Traffic circles, those sometimes round, sometimes lozenge-shaped planters in the middle of intersections, are meant to slow down traffic in congested areas.Once the Seattle Department of Transportation agrees to the need for a traffic circle, it builds it to city specifications. If a neighbor or neighbors volunteer to maintain the circle, the city supplies plants and advice for maintaining a neighborhood green spot. If no one volunteers, the city covers it with asphalt.Dr. Murray Bennett volunteered. He has been maintaining the traffic circles at the intersections of Belmont Avenue East and East Harrison Street and Belmont Avenue East and East Thomas Street for three years.Bennett, who lives between the two circles, has a green thumb and a yen to garden. He bought his own plants, installed irrigation equipment and generally lavished care on the two circles, one of which even has a palm tree."It was a mess, and I like gardening," Bennett said of his decision to take responsibility for the two traffic circles. "I knew if I didn't water it, nobody would."Through his work on the circles he has met many people in the neighborhood who have also become involved, contributing money and labor for the ongoing work."It's mostly a hobby, I guess," he said. "It's how I got to know most of the people on the block."So it was no surprise that Bennett was devastated in late June when he discovered someone had vandalized the planters, sawing off trees and cutting off shrubs and flowers. He said people often take flowers, and sometimes will pull out a plant, but you get used to that."Usually it is drunks," Bennett said. "They're drunk, walking home from the bar, you expect that. You don't expect all of them [the plants] to come out. We think it was early in the morning the 29th of June," Bennett said. The damage was discovered about 7 a.m. by a neighbor who told Bennett. "They topped it all off and put it in a dumpster."
Max Savery's favorite food is pistachios. How does he describe these chewy green nuts with a sweet, exotic flavor?"Good."Max doesn't get too worked up one way or the other, and he appreciates it when others don't, either. He says he only gets mad "if someone does something annoying for a really, really long time," and he likes living on Queen Anne, which he has all his life, because "there are no hater people who yell at me."This fall, Max will enter eighth grade at McClure Middle School. Before middle school he attended Coe Elementary School all six years.Max was born on June 30, 1993, in Seattle's Swedish Medical Center. "Coming out, I got stuck somehow," he says. "I was coming out the wrong way. They had to vacuum me out."
City officials recently announced that the Panama Hotel has been designated a National Historic Landmark, the country's highest level of recognition for historic properties. Only 2,500 properties in the nation share this distinction.Located in Seattle's International District at 605 S. Main St., the Panama Hotel is nationally significant for its close association with Japanese immigration to the United States. Similar to other immigrant groups, the new arrivals from Japan reestablished and adapted Japanese practices in their new country. Built in 1910, the Panama Hotel was designed by Sabro Ozasa, one of the first Japanese-American architects of the time, and the first to practice in Seattle.The Panama Hotel houses the Hashidate Yu, a Japanese-style bathhouse, in the hotel's basement. This style of bathing was among the most significant traditional cultural practices brought to the United States by Japanese immigrants. At one time, there were hundreds of Japanese-style bathhouses in the western United States. Now, only two remain; the other is in Walnut Grove, Calif.
Family owned businesses in the Rainier Valley continue to hang on through all of life's changes. I've chosen a few local family owned businesses that have been excelling in the Rainier Valley. They each have their own unique story and are definitely worth our community support.Burdick's Security was established in 1959 by Daryl Burdick. He began his small business like many other entrepreneurs, working from his home. The business started to grow and the Burdick's moved into a small office off of Alaska and Rainier Avenue South. In 1982 Daryl's son Tim bought the business and continued the family tradition of bringing quality service to the community. Burdick's Security supplies locks, door knobs, safes, security systems and they also provide the service of duplicate keys.In the 1960s Burdick's moved into a larger location at Graham Street and Rainier Avenue South. Today Burdick's is nearly back to its original location in Columbia City at 4700 Rainier Avenue South and Alaska.
In this world there are people who live to shop in malls and those who prefer shopping in their own neighborhood. If you shop locally, the challenge is finding exactly what you need within close proximity to home whether that special something is clothing, a gift, kids gear, or menswear. If you really want something that is out of the ordinary, the challenge is doubly difficult. While Columbia City has blossomed in the restaurant/eatery trade, it's been slim pickings when it comes to meeting other consumer needs.Enter Andaluz, an eclectic gift shop/clothing shop for women, children and yes, men, located in the heart of Columbia City. The shop opened in December 2004, at one point sharing the space with a watch repair business. Prior to Andaluz, the space was used as an appliance store and, in more recent years, Finders Keepers, a consignment store. The high ceiling, painted a vibrant spring green, with original transom windows encloses an old, wooden floor, which is graced with an eclectic mixture of goodies not found in the usual mall store.
Jim Tharpe is a one-man rehabilitation center. He is helping all of us in Seattle in a number of ways. Most of his work is done through Unity House, a transitional housing program where ex-offenders empower themselves through self-improvement programs. The men who live in Unity House are responsible for their share of maintenance, general upkeep, food preparation and house governance.Tharpe founded Unity House in 2004 because he was acutely aware that many ex-offenders have nowhere to go once they are released. If a person is homeless and jobless, they are at a disadvantage, to say the least. If they have no education and few or no skills, their situation is worse. Since these people did not get, or accept, the help they needed prior to entering the prison system, perhaps with a bit of help now they will avoid a return to prison. Upon their release, they need immediate help. Unfortunately, the state does not always provide this help as quickly as it is needed. In 1980 there were just over 300,000 people in state and federal prisons; in 2003 there were nearly 1.4 million - including those incarcerated in local jails and other types of confinement. If this rate continues, nearly one in every 15 people born in 2001 will be imprisoned during his or her lifetime. The recidivism rate belies rehabilitation. Whatever is being done is not working very well for far too many of those affected.
"Joe, why would you want to be on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC)?" people asked me, knowing how contentious this assignment would be.In 1965, around 100,000 Seattle Public School students were housed in 121 buildings. Today around 46,000 students are situated in 99 buildings. In other words, enrollment has decreased nearly 50 percent, yet facility usage has only declined by about 20 percent. Consequently, by consolidating and closing schools, money saved from maintaining bricks and mortar and underutilized staff can now be allocated to enhance services, curriculums and programs. This rationale, along with my belief that pubic school is the foundation for a thriving democracy and the great equalizer for the underprivileged, spurred me to volunteer for one of the 14 CAC positions.When reflecting upon my CAC stint, my first thought was the awe I felt towards my fellow committee members. These genuinely selfless men and women spent endless hours in meetings, attending town hall sessions, and studying voluminous documents. They also deliberated over the gut wrenching implications our recommendations would have on school communities and, in particular, our special needs, immigrant and low-income populations. The criteria we were beholden to showed effective instruction, census, and family satisfaction favored the comparably well off schools. Not surprisingly, low-income schools bore the greatest burden of our recommended consolidations and closures.In fact, urban school closures, a byproduct of the widening social class divide, are occurring throughout the country.
It's summer in Seattle, which means it's time once again for the Seattle Poet Populist election. Seattle residents can vote until August 21 for their favorite Seattle poet to be crowned the 2006-2007 Seattle Poet Populist. Go to www.seattlepoetpopulist.org to cast your e-vote. As with any Seattle election, only Seattle residents are allowed to vote.Why a populist poet?You may be wondering, what is a poet populist? According to the online reference tool Wikipedia, "a poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events." Wikipedia has no entry for a poet populist. Rather than being anointed by bureaucrats, officials, or committees, a poet populist is chosen by a popular vote of the people. The central idea behind the program is to provide an arena for poetry that complements the tradition of academic poetry. The Seattle Poet Populist is expected to represent and promote the principals of populist poetic expression throughout our fair city when performing during her or his one-year term. The goal is to reach audiences otherwise unexposed to poetry.The role of poet populist for Seattle originated in 1999 as a follow-up to the 1998 Neighborhood Arts Conference on February 13, 1999.
In recent months, there have been gun related homicides in our city that have garnered quite a bit of media attention. The multiple homicides at the Capitol Hill home and the shootings at the Jewish federation in downtown Seattle are incredibly tragic, but fortunately rare occurrences in our city.What has not gotten as much media coverage are the incidents of gun related violence which occurred in the Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill areas. In the past few months, we've seen several drive-by shootings, face-to-face shootings and other firearm discharge incidents. In some of these incidents, there were severe, life threatening injuries as well as property damage. In one instance a stray bullet went into the kitchen of a resident who was completely unrelated to the activity of the individuals involved in the shooting.On top of that, we had July Fourth celebrations where some people still think it's okay to shoot a gun into the air to celebrate. I've personally witnessed a person firing several shots from a semiautomatic handgun out of his apartment window to celebrate the New Year. Two things about such actions: first, it is illegal to discharge a firearm within Seattle city limits; second, the laws of physics still apply. What goes up must come down. Celebratory gunfire still has the potential to damage, harm and kill. Because of on-going investigations and to protect the rights and privacy of the victims and witnesses, we cannot provide more detailed information about the individual circumstances of the firearm related violence mentioned above. However, there are some things we can tell you:
Conrad Gonzales Inside US Bank on Rainier Avenue South"I think everyone's waiting for Seafair. Some people complain about the noise, but it's only once a year. We cannot celebrate Seafair in other seasons, only in summer. Everyone here in Seattle is waiting for that." Jacqueline HowardInside US Bank"Yes! I don't go to the parade. I watch it on television. I just think the Blue Angels are great! Last year we had our family re-union at the Senior Center at 30th and Jackson. We had family from California and Texas, and we had the best view of the Angels. [Our family] just thought it was magnificent!"
More than 125,000 people attended the Seafair celebration on Sunday, according to Seafair officials keeping tabs on the events. The day was marked with deft aerial maneuvering (left) and daredevil hydroplane races performed in front of a jubilant and, for the most part, peaceful crowd on land and water.
As the only Magnolia All- Stars team to earn a state-tournament berth, the 10-11-year-old fastpitch team traveled to Poulsbo for the state tournament and took fourth place.The tournament took place July 21 to 27, during the area's heat wave, where the temperature spiked at 95 degrees. "The girls really had to dig deep to keep up with the heat," Coach Teresa Buker said.In the first game of the tournament, Magnolia lost to Kent, 9-6. The Magnolia team was victorious in the second game, where they beat Port Townsend/East Jefferson, 7-4. The third game was a tough loss to Evergreen by a score of 6-5."Most of this team played on the 9-10-year-old All-Star team last year and came in second in the  Distict 8 tournament, manager Jack Sutermeister said. "I think that helped motivate them to work hard this year, as they really did over the five weeks of practices and games.  It's no wonder they achieved the success that they did."
Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation," published in 2002, exposed in graphic detail the sordid links in our food chain. It was enough to make one stomp on a Happy Meal.The people and politics driving our modern agro-business, in Schlosser's rendering, weren't so pretty, either.One of the glories of the Magnolia Farmers Market lies in the contact between farmer and consumer. Like the rituals of the ancient agora, it's personal: Magnolians can get to know their growers.In farming as in physics, every action causes a reaction. As corporate mega-farms tighten their grip upon our land, farmers markets are proliferating.In "Fields That Dream: A Journey to the Roots of Our Food," California author Jenny Kurzweil focuses on Seattle's Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance as a successful example of the small-scale, sustainable agricultural movement.
Improving your home's curb appeal doesn't require a guest appearance on a "makeover" TV show.Magnolia Garden Center's experts have these tips to share.Look at the 'before'Before you begin any project, stand back at the curb and take a fresh and objective look at the parking strip, the walkways and driveway, the front-yard fence, wall or rockery, your lawn and foundation plants and the front door and porch. If you see the need for improvement, ask yourself, "What's most important?" and "What can I invest in time and money to make some changes?" Don't overlook the curbIf your parking strip is devoid of fresh and healthy-looking plants, usually grass, consider an alternative. Small, curbside gardens have become very popular as a replacement to a struggling lawn. Remember, choose plants that hold up to traffic and neighborhood pets. Also, select plants that are primarily evergreen. You don't want to lose that lush, green look during the winter.
You can't judge a fish by its flesh color.Many Washingtonians may be surprised to learn that we have a tasty, wild King salmon in our own back yard. Copper River this, Copper River that.... Although no one is going to discount Alaska's fabulous fish, if you can buy local, high-quality salmon right here in the Apple State, why not?Washington's wild, marbled King salmon, a.k.a Chinook salmon, is high in Omega-3s, superior in taste and, unlike all the other ruby salmon swimming in the sea, our fish is two-toned in color and unique. The marbled salmon has varying amounts of both red and white flesh mixed throughout the body.The marbled effect, a genetic anomaly, makes the salmon less pink than other varieties. That's unusual, like red hair or green eyes, and to an untrained observer could be interpreted as a sign of inferiority. That, of course, would be an oceanic mistake."It has been called anemic and discolored," admits Steve Wilson, a fisherman since the late 1980s and a man who sells the marbled salmon directly to consumers at farmers markets throughout Washington. "Thankfully, people don't go by looks alone - they go by taste," he says.Three years ago at the Puyallup farmers market, Wilson gave samples of the marbled King to customers who had purchased a red King salmon. Red, white and marbled Chinook salmon are all the same species, but each has subtle taste and textural differences of its own. Wilson wanted customers to conduct their own taste test and see what they thought."People came back a week later and would tell us, 'The red was good, but can we buy some more of that marbled King?'" remembers Wilson. "By the end of the season we were selling more marbles than red Kings."