Vancouver woman's photography gains exposure
5:11pm Thursday, November 5, 2009

In Friday's Life section, we have an item about Heather Parsons of Vancouver whose photograph of the Glastonbury Tor will be part of an exhibit at 100th Monkey Studio in Portland, which opens on Friday.
Heather, 32, got our attention when she sent us a press release with the following headline: "Local blind photographer selected to display art in Portland gallery."
Heather suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive eye disease that eventually will leave her with extreme tunnel vision. She learned she had the disease in 2006 and it prompted her to get serious about her photography.
Getting her photo into a gallery exhibit was just one of her recent victories. Another was landing on the radar of a local gift store owner. Christina "Merceydez" Duncan, who owns Something Blue Gifts, agreed to sell Heather's work starting in January of 2010. Details of the line are still being worked out, but it will likely include items such as postcards. The photographs will be of places in the Northwest. Duncan's store is at 6101 N.E. St Johns Road in Vancouver.
To learn more about Heather check out her portfolio. To read more about Heather make sure to check the Bits 'n' Pieces column in Friday's Life section.
-- Elisa Williams


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Vancouver comic book company draws Brits' ire
12:41pm Wednesday, November 4, 2009
By Erin Middlewood

Darren G. Davis, president of the Vancouver-based Bluewater Productions, is puzzled about the controversy generated by the comic book company's "Female Force: Princess Diana" biography.
The title has been out since this summer, but citizens of the United Kingdom became agitated about it only lately. Davis, 40, said he was recently interviewed by the BBC.
"The Sun," a UK newspaper, posted an article Nov. 2 about the comic, generating heated comments. An example: "The vultures descend where there's easy money to be made."
PerezHilton.com also highlighted the comic book, calling it "controversial." A commenter wrote, "That is such a vulgar idea …. not cool at all."
Davis is befuddled.
"I still don't understand what the controversy is," he said. "It is the most beige of all the comics we've done."
Some of the offended are promoting a boycott of Bluewater.
"I'm proud to be boycotted," Davis said. "It shows we've made it."


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Enter to win tickets to "Twilight: New Moon's" Los Angeles premiere
2:49pm Monday, November 2, 2009
By Mary Ann Albright

Nordstrom is offering an online sweepstakes with the grand prize being two tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" on Nov. 16.
The winner also will receive airfare, hotel accommodations, car service and personal styling. The sweepstakes ends Nov. 2 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, 8:59 p.m. Pacific time. No purchase is necessary to enter.


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Retired g-man fires real bullets
11:14am Monday, November 2, 2009
By Erin Middlewood

I bumped into Bob Higbie at a coffee shop the other day. Higbie, a 61-year-old Vancouver resident, retired from Clark County's long-range planning department in 2007. I used to talk to him a lot when I covered county government, but I haven't seen him for a while. I asked him what he has been up to since retiring. He mentioned golfing, and then said he had returned from the United States Practical Shooting Association Handgun Nationals in Las Vegas.
At first I was surprised. Then I vaguely remembered one of Higbie's coworkers joking to me that I had better be nice to him or he'd shoot me.
Higbie's unusual hobby seemed like fodder for our Bits 'n Pieces column, so I wrote it up.
If you're having trouble picturing what these shooting contests are like, here's footage of Higbie in competition posted on You Tube.


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Home ec lives on as family and consumer science
12:01am Saturday, October 31, 2009
By Erin Middlewood

Home ec classes are getting a little more respect these days. As families look to cut costs in a down economy, they see the value in having their children learn to cook frugal meals at home. Read more about the resurgence of home economics, now called family and consumer science, in my story in Sunday's Life section.
Former students of Deborah Gage, who teaches creative cookery class at Battle Ground High School, tell her that this Italian frittata recipe she teaches in class is especially useful:




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