By March Twisdale Nowadays, you can walk into almost any business, whip out your preferred form of plastic, and buy what you want. If you’re over 50 years old (like I am), you remember when this was anything but normal. But, here we are, and the question is: “Do we want to stay here?” If…
By Jane Valencia The holiday season approaches, and with it, choosing gifts. If you’re like me, you often send gift cards to your teen and young adult loved ones, so they can purchase just what they want. But if you’ve been reading the “Cash On Vashon” articles these past months (see vashonloop.com), and striving to…
By March Twisdale When we’re dealing with human nature, concepts tend to last. Consider the phrase, “Out of the frying pan into the fire.” This has roots as far back as ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE, and its wisdom is summed up by two other well-oiled phrases: Sometimes, we get “caught between a…
By March Twisdale While researching my first article about choosing cash over debit and credit cards, the Vashon Island business community showed considerable interest. I followed this up with online research, but the bulk of the data influencing my articles comes from local business owners. We, as consumers, have a brilliant opportunity to listen to…
By Jane Valencia Are you curious about learning how to use herbs in your yard or around the Island for medicine? A great way to start is to learn with your kids. And here on Vashon, chances are they know some herbal remedies already. Start there! Do they have a favorite remedy for a nettle…
by Nellie Bly To continue from last month, reducing one’s carbon footprint may best be achieved by: Keeping the car you have. Using real, pure gas. Taking care of your car, and other things you already own. Buying American. Not because of jingoism, but because buying local, or at least on your own continent, is…
By Andy Valencia If you’re an Islander and have been listening to our public discussions and media, you might have this nightmare image in mind of yourself, holding your chest, on the phone, begging for help which isn’t coming. The truth is, you can set aside this anxiety, because it isn’t going to happen. And…
By Nellie Bly In re Marc Elzenbeck’s “Our Electric Vehicle Future,” a persistently unasked question is, “How does the life cycle impact of a new electric vehicle compare to keeping and maintaining an existing internal combustion vehicle?” Humans have aspired to unsustainable lifestyles, once reserved for kings and nobles, through a series of unsustainable means:…
By Blaz FremontSick of the global hybrid war waged against humanity by shiny, smiling suit-puppets spouting identically scripted, caring, altruistic psyop blather designed to weaponize your own altruism and empathy against you? Tired of being a terrified experimental pincushion for occult Dark Lords hell-bent on trans-humanizing you into a supine Smart City-dwelling slave-soul enveloped in a genetically…