Seattle's 2000 bash already fizzling

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SEATTLE (AP) - Still reeling from the violence during the World Trade Organization conference and faced with a possible terrorist threat, Seattle has decided that setting huge fires is not the best way to mark the new millennium. A plan to set aflame 14 giant wood-and-papier-mache sculptures at the city-owned Seattle Center on New Year's Eve was canceled Wednesday.

``I've had people suggest that this was an invitation to some people to take on some activity that was negative,'' said center director Virginia Anderson, who made the decision. ``It's sort of inciting bad behavior.''

The bonfires were to symbolize the release of hopes and dreams to the universe.

The WTO protests in early December cost businesses $20 million in damage and lost sales. And the arrest of an Algerian on explosives charges at the Canadian border Dec. 14 has stirred fears of millennial terrorist attacks.

``We just came through the WTO and the aftermath, and our community has a heightened sense of vulnerability,'' Ms. Anderson said.

The centerpiece of the millennium party - a fireworks display at the Space Needle - will go on. An estimated 50,000 people were expected.

The figures to be burned included four dark horsemen. To the city's alarm, some people have associated the figures with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

``There's the potential for a lot of interpretations of this,'' said Vivian Phillips, spokeswoman for Mayor Paul Schell. She would not elaborate.

The fire ceremony project was six months in the making and cost about $120,000.

Seattle police had no involvement in the decision to delay the fires, said spokeswoman Pat McCammon.

Seattle police will have 170 police officers at the center during the celebrations - 3 1/2 times more than ever before, Ms. Anderson said. A temporary fence will go up around the center next Wednesday.

-- CygnusXI (cygnus@black-hole.com), December 23, 1999

Answers

Burning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is appropriate.

"And you tell me, over and over and over again my friend,
you don't believe we're on the Eve of Destruction."
-Barry McGwire

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), December 23, 1999.

It won't matter. There will be plenty of burning going on that night anyway.

-- (its@coming.soon), December 23, 1999.

Billy...Janet....AL...Bill.............Lets ride!!!!

-- CygnusXI (cygnus@black-hole.com), December 23, 1999.

The bonfires were to symbolize the release of hopes and dreams to the universe.

The figures to be burned included four dark horsemen. To the city's alarm, some people have associated the figures with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The City officials cannot possibly be so clueless as to be surprised by this...can they?

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), December 23, 1999.

WOW! I didn't catch that. Is that to say that the hopes and dreams are to release 4 dark horsemen?!?!?!

Weird

-- CygnusXI (cygnus@black-hole.com), December 23, 1999.

RUOK - LOL

-- Me (me@me.me), December 23, 1999.

The WTO protests in early December cost businesses $20 million in damage and lost sales.

I am SO SICK of hearing this! The protests DIDN'T cost businesses money - vandels may have! The protests brought tons of money into Seattle. These were not hippies living on the street eating sprouts. These were people - 50,000 of them - staying in hotels, bed & breakfasts, etc and eating in the restaurants downtown, etc. - 50,000 strong!

-- Sheri (wncy2k@nccn.net), December 23, 1999.

Sorry, Sheri, but you're wrong about the WTO protests, which did indeed cost Seattle businesses millions of dollars. I was downtown every day that week, the first week of the Christmas shopping season, because I worked in a downtown office building and had to be at work each day. No one was on the streets except the protesters and police. Anyone who was working was inside a locked building. No one was going out for lunch, or staying downtown after work to shop. The delegates, who were expected to spend a bundle, mostly stayed in their rooms. And as for the "50,000 protesters" who you claim stayed in hotels and ate in the restaurants - well, there were only 50,000 on the streets for one day (Tuesday), and most of those were local residents who came in for the labor protest and went home that evening. The rest of the time, about 1500 hard core out-of-towners played nyah-nyah-nyah games with the police and vandalized the downtown. I was there every day, at ground zero, and I saw how it actually went down. BELIEVE those loss figures, which represent lost sales to downtown merchants.

-- lindalou (lindelf@earthlink.net), December 23, 1999.

"The bonfires were to symbolize the release of hopes and dreams to the universe."

So there are two entities in existence. There is Seattle, and then there is the Universe. They use flames as a means of communication. What they communicate to each other are abstracted platitudes.

-- Scarecrow (Somewhere@over.rainbow), December 23, 1999.

..."surprised" people assoc. the figures with...LOL

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 23, 1999.

uh, so what the fuck were the four figures supposed to signify?

-- (@ .), December 23, 1999.

I attended a meeting of business representatives and city officials on Tuesday regarding the preparations underway for Y2k and the celebrations/parties/vandalism expected. Yes, they're that clueless. We were told to acquire plywood for protecting expensive windows and advised to pull in any easily thrown/moved items like signs and dumpsters. Apparently newspaper dispensers and garbage cans will be few and far between-they don't want any impromptu barriers going up. Police will have a no tolerance policy for untoward activities. (somebody in the audience said "Oh God, not again!"-referring to WTO, which got a laugh). We were advised to tell all employees to prepare for a week of potential disruptions and to store appropriate food and water. Somebody asked what that was supposed to mean and why was it now a week-and everyone looked uncomfortable.The best they could come up with was "well, nobody knows for sure what might happen...we just want people to be ready for anything. You know, there's a major earthquake going to happen here some day..." For some reason, it is considered very bad form to embarrass your local government reps. As if Y2k was some sort of impolite but necessary subject, like explaining about weird Uncle Harold. The rep from the Mayor's Office spluttered when asked bluntly just how we were supposed to get everything done in a week or less ("and where have you been for the last two years?"..."well...we're here now!") We were asked if we wanted to have the Seattle Center festivities cancelled and there was silence...but you got the idea that they knew the answer before it was asked. No way was anyone going to be the first to drop the proverbial t_rd in the punchbowl, especially after the $$ losses during WTO. There are exactly 28 firemen on duty at any one time in Seattle, not counting Medic 1 units. New Year's Eve this will be doubled. For one night, the engines will have crews of 4 firefighters instead of 3 and all engines and haz-mat trucks will be on duty.

-- chairborne commando (what-me-worry@armageddon.com), December 23, 1999.