Casey Corr

Hey, person in Hong Kong -- why are you reading my blog?

2011-11-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Google analytics has been updated to show in real time the geographic origins or your readers. Right now, somebody in Hong Kong is reading my blog. Please! I'm dying of curiosity! My one Hong Kong reader, please go to the comments and just say who you are. If you are a cyber warrior, sniffing for a backdoor into NSA's mainframes, use the code, "I love Jack Bauer." I will write back, "Cloey, I

Can fishing be an act of cruelty to a human? Watch Eisenhower and Nixon

2011-11-17T22:57:00.000-08:00

I felt more than a twinge of sadness to see Gen. Eisenhower humiliated his 1952 running mate by inviting the media to watch Dick Nixon learn fly fishing. Poor Nixon looked awful, and you have to wonder if the General was just training his subordinate on the relationship they would have. And to think years later an Eisenhower married a Nixon after both saw more of this. By the way, later as

Sally Tonkin honored as photography educator

2011-11-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

Sally Tonkin tonight at ceremony in Spokane named 2011 Honored Educator by Society for Photographic Education. She gave a very moving speech that honored two great callings, photography and education. I'm proud to say she's excelled at both. One year, a third of Shorewood High School's students signed up to take her class. She's been shown at the Frye, published in books and showcased by the

Steve Jobs: "Insanely Great" applied to him. RIP

2011-10-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs has passed away. He will endure as one of the great visionaries of the beginning of the digital era. He transformed personal computing and several other industries. He changed our culture. All this began from a point of reflection that led him to drop out of college. He told the story in a speech he gave at Stanford University.

Non believers? The 8th Proof of God's Existence

2011-08-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

From the New York Times: Prevention: Evidence of Heart Benefits From ChocolateBy NICHOLAS BAKALARAn analysis of studies including more than 100,000 subjects has found that high levels of chocolate consumption are associated with a significant reduction in the risk of certain cardiovascular disorders.The seven studies looked at the consumption of a variety of chocolate — candies and candy bars,

Seattle's tunnel viaduct debate -- cue the videos

2011-08-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

A decade after an earthquake revealed a highway that had to go in downtown Seattle, voices arise via video to make the case over a Seattle ballot measure. Should Seattle replace an elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct highway with a deep-bore tunnel, a "surface option," or just keep talking? Who decides the fate of one of the world's most fabulous waterfronts, while also resolving conflicting

To take down the other guy, is funny video the kindest cut?

2011-07-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Wit is a strategic asset in marketing communications. You can use it to disarm an issue, minimize a blunder and change the subject. But when to use it? And how can you do it well and effectively? Here's a recent video reportedly done by Microsoft to advance its email program over Gmail, Google's free product that comes with ads served when monitoring search gizmos detect key words. I give this

You're heard of dog bites man, then man bites dog. How about dog bites shark?

2011-07-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Further proof that yellow Labradors are the greatest dogs of all.

Nancy Tonkin RIP

2011-06-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

See the web site celebrating her splendid life. http://web.me.com/caseycorr/Nancy_Tonkin_Memorial/Nancy_Tonkin_Memorial.html

Save money on fishing tackle, licenses, books, etc. Let the dog do it.

2011-06-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

In Seattle, a blinding orb appears. We're asking, Is this the Second Coming?

2011-06-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

The sky turns blue. Are we doomed? Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.

Sarah Palin: #Winning ?

2011-06-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Read 'em, you betcha! Most politicians are lucky if they can get journalists to give attention to their books offering Big Think on the future of America. Sarah Palin exists in her own space time continuum. She now has the news media studying 24,000 pages of her email as Alaska governor. For Ph.D. candidates eager for deep research, analyzing verbs wandering close to objects that protect our

Fly fishing in the heart of London? Watch out!

2011-06-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

What's more funny here, the guy's outfit or the comments by Londoners as this guy flicks a fly? Courtesy of YouTube.

Diane Simmons new book: "Little America"

2011-06-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Journalists are shaped by what they read, but even more by those they watch. In my career as a journalist, I observed outstanding talents: Emmett Watson, Barry Farrell, Dick Larsen, Bill Prochnau, Tim Egan, David Horsey and many others. In my first permanent job at a now-shuttered daily in suburban Bellevue, Washington, I spent a summer across from a young writer named Diane Simmons. I

Nancy Tonkin, 1929-2011. RIP

2011-05-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

Nancy Tonkin, former diver, rodeo princess, angler, camper, boater, water skier, golfer, tennis player, snow skier, gourmet chef, world traveler, party animal, beloved friend, shotgun-toting mother of three, grandmother of six....went out in style today, choosing to pass away on her late husband’s birthday. She was 81, and she will be remembered.

Barack O'Obama, cousin

2011-05-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the images posted by the New York Times of President Obama's visit to Moneygall, Ireland, ancestral home on his mother's side. Located in central Ireland, Moneygall is a slightly bigger version of my own mother's ancestral home in Annascaul near Dingle in County Kerry. Here's a shot of POTUS and FLOTUS having a sip. Is it fun to see that Obama has Irish roots? 'Tis.

Alan Berner -- a great photojournalist

2011-05-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Alan Berner received last night yet another honor for distinguished work in photojournalism. Whenever I worked with Alan, I admired how much he brought to gathering the story, raising my own game as a reporter and writer, and delivering great images. Check out a collection of work he's done for The Seattle Times.

Look at the size of that fish!

2011-04-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Why is Standard & Poor’s still in business?

2011-04-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Standard & Poor's jolted the world markets today by warning that the United States was taking on too much debt. Duh. U.S. debt stands at $14.3 trillion. Standard & Poor's changed its outlook on the United States from “stable” to “negative” and said the federal government could lose its AAA rating if officials fail to bring spending in line with revenue. Great point, but where was such caution

Message to IRS: Please lock me up

2011-04-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

When are tax returns due? Monday. (I wrote that for SEO purposes) My copy of the New York Times today has two essays on David Foster Wallace, who taught creative writing at Pomona College before his death. Wallace had become intrigued with the culture around the IRS and tax accountants. This will only take a minute. Turns out, literary critic Edmund Wilson did not do a return for nine

The lure and learning of dangerous places--a comment on Paul Theroux in the New York Times

2011-04-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Another day of life in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1971. Photographed by Don McCullin I have mixed relationship with the Travel section of the Sunday New York Times. I love how I can sit in my bathrobe on a lazy morning and go to fascinating, interesting or even seductive destinations, how it adds places to my bucket list and gives me perspectives on what I saw or missed on my own journeys

Settling the debate over Arianna Huffington. Just click it.

2011-04-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

A hot issue for freelance writers who wish to market their talent. Arianna Huffington, who founded Huffington Post and now directs AOL's editorial programs, defends her no-pay policy at HuffPo as providing a platform for exposure for writers, and she certainly is proof that exposure establishes a valuable brand. The Newspaper Guild has called for a boycott by its 26,000 members. My solution:

Hearst, Please Save the Seattle P-I Globe

2011-03-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

I worked at the Seattle P-I, first as a reviewer who dashed from the theater and raced to the P-I building, then on Wall Street, as the first edition presses were rumbling. Anyone entering the building passed under the spinning P-I Globe, an Earth ball topped by a giant eagle aglow with neon and the spinning words, "It's in the P-I." Entering that place on deadline, I felt like Jimmy Olson about

AT&T swallows T-Mobile. Again, getting big trumps all else in telecom

2011-03-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Eye-popping deal announced today in the telecom industry: AT&T says it's buying T-Mobile for $39 billion, as reported in Brier Dudley's Seattle Times blog. Dudley correctly remarks this is a union of two companies who trace their roots to Seattle's own Craig McCaw, whose must-read (please!) biography, sadly, did not lead to a lucrative movie deal. (Memo to Harvey Wienstein: call me.) So much

Casey Corr: Mummified messaging from Sarah Palin lately

2011-02-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

Is it just me of is Sarah Palin, normally adept, like her or not, at injecting herself into the national conversation....just flat footed in messaging as events in Egypt spun so fast, and now, after the celebration, leave everybody wondering what's ahead? Her recent Tweet seemed lame -- will Obama now put pressure on Iran? Does that suggest he hasn't, or overstate what Obama's calibration

Casey Corr: Mubarak falls. Is Comcast next?

2011-02-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

The joy in Cairo today shows that just maybe the people will achieve choice in their nation. My fellow Americans, is Comcast next to fall? In terms of broadband access, when will our nation catch up with Japan, Finland and even parts of Eastern Europe in terms of speed and affordable pricing and compeition. And in terms of what's carried on a cable system nominally regulated by the FCC? Just

Casey Corr: Egypt's Mubarak proves that dictators tend to want things their way

2011-02-10T10:51:00.001-08:00

Pharaoh falls. Now what? Glad Rumsfeld not around to tell us democracy is messy. UPDATE: If Mubarak had told people he in fact was leaving, he changed the script. Now what? Rumsfeld could say even dictatorships are messy. Let's all raise a shoe for democracy and hope in Egypt.

Casey Corr: Arianna Huffington: genius or artful shapeshifter? The debate goes on

2011-02-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

There's a palpable sense of envy around coverage of Ariana Huffington staggering payoff in AOL's purchase of Huffington Post. You detect it here in this Slate piece. So she doesn't pay her writers and now is rich. So she's been accused of writing best sellers lifted from other people's work. So she was a conservative before she became a liberal. So Huffpo was a literate platform for big

Casey Corr: Jake Locker and the New York Times crush on all things Northwest

2010-12-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

The New York Times, which has long had a high school crush on all things Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, goes for the goal posts with this piece on Jake Locker. You can almost hear the slap of an appreciative salmon on the waters of Lake Washington as it takes in the sight of a game at Husky Stadium. Thanks for the memories, Jake. Maybe the Seahawks will draft you. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/

Casey Corr: Facebook and privacy -- a view from the windshield of my car

2010-08-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

I agree with those who say Facebook is threat to privacy. It's clearly a very private matter and certainly an issue of discussion if you need to have two toilets in a public place, and yet I posted this to my Facebook account. Content is king.

Stunning new entries during our trip to the Sonoma Valley

2010-07-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Deep thoughts spread across multiple platforms. http://www.facebook.com/williedoggerel and... http://twitter.com/caseycorr

Jack London...what he wrote, what he did in just 40 short years

2010-07-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

GLEN ELLEN, CALIF -- Sally and I left the posh confines of our resort in Glen Ellen, Calif., to visit the nearby Jack London State Park, a beautiful acreage funded by London's prolific writing, maintained by the Sate of California, and guided by an exquisite sense of design and visionary sense of sustainable farming practices. London was an astonishingly prolific writer, who stayed up late and

The Day Frank Colacurcio pulled a fast one on the Seattle Times -- or did he?

2010-07-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

The death of "Seattle nightlife figure" Frank Colacurcio Sr. this week ended a fascinating chapter in local law enforcement and concluded with a long story in the Seattle Times about his career. Missing from the coverage was what sure looked like a stunt pulled by Colacurcio on his media nemesis. Back in 1995, the Times sent a photographer out to shoot Colacurcio for a feature on the operator of

Amazing night in Seattle politics

2009-11-03T22:41:00.000-08:00

Huge progressive vote in Seattle tonight. Mayor's race is a toss up. Mike McGinn, with very little money but with an electrically-assisted bike, virtually tied with Joe Mallahan. Licata holds on. O'Brien beats Rosencrantz. Yes to a big levy for low-income housing. Looking farther, King County picks the self-described progressive who called his opponent a Republican. Gay rights gain in statewide

Will man bite shark? Or will it taste like chicken?

2009-08-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

KOTA KINABALU -- Last night, we saw one of the most amazing fish markets ever, just two blocks from our hotel. Surrounding a vast collection of restaurant tables were fish tanks containing every imaginable critter that lives in water: clams, oysters, groper, lobster, etc. And yes, Shark.I liked the idea of turning tables on those cold-blooded creeps, but if shark taste anything like dogfish,

Almost marooned in Borneo

2009-08-20T02:57:00.000-07:00

KOTA KINABALU -- Dark clouds were approaching the harbor at noon today when I took a launch out to Sapi Island. I swam a bit in the warm water and watched exotic fish wiggle around the corral. (One irate fish attacked me, no doubt an escapee from the fish-chew-feet salon in Kuala Lumpur.)The clouds overhead got darker, and thicker, then dumped rain. Then came lightening. Shuttle service to Kota

Blogging blather from Ubud

2009-08-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

UBUD, Bali -- On our last night in Ubud, Sally and I brought the lap top and connected to the world wide web. In this exotic destination, for dinner we had chicken sandwiches. Don't you just love globalization?I've come to realize that Ubud as some fabled destination for old-style spiritual awakening is a tad overstated, what with Rolling Stones music blaring from a nightclub and a Ralph Lauren

Monkey Madness!

2009-08-17T00:27:00.000-07:00

UBUD, BALI -- Dawn in Ubud brings some unusual guests. A family of Monkeys climbed to our 2nd story room and walked about our balcony looking for food.One large male picked up a container of water and growled at Sally when she ordered him to put it down. Having established his rank, he then ignored her, calmly unscrewed the cap and drank.Sally woke me up and I caught on tape other members of the

The view from our room

2009-08-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

UBUD, BALI -- Sally and I are now in Ubud, a town known for its artistic and spiritual character. Proof? Mick Jagger supposedly stayed here, but not in this congested little burb but likely out in the countryside, where 5-star hotels were built for sophisticates with bank accounts.Shown here is a photo from the balcony of our room, overlooking the pool at our hotel.In the Department of Pandemics,

Two feet in heaven

2009-08-12T23:39:00.000-07:00

BALI -- Those are not Brad Pitts' feet, though the confusion is common and understandable.

Just dump the rice here on my banana leaf, thank you

2009-08-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR -- We stopped at an Indian restaurant tonight where food was served without utensils or plates. The server brought rice and small bowls of chicken, beef, spices or other items that you dumped onto a banana leaf. You eat with your right hand and afterwards wash your hands at a communal sink. The only mystery is how they stack banana leaves in the dishwasher.

Not many tanning booths in this town

2009-08-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR -- It's hard to find any sort of skin cream in this town with out skin whitener, often bleach.

Dining out, Kuala Lumpur style

2009-08-11T01:49:00.001-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR -- Michaela's landlord, Soo Yoon, took us out to dinner last night in the Bangsar neighborhood. Joining us was Michaela's co-worker and housemate, Maddy, a fellow student at the University of Oregon. The slight haze in the image comes from the sizzling sate grill in the street. That sate and peanut sauce was better than what we ate today poolside at our hotel, Le Meridien. My

Meet some children of Kuala Lumpur

2009-08-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR -- Sally and I criss-crossed an ocean to meet the children served by our daughter, a volunteer at a shelter run by the Women's Aid Organization of Malaysia.They are adorable. They greeted us with a song from their school and gave us a hand-written welcome card. They called us "auntie" and "uncle."Roll the tape.

Fish, like weasels, ripped my flesh

2009-08-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR -- We flew on Asia Air from Hong Kong and met up with Michaela, who gave us a sophisticated tour of Kuala Lumpur.She took us to the Central Market, where at the Cute Fish Spa, 5 rm bought you 15 minutes of time with a peculiar fish that enjoys nibbling on human feet. It's supposed to be a kind of massage and after walking for several hours, I was ready to surrender my toes. Soon as

Another big thought on globalization

2009-08-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

HONG KONG--A friend who grew apples in Manson, Washington, once complained about the vast acreage of orchards being planted in China, subsidized by the World Bank. Why would the U.S. government fund competition for our own farmers? he asked. Good question.But on this trip, walking near the Temple Street Night Market, I spotted empty apple boxes from several grower cooperatives from Lake Chelan,

Finger lickin' good at the Temple Street Night Market

2009-08-08T16:41:00.001-07:00

HONG KONG -- It's hot and humid. People semi-wash dishes on the sidewalk and serve up strange, spiney fish that eye you as you manage your chop sticks. Don't ask. It's the Temple Street Night Market. Enjoy!

A brief musing on wealth, class and coach class

2009-08-08T01:58:00.000-07:00

OVER THE PACIFIC -- This item is being written retroactively, two days after our arrival in Hong Kong. But the memories of undeserved luxury linger.We came here on Cathay Airways, flying Business Class, thanks to cashing in about five years worth of Alaska Airlines credit card miles. If you were to book this trip through Expedia, the price for Business would be about $4,153 versus about $1,163

Meet Hong Kong's finest tailor

2009-08-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

HONG KONG -- Back in the early 1990s, when U.S. journalism reached its peak of wealth and global ambitions, I paid a visit here to tailor Ash Samtani Clothing Ltd. Back then, the word in the Seattle Times newsroom was, when in Hong Kong, stop at Ash for shirts, suits or a dress overcoat.In 1991, I was on a trip to document container shipping with my friend Barry Wong, a Times photographer and a

Can China Save The World?

2009-08-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

HONG KONG -- A new issue of Time asks if China's roaring market can save the world by creating a "trickle around" effect for economies elsewhere. Of the biggest 10 economies, only China's is growing. The article raises some cautions about an economy dependent on government cash -- sound familiar? -- but notes that China is on track to overtake Japan as the world's second largest economy.Beijing,

This trip may be tax deductible

2009-08-07T00:23:00.001-07:00

HONG KONG -- As an employee who does marketing, and whose employer logo must have drawn thousands of eyeballs just in today's walkabout in a targeted market, and whose primary purpose in crossing the ocean was to achieve said marketing objective -- I get a tax deduction out of this, right?

When Rosie's son met Angela's son -- on Frank McCourt

2009-07-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

Long before "A Million Little Pieces" triggered new rules for memoir writing -- at least most or at least the best parts must be true -- "Angela's Ashes" charmed me and millions of other readers around the world. It was Frank McCourt's masterful telling of Angela's son growing up extremely hungry in Limerick, Ireland.I loved that book, and put aside a lingering sense that much of it was just made

Just kidding?

2009-07-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

Who's to say?

Touche, my French-food snob friends?

2009-06-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

Pardon the clumsy headline, but I'm posting this on behalf of friends who have spent hours with me marveling at the superiority of all things French -- the beauty of their diplomats, the stylish affairs of their politicians, the cut of their clothes, their dogs in their restaurants, their gallant resistance to that recent unpleasant period of presidential leadership....and of course their vastly

Would you pay for something free? Of course!

2009-06-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

I love the web for many reasons, including the charming mix of hucksters and customers.Case in point: you are reading a public blog but a guy who has a Twitter account and a few thousand articles posted to the Internet on his byline.And yet for just 95 cents -- for a limited time -- you can pay to get this information. Save time! Skip Google. Just enter your credit card number, expiration date,

Exciting news! Nobody is reading what I'm writing

2009-06-07T22:20:00.001-07:00

The New York Times reports that nearly 95 percent of blogs are fallow.Here's the nut graph (old style journo jargon):"According to a 2008 survey by Technorati, which runs a search engine for blogs, only 7.4 million out of the 133 million blogs the company tracks had been updated in the past 120 days. That translates to 95 percent of blogs being essentially abandoned, left to lie fallow on the Web

Remembering Kathleen Corr on Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

Kathleen "Tot" Corr1921-1995My mom died in 1995, after a long and withering battle with colon cancer. She died in bed at home. As an adult, I had a great relationship with both of my parents. I could go to them separately about different matters. Mom was the practical one, the problem solver who cut through the distractions and pushed me in the right way. Raising five sons (brothers Pat and Chris

One letter, much difference

2009-05-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Mistyped by one letter my own page name and went on here. And found a person named Casey Orr, with a pretty cool web site. My favorite shots are people cutting grass.

So who were the top 10 liars in Seattle sports history?

2009-05-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Those and many other questions are answered in The Great Book of Seattle Sports List by Mike Gastineau, Art Thiel and Steve Rudman. Tonight's book party ran contrary to the standard cuisine of sports writers. Instead of beer and hot dogs, it was wine and cheese. Will success spoil them?A good book.

"Star Trek" is a hit--There's no final to the frontier

2009-05-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

The original castThe series survives network cancellation, awful costumes, different writers and directors, "Scotty, I need more power," plot changes overly dependent on the space-time continuum, and on and on. Yet the story line has been resonating for decades. So beam me up and answer: what's the fundamental basis of its appeal?

World, are you there?

2009-05-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

My first posting.I will reserve my deep thoughts for later.