The following is from the speech Obama gave Monday, Dec. 1 at a press conference.
Good morning. Last week, we announced our economic team, which is working as we speak to craft an Economic Recovery Program to create jobs and grow our struggling economy. Today, Vice President-elect Biden and I are pleased to announce our national security team.
The national security challenges we face are just as grave -- and just as urgent -- as our economic crisis. We are fighting two wars. Old conflicts remain unresolved, and newly assertive powers have put strains on the international system. The spread of nuclear weapons raises the peril that the world's deadliest technology could fall into dangerous hands. Our dependence on foreign oil empowers authoritarian governments and endangers our planet ....

Romas Allen, 10, ponders his next shot at the new Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club and Rainier Valley Teen Center. The 40,000 sq. ft. facility includes a commercial-grade recording studio, Internet cafe, teaching kitchen, health and ...
Photo by Susan Fried

The U.S. Census Bureau is already looking for job applicants to work for the 2010 Census. Peak hiring will be from February 2009 through the end of May 2010 for temporary assignments, most lasting 5 to 10 weeks.
By working on this once-a-decade population headcount, residents have an opportunity to be a part of history. Conducted every decade since 1790, the constitutionally mandated census affects community funding and determines representation in Congress.
In 2009, the Census Bureau will hire about 100,000 people to help update the Census Bureau's address list. The workers will use GPS-equipped hand-held computers to verify, add and delete addresses, and they will be paid for training. By the end of the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau will have employed about 750,000 temporary workers in communities across the country. Employees will update the Census Bureau's address list, interview people who do not respond to the census by mail and perform other assignments vital to the national count ...

Why is the gap between Black students and White students widening on test scores, graduation rates and other academic areas? Experts and community leaders gathered last Thursday to discuss the causes and possible solutions to this lack of educational success.
"We are looking at the data and research to come up with a strategic plan to close the achievement gap," said Janet Hayakawa, achievement gap study manager for the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning.
As part of Washington State House Bill 2722 (HB 2722), a 15-member advisory committee was created to study the reasons behind the achievements gap ...

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, the keynote speaker at the Seattle King County NAACP's 95th Anniversary Celebration, poses for a picture with youth speaker Isaiah Barnett, 10, Nov. 15 at Mount Zion Baptist Church.  After speaking to a full house at Mount Zion, Dyson also spoke at the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner reception afterwards at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle.
It may be 95 years old now, but the Seattle/King County NAACP has never been more vital ...

Business Seminars ...
Sound Transit Feedback ...
Flood Damage  ...
Financial Crisis Panel ...
Computer Recycling Benefit ...

Commissioners Debate Teens ...
Anti-Poverty Training ...
Bus Service Added ...
Portland NAACP Ceremonies ...
Coat Drive ...
Business Strategy event ...

What's happening for you in Seattle this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your spare time. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below.…

What's happening for you in Portland this week? Read here a day-by-day diary of free community events to fill your spare time. For a full calendar please click on "Read the complete article" below.…

The Lions Eye Bank last weekend offered free screenings for glaucoma, blood pressure, diabetes, eyesight, and hearing. From left, Gerald Caldwell was the main organizer of the event and secretary of the Lloyd Lions Club; Art Pierce is getting his blood pressure checked by Bill Ruff. The event was sponsored by the Lloyd Lions Club, and was held at St. Philip the Deacon Church at Northeast Knott and Rodney streets.
Photo by Julie Keefe