Beginning today, DreamWorks Pictures is offering the original documentary Rain of Madness for download exclusively on the iTunes Store. Rain of Madness, starring Jay Baruchel, Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Robert Downey Jr., Bill Hader, Nick Nolte and Ben Stiller, is a companion piece to the hit comedy Tropic Thunder, which debuted in theaters nationwide on August 13, and serves as a documentary of...

For those of you, who like me, are Dennis Kucinich supporters, here is his outstanding speech at the Democratic Convention on Tuesday. Via YouTube courtesy of CSPAN,...

Three Bizarre Beaches of the Oregon Coast: "(Oregon Coast) – One cloisters Oregon's strangest and most clandestine tourist attraction: the year-round 'ghost forest.' The other two sit almost completely hidden from everyone except serious beachgoers: one with its wild, dangerous cliffs and strange fauna; the other barren of people almost all the time. They all hover in and around Lincoln City,...

Little Johnny watched his daddy's car pass by the school playground and go into the woods. Curious, he followed the car and saw Daddy and Aunt Jane in a passionate embrace. Little Johnny found this so exciting that he could hardly contain himself as he ran home and started to tell his mother. "Mommy, I was at the playground and I saw Daddy's car go into the woods with Aunt Jane. I went back to...

When I show homes, I lock the front door behind me. I do it because early in my real estate career, the door opened up a couple of times only to have a stranger or two walk into the house. The couple of times it happened, it was just a neighbor wanting to get a look at the home. Just a neighbor. Just a problem, the way I see it. Fortunately, they didn't mean any harm, but I didn't like the...

Now and then I think back to an old song, a not-quite-as-old television commercial, and a little league baseball "career" that happened years before. In each of our lives there's that song, that toy, that event, or what have you - Something from our past that somehow pulls us back, and returns our minds directly into a piece of our past that has some real meaning. For me, one of those timeless...

There are currently 11 golf course homes listed for sale in the gated community of Awbrey Glen in Bend Oregon. The least expensive home is listed for $660,000 and over looks the 11th green. The most expensive home on the Awbrey Glen golf course is truly a luxury home. It's a single level home with 3,672 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and triple garage. There are views of the 3rd fairway...

I shot a group photo of a local law firm that will end up in Forbes Magazine. I didn't want to take a boring group photo, so I was able to talk them into meeting me down at the Eastbank Esplanade to shoot against the city instead of in their office on SE Burnside. I wasn't sure it was going to work out, when I talked with them a couple of days ago it didn't sound like it was going to work, but...

The reason my title is "Concert!" is because that's really the only noteworthy thing that happened. I went and saw "Weird" Al Yankovich last night, and it was the most awesome concert I've ever been to. I took Fluffy along, and he loved it too. It was really fun, and he interacted with the crowd in a way not many people can do. He changed his costume for pretty much every song and so did the rest...

I have been watching the DNC convention for the past couple days. Basically, the speeches have been really good, really surprisingly forceful. I loved that we saw Ted Kennedy, with his hair half shorn, looking like a lion in winter. I love the very flattering, very glamourous over view of Michelle Obama. And it was far too cute with the Obama children! But I think the most spellbinding speech so...

Records fell this weekend at the 2008 Hood to Coast relay race, as W+K’s Michael Bolton Running Club completed the 197-mile road race in a blistering 27:17:53. The time was a best-ever for the Bolton team and good enough to place them 16th out of 88 teams in the corporate division, one spot ahead of their archrival Nike Advertising team. The Michael Bolton Award award goes to Scott Cromer...

Sometimes I have to tell myself to get over myself already. How can one person possibly be so hard on themselves? How can one person be so constantly negative and self-assured at the exact same moment? Ugh. Someone recently told me that they believe I have low self-esteem. I instantly balked. I got defensive. I put up façades and stacked the walls so high even I couldn't see...

Here's a great, new Obama ad to enjoy while we're waiting for the speeches and for more news from BlueOregon contributors in Denver. I'm sure James Taylor is proud...

I sort of breached the topic of a mid-valley regional economy the other day, spreading the word about a story I'm piecing together to get a few things out on the table about it. I have no illusions that the piece will answer any of the questions that get raised by this (what kind of business/industry will we attract? Where will they live? How can we cooperate when we're so different?)...

For years, Airborne Health touted Airborne as a cold prevention remedy. This Washington Post article reports on the Federal Trade Commission's settlement of false advertising claims against the manufacturer. According to the story, the company agreed to refunds of up to $30 million dollars settlement to dispose of the false advertising claims. Bad enough that Airborne...

With the Democratic National Convention going full steam ahead there is great interest in what the Clinton's will or will not do in throwing their support to Barack Obama. Think for a moment, Bill Clinton has been the darling of Politics and more precisely Democratic Politics for more than 16 years. Why would he want to so easily turn over the reigns of power to the upstart Barack Obama.By the...

A dashboard-baked pizza. An interesting snapshot I captured with my cell phone camera during the trip to the grocery store today: a pizza baking on a car's dashboard. At least it was not a pot of water....

I am having precious little time to make it to pubs, but I have been shuttled nightly to various bars where parties are being held. The last two nights, I was at a jazz club one night and a kind of chic upscale place the other night. These are roughly equivalent to places you'd find in the pearl. I wouldn't expect them to have a good or large beer selection, but I'd be shocked if I didn't see a...

Former Trail Blazer Kevin Duckworth died last night in Lincoln City at the age of 44. RIP.

I have only one personal Kevin Duckworth story. It was the heyday of the Drexler Blazers, and I sat at the next table from Duck at a fancy Sunday brunch -- I believe it was in the restaurant at the then-still-pretty-new Riverplace Alexis Hotel. The guy was huge. He was there with a young gal of about the same age, whom he absolutely dwarfed. In those days, I ate and drank all I could at any...

UPDATE: Townhall dot com is currently running a poll on John McCain's potential running mate, here. So we decided to run one much like theirs. You can go to the side bar and vote. Ken over at...

New day, new details about Q Center's dollar-raising garage sale held at Just Out headquarters. When you donate to Q's garage sale, leave your name and best contact information. After the sale, Q Center will contact you, help you estimate the value of your donation and give you a receipt. Q Center’s “Buy Us a Garage” sale...

Images from www.thatisgadgets.blogspot .com.

Former Blazer Kevin Duckworth passes away at the age of 44.

We blogged recently about the City of Portland's call for bids to sell the city a variety of promotional items -- all manner of swag, from t-shirts to coffee mugs to umbrellas to bookmarks that turn into plant starts to esoteric mountain climbing gear. Why fix the streets when you can give away cool city stuff? As it turns out, the bid process by which a vendor of such junk will be selected...

I was walking home last night, about 8:45pm, when I noticed the obnoxious helicopters. The occasional passing helicopter isn't remarkable, but these seemed to be on joyrides, as they swooped low over and around downtown. And they sounded like lawn mowers. Huge, mosquito-like, helicopters. And it went on for hours. You'd think we were in Denver, or something. The Oregonian is reporting that...

A few months ago I found that I was way too involved in politics. One day I realized that I was simply a Monday Morning Quarterback just like all the other opinionated hacks out there. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and they usually stink. It seems that people with all the bright ideas are too lazy to do anything more than offer lip service while many of the people that are...

"The men in black, their lips are sealed..." It took a while, but I finally got the lowdown on those scary black helicopters buzzing downtown last night. I started hearing them a little after six PM. I was chained to work and couldn't see over the buildings, but every few minutes something would zoom over. I stepped outside just as a chopper passed overhead. Someone said it was a Blackhawk....

What a weird night to be in Portland. Sometime shortly after 6 PM, small helicopters started swooping through downtown, and they were flying very low. Here's a shot of the construction crane for Ladd Tower, an apartment highrise going up in the South Park Blocks. The building is going to be 23 stories tall, and this shot clearly shows the helicopter at a height lower than that. A few more...

This was originally reported last month, but Bend is getting a new television affiliate-slash-station(?) for CBS soon: KBNZ. I believe it will replace KOIN on channel 13 on Bend Broadband with channel 6 for the local channel. KBNZ-LP, a low-power station being launched soon by New Vision Television in Bend, Ore., will be the CBS affiliate in the 192nd-largest TV market in the country. New...

There have been rampant rumors on the net about new iPod nanos, a less expensive iPod touch, and iTunes 8. The Apple Event is scheduled on September 9th. September is the traditional month for an iPod refresh. There has been discussion about a "stick" nano and it appears the new design is increasingly likely. MacRumors recently posted images of redesigned nano cases from obscure Chinese web...

Thanks to a comment from Dvorah-gee! on my "Hey, God, shut up! No more conversations" post, I've been able to enjoy a music video made by disciples of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (not the musician). It made me smile. And I appreciated the message. Shut up! indeed is a fine response…to ourselves, when our minds chatter away unnecessarily about ridiculous bullshit. Be happy. Love. Hard to argue with...

I got a call this evening, but didn't get to the phone in time, and no message was left. I was sure it was the woman who is interested in Sunny, the orange tabby Vanman Kitten Yard Kitten. I did last call return and got the number. I called the number back, expecting it to be the woman wanting to adopt the rescued kitten. It wasn't. It was the Obama campaign. I was thrown totally...

I remember a time in my life where I'd have month after month with no plans. Every weekend was free, and I could do whatever I wanted (as long as it included staying at home and sitting in front of the TV or computer). But as I've progressed into the exciting (and expensive) realm of adulthood, I've found my free weekends becoming more and more scarce. In June, I actually had to break out...

On August 2nd I wrote about the surprising sales of Kindle. I didn't know there would be a Kindle in my future so quickly. Today, I found out that if I open a Amazon Chase credit card and purchase a Kindle with it, I can get $100 off! I did and a Kindle is on the way to my house. Yippee!!! Just this year I have spent more than $83 on shipping and handling. That's another bit I'll save for...

As I roamed downtown today at lunchtime, I spotted balloons and banners. Surveying the scene, I immediately realized that a new restaurant, Daphne's Greek Cafe had recently opened. I'm observant like that. Being the dedicated public servant that I am, I knew that I had to try their food and give you a first-hand report. I'm willing to make that sacrifice for you, our dedicated readers. The place...

I usually try to keep my blogging Oregon-centric..but this one really chaps me: Hallmark Store refuses to carry company's own wedding cards NAMPA - A manager says seven Hallmark greeting card stores in the Treasure Valley will not carry the company's new same-sex marriage cards. Cassi Jacobsen, an assistant manager for the Jordan's Hallmark store in Nampa's Karcher Mall, says the family that...

I do most of the grocery shopping for the family, so like everyone else, I've been wide-eyed at the steep increase in food prices. I've heard a lot about rising fuel prices, credit crunches, and inflation as part of the talking heads' various explanations for the whys of it all. I almost missed this piece on...

Ran the Hood to Coast relay race this weekend. It's a 197 mile relay with 12 person teams and each person does three legs. I was in van 2 this year and had leg eight. Started out by Sandy running towards Boring by some nurseries. I started good and passed some very cute girls and tried to keep a constant pace with some small rollers and only 4.55 miles. Came in with a low 8's pace. Then to Saint...

Here's an interesting service to help you see what's been going down in any given neck of the woods.

"A Celebration of The Perfect Portrait". Words cannot describe.

Mio SushiMio Sushi is setting a new standard for Bend Oregon Restaurants. I have not been this excited about a restaurant opening since Don Don took over the spot where blue fish used to be downtown. We were excited to try a new sushi restaurant as we only have a couple of options here and none are affordable. Japanese restaurants like deep, Sumi’s, and Kanpai need to pay particular attention...

1726. (via The Fire Wire) A designer will be asked from time to time to design a "business system", by which we usually mean a coordinated system of stationery ... envelope, letterhead, and business card. Doing this is fun. Not only do you figure out how to implement a logo and identity into a presentation, but unify it across various pieces. The opportunities I've had to do this (not nearly...

When my cell phone rings, I’m used to seeing phone numbers on my caller I.D. that I don’t recognize. It could be a real estate agent asking a question about a listing, a new buyer, a lender, anybody really. So I wasn’t surprised when the voice on the other line identified himself as a Portland real estate agent. I was, however, surprised to find out why he was calling me. Turns...

I made brief mention of the Oregonian story on Sterling Bank foreclosing on 15 Buena Vista Custom Home's properties. Buena Vista is not alone. A quick search on RealtryTrac on our TurnerRealtors.com website shows that there are 571 homes listed as foreclosures (it isn't possible to get an accurate count from RMLS as "Third Party Approval" includes foreclosures, short sales, some relocation...

Ive been tagged by my friend Melinda at Eager Eyes of Blue for this meme. I am suppose to write about six quirky things I do. Yes, I'm doing a meme. I must be getting soft in my old age! I'm not sure why I'm doing this one because I don't even have one thing quirky about me. Ahem, I'm sure you could ask my friends about me and they would be able to rattle off six things in a big hurry but I don't...

Brother Joel just sent this to me and I thought it was kinda funny. Anyhow, since Justin is still recovering from the Hood to Coast, this is what you get: I am going to put this on craigslist think it will sell!!!!!!! Autographed version of the bible - $1,000,000 I have a near-mint copy of the Bible, signed by the Big J.C. himself. According to Amazon, this is one of the better selling books of...

I found this article in the newest Adbusters on "hipsters," quite interesting. It is a bit scathing, but then again most articles in Adbusters are. The author makes some pretty cogent points -- whether they apply to "hipsters" or not could be debated, but they're cogent nonetheless. In most cases, use of the term "hipster" is meant as a put-down. But then again -- the folks who do this the...

Look what's starting up Thursday evening.

Another Google Maps post. I know, I know...enough already. Still... Here's a dandy from Google's Street View. Imagine you're the driver of the GoogleMobile, happily snapping your panoramic pix by the gigabyte, and you come upon this (double-click on the image to zoom in): View Larger Map Sadly, the closeup of this house in Arkansas is no longer available on Street View (try 'driving' up the...