The Alchemist Weekly by Cindy Dauer

Recycle this publication before more babies eat it.

VOLUME 3 NUMBER 134:3• JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

SYMPOSIUM symposium Recycling Your Ideas— And calling them mine.

VOLUME 3 NUMBER 134:3• JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

CONTENT S Opi n i on s a n d Editor ia ls , b e t h e y ours or yours , t h i s i s wh e re th e y be.

4 Pollution Evolution

P EOPL E

You ta lk— we w r ite.

Carbon Crusaders

SC OOP

Ne ws is re la tive d on't you th in k?

Ne w s H as h

W ORD

Editorial

Editor Stanley Tollett Staff Writers Courtney Clenney, Noah Stroup, Stanley Tollett Bump Editor Noah Stroup Contributors Cindy Dauer, Dirtstir, Tim Hellman, Joel Rea, Jodi Wegner

Art

Art Director Courtney Clenney Cover Photo by Noah Stroup Contributing Photographers Courtney Clenney, Cindy Dauer, Kris Leifur, Noah Stroup

Advertising

Account Executive Noah Stroup

Business

Publisher Noah Stroup The Alchemist Weekly is published by: CorvAlcheMedia LLC PO Box 1591 Corvallis, OR 97339

J o u r n a l i st s c a l l th e m f e a ture s; we say it's th e word.

Out of the landfill

V ERDIC T

We ' l l b e t h e judge. You be th e jur y...you tr us t us r ig h t?

Inception

LITERATI

Am a t e u r p ro se, poetr y and fi c t i on st i l l h a s a h om e.

12 13 14 2

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Rinse then Spin Cro s s wo rd

B U MP

I t ' s t h e c alendar of al l t h i n g s A l b a ny, Cor v a l lis , L e b a n on , a nd P h ilom a th .

voice

VOIC E

Alchemist Mission

As a publication, our goal is to facilitate greater understanding and appreciation for the diverse social and cultural groups found in the area. In doing so, we hope to create a greater sense of community between Oregon State University and Corvallis, between Albany and Corvallis, and between Philomath, Lebanon and Corvallis-Albany. The Alchemist recognizes the various interests of these groups and is dedicated to being as fluid as the community it serves.

The Alchemist is available to you for free. Please limit yourself to one copy. If your picture is in it, you are welcome to take enough copies for your family. Subject to availability, back issues can be purchased by mail for $5. Send your request with specific issue date to PO Box 1591, Corvallis, OR 97339 and include a check or money order payable to The Alchemist.

JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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You may have heard the phrase, “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.” Don’t get confused, this statement is not supposed to advocate the theft of someone’s work. It’s merely an attempt to acknowledge what most of us may already know. Intention is what divides the greats from the rest of us. Stealing is an intentional act. You don’t accidentally steal something. However, you can accidentally borrow. Somewhere, buried deep in your subconscious, is your life. Everything you’ve seen and heard has made an impression on your mind. The events of our lives shape our decisions and our abilities, and sometimes, without provocation, these memories boil to the surface. The best way to describe the phenomenon is to equate it to a dream. When you’re asleep your mind is on autopilot and rarely are you able to control your dreams. People and events from your past are liable to show up at anytime. Maybe you hear a song and think it’s the greatest thing you’ve ever heard. You wake up, keep humming it all the way to your guitar. In 15 minutes, you’ve figured out the chords and have it written down, so you won’t forget. “This song is going to make me famous!” you exclaim. Later that day, while digging through your massive 300 GB iTunes collection, you come across a band that you haven’t listened to in 10 years. In fact, you’ve actually listened to the album only once. You think they had a couple radio hits, but you’re not sure, so you listen through the album again. Then, there it is. Track 6. It’s your song! Well, the chords aren’t the same, but the melody is definitely right there. “Bollocks,” you think. It is in this moment that one can decide, “Am I borrowing that melody or am I stealing it?” To borrow it would mean that you just rationalize that it’s a complete coincidence and move on with your song without a second thought. On the other hand, if you want to steal it, you must acknowledge that you know exactly where that melody came from and you decide to use it anyway. In fact, you intend to use it because you think you can make it better than the original. Intention is the difference between borrowing and stealing. A great artist is in tune with her influences. A great artist acknowledges that her life is based on experiences that involve the work of other people. Show me a piece of knowledge that didn’t require the work of someone else, or information that wasn’t based on the already existing environment. A great artist will recognize that the possibility for inspiration is all around him and then seize any glimmer of it. Art doesn’t have to be about who came up with which idea first. It can be geared towards a collective effort to inspire creativity. What greater complement could their be than to hear someone say, “I love your work so much that it inspired me to become the artist I am today.” Think about it! –Noah Stroup think@thealchemistweekly.com

THE ALCHEMIST

The Alchemist welcomes freelance submissions. Send material to our Editor. Manuscripts will be returned if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. YOUR VOICE: letters@thealchemistweekly.com YOUR SCOOPS: news@thealchemistweekly.com YOUR WORDS: submissions@thealchemistweekly.com CONTACT US: 541.760.9207 editor@thealchemistweekly.com calendar@thealchemistweekly.com ads@thealchemistweekly.com

Habsburg Arise!

D I Rstir T

OK, so Spain has symbolically regained face after defeating the rebellious(1580’s AD) Netherlands. While I had commented on the Austrian and Spanish branches of the Habsburg family, I didn’t mention the house Habsburg originated in Switzerland. What do you know about Swiss history? Ever watch “The Tick”? More next week!

C O RVAvanities LLIS

Media Skills

And from the 6 o’clock national news, I learn that skimmers in the Gulf of Mexico aren’t “...capturing the propensity of the oil.” Propensity means, inclination or preference. The newscast commented on the well head being 7” in diameter and three miles below the surface. It’s at about a mile below the surface. Did you know BP doctored photos of all aspects of the spill? Do you wonder what happens to all the oil being “skimmed”?

Pretty Slick!

The 200,000,000 gallons of oil that have spilled is only about 2/10,000th’s of a cubic mile. The spill is comparable to one square mile of oil about one foot thick. Compare the spill to the approximately one billion gallons that end up in the water every year from all other sources (spills, industry, auto leaks, etc.). What’s the big deal? From TPM, an online muckracker—ironic and punny considering the topic—I learn oil maintains a black sheen, not that tasty looking rainbow sheen found in mud puddles on an asphalt parking lot, at a thickness of 0.1mm. That means the oil spilled, if spread out, will cover over 3,000 square miles. With 12,000 miles of coastline (including AK and HI), that’s a band of oil, black sheen oil, about 1,200 feet wide all the way around.

J.T. Ready or Not

Calling his group “border guards”, and other monikers, a bigoted, ex-Marine (court marshalled and out within a year), is leading patrols in border areas on public land. Border authorities say this will increase stress on their services, with having to potentially rescue these citizen patrols. It has already increased stress on the services by calling Border Patrol to pick up the illegals they have stopped, and to retrieve a desiccated body. The increase of this type of vigilantism evidences citizen’s frustrations and the lack of control Border Patrol actually has on the border. I don’t know. Shouldn’t people have the right to enforce the laws they themselves are obliged to follow, when the assigned enforcers aren’t getting the job done? Whatever happened to the concept of citizen’s arrest?

LEADERSHIPCORVALLIS.COM

Formed in 1992 to identify the “best and brightest” citizens, this program offers a ten month (one full day/month) overview of the community, hoping to develop skills that will allow the attendants to “provide leadership in the community”. I want to do this. Really. And, it costs $550. Partial scholarships are available. Must work to overcome my initial response that charging money will dramatically narrow the potential leaders. And, the notion that the program knows that and wants the kind of “leaders” that will drop a month’s rent for this opportunity.

Bawk Baaawk!

I love this advertisement, “Do You Have ADHD? Find out about an ADHD medication available for adults. Get the facts. ADHDTreatmentforAdults.com”. Well of course you do! “Get the facts!” Ever find yourself thinking about more than one thing at a time? Doing more than one thing at a time? Running around like a chicken with its head cut off? Please help us continue the evolution to mindless consumers under greatly constrained parameters of acceptable behavior and thought. Never mind the fox and weasel. Now get back in the coop. –CTJ dirtstirreply@gmail.com

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The thoughts, views, and opinions expressed in Voice are of their authors and do not necessarily represent the thoughts, views or opinions of CorvAlcheMedia, LLC.

THE ALCHEMIST

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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Evolution of pollution

Polluting the environment is human nature. A large portion of this issue is devoted to sustainability, what the community is doing to strive for a greener city and what you can do to help. However, The Alchemist would be remiss to ignore a part of the country that does not share the same green goals. You will see on the very next page I authored a profile about a young lady doing wonderful things for the green movement. But, personally, the following were my first thoughts when I pondered the movement, and it would be disingenuous to claim otherwise. When I really think about it, I can’t tell the difference in my environment before and after I became aware of something loosely described as the environmental movement. I remember watching an Earth Day video in fourth grade. I remember cleaning highway ditches for a voluntary community service project. But, I cannot sense or feel a definitive change. I have heard stories and seen pictures of the smog in L.A. and places in China pre and post legislation and, there is a change. But, the air I breathe, in the places I have lived, is no more or less sweet and clean. The water I drink from the tap still has that unique taste. The hot summer days still make me whine, unless I am near water. The only tangible evidence I can see of any real change is the ubiquitous presence of multiple plastic bins where waste is separated into paper/ plastic and other waste. I may be cynical and even apathetic but, what exactly is the point? Are the efforts put forth by various groups actually making an impact? Are they turning the tide away from planetary doom, or even ebbing the waves of erosion? I would like to say that I would suffer any inconvenience, pay any price, make any change to save earth from the human species. But, I cannot refuse to accept the reality that I most likely would not. Furthermore, I am not convinced even, the pious down nose looker doing everything humanly possible to erase their carbon footprint would either. According to Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael, we are “takers.” We consume all resources with abandon. We are not “leavers”—the indigenous peoples all over the world who lived and live in symbiosis with their environment. Despite changing every aspect of my polluting life to erase my carbon footprint and even help erasing some of yours, there would still be entire countries that likely will not. Can my insignificant change alter the course of human desecration of the planet? Yes, I am aware if everyone adopted that attitude no progress would be made. I will conceed that. Is it American hubris to believe we can turn the tide of destruction in the world after having set such a negative example for the last century? The real question is, what are we afraid of? The death of our planet? The sun-scorched and garbage laden ecosystem that our future generations might inherit? Perhaps it isn’t the garbage and the carbon emissions that are the problem, perhaps it is the human species. Is this not our destiny? As a species we pollute and destroy our environment almost as a rule. But, as we were placed here by God, evolution, aliens or a combination of all three, are we not merely acting out our nature on nature? If we do these things inherently, then it may be that polluting the earth is as natural and right for us to do as it is for beavers to build a dam. If this is true, then we were always going to ruin our planet. An American individual with the financial resources and the knowledge/desire to reduce their carbon footprint is like throwing a deck chair off the Titanic. If it makes you happier as an individual to turn the water off while you brush your teeth or remove plugs to prevent vampire power drain, then do it. I am not advocating the cessation of environmentally sound activities. I am merely questioning the motivations and expectations of them. I think of the water fowl near the Gulf of Mexico that are being cleaned meticulously of the oil that soaked their feathers only to be shot a few weeks later when hunting season opens. Saturday, July 24th, 9:00 pm The cleaning will most certainly provide for a much nicer stuffed bird for someone’s den. So, ALE-chemist Challenge Release Partyyou are save your world,The our world, their world inBrew whatever way you see fit—but remember, with the Turntable Enabler only human. –Stanley Tollett editor@thealchemistweekly.com

UP ON ON THE ROOF

Thurs. July 29th. 6 pm Sam Holmes Acoustic

Sat. July 31st. 6pm Creed

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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THE ALCHEMIST

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Carbon Crusaders Students strive for sustainability.

o you feel guilty about the next generation inheriting a polluted, energy starved planet? Worry not, they’ve already begun

people

taking charge of their own destiny. Ellen Fugate, 20, an environmental studies major from Denison University in Ohio, is in Corvallis for the summer. She, along with three fellow volunteers from across the country, have decided to spend their summer break in the furtherance of a greener planet. As part of a national organization, Summer of Solutions, Fugate is going door to door with her colleagues in the Job’s Addition neighborhood, asking people if they would like to implement four out of a possible 70 energy reducing actions to lower their carbon footprint. It is called the Community Carbon Challenge and it’s aim is to reduce energy use at the community level. “We were all really interested in making a difference this summer and we were all really interested in community based solutions,” Fugate said. “We hear a lot about the environmental issues in the world and all the probtanley ollett lems and we really wanted to do something that we felt would be making a difference.” The program’s focus is the Job’s Addition neighborhood. However, Corvallis has impressed the group of young volunteers with its various programs to promote green living and sustainable communities. Fugate believes that is the key to the movement. “The green movement to me, means helping empower people to make small changes in their life and to really start and try to adopt more sustainable behaviors,” Fugate said. “A lot of it can come from working with the community in developing solutions by community members for the community...Corvallis has a lot of great examples of that. From the bike lanes, to gardening, to solar panels on houses. We’re really trying to encourage more of that behavior.” The group has already had a major event bringing community members and volunteers together. They were able to sign up about 160 households in one weekend. This is outstanding, considering their goal is to have 300 of the 600 homes in Job’s Addition signed up by summer’s end. The next big event is taking place the weekend of July 31st. Volunteers and community members will talk to neighbors about the challenge, but afterwards there will be a BBQ social event at Franklin Park so people can meet one another and discuss sustainability. “So far everyone’s been really responsive to our project which has been really great.” Fugate said. “I think it’s refreshing when people are going door to door and we’re not asking for money and we’re not asking for them to vote for a particular candidate, we’re really just asking them about their opinion on energy use and how we can help them reduce their energy bills.” This last point is a key factor for anyone wanting to tighten their budget, and it can lead to lifestyle changes that are good for the environment. “Even if you’re not motivated by the green movement or saving the environment, at the very least the challenge [can help you] save money,” Fugate said. “I think a lot of times efforts to protect the environment can also help people in the long run, either save money or be healthier. There’s a lot of ways to justify these lifestyle changes.” Fugate and her colleagues are hoping the changes that they make during their summer spent promoting the Community Carbon Challenge will remain long after they have returned to their respective universities. They believe if the community can find a way to work together, Job’s Addition will become a sustainable neighborhood and a model for others. “We’re hoping it’s going to be really successful,” Fugate said. “So far, so good.”

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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NEWS HASH

scoop

by: The Alchemist

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ALBANY – Back in March, the City of Albany settled with PepsiCo to the tune of $18.5 million. In the last week, the city council has been formulating their plans for the how to spend the money. A few of the ideas being considered are spending $9 million for a new police station, $5.2 million for an economic development fund, $4.1 million for loans related to local improvements, $1 million for the purchase a North Albany natural area, and $790,000 to satisfy pension obligations. PepsiCo subsidiary SVC had intended to build a Gatorade factory and an accompanying bottling plant, but pulled out back in 2008. According to the original contract signed, Albany should have been eligible for greater compensation due to the breach of contract. In earlier stories from Corvallis’ Gazette-Times, the City of Albany should have been entitled to totals closer to $105 million. Originally, we had only lost 200 to 250 jobs and whatever extraneous income would arise from having transport trucks flooding in and out of the area. Now that PepsiCo was able to wiggle its way free of their contract it looks like we’ve also lost the income from the property taxes and over $80 million. Where is the beef? It may not be fair to expect a city to be able to financially endure years of going through the courts, especially against a company valued at $120 billion, but where is the accountability by PepsiCo? Also, who is looking out for those 200 to 250 people who are probably currently unemployed? Why doesn’t the city council agree to use that $18.5 million to hire those people to do something else?

CORVALLIS- A team of six cyclists from Albuquerque, NM will be biking some 1500 miles from NM to Corvallis in the near future. The students, ranging in ages of 14 to 23 are headed to town for the IB World Student Conference and their trip should take about 10 days. According to KRQE news in Albuquerque. The group is trying to raise money for their program at Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School. They’ve set up an online donation system where people can donate per mile or a flat rate, cottonwoodclassical.org. They may be coming to Corvallis for a conference, but none-the-less, it seems fitting that these cyclists are biking all the way here—Corvallis being the number two most bike friendly city with population under 100,000 (according to Bicycle Magazine). Fund raising activities such as this are inspiring as it is being organized by 17-year-old, Callum Read, to provide funding for his schools cycling program. It is an example of a young person taking proactive action to solve a problem for himself and his fellow cyclists instead of just lamenting the issue. Despite multiple accidents and injuries that have kept him sidelined from riding, Read took action to rectify the deficit. If more people addressed problems in this manner, imagine what is else is possible.

JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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THE ALCHEMIST

LEBANON – Ellis Stutzman and his mid-valley partners, who own a “True Alaskan” brand water bottling company based in Sitka, Alaska, are doing their part to green the planet. According to the Albany DemocratHerald they’ve contracted Natureworks, LLC based in Minnetonka, Minn. to provide biodegradable plastic to be used for their water bottles. The bottles are alleged to completely breakdown in 27 days. The bottle itself can be recycled, but so can most plastics. According to Natureworks, LLC company information, the bottles must go to certain commercial composting facilities to actually be broken down in the proper way. In fact, accelerated landfill tests show that even after 160 days the bottles do not show any sign of biodegration. Continuing further, Natureworks is willing to concede that their bottles, when placed in a traditional landfill, react is the same way as traditional plastics. While we appreciate what Ellis and his company are trying to achieve, have they taken into consideration the environmental impact in shipping this biodegradable product to Alaska? Once you’ve shipped the plastic to the bottle making facility, shipped it back down to the lower 48, sent it across the country to everywhere but the Northwest and then asked people to ship their empties to a specific composting site, haven’t you totally negated the positive effect of the bottle? People have enough trouble taking their bottles to the local recycling depository let alone expecting them to send their bottles elsewhere.

PHILOMATH- The school board cut five days from next year’s school year to help with a $465,000 deficit—reportedly resulting from a lack of state funding. The shorter year is expected to save the district $190,000. They decided to spread out the days—a day here, a day there. It is likely that those five days a year are now lost forever and indefinitely. It seems unlikely to expect that the school board will choose to lose the $190,000 they saved to bring the days back next year. What does this mean for the kindergartner starting school next year? It means by the time they graduates high school 13 years later, they will have accumulated approximately two months of vacation. Is this a terrible thing for that child’s education? Or will they possibly learn valuable life lessons outside of the classroom that would have been impossible if they were inside. The downside would be that their education would be less homogenized than their fellow schoolmates. This could lead to a deficit in their ability to understand things fully such as negative numbers and the many wonderful things that occurred as a result of the concept of Manifest Destiny. Perhaps the Philomath school district could solve their deficit problem altogether by doubling or even tripling the amount of days cut from the school year. If the issue that parents, teachers and administrators are concerned about is that the children will miss out on important material that would otherwise be covered during that classroom time, they could always assign reading of the text books during that time and assign book reports to be handed in upon return to class.

LINN-BENTON COUNTY- The Oregon Department of Forestry has recently clamped down its rules regarding fire prevention. While in the forest, don’t smoke, don’t cook with an open flame, don’t use your chainsaw, don’t drive on the non-roads, don’t use fireworks, and absolutely no exploding targets. Also, don’t forget your gallon of water and/or 2.5 lb. or larger fire extinguisher, ax, and shovel. Just in case you have to single handedly contain an inferno that you may have started by accident. According to The Albany Democrat-Herald, the ODF believes it has become even easier to start a fire in the woods because of the drying of plants and other fire fueling elements, and that fire could spread more quickly than usual. Many of the restrictions are only applicable during the hours of 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.. Luckily for some of us, we can still enjoy the smell of napalm in the morning. The information for this week’s News Hash came from your local Lee Enterprise publications: the Corvallis Gazette Times and the Albany Demacrat-Herald. Except that hash about the cyclists, it came from KRQE News 13 out of Albuquerque. See something we missed? Send us your news tips, news@thealchemistweekly.com.

Five ways to reduce carbon footprint Seriously, it’s five ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Largely, people are concerned with global warming. In an attempt to combat it, they are trying to reduce their carbon footprint, which is the amount of carbon dioxide one helps to release in a year. Perspectively, the average carbon footprint per person worldodi egner wide is four tons a year. In the US, the carbon footprint per person comes to 20 tons. That’s quite a difference! Reducing your carbon footprint doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact there are quite a few simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint that are relatively inexpensive—some of them can, in fact, save you money! So not only is reducing your carbon footprint good for the environment—it’s good for your wallet.

word

J W

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen

The food you eat influences your carbon footprint in several ways. First, certain foods produce more carbon emissions than others. Secondly, the way food is produced can increase the carbon emissions released. Lastly, the further a food is shipped, the more carbon fuels are burned in transporting it. Take a look at how different food choices can affect your carbon footprint with each of these 3 factors. First, animals produce carbon dioxide by their very nature. Therefore, animal food products—meat, dairy, and eggs— have a higher carbon footprint than plant food products. One way to reduce your carbon footprint in the kitchen is by eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat and dairy. Not only does this help reduce your carbon footprint, but it’s cheaper—meat and dairy are more expensive than fruit and vegetables—and it’s healthier to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Secondly, organically produced foods produce less carbon emissions than those that aren’t. The pesticides and chemicals used in non-organic produce, for example, are produced in factories that release tons of carbon emissions. Buying organic can help to reduce your carbon footprint. Lastly, buy your food locally, whenever possible. Local food does not have to travel as far and reduces the carbon emission needed to transport. You may not be able to buy out of season fruits and vegetables, but you’ll be helping the environment.

Consider Alternative Transportation Methods

Instead of driving your car to work, consider taking the bus, carpooling with coworkers, or riding your bike. Automobiles produce a lot of carbon emissions every day and by using alternate transportation methods, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. In addition, keep flying to a minimum. Airplane flights produce a significant amount of carbon waste. Consider taking alternate methods of travel, such as the train. Plan vacations close to home, so as to avoid producing more carbon emissions than necessary. Transportation is one of the major producers of your carbon footprint, however, if it’s necessary to use your car…

Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

While you can make your home more energy efficient by buying lots of expensive products, there are also some easy ways anyone can reduce their carbon footprint by altering a few things at home that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Start with your thermostat. By lowering your thermostat by just a degree or two, you can not only save on your energy bill but reduce your carbon footprint significantly. You likely won’t even notice a degree or two change in temperature. Closing your curtains during the winter time keeps your house warmer and keeps your heater from working harder to heat the house. Turn off your lights when you’re not using them. During the daytime, take advantage of sunlight to light up your home. Make sure that all of your lights are all turned off when you’re not at home. Most electricity is produced from fossil fuels and adds carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Lowering your energy usage saves you money and prevents unneeded carbon emissions.

THE ALCHEMIST

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Make Your Car More Energy Efficient

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

It might be tempting to go out and buy a brand new hybrid or other energy efficient car, but if your car is still in good shape, you’re better off keeping it for now. Production of energy efficient cars ironically produces quite a carbon footprint. Keep your current car for as long as it’s good, but here are some ways to make it more energy efficient. Don’t carry around unnecessary items. The larger your load, the harder your car works and the more gas it uses. This raises your carbon footprint every time you drive. Don’t drive aggressively. It may seem like you’re getting somewhere faster by speeding around slow drivers and accelerating to reach stop lights before they turn red, but studies show that it doesn’t gain you much time—and it uses a lot more fuel. When you have errands to run during the week, do them all on the same day. Driving around town to do errands everyday to some of the same locations is not very efficient. By doing all your errands at once, you can save on fuel and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. Keep your tires fully inflated. If your tires are low, it takes more work for your car to drive, and more work means more fuel. If you do need to replace your car, go for a hybrid or energy efficient car. Also consider diesel cars. You can easily convert a diesel car into a biodiesel car, which also helps to reduce your carbon footprint.

Factories produce lots of carbon waste, and every time you throw away and replace an item that could be reused or recycled, you continue the cycle of production and waste. Recycling items uses less energy than it does to manufacture it from scratch, so every time you recycle, you reduce your carbon footprint.

JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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very week, we drag our garbage cans out to the curb. Every week, the cans are emptied, and the garbage is taken away.

Rarely do we think about where that garbage goes when it leaves our neighborhoods. For residents of the Mid-Willamette Valley, our garbage is taken to Coffin Butte Landfill, a site about eight miles north of Corvallis that has been used for waste disposal since the 1940s. Last year, Corvallis residents sent more than 40,000 tons of garbage to rest at Coffin Butte, according to Allied Waste, the solid waste service provider for Corvallis and most communities in the Mid-Willamette Valley. The amount of garbage Corvallis sent to the landfill decreased slightly in 2009 from the previous year, and Allied Waste is working to see that trend continue. The company is piloting a new program in Corvallis and parts of Marion County that could help reduce the amount of waste being sent to Coffin Butte. The program – launched in June and the first of its kind in the state – entails getting organic food waste out of the garbage can and into the mixed organics cart (formerly called the yard debris cart). Instead of heading to the landfill, this waste is sent to a compost facility. If this program is a success and similar programs are implemented statewide, it could help cut the tonnage headed to Coffin Butte and

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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other landfills by about 15 percent, according to estimates from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. For Allied Waste customers in the City of Corvallis, all food waste can now be commingled in the same bin as yard debris. In these bins, meat scraps, dairy products, breads, fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, leaves, and yard clippings can now be mixed together. Plastic bags are not required to separate the materials. As part of this program, every Allied Waste customer in Corvallis – residential, commercial, and industrial – now has weekly pick up of their mixed organics cart, according to Julie Jackson, recycling representative for Allied Waste.In order for customers to make this work, officials at Allied Waste recommend people keep a separate bin for organic food waste in their kitchen or wherever they dispose of garbage. The container should be emptied regularly into the mixed organics cart. Then every week, along with your garbage can and commingled recycling cart, put out the mixed organics cart. The pilot curbside organic food waste program is an extension of the green waste program Allied Waste started last year. The green waste program - still happening in Philomath, Albany, and Lebanon - allows customers to commingle green waste (if it grows, it goes) with yard debris. Instead of going to Coffin Butte, the organic and green food waste is taken to the Pacific Region Compost Facility (PRC) on Old Camp Adair Road, which is run by Valley Landfills, an Allied Waste company. There, it goes through a process returning the waste to dirt.

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It’s an overcast morning a windsock on the property i heavy in the air, though it is like a fresh garden bed. It sm Near the entrance of the f to a small booth. Brian May, the PRC site m a stop and steps out. He sha florescent vest and orange ha “We’ve got to keep you saf We get in the van and Ma PRC, Oregon’s first industri waste compost facility. As we wait for some trucks by, May waves to the drivers. The PRC, which operated disposal site for the last 20 y organic food waste collected select Mid-Willamette comm It’s the first and currently composting feed stock (meat green waste and yard debris. May manages both Coffin abuts the E.E. Wilson Game In one part of the 40 acre c yellow excavator claws throug refuse. The man in control of pick up a load of debris and matter ingested by the grind out into a pile of finer particu Nearby, a man on the gro safety vest, and hard hat - ha contaminants out of the piles

at the PRC and the orange is slack. A distinct smell is not overwhelming. It smells mells musty and dank. facility, a white van pulls up

manager, brings the vehicle to akes my hand and gives me a ard hat. fe out here,” he says. ay takes me on a tour of the ially-permitted organic food

s entering the facility to pass . d as a yard debris and wood years, is now composting the curbside from Corvallis and munities. the only facility in the state t, dairy, and bread) along with

n Butte and the PRC, which e Management Area. compost facility, a weathered gh a pile of recently unloaded the machine commands it to drop it into the grinder. The der is ripped up and spewed ulates. ound - wearing blue jeans, a and-picks plastics and other s that await the grinder.

Same Cart–New Name! Your Yard Debris Cart is now called Mixed Organics Cart Beginning the week of June 21, 2010, food waste goes with yard debris!

Place in Mixed Organics Cart Food All Food Waste! Meats & Proteins Dairy Products Fruits & Vegetables Grains & Breads Egg Shells Yard Grass Clippings Plants & Flowers Yard & Garden Trimmings Other Pizza Boxes Coffee Grounds & Filters Paper Towels & Napkins

Do Not

Place in Mixed Organics Cart

Plastic Bags • Other Plastic • Styrofoam As they prep new material for compost, steam rises from piles that are already “cooking”. The microbes at work inside the piles are decomposing the material. During this process, the internal temperature of these piles can reach upwards of 130 degrees. In another part of the facility, black tarp-like covers protect the piles of compost containing organic food waste. May explains that they cover these piles to prevent run-off and contamination. The DEQ has higher standards for compost containing organic food waste. A major concern with this type of compost is ensuring that pathogens like E. coli and salmonella are eliminated. Temperatures of the organic food waste compost have to be carefully measured and the materials tested. Though at the PRC they haven’t finished “cooking” their first batch of compost with organic food waste (it takes about 120 days to cure), they are close. When it is ready, they will have two different types of compost. One will include organic food waste and the other only green waste. The compost they produce is sold to nurseries, gardeners, and landscapers in the area for about $12 a yard. May estimates the facility produces 20,000 yards of compost a year. Back toward the entrance of the PRC, a pile of lush, dark brown compost awaits purchase. It represents the finished product – green materials returned to dust. For Allied Waste and its affiliate companies, the organic food waste program means more room in the landfill, and revenue generated from the sale of compost. For future generations, it represents a potential solution to growing disposal needs. While recycling continues to be a major component of reducing waste sent to the landfills, compost is emerging as another alternative way to dispose of materials. For Corvallis residents, the organic waste program expands our existing disposal options. Along with the materials we send to the landfill, we can commingle our recycling (except for glass) and now mix our organic and green waste for composting.

Liquids Grease/Oils Utensils/Metal/Foil Animal Waste

How do I participate in the Mixed Organics program? All food waste, coffee ﬁlters and grounds, tea bags, pizza boxes and paper towels can be included in the Mixed Organics cart. 1. Collect food waste from your kitchen and place into Mixed Organics cart along with yard debris. 2. The Mixed Organics cart will be picked up every week. 3. Remember to place organic material in the cart loose, just like before. No plastics, metals or foil. 4. You may layer paper in between food waste and yard debris to absorb wetness. 5. There are still some things that cannot go in the Mixed Organics cart, like dead animals, animal waste, liquids and grease. They contaminate the compost!

of Corvallis 541-754-0444 Printed with permission from Allied Waste

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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O ' P I N Ipints NG

Attack of the killer homebrew

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

Panic attack! Quick! Quaff that down to get rid of the evidence! The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is coming through the door with a battering ram and they will take the children! This has been the attitude of many a home beer and wine producer (the home distiller is smugly smirking) with the OLCC now enforcing a law that tightens the reins on the definition of home brewed beer and wine. It, by definition, makes the self-supported producer of elixirs squirm because it challenges their way of life. For those of you just now tuning in, earlier this summer, the OLCC slapped the Oregon State Fair on the back of the hand by enforcing a ruling prohibiting the home-made beer and wine competitions for the 2010 fair. According to the Oregon State Fair Web site, “after 22 years the Oregon State Fair has been forced to cancel the 2010 Amateur Beer Competition.” A recent interpretation of Oregon State Law ORS 471.403, prohibits consumption of homemade beer and wine outside of the home. It says, “no person shall brew, ferment, distill, blend or rectify any alcoholic liquor unless licensed to do so by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. However, the Liquor Control Act does not apply to the making or keeping of naturally fermented wines and fruit juices or beer in the home, for home consumption and not for sale.” The news is spreading like wild fire among organizations and clubs that promote friendly competitions as a means of camaraderie and utilizing judge feedback to improve one’s craft. It is virtually putting a halt to all future competitions and club gatherings where the consumption of home-made beer and wine is the focus of attention. H.R. 1337, a law passed in 1978, (bless that Jimmy Carter!) put the final nail in the casket of Prohibition by allowing common folks to produce beer and wine in the comfort of our kitchen. While this is a federal law, state’s rights prevail and as a result there are still a handful of states (Okla., Miss., and Ala.) where it is flat-out illegal to ferment beer or wine in the privacy of your own home! We are talking beer and wine here, not meth or explosive devices! Shortly after Carter signed H.R. 1337, Oregon’s microbrew revolution began with the acceleration of craft breweries like Widmer, McMenamins and Bridgeport, all of which were started when dreams lifted off in the steam of a pot of wort boiling on the kitchen stove during a dark and stormy Oregon winter’s night. We fine folks of Oregon have a pioneering spirit that often goes beyond any law from what is citizenly right to what feels good! We love taking a six-pack of homebrew over to a buddy’s house for poker night, wrapping up bottles of blackberry wine for holiday gifts and even brewing a special wedding ale for guests in celebration of matrimonial bliss. The OLCC is telling you that this is a behavior that HAS TO STOP! Wait, where is that battering ram? While there is no penalty for homebrew the OLCC is saying sanctioned competitions can no longer take place. Your local homebrewing club, the Heart of the Valley Homebrewers (www.hotv.org) has done very well with itself in its 26 years of sponsoring one of the nation’s oldest and longest-running sanctioned homebrewing competitions. We will not skip a beat with the 2011 event just a short 10 months away. You shouldn’t fret either! Keep fermenting. There is no battering ram. Take your home craft out with you, just be smart about it. No open containers, and if you are at a public event, like your wedding, hire a licensed server to pour the home-made beer or wine. Check out and support the Oregon Home Brew Alliance which is the home brewer’s community approach to have the Oregon laws changed, http://groups.google.com/group/oregon-home-brewers-alliance. One of the biggest battering rams in our cache is Denny Conn, a Eugene homebrewer and activist involved in many organizations. He offers some advice, “Calm down….things are well under way to get the law changed once the legislature convenes in January. At this point, we have a couple state legislators on board. Angry letters to legislators or the OLCC will be counter productive at this point. We need to come off as the good guys, not angry jerks. We will have a Web site up at oregonhomebrewersalliance.org soon that will provide updates on the situation. As the legislative session gets closer, we’ll be sending out action alerts to let people know what they can do. As egregious as the situation seems, it can, and is, being corrected. We’d like everyone to support the OHBA and our efforts on this law.” –Joel Rea joel@lickspigot.com

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LIVE MUSIC Thursday, July 29th Jaw Knee Now and Marquis 7:30 pm Saturday, July 31st The Kingpins 8:00 pm Sunday, August 1st Blues Jam 4:00 pm Friday, August 6th Eleven Eyes 7:00 pm PUB HOURS: Sun: 11:30 am - 10:00 pm Mon - Wed: 11:30 am - 10:00 pm Thurs - Sat: 11:30 am - 12:30 am

140 Hill St. Albany, OR (541) 928-1931 www.calapooiabrewing.com

Immaculate Inception by: Tim Hellman

verdict

If Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Matrix, and Mission Impossible somehow had a child together, Inception would be the conception. Writer/director Christopher Nolan, arguably the greatest filmmaker working today and the man behind such blockbuster and indie cult classics as The Dark Knight, Batman Begins and Memento, gives us this ingenious sci-fi/ horror/drama/thinking-man’s-action film-about-shared-dreaming! The movie is so well made and confident in every way that the viewer just automatically believes they are seeing something truly great and clever from the opening scene to the last. To carry out his mission, Nolan has assembled the most talented and fitting cast and crew members he possibly could. At the heart of the film is Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance. The man is one of the most talented and iconic actors working today. He’s as gifted at the art of acting as he is famous and this is one of his best performances to date—although very similar to another lead performance this year in the similar themed Martin Scorsese film Shutter Island, in which he was also dealing with the battle of reality versus perception and the reconciliation of the loss of a loved one in order to save his sanity. The movie also casts the extremely talented Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard in impressive key supporting roles (as well as Nolan regulars Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine). The editing, cinematography, art direction, makeup, etc. are all top notch as well but, the most memorable and impressive thing for me about the film (other than maybe the writing and directing) is the score; Hans Zimmer, who also co-scored Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, has outdone himself with music that embodies almost the entire film and empowers it. It’s almost as if he’s created an entire new genre of score music and it’s the best I’ve heard in quite some time. If Zimmer doesn’t win an Oscar for this, there’s no justice in Hollywood. In Inception, Nolan creates a very realistic and believable alternate reality in which dreams can be shared and controlled. Businesses as well as governments have created technology in which they can infiltrate someone’s dreams and steal valuable information from someone’s subconscious, which they call “extracting,” at the time when it’s most vulnerable (when it’s in the dream state). This is a very dangerous and complex act though considering it requires a very strong sedative to keep everyone involved in the dream asleep and therefore if you die in your dream and can’t wake up your mind goes into a deep limbo which can seem like an eternity and drive you to insanity. This is made even more difficult and frightening by the fact that the most at risk minds have been trained to militarize their brains and established dream defense units to ward off any intruders. DiCaprio plays Cobb, the most experienced and wanted dream expert the world has ever

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seen. He leads a special unit of dream conartists in routine “extraction” assignments for various employers. His one flaw is that he’s haunted by the loss of his wife, played by Cotillard, on a dream adventure they concocted together. Due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his wife, Cobb is wanted for her murder and can’t return home to see his two young children. One big seemingly impossible assignment involving the act of “inception,” implanting an idea in a mind’s dream rather than “extracting” it, could change all that, by clearing his name. The movie is extremely fast paced and complicated which does make it very hard to follow upon first viewing but every detail of its fantasy world is so well explained that the movie is much more enjoyable the second time around. The characters also feel somewhat underdeveloped, all except for DiCaprio’s Cobb and his assignment; the mark (Murphy), at least the first time around. There’s a lot of screen time given to people like Page and Gordon-Levitt but all we really know about them is what they know and think about the dream world and Cobb. It kind of feels like a Mission Impossible film in which players are only put into motion to perform their skill in supporting the Ethan Hunt character on his mission and for his character development. This makes the film some-what frustrating and not relateable considering the fact that Cobb is a mystery for most of the film and is only fully understood and loved at the film’s end, which is a very emotionally powerful climax. However, this all changes upon a second viewing. Only after you fully understand the dream world and what’s going on from the very beginning can you fully appreciate every detail of the film and its characters. No longer are you head-ached by trying to figure out what is going on, and you pick up on so much more of the film. These are the best films; movies which require multiple viewings to fully understand and love them. I can’t wait to see this movie a third time. It is by far the best movie I’ve seen this year!

JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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dream; Rinse then Spin Chronicles of Detective Siempre by: T. Clarence Part II

literati

“Which room is he in?” Detective Siempre stared at the one set of lit up windows, high up in the Governor General Hotel. “I'll show you,” Jimmy started to lead the way. “Not coming up?” Candy turned to “The Potato's” right hand man, Grannd. “I've got to make sure this gets done,” Grannd indicated the group of men scrubbing off the bloodstain on the pavement across the neglected lot. “This way, detective,” Jimmy shouted from the front door. Grannd paused long enough to glare at Jimmy for being loud, then started off towards the other men. Candy nodded at the two men standing guard inside the door, then followed Jimmy up the stairs. They came out on the sixth floor and passed another set of silent guards. The floor was dimly lit and the detective didn't need Jimmy to show him to the door, not with light pouring into the hallway. Jimmy stopped outside the room and Candy walked past, “Thanks.” Every light in the room was on but it did nothing to brighten the dark look on the face of Henry The Potato Fehlers. He sat in the corner, near the window, just out of sight from the door. His eyes never strayed from the bed as the detective walked in. “Candy, meet Marco.” The young man was sitting cross-legged on the bed, clutching a pillow to his chest and shivering. “He doesn't say much.” “I didn't do it,” Marco stared past the detective to the wall behind him, rocking back and forth, “She spun. She fell.” “That's all I can get out of him,” the Potato's scarred-over face displayed no movement or emotion, and his tone of voice was always angry. He sipped from the cup ever-present in his hands and scowled. “Coffee?” he never failed to put this joke of a question to the detective before he got down to dreaming. Candy ignored him. “This hotel coffee taste like piss anyway.” “Is this how you found him?” Candy circled the bed, kicking an empty wine bottle out of his way as he tried to stare the boy down; he couldn't even catch Marco's gaze. “Pretty much,”The Potato finally turned to look at the detective, “We got some boxers on him. And closed the windows.” “He was naked when you got here?” Candy stepped over to the hinged-windows and pushed them open. The attentive men on the ground below stopped long enough to be sure he wasn't The Potato, then went back to scrubbing. “Not quite,” The Potato pointed out the towel bunched at Candy's feet as he closed the window. The detective shrugged his eyebrows and looked around the room. He checked the carpet with a wipe of his hand and followed a trail of wet spots to the bathroom, where the real mess was. Towels, cups and amenities were scattered randomly about; only the coffee maker looked right, sitting half-full beside a half-full bottle of wine on the counter. “We looked the place over, already,” The Potato said flatly, “There's nothing much to see.” “I just want a few facts to check against the dream,” Candy turned from the dripping shower and walked back into the room, “Not that it looks like he can get to sleep anytime soon.” “Sure he will,” The Potato's voice brightened slightly as he tilted his head towards the door, “Hey, Jimmy! Come put the kid to sleep.” The detective turned from The Potato so he couldn't see Candy roll his eyes, sure that the headache likely in store for him in Marco's dream figured little into the matter of understanding Janitha's death. “I want to know why he killed her,” The Potato held Candy's attention as Jimmy walked up to the side of the bed. There was little more than a loud thunk as The Potato rose to his feet, “You can have my chair.”

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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“Sure,” Candy said as Jimmy and The Potato walked out. The door clicked shut as he plopped into the chair, putting his feet up on the edge of the bed as he eyed the bruise growing on Marco's forehead. He began focused breathing, and was still so freshly awake that he sank into sleep in minutes. Instantly he dropped to one knee as both a headache and the smell of sex assaulted him, echoing in the small bathroom. The rush of the shower suddenly sounded and a chill went through Candy; only then did he realize he was naked. “Janitha! Your face!” Marco yelled in surprise. The girl took no notice but Candy winced. He reached across the coffee maker on the toilet to grab a towel and spoke, “Not so loud, kid.” “Who're you?” the curtain pulled back just enough for Candy to see the girls ever-changing, mangled face. He jumped back, almost sick, and answered, “I'm Detective Siempre. The Potato asked me to find out why you killed his niece.”

T. Clarence and Merry Clarkster (poem below) are pseudonyms

Play me a river by: Merry Clarkster Play me a river Play me a song One that can ebb From weak To strong One that courses through the currents of my cranium All day long Smooth melodies That go with the flow Or crashing movements thrashing upstream Only you can decide between Deep pools Of still thought Eddies of swirling doubt Tell me What it’s all about Steady strong water That rubs the rock smooth When you’re in that Special groove Play it sad A deep dark blue Stir it Mix it Play it true Play me a river Play me a song One that can ebb From weak To strong One that courses through the currents of my cranium All day long

CRO S SWORD

Trying new things 1. *Noted Seuss protagonist with an upcoming birthday, and a hint to a two-part puzzle that begins this week (1) 4. Snit 8. Freak out 13. Robert of “The Sopranos” 15. *Last ___ and testament (1) 16. “Once ___ time...” 17. *”That’s the rumor, anyway” (3) 19. Sends junk mail, of a sort 20. “No worries” 21. *Emcee’s concluding segue (2) 23. *Have eucalyptus leaves, if you’re a koala (1) 26. Japanese rival of IBM 27. Method: Abbr. 28. *”Perhaps” (2) 32. *Hero’s opposite (1) 34. Cookies ‘n’ cream cookie 35. Casual sexual partner, as it were 37. Some tomatoes 41. *Nonspecific direction to a mover (3) 45. Where many boats head 46. Sneaky 47. Cuzco people 48. Lee Gifford’s replacement 51. *Demand from one who wants

to board the merry-go-round (3) 53. Tip calculator, for example 56. Gun, as your engine 57. Wallowing area 58. *Caboose, e.g. (2) 61. Video store section behind saloon doors, sometimes 66. *Computer controller (1) 67. *Sports broadcast graphic named for its network (3) 70. Small hooter 71. Ethereal: Prefix 72. “Oy vey!” 73. Gin fizz fruits 74. *It may drop acid (1) 75. Hill worker: Abbr.

Down

1. “Of course, señor!” 2. Reams 3. Citi Field ballplayers 4. Rte. with orange cones, often 5. Most are graphical nowadays: Abbr. 6. Blemish 7. Above it all, in a way 8. Lemonade stand vehicle 9. Entry in a PDA 10. Wyle and Webster 11. *When Memorial Day is observed (1) 12. Broken bone treatments

14. Letter before sigma 18. Squeezed (out) 22. Formula One driver Fabi 24. Fit to serve 25. Facial tattoo that represents a dead friend 28. Paint layer 29. *Certain question ender (1) 30. Total turnarounds, for short 31. Instruction to someone hanging a painting 33. “Anna (Go ___)”: Beatles cover 36. Cry of accomplishment 38. Biblical graffiti word 39. Sacramento arena brand 40. Knighted Connery 42. Classic lunch lady pieces 43. Social problems 44. Da opposite 49. Chest muscle, for short 50. Film featuring the Na’vi 52. Teh, e.g. 53. Clock that’s sort of like a perpetual motion machine 54. Look for prey 55. S„o ___, Brazil 59. “Gotcha” 60. Perlman of “Cheers” 62. Big name in skin care 63. MLBers get four for a grand slam 64. “Nuh-uh” 65. Team that works out in the field 68. Verdi’s “___ tu” 69. Shark’s navigator

SUDOKU

Southtown Live presents... Friday July 30 8pm

Nickel Slot

5 1

Americana String Band

2 8 8

Folk Rock

Reservations: 541-754-6958

www.SouthtownLive.com

1 4

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Last week's puzzle solutions

Battlehooch

Saturday July 31 8pm

7 6

www.sudoku-puzzles.net

Across

Inkwell Crosswords by Ben Tausig

JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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Photo by: Kris Leifur

Fireworks Restaurant and Bar The Nickel Slots, 8:00 p.m. First Alternative Co-Op, 1007 S.E. 3rd St. Wine Tasting, 5:00 p.m. First Congregational Church, 4515 S.W. West Hills Rd Alex Hargreaves, Grant Gordy Quartet, 8:00 p.m., $17 general, $10 for 15 and under LaBamba Mix Night Club PRIDE La Bamba, 8:00 p.m., $3

bump

The Play Factory, 442 S.W. Second St. OSU Bollywood Dance Group, 2:30, $3.50 WineStyles, 2333 N.W. Kings Blvd. Friday Flight

Super Diamond: Tribute to Neil Diamond

River Rhythms at Monteith River Park • Thursday, 7 p.m.

2tuesday 7

Old World Deli, 341 SW 2nd St Belly Dance, 8:00 p.m., FREE OSU Bookstore, OSU Campus The Dimes, 12:00 p.m.

Corvallis Elks Lodge, 1400 N.W. 9th St. Beginning Line Dance Class, 7:00 p.m., $3

Sunnyside Up Café Raina Rose, 7:00 p.m., $3

OSU Campus, Women’s Building Salsa Dance, 8:00 p.m. Lebanon Ralston Park, 925 Park Street The Bush Pilots

28 wednesday Albany Riley’s Billiards Bar and Grill Pure Country Night - Country Dancing with DJ, 9:00pm Corvallis Block 15 Henry Cooper, 7:00 p.m., FREE Bombs Away Café Melanie Reid, 7:30 p.m., FREE Cloud 9 Women In Business, Noon Beer and Blog, 5:00 p.m., FREE

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Enoteca Wine Bar Wine Tasting, 6:30 p.m., $10

Corvallis Central Park, 8th and Madison Corvallis Community Band: For the Kids! 7:00 p.m. rehearsal, 8:00 p.m. performance www.c-cband.org

Enoteca Wine Bar Girls Night Out!, Knit Night, 4:00 p.m.

Corvallis Skatepark Juggling lessons, 6:30, FREE

Corvallis Farmer’s Market, 2nd St. and B Ave. Doug McKenna, 3:30 p.m., FREE

JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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Peacock Bar and Grill Jonny Dark and the Wondertones, 9:00 p.m., FREE

Lebanon Peacock Bar and Grill East The Brand, 7:00 p.m.

Enoteca Wine Bar Chocolate Truffle Happy Hour, 6:00 p.m. First Alternative Co-Op, 1007 S.E. 3rd St. Beer Tasting, 5:00 p.m. OSU Goss Stadium, 430 SW Langton Place Sunnyside Up Café Yvonne Ramage and Bob Birdwell, 7:00 p.m., FREE WineStyles Wine Tasting, 5:30 p.m. Lebanon Downtown Farmer’s Market, Main St. 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

29 thursday 30 friday

Peacock Bar and Grill East Blues Jam, 7:00 p.m., FREE

Albany Calapooia Brewing Jaw Knee Now and Marquis, 7:30 p.m., FREE

Riley’s Billiards Bar and Grill Ladies Night with DJ Unofficial, 9:00pm River Rhythms at Monteith River Park Super Diamond: Tribute to Neil Diamond, 7:00 p.m., FREE Corvallis Bombs Away Café The Pines, 8:00 p.m., FREE Central Park, 8th and Madison July Jam: Marzipanhandlers, Fromage a Trois, The Svens and The Blowholes, 6:00 p.m., FREE Cloud 9 Infallible Collective, 8:00 p.m., FREE Crowbar Rooftop Sam Holmes, 6:00 p.m., FREE

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Albany Albany Civic Theater Movies by Moonlight, Behind Cappie’s “Friendly Persuasion,” 7:00 p.m. setup, show at 9:00 p.m. Riley’s Billiards Bar and Grill Dance Party with DJ Unofficial, 9:00 p.m. Corvallis The Beanery on 2nd Bill Shumway, 8:00 p.m., FREE Bombs Away Café Protoplanet and The Sadie Rose Band, 9:00 p.m. Cloud 9 Future Space Orchestra, Melodramma, Becoming An Archer, 10:00 p.m. Coffee Culture Café, 1195 NW Kings Blvd Sunshine and Blues, 6:30 p.m., FREE

31 saturday Albany Riley’s Billiards Bar and Grill Dance Party with DJ Unofficial, 9:00 p.m. Corvallis Big River Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino, 8:30 p.m., FREE Calapooia Brewing The Kingpins, 8:00 p.m.

Cloud 9 Orquesta Monte Calvo, 10:00 p.m. Crowbar Rooftop Creed Eckert, 6:00 p.m., FREE Fireworks Restaurant and Bar Battlehooch, 8:00 p.m. Old World Deli Oregon Trail Brewery Craft Beer Celebration, 1 p.m. Sunnyside Up Café Ala Nar, 8:00 p.m., $5

1 sunday Albany Calapooia Brewing Blues Jam, 4:00 p.m.

2 monday Corvallis Fireworks Restaurant and Bar Open Mic Night, Sign-ups at 8:00 p.m.

Starker Arts Park, SW 45th St. and Country Club Drive Summer Concerts in the Park: Broadway Favorites, 8:00 p.m., FREE

Totally killer brew honey let's go out Available for all righteous dudes and babes. by: Joel Rea

Albany

Albany Civic Theater, 111 First Ave. SW 541.928.4603 Alleyoop Lounge, 901 Pacific Blvd 541.941.0977 Bogey’s Bar & Grill, 129 W 1st Ave. 541.929.8900 Calapooia Brewing, 140 Hill St. NE 541.928.1931 Cappie’s Brewhouse, 211 1st Ave W 541.926.1710 Cascade Grill, 110 Opal St. NW 541.926.3388 Chasers Bar & Grill, 435 SE 2nd Ave 541928.9634 Dixie Creek Saloon, 32994 Hwy 99E, Tangent, OR 541.926.2767 Favorite Mistake Sports Bar, 5420 Pacific Blvd. 541.903.0034 Front Street Bar, 2300 Northeast Front Ave. 541.926.2739 GameTime SportsBar & Grill, 2211 Waverly Dr. SE 541.981.2376 Humpty’s Dump Bar & Grill, 916 Old Salem Rd NE 541.926.3111 JP’s Restaurant and Lounge, 220 2nd Ave. 541.926.5546 Lariat Lounge, 901 Pacific Blvd SE 541.928.2606 Linger Longer Tavern, 145 SW Main St. 541.926.2174 Lucky Larrys Lounge, 1296 S Commercial Way SE 541.928.3654 Riley’s Billiards Bar and Grill, 124 Broadalbin St SW 541.926.2838 Wilhelm’s Spirits & Eatery, 1520 Pacific Blvd SE 541.926.7001

Corvallis

Aqua Seafood Restaurant & Bar, 151 NW Monroe Ave. 541.752.0262 The Beanery on 2nd, 500 SW 2nd St 541.753.7442 Big River Restaurant & Bar, 101 NW Jackson Ave. 541.757.0694 Block 15, 300 SW Jefferson Ave. 541.758.2077 Bombs Away Café, 2527 NW Monroe Ave. 541.757.7221 China Delight Restaurant, 325 NW 2nd St. 541.753.3753 Clodfelter’s, 1501 NW Monroe Ave. 541.758.4452 Cloud 9, 126 SW 1st St. 541.753.9900 Crowbar, 214 SW 2nd St. 541.753.7373 Darrell’s Restaurant and Lounge, 2200 NW 9th St. 541.752.6364 Downward Dog, 130 SW 1st St. 541.753.9900 Enoteca Wine Bar, 136 SW Washington Ave. 541.758.9095 Fireworks Restaurant and Bar, 1115 SE 3rd 541.754.6958 Flat Tail Pub, 202 SW 1st St. 541.758.2219 Greenberry Store & Tavern, 29974 HWY 99W 541.752.3796 Harrison Bar & Grill, 550 NW Harrison Blvd. 541.754.1017 Impulse, 1425 NW Monroe Ave. 541.230.1114 La Bamba Mix Night Club, 126 SW 4th St. 541.207.3593 Murphy’s Tavern, 2740 SW 3rd St. 541.738. 7600 Papa’s Pizza, 1030 S.W. Third St. 541.757.2727 Peacock Bar and Grill, 125 SW 2nd St. 541.754.8522 Squirrel’s, 100 SW 2nd St. 541.753.8057 Sunnyside Up Café, 116 NW 3rd St 541.758.3353 Suds & Suds, 1045 NW Kings Blvd. 541.758.5200 Troubadour, 521 SW 2nd St. 541.752.7720 Tyee Wine Cellars, 26335 Greenberry Rd. 541.753.8754 Wanted Saloon, 140 NW 3rd St. WineStyles, 2333 N.W. Kings Blvd. 541.738.9463

Lebanon

Artisian’s Well Lounge, 2250 South Main Rd. 541.451.3900 Cornerstone Café & Pub, 180 S 5th St. 541.847.6262 Duffy’s Irish Pub, 679 South Main St. 541.259.2906 Fire Pit Lounge, 2230 South Santiam Hwy 541.451.2010 GameTime Sports Bar and Grill, 3130 South Santiam Hwy 541.570.1537 Merlin’s Bar and Grill 541.258.6205 Peacock Bar and Grill East, 76 E. Sherman St. 541.451.2027 Sports Shack and Deli, 1250 Grant St. 541.259.0800

Philomath

High 5 Sports Bar and Grill, 1644 Main St. 541.929.7529 Meet’n Place Tavern, 1150 Mian St. 541.929.3130 Wine Vault, 1301 Main St. 541.929.8496 Wing Sing Restaurant & Lounge, 658 Main St. 541.929.6255

It was with great pleasure to have my lips touch Block 15’s commercial version of Patrick Gorman’s home brewed Imperial Rye, long before the general populous had a chance to feast upon this cereal elixir. Yeah, I realize by the time you read this you may have already gone to Block 15 and intimately know this beer up-and-down (and hopefully not back up!) and have formed your own conclusions. For those of you who have not tried Rye-teous Ale, I suggest you head down to Block 15 for your own Righteous Review! Allow me to recap the history of this beer; it is a result of the Second Annual “I wanna be a friggin’ rock star brewer at Block 15!” The “Ale-chemist” Brewha-ha-ha-ha-you’re kidding me, right? official homebrewing brew-off for bragging rights to the official “The Alchemist Beer” that took place earlier in mid-April. The winning entry- from a field of 30 well-crafted home-brews- was then brewed at Block 15, in June, with the winner as head brewer as the reward for a beer well-done. Thus emerges Patrick as brewer extraordinaire with his Rye-teous recipe. The annual “Ale-Chemist” event allows home-brewers to have their beer evaluated and judged (better read O’pining Pints this week concerning the OLCC and just where you have or don’t have the right to drink the beer or wine you’ve made at home) as a means of putting a beer face to The Alchemist publication. Besides a free Block 15 lunch and complimentary tee-shirt, it allows Patrick to have bragging rights for a few glorious weeks. In my opinion, it goes much deeper. What this amateur brewer / professional brewhouse collaboration does for Block 15 is to lay a thicker foundation of support to the community that Block 15 owners, Nick and Kristin, are an integral part of ramping-up. What this does for The Alchemist is obvious...well, come on! Not even The New York Times has its very own official beer (They also don’t have a comics page, but that’s another gripe of mine!) What it does for home brewed beer is to elevate the home craft to a new level of respectability. Respectability that translates into... “hey, did you have some of Patrick’s beer down at Block 15?” Huh? At this moment you have a different perspective of Patrick that includes admiration, confidence and that evil sin - “envy”. It also means that every time you pick up The Alchemist, like a Pavlovian response, you will begin to subconsciously drool all over the comics.

July 23rd tasting notes, Block 15 Brewery, Patrick Gorman's Rye-teous Imperial Rye.

This beer was served to me at cellar temperature and slightly under-carbonated (boy howdy how I love that!) in a Block 15 tulip glass (double the love!) with about 8 oz. of beer in it. The top portion of the glass was occupied with a lofty pillow of foam that settled down into a tight, long-lasting creme, like you would find on a finely barista’d shot of espresso. The beer, when held up to examination through a bright light, exposed a very dark brown appearance, but not quite black. As I got around to the last ounce in my glass it had thinned out enough that the color became a lighter cacao brown with reddish Hemlock fir bark highlights. Off lifted aromas of booze (this is a 10% ABV beer!) caramel and toffee, toasted walnuts and real brown sugar. The hop characteristics are very subdued and the malt notes are toned back. Across my palate this beer had moderate body with complete fermentation characteristics and soft carbonation. Rye-teous has layers of flavors which leads me to say that this beer drinks like a church

Photo by: Courtney Clenney

function desert potlatch - there are so many varying flavors that come and go and convolute and change from light toast to caramelized sugars; just like a plate of assorted pies, cakes, cookies and bars at that church feeding frenzy. The flavor of rye is not fully evident in this beer, which is neither good-nor-bad, I’m just sayin’. What I really like about Rye-teous is that this beer has so many characteristics of the fermentation and of the yeast that Rye-teous helps to define styles of beers that are not about the hops or about the malt. This is an important qualifying attribute as it is relatively easy to control malt flavor and hop flavor, but it is challenging to dictate how your beer will taste from the more elusive flavors produced from the sheer process of beer being fermented. Patrick ought to be commended on his original recipe and for taking the field of entrants earlier this spring. As a judge I have tasted the home brewed, and the commercial version at Block 15 should be commended as well for translating Patrick’s recipe into a dead-on replication. This is a beer that will earn Patrick many slaps on the back for weeks to come and I believe it will become a favorite of Block 15-ites, which is a little bittersweet. This recipe is a special brew and may-or-may not make an appearance in the future. Unless you know Patrick’s home address!

ALCHEMIST AWARDS in 2009

Best Happy Hour Best Cocktail - Best Pizza 214 SW 2nd - Behind Downtown Dream - 753 7373

THE ALCHEMIST

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JULY 27-AUGUST 2, 2010

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