Outgoing United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan walks away from the U.N. building. President George W. Bush calls to him from inside: 'Those wre some harsh parting workds for me. Still, I'll give the same consideration and importance I give all your statements, coffee.' Annan replies: 'It's Kofi.' [full story]

Under a new Wal-Mart policy, a worker who gives 20 years of loyal service to the company will be given a free polo shirt. That's gratitude for you. The New York Times reports that the policy is part of Wal-Mart's effort to stem discontent in the work force. In addition, Wal-Mart managers will be required to meet with 10 rank-and-file employees every week to listen to their concerns. To sprinkle a little holiday cheer on ... [full story]

A woman sits in front of a desk, behind which a man types on a computer keyboard beneath a sign that says: 'Russian Life Insurance Inc.' In the caption, the man asks the woman: 'Do you sky dive? Ever been a critic of Putin?' [full story]

Five-year-old Steven Olson of Minnesota was playing on the swings when he noted a remarkable thing. If he yanked on the chains just right, he could make the swing go side to side instead of back and forth. It is a technique well-known to kids on playgrounds, but Steven's dad was a patent lawyer. Hence the U.S. Office issued Patent No. 6,368,227, "Method of Swinging on a Swing," in 2002. Although the application seemed tongue-in-cheek ... [full story]

Protecting our air, water and land is not a partisan matter. Neither is protecting our planet from global warming. Both are matters of fact, economics and common sense. Americans want change. They want to see science - not party ideology - restored as the foundation of public policy, especially when it comes to energy and the environment. Here are some steps Congress can and should take now. Advertisement - Energy policy. The United States needs ... [full story]

In the world of politics, there are bad ideas and then there are ideas that are just plain dreadful. It's in that second column that one finds a new federal policy change regarding Medicaid that would make it more difficult for the U.S.-born infants of illegal immigrants - infants who are, according to the Constitution, U.S. citizens - to obtain health care in the critical first year of their lives. Illegal immigrants are prohibited from ... [full story]

Employers sometimes argue that government destroys jobs when it raises the minimum wage. They might take a measure of agreement from a highly unexpected source. A Wall Street Journal column, written by John Fund, took a look at the inner workings of ACORN, a union-financed activist group that campaigns for higher minimum wages and other liberal causes. (ACORN is part of the political coalition that tries to draw moral sustenance from vilifying Wal-Mart.) Fund portrays ... [full story]

Unless you’re one of the eighteen wheels on a diesel truck, you won’t come prepared with your giant mud flap. Get your rain slicker and that old pair of rubber boots, they’ll come in handy as the mud continues to fly into the last few days of the campaign for two of the three Bend City Council seats up for grabs. Derek Stevens and Mark Capell are both running for the Council Position 5 seat ... [full story]

The Bend City Council needs a wake up call.  Third Street has become a sea of signs.  Street corners are crowded with walking advertisements, folks carrying huge, unsightly signs.  Though there are some ordinances in place for pole signs, there are no restrictions placed upon these annoying sign-walkers.  Does anyone really read these signs?  It seems most passers-by are aghast at the proliferation of signage along Third Street, leaving many of them far too disgusted ... [full story]

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” A famous phrase from The Wizard of Oz echoed through the minds of Topeka residents after reading a published letter from Mark Phelps, son of Pastor Fred Phelps, who broke away from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka thirty-two years ago. In an attempt to dispel any illusions and in an effort to educate the public on his father’s fanatical point of view, he instructed the ... [full story]

Taxpayers beware.  Congress has given private collection agencies the green light to go after delinquent taxpayers, a direct effect of piles of campaign dollars tossed at the feet of congressmen. Privatizing debt collection is certain to cause a snowball effect of perverse corruption at its finest. This new decision can only be calculated as a huge loss to everyone involved, except the collection agencies. Under privatized debt collection, the IRS will only collect $1.4 billion ... [full story]

Open the door, throw open the windows and air out the Bend City Council meetings. Councilors finally agreed on July 19 to release the 13-page Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Juniper Ridge Partners LLC, revealing the preliminary agreement on the proposed Juniper Ridge 1500 acre development. Ears are pricking up all around Bend as local radio stations air ads urging taxpayers to take note, warning “Juniper Ridge, the future of Bend, is going sideways!” Sideways ... [full story]

If Jesse James were alive today, he’d be working for America Online, the number one Internet mobster. The Wild West is alive and well in AOL land where the burly outlaw barges through saloon doors, pistols drawn, demanding more and more money, betraying the public trust under the guise of sweet promises. It’s a wonder that Internet users aren’t sitting at their computers with knives embedded in their backs, three letters etched onto the stainless ... [full story]