By March Twisdale If you’re like me, you prefer the dynamism of learning to the stagnancy of knowing. And so, with a chuckle and a shake of my head, I readily admit to two things: I came to Charlie Krimmert’s front porch knowing very little about Vashon Island Fire and Rescue, and I left with…
Commentary
Of Glitter Bombs and Package Thieves
By Marc J. Elzenbeck Whether by trying to conduct business at the speed of thought or due to plain old self-sabotage, institutions and traditions are stressed out and stretched thin. Such could also be said for the Postal Service ever since Ben Franklin took it over from King George in 1775. If only Ben had…
Island Voices
Groovy Man, Far Out
By Mary Tuel When the Loop folded its tent and crept away last summer, I thought, well, that’s that. I was recovering from a broken back at the time, and that took up a lot of time and energy. So, I blessed The Loop and let it go in peace. Then word came that The…
Health Matters
To Quiet Inflammation: Stress Helps To Make Us Fat
By Kathy Abascal Many of us gained weight during the pandemic and saw worsening in other health indicators (e.g., blood sugar and blood fat levels). Now that things seem to be calming down and we are less stressed, we should seize the opportunity to get back in shape. But we should not do this by…
Health Matters
Living Without Allergy Symptoms, How NAET Can Change Your Life
By Kelsey Perry Every time you eat ice cream, you experience an upset stomach. On damp days, your joints seem to ache. Your child’s eczema flares up every time you go to the park. Your mom notices she gets an odd sneezing attack whenever she visits your house. These are all allergies—the body’s hypersensitive response…
Island Voices
The Dorsal Spin: For Pod’s Sake
By Orca Annie Stateler “Killer Whale and Salmon Nations of Whulj” Side A – By Odin Lonning Tlingit artist Odin Lonning recently installed a panel on the lawn shared by The Lodges on Vashon, Wine Shop Vashon, and Vashon Brewing Community Pub. “Killer Whale and Salmon Nations of Whulj” is a cutout hardwood panel painted…
Island Voices
TideLines
By Seán Malone & John Sweetman We sat together on Seán’s deck overlooking outer Quartermaster and lifted a small glass of single malt as a mutual toast to the revival of “The Loop.” The deck in particular had been the “source” of many of our stories that ran in the earlier Loop; which had earlier…
Island Voices
What Brought You To Vashon?
By Jonathan Laine Many years ago, after deciding to leave northern California and continue exploring the West Coast, I checked in with a new friend of mine in Arcata. He asked where I was going, but I wasn’t sure. I told him I wanted to go north. He said: “I know exactly where we are…
Health Matters
10 Things to Know About American Healthcare That Industry Insiders Will Not Tell You, Part I
By Wayne Miller 1. There is no definition of health and no measurement for it is embedded in any operation of the healthcare industry. That is pretty interesting; if we don’t define health and we don’t measure it, then we cannot solve the fundamental problem of fixing this thing (which we cannot define and don’t measure)….
Island Voices
The Value of a Musician
By Vanessa Burgess Many Vashon Island children start music lessons and overcome the challenges of practicing regularly only to be confronted with the question of whether they should continue with music lessons in favor of pursuits deemed more profitable or worthwhile. Most musicians don’t get scholarships to music school, go on tour, or make a…