Wake up Seattle!

Congratulation Mayor-elect McGinn

2009-11-10T21:50:00.001-08:00

Well it took almost a week to get the results in but it came out with McGinn on top for Seattle Mayor. Last night Mallahan called and conceded the race. I'd like to congratulate Mike on his well deserved and hard earned victory. I'm eager to see how he starts his term in office.

Seriously Susan?

2009-10-28T19:34:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if anyone else in Seattle is a offended here but I certainly am. "30 million dollars for a seawall and road in his district." While Seattle is his district I find this frightening both as a Seattlite and a citizen of King County. If Susan Hutchinson doesn't understand that the issues facing the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the seawall aren't worth being addressed by the county than she is in noway remotely qualified to be King County Executive. The devastating effects of doing nothing would be to encourage disaster not just on the city of Seattle but the rest of King County and the entire Puget Sound region.

The truth is scary

2009-10-27T14:20:00.001-07:00

Elliot Bay Book Co: How did it come to this?!

2009-10-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

Many of you know Elliott Bay Book Co down in Pioneer Square. The Seattle Times has run a serious of articles recently about the prospects that EBB would be moving from their current location to a new space most likely on Capitol Hill. I can't believe this (and neither could most of the people I've talked to about it). Elliot Bay has been a fixture in Pioneer Square for over 35 years and has become a city icon.

The owner is considering the move because of financial hardships brought about by the struggling economy (I'm sure the nonsense between Amazon and Walmart isn't going to help either). I understand that times are tough but I think that the city needs to step in. This isn't just another business, it's the literary heart of our city and a massive tourist spot.

If the city government sits back and watches this treasure move to the slopes of Capitol Hill it will be a major blow to other Pioneer Square businesses. Many people decide to go shopping in the neighborhood solely because of Elliott Bay. Their moving could very well start a domino effect resulting in many more local businesses closing (could Magic Mouse be next?) which will only led to an increase in criminal activity and a reversal of any efforts to clean up Pioneer Square.

I'm not exactly sure what the city can do though. One thought that comes to my mind is establish some sort of protection for, what I would consider to be, culturally or historically significant businesses in Seattle. I understand this might be a difficult thing to define but I would say Elliott Bay Book Co is a perfect example. And if any of these businesses come under hardship there should be options in place to help lower rent through tax incentives to building owners, tax incentives to the business or other ways to help these places stay a float.

Whatever happens we can't just sit back and accept it as inevitable. The best thing that you can do right now is go down there and see for yourself why this business is worth saving. Pick up a book or two while you're there too, I did last night.

Waking up on the other side of town

2009-10-12T13:36:00.001-07:00

I must apologize for my recent absence. For the last few years I lived down in Hillman City, near Seward Park, just is not the case anymore. I've spent the last weeks packing up all my possessions and then unpacking them in Ballard. I've never lived in Ballard before, or really anywhere near, so its all very new and exciting to me. Every part of Seattle has a different charm and Ballard is no different. So now that I'm all settled in you should expect to see more activity.

The Flooding of King County?

2009-09-03T10:59:00.001-07:00

So if any of you have been following King County lately you probably noticed there's been a lot of talk about floods. Mynorthwest.com is running an article today about how the county is so concerned about flooding they're actually moving the elections office after not even being there for two years. I think it's time that we all get VERY concerned.

I'm starting to think that they're not disclosing everything they know. Floods happen in the Puget Sound area pretty much every year, so why now are they so concerned about it? Howard Hanson Dam.

In a great piece by the Seattle PI last week they stated the impact could include "The cities of Auburn, Kent and Tukwila could be anywhere from four to 10 feet underwater if storms are severe."

We are facing what could be a major deluge and I don't think that the county is doing enough to inform the public about the potential dangers. Yes they're trying to get the word out through "Preparedness Meetings" But this isn't enough. So to everyone out there if you have friends or family living in valleys of south King County I strongly urge you to make sure they are aware of what this coming flood season could mean for them.

There are many things that can be done to help minimize the devastation. First and foremost, if flood becomes imminent EVACUATE!!! Don't be the ones who get caught on the roof of your house because you didn't think it was going to be as bad as they say. It will be that bad. Just try to think about going to a swimming pool and imagine what it's like treading in 10 foot deep water.

Secondly make sure that you have a plan before it happens. Work it out with friends or family so that you'll have a safe place to stay away from the flood waters. By setting something up before hand you can cut down on the number of people who are going to be flocking to local shelters. And lets be honest, wouldn't you rather crash on your parents floor than deal with the insanity that is emergency shelters?

The last thing that I'm going to encourage everyone to do is contact your elected officials. Let them know that you're aware of the danger facing the region and that it is unacceptable to wait around for it to happen. This is a potential tragedy that can be PREVENTED! If the county can't fix the problem than the state and federal government needs to step up and protect the people. Below is a list of contact information for people that are in a position to stop this from happening:

Jay Inslee, US Representative 1st Dist
Rick Larsen, US Representative 2nd Dist
Brian Baird, US Representative 3rd Dist
Doc Hastings, US Representative 4th Dist
Cathy McMorris, US Representative 5th Dist
Norm Dicks, US Representative 6th Dist
Jim McDermott, US Representative 7th Dist
Dave Richert, US Representative 8th Dist
Adam Smith, US Representatative 9th Dist

***If you don't live in King County please still contact your representative. This is going to affect all of Washington state not just King County.***

Patty Murray, US Senator
Maria Cantwell, US Senator

Christine Gregoire, Washington State Govenor

Barack Obama, President

If any of you are interested in sending in a letter but aren't sure what to say contact me and I'll put together a sample letter.

New Flickr Group

2009-08-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Do you have some great pictures of the Seattle area? Or from the Solstice Parade? Maybe just some good shots of local areas? If you answered yes to any of these questions you should join our new Flickr group: Wake Up Seattle Blog.

Here's some pics to give you an idea for what I'm talking about...

Snow Leopard Day at the Woodland Park Zoo - August 15th, 2009

Link Light Rail Day One - July 18, 2009

View of Seattle from the Water Taxi - July 4, 2008

Congratulations Local Bloggers

2009-08-27T09:31:00.001-07:00

For a while now we've known that big changes were coming to the world of journalism. The end of circulation for the Seattle PI being the most notable locally. However as we see the traditional media outlets fail we have seen an insurgence of new media sources in the form of local bloggers (see previous post).

The Seattle Times announced yesterday that it is starting a new project to further incorporate local blogs into its content. The partnership will initially include four local neighborhood bloggers:

Tracy Record; West Seattle Blog, White Center Now

Kate Bergman; MyBallard, PhinneyWood, Queen Anne View, Magnolia Voice and Fremont Universe

Justin Carder; Capitol Hill Seattle, co-creator of Neighborlogs

Amber Campbell; Rainier Valley Post

I just would like to send a heart felt congratulations to all of you. The world of media is struggling to define how it moves forward and survives. I'm very pleased to see that the smaller outlets are the ones who are being lifted up to fill the void left by big media. Thank you for your tireless efforts and continued commitment to our local communities.

Seattle is just full of blogs

2009-08-25T20:06:00.001-07:00

Here is a list of other Seattle-area blogs. They're all good resources but I especially encourage you to follow your specific neighborhood blogs. They are they best way to keep up with neighborhood concerns and happenings.

Aurora
Ballard
Beacon Hill
Belltown
Capitol Hill
Central District
Columbia City
Eastlake
Fremont
Georgetown
Green Lake
Interbay
Lake City
Magnolia
Phinney-Greenwood
Pioneer Square
Queen Anne
Rainier Valley
Ravenna
South Lake Union
Wallingford *Updated
West Seattle

Here are a couple more great ones just outside the city limits:
Burien
Shoreline
White Center

If you know of any other local blogs let me know and I'll get them up on the list.

Follow us on Twitter!

2009-08-24T16:35:00.001-07:00

You can now follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/wakeupseattle I've also included a widget here on the blog so you can check out the recent happenings.

Hopefully later this week I'll have the banner done!

The Seven, The Link and The Seattle Times Bias

2009-08-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Today the Seattle Times is running a story on Metro Route #7. It's an interesting little piece. I think that were able to successfully express the tip of the iceberg that is everyday life with the seven. It did seem like whomever wrote the article either hasn't rode the seven after 8pm or on a holiday, but I can't expect everyone to subject themselves to that. However I think that they should have before writing the article.

I appreciate that the Times decided to do a feature piece on the seven, however I think that their overly bias attitude towards the Link is completely unwarranted. I'd really like to know if the author of that article lives in Rainier Valley and has spent some serious time getting around on the mass transit options available. Before the Link a ride from Downtown to Orcas and Rainier in the middle of the night would take 40 minutes. If you're thinking about making the trek on a weekend you'd better plan for more like an hour and then some. The link takes 25 minutes. That's a huge difference, especially when you consider the environment of the seven and how an hour seems more like an eternity.

The Link wasn't built to replace the seven. It was built to increase the number of options available and I believe they choose the route they did because people in the valley are most likely to use public transit options due to their economic position. Well that and they could hook it up to the airport easily from there, which in my opinion is the greatest asset of the link.

Personally I've been avoiding the seven more and more. I've been taking the Link home when I come from Downtown. The ride is quicker, albeit its a bit of a walk to get from the station to my house, but it's much cleaner and less drama.

This article seems to go back to the idea that the Times has been perpetuating that no one is using the Link and this simply is not true. I rode the train on Saturday and it was so packed through the whole thing that it was still standing room only when I got off at Columbia City. Sunday wasn't as busy, but I'd say 70% of the seats were filled. Now they might not have the commuter ridership that they're looking for yet, but that will come in time. There is huge development potential around the Link stations that exist and even more potential for ridership if they choose to add a stop or two to the line (never knew why they didn't put one at Graham).

So to the staff of the Seattle Times I say: Back off. Now is not the time to oppose progress. If anything we need to expand the system beyond what is already planned so that we have an infrasturcture that gives riders a way to get to all the neighborhoods of Seattle. (West Seattle/Ballard or Bust!) By perpetuating your current bias you are just increasing animosity between Seattle and the rest of the Puget Sound Metro Area at a time when we need to be working together to solve the biggest problems that have ever faced our region. Step up, be a part of the solution and stop breeding hostility towards a project that is going to help move Seattle into the 21st century. It's long over due.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!

2009-08-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to vote!!! Ballots need to be post marked or dropped off by tomorrow. This is a very important primary. There are some major challenges facing our city and county and we need people who are ready to address these problems.

Here is a list of places that you can drop off your ballot in Seattle:

Downtown, King County Administration Building, 500 Fourth Ave., 98104
Ballard, 5604 22nd Ave NW, 98107
Delridge, 5405 Delridge Way SW, 98106
Central, 2301 S Jackson, 98144
Lake City, 12525 28th Ave NE, 98125
Southeast, 3815 S Othello St, 98118
University, 4534 University Way NE, 98105

I've been getting some requests from people as to who I'd recommend, so here is a list of candidates I'm endorsing here at Wake Up Seattle:

King County Executive: Dow Constantine
City of Seattle Mayor: Mike McGinn
City of Seattle Council Pos. 4: Dorsol Plants
City of Seattle Council Pos. 6: Nick Licata
City of Seattle Council Pos. 8: Mike O'Brien
Referendum #1: APPROVE!

I have to tip my hat to Jorge Carrasco

2009-07-28T12:30:00.001-07:00

You all may remember Jorge Carrasco, he's the Seattle City Light Superintendent who received a $40,000 bonus this year. Now there was a lot of questions about why he got a bonus given the problems that City Light is facing. In the end, he got it because it was contractually required.

Now he could have put that check into his savings account. Or taken to a vacation to some place really nice. He could have bought himself a new car. But he didn't.

The Seattle Times is reporting today that Carrasco donated the entire $40K to Project Share, a fund designed to help low income families pay for their electric bill.

The intersting thing is that this was kept under wraps for a few weeks now, not exactly sure why but he did, and only was brought to light when he was taking heat from his staff over the situation. Then upon learning about what really happened with the bonus some staffers opened up their check books and made a contribution as well. Props to them too!

Mr. Carrasco's contribution comes as a breathe of fresh air. He has proven that in a time when large bonuses are seen as frivolous expenditures coming from the tax payers pocket book there are good people out there who know that the money is best spent in other ways.

Now I don't want to get into the complexities of City Light and the many problems in which they have but thank you Jorge Carrasco for your act of generosity.

Tunnel Talk and the upcoming Mayoral Primary

2009-07-22T11:38:00.001-07:00

So in classic Seattle fashion, we voted for no tunnel and we're now building a tunnel, a 4.2 billion dollar tunnel. Some are saying that it's so far in the works that it can't be undone. This is NOT TRUE. There is a lot of financial issues to work out before we start to build this fallacy. It's not too late to make sure our vote stands.

Here's what the tunnel would look like. (left)

I urge all of you to vote in the upcoming mayoral primary. This is VERY important. I know that most people tend to only vote during federal elections but local elections are the ones that make the most difference in our lives.

I've done my research and there is only one candidate who is opposing the construction of the tunnel and that is Mike McGinn. I urge you to consider him for your vote. Beyond the tunnel issue I believe he has a strong understanding about what Seattlites really care about: schools, transit and city wide broad band. These are thing that we need and we need them now.

Don't let this be the point that we can look back and say "We could have stopped that" or "We shouldn't have made that mistake".

For more information about the tunnel check out these links:

http://www.tunnelfacts.com/
http://seattlest.com/2009/04/27/a_guide_to_visualizing_tunnel_cost.php

For more about Mike McGinn check out:

http://mcginnformayor.com/
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009513160_mcginn22m.html
http://www.facebook.com/McGinnforMayor

Urban Phantom

2009-05-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I wasn't being notified of your comments as they came in. I have to thank the Spam Scout for bringing it to my attention. I'm definitely going to try to get a highlight put together on Rosette but for now I'd like to talk about our new Seattle resident, Urban Phantom.

I love everything about him. He's a small black bear that has now been sighted from Magnolia to Shoreline. He origins are as mysterious as his appearances. So far he has been able to evade police and animal control since last weekend. Apparently he is no only stealthy but also fast.

I'm not sure if Urban Phantom has access to the internet, I'm sure if he does he follows this blog, so I'd like to send him a message:

If you need refuge come to my house. I'm down in Hillman City by the P-Patch. We have a good sized yard that you could use as a base of operations and friendly neighbors as long as you don't eat children or house pets. I do have to warn you about the Raccoon Voodoo, but I figure your voodoo is much more powerful than that fool hardy raccoon. Hopefully I'll see you some time.

To everyone else out there I have to apologize for the lack of posts lately. I had an unfortunate accident with a pick ax that led to foot surgery so I've been out of it for about a month now. However things are looking up and I hope to be posting regularly. Thanks and remember - Don't sleep too long.

HELP!!!

2009-04-06T12:43:00.001-07:00

I still need to find more people to highlight on the blog! Please hit me up in the comments with any suggestions!!!

Congratulations Metro!

2009-03-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 3 billionth rider for Metro. Congratulations on the accomplishment. Let's stick with it and make it 4 billion ASAP! Metro has been collecting photos from riders in honor of this milestone. You can check them out here.

Here's a pic of me riding the late night 7 that I submitted...

If you want to submit a pic of your own send them in!

Congrats Sounders FC!

2009-03-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Nice introductory win! Hopefully Sounders FC will be the ones to finally bring a championship back to Seattle. I know it's early, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Bad day for Seattle transit

2009-03-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

So today started off with unpleasant news regarding the recent snow storm that brought the city to a stand still. Turns out that plows were being directed towards neighborhoods with city officials while major arterials went unplowed. In addition the two men who were in charge of the situation didn't have adequate experience in handling snow events. Now I don't think that this is all that shocking to those of us who were feeling the pain. It also goes to explain why Mayor Nickels gave the cities response a "B", his roads were being plowed. I would like to call for the immediate resignation of Paul Jackson Jr. and Robert Clarke. They were placed with keeping the city moving during an emergency and failed to do so. As a result keeping them in their current positions(which combined incomes total over $170,000!) is not in the best interest of the citizens of Seattle. I also feel that their inability to perform their job is worthy of intense scrutiny and multiple fines. We need to send a clear message that the City of Seattle will not tolerate inadequacy in our public servants. You either need to be able to perform the task appointed to you or step down, preferably before an emergency situation leads to the entire city grinding to a standstill.

Now I get back from lunch to find that a section of the new light rail system near Tukwila was built with sub-par steel. Appleby NW in Granite Falls, a supplier for the project provided steel that was rated for 36,000 psi, not the specified 50,000, to construct part of the foundation. Engineers are standing by the construction, even with the fault exposed. The Seattle Times reported Chief Executive Joni Earl as saying, "The system is safe to operate, and will operate as intended." I certainly hope so. If we just spent over 2 billion dollars on a death trap it is going to be devastating to the city. Not just in the crisis and loss of life that could occur, but the whole thing could sour Seattlites on the mass transit for generations. I also believe that Appleby NW needs to answer for their faults by returning ALL funds they received for that job and there needs to be a full investigation to find our if it was a criminal act and also if there are other locations that are now structurally unsound as a result of their negligence

Go green and save money!

2009-03-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

So with the current state of the economy people everywhere are looking for ways to save money. We're also facing a giant climate crisis. The problem is how do we save money while helping to curb climate change. A friend of mine recently sent me this link that might help you all.

http://www.dsireusa.org/

This site is a great resource for finding green incentives from local and federal government. I know that most people aren't out spending money like crazy but things happen. When your fridge dies you're going to have to get a new one. With various incentives to offset initial costs you may be able to go for that more expensive energy efficient model and come out ahead in the long run.

Saving our planet is not going to be easy or cheap. But if we all make small changes in our lives those little things will add up to big change. I would like to challenge everyone out there to make a small change today. It can be something as simple as taking the bus to work once a week or remembering to bring your reusable bag to the grocery store. The immensity of the problem can be intimidating but don't let that stop you from doing the right thing.

To do my part for this challenge I'm going to start bringing a reusable bag to work. I usually stop by the grocery store on my way home and never have my bag. In the end there is no reason I can't stash one or two of them under my desk just in case. For more ideas about things that you can do check out WeCanSolveIt.org.

This is also a great time to give a nod to the city of Seattle for their recent changes to how we recycle and compost. If you haven't checked it out yet heres the link: Seattle Public Utilities.

The Final Run

2009-03-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will mark the final day of publication for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. It's been a long time coming, so it's not so much of a shock. I think it's unfortunate however I also believe that it's an opportunity. By maintaining their online publication we will still have them as a voice in our community, albeit a much quieter one.

What does this mean for other media outlets in Seattle?
I don't think anyone else is going to bow out just yet, but it should definitely come as a warning. It's also a sign that the media of the future isn't going to be the same media of the past. The Internets revolution on media has yet to show it's full extent. We all must remember that we are now a part of the media and there is nothing holding back our freedom of speech.

What does this mean for citizens of Seattle?
We've lost a great source of information. The benefits of having two major newspapers in order that they keep each other in check is immense. I'm hopeful that other sources such as The Stranger and Seattle Weekly will step up a little and fill some of the void left from the PI. But if they don't I encourage all the citizens of Seattle to step up and fill that role.

Rip PI. I hope that you all go out tomorrow and buy a piece of Seattle history.

Bring on the windmills!

2009-03-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

The city council is looking like they're going to make it easier to have your own windmill! I encourage all homeowners in Seattle to get one installed. Every little bit counts. And windmills are really cool.

Seattle council poised to approve rooftop wind-energy generators

Waking Up Seattle: Marcus Harden

2009-03-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

The first person that I'd like to feature in our segment Waking Up Seattle is a man named Marcus Harden. You may have heard his named mentioned recently in the Seattle Times article relating to at risk youth at Madrona K-8. However I've found that his story of making a difference in the life of local young adults goes well beyond the blip they mentioned in the paper.

Harden grew up in Seattle's Rainier Valley area just off Renton Ave, where he still resides and hopes one day his children will continue to live. As a child he attended Emerson Elementary in Rainier Beach. His next stop in the Seattle School District was a little further down the line on the Metro at McClure Middle School on Queen Anne. High School brought Harden back closer to home at Rainier Beach High, where he starred on the football team.

Graduation brought a change to Harden when he moved to North Newton, KS to attend Bethel College on a football and drama scholarship. However he found the separation with Seattle challenging and returned home to attend community college and finally obtaining his degree from the University of Washington in 2004.

He began his work mentoring children at Madrona K-8 in 2002 through a job with King County Superior Court. He then began working with Pioneer Human Services as a Case Manager which took him out to Meany Middle School. However his ambitions as a mentor were soon put on hold.

In 2004 with his completion at the UW he moved to Washington, DC to take a chance in the world of politics. He then spent a year interning for Senator Hillary Clinton. However it only took a year for Harden to realize that the political scene wasn't his calling after all.

In 2005 he returned to Seattle. He stopped by Madrona to check in on some kids that he had been mentoring and ended up talking with the administration. And as he put it, "the rest is history."

Harden currently mentors ten young adults. It's a big ten. "Ten young men 'officially' in my mind anyway, with teenagers also come their friends and entourages, but ten that I consider as being mentored. Young men whom I have consistent contact with and help with." They range in ages 13-19 with the majority of them being sophomores in High School.

Not all of the children that he mentors have gang relations. Their stories all vary however they do share similarities such as single parents and a harder childhood. The one thing they have most in common is the need for someone to be there for them.

When asked what the hardest part about his job Harden replied, "I actually ponder more the ones whom I couldn't reach, which is a larger number than the ones I think I've been able to. I've been to far too many funerals of young people, people under 17, and its just, its tough. I'd also say peoples ignorance, at the end of the day as adults we forget what it's like to have been 13-18. We were all difficult, had attitudes and thought we knew everything. But when faced with some of the obstacles these young men have had to overcome, on top of that, if patient enough you get to see that honest to God, these guys are just kids, they talk about girls, wonder about life, all have big dreams, all want to be positive people and just really need someone to be there for them, unconditionally. I just wish people would see that side of them, and not the side they sometimes choose to portray."

When I asked him about the most rewarding part of his job one particular person came to mind. Recently his oldest student began mentoring children with him at Madrona. "As PBS corny and hallmark as it was, seeing things come full circle, personally, words can't describe it."

If you're interested in mentoring a child take Harden's advice, "Find a school, seek out Big Brothers and Big Sisters, find a community center, heck find a kid whom you look at and see a lot in or that reminds you of you. I used to think it didn't mean that much, until I didn't show up one day for an event and still hear about that, you'll mean a lot more than you think. From my first batch I never heard a thank you until their Senior year of high school, but it was worth it then and is still one of my proudest moments."

"...once you give an hour, and get to know these guys and gals, you'll want to do more. Again, I'm a better man having worked with these guys professionally and personally, than I ever would have been had I not done this."

Thank you Marcus Harden for Waking Up Seattle!

For information about mentoring a child please visit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America or contact your local school.

Green Freeway?

2009-03-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Governors along the west coast are considering the idea of turning I-5 into a "Green Freeway". They would use rest areas along the 1380 mile highway to house facilities specializing in bio diesel, hyrdrogen, compressed natural gas and ethanol. At this point it looks like Washington may be leading the pack of three, with hopes to start projects as soon as this summer.
There are a few opposition groups out there, who are concerned about the effect that it will have on businesses that rely on traffic in the Interstate corridor to sustain. I understand the concern here that a government sanctioned operation may harm their business but I think that if they are greatly concerned about this they need to speak up and find a way to work with the government to achieve this same goal while maintaining their business.
For too long have we been thinking about the idea of making I-5 the first "Green Freeway" in the nation but have done nothing. If the local merchants want to be a part of the future they are going to need to offer services in green energy instead of just pumps for gasoline which perpetuate our dependence on oil and the destruction of our environment and if they won't do it on their own it's the governments responsibility to make those options available to the people.

More Snow?

2009-03-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

Meteorologist are suggesting a chance of snow for low lying areas over the weekend. For all you bus-bound individuals like myself you may want to check out Metro on Twitter, http://twitter.com/kcnews . Not only can you follow Metro updates but also many other things that are going on in the county.

Help support People for Puget Sound

2009-03-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

People for Puget Sound has a fund raising event coming up. I encourage everyone to come out for trivia night! It should be fun and it's for a good cause.

If you don't know much about People for Puget Sound you should check them out at http://pugetsound.org/ . I have volunteered with them in the past and intend to do so again in the future. Here's a video explaining more about who they are and what they do:

Waking Up Seattle

2009-03-03T15:15:00.001-08:00

I am going to be starting a new series of installments entitled "Waking Up Seattle". There are many people in our fine city who are deserving of recognition for their efforts in making Seattle a better place and I'd like to honor them. If you know of someone out there working to make Seattle the best it can be please send me an email (desolatesorrows@gmail.com) with information about them and what they're doing. I hope to make this a weekly feature but I can't do it alone. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Seattle Mayoral Race

2009-03-02T11:23:00.001-08:00

I find it hard to believe that no one is seriously considering running against Mayor Nickels. I support some of the Mayor's policies, but overall we need a new man for the job.

Seattle needs a mayor who is more focused on the people of Seattle and not on Seattle's image in the world. Don't get me wrong, I support what Mayor Nickels has done to move Seattle to the fore front on issues like climate change, but we need a mayor who starts putting the citizens interests before the cities interests. Without the citizens the city is nothing.

We need to be more focused on solving the day to day problems that we face and there are many.

We need to make our bars and clubs safer, without putting additional strains on owners. Through an increased dialogue between business owners, police and city officials we need to find a solution that allows us to expand our diverse music scene while maintaining a level of safety where no one is afraid to attend a venue.

The cleanliness and safety of our transit options should be a major focus. We need to start by cleaning up the buses in Seattle, not just the white collar commuter buses, ALL the buses. As Seattlites we deserve clean and safe buses. Any attack on a metro bus should be taken as seriously as an attack within the walls of our city hall and neither is acceptable. By making transit cleaner and safer we will encourage more people to take advantage of the system currently in place.

We must find a way to solve the problems facing our farmers markets and then expanding them to make them more available to people. Every one of our neighborhoods markets needs to have a permanent location. We also need to increase the number of year round markets, giving our local artists and craftsmen an outlet to sell their goods when the harvest has passed.

We must solve the eruption of violence that is plaguing our city. This is effecting every part of our city from Rainier Beach to the University District to Loyal Heights. We must make more police officers available to respond to situations and starting an aggressive anti-gang education programs that shows our young people the overwhelming benefits of being a part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem.

We also need to start more programs to reduce the number of guns in our city. We could effectively reduce the number of guns on our streets while offering incentives to people to get their lives back on the right track by instituting a gun exchange program.

We must begin to treat our homeless like people, and not insects that need to be exterminated. The city should be sanctioning the tent city projects and encouraging those who are homeless to get back on their feet.

The city must also take a hard look at our urban development plan. We have gutted the heart of many neighborhoods, Ballard and West Seattle come to mind, by constructing large condominium projects with out placing the necessary transit infrastructure in place. The traffic problem in Seattle isn't going to get any better and by placing further emphasis on implementing mass transit options in our neighborhoods we could drastically reduce congestion.

One of the biggest challenges that I see facing our city is going to be finding a way to increase the amount of food that is grown in the city. In the future food sources are going to be increasingly more valuable and by securing a stable local source as close as possible is going to be integral to our future success. We need to start programs to encourage urban farming and make strong moves to produce the food that we eat without the carbon impact. This can be achieved by offering incentives for property owners whose land is over grown and undeveloped to start container gardens on the land. Through volunteer operations we could help beautify the city while producing food that could be sold through the farmers markets and used to supplement our food banks.

Seattle is in desperate need of a Mayor who can address these concerns and I don't feel that Mayor Nickels has done an effective job. Is there a candidate our there who is willing to take on these challenges? If the answer is no, please tell me now and I'll put together a campaign myself. We're too good a city to let it continue running in the status quo.

King County Sheriff Gone Wild

2009-02-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

This is outrageous. Video link: here.
Watch the clip and tell me what the girl did to provoke the officer into such a brutal attack. This is a 15 year old girl against a full grown man. Now I understand that we can't know for sure what she said, but these are police officers and they should be able to keep their cool no matter what is said to them. The main aggressor has been identified as Paul Schene and is being tried for 4th degree assault. I'd also like to call out the second officer in the video. He did nothing to stop the violence. I believe that both of these men should be fired IMMEDIATELY for their actions and face trial. The other officer should be "let off easy" with a 4th degree assault charge. Schene should be facing a much stronger punishment. And then next time they go to beat on a 15 year old girl they might think twice.

Props to Swirly Joe for the lead on this one.

Clean Coal? Gotta get me some of that!

2009-02-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this link. You all should check it out. http://action.thisisreality.org/page/s/coenbrothers

Bobby Jindal doesn't care about the Pacific Northwest

2009-02-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

Many of you may have watched President Obama's address last night. But how many of you stuck around to here Governor Jindal's response? If you did you might be as outraged as I am. Gov. Jindal came out swinging against the President's stimulus package naming off a few examples of wasteful spending. The one that got my attention was when he mentioned "something called 'volcano monitoring.' "

I understand that this may seem frivolous to many parts of the country that don't have volcanoes, but as an American citizen living in the shadow of a long line of volcanoes this is very troubling. Gov Jindal, having inherited the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, should know that one of the major functions of the government is to protect the people from natural disaster. And while the government failed the good people of New Orleans, that isn't license for them to fail other people in America. Volcano Monitoring could save thousands of lives here in the state of Washington.

Many are saying that Gov Jindal is the "rising star" of the republican party. This is a troubling idea. The last thing that we need is another republican party that is willing to sit back and watch as people in America die in events that could have been better prepared for. I encourage all of you to write a letter to Gov. Jindal telling him that the American people will not tolerate another natural disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina and that we will continue to support funding for projects that can save lives.

I have included a copy of the letter that I sent to the Governors office through their website below:

I am writing to you from the city of Seattle in the evergreen state of Washington. I had the opportunity to watch your rebuttal to the President’s address last night and I was disturbed with what you had to say. One example of what you found to be "larded" "wasteful spending" was volcano monitoring. As a resident of the state of Washington volcano monitoring is a serious concern for me. This is money that is intended to help save lives in the event of catastrophe. These are the kinds of programs that America needs, ones that aim at saving American lives. The Republican Party told us that we needed to go to Afghanistan. We had to go into Iraq. Now when it comes to spending money to face a threat that is very literally in our backyard you call it wasteful. I strongly urge you to consider the good of all Americans when addressing the country as a whole. Many believe that you are the future of the Republican Party. I hope that in the future the Republican Party won't consider the safety of Americans in the Pacific Northwest to be wasteful.

UPDATE: A week later and still no reply from Gov. Jindal's office.

Words from Portland

2009-01-31T00:48:00.000-08:00

i am visiting from portland. i am a foreigner. i went to your underground bus tunnel. it confused me. i was expecting a subway, but it was a road, with buses. then i saw your monorail. your public transit looks like a 1980s film that takes place in the year 2000.

Remembering Dr. King

2009-01-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day. So in honor of this great man I'd like to share an excerpt of one of his speeches:

"Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.
You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?" And I was looking down writing, and I said, "Yes." And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest.
Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, your drowned in your own blood -- that's the end of you.
It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had merely sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what that letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply,
I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School."
And she said,
"While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I'm a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze."
And I want to say tonight -- I want to say tonight that I too am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream, and taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1961, when we decided to take a ride for freedom and ended segregation in inter-state travel.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent.
If I had sneezed I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great Movement there.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering.
I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze."

I'm really happy that he didn't sneeze either. I hope that today each of you has an opportunity to keep Dr. King's dream alive by going out and do something good for the community that you live in. I'll leave you with one more quote from his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech:

"And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying -- We are saying that we are God's children. And that we are God's children, we don't have to live like we are forced to live."

Thank you Dr. King, America is a better place because of your sacrifice.

So we're building a tunnel?

2009-01-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

As many of you have probably already read the governor has decided that a tunnel is the best option for replacing the viaduct. Now the tunnel wasn't ever my first option. I think that for the amount of money it will cost we would benefit more from a surface street with mass transit. Now I understand that we will need roads, but in the end when are we going to make a drastic shift in transit policy? We need mass transit solutions that encompass the entire city/region and we need them now! There is no way that Seattle can keep up with the changing planet if we don't.

Stay ready!

2009-01-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday 11 gay bars in Seattle received letters threatening the use of ricin on their patrons one Saturday this month. This is deeply disturbing. And it doesn't just effect the gay community. I myself have been to a couple of these places. My sister even recently attended a bachlorette party at one. I know that we live in the "age of terrorism" and all, but domestic terrorism isn't something that I really thought would happen here in Seattle. I truly hope that this is an empty threat and that whoever perpetrated it will be brought to justice swiftly. I also urge anyone going to Capitol Hill to be on the alert. If you see something that doesn't look right, don't look the other way! Let someone know. In these situations we as citizens of Seattle need to come together and make sure that we're watching out for each other, because I can assure you it's not too high on Homeland Security's to-do list. For anybody who hasn't already seen the list I've included it at the bottom of this post. Stay safe out there!

Establishments targeted: The Elite, Neighbours, The Wildrose Bar, The Cuff, Purr, The Seattle Eagle, R Place, Re-bar, C.C.Attle's, Madison Pub and The Crescent.

Christian Faith Center and the problem with American faith

2008-12-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

So the good people at Christian Faith Center are going to be getting a helicopter. I cannot believe that the parishioners are allowing this. There are a couple of issues that should be taken up here...

First off why are they buying a helicopter? So they don't have to commute like everyone else. It's about 45 miles from one location to the next. However in the age of technology, why should they even have to drive up there. Can't they telecast it? Or better yet, get another pastor to run one of the locations!

Next up, do they realize the message this sends? In a time of economic crisis they're off buying a helicopter and building a landing pad. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to use those funds in order to help their parishioners. Maybe set up a shelter for the homeless or a sanctuary for victims of domestic violence.

Finally I think that this should be a wake up call for our tax exemption policy. Any organization that is spending money that frivolously should be paying taxes. The reason that churches don't pay taxes isn't so they can start buying fun toys, its so that the money they have coming in can help the community, go towards global outreach programs and strengthen the congregation. As soon as you start spending money on things simply to make the pastors life more convenient you've gone too far.

So I say to Casey Treat: Shame on you. Greed and power have corrupted you and blinded you from the values of your own religion. You are nothing more than a successful cult leader, taking from innocent people to line your own pockets (or have your own helicopter as the case is). You have become the embodiment of all that is wrong with our great country today. Shame on you.

That's right. We're cultured.

2008-12-09T13:38:00.001-08:00

I was just introduced to this link - http://www.4culture.org/publicart/listen/index.htm
It's pretty cool. If you're looking for a way to spend a day and suck up a little culture you should check it out.

Protesting beliefs

2008-12-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

So for any of you following my other blog (Desomnia in Drull) you all know how displeased I am with the scenario at our state capitol in regard to the atheist sign (you can catch up here). Now I hear that they are going to protest the sign on Sunday. This is mind boggling to me.
Now just to get something out of the way to start off. I don't like the sign. I think it was in bad taste. But this is America and it is our right to be able to do things even in bad taste.
I think what the ultra religious element of our state is doing is wrong and they should take a thorough look at themselves.
Here in the great state of Washington I thought that we were better than this. Everyone just needs to calm down and realize that we don't all believe in the same things. THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT GREAT! And when you go as far as to protest a persons belief you are doing nothing more than making an attempt to publicly shame them for their beliefs, which is wrong. So to everyone out there who is all worked up about the sign, please give it up. Don't see it as an attack on your religion. Look at it as a sign that our democracy is healthy. And that's something to be proud of.

Put the guns away!

2008-11-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend there was a frenzy of gun violence. Five separate incidents occurred in the area resulting in 11 people shot, one stabbed and 3 of the victims died. I think that we can all agree that this is unacceptable. I think that it also goes to show that Mayor Nickels plan to ban guns on city owned property, including parks, is probably not such a bad idea. How many more of our young people have to die in these senseless acts before we enact tougher gun control laws?

Art has a right to children

2008-11-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

This just made me very happy to see. The Wallace foundation awarded $7.7 million dollars to Seattle area arts organizations. Good on them.

Ban nudity? Whats the point?

2008-11-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

So I was just reading an article in the Seattle Times about our city parks. Turns out that the park commissioners are going to proposed that we ban nudity in city parks. My first question is why? I've been to many of our fabulous city parks and have never had a problem with anyone being nude.
The instance mentioned in the article regarding Gas Works is a perfect example. A group of people staged a protest to "draw attention to oil dependency" and in order to make themselves stand out they rode their bikes in the nude. This is a group of people exercising their rights as Americans and the city should embrace their actions not discourage them to get involved.
If we go so far to ban nudity in parks what's next? Banning the naked bicyclists in the Fremont Solstice Parade? Banning speedo's from our beaches?
Now I'm not saying that we should allow people to openly have sex in parks, but if a group of people want to get together in a low traffic area of a park and play a nude game of volleyball why should we stop them?
Now I know you're all asking the question, "What can I do?" You can write a letter to Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher at timothy.gallagher@seattle.gov and also write a letter to Mayor Nickels (see yesterdays post for contact info). Let them know that here in Seattle we're a lot more tolerant of people gathering in a peaceful manner than we are of politicians trying to manipulate our values.

Turn the lights on at I-90 and Rainier

2008-11-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

I work right by the intersection of I-90 and Rainier, which is also where I catch the bus on my way home. Since its been getting darker its also becoming increasing dangerous to get to the bus stop. People getting on and off the freeway don't seem to think that they have to yield to pedestrians. And now to make matters worse the street lights that usually illuminate the southbound off ramp are out and the drivers can't even see if someone is trying to cross.
If any of you have a little extra time I encourage you to write a letter to the mayor to correct this. You can contact him at Citizen Response through the cities website. This is actually a great way to instigate change in the city. I've contacted them many times in the last few years and have always got a response and in most cases reports on what they have done to correct the problem.

A Day for Recognition of Service

2008-11-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Today is Veteran's Day and the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War I. I have a number of veteran's in my life. My Grandfather on my Dad's side served in the Navy, while my maternal Grandfather served in the Air Force. My oldest cousin Brian served in the Marine Corps. And one of my younger cousins, Jennifer, has a husband currently deployed with the Army in Iraq. To all of them and all other veterans out there I have to say thank you. You all served your country, some of you still are, and we owe you our respects and support.

I know that here in Seattle we're not too keen on the war, however that doesn't mean that we can't support our troops out there in the line of fire. So on this Veteran's day I'd like to encourage everyone out there to take a few minutes and do something for our troops. If you're not sure what you can do here are a few suggestions:

http://www.bigthankyouproject.com/
http://www.supportourtroops.org/

Thanks to everyone for doing what you can.

Late Night Good Samaritans

2008-11-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

I was out late on Friday night, attending a karaoke benefit for Children's Hospital. It was for a good cause, or else you'd never find me at Ozzie's. But the thing I'd like to share with you happened after I left the bar. It was about 12:15 am and I was walking to Benaroya Hall to catch the infamous 7. As I was coming to the intersection of 3rd and Union I saw an elderly man in an automated wheelchair trying to get up the sidewalk ramp. There was a slight mist falling and the wet cement caused the mans wheels to spin in a vain attempt to ascend the ramp. Before I could make it across the street to help the man myself a young couple, probably no more than 20 years of age, ran from the corner opposite of me and assisted the man up the remainder of the ramp. I'm not sure why the kids were out there, but I'm glad they were. It was very reassuring to see young people out there helping their fellow man. As a citizen of Seattle I'd like to thank them and let them know that, while I don't know their names or where they come from, I appreciate them.

One more thing...

2008-11-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

I want to throw one more thing out there. It has been brought to my attention that there are many good people out there in Seattle and I'd like to use this blog as a way to bring attention to them as well. So if any of you see someone going the extra mile please let me know so that we can give them so well deserved credit. Thanks!

Transit vigilantes mount up!

2008-11-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

This originally was posted on my other blog, but I think it fits better here...

I've been a Seattle-area resident all my life and have spent the last 10 years living within the city limits and there is one thing that continually disappoints me about Seattlites - We all look the other way. Now I'm probably just as much to blame here as everyone else, but I think it's time for us all to turn over a new leaf.
I was recently told a story about a friend of my sisters. She was just sitting on the bus minding her own business when someone came and stole the ipod out of her hand and ran off the bus. She then had to grab all of her other belongings and take chase, eventually losing sight of him and failing to recover her ipod. My question here is why didn't anyone else try to stop this guy?
Now I can understand that whole attitude that "it's none of my business and don't want to get involoved". It's so much easier that way. However it's not the right way. We need to be more attentive to what is going on around us and when we see injustice we need to step up and try to make a difference, because next time we might be the victim.
So Seattle I say wake up and start caring a little more. The only way that things like this are going to change is if we start making them change. Each and everyone of you has the power to make a difference, now do it.

Wake up Seattle!

2008-11-06T14:31:00.001-08:00

Alright, we've got a new blog going on here. Some of you may be familiar with my earlier blog, but I decided that I need an outlet to voice some of my concerns and hopefully open up some minds in the Seattle area.
We've got a great city here in the northwest, but it's far from perfect. So I'm just going to be throwing ideas up that I think will help us as a city to move forward.
Everyone should feel free to comment on any post, as I'd love to get as much feed back as possible. Thanks for reading!