Uncategorized – Page 45 – Renton Community Update

Kyoto; temple, shrine, craft store, textile factory, kimonos

APR8 2008

Today our Nishiwaki hosts took us an hour bus-ride to Kyoto. Here, we visited a temple and a shrine, a craft store, a textile factory and shop, and watched a kimono fashion show.

I had a chance to get some nice photos of all of these outings, and I have attached them below.

We had a great lunch at a tofu restaurant (who could guess there are so many ways to cook tofu?), with the exception of Susie who was provided with the “kids meal” which was a bento-box full of a variety of Japanese foods. I think this may have been to keep her out of the boiling tofu pot in the middle of the table.

Many of us also enjoyed a dinner-time visit to Kyoto’s incredible new train station/shopping mall, where, in the words of my host, it feels like you ride escalators right up to heaven. (The top floor of the train station is 12 stories above the ground, and the open air domed roof rises another hundred feet above that….unfortunately, it was late and I have no pictures)

We are spending the night at a hotel here in Kyoto.

I have much more to say, but it is getting late, so I’ll save it for another entry.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Rentonites! Please share your view about a possible fish market at the Landing…

APR8 2008

Written by Randy Corman 11 Comments

Good morning....
I received this email over the weekend from some folks who are considering 
opening a fish market at the Landing. They have an on-line survey that they are 
asking folks to fill out to help them in their evaluation of the market. Please 
distribute their email through your various networks. Thanks!

Alex Pietsch
Administrator
Dept. of Community & Economic Development
City of Renton
(425) 430-6592
apietsch@rentonwa.gov
http://rentonwa.gov

>>> “‘lecker’s fish market'<leckersfishmarket@comcast.net>”
<leckersfishmarket@comcast.net> 4/5/2008 1:59 PM >>>
Greetings,

We are looking to open a fish market in The Landing, a new urban development in
the heart of Renton. Our vision is to offer the freshest seafood and
friendliest service around. In order to accomplish this we need your feedback.
Please, take minute to complete this survey.

Thanks in advance,

The Leckers Fish Market Team.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=QIWWrCM9fZHm78NWpY4AaQ_3d_3d

This email request originated from the following link:
http://www.rentonwa.gov/news/default.aspx?id=1922&mid=72

Our first full day in Nishiwaki…official meeting, city hall tour, museums, parks, Susie’s birthday

APR7 2008

Written by Randy Corman 9 Comments

Today was our first full day in Nishiwaki. Our delegation convened this morning at city hall for an official meeting with the mayor and council of Nishiwaki, along with introduction of other special guests and city leaders.

We exchanged greetings, letters, and gifts. Mayor Kishi presented the city with a Kakejiku, which means “hanging picture” in English. It’s a beautiful, colorful banner (about five feet high) with a sun, bamboo, crane, pine… all happy images in Japan. The Crane also symbolizes long life.

After touring city hall, the city of Nishiwaki hosted us on a tour of a city history museum, an art museum, and their natural history museum (which includes a planetarium and an observatory with a 32″ telescope).

They also showed us some of their great parks, and other city facilities.

At lunch, I was deeply touched when Mayor Kishi himself brought out a birthday cake for my daughter Susie, who is celebrating her tenth birthday today. The whole delegation, and our Japanese hosts, sang happy birthday to Susie, and Susie characterized it as her best birthday ever. They also gave her some really cute gifts.

Evening was really fun. We joined another family to dine on Kobe beef and sukiyaki. The hosts are generous and gracious entertainers, and we had a wonderful time. They also made a cake for Susie, gave her a gift, and helped her and Cathy try on kimonos.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Train ride to Osaka, then car ride to Nishiwaki

APR6 2008

Written by Randy Corman 5 Comments

We arrived in Nishiwaki today, after a comfortable bullet-train ride across Japan.

Here are some images of the morning in Tokyo, the good-bye to our great friends in Tokyo (we shed a few tears when we left them), our arrival in Nishiwaki, and gathering some edible plants for a very special dinner.

We are really enjoying Nishiwaki, and it has been great to experience more traditional Japanese family life.

We joined the rest of our delegation from Renton tonight, as they each met up with their host families. Tomorrow, after everyone has a good night’s rest, we will join up again, do some touring, and then have some formal presentations in the evening. Right now, my host, who with his wife is extremely gracious and accomodating, is busy translating the speech I plan to give on behalf of Renton tomorrow (while we are both partially watching James Bond– Die Another Day).

CLICK PICTURES TO ENLARGE

I liked this utility cover

fun with reflections in front of our hotel

Coffee with good friends at the Imperial Hotel before leaving for Toyyo Station
(For those who know them, this is Mutsumi’s family, and Koji’s family)

This is out our train window…all our friends waving good-bye to us

Inside the bullet train
2.5 hours from Tokyo to Osaka, at about 170 MPH

Susie is asleep in this picture

Nishiwaki!

More scenes from Nishiwaki

Nishiwaki

Our host shows us the BEST dinner!

A real bamboo forrest! He gets sprouts here!

Harvesting mushrooms that he farms

Cherry blossoms over Nishiwaki’s irrigation reservoir

Ueno Park, the Tokyo Zoo, the Tokyo History Museam

APR5 2008

Written by Randy Corman 5 Comments

The most amazing site from yesterday travels was the immense impact of the Cherry blossoms everywhere. People were picnicking under the blossoms throughout Ueno Park, and the cherry trees were in full bloom lining many of the city’s streets.

We really enjoyed the Tokyo zoo, where the Giant Panda is a main attraction, and there were other animals we had never seen before. We also rode on a suspended monorail at the zoo.

The Tokyo history museum was very interesting and entertaining, as it had many models and interactive exhibits. We finished the day with Tokyo friends, with a traditional Japanese dinner (sitting on the floor in traditional room). We had the wonderful marbled beef that they have only in Japan, boiled right at our table and dipped in a variety of sauces. Also, vegetables, sea urchin, shrimp tempura, straw mushrooms, rice noodles, bean sprouts, and edible wild plants.

More Tokyo pictures (including our airport arrival)

APR5 2008

Written by Randy Corman 0 Comments

(This batch actually came before the one I posted yesterday)

Continue reading →

Breathtaking Tokyo! The Cherry blossom petals are falling like snowflakes.

APR4 2008

Written by Randy Corman 5 Comments

Cathy and Susie and I are now taking in the beautiful sights of Tokyo. I’ll blog more when I get a moment. Meanwhile, here are some images!

click each one to enlarge

Continue reading →

Wizards of the Coast boosting online presence to compete harder with World of Warcraft

APR2 2008

Written by Randy Corman 3 Comments

Renton’s Wizards of the Coast is putting it’s next version of Dungeons and Dragons online, to try again to compete with the hugely popular and lucrative “World of Warcraft.”

With this move, perhaps Renton will have a home team in the top ranks of MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game), which is a multi-billion dollar industry. It sounds like the Wizards online approach will be distinct from World of Warcraft, in that it will be using a facimile of a gameboard. It will be interesting to see how it works out, and whether it generate renewed interest in D&D (which seems to be coming back already).

I have noticed a resurgent interest in the game Scrabble, as a new generation of players is introduced to the game on social-networking site Facebook. Maybe it will work for Wizzards of the Coast as well.

Perhaps those of you with computing degrees should be contacting Wizards of the Coast in the coming weeks?

Click here for the story on FOX NEWS

Duvall closure put off until the school summer-break begins

APR2 2008

Written by Randy Corman 3 Comments

Because of a number of contractor selection issues and permitting issues, the Duvall widening work in Renton has been experiencing delays.

At this point our Transportation Department is planning for June, near the end of the current school year. At the hearings some of the residents of the area had suggested last winter that this would be better timing anyways, although we will now be racing to aviod falling behind the opening of the new May Creek Bridge.

Closing Duvall on school summer break allows traffic to reach a new equilibrium pattern before Seirra Heigts students gets seriously impacted, and ensures that any additional time needed (beyond the one year planned closure) occurs in the following summer (when school is out again). It sounds like the School District is also saying that a few days of closure before school lets out would be okay too, in that it would provide a dry run which could help staff better plan for the next school year.

Here is an email with more info:

Continue reading →

Renton Police could use your help in capturing those responsible for this attack on Benson Hill

APR2 2008

Written by Randy Corman 0 Comments

The victim remains in critical care on a ventilator. Renton Police could use your help in finding the assailants. Here is the Story

Suspicious item at the airport

APR1 2008

Written by Randy Corman 0 Comments

Can any of you Rentonites think of a reason for headphone jacks to be taped to a can of spray paint, other than someone trying to create a suspicious looking object?

Here is an email I received today:

>>> Susan Campbell 04/01/08 10:32 AM >>>

The Renton Police Dept was called to the Airport this morning to investigate a suspicious looking object which had been found in the Boeing Employee Flying Club parking lot late yesterday. After x-raying the object, the Port of Seattle determined the object to be non-threatening, and dismantled it. It turned out to be a full spray paint can with headphone jacks taped to the outside with duct tape.

If I receive any more information on this, I will forward it to you.

Thanks,
Susan

MSNBC; Houses in some areas becoming worthless after scrap metal thefts

APR1 2008

Written by Randy Corman 1 Comment

Yikes! I can’t believe how bad the housing market has gotten in some areas of the country. Abandoned houses are being broken into for scrap metal, and then totaled out by insurance companies! Click Here for the story

Seattle Times: Helicopter use divides neighborhood in Renton

MAR30 2008

Written by Randy Corman 16 Comments

Charlie Conner’s Helicopter makes the Seattle Times. Click Here to see the story.

There is also a (non-scientific) poll with this story, where readers can give their opinion on this controversy. Right now, the results say 54 % would allow the helicopter, 41 % would be opposed, and the rest are not sure. (There have been about 1000 opinions recorded)

Day trip to San Francisco

MAR30 2008

Written by Randy Corman 2 Comments

We trekked into San Fransico on BART during one of our days in California. San Francisco is a 45 minute trip from Pleasanton, where we caught the train. The train ride goes under a lake, and under the bay through a tube. I rode BART often while in High School, but had not been on it in 20 years prior to this trip. It still works great!

We also made a connection on a cable car, a classic San Francisco mode of transportation.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

I just returned from California

MAR30 2008

Written by Randy Corman 0 Comments

Katie relaxes at her grandparent’s home.

The weather was sunny and warm in the bay area this past week. I flew down to the Golden State with eight others (my wife, kids, son-in-law and a friend), and we enjoyed some real spring weather with our extended family. We saw more uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins than we could keep track of.

Hence, my Renton blogging slowed down.

The snow was an interesting contrast when I returned (but it is awfully pretty against the cherry blossoms in our front yard).

Protecting citizens' safety and government assets takes a back seat when there's grandstanding to be done.

Keeping our public buildings in shape is one of the few priorities I expect our officials to be focussed on,…

Let's hope that Council Members read this and see comments so they will look deeper into the budget. It is…

Thank [deity] someone is looking at this. I know there are a few adults on the council, but I also…

Go yell at the council for wasting their time instead of doing something useful. Signed, Yahoo Serious.

Yes Anonymous, the lease rates for Boeing have been increasing too. While exact charges vary depending where each tenant is…

Are they charging Boeing a lot more too? Are the increases across the board?

What in the world does that have to do with the airport? Please be serious.

I suspected the council would spend more time defending boys' participation in girls' sports.

For the trash, City Hall has cans in the parking lot, and they're under the flight path.

Apparently, the city will do anything to create more abandoned buildings, so of course, unreasonable rent increases are a great…

It's kinda crazy how much has slid. We're collecting dead buildings like it's going out of style. Got two dead…

It has been very frustrating that so many performances that used to take place at Carco are now not only…

I share your distress. The neglect, inaction, and lack of accountability demonstrated by the public works director, Council, and Mayor…

The Mayor and Council owe the public a status report on each unused City-owned building. It needs to include date…