Report From Washington, DC; Super Bowl LVIII

   The Minister of Latin American Affairs reported a conversation with a US Dept. pf State official who passed on some inside information regarding a change in administrative policy and assignments within the department.  This is all good news as our Minister on the ground is waiting patiently for news about a possible assignment within the organization.
        Word could come at any time.   The Mayor was also informed by the Minister that he took an examination today for another potential assignment in the State Dept.  This would be a coup for Tahoma as it would represent a great leap forward for our Minister in Washington, a Latin American expert in geopolitics.

      Saturday evening, we hosted an event sponsored by the Minister of Far Eastern Cultural Affairs.  She spent the day escorting a representative from Pennsylvania's Dept. of  Music and Cultural Events.  The representative, Ms. Patrizia, had excellent weather to visit S.F.'s Chinatown, North Beach, the Embarcadero(SF Giants' Fan Day caused some traffic issues).  But a good time was had by all.  An evening dinner party was held at the Mayor's cottage near the Bay Shore.   A nice bottle of Central Coast cabernet was highlighted from Pasa Robles winery, Justin, 2008.  Excellent.
Our Minister explained certain issues with the recent declaration of a statewide drought emergency.  Coastside communities are more susceptible to service interruptions in the event of wells going dry and reservoirs drying up.   Operations could be seriously affected with guest services cancelled and organic farm products left unplanted for the growing season, with resultant cutback in financial budgets.   The State water agency announced a closure of allocations to all statewide districts for thr first time, ever.   Without a significant improvement in water storage amounts, Californians will have severe economic problems in the short term, complicating the sluggish recovery from the Great Recession of 2008.   Stay tuned.

Super Bowl 48
      Sad to report the Denver Broncos were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks, 43-8.  And it wasn't that close.   Things went badly from the beginning, with an errant ball centered over QB Peyton Manning's head into the end zone.  The 2-point safety were the first points of the contest.  Not a good omen.   Several more turnovers turned the game into a rout, as Seattle rolled over the weak Denver defense.    A late touchdown by Denver kept the score from being a shutout.   Next year, Peyton.   Paul Allen, late of Microsoft, the Seahawk's owner, accepted the Lombardi Trophy for the team.  Even the hyped TV ads were disappointing, if not lame.   Bruno Mars halftime show lacked interest or showmanship.  Next year.