Editorial Page

Using Evil to Win Arguments
August 2024, Commentary, Editorial Page

Using Evil to Win Arguments

By Andy Valencia In college, a friend of mine periodically ran a game called “Assassin.” None of the players knew each other, and all were paired up: one target, one assassin. You were “assassinated” with a chalk mark, and the target could defend with chalk-filled small cloth bags. The rules favored the target once they…

August 2024, Editorial Page

What’s the Way to Talk to the VHCD?

If you have input for Vashon Health Care District, here’s how to share it By Caitlin Rothermel In this issue of The Vashon Loop, Islander Steven Nourse gives his opinion on the Vashon Health Care District’s new budgetary priorities. This article is an extended version of Steve’s comments that were presented to the Vashon-Maury Community Council on…

Controlling Your Mind
Commentary, Editorial Page, July 2024

Controlling Your Mind

By Andy Valencia What would you guess your political view is worth? What would it cost to change it? The 2020 election could have gone differently if just the right 100,000 voters had voted differently. Given that our federal government prints $1 trillion dollars every three months or so, you could easily justify spending $10…

Announcements, Editorial Page, July 2024

Being a Reader and Writer for The Loop

Two years ago, in a garden, a wish arose to provide a print space for community conversation and the sharing of ideas. “The Vashon Loop” lay fallow. Perhaps we could relaunch it? Long story short, the rebooted Loop is nearing its two-year anniversary. We thank our readers, writers, advertisers, and financial supporters for making these…

The V-MCC: Get More Involved in Your Chosen Community
Editorial Page, Island Resilience, July 2024

The V-MCC: Get More Involved in Your Chosen Community

By Caitlin Rothermel On June 20th, I listened in to the Vashon-Maury Community Council meeting. It completely grabbed my attention. Topics included the electric undergrounding proposal being presented to Puget Sound Energy, the planned Thunderbird drug rehabilitation facility, and the status of the Vashon Health Care District. If you didn’t attend, and are interested in…

Editorial Page, June 2024

Hypernovelty

There’s a joke going around that, in 2004, you had to be a computer wizard to find what you wanted on the internet. In 2014, anybody could do it. In 2024, we’re back to only computer wizards finding what they want. What happened? My list of culprits would include click farms, search engine rigging, and…

Editorial Page, May 2024

Vashon Community Care Center

By Andy Valencia Way too many people are dying from their addictions. The latest United States annual report on drug overdose deaths puts the count above 111,000, but that is only a small portion of the misery present throughout our society. The federal budget allocates more than $42 billion dollars for drug programs. But how…

April 2024, Editorial Page

Coyote Control Faces New Challenge

The American Dream has always been imbued with some wildness. Not surprisingly, people can have widely differing opinions and definitions of its benefits and boundaries. Amidst reports of increasing coyote activity, Vashon social media groups have recently hosted lively debates that hint at a deepening divide between those who advocate for coyotes as a protection-worthy…

Commentary, Editorial Page

Feckless

Feckless: Lacking initiative or strength of character; weak or ineffective. In a whirlwind of public policy, which you may have missed, Redmond was the sudden recipient of a new homeless center; by the time most citizens knew of the project, it was already an accomplished fact. The center was originally intended for Kenmore, but the…

Editorial Page, February 2024

Big Moves in Northwest Print Media

How does Canada impact our local media? Canada-based corporation Black Press (named after the Black family, currently headed by David Black) has filed for creditor protection in British Columbia, and plans to file a comparable request in Delaware for its U.S.-based operations. Black Press is the current owner of Sound Publishing, which owns 43 newspapers…

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