I've about had it with the right-wing attempt to label anyone opposed to our invasion and occupation of Iraq as un-patriotic.I received an e-mail the other day linking support for our troops - along with loyalty to God, our country and home - with wearing red on Fridays in an effort to show you support our troops. Gee, do you suppose the choice of red (think red states during an election) was a coincidence?The e-mail I received is sprinkled with words like dignity, class, prayer and love of country, implying that if you're opposed to our presence in Iraq you don't support our troops, let alone have the attributes of dignity, class or love of country.I'm tired of the Republican Right linking everything from patriotism to being a good parent with this debacle the Bush administration began and seems to have no clue how to resolve.
Sometimes the scariest news in the daily papers isn't even a story but simply a little filler item.FBI and local cops have been trumpeting the fact lately that violent crime rates, specifically murder and armed robberies, have been going down for the past decade. (Rape is up in some locales, as is child molestation.)New York City in the mid-'70s averaged almost 2,500 homicides annually. That number is down to approximately 1,250 per year now in the cleaned-up Big Apple. Would that we could cut into industrial pollution so heavily in just the next three decades.Closer to home, Seattle's homicide rate rose in the late '80s and early '90s, peaking at 75 homicides per annum. But last year and the year before there were fewer than 30 homicides annually in Seattle.That's the good news.However, nobody is trumpeting the following facts, which were buried recently in a little paragraph The Seattle Times calls "By the Numbers."
The 45th Street corridor was named July 12 as the top vote-getter in Mayor Greg Nickels' search for the "dirty dozen" worst transportation problems in Seattle.Speaking at a press conference in Wallingford, the mayor promised to repave the street later this summer, and he took the opportunity to promote his $1.8-billion, 20-year plan to fix a decades-long backlog of deferred maintenance for the city's roads, bridges and sidewalks.But the Seattle City Council Committee of the Whole discussed on Monday this week a funding package that is roughly 75 percent of the mayor's. Also included in the dirty dozen list of jobs to be tackled separately from the transportation package was repaving West McGraw Place on Queen Anne Hill for $60,000, along with spending $30,000 to restripe Dexter Avenue North for bicycle safety.However, there are already bicycle lanes on Dexter Avenue that are in good shape, and although West McGraw Place is cracked in some spots, the street is no worse than other neighborhood thoroughfares such as Third Avenue West.
Memorial benches private citizens pay to have installed are a common sight in Magnolia, and it's not that big a deal for most people. But a group of nearby residents is up in arms and talking about hiring a lawyer over plans to reinstall three memorial benches on park property in the middle of a busy intersection at the western end of West McGraw Street.The benches were originally installed on what looks like a large traffic median in June, but they were removed after just a couple of weeks because the three benches were misaligned, said Dewey Potter, a spokeswoman for Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation.The Seattle Parks Foundation, which was responsible for the project, made a mistake on the design, she explained. The benches will be back soon, and the parks department in all likelihood will have to eat the cost of reinstalling them, Potter said.
There has been a lot of discussion lately about what to do about the Seattle Center, which is definitely looking a bit frayed around the edges these days.For Seattle Weekly founder and former publisher David Brewster, the answer is simple: Get rid of buildings like the Center House and replace them with green space.Brewster, a Madrona resident who set up and until recently ran the Town Hall programs, even has a small core of supporters. The group calls itself Friends of Green, or FROG, and they tout the idea of turning the Seattle Center into a major park as a way to address a glaring deficit in downtown green space.It's an issue he wrote about in an April op-ed piece in a daily paper, but Brewster took the idea on the road by speaking at a July 13 meeting of the Uptown Alliance, a planning group in Lower Queen Anne. Brewster also promoted the idea that the Seattle Center could become a neighborhood park.As a member of a downtown parks task force, he noted that it would be too expensive to buy enough downtown land for a major Seattle park. "So it has to be in an existing space."That's why the Seattle Center would be the perfect location, according to Brewster. "A lot of properties in the middle here have reached the end of their effective lives," he said.That includes Memorial Stadium. "So maybe you can take that out," said Brewster, who suggested replacing the Seattle School District property with an underground parking garage that could be lidded with green space.
You would think that after living in Queen Anne for 13 years I would have managed to participate in the annual Crown of Queen Anne Fun Run/Walk. But before Saturday's fiasco, never had I dragged myself out of bed to parade around the neighborhood with other devoted community members. Since I needed to give my own take on the event, my aunt Nancy came up with an idea: What better way to detail the occasion and soak in the vibe than running it myself? So I sauntered over to the Metropolitan Market to sign up. When I glanced down at the pamphlet someone handed me, I almost fell down. Twenty bucks??!! 20???? OK, OK, it's for a great cause - Queen Anne Helpline. And maybe my editor would reimburse me (just kidding). At least I got one of those cool, marathon-looking race tags. On the morning of the race, I showed up at Fifth Avenue West and West Halladay Street 40 minutes early to check out the scene. My mind wasn't quite with it yet, due to the 8 a.m. starting time. Obviously the organizers didn't have me in mind when they picked that number. At first I wondered if I was even in the right place - it looked like there were more policemen than runners. But eventually other people came leisurely wandering in. Kids, teenagers, college students and adults all mingled around, stretching and chatting the time away before the race.As I walked through the crowd, I saw a fair share of interesting-looking hats and T-shirts - notably a huge red hat with a second, smaller piece of headwear on top of it. Some people were definitely getting into the Queen Anne spirit.After a few minutes I began to stretch out and scout the competition. Not having done any real jogging over the past few months, I knew that I'd have to rely on pure athleticism to get me through and take home the trophy. And even if I didn't win, the Queen Anne News had to be well-represented with a strong placing.
Summer is one of my favorite times to take on sewing projects because I finally have time to enjoy the creative process. I always love to try something new, to use fabrics in a different way. So this summer I'm going to make a new coverlet for my bed just from fabrics I find at garage sales. "What?" I hear you cry. "Can't be done! You'll never find a piece of fabric big enough!" Want to know my secrets?Start with the colorFirst, establish a color palette that works with your bedroom before you go shopping at garage sales. After all, we want to change the bedspread, not the whole room. Once you have your colors in mind, go to the local paint store. Why? You know those wonderful strips of paper that show you what colors the paints will be when dry? Select the ones that match the bedspread color you have chosen, and keep them with you during your hunt for fabric. This will save you a lot of time and effort and also prevent you from buying the wrong-colored fabric at the garage sales.
Call it a "garage sale," "yard sale" or "estate sale," summer is the time to clear out the attic and stick tiny, florescent stickers on that old pair of hockey skates, your mother-in-law's mismatched tea set and that sci-fi book collection that is getting moldier by the year.Garage sales can be a fun way of cleaning the clutter, but there are a few things to keep in mind before you set up your Saturday storefront.OptionsFirst, decide if having a sale is worth your time. While there are some good reasons for spending the weekend hosting a sale (such as meeting new neighbors and getting your kids involved in getting rid of their stuff), also consider the time involved in preparing a successful garage sale. You may want to hire someone else to manage your sale. A small, hourly fee and a percent of the proceeds are standard compensation. Or donation is always a good option; check www.ci.seattle.wa.us/html/citizen/volunteer.htm for a list of area agencies. Some will even pick up small household items from your curb.
On May 3, 1986, Kathleen Koch's search for a unique wedding gift inspired her to open up a gallery of handcrafted works at the Wallingford Center."I was the first one to occupy the space I'm currently in," Koch said. "It's been really nice because I've had so many [Wallingford] customers over the years, and I've watched their kids grow up."Her gallery, Crackerjack Contemporary Crafts, currently represents more than 200 artists from the Seattle area and throughout the United States who work in a range of media, including gems, glass, ceramics, paper and pewter. Some of the represented artists are also from France, Belgium and Canada. In addition, Koch noted that the gallery also sells handmade toys made by a family from Mexico who has been making them since 1945."A lot of [customers] enjoy the fact that they are supporting artists," she said.
More than 100 people dressed as zombies are expected to wander through Fremont on Saturday, July 22, to celebrate the screening of the film "Shaun of the Dead," a Fremont Outdoor Movies event."I was definitely inspired by 'Shaun of the Dead,'" said zombie organizer "Cleo Zombie." "I love the zombie genre in general. I've always been a big horror-movie fan."All tongue-in-cheekProduced in 2004, "Shaun of the Dead" was directed by Edgar Wright, from an original screenplay by Wright and Simon Pegg, who plays "Shaun," the title character. Shaun is a 29-year-old who lacks ambition. He works in a dead-end job as the temporary manager of an appliance store, and his longtime girlfriend is fed up with him. But when the living dead rise in numbers around modern-day London, Shaun must come to the rescue."The movie itself is a sort of tongue-in-cheek zombie movie that plays in modern-day Britain," said Outdoor Movies organizer Andrew McMasters. "We saw the film and thought it was very funny and thought it would make a great event."Cleo Zombie first heard of a zombie walk, in Vancouver in 2004, that drew about 300 people. Last October, she hosted her first zombie walk in Ballard, then Fremont and Capitol Hill. Participants have ranged in age from toddlers to people in their 60s, who have either heard about the event through word-of-mouth, the Internet or from a flier.
One might wonder what a Japanese-European fusion-style dessert may taste like, but you only need to stop by the charming Hiroki Specialty Desserts in the Meridian neighborhood to find out for yourself. One could easily drive past the corner café, but a large amount of foot traffic takes notice of the small shop with the light-green exterior resembling Hiroki's signature item: the green-tea tiramisu. The café's owner and namesake, Hiroki Inoue, has established a loyal following in the neighborhood, where the majority of clientele comes from friends' recommendations and the curious passers-by. Also head baker, Inoue whips up a wide variety of desserts.
A huge crowd gathered on Saturday, July 15, in the Northgate neighborhood, and it wasn't for a sale or a traffic snarl. They came to celebrate the opening of the Seattle Public Library's new Northgate branch, the Northgate Community Center and the adjacent park and playground.Holistic growthSituated across the street from Northgate Mall, the new facilities have less to do with commercialism and everything to do with community. Even so, the Northgate Chamber of Commerce, established in 2002, took a role in the celebration and will participate in the community center's activities in the future. The chamber's mission is to create value, according to its website, and part of that is a focused effort to support the community.As chairperson of the Northgate chamber board of directors, Amani Harris works "to help our businesses grow, but also to help them give back to the community." As community groups need help, the chamber tries to connect them to businesses, or to sponsor grants, such as the recent $15,000 for the Lifetime of Literacy project.While Harris acknowledges a need for economic development in the Northgate region, he takes a holistic view, where community service is part of the development of the area. Harris has been taught to give back, "engage the culture, change the world," he said.In speaking of the area, Harris corrects himself from calling the chamber's wide geographic reach a "problem."
Longtime Fremont Library patron Robert McNeil remembers when he was a small child in the 1920s and the library was a big attraction to him and his family. They would walk there regularly, he recalled: "I would come home from the library and spread all the books on the floor - they were very handsome, you know. And even though I couldn't read, I really enjoyed it."Whereas other libraries in the system are "bigger and rather imposing," McNeil said, the Fremont Library is more inviting because "it's at street level - just one step and you are there. It was, still is a very friendly place to go and read." Understanding the pastThe Fremont Library will celebrate its 85th anniversary on Saturday, July 22, with a rededication ceremony kicking off the event at noon.Joan Johnson, branch manager and the driving force behind the celebration, sees the branch as particularly special because it was the first satellite branch from the Seattle Public Library's main downtown branch. It is also the only Seattle library designed in Mission Revival style."For the festival, we are harking back to our 1921 opening," Johnson said. The day will be a way for the attendees to "see a piece of the past," said children's librarian Joanna Trefethen. "We are all so inundated with now, we are so future-orientated."
Fire consumed a three-story townhouse under construction last Friday, July 14. About 90 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire that started at 6 a.m. that day. The fire ultimately destroyed the townhouse, damaged three other homes and charred several cars in the 3800 block of Interlake Avenue North. An auto-repair business across the alley sustained broken windows, but none of the business' customer vehicles were damaged.
Foghorn whistles blowing. Seagulls crying out in three-part harmonies. Working men shouting back and forth. The sounds of early morning float across my consciousness as I lazily begin to realize it's a new day. But it's the rev of the seaplane engines that cause me to jump out of bed and grab the day, like a 5-year-old yearning to cruise the sky with Amelia Earhart. It's 6 a.m. Sunshine is streaming in my east-facing window, and my world is already rich with the sights and sounds of lakeside living.I moved to Seattle 20 years ago because I fell in love with the water. My hometown, Boston, lies on the harbor, yet one doesn't have a sense of water like we do here, surrounding us everywhere as it does. Maybe it's the Pisces in me, maybe good karma, but I am intensely drawn to the water, and despite a modest income I've managed to live on it for much of the last two decades. Lake Union was my first, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I fell in love with it immediately.I plopped down in this new city, overlooking Northlake, in a funky rental house of five young, urban professionals - or some bohemian version thereof.