JayB

Not sure where you're applying but I got the impression that at Uw getting into PA school without ~ 3 years experience as a PA, Navy corpsman, Army medic, paramedic, or some other type of day-in-day-out hands-on medical background is fairly difficult. It also sounded as though they value life experience, so there weren't many folks that got into the program straight out of college. This is all second hand stuff and may not be accurate, so hopefully someone who is working as a PA will chime in and correct it if it's not accurate.

If you like the products that an independent business sells more than those sold by a larger operation, if you find the service more attentive, the selection more to your liking, purchasing the product or service provided by the said operation makes you feel good about yourself, etc - then this is a matter of your preferences at work and/or the smaller operation simply earning your business through excellence. This is not altruism, and any business that actually depends upon altruism to keep it's doors open will not last very long. The difference in total compensation between Starbucks and local shops is also probably negligble and, if anything, probably tilts in the favor of Starbucks. There's also the fact that Starbucks can be credited with creating the market for gourmet coffees that the small shops now operate in. The Catholic Church of yore sold indulgences to the faithful to absolve them of their sins and re-establish their standing in the eyes of god and did pretty well at it, and evidently the boutique coffee shops of today are doing pretty well serving the same impulses through a different market, although the deity in question here is clearly the consumer's self-image.

Cafe Brit from Costa Rica is pretty decent, and you can get the stuff shipped to your door direct from CR for $7.50/lb if you buy it in sufficient quantities.

I only drink Starbucks when there's no McDonald's coffee available.

If only I could buy a cup of Starbucks Coffee while shopping tax-free at the various Walmarts in NH...

I'm amazed that thus far no one has felt compelled to add a LOL to a RickRoll'D post...

It's strange that - unlike Joseph Healy - these two champions of boldness and ethical conduct are so reluctant to have their behavior and commentary on this site associated with their real names.

Frass Canyon.

Bill - don't distract them. With every post you coax out of them you're depriving them of a morsel of time, energy, or concentration that they'll need so bring about the closure of all sport climbing areas in the Northwest.

I'm still waiting for the ballot initiative that will outlaw all future ballot initiatives.

Just to insure that I am even less welcome in Phinney.... Proc Nutr Soc. 2002 Feb;61(1):19-24.Click here to read Links Nutritional quality of organic food: shades of grey or shades of green? Williams CM. High Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, School of Human Nutrition, School of Food Biosciences, University of Reading, UK. c.m.williams@reading.ac.uk Consumer concern regarding possible adverse health effects of foods produced using intensive farming methods has led to considerable interest in the health benefits of organically-produced crops and animal products. There appears to be widespread perception amongst consumers that such methods result in foods of higher nutritional quality. The present review concludes that evidence that can support or refute such perception is not available in the scientific literature. A limited number of studies have compared the nutrient compositions of organically- and conventionally-produced crops, with a very small number of studies that have compared animal products (meat, milk and dairy products) produced under the two agricultural systems. Very few compositional differences have been reported, although there are reasonably consistent findings for higher nitrate and lower vitamin C contents of conventionally-produced vegetables, particularly leafy vegetables. Data concerning possible impacts on animal and human health of diets comprising organic or conventional produce are extremely sparse. Data from controlled studies in animal models, particularly within single species, are limited or poorly designed, and findings from these studies provide conflicting conclusions. There are no reports in the literature of controlled intervention studies in human subjects. Comparison of health outcomes in populations that habitually consume organically- or conventionally-produced foods are flawed by the large number of confounding factors that might contribute to any differences reported. If consumer perceptions regarding potential health benefits of organic foods are to be supported, more research of better quality is needed than that which is currently available. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2006;46(1):23-56.Click here to read Links Organic food: buying more safety or just peace of mind? A critical review of the literature. Magkos F, Arvaniti F, Zampelas A. Laboratory of Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Ave, Kallithea, Athens, 176 71, Greece. Consumer concern over the quality and safety of conventional food has intensified in recent years, and primarily drives the increasing demand for organically grown food, which is perceived as healthier and safer. Relevant scientific evidence, however, is scarce, while anecdotal reports abound. Although there is an urgent need for information related to health benefits and/or hazards of food products of both origins, generalized conclusions remain tentative in the absence of adequate comparative data. Organic fruits and vegetables can be expected to contain fewer agrochemical residues than conventionally grown alternatives; yet, the significance of this difference is questionable, inasmuch as actual levels of contamination in both types of food are generally well below acceptable limits. Also, some leafy, root, and tuber organic vegetables appear to have lower nitrate content compared with conventional ones, but whether or not dietary nitrate indeed constitutes a threat to human health is a matter of debate. On the other hand, no differences can be identified for environmental contaminants (e.g. cadmium and other heavy metals), which are likely to be present in food from both origins. With respect to other food hazards, such as endogenous plant toxins, biological pesticides and pathogenic microorganisms, available evidence is extremely limited preventing generalized statements. Also, results for mycotoxin contamination in cereal crops are variable and inconclusive; hence, no clear picture emerges. It is difficult, therefore, to weigh the risks, but what should be made clear is that 'organic' does not automatically equal 'safe.' Additional studies in this area of research are warranted. At our present state of knowledge, other factors rather than safety aspects seem to speak in favor of organic food. PMID: 16403682 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Since there are now more deer in the continental US than at the time of Columbus's landing, the only realistic alternative to culling via hunting is culling via starvation. In Iowa deer are so numerous that they have set up a program that encourages hunters to kill more deer and donate their excess venison to food-banks.

Maybe you can take revenge on your lot-hogging neighbor by surreptitiously adding wavy-fiberglass carport covering type motifs to his property.

I shamelessly despoiled the philosophical and cultural environment on Phinney from 02-04, and nearby Ballard in 97/98, so the damage is already done. If you look closely, you'll see subtle signs of contagion everywhere. Escape to West Seattle while you still can.

As long as someone more clever than myself has done the shoe-horning for me and puts their investment on the rental market I'll be happy. Mmmm. Wingdome.

Seattle will probably always be expensive, especially the nicer neighborhoods that enable one to avoid commuter-hell, but conditions in the credit and loan underwriting markets are changing rather dramatically as we speak. This has been front page stuff in the financial press for months. Real estate may be local, but credit markets are global. FIFA is about to become a mortgage lending acronym that is as ubiqitous and important as FICO. Right now the chasm between the cost of renting and owning is magical enough for me, though.

I've heard the same thing elsewhere about boom-time construction when labor and materials are tight in general, and publicly traded home-builders in particular. Ditto for a significant number of "flips." Who cares about the condition of the foundation, the plumbing, or the wiring if you've got stainless/granite in the kitchen?

If we actually end up in Seattle proper I'd probably look to live in the Phinney/Greenlake area since that's where our friends are, and then rent until the conditions in the mortgage/credit market are done working their magic. Gordita's has to be at least as good as anything in White Center, especially when you take pric-per-unit-volume into account.

But all those crazy stupid loan schemes are a significant contributing factor to those shockingly high house prices. Don't worry, though, all those stupid crazy loan schemes are also a significant contributing factor in the impending shocking reduction in house prices. If I was you, I'd wait before buying anything. Check the threads at the Mortgage Broker's answer to cc.com: http://forum.brokeroutpost.com/loans/forum/2/143984.htm

350 days or thereabouts. Amazing how nice 100 degrees in Portland felt last week in comparison to 80 degrees with jungle-humidity in Boston. Wife wants to work in New Zealand for a spell after residency, so if that works out it might be into '09 before I'm blighting the PNW with my presence on a permanent basis.

At least the name indicates a certain level of intellectual honesty on the developer's part. Even "Polygon Homes" would imply a bit less uniformity and regularity. It'd be interesting to see if the transitive property applies to the floorplans. I can't believe that you passed on West Seattle, though. Some folks here may take that personally.

So bolting is the main problem that land managers are concerned about at the sport-mecca that is JT, and this has lead to access restrictions? Bolting is the main problem at Bishop as well I presume, and the rampant bolting in Boston Basin is no doubt behind the land management regs in force there as well. Thanks for clearing that up.

I think it's amusing that neither of you are capable of detecting sarcasm. I am - in all seriousness - disappointed that the two of you won't be amusing me with a real-time chronicle of your efforts, though.

I'm sure that once you and Pope implement whatever cunning, stealthy methodology you are presently devising to advance your agenda, and the the various environmental groups and regulatory agencies are awakened to the fact that people are drilling 3/8" x 2" holes in rock surfaces that constitute less than a 1x10^18th of the total exposed rock surface in the US for recreational purposes the outcry will make the collective response to "Silent Spring" look like a collective yawn by comparison.

Who said outlaw sport-climbing? I'd just like to see it banned from PUBLIC land. Those who insist on practicing that form of "climbing" should perhaps find some private land that they can choose to damage. Go buy some rocks. How 'bout the "Washington Climbers Coalition" and the "Access Fund" raise some money and buy Frenchman's Coulee....it's already been wrecked and they could put a fence around it, charge admission and even keep out trad climbers if they want, and then wreck it some more. Didn't they buy a couple of rocks in Icicle Canyon? As public land, though, I'd rather see places like Vantage shut down to ALL climbing until the place is restored, rather than allow more bolt trails. What? Not enough natural lines in Vantage to keep climbers happy? The face routes are too long to top-rope or belay from the top? Not enough to satisfy the uncontrollable urge to drill??? In the time that you took to write this post, you could have dashed off an e-mail to at least one major environmental group alerting them to the nature and scope of this problem. Seriously. Please start your campaign immediately, and keep us appraised of your efforts by posting all of your correspondence and any replies that you get in return.