Posted Fri, Apr 13, 8:39 a.m.

Thus deflecting the original issue away from themselves and onto the other person. See Newt G. when he was asked a question he didn't like by John King/CNN.

Posted Fri, Apr 13, 8:18 a.m.

This is very typical. A (in this case relatively unknown) Democrat says something unartful but true about a Republican: Ann Romney "never worked a day in her life". It is obvious to everyone that in the context she was speaking she meant "never had a paying job", or "never had ...

Posted Fri, Mar 30, 8:14 a.m.

What's more, the problem doesn't seem to be the the presence of the lookout itself, but that the materials for rebuilding the old one were delivered by helicopter. That has already happened. The proper resolution might be a fine; otherwise, the removal of the lookout will ironically entail even more ...

Posted Fri, Mar 30, 8:09 a.m.

I am an avid visitor and defender of wilderness, and totally agree with it's principle that "man is only a visitor". But, I believe this is extremely nit-picking. The lookout is on the extreme edge of a very large wilderness, only a few miles of hiking in. Hopefully something can ...

Posted Thu, Mar 8, 8:32 a.m.

No, it's not ok when anyone is misogynistic. But again, compare Fallon's influence to Limbaugh's. And as I remember, Fallon apologized almost immediately afterward, or the next day. His band didn't play Bitch for 4 solid hours each of the next 4 days, and only stopped when he started bleeding ...

Posted Thu, Mar 8, 8:18 a.m.

A false equivalency. One has a daily radio show with a rabid audience in the millions, the other gets invited on late night talk shows once in awhile. One is the defacto leader of the Republican party, who commands apologies from wayward conservative pols that deign to criticize him; the ...

Posted Thu, Feb 23, 8:46 a.m.

Snus- Olympia is a few miles off of the main BNSF mainline, at the end of a branch. It was apparently not geographically feasible way back when it was built to run the main line through Olympia itself. The UP station spoken of was probably for frieght only. The old ...

Posted Fri, Jan 27, 8:55 a.m.

Gingrich is a political street fighter, to whom any means justifies the ends. He may not be racist personally, but he does not mind at all the racist impulses raised by what he only implies, as long as it leads to his winning an election, or at the least gains ...

Posted Thu, Jan 5, 7:47 a.m.

I just recently read an article somewhere (I cannot remember where, or many other details) of a young man who goes off of his meds on occasion because he likes the feeling of energy he gets when he is manic. Here's hoping he posesses the empathy to channel that energy ...

Posted Thu, Dec 22, 1:18 p.m.

-WITH riding the Greyhound (sheesh)

Posted Thu, Dec 22, 12:47 p.m.

keith has a point. Nowadays flying has very much in common (comfort, cache, civilized passengers) of riding the Greyhound.

Posted Wed, Dec 21, 8:19 a.m.

I'm a little surprised the Greyhound depot hasn't been designated an historical building. It started out as the terminal for the Seattle-Everett Interurban. The pavement under the bus shed still shows where the tracks were. The terminal for the Seattle-Tacoma interurban was in Pioneer Square, at the still-existing Interurban Building. ...

Posted Fri, Nov 18, 7:42 a.m.

Regarding the Puyallup Valley: Enjoy the view while you can, I guess. There is no more sublime view available to any commuter anywhere, than that of the acres of blooming daffodils and tulips, with the rising sun peeking from behind Mount Rainier, on an early morning in April from the ...

Posted Wed, Sep 21, 8:58 a.m.

I hate it too, when I tell the person in the next seat I work for Microsoft, & they proceed to let me know that they think Windows sucks, that they prefer the Apple OS, or Linux, or Ubuntu. Then they think I want to spend the next 3 hours ...

Posted Fri, Sep 16, 3:15 p.m.

The bicycle is a very versatile means of transportation, as it can be taken on streets, sidewalks, trails, open land, crosswalks, busses, trains, cars, & carried into buildings. The most simple way I can think of to say how a cyclist should conduct him or herself in any of those ...

Posted Fri, Sep 16, 2:35 p.m.

I met JP at the Lucky store on Roxbury. I don't remember anything about actually talking to him, but I do remember being near the front of the line & a little girl was sitting on his lap, & she suddenly reached out & pulled his nose off! He laughed ...

Posted Thu, Jul 28, 8:24 a.m.

I don't see where shipping coal out of Bellingham is set in stone. Perhaps Gray's Harbor (Aberdeen/Hoquiam) should be looked at. It has existing rail infrastructure, and long trains can possibly be better accomodated down the Columbia River and then north through Vancouver and Centralia, than over Stevens Pass, through ...

Posted Fri, Jul 15, 9:22 a.m.

Riding along MLK, I have wished many times it was possible to stop & patronize some of the restaraunts the train passes, but the distance from the station makes it unfeasible. The proximity to the Othello station to the businesses around the station makes them very attractive to folks coming ...

Posted Fri, Jul 1, 8:24 a.m.

Along the freeway, they are extremely distracting, and when it's dark they're so bright as to be almost blinding. When it's dark and foggy, like during most commutes in winter, the suddenly changing lights flash and illuminate the fog in a most startling way, especially when it's behind you. Thus, ...

Posted Fri, Apr 22, 6:41 a.m.

Rail transportation is definately a non-partisan issue. Here is a pro-train (not necessarily pro-Amtrak) site, which in addition to the blogs contains some very in-depth analyses of the efficiencies of train travel, from a conservative, market-based perspective: http://www.unitedrail.org/news/index.htm The late conservative icon Paul Weyrich was staunchly pro-rail. Here is a ...

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 2:03 p.m.

DA- My apologies for the unwarranted snarky comments about Tillicum. I am only drawing from my innumerable drives down I-5 which even thinking about causes my eyes to glaze over, & which the new passenger train route would parallel. bjan- while I agree that transit isn't about "taking in the ...

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 12:19 p.m.

Note to self: Never hit the submit button twice.

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 12:18 p.m.

The rail route along Puget Sound is indeed the scenic highlight of the train trip south, and should be retaied for that purpose. I think even the most time-stapped traveller would rather spend the extra 6 minutes to gaze at scenery that cannot be seen any other way, than to ...

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 7:33 a.m.

You should be able to walk, the most basic of transportation modes, along any public right-of-way, for any reason: it's healty, you don't own a car, you like it. It is obvious the owner of the North Seattle home pictured doesn't want sidewalks. He has installed boulders right up to ...

Posted Thu, Jan 20, 7:24 a.m.

R.- a valid concern if the railcar were to be moved only from one end of the branch to the other (probably not a very likely scenario). But, if it were moved to a transfer point, then added to a long mainline freight train going cross-state or cross-country, that would ...

Posted Fri, Oct 1, 7:22 a.m.

Transportation is transportation, but to those who inflexibly think transportation equals highways, there is only highway use & non-highway use. To spend gas taxes only on roads makes as much sense to me as saying that liquor taxes can only be spent on building more liquor stores.

Posted Fri, Jun 4, 8:28 a.m.

So much for the right-wing flogged fallacy of the liberal media.

Posted Sat, Apr 17, 6:15 a.m.

I suppose it's all in the context. I'm not a stickler for formality but it seems that someone who represents a business should address a customer (even a potential one) with a little more than extreme casualness. (I hate to say it, but I'm beginnning to think that way as ...

Posted Wed, Dec 30, 7:49 a.m.

Out my way, the Wauna Store stood at the foot of the Purdy Spit on the Key Peninsula, north of Gig Harbor, for over 100 years. It started out as the general store for the now-defunct waterfront town of Wauna, which was served by the steamboats of the Mosquito Fleet. ...