Culture: Desert Water

A glass of ice water was prepared for consumption in Kennewick, Washington on 5-January-2009

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - When I was growing up, one of the markers of visiting my grandparents here in Kennewick, Washington or my great aunt and uncle in Las Vegas, Nevada was the taste of the tap water in those locations. I came to call this "harsh" tasting and "dry" feeling fluid "desert water," as contrasted with the "wetter" urban water that I encountered at home and seemingly most other places while traveling.

Of course, what I was actually observing was that "desert" water was not fluoridated, while the water that I was used to from the Seattle, Washington watershed was fluoridated. Seattle had voted to include fluoride in its water in 1968, part of a trend at the time in which electorates were asked to vote on whether they wanted the perceived cavity-fighting benefit of fluoridated water. Seattle was actually relatively late to adopt the practice, which was recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service in 1951.

There is a long-standing claim that the fluoridation process does not change the taste, flavor, or smell of water. Strictly speaking, this may be true--pure water, after all, should have no taste, flavor, or smell; these properties come from things dissolved in the water, and dissolving the fluoride ion in and of itself--whether it came from sodium fluoride or a later-developed source such as fluorosilicic acid--should not perceptibly change any of those properties. Likely, it was other aspects of the treatment process used in fluoridation, perhaps mild chlorination to control bacterial spread or phosphate to reduce the dissolving of lead pipes that actually led to the observable changes. In any event, there was a perceptible difference.

Despite no high-quality studies showing any ill effects of fluoridation except for minor issues over-fluoridation of small children's teeth, the practice continues to be controversial to this day. Conspiracy theories abound, with some purported links to various cancers perhaps deserving of thorough studies that have yet to be done. In any event, there are still significant areas without fluoridation, including much of Nevada. In 2001, Clark County which includes Las Vegas did to fluoridate its water in response to a legislative action, so my more recent visits to the city did involve fluoridated water.

However, Kennewick continues to reject fluoridation, most recently a city council vote in 2002. So, on this visit, I once again have been drinking "desert water."

Politics: Curtatone and Strategic Voting

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - Somerville, Massachusetts mayor Joe Curtatone has gotten a lot of positive press lately, including a Russ Mitchell report today on the CBS Evening News, because of his effort to reduce childhood obesity in the Boston suburb where I lived for seven years. It's good to see that Curtatone is doing well since I voted for him in both the primary and general election when he was first elected mayor in 2003. It assuages my guilt over not voting in the primary for the candidate I actually favored in that race, incumbent mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay.

When Kelly Gay was elected mayor in 1999, I was one of many people proud that Somerville had elected a strong woman as mayor. In the heavily Democratic town (in the largely one-party state of Massachusetts), her progressive politics were well-received, and Somerville seemed to be in a political renaissance, with previous mayor Michael Capuano just elected to Congress, succeeding Joseph Kennedy.

While she was re-elected handily in 2001, she subsequently drew opposition over her acquiescence to developers wanting to put "big box" stores in the Assembly Square area at the far east end of the city. As the site already hosted a "big box" store and such retail establishments meant revenue to the city, I was personally never all that worked up over Assembly Square either way though my preference would have been for denser development and an Orange Line subway stop, and I had no complaints over her performance in other areas.

A heated mayoral race erupted in 2003, and in the closing days of the campaign, it became clear that Kelly Gay, then-Alderman-at-large Joe Curtatone, and businessman Tony Lafuente were the leading contenders. I didn't like Lafuente at all, as he seemed too pro-development, and as a political newcomer I figured he would be too easily manipulated by the political machine in the town (and Somerville is the place most machine-like in politics of anywhere I have lived) to the detriment of the office. Figuring that as the incumbent with significant support, Kelly Gay was certain to finish first or second, I voted for Curtatone in hopes of a Kelly Gay-Curtatone matchup in the general election.

This bit of strategic voting was a major mistake. Kelly Gay finished third in the primary, leaving the general election to Curtatone and primary winner Lafuente. I know I'm not the only Kelly Gay supporter that had voted strategically. Indeed, Curyatone himself actually knocked on my door--alone, no less--during the campaign and when I said I was considering such a vote, he made a harder push to convert me wholesale, saying he was convincing a lot of people with similar viewpoints. Ideologically, it was clear that Curtatone was not that different than Kelly Gay, so in the general election, it was obvious--I voted for Curtatone again. He won that election, and has been re-elected mayor ever since.

With an instant-run-off or rank-order voting system, of course, I wouldn't have even thought about strategic voting, I would have just made Kelly Gay my first choice and Curtatone my second choice. In this case, I doubt the end result would have been different--there were enough people mad at Kelly Gay that given a preference between her and Curtatone, Curtatone probably would have garnered more support.

However, after that experience, I am very loathe to vote strategically, and I am relieved that Joe Curtatone has proven to be a popular mayor. I may have made a mistake, but at least it was not a serious one.

Photos: Holiday Scenes in the Northwest, 2009

The fountain scene at the Garden D'Lights in Bellevue, Washington was captured on 22-December-2009

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - This week's update to my photo site features a roundup of Pacific Northwest holiday displays. Holiday scenes from around the Seattle, Washington area seen on 22-23-December-2009 included Bellevue's Garden D'Lights, Seattle's Gingerbread Village, Seattle's Toyland Village, and more.

Margin Notes: Snow, Roundabouts, Media

The Ed Hendler ("Cable") Bridge between Kennewick and Pasco, Washington was observed as snow started to fall again on 31-December-2009

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - It may be winter, but I'm running into more snow than I really expected in my travels. Snow is not uncommon in the Tri-Cities, but I wasn't expecting to have to shovel the walk here three times in as many days. Rain has now washed the snow away (as would have been expected after the first snowfall), ending the winter wonderland but making everything a lot easier here, almost like a different world.

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When people say that eastern Washington state is a different world than western Washington, they are usually referring to the climate or the Perot-style politics of this side of the mountains. They could, however, be talking about transportation infrastructure. There are a lot more roundabouts in Kennewick than even in New England, and the biggest surprise to me was that two roundabouts have replaced a clover-leaf interchange at the junction between SR 240 and US 395, arguably the busiest location in Kennewick next to the Blue Bridge. Somehow, I have a hard time believing this is really an improvement, even at rush hour.

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Certainly not an improvement is the state of Tri-City Herald, the local paper here. Back in May, I blogged about the healthy state of the paper. By all accounts, it is still financially healthy and I have no complaints about the quality of its local coverage, but it's now a tiny paper. I've been here for two Sunday papers now, and I read both of them in less than twenty minutes, even taking time going through the employment ads. I guess that's better than no paper at all, but one almost has to buy a New York Times or go on-line to keep well-informed.

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Those who are well-informed probably pay little attention to my weekly pick of a quality radio program, but in compiling the year-end summary, I was surprised to find a four-way tie at four for number of picks in 2009 for CBC's The Sunday Edition, CBC's As It Happens, Wisconsin Public Radio's To The Best of Our Knowledge, and CBC's Age of Persuasion. That's right, a specialty show on advertising that ran for less than half the year tied for first place. The Age of Persuasion is back for another season, and the first show, on the impact of HIV on advertising, may well be the first pick of 2010. Check it out at 11:30 local time on Monday in Canada if you can; the audio file is not yet on the web site.

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A year-end feature that won't appear this year is my ranking of new popular music from the year. 2009 marked the year in which a combination of being inundated with programming podcasts and a lack of budget for purchasing new music led to complete neglect of popular music for the year. No wonder the music industry is reeling--I just don't have time for them anymore, even when unemployed!

Radio Pick: The Year in Rebuke

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - It was a tough choice for my weekly radio pick this week. In the end, I couldn't let an entire year go without at least once citing Harry Shearer's satire and as in most years, he concentrated the best of his satire pieces in a 59-minute "Year in Rebuke". The second show in that series, aired this week, included Barack Obama in a "Fathers Knows Best" sitcom, Richard Nixon in heaven, and even one of my favorite features--a story about a cat ruining the reception of digital television.

Listen to streaming MP3 of LeShow "The Year in Rebuke Part II"

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A close second place this week goes to the Capitol Steps and their annual 59-minute New Year's special. Amongst the new skits since the Halloween special are Governor Sanford singing "Don't Cry for Me; I'm in Argentina," "Aiming for the Eye of the Tiger" and "A Sarah Palin Christmas."

Listen to streaming RealMedia of the Capitol Steps "Politics Takes a Holiday"

Dining: Hubby's Pizza

Hubby's Pizza as it appeared in Kennewick, Washington on 22-November-2005

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - It's Saturday and I'm in Kennewick, Washington. That can mean only one thing--time to have Hubby's Pizza.

Ever since Ed Gilbert opened Hubby's Pizza on Columbia Drive in 1976, my grandparents have been regulars. Often visiting on Saturday nights, they established a tradition that has spread throughout the extended family and probably was a major factor in creating my love of pizza previously mentioned on this blog. Part of the attraction of visiting the Tri-Cities was knowing that at 5 pm on Saturday, it would be time to meet at Hubby's.


A Hubby's Pizza box was observed on 2-January-2010

Well-promoted over the years, Hubby's has held its own as Kennewick has grown from about 30,000 residents at its founding to nearly 65,000 today. A large children's play area was added in the 1980's, at about the same time as a salad bar. Through it all, though, much has stayed the same. The furniture remains the original, heavy pine wood tables and benches that Gilbert special-ordered from LaPine, Oregon. The giant pizza knife, all 73 inches and 55 pounds of it, remains on the wall.


A medium "Hubby's Special" (now called the "Hubby's Household Combination") was observed on 2-January-2010

Of course, what has most prominently stayed the same is the pizza. Hubby's introduced what I would call thin-crust New Haven-style pizza to the Tri-Cities. Regulars of world-class Connecticut pizza restaurants like Pepe's and Sally's would be satisfied with Hubby's crust, their slightly tangy sauce, their own sausage blend, and use of pure mozzarella. Indeed, Hubby's is listed as amongst the world's best pizza on the well-known pizza site, Pizza Therapy, one of the things that convinced me that the site was trustworthy. My grandparents have always preferred the "Hubby's Special" (currently on the menu as the "Hubby's Household Combination") with salami, pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, beef, and onions.


My grandmother Pat Gleich enjoyed a slice of Hubby's pizza on 2-January-2010

Ed Gilbert's son Monty officially bought Hubby's Pizza in 1995, and the founder tragically passed away in 2008 (as previously reported on this blog). I noted a tribute on the wall of the kitchen, visible from the order counter, during my visit today. Had I not known, though, I would not have guessed that anything had changed since 1976--and hopefully, Hubby's will continue to provide quality pizza for decades to come.

Culture: Visiting Pendleton, Oregon

Main Street in historic downtown Pendleton, Oregon was observed on 29-December-2009

KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON - As a non-gambler, I have to find something else to do when accompanying people to the Wildhorse Casino of the "Confederated Tribes" (Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla) east of Pendleton, Oregon. In the past, I've experienced the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, an impressive history museum located not far from the casino, but this time I decided to see what the town of Pendleton had to offer.


The one-time Carnegie Library in Pendleton, Oregon now serves as the Pendleton Center for the Arts, observed on 29-December-2009

Best-known for the Pendleton Round-Up held each September, I wasn't certain what the town would have to offer the rest of the year. As it turned out, I probably was there the worst week of the year, as most of the town's museums were closed between Christmas and New Year's, including an extensive museum of the Umatilla County Historical Society in the former Union Pacific depot and the prohibition-era Underground Tour. Even the famous Pendleton Woolen Mills facility didn't have its factory tours this week. So, there will be plenty to do on a return visit.


Hamley's has been in the same location in Pendleton, Oregon since 1905--and continued to hand-make saddles on 29-December-2009

That doesn't mean that I was at all bored. Hamley and Company may no longer be owned by the original Hamley family, but the business continues in the same 1901 building where it has been located since 1905. Most significantly, the company continues to hand-craft saddles in a room accessible to the public off the sales floor.


What might be best described as a confused mammal was found along Main Street in Pendleton, Oregon on 29-December-2009

There was little question that I was in a small town, as a plate of cookies was just sitting out at Hamley's for anyone to eat, people said "hello" on the street even in the freezing weather, and people around town were mentioned by first name at the Tourist Information Center. There were some things that were more likely to be found in larger places, though, like the street art shown above, and I think the holiday store windows I found, foremost at Calico Country on Main Street including the one shown below, were better than those in many of the big cities that I have visited this season.


One of the best holiday store windows I saw the entire holiday season was located at Calico Country in Pendleton, Oregon on 29-December-2009

Pendleton was once a significant stop on the Oregon Trail, and it remains an interesting stop along I-84 to this day, worth a visit even when the Round-Up isn't going on.