With Fourth of July just around the corner, it’s time to celebrate.
How well do you, your family and friends know your country’s history? Take the following quiz and find out. Could make for some interesting conversations during the July 4 holiday weekend.
Thinking of buying a new television? Well, apparently you are not alone if a new jumbo-tronic video monster is calling your name. According to a consumer survey taken this May, more Americans than ever are thinking of getting a new TV.
Many things are behind the allure of a new television, from life-like pictures to thundering sound. But there’s another twist I noticed in this survey: the high cost of gasoline is causing us to hit the couch rather than hit the highway. In a quest to save energy, we’re choosing entertainment that doesn’t come with a $4.50-per-gallon price tag.
Most of the public generally believes the state Legislature can probably do better.
However, most of the public also tends to believe their legislators are doing a good job. It’s those legislators from other areas that are the problem. Therein rests the likely outcome for this year’s legislative races. When the votes are tabulated, most incumbents will probably be re-elected and the Democrats will retain comfortable margins in both the House and the Senate.
Every candidate for president, the U.S. Senate and Congress should be asked the following question this year: “Do you want the price of gasoline to come down?”
Last week, the King County Executive, along with the Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney, and judges from around the county, revealed that King County is facing a budget crisis of great magnitude. This year alone, we may have to cut $20 million from the $660 million general fund. An additional deficit between $40 million and $70 million is predicted in 2009.
What makes someone great at what they do? What propels them to the top of the pack? Tim Russert was one of America’s most trusted TV journalists before being struck down by a heart attack last week at 58. For 16 years he hosted the country’s most influential news program, “Meet The Press.” He was also NBC’s favorite political analyst, was the network’s DC Bureau Chief, and managed to find the time to host a second weekly interview program and write a pair of bestselling books. He was also loved by his family, friends, colleagues and competitors.
With his party’s nomination in hand, would Barack Obama be better off with Hillary Clinton as his running mate?
This may surprise you. King County Metro is buying a fuel that is significantly more expensive than diesel, may be worse for the environment, may increase local food prices, may lead to global hunger and potentially cost King County more as a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange.
Many of the residents who attended the final City Council meeting about the Sammamish Town Center were disgruntled, to say the least. It has been grueling for everyone involved, but we hope they hang with the process.
I moved with my family to the Sammamish Plateau just one year ago, from an area of Minnesota known originally for its expansive prairies. I am accustomed to looking straight ahead and seeing the horizon — where an open, blue sky meets vast, level earth. Here in Sammamish, to see any patch of sky, I must look straight up, away from the mountains and through the tops of the tall trees. And when I gaze upward, with my neck crooked as far back as it will go, it is quite likely that I will see a bald eagle, a great blue heron, or — in the evening — a swooping bat.
The election season is approaching, and the state’s two major political parties are in a twitter.
The reason? We have a new primary system this year and there’s no longer a guarantee that both a Democrat and a Republican will make it to the November General Election ballot.
The first week of June is “tomato time.” It is also the first week to think about setting pepper and other heat-loving plants out into the garden.
Thousands of mortar boards will be tossed into the air across Washington this June; a time-honored sign that our high school seniors have finally graduated.
I helped a friend and his wife load their stuff into a big U-Haul some days ago. They were moving to southern California. Some people think a move from this part of the world to that part is sort of like trading a gentle scalp massage for a whack on the head with a garden rake. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. A small shovel would be more like it.
Since the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District began fluoridating our water in 2005, new scientific information has become available regarding health concerns about fluoride. Along with several others, I spoke to the District’s commissioners at their May 19 meeting to highlight some of these developments, referencing parts of the January article in Scientific American, “Second Thoughts about Fluoride.”
King County and the Port of Seattle made history on May 12 when the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Eastside rail corridor was secured for public ownership. The Port of Seattle will pay the below market value of $107 million to acquire the 42-mile corridor that stretches from Renton in the South up to the city of Snohomish in the north. King County will pay the port $1.9 million for a 26-mile easement for trail development that runs from Renton to Woodinville. As more and more people commute from South King County to Eastside cities, and vice versa, it is clear that our region needs more transportation options, as well as more recreational opportunities.
From steroid-using athletes to celebrities who bounce between clubs and rehab, today’s role models can leave a lot to be desired.
The countdown has started for hands-free calling here in our state. It can’t come soon enough.
