Submitted by Greg Alderete. In our schools, where young minds are meant to learn the art of questioning authority and embracing the complexity of human experience, the presence of Junior ROTC is a stark contradiction to these ideals. This program, designed to inculcate a militaristic mindset, pushes the notion that violence is an acceptable solution […]
To Ponder
Let’s Talk! – A Damsel Not in Distress
Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt during dinner tonight? You want to know about my thoughts on it? Here’s my take: We all know the archetype of a damsel in distress, don’t we? We grow up with stories stuffed with them. Basically, all fairy-tale princesses in […]
Meriwether Elementary: A Rare Clover Park School District Academic Success since 2017.
Submitted by John Arbeeny. Lakewood CARES is providing an academic-based response to schools highlighted in the Clover Park School District (CPSD) “#SuperSchoolShoutOut“articles in The Suburban Times. This is data you will not find elsewhere in CPSD community relations pieces, School Board meeting agendas or monthly “Inside Schools”. This week’s CPSD “beaming with pride” article covers […]
A Wife’s Birthday Greeting
A Short Story… As soon as I heard my wife leave the house I got out of bed. I had been pretending to sleep. I was proud of myself for preparing to celebrate her birthday. I had things all planned in my head. I should have known that my head was the wrong place to […]
Across the Fence: Schlieren
If you have ever been dealing with glass, you might know this Germanism in the English language: Schlieren (pronounce: ‘shlee-ran, meaning streaking). Interestingly, the English language only knows of the Germanism as of an inconsistency in a transparent material, so-called inhomogeneities. A Schliere in a glass breaks the light in a different way. There is […]
Letter: Observe Well the Birds
Along the shore they were gathered, and, as we slowly approached, they waded into the water, wondering perhaps at our intentions. With perhaps a wary eye, they paddled away then, one flapping its wings furiously in takeoff, the others gathering speed on the water, disturbing its surface in the early morning stillness, creating rivulets in […]
Letter: Book Banning
Submitted by Greg Alderete. Banning books in high schools is a detrimental practice that undermines education, restricts critical thinking, and deprives students of the opportunity to explore diverse perspectives. At its core, education is about expanding minds and fostering intellectual curiosity. By censoring certain books, we limit students’ exposure to challenging ideas and deny them […]
In the Book Nook with … Gary W. Bryant
Author Gary W. Bryant from London, Kentucky, works as a Telecom Major Account Manager. He began writing when he was nine years old but stopped writing after college. He resumed three years ago, publishing his first book in 2022. He is a member of an Indie Author Group on Facebook. When Gary isn’t writing, he […]
Letter: Transformation
Very early in the morning – our fingers numb from the frigid air, vapors of our breath hanging as if frozen before our unfeeling faces – we were drawn irresistibly to stand immobile, not because we’d been transformed into ice sculptures but because eminent, and conspicuous and glorious was the mountain. From inky blackness, the […]