Sunday, May 13, 2012
Real estate trackers see improvement in sales, while in Seattle prices continue to dip, though more slowly.
Reports are rampant about the state of the housing market. Some statistics point to an accelerated improvement, if only by small steps. Some still list a decline in price, but slower than before. The new Trulia Price Monitor tracks housing prices using listing price instead of sales price for the largest metro areas. They believe that they can trace market movement better because sales price follows list price by about 2 months. According to their reports, Seattle’s list prices have decreased 9.1 percent over March of 2011 behind only Tacoma’s 11.9 percent decline. Other areas such as Miami and Phoenix have experienced a double digit increase. Having the large metro areas experiencing a comeback bodes well for Seattle also. Confidence in …
Recent developments in our tree cover.
In January the USDA released a new map of our climate for gardeners. No, they haven't changed our climate (we all did that), they've just compiled the latest thirty years' data with new details to show us what has happened so far and how it affects what plants you might want and how to grow them. It's warmer, and while that puts pressure on some natives, it means some plants from further south may now be able to grow here. The locals are making it work despite all. As of late April, Lake Forest Park is now a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat- the whole city! They have gone through a program which has high standards to meet, providing wildlife with food, water, cover, and places to raise young. As explained on the National Wildlife …
Mother's Day is here and offers an opportunity to show the women in your life how much you love them.
"I'd like to be the ideal mother, but I'm too busy raising my kids." -unknown No one knows who said that, but it rings more true than not. Around the world, there's one thing that often unites women more than any other: childraising. Whether away at work, staying at home or straddling the gray area in between, we all experience similar struggles, joys and ... the gray area in between. So it is with eagerness and anticipation that moms look forward to one day a year where cooking is optional and gifts abound. There was a point when Mother's Day was less about brunches and hanging baskets, as it has drastically morphed from the intention of its founder. The founder of Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis, trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Graphic novels have become more than "just" comics and superhero stories. They can be factual, biographical or simply stunning works of art that tell a story.
I recently attended my very first Emerald City ComicCon. In spite of my library geek nature, I never thought to go to a comic convention before. I thought comic conventions were just for the superhero crowd. This was all before I discovered the rich world of graphic novels. Graphic novels have become more than "just" comics and superhero stories. They can be factual, biographical or simply stunning works of art that tell a story. Graphic novels are wonderful and I’d like to share some of my favorites for all ages. All these titles can be found in the King County Library System, including Shoreline, Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Kids Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton. The "Owly" series are nearly wordless …
For a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Lake Forest Bar & Grill, upload a photo of your mom and a note about why she rocks.
Poets write about them. Strong men cry in their presence. We honor them each year with a special day punctuated by hearts and flowers, and perhaps even breakfast in bed. Don't just settle for all the customary ways to celebrate how awesome your mom is. Instead, upload a photograph of her to this article and write a caption telling us why your mom is the best in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park! On May 11 at noon, we'll pick a winner and call her the "Best Mom of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park." Now that's a gift. But if that's not enough, we'll also award you a $25 gift card from Lake Forest Bar & Grill which was named "the best place for Mother's Day brunch" in last week's Readers' Choice poll. (If the kids can't upload a photo of Mom by …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Governments have long taxed alcohol and tobacco to limit damage. Time for fat, sugar?
After the surgeon-general declared smoking dangerous to your health, steep taxes helped bring down U.S. cigarette use. Now comes the latest report on obesity, which suggests that 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030. The forecast by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “32 million more people could be obese in 2030—adding $550 billion in health spending over that time span,” according to an Associated Press report. In 2010, Washington State voters passed Initiative 1107 to end new taxes on candy and soda pop, among other items. Do you think it's time to revisit this issue? Is it time to slap extra taxes on foods high in sugar or saturated fat? Or should education and the marketplace handle what some call a public…
Yes, the state needs to reiumburse Shoreline School District for costs, but don't segregate and abandon program at Fircrest for school-age students
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, May 8
To the editor: I am writing this for not only our son, Thomas, but for all the other children with intensely high support needs who need the services at Fircrest in order to be healthy and safe. Thomas is 18, he’s a Shoreline resident and attends Shorecrest High School. Last year for Christmas the only thing he wanted as a Shorecrest Sweatshirt. Many of you may know Thomas. He grew up in Seattle but I can’t tell you how many daily trips we made to Shoreline for years for his speech and occupational therapy programs. Shoreline is his community and Fircrest is his home. Thomas is a good example of the fact that one could never know the level of intense supports he needs in his daily life by looking at him or seeing him out with his support …
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Support for our informal gathering places
I love coffeehouses. The good ones are wonderful, and the great ones? Well- The first coffeehouses may have been in Mecca and Cairo, “Kiva Han”, the first named, opened in Constantinople (Istanbul) Turkey in 1475, the practice was adopted in Vienna in 1529, where cream, sugar, and pastries made their appearance, and London, England in 1652. In London, the “Turk’s Head” and others quickly became centers of social and commercial intercourse. Lloyd’s of London, the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock exchange all started in coffeehouses, Edward Lloyd’s, Jonathon’s and Garraway’s and the Tontine, respectively. Espresso was invented in Italy in 1901 and the modern Gaggia machine in 1946, and that was the last bit necessary for the …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
What have you seen and what do you think? How much do you care?
May Day protests occurred in downtown Seattle today and around the country, and police arrested a few individuals and some businesses were damaged. In Seattle, some protestors, identified as about 30 Black Block protestors, smashed windows of large banks and corporate businesses, and vehicles have been damaged. KOMO Radio is reporting that Seattle City Hall has been locked down. Mayor Mike McGinn said in a press conference today about 2:45 p.m. that he signed a special order allowing police to confiscate items that might be used as weapons from the remaining 300 protesters in Westlake Center. Undercover police are reportedly in the crowd. More protests are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Here’s links to coverage from Seattle-PI.com and …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
What's with the coal trains here?
I often go to Carkeek Park, in Seattle, and Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, in Shoreline, with my son to, among other things, watch the trains. In the past couple years I’ve seen coal trains rolling through Shoreline, going north and south down the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline by the Sound. What a flashback—I thought I was in the 1890s. Half expected a belching Great Northern steam engine or two at the head of it! Seriously, it was a real surprise, as I know of only one coal-burning power plant in Western Washington, the Centralia Big Hanaford (soon to be retired), and no coal-burning companies. There were mines (ever heard of Coal Creek, Black Diamond, Carbonado, etc?), but no more. So where did these trains come from? Where are …
Joe Davenport
2:07 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Have noticed many projects (in oarticular mixed use/multi family) coming out of mothballs. more ›