The American Society of Addiction Medicine reports drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., with 47,055 lethal drug overdoses in 2014 — 18,893 of those related to prescription pain relievers.
Good health is something most people desire, whether they act on making it so or not. If we have good health, we are free to do the things in our life we enjoy. Thus, I have often said good health equals freedom. If true, it would be important to know what causes us to fall out of optimal health. Why does the body go into a state of dis-ease, producing symptoms that cause us to suffer? This is the question that I employ when caring for patients.
Donald Trump has repeatedly used the phrase “locker room talk” to dismiss the braggadocio boasts of sexual assault that recently surfaced from a session he taped for Access Hollywood. He’s even taken to waving a sweaty towel over his head at his latest rallies in what I can only assume is some perverted nod to this old boy’s club excuse and a dog whistle to his supporters that such talk will be just fine as part of a Trump administration.
I agree wholeheartedly that “Columbus Day” should be retired, and a day instead set aside to honor and remember the indigenous people of this continent. And yes, our teaching of history must be as unbiased and as accurate as possible.
Every four years my Green Party friends calculate that Washington is a “safe” state for getting Democrats elected, so they can vote their values without concern. I don’t buy that. Our State Senate is Republican-controlled because two legislators changed parties in a power grab. Washington is especially not a “Democrat safe” state this year when the stakes are so high and an October surprise could radically alter the outcome.
Schools and businesses in some states throughout the nation were closed on Monday in observance of Columbus Day, the U.S. holiday that has historically celebrated Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World on October 12, 1492. In some places such as the city of Seattle, however, the move has been made to rename the holiday Indigenous People’s Day to recognize the nation’s true original citizens.
We all know the saying “think globally, act locally.” On Vashon, we take that to heart. People here work through Audubon, the Land Trust, the Nature Center and other groups to protect nature on Vashon.
Among the many urgent problems that compete for our attention, the political choice between more war or the courage to seek peaceful solutions to the many and complex problems of global violence begs for our attention and discernment.
On behalf of the Vashon Park District, I want to thank Jim Plihal for raising his thoughtful concerns in the Oct. 5 Beachcomber in feeling that the district’s community survey is too expensive and unnecessary (“Park district survey is too expensive, unnecessary,” Oct. 5). It is, indeed, expensive, but the survey is most definitely necessary. The survey will serve as the starting point for the district’s long-term strategic plan that will guide the district’s planning for the next six years. It is the district’s intent that the community guides this process, as our parks are your parks. Too, grant agencies require documentation of public involvement used to develop the plan. Surveys provide documentation of opinions on need, public demand for additional facilities, willingness to pay and participation rates.
Digital safety in a rapidly changing world
Vashon Partners in Education (lovingly known as PIE), will kick off its fall fundraising campaign in October. Teachers across the school district are busy dreaming about how they can make our children’s learning experience rich and exciting. And, thanks to PIE, they can dream big.
After reading The Beachcomber article in the Sept. 14 issue about the Vashon Park District (VPD) survey, I find it pathetic, maddening and also very ironic that VPD chose to have an online survey created for a cost of $30,000 (“Islanders urged to take park district survey to gather community input,” Sept. 14). Hasn’t anyone at VPD heard of cheap online survey services like Survey Monkey?
I want to thank Ivan Weiss for his response (“There is one important message that a vote for Clinton sends,” Sept. 28) to the op-ed article by Steve Graham, Betty Capehart and Richard Paulis previously included in The Beachcomber (“Make your vote count: Choose the greater good, not the lesser evil,” Sept. 21).