"It was underutilized," said Kenya Fredie of Orca Elementary School's garden when she first started volunteering three years ago. But that is no longer the case, as Orca's award-winning garden is now a vital part of the school's curriculum. After volunteering for a year, Fredie became the garden coordinator and has now been tending to it for about two years. With the help of parent volunteers, Fredie works to not only maintain the garden but also to create curriculum for the students that will utilize everything the garden has to offer. Fredie says she puts together a curriculum that is based on the seasons. Currently, the students are working on "garden economics" to prepare them for their upcoming annual plant sale on May 13. Fredie says this fundraiser is a great way to bring the community together and to sell plants that the kids have put together and grown. During the cold and flu season, Fredie says the students use the mint garden to harvest mint and phenol.
Students at Catharine Blaine Elementary School definitely got their hands dirty Friday, April 21, in recognition of Earth Day, which officially took place Saturday, April 22. On this page, second-graders weed and plant in the school's planter boxes.
"I'm 69 years old," says Nickolas Vassili, "and I'm in fighting condition. I work out five times a week (boxing and lifting weights), and my health is perfect." He has not had a cold or the flu in 20 years, a stomachache in 35 years, or a headache in 46 years.When he was 13, Nick had a nightmare that he was being shot in the temple. He awoke with an excruciating migraine, and continued to suffer migraines for the next decade. A hypnotist in Cleveland finally cured him of headaches, even ordinary ones. Thus began a lifelong interest in health care.He's now writing a book on American health care. "It is highly confrontational," says Nick, "but what I see is just horrendous! The [United States] spends more than half the money spent worldwide on health care, yet we are only 5 percent of the world population, and we are ranked 37th in the quality of our health care."
Being a purist at heart, I like my opera and my Shakespeare performed in the grand manner, with all the dramatic flourishes, both tragical and comical. The opening of Seattle Opera's "Macbeth" on May 6 will be a culmination of two grand masters: Shakespeare and Verdi. I should not be disappointed. Giuseppe Verdi had a great regard for the works of Shakespeare, having studied the Bard from an early age. Being a man of the theater, with a strong sense of drama, Verdi wrote wonderful music for the opera "Macbeth," his first Shakespeare adaptation, which opened in Florence on March 14, 1847, to great success. A revised version opened in Paris in 1865, adding dancers, a new aria and a duet. This version will be the one performed by the Seattle Opera.
The Queen Anne Historical Society convinced the Landmarks Preservation Board last week to accept its nomination to make the Harry Treat Home a historic landmark. The Treat mansion at 1 W. Highland Drive was built a century ago, and it was the equivalent of today's mega-mansions. But historical significance-like beauty-is apparently in the eye of the beholder, because one of the state's first historic-preservation officers thinks the nomination is based on faulty reasoning. The landmarks board disagreed on April 19, said Bruce Jones from the Queen Anne Historical Society. "Each member of the board felt it did have merit," he said of the nomination. "So it was a positive experience."
Bob Kildall has been a Magnolia resident since 1965. He has been active in many civic endeavors, and those that remain in Magnolia's historic record include the 50th anniversary celebration of the Ballard Locks (headed by Bob for the Magnolia Community Club); the founding of Friends of Discovery Park; and the acquisition of Commodore Park.As a Magnolia Community Club past president and board member, Kildall worked on land issues that shaped Magnolia. His activism with Don Voorhees in the formation of Discovery Park was stellar, and even more outstanding is Kildall's unwavering adherence to the central purpose and primary function of Discovery Park.
Mayor Greg Nickels has urged the state Liquor Control Board to close the Mr. Lucky bar following the April 15 shootings of three people in the Lower Queen Anne club. He did that by faxing and mailing a letter to the agency last Friday. "After consulting with public-safety officials, I'm asking the Liquor Control Board to take swift action and either suspend or cancel the bar's license," the mayor said in a press release.Nickels felt it was important to act immediately, said mayoral spokesman Marty McOmber. "We've been working very closely with the Liquor Control Board, and they've been very receptive."The move followed a flurry of meetings among Seattle police, the city attorney's office and Liquor Control Board officials. State Senator and Queen Anne resident Jeanne Kohl-Welles also held a meeting last Thursday, April 20, attended by members of all three agencies.
It was a different world 40 years ago when the West Point wastewater-treatment plant went online for the first time, remembered county officials and citizen activists at an anniversary ceremony held in conjunction with Earth Day last Saturday, April 22.Larry Phillips, a longtime Magnolia resident and King County Council chairman, remembers growing up on the shores of Lake Washington at a time when multiple cities used the waters as a convenient dumping ground for sewage that had little if any treatment. The pollution got so bad during the summers that the health department forbade anyone from swimming in the lake, Phillips said. "We were irate, and of course our parents were furious."The waters of Puget Sound off the west point of Discovery Park weren't much better, thanks to a sewage outfall pipe that had been in operation for decades, remembered Jim Ellis. There were also "seas of toilet paper" floating in the waters off the downtown waterfront, he grimaced. Ellis is known to most as the father of Metro, the multi-jurisdictional agency that successfully tackled the wastewater problem. He downplays the label. "There was a lot wider paternity than just me," Ellis smiled.
I listen to a lot of music in my work with youth. It's interesting to see what stations teens will turn to on the radio, to hear what they listen to on a daily basis. Many enjoy rap, others like rock and yet others prefer "less popular" music.Of course, the musical tastes of the young can (and do) vary widely. I would like to share some thoughts about the "popular" music teens are listening to these days.Vulgar language: When I was a teen, popular radio stations would bleep out bad language or use some sound effect to change the offending work into something unrecognizable. Now, on some popular stations, deejays make no effort to cover up or take out these words. And it isn't just a few songs either. There are many artists who use this kind of language, and most often in derogatory ways. Sexuality: Much of popular music has become highly sexualized. Lyrics are often explicit, describing physical attributes in crude terms as well as lustful, non-committal sex. Women are portrayed as not truly valuable or beautiful, as not deserving of respect, but instead as "hot" objects that will satisfy on a whim. Relationships are degraded merely to "whatever feels good" because, of course, when the good feelings are gone, it's time to move on to something new and exciting.Disrespect: There is an underlying attitude of disrespect in a lot of popular music, which can come across as an attitude of "I can do whatever I want." Lyrics may depict disrespect towards women or men, political figures and authority, either directly or indirectly. Many popular icons in the media don't take their roles as seriously as they should. I have read the statements of some celebrities saying that it isn't their responsibility to "raise" children and that they should be able to use their artistic freedom however they please. Many don't see themselves as being role models for youth and argue that they aren't trying to be. It's not their job, they say. There are, of course, examples of great role models in the media. There is excellent music with phenomenal lyrics written by extremely talented artists.Nobody's perfect, and it's impossible to always do the right thing. However, simply admitting one's mistakes to young people is a way of being transparent with them, which in turn can deepen their respect.
Sister Schools in Action (SSIA) is a nonprofit organization aimed at bringing all seven schools in the Magnolia and Queen Anne neighborhoods together. Lisa Moore, executive director of SSIA, says that several new programs are in development and will be implemented when school resumes after spring break. These include a new debate program in which fourth- and fifth-graders work alongside the debate society from the University of Washington. Children will have the opportunity to discuss relevant topics in the community and will participate as guest judges for UW students.
A few months back, Metro challenged itself with coming up with a single phrase to summarize what it means to deliver more than 30 years of transit service to King County residents. It finally decided on four little words: "We'll get you there." That motto just seemed to say it all for an agency that delivers almost 100 million rides a year. Every single weekday, 335,000 bus riders depend on Metro to get them to work, to school, to the doctor, to the store and then back home.But Metro is losing its ability to keep up with the employment and population growth across King County. There is tremendous pent-up demand for more transit service. It's a message Metro hears loud and clear from its customers. They want more frequent service so they can get to and from work, appointments and shopping more easily. They need new or better transit options that will let them travel to multiple destinations. And when they board the bus at the end of the workday, they expect a place to sit.Transit Now is a four-point initiative intended to do just that. If approved by the voters, it will begin phasing in real transit improvements right away-not years from now. We'll add up to 700,000 new service hours, a 20-percent increase systemwide.
My wife Rita and I recently vacationed in the fabled city of Palm Springs, Calif. Sonny Bono was its mayor once upon a time-I suppose that fact contributed to the making of the city's reputation.Plus, many so-called famous movie stars lived there as advertised in the 276 sidewalk-stars of fame. All I can say is: "Where's the beef?" Ok, ok, let me elaborate.Thank goodness Alaska Airlines flies nonstop to the Palm Springs airport, because we hate making plane changes at airports. Their terminal would fit easily into a corner of our Seatac's megaplex. It reminded me of Maui's old terminal-open air type with sparrows flying about. Quaint.A call to the Hotel Zoso brought us a van and pleasant driver. We selected this odd-sounding hotel based upon research and a few calls to the local chamber for references. We desired a facility close to shopping areas. They reassured us that all was within walking distances.But we soon learned that their concept of "close walking distance" was based upon astronomic concepts rather than the microscopic measurements our arthritic limbs require. We suspected something was amiss at this hotel when we ate lunch one day in their touted restaurant simply named "EAT." The place looked like it could seat 100 diners, yet Rita and I sat alone for the entire culinary experience. My salmon sandwich needed to be returned for additional cooking.The end result was entirely disappointing and we never returned to the hotel's diner. We had more fun eating at a Ruby's old-fashioned hamburger joint up the street .
The Queen Anne neighborhood may soon be getting some relief from a troubled hot spot called Mr. Lucky. Mayor Greg Nickels has formally requested that the state Liquor Control Board suspend or cancel the liquor license at the club, where during the last few years there have been multiple shootings and one death. The decision is due out early this week.We commend the mayor for taking action-finally-and the News joins him in calling for the nightclub to be shut down. From a neighborhood perspective, there is ample reason. After all, one of our own residents walking in the area was paralyzed by a stray shot a still-unknown thug fired from the Mr. Lucky parking lot.That doesn't lessen the importance of the three people shot in the club a couple weeks ago, the bartender who was shot in the leg and the man who was beaten to death with a sign pole.But all that violence took place in the span of less than three years, and that fact alone makes it abundantly and horribly clear the bar should be closed.
Although the legislative session that ended a day early on March 8 was only 59 days long, the pace was grueling. Short sessions are traditionally used for making modest adjustments to the biennial budgets. Nevertheless, nearly 900 bills were introduced in the Senate alone, with 376 bills among some 2,000 passing the Legislature.With the economy still booming and the resulting additional $1.6 billion for the biennium ending June 2007, the Legislature took the responsible course of setting aside $946 million in three savings accounts. We targeted our limited spending at priorities for our families and our future - and left more than $227 million in the bank.
There is no issue so slathered in hypocrisy in modern American culture - other than the presidency of George The Pinhead - as race relations, especially between blacks and whites.For example, the recent discovery that a teacher at Bellevue Community College was presenting a math problem by using an example that had something to do with a "Condoleezza" - perhaps Condi Rice, of Pinhead's evil cabal - and a watermelon.Some student blew the whistle on the teacher, and the hypocrisy began.The president of the college made noises about sensitivity training for the offending teacher, and then blathered on about the importance of folks of different races respecting each other - cleanup business as usual.Next came the more horrifying stage of this tawdry little drama.Letters to The Seattle Times were not unanimous in calling for the teacher's dismissal. Instead, some correspondents claimed the blacks involved in bringing this charade to light were "too sensitive."Let me be clear about two things right here.