Culture: Page 206

Hearth at the Crossroads

Celebrating community at Kesey Square with Yule Fire, Feast and Ritual

Culture

Yule fire is all about the hearth, Gwendolyn Iris says.  “It’s about taking care of each other during the hardest time of the year,” she explains. Iris hosted the first Yule Fire, Feast and Ritual event two years ago at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza. It all started with an Occupy Eugene party in 2013 that Iris and other activists brought down to the SLEEPS (Safe Legally Entitled Emergency Places to Sleep) camp based there at the time. It was a hit. Continue reading →

The Magic of Mythbusters

Chatting with Adam Savage about theater, making stuff and Star Wars

Culture
Adam Savage (left) and Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters

For more than a decade we’ve watched Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman blow things up in the name of science on their critically acclaimed TV series MythBusters, which will end next season. This weekend, audiences will have the chance to see these geeky heroes live onstage when “MythBusters: Jamie & Adam Unleashed” hits the Hult Center Dec. 12. EW caught up with Savage in the midst of his 32-city tour.   Continue reading →

Holidaze Wines

Drink

Traditionally, we use our December column to explore wine-related gifting for Christmas. This year, my wife — lovely Kat Chinn, a superb cook — asked, “Whatchagot for Kwanzaa and Hanukkah?” Ooops. She set off a firestorm of eye-opening research.   Kwanzaa Continue reading →

Local Soccer Fans Find A Home Base

The Echo Squadron Gathers at Doc’s Pad

Sports
The Echo Squadron Gathers at Doc’s Pad to cheer the Timbers on. Photo credit: Killian Doherty.

Despite much wishful thinking since the U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup, soccer fans remain marginalized in this country. Soccer rarely receives the attention and accommodation given to the three (or four) hegemonic sports in the U.S. — American football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey (what Andrei Markovits and Steven Hellerman refer to as the “big three and one-half”). Continue reading →

It’s About Time – December 2015

About Time

Early morning sun comes through a south window these days, blinding me when I read the paper. In summer the blinding morning sun shines through a window about ten feet north. The two windows create a seasonal sundial. Sunny mornings are pretty scarce this time of the year, even when days end up sunny. By sunset the the air is filled with moisture. Cool nights and a chilly dawn turns moist air into dense fog in the valley floor. Only after the sun warms the fog banks late in the morning does a sunny day show its predicted blue skies. Continue reading →

Holidaze Wines

Drink

Traditionally, we use our December column to explore wine-related gifting for Christmas. This year, my wife — lovely Kat Chinn, a superb cook — asked, “Whatchagot for Kwanzaa and Hanukkah?” Ooops. She set off a firestorm of eye-opening research:    Kwanzaa Continue reading →

Gift Guide

Local gift ideas for everyone on your list

Culture

What’s this? Twinkly lights wrapped around trees? Christmas songs in stores? People with an inherent lack of holiday cheer raging about red coffee cups? We must be nearing December!  It’s a time of rampant commercialism, but don’t fear — by buying local, you can find one-of-a-kind gifts for loved ones while also making a contribution to Lane County’s economy. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite gift ideas for all the eclectic characters in your life. Dive in and see what’s out there.     Continue reading →