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A new style piano keyboard that would be easier to play
About 20 years ago I had an idea for a piano with a black key between each white key. The piano keys would look like the second set in the image below. The advantages of such a piano are To play a piece in a different key, one need only shift one’s hands to the…
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Nick Hanauer's foundation and political work
This month’s American Prospect has an article on the Colorado model for turning a state progressive blue: use mega-donors who care and coordinate with unions like SEUI. The article says, “In Washington state, venture capitalist Nick Hanauer was one of the first to kick-start a donor network that has been working for several years to…
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All our reps but McDermott voted to fund the Syrian rebels
Reps DelBene, Kilmer, Larsen, Heck and Smith voted Yea on the McKeon Amendment that funds the arming of Syrian rebels. “The amendment would authorize the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the Syrian opposition and other appropriately vetted Syrian groups or individuals.” (source).…
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Smaller class sizes help deliver on the promise of a great education
I always think of September as the actual beginning of the year. School starts, summer vacation is over, and we are all back to work. As I help out with coaching duties for cross country at Ballard High School, I can feel the enthusiasm that rolls over the athletic field filled with girls playing soccer…
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The Paramount Duty
The Washington State Constitution says: ARTICLE IX EDUCATIONSECTION 1 PREAMBLE. It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex. SECTION 2 PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. The legislature shall provide for a…
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Five Reasons to Suspect Jesus Never Existed
Most antiquities scholars think that the New Testament gospels are “mythologized history.â€Â In other words, based on the evidence available they think that around the start of the first century a controversial Jewish rabbi named Yeshua ben Yosef gathered a following and his life and teachings provided the seed that grew into Christianity. At the same…
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ACTION ALERT: Oil Train Halted – Mother suspended above tracks!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rising Tide Seattle along with participants who attended Backbone Campaign’s Localize This! Action Camp launched a technical blockade action early this morning effectively halting both Oil and Coal Trains!! Tired of inaction by politicians? Call Govenor Inslee to tell him actions like this inspire you not his foot-dragging. ***Demand Govenor Inslee Stops Stalling and…
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Seattle Climate March: Sept 21
From https://www.facebook.com/events/1446281475652868/?notif_t=plan_user_invited Join us for a rally and march on Sept 21 in solidarity with the People’s Climate March in NYC calling for sustainable jobs to retool our economy with clean, renewable technologies as a solution to both the economic and environmental crises. We can’t rely on politicians who’ve been dragging their feet for decades.…
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Making Bread While Baking Bread — A Celebration of Labor Day
One of my great-grandfathers, Rudolf Leo Schirra Sr., was born in Rammstein (no joke), Germany in 1876. Â He emigrated to the US in 1889 and for the rest of his life lied about being born in Chicago, apparently to avoid immigration questions. Okay, so why care? Â Well, Rudolf Senior was a labor organizer from about…