Big bucks put family honor in tight spot.
Byline: Dianne Williamson COLUMN: DIANNE WILLIAMSON If a distant relative died and left you more than $200,000, would you take it? Of course you would. What if that amount came in the form of valuable memorabilia? Would you sell it? ...

Our stillborn renaissance.
Waldo--as the seventeen-year-old Ralph Waldo Emerson took to calling himself--was one of eight children raised by a stern minister given over to Unitarianism, that "feather-bed to catch a falling Christian." When the pater died in 1811, the household was reduced to a genteel poverty, over which ruled the sternly...

All bets off on wedding wager site.
Byline: Dianne Williamson COLUMN: Dianne Williamson Hey, it's the holiday weekend. So no heavy lifting here - just a few unrelated nuggets as we predict the future of couples we don't know, and question whether Alex Rodriguez has a prayer with Madonna: Just...

Charities ungracious in defeat.
Byline: Dianne Williamson COLUMN: DIANNE WILLIAMSON Herbert and Lois Rosen are private people caught in a distressingly public battle with four distinguished charities that are challenging a will leaving the couple close to $3 million. Five weeks before his death in 2001, 85-year-old...

Adding to all the confusion.
Byline: Floro L. Mercene WARNING from Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez: Rice traders found guilty of hoarding rice will be charged with economic sabotage and sentenced to life imprisonment. Do you have enough space in jail? *** R1-billion budget to buy pigs...

MR. `WATCHABLE WILDLIFE'.
Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard We like to watch. Not just television, which is what a simple gardener named Chance had in mind when he uttered the line "I like to watch" in the movie "Being There." We also enjoy observing nature's creatures...

Neighbor to Neighbor.
The following local students were named to the dean's list at Babson College for the fall semester: Alison Lamere of Bolton, Taylor Patti of Lancaster, Richard Betterley and Robert Pape, both of Sterling. * * * Laura M. Garrity, of Clinton, was named to the...

BottomLine; The $ 20-million difference.
Byline: Michael Alan Hamlin Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates announced last week during the World Economic Forum that the $ 37.6 billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has made a $ 19.9 million grant to the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The grant is part...

Planning a socially secure retirement.
Byline: Pedro Silva COLUMN: Financial Corner Do you spend more than you earn? The Social Security Administration (SSA) will soon find itself in this dubious position unless major changes are made. Social Security is considered a pay as you go system, which means...

Advancing high-level education.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN THE LAST FEW years, the number of Latin American and Caribbean students pursuing university or graduate studies in the United States has been on the decline--primarily due to the lack of sufficient funds. An OAS program aims to expand opportunities for talented students, teachers,...