August 2, 2017 | Real Change

Book review

Book Review: ‘Nest in the Bones: Stories’

by Mike Wold | August 2nd, 2017

There’s often an element of the surreal and the macabre in South American literature. In the case of Antonio Di Benedetto, it’s more than an element. It’s the lens through which he examined modern society as it intersects with the older, more traditional ways of life in provincial Argentina. Unlike some of his more famous Argentine contemporaries, whose sensibilities were molded in the sophisticated city of Buenos Aires, he spent the first decades of his adult life as a journalist in Mendoza, a small city in the foothills of the Andes and on the edge of the pampas.

News

Proposed legislation would limit criminal background checks for rental housing

by Ashley Archibald | August 2nd, 2017

Alex Lopez has a dream.

The 20-year-old from Southern California wants to be an international businessman, with a focus on online marketing. He’s in the process of completing his high school degree equivalent and exploring options for higher education. Lopez’s face held a look of earnest determination as he sat perched on a high stool in a Starbucks, describing where he’s been, where he hopes to go and the barriers that stand in his way.

Pushing forward on minimum wage

by Ashley Archibald | August 2nd, 2017

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmember Lisa Herbold announced changes to Seattle’s minimum wage ordinance to prevent employers from paying people with disabilities less than the minimum wage.

The loophole stems from the Washington state law that exempts employers from paying the minimum wage to learners, apprentices, people who carry letters and messages and disabled people if they receive a special certificate.

The Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities unanimously supported ending this exemption.

Nonprofit to fund anti-tax lawsuits

by Ashley Archibald | August 2nd, 2017

The managing director of a local venture capital firm has founded a nonprofit to fund legal challenges against Seattle’s new income tax.

Police union challenges body cams

by Ashley Archibald | August 2nd, 2017

The Seattle police officers’ union filed an unfair-labor-practice complaint July 25 over a mayoral order requiring officers wear body cameras.

The organization, known as SPOG, issued a press release stating that the order was a “clear violation of state law,” although the union was quick to point out that it was not opposed to body cameras.

Under the executive order, bicycle officers in the West Precinct would be the first to begin using the body cameras, followed by all patrol officers in the precinct. The rollout would then proceed one precinct at a time.

Renovation costs exceed county shelter budget

by Ashley Archibald | August 2nd, 2017

Cost and red tape may slow moves by the King County Council to expand and enhance emergency shelters, causing frustration and heartburn in councilmembers and the advocacy community alike.

A report to the King County Council estimated that doubling the capacity of a 50-bed shelter at 420 Fourth Ave. and beefing up services offered there to include meals, showers, case management and 24-hour operations could cost $4.7 million in capital costs with ongoing operating expenses of over $1 million a year.

Charity art show to benefit people who are homeless

by Lisa Edge | August 2nd, 2017

A show bringing together the talent of local artists opens the weekend of Aug. 4. “Unity at the Bemis” is a collection of about 150 works from 50 artists. Visitors will see an impressionist painting of Seattle’s skyline, sculptures and a lifelike depiction of a robot on a beach at the event. The juried work is professional, original and affordable. One of the notable participants is famed nature photographer Art Wolfe.

Menwar's Story: Six-year-old Syrian boy narrates short film on refugees’ plight in Greece

by Gayle Clemans | August 2nd, 2017

Six-year-old Menwar Al Bakri is adorable. With big brown eyes and a fresh, eager attitude, he reveals his world, a world that, for four months in 2016, revolved around sleeping in a tent in an abandoned gas station in Greece.

Features

Deconstructing War: Wing Luke Museum show addresses conflict through absurdity

by Lisa Edge | August 2nd, 2017

Images and discussions of war often focus on the carnage, aggression and generational repercussions. While those aspects are certainly a significant part of the reality, it doesn’t always make the best opener for conversation. “Teardrops that Wound,” a group exhibition at Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, takes an unconventional approach.

Opinion

To protect our planet, and ourselves, we need to ban the nuclear bomb

by Beth Brunton | August 2nd, 2017

Are you doing your best to protect our people, planet and just prosperity?

Yes, thank you. You reduce or recycle, you bike or bus, you vote for the greenest candidates and policies to prevent climate change and other disasters.

What else could you do? You could add to your to-do list: ban nuclear bombs to keep our people and planet safe from mass destruction. Nuclear weapons are a greater threat than ever, but you can join the new nuclear abolition movement growing here and all over the world.

Director's Corner: 'Without shelter, people die' isn’t just a hyperbolic slogan

by Timothy Harris | August 2nd, 2017

Last week, Real Change was happy to have Mark Putnam, the head of King County’s All Home, as a guest at our monthly board meeting.

Truth be told, we’ve been less than thrilled with All Home — the lead coordinator of homeless services in Seattle/King County — since the decision was made to hold the results of January’s annual count of unsheltered people until late-May.

Adventures in Irony: I love stupidity. I’m pro-stupid. But this is getting ridiculous

by Dr. Wes Browning | August 2nd, 2017

This column is not going to have any good surprises. I like to be able to take the news and find a way to make it good. Not this time.

For example, consider Anthony Scaramucci’s New Yorker interview in which he said that Steve Bannon spends time attempting to perform an extremely difficult act of self-gratification. I would really like to be able to say something about this that could make it better.

Access Denied: Voting and the right to participate

by Hanna Brooks Olsen | August 2nd, 2017

Real Change columnist

The Seattle mayoral race has been a whirlwind of buzzwords and campaign stops, of profiles and photo ops. It can be tough to determine which candidates really align with your values. To get an idea of what voters care about — or at least what candidates think that voters care about — just look at the fliers that have appeared in your mailbox.

The top-line issue on most campaign sites and collateral? Homelessness. And yet, few of the candidates appear particularly interested in speaking directly to folks living outside — who are, indeed, constituents.

The Middle Ground by Sam Day 8/2/17

by Sam Day | August 2nd, 2017

View previous editorial cartoons by Sam Day.

Wait, there's more. Check out articles in the full August 2 issue.

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Vendor profiles

Vendor Profile: Scott Wilson

by Lindsay Hueston | August 2nd, 2017

Scott Wilson is Real Change’s resident hippie. Often sporting a button that reads “I’m Already Against the Next War,” Scott’s charm and insight cause him to be one of Real Change’s top sellers over the past six years.

Before Real Change, Scott worked “blue-collar jobs in shipyards,” and has lived in various places including Seattle, Alaska and California. After flare-ups with a heart condition and a car wreck in Alaska in 1991, Scott decided that he “had to see something different” and began selling Real Change.