Monday, December 30, 2013

Kardashian/West worst neighbors, suggestion for resolution, and Seattle hotel honored

Photo: Instagram.com/KimKardashian
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Worst Neighbors in 2013; Jimmy Fallon Most Desirable Celebrity Neighbor for 2014
SEATTLE. U.S. adults would most like to be neighbors with comedian and late-night-show host Jimmy Fallon in 2014, according to the seventh annual Zillow® Celebrity Neighbor ...

Resolutions that save money and improve health
SEATTLE, Dec. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Instead of an expensive gym membership or investing in costly beauty treatments to improve your appearance, consider a resolution to ...

Woodmark Hotel honored as one of the world's best hotels in Travel + Leisure Magazine for 2014
Seattle-area hotel receives second award of the season from travelers' survey KIRKLAND, WA, Dec. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - For the second time in ...

More News  | More Videos from where apples get wet.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Make the most out of your end of the year donations



Transcript of the SlideShare

  1. Tips for your end of year donations by Carol Doane
  2. Find a charity close to home and deliver a donation. Pack it up. Cart if out. If no one can use it throw it out.
  3. Find a charity far from home and donate cash. Charities across the globe truly stretch dollars and touch more lives. Consider Dining for Women.
  4. Consider the CEO’s pay. Would reasonable people consider the pay of the charity’s CEO within reason?
  5. Consider their reputation. Has the charity been plagued by scandal or praised for good stewardship?
  6. Consider the charity’s work Does the work align with your values? If it makes sense to you, it makes sense to give.
  7. Give from the heart, and finish well.
Read the full article on 360 Convos.

View Carol Doanes other SlideShare presentations.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Wazzu collapes in Bowl game, gay slur aimed at athlete and WA lawmaker sorry for insulting AZ

Washington State collapses in New Mexico Bowl after two late fumbles
With less than two minutes to play and Colorado State down by eight points, Shaquil Barrett knew the Rams needed the ball back quickly to finish an improbable comeback against Washington State. Once down by 22 points in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, the Rams got their running back Jeremiah Laufasa came barreling toward Barrett. Watch the video »

Colorado State assistant is suspended for shouting gay slur at Wazzu athlete
Greg Lupfer, Colorado State defensive-line coach, has been suspended without pay for two weeks for using a gay slur when yelling at Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday during Saturday’s New Mexico Bowl. Read more »

Washington state lawmaker sorry for calling Arizona racist wasteland’
A Washington state lawmaker has apologized for calling Arizona a “racist wasteland” on Twitter -- in a moment of anger following a 17-10 loss by his beloved Seattle Seahawks to the Arizona Cardinals. “Losing a football game sucks,” Democratic Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon wrote in a now-deleted Twitter message. “Losing to a desert racist wasteland sucks a lot.” Read more »




Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Happy Holidays, hope you finish the year well

"A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year..." Hope you finish well.

At Christmas

A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season is here;
Then he’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.

When it’s Christmas man is bigger and is better in his part;
He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart.
All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for awhile
And the true reward he’s seeking is the glory of a smile.
Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be.

If I had to paint a picture of a man I think I’d wait
Till he’d fought his selfish battles and had put aside his hate.
I’d not catch him at his labors when his thoughts are all of pelf,
On the long days and the dreary when he’s striving for himself.
I’d not take him when he’s sneering, when he’s scornful or depressed,
But I’d look for him at Christmas when he’s shining at his best.

Man is ever in a struggle and he’s oft misunderstood;
There are days the worst that’s in him is the master of the good,
But at Christmas kindness rules him and he puts himself aside
And his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide.
Oh, I don’t know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be.

by Edgar Albert Guest

The staff at where apples get wet, hope you finish well.

Boeing's timing of $9B campaign cash, Inslee's modest budget, and apples may be on way to China again

Boeing's widebody factory in Everett, Washington. Photo: Jeremy Elson, commons.wikimedia.org

Boeing gave campaign cash before $9B tax vote

SEATTLE — Boeing Co. gave campaign contributions to seven state lawmakers a few days before the Legislature voted to give the company a massive tax break, according to records recently filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission. Read more »

Lawmakers report Boeing money arrived after vote

SEATTLE — Some lawmakers say they didn't receive campaign contributions from Boeing until after voting on a tax break for the company. Read more »

Inslee unveils modest budget plan

Gov. Jay Inslee asked lawmakers to consider what he calls a modest supplemental budget for 2014, and he warned that legislators should ready themselves for much greater budget challenges in 2015. Read more »

Washington State may soon be shipping apples to China again

Chinese agricultural officials have agreed to open their ports to Washington’s Red and Golden Delicious apples for the first time in two years pending one more visit from their scientists, industry officials said. Read more »

Monday, December 23, 2013

Lady Washington, a four-part series by Melanie Sherman

The tall ship, Lady Washington, under sail in Commencement Bay near Tacoma, Washington. Photo: Miso Beno.
Lady Washington Part 1 A Brief Introduction
The original Lady Washington was built in Massachusetts while Massachusetts was still a British colony. The pretty little brig hauled freight up and down the colonial ports from the year 1750 until the American Revolutionary War, at which time she became an American privateer.

I can just imagine the nimble little brig clawing her way in and out of ports, delivering cargo in defiance of the British blockade, putting herself in constant danger. But she eluded British capture and in 1787, after the war, she won favor by an unprecedented trading voyage around Cape Horn… by Read more »


Lady Washington Part 2 Story Begins
“Permission to board?” I called.

No answer.

I tottered up the gangplank dragging my duffel and peeked over the cap rail. He had been there a moment ago when travel mates Bruce and Ryan climbed aboard. I shrugged, happy to be able to clamber onto the deck without an audience, just in case I tripped over the rail and landed with a splat. It takes a while to gain my sea legs, like maybe a week, or a month. I picked my way across the rain soaked deck and peered down the gangway. A tall, thin man with graying whiskers stuck his head through the opening. He smiled… Read more »


Lady Washington Part 3 Bringing Everyone Abroad
The engine rumbled and diesel fumes fouled the air. What happened to the briny scent of the sea and the whisper of wind in the rigging? (Okay, I knew we were on the Columbia River, but I still expected some salt air.) Where were the gruff commands to hoist the mains’, holystone the deck, loose the cannons? After forty-five minutes of rain, hail, rain, I'd had enough experience with the grim reality of bad weather. I scowled. The crew pattered about their tasks without regard to conditions. Shipboard life went on regardless of daylight, darkness, sun or rain. The five other passengers managed to amble topside with steaming cups of hot... Read more »


Lady Washington Part 4 End of the Journey
While we waited for Dash to begin the training, Beth showed me the courses, the clew lines, the bunting lines and the sheets for the mainmast. Forward, the same lines hung from the belaying pins for the foremast.

“Now, if I have it correctly,” she said, “the sheets haul the sails back to cup the wind and the braces angle the yard to fill the sail in the best possible position.”

“What is that out there, is that the chains?”

“Yes."

“Okay,” I said, “What is this flat piece of wood called on top of the railing?”

“That is the cap rail.”

“So what is the gunwale?” I asked.

She stared at me ... Read more »


Melanie Sherman is a writer living in Washington State, who says, "The trouble with writing historical fiction is that I begin to want servants, when, in actuality, I probably would have been one."

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Tax Freedom Day for Washington State is April 20, 2013

The Tax Foundation declared Tax Freedom Day in Washington State as April 20, 2013. That is the day when Washingtonians earned enough to pay their annual tax bill. The Tax Foundation also noted:
  • Washington's taxpayers paid $4261 per capita in state and local taxes
  • Washington's taxes was below the national average of 9.9%
  • Washington's 2010 tax burden of 9.29% ranked 27th out of 50 state

The Tax Freedom Days of neighboring states were:

  • Alaska, April 6
  • Idaho, April 9
  • Oregon, April 15

Washington's 2014 Business Tax Climate Index Ranks 6

For 2014, Washington ranks 6th in the Tax Foundation's State Business Tax Climate Index. The Index compares five areas of taxation that impact business: corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, and taxes on property, including residential and commercial property.

For 2014, the ranks of neighboring states are as follows:

  • Alaska 4th.
  • Oregon 12th 
  • Idaho 18th

Any guesses what day Tax Freedom Day will be in 2014?



Other resources of the Tax Foundation:

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Farmworkers' kids join a mariachi band and play their way into college, crowdfunding laws charge ahead


The news was one of the success stories from the Wenatchee High School, where officials created a mariachi program to connect children of farmworkers in the heart of Washington state's apple country with their heritage. School officials say the class ...

States Charge Ahead With Their Own Crowdfunding Laws | Catherine Clifford

Washington could become the modern-day version of Waiting for Godot. As federal crowdfunding legislation languishes on Capitol Hill, a handful of states have decided to press forward with their own equity crowdfunding legislation ;...

Friday, December 20, 2013

Washington: the most innovative state, and convoluted when it comes to drugs

Welcome to Washington: The most innovative state in the U.S. | GeekWire

Silicon Valley may get all of the buzz. But don’t underestimate the power of Seattle and its surrounding communities. A new analysis by Bloomberg indicates that Washington state — home to Amazon, Expedia and Microsoft — is the most innovative place in the country. California ranked second, followed by Massachusetts, Connecticut and Oregon … Read more »

Study looks at marijuana demand in Washington | Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Figuring out how much marijuana people use has been one of the trickiest, and most important, questions facing the bureaucrats who are setting up Washington state's new legal pot system. Underestimate demand, and … Read more »

Pot entrepreneurs want to borrow green | Daily Caller

Marijuana entrepreneurs want to build businesses, but the government will not let banks lend them any green. Entrepreneurs from Washington state and Colorado, where recreational marijuana use is legal, are hoping that regulators and law enforcement … Read more »

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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Apple Cup postgame quotes, hard cider comeback and pot spurs entrepreneurs

Washington State at Washington Postgame Quotes | Washington State Athletics

We dropped a few. I missed a few throws. We had trouble protecting. Kind of go down the line. But credit to them [Washington]. Their defense played real well. The team doubled your win total this season. Do you feel like you took a step forward as a ...

An apple a day? Hard cider makes a comeback in Washington state | MyNorthwest.com

In an unassuming South Seattle row of warehouses, Seattle Cider Company is making its golden product and squirting it into tall cans decorated with tiny pine trees. The company, that also brews Two Beers beer, has only been open for 10 weeks, but they ...

Washington state, Colorado entrepreneurs cash in on pot law | The Washington Times

The legalization of marijuana is Colorado and Washington state has opened a door to an unexpected puzzler: How the heck do you grow it?

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Big U.S. apple crop, China talking apple export, Apple Cup winner and a recall


China seeks to export apples to US | Youngstown Vindicator

China has its sights set on exporting its fruit to the United States. And that's OK with growers in Washington, who harvest the bulk of America's apple crop. Having the world's No. 1 apple producer as a competitor may seem counterintuitive, but growers ...

US (WA): Increased productivity makes for another big apple crop | FreshPlaza

In the face of decreasing acreage over the last several years, Washington's apple growers have continually improved productivity. That has helped the state's growers return another big apple crop this year, which, though it is less than last year's ...

Washington State Falls in Apple Cup, 27-17 | Washington State Athletics

SEATTLE (AP) - Bishop Sankey blitzed Washington State for 139 of his 200 yards rushing in the second half to become Washington's all-time single-season rushing leader, and the Huskies reclaimed the Apple Cup with a 27-17 win over the Cougars on ... Related Articles »

Crunch Pak of Washington state recalls apple slices over listeria | OregonLive.com

Crunch Pak listeria apple slices.png. Crunch Pak of Washington state pulls apple slices over listeria contamination. (Food and Drug Administration). · Lynne Terry | lterry ... 

Saturday, December 14, 2013