September 2011

Tim LaPlante and his partner Gary Hren own Sandy who is "part lab and part St. Bernard but she came to them via a circuitous route. She became part of their household about five years ago but originally came from Farminton, New Mexico. "She lived with people there and some of our relatives there saw that she wasn't being treated very well so they offered to take her and give her to my grandmother," LaPlante said.

At the time LaPlante's grandmother lived in Denver (and has since moved to Seattle). Sandy is a good sized dog and it became clear that she was too large for an older person so Sandy came to live here.

Sandy's diet is a high quality dry food (from Pet Pros) called, Acana Prarie Formula and she loves Sea Mobility chicken jerky (or other flavors) for treats as well as beef bones that she can chew on for hours. "She just goes crazy and falls over herself when you pull out one of the treats," said Hren.

After a several-month hiatus, "poetrybridge" returns to C&P Coffee next Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7pm-9pm, and continues the fourth Wednesday of each month, including Oct. 26, etc.

Featured readers include Eileen Fix and Dobbie Reese Norris.

"In addition to the featured readers, Open Mic is always a treasure of surprises, new poets, new poems, and a wide variety of voices. Sign-ups start at 6:45 to accommodate readers who have a ways to travel to get there," said host, Leopoldo Seguel.

Featured readers begin at 7:pm. Then there is a break close to 8pm, then Open Mic begins. All are welcome to read a poem or share a story at Open Mic.

C&P Coffee is located between the Alaska and Morgan Junctions.

C&P Coffee
5612 California Ave SW
(206) 933-3125

Jason Hughes of Sonic Boom Records announced today that Wayne Coyne, lead singer and guitarist of the Flaming Lips, will make an appearance at Ballard's Sonic Boom Records store on Thursday.

The Flaming Lips are appearing in concert at the Puyallup Fair on Wednesday evening, and before continuing with their tour, Coyne has agreed to stop by Sonic Boom to meet fans, pose for pictures and autograph merchandise.

Coyne is expected to appear from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursday, September 22 and Flaming Lips split LPs will be available for purchase.

For more information, visit Sonic Boom's facebook or Twitter page.

We have a divided Congress, which has become divisive.

We have a U.S. that is struggling to survive.

The Bible says, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

What will unite us and bring us together?

Prayer and care for one another and for our country!

Bill Wippel
Normandy Park

Raise your glass to wildlife. Woodland Park Zoo is hosting its first after-hours, adults-only Brew at the Zoo beer-tasting event on Friday, October 14.

The $20 tickets will give guests access to the zoo's Rain Forest Food Pavilion and Zoomazium where they can sample 10 tastings of imports, domestics and microbrews from a host of breweries. Additional tastings and concessions from Lancer Catering will be available for purchase at the event.

The evening includes live bluegrass music by Boys of Greenwood Glen, “Get Real Close” animal encounters, and an opportunity to take in the zoo’s award-winning Jaguar Cove and Humboldt penguin exhibits

Proceeds from this event benefit the zoo’s operations, animal care, conservation and education programs.

Brew at the Zoo at Woodland Park Zoo is for adults 21 and over only—valid ID is required for entry.

The event will take place on Friday, October 14, from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.zoo.org/brew.

In his Letter to the Editor, Against SeaTac Prop. 1, dated 2011-09-12, Mr. Layden writes: "The Strong Mayor form of government is a good kind. But the city council form is better for democracy because the council members all get an equal vote with the mayor there. Proposition 1 is mainly for the rich people who want you to vote for their mayor over the city council members."

I'd like to thank Mr. Layden for writing to the HT presenting the opportunity to correct some misinformation regarding the City of SeaTac's Prop. 1.

First of all, the form of government comparison is inaccurate-- it isn't, as Mr. Layden references in his letter, strong mayor form of government or city council form of government. It is strong mayor/council or city manager/council form (aka weak mayor.).

Please note: There is a City Council with either form of government. The city council does NOT go away. (This is a common misconception, which was perpetrated by anti strong-mayor supporters during the 2009 campaign and, whether it was intentional or not, caused confusion for many voters in the process).

About three years ago, a movement began to disrupt the quality of life in SeaTac. At first, it surfaced as a public relations campaign to turn local business owners and managers against city government for a decision to create a City Center.

After failures to negotiate a purchase price for property necessary to create such a Center, the city discussed moving to a condemnation of the property. This action was dropped, the council and city manager came to an agreement in which he resigned and has moved on, and one would have hoped that the city could have resumed its business of providing for the health and safety of all SeaTac citizens with minimal disruption.

Instead, the city has been faced with a combination of challenges to its very base. If you watch Channel 21, the local government cable channel, you will get a better understanding of the kinds of problems we are facing as a small group of individuals and businesses attempt to take over SeaTac city government.

These problems include:

I only learned from a postcard from our " new" disposal firm, Cleanscapes a Seattle based firm that they would be taking over for Allied Waste, a firm that has served our needs very, very satisfactorily for over forty years.

This "new" firm is under capitalized and over extended when compared with Allied Waste and the entire transaction seems to have been shrouded in secrecy.

The fact that it's a Seattle based firm should have been a tip off to our learned council about its inadequacies. Even their web site is secret when it comes to their service rates and the fact that our garbage will be searched with or by x-rays to determine "if" there has been any recycle items inadvertently placed with the garbage that will enable them to invoke a fine (value unknown of course) against the client.

What, if any, assurances do we have that these x-ray searches are shielded from pets, children or for that matter adults who are dragging out their disposables to the curb when the "search trucks are idling in the cul- de- sacs of Des Moines.

The surprise postcard from Cleanscapes promised full disclosure about services and rates with the delivery of your "new carts!"

My alma mater, Highline High School in Burien, opened in 1924.

The history of Elizabeth Williams' family in Seahurst is not unusual. Elizabeth is a second-generation graduate of Highline; her kids are third-generation and her grandkids are the fourth generation of Pirate alums.

On the other hand, there is Glacier High in SeaTac. The school opened in 1961 just as the earliest baby boomers were hitting adolescence. But airport expansion and a declining economy killed Glacier just 19 years later in 1980.

There are so few Glacier grads that it is possible to hold an entire all-class reunion in one big banquet room.

I've documented previously how school reunions terrify me. A perhaps slightly exaggerated description of my jitters went like this:

"I'm sick, I think I have a fever," I whined.

Marge handed me the thermometer and left the room.

I immediately thrust it up next to a hot light bulb.

"What are you doing," Marge demanded as she unexpectedly re-entered the room.

"I don't want to go to school," I whined again pitifully.

"It's not school. It's your ...high school reunion. Now, what's the problem?"

Courtney Steinke, 80, of Burien competed in the National Veterans Golden Age Games recently in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He also competed in the Washington State Senior Games in Olympia.

Steinke entered several events at both venues including running (5K) sprinting (50-meter dash) and bowling where he won a silver medal.

The unstoppable Steinke also paddled out to Diamond Head and back in an outrigger canoe. He received a special recognition medal for that accomplishment.