By March Twisdale Over the past few weeks, Islanders have heard about a new residential development planned for the open acreage behind the IGA. Reaction was mixed, with some red flags flapping wildly in the social media wind. Of the reactions put forth by Islanders, on Facebook, the following sentiments should concern us all. –…
December 2024, Island Resilience
The Money Party
By Stephen Buller It’s been more than a month since the 47th President of the United States was elected, and nobody living today can remember a time when our country didn’t operate on a two-party system. Although the party holding various positions influences laws, court rulings, and other governance, I’ll argue that your daily life is…
Island Resilience, November 2024
Managing Mother Nature
By Jo Ann Herbert If all of us died the earth would heal itself. Calling a plant a “weed” is like calling a human a racial slur. Every plant has a name and a purpose on earth. Are we to pull out all these plants we call “invasives?” We need more information about each. That…
Island Resilience, November 2024
Savers Are Losers
By Stephen Buller Robert Kiyosaki, famous for writing the number-one bestselling book on personal finance, “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” says savers are losers. If you’re able to get past the controversial and inflammatory nature of the statement, you will find much truth, especially in 2024. I’ll argue for the merits of saving for the future….
Island Resilience, October 2024
Microsoft Goes Nuclear
By Marc J. Elzenbeck Earlier in 2024, Microsoft’s current leadership proposed a plan to reduce power consumption from multiple groups within the company in order to re-route its capacity to its US-based Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) servers. GPUs power AI. The plans feature shifting the “compute” for core services, for products like MS Office, to…
Island Resilience, October 2024
Measuring Money
By Stephen Buller How much is a dollar worth? If that sounds like a trick question, it’s because most Americans are used to measuring worth in dollars. The dollar is our “unit of account,” which is a standard measure of value, and one of the key traits of money. We could use other units of…
Health Matters, Island Resilience, News
Vashon Health Care District Urgent Care is Live
One of the Loop’s editors spotted a distinctive car this afternoon: A DispatchHealth car We assumed it was to “show the flag” for VHCD’s upcoming urgent care solution. But when we ran into DispatchHealth’s people, we confirmed that they are on-island and ready to provide care. What can they do? Stitches. Assessments. Limited blood panels….
Commentary, Island Resilience
King County Council’s Proposed Zoning Law Changes
By Bernie O’Malley Vashon Mayor, 2016 Neighborhoods across Vashon and the rest of unincorporated King County will look very different if the King County Council approves proposed changes to Housing and Zoning Laws when it votes in December. WAIT WAIT WAIT. STOP RIGHT THERE, MY NEIGHBORS. Put down the torches and pitchforks! This conversation is…
Commentary, Island Resilience, September 2024
We Should Always Help King County Listen to Islanders
By March Twisdale By now, you may have heard that “new zoning laws” are being proposed for unincorporated King County (KC). This includes three rural towns: Fall City, Skyway, and Vashon. I have no idea what is best for the residents of Fall City or Skyway. But, like you, I have some ideas about what…
Island Resilience, September 2024
Let it Be Money
By Stephen Buller One of my readers wrote in, disagreeing with my claim that the United States dollar is a “fiat” currency. Firstly, let me say thank you for your interest! My mission in writing these columns is to educate my community about the monetary system as it exists today, and on how we could…