Localism: Burien, WA

Into Recycling? Cash-strapped for Christmas? Perhaps It's Time To Barter And Trade!

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:53:55 -0600

If there's a silver lining to this difficult financial crisis that most everyone in the U.S. is going through, it would probably be that as a society we would become much more conscious about the way we spend our life energy (i.e. money), and also be more open to finding alternative means of acquiring the goods and services that we need. We'll also most likely re-assess what our needs actually are, and whittle down that list accordingly.

Bottom line: if you've never been in a thrift store or considered using second-hand goods before, or if you've never bartered items or services before, perhaps now is the time to explore this "new" world. I've been doing these things to some extent for years.

My husband is a self-taught graphic designer / illustrator / artist. By making logos for businesses, he's been able to cut our expenses in some areas. When he designs a logo or t-shirt for my son's karate school, for example, he's able to get several months' free tuition in exchange. Also, we have a tea business, so sometimes I am able to barter with people for items that I need with tea.

The thing that really gets many of us down during these rough times is that, as a coworker of mine said the other day, there is no 'retail therapy'. So why not get your girlfriends together(you can do this too, guys, I guess?) and swap clothing and accessories? It's a great way to get something new and it won't cost you any cash.

Bartering/trading not only gets you the goods that you need, it also keeps those goods from ending up in the landfills, so you're saving the earth as well.

There are many websites for bartering and trading; here are just a few:

1. www.swaptree.com: Trade books, DVDs, or video games

2. www.bookins.com: Also a place for trading books, DVDs, etc

3. www.barterquest.com: Trade just about anything here

4. Swaptreasures.com: Same as above-looks like fun!

...and one that I just found that really might come in handy for the holidays:

5. Toystotrade.com: For the little ones in your life. You can also donate your unused toys to charity through this site. Imagine all the decluttering you can do, and if your child is old enough he / she could go online and pick out their own toys to donate and trade.

Finally, don't forget the big ones...Freecycle.org will send you e-mails every time something is posted in your area. And Craigslist is a great resource for free and barter items.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go do some swapping shopping!

The Police Kept Me Up All Night

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:47:46 -0500

Well, I should say the police helicopters flying over my neighborhood kept me up all night. I needed 3 cups of strong coffee just to get up and out of the house to go to my class today. I sat next to my office mate, Tom, who also lives about two blocks away.

I asked him if he heard the helicopters all night and he said, "Yeah, there was a shooting on Ambaum last night right by SW 124th St." This is the second shooting within 8 blocks of my house to take place in the past year, and this is not counting the rapid succession of gun shots that woke me up in the middle of the night earlier this year that was not reported anywhere.

What is happening in Burien? I live in a nice neighborhood on a cul-de-sac, around the corner from a brand-new school. It seems to me that the violent crime is escalating, though I don't know for sure. I'm starting to get a bit concerned, and my next post will illustrate another alarming aspect of Burien crime.

Below is an excerpt from the Seattle 911 blog regarding the shooting last night. Hector Castro is the blogger:

"Two men are in serious condition after they were shot while standing outside in a Burien apartment complex parking lot Thursday night.

The shooting happened at around 8:40 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 12200 block of Ambaum Boulevard Southwest, King County sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart said.

There were three men in the parking lot when a vehicle sped in, Urquhart said. The man behind the wheel had some sort of verbal exchange with the three men, then pulled a gun and opened fire, he said.

The gunman shot two of the men before speeding off. Both wounded men were taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition, Urquhart said. One victim was described as a man in his 20s, the other was a man in his 40s.

Urquhart said detectives were still working to obtain a description of the gunman and the vehicle."

Here's a link to the West Seattle Blog, which has been providing updates on this situation, as well as commentary/information in the comments from concerned residents in the area that the police are searching for the suspect. An excellent example, by the way, of the how far a blog can go to serve the community and disperse accurate, timely, important information. If there's ever a disaster in W. Seattle I'm going straight to the blog first! (My opinion only, of course...) Let's hope the shooter gets caught right away.

Never Let A Chainsaw Artist Do A Landscaper's Job...

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:27:41 -0500

My husband and I took our son swimming at my mom's condo. We started noticing a bunch of commotion.

I went out of the swimming area to find out what was going on.

Some of the neighbors were standing around one of the many shrubs on the property, expressing shock and disgust at the way in which they were "trimmed"(and I'm using the word "trimmed" loosely).

I can totally understand their anger and frustration. I'm fairly certain that these shrubs looked fine before they were attacked. I can't imagine that this would be an improvement over what they looked like the day before.

It looks like some Sedro-Woolley chainsaw artists took a break from creating salmon-eating bears out of giant tree trunks to come down here and moonlight as landscapers. Hey, if it's that easy, maybe I'll start a landscaping business.

Shinnyo-En Temple Summer Festival in Burien August 10th

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:34:21 -0500

Shinnyo-en Buddhist Temple in Burien is holding its annual Summer Festival on August 10th, from 11:00 to 4:00 p.m. It is an environment where everyone is welcome; even though I'm not Buddhist, some of my friends are, and I enjoy going there to learn about Buddhism and enjoy the fun activities with my family. The grounds are beautiful and impressive, the people are friendly, and the food is always delicious!

This Just In Regarding the Critical Areas Ordinance

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:03:03 -0500

Four years ago the Critical Areas Ordinance was passed here in King County. The ordinance required property owners of acreage in rural King County to leave 35% of their property untouched as a buffer, for purposes of preserving and protecting wetlands, stormwater and the environment in general. The effect of this ordinance has been that in some cases owners have seen their property values plummet, or have been unable to utilize their property in the manner that they had originally intended.

It was just announced today that the State Court of Appeals has overturned this ordinance. Apparently, it turns out that government taking of land is unconstitutional...though you would think that county officials would know that small detail. If King County wanted to preserve rural land and protect it from development, then perhaps it should have offered to purchase protected portions of land from the property owners.

It'll be interesting to see if there will be lawsuits against the property for lost property values, permit fees, etc. Rural property owners have won this 4-year battle at last.