CHINESE LABOR STRUGGLES REMIND US OF OUR OWN LABOR HISTORY

CHINESE LABOR STRUGGLES REMIND US OF OUR OWN LABOR HISTORY

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Johann Hari wrote a compelling post on work conditions in China earlier this month. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/and-the-most-inspiring-go_b_672993.html. His report includes such facts as the estimate that as many as 600,000 people are killed as a result of their work or work conditions in China each year. He describes the typical working situation as giant factory-cities from which the people rarely leave. Work hours average from 7:45 am to 11:00 pm. They are required to buy from the company canteen. At the same…

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GREETINGS FROM THE ISLAND OF KAUAI, HAWAII

GREETINGS FROM THE ISLAND OF KAUAI, HAWAII

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Lita and I are in Hawaii.  We flew to Honolulu a couple of days ago and then flew on to Kauai to attend the annual Inner Circle of Advocates convention. The weather on Saturday, when we arrived, was nice but on the muggy side. Our hotel is the St Regis at Princeville. The location is beautiful with a large bay and we look across to the green and uninhabited other side. The drive was 45 minutes from the airport. We learned…

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BETTY BARNETT’S POETRY

BETTY BARNETT’S POETRY

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My mother in law, Betty Barnett loved poetry. I have a wonderful, old poetry book with her name written in the front that she must have given her daughter Lita. My wife  Lita re-intoduced me to enjoying poetry which I frequently read. I have any number of poetry books, but last night I was reading the book that beloged to Betty. Inside were some poems in her hand writing. This is one of them. Whether she wrote it or not I have…

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A STORY WITH A LESSON

A STORY WITH A LESSON

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I was reading that President Franklin D. Roosevelt used to tell this story often when disputes arose in his administration: Two Chinese coolies were arguing. The were loud and very angry in their dispute on a busy street. After watching them for awhile, a tourist said to the tour guide he was surprised no blows had been delivered given the intensity of their dispute. The guide replied: "That's because he who strikes the first blow is admitting that he has…

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JIM THORPE – THE ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY

JIM THORPE – THE ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY

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I suspect very few young people of today have ever heard Jim Thorpe who died in 1953. Thorpe, whose real name was Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe, was regarded as the athlete of the century and the greatest American football player of his time. He was the most famous American athlete of his time and was selected by the nation’s press in 1950 as the most outstanding athlete of the twentieth century. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame…

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Marija Mattia Vulic’ BABAROVICH 9/21/1863 to 8/5/1953

Marija Mattia Vulic’ BABAROVICH 9/21/1863 to 8/5/1953

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Maybe it's my age, but I seem to be reporting on a lot of people who have died over the past few weeks. Today I'd like to share information about my maternal grandmother Marija Babarovich who died on August 5th, 1953 and whose anniversary of death is a few days away. She died the year  I graduated from high school in Anacortes, Washington.Her life story is one of great courage and sacrifice involving immigration to America while not being able to speak English….

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JUDGE STANLEY KEITH BRUHN & ATTORNEY DAVID A. WELTS

JUDGE STANLEY KEITH BRUHN & ATTORNEY DAVID A. WELTS

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I've just returned from teaching at Gerry Spence's trial college in Wyoming only to have two people I've known throughout my adult life die within a week of each other. Stan Bruhn was my law partner for many years and David Welts and I began the practice of law in Mount Vernon at the same time. Stan was my law partner with Harwood "Bill" Bannister. Our firm, Bannister, Bruhn and Luvera was established in 1962. That was the year Stan and Bill approached me with…

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THE EMPIRE THEATER IN ANACORTES

THE EMPIRE THEATER IN ANACORTES

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I was reading obituaries in my home town newspaper, The Anacortes American, for names I might recognize. There was an entry about Nora Elizabeth Hinkley that said that after school she worked as an usherette at the Empire Theater escorting patrons to their seats using a flash light. That certainly brought back memories to me about this historic Anacortes movie theater. I thought of the ticket booth with the young woman behind the glass where you bought tickets, the users…

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A GREAT LINE

A GREAT LINE

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I laughed at something I read in the sports page of the Seattle Times. It said: "The late Les Earthorne, to the Kitsap Sun, on his early struggles as basketball coach at Camas High School en route to a hall of fame career at Bremerton: 'By the time the cheerleaders could spell out Papermakers, we were already down twenty points.' It reminded me of a quote from some professional player talking about a losing season. He said:  "We couldn't win…

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THE EVIL OF SECRECY

THE EVIL OF SECRECY

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If you review the history of any nation where the state controls the people you will always find secrecy. Evil deeds are done in the dark – in secret. In any dictatorship the press and media are controlled by the state in order to conceal the truth. Arrests by the SS in Nazi Germany were always made at night under the cover of darkness. In our own country trying to find out the truth about government is often clouded in secrecy….

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