s sound and approach to making music. Although no single style defines the Sideways Portal sound, improvisation, groove, intention, and forgiveness provide the foundation for each of the Portal’s spontaneous compositions. Active in the Corvallis, Oregon area (and beyond), Sideways Portal performs and records regularly, sharing their craft, creative process, and unique sound for all who choose to enter the Portal.
Friday, February 5th, 10:00 pm
Habitat Electro Lounge
HABITAT ELECTRO LOUNGE!!!!… Were making it easier to cut loose! Come enjoy some cool groovin’ beats with phenomenal drinks served up proper! You know you want to!! Join us every 1st Friday of the month at The Downward Dog!
Saturday, February 6th, 10:00 pm
Luck One and Diezel P
Portland emcees Luck-One and Diezel P. have decided to join forces once more for a live back-to-back showcase of their critically acclaimed skills on the 6th of Feb at Corvallis’s Cloud 9. Two emcees that stand out in their genre as hip-hop musicians with a positive message of empowerment, both Diezel and Luck released projects last year that have been met with praise by hip-hop enthusiasts across the board as is evidenced by the countless online write-ups and print media pieces that the two have accrued since the release of their prospective projects.
Luck-One’s debut project Beautiful Music was selected as editor’s picks on cdbaby.com. Receiving praise from literally all corners of the globe for rhyme schemes likened to “Nas in his illmatic heyday” (rapreviews.com).
While Diezel P.’s Write Now! has packed concert halls from Reno, NV to OSU as he headlined the ‘09 social justice concert.

CROWBAR
214 SW 2ND ST. (753-7373)
Behind the Downtown American Dream Pizza
www.adpizza.com


FIREWORKS
RESTAURANT AND BAR
On Hwy 99 in South Corvallis (754-6958)
www.SouthtownSounds.com
Friday, February 5, 7pm
Petunia, Americana Yodeler on Tour from Vancouver, BC
Petunia has been swingin’, swoonin’ and bringin’ ‘em into bars, churches, theatres, folk festivals and street corners for over ten years professionally. He has 6 CDs out with more due this winter. Recently touring in Europe, he also plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA last spring, with his band out of Vancouver, “The Vipers”. With his band, Petunia & the Vipers play a wide variety of musical styles that meld into ‘their own thing’, although they draw heavy influence from the rockabilly and western swing end of the spectrum. In fact, they play a majority of Rockabilly and Western Swing styled music in their shows. Mostly, crowds cry out for Petunia originals though. The band members themselves are mostly from Rockabilly/ Western Swing heritage. Visit the Petunia online at www.petuniamusic.com
Saturday, February 6, 7pm
The Nettles, Celtic “Folkadelic” String Band
The Nettles have played Irish and Oldtime music in the Willamette Valley for over a decade with tours from Seattle to South Carolina. The duo of Laura Brophy on fiddle and Kevin Johnsrude on guitar serve up a danceable “folkadelic” style of traditional music that is unique among traditional musicians. Visit the Nettles online at www.TheNettles.com
Sunday, February 7, 7pm
Gabriel Surley, Atmospheric Guitar & Vocals
Gabriel Surley is a singer, songwriter, and multi instrumentalist. His sound and songs come from a dedication to mastering his craft and portraying what it means to be human. He usually plays acoustic and gets compared to artist like David Grey and Jack Johnson. If you’re in the mood for a constant happy ending, then you had better stick with Jack. If you want the true counterpoint one feels in life during the triumphs and struggles, then look no further. Overcoming one’s obstacles is a thematic inspiration found in most of his work. Dinner reservations advised: call (541)754-6958. Visit Gabriel at www.MySpace.com/gabrielsurley
Monday, February 8, signups start at 8pm
Southtown Open Mic Talent Search, with Cash Prize for Top 3 Acts!
FireWorks hosts this weekly showcase of local talent – acoustic, vocals, percussion, blues, freestyle, spoken word, humorists – who knows what performance surprises the evening will hold? The show starts with a non-competitive Open Mic warmup round, then performers have a chance to compete in the Talent Search for the cash! All competing performers are asked to contribute $5 for the cash prize purse. Please note: Open Mic is 21+ after 10pm.

PEACOCK BAR AND GRILL
125 SW 2ND ST (754-8522)
www.myspace.com/peacockbargrill
SUNDAYS:
On the Main Floor: Karaoke with Sqwig-e-okie
On The Top: a day of rest
$5 All-U-Can-Eat Spaghetti dinner 6pm to Midnight
FREE POOL Sundays
MONDAYS:
On the Main Floor: Karaoke with Sqwig-e-okie
On The Top: DJ Mike
Monday Night Football: 2 MINUTE DRILL PROGRAM with 50 cent Tacos!
MARGARITA MONDAY Night on The Top
TUESDAYS:
On the Main Floor: Karaoke with Sqwig-e-okie
On The Top: DJ Big Cheese
$5 Any Burger, All Day, All Night!
TROPICAL TUESDAY Night on The Top
WEDNESDAYS:
On the Main Stage: JONNY DARK and THE WONDERTONES
On The Top: DJ Alex
WEEKEND ON WEDNESDAY Night on The Top
THURSDAYS:
On the Main Stage: Karaoke with Sqwig-e-okie
On The Top: DJ Mike
FRIDAYS:
On the Main Stage: Karaoke with Sqwig-e-okie
On The Top: DJ Alex
Prime Rib Dinner Special
SATURDAYS:
On the Main Stage: Make our space, your space
On The Top: DJ Big Cheese
 

One may provide many Bible verses showing eating meat is OK, while another may argue with equal verses that eating meat is not God’s instruction. How do we discern? Do we listen to our parents who have taught us life habits? Do we listen to our doctors who have more medical knowledge? Do we listen to reports which match with our belief? Maybe you have done all. Would you this time try a simple logic?

Regardless. countless life cases around you showing the direct link between most of the deadly diseases (stroke, heart diseases, cancers, obesity, etc ) with meat/diary consumption, and the very contrary disease rates among poor and rich courtiers which have little or much meat, you may still hold your doubts. Now let’s go back to a simple logic: “Will you as a meat eater feel disgusted smelling fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts? Will you as a vegetarian feel nausea smelling raw or barbecued meats? I have known many, who are vegetarian for long enough, feel unbearable, nausea or even vomit smelling raw or cooked meat. So what’s our nature?

Here is another simple logic: “Would a loving God instruct us to consume meat to get serious chronic diseases and suffer the rest of our life? If any parents know that the factory animals are feed with antibiotics, chemicals, hormones in every meal to prevent diseases, would any parents feed animal flesh to their kids to weaken their immune system and poison their pure bodies?

The answer is as simple as a kid’s logic.

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "Good Morning America" today, Bill Gates threw his support behind President Obama's economic policies, including his plan to levy a new tax on Wall Street banks.

Gates, who recently wrote on his Twitter account that "taxes on an industry are often bad," said that the bloated federal budget, which he called "very, very out of balance," necessitated bold government action, likely including tax increases:

"Without changes in taxes or entitlement policies, it won't get back into balance. Taxes are going to have to go up and entitlements are going to have to be moderated."
He said that while his views typically align with Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, the bank fee is a "rare case" in which his opinion diverged from that of his friend.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time I'll agree with Warren. He's a great guide for me. I think we see it differently."
Gates told Stephanopoulos that "everybody's frustrated by the pace of the recovery," but reiterated his expectation, detailed in his annual letter, that the economy will take "years of digging out." From Gates's letter:

Although the acute financial crisis is over, the economy is still weak, and the world will spend a lot of years undoing the damage, which includes lingering unemployment and huge government deficits and debts at record levels.

Good Morning to you!
Here's a quick update on an event this evening to manifest the preservation and purchase of Witham Oaks:
Witham Oaks is the approximately 90 acre property that sits between the southwest end of Circle Blvd. and Harrison Blvd. Once slated for development, the property is now headed for auction and has the potential to become a unique natural wild area within our city.

As a lead up to the Auction on Jan 29, Friends of Witham Oaks are hosting a thank you celebration for community on Jan 26 at Oddfellows Hall in Corvallis. There will be some music and a presentation about importance of open space.
Please join the Friends of Witham Oaks for a free community celebration on January 26, 2010 at the Odd Fellows Hall, 223 SW 2nd Street. The program features a talk on The Critical Necessity of Open Space by Chris Maser and music by Cassandra Robertson.
Doors open at 7; the program begins at 7:30. Come to learn about and show your support for preserving Witham Oaks as open space.

I hope to see you there!! Cassandra Robertson