In the November issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics, there’s a great paper on the Ashley case by Naomi Tan of Center for Social Ethics and Policy, University of Manchester and I. Brassington. It is titled “Agency, duties and the ‘Ashley Treatment.’”

http://jme.bmj.com/content/35/11/658.abstract

Reading its full text, I find it reassuring that the authors, unlike some others who have written papers on the case, have obviously read pertaining documents very rigorously and have steadfast understanding of the facts. After describing the case and pointing out some ethical problems in the justifying rationale by Ashley’s father and the doctors, that are not very different from those already pointed out, the authors proceed to a philosophical discussion.

If we call creatures with autonomy and personhood “agent” for the sake of ease, and think that Ashley is a “non-agent,” would it justify the invasive treatments done to her? The authors give two different arguments to conclude that it wouldn’t.

In the first, they write, “although a family might consist of agents, it is not an agent in its own right. And if we are prepared to treat one non-agent – such as a family – as a “direct” object of moral concern, then it is hard to see why we mightn’t have the same attitude to another non-agent – such as Ashley.” But the beauty of the paper is in the next argument of physicians’ moral duty. Here they point out that the doctors’ rationale to justify the Ashley treatment is based on the assumption that moral agents (doctors here) act in a moral way because of the moral status of the recipient of their good act. And quoting from Kant, they claim that we owe our moral duty to ourselves, not to the moral status of the recipient of our act. It is the duty to maintain our humanity, our capacity to act as moral agents. We have to act in a moral way and it is the duty to ourselves because cruelty to non-agent like animals, for example, dulls our compassion and as Kant says “gradually uproots a natural predisposition that is very serviceable to morality in one’s relations with other men.” It is about virtue rather than rights. We also have a duty to refrain from acting wantonly for the same reason. That makes causing Ashley to suffer surgically because of the suffering that may or may not be caused doubly immoral in light of the physicians’ moral duties to themselves.

They write, “Not acting for a reason generates a reason not to act” and conclude “we cannot do to them what we would be unwilling to do to their brothers.” They also say that the problematic and worrisome aspects of the Ashley case “seem to be worthy of further investigation; and the results of this investigation may well resonate beyond questions of what we may do to one disabled girl.”

Not acting for a reason generates a reason not to act…….. This seems to be true not just to “the Ashley treatment” but to many other ethical issues like futile care theory, genetic testing, surrogacy and such. Maybe human-beings have a moral duty to themselves to refrain from doing something just because it is technically doable and refrain from harming their corrective humanity, their ability to sympathize, understand, accommodate, love and care.

This paper also reminds me of this great post by Dr. Sobsey.

Derrick Roland is a senior guard on the Texas A&M basketball team, but last night was likely his last game in college after he suffered a BRUTAL double fracture of his fibula and tibia. Roland underwent surgery today getting an iron rod inserted into his leg. Unfortunately, because of the extent of his injuries and the need for immediate surgery, and it being an away game in Washington, Roland is stuck in Seattle for the time being. His basketball career is likely over after such a devastating injury. If you’re squeamish, I wouldn’t check it out.

(with apologies to the fine 16^th century songwriters who penned this classic)

On the first day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me…Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the second day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me…Cliff Lee is now a Mariner and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the third day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the fourth day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the fifth day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the sixth day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, Emerald Downs is fun, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the seventh day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, Zduriencik is a genius, Emerald Downs is fun, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the eighth day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, Jim Mora needs more “dirt bags,” Zduriencik is a genius, Emerald Downs is fun, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the ninth day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, one more year for Griffey, Jim Mora needs more “dirt bags,” Zduriencik is a genius, Emerald Downs is fun, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the tenth day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, No Tiger on the Tour, one more year for Griffey, Jim Mora needs more “dirt bags,” Zduriencik is a genius, Emerald Downs is fun, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, the Seahawks need a GM, No Tiger on the Tour, one more year for Griffey, Jim Mora needs more “dirt bags,” Zduriencik is a genius, Emerald Downs is fun, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner, and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Daily Dan told me, Husky hoops to the Big Dance, the Seahawks need a GM, No Tiger on the Tour, one more year for Griffey, Jim Mora needs more “dirt bags,” Zduriencik is a genius, Emerald Downs is fun, Sark’s the new Dawgfather, Man I miss the Sonics, the Seahawks need an O-line, Cliff Lee is a Mariner,

and Jake Locker for the Heisman Trophy!

Merry Christmas!

1 – It’s clear after yesterday’s debacle, that it’s time to  blow the Seahawks up. Mike Holmgren will not return in any capacity, the team is looking for fresh blood at the GM position, and it’s now time to begin re-building. This is clearly not about effort as many of you may think. This is about one word – talent. Or, lack thereof. Yes, there may be a few who aren’t putting forth their optimal effort. On a 53-man team, that’s inevitable. But the bottom line here is that this time has no talent on the offensive or defensive lines, no consistent depth, and not enough nasty. Other than Max Unger, Ray Willis, and Brandon Mebane, it may be time to overhaul the entire lot…now.

2 – Do we expect any more Christmas gifts from Trader Jack? Jack Zduriencik let us open a lot of packages early last week by delivering Chone Figgins, Cliff Lee, and Milton Bradley. This Mariners team, who like the Hawks were in rebuilding mode just 14 months ago, are now in championship contender mode. You heard me.  Why limit our dreams to a divisional championship. Jack says he’s not done and I believe him. Take what we’ve added to an 85-win team and there is no reason to believe that if we hit the playoffs, we can’t contend for a World Series. What a way to send Junior out, right?  This is a Spring Training that I can’t wait to start!

3 – Steve Sarkisian and his staff are 6 weeks away from announcing their Class of 2010 recruits, led by Nick Montana.  If Team Sarkisian is going to make a lasting legacy on this program, it begins with recruiting. Should be fun to watch the weeks unfold.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Let ‘em rip!

Dan

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a HUGE Mike Holmgren fan. I was terribly disappointed when I learned that he was stepping down as head coach last year.  You don’t replace a legend quickly or easily (see Lou Piniella and the Mariners).  That being said, I wasn’t in favor of bringing him back as General manager or President of the club.  It sounds today, like the Seahawks share that view and “The Big Show” will be headed for Cleveland ant banks of Lake Erie, not the Puget Sound.

Here’s my case:

1 – Holmgren immediately becomes the best coach in the building. That puts a tremendous amount of undue pressure on Jim Mora. He needs to be given a fair opportunity to succeed without a call going out from the 12th Man for Holmgren to return to the sideline after every loss. His mere presence creates unease.

2 – I lived through the Tom Flores debacle. Flores was a two-time Super Bowl winning coach with the Raiders. He came into the President and General Manager position for the Hawks in the late 80’s. Next thing you know, a little adversity and Chuck Knox is shown the door and Flores is back on the field. I don’t need to remind Seahawks fans how THAT turned out. Flores may still have been a good coach, but he was a crummy GM and did himself in. I’d hate to have that legacy for a guy who should be revered her forever.

3 – I’m not sold that Holmgren can do the job well. He was okay in tenure before Tim Ruskell came in. He said he learned from his mistakes and I’m sure he did. I don’t think this team can take the chance.

4 – We need to take a page from the Mariners and Huskies.

We need fresh blood.

When the M’s hired a no-name (in fact hard to say name) out of Milwaukee, everybody said “Who?” When new GM Jack Zduriencik hired a no-name to manage the team, Mariners Nation screamed, “Who?” A year later, Jackie Z and Don Wakamatsu are heroes and the Mariners are the darlings of the town again.  Wakamatsu was a guy who was very familiar with the AL West, having had working relationships with all the other clubs.  That was a big deal because he understood our competition and what it takes to win the division.

Scott Woodward and the Huskies went and grabbed Steve Sarkisian from the best program in the conference. He knows the competition. He had experience recruiting the area. It was a big deal.

I’d love to see the Hawks make a play for Arizona Cardinals Director of Player Personnel, Steve Keim. By all accounts, this guy is an up and comer in the NFL. He’s been part of the resurgence of the best team in our conference.  He’s new blood.

Maybe there are other “diamonds” out there like Trader Jack was for the M’s.  We need to look.

Mike, thanks for the memories. You were the best coach in this franchise’s history and that will never be taken away. Good luck in Cleveland.

Tod  Leiweke…time to bring in new blood and take a page from your buddies the Mariners and Huskies. Worked pretty well for them.

Dan

© 2009 Dan Weedin – All Rights Reserved

Amazing to see some people are criticizing University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker for deciding to return for his senior season of college instead of chucking his textbooks away and accepting NFL riches.

Seems Locker is pretty sure he needs another year of seasoning and that becoming the best player he can possibly be is a tad more important than cashing paychecks in the fall of 2010.

But no, numerous pundits say Locker should have done the money grab — as in the old hit song by the Steve Miller Band: Take the Money and Run.

Locker probably would’ve been the first quarterback chosen in the 2010 NFL Draft and likely among the Top 5 players selected. Because there’s a chance that an NFL rookie salary scale could be instituted, people are criticizing him for passing up money now that may not be there in a year from now.

But if he takes the money this spring and turns out to be a bust — is that you Ryan Leaf? Hey Heath Shuler, raise your hand too — then Locker gets ridiculed for not being worthy of such a high selection and stealing a boatland of cash.

Not fair at all, particularly when the No. 1 thing you hear about today’s athletes is that they are greedy and how the cash is more important to them than winning or being the best possible player they can be.

Locker obviously assessed his situation closely and decided it was the best move to return to Washington and play another season in Steve Sarkisian’s pro-style offense. Sure he could possibly discover a serious injury like Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford did in September but now that Locker didn’t put his name in the draft, guess who’s projected to be the first quarterback selected?

Yeah, Bradford. Doesn’t sound like the injury diminished his stock all that much.

I see plenty of top-flight NFL quarterbacks who stayed in college for four seasons, including the two leading candidates for NFL MVP — Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. A couple other good ones — Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers and Eli Manning of the New York Giants — didn’t leave after their junior seasons either.

Of course, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots wasn’t even highly coveted after his senior season at Michigan and he seemed to turn out all right.

Locker has NFL size (6-foot-3, 226 pounds) and is a great athlete but there are definitely things he can improve on. His accuracy has improved each year and his touchdown-to-interception ratio (21 to 11 this season) stands room for improvement.

Most importantly, he’s decided he’s not ready for the NFL yet. And in this era of me-first, grab-the-money-and-run players, that’s a refreshing development.

The Jason remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) samples fluid at an eruptive area near the summit of the West Mata Volcano. The fluid sampling “wand” is approximately three feet long. (Photo/Courtesy of NSF and NOAA)

With bulbous burps of molten lava, roiling submarine steam and a thunderous roar, an ocean floor is born. In a scene straight from the origins of our planet, scientists have for the first time captured high definition video of the deepest recorded underwater volcanic eruptions. Researchers from NOAA and the National Science Foundation unveiled two short video clips, (one posted below), during a press conference today at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

The ocean floor is almost entirely formed by lava oozing from beneath, yet this process is poorly understood and never before observed in this way. “On our very own planet we haven’t seen lava flowing on the sea floor. We haven’t seen ocean crust being made,” said Joe Resing with the University of Washington and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

“It’s a spectacular process to watch,” said microbiologist Julie Huber with the Marine Biological Laboratory.

The cacophonous bubbling mass of note is the West Mata submarine volcano in the Northeast Lau Basin, about a half a day’s ship ride from western Samoa. Almost two miles beneath the surface of the ocean lies a volcano about six miles long, four miles wide and one mile high that to best knowledge may have been erupting continuously for the past five months, according to the scientists at a press conference during the American Geophysical Union fall meeting.

Shrimpy smorgasbord – The environment is so new and acidic, hovering somewhere between battery acid and stomach acid, that not much has colonized the volcano yet, but hydrothermal vent shrimp are on the scene, along with fields of microbes for the shrimp to munch on. Not only do the tiny crustaceans appear to be early colonizers, but they come from far away. The species observed are the same ones found in Hawaii and Guam so may be dispersing from as far as 4,000 miles away, said Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Tim Shank.

How underwater rock formations are created – Geology is often about looking at rocks frozen in time, now scientists can stop using their imaginations and see the process in action. One type of formation captured on video, known as Bonanite lavas, are thought to be among the hottest eruptions on Earth, and have previously only been seen long after they’ve cooled.

What they sound like – Scientists dangled a hydrophone from the remote-controlled submersible to record the roar of the volcano. If you know the basics of physics, water is an excellent conveyer of sound. The deep ocean might require earplugs.

Closing in on the action – Being underwater actually affords scientists a more intimate view of an active volcano. On land being so close to the source of an eruption would mean bye-bye for the curious cat or their equipment, but the oceanic environment provides enough buffer to see these eruptions from meters away as opposed to miles.

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I just joined a new group on Facebook titled Jake Locker for the 2010 Heisman Trophy.  I doubt it will sway voters, but hey, it can’t hurt and it shows support for our guy, right? The last serious Husky candidate was Napoleon Kaufman back in 1991.  Let’s get behind Jake!

Become a Fan

Dan

New University of Washington head coach Lindsay Meggs comes to the Huskies from Indiana State where in was for three years and a 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year award. Prior to there, he spent 13 seasons at Chico State where he won two NCAA Division II national championships in 1997 and 1999 and posted a 538-228-4 overall record. Meggs also was the head coach at Long Beach City College for three season and a former player at UCLA and played professional with the Royals. He has a masters in physical education from Asuza Pacific in 1992. He and his wife, Teresa, have three children: Joe, Kelly, and Jack. We certainly welcome him and his family to the northwest and wish them the best for the 2010 Huskies. We caught up with him for a few quick questions to get to know him better.

BBNW: Can you give us a brief idea of your coaching approach and what you feel is important as the new Husky head coach?

Meggs: My approach here at the University of Washington will be no different than it has been anywhere else. My first priority was to surround myself with the best people that I possibly could. If you take a look at my coaching staff I feel like I’ve achieved that goal. My next goal will be to do the same exact thing with potential players. We will do the best we can to recruit the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest, then build around that core group with players from across the country. I think it’s very important for my staff and I convey the message that we are setting no limits on our program. We are excited about the plans for a new facility and we think from there the sky’s the limit.

BBNW: Can you give us a brief outlook on the coming season?

Meggs: Our returning group will only succeed if we can drive home the point that the game itself, the challenge of playing the game, has to be our number one priority. We are young, we lack pitching depth and we are unproven offensively. For us to succeed, we have to embrace the challenge of simply playing the game as well as it can be played. If that truly becomes our focus and a team goal, anything can happen.

BBNW: Who specifically do you see as your main pitchers and hitters who need to be your leaders?

Meggs: Andrew Kittredge ended the fall as our likely Friday night guy. Aaron West, Forest Snow and Geoff Brown all showed signs of being able to win as well, yet all three need to be more consistent. Adam Cimber, while only a freshmen, has a chance to be a front line guy as well. Offensively our first baseman Troy Scott had a very steady fall, he will hit in the middle of the order and drive in runs. Caleb Brown is very talented in center field yet is still learning on the job. Sean Meehan is healthy this year and he has all the tools, he simply needs to improve his approach. Jacob Lamb had a very strong fall and although he is a freshmen, he will play a large role offensively.

BBNW: What do you see as the unique challenges to bring Husky baseball to the top of the Pac-10 and to the College World Series?

Meggs: Some people say you don’t talk about long term goals like winning the Pac Ten or getting to Omaha. We have told our players that there is no point in taking the field if Omaha is not the goal. We talk about that every day! That’s why we come to work, that’s why we recruit the players we recruit, and that’s why we work as hard as we do. Will it happen this year, highly unlikely. Next year, who knows? But I do know this, the University of Washington is about greatness, and we plan to get in line with that theme very soon!

BBNW: What are your main hobbies or what do you do to get away from baseball?

Meggs: My hobbies revolve around my family. We spend as much time as possible together and support one another in everything we do. If I’m not pushing Husky Baseball I am spending time with my family.

I’m ecstatic about the two huge news items of the week – Jake Locker’s return to Washington for his senior season and the impending Cliff Lee trade to the Mariners.  But, don’t expect me to run out and get their jerseys or put them on my Christmas list.  Why?

It’s the curse.

You’ve heard of the Curse of Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox.  You’ve probably even heard of the Curse of the Billy Goat and the Chicago Cubs.  I never put much credence into curses until it happened to me.

Every jersey I ever bought or have been gifted has spelled doom for the player.  Here’s the evidence…

1 – Brian Bosworth.  Right after he became a Seahawk in 1987, I went out and purchased a #55 jersey.  The next thing you know, The Boz is getting run over by Bo Jackson and run out of the NFL after 3 years as a bust!  24 career games and 4 sacks.  Nice.

2 – Mark McGwire.  I am a huge baseball fan and I was mesmerized by the Big Mac-Sammy Sosa home run chase in 1998.  My daughters bough me a McGwire jersey.  The next thing you know, he becomes a poster child for the performance-enhancing steroid era and his reputation is out the window.  Nice.

3 – Michael Sinclair.  After Sinclair led the Seahawks and the NFL in sacks in 1998, he signed a big new deal.  I went out and bought a white #70 jersey.  This was a no-brainer.  Great guy, great player, lifetime Seahawk.  The next thing you know, he develops diabetes and is out of the NFL three years later never having come close to double-digit sacks again. Nice.

4 – Deion Branch.  Right after the Seahawks traded for Branch, he became the big new name on the team, wearing his lime-green gloves. I received his #83 jersey as a Christmas present in 2006. This was going to break the curse.  The next thing you know, Branch has become the oft-injured Hawk who has never materialized into the player we expected or was when he was with New England. Today, he’s barely hanging on as a reserve.  Nice.

Note – I did buy a #7 Brock Huard University of Washington jersey (see photo) AFTER he left for the NFL. It was on clearance and I got it for a great price.  I hope the curse didn’t have anything to do with the multiple head injuries that cut short his NFL career.

Nah…

Anyway, you can see my problem.  As much as I want to support these guys, I can’t take the chance and have that on my conscience.  Maybe I just need to go out and buy a Larry Fitzgerald, Vladimir Guerrero, or Oregon Duck jersey so it will curse them.

Nah…

it will probably backfire.  And then I’d be stuck with them, too!

If anyone knows how the Curse of the Bambino was broken, give me a call!

Dan

© 2009 Dan Weedin – All Rights Reserved

This is really interesting…

I was at Walgreens the other day and saw that they are selling snuggies for DOGS! Isn’t that completely ridiculous? I mean honestly, it’s a dog, if you’re one of those people that wants to put a snuggie on them, just put the one you already own on them, obviously….

Currently reading…

I tried coming up with a list of my top 10 favorite bars – click here to see it. I wanted to add a little bit more to it as well as some more pictures (especially at bleachers) but it was just taking too long. Also, if you’re confused why on earth I need a “blog” category on my blog, click the “welcome” link at the top of the blog for a little background

Lately I’m thinking…

Holzer, let’s discuss the locker situation some more over a delicious wheat beer from the brew pub – see the soapbox for some of my thoughts though (here’s an article link as well)

Lately I’m thinking…

“Is this tootbrush approved by the american dental association?”

The Soapbox:

Locker was predicted by mcshay as the #1 overall pick, but that was far from a guarantee. I think it’s safe to say he would have been in the top 10 though. And although the labor agreement is expiring, there really is no guarantee that the wages are going to drop that much for rookies. Sarkisian said agents/draft guys told both carson palmer and matt leinert to come out early because pay would change for the worse the next year. Also, for QBs the big paycheck is the 2nd one, not the first, and the percentages of qbs coming out their junior year are much worse than seniors (and i feel especially with locker who everyone agrees isn’t polished yet). He’s also turned down two big baseball contracts before, so money doesn’t seem to be the issue. There’s obviously arguments both for leaving and staying, but I think it came down to him just wanting to play college football one more year, especially after they seemed to figure out how to best use him the last two games, and i’m excited!

As Tom Petty so appropriately put it musically, “The waiting is the hardest part…”

News broke yesterday afternoon that the Mariners were close to culminating a trade that would bring them former Cy Young winner, Cliff Lee.  I still remember where I was when I heard this.  Sitting in the Poulsbo post office parking lot.  I’d just turned away from one sports radio station (KJR) who’d been carrying an interview with Scott Locker (Jake’s dad) about his return to school for his senior season.  At a commercial, I went to ESPN 710 to hear “breaking news.”  I thought it was on Locker.  I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the proposed trade.

I know where there’s smoke there’s fire.  This deal is probably just waiting for physicals, dotted i’s and crossed t’s, and a long-term agreement by Roy Halladay with the Phillies.  The waiting is hard because you never know what wird thing can blow up a deal.  With John Lackey in Boston and Rich Harden calling Texas home, this is the only real chance to get the Mariners that very much needed second arm to King Felix.  And what a second southpaw arm it would be!

Just for kicks and giggles, imagine this starting rotation – Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Ian Snell.  Not bad.  You throw in an improved lineup featuring Ichiro, Chone Figgins, Jose Lopez, and (let’s go really wild here) Nick Johnson or Adrian Gonzalez, and this is a playoff contender that is built for the short series.

But, we wait.  As of 6:47 am Pacific the news is not official.  For now, we can only dream.

The waiting is the hardest part…

Dan

© 2009 Dan Weedin – All Rights Reserved

Shout out to…

Mr. Jake Locker! Wow, quite the sports news day in Seattle – first Todd McShay at ESPN predicted locker as the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft, then Locker announced he’s returning to UW next year. Then about 5 minutes ago it was just reported the Mariners are getting Cliff Lee from the Phillies. I’m convinced that the Phillies should have pitched him every game against the yankees in the world series regarldess of rest and they would have won

Lately I’m thinking…

Pretty darn fun weekend – we did karaoke on Friday night which I’ll hopefully have pictures of later. We basically just rented out a private room at this karaoke place that has all the equipment in it, and with a banquet permit you just bring your own alcohol and start singing, it was great! “Like to rock?”

This is really interesting…

Well I got talked into seeing “new moon” yesterday with Steph and Heather, and considering I hadn’t read any of the books or even seen the first movie I was really just going for the popcorn. Anyways, let’s just say there was a surprising amount of moms there, screaming and giggling everytime a guy walked around with his shirt off, which by the way was about 88% of the time

This is really interesting…

Speaking of new moon – Heather got a 3 foot tall movie poster of “jacob” from our Christmas gift exchange while stephanie got a “hello kitty” water cooler. I took last with a can of “spotted dick”, which after a quick google search to figure out what the heck it was confirmed that somebody spent way less than the 20 dollar limit on a present.

The Soapbox:

“Well if it makes you feel any better, I forgot me reading glasses”

Jake Locker Returning to Dawgs for Senior Season

Breaking news out of Montlake. Jake Locker is telling the NFL to wait one more year.  He has announced he is returning to play QB for his senior year at Washington!

As a Husky grad and rabid fan, all I can say is…

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

Dan

On Saturday night, I was able to watch a documentary on ESPN about the University of Miami Hurricanes football team that dominated the 1980s by winning four championships in nine years. So why am I writing a blog post about this?

After I graduated from college, I was on track to go to law school. I had taken a year off to get ready for applications. I was looking to get away from Seattle. I was in a place where I just wanted to get as far away from Seattle as I could. Most of my closest college friends had moved away and I just didn’t feel like Seattle was the place for me. I actually hated Seattle at that time. So when I was looking at where I could go to school, I ran across the University of Miami.

I was intrigued by the University of Miami for a couple of reasons. Geographically, it was the farthest metropolis from Seattle. Also, it would be a good change of pace to live in a warmer climate. On nights like this where it’s near freezing in Seattle, I think of what it would have been like to live in a tropical place. Along with that, Miami would be a big change for me because in many ways it’s the opposite of Seattle. Demographically, Miami doesn’t have many Asian Americans but had a huge Latino, African American, and Jewish population. It would expose me to something different. That was something that really interested me at the time. I felt like I was in a bubble in Seattle.

Moreover, the other factor in wanting to go to the University of Miami was its football team. The football team had just come off winning the national championship in 2001. In my opinion, it was the greatest college football team of all time. The University of Miami or “the U” had a great tradition of football going back 20 years. I’ve always had a secret admiration for “the U” back when they were the top football team in the 80s and early 90s. They had a confidence and swagger that was uniquely their own and they didn’t care about what others thought of them. So thus, the idea of going to “the U” was extremely intriguing. So I admit that football had a big part in choosing what school I wanted to go to.

In my senior year, the University of Washington football team won the Rose Bowl and finished the season #3 in the nation (Miami finished #2 even though UW had beaten Miami earlier that year). So I wanted the continued experience of an outstanding football team.

So I applied to the school and got in. The one drawback along with the ridiculous cost associated with a legal education was the fact that the law school had almost no Asian American students. However, I came to terms with that. I started contacting a Korean American pastor in Miami and also the InterVarsity chapter at the school. I was looking up information about all the fun things to do in Miami and the transportation system. I was getting excited. I was all ready to go to Miami when God intervened and changed my course – which is a long story in and of itself. In retrospect, it was the right decision.

I am thankful to God for changing my course because I wouldn’t have met all the great people I have since that point. However, I do admit that once in awhile I wonder what would have happened if I had gone to Miami aka “the U”. My life would definitely be different and hopefully I’d have a nice tan. So I have a weird affinity to the University of Miami. So anytime something comes up about the University of Miami, it brings up all my memories from back then. It could have been all about the U!!!

Even though UW will always be my #1 team, I still secretly root for “the U”!!!

As fall quarter is coming to an end, I start to reminisce about the courses  I took this quarter. One class in particular was not only fun and educational, but it is a class that teaches you about web 2.0 and how it can be beneficial in the real world.  Communication 395: Digital Communication Technology, taught by Kathy Gill, is honestly one of the most useful classes I have taken at the University of Washington. At first, I was skeptical about this class because I thought it was unnecessary but after my roommate Melissa convinced me to go to the first meeting and I found that this class would be very relevant to my future.

Professor Gill is one of the most tech. savy person I have ever met.  Although, us college students live on facebook, twitter, and other networking websites, Professor Gill brings a different perspective to social media. The assigned readings in class helped me to understand what an advantage it is to have web 2.0 and how it can help us in the future.  Google analytics was introduced to the class and it is a tool manages your websites or blogs. Google analytics is a great way to track down traffic, the number of clicks made my visitors, what’s the most popular link on your page, the number of unique visitors, etc. Working for a clothing industry and being in charged with the online site, Google analytics taught me how to track what’s working and what’s not working on our site. This helped me to increase sales since I could visual see what the customers like or dislike.  Another hot topic that I had little knowledge in is Twitter. Professor Gill is a Pro at Twitter, she knew more stuff about Twitter than most of the students in the class! I learned that Twitter is more than just a status update tool, but it is a great tool for marketing, finding out what trending topic are and of course, a great way to social network.

Although I did learn a lot about web 2.0, I also found that this class is very beneficial to anyone’s career who is interested in communication.  COMM 395 teaches internet etiquette on what you should publish on your blog or facebook, and the consequences on how it can hurt your reputation if  not thought out properly. Because web 2.0 is mostly about social networking, by having accounts such as facebook, linkedIn and twitter, it can help you connect with people who are in the specific industry that you are wanting to work for. Developing a blog can be used to show companies that you can be devoted to a project (that is if you continue the blog after class) and because the whole purpose of having a blog is to update it daily, it also shows your obedience and dedication.

This class has taught me that the internet is your friend and there are millions of ways it can help you. Without this class, I would be clueless about all the online software and how to use it. Thanks to this class, I now have my own blog and has started another blog with my roommate, EmeraldBites. I highly recommend this class to students in all majors!

“How you do one thing is how you do everything,” my boss Elizabeth tells me between 1 and 17 times everyday. Like Susan Boyle reaching the high notes and my grandma describing Letterman as “that man on TV who sleeps with all the women,” she nailed it.

How I do one thing really is, how I do everything, and I’m trying my damndest to make sure the answer is not: ‘badly.’ Or, more accurately, half-assed and then interrupted by a nap, the DVR, or to eat a street churro.

Last week I journeyed across our great nation to join my family for Thanksgiving. My goals: eat, drink, be merry, and clean my room. With childhood remnants stuffed under my bed and in every crevice of the closet woodwork, I feared I would become “that” 23 year old. You know her. The one who eats her weight in Nutter Butters, hoards her old teeth, and kept a napkin containing the spider, Steve, I she accidentally killed in 1997, and wrote a play about. Arachna-Steve has yet to be publicly performed, thank you for your interest.

Mid-dream sequence, I came to a startling realization: I never want to end up on Intervention weighing more than Shay from the Biggest Loser (you go girl), and then as a result, I have a lot of work to do.

Post thanksgiving veg-out I started on my project. I thought, what a creative little child I was, rummaging through rocks painted like lady bugs, and sketches of a family of super fairies living in a giant oak tree complete with its own helipad. I know what you’re wondering, was there an accompanying theme song optionally set to the beat of Savage Garden’s “Truly Madly Deeply” titled “Freely, Quickly, Safely?” There was, and 11, anyone will tell you, is a healthy age for that sort of creativity.

I left the strewn carnage (RIP Steve) on my bed and slept on the couch the next two nights. My days were filled with Ballard High School alumni, and a good 12 hours spent in the glorious trailer park that is a Husky tailgate. I only know three things: that we won 30-0, that I never actually say a full play, and that my mouth still hurts from the best spicy buffalo chicken tenders this side of the Mississippi.

Three of my best friends were in attendance, Jamie, Andrew, and Sparks Michael. Sparks are illegal now in many states,therefore holding a real special place in my heart. Michael went all Swine-Flu on us, but he came out anyway. “Beat it with booze,” Jamie advised him, “last year I showed up with a fever and after finishing the vodka that I snuck in my bra, I woke up with just a cold.” Michael nodded, and failed. The night ended with Andrew and I at the Ram, watching the Heisman ice sculpture melt and admiring our free Coach nail polish.

“How’s the room comin’?” my mom asked at breakfast the next morning.

I looked at her through the cloud of a throbbing headache, what room? I wanted to say, and then answered, “fabulous,” as I hid the evidence of couch slumber from her suspicious eye. Fun fact, it’s the left eye that’s distrusting; her right eye is the very definition of amiable.

By my last night in Seattle, I had yet to finish my room. The whole family sat down for spicy mango chicken curry and I suddenly felt 11 again, humming Savage Garden, planning the contents of my next time capsule, and weighing the likelihood that my mom would notice the collection of shells hoarded under my pillow (even in middle school my head was hard, and its earliest victim was my beach-bed.)

Mama Donna just smiled at me, in acceptance of my past and present weirdness, and suggested we call my sister, Bri on skype in Egypt. Cooper brought the canine flavor, Cap’n made sure to bring Bri’s plant Felix into the frame, and if computer screens don’t lie, and they don’t, we were the very picture of familial bliss.

I left the memories behind at that table and returned to my childhood room, resolved to finish what I started. There was no time left to wonder why I saved empty Oranginga cans from my 8th grade trip to Paris, or chose to trash Josh Harnett’s decoupage poster over Justin Timberlake’s.  I just reviewed, recycled, and basked in the relief of completion.

I felt good the morning I said goodbye. How you do one thing is how you do everything, I thought, a little last minute, with creativity flare, and an open mind.

A mind that’s not afraid to turn even a dead Spider into a work of art, (I’ll miss you, Steve), or a tree fairy into an Aussie boy-band inspired musical.

I’ll be your wings
I’ll be your pal
Livin’ in a secret tree
I’ll be your guide
We’ll soar away
Flying so high and so free
I cast a spell, I  save your life

Freely, quickly, safely, do!

….FAIRIES RULE!

Two months ago, I reluctantly turned down an exciting professional offer to join the board of directors–a fiduciary role–of a small startup company in Vancouver, B.C. that delivers bold new technology to mobile operators worldwide to limit the use of mobile phones in vehicles. The product offering is targeted at the parents of teenagers who continue to drive recklessly with mobile phones in hand.

I turned down the invitation after realizing that there could be a slight perception, just a hint of perception actually, that I could indirectly benefit myself financially from legislative action. The reason? I plan to sponsor legislation in 2010 along with my friend Sen. Tracey Eide (D-Federal Way), to restrict the use of mobile phones while driving. Simply, the company (along with anyone else in the marketplace in this category) would have indirectly and theoretically benefitted from more restrictive state laws in this area.

As a part-time citizen legislator, I work as a consultant in the wireless, software and clean energy arenas. I have more than 15 years of start up experience in this area and would have been an ideal fit to add value to the company’s mission. I’ve served on many corporate boards. I believe I could have made a strong case that there is no specific, incremental benefits to the company and, by the way, I would have been paid only in equity (no cash). In effect, performance only compensation. If the company succeeded, directors’ equity would increase in value.

And so, despite the financial interests of my family and the weak case of a conflict of interest politically, I turned down the opportunity. I made a choice to avoid even a tiny perception of a conflict of interest. As an elected official, that’s a choice I make.

Provost Phyllis Wise of the University of Washington is a thoughtful, gracious, noble and honorable person. I have only positive words to say about her and all of my interactions with her have been more than pleasant and insightful.

I am personally and professionally troubled, however, by the news that Phyllis is joining the board of directors of Nike, a corporate position that is likely to pay an estimated $200,000 a year, on top of her UW salary of more than $500,000 per year. I don’t have the data, insight or expertise to take a stand on Nike’s human rights reputation or whether they are using Phyllis’ and the University’s reputation to gain institutional credibility. I leave that to others.

Still, I do believe that Provost Wise, the university’s chief academic officer, must set a positive example by either rejecting the appearance of a conflict of interest (no matter how slight) or by donating at least ninety percent of her directorship fees to scholarships at the University of Washington. That would still leave her with earning an additional $20,000 a year–50% of the annual earning of a state legislator–for attending five meetings. There can be little question that she is earning these dollars because of her public position and her public role affiliated with the University of Washington. The public should receive compensation, too.

We are facing the most severe economic crisis in generations. Higher education is on the front line of those cuts, and the coming months of the legislative session will be brutally painful for those of us who have to make those decisions. This move by the Provost, while made sincerely and with only the best of intentions, is not helpful in our larger efforts to convince our colleagues that our institutions of higher education need more support, and local control, not less. She is in the middle of perfect storm of perception. During normal times, perhaps this would not be an issue, but we don’t live in normal times. And the fact is the public simply cannot understand why a public servant should benefit so handsomely from an appointment to a private board.

I certainly understand the argument and the rationale from the University’s perspective. There is no morally righteous position here, only a gut check. For me, we should error on the side of the public interest.

To underline its deeper meaning, I’d like to see the Provost make the donation in a way that benefits students who are training to become the next generation of human rights practitioners and scholars. I can’t think of a better option than the new UW Center for Human Rights, which I was honored to help establish during the last legislative session.

Your partner in service,

Reuven.

Dr. Norman Fost, who wrote two papers on the Ashley case and growth attenuation with Dr. Diekema this year, says on surrogacy, “It’s paternalistic to tell a competent woman how she can use her body, whether it’s to work in a coal mine or as a surrogate mother. “ He also says, “It’s not clear why that (commodification) would even be of any great consequences to the child if he or she is raised in a loving home.”

http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=27617

His comments on other issues such as savior sibling, steroid in sport are listed here.

Maybe we should pay more attention to him when we think of the Ashley case or growth attenuation. Dr. Fost is Dr. Diekema’s mentor. Dr. Diekema had his residency at University of Wisconsin where Dr. Fost has been teaching. And Dr. Fost has always been there in the Ashley case controversy from the very beginning as you can see in the post linked above. Only he pretended to be an uninterested third party ethicist when he strongly defended the case in the Larry King live or in the Scientific American debate in early 2007.

Shout out to…

Stephanie Klitz on her birthday!! Sorry you had to work on your big day…and give me a ride to work on your big day, but i appreciate it. I hope you have a wondeful day and I love you!

This is really interesting…

Fun little dental tip that i’m not quite sure mrs. thompson would sign off on – last night steph flossed her teeth in literally 8 seconds, then said “I have a new method, you just do it as fast as you can. You might not get every tooth….” that’s when I just rolled me eyes and started walking away. She never finished her sentence, but i figured i’d heard enough of this groundbreaking idea

Lately I’m thinking…

What a great weekend – Kells was a blast on Friday, great UW game on saturday to finish the season with 2 big wins, I got stacias pizza for dinner where they still remembered my name and then some extreme snowshoeing action with skeelo, morgan, steph, and seeley on sunday. I mean the seahawks even won yesterday. Too bad Montana State wasn’t still playing or it could have been the trifecta! On a side note, the bobcats hardly ever lose playoff games….

This is really interesting…

The BCS is lame

The Soapbox:

Pretty busy day today so not the best update, better luck next time