So you see a pair of sneakers hanging from a wire overhead. Elsewhere in town, you see the same scene. What does it mean, if anything?

You get an excited e-mail claiming that people in France are doing something horrible to dogs. Or that caimans have been released to Capitol Lake, and that local law enforcement is trying to hush this fact up. What to do?

You can google the hell out of what information you have. An urban legends site is worth checking also, Snopes.com is good for this, they even have a page on "The Secret Language of Sneakers".

Nothing yet though on local caimans, which is to be expected.

The Nose, a column in Tacoma's News Tribune, has a provocative theory about why the U.S. Postal Service is planning to change its way of conducting business in Oly:

Not to feed all you conspiracy theorists out there, but ya think this might be part of a plot by the feds to shut down the tree-hugging, Bush-hating capital city and move everything north to T-Town?

Although, now that the brewery is closed, what's in it for us?

How would a harm reduction model apply to cigarette smoking here in Olympia?

I find it useful from time to time to shift my perception and think on how accessible my surroundings are, or are not. I encourage others to do the same.

I'm walking or rolling along a west side neighborhood sidewalk. Ahead of me is a huge buckled crack in the sidewalk. Fortunately it is painted with a strip of warning color, fortunately I know to watch my feet/wheels, so I have time to consider. If I'd been enjoying the color of autumn leaves overhead too much, I might be crashed out on the ground by now. Can I get over that cracked sidewalk? If not, is there a useful detour?

I'm downtown. Maybe I am blind and I use a cane. I'm stopped in my progress, I have figured out that ahead of me is a store signboard blocking my path. To my right is a fixed garbage can, behind me are people who seem unable to slow down. I hear a door opening to my left.

I want to go to a social justice group meeting. I search out the address and discover that it is on the second floor of a building, a building without a working elevator. The stairs are narrow and I'm not going to be able to get up them.

Yep, there is the blue disability access sticker on the door, so I should be able to get in here. But the automatic door opening button isn't working. Or it is positioned so only a contortionist can reach it.

It's a great place to shop, but trying to get through the aisles is murder. They are too narrow, often obstacles are on the floor, and other people tend to stand in groups for long conversations, blocking the way.

The office letterhead lists a TTY/TDD number, which is what I need to use, electronic device for folks who are deaf and those with hearing difficulties. The office advocates for people having difficulties with another agency. Yes, they have the number set up and it's on their letterhead, but no one in the office actually knows how to use it.

Imagine having different abilities. How accessible is your location right now?

I am even more confused by this recent article on the Olympia postmark.

Clint Burelson, president of the local postal union, has issued a press release concerning how service would be affected.

A choice comment on a Postal News (November 9) compilation of information on all this manages to blame TESC.

I noticed that a state agency here in Oly had way cool posters for various facets of their work. I learned that the posters were available to the public and I e-mailed my request, asking for a copy of the latest and also of anything from past they had available.

I got a remarkably friendly e-mail back, stating that the recent poster was in the mail to me, but that alas, various unnamed co-workers has several days prior thrown all the past posters away. My correspondent also wrote that I could come watch him shoot his co-workers at 3PM the next day if I wished.

I e-mailed back and suggested that my correspondent teach his fellow workers the meaning of the word "ephemera" . This was meant as a jest, idea being that if the workers only knew how ephemera can become quite valuable and desired, perhaps they wouldn't be so quick to toss things.

I assumed that this was the end of the e-mail correspondence. But I got yet another e-mail today, the state worker wrote that it had taken 10 minutes to find out what that word "ephemera" really means, and that "it's a pretty good word!!!". Also with the news that enough yelling had happened that probably the co-workers would keep their mitts off of collections of past printed material.

I see this all as a mostly win win situation. I'll get my poster, a state worker learned a valuable word, and perhaps my new found appreciation for the ephemera of life has been shared.

I encourage everyone to read a great book, Rare Bird, Pursuing the Marbled Murrelet, by Maria Mudd Ruth. Locally, marbled murrelets have been seen out at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Anyone seen one there or elsewhere?

As an incentive to get everyone to read this book, here are the common nicknames for the bird, listed by the author: "fog lark, dip chick, buzz bomb, Australian hummingbird, kiss-me-ass bird, and little hell diver.". What's not to love in a bird like that?

Don Brunell, president of the Association of Washington Business, (Washington state's chamber of commerce), thinks so, at least when it comes to a proposed community values ordinance.

Article is also interesting because of word choices, Don definitely has a distinct point of view here.

I found the article through Tidepool, news for Salmon Nation.

I am a rank beginner at much of this web stuff. Steep learning curve, rank beginner, plus a learning style that consists of poking at things repeatedly til something happens........still, I think I have figured this out.

w.bloggar is software for Windows (info listed for other MacOS and Linux options), free, provides editor and post ability to blogs. Drupal has a page on how to post and edit content with w.bloggar.

I grew up with J.P Patches & Friends, as did many children in the N.W. His website is well worth the visit.