Eug Pride 2016
Photos from Eugene/Springfield's 2016 Pride Festival
Parasol Queens staying cool on a sunny day, (from left) Mardee Hansen, Julie Weismann and Victoria Smithweiland. Continue reading
Year: 2016
A re-embracing of long-form journalism
• While we welcome the recent re-embracing of long-form journalism, we weren’t impressed by The Oregonian’s recent and massive “Firestorm” piece. Fire is a huge concern in Oregon, but The O put thousands of words into laying blame on how the Malheur National Forest attacked last year’s Canyon Complex fires on Oregon’s east side, accusing firefighters of being timid, rather than examining how climate change and a lack of fire let those fires get so big in the first place. Continue reading
All Hail the Melancholy Dane
Timothy McIntosh takes the lead in Cottage Theatre’s excellent production of Hamlet
As an accidental theater critic for the past 15 years or so, first in Seattle and now in Eugene, I’ve had the great good fortune to see Shakespeare performed in a variety of ways and in a variety of settings, professional and otherwise. Often upon the stage it’s just a poor player strutting and fretting, signifying very little, yet other times the work is divine beyond all reason. Continue reading
Spirit of the Law
How Much Does Standardized Testing Really Cost Us?
There is the letter of the law, then there’s the spirit. Rep. Lew Frederick, the Oregon House’s only African American legislator, was the guiding force behind two new Oregon laws: HB 2655 (the testing opt-out bill of rights) and HB 2713 (the testing cost audit bill). The spirit behind the two new laws is clear: To honestly examine the costs, both financial and otherwise, of the standardized testing that dominates Oregon education and to allow parents and students to make their own informed decisions about what kind of education is best for them. Continue reading
Choose Your Battle
No candidate will save you, but some votes are better than others
I’m not a fan of HRC. But I’m no Bernie-for-the-revolution person either. No election will bring us the revolution we need. Even electing Jill Stein or Sanders would do the same as electing the “Hope” and “Change” of Obama. The ball is still in our court. And Hillary Clinton is not the same as Trump. I much rather fight the Clinton administration than the Trump administration. Continue reading
Molding Mount Olympus
Bas-relief sculptor Mike Leckie
Mike Leckie was lugging an armful of his hand-cast sculptures of athlete Ashton Eaton up the stairs at the 2012 Olympic Trials at Hayward Field when someone from above offered him a hand. It was Eaton himself, the new world-champion decathlon runner. Oddly enough, Leckie was bringing the sculptures up the stairs as a gift to Eaton and his mother for the racer’s new 2012 world record. Continue reading
The Secrets of Successful Stoners
An interview with Weed author David Schmader
If renowned astrophysicist and admitted pot smoker Carl Sagan could toke up before expanding our grasp of the known universe, who’s to say you can’t lead a successful career while relishing the latest indica strain? Continue reading
Follow the Money
Unanswered questions hang in the air around Eugene's proposed pot sales tax
Contrary to Oregon’s generally retail-tax-free-and-proud lifestyle, Eugeneans pay sales tax on four common purchases: alcohol, tobacco, gasoline and pot. Since recreational pot sales went legit last year, Oregonians pay a whopping 25 percent state sales tax on recreational marijuana. Continue reading
Pickathon 2016
EW's favorite moments of the fest
Activist Alert 8-11-2016
• Teatro Mundo presents Secretly Famous: The works of Andrew Rodman for one last weekend 6 pm, Aug. 11 to 13 at Café Mundo in Newport. The show is free but donations can be made to support Rodman who survived pancreatic cancer in 2011 but is battling the disease again. Continue reading