January 2006

The Department of Ecology last week imposed yet another fine on the Port of Seattle. This time the port was fined $20,000 for releasing untreated storm water from aircraft preparation and taxiing areas at Sea-Tac International Airport into Des Moines Creek in 2005.

The port may appeal the penalty to Ecology or the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days.

Between two and 2.7 million gallons of water that should have flowed to the airport's industrial wastewater treatment plant entered the creek because of improper valve settings on Nov.

What would it be like if animals could talk? Even before Dr. Doolittle conversed with beast and fowl, or Mr. Ed chatted with Wilbur, countless animal lovers and pet owners have wondered what Fido or Fluffy might say if their thoughts could be put into words.

Apparently the folks at Burien Little Theatre have contemplated these same questions. In the long-awaited opening show of their abbreviated 2006 season, BLT offers up some fine comical possibilities with A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia.

No, Sylvia is NOT a talking dog ... at least, not in the way Mr.

Kermit the Frog once sang, "It isn't easy being green." Sadly, we all know this to be true. But Kermit, the unflappable frog that he is, has never let his color stand in the way of happiness.

This is a good thing. Perhaps the world's most famous Muppet could serve as an inspiration to green creatures around the globe. They could use a positive role model.

Take George the Dragon, for instance. A gainfully-employed fire-breather, George spends his days working in a castle owned by an evil wizard.

The January 11 Letters to Editor included a comment from a gentleman on Three Tree Point.

His letter astounded me somewhat when he stated that Town Square was an idea whose time has not come.

One can only suspect that the 90-minute executive session scheduled for Thursday, Jan.

Surely that glowing orb in the sky for the MLK Jr. holiday was ‘old sol.’ Though it’s been nearly a month since we’ve been blessed with genuine daylight, enjoying it was like riding a bike again. We just walked right by the raincoat and umbrella, heading straight out the door for some communing with nature.

Though the dark clouds had a silver lining for a day or two, gardeners should be concerned that too much rain is too much of a good thing.

I’m standing in the greeting card section at the drugstore, searching for a funny birthday card for a friend who is about my age. Turns out the greeting card industry’s idea of birthday humor is to ridicule the aging process. Card after card about wrinkles, memory lapses and bodily mis-functions.

The folks who write greeting cards need to read the Jan. 16 issue of Newsweek. Dr. Gene Cohen, a gerontologist, dismisses current ideas about aging with one word: “Rubbish.”

Especially when it comes to the brain, says the doctor, the older the better.

Strange sex. Strange sex. Strange sex.

Oh, excuse me. I was just agonizing over what we should report on in the new year.

Should our coverage change now that our new Web site is receiving more page views than our print circulation?

Must this dinosaur newspaper editor adapt to an entire younger Internet generation afflicted with attention deficit disorder?

I really got nervous after reading Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat's year-end tally of the most clicked stories on his paper's online edition.

I received a letter from Jeanne Sweeney recently. She was formerly editor of this newspaper.

Dear Jerry,

I wonder if you have words that seem to trigger memories as I do.

When I write the word Friday, I remember that in my earlier days it meant "fish day" for our Catholic family. No meat on Friday. That also meant that if my Dad couldn't get fresh fish from Booth's Fish House on the waterfront, Mom would resort to canned tuna or canned salmon for the meal.

She was awfully good about making something from nothing but my brother hated casseroles.

We have lived in the North Burien area since 1953 and have always been happy with the area and what it has to offer. We have a large family and over the years have utilized the doctors and dentists in the area and have been happy with the service they offer.

I would like to highly commend Dean Conger, M.D., for his exceptional devotion and care for his patients. The early part of 2005 I had cataract surgery as an outpatient at Highline Hospital and in late December, my husband had the same surgery. Both times, the same evening of surgery, Dr.