It's This Weekend!

Maple Valley Days is happening this weekend (June 13-15) at Lake Wilderness Park. There will be food, arts and crafts, entertainment and much more at the annual festival.

Chelsea Grown Up

The only winner in the Clinton family, in my opinion was daughter Chelsea, who showed grace and poise on the campaign trail.

Veep In Tennis Shoes?

Blogger Chris Bowers has reported that Washington Senator Patty Murray may be under consideration for a spot on the Obama ticket. The three term US Senator has been a Hilary Clinton supporter throughout the campaign and the Obama camp may be thinking of her as a means to pick up support from working class women.
This is not the first time a Washington senator has been considered for Vice President, the late Scoop Jackson was reportedly promised a spot on the Kennedy ticket, but was dumped because Lyndon Johnson brought Texas and more votes into the Democratic ticket.

Iconic Sports Announcer Jim McKay Dies

Barack Obama Represents New Generation

Barack Obama, born in 1961 will be the first nominee of a major political party to be younger than I am. I was born in 1957.

UW Law School To Receive A Generous Contribution

The Puget Sound Business Journal Reports that the University Of Washington Law School has received a generous pledge from Stan and Alta Barer. The money will be used to establish the Barer Institute Of Law And Global Human Services.
University Of Washington President Mark Emmert said
"This gift ensures that the UW will continue to produce leaders in the international human rights arena and provide a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and, most importantly, global legal education. We're very grateful to Stan and Alta for their vision and generosity."
Stan is the chairman of the University Of Washington Board Of Regents. A Walla Walla High School graduate, he is, I believe, the 4th of 7 members of the Barer family to attend the University Of Washington.

Naveen Haq Case Declared A Mistrial

Naveen Haq, who two years ago next month, shot 6 female workers at the Jewish Federation in downtown Seattle, killing one has been granted a mistrial. Haq's legal team played their only card, the insanity defense. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg has stated that Haq will be retried at a later date.
Thanks to the Seattle Times for the photo.

Since the weather is cold and rainy in the middle of June, this song by the ClassicsIV seems appropriate.

The 2008 Nominees Are.....

The fight has begun.

Speaking Of Bo--Do It!

Bye Bye Bo Didley

Rock and Roll Pioneer Bo Didley dies at 79.

Spokane is often seen as the "Rodney Dangerfield" of the Northwest,meaning it does not always get the respect that it deserves. When Spokane's Jr Hockey team won the championship of it's league, it was this incident that made the headlines. The upside is that Marvelous Marv Throneberry would have been proud.

Keith Olbermann Takes On Hilary

Hilary Clinton's reference to Bobby Kennedy's campaign was curious at best. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, never one to mince words, takes it one step further.

Barers Of Maple Valley Turns 3 Today

This blog was born on May 29th, 2005.

Did My Father Help Tom Lantos Rise In Congress?

The Late Tom Lantos, had a lengthy and productive career representing the San Francisco Bay area in the U. S. House Of Representatives. This post on the abarer blog talks about a meeting my Dad had with powerful Congressman Tom Foley that may have jumpstarted Mr. Lantos' career.


"On a warm spring day Congressman Tom Foley visited Democratic campaign Headquarters in Walla Walla. Most people were mowing lawns and other rites of early spring and as I sat next to Tom who was then Majority Whip we spoke of my former college roommate, Tom Lantos, a newly elected member of the house.I related this story to him. One morning as Mr. Baruch entered his office adjacent to the stock market floor he was greeted by an earnest young man who handed him a letter. The missive was from a dear friend of his mother. It explained that the young man, her son, was looking forward to a career on Wall Street and any help the well known Wizard could give him would be appreciated.Baruch took the boy by the arm. He explained the he was heading for the men's room at the far end of the floor. You will go with me as far as the door giving me an update on everything your family is doing in a very sincere manner.Because you are with me every eye will be on you. If you you can't take it from there, you will never make it on the Street.The next time I saw Tom Foley he reported that he followed up on our conversation encountering Tom Lantos in the House Cloak Room during a break. He invited him to sit near the entrance where all could see them and the future Speaker of the House and the freshman member had an earnest discussion about-----me.I never heard the follow up on Baruch's young man but Tom Lantos during his lifetime became a world class legislative inspiration"

Dunkin' Donuts Pulls Ads

Michelle Malkin gained notoriety in the late 90s as an editorial writer for the Seattle Times. Her unabashed attacks on the Seattle political establishment raised eyebrows. However, she did gain some respect as a needed political watchdog. When Malkin left the Times, she began an online colum that was much more venomous. Her MO was to print letters from her detractors, but they were not the letters of those who agreed to disagree of which the majority probably were. They were from the fringe who wrote threatening letters to her. She has shown very little tolerance for anyone who may disagree with her.
Now in her quest to gain fame, Michelle has protected America's children by getting a Dunkin'Doughnut advertisement featuring Rachael Ray pulled.
If it makes Michelle a laughing stock, you can bet she will use that to further her McCarthy-esque crusade.

Could Griffey Return?

While a promising Mariners season seems to be going down in flames, there is talk around the region of a second coming of Ken Griffey, Jr. It seems after all that Griffey's happiest years were in a Mariner uniform, while the best years of the Mariners where with Junior patrolling Center field. Age and injuries have taken their toll on Griffey as a Cincinnatti Red, but there is no doubt that his arrival could be beneficial toward this team getting the veteran leadership it needs.

Around The Family Blogosphere

Cousin Sam Barer talks what vanity plates say about drivers on Fourwheel Drift.

Songs like this can make anyone love Rock music. Chicago was one of a handful of groups that successfully fused Jazz and Rock. In early 1970, they apeared at Coordiner Hall in Walla Walla, on the Whitman College campus. Soon afterward, Make Me Smile, made them into superstars. The group eventually evolved into a "softrock" contemporary sound in the late 70s.

Sportradio's Tracy Taylor Still Gets The Most Hits

Almost 2 years ago, I decided to write about KJR's returning Traffic Reporter and morning personality Tracy Taylor,
Taylor had returned to the station after a gig in North Carolina. The popularity of that article, indicated by sitemeter, inspired me to do 2 additional stories. Those three posts, Continue to bring dozens of readers to this blog, including Taylor herself. Taylor is perhaps the area's best known and most popular radio personality. She also is a very nice person. You can hear Tracy Taylor and her traffic reports, along with her morning banter, on 950 Sportsradio KJR.