May 2008

The British Empire lasted over a century, becoming the largest the world has ever seen. While the empire diminished after World War II, part of it could still be seen in a somewhat hidden location in West Seattle on May 10th. The Daughters of the British Empire , known as the D.B. E held their annual English High Tea at the Village Green Nursery near White Center. The event was a fundraiser for the organization's group homes for it's elderly members. The D.B.E.

A theory is not just a wild guess at something; theories are based on a substantial body of knowledge and evidence and both predict and explain the world around us. Theories are reviewed by scientists around the world and are checked and rechecked to be sure they are valid. Theories such as the theories of relativity, evolution, and plate tectonics inform us about our world and enable us to make sense of it.

Intelligent Design is Creationism in different words. Intelligent Design is not a theory, but belief without fact or evidence to support it.

The hit TV show "Dancing with the Stars" may satisfy spectators parked in their reclining chairs, but some West Seattle residents are waltzing onto the dance floor and learning to cha cha with their own happy feet. Ballroom and Latin dance instructor Loretta Turin is making that happen for area teens, seniors, and those in between.

The Vancouver-born instructor recently moved here from Los Angeles where she competed with some of the lead-dancers seen on the TV show. She performs professionally and provides private lessons at the Washington Dance Club downtown on Stewart and Boren. She also offers group lessons to all ages Tuesday nights at the Senior Center of West Seattle, and to students Wednesday nights at West Seattle High School. Lessons are generally ten dollars per hour-long class.

"I was worried about teaching high school kids the dance steps and wondered if they would be serious about wanting to learn,' Turin said. "They turned out to be great students. I am amazed by their enthusiasm. They are having so much fun learning and are trying to get more students involved."

"I like to swing dance.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the No Child Left Inside movement. "No Child Left Inside" was adopted as a grant program administered by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

A streetcar route connecting the heart of Ballard with Fremont and downtown is one of four "promising" trolley routes the Department of Transportation is unveiling this week to spur off the South Lake Union line.

The Ballard/Fremont streetcar line would journey 4.4-miles down the center of Westlake, cross the Fremont Bridge, wind its way through Fremont and travel up either Leary Avenue Northwest or Ballard Avenue before it crossed Market Street on 22nd Avenue Northwest and ending in front of the Ballard Library.

In a few different scenarios, the streetcar could run on tw

The Port of Seattle is developing a plan to restore habitat on property it owns along the Lower Duwamish River.

Last week the port held an open house to introduce the first draft of the Lower Duwamish River Habitat Restoration Plan, scheduled to be made public in August.

The intent of the Port's public process will be to develop a "master plan" for the coexistence of natural habitat and the water dependent businesses on the waterway, said Joseph Gellings, a planner for the Port of Seattle.

Several industry and manufacturing businesses live along the Duwamish Ri

Alec and Margot Newman love Sandy, their Golden Retriever because she is so smart that she actually "Adjusts her personality" to suit the seven people in their household. "She's a dog of many collars" explains Margot. Sandy weighs 55 pounds and is 8 months old now. When she is home alone, she doesn't chew inappropriately and in fact the retriever part of her personality is so ingrained that every time they come home she brings them a toy as a greeting.

Has saving gone out of style?

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

I feel so fortunate that I was brought up to live frugally. It all paid off when my husband needed monitoring round the clock after he suffered a brain hemorrhage and later a broken pelvis. When he finally came home to be cared for, we hired wonderful people who could help out. But that all costs money in a society that doesn't provide health care.

Total care in a professional home care center would probably be less expensive in the long run.

A Metropolitan Market lunch

By Emily Williamson

Miranda is on a new exercise kick. She is determined to walk 10,000 steps a day. She says she is doing a walk-a-thon, and she is her own cause.

I joined Miranda's cause, but mostly because I like hanging out with her. On a (cold) spring day last week, she led the walk-a-thon from Hiawatha Park to the Junction, and then, since we needed a few thousand more steps to reach our goal, we marched back up to the Metropolitan Market for a lunch.

Despite the blame being put on budgets constraints, the way it was done made it clear to us that skateboarders lost out at Myrtle Park because of dark mutterings and portrayals of evil from a very few people living on the "right side" of 35th Avenue.

There has been a contingent of people since the idea of a skateboard park in the park created largely by the lidding of the Myrtle Reservoir and the creation of a park there.