Seattle, WA

Last weekend was action pack and it looks as if this weekend will be no different.

Lets start off with one for my fellow geeks out there:

Join super guest host Adam Koehler on a trivia filled extravaganza of all things Star Trek (next gen). Top prizes include Free Coffee, Free Beer, and bizarre 1990 star trek action figures (Mint in Box)

If you missed SeaFair so far then you won’t want to miss the finale:

The Chevrolet Cup
When: Aug. 1-3, 2008
Friday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday: 9 am - 11 pm, Sunday: 8 am - 6 pm
Where: South Lake Washington, Stan Sayres Pits
$$$: Free

The Chevrolet Cup at Seafair is the culmination of the month-long Seafair Festival and is undoubtedly the “Seafair” weekend that thousands look forward to each Summer. The action-packed weekend includes the fastest powerboats in the world, the Unlimited Hydroplanes and the Lights class with its high-intensity, deck-to-deck racing.

Seafair Concert and Fireworks
When: Saturday, August 2, 6:45 p.m.-10 p.m.
Where: South Lake Washington
$$$: $10 (Buy Tickets)

Following the “Jail House Rock” of El Vez!, at 9:45 p.m. the Starfire Air Show Performance featuring pilot Bill Leff will ease Seafair fans from daytime racing and music to nighttime theatrics. Leff dazzles audiences with an airborne fireworks display, pyrotechnic effects and light show completely choreographed to music.

Rounding out the night, Seafair will electrify the evening with a fireworks display over the Unlimited Hydroplane race course. Feel the rumbling and witness the beauty as they illuminate the night sky above Lake Washington.

Umoja Fest African American Heritage Festival & Parade
When: Aug 1, 2008 through Aug 3, 2008, 12 -5pm
Where: Judkins Park, Central District, Seattle
$$$: Free

Umoja Fest African American Heritage Festival & Parade is the oldest and largest African American community festival in the northwest. This weekend long artistic and cultural extravaganza brings people of all ethnic backgrounds together for a celebration of culture, education and community building. Activities include Children’s Day, African Drum & Dance, Live Jazz, Gospel, Soul, Reggae & Hip Hop Peace and Unity Concerts, a Basketball Tournament, Fashion Expo and a marketplace of Food/Crafts vendors and Community Resource & Education Booths.

Sitar Festival & Concert
When: Saturday, August 2nd, 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Where: Seattle Center NW Rooms
$$$: $4 - $10.50

It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to attend a Sitar concert. Celebrate tunes of Joy, Spirituality, and Inspiration. The upcoming inaugural sitar festival includes an exhibit and offers a unique chance to play a sitar and learn how to use a mizrab, the sitar pick. All are invited to join the chimta circle and the drum circle. Festival organizers will provide the instruments. Participants can also bid on sitars, chimta and tabla sets in a silent auction. “This event is not to be missed,” says Zafar Ibrahim, President, Crispus Industries. “Plan to spend an hour or two. Sitar Festival with a concert. Sitar concert starts a 8PM. We present the honorable Josh Feinberg on Sitar and the honorable Javad Butah on Tabla. Tickets for concert are $10.50 each. The concert ticket also admits you to the Sitar Festival activities. Tickets for the Festival are $4.00 for children and $6.00 for adults.”

Tour de Fat
When: Saturday, August 2 2008, 9:00am
Where: Gas Works Park
$$$: Free

If you’re looking for a way to get some exercise and contribute to a good cause then look no further than Tour de Fat. Presented by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Bike Works, Tour de Fat raises money toward local charities, Team Wonderbike, and a Car Bike Swap. So far they’ve raised $806,000! Get on down to Gas Works Park and support sustainable Seattle with Seattle’s Fattest Bike Festival! Costumes and decorated bikes of all shapes and sizes come to ride in the bike parade. Fellow bikers and enjoy good music, entertainment, and beer by New Belgium. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be riding Tour de FIT!

If you’re a wine lover and you don’t mind a little bit of a drive then here’s one for you:

EAT & DRINK In The Northwest
When: Sat, August 2 2008, 12:00pm - 5:30pm
Where: Brian Carter Cellars, 14419 Woodinville-Redmond Rd, Woodinville, WA
$$$: $0.00-8.00

Sample through several of their award winning wines including the Tuttorosso, Oriana and Byzance, as featured in the first two editions of EAT & DRINK In The Northwest. There is a nominal tasting fee of $8.00, refundable with any wine purchase of $24.00 or over. Meet the co-creators of the innovative book EAT & DRINK In The Northwest, Marcus Pape and chef Melissa Peterman, and try a sampling of appetizers inspired from the recipes of the second book, EAT & DRINK summer edition.

Farmstock Festival of the Arts
When: August 2 & 3, 10AM - 5PM
Where: Bainbridge Island , Washington, USA
$$$: Festival of Arts is Free, After 5 concerts are ticketed

Art and Music Expo is a grassroots art and music trade show and art sale. This event will feature two days of art, demonstrations and workshops, live music, and a special invitational art exhibit, including works by Elizabeth Sandvig, Deon Matzen, Kathryn Trigg, Claudia McKinstry and others.

Lake City Summer Festival
When: Saturday, August 2nd, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: NE 125th Street, Seattle
$$$: Bring some MEALS IN A CAN to help feed the hungry.

This annual event is fun for the whole family. We host a Vintage Car Show, Senior Games, Street Fair with arts, crafts, commercial and food vendors, Family Fun with children’s games, arts & crafts, Rotary Kids Parade, Salmon Bake and a Grand Performance Parade.

A 17 year old was sentenced this week to more than three years in juvenile custody for the gang rape of a Bellevue, Wa girl in November of 2007.

The three year sentence is considered “exceptional” and was doled out by the judge because he felt the boy exhibited a lack of remorse for his actions. The boy denied his actions, calling the girl a liar. His only remorse seems to have come at the tail end of his sentencing and had nothing to do with concern for the girl. If he’d cooperated and pleaded guilty he could have gotten off with a mere 30-40 weeks of juvenile custody.

Let me let that sink in for a moment.

Four boys picked up the girl at her home. They took her to a park. They got her drunk. They each raped her in the backseat of the car. Then, as if that were not bad enough, they bragged about in on the internet.

They gang-raped her. They bragged about in online. One of them got her pregnant. All that and the worst sentence any of them are likely to get is three years of juvie and that’s only because the boy showed a lack of remorse. In fact, one of the four is going to serve 15-36 weeks because he cooperated. Want to bet he serves just 15? Even if he does serve the full 36 weeks, that’s what, a whole 9 months for participating in gang raping a girl? Oh yeah, and did I mention that in the emails recovered from their MySpace accounts they’d discussed killing the girl to keep her from testifying against them? How proud the parents must be of these boys.

I find that completely outrageous. I personally believe they should have tried these boys as adults. Let them go to big-boy prison and find out first hand what it’s like to be gang-raped. What kind of message are we sending with this kind of sentence? I’ll tell you. We’re saying, “Hey boys, go out and rape now while you’re young. In the worst case scenario you’ll spend three years in juvenile custody.”

As I mentioned earlier, the girl became pregnant. It’s not surprising that she opted for an abortion. What is surprising is that the mother of Exceptional Boy said he was quite angry that the girl had aborted the baby because abortion is apparently against his religion.

WTF?!?!?

“And rape doesn’t?” asked Judge Hayden, getting no response.”

Furthermore the family discussed the issue and had agreed that the boy should marry the girl and raise the child.

I repeat, WTF?!?!?

I’m sure it’s every young girl’s dream to marry the man who raped her.

The boy’s mother is Russian and was speaking through a Russian interpreter. This makes me wonder if he immigrated or was born in the US because if he immigrated I say when his three years is done, ship him back to Russia and never allow him entry back into the US. Is that wrong of me?

I don’t know about you, but this just pisses me right off.

I apologize for the severe lack of posts lately. 451 has been undergoing growing pains that required server upgrades. The upgrades made it difficult to post. I’m happy to say that the upgrades are now complete and regular postings should continue.

I’ll start off with a look at upcoming events for the weekend.

Renton River Days
When: July 25 - 27, 2008, 11am-8pm
Where: Liberty Park

Featuring two entertainment stages, Nibble of Renton, Art Market (arts and crafts booths), Renton Annual Art Show (juried fine art show at the Renton Community Center), Quilt Show (inside the Library), Chalk Art Contest (on the tennis courts), inflatables for kids, pony rides (dirt infield at Cedar River Park), plus much more! No Pets, Please! For the safety, health, courtesy and enjoyment of your pets and all festival-goers, please leave your pets at home. Large crowds make it a very stressful and dangerous environment for pets.

Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair
When: July 25 - July 27, 2008, Fri, Sat 9:30 am - 9:30 pm; Sun, 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Where: West side of Bellevue Square, Bellevue, Wa

The 2007 Bellevue Arts Museum ArtsFair was a resounding success! Over 350,000 people attended the event presented by Coldwell Banker Bain Bellevue Way, which included 325 high-quality artist booths, artist demonstrations, lively entertainment, and Kidsfair presented by The Seattle Times.

Blues, Brews, and BBQs
When: July 25, 2008
Where: Cheney Stadium, Tacoma, Wa
$$$: $35

Looking to fill your evening in a lip-smacking, honest-to-goodness, stick-to-your-ribs kind of way? Head down to Cheney Stadium this summer for their monthly live music series Blues, Brews and BBQs. The music’s all that – and the barbecue won’t be bad either.

2 Seafair Events this weekend:

Southwest Airlines Torchlight Parade
When: Saturday, July 26, 7:30 p .m.
Where: Fourth Avenue, Downtown Seattle
$$$: $18-37

The Southwest Torchlight Parade is the largest nighttime parade in the Pacific Northwest with more than 300,000 people lining the streets of downtown Seattle. Precision drill teams, community floats, regional and international bands, equestrian units, giant helium balloons, comical clowns and swashbuckling pirates all come together in downtown Seattle to celebrate true family and community entertainment.

Wells Fargo Torchlight Run
When: Saturday, July 26, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Qwest Field, Seattle
Registration: $25 (8K) $20 (5K) Day of Event $30 (8K), $25 (5K)

This 8K run takes participants from Qwest Field up Alaskan Way on the Seattle Waterfront to Seattle Center and down the Torchlight Run parade route, just prior to the parade’s start. 300,000 parade attendees line 4th Avenue each year to cheer on participants and claim their spot for the parade which starts just after the runners pass through the route. The post-race party at Qwest Field is a festive atmosphere on a typically beautiful warm Saturday night.

If you don’t mind a little bit of a drive you might enjoy:

Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games & Clan Gathering
When: July 26 - July 27, 2008
Where: Enumclaw, Washington, USA
$$$: Adults – $12.00 one-day or $18.00 two-day pass Seniors, 60 & Over – $9.00 one-day or $13.00 two-day pass Children, 5 to 17 – $9.00 one-day or $13.00 two-day pass
Children under 5 – free
Parking: $4.00 per day

Be amazed by the titans who deftly toss the caber and put the stone, matching skill and strength against the odds on the athletic field of battle. Delight in the soothing sound of the Celtic harpists as they compete and then join together for a Harpers’ Circle jam session. Thrill to the bourdon of the bagpipes and the cadence of the drums as you witness, first hand, the fine array of talented pipers and drummers competing before judges of worldwide renown. Behold the grace and elegance of the Scottish dancers as they regale you with the Highland and National dances of Scotland.

2008 Ballard Seafood Fest
When: Saturday, July 26 2008, 11:00am - 8:00pm
Where: Ballard, 2208 NW Market St., Seattle, WA
$$$: Free

Entertainment for all ages, beer and wine gardens, a plethora of seafood vendors, arts and crafts and our unique contests, it’s a great, old fashioned summer party.

Punk Rock Flea Market!
When: Saturday, July 26 2008, 10:00am
Where: Underground Events Center, 2407 1st Ave, Seattle, WA
$$$: $1.00

This is a full on flea market selling everything you can imagine, including records, clothing, furniture, computers, stereo equipment, housewares, haircuts, toys, videos, bicycles, tacos, falafels, vegan treats, skateboards, political propaganda, information from non profit groups, book stores, artists selling their work, bike repair, baby stuff, tarot readings & whatever else we can fit into the space. Don’t let the name lead you to believe that we only welcome vendors selling punk records, clothes etc. The “Punk Rock” of the name refers as much to the DIY spirit of the event as it does to any particular music or lifestyle. ‘Nuff said.

Wow, there is so much going on I can’t list them all!

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