If you’re looking for a night out on the town, or just a mere drink with friends, I would not recommend going anywhere near three particular bars in downtown Coeur d’Alene. I recently turned 21, and for as long as I can remember I have been counting down the days until I could go out and have a drink with friends. I dreamed that when that day came, it would be one of the greatest days ever. I’ve come to find it was nothing that I had expected it to be, and not in a good way. During my birthday week my friends and I explored many bars throughout the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Spokane area. Each of them differed in entertainment, drinks and, of course, prices. The Beacon, Splash, and ICON seemed to be the worst/Nick Dimico, North Idaho College Sentinel. More here. (SR file photo: Young women hanging out in front of the Beacon in downtown Coeur d'Alene) H/T: SamC

Question: Which Downtown Coeur d'Alene bars would you recommend? Which would you avoid at all costs?

Customer service is apparently not as important as it used to be. Companies used to take into serious consideration the age-old theory on word-of-mouth marketing. For every customer you make happy, they will tell three friends about their experience. For every customer you make unhappy, they will tell at least ten friends about their experience. The way I operate is a little different though. When I find a good company, I tell everybody I can because that has become more of an anomaly. I still tell everybody when I find a bad company too. I also am more apt to visit a local business than I am to go to a conglomerate or chain store or restaurant/Shauna DeMeritt, North Idaho College Sentinel. More here.

Question: Are you more likely to tell your family and friends about good places to eat and buy retail as well as warn them about bad ones? And/or: Do you find customer service lacking today?

In the tiny town of Thompson Falls, Mont., in the 1950s, there was a single paperboy who delivered the Missoulian to nearly 100 subscribers.

He was 11, maybe 12 years old. The paper cost a nickel, no more than a dime. It was the only source of news for the folks who called the valley their home.

And Nils Rosdahl was that boy who flung those papers door to door. Read more. Bill Buley, CDA Press

After 26 years at NIC, Nils Roshdahl, who also writes the the Handle Business column for the SR, is retiring.  Share your thoughts about Nils here or perhaps there is another teacher/mentor who you will never forget?

 Here comes the worst of all of it: our bodies. It is so easy for gals to gain weight and almost impossible for them to lose it. Women work their asses off (don’t we all wish so literally) to lose weight, and it still is twice as hard for us. Furthermore, whether you have them or not, boobs are nothing but trouble. We have to buy a bra for every different occasion and activity. Yet no matter how many bras a woman has, very few are actually comfortable. Women who have boobs usually don’t want as much as they have, and for some they even cause back problems. Women that don’t have boobs would do almost anything to get them. And no matter how much a woman has, they spend way too much time trying to make them look good before they go out. More here.

Question: Is life more difficult for women than men?

A Southern-fried friend of mine once told me that Idaho, despite popular opinion, does have distinct dialect. “Y’know, y’all do have an accent up here,” he said with a Kentucky twang. “It’s called proper English.” He may be right. On the surface, the Idaho vernacular seems generic to its core. But take a closer listen. For the discerning ear, the influence from surrounding areas is obvious. From the North, Canadian long “O’s” are abundant in the local lingo (i.e. How’s it goin’?) The pronunciation of been as bean, however, remains unique those pale-faced, puck-hucking Canucks, and let’s thank the almighty Gretsky for that, eh? Idaho also adopted a watered-down version of accentuated mid-west “R’s”, for sure (pronounced fir shir)/Loren Kelly, NIC Sentinel. More here.

Question: Do Idahoans have an accent?