June 2010

If you ain't nuthin' but a hound dog, you just may find that something special to bid on that keeps you out of the doghouse at Animals First Foundation's Vinyl-2 Countdown live auction this Sunday, June 27, at the Feedback Lounge., 6451 California Avenue in the Morgan Junction.

The Seattle-based foundation aids, assists, and places pets, particularly "difficult cases" such as pitbulls and other large breeds, some requiring expensive medical treatments which they take care of.

Ed. Note: This column contains adult topics that may not be suitable for all readers.

I recently met a woman at a party who was troubled by the fact that after an all-night date with a man, he promptly left in the morning, scarcely saying good-bye.

“Has that ever happened to you?” she asked my friends and me.

Willow answered, “I’m usually the one who leaves first.” We all nodded, knowing this to be true.

My other friend said, “Yeah, I pretty much sleep with my running shoes on.” We laughed, again because we know this is true.

“Oh,” the woman said. “Well, it felt weird. What should I do about it?”

“Get some handcuffs, and next time strap him to the bed,” suggested Willow.

Again, I could see this was not the advice the woman was looking for. I excused myself from the conversation, knowing if I stayed any longer I was going to tell her what she didn’t want to hear. But, she wore me down with her questions and doleful eyes, so I finally said, “It was booty call for him and something else for you.”

By Tim Burgess, Seattle City Council

Ed. Note: This piece originally appeared in Councilmember Tim Burgess' newsletter, City View.

June 22 was the last day of school in Seattle, but about one-third of our high school seniors have nothing to celebrate. Why? Because they didn’t graduate with their classmates.

If you dig deeper and look at certain minority groups, the graduation rate drops to about 50 percent. One-half of African American, Latino and American Indian students will fail to graduate from high school on time.

All of these kids who didn’t graduate are missing – missing from our schools and missing out on opportunities to grow into all that they are capable of.

Do these numbers disturb you? They deeply alarm me. Even worse, this isn’t even news. Tragically, it’s been this way for a very long, long time.

Forty-three years ago this month, I graduated from Lincoln High School in Wallingford. The scope of the problem was different then; Seattle public school enrollment was nearly twice as high. (Today, about one-quarter of Seattle’s children go to private school.)

Choosing the incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn announced that John Diaz will be the permanent Chief of Police. Diaz, who has served as interim Chief since May of 2009 was praised by McGinn who said, "If I made this decision six months ago, I have to admit I might not have picked Chief Diaz. But I've had the benefit of several things. First I benefitted from a remarkable civic conversation during the campaign and during the search process, in which I've listened and I've learned. But much more important than that, I've had the benefit of working with Chief Diaz for the last six months. I've learned a lot about the Chief, I've learned a lot about our city, about the Seattle Police Department and about what it means to keep our city safe."

He pointed out that the SPD has "faced challenges" during Diaz tenure as interim Chief. But he noted that, "In every interaction I've had with Chief Diaz my opinion of him has gone up. He's a man of deep integrity, a hard worker and dedicated to the police department, and to this city."

The fabulous, fun and best of all FREE West Seattle Outdoor Movie tradition is back for 2010 with an impressive lineup of films, and other activities. It is presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and West Seattle merchant sponsors. This year the movies will be shown at 4400 California Ave SW, West Seattle, in the courtyard between Dr. Wolff & Hotwire Online Coffeehouse.

You are invited to bring a blanket or chair, family, friends and neighbors and enjoy outdoor screenings of highly regarded and well chosen family friendly movies. Concessions will be provided by West Seattle Christian and Coffee to a Tea with Sugar. Each film showing will offer pre-show events from 1980’s trivia to live music. Raffles for local merchant gift certificates will be held with all proceeds going to local West Seattle charities.

The events will be held on Saturday evenings 'at dusk', July 17, July 24, July 31, August 7, August 14, August 21, 2010.
Gates to open at 7:00pm with pre-show fun starting at 8:30pm.

In the event of rain, the movie will be moved indoors to 4400 42nd Ave SW WSCC activity center.

Movie Schedule:

The Delridge Night Market event on Saturday, July 10 from 4 pm to 8 pm will introduce the Clean Greens weekly produce market and the Delridge Fresh Food Spot to the community.

Set to happen at the Super 24 Food Store at 5455 Delridge Way Way S.W. (intersection of Delridge Way and Findlay street) it will feature performances, food and community.

The Clean Greens market will operate on Fridays 9am-5pm and Saturdays 10am to 6pm.

On Saturdays, the Delridge Fresh Food Spot Team comprised of Delridge Neighborhood Development staff and volunteers will be at the Super 24 from 10am-2pm to provide food samples of Clean Greens produce and share information on healthy food options, plus simple activities for the kids.

For more information contact (206)935-2999 or send an email to phillippiag@dnda.org

Mary Dunlap became homeless at 13 and spent much of her teenage years living with friends and family. After graduating from high school, she applied to the University of Washington and was granted a full-ride scholarship.

While she said the four years of tuition are a blessing, the financial aid did not guarantee other basic living expenses. Desiring stability and structure, Dunlap moved into Crown Hill's Labateyah Youth Home in May.

“It’s more like a rent-savings program for youth," Dunlap said. "I like to think of it as a bank almost. They give you a loan in a sense."

Labateyah, located at 9010 13th Ave. N.W., was established in 1992 when founder Bearnie Whitebear noticed that Native American youth were disproportionately represented in the homeless community and often had trouble assimilating into traditional support programs. Whitebear hoped to provide Native youth with a nurturing environment and culturally relevant program.

The "Pirates Landing" at Alki is a Seafair tradition (set this year for July 10) but the Pirates are in trouble and need financial aid to keep them afloat. The organization is not really part of Seafair, receiving no money from the organization but they are woven deeply into the traditions of the annual event. Duke Moscrip, owner of Duke's Chowder House has launched a campaign to help the rowdy crew who otherwise would have to meet their own expenses, and in some cases lose crew members. He's sent out a letter to his 70,000 strong email list asking those who can, to make a donation to help the pirates. You can also donate directly at Duke's Chowder House.

Here's Duke's letter:

You and Duke can rescue Seafair Pirates
Another Seafair Tradition is in trouble. The Seafair Pirates have been abandoned. They lost their sponsors and we ought to help them. Not only do they volunteer their time for free, they will now be forced to cancel the Pirates Landing or pay for it themselves which just isn’t right. The Pirates land at Alki Beach on July 12. It’s only 19 days away.

Any donation is appreciated*.

The White Center Community Development Association held a "Conversation with The Community" on Wednesday June 23 to stimulate discussion, gather ideas, and promote better communication. The meeting, led by Sopha Danh of the CDA as well as Evelyn Steele of Family Connection and Lan Le of the Refugee Federation Service Center, split people into groups and asked them to answer questions, meant to shape thinking and elicit creative solutions.

As an example, "What do you think is needed to be in a place to make sure families are connected to others, to school, to resources and the community in general?" was posed to the group.

The various groups then discussed the question, wrote their answers and shared the best of them with the larger group. The answers revealed the kinds of needs the community has such as better and more interpreters (the area has over 57 different languages), a common phrase booklet or "Rosetta Stone" style guide to help people from different cultures communicate, and cultural classes to better familiarize people (both new arrivals and long time residents) with different cultural norms.

The Seattle Parks Department and the West Seattle Junction Association with the Junction Neighborhood Association announced the ribbon cutting and community celebration for the new Junction Plaza Park. The celebration will include music, and light refreshments.

Here's the official press release:
Join in the community celebration for the new Junction Plaza Park on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. West Seattle Junction Association (WSJA), Junction Neighborhood Organization (JuNO), Seattle Parks Foundation, and Seattle Parks and Recreation are hosting a festive evening ribbon cutting event for this new gathering space that will include music, an official ribbon cutting and light refreshments.

"This new park will provide opportunities for community gatherings, a place to meet friends, and a place for leisure in the heart of The Junction. The Junction Association and neighborhood groups have been working towards this goal for almost 10 years, and it's a pleasure to see it underway,” says WSJA Director Susan Melrose.