A typical New Year's Eve is usually spent with family and friends, or braving the traffic for the countdown at the Space Needle.Some may choose to relax at home rather than enjoy the nightlife.But no matter how one prefers to celebrate, there are several unique options to consider this News Year's Eve, right here on Capitol Hill.
"Who wants an earthworm?" exclaimed fourth-grader Julie Ho while proudly displaying the crawler to her friends, who reacted with a mix of squeamishness and delight. Ho found the worm while digging a home for a new plant in Kimball Elementary School's garden, where she and her classmates added 275 plants to the land as part of the Watershed Gardens program, sponsored by local non-profit Homewaters Project.The aim of Homewaters educational programs is to teach Seattle students about their community through field experiences, and to help teachers integrate this work into existing curricula.
One of the critical things law enforcement needs from you is reporting suspicious activity to police and informing your friends and neighbors of the activity as well. This is the cornerstone of Block Watch. So, when do you call 9-1-1, and what can you expect when you call?Call 9-1-1:* When you have a police, fire or medical emergency.* To report a crime that is in progress, or has just occurred.* When there is a situation that could, or does, pose a danger to life, property, or both.* When there is suspicious activity involving a person(s), or vehicle, that appears criminal in intent. But how do you know what's suspicious? We'll cover that in a moment.
I pick up Rita each weekday morning while driving my Metro bus through the Central Area. This diminutive and well-preserved sexagenarian, neatly dressed in her work uniform, patiently awaits my arrival. For three weeks she and I exchanged the customary boarding and exiting pleasantries. Then one unremarkable morning, Rita, stopped as she was leaving my bus and began bouncing from foot to foot with her hands firmly pressed against her cheek. Without warning she bellowed, "MAY GOD BLESS YOU." Time suspended as I sat dumfounded, reflecting on what just occurred. She also seemed startled by the vigor of her blessing. As we stared motionlessly at one another, I did not know whether to cry or embrace her. So, I did what was most natural - nothing. Rita, with her sweet smile and softly piercing brown eyes, then waved goodbye as she exited my bus.Rita exemplifies the plight of the elderly working class. She arises early each morning taking two buses to her full-time job for McDonald's pittance wages. While many of her peers have voluntarily stopped working to bask in retirement, Rita's circumstances dictate that she remains employed. Despite this inequity, her gentle spirit gracefully embraces the hand she's been dealt. Rita's heartfelt expression of gratitude reinvigorated my admiration for her and the throngs of other low-paid workers who quietly perform the work that is the bedrock of our economy.Following this encounter, dazed, I proceeded on my route realizing that, once again, I was gifted the "Niko Effect".
The news came quietly as rain falling on cedars: The People's Lodge is on indefinite hold. Last December, in case you haven't heard, the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF) board unanimously approved a proposed 10-year plan focusing on repairs to the Daybreak Star center and a revitalization of the center's mission. There was nothing in the plan for the People's Lodge, Bernie Whitebear's vision of a great building for Native Americans in Discovery Park.It's a matter of finances.After the emotional debate through the latter half of the '90s, the letter-writing campaigns, the public meetings and, yes, the heartbreak of old friends like Whitebear and Bob Kildall staking opposite ground, the denouement comes as an anticlimax.It was always possible for honorable people to oppose People's Lodge. Plans for the original, 123,000-square-foot structure struck some, like Kildall, as just too big. Kildall was present at Discovery Park's creation in 1970 after the Whitebear-led Native American occupation of Fort Lawton. Not all were so dignified in their opposition.Two overheated public meetings in the summer of 1999, one at Seattle Pacific University and the other at the Seattle Center, revealed a clash of worldviews. Moments of mutual respect happened on both sides. At other times caricature scenes were played out that reinforced the worst suspicions about some of those against Whitebear's vision - especially when they jiggled their little placards in unison, an image right out of "Inherit the Wind." In a Feb. 24 Seattle Times story on the People's Lodge, Vic Barry, president of the Magnolia Community Club, is quoted: "A lot of people were paranoid it was backdoor way to get a casino into Discovery Park."True, people were paranoid - and it was a naked disgrace. A few simple phone calls to Olympia would have established once and for all that no gambling license had ever been applied for. Now UIATF aims to honor Whitebear's legacy with a new vision for Daybreak Star. As a UIATF document states, that vision means bringing "our Native Communities together and to share our traditional values in harmony with our neighbors and our human family."There's no way to spin it: The People's Lodge project, the great hall, was at the center of Whitebear's dream. He gazed upon the blueprints from his deathbed. Yet the language about harmony and the human family honors also Whitebear's legacy.
Peter Kirk Elementary students have been learning the value of volunteerism through the Eagles in Action program. Eagles in Action is a service learning program that began at Peter Kirk in 2003, and is sponsored by the PTSA. The purpose of the program is to develop and encourage students to volunteer in and around the school and community. Since its inception, Peter Kirk students have logged over 629 hours, including 213.2 hours so far this year!Students have given their time in a variety of ways. Students have provided set up and clean up at many PTSA and school-sponsored events. They may also receive hour credits for participating in Safety Patrol, the school Job Card program or helping with the school recycling program.Many local businesses and organizations have also benefited from these young volunteers. Students have worked with Kirkland Downtown by the Lake (set up, clean up and decorating Christmas poles, making signs for the city's Fourth of July celebration), the city of Kirkland (selling doughnuts and playing music to raise money to purchase statues on loan in our parks), the Kirkland Heritage Society (helping with set up and serving at events),
Earth stewardshipBy Mia ArendsWastebusters Mobile Unit pulled up to BEST High School the morning of March 8. Students learned about the interconnections between all life on earth, and the tremendous effect that humans exert simply through waste, trash, leftovers, cast-offs, detritus, etc.The Pacific Science Center's Wastebusters team, led by Becky Holesapple, came to participate in BEST's Earth Stewardship Day, along with five other presenters.Forensic scienceBy Darin Detwiler If you can't bring the foremost experts in forensic science into the classroom, then why not take the students to them! In late February, a delegation of BEST High School forensic science students took part in a unique opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the field of forensic sciences at the American Academy of Forensic Science's 58th Annual Scientific Meeting.
Her very humble upbringing in Cardiff, Wales, could have darkened her spirits or tempered her smile. But yielding to poor odds never occurred to Lyca (pronounced Lisa) Faulkner, who is a professional photographer, marketer and staunch supporter of children all over the world.Through her love of photography, she added a unique dimension to her previous work in marketing. As a branding consultant for a children's charity, Plan International, she felt that the only way to provide the proper insight was to travel around the world and photograph children in their natural state.
On Feb. 27, King County joined the state of Washington and the city of Seattle in having an official symbol that matches the face of the person after whom the jurisdiction is named. The city across the lake has Chief Sealth. The state has George Washington. The King County Council's vote makes this county the first in the nation to adopt the image of our foremost civil rights leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as our official logo. This is a cause for celebration and the culmination of an effort that spans three decades. When the council-with a final vote of 7-2 - approved this historic ordinance, an audience that stretched beyond our council chambers burst into thunderous applause and a chorus of "We Shall Overcome."Adopting the image of Dr. King as our logo gives respect and visibility to the fact that our county is named in honor of Dr. King. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of becoming Martin Luther King Jr. County.
"Drawing is a struggle between nature and the artist, in which the better the artist understands the intentions of nature, the more easily he will triumph over it. For him it is not a question of copying, but of interpreting in a simpler and more luminous language." - Charles BaudelaireAsk any artist and they will tell you that drawing is a common thread that weaves any discipline into art. On Capitol Hill, one studio has been offering weekly open drawing sessions for better than 20 years. The Trapeze Art Studio has been one outlet for artists to maintain their skills by drawing from life models. This story is about more than the production of objects for the public to consume. It is about an artistic community located right here on the Hill.
Some hate broccoli.Some hate bacon....-Ogden NashFood, glorious foodHot sausage and mustard- from "Oliver"Poems have been written about food. Songs have been sung about food. Photographs and still-lifes have tantalized our tastebuds as well as captured our eye for generations unto generations. Food magazines multiply, extolling the wonders of food. But what food?Nowadays, we so seldom say, "I feel like a chocolate shake" and have one. First, we ask if the chocolate is light or dark, then we ask that our shake be made with skim milk and hold the whipped cream. Then, while it is being prepared, we sadly think about calories and wonder if we've just given up lunch and dinner in our desire for a shake in spite of our efforts to make it as calorie-less as possible. By the time the shake arrives, the calories and cholesterol have won. We have lost all desire for the shake and hand it to the thin teenager standing behind us and slouch out of Scoop du Jour.
In 1989, on a trip to Washington, D.C., I decided - with some reluctance - to go see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. I had read about it and seen pictures of it, but even though I had read about the effect that it had on many veterans, I did not know what to expect for myself.I had seen memorials before. They have bronze or marble statues and polished stone bases.The Vietnam War memorial has a V-shaped path that descends gently into the ground, flanked on both sides with highly polished granite walls carved with the names of the dead. Just a few steps down the path, I stopped - weeping uncontrollably, unstoppably and unashamedly.
Last year we wrote about our city and county's 10-year plan to end homelessness. That plan was weighted toward tracking the area's 6,000-8,000 homeless people, identifying who they were and their respective needs and then delivering a more finely tuned set of services to help them move off the streets. While we lauded the energy of dozens of people from service providers, corporations and government participating in the 10-year plan, we expressed concern that it largely ignored the structural roots of the problem - the continuing loss of low-cost housing due to demolition, condominium conversion, increased rent and abandonment. Today, one year into the plan, the effort remains fraught with the same shortcomings. If anything there are more homeless on our streets, while local government has yet to respond in any meaningful way to the consequences of gentrification and displacement.
The shooting at a Capitol Hill house party in the early morning hours on March 25 killed seven people and left the local community seeking answers to many different questions. As people still try to make sense of last month's tragic Capitol Hill shooting, one group is hoping to provide an outlet for all these feelings of grief and sadness by building a memorial. "The memorial will create a space where the community can heal from the tragedy," said Amani Ellen Loutfly, spokesperson for the Seattle Memorial Temple.The Seattle Memorial Temple is collecting donations for a temporary memorial for the victims and others affected by the shooting.
More and more children in our society, perhaps up to 10 percent, are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, or ADD. These children may have difficulty with focus, impulsivity, hyperactivity, organization and aggressiveness. Perhaps, secondarily, they'll have issues with learning disabilities, oppositional behaviors, depression, anxiety and clumsiness.ADD is not necessarily a biological disorder. Kids can have a hard time in school for lots of reasons, including a school or a family not meeting the needs of the child, or a society that is itself hyperactive. Many children with attention problems are prescribed Ritalin and other stimulant medications, which often do help the child pay attention but may have serious, negative side effects. Many parents would rather turn to more holistic treatments, including nutrition. It makes sense that a brain that is well-nourished will operate more efficiently than one that isn't.