A century ago, telegraph poles across America sported colored glass and porcelain insulators. Shaped like overturned vases the size of coffee mugs, they protected communication wires. By mid-century, technology had rendered them obsolete; however, in the 1960s, people began collecting these often-beautiful items.Seattle is home to a community of insulator enthusiasts who have shelves of them. Once a year, they're taken out to be displayed, admired and perhaps swapped or sold.This Saturday, Feb.17, the 18th-annual Emerald City Insulator Collectors potluck and social will begin at 10 a.m. at B.F. Day Elementary School, 3921 Linden Ave. N. The event is open to the public, and admission is free.Last year, about 100 collectors attended. This year's organizers - B.F. Day school librarian Gil Hedges-Blanquez and North Seattle residents Robin Harrison, Jack Hare and Win Bonnie Trueblood - say they expect at least 50 people to show up."People bring stuff to show," Harrison said. "People with duplicates and those who sell insulators. It's all free, and it's all volunteer."
4Culture recently announced the 2007 Arts Special Projects program, a funding opportunity for individual artists and organizations. The Arts Special Projects program includes three categories: Individual Artists Program, Arts Organization Program and Community Arts Initiative. The deadline for applications is March 26.The Special Projects Individual and Arts Organization Programs encourage innovation in all disciplines, with awards made based on artistic excellence. The Community Arts Initiative ensures that quality arts programming is available to communities in every corner of King County. Support is available for projects in two categories: development of arts programs in communities without established local arts agencies; and development of arts programs by community organizations targeting a specific underserved ethnic, cultural or geographic group.
Female athletes didn't get a fair look in college until 1972. But since then the girls on the playing field have pulled almost even with - or past - the boys.Longtime Seattle residents Jack and Leslie Hamann have documented the stories of three such sportswomen from the University of Washington, plus one interesting, questing male coach, in their documentary "Generation IX," airing on KCTS-9/109 (PBS) tomorrow night, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.The one-hour show looks closely at the experiences of the first generation of female athletes to grow up in the era of Title IX, the 1972 amendment to the Civil Rights Act that prohibits sex discrimination against students at educational institutions. Its three subjects are members of the UW's championship women's volleyball team. (The show, made possible by grants from the Denman Family Foundation, Gratia Ainslie Foundation, Susan and John Pohl, Dorothy Simpson, Sally Behnke, Karen Koon and members of the Washington Athletic Club, will be repeated Monday, Feb. 19, at 1 a.m.)
To what ends will we go to let love take root in our hearts? With the parade of Valentine's Day roses and chocolates upon us, such a question may seem sappy and trite. But strip from your mind the sensory overload of the holiday's marketing machine for a moment to contemplate the query's core. For me, the answer to this question comes in the form of a personal anecdote that transformed into a powerful touchstone.The second week of February in 1993 saw winter holding a mild grip on Missoula, and my two-mile walks to class at the University of Montana became pleasant. Even if the weather had turned icy, as was common at that time of year in the Northern Rockies, I wouldn't have been bothered much, for an energizing emotional high had engulfed me after meeting Jennifer.A group of mutual friends introduced us after a Suzanne Vega concert while we walked to a birthday party. Finishing their slices of chocolate-chip cheesecake, Jennifer and our birthday-girl friend took off with some others to a nearby bar, inviting me and a friend to come along. They left, and we hesitated, briefly. A half-hour later, I found myself sitting at a pub table, chatting with Jen. After two hours of talk, we parted, with the notion of going out for coffee soon. We had coffee on the eve of Valentine's Day. As the evening wound down, I promised to come by her dorm, where she was a resident assistant, during her office shift the next day to pay a visit with my burly malamute-shepherd.Soon after dawn, the worst blizzard of the year roared into the Missoula valley. The temperature plummeted, and thick flakes of snow fell slanting from the sky. Deep drifts began collecting throughout town, with visibility dropping to 10 feet at times when the wind really howled. I pulled on my heavy winter clothes, including a wool coat layered over a fleece jacket, clicked the leash on Meadow and stepped into the whiteout. The promised visit solidified the resolve in my smitten heart to see Jennifer.
Truth be told, I'm a romantic, so if you don't believe in all that mushy stuff and would rather attend Dan Savage's 10th Annual Valentine's Smash Bash at Neumo's, stop here. Otherwise, consider this one reflection on the current state of love, circa 2007.Watching tulip bulbs begin their ascent on Capitol Hill, I'm feeling whimsical, distracted and a bit lusty. Maybe I'm afflicted with spring fever, which arrives earlier in this part of the country.While my boyfriend Ter and I have been together for more than three years, we've never needed to hide that we might find another person attractive. That kind of honesty, in our opinion, enhances the relationship. Admittedly, a time or two it's caused a problem but we talk it out and understand why after the conversation. And still we are able to revel whenever we spot a hunky "surfer boy" crossing the street or in the grocery store aisle, and excitedly tell the other about the sighting.This weekend Ter attended a conference in Oakland, leaving me here in Seattle to enjoy some alone time. Like most non-cohabiting couples we spend weekends together, but several times a year find ourselves apart. Time away from each other provides an opportunity to reflect and consider how the relationship has grown and changed, or hasn't.
Here's a radically unpopular idea: I think the Seattle School District is doing a pretty good job.At least 70,000 or so of you seem to agree with me, based on the results of last week's special election for extension of the district's operations and capital levies. Both passed with about 70 percent of the vote. Even then, local media seemed to play up the negative, noting a record-low voter turnout and spinning it as disenchantment with the district.A series of challengesThere certainly is a lot of disenchantment afoot - which the dailies and elected officials like Mayor Greg Nickels and state Sen. Ed Murray have done more than their part to encourage. But viewed objectively, the district has done quite a bit to right its ship over the last three or so years, especially financially. That's not to say there aren't still major problems facing Seattle schools. There are. But the same problems - declining enrollment, old physical plants, poor tests scores (especially among non-white students), overtaxed special-needs programs - face nearly every other major urban school district in the country. Seattle is not unique and, in many ways, is doing relatively well.
The challenge was irresistible. For Capitol Hill residents Shane Robinson, Bryan Smith and Todd Gilman, along with Vancouver Island's Jonaven Moore, the chance to win a vacation in hell was not something the veteran kayakers could pass up.The annual Win a Vacation to Hell contest is sponsored by Outdoor Retailer, the outdoor industry's trade association. The concept is simple: Kayaking teams submit an application to win a grant to paddle in some exotic location. The catch? The contest judges determine where that location is and keep it a secret until they pick the winners. Will the winning team be paddling the Wolstenholme Fjord in Greenland? Dodging hissing cockroaches on Madagascar's Betsiboka River? Marveling at Lerderderg Gorge in Australia?Careful what you ask for. The group won the competition.The team has learned that their vacation destination will be the first descent of the last remaining canyon in the Amazon to be kayaked: the Rio Huallaga in the Central Highlands of Peru. The adventure, tentatively set for July, will be historic.
There are no blinking lights, no flashing neon signs. In all, it's a fairly nondescript store front. But the fact that the new Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce has a physical presence, just off Broadway at 903 East John Street, announces that the new business organization is becoming more than just another good idea.As 2007 comes into focus, the new chamber is aiming beyond the logistic and procedural tasks required to simply become established. The new chamber now has official, paid members. So far eight businesses have become charter members, including Ragen and Associates, the Brix condominiums on the north end of Broadway and Russell Jones Real Estate. Amani Ellen Loutfy, the chamber's interim executive director, said several others have offered what are essentially verbal commitments. The number is expected to increase dramatically in the next few months. At $500, the cost of becoming a charter member is more expensive than many, especially smaller businesses, are able to pay. Loutfy is working on a rate structure for different membership levels, ones based on size or revenue, which will be more affordable. Individual memberships will be offered in the near future as well.
Female sportsmen didn't get a fair look in college until 1972. But since then the girls on the playing field have pulled almost even with - or past - the boys.Longtime Queen Anne residents Jack and Leslie Hamann have documented the stories of three such sportswomen from the University of Washington, plus one interesting, questing male coach, in their documentary "Generation IX," airing on KCTS-9/109 (PBS) tomorrow night, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.The one-hour show looks closely at the experiences of the first generation of female athletes to grow up in the era of Title IX, the 1972 amendment to the Civil Rights Act that prohibits sex discrimination against students at educational institutions. Its three subjects are members of the UW's championship women's volleyball team. (The show, made possible by grants from the Denman Family Foundation, Gratia Ainslie Foundation, Susan and John Pohl, Dorothy Simpson, Sally Behnke, Karen Koon and members of the Washington Athletic Club, will be repeated Monday, Feb. 19, at 1 a.m.)"Generation IX" was shot on location in Seattle, Los Angeles, Colorado Springs and China, where the U-Dub collegiate champions went to play the women of a country that excels in volleyball, Ping Pong and population growth.
Public Art Workshops, a youth arts program of SEED, develops art-making skills in underserved youth, by creating site-specific, culturally relevant art in public spaces. Public Art Workshops partner professional artists with middle and high school youth to design, fabricate and install art in Southeast Seattle locations identified by neighborhood stakeholders as sites in need of art enhancement. This year, SEED will undertake three separate projects across Southeast Seattle serving 36+ students in free Public Art Workshops.Responding to a request from the Rainier Beach business community, SEED is partnering with the Rainier Beach Community Empowerment Coalition (RBCEC) to create 25 appliqué banners to be displayed along Rainier Ave. S., Seward Park Ave. S. and Henderson Ave. S. Twelve students will work with local graphic artist, Hiawatha Davis, to learn the tenets of graphic design and graphics-based computer art.
Pails of coral-colored quince blossoms on tangled branches spill from stalls and sidewalks wherever people celebrate the Lunar New Year. A symbol of prosperity and splendor these lovely flowers, among many others are found in every home to welcome this most important holiday of the lunar calendar year. Arriving close to springtime the Lunar New Year brings hope for a fresh start symbolized by the pristine blossoms. Always falling on the first new moon after the 20th of January, Lunar New Year is also known as Chinese New Year. This celebration is called Tet Nguyen Dan in Vietnam or simply Tet. It is a time of renewal, a time to celebrate the coming of planting season, hopes for good crops and a promising future.Preparations begin one month before the New Year arrives. This year the date is Feb. 18, which ushers in the year of the boar or year of the pig on the Chinese astrological calendar. Much effort goes into this momentous holiday for Vietnamese and Chinese people. Houses and shops are swept clean, windows and blinds are washed; thus bad spirits from the outgoing year are swept and washed away. This is a time for new clothes, new shoes and gift giving. Out with the old and in with the new is a familiar phrase which works well in this context.
Ken and I just left the Beacon Hill Red Apple one Sunday afternoon when missionaries approached. I'd breezed by their antics entering the store. Inside, by the produce section, I bumped into Kenji Shimada, one of my favorite people on the Hill.At 87, Ken is sharper than most at 27. If there's a patron saint for good sense on Beacon Hill, it's Ken. When we walked out, one of the missionaries, a middle-aged white guy in a plaid shirt and blue jeans sidled up to us."Would you like a free book?" he demanded. Its cover blared "America's Prophecy" in glossy red, white, and blue. His partner hovered behind."No, thanks," Ken said. I waved the guy off and walked Ken to his Acura."Craig," Ken said, "I try to live a Christian life, but I'm not a Christian."I agreed. "Any religion that doesn't have room in heaven for my cats doesn't have room for me."When I left, I saw the missionaries at it again, chatting up a well-dressed gentle man, who looked incredulous.They were the latest in a plague of missionaries of biblical proportions that has stumped the streets of late.What do you do with true believers?
Texas represents her beginnings, Seattle her introduction to diversity, France her 25-year love affair with its life-style, but recently Korea and its little understood culture has literally taken possession of the fascinating and multifaceted Laura Nelson of Rainier Valley. She is absolutely besotted with the food, the people and their crazy work hard/play hard mentality. Nelson is never one to do things halfheartedly, and her enthusiasm is contagious. Her life's work has been dedicated to educating people, by learning a foreign language, to become a better world citizen. Foreign language. Is it foreign because we don't understand? Or foreign because it is unknown and uncomfortable? When we do not understand a person's words, but they come from the mouth of a someone who principally looks like us and acts like us, we are not intimidated. But when the leap requires not only understanding the language but also the person's culture, the divide becomes an abyss.
Cool weather and hazy sun prevailed over the Feb. 10 grand opening of the newly refurbished and expanded Van Asselt Community Center. The mild, late winter weather drew out droves of area residents curious about the improvements done to the center's primary building and outside play areas. Located at 2820 South Mrytle Street, due west of the Seattle Police Department's South Precinct and adjacent to the expansive Van Asselt Playfield, the community center features a rebuilt gymnasium, playground area and newly installed basketball courts. "What used to be here was the gym and a small shelter from the WPA era," noted the parks department director of development, Erin Devoto before highlighting the project's initial, voter approved scope."Originally all we were going to do was the building," continued Devoto.This strategy changed drastically more than two years ago when Starbucks was approached about the project by city officials and community members. The giant coffee retailer kicked in approximately $135,000 to build a new playground next to the center's established wading pool. Devoto noted that the large play area was not even in the center's original plan, which had its reconstruction funded when Seattle voters passed the community center levy in 1999.
Recently, a younger friend remarked in passing, "Where would we be, for information, without the Internet - what did people do for information before?"With my jaw dropping straight to the ground, it was fortunate that at the time we needed to concentrate on the project at hand. But I followed up later with a request to expand on his remarks. He feels that in this Information Age the world is at your fingertips. If you are curious about a word and wondering where it came from, search on Wikipedia; he gave as an example the word hijack. The two entries he sent along to me told stories about the word's origins and also had links to truck, exclamation, robbers, seamen and prostitutes. I checked in my well-worn dictionary and found that it stated the origin was unknown and then defined it: