Submitted by Don Doman. Who lives the longest on Earth? Trees. Who never dies of old age? Trees. What communicates, nurtures both their old and young, fights for existence, supports their community, and stays connected to their relatives? Trees. “Trees are more than just part of our natural landscape. They provide shelter and food for […]
To Ponder
Letter: Regardless of party affiliation, vote to uphold the constitution
Submitted by David Anderson. Because if an incumbent or challenger does not speak – and act – unequivocally and emphatically on behalf of clear constitutional mandates, then he or she has knowingly, or otherwise, relinquished his or her primary “responsibilities to the encroaching administrative state.” And then, what other constitutional freedoms – a nonpartisan issue […]
Accepting Responsibility and Making Ethical Decisions
Submitted by Don Doman. In the feature film, True Grit, Mattie Ross searches for Tom Chaney. Chaney is wanted in Texas for killing a senator, but she is after him for stealing her father’s money and killing him. She hires Marshal Rooster Cogburn to help her track him down. When she meets up with Chaney. […]
Letter: Navigation in life from A to B is most helpful if
Submitted by David Anderson. The other day a first-time boat renter, first-time-on-the-lake fisherman and his family, headed out for what was supposed to be a search to entice the big one to bite. It turned out to be a search all right but not for what was under water. He developed engine trouble. In this […]
Letter: Down the drain – addictive products and, sadly, the people – including governments – who consume them
Submitted by David Anderson. “One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination” (The Economist?, volume 411, number 8891). Now, those same sewers are increasingly clogged with cannabis growers’ waste products. […]
Parkland Pita Pit – Restaurant Review
Submitted by Don Doman. Peggy and I stopped in at Saturn Barter on Pacific Avenue to scout out some new restaurants. Both Josh and Ryan recommended the Pita Pit in Parkland on the corner of Garfield and Pacific (just a block from Pacific Lutheran University). They both said the same thing, “It’s like Subway, but […]
Middle School and the Rewards of Expanded Horizons
Submitted by Don Doman. Middle school can be very rewarding for students, but it is also filled with challenges, including harder coursework, needing to make better decisions, and thoughts for the future. These decisions lead students to expand their horizons, to see beyond their friends, the latest song, love interests, pick-up BB games and all […]
Home from Home: Volunteering
Submitted by Susanne Bacon. Volunteering always was something more rewarding to me than a nuisance. Though in Germany it had way less meaning to me, and I was hardly able to do any once I was a full-time journalist. But even at school camps, I found it more fun to help dry the dishes or […]
Toilets Don't Mean Squat
Submitted by Don Doman. I was returning to my room at the Fairfield Inn in Puyallup. I stepped on the elevator with a man five or six inches taller than my six foot height. I looked at him and said, “Can I ask you a question?” He nodded his head. I asked, “Do short toilets […]