Money, chowder, climate in the news
Women on money
Finally, there will be women on American currency. The slave-holding, Indian-persecuting Andrew Jackson will be replaced on the $20 bill by Harriet Tubman, a former slave, abolitionist and advocate for women’s equality. A smaller image of Jackson will remain on the back.
Alexander Hamilton will remain on the $10 bill, but the backs of tens will feature a vignette of five women’s rights leaders, and the back of the $5 bill, which features the Lincoln memorial, will include Marian Anderson, the African American opera singer who performed there because Constitution Hall was segregated, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who arranged for her performance. They will be joined by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whose most famous speech was made on the steps of the memorial.
We wish that having images of women on our money meant women would earn an equal amount of it, but that challenge remains.
Chowder Challenge might need update
The Port of Olympia announced the cancellation of this year’s BoatSwap and Chowder Challenge due to lack of participation by local restaurants. That’s sad, but perhaps a sign of changing culinary trends. Maybe it’s time for a kombucha contest, a sauerkraut celebration or gluten-free festival?
El Nino, climate change break records
Yes, it’s been hot — not just here, but on the planet as a whole. The New York Times reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says climate change has exacerbated the effects of El Nino, and that the first three months of this year have broken the heat record that’s been tracked since the 19th century. Scientists say the Pacific Ocean has released extra heat that’s been building up because of greenhouse gas emissions. They say the ocean’s release of heat has peaked for now, however, and that temperatures for the remainder of this year may be more moderate. Still, they say, the long-term trend is toward rising temperatures.
Governor vetoes Legislature’s attempt to manage Western State Hospital
Governor Inslee was right to veto parts of a state Senate bill that called for, among other things, allowing advanced nurse practitioners to fill vacant psychiatrist positions at the hospital. That may in fact be a good idea — we’re not qualified to say, but neither are legislators. Inslee preserved the bill’s call for a committee and an outside consultant to figure out how to finance and fix the troubled facility. That committee, working with the hospital’s new CEO, should marshal the specialized expertise of mental health professionals to do this job.
This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Money, chowder, climate in the news."