Spokane7
59°Quick links: 2012 graduating seniors • Summer camp guide • Jobs: The Road Ahead • Prep sports • News quiz
In the news this evening: The chairman of the National Governors Association says new GOP chairman Michael Steele is ‘toast’ here. The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for being openly gay here. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics finds carcinogens in bath products here. The Justice Department investigates controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio for enforcing the immigration law here. President Obama declares the economic crisis is ‘not as bad as we think’ here. And today’s Wild Card remains in play …
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201
P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210
Main switchboard: (509) 459-5000 • (800) 338-8801
Newsroom: (509) 459-5400 • (800) 789-0029
Customer service: (800) 338-8801
© Copyright 2012, The Spokesman-Review
Terms of use • Privacy policy • Copyright policy
Find DFO on Facebook
DFO on Twitter
Lynne on March 12 at 10:00 a.m.
There are two emergency vehicles, one fire engine and an ambulance outside my window right now at 10th and Sherman. They’ve been there about twenty minutes. Anyone know what’s going on?
cantyoureadthesigns on March 12 at 12:15 p.m.
“The Blackstone CEO says 45% of the world’s wealth has been destroyed ”
It’s not wealth. It’s what we used to call “paper profit”, only now that was taken to the nth degree of speculation, market manipulation, and outright fraud.
DFO on March 12 at 12:16 p.m.
I’ll let you guys in on a little secret. I’ve been working my laptop most of the morning, in between moving to another corner of the second floor of the SR’s CDA building. We’re consolidating the two wings into 1 1/2 wings. Times is hard. Now, I’m located behind our advertising and circulation departments. ‘Tis nice to have people with whom to talk to again. It got a bit lonely in the editorial side. Most of the newsroom is going into the old conference room. Needless to say, I’ve been a little off my game this morning. I’m just starting to listen to scanner traffic. I should be able to get into a flow before long, however. Hang in there.
hmoffsuite on March 12 at 12:46 p.m.
cantyouread >> “It’s not wealth. It’s what we used to call “paper profit”,”
That is a rather silly statement. One mouse click and those ‘paper profits’ turn into real money and spend just like real money. It’s funny how that works.
eagleeye on March 12 at 1:04 p.m.
Hold on there a little, Suite. Dont spend all that money. Obama wants a cut of that !
cantyoureadthesigns on March 12 at 1:09 p.m.
Sure, HMO. Like the trillions in bad paper obfuscated by the ratings agencies as AAA-rated and sold as such, when actually the underlying securities were junk-grade at best.
The “market” paid top dollar thus establishing a value of wealth, on the basis that the paper was A-rated, therefore far more valuable than what the paper really was, junk grade.
Arpie on March 12 at 1:46 p.m.
How’s that working out for you today HMO?
hmoffsuite on March 12 at 2:33 p.m.
Great day in the market today. Dow up 240 and nas up 54. Third day in a row and perhaps the market will recover from its lows over the past week. In my opinion, we aren’t going to be out of the woods until we have two months in a row of a decreasing unemployment rate. I think that metric is the single most important of all of them.
Cindy_H on March 12 at 2:37 p.m.
Oh dear. It’s a quiet day in HBO-land, but I need some help. Tomorrow, I have to order new business cards and I’d like to have a catchy, witty, or pithy saying to put on them.
But. I. Can’t. Think. Of. One.
Which is embarrassing because I’m a freelance writer! This is what I do folks. Write Words.
Oh! That’s a good one: Write Words!
JeanieS suggested “Wise Witty Wordsmithing”
Another friend came up with “Professional Prose” and at Blogfest BethB. suggested using my last name somehow and maybe including something about hearts.
The cards must be suitable to hand out to business owners, artists, editors, publishers, and people come up to me in restaurants and say nice things.
Anyone else have ideas? Your help would be appreciated.
Sisyphus on March 12 at 2:51 p.m.
“Pithy sentences are like sharp nails which force truth upon our memory”
JeanieSpokane on March 12 at 3:02 p.m.
I like “Write Words” Cindy. DFO - this would make a good contest. Cindy’s Clever Calling Card Contest.
Cindy_H on March 12 at 3:10 p.m.
and TO people who come up to me in restaurants…
Gosh!
Give me a darn preview button, please.
JeanieSpokane on March 12 at 3:15 p.m.
For the Wildcard: Headline at Yahoo: “Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush jailed for 3 years.” That seems like a fairly steep price to pay for tossing a shoe.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq.
JeanieSpokane on March 12 at 3:16 p.m.
You know, the preview button is only as good as the person who actually uses it instead of hitting enter twice.
hmoffsuite on March 12 at 3:23 p.m.
Cindy >>> “This is what I do folks. Write Words.
Oh! That’s a good one: Write Words!”
I have come to really envy all of you creative writers that can paint pictures with words. I have the inspiration but not the skills. A good business letter, I can write. Creative writing, nada. My inspiration: Every year, just about this time, mid March, the organge, lemon and grapefruit trees blossom. When they do, the aroma and fragerance is out of this world. It happens in Scottsdale, Palm Desert or any place with citrius. The entire neighborhood smells like heaven. (clue: Orange Blossom Special). The temps are in the high 70’s so all the windows are wide open bringing in the fragrance. I would hope you all have a chance to experience it sometime. The best is riding a Harley through the orange groves. It’s indescribable. I’ll bet Tex or others can verify.
JeanieSpokane on March 12 at 3:34 p.m.
Wow, HMO, great visual. We don’t have many citrus smells in the Inland Empire that I can think of. Way too cold. We have lilacs. Great smell - late May. They barely come out in time for our Lilac parade. I’m always a little anxious that we’ll have to ship them in from somewhere that warms up earlier so we can have lilacs for our parade floats.
JeanieSpokane on March 12 at 3:37 p.m.
Ok, DFO, I saw a post where you wanted ideas from us about HBO - but now I can’t find it. My thought: Maybe set a date for a round table in-person discussion group - where we would meet and spin ideas. I like the format you have. You offer a lot of variety throughout the day and I find new things every few minutes. It would be hard to improve on what you’ve already got.
hmoffsuite on March 12 at 3:39 p.m.
Jeanie. I remember the lilac blossoms as well. That was something I will always remember. But, it seems to me that the lilac activity in Spokane isn’t like it was when we are kids. Is it?
lew2nl on March 12 at 3:53 p.m.
Cindy .. What about “WORDS from the HEART” with an ‘open heart’ outline angled through your statement. Maybe “Words written from the heart” or a shorter version thereof?
Token on March 12 at 3:53 p.m.
Cindy, how about “Read Hval about it”? Give me a minute, maybe I can come up with something better.
DFO on March 12 at 4:21 p.m.
Wait’ll you guys see that elk herd that Big Mac shot (with a camera) near Sheridan, Wyo., including a coupla world class bulls. I’ll post it in an hour or so. Wow!
Cindy_H on March 12 at 5:38 p.m.
Omigosh! Token!
What a great idea.
Reminds of what my dad said when my husband asked for my hand in marriage. “Hval all the people to marry,” he then added, “You can’t have her hand. You have to take the whole package. And she’s non-refundable.”
GaryIngram on March 12 at 7:25 p.m.
Cindy H -
WORDS MEAN THINGS
cantyoureadthesigns on March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Organic (it’s all the rage) Wordsmith.
Stickman on March 12 at 8:04 p.m.
Jeanie S: I just want to know if you have tried the Purple Gold or not, or even shared it with Cindy, as was our agreement. Let me know, I am intrigued.
Stickman on March 12 at 8:08 p.m.
And for Cindy, good to see you again recently. You better get with Jeannie, as she is hogging the Gold. Go figure.
Cindy_H on March 12 at 8:31 p.m.
((Stickman)) Since I was the lucky recipient of Huckleberry Gold this summer, I told Jeanie she was welcome to share the treasure with her partner.
Even though,you know darn well I wanted just a taste of purple goodness.
I’m hoping karma will be good to me :-)
JeanieSpokane on March 12 at 8:37 p.m.
It’s on my counter waiting for the perfect toast or biscuits this weekend. I offered to share (but I’m secretly glad to have it all). Huckleberry Gold is my favorite!!! Thank you so much.
Sam on March 12 at 10:44 p.m.
Slow day on HBO, eh? not much commenting going on, it seems.
JIMMYMAC on March 12 at 11:05 p.m.
I don’t know if anyone else caught the Syracuse-UConn game tonight but it was one of the best games ever. 6 OVERTIMES!!!! Man I love NCAA BBALL in March.