April 30
Seattle Sites of the Day:

No Split East Turn

"don't shift jet noise - reduce it! ... The proposed Part 150 noise mitigation program will improve the overall noise environment, not shift noise from one residential community to another."

Beacon Hill

"The lack of restrictive real estate covenants, and the presence of relatively low cost housing as well as an attitude of racial tolerance helped create a community with a mix of blacks, whites, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos and other ethnic groups. Most present-day residents feel that Beacon Hill has benefited from its strong multi-cultural atmosphere."

"Gentrification is not a new phenomenon. ... What is new is that it is now happening on Beacon Hill. ... our real treasure is the people who live here. Our strengths include our cultural, ethnic, and economic diversity, our zeal in working to improve our neighborhood, and the care we have for this ridge of land and its residents. ... It is this heart and soul that gentrification will eventually erode if we don't take action now."

Nikkei Concerns

"Nikkei Concerns is a nonprofit corporation established in 1975 to meet the special needs of the Japanese and Asian communites. As an integrating and educational force, Nikkei Concerns' programs include:

-	Seattle Keiro 150-bed Nursing Facility
-	Keiro Intergenerational Day Care
-	Kokoro Kai Adult Day Center
-	Nikkei Horizons Adult Learning Center
-	Nikkei Manor Assisted Living

"The KIDCare center located at Seattle Keiro, brings together children and elders in a program which serves their mutual need for love, attention and emotional support. Through shared activities and time spent together daily, the Keiro residents and children form strong and meaningful bonds which enrich the lives of all participants. These intergenerational relationships enhance the homelike feeling at Seattle Keiro; the feeling of being surrounded by 'family.'"

Albert Kaufman
My trip to Hong Kong, China and Viet Nam with Susi Weiss

"Welcome to my life in Seattle. Let there be pictures! And links! And writing!"

"From November 11th to 29th, 1999 I traveled with my friend Susi Weiss to Hong Kong, Guangzhao (China) and Viet Nam. Here are the pictures from that trip along with a little commentary."

In a letter to the editor in the April Seattle JACL newsletter, Robert Shimabukuro writes, in part:

"I had heard the moans and groans from other parents checking out schools for their kids, but I didn't know what they were going through until I was faced with the same situation... It should be obvious to the most casual observer that some schools and communities in Seattle are getting shortchanged...

"... few rocket scientists and brain surgeons will be coming out of southend schools unless drastic changes in policy are made and carried out. ... It has to do with recognizing the inequities and doing something about it. ... Nobody is mentioning the words racism or classism anymore, but they obviously should be.

"... where is the outrage over the state of the school itself, regardless of the name? ... Could the lack of outrage possibly be because the student body is 88% non-white? Could it possibly be because 71% of the school's students are on free or reduced lunch? ... Somebody, convince me that this isn't about race and money. ...

"Show that you care, that you really are concerned about the students. Show some support, along with dig deep-down heartfelt dollars, to help turn the school around, to help the community around the school in improving Aki Kurose Middle School. And when the school starts producing not only rocket scientists and brain surgeons, but well-informed, thinking students, prepared for high school, we can all rejoice together."

May 20 - 23
CPSR Conference:
Shaping the Network Society