SPRING 2018
6 Generations 9 The Ghostbusters Effect
12 The Mall Is Dead 16 The Power of Solar!
Table of Contents 4 Letter from the Editor 5 Meet the Staff 6 Generations 8 Book Review: An Overlake Classic 9 The Ghostbusters Effect
Front Cover: On February 14th, 17 innocent lives were taken from this world due to gun violence. The Parkland shooting was a devastating event for the country, and on March 14th thousands of schools across the country, including Overlake, held a 17 minute walkout where students from seniors to 5th graders spoke about the lives lost, and student empowerment.
At right:
If you didn’t know, it’s the 50th anniversary since Overlake’s founding. A tradition that Overlake heads of school have kept throughout the years is Dark Day. Check out this collage of Dark Days from recent years, and reminisce on the Dark Day we held this year!
10 Humans of Overlake 11 Year In Film 12 The Mall Is Dead 13 RTC v. Bell Square 14 Gun Violence 16 The Power of Solar!
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Letter from the Editor Hello! Welcome to the third edition of The Overlake Independent this year, (I think that’s a record number of editions in one year, wow!) I am super excited for you all to be reading this edition, as it is the first Independent published since I became editor! This edition of the Independent was very exciting to put together, as we cover issues such as gun violence, gender in film, and the benefits of solar power (Gerald just needed another excuse to show off his house).
This edition also features new staff, along with oldies, (but goodies!). Go check out Harry Gardner ’18, Nell Corley ’21, and Sam Hirsch ’19 as they make their Independent debuts. I would also like to give a quick shout out to Andrew Monteith ‘20 (our outgoing editor), as without him setting a great example of an A-1 editor first semester, I don’t know where this magazine would be. While Andrew may have not been involved in this edition, I am still incredibly proud of Andrew’s dedication to the Independent, and everyone who contributed to this edition of the magazine. Now, stop reading this dinky letter, and go check out what we’ve got in store for y’all!
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Meet the Staff Miguel Llanos (Overlord): Besides being a traitor by coaching Bear Creek JV Girls Tennis, Miguel also attempts to break the world record for most Starbucks cups carried during one bike ride.
Maria Russinovich ‘18 (Right-hand man): Maria “enjoys” actively fighting senioritis to produce this magazine, and avoiding Miguel’s “sly” questions about the Overlake Varsity Tennis team. She just wants to sleep.
Harry Gardner ‘18 (Subject #1): As a newcomer to The Independent, Harry brought his energy to the newsroom, including countless ideas for political articles, and sleeping under tables (on multiple occasions).
Nell Corley ‘21 (Subject #2): As a selfproclaimed Stranger Things fanatic, Nell spends her time at The Independent pretending to write articles, and wishing she was Eleven. Also, Sophia Lillis is bae.
Lindsay Rubin ‘21 (Veteran Subject #1): Even though she’s only a freshman, Lindsay has made quite a name for herself at The Independent; she’s known as “the one who shows up sometimes during her free block.”
Farah Lindsey-Almadani ‘21 (Veteran Subject #2): Far ah joined The Independent last semester, and has since been possibly one of the only writers who consistently cranks out quality articles. TBH, why isn’t she editor?
Stefan Beskin ‘21 (Veteran Subject #3): If one was to describe Stefan’s writing process, it would consist of chugging 3 Boosts and a small argument with Miguel. Make sure to subscribe below, smash that like button, and follow Stefan @the.swagger.dagger on Insta.
Sam Hirsch ‘19 (Subject #3): Despite only being here for an independent study art credit with Troy, we know Sam really likes The Independent. If he’s not sneaking up on unsuspecting Overlakers to interview them, he’s probably leaning against a wall in West Seattle or on the app En-
Gerald Blycker (Gerald Blycker #1): Ger ald promised The Independent staff that they could go see his goats if we put him in this edition… and they really like goats. Catch him in Monsters vs. Aliens 2, when the Trash Monster makes his movie debut.
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The Generation Series Farah Lindsey-Almadani Since the beginning of time, our ancestors have passed down cultural traditions from generation to generation. This includes languages, foods, clothes, and even holidays and festivities. But as families grow, these customs start to fade. As a first-generation Moroccan American, I’ve started to notice by living in US and speaking English at school, it’s harder to have a closest to my culture (I don’t even speak Arabic). The Overlake Independent decided to challenge this norm and interview two Overlakers who balance living in America with celebrating their cultures. Senior Maria Russinovich was born in Moscow, Russia, and was adopted by parents with roots in Argentina, Croatia, Mongolia, and Spain. Junior Renée Austin has a connection with Puerto Rico, where her adoptive mother is from. Below are summaries of those interviews, which are the first two episodes of The Generation Series, a podcast that can be found on the Independent Facebook page or searching soundcloud.com for Overlake Independent.
Family and Culture: En Mi Viejo San Juan Renée Austin, s second-generation Puerto Rican-American. Class of 2019. Age: 17
En Mi Viejo San Juan: Junior Renée Austin sat with the Independent to talk about her heritage. According to Renée, she has “a unique story because [she] is adopted, and [her] Puerto Rican heritage comes from her adoptive mom.” Renée has struggled with knowing that she is not Puerto Rican by blood, but identifies with “the Puerto Rican culture because it’s all [she] knows.” Renée’s grandmother, also known as her abueltia, was born on the island, but her mother was born on the U.S. mainland. Renée believes her family “hasn’t really lost” their Puerto Rican culture. For example, her abuelita taught her mother a song called En Mi V iejo San Juan (In my Old San Juan). It talks about “the beauty of the island and wanting to return home”, and has become an important song in Renée’s family. More Than Just “a Vacation Spot”
In addition, Renée says she occasionally speaks Spanish at home (Spanish is Puerto Rico’s main language), but she admits to noticing her mother has lost some of her Spanish. Renée thinks she might pass down what she has learned of Puerto Rico to the future generations of her family, especially Puerto Rico’s history with the U.S. She stresses the importance of realizing the big picture of Puerto Rican culture, explaining how some people feel it is simply “a vacation spot”. She eludes to the Independent that in Puerto Rico “[…] there’s culture. There’s different languages. And there’s people that live there that have lives and have history.”
Renée Austin with her grandparents and siblings CeCe ‘24 and Mateo ‘21
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Fritules and First Generations: A Croatian, Spanish, and Argentine Affair Maria Russinovich, a first-generation Croatian American. Class of 2018. Age: 18
Sneak Peek into Croatia Next, the Independent had the pleasure of sitting down with Senior Maria Russinovich to talk about her visit to Croatia, where her father’s family originates. Maria visited Croatia eight years ago and remembers it being “a beautiful country” with a “mix of the new and old”. Maria and her family still have what she refers to as “little tiny Croatian traditions”. These include hanging the country’s flag, knowing their family crest and eating Croatian food, such as cod dishes and a dessert her grandmother makes called fritules, which uses milk, pinenuts and other ingredients. Maria also has a Christmas tradition of watching videos of family trips to Croatia. Intermixing with other cultures Maria has Spanish, Argentine, Mongolian and Russian heritage as well. Her father, born in Spain, is a firstgeneration Croatian Spaniard, and Maria feels she is “really well” connected with her Spanish heritage. She has even visited her dad’s hometown of Salamanca, Spain, with her family. In fact, Maria says she and her parents are all learning Spanish. Maria reveals her Spanish skills and her father living in Salamanca helps her identify more with the Spanish culture.
Although Maria does wish to have more of a closeness to her Russian heritage, the senior doesn’t believe there is much more to be learned abut her Croatian, Spanish and Argentine roots. Her family histories in all three countries died with her grandfather “because he had the most connections”, but her grandmother “is doing her best trying to keep up […] the foreign family connections.” The Big Picture on Generations Looking at the big scheme of things, Maria has noticed her family has linked more on to the Spanish part of her family than the Croatian and Argentine side. All her relatives from Croatia have since died, and the senior sees it as “an evolutionary kind of thing”. “Imagine with each generation dying off, there’s just a subtle chunk of heritage being taken off,” she says.
Maria Russinovich with her extended family during Winter Break.
Want to share your unique perspective on being an immigrant, first, second, third generation? Do you have special family traditions and customs? If so, students can reach out to staff writer and reporter Farah Lindsey-Almadani ’21. Contact her via email: farahlindseyalmadani@gmail.com
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An Overlake Classic Lindsay Rubin
As a freshman new to Overlake, I may not have that much experience here, or with common courses, or anything like that, so I was kind of stumped on which book to review for The Independent as a 50th anniversary tribute. So, I went to Army as I figured he would be the one who would know best. Army decided on the quintessential Overlake book in a heartbeat, which just happens to be the story that freshmen just finished: William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Lord of the Flies is the shocking story of a group of British middle schoolers stranded on a desolate island in the 1950s with no adult supervision. The story follows Ralph, the elected leader of the group, as he tries to maintain order on the island. Ralph is accompanied in his efforts by Piggy, the portly genius boy, and Simon, the calming force on the island. On the other side is Ralph’s rival Jack, fighting against Ralph’s pushing for order, and pushing for chaos and savagery. The boys manage to keep order for a while, but slowly their makeshift civilization begins to disintegrate. They begin to believe a “beast” on the island is watching them, which causes tensions to rise. Eventually, Jack splits up and starts his own tribe with him as chief. The tribes disintegrate into chaos, setting the island on fire in the process, and in the end getting rescued by a British ship.
Personally, I didn’t love reading Lord of the Flies. I like having build-up in books; I am a person who likes stories that you can’t put down, that move quickly. The novel just wasn’t fast enough for me. The description went on for pages, and when there was conflict or action it was interrupted by more description. At the same time, through all of the description Golding managed to set a very clear tone and idea of the atmosphere of the island which made the experience of reading the book much more rich. Now, while I know I said I didn’t like reading the book, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like Lord of the Flies. First off, it was brilliantly written. When reading books you often come across a protagonist, an antagonist, and a couple necessary side characters, but then side characters will be piled on top of everything else, simply making things more confusing. However, in Lord of the Flies, every single character adds something. Mostly because every character symbolizes something different, which leads into the main reason I love Lord of the Flies. Everything is there for a reason. Because there is so much symbolism, everything that is there is there for a specific purpose. As someone who really enjoys writing, I can appreciate how incredibly difficult writing this book must have been. There are no bells and whistles. Everything has its reason for being there, and the characters are all added carefully to paint Golding’s message of the evil of man. Lord of the Flies will forever be a timeless classic, at Overlake and in the literary world.
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The Ghostbusters Effect Stefan Beskin
As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of all things media — video games, movies, television, etc. – I’ve noticed a distinctive issue throughout many of them: major female characters are generally a carbon copy of pre-existing male characters. I’ll preface this by saying that there are some leading women who distinguish themselves from other characters, and bring a certain interesting aspect to the table, which is exactly what we need. But take the 2016 Ghostbusters. All the male lead characters were replaced by hilarious actresses — Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, and Kristen Wiig. Yet, according to Rotten Tomatoes, only 52% of audience members enjoyed the film even though 88% of audience members enjoyed the 1984 Ghostbusters. It seems counterintuitive, right? Incorporating more female leads into modern media is a great thing, yet a beloved franchise like Ghostbusters scored comparatively low when the genders were swapped. I believe the main reason the 2016 Ghostbusters scored so low was because of one big reason: unoriginality. Ghostbusters (2016) didn’t bring a new feature or idea to the scene, and instead just reflooded NYC with more ghosts to bust and not much else. It goes to show that many female characters in movies or comics aren’t used to their full potential. Instead of creating a whole new character with different powers and beliefs, many women are just re-used versions of a male character with the entire basis for the movie or show being that they’re a woman instead of a man, i.e. characters like Spidergirl and Supergirl instead of Spiderman and Superman, the new Ghostbusters instead of, logically, the old Ghostbusters, or G.I. Jane over G.I. Joe. Don’t get me wrong, a rehash of an old favorite can be a good thing, but simply swapping the genders and hoping for a compelling movie isn’t the answer we’re looking for to really nail in films with female leads. I’d like to call attention to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, specifically the video game series. Lara Croft is, at first glance, a female version of Indiana Jones, but she’s a great example of the direction we need to strive toward. Since 1996, a massive series of Tomb Raider games have been released. Through that time, she was built up to be a wholly individual character with her own motives, her own plot, and her own personality. On paper, she has a very similar plot as Indie, being an archaeologist who explores tombs for relics in the middle of nowhere, yet she’s built such a remarkable fanbase over the last two decades because she has her own personality, and that’s what we really need in our female leads. Remaking a male character as a woman shouldn’t be considered progressive or a step in the right direction, it should feel like a slap in the face. Why aren’t studios letting their female leads be someone unique and different, a new character to be loved and enjoyed? There are fantastic stories to be told and incredible women to lead, but for a true step forward we need new characters, new powers, and new personalities. We don’t need Tanya Stark or The Flashette. To really draw in more viewers and create good movies, we need to follow examples like A lien, Wonder Woman, Salt, and Tomb Raider. For great female leads, we need originality.
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Humans of Overlake Sam Hirsch
What makes Overlake unique?
“I love how incredibly hardworking everyone is! When you walk into a classroom, everyone is engaged and sharing interesting ideas, and that’s what I think makes Overlake so unique.” — Meili Zhang ‘19
What is your favorite part about working on the yearbook?
“I started yearbook in 8th Grade, as an in-the-moment decision, and not really sure why I signed up. But once I signed up, I loved it. Design has always been something that I’ve found interesting, and to be able to work so closely with that here in the Overlake community, which is so diverse and interesting, is the main reason why I’ve stuck with it for so long. I love being able to work closely with people all across campus to create a piece documenting life at Overlake.” —Devika Chipalkatti ‘18
What is your favorite part about working in the Library? “How popular it has become. I love being able to see students walking through everyday, whether they are working on an interesting project or just going about their daily lives, and being able to help them out. I love the space we have set up, and the ability to be able to work surrounded by books.” — Rebecca Moore
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Movie Hits and Misses Nell Corley
2017 and 2018 have been big years for film. With an impressive 2016 of instantly classic movies such as Moonlight and La La Land, the next couple years would surely be bland. However, audiences were soon delighted to see fresh, diverse movies. Many encouraged diversity and were incredibly successful (such as Black Panther, which has broken records here and there since its release in February). Below are some highs and lows as seen by Overlake Independent staffers.
Lindsay (Freshman) Favorite: “It’s a tie between Coco and Love, Simon. Coco… obviously I am not Mexican or Latino, but I feel like it accurately represented culture to the best of my knowledge. I connected with all the familial elements, and I thought the animation was incredible. Also, it made me cry, and movies don’t make me cry. Love, Simon… just it being represented in media is great. Even though the gay character is played by a straight white guy, the representation was closer to anything we’ve gotten in a while and it was really refreshing.” Least Favorite: “The Last Jedi. Because it didn’t feel like Star Wars. As a Star Wars fan, it didn’t have the right feel to it. I felt like a lot of the plot points and a lot of the mysteries that were set up by JJ Abrams in Force Awakens were kind of glossed over and ignored in Last Jedi. My hopes were just so high for it and it just kind of let me down. Because I know that it could’ve been so much better with a better director.” Most Impactful: “Probably Love, Simon because it’s good to have representation.”
Maria (Senior) Favorite: “Probably Black Panther. Just because it was a different type of superhero movie. Marvel does a good job mixing humor with topical aspects. For the political part, it did a great job. If you lived under a rock and had no idea there was turmoil happening, you could still enjoy the movie. You wouldn’t see it and think ‘Oh, that’s about race’ or ‘Oh, that’s about sexism’. They did a good job balancing topical aspects. Also, the music is bomb.” Least Favorite: “Justice League. I slept through it, it was so boring, and it terrified me because, as I was sleeping, Wonder Woman came in and kicked someone and yelled. I bolted awake and screamed in the middle of the theater.” Most Impactful: “Get Out. Jordan Peele did a really good job of blending… creating a very entertaining film, where if you didn’t know it was about race, you’d think ‘Oh, a scary horror movie!’ It’s this new kind of genre that is very topical blended with great entertainment that the film industry is moving towards. You can have a movie about the subject without having a documentary about the subject.”
Nell (Freshman) Favorite: “It. That was the first horror movie I’d ever seen and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a bit funny at times and the acting was incredible, but it wasn’t so scary that it discouraged me from seeing other horror movies in the future. Also, Spider-Man: Homecoming. I don’t know why, but I loved it so much. My favorite Spider-Man movie by far.” Least Favorite: “The Book of Henry. I really like some of the actors in that movie, so I watched it, but I was disappointed. It was very dark and the plot was kind of messy. I left the theater in a worse mood than I’d walked into it with.” Most Impactful: “Black Panther or Wonder Woman. I love the diversity in both of those films, and they were also incredibly well-made, relevant, and entertaining movies. I watched both more than once.”
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The Mall Is Dead; Long Live The Mall Harry Gardner
Malls have traditionally held a soft spot in people’s hearts. They offer a place for people to meet up, enjoy a variety of food, and shop for products all without having to walk that far. But in recent years, malls across the country have lost some of this appeal to shoppers. As Time magazine reported last July, “analysts estimate that 1 out of every 4 malls in the U.S. could be out of business by 2022”. What does this look like in our backyard of Redmond, Bellevue and Stephen Hansen at RTC Woodinville? To find out, The Overlake Independent interviewed Stephen Hansen, president of JSH Properties, which manages and co-owns Redmond Town Center. To start with, RTC is now a “lifestyle center” focused on experiences as a result of increased competition with online shopping, says Hansen. The traditional mall model has been fairly simple, relying on the abundance of products in a high shop density location where people can go to find most products. The “American mall” has its origins in the work of Austrian architect Victor Gruen, who designed the first commercial mall, Southdale Center, in Edina, Minnesota. Recently, Southdale Center has struggled with a series of high profile store closures such as JC Penny and Marshalls. As a result, Southdale Center has been forced to shift its focus away from big retailers hurting from the effects of online shopping and towards a more experience-based system. So too has RTC. Macy’s recently said it would be closing its RTC store in 2019, and Hansen made the point that big retailers are not exactly flocking there either. So when it comes to where growth is going to come from, he adds it will be from shops that offer services and experiences that online shopping cannot. The positives of this reinvention are more salient than the negatives. One of the largest mixed-use complexes in Redmond is being built right at Redmond Town Center. The Talisman not only will offer “9,400 square feet of ground floor specialty retail shops”, but also plenty of high quality apartment space with a “mix of one- and two-bedroom flats and lofts”. In all of these additions cement Redmond Town Center’s shift from the old model of malls to the new one as a lifestyle, commercial and cultural center. While one could bemoan the pangs of this shift, one man certainly wouldn’t. Gruen wanted the mall to not only serve as a commercial center but also as a lifestyle center to rival the Greek Agora and Roman Forum. Hansen echoes that view of the mall’s future. As Hansen puts it, “You can work here, you can live here, you can stay here”.
A Different Type... By Nell Corley When was the last time you visited RTC? Well, if it’s been a while, a lot has changed. Steve Hansen explained some of the new features that have or are being added – and the stores being replaced.
Hot Yoga Experience – Redmond Town Center is now less of an “outdoor mall” and more of a “lifestyle center,” as Hansen says. A focus on classes and activities such as yoga is a new priority since they “promote the return of customers,” he adds. Goldfish Swim School – Sometime in September, a children’s pool will be opening. Don’t get too excited Overlakers, because the pool is only open for kids up to 12. It will offer classes year-round, allowing kids to enjoy pool time not only during the summer. Goldfish Swim School will be able to host up to 3,000 kids every week.
iPic Theaters – Let’s face it: movies are one of the go-to mall experiences. But iPic Theaters in Redmond Town Center is trying to change the experience by offering in-cinema food and beverage services, comfortable seating (with blankets!), and the ability to reserve theaters for a party or gathering. They also have free popcorn – Hansen notes that “it’s like flying first class instead of coach on an airline.”
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RTC & Bell Square, A Comparison Maria Russinovich
… of Mall Experience
Second Story Repertory – Live theater in a mall? Well… why not? Redmond Town Center has been hosting the small theater since 1999. Kids can not only take classes at Second Story Rep but enjoy the experience of seeing a live show.
Guitar Center – Everyone loves music, and buying equipment online is risky without trying it out first. Luckily, Guitar Center offers gear, lessons, and repairs for people who aren’t comfortable buying their beloved instruments online. The lessons provided encourage kids and adults alike to learn how to play and read music – nearly 500 students take classes every single week.
Ducati – Have you ever seen a motorcycle dealership in a mall? Well, Redmond Town Center has a Ducati location. Hansen himself thought of the idea after seeing a Ducati dealership on a pedestrian-heavy street in Paris. Before it became the dealership it once was, it was a Borders Books – a pretty significant change for the shopping center. A BMW dealership also joined that location later on. “Those are truly lifestyle brands,” Hansen says, “People come back to it, it’s a lot more about community.”
Going to school in the Redmond area, most students go to the Redmond Town Center purely out of convenience after a long day of school or extracurricular events. However, on the weekends, it seems that Bellevue Square dominates the shopping habits of people in the area. Stephen Hansen, the president of JSH Properties, wants to change those habits. When discussing the differences between Bellevue Square and Redmond Town Center, Hansen stresses the unique experiences that RTC can offer, and why these aspects bring people back again and again. Hansen places high value on the types of stores that Redmond Town Center has in comparison to Bellevue Square, stating that RTC is not “going to be a Bellevue Square that has Uniqlo, a Nordstroms and so forth” but rather focuses on having smaller, more targeted stores which aid its goal to bring in people “for everyday life.” Hansen recognizes that Bellevue Square brings in people from a larger area simply because of these more mainstream, national chain stores it has. But he claims that people will go to Redmond Town Center “for what’s more convenient and a better experience”. Bellevue Square is a “very controlled” environment, yet with the large population of people buzzing and moving through the space, (which is all inside) it can become stuffy, and the experience quickly can become uncomfortable, he says. Conversely, Redmond Town Center is open-air, and Hansen believes that this fresh air helps Redmond Town Center with an experience that “people would rather go to a storefront, maybe sit outside and eat, than go inside to a mall to eat.” At Bellevue Square, to sit and eat outside, a customer would have to “go five levels down for parking” and go into the mall, wait in the long lines, finally get their food, whereas in Redmond Town Center the stores are right there, and extremely easy to access.
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Gun Violence: National Issue, Local Legislation Harry Gardner
After the Stoneman Douglas shooting, students across the country have started voicing their opinions on gun violence and gun control. The student activists from Stoneman Douglas High School have focused much of their attention on universal background checks, prohibiting individuals under 21 from purchasing guns, and other commonsense ways to protect students from gun violence in school—at the federal level. While these pieces of legislation offer a chance for a largescale shift, legislators right here in Washington State have also been considering several bills to decrease gun violence. On February 23, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill banning bump stocks, which are a trigger modification to increase the rate of fire. The state legislature also passed a bill banning people convicted of domestic assault from owning guns. Both of these bills passed because they were commonsense. People convicted of violent crime should not have guns and bump stocks are not essential to the individual’s right to bear arms. Four other bills attempting to decrease gun violence through gun control didn’t make it through the Legislature this last session, but they’ll likely be back next year. Below are summaries of each.
Senate Bill 6620 (Companion Bill House Bill 3004) (In Committee) Purpose: Improving security in schools and the safety of students Methods: Senate Bill 6620 would create a grant program to provide schools a venue to report unsafe or violent activities. It would require the same background check process to purchase certain rifles and shotguns as is currently required for pistols. It would prohibit persons under the age of 21 from purchasing certain rifles and shotguns. Positives: Helps offer support for at-risk teens in a standardized fashion. It would also use a similar system which would ensure that guns do not get in the hands of people who do not need them.
Cons: This would create additional barriers to gun ownership and could stigmatize mental health issues by treating them as a separate class.
SB 5050 (Companion Bill HB 1134) (In Committee)
Purpose: Stronger regulations surrounding assault weapons to prevent gun deaths Methods: This bill prohibits a person, unless certain conditions are met, from manufacturing, possessing, distributing, importing, transferring, selling, offering for sale, or purchasing an assault weapon or large capacity magazine.
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Pros: Limits these high capacity weapons from being used by limiting ownership to current owners (current owners can get guns if it is willed to them by someone legally). It also creates a background check system and a licensing system akin to current policy for handguns.
Cons: These guns are not responsible for the majority of violent crime.
SB 5444 (Companion Bill HB 1387) (In Committee)
Purpose: Create a licensing process around assault weapons to help prevent gun deaths Methods: This bill requires a person to be in possession of an assault weapon license in order to possess, manufacture, transport, purchase, acquire, transfer, deliver, import, sell, or offer to sell an assault weapon or large capacity magazine. It also requires the chief of police of a municipality or the sheriff of a county, within thirty days after the filing of an application of a resident of this state, to issue an assault weapon license for a period of one year from the date of issue. Prohibits a resident of a state other than this state from purchasing an assault weapon or a large capacity magazine in this state. Pros: It would prevent assault weapons from getting in the hands of people through waiting times. It also prevents people from taking advantage of Washington State laws from non-state residents.
Cons: The guns being restricted are not the ones used in a majority or a plurality of violent crime.
SB 6415 (Companion Bill HB 2738) (In Committee) Purpose: Preventing people bringing guns into other people’s homes to limit gun-related accidents Methods: This bill prohibits a person from carrying a concealed firearm into the residence or dwelling place of another person without first obtaining the express permission of the owner or person in legal control or possession of the residence or dwelling place. SB 6415 requires the court, upon conviction for a violation, to: (1) Order the person to surrender any concealed pistol license; and (2) Prohibit the person from obtaining a concealed pistol license for a period of five years from the date of conviction. Pros: It would increase people’s well-being, as they would know that people may not bring guns into their homes without permission and that, even if they did, there is a legal path to redress. Cons: It would heighten friction between people and would also make some people feel unsafe who feel safer with their gun.
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The Power of Solar! Gerald Blycker
The upgraded Blycker homestead after solar power and other energy-saving features were added. And, yes, those are Gerald’s children Sonja and Olin.
It might be hard to believe, but solar panels actually work well in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and they will pay for themselves in just a few years. The state legislature recently passed a law that pays you for every kWh of electricity your PV panels produce over the next eight years. You also get a federal tax credit for 30% of the cost of the PV system. As an example, the 11 kW system I have on my roof would cost about $18,000, but would pay for itself in just over five years. Over the life of the panels, you would save over $70,000 (accounting for inflation of energy costs and degradation of the panels over time). That’s some serious money.
Oprah might not be giving away free cars anymore, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get one. For even bigger savings, get solar panels and an electric car. There are many 2015 Nissan Leafs for sale for about $11,000. Because you’ll be generating carbon-free electricity and not burning gasoline in your car, you’ll reduce your carbon footprint even more. Because of the money you’ll save not buying gas, the panels will now pay for themselves in under four years and in less than six years you’ll have free solar panels AND a free electric car. If you are concerned about the Leaf’s 85-100 mile range, splurge for a new Chevy Bolt or Tesla 3. They both get 250 miles to a charge and cost around $30,000 (although the Bolt is the only one you can drive off the lot this weekend). The panels will pay for themselves and this new car in about nine years. Using your PV system to power your home and electric car will save you more than $155,000 over the life of the panels. That’s a crazy amount of money that you could use for college tuition and retirement. “But, Gerald”, you ask, “How can I get in on this whole save the planet while saving money and getting a free car deal if I’m renting or don’t have a shade-free roof?” Just go out and buy a used electric car, even without having solar panels. It costs about $12 to drive a gasoline car 100 miles but only $2.50 to drive an electric car 100 miles. You’ll save about $1,430 in fuel each year and these savings will pay for your car in about seven years. If you have a sunny roof, installing a PV system is a no-brainer. Even if you don’t have the cash sitting around, PV installers can also provide low-cost financing. If you are still reading, then your interest has been piqued. Call any PV installer for a free estimate, evaluation of your situation and the return on investment time for your specific situation.