Wrecking Ball at the Y

If you have small children, and if they were anything like me (I am sorry), take them down to Riverfront Park today because it is a kid's dream come true. The river is churning and the Y is getting repeatedly whacked by a wrecking ball. The crane now sits where the old dispatch center used to be.

I had some problems with the video, but you can still hear some good thuds over the river chorus.

Cutting Edge Prosthetics

After an incident at work last week, I was sent this brochure.

It's hard to tell if this rookie cyborg was assigned to do car buffing work or industrial lighting. Maybe it's a laser bazooka. That would totally be worth it.

Signs of Spring!

Spokesman-Review gives world first glimpse of suspected MLK Bomber....

OK. I know this is not Breaking-News, or News-As-It-Happens, or Doppler-2000-Plus-Story-Tracker, but I've been busy!

Have you seen this man?

No, he wasn't a guest on King of the Hill or Beavis and Butthead. Here is a photo:


I usually like Molly Quinn's illustrations, but this looks like something that they forgot to task her with until 5 minutes before going to press:

If I were the judge, I think this would be my Christmas Card photo:

Maybe Molly has had enough of the S-R's crap. One can almost sense the desperation and anger in the close-up of the witness stand as it bleeds into the defendant's table. Symbolism?

Or maybe she has taken a note from Bill Keane and is on vacation, and "Little Molly" is filling in.


There is a story behind this story. Perhaps a "Konnect with Kleck" segment is in order. He's pretty sharp. The other night he talked about how he suspected something was not right when someone was calling senior citizens and asking them for their bank account numbers. Q6 keeps using the illustration of Harpham so maybe Kleck will investigate.

Funny Online Headline in this morning's SR

Household/Community Repair and Retrofitting

Spring, for me, if the usual time to start thinking about house repair stuff. Yesterday I met with Joel Williamson from The Spokane Alliance. Their latest project, one that has been going on for some time, is SustainableWorks. And, if you're thinking about any repair or retrofitting to your home this summer or spring, you may want to give them a call.

In a nutshell, you can get a home energy audit from them for $95 (fully refundable if they don't recommend any improvements) and includes installation of CFL light bulbs, shower heads and faucet aerators to start saving wasted energy $$$ immediately. This audit is a $650 value. If you decide to get some improvements made, they will act as the general contractor, and will put union workers to the task of doing the retrofitting you want done. The people doing the work are journey level workers who are receiving training and supervision while they make a living. SustainableWorks will even line up the financing and take care of all the paperwork for you. So what is the expected outcome of the project?

120 direct full-time jobs
25 apprentice positions and direct employment pathways
3,000 ton reduction of carbon emissions
$12 million in retrofit work.

To date, 200 journey level workers have received special energy systems training and 50 have been trained in energy auditing,

Throughout Washington, SustainableWorks has audited over 500 homes and completed over 200 retrofits. 85 of these retrofits have occurred in two neighborhoods in Spokane.

Your home must be in Lynwood-Edmonds, Shoreline or Spokane to qualify. Yes, if you own a rental, it can qualify too.

SustainableWorks is increasing good-paying union jobs, decreasing energy consumption and building up our community of Spokane from the grassroots. How cool is that?

If you want more information, you can click on the link or give them a call at 532-1688.