Enjoying New York Deli Night

At Temple DeHirsch Sinai in Seattle

Ciara And Russell Wilson Welcome A Daughter

Very few Seattle athletes have been able to make news in the off season as Seahawk quarterback Russell Wilson, it has been announced that Wilson's wife Ciara has given birth to a daughter, Sienna Princess Wilson.   It is the first child for Wilson, Ciara has a son from a previous relationship.

Beautiful Day At The Lake

Dasher and I took advantage of a rare sunny day in what has been a rainy Spring to walk the trail to Lake Wilderness Park in Maple Valley.

ESPN Makes Huge Staff Cuts

Former Seahawk quarterback Trent Dilfer (above) was one of 100 ESPN staffers losing their jobs this week.  Declining subscribers and ad revenue are being blamed for the large staff reductions which included many familiar names including baseball analyst Jason Stark.

Beastmode To Play For Raiders

Sources say the Seahawks have worked a deal where running back Marshawn Lynch can come out of retirement and play for the Oakland Raiders.
The Seahawks still had the rights to Lynch, who retired after the 2015 season.  Lynch wants to play one year for Oakland, his home town.

 

Could Mark Cuban Run For President In 2020?

Mark Cuban's name has been brought for a run at the US presidency in 2020.
Mark Cuban seems to be no friend to Donald Trump.  To some, they seem one in the same, obnoxious billionaires.  Both have been involved in reality TV. 
However, one difference between the two gentlemen is that Cuban did not grow up wealthy.  Cuban made his wealth during the dot com boom and sold out in time to avoid the big bust. 
He bought the struggling Dallas Mavericks in 2000 and turned them into a perennially playoff team.  The team won the NBA title in 2011.
Cuban endeared himself to many local sports fans to voting against the Seattle Sonics successful bid to move to Oklahoma City.
Mark Cuban has been a regular member of the investment panel on the popular reality TV show The Shark Tank.  He seems to invest in more quirky ideas than the other panel members and is known for being the "techie" on the show. 
Cuban at one time had stated that he answered every email that he received.  I emailed him and did indeed get a response. 

Tracy Taylor Back On KIRO

She announced last night on facebook that she would be on KIRO 7 this morning and there she was.  Tracy who filled in on the station the week before last was back on this morning.  While Rachel was doing the traffic from the studio, Tracy was reporting from her car.  Apparently, KIRO has noticed the social media firestorm that follows when Tracy is in the news.
Thank you to Puget Sound Media for the picture.

Presentation At Seattle Holocaust Museum

 

 

In observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Peter Metzelaar tells of his experience of his mother and him evading  Nazi persecution through the Dutch underground.  Non Jews risked their lives to help save Jews and other persecuted minorities.  Pete told of living in the closet of a farmhouse with planks on the floor. As the trail got hot, the pair had to seek shelter elsewhere. 
Not only did they run from the Nazi's, their country was being hit by Allied forces.
The presentation took place at the Holocaust Center For Humanity in Downtown in Seattle. 

Erin Moran--Joanie On Happy Days

Erin Moran, who played Joanie, the bratty little sister of main character Richie Cunningham in the TV comedy Happy Days, has died. Happy Days was a coming of age series that ran from the mid 70s to the mid 80s based in the 1950s, a period viewers perceived as a simpler time.
  At first it was a story of High School aged Richie Cunningham and his buddies, good kids who hung around a drive in and got often got in trouble in their attempts to meet girls and have a good time.  Joanie was the little know it all who often threatened to tell on the older brother and his friends.  Arthur Fonzarelli was the dropout interloper who was distrusted by adults, but often kept Richie and his friends out of trouble.  Eventually the Fonz became the focal point of the series.
Moran, whose recent troubles had appeared in tabloids, sadly becomes another tragic TV child actor who died too soon.

Tracy Taylor Starts A "You Tube" Channel

Tracy Taylor is starting her own You Tube Channel, a great way to connect with her fans.

Annual Maple Valley Fishing Derby This Weekend

Are you "Hooked On Fishing"?   The Maple Valley annual trout fishing derby is this weekend starting tomorrow April 21st at 3pm at Lake Wilderness Park.  The Rotary will be serving breakfast, starting at midnight Saturday and for one night, camping in tents will be allowed in the park for one night only.  There will be prizes awarded.  The fun continues until 3:00pm on Saturday.
Hooked On Fishing is jointly sponsored by the Greater Maple Valley Chamber Of Commerce, in partnership with Maple Valley Rotary and the City Of Maple Valley.

Aaron Hernandez Found Dead In Prison Cell

Did not see this coming, days after being acquitted in a double murder charge, former Patriot star Aaron Hernandez was found dead by hanging in his prison cell.  He was still serving a life sentence on a different murder charge.

Veep Season 6 Episode 1 Review

A great wrap up of the season premier of The Veep.

The Veep Is Back

The once a year 10 some episode season of The Veep is on again.  Selina Meyer, who lost her election for president last season, has not lost any of her charm or sincerity, because she really didn't have any in the first place.  Meyer is struggling with life as a private citizen and her staff is scattered around showing their incompetence in other fields.
Online reviews of the first three episodes ranges from bad to great.  I watched the season premier last night and found myself somewhere in the middle.
The Veep stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as President Selina Meyer. The show, in it's sixth season, airs Sunday nights on HBO.

Barers Of Maple Valley Wishes You A Happy Easter!

Former Patriots Star Acquitted

CNN reports that former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been found "not guilty" in the case of a double homicide outside a Boston nightclub in July of 2012.

NFL Owner Dan Rooney

Dan Rooney, son of the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers has died at 84. Rooney took over for his father, Art and guided the team to 6 Super Bowl titles, one in a controversial game with the Seattle Seahawks.
Rooney's most notable NFL contribution is probably the "Rooney Rule" which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions to fill such vacancies.  It was established in 2003.
He was also appointed ambassador to Ireland in 2009 and served until 2012.

Another Rock Icon Passes

Reports indicate J. Geils of the J Geils band was found dead in his Massachusetts home.  John Warren Geils was the leader of a 1970s blues band who gained a new popularity by the rise of MTV.
Their best known hit was probably Centerfold from 1983, the story of a man's heartbreak of his school days crush appearing in a nude magazine.

Happy Passover

Obama As Supreme Court Justice? Sign Me Up!

I don't think that this writer of a letter to editor in the Seattle Times is particularly fond of President Obama.  But he does bring home an interesting point.  The US Senate Republicans, by using the so-called nuclear option to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court could possibly come back to bite what is now the majority party, but may not be in as little as 4 years down the road. 

Now I doubt that Barak Obama desires to be picked to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, but there is precedence.   Look up William Howard Taft.

Mariner Food Offering May "Bug" Fans

The city of Seattle is known for it's multi-culturalism and also for being on the cutting edge of many trends, but the latest buzz or maybe chirp concerns a new offering at the Mariner's Safeco Field.  The team has announced that one of it's food vendors, Poquitos, will sell Chapulines, that's grasshoppers, as a food offering. 
Are fans tire of hot dogs, peanuts, and Crackerjacks?  With the wave of new ballparks starting in the 1990s, food offerings increased, Safeco Field was one of the first parks to offer sushi. 
Grasshoppers can be served with a taco or in a cup on it's own. 
The Mariner team itself needs to do a little "hopping", the team is off to a horrible 1 and 5 start.

Pearl Jam Inducted Into Rock Hall

The 1990s Grunge style band Pearl Jam has joined Nirvana and Heart as Seattle area artists inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  The induction ceremony was last night (Friday April 7th)  in New York.  David Letterman made the induction speech for the band in place of Neil Young, who was ill. 
Other artist joining the Hall include Yes, Journey, ELO, and Joan Baez.

Popular Traffic Reporter Taylor To Return For Fill In On KIRO 7

Seattle's popular traffic reporter Tracy Taylor announced on her facebook page that she has returned to the airwaves on KIRO 7 in a fill in role.  Taylor whose departure from KING 5, spurred angry comments on a number of blogs, including this one, said she will be on in the 4:30-7:00 timeslot.  She did not indicate how long the engagement would last.  The article on this blog in early December, reporting on her leaving KING 5, continues to be the most viewed post, with over 27 K hits, more than twice the second most popular post. 

Don Rickles Dead At 90

CNN reports that comedian Don Rickles had died.  He was 90.

Pepsi Pulls Cringeworthy Kendall Jenner Ad

A huge backlash has cause Pepsi to pull an ad that had good intentions but was poorly received.

Film Shows How Maccabi Tel Aviv Put Israel "On The Map"

Dani Menkin, who made the documentary film "On The Map", stands on the right at the Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island where his work was shown to a full house.
 Sports films usually are based on a David vs Goliath theme, this movie was a true story. After
 World War II, basketball gained popularity in Europe.  European basketball was dominated by teams from Spain, Italy, and Russia.  In 1977, the Maccabi Tel Aviv team, from a country not known for it's sports successes, showed it's ability to compete for the championship. 
It had been a dark time for Israel, not long after the Yom Kippur war and the Munich Massacre.  The country itself was enduring a government scandal.  The country's moral had been dismal, but the rise of the Maccabi team, captivated the country.  Featured in the film were Hall Of Famer Bill Walton, former NBA Commissioner David Stern, and members of the team.
The film was extremely captivating and moving.
The film was shown as part of the the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.

National Championship: UNC triumphs over Gonzaga

Gonzaga came close, but lost to the North Carlolina Tarheels 71-65. Congratulations Gonzaga, on a great season!

Mariners Begin The 2017 Season

Happy Together Tour Returning This Summer

After a three year hiatus, the Happy Together Tour is returning for a local engagement this summer. The tour which always features the legendary 60s rock band The Turtles, is always stocked with bands from the early the mid 60s through the early 70s playing unforgettable classic pop music.

It is a fun show featuring Flo and Eddie, the heart and soul of The Turtles, who went on two play in Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention and have stayed active in the seen.  Eddie, of course, is Howard Kaylan who has lived here in the Seattle area for many years.

The concert is set for July 9th at the Snoqualmie Casino.  Joining The Turtles will be The Association, former Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron, The Boxtops, The Cowsills, and somehow, the real live version of The Archies.

Gonzaga Goes To NCAA Title Game

The Gonzaga Bulldogs beat South Carolina in a 77-73 squeaker.  The Zags will play either North Carolina or Oregon this Monday for the championship.

April Fools Day 2017

Have fun and don't believe everything you hear!