We live in a commerce-driven culture.It wasn't always thus.My father considered himself a "working class" man. In his day, in our German-Irish neighborhood, that was not an insult. He also considered himself an American of German descent. Both sides of his identity were important to him. Most importantly, he considered himself a citizen of these United States. He would have laughed if you called him a consumer, and pitied you if you identified yourself as such."Things are just things," he used to say, and other than wanting a bigger house, with places where he could hide from his noisy brood, and more money for his beloved dream of retirement, he didn't talk much about material goods.
The shooting death on the University of Washington campus April 2 of UW employee Rebecca Griego at the hands of her renegade ex-boyfriend Jonathan Rowan, who then turned the gun fatally on himself, has sparked intense debate about the immediate and lasting dangers of domestic violence.The fact that Griego received numerous threats, including death threats, from the obsessively persistent Rowan-and had consequently tried and failed to have a restraining order imposed on her stalker-has aroused among us a sense of rage, frustration, fear and a sickened kind of futility.
Last week I was actually invited to a house party for Barack Obama. Twenty freakin' months before the election. Out of curiosity and loyalty to the friends who were hosting it, I went. It was a great discussion. But amidst all the earnest expressions of Seattle liberalism, one topic remained completely, curiously absent.Before Barack or anyone else matters, we've got an election here, this year.You would never know it from either the headlines or the local political chatter, much of which already seems obsessed with next year's presidential race. But we have five city council seats, plus four seats on county council, two Port of Seattle commissioners, four Seattle School Board members, lots of suburban positions and a host of ballot measures, including some critical transportation votes, coming up this summer and fall. Yes, summer; the primary has been moved back to August (when fewer people will be paying attention), and the filing deadline for candidates is now in early June, less than two months away.
The City of Seattle is seeking candidates to serve a two-year term with the Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities. This position will be appointed by the mayor to a 16 member commission which advises the City Council on issues that affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transperson community. This unpaid opportunity is open only to candidates residing in Seattle. The committee meets the third Thursday of each month in a meetings open to the public.
On March 22, Babeland was awarded an Outstanding Service award for promoting lesbian, bisexual and queer women's health and wellness by the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transperson (LGBT) Health. The woman-owned sex toy boutique hosts a series of after-hours workshops on an array of topics ranging from safe sex to sexual techniques. Each staff member is also trained in sexuality education. "Good sex and good health go hand in hand," said Rebecca Denk, Babeland's general business manager.
On May 13, the Broadway Sunday Farmers Market opens for its third season. Operated by the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, the market will begin offering a number of fresh goods including fresh vegetables and vegetables, cut flowers, seafood and meats, cheeses, breads and plants. Opening day will feature an appearance by Councilmember Sally Clark and live music by fiddlers, the Lee Strippling Trio.
Mayor Greg Nickels and Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske are trying to drum up support for a new concept in the way crime is handled in Seattle. Called "Neighborhood Policing," it is a "faster, stronger and smarter" approach to public safety, according to the mayor. There are three elements to the proposal, and each faces its own challenges. The primary goal is to add an additional 105 officers to the force between 2008 and 2012. That's in addition to the 49 new cops added to the force since 2005, Nickels said. However, Seattle City Council member Richard McIver said, paying for the new cops will involve cuts in other programs since hope of getting $21 million in business-and-occupation (B & O) taxes from the state is dead in the water for this session.
Christine Stepherson and her daughter Eva 2, get ready for the Easter Egg Hunt in and around the Volunteer Park Play area on Saturday, April 7. Roughly 100 children took part in the annual event.
Seattle broke a record last Friday. The temperature hit a whopping 79 degrees, the hottest April 6 in 30 years. I had scheduled an appointment in the University District for that afternoon so gamely pulled my bicycle out of the closet, checked the tires, filled my water bottle, and donned my helmet. For once, I wasn't in a hurry.The cycling paths throughout our community linking us to various neighborhoods and destinations are a treasure. And whether one owns a car or not, most natives respect the presence of cyclists on the transportation grid.This month marks my sixth anniversary of living in Seattle without a car. The decision in some regards grew out of circumstance. The 16-year-old car I'd owned since college needed major repairs in the spring of 2001. The cost would far exceed the value of the car. I decided to see if I could survive on Capitol Hill sans auto. Thanks to Flexcar (for trips across the lake or remote environs), the bus, my bike and feet, I've survived.
"A Clean House," currently playing at ACT Theatre, is by far the most popular work by Sarah Ruhl, who is currently one of the hottest playwrights in the country. Ruhl is young - celebrating her 33rd birthday this year - yet already she has had seven plays produced, won prestigious awards and been the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant that lauds her vivid and adventurous works and praises her for juxtaposing "mundane aspects of daily life with mythic themes."Be that as it may, I found "The Clean House" to be a flawed play. Its two acts seem badly woven together. The second act degenerates into mayhem even as it addresses the most poignant issues of love and death. It's as if it got away from Ruhl, and she had trouble pulling it back under her control. Because the play is all about orderliness - in one's life, in one's surroundings - we can assume that Ruhl creates the contrast between the tidy first act and the messy second act deliberately to reinforce the concept that life is at its best fully experienced in all its eccentricities. I don't think she quite succeeds.
Fifty-two students debated the finer pro and con points of the WASL in the first-ever debate tournament sponsored by Successful Schools in Action and the Seattle Debate Foundation.The event took place March 29 at Lawton Elementary School with fourth- and fifth-grade debaters from Lawton, Catharine Blaine School, John Hay Elementary School and Coe Elementary School.The top three teams are John Hay's Ali , who turned in a solo performance; Coe's Hannah and Noel; and Blaine's Elizabeth and Miranda. The 15 debate teams who best made clear their points and rebutted the points of their opponents were awarded medals
are working together to help families prepare for a safe summer by hosting free events that offer water safety tips and activities.Participants of all ages will have the opportunity to learn hands-on water safety, in and out of the water, including practicing wearing and using lifejackets, testing foul-weather gear, taking a boat ride, practicing reaching and throwing rescues, and learning about CPR.Nearest Parks pool events will be at Queen Anne Pool, 1920 First Ave. W., from 3 to 4 p.m. and Ballard Pool, 1471 N.W. 67th St., from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Port of Seattle has joined other area ports, governmental agencies, the ferry system, Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, cruise lines and the American Lung Association to form the Puget Sound Maritime Air Forum.The forum's goals are to take an inventory of air-pollution sources and to develop ways to reduce them as much as possible-a goal that will include Terminal 91 when the cruise-ship terminal is relocated there in 2009. The forum is doing something "really unique and unprecedented and voluntary," said Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's David Kircher.
Former King County Executive, two-term Seattle City Council member and Magnolia resident Randy Revelle will be honored April 26 with a civic award from the Municipal League of King County.Revelle is getting the James R. Ellis Regional Leadership Award, which closes a circle of influence in a way. "He (Ellis) was a mentor of mine," Revelle said of his time as a county executive and member of the city council.Magnolian Bruce Carter, Muni League chairman, was tight-lipped about why Revelle was tapped for an award named after the so-called "Father of Metro. Individual and business members of the league submit nominations, and the league's board of directors makes the decision on the winners, Carter said.
For the past three years, I have served as the chair of the Metropolitan King County Council. Now that this term has ended, I am most excited about having more time to focus on the people, communities and businesses that make up Council District 4.I have toured neighborhood businesses in Interbay and Loyal Heights, and I am scheduled to tour businesses in Queen Anne and the International District in April. I've visited the Ballard and Greenwood senior centers and met with many individuals to discuss District 4 concerns at neighborhood coffee shops.Thanks to the dedicated individuals, organizations and business leaders in District 4, 2007 has gotten off to a great start. I'd like to continue hearing from you with your ideas and volunteer opportunities.