Tuesday, April 27, 2010

“Multi-Cultural Center director resigns - Argus Leader” plus 3 more

“Multi-Cultural Center director resigns - Argus Leader” plus 3 more

Multi-Cultural Center director resigns - Argus Leader

Posted: 27 Apr 2010 06:42 PM PDT

Qadir Aware, executive director of the Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls, has resigned, the group's board of directors announced this morning.

The Multi-Cultural Center board of directors accepted his resignation effective Monday.

Aware and the center have been under fire recently for a number of issues after a report surfaced that called the center unwelcoming to certain ethnic groups. Aware recently returned to his job after being suspended, and the center's board president, vice president, secretary and treasurer all resigned within the past two months without explanation.

A survey of board members done in September 2008, obtained recently by the Argus Leader, includes sharp criticism of the board and its management. It also shows that many of the concerns now causing controversy surfaced more than a year and a half ago.

In the 2008 report, board members told Sioux Falls consultant Mary Jones:

• "The ED (executive director) should NOT be in charge of deciding who serves on the Board, which is currently the case."

• The executive director "is controlling, dominating, narcissistic, difficult to work with, does not respect women, makes a lot of enemies in the community, is generally hostile and hires staff that he can frighten and manipulate," the report states.

• One board member said, "I have a huge concern about the lack of a treasurer for long periods of time," adding that reports given to the board on the center's finances are inadequate.

An Argus Leader review also revealed that after-school programs at the center are operating without a license from the South Dakota Department of Social Services.

Stay with ArgusLeader.com for more updates on this story as they become available and read more in Wednesday's Argus Leader.

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Krakow is Poland's cultural and historic gem - Seattle Times

Posted: 27 Apr 2010 08:58 PM PDT

Krakow is the Boston of Poland — a charming and vital city buzzing with history, college students, and tourists. Though not the capital, Krakow is the cultural and intellectual center of the country — and easily Poland's best destination.

At the center of the Old Town is the Main Market Square, one of Europe's most gasp-worthy public spaces, and a great place to enjoy a drink. Knowing this is one of Europe's least expensive countries, I choose the fanciest cafe on the square and order without considering price. Sinking deep into my chair, I ponder the scene. The square is vast and grand, but still retains a folksy intimacy. It bustles with fragrant flower stalls, horse carriages carting tourists, and loitering teenagers. A folk band — swaggering in their colorful peasant costumes — gives me a private little concert. Feeling flush, I tip them royally. Perhaps too royally (a big tip gets you "The Star-Spangled Banner").

Back in the 13th century, vendors came to this square to sell their wares. The Cloth Hall is where cloth-sellers had their market stalls. Today it's a one-stop shopping arcade for souvenirs, including traditional embroidery, woodcarvings, and jewelry (especially amber). On the upper level of the Cloth Hall, the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art (which should reopen this year after a lengthy renovation) displays great paintings by native artists.

Facing the square, the imposing St. Mary's Church — with its distinctive twin towers — has long been an icon of the city. Each midday crowds gather inside for a medieval moment as a nun swings open the church's much-adored altarpiece. In the late 1400s, Veit Stoss carved this exquisite Gothic polyptych — an altarpiece with pivoting panels. One of the most impressive medieval woodcarvings in existence, it depicts the death of the Virgin with emotion rare in Gothic art.

The Main Market Square may be the heart of Krakow, but Wawel Hill is in the hearts of the Polish people. The most visited sight in Poland, this is considered sacred ground, a symbol of Polish royalty and independence. Though a castle has stood here since the 11th century, the highlight is Wawel Cathedral, which houses the tombs of the country's greatest rulers and historic figures. It's the Westminster Abbey of Poland.

These days, 75 percent of Poland's people are practicing Catholics. But back in the 1930s, a quarter of Krakow's population was Jewish. The Kazimierz neighborhood, named for the 14th-century king who welcomed the Jews when other nations were deporting them, was once a thriving Jewish community. While few Jews still live here, the spirit of their tradition survives. Perhaps the best way to enjoy that is at a klezmer dinner concert, with traditional cuisine accompanied by Jewish music from 19th-century Poland.

Like so many other Jewish communities in Europe, Kazimierz was decimated during the Holocaust. The fragile remains of the community, historic exhibits, and synagogues provide a meditative look at how the town was walled in and its residents eventually shipped off to concentration camps. In the old Jewish cemeteries, fragments of headstones — broken under Nazi tank treads — now make up moving mosaic walls and Holocaust monuments. Across the river from Kazimierz, the former Jewish ghetto is where Oskar Schindler saved the lives of many of his Jewish workers. His factory is now a museum (due to open this year) that tells the heroic owner's story.

For a look at untouristy Krakow, a walk or bike ride around Planty Park is a treat. Centuries ago, Krakovians built a wall to protect their city. By the 19th century, it was no longer necessary, so locals tore down most of it, filled in the moat, and planted trees. Today, this delightful and people-friendly green belt stretches two and a half miles around the perimeter of Krakow's Old Town.

For a grittier experience, travel 20 minutes outside the city to the remarkable Wieliczka Salt Mine, a vast, thousand-foot-deep complex with nine levels and over 100 miles of tunnels. For centuries, generations of Wieliczka miners spent their daylight hours underground, rarely seeing the sun. Some of these proud miners carved sculptures out of the salt. You'll see legendary figures from the days of King Kazimierz, the famous astronomer Copernicus, and even the region's favorite son, Pope John Paul II. The mine's enormous underground church, carved in the early 20th century, is still used for Mass. Everything, from the altar to the grand chandelier, is hewed from this underworld of salt.

Whether burrowing through Krakow's countryside or skimming the city's sights, this is a place that fascinates and inspires me. Of all of the Eastern European cities boasting to be "the next Prague," Krakow is for real.

Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. His column runs weekly at seattletimes.com/travel

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Poland's historic and cultural gem - CNN.com - World

Posted: 27 Apr 2010 05:44 PM PDT

(Tribune Media Services) -- Krakow is the Boston of Poland -- a charming and vital city buzzing with history, college students, and tourists. Though not the capital, Krakow is the cultural and intellectual center of the country -- and easily Poland's best destination.

At the center of the Old Town is the Main Market Square, one of Europe's most gasp-worthy public spaces, and a great place to enjoy a drink. Knowing this is one of Europe's least expensive countries, I choose the fanciest cafe on the square and order without considering price. Sinking deep into my chair, I ponder the scene.

The square is vast and grand, but still retains a folksy intimacy. It bustles with fragrant flower stalls, horse carriages carting tourists, and loitering teenagers. A folk band -- swaggering in their colorful peasant costumes -- gives me a private little concert. Feeling flush, I tip them royally. Perhaps too royally (a big tip gets you "The Star-Spangled Banner").

Back in the 13th century, vendors came to this square to sell their wares. The Cloth Hall is where cloth-sellers had their market stalls. Today it's a one-stop shopping arcade for souvenirs, including traditional embroidery, woodcarvings, and jewelry (especially amber). On the upper level of the Cloth Hall, the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art (which should reopen this year after a lengthy renovation) displays great paintings by native artists.

Facing the square, the imposing St. Mary's Church -- with its distinctive twin towers -- has long been an icon of the city. Each midday crowds gather inside for a medieval moment as a nun swings open the church's much-adored altarpiece. In the late 1400s, Veit Stoss carved this exquisite Gothic polyptych -- an altarpiece with pivoting panels. One of the most impressive medieval woodcarvings in existence, it depicts the death of the Virgin with emotion rare in Gothic art.

The Main Market Square may be the heart of Krakow, but Wawel Hill is in the hearts of the Polish people. The most visited sight in Poland, this is considered sacred ground, a symbol of Polish royalty and independence. Though a castle has stood here since the 11th century, the highlight is Wawel Cathedral, which houses the tombs of the country's greatest rulers and historic figures. It's the Westminster Abbey of Poland.

These days, 75 percent of Poland's people are practicing Catholics. But back in the 1930s, a quarter of Krakow's population was Jewish. The Kazimierz neighborhood, named for the 14th-century king who welcomed the Jews when other nations were deporting them, was once a thriving Jewish community. While few Jews still live here, the spirit of their tradition survives. Perhaps the best way to enjoy that is at a klezmer dinner concert, with traditional cuisine accompanied by Jewish music from 19th-century Poland.

Like so many other Jewish communities in Europe, Kazimierz was decimated during the Holocaust. The fragile remains of the community, historic exhibits, and synagogues provide a meditative look at how the town was walled in and its residents eventually shipped off to concentration camps.

In the old Jewish cemeteries, fragments of headstones -- broken under Nazi tank treads -- now make up moving mosaic walls and Holocaust monuments. Across the river from Kazimierz, the former Jewish ghetto is where Oskar Schindler saved the lives of many of his Jewish workers. His factory is now a museum (due to open this year) that tells the heroic owner's story.

For a look at untouristy Krakow, a walk or bike ride around Planty Park is a treat. Centuries ago, Krakovians built a wall to protect their city. By the 19th century, it was no longer necessary, so locals tore down most of it, filled in the moat, and planted trees. Today, this delightful and people-friendly green belt stretches two and a half miles around the perimeter of Krakow's Old Town.

For a grittier experience, travel 20 minutes outside the city to the remarkable Wieliczka Salt Mine, a vast, thousand-foot-deep complex with nine levels and over 100 miles of tunnels. For centuries, generations of Wieliczka miners spent their daylight hours underground, rarely seeing the sun. Some of these proud miners carved sculptures out of the salt.

You'll see legendary figures from the days of King Kazimierz, the famous astronomer Copernicus, and even the region's favorite son, Pope John Paul II. The mine's enormous underground church, carved in the early 20th century, is still used for Mass. Everything, from the altar to the grand chandelier, is hewn from this underworld of salt.

Whether burrowing through Krakow's countryside or skimming the city's sights, this is a place that fascinates and inspires me. Of all of the Eastern European cities boasting to be "the next Prague," Krakow is for real.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. E-mail him at rick@ricksteves.com, or write to him c/o P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, Wash. 98020.)

COPYRIGHT 2010 RICK STEVES, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

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Washington Hall, Seattle's cultural Ellis Island, reopens with a house ... - Seattle Times

Posted: 27 Apr 2010 07:17 PM PDT

The stairs creak, the dance floor is scuffed and there are cracks in the ceiling and walls, but for Lori Larsen, Washington Hall is more than just a century-old building in the Central District.

It epitomizes "hyggelig," a Danish word meaning "cozy." Her grandparents met there when it was a Danish community hall, her parents married there and her grandmother, her mother and she herself performed the same play in that same building, each at the age of 36.

"We would always go to Washington Hall. The kids would disappear, run up and down the second floor. It was a giant playhouse. The old men would smoke cigars and play cribbage, while my grandmother, downstairs, would be making cheese sandwiches," said Larsen, 60.

This weekend, Washington Hall opens again for the public, after Historic Seattle bought it for renovation. The free open house features performances — accordion, jazz, hip-hop and excerpts from Larsen's play, a popular Danish love story called "En Søndag paa Amager" ("A Sunday on Amager").

"It's a celebration of the fact that the hall has been brought back from the brink and is ready to open its doors again," said Kathleen Brooker, Historic Seattle's Executive Director. "We want the community to get back inside to think about its future as well as its past."

Washington Hall was built at 14th Avenue and Fir Street in 1908 by the Danish Brotherhood in America as a lodging house for new male immigrants. In 1973, it was bought by an African-American Masonic lodge called the Sons and Daughters of Haiti. Throughout its history, it sheltered immigrants from Denmark, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Brazil. Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois spoke there, and artists like Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix and Billie Holiday played there. It served as the original home of On the Boards, a presenter of contemporary performance now at the base of Queen Anne Hill, and now St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Church holds it services there.

"It's brought out the best in everyone," said Brooker. "I went to the landmark hearing for this building, almost a year ago, and saw people I've never seen before, stand up and talk about their strong attachment to Washington Hall ... It's kind of like our Ellis Island. So many ethnic groups that have come through Washington have met there and have gotten integrated into Seattle there."

Washington Hall was accordion player Richard Svensson's first paid gig. It was 1962, a year after he immigrated from Sweden, and partygoers wanted authentic Scandinavian music. He played from his gut, he says, off his upbringing rather than from sheet music.

Svensson, 86, is happy to come full circle. He plans on playing two pieces this weekend — a Swedish and a Norwegian waltz.

Choreographer Dayna Hanson, a 2006 Guggenheim fellow, also had her start as a performer in the hall.

"The prospect of getting back in there, using it as a creative space where performances will happen again is really exciting to me," said Hanson, 46. "It was such a lovable building."

About $600,000 has been plunged into the hall to fix the roof, heating and bathrooms. Millions more in renovations are planned, too, but Historic Seattle wants the public to first take a look and consider future uses.

Meanwhile, Larsen plans to present "Amager" again at the hall. Next year marks 75 years since her grandmother played the main character, but this time, instead of starring, Larsen will direct.

"It had such good memories," said Larsen.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com

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