ecently we were at a neighborhood dinner party where we witnessed, during food preparation, the continuation of the age-old "10-seconds" theory. This is a concept that allows dropped food to remain on the floor for up to 10 seconds before serious food spoilage sets in.A number of years ago we were at another neighborhood holiday party when one of the toddlers' moms first mentioned the assumption."Little Jason," Susie said to me, "was out in the kitchen with me yesterday afternoon. He was eating an apple that I had sliced up in pieces for him, and he dropped an apple wedge."Quick," Susie yelled at Jason, "you've got 10 seconds! Pick it up - you can still eat it.""What?" I asked incredulously."Haven't you ever heard of the 10-second rule?" she asked me with a look of almost total amazement. "We were raised on it. I thought everybody knew about the 10-second rule. It's sure a good thing that you don't have any kids - you'd never survive."
A clear-eyed assessment of the legacy of Pope John Paul II will provide plenty of fodder for future scholars. In the meantime, the world mourns the passing of a great man.The death of the pontiff on Saturday concluded one of history's most influential and beloved papacies.With the news of the pope's death, St. James Cathedral draped its western portal in black and white and purple bunting; the cathedral bells tolled 84 times to mark the years of the man who had been pope since 1978.And the world media, long prepared, sprang into action. Much of the memorializing has focused on John Paul's more obvious sources of appeal - his linguistic agility, his more than 100 international journeys, his reaching out to other faiths and his role in the fall of communist Poland. Beneath John Paul's gift for globe trotting theater, his stand on issues of substance made him a paradoxical figure.
During the summer from age 2 to age 3, Nori Catalano, now age 4, forgot what peaches were.She hadn't seen the fuzzy fruit for a year, and when it crossed her plate on a summer afternoon confusion set in."The feel and taste of a peach had slipped from her little memory," explained Michele Catalano, Nori's mother and program manager of the Pike Place Market Basket CSA - as in, Community Supported Agriculture."Friends thought it was sad that she couldn't remember what peaches were," Catalano recalled. "I thought it was great - we eat with the seasons."The Pike Place Market Basket CSA, a cooperative organization made up of more than 30 local farmers who also sell at the Market, has connected the public with seasonal, organic and local food for nearly a decade. Members prepay for the season, thereby joining a community of consumers who support sustainable agriculture and local farmers. They also receive some of the freshest produce available in the state.
Dr. Thomas Roberts makes a decent living at his dental practice in Lower Queen Anne, but the Phinney Ridge resident's urge to give something back has led him on an exotic odyssey to a country thousands of miles away in space and generations away in time.Roberts spends two weeks each spring in Nepal, where he and another volunteer dentist treat hundreds of patients, the vast majority of them children. "We try to see kids, but we will see anybody who comes in," he said."It's a challenge. "Sugar is everywhere, and they don't own toothbrushes," Roberts explained. "We work non-stop filling big holes and pulling broken teeth."Roberts said he got the idea of taking his talents to the Himalayan country quite by chance six years ago, when he met a Tibetan Buddhist monk at a New York City dinner party. The monk was trying to dig up people who would sponsor children through the Vikramasila Foundation, a New Jersey-based organization that educates Tibetan children at two monasteries: one in India, one in Nepal.Roberts said he ended up sponsoring one of the children, but he also heard about a Western, low-income dental clinic in Katmandu, Nepal, a clinic associated with the Vikramasila Foundation monastery. And that news inspired him to offer not just his money, but also his services for the past five years.
With the tax-filing deadline close at hand, the IRS offers some tips for those still working on their paper tax forms: * Put all required Social Security numbers on the return (they're not on the label!) * Double-check your figures * Sign your form * Attach all required schedules * Send your return or request a filing extension by April 15 The numbers to check most carefully on the tax return are the identification numbers - usually Social Security numbers - for each person listed. This includes the taxpayer, spouse, dependents and persons listed in relation to claims for the Child Care or Earned Income Tax Credits. Missing, incorrect or illegible SSNs can delay or reduce a tax refund. Taxpayers should also check that they have correctly figured the refund or balance due and have used the right figure from the tax table. Taxpayers must sign and date their returns. Both spouses must sign a joint return, even if only one had income. Anyone who is paid to prepare a return must also sign it.
The Magnolia Karate Academy team. Front row, from left: Miki Cole, 9; Morgan Wilkes, 8; Johnny Ochsner, 7; Grant Moffett, 6; Erin O'Donnell, 6. Middle row, from left: Keane Collins, 7; Rebecca Stewart, 8; Claire Lynch, 6; Jade Henderson, 6; Elisabeth Pearson, 5; Cole McCullough, 7; Joshua Paley, 7; Jake O'Donnell, 8. Back, from left: Tommy Hulse, 11; Sensei Mike O'Donnell; David Fandel, 11; Ben Bonci, 11; Jennifer Crandell, 15; Russell Loube, 9; Alex Loube, 11; Sam Wolk, 10; Torrey Gray, 11; Matthew Paley, 9; Joshua Pearson, 9.
Many have spoken of the need for new businesses in Magnolia Village, but there are limits, thank you very much. That became clear last Friday when pink flyers announcing the June 15 opening of a porno store near the corner of 32nd Ave. W. and W. McGraw St. were placed on practically every windshield in the Village, according to a neighborhood source who spoke on strict condition of anonymity."The Art Amore Adult Book and Video Superstore" will be a full-service business offering "the latest and greatest in private adult entertainment," according to the flyer. The business, which will have a private rear entrance, will cater to clients interested in books, magazines, novelty items, video rentals, video sales and marital aids. Also on tap will be appearances of "your favorite (porn) stars, Gemma James, Chrystal, Silke Serene.""Ladies are very welcome," according to the flyer, which also announced that the store will be "your one-stop shop when planning for Bachelor/Bachelorette parties..." Also available will be "Comfortable viewing booths."
Plans to open up a city impound yard on a vacant Interbay lot north of West Dravus Street have revealed a cultural and economic divide in the mini-neighborhood.On one side of the equation is ET Towing, which recently snagged the city's towing contract away from Lincoln Towing. ET Towing is leasing a roughly 50,000-square-foot lot owned by Sound Mind and Body for the operation, and the use is perfectly legal, according to city zoning codes.On the other side is the Interbay Neighborhood Association, a new group of 20 or so local business people who are fed up with the more hardscrabble features of the area and want the city to change its designation to a Hub Urban Village. It is a change that would require an amendment to the city's Comprehensive Plan."The bottom line is Interbay is in the beginning stages of having a revival," said Chuck Dagg, who runs a State Farm Insurance office near Interbay QFC. "It's not going to help," he said of the impound lot at the corner of 16th Avenue West and West Bertona Street.
Pete Townsend, lead guitarist for British rock legends The Who, said something to the effect that, had he been as gorgeous to look at as Kurt Cobain, he might have been tempted to kill himself, too.What Townsend was implying, it seems, is that the stress of celebrity such as that experienced by Nirvana's frontman is increased exponentially when the subject of adoration also happens to be beautiful. Everyone wants a piece of you. Windmill Pete's funky, hangdog looks might have worked as a stopgag on the possessive, obsessive assault better-looking celebs endure from the media. Witness Marilyn Monroe: Everyone still wants a piece of her.
The Wallingford Boys & Girls Club recently completed the first phase of renovations to its original building and is hoping to move back to the site sometime in 2006.The building, at 1310 N. 45th St., had not been renovated since it was built in 1952. The first phase of the project was completed in 2004 and included a new roof, gym floor, gym painting, exterior painting and new signage. The club is currently running an active campaign to raise enough funds to complete the work.In the next phase, the club plans to reconfigure the space to include a much larger game room, no hallways, an elevator and more windows to bring in natural light.
Dr. Thomas Roberts makes a decent living at his dental practice in Lower Queen Anne, but the Phinney Ridge resident's urge to give something back has led him on an exotic odyssey to a country thousands of miles away in space and generations away in time.Roberts spends two weeks each spring in Nepal, where he and another volunteer dentist treat hundreds of patients, the vast majority of them children, he said: "We try to see kids, but we will see anybody who comes in."It's a challenge. "Sugar is everywhere, and they don't own toothbrushes," Roberts explained. "Wework nonstop filling big holes and pulling broken teeth."
A clear-eyed assessment of the legacy of Pope John Paul II will provide plenty of fodder for future scholars. In the meantime the world mourns the passing of a great man.The death of the pontiff on Saturday concluded one of history's most influential and beloved papacies.With the news of the pope's death St. James Cathedral draped its western portal in black and white and purple bunting; the cathedral bells tolled 84 times to mark the years of the man who had been pope since 1978.And the world media, long prepared, sprang into action. Much of the memorializing has focused on John Paul's more obvious sources of appeal - his linguistic agility, his more than 100 international journeys, his reaching out to other faiths and his role in the fall of communist Poland. Beneath John Paul's gift for globe trotting theater his stand on issues of substance made him a paradoxical figure.
A new plan for Seward Park aims to conserve and restore the park's native forest for the coming decades. The Seward Park Vegetation Management Plan (VMP), developed and recently released for public comment by Seattle Parks and Recreation's Urban Forestry Program, sets goals and describes strategies to maintain forest health and reduce forest fragmentation. It also strives to manage and remove invasive plants, regenerate the park's rare Garry oak and madrona tree grove, enhance wildlife habitat and ensure public safety. The plan recognizes that preservation of the "magnificent forest" for public enjoyment and for wildlife has been the primary purpose of Seward Park since it was first proposed to serve as a cornerstone of Seattle's park system in 1892. In previous decades different agendas have resulted in the park's current mix of native forest, ornamental landscapes, grasslands, buildings, and blankets of invasive ivy, holly and blackberry. The plan seeks to manage non-native vegetation, consistent with current uses and heritage, while enhancing the diverse native forest.
The finishing touches to the Benefit Park renovation project were put into place this past weekend. After three years dedicated toward restoring the neglected park, the final step was taken on April 1 and 2 in anticipation of its grand opening in May. During the April Fool weekend, children's play equipment was put together and installed, along with an array of vegetation planted around the park.The Friends of Benefit Park and the Seattle Parks Foundation have spent an estimated $220 million on the renovation and expect an abundance of neighborhood people to show up for the official grand opening May 5.
ack in 1975, a group of men and women mustered their collective, creative energy to launch a ground-breaking radio station, KZAM 92.5 FM on April Fool's Day. The station featured a diverse, unique, and at times unexpected mix of music, news, and advertisements, and women DJ's shared equal time in the studio with men, a true rarity for the pre media-empire era airwaves of the 1970s. In recognition of their accomplishments, over 200 people gathered on Saturday, April 2 at the newly refurbished Columbia City Theatre to kick out the jams, eat some gourmet pizza, and commemorate the birth, 30 years ago, of one of America's last truly independent commercial radio stations. "What was interesting is that it was not just the music that we had conversations about how to do things," remembered Leilani McCoy, one of KZAM's first women DJs. "It was also the advertising. There were no jingles. If the Bon Marche wanted to advertise we had to rewrite their commercials. They protested for such a long time, but they finally gave in because our ratings were so high."This local vision of a progressive radio format that spurned corporate-dictated playlists, news, and advertising formats in favor of DJ and on-the-ground reporter-focused content was the brainchild of Tom Corddry. When he first approached local owners Stew Ballinger and Howard Leendersten, Corddry learned that their station was racking up five-figure deficits each month.