This is a selection of recent popular blog articles from SeattleIAM where you will find the best blogs from Seattle, Washington as well as video uploads, social networking, rumors, and blog authoring. Crime Down in Western Seattle Despite Recent Shooting The latest post from the West Seattle Blog is focused on two recent police reports announced at meetings of the West Side Seattle Community Safety Partnership and the Delridge District Council. A recent shooting at 59th and Admiral had many residents of Western Seattle concerned about a possible increase in gang activity spreading into their neighborhood. However, police reassured citizens that “the 59th/Admiral shooting is believed...

Many people who have an interest in face painting yet lack imagination for designs can find free ideas as close as their local library. If you lack the talent to create your own designs, you could always trace pictures from a child's storybook. Most storybooks for the under-five age group will have simple pictures easy to trace. When you think about face painting designs, you probably think about simple kids face painting designs. Many people do not realize that face painting designs go beyond the basic and simple shapes that we see on small children. In fact, sophisticated and artful face painting designs are becoming more popular and high in demand. We will start off with one of the most passed up...

One of the things that parents consume a lot of time worrying about is creating and preparing wholesome recipes for their kids. While it can sometimes be cumbersome to always prepare wholesome recipes, especially when you have little time or are in a rush after work, there are many nutritious recipes that you can prepare easily, here are just a few. Applesauce Almost all children like applesauce and applesauce is exceptionally simple to make and very tasty. All that is required are 2 red apples, two teaspoons of sugar (brown sugar is fine), a couple of tablespoons of lemon and a little cinnamon. Making applesauce is a breeze, just put your two red apples in a food processor, throwing out the core...

Are you planning a birthday party for your child? Then you're probably looking for some birthday party activities. Why not including face painting as part of the party? Here are some guidelines to get you started in face painting as quickly as possible. Kids love having their faces painted. Whether they are three or nine, kids get a thrill out of having characters and shapes painted on their face. The great thing about children's face painting is that it takes very little time to do and it's a low-cost investment. The first thing you need to do is determine what kinds of paintings you'll do. If you organise a themed birthday party, come up with several face painting ideas within that birthday theme...

With Halloween just around the corner it's time to start planning for costumes and makeup. Halloween is the perfect holiday for face painting. A good costume doesn't end with just the clothes and accessories. A painted face can make a true statement and define your look. Especially now that Halloween masks are prohibited at most all school functions, dances, and parties, face painting is a more comfortable, inexpensive way to finish your ensemble. There are minimal tools needed to get started and the quality of face paints have come along way for a safe, comfortable and long lasting wear. The basic tools are face paints, 3 to 4 brushes and some sponges. From a ghost, butterfly, clown, vampire...

1. You Must Be This High To Ride This Ride 2. There's No "P" In Pool 3. Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law 4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force 5. Sealab 2021 6. Brak Show 7. English Channel Swim 8. Bobby G. Can't Swim 1. You Must Be This High To Ride This Ride Adult Swim is a unique kind of Must-See TV found on the Cartoon Network. Catering a fast food sized gem of cartoon hilarity to a crowd that has become too jaded and aware for network fare. These viewers need something with juice and Adult Swim delivers on all accounts. 2. There's No "P" In Pool The shows in the Adult Swim line-up know about our attention deficit and don't bore us with unnecessary drivel. For instance, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law lasts...

Zhang Xiaogang was born on 1958 in Kunming, Yunnan province,CHINA. Zhang Xiaogang's paintings engage with the notion of identity within the Chinese culture of collectivism. Basing his work around the concept of 'family' -immediate, extended, and societal - Zhang's portraits depict an endless genealogy of imagined forebears and progenitors, each unnervingly similar and distinguished by minute difference. Often painted in black and white, Zhang's portraits translate the language of photography into paint. Drawing from the generic quality of formal photo studio poses and greyscale palette, Zhang's figures are nameless and timeless: a series of individual histories represented within the strict...

Country Music originated in early 20th century among the whites in Rural areas of West and South. The roots of this music lie in Ballads, English songs and Folk Songs. The term Country Music replaces what is popularly called Hill Billy Music. Country Music has been associated with cowboy hats and boots. The fact is that apparel has got nothing to do with it. One of the veterans, Travis Tritt does not wear a hat. Country Music is a genre that means different things to different people. If you look over at their interpretations, you will find for some it is Johnny Cash's weather beaten crooning or Shania Twain's prancing-pony burlesque. Right since the beginning of the 21st century, Music Industry is...

Halloween, though undoubtedly an occasion for fun, is also a time when accidents could occur. When even adults, let alone children, are excited, they tend to be less careful and allow mistakes to happen. Simple common sense ideas could prevent your child or even yourself from being hurt or injured and avert a tragedy. Here's a list of Halloween Safety Tips recommended by the Los Angeles Fire Department. BEFORE HALLOWEEN: • Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame. • Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater...

Can you imagine a world without music? No songs, no tunes, no rock, no roll, no jazz, no hymns, no boogie-woogie, no country-western, no symphonies. No singing in the shower. No whistling Dixie. Lovers wouldn't have songs to romance to. There would be no such thing as "our song." Sinatra couldn't fly to the moon. Elvis couldn't complain about people stepping on his blue suede shoes. Tony Bennett would have to write a letter about how he left his heart in San Francisco. Willie might go on the road again, but without a guitar. And Ray Charles would look pretty strange up on stage without a piano telling us that Georgia is on his mind. Then when the wedding day arrived, what would the bride march down...

I continued my drive into the centre of Graz and parked my vehicle in the underground garage next to the Graz Opera - at more than 20 Euros not exactly an inexpensive way to see the city, but affordable parking is difficult to find in downtown Graz. My first stop was the Graz Opera House, a neo-baroque building that was opened in 1899 and damaged during an air strike in World War II. A few steps further west I reached the Herrengasse, the main shopping street of Graz, framed by dozens of high-end retailers and restaurants with outdoor patios. A line of the Graz streetcar system continues all along the length of this major street. The west side of the Herrengasse features two major sights: the...

San Francisco 49er tickets spell number one football in more ways than one. Not only do the 49ers deliver top class playing on the field, they are also the very first professional major league team to come out of San Francisco. The 49ers are also the first team to ever win five Super Bowls and they certainly have a few more firsts in store. The San Francisco 49er is part of the National Football League and is also affiliated to the NFC West and the National Football Conference. Their home games are played at Monster Park and they have an impressive number of championship wins to their name. The 49ers so far have five Super Bowl wins, five Conference titles and seventeen Division championship titles...

For Her is the latest Smooth Jazz CD released by the richly talented Walter Beasley who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. Walter Beasley fans, and Smooth Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one. I wish it weren't the case but it's not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can't force myself to get through. Not at all the case with For Her. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. For Her has a nicely varied, mix of 11 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly superb artist. Most of the songs...

A little bit about my store, Horses, Cowboys and Indians Western Decor. Since I love the western decor theme and being artistically inclined, I needed an outlet for my Gourd Art and Horseshoe Art, so I opened this store. I looked around for other products to stock here since it is a bit difficult to find quality western decor. I think I have succeeded in this as I have a nice selection of reasonably priced items to offer for sale. You can't just visit my store once and say that you have seen everything because I am constantly adding new items from my suppliers, and occasionaly taking some items off because they are no longer available, but I am constantly creating new Gourd and Horseshoe Art too...

Which is the best African safari company for my safari trip? This is a question that comes up very frequently and it's not surprising. There are so many safari operators in the market all promising the earth that it is very difficult to choose between them, especially when you know nothing about them. But there is a way to improve your chances significantly of making the right choice of safari company for your dream African safari trip and avoid the ones that might turn your trip into a nightmare. And it consists of three simple steps. Don't let this happen to you If you leave this decision to chance and just go with the safari company that seems the best or the cheapest you might end up in a...

Western scrapbooking pages, free of charge, can be found on the Internet and in scrapbooking magazines. Scrapbooking is one of those hobbies in which people enjoy sharing pages they have created. Whether novice or professional, they want to help others have similar happy experiences. Sources of Western Scrapbooking Pages Western scrapbooking pages, free for copying, appear in many places on the Internet. You might want to try these options. 1. Galleries: Scrapbooking galleries are probably one of the best places to find western scrapbooking pages free. These galleries feature photos of successful scrapbooking pages, free for you to borrow from their creators. Scrapbook has nearly 350,000 images in...

Aside from being a great help in managing all the things you need to carry around, a handbag is a great accessory. Whether you are dressing up or down, a handbag can help an outfit come together. It used to be that you always wanted your handbag to match your outfit. If you were wearing pink, you used your pink handbag. If you were wearing green you used your green handbag. If you only had a brown handbag and a black one, you knew that putting a brown handbag with an outfit that has black in it was a fashion no no. Today the fashion world is changing. Now it is almost better not to match. Adding a green handbag to a pink outfit adds style and color, especially when there are no other colors...

Rocking horses such as the Radio Flyer Liberty Spring Horse have been a magical part of childhoods for many, many years. Not only do these traditional toys develop large muscle coordination, rocking horses allow the imagination of a child to take control. Stories are created and fantasies are lived as children rock away on these beloved playthings. Rocking horses foster the healthy development of large motor skills and coordinated movement through the physical activity involved. Social and emotional skills are enhanced through pretend play. Playing with a rocking horse can aid the development of cognitive problem solving skills in young children as well. The Radio Flyer company, established in...

Beat to a cream half a cupful of butter and a cupful and a quarter of powdered sugar. Add two well-beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of wine, half a cupful of milk, and a cupful and a half of sifted flour, with which has been mixed a teaspoonful and a half of baking powder. Bake this in four well-buttered, deep, tin plates for about fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Put half a pint of milk in the double-boiler, and on the fire. Beat together the yolks of two eggs, three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and a level tablespoonful of flour. Stir this mixture into the boiling milk, beating well.Add one-sixth of a teaspoonful of salt, and cook for fifteen minutes, stirring often. When cooked, flavor...

Buying and collecting abstract painting can be a labor of love. I love abstract paintings. I think that my favorite medium is gouache. I recently purchased a work from Oscar Bluemner. The person I bought the abstract painting from had it in storage for over twenty years. I am going to hang this piece in my office. I found an oil abstract painting that was dated 1947 that was painted by Louis Bassi Siegriest. I liked the composition, it felt oddly soothing. The artist signed the back of the painting. It was a little out of my price range, but I bought it anyway. Trade Winds is the name of an abstract painting I bought from the artist Joanne Riddle while I was in Connecticut. The piece was...

Got a hankering for fixin' up the home front? There's no need to be a fussin' over the stores in your town when you can have new stuff for the homestead at the click of the mouse. Kick off your boots and load up on some of these western home decor suggestions. Get ready for western style living by first choosing a particular western theme that is to your liking. Consider a cowboy theme complete with a cowboy hat switch plate, a western antler rope basket, a southwest clock (instead of using the sun and moon), and a figurine of a hard working western hero. Of course, you can add a couple of spur bookends over the fireplace and some cowboy storybooks to play up the theme. With a horseshoe theme you...

Antiques are a great way to adorn your rooms. But there are several things to consider before you buy that rare antique item that you have been looking for so long. Antiques can be any collectible item that has aesthetic value and is approximately 100 years old or even more. Grand clocks, pianos, jewelry items, vintage fashion, silverware, ivory or Faberge eggs are just some examples of desirable antiques. People have their own particular preference for different antique pieces, such as antique clock or antique Chinese porcelain etc. The first thing to consider is the originality and history of the antique you intend to buy. As rare antiques come at higher prices, you would not want to be fooled by...

Many an ad, business letter and TV commercial comes into being slowly, even painfully. Maybe because some of us write as if we were still using an IBM Selectric, wite-out and a badly worn Webster's. For that matter, maybe some still are. And that's OK. But in these digital days, software and the Internet can help a tech-savvy writer be a better writer and make getting the job done easier. While writing every day is still the best practice for improving your writing skills, there are programs and Web sites available today that can really help your writing along. Here are 18 digital tools you can use to research, brainstorm, organize, compose, communicate and bring out the better writer in you...

If you think that a room in your house lacks character, then you can easily make a huge impact by placing some fine prints on your walls. These wall accessories are necessary items for your walls as they help to tie the room's color and style together. You should always remember to plan and consider certain points before you go off and buy some wall art. This guide will give you certain tips and ideas on how to decorate the walls of your home. Shop for Wall Art by Room When you are decorating your room, you should remember to match the mood, style and décor to the lifestyle that you lead. You should always choose items that suit for lifestyle and not because they are the latest fashion. Before...

For Her is the latest Smooth Jazz CD released by the richly talented Walter Beasley who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. Walter Beasley fans, and Smooth Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one. I wish it weren't the case but it's not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can't force myself to get through. Not at all the case with For Her. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. For Her has a nicely varied, mix of 11 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly superb artist. Most of the songs...

A song can be the window to your heart and kind of music you like could very well map out your personality. But again there are many of us who do not stick to particular genre of music and have a taste that ranges across barriers of the land. Music indeed can be the perfect string that ties people of different country, religion and culture in a warm bond. Country Western music is one such genre that has evolved as a result of merging together of two regional styles that were born in America. The Southeast region had a unique style (country music) and so had the Southwest and West (western music). The two styles were merged together around the 1920's and were further consolidated as a result of the...

One of the hardest parts of life is growing up. Teenagers are faced with decision-making, responsibility, and choices, everything adults have to face on a daily basis. Life gets overwhelming at times and we all need someone to depend on. Who better to depend on for support, then a parent? I can remember when I was a teenager. I played sports, had a lot of friends, but I also felt depressed at times, experimented with alcohol, and struggled to keep my grades up. I had a hard time trusting people; I thought no one understood me. I often wonder how different my teen years would have been like if I was reached out to more. What if I was talked to and not at? Communication is key in any...

A proven, successful way of combating stress and relaxing is offered through the practice of Tai chi techniques, yoga, meditation and other 'eastern' alternative therapies. I personally have tried all of them to ease stress ad found the best results came from the Tai Chi techniques. If your stress won't seem to dissipate and you've tried everything possible, you should first try changing your lifestyle and remove the stressors. With less stress, you will find it easier for your brain and body to relax. This is the goal of most eastern alternative treatments. Tai Chi is no exception. Tai Chi presents techniques that will promote relaxation and ease stress, through the use of 'mind/body' therapy. Tai...

Vincent C Model, Myth & Human Being "­it is difficult to know yourself, but it isn't easy to paint oneself either." Vincent van Gogh From 1885 through 1890, van Gogh painted at least 30 self-portraits, an amazing number of likenesses to complete in such a short time span. They represent his most active years as a master artist, and all carry the distinctive van Gogh intensity with which every picture he ever made was imbued. Many of his early self-portraits resemble the great self-portraits carried out by Rembrandt van Rijn in the 1600's. A comparison between the two elicits several points of similarities, such as the serious demeanor, elegant and dramatic lighting and a certain...

Womens Cowboy Boots Cowboy boots may exude a macho male aura but they're just as much a favorite with women. From tall boots in soft leather, boots in stiletto heels, a little fringe, pastel shades, a Western flare or a winsome tattoo -- small feminine touches can make even a tough boot look elegant. For sturdy practicality, boots made as a single, closely stitched piece not only protects the wearer from water but also mud and dirt. Punks to mark a distinct identity once wore most boots, like Dr Marten's lace ups. However, cowboy boots have since gained huge popularity in women's wear and are now quite the fashion statement. The fashion-conscious lady has a lot to choose from. Tapered heels, pointed...

If you're a musician you might be asking yourself: "What does he mean by traveling from 'world-to-world?'" Well that's a good question and I have a simple answer for that. Let me share with you a recent discovery I happened upon while banging on the keys (that's "playing the piano" in music-speak) and trying to come up with a song. I've gone through 6 years of formalized Western Classical music training and 4 years of Ethnomusicology studies and for whatever reasons, I never picked up a thing about the musical elements of structure, motifs, and dynamics in any piece or composition. If it came to my own songwriting, I hardly ventured out into a different key and mostly stayed in one, differentiating...

Everyone has something they want the world to know about and a tips bookletis a great way to do that. More than 500,000 copies in three languages of atips booklet called '110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life' have beensold, all without spending a penny on advertising. Here are some questions to get your tips (and cash) flowing. You can mineyour own field of gold by looking at any promotional literature you havecreated, audio or video tapes you have produced, press releases or articlesabout or by you, your product catalog and even your business card. 1. What is the single most important subject from your experience orknowledge that you want the world to know about? If there are severaltopics...

Yoruba Art Africa is a continent that is rich in tradition, history, and still maintains a sense of the mysterious. Throughout the centuries, its diverse and creative people have made some of the most unique and beautiful pieces of art the world has ever seen. Regardless of the medium chosen, African art depicts the fascinating culture from which it came. In the case of Yoruba art, this African tradition is continued and embraced. While staying true to the practices of their ancestors, artists today still make amazing examples of beadwork, sculpture, and textiles, as well as metalwork and woodcarving.masterpiece. Over time, this form of Yoruba art continued to be perfected and resulted in some...

"Work from home. Make big bucks in your pajamas." - typical work-from-home ad. Quick. What do writers, stay-at-home parents and online marketing geeks have in common? I mean, besides insanity? They are all hermits. The typical writer locks himself up for years brooding in a dark room, surfacing only long enough to find out who this year's American Idol is. This solitary brooding is supposed to help him develop a keen sense of the human condition. Stay-at-home parents are prisoners in their own castles, as each child has a different toilet schedule. And a different nap schedule. And a different tantrum schedule. By the time they are all buttoned up in their snowsuits and hopefully not...

Many students ask me a question that goes something like this: "What all do I have to know to be a really good piano player?" The trouble with a question like that is that it ignores individual differences such as talent, motivation, freedom to practice, and a hundred other variables. How much did Mozart have to know? How much did Erroll Garner know? Mozart could play far better than I can when he was 3. And Garner was barred from joining the musicians union because he couldn't read music. Does that mean I don't have to practice, since Mozart could do it without practice? Does that mean I shouldn't learn how to read music since Garner couldn't, and it sure didn't stop him. Obviously, no. I wish I...