Some of you may have noticed a certain lackluster approach to the staffing of this blog in recent days. What can I say? Between skimpy staffing and holiday distractions, blogging has to share finite resources with other demands.Still, loyal followers are entitled to at least…
(AP photo by Anjum Naveed)Doug Floyd waited all day yesterday Philadelphia Inquirer's Trudy Rubin's dispatch from Pakistan. It was worth the wait. She's in Pakistan, was scheduled to interview Benazir Bhutto on Thursday evening. If you read little else about the assassination, read Rubin's report…
(Dan Pelle/S-R photo)Just heard from a colleague that there's a "skiff" of snow out there.I have heard this term before in relation to a light snow. Turns out skiff means "small boat."But then I stumbled into a online discussion of the very word in relation…
In my opinion, the best read on our pages today is Lynn Swanbom's column. Lynn is our letters coordinator and opinion page copy editor and she used her master’s degree in English and rhetorical studies in interesting ways on the job.Her column today looks at…
If you've been planning to comment on one of our loose threads in 2007, time's running out. Click quickly.
Do you have some time this week to relax or is it back to the grind on the day after the holiday? Or did you really get a break from the grind in the first place?No matter your condition, this is Wednesday's loose thread and…
We've gotten a few Christmas cards from our letter writers and enjoyed them very much. But we also continue to have some strong opinions expressed on the Roundtable page. Keep the discussion going, both on the blog and by submitting letters of your own: editor@spokesman.comWhich…
(Photo of Ray Milland in "Lost Weekend" from www.filmreference.com)Our editorial today was filled with tips on how to stay safe on the roads this holiday season.One of the tips:Get aggressive when the party's drunk tries to drive home. Hard-core drinkers – defined as those with…
V.B. Wigglesworth wakes at noon,Washes, shaves, and very soonIs at the lab; he reads his mail,Tweaks a tadpole by the tail,Undoes his coat, removes his hat,Dips a spider in a vat.-- From "V.B. Nimble, V.B. Quick" by John UpdikeWe hope your morning routine will include…
From my window, looking on Sprague Avenue, I see a drizzly, gray day and wonder if it's going to wash away the snow before my granddaughter gets to town tonight and we get a chance to pull her around on the homemade sled I guilt…
Go ahead and give it a tug. Post a comment of your choice and see what develops
(...) it seems that there really aren't many options other than to throw (compact fluorescent bulbs) in the trash. I'm certainly not going to park a light bulb on my passenger seat and drive it to some as yet unknown location to dispose of it.…
C'mon editorial board, give our new mayor, Mary Verner, a break. She hasn't even been in office for 30 days and you are all over her about her lack of judgment in revealing the names of her transition team ("Stumbling start," Dec. 8). Dennis Hession…
In regards to George Britton’s letter about snowy sidewalks ("Snowy sidewalks a crime," Dec. 11), I totally agree that homeowners are responsible for keeping their sidewalks clear after a snowfall. However, some blame needs to be assigned to the city of Spokane and their lousy…
Here is the link George Nethercutt included in his guest opinion today. The civic literacy quiz takes a few minutes to complete, because the questions require careful reading. And they ain't all that easy either. I'm not shocked that college freshmen failed.I got a 90%.…
This interview from the current Futurist magazine is worth a read and react.
Imagine the horror for a child trapped in a physically and/or emotionally abusive setting, victimized by those who are supposed to be protectors. Where can he or she turn? When someone does notice and blow the whistle, will the public resources be in place to…
w00t!What would you have chosen?
As today's editorial was being written Tuesday afternoon, reporter Betsy Russell was writing from the S-R's Boise office that the Idaho Board of Education may have violated that state's open meetings law to discuss canceling the statewide standardized test for Idaho students next year. Public…
Our editorial today talked about the county's planning process for a new jail.The county has launched an ambitious plan to present voters, in November 2008, with a bond issue to pay for a new detention facility to be in place by 2013, when Geiger's property…
As we were working our Sunday editorial on how the role of police -- and workplace -- chaplains goes way beyond faith denominations, Doug Floyd found a Web site that showed military branch and collar insignia. They have elaborate insignias for Muslim, Buddhist, Christian and…
As you read today's editorial, you should be aware it was written by Gary Crooks last Friday -- from home
Our editorial today concerned the pools and Albi park bond that was passed overwhelmingly by voters last month.It urged the city to do implement the bond rapidly and with much transparency. Looks like they have that in mind.The parks department issued this press release today:The…
Torture and interrogation have been hot topics here. Now comes news that the CIA destroyed tapes of some interrogations rather than turn them over to the 9/11 Commission or legal authorities.Here's the article.Are you OK with this?
In our editorial board meeting with new Mayor Mary Verner yesterday, she gave us a handout listing the "Mayor's ground rules of behavior."They are:Just the facts -- no spin. Listen here.Just the truth -- no lies.Just a moment -- no surprises. Listen here.(S-R/Christopher Anderson photo…
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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