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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Matter of Opinion archive for May 2007

THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2007

Teens with guns

A pair of Post Falls brothers now carry guns in public to express their support of the Second Amendment. The sight of these guns makes a number of residents uneasy.Take a look at the story: Gun-toting teens alarm residents and then share your reaction here.Staff…

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Spokane Pool Progress Report

From a Spokane Parks Department press release this morning:Recently completed scientific research conducted by Strategic Research Associates on behalf of the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department indicates strong support for maintaining and continuing to operate the city’s five existing swimming pools.Those pools include: Cannon –…

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2007

One More for the Ride Home

Our energetic Boise reporter, Betsy Russell, has this interesting Eye on Boise blog post today:The latest U.S. Census figures show Idaho ranks 49th in the nation in per-pupil spending on public elementary and secondary education. At $6,283 per student, Idaho’s figure was far below the…

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Harry and his NOLA

Harry Connick Jr. performed in Spokane last night, bringing the stunning sounds and sensibility of his native New Orleans to Spokane.After spinning funny tales of his warm, sunny stay in Spokane -- eating brown rice from P.F. Chang's and watching a film at AMC in…

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Wednesday's Thread: Loose It

In my husband's family, there is this saying about the men and their opinions: "Seldom wrong; never uncertain."In my family, there is this saying about the women and their opinions: "No thought left unspoken."Which kind of opinion person are you? Doesn't matter. We'd love to…

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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2007

Disillusioned soldiers

Increasingly, troops see the futility, according to this article.Excerpt:"In 2003, 2004, 100 percent of the soldiers wanted to be here, to fight this war," said Sergeant First Class David Moore, a self-described "conservative Texas Republican" and platoon sergeant who strongly advocates an American withdrawal. "Now,…

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Fire Wise

Our editorial today concerned fire risk in the Inland Northwest. We rarely get tornadoes. We're not a hurricane area, of course. We've had some earthquakes, but we're no California. In fact, some predict that the region's relative safety from catastrophic weather might draw even more…

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Tuesday's Loose Thread

So here we are back to reality, oh gee. The stock market's open again. The president announced sanctions on Sudan. More deaths in Iraq, of course. Closer to home, the TV weather guys and gals are gleeful -- in a warning way -- about unseasonal…

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MONDAY, MAY 28, 2007

Memorial Day Musings

Our editorial today was about a new Veterans Cemetery planned for Eastern Washington. It also talked about the importance of visiting cemeteries to honor the dead, especially on this day.Some of us grew up with family traditions of visiting the graves of loved ones. It…

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FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007

Friday's loose thread

What's on your to-do list as you get ready for the long holiday weekend? Oh! My GOSH!!! Almost forgot to let "A Matter of Opinion" know what's on my mind!There's still time. Post now and move on to less important tasks.

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THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2007

The Cheney Grandbaby

Several years ago at a diversity event, a woman stood up and showed us all a photo of her half-Caucasian, half-African-American grandson. The woman told the group that another family member had been quite bigoted against black people, but the baby changed the relative's prejudice…

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2007

Math plan adds up

The Spokesman-Review editorial board had a productive conversation today with Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson. One topic: Her interest in a statewide standardized math curriculum.It weighs heavily on Bergeson's and many other minds that about half of the state's 10th graders have failed…

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TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2007

MONDAY, MAY 21, 2007

Fu Dogs and feedback

I've been receiving a batch of reader feedback on my column about China which appeared Sunday.Here's the column: Through tourist's eyes, gratitudeReaders have referred me to Internet sites on participatory economics, invited me to read Peter Hessler's "River Town" and "Oracle Bones" and called me…

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2007

Will the paper's blogs hurt the paper?

A reader sent me this column by the public editor on the Orlando Sentinel.It concludes: It makes me wonder -- and I suspect that it will make readers wonder -- what separates the Sentinel's news reports from the unverified postings of people who don't want…

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THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2007

Growers need pickers

They can't find enough help among U.S. citizens.Excerpt: Last August, the state joined the Washington Growers League in a campaign to recruit local workers in anticipation that too few guest workers would be available for the apple harvest.Valoria Loveland, director of the state Department of…

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2007

Another in-custody death

There's a lot of questions swirling around the death of Trent Yohe.What are your thoughts on the matter? Otto Zehm revisited? Justifiable use of force?One poster has already asked a series of questions in "Wednesday's Loose Thread."

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TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2007

Drip ... drip ... drip ...

Save water now or save it later. Our View is that it's best to get into the habit now, so that a growing population doesn't imperil the aquifer.Are you saving water? Do you think it's even necessary?

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MONDAY, MAY 14, 2007

Back from Beijing

I'm home from China, and newly appreciative of Spokane's blue skies, fresh air and, yes, our remarkably sane traffic.China's in the midst of its own industrial revolution, which has led to a booming economy and an estimated 1,000 new drivers on the road every day…

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A Matter of Opinion is really a matter of three opinions – those held by the people responsible for the opinion pages of The Spokesman-Review. Check in regularly to find out what they’re up to, what they think and where they differ and to joust with them if you want.



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