SR.com Blogs: Huckleberries Online

Wild Card/Monday -- 5/12/08 (DFO)

It all begins again this morning at 8. The vacation is over. And I'm eager to start feeding the maw of the blog beast again. See you here in the morning. Here's your first post-vacation Wild Card ...

Wild Card/Sunday -- 5/11/08 (DFO)

We've reached the end of another one of those pesky vacations of mine, HBOers. On a very positive side, I've had my socks blessed off during my three weeks of vacation this "spring," watching my two kids reach academic goals that were beyond me when I was their age. On a negative side, for me, I only have two weeks of vacation left this year. So, we'll be spending a lot of time together for the rest of 2008. I put Amy Dearest on a plane back to Portland this afternoon. The relatives are returning to California. I have a funny story to tell you re: my sister Lil having a close encounter with a Spirit Lake policeman Friday night. But I'll wait until I'm back at work to relate the tale. Now, for your final vacation Wild Card ... ( Full post )

Dogwalk Musings: Remembering Mom (DFO)

It was March of 2000 when I lost my Mom. She was 95 years old. This picture was taken about a month beforehand. I miss her as much today as I did in the days and weeks immediately following. You see she was more than just my Mom. She was my best friend for all those years. We had a special bond. Perhaps it was because I was adopted; I'm not sure. All I know is that through thick and thin she was my champion. I was tall for my age and never quite slick enough to qualify for a clique. She taught me how unimportant that was. When I had questions about anything she'd answer them. When I felt like crying about the injustices of growing up she'd hug me; when I wanted to laugh she laughed with me. And when I deserved it she punished me/Dogwalk Musings. More here ( Full post )

USFS Not Laughing re: SpongeBob Vandalism (DFO)

Kirk Speer/Colorado Springs Gazette, AP
Pikes Peak District ranger Brent Botts sits in front of a historic site that was defaced with the popular icon, SpongeBob SquarePants on Thursday in Monument, Colo. The cleanup will cost several thousand dollars. ( Full post )

Webster: Movie Critics Going Way Of Dinosaur (DFO)

I�ve been reading a lot about how movie critics all over the country are losing their jobs. No question. Same thing�s happening with books critics. And art critics. And columnists. All are going, in fact, who do only one thing and � this is the important part � can�t adapt to the changing face of 21st-century journalism. But the part I don�t agree with involves the need, or lack of need, of these specialists. Especially critics. Especially movie critics. As someone who has written movie criticism since 1984, I � as you would expect � think that the job is important. Not that anything that I say personally is all that important. Or even correct. But I do represent something that is gradually disappearing from the current critical scene. An independent voice/Dan Webster, Movies & More. More here ( Full post )

De Leon: Meandering Route To Motherhood (DFO)

I had to stay in the car the other day to finish listening to this story, �For Prospective Moms, Biology and Culture Clash,� which aired on NPR. According to the report, the average age of first-time mothers in the United States has risen steadily in the last 40 years � from 21.4 in 1980 to a little over 25 in 2005. More than a third of first-time moms in the U.S. are over 30 when they have their first child, the National Center for Health Statistics reports. I felt sad for one of the women interviewed � Amy Harrison of Massachussetts. She�s 38, has a good job, a nice home and a husband who would make a good father, she said. "I finally feel like I'm ready to give a child or children a good home,� Harrison said. But even after fertility treatments for two years, her body just isn�t cooperating/Virginia de Leon, Parents Council. More here ( Full post )

Popkey: Idaho GOP Nervous re: Paul Stealth Candidacy (DFO)

A stealth strategy by supporters of Ron Paul to win delegates at the Idaho Republican Convention leaves mainstream party leaders anxious and a bit secretive themselves. The Texas congressman and former Libertarian presidential nominee has targeted Idaho as part of his quixotic challenge to John McCain. Paul loyalists seek to yank the Idaho GOP organization up from the grass roots by fielding candidates for precinct committeeman in the May 27 primary. But they refuse to identify their slate. An unusually large number of candidates, many unfamiliar to party regulars, seek to fill the county and state central committees, especially in Ada, Twin Falls and Kootenai counties/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here ( Full post )

Report: CSD Not Treating Male, Female Athletes Equally (DFO)

Item: Report: Cd'A athletics not equal:District does not provide same opportunities to male, female students/Maureen Dowd, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: After an eight-month probe into a complaint of gender inequity in the district's high school athletics programs, federal investigators determined the Coeur d'Alene School District has failed to fully comply with the requirements of Title IX. A report issued April 30 by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) concluded the district is not providing equal opportunities to male and female students for participation in interscholastic sports -- namely, swimming and volleyball. ( Full post )

Wild Card/Saturday -- 5/10/08 (DFO)

My family and I enjoyed the second Art Walk in downtown Coeur d'Alene late Friday afternoon. I had no idea re: the quality of art and the number of galleries on and just off Sherman Avenue. I don't know how successful they are. But it was difficult to complete the art walk in the 90 minutes that we'd allotted ourselves. A family outing to "Ironman" preceded the Art Walk (universal thumbs up here) and the NIC Music Department's "Steppin' Out With My Baby" concert followed. In other words it was a full afternoon and evening. I have one more day with Amy Dearest and the family before we put them on planes Sunday. Now, for your Saturday Wild Card ... ( Full post )

War Dead Cremated @ Facility For Pets (DFO)

Item: War dead cremated at facility for petsWashington Post

More Info: The U.S. military has, since 2001, cremated some of the remains of U.S. service members killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in a Delaware facility that also cremates pets, a practice that ended Friday when the Pentagon banned the arrangement. The facility, in an industrial park near Dover Air Force Base, has cremated about 200 service members, manager David Bose said Friday night. It uses separate crematories a few feet apart to cremate humans and animals, he added. ( Full post )

APhoto of the Day -- 5/10/08 (DFO)

Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., jokingly jumps over a hurdle at the Oregon Twilight track meet held at University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., Friday. You write the cutline. ( Full post )

Online Poll: Mother's Day (DFO)

Mother�s Day is Sunday. How will you celebrate your mom?/Idaho Statesman.

*Give her a gift ( Full post )

Rosdahl: Panda Express Coming To 4th & Best (DFO)

High-traffic intersections convenient for businesses banking on attracting customers on their way to and from work and home are in high demand. Therefore the mini mall under construction at Best Avenue and Fourth Street in Coeur d'Alene should be a worthwhile venture. Panda Express thinks so. The quick-serve Chinese restaurant will put its second CdA outlet in the west end of the Fourth and Best Center being built where the former 7-Eleven mini mall burned two years ago. The restaurant will be similar to the U.S. Highway 95/Wilbur Avenue outlet with a drive-through, seating for about 50 customers and take-out. It will have about 20 employees when in opens in late October/Nils Rosdahl, SR Handle Extra. More here ( Full post )

OrangeTV Review: Chinese Gardens (DFO)

Both recent visits were impressive enough that I might even agree with whoever voted the place tops in that mysterious poll they advertise out front. The Orange Chicken tasted fantastic, but unfortunately, it arrived nearly cold. The Almond Chicken fared better and was among the best I ever had, all fluffy white chicken chunks, a light, not overly greasy batter and a rich gravy topped with powdery ground almonds. The crispy Chow Mein was flavorful and freshly made with dense pork sausage chunks. The hot mustard for my barbecue pork made me cry, and I liked it. The fried rice is served plain, which is preferred to the method of adding nightmarish frozen mixed veggies. Best of all, the egg rolls were nice and light, free from the overkill of grease they used to drown them in here. The level of service was equally high on both visits, expedient and personable. I smiled when I read at the top of my receipt the name "New Chinese Gardens." New, indeed, revitalized and ready for another 40 years/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here

( Full post )

Paper Carrier: Some NIdahoans Face Permanent Recession (DFO)

Recession or not, for the working poor, living in North Idaho requires each family member over the age of 16 to hold down at least two, and sometimes three jobs. It's a sad state of affairs where people used to feel lucky to get a job which pays $10-to-$12 per hour, because it meant you only need four incomes in a two-adult household. Now that's not enough. (Some), like newspaper carriers who trade their sleep 7/365 to bring in a few more bucks to supplement the rapidly weakening income of their day jobs, are now desperate to find a third job to pay the oil robber barons so the day's events will still arrive on their subscribers' porches before 6 a.m. each morning. Remember, North Idaho is slang for you can't eat the scenery, nor can you pour it in your tank. Time to clean your burger flipper/Paper Carrier. ( Full post )

DOTC: Voters Want Permanent Absentee Ballots (DFO)

I think legislators need to take note at the increasing number of complaints we get from voters who ask why they have to sign up for an absentee ballot EVERY year. County Clerks across Idaho had a bill in the legislature earlier this year to allow people to sign up for permanent absentee ballots. It did not even get the courtesy of a hearing. The legislators saw it as a back door route to that �dreaded and dangerous� vote-by-mail. The clerks saw it as a customer service issue for voters/Dan of the County. ( Full post )

Digger: Traditional Funeral Services Have Value (DFO)

I'm a strong proponent of traditional services with a full viewing and funeral. I don't oppose cremation as a form of preperation for final disposition, but I do oppose funeral homes simply becoming disposal services where the motto is "You Call, We Haul, Thats All" and get the "Box n Burn" special. Unfortunatley as our society has become more mobile and fast paced people don't realize the healing power a funeral can have. To stand in front of a casket and seeing that your loved one is no longer in their earthly body is the first step to bring closure. Now what do I think of this new process? It further perpetuates the mentality I mentioned above - about funeral homes becoming dispoal services. At this pace funeral homes will become located in strip malls and industrial parks where they are simply a mechanism for disposal instead of a gatering place for friends and family to spend time/Digger. ( Full post )

WND Poll: Politics in the Pulpit (DFO)

Item: Pastors called to defy IRS censorship rules: New campaign challenges 1954 tax law banning speech on candidates' positions/WorldNetDaily

Question: Should clergy be free to make political endorsements from the pulpit? ( Full post )

Cheaper By The Dozen And A Half? (DFO)

Beth Hall, AP Photo
18 of the 19 members of the Duggar family pose for a photo at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfil, Ark., on Friday, after returning from a trip to New York where the announced that they are expecting their 18th child. This weekend, Duggar will join her husband and their 17 children to celebrate Mother's Day with brunch at a hotel in downtown Little Rock. Their youngest child, Jennifer, is 9 months old. Their oldest, Josh, is 20. The Duggar children include 10 boys and seven girls. Within the group are two sets of twins. ( Full post )

Eye on Boise: Meet the Candidates (Betsy)

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig�s retirement has prompted something of a ballot rush, with eight Republicans, two Democrats, two independents and a Libertarian vying for the chance to replace Craig in the U.S. Senate. Idaho�s primary election is May 27, but many voters � particularly in Kootenai County � already are sitting down to mark their absentee ballots and mail them in before the polls open. And in the race for North Idaho�s congressional seat, freshman Rep. Bill Sali faces a challenge in the GOP primary from Matt Salisbury. Here�s a look at who�s running in the primary in Idaho�s two top races this year, and why./Betsy Z. Russell, SR Eye on Boise, More on Senate race here, 1st District race here ( Full post )