From Seattle’s East Precinct, Monday, July 13, 2009

Curbside In The CD:

Thirty years ago this week, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. He also drove this VW Camper Bus as commemorated by the picture in the rear window! I didn’t know the capsule atop the Apollo rocket was big enough to accommodate a VW Bus. Typically, motifs on vans are wizard or unicorn themed. The closest to a space theme you would expect to find on a VW Bus is a water color portrait of Jerry Garcia. And that is merely “spacey”. Be sure to flip through and enlarge the pictures in this article.

The air cooled motor provided NASA engineers with a host of problems, mainly the lack of air in space. I don’t see any Westfalia badgeing on the pop top, so this van likely had its camper conversion done on this side of the Atlantic and not at the Westfalia Werke in Germany. All I can tell is that this van is 1973 or later. VW experts chime in on the comments and give us the correct year. How did the Smithsonian let this slip through their fingers?

Someone tagged the following message on my garage door, either last night or this afternoon: “Take Care of Your Dog!! Fuck You!”

For the record, my dog is a well cared for, 100 lbs. great dane/lab mix who eats well, gets regular runs, hikes, swims, etc. Like many others whose big dogs would destroy their houses if left alone inside, we leave in the yard of our townhouse when we’re out, whether permitting. The tag on my garage door is cowardly, presumptuous, and appallingly self-righteous. One look at him clearly reveals that he is not a neglected dog. Moreover, I’m mostly irritated that someone was so moved as to damage my property in such a smug manner.

I invite the person who did this to visit my home and explain yourself. You have no idea who I am or how I treat my dog. If you think you’ve witnessed some neglect or abuse, march up to my door and tell me so. I have some cleaning supplies waiting for you.

All others, how can we end this rampant cowardice disguised as “good citizenry” in our city?

This happened at 17th & Spring. Any leads are welcome.

1.SCHOOL BOARD, Director District #5, candidate, forum:
July 20th, 7:00 PM at Garfield Community Center. All four candidates will be attending. Volunteers are needed to help with this and to compile questions to ask the candidates. If you would like to help or have questions
please email them to me at [email protected].

2.CAPITOL HILL/CENTRAL DISTRICT Seattle PRIMARY Election Forum will be held on Monday July 27th from 6 – 9 PM in Mount Zion Baptist Church’s Fellowship Hall, 1604 19th Ave (on the corner of 19th & Madison).

This will be an all mail-in ballot. Residents should receive ballots in the mail at the end of July or beginning of August. All ballots will have to be postmarked by August 18, 2009 to be counted.

TT Minor International School for 2009-2010 School Year
savettminor.org

School Board President Michael DeBell on May 23, 2009: “Bring me 300 students, and you can have TT Minor Elementary School.”

Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson on May 20, 2009: “I believe in neighborhood schools, and every community deserves one.”

In response to Michael DeBell and Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson, advocates for TT Minor Elementary School are actively pursing an International Pre-K-5 International School Program focusing on the study of language, culture with a global perspective. Community and parent support are key considerations for the placement of these programs.

This must then be pursued in conjunction with the recruitment of 300 students, a portion of which should be in addition to students already
enrolled in Seattle Public Schools.

The plan would lead to immersion programs in Spanish, Japanese and English with an Advanced Learning Opportunity Program. TT Minor would
continue its partnerships with Seattle Music Partners, Pratt Fine Arts, Chess Club, Math Club, Language Clube, French Class and After School
Child Care and activities. Adding a Go Club, for instance, would be in keeping with cultural opportunities.

Parents and community members are invited to be a part of creating a culturally diverse community of engaged students learning advanced
skills in communication, international languages. and technology. Your help and talents will be needed to create a forum of parents,
community members, and leaders for planning and meeting with the District. Let’s make this happen.

TT Minor International Program Offerings

* Spanish
* Japanese
* English

Additional Academic Opportunities

* Advance Learning Opportunity

Program Enhancements

* Seattle Music Partners
* Pratt Fine Arts
* Chess Club
* Math Club
* Language Clubs
* French Class
* After School Child Care and activities

If you are interested in making TT Minor International School happen, sign up at “TT Minor International School Now!” Parents with children of elementary should and younger (yes, even babies) should list your children’s ages if you feel this is a good program for them. All other community member interested in demonstrating support, please see this as a petition, bypass the student information, and sign up to demonstrate support.
savettminor.org
You may also call 206-323-7413.

A lot of neighbors, a lot of great deals, and a little music are already going strong this morning at this great community event between Union and Marion on 20th ave. The sale goes until 5:00pm tonight, so there is still plenty of time to head down and check it out.

I don’t own property on East Howell Street, nor do I want to move a craftsman home down it…I have no vested interest in either side. I look at this situation from a different vantage point.
I grew up in Southern California…a third generation Californian I made my first visit to Washington in 1975 with my fiancee…a third generation Washingtonian. It was love at first sight. Open spaces…room to breathe.
I saw “Don’t Californicate Washington” bumperstickers all over, and I had to agree.
To have a decades old corkscrew willow tree is a true gift. There are MANY well preserved Craftsman-style houses throughout the Puget Sound region, as well as the entire United States
Please take a trip and look at Southern California before taking the gift of greenery so lightly…while there is still time to control the “Californication.” Ten to fifteen years is a long time to wait to recover the natural beauty of “an unusually large and soothing urban canopy.”
We are stewarts. Let’s leave some breathing space for our children…especially those in urban neighborhoods.

From Seattle’s East Precinct, Friday, July 10, 2009

Looking for some fun and close-to-home stuff to do this weekend? Here’s the weekend lineup from our community calendar:

Friday at 6pm: Longtime CDNews member joanna is a candidate for school board and having a kickoff party for her campaign.

Saturday at 9am: The tight community of neighbors on 20th Ave between Marion & Union are having a big block sale with all sorts of good stuff. It should run through 5pm, but all good sales-seekers know that the best stuff goes early.

Saturday at 10am: Quarterly meeting of the Squire Park community council at Langston Hughes. Includes a featured presentation about a proposed development on the site of juvenile hall at 12th & E. Terrace.

Saturday & Sunday 10am to 2pm: Another longtime CDNews member, Andre Helmstetter, is also running for school board position 5, and is having a fundraiser garage sale both Saturday & Sunday at 412 20th Ave.

Saturday at noon: The Squire Park meeting turns into a free neighborhood barbecue, with free food, drinks, and some fun stuff for the kids. Festivities should be set up on the southwest corner of the Langston Hughes property

Weekend Movie: They’re partying like it’s 1989 at Central Cinema (a cdnews sponsor), showing Less Than Zero at 7:00 and 9:30pm.

Want to see your event here? Post it for free to our community calendar

I live across the street from the football field and there are seven police cars in the parking lot adjacent to the football field. I don’t know what is happening but I did hear earlier what I thought were firecrackers.

9:00 PM, Thursday, July 9th.