Temperatures are climbing, so we're all thinking of the summer heat and trying to find ways to stay cool. One of the coolest summer stories I know tells of the invention of Popsicles, more than 100 years ago. The making of a cool treatLet's turn the clock back to 1905 and meet Frank Epperson, an 11-year-old boy living in San Francisco. Frank was an inquisitive child, always mixing things together and wondering what would happen. In those days, what we call "soft drinks" today were personal creations. Boys and girls would buy flavored powders and bubbly soda-fountain water and then mix them together. Well, one evening not long after Christmas, Frank was mixing away, combining flavors in search of a wild, new blend to wow his friends with the following day. But the evening had gotten late, and Mrs. Epperson said that enough mixing had been done for one day. Frank left his newest mixture on the windowsill and went to bed. That night a rare, cold front from the Arctic dropped down into California, sending temperatures into the freezing zone. No one is quite sure who, but someone hurriedly shut the window, leaving William's new mixture and his stirring stick outside on the ledge. The next morning, Frank rushed to the window and found that the fruit-flavored liquid had frozen completely. When he removed the glass using warm water, he found he could handle the ice-cold treat easily by holding the stick, which also had frozen upright in the now-solid liquid.
I've got an appointment with a dental chair and some very sharp, pointy, metal things this morning. I'm not looking forward to this experience because I have a healthy fear of all things painful. This activity ranks very high on my pain meter. I mentioned to the dentist that I would like to have nitrous oxide while having my teeth cleaned. He blinked. Then blinked again. "But cleanings aren't painful - just uncomfortable at times," he said. "I'm sorry, but I subscribe to 'Medical Terminology for Dummies' and have the great tome 'How to Understand Your Doctor's Secret Code.' So I know for a fact that when you say something 'may be uncomfortable,' or 'You may feel a little discomfort,' or my all-time favorite, 'This might pinch a little,' I'm aware of the fact that in the next couple of seconds I'll be trying to leap from my chair to smack you repeatedly about the head and shoulders with your own dental drills."His eyes went wide, and he apparently lost the ability to communicate in a manner in which others could understand him. There were some hemmings and hawings, and his eyebrows were raised up over his eyes. The warning signsI've been there. I know what goes on. This is why I haven't been there since I lost my last baby tooth. My Pain Avoidance System is in full operational order. Today, though, I am letting my guard down and allowing strangers to probe and poke me in places that I feel should generally remain unprobed and unpoked.
People don't have any place to abuse," Ken Phillips Sr., president of U-Park Systems, explained about parking in Fremont. Most Seattle neighborhoods have "accessory" lots - bank, grocery store or mini-mall parking - that drivers borrow while shopping the neighborhood. Outside of Downtown Seattle and SODO, only Fremont and the University District have any significant numbers of commercial parking lots."Nobody likes to pay to park," Shawn Potts, general manager at U-Park, admitted, "but it is a convenience." A convenience we may pay more for soon. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has proposed a 10-percent parking tax on pay lots to generate revenue for backlogged road repairs and improvements. While we must maintain our roads, Ken calls a tax on only the few companies operating commercial, fee-charging lots "ill-conceived."On Monday, July 17, the Seattle City Council will vote on the mayor's proposed tax package, which also includes an increase of property taxes and an employee head tax (a fee per employee.) Taxes to pay for road work must relate to road usage, but do all those who drive our roads pay parking fees?Shawn and Ken suggest examining other options, like pay stations (once called parking meters) installed more liberally throughout the city. They also suggest the mayor take another look at taxing all commercial parking spaces, including those provided by malls. Buses, trucks and taxis wouldn't share in this tax, but it would spread the cost more equitably among vehicles that park.
Plans have been firmed up for expanding and improving the run-down garbage-transfer station in Wallingford, according to Seattle Public Utilities. The $40 million project still needs city approval, but the plan eliminates any hope the facility could be shut down and moved elsewhere, as some would like. However, SPU also needs approval for setting up a $70 million truck-to-rail intermodal facility south of Georgetown, according to spokesperson Andy Ryan. It's a major component of the agency's proposed $160 million plan, which includes making $50 million worth of improvements to the existing South Park transfer station, he said.The search for an intermodel siteIdentified in the Solid Waste Facilities Master Plan, an intermodal site is necessary to handle an estimated 450,000 tons of trash a year and to reach the city goal of recycling 60 percent of the waste stream, according to Tim Croll, director of the solid-waste division at SPU.The city currently trucks down containers of trash and recyclables from the north and south transfer stations to a privately run South Seattle location. "Our idea is to do it all in the same location," he said. It would be more efficient for garbage trucks to unload into containers that will go directly onto the trains, Croll noted.
This Saturday, July 15, the Seattle Public Library system will open the doors to the newest branch to join the string of libraries in the Seattle area: the Northgate Library.The new library - along with a new community center and park area - will officially open with a plethora of activities for all to enjoy, including arts, crafts and various refreshments.Located directly across from Northgate Mall, it was the previous site of the old Bon Tire company, as well as a parking lot, a liquor store and a veterinary's office.Now, a 10,000-square-foot library, a 20,000-square-foot community center and a 1.67-acre park sit in its place, and the community couldn't be happier, according to Debra Westwood, the manager of the Northgate branch."We had a little library here before, for holds, and it was really busy. People really wanted to have their own library and are very excited for it to open," she said.A unique libraryThe nearly $6.7 million library is the 18th project completed through the Libraries for All building program, a $196.4 million measure that was approved by voters in 1998 to improve the library system.According to capital projects manager David Kunselman, the construction of the Northgate Library was "a long community process."The whole community took part in the construction of this library, community center and park, as far as how to build it and what they wanted to have here," Kunselman said.Kunselman also calls the architecture of this library "very unique. The biggest challenge was trying to create a library that was so urban, seeing as it faces a busy street and is around a lot of retail shops and a mall," he said.
With so many talented individuals and so many unique businesses, it's hard to select just a sample to share with you. This month I've decided to focus on unique businesses that I've always been curious about and some that I've just now learned about. Books4cars has been located in Columbia City for six years after moving here from the automotive capital, Detroit. This business offers specialty repair books for all cars, especially older model cars, trucks and motorcycles. Eighty percent of their business is via the internet. They sell and ship books as far away as Botswana and just about every other corner of the world. They have over 40,000 books in stock and most likely have what you need. What you might not know is that they also purchase automotive books. Books4cars has also become a tourist destination for some car aficionados. People stop in before they take their cruise to Alaska or take a break while they are at a convention in downtown Seattle - just to see what they have in stock.
Godfrey is having an amazing summer vacation, what with all of the walks he's been on and the fun fieldtrips he's taken with his buddies, not to mention all of the organized play dates and playgroups. In fact, his parents never have to worry about him wasting hours in front of the Play Station while they are at work, getting fat on junk food instead of running around outdoors. They never have to worry about picking him up from the park on time or who he hangs out with and whether they are a good influence on him. They don't even have to worry about not making it home from work in time to fix him dinner or stressing when they get stuck in traffic or they're running late.How's that, you ask? Do they use some super secret daycare or do they have great neighbors? Neither. You see, Godfrey is a dog and he has a dog walker to take care of him while his human parents are at work. Over 125,000 dogs reside in Seattle with estimates that one out of three households has one or more dogs. Dog walking is a booming industry with websites catering to the professionals and the people who want to utilize their services. In fact, one pet sitters group even hosts an annual national conference (in January it will be held at the Excaliber Hotel in Las Vegas). In the South End, Genesee Dog Park is a haven for dogwalkers and their furry, four-legged charges.
What Beth Abu-Haydar misses most about Lebanon, her homeland, is the light. "It is different than it is here," she says. "The sun is very bright and warm, but not stifling. You feel it and see it. It colors the environment - everything is a shade of yellow."In contrast to Beth's memories, pictures of Lebanon now show black, smoky clouds billowing up into a fiery red sky.Beth is heartbroken by the news from her homeland. "I'm really sad for the suffering on all sides," she says. After the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990, "Lebanon was rebuilding in a healthy way," she despairs, "but now the country's fragile democracy is shattered."If the U.S. is truly committed to promoting democracy in the world," she continues, "we shouldn't pick and choose which ones to support. If the U.S. had supported Lebanon, we wouldn't be here today."She elaborates on her political views, but ultimately, she is "beyond politics. The humanitarian thing is what matters to me," she says. Her life's work demonstrates that claim.
Meeting with Joyce Degenfelder can be a hair-raising experience - at least for Seattle Opera singers. Degenfelder has served as Seattle Opera's hair and makeup designer on all of its productions since Wagner's "Parsifal" in 2003. These days, Degenfelder is up to her eyebrows in wigs - 80 to be precise - in preparation for Seattle Opera's revival of its 1997 production of Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier." The color and style of the wigs are dictated by the setting of "Der Rosenkavalier," a romantic comedy that is also a rumination on time, in Vienna in the 1700s."If you were in a position of power at that time, you wore a white wig," Degenfelder said.Wigs with what Degenfelder calls "hard-edged fronts," which were used in Seattle Opera's 1997 production, would have been the norm during the period in which the opera is set. Degenfelder said set and costume designer Bruno Schwengl is calling for a softer look this time around."I think to the modern eye, it's a little too jarring to have the hard fronts, and it takes the audience out of the performance," Degenfelder said.At Schwengl's request, Degenfelder is also creating smaller hairpieces than those in the 1997 production. "The wigs [then] weren't as elaborate as they were in some other periods."The singers' own hair won't do the job, however, according to Degenfelder. A certain amount of volume that only a wig can provide is required to give the actors sufficient presence when they are onstage in the enormous space of an opera house.
With the passing of July, the countdown to Bumbershoot 2006 has reached a mere 30 days. So what's on the agenda for this year's bash?The musical portion of the festival will be highlighted by hip-hop sensation Kanye West, who is scheduled to take the main stage at 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 3. The former producer has become one of the most popular rappers around after two successful albums and a handful of Grammys. Yellowcard and local talents the Blue Scholars and Rocky Votolato will also be among the groups to play during the three days. Comedy will be well represented with a variety of humorous acts. David Cross, Todd Barry and Jon Benjamin will present their creation "Tinkle," and Comedy Central's Zack Galifianakis will also be in the house.
Before this summer, 13 year-old Catherine Palmer had only participated in school plays and other productions of little magnitude. But after three weeks packed full of rehearsals and instruction, she found herself stepping into quite a different arena with just a few more spectators in the audience - the main stage at the Seattle Children's Theater.Palmer is one of the many young people who participate in the SCT Drama School, which holds 192 summer classes and takes in around 2,200-2,500 registrations during that time. The school has been functioning since the mid-1970s. During the summer, there are seven performance programs which prepare kids for a production in the theater itself. Two hundred fifty-one students auditioned for the performance programs, but not all were selected to act in the plays. This year's group has performed or will perform "The Tempest," "All-of-a-Kind Family," "Speak," "The Crucible," "FOOTLOOSE," "Jungal-book" and "The Martian Chronicles."
THE RUNNERS17.27.65 Chris Charles; 17.53.58 Ben Sauvage; 19.31.72 Nick Kirschner; 20.03.25 Alex Johnson; 21.26.51 Stephen Tan; 21.42.05 Andrew Lyon; 21.58.75 David Phillips; 22.18.33 Benford Bennett; 22.24.37 Byron Thomas; 22.27.60 Greg Snyder; 22.28.37 Mike Hominda; 22.53.88 Everett Billingster; 22.54.27 Mark Kantor; 23.28.11 Jesse Baumgartner; 23.32.02 Keith Livingston; 23.57.84 Jonathan Bridge; 23.59.04 Scott Lawrence; 24.06.33 George Gullufsen; 24.06.96 Colin Schafer; 24.10.60 Wil Look; 24.13.12 Graham Garratt; 24.19.56 Roger Garratt; 24.21.54 Steven Albright; 24.33.72 Kerry Ash; 24.40.70 Alex Wright; 24.50.48 Celeste Ramberg; 24.57.61 Dale Rogerson; 24.58.34 Judy Fisher; 24.59.79 Scott Wakefield;
For the past two years, we have been reading about the School District's need to close schools to save money. I don't disagree with that; Seattle Public Schools has too many buildings supporting too few students. However, the district does not have an "overcapacity" situation in all neighborhoods. In fact, right here in Queen Anne and Magnolia, we have a shortage of school space that desperately needs correcting. So, in my mind, it is also time to open a school.I'm talking about the need for a high school in the Queen Anne/Magnolia area. Since the opening of the new Ballard High School, and the commensurate increase in the popularity of that school, students in our area have been largely excluded from being able to attend their closest high school. This is because Ballard fills up before the distance tiebreaker gets to our area. As a consequence, our students are shuttled to Ingraham, Franklin, Cleveland or even West Seattle. Many parents and students find these options unacceptable and either move out of our area or attend private schools. In fact, Magnolia/Queen Anne has the fewest high school students, 46 percent (as a percent of the total), attending Seattle Public Schools of any area in the city.So how do we rectify this situation at a time when the district is in financial difficulty?
Today, as I sat down to write a column on a different subject (the IRS getting rid of folks who audit rich people's taxes), I was distracted by the banner head-line on the front page of this morning's Seattle Times (July 27): Gay-marriage backers may be out of options!I am as puzzled by the flap over two men, or two women, getting married as I am by the folks who, after six years of George W., still refer to him as a conservative.I am even more puzzled that this is a big issue for straight people.Who cares who marries whom?Well, to be fair, Jeff Kemp, a second-string quarterback for a while in the NFL cares. Kemp, the president of something called Families Northwest, is quoted in the same newspaper as saying: "Every child has a birthright to a mother and father. The country needs that. The court recognized that."Kemp's quote shares a page with the story that a jury in Texas just found Andrea Yates, a good Christian woman who got a little off the track and drowned her five children because she was saving them from Satan, was found not guilty by reason of insanity at her second murder trial.According to the story, Yates could be released from jail relatively soon because she is "stable" on her meds.Now there's a gratifying addendum, purposely planned or not, by page editors over at Fairview Fanny.
Several readers wrote taking issue with last issue's story about Queen Anne Fire Station 20. Here are their views:Indelicate balanceSaw the article in the Queen Anne News today re: Fire Station 20 ("Vote split on Fire Station 20 in city council committee," July 26) ... expected a balanced viewpoint from you [Russ Zabel] as we discussed on the phone. Concerned Neighbors of Fire Station 20 have never said we think "just about anywhere else would be preferable to the current location"! We are very fact-based in our proposals for alternative sites that meet the explicit site selection criteria of this important public facility in our community.We have submitted those specific sites, along with our analysis to [City C]ouncil members. We are not waving our arms saying "NIMBY." What started as a small grassroots frustration tied to a violation of community process and the surprise of absolute, imminent condemnation of single-family homes in our residential neighborhood has now led to the reality that the research, supporting documentation and selection process for the location of a public-safety facility in our community is sorely lacking in pertinent supporting analysis. It was not our expectation to discover this. We were very surprised to see up-front quotes from the only public voice in support of the condemnation, the directly affected homeowner who has not been involved in our efforts and who has not reviewed materials prepared by the fire department and Fleets & Facilities Department and therefore without credible knowledge of whether due diligence has been made.