One hundred Islanders took the time to complete a rather arduous online survey for the Mercer Island Reporter a few months ago.
The 2006 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey shows that most of the 200,000 students surveyed in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 are making healthy choices and staying away from alcohol, drugs and risky behaviors. That’s good news for everyone. The bad news is that there are still too many kids risking their health and futures with early and heavy use of alcohol.
As a captain of an expedition cruise ship, my husband, Leif, travels to literally the end of the world each year: the Antarctic in winter and the Arctic in the summer. The lure of ice and penguins was too strong for me to turn down, having traveled to Antarctica in the past, when I had the opportunity to join Leif on one of his trips to Antarctica last year.
You’ll all be glad to know that the people of Puget Sound will be able to sleep a little easier tonight. The legislature has given them the right to protect themselves from dreaded attacks by … Sea Lettuce. For those of you who haven’t heard, Sea Lettuce is a native species that has become more abundant around the Sound in recent years. The problem is that it grows profusely, then dies off, leaving a stinking mess that threatens the health, safety and welfare of the residents in waterfront mansions. I can tell you, the legislators from the areas hardest hit by this invasion showed up with blood in their eyes and murder in their hearts. Sea Lettuce has got to die, they said, and we don’t care how.
The Seattle mayor’s proposal to tax paper and plastic bags in Seattle is bad for the environment, consumers and retailers.
The subject of shelter animal care is an emotional issue, and one that until just recently divided us in county government. Strong feelings expressed from people in our community and the great number of e-mails and calls demonstrate how much we all care about the animals in our shelters. It is emotional because those of us who have pets often consider them part of the family. It is especially painful to know that we aren’t giving the best care possible to the living, vulnerable and innocent creatures that are in our shelters because they were lost, unwanted or have been abused.
I am writing in response to the recent story about MIHS exchange students, in which the comment was made that Americans function in a “bubble.” Having traveled with my husband to India, South America, Europe and elsewhere, I must say that this comment is only too true. I can’t begin to describe our frustrations in traveling abroad, reading the most humble papers, yet learning more about our country in their papers than we do in our Seattle papers. The foreigners know more about our history than we do!
Expect excellence!
The King County Charter is currently open for a review that occurs once every 10 years. The Charter Review Commission has been gathering information and deliberating, and will soon forward amendments they endorse to the County Council. The Council will consider those recommendations, then decide which amendments will be placed on the ballot this fall. The voters will have the final say.
The high-altitude thinkers who we invited to project technology trends earlier this year concurred on one key insight we all should note:
Was it really April last month or just another 30 days of March? According to the National Weather Service, there were just three days in April with sunny skies. And there were three days with snow. On April 18, 19 and 20, some areas received as many as eight inches of the white stuff.
Culminating project
Your article, “UW, Western deny top students,” tells only half the story as to why so many good students are being rejected by the University of Washington. The article says that growth in the number of applicants makes it more difficult to get into the UW. That’s true. But what about the other side of the equation? Everyone knows the number of applicants is growing. Why not increase the size of the UW, along with Western and other state schools, to meet the demand? The answer is obvious. Public higher education is subsidized by the taxpayers. Expanding universities will cost more. The citizens and legislators of Washington state have considered the tradeoff between higher taxes and access to universities, and have chosen lower taxes. Other states have decided differently; Washington state is close to being the worst in the country with regard to access to public four-year institutions of higher education (the last time I looked, only Florida was worse).
