Question: What are your thoughts on California Supreme Court decision opening way for same-sex marriage in state/WorldNetDaily
1. Once again, California leads the way in the elimination of discrimination and bigotry 2. I agree with Nancy Pelosi – this 'historic decision ... provides for equal treatment for all California's citizens and families' 3. The court did the right thing – the law denying 'gays' the right to marry was obviously unconstitutional 4. It's a good next step in the evolution of human rights 5. California's a bellweather state – the rest of the nation won't be far behind 6. I thought California was supposed to have fallen into the Pacific already – what's taking so long? 7. The court overstepped its authority, especially since the majority of California voters have overwhelmingly expressed their support for traditional marriage 8. It's a disgrace that four unelected judges can overturn thousands of years of Judeo-Christian values 9. California voters need to impeach the four rogue judges and put the ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution 10. Other
Let the games begin! The Memorial Cup kicks off tomorrow with the host Kitchener Rangers taking on the Gatineu Olympiques. The Spokane Chiefs' first round-robin matchup is Saturday afternoon against the Belleville Bulls.
There are a handful of links and some reading material below. Also, those of you that have asked questions - I've done my best to answer them below.
This has very little to do with parenting, but it is about relationships – sort of – and the things you lose and how they sometimes come back.
Before kids, my husband and I used to spend our weekends in Bayview, Idaho, sailing our ’73 Coronado on Lake Pend Oreille. After our eldest son was born, we just couldn’t keep the boat. It was hard to sail with an infant on board, especially after he started crawling. I was so paranoid that he would fall overboard and drown.
So we sold it. But during one of our last sailing days, Ted lost his wedding band. The gold ring had always been a little loose, but somehow, he didn’t notice that it had slipped off his finger. We were both convinced that it had fallen in the water, lost forever at the bottom of Lake Pend Oreille.
It’s hard to replace sentimental objects such as wedding rings. Ted had planned on renting scuba gear and scouring the bottom of the lake near the marina, but he never did. Ringless after few months, he went to a pawn shop and spent $20 on a cheap silver band.
After a few years, I finally stopped getting angry every time I thought of the lost ring. Then soon after that, it didn’t even cross my mind at all.
Until… tonight. A guy named Mark called and asked him, “Did you lose something shiny on your old boat?”
Mark bought the Coronado from the couple who bought it from us. He discovered it in the battery compartment -- in the boat’s hull, and was kind enough to track Ted down.
The sudden return of my husband’s wedding ring has brought back all these memories – of those carefree days before kids; of beautiful Bayview; of the months after our son was born as we tried to reconcile our outdoor pursuits with the reality of parenthood.
So we lost the boat. And the ring. And a little bit of our old selves.
But we have two great kids and enough adventure. Now the ring is back, so that must be a good sign.
Just before lunch today I remembered that the California Supreme Court was to have handed down a ruling on same-sex marriage earlier this morning. I dashed onto the internet in search of the decision. Scrolling through all the sites generated by my search, I glimpsed a synopsis that indicated the Golden State's marriage ban was ruled unconstitutional.
As of 10 a.m. today, gay marriage is legal in my native land!
My heart rate jumped a few notches while I sat reading the story. How proud I felt in those quiet moments in my office. How good it felt to know that a court full of appointees chosen mainly by Republican governors understood that denying any man or woman the freedom to marry their life's love was downright unfair. And unnecessary.
The two competing candidates for the Idaho Supreme Court clashed over everything from the state’s judicial selection process to political influence on the court, in a debate broadcast live tonight on Idaho Public Television. District Judge John Bradbury of Lewiston, the challenger, said, “It’s who you know to get an appointment” to state judicial positions, and suggested that’s why the court lacks diversity. Incumbent Justice Joel Horton responded, “That’s an absurd proposition,” and said the state Judicial Council focuses on “the merits and qualifications of the individuals.”
Horton was appointed to the court in September by Gov. Butch Otter after review by the council, and now is standing for election. Bradbury has called for an end to appointed judges running to succeed themselves, and wants all judgeships decided in open elections.
Horton said he’s the best qualified candidate because he’s been a judge three times as long as Bradbury, while Bradbury maintained he brings a “diverse life experience” to the court, including many years in private practice. Horton said other justices on the court have private practice backgrounds. Before becoming a lower court judge, Horton served as a deputy prosecutor.
The two also clashed over Idaho’s sentencing system, with Bradbury calling for guidelines to address extreme disparities in sentencing from one judge to another around the state, and Horton opposing any guidelines, saying, “It is essential that judges have discretion … because every case is different.”
"My 2 cents, we obviously promote all kinds of shows from national christian artist, to local metal/rock bands at our inferno nights. Many of them sign up everymonth because it is hard for them to get gigs anywhere else. We here at IGNTIE have looked for venues to have these shows in and it is pretty tough. We lucked out when youth for christ partenered with us and didnt mind the heavier music some months. I came from Indiana where there was Midwest HXC and grew up on Zao, Training for Utopia, and At Peace while Burning, then I moved to spokane and the Scene here is really lacking in my opinion compared to my little 30,000 person city that would have way more people show up than I have ever seen here. "IGNITE spokane is a christian organization that realizes the impact on music, and wants to change the city through music. We are all volunteer, none of us make a pay check, we do it for the love. We have been going for a year and a half now, and have done a dozen or so local shows and 4 national artist's shows/tours. Our local shows mostly happen with our Partnership with Youth for Christ to use their very cool building with a Good pa and wi-fi internet. We dont "preach" by any means at these shows, we book both christian and non-christian bands, we just ask to respectfully keep it clean. That area really has responded well to our monthly Inferno's, and we usually get more request's to play than we can fill in a night. We do 5 bands for $5 bucks usually, and have a variety but there is always a HXC band or rock band represented, and sometimes thats the whole show. We do not do them in the summer months though. The Spokane scene is very lacking, and I dont say that to get people mad at me, I say it coming from a completely different part of the country. I work for the Government and they moved me here 3 years ago. I think it is great what all the promoters are doing here, as I am one of them trying to change it. Like I said previous in the Midwest when we would promote a show, there was just tons of passion and response at the show. The attendance was outragious. The city was only 30,000 people strong but could easily double the attendence I see at some of these shows for something of the same caliber there. For a city of 400,000 or whatever it is, to only get 100-200 people at a show sometimes is obsurd. That was easily met at every show we did in Indiana times two or three. I havent quite got to pinpoint why yet, I am not saying its the bands fault's by any means, and I do not want this to come across as everyone will hate IGNITE spokane, cause thats not what I am saying, it is just very different hear. Lots of awesome talent, but it seems like a small dedicated followership? Make sense? So is the Spokane scene 'bad,' no not by any means, but I have to compare it from where I came from and for a large city I am suprised it is not further along." -Jerome Casinger, Ignite Spokane.
Links for golfers: Fan site Oobgolf takes you places, from tee to shining tee
FOR A LARGER SIZE VERSION OF THE OOBGOLF SCREEN, CLICK HERE.
By Doug Dobbins Doug.txt@gmail.com If you are a golfer who wants to know your game better, or perhaps you’re planning a vacation in Vermont or Arizona and want to find the perfect course to play, you should consider visiting oobgolf.com. The Web site, supported by ads, is free to join and use.
Kevin Langdon and Andrew Brown founded Oobgolf in 2006 with the goal to make the site your “online caddy.” In true Internet fashion, Langdon lives in Lewisburg, Penn., while Brown is in Baltimore.
LISTEN TO AN INTERVIEW WITH Kevin Langdon and Andrew Brown about Oobgolf. CLICK ARROW on player.
The recent downturn in the residential real estate market might be causing would-be seller to flinch, but for Spokane County buyers it means improving affordability, a new report shows.
The typical family had 129 percent of the income needed to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced home of $186,800 during the first quarter this year, according to data from Washington State University’s Washington Center for Real Estate Research. That’s about a 2 percent increase from the same quarter in 2007. First-time homebuyers, assumed to have lesser incomes, had about 72 percent of the money needed to buy less expensive homes — about a 1 percent increase.
Statewide, affordability improved about 6 percent, according to the center. The median home resold for $293,600, a 2.4 percent decrease. The national median, meanwhile, decreased 7.7 percent.
This AP picture portrays two goslings who are looking for food in front of a plastic coyote posted as a scarecrow on a lawn in Tewksbury, Mass. The plastic model is designed to scare away geese and keep them off the lawn, but appeared to have little effect on the young birds. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
My question is how do they propose to find food with what appears to be a LOT of goose poop in the foreground of the picture?
Just a mild-mannered question at the end of a long day...
Read Jim Hagengruber’s story “One Marine's Paradise” in a six-page special section coming Sunday in The Spokesman-Review
Audio Slideshow by Brian Plonka Follow the Shipp twins' journey Click Here
I found myself in a remote part of Western Iraq during the second of two trips to the Middle East to catch up with U.S. Marine Matt Shipp. From the time I left Kuwait, my travels took me through Baghdad and several Air Force bases. It took 7 days of layovers, one airplane and several helicopters to reach Matt Shipp in the town of Rutbah. The funny thing about the trip is that I had no idea where I was going until I got to Rutbah. Matt was promoted to corporal during his deployment. The bump in rank gave him extra responsibilities that he has handled well.
It was a strange feeling, wearing body armor, walking through the Iraqi streets following Matt. I hoped we wouldn’t see action, but I knew I was in good hands. Shipp is a heck of a Marine. Matt returned home safely several days ago. He and his twin brother Robert have been separated for almost a year. They will be reunited next month when Robert returns from the Persian Gulf.
Just returned from listening to Pierce Murphy, the Boise ombudsman, field questions from the City Council. Mayor and chief were there. He said many of the things that have been reported in the newspaper.
Two things I'd like to mention:
1. He said that it was important for the credibility of the office that the ombudsman be able to conduct investigations. He doubted he could've established the office's independence if he had to tell people, "Sorry, I can't look into this." He said as time has gone by the investigations have become less important because those conducted by Internal Affairs have gotten better (more professional). He actually spends more time on audit reports and studying and advocating for "best practices."
2. He noted that he and the chief will disagree on matters and that's fine. But it's important that the public know what the issues are. Once he files a report, he's done. He doesn't lobby for changes.
One example: There was an incident in 2004 where an officer was called to a house where a teenage boy was exhibiting scary behavior. When the officer arrived, the kid was out front with an antique rifle with bayonet. The officer intervened and the kid charged at him. The officer shot him and the kid died.
The ombudsman ruled that the shooting was justified (self-defense), but he recommended a different approach in the future. It's called the Memphis Model, where a crisis intervention team is called and people with mental illness training try to diffuse the situation.
The Boise chief disagreed, but the council disagreed with the chief. And Boise will soon be implementing the Memphis Model, he said.
That reminds me of one more thing. The ombudsman reports to the council, not the mayor.
Staff photographer Brian Plonka and freelance reporter James Hagengruber this weekend will continue their compelling series about the Idaho twin brothers who joined the Marines together.
I invited Plonka this afternoon to engage in a brief question and answer interview via email in order to give readers a little insight into his role and the obstacles of working in Iraq.
Sunday’s six-page special section will focus on Cpl. Matthew Shipp. The section was designed by Geoff Pinnock and Ralph Walter. Liz Kishimoto edited the photos. Addy Hatch was the lead editor on the stories and the night-side copy desk did a meticulous, team edit of the section.
Here’s the Q&A with Plonka.
Q: As you look back at the time that you spent in Iraq and Kuwait, what are some of the most distinct memories you have about the Shipp twins and how they are coping with their lives in a war zone?
A: It was different seeing them working on a professional level. Usually they would let their guard down during earlier visits, but now they talk the Marine talk and walk the Marine walk. I saw them realizing their dreams into reality.
They are a lot tougher than I thought. They didn't see any intense action, but I know they could handle that situation at the drop of a hat. I do see them longing for the Northwest. California is not really their home nor will it ever be. They appear different on the outside, they are more fit. They're still Matt and Robert on the inside, very passionate, caring and understanding.
Q: What was the most difficult part of your assignment in terms of access, technology or surroundings?
A: Getting around Iraq was nerve-racking. Every layover is 24 hours on the average. Being part of the media put us on standby for every flight. I once waited 52 hours for a 45-minute flight out of Iraq back to Kuwait. Basically after getting our military press credentials in Baghdad we were on our own.
Everything is hurry up and wait and wait some more. People (contractors and some military) would try to get in our heads as we made our way through Iraq. They would tell us we were crazy and said never ever take off our body armor. The talk often turned political. One contractor asked me if I was part of the liberal media out to make the war sound bad. I asked him if he was worried about not making any more money off this war.
Q: Why was it so important to you as the series photographer to see the Shipps in the Middle East?
A: I never started a story I never finished - some 24 years now as a photojournalist. The story would have been a failure if we didn't see the twins at war. It's kind of like doing a story of a championship boxer training and then not covering the title fight.
Q: How did you handle the stress of being in Iraq? Did you have any harrowing experiences? Did you feel safe most of the time?
A: I unfortunately picked up smoking cigarettes again on this trip, but it seemed to help pass the hours. Stress is all that you make up yourself. I kept telling myself that my fate didn't lie in meeting the Shipp twins in North Idaho and then dying in Iraq. That didn't seem to be in the cards.
Walking down the streets of Rutbah the first time was scary. I stood out like sore thumb- bright green body armor and a helmet that didn't match. I felt stressed out when driving in a Humvee at night when a small truck veered off in front of us on the side of the road - I thought it was going to blow up. For the most part I was in the safe company of Marines. I didn't venture out on my own nor did I want to.
I don't want to pick on the police department, but they keep painting bullseyes on their backsides.
All we have to do is wait a few months, and here comes another glaring illustration of why the department's credibility is so badly mangled. This most recent fiasco concerns the case of 20-year-old Michael Lyons, the only one of the Fourth of July protesters to go to trial.
Apparently I need to drive up Nevada Street more often, because I'm four months behind the curve on a new restaurant in the former North Side location of Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar: bin98twenty.
Like its predecessor, bin98twenty aims to serve upscale cuisine and cocktails.
And, as a bonus, the bin offers 1/2-price wine on Mondays and features a happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close.
Dog lover Kat Biggs fights for stray cats: Dropping a cat off at the animal shelter is essentially a death sentence these days. Mandatory holding periods for unlicensed stray cats are being repealed across the Inland Northwest as authorities contend with worsening feline overpopulation problems.
OK, so here’s another Top 10 movie list. This one involves movies that play with your mind, that unfold like acid trips – sometimes good, sometimes bad, always confounding but, on occasion, offering a glimpse of illumination. Perhaps even a hint of an answer.
Let’s start with one of my favorite Italian films:
“L’Avventura” (1960) – A group of friends go exploring on a rocky island, and one gets lost. After searching for a while, the others seem to become distracted and, gradually, go on with their empty lives. Michelangelo Antonioni’s film is a study of post-war Italy that makes a devastating commentary about spoiled, self-absorbed, emotionally wounded people and the damage they leave in their wake.
“Magnolia” (1999) – I’m crazy for Paul Thomas Anderson. Even though his follow-up to “Boogie Nights” flirts, and arguably even has a fling with, absurdity, the essence of it examines questions about the difficulty, if not impossibility, of simple human connection. And then the frogs fall.
“Mulholland Drive” (2001) – David Lynch has made a career out of taking paths few other filmmaker have been interested in treading. From “Eraserhead” to “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart” to “Inland Empire,” his characters flail about in existentialist nightmares that some of us understand at our very cores. This may be his best film, tackling two versions of the same story about two women searching a dreamy L.A. landscape for answers to questions that may be unanswerable.
“Eyes Wide Shut” (1999) – Stanley Kubrick’s last film may be far from his best. And his sex-based plot point feels a bit dated (Kubrick was 71 during filming). But it does have Kubrick’s trademark qualities: stately pacing, acute cinematography, performances that ride that thin line between reality and ironic overreaching, following a theme of reaching for meaning in an uncaring universe.
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004) – The pairing of quirky French director Michel Gondry and offbeat American screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich”) was one of those experiments that worked. Even casting eternal funnyman Jim Carrey in a mostly dramatic role well serves the film’s greater purpose. The theme is love and how hard it is to distinguish between that emotion and those that look very much like it – lust maybe and need certainly.
“Europa” (1991) – Watching this early Lars von Trier film, aka “Zentropa,” is like looking at the sketches of, say, Pablo Picasso. Long before he helped invent Dogma, von Trier showed that he could make a classic kind of film as well as anyone. Yet it’s the hypnotic feel of “Europa,” which follows an American trying to find his way in a Kafkaesque post-WWII Germany, that is most effective here. That, by the way, is the great Max Von Sydow doing the narration.
“Abre los ojos” (1997) – One of the great contemporary Spanish-speaking filmmakers, Alejandro Amenábar, directed this strange tale (remade in 2001 by Cameron Crowe as “Vanilla Sky”) of a guy who seemingly has everything. Until he loses it all. And then, wonder of wonders, he gets a second chance. Or does he? Is that really Najwa Nimri under the pillow? Or is it Penelope Cruz? I can’t breathe! What does it all mean? Where can I get some of that cool cryogenic therapy?
“Crash” (1996) – There’s something about David Cronenberg that makes me want to bathe after watching his movies. “Dead Ringers” and “Naked Lunch” and “Videodrome”? All cases in point. “Crash,” based on the utterly strange novel by J.G. Ballard, is no different. Yet in pulling us into the world of people who get sexual pleasure out of car crashes, Cronenberg at least gives us a glimpse of fetishistic dysfunction in a way that, each of us in his or her own way, should be able to relate to. Er, somehow.
“The Singing Detective” (1986) – This six hour, 55-minute miniseries, a Jon Amiel-directed BBC production that ran in the U.S. on public television, is far superior to the big-screen version that Keith Gordon directed in 2003. Based on the writings of Dennis Potter, who specialized in blending old-time tunes with surrealistic settings, it’s a kind of mystery story revolving around a guy suffering from a debilitating skin condition. The “Dem Bones” number is particularly mind-blowing.
“The Double Life of Veronique” (1991) – The late Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski is best known for his “Blue,” White,” “Red” series, and “Decalogue,” his 10-part variation on the 10 Commandments. But this earlier film, besides introducing the beautiful Irene Jacob, is a fascinating look at two sides of the same potential life. As Roger Ebert wrote, don’t try to figure out every last detail: “That way lies frustration.” Scratch your head if you have to, but just try to enjoy.
Below: Tom Cruise was nominated for an Oscar for his role in P.T. Anderson's film “Magnolia.”
OLYMPIA – It’s been a busy couple of months for some local political candidates, judging by their fundraising reports. Consider:
•Two Spokane Republicans, businessman Kevin Parker and optometric physician Mel Lindauer, are locked in an expensive faceoff to determine who will challenge 6th District Democratic state Rep. Don Barlow, D-Spokane;
•Democratic challenger John Driscoll has raised nearly as much as the lawmaker he’s trying to oust, Spokane Republican state Rep. John Ahern;
•Spokane attorney and judge Debra Stephens, despite only a few months on the job as Washington’s newest Supreme Court justice, has raised more than $65,000 for her re-election campaign this year. That’s far more than anyone else running for the high court.
“I feel like we’re on pace with where we want to be,” said Parker, who’s trailing Lindauer slightly in fundraising. Both, however, are well ahead of Rep. Barlow, who like most state officials was barred by law from raising money during the recent legislative session.
Further afield, Okanogan County rancher Peter Goldmark has outraised his opponent, state lands commissioner Doug Sutherland. And Shelly Short, a late but well-known entry into the race for an open 7th district legislative seat representing the state’s rural northeast, has already outraised opponents who’ve been campaigning for months.
Here’s a look at the money flowing into some local and statewide races. (Numbers are rounded.)
Junior Lilac Parade results will be in Thursday Voices
Q: I am a parent of a band student writing because I am upset that the newspaper did not print the results of the Junior Lilac Parade but referred readers to see a website. As a parent, I am aware of the tremendous time and energy put into preparing for a parade of this nature. The kids and families look so forward to opening the newspaper the next morning to see where they placed in the parade and they need to be able to see the results, cut them out, show them off or send them to family. We pay for the local paper to be able to read about local events, not to be referred to the internet. The paper has always printed the parade results in the past, why not this year? I hope and expect to be able to read the results of the Junior Lilac Parade in the Spokesman Review next May. Thank you. (Please print this letter in your paper). Concerned Father Spokane Valley
A: We’ll be publishing the results of the parade in this week’s community weeklies, which are distributed to thousands of our regular subscribers. Look for the results in the North Voice, South Voice, Valley Voice and West Plains Voice, which are part of the Thursday newspaper. We devoted considerable space in Sunday’s newspaper to two photographs from Saturday’s parade. There will be a photo published with the results on Thursday as well.
I’ve passed on your letter for consideration by the editorial page staff, which determines which letters are published in the paper.
A letter being auctioned in London this week adds more fuel to the long-simmering debate about the Nobel Prize-winning physicist's religious views. In the note, written the year before his death, Einstein dismissed the idea of God as the product of human weakness and the Bible as "pretty childish
So by the looks of things this article has been around for a little while, so why the fact that it's being sold now adds significantly to the debate is beyond me.
Regardless of it's relavence to the debate about Einstein's particular belief's is the debate about science vs. religion. For me it's never been too much of a debate, since I've never found too many scientific theories that have much of any friction with my religious beliefs. But what I find interesting is this part of the above article:
"Like many great scientists of the past, he is rather quirky about religion, and not always consistent from one period to another," Brooke said.
Many would condemn such eccentricity of theology, but if we acknowledge that they're smarter than us, then why do we think they're wrong when they do something we don't understand?
Here's a favorite quote for mine from the "stein":
"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
With that theory, does creationism have a case for being taught in schools? Has anyone ever come up with a solid arguement for it being taught in schools? If he's so smart, why doesn't he know what a comb is?
Main Market, a new natural foods cooperative, will be opening at the end of October at 17 W. Main Ave. A team of organizers has been working to bring fresh, locally grown, organic foods to downtown Spokane shoppers.
Look for Green Bluff strawberries, Upper Columbia peaches and cheeses, grassfed meats form Eastern Wash., and Taylor Farms shellfish, at the coop, organizers say in a news release.
The team creating the cooperative is led by Jennifer Hall, a sustainable, Slow Food advocate. The vision behind the work is Community Bulding and Saranac developer Jim Sheehan.
A steering committee of community members will oversee the Main Market's mission and structure. It includes:
Shelia Collins, Eastern Washington Representative of Governor Chris Gregoire's office
Mary Eberle, aNeMonE handmade paper flowers
Julie Goltz, Center For Justice
John Grollmus, Moon Time, Elk, Porch and Two Seven Public Houses
Jim Haynes, Pacific Material Exchange
Dorothy MacEachern, Regional Health District
Patricia Sampson, RenCorp Realty
Jim Sheehan, Community Building LLC
Michael Woods, Gonzaga University
Read a profile of Jennifer Hall by correspondent Virginia de Leon in tomorrow's (May 14) food section.
Interesting story from reporter Michael McIntyre at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A TV station billed an interview with Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. as an "exclusive." Turns out the video they used was from a network interview last year. The reporter never appeared in the story…just did a "voice over."
News Director Dan Salamone said " We never once suggested (reporter) Sharon Reed sat down and did the interview. We just said she had an exclusive story." Hmmmm. Yet the web site said "Sharon Reed sits down for a one on one interview with the famed baller." According to the article, Salamone said "The internet guys didn't get the memo." Hmmm again.
Is this common practice in the TV biz? Well, it's not uncommon for reporters to voice over national stories done by the network or another affiliate (after all, how many stations can afford to send someone to Iraq). Many stations use syndicated health stories too, with the reporter doing a "voice over."
However, it is unethical for a station to promote something as an "exclusive" when it's clearly not.
What are your thoughts on this, and how much of what you see on the news, read in print, or hear on the radio do you question?
Captain Hunt’s newly formed Sand Walking Company departed efficiently the next morning, heading south through the meadowlands that spread out beneath the range of towering peaks that surround the Salt Lake basin. The next few days were sunny and clear and our prospects for a safe trip were high. Most everyone seemed in good spirits except the Rev. Brier, who was still steaming over the idea of following any trail that had first been passed over by a Mormon.
I received a few calls over the weekend from readers who believed showcasing two war-related packages on Mother's Day was inappropriate.
The first package continues the story of the Shipp twins of Hauser Lake, Id., whose journey from high school to the Marines and then on to Iraq has been the subject of several excellent stories in the last two years. Here is the link to Sunday's story on Robert Shipp, reported by Jim Hagengruber and photographed by Brian Plonka.
The second twin's story will be published next Sunday.
The second war related package was Kevin Graman's excellent report (link here) on the Saturday funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Chad Caldwell, killed while serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Personally, I think Mother's Day is a good fit for stories about how we send husbands, sons and fathers to die in a far off war. Maybe Mother's day is the perfect time for such stories.
On the Sgt. Caldwell story, two things caught my eye.
First, the presence of Major General Edgar E. Stanton III at the funeral. Maybe readers who are ex-military can tell me if it's unusual to have a major general represent the Army at such funerals.
Of course the piece that really caught my eye was Jesse Tinsley's heartbreaking photo of Sgt. Caldwell's widow, Raechel Caldwell, crying as she receives the folded flag from Gen. Stanton. Ordinarily, we avoid funeral pictures that intrude on private grief. But in this case, the photo perfectly captured the pain of the family back home on the occasion of a soldier's death.
I thought the photo was especially appropriate for Mother's Day.
But what do you think? Should we have saved the war stories for another day? Should we have avoided the photo of Raechel Caldwell?
And what do these stories say about young people at war?
An eBay killer? Online matchmaker Wigix wants a piece of the buyer-seller business
There is something about eBay that inspires a deep and visceral hatred among a rising tide of online buyers and sellers.
If you’re unfamiliar with the auction site’s many detractors, just Google the phrase “hate eBay” and you’ll get the picture. (At first, the profanity is jarring; I found hearing it in my head in the voice of William Shatner to be neutralizing).
With numerous ill-wishers among eBay’s buying and selling minions — most of them slamming the fee hikes, padded shipping charges, fraud, scams, and so on — it’s little wonder new sites aiming for a piece of the online auction pie are cropping up almost daily.
True, many of these alternatives are short-lived ventures, often with only a few hundred auction listings at any one time. They tend to vaporize once their operators confront the magnitude of regulating and managing a live, online marketplace.
I figured out one of the things that I hate about reality television. I made this discovery while trying to watch "The Salt-Pepa Show" (yes, THAT Salt-N-Pepa.)
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Good morning,
