Perceived obstacles are often hidden opportunities. Take the case of fluctuating gas prices. With global oil production projected to peak before 2010 and oil demand soaring with China and India's expanding economies, clearly the days of cheap oil are fleeting with the depletion of this finite resource. Herein lies our chance to prosper from the impending gas crisis. Although the car has been the dominant mode of transportation, active commuting alternatives such as walking and bicycling could be viable substitutes while simultaneously providing an array of individual and societal benefits. An American Journal of Public Health study substantiates the feasibility of active commuting when it found that 41 percent of car trips were less than two miles while 28 percent were less than a mile. Since leisurely walkers can cover a mile in less than 20 minutes and plodding bicyclists well under 10, active commuting could conceivably replace many car trips. From a health perspective, walking and biking address numerous medical ailments including heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
A steady stream of eager shoppers turned out for Georgetown's annual artwalk and holiday sale, held on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3-4, along Airport Way South . Above, patrons browse the creations in one of the dozens of galleries that have flourished in recent years in the historic neighborhood's formerly industrialized business core. At left, painter, muralist and sculptor Nancy "Stevie" Peacock holds up a painting of hers for a prospective buyer to get a better look.
Before the first hard frost and strong winds of winter hit Seattle, thick piles of orange and yellow leaves made the streets of the Central Area radiant. Inside the Central Area Senior Center, the energy level was equally vibrant. "Let's Talk," a weekly dialogue between some of the center's members on a diverse range of topics, was just getting under way. The senior citizens arranged their chairs in a circle, silhouetted against a panoramic view of Mount Rainier and Lake Washington. In light of the center's current financial struggle, the topic for the morning was highly personal: Why is this center important to the community and to your life?
This year, I'll face the month of December abiding by the words "less is more." Despite umpteen years of over-optimizing the holidays, and over-spending and over-committing, I'm redefining the season on my own terms.Even though I question my ability to learn from certain past mistakes, fearing I possess the habit compulsion Freud spoke of, I like to think that when it comes to dealing with holiday pressures, I've gained a certain perspective over the years. As a writer, I know that many words are nonessential, that the meaning of a story is not lost in the editing, but more clearly revealed. I'll apply the same riddance to Christmas, even when confronted with my family's expectations as well as my own need to make life as creative as my work.Here is a list of what I'll be cutting this year like unneeded adverbs:
Christmas Eve for Polonians (a.k.a. persons of Polish descent) is called Wigilia. My parents spoke the word, but never explained its Polish etymology.I recall asking my dad: "Why does our family always open gifts on Christmas Eve, when all my buddies do it on Christmas Day?" His answer was predictable. "It's our tradition!"We had many traditions, but I loved our Christmases the best.The Latin origins of the word Wigilia are the same as those of the English word "vigil," which means keeping watch in expectation of something. Of course, what the Christian world awaits on Dec. 24 is the birth of Jesus, the Christ Child.On Christmas Eve, it is customary for Catholics to attend a Midnight Mass. When I was young, the entire parish seemed to attend. I loved the Mass, and always served as an altar boy, carrying the cross in the processions.In many regions of Poland, Christmas is usually referred to as Gwiazdka, or "little star." It is the appearance of the first star in the eastern sky that Polish children await most eagerly on Christmas Eve. This evocation of the Star of Bethlehem signals the commencement of Wigilia festivities. The epicurean delights begin with the sharing of the opatek, or what we called "holy bread," which looked and felt like a Communion wafer.
For the past five years, I've watched as the Bush administration and the Republican-led Congress have turned our nation into a bullying, marauding, dysfunctional and mean-spirited oligarchy.I've watched the rich not just get richer, but obscenely richer.I've watched the rolls of American citizens without medical insurance rise by millions.I've watched thousands of jobs move overseas, even as our government tries to reduce unemployment benefits.I've watched the evening news count the American dead in an ill-conceived, and possibly illegal, invasion of Iraq, even as the Bush administration reduces benefits to our veterans.I've watched the Republicans push the Patriot Act through Congress, an act that dismantles many of the protections that have defined the separation between our democracy and the totalitarian governments we so often purport to oppose.And now we hear rumors of CIA-sponsored prisons around the world, where we may be holding, and possibly torturing, prisoners who have yet to be charged with a crime. There's a prison in Cuba where the United States has been holding hundreds of people we've labeled as "enemy combatants," again without charges, legal representation or having gone to trial. We simply hold them against their will, apparently for as long as George Bush, Condoleeza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld deem necessary.And we call Fidel a tyrant.
I just finished my 10th read of "Dispatches," Michael Herr's mid-'70s memoir of Vietnam.To my mind, "Dis-patches" is the best memoir ever written about war, any war.Herr cap-tured the insanity, bru-tality and the weird exhila-ration of combat that vets who've been under fire sometimes talk about as if were a dirty secret.The reading was timely because history is repeating itself again."Dispatches" is full of incidents where generals and visiting politicians tell the gullible American public, "We are winning the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese," speeches which Herr, who was on the ground and in combat, shows immediately to be misguided or, worse, blatantly dishonest.I thought of all this after Pinhead's recent speech, the one in which he claimed that Iraqi troops had led and won some big battle in a little Iraq town.CNN juxtaposed Pinhead's speech with a live report from Time maga-zine's Baghdad bureau chief, Michael Ware, who had been in the battle Bush talked about.Ware laughed out loud when Pin-head's comments were played for him.The correspondent then went on to say that the battle had been planned by Americans and led by Special Forces "advisors" (Green Berets).If you were alive and awake during Vietnam, this all sounds deadly familiar to you.
Last Friday, in spite of the drizzly cold rain, throngs of people were out walking Queen Anne Avenue and becoming part of the 12th Annual Holiday Magic evening festivities. It was a grand parade of strollers, musicians, lights, dogs and just a fine and mighty traffic jam. Woe to the drivers - they were outnumbered and outfoxed.For me it was so reminiscent of the passeggiata ritual that happens every evening except Sunday in Italy. Shortly after 5 p.m. people go out to shop, have a drink, or just walk and talk with friends. The shops do not close until 8 p.m., so the pacing is entirely different from here, where the shop either closes at 6 or remains open around the clock. There is a sense of leisure, even if your schedule is tight.
Jane Austen was born on Dec 16, 1775 - an auspicious date observed by the Jane Austen Society of North America. Our local chapter, the Jane Austen Society of Pu-get Sound, has celebrat-ed the birthday since its formation in 1994. In 1996 we observed the occasion at the gov-ernor's mansion in Olympia, at the invitation of Mrs. Mary Lowry, the First Lady of Washington at the time. Mrs. Lowry had a great interest in the works of Jane Austen and became a member of our local chapter. Tea was served in the state dining room to 75 JSA members elegantly attired in Regency costumes - a most impressive formal function followed by an interesting program. Jane would have approved.She was born at the Steventon Rectory, near Basingstoke in Hampshire. Her father was the vicar of Steventon, and Jane was the seventh of eight children. By all accounts, the Austens were a happy and loving family, with Jane and her elder sister Cassandra particularly devoted to each other. When Jane was 6, she and Cassandra were sent to boarding schools in Oxford, Southampton and Redding. Once she turned 11 she was educated at home, probably by her father. A fellow of St. John's College in Oxford, he possessed an extensive library and encouraged his daughter to read widely. From around the age of 12, Jane was continually writing sketches and stories.
Editor's note: This is the second in a two-part series about the 50th anniversary celebration for the Ballard Locks in July 1967, as recalled by Magnolia resident and amateur historian Robert Kildall. To read the first installment (Magnolia News, Nov. 30), visit the paper on-line at www.MagnoliaNews.net.Hearing that Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson was coming to the 50th-anniversary celebration for the Ballard Locks on July 4, 1967, Seattle then-Mayor Norm Braman decided he could attend after all.Brig. Gen. Elmer P. Yates, from the North Pacific Division Engineers from Oregon, would come to represent the Army Corp of Engineers. Maj. Gen. C. J. Quilter, of the 3rd United States Marine Air Wing from California, would come to speak. Also, the 29 Palms U.S. Marine Band would come from Toro Marine Base, Calif.By July 4 everything was in order. Back in 1917, sea vessel the Roosevelt, which had been Rear Adm. Robert E. Peary's ship on his 1908-09 North Pole expedition, headed the parade. This time the leader was the Enterprise Jr., a model of the aircraft carrier stationed off Vietnam.
The Seattle Animal Shelter in Interbay played host to Santa Claws (sic) and also photographer Winnie Westergard (at right in photo below) last Saturday. Animals already well supplied with shelter could be brought in to pose with the North Pole guy and have the occasion memorialized. Santa was a volunteer; so was Westergard.
"We are all One," says Andrea Maki, "in different packages." In keeping with this belief, Maki has produced a 2006 calendar entitled "In the Spirit of One," which cele-brates the beauty of wild horses and draws attention to their plight.The word "spirit" has a double meaning to Maki. Besides the obvious meaning, it is the name of the star of the 2002 Dreamworks film, "Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron." When the film was completed, Spirit was taken to Return to Freedom, a wild horse sanctuary in Lompoc, Calif., run by Neda DeMayo. About 220 wild horses run free on the sanctuary's 300 acres. No attempt is made to tame them.Maki visited the sanctuary and photographed the horses, including Spirit. She did not photograph them from afar, but stood in their thundering midst. She was thrilled by that experience, and she was not frightened. "I smiled so much my face hurt," she recalls.
Although there are scores of wine connoisseurs in the Queen Anne area, few are blessed with cavernous, underground cellars to house their favorite vintages. Acting on this scarcity, Gary Gudgel decided to open Elliott Avenue Wine Storage. The business is conveniently located for owners of older homes in Queen Anne whose configurations don't lend themselves well to wine storage, as well as to the multitude of apartment and condo dwellers in Queen Anne and Belltown who may not have the space or resources available for wine cellars. Gudgel estimates that 95 percent of his clientele live in the surrounding area which includes Interbay, Magnolia and Ballard.Not only were the demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods ideal for Gudgel's venture, but the structure he had in mind was perfectly suited as well. Tucked underneath the space inhabited by Downtown Dog Lounge, the facility has concrete walls and ceilings, and the portion occupied by the wine storage is below ground level.
At a price tag of $178 million, fixing up the Magnolia Bridge would be almost as expensive as replacing it, according to current Seattle Department of Transportation estimates. And the newly released rehab price doesn't include the ongoing costs of maintenance work needed because the bridge wouldn't be new, said project manager Kirk Jones. As a potentially cheaper option, rehabilitating the aging and damaged span was included in the mix of alternatives earlier this year after the price of three replacement options ballooned to around $200 million each from 2002 estimates of $100 million to $130 million, SDOT director Grace Crunican said at the time.The replacement figures have been refined since earlier this year as well. At a cost of $196 million, Alternative A would see the bridge replaced just to the south of the existing one. Alternative C, at an estimated $214 million, would include a combination of bridge ramps and - at the north end of Interbay - surface roads. Alternative D would cost $213 million and would see the construction of a new bridge that would arch north roughly 500 feet from the existing bridge but keep its existing connections at 15th Avenue West and Magnolia.
The controversial, 39-home Cluster Housing project proposed for the site of the former Briarcliff Elementary School in Magnolia needs some adjustment, according to an October ruling by a city hearing examiner."It's back to the drawing board in a way, but a minor way," said Greg Cotter from the Magnolia Action Group (MAG), which is made up of neighborhood residents who oppose the project. The ruling does not change the number of homes planned for the luxury-housing development, he conceded.What has changed are the required setbacks off West Dravus Street as well as the lot coverage for the entire project, said Alan Justad, a spokesman for the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), which OKd the project earlier this year. Standards for setbacks off West Dravus are 20 feet, he said. "Those must be met," Justad added. "That wasn't in the original plans."