Detroit has General Motors. Our neighbors to the north have Boeing. We Tacoma-ites have Brown & Haley, manufacturers of that heavenly canister of candy known as Almond Roca. And now, they’ve sweetened the deal with a new offering: Roca Buttercrunch Thins. These candy sticks come in four chocolate flavors: milk chocolate butter toffee, dark chocolate butter toffee, milk chocolate caramel and dark chocolate truffle. Brown & Haley CEO Pierson Clair (quoted in the Tacoma News-Tribune) says, “when you bite into a thin you taste the coating of chocolate and then the buttercrunch just squishes in your mouth for a pop of butter flavor.” Those are the words of a corporate chief who loves his job. (He should – he’s been at it for 41 years.) Take a good, mouthwatering look at the new confection here.

–James

In the seafaring Japanese culture, fish occupy a central place as cultural markers, symbols and sources of inspiration. Blown glass artist Hiroshi Yamano takes all of that a step further, appropriating the fish as an alter ego. Says the artist, “My works come from all my experiences. The memories I have from my experiences are my most important treasures. To keep finding my treasures, I have to keep swimming the world like a fish swimming in the waters.” He adds, poetically, “I am a fish who is always looking for something. I am a fish who cannot stop swimming until my body stops moving. Maybe I will swim forever, like the universe.” See his work on Floor 22.

–Dale

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that Pat Nagle was busy putting the finishing touches on his latest culinary endeavor. Well, the place finally opened and has been named Harmon Hub. They’ve got pizza, beer, mismatched chairs and a kids’ menu. Tacoma Mama, always on the alert for a scoop, was there on the restaurant’s first day of business. Read her report here at Tacoma Mama.

–James

The poetry world throughout Puget Sound rocked with enthusiasm, fury and vinegar as Urban Grace church named William Kupinse Tacoma’s first poet laureate. The competition was fierce, but eventually only one person could be duly appointed.

According to Kali Kucera, creative director at Urban Grace, Tacoma is the first mid-sized municipality north of San Francisco and west of Denver to recognize its own poet laureate, and the only city except San Francisco to base its poet laureate in residence at one of the city’s churches, not as is usual, within academia. (Thanks to the Tacoma Weekly for this info.) Congratulations, Mr. Kupinse!

–James

All too often, artists who work with historical models or with “antiquing” techniques, such as faux-distressed finishes, veer into pastiche and inauthenticity. It is as if they become mesmerized by the content of their artwork, be it 1950’s kitsch or Greek classicism, and lose their authorial control. Peter Powning does not have that problem. Take a look at this vase. Here’s how Peter describes his work with his kilned-glass pieces. “My work is meant to have the feel of the artifact. An emotional artifact made solid. A cultural artifact from some future/past, reconstructed or guessed at. Some parts original, some new, others assumed.” What makes such work legitimate? The clear-headed purposefulness behind it all. He suggests that ideas that characterize might include, “falling apart, pulling myself together, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, cultural fragmentation, the beauty of the spirit that has been tried and survived.” A lot of feeling goes into his work, and it is that emotional clarity that makes his worth both credible and incredible. You’ll find him on the 22nd floor.

–Dale

Looking to get a glimpse of Tacoma through the eyes of tourists past? The easiest way to do this is to browse the Tacoma Public Library’s collection of over 3,000 postcards boosting attractions of bygone years at the library’s website. The database is very user-friendly. Just try searching on keywords “Hotel” and “Point Defiance Park” for starters and then make up your own from there. Or take a look at the various categories. Here’s one that I thought was kind of cute.

–Dale

Coffeehouses, brewpubs and other watering holes will soon be making room in their liquid ecosystem for another drinkery. Exit 133 recently broke the news that an application for a liquor license has been submitted for Cork! A Wine Bar at 3012 6th Ave. Bottoms up!

–James

“I am creating compositions to make people aware once more of these inchoate things we have in common.” So says Masayo Odahashi. This Japanese artist’s kilned-glass works often feature delicate figurines whose inner luster is cloaked in a rice paper-like fragility. In one exhibit, Odahashi says that “you will find glass that fills a vessel or body and faintly shines some light through cracks and peeled away portions on the surface of that body, as if to indicate what exists within.” Want to see what Odahashi means? Take a detour (or book a room!) On the 21st floor.

– Dale

Wi-Fi is as essential to a cafe’s survival as cream and sugar. Numerous local cafes and eateries around town help you stay connected to the Internet via a free wireless Internet connection. Here’s a great map, courtesy of the News Tribune that can help you find one nearest you. If your favorite spot is not on the map, an easy mechanism allows you to add it. Judging by the number of laptops flipped open on those café tables, I’d say that the blogosphere (including this site’s contribution to it) wouldn’t be nearly the phenomenon it is without these caffeine-fueled literary havens.

– James

You might recall that last September, we caught the Murano glass show at the Travers gallery and had some nice things to say about local hero Lino Tagliapietra. Well, if you didn’t get enough of his work then, you should stop in at the Museum of Glass. On March 29, they opened a new exhibit honoring Tagliapietra called “Living Legacies: Homage to a Maestro.” Well deserved kudos to a true visionary.

– Dale