Skyline Happenings

From Cornelius: “I would like to alert you to our next SkyOpera event. This will be on Thursday, April 5, at 7:30; it will be a world premiere of a chamber opera. Its title is Pants, created by Linda Kitchen, and it will be performed by some of our favorite singers. For now, I will say only that when you say “pants” in opera, it means bel canto, because it refers to women in pants singing the male roles. The title should also suggest to you that it will be a comedy. But it is A BIG DEAL that ‘SkyOpera Live!’ is the selected venue for the premiere of a new opera.”

The Spotlight on the Performing Arts Interest Group sponsored a talk recently on “The Impact of Anton Chekhov,” by Julie Briskman. If you missed this talk you missed an interesting hour filled with facts about Chekhov’s life and work. Did you know that Chekhov was a doctor! She also described her work with other actors to bring Chekhov’s work to life on local and international stages as part of “THE SEAGULL PROJECT.” More information can be found at the Project’s website.

Brief Description of Julie Briskman’s talk:

A leading actress on national stages for over 30 years, Julie Briskman presented her thoughts on Russia’s greatest playwright, and the creator of the modern short story form, Anton Chekov.  She performed a reading of one of his works, discussed his impact as an author and humanist, and why all actors aspire to perform in his plays. Julie is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of THE SEAGULL PROJECT, a theatre company dedicated to bringing the works of Chekhov to life through intensive process, inventive productions, and international collaboration. She shared insights into the process of THE SEAGULL PROJECT ensemble, and reminisced about the company’s history making trip to Tashkent Uzbekistan.

Yet something is nagging at her. What if, after all her careful planning, their retirement community has some kind of financial wipeout? “There you are, 97 years old, the community’s bankrupt, its managers are in jail,” she said. “Now what are you going to do?”

It’s a legitimate concern, and one seniors should weigh as they consider moving into a retirement home. The type favored by the Ehrhardts, a so-called continuing care retirement community, or C.C.R.C., promises you can stay there for the rest of your life, with medical services on site as needed. Entrance fees range from a few hundred thousand dollars to more than $1 million.

Though industry members point out that financial meltdowns in their world are rare, there have been cases in which retirement homes have had to raise their monthly fees or reduce services. A major C.C.R.C. developer and operator, Erickson Retirement Communities, now known as Erickson Living, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. The company was acquired later that year and continues to function, but not without having given its residents quite a scare.

More at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/09/business/retirement-community-financial-health.html

CEG Meeting Agenda –March 9, 2018

1. Opening –      Mary Jane Francis, Facilitator
2. Past Events 
   1. World Affairs Council – Jeremi Suri (2/15) (Steve Ellis)
   2. 43^rdDistrict Legislative Session (2/17) (Jim Sanders)
   3. Putin’s Redux – Jill Doherty’s talk at Skyline (2/19) (Judy Mayotte)
   4. ESB 6617 defeated (Kathe Dobbs)
3. Coming Events:
   1. Tuesday March 13 1:00 p.m. Mount Baker Room Secretary of State Kim Wyman (Jim Tanner)
   2. Saturday, March 24^th10:00 a.m. “March for our Lives” A student led march protesting the lack of legislative action to reduce gun violence.  (Wendy Schoen)
   3. Wednesday, March 28^th6:00 p.m. Congressman Adam Smith’s Town Hall Federal Way City Hall 33325 8^th Avenue South, Federal Way (Tom Gibbs)
   4. Friday, April 27 3:00 p.m. Mount Baker Room Representative Nicole Macri (Katherine Graubard)
   5. Tuesday, May 1^st3:00 p.m. (Law Day) Lisa Manheim on the “Limits of Presidential Power”  (Jim Sanders)
   6. Friday, June 1^st10:30 a.m. Ryan Calkins, Port Commissioner via Science and Technology Group (Al McRae)
4. What else is underway:
   1. Centrists, Republicans and Democrats (Jim Sanders)
   2. Lands Commissioner Hillary Franz (Donna McKinney)
   3. Alliance for Gun Responsibility via Peace and Justice Group (David O’Hara)
5. Other items:
   1. Review of books on current “strong men” Joan Conlon
6. Next Meeting:  Friday, April 13^th, 4:00 p.m. Mount Baker Room