There is nothing wrong with running a good but tough presidential campaign. But there is something wrong with running an unfair and unseemly campaign. As they say, politics ain't beanbag. But it doesn't have to turn into a food fight. Americans have the right to expect that those who run for president will abide by certain standards. The office carries enormous dignity, and so the pursuit of it should also be dignified. Those who forget ... [full story]

Investors still reeling from a series of corporate implosions got more bad news from the U.S. Supreme Court this month. The court granted what amounts to amnesty to companies that help corporate insiders defraud investors. The court's ruling should prompt Congress to close a loophole that's been exploited in some of the largest recent business failures, including Enron Corp. and HealthSouth. At issue in this case were questionable transactions involving St. Louis-based Charter Communications and ... [full story]

Glory is not a conceit. It is not a prize for being the most clever, the strongest or the boldest. Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself, to a cause, to your principles, to the people on whom you rely and who rely on you in return. No misfortune, no injury, no humiliation can destroy it. So wrote John Sidney McCain III in "Faith of My Fathers," his autobiography, ... [full story]

In the back and forth between Clinton and Gingrich and in the elections of 2000 and 2004, I sometimes felt as if I were watching the psychodrama of the baby boom generation - a tale rooted in old grudges and revenge plots hatched on a handful of college campuses long ago - played out on the national stage. Thus did Barack Obama, in his campaign book "The Audacity of Hope," touch on a fundamental problem ... [full story]

Bend Location is second Oregon specialty gourmet store featuring everything for the home chef BEND, Ore. – Allyson’s Kitchen, formerly Allyson’s of Ashland, will open its second Oregon location at the Old Mill District in Bend. The new store will host a variety of food and wine tastings and cooking demonstrations during its grand opening Feb. 15-17. Allyson’s Kitchen is a gourmet paradise with an extensive selection of kitchen tools, pots and pans, cutlery, and kitchen electrics.  ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. – Pronghorn, the premier private golf community in the Pacific Northwest, is proud to announce that Travel Leisure Golf has named Pronghorn in the magazine’s “America’s Top 100 Golf Communities” issue. Additionally, Fairways Greens and Golf Digest have recognized Pronghorn as their top pick for private golf courses in the U.S and among the top five for “America’s Best New Private Courses”, respectively. Pronghorn is ranked No. 8 in ... [full story]

LONDON - A truck driver was killed in Britain when his vehicle was blown over in high winds of up to 80 mph.The 45-year-old man died in the accident near junction 38 of the M6 in Tebay in northwest England, the Daily Telegraph said Thursday.Another truck accident closed the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland. Travel restrictions were put in place from Aberdeenshire to Kent, where the Port of Dover was closed to shipping movements because ... [full story]

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - A Massachusetts judge rejected a Brazilian doctor's offer to plead guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of a woman who died during liposuction.Luiz Carlos Ribeiro insisted in a statement to Middlesex Superior Court Judge Wendie Gershengorn that his reckless conduct did not cause the death of Fabiola DePaula, the Boston Globe reported. He performed the procedure in 2006 in a makeshift clinic set up in the basement of a Framingham condominium.Ribeiro, who spoke ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Homeowners around the United States are finding that falling real estate prices mean they can no longer access lines of credit because the equity has vanished.Countrywide Financial Corp. notified 122,000 customers last week that they can no longer borrow because the debt on their homes exceeds the value, the Los Angeles Times reported. Lenders have also increased the amount of equity borrowers must maintain in their homes, the newspaper said. Chase Home ... [full story]

ROME - A new study says more young adults in Italy live at home with their parents because of low salaries for entry level jobs.Researchers with the Italian economic think tank ISAE said the rate of young adults living with their parents has increased from 68.4 percent in 1991 to 74.1 percent in 2004, ANSA said Thursday.The news service said Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa sparked controversy last fall when he referred to the young adult ... [full story]