This is a wonderful article to read if you're a Seattle resident. The amazing longevity numbers of Seattle would rank us #2 in the WORLD, just a month behind Japan, were Seattle a country.
Sightline: Seattleites can expect to live a long time - Seattle Metro, WA Local News - Fwix
This sure seems like a wonderful program to me. It gets needy children (economically disadvantaged kids that tend to have a higher risk of committing crime later in life) together with police officers in a great setting to facilitate not just a happier holiday season for both the kids and the officers, but to potentially setting the stage for a healthier, less adversarial interaction between the kids and the cops later in life.
Over forty Pocatello Police Officers and Bannock County Sheriff's Deputies took the kids shopping for gifts to give to their family members - something the young people would not otherwise have been able to afford. The officers were giving of their time, the kids were buying gifts to give to others. And the giving didn't stop there. The money to buy the gifts was donated by the local community, and the cheerleaders from Highland, Century and Pocatello High School were giving their time and effort to helping with the shopping, and with gift wrapping.
This program works in so many ways - building positive relationships between kids and police officers, providing gifts where otherwise there may not be gifts - or the joy that comes from giving gifts to loved ones, the chance for community members to give to needy families, the cheer squads to perform a community service and the law enforcement professionals the opportunity to not only help needy families and exert a positive influence on the kids, but probably to help prevent some crime that may have resulted in the future from at-risk kids who had not had positive interaction with police officers. A win-win-win-win-win-win deal.
I admire our law enforcement professionals so much, for the work they do day in and day out, and when they give of their personal time to serve their community even further, my admiration only grows. (For another excellent example of a police service program doing amazing things, check out http://sunshinedivision.org/)
Oh, and the cops let the kids run the lights and sirens, and even use the radios. Perfect. Thank you to the Poky police and Bannock County deputies. I may not live in Poky any more (though I was born there and enjoy visits every year), your efforts have even provided me with a benefit 600 miles away: you've encouraged me, and reminded me that there are some wonderful people in this world, and more than an average percent of these are our law enforcement officers. Thank you PPD and BCS, and the great community you serve.
Spondylitis Association of America
It is known that ankylosing spondylitis has a large genetic component, making it more common among those of the same family when a disease history is present.
A study published in the "Annals of Rheumatology" reinforces the evidence of this, by concluding, "Patients with AS in Iceland are significantly more related to each other than to randomly sampled control subjects. This is in agreement with previous reports on the familiality of AS, but the present study has more power and extends over larger familiar cohorts than previously reported."
Other current research into spondylitis is seeking the genes that cause AS.
Click here to read the abstract >>>
Press - News - 454 - A strong familiality of ankylosing spondylitis through several generations
Michiel Oakes, who was convicted of murdering Mark Stover, will be sentenced on Tuesday. He had claimed self defense, once enough evidence was presented to show that he was at Stover's home and was seen subsequently in several suspicious circumstances, concluding with comments to his former wife that if police found out what he'd just done he'd go away for life. The jury apparently did not believe his story of self-defense - which would probably have been more believable if he'd called police and an ambulance, filed a report with officers responding, and claimed self-defense from the beginning. Instead, he tried to bleach away the signs of blood, then disposed of the body in an estuary that he knew would likely carry the body out into deeper water, where it may not be found. Though the body was in fact, never found, prosecutors built a strong case building upon witness testimony, some physical evidence and Oakes own comments.
The Blotter | Killer of celebrity dog trainer to be sentenced Tuesday | Seattle Times Newspaper
Of course, the graph of who starts the argument probably shows that the man does in an inverse measure - maybe even maxing out over 50% :0
OMG this is getting out of hand. Why in the hell don't we just get the top people from El Al and take notes? The most targeted airline in the world is also the safest? Maybe we should try some of their screening methods. No, that's crazy, what am I talking about? From the article below: "Anyone who sets off the metal detectors is required to go through a physical pat down, but the TSA says they use a less aggressive touch for children under 12."
Does it bother anyone else that a sentence like that is treated like a normal thing to say, given the actions described in the article - patting the genitals, running the hand between underwear and skin, etc.? Oh, and of course, we only do that to kids over 12. WHAAAAT?????? Would you let some uniformed screener dude or gal stick his or her hands down your 13 year old's pants? Isn't that what damn near bankrupted the Catholic Church? Doesn't that sort of behavior get you sentenced and called a "Registered Sex Offender"? Am I crazy? Sure, there was a guy who tried to make explosive underwear. Is groping every adolescent that wants to fly the only way to make sure he/she is not wearing a dangerous diaper?
Oh, and when did it become okay just because it is after age 12, to grope, pat, touch, etc. adolescent kids? It is just wrong. Oh, and much as I hate to mention it, what about past victims of sexual assault, trauma or rape - no matter what their age? Can you imagine having bad some horrific act done to you and then at some later point, if you want to fly, being forced to submit to what would WITHOUT ANY DOUBT be a SEXUAL ASSAULT were it not being done by TSA at an airport?
Since a guy tried to blow up a plane by putting a bomb in his shoes, will we soon be seeing foot fetishists not only relying on the removal and X-ray of the shoes, but requiring the person being screened to remove their socks and submit to a tongue inspection (to see if the foot tastes like explosives) of the foot?
I flew hundreds of thousands of miles for business and pleasure. I was always polite, and willing to do what was asked of me in the interest of security. I was waiting for a plane the morning of September 11, 2001, and I watched that day unfold convinced that I'd support whatever was needed to keep us safe in the skies and in the country. But now I am second-guessing my blind obedience. Why?
There are better, more effective, less personally intrusive ways to screen passengers and ensure safety than to commit battery and sexual assault. Plain and simple. When my daughter is 13 how can I take her to fly somewhere knowing what I know may very well happen? Will she be subjected to a virtually nude screening X-ray, visible to many? Will it be worse, where she's forced to get molested in order to fly? OMG! How did it come to this?
I think that there ought to be a hue and cry from sea to shining sea, insisting that the BEST and BRIGHTEST security experts available be immediately brought together to develop systems to keep us safe. Without having people putting their hands in people's underwear. Is that too much to ask? To fly without some guy or gal sticking their hand INSIDE your underwear, tapping and patting your junk?
It's time to examine who is making the decisions, writing and training the procedures, choosing the technology and bickering over whether the airlines, airports or TSA should pay for technology to make us safer in the air. All this virtually nude photography - will someone do a statistical analysis showing that a man is 12% more likely to be a terrorist if he "dresses right" (and by that I mean not that he buttons the right button with the right buttonhole, but that his junk rests naturally to the right side of the vertical midline of his body) - all this physical grabbing and groping...is this the best option we have for screening?
In a word: NO. It is not, and the people who can develop screening technology, use the currently available technology, and still keep us safe are out there, and they are willing and able. And it is a dirty secret that there are frequent breaches of the system we use now - both in tests and just when the person next to us says, "Oh man, I forgot to take this out of my briefcase!" and parts the top of the case to show a five or six inch knife.
We can do better, we can do better and be safe. And whether the person being screened is under 12, adolescent or adult, we can do it without battery, assault and sexual molestation. And we should. And though some of this post is amusing and meant to be so, the topic and the practices that caused me to write it are not funny. They are wrong. And a helluva lot of us better stand as tall as we have to and shout "NO! This is not acceptable, not in America."
This is a good summary of the evidence against Simpson in the horrendous murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. He doesn't mention the irregularities in collecting evidence, but in the end, it is damn near impossible to believe that OJ didn't commit the murders,
101 Pieces of evidence that prove O.J. Simpson murdered Nicole
Dave Niehaus, the lead announcer for Mariner radio and television broadcast for the entire history of the club, has passed away of a heart attack at his Bellevue home. He was 75, and is survived by his wife Marilyn, their three children: Andy, Matt and Greta and six grandchildren, Zach, Steven, 
Photo from the Seattle PI
Clearly, God needed an announcer, and he drafted the best. I will never forget all the games I went to with a radio and earphones so I could listen to Mr. Niehaus tell me about the game I was watching. He wrote poetry on the fly, and made even the 100 loss seasons interesting. I was so happy for him when in 1995 Edgar doubled in the winning run in the division series, and he called the play. I was overjoyed as a fan, but I was even more overjoyed that this man, who'd called so many stinkers with good humor, was living a dream with the 95 team and he was calling playoff games at long last. I think that the man who loved calling games and teaching us about the game is the poster boy for life well-lived. He said he'd never worked a day, because if he hadn't been in the broadcast booth he'd have been in the stands. I will miss him every game - though I love Rick and Dave and Mike, I will always be aware that Mr. Niehaus' sonorous voice is now silent.
Indeed, baseball will never be the same for me. Mr. Niehaus was more than a great voice, more than a student of the game, more than a trusted figure in the clubhouse, he was a genuine and grounded man who valued each relationship in his life - even his relationship with the Mariners fans, most of whom he never met.
My memories of Mariner baseball all revolve around Dave, and when I was traveling in the car I'd know instantly when I'd found the Mariners game on the radio dial. From the lowest growl, "strike one", to the most ebullient "and this one will fly,fly, fly away...My, Oh My", Dave's manner and voice were unmistakable. I was at the last three games of Junior's consecutive game homer run, the playoff with California in '95, the playoff win over the Yankees. When Edgar nailed that double and the winning run crossed the plate, I wanted nothing more than to hear what Dave said. After so many years, so many bad teams, it was a moment that I felt was somehow especially his. He called blowout losses in a colorful and never beaten down way. He taught the game to an entire region of fans, play by play, situation by situation. We knew the look on the manager's face, the feel of a breeze when it kicked up, the excitement of every great play, and the greatness of some plays we might not have noticed were great (like the amazing movement on Jeff Nelson's slider when it was really biting, or an at-bat when Edgar fouled off ten or even fifteen pitches, fighting to get one he could drive).
I was lucky enough to grow up in a time when a centerfield seat was $1 and I'd be at the game 30-40 times a season when I was in high school. I went with whatever friends I could round up, and even alone sometimes. I'd have an earphone in one ear and sit at the end of the group of my friends just so I could hear Dave's call of the game and my friends both. Back then, I was a statistics freak, and it got to the point I could calculate batting averages on the fly during a game. I secretly hoped I could somehow be a stat guy for the broadcasts, so I could hear Dave every play of every game (and travel with the team for 162 plus spring training).
I heard Chuck Armstrong say that he wanted to have the number 162 on his headstone. I can't think of a better summation of what Dave was. He was there, almost every game the Mariner's ever played from the first pitch of the first spring training to the conclusion of last season. 35 years of excellence. I know that the first few games I hear next season, though I love Rick and Dave and Mike, I will feel a sadness that Dave's voice is missing. Though he was in the booth and I was in the car, or listening in bed, or listening at the game, I felt somehow that he was speaking to me from the next seat, like a friend I went to the game with. The fans loved him, and I think he returned the sentiment.
Rick will do a great job, and has done for 24 seasons now with the M's, and I am glad we have such a fine announcer to step in. When Pete Gross passed away, it took me a couple of years to get used to the new announcer, and I still miss the sound of Pete saying "Touchdown Seahawks". I know that I will miss Dave's "My, oh my!", too, and more deeply. But I'll miss so much more. It will be a bit like the Mariners will have a new personality, and I know Rick and whomever the team adds to the broadcast booth will do a great job. But it won't be Dave. I love the Mariners and have been at the ballpark hundreds of times since the Opening Day that launched the expansion team. And Dave was my shepherd through the sights, sounds, breezes, brawls, highs and lows of most of those games. Thank you Mr. Niehaus. I'll never forget all those hours we shared over baseball - Mariners baseball.
Godspeed Sir, and may your family be at peace.
There isn't a lot to say in the last couple of weeks for the Seahawks, except that those clamoring for Matt Hasselbeck's demise might consider that with the offensive line injuries, retirements and poor play that we've seen these last three seasons, I don't think any big time QB would do much better. I recall being at the Kingdome for a game against the Vikings way back when, and seeing Fran Tarkenton scramble between 30-35 yards backwards and god knows how far laterally before eventually completing a pass. There are very few Fran Tarkentons, and very few quarterbacks who could survive, let alone consistently get points on the board with this line play. I'm not calling out the line, exactly, since it is tough enough to play well when there is unit cohesion and time in a system (this line has had more shuffling in the last three years than most decks at the Muckleshoot Casino, and three systems in the past three years. Matt Hasselbeck has done his best - which is still damn good - and better than most, but there's only so much a guy can do with no seven step drops possible, and two steps protection on a three step drop.
Another indication of O-line play is the half yard a game drop in average yards per carry for Marshawn Lynch since he's arrived from Buffalo. Yep, the Bills winless Buffalo Bills managed to block consistently better for this running back than the Hawks have (each over a four game period). And I have never seen a more ballsy, tough, inspiring run that one particular play Lynch had today. He broke several tackles and then pushed a scrum of at least seven defenders forward another four yards. It was as if he were saying to the rest of the team, and the O-line in particular, "Come ON, guys, let's go!".
When reserve Charlie Whitehurst - playing for the concussed Hasselbeck - made his throws, it is easy to see the arm strength and poise that made Carroll want him. He's reading defenses a little like a QB making his first start, but the man has an arm, and stays calm. There were drops, including the painful bobble but Mike Williams in the end zone that not only killed the touchdown opportunity, but gave the Giants the ball and deprived Seattle of any points. Especially when the QB is under such pressure, the receivers need to make big plays, and damn near every one of them let balls go through their hands, bobbled, dropped and tipped passes that were perfectly catchable.
And while the defense has been pounded, to their credit the Hawks defense has held strong early in games, but with time of possession ratios like sixteen minutes for the opponent and nine for the Hawks, they are bound to wear down.
Luckily, when you play in the NFC West, 4-4 puts you in a first-place tie, and the Vikes OT win over Arizona gives both the Rams and the Hawks a bit of a cushion.
So, halfway through the season, what do I think of the Pete Carroll stewardship? I think that he will build a consistent and tough winning team, given time. His enthusiasm, very good staff, excellent attention to both sides of the ball and the special teams, and most especially the willingness he's shown to let competition decide the starters, and even the roster, and to make as many transactions as it takes to get the best team he can on the field, I believe the Hawks will do very well over the next four or five years. I hope the owner gives him that sort of time. I hope that the QB coach is as good as Holmgren was, and Zorn became (as QB coach under Holmgren), because I'd love to see touch, reading defenses, check-down decision-making and great footwork added to the cannon of Whitehurst. I want Matt to get one more shot at the big one, and that won't happen without an O-line. And when Matt hangs 'em up finally, it would be great to see a guy groomed, practiced and ready to step in (Aaron Rogers style). I actually thought the Hawks would be more like 3-5 at this point, and a few things break right they could just make the playoffs, Even a first round loss would be a good step back toward the great teams the Hawk's have had in the past.
NFL Game Center: New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks - 2010 Week 9
Yep. You read it right.
NJ man gets jail for Phillies game vomit-assault - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
How would someone even think of this? He was avenging his friend, who had been ejected for spitting on the same family.
By Derek Andrews
Imagine this scenario.
There are thirty-three of you. All miners, probably all male. And you are trapped after a tunnel collapse in your copper-mine. Your mine in the South American country of Chile.
Normally, and sadly, you would not survive despite frantic attempts by hundreds of people to rescue you, with many millions more praying and holding you in their thoughts.
This is different.
After 18 days rescuers have been able to make contact with you and seen some of your faces on their camera-probe. Those images are shown around the world.There is huge relief that you are all alive and in reasonably good shape. You have air supply from existing air ducts plus some food and fluids. You are in a shelter area the size of a small apartment.
You have been able to pass scribbled notes via the miniature camera-probe, back to the surface. Everyone is cheering and your President is almost in tears. There is no sense of panic and arrangements are being made to pass re-hydration gel tablets, food and basic medicines to you.
But, engineers say that it may take four months to reach you to extricate you and re-unite you with your families.
That's right. FOUR MONTHS. Hopefully you will be out for Christmas.
The moral of this story ?
Be grateful for what you have in life and please keep these brave and probably frightened miners in your thoughts and prayers.
This is an interesting tidbit from the trial of Michiel Oakes for the murder of Anacortes dog trainer Mark Stover. Oakes was convicted, despite claiming first that he didn't kill Stover, and then that if he did, it was in self-defense.
Skagit County's News and Information Source | goskagit.com
Sorry, all, I guess I was wrong about the woman who claimed to have had acid thrown at her face. It turns out that she faked the whole thing. Munchausen. Ugh!
Vancouver, WA Woman Admits to Throwing Acid on Herself | ThePortlander
What has long been dreamed is, apparently, being tested by Google. Wow!
At the least, this tells me what we all ought to remember at election time: It is far easier to run for office that to run the office once you’ve won.
CNN Poll: Was Bush better president than Obama? – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs
This is a great story of a really happy ending to a home invasion 011 call.
“I just got in from Dallas, and Boy are my arms tired…” (It had to be said, didn’t it?)
This blog by Mike Sando of ESPN nailed several things, in my opinion, that were keys to the Seahawks drubbing of the 49ers. The biggest concern I had going into the game was pass protection. I thought that with Okung out, and the sudden resignation of the O line coach, Matt might be injured or at least a sack puppet. What happened was far different. The line held up, the receivers did a great job, and Hasselbeck was all the things he is: A PRO-BOWL quarterback who has been pounded, rushed, hit, hurried and unable to throw a route that took longer than one second to develop, check down to any further read than perhaps number two in his progressions.
I saw very good offense, very good defense, resilience and toughness when pressed. I saw a very good set of coaches adapt during the game, keep the team believing in what they were doing. Mike Singletary is a powerful NFL figure and in this case I thought he lost his team when the pig stuff started to fly. It made Pete Carroll’s feat of keeping his team on the rails just that much more impressive.
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