The simple act of strolling into Baol International Ethnic Gifts, one of Columbia City's latest main-drag additions, is an invitation to appreciate and posses a small slice of the rich cultures flourishing in Africa. The narrow shop's tall ceilings sit atop walls covered with earth-toned tribal masks, brightly patterned textiles, and hand-tailored clothing cut in fashions refreshingly unfamiliar in the western United States.
Republican candidate for governor, Dino Rossi, may have the active support of Vice President Dick Cheney, but former Seattle City Attorney Mark Sidran also has national - if somewhat quirky - support in his race for the state attorney general's office.Instead of a politico, though, the Franklin High School graduate has gotten the nod from Al Franken, former Saturday Night Live cast member, author of "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations," and host on a fledgling, liberal-talk-radio show.
Slipstream burritos are a handy lunch or dinner in any season. Brown some ground beef (or chicken or turkey) with chopped onion and garlic; add chili powder, adobo and cumin; allow to simmer for a few minutes. Heat up your tortillas, spoon on a wrap-able portion of the savory meat and top with shredded cheese (cheddar or "Mexican" blend), chopped tomato, chopped avocado or guacamole, a dab of salsa and a glop of sour cream. Wrap and eat - with fork or, smeary-faced, without.
In "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," one of the most perfectly crafted of short stories, Ernest Hemingway visualizes an old man in a bar, quietly, carefully, drinking the night away. A youthful waiter, impatient to go home to his wife, wonders why the solitary patron lingers so long. The other, older barman tries to explain the nature of despair, when what's left of life and dignity contracts down to small, lonely rituals performed in mundane sanctuaries - islands that keep the hungry dark at bay.Hemingway's story works as a key to the kind of ultracool nightworlds director Michael Mann has consistently dreamed up and populated, from TV shows "Miami Vice," "Crime Story" and the short-lived, lamented "Robbery Homicide Division" to films like "Manhunter," "Last of the Mohicans," "Heat," "The Insider" and now "Collateral."
While flipping channels tonight I found a show on the Animal Planet: "Wild Animal Survival Guide." My channel-changing finger stopped functioning when I saw Colin Mochrie in a red jacket giving advice on how to survive an encounter with a polar bear. I love him on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," so I thought I'd watch for a bit. After all, you just never know when a polar bear might come strolling into your yard. When did polar bear encounters become a problem for the general population? OK, maybe for Canadians like Colin, but not so much for us down here below Latitude 47.
According to the adepts of Zen Buddhism with whom I used to sit zazen (meditate), Buddha's basic two commandments were not Love Your Neighbor as Yourself and Love God Above All (other) Things. Those two directives were what the nuns taught me in the tiny, crowded classrooms at St. Ann's grade school, five decades ago when I was disguised as a tyke in Cincinnati.The Buddha's basic duo is more factual statement than dual command. Buddha said Life is Suffering and Life is Change.Now there's no question about disbelieving those two maxims if you have lived at all.
One of the most important measures on the November ballot will be Initiative 83, a measure that, if passed, could halt the construction of the monorail indefinitely. Some think the measure is in the best interest of the common citizen while others believe serves the best interest of wealthy developers.Seattle voters have cast ballots three times since 1998 for a monorail.
Dr. Bruce Gardner mounted a show of support last week at his Queen Anne Family Medicine clinic for Chris Gregoire's run for governor. "I believe she has a viable health-care plan," he said.Gardner's not alone. Statewide, 39 doctors and nurses listed on a large placard in his office during the event have also pledged support for the Attorney General.
David Nissanov is steamed about Eden Flunker, his neighbor across the street on 24th Avenue West. The reason: she plans to expand an adult family home there. Adult family homes can house up to two staffers and six clients who suffer from disabilities such as Alzheimer's Disease, according to state and city regulations. There are a dozen such homes in Magnolia, and Flunker owns two of them. Her sister, Amor Youngs, owns five, and one of their cousins owns another one on Williams Street, they said.
Seattle Public Utilities is getting down to the finishing touches on a Solid Waste Facilities Master Plan, but there are some who think the city is going in the wrong direction.The preferred plan is to tear down, rebuild and expand the Wallingford and South Park transfer stations for $30-$35 million a pop. Recycling would also be ramped up at the two facilities, which ties into Mayor Greg Nickels' mandate to hit a 60-percent-recycling goal, according to the city. A third component of the plan calls for building a new intermodal facility where garbage trucks could dump their loads directly onto containers on train cars, instead of the containers being trucked to a railroad spur. That would be good news for the Wallingford community, according to Janet Stillman, executive director of the Wallingford Neighborhood Office and vice president of the Wallingford Community Council.
It was one of those warm, golden, Indian summer days, and I was itching to take a bike ride. But I wasn't in the mood to play road warrior on the Burke Gilman Trail. I wanted to meander lazily at my own pace without having to hear "On your left!" every few minutes from those singleminded riders who race down the trail at breakneck speeds. With a more tranquil environment in mind, I headed to Duvall where I knew I could access the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, a route for non-motorized vehicles that follows the abandoned line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroad.
Andre Gipson, owner of the sassy Sapphire Kitchen and Bar, next door to Colaizzo Opticians on Queen Anne, was born on Sept. 13, and his birthstone is a sapphire. Last year, after months of back-and-forth paperwork, he, by utter coincidence, took ownership of Sapphire restaurant on his birthday."Who could have planned something like that?" asks Gipson, who describes it as one of the most overwhelming birthday presents he could have ever received.
The Queen Anne Helpline has been in our midst for 22 years. Many Queen Anne residents, businesses and churches know it well and give generously of their time, money and other resources. But new neighbors are always arriving, and may not know about the Helpline's good works. For their benefit, but also to nudge those of us who need reminding, we'd like to reintroduce an old friend of our community.
"Rigoletto" is opening Seattle Opera's 40th season, and how times have changed. Forty years ago the newly formed company presented five performances: two of Puccini's "Tosca" and three of Bizet's "Carmen," with a total budget for the 1964-65 season of under $175,000. Today, the Seattle Opera Company's budget for the 2004-05 season is $20 million. There will be five productions, a total of 44 performances, with Wagner's complete Ring Cycle coming up in August. The company has completed a brilliant inaugural season in the fabulous new McCaw Hall and is all set for Giuseppi Verdi's "Rigoletto" on Oct. 16.
When lyric tenor Frank Lopardo makes his Seattle Opera debut in Giuseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto" this week, he'll be playing the licentious, womanizing Duke of Mantua - the antithesis of Lopardo's own, real-life existence as a devoted family man.Normally, the tenor gets to be the good guy - the hero - but in this work Verdi pulls a switch. So the tenor becomes the villain. Plus he gets the best tune, "La donna é mobile" (Women Are Fickle), among opera's most familiar and famous arias.
I threw caution - and my health, it seems - to the wind and actually put potatoes into my mouth this afternoon. I had to hide in my pantry to do so, because I was so ashamed. Ashamed that I was sneaking carbohydrates, and afraid my children would find me with starch on my breath, I cowered in the darkness. Hands shaking, heart beating fast, as I consumed some of Idaho's best. While I was in the pantry, I found a renegade bag of potato chips that had fallen down behind my box of high-protein bars. Ripping into the bag with wild abandon, I tossed handfuls of the salty carbo goodness into my mouth, crunched with glee and swallowed them down. More! I needed more!
One of the most important measures on the November ballot will be Initiative 83, a measure that, if passed, could halt the construction of the monorail indefinitely. Some think the measure is in the best interest of the common citizen while others believe is in the best interest of wealthy developers.Seattle voters have cast ballots three times since 1998 for a monorail.
Where will Seattle's bronze "Sadako and the Thousand Cranes" statue finally call home?The statue has been in storage at the Ballard Foundry since last December, when it was severely vandalized. While it did make a brief appearance for the From Hiroshima to Hope lantern-floating ceremony in August, the statue has been mostly out of public view.Before it could be returned to its home at the tiny Peace Park near the northwest end of the University Bridge, Seattle Parks and Recreation received a proposal to move the statue to Green Lake Park, where the annual lantern-floating ceremony takes place.
Seattle Public Utilities is getting down to the finishing touches on a Solid Waste Facilities Master Plan, but there are some who think the city is going in the wrong direction.The preferred plan is to tear down, rebuild and expand the Wallingford and South Park transfer stations for $30-$35 million a pop. Recycling would also be ramped up at the two facilities, which ties into Mayor Greg Nickels' mandate to hit a 60-percent-recycling goal, according to the city. A third component of the plan calls for building a new intermodal facility where garbage trucks could dump their loads directly onto containers on train cars, instead of the containers being trucked to a railroad spur. That would be good news for the Wallingford community, according to Janet Stillman, executive director of the Wallingford Neighborhood Office and vice president of the Wallingford Community Council.
