February 2011

So, how's that New Year's resolution to become a 'buff babe' or 'strapping stud' goin', eh?
Yep, it's not quite as easy as those magazine covers promise, is it? "YOU CAN LOOK LIKE THIS IN ONLY TEN DAYS!" 'Hmph, talk about a pile of pies-in-the-pasture!' I say, quite indignantly.

Why is putting ON weight so darned pleasant and taking it OFF so horrifically painful and oft times humiliating? I remember laughing with friends, popping little tidbits into my mouth, and feeling so gay - never once thinking that these "savory sweets" would turn into "lard lumps."

So, I asked myself, "What are ya gonna do about it, hmm?" It comes down to two choices. You treat your life as though it's some sort of dress rehearsal and that you get to choose when the real performance begins.

Or you realize that this life is all you're gonna get and you make the choices and deal with the consequences that coincide with those good or bad choices.

I've heard it called "tough love" but it also translates into "a swift kick in the rear."

King County has awarded $475,416 in Homeless housing funds to rehabilitate the Holly Creek Apartments, 1919 Kent Des Moines Rd. in Des Moines, to provide 18 units of permanent affordable housing for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.

The King County Housing Authority (KCHA) also has received a $588,674 grants from Homeless Housing and Mental Illness and Drug Dependency funds to rehabilitate a 32-unit unnamed apartment complex in Tukwila to provide permanent supportive housing for individuals with chronic mental illness.

The grants were among $21.3 million in grants and loans to create nearly 500 units of affordable housing and fund permanent supportive housing development across the county. The grants and loans were announced by County Executive Dow Constantine.

Last month, young kidney dialysis patients Alen Stroller and Gerry Orozco from the Highline area were finally able to attend a high school prom.

The prom, sponsored by Northwest Kidney Centers, was in Southern California and included surprise visits by movie star Jack Black and "America's Got Talent" magician Michael Grasso. The magician is a three-time kidney transplant recipient.

Stroller, Orozco and about 250 young people were able to stop thinking about dialysis and renal disease for a couple of days and have a fun evening at the 12th Annual Renal Teen Prom, presented by the Renal Support Network.

"It was a great, great time," said 22-year-old Stroller, from Des Moines, who was able to fly for the very first time in his life. "We even got to see an Elvis impersonator."

Five years ago Stroller was too sick to attend his Mount Rainier High School prom.

Although Gerry Orozco did attend his senior prom at Highline High School in 2005, he felt that this prom would allow him to meet other people his age who have kidney disease.

Freedom of the airwaves is dying a slow death, thanks to a spineless FCC and president.

This was a president who promised lobbyists would not get to him. They have and the gigantic merger of Comcast and NBC, approved by the FCC Jan. 17, is a prime example.

President Obama's campaign promise in June 2008: "I strongly favor diversity of ownership of outlets and protection against the excessive concentration of power in the hands of one corporation, interest or small group. I strongly believe that all citizens should be able to receive information from the broadest range of sources."

Regarding the recent merger, NBC owned 25 TV stations in the U.S. plus the following cable outlets: Bravo, Chiller, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA Network, Weather Channel, Sleuth and Syfy. It also owned Universal Pictures, theme parks and much more. NBC's 2009 revenue was $156 billion!

Comcast is the largest cable provider in the U.S. Its revenue was $35 billion in 2009. But how can the smaller Comcast buy such a huge company? Look at their 2009 annual report:

2009 Consolidated Revenue Increased 3.9 percent

2009 Consolidated Operating Cash Flow Increased 4.4 percent

A news item today reported on a protest by Mexico about insulting comments made by commentators on the BBC show "Top Gear."

While I do not normally read blogs about anything, I read a few about this article just to see what some of the people with no other outlet for their opinions had to say. One in particular got my attention, though it offered nothing new. Someone suggested that, as it was the first of the month, and we could go down to the supermarket and watch the immigrants buying food with vouchers.

It is a common misconception that immigrants, particularly from Mexico, receive government assistance, which they use to buy junk food for themselves, and their grubby little kids. That is not what I see and I am really tired of hearing it.

Burien, where I live, has a large Latino population and at least one supermarket carries a wide variety of products used in Mexican cuisine. I'll not name the store lest I'm accused of advertising it but Burienites will recognize it.

The biggest renovation the Des Moines Marina has ever undergone is finally complete.

The $4.4 million project was the first phase of a project to completely replace the aging infrastructure of the marina.

A large section of the old wood bulkhead was removed and replaced by a new metal one. Harbormaster Joe Dusenbury said the section of bulkhead replaced was not necessarily in the worst shape, but it was seismically the most vulnerable section of bulkhead.

The other major aspect of the project was to completely replace all of the utilities from the north lot into part of the south lot.

Dusenbury said parts of the north parking lot have been set up for development.

He said creating design guidelines and working on a plan for how the city wants to see the marina development is already being worked on and should be in front of the council in the coming months.

The new project also implemented some new technology called cable carriers in the boat moorage area.

The cable carriers keep all of the utilities out of the water. Dusenbury said the Des Moines Marina is the first marina he is aware of to use cable carriers.

Thieves targeting foreclosed homes

When the bank foreclosed on an old red house along Roseburg Avenue South, neighbors say crime shot up as people hauled copper pipe and wire out of the home. "The cops can show up here and the guys just say, "The owners gave me permission." Paul Takashima said, "So there's nothing they could do." Takashima says it was a crime-free zone before a series of foreclosures started bringing people intent on breaking into the homes and carting off valuable metal. "They cracked the window and they could reach their hand around and unlock the door," Takashima said. That window is now boarded up. The crime spree has spread beyond the foreclosed home, neighbors said. Another home that was broken into was being remodeled.

Thieves made away with a commercial compressor, an airless paint sprayer, and a big tool chest. As for the home on Roseburg, the mortgage company has secured the home for now and put new padlocks on the doors. The King County Sheriff's Office says scrap thefts are often used to buy drugs and that this neighborhood is not alone.

Copper pipe stolen from Burien restaurant

The Reading Gaol Pub and Grill will reopen under a new name and ownership on March 5th.

The bar was opened in 1997 by Paul Winters who passed away last month after a long battle with cancer. Winters arranged the change of ownership in the last months of his life with a longtime patron of the bar.

"We took it over sooner than expected because of Paul's health," said Peter Sunde, the new co-owner.

"It's a strange time to meet someone at the end of their life but the sale was very amicable. He was a man of his word with a fantastic sense of humor."

Sunde said he has been a regular at the bar for a long time and has an affinity for the place.

"I'm fortunate. The opportunity just kind of fell into my lap," he said.

Sunde is partnering up with his friend Samuel Munguia, owner of The Summit Public House and the Alibi Room.

They will close down the bar today, Tuesday, Feb 15, and have a soft opening on March 5th under a new name, not yet disclosed.

"But we want to keep the great neighborhood atmosphere that I fell in love with so long ago," Sunde said.

The woods on the hillside below our home stretched for what seemed like forever toward Puget Sound and Vashon Island across the channel. It was the private playground for the five Robinson brothers.

It was vast enough to be the imagined lair of pirates, gypsies, hoboes and boys who had run away from home. In reality, none of those things dwelled under the canopy of evergreens and leafy alders that shrouded the trails from the top of the hill to the beach, a distance of about a mile.

We ran the trails, eluding fantasy enemies, playing cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers and explorer.

But our favorite pastime was fishing. Silvery Salmon Creek threaded a rocky path downhill from a drainage about halfway through those woods between Burien and White Center. At its widest it was not more than a strong boy could leap across. But in its meager waters there were hidden treasures. Rainbow trout! The wild prize of fishermen of every age.

In this 2000 photo, Bernie Salle, right, checks the meat scale with his son, Tom. Bernie, the original, 'Live Butcher,' passed away in 2004. This month Tom announced Bernie and Boys will close down its Top Hat location. The Tukwila store closed in 2000. Tom is looking for another location but it may not be in the Highline area.