Shanghaied in Astoria

A Review From My Porch

The Coast Community Theater of Astoria, Oregon is in its 23rd year of presenting the musical melodrama “Shanghaied in Astoria”. For at least ten of those years my mother and I have talked about going to see it and finally did this year. My mother will be 85 in September and while she might have many more summers left, to alleviate the guilt I have felt each winter when we’ve not gone, I decided that this was going to be the year, no matter what. We chose a matinee so as to have the highest likelihood of Mother being awake throughout the performance.

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A Plea For Help With The Blog

OK, I've tried a couple of different ways to post photos.

How do you do it?

Thanks in advance,

VW

Is it Paypal or Paypnal?

I have always given friends of mine the heads up when I have happened across a scam. There are internet savvy people and there are internet suckers. I have been a sucker before, and I have quickly learned from it. Now I let my intuition speak for itself. Always trust your instincts when it comes to the internet. You can save yourself a lot of stress and a lot of time. Here are two simple lessons.

1. There are quite a few myspace users out there. You may be one of them yourself. When it comes to myspace, users are always trying to make their web page better than the last design. You may see something that you really want on your page, but that something can come with a cost. My lesson for myspace is, if any website outside of myspace asks for your email address and password there's a good chance it is a scam. I don’t enter my information on a site not associated with myspace, but that doesn't mean you have saved yourself the hassle. Just entering that site can cause your information to be hijacked. So when in doubt if you feel you have happened across one of those sites. Just take a little time and change your password. It could save you from a lot of frustration later.

2. Is it Paypal or is it Paypnal? A current sneaky trick with scammers. One day if you haven’t already you may get an email from an online company, that you have an account with. For example my email was from Paypal. It informed me that my account had been compromised. I had to click on their link and verify my information. I clicked on the link and was asked for information I knew Paypal had, but it also wanted my banking PIN. You should never give your pin out online. My instincts told me to look up at the website address. Sure enough I was on Paypnal.com NOT Paypal.com. I closed out the site, signed on Paypal, and immediately changed my now stolen password. These sites are everywhere. There has been an IvIyspace.com as well. If you ever experience this situation do as I did close the site, and protect your real account. In the end I decided that I had not accessed Paypal in a very long time. That day I closed my account. It didn’t cost me anything and I had peace of mind. Even Ebay users are a target.


Learn from these to lessons to become even more internet savvy.

Celebrating One of Our Own

It is my pleasure to celebrate one of our own in the neighbourhood, Mizu Sugimura, resident of Federal Way whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S.A. over one hundred years ago. Our neighbour was gone for a while, doing a bit of globe-trotting with her husband (which I do hope she’ll write about) and then catching-up with life in general on her return. We’ve all missed her…and her writing.

In her postings, Mizu shared a lot with us…about the neighbourhood, about history (both painful and uplifting) her own life and self-understanding. Who could forget the delicious photo of her as a little girl in her yellow tutu, ready for the dance recital…or the incredible story of Yamada Waka she told. What our fellow Blogonia has not shared with us is that she is an Artist of distinction.

It is my honour to announce that one of Ms. Sugimura’s Art Collages has been accepted into a juried art show, to be featured at this year’s Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup!

Omedeto…congratulations Mizu, neighbour and friend!

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Your Neighborhood Tree. Is it a landmark, yet?

First I would like to say thank you for taking the time to read my story. Hopefully after you read this you may have an idea to help me.


Last year I woke up to the sound of a chainsaw. It turned out the main tree on my lot was being terribly cut up. This large tree is 2/3 mine and 1/3 of the developers on the property next to me. After calling him and protesting to the harm that was done he insisted that he would sue for the right to cut it down. He planned at least to remove what was on his property which would have caused the tree to tumble on my house. My ultimate goal was to save the tree. It has been rain cover and shade for this neighborhood for atleast 80 yrs. The original owners planted it when they bought the house. I know this because I spoke to the son of the original owners. He was torn up that they would threaten the tree. When I knew I couldn't afford a lawyer I did what I knew best. I emailed the city council and many news resources. I ended up getting a knock at my door from Kathleen Merryman. She wanted to help save my tree. She knew my tree and admired it. She connected me to Kathy Sutalo who just happened to work for metro parks, but better yet she was a neighbor. I was already working with Dennis Thompkins to have my tree appraised. With their efforts my tree made it into the local paper and the city put a hold on the developers permits until things were settled. Eventually we had a meeting. Kathy, Kathleen, Dennis, a few of my family members, and I was there with a representative of the developers. At the end of our meeting the developer learned a little about trees, but we also came to an agreement to serve both parties. We would keep our tree and they would get their permits back. The final agreement was they kept their driveway where it was and they would leave a twelve to fifteen foot unpaved radius around the tree. Unfortunately we didn't get it in writing.

Last week I discovered that the driveway entrance was moved as close to the tree as they could get. They asphalted yesterday and kept the asphalt four feet from the tree. Kathy Sutalo is not happy with this and neither am I. We have tried to get the city to help us with the issue, but they seemed to have backed down. Now according to the city it is a civil matter. Our mutual concern is the city is knowingly putting my family, anyone who uses the sidewalk, and streets in harms way. Kathy feels that if we act now the tree can have many years left. If we stay as we are it may only have a few before it may need to be cut down to keep my family safe. Cutting the tree down was the goal of the developer and mine is to continue to live under it. This tree is loved in this neighborhood. I have seen people stop in their cars to use the shade during their lunch. A few of the workers of the project next door have cooled under the tree. If it is pouring down outside stand under the tree and you won't get as wet. Not to mention go into my neighbors house on a hot sunny day and then come into mine. This tree serves a large part of the community and all I am doing is trying to keep it that way.

Boycott Billboard Blight

The View Over Tacoma

A man after my own heart! Dean Wilson’s letter-to-the-editor in today’s TNT is exciting. Wilson suggests starting a grassroots movement to boycott businesses that advertize on the Clear Channel’s giant eyesores. Sign me up, Dean. Wilson suggests not just refusing to buy goods and services from these businesses, but to let them know your intention.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/letters/story/140138.html

So what do you say? Make a commitment today to not give businesses that contribute to the visual blight on Tacoma one more nickel, then call or email them telling them so. Clear Channel is not interested in Tacoma’s skyline, only their bottom line so let’s hurt them where it counts.

Walking Wounded

A conversation on my porch

PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was first formally recognized as a psychiatric diagnosis in 1980, fifteen years after the end of the War in Vietnam. The walking wounded of that war had suffered for anywhere from fifteen to twenty years or more before it was even admitted by the government that they were suffering from something while dealing with American emotions surrounding that war. Unjustly these soldiers had returned to an America that saw them as the symbol of American Foreign Policy gone terribly wrong. Because of our anger over the war they suffered more than they ought to have. Suicide rates in that generation of soldiers is 1.7 times the national average. Estimates range from one third to one half of all Vietnam Veterans, or 1.7 million of those who served there, have suffered from PTSD to varying degrees. Many escaped to places like the Long Beach and Olympic Peninsulas where they could live anonymously with their demons amongst the Doug Firs, asking themselves why they had survived; wondering if their comrades who didn’t come home might not have been the lucky ones.

Yesterday one of those walking wounded stopped by my house in Ilwaco and sat on my porch for a while.

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Audacity of Hope discussion group -- Barack Obama

Had a very good discussion last night, focusing mainly on Sunday morning's debate (click the "RWH: Democratic Presidential Debate" link to watch). Briefly, we examined strong and weak points in the candidates' answers and discussed the issues raised -- there was SO much in that debate to talk about, we didn't even get through it all. But it was interesting!

We may have to change the venue, as the Shari's regional manager may have issues with a "politically" oriented group meeting there (even though, really, we're just discussing a book). We're considering the Antique Sandwich Shoppe or some other place in the North End, and are actively seeking input on possible alternate venues. Please reply here with any suggestions!

Stay tuned for more....

Cheers,

~~Cheryl

Audacity of Hope discussion group -- Barack Obama

Looking forward to our discussion group tomorrow night -- it promises to be interesting! In addition to our regular study materials, we'll be talking about the Democratic debate yesterday morning (or view the full transcript).

Specifically, who do you think won the debate, and why? Were there
any surprises for you? Did any candidate gain or lose points with
you, and how? What made you cheer? What made you cringe? Any other
comments or observations?

And, what do you think of the Obama campaign's decision to curtail
further debates from now on? Is the decision justified? Are there
more important priorities for him to focus on? Do the debates serve a
vital purpose for the campaign, and if so, what? What message does
this decision send to his rivals, opponents, and supporters?

Of course, we've got our regular text to cover as well, pp. 5-11, if we even get through all of it in one session! Please RSVP to receive discussion materials in advance.

Cheers,

~~Cheryl

The View From My Porch

Kite Festival

It is warm and wet on my porch this morning, here on the Long Beach Peninsula. Kite Festival begins today so the weight of the tourists is liable to lower the Long Beach Peninsula a few inches, but the prediction for the week’s weather is not good, I’m sorry to say.

If you’ve not already got a reservation for Kite Festival and want to come, plan on staying across the bridge in Astoria, Oregon or up river in one of the little towns along the Oregon side. Kite Festival regulars make their reservations a year in advance so the little and big motels that dot the Peninsula have largely been booked for this week for a year.

The Kite Trains and Multi-line Stacks begin at 10 AM, along with the Fighter Kites on a separate field. The long lines of kites against a blue sky are spectacular, but may be a damp affair today. The fighter kites are my favorite. Watching the hawk-shaped kites swoop and swerve and “fight” is fun. They are the same style kite used for the stunt competitions where teams of kites and flyers perform an aerial ballet to music.

This weekend I was joined on the porch by my three-year-old granddaughter and some friends from Gig Harbor. It was not as sunny as I would have wished for, but despite that life is good. Now that the company has gone the painting continues. Two coats of violet on two walls and we can begin to paint the floor.