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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2009

Quote of the Day -- February 18, 2009

I am here and you will know that I am the best and will hear me.Leontyne Price, O Magazine, December 2003If you do not recognize the name Leontyne Price, you have indeed missed out on one of the most-beautiful operatic sopranos in its entire history.

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In this photo made available by Bridges TV, Muzzammil Hassan, and his wife Aasiya Hassan of Orchard Park, NY, near Buffalo, pose in an undated photo. Police say Hassan beheaded his wife after she filed for divorce. Hassan, CEO of Bridges TV in Orchard Park, NY, launched the network in 2004, to improve the image of Muslims in the media following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. (AP Photo/Bridges TV) (The Spokesman-Review)

Improving the image... 37 

Good morning, Netizens...In this photo made available by Bridges TV of Orchard Park, NY near Buffalo, Muzzammil (Mo) Hassan, and his wife Aasiya Hassan of Orchard Park, pose in an undated photo. Police say Hassan beheaded his wife, an architect, after she filed for divorce.…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 17, 2009

David Horsey,davidhorsey.com,Seattle Post-Intelligencer (The Spokesman-Review)

The steam roller came through... 

Good jmorning, Netizens...In this morning's David Horsey cartoon we see the Obama steam roller running over the GOP. I am still attempting to understand how the Stimulus Bill was a bipartisan effort, since none of the Republicans voted in favor of it, so Horsey appears…

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MONDAY, FEB. 16, 2009

SUNDAY, FEB. 15, 2009

Cartoon by Bob Kirkpatrick (The Spokesman-Review)

New chain of stores may be coming... 

Good afternoon, Netizens... Once again Bob Kirkpatrick seems to have hit the nail on the head, taking full-bore aim at Bill Gates' announcement that Microsoft is considering opening a chain of Microsoft Stores. Ah, yes, the first stores in the history of merchanising whose products…

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Spokane Mayor Mary Verner applauds her office staff during her State of the City address Feb. 13, 2009, at the Spokane Masonic Center in Spokane, Wash.  (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

The Queen speaks to the masses... 

Good morning, Netizens... While I'll concede it is probably old news already, I've spent a fair amount of time and energy trying to ignore Queen Mary's regal appearance last Friday, and/or her royal pronouncements regarding the State of our City. Unlike Doug Clark, who wrote…

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SATURDAY, FEB. 14, 2009

A Valentines Day gift to cure many ails...Photo by MA Smith (The Spokesman-Review)

Sentiments on Valetine's Day 2009

Good morning, Netizens... Happy Valentines Day! So what do you do for that special person in your life when Valentine's Day calls? You send flowers. Here are a lovely bunch of roses contributed by one of our finer photographers and the cards that accompanied them:…

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Seen and heard department...

Good morning, Netizens... Yesterday afternoon while engrossed in a series of mundane tasks, my own beloved wife became snarled up in a police matter that left me laughing. A person whom I shall hereby refer to as “the tallywhacker wagger” was standing on a public…

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David Horsey, davidhorsey.com, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (The Spokesman-Review)

The funeral for journalism? 24 

Good morning, Netizens... In this morning's David Horsey cartoon from the Post-Intelligencer, he asks a question perhaps no one in the Blogosphere wants answered, that being what will the press conferences of the future look like when all the newspapers have closed and shuttered their…

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FRIDAY, FEB. 13, 2009

The incomparable Jeanie-of-Spokane (The Spokesman-Review)

Just say NO... 

Good morning, Netizens... The news the last few weeks has been to put it bluntly, depressing. No, I'm not talking about the pile of Jello that our nation's finances have turned into, although I could easily write two or three pages of raw vitriol about…

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The acumen and insight of Bob Kirkpatrick unfolded.  (The Spokesman-Review)

Hackers and viruses abounding... 

Good morning, Netizens... Before I begin this morning's rant, let me roll the calendar back a few decades to better demonstrate my personal perspective on that which our veteran cartoonist, Bob Kirkpatrick has spoken so well. The year was approximately the 1980's, and I was…

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Thousands of people turned out Wednesday for a federal government job fair at the Atlanta Federal Center in downtown Atlanta. The fair, sponsored by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Atlanta District, was for jobs with federal agencies such as Justice, Labor, Commerce, Social Security, FBI, and Food and Drug, among others. (AP Photo/Journal Constitution, Rich Addicks) (February 11, 2009) (The Spokesman-Review)

Lines, lines, everywhere lines? 

Good morning, Netizens... In this morning's Picture of the Day, thousands of people turned out Wednesday for a federal government job fair at the Atlanta Federal Center in downtown Atlanta. If you look far enough back in American history, it hasn't been all that long…

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Elton (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

David Elton's surety bond $400,000... 

Good evening, Netizens... I first met David Elton face-to-face early in the morning at Starbucks on the South Hill last winter and suffered some of Starbuck's wretched coffee. Ironically, despite the fact David was distracted by holding several other simultaneous conversations and playing competitive chess…

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THURSDAY, FEB. 12, 2009

David Horsey, davidhorsey.com,Seattle Post-Intelligencer (The Spokesman-Review)

The bear reacts to the plan... 

Good morning, Netizens... The bear isn't buying the deal! With the announcement that the economic stimulus plan is a done deal, the Wall Street bear in this morning's David Horsey cartoon isn't buying any of it. Judging by the fallout dramatic drop on Wall Street…

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 11, 2009

David Horsey, davidhorsey.com,Seattle Post-Intelligencer (The Spokesman-Review)

The chicken or the egg? 

Good evening, Netizens...Todays' David Horsey cartoon opens a frequently-visited portal of discussion, that being Rush Limbaugh. Is he, as the cartoon suggests, an entertainer, or is he such a major part of the Republican Party that he surpasses entertainment? As David Horsey suggests, isn't it…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 10, 2009

David Elton arrested by Spokane Police... 10 

Good evening, Netizens...According to KHQ-TV Spokane Police have arrested a man after he wrote an email in which he threatened to kill City Council President Joe Shogun. David Elton, 43, was arrested following an interview with police Tuesday. Elton has been charged with three counts…

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MONDAY, FEB. 9, 2009



Sayed Abdul Karim, 80, sits with his grandaughter, Camina, 9, left, in an internally displaced camp three hours from their village in Galochi district, bombed in a U.S. military raid on Sunday in Laghman, Afghanistan. The operation drove hundreds of families out of their villages after 270 homes were destroyed and 16 civilians killed.
(February 08, 2009) Getty Images
 (The Spokesman-Review)

The eyes have it... 

Good morning, Netizens... In this morning's picture of the day, Sayed Abdul Karim, 80, sits with his grandaughter, Camina, 9, left, in an internally displaced camp three hours from their village in Galochi district, bombed in a U.S. military raid on Sunday in Laghman, Afghanistan.…

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SUNDAY, FEB. 8, 2009

Quote of the Day -- February 8, 2009

The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)Reagan forgot one other axiom: if, despite all the…

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Seen and heard department...

Good afternoon, Netizens...Seen and heard over the fence behind the Virtual Ballroom: Dear Sirs:One of my checks was returned, marked insufficient funds. In view of current events in the banking market, does that refer to me or to you? Now that seems like an apt…

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Legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar, right, performs with his daughter Anoushka Shankar in Calcutta, India. (AP Photo/Bikas Das) (February 07, 2009) (The Spokesman-Review)

Remember Ravi Shankar... 

Good morning, Netizens... Here is a name from my past and yours, one that will unquestionably be remembered long after you and I are interred and forgotten. I have worshiped and idolized Indian classical music and Ravi Shakar since the first time I was introduced…

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SATURDAY, FEB. 7, 2009

Original Photo by the Associated Press, now proudly retained as a favored photograph of my personal archive. DL (The Spokesman-Review)

Upon being alone together... 

Good afternoon, Netizens... Today's Picture of the Day, personally a favorite, shows former First Lady Nancy Reagan spending quiet time with her late husband, which brings me to my commentary on matrimony in the White House. A blogger for the New York Times asked a…

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Spokesman-Review readers blog about news and issues in Spokane written by Dave Laird.