J.M. SIMPSON: ORTING’S SOLDIER HOME >>>

One out of six individuals in Washington state is a veteran, and the state’s current veteran population stands at nearly 600,000.  With the wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, that number will continue to grow.

In order to meet this challenge, a part of Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs’ vision involves operating veteran centers such as the Soldiers Home in Orting. Opened in 1891, the institution is located on 181 acres and serves up to 183 residents needing both skilled nursing and assisted living care.

Among the buildings on the Orting campus, the 91-year-old Garfield Building â€" named after the 20th president, James Garfield â€" is slated to provide 30 permanent and transitional housing units, if the VA can repair it. The building was once used by veterans but now stands empty. Plans call for it to be renovated and put to use in meeting the needs of current and future veterans.

Give Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Director John Lee credit; he is not going to stand by and allow veterans in the state of Washington to be ignored.

“Mr. Lee is about meeting our responsibilities to our veterans,” says Donald Lachman, special projects coordinator for the department, during a recent visit to the Soldiers Home and colony.  “A large part of this vision is using our resources wisely to serve our present and future residents.

“We’re taking a proactive approach; we’re doing more than waving the flag,” explained Lachman.

In part, this proactive approach involves upgrading buildings on the three soldiers’ homes in the state and preparing for the needs â€" medical, therapeutic, psychological, and quality of life issues â€" of the veterans returning from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We’re not building a trillion dollar care center,” continues Lachman. “We want to use community based services to achieve our ends, and this represents an aggressive move forward.”

Lachman says that his department is dedicated to building relationships with local agencies, and he is confident that a private-public partnership will achieve the renovation of the Garfield Building. Construction is slated to begin in the near future.

“Not only is the city of Orting involved in this project, but we’ve got federal, state and county partners as well,” adds Lachman. “The building is a unique treasure, and we are committed to providing the services needed to allow our veterans to live in dignity and safety.”

The Metropolitan Development Council in Tacoma, which has done work on historic buildings, will conduct the renovation of the Garfield Building.

For more information, contact the Soldiers Home at 360.893.4515.

JAKE DE PAUL: THE MORNING BREW >>

1. Vanity Bar & Grill (Weekly Volcano)

2. For American restaurateurs, it’s hard to get a break (New York Times)

3. Jack in the Box nacho cheeseburger (Serious Eats)

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

SUZY STUMP: 5 THINGS TO DO TODAY >>>

10 A.M.: The South was not the only place where Americans were denied equal rights. Right here in Tacoma, as little as 35 years ago, Americans couldn’t get jobs or housing because of their color. Learn how local leaders fought Washington’s own civil rights battle in Tacoma’s Civil Rights Struggle: African Americans Leading the Way now on display at the Washington State History Museum. Guests will also see how the equal rights effort continues today.

7 P.M.: Since part of hip-hop’s essence is paying respect to the ancestors and elders (although some choose to ignore this legacy), Free Ya Mind Entertainment’s Stella Haioulani is uplifting the hip-hop community one event at a time. With her final Friday of the month at Tully’s (Bostwick branch at 764 Broadway, downtown Tacoma) Haioulani has provided a powerful stage for spoken word artists since 2003. Tonight, along with the regular platoon of spoken word talent, FYM presents World War II and Korean War veteran George Wada’s photography at 7 p.m.

8 P.M.: Harlequin Productions has created a name for itself as a thinking person's theater. Its shows are often deep in cultural references and plays on words. Its latest offering fits right into that reputation. The show Psychopathia Sexualis is a comedy that is not only accessible because of its surface level dialogue and storyline, but it also has clever cultural puns and, dare I say, highbrow humor that would fit right into the repertoire of the conversations of National Public Radio or Public Broadcasting Service listeners. Study it tonight at the State Theater in Olympia.

9 P.M.: Taist of Iron kick it like classic metal gods of the ’70s. These Tacoma bad boys â€" and one badass chick â€" offer a triple guitar assault with plenty of meaty bass, crashing drums and fever pitched vocals. Their show tonight with Mos Generator at Hell’s Kitchen, presented by the Dockyard Derby Dames, is a benefit for the AIDS Foundation.

9:30 P.M.: Not neo-soul, not urban, and not contemporary R&B, the Next Movement is authentic R&B akin to such legendary Motown units as the Temptations and the Four Tops. Chock-full of tight arrangements, fat horns and flawless harmonies, the group is a live act not to be missed tonight at Muckleshoot Casino’s Club Galaxy.

LINK: ViVA South Sound arts and entertainment guide
LINK: Live music and DJs tonight

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

redress \rih-DRES\, transitive verb:
1. To put in order again; to set right; to emend; to revise.
2. To set right, as a wrong; to repair, as an injury; to make amends for; to remedy; to relieve from.
3. To make amends or compensation to; to relieve of anything unjust or oppressive; to bestow relief upon.
4. The act of redressing; a making right; reformation; correction; amendment.
5. A setting right, as of wrong, injury, or oppression; as, the redress of grievances; hence, relief; remedy; reparation; indemnification.

USAGE EXAMPLE: After thinking long and hard about the situation, Dom DeLuise decided to redress the situation, and replace the gallon of mayonnaise he’d made off with.

MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: Recess is back

OLYMPIA: Health care shortage and the impact

SEATTLE: Deadly morning crash

UNITED STATES: McCain chooses Alaska Governor as running mate

ENVIRONMENT: How green is McCain's VP pick?

JUST BIZARRE:Live neutering

MORE STRANGE NEWS: Not exactly Betty Crocker

THINGS TO DO TODAY
FILM LISTINGS: Look here
MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening
SHOOT THE SHIT: Weekly Volcano forums

LINK: Frost Park Chalk Off No. 21
LINK: The Red Hot

DANIEL BLUE: MEET JEREMY WEBSTER >>>

Jeremy Webster is the best Guitar Hero player I have ever seen.  Most Guitar Hero players aren't proficient on the actual instrument, but Jeremy plays the funky base like it was a woman - a ticklish screaming woman, scream screaming the blues. 

Jeremy lives on his own in Tacoma with no help from anyone.  He is a paper machine cutter by day, band member by night.

We actually grew up down the street from each other. My cousin Zac lived around the corner and we would compete for Zac's guitar prowess, each of us trying to monopolize him into our own project. 

In 1993 Zac and Jeremy produced a song called "Monster Cookie Land" and I knew it was over for me.  Jeremy and I became friends much later through mutual connections in the Auburn area. 

Generous as a beaver, he acquired my first cell phone then he put me on his family plan.  I still owe him money.

LINK: The Tacoma Files archive

MATT DRISCOLL: WORRIED WELL >>>

Today is my first day back at the office after a weeklong vacation. I’d say it was well deserved vacation, but that makes me sound a little full of myself. Besides, who the hell cares whether I deserved it or not? The fact is I was gone, and now I’m back â€" meaning it’s time for my fingers to start pounding the keys again. That’s exactly my plan.

Just because I’ve been gone for a week doesn’t mean anything has changed. Ken Swarner’s South Sound sandwich expose â€" which you can find on the cover of the newest WV â€" is the stuff of Pulitzers (or at least severe indigestion). Bobble Tiki already smells like cheap scotch.  And for the last few hours I’ve been digging into Worried Well, the newest full length from Portland’s 31 Knots.  The band will play Hell’s Kitchen on Thursday, Sept 11. 

If you’ve never heard of 31 Knots, or just haven’t heard their music, do yourself a favor and find out what you’ve been missing. This band is one-of-a-kind, and their sonic collages are as good as it gets. No joke.

Check out my review of their latest release, Worried Well, here.

MARILYN STRICKLAND: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, AUG. 29, 10 A.M. >>>

Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field was a big event.  Big in every sense of the word.  The big venue held 84,000 people.  Expectations weren't just mile high.  They were five miles high.  It was a significant moment in history.  The world was watching.  Political heavy hitters and celebrities galore were present.  The event took place on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.  Obama handled his business with a performance that was moving, specific in detail, and a show of strength.  He shared his vision, outed the opposition and took them to task about personal attacks on his patriotism and integrity.  He challenged his opponent to debates about foreign policy and national security.  He looked like a commander in chief - a true statesman.  He made us feel hopeful about the future and emphasized that we all have a role in improving it.

This event, however, wasn't  just about politics.  It was a celebration and our state delegation fulfilled its responsibility with honors.  We turned our aisle into a makeshift dance floor.  Gov. Chris Gregoire, Congressmen Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott, and Sen. Rosa Franklin joined the party.  Spike Lee stopped by and grooved with us for a minute. Bill Richardson and Al Gore gave stirring speeches laced with wit.  Why do former presidential candidates become stellar speakers AFTER they stop running for office?

What a great evening.

A dear friend of mine who lives in New York is not a fan of the Democratic Party. He is a Republican turned Independent.  Just after Obama's speech, he sent me a text message and said that this is a proud moment for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation. CNN contributor and former Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchannan was gushing about Obama's speech and called it the best convention speech he's heard by a presidential nominee.  Our country may be divided when it comes to some issues, but for one night, most of us stood together to witness history and progress.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience at the convention.  It has been an honor to represent the 6th Congressional District of our state and a bigger honor to represent Tacoma.

Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland is blogging the Democratic National Convention for the Weekly Volcano. She is an Obama delegate.

LINK: Democratic National Convention
LINK: Tacoma at the DNC