Thinking Man's Journal

Kenmore City Politics – How Social Media Works (sort of)

Mud Slinging on facebook

I wasn’t actually surprised over the weekend to read a politically motivated post on my facebook friend page called Kenmore Neighbors. For the most part this page offers an interesting glimpse into the thoughts of some of the people who live here in my town, Kenmore, WA, and as local elections are coming up soon, some political opinions were sure to arise on a site like this. It also didn’t surprise me that there are those in the City (and not in the city) who don’t particularly like current City Councilman John Hendrickson. He has been been an outspoken critic of the City Council and City Management which doesn’t sit will with some folks. His main concerns have been over the fiscal integrity and management of Kenmore and his analyses have not been “well received” by city officials or by some of the public.

John Hendrickson’s Website

As a counterpoint to the accusations against John on the facebook page (and elsewhere) I encourage you to go to his website:

http://olch-kenmore.com/

Here’s what it looks like:

For those of you who are residents of Kenmore, WA and who have a stake in electing officials who will represent your interests, I encourage you to go to this site. Examine the financial data provided by Mr. Hendrickson. Make an educated decision about who is watching the way our city spends your tax dollars.

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The Last Organic Food Box of Summer 2011

18 Weeks of Incredibly Good Food

What a spectacular array of colors and textures for our last organic food box of the 2001 Summer season! It’s sad to see this season come to an end. One good thing is that Growing Washington will be doing a 4-week Autumn session in November (we’ve signed up for that!), so we have 1 more month of NOT having to buy vegetables and fruit from the regular grocery stores.

So what came this week?

• Bush Delecata Winter Squash
• Red Cabbage
• Mixed Carrots
• Broccoli
• Green Beans
• Braising Mix
• Silver White Eggplant
• Free Range Hen Eggs
• Angelina Plums
• Bosc Pears

Now that the 2011 season is at an end, I’m going to put together a presentation that sums up all the produce we’ve received this year. I did this two years ago and told Growing Washington to use it in its marketing efforts to expand the customer base of this great program. I believe that community supported agriculture and subscription farms are incredibly important. As our food supply has become more and more corporatist and profit driven, we are exposed to a myriad of food products that are either genetically altered, or shipped across vast distances or are farmed with the labor of humans that amounts to slavery. I realize that purchasing a share in a local farm isn’t going to change the world, but if more people paid attention to and patronized their local economies we would actually foster and support a local “capitalism” in which we can participate with a sense of community.

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$42 Fine for Killing a Bicyclist in Kirkland, WA

THERE’S SOMETHING ROTTEN IN KIRKLAND

In an article published today on kirotv.com entitled “Driver fined $42 in collision that killed Kirkland bicyclist” we are told that an as-of-yet-unnamed 18-year-old driver who hit a bicyclist FROM BEHIND 2 TIMES was fined $42 and no charges were filed against him. The police statement? Quote:  “Police decided the driver would face a $42 fine for changing lanes unsafely.

FORGIVE ME FOR THE FOLLOWING:

This whole situation is tragic beyond belief not simply because a bicyclist was killed, but because it confirms all my fears and anxieties about being a cyclist here in the Seattle Area. Recently, there have been several bicycle fatalities; one of which was a hit-and-run and the driver will probably never be identified.  The response in the media has been to report the incidents and then, interestingly, to post other articles about how bicyclists don’t follow the rules of the road, or articles pointing out conflicts with bicyclists as if cyclists are asking for “special treatment” on the roads. Even the Mayor of Seattle (Mike McGinn…..not a popular man) has been accused of pushing a “bicycling agenda” because he rides his bike to work and has been implementing various  measures to help cyclists travel more safely. You wouldn’t believe the almost insane hatred spewed by the public when it comes to bicyclists.

And what’s the response? If you read the commentary at the end of these stories or if you listen to discussions on TV or radio, there are a HUGE number of people who simply hate cyclists and feel that they are nothing more than a nuisance that should be eliminated from the roads. Cyclists are referred-to as stupid and idiots for even getting on the road. There’s a common canard used by the anti-bike crowd that goes something like this: “Bicyclists are simply an expression of Darwin’s survival-of-the-fittest theory. Getting out on the road ensures that the herd will be culled.” It’s nasty, ugly rhetoric and you might not think it’s important, but to me as an avid cyclist, knowing that people think this way is chilling. It’s dangerous talk AND IT’S ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. The Media and Law Enforcement should be more outspoken in telling motorists that this attitude is unhealthy and will not be tolerated.

But this recent incident in Kirkland only intensifies my belief that if you are a bicyclist on the streets around here: IT’S OPEN SEASON ON CYCLISTS AND THE AUTHORITIES DON’T GIVE A DAMN.

So, what’s a cyclist’s life worth? After all, if you happen to be riding your bike and a motorist happens to HIT YOU FROM BEHIND 2 times he/she is going to be fined less than $50 for your life (you worthless POS!). Heck, there are heavier fines for parking tickets in some towns. My last speeding ticket was $140 as I remember. Heck, if I hit a couple of cyclists with a little speeding, do you think I could get my fine reduced? No my dear readers, justice has not yet been done in this particular situation. The articles states:

“After months of investigation, King County prosecutors decided there was no reason to charge the driver with vehicular homicide. Police decided the driver would face a $42 fine for changing lanes unsafely. ‘Unfortunately, unless a person’s driving recklessly, they’re intoxicated, (on) drugs or alcohol, then there’s really no criminal charge on this,’ said Detective Allan O’Neill of the Kirkland Police Department.

I want to add one more personal thought regarding this whole situation. My wife and I cycle quite a bit through Kirkland, WA. We have never felt welcome there as cyclists. It’s not a friendly place. Earlier this summer, when approaching a car show taking place in downtown Kirkland, we were harassed by officers who were “guarding” (or whatever the police do at these events) the main street. As we entered the main street, well-ahead of the barriers where the pedestrians were, we were commanded to “dismount” even though we weren’t anywhere near the event. It was nothing but macho-bs harassment on the part of those officers. It seems that they were more concerned with how “dangerous” two middle-aged people on a tandem were, than simply leaving us alone. The “fun” part of the story is that we DID NOT COMPLY as we weren’t breaking any laws and we simply rode up to the barrier, dismounted, and walked through the show. To this day I wonder what TRUMPED-UP charge and fine the police would have levelled on us had they not been too lazy to chase us down? $100? $200? A night in jail for not complying with the “commands” of the police? Who knows. I do know this…………………..The authorities are sending a clear and dangerous message to the public that bicyclists are a cheap “mark.” As long as you’re clean and sober, don’t worry about running them over.” (has a nice ring to it doesn’t it?)

There isn’t a day that goes by when we are riding our tandem that I don’t concern myself with safety on the roads. My wife and I are “advanced” riders when it comes to cycling: we’ve ridden our tandem across the whole U.S. and we’ve logged thousands and thousands of miles here in Puget Sound over the years. I have nightmares about something happening to my wife when she rides home from work in the summer months, knowing full-well that there are a lot of motorists that couldn’t care less about her safety or the welfare of ANY cyclists. We have been objectified and vilified for years and, frankly, I’m sick and tired of it. As with all unhealthy fetishes, the anti-bike crowd needs to be reminded that all those cyclists out there are someone’s parent or spouse or father or child or friend…….I only wish John Przychodzen (the victim of this senseless act) were still here. He didn’t deserve what happened to him and someone needs to pay…

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Spartacus Occupies Wall Street

Why the Media Can’t “Define” the Protests

Sometimes a movement only needs the right idea to have power.

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Week 17 of Our Organic Food Boxes – Only 1 more to go!

After the “Inspection” the Vegetables were Approved!

“OH, this vegetable stuff has got to go………..where are the fish?”

As you can see, NOTHING happens at our house without a thorough inspection by our fur-children, Cordelia & Silvio! So what did Growing Washington send us this week?

This week I tried to order a variety of vegetables that reflect the inevitable end of summer and the transition to autumn:

• Sweet corn
• French Fingerling potatoes
• Shallots
• Asian cucumber
• Red ace beets
• Broccoli
• Braising mix
• Black beauty eggplant
• Angelina plums
• Yellow nectarines

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Week 16 of Our Organic Food Boxes – Incredibly Good Produce

These Vegetables & Fruits are Wonderful!

As the season comes to an end, our food boxes are getting “heavier” with those autumnal vegetables (especially the squashes, corn, potatoes, etc.). Today the vegetables came out of the box smelling like the earth. Here’s what we received:

• Angelina Plums
• Bartlett Pears
• Gala Apples
• Butternut winter squash
• Sweet corn
• Gold potatoes
• Broccoli
• Black Beauty Eggplant
• Braising Mix
• A big Brandywine tomato

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Week 15 of Our Organic Food Boxes – Autumn Begins!

Summer Ends with Sun, Autumn Starts Gently

This last week brought us record temperatures and sun right when Summer was coming to an end. Yesterday was beautiful and today is “threatening” to bring Autumn to our area but so far it’s been blustery, cloudy and then (as it is right now) sunny! Crazy day….but we did receive our weekly box of produce from Growing Washington today. I purposefully chose some “autumnal” items this week as we transition to the new season:

• Bon Bon Winter Squash]
• Celery
• Gold Potatoes
• Leeks
• Broccoli
• Winterbor Kale
• Cranberry Beans
• Fuji Apples
• Yellow Nectarines
• Peaches

Celery, Gold potatoes, Cranberry beans, Winterbor kale

Kale, Nectarines, Leeks, Bon Bon Winter squash, Broccoli, Fuji Apples, Peaches

About Those Cranberry Beans

Cranberry beans are shelling beans. They are incredibly flavorful in stews, soups, etc. They look like candy don’t they?

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An International Pot-Luck

Teaching English at North Seattle Community College

This last month I volunteered at North Seattle Community College to teach English for a mixed class of refugees and foreign language students. It was a great experience working with a wide range of people from all over the world. I mainly worked with the more advanced students who were from Japan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Columbia, Taiwan, Afghanistan. There were also Somalians, Ethiopians, a nice lady from Kosovo and a gentleman from Egypt. The whole thing ended last Thursday with an incredible, international pot-luck……You should be jealous!!!! Here are some pictures which include: sambuscas, serinakaker, sushi, blinis, polenta & chicken (I cooked those), injera & arepa. Let me just say that all of this food was incredibly good. Yummy!

Sambuscas (Somalia)

Blinis (Russia)

Injera (Ethiopia)

Arepa (Columbia)

European Stuff (Chicken, Polenta from Italy, Brownies from US & Serinakaker Cookies (Norway)

I Made the Chicken!

Sushi (Japan)

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Week 14 Of Our Organic Food Boxes

A Nice Variety of Vegetables This Week

This week we received some nice produce:

• Gold potatoes
• Romanesco summer squash
• Cylindrical beets (the beets this summer have been outstanding!)
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Braising Mix
• Sweet Basil
• Yellow Nectarines
• Peachers
• Blackberries

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Week 13 of Our Organic Food Boxes – Summer’s Coming to An End

Beautiful Vegetables Again!

We are quickly approaching the end of this summer season and yet, we keep receiving some of the most beautiful, tasty produce from our subscription farm, Growing Washington! Here’s what we ordered this week:

• Eggplant
• Banana Fingerling potatoes
• Fennel
• Swiss Chard
• 1 enormous Brandywine tomato
• Read Leaf lettuce
• Sweet Basil
• Honeycrisp apples
• Yellow nectarines
• Blueberries

Here are more pictures:

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