BY SOLVEIG TORVIK “The administration claims authority to sift through details of our private lives because the Patriot Act says it can. I disagree. I authored the Patriot Act, and this is an abuse of that law.” –Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. It appears the 9/11 terrorists were far more successful in weakening fundamental American […]
Hello?
All aboard for the global train wreck
May 29, 2013 BY SOLVEIG TORVIK It blew right by you, didn’t it? The biggest news of the month, I mean. Arguably the biggest news in millions of years. But you surely can’t be held responsible for missing it. It was gone from the news cycle in the blink of an eye. Really, it was […]
Secrets of the world’s best education system
March 27, 2013 BY SOLVEIG TORVIK The news of Methow Valley School Superintendent Mark Wenzel’s departure invites us to think about our schools, and not just here in the valley. Wenzel came to the job as a non-traditional candidate with a self-described “passion for learning.” To its credit, the school board took a chance on […]
Nightmareliner
Feb. 20, 2013 BY SOLVEIG TORVIK “The Dreamliner was supposed to become famous for its revolutionary design. Instead, it’s become an object lesson in how not to build an airplane.” – James Surowiecki, The New Yorker Hate government regulation? Love outsourcing jobs? Boeing’s Dreamliner is the airplane for you. This aircraft’s the hottest thing in […]
The heat’s on in Ultima Thule
June 27, 2012 BY SOLVEIG TORVIK ILULISSAT, GREENLAND – If you want to see what a warmer climate portends, come to Greenland. There’s more going on here, though, than just a rapidly melting ice cap and spectacular scenery bathed in crystal clear Arctic light. Greenland’s hot – in more ways than one. Since 1951, its […]
