September 2009

More than 100 Ballard residents convened on Ballard Commons Park Sept. 2 for a vigil to show support for healthcare reform and honor those who are suffering under the current system.

"It's time for people who are pro public-funded, universally-available healthcare to show their faces," said neighborhood resident Lew Isaac. "There are too many people left out. The wealthy can afford healthcare, but everyone in the middle has to struggle."

Isaac said she believes it is hard to get real reform because the corporate interests of insurance companies fight against it to improve their bottom line and profits.

The vigil was part of more than 300 vigils held nationwide through organization by MoveOn.org.

During the vigil, attendees lit candles, shared their stories about the current healthcare system and signed a large banner.

Jo Ardinger, organizer of the vigil, told the crowd the stories of everyday people in the current healthcare system are what mandate reform. The vigil was held to hear those stories, she said.

Don’t you just love it when the garden collides with life’s metaphors?

I knew I liked this plant – I just couldn’t remember why.

I had a perennial in a container grouping for the past six years that never bloomed and never got taller than one foot. I completely forgot what it was supposed to be but, for some reason, I didn’t relegate it to the compost bin either.

Then, last spring, I had to break up the pot and release the perennials into the garden bed. The plant in question adjusted quickly, and eventually came out of hiding and - surprise - it bloomed.

I now remember why I kept it. It’s a Helianthus x. multiflorus. In other words, it’s a variety of Sunflower, and sunflowers are just one of my favorites. (Actually, this is why I’m a plantaholic - I like pretty much like anything that blooms. Dangerous.)

And the metaphor?

If life is a garden, give yourself enough room for your roots to grow, or you won’t bloom.

Some plants love being in containers and can stay there for years and years before needing more room. I have a little Mugo Pine that has been in a tiny pot for about five years and never, ever complains.

Environmental activist B.J. Cummings has navigated the polluted waters of the Duwamish River and the political complexities in which it is steeped for 15 years.

She has been fulltime director of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition for eight years. Her efforts to organize, clean the river and publicize its plight have been documented in the West Seattle Herald over the years. She is now on hiatus.

On Sept. 19 she’ll plunge herself into less familiar waters with her son, Colin, when they travel around the world for nearly a year. They return the end of July 2010.

Starting in Vancouver, B.C, the two will fly to Japan then ferry to South Korea and China, shunpike it to Thailand, fly to southern India, Kenya, Egypt and Greece.

Cummings said they will camp in Japan and Kenya, visit many United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites, and do some “WWOOFing” in Europe.

WWOOF, or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is an organization of organic farmers who host volunteers that want to get their fingers dirty learning about organic foods and the farming lifestyle abroad.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, few heard the big news here but they sure made a lot of noise in Britt, Iowa, where nearly 500 hobos and local residents voted by applause following a two-minute speech for the 2009 King of the Hobos.

It was the 109th Annual National Hobo Convention when a hobo king is selected every year. About 100 hobos, former hobos, hobos-in-spirit, plus a few 100 curious tourists converged on the otherwise tranquil town of 2,052 that hosted the annual event.

Tommy Maras, a.k.a. “Inkman,” for his many tattoos, a union freight train welder and mechanic who lives and works in West Seattle, was coronated with “Stray Cat” the Hobo Queen. He was passed the former king’s crown, a red Folgers Coffee can cut to shape, resting regally atop a straw hat with red bandana.

Inkman follows in the footsteps of many a colorful hobo, at least by name. There was “Scoop Shovel Scotty,” who won intermittently beginning in 1936, “Fry Pan Jack” in 1984 and “Preacher Steve” in 1999.

When classes begin Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the Highline School District, there will be one sure topic of conversation as parents drop off or pick up their children.
The district's new school calendar - released just a couple of weeks ago- has caused some concern in the parenting community, primarily because it may present a challenge for parents looking for child care on Fridays.
The new district calendar calls for dismissal 90 minutes early on most Fridays at all Highline schools this year. The early Friday dismissals will replace the half-day Wednesday schedule and most of the non-student "waiver" days Highline has had in past years.
Overall, the amount of time students will spend out of the classroom will be about the same.
According to district spokeswoman Catherine Carbone Rogers, after students are dismissed on Fridays, teachers will use the time for training, professional development, and collaboration.

Jason Swaab, 7, son of Ronald "Oppie" Swaab, of Normandy Park, was honored by Burien/Normandy Park Fire Chief Mike Marrs at Burien Fire Station No. 2. with a certificate of merit for calling 911 when his dad suffered a heart attack last July.
Jason helped get the emergency crew to the house. Swaab was transported to Highline Medical Center where he lived another 22 days, a very important and meaningful time for the family.
The family is grateful to Station No. 2 for their quick response to the scene.

On Tuesday, Sept. 1 at approximately 12:30 a.m., Seattle Police received a 911 call reporting a possible cougar in the Magnolia neighborhood. They later received a second call from someone in the Greenwood neighborhood at about noon that day, indicating that they had also seen a cougar near the Woodland Park Zoo.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has been notified and is aware of these calls, according to Seattle Police.

Fish and Wildlife is the lead agency for any wildlife encounters, and Seattle Police are working closely with them. If anyone sees a cougar, they should call 911 and that information will be passed along to Fish and Wildlife.

Click here for a link to the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Web site on cougars.

The Fremont Chamber of Commerce Safety Committee has started planning to install a Troll-cam at the Fremont Troll, not only to monitor activity around the troll, but to also broadcast the everyday activities of visitors.

“It’s less about safety and more about fun,” Jessica Vets, executive director of the Fremont Chamber said. “If you have a camera on things and people are watching it makes people feel safe.”

Vets also said that cameras can deter unwanted or criminal behavior.

But the chamber still needs to get permission from the Washington State Department of Transportation and the city to mount the camera on the Aurora Bridge, situated above the Troll.

“We’ll do a live feed to the Fremont Web site so even people in Sweden can watch events like Shakespeare on the Troll (live plays),” Vets said.

Inspired by the many people she sees making funny faces and poses in front of cameras, Vets said the troll would be a fun public place to share with the larger community.

While most people see only bland depictions of mountains or umbrellas when perusing the seemingly endless varieties of bottled waters on grocery store racks, Ballard resident Marie Nicholas saw something else: Opportunity.

With Nicholas’ Model on a Bottle, instead of a mountain, thirsty customers get musclebound and shirtless “Pro Fitness Model Hitch.” Instead of an umbrella, “Model Jayla Murray” in a black bikini stares out from the bottle.

The new business, owned and operated by Nicholas, has replaced company logos with labels full of scantily-clad models, musicians, athletes and potential celebrities – all unheard-of, but hungry for publicity.

She said the old labels were a missed opportunity for the multibillion-dollar bottled water industry to share the wealth.

"I think, especially in the modeling industry, the biggest thing they had was Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret,” Nicholas said. “With too much attention and focus on that area, it was kind of ignoring the rest of the talent out there."

Nicholas said she got an idea of what the industry was all about while working in a modeling agency when she was younger.

The Southwest District Council meeting will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 2 in the President's Board Room at South Seattle Community College.

The agenda includes the following:

7 p.m. Call meeting to order

7:05 p.m. Membership roll call, guest introductions, community calendar/delegate reports circulated/approve previous meeting summary.

7:10 p.m. Presentation: Bruce Harrell, Seattle City Council

7:40 p.m. Presentation: Seattle Public Library Budget – Ali Baker, Friends of Seattle Public Library

7:50 p.m. Alki Homestead Restaurant – Carol Vincent, Southwest Seattle Historical Society

8:00 p.m. Discussion: Co-Sponsor Candidates Forum with Delridge Neighborhoods District Council

8:05 p.m. City Neighborhood Council Report – Chas Redmond & Vlad Oustimovitch

8:15 p.m. Membership and Public Comment

8:20 p.m. Written Delegate Reports

8:30 p.m. Adjourn

South Seattle Community College is located at 6000 16th Ave. S.W.