If parliamentary procedure can be fun, then tonight was that. Wrote up, put forward and got approved on my very first Robert’s Rules-style resolution for anything ever at the Seattle Transit Riders Union members meeting this eve. Stoked to be finally connecting these dots stretched out across a decade’s worth of stuff and nonsense.
I was moved by Trinh Mai’s tender and careful artworks; in her statement, she writes: “Art is the channel through which I connect my spiritual to my earthly existence…For me, it has made the intangible tangible and the unseen visible, and at times, offers comfort in the seemingly unbearable. It is my form of study and prayer…” Mai’s is one third of a ‘triptych’ of exhibits organized by @uwgradschool called ‘Memory and Place,’ showing until May 3 at Gould Gallery. ‘Memory and Place’ also featured the work of Studio Zewde. The exhibit explores the idea of the memorial as more … Continue reading “Memory and Place and Monument” →
This is a map of some of the impact of Executive Order 9066, signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 to authorize military authorities to exclude civilians from any area without trial or hearing. The order didn’t single out Japanese Americans, but they were the only group to be imprisoned as a result of it. St Peter’s held its last service for the remainder of the war on April 26, 1942, with Rev. Kitagawa ending his stoic entry in the church register that day with these lines: “At least a part of the congregation is leaving for the Puyallup … Continue reading “Threads of Remembrance” →
This morning, I was at the Seattle Womxn’s March with comrades from Seattle DSA, PSL, Socialist Alternative & others, as part of the Revolutionary Feminist Contingent. Just some good, clean intersectional fun, and my first proper demo in this country. We walked from Cal Anderson Park to the Space Needle, where I secretly hoped we’d all stomp our feet like we used to do back in the day, streaming into downtown Beirut. Instead, we bumped into a couple of fire-and-brimstone “preachers” denouncing the godless. This would have been a bummer, if it weren’t for the amazing responses from the crowd; … Continue reading “Seattle Womxn’s March, 2019” →
Today is #GivingTuesday, the global giving movement that started in the US to mark the charitable season post- Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday madness. This year, consider supporting this little movement that could: CascadiaNow. Why? Because they demonstrate how a wacky idea like reimagining place & identity can be put into practice in this Upper Left corner of Empire, and they do this by being more than just a fiscal sponsor of 20+ grassroots projects with cool swag. They’re fun to hang out with too. If you’ve never even heard of Cascadia, have a look at their website: cascadianow.org There are so … Continue reading “#GivingTuesday: Cascadia” →
“.. beauty, which is what is meant by art, using the word in its widest sense, is, I contend, no mere accident to human life, which people can take or leave as they choose, but a positive necessity of life, if we are to live as nature meant us to; that is, unless we are content to be less than [human].” (William Morris, 1880) The other day, I heard a very strange statement. It was not quite an argument, but more of a fascinated nod at a controversial stand; a hermeneutic proposed to account for what it would really, really … Continue reading “Share More, Enjoy With, Connect To, Spiral Out” →
“It seems to me that in the end it is the kind of lighter touch social relationship signaled by the notion of «friend» that probably has most to offer cities in making them resilient.” (Nigel Thrift, 2004) I quickly learned an expression when I moved here: to get “plugged in.” It means to network & participate in what other people are doing in the city. As a metaphor, it sounds odd, & maybe a little off-putting at first, but very soon it loses its ‘Matrixian’ overtones & starts to make much sense. Meeting folx up to all kinds of good … Continue reading “Cosmic Things” →
They maxed out the main sanctuary; they maxed out another sanctuary; then they maxed out the basement gymnasium. I later heard that there were hundreds outside as well. This was a real outpouring of love and solidarity, with the participation of the Mayor of Seattle and the Governor of the State of Washington, who both made great speeches. But it was Rabbi Will Berkovitz of JFS who truly floored me. I hope they upload his speech somewhere—I can’t do it justice here. But I will quote one small part; something that many will benefit from hearing today: “Your life matters. … Continue reading “Stronger Than Hate” →
10/10 is World Mental Health Day because 10/10 is not a mark that too many of us can make that regularly. An important day for us all; if I were to make an educated guess, I’d say that ten out of ten is the percentage of us who have felt crushingly alone at some point in our lives. 10/10 is a good day to remember that at the very least nine out of the ten in my made up statistic might suffer a little bit less if we knew we didn’t have to suffer alone. Not in the generically abstract … Continue reading “10/10: World Mental Health Day” →
It’s always creepy when a city plays to stereotype. On any given morning in Beirut, you will hear someone playing Fairouz; in Seattle, you’re going to expect Nirvana or Pearl Jam on the radio at some point. Maybe you’d expect Kurt Cobain’s name to come up in conversation, probably in a story from the old-timer wearing that original In Utero t-shirt from way back when. But only in your most morbid fantasies could you think that one day, you’d meet and hang out with the former police detective who was at his death scene. The best part is that this … Continue reading “Seattle Signs & Wonders” →