So what exactly is wrong with performance-enhancing drugs, so-called? I’ve been wondering about that since the Lance Armstrong story unraveled. If we take something to help us stay awake while driving, or to give us extra energy at work, or to power us through a night of cramming for an important test, why exactly do […]
Here’s something else to worry about. Or maybe not. “The Week,” a news weekly, reports on a new study suggesting that the Earth’s magnetic field may disappear in maybe 500 years. This, it says, might allow more solar radiation to reach the surface of the Earth, harming life and eventually making us look like Mars. […]
Benton County voters got their general election ballots a couple of days early because the Salem Post Office jumped the gun. I learned this after reporting Thursday night that for me, the election was over. How come, a kind reader asked by email. She didn’t even have her ballot yet. So how come I got […]
My election is over. As far as I’m concerned, the candidates and the campaign committees can stop now. They can quit running TV ads. They can quit calling. My ballot has been filled out. It’s been stuck in its “secrecy” envelope and sealed, and it’s ready to be dropped in the nearest drop county box. […]
His latest campaign finance report shows a whopping contribution of $75,000 in cash to state Rep. Andy Olson of Albany, the current Republican leader in the Oregon House who is seeking his fifth term. The contribution came from Loren Parks, owner of an Oregon company that makes medical equipment. Parks, who moved from Oregon in 2002 […]
Tuesday’s debate between Obama and Romney showed once again why events of this kind are a poor way of picking a president. The commentators were delighted that the candidates went “toe to toe.” That there was sharp disagreement. That they accused each other of lying. That there were sparks in their air. And so on. […]
In Albany, the city council is considering an amendment to the development code to allow changeable electronic message signs for schools and other institutions that happen to be in residential zones. I’m wondering why this is thought to be useful. For one thing, existing lighted signs at schools can stay lit through the night. […]
