Michael van Baker

[UPDATE: Giveaway is over.] "Due to the large volume of visitors we are experiencing--since our "World's Best" Mac & Cheese became a favorite of a certain TV talkshow diva--we are currently offering a limited version of our website," explains Beechershandmadecheese.com. 

Turns out the "World's Best" Mac & Cheese from Beecher's is a claim Oprah might stand behind. To celebrate the sudden fame, Beecher's is giving away--that's free, folks!--hot dishes of mac & cheese until close of business (6 p.m.) today, November 19. You have three locations to choose from: their Pike Place store, Pasta & Co. at University Village, and Bennett's Pure Food Bistro on Mercer Island.

'Scuse us. Gotta run.

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Regina Spektor's Live in London concert movie gets screened in just 15 U.S. cities this weekend, and the Northwest Film Forum is the Seattle venue, with just one showing on Sunday at 8 p.m. It's just $5, so if you missed her Paramount show--All night, between songs, it had been "Regina, I love you!", "Regina, I love you more than that first girl!", and a baritone howl of "Regina, I want to have your babies!" Spektor, in contrast, traveled imperturbably from song to song, though the "babies" brought her up short. "All tour," she said, "it's been babies. I guess...thanks?"--you can make up for lost time. The live album hits on November 22. Consequence of Sound has the track lists.

Regina Spektor's "Dance Anthem of the '80s" from "Live in London" from Consequence of Sound on Vimeo.

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The buzz (Oh, hell yes! We will go there!) is also good for a documentary called Colony, which opens tonight at NWFF and runs through next Thursday. It's a Colony Collapse Disorder film, but there's more to it than that:

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Colony documents a time of unprecedented crisis in the world of the honeybee through the eyes of both veteran beekeeper, David Mendes, and Lance and Victor Seppi, two young brothers getting into beekeeping when most are getting out. As Mendes tries to save the nation's collapsing hives, the Seppi's try to keep their business alive amidst a collapsing economy.

Seattle PostGlobe says, "The film makes a  recurring analogy between  the colony mentality of the bee world versus the chaotic self-interest of  human society," while the Seattle Times says the film finds "beauty in every frame: a close-up of a bee, scratching its face as if pondering; a hive caught in sunlight, each bee seemingly lit from within; a white-blossomed grove of almond trees under a vibrant sky."

COLONY TEASER 2 from Colony Movie on Vimeo.

Wang Huaiqing (left) and SAM's associate curator of Asian Art, Josh Yiu (Photo: SAM)

You could call him an éminence grise if his hair wasn't so white, but he's not that well known in the U.S., as evidenced by this inaugural-yet-retrospective exhibition. Wang Huaiqing was born in Beijing in 1944, and thanks to his artistic talent was enjoying government-sponsored art education by the age of 12. Later, he studied folk art, architecture, and Western painting, and earned his Master's Degree with his painting "Wind with Aroma."

Now in his mid-60s, Huaiqing is an established master. In the 1990s, if you were in the right place at the right time, you could pick up a Huaiqing for between $3,000 and $10,000. Today, his paintings can sell for over a million dollars.

So while his Seattle Asian Art Museum exhibit is called Wang Huaiqing: A Painter’s Painter in Contemporary China (through April 10, 2011), that's more a reference to his artistic focus than his artworks' general appeal. You can view 25 of the 26 pieces at SAAM; a large scale piece is being shown downtown at SAM. (I'm told the lack of larger pieces is due to the artist's residence not being very large, so no canvases more than about six feet would fit.) That may account over one-quarter of his life's work. 

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What people tend to see in Huaiqing's work, at first, is what's not there: Much of the recent art from China has been in understandably belated public dialogue with the Cultural Revolution and Chairman Mao. But Wang Huaiqing's foremost association is with a now-disbanded group of artists called "The Contemporaries," whose manifesto called for, in the classical Confucian mode, "brushing away the ugliness, perversity, and deception, and preserving beauty, warmth, and candor."

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Seattle Met's Culture Fiend says:

Wang’s paintings are certainly abstract. They’re almost entirely monochromatic, with the occasional explosion of red—the only reference to Mao’s regime. With the exception of his early sketches, he avoids using people as subjects. Instead, furniture dominates: broken chairs and tables, cloaked in dark shadows, litter his paintings. Dark columns rise from clay pots and light shines through narrow doorways.

Of course, it can nonetheless be interpreted as a political act to look beyond politics, to art. "During the Cultural Revolution he endured the hardship of labor camps and painted secretly in the dark of night," writes SAM's Josh Yiu. We're left to enjoy the "beauty, warmth, and candor."

If you felt an outpouring of lovingkindness while walking past the Convention Center yesterday, it was likely because over 1,000 people were gathered inside to celebrate National Philanthropy Day, hosted by AFP Washington. I was glad to attend, because on a day when unemployment cut-offs and ballooning deficits were in the news, it was particularly good to hear about Seattle's pathbreaking philanthropic engagement. 

Enrique Cerna

Former Mayor Norm Rice

The lunch was emceed by KCTS's Enrique Cerna, and former Mayor Norm Rice spoke as well, but both men knew that the stars of the afternoon were the honorees, and said as much. In fact, the theme of the day was the "faces of philanthropy"--Seattle's populist spirit emerging even when it comes to what you'd imagine would be a wealthy-elbow-rubbing affair. 

In a town where you can run into a sweater-and-khaki-wearing Bill Gates catching a matinée at the Harvard Exit, it makes sense that Matt Griffin (a commercial real estate developer) and Evelyne Rozner (founder of her business consultancy, The Rozner Co.) were low-key about their Outstanding Philanthropists award, given because they "have not only contributed substantially to local and national nonprofits, they have also led efforts that raised more than $250 million for causes they support."

Rozner won applause for warning that an obsession with efficiency and short-term fiscal prudence (as measured by cents per dollar that go to administration "versus" operations) is harmful to non-profits, who need to be allowed to experiment and test out new practices.

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The Whatcom Community Foundation was honored for Outstanding Philanthropy Organization (President Mauri Ingram's wry sense of humor won her a "She'll be here all week, folks" from Cerna), and the Moles family was recognized in the Outstanding Philanthropic Family category. For your family's reference, here's the contribution benchmark you should aim for: 

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Pure Water for the World, the American Red Cross, Hospice of Whatcom County, Whatcom Community Foundation, St. Luke’s Foundation, Rotary, Mt. Baker Theater, Whatcom Symphony, Whatcom Museum of History & Art, Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, Visiting Nurse Home Health Care and Personal Services, Northwest Public Radio, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Mount Baker Planned Parenthood, Whatcom Maritime Historical Society, Whatcom County North Rotary Foundation, United Way of Whatcom County, Bellingham Dollars for Scholars, Ferndale Chamber of Commerce and the Whatcom County Old Settlers Association.

Under Outstanding Corporation, we heard from the McKinstry Company's Dean Allen, who explained that the company's practice of dividing up profits among employees, so that each can dedicate $500 to the non-profit of their choice, is something each employee's family is asked to weigh in on, so that philanthropy is taught to new generations. The Outstanding Small Company was Delivery Express, who "deliver" for both the Puget Sound Blood Center and the Starlight Children's Foundation of Washington. President Dave Hamilton dresses up as Santa to deliver toys to seriously ill children; he also contributes to KEXP and KUOW, whom he thanked for helping make his children think he's cool and smart, respectively. 

Grace Grubb (left) and Madeleine Colvin (right)

At this point, I was feeling like I really knew what Louis Armstrong was saying with that "What a Wonderful World" song, but there was one more award. The Outstanding Young Philanthropists award went to Madeleine Colvin and Grace Grubb, who, by the end of 10th grade, "had founded Dig Deep, a nonprofit that has raised more than $13,000 to purchase a water system for a village in Ethiopia." Grace is in Africa (of course), so Madeleine appeared to talk a little about how important clean water is, and their idea to raise money through, among other things, fundraising walks based on how far women in Africa might have to walk each day to provide water for their families. 

It's slightly surreal to watch a high school student address a crowd of 1,000 very influential Seattleites (the WAC parking garage nearby was almost full), half-apologizing for the fact that when the two were freshmen they really didn't know much about the legal or financial issues involved in starting a non-profit, and giving shout-outs to family members who drove them everywhere. "It's," said Madeleine, mastering a breathy trill of nervousness, "excellent," and then led the crowd in a chant of "I am a philanthropist!"

1972 "was a bad year if you hate snow," writes our Flickr pool's shawnmebo. "Let's see what Steve Pool has to say about it." Today a bunch of Canadian cold air heads our way, bringing lots of snow in the mountains. Cliff Mass waves off concerns of Snowpocalypse 2010...mostly, noting that tomorrow we see something "close to a pattern that brings snow...but the models are emphatic that it is too warm over most of the lowlands for snow. The freezing level is at around 2000 ft and the snow level is around 1000 ft. This is close."

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Dr. Arun Raha

When I arrived this afternoon to interview Remy Trupin, executive director of the Washington State Budget & Policy Center, about the nuts-and-bolts of state budget allocation, he was still shellshocked from this morning's state revenue forecast.

The short story is that the projected deficit for the 2009-2011 and 2011-13 budget cycles has grown by $1.2 billion, to $5.7 billion, since September's forecast. The Hopper (the Senate Democrats blog) live-blogged the announcement, and that's where the following quotes come from:

Revenue for the remainder of the current budget cycle is projected to fall by $385 million to $28 billion. Revenue for the next cycle is projected to fall by $809 million to $33 billion.

"I would conclude that our forecast in September was more optimistic than it needed to be," said state chief economist Arun Raha, a qualification that should be immediately registered in a collection of classic understatements. Almost $300 million of the shortfall comes from the passage of I-1107, which rolled back taxes on bottled water, soda, and candy. 

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To balance the budget for the current budget cycle with cuts, the budget would need to be reduced by almost eleven percent across the board. To meet this year's shortfall, said Marty Brown, director of the state's Office of Financial Management, "We're going to be talking about Basic Health soon, Disability Lifeline soon, levy equalization. School districts are going to get nailed." 

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Governor Gregoire

In a statement on the widening revenue gap, Governor Gregoire said: "Further across the board cuts, which would add 4.6 percent to the 6.3 percent reductions I ordered last month, are not feasible." Saying that she'd given legislative leadership until November 29 to return to her with "options," Gregoire fell short of calling for a special legislative session: "The Legislature will need to act quickly--delay will only deepen the problem and limit the options."

"It's a dangerous spiral," the Budget & Policy Center's Trupin told me, referring to attempts to solve revenue shortages by budget cuts alone. But the state's operating budget doesn't offer much leeway. He predicted health and human services would be once again placed on the chopping block, while higher education tuition rates would see another increase. (The UW's $250-million renovation of Husky Stadium, though it would use no public funds, seems an odd priority when the temporary playfield could just as well become a permanent one.)

On November 30, two federal unemployment programs are set to expire: Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits. HuffPo notes that while the House has a vote coming up on an extension, the Senate has nothing on its schedule, so it is likely that--across the country--hundreds of thousands will no longer get unemployment checks. 

Here in Washington State, the Employment Security Department's Jeff Robinson told me that the high-end estimate is that some 50,000 to 55,000 workers will have exhausted their emergency, longterm benefits by the end of the month. (That's a cumulative number, counting since Congress implemented Emergency Unemployment Compensation in July 2008. "More than 25,000 already had exhausted their benefits as of Oct. 31," the ESD told legislative committees yesterday.) 

There are tiers to unemployment payments these days, after the unemployed worker has exhausted the state's typical 13 to 26 weeks of unemployment insurance. Federal emergency extensions have created four tiers totaling 53 additional weeks of benefits. ESD has created an "Impending Storm Workgroup," to help deal with the thousands of people losing a weekly income and to explain to people counting on those "extra" weeks that things have changed: Anyone who files a new claim after November 27 will be limited to 46 weeks of benefits.

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What has not changed is Washington's unemployment rate, which refuses to budge from nine percent (9.1 percent if you want to enjoy an imaginary granularity; a year ago, the rate was 9.2 percent). Perhaps because this month is my birthday, the Seattle Times put Sanjay Bhatt to the task of surveying the state's unemployment situation, and the result is grim--18 percent of state residents are "underemployed"--but more inclusive in context, and accurate, than the Times has been inclined to dish up previously. 

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Desiree Phair, the state's economist for King County, said she believes a longer-term shift may be under way among employers toward contract labor instead of permanent hires. "I've heard enough anecdotes that I'm starting to seriously consider the possibility," she said.

So far this year, Washington has seen a net gain of 6,000 jobs. The private sector added 10,200 jobs, but those gains were offset by losses in government jobs.

Washington had 8,500 fewer jobs in October than it did a year ago, a 0.3 percent decrease, Employment Security reported. The nation recorded 0.6 percent growth over the same period.

What you see, unsurprisingly, is that Washington's unemployment rate has not gotten worse primarily because people have turned to part-time and significantly lower-paying jobs. They're not unemployed, per se, but they may not be able to pay for things like health insurance or mortgages or car payments. Now the state faces an additional influx of people who can't pay for anything at all. 

Disney's Mickey Mouse (the real one) made a guest appearance at Bishop Blanchet HS this morning, according to a tipster with a camera phone. Trying to figure out what the occasion is. Details to come. 

UPDATE: Heartwarming story alert! Grab your tissues. It turns out that Mickey Mouse and runDisney officials were honoring 16-year-old Sarah White, a Blanchet student, for her sportsmanship. Sarah gave her Mickey Medal from the 2010 Disneyland Half Marathon to a 76-year-old fellow runner who was injured in a fall "just a half mile from the finish line," and couldn't finish. Full story after the jump.

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Shirley Rackner, right

For nine months 76-year-old Shirley Rackner of Portland, OR, trained for the Disneyland Half Marathon.  At the 12.5 mile mark of the 13.1 mile event two runners approached Rackner from behind and split to run around her on both sides. During the pass one of the runners bumped Rackner knocking her to the pavement. Falling to the ground Rackner broke her wrist and gashed her head. Her goal of completing the course and getting the coveted Mickey Medal ended just .6 miles from the finish line.

With the assistance of her daughter, who was also competing, and quick responding Disney emergency crews, Rackner was transported by ambulance from the course to Irvine UCI Medical Center. There doctors placed her arm in a cast and bandaged her head. 

Later that afternoon Shirley was released from the hospital and went to the airport to catch her flight home to Portland, OR. There she and her daughter met sixteen-year-old Sarah White and her family. The White family was preparing to return to Seattle. Realizing both parties participated in the half marathon Shirley explained what happened and why her face was black and blue and her arm lay in a sling. 

Sarah White

Moved by what happened and sensing the 76-year-old woman’s disappointment, 16-year-old Sarah White decided at that moment that Shirley Rackner deserved the Disneyland Half Marathon Mickey Medal. In a restaurant at John Wayne Airport, Sarah conducted a ceremony of her own and presented Shirley with a medal. 

Since the half marathon Sarah returned to Seattle where she is a junior at Bishop Blanchet High School and competes on the tennis team and remains an avid runner. Shirley Rackner underwent surgery to attach a metal plate to her wrist and continues to recover.

Tim Eyman filing I-1053 (Photo: Office of the Washington Secretary of State)

All our big road projects--the 520 bridge replacement, the deep-bore tunnel for SR 99--now routinely use tolls to fill in funding gaps. But yesterday, PublicCola reports, Tim Eyman was testifying in front of the Washington Transportation Commission that his I-1053 would require the legislature to drum up a supermajority to toll 520.

This would be news to WSDOT, who promise tolling will begin in spring 2011, with tolls ranging from $3.50 to $5 each way. Eyman also argued that the state can't even raise ferry fares (a planned 2.5 percent) without legislative approval. 

I-1053 co-sponsor Sen. Pam Roach has asked Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna to weigh in on how broadly the initiative can be interpreted. While many people may have thought I-1053 applied mainly to taxes, it also said that "new or increased fees require majority legislative approval." Certainly the intent of the initiative backers was that it apply to precisely this sort of thing. That broad application was one of the reasons Sightline opposed the I-1053: Now even tax loopholes can't be closed without a supermajority.

If McKenna supports Eyman's view, it throws all the funding plans for our major transportation projects out the window. After all, tolling is supposed to pay for some $400 million of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement project, a project that did not have supermajority support in the House.

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Longer term, of course, you have to worry about (or cheer, depending upon your inability to evaluate logical consequences) a crippling gridlock as the legislature votes on every single tax and fee increase across the scope of government--with the supermajority requirement dictating that if 17 senators don't go for the package, it doesn't happen. [CLARIFICATION: Increases in fees, as tolls may be considered, require a simple majority under I-1053.]

Again, you have to ask, Is a clearly unconstitutional initiative worth all this? Or, even more troublingly, are unconstitutional initiatives something our State Supreme Court is cool with?

Thanks for the memories, BlogsGivingers! Our annual social hour and fundraiser for Northwest Harvest was last night at the Bourbon Bar at Columbia City Theater, and we raised $150 and a big box of food (mostly canned, which I discovered makes hauling it to the car quite a workout).

Co-sponsoring blogerati included Amber from Rainier Valley Post, Maia from SouthendSeattle, Justin from Capitol Hill Seattle (our Tutta Bella pizza provider, everyone thank CHS!) and Allecia, Amy, and Morgen from Seattlest--along with guests Curt Milton of Eastlake Ave., Tri Nguyen of the late, lamented Columbia City Blog, John Jensen from Seattle Transit Blog, and ECB from PubliCola. Oh, and Danae, all the way from Lake City Live, ladies and gentlemen!

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Newcastle Brown Ale refreshed us while we were out "walking the dog"--note professional-level product placement in the photos, beer promoters!--and the people at Bourbon Bar fulfilled every heart's desire (largely, for bourbon cocktails, crab dip, and pulled pork nachos). If you missed it, don't despair. BlogsGiving will return next year...possibly north of the Cut.