Vaginas too Taboo for Seattle Times, Mariners Name Bedard Starter for Opening Day: SeattleIAM

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

No Vaginas for Seattle Times

From Seattlest Abbey ponders over the backward thinking of the Seattle Times. Across America, February performances of Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues are commonplace. “In Seattle, ‘V-Day’ will be celebrated with a performance on February 24th at The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI).” The Seattle Office of the National Council of Jewish Women is sponsoring this event. The Council produced a colorful and tasteful print for advertising (see copy of ad in Abbey’s post), which is running in The Seattle Weekly and JT News, “as well as being posted at several synagogues throughout the city.”

Abbey reports that The Seattle Times “has refused to publish the advertisement, unless the sponsors ‘alter the artwork.’” The artwork for the advertisement features an artistic representation of a clitoris inside of a heart. The Vice President of Seattle Times Advertising, Mei-Mei Chan, told the NCJW that “The artwork is was something we didn't feel was appropriate for our audience.”  Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg of Temple B'nai Torah in Bellevue has the poster hanging in several places around her Temple and calls it “tasteful and beautiful artwork.” She said she is “disappointed” in The Seattle Times' decision, especially since it goes against “what Eve Ensler's play is all about, making the vagina less taboo.”

Bedard Replaces Hernandez as Number One

Ryan Divish at Mariner’s Insider announces that John McLaren has named “newly acquired lefty Erik Bedard as the starter for the opening day game against the Texas Rangers on March 31 at Safeco Field.” Bedard replaces Felix Hernandez as the team's No. 1 starter for the season. The main factor, according to McLaren, is experience. McLaren and Bedard met for the first time today (Feb 13th).

According to the post, McLaren told Hernandez about the decision on Monday. “He's comfortable with our decision,” said McLaren. He added that they haven't put their rotation together yet “to see how everything falls in,” but noted that Erik's is definitely on for opening day, “and Felix is going to be No. 2 and will let the rest kind of work it's way out.” McLaren wanted to approach Felix before the press got to him first, stressing that the player is “fine with it.”

Rest Not FlexCar Drivers…

The Daily Weekly blogger Aimee Curl writes that Flexcar drivers can’t relax just yet. Although “the House Finance Committee managed to pass the Flexcar bill— which would keep car sharing exempt from rental taxes — just in time for the cutoff yesterday,” it still has to pass through the Senate. Many city council members had been lobbying the legislation, “but the bill's survival was no doubt helped by an online petition of Flexcar users that's more than 1850 signatures strong.” It will be tougher in the Senate, though, “where Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-Camano Island) has already refused to hear a similar proposal in her committee.”

In addition to the FlexCar bill, Curl continues in her post, “the House also late yesterday approved, 64-33, the salestax credit Seattle needs to afford annexing White Center.” A similar proposal passed last year only to “die in the Senate at the hands of Sen. Margarita Prentice (D-Renton).” It’s possible Sen. Prentice may be “more amenable” this time around, “but Seattle will still have to contend with a waning short session and a lot of bills fighting for attention.”

About SeattleIAM

SeattleIAM is part of a groundbreaking network of city-focused blog aggregation, user generated media and social networking websites currently rolling out across North America. Each IAM website filters and organizes blog content as well as offering video upload capabilities, social networking, blog authoring, favourites lists and rumours. The IAM Network is a division of SoMedia Networks Inc which also operates Inveslogic.com, Greenedia.com, Healthedia.com and Blabaloo.com. For more information or to register an account, visit SeattleIAM.com.