Here's another installment of my ongoing (and probably useless) series lamenting the decline of accurate grammar and spelling in our age of information downpour, especially on the Internet.
With this particular error, The Oregonian won't be able to keep the grammarians of San Francisco, um, at bay:
Top story on The Oregonian's website (Oct. 23, 2011)
It's sad, too, because Portland and San Francisco have so much in common: progressive politics, proximity to the Pacific Ocean and high vegans-per-capita statistics (based purely on observational and anecdotal data). For now, it looks like the two West Coast cities don't 'C' eye to eye.
Unfortunately, there's no tried-and-true method for achieving 15 minutes of fame. For 1.5 seconds, though, all you needed in 2011 was a small donation to Comedy Central funnyman Stephen Colbert's Colbert Super PAC. See the straight-faced satirist salute his supporters -- including yours truly -- in this silly Sept. 29 segment:
Fame is fleeting -- especially considering the Ministry of Internet will eventually remove this clip -- but don't put it on the ThreatDown just yet! Screen shots swoop in to save the day:
And hey, if it takes a character like Colbert to educate the American public about the seedy ways in which our politicians' campaigns are financed, so be it. His message this election season is an important one: Turtles don't like peanut butter.
When you crave a good hamburger, you don't immediately think of heading out to a dive bar, let alone one that fills the space of a motel's basement.
But there's a nearly religious phenomenon that is happy hour in Portland, and it somehow transforms deal-seekers into explorers of the city's great gastronomical unknowns. For example, it drives a group of twenty-somethings to Suki's Bar & Grill -- which shares its parking lot with a dingy Travelodge -- for a Friday afternoon of cheap eats and fairly priced pints.
Suki's, south of downtown amid a web of busy one-way streets, doesn't seem to mind its less-than-desirable location. It offers weekly karaoke and open-mic comedy nights, and those are only two of the 30 reasons for an outing at the spacious den-like hideaway (free pool, anyone?).
Its happy hour menu should be No. 1 on that list. A third-pound Angus beef burger -- with fries -- for four bucks? That would be an acceptable deal for a bad burger. Granted, this is obviously a pre-made patty without much flair, and the fries are salty even by dive bar standards. Still, the food pairs quite nicely with a lemon-spiked Pyramid Hefeweizen, satisfying palates and wallets. You'll get for $7 what would easily pull at least twice the cash during regular hours at some other establishments.
Suki's is miles from patty paradise, yes, but its overall value means that it suffices as a satisfactory stop along the way.
It starts with a slow but powerful buildup, creating a sense of anticipation without revealing the central melody. Then it flows forth, like water after the destruction of a dam, with soaring notes that evoke sadness and hope -- simultaneously. There's somehow grace in its force, depth in its simplicity. Perhaps that's part of the explanation for the survival of "The Ecstasy of Gold," a classical composition that has found safe havens across generations and genres.
It was written by Ennio Morricone, a prolific Italian composer whose credits include hundreds of soundtracks over seven decades. The piece in question -- part of Morricone's score for "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," a highly regarded 1966 film starring Clint Eastwood and set during the American Civil War -- accompanies a graveyard search for gold:
Ennio Morricone -- L'Estasi dell'Oro
By the early 1980s, "The Ecstasy of Gold" had become precious metal for Metallica, which injected the song with heavy guitars and pounding percussion (and, later, a full-fledged symphony. Exactly why the band decided to kick off every live show with the Marricone masterpiece is anyone's guess, but it's easy to see why the tradition still exists -- namely, because it is musical euphoria. It sounds something like the inner workings of Einstein's brain at the moment he finalized his theory of relativity:
Metallica -- The Ecstasy of Gold
The tune also made its rounds in the hip-hop world in 2002, when Jay-Z and Nas were engaged in a much-publicized series of spats. Unfortunately, Jay-Z trashes the epic potential of the "Blueprint 2" beat, peppering it with digs at his fellow New York emcee instead of turning it into a rap classic. (If there's any beat that should have stayed above the diss-track fray, it's this one.) Still, the Jay-Z joint is relevant because it reiterated Morricone's far-reaching legacy and inspired other rap renditions of the song. It doesn't complete the classical-to-classic cycle, but it's at least worth a listen:
