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

Will Jailers Actually Address Issues?

It’s a step in the right direction, Rick Anderson reports in the Seattle Weekly’s blog The Daily Weekly. The King County Council held a hearing yesterday about changes that need to me made at the downtown jail. “Council members seemed to agree with our report this week on how federal findings on jail deaths and civil rights violations were received with some of the same ol' bureaucratic shoulder shrugging of the past.” Although Anderson questions whether King County jailers will go any further than simply “re-examining” their “use of hair-holds to subdue inmates.”

The post quotes ex-con Paul Wright, editor of Prison Legal News, who said in an e-mail that, “As a practical matter these DOJ suits against prisons and jails are not even a paper tiger. They are pretty meaningless.” He goes on to say that even the “embarrassment factor” of the suits is short lived and “nothing changes.”

Eyman Yacks in Yakima

A recent post by Eric Earling in Sound Politics reports that Tim Eyman was booted from the mic in a recent Yakima City Council meeting. Earling states that Eyman’s presence at the meeting was because the local paper refused to “run a guest op-ed he had authored on [a] Yakima City Council-related issue.” The blogger states that Eyman just “isn't on solid ground” when he publicly complains that a Yakima paper “isn't interested in publishing his thoughts on a local issue to which he has no clear tie.”

Earling writes in his post that it is incidents such as these that feed Eyman’s bad reputation. “City Council meetings are not a public forum to say whatever one pleases; they are a gathering for the people's representatives to conduct the people's business.” Eyman won’t garner much sympathy for speaking to something unrelated to the “people’s business” and then “refusing to yield” after he is “gaveled down.” Our blogger believes that if a city council wants to cut off a non-resident’s testimony if they deem it inappropriate… [it’s] within their right.”

Eastside Startup Says Playful Communication is Key

John Cook reports in his Venture Blog that 42-yeaer-old Pete Parsons, former GM at Bungie Studios, maker the “Halo” franchise, “has landed about $1 million in angel financing for a new Bellevue startup called Fyreball.’ The founder isn’t saying much about his product direction, but he “did confirm that [Fyreball] is building an alternative to e-mail that allows users to track messages and discussions as they circulate around the Web.” Meaning, that users will be able to trace “who viewed, commented on or forwarded a funny video, a scientific report or other digital content.”

In the post, Parsons says that this is only one aspect. “I think there is a lot we can do to help connect people together and present content and information in a rich, interesting and playful way,” which he thinks is key. That was as much as he would say, not divulging how the system will work. A full launch is expected early next year. Financiers included Seattle’s Alliance of Angels and Silicon Valley’s Band of Angels, “marking the first time that the two angel groups have worked together on a deal.”

Take a Dip for Global Warming Awareness

From West Seattle Blog comes an announcement for a chilly way to raise awareness. Climate-change activists Sustainable West Seattle invite you to come to the “Alki Bathhouse for a polar-bear swim to raise awareness about global warming.” In particular, the group wants to focus on the current climate talks in Bali, “the importance of this issue during the upcoming elections, and… the danger posed to the Arctic ecosystem.”

Organizer Kristin Wheeler says the event is part of a national day of action and will include “taking pictures and making ‘holiday cards’ for Congressman Reichert,” who is the only Western Washington member of Chttp://www.amazines.com/add_article.cfm?title=submit_your_articles&CID=D%29%3C%5B%24%22%2AN%5F%5D%3EK%3E%5FXL%3BAC%3FO%22P3%22PH3M%28%3FST%20%28C%3ETN%2ES%3A%25%27%2BK5%3B0%0A Free Articles at Amazines.Com - Author Publishing and Free Article Databaseongress “not doing what he should be doing for the planet.” The local Tully’s will donate coffee for “the chilled” immediately afterward. According to the post, the event takes place tomorrow, Saturday, Dec 8th at 12:30 pm.

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.