For people looking for alternatives to animal meat, the CD’s own Field Roast creates flavorful and hearty vegan grain meat that leaves so many other meat substitutes tasting like, well, nothing.

The Times recently profiled Field Roast Founder David Lee. From the Times:

Lee, 53, is an entrepreneur with a strong streak of altruism. In 1988, after more than a decade cooking in restaurants, he started Common Meals, the forerunner of FareStart, a culinary job-training program for the homeless and disadvantaged that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The idea for Common Meals stemmed from his commitment to pursue a vocation in the food industry on his own terms: a two-pronged fork, if you will, of creativity and compassionate intent. “There is so much suffering around food,” says Lee. “I’ve always thought it could be different, from the way we treat those who prepare our food to the foods themselves.”

He launched Field Roast in 1997, at about the same time he began practicing Buddhism. His mission was to make a vegan product that could stand up to animal meat. He dislikes terms like “meatless” because “that’s the language of scarcity.” If you look up “meat” in the dictionary, he points out, the first definition is “solid food.”

Read more…

Details from SPD:

A young woman sustained a minor injury during a strong-arm robbery in the Central District. On August 14th at 4:02 p.m a female victim was using her cell phone when an unknown male suspect approached her at 20th Avenue and East James Street and took her cell phone from her hand by force and caused an injury to her hand and finger in the process. The suspect then ran away and was pointed out to an officer a few blocks away by some witnesses.

The suspect was apprehended, positively identified by the victim and placed under arrest. Officers recovered the victim’s cell phone from the suspect.

The victim did sustain minor injury to her hand and finger from the assault.

The 23 year old male suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery and a King County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Failure to Appear on a felony narcotics violation.

The Teen Summer Musical returns to the recently-renovated Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center with an original play about 16 high school students who “turn their obstacles into a passion for change to heal their broken generation.”

The show starts Friday evening and runs through August 23. Buy tickets online or call 206-684-4758.

From the Parks Department Blog:

“Wake Up” is an original script written by teens

The beautifully restored Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center brings the much beloved Teen Summer Musical back, with an original script written by the teens.

“Wake Up”— the musical– broadcasts the thoughts, dreams and identity issues of 16 high school students who are tired of their voices not being heard and decide to do something BIG
about it. They turn their obstacles into a passion for change to heal their broken generation. No giving up, resorting to violence or casting a blind eye. These teens hook their audience with sympathetic characters and timely topical detail. Yet a raw and genuine agony pulses within the play and finally bursts through its sturdy framework, giving “Wake Up” an impact that lingers beyond its well-shaped, sentimental ending.

This teen ensemble embraces the classic revue format of skits, dance and music to create a strong theatrical piece with a clear-eyed celebration of youthful endurance. Genuinely refreshing, this is a true youth-led celebration of passion, purpose and perseverance.

LHPAC Artistic Director Jacqueline Moscou says “LHPAC is equipping the next generation of theatre artists with the tools to help them be part of the American Theatre movement. The courage, vulnerability, discipline and cooperative spirit required to work on an original piece is a huge challenge for them and an extraordinary opportunity for personal and artistic growth.”

LHPAC’s “Wake Up” artistic team features local grassroots artists ranging in age from 19-30 years. Director Valeka Holt, an accomplished actress, is a graduate of the Master of Theater/Professional Actors Program at the *University of Washington. Musical Director Cedric Thomas II has mastered the challenge of writing new songs. A talented musician, he has played music in Seattle churches and in various bands. Choreographer Chyée Howell loves dance and studied with Seattle’s EWAJO dance center. She has brought a fresh approach to choreographing a cast whose members are only slightly older than she is.

“Wake Up” is appropriate for theater goers of all ages. Performances will be at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave. S. Performances dates are:
• August 17 at 7 p.m.
• August 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• August 19 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• August 21 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• August 22 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• August 23 at 7 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $4 to $12. Tickets are available through brownpapertickets.com or by calling 206-684-4758. Tickets are also available in person at LHPAC before each performance. Please note that the theater seats 278 persons.

LHPAC’s Summer Teen Musical Program is made possible through the generous support of Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, 4Culture, and individual contributions. The musical began in 1996 as an opportunity for African American youth to learn theater. It has served more than 1,770 youth and provided wonderful memories to more than 75,000 audience members. LHPAC has been at the core of traditional and emerging art forms continuously for 40 years.

And please go easy on the wine.

Billed as “a call to invade the streets and brighten the pavement,” the Here Comes Everybody Carnival of Liberation will begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at 23rd and Union.

Participants will “parade down the streets of the Central District and display our determination to live freely without coercion, control, or violence,” according to the event description.

Details:

For the lovers of life and the defenders of freedom, this is a call to invade the streets and brighten the pavement. The grid of the city blocks can neither tame nor contain us. Our spirits flow outside and beyond the rigid parameters of gentrification, development, and law. Our beauty is our inability to be defined, categorized, or placed in a cage.

On August 19th, 2012, we will parade down the streets of the Central District and display our determination to live freely without coercion, control, or violence. We are calling all performers, musicians, clowns, carnies, players, children, witches, parents, hustlers, rude boys, santeros, freaks, and old folks to take the streets wearing all manner of clothing and making every type of sound.

The carnival will be multiform and diverse by nature. No one will be turned away from this family friendly event. We strongly encourage the attendance of all who have a commitment to taking care of each other and creating a strong neighborhood that does not rely on the law or the police to maintain itself.

Bring banners to hang across the streets, cook decadent food to share with everyone, dress like a clown or a cat, paint the faces of your children, build a carriage to parade atop, wear Venetian masks, bring a boombox, smoke a blunt, dance in the street, bring your family, and get ready for a the best time of your life. See you there!

Saturday, September 8, 2010, 12:00Noon – 6:00PM, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd Fellowship Hall, 2116 E. Union Street, Seattle, 98122.  FREE.  Dr. Herb Joiner-Bey, internationally-noted author & educator in holistic nutrition, western botanical medicine & homeopathy will lead a workshop. Dr. Joiner-Bey’s topics  include prevention of chronic disease (stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure)  and good nutrition on a budget.  Willie Austin, renowned fitness expert, power lifting champion, former UW football player, and founder of the Austin Foundation, will present fitness routines and will discuss changing lives through fitness by making fitness a part of everyday life.  Dr. Herb joiner-Bey and Willie Austin are dynamic speakers who draw crowds to their presentations.  Nibret Aga, restaurateur and international chef, will present a healthy cooking demonstration.  Liz Davis of Walkable CD will tell her story of walking which helped     her to lose 180 pounds.   Additional workshops are weight loss and maintenance, calorie & portion control.   Take healthy recipes home to make great tasting food.  Pot your own vegetables & take them home.  Food, fun, education & activities for the whole family.  If you are interested in attending or volunteering, call 206-424-4573 or 206-372-6593.   Presented by MKJ Productions & PEARL Legacy.  [email protected] 

www.pearllegacy.org    www.foodnutritionwellness.blogspot.com 

A man was shot near 24th and Dearborn around 6 this evening. He is at the hospital, and the suspects are at large.

Details from SPD are limited (UPDATED at 7pm:)

At least one male shot in disturbance in the Central District.  Today at approximately 6:01 p.m. officers responded to a shots fired call in the 2400 block of South Dearborn Street.  A vehicle was seen speeding away.  It is unknown at this time what precipitated this incident.

A vehicle has since showed up at the Harborview Medical Center Emergency Room with one male gunshot victim.

It is unknown how many parties are involved in this incident.  There are suspects currently at large.

Gang Unit detectives have responded and are assisting with the on-going investigation.

More information will be provided when it becomes available.

Many people showed up for over two and a half hours of comments in front of the City Council Wednesday, voicing concerns and support for the Seattle Housing Authority’s dramatic plans for a redeveloped Yesler Terrace. The City Council is expected to vote on the proposal soon.

The plan would replace existing low-income housing with new tower units. The plan is funded in large part from land sales to developers who would likely build high rise office and condo towers. I’m not going to summarize all the comments, but I highly suggest watching the testimony (video posted below).

One big moment of the hearing was Yusuf Cabdi’s resignation from the SHA Board of Commissioners. After several years on the board, he said the SHA is not adhering to its mission. From his letter of resignation (posted at Slog):

I no longer feel that SHA is living up to its mission of providing housing to most needy families in our city. Yesler Terrace is a clear example of how the agency is moving away from its commitment, and engaging very risky projects that will cause irreparable damage to affordable housing stock in the city Seattle.

After five years on the board, I get disillusioned with the service it provides to the tenants and its lack of public accountability and transparency.

The biggest issue of the night was a concern that people living in Yesler Terrace today would be displaced and would not be able to return to their neighborhood. The SHA has said residents would have a secured spot in the new housing, but critics say there are no mandates and that the plan could go wrong.

Another issue is the massive gentrification that comes with a redevelopment like this. The new Yesler Terrace development will, according to the plan, have more subsidized units than it does today. However, if property values increase dramatically due to all the new high-rise projects, the number of affordable (but not SHA or subsidized) housing options in the nearby area could dry up.

Many people also said they feared the lively, positive community that exists today could be lost in the new plan.

While some people wanted to stop the plan entirely, others had suggestions for changes. Several people suggested involving a third party arbitrator to watch over the tenants’ rights and make sure promises of relocation are adhered to.

One young man made a strong case for saving the unique Yesler Terrace urban farm, which provides local healthy food as well as community space and good youth working opportunities.

Several people noted that there should be accessible opportunities for low-income people to start businesses in the new retail space that will come with redevelopment. Yesler Terrace currently houses many independent, home-based businesses from day cares to urban farming and more, and these businesses are great way for people to find stability and support their families.

Aside from concerns, there were many people who were supportive of the plan. Several were from unions who said there could be job opportunities in the construction work and from environmentally-friendly building advocates who see Yesler Terrace as a unique opportunity to be a revolutionary green living neighborhood (for example, see our post about District Energy plans there).

Here is the video of the hearing:

And here’s a recent City Inside/Out with good background on the issues:

A car flipped on 30th Ave just south of Columbia Street Friday morning. Two people were in the vehicle and were not seriously injured, though they were visibly shaken. We will have more details soon.

UPDATE: Witness (and CDNews reader) Elizabeth Atwood said she was getting into her car on 30th Ave just north of Cherry when the car turned from Cherry and went quickly up 30th. It was going so fast, she said, that when it rear-ended a parked car on the east side of the street, the rear of their car raised into the air and almost flipped completely over the top before falling on its side.

Atwood called 911 and called for help from neighbors to see if the car occupants were ok. They were screaming and yelling, and SFD arrived to assist them from the car. Neither young woman in the car seemed to have serious injuries and were sitting up and talking to responders.

“People come so fast on this street all the time,” said Atwood, who was also shaken from responding to the crash. “They could have hit me.”

I hope everyone is enjoying this fine summer weather.   As summer is starting to wind down, I wanted to remind everyone that we’ll be having a few more playdays in the park.  This is a really informal thing.  We’ve picked different parks in and around the Central District and we’re hoping that neighbors with kids (esp. those ages 0-5) will come out and play!  We’re hoping this gives kids (and their families) the chance to meet up and make some new friends.  Just show up and play!

Mon. Aug. 13: 3 pm -5 pm @ Firehouse Mini Park ( 18

^th Ave. at Columbia St.)
Sat. Aug. 18:10 am – noon @ Miller Community Center (19^th Ave. at E. Thomas)
Mon. Aug. 27: 3 pm – 5pm @ Plum Tree Park (26^th Ave. at E. Howell St.)

Organized by Central Seattle Parent Resource

www.centralseattleparentresource.com

Readers contacted us and asked about a shot fired at 17th and Jackson shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday evening.

One shot was fired from an apartment and was lodged in the ceiling of the unit above. Nobody was injured.

We called police and they posted the details to the SPD Blotter:

Yesterday at about 6:10 pm, East Precinct officers responded to a report of a shot fired near an apartment building in the 1700 Block of South Jackson Street.  Officers arrived and met with a complainant, who stated that she heard one shot which sounded like it came from behind the building followed by arguing. 

While officers were investigating, a resident came out of the building to report that he also had heard a shot fired and discovered a bullet hole in the floor of his apartment.  Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the bullet traveled from the apartment below, through his floor, and into the ceiling.  The officers entered the building and contained the probable apartment where they believed the shot had come from.  After checking with the apartment manager and several different residents, officers felt confident of the apartment in question.  On duty SWAT and negotiators responded to the scene as well.  Officers were finally able to make telephone contact with the resident of that apartment, who was not in the building.    The resident was not cooperative with officers and refused to answer any questions concerning the possible shot fired from that apartment.

SWAT officers entered the apartment to check for possible victims.  The apartment was empty, and after it was cleared by officers, a bullet hole was located above the couch and a spent shell casing was located on the floor.  The bullet slug from the apartment directly above was retrieved from the ceiling and submitted into evidence.  This remains an on-going investigation.