March 2011

Starting at 7 a.m, surgeons from the Swedish Orthopedic Institute will offer people the opportunity to see a knee surgery in a way that has rarely been done before by a healthcare system - the entire surgery will be streamed live online.

Sean Toomey, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, will repair the knee of a 70-year-old male patient, while surgeon Hames Crutcher, M.D., will moderate the webcast.

Viewer discretion is advised, as the surgery will be shown in entirety and there will be some moderately graphic moments.

This will be the first public live-streamed surgery to happen in the region. Viewers are encouraged to join the stream at www.swedish.org/livekneesurgery where they can directly interface with the moderating doctors during the live surgery to ask any questions, share their thoughts, and learn about the newest advancements in knee and joint replacement. This is also a great opportunity for viewers to get a “behind-the-scenes” look into the OR that is rarely offered.

Staff at Woodland Park Zoo has artificially inseminated Chai, the zoo’s 32-year-old Asian elephant. The procedure, which was conducted over the weekend, is to preserve the Asian elephant population in North American.

From the press release:

“The world’s leading experts on elephant health and breeding, including the Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan, recommend that we breed Chai again, by artificial insemination,” explained Dr. Nancy Hawkes, the zoo’s General Curator and resident expert in elephant reproductive physiology.

“A baby would be socially enriching not only for Chai, but for the herd. A successful pregnancy and birth would help us begin to re-build a multigenerational social group here at the zoo.”

A 12-year-old bull at Albuquerque Biological Park Zoo contributed the semen. With no offspring to date, he is genetically valuable to the North American population of elephants.

The urban scavenger hunt, Alki Street Scramble returns this Saturday, March 19. To clarify, last year Feet First was the event charity partner. This year no charity partner is involved.

Address
Alki neighborhood, starting at the beach
62nd Ave SW and Alki Ave SW

Fees
$20 general
$10 youth (13-21) (after discount given during reg process)
$5 child (6-12)
$40 max per team with child 12/under

Brief Description
Thirty checkpoints are marked on a map of the West Seattle neighborhood. On foot or bike, how many can you visit in 90 minutes? In 3 hours? Go solo or in a team of 2-5. Be competitive or casual. Discover a new neighborhood, or one you thought you knew well. Awards in many categories including Junior, 50+, and Family. Refreshments included.

Additional Information
Choose 90 minute or 3 hour option for your team on event day. Please note that Street Scramble events go on rain or shine. No refunds due to weather.

You can preregister by mail without the processing fee by printing out a paper form at our website, streetscramble.com (click Register.)

Firefighters were called to another early morning fire on Friday, March 11 to 27802 Pacific Highway South. Around 2:15 a.m., several witnesses called 9-1-1 to report a trailer on fire. Fire investigators determined the fire to be arson.

This is the third fire in the past three weeks in the same area. The first fire occurred just a block away around midnight on February 22, where a car was set on fire. On March 8, papers were lit on fire inside an abandoned gas station at 28806 Pacific Highway South.

In all three cases, no one has been inside or injured, and they all occurred in the late-night to early-morning hours. The Federal Way Police Department is investigating.

Carmela and Steven D' Amico, the couple behind the best-selling children's book steries, Ella the Elegant Elephant, have published a new book and will be celebrating the launch with a party at Ballard's Secret Garden Books on Friday, March 19.

After the success of their four Ella the Elegant Elephant books, Steven and Carmela D'Amico are now introducing a new character - Suki: the very loud bunny.

"Suki is a young, exuberant bunny who is just every enthusiastic about life," author Carmela D'Amico said. "There's no maliciousness about her, she's just very excited about life and very loud. But bunnies aren't suppose to be loud. They're suppose to be quiet and listen to their mommas.Suki doesn't like doing what she's supposed to do and her big voice leads her into some BIG trouble."

Through a sudden adventure away from the burrow, Suki learns when and how to use voice and it ultimately helps her get back home safely.

"The story is about using what has been seen as a flaw and see that it also has a side of strength," D'Amico said.

March 10, 2011 marks 100 years that West Side Presbyterian Church has been part of the West Seattle community.

On March 27, 2011, West Side Presbyterian will hold a “Generations of Faithfulness” Centennial Celebration at 9:30 am at 3601 California Avenue SW followed by a light lunch and fellowship. The Rev. Dr. Paul Smith, who has served at West Side since 1981, will preside over the service, which will include speakers and members of former staff families, musical selections from children and adult choirs and special ensembles, and video greetings from West Siders around the world. Members of the community, along with former church members and friends are invited to join us in celebrating our 100th anniversary.

To the editor:

I have used this forum several times recently to talk about things that I felt were wrong and needed to be talked about. In my book rants are only as good as the raves.

West Seattle is an awesome place to live. I can walk most places safely any time of the day. We have very good schools. Our neighborhood is filled with kind and caring people. We have a movie theater and a live performance theater. We have many very good restaurants with choices of food and atmosphere to suit most all needs. We have have excellent parks and a dynamite community center at Hiawatha. We have Harbor Avenue and Alki point. We have all of Puget Sound laid out for us. We have views that include the Olympics, Mount Baker, the Cascades and Mt Rainier. We have all spectrum's of our diverse society.

Deadline for receiving items for On The Go is Noon Friday for the following week’s print edition of the Herald/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email event submissions to: calendar@robinsonnews.com.

Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Richard Sherman 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising column in the print edition.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206-937-7169
50% OFF All Men’s Wear: Sunday, 3/27, thru, Saturday, 4/2. Pink-tagged items $1: Wednesday, 3/23, thru Thursday, 3/31. 50% OFF blue-Tagged items, Friday April 1 and forward. The Shop is open on Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All other days the Shop is open for our valued customers & donors purchasing and/or contributing goods; offering estates or financial support from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m

West Seattle Garden Club
Daystar Retirement Village
2615 S.W. Barton St. #1
206-932-2540
Friday, March 25, 10-2 p.m. Registration at 10 a.m. Brown bag lunch at noon, dessert and beverage served by the club. Visitors welcome, $5 donation.

After I applied to audition in Tacoma recently, I got a real telephone call from America’s Got Talent. The person on the line wanted to make sure that I would actually show up and I said I intended to be there in the afternoon with bells on. My daughter is like her mother in not being able to find her way out of a paper bag as they say. She Googled Map Quest and soon we were pulling up in front of the entrance devoid of any line at all since most of the auditioners had come early in the morning. We entered by the front door, were patted down by security while I muttered something about feeling like an escaped convict.

While working at Boeing in 1943, I bought a 1933 Plymouth for $50.  It was really beat up, rusting out and in need of motor work.  But it steered more easily than my old Model A Ford.  I drove it ‘til the day my wife and I decided to have a picnic at Martha Lake, north of Seattle.
We had our first-born son Michael in the front seat with us.  Some friends were riding in the rumble seat.
Somewhat frustrated after getting lost trying to find the place, we were heading down a steep hill to the lake going about 35 mph, when we hit a huge chuckhole. 

We suddenly found our car veering off the road, while watching both front wheels roll down the road in front of us.  As we headed helplessly for a ditch, we were absolutely out of control.
The car narrowly missed a phone pole and crashed head-on into a giant pile of brush workmen had cut and left for later disposal.  Nobody had a scratch. The baby didn’t even cry.  We were in momentary shock from our miraculous escape but then got out to assess our problem.  The wooden spokes had broken out of the wheels (the rims and tires were what we had seen rolling down the hill) and the headlight glass was broken.