Tobeck and Bannister Back In The Fold

Seahawks.NET Staff - Scout.com
March 30, 2005 at 9:22pm ET
With Tobeck and Bannister back on board, the Seahawks have retained all of their offensive unrestricted free agents save three. Guard Chris Gray has been talking to the San Francisco 49ers and will likely be supplanted in the starting role - whether he stays in Seattle or not - by Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack, who signed his own two-year deal with the team on March 13. FB Heath Evans took his undistinguished resume to Miami, and QB Brock Huard is unlikely to return. The key components – QB Matt Hasselbeck, LT Walter Jones, TE Itula Mili, Tobeck, Bannister and Womack – are all back on board. RB Shaun Alexander was franchised by the team, but has not signed the one-year tender worth $6.3 million.

It's official: there is reason to be optimistic for next season. I still have concerns about the Linebacker position, and Shaun's situation could still go bad, but for the most part, it's the same group of guys as last year. That group of guys looks great on paper. With a nudge here, an addition there, maybe some good luck with their health...

Yeah, next season's looking good.

Hillary hits out at games violence

March 28, 2005

NEW YORK: Violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto, in which players peddle drugs and steal cars to become top gangster, have been condemned by Hillary Clinton as a "major threat" to morality.

"Children are playing a game that encourages them to have sex with prostitutes and then murder them," the US senator and former first lady said.

"This is a silent epidemic of media desensitisation that teaches kids it's OK to diss people because they are a woman, they're a different colour or they're from a different place."

Senator Clinton, who is expected to seek the Democrats' presidential nomination in 2008, has teamed up with two arch-conservative Republican senators, Rick Santorum and Sam Brownback.

They want President George W. Bush and Congress to launch a $US90 million ($116 million) investigation of the impact of electronic media on children's "cognitive, social, emotional and physical development".

Senator Clinton has been declaring her shared values with Republicans on issues as diverse as abortion and the war on terrorism.

Her campaign against video game violence has alarmed right-wing opponents of her expected bid for the White House.

Brent Bozell, president of Parents Television Council, an influential conservative watchdog, said: "Hillary's would-be Republican competitors had better take notice. She is successfully outflanking them on a hugely important issue she intends to make her own."

Senator Clinton's attack was delivered at a childcare symposium hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies children's leisure habits.

Its latest research shows that daily use of computer and video games by children has almost doubled since 1999 to almost two hours.

Violent games are a favourite with teenage boys.

Researchers from the University of Oklahoma recently found that two-thirds of school fights were instigated by regular video game players, but in the study of 607 students only four fights were started by children who had never played such games.

Other studies showed that violent games would not cause serious problems in healthy families, but could do so in families where children were left alone for many hours.

Dick Morris, an adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton in their White House years, said Senator Clinton was following a playbook he had devised with her.

Polls undertaken for her had shown that women were perceived as better than men on issues involving children and education, while men led on foreign policy.

She was "using that stereotype to help her candidacy", Mr Morris said, by pursuing family issues while becoming "hawkish" on defence.

The Sunday Times

Hillary's political posturing is blatant. Lord, does she really need to hook up with Santorum?

Video games still don't get the respect they deserve. As an art form, they need protection from censorship and encouragement of innovation. As a cultural influence, children should be supervised.

I don't have a complete answer, but that much I know.

Medical III

I want to look into using conference room reservation software for our exam rooms. We need something dynamic that can adapt to changes in providers' schedules and that is relatively easy to tell availability at a glance.

The only drawback I can see is potential expense. I wonder if there's a low tech way to do the same thing. The Excel method I've been using just isn't cutting it.

Online Gamer Stabbed for Selling Cyber-Saber

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Shanghai online game player stabbed to death a competitor who sold his cyber-sword, the China Daily said Wednesday, creating a dilemma in China where no law exists for the ownership of virtual weapons.

Qiu Chengwei, 41, stabbed competitor Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest after he was told Zhu had sold his "dragon saber," used in the popular online game, "Legend of Mir 3," the newspaper said a Shanghai court was told Tuesday.

"Legend of Mir 3" features heroes and villains, sorcerers and warriors, many of whom wield enormous swords.

Qiu and a friend jointly won their weapon last February, and lent it to Zhu who then sold it for 7,200 yuan (US$870), the newspaper said.

Qui went to the police to report the "theft" but was told the weapon was not real property protected by law.

"Zhu promised to hand over the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest with great force and killing him," the court was told.

The newspaper did not specify the charge against Qiu but said he had given himself up to police and already pleaded guilty to "intentional injury."

No verdict has been announced.

More and more online gamers were seeking justice through the courts over stolen weapons and credits, the newspaper said.

"The armor and swords in games should be deemed as private property as players have to spend money and time for them," Wang Zongyu, an associate law professor at Beijing's Renmin University of China, was quoted as saying.

But other experts are calling for caution. "The 'assets' of one player could mean nothing to others as they are by nature just data created by game providers," a lawyer for a Shanghai-based Internet game company was quoted as saying.

Medical Miscellanea, Part II

The hospital donates expired supplies to third world countries. Someone picks them up from our Central Service department every Wednesday.

Central Services will take back unwanted supplies. If they haven't expired, they can be redistributed internally.

Nothing should be stored under sinks.

or closer than 18" to the ceiling

or on the floor

Some people don't get that this flurry of activity in preparation for the Joint Commision inspection is wrong. These are standards we should always adhere to. It isn't some obscure final exam to be crammed for and then forgotten about.

Some people do get it.

The hospital belongs to a service that provides MSDS information 24 hours per day, 7 days a week via fax. That information is also easily available via a google search. While you do have to be careful of what you find randomly on the internet, chemical companies have started providing that information online. That's about as good of a source as you're going to get.

Medical Miscellanea

Lots of medical supplies have expiration dates, including saline, iodine pads and swabs (these have a relatively short shelf life), lubricant, tegaderm, G-Tube parts, and almost anything that comes in a tube.

This is a signifcant problem here. Not only do the expired items cost the hospital money, it's very likely that they're being used on patients after the expiration date. The good news is that now we're aware of it and have gotten rid of piles upon piles, but something needs to be done on a more fundamental level.

The problem comes from the stashes of supplies that people keep. There is also a problem with stocking supplies in rooms. It's a nice idea to stock rooms uniformly so that any service can step into any room with any patient and be able to do an appropriate exam. In practice, however, specific services use certain rooms 95% of the time. Service specific supplies are then used all the time in some rooms, and hardly ever in other rooms. The supplies in the 'hardly ever' rooms grow old and expire.

That's the reality. What we need to do is to reduce in-room inventories as much as possible, likely by creating pull systems. I think a kanban system might work, I also think we may move toward centralized, service specific trays or bins of supplies that PCC's can grab and take to the rooms at the start of the clinic day. At the end of the day, the tray would be removed and replenished for the next day.

We could stock rooms only with the minimum non-expiring or truly used by everyone supplies.

Receiver [Joe Jurevicius] expects to be a good fit with Seahawks

The 30-year-old Jurevicius is 6-feet-5 and 230 pounds.

``I'm not here to step on toes,'' he said. ``I'm here to help the Seahawks win.''

Tim Ruskell, the new general manager in Seattle, signed Jurevicius to a one-year contract last week.

Ruskell joined the Seahawks after one year with Atlanta, but spent most of his career with the Buccaneers. They were together in Tampa Bay when the Bucs won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.

``He'll do everything he can to catch the ball,'' Ruskell said. ``He'll do the little things. Joe loves to block, and you'll see that in his play. He's a nice presence, a great teammate, a good guy to have on your team.''

Did I miss the hiring of Ruskell as general manager?

Anyway, it's good to see that the new receiver seems mature and has ties to the area. Lord knows they need maturity and stability in that area.

Can Somalia ever be normal?

One of Mr Yusuf's first acts following his election was to call for 20,000 foreign peacekeepers, who would both disarm the many militias and protect his government.

"That is a crazy idea," says one of the key Mogadishu warlords, Hussein Aideed, before he was named deputy prime minister in the new government.

He says the presence of such a large foreign force would only unite all the different Somali factions against it.

He's got a point. Somalia's greatest moments of unity have been in the face of foreign incursion.

On the other hand, do they expect order from the same chaos within the country?

Music on the Internet

Sometimes I click on things, and music plays. Sometimes the music is good.

I still can't work my MP3 player though, and I still can't figure out any of the various services. I'd pay $1 for a song, but I don't want to pay a subscription, and my attention span is short.

I've become spoiled in the era of Microsoft. I expect the machine to know what I want, and I expect it to give it to me for cheap. I expect online music to be like online porn. You only have to pay if you're picky, but there's plenty of free stuff out there for every taste.

I'm sure it's out there, I'm just too damned lazy to sort out the details. Plus, I'm not really a music person.

Somali 'jihad' on foreign troops

A militant Somali Muslim cleric has warned of a Holy War or "Jihad" if foreign peacekeepers are deployed.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys is a senior member of the Islamic courts, which has a militia, and is accused by the United States of having links to al-Qaeda.

President Abdullahi Yusuf wants peacekeepers to protect his government when it relocates from Kenya.

Somalia has not had a functioning government for 14 years and has been divided by rival warlords.

'To the death'

Mr Aweys, who denies that any terror groups operate in Somalia, said it would be the religious duty of all Somalis to fight any peacekeeping force.

"We will fight fiercely to the death any intervention force that arrives in Somalia," he said.

He also urged foreign countries not to fund the proposed peace force.

East African countries have agreed to send some 6,800 Sudanese and Ugandan troops to Somalia.

Several Mogadishu-based warlords, named in Mr Yusuf's exiled government, have also opposed the use of foreign troops.

MPs were involved in a brawl during a debate on the issue last week.

Mr Yusuf does not have a strong support base in Mogadishu, where gunmen can be seen running roadblocks on behalf of the rival warlords.

Jared Lorenzen: Weighs in with Giants

RotoWire.com Staff - RotoWire.com
Friday, March 25, 2005
Update: Lorenzen is back with the Giants even after going AWOL last spring in the mistaken belief he had been cut, Newsday reports.

Recommendation: He has battled a weight problem for years and is trying to get it under control. He was listed last year at 6-4, 285 pounds. He would not say what he weighs now. Said Lorenzen, "If I had my druthers, I'd be 225 and there wouldn't be a weight issue at all." Lorenzen will likely battle to be the Giants' third string quarterback behind Eli Manning and Jim Miller.

Why do I care about Jared Lorenzen? I'm not sure myself, yet I am compelled to follow his career.

I wonder what life is like for a third string quarterback...

Seahawks: Tafoya claimed off waivers

The Seahawks added a defensive end to their roster on Thursday by claiming Joe Taoya off waivers. Tafoya was released by the Falcons earlier this week even though he never actually played a down for them. He spent three seasons with the Bears before being released after the 2003 season, was out of football last year, and was then signed by the Falcons following the 2004 season.

Not terribly interesting news, but given the difficulty the defense has had staying healthy, he may get more playing time than expected.

When did this happen?

When did a country by the name of Kyrgyz come into existence? That name has got to be made up. I am at least an average follower of international news, and before a week or so ago, I had never heard of it.

Could its very existence be a hoax?

Of course, I also have to admit that before a month or so ago, I didn't know that Syria had troops in Lebanon.

More on Comic book super hero teams

I want to see a super team with a loser. A genuine loser, not a loveable loser, not someone waiting for their opportunity. In the work world, there's always that person who really sucks; makes bad decisions, annoys everyone, yet for some reason or other, avoids getting fired.

On the playground, sometimes this is the kid who brought the ball, or who has the nice house. Maybe he's cousins with one of the cool kids.

I saw this lots of times in the Army. One guy was passed around from tank crew to tank crew as people got exhausted with trying to bring him up to standards. Everyone thought they could fix him. No one ever did, and eventually he received a hardship discharge because of issues back home. (Goddamnit, Bohm!)

Race versus Ethnicity

I need to brush up on my diversity familiarity. The hospital is moving to an identification system much like that used by the census. This way we can investigate claims of discrimination and have data to either use for improvement or to document our success.

We live in a diverse world, there's no getting around it.

Those damned Jay Double yous

They've struck again. Today, more Watchtowers were left in the waiting area outside of the hospital's Family Resource Center.

This time, one is titled "How Can Blood Save Your Life" and it has a striking circulatory system picture on the cover. It's filled with fake science Jehovah's Witness nonesense. This chaps my hide because they are intentionally placing non-science propaganda that patients' families will be susceptible to.

There was also a little pamphlet titled "A Doctor Interviews a Clown." In this they steal a story that I've heard before, but am not sure of the origin, and morph it to their agenda.

It is they who have built their house on a foundation of sand. Their sources have little or no historical foundation, and their interpretations are irrational. I don't mind if they spout their nonesense publicly, I just wish they wouldn't try to drag the Hospital into it.

Ultimate Thor versus the Ultimates

Just keeping track of some things I wrote on Millarworld:

PART I:

The Ultimates as headed by Cap are becoming fascists, and I'm getting tired of Cap's holier than though attitude. Tony is a slave to the bottle and to capitalism, the others are followers, trudging thoughtlessly behind the flag. Thor, on the other hand, is the classic "one good man" in this book. Mark has done a great job of setting up the god of Thunder as the underdog.

All of you who are pulling for Cap have clearly been duped by Loki.

That's my reading of the book, anyway.

Normally, I hate hippies as much as the next person. Thor is the good kind of hippie, though. Yes, there are two kinds of hippies: The first want everyone to share because they have nothing to give. The second are people who really believe that a better world is possible, and they're willing to live the life and walk the talk of their ideals. Thor is the second kind.

PART II:

I realized today that one of the reason's I'm pulling for Thor is that I'm a sucker for the "one good man" plot device. Whether it's High Noon, Halo or good ole' Stone Cold Steve Austin, when it's one against many, there's no question who I'm pulling for. Even if the "one man" is wrong, he has my sympathies. In this case, I also like Ult Thor more as a person and as a character.

Having said that, having a favorite isn't the same as predicting victory. The Ultimates are well established as the clear bad-asses in the Ultimate universe. Thor's work is cut out for him, that's for sure.

I can't wait to see what Mark (Millar) has planned.

Cabinet snubs Somalia's capital

Somalia's exiled cabinet has voted to return to Somalia but not to the capital, Mogadishu, which the prime minister says is too dangerous.

The ministers will instead go to the central towns of Baidoa and Jowhar until security improves in the capital.

However, 10 ministers, including key Mogadishu warlords, walked out of the meeting, before the vote was taken.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government for 14 years and is divided between rival warlords.

Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi said the cabinet would leave Kenya "soon" but the international community would have to fund the relocation.

The vote was taken to sidestep a row over whether or not the government needed peacekeepers before setting up in Mogadishu, which had threatened to bring down the government.

Most dangerous

President Abdullahi Yusuf wants foreign troops, including from Ethiopia, but their involvement is controversial after previous wars between the two countries.

If the government does not go to Mogadishu, it might not need any peacekeepers.

However, Mr Yusuf was not at Monday's cabinet meeting, as he has travelled to the Arab League summit in Algeria.

Mr Yusuf was elected last year after two years of talks in Kenya.

Mr Ghedi said the government would open a security office in Mogadishu, which he said was the most dangerous part of Somalia.

The decision was backed by 64 of the 74-member cabinet.

Warlord arrested

Among those who walked out were Osman Ali Atto, Musa Sudi Yalahow, Omar Finish and Mohammed Qanyare Afrah.

Between them, these men control most of Mogadishu and have been in the forefront of opposition to the use of foreign peacekeepers.

Despite being in the government, their militiamen have not started to disarm.

They said the cabinet did not have the right to change Somalia's capital.

Last week, Mr Yalahow was one of three Somali MPs arrested after a brawl erupted in parliament during a debate on whether to send foreign troops to Somalia.

East African leaders have offered to send some 6,800 troops from Uganda and Sudan.

But some Somalia leaders fear that Ethiopians could eventually join them.

Turbo Tax

Turbo Tax is a god send to those of us with moderately complicated taxes. It also helps track 'normal' deductions like sales tax and student loan interest payments. When in doubt, pay the $20 or $40 (depending on the package you choose), and get it done quickly and correctly.

Whiskey

I put some Jim Beam in my coffee yesterday. It wasn't very good.

Harlan Ellison is fearless, and a fearless writer: 'I place ethics and courage way way above everything else'

By Arthur Salm
UNION-TRIBUNE BOOKS EDITOR

March 20, 2005

SHERMAN OAKS – He's shouting again, but that's just Harlan.

"LOOK IN FILE CABINET NUMBER ONE, NEXT TO THE PHOTOCOPIER, IF YOU CAN GET THE STUFF DOWN OFF THE SHELF WITHOUT EVERYTHING FALLING DOWN. IT'S IN DRAWER NUMBER TWO, UNDER 'REMARKS.' "

Author and life-force Harlan Ellison, 70, is seated in his art-deco/curio-shop kitchen calling out to his wife, Susan. His voice carries well, and it has to: The Ellison residence, once a simple tract house in the hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley, has over the years rambled up and out.

It now comprises a bewildering warren of rooms – some of them accessible through intricately carved wooden Hobbit doors just a few feet high – that contain, among, many, many, many other strange and marvelous things, dozens of framed movie posters ("Die Monster Die," "The Brides of Fu Manchu," "The Mummy"), hundreds of classic cartoon-and comic-strip-character juice glasses (a small room off the kitchen is devoted to them), at least that many pipes, a pool table somewhere beneath neat stacks of magazines, a skittles table (Ellison demonstrates the game with glee) and enough geegaws (e.g., Goofy figurines) to populate a one-tenth scale theme park.

On a bathroom wall there's an original pen-and-ink drawing of the evangelist Billy Sunday by the pioneering animator Windsor McCay and a "Smokey Stover" Sunday comic strip. On the counter sits a collection of stories by H.P. Lovecraft.

The house contains, by Ellison's estimate, 250,000 books. He keeps track of them with a library card-catalog system housed in those familiar wooden drawers.

And he has long exercised his own unbreakable law: "If I ever rewrote anyone else's script, I would never take any credit. As a result, I have made hundreds of thousands of dollars as a script doctor. I make a very decent living."

He does all this on a portable Olympic typewriter. Manual, not electric. Two index fingers produce, he says, 120 words a minute. "And I never make a mistake."

Repairs, typewriter ribbons? "I've got a guy."

He picks up a photocopy of a newspaper article – a couple of paragraphs of text and a photo of an ordinary-looking middle-aged man. "This is the bully that beat me up when I was a kid," he says. He stares at it for a few seconds, then slips it back into the file. "It's his obituary."

(Ellison grew up in Painesville, Ohio, not just the smallest kid in his class – "even smaller than the girls" – but the only Jewish kid in his elementary school. His childhood, he has made it clear, was not pleasant.)

"I place ethics and courage way way above everything else. I will not be frightened. Morality? Pffft!

Back to Harlan Ellison's Credo. "Things I will never do" (enumerating on his fingers): "Harm a child, go to Germany, do a commercial for McDonald's toadburgers, intentionally write (blank), eat lima beans. . . .

"I operate my life according to a quote from Pasteur: 'Chance favors the prepared mind.' I like the concept of luck and chance, but they're crutches people fall back on, like religion, to rationalize their own inadequacies and ineptitude in the championing of their lives. The greatest freedom one can know, and the greatest success one can know, is to control your own life.

"The problem with that is, you have no one left to blame – if you fail, you weren't smart, quick, honest, courageous enough. It wasn't God, society or because mommy locked you in the basement. You're responsible for your own life.

"It's the ultimate freedom – to be as good as I choose to be."

I love Harlan Ellison

Odds and ends

1) Seahawks: Darby agrees to terms
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=fanball-seahawksdarbyagreest&prov=fanball&type=lgns

I don't know this player, and have no comment.

2) I'm listening to Fred Eaglesmith right now. I love it, love it to death.

Welcome to the airport

I don't know who this person is, but it's an interesting piece.

Another chapter in the mystery

I work as a facilities coordinator at a regional medical center. One of my responsibilities is to keep the outpatient clinic spaces tidy, efficient and safe.

Someone is leaving religous propaganda in some of my waiting areas. First it was the Watchtower (twice in as many weeks), then it died down for a month. Last week, I found one of those "Left Behind" novels. While I have a morbid fascination with such things, and surely don't want to discriminate against literature of that nature, the hospital can't be perceived as endorsing any specific religion.

Half of me wishes my mystery adversary would stop it with the religious propaganda. Part of me finds it fascinating and enjoys the cat and mouse aspect.

Peacekeepers for Somalia approved

East African governments have agreed to send 6,800 peacekeeping troops to Somalia from Uganda and Sudan, rather than from bordering countries.

The Ugandan foreign Minister said the decision was made out of respect for the sensitivities of the Somalis.

Somali warlords have said they will attack troops from neighbouring states - especially from rival Ethiopia - if they form part of a peacekeeping force.

Somalia's president was willing to accept troops from neighbouring states.

But a brawl broke out in the Somali parliament - sitting in the Kenyan capital Nairobi - after legislators voted against the President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's call to deploy peacekeepers from Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Somalia's government and parliament are currently based in Kenya because the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is considered too dangerous.

The president wanted troops to help with the relocation of the administration from Kenya.

Prime Minister Mohammed Ali Ghedi said the parliamentary vote was flawed and should be held again.

Members of the East African regional body, Igad - who has been holding talks to try to end the row - said Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia would only help with logistics and training.

Igad also said Sudanese and Ugandan troops would be followed by troops from the African Union, but did not give dates for the deployments.

Black And White (Or Not...)

Thoughtful article about Seattle's free agency activity.

Consider:

Vanity and humility and how they affect leadership.

Vanity reappears in Ecclesiastes. Humility is a cornerstone of Christian faith.

I may want to read

Managing Transitions
making the most of change
by William Bridges

Lorenzen goes back to work

I love this guy. He compared favorable to Eli Manning during last year's preseason work outs. Then there was a miscommunication, and he thought he'd been cut. I hope he makes the team. I'd love to add him to my list of favorite 3rd string QB's. (Marques Tuiasosopo - Raiders, Cody Picket - 49ers, Seneca Wallace - Seahawks)

Hobbit picture 'four years away'

I didn't even know this was an option. Four years is better than forever years, I say.

THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION

State Senator Bob Morton, a Republican from the Eastern Washington town of Orient (pop. 115), has a crazy idea. It's laughable, really. Unless you've been studiously ignoring our local newspapers in recent weeks (and who could blame you), you've probably heard about it. The senator from Ferry County wants to split Washington State in two. A clean break, along the line of the Cascades. The 19 counties to the west, mostly urban and suburban, with a hefty majority of the state's population and a strong liberal inclination, would become one state. The 20 counties to the east, mostly rural, mostly conservative, would become America's 51st state (or maybe 52nd, but more on that later).

The first things you notice about far-northeastern Washington is that it is poor, big, and empty. The road north out of Spokane, State Route 395, is paved (unlike many roads in the region), a two-lane ribbon of blacktop flanked by scrubby farmland or public forest. Very occasionally you pass through a small town. Stevens County, which runs from just outside of Spokane all the way north to the Canadian border, contains 40,484 people spread over 2,481 square miles, a population density of about 16 people per square mile. (King County, by contrast, has a density of 780 people per square mile.) The county seat, Colville, has 5,000 inhabitants and boasts a few reasonable restaurants, a library, an excellent coffee shop (I'm told), and that universal symbol of nouveau rural culture, a Wal-Mart.

The statistics don't lie. Projections for federal and state transportation funding between 2004 and 2013 show that King County will get back 84 cents on every dollar it provides for transportation funding, Pierce County will get only 80 cents, Snohomish County 88 cents, and Thurston County a mere 59 cents on the dollar. Meanwhile, large rural Eastern counties will get significantly more than they pay in: Stevens County will get $1.56 for every dollar they provide, Pend Oreille County, on the northern Idaho border, will get $2.60, and Ferry County will get a whopping $3.52. A 2001 report for the Senate Judiciary Committee showed that overall, Western Washington provided 82 percent of the state's transportation revenues but received only 78 percent of transportation expenditures; Eastern Washington, providing 18 percent of revenues, received 22 percent of expenditures. Eastern Washington also received more than its share of state K-12 education funding: 12 of the 13 counties that received the least state revenue per student were in the West (the exception was Spokane County).

That was the point Adam Kline wanted to make by supporting Morton's resolution. "We're subsidizing Eastern Washington," he says. "You know something? We don't mind. But what I do mind is that when we pay, and they benefit, they still complain. That's what bugs me. They're bitching about it."

The last quote from the Stranger article exposes the sweet irony that the conservative half of the state, the half that typically votes for lower taxes and fewer social programs, receives regular subsidies from the liberal half of the state. I imagine they would have real trouble keeping their roads in good repair without their bonus funds from Western Washington.

The quote at the end by Adam Kline illustrates the dark side of liberalism found in Ayn Rand's writings. "We'll give them the money they ask for as long as they are appreciate our sacrifice." That's not true compassion; at the least it illustrates a weakness in compassion. (It should go without saying that we are all flawed and weak, so this is to be expected in the noblest of actions.)

If Eastern and Western Washington had been divided during my youth, my life would have likely been very different, and I would have suffered for it. I am concerned for the teenagers like me.

I knew I was a city boy living in the country. I knew I was more liberal than most of my Stevens County peers. I longed for culture, and a neighborhood feeling, and for places I would walk to on a Saturday afternoon. I thought we should let the Spotted Owls have their habitat, since the old growth timber would run out in a few years, anyway.

I went to the University of Washington in Seattle, in part, because I could afford it. Even though I grew up in and around Colville Washington, I paid in state tuition to go to school in Seattle. I had no desire to go to school in Pullman or Ellensburg. I couldn't afford private school, and I couldn't afford out of state tuition. If Seattle had been in a different state, I would have probably bit the bullet and gone to school in Cheney (Eastern), Pullman (WSU), or Ellensburg (Central). These are all rural communities, though Cheney is very close to Spokane. Still, Spokane compares VERY poorly to Seattle in terms if urban culture.

During my school years, I got to know Seattle, and it became my home. I now own a house with my girlfriend and have no intention of leaving. This is my home more than Colville ever was. Colville is a place I visit with fondness, but it is not my home.

What if I had spent those four years in one of the other cities and towns? Maybe I would have made my home in Spokane. Maybe I would have moved to Seattle later. It's not a knowable answer. What is knowable is that the road from rural Colville to urban Seattle would be much more convoluted if the above mentioned rift between Eastern Washington and Western Washington were to become political reality.

Seahawks: Womack agrees to two-year deal

Good.

Notebook: Impressing on Pro Day

This article is mostly about Derrick Johnson, but the following interests me:

Other highlights of Pro Day included fullback Zach Tuiasosopo's 21 repetitions on the bench press (225 pounds) with brother Marques and father Manu cheering him on. Tuiasosopo figures to be one of the first fullbacks to de drafted next month.

Bentley agrees to terms
The Seahawks made their first move to fill holes in their defense yesterday by agreeing to terms with linebacker Kevin Bentley, who spent the past three seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

Bentley, 25, was in town for a free-agent visit on Thursday and left yesterday with a one-year, $650,000 deal that includes a $150,000 signing bonus.

Bentley can play both inside and outside linebacker. He started 14 games in 2003, and will compete for a starting job at outside linebacker for the Seahawks when offseason workouts began next month.

The affordable deal offers flexibility for the Seahawks and Bentley. If he plays well, he could get a long-term contract. Either way, said Bentley's agent, Kenny Zuckerman, the linebacker is glad to be back on the West Coast and playing for a winning team.

A former fourth-round draft pick of the Browns out of Northwestern and Northridge, Calif., the 6-1, 240-pound Bentley replaces Anthony Simmons, whom the team released last week. The Seahawks are also seeking help at middle linebacker.

Notes

• Free agent DE Derrick Burgess, formerly with Philadelphia, concluded his visit with the Seahawks yesterday and did not sign.

• TE Itula Mili is now officially back with the Seahawks after his signed contract arrived at team headquarters yesterday. Mili reportedly has signed a four-year, $6 million contract.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company

I'm looking forward to following Zach's career in the league.

Kevin Bentley's name is new to me. The linebacker position is terribly weak, the signing of a no-name doesn't instil me with confidence.

Jeff Garcia: Agrees to Terms with Lions

RotoWire.com Staff - RotoWire.com
Saturday, March 12, 2005

Update: Garcia has reached an agreement in principle with the Lions, ESPNews reports.

Recommendation: Once official, the deal with reunite Garcia with Lions head coach Steve Mariucci, who the QB played for in San Francisco. Garcia will be brought in to back up Joey Harrington, but clearly his presence will provide the team with a viable alternative should Harrington falter.

No Garcia in Seattle then. No great loss.

The Pack

In a typical wolf pack, there is an Alpha, a Beta, and an Omega. The other wolves rank somewhere in between.

The Alpha wolf is in charge. This is the top dog. This animal must maintain his dominance, often with violence; he must provide an example for the pack, both as a leader, and to protect his position. The Alpha keeps order through discipline and eats first after the hunt.

The Beta wolf is the second in command. As Mr. Spock is to Captain Kirk, so is the Beta to the Alpha. The Beta wolf pays particular attention to weaker members of the pack. The Beta watches after the pups, soothes over bad feelings and otherwise keeps the pack going. Since the Beta isn't the leader, he is freer to take action since he has fewer eyes upon him.

The Omega wolf is at the bottom of the pack chain. The Omega is the wolf that the others pick on. Human culture has a very similar dynamic. There is usually one kid in any school that everyone picks on, one coworker that everyone secretly (or not so secretly) hates and talks about. This position is important to the health of the pack because it gives the others a common point of interest.

The Alpha keeps the pack together through respect, the Beta through love; the Omega through suffering. Groups stick together through common love, hate or both. These three positions in the pack fill those rolls; otherwise the pack would fall apart.

Helluva time

Had internet trouble for the last week or so. My ethernet card pooped out. I tried lots of different things before I figured that out. System Restore was unhelpful (and strange: it resurrected my old dial-up system even though I haven't used that service for about a year.). I uninstalled lots of excess stuff. It sure can't have hurt anything. Somewhere along the way I messed up my Norton anti-virus, so I had to reinstall that and create rescue disks. I don't think I ever managed that before. I tried once, but something went wrong and I gave up.

That card only lasted three months. D-Link is the company, I think. The new one is from Linksys.

Seahawks update

No link this time, just a quick summary:

Itula Mili re-signed
Hawks have admitted that Shaun Alexander is on the trading block, and they are open to taking less than the 'mandated' first round picks. Apparently there have been no serious talks regarding a long term deal, and a training camp hold out is expected.

Jeff Garcia has visited.

Cardinals Dip Into Free Agent Market Again

By The Associated Press

Arizona Cardinals (news) coach Dennis Green dipped into the free agent market for the third time in five days, signing defensive end Chike Okeafor to go with quarterback Kurt Warner and offensive tackle Oliver Ross.

"I've been a big believer since the day I got here that Arizona has all the ingredients to attract the top NFL free agents, and our three signees are a great indication of that," said Green, in his second year with Arizona.

Okeafor provides a strong upgrade at his position. He had a career-high 8 1/2 sacks for Seattle last season after recording eight the previous season.

He also had two sacks and four tackles in the Seahawks' 27-20 loss to St. Louis in an NFC wild-card game Jan. 8.

Okeafor, who also visited Denver, said during his visit to Arizona's headquarters on Saturday that it was obvious Green is serious about shaking the Cardinals' doormat image.

"From playing against them and watching on film, there is some heart there," he said.

This can't be good. Chike was one of the few overperformers on the Hawks' defense last year. I was sure they'd get him back. Losing him to a division rival is double plus bad.

Dilfer trade completed

Farewell, Mr. Dilfer!

I really like Trent Dilfer. He's done nothing but good for the Seahawks and I'm sorry to see him go. I wish him well and hope he holds onto that starting job in Cleveland for at least a full season.

Browns: Dilfer sought via trade

News
Uncertain if free agent Kelly Holcomb will return, the Browns are exploring their backup plans at quarterback—one of which is a trade with the Seahawks for Trent Dilfer. "If [Holcomb] doesn't sign, we'll move to the next guy," Browns coach Romeo Crennel told the Cleveland Plalin-Dealer. "If the next guy doesn't sign, we'll move on. We do have two young quarterbacks on the team and if push comes to shove, we'll play with a young quarterback."

Views
The Browns and Holcomb are about $2 million apart over a four-year deal, but Holcomb can still visit other teams as an unrestricted free agent. Dilfer led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title when current Browns GM Phil Savage was in Baltimore, and with Matt Hasselbeck re-signing in Seattle Dilfer is looking for a better chance to play and possibly groom a young quarterback. The Browns have the third overall pick in the upcoming draft and could take a quarterback with that selection.

We would miss Dilfer, if he is traded, but now that Hasselbeck has gained his feet, it may be time for Trent to move along. It sure was nice having a bomb proof backup when Matt was injured. Would Seneca Wallace have won those games?

Credit Card/Identity Fraud

AN ATTORNEY'S ADVICE
Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice!

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.


2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.


3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards. Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.



But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all : (I never even thought to do this.)

3. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been
done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away. This weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, etc., has been stolen:


1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):
1-800-269-0271

Seahawks Tenders Contracts To All Five Restricted Free Agents

KIRKLAND - The Seattle Seahawks have tendered contracts to all five of the team’s restricted free agents, it was announced by the club Tuesday.

By tendering offers to the club’s restricted free agents-players who have completed their third accrued season and contracts are about to expire-the Seahawks will be given draft compensation should one of the players sign with another club. (Free Agency Q&A)

The Seahawks have the right to match any offer on a restricted free agent they have tendered. If the team elects not to match an offer, the club that signs the player has to give up a draft pick from the round the player was originally drafted.

CB Kris Richard (3rd), S Terreal Bierria (4th), DT Rocky Bernard (5th), TE Ryan Hannam (5th), and S Marquand Manuel (6th) were tendered offers that would return a draft choice from the round they were originally selected.