While working on a humorous story the other night I received a text:
Lori: “ru walking the c2c tomorrow” (In text speak=”Are you walking the Cove to Clover race tomorrow?”)
Me: “Forgot all about it. What time?” (Notice my perfect punctuation, unlike my friend’s…)
I won’t bore you with the details of the 22 text messages discussing the C2C race. Why we didn’t just call each other is beyond me, because I’m really super slow at texting. I can just imagine Lori looking at her cell phone impatiently and wondering about the ten minutes between each text.
Here I am getting "treated" by Mr. Handsome EMT.
Next order of business—my Cove to Clover race day attire. Something green, comfortable, and zany, because since I certainly won’t be fast, I may as well be fun.
Tom, my husband and our chauffeur dropped us off near the top of Snake Hill. Mr. Big and Mr. Small (sporting their green scarves) yapped and marked everything in sight and checked several ‘pee-mails’ for good measure. Neither of us wanted to fight the crowds (or walk down, then up Snake Hill) so we started walking and talking. Less than 50 feet into our walk (we’re in the enviable position of first place because the race hasn’t actually started), and I notice my hand is bleeding. I’m not kidding. Fortunately the medic truck is right in front of us. Lori watches as Mr. Big and Mr. Small take advantage of the situation and tangle their leashes. Perhaps Lori will fall over the tangled leashes and scrape her knee. She is looking rather envious of all the attention I am receiving from Mr. Handsome—the medic.
Another 50 feet puts us in front of the first drink stop. Naturally, we’re their first customers because the real runners have yet to make it up Snake Hill. At this point my dear friend is becoming rather exasperated with my slow pace, although I assure her I’m just getting into my rhythm. We’ve just reached a perfect walking synchronicity when shouts alert us to the first runner.
And then he’s gone. We barely had time to dash to the side of the road before he breezed past us. I must say his outfit was rather brief but then maybe real runners actually need to dress light in order to run faster. I wouldn’t know but I’m pretty sure my yellow and green lady bug top would hamper my running ability. And need I say—it was so hard to focus on the task at hand—walking, when there were distractions everywhere.
Young folk, old folk, stroller baby folk, big dogs, small dogs, costumed dogs, you name it, they were all there. All 950 of them, running for a charitable cause. Last year it rained costumed cats and dogs and the run was still a huge success.
Burien has come a long way in the 20 years that I’ve lived here. You can call it Beercan or B-Town. I call it home.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We’d like to extend a hearty “cngrts” (Text Speak for “Congratulations”) to Shawn, who will be releasing her first book this spring, called “Mommy Are we French Yet?“
We’ll be posting more on this exciting news, but for now here’s a blurb on it:
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to live in another country for a year with your children, in Mommy, Are We French Yet? you will discover that it is not an insurmountable task. But it’s made doubly rewarding when the day-to-day chores and challenges are approached with humor. Shawn Underwood moved her family, her husband and three kids along with her sister’s family, to the south of France to experience the joys and frustrations of living abroad first hand.
Whether running headlong into the language barrier, where faux pas are a given and the best way to communicate is with a smile or just trying to shop at the local market, keeping a sense of humor is the key to overseas success! As she and her extended family travel in France and throughout Europe and Egypt among other countries, they learned that being a good ambassador for your country is worth its weight in gold. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions!
Come along with Shawn and her family as they learn to embrace the local culture, even if it means eating pig intestines or trying to cook turkey American style. Whatever happens, the chocolate is sublime in any language!
Twenty-five years of living in Burien gives Humorist Shawn Underwood much fodder for her writings.
All of her stories are true, or at least have a grain of truth with no added embellishments.
Or something like that.
Read more of her humor at her website here.
On Monday (Mar. 1st), Seattle Times columnist Jerry Large published a followup article that is basically a reaction to him being confronted by Burien Mayor Joan McGilton, Councilmember Kathy Keene and City Manager Mike Martin over Burien’s desire to annex the remaining portions of White Center.
The encounter came after Large published a column on Feb. 3rd extolling how White Center is “the right fit” for Seattle.
Councilmember Keene then sent us a copy of a letter she sent The Times, where she strongly refuted Large and claimed that Burien would be a better fit for White Center (read Keene’s letter here).
In Large’s latest column, he starts out by saying:
Burien is getting feisty.
The small city is not counting itself out as a home to the northern neighborhoods of North Highline.
So now, “feisty” Burien has struck back, and the columnist has printed our cityfolk’s claims, stating that “Burien knows what it wants” – read his full column here.
We wonder what will happen next in this political opinion-shaping chess match…stay tuned.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is an unpaid "Reader Review" of a local Burien restaurant. If you want to write one and have us consider it for publication, please email us.]
by Germaine’s Country Kitchen is now serving dinner – let’s all help support a local family business located at 14901 Ambaum Blvd. SW, Burien, WA 98166.
Germaine’s is a favorite breakfast and lunch spot. They are expanding their hours to serve dinner. To me, they are the “Cheers” of breakfast, ” Where everybody knows your name”. I love supporting a local family business. Mom, Jacki in the kitchen, daughters Jennifer (1/2 owner) and Kaitlyn are serving.
Germaine’s Country Kitchen is dedicated to the memory of Grandmother Germaine Maribeau Bourton. Germaine came to America in 1919 to live on a farm in Eastern Washington. At that time, all she could do in the kitchen was boil water. Soon, she was selling her egg salad sandwiches at the family barn dances, cooking for the local Catholic church, and planning and cooking dinner for the members of the American Legion. For years, Germiaine was well known to folks in the Waterville area for her wonderful apple pie, maple bars, chicken dinners, and the wine she made in her cellar. Germaine started the family tradition of gathering in the kitchen with good home cooking! Come share the warmth of family and the enjoyment of good food, bringing you the same warmth and comfort of Germaine’s original country kitchen.
Their nightly specials are:
- Monday – Traditional turkey dinner
- Tuesday – Mexican night
- Wednesday – Pasta night
- Thursday – Meatloaf
- Friday – Steamer Clams/ Steak
Jacki is especially proud of her steamer clams. She said she “loves being able to present such a dish to folks who may not be able to afford to go to somewhere like Anthony’s or Salty’s.”
Hope to see you there!
- local resident, Suzanne Greive
This letter is in response to the article posted about Brian Bennett and the Shoreline Advisory Committee that he served on (read the original story here). In this article, Brian claims that he has his own higher priority for what should be the purpose of Shoreline Master Program. The State’s priorities are, “protection of the environment so that there is no net loss, enhancing public use on publicly owned shorelands while protecting private property and public safety and the coordination of shoreline development around the state to protect the shorelines.”
Perhaps his misunderstanding of what are the priorities for the Shoreline Master Program stem from the fact that he did not attend the 50% of the four critical writing meetings. And the last meeting he attended, he came unprepared without his document that was to be discussed. He was unaware of the functioning rules of the committee and did not know how to take citizen input at the meetings. Perhaps this is why citizens did not get heard at this level. These issues of attendance, not bringing your homework to the meeting and not knowing the operating rules are of importance when you are acting as the chair of the committee, as Brian was supposed to be doing.
Additionally, had Brian read the Appendices to the draft document he was reviewing, he would be able to answer the question he posed in the blog article, “How to create public access to Lake Burien without impacting property owners around the lake?” The consultants to the study noted that there is visual access to the lake from several streets. These points could be further enhanced by the city to provide visual public access points to the lake. Whether the city will pursue them is another question and the real one that he should be addressing as a councilmember. The City of Burien has a number of beautiful public access points to the city’s shorelines which they currently do not secure or protect adequately. Jim Branson has written a number of blogs about this problem with the city not being willing to spend any money on enforcement and protection of shorelines and parks. The city has a legal obligation to protect them under the Shoreline Master Program.
Lastly, the Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center is a wonderful asset to the state, community, children and families. It requires high security for its clients. The last thing that they need is a public park next to them. This will breach their security. Brian knows that the Center has not put their land up for sale as of yet and they have clearly stated they do not want a public access next door to them. During the same time that the City of Burien issued a public statement that it was not seeking a public access to Lake Burien, behind closed doors, Brian directed the city manager to contact the Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center to again try to buy their land. Ruth Dykeman repeated they were not interested. But still again in this latest article, Brian makes a public issue of wanting to buy their land again. This demonstrates a complete lack of respect for private property rights and does not follow the concept of transparent government practices. This councilmember needs to do his homework and brush up on the etiquette of good manners with regard to the property of others.
- Chestine Edgar
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]
I asked at a local pet store, and they wouldn’t tell me.
According to the Humane Society, we should be skeptical of any claims that they don’t come from puppy mills (link here).
According to the American Kennel Club, you should buy a dog directly from the breeder, so you can inspect their premises and ask questions, instead of buying from a pet store (link here).
Better yet, you can get a mutt from the pound for one-tenth of the cost and save a life. Most pet stores agree that selling puppies and kittens is not the right thing to do. The City of West Hollywood recently passed a law banning this practice (read the LA Times story here; link to the ordinance here as a PDF file).
Sign the petition and ask the City of Burien to take the lead in animal welfare:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-pet-store-puppies
- Jim Branson
So…what do YOU think? Should Burien outlaw the selling of puppies in local pet stores? Please take our Poll, or leave a Comment below…
Loading ...[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]
Working at Sea-Tac for 35 years, I have firsthand knowledge of airport operations and STITA Taxi. Knowing STITA’s reputation, I thought they would surely be chosen for the new contract for the taxi concession. I was astonished to hear the Port’s decision. The structure of the RFP caused a bidding war, and the Port plans to award the contract to the highest bidder, Yellow Cab. How could they base their decision purely on money and not reputation and quality of service?
Shuttle Express and STITA operate within a few feet of each other so I know their operations and service level. STITA taxi owners maintain their vehicles and have invested in a green fleet, all while making a living wage. And, STITA provides good service, much better than any other taxi service in Seattle.
As a competitor, it would be to my advantage to say nothing and compete against a lesser provider. But I can’t watch this play out without saying something about the Port’s injustice to STITA, and more importantly to you, the traveling public. I have no issue with the Port opening the concession to competitive bid, but its selection based on who will pay the most money rather than service and safety is wrong.
Jim Sherrell is the Owner of Shuttle Express.
More money for the Port may sound good, but in reality the over-inflated fees that Yellow agreed to pay the Port are way off base. There is no way Yellow can use the minuscule taxi fees to fund reservations, dispatch, accounting, marketing, safe vehicles, insurance, advertising AND also pay the Port an exorbitant fee to use the taxi curb. What expenses will the Yellow taxi drivers have to cut to still be able to put bread on the table? Will you feel safe when you climb into that taxi knowing they cannot meet their financial obligations and still make a living?
So why would the Port prioritize getting more money above safety, service and other important factors? What seems obvious is the Port wants more money. Who is eventually going to pay the Port more money? Sure, first it will be the poor taxi drivers. Next, the taxi drivers will ask regulators to allow increased fees. In the end, YOU, the traveling public will be paying the difference with higher taxi fares.
Now ask yourself, is the Port operating in the interest of the traveling public, or is it merely trying to squeeze more money from taxi drivers and you, the passengers?
Will the publicly elected Port of Seattle Commissioners recognize this flawed RFP bid for what it is and correct this radical mistake? My experience during the last thirty-plus years tells me that when the Port Commissioners know the facts and hear from their voters, they will make the correct decision to award the RFP fairly, based on service and safety for the traveling public rather than strictly money from fees.
It’s up to you, the traveling public, to let the Commissioners know your feelings on the issue to have it corrected: www.portseattle.org.
- Jim Sherrell
Owner, Shuttle Express(Jim Sherrell is the owner of Shuttle Express, serving the Seattle region since 1979)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]
Last week (Wed., Feb. 3rd), Seattle Times Columnist Jerry Large wrote an editorial explaining why he thinks White Center would be a “good fit” for Seattle, and vice versa (link here) – an issue that has reared its head ever since new Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said that he’d like to annex the area.
Of course, numerous folks around these parts think differently from both Large and McGinn (hey, weren’t they in a band together in the 60s?), including Burien City Councilmember Kathy Keene, who read Large’s column, then emailed us her response to him:
“Needless to say I do NOT agree and wrote the following letter to Mr. Large, to which he responded.”
Here’s the email dialogue she had with Mr. Large, which we print below with her permission:
From: Kathleen Keene
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 10:21 AM
To: Jerry Large
Subject: Article on White CenterDear Jerry,
I want to comment on your article last week on White Center.
Before I go any farther, let me introduce myself: I am a 23 year resident of the area (a veritable newcomer by most standards), and a 19 year Commissioner at Water District 20. We provide water to a very large portion of North Highline, in fact, the remaining unincorporated area east of 509 down to the Seattle city limits in South Park is in our service area. I also am in my first term on the Burien City Council.
As a small local government, Burien offers the residents in North Highline something Seattle will NEVER be able to: POWER TO THEIR VOICES! In Burien they will be 18,000 of 45 000, in Seattle they’ll be 18,000 of what? 600,000? Tell me how much power that gives them. In Burien we hold our Council meetings Monday at 7 PM, Seattle’s are 3:00, how many working folks can make those meetings? As an added bonus we’re a hop, skip and a jump from White Center, two jumps for Blvd Park, and the parking is FREE.
I would love to invite you to Burien and show you around. A Burien annexation of this entire area is a reuniting of a neighborhood that was one neighborhood for many many years. These folks are our brothers and sisters, our moms and dads, our cousins, our best friends. They shop in Burien. Like Burien, they are home owners and shop keepers, many have lived here for generations. I grew up in the little fishing village of Ballard. This area reminds me of my childhood – stable neighborhoods, generational families, extended families, a deep pride of community.
An annexation to Burien also ensures a continuation of the same services they now enjoy:
Libraries-currently the people of NH are part of the KCLS. If they become Seattle residents they lose that. The county may close down the White Center and Blvd Park libraries due to loss of tax revenue. It took Seattle 100 years to build a library in South Park, how long before they will build a replacement library in this area??? There are 8-10,000 people a month that use the White Center Library. I don’t have the figures for Blvd Park, but I do know it is also is the heart of their community. These facilities are a vital part of the human infrastructure of the area.
Speaking of infrastructure, the water distribution system in Water District 20’s boundaries are heads and shoulders above Seattle’s. Our system is almost totally rebuilt. We don’t wait for a pipe to break 3 times before we replace it; we are proactive. We don’t have the accidents like the Ravenna area has had recently. Approx. 35 years ago old WD 61 became a direct service customer of Seattle water; this area includes White Center, North Shorewood, Salmon Creek and the NW corner of Burien. A majority of that systems has not been touched since. The rate payers have no say in their rates and they pay a 10% out of service fee. (You pay, a 14% utility tax on your bill I believe) WD 20 and Burien have no utility taxes. By reuniting the entire area we can hopefully give all these folks back control of their water system and rates.
Another cost savings for the unincorporated area is their sewers. The western area is served by SW Suburban Sewer District (SWSSD), which has its own sewer treatment plants. We do NOT have to pay for Brightwater… look at your sewer bill, there is most likely a charge of $40 + to pay off the county bonds, which, I believe are 40 year bonds. I have been told that will probably go up to around $50/month. If this area becomes part of Seattle, I believe they will have to pay those rates because of the bond covenants, even if they remain in SWSSD.
Fire – Fire District 11 will go away and the entire area will be served by FD 2. The existing fire fighters will become FD 2 personnel. They know the area, which is helpful when every minute counts. When Burien was deciding on the boundaries of Phase 1 we included the fire station on 112th which serves this area now. Seattle was adamant that they needed that station to serve the area and parts of south Seattle. In a spirit of cooperation we honored their request. When the Seattle City Council was getting their briefing they were told this station isn’t adequate and White Center will be covered by the station in West Seattle…. I wonder how that will affect the response time? I wonder why we gave it up.
Police – If the area becomes part of Burien they will have the same police officers they have now, there will be a seamless transition. Our Sheriffs have been very effective dealing with crime in this area. So what happens to these officers if Seattle annexes? I realize they have the option to hire those that currently work there but there are issues of seniority, pay, benefits etc.
Debt-Burien has no debt, Seattle has many levy and bond measures that have to be paid. The new residents will be responsible for helping to pay for this debt since they now “enjoy the benefits”.
The focus of your article was on the social services and how the non profits could “help the people”. As you can see from what I’ve written there are many other aspects to consider. It is true Burien does not have the deep pockets of Seattle, but we do work well with the various support and non profit groups that work in our city. We look forward to working with the non profits you mentioned as well. Since these folks are receiving grant money from private agencies that money can also continue to flow into the area.
We are a small and nimble city, it is in our combined best interests to see that this area thrives. By having a government close by I anticipate the downtown core of White Center begin to fill up with new business run by the residents. As you pointed out there is a vibrancy in the area you don’t often see. That needs to be nurtured. Check into the B&O taxes Seattle charges, as well as space taxes, head tax, business license fees etc. These are a burden to beginning/small businesses. Burien doesn’t charge as much in B&O nor do we have any of those other ancillary taxes. We are a business friendly city and value the leadership and ideas they contribute to our community.
Again, I invite you back to the area, come on down to Burien some Monday evening and see our Council in action, walk around our downtown core and see what we have done – it was not done in a vacuum – the residents of Burien were very actively involved. This is the way we do business here – with the involvement and support of our residents. This is the power we offer to the remainder of the unincorporated area. Doubts? Come watch us as we begin this process with the area that will become part of Burien in April. I admit it will take some time; these folks have been ignored, neglected, abused, and dictated to for too many years. They aren’t quite sure of their voice yet, but given time they will gain confidence and bring a new vibrancy to our city…. we will all be a better place. I look forward to including the remainder of the area – what a great city we will be!
Thank you for your time,
Kathy Keene—– Original Message —–
From: Jerry Large
To: Kathleen Keene
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 1:25 PM
Subject: RE: Article on White CenterDear Kathy,
Thanks for the note. I’d love to visit with you about White Center and Burien. I’ll be away next week, but I can come down after that. I have deadlines on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you let me know a couple of times that would work with your schedule, we can find one that works.
Jerry
Jerry Large
Columnist
The Seattle Times
Also, Thursday morning Crosscut published another editorial about why White Center should join Seattle, this one penned by Jordan Royer. And yes, he’s the son of former Seattle Mayor Charlie Royer – read it here.
So…what do YOU think of this issue? Should Seattle be allowed to annex White Center? Or should Burien go for it? Please take our Poll below, or leave a Comment…
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According to this new schedule, the last Burien Park and Ride express bus service into Seattle, leaves at 9:18 am. No express bus service will be offered again until 1:10 pm. This leaves a 4-hour commute time frame that gives riders the only options of going through West Seattle, or taking the Link. Both are very time consuming.
Contact the King County Department of Transportation and the Burien City Council with your concerns.
Metro Bus Route Changes – Service revisions begin this Saturday, February 6.
Some midday trip eliminations on the 121, but two new a.m. and two new p.m. peak-period trips have been added.
Northbound trips leaving the Burien Transit Center at 9:58 am, 10:26 am and 1:09 pm, southbound trips leaving 3rd Ave & Pike St at 9:17 am and 1:36 pm, and the southbound trip leaving 7th Ave & Blanchard St at 12:17 pm will be discontinued.
Northbound Route 121 to downtown Seattle will have two new peak-period trips arriving at 3rd Ave & Pike St about 7:35 and 8:30 am. Southbound Route 121 to Burien will also have two new peak-period trips leaving 7th Ave & Blanchard St about 3:39 and 4:27 pm. WSDOT is funding these additional peak-period trips on Route 121 to keep people, businesses and the economy moving during Alaskan Way Viaduct construction. Visit
www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/viaductMore service change information: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/scvchange.html
- Meg Van Wyk
Burien Park and Ride patron
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]
The largest owner of shoreline property is the City of Burien, and city managers have chosen a hands-off approach to managing over 170 acres of shoreline parks.
One remedy for this would be a Park Ranger system—something that will never happen unless Burien citizens ask for it.
The first four goals of the Shoreline Master Program are:
- The Shoreline Master Program shall result in no net loss of shoreline ecological functions and processes.
- Regulation and management of Burien’s shorelines should be guided by ongoing and comprehensive science.
- The City should be proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction.
- Implement an adaptive management approach to respond to changes and to ensure continued effectiveness.
The requirement of “no net loss of shoreline ecological functions and processes” is the same requirement we have always had since the Shoreline Management Act was passed 38 years ago. During those years, I have walked along the beach at least several thousand times, and I have witnessed gradual and continuing degradation. While I have not seen new bulkheads, and few if any new houses have been built near the shore in the last few decades, I have seen an increase in off-leash dogs, graffiti, vandalism, and trash. These types of shoreline degradation come from public parks with no enforcement of laws or park rules. The City has not been “proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction.” They have been entirely inactive.
Every day, I witness people walking their dogs to the park, usually on a leash, and when they get to the sign that says “Obey Leash and Scoop Laws,” that’s when they let their dogs off leash. They usually don’t grab any blue bags from the dispenser. At Seattle beaches, it is a $500 fine to have your dog at the beach at all, so people drive to Burien to let their dogs run free, where they know the rules will never be enforced. I have three dogs, I live next to a Burien park, and I drive to Grandview or Westcrest to let my dogs run free, legally and safely. Since Burien’s incorporation in 1993, I’ll bet that not one single citation or arrest has ever been made for off-leash dogs, vandalism, graffiti, littering, or fires in Burien’s shoreline parks. If anyone from the City can provide documentation that proves me wrong, I would like to see it. I know that on my several thousand visits to the beach I have witnessed tens of thousands of violations of the rules, and never once have I seen any sort of enforcement officer asking anyone to change their ways. It is a small minority of park visitors that disregard the rules, but these same people come back day after day, inflicting damage on shorelines owned by all of us.
What would it cost for Burien to have a Park Ranger system? It might cost about $300,000 a year, or it might cost as little as $40,000 a year if the City hired a volunteer coordinator and implemented a volunteer Park Ranger system like the City of Kirkland has. With either a volunteer system or paid professionals, the emphasis could be on education and encouragement rather than strict enforcement and punishment. If the regular park abusers knew that someone was watching, and that enforcement was even a possibility, most of them would change their ways. Whatever the cost of a Park Ranger system, it has to be measured against the cost of having no enforcement at all. This daily abuse of our public spaces by a handful of miscreants costs all of us real money. The environmental degradation they cause is not some abstract concept. I can’t give you an exact dollar amount of the damage because government has not amassed the “ongoing and comprehensive science” the Shoreline Management Act requires. I do know that Burien citizens have suffered millions of dollars of lost property value. Many studies have shown that property values decrease up to 15% in areas with graffiti and vandalism, such as is currently allowed in our parks. Burien homes and businesses are worth billions of dollars, collectively, and even a 1% loss of property value would total millions of dollars. Not having a Park Ranger costs all of us real money. If the citizens of Burien require their government to comply with the Shoreline Management Act and “be proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction,” then the environment and the citizens will benefit.
As a member of the ad hoc Shoreline Advisory Committee, I have attended about a dozen meetings over the last two years. It is my impression that the process of developing the Shoreline Master Program is merely a formality, a process the City is required to go through. No one in government or on the Shoreline Advisory Committee believes that the final document will actually result in “No net loss” as required by law. All this document will do is to create a new set of rules that gather dust on a shelf somewhere, ignored like the old rules have been for decades. Only when the citizens of Burien take this seriously and demand environmental protection will real change happen on our beaches. Please attend one of the upcoming meetings and ask that the City begin to enforce environmental regulation, for the benefit of us all.
- Jim Branson
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]
[EDITOR'S NOTE: We are re-posting this column (originally run Nov. 2, 2008) in honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, whose life and work we celebrate today:]
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, militarism and economic exploitation are incapable of being conquered.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King,
from a speech delivered in 1967
by Mark Neuman
Contemplating the Giant Triplets
I am embarrassed to admit that, at age nine, I knew more about Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch and a TV situation comedy called “F Troop” than I did about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I know this because I was watching a syndicated repeat of that silly show on the afternoon of April 4, 1968, when a news bulletin cut into regular programming to announce that Dr. King had been shot and killed earlier that day.
I did not know who he was.
I quickly got to know, in part, on the strength of my third and fourth grade teachers at Holy Rosary Elementary School in West Seattle, and then I never forgot.
Our recent handful of years
With an over half-trillion dollar burden set firmly on the backs of Americans not yet born, the powers-that-be recently bailed out the powerful who failed us.
And some number of millions of everyday Americans participated as well, in the pursuit of a piece of the glittering illusion: unbelievably rapidly appreciating equity.
Any number of common desk working brokers and agents just “did what the boss told us” to earn fast, fat commissions.
Regulators, overseers are somewhat difficult to blame. They, too, like the profits, were largely imaginary, nonexistent. Those who existed sat by, quite silent.
Today, a Senator from Illinois engenders, through no fault of his own, racist sentiments from various pockets all about our country.
And this is seven score and three years after the end of the Civil War.
And meanwhile another chunk of trillion has been thrown at a conflagration, a quagmire, in the Middle East that, inarguably, Dr. King would have opposed.
A great speech
And so I bring to you today words earnestly delivered by Dr. King, less than a year before he died. Officially it is titled: “Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam.”
It could quite well be subtitled: “The Giant Triplets Speech.”
It could also be called: “Please Don’t Make Our Country Look Like This in the First Decade of the 21st Century.”
If only all we Americans had recited or read, daily, his powerful words, spoken forty-one years ago:
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, militarism and economic exploitation are incapable of being conquered.”
In our modest blog offices it was suggested: Should we post and highlight this speech two days before Election Day?
We “Woodwarded and Bernsteined and Bradleed” this about. Would some be offended? Might some misunderstand?
Perhaps some will.
Some always do.
Any complaints? Send them to me.
Any credit or compliments? They go to Dr. King.
Here is a recording of, in my opinion, a stunning and timeless speech from the greatest and most courageous leader of my lifetime.
When you hear Dr. King’s words, spoken less than a year before he passed, does your heart beat fast?
I should expect and hope it would.
Perhaps your eyes water at certain points.
You’re in good company if they do, I assure.
Never heard this speech before? You are not to blame. We live in a “forget the past” society. Additionally, Dr. King’s other stunning and courageous works, including “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” happen to overshadow his own genius, literary and oratory greatness and prescience displayed at other times in his life.
Does the speech seem familiar? Please give it a listen again, in the relative stillness of this, the day most often set aside for meaningful thought, then send a note to that Social Studies teacher from grade six, your History professor from college, your Speech Coach and thank her or him for the initial introduction.
Send the links to your nephew in the Navy, your sisters from the old sorority, your Aunt in Auburn or Alabama, your boss in Bellevue, your kid in college.
Move it along the internet line to your favorite State Rep or least favorite Congressman, the most ethical attorney you know, or maybe even the least trustworthy scumbag Wall Street suit you are glad you never met, or, perhaps, are sorry you ever did.
Print out Dr. King’s words (we’ll get that link to you soon), fold it up and send them along with warmth in your Holiday greetings later this Autumn.
And so, on this Contemplative Holiday
Let us all, now and in these crucial near years, stare down those Giant and Ugly Triplets and knock them off their high perch for good.
Thanks.
–Mark Neuman
mark@b-townblog.com
And in case you haven’t heard it in a while, here’s Dr. King’s classic “I Have A Dream” speech:
Word travels fast here in B-Town.
I was just gathering my courage to call my dentist to make an appointment for a tooth scrubbing when Margi, the receptionist at Dr. Abolofia’s office phoned me—for the third time.
“Shawn, so glad I finally caught you at home, how are you? Have you heard of ‘Eat Local’? I bought the Chicken Pot Pie, and it was to die for! By the way, you are way overdue for your six-month check up!” She said all of this in pretty much one breath.
“Yeah, I have been meaning to go there, isn’t it right next to the bike shop?” I said.
Maybe if I kept the conversation away from overdue appointments she would forget why she called . . . It could happen. But it didn’t. However, I did visit ‘Eat Local.’
The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was the Thundering Hooves sign on the wall. That sign alone gave me the feeling that a cow could be grazing out back. The store feels homey and it should because everything is prepared right on site. There are a wide variety of choices from, appetizers, entrees, sides, desserts and wine. A fair amount of the hand-made entrees were packaged in reusable glass containers, which can be bought and returned through deposit as you would a milk bottle.
Greg Conner, Eat Local owner and extremely affable fellow took me on a tour of the store. All of the ready-to-serve items are produced from ingredients procured locally from nearby farms that specialize in organic produce. I was amazed to find such specialties as Pork Cassoulet, made with pork, beans and sausage and then slow cooked in a wine sauce. I haven’t eaten cassoulet since I lived in France seven years ago. Thundering Hooves beef and poultry is pasture raised and hormone-free. I wonder if the cows and chickens are having menopausal issues—being hormone-free and all.
Speaking of local—Greg’s a homeboy. He grew up in B-Town and attended Kennedy High School. He opened his first Eat Local store in Queen Anne and is excited to be back in his hometown, and frankly I for one am very glad to have a place to pick up a quick ‘made from scratch’ meal for my peeps. I was just contemplating another cooking strike—just for the heck of it.
So, give yourself a break and visit the friendly folk at ‘Eat Local.’ It’s not to be missed.
Twenty-five years of living in Burien gives Humorist Shawn Underwood much fodder for her writings.
All of her stories are true, or at least have a grain of truth with no added embellishments.
Or something like that.
Read more of her humor at her website here.
More than half of District 8 lies outside West Seattle: Vashon/Maury, North Highline, Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila, Normandy Park. District 8 has been represented by a Seattle resident since nigh on to forever. As a consequence, unincorporated area and suburban city issues have not received the attention they deserve. Seattle has plenty of representatives on the council; we need someone to represent the rest of us.
Zach is an able and respected legislator in one of the most diverse districts in the county. Once you get out of West Seattle, diversity zooms and community issues become complicated by the mix of jurisdictions. Zach understands that complexity and how to get to mutual solutions. His viewpoint will be more representative of the mix of District 8 residents.
Zach is moderate and progressive, working well with those around him and establishing effective partnerships. Zach will represent the diversity of social, economic and political actors in a dynamic council district. The county councilmembers should choose Zach to represent us.
- Stephen Lamphear
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]
King County apparently wants to sell Puget Sound Park without public comment or notice. They had proposed selling it for low income housing during the summer. This was stopped (?) by public outrage over the sale of a park.
Now the word is that they have a sale pending.. This is wrong on so many levels. The worst part is that a park should NEVER be sold without public comment and debate.
If this sale was not pending the Burien City Council would have approved annexation of this area on March 2, 2010. That approval is now on hold. Many people of the community welcome any holding up of the annexation of North Highline. Could these people be behind the sale of this park? I hope not and I think not.
In the election to be annexed into Burien the control over their area as an issue by the voters, this sale is an example of the high handed tactics of King County Government, without regard for the people effected.
I recognize that the purchase of land by a government from a private party needs to negotiate in private or the cost will go up. But the disposal of government land needs to be transparent and open or people will wonder about undue enrichment of a government official.
If another government agency is the purchaser then this backroom dealing is terrible, and such behavior by two levels of government should not be tolerated.
- Ed Dacy
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]
I’m a procrastinator.
I won’t ask for a show of hands from people who have the same problem because, well first of all I can’t see your hands because I’m here in my son’s room—recently converted to an office until said son returns from college and all Hell breaks loose, because I’m using his room.
As I was saying before I started going off track with the converted office bit—I have no doubt there would be a sea of procrastinating hands, too numerous to count.
For instance, who has yet to take down their Halloween decorations?
Today as I drove around the neighborhood (putting off writing yet another revision for my editor of a ‘grabber’ beginning for my book), I noticed numerous pumpkins with barely recognizable faces, long overdue for the yard recycle or where ever dead pumpkins go after the holidays. Strings of orange Halloween twinkle lights festooned some trees and even some Jack o’ Lantern pumpkin lights still dangled on a charming white fence.
Some people still have Halloween decorations up, including these jack-o-lantern lights spotted on a Burien picket fence. You know who you are!
You know who you are!
A picture says a thousand words but my daughter, Leslie said. “Mom, I don’t think everyone else thinks leftover Halloween displays are as funny as you do. I don’t think you should take a picture. What if something happened in the family and they haven’t had time to take down the displays or what if they are on vacation?” Her list went on and on until even I felt guilty for my paparazzi-like behavior. So no pics but like I said—you know who you are!
It’s possible orange twinkly lights can linger through Thanksgiving but the pumpkin lights have got to go—pronto. Now I’ve got to go trash my own pumpkins which still sit on my porch, and then of course there’s the scarecrows . . .
On a final note. I can’t resist a cupcake. Have a look:
Twenty-five years of living in Burien gives Humorist Shawn Underwood much fodder for her writings.
All of her stories are true, or at least have a grain of truth with no added embellishments.
Or something like that.
Read more of her humor at her website here.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: We're now publishing "Letters to the Editor," and encourage all Readers to email us their opinions or thoughts (another option of course is to Comment below each story). Below is a letter from longtime Burien-area resident and former city councilmember Stephen Lamphear:]
Dear Editor –
The city of Burien is proposing a new $25 yearly vehicle license fee. Looking at your Voters Pamphlet, you won’t find this proposal connected to the city of Burien. In fact, you have to thumb all the way to page 100 — end of the Voters Pamphlet — to find it. You will not find the word Burien anywhere in the ballot title. Instead, you will find Transportation Benefit District No.1, Proposition No.1 — yet this is strictly a city revenue proposal. A stealth move if ever I saw one.
For two reasons I cannot support this measure.
First of all, the $25 license fee is a regressive tax that, like utility taxes, hits our working families and lower income people the hardest. Since this is a “fee” — not an excise tax — it is not even deductible on federal income taxes.
If these bicycle and sidewalk improvements are necessary at a time of broad personal economic hardship, there are fairer ways to raise the money. The most obvious, fairer way to raise public money is a voter-approved special property tax levy. At least property taxes are deductible on federal income taxes and more directly affect people of means — also, it calls a duck a duck.
Secondly, having the Transit Benefit District boardmembers the same as the city council is merely “left pocket, right pocket”. I might support a TBD if we were also electing independent commissioners, as is being done for the proposed Des Moines Pool District. I’d rather have independent input on special projects and taxes. However, the interlocking board of directors/councilmembers makes this little more than a work-around for the city council to raise taxes without their name on the price tag: “The council didn’t raise taxes, the TBD did it.”
While, I can afford the $25 for this ill-conceived proposal to improve the community, the working family down the street with 4 cars (everyone works) will have to pony up $100 — money they can ill-afford and not deduct on income taxes. Businesses will also pay this fee and pass it on in higher prices.
Yes, we totally need safe streets: safe for children to walk to school, safe for bicycles. This is not the way to do it. Vote NO on Transportation Benefit District No.1, Proposition No.1. When doing the right thing, you also have to do the thing right.
Stephen Lamphear
North Shorewood
(Stephen Lamphear is a longtime Burien resident, former City Councilmember and frequent Contributor to The B-Town Blog. Read more of his writing here.)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us a Letter to the Editor by clicking here, and pending our review (for libel, etc.), we'll most likely post it.]
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a Guest Editorial by Joe Fitzgibbon, Planning Commissioner for the City of Burien:]
by The residents of Burien will have the opportunity this November to vote YES for investments in bicycle and pedestrian facilities. For the price of a half tank of gas, we can make our city safer for our kids and families walking and biking.
As The B-Town Blog has previously reported, a YES vote on the Transportation Benefit District and the proposed $25 vehicle license fee will enable the City of Burien build bicycle lanes, provide safer connections to schools, and repair inadequate sidewalks to increase the mobility of our seniors. I hope you will join me in voting YES to approve this levy to make our city safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Over 400 Burien residents helped shape what we want our city to look like through the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plans. All agreed that our city would be a better place if people could easily get around on two feet or two wheels. Since then, the city has completed some projects, but our progress has slowed because of the competing demands on the city budget — roads, parks, and public safety.
A YES vote on the Sidewalks and Bikes Levy will enable the city to keep moving ahead with some of the highest priority projects from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Master Plan–specifically, improvements to S and SW 136th St and 8th Ave S.
This is a great time for us to tackle these improvements. Construction projects are coming in under budget because demand for residential construction has declined. It is likely that we won’t ever be able to build these projects more cheaply than we are able to right now.
The benefits of better pedestrian and bike infrastructure are numerous and include improved home value, making students safer, and saving school districts money that can instead be used for teaching. It can save you money too. It reduces emissions and makes our air cleaner. It encourages healthy and active lifestyles.
Opponents suggest the cost of improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety is too high and this is not the right time to make our streets safer for walkers and bikers like students at Kennedy High School and Cedarhurst Elementary.
I disagree. The cost of this investment is less than seven cents a day, per vehicle. We must not sacrifice the safety of our children and our quality of life here in Burien.
And our community partners all agree; organizations including the American Heart Association, Washington Conservation Voters, and the 34th District Democrats have all endorsed the Sidewalks and Bikes Levy.
If you have any questions, please email me at safesidewalksnow@gmail.com. Let’s vote YES for a healthier and safer Burien!
(Joe Fitzgibbon is helping lead the Safe Sidewalks Now campaign and is the chair of the Burien Planning Commission).
[EDITOR'S NOTE: We welcome all viewpoints, and will print those that do not contain libel and that pass our standards. All we ask is that Contributors use their real names, not lie or libel/slander anyone. Please email your opinion/letter to the editor by clicking here.]
by Jim Branson
Despite the city’s own ordinance against graffiti, the graffiti on this “Welcome to Burien” sign located in Olde Burien has been there for nearly three months.
Here’s a photo that was posted on The B-town Blog on July 19th:
Here’s another photo of the same sign, taken just last week:
Ironically, Burien’s own ordinance (see below or download the PDF here) says it saves money and effort by cleaning up graffiti quickly, before it attracts more graffiti and makes more work.
Why, then, is the City of Burien inviting more vandalism and crime by leaving this graffiti up on its very own sign, in violation of its very own ordinance, which stipulates removal “within 5 days”?
From the City’s municipal code:
CITY OF BURIEN, WASHINGTON ORDINANCE NO. 488
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BURIEN, WASHINGTON, RELATING TO THE REGULATION OF GRAFFITI; AMENDING CHAPTER 8.55 OF THE BURIEN MUNICIPAL CODE; AMENDING THE DEFINITION OF GRAFFITI AND SHORTENING THE TIME PERIOD FOR GRAFFITI REMOV AL; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE
WHEREAS, in 1999 the City Council of the City of Burien adopted Ordinance No. 270 (codified at Chapter 8.55 BMC) establishing new requirements for removal of graffiti found upon public and private property in the City of Burien, and
WHEREAS, the graffiti removal regulations currently provide that all graffiti upon public or private property that is visible from a public road or right of way shall be removed by the property within ten five days of notice given by the City, and
WHREAS, the graffiti removal regulations do not specifically prohibit the use of very hard and sharp objects to etch words, designs, and other markings on glass or other surfaces which is a relatively new type of graffiti, and
WHEREAS, the City finds that, graffiti on fences, walls, glass, buildings and other structures attracts more graffiti and invites additional vandalism and crime; unabated graffiti sends a message that the community is not concerned about the appearance of its business districts and neighborhoods; the presence of graffiti generates neighborhood fear and instability, signals an increase in crime, lowers property values, hurts business revenue, is economically detrimental to the City, and is a sign of urban decay; the National Crime Prevention Council reports that studies have determined that if vandalism and graffiti is repaired or removed within 24 – 48 hours, there is little recurrence; by covering graffiti as soon as possible, the vandal is deprived of the effort and time it took to vandalize or tag property; that expeditious graffiti removal is the best deterrent to future incidents; that a quick removal response by property owners is the key to successfully combating graffiti; unless the City acts to remove graffiti from public and private property, the graffiti tends to remain and other properties then become the target of graffiti; and, entire neighborhoods are affected and become less desirable places in which to be, all to the detriment of the health, safety and welfare of the City and its residents, and
WHEREAS, the Council finds that graffiti is a public nuisance, and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that amending Chapter 8.55 BMC to establish a shorter period to remove graffiti and to prohibit the etching as a form of graffiti will help prevent the spread of graffiti vandalism and will support the City’s program for the prevention and removal of graffiti, and
WHEREAS, the City Council intends, through the adoption of this Ordinance, to provide additional enforcement tools to protect public and private property from acts of graffiti vandalism and defacement, all in support of the general health, safety and welfare of the City and its residents;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURIEN, WASHINGTON, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Amendment of BMC 8.55.010 (Definitions). Section 8.55.010 of the Burien Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
8.55.010 Definitions.(1) “Graffiti” means the defacing, damaging or destroying by etching, spraying of paint or marking of ink, chalk, dye or other similar substances on public or private buildings, structures, places and properties.
2) “Graffiti abatement procedure” means the abatement procedure which identifies graffiti, issues notice to the landowner to abate the graffiti, and cures in absence of response.
(3) “Private contractor” means any person with whom the city shall have duly contracted to remove graffiti.
Section 2. Amendment of Section 8.55.040 (Graffiti – Notice of removal). Section 8.55.040 of the Burien Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
8.55.040Graffiti – Notice of removal.
(1) Whenever the city manager, or designee, determines that graffiti exists on any public or private buildings, structures, and places which are visible to any person utilizing any public road, parkway, alley, sidewalk or other right-of-way within the city and when weather conditions permit the painting of exterior surfaces, the city manager or designee shall cause a notice to be issued to abate such nuisance. The property owner shall have 10 5 business days after the date of the notice to remove the graffiti or the same will be subject to abatement by the city.
(2) The notice to abate graffiti pursuant to this section shall cause a written notice to be served upon the owner(s) of the affected premises, as such owners’ name and address appears on the last property tax assessment rolls of King County, Washington. If there is no known address for the owner, the notice shall be sent in care of the property address. The notice required by this section may be served in any one of the following manners:
(a) By personal service on the owner, occupant or manager of the property;
(b) By U.S. first class mail, or registered or certified mail addressed to the owner at the last known address of said owner. If this address is unknown, the notice will be sent to the property address.
If notice is served by U.S. first class mail, notice shall be deemed to have been received three (3) days after depositing such notice, postage prepaid, in the United States mail in a properly address envelope.
Section 3. Severability. Should any section, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance, or its application to any person or circumstance, be declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid for any reason, or should any portion of this ordinance be pre-empted by state or federal law or regulation, such decision or pre-emption shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance or its application to other persons or circumstances.
Section 4. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be published in the official newspaper of the City, and shall take effect and be in full force five (5) days after the date of publication.
ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AT A REGULAR MEETING THEREOF ON THE 21ST DAY OF JULY, 2008, AND SIGNED IN AUTHENTICATION OF ITS PASSAGE THIS 21ST DAY OF JULY, 2008.
ATTEST/AUTHENTICATED:
______________________________
Monica Lusk, City Clerk
Approved as to form:
______________________________ Christopher Bacha, Kenyon Disend, PLLC Interim City Attorney
So then…WHEREAS, the City of Burien has chosen to ignore its very own ordinance on its very own property…
THEREFORE whatever shall we, as its residents, do…?
Please take our Poll or Comment below…
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by On Tuesday (Sept. 29th), I saw my first “Reject 71″ yard sign in Burien at First Ave South and SW 148th. In addition to the racial/cultural hate that runs just under the surface in most suburban communities, we have the religious/lifestyle haters coming out of the closet.
When I moved to this community in 1991, the big local news story was Nazi skinheads targeting Jews in the neighborhood I’d chosen. Oh, great — not only am I gay, but Jewish, too!
Burien incorporated in 1993 and we lost all the equal rights protections we’d had as part of unincorporated King County. When I was elected to the city council in 1997 (openly gay), I protested that I could be fired from a job in a town where I made the laws. I was not going to take that as fact.
So, I set a goal of equal rights and equality in my town. In 2001, Burien became the first suburban city to provide domestic partnership benefits to all partnered city employees (only str8s signed up). Then in 2004, Burien adopted a comprehensive anti-discrimination ordinance that is stronger than state law. No one can be discriminated against, for no reason — period.
After all that work to bring equal rights and fairness to my city, it angers me to see haters plant their flag in my town. Treat your neighbors like family, because they are — Approve R-71.
For those of you unfamiliar with this issue, here’s the language that will be used on the Nov. 3rd ballot:
The legislature passed Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5688 concerning rights and responsibilities of state-registered domestic partners and voters have filed a sufficient referendum petition on this bill.
This bill would expand the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, except that a domestic partnership is not a marriage.
Should this bill be:
[ ] Approved
[ ] Rejected
(Stephen Lamphear is a longtime Burien resident and former City Councilmember. Read more of his writing here.)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: We welcome all opinions, and publish pertinent ones at our discretion. As always, all Readers are encouraged to either email us their thoughts, or Comment below. What do YOU think of "Referendum 71"?]
Attention North Highline Annexation Voters: your Voters Pamphlet contains a steamy, smelly pile of bovine fecal matter about annexation to Burien. Here are some of the dung piles dropped by opponent Mark Ufkes:
Pile #1 — Mr. Ufkes does not live in the voting area – he is not affected by the annexation vote. [full disclosure: I, too, do not live in the voting area, but as a Burien resident will be affected by your vote.]
Pile #2 — The Westwood Village and White Center areas are not included in the voting area, but I’m sure you can find a particular home in N. Burien that is valued lower than a particular home in Westwood. So? Truth is: the homes in unincorporated North Shorewood, Salmon Creek and Boulevard Park (neighborhoods within the voting area) are similar to their long-time N. Burien neighbors’ homes.
Pile #3 — Mr. Ufkes has been a vocal critic of the North Highline Fire Department. That despite the huge satisfaction level of residents. The city of Burien does not provide fire services. All of Burien and North Highline are served by independent Fire Districts — you elect Commissioners who set policies and standards. You will continue to be served by Fire Commissioners you elect, and control taxes for fire services.
Above is Mark Ufkes' "Statement Against" Annexation from the Voter's Pamphlet.
Pile #4 — Burien has no plans to hire more police officers AT THIS TIME because it’s not necessary. Burien and North Highline share police services provided by King County. That will continue after annexation. The size of Burien’s police force will always depend on need.
Pile #5 — Burien has no budget deficit — in the state of Washington, all governments are required by law to have balanced budgets; Burien always has. What Burien doesn’t have is debt – it has operated as a cash basis city.
Pile #6 — If Burien decides to build a new community center with a new tax, the law requires voters to approve any such new tax. There is no new tax on the horizon.
Pile #7 — The is no such thing as a Burien downtown fire department tax for Town Square. Town Square is a private development. No taxes have been or will be used for this private project. There is also no massive property tax giveaway to potential Town Square residents.
Pile #8 — There is no factual evidence that property values have any relationship to your address. Property values are simply the value of your property compared to similar properties in a similar neighborhood. Fire services are also not related to your property value — a mansion gets the same fire truck, the same emergency medical team, as does a modest bungalow. Voters set the level of taxes for fire services.
An 8-year former Burien City Councilmember, I live 4 blocks from the proposed annexation area. I’m anxious to re-unite with my neighbors under one government that promotes strong single family neighborhoods rather than the rampant multifamily projects favored by King County and Seattle. Vote ‘YES’ on annexation.
Stephen Lamphear
North Shorewood
[EDITOR'S NOTE: We welcome all opinions, and publish pertinent ones at our discretion. We advise all residents in the North Highline area to read as much as they can about the upcoming Aug. 18th Annexation vote, and decide for themselves whether they want to become a part of Burien or not. As always, Readers are encouraged to either email us their thoughts, or Comment below...]
I recently returned from The National Society of Newspaper Columnists Conference, which was held in Ventura, California.
My new writing group BFF, Karen Rinehart, award-winning humorist and author, cajoled me into attending and I have to say I enjoyed every minute—except for that one time I waited in a long line for a drink, ordered a delicious beverage only to find I had no money, but I digress.
I’d like to say that I hung with all of my contemporaries at the Crown Plaza Hotel, but reality bit when I met Jeff Zaslow from The Wall Street Journal and co-author of “The Last Lecture.” I mean really, I write the humor column for The B-Town Blog (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and I don’t recall winning any awards recently or for that matter have any other credentials that allowed me entrance to such an esteemed society. But times are hard and Karen said:
“It doesn’t matter, they need people to fill the conference room, all the newspapers are shutting down or going Chapter 11, you could be a graffiti tagger and they’d let you in.”
So I went.
What a treat, let me tell you about it.
I loved Bruce Cameron who created “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.” He’s a hoot and so generous with his vast knowledge. He wants me to write a screenplay about Mr. Big and Mr. Small (my two dogs.) He said so—honest.
“Anyone can write a screenplay, it’s easier than writing a book, you just have to have an interesting premise and a dynamite protagonist,” he said.
Heck, how easy would that be? Mr. Big and Mr. Small, also known as Gus and Jack, don’t even talk—unless you count the fabricated storylines that my husband Tom comes up with.
Jeff Zaslow, the Wall Street Columnist that I mentioned earlier is my other new BFF. He doesn’t know it yet but we are gonna be tight. I could tell he liked me after I questioned him about his writing methods. I’m not sure why he walked away so quickly after I gave him my pitch—he’s very important and most likely had another appointment.
Steve Lopez, one of the keynote speakers brought tears to my eyes when he discussed the plight of the homeless. His columns featuring the homeless violinist, Nathaniel Ayers morphed into a book, and then the movie, “The Soloist.” I could go on about my “contemporaries” and such, however I don’t want any of my readers to get the idea that I’m bragging—as if!
Maybe some of the creative magic will rub off on me—I don’t know. I’m seriously contemplating the “Mr. Big and Mr. Small” screenplay. I just can’t decide who should play the lead. Mr. Big does a mean imitation of beggar-dog at least I think he’s playing a part when he sits at my feet each night as I wolf down dinner. And Mr. Small—well he’s just so stinkin’ cute and smart. For years, I’ve blamed Mr. Big for the pee stains on the family room carpet. Last week I caught Mr. Small doing the deed with a guilty look on his face. Smart—like a fox, he could certainly memorize a few different dialogue barks. Lassie has nothing on him. Heck, he should have attended the conference (Mr. Small that is, not Lassie.)
That’s all for now from your humble roving humor reporter for The B-Town Blog.
I’ve got to get to my screenplay.
Twenty-five years of living in Burien gives Humorist Shawn Underwood much fodder for her writings.
All of her stories are true, or at least have a grain of truth with no added embellishments.
Or something like that.
Read more of her humor at her website here.
by Dennis Clark
Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward
If Burien ever gets a semi-pro (or heck, why not Pro?) sports team, I think they should be called the Burien Beavers.
Burien is once again home to beavers, or at least one beaver. Last week, I received an e-mail from a neighbor of the Walker Wetland in Burien. He was wondering why the water level in the wetland had come up in the last few weeks when we’ve had no rain. I visited the site and sure enough, the water level was over a foot higher than it usually is. Downstream the water was slack — and high — until I reached the cause: a low dam of sticks and mud. Beavers! Beavers used to be present in the basin but the last one was killed some years ago. Poking around in the deep water of the wetland, I came face-to-face with one of the soggy rodents. He dove and I didn’t see him again.
The beaver — or beavers — has chosen a good location from the perspective of fish in Walker Creek. There’s no spawning habitat upstream of its dam and the increased size and depth of the wetland will provide good rearing habitat for coho salmon outplanted by Trout Unlimited.
It’s possible the beaver migrated from the Northwest Ponds on Des Moines Creek, where its counterparts have been as busy as, well, beavers.
First otters, now beavers! Who knew how wild our stream basin would become?!
While no photos of Burien’s smallest hydraulic engineer are yet available, you can see pictures of his work at the Miller/Walker stream blog here.
So…what do BTB Readers think of the “Burien Beavers” idea? Please Comment below…
[Dennis Clark is King County's Public Outreach/Stewardship Coordinator for Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed Salmon Habitat Recovery (WRIA 9), as well as the Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward. Read his blog here.]
[EDITOR'S NOTE: On March 17, 2009, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published its final print edition, completing a more than 145-year run. Its online presence continues. We at The B-Town Blog, while excited about the future of neighborhood blogs such as ours, lament the folding of great US newspapers, particularly those with such rich histories and stellar legacies as the P-I.
Scott Schaefer and Mark Neuman, of the B-Town Blog, worked together on their high school newspaper, The West Seattle High Chinook, a few decades back. They were fortunate enough to have as their advisor and journalism teacher a lady who truly is one of the very best in the state of Washington, Miss Dorothea Mootafes, known a little better as Dorothy, and affectionately as Miss Moo. Miss Moo has been retired from the Seattle School District for over twenty-five years, lives in the Roosevelt area of Seattle and is quite active in her church and various teacher organizations.
We recently asked her to reflect on the passing of the P-I, and let us in on her P-I memories. And so today we begin a four-part Sunday series by Miss Moo.]
by Dorothea Mootafes
When Mark Neuman asked me to recall what I remembered about The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, he mentioned the visit of West Seattle High School journalism students to the P-I building on Sixth and Wall Street in the mid 1970s. In the lobby were the words of Thomas Jefferson which continue to imply what the role of the newspaper should be in a free society:
“If it were left to me to decide whether to have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
Jefferson’s words are also on one of the four panels in the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D. C. The P-I always could be counted upon to investigate excesses in government when they occurred and to keep demagogues in line when the occasion arose; but in my more than a half a century of reading The P-I, it has been more than a watchdog of my rights. It has been a source of information, a means of entertainment, and, at times, a needle instantly raising my blood pressure.
No part of any Seattle-area person’s existence was untouched by The P-I. The news pages, women’s pages, sports pages, opinion pages, special features, and even the comics have affected us all. Through the years, the women’s pages were transformed from strictly society news—weddings, engagements, club news—time, date place events; who, what, where, when—into a department exploring significant and controversial issues, adding the why and how to coverage.
Nancy Hevly, a women’s page staff member, recalls it was Susan Paynter who wrote the first stories of the new type. Among the first articles were those on a woman’s right to choose and on a lesbian couple.
Sally Raleigh was editor of the traditional society page and also guided it through its changes. “Lifestyle” was one of the subsequent titles which mirrored the change in content. Sally’s staff included Laura Emory Gilmore, Jean Lunzer and Nancy Hevly herself. Edna Daw edited the club news. If there was a PTA meeting, sorority gathering, etc., members would find the time, date and place in the club column. Groups chose publicity chairmen whose job it was to send notices on their meeting, guests, speakers, or special program to the newspaper.
Prudence Penny was the early title of the Home Economics Department. Food editors later began using their own names and their food pages continued to be popular and useful. Nancy Beardsley sometimes covered special community or church events showing an ethnic or historical specialty the public might enjoy.
Gradually women’s news blended into the rest of the newspaper. Articles under Lifestyle, for example, could be on either men or women. Until World War Two, women did not cover hard news. Lucille Cohen and Eleanor Bell were the first to break the sex barrier.
The name Royal Brougham was synonymous with P-I sports. He was not only the sports editor for so many years; he was also the cheerleader and promoter of every Seattle-based team and outstanding athlete. “The Morning After,” his daily sports column, opened with sections on sports personalities or current happenings, and closed with a final “Chitter-Chatter,” sometimes with an other heading, composed of a miscellany of sports news. Everyone learned much about Husky sports and particularly Al Ulbrickson’s crews, hometown baseball hero Fred Hutchinson, and the Seattle Rainiers. Naming the street across from Safeco Field for Royal Brougham was well deserved as the P-I sports editor long touted major league baseball for Seattle. Like the rest of us, he survived the short stay of the Seattle Pilots in 1969. The Mariners began in 1977, a year before Royal Brougham’s death in 1978.
It was Royal Brougham who started the annual Man of the Year Sports Award and Banquet at the beginning of each calendar year. I attended the event in l957 because my St. Louis Cardinal hero, Stan Musial, was the special guest. When golfer JoAnne Gunderson was named “man” of the year that night, she turned to Royal Brougham and said, “Royal are you sure you’ve got the right man?” Pat Lesser, another woman, had won the award two years before. The problem was solved in recent years with the selection of one man and one woman.
An Editorial by Jim Branson
At Monday’s City Council meeting, several prominent Burien citizens spoke up for City Manager Mike Martin, saying he has done a good job and he deserves another chance. They said he shouldn’t be judged before the facts were known.
Former Council Member Jack Block Jr. said he (Block) had the disease of alcoholism, he had sought treatment for it, and it did not stop him from being a contributing member of society as long as he took the right steps.
One difference between Mr. Block and Mr. Martin is the admission of having a problem.
Mr. Martin has had plenty of chances to come forward and explain what happened.
The Seattle Times reports:
“Martin’s breath strongly smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred and he said he had consumed a couple of glasses of wine and two beers, a deputy wrote in a report.”
That is something that needs explaining. If Mr. Martin wants to protect himself from paying the legal consequences for his actions, he was smart to refuse the sobriety test and the breathalyzer. If Mr. Martin is serious about serving the City of Burien, he could have, while he had the microphone at Monday’s meeting, said he was sorry. He could have given a minimal explanation of what led up to the accident. If he shouldn’t be judged before the facts are known, then why doesn’t he tell us the facts? At a minimum, if he couldn’t discuss the matter for legal reasons, he could have apologized to the Council and to the City for putting Burien citizens at risk, whatever the reason or circumstances. He could have outlined his plan to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.
Ideally, he could have offered his resignation and let the Council decide whether they would accept it at that point or discuss it further.
Instead, he went on with his report as if his DUI arrest weren’t the burning issue on everyone’s mind. Yes, the City does have many other important matters to discuss, but first we need to know if the person we rely on most for our public safety and fiscal well-being is someone we can really trust.
It is not only in the City’s best interests for Mr. Martin to explain himself; it is ultimately in his best interests. If he has a drinking problem, he needs to seek treatment before he kills himself or someone else. If he hopes to have a future in Burien, where he has purchased a home, he needs to resolve this quickly and openly. If he hopes to ever have another meaningful job after leaving this one, it would be in his best interests to address the matter directly, without equivocation.
The City Council tip-toed around the issue, adjourning to executive session to discuss “a personnel issue,” as if everyone didn’t already know they were going to talk about Mr. Martin’s DUI. What do they need to discuss in private that they couldn’t discuss in public? A negotiation or a settlement? How to spin this incident for the least damage to Burien’s image? The way to handle it with the least damage for all would be to discuss it openly and honestly. Although Mr. Martin has passed up many opportunities to speak, he can, at any time, explain to the Citizens of Burien what exactly happened and why he should or should not continue as Burien’s City Manager. The longer he waits, the more he and the City Council discuss how to deal with the situation instead of actually dealing with it, the more it looks like he, and they, have something to hide.
The way to deal with the Mr. Martin’s accident is to tell the truth. He doesn’t need a lawyer for that.
If he can’t tell us the truth, he has no business being our City Manager.
So, what do YOU think Mike Martin should do? Please answer our poll:
Loading ...[EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Branson is a longtime area resident and outspoken activist. Previously, he wrote an editorial on "Earth Hour" that received quite a few Comments from Readers.
What do you think of his opinion on Mike Martin? Please Comment below.
Also if you have an opinion about a local issue, or a "Letter to the Editor" you'd like us to post, please email us.]
An Editorial by Jim Branson
On Arbor Day, the City of Burien called our attention to the beauty and value of trees by planting a dogwood in Dottie Harper Park.
This is commendable, and if it inspires people to plant appropriate trees in their own yards, it could have some long-term benefit.
We might also benefit by paying attention to the trees we’ve lost. In recent years, Burien has lost hundreds of trees, a few here, one there, a dozen more over here. These trees fall silently, when we don’t pay attention, and one might not even be aware of the gradual loss of canopy if no one takes the time to notice the missing trees. Ideally, the City of Burien should have an inventory of its trees, with notes on their health, so we can know if we are successful in being a Tree City U. S. A., as we were designated 7 years ago. This would take a coordinated effort involving arborists, but we can start by cataloguing the trees we have lost recently.
If you go to Google Maps and choose the Street View at 4th SW and SW 152nd, you can drive down memory lane and see the trees we’ve lost in that block beside the new Town Square. It was a green canopy from more than twenty trees, making a shady street, providing relief at the height of summer, and softening the big ugly box of the Dollar Tree store. Most of those large, healthy trees are gone, and it will take 30 years for that canopy to be replaced:
View Larger Map
Along Des Moines Way, from 156th north to the freeway, we’ve lost about a dozen large shade trees to a public works project. You can see them on the Google Maps aerial view, but they are missing at the time the street view was shot. Further south on Des Moines Way, at 176th, you’ll see a wide swath cut through the margin of a wetland. Dozens of trees were cut down for this “park,” but I have visited this site a dozen times and never seen a single person walking along this trail to nowhere. It seems more likely that the sole purpose of bulldozing those trees was for the convenience of the sewer district when they installed a new line.
At Lake Burien School Park, the large poplars were deemed healthy by the first consulting arborist, but the City found a different arborist to say they were diseased, and they cut them all down, healthy or not. Whatever the reason, we are losing trees far faster than new ones can take their places.
It’s not just public lands that feel the bite of the chainsaw. Private property owners are taking down mature trees, one by one. You don’t necessarily notice one tree missing here or there, but if you take the time to walk through your neighborhood and check, you’ll see that the missing trees add up to a substantial loss. In the Seahurst neighborhood, in the past year, at least fourteen significant, mature, healthy (as far as I could tell) trees were cut down at ten residential addresses. For the most part, these homeowners cut their trees legally, although a few in areas with steep slopes might have required a permit and might have been denied. State law prohibits the cutting of trees without a permit within a certain distance of the eagles’ nest tree in Eagle Landing Park, but those rules are confusing and enforcement is lax.
If we wanted to, instead of Arbor Day, we could celebrate Chainsaw day, and all the homeowners in Burien could cut down all their trees at once while the City mows down trees in parks and along streets. Obviously, this would be absurd and horrific. Why is it any less absurd and horrific to lose our trees one by one?
The Tree City USA website says that Burien has been a Tree City for seven years. It also says that in order to be certified as a Tree City, the city need to satisfy four requirements:
- A Tree Board or Department
- A Tree Care Ordinance
- A Community Forestry Program With an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita
- An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation
As far as I can tell, the Tree Board disbanded a long time ago, and I was unable to find any reference to Burien’s Community Forestry Program or its budget (perhaps it’s a subcategory of some other budget or program). The City’s tree ordinance has a host of inadequacies, but it doesn’t even cover the majority of our trees, located on private property.
Twenty years from now, when we celebrate Arbor Day with the planting of another tree in another park, what will our urban forest look like? Without a detailed inventory, and if people don’t pay attention to this gradual loss, we might be significantly poorer in trees without even realizing it.
If you look at the King County aerial photos of Burien for 1936 and 2008, you can see, obviously, that we have lost the majority of our urban forest canopy:
For many reasons, environmental, economic, and aesthetic, it is important to reverse that loss and start increasing our canopy cover. If we don’t get serious about managing our trees collectively and offering incentives for homeowners to plant and retain trees, Arbor Day plantings will only be symbolic and futile.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Branson is a longtime area resident and environmental activist. Previously, he wrote an editorial on "Earth Hour" that received quite a few Comments from Readers. What do you think of his opinion on Burien's trees? Please Comment below.
If you have an opinion about a local issue and would like to contribute, please email us.]
by Scott Schaefer
Publisher/Editor
It’s always a risk to do an April Fool’s joke issue of any publication, and The B-Town Blog is no exception – as many of you know by now, yesterday’s edition was devoted to entirely fake “news” stories based in the Burien area (with the one exception of my birthday tribute to J.P. Patches, which was very, very serious).
Being a former full-time comedy writer, I must confess (and perhaps apologize) that it’s in my genes to try and have fun with stories and words. Growing up with a funny Dad who was always cracking jokes, I guess I became enamored with the rewards
of making others laugh. Once I got my hands on my first Mad Magazine, I never looked back. In fifth grade I published my own attempt at a humorous newspaper (ripping off, er, inspired by Mad) and sold it to family members for 25-cents apiece. At Highline Community College, I edited a special April Fool’s edition of the Thunderword student newspaper and called it the Thundergag. I love writing fake news stories and think that sometimes there’s nothing funnier (can you tell I’m a fan of The Onion?). Even when I wrote and directed for “The Arsenio Hall Show” I printed my own ‘zine targeted at the small demographic of about seven other comedy writers. In between all these gigs I found time to do some TV work, yet now here I am, back doing the printed word.
And loving it.
In case you missed it, nine comedy bits were published yesterday (writing help came from Mark Neuman, Gina Bourdage and a former neighbor, Stefan Hovland, who all helped tremendously):
- BREAKING: Ex-Office Depot Space To House Strip Club
- EXCLUSIVE: B-Town Blog Interviews Laser-Pointing Culprit
- UPDATE: No Morton Today
- PHOTO: Vandals Knock Over Part Of “The Passage”
- Burien’s Little Theater To Perform All-Nude Musical
- BREAKING NEWS: Mayor Nickels Suffers Injury In Burien
- BREAKING: King County To Fence In North Highline Area
- City Of Burien To Impose 20% Tax On All Internet Use
- Highline Hysterical Society File: Burien’s Forgotten Festival
The most rewarding aspect of publishing yesterday’s gag edition was the slew of Comments, emails and yes, even a couple of inquisitive voicemails – one from a local businessperson asking for more info on the “new strip club,” the other from a man whose business monitors the internet for “terrorist news” (he was very interested in the interview with the laser pointing culprit, and he found the story through searching the keywords “laser” and “airport”).
Here’s a short collection some of the best Comments:
BREAKING: Ex-Office Depot Space To House Strip Club
Dona Forrester: “I hope this is an April Fools Joke also? This would be terrible for Burien!”
Christine: “Gosh I hope this is an April Fools joke too…yikes….empty space beats a strip joint any day.”
PHOTO: Vandals Knock Over Part Of “The Passage”
<<<”…some dude with artsy glasses and a girly ponytail starting screaming like he was having a seizure around 15:30 hours. He called 911 on his cute red iPhone, so now we’re stuck here investigating. And I was just about to head down to The Tin Room for
Happy Hour”>>>K & D : you’re SO fortunate to have such dedicated public servants (sic)
Lisa B: “So the sculpture isn’t really down?”
luuuupus: “I, for one, like the new name and theme.”
Dave: “You suck at photoshop…” (EDITOR’S NOTE: I know, and I’m surprised my sucky job fooled anyone!)
BREAKING: King County To Fence In North Highline Area
too embarassed 2 say: “I didn’t fall for Google’s, or UW Daily’s, but then I saw this title in the RSS feeds, and for a second I was totally wondering…”
From a marketing perspective, yesterday’s prank issue has apparently become viral, as our daily traffic tripled, and is tracking very high today (yesterday and today’s traffic are the 2 right bars in the chart to the left). It appears that a lot of people are sending email links to the site.
If you’d like to, just click here and forward this date-specific URL via email so others can, um…enjoy it.
Several blogs linked to our “Strippers on Segways” story, including Nerve.com out of New York City:
It’s also interesting to note that if you do a search for the stock symbol of Office Depot (ODP) on Google Finance, the top story in the upper right sidebar section of news stories is ours:
Perhaps the most intimidating response was a voicemail left early Thursday morning from a man named Morgan, with a company called “Global Incident Event,” which tracks “terrorist activity” on the internet. He wanted to know more about our interview with “Floyd the “laser culprit.” I called Morgan on the phone and said “April Fool’s!” and he admitted to forgetting what yesterday was when he read his news feed for the keywords “laser” and “airport.” Morgan apparently wans’t too hip to Pink Floyd lyrics, but several of his subscribers include numerous government intelligence agencies.
Gulp.
In conclusion, to everyone and anyone who was fooled by our issue – I am very, very sorry.
We’ll see again on April 1, 2010.
There will be no column by Walter Morton in today’s B-Town Blog.
The reason for this is that one blustery winter evening, in the Windy City, some 53 years ago, one William B. Morton took the bus back home from work, rather than drive his car in an encroaching Midwest storm.
Had he turned right and gone and gotten his car that night back in the 1950’s, he would have pleasantly bumped into a college friend, Helen Jordan, who then was a paralegal for a major Chicago law firm.
They would have happily sat for a warm holiday drink or two, caught up on old times, a romance lighting beneath them.
They would have dated, married, and their first born would have been named Walter Jordan Morton, who would have gone on to study journalism and move to Burien.
William turned left to catch the bus and so he and Helen did not bump into each other that night. They did not date and they did not marry. Consequently, Walter was never born.
Hence, there will be no column by Walter Morton in today’s B-Town Blog.
Burien's new City Hall celebrates "Earth Hour" by leaving all its lights on.
by Jim Branson
Having heard about Earth Hour on the news, (it was the lead story on Google News all day), I shut off all the lights and headed out for a walk with my dogs. I expected to see a few like-minded people out enjoying the festival of darkness to save the planet. I wondered what others were doing to celebrate Earth Hour, and I speculated that there might be a spike in births recorded in hospitals around the world on December 28th.
Instead, I found the streets were empty and lights blazed in almost every home as people sat in front of their TVs. Even yards that had prominently displayed political signs for pro-environment candidates had floodlights blazing. Fewer than one home in ten appeared dark, and some of those may have been vacant. One guy, the one with the immaculate lawn that he waters all summer and mows even in the dead of winter, had all the lights in his home on, and he also had a full-size truck running in the driveway with its headlights on, aimed out into the neighborhood. I’m not sure if this was his personal statement against Earth Hour, or just his standard practice.
The dogs and I walked through Olde Burien, and I expected a few of those shops, run by people who, one would hope, tend to pay attention to what’s going on in the world, to be participating in this global event. I thought some might even use it to promote business, inviting people to enjoy a candlelight dinner, perhaps. Not only were the open businesses fully lit, but most of the closed business had their lights blazing. They seem to leave them on all night, every night. The shops of Olde Burien even had extra lights strung along the tops of the buildings. All those lights make it a cheery place, I suppose.
The real kicker was the new Town Square. It is completely vacant right now, but lights shone from every floor of the residential building. The City Hall and Library building glowed so brightly it was hard to look at. I needed sunglasses to walk by it. These lights also stay on twenty-four hours a day, even at 9:26 on a Saturday night when no one is working. Participation in Earth Hour wouldn’t necessarily save the planet or even slow global warming, but it was a chance to raise awareness and show solidarity with our fellow earthlings as we recognize that our actions make a difference.
The city of Burien, its citizens, businesses, and government, seem to be sending a different message to Planet Earth:
“We hope you die a slow and horrible death, you stupid planet.”
Way to go, Burien.
Here are some photos of how other places around the world celebrated Earth Hour:
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Branson is a longtime area resident and environmental activist. On a personal note, when "Earth Hour" rolled around at 8:30pm Saturday night, we actually turned off all the lights in our home and sat in the dark. It was not only peaceful, but it felt...different. Mostly because when we stepped out on our porch and looked around, we noticed that ours was the only "dark" house on the block. Sure, some think this is a silly exercise. And some think global warming is a bunch of hooey. We wonder if any of our Readers participated? If you did, what did you do? And if you didn't...why not? Please Comment below...]
by Matt Marble
Everybody has rules.
A common one is that you never mess with a man’s family.
This is what happens in the action thriller “Taken.”
Bryan (Liam Neeson), a former secret agent living in the US, is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat, divorced, and he loves his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) who lives with his ex-wife and her new husband Stuart (Xander Berkeley).
Kim wants to take a vacation in Europe with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy), and together follow U2’s European tour. But when they arrive in Paris, they get kidnapped by some thugs and are forced into the sex trade.
When Bryan finds out, he heads to France and starts knocking down doors…and busting heads. With only 96 hours before she vanishes forever, time is not on his side.
The film demonstrates that a father’s love knows no bounds. From the very beginning, you can feel the connection that Bryan longs to have with his daughter. Giving up his “career” to be closer to her is a sign of this. “Taken” is filled with action and violence, but also has a good feeling of family and love.
Written by Luc Besson (“The Fifth Element”) & Robert Mark Kamen, and Directed by Pierre Morel (“The Transporter”), “Taken” is rated PG-13.
“Taken” was #2 at the box office last weekend, and has brought in over $100 million bucks; it’s playing at several area theaters – click here to see locations and showtimes.
Here are some clips of the movie to whet your appetite:
[EDITOR'S NOTE: "Matt's Movies" is a regular movie-review column written by Matt Marble, a 17-year old student at Highline School District's Big Picture High School.
If you have a movie you'd like for him to review, please email him.
Look for more of his movie reviews and other articles soon on The B-Town Blog!]
by Josh Hart
It just so happens that the first inauguration I ever witnessed in my short lifetime happens to be one of the most historical inaugurations in many people’s lifetimes.
As I listened to the inauguration over the internet, I particularly focused on Barack Obama’s speech. After he was sworn in, even despite the couple mistakes by Supreme Court Justice Roberts, the crowd started chanting “OBAMA!”
After the crowd quieted down, our new President started with:
“My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.”
He then continued by thanking his predecessor George W. Bush. Following that he said:
“Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.”
He talked about the crisis of America being at war among topics of the economy.
Then came what I thought was the greatest part of his speech:
“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.”
Those are some of the greatest couple of paragraphs I have ever heard. I think that was what made this speech great also. Those few paragraphs included every race and gender, and really tied America into one. He didn’t leave anyone out, but instead included us all.
It was FANTASTIC!!!
I am really looking forward to seeing what he brings to America and I can’t wait to hear more of his speeches.
Here’s an interesting “highlight” video of Obama’s big day, as shot by Colorado Filmmaker & Photojournalist Brian Malone:
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.
You can read more of his writing here...]
by Josh Hart
Hello people of Burien, this is your city here – I want to talk with you a little about what I want to happen in 2009.
In 2009 there are many resolutions I want – no, need – from you, the people of Burien:
- I want to see my streets clean. If you have walked around my streets you know they are very dirty. There is litter everywhere and it makes me upset that you treat me like that. If you stop littering the return will be great for you. I, as your city, will be healthier for you.
- Another thing I want you to do for me is ride the bus. There are so many cars on my roads, if you take the bus it will pollute my air less and also be better for you. The bus is also cost efficient if you get a yearly pass, it saves you a lot on gas money.
- I also want you to strive to do good for your fellow citizen. Help someone in need. Give to a food bank. Open a door for one of my little old ladies. Smile at each other. Buy some dude a brewski at Elmer’s for cryin’ out loud…
- The last thing I want from you is to help fight crime. There is so much crime around on my streets. Especially around the park and ride. If everyone helps by not just ignoring crime, it will make me a better place.
So please help me become better and you will be better off for it.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.
You can read more of his writing here...]
Everyone and their brother’s mother do “Year In Review” stories, and since this is the first year we’ve ever reviewed on The B-Town Blog, we figured we oughta give it a shot as well, so here goes our Top 10 Stories (with active links so you can read & review for yourself) for the Burien area, as voted on by our incredibly large staff:
1. DECEMBER SNOWSTORMS BLAST BURIEN: After much debate and deliberation, we decided this was definitely the #1 Top Story since the snow affected so many people, from school closures to street closures, from work stoppage to delayed garbage/recycling pickups and much more – this was one of those 10-15 year weather events that affected everyone in some way.
On a self-indulgent side note, it also ended up boosting our traffic 4x times, resulting in our highest one-day audience ever on Dec. 21st: 1,642 Unique Visitors and 2,608 Pageviews.
2. FATAL JUNE 29 ARSON APARTMENT FIRE: A horrific fire burned down the Tara and Jenny Marie Apartments on a nice summer’s night, killing three people (Edgar Omar Cisneros Velazquez, 8, his father Ramon Cisneros Sanchez and Lindy Kunimoto, 49). The arsonist is still at large, the crime still unsolved, the landlords are being sued, and the entire Burien community is permanently scarred.
The community of Burien quickly rallied however, and we’re proud to have co-sponsored (along with Discover Burien) the Fire Victims Fundraiser Auction that raised $10,500 at Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub on July 16th.
3. BURIEN & SEATTLE AGREE ON NORTH HIGHLINE ANNEXATION: The Cities of Burien and Seattle came to a preliminary agrement on who gets what as far as dividing up the pie that is North Highline/White Center (if you’d like to read the entire document, click here for a PDF file). Burien will pursue annexation only in Area X (approx. SW/S 116th and south) while Seattle will pursue annexation in Area Y (north of approx. SW/S 116th) until Dec. 31, 2011.
Big news for both cities, as they seek tax credit relief, as well as residents in X and Y ‘hoods, as they get to vote on it.
4. OPENING OF THE 3rd RUNWAY AND ANGRY RESIDENTS’ REACTIONS: To much fanfare, the Port of Seattle proudly opened its $1+ billion third runway on Nov. 20th. Within days, numerous residents in the new flight path were livid over the increased noise, claiming being lied to or misled by the Port before its opening, not to mention lost sleep and mental anguish. This is an ongoing story that is only just starting, and will get bigger, as dozens of residents are teaming up with a team of lawyers and are pursuing legal actions.
We’re happy to be right in the middle of it all, and we look forward to bringing you exclusive interviews, stories and videos in 2009 and beyond.
5. “MR BURIEN” DICK DAHLGARD PASSES AWAY: The passing of Burien business icon (the still-vacant “Dick’s Camera” building sits eerily quiet on First Ave South with his bright orange signage on it), native son, longtime resident and an active, generous Rotary member who didn’t miss a meeting in 46 years shocked the entire community.
Highly deserving of the nickname “Mr. Burien,” Dahlgard, 73, passed away in his sleep on Nov. 5th.
1pm 12/31/08 UPDATE: Dick took the photo below on Sept. 5th, at the 55-year reunion of Highline High School’s Class of ‘53; he then went to Bartell’s in Burien, had the photo printed, then returned to the party before it ended and gave them out to all the attendees. Later, he shared this photo with us at the BTB but regretfully, we never got around to posting it. We post it now as our tribute to “Mr. Burien,” who is missed by many.
Photo of Highline High School's Class of '53 Reunion by Dick Dahlgard.
6. AREA FOOD BANKS SUFFER DURING RECESSION: Both the Highline Area Food Bank and White Center Food Bank have suffered during 2008’s recession, sending shockwaves through the lower-income residents of the area. We’ve done what we can by holding our own fundraisers (including a “Blog Party” in August and a Turkeys N’Diapers event in November), promoting others and trying to continually spread the word; but unfortunately, even the wealthiest residents are hurting too.
Here’s a hearty and heartfelt toast to a resurgent 2009 where no one in our community ever goes hungry again.
7. BURIEN TOWING’S MARK AND BRIAN STORER KILLED IN PLANE CRASH: Burien Towing’s Mark Storer, 51 and his son Brian, 24, were killed July 24th when their floatplane crashed 10 miles west of Shelton. According to witnesses, the plane struggled to reach altitude after taking off from Nahwatzel Lake before vanishing behind some trees, crashing then exploding. Mark Storer founded and operated both Burien and Airport Towing, and leaves behind his wife, Lynette, and a surviving son and daughter. His son Brian was married with two small children.
Brother and son Jared Storer turned his blog into a heartfelt tribute to his Dad and Brother – check out his entries for July here.
8. AN ENGLISHMAN’S PERSPECTIVE ON OBAMA’S VICTORY: “Bob” is an Englishman who lives in Burien who wrote a very interesting piece on his experience the night of Nov. 4th when America’s first African-American President was elected. “Bob” drove from B-Town to downtown Seattle, where he took part in a spontaneous street celebration at First and Pike streets.
Looking forward, “Bob” plans on attending the historic inauguration, and we hope to have more stories from him then.
9. CHERNOBYL CHILDREN FIND SAFE HAVEN IN B-TOWN: Contributing Writer and Burien resident Cynthia Reid wrote a compelling story about area families who host children from Chernobyl every summer. These kids become “adopted” by their US host families, who treat them as their own, form bonds with them and help them heal far away from the still-dangerous radiation in Belarus.
In September, the story developed into controversy over a California family that allowed their “adopted child” to essentially defect to the US, temporarily ending the program (read the story here).
10.“THE DAY MY PARENTS BECAME COOL” FILMS IN BURIEN: Local resident and lawyer-turned-filmmaker Steve Edmiston Wrote and Directed a 16-minute comedy film about the day grown-ups mysteriously tried to be “cool,” with crazy hair, low-riding pants, thongs, piercings, tattoos and attitude, and how their kids subsequently reacted. Featuring locations like Burien’s own Highline High School, as well as cameo appearances by Highline Schools Superintendent John Welch (see animated photo below), the film was sneak-previewed in Seattle on Dec. 7th to an incredibly receptive crowd of friends, crew members, actors, actresses and dignitaries (luckily, including us – read our review here).
The B-Town Blog will keep you updated about this local project, which is sure to make the rounds of numerous short film festivals throughout 2009, as well as having a big “Premiere Party” in the area soon.
Okay, so that wraps up our first-ever “Year In Review” posting.
We hope you enjoyed 2008 as much as we did – it was a year full of new challenges, new ideas, new ventures, a new, non-home office, many gains, countless setbacks…yet when we look back at it all, we wouldn’t have traded 2008 for anything.
As far as this website is concerned, 2008 was a *huge* year that saw our traffic grow from a measly 266 Unique Visitors in Dec. 2007 to nearly 14,000 in Dec. 2008, a stunning increase of over 5,000%!
That’s right – in our first year of publication, our audience has grown over five thousand percent!
And have we mentioned yet how great the New Year is to purchase an Ad on The B-Town Blog?
However, we have a feeling that 2009 is going to be a better year all around, and we vow to do everything we can to make The B-Town Blog your best and most-frequently updated online source for local news, events, listings, feature stories, videos, photos and more. We’ve got some big plans coming soon, so check back often, and/or subscribe to our RSS Feed or free Weekly Event Newsletter for the latest.
On that note, we’re actively looking for freelance Writers to help us take this website to the next level – email us for details!
Thanks for reading, and HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
by Josh Hart
Now that America has elected a new president the question gets posed:
What will change under President Barack Obama?
Will the fact that he is an African-American man affect anything?
From what I have heard around my school it seems like many think he will be assassinated. I don’t think this will necessarily happen. There is a chance, just as there is with every other president, but a very low one. The US government is not going to let that happen.
I think that having an African-American president will not affect the government as much as it will affect the people. I think that African-American males will now be more respected and also I believe that they will have more respect for each other.
As for the government, Barack Obama is just like any other president – he is trying to help America. No matter what you think, every president is trying to improve the country, but they all have different tactics and approaches. Personally, I am a supporter of Barack Obama, but the thing we have to keep in mind is he won’t be able to change things in one day. For the first two to four years George W. Bush’s policies will still be around. I think that once policies get changed Barack Obama will be up for election again. (Maybe against Sarah Palin, as rumor has it). This means that if America doesn’t see enough change he will probably not get re-elected.
In the coming years I will be looking forward to the change that happens. I think some of the things that will happen is a refocusing of troops in the Middle-East. Barack Obama is trying to focus more on Afghanistan than on Iraq. I think also that the economy will start to improve; stocks will go up, gas prices will go down, and small businesses will be flourishing. People will be happy, but I don’t know how long this will take. It can’t happen overnight.
Keep an eye on politics in the next couple years and see what happens with our country.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He recently wrote on the economy, about JFK beating Highline 61-0 in football, an opinion piece on the VP debate, a story on Mt. Rainier High's Drill Team playing at the Seahawks' Halftime, a story on a Fight at the Tyee vs Rention Football Game and much more...]
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob is an Englishman who lives in Burien who wrote the following report on election night in America. We're posting his story because we find it incredibly interesting to get perspective on the goings-on in the US from a foreigner living here...]
by Bob, an Englishman living in Burien
Something amazing happened in this country just one week ago, on Nov. 4th, 2008.
Of course, not everyone will agree, but there’s no mistaking that a very significant number of people in the United States are extremely happy.
A very significant number of people in the rest of the world are also very happy.
Some are happy because Barack Obama is African American, and that certainly represents huge progress for the country. But, for many it comes down to this: Barack Obama seems to be a President who ran for the office for us and not for himself; a President who cares about this planet as much as many of us do; a President who is clearly very smart, is honest, and inspires us greatly.
What more can we ask of the President?
For me, Election Day coverage began with KUOW while I was at work, followed by the BBC World Service. I caught the first results as I drove home and then was glued to the TV. It all happened so fast. As soon as Ohio was called, I knew it was all over. At 8:00 pm I thought we’d hear about some west coast results, but, suddenly, what we heard was:
“Barack Obama is projected to be the next President of the United States of America.”
It’s hard to write this without feeling very emotional. It was an incredible moment that I’ll never forget. Suddenly, common sense and decency had prevailed. All I can do is echo what someone in Australia wrote in response to the news:
“Congratulations to the new US President. There is now real hope for peace and prosperity and healing for the United States.”
Don’t let anyone tell you that it doesn’t matter what people in Australia think. It does matter. It matters enormously. There is no disputing that a large proportion of the citizens of the world see America as a global leader and with that comes responsibility and respect, something we haven’t seen enough of in the past eight years. But, things look likely to change now.
After President-Elect Obama had given his incredible speech, I regained my composure, jumped in my car, and headed off to celebrate with my friends in Ballard. On the way I took a detour into downtown Seattle and found myself stopped at Seneca and 1st Ave while hundreds of people walked by, waving and cheering. Drivers blew their horns in celebration and I just had to join them. I parked and then found the main congregation at Pike and 1st Ave. Helicopters hovered above to record the scene. TV and radio crews were there on the ground. The police did their part to keep the streets safe and I can’t imagine that they encountered any problems. All in all it was a wonderful occasion. A lady from NPR came to ask me some questions and all I could do was elaborate on what she already knew. It was very special moment.
After she left I looked down to find a red cardboard sign partially covered by leaves and obviously trampled by the crowd. It was red and advertized cigarette packets.
“Maverick” was the headline.
Enough said.
It was hard to leave the crowd, but off I went to meet my friends in Ballard and we shared an overwhelming sense of joy over what we’d witnessed. The next morning I bought some newspapers as souvenirs and felt a strong sense of relief. Relief that after what had happened in the country, Americans could now share the optimism expressed so well by the Australian commentator.
Something amazing happened on November 4th, 2008 and I’ll never forget that day.
Here’s a little over a minutes’ worth of raw video Bob shot while at the impromptu Obama rally:
By Chief Mike Marrs
Burien-Normandy Park Fire Department
With all the hoopla over the Presidential candidates, I wanted to gently remind the communities of Burien and Normandy Park that your fire department has a bond on the general election ballot Nov. 4th (download PDF here).
This is the first facilities bond in the 80-year history of your fire department. It would replace our two existing fire stations with two new facilities.
The current fire stations have mold from bad ventilation, and cracks from past earthquakes in the walls and foundations. Neither station has adequate decontamination facilities for firefighters that face hazardous materials on emergency calls. Sleeping quarters are cramped and inappropriate for male and female firefighters that work 24-hour shifts, as well. In addition, our firefighters have been in the crossfire of gang activity, and faced an armed intruder at the Normandy Road Station.
We have been good stewards of your tax dollars, with a long history of clean financial audits from the State. And, now is no different. We’re not going to build the Taj Mahal in these tough economic times. We will build two new facilities to replace the two we have that are past their usable lives.
Both new stations will include decontamination facilities for our firefighters, secure entries and exits, as well as appropriate accommodations to reflect a mixed-gender squad. The Normandy Road Station will have a modest training facility attached to it. The new Headquarters will have an emergency operations center to help coordinate relief efforts in case of large-scale disasters.
The total cost to build the new stations will be $25 millon collected over 20 years. This boils down to approximately $9 per month for the owner of a $300,000 home. We know times are hard right now for many families in our community. Ultimately, the bond decision is yours to make.
Just please remember to mark and mail your ballots by November 4th or go to the polls.
We appreciate your involvement!
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Here at the B-Town Blog we open our doors to all voices, so if you'd like to submit your opinion, please email us!]
[EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was written by Josh Hart, a 15-year old student at Highline “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac who recently wrote on the economy as well as the JFK vs Highline football game.]
by Josh Hart
Many of you watched the vice presidential debate last Thursday – this was the one and only debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin.
The two Vice President candidates debated taxes, global warming, energy independence, gay marriage, foreign policy, health care, nuclear weaponry, their running mates’ policies, education, their duties as VP, and even what they would do if something happened to their running mate.
I thought both of them did better than I thought they would coming into the debate. They both had well-presented attacks on the other party, and both discussed their own opinions and beliefs. Both candidates made mistakes and they both could have represented their running mate better.
I thought Palin got off subject a little too much, but Biden talked more about himself than he should have. Overall they both came out stronger than before and so it doesn’t affect the election as much as many of us thought it would.
It definitely helps Palin’s reputation, because many people thought she was the weak link in McCain’s campaign.
I can’t wait to see how this election comes down in the end.
Josh Hart, 15, can't yet vote but has a pretty strong opinion. He attends Big Picture High School.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Recently we were invited by the Highline School District to visit students and discuss the B-Town Blog at an innovative high school called “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.
We’re happy to say that our outreach program to showcase diverse area Writers begins with today’s blog featuring a new column we call “From The Big Picture.”
Today’s Guest Columnist is 15-year old Josh Hart, a student who has been writing for five years. Josh plays soccer for Highline Premier Football Club, and is currently working on an adventure novel.
Here are his thoughts on the economy:
The economy right now is on the downhill, if you haven’t noticed.
As we come up to the presidential election I can’t help but thinking that this election will affect everything.
I see more people interested in this election than past ones. They see how the economy is and want a change.
But if more people had cared about the past couple of elections, the economy wouldn’t be where it is now.
If people voted for something other than the President, things would be different.
America is a country run by the people. The President can’t do anything without the approval of the House, Senate, and the people of America.
I am sick and tired of people complaining about ‘this is wrong with America’ and ‘that is wrong with America.’
Well do something about it!
If we cared about our country and did something for it years ago America wouldn’t be in the state it is right now.
So what are you going to do about it?
You need to start by voting for your local bills, and bills that affect your community, start with this presidential election.
This country needs a change and it needs to happen now!
Lets turn this country around!
Big Picture High School is a unique concept in education, whose mission, according to its founding institution’s website is “to catalyze vital changes in American education by generating and sustaining innovative, personalized schools that work in tandem with the real world of their greater community.”
Do you have an opinion on something, or an idea for a story?
Want to get it off your chest?
Email us and let’s talk!
