Blogroll: A glance at what Spokesman-Review bloggers have to say

Office Hours

By Tom Sowa

Sept. 3 - Wednesday’s S-R had a quick hit on the general softening of the “flipper” home sales market, in Spokane and nationwide. But not in Seattle, where the high-rollers keep buying and selling, above the national average. The story also had the additional detail that “flipping” in Washington state is regulated, requiring contractors to license and obtain insurance before undertaking that activity. We have to wonder if anyone really regulates the activity. How would you track someone who sells two homes a year?

Sirens & Gavels

By Nick Deshais

Sept. 2 – On the heels of last week’s complaint against Spokane police Chief Frank Straub for misrepresentation, Brian Breen, a retired police officer and frequent commenter on Spokesman-Review stories online, has filed a complaint against the chief for providing “false information to members of the City Council … during a budget presentation.”

At issue is the number of domestic violence calls Spokane police get a year. At a budget meeting last month, Straub said the department gets an average of 8,000 calls per year, as we reported. Spokane’s Journal of Business reported a similar number in an article.

Breen’s issue with these statements is that they are far higher than what the police department has reported to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Over the past five years, those annual numbers range from 2,988 domestic violence reports to 3,823 a year.

Sept. 2 – Tracking and living by the “experts’ findings” on food choices can make one’s head – and perhaps stomach – hurt. Low carb? Low fat? Vegan? A new major study claims that people who avoid carbohydrates and eat fat – even the saturated kinds of fat – will lose weight and have fewer cardiovascular problems. Trans fat is the exception.

Somewhere in the midst of seeking the magic equation for good health, we may benefit from following our ancestors’ habits: Eat a variety of unprocessed foods, then go outside and burn off the calories – harvesting the farmland or hitting tennis balls.