Ugly Affair

Geane Bradley's family is in crisis. The independent little old lady who insists on taking her walker along Seward streets recently closed Alaska's most endearing video store because of health reasons. Her son, Brad Snowden, has been fighting health problems of a different nature. The tragic death of his beloved Marsha has set him into a tailspin that has left him incapable of running the New Seward Hotel and Saloon. Her grandson, Paul, bravely stepped up to the plate determined to do all that he can to preserve his family's business assets.

This family is our friend and neighbor. Like most families, they have weathered their fair share of conflict and tragedy. They deserve our compassion, prayers, good will, and any assistance we can render them during this time of need. That is how Alaskans operate.

The legacy of this Seward family was significantly undermined at Monday night's City Council meeting by a decision that was both arbitrary and capricious. The Council voted 4-3 to only allow the Seward Saloon to operate if the business is moved to a location where it is physically attached to the New Seward Hotel. The pretense for this extraordinary effort was that if they were physically together it would allow for better management of a business concern with a checkered past.

It is a novel theory. The Windsong Lodge and the Breeze Inn have both run a bar that isn't physically attached to their hotel without incident. In fact, I cannot think of a single hotel in the Seward area that has a bar inside of it. All agreed that transferring the liquor license from Brad to Paul Snowden should get rid of the management problems that were associated with the compliance issues at the Seward Saloon.

Council's decision had nothing to do with the transfer of a liquor license, or concerns about noise at the bar. I firmly believe that the real motive behind this effort was a rather transparent catering by the Council to specific private interests who have a considerable amount to gain should Paul Snowden not be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat under this ridiculous scenario, and end up losing the auspiciously located property.

Council didn't even offer the pretense of process. There was no public hearing on the matter, or time affording Paul Snowden the opportunity to answer questions or defend his position, as was suggested by the City Attorney. All they were interested in was setting up a family business that has run for generations in Seward for failure. Sabotaging our neighbor so we can profit at his loss is not the value structure of this community. The sorted affair is repugnant and shameful.

Hoben Park Earns National Attention

Hoben Park, located on the corner of Fourth and Railway, has been listed on the Seward Register of Historic Places for its significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. The period of determined significance begins when the park was first formed, and ends with the death of park steward Harry Hoben.

As a waiting place for steamship passengers, Hoben Park contributed to the development of the City as a landscape architectural site. Steamship traffic and service to Seward was heavy back in the day, according to the Seward Historic Preservation Commission website, “it wasn’t unusual to read reports of five boat arriving within two days. In fact, Seward was averaging 20 to 30 steamers a month.”

The Park recently joined 83,000 other important buildings, sites, structures, and objects in the nation’s catalogue of its cultural and historic resources, otherwise known as the National Register of Historic Places, on June 21st of this year. All work on the project must comply with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties,

The installation of historic lamp posts jump started efforts to bring the park back to its area of historical significance, 1922-1940. Seward Parks and Recreation plans to also add a water fountain and appropriate landscaping. At the July 24th City Council meeting, Tylan Schrock suggested the Alaska Sealife Center Board of Directors agreed to donate up to $50,000 for Hoben Park restoration efforts.

At their August 14th meeting, the Seward City Council may approve use of monies from a State of Alaska Historic Preservation Grant to purchase and install 260 feet of wrought iron fencing along Hoben Park’s North and West boundaries. The project is estimated to cost $33,000.

Royal Pain

An airline's passenger cabin was being served by an obviously gay flight
attendant, who seemed to put everyone in a good mood as he served them
food and drinks. As the plane prepared to descend, he came swishing down
the aisle and announced to the passengers, "Captain Marvey has asked me to
announce that he'll be landing the big scary plane shortly, so lovely
people, if you could just put your trays up, that would be super."

On his trip back up the aisle, he noticed a well-dressed, rather exotic
looking woman hadn't moved a muscle. "Perhaps you didn't hear me
over those big brute engines. I asked you to raise your trayzie-poo, so
the main man can pitty-pat us on the ground."

She calmly turned her head and said, "In my country, I am called a
Princess. I take orders from no one."
To which the flight attendant replied, without missing a beat,
"Well, sweet- cheeks, in my country I'm called a queen, so I outrank you.
Tray-up, Bitch."

Winner from Cousin Loren

The Pope took a couple of days off to visit the mountains of Alaska for some sight-seeing. He was cruising along the campground in the Pope mobile when there was a frantic commotion just at the edge of the woods.

A helpless Democrat, wearing sandals, shorts, a "Save the Whales" hat, and a "To Hell with Bush" T-shirt, was screaming while struggling frantically, thrashing around trying to free himself from the grasp of a 10 foot grizzly.

As the Pope watched horrified, a group of Republican loggers came racing up. One quickly fired a .44 magnum into the bear's chest.

The other two reached up and pulled the bleeding, semiconscious Democrat from the bear's grasp. Then using long clubs, the three loggers finished off the bear and two of them threw it onto the bed of their truck while the other tenderly placed the injured Democrat in the back seat.

As they prepared to leave, the Pope summoned them to come over. "I give you my blessing for your brave actions!" he told them. "I heard there was a bitter hatred between Republican loggers and Democratic Environmental activists but now I've seen with my own eyes that this is not true."

As the Pope drove off, one of the loggers asked his buddies, "Who was that guy?"

"It was the Pope," another replied. "He's in direct contact with heaven and has access to all wisdom."

"Well," the logger said, "he may have access to all wisdom but he sure doesn't know anything about bear hunting! By the way, is the bait holding up, or do we need to go back to Massachusetts and snatch another one?"

Yet another kind soul looking out for my best interests

Hello,
How are you doing? I am RAHMAN HUSSEIN a merchant in Bahrain,
I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer, It has defiled all
forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few
months to live, according to medical experts.

I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for
anyone (not even myself) but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never
generous,I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as
that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know
that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the
world.

I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this
world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it.
Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property
and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as a few
close friends.I want God to be merciful to me and accept my sou. so,I
have decided to give also to charity organizations, as I want this to
be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. So far, I have distributed
money to some charity organizations in the U.A.E, Algeria, India and
Malaysia. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do
this myself anymore.

I once asked members of my family to close one of
my accounts and distribute the money which I have there to charity
organization in Bulgaria and Pakistan, they refused and kept the money
to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to
be contended with what I have left for them.

I will want you to help me collect my last deposit and dispatched it to
charity organizations which I deposited in security/finance house abroad,
which no one knows of is the huge cash deposit of (Twenty five Million,
Five Hundred Thousand U.S dollars) I have set aside 25% for you,
then 5% for any expenses insured.

If you are interested, please send your prompt reply to my
confidential email address below which you will have to reply to if
you will be kind enough to assist;

Email: alhussein0002@yahoo.co.id

May the almighty Allah be with you
Regards,
Rahman AL-Hussei