We have discovered the face of terrorism, and it is us. Me. Or rather, my blond, blue-eyed, 6-year-old. The dangerous one. She has many weapons in her arsenal, and you just never know when she may decide to tip the balance of power in her favor during a flight and hijack us all to Disneyland. As a family, we travel to Las Vegas on a yearly basis. Hubby's parents live there, and they bring us down to visit. Since driving to Las Vegas in a car with four children would make good fodder for the next "Chainsaw Massacre" movie, we prefer to fly instead. So fly, we did. But before we could fly, we had to run the Security Gauntlet. This is where complete strangers have the legal right to make you disrobe so they can grope you. It can be a bit disconcerting - especially when they cut your children from the herd.
If you don't live, work or play in Wallingford, you might think it was the fault of the residents and businesses here that the proposed Summer Nights concerts at Gas Works Park were cancelled for 2006. Recent radio shows, editorials, columns, blogs and gossip put the blame on us as the dreaded species NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard).Seattle may have a growing reputation as protesting for the sake of protesting, but there's usually a good reason behind it.The fine group Friends of Gas Works Park has been doing its work for years and took the lead on investigating and fighting for an appropriate process regarding the [city] parks department's decision-making. Parks seemed to have deliberately left out the community that was about to be impacted by this major decision.That lack of consideration and process did upset many of us in Wallingford. But it was the comparatively small group of Friends that filed the lawsuit some say was the final straw in ending the concerts for 2006 (One Reel might also be asked why it wouldn't negotiate on concert end times).
With the 2006 legislative session over, 43rd District Rep. Ed Murray (D) has had a chance to look back at the session and look forward, as well. And he is proud of the work that was done during this year's short session. Equal rightsThe highlight of the session for Murray was passing into law House Bill 2661, which he sponsored, that extends equal-rights protection to everyone regardless of sexual orientation. Under this law, homosexuals have the same protections from employment and housing bias as everyone else."It has been a 30-year struggle, and in the Legislature, I have led the struggle during the last 11 years," Murray said. Although the civil-rights legislation was originally introduced by the late Rep. Cal Anderson, Murray declined to be compared to him. "Cal was my friend and my mentor," he said. Anderson believed that the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender community needed to have a place at the table when laws and rights are being discussed, and Murray also holds that belief. "I don't consider myself a successor to Cal Anderson," Murray said, pointing to his own chest. "I'm Ed Murray."
Activist Betty Richardson, who was instrumental in shaping the South Wallingford amendment to the Wallingford Neighborhood Plan, died suddenly of a ruptured aneurysm on March 10, 2006, in Kellogg, Idaho. She was 60.Ms. Richardson and her partner of nearly 33 years, Geoffrey Cole, were on their way to Montana to spend a week stuffing envelopes and do other "little jobs" for Project Vote Smart when she collapsed in their motel room."It was a huge shock," said Heidi Herr, a neighbor and president of the Wallingford Community Council. "There were no expectations since [Ms. Richardson] didn't appear to be ill."
The Seattle Arab & Iranian Film Festival returns for its seventh outing on Friday, March 31. Organized every other year by John Sinno, the festival shows documentaries and feature films made throughout the Arab world, as well as films about the Arab experience."We are the largest Arab film festival in the U.S. in terms of time and scope. This year, we have a really beautiful lineup," said Sinno. "We have the North American premiere of 'A New Day in Old Sana'a," the first feature film made in Yemen.""A New Day in Old Sana'a" recounts the wedding plans of groom who must decide between a traditional, arranged marriage and following his heart. Sinno runs Arab Film Distribution (AFD), the largest distributor of Arab films in the United States. His company got its start following another Arab film festival in 1990, organized as part of the Goodwill Games, then taking place in Seattle. Five films were acquired after the Goodwill Games festival, and since then AFD has built up a huge collection of Arab films for theatrical release, as well as DVDs and video tapes.
It's the sort of thing that happens on TV. In other places, perhaps, far away. Not here.But it did. The shooting that took place over the weekend in the Miller Park Neighborhood claimed seven lives and served as a tragic and all too real reminder that random, unspeakable violence can occur at any time, at any place. What's so frustrating is there will probably never be any concrete explanation as why the killer, 28-year-old Aaron Kyle Huff, did what he did. While evidently a random event, the vast amounts of weaponry found on Huff and in his car made it clear that his actions were thought out and premeditated. While the police continue a large-scale investigation, the neighborhood tries to find a way to move on.One challenge, as hard as this may seem, is not to overreact.
With the 2006 legislative session over, 43rd District representative Ed Murray has had a chance to look back at the session, and look forward, as well. Murray, a democrat, is chair of the House Transportation Committee, and is proud of the work that was done during this year's short session. The highlight of the session for Murray was passing into law House Bill 2661, which he sponsored, that extends equal rights protection to everyone regardless of sexual orientation. Under this law homosexuals have the same protections from employment and housing bias as everyone else."It has been a 30-year struggle, and in the legislature I have led the struggle during the last 11 years," Murray said. Although the civil rights legislation was originally introduced by the late, legendary representative Cal Anderson, Murray declined to be compared to him."Cal was my friend and my mentor," Murray said. Anderson believed that the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender community needed to have a place at the table when laws and rights are being discussed, and Murray also holds that belief. "I don't consider myself a successor to Cal Anderson," Murray said, pointing to his own chest. "I'm Ed Murray."
By now you've have heard the news. During the early daylight hours on Saturday, March 25, a man opened fire on a group of young people, many of whom were sleeping following a party at the blue rental house at 2112 East Republican Street. As numerous accounts throughout the city, the country and indeed the entire world made clear, the shooting rampage left seven people dead, including the killer.The shootings lasted only a few minutes and ended when Aaron Kyle Huff, a 28-year-old North Seattle resident, took his own life after being confronted by a police officer. The incident was the worst mass killing in Seattle since the Wah Mee massacre claimed 13 victims in a gambling-related incident in 1983. The shootings took place at a party held at the house following a rave at the Capitol Hill Arts Center (CHAC) on 12th Avenue. Huff apparently met someone at the rave - musical events featuring DJs, costumes and electronic/techno/disco music - who invited him to the party in the Miller Park Neighborhood. The event at CHAC was attended by several hundred people. ended at roughly 4 a.m. and was described by police as peaceful. According to police, there was no obvious incident that triggered the shooting. At roughly 6:50 a.m., Huff left the party, walked to his truck, picked up a pistol-grip shotgun, a handgun and an ammunition belt and wemt back to the house. He also painted NOW with spray paint in several places on the sidewalk as he approached the dwelling.
How we approach the crisis or successes in our lives often determines their outcome. If we approach the significant moments in our lives full of fear and anxiety, those moments will forever be shaped by those fears and anxieties. But if we approach those same significant moments with joy and appreciation for the opportunity to experience the moment, they become stepping-stones for our growth rather than roadblocks.The power of our attitude in how we approach anything in life impacts how people respond to us and shape the decisions they make. So, as we finish up this three part series on the joy of being an African in America, rest assured that I am trying to shape our individual and racial attitude.
As we ambled along the run-down but joyfully chaotic corridor of Orca Elementary School, I asked Zachary Rodriguez, "So what do you like best about school?" and he replied "What's not to like about it? It's number one!"While that is not an unusual statement in unto itself, what is truly remarkable is that it took three tries, and a monumental amount of parental determination, to find the ideal school environment where Zachary might thrive. Parent Greg Rodriguez knew that school would be challenging for Zach, for although he is extremely bright - has an amazing memory and demonstrates a ferocious desire to understand how things work - he has "sensory integration" problems that can sometimes digress into behavioral issues when frustrated or bored.Kindergarten through second grade were fraught with problems for Zachary as his needs were not yet understood, and he participated in a purely "special needs behavioral class," which had a negative effect. Zachary was sent home almost every other day as unmanageable in the classroom, and there was little pretence of him getting an education. Things started to turn around for Zachary after independent assessments demonstrated he needed mainstream education with one-on-one support, and Orca was identified as the best match.
The term loan shark often elicits images of a mob boss who charges enormous amounts of interest on a short-term loan he's fairly sure the borrower won't be able to pay back in time. As the stereotype goes, the loan shark then sends hired goons to collect money or break the bones of those who can't pay back the loan in a timely fashion. Such characters are often portrayed as the scourge of the neighborhood and the last resort of the financially desperate. Of course, such a scenario is illegal and done out of sight of the authorities.ACORN, the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now, claims that Money Mart is little more than a loan shark institution and is directly telling them so in a campaign to end their alleged predatory lending practices. With two Money Mart locations on Rainier Avenue South and one on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, ACORN's campaign directly affects those living in Southeast Seattle.
don't know if it was by chance or planned, but the Sunday New York Times of March 26 presented a fascinating series of food articles. On the front page I was introduced to the concept of meal assembly centers. You place your order and schedule a session. At the session you assemble 12 entrees in less than two hours by rotating through 12 workstations that have been prepped with ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions. All the chopping and dicing has been done for you. There is no cleanup. You leave with 12 entrees for your freezer.These assembly centers are being marketed as programs designed to save moms (and dads) time and effort in serving great meals to their families. Additionally they provide a sense of community for those busy with assembling their meals. Music in the background, shared stories and probably shared recipes and cooking tricks. Well, at least for two hours.Easy-meal preparation business is the fastest-growing franchise business in the country.
I first met Phil Webber one evening about 15 years ago at Palisades restaurant.He was with a small group of friends. Ironically, I was with my girlfriend at the time, Sunny Gleeson, who had lived all her early life in the same Lincoln High School neighborhood as Phil, until she married (Phil was the wedding photographer) and moved to Portland, Ore., in the '70s.In fact, Phil was a close friend of Sunny's family, and always joked about babysitting her and her sister because he was "much older"... actually by only about 6 years.So there we were in the TGIF bar crowd-me, never having met Phil, and Sunny, who no longer recognized him. And yet we both noticed him, as did most of the packed room. Somehow, being in Phil's presence, we both knew we had just experienced something very special.
A news story recently published in The Seattle Times put the number of African-American high school students accepted in this year's freshman class at the University of Washington at 118 from a total class of 5,000.Furthermore, the article noted that this was a continuing negative enrollment trend since the numbers peaked in 1964. How can this be? I have a partial answer to why African-Americans are underrepresented at our state universities. A story from my years teaching at Meany Middle School provides the backdrop.The honors students in the district's math program were issued the exact same textbooks as those students enrolled in regular math classes. The major difference between honors math and regular math was the amount and difficulty of the homework assignments.The math books typically published two levels of problems-easy and difficult. Regular math students were assigned problems from the easy section, whereas honor math students were expected to complete both sets.The daily lectures were qualitatively different: regular math classes performed mostly in group settings, while the lecture-method was practiced with advanced students.
Be prepared for April 1, and no fooling after noon.April the First, as some do say,Is set aside for All Fools Day.Why this really should be soNor I nor they themselves do know.But on this day are people sentOn errands of pure merriment...Actually, in spite of the rhyme I do know why. The origins of All Fools Day are rather obscure, dating back to the Roman Saturnalia and Greek mythology. But the custom traces more recently to France, in 1564, when Charles IX changed the old Georgian calendar and moved New Year's Day to April 1. Confusion ensued.April fell during the spring solstice in early Britain and was connected with the mystery plays, in which the fools throughout the ages have been given license for social satire. The fool of ritual, court and stage, whatever his type, is no fool. Some have been jesters; others, supernatural figures.The heyday of the fool came after the Crusades.