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In our March issue, we featured the plight of the business owners on 23rd Ave. during the long construction project. Madrona newsletter editor, Barbara Parker, detailed the obstacles in running a business when no one could safely reach your business due to torn up streets and huge equipment. Re-routing buses eliminated would-be traffic as well. For long periods, one could not bus, drive or even walk to these businesses. We interviewed Sarah Berentson, owner of 701 Coffee; this is a relatively new business that came to 23rd when the plan for a 23rd Ave. “road diet” was already made. When I arrived at the coffee shop, Sarah was discussing the possibility of sharing yard waste, recycling and garbage containers with the other small businesses in the building. Her landlord seemed to agree that no one business filled the containers. This is just one example of Sarah‘s attention to expenses and detail. She has been the most vocal voice in the protests from the embattled business owners and the person who has urged them to organize. Sarah said she had been in business for one year on the date we talked (3/17/16.) I asked if she had known about the plan and she said, “Yes, the original plan.” (The original plan was to fully complete the section of 23rd between Jackson and Cherry before moving on to section 2 between Cherry and Union.) She felt she could handle disruption on the south side and when that was re-opened, the disruption would move to the north side of the business. But SDOT and SPU began tearing up 23rd from Jackson to Union and even beyond to Madison. She said she had been in negotiations to rent the retail space for nine months before the actual opening. She was proud of the fact that she was debt-free for many months; by September, she had 80 customers a day and met her expenses easily. It was in October that the business collapsed. The re-routing of the 48 had a big impact on business; Garfield students would wait across the street for the northbound 48 and the crowd was as much as 50 students. Many would dash across the street for an after-school snack. Since the students have limited time during school hours to purchase outside the school, any obstacles that keep them from reaching the café quickly, discourages the attempt. Sarah said that even Ezell’s right across the street from the school has seen a loss of business. Sarah said she was behind a few months in rent and they had sold their vehicle to stay afloat. Her family of six (with two high school and two middle school students) is living in a studio apartment. She even had to return their Vitamix to pay other bills; this was a blow as Fruit Smoothies are a popular item on the menu. She has since been able to replace the Vitamix. Sarah has completed a couple of inches of paperwork in an effort to obtain some financial help from the city, but has heard nothing yet. She feels that the gas explosion in the Greenwood area has changed the city’s focus. She still feels strongly that the business owners need to stay organized. We shared stories on “planned gentrification” of the area. I had been told by a local activist that the demise of the small minority-owned businesses was part of the 23rd Ave. plan. Sarah said she had seen drawings of the area where her small building was replaced by a multi-story apartment building with retail at street level. It would be too bad to lose the small businesses that exist and have them be replaced by big chain operations. Let’s support these small businesses and try to keep them open! Sarah takes pride in her ability to serve vegan food that even carnivores like! When mangoes are in season, she serves a delicious mango salad. She gets her croissants, pastries and bagels from the local Golden Wheat Bakery (reviewed in this issue by a Madrona resident.) The owner, Angel, was able to use her suggestions for a butter substitute to create delectable bakery items. I want to go back for lunch and try the cashew butter that she puts on bagels! ~Diane Snell

Award-winning and nationally known poet Judith Roche lives in the heart of Leschi. I almost missed her unassuming house on a steep forested hill that descends down to the lake, but once inside, I immediately felt her poetic sensibility in the subtle aesthetic details of her home. She opened our conversation with the declaration that she loves living in a house with a view of the woods that is ten minutes from downtown. That partnership of nature and culture fills her poetry, but never peacefully. Her acute perceptions pierce into our hearts. Even as a child growing up in Detroit, Michigan, in the midst of a radical family of union organizers, Judith Roche spontaneously loved poetry: she read Longfellow, Wordsworth, Edna St. Vincent Millay. Later she got a BA in English literature and an MA at the New College of California, studying with Robert Duncan and Diane de Prima, and began her career as a high school English teacher. But her activist family roots emerged as she taught poetry to children in correctional facilities and to adults in federal and state prisons. She deeply believes in “teaching incarcerated youth to write poetry as a way of finding out the best of who they are.” Rather than enumerate her many accomplishments and awards, I want to suggest here why her poetry breaks through traditional aesthetic restraints to speak so directly to us. As a writer focused mainly on visual art, I first responded to the vivid imagery such as “Sunday morning sun flaring through/my kitchen window, /sun-struck tulips/ on my breakfast table/ have spread themselves wide open/showing everything they’ve got inside/ which they’ve kept/hidden for days.” Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings come to mind in the sexual innuendos of the lines. She told me that poems find their own rhythms, they are a type of music; she feels where it ought to break, emphasize, stick out. Reading poetry out loud reveals those qualities more quickly, but you can also experience the music of her poetry reading silently and alone. Roche’s fourth book, All Fire All Water (Black Heron Press, 2015) has four sections, with titles that concisely correspond to her life lived fully, but not easily, and her current preoccupations: “Rivers Have Memories” unrelentingly gives us the sounds and scars of nature; “A Bird Caught in the Throat” speaks of the realities of our contemporary political life, (“Another word for terror is a bird caught in the throat”); “The Husbands Sweet” invokes the pains and pleasures of marriage (“the bitter bundled in the honey’s swarm”); “We are Stardust” meditates on life and death: (“how do we know where we are when the stars we navigate by no longer exist”). For each poem, Roche selects painfully precise words evoking deep emotions that move inexorably toward a final line that can leave us breathless, uncomfortable, or shocked. Sometimes she invokes Walt Whitman’s style, or the rhythms of a folk song, or a nursery rhyme, or Dante or Homer (as in her excruciating “The Face of War”: “With polyphonic voices, we sing/the horror of these mutilated cities/where immortal cruelty roams”). The content-laden lines have complex poetic forms. For example, “Bee Villanelle” pays homage to the disappearing bee. “Villanelle” refers to a nineteen-line poem with specific patterns. But we never sense constraints in the flow of the ideas and feelings, so carefully expressing the tragedy of the bee. “They were with us so long./Heavy with gold dusted bodies they go. / We’ll miss their sibilant song.” The villanelle repeats the first and third line throughout in a fixed pattern, but as we read it the first time, we feel that we want to hear it again and again, just as the bees have always been there every summer. The form perfectly fits the subject of the poem, and the words perfectly fit the tragedy. The last part of the book “We are Stardust” speaks of aging and death, both specifically as in the case of a poem dedicated to two women who have died, “Pat and Mary” (“In this dream, the dead girls are alive.”) and literally in the poem about the ghats of Varanasi, the city on the Ganges in India where Hindus cremate their dead (“It’s all fire and water here.”) The poem “Metaphors of Dust” perfectly captures Roche’s unusual imagination: “As it turns out, we actually are stardust,” an irresistible declaration that both explodes a metaphor and creates one. In Seattle we can experience Roche’s poetry integrated into the fabric of our city. For example, as part of a 2002 citywide public art program focusing on the survival of salmon, she persuaded the Army Corps of Engineers to introduce her poems into the audio system at the fish-viewing windows inside the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks. With the push of a button, we can hear her read a poem that corresponds to what we are seeing in the window according to the five different phases in the salmon cycle. Judith Roche’s poetry sharpens our experience of the world and speaks to the crucial concerns of our time. We are so fortunate to have her in our midst. Credo I believe in the cave paintings at Lascaux, the beauty of the clavicle, the journey of the salmon. I believe in all the gods – I just don’t like some of them. I believe the war is always against the imagination, is recurring, repetitive, and relentless. I believe in fairies, elves, angels and bodhisattvas. Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, I believe Raven invented the Earth and so did Coyote. In archeology lies the clue. The threshold is numinous and the way in is the way out. I believe in the alphabets, all of them and the stories seeping from between their letters. I believe in dance as prayer, that the heart beat invented rhythm and chant – or is it the other way around? I believe in the wisdom of the body. I believe that art saves lives and love makes it worth living them. And that could be the other way around, too. ~Judith Roche By Susan Noyes Platt, www.artandpoliticsnow.com

“Beauty in the Decay” For a spring treat, you have until the end of April to stop by the ArtXchange Gallery near Pioneer Square to see the Alan Lau exhibition “Beauty in the Decay.” His subtle Sumi-e ink, pastel and watercolor paintings envelop us like a walk in the woods. Lau studied Sumi-e ink brush painting, but intentionally aspires to a contemporary style that incorporates ink with layers of surface drawing in charcoal and chalk: “The spirit of the tradition looms behind me not as a rote model but as a continuing renewable source of encouragement to push ahead.” (Alan Lau, Blue Message , detail, sumi and mixed media on rice paper, 60x60) Each of his large paintings uses a different type of stroke, contrasting layers, and even shifts of tone, but all of them are embedded in nature, and the cycles of life. Also, enjoy the intimate watercolors, often of a fruit or vegetable in a precise condition of ripeness or incipient decay. Lau worked as produce manager at Uwajimaya for many years, an aesthetic adventure that gives him an intimate feeling for this topic. Lau writes eloquently about his work: “There is a modern poet who writes about weeds. For myself, there is something common, stubborn and oddly attractive about weeds and their random persistence. The simple beauty of nature, though it looks still to our eyes, is constantly teeming with activity. Sometimes it’s this quality I want to capture in my work--that of a seemingly quiet, inert surface alive with the continual process of change, decay and growth within its deepest layers." Coincidentally, I saw his exhibition immediately after visiting a Florida wildlife sanctuary. The photo I took with reflections of the sky, penetration under the water and the surface of decaying grass, with a diving bird, echoes Lau’s vision for his art. The ArtXchange exhibition provides a rare opportunity to conveniently see Alan Lau’s paintings in a Pioneer Square venue. For many years, he showed at Francine Seders Gallery up in Greenwood, until it closed a few years ago. As a pillar of the art community in Seattle, we also know him as a poet, art critic, curator and journalist. He will be reading his poetry at the gallery on April 21. ArtXchange Alan Lau — Beauty in the Decay 521 1st Ave. S, Seattle Municipal Tower and City Hall: the Art Venues While you are downtown, take the time to also visit the art galleries sponsored by Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture in City Hall and the Municipal Tower. They offer several surprises. First, and most easily found on the third floor of 700 Fifth Avenue, is the Ethnic Cultural Heritage Gallery, created by Preston Hampton. “What’s Left Behind,” by Satpreet Kahlon until April 15 addresses sexual violence and its aftermath of trauma. The closer we look at these works, the more we feel the intensity of Kahlon’s focus. For “Sharam (Shame),” the largest work, she tore and burned dozens of pieces of paper, then glued them to a 150 x 60 inch plastic sheet. In the center, she created the word, “Shame” as negative letters, written in Punjabi, clearly testifying to the after-effects of sexual violence. But the piece also speaks to survival as part of a community. Another work weaves layers of threads into plastic suggesting both fragility and cloaking. She particularly addresses women of color “by recognizing the burden they face to protect their communities while simultaneously advocating for themselves as victims.” Kahlon’s brave and intense exhibition encourages thoughtful engagement with a topic that is only rarely addressed in a public venue. (Satpreet Kahlon, Sharam (shame), 2016 detail, 130x60in, burnt paper, plastic sheeting, Ethnic Cultural Gallery) Not far away in “Seattle Presents,” a small space at Columbia St. and Fifth Avenue, the city launched a series of six exhibitions titled “Dialogues in Art: Exhibitions on Racial Injustice” with Barry Johnson’s “Signs of the Times.” Fortunately, I heard the artist speak about his work. Casually relaxed in layered pale grey shirts, he changes the narrative about African Americas from crime and poverty. Based on his statistical studies, he counters stereotypes. First, with stacks of mortarboards, he charted the dramatic increase in PH.D.s awarded to African Americans since the 1970s. Second, logos of major inventions by African Americans demonstrated their fundamental contributions to our world including the microphone, and three-color streetlight. Third, he defied prejudices about same sex couples with words like “nurture” “love” and “community ” written on red tape over a silhouetted couple. Although this exhibition has closed, the next in the series, “Jasmine Brown, Remembrance” features poignant icons of murdered young black men in the style of small medieval altars (you can compare them with Kehinde Wiley’s icons with a different purpose at his glamorous exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum). Jasmine Brown will be an artist-in-residence in the gallery on Thursdays from ten to three until May 13. (Barry Johnson installation, at Seattle Presents Gallery, Municipal Tower) But, we are not finished yet, with our tour of city-sponsored exhibitions. A third space, near the Ethnic Cultural Heritage Gallery in the municipal tower, currently features group exhibitions. From April 7 – June 29, 2016 “Cultural Perspectives” displays an amazing 66 works by 45 artists recently purchased by Seattle Public Utilities (that’s our one percent for art program still going strong after all these years, the upside of our construction mania). The current group show “Seattle Simplified, Part 2” featured multimedia, photography, and prints by such well –known artists as Jacob Lawrence, Juan Alonzo, and Mary Ann Peters. Finally, in the main lobby of City Hall itself (and on a lower level in the Ann Folke Gallery), the “Real Change Agents Portrait Project,” presents individually painted portraits of our Real Change vendors. These men and women, whom we normally meet by talking to them briefly as we buy our papers in the street, now gaze out at us directly. Each painting includes a detailed narrative of the vendor’s impressive survival amid diversity. While you are entering the City Hall lobby, take a minute to view the permanent installation by Vancouver artist, Eric Robertson Evolving Wing and the Gravity of Presence that evokes canoe journeys and the aerospace industry in a stunning semi abstract installation. So save on postage and pay your utility or tax bill in person in April, then enrich your day with a visit to these many exhibitions, as well as the Alan Lau exhibition at ArtXchange, not far away. Susan Noyes Platt, www.artandpoliticsnow.org

BOOK REVIEW I knew that I needed to read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , by Rebecca Skloot, when I first heard about it, but part of me was hesitant. I was worried that the “science” would be beyond me but no fears! This book is beautifully and clearly written and had so many personal recollections for me, that I became immersed in it. I was describing the book to a friend and she said, “It sounds as though you don‘t want this book to end.” An astute statement, as it turned out. When I finished it, I just closed and held it for a while, going back in my mind over certain passages. It took me longer than usual to let go and move on to the next book in the ever-growing stack next to the bed. Basically, the story is about a poor black woman who is diagnosed with cervical cancer at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Scientists had been trying unsuccessfully to grow cells for some time. This woman’s cells were collected routinely (as with other patients), but her cells did grow. And they grew so successfully and so rapidly, that those cells were soon sent world wide to scientists studying a multitude of diseases. Those cells were known as HeLa (for Henrietta Lacks), but the story behind these cells was lost until author Rebecca Skloot began her research. Skloot’s book focuses on Henrietta and her family. The children were young when Henrietta died and adults when Ms. Skloot became involved. A lack of trust of the medical system hampered her work initially, but she won the trust of the youngest daughter, Deborah, who wanted her mother’s life known and appreciated. Part of her was proud that her mother’s cells had been used in so much important research, but another part of her resented the fact that neither her mother nor the family had ever been told about the cells, nor was permission to use her cells ever given (or requested). Actually the same thing happens now; when we submit to a biopsy, our cells are no longer ours, but belong to the hospital or clinic where the work is being done. A yet-to-be resolved ethical issue. At the time of her early death, Henrietta lived in a section of Baltimore County called Turner Station and her spouse worked at the Bethlehem Steel plant in the neighboring section called Sparrows Point. Skloot’s description of that area took me back to my first visit there, as a young social worker for Baltimore County. The mill was closed by then, but everything in the area was still covered with red dust from the iron ore. The ghostly structure of the defunct mill made me think of something out of Dickens’ England. Turner Station itself was still inhabited by African American families that no longer worked for the steel mill; many were on public assistance, stranded there when the jobs dried up. Their stories were similar in many ways to Henrietta’s family story; times were good when the mill was open and jobs were plentiful. Once the mill closed, these folks were stuck way out in no man’s land, far from the central city and far from jobs. The family story is one of poverty, mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse and criminal activity, with a few successes in each generation. Skloot has written of the family with respect and empathy. It’s little wonder it was a New York Times Bestseller; it’s a good read. ~Diane Snell

The Central’s Name The name of this entity was part of the discussion at January’s Member meeting at the Central Area Senior Center. The parent organization, Senior Services, recently changed its name to Sound Generations and requested that its partners, the various senior centers across the city, consider name changes as well. The Central membership wanted to keep Central Area Senior Center on its letterhead, but approved the informal use of The Central as displayed on the large wooden sign at the driveway entrance. Those discussing and voting were well beyond the baby boomer age; studies show that baby boomers have negative views of the word Senior and this could discourage that age group from joining the center. Staffing at the Central Interviews have narrowed the field of candidates for the Program Coordinator position to just 3; Dian Ferguson, Director, feels that a new coordinator will be in place by mid-February. Hiring part-time building attendants has proved more challenging; folks are not really looking for part-time work. Dian said they might have better luck hiring one full time attendant, but she worried that the work was hard with all the set-up of tables and work days covering the weekend evenings might not be that attractive. The $30 challenge! Dian said that the stove and walk-in refrigerator that have been purchased are still awaiting installation. The bids for the conversion to gas for the stove have come in higher than budgeted by $3000. She said that if 100 members would donate $30 each, they could raise the needed $3000. Almost everyone at my table reached for their checkbooks, so she should have a nice start to this campaign. All donations to the Center are tax deductible. Mysterious disappearances at The Central! Dian expressed some disbelief and sadness at the disappearance of items from the center. They had purchased some portable heaters for the cold rooms that are not on the new heating system like the dining room; most of the heaters have walked away from the center. Likewise, 8 sets of garbage /recycling cans were purchased and 2 sets have walked away. And someone took all the silver balls off one of the Christmas trees that decorated the Center during the holiday season. Dian has trouble sleeping and often returns to the Center in the night to work on a project; she has found unauthorized people in the building who have obtained the key from someone else. The parent agency, Sound Generations, will provide security staff to do an assessment and security cameras may be installed. When one thinks of the hard work that goes into obtaining every dollar for the Center, this type of loss is very discouraging. Dian asked that we all be good stewards of the space and question when we see something that doesn’t seem right. ~Diane Snell

ƒƒEditor’s Note: article courtesy Crown Bees Tree branches heavy with fruit. Limbs propped up to keep from breaking.“ This image is a gardener’s dream. It’s also a reality at Crown Bees, a supplier of gentle mason bee pollinators and bee products. Elsie Olesen at Crown Bees explains, “Bees pollinate one-third of our food supply, which relies heavily on the troubled honey bee. With losses of 40 to 50 percent of honey bee hives, we need alternative bee pollinators. Our solution is the gentle, rarely stinging Mason bee. It is an amazing pollinator and a wonderful garden companion.” A single Mason bee efficiently pollinates 12 pounds of cherries - a task requiring 60 honey bees to achieve the same result. This 1:60 mason bee/honey bee ratio applies to other spring fruits (i.e., apples), flowering plants and nuts (i.e., almonds). About the size of a house fly, Mason bees stay close to the nest, making them perfect for the backyard gardener. While they don’t produce honey, these bees are fun to observe and easy to raise. Mason bees are native to North America, but have been largely overlooked in favor of the European honey bee. They are solitary bees which don’t live in social hives. They prefer pre-existing holes to build their nests. Olesen said Crown Bees has spent the past five years increasing awareness about the value of Mason bees for better crop yield. “We help our customers create healthy gardens with Mason bees and bee-safe nesting products.” She added that Crown Bees has a long-term mission to close the bee gap and protect the food supply. “We need more Mason bees to supplement honey bees in orchards and farms. Our approach is to enlist gardeners to raise Mason bees for their own crops. At the end of the season, they can send us their excess bees. Under our Bee BuyBack program, we’ll exchange their bees for nesting material or cash. These bees will be re-homed in other gardens and organic orchards. In this way, we increase the Mason bee population.” Learn more about Mason bees at www.crownbees.com . Crown Bees has an annual booth at the Seattle Flower & Garden Show. ƒƒEditor’s Note: Jim Snell has been growing Mason bees here in Leschi for several years and was able to take his excess (about 1600 bees!) to Crown and exchange them for nesting blocks for next year’s crop. And it is true, they don’t sting! If you are interested, feel free to call Jim (206-726-0923) for information or to visit and view his bee growing system.

On February 8, Paul Wilkinson, Manager of Moorage for the Parks Department, announced they had selected Foss Waterway Management to improve and care for the moorage facilities. Foss has “embraced” the goals of the Project Advisory Team as follows: Maintain public ownership of the moorages Provide safe, accessible and affordable moorage for Seattle residents Protect shoreline habitat Improve public access and community benefit without compromising security Create quality facilities that are competitive in the marketplace Enhance the sailing heritage at Leschi Make moorages self-sustaining for ongoing capital upkeep and maintenance Ensure concessionaire quality with performance measures and regular auditing of the new concessionaire contract Both Paul and a representative of Foss will attend our April 7th meeting to discuss timelines and to answer any questions. ~Diane Snell

Want to know what was going on in the Central District during the years from 1920 to 1950? Take a stroll down Memory Lane! Twelve long-time Central Area residents participated in interviews to give us a glimpse of the neighborhood during some critical periods of history: two world wars, the Great Depression and the incarceration of the Japanese residents. Privileged to view a short segment a few months ago, the removal of the Japanese families was the most poignant piece for me. The video was produced by Senior Center members over the past year and was funded by a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods. The premiere showing will be held at the First AME church, 1522 14th Ave., on May 15 from 3-5pm. A catered reception follows. ~Diane Snell

The Parks Department has sent out an RFP (Request for Proposal) to try to find a private operator for the three marinas in our area: Lakewood, North and South Leschi marinas. After reading the RFP, a letter of concern was sent by the Leschi CC and the Leschi Business Association to the current manager of the moorage, Paul Wilkinson. The letter was signed by Leschi Market owners, Steve and Yousef Shulman, John Barber, Leschi CC Parks & Greenspace Chair, and myself as co-chair of the Leschi CC. One major concern was the lack of mentioning that concessions could not be put in the Leschi marinas; we had been given this assurance verbally by City Council but without documentation, so did it really happen? Another concern is the retention of the small slips for the smaller boat owner. Leschi has long been a popular moorage spot for the middle class boat owner and it is feared that a private operator will cater to the larger boats with the greater moorage fees. I called Paul Wilkinson to discuss the letter and he did offer reassurance on the concession concern. He felt there was not room at either the North or South marina for a concession; the most that could be offered would be some marine supplies like rope. He also wants to retain the diversity of craft at the Leschi Marinas; we have small, medium and large boats and this is now the home of the Dragon Boats. He shared my vision of a more vibrant marina with small boats to rent as we saw over 100 years ago when Leschi Park was first developed. He addressed the other two issues in our letter of concern: establishing a list of priorities for repairs and environmental issues. He said the South Leschi Marina is the number one item on the priority list: the docks are sinking and must be taken care of first. They are using the $2 million left in Parks budget from the original $4 million approved during the McGinn administration. The other $2 million is in the RFP for the use of the eventual operator, should some entity be chosen in the RFP process. The environmental issue was brought up by our Parks and Greenspace chair, John Barber, who noticed that the Leschi Marinas were not on the state list of those marinas meeting the environmental standards. Paul said that he had signed an agreement that both the Leschi Marinas would be in compliance by the end of 2016. Any proposals from private operators need to be turned in by January 6 and we will be speaking with Paul again after that date. Look for another update in the February issue. (Our moorage letter of concern will be posted on the website.) ~Diane Snell

A $15 order (before tax) will be delivered for free. We went there, parked above QFC free for 30 minutes and ordered take-out, so I won’t bother talking about the ambience (of which there is none). We got the Falafel sandwich (deliciously goopy with tahini sauce) and the Chicken Kabob sandwich (tender, garlicky cubes of chicken). Sandwich means your choice comes wrapped in a warm pita. I ordered the Greek fries as well, because I keep hearing how terrific they are; I am not all that fond of fries and these fries did not make me a supporter. The fries are sprinkled with some kind of seasoning salt, which looks as though it has paprika in it and the whole dish is sprinkled with crumbled feta and parsley. It’s sort of good, but still fries underneath. There are always too many fries and they don’t reheat well so they tend to become yard waste fodder. Prices before tax: $17.47; Falafel was $6.49 and Chicken Kebob was $6.99. My husband says the Chicken Gyro is 20 cents cheaper and not as messy to eat. He thinks that is the best lunch deal in town. These sandwiches are filling; at this moment it is 5 hours past lunch and I am still full. Bonus: You won’t have to cook dinner. Tip: they have Zahri on the menu, which is deep-fried cauliflower with tahini sauce. I have not tried it here, but used to order it as a group appetizer at the old Mediterranean Kitchen, which was at the foot of Queen Anne, when ACT was also there. This is the best cauliflower recipe ever…except for M.F.K. Fisher’s recipe. I fixed the Zahri at home when my grandson was about six, and he pronounced it the best shrimp he had ever eaten. I should write a book on how to keep folks happy as vegetarians! Mediterranean Express 1417 Broadway (Harvard Market bldg.) 206.860.3989 Eat in, take out or have your order delivered! ~Diane Snell

At the January EastPAC meeting, we learned about 2 new systems for emergency alerts: one is AlertSeattle to receive warnings of emergencies and the other is Smart911. AlertSeattle is a free service that you can sign up for to receive alerts through texting, email, and voice mail or on social media (Facebook and Twitter). You sign up online at alert.seattle.gov for the alerts you want: severe weather alerts, major traffic incidents, utility service disruptions and other safety and health alerts. Although there is no charge for this service, there might be a cell phone charge on your end, depending on your service contract. Smart911 is a service that enhances the information the 911 responder has for a cell phone number. Identifying the location of a cell phone caller is rather vague at this point. The example given was a real situation in Michigan, where the caller seemed unable to stop coughing to answer the 911 operator’s questions and his location appeared to be in the middle of a lake. Fortunately the man’s wife had completed the enhanced information for his cell phone which showed his actual address (on the lake, not in it) and other data that helped emergency responders reach the man in time to pull him from a burning house, unconscious but alive. Smart911 allows one to create their personal safety profile, including address and phone number and even medical information that might be pertinent. One can add as much or as little as they wish. The speaker assured the group that it was a secure system; the only way the personal data can be retrieved is when the caller uses the associated cell phone number to call 911. No one can access the information by name, address, etc. Go to Smart911.com to create a profile. Again this service is free. It is currently being offered to unincorporated King County and in Seattle, eventually being rolled out to all county communities. One can imagine that this service would be especially important to those with health conditions, hearing loss or residents not proficient in English. ~Diane Snell

I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that it is time to retire the caucus system and go to a primary. I did like the caucus when it was manageable. My first caucus upon moving to this state in 1978 was in a neighbor’s living room and there were eight of us. We had the opportunity to actually discuss issues as well as vote our candidate preferences; a kind of mini-town hall. The caucus meetings later moved to publicly accessible places and became larger in attendance. Accessibility seems negotiable; in 2008, our precinct caucus was held at Nova High School, which has a number of steps leading up to the front doors. We had a voter in a wheelchair who was understandably upset. With no accessible entrance to the main building, we were moved to a portable on the school grounds. The portable held about a dozen people, and our leader had to stand at the door to the portable to address the large crowd that could not get in. Fortunately, it was a warm day; if it had been raining, there might have been a revolution. At some point, we lost the ability to discuss any issues due to the large numbers of attendees. In retrospect, we probably should have gone to the primary system then, as we had lost the “town hall’ aspect of the meetings. But with a primary, we stand to lose the democratic electing of delegates to the next level. If the choice of delegates is transferred to the party “bosses,” the average person has no chance of becoming a delegate. It will always fall to the long-time party members who have paid their dues (both financially and in time, attending endless meetings). It is this piece that needs to be looked at; many young people were able to be delegates in this current caucus system, flawed as it is. Those who had to work or had physical issues in getting to the caucus were able to vote on “surrogate” forms, IF they applied a week ahead. This was an improvement over past caucuses. Our lower Leschi precincts met at Leschi School, and it was crowded with not enough seats, and the available seats were designed for little bodies. I felt sorry for those holding small children and for the older folks who find it difficult to stand for long periods or to bend their bodies into the shape of a “little person.” Resolutions were collected, but not discussed. Hearing instructions must have been difficult with at least five precincts convening in one large room. I felt bad for the handful of folks who came after it was all over, not understanding that it was different from a “voting” day. The 37th District caucus had its own problems. With hundreds of folks lined up outside to sign in (it was sunny and 80 degrees!) one would hope that signing in was all they had to do, but NO! Someone decided to add several demographic questions to the form, which took time and even raised concerns. Some folks felt that adding their birthdate opened themselves to identity theft. The sign–in table should have been streamlined to add some semblance of efficiency to an impossible situation. Obviously, a limited number of folks are willing to subject themselves to this system, but how do we fare in a primary? It’s easier to mail in a ballot, but in King County, the August 2015 primary brought in 295,067 ballots from a total of 1,183,771 registered voters (25 %). In our own District 3, we fared somewhat better: 23,275 ballots were submitted for 62,821 registered voters (37 %). Pathetic. And what about these Super-delegates? I understand that the party powers-that-be don’t really trust the electorate to make a wise (read ”winning”) choice, but this is truly undemocratic. The Democratic super-delegates in Washington are not voting for the person who “won” in the caucus system; they all support the candidate with the smaller number of votes. So, is this the choice of the people? I also don’t understand why voting rules and regulations aren’t consistent across the country. When you move to a different state, you have to learn the new rules and if you don’t learn them, you may find yourself unable to vote in a closed primary. The idea of Federal voting rules probably makes the states’ righters livid, but we are one country and supposedly we each get a vote (except for super-delegates who get more than one vote) so why make it so hard? Why not make it easy for folks by adopting the best, most inclusive rules from across the country and adopt them for all 50 states. And make it impossible to purge folks from the voter rolls without advance notice and the chance to appeal. We have seen this in Florida in 2004 and again this year in New York for 165,000 voters. That’s enough votes to turn an election. Maybe our elections need an international team of observers. ~Diane Snell