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Can Romulans ever live together with Vulcans? – The case for a one state solution

Published on May 1, 2015

Since time immemorial there have been two races of beings living almost identical lives yet they have been kept apart by their ideological differences. It’s hard to say who among them was the first as in all honesty they both have existed on the same parcel of land, at times in peace, and at times in conflict since long before recorded time began. They share the same great grandfather, inspired by the creator himself, to look beyond the confines of the sun and the moon and see the true driving force behind life. They share the same culture and food, the same music, and the same undying belief in the Oneness of Creation.

They share a common language, although each has adapted their own dialect. Their dialects are based on the same root words and the same basic meanings. Their common moral, ethical, and social code is ingrained in cultures fair beyond their reach, indeed their ancestry provided the basis for many kingdoms among the heavens.

Hospitality, Loyalty, Honor, and Trust form the basis of their common code of ethics. At times it is hard to tell them apart because they share so many things in common. They look the same. Both races share the same hot blood, pulsing through their veins; although, one race has learned to cool their raw emotions and tempered them with logic and reason. Push either race, and you will quickly see their natural preconditioned being shine through, both the good and the bad of it. Each has a raw temper buried deep in their hot blood. Both use the teaching of their common father to mask an almost animal like instinct for conflict, money lust, and the desire for carnal pleasures. But do not be deceived, they are not flawed, because all life forms deal with the same basic vices. In essence they are perfect cousins trapped behind walls of division.

Since they both share a common ancestry it is moronic to believe that one should leave their homeland and allow the other to stay. It is impossible to envision a scenario where one race leaves to colonize another world because either race would necessarily leave behind all that makes them who they are. They would lose their base, their common culture, their common familial history. When Vulcans were exiled from their homes and their world was blown to pieces they did not loose their divine birth right. At the same time, while Romulans toiled the land and inhabited places far from that of their common father, they did not forfeit their biological claim to the Promised Land- some may argue that they never truly left the common home at all. Both hold valid dueling claims to a history and a place that neither can deny. So why can’t they share their rich history, their rich culture, and be proud of their common ancestry. Why can’t they live side by side seamlessly basking in the light of the creator. Is it possible that the reasoning of “good neighbors need strong fences” is illogical? Could a race of life forms that are prone to war and blood feuds, brought on under the banner of the raptor, be able to abandon the old ways for the chance at a better life?

After all with so much in common why not celebrate the common core in both races of life forms. Why not come to a compact whereby Vulcans give up their absolute claim to the family land, and the Romulans give up their anger over suffering another kind of Diaspora, so that the son’s of their common father can live together as one. It sounds so easy when we are talking about an imaginary world born of Gene Rodenberry’s mind. I think it may be as simple as the realizing that- “koolana shab wahad”,” todos somos un solo pueblo” or to put it in other terms – “kulna chab ekhad”, “we are all one people.”

It’s funny how Hollywood and Sci-Fi can mimic the news and real life.

Author: Tark Aouadi
“The piece above that I wrote which some have said speaks to the Arab Israeli Conflict, some have said speaks to our own countries immigration problems, or our fragile relations with Cuba or the need to include Puerto Rico as an official state of the USA. I guess it means different things to different groups of people.”

Events coming to Seattle, Washington:

July 31 – Aug. 2, 2015, Galacon, Seattle Center
March 18 – 20th 2016, Supernatural Official Convention, Hyatt Regency – Bellevue
April 7 – 10th, 2016, Emerald City Comicon, Washington State Convention Center

The Importance of the Bair Hugger in the Operating

Published on April 6, 2015

Staying Warm During Surgery With Bair Hugger

The Bair Hugger forced air warming system is an amazing product and a remarkable invention. Most people who have had surgery have heard of the product before but have no idea what the history is behind this amazing invention nor do they understand the importance behind the device. People just know that the Bair Hugger is the key to a successful surgery and shortens the recovery time post surgery. This hospital and operating room staple has been a trusted asset and has warmed over 130 million patients worldwide. So what is the story behind on of the most dependable medical inventions? How did it become so essential in the surgical room and why do doctors and hospitals trust it unquestionably? It is important to understand how an operating room works in understand the importance of the Bair Hugger.

Get the facts: http://www.fawfacts.com

Before 1987, there was a myriad of issues that faced people in the operating room before the invention of the Bair Hugger. The main issue that a majority of surgical patients faced was getting hypothermia in the operating room. Hypothermia is when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it. It can occur anytime after the body temperature passes below 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Celsius. It is defined as a medical emergency and when your body temperature drops your heart, nervous system and other organs are unable to function properly. Hypothermia conjures up visions of the outdoors, freezing water and snow. Even though an operating room is not considered a cold, harsh environment, it can be for some patients. Operating rooms are kept below 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit so below the normal body temperature. The cold operating room is the single biggest reason why there is a risk of hypothermia in the operating room. The cold room isn’t the only reason why patients can suffer from hypothermia.

The operating room must be kept at a lower temperature to help keep the operating personnel comfortable. If the operating room is too warm then the personnel can become uncomfortable. They have to wear multiple layers of clothing that can include sterile gowns and lead aprons. All these layers of clothing combined with a high-level of stress can cause the surgeons to sweat. Sweat doesn’t seem like a big deal but if the OR personnel are not careful, they could potentially sweat into the patient’s open surgical incision which could cause an infection. Also, the room must be kept cold to help prevent humidity from building up in the room. The condensation can also cause serious risks to the patient. The moisture can build up to the point where it almost “rains” and it can contaminate the sterile operating environment. As the moisture moves along the surface of the operating room it can pick up bacteria. This condensation can also potentially fall into the open surgical incision causing a serious infection. Keeping the operating room a lower temperature also helps slow the growth of bacteria viruses and other organisms.

Patients can get hypothermia for other reasons besides a cold operating room. The longer a person must undergo a surgery, the more likely they are to get hypothermia. Patients are not clothed during surgery so the longer the surgery; the longer their body will be exposed to the cold in the operating room. The drugs that are used for the surgery also can cause issues with the body’s thermoregulatory control system. The IV fluid is usually cold and can decrease the body temperature. Anyone that has had an IV drip can testify to the fact that the fluid is cold going in the body. Certain anesthetic drugs can also cause the body temperature to drop. A majority of patients become hypothermic during the first hour of surgery. Some patients are able to return to a normal temperature post surgery. However, some patients are unable to regulate their body temperature without assistance from a warming device. These issue force the need for air warming system.

Hypothermia does not affect every single patient undergoing surgery. There are certain patients who are more susceptible to hypothermia than others. Elderly patients are more susceptible to hypothermia. As we age, our bodies are not able to regulate temperature very well and our ability to sense cold lessens with age. People suffering from hypothyroidism, stroke, severe arthritis, Parkinson’s and neuropathies are all more likely to become hypothermic during surgery. These two different groups of people are typically more dehydrated and malnourished than the general population which factors into their susceptibility to hypothermia. Certain medications like antipsychotics and sedatives can also impair the body’s ability to return to a normal temperature.

There are several complications and even the possible risk of death when the body reaches hypothermic levels. Intraoperative core hypothermia can cause coagulopathy, surgical wound infection, and possibly myocardial complications, which are all very serious problems. Patients are three times more likely to suffer from cardiac complications and surgical site infections. Surgical site infections are caused when the bacteria enters the wound and causes an infection. There is also a higher risk of developing pressure ulcers. Hypothermia causes the blood vessels to constrict and cause decreased blood flow to tissues and can create favorable conditions for bacteria to grow.

The solution to this common problem is the Bair Hugger. It’s a complicated process how it works. This forced air warming system helps to maintain the body’s temperature during surgery. A plastic, disposable blanket is placed over the patient’s body and warm air is circulated through the blanket. The warm air circulating in the blanket helps to keep the patient warm. The first hour of surgery is very critical and the Bair Hugger is the best way to help prevent hypothermia during that precarious time. For over 25 years, the Bair Hugger has warmed over 50,000 patients a day in over 80 percent of the hospitals nationwide. There have been over 170 studies conducted on the safety of the Bair Hugger and each study has confirmed what hospitals and doctors already agree on, the Bair Hugger is a very crucial asset in the operating room.

Helpdesks Need Integration and Automation

Published on April 1, 2015

Seattle Helpdesk Help Photo

For many businesses, the IT helpdesk is a relic of the past, sitting alone as a detached afterthought. A reactive facility, the helpdesk implies negative connotations although its function is essential to the running of a business’ IT. However, integrating a helpdesk with an entire IT network infrastructure and automating its functionality can reduce costs and increase shared knowledge. Having been involved with so many Seattle startups, I know is area very well and it’s often neglected.

Unfortunately, helpdesks are often regarded as a fire-fighting tool. More often than not they are bolted-on as a late addition designed to cope with the rising number of user queries. It is rare for an integrated helpdesk solution to be implemented from the outset, so there are tools should be available to assist with integration issues. Helpdesks should not be viewed as a point solution; but rather part of asset and systems management procedures.

Helpdesk service can be improved dramatically by integration with a centralized asset management database. IT helpdesk calls are usually directly related to hardware or software, therefore the knowledge of assets can be leveraged to improve problem resolution. Using a centralized database, helpdesk queries can be matched up directly to assets. Problem users and assets can be identified and the total cost of ownership (TCO) per asset can be calculated. Assets with a high problem incidence rate should be pinpointed and targeted to discover reasons for high TCO.

Asset management and helpdesk integration can enable automation of helpdesks. Day-to-day management tasks and repetitive functions should be automated, turning fire-fighting helpdesks into hands-off self-help solutions to problems. Integrating these processes would make it possible for users’ helpdesk tickets to have contextual keyword filters applied to trigger an automatic response.

For example, if an end-user needed a software application but did not have it installed on their PC, they would make a request to the helpdesk for it to be installed. A contextual keyword filter would automatically identify the request and, using the centralized database, could check the PC’s software inventory, licensing status and configuration. If suitable, an automated helpdesk could trigger the asset management system to automatically distribute the correct executable software package to the PC. The helpdesk staff need not get involved and the process would be instant and one of self-help – saving time and money.

My top three top tips for future helpdesk success are: integrate helpdesk function with asset and systems management tools to identify TCO; turn a helpdesk problem into a self-help solution through automation; stop firefighting and use a structured solution. With thorough back-end integration and given a regular structure to work in, helpdesks can evolve from being a reaction to problems, to an automated central knowledge base to assist with business process intelligence.

If you’re a startup is in the City of Seattle, I highly recommend looking into making sure you helpdesk procedures are in place to help your business really succeed.

Hillary’s Emails vs. Troy Kelley, State Auditor

Published on March 24, 2015

Hillary Clinton Hiding Her Emails From Public

This article is not about democrats or republicans. It’s about who has to obey laws and who doesn’t. No country can operate where the laws are not enforced evenly.

For example: If you did not declare some deal on your income tax (or if the IRS dreamed it up) they can swoop in with a warrant and seize everything you have. they can ruin you completely before you have a chance to prove you are completely innocent. They can take your files, phones, computers etc. This includes your personal Emails. Your Emails like Hillary’s might have your daughters wedding, yoga lessons or plain old juicy gossip but the IRS gets it all to sort through to look for your missing income. You can wind up in jail if you resist. All Hillary has to do is say she maybe should have done things different. She gets to choose what to turn over and with all her past lies I don’t think even her friends believe much of what she says. She put the entire country at danger. She conducted top secret business on her homebrew computer. She has to have had Emails about Benghazi and Syria on there but there are months of missing Emails. For any ordinary person they would be sitting in jail refreshing their memory of where the heck the lost Emails are. The Justice Department should have swooped in immediately and seized everything, but who heads the Justice Department? Another liar and crook who has a contempt charge against him. He could rush to Ferguson and help instigate all the turmoil with his pip squeak buddy Sharpton. Starting the lie about “hands up don’t shoot” They incited the riots but they just don’t talk about that part. Hillary can’t be turned loose free as a bird after what she did. For her to stand with a straight face and say her computer was safe because she had secret service outside her home at all times. That might stop someone from going in TAKING YOUR COMPUTER, but it sure would not stop a foreign country from hacking into it. It doesn’t sound like these days the Secret Service protecting even the president are responsible. They sure like to drink and find prostitutes to have fun with, or drive thru barricades at the white house that could have set off a bomb while drunk as skunks.

Congress has to protect us from the Justice Department and even our own President. He is selling us down the river.

Our State Auditor, Troy Kelley had his home searched, Justice Department swooped in and took lots of his stuff while he is out of state someplace on vacation. I have no idea what he did wrong or if he did wrong, but FOR SURE whatever the problem it was not anything like Hillary has done. No one has issued a warrant to search HER home. They say they can’t for some reason. She used her personal homebrew computer to conduct the highest of the highest business. What could Troy Kelley or even his employee have done that would endanger our whole country? They may have squandered a lot of taxpayer money. I don’t know a thing about Troy Kelley, but the Justice Department was sure interested in what he did or did not do. Has he taken a lot of bribes from Foreign countries like Hillary has? I am using him as a comparison as how laws can be used again State Officials who are no threat to our country, but can’t be used against Hillary.

The above is what my article is really about, but will add a little information that proves it is a hard to believe anything Hillary says. The State Department is a supposed to be a non partisan office. She was the fourth in line of importance in protecting our country. Now she just wants to forget about what she did or didn’t do and concentrate on running for president. This opens up another can of worms. Her whole agenda is going to be on Woman’s Rights. Of all the woman I have ever heard of her view on Woman’s Rights are right in the toilet. Look at how she has let her own husband completely disrespect her and their daughter. Put them to the worst possible shame while she stood right by him and blamed “the Right Wing Conspiracy”. Poor Slick Willy used the defense that he didn’t know what the word SEX or IS meant. Now it has came to light that the Clinton Foundation has taken in tens of millions in donations from countries like Saudi Araibi, United Arab Emiratis and others that are oppressive to woman. Girls are forced to marry at 9, woman have zero rights, can’t drive, or walk anyplace alone or get an education. They got donations from those countries while she was Secretary of State. Where are the Emails about those transactions? When you are fourth from the top dog in the country taking tens of millions from foreign countries have to be explained. Those countries bought silence of some kind. They did not donate to HELP WOMAN’S RIGHTS. Then of all things the web of lies entrapped Slick Willy. When he could take time to get away from raking in funds for his Foundation he took several trips with a convicted pedophile to an exclusive island where they had young sex slaves. The logs shows this happened, no one can dispute it. I think this guy has donated to his foundation, not completely sure. Why did he take trips there? Hillary doesn’t care it seems so the lies they have told are catching up. For instance, Hillary said they set up the homebrew computer for her and her husband. Well Slick Willie made a lie out of that. He says he sent two Emails in his life and neither were to Hilly. (lol) Maybe they were to Monica or the pedophile making arrangements for a trip to a sex island to rest up from his fundraising. (lol) Now the web stretched out a bit further and poor Hillary was not supposed to EVER TELL WHO THE DONERS WERE. Hope she has to give it all back because she breached that promise but that should not clear her anymore. What if I robbed a bank and was caught on the sidewalk with my loot, and just took it back in and said, gee sorry about that?

This is just to get you to thinking about how the little guy can be ruined but if you are a top dog working for “We The People” you can lie, cheat, steal and/or endanger out whole country, and not a thing can be done.

Lilly

Time For Fun It’s St Paddy’s Day!

Published on March 17, 2015

St Paddy's Day 2015 Fun Times Photo

It’s that time of year to be Irish. If you’re not Irish just fake it like everyone else! It’s a day to have fun and meet new people. St Paddy’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. I actually rank it number 3 on my list of favorites because everyone is just so friendly. Certain days just make people come out of their shells and be more social and it’s one of those days. The most friendliest day in my opinion is actually New Years but Paddy’s Day is up there for sure. Downtown Seattle is busy this morning. The local bars are open early and people are dressed up in there green. If you listen closely, you can hear their fake accents as they choke down a early morning Guinness beer. I’m sure for lunch time the cabbage will be a popular item.

It is true though how people change for the holidays. You can feel it in the air and even in the way people talk to you on the street. It’s hard to explain but people’s moods really do change. I would consider myself social all year, however, if you’re single or shy then this is a great night to go out and meet a new friend. People are open and approachable. There are only a few days a year where everyone’s guards are down and this is one of them. Individuals are in a giving mood as well. They are kind and ready to solute and tap beers with you. I believe meeting new friendly people, generosity, and kindness are one of the best qualities in people. The truth is kindness is one of those things that can heal the soul. It can lift your spirit even if it’s only for one day.

It’s saddens me to only see this spirit only a few times a year. Our society mostly turns away from meeting new people. When was the last time you talked to someone in line or they tried to talk to you? Probably not recently. When was the last time you met someone new who was just an honest friend. We tend to grow up with our closest friends and when they are gone – that’s it. I’m unsure why are culture has moved in this direction. Perhaps what we’ve seen on TV or the whole don’t talk to strangers growing up talk. I’ve talked to many expats and frequent travels who passionately agree. Other countries simply are more friendly. Dr. Robi Ludwig said it best in her Huffington Post article about Acts of Kindness. I’m a big fan of her work. Dr. Robi’s views about Psychology and human nature is right on. With that being said, all these barriers and judgment that others may have are gone on St Paddy’s Day and that’s why I love it. It’s even lower on New Years Eve.

History of St. Paddy’s Day:
Also known as Saint Patrick’s Day – it started in the 17 century as a Christian feast day. Named after Saint Patrick who was a patron saint of Ireland. Is a day to have fun and celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland as well as the Irish in general. It has been an official holiday in Ireland since 1903. Since the 1960’s the color green has been connected to Ireland. In American, it’s not an official holiday as you know but widely celebrated. The official St Patrick’s Festival runs 5 days in Ireland. Previously, it was 3 days but later modified to include another day of fun. Then again in 2009, it was moved up to 5 days and had close to 1 million visitors for event. The first Festival was in 1996 (March 17th of course).

Fun Photos:
Obama Irish Photo Funny

St Paddy's Day Dog Funny Photo

Yogo for St Paddy's Day Funny Photo

St Patrick's Funny Saying Photo

Naveen Jain Biography

Published on March 3, 2015

Naveen Jain Photo

Born as Naveen K. Jain on Sept. 6th 1959. As a child he grew up in or around the villages of Uttar Pradest, Roorkee, as well as the New Delhi, India. Education was very important to him and in 1979 he graduated with an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee. He later moved again (Jamshedpur) and received an MBA from XLRI School of Business and Human Resources in 1982. Married to his wife Anu Jain who is the Vice President of community relations at inome. As a young man he always knew the importance of a good education and how it would be the foundation of his career.

Jain is a very successful Businessman, executive, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Growing up Jain always had the passion of business and helping others. While growing up and surrounded by poverty, he knew that he had to make a change that will be impacting. Later in life he realized it was his calling and motivation to be so passionate and successful. Mr. Jain is known mostly as being the Founder/CEO of InfoSpace. He is also known as the Founder/CEO of inome & Moon Express. When Infospace was at its height (the dot com boom) he was worth over 1 billion dollars. The stock did go down, however, he did taste and hit that mark at one-time in his career. Being a leader in the tech industry and a highly sought speaker he was also featured on Forbes “Richest Americans” in the year 2000. We were unable to find any Seattle Washington speaking arrangements scheduled.

In 1983, he got accepted into a business exchange program. It required him to leave India, however, it was a important turning point in his career. He knew it was a great opportunity. This turning point highlighted Naveen Jain’s professional career. He worked at several companies including Convergent Technologies and Tandon Computer Corporation (Computer Manufacturer). About 6 years later in 1989, he joined Microsoft as a Program Manager. Living in Seattle, we all know Microsoft is one of the biggest companies in the World and leader in the computer software space. He was assigned to the Redmond, Washington office. Mr. Jain’s software background really helped him at Microsoft and it formed the foundation he needed to start his own company several years later name InfoSpace (1996). While at Microsoft, however, he worked with OS/2, then moved on to Windows NT, and the popular Windows 95. His position at Microsoft was later moved to the Microsoft Network.

As I mentioned in March 1996, Jain founded the highly success InfoSpace. Until the year 2000 he served as the CEO. If you’re not sure what InfoSpace is – it’s a company that provides private label and search data for businesses as well as companies. During the height of the well known Internet boom he was considered ranked as being one of the richest Americans. In fact, Forbes ranked him 121. Later at Infospace Jain was pushed out by the board members as CEO/Chairman in 2002. In 2003, he stepped down from the InfoSpace board completely. The same year he started a new company named Intelius which is located in Bellevue, Washington.

His philanthropy work is quite large and highly publicizes in the media. His focus is about improving the lives of as many people as possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s business or helping others. The impact of someone’s effort should try to reach as many souls as you can. It should be strategic and that is how Mr. Jain likes to approach his philanthropic work. He mentions that there are four key elements. These include overcoming the infrastructure, build scale, making it self-sustaining, and to live an entrepreneurial life. Through his leadership at inome, he gives back to medical care, family development, and education. His company, inome, was ranked by the Puget Sound Business Journal as one of the top 15 philanthropic companies in the USA.

World Innovation Institute:
He is the founder of the World Innovation Institute which believes that “entrepreneurship and creativity can solve the world’s most pressing and complex challenges” according to their website (thewii.org). The groups focus is about improving the lives of through philanthropy, education, and positive youth development. It’s a effort he and his family strongly support. Today, we wants to put his efforts into making the World a better place. He wants to make sure we leave our children in a position that is better than it previously was.

Moon Express:
Is a group supported and funded by silicon valley and space exploration entrepreneurs. Their ultimate goal is to mine the moon to see if any resources are available. They want to find elements that are rare on Earth. In the short term they would like to win the Google Lunar X Prize. The venture is headquartered in California and includes a robotic transportation element as well. They already have been connected with NASA for various efforts of data purchase. In 2015, they are going to be doing a test flight to the moon and by 2018 place two Lunar telescopes near the Malapert crater. The crater is about 3 miles high. In recent news, they have expressed to send their robotic spacecraft up a little early in 2016. The company believes the moon holds valuable elements such as gold, iron, tungsten plus many other elements which could provide nuclear power without all the waste we currently are using. The Moon Express company has approximately 50 employees and have a goal of staying under 50 million dollars for the moon mission.

Awards and Recognition:

In 1999, he was awarded the Emerging Entrepreneur Award Winner by Ernst & Young.
In April 2011, he was given the Light of India Business Leadership Award by the The Times Group.
In December 2011, during the Red Herring Global 2011 Conference, he was awarded the Lifetime
Achievement Award.

Personal Life:
Mr. Naveen Jain is married with 3 children. They live in Washington State just north of Seattle in Medina. The City of Medina is mostly reserved for the most wealthy including Bill Gates of Microsoft.

IT’S A MIGHTY DONUT SHOWDOWN

Published on February 4, 2015

Mighty-O Donuts Competes in Food Network Donut Showdown

Seattle, WA: Announcing another Food Network showdown featuring the Mighty-O Donut Queen, Julie Twiggs. Invited by the Food Network to compete in the Donut Showdown, Julie goes up against other international top donut creators. This is the third time the Food Network has invited Mighty-O Donuts to appear on one of their networked shows.

On Wednesday, February 11^th (6:30pm-8:30pm) Mighty-O will be showing the Food Network episode ‘Great Outdoors’ at the café (2110 N. 55^th St, Seattle 98103). In addition to the show, free donuts and coffee will be given to audience members, with emphasis on a selection of seasonal donuts and Julie’s Food Network donut creation.

Says Ryan Kellner, the owner and founder of Mighty-O Donuts, “It was an honor for us to be invited to another Food Network program”. Ryan continues “Julie is an invaluable part of our team; it was an easy choice to send her to represent our company”.

In April, 2011 Mighty-O Donuts competed in the Food Network “Donut Challenge” taking first place; beating Seattle doughnuts Top Pot.

Donut showdown episode viewing party on Wednesday, February 11^th 6:30pm-8:30pm
Coffee and donuts served to audience members, along with some of Julie’s Donut Showdown donuts.
Mighty-O is an organic donut bakery focused on sustainability, environmental impact and community support.

About Mighty-O Donuts: Our café is located in the Wallingford “Tangletown” neighborhood, with a wholesale baking facility in South Seattle and a soon to be announced new location. We produce all of our own donut mixes and glazes from scratch using organic ingredients. As a sustainably minded bakery, we donate our extra donuts to non-profit organizations serving the hungry. We owe our success to our hard-working employees and our community who grow and share in our excitement about organic foods, great coffee and donuts.

Seahawks Powering Up For Super Bowl XLIX

Published on January 29, 2015

Seattle Seahawks Returning To Super Bowl

The big game is this weekend and I hope you’re as excited as I am. Our Seattle Seahawks will be playing the New England Patriots in Arizona. The build up as been happening all week and will continuing up until the kickoff time at 3:30 pm. The season was a rough start for the Seahawks I will be the first to admit. They struggle with several games and a little piece of me deep down started to question if we were going to make it even to the playoffs. We even had a very challenging game against the Raiders who are considered by many to be the worst team in the entire NFL. We seemed to make improvements after we let go of Percy Harvin to the Jets. The Hawks started to play really well and won just about every game from there. The energy of the team players was high and our injuries were low. Russell was starting to find his grove in both the handoffs and passing routes. The Beast (Lynch) must of started to pound the Skittles because his game dramatically increased as well. He was running through teams and compiling the yards. This brings us to the championship game against the Packers. Many left at halftime in disappointment as the Green Bay Packers continued their assault on the Hawks. Then just when you thought the Hawks maybe getting to far behind they pull of an amazing fake field goal. This set the tone and movement to push the Hawks to winning the game in overtime. With a lot of luck and skill we made it to the Super Bowl again and the Seahawks fans in every bar exploded with excitement. The imaginable comeback game just happened right in front of every ones eyes. I was amazed and so was everyone else. Tears were running down the cheeks of fans as they high fived their neighbor sitting next to them. Talking with fans, it had to be the highlight game of the season. It was another great year for Pete Carroll. He consecutively pushed the Hawks for a repeat season. There is only one thing which could top off this season… and that would winning the Super Bowl on Sunday again.

So how do you get your teenager into sports? First, they often start young and are naturally talented. When they are on the field at school are they obviously a head of the game? Young students that are super talented tend to excel at a very young age. They continue exceling through middle school and often HS and college as well. Talented students often really enjoy sports. They play after school and even in groups in facilities like at the House of Sports complex or even a local sports complex. Their facility is one of the largest in the country for students and adults who want to enhance their skillsets. They are a family facility and one of the owners is Donald Scherer. Cities often have community centers (funded by that particular local city) students can visit to train as well. If you live in the city, the fees are often waived. We have one by our house and they charge just a few dollars per visit. Some sports complexes have pools and gym equipment. These are often included with just the one visit fee and others charge depending on what gym services you use. At the end of the day if your student is highly talented and it’s clearly obvious, the family should certainly push forward with the training. You’ll want to find the sport he/she is the best at and really focus on it long-term. There is a point where you should see him/her excel on some kind of sport and that is the time to scale it up. When it comes to football and maybe even joining the Seahawks – these guys have been playing football their whole lives. Most go through college and get picked up by the leagues then and others come straight out of the High School. Depending on their talent and position, they could be on the Seahawks or another major NFL league in no time.

The Seahawks big game is this Sunday February, 1st 2015 at 3:30 PST. It will be broadcasted on the local channel.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, our Seattle Seahawks lost the big game. They were behind most of the game and came back big in the end only to lose by inches.

Seattle Council Follow-Up

Published on December 22, 2014

Washington State Transportation Tunnel Failure

To Emerald City Journal:

I just read your good article you wrote about the tunnel.

I wrote a letter that went to every city council member the morning they were supposed to get the real “scoop” from DOT. Well they got the real scoop except it was the kind you need a scoop shovel to get rid or and it “stinks”. Not one member on the council responded to me after the meeting. Can you imagine them sitting there listening to State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson, spinning a story that would make a normal persons head spin but the Council Members didn’t argue with her. She says its too late to stop work on the tunnel because the tunnel is 70% complete (yes seventy). It would take a really good liar to be able to make a statement like that at this point. Why didn’t they stand up and declare the meeting over? Is this an insult to the taxpayers of Seattle and to the businesses that have been ruined during this last year of digging. Well I cant use the word digging because Bertha cant dig. What will it take to stop this nonsense? They cant drain the sound, and if they dig beside it they will hit water so they can never pump enough. All the politicians think is how to PUMP MORE MONEY into it, not water out of it.

The council hasn’t made a big deal of any of it publically. The money for the tunnel is gone on south and north portals and a pit to reach Bertha. How can you call this even a start on the tunnel? Its just a big gamble(but they already lost the money). Lets say they ever get the pit dug. Will the land around the pit hold up when they bring in a crane or cranes big enough to lift the front end of Bertha out or will we have Bertha and a crane or two to bury? Readers speak up now or forever hold your peace. Email council@seattle.gov and every member will get a copy. Flood them with e mails not water.

A gambler can quit anytime he wants. If he has lost his pay check, he still is better off to walk away before he puts the title to his car or house in the pot for the last game. It makes good photo ops for the Mayor. Maybe Obama can send Gruber to give a speech saying Taxpayers are too stupid to understand how good this is. See my letter to the council below or here.
Lilly

Update: Unfortunately, there has been no response from the City of Seattle Council as of 3/13/15. We are sadden to say the least. We continue to see the failed tunnel project move forward. Each day wasting more and more money which could have been spend on our education system, roads, or new options / roads to fix the mess this project has created. One thing we will never see is the Council admit they made a mistake with this project. They will continue the effort and talk less and less about all the money being dumped into it. When it finally is completed they will praise their hard work and how successful it was. It’s a complete failure and catastrophe. As news continues to come out about the tunnel (Alaska Way Viaduct Project), more and more injuries are being reported now. Medical / compensation claims are at there highest at over 1$ million dollars since 2012. According to an AP news report, there were more claims in 2014 then the last two years combined. The machine continues to sit with no action. It is believed that the machine will start running again in August 2015. The Seattle Council members fail to listen about all the wasted money. Aborting this project is the right action.

Letter To Council About Failed Tunnel Project (No Response)

Published on December 22, 2014

Seattle Council Email About Tunnel Project Failure

To:; council@seattle.gov
Subject: Tunnel

Hate to say,” I told you so”, but the Tunnel mess is really coming to light. How many more billions are you going to pour down the sink hole? We could have had a nice flat surface road or a new viaduct by now but you have an endless pit. I wrote before that I thought digging a tunnel thru fill dirt right along the sound was about as stupid as anything you could dream up. The DOT, The Tunnel Partners have lied to you repeatedly. Why will you believe tem this morning when they come to assure you everything is “hunky dory”. You should invite former Governor Gregoire to come. How many times did she stand with a straight face and say, the tunnel will be built under budget and NOT ONE COST OVERRUN WILL BE PAID BY TAXPAYERS?

You have heard from strategists, planners, managers, and experts, but mostly from LIARS. This was a boondoggle from day one. You had 1.4 billion to build the tunnel. 1 billion is gone and you are not only at square one but worse than when you started. What are the odds of it ever getting built? I would say zero. If you think spending 400 billion more to try to keep from losing the 1 billion you already lost, you should definitely listen to Kenny Rodgers sing, The Gambler. That’s all you are doing now.(gambling) No one knows how much water you need to pump, The space where you pump water has to be filled with something. Do you want to keep on til the historic buildings start to shift and crack? Do you want to wait til the viaduct falls over because of your digging? Do you want to keep on til the pressure sends dirt up thru the hole you are trying to dig to repair Bertha. You have squandered enough money to build a new house for every homeless person in Seattle. You have squandered enough to repair every street in Seattle. On and on and on.

Take a special vote of the people of Seattle and especially the businesses that have been ruined by all this digging. Is was in insult for the Mayor to take advantage of King Street falling apart for a photo op. He doesn’t have a clue(neither does anyone else) why it is happening. Maybe you need to bring “Patty and Maria” for a photo shoot and have them promise all sort of Federal Funds. Remember Federal funds, County funds, City funds all come from the working peoples pocket. The money to build the tunnel is gone. Time to admit defeat. Give Bertha a burial and let some other fools a hundred years from now run into her when they try to dig again. Stop this madness and stand up for the people who voted you in to speak for them.

– That was my letter to the Seattle Council. There has been no response thus far.

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