I'm resting my pen for this week. Promise to be back with a mightier force than Ernesto this Monday.
Cheers and have a safe Labor Day Weekend!!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Family Leaves It's Mark On Wallla Walla
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Tracy Taylor Has Returned
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Sonics Near Deal??
![](http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2854/1113/320/sonics.jpg)
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Monday, August 21, 2006
Hawks Soar To Win
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Saturday, August 19, 2006
ICON Long Distance--A Class Company
It was almost exactly 10 years ago that I was hired to the Sales staff at ICON an acronym for International Communications Network. I had learned of this company while working for the competition. Frequently calling on potential business customers in the Seattle area, many would say how happy they were with ICON. It was an exciting place to work, located right downtown in the Westin Building, an office tower connected by skybridge to the twin hotel towers.
The employees of ICON were mostly 20 and 30 somethings, hip, attractive and dedicated to making the company the best in the business. The mission was to sell telecom services to businesses, mostly in the greater Puget Sound area. Their were also offices in Portland and Spokane, then eventually in Boise. The "dot com" boom (the phenomenal growth of Computer related companies) was going on as well as the ascendency of Starbuck's and other local companies. It was a fun time to be working in Seattle. I would ride in to downtown everyday on a Metro Bus, no need to worry about gas and parking costs.
ICON had great perks, good bonuses and was a real learning experience. I have kept in touch with many of my co workers. 2 summers ago we had a reunion picnic that was very well attended.
The employees of ICON were mostly 20 and 30 somethings, hip, attractive and dedicated to making the company the best in the business. The mission was to sell telecom services to businesses, mostly in the greater Puget Sound area. Their were also offices in Portland and Spokane, then eventually in Boise. The "dot com" boom (the phenomenal growth of Computer related companies) was going on as well as the ascendency of Starbuck's and other local companies. It was a fun time to be working in Seattle. I would ride in to downtown everyday on a Metro Bus, no need to worry about gas and parking costs.
ICON had great perks, good bonuses and was a real learning experience. I have kept in touch with many of my co workers. 2 summers ago we had a reunion picnic that was very well attended.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Wa Hi Grad Makes The Show!
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Monday, August 14, 2006
Wa Hi Class Reunion--The Rundown
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We had wine tasting Saturday afternoon, if you have not been to Walla Walla in the last couple of years, wine tasting is not hard, the city has turned into almost one gigantic winery. I had noticed that Saturday morning as I walked down to Starbucks. Yes, there is a Starbucks in Walla Walla. At this rate Waitsburg and College Place should both have one soon. Deb and I chose Bergevin-Lane (one of the newer wineries) and 7 Hills, which was run by a friend of my family. We were happy to taste and purchase a bottle from each.
Dinner and dancing was on tap for Saturday night. We started off with the traditional picture. Every year we take a picture and for some reason, I never see it again. I guess by the end of the evening there is so much going on that buying merchandise is not the order of the evening.
There was a lovely tribute table to the classmates lost along the way. Like always, I was saddened to find someone there who I did not realize had died. Along with bad news, there where some good news also. Some of my classmates where looking and doing better than they had in years. It probably may not be appropriate to mention names here, but you get the idea. Many people who had not aged much in the first 20 years did look much older this time around so I can't help but wonder if it may be my turn at the 40th.
The weekend was topped off with a picnic on the Wa Hi campus, Mr Neher, our principal joined us and another picture was taken. This picture will look much different as we were in our summer clothes. The make up and jewelry where off. I may post some pictures in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
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Seahawks Debut Draws Yawns
The Seattle Seahawks exhibition debut was less than impressive as the NFC's number one offense could only muster 3 points. The 'Hawks dropped a 13-3 contest,last Saturday against a Cowboy team without star receiver Terrell Owens. The Cowboys played their reserve quarterback throughout the contest.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Au Revoir To Washington State Political Report
My favorite political blog is going offline. Washington State Political Report will no longer be written after Friday according to Carl Ballard. Just wanted to say a big thank you to Carl for an informative and entertaining web page.
What Other Bloggers Say
David Zarkin, cousin and nephew to the D. Barers (Lee, Tod, etc) usually writes about old bad movies, today he cuts his teeth on politics with this column on the defeat of Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman.
Early Lieberman Political ObitOne of the more entertaining summer shows has been the unraveling of Connecticut Sen. Joe Liberman’s political career. Burger King has a closeout special on the Joe dolls that repeat “You have a right to disagree with me.” Arrogance, stupidity or both are the questions on how Joe got sucked into the vortex that had him mouthing confusing epitaphs in the closing days of the campaign against a political novice.Were his aides so oblivious to reality or did he ignore them or both? These are questions we may study in coming years if we give a rip.It wasn’t just the Iraq debacle that linked Joe at the neocon hip with George Almighty worthy of a kiss on the cheek from the chimp in charge. Alioto and Roberts were fresh on the front page when Joe said “looks good to me.”Joe claimed he represented diversity in the Democratic Party with his unquestioned allegiance to the Rumsfield-Cheney war scheme, but he represented only the wingnut Republicans.He lifted the burden off our shoulders in the final days of his clumsy campaign by assuring us that we could disagree with his stance on Iraq without thunderbolts coming from on high. What a huge relief. What a pain in the butt, overblown windbag ego. Joe is the Iraq war guy which is now a huge civil war that prevents the administration from brokering a peace in Palestine which puts into question whether he gives a fig about Isreal. One more bites the dust.
Early Lieberman Political ObitOne of the more entertaining summer shows has been the unraveling of Connecticut Sen. Joe Liberman’s political career. Burger King has a closeout special on the Joe dolls that repeat “You have a right to disagree with me.” Arrogance, stupidity or both are the questions on how Joe got sucked into the vortex that had him mouthing confusing epitaphs in the closing days of the campaign against a political novice.Were his aides so oblivious to reality or did he ignore them or both? These are questions we may study in coming years if we give a rip.It wasn’t just the Iraq debacle that linked Joe at the neocon hip with George Almighty worthy of a kiss on the cheek from the chimp in charge. Alioto and Roberts were fresh on the front page when Joe said “looks good to me.”Joe claimed he represented diversity in the Democratic Party with his unquestioned allegiance to the Rumsfield-Cheney war scheme, but he represented only the wingnut Republicans.He lifted the burden off our shoulders in the final days of his clumsy campaign by assuring us that we could disagree with his stance on Iraq without thunderbolts coming from on high. What a huge relief. What a pain in the butt, overblown windbag ego. Joe is the Iraq war guy which is now a huge civil war that prevents the administration from brokering a peace in Palestine which puts into question whether he gives a fig about Isreal. One more bites the dust.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Wa-Hi Memory--The Return Of Burl Barer
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Burl was also able to hold a lecture at our school where he had graduated in '65. Burl's incredible talent was getting a group of restless high school students to give him their undivided attention.
Burl cut an interesting figure, his hair was shoulder length, he had on jeans and a denim jacket with a rose on the chest. Of course in a couple of years everyone would dress like that or similar.
He had us sit on the floor, we had to uncross our legs and arms and then put our thumb against our first two fingers. We would close our eyes and then count backwards from 10 to 1. We would visualize a bouquet of roses in a vase. The vase would change sizes and shapes, Burl said that was because we where getting interference from other's thoughts. The theory behind that is in a certain mental state your mind can do much more than you can perceive.
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Thursday, August 03, 2006
Pam Waechter--A Tribute
I did not know Pam Waechter, the Community leader who was murdered in last Friday's attack at the Jewish Federation in Downtown Seattle. I found this article written before the tragedy and wanted to publish it.
Meet Pam Waechter
"Pam Waechter, Annual Campaign Director
If someone asks you who Pam Waechter is, and you’re in a hurry, it’s probably a better idea to summarize what she hasn’t done for Seattle’s Jewish community—because the list of what she has done is so long. Both as a consummate professional and as a dedicated volunteer, Pam has a long and illustrious habit of making a real difference.
Pam, who’s worked at the Federation for eight years and volunteered for it before that on the Community Outreach Taskforce, is known by Federation staff and volunteers alike as an extremely organized, get-it-done professional. Her colleagues describe her thus:UpbeatEnthusiasticClassyCalm in the face of a stormKeeps her head when all around her are losing theirsFunny
Why did Pam join the Federation staff? “I wanted to help make the Federation more open and inclusive—help connect people.” That makes perfect sense—Pam’s first position here was Outreach Coordinator. Since then, she’s served stints as Director of Special Events, Development Officer and Assistant Director of Annual Giving, before assuming her new post as Annual Campaign Director."
Meet Pam Waechter
"Pam Waechter, Annual Campaign Director
If someone asks you who Pam Waechter is, and you’re in a hurry, it’s probably a better idea to summarize what she hasn’t done for Seattle’s Jewish community—because the list of what she has done is so long. Both as a consummate professional and as a dedicated volunteer, Pam has a long and illustrious habit of making a real difference.
Pam, who’s worked at the Federation for eight years and volunteered for it before that on the Community Outreach Taskforce, is known by Federation staff and volunteers alike as an extremely organized, get-it-done professional. Her colleagues describe her thus:UpbeatEnthusiasticClassyCalm in the face of a stormKeeps her head when all around her are losing theirsFunny
Why did Pam join the Federation staff? “I wanted to help make the Federation more open and inclusive—help connect people.” That makes perfect sense—Pam’s first position here was Outreach Coordinator. Since then, she’s served stints as Director of Special Events, Development Officer and Assistant Director of Annual Giving, before assuming her new post as Annual Campaign Director."
Mariners Looking At Hiring Sportscaster Reynolds
The Seattle Mariners are looking at the possibility of hiring popular sports analyst
Harold Reynolds. Reynold was an excellent player and considered a role model for his off the field charity work when he played for the M's. The hitch is that Reynolds was relieved of his duties at ESPN amid charges of sexual harassment.
There is no way at this time to find out the validity of these charges. The thing of concerns here is the message that get sent if the Mariners hire him.
A baseball team is a public entity and as such or even more are the people who bring broadcast it, namely the announcers who are the connection we fans have to the team. To hire Reynold at this time can send the message of the propagation of the "old boy network".
Reynolds' evaluation of the situation was that he "gave a woman a hug and it was misinterpreted" not likely. I think to warrant dismissal for such offense there would have to be evidence of a pattern of behavior. Even so, most would be aware which co-workers are the most personable or compatible.
I am not writing this to be hanging judge or to prejudge this case. He could have been trapped or set up. I just think that we should consider all sides before making a decision.
Harold Reynolds. Reynold was an excellent player and considered a role model for his off the field charity work when he played for the M's. The hitch is that Reynolds was relieved of his duties at ESPN amid charges of sexual harassment.
There is no way at this time to find out the validity of these charges. The thing of concerns here is the message that get sent if the Mariners hire him.
A baseball team is a public entity and as such or even more are the people who bring broadcast it, namely the announcers who are the connection we fans have to the team. To hire Reynold at this time can send the message of the propagation of the "old boy network".
Reynolds' evaluation of the situation was that he "gave a woman a hug and it was misinterpreted" not likely. I think to warrant dismissal for such offense there would have to be evidence of a pattern of behavior. Even so, most would be aware which co-workers are the most personable or compatible.
I am not writing this to be hanging judge or to prejudge this case. He could have been trapped or set up. I just think that we should consider all sides before making a decision.
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