Welcome to your "smart" kitchen. Your oven mitt tells you if your casserole is cooked all the way through, and if not, it then tells you to put the food back in the oven - and for how long. Your "smart" refrigerator can tell you with 80-percent accuracy what's sitting on its shelves. And if you have tomatoes, an onion and some pasta, it also will suggest that you make spaghetti for dinner. Or, imagine waking up in the morning, your window blinds slowly rise and your lamps adjust perfectly. Freshly brewed coffee awaits you, along with just-baked muffins from your microwave. Sound a little out of this world? Well, maybe right now, but not for long, because a home with a high IQ isn't as far away as you might think.
Everyone is aware that there are different stages in the progression of an illness and that the person living with that illness will go through a range of emotions. However, we rarely reflect that caregivers, too, go through different stages of development, emotion and need while performing their role. Taking care of yourselfCaring for someone with Alz-heimer's or dementia in particular is associated with a higher level of stress than caring for someone with functional impairment from another type of illness. One survey on caregivers revealed that persons with Alzheimer's disease required an average of 70 hours of care per week, with 62 of those hours provided by the primary caregiver.Since caregivers have a tendency to focus so much attention on their "job," they often overlook their own personal needs, telling themselves that their needs pale in comparison with those of their family member or loved one who is ill.
Coconut shrimp tend to be considered "restaurant food" - something you do not make at home, but take pleasure in eating at a restaurant. Lack of a good recipe, not enough time or unfamiliarity with buying and handling shrimp are possible reasons why the preparation of this beloved dish is left in the hands of professionals. Perhaps it is all three. And yet shrimp are relatively painless to prepare when armed with a good recipe. I love making coconut shrimp because they yield huge returns of appreciation. And what better time than the holidays to spend a little more time and money on cooking for those you love.The good news for whomever is doing the cooking: They can be breaded the morning ahead and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry them.
John Gallen, better known to most Madison Park residents as "John the Flower Guy at Bert's," will retire in January. Johnny has been hauling hoses, ordering wreaths and bringing in the best tulips, roses and lilies for more than 40 years. In cold weather and hot, he has been there every day since he was 15 years old. Customers drive from all over the city to get the best price on flowers that seem to be twice the price at every other grocery store. Bert's Red Apple's Terry Short will continue to run the same kind of flower program until the store finds a suitable replacement after the first of the year.D-I-Y holiday?A recent stop for cookie tins at Madison Park Hardware showed a homey holiday trend. The proprietress thought it might be one of the holiday seasons where gifts of jams and jelly found their way under the tree this year. She said they sold more canning supplies in recent memory. Cookie tins seemed to be on the move that day, as well.
As we look at the results of the last election, there are many lessons to be learned and observations to be made. One of the most important is not a partisan lesson but one that crosses party lines and affects the way we receive news and information. That lesson is the rise of new media.The 'blogosphere'During this last election, we saw blogs play an extremely significant role in both local and national campaigns. Short for a "weblog," blogs enable the author, or "blogger," to post content instantaneously. There are 28.7 million blogs out there, according to the search engine Technorati. The "blogosphere," as many call it, has allowed for not only a flood of information and opinions, but it makes the news cycle move faster than it already did with media like 24-hour cable news channels.Both the Republican and Democratic candidates for Senate, Maria Cantwell and Mike McGavick, employed bloggers to post their latest campaign news on their websites.
The word "clique" has something of a negative connotation, but belonging to one can sometimes build self-confidence. Some are easy to join, especially the ones formed as far back as grade school. The younger setBack then, it felt good to belong to a group. Contrary comments were not often made; one had to tolerate to fit in with others' opinions.Classroom achievers who strived for perfection - the kind who cried when given a B grade -were a clique. This clique offered to help the teacher clean blackboards and erasers, or they were the first to raise their hands to answer a question in class. Back in the '40s, J. J. McGilvra Elementary School had two distinct cliques. One consisted of those finely coiffed students who arrived in style each morning, one car after another with uniformed chauffeurs opening the back door for them. The other distinct clique had really nice patches and arrived on foot. These would be my people.
A University of Washington professor is creating a photographic narrative of the Madison Park neighborhood he has called home for the last seven years. He hopes residents will be able to identify with it and learn more about the history of the place they call home. A visual narrativeThis fall, psychology professor Calogero and six of his honor students have been researching City of Seattle archives for photographs of the neighborhood that will be part of a historical nonfiction book put out by Arcadia Publishing as part of its "Images of America" series. The contract calls for 180 photos in 120 pages or three photos for every two pages. As a result, Calogero said the story he will tell will be largely through the captions of the photos. "One hundred eighty photos doesn't sound like that many, but it tells a fairly long story," he said.
Suspects broke into three Madison Park businesses during the early morning hours of Nov. 27 by forcibly removing the meters from the exterior power boxes and cutting power to the targeted businesses.According to Officer Jeff Kappel, a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department, "It's an active investigation, very early on, and at this time, [the police] are still collecting evidence. There are no suspects at this time, and nobody in custody."
The Madrona-Sally Goldmark Library is about to get a face lift. Last month, members of the community got a glimpse of what's to come at an open house at the library, at 1134 33rd Ave.Converted from a firehouse in 1973, the library will undergo a renovation that will include a new entrance vestibule on East Union Street, a fresh interior layout, an upgraded technology center and an updated book collection. Smaller library projectFunding was provided for this remodel through a 1998 bond measure approved by Seattle voters, which raised $196.4 million for renovating the Seattle library system. According to Justine Kim, the Seattle Public Library project manager, this particular project's budget is $392,213, with additional funding coming from savings that were to go toward maintenance of the site. Currently at the end of the design process, Kim said construction bidding would begin in early 2007. "Even though it's a really small scope, we're trying to reorganize everything and make it look like a brand-new building inside," Kim said. She also said that there is a set schedule for construction, "but in an old building like this, there could be a lot of unforeseen conditions that could delay the project."Thomas Isarankura, the head architect on the project, said, "If we can reopen the library by the end of the year (2007), I think everyone will be happy."
With mental health care going down the drain all across Washington for the past several years - with inpatient beds decreasing and funding getting slashed - one private, for-profit psychiatric hospital in the quiet suburbs of Kirkland rose above it all. Fairfax Hospital, of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. is the only facility of its kind in the state and has been a remarkable example of what should be done to provide for some of the most suffering members of society."Fairfax Hospital is providing a service that very few other hospitals provide," said Cassie Sauer, vice president of communications for the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA). "They provide a full range of mental health facilities - which is very rare."Founded in 1930, Fairfax Hospital has been a leader in mental health care for decades. Originally built in Seattle, Fairfax moved to Kirkland in 1938, where it began receiving more patients and psychiatrists until it became a full-fledged hospital dedicated to serving the needs of the entire Puget Sound area.In 1972, it was purchased by Community Psychiatric Centers (CPC) where it then added programs and services for children and adolescents. Finally, Fairfax was purchased by Behavioral Healthcare Corporation (BHC) in 1996, where it started The Northwest School of Innovative Learning, the dual diagnosis treatment for both adults and adolescents, and clinical trials.
Earlier this year the City Council developed a four-phase approach to studying the potential annexation of Finn Hill, Juanita and Kingsgate. Phase one includes outreach to Kirkland; phase two is to expand outreach to the PAA (potential annexation area); phase three is election preparation and phase four is implementation approval by the City Council.At the end of phase one, after listening to community concerns and gathering other important information, the council will decide whether to proceed to the next phase of decision-making. If the council decides to initiate phase two, the city would continue outreach in Kirkland, expand community outreach efforts to include residents and businesses in the PAA and continue to study whether annexation is financially and technically feasible.
The Kirkland Arts Center has announced that they will no longer produce Summerfest, as they have for the better part of the past decade. Never fear, Kirkland is not about to abandon a tried-and-true summer party. The city is considering a working title, "Kirkland's Wine on the Waterfront," to continue the summertime tradition of a premiere Puget Sound wine tasting event, geared to art lovers, wine enthusiasts and families.
Kirkland bars received some unwanted attention this fall for being in the top-10 list of King County drinking establishments which are the alleged sources of the most arrests for driving under the influence.Liquor Control Board spokeswoman Susan Reams cautioned that the DUI data don't necessarily reflect reality. The information is based on suspected drunk drivers saying which bar they were last in. But the data are taken from someone who is intoxicated; it may not be accurate and those arrested could be lying about where they were, she said.
They threw a party and no one came. And that was just fine with the hosts.After packing up in the rain the night before, about 50 homeless men and women savored both the sunbreaks and the quiescence during their well-oiled move to the grounds of St. John Mary Vianney on Veterans Day. In stark contrast to the mercurial scenario exactly two years ago, not a protestor was in sight. Only helpers. Camp adviser Bruce Thomas shakes his head in absolute disbelief. "There is an incredible team of support here."Tent City 4 is an Eastside homeless encampment run by SHARE/WHEEL, permitted to house up to 100 adults and must move every 90 days. (SHARE stands for Seattle Housing and Resource Effort. WHEEL stands for Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League.) In addition to two Tent City locations, they also operate 13 fixed-site shelters with 350 beds.Since its inception two-and-a-half years ago, Tent City 4 has become defined by polarity. Religious organizations, which have federally-mandated land use rights, often unequivocally welcome the two-and-a-half-year-old Eastside homeless encampment as part of missions to reach out to the homeless. On the flip side, most surrounding communities - and often the city government - do everything in their power to limit their stays and prevent their return.
In October's Kirkland Courier Ellen Miller Wolfe, Kirkland's economic development manager, introduced readers to the Kirkland Business Roundtable. This laudatory effort is bringing together many of our larger and high tech businesses to focus on the challenges and opportunities faced by Kirkland businesses. However, we would be remiss if we did not also highlight the cooperative efforts of the chamber and city for the other three-quarters of Kirkland's 3,200 businesses that have five or fewer employees (which includes 1,200-plus home businesses. Specifically, I am referencing the business retention efforts being undertaken by the chamber and the city that benefit all businesses and help support and foster home businesses.Since 2003, the city and the chamber have collaborated on what was called the Kirkland Economic Partnership. This effort was initiated when the business community agreed to not oppose the city's imposition of a business license fee surcharge which raised $1 million to support the city's efforts to erase its deficit during the economic downturn. Part of the agreement was that $170,000 of the amount raised was to be allocated for recruitment and retention efforts that would be conducted through a team effort led by the chamber and the city. With the hiring of Miller Wolfe, the team was able to refocus its attention on business retention.