In the June 28th edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, columnist Joel Connelly talked about health coverage for children as part of his assessment of Governor Chris Gregoire. affiliate showcase ncluded was a reference to the Children's Alliance Voices for Children Luncheon . Gregoire was greeted like a conquering hero when she recently gave the keynote address at the Voices of Children Awards luncheon, sponsored by the Children's Alliance. Of health care to children of illegals, she declared: "Being born in the U.S.A. means they are United States citizens. Period!" Read full column here.

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The following shows some of the decisions the Canadian government is facing as sea otter numbers recover off the coast of British Columbia. The article skips around a lot, so I've moved a few paragraphs to try to give it some sort of order. Sea otters once inhabited the Pacific Rim from Japan to Baja, Calif. They might have numbered 150,000 to 300,000 throughout their range before the commercial fur trade. Fewer than 2,000 remained in 1911, when the sea otter was protected internationally. Today, sea otters have bounced back to 150,000 in the Pacific Rim, occupying about half their historic range. ... The sea otter, well known for its dense fur and for floating on its back with its feet poking out of the water, disappeared from B.C. waters for decades due to excess commercial hunting in the 18th and 19th centuries. But between 1969 and 1972, 89 Alaskan sea otters were reintroduced along the west coast of Vancouver Island. Those sea otters multiplied in that area, due to rocks share files ich in shellfish. B.C. now has about 3,200 sea otters, with 2,600 off Vancouver Island and another 600 near the Goose Islands (the outer coastal waters near Bella Bella). Canada declared the sea otter endangered in 1978, and reclassified it as threatened in 1996. The population estimates above don't count the sea otters around Prince of Whales Island in neighboring Alaska...some of those otters frequent Canadian waters.

When I first started posting the comely mugshots of selected arrestees from Des Moines' Polk County Jail (h/t State 29 ), I had no idea so many readers shared my fascination with caged pulchritude. To commemorate the anniversary of this popular feature, I think it's finally time to select the official Hawkeye Hoosegow Honey of the Year. But make no mistake: this will not be a beauty-only pageant. It is important that the winner be well-rounded, and that is why I have added a talent portion to the program. In addition to the raw votes she receives from readers, each candidate will receive 1 bonus point for every $100 in bond set by her assigned magistrate. So please review the cavalcade of incarcerated corn country cuties, and vote for the one that sets your heart a-twitter. If you'd like more information on the candidates, Google "Hoosegow Honey" or simply rifle through the archives. Voting closes Friday July 7. Good luck, and may the best gal win! Left-Right, Top-Bottom: #1 Michelle, #2 Jesika, #3 Brandi, #4 Erica, #5 Jessica, #6 Ashley A, #7 Carmen, #8 Ashley B, #9 Becki, #10 Robin, #11 Tammi, #12 Rebecca, #13 April, #14 Megan, #15 Lacey hobby

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Where do games begin? In the anarchy of paidia, we play without rules and without limits. It is amusing, creative and chaotic, but it is also short lived, as when the natural play of a toy becomes formalised, it becomes a game. Children find paidia in every corner of their lives, while adults may struggle to ever make it back to a place where they will permit themselves the freedom to play. But if we can construct games that harness paidia, we might become able to make games for a wider audience than we ever thought possible. In 1958, the eclectic intellectual Roger Caillois identified four patterns of play - Agon (competition), Alea (chance), Mimicry (simulation), and Ilinx (vertigo). Caillois was aware that these patterns did not cover the entire spectrum of play, free full version ut was working towards a sociological model, relating these games to the way societies are organised. Caillois' model for play also includes an axis of distinction, between the formal, rule-focused state of ludus and the anarchic state of spontaneous play he refers to as paidia. He describes paidia as follows: [Games] can also be placed on a continuum between two opposite poles. At one extreme an almost indivisible principle, common to diversion, turbulence, free improvisation, and carefree gaiety is dominant. It manifests a kind of uncontrollable fantasy that can be designated by the term paidia.

When I first started posting the comely mugshots of selected arrestees from Des Moines' Polk County Jail (h/t State 29 ), I had no idea so many readers shared my fascination with caged pulchritude. To commemorate the anniversary of this popular feature, I think it's finally time to select the official Hawkeye Hoosegow Honey of the Year. But make no mistake: this will not be a beauty-only pageant. It is important that the winner be well-rounded, and that is why I have added a talent portion to the program. In addition to the raw votes she receives from readers, each candidate will receive 1 bonus point for every $100 in bond set by her assigned magistrate. So please review the cavalcade of incarcerated corn country cuties, and vote for the one that sets your heart a-twitter. If you'd like more information on the candidates, Google "Hoosegow Honey" or simply rifle through the archives. Voting closes Friday July 7. Good luck, and may the best gal win! Left-Right, professor email op-Bottom: #1 Michelle, #2 Jesika, #3 Brandi, #4 Erica, #5 Jessica, #6 Ashley A, #7 Carmen, #8 Ashley B, #9 Becki, #10 Robin, #11 Tammi, #12 Rebecca, #13 April, #14 Megan, #15 Lacey

The natural rate of unemployment varies through time with structural change, demographic change, and so on. This report released today on existing home sales and recent reports on inventories are a reminder that a similar concept exists for homes and machinery. The vacancy rate in housing is similar to the unemployment rate in labor markets. Why isn't 0% unemployment for labor optimal? Some unemployment is optimal because it allows people to change jobs and allows new entrants to enter the labor market without a "double coincidence of wants." Without vacancies, to change jobs you would need to find someone who has the job you want and wants the job you have, and then trade. Those entering the labor market would have to find someone who is leaving the labor market and has an acceptable job, and they in turn must be acceptable to the employer. The matching costs are high with such an arrangement. With some unemployment, costs fall since finding an offsetting match is unnecessary. Housing is no different. Without vacancies, to move from New York to Los Angeles would require finding someone moving in the other direction who has a house you are willing skin care review o buy and is also willing to buy your house, a difficult task (rentals would be similar). But with vacancies, the task is much easier. But what should the optimal vacancy rate be and what causes it to change? If the actual vacancy rate is below the natural rate, prices should rise.

Where do games begin? In the anarchy of paidia, we play without rules and without limits. It is amusing, creative and chaotic, but it is also short lived, as when the natural play of a toy becomes formalised, it becomes a game. Children find paidia in every corner of their lives, while adults may struggle to ever make it back to a place where they will permit themselves the freedom to play. But if we can construct games that harness paidia, we might become able to make games for a wider audience than we ever thought possible. In 1958, the eclectic intellectual Roger Caillois identified four patterns of play - Agon (competition), Alea (chance), Mimicry (simulation), and Ilinx (vertigo). Caillois was aware that these patterns did not cover the entire spectrum of play, but was working towards a sociological model, relating these games to the way societies are organised. Caillois' model for play also includes an axis of distinction, between the formal, rule-focused state of ludus and the anarchic state of spontaneous play he refers to as paidia. He describes paidia as follows: [Games] can also be placed on a continuum between two opposite poles. At one extreme an almost indivisible principle, common to diversion, turbulence, free improvisation, best interest savings accounts nd carefree gaiety is dominant. It manifests a kind of uncontrollable fantasy that can be designated by the term paidia.