State considers stiffer high school graduation requirements - From TheNewsTribune.com

Sender: karl (jea_chin@comcast.net)

---

State considers stiffer high school graduation requirements
At the urging of major employers and state officials, the Washington state Board of Education is about to adopt tough new high school graduation requirements.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/419674.html

---

A service of TheNewsTribune.com.

Puget Sound Partnership Photo of the Week

IMG_3168.JPG
Originally uploaded by Jeachin

I took this picture of the visitor center at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge when taking part in a Flickr Meet-up put on by the Puget Sound Partnership. They chose it as their photo of the week. Check out www.psp.wa.gov.

Here are pictures of four of my beautiful granddaughters taken yesterday on our nature walk.

These are shots I took at the Puget Sound "Silent Crisis" Photo Excursion yesterday. They were taken at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. The first is a birdhouse that swallows are using, though I couldn't catch them going in or out. The second is a duck on a log in one of the many ponds and streams that make up the Nisqually Delta. Then there is the little fish. I would like to think it is a salmon, but I have no idea what species it is. The last is one of two Bull Frogs that where giving a concert when we walked by their pond.

Ginger Best Adult

Ginger Best Adult
Originally uploaded by Jeachin

Ginger's first win! This was a AKC sanctioned match the Tacoma Kennel Club put on Sunday July 13th, so there were no points awarded, but it is an exciting win. The judge had a lot of praise for her, saying she should finish (become a champion) easily.

copycats

copycats
Originally uploaded by soldiersmediacenter

Great Picture. Our guys do a great job of making friends where ever they go, and always have. I think that the young men and women we send overseas are the best diplomats we have. They make this old First Sergeant proud regardless of their branch of service.

Bluetooth

I have entered the world of Bluetooth. Since the state legislature decided to make the use of hand held devices such as cell phones and radio microphones illegal while driving, I have had to move to a hands free device. I will give it a try, hopefully it won't take me too long to get use to it. I feel so much safer now that the state has stepped in to control more of my life.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

Ginger's Ribbons

IMG_3066.JPG
Originally uploaded by Jeachin

Ginger took Best Adult of Match at an AKC sanctioned match today in Parkland put on by the Tacoma Kennel Club. That is about the same as Best in Show! the judge said it should be easy to get her to champion.

Watch "Saving Puget Sound"

Your friend, jea_chin@comcast.net, has sent you the following video and included this message:

Great link.

Saving Puget Sound

7 min 11 sec - May 19, 2008
Description: A call to action. People For Puget Sound works to save our sound.

Want to see more cool videos?
Go to video.google.com/

Think you have an even cooler video?
Add it at video.google.com/videouploadform

If you're having trouble watching the video, try copying the following URL into your browser:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=24243118493081945&pr=goog-sl

Sadie On Patrol

Sadie On Patrol
Originally uploaded by Jeachin

I just had to add this. Sadie is such a lover. Everything she does is cute.

Freedom Garden

This is the start of our journey to independence from the risky and high cost food sold in grocery stores. We are going to plant carrots, spinach and swiss chard in this space. We took up some roses that were struggling and are going to replace them with squash. Over the next few years our goal is to produce the majority of the vegetables we eat on our own land. My wish is to move to the Okanogan and grow grapes, vegetables, and goats. Maybe we could live on wine, salads and cheese.

Regal Fritillary Butterflies at Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA

www.army.mil
Originally uploaded by soldiersmediacenter

Rambiling

I just joined a group on Flicker tittled "Freedom". The object of the group is to post pictures that one believes expresses freedom. There are pictures of just about everything from half naked women to airliners. The interesting thing is that their are over four thousand pictures in this group and they are all different. Everyone wants to be free, the only question is what they think that is and what they are willing to pay for it. I was asked once how I could have spent twenty years of my life in the Army and given up all that freedom. My reply was that I didn't feel I had given up much freedom over that time. True, I couldn't say what I thought at all times, but twenty years latter I could lose my job or at least be reprimanded if I spoke my mind all the time. In the Army I had to wear the uniform of the day, mostly fatigues or BDUs, but now I still have to dress appropriately for work. We all give up freedom in the effort to earn a living, and just to live in the PC society.

I Am the Infantry

I am the Infantry.
I am my country's strength in war,
her deterrent in peace.
I am the heart of the fight-
wherever, whenever.
I carry America's faith and honor
against her enemies.
I am the Queen of Battle.

I am what my country expects me to be-
the best trained soldier in the world.
In the race for victory,
I am swift, determined, and courageous,
armed with a fierce will to win.

Never will I fail my country's trust.
Always I fight on-
through the foe,
to the objective,
to triumph over all.
If necessary, I fight to my death.

By my steadfast courage,
I have won 200 years of freedom.
I yield not-
to weakness,
to hunger,
to cowardice,
to fatigue,
to superior odds,
for I am mentally tough,physically strong,
and morally straight.

I forsake not-
my country,
my mission,
my comrades,
my sacred duty.

I am relentless.
I am always there,
now and forever.

I AM THE INFANTRY!
FOLLOW ME!

A Purple Plant and my 3000 Cannon Picture

A Purple Plant and my 3000 Cannon Picture
Originally uploaded by Jeachin

This is the 3000 picture I have taken since I got my Cannon Rebel XTi in November 2006. My how time flies.

The Story Of Stuff

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

I just watched this video, and it was interesting. I'm not sure I believe all of the statistics, but they can be manipulated to show just about what one wants to show to prove their point. It is an interesting clip though, and most of it rings true. I know that we, my wife and I, have accumulated a lot of stuff in the 26 years we have been married. So much of what we buy we really don't need, and we add to the waste by borrowing, using credit, to buy all of it. It is also disconcerting to watch the news and hear that what we are buying is contaminated with poisons. So at the risk of sounding unpatriotic, I am starting a campaign of buying and wasting less; buying fresh, green, and local; growing more; driving less; and using the library. We live just two miles from the nearest store and library, so if we need just a small amount of necessities, I'll ride my bike instead of driving. This is just me, as I will never convince my wife that this is the way to live.

A co 1 Bn 23rd Inf Korea

Hovey
Originally uploaded by svobodnik

These buildings were used by A co. 1-23rd Inf at Camp Hovey, Korea when I was there in 1984.

kjh9189 sent you a video: "Ultimate Sacrifice by Soldiers"

	help center | e-mail options | report spam
kjh9189 has shared a video with you on YouTube! Ultimate Sacrifice by Soldiers Let's not forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice in uniform. Let them rest in peace and let us not forget them. It's another video I made. Keep vulgar and hateful comments to yourself. This is tribute to the fallen men and women in uniform, not a political statement or debate about whether or not we should be there.
© 2008 YouTube, Inc.

Folding Flags

Folding Flags
Originally uploaded by soldiersmediacenter

A great video.

Backyard flag on the 4th of July 2008

Happy 4th of July! We placed this flagpole in the backyard in 1993 to show our pride in this country. 232 years ago brave men put it all on the line to allow us to live in the freedom we do. Though they would probably be amazed at how much of the freedom they placed their lives and fortunes on the line for we have given up in the name of political correctness, I think they would be amazed at how far we have come to persevere the freedoms we have. This is still a great country and can still be even greater as long as we, the citizens, take part in our government and political process.