The Seattle Times was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Tuesday for their coverage of the slayings of four police officers in November of 2009. The deaths of the officers was especially hard on my family as my Grandfather was a Seattle Police Officer, the news hit him incredibly hard.
I’d like to commend the Seattle Times on their coverage of this topic and congratulate them on their Pulitzer Prize. Well done Seattle Times.
For more information on the articles and coverage of the tragedy click here.
Early this morning a small earthquake shook my home town of Duvall, Wa. The quake only registered a 3.4, however it was original thought of to be only a 2.7. The quake was felt as far as Bothell and Issaquah. Luckily there was no damage done, at least none that has been reported, and hopefully there will not be any aftershocks.
While it’s not totally uncommon to see a gray whale in the Puget Sound, experts are concerned about a young whale that has been spotted in the Sound.
In speaking to a few residents of Mukilteo today, the whale was seen surfacing friday. According to the Seattle Times, the whale has been trying to feed off the sediment near the Snohomish River.
Hopefully the whale will be able to make it. Seeing an animal as majestic as the gray whale in such pain is a terribly sad thing. It’s not uncommon for gray whales to die in the Sound, but my hopes and prayers are that this young whale will pull through.
Seattle Cartoonist Molly Norris stirred up some controversy when she decided to create “Draw Mohammed Day” which is to take place on May 20th. She created the day to counter the threats that were sent to comedy central after they depicted Mohammed in a bear suit.
Probably my favorite thing Norris said was that laughter is her form of prayer. I think being able to step back and laugh at yourself is a seriously good thing as well as a necessary thing. Growing up in a Christian home it was easy for my fellow Christians friends to be offended by jokes targeting Christians. But personally I always thought they were pretty funny.
Dane Cook’s “Christ Chex” is a great example. I laughed hysterically when I first heard this because (though I am not Catholic) I know exactly what he’s talking about.
Taking a step back and laughing at yourself is a good THING!!! My advice is to do it more often.
click here for Seattle Times coverage
The Ballard Bridge caught on fire last night! I could hear the sirens from my house and honestly didn’t even think twice. They aren’t yet sure what caused the fire but there is an investigation underway. Hearing stories from people who were there it sounds as if the flames at one point engulfed the pillars of the bridge as the fire itself started when four small boats, a truck and some wooden pallets caught aflame in a storage yard southeast of the bridge. They reopened the bridge late last night. It sounds as if there was no major damage to the bridge, I doubt they’d be letting vehicles drive across it if there was. And thank God for that because I can only imagine the chaos that would ensue if the bridge had to under go any kind of construction. Traffic would be absolutely insane and Fremont would be over run with cars. It would definitely hurt the Seattle community, no one likes traffic and the last thing we need is some kind of inner neighborhood street warfare going on… just kidding. But seriously, praise God the bridge is alright.
I’ve always thought of graffiti as an interesting art form, it represents a certain culture and can add flavor to an otherwise dull area. I know everyone doesn’t think that way. And obviously the city of Seattle doesn’t either. Paying millions of dollars each year to clean up graffiti that will be replaced a week later. Seems to me it’s a never ending cycle. And it’s one thing to clean up vandalism, but in my opinion vandalism is when the intent of the message is malicious. Any kind of vulgar language or images that are put somewhere as a threat or are intended to hurt someone is NOT okay. But there is a difference between “vandalism” and the art form that is graffiti. The picture featured above is one Seattle Woman’s solution. She’s created a graffiti wall in which “vandals” can use as a canvas for their art. I’ve heard of this solution before. Why not set up graffiti walls at skate parks or in alley ways. For heavens sake, we have an entire wall dedicated to chewed gum here in Seattle.
When I was a kid, a new skate part opened up in my home town. I’m from a pretty small conservative area, so people tend to freak out about things all too easily. And sure enough, when graffiti appeared in the bowl of the skate park the city was quick to cover it up. Here’s my problem. This skate park belongs to the kids who thrive there. The graffiti on the walls wasn’t malicious hate messages. IT WAS ART. And quite honestly, i liked it better when it was full of spray paint. It was a depiction of the culture there. So why not put that money to better use. Provide a canvas for these artists, instead of covering up their art.
For full Seattle Times story click here
