Brette is a smart, bold, funny islander who always speaks her mind. Brette recently began working at Vashon Thriftway and utilizes a job coach accommodation through AtWork! – a supported-employment nonprofit organization that works throughout Washington state to match people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with good jobs in their communities. Brette and I shared…
In last month’s “Farming Is Easy,” we introduced our foster cow Minnie, the purebred yearling Holstein whose name was upgraded on delivery to Leslie Lou Minnie Moo. Standing barely shy of six feet at the shoulder, my personal code name for her, “Cowzilla,” was rejected by one and all as too negative, human-centric, and bovine-shaming….
The world of money has gone wild in recent years. The Loop planned a sequence of articles on the subject, starting with the basics – what is money? How is it created? However, we’ve decided to jump forward to a discussion of a new, particularly dangerous proposal that would impact how we keep and spend…
The path leading to my first gun purchase has been long. It began in the summer of 1992. I was a young, healthy, and carefree college student, riding my bike along the American River Bike Trail in Sacramento, CA every day, to and from college, work, and just for the fun of it. Until the…
Tuition loans have more than doubled in the last two decades, causing a myriad of problems for our country’s economy. And worst of all, a majority of this burden is held by people 20 to 30 years of age, a time in one’s life that should not be spent at the mercy of unpayable debts….
This month my “big” column is about money. But I don’t want to leave the world of tech commentary entirely behind, and I have found a surprising way to save money on technology. There are roughly four major cellular companies – that is, companies who put up cell towers and run the radios which talk…
Centuries ago, when the colonists decided to throw off the yoke of British control, they were faced with a monumental task. Create, seemingly from scratch, a new government system that might serve the interests of the people better than most or all previous attempts. Of course, the founding families and their supporters didn’t pull ideas…
Ingredients •1½ cups peanut butter •1 cup coconut milk, non-sweetened •5 fresh basil leaves •½ cup (or more) Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Thai sauce •2 limes, juiced (1 tbsp bottled lime juice) Blend ingredients; add more coconut milk if too thick. Enjoy on rice, drizzled over chicken, flavor your favorite veggie dish, or use as a dip!
Given the age demographics of Vashon-Maury Island, a considerable number of us grew up during a time when “trust in polls” was high. For decades, “exit polls” were especially accurate, with a nearly 100% accuracy rate when compared to actual election results. Then, things changed. It’s universally acknowledged that polling results failed miserably during the…
I wanted to change the title of this article to “An Island of Exceptional Opportunities!” Ever since I moved here, I have been aware of our Island’s unique wealth when it comes to people power and the opportunities we co-create together. Which is why I was impressed, but not so very surprised, to learn that…