There’s been an interesting development in pop culture in recent years, most notably how a lot of content has been clearly inspired by 80’s culture. You only have to look at TV shows like Stranger Things, movies like Atomic Blonde or It Follows or even an entire modern musical genre like synthwave, which takes direct […]
Lakewood
Letter: Monkeying around with tax dollars
Chimpanzees – for “their care, maintenance and transportation, owned or controlled by the National Institute of Health” (NIH) – for the fiscal year 2018 received authorized funding in the amount of $9,400,000 (p.171). That’s $18,650.79 per chimpanzee. And that’s even though the 504 NIH-supported chimpanzees are “no longer useful for biomedical research” according to conclusions […]
Letter: “Splendidly short fuses”
In his syndicated column of July 4, 2008, Pulitzer Price-winning columnist for the Washington Post and Newsday, George Will wrote concerning the birth of our nation, specifically of those in Mecklenburg County, N.C.: “The impatient patriots here had splendidly short fuses in 1775.” But now, our current age is described by G.K. Chesterton as “a […]
Across the Fence: Football
Why a game in which a ball is mostly carried and thrown is called football, obviously defies any European’s logic. Football over there is definitely always played by your feet respectively legs only, and any involvement of your hands, even involuntarily, earns you a penalty – unless you are the goalie, of course. Also, football […]
Westside Story – Non-Compliance Is Worth Millions
On January 28, 2019, I read a story in The Seattle Times (linked from The Suburban Times) that proves once again that a citizen acting out with enough poor judgment and bad behavior can create an opportunity for their family that adds meaning to the phrase, “Non-Compliance Is Worth Millions.” For story details in The […]
Westside Story – Waughop Lake – Trump Solution
For years a small body of water in the City of Lakewood, known as Waughop Lake located inside Fort Steilacoom Park, has been the focal point of many news stories, comments, scientific studies, and alternative solutions to fix its toxic algae bloom problem. Knowledgable citizens have generated much of this information. The opinions of these […]
Across the Fence: Calendula
Gray January days are normal in Western Washington. And you could get depressed if it weren’t for Nature dealing with the gray in her own very subtle ways. Such as an incredible array of shades of green. Or … well, have a look into your garden or your neighbor’s. Because I’m pretty sure somewhere there […]
Barbie and Ken and Kalvin – And Dorothy at Lakewood Barnes & Noble, Jan. 26
Barbie and Ken were – well, let’s face it, they were mannequins. Plastic, life-size, and for years they sat out in front of Coffey’s Frame Shop in Lakewood. Every day the shop owner would dress them appropriately and seat them in their own chairs in front of the store. As time went on, it appeared […]
Letter: Protest Signs
They seem to be popping up more lately. Anonymously stuck in the ground through obviously no little effort, they are there to declare and denounce in no uncertain terms the protestors’ grievous feelings toward matters so heinous, so outrageous, so egregious that nothing will do but to leave behind a monument to their misery, a […]