Upon meeting Rainier Chamber member Linh Thai, one could describe him as a tall, athletic and confident man. Perhaps he is only average height (or I am short), but his confidence and can-do attitude give him a few extra inches. He's an interesting man with a no-nonsense approach to life, happiness, and responsibility - both personally and socially.Ask Thai about his daughter and wife, and his smiling expression reveals his loving and respectful feelings. Ask him about the Rainier Valley and his countenance reveals a determination that has to be admired. Don't try thwarting his dreams for the Valley because you are wasting your time.
Remember the good, old days when you were viewed as the epitome of All-Knowingness? There was nothing that the dear ones would ask that you couldn't answer. You weren't certain you were totally accurate, but such a thought never occurred to your children. It was a great ego-booster until it slowly faded as children grew older and your infallibility was proved to be rather fallible.
Earlier this month, the Port of Seattle, BNSF Railway and King County took extraordinary action that will enhance our region's quality of life for generations to come. An agreement has been reached that will turn the Eastside Rail Corridor into one of the nation's premier trails and preserve its potential as a future transportation corridor. I am proud to say the revised proposal includes the county's continued ownership and operation of King County International Airport, also known as Boeing Field.
Norman Mailer died the other day at 84. Anyone who followed his career, public as well as literary, during his glory days from 1948 to, say, 1978 and then lost track of him, was probably surprised at the news of his late death. "Mailer? I thought he died a long time ago." In addition to being an absolutely compelling, unique and groundbreaking writer, Mailer lived his life in public on a grand scale.
Enough a'ready with the Tofurkey!I don't mean to be churlish, but why do vegetarians, and vegans, try to make their food look and taste like meat if they abhor meat? That would be like me saying I hate the idea of eating small children, and then molding my food to look like babies.
s of anti-war protests at the Port of Olympia. The coverage in Seattle's dailies - mostly wire copy and stenography from Olympia police - wasn't very enlightening. But the local paper, The Olympian, more or less accidentally hit a real interesting issue in one of its stories: "The decision by Olympia Port Militarization Resistance to block military equipment used in Iraq from returning to Fort Lewis reflects a heightened level of frustration with the war and the growing role of the group's younger voices, members say.... Local protesters say they have exhausted viable options. They say port commissioners aren't listening and that Congress isn't listening." Ya think?
By now, most of you already have pulled the shrinkwrap off the ol' Butterball and are just about to slide it into the oven. While I can't ever remember having anything but a prepackaged turkey, others can. Just the mention of a fresh turkey calls for a retelling of the tale of "Angelo vs. The Turkey."
Times are good for the city of Seattle, but good for whom? is the question. Last week the city council gave preliminary approval to a $926 million budget slated for final approval Nov. 19. Due to strong revenue growth from sales and business-and-occupation taxes, the council got to work with a surplus of more than $35 million over last year. Almost one third of the budget will be poured downtown to provide the infrastructure needed to add the equivalent of 12 Columbia towers worth of new high-rise office space over the next 15 years.
A time for football, family, food, and even some life lessons, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Starting around the third grade, the day's celebration began with a morning tackle football game. Then, the remainder of this carefree holiday was spent with family eating and watching football on TV. During a recent trip to my hometown of Syracuse, N.Y., by chance I ran into an opponent of an infamous game played close to four decades ago.
Last week, scores of people were arrested in a series of anti-war protests at the Port of Olympia. The coverage in Seattle's dailies - mostly wire copy and stenography from Olympia police - wasn't very enlightening. But the local paper, The Olympian, more or less accidentally hit a really interesting issue in one of its stories:,br> "The decision by Olympia Port Militarization Resistance to block military equipment used in Iraq from returning to Fort Lewis reflects a heightened level of frustration with the war and the growing role of the group's younger voices, members say... Local protesters say they have exhausted viable options. They say port commissioners aren't listening and that Congress isn't listening." Ya think?
To the editor: Ted Schroth's memos and press releases about the Odd Fellows building speak of retaining the original charm the Odd Fellows intended. I think even the Odd Fellows organization, to say nothing of the thousands of people annually who come in to the building to attend shows, take classes, dance, rehearse and conduct business, would agree that what takes place inside the building is more essential to the "original charm" intended than any architectural details ever could be.
It's not uncommon to hear people claim that the holidays can bring out the best and the worst in us. Probably like you, I've compiled a series of rituals, rules and words-to-live-by that help me survive each gift-giving season. Ultimately, I want to turn that conventional wisdom on its head - I want to bring the best out of the holidays.
Last week, scores of people were arrested in a series of anti-war protests at the Port of Olympia. The coverage in Seattle's dailies - mostly wire copy and stenography from Olympia police - wasn't very enlightening. But the local paper, The Olympian, more or less accidentally hit upon a really interesting issue in one of its stories: "The decision by Olympia Port Militarization Resistance to block military equipment used in Iraq from returning to Fort Lewis reflects a heightened level of frustration with the war and the growing role of the group's younger voices, members say... Local protesters say they have exhausted viable options. They say port commissioners aren't listening and that Congress isn't listening." Ya think?
It's hard to get a lot of excitement up for off-year elections. There's little hype, with the races not being highlighted by well-funded candidates and a year-long campaign cycle. These elections, however, can play a role in seeing what direction the electorate is leaning, politically speaking.
Starting in the '40s, the little dock at the end of Madison Street was home ground for those of us who dove for coins thrown by passengers on the Kirkland ferry. The divers were kids from Madison Park, Capitol Hill and beyond. Most of us were young and slight, 11 or 12 years old, but the ones from Capitol Hill were known as the "big buys"-teenagers almost fully grown.