The Buzz

Take a deep breath, Ed

Cyclical logic: State Rep. Ed Orcutt of Kalama has apologized for his assertion that bicyclists pollute the air with greenhouse gases because their heavy breathing… Continue reading

The music dies

The music dies Crank it up: Harley-Davidson has banned music on its factory floor, saying it interferes with safety and productivity (Business Briefly, Page A4).… Continue reading

The Buzz: Hunger games

Three Republican state senators have introduced a bill that would cut the state Supreme Court from nine members to five by requiring the justices to… Continue reading

Our secret weapon

You know what? The United Nations Security Council imposed tough new sanctions against North Korea to punish the rogue nation for its latest nuclear test.… Continue reading

Why bees buzz

Explains why we never forget a Starbucks: Bee researchers say that some plants are using a tiny jolt of caffeine in their nectar to keep… Continue reading

Well, I’ll be

Will miracles never cease? Hours before the stroke of midnight it appeared the White House and Republicans in Congress had reached a tentative deal to… Continue reading

Stick a vibrating, flashing fork in it

Because a vibrating spoon would just be silly: Among the odder products to come out of the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this… Continue reading

Here a toke, there a toke, everywhere a toke, toke

Ee-i-ee-i-oh Bacon or Maui Wowie: An Ebey Island pig farmer says he may seek the state’s approval to grow marijuana and join a system of… Continue reading

Lord of the manor

Lord of the manor The hit British TV series “Downton Abbey” has inspired a new line of housewares. The “Downton look” is based both on… Continue reading

Honestly, kids these days

Dead for 35 years and still dangerous: Utah high school officials have reversed an earlier decision to cancel a rock ‘n’ roll version of Shakespeare’s… Continue reading

The novelty fades

The novelty fades I, Barack Hussein Obama, do swear, solemnly: President Barack Obama’s second inauguration Jan. 21 is expected to be a shadow of the… Continue reading

Toys unchained

Whips and chains sold separately: Los Angeles black community leaders are calling for the removal from stores of action figure toys based on characters from… Continue reading

Meals on wheels

General Mills is launching a business called Betty Crocker Kitchens that will deliver prepared meals based on recipes in the legendary, and completely mythical, homemaker’s… Continue reading

Pontificating

Where there’s smoke: A Catholic organization has set up a website, www.popealarm.com, that promises to deliver smartphone texts or emails to subscribers when white smoke… Continue reading

A very small matter

Let’s get small: Physicists announced the discovery Thursday of what may be the subatomic Higgs boson, also called the “God particle,” which apparently acts to… Continue reading

Designated driver

Designated driver Gonzaga students are deciding whether to skip a few days of school to cheer on the Jesuit college’s men’s basketball team at the… Continue reading

Buying silence

As the Boeing Co. and federal regulators struggle to solve problems with the Dreamliner’s batteries, we’ve heard barely a peep out of Congress on the… Continue reading

Today’s deal

Fly me to the moon: An expedition funded by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos has recovered two Apollo-era rocket engines from the Atlantic Ocean. Bezos plans… Continue reading

The state’s going to pot

The dog abides: With the legalization of marijuana possession in the state some law enforcement agencies are having to retrain drug-sniffing dogs to ignore the… Continue reading

TV sleuth

Vast cultural wasteland: Among the highlights on TV this week is Wednesday’s episode of “Psych” at 10 p.m. on the USA network. The detective crime… Continue reading