Last year was an eventful one for Queen Anne and Magnolia. The happenings included everything from grocery wars to several deaths at Fishermen's Terminal to the dropping of plans for a People's Lodge in Discovery Park. Here's a look at some of what happened:<
A new year has begun.Unfortunately, the new year in the United States looks, in many ways, a lot like the old year.For example, according to U.S. News and World Report, the vaunted U.S. economic recovery touted by that great liar George W. Bush is only a revival for those folks who don't need one.Median family incomes for the average American household during the past 25 years have risen less than 1 percent annually, for a 25-year total of 18 percent-way below cost-of-living increases once inflation is factored in.Most American families actually lost money.But median income for the top 1 percent, the folks most of whom have inherited or-if you read the daily business pages, full of stories of crooked executives-stolen their way to the top of the economic dung heap, while profiting from our more and more skewed-toward-the-already-rich tax tables, has gone up 200 percent.Another way of looking at this in layman's terms is:You have 30 children, and the oldest gets 10 or 15 times more than the other 29 combined.And never even makes his own bed, much less yours.From 1980 to 2004, the wages of a typical worker (once you factor in inflation) fell, while among the top 20 percent of earners in the United States, incomes (even without counting perks) rose 60 percent.They are not all working harder than we are.
Well, we've all survived the holidays, and it's that time of year when we all start making resolutions. Usually these New Year promises involve losing weight and/or getting in shape somehow. But why not try something different this year? Instead of trying to lose pounds or toning muscles, why not shed endless TV viewing and strengthen family ties by having fun in the kitchen with the kids?Family fun in the kitchenOne of the best ways to get children excited about family fun in the kitchen is to start a cookbook collection just for them. Check out some of these great new books designed just for small chefs. * "Fairy Tale Feasts," by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple - This beautiful story-/cookbook retells classic fairy tales matched with fun recipes. Culinary creations include Little Red Riding Hood's Picnic Basket and Brer Rabbit's Carrot Soup.
I was drawn to it immediately. The large, golden-yellow and red-trimmed building, dressed appropriately in Buddhist colors, with a huge prayer bell off to the side, topped with a brilliant crystal. A series of large prayer wheels span the circumference of the bell. As the wheels spin, prayers are sent out into the world. On special rare occasions, I can catch a shimmering glimpse of a gold-glittering, larger-than-life Buddha, peeking out from behind the wide, wooden doors high up on the steps to the main entrance. It's all very awe-inspiring!An introductionAt first, I only knew that it was a Buddhist monastery, and I lived in the neighborhood that housed it - Greenwood of all places, known mostly for Fred Meyer and a cluster of antique shops. What was a Buddhist temple from Tibet doing here?
During last month's monumental windstorm and power outage, we heard - and saw - too little of the top three leaders of our government, and what little we heard came rather late. The top three leaders are Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, King County Executive Ron Sims and Gov. Christine Gregoire.One could argue how much statutory authority these folks have, but we elected them to be our leaders. Leadership involves more than getting the Legislature, or the City or County Council to run the leaders' agenda (and our leaders certainly didn't let the storm and power outage derail them from talking up those agendas).Leadership means helping the citizens of Seattle, King County and the state of Washington cope with insurmountable problems. It means coordinating the efforts of public-safety agencies and public utilities. It means taking an active role in making sure that helpless and elderly people don't shiver in the dark because they don't have heat or food.
Even though the University of Washington undoubtedly offers a solid education for undergraduates, some of Seattle's most talented and ambitious high school seniors - the ones who would apply to Ivy League schools or top liberal arts colleges - may be craving something a little more rigorous. And that's why the UW offers the Honors Program."The Honors Program is for students who have done exceptionally well in high school," said Dr. Julie Villegas, the associate director of the Honors Program, "students who want to continue working at a high academic level and want peers who are interested in the same goals."Admission into the program is highly competitive. For this current year's freshmen class, 2,800 students applied and a mere 300 were admitted.
In 1931 the Washington State Highway Department built a bridge as the final link in the U.S. Highway 99 connection between Canada and Mexico. A photo of seven pretty young women ran in local papers, a flirtatious invite to meet them on the bridge on Washington's birthday. On Feb. 22, 1932, the bicentennial of our nation's first president, Washington Gov. Roland Hartley joined dignitaries from Mexico and Canada to officially open the George Washington Memorial Bridge.They had reason for cheerful enthusiasm, especially considering the magnificence of the new cantilevered structure that even then was better known as the Aurora Bridge. They didn't let tragedy interrupt the festivities.
Sitting in his office, which looks more like a broadcast studio, Randy Schlager projects a relaxed and confident demeanor. Surrounded by Abercrombie & Fitch posters and numerous star signed photos, Schlager is cheerful and upbeat, very much like the music he mixes for a satellite radio channel, Neighbours nightclub and C-89.In a recent conversation, Schlager discussed his relationship with the Seattle music scene with passion and intelligence. He possesses a wealth of knowledge about the history of the club scene in the Seattle area as well as the music scene throughout the world.If one word could describe Schlager's relationship to the Seattle music, dance and club scene, that word would be iconic. Schlager actually started his disc jockey career in the better-known Seattle clubs as what is known as a video jockey, the person who works the lights and the video screen images in a nightclub. When a position in a major club was suddenly vacated Schlager was asked to fill those shoes. He's been a DJ ever since.
The saddest thing about getting older - other than physical dropoffs and memory lapses - is coming to the awful realization that human beings seem to learn nothing more often than they learn something productive or positive.On the cosmic level, for example, Christians and Muslims have been fighting over who is God and who owns God's turf (the so-called Holy Land) since the 12th-century days of Richard the Lionheart.God - if there is an all-knowing, all-loving Creator, be He or She, named Jesus or Allah - is not going to restrict heaven/paradise to only "true" believers.Good in, bad out is the only logical solution, and even I, certainly no god, can see that clearly.
Last week my friend Kevin and I did the unthinkable. Two days after Christmas we ventured out during the middle of a workweek and crept into the dimly lit confines of an old-fashioned moviehouse. Of course, the Harvard Exit Theatre on Capitol Hill isn't just any old place. Full of dark wood panels, movie memorabilia and a handsome sitting room, it signifies the grand old palaces of the past, when a night at the movies became a special event, not just an activity conducted in the privacy of one's home with curtains drawn, curlers in your hair and attendant bathrobe and slippers. Adjoining the northern edge of the Broadway District, the Harvard Exit is an entertainment beacon and one of only two destinations on Broadway that draw me to this notable street. (The other is Bailey Coy Books.)
"Am I glad I ran?" Linnea Noreen pauses at the question. Noreen, who lives on Capitol Hill and ran as an independent candidate for Congress against longtime incumbent Jim McDermott (D-Seattle), knew that victory was not at hand. But she ran to make the point that no one should end up being a Congressman For Life, a charge often directed at McDermott.The race was not easy. After making the decision, Noreen had to quit her job helping young adults get involved in local government, one of many nonprofit jobs she's held since graduating from college. She ended up taking a second mortgage on her condominium. Noreen, 29, received a shade under 12,000 votes - 4.86 percent of the total. With evident humor she pointed out her entry in the race kept McDermott from receiving 80 percent of the votes cast. She was pleased that her total was twice as high as the third party candidates in the Maria Cantwell race. And nationally, in races with third-party candidates, Noreen had the eighth highest total out of 260 races.Including her second mortgage, Noreen raised nearly $80,000, money she spent largely on signature gathering, campaign signs and a 30-minute television special that aired on KONG TV. Compare this to McDermott, who raised roughly $900,000 for a contest he was guaranteed to win easily.
City officials recently announced city support for four new affordable housing projects. The $6.7 million will help create affordable homeownership opportunities, a supportive housing development for chronically homeless people in North Seattle and two mixed-income family housing developments in South Seattle. The family housing will primarily serve those making $23,000 to $39,000 a year.Officials also announced $1.4 million from Seattle's share of the King County document recording fees for Samaki Commons. Interim Community Development Association is partnering with the International District Housing Alliance and Asian Counseling and Referral Services to provide culturally appropriate supportive services. Samaki Commons will be developed on property adjacent to New Holly's Othello Place. The total cost of the project is approximately $11.8 million.<
The Seattle School Board will hold a series of meetings on Jan. 16, 17 and 18 to gather public input to the superintendent search process. Specifically, community members will be asked to discuss the characteristics and qualities they want in Seattle Public Schools' next superintendent. These meetings will provide the board, and the consulting firm assisting in the search, with information they will use in recruiting candidates for the next leader for Seattle Public Schools.
Not only were Seattle basketball fans once again disappointed with the Sonics 111 to 93 loss against the New York Knicks on Friday, Jan. 5, many fans were also saddened in missing the appearance of Nate Robinson - guard for the Knicks - showcase his show-stopping, quick agility and ball handling skills against the Sonics. Robinson, a Rainer Beach High School alumni and former guard for the University of Washington Huskies basketball team, is currently serving a 10 game suspension after partaking in an on-court brawl between the Knicks and Denver Nuggets on Dec. 16. The fight took place in the final minute and 15 seconds of the fourth quarter after Mardy Collins, guard for the Knicks, committed a hard foul against J.R. Smith, guard for the Nuggets. As the fight was captured on cameras and broadcast numerous times across local television networks (you can still view it on line at www.youtube.com) and ESPN's SportsCenter, the Nuggets 123 to 100 victory against the Knicks seemed irrelevant as fans witnessed the chaos and blows being exchanged among the players. The league has not seen such an incident since the brawl that took place two years ago between team members of the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons fans.
Is there no one over eight years old who does not know that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream? Many people recognize the lines of his famous speech and can cite it. I love reading or hearing his Aug. 28, 1963, "I Have a Dream" speech recited any time of the year, but so often something reminds me that not nearly enough of us practice what is preached there. Part of my personal code requires me to make the speech a reality in my life daily. But Dr. King delivered many speeches and wrote many books, some equally as elegant as "I Have A Dream."Today I am reminded of Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," written in April 1963. The letter is of great interest to me for a number of reasons. First, because I was a teenager in Louisiana at the time it was written, I was particularly aware of much of the content of the letter. I had experienced, and was experiencing, some of the examples King enumerated. Eventually I came to appreciate the letter as a masterpiece of literature. Later I could see the essay as a model of persuasion/argumentation in composition classes. Dr. King follows the rules for writing an excellent argument: Many college textbooks include the letter as a model of good argumentation.