MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF MAY 22, 2018
Thanks to our outgoing president, Dr. Bill Jackson, the speaker of our last meeting until September 11 was Dr. Gary Franklin, a professor of medicine at UW and medical director of the WA. Dept. of L&I. He stunned a crowd of 48, including several mates and guests, with his authoritative analysis of the cause and predictions for the future course of the accelerating national tragedy being caused by opioids. More than 200,000 Americans have already died and the lives of millions of others have been ruined because of the intentional false marketing and greed of pharmaceutical companies. Big Pharm encourages medical practitioners to prescribe as much opioids as patients want. (Compare this to 58,000 American having died as a result of the Vietnam War).
The USDA sanctions the sale of opioids as pain killers even though opioids act as sedatives, not pain killers. For years, Federal Law immunized doctors from liability for over- prescribing opioids, but now 20+ states have rescinded those laws. Through aggressive marketing, even though taking a few opioids for more than a few days is dangerous, dentists have been taught to routinely prescribe an average of 22 tablets following extractions and orthopedic surgeons routinely prescribe an average of 80 tablets even though it has been proven that a tolerance to their effectiveness rapidly develops and they are highly addictive. Death results when patients simply stop breathing. 30-40% of middle aged men (particularly lower educated men) collecting social security disability benefits are addicted to opioids. The cost to our economy is enormous.
To learn more about Dt. Franklin and this tragic outrage, Google Dr. Gary Franklin- Washington Dept. of L & I.
COMING EVENTS
SPRING FLING- June 15 at TC&GC. This will be our last event until the Fall Season begins on September 11. (Although Jim Gallinatti invites all to join him for lunch (no host) at TC&GC in the bar on Tuesdays – because “I eat lunch on Tuesdays even if there is no meeting”.
Be sure to make your reservation (required) by mailing a check to Tacoma Cascade club at PO Box 39393, Lakewood, WA 98496 for the $40 per person fee. You will be treated to a great Italian buffet with wine included with dinner. All mates, past and present, are especially invited. This will also be your chance to celebrate a GREAT year of friendship and fellowship of Cascade Club and to thank Bill Jackson for his leadership and to welcome Rich Wall as our incoming president.
SCRIBE’S EDITORIAL
Highest accolades to Bill Jackson for his leadership in our club’s outstanding year. Bill and Donna are going to head south this fall for an extended period, but he assures us he will return. Rich Wall will be our president this fall. Rich promises to keep the momentum going and asks for your assistance in arranging for speakers. Special thanks to John McGowen for his behind the scenes creation and maintenance of our website and rosters and for coordinating the printing of our newsletters. Scribe emeritus Dave Loving is recuperating from surgery and still hoping that one day his condominium will sell so he and Penny can move to warmer climes. In the interim, would someone (anyone), please volunteer to become at least an associate scribe. Regretfully, we can no longer offer a company car and 401K plan, but fame and public acclaim are their own rewards.
Have a safe, healthy and happy summer. Phil Sloan- reluctant scribe.
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF MAY 15, 2018
Our Speaker was Mark Lindquist, Pierce County Prosecutor who, in spite of being challenged in his campaign to be re-elected this November, focused his annual visit on updating us on how his office is meeting its primary duty of keeping the citizens of Pierce County safe. As always, his presentation was informative and inspiring, having been polished by his speaking to more than 200 community groups in 2017.
Today, Mark addressed 3 public safety programs which he innovated and then he took questions from the audience which were refreshingly answered without hesitation:
(1): The Gang Unit. It has been a great success because it charges multiple gang members with engaging in conspiracies which allows all co-conspirators in criminal activity to be charged with crimes such as a single shooting. It has resulted in convictions in 34 of 36 cases filed against such gangs as the Crypts. Gang violence in Pierce County has dropped 60%.
(2): The Elder Abuse Unit, which began in 2011 with only one deputy, has grown to 5 deputies plus staff. The web site: pierceprosecutor.org/elderabuse offers a good summary of this program.
(3): The High Priority Offenders Program (HPO) pursues repeat felony offenders by using data and intelligence in coordination with other agencies and modern technology to identify and track repeat offenders, because they make up a small percentage of felons, but are known to commit a high percentage of the felonies in our county. The HPO is broader in scope than the “3 Strikes” program which is limited to violent felonies.
Mark’s advice on how to respond to telephone scammers: “HANG UP”.
COMING EVENTS
May 22 – the last meeting until September. Gary Franklin, PhD. Prof. Univ of Washington and Medical Director of the Washington Department of Labor and Industries on the Opioid Crisis in Washington and our nation.
June 15: Spring Fling at TC &GC. All Mates of Cascadiens/Gyros, past and present, are especially invited. $40 per person, for an Italian Buffet, including wine with dinner. You must make a reservation by calling or mailing your reservation to the mailbox below.
SAD NEWS. Stan Carlson, our last surviving 50 year member, has passed away. Memorial Service at 4:00 PM on June 1, 2018, followed by a celebration of his life at 5:00 PM at TC&GC.
HOT OFF THE PRESS NEWS: Our Officers for the year beginning in September will be Rich Wall, President. Mike Jones has been elevated from co-treasurer to Secretary and Rick Carr will resume the office of Treasurer for Life. More details to follow.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, sometimes scribe.
Tuesday MAY 8, 2018
Thanks to Lloyd Elmer, our speaker was Pat Lowinger, Instructor at Tacoma Community College in Archeology, whose topic was a “Very Brief Introduction to Ancient Ceramics & Coinage.” He spoke with such energy and enthusiasm for his topic that it brought back fond memories for some of us of our undergraduate days when we took courses in Liberal Arts after convincing our parents that we were continuing in college to get a Liberal Education when in fact, our grade points were so low that we knew that no medical school was ever going to admit us.
Ceramics are found throughout the ancient world because even though broken, shards do not disintegrate, so archeologists can age-date them and determine their place of origin by their colors and art work and thereby reconstruct history. Paper, probably papyrus, was scarce and expensive, so shards were used in lieu of paper for correspondence and thus are found all over the ancient world.
For those who may be wanting to add an archeological dig to their bucket lists, Mr. Lowinger is seeking volunteers to go to a dig this summer in Romania. Beware: the sites are infested with toxic centipedes.
Coins originated in the Lydian Kingdom of ancient Anatolia (wherever that is). King Croesus (560BC -537 BC) is credited with the further development of coinage to generally precise sizes, shapes and weights. Before coins were in common usage, trade was often conducted using grain for currency.
To learn more of these topics, Mr. Lowinger has a website: “The Ancient World”. You might especially enjoy the article on “Magical Flatulence- the (f)Art of Divination”.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF MAY 15: Mark Lindquist, Pierce County Prosecutor – Annual Public Safety Update.
MEETING OF MAY 22 (LAST MEETING OF THE SPRING) : Gary Franklin, MD, MPH, Research Professor, Departments of Environmental Health, Neurology and Health Sciences University of Washington: Medical Director, Department of Labor and Industries. TOPIC: The Opioid Crisis in Washington and the United States.
SPRING FLING: JUNE 15. TACOMA COUNTRY AND GOLF CLUB . Italian Buffet, etc. Mail your check for $40 per person to Cascade Club, P.O. Box 39393, Lakewood 98496
DUES ARE DUE: $80 per member: mail your check to the same mailbox.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan sometimes scribe
Tuesday May 1, 2018,
There are many reasons to munch and lunch with your fellow Cascadians and today’s speaker was yet another reason to do so. Our speaker was Maia Espinoza, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Latino Leadership which provides a voice for Latinos with a focus on issues rather than party affiliation. Since its founding in 2014, the CLL has been advancing an authentic conversation between Latino community leaders and the legislators in both parties. The concept is to demystify local politics and increase awareness of the real issues affecting Latino communities in Washington State. These issues include, but are not limited to: educational opportunities gap, bi-lingual and migrant education, housing availability and affordability, minority owned business barriers, regressive tax policies and farm owner and farm labor shortages. The palate of concerns is ever expanding. A perfect example of some of these problems is that if a business chooses to bid on a state contract it must be bonded. The cost to do so is $30,000. In many cases that expense automatically precludes many small businesses. The CLL is attempting to increase the level where a bond is a requirement to bids of $150,000 or greater.
From 2000 to 2010, the Latino population in Washington State grew over 70%, now totaling nearly one million residents. Nationally, over 800,000 Latinos turn voting age every year. Politically motivated organizations recognize the growing influence of Latinos in politics and are investing substantial resources to capture new and future constituents. Latinos traditionally don’t vote. The national norm is an abysmal 30% for the general population, but only 10% for Latinos. There are probably a host of legitimate reasons, but the availability of such a substantial bloc of voters is significant.
The presentation by Maia was structured as apolitical but…wait…Maia is also running for a seat in the Washington legislature. She seems to be a most persuasive and appealing candidate. She is female, a Latina whose heritage stems from Mexico and Peru, a small business owner, a soccer mom, born to military parents and locally educated. Needless to say, as a guest speaker, she had to be selective in her comments. Also, needless to say, it quickly became obvious that she is running as a Republican and was preaching to a predominantly Republican audience. After lunch, she was “working the room” as candidates are want to do, stopping at our table to chat. A number at the table have a strong scientific background. Asked as an avowed Republican if she believes in global warming, the tap shoes came out and she obfuscated like a seasoned pol. She may do well as an accomplished politician. As the Donald says: “We’ll see what happens.
Next week, our speaker will be Pat Lowinger, an instructor at Gig Harbor Community College with an interesting assortment of things that are “Greek to me.”
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving Scribe
DON’T FORGET!!! The Spring Fling goin ’away party is June 15th at TC&C+GC, sumptuous buffet, wine with din-din for an embarrassingly low $40pp/$80 per couple. Your check which hopefully will clear by the second time through is your reservation. Send to Rick Carr. Final count is due to the Club by June 6th. A good time will be had by all.
Tuesday April 24, 2018
Our speaker today was historian Arthur Dolan, nattily attired as a 1776 militiaman. It turns out unbeknownst to this scribe there is a SAR. And you might understandably ask…”what is a SAR?” Several newsletters ago, this piece of literary foolscap made a slightly catty comment that since Cascadiennes are always invited, and that jokes are de rigueur the jokes could comfortably be retold at the next Daughters of the American Revolution meeting. It is possible that a new DAR committee might be needed to explain the punchlines. But that said, we are now in the know of a member (we are assuming in good standing) of the Sons of the American Revolution. I don’t know how many generations one needs to trace of a family tree, but it is probably more than just a limb. Anyway, Arthur traced his relatives back to the events that took place in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts in 1775; the shot heard round the world. In 1837, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the “Concord Hymn” whose opening stanza is: “By the rude bridge that arched the flood/Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled/ Here once the embattled farmers stood/And fired the shot heard round the world.” Arthur told us about the Fitch tavern meeting place in Bedford, MA. and the rapidly unfolding of American history. What seemingly is not well known is that George Washington was what the Brits would call: the First Lord of the Admiralty. That consisted of 3 ships that were commandeered from elsewhere as the Continental Congress wouldn’t pop for a navy. Arthur explained that good ‘ole George had a modestly checkered previous military career. He became Commander-in-Chief of the ragtag Continental army because the Continental Congress needed a Southerner to keep the Southern colonies. Also, it seems that Martha Washington was of considerable means and that she funded not only the estate in Virginia, but the Navy, as well. Arthur gave a detailed explanation of his uniform, which it turns out, was nothing but uniform throughout the colonies. The Green Mountain Boys wore green (whatta surprise) the mid-Atlantic worn brown and some wore blue. What is most obvious, none wore the red of the British Red Coats. All-in-all, a fun day of Americana Show and Tell.
Next week our speaker will be Maria Espinoza, candidate for Washington State Representative 28th District. Position #2. Her topic will be: The Latino Community and the Local Leadership. Rest easy, the hat will not be passed.
We had a guest who has previously joined us on many occasions: Bob Smith. He has formally applied to join our merry band.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Cascade Club Minutes of 4/17/2018
Today, two weeks before the first half of our annual property taxes are due, our speaker was Mike Lonergan, Pierce County Assessor -Treasurer, who gave us a cheerful review of why our taxes have increased so much and where the money is going. He has held that office for 6 years after serving as the head of the Tacoma Rescue Mission, which is ironic, because for years he solicited us to voluntarily donate money to the Rescue Mission to provide housing for the Homeless. Now, while in public service, he orders us to pay money to the County or we will become homeless.
Mr. Lonergan distributed an exhibit which shows the property tax rates on homes by location throughout Pierce County and the percentage of increase in rates from 2017 to 2018. He emphasized the positive by telling us that the tax rates have not increased substantially and explained the substantial increases in our tax bills are due to rapidly rising property values. As an aside, that gives little comfort to this humble scribe who purchased his present home in Gig Harbor 40 years ago and recalls that the monthly mortgage payments were less than the monthly property taxes are in 2018.
We can take comfort in knowing that the property taxes in Washington are lower than in Alaska, Oregon and Idaho. This year Pierce County will collect 1.4 billion dollars in property taxes on 325,000 properties. If you feel your property is undervalued, take heart, all properties are reappraised every 6 years.
Mr. Lonergan was asked if the County grants tax relief for senior citizens. The good news is yes. The bad news is that the discounts are offered only if the combined annual gross income of all residents of the household is under $40,000.
The Assessor’s office has an excellent website at https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/ With the addresses of your neighbors, you can easily compare the assessed value of your property with theirs.
NEXT MEETING
April 24: Arthur Dolan, The History and Progression of the American Flag
SPRING FLING June 15 at TC&GC
Our year end bash for all Cascadians, Cascadiennes and Guests. $40 per person for a great Italian Buffet and wine with dinner. Reservations are limited- so make yours early by calling or emailing Bill Jackson, 253-759-4875, email address bjackson1936@yahoo.com
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan – Overly taxed Scribe
Tuesday April 10, 2018
Just a reminder, April 15 is probably actually coming. But there is no need to hurry as there is lots of time to start your income tax prep; tomorrow or the next day should work fine.
Gi-normous! Almost 80 Cascadians and Cascadiennes munched and lunched to hear the wit and wisdom of Dorothy Wilhelm. For those not totally familiar with Dorothy, she was an army wife who moved 22 times in 20 years. She had 6 children and one year of college when her husband died leaving her a widow with no appreciable skills. As she says, she could go to work at McDonalds or start at the top doing what she still does: speaking, writing and entertaining. In either case she had no credentials for the job. She is an occasional columnist for the TNT and as one wag so stated; “the only bright spot in the TNT.” Now, an octogenarian (always a cautionary note to assign an age which usually insults the “agee” by either understating or overstating.) Dorothy maintains she will live to be a 100. Her presentation was a delightful mix of well used lines sprinkled with rapier quick rejoinders. As for the former, she shared with us that she was the author of a book entitled “Sex after 50”…all of the pages are blank. She stated that she really didn’t lose her husband. That made her sound rather careless. She knew exactly where he was. The quick wit was even more evident. She encouraged exchanges with her audience. Receiving a disappointing answer to a posed question, her response was “I hoped for more.” In this author’s opinion, one of the best was an exchange with one of our illustrious members who also happens to be a politician of note. When asked a question, he replied; “I don’t know,” Her reply: “you’re in politics, make it up.” Her presentation was structured on a new book currently being finished which is scheduled for publication late Fall. The format focuses on stories and events which take place in the Northwest. But the real marrow of the stories is not what is known, but what may well be unknown. It is the back story which makes the story unique; or on some cases, not even true. As Dorothy so states and incorporates into the titles of her books and presentations: “The Rest of the Story. “ Aha,” you may say (do people really say things like that?). I think I have heard that phrase used before. Indeed you may have. The late Paul Harvey was syndicated in over 1200 radio stations and had a daily audience of 24M people who listened to him and his stories. The conclusion to each was: … and the rest of the story. He would always conclude his broadcast with the stentorian declaration: Paul Harvey, gooood DAY!
A declaration and a genuine invitation. Cascadiennes and guests are always welcome to hear an ever-changing array of interesting speakers Not only are they welcome but they substantially raise the curve by being both more attractive and certainly better read and better bred. Still the jokes but be not afraid. They could easily be retold at the next DAR meeting,
Next week, our speaker will be Mike Lonergan, Treasure-Auditor of Pierce County whose topic will be “Tax Collection in Pierce County” Certainly a timely topic as we pay our ever expanding 2nd half property taxes. No torches or pitchforks, please
‘Til the anon.
D. Loving
scribe, gooood … DAY!
Tuesday April 3, 2018
Our speaker was Rick Garza, Director of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. He is in charge of implementing the world’s first system of legally growing, processing and retailing cannabis in Washington. The system has three tiers- licensing, regulation and taxation, similar to alcohol. In 2014, through Initiative I-502, Washington was the second state, after Colorado, to legalize the retail sale of cannabis.
Today, the sale of cannabis is legal in 8 states, all of which are “Blue” and on either the west or east coast with the exception of Vermont. The sale of medical cannabis is legal in 32 states. Canada has now legalized cannabis retail sales across the entire country. Cannabis is believed to be its largest cash crop.
An excise tax of 37% applies on final sales which produces far greater than anticipated amounts of revenue. Retail sales taxes of 7% to 10% are also charged. In the fiscal year 2015, $64.9 million was collected, in 2017 that amount was $314 million and it is projected to be $361.4 million in 2018. As the gross amount of taxed sales has soared, the average retail price per gram has dropped from approximately $12 to $5.20.
It is estimated that 50% to 60% of cannabis sales are still illegal and thus are not licensed or taxed. The average street price per gram has dropped as the legal price has dropped. Because the minimum age to purchase is 21, it is assumed that much of the illegal sales are to minors.
A concern to the State is that the sale of cannabis is still illegal under Federal Law, however, for now, the feds are not enforcing that law. State Banks and Credit Unions are now allowed to maintain accounts for licensed cannabis dealers. A cynic might say that in view of the huge amounts of revenue being generated, the industry is too big to fail.
Next Meetings——————————————————–:
April 10: Wilhelm, Nationally famed speaker on Life’s Musings. Spouses and guests are invited, however, for them, reservations are required. Please contact Bill Jackson at bjackson1936@yahoo.com.
April 17: Mike Lonergran, Pierce Co. Treasurer and Auditor
SPRING FLING: Fri. June 15th
Phil Sloan, occasional scribe
Tuesday March 26, 2018
Ya sure, ya betcha. Another interesting and informative speaker at Tuesdays with the Cascade Club. Richard Genet, Captain, U. S. Navy, Ret. was our speaker. Capt. Genet was active duty for 32 years and uniquely qualified to share sea stories with us. He has held Command at Sea duties in every grade from Lieutenant to Captain. He is a “ring knocker” (Academy grad) and the holder of two MS degrees from the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Capt. Genet focused his presentation on the two recent collisions between U.S. Navy ships and commercial carriers: the USS Fitzgerald and the USS McCain. In both instances, the fault lay with officers in charge who will be tried for an assortment of offenses including dereliction of duty and manslaughter. The USS Fitzgerald collision seems the more bizarre. All of the rules of the sea were ignored. For example, when a problem occurs…call the Captain. Never happened. In busy sea lanes, the Captain is in command, on the bridge…nope, again. He was tightly tucked in for the evening. Radar is critical. Yep, but nope. It was on the wrong settings. Human lookouts… not very conscientious. In other words, Curly, Moe and Larry were seemingly in charge playing with rather big boats. The other incident was the collision between the USS McCain and an oil tanker in the Strait of Malacca. This waterway is one of the busiest in the world and every ship coming from the Far East into the Indian Ocean and then westbound has to use this waterway. Over 100,000 ships a year pass through the Strait of Malacca. To add to the inherent dangers of ship traffic, it is also a haven for pirates. All of which might suggest an extra amount of diligence. Again, seemingly, no. The McCain is a destroyer and certainly more agile than a huge oil tanker which takes thousands of yards to stop. Traveling the Strait of Malacca is comparable to driving the I-5/Tacoma Dome interchange on a rainy Friday night. Caution is the word of the day.
Capt. Genet in addition to his various volunteering activities in Gig Harbor including several teaching activities, also offers a multi-level course on spying. Time did not permit an exploration of this unique academic activity. This author does admit to a combination of bemusement and bewilderment. A spying course smacks of a course on bank robbing. They seem to be accomplishments of things not to admit to nor proudly include in a C.V. So if a guy in the back row named Boris wearing a trench coat and dark glasses and taking notes in invisible ink, just maybe someone if they see something should say something. Oh well, Comrade, maybe a topic for another day.
We did have guests who were freely identified. Jim Gallinatti intro’ed John West as did Dave Cotant for bro-in-law Bob Woodcock. Neither probably spies.
Next week, another not to be missed. Rick Garza, Director of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board will be our speaker. It is a smokin’ hot topic to be explored. Free samples may be shared as “Show and Tell.” But then, alas, maybe not.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving Scribe
P.S. A special thanks to Phil Sloan who so capably filled-in for me while I was AWOL.
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF MEETING OF March 20, 2018
Thanks to Dick Muri, our fellow Cascadian, our speaker was State Representative Dick MuriI Dick gave a rapid-fire update summary of the 2018 Short Session of our State Legislature, examples of which he titled The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
The Good: Our economy is strong and the Capital Budget was funded. The Hirst Decision, a bad decision of the State Supreme Court which severely impaired the use of private water wells, was fixed by the Legislature. A cynical wag said the Supreme Court should write its own bills and send them to the Legislature. Attempts to impose a Capital Gains Income Tax, a sugar soda tax and a Carbon Tax were defeated. Dick was one of 3 sponsors of a bill which passed 97 to 1 which limited increases in the tolls on the Narrows Bridges to 25 cents until 2023.
The Bad: The Senate defeated a house- passed increase in the age to purchase cigarettes from 18 to 21.
The Ugly: A House passed small reduction in the Car Tab Fees passed in the House which died in the Senate.
Scribe’s note: Dick’s refreshing comments illustrated why he was voted one of the most collaborative members of the State House. It is unfortunate that there are so few like him in Congress. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
NEXT MEETING OF MARCH 27,2018: Captain Richard P. Genet, USN (retired), speaking about the preparedness of the US Navy. He teaches a course on spying at T.C.C.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: John Vipond and Douglas Wing
SPRING FLING: June 15 – TACOMA COUNTRY AND GOLF CLUB
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, occasional scribe
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF MEETING OF March 13, 2018
Thanks to General Harrison, our speaker was the first Islamic Chaplain of the US Army, Lt. Col. Khalid Shabazz, who gave us an enlightening and uplifting message about his role as an Army Chaplain who happens to be a Muslim. Chaplain Shabazz is a big, friendly, confident man who was raised as a Lutheran in Louisiana. After briefly playing defensive end for the University of Texas football team, he enlisted in the Army and later converted to Islam. As Chaplain, he defined his role as not to proselytize, but to help all who he counsels to be stronger, regardless of their faith.
Before opening the floor for any questions anyone wanted to ask, he made a brief presentation, which he termed “Islam 101”, which focused on the historical origins of Islam and its similarities to Christianity and Judaism. He said his goal was to inform us about what is in the Quran (Koran) and its doctrines. The word Islam means “surrender to God” and “Peace”. The beliefs of Islam are based on the Torah, the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, including the teachings of Jesus. A fundamental distinction is that in Islam,Jesus is not God.
His answers to our questions were given openly and without his being defensive. Amongst his answers were the following: “The violence of ISIS and other extremist groups is forbidden by the Quran. The Quran sets forth rules which are very similar to the 10 Commandments of the Bible. Under Islam, women are not
to be treated as inferiors. The word Jihad means to strive in a cause and nowhere is the killing of innocents condoned. The killing of innocents cannot be forgiven. There is no mandate in the Quran that woman must wear a hajib. The Shia comprise only 5 % of Muslims. Various sects have adopted practices, such as suicide bombings, which many Americans deem inherent in the culture of Islam, but which in fact are directly contrary to the teachings of the Quran.
MEETING OF MARCH 20,2018: Our fellow Cascadian, State Representative Dick Muri, will give us another of his enlightening Legislative Updates.
APPLICANTS FOR MEMBERSHIP: John Vipond and Douglas Wing.
END OF SEASON SPRING FLING: FRIDAY,JUNE 15. Tacoma County and Golf Club.
There are a few openings for speakers for the rest of this season, which ends on May 22. If you have suggestions, contact Bill Jackson or Dave Sheean.
We need more jokes!
Respectfully submitted,
Phil Sloan, occasional scribe
Tuesday March 6, 2018
O ye of little faith. If you weren’t at the Cascade luncheon because you didn’t know about the “yet to be named” speaker notated in last week’s newsletter, you missed a humdinger. Excused absences will need a letter from a parent or guardian. Our speaker was the most delightful, informative and entertaining mayor of Steilacoom, Ron Lucas. He had so much to say we will be inviting him back. This time we gave him a whole hour and a half notice. Next time we may throw caution to the winds and maybe two hour notice. Besides mayoring, Ron is a biggie at Sound Transit and an expert on pandas. What! Pandas? Yep. Those big black and white furry animals that seem to trip out munching on bamboo. Ron even is quite knowledgeable about artificial insemination…on pandas. A true Renaissance Man.
In 2005, Ron commenced an assortment of trips to China. The City of Tacoma also developed a burgeoning relationships with sister cities in China. Over time, these flourished as did personal relationships. Early on, one of the senior regional leaders in China with whom personal relationships were established was no other than Xi Jinping. Xi just recently initiated a change in Chinese law (so to speak) to allow him to become President of China for life. One can but hope this will not be a trend adopted by other countries. Also, not to be a conspiracy theorist, but our own peripatetic Port of Tacoma Commissioner Connie Bacon was also developing personal ties in China. Anyway, a seed was planted which just possibly may have sprouted. Point Defiance Zoo may be getting, not one, but two pandas. That is a huge international deal. There are only four in the U.S. When pandas are given to a country as was the case in Finland, the Czech Republic, etc, the President of China attends the appropriate ceremonies. The cost of a panda exhibit is well into the millions of dollars. It is easy to imagine Alaska Air Lines advertising that they are the Panda express, and not the fast food joint. Anyway…artificial insemination. The zoo will receive a male and a female. Unfortunately, there is no panda Viagra and even when the female is in heat, the male is not very randy; ergo, artificial insemination. If, and when, a cub is born it will stay here for two years. It will then be sent back to China with eventual release into the wild. We hope is all works out. A true coup for the City of Destiny.
Ron segued into Sound Transit. “Everything you ever heard about Sound Transit that is bad, is true.” This starts with the predominance of Seattle’s influence on decision making. Gee, whatta surprise. Whether it is incremental additions to existing plans that cost a billion dollars a mile (that’s correct, a BILLION dollars a mile) or new plans that role out a Tacoma loop from Freight House Square through the central business district to Hilltop and back for a measly $165 million, the money keeps flowing. Business decisions are not encumbered by relevant financials and other pesky variables. But as the late, great Senator from Illinois so aptly said, “A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you are talking real money.” The federal pocketbook is open. The timeline between approval and actual construction is ten years due to bidding and the multiple approvals process. Demographically, the growth trends are further and further away from the central corridor and thus, as presented, Puget Sound Transit will never, ever move one of those people as they will not live, work, shop or play there. I believe the Bard was right: it is much ado about nothing. Pandas from China? Hopefully, a “yes.” Sound Transit to Tacoma? As we used to say before becoming appropriately politically correct “Not a Chinaman’s chance in hell.” A “no.”
Next week, another speaker not to be missed. Lt.Col. Shabazzi, the first Islamic Chaplin in the U.S. Army.
‘til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
February 27, 2018
The long wait is over! In last week’s newsletter, it was announced that the speaker this week would be talking about Puget Sound Energy or was it to be about Puget Sound energy. Well, the wait is over. It was about Energy with a capitol “E”; those folks who help keep the lights on and send you that robust bill every month. Our speaker was Patti McClements, Outreach Manager at Puget Sound Energy. I’m not exactly sure what the Outreach Manager outreaches to, or for, but she is the reacher. She started her PowerPoint presentation, but as is the norm with most such stuff requiring the thing to work, it didn’t. But fear not, our own techy guru and webmaster John McGowen, jumped into the fray and saved the day. Patti started by talking a bit about natural gas. I shall most tactfully avoid any tasteless rejoinders on said subject. Natural gas has no natural odors. The noxious sulfur smell is artificially added as a safety precaution. She posed the question as to what one should do when smelling that odor. Clever lads that we are, it was quickly replied that lighting a match would be ill-advised. The official answer is to immediately leave the premises and call 911. Probably not really a trick answer. PSE now services 10 counties in western Washington. We are indeed fortunate that we have an abundant supply of water (we are not called The Evergreen State for no reason) producing hydro-electric power. One of the more significant sources is the two generating stations at Snoqualmie Falls. Snoqualmie Falls is the second largest tourist attraction in the state. For those techy folks, if there is a power outage, there is now an app which allows you to track the process of when your power will be restored. Hi-tech or no, there are over 1500 outages caused each year by critters. An example was an osprey flying into a wire. One might assume the osprey wasn’t too thrilled about it either. There is even a program offering a free in-home service of an “Energy Advisor” who will analyze your home and identify areas where changes will reduce your energy costs. Examples might be everything from new windows to programmable thermostats. PSE has made a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint 50% by 2040. As is to be expected by us environmentally conscious Washingtonians, Washington is the third largest wind powered state in the U.S. Solar power will be coming. All in all, an energetic presentation.
Next week, yet another fantastic speaker. I’m just not sure who. We had hoped to get D.B. Cooper but I strongly suspect he may well be a “no-show.” I guess you will just have to show up and be surprised. The following week will be even more special. Our speaker will be Lt. Col. Shabazzi who is the first Islamic Chaplain in the U.S. Army. See, just another reason to lunch with the bunch on Tuesday at the TC&GC.
John Vipond has survived the SEAL-like rigorous process to become a card-carrying Cascadian and officially applied for membership.
So, ‘til the anon,
D. Loving Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday February 20, 2018
Our speaker today was Shawn Murphy who drove up from Centralia to share with us some of the maritime history of Commencement Bay. Though a rather extensive topic Shawn focused primarily on a few of the ships from the late 19th and early 20th century. Of note, supported by a brief slide presentation, was the Andelana which capsized killing 17 crew members. Other slides were of a few of the early tug boats, one of which has survived and over a period of more than 100 years, still is operational. It is used for recreational Sunday cruises in the south Sound. The cruises last about 5 hours. Should you be so interested, contact Shawn. A brief Q&A followed.
I don’t know if you have been watching the winter Olympics. The Olympiad athletic accomplishments are truly breathtaking. Some of you may know that your occasionally dutiful scribe is an avid participant in various winter sports. But I have come to the unscientific conclusion that growing-up in cold winter climes somehow distorts one’s understanding as to what is fun… or even rational! Take for example flying down a mountain on a pair of skis at over 80 miles per hour. Or those “sliders” who rip through 3 G banked turns also at 80 miles an hour riding on something that resembles an automotive creeper. Then step up to the 2 and 4 person bobsled teams. If you consider sled dog racing, other than the lead dog, the rest of the dogs don’t have much of a view. But in bobsledding, other than the driver, no one has a view. The pushers once the sled is running jump in and hunch down inside the sled to be aerodynamic. And then, there is the always unbelievable ski jumping. I suspect that many of you remember the magic of Jim McKay showing us on black and white television the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” Those words accompanied the picture of a ski jumper falling off of the ski run. Who wouldn’t think it is fun to race down a 390 foot slope at 60 miles an hour and then fly the length of a football field. I did note that during the televised ski jumping there was an invitation encouraging those interested in becoming a ski jumper to log onto a certain web site. Unfortunately, I did not have pen in hand to write it down for you. I’m sure you can Google it. If a “no”, you can always go tugboat cruising.
The Cascade Club now resembles the tiny VW at the circus (oops, there are no longer circuses) where the clowns keep popping out of the car. We, too are like that with the constant introduction of new members. It must be said that in no way, are we referring to them as clowns. Edward “Bud” Winter and Tom Moran are now officially in the fold and Doug Wing has supped with us the mandated number of times to apply for membership. AL Bacon intro’ed John Vipond as a returning guest for the second time.
Next week our speaker will be Patti McClements talking to us about the history of Puget Sound Energy. I must admit I’m not sure if the topic is Puget Sound Energy or Puget Sound energy. Best be there to find out. Future speakers will include Lt. Col. Shabazzi, first Islamic Chaplin in the U.S. Army and our own Rep Dick Muri(R) State Representative of the 28th District. They are most definitely not clowns but do dramatically demonstrate why to have lunch on Tuesdays at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday February 13, 2018
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. An appropriate gift for your Cascadienne would be measured by carat weight. Assuming by the time you read this, you will have undoubtedly provided such a gift and not just some cheesy card from the grocery store. But if, gasp, such a gift was not provided, and the carat weight gift mentioned above was, indeed, not provided for some reason through absolutely no fault of your own, a significantly larger carat weight gift might now be recommended lest you develop an affinity for sleeping in your car.
Our speaker today was the always entertaining and enlightening sportswriter for the ever diminishing TNT, John McGrath. As one wag at our table so stated: “The only reason I take the damn paper is McGrath.” Though a most delightful speaker, it is a bit difficult to recap his presentation for those not there to appreciate his remarks. That is because his formal presentation lasts about four minutes and twenty seven seconds. The topic is never sports but always the state of affairs at the TNT (grim) and his employment? Looking at his watch John’s response: “It is 12:07 and as far as I know, I still have a job.” One might assume not an altogether pleasant working environment. John is a survivor in an ever evolving world of dying print media. He is our TNT’s version of Oscar Madison of the” Odd Couple”, a rumpled sports writer devoted to his vocation and avocation. He indifferently best resembles an unmade bed. But we are indeed lucky that we still have his wit and wisdom and his ability to coherently use a pluperfect verb. Wait…what is a pluperfect verb? Anyway, what followed was a Q and A primarily about sports teams in the GNW. ( Ed. note: I hope you have seen the men’s and women’s snowboarding victories by the Americans. Though probably and understandably not conversant with both snowboarding and the associated jargon, their accomplishments are truly breathtaking.) Olympics did produce a few questions for John but I believe it is safe to say nothing on curling. As mentioned earlier, hard to recap a presentation that didn’t really exist so as Porky Pig always said at the end of a cartoon at the movies: “Thaaat’s All Folks.”
Club biz: Messer Ed Winter and Tom Morgan have formally applied for membership. That means they have signed the pledge and lest some negative comments, will be the proud recipients of a membership bill from Rick Carr. As is now de rigueur, we had guests. Al Bacon intro’ed for a second visit John Vipond, Phil Sloan did same for Chuck Foster.
Next week our speaker will be Shawn Murphy (possibly Irish???) telling us about the History of Tacoma Maritime Development.
So, ‘til the anon,
D. Loving Scribe Emeritus and still scribing
Spring Fling June 8th. Christmas Party December 4th.
Tuesday February 6, 2018
‘I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” is most assuredly not the mantra of guest speaker, Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson. One would suspect that a more appropriate mantra for the mayor might be that the little engine that could would become the little engine that wouldn’t and the “wouldn’t” would be to not run through Lakewood. Da mayor (if you don’t understand the “da” you probably have never lived east of the Cascades and thus are not familiar with the grammar of the late Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daly. Otherwise you woulda knowd also about Da Bears, Da Bulls and of course, Da mayor) shared with a SRO lunch bunch his position and opinion regarding the high speed rail once, and in the future, which will be zipping along through Lakewood. Deserving an appropriately eloquent name befitting an anticipated expenditure of $181 million, the new route is called “The Point Defiance Bypass Rail Project. After extensive study and computer analysis, the new route will save six, in case you didn’t catch it, SIX MINUTES, versus the current and definitely more scenic route around Point Defiance. One of the many problems plaguing the project is the overlapping involvement of the Burlington Northern, Amtrak and Sound Transit. Ah yeah, then you can layer in all of the federal agencies and then on top of that, state county and local governments. Oops. I forgot to add local and national interest groups. Needless to say, many, many cooks stirring the broth. In addition to reducing transit time by a whopping six minutes, studies showed that the new route would not reduce the nightmare of traffic on I-5. One of the overwhelming problems is the number of “at grade crossings.” The concern of that issue is most dramatically illustrated by the train-garbage truck collision in rural Virginia. The train was carrying a great many Republicans to a retreat when it collided with the truck at an “at grade crossing.” Maybe the truck driver was a Democrat. The Point Defiance By-pass route has 15 such crossings, 7 of which are in Lakewood. There are 200 school bus crossings each day. But once the wheels of government, like the wheels of justice, start to grind, they just keep going. High speed rail is the catchword and is defined by rail service in excess of 79 miles per hour. One can but hope that the dolt driving the train does not literally interpret that to mean constantly and most assuredly not through a 30 miles per hour zone. “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
Next week our speaker will be the always delightful John McGrath, sports writer of the TNT. Thank God the Super Bowl is over, and depending upon your loyalty, or overwhelming indifference, we won’t have to endure another year of Tom Brady, Deflategate, et. al. But I will miss seeing Michellle Bundchen. Probably still a good tradeoff.
We had lots of guests. A few of their introducers actually shared with me who they were. Dave Cotant intro’ed Doug Wing for the second time and Jim Rooks did same for Tom Morgan. There were others but unfortunately they will remain nameless. In anticipation of next week’s speaker, they will be referred to as “players to be named later.”
‘til the anon,
D. Loving Scribe Emeritus
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF MEETING OF January 30, 2018
Thanks to Darrel Fisk, before a packed house, including 3 guests, we were treated to a spellbinding presentation by Ms. Kim Roller about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945, just before the end of WW II. 1,197 men were on board when it was struck by two torpedoes fired by a Japanese submarine. The ship sank in 12 minutes. About 900 men survived the initial sinking and were ejected or jumped into the water with only kapok life preservers and no food, water or supplies, only to be met with swarming sharks who first attacked the dead and wounded and then the others.
There were few life boats and their kapok life jackets became saturated with water in about 4-5 days resulting in men drowning while under constant attack by sharks.
The sinking was not reported and even though they were under flight paths of US aircraft, they were not spotted until they had been in the water for 5 days, by then, hundreds had died from shark attacks, dehydration and hypothermia. On day 5, a low flying plane spotted the men in the water and, against orders not to land in the water, did and began picking up survivors. 317 men were rescued of the 1,196 who were on board when the torpedoes struck the USS Indianapolis.
Ms. Roller highly recommends the movie “Indianapolis, The Legacy” now playing on Amazon Prime. She does not recommend the movie “USS Indianapolis- Men of Courage”.
NEXT WEEK: Our speaker will be Don Anderson, Mayor of Lakewood, WA and vocal opponent of the high- speed trains now crossing through Lakewood, such as the one which crashed onto 1-5 last month. He has a lot to say.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, occasional scribe.
Tuesday January 23, 2018
If you weren’t at the Cascade Club munch and lunch, ya shouda, to hear Alan Stay tell us about the history of relations between the Indian tribes and the U.S. Government. Alan answered an unasked question which was how do we now refer to Indians? Are they Native Americans? If so, that might make your scribe an English/Scotch-Irish/ Welsh touch of German American. But then as you may have seen the ads on TV to trace your ancestry, what we think we are…maybe we aren’t. I could be a Tibetan-American. Well… probably not. I don’t believe there are too many blue eyed Tibetans. The answer to the naming question is that either “Native American” or “Indian” is acceptable. Unless you happen to be a NFL fan living in Washington D.C., “Redskin” is not. The best analogy explaining an Indian reservation is that of The Holy See in Italy. Reservations are sovereign nations and as such are independent countries within a country. Indian tribes are recognized in the U.S. Constitution which formulates that if tribal land is taken it must be with the tribes’ consent and due “consideration.” Right! In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed a law that all of the tribes east of the Mississippi River were to be moved to west of the Mississippi. One of the most tragic examples is the “Trail of Tears” relocation of tribes in the southeast, specifically the Cherokees. As many as 30 to 40% died during the process. They were relocated to undesirable land in Oklahoma. Oops. Oil was discovered on their land and as was expected, the tribes were screwed again. The concept of “Manifest Destiny” of a country from sea to sea evolved. The last formal treaty was signed in 1871. In 1948, the prevailing perception was that by then the tribes were thought to have disappeared and that the Indians were totally assimilated. The formal term was “terminated.” In 1968 during the presidency of the famously benevolent humanitarian Richard Milhous Nixon, the government position was revised to acknowledge that the tribes did still exist and had the right of self-determination. Today, over 500 tribes are recognized, 21 just in Puget Sound.
The topic of fishing rights, casinos et. al. is much more complex and Alan promised to return for an encore presentation. Stay tuned.
Next week, you darn well better be there for a multi-media presentation by Kim Roller, honorary survivor of the USS Indianapolis. In the final days of WWII the USS Indianapolis had just delivered parts for the atomic bomb when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. 1,197 sailors went into the shark infested water. An SOS had been ignored as a probable Japanese hoax. Five days later, 317 came out alive. The ship’s captain survived, was court-martialed and ended-up committing suicide. 55 years later, a young school boy doing a school history assignment helped remaining survivors finally convince Congress to exonerate the deceased captain. To hear and see more of this famous story, get to the Cascade Club luncheon early next Tuesday to get a good seat.
Guest? Yup. Dave Cotant intro’ed Ed Winter. Here’s an idea. Bring a guest next Tuesday.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Not Tibetan Scribe Emeritus for Life
More party stuff. The Spring Fling will be held Friday, June 15, at the TG&CC. More info to come. Mark your calendar. This will be a summer send-off for us Cascadians as we enjoy the lazy days of summer.
Tuesday January 16, 2018
Even though an exodus by wussy snowbirds, still a big crowd at the Cascade Club luncheon. Just to add a little salt to the wound and insult to injury, ‘twas 61 degrees and sunny in Lakewood, Washington today. Not quite dining alfresco weather, but still nice. No earthquakes, forest fires, mudslides…nuthin.’ But I should give you warm, tan devils your do, and enjoying warmer climes elsewhere. Be sure to check tomorrow’s Lakewood weather: cold, rain and snow in the higher elevations. After all, it is January in the GNW. Anyway, a cheery lunch bunch.
Our President Bill Jackson gave a most informative presentation on the early history of medicine in Pierce County. Fortunately, unlike others enjoying the same title, ne’er an expletive to be beeped out, obfuscated, denied, “didn’t hear anything” or lamely excused. Tacoma was the birthplace of managed care. Managed care was initiated to help bolster financially suffering and primitive early health providers. One of the earliest participants was the Burlington Northern railroad which in 1886, initiated the concept by the then CEO Charles Wright. Needless to say, Wright as in Annie Wright and Charles Wright schools, Wright Park, etc. The first hospital was opened in 1882 under the direction of the Episcopal Bishop Paddock. The building previously housed a saloon and brothel. One might assume that did not sit well with proper Episcopalians. The hospital was named after Fannie. We may also safely assume that Fannie was not an employee of the previous institution. But the Episcopalians did not corner the market of health care. In 1891, Father Hylebos, still a familiar Tacoma name, started a Catholic hospital which became the precursor to St. Josephs and the Franciscan network. The first managed care hospital was started by Albert Bridge. Unlike his predecessors, Bridge started from a very modest background, and built his concept using the lumber companies who charged their employees a $1.00 a month with an additional $.50 for the family. That fee included not only medical care but prescription medicine and ambulance service. Albert Bridge spent his whole life building and expanding his concept. He never married, though rumored he had a very close friend who was a nurse, and left all of his wealth to continue to support Mary Bridge Hospital. The “Mary Bridge” was his mother. Medicine was to say the very least, primitive even into the end of the 19th century. There was no formal medical training and no process of internship. If formal schooling was even available, which most often wasn’t the case, it may have been just two years. Welcome bloodletting and leaching. We should be comforted that there is probably no truth to the rumor that Dr. Bill Jackson got his medical degree via correspondence from the University of Granada.
Next week’s speaker is another not to be missed. Alan Stay is a “unique” individual who has worked with and represented the Indian tribes for almost 40 years. He was one of the attorneys in the Holt Decision which guaranteed 50% of the annual fish catch to the treaty tribes. Times, conditions and fish counts are now dramatically different for manmade as well as natural causes, but the topic of the Holt Decision still hits a raw nerve. As a steel header, I must admit to a biased perspective. But we Cascadians are a respectful and obliging lot so be sure to lunch and munch next Tuesday.
Guests? Sure! Dug Stewart intro’ed Rod Hagan for a second visit and welcome back Harold Mayer who did same for son Mitch visiting from Portlandia.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Still scribing
Tuesday January 9, 2018
For those few of us who actually still write checks to pay bills rather than pointing and clicking, we need to be vigilant about “2018.” But no fear for Cascadians who returned like swallows to Tuesdays with Cascade. As is the expected norm, another good speaker, Kim Bedier, Director of the Convention Center of Tacoma and additionally now also the Visitors Bureau. Kim is a Canuck, originally from Toronto, but never an “eh”, “oout” or “aboout” was heard. And unlike some of the more famous names of Toronto sports, Kim seemingly has a full set of teeth. For those one or two of you not familiar with hockey jargon, teeth are referred to as “chicklets.” Anyway, Kim assured us she was a legal immigrant thus assuring us there wouldn’t be a mid-presentation raid by the ICE Gestapo. Kim has a full-time staff of 40 and her responsibilities include the Dome, Convention Center, Cheney Stadium, the Rialto and Pantages theaters as well as Theater on the Square.
The Dome is a feature of the Tacoma skyline but dated and in need of refurbishing. To completely address all of the problems would require c. $145million which was not realistic. The Dome is going through a still significant $30 million redo which will include all new seating (no more seats stacked outside in the elements) updated bathrooms, new bathrooms which will result in an increase of 300%, loading docks, and unfortunately, as is the tenor of our times safety and security facilities. All of the work will be done over this summer starting in May and completed by October. All seating will be individual seating with about the same number currently available. In 2017, 680,000 visitors attended events in the Dome including everything from high school football games and graduations to 20 concerts. The next scheduled event is” Master Jam” which is a monster truck extravaganza and is undoubtedly eagerly anticipated as you have resurrected your wife beater tee-shirt and Doc Martin motorcycle boots for the occasion; front row seats…without ear protectors, of course. The improvements to the Dome will make it even more desirable for future events as will the completion of the I-5 redesign which is scheduled for completion just before the next Ice Age and the return of the wooly mammoth.
Unlike the Dome which is a “for profit” enterprise, the Convention Center is structured to be “not for profit” I believe one can safely assume that this designation is rather successfully accomplished. The Convention Center was created as a magnet to draw an assortment of events and usages to supplement a burgeoning Tacoma as a destination to enjoy everything from museums to Tall Ships. An ongoing problem has been that there has not been a parallel increase in the availability of hotel rooms. This will be lessened with the completion in 2020 of a 4 Star 300 room Marriott Hotel adjacent to the Convention Center. All in all, an ever evolving “City of Destiny.”
Of course, we had guests. Steve Anderson introduced Pete Rockless.
Next week our speaker will be our own President Bill Jackson, speaking about the history of medicine in Tacoma. I think this would be an appropriate document to debunk the fake news that Bill earned his medical degree online from the University of Granada.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday January 2, 2018
Whaaat? A Cascade Club newsletter. The last one (which I’m confident is still thumbtacked to the front of your refrigerator) said no meeting until January 9th. Two reasons for this’un. The first is that we didn’t want you to become disoriented without a newsletter and suffer through the shakes and DT’s. There is a quieting comfort getting the yellow newsletter every week and cranking-up your chainsaw to cut the world’s toughest tape. The other reason comes from an old Gyro (that is most probably a redundancy) who shared with this scribe the old days of Gyro where a whopping 12-15 lunchers was the standard. That also reflected the quality of speakers. We experienced some “unique” ones, but none more so than our speaker from “Smart Cremations.” The topic of cremation was either the most appropriate or the most inappropriate probably depending upon whether you were to be the cremator or the crematee. It was suggested that those newsletters be recycled for your enjoyment. Thanks to Bro McGowen for locating them. So here they are as suggested. ‘Still a burning issue.
“Tuesday November 1, 2011
Tuesdays with Gyro was again blessed with a good showing but there was a last minute cancellation by our speaker from “Smart Creations”. The whole cremation issue had generated some earlier heated discussion whether it might be too hot a topic for a Gyro luncheon. Our intended speaker was unable to be with us because she had to attend a sales meeting. I must admit I have some difficulty visualizing a cremation sales meeting: charts and graphs, power point presentations, awards for getting the most new customers, the sales manager’s speech to fire up the crowd, the works. Anyway, the incinerator lady (I have been asked not to refer to her as “The Incinerator Lady”) will be with us possibly the week after next. The question has been posed whether this might be an occasion to invite Gyrettes to attend the presentation. Some nervous discussion followed and it was obvious that some Gyros feared that their Gyrettes might become too enthused about the whole concept and sign-up their spouse for the Early Bird Special.”
“Tuesday November 15, 2011
After some previous fiery discussion as to the appropriateness of cremation as we munched on our well-done hamburgers, it turns out that the presentation by “Good Cremation” was not a very hot topic, and to be honest, somewhat underwhelming. One need not have worried about Gyrettes warming to the topic. The very title “Good Cremation” naturally raises the specter of a “bad cremation.” One can only speculate at the embarrassment of premature eradication. Our speaker did bring our own Buck “Digger” Thompson off the bench for a post-game response and to address some Bob Costa like questioning by fellow Gyros. Washington State, always in the vanguard of burning issues is the number one state for cremations…63%. One of the primary reasons is cost. A funeral may cost as much as $10,000 or more while a cremation may cost c. $4,000. Other reasons abound but price is easily identifiable and seemingly we Washingtonians are a parsimonious bunch.”
I trust this recap of a past speaker and the topic of cremation does not leave you ashen as we slide into a new and improved Cascade Club of Tacoma Spring season, 2018.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday December 19, 2017
OK, I know you will soon be working on your 2018 calendar. Wait. That is absolutely not correct. We all know that it is your wife, or SO, who does the calendar and that you don’t even know where the calendar is. So tell her that if she wants to get started early, she should mark December 4, 2018 as the date of the Cascade Christmas Party. Other stuff: Dean Minor is now an official card carrying member (assuming his check clears the 3rd time through) and there will be NO Cascade meeting ‘til January 9th.
Today was the annual wine and cheese Christmas luncheon. The wine selections actually came in glass bottles rather than a box and complemented a delicious assortment of cheeses. To supplement the day, we had a return engagement by, now retired, Dr. Dave Smith, late at UPS. We have offered him a chance to join our merry band but it was suggested that why should he join when he can eat with us for free. Anyway, always most entertaining and enlightening. His topic was BREXIT, 19 months later.
The whole BREXIT issue is much more complicated and less enthusiastically supported now that reality has set in. PM Teresa May did not support BREXIT but is saddled with implementing it.It is analogous to touching the proverbial tar baby. The more you touch, the more you are stuck. One of the initial selling points was that low cost workers were storming in from the other EU countries and taking British jobs. (Ed note; does this rationale sound familiar?) The opposite is the case. Those individuals so labeled, were, in fact, not from EU countries, but from places like North Africa. They were taking jobs that the Brits would not take such as low wage farm workers. This workforce is now 100,000 smaller. Farmers are desperate as crops go unharvested or picked and are rotting in the fields. The same situation has arisen in support industries. An example is nurses. Portugal was a primary source, but they like many, many other categories, have rejected working in the UK. The list goes on and on. The joke in England is that there are no longer English plumbers. They are transplants from Poland to fill the void. A Norman Scharzkopf story. He was making a speech after his retirement and in an ensuing Q & A he was asked what the difference is now in retirement. “Six months ago, I had over 400,000 people who obeyed every command and tended to all my requirements. Now…I can’t get a plumber to come to my house.”
The initial estimate of extricating the UK was positioned as 10B pounds. The current estimate is 52B and growing. For example, every trade arrangement has to be renegotiated with each of the 27 member nations. They, in turn, are not going to be receptive as a signal to other counties such as Austria and Hungary which are currently undergoing a resurgence of right wing nationalism and isolationism. One of the primary strengths of the EU is to acknowledge and oppose the surge of Russian activism. Russia is THE enemy of a strong Europe.
BREXIT could have disastrous implications to both the British Isles and again, in turn, all of Europe. BREXIT is not supported by Scotland, and possibly not Wales. The whole issue if Ireland brings up the differences between the Republic and Norther Ireland. The former is against BREXIT, but what of the other? The Good Friday Accords which ushered in peace could now be in jeopardy and thus the entire United Kingdom and again, in turn, the EU and Europe. There is the analogy of the loose thread on a knitted sweater which when pulled, the whole sweater unravels. This may no longer be an apt analogy since sweaters are no longer knitted but made by some machine in Sri Lanka. In any event, the UK could be transformed into a Mulligan Stew. Finally, is there a chance of a new referendum regarding BREXIT? Unfortunately, no.
On a more pleasant note, best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and New Year.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday December 12, 2017
It was A Mathew Perry, but it wasn’t The Mathew Perry. Now, everybody with an IQ above room temperature (and that covers almost all of us Cascadians) obviously expected to hear from A Mathew Perry, not The Mathew Perry. At this point you may understandably wonder what the hell I am talking about with an A Mathew Perry and a The Mathew Perry. “Vidiots” and /or those who caught a lot of tube may recognize the name Mathew Perry as the actor who portrayed the character Chandler Bing in the comedy series Friends. The fact that this bit if arcane trivia appears in such an august document as The Cascade Club weekly newsletter unfortunately speaks of the intellectual quality of its author. Now as to the evolving mystery of the multiple references to Mathew Perry, the A Mathew Perry, so mentioned above, represented Puget Sound Energy and the sometime challenged construction of a Liquefied Natural Gas facility in the Port of Tacoma. Though this author is obviously conversant with the process of converting natural gas to liquid gas, I shall attempt to simplify the whole process for those less knowledgeable. Simply stated, natural gas is cooled to -260F and becomes a stable liquid. In this state, the gas is odorless, colorless and non-toxic. During the process the volume of natural gas is reduced by 600%. A comforting chemical composition of LNG is that it is neither explosive nor flammable. LNG is also good for the environment in that greenhouse gases are reduced by 30% and particulate matter by almost 90%. In addition, as opposed to those nasty spills ala the Exxon Valdez, if (or maybe when) LNG is spilled on water, it evaporates. One might realistically consider there may be some valid concerns with LNG, but the knowledgeable A Mathew Perry deftly disarmed any concerns. The primary current use for LBG is for ships traveling to and from Alaska. There may be possible benefits to long haul trucking.
“We’re here to help.” The permitting process to construct the LNG plant only involved SIXTEEN different local, state and national agencies. I’m sure all went smoothly. The entire project is estimated to cost in excess of $300M. and as the above “helpers” stay involved, the cost may well escalate. The scheduled completion date and to be fully operational is late ’19 or early ’20. One might hazard a guess as to which is more probable.
Next week…the wine and cheese Christmas luncheon and Dr, David Smith, the always most delightful return presenter. If you have not experienced Dr. Smith, a very British historian and professor (now retired?) at UPS, this is an ideal opportunity to do so as well as sharing some Christmas cheer with fellow Cascadians. He will update us on the implications of BREXIT 18 months after the startling referendum.
We had guests; Bill Abbott intro’ed retired FBI agent son Jay, Al Bacon intro’ed wife and ‘oft speaker Port Commissioner Connie and Dug Stewart did same for Rob Hagan (who is not an FBI agent.)
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe Emeritus
November 28, 2017
First, some club “bidness.” NO luncheon next Tuesday. BUT…one of our loooong time members named Jim, who chooses to remain anonymous, does claim that he, as a rule, does eat lunch on Tuesdays and, if per chance, one’s schedule does permit, one might find company having lunch at the TC&GC bar next Tuesday. I’m just sayin’. Requesting membership in our illustrious group is Dean Minor, willing to sign the pledge, and once approved, send us money as a member in good standing. And speaking of money, if you haven’t already do so, SEND Rick Carr your check for the Cascade Club Christmas Party.
Our speaker this week was Charlie Brown, President of the aforementioned TC&GC and lobbyist in Olympia. The perception, possibly justified, is that lobbyists wear alligator shoes and $4,000 Armani suits and most assuredly, shirts with French cuffs requiring large cuff links. I can honestly state that I can neither confirm nor deny the type of footgear Charlie was wearing nor would I even recognize an Armani suit if I saw one. (Ed note: to that point, when was the last time you saw anyone wearing a suit, let alone one of those funny things called a tie! Alas, alas. What hath God wrought?) But be not dismayed as to the erosion of taste and decorum. Get your tux out of the closet and your dancing pumps and be resplendent next Tuesday evening with your fellow Cascadians. Since no meeting next week, and thus extra space to fill-up, a little trivia should you end up on Jeopardy and the final question is the origin of the term” lobby.” The traditional explanation is that during the U.S. Grant presidency, Grant would often go to the Willard Hotel at night for a brandy and cigar. One might suppose knowing of Ulysses’ taste for strong spirits, possibly more than one brandy. People seeking favors would anticipate his arrival and wait for him in …the lobby. So if you win the final Jeopardy question, I expect to be duly compensated. But I digress, obviously. Charlie has been a lobbyist in Olympia for almost 25 years. Charlie portrays his role as that of an “information broker.” The trick is to capture a legislator for the proverbial 15 minute meeting and plead your case or position. The question was raised as to whether Charlie was an “issue agnostic?” Quite a telling question. His answer was “no.” It is obvious the role of the lobbyist is to share facts from a certain perspective on an issue. But to quote the late, great Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.” Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts”. One can but hope that the facts are not false nor supplemented by envelopes filled with money. Our most reputable Charlie is a contract lobbyist which means he represents a number of clients and he does so for 16 different clients. As is the tenor of the times we live in and suffer through, Charlie shared with us that the days of congenial disagreement and the desirability and necessity of compromise once prevalent and now so blatantly abandoned in Washington, D.C. are now seeping into Olympia, Washington. It seems acrimony is contagious. Yikes!
We must soldier on. Circle Tuesday, December 12th on your calendar. Our speaker will be Matt Perry of Puget Sound Energy speaking to us about the explosive issue regarding the construction of the liquid natural gas plant being built in the Port of Tacoma.
‘til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe emeritus
Tuesday November 21, 2017
We Cascadians are like the folks who live in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota where all the women are strong, the men are good-looking and all of the children are above average. That said, it probably doesn’t bear repeating but just in case, here is a repeat of the Christmas Party info.
OK, here’s what you do. 1. Get your checkbook. 2. Write a check for $160 to Cascade Club of Tacoma ($80 if for one person) 3. Where it says “For” on the check, write meal choice (New York steak w/Cabernet demi and black truffle butter, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Chilean Sea bass.) 4. Mail check today to: Rick Carr, 7910 N. 8th St, Tacoma, WA. 98406. 5. Why? Why!! The Christmas Party, of course. Time…no host bar (we had an open bar once and we’re still paying off the bill in installments) 6:00 with passed hors d’oeuvres, dinner served at 7:15. Attire…black tie optional for gentlemen (brown wingtips are not) and not even going to try to translate that for ladies. Dancing ’til dawn which for most Cascadians means about 10:00.
A most enlightening and enjoyable presentation by State Treasurer Duane A. Davidson. I must quickly dispel the perceived image of a state employee as a blasé bureaucrat plodding indifferently at his job. Davidson persevered through rain (no sleet nor dark of night) and a flat tire on I-5 to come share with we strong, good-looking and clearly all above average Cascadians the doings of the State Treasurer. Davidson is an avowed accountant by trade, yet was not the least bit dour and, in fact, he was quite humorous. He started by telling us the story of his path from a farm boy in Carnation, Washington to State Treasurer. While in the initial stages of running for State Treasurer, his wife died and he was in the throes of withdrawing from the race. Arriving home one evening, he was met by his three grown children, and as he so said, he was the center of an intervention. His 17 year old daughter volunteered to be his campaign manager, and what was he to say to that but …”yes.” Though that office is designated as non-partisan, he ran against 3 Democrats, was endorsed by all of the newspapers west of the Cascades, and won handily. To the best of his knowledge, he is the only holder of a state wide office ever to win all 39 counties. Some big numbers: the Treasurer’s office manages over $246 billion in cash flow in ’17, banking for 500 state fund accounts, with special attention to state debt. The capital debt is $20 billion, and debt service is almost $2 billion. Through good management, the state used lower interest rates to refund some of the previously issued bonds thus saving c. $170 million over the life of the bonds. There were more numbers, but lest your eyes glaze over, be comforted that the state is in good hands with the guy counting the money.
Next week, Tacoma Country and Golf Club President Charlie Brown and a lobbyist will share with us what’s happen’ in Olympia.
‘til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday November 14, 2017
OK, here’s what you do. 1. Get your checkbook. 2. Write a check for $160 to Cascade Club of Tacoma ($80 if for one person) 3. Where it says “For” on the check, write meal choice (steak, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Chilean Sea bass.) 4. Mail check today to: Rick Carr, 7910 N. 8th St, Tacoma, WA. 98406. 5. Why? Why!! The Christmas Party, of course. Time…no host bar (we had an open bar once and we’re still paying off the bill in installments) 6:00 with passed hors d’oeurves, dinner served at 7:15. Attire…black tie optional for gentlemen (brown wingtips are not) and not even going to try to translate that for ladies. Dancing ’til dawn which for most Cascadians means about 10:00.
Dr. Bill Baarsma was once again, a wonderful speaker. His presentation was entitled “Tacoma’s Most Noble and Notorious Mayors.” Before he started his always entertaining presentation, he shared some very sobering information on the changes in the political landscape in Washington State which is a reflection of what is happening nationally. His focus was the ballooning power of money in politics. When he ran for mayor, his campaign raised $21,000. The recent mayor spent $300,000 funded largely by special interest groups under the guise of PACs. Luckily, local laws are trying to curb such activities and there are term limits for the mayor and City Council. But even the latter is dictated by special interest fund raising. Something as traditionally mundane as a City Council seat, and in a district of 5,000 voters, $90,000 was spent. The Supreme Court “Citizens United” decision should have all of us concerned. (Ed. note: the 3 wealthiest men in America have a combined net worth greater than the combined net worth of 160,000,000 Americans. Beware the Golden Rule…”He who has the gold, makes the rules”.) As to the collection of mayors, there have been 39 in all. Some good, and some not so good. One of the former was the mayor who appointed himself Chief of Police and was responsible for forcing all of the Chinese out of Tacoma with a 72 hour notice. He was later arrested and tried on a number of counts and was declared innocent by the jury in 15 minutes. Another ran for mayor 12 times under different party affiliations, was elected 3 times and recalled once. Serving as mayor of Tacoma seemed to be ominous as to one’s life span. A number died campaigning or in office, the shortest tenure being just one month. Unfortunately, Tacoma isn’t alone in mayoral misdoings. Does the name Marion Barry ring a bell? One of his more famous quotes; “Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.” An equally infamous quote by a Louisiana politician running for reelection who, as I recall (not a high level of confidence here from a septuagenarian) was possibly even in prison at the time for corruption volunteered that the only way he wouldn’t be reelected was “If I get caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.” He was reelected. Unfortunately, the beat goes on and we need look no further than today’s newspaper.
Next week, a not to be missed speaker and an additional reason to join the fun and frolic of lunching with fellow Cascadians. Duane Davidson is the Treasure of the State of Washington. He will undoubtedly gladly share with each and every one individually how your ever increasing property tax dollars are being spent.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday November 7, 2017
Egads! Three different scribes in a row. What hath God wrought? But fear not. The Tuesday munchers and lunchers are still lunching and munching and the newsletter will follow. But at the rate we are going, we may discover Pres. Jackson scouring Craigslist for future penners or engaging a Rent-A-Scribe. As usual, we had a big crowd Tuesday to hear Andrew Neiditz, Executive Director of South Sound 911. Andrew shared with us the activities of the 911 service with the hallmark being “interoperability” the definition of which was a bit sketchy to your current scribe. Simply said, it means that 19 different police departments and 21 different fire departments and 19 different record departments (such as outstanding arrest warrants) are now inter-connected. The program was initiated with a 2011 ballot proposition requesting a not insignificant tax increase. Such initiatives are very difficult to pass but this initiative was passed overwhelmingly with a resounding “yes.” The levy will extend to 2025. Unfortunately, we probably all remember the shooting of the 4 Lakewood police officers. A perfect example for the need of an updated system was that there was no readily available vehicle to communicate with law enforcement in Lakewood and surrounding municipalities. Due to the existence of interoperability, now all participating police, record and fire departments are controlled by one central dispatch center. The budget for the new concept is $40 million per year.
As is to be expected, everything is changing quickly. A staggering 80% of 911 calls now come in from cell phones. A new generation system is underway to accept texting to 911 and should be available in the near future. Both systems are designed to identify who is calling or texting and from where. This elaborate system will cost $62 million. Currently the 911 calls total, on average, 2500 calls per day. The staff consists of about 250 people and actual call answering individuals on duty varies by time and day but averages about 8 people per shift. It is a high stress job and traditionally demands at least 4 months training before an individual is capable of acting independently as a 911 operator. Most operators are women. (This scribe will adroitly not address the emotional capabilities of women versus men.) There is turnover as might be expected in such a high stress job. One can only hope that there are no transferees from the DMV to 911.
Next week we have another anticipated return engagement by Former Mayor Bill Baarsma and his topic is “History of Mayors of Tacoma and recent discoveries.”
We did have a guest last week as Fred Willis intro’ed Bill Boyle.
A reminder about the rapidly approaching Cascade Club Christmas Party. The cost this year will be a paltry $80pp, or cleverly by half, $160 per couple. This will include your choice of one of 3 entrees, salad, desert bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, red and white wine, of course, cookies, and dancing, if you so choose. There will also be an appearance by Santa who will be giving away a BMW convertible. Oh, all right, that’s not really true, but it will be a gala not to be missed. More info coming soon. DO NOT send this scribe a check. But you can always send cash. It won’t apply to the Christmas Party but certainly will make my Christmas shopping easier.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe Emeritus
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Our Cascade club has been very fortunate to have two talented literary giants as our scribes. Dave Loving, he of insightful pieces about our club meetings, humor and occasionally political comment. The bad news/good news is that Dave has sold his house and will be leaving us but will be able to continue as coscribe until mid December. Our other award winning scribe, Phil Sloan,our great present scribe, is removed to Central America for 5 weeks under the guise of doing good for the natives but in truth has wisely chosen sunshine and a few libations with his friends, some say it was precipitated by the stress of filling the job of scribe and trying to live up to the standards set by Loving. This all is to explain the change in tone and decrease quality of the work of your phantom scribe this week, happily a temporary situation.
We had excellent attendance this week, particularly since several members have migrated South for the season. Our excellent speaker this week, arranged by Rich Wall, was Bradley Berger who has been in Financial Planning for 25years. Before he entered finance he graduated for West Point and had the distinction of be the officer in charge of the last platoon to patrol the Berlin Wall before it was torn down.
Brad has written a book recently with the great title of “Stop Trying to Keep Up with the Joneses: They’re Broke Anyway”. His book has been #1 on financial books list on Wall Street Journal and Amazon lists for a few weeks. He is a principle of Cornerstone Financial Strategies in Bellevue. He discussed his philosophy being 80% clarifying the customers goals and life plan and 20% financial issues. It was his opinion that most advisors are expert in accruing wealth but do not spend energy of the second half of the process which is planning of disposing of the assets as one “matures”, which is the wording we use in Cascade club. He felt the industry will continue to move toward management fees and not commission. A great deal of discussion followed.
Next week will be Andrew Neiditz, Executive Director of South Sound 911, and following week Bill Baarsma on the History of Mayors of Tacoma and recent discoveries.
Christmas Party at TCGC on Dec 5, be certain you get your reservation in early to avoid the crush of demand.
Sincerely, Your anonymous, phantom scribe now assigned to the scrapheap of history.
Newsletter of Tuesday October 24, 2017
I’m back… temporarily. To paraphrase Michael Corleone, every time he tried to get out of the family business, it “pulled him back in.” So, if two swarthy gentlemen whose names end in vowels, and one of them is referred to as “Don” yet his name isn’t “Don” and the other’s is Luca Brasi and they suggest you continue to read this newsletter, I suggest you do as it is an offer you shouldn’t refuse.
We had a speaker today. As they say on late-night infomercials “…but WAIT… if you order immediately you will receive not one but two for the price of one and the only additional cost is that of shipping and handling”, which it turns out is equal to that of shipping a Buick via FedEx. Our speakers were Mark Coleman, Dept. of Ecology: Commencement Bay/Tacoma Superfund Sites and Greg Tanbara, Dept. of Health. I should hasten to add that neither appeared dressed in a Hazemat suit, nor seemingly glowed in the dark. Longtime Tacomans remember the Asarco smelting operation, especially the smokestack, which spewed contaminated emissions of lead and arsenic which the wind could spread over 1,000 square miles. The stack is gone and the Ruston area is now the hip place to be. The Department of Ecology is currently monitoring over 2,000 sites for contamination. Many are still centered around Commencement Bay and the Foss Waterway. According to Mark, the sediment in Commencement Bay is not too bad. It is the waterways leading into the Bay that often are very suspect which is comprised of industrial, commercial and residential runoff. An example of monitoring is that done by the city on hi-way runoff. The Superfund is a billion dollar campaign to right the wrongs of the past nationwide. We should be proud that Washington State leads the nation with the most robust EPA program.
Next week our speaker will be Brad Berger, CEO of Commencement Financials and Strategies. He is the author of “Stop keeping up with the Jones. They are broke anyway.”
Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to pencil, no, INK in, December 5th for the ever delightful Cascade Christmas Party. The only thing more seasonal and to be anticipated is the arrival of the chubby fellow in the red suit.
‘Til the anon (per usual),
D. Loving
Scribe emeritus
If you are sharing this pithy tome with a friend and say “…Surely you know who Don Corleone is” and your friend immediately replies ‘…don’t call me Shirley” and you both laugh, and you don’t understand anything they are talking about, that means you desperately need to stop watching cable news and start watching or rewatching wonderful movie classics.
PPS. Of course, I’m trust we all remember the famous line from “When Harry Met Sally…’I’ll have what she’s having.’ ”
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF OCTOBER 17, 2017
When our speaker, Joe Hedges, called to report he was stuck in traffic, there was no break in the action because there was a long que of the 37 Cascadians present, aspiring to wrest the title of Joke Meister from Fred Willis, who stood by, ready, willing and able to defend his title.
The Joke-a-thon was cut short when Joe Hedges (he asked that we call him Joe) arrived and treated us to the fascinating story of the project to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct of which the tunnel, which was dug by the world famous “Bertha” is a relatively small part. The world is aware of the many problems Bertha encountered digging the tunnel, but Joe made us appreciate the enormity of the project. As Bernie Sanders would say “IT IS YOOGE” (spelled huge).
Joe overwhelmed us with facts and you can learn all about the project by starting at the Washington State Department of Transportation website: www.wsdot.we.gov/Projects/Viaduct. It is an excellent resource from which you can learn all about the project. It also has pictures for those of us with attention span deficits. WARNING: be prepared to spend hours on your computer.
About Bertha, she was a “one shot wonder.” She was built to do only this job- she was brought to Seattle in parts, assembled at the start of the route and when her task was completed, she was dismantled, chopped up into scrap and hauled away.
Joe was so impressive that he caused us to wish that he is put in charge of running our Government. If anyone can, Joe would “Drain the Swamp”. ***********************************************************
NEXT MEETINGS:
OCTOBER 24: Greg Tanbara, Dept. of Health and Mark Coleman, Dept. of Ecology: Commencement Bay/Tacoma Superfund Sites, history and present status. Greg is George Tanbara’s son.
OCTOBER 31: Brad Berger, CEO of Commencement Financial and Strategies. He is the author of “Stop trying to keep up with the Jones- They are broke anyway”.
CHRISTMAS PARTY: December 5 at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND SAVE THAT DATE NOW!
SCRIBE’S NOTE: We have a scribe! Dave Loving has forfeited his severance package and came out of retirement so he can fatten his pension benefits. Thank you Dave!
REMINDER: The USPS is still taking up to 6 days to deliver our newsletter to some of us who live in the hinterlands, so if your Newsletter is late, you will find it posted by our Webmaster, John McGowen, on our website: https://TacomaCascade.org.
Phil Sloan, co- scribe
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF OCTOBER 10, 2017
After the Fall Season got off to a rip-roaring start, we came to a screeching halt today when our scheduled speaker, Charlie Brown, Lobbyist, got a better offer and cancelled his visit with us. We’ll lobby to get him to reschedule.
However, not all was lost for the 28 or so members and 2 guests: Jokes, mostly good jokes, were told and right before our astonished eyes, a star was born. We discovered we have a JOKEMEISTER amongst us: our own Fred Willis, who, after a series of Cajun jokes told in an authentic accent, received the only foot stomping round of applause ever awarded for joke telling by our sophisticated and discerning band. Fred would have been given a standing ovation but it is too much of an effort for most of us to stand.
Fred now is under mandate of the Board to tell at least one joke per meeting. However, the rest of you remain obligated to be prepared to regale us with your jokes. Let the Games begin!
NEXT MEETINGS: OCTBER 17: Joe Hedges, PE, PMP, LEED AP, He is the Alaska Way
Viaduct Replacement Administrator: “Bertha – Past and Present” (A deep subject).
OCTOBER 24: We have no speaker scheduled yet but are working hard to find one.
COMING EVENT- MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Christmas Party on Tuesday December 5th at the Tacoma Country & Golf Club (details to follow).
SCRIBE’S NOTE: We desperately need an Associate Scribe, especially for 3 or 4 meetings in late October and early November. Dave Loving has elected to take his severance package and serve only as Scribe Emeritus. Phil Sloan is awaiting deportation by ICE in the next couple weeks and will need about 3 weeks to raise funds to pay his coyote to be smuggled back into the country.
If no one volunteers, President Bill Jackson has the authority to draft. The Scribe Position comes with a lush package of benefits: Company Car, Retirement Plan, Flights on Cascade Club Jets and immunity for insulting fellow Cascadians.
The USPS apparently is delivering our newsletter by Pony Express, so if your Newsletter is late, our Webmaster, John McGowen, posts them on our website: https://TacomaCascade.org.
Phil Sloan, DACA Deportee to be.
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF MEETING OF OCTOBER 3, 2017
Thanks to Rick Kirk, Charlie Davis, President and CEO of the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap County, gave 31 members our highest energy program ever. Last week we learned about sleep disorders and the benefits of sleep, (especially naps) and this week, Charlie left us wondering if he ever sleeps.
Until 40 years ago, the only Y in the South Sound was a fitness and wellness club in an old building in downtown Tacoma when John Morgan issued what seemed to be an impossible challenge to the membership of only about 700, including our fellow Cascadians, Rick Kirk and John Woodworth, to raise 9 million dollars to build a new Y. The result was the Morgan Family Y on Pearl Street which opened in September, 1977. Since then, the Y has had phenomenal growth and today, there are 9 Ys in Pierce and Kitsap Counties, which collectively, in the first 8 months of 2017, served over 170,000 people with their programs at the Ys and in their outreach programs.
The 9 Ys, the year they opened and their memberships as of the end of August 2017 are as follows: Morgan Family Y: 1977, (16,454); Tacoma Central Y, 1983, (5,848); Lakewood Family Y, 1992, (12,320); Mel Korum Family Y, Puyallup, 2000, (19,728); Tom Taylor Family Y, Gig Harbor, 2007, (19,024); Haselwood Family Y, Silverdale, 2011, (17,628); Gordon Family Y, Sumner, 2015, (17,628); University Y (UWT) 2015, (5,963).
The Ys have partnered with regional hospitals, school districts and other organizations to expand the scope of their services, such as treatment for Parkinson’s Disease, Diabetes and Obesity; Thousands of kids have been taught to swim; have been given meals; have received Child care (at 48 Child Care sites (serving 77 schools); attended summer camp at Camp Seymour and played on weekend nights in late night programs.
The South Sound is a great place to live, and in no small way, our quality of life is enriched because the YMCA is fulfilling its Mission Statement “To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all”.
(Scribe’s Note: To thousands, Charlie is the face of the YMCA. His enthusiasm is so contagious and he is so renowned for his ability to raise money for the Y that before speaking to us, he was required to promise that he would not ask us for pledges because many of us know Charlie and we fear that if he ever becomes a used car salesman, we will be driving Yugos.)
NEXT MEETINGS:
OCTOBER 10: Charlie Brown, Professional Lobbyist:
Topic: “Lobbying in Olympia”.
OCTOBER 17: Joe Hedges, PE, PMP, LEED AP,
He is the Alaska Way Viaduct Replacement Administrator:
Topic: “Bertha- Past and Present” (A deep subject).
Phil Sloan, Scribe
CASCADE CLUB MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
37 Members and one guest, Dugald Stewart, (son of Dugald Stewart), were so stimulated by the presentation of Sally Jones, manager of the Sleep Center at St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood, that only Chuck Heller fell asleep.
Ms. Jones has spent her entire career engaged in sleep science studies which originated in Australia where R.E.M., (rapid eye movement sleep), was first studied in the late 1950s. REM sleep is “dream sleep” as distinguished from deep sleep. It is during REM that sufferers of sleep apnea intermittently stop breathing, causing deprivation of the benefits of a “good night’s sleep”.
Apnea is the result of one’s throat not opening enough to facilitate the free flow of air. Airflow restriction can be caused by obesity, heavily muscled necks, such as athletes may develop by body building, diabetes, strokes and heart disease.
The most common way to enhance airflow into the body is by using a CPAP, {continuous positive airway pressure device). Contrary to common belief, the CPAP pumps only air into the body, not pure oxygen.
To improve sleep, Ms. Jones recommends that light from electronic devices in the bedroom such as computers, televisions and cell phones be turned off or deflected. The blue light from many devices has been proven to wake up the brain.
Teenagers during their growing years are undergoing hormonal changes and require more sleep than they typically get. Sleep scientists are strong advocates of changing school attendance hours to begin later in the day.
Even for older adults, it is recommended that we have between 6 and 8 hours of sleep a night. Studies have shown that those who sleep less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours per night tend to have more pain issues.
After telling us of the many bad things that can result from sleep deprivation, she gave us good news which Cascadians should share with their wives: NAPS ARE GOOD FOR YOU!
*****************************************************************************
NEXT MEETINGS: October 3: Charlie Davis, President and CEO Pierce and Kitsap YMCAs. Charlie may be the most enthusiastic speaker we will hear all year.
October 10: Charlie Brown, attorney and lobbyist- Lobbying in Olympia
Scribe’s note: I have more to write, but it is time for my nap.
Phil Sloan, scribe
Cascade Club of Tacoma Minutes of Meeting of 9/19/17
30 members and two guests were treated to a concise ,legislative update by our fellow Cascadian, Washington State Representative Dick Muri, a Republican who, along with Christine Kilduff, a Democrat, are the two Representatives of the 28th District which includes, amongst other parts of Pierce County, Lakewood, Fircrest, University Place and Steilacoom.
Dick brought us up to date on several major legislative controversies which the legislature dealt with this session and a bill which he sponsored which is not so important: a bill which prevents the State from classifying Mead as a wine. (Scribe’s note: The last time I heard of Mead was in a Shakespeare play we were forced to read in an English Literature course in college.}
The most active Legislative controversy this term has been over how to finance the $54 Billion cost of Sound Transit 3, which to the surprise of many of us, does not affect with our public bus system, but rather with building fixed rail lines through Snohomish, King and Pierce Counties. The proposed huge rate increases in property taxes, sales taxes and license tab fees have been met with outrage by the public.
The legislature also had to deal with the impact of two decisions of our State Supreme Court; the Hirst Decision which severely restricts the drilling of water wells on private property. Dick said because of the Hirst Decision, the Rural Economy of our state is “being crushed.” The McCleary case which held that the state was not meeting its constitutional mandate that funding education is the top priority of the state. A funding plan was adopted which will be based on property values and ultimately will result in big tax increases for King County.
Representative Muri said Republicans defeated Governor lnslee’s attempts this session to impose a state income tax, impose a 50% increase in B&O tax and there will be no carbon tax.
He invites anyone with questions or comments to contact him or his staff at his Steilacoom office, {253} 301-2278 or his Olympic office at {360) 780-7890, or by email at dick.muri@leg.wa.gov.
*******************************************************************
NEXT MEETING: September 26. Sally Jones returns to tell us more about Sleep Disorders.
REMINDER: We need jokes!
NEEDED: One or two volunteers to act as Scribe when Dave Loving or Phil Sloan are absent (or have drunk too much mead the night before).
Phil Sloan, Scribe.
Cascade Club of Tacoma Minutes of Meeting of 9/12/17
Wow – what a great first meeting of Cascade Club after our summer hiatus: 43 members present, including our newest member, Bill Russell, and a speaker who simultaneously enlightened us and scared us about the potential consequences of the income tax ordinance approved by the Seattle City Council on July 10, 2017.
The speaker, Hannah Sells, is a litigation counsel for the Freedom Foundation, a non-profit corporation, which has filed on behalf of a group of Seattle residents, one of the several law suits now pending in the King County Superior Court which ask the court to invalidate the income tax.
The income tax rate is 2.25% of the TOTAL annual income for individuals earning more than $250,000 per year and $500,000 per couple filing jointly. “Income” is defined as ALL income from all sources, including pensions, dividends, capital gains, etc. as reported on one’s Federal Income Tax return.
The proponents of the tax openly admit that if the tax is upheld, they will introduce a statewide income tax.
Regardless of one’s personal political philosophy, the legal precedents prohibiting Seattle from imposing an income tax seem so strong that it causes wonder why the Seattle City council ever bothered to pass the tax. In addition to being unconstitutional, additional reasons to invalidate the tax are that the tax is discriminatory against those in the designated income levels. The courts have repeatedly upheld the prohibition of income taxes under the State Constitution and that Cities lack the authority to enact net income taxes.
Certain members of Seattle’s City Council have reportedly admitted that the tax is unconstitutional, but they rationalize their actions by saying that this case will lead to changes in the constitution.
Cross motions for summary judgments are scheduled to be argued in November before Judge Ruhl of the King County Superior Court. It is probable that appeals will follow.
*******************************************************************NEXT MEETING: September 19: Our fellow Cascadian, State Representative, Dick Muri will give us a legislative update.
Please help Bill Jackson and Dave Sheean recruit speakers. We have a slate of excellent programs pending, but need to fill a few empty slots.
Our membership is strong and growing, but we are still looking for a few good men- so bring guests who may be interested in joining our merry band.
Last, we need more jokes!
Phil Sloan, Scribe
BREAKING NEWS FROM TACOMA CASCADE CLUB
This week’s top 5 news stories:
#5: The Mexican Earthquake:
#4: North Korean Missile Tests :
#3: Forests Fires in Washington:
#2: Hurricane Irma:
#1: Cascade Club’s First Meeting of the Fall:
Details: Date: September 12, 2017
Place: Tacoma Country and Golf Club
Time: 11:45 AM
Speaker: Attorney Hannah Sells who represents a citizens’ group challenging the constitutionality of an income tax imposed by Seattle.
We’ll see YOU there !