"Three people are charged in an alleged identity theft ring, skimming credit and debit card information from fast food customers at a Tukwila Wendy's restaurant. Maria Elena DeHoyos-Ortiz, 33, Linzy Jerome Hopkins, 27, and Ricardo Ricky Ramacho, II, 28, are charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit identity theft. King County Sheriff's Detectives say they compromised at least 135 accounts to the tune of approximately $75,000, and that number could grow...."

We all know that in a recession certain industries are growing. Such is the case with Colonial Life…the 70-year old leader offering personal insurance products and benefits communication and enrollment services to over 60,000 business nationwide.

Last year (2009) our new sales were up 25%! As a sales representative for Colonial Supplemental Insurance, you’ll discuss benefits with employees and help them find solutions. You’ll gain the freedom to establish your own goals, and you’ll get the training and support you need to achieve them, as well as work true “leads” from a unique endorsement with the largest association in Washington State. We are looking for reps in the Puget Sound Area – especially individuals with prior experience in healthcare, insurance (especially AFLAC) or business-to-business sales. You will be working within the Whitfield District - the top district in the state and working with me, Pamela Whitfield, District General Agent for Colonial Life in Bellevue for almost 9 years with over 400 accounts in our district (we have Swedish Hospital, King County Library, Seattle Goodwill, El Gaucho Restaurants, etc. as some of accounts) and with a team over 13 to support your efforts/enrollments/help service your groups.

Market Opportunity:
Health care costs keep going up and employers face tough decisions when deciding how to manage these costs. Employers are looking at ways to reduce health insurance costs, have their employees understand and appreciate the benefits they pay so generously for and are looking for ways to provide a robust benefit package with little or no increase to their bottom line. Additionally, voluntary, employee-paid disability sales are up – as employers are not willing to spend any more benefit dollars!
Our products/services:
• Fill coverage gaps by helping employees pay for increased health insurance deductibles and co-insurance.
• Offer employees more choices so they can choose coverage to meet their personal needs (such as disability, life, cancer, accident, and critical illness coverage for example)
• Provide education to the employee such that they understand their full compensation plan as we are benefits communications and enrollment counselors
Plus, employees pay for the products they choose through the convenience of payroll deduction - there is no direct cost to the employer. We're experts at communicating and enrolling Colonial Life's voluntary insurance products and an employer’s core benefits program. Colonial Life's personal insurance products are sold at the worksite and are excellent cost-management solutions that provide employers many advantages. Today’s employees are looking for choices, flexibility, affordable solutions to their needs - and that’s what you’ll be offering them. It could be the start of a great success story…yours.

Association Endorsement:
As the leading District Manager for Colonial Life for almost 9 years, I recently landed an endorsement from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties in Bellevue. The MBA is the largest builder association in the nation, with over 4000 member firms. Colonial Life has granted special underwriting concessions to MBA member firms and the MBA endorsement means we no longer are “cold calling” to set appointments. I am currently doing weekly webinars on Healthcare Reform and free lunch seminars at the MBA that make it easy for a rep to get a fast start. I’m truly looking for individuals who want to step into a endorsement opportunity where phone calls are easy as Colonial Life is the exclusive voluntary benefit provider for MBA member firms and we even have a website for the opportunity (please go to www.colonialmbaks.com).

Position Highlights:
• Business-2-Business sales with calls to high level business owners to add additional benefits at no cost (again, endorsed by the MBA)
• Top reps can easily earn $100,000 with training from "the best" in the business
• Highly competitive with the other voluntary carrier as we work with brokers, large account and specialize in “benefits communication” – all at no cost to the employer
• Reps who commit to a proven system of success will earn a minimum of $50,000 with unlimited income beyond $100,000 first year (home based)

Colonial offers:
• A career path that offers unlimited growth potential.
• An excellent recognition, compensation and benefits program.
• Superior home office support that includes sophisticated technology, sales materials and a formalized training program.
• A broad portfolio of products, programs and services that make a difference and help employees prepare for what happens next.
• Benefits solutions for employers in one neat package: excellence in communications, enrollments, service and product offerings.

Training and Support
We offer our sales representatives the best sales support possible. Again, as the top manager for Colonial Life in Puget Sound, I conduct my own trainings that produce top sales reps. My top rep has been with me for over 8 years and consistently wins “Presidents Club” which is the top 10 reps in the company. We also provide dedicated service centers, web sites, marketing tools and a comprehensive training program to help you build a successful business in the voluntary insurance industry.

Rewards and Recognition
Compensating you well for your work, providing important benefits and recognizing your accomplishments are ways we show our commitment to building a good relationship. You'll enjoy unlimited earning potential with lucrative commissions, bonuses and rewards. We've hosted Colonial Life sales conferences at a variety of exciting locations to reward outstanding performance and present valuable prizes to sales contest winners. Every year, our incentive program gets better! f you're like most people, you want more than a career and strong compensation - you want personal satisfaction and flexibility. You want an opportunity that gives you the kind of lifestyle that's good for you and your family.

How Do I Join the Team?
We're looking for sales professionals who want to make their careers count. People with integrity, mental sharpness, drive, energy, motivation and the tenacity to win! We will conduct a background check and require that you become a licensed insurance agent in your state. You will also be required to learn about Colonial Life's products and pass tests required to sell in your state. Whether you’re already working in insurance or if you’re looking for exciting new opportunities, you need to take a look at the world of opportunity available to you at Colonial.

To further discuss this great opportunity, I can be reached at my Colonial District office at 425-646-5091. Also, be sure to visit Colonial Life’s website at www.coloniallife.com. Interviews will be conducted the first week of August and should you qualify, you will start training immediately.

Part Time (24 hours) position supervising team of clinicians on the Assessment Services Team. Supervise and coordinate community & hospital intake screenings, residential screening & placement, and agency crisis and liaison services. Experience with King County PHP system preferred. Requires MA + 2 yrs clinical and supervisory experience.

For more information, please see our website at Community Psychiatric Clinic. No phone calls please. Thank you!

MULTIPLE POSITIONS AVAILABLE!!!

Make a difference in someone’s life! Provide support to adult clients who have a mental illness and chemical dependency treatment needs. Model coping skills towards recovery, provide assistance to the clinical team in socialization and recreational activities, advocacy, and in crisis stabilization.

REQUIREMENTS: SELF IDENTIFY AS A CURRENT OR FORMER CONSUMER OF MENTAL HEALTH OR CO-OCCURING DISORDER SERVICES, AND BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE BEING WELL GROUNDED IN OWN RECOVERY FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. Must be able to travel within King County, be a WA State registered counselor, and become a Certified Peer Support* within one year of hire.

*Peer Support Certification Process: Complete a minimum of 40 hours of specialized training that is provided, approved, or contracted by the Washington State Mental Health Division. Successfully pass a combination written and oral examination administered by the Washington State Mental Health Division.

For more information on these positions, please see our website at Community Psychiatric Clinic.

No phone calls please. Thank you!

In recent years there have been infectious disease outbreaks linked to animal contact at a Pierce County petting farm, a King County farm camp, Whatcom and Clark County fairs, and the Puyallup State Fair.

King Automotive Group is seeking an experienced Medium Duty Truck technician for our BUSY GM location in Gaithersburg. We are currently servicing GM. UD and Isuzu lines. The ideal candidate should be energetic with a positive attitude and possess a good work ethic with focus on customer satisfaction. ASE’s and factory training are a plus. We offer dental and health coverage, paid vacations, a retirement program and a good environment to earn a great living! Please apply to King Pontiac, Buick, & GMC 16200 South Frederick Road Gaithersburg, MD and ask for Sergio Blanco

Turn Your Real Estate Career Into A SUCCESS. (Agents needed is all counties of Western Washington)

Successful Real Estate Team is looking for Professional Full Time Agents who want to grow their career and their income. Our office is currently growing at a rate that we have a need for agents in the following areas:
King County – 2 Agents
Pierce County – 2 Agents
Snohomish County – 2 Agents
Kitsap County – 1 Agent

We also need Full Time Loan Originators to join our Team.
We offer you an endless stream of leads to work with. Your success is only limited by your drive. Our team supplies all marketing materials such as signs, cards, photos, etc. We also offer ongoing training, buyer and seller incentive programs, everything you need to be successful.
Our team is supported by an experienced administrative staff that will handle all the details and assist you with your transactions. Leaving free to do what you do best. Sell Homes and Close Loans.
Visit www.yourwashingtonstaterealestatecareer.com for more info….
Please email your inquiry or resume to matt@hellickson.com

According to the King County Sheriff’s Department, a 10-week old puppy was stolen in a burglary of a Burien pet store early Thursday morning (July 29). The break-in occurred just after 4am at A Place for Pets, located at 431 SW 152 Street in downtown Burien. The stolen puppy is a female Scottish Terrier, which was [...]

King County Sheriff’s detectives are looking for a man, John Alan Carter, age 51, suspected in the rape of a woman Tuesday, July 27, in Covington.

King Automotive Group is seeking an experienced General Motors technician for our BUSY GM location in Gaithersburg. In addition to our Pontiac, Buick and GMC lines, we are also now a Saturn Certified Service Center and are currently servicing Saturn customers from 3 local Saturn dealers that have been closed. The ideal candidate should be energetic with a positive attitude and possess a good work ethic with a focus on customer satisfaction. ASE’s and transmission experience are a plus. We offer dental and health coverage, paid vacations, a retirement program and a good environment to earn a great living! Please apply to King Pontiac, Buick, & GMC 16200 South Frederick Road Gaithersburg, MD and ask for Sergio Blanco.

As noted last night, Seattle Police told us they couldn’t comment on the incident that brought so many officers to Arbor Heights in the 5:30 pm vicinity, because it was a King County Sheriff’s Office case. We have just heard back from KCSO’s media liaison Sgt. John Urquhart, who explains what it was about: This was [...]

Just last week, Democrats on the King County Council were adamant that voters needed to pay a higher sales tax to protect public safety.

Patrick Rue loves beer. Belgian beer, to be specific. He started brewing it while he was in law school as a diversion. And it worked. These days everything else is a diversion from beer at Rue’s two-year-old, rapidly-growing brewery in Orange County, California, punnily named The Bruery. Tucked into a non-descript industrial park right off the 57 freeway, the Bruery team works around the clock crafting some of the most innovative beers on the domestic market, Belgian-style or otherwise, in a deft waltz between three 15-barrel, one 30-barrel and three 45-barrel gleaming stainless steel fermenters.

"There's nothing bland about our beer," head brewer Tyler King told Steve Greer and me on a recent visit to the Bruery (see our interview with Tyler above), and that is for certain. Where most West Coast breweries seem content to one-up each other in the "my beer is hoppier than yours" game, the boys at the Bruery are yeast fanatics. They have their own proprietary Belgian yeast strain (the Filthy Blonde we tasted was a yeast propogation batch) and play around a lot with brettanomyces and lactobaccilus. And they infuse their beers with David Chang-like creativity. Right now they’re working on a 100% brettanomyces black Thai beer infused with galangal root and keffir lime that has the savoriness of Tom Ka and the richness of a stout, while never falling out of balance.

We currently have four Bruery beers in stock (and are working on getting the Hottenroth, which Tyler mentions in the video). The "Tradewinds Tripel" (750ml $9.99) is a Belgian-style Golden Ale with another Southeast Asian spin, this time adding Thai basil and rice to the mash. The rice subs for Candi sugar, increasing the beer’s alcohol without weighing it down. Light on the palate, with plenty of spice, this beer loves spicy foods, but is also at home with Sunday’s roast chicken and panzanella.

The "Saison de Lente" (750ml $9.99) is just what you want during the heat of summer. Lighter in alcohol than the Tradewinds, there’s a hint of bretty sourness to the beer that really makes this beer stand out from the average six-pack. While a seasonal beer that’s delicious fresh, King suggests holding on to a bottle or two for a year, when the citrus tones from the hops recede a little bit and the awesome bretty funk comes to the fore.

The "Orchard White" Belgian Witbier (750ml $7.99) is notable for its distinctive lavender-kissed twist. But before you think that this is all floral and girly, spicy coriander and bitter orange kicky in. Fruity and yeasty and wonderfully complex on the palate. This is one of my favorites with food.

Finally, we have the "Rugbrød" Rye Ale (750ml $9.99). Made with three different kinds of rye, this dense beer derives its name from the Danish word for rye bread. Dense and bready, with just the right amount of roasted malt character, you'll love this beer even if you can't pronounce it. And while it's something that immediately makes me think winter, it'll also warm you up on a cool summer night, which seem to be the norm as of late.

Leah Greenstein

Note: Beer cannot be shipped outside California.

Just last week, Democrats on the King County Council were adamant that voters needed to pay a higher sales tax to protect public safety.

A Chesterfield County, Va., woman claims county officials have violated her religious rights by defining her as a fortune teller rather than a spiritual counselor. A hearing in Patricia Moore-King's lawsuit is set for Thursday in federal court in Richmond. King claims she has been unable to obtain a business license because of the more stringent standards the county imposes on fortune teller

Iran’s top oil customer buys less

China’s imports of Iranian crude oil fell by almost a third in the first half of the year, new figures showed this week.

Volumes have decreased just as new US and European sanctions threaten to disrupt energy ties between the two countries, experts say.

Iran shipped just over 9 million barrels of oil to China to the end of last month, making it China’s third-largest crude supplier, according to fresh Chinese customs data. That was down from 13.1 million barrels in the first half of last year, even as Chinese imports from Angola, Saudi Arabia and other major exporters rose significantly.

Oil Declines on Rising U.S. Crude Inventories as OPEC Production Increase

Crude oil dropped for a third day in New York on speculation the economic recovery is not proceeding fast enough to rein in excessive fuel supplies.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ oil output increased for the third time in four months in July, led by gains in Iraq, a Bloomberg News survey showed. Futures yesterday declined to a one-week low after U.S. crude imports jumped to the highest level in almost four years, leading to an unexpected increase in commercially held inventories.

OPEC meets only half July oil output curbs -survey

LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC is meeting only half its promised cuts in oil supply this month thanks to a big jump in exports from Nigeria and despite a smaller decline in production in Angola, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday.

Supply from the 11 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with output targets, all except Iraq, has averaged 26.95 million barrels per day (bpd) this month, up from 26.75 million bpd in June, according to the survey of oil firms, OPEC officials and analysts.

Asia-Pacific crude-Sept Tapis climbs on gas oil strength

(Reuters) - Prices of Malaysian Tapis crude climbed on Thursday reflecting market-wide support for distillate-rich grades in Asia-Pacific.

Exxon Mobil's earnings more than double

NEW YORK — Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday its second quarter income nearly doubled to $7.56 billion as oil prices increased from last year.

It's Exxon's highest quarterly profit since the $7.82 billion earned in the last three months of 2008. But it's still well below the record-setting third-quarter profit of that year, when Exxon earned $14.83 billion after oil prices spiked to near $150 per barrel in the summer.

Shell defends deep-water drilling as profits soar

Royal Dutch Shell posted soaring profits on Thursday and defended deep-water oil production, saying it has an "important role" to play despite the US Gulf of Mexico disaster that rocked rival BP.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant reported a 15-percent jump in net profit to 4.39 billion US dollars (3.38 billion euros) in the second quarter, as it slashed costs and raised output.

Its performance contrasts markedly with that of embattled BP, which on Tuesday posted a second-quarter loss of 16.9 billion US dollars in the wake of the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Natural-Gas Squeeze Prompts Switch of Fuel in Middle East

Persian Gulf petrochemical producers are turning to naphtha as a feedstock for the first time amid growing power-plant demand for natural gas.

Abu Dhabi plans to build the Middle East’s first plant that will only use naphtha to make plastics. Saudi Arabia may develop similar units as part of two refinery ventures, according to state-run Saudi Aramco, France’s Total SA and Sumitomo Chemical Co. of Japan, the partners in the projects.

While naphtha, a product of refining crude oil, is used to make petrochemicals around the world, countries in the Middle East have traditionally preferred cheaper home-produced natural gas. Now, new power plants are competing for those gas supplies, stoking demand for alternatives. That’s being exacerbated as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia expand petrochemicals production to cut dependence on crude exports.

Mystery of Japanese tanker damage probed

An investigation has been launched into the unexplained damage suffered by a Japanese oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman.

The M Star was damaged on Wednesday while travelling from Qatar to Japan.

Port officials in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates say the ship was involved in a collision. However, the boat's owners Mitsui OSK believe their vessel may have been attacked.

Early reports that the ship was struck by a freak wave have been dismissed.

North China gas well fire burning for nearly week: Xinhua

BEIJING (Reuters) – A natural gas well operated by Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group has been burning for nearly a week since drilling in the well caused gas to leak out and explode, Xinhua reported on Thursday.

No casualties have been reported. Villagers near the well were evacuated shortly after the accident, Xinhua cited a local county official as saying.

Crews work to cap new La. oil leak near Gulf

NEW ORLEANS – Oil, natural gas and water are still spewing from an abandoned well hit by a barge on a Louisiana waterway near the Gulf of Mexico.

Coast Guard Capt. John Arenstam says a wild well company is working on a plan to shut down the well, which is north of Barataria Bay and has been leaking since early Tuesday.

BP aims for quick well kill

HOUSTON/MIAMI (Reuters) – BP may permanently shut the well that caused the worst off-shore oil spill in U.S. history as early as Monday, the company said as speculation grew over assets it might sell to cover mounting costs.

Incoming BP chief executive, Bob Dudley, said on Wednesday the company would stay involved with the cleanup process in the Gulf of Mexico long after the leaking well was plugged and expressed optimism the damaged environment would recover.

"It is possible that as early as Monday or Tuesday this well might be killed," Dudley said on National Public Radio.

BP's Dudley Targets Riskiest Deepwater Drilling After $32 Billion Blowout

Robert Dudley, the man charged with rebuilding the reputation of BP Plc after the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, will slim the company to its core strength: the high-risk, high-return search for oil and gas in demanding environments.

That suggests Dudley, who becomes the first American chief executive officer of the British oil giant on Oct. 1, will follow the same strategy that led to the Gulf spill and turned outgoing CEO Tony Hayward into a pariah, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its Aug. 2 issue.

HSBC tapped to sell BP's stake in Vietnam gas project

HONG KONG/LONDON (Reuters) – BP has tapped HSBC to sell its stake in the Nam Con Son gas project in Vietnam, as it scrambles to hive off $30 billion of assets to pay for the clean-up of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, three sources said.

The British oil giant, which is on a campaign to sell a host of assets from Pakistan to Egypt, said last week it is seeking a buyer for its stake in the Nam Con Son gas project offshore southern Ho Chi Minh City, worth $966 million by one estimate.

BP May Sell Venezuela Oil Stakes to Russian TNK-BP Venture

BP Plc has told Venezuela’s state oil company it’s interested in selling stakes in three projects to its Russian venture, TNK-BP Holding, Petroleos de Venezuela SA Vice President Eulogio del Pino said.

Barring BP From Drilling Would Cost Jobs in U.S., Company Tells Congress

BP Plc objected to proposed legislation that would bar the oil company from operating new drilling leases in U.S. waters, saying it could trigger job losses and threaten the nation’s energy security.

A provision of the House bill may have a “drastic impact,” David Nagel, executive vice president of BP America, said in a July 28 letter to Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Republican Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

First lawsuits linked to Gulf spill go to court

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The first lawsuits linked to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill go to court Thursday, as BP prepared -- after months of trying -- to permanently seal its ruptured well.

As the Gulf of Mexico disaster this week reached the 100-day mark with hopes high that the endgame may be under way, families of those killed in the rig explosion that sparked the disaster, and fishermen who lost their livelihoods because of it, were to face BP in court for the first time.

BP Said Negligence May Be Found in Cause of Oil Spill, Texas Letter Shows

A BP Plc lawyer said evidence would show that an April explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico were the result of gross negligence, Texas officials said in a letter that didn’t say who committed the alleged negligence.

Governor Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott said in the July 22 letter that BP didn’t attempt to take advantage of a cap on damages under the Oil Pollution Act because gross negligence would make that irrelevant. The letter was addressed to Doug Suttles, chief operating officer for exploration and production, and Jack Lynch, a general counsel.

News Cycle Turns in BP’s Favor

The answer is boringly simple–BP capped the well, oil stopped flowing into the Gulf, beaches and fisheries reopened, the TV cameras moved on to the next sensation and the doom mongers that didn’t have the sense to pack up and leave too were left looking a little silly. Indeed, Matt Simmons retired as Chairman Emeritus of Simmons & Co.

Just as new shoots of grass are sprouting on once-oiled marshes, the facts are beginning to thrive now that the flood of hype has receded.

Gulf spill raises long-term beach safety questions

MIAMI (Reuters) – It could be years before some Gulf of Mexico beaches recover fully from BP Plc's massive oil spill and are declared free of toxic pollutants, including heavy metals, that can make people sick, a leading environmental advocacy group said on Wednesday.

Feds, farmers create habitats for migrating birds

MAMOU, La. – Water gurgling from a well is flooding Craig Gautreaux's rice and crawfish fields, turning the farm into a wetland for migratory birds whose usual Gulf of Mexico wintering grounds are threatened by the oil spill.

Across eight states, farmers such as Gautreaux are inundating fallow fields to provide an alternative for some of the tens of millions of ducks, geese and shorebirds that are beginning to make their way south on a flyway that stretches as far north as Alaska and Iceland.

BP Disaster Regnites California’s Anti-Drilling Fervor

What a difference an oil spill makes. Californians, whose dislike of offshore drilling dates back to the Santa Barbara spill of 1969, had begun to see virtue in new sources of oil as gasoline prices soared in 2008, polls showed.

That year, for the first time since 2000, when the first poll of the state’s environmental attitudes was taken by the Public Policy Institute of California, a majority — albeit a bare one, 51 percent — was willing to allow more drilling off the California coast. The majority was about the same in 2009, and opposition dwindled to 43 percent.

The latest poll, however, shows the opposition snapping back after the offshore oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. In the institute’s survey this month of 2,502 Californians, 57 percent opposed new offshore drilling; the proportion supporting drilling dropped to 36 percent, down 15 percentage points from 2009 levels.

Analysis: BP spill seeps into Norway's Arctic drilling debate

(Reuters) - Norway's decades-old political consensus on offshore drilling is under attack in the wake of the BP oil spill, just as it covets new riches in the Arctic.

The powerful oil industry says it needs to tap resources off the Arctic archipelagoes of Lofoten and Vesteraalen and in a huge, recently demarcated Barents Sea border region with Russia to continue Norway's oil boom amid dwindling North Sea output.

But, emboldened by the Gulf of Mexico well blowout, Norwegian environmentalists seek to grab the upper hand in a battle they feel they have long been loosing.

Senate energy bill draws widespread criticism

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans and some moderate Democrats in the Senate on Wednesday began picking apart a new energy bill that they complained goes too far in holding oil companies responsible for accidents like the massive Gulf of Mexico spill.

"I think people who are very serious about responding to the spill in the Gulf should be offended by what has been presented" this week by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Local food trend helps more folks eat fresh fruits, veggies

The "local" movement — buying and eating food produced locally rather than shipped from thousands of miles away — has been gaining steam with the steady growth of farmers markets and a phenomenon called community-supported agriculture. CSA members purchase shares of a farmer's crop for the season. The government doesn't track the numbers, but Local Harvest, a nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets and other local food sources, estimates that tens of thousands of American families belong to CSAs, and supply trails demand. The number registered with Local Harvest alone indicates how quickly CSAs have multiplied over the past decade: The directory's listing has increased from 374 farms in 2000 to 3,660 today.

BANGLADESH: Spreading the floating farms’ tradition

CHANDRA (IRIN) - As swollen monsoon rivers and rising sea levels threaten to engulf more land across Bangladesh, NGOs are training thousands of farmers in traditional soil-less farming on water.

Transition model making headway in North County

Tina Clark, one of 21 trainers for Transition United States, spoke on July 7 about the Transition model, which is used around the world to help communities prepare for the social and economic changes that will occur as global oil supplies and other natural resources decline in the next century.

Clark told the group of 31 who attended the meeting about how each of us in our own way can help our communities prepare for a world without many of the luxuries that cheaply produced oil makes possible and at the same time replace them with meaningful alternatives.

A Push for Action on Renewables

With a cap on carbon dioxide an apparent nonstarter in the Senate these days, some clean energy and climate advocates have shifted their sights to a scaled-back but still ambitious goal: passage of a national renewable electricity standard.

Such a law would require utility companies to produce a set amount of electricity from renewable sources by a certain date, spurring the development of clean sources like wind and solar and probably lowering overall emissions nationally. Perhaps most important, some argue that with a strong push by the president, such a measure could actually clear the high bar for passage of 60 votes in the Senate this fall.

Why is our electrical system resisting open source?

A new research report from GigaOm asks an intriguing question.

Why is the smart grid resisting open source?

Canadian researchers hope to green the web, make Canada the world's web server

Canadian researchers hope to stem the global IT industry's rampant output of greenhouse gas emissions by perfecting a way to host the Internet's content purely on green power.

And if their experiment succeeds, Canada could essentially become the world's largest Internet server — powered with almost no carbon footprint — and help reduce one of the most significant, growing sources of pollution.

Biofuel Investment in Australia `Inadequate,' Caltex CEO Julian Segal Says

Caltex Australia Ltd., the nation’s biggest oil refiner, called for increased government funding to spur biofuels development as part of an effort to curb greenhouse-gas emissions and bolster energy security.

Australia has “inadequate funding” for biofuels, with the government devoting just $15 million to the technology, Julian Segal, chief executive officer of Caltex, said in a speech in Sydney today. The U.S. Department of Energy by contrast is investing more than $1 billion to advance the field, he said.

In China, Pollution Worsens Despite New Efforts

BEIJING — China, the world’s most prodigious emitter of greenhouse gas, continues to suffer the downsides of unbridled economic growth despite a raft of new environmental initiatives.

The quality of air in Chinese cities is increasingly tainted by coal-burning power plants, grit from construction sites and exhaust from millions of new cars squeezing onto crowded roads, according to a government study issued this week. Other newly released figures show a jump in industrial accidents and an epidemic of pollution in waterways.

NOAA: Past Decade Warmest on Record According to Scientists in 48 Countries

The 2009 State of the Climate report released today draws on data for 10 key climate indicators that all point to the same finding: the scientific evidence that our world is warming is unmistakable. More than 300 scientists from 160 research groups in 48 countries contributed to the report, which confirms that the past decade was the warmest on record and that the Earth has been growing warmer over the last 50 years.

In Memoriam       Victim of D.C. area storm, a local environmentalist, 'lived what he believed' Seven families who tend the Watkins Pond Community Garden in Rockville gathered Sunday for a picnic and double celebration: to mark their second summer harvest and to thank Carl Henn, the local environmental activist credited with creating their beloved garden. When dark clouds blew in without warning about 3:15 p.m., the group ran from the King Farm Park picnic area to its cars. Five minutes into the roaring wind and pelting rain and hail, one picnicgoer said, a bright bolt of lightning filled the sky, followed instantly by deafening thunder. It was only when everyone had emerged after the fast-moving storm passed a few minutes later that they saw Henn lying beneath a towering tree that had a fresh, eight-foot-long gash where lightning had apparently struck, said Dennis McCarthy of Rockville.       Carl Henn was a long time member of The Oil Drum, and the author of this guest post.

WE MIGHT NEED to consult King Solomon. The Discovery Bay Salmon Derby, despite the ruling of a Jefferson County Superior Court judge, looks like it will be split in two. Superior Court judge Craddock Verser gave ...

Admits he traveled to Cambodia to have sex with underage girls SEATTLE - A south King County, Wash., man who traveled to Cambodia to have sex with young girls pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of sexual exploitation of a child, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Homeland Security ...

By: E.R. Shipp

Once upon a time, the ultimate concentration of black political power in Brooklyn lay in Weeksville, a strategically planned village of free black property holders that began in 1838 in what is now Bedford-Stuyvesant.

"Weeksville was created to be a political base," says Jennifer Scott, director of research at the Weeksville Heritage Center. The settlement (sometimes referred to as a colony) played a critical role in the abolitionist movement, including stops along the Underground Railroad; and it became a haven for blacks fleeing racial violence in Manhattan in the 1860s during the Civil War. Businesses, churches and a school thrived there. Eventually as the new Brooklyn Bridge made this part of Brooklyn accessible to Manhattanites and others, and as blacks spread throughout greater Brooklyn--a city separate from New York until 1898--Weeksville ceased being a separate community and, ultimately, was forgotten.

But in the late 1960s, amid an unprecedented period of activism spurred in part by anti-poverty programs and urban-renewal plans, Weeksville was rediscovered, becoming in its own way a spur to activism.

Nearly half a century later, Charles Barron--a self-described radical, onetime Black Panther Party member and now an outspoken representative of eastern Brooklyn on the New York City Council--pronounces the state of black politics in Brooklyn as dire. "We are in a state of powerlessness. We have power within our hands; we just won't collectively use it." Rep. Edolphus "Ed" Towns, the dean of the Brooklyn congressional delegation, echoes that sentiment, noting that from city council to state legislature to Congress, black Brooklyn is present, but not necessarily potent. "We have a tremendous amount of potential, and in many instances we are not utilizing it. But it's there," he said, adding: "We do not talk to each other enough to come up with an agenda we all can rally around."

Kevin Powell, a writer and activist who is challenging Towns in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary, says blacks in Brooklyn are ridiculously disempowered when compared to their ranks of elected officials. There is, indeed, potential, he says, but too many office-holders have formed "little ghetto monarchies" where "they think they own a political seat and think they own a piece of Brooklyn." Their main interest, he says, is in keeping themselves, their relatives and their friends in power.  Powell and others say they have turned off younger middle-class entrepreneurs, professionals and homeowners who have found alternative means of addressing black Brooklyn's socioeconomic needs and perhaps of ultimately displacing entrenched political power.

From the sidelines, Al Sharpton, a Brooklyn scion whose sights have long spread beyond local black politics but whose Godfather-like seal of approval is coveted by prospective candidates, says that even with the evolving spheres of influence, "the bad news is none of it is coordinated."

Welcome to Brooklyn 2010, home to about 954,960 blacks, more than any other county in the United States. Whites of the non-Hispanic variety number about 944,690; Hispanics about 492,880. Harlem in Manhattan has the name and the cultural icons, but Brooklyn has the numbers, and its politics is nothing if not drama-filled. A member of the city council was assassinated--yes assassinated--in the council chamber by a rival in 2003.  There's a reason why Brooklyn has been immortalized in rap lyrics, a Mike Tyson tattoo and with the "Bed-Stuy Do or Die" antics of Spike Lee's film, Do The Right Thing.  In Brooklyn, known for its political pageantry, the streets speak to the suites.

In the early 1960s, once blacks were able to spread out across more of central Brooklyn--especially as the borough's black middle class of doctors, lawyers, teachers and the like left--leaders found it more difficult to carry out the kind of voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives sponsored by such organizations as the Unity Democratic Club.  (The UDC, don't forget, produced, among others, Rep. Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman in Congress and the first woman to run for president in a major party.) The poorer folks left behind were much more vulnerable to the kind of tamp-down-the-vote shenanigans of white political bosses that would have made their Southern counterparts proud.

As a founder of the UDC, Thomas R. Jones helped launch a base of political enlightenment and activism among the poor in 1966. Accompanying New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy on a more-or-less routine walkabout through black slums, he told the senator that the one thing Bedford-Stuyvesant did not need was to be studied yet again. As the New York Times recounted in Jones' 2006 obituary: "'I'm weary of study, senator, very weary,'" Justice Jones said. "‘The Negro people are angry, senator, and judge that I am, I'm angry too.'"  Soon Kennedy set into motion what became the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, intended to be a model for the nation, and Jones, a longtime fighter for social justice who was then a trial court judge, was its first chair. Among those who emerged from that was Al Vann, now a member of the city council and, according to Towns, the person black Brooklynites of all persuasions tend to turn to for guidance.

For many decades, even before elected officials and activists emerged from the anti-poverty programs of the 1960s and 1970s, there were powerful ministers like Gardner Taylor and Milton A. Galamison and William Augustus Jones--close allies of Martin Luther King Jr.--who harnessed the power of their constituents and acted upon economic, education and civil rights issues during what was still very much an "Up South" era of Brooklyn history. In 1962, for instance, when the Brooklyn chapter of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) was the most active in the North, these ministers and others joined Brooklyn CORE in a dramatic protest, demanding jobs for blacks during construction of a major medical center. Together they fought to break the barriers that prevented blacks from moving into certain neighborhoods and into new housing developments. But that was then.

Barron says that many younger participants in the political system don't have "the fire in their bellies" that propelled an earlier generation. But maybe that is because they don't want to become inside players more interested in knocking others off ballots, securing their own positions and promoting the candidacies of family members than in addressing most broadly--and sometimes not so politely--the needs of the people of their districts.  The ghetto monarchs, Powell says, "may have had good intentions in the very beginning, but somewhere along the line they lost their way." He adds: "We need 21st-century solutions to the many challenges facing our people. You can't just get up there and think that you can take people to casinos, give them turkeys at Thanksgiving and maybe send them a Christmas card."

In Brooklyn, competition and compromise have resembled Chicago more than Atlanta. They have long revolved around deal-making involving blacks against blacks (often, for lack of a better distinction, African Americans versus Caribbean Americans), blacks against Jews (especially the Hasidic sects) and blacks against Italians.  The outcome of these battles has usually been much more personal power than people power. And that's where human loud speakers like Charles Barron, the late Sonny Carson and Sharpton have come in.  Since the late-1960s, three major protest movements--none of them led by traditional political leadership--have shaped Brooklyn politics and had an impact on who is heard from, whether by formally standing for office or wielding influence from the streets. These were the 1960s and '70s battles for community control of public schools (still a subject of interest), the 1989 murder of a black teenager in Italian Bensonhurst and a violent clash in 1991 between blacks and Hasidic Jews in Crown Heights that left a black child and a Jewish scholar dead.

Of course, political power or influence is not solely exerted from the club houses or the streets. Barbershops and beauty parlors still hold sway. But no politician or wannabe would pass up an opportunity to address church associations or organizations like the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which draws from the entrepreneurial class.  According to Roy Hastick Sr., president of the chamber, his organization has  provided "advice and counsel" to elected officials  throughout its 25-year history. Another non-politics "political" organization is the West Indian Day Carnival Association, whose parade each Labor Day draws about 2 million people--including political figures seeking to curry favors, especially among the professional associations whose members march, sponsor floats and, when election days roll around, vote. Jones sees the organization as having "an enormous latent political power."

Even if Barron's observation is true that many of the younger crop of politicians don't have the fire in the belly of the older generations, a lot of them do come with name recognition.  In the state legislature, for instance, there is Towns' son, Darryl, and Barron's wife Inez. In the U.S. House of Representatives, there is Yvette Clarke, daughter of former city council member, Una. And challenging the Brooklyn political machine by seeking a position as a district leader is Rep. Major Owens' son, Chris.

One of the most recognized names among the cognoscenti these days is Bill Thompson, who crafted a political career first, from being the son of a prominent party official, legislator and appellate judge, and then from being an aide to the Brooklyn borough president (sort of like a mini-mayor). He parlayed those connections into election as the city's comptroller in 2001; then he launched a campaign for mayor that hardly anyone gave much hope.  With only about $8 million, he came close to unseating Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who spent more than $100 million of his own money for re-election to a third term last year. Having announced that he is running again in 2013, Thompson is now biding his time at an investment bank.

Thompson faces many obstacles, not the least of which is Bloomberg, who just may seek a fourth term and again spend from his own pockets like a drunken sailor. But between now and 2013, other candidates may also emerge with the blessings of Bloomberg and other high rollers. Those who did not support him in 2009, including black elected officials, labor leaders and big-name ministers like Floyd Flake, Calvin Butts and Brooklyn-based A.R. Bernard, might come around if the tea leaves line up right. But observers of the scene say that most of all, while making his money as an investment banker, he has to come up with a compelling message, focusing on issues that prospective voters care about and that make him relevant.  And he has to be visible. "You have to be vocal. You have to take leadership," says Barron.  "If he does, Billy Thompson will be the second black mayor of New York City."

And, Barron, in the meantime, hopes to become the second black governor of the state of New York. He has formed the Freedom Party, channeling the spirit of Fannie Lou Hamer who was "sick and tired of being sick and tired" when she formed the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in Mississippi in 1964.

As he looks ahead, David R. Jones, a lifelong Brooklynite, sees two things about which to be optimistic. First, there is a newer breed of people entering politics, many of them women.

Second, there is a resurgence of a black middle class interested in improving their lives and thus those of their neighbors. "This includes a reversal of out-migration and expansion of the entrepreneurial class," Jones said. These newcomers have the ability not only to raise money for candidates and causes but also to re-invigorate community institutions and to hold accountable officials who they summon to appear before them. After all, they vote.

As all this goes on, Sharpton, who no longer lives in Brooklyn, sees a natural system of checks and balances. I see that, and chaos, too. But I also see a potential return to the spirit of Weeksville, led by independent people with political, social and entrepreneurial vision that transcends the tribalism--or ghetto monarchies--that prevail now.

E.R. Shipp won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1996.

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Dental Assistant-Career Opportunity in Shoreline/N. W. King County

27-35 hour position, Tuesday through Thursday with occasional Mondays. A comprehensive benefit package is available which includes medical insurance, dental, paid vacation, paid holidays, sick leave, pension plan, and the opportunity to work with a small group of great people.

This position for our lead clinical assistant, with some front office float, is best filled by a person with moderate to advanced dental knowledge, but we may train the right person with somewhat less experience. Current front office staff with past assisting experience are encouraged to apply.

Basic prerequisites and qualifications for this position are:

1. A warm, caring personality who excels in building and maintaining relationships with clients and staff.
2. Substantial knowledge of most dental procedures and processes with an understanding of clinical dentistry including restorative and surgical procedures, sterilization, room set-up and light expanded duties.
3. A fluent working ability with computer technology, communications and possessing strong writing skills for light front office administrative duties (Eaglesoft experience helpful). There will be some crossover front office duties involved with this position.
4. A strong commitment to their own personal health and well-being and to make a difference in the health and lives of others.
5. Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritize and balance tasks with maintenance of relationships.
6. Comfort in discussing with clients treatment plans ranging from simple restorative cases to complex implant and full mouth rehabilitations.
7. Desire for leadership by example and to become a key player and stakeholder in the success of our practice and business.
8. Possession of, or in process of, obtaining Washington State Dental Assistant Registration certificate. Information available at (www.doh.wa.gov).

We are proud that our relaxed pace mercury-free holistic dental office has been selected and rated as a Top Dental Office by Seattle Magazine and Puget Consumers Checkbook Magazine multiple times in recent years. If you have the qualifications to interview for our position, please submit a cover letter, resume and any additional information and support documents to:

Gerald Becker, D.D.S., M.B.A., 715 N. 182nd Street, Suite 401, Shoreline, WA 98133. Phone 206-542-4848. FAX 206-546-2821. email: gbeckerdds@verizon.net
Web site: www.geraldbeckerdds.com

Telephone and personal interviews will be scheduled after our review of your cover letter and resume. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

South King County/North Pierce County firm seeks well experienced mechanic with background in medium duty truck, generator and equipment maintenance and repair – both diesel and gas. Must also have experience with hydraulic repair as well as electrical experience with 120, 240 and 480 power.

Provide details of experience and resume.

Large community in South King County seeking a Full Time Professional Leasing Agent. Job duties include but are not limited to:

Leasing:

--To maintain courteous communication with residents, prospects and vendors
--To ensure proper leasing techniques are utilized according to company policy.
--To maintain a telephone-to-walk in traffic conversion ratio at an acceptable ratio.
--To show and lease apartments maintaining a qualified show-to-lease acceptable ratio.
--To complete all lease renewals prior to lease expiration

Marketing:

--To ensure all balloons and signage are out daily.
--To work with the resident and property manager ensuring proper placement of all print advertising for the property.
--Complete a marketing calendar under the direction of management and follow it ensuring all marketing is completed in a timely manner
--To advise managers of any additional marketing, advertising or move-in concession needs.

Office Procedures:

--To enter functions into the computer on a daily basis
--Coordinate all items relating to move in and move out in a timely manner.

Miscellaneous to include:

--Take, fill out and log any work orders in a timely manner
--Collect rent, deposits and various payments and enter into the computer

Full time positions offer competitive hourly wages, commisions, paid scheduled vacation, paid sick leave, and full benefits.

Just last week, Democrats on the King County Council were adamant that voters needed to pay a higher sales tax to protect public safety.

At Home Instead Senior Care, our sales representatives are called Community Relations Representatives because this is so much more than just a sales job. This could be a career changing experience for someone who is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives and our S.King/Pierce County community.

Our CSR’s are engaged in networking activities that promote business development but also community involvement that involves building relationships with professional partners in the home/health care industry. Strong verbal presentation skills and an approachable personality are the foundation of the character skills we are looking for. Being organized and computer proficient are also requirements. Prior sales or marketing experience is desired. Must be a self-starter but able to be a part of the “team” at the same time. There is already a training program and accountabilities in place.

Earnings will be centered on a base salary and a sales bonus program.

If this sounds like something you would love to do and that you are qualified for, please send your resume, with a cover letter, to:

Lois Etienne at letienne@homeinsteadnw.com

Just last week, Democrats on the King County Council were adamant that voters needed to pay a higher sales tax to protect public safety.

Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) is a nationally recognized multiethnic nonprofit organization that provides award-winning services to refugee and immigrant women and their families in King and Snohomish Counties.
Job Announcement

POSITION TITLE: Somali Employment Specialist
DEPARTMENT: Family Support Program
REPORTS TO: Family Support Program Manager
STATUS/PAY: Non-exempt Regular Full Time (37.5 hrs/wk)
PURPOSE: Employment Specialist is responsible for developing job opportunities and marketing employee services to potential employers. Acts as liaison between ReWA, DSHS and King County employers to promote ReWA client, take an active role in supporting current DSHS clients to obtain employment while working closely with all ReWA employment case managers, develop job opportunities for TANF clients, retain their employment, increase their earnings, and successfully meet the State Workfirst requirements. Employment Specialist will also be responsible for their own TANF case load assigned by the Family Support Program Manager and as well as other duties pertaining to client’s employability and access of education both internally and externally

Outreach and Assessment:
1. Conduct outreach with clients, case managers, employers and community providers. Promote and build quality client case load through recruitment and referral from DSHS
2. Communicate with LEP/ESL instructors on student attendance for monthly EJAS reporting
3. Conduct comprehensive assessment of clients’ training and employment needs to ensure contractual compliance and ensure that monthly report is done in a timely maner.
4. Provide job development, placement and retention services to job seekers including arranging for career exploration/exposure, job matching, and working with employers and new employees to problem solve.
Employment Training:
5. Conduct a thorough needs assessment and develop employment plans that lead to career paths with wage progression opportunities and increased self sufficiency.
6. Assist and/or enroll both TANF and non-TANF clients into ReWA’s ESL and vocational training classes to increase employment possibilities and job retention
Job Search Preparation:
7. Provide career counseling, job search, and job skills training
8. Conduct workshops and skills trainings to prepare refugee and immigrant clients for job search and employment
9. Assist clients with employment application, job search, resume preparation, and job interviews
10. Assist clients with job placement and job retention
11.
Administrative:
12. Track employment opportunities in King County, and provide clients with information and referrals to job openings
13. Complete and submit all required paper work in a timely, quality, and accurate manner
14. Have through knowledge of current and new DSHS contractual requirements
15. Participate in staff meetings and trainings
16. Other duties as assigned
Follow-up Support:
17. Maintain monthly contact with clients during their employment period to ensure their continued employment through the retention services program per contract requirements
18. Ensure appropriate job placement by maintaining regular follow-up contacts with clients and employers
19. Provide crisis intervention and assist clients with support services to ensure successful employment retention

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
• Associate’s degree in human services field, and 2 years professional experience in employer and/or vocational training field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Proven ability to provide quality job support services to clients
• Bilingual in Somali language
• Demonstrated ability expressing yourself effectively, both verbally and in writing, using the English language
• Excellent organizational, outreach and recruitment skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated computer skills including knowledge of Excel, word processing and email programs
• Knowledge of local market trends, employment and training services, and the welfare system
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with individuals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds
• Demonstrated commitment to refugee and immigrant advocacy
• Must have own transportation, a valid Washington state driver’s license, and ability to travel to multiple sites on a regular basis
• Willingness and ability to work flexible hours (weekend hours when necessary)
• Prior experience working with contracts with changing requirements

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s degree
• Knowledge of EJAS database system

Medical and dental insurance, life insurance, paid holidays and vacation, 403(b) retirement savings plan

POSTED: July 28, 2010
CLOSES: Open Till Filled

TO APPLY: Please send resume with cover letter and 4 professional references to Refugee Women’s Alliance, 4008 MLK Jr Way S, Seattle WA 98108, attn: HR. Fax (206)721-0282 or email to Shannon@rewa.org.

Washington state Rep. Geoff Simpson made an appearance in Seattle Municipal Court yesterday where he was charged with gross misdemeanor assault for an incident involving his ex-wife at Seattle Children's Hospital on May 22.

Yolo County authorities announced the arrest today of ten registered sex offenders for parole and probation violations during a sweep of 129 individuals in Yolo and Sacramento counties on Tuesday.

Dubbed Operation Vigilance, the sweep involved more than 100 officers from agencies across two counties.

Teams each carried software that allowed them to quickly scan offenders' computers for banned images - eliminating the need to transport each device for analysis.

It was the first time an operation of such scope was attempted in Yolo County, which has 382 registered sex offenders, authorities said.

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig vowed the sweeps would continue to ensure sex offenders are complying with the law.

"It was called Operation Vigilance because we will be vigilant," Reisig said in a news conference at his Woodland office. He was flanked by representatives from a dozen different local and state agencies.

The operation was accomplished without the use of overtime - a requirement amid budget cuts, officials said.

Arrested and the suspected parole or probation violation were:

James Andrus, 63 possession of pornography;

Robert Sutton, 47, possession of computer device;

Jim Baker, 65, possession of pornography; Vincent Russell, 39, possession of pornography and marijuana; Uriah Clark, 35, possession of pornography.

Ramona Hernandez, 28, failure to register; Omar Avalos, 26, violation not given; Joshua Bracy, 36, violation not given; Aurelio Solorio, 56, immigration hold; Bradley Vance, 45, violation not given; James King, age not given, possession of alcohol and children's movie.

Currently Hiring Painters who primarily work in the South King County area. This position is 30-40 hours a week M-F (Sometimes Saturday). You will work directly with the General Manager. Experience is a plus but ongoing training and coaching is provided. Also College Student or College aged is required. See below for next steps.



For more information on the positions available, please reply with the following:
1. Full Name
2. Current Location
3. Contact Phone number
4. If you have your own transportation: Yes or No. Truck? Yes or No.
5. Your available hours for this coming weekend (and beyond).
6. RESUME

Looking for the drive, the talent and the will to win. Are you the one who can step out of your comfort zone and see the opportunity? Can you build a team and lead them to greener pastures. Then you are who I am looking for. I am not looking for the sit behind the desk person, I am looking for the "follow me leader."

We market cable TV, Internet and Phone for Broadstripe. We have our own installers so no waiting for somebody else to install your paycheck. The area we work has not been worked in a couple years, very nice selling opportunities.

So if you have cable experience and ready to run you own crew or have sales experience and ready to step up this is the job for you.

Must have valid drivers license
Must be able to past background check

WASHINGTON STATE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

FULL TIME AND PART TIME POSITIONS AVAILABLE.

In today?s ever changing job market, specialized skills and an advanced education is a must! The Washington Army National Guard can help you get both. With over 200 career fields to choose from, the Guard can provide you with the specialized training that employers are seeking. We have positions in mechanics, transportation, communications, plumbing, electronics and many more! Most places charge you to learn a new skill, but in the National Guard you get paid while training in your new field. If furthering your education is important, the Guard can definitely help you get your degree whether it is an associates, bachelors, or masters. Not only will the Guard pay up to 100% of your college tuition, but you may also earn an additional $329 a month for every month you are in school. If you are serious about obtaining specialized skills or furthering your education to be more competitive in today?s job market, you need to consider the National Guard!

AGE REQUIREMENT: 17 -41 for no previous military experience
17-41 for the Officer Corp with an associates degree or higher

*Up to 100% college tuition assistance
*Earn additional money each month just for being a full-time college student
*Full medical insurance (at low cost)
*Earn certifications and specialized skills while being paid
*Need a GED? We can help
*Over 200 jobs to choose from
*Military base privileges (tax free shopping, discounted travel)

********ASK ABOUT ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND INCENTIVES FOR COLLEGE DEGREE HOLDERS*******

Serve your community by joining our team. We are citizen soldiers. We are teachers, policemen, everyday citizens who serve one weekend per month.

Contact us for more information.

Staff Sergeant Aaron J. Anderson

(425) 949-2925

OPPORTUNITY
OPPORTUNITY
OPPORTUNITY


Plumber, electrician, engineer, equipment operator, aviation, mechanic, medic, medical, doctor, lawyer, nurse, emt, paramedic, infantry, scout, armor, supply, logistics, computer, finance, operations, management, carpenter, band, cook, communication, satellite, intelligence, driver, pilot, helicopter, air traffic control, law enforcement, police, emergency management

Catholic Community Services is seeking to hire a full time Housing Manager for our Chronic Homeless Housing Programs in Snohomish Co. We are looking to focus on applicants who can provide direct service and a solid foundation of management/supervision skills with an ability to learn the program specifics.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:
Under the direction of the Director of Housing Services, incumbent will be responsible for the daily operations of the Snohomish County Chronic Homeless Housing Program. Incumbent will assure that all services will be in compliance with licensing standards and State and County regulations, along with the established CCSWW Housing Model policies & procedures. Incumbent will ensure that all staff are trained and are following correct day-to-day procedures and that staff are updated on agency policies, QI, and contractual changes on a regular basis.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Upholds and models the CCSWW Mission, Insights, Key Action Steps and Principles of Leadership.
Supervises and reviews the performance of Housing Case Managers and Housing Community Support Specialists. Holds staff members accountable for clear, consistent and thorough information about agency goals, decisions, future planning, training of staff, etc.
Schedule staff and maintain coverage for housing programs.
Provide appropriate “Housing” training to staff as required.

Ensure fiscal solvency of programs:
Working with Regional Chief of Operations to develop management reports for ongoing fiscal monitoring.
Review monthly revenue/expenditure reports
Ensure that expenditures are within budgeted levels.
Participates in procurement of funds through contact renewal and grants.

Contract Compliance & Reporting:
Ensure program compliance with all licensing and contract requirements.
Ensure that program operation and documentation complies with contracts, auditing and all other applicable standards.
Develop and conduct ongoing program-auditing processes to ensure that program standards are maintained throughout the service area and across programs.
Responsible for collecting, compiling and dispersal of all program reports as required.
Notify the regional HR Director of specific personnel requirements cited in the contract(s); e.g. background clearances, TB testing, licensures, etc.

Ensures that housing policies, procedures and other administrative duties associated with the housing programs are adhered to. Incumbent accomplishes this task by having appropriate ongoing meetings with CCS Housing staff as well as relevant community members.

Implement and administer housing programs that will adhere to HUD, SHP, and other housing related regulations and grant outcomes. This includes reporting requirements, resident manager’s protocols, residential housing rules, life skills for residents, etc.

Implements program goals and outcomes to support residents in our housing services.

Work appropriately with the Agency Clinical Director:
Attend clinical meetings with Housing staff.
Implement QI process as directed by Clinical Supervisor.

Coordinates purchasing requests and maintenance requests through the Supervisor.

Attend community and other program related meetings as required by supervisor.

Utilize computers and software programs to input, retrieve, verify and correct information. Prepare reports and correspondence for supervisor’s review and distribution to funding sources.

Community relationships and networking.

Chronically Homeless Housing:
Provides Intake for clients on housing and other needs within the continuum of care.
Coordinates with local housing authorities and providers to maintain and develop the program designed to increase the availability of low-cost housing.
Coordinates with other housing specialists, including King County, to share information, resources, and program development.
Provides intervention and mediation assistance as necessary to tenants and landlords. May include tenant advocacy or mediation between landlord and tenant or between tenants.

Other work related duties as assigned.

IRIS – Incumbent is expected to develop proficiency in maintaining accurate client records in IRIS, the client tracking software application used by programs throughout the Agency.

EMPLOYEE PLEDGE:
We will not tolerate attitudes, behaviors, or statements that alienate, offend, or injure any person associated with CCS because of their racial or ethnic origin. We will enable and support all efforts to become aware of and eliminate racism and racist behaviors within CCS and the broader community. We will take exceptional steps to identify and root out such biases, especially where there appear to be long standing, institutional patterns of unacceptable behavior or lack of performance.


QUALIFICATIONS:

MINIMUM:
BA Degree in social services or relevant field OR
4 years management experience, including direct supervision of staff.
2 years managing or direct experience with low income and/or transitional housing programs.
Experience with homeless families and/or individuals.
Current WA State Driver’s License & proof of current automobile insurance.
Excellent verbal, written and strong interpersonal skills.
Must be highly organized and able to make independent decisions.
Strong facilitation and team building skills.
Ability to counsel others to resolve disputes and mediates conflict.
Demonstrated commitment to the preservation of a workplace that embraces diversity and inclusivity.
Demonstrated ability to complete necessary documentation and instructions, following specific guidelines.

PREFERRED:
Working knowledge of Landlord/Tenant Act and familiarity with regional social service resources.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Contact HR Department at 1-888-240-8572. Webpage: www.ccsww.org

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Submit a cover letter and resume to the CCS HR Dept.:

E-MAIL: NWEJobs@ccsww.org
or
By Fax: FAX NUMBER: 425-257-2116
or mail to:
Catholic Community Services
Human Resources Office
Attention: Recruiting
1918 Everett Avenue
Everett, WA 98201

It is the policy of Catholic Community Services that no person shall be subjected to discrimination in this agency or its contractors because of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disabled veteran status, Vietnam Era Veteran status or disability.

CCSWW/NW IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

JOB INFORMATION:

We have a confidential opening with a GREAT DEALERSHIP for a QUICK LANE OIL CHANGE SERVICE ADVISOR position. This is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY to get into a DEALERSHIP atmosphere with great benefits, great working environment and great hours. The best candidates would be persons with JIFFY LUBE or GREASE MONKEY type experience. Pay range: $2,750 to $3,000 per month.
• MUST HAVE Jiffy Lube, Grease Monkey or Oil Can Henry’s customer service/ Asst. or Manager type history!!!
• Good sales skills
• Good customer service skills.
• Driver’s License with no DUI.
• Good work history.

Apply online at: www.carpeople.com or contact: Dave DeMontigny at: Dave@carpeople.com Phone: (800) 729-7572

CAR PEOPLE INFO:
• There is NO COST to you for placement. (Employer pays any fees)
• Everything is CONFIDENTIAL. (If currently employed, no risk)
• We have been helping qualified people in the automotive business for 24 years.
• Our goal is to make a GOOD FIT between employer and applicant.

* here are my final thoughts on Comic-Con International 2010. I could stew on these for days and potentially come up with something a bit better, but in the spirit of the late Harvey Pekar I'm going to get it down on paper and deal with the consequences then. * I think my lingering memory from Comic-Con International 2010 will be the cast of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World on stage to present the first three Eisner Awards. The tiny men and women of that talented movie ensemble -- let's be honest, Brandon Routh was the only one who appeared as if he could ride all the rides at Disney World -- could not have looked less like they wanted to be there. Routh and a few cast members most people in the audience never heard of did the actual card reading and envelope opening. The rest of the actors stood there with blank stares on their faces -- most memorably the well-placed-for-video Jason Schwartzman. The actors left quickly, no doubt to parties of the kind popular mainstream comics writers have in recent years complained to me the Eisners kept them from attending. Now, I don't think I would have thought about it again, but afterward and for the next couple of days, about a dozen total comics people that were in attendance groused in my direction that the more popular cast members (basically Schwartzman and Michael Cera) ceding card-reading duties to others when the Eisner audience wanted to see them and not the lesser-known cast members was somehow disrespectful. That's an idea that even if true carries its own potentially ugly baggage about the way people should behave towards comics, people that don't have the same investment as the person shooting resentment their way. So it wasn't a flattering encounter on either side, although I think it was a telling one. No one needs to be automatically happy that a group of film actors are taking a moment to support a creator whose work they've interpreted (and have a PR moment besides); no one needs to be automatically upset if in doing so that group of performers doesn't act the way one imagines they should. * CCI 2010 was a strange show. It was a pleasant one, with several surprises, but it was odd. I had a fantastic time, but I sense that others didn't, and that things are slipping in directions that may vastly reduce the value the show has for me and others like me. * personal experience and intuition is a tough pair of strategies with which to analyze Comic-Con. Let's face it: nothing says the show shouldn't change under my feet. I'd have to be an egomaniac to think that a gigantic pop-culture event would be best served catering to the whims and exhortations of a 41-year-old comics obsessive. One thing that has been made more real to me in 2010, the year of the convention, is that conventions generally and Comic-Con specifically operate according to that old cliché: several thousand different experiences, all of which generate their own legitimacy. There are people that go to Comic-Con that do nothing but work on their costumes, or play games, or track down non-comics illustration, or fill their sketchbooks, or look for boutique toys. It's hard not to be churlish in making suggestions that might hamper someone else's experiences for the sake of making more universal my own. * not that it's going to stop me. * so what was the source of the show's underlying, odd feel? I know that blanket pronouncements are a dime a dozen with these events, so I apologize for what's about to happen, but I have to say that it simply felt to me like the energy shifted to the movie end of things to the point it permeated the show experience even if one has no interest in movies. I say this as a guy whose last movie panel was 10 years ago when I stopped to tie my shoes in one, and as someone who reports almost solely on comics stuff when he's on site. For the first time at Comic-Con in 16 years, I felt surrounded by the film and television industries. I felt like I was attending the comics portion of their show. When I left for the day I felt like the film and television tracks had set the agenda. If I were to casually communicate to anyone who might ask via e-mail how I spent my day, I explained it to them in terms of pushing away from the other end of the exhibition hall rather than embracing the one I love. There are a lot of reasons that film and TV has become so dominant there. It's not just proportion. So many comics companies are movie companies now, first and foremost; others act that way for a long weekend; articles speak solely in cinematic terms. The shift might be best seen in the comics coverage in mainstream sources, both in the pity fuck nature of a lot of it and the fact that most of the comics stories end up being movie and television stories, too. Chew isn't a surprise publishing hit, it's a surprise publishing hit with a fast-track option. The Walking Dead isn't the series that's kept a lot of serial comics buying alive in comics shops and has made a superstar comics writer of Robert Kirkman, it's AMC's The Walking Dead. And so on. Film and television has become the medium through which we understand and communicate the cultural potency of things that aren't film and television, and that can't be healthy. * the tendency to think in terms of other media speaks to a recurring theme in many of my conversations with comics folk. A lot of people are worried about the comics industry's ongoing fade. I hear this even from those for whom comics is an industry that hasn't served them particularly well. One cartoonist told me that he wants more than anything in the world to be able to sell comics. Not an option on a comic. Not licensing based on a comic. He wants to sell enough comics to be able to make it an ongoing, respectable, self-sustaining concern. Another cartoonist put it even more strongly, saying that if you were using your comic to lead people to buy something else, you were selling that something else, not comics. He was sick of hearing from those who manage to sell t-shirts or prints based on a comic, or a movie option based on a comic's cinematic promise, extolling these admittedly very real achievements as if they were a direct reflection on the comic rather than the t-shirt itself or the value of the license. Now, I'm not sure that argument would hold if you examine it with the bug-eyed scowl of the Internet pseudo-lawyer, and I think there's always going to be some value in selling things near something you create that does reflect on the creation. I also imagine most people who find a mechanism to keep publishing simply don't care if it has two mostly divorced avenues. But you know what? I find making comics for the sake of selling comics a thrilling way to think. Whatever happened to a focus on being able to sell these things? Why have we given that up? Why in the midst of the greatest explosion of excellent comics the art form has ever seen have we been so quick to settle for modest returns and so desperate to look elsewhere for profit? * that being said, the biggest comics news story of the show in my opinion was not any one individual piece of book news or anything to do directly with movies but the rash of new publishing announcements, new imprints and new lines. I like and respect many of the people involved, but this is a totally ludicrous trend. The existing comics business infrastructure simply can't handle as many more books as seem planned, and the digital market is so woefully under-developed there's almost no chance for something to flower there as of yet. More than ever this is publishing towards a movie deal, towards one hit justifying the industry-weakening and life-unsettling chaff of 100 failures by those whose investment maybe isn't full time and heartfelt, towards plotting an additional and successive goal of a career in mainstream comics where then you can maybe make some money that in reality is one of the world's toughest games of musical chairs. It's madness, and because the infrastructure is skewed due to obsolete Distributor War agreements, these moves don't just have dire consequences in and of themselves but punish everyone, industry-wide. It needs to stop. * the floor of the show looked mostly the same to me, definitely so from about First Second all the way down to artist's alley. The biggest difference was right past the art comics publishers. There was no anchor area to send people. There was no Comic Relief at all. Bud Plant there at a reduced size from years past. I swear to God this is a true story: Someone walked up to me after the International Graphic Novels panel (Milo Manara, Moto Hagio, Emile Bravo, Stuart and Kathryn Immonen) and said they only had an hour left at the show -- was there one place they could go to buy the books talked about by the panelists, including their own? I had to direct them to a few publisher booths and hope they had time to find everything they wanted. Ugh. Until the digital world operates at a rate of sophistication where at the end of a panel moderators can direct people to a virtual place they can buy all of a panelist's books at a special price arranged for people at that panel, or when con-goers can sit at breakfast at Saturday morning and click a link whereby the books that interested them will be bundled and waiting on the floor, and I think barring economic setbacks that day or something like it will come, the con needs an anchor retailer or three. I hope they will consider finding one and make convincing them to exhibit a priority through any and all of the soft-influence means available to them. If that's not viable, maybe they would grant a temporary license to someone to do a only-exists-at-the-con store with all of the guests' books in it and all the Eisner nominees. * the crowd never got as bad on the comics end of things as in past year, but people were buying stuff, at least according to my slightly-over-double-digits sample survey and what I've read since the show ended from people like Chuck Rozanski. The comics dealers to whom I spoke seemed a lot less worked up than in years past; there was much less of that feeling where you felt the dealers were hustling to maximize their profits in a way that makes you tense when you're shopping at those booths. I know a couple of people who bought comics early in the convention for what seemed like Sunday prices. One reported that the retailers seemed a lot more flexible in taking a counter-offer than in years past. I love having the convention experience of buying comics, so I hope that this represents a bounce-back year and the various exhibitors with old comics to sell have figured out a strategy to make that work on their behalf. * on the other hand, three different people I know who buy original, older art complained in almost the exact same words that that particular market is a little overpriced right now. If you ever wanted to buy a Ditko or a Kirby or a Wood, you've hopefully already made this purchase. A couple of folks selling more modern comics art -- like classy Peter Birkemoe at The Beguiling -- reported decent although nowhere near record-breaking business from both new customers and yearly patrons (that may have changed given the floor hours since I asked them that question). I'm sure individual experience varied. I also heard that enough retailers were on hand to buy up remaining stock from a number of publishers who didn't wish to ship a lot of books home, which is always a worry considering how that element of convention business has changed since the days one or two gentlemen would seep through the publishers like someone on the grocery store game show where you keep dumping items into your cart. * so in other words, between this and the daily reports a mostly positive image of sales floats to the surface: several book sell-outs, several almost book sell-outs, and so on. That's a good sign. As much as Comic-Con has changed in the last few years in a way that makes the marketing end of it difficult to gauge, companies still understand a bottom line, and as long as the trip is even slightly profitable, I can't imagine wholesale bailing out. * I do feel there is definitely some tentativeness in how the marketing end of it works. I think the broader marketing implications of Comic-Con are easy to figure out and are very real, no matter how hard to measure. I strongly suspect it's good to have a presence at a big show if you can afford it, that it's a further good for relationships with certain talent, and that's it's even an overall positive to have cartoonists representing themselves on panels and meeting press and meeting other cartoonists. I had several people tell me they were reconsidering a cartoonist or making it a bigger point to check out their work after seeing them on a panel or running into them during a signing. Vanessa Davis was someone people kept asking me about, for instance. I don't think a lot of traditional comics fans followed the Tablet comics as closely as they might have a print work. But if you think about it for a second, who wouldn't want to at least try a Gene Yang comic after meeting Gene Yang? That guy's nicer than your memories of your kindergarten teacher. Who wouldn't treat a reading of Carol Tyler's latest with a sense of discovery and respect after hearing her talk in passionate, forthright and funny fashion? Who wouldn't want to pick up Iron Man or Casanova at least once after seeing Matt Fraction play a filthier-mouthed, comics-centric Spalding Gray? * Fraction's performance piece -- apparently he also did in the same club where Snoop Dogg performed a day later, which is sort of nuts -- reminds me that one thing that was a positive at this show is that we've finally reached a saturation point where more people do something with visuals at their panels than don't. That's not to say that old-school panels can't be great -- Peter Bagge being interviewed by Jason T. Miles was as fun a panel as I saw all weekend, and I always enjoy when Pete swoops down from the Pacific Northwest to remind everyone he's one of the funniest men in comics -- but I think if you're going to have programming take place in the context of the tremendous leeway afforded other industries' panels where you get to routinely lock eyes with beautiful people, it's worth trying things like Seth's oft-performed visual essays from 2009 or Carol Tyler inviting people out on the balcony to talk after her panel or Craig Yoe's post-panel "tea party" or Fraction's performance piece or even the well-honed insult-throwing of the panelists sitting on the Best Of/Worst Of manga hour. I know after WonderCon I personally never want to see dudes in turned-around baseball caps going straight to audience questions ever again. Some people enjoy that kind of thing, of course, but I think panels can be more than a few publishing announcements and the audience being tolerated for the other 47 minutes. Social media is going to drive changes to a lot of panels as that reaches its own saturation point the next few years, but creative solutions between now and then have to be welcome. Comics is the best art form and should have the best panels. * back to the floor. As far as the big display areas, Marvel's booth was one people talked about a bit. It featured the forthcoming Thor movie's throne of Odin. I guess this was the actual throne from the film set. If you measure booths solely on memorable visual impact, that one was a hit. I didn't know what the hell it was until almost 12 hours after I saw it, but I sure remembered the damn thing. At the same time, there was something slightly sad about it: the reduction of a culturally significant publishing movement into a novelty photo opportunity on the Atlantic City boardwalk. I think people liked it because it was big and gaudy and if you were so inclined you could indulge in the look-at-me self-regard of getting your photo taken on a hit convention set piece. But was it a Comic-Con booth for the ages? No. It doesn't even connect to anything significant from the comics. No one to my knowledge has ever looked back on their childhood and thought, "When I was a kid I dreamed of sitting on Odin's throne" and no kid without serious issues is going to think that leaving next year's movie. I'm leaning towards "it was stupid," even by the relative standards of an event that once offered "half-naked woman under glass." I look forward to DC's giant Sit-Behind Perry White Desk in 2011 and Archie's giant Stand-Behind Pop's Soda Shop counter in 2012. * by the way, the only thing that keeps me alive when walking to the eastern end of the hall -- the non-comics end, or, as I heard it called, "the popular end" -- is the paralyzing tension between wanting to kill myself and not wanting to die until I kill everyone else in the room first. It can't be helped in the main. That's where the more popular booths are. Spreading out those booths would likely be a disaster on a lot of levels. In the end, there's just no way to screen guests in terms of what they're going to the convention to see. You know what would be nice, though? If the con forbade the use of video screens when the booth doesn't have a space within its borders to watch that screen. Any company that decides to extend its display space into where I have to walk, that's a company I want to see fail. * speaking of companies I've wanted to see fail, CrossGen is apparently making a comeback. Some of the Disney-owned comics will see new publishing life at their funnybook division, aka the House That Jack Built. This was not the biggest announcement of the show, but it was sort of the funniest. Everything I've said about the cramming of more stuff into a comics market that's already over-saturated with product applies here. Still, I guess that's what's to be expected in this day of corporate synergy. Some days you see a flood of comics people being offered jobs in animation, which is great for those creators. Some days you get more Sigil. Also what struck me is that this counted as an announcement. Is it my imagination, or have the publishing announcements made by the Big Two since they made their big ownership and operation moves a while back been really lame? I don't know that I could pick a single maneuver by either company that seems like an exciting, brand-new direction that couldn't have happened under either old regime. * a surprising amount of industry chatter within my limited range about the big companies. There's still worry expressed that the move to digital is going to discombobulate how people are paid to make comics, that a lower price point may gut page rates. There was a lot of talk about various big comics companies questioning their commitment to comics shows like CCI. This is something that came up at 2 AM one morning, but isn't the big worry if DC moves to Burbank that the company will start filling up with horrible Hollywood people, socially adept ladder-climbers with an eye on getting into or back into the film side of things and even less of a feel for publishing than the worst of the current crew? * I don't know if I've mentioned this already, but the best theory I heard about the popularity of big bags is that they play into the desire by many con-goers to embrace the infantile. Being an adult and holding a giant bag is akin to being a child and holding a regular-sized bag: the Lily Tomlin school of embracing one's youth. Given the number of folks well over 40 that looked like they were dressed for recess -- I'm an unkempt slob, but I do manage to wear long pants away from water -- there may be something there. * let's talk a bit about San Diego the city. First, I want to repeat my statement made during the show that I both appreciate the people of San Diego and the businesses that benefit from Comic-Con putting a best foot forward in order to maybe help keep the show and I also feel terribly, terribly sorry that it's come to that. I have something just short of withering contempt that such a significant portion of the comics community has such a self-confidence problem -- or a just plain mean problem -- that they're somehow delighting in this display of concern over future lost income on the behalf of local businesses. Seriously, does anyone who goes to a Pharma conference get pissy on their blogs for weeks afterwards if they feel the local service staff didn't show enough interest in off-site validation service trends or whatever? I still feel that San Diego hospitality workers are collectively a much better host than Comic-Con attendees are guests. One morning during breakfast I watched two groups of con-goers storm the buffet from which I was eating and inspect it closely, and, well, loudly, in terms of its suitability as a place for them to spend their money. They were acting in a way that should have been left behind in middle-school, just completely unsocialized and rude. Two different groups in the space of 20 minutes. If San Diego does lose the show, there's certainly going to be a lot of anecdotal Pepto-Bismol to soothe the economic sock in the gut. * maybe I was just looking in the wrong places, but it seemed like there were a lot more homeless closer to the hotels than I've seen in ten years, and lot of storefronts abandoned that were filled just a year or two ago. There were also no cranes in the skyline as was the case five years ago when the city looked like the final wide shot of War Of The Worlds. All of this indicates to me that San Diego is on the 1:00 or 1:30 hand in relation to the high noon of urban renewal they've seen in the last 15 years. Just an observation, don't know if it's true. * that said, I'm still astonished that con-goers treat 7th avenue like some sort of invisible force field. San Diego has developed a section of downtown that seems to repel convention-goers. I ate in two restaurants a bit east of the main Gaslamp action, both of which had walk-in and sit tables available at 8 PM, neither of which had entrees over $12, and neither of which had another table with what seemed like con-goers sitting at it. The mind boggles, especially when the third longest line I saw the entire weekend was at Richard Walker's Pancake House. Every morning when I walked down seventh and then over to sixth and then finally to fifth I saw multiple parking lots with plenty of places open at 9:30 to 10:00 AM. One parking lot on Sunday at 9:30 AM, located half the distance from the show my old and not very healthy self was walking, had one car in it. It seems to me that downtown San Diego can more than handle the outlying hotels and day-visit parking, and deal with the Comic-Con nighttime crowd, if people will just spread themselves out a bit. * it may be that I'm just getting old and I'm taking extra delight in being able to sit down, but it seems like the last couple of years the programming has been consistently strong, and stuffed to the brim with watchable events. You can read about the panels I attended in the daily reports. I concluded this was an abundance of riches when I realized that on Saturday, you could spend three hours in the same chair and see talks with Jillian Tamaki, Peter Bagge, and Gabrielle Bell in rapid-fire fashion. That's a good day all by itself. I must have attended parts of 20 panels, no kidding, and I could create a full, awesome day out of ones I missed: Matt Fraction's Sunday spotlight with Bill Hader and his aforementioned performance piece, Keith Knight's spotlight panel, the comic strip reprint panel, the comics publishing panel, the comics criticism panel, the Milo Manara spotlight, the Jack Kirby panel, the ComicsPRO meet-and-greet, this year's Quick Draw with Bil Stout and the Scott McCloud moderated talk with James Sturm about the Center for Cartoon Studies. And that's working from memory. * one thing that struck me in the panels is how serious so many of the panelists were about making art. Not glum-serious, but lack-of-bullshit, this-is-important-to-me serious. It was a good year for panelists across the comics spectrum that chewed on the questions asked and came up with honest answers. I've seen so many glib and smarmy panels over the years that the earnestness in the air at CCI 2010 was a more than welcome change. There was only one panel I saw that felt contrived and desultory to me, where the participants came across as if they saw the programming schedule and were like, "Ugh. A panel. Well, if I have to." It stuck out like a sore thumb. * another thought about the convention: one thing I wish attendees and professionals would abandon is automatically blaming the con for things that are clearly the result of their mandate running wild. That's not to say the buck doesn't stop wherever their offices are, but I think there could be some sympathy for simply expanding what you do if people are interested. We're all victims in some way or another of this rapid growth in attendance and attention. I think it's best to keep in mind that the surge is a relatively recent and sudden phenomenon. There's going to be some scrambling. Every year brings with it a new group of solutions and a new set of problems. The shelf date on new ways of conducting business can be extremely limited. For instance, a press thing: a couple of years ago when companies started having events and PR opportunities off-site at hotels, this seemed like the greatest idea in the world to me and my small circle of Fourth Estate pals. You get to take a break from the main show and go to a place where the people you want to learn about have your full attention at the same time they have yours! And yet this year I know a number of my press buddies when asked to trudge off site treated it like an invitation to throw that whole day right in the toilet. There are so many small events to attend and small deadlines to hit that taking the time to go to the W or wherever for a single interview struck many as crazy. The point is, everyone is still adjusting. I know I am. * by the way, James Sturm pointed this out to me and he's right. Is there any more amusing guest of Comic-Con than King Features' Brendan Burford? He's one of the ten most powerful guys in comics, one of maybe five guys in North America whose interest in you can all by itself make your career. There are people who would climb over their mothers to have five minutes of his time. Plus he's super-nice and smart and funny. But instead of being mobbed or constantly hassled, Burford wanders around the show chatting to people that he knows, picking up a couple of books here and there, seeming to all assembled like another young-looking comics fan with a bemused, tired half-smile on his face. He's like the Don Rosa of comics executives. It's hilarious. * other than Berke Breathed being convinced that a lot of people adored Bloom County -- he told me that his spotlight panel's crowd was the easiest and most receptive audience he ever had; plus it was standing-room only -- I couldn't really track any strip news beyond Burford saying that Dustin continues to pick up paper and five or six people asking me if I've seen the new Jay Stephens-drawn, Bob Weber Jr.-written strip Oh, Brother. The traffic at the NCS table seemed pretty light, although maybe I stopped by during lean times. * to take this back to comics, I thought there were a number of intriguing publishing announcements. As much as I'm depressed by the piling on of publishing initiatives to the relative detriment of distribution and sales issues, and as much as the movie-centric focus of so many comics announcements further sends me to bed early to have a good cry, there was good news for those of us that just want awesome comics to read. Fantagraphics winning the Floyd Gottfredson stakes is great news for a lot of reasons, but mostly because when Gottfredson was in his adventure-comics prime that strip killed it for weeks and weeks at a time. Both D+Q announcements they released here I think are promising: I've wanted to see more of that Mimi Pond work for a while now, and Shikeru Mizuki making it to North American shores is, as Chris Butcher points out, huge news. Top Shelf has this near-army of of quality books coming out. Marvel continues employing its deep writers' bench in a variety of ways. Fantagraphics isn't denying they may tackle Franquin after having some success with Jacques Tardi. Abrams is going to do that Someday Funnies book Bob Levin wrote about in the Journal, and is hanging in there with the Carter Family book. It looks like a lot of compelling work to come. * one thing that may not be public knowledge and that I think is really telling about Comic-Con is that Fantagraphics was thinking about not announcing the Gottfredson books for fear of being lost in an assumed wave of publishing news at the show. Instead of being lost, the Mickey Mouse series was one of the showpiece news items, the kind about which you read supplementary interviews and post-acquisition analysis. It just goes to show you that everyone is still feeling out the way the show works best. * I'm sure there are other, small memories I'll want to put in this paragraph. Sam Gross of all people came up three times in three different conversations over the weekend. It's not like I minded. I love Sam Gross. I Am Blind And My Dog Is Dead may be one of the greatest collection titles ever. I had two different conversations about there still not being a definitive Trots And Bonnie collection. During one of them a pair of young, talented cartoonists admitted they'd never heard of Shary Flenniken. Someone fix that, please. This was the year I started to be grateful just seeing guys near my own age still working in comics in some capacity. I checked off everyone on my See Them At CCI bingo sheet except Moritat and Paul Sloboda. That said, there was a frightening number I didn't see at all, and others I lost track of halfway through the show like they weren't ever there in the first place. Emile Bravo was gracious, funny, and a fascinating guy to watch hold court. I suspect that of the major international guests Bravo came closest to surviving the convention rather than enjoying it, but he's a total pro. CCI 2010 was the kind of show where a new Kevin Huizenga book is out and it doesn't get mentioned until 5000 words in. Having to take books on the airplane and being forced to pay for a second piece of luggage or an overweight/overstuffed first piece changed more buying habits than I think anyone would care to admit. * so enough with the con. Bring on the post-con announcements: DC in Burbank, CCI's location starting in 2013, CR's studio move. It should be an intriguing August. * my personal thanks to all those (including one person in particular) who were so nice and supportive -- a special shout-out to Team CA for being so gracious on Friday night -- and a thank you to my brother Whit for taking most of these photos and a ton of others, besides. The best encounters of the weekend were hearing from smart-seeming people that read and appreciate the site and wanted to tell me so. Thank you. You don't know what an encouragement that kind of thing can be. * oh, yeah: a guy got stabbed in the face with a pen, too. And in the end, it wasn't all that big of a story. I told you it was an odd year. ***** photos by Whit and Tom Spurgeon ***** any additional thoughts on the show will be published in this site's "Four-Color Festival" column ***** ***** *****

The Hartman Group, a local consumer insights firm, is holding interviews in August. We are interested in speaking with people in the Snohomish County and South King/ Pierce County areas. We are looking to talk with area shoppers about shopping habits. If you are the primary shopper for your household, and may be interested in participating in our research, please respond with the following information.

1. Full Name

2. Age

3. Phone Number

4. Zip Code

5. Where do you shop for household/ personal care products? Please list all stores visited at least once per month.

6. For which, if any, of the following issues do your purchase products?

a. Digestive Issues
b. Head Pain
c. Body Pain
d. Diabetes
e. Heart Health
f. Weight Management
g. Allergies
h. Skin Isssues
i. Insomnia
j. Feminine Hygiene

7. What was the last creative endeavor you executed? Tell me about it!

If you know anyone else who may be interested in participating in these interviews, please feel free to forward this posting on to them!

Thank you for your interest!

We are a well-established mid-sized firm in an excellent downtown location, and an experienced set of attorneys and staff. We are looking to expand our personal injury department with an attorney who has at least four years of litigation experience, with an emphasis on personal injury and/or employment matters. Please forward a cover letter and resume to the attention of Hiring Partner. Thank you!

King County prosecutors have filed identity-theft charges against a fast- food worker and two alleged accomplices on allegations that she used a "skimmer" to steal credit card information.

Tacoma area Towing & Transport Company looking for an "Experienced" Heavy Duty Tow Truck Operator. Applicant MUST have "Heavy Towing & Recovery" experience. This is not an entry level position. We are looking for a loyal, hard working person with a positive attitude that works well under pressure who is seeking long term employment. Candidates must be able to pass Drug Test & Criminal Background Check. Checks must be clear or employment will be terminated or disqualified as candidate.

• Must have current WA State CDL Driver’s License ( Class “A” Endorsement w/Hazmat )
• Candidate should be able to multi- task in a fast paced environment.
• Must have good interpersonal and customer service skills
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• Must be able to work any shift.
• Must be able to lift 65lbs. (No Physical Restrictions)
• Must be able to retain information and have good attention to detail.
• Must have knowledge of Pierce & King County Streets.
• Reading/Writing/Speaking English clearly is a must.

Benefits include:

• Paid Uniforms
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Vacation
• Medical, Dental, & Vision


PLEASE SERIOUS APPLICANTS ONLY!

Job Title: Community Literacy Coordinator for Literacy Source (http://www.literacysource.org/)
Duration: August 2010– December 2010 (longer, contingent on renewed funding)
Hours: 20 hours/week (evenings required)
Wage: $17.00 - $12.00/hour DOE
Reports to: Cat Howell, Instructional Advisor
The Community Literacy Coordinator manages Literacy Source’s off-site instructional services in South King County.
Literacy Source is an innovative, community based organization which annually involves over 200 volunteers and 450
students engaged in a variety of educational activities.
Responsibilities:
Manage the Community Literacy classes in South King County (Tukwila and SeaTac):
• Teach classes (ESL, Family Talk Time, etc.). Create appropriate lesson plans and maintain classroom attendance
records.
• Conduct outreach for classes and programs and build relationships with community partners and funders.
• Conduct student intakes, provide educational case management, and maintain individual student records and
ongoing assessment of all students.
• Recruit, train, supervise, and support volunteer and paid instructors, as needed. Conduct and/or contribute to
performance reviews for staff instructors that you supervise, as appropriate
• Report monthly attendance and student progress and track volunteer hours. Ensure accurate tracking and reporting of
student and volunteer records through regular monitoring of data quality
• Complete quarterly grant reports, prepare funding proposals, and seek in-kind donations for instructional services.
Maintain records, documentation, database and billing reports in accordance with contract requirements.
• Develop, implement and evaluate program policies, procedures and standards; ensure adherence to governing
standards for program quality; and facilitate long-term instructional program planning and goal setting as a member of
the Instructional Management team.
• Perform other related tasks as requested by supervisor.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Experience teaching ESL in a multilevel classroom setting.
• Knowledge of issues affecting refugees and immigrants.
• Experience serving low-income, low-level ESL and basic skills adults who face multiple challenges.
• Flexibility, enthusiasm, and appreciation for working with diverse groups.
• Access to reliable transportation.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including evenings or weekends.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize competing demands.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and demonstrated competence in interpersonal relationships.
• Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
Desired Qualifications:
• Masters degree in TESOL, Adult Basic Education or related field.
• Experience with curriculum development tailored to specific student groups.
• Experience with the Washington State Learning Standards and CASAS appraisal system.
• Ability to utilize statistics as a tool for highlighting student and program achievements.
• Grant writing and fund development experience.
• Bilingual/bicultural.
How to Apply:
Submit a cover letter and resume to: cath@literacysource.org by August 6, 2010
Literacy Source does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, age, color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender
identity, political ideology, ancestry, national origin, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical handicap, unless based upon
a bona fide occupational qualification during the hiring of staff or the appointment of Board members.

The King County Sheriff's Office is looking for man suspected of raping a woman earlier this week, then making her drive to an ATM to withdraw money and then stealing her car.

King County wants another two-tenths of a cent, for criminal justice. The sales tax, which began in 1935 at 2 percent, is now 9.5 percent in Seattle.

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), established in 1991, is a regional planning agency with a mission to enhance the quality of life in the central Puget Sound region. The Puget Sound Regional Council develops policies and coordinates decisions about regional growth, transportation and economic development planning in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. The Council is composed of over 80 county, city, port, transit, tribal and state agencies. For more information, visit www.psrc.org. PSRC is an equal opportunity employer.

The position:
This fall, the PSRC will be updating the downtown Seattle and Bellevue parking inventories as well as surveying downtown Everett, Tacoma, Bremerton, the University District and the ferry terminals in Kitsap County.
The PSRC is seeking six temporary part-time Interns for 15-25 hours per week to conduct parking inventories and data collection. The work involves locating off-street parking facilities, counting spaces and cars, recording posted parking rates and other parking attributes and computer data entry.

Timeline:
The start date for all interns will be Monday, September 13, 2010. Fieldwork will be conducted Monday through Thursday, with some office work on Fridays. Working hours for the fieldwork can be:

• 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with 1 ½ hour unpaid lunch,
• 8:30 a.m. to 11:30, or
• 1:00 to 4 p.m.

We prefer people who can work 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to maintain consistency in a.m. and p.m. counts for the same parking facility, however, you need not be available all five days of the week. It is anticipated the positions will end in early December 2010.

To qualify:
• Must be responsible and reliable.
• Must make a commitment to a minimum of 15-25 hours per week.
• Must be able to navigate parking lots and parking garages outdoors for several hours at a time.
• Must be able to handle a variety of outdoor weather conditions.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• Must have experience with Microsoft Excel.
• Experience using Microsoft Access and ArcGIS 9x is preferred, but not required.
• Course work in geography, urban planning, transportation, or related fields is preferred but not required.
• Phone skills a plus for obtaining information from parking operators.

To apply:
• For application materials, visit http://www.psrc.org/about/careers, call 206-464-6175, or contact us using the email, fax, or address below. All materials must be received by 5:00pm on Friday, August 20, 2010.
• All applicants must submit three items by the closing date for their materials to be considered complete: (1) cover letter, (2) resume, and (3) completed PSRC Application Form. The voluntary, confidential Equal Employment Opportunity form is appreciated for applicant tracking purposes.
• Completed materials should be faxed to 206-587-4825, emailed to hrdept@psrc.org, or mailed to: Puget Sound Regional Council, Attn: HR, 1011 Western Ave Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98104
• For questions on the receipt or status of your materials, contact Thu Le at 206-464-6175 or hrdept@psrc.org. For questions on the position, contact Peter Caballero at 206-587-4818 or pcaballero@psrc.org.

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), established in 1991, is a regional planning agency with a mission to enhance the quality of life in the central Puget Sound region. PSRC is an association of cities, towns, counties, ports, and state agencies that serves as a forum for developing policies and making decisions about regional growth, economic, and transportation issues in the four-county, central Puget Sound region. It is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the region, and the Regional Transportation Planning Organization under Washington State law. For more information, visit www.psrc.org. PSRC is an equal opportunity employer.

The position:
This fall, the PSRC will be collecting bike and pedestrian counts across the four county region which includes King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. The PSRC is seeking fifteen to eighteen temporary part-time Interns for 20-25 hours per week to collect bike and pedestrian counts along major roadways and trails. This work involves travelling to the selected locations and counting the passing bike and pedestrian travelers. In addition, the work could include some post processing of the data.

Timeline:
The start date for all Interns will be Monday, September 27, 2010. Fieldwork will be conducted Tuesday through Thursday, with some potential office work on Fridays. Working hours for the fieldwork will be:

• 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. shifts, with a break from 9:30 to 2:30. Depending on the location, the a.m. and p.m. shifts may be split between separate Interns.
• Some office work between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. may be required.

It is anticipated the positions will end in late October.

To qualify:
• Must be responsible and reliable.
• Must make a commitment to a minimum of 20-25 hours per week.
• Must be able to stand for a three hour period and travel by bike, bus, car, train and/or walk to the various count location sites.
• Must be able to handle a variety of outdoor weather conditions.
• Must have experience with Microsoft Excel.
• Experience using Microsoft Access and ArcGIS 9x is preferred, but not required.
• Course work in geography, urban planning, transportation, or related fields is preferred but not required.

To apply:
• For application materials, visit http://www.psrc.org/about/careers, call 206-464-6175, or contact us using email, fax, or address below. All materials must be received by 5:00 pm Friday, August 20, 2010.
• All applicants must submit three items by the closing date for their materials to be considered complete: (1) cover letter, (2) resume, and (3) completed PSRC Application Form. The voluntary, confidential Equal Employment Opportunity form is appreciated for applicant tracking purposes.
• Completed materials should be faxed to 206-587-4825, emailed to hrdept@psrc.org, or mailed to: Puget Sound Regional Council, Attn: HR, 1011 Western Ave Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98104.
• For questions on the receipt or status of your materials, contact Thu Le at 206-464-6175 or hrdept@psrc.org. For questions on the position, contact Kimberly Scrivner at 206-971-3281 or kscrivner@psrc.org.

Denny Bullock
Phone: 206-999-1980
Email: DennyBullock@pnwrealty.com
Learn more at www.DennyBullock.com
Office Location: 25230 104th Ave SE Kent, WA 98030 See the map and get directions.
Call me today to learn more, or if you would like to stop in to one of our career night events to learn more click here to see when the next event is.

If you see this guy getting out of a limo at a Starbucks, give the Johnson County Sheriff's Office a jingle. His name is Richard Wayne King Jr. and he's on the run for writing bad checks.Despit...

(Photo by Cliff DesPeaux) If you drive the Alaskan Way Viaduct or its parallel surface street – or if you ride the King County Water Taxi – you might have noticed this already today, or else you’ll see it on the way home: Crews have begun to demolish Pier 48 on the downtown waterfront, just south [...]

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office is trying to find Richard Wayne King Jr., who's wanted on a bad-check charge from 2008. He's described as being "flashy" because he regularly uses limousines. King, who says he owns a construction business, tends...

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Just a few blocks from Martin Luther King Blvd. but seven miles from downtown, the Denver County Sheriff's Dept.