Columns
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Halloween fires still burning
"For what is it to die, but to stand in the sun and melt into the wind?" Kahlil Gibran's question from "The Prophet" evokes the association of death with burning light, of transitions with fire, and sometime near t…
Over committing yourself
Deep in slumber, my dream becomes vivid with Patrick Monahan, the lead singer of Train belting out his hit song, "Soul Sister" on stage at the Fox Theater. "Your lipstick stains, on the front lobe of my left side b…
Homemade soup warms the heart
Lots of offices hold employee potlucks, but nowhere has sampling wonderful homemade soups and bread gone for such a good cause as it does at the Kootenai County Administrative offices.
We can't print our way out of debt
While listening to the experts in our nation's Capitol toss around phrases like "cutting spending, raising taxes, debt ceiling, holding the line, and stimulating the economy, etc." reminded me of a comedian convent…
Are rich paying more taxes?
Taxes.
It's either 'feast or famine' in Camelot's snowfall records
Every year at this time, I'm asked to update our local area snowfall records dating back some 117 winter seasons to the inception of such statistics in 1895. Three out of the last four winters have been in the 'TOP…
Honor original Easton purpose
There has been a great deal of discourse over the proposed sale of Camp Easton in exchange for replacement property located at Windy Bay on the opposite shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene. Much of the discussion has been…
CFL bulbs: They're low risk
The letter in Wednesday's Press said certain light bulbs risk "los(ing) a child or beloved pet to inevitable serious harm." The writer then asked several questions; I'll attempt to answer them from research reporte…
'Tis the season for fall flu bug
We've had some beautiful bonus sunny October days of late, and for that I'm grateful. I'm also grateful for modern over-the-counter medications for colds/flu/cough/congestion/sneezing and for tissues with a touch o…
Midlife crisis
While driving to my office last night I see the most beautiful sunset. The sky is orangey-red as half the sun sinks below the pine-lined horizon. The eastern sky slowly fades from blue, purple then indigo as darkne…
Firearm safety can't be overdone
Nothing is harder to accept than the death of a child. Monday's Press report of the loss of a local 7-year-old to a hunting accident left a pain inside, and I don't know the boy or his family. This community is sti…
Expect slightly more snow than usual across the region
Every autumn in mid-October, when the geese start flying south and mounds of dry pine needles cover the ground, I issue my winter season city-by-city snowfall predictions for North Idaho and the surrounding regions…
IB foes intent on misleading the public
For the past several months I've tried to ignore Mr. Duncan Koler and his personal vendetta against the Coeur d'Alene School District's IB program. My general approach to individuals with strongly held false belief…
Is your costume revealing?
"Costume" originally meant simply, "style of dress." So I prefer the English term for costume, "fancy dress," because it adds the element of something special, and why Halloween can be so much fun for kids from one…
Safety with cell phones
"Hang up the phone and drive," I scold as a black SUV stops in the middle of the road with a cellular phone firmly planted in the driver's ear. Traffic backs up behind me as I open my car door to see if the driver …