who wants to be a commerce secretary? gary locke, photo via wikipedia [#]

The Obama administration continues to plunder Washington’s political riches in filling out the admin: first Ron Sims for a top spot at Housing and Urban Development, then Kerlikowske to run the Office of National Drug Control Policy [nyt], and now Gary Locke for Commerce Secretary. [gawker]

Remember those heady few hours when the northwest blogoverse suspected the cabinet post might be going to Christine Gregoire when she disappeared for top secret weekend foray to visit the troops? In a weird way the rampant speculation has now been remedied by generality — a Washington governor might become Commerce Secretary. That is, if his nomintation doesn’t get sidetracked like the previous two contenders who withdrew after fundraising investigations (Bill Richards) and discovery of deep-seated Republican fiscal conservatism (Gregg).

As long as he comes across better than he was awfully portrayed in Battle In Seattle he should be just fine.

eric anderson of cataldo // more in the show photoset [flickr]

On Saturday night I was expecting a two-pronged charm offensive: after all, one guy has “magnificent ukulele” in the title and the other is one of the best songwriters in this business and ringmaster of the always-enchanting collective of New Pornographers. Of course, they delivered. But the wild card was opener Cataldo, a band whose dreamy peanut-butter picnic melodies have been hiding right here in Seattle. Because I’m incurably tardy, I often wind up missing the first act in a perfect storm of poor-planning and bad-guessing; so I was glad to arrive just in time for their late start. Frontman Eric Anderson had recently shaved his beard to try to get a job (anyone with connections at Molly Moon’s house of creamy deliciousness is encouraged to assist) and was playing for the first time with a new collection of bandmates. It seemed like quite a success: at the end of the show the stage was nearly swarmed by a queue of other early arrivers bearing compliments and questions.

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If you live in or near the Central District and have a dog, why not take your doggie down to Immortal Dog Pet Supply and Bakery which just opened in that area?

Located at 1712 S. Jackson, Immortal Dog offers fresh handmade treats (many of which are wheat-free for your doggies with sensitive tummies) and they’re all made from whole ingredients, so tasty and nutritious for your canine companion. They also offer food for your dog and your cat including natural, frozen raw food, treats, toys, chews, litter and all other sorts of accessories to meet your pet needs.

Stop in and say hello to owner Nicole or give her a call at 206.323.9112 to ask about free food delivery options.

Loney Dear’s Emil Svanängen; photo by Deb Caponera via Polyvinyl Records

• The last time we saw Andrew Bird in Seattle it was in a Zoo singing about [a]nonanimals, badly-tended chickens, and other creatures [mb]. Many of those songs now appear on recently-released and, for me at least, heavy-rotation Noble Beast. He and his band will be at the Moore tonight, a suitably grand yet crumbling venue for his songs, which start with loops, whistles, and melodic fragments and build savant-like into magnificent pieces. Don’t miss opener Emil Svanängen’s Loney Dear (now comma-free), whose low-fi urgently hushed distillations (at least that’s how they sound on Airport Surroundings [imeem/youtube]) should make an engaging contrast to Bird’s ornamentations. $25, 8pm [themoore]
• I’ve been a fan of Pinback for a while, but not so much that I’ve been brave or metal enough to follow Rob Crow’s Goblin Cock side project. Perhaps you and/or other Metbloggers have more musical fortitude and can report back from their show tonight. [funhouse]

* 12:00 PM: Seattle Mystery Bookshop welcomes Leighton Gage to sign Buried Strangers. This is Gage’s second in the “Chief Inspector Mario Silva” series of police procedural novels, and is as sophisticated and interesting as Blood of the Wicked. Set in Brazil, mystery fans who enjoy exotic locations and foreign cultures with their crime should give Gage a try. Warning: Not for the squeamish!
[LINK]

* 7:00 PM: Richard Hugo House hosts Molly Gloss, author of The Hearts of Horses, to read and discuss her work. This is Gloss’s fourth novel. I haven’t read it, yet, but horsey-type people seem to like it a lot. Though for some reason, Hugo House’s website pimps Wild Life, Gloss’s 2000 novel about being lost in the woods. Weird.
[LINK]

* 7:30 PM: Astrophysicist and science writer Neil deGrasse Tyson visits Town Hall Seattle to talk about Pluto. You know, Pluto, the planet that was kicked out of the club by the International Astronomical Union, for not being cool enough. Turns out that Pluto is just a big rock. Bummer. Tyson’s most recent book is (surprise!) The Pluto Files : The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet.
[LINK]

The Loyal Heights Community Center is hosting its annual Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, March 1 from 8 a.m.-Noon. Enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes, eggs and sausage for only $4 per person in advance or $5 at the door. Kids 3 and under are free. All proceeds benefit center scholarships and programs. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 206-684-4052. Loyal Heights C.C. is located at 2101 NW 77th Street, Seattle, Washington 98117.

I plan on attending this breakfast.  It would be fun to run into some Seattle Metblog readers over pancakes.  Leave a comment and let me know if you will be attending.

Comparison by Arboreality

Arboreality recently compared base grocery prices for 22 items at 3 stores: Madison Market, QFC on Broadway, and Whole Foods on Denny Way (neighboring Capitol Hill), then compiled a list. The store with the lowest base price? Whole Foods, followed by Madison Market. QFC had the highest prices without sale or club card. Granted, these products are brand name, organic items, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the numbers came back in a similar order even if you bought store brand, non-organic (if offered) items.

This experiment casts a bit of doubt on the idea that Whole Foods = Whole Paycheck, though I suppose if you were comparing Whole Foods to Grocery Outlet, G.O. would win. There is also the idea that buying groceries at Whole Foods/PCC/Madison Market causes people to spend much more than they have to, but there are ways around that. My husband and I implemented a limited grocery budget while we shuffle extra money into savings and though that restricts impulse buys (which aren’t an issue for us most of the time), we’re still able to shop primarily at Madison Market.

It would be interesting to include prices of food staples of other grocery stores, such as Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Pike Place Market.

A few days ago, Nicole Brodeur from the Seattle Times wrote an article about an increase in a certain type of woman ending up homeless: educated and recently very well-off financially. She depicts Jamee, an everyday woman, as a model for what the shelters and long-term housing facilities are starting to see. I currently volunteer at Jubilee‘s front desk for a few hours a week answering the phones. On these calls, I provide information for women, their family, friends, coworkers or concerned individuals who are seeking assistance with not only their housing situation, but also in finding food banks, clothing (Jubilee runs a clothing boutique not only for their residents, but for all homeless women), energy or rent assistance, and other essentials. I’ve only volunteered at Jubilee since this summer, but I’ve noticed an increase in people who are struggling to get by with the basics, those right on the edge. I can only imagine how many others there are who haven’t yet been able to call for help who are right on the precipice of losing everything.

The worst part of this article, in my opinion, are the comments left by judgmental, bitter people. The assumptions regarding all homeless men and women are sad and indicative of the stereotypes that are perpetuated about the type of people that end up on the streets. Sure, there are the drug addicts, the people who would rather take a government handout then work their way back into self-sufficiency, but that’s just a small percentage of the population. The women I see who come through Jubilee have the most amazing stories of how they ended up needing help. These stories include situations of domestic violence, company layoffs, middle-of-the-night escapes with $20 in a pocket and no where to go. They are thankful for the services Jubilee provides, and most of them move back to being fully productive members of society after their stay.

We need more places like Jubilee. Jubilee isn’t a shelter in the traditional sense. This non-profit provides a room for 1-2 years along with weekly meetings with a care manager, computer training, and a guide to becoming self-sufficient. 70% of the women who come to Jubilee end up supporting themselves when they leave, without ending up back on the streets.

Resource: 211.