As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the East Coast (see above graphic) and residents scramble to protect themselves from this historic storm, our staff scientists are asking the question, "is this storm in any way tied to an average rise in global temperatures across land and ocean surfaces?"

In the words of infamous climate-change-denier Sarah Palin, "You Betcha!"

The storm, which is already lashing northeastern states with high winds and heavy rains, is expected to hit land later today or tonight. And it's big one. Forecasters say that they expect the hurricane/Nor'Easter hybrid to "paralyze life for millions of people in more than a half-dozen states in the Northeast, with widespread power failures, a halt in transportation systems and extensive evacuations."

And just days before a presidential election in which global warming was largely ignored by both candidates! What's more expensive, continually cleaning up after these monsters or investing in green energy?

There is a crap-ton of stuff to do tonight so grab a costume and get gone. At the Astro Lounge power-pop-reggae-rock band Strive Roots plays at 10pm. Canadian band Cornshed cranks out some alt-country, bluegrass, folk at the Silvermoon Brewery. Seattle’s own Daniel Kirkpatrick & the Bayonetes execute some pop-indie rock with alt-rock band Jacuzzi opening up at the Liquid Lounge. Ike Fonseca drops some county beats off at the Horned Hand. The Monster Ball is at Vince Genna Stadium and hosted by radio personality J-Si from the Kid Kraddick show with music by DJ Kay Rich and $1,000 for the best costume. If you’re looking for some laughs head to the Tower Theatre for the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters 15th Annual Comedy Benefit with Comedians Sharon Lacy and Kermit Apio. Rage-the-Ween is at the Midtown Ballroom and features The Acorn Project playing their own originals and covers by Ween and Rage Against the Machine.

If, like me, you haven't yet received your ballot by mail, don't stress.

YOU CAN STILL VOTE. You probably moved and didn't update your address at the County Clerk's office.

Getting a a replacement ballot is easy if you follow the simple steps below. I just got one and cast my vote, all in less than 30 minutes. Be sure to bring your our Oregon driver's license and Our Crack Election Guide.

Here's what to do.

Step 1:

Oh man, how embarrassing: We told you the wrong day on our very own event!

Battle of the Badlands Arm Wrestling Championship is actually on Saturday, Oct. 27, not that wrong date we told you on our picks page this week. Weigh-ins start at The Old Stone at 4:30 p.m. with competition beginning at 6 p.m.

Multiple weight classes for men and women mean you could be a contender!

So, gather your buddies and get down there for the kind of thing that just doesn’t happen around here often enough—this…

 

While doing some highly academic research for our annual Winter Wellness issue (on stands Nov. 8) we came across the video below. It's just what we were looking for!

When winter hits, you need to know how to stay fit and remain sane through the seemingly endless cold, grey days. But we were stressing out as we searched high and low for the latest workout fads and winter-appropriate fitness regimes.

Then THIS video fell in our laps: wimp.com/bestworkout.

PGA Tour player and U. of O grad Ben Crane explains how he got his body looking so good; how to keep a workout fun; how to relieve stress with the "snake-shaker" and how to beat the winter blues with the "sledge-wand."

If you picked up a copy of the Source this week, hopefully you had a chance to read our initial installment on Oregon Record Stores. We picked Music Millennium as our first stop in part because it is Oregon's oldest, but also because owner Terry Currier is perhaps the biggest music lover around. 

Watch this video below to learn a bit about what makes this audiophile tic as well as learn why he thinks the vinyl format is making a comeback. 

Music Millennium from All Cats Are Grey on Vimeo.

Come Nov. 6, most of us are so supersaturated with the political carnival that it often seems like too great an effort to wade through the Oregon Voters Guide.

We feel you. It's depressing trying to make sense of the multimillion- dollar smear campaigns and the endless half-truths, especially in a world where it can be hard to discern the difference between candidates who are more interested in votes than taking a stand. 

Don't get bogged down. Vote! And use Our Crack Election Guide as your compass. Armed with a video camera and pointed questions, our editorial board hosted a number of the competing candidates in a panel-style Q&A in order to make an informed choice as to which ones would be best suited to carry out the people's vision for Central Oregon. We also dove deep into the ballot measures and made our picks here: Our Crack Election Guide: Measures

Our Endorsements:

Candidates

Officials in Tampa Bay Florida have successfully captured the Mystery Monkey that had been roaming throughout the community for the past two years. 

With less than two weeks to go before the Presidential election, the timing of the capture has some people crying foul. 

"We've got a right to know why all of the sudden city officials decided to silence the monkey," said political antagonist and entrepreneur Donald Trump. "After allowing the monkey to be free for two years, this can't be a simple coincidence."

Trump may have a point when one looks at the easy capture of the macaque rhesus monkey. A capture that involved the daughter of a woman recently bitten by the monkey. 

They placed bananas in and around the cage that wildlife rescuer Vernon Yates had installed weeks ago to catch the monkey.

About noon, Shannon Fowler, Elizabeth's daughter, arrived. She stood outside, waved a banana and made smooching sounds.

The monkey emerged from the woods and perched on a branch. He scampered toward the trap.

As you've probably noticed, there's a plenitude of fruit trees scattered throughout Bend.

Many of trees were planted with care and are lovingly looked after by the renters/homeowners who live on the property. Others grow untended on vacant lots or on public lands. Those who are fortunate enough to have fruit-bearing  plum trees, apple trees and pear trees, the most common fruit trees in Central Oregon, often pick the delectable treats and put them to good use—plum sauces, apple pies, pear salads—just a few of the hundreds of ways one can enjoy the fruits found in Central Oregon.

But what about those neglected trees whose fruit falls to waste? That's where you come in—with your backpack and your manners.

Gleaning is gathering produce left by others and is considered by its practitioners to be an effective way to mitigate food waste. You can donate the food to a food bank or use it for your own consumption. We hear there's a Central Oregon Gleaners gang in town which gathers forgotten fruit, but because of their secretive nature we weren't able to track them down for comment.

In case you missed it, President Obama really handed it to Willard Romney (that's his real first name) in the third and final presidential debate last night.

Most pundits agreed this morning—Obama was the clear winner of the final debate. The President was well-prepared and even combative as he challenged Romney from the start—a far cry from the Obama we saw in the first debate in which he was accused of appearing weak and distracted.

There were a number of highlights last night, some that could even trump Romney's  "binders of women" comment from the last debate. But Obama's "battleships and bayonets" moment was MONEY and will be remembered as one of the best quips of this election cycle.

Here it is. Obama really gets going around the 18-second mark.