[4] October 21, 2011
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REDMOND
OPINION
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Event shines spotlight on girl bullying in schools
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This past weekend, GoGirlGo! Seattle and the City of Redmond hosted a viewing of the documentary and movement called “Finding Kind.” This is a powerful movie on the effects of bullying and/or meanness is girl world. Originally, only one viewing was scheduled at 2:30, but that event sold out very quickly. Another viewing was added at 5:15 and also sold out. Overall, 200-plus people attended this event. GoGirlGo! Seattle and the City of Redmond agreed that they would add additional screenings to their calendars. The young girls who attended this event were quite moved. Elementary and junior high girls shared their experiences of bullying and meanness, many with tears in their eyes. One girl cried about the bullying that her little sister is enduring. Another cried because of the lack of real emotion girls seem to show to one another. One mom discussed how bullying she experienced as young girl has led her to avoid true relationships with women around her to avoid getting hurt once again. Unlike physical bullying, meanness in girl world is difficult to deal with in the academic setting. Does the school have the right to punish someone for gossiping? Can they recognize the mean stares that girls give each other and administer a consequence? As parents we feel helpless to deal with the meanness in girl world. We all agreed that school personnel probably feel the same way. We as a community agreed that this meanness in the girl world must be dealt with to create a healthy environment for the young girls in our society. This change starts with girls and women pleading to be kind to one another. This doesn’t mean that we have to like everyone or have to be all smiles. This just means, as Thumper from Bambi so eloquently stated, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” Sheri Gazitt, GoGirlGo! Seattle director
Flynn is the right choice for Redmond City Council I have known Redmond City Council candidate Tom Flynn since 2003, when I joined the board of a local literary arts association called Redmond Association of Spokenword (RASP). For several years, Tom volunteered with one of RASP’s youth programs, coordinating the Young Authors Contest for grades K-6 in the Lake Washington School District. After I took over the direction of the Young Authors Contest, Tom was a loyal supporter of the program. I remember seeing him in the back of the room at Redmond Town Center Borders Books, when we had our awards ceremony there, cheering and clapping while the kids read their stories. Tom has also read at the RASP open mic and hosted a poetry reading or two at Victor’s Celtic Coffee. Over the years, we have met informally and exchanged critiques of each other’s creative prose. I was impressed with his ability to listen and to offer constructive feedback in a positive manner. I’m aware of the work that Tom has done on the city’s arts commission and most recently, on the planning commission. I know that he is interested in preserving our wetlands and parks while Redmond prepares for urban growth. Tom Flynn is a passionate arts advocate and community organizer. He has a steady, pleasant, no-nonsense style that helps both individuals and groups to focus on the matters at hand. Whatever the issues are, whatever planning and decisions the city government has to make, Tom will bring insight and focus to the table. He has the ability to get things done. Laura Lee Bennett, Redmond
Flynn truly cares about our city We need people on City Council who are thoughtful and care deeply for the City of Redmond. Tom Flynn is that type of person. Tom is running for City Council, Position 5 and is already familiar with several facets of Redmond government having served on the arts commission and more recently, on the planning commission. His interest in preserving Redmond’s amazing parks, streams, and trails; concern for controlled growth emphasizing local urban centers; and focusing on transportation options should resonate with most of the residents. He has a desire to see that the communities within the city stay connected ensuring that Redmond remain “a livable community.” Tom has been actively involved in his children’s lives coaching sports and serving on the PTSA. I find him to be passionately involved and interested in doing the right thing for those around him. As a resident of Redmond for the past 30 years, I’m excited that Tom is running for city council this November. He is an educated, soft spoken, introspective individual with a kind demeanor. I believe he will make good decisions for the residents of Redmond and I am very proud to support him with my vote and my voice. Robin Pfaff, Redmond
Time to bag your bags King County’s second annual “Bag your Bags. Bring ‘em Back” campaign brings together recycling, reuse and reduction right in your kitchen and grocery store. We all end up with at least a few single-use plastic bags at home no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Now it’s easier than ever to recycle them. Just take your plastic bags to participating grocery stores, including Fred Meyer, QFC, Top Food & Drug and the Duvall Family Grocer. Nearly 50,000 tons of recyclable plastic bags and plastic wrap ended up in King County’s Cedar Hills Landfill last year, and this program
helps us put those bags where they belong. More kinds of plastic bags than ever before are now accepted by store collection programs. Types of plastic bags and wrap you can bring in for recycling include: grocery bags, bread bags, produce bags, wrap for products such as paper towels and toilet paper, bubble wrap, dry cleaning bags, newspaper bags, and shrink wrap. The campaign is called “Bag your Bags” because that’s the way you need to do it. Loose bags get stuck in recycling machinery or cause litter problems, so always stuff your bags in a single bag, knot it up and take it in. Many folks are surprised to learn that a strong demand exists for recycled plastic bags to make products such as composite lumber. That deck you have admired at your neighbor’s house might well be made of composite lumber, which consists of plastic bags and wrap combined with reclaimed sawdust. For more information on King County’s Bag your Bags campaign, visit www.BagYourBags. com. Recently more attention has been focused on the waste and litter problems associated with plastic bags, in the Northwest and around the world. Reducing our consumption of bags by using durable bags will always be the most effective approach. But it’s bag-tastic that we now have increased recycling options as well. Karen May, King County Solid Waste
Thanks for helping my sons To the four young men at the downtown Skate Park, I’m the dad who asked you to help my two boys ride the ramp. You generously agreed to help. You kindly came to my older son’s aid when he crashed. You clapped and cheered when he got to his feet. You showed him your scrapes so he would know they were badges of honor not shame. You congratulated him when he began to ride again. You make me happy to be a part of our community. And your parents should be proud. Thank You. Robert Hartman, Redmond