September 4, 2008
Earthday cake at the middle school....
It was nine years ago in Spokane that I was presenting a workshop about population issues and ways to teach about them, when one of the workshop attendees said, "You know what I did - I made a cake, split it up the way the world uses resources, then divided the class the way the world is split up, and let them have the cake." The kids get the idea when the 61% representing the population of Asia got only 5% of the cake, and the 5% representing Canada & the USA got 56% of the cake.
So I helped write that up as a lesson plan and it's been done now in thousands of classrooms around the world now, which is cool. All those kids get the idea about the relationship between numbers of people and resources...and I think it's so cool that that teacher, at that workshop, had that great idea. (This was done in Boulder, CO, last year - here's the story.)
I got to do it with my summer school kids at the middle school a couple of weeks ago, and they came to several important conclusions - the world's resources are not distributed fairly, it's way easier to be a North American than an African or Asian (resources-use-wise), and that Bakery San Juan makes awesome brownie/truffle cakes.
Keep thinking. Keep acting. We got us a world to change.
Tonight at the Community Theatre....
Jan from the SJCT tells this is gonna be great:
Award-winning blues guitarist Duke Robillard brings his musical artistry to San Juan Community Theatre on Thursday, September 4 at 7:30 p.m.
For more than four decades, Robillard has been strumming magical blues guitar, sharing the stage or recording studio space with friends like Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, John Hammond and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
The Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C. Handy Awards) named Duke “Best Blues Guitarist” four years out of five (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004), making him the second most honored guitarist for that award. In 2007 he received a Grammy nomination for his “Guitar Groove-a-rama” CD. BB King has called Duke “one of the great players” and The Houston Post called him “one of God’s guitarists.”
Steve Keys, island guitarist and member of the Fabulous Rhythmatics and Uncle Otto, says Robillard’s music is not simply blues, but moves into swing, jazz and more. He says Robillard is able to play authentically almost any style of blues guitar. “He’s almost like a walking encyclopedia of the blues…a real student of different blues styles,” said Keys.
In addition to sharing his talents on stage, the great player is sharing his expertise with the world in a series of instructional DVDs. “I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be a real shame if I didn’t pass on everything I have learned from playing constantly over the past forty years with great bands and some of the genuine old masters of the blues and jazz idiom,” said Robillard.
Learn more about Robillard and his band at www.dukerobillard.com.
The Duke Robillard Band is sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank. Tickets are $26 for adults and $13 for student reserved, with $5 student RUSH on any available seats at the door. A private donor has made provision for free tickets to anyone needing financial assistance to attend a Theatre event.
The SJCT box office (378-3210) is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays,
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and one hour before each performance. Tickets may also be purchased on-line at www.sjctheatre.org
Quote
I went down the street to the 24-hour grocery. When I got there, the guy was locking the front door. I said, 'Hey, the sign says you're open 24 hours.' He said, 'Yes, but not in a row.'
Steven Wright
September 3, 2008
That's Po (right) at the Saturday Market a couple of weeks ago - and, I wanted you to know the Farmers' Market is also open at Spring Street International School on Wednesdays in September from 4-6pm, so's you can pick up the stuff you forgot on Saturdays.
Tonight's visit about the playground....
Not sure what the fuss is all about? Patrick sent me this link from KING5 in Seattle, with a rundown of parental concerns about the rubber stuff which forms the "ground" under the play structure.
And...here's more about it, on the PTA's blog.
That meeting is at the elementary school...drop by, to learn & share, and to help make a decision if it's needed. See ya there.
Birthday folks....
You may see 'em around, so tell 'em happy birthday! There's baby Phaedra (left), who is nearly two months old now, and who still has mom Heather Belt smiling.
Then there's Zack Reitan (above, in the masthead), who turns 15 today, and Skagit Valley College Running Start student Brandie Stump (right), whose birthday is this week, too.
Many Happy Returns, y'all!
Charmed, I'm sure....
Speaking of birthdays, I checked in with Peggy at the Garuda & I and she says the new Friday Harbor 100 year pins are cool - if you click on the picture at the right, it'll enlarge so you can REALLY see it...here's more from Peggy:
We are proud to announce that we now have the Friday Harbor Centennial Logo Charms. The pewter charms are a replica of the centennial logo that was created by the centennial committee. They will be for sale thru out the centennial year. Stop by The Garuda and I today to take a look.
For all of you beaders and jewelry designers, put on your design caps. We will be having a design contest in February. We will be looking for the most original jewelry design using the logo charm. Look for more details this fall at The Garuda and I.
Calendar update....
It's been fun to watch the stats climb for the Library's Community Events Calendar (click here to see the real deal) - that's information drawn from the next couple of days at the right, but you can look even farther ahead as you need to.
This week you'll notice when you look at it that the entire FHHS sports schedule has been added, starting with this Friday's Island Cup game with Orcas (which is here, by the way, at 7pm).
And...if you have an event to add, or ideas about things we oughta have on there, please let me know!
Why we're in the top five....
I enjoyed finding this little blog because the author (whose name I couldn't figure out) says the San Juan Islands is in the top five places to visit in the Northwest, and 'cause she writes with pith & detail about running. See what you think.
Speaking of cool blogs....
have you checked Sandy Buckley's superpod pictures & report from the weekend? Here ya go.
Quote
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.
Groucho Marx
September 2, 2008
That's Julie Hagn (right) at Saturday night's music show at Griffin Bay Books, where eleven different musicians entertained an overflow crowd into the night - Julie's hat is Harry Potter's sorting hat (not just ANY fashion statement!), and she and the rest of the island's kids are headed back to school today.
Time to learn to fly!
Dan DeShon at Westwind Aviation writes in: Interested in learning to fly? Our next Private Pilot ground school class starts Sept. 8. Mon/Thur evenings 6-9 pm for four weeks. Cost is $300 (includes materials). Visit www.westwindav.com or call 378-6991 for more info and to sign up.
Finally - a place to put your bags.....
Island hospitality at its best: Sally Browne says you can drop 'em off at her shop - what a good idea!:
Friday Harbor Souvenir Company, 135 Spring Street (next to the Visitor Information Center), is now offering our visitors luggage storage for the day. For those awkward times, between checking out of a room and the ferry, but still time for a whale watch or kayaking tour, they can store their luggage safely in my back room. Conveniently located downtown, a very short walk to the ferry and/or docks. I open at 9:30am and close by 6:30pm, 7 days a week.
Finally - a good day for painting! Last week's rain kinda slowed up the last coats for the outside of the middle school, so John Bostrom (right) was hard at work yesterday finishing things up.
New lunch at school....
The new lunch program gets going today with food that's fresh & locally grown (most of it) - FHHS parent Deborah Nolan says it's gonna be great:
Your students are not going to want to miss out on the new LUNCH-believe me! I would send them to school with money to charge up their cards. Students will have the choice of the full lunch (today it's roast chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and a fresh salad bar with fresh fruit & veggies, or sandwiches from the student store window.
It's too good to be true!
Back to the loom....
With summer over, Margaret has time to get back to her loom & start weaving....here's more from her blog.
Playground is great, raises some concerns...
The new playground over at the elementary school hopes to come in for a soft landing....I walked over to the school to check it out, and you know what - it's great. The play structure looks fun (I speak as a papa who knew where every play structure in a 100-mile radius was, when my boys were smaller), and it has this rubber stuff under the structure that has a soft feeling, kinda like you're walking on the moon.
However, and I can understand this, there's a meeting tomorrow night at FHES at 6:30pm to discuss the rubber stuff, 'cause it frankly smells like rubber that's been just ground up, and it kinda makes you wonder if it's ok for kids. The school superintendent, Michael Soltman, asked if I'd post this note below and invite you to the meeting to discuss this....hope you get a chance to come:
Friday Harbor Elementary School “Big Toy” Playground Opens with Concerns Raised by Some Parents: With the first day of school just around the corner, one of the much anticipated additions to the elementary school facility is the new "Big Toy." Through the tireless work of the PTA, funds were raised for the much needed upgrade which is now ready for play. However, while the toy itself is ready to go, some FHES parents have raised their concerns about the “crumb rubber” material which was chosen as underlayment to protect children when they jump or fall from the toy. Three options for the underlayment were offered by the company, each meeting current ASTM safety standards. “Crumb rubber” is a standard product that is installed in playgrounds throughout the nation, however concerns have recently been raised about potential long term effects of exposure to the chemicals in the recycled tire rubber.
The District has consulted the State of Washington Department of Health as well as Steve Grout, the risk management representative from the District’s insurance carrier Canfield and Associates. Canfield and Associates insures 80% of the school districts in Washington State. The insurance carrier and the health department said that they had received no reports of adverse affects from this product, and that it has been successfully used by school districts and park departments in our state. However, though the product has been in use for fifteen years, studies of the long term exposure to the product have yet to be conducted.
The PTA and District administration have formed a committee to immediately conduct a thorough review of the product as well as other product options for the safety underlayment. The committee will consider product options, including potential benefits and risks, in order to make a recommendation to either keep the “crumb rubber” or to replace it with another product. The PTA has placed this issue on its meeting agenda scheduled for Wednesday, September 3rd, 6:30 p.m. at the elementary school. Parents wishing to learn more and/or participate in the evaluation process are encouraged to attend the meeting.
Parents who have concerns, and who wish to exclude their children from using the playground equipment until a final decision is made about the product may do so.
That's Gina finishing the 8.8K Loop Run with a smile on the last day of the Fair....
People have been writing to ask where the pictures from the Loop Run are on the Update....back during the Fair, of course! But, for your convenience in case you missed 'em, here's the gallery of pix that Todd Roberts and I took.
It didn't occur to me till later that the 8.8K run shoulda been held on 8/8/08, but since it's always on the Saturday of the Fair, probably nobody woulda come, mostly 'cause they were still training.....and the Olympics were on.
Thanks from the Nature Institute.....
Susan wrote in to let you know they're grateful for the support that made this go well:
Thanks go to the following local businesses for supporting the ‘Go Native’ plant treasure hunt at the County Fair: Back to Nature Design, Friday Harbor Hardware & Marine, Island Gardens, and Orcas Ace Hardware. Congratulations go to daily winners TJ Kinnaman who won $50 worth of Black Gold potting soil, Susan Mahoney who won $120 worth of native plant consultation, Phil Green, who won $30 worth of Oregon grape, and Mindy Kayl who won $50 worth of bark, mulch or other amendments!
Treasure hunters loved the contest because they learned the characteristics of seven local plant species, and got to visit the seven displays that incorporated at least one of the native plants: SJC Marine Resources Committee (sponsor), San Juan Nature Institute (coordinator), SJC Agricultural Resources Committee, WSU Extension Master Gardeners, SJC Noxious Weed Board, SJ Horticultural Society, and Site Elements (plant donor).
Those who competed in the treasure hunt got to keep the very useful booklet, Garden Wise: non-invasive plants for your garden, provided by the SJC Noxious Weed Board, which they used to identify the native plants.
Several local landscapers urge us to “use native plants as the backbone of your gardens” because they don’t need as much water, provide habitat for native birds, insects, and animals, and often stabilize the soil against erosion.
See you at the Fair next year! Susan Key, Executive Director, San Juan Nature Institute
Quote
I think God's going to come down and pull civilization over for speeding.
Steven Wright
Boys travel to Shoreline for soccer....
