December 2006

Just call him Sol

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Many Sealth High School graduates remember Solomon "Sol" Birulin's familiar presence. He carried out his duties as half-time teacher of English, French and Russian while serving half time as curriculum coordinator. Sol was urged to prepare to become assistant principal, but he declined the title.

Sol was born in 1921 of Russian Jewish parents who had escaped from Russia to the city of Tientsin in China where he attended an English school.

American car makers failed us

By Scott Anthony

A new movie called "Who Killed The Electric Car" seemed like a good movie to watch after enduring Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." That movie was so depressing I wanted to shut off the power at the breaker box and sit in my dark, cold house in shame for being a member of the human species.

Even though it's no fun to be scolded, it's an important film to see, especially for young people, because they will be saddled with the decisions we make today.

SHEAVE LUNCHEON. The holiday season is a happy time and the birds are sharing in the joy as they discover the sheaves of grain on the trees in downtown Ballard.

Local resident Kristine Leander has been carrying on this Norwegian tradition over the years. She makes the 300 sheaves, called julenek by Norwegians and Danish people, and sells them for $10 each to businesses and homeowners.

There a fewer sheaves in the business district of Ballard this year.

This might come as a shock but, when the big earthquake hits, Ballard residents will be on their own for the first few days after the tremors.

Police officers and firefighters will be busy checking the condition of schools, hospitals and other public facilities. They won't be available to help individuals.

Basic services such as water, sewer, electricity, telephones, natural gas, even cash machines might not function normally for who knows how long.

With temperatures dipping down, the Clothing Pantry at the Ballard Food Bank was busy handing out whatever warm clothes they had available.

A recent donation of hats and mittens went right out the door. "It was gone almost as fast as it came in," said Ballard Food Bank Executive Director John Simpson.

The agency has a constant demand for men's clothes and is in need of more. "All the really warm stuff is gone," said Simpson.

Just coming in to look gets food bank clients out of the cold.

There is a reasonable expectation that a place that provides entertainment with alcoholic beverages should take reasonable precautious against rowdy or noisy customers. Certainly over-serving a customer is something that such establishments must avoid.

But the provisions of the mayor's new nightlife legislation may be so harsh as to virtually extinguish these private businesses rather than simply regulating them.

The mayor's proposal would require larger such businesses that serve liquor after 10 p.m. to obtain a nightlife license.

Let's talk about success in Seattle public schools

By Irene Stewart

Like sticky flypaper. As soon as you get your foot unstuck from one issue, you get stuck on the very next step.

Improving schools is sticky business. There's no simple solution, and with every proposal, everybody who ever went to school provides their expert opinion.

But that's the way it should be. Our kids are complex beings, with different backgrounds, interests and learning styles, and everybody should care about their current and future success.

Editor's Note: This letter was sent to Gov. Christine Gregoire with a copy to this newspaper.

The Ballard District Council is very concerned about the option you choose to replace the Alaska Way Viaduct here in Seattle.

The District Council in Ballard is composed of representatives from 24-member community, civic, and business organizations in the Ballard district. The Ballard district is home to nearly 50,000 residents and over 3,000 businesses including Seattle's Salmon Bay industrial area, located north of the Ballard Bridge.

IN AND FOR THE

COUNTY OF KING

NO: 06-4-04044-6SEA

NOTICE OF HEARING PETITION FOR DISTRIBUTION

CLERK'S ACTION REQUIRED

In the matter of the estate of: EMMETT JOEL PETERSON, Deceased.

No.