June 1
Seattle Sites of the Day:

North Pacific Young Adult Friends

"Simply put, we are a group of Young Friends (ages 20 to 40-something) who share a similar set of spiritual values and beliefs. North Pacific Yearly Meeting is comprised of over 40 Monthly Meetings and Worship Groups spread across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana which are of an unprogrammed tradition." ...

"Friday, June 2nd through Sunday, June 4th - Cabrini, a retreat for queer and queer-friendly Quakers. See the Cabrini page for more information, including to register. Cabrini will be held on the Olympic Penninsula."

University Friends Meeting
   Quaker Experiential Service and Training (QUEST)

"Quest is an internship and service program sponsored by University Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Located in Seattle, Washington, the program brings together issues and people who need assistance with individuals who serve. Each year, five young adults commit themselves to live together in a community setting and to accept full-time job placement in the areas of peace, justice, and social service. In return, they receive training, room and board, and the caring support of the QUEST community." ...

"Participating organizations address needs in areas of Quaker concern such as criminal justice, community reconciliation, aid to refugees, world peace, the environment, education, equality, and human dignity." ...

"QUEST recruits young adults, both Quaker and non-Quaker, from all over North America. Individuals and couples from many different social-economic, cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds participate."

Open Hand Publishing

Washington Free Press Oct/Nov 1995: NW Books

HistoryLink: King County Crime, Law Enforcement and Justice

On June 1, 1981 two Americans, Gene Viernes and Silme Domingo, were assasinated in their Pioneer Square office. The two Alaska Cannery Workers Union leaders had been active in reforming cannery industry practices in Alaska where many Filipinos worked, and in the growing movement to promote a democratic government in the Philippines. In December, 1989 a federal District Court jury in Seattle found the estate of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos liable for the killings.

Thomas Churchill later wrote a novel about the two men's lives, published in Seattle by Open Hand Publishing. It's mentioned in HistoryLink's Northwest Historical Bookshelf.

"Concerned parents and community members, realizing that there had already been substantial commercial intrusion into the schools, decided that it was time to put a stop to these attempts to turn students into a captive consumer market.

"In response to public outcry, the School Board rescinded its policy on advertising and initiated a process to formulate a new policy based upon community concerns. However, the School Board has still not adopted a new policy on commercialism in schools.

"In the absence of such a policy, commercial intrusion continues as before, and the Seattle School District even signed an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola, putting the schools in the position of having a financial interest in promoting the sale of junk food to their students.

"CCCS is working to convince the Seattle School Board of the necessity of instituting a policy that protects the educational environment of our schools, and protects students from commercial sales pitches that have no relation to education.

"CCCS is also focusing on the elimination of 'Channel One' (a daily televised advertisement / infotainment program) from Seattle schools.

"Other goals include the elimination of biased, commercially-produced curriculum materials, preventing the introduction of computer advertising schemes (such as 'Zap Me!'), and generally enhancing public awareness of commercialism in schools."

- Joel Bradbury

Wah Mee

Todd Matthews' online book takes a journey into a Seattle that most people didn't see behind the headlines of the 1983 gambling club murders. The stories of these events in Chinatown touch the realities of life in the neighborhoods whose family members were killed. Matthews' years of digging have produced an understanding of history and ways of life that unfolds in a portrait of what happened at the Wah Mee club and of the Seattle of that era.