Ray Miller stepped off the plane at JBLM (Joint Base Lewis McChord) in Lakewood, Washington. He was just back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. It had been his third tour overseas and his last. His enlistment was up and he was leaving the army. This caused him some worries. He had been in […]
To Ponder
Letter: Homelessness and how to spell HOPE
It’s another grey, cold and wet December morning which means huddled in the shadows you’ll see them. Gathered close around their person will be their few possessions: a sleeping bag, a backpack and various odds and ends of things indistinguishable what with the little amount of early morning light that reaches the dark corner of […]
Westside Story – Rental Inspection Elephant
Have you ever noticed that the City of Lakewood uses a copy-cat style of management? They check to see what other cities are doing, and then copy the other cities. It is kind of like, “Well duh, they are doing it, so we can too.”
Shaking in Their Boots
With a few more sexual allegations each week eventually all of these cold snowballs to the forehead could start an avalanche of allegations, confrontations, complaints, and lawsuits. If I were a chairman of a major corporation hoping to end out my days in comfort and respect with a history of half-forgotten slap and tickle or […]
Westside Story – Rental Checklists
Recently, a reader asked where she might find a copy of the City of Lakewood’s Rental Housing Safety Program Checklist. I promised I would do the research and then make it easy for her and others to have the checklist at their fingertips.
Autonomous is not Anonymous – Self-Driving Cars
From a fantastic meal to a fantastic show, self-driving cars make an evening out easier . . . and there is no one to tip except for the food, of course. We step out of our car and walk into Pacific Grill on Pacific in downtown Tacoma for dinner. We have pre-ordered parsnip soup and […]
Letter: The End of Sexual Harassment
Now that the Senate on Capitol Hill “has unanimously approved legislation (November 9) that institutes mandatory sexual harassment training for senators and aides,” we’ll have no more incidents involving the likes of Roy Moore, or Matt Lauer, or Mark Halperin, or Harvey Weinstein, or Bill Cosby, or Roger Ailes, or Donald Trump for that matter. […]
Westside Story – Minnie Pearl’s Grand Niece
Do any of you remember watching Minnie Pearl on TV? (Note: Link will take you to Minnie Pearl video.) Minnie Pear was a comedic performer on The Grand Ole Opry for 50 years. Minnie Pearl was known throughout the land for wearing a flowery hat with her frilly dress. The price tag always hung from […]
Home from Home: Advent
I guess it is pretty much the same for Germans and Americans – most of us love the Christmas pre-season that is called advent. Though most of us also don’t want it around in the stores when it’s still summer. Advent and Christmas carols have their season, and this year, when Thanksgiving is almost two […]