July 2010

“What am I doing up here?!”
You may have asked yourself that question as you stood up to address an audience. If you’re like most people, you’ve asked that question more than once. Public speaking can be one of the most anxiety-producing activities we engage in, but it is also an essential skill for anyone who wants to assume a leadership role in their profession or community. So, what do you do?

DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO A SPECIAL TOASTMASTERS PODCAST

For many West Seattleites, the answer is to join a Toastmasters club. Toastmasters International is the most recognized name in public-speaking training with over 12,500 clubs worldwide and three of them are right here in West Seattle. The Daystar club meets at the Daystar Retirement Village at noon on Mondays, West Seattle Toastmasters Club #832 meets every other Tuesday evening at The Kenney Retirement Community, and Earlybirds meets Friday mornings at ArtsWest.

Thanks to strong local community support, last weekend’s WestSide Baby’s 10th Annual Stuff the Bus Diaper Drive held at the West Seattle Farmer’s Market was a big success. 30,000 diapers were collected just that day from eager members of the community ready to help. Once donations come in from satellite drives, lemonade stands, sponsors and the encore “Stuff the Bus” Diaper Drive scheduled for Aug. 7th in Burien, we hope to far surpass last year’s total of more than 100,000 diapers. All these diapers will soon be distributed, free of charge, to children in need in the King County communities served by WestSide Baby.

Richard Schroeter of Shorewood was out checking his crab pot last week pulling up what he thought was quite a load of crab.

To his surprise, a North Pacific octopus with tentacles nearly 10-feet long was nestled nicely inside the pot enjoying a crab dinner.

Schroeter managed to wrestle the slippery denizen into his rowboat for the trip to shore, where he shared the surprise with his wife Carol.

North Pacific octopi are common in Puget Sound and can grow to 20 feet in deeper waters.

There are many sites in Puget Sound that are favorites for divers wanting to catch a view of them underwater.

Schroeter snapped a few pictures and released his catch by turning over the boat near the shore.

Tim Robinson is the associate publisher of the Ballard News-Tribune.

The once stolen West Seattle Rotary Club totem pole is back. Placed on the site adjacent to the West Seattle Golf Course where it was originally situated the totem pole has now been completely restored.

It returned to the site today after the Rotary Club of West Seattle oversaw the pole’s refurbishment by Artech.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS

“We couldn’t be happier to have the totem pole back in the park,” said Acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams. “We’re grateful to the Rotary Club of West Seattle for their continuing support of the park.”

The pole, carved by Robin Young for the park, has graced the site since Rotary Viewpoint, a project of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, opened to the public in 1976.

After the mysterious theft, the West Seattle Blog alerted Seattle Parks and Recreation. Parks verified that the pole had not been removed for maintenance or other official reasons, and notified Seattle police, who in turn found it on a trailer in Keizer, Oregon, outside Salem.

It hasn't happened yet. But, when Ballard native and current University of Portland student Mark McGinnis passes someone on the street wearing a shirt he designed, he knows it's going to be a big moment.

"It would be like hearing your song on the radio," he said.

This July, McGinnis and two University of Portland classmates – fellow Ballardite Stewart Wilson and Bothell native Kelly Burgett – officially launched The Incorporated, a clothing company that combines the passions of the three 20-somethings.

Last year, to break their boredom, the three friends decided to combine McGinnis' love of drawing with Wilson's enthusiasm for Photoshop and start a T-shirt company.

McGinnis said he does not have the talent or time to be an artist in the traditional sense, but T-shirt design gives him an outlet.

"It's just a different way of making art that more people can relate to and get involved with," he said.

While not necessarily an interest in fashion, the friends definitely share a similar pursuit, McGinnis said.

"We all like to look good," he said.

The Admiral Neighborhood Association's Summer Concerts at Hiawatha begin this Thursday evening on the east lawn of Hiawatha Park starting at 6:30pm and will take place each Thursday evening from July 29th through September 2nd.
Kicking off the series is the group The Starlings.

Here's the complete schedule:

Thursday, July 29th – The Starlings, Harmony-driven Americana folk. “Call it lilt with an edge.” – Leicester Bangs (UK)

Thursday, August 5th – Back Burner, a toe tappin’ mix of bluegrass, swing, jazz, country, and blues.

Thursday, August 12th – Pearl Django with Special Guest Vocalist Greta Matassa, The Northwest’s Gypsy jazz favorites, Pearl Django with award winning jazz vocalist, Greta Matassa.

Well, summer is here again and it’s finally time to use the A/C in the car for that road trip to Wenatchee or Chelan. You know the drill – crank it up to full and…it’s not cold. It’s kind of cold, but not REALLY cold! “What happened?” you ask to nobody in particular, “I haven’t used it since last year and it was fine then."

What many people don’t realize is that the air conditioning system, or more correctly the HVAC system (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) is used even during the winter when the defroster is on. This is to help remove the moisture in the air from the cabin of the vehicle, which is why sometimes you will notice a puddle of clear water form underneath the vehicle when you park after running the A/C – it is actually moisture that has been condensed and REMOVED from the car (also why it’s called air conditioning instead of air cooling.

Natalie Imel has a way with chickens. She seems to understand them and they respond to her. At only five years of age, she and her parents Lynn and Tom own three of them but it's Natalie's job to take care of them. When she's around they come to her, and she very gently picks them up in both arms and hugs them. When we first encountered these particular chickens they were doing what chickens do, crossing the road. Why?

To get home and see Natalie.

The birds are "Pearl", a Black Osterlorp, "Didi" an Americana and "Ninny" a Speckled Sussex.
The family purchased them from Monroe Feed 18 months ago.

"My sister had chickens," explained Lynn," and she wanted a certain type of chicken and I went along just to give her moral support and we ended up with three chickens."

They sought breeds that were docile and good egg layers and they get two to three eggs per day, though in the winter they produce a lower number. Pearl has, "the most beautiful eggs," offered Lynn," they are really dark speckled," and Didi produces "huge white eggs bigger than the other two."

CNN is reporting that Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, 25, a 2003 graduate of Sealth High School is dead.
He was one of two sailors, both killed, who were involved in a firefight on Friday, July 23 in Logar province, Afghanistan, while he was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

A second sailor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley, 30, of Wheatridge, Colo., died from wounds sustained from the July 23 incident. Coalition Forces recovered his body July 25 after an extensive search.

According to a New York Times report, they quote an Afghan Governor, referring to Officer's Newlove and McNeley, as saying, "The two Americans were dressed in civilian clothes, and were seized while they were driving in an armored sport utility vehicle early Friday evening in the Charkh District of southern Logar Province, a Taliban hotbed."

The CNN report can be found here http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/29/afghan.ussailor.dead/#f…

If you'd like to offer your opinion, support or concerns about the potential appointment of John Diaz and the Chief of the Seattle Police Department you have your chance tomorrow downtown in the City Council Chambers.

The City of Seattle posted this press release:

The City Council’s Public Safety and Education Committee invites the public to comment on the appointment and confirmation of John Diaz as Chief of Police for the Seattle Police Department on Wednesday, July 28, at 5 p.m.

Who: Public Safety and Education Committee

What: Public hearing on the appointment and confirmation of John Diaz as Chief of Police

When: Wednesday, July 28, 5 p.m.

Where: Council Chambers (600 Fourth Ave, 2nd Floor)

Additional Council meetings will be held at the following dates and times to discuss and take action on the appointment:

Wednesday, August 4, 9:30 a.m. in Council Chambers
Public Safety and Education Committee meeting and possible vote on confirmation

Monday, August 9, 2 p.m. in Council Chambers
Full Council Final Action on confirmation

Monday, August 16, 2 p.m. in Council Chambers