| Letters to the Editor (Feb. 22)
It was the sense of contradiction in several statements that had me rereading parts of the headline Feb. 16 article "Councilors to revisit tax ideas."Councilor Bill York wants a City Council committee to look at proposals geared to bring more money into the city's coffers.In one paragraph Councilor York states that "the city is heavily reliant on property tax revenues" and "the cost of providing services is growing faster than property tax revenues are increasing. This is likely to be exacerbated by the recent downturn in the real estate market."But then, in the very next paragraph, is the statement, "The inquiry comes on the heels of a Feb. 7 decision by the city budget commission to spend $1.2 million of a budget surplus on new programs."Huh?Which is it? Do we not have enough money to fund current programs or do we have a surplus which is going to be thrown at new programs?When public officials make statements like this it's little wonder that the people view attempts to levy new fees or increase taxes with extreme suspicion.Kudos to members of the Corvallis-Benton Chamber Coalition in urging the city budget commission to put aside the surplus for possibly difficult times ahead.I think a majority of the city's business owners would also welcome seeing the surplus put aside instead of getting hit with a business license fee at a time when things may be just as difficult for them as it may be for the city.Dan Watkins, CorvallisCourtesy will keep roads safer for allSnorting bulls in human form are never attractive.
Tour de France U.S. Style Comes To Bay Area
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition will provide free and secure public valet bike parking, noon-4 p.m., at San Jose City Hall Plaza. If you have any questions, or would like additional information regarding the Amgen Tour of California, please visit www.amgentourofcalifornia.com or by calling the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, (408) 277-5144, Ext. 21. .
Sellers of ch...ch...chia tap growing heart-health market
Most importantly, the seeds are high in one of the omega-3 fatty acids known to help prevent heart disease. The seeds are higher in omega-3 than any other plant source, including flaxseed, which many people sprinkle on food for its health benefits. .
the undercover economist
In the late 1870s, a magician named Buatier de Kolta was mesmerizing audiences in Paris with the trick of producing big bunches of paper flowers from an empty roll of paper. Nobody knew how the trick was achieved, until a stray gust of wind blew one of the flowers onto the floor in front of the stage. A magician in the audience seized it and ran out, and de Kolta's trick was soon being performed by many of his rivals. The story is told by Jacob Loshin, a recent graduate from Yale Law school, in a working paper on how magicians protect their tricks. Such outright thefts would be hard to imagine today, because magicians have developed a professional code of conduct to defend their most valuable property: their ideas. The research bears—albeit obliquely—on an issue that is only going to become more important: intellectual property in a world where more and more of the wealth that is created takes the form of ideas rather than objects.
A beginner's guide to Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando Resort is the vast, tropically landscaped realm that embraces Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and CityWalk. The two theme parks and the dining/entertainment venue are so close to one another that it's easy to stroll among them. They're grouped together along a canal where free shuttle boats from Portofino Bay, Hard Rock and Royal Pacific--all resort hotels in the Universal complex--pick up and drop off hotel guests.
On one side of the canal, the entrances to the parks are separated by two dining spots, the Hard Rock Cafe and the NBA City Restaurant. Bridges in front of each park entrance cross over the canal to the restaurants and clubs of CityWalk, places like Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Emeril's Restaurant Orlando and Bob Marley--A Tribute to Freedom.
Heineman signs smoking ban
To the regular smokers who make their way into The Depot at 6:30 a.m. most days, the new ban may be a sign they are no longer shielded from the public health initiatives popular with city types."They’re just saying how bad it’s going to suck that it finally hit the small towns," Lee said. .
News.blog: A new look for Facebook
Facebook first announced last year that it was working on a redesign of members' profiles. Now, the social-networking site has unveiled previews of its upcoming new look. The Facebook profile redesigns will start rolling out in the next few weeks. With the new updates, you won't be able to see a member's entire profile on one screen. Personal information about someone will be included on one "tab" of a profile, whereas the "wall" -- public messages, developer-created applications, News Feed updates and other activity-related information -- will be on a separate tab. A third tab will link to the photos that the member has uploaded. Facebook has also said that members will be able to create separate tabs for their favorite applications. Part of this is because of technical issues, Facebook has said, telling members that the changes will make the interface cleaner.
NZ dollar hits post float record but exporters resigned
The kiwi's latest spike was partly a function of US dollar weakness but more importantly resulted from a feeling the worst of the subprime mortgage and credit crisis was over. "Now it seems like the worst case scenario is not coming about, investors are starting to turn back towards more traditional investments and they are starting to eye the high yielding currencies," Westpac currency strategist Michael Gordon said. The kiwi, which floated at US44.44c in March 1985, today hit US81.53c, surpassing the previous post float high touched in July 2007 that sparked Reserve Bank intervention. Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard, who said in April 2007 the kiwi's then level of US74.9c was "exceptional and unjustifiably high", was today silent. Exporters were essentially resigned to the currency's rise, recognising neither Dr Bollard nor the Government will do anything.
Jane relishes 'Queen Mum' role
They're some of the richest, most famous and most powerful people in the country, yet all we know about them comes from formal events and scandalous bits of gossip that probably aren't true anyway. Yes, the Royal Family, even in this age of rolling news and celebrity, remain something of an enigma and the fact they maintain such a front, even in times of crisis, is part of their fascination. Not that it's a factual representation, but current ITV1 drama The Palace has been offering us a glimpse of it might be like to live as part of the British royal family, complete with the sort of lies, jealousy, rivalry and back-stabbing you might think belonged in an episode of Dallas. It began six weeks ago. As the series opened, we found the fictional royals immediately in turmoil when King James died unexpectedly, thrusting his son and heir, Richard, onto the throne aged just 24.
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