Columbia Daily Tribune

Special Events

The Miss Mark Twain Lake Scholarship Pageant Association is seeking contestants today for the 2008-2009 pageant at the Cannon Dam Opry building at the Junction near Perry. Any young ladies between the ages of 2 to 24 may enter. Call (573) 231-2624 or (573) 565-356 or e-mail taylor@socet.net for more information. Columbia Weavers and Spinner's Guild 19th annual Holiday Exhibition and Sale will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Boone County Historical Society, 3801 Ponderosa St. Admission ...

Live and Learn

Columbia Public Library: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. 100 W. Broadway. 443-3161 or www.dbrl.org. - Online job application assistance, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

School Board Agenda

The Columbia Board of Education will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the District Administration Building, 1818 W. Worley St. CONSENT AGENDA

City/County Calendar

Monday Columbia Commission on Cultural Affairs, 4:15 p.m., mezzanine conference room, Daniel Boone Building, 701 E. Broadway.

The Tribune's View ; the Economy

I mean really bold: a multibillion-dollar infusion of federal capital to rebuild the nation's transportation infrastructure. This has nothing to do particularly with the election of Barack Obama. The limping economy is the compelling issue facing all our politicians. The best way to attack the problem quickly would be a large program of deficit spending on national infrastructure, primarily transportation facilities. If large enough, not only would this provide a big stimulus to the economy; ...

Tribune Column ; Fed Works to End the Deleveraging Process

Two weeks ago, I described the current financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Most of that piece dealt with how we got to this sorry state of affairs. Today I will take a different tack and discuss what has been done and is being done by the U.S. Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve System (the Fed) to solve the problem and the current status of these efforts, i.e. how well we are doing at the present time. This is a highly complex subject, so I accept a ce...

We Voted On Tuesday to Reboot America

It was 11 o'clock in Chicago when the new first family of the United States stepped out before a sea of joyous, incredulous, tearful Americans. Barely a year ago, many in that crowd and in our country had taken it as an article of faith that America wouldn't elect a black man president.

Open Column ; We Must Lift Up Obama with Prayer and Faith

Editor, the Tribune: Tuesday night I witnessed the culmination of what could become the United States' finest hour: the election of a black man to the highest political office provided for our country. The 2008 political campaign has electrified me in a way that I never thought possible. I have made new friends but lost old friends who I assume have judged me as a radicalized liberal socialist (which I'm not).

Homeboy ; Race's End Counts As a Victory

The first weekend immediately after the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in years equally divisible by four is always a time of great joy and relief. The campaign signs have been ripped from the yards and dumped into the landfill. I no longer have to run and dive under the bed every time some beady-eyed brochure monger rings my doorbell. The television commercials, even those featuring talking ducks and personal injury lawyers, have suddenly become substantially less annoying ...

Obama Unlikely to Repair Ties to Russia

According to a widely held view, the election of Barack Obama is good news for Russia. The new U.S. president - runs the argument - will abandon the confrontational style of President George W. Bush and adopt a more conciliatory line in foreign affairs, including in relations with Moscow. There is little doubt the Bush presidency has been disastrous for both America and the world. Any end to Republican control of the White House can therefore only seem welcome. Unfortunately, however, there a...

Mccain Finds Old Self in Loss

The following editorial appeared in the Miami Herald on Thursday. "The road was a difficult one from the outset," Sen. John McCain told his followers Tuesday night in a splendid and gracious concession speech. In a moment that must have been painful for this proud warrior, McCain revealed the decent and generous side of his character, issuing heartfelt congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama and offering him "our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together."

Tribune Column ; Readers Reminisce About Mu Football, New Golf Carts

This week I'm happy to share a couple of more remembrance stories from you, the readers. First is Walter Marsh, who lives in Ashland, Ore., followed by Scott Bess. "I was a 17-year-old freshman on the 1945 Missouri team. I laid out in '46 but returned in '47 and '48. I was never good enough for the varsity but did get to play on the B team during those years. That team ceased to exist long ago. Another coach on the 1945 football team was a familiar name, Tom Botts. Coach Botts was a great tra...

Kids' Essays Show How Pets Enhance Childhood

OK, so Happy Tails recently finished its annual Columbia Public Schools Essay Contest, and we have been reading and reading and reading. In the eight or nine years that we have been doing the contest, this year's entries far outnumber previous years'. I know the reading committee will agree it's very difficult to make it through a session without welling up with tears. We have received essays from all over the district - Fairview, Field, Blue Ridge, Paxton Keeley, Parkade, Two Mile Prairie, N...

What Bellwether? ; Did Race Make the Difference in Missouri?

Bellwether: 1. a male sheep, usually wearing a bell that leads the flock. 2. a leader, esp. of a sheeplike crowd. 3. anything suggesting the general tendency or direction of events, style, etc. (Webster's New World College Dictionary) Amid all the excitement and enthusiasm over Democrat Barack Obama's historic election as president last week is the sobering realization that Missouri is no longer a good harbinger of political events.

Second Thoughts

Second Thoughts includes corrections, clarifications and elaboration associated with Tribune news articles. When you see something that bothers you, call Managing Editor Jim Robertson at 815-1707. A news story yesterday about the outlook among Columbia business owners since the presidential election incorrectly identified a co- owner of Sycamore restaurant as Sanford Speaks. His name is Sanford Speake.

New Cis Headmaster Likes `Global' Outlook

Columbia Independent School's board of trustees has named Scott Gibson III the new head of school. Gibson has served as headmaster of St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile, Ala., where he spearheaded the school's first five-year strategic plan and oversaw record-breaking fundraising efforts. He also served as headmaster of Boys' Latin School in Maryland, where he set enrollment and fundraising records. Before his career in education, Gibson spent 22 years in the U.S. Air Force.

Words for Motorists ; English Now Required in State Driver Exams.

A new standard for Missouri driver's licenses is about to take effect: Speak English or forget about getting a driver's license. After the overwhelming passage of Amendment 1, the change to the Missouri Constitution prohibits the state from giving driver's license tests in any language other than English, according to most interpretations of the new law.

Prestige Balances Cost of Campaign Visits

Presidential campaign visits to Mid-Missouri come only once every four years, and for the sake of Columbia's budget, that might be a blessing. According to calculations of overtime and other expenses incurred by the Columbia Police Department for recent visits by presidential and vice presidential candidates, the department could have hired a new patrol cop for half the year with the money it spent protecting and escorting candidates to and from speaking events.

Army Study to Research Land Mines ; Mu, Other Schools Try to Improve Detection.

A researcher at the University of Missouri is studying improvements in radar technology with the goal of improving detection of land mines that injure and kill thousands of people worldwide each year. Dominic Ho, an MU professor of electrical and computer engineering, received a three-year research grant worth $349,500 from the U.S. Army to study how to improve radar detection and reduce false positives caused by buried debris.

Obama Workout a Big Thrill ; Columbia Folks Savor Encounters.

When Sen. Barack Obama spent a night and a morning in Columbia a week ago, he passed most of his time inside the protective bubble of Secret Service officers, handlers and advisors. But the locals who happened to cross paths with the man who has become president- elect came away with lifelong memories. Lisa Nobles, 38, was running on a treadmill at Pro Fitness on 3210 Vandiver Drive at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 31 when a group of beige sport utility vehicles pulled up outside and men with black earpiec...