Music and Cats

If you were awarded the architectural commission for W’s presidential library, what would you design?

That’s the question that the Chronicle of Higher Education asked its readers, inviting them to send in design ideas on the backs of envelopes. This week, it published several of the approximately 120 entries submitted. As discussed in a short accompanying video, the submittals were “good, bad, serious, humorous, abstract, or really angry.”

My favorite? This mix of humor and anger, which extends beyond the proscribed confines of a single envelope back. As justification for this, its designer describes a discussion with the president, in which he “told me that he didn’t get to the White House by ‘following the rules’, so neither should I. Consider it a ’signing statement’.”

Do you have a favorite? Or an even better idea?

Shortly after noon today, Paul and I pulled on our coats and went out for a short walk. Although it wasn’t a particularly pretty day, several people were out on our street. As we turned a corner, I saw ahead of us more people — a couple holding hands, a woman walking with a child, several young men, another couple with two dogs. Everyone was walking in the same direction, their destination the elementary school a couple of blocks from our house. Walking along in that slow, steady stream of people, I teared up a little. I’m a softie for democracy in action, and today was caucus day in Washington.

The school gymnasium was packed. This was our third presidential caucus since moving to Seattle, and turnout for the precincts caucusing at the school was by far the largest we’ve seen… so large that several precincts were moved from the gym to other rooms in the school, so large that they ran out of sign-in sheets, and had to quickly make photocopies. It was impressive, and very exciting. (Reports are that the caucus turnout in Washington was twice that of four years ago.)

Washington is the only state in which I’ve lived that has a presidential caucus, and I like caucusing better than voting in a primary. Sure, caucusing is messy, and takes more time than simply voting, but there’s no other event that brings together so many people from the neighborhood, and gives them lots of time to stand around and talk with each other. (Actually, Washington has both a caucus and a primary, but we Democrats don’t use the primary for delegate selection.)

In Washington, the caucus process works like this: when you sign in with your precinct, you indicate your choice of candidate, or that you’re undecided. After the initial vote is counted, one person from each candidate’s camp has a minute to make a case for his/her candidate. After the speeches, anyone may change his/her vote. The votes are recounted, and a number of delegates is awarded to each candidate according to the percentage of votes received. Then the delegates are selected from among the precinct caucus attendees.

In our precinct, 110 people showed up! That’s about twice as many as four years ago. Initially, 66 people voted for Barack Obama, 28 voted for Hillary Clinton, and 6 were undecided. After the speeches, several people changed their votes; in the end, Obama had 68 votes, Clinton 31, and 1 person remained undecided. Our precinct will send 6 delegates to our district convention; 4 will be Obama delegates and 2 Clinton delegates.

By the time the recounting of votes was done, most people had left the caucus. About 20 Obama supporters remained to select 4 delegates and 4 alternates. As that group stood around looking at each other, my no-nonsense husband took charge. “Anyone who wants to be a delegate or alternate, raise your hand.” Five hands went up. “We need three more people,” Paul said. I put my hand up, as did four others. When we realized we had an extra, one fellow bowed out. Five people wanted to be delegates, but one quickly volunteered to be an alternate instead. As an alternate, I’ll attend the district caucus in April. By that time, it may be clear whether the Democratic nominee will be Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, but I’m looking forward to taking part in the next step in the process. Truth be told, I’d happily vote for either Clinton or Obama.

In 2009, King County will join most other Washington counties in voting entirely by mail. I know that voting by mail has many fans, but I’ll miss the ritual of going to a shared polling place to cast my vote. I’m glad to know that, every four years, I’ll have the opportunity to spend a little quality time with my neighbors (and their children and dogs) to vote for and talk about who we want to be the next leader of our country.

I meet my friend Christina for lunch, at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try since it opened in its new location months ago. The space is clean-lined and warm, with exposed wood columns and beams, warm white walls and black steel earthquake retrofitting.

We study the menu, mostly upscale salads and sandwiches, and decide that we’re both interested in the same two sandwiches: blackened salmon from the regular menu and a swordfish BLT on the list of daily specials. I suggest that we get one of each, and split them. When our waiter takes our order, Christina asks if he can have the kitchen cut both sandwiches in half. He pauses, then tells us that, because of their training program, they don’t do that sort of thing. They focus on presentation, on consistency, on repetition. Can he bring us a steak knife? Of course. As he walks back to the kitchen, I read the text of the back of his black T-shirt: It’s not just a french fry, it’s a civic duty.

This restaurant is the public face of FareStart, an organization aimed at reducing homelessness by providing homeless men and women with culinary training, necessary social services, and job placement in the restaurant industry upon completion of the training program. As part of their training, Farestart students work in the restaurant, where they prepare lunch each weekday for downtown workers. FareStart students also cook meals for twenty-three child care centers and eight homeless shelters around the city. And each Thursday evening, FareStart has Guest Chef Night, when one of Seattle’s top chefs works with students to prepare a 3-course fixed-price meal. Guest Chef Nights have become quite popular, and regularly sell out weeks in advance.

Since its inception 15 years ago, FareStart has provided culinary training to 1500 students, and has served 2.5 million meals to the Seattle community. Dining at FareStart is a delicious way to support its mission of transforming lives, but the restaurant and other businesses provide only 40% of the organization’s operating revenue. Foundation grants, corporate gifts and individual donations make up the remaining 60%.

Today, Holidailies’s hosts asked that participants suggest an organization for the Holidailies Charity Project. Let’s help FareStart teach another (wo)man to cook a fish. If she learns to make a swordfish BLT as good as the one that Christina and I ate, the world will be a little happier, and better fed.

To open the Advent calendar window for Day 6, click here: (more…)

What do carbon-neutral and podcast have in common? Each was selected by the Oxford University Press as its Word of the Year; podcast in 2005 and carbon-neutral (a two-word phrase, really) last year.

Yesterday, the OUP announced the 2007 Word of the Year: Locavore.

From the OUPBlog press release:

“The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation.

“The word ‘locavore’ shows how food-lovers can enjoy what they eat while still appreciating the impact they have on the environment,” said Ben Zimmer, editor for American dictionaries at Oxford University Press. “It’s significant in that it brings together eating and ecology in a new way.”

The movement toward eating locally was around before four Bay-Area women coined the term locavore, but the play on carnivore/herbivore/omnivore captured the imagination, quickly becoming a part of what the clever folks at the Ethicurean call the dietgeist.

Oh, the 2004 word of the year? Blog.

Now I’ve been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can’t we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again

–Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam

As a teenager in the 1970’s, I loved Cat Stevens’ music. I hadn’t listened to his songs in quite a long time, but a couple of posts from today’s Blogblast for Peace sent me to YouTube, where I listened to both vintage and recent performances of several songs. I love the music still, and I find Yusuf Islam’s rare performances now even more moving than those from his musical heyday.

Dona nobis pacem. Grant us peace.