crosscut.com : Education

Sausage Links, cougar-hunting edition

Crosscut — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:28:01 PDT

Praise the Lord and release the hounds — because our good state Legislature has enacted a law which makes it legal once again to use dogs to hunt cougars. Now, I didn't even know cougar hunting was legal in Washington — minus Cougars wearing crimson — but apparently, it is. While the bill was actually passed by the Legislature in February, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a public meeting on Friday to discuss whether the pilot program should continue for another three years.

Meanwhile, Micheal Reitz of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has compiled a list of some other curious laws enacted by the Washington Legislature this year. My personal favorite: Violators may face up to $1,000 or up to a year in jail for selling raw or unprocessed huckleberries without a permit.

Helpful policy tips for Dino Rossi

Crosscut — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:23:01 PDT

So far, not a lot of policy is coming out of the Dino Rossi campaign, but it may be very interesting when it does. That's because the Republicans are getting pretty desperate for bold new ideas to turn around their national tailspin. I'll give some examples below.

A design-savvy city defined

Crosscut — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A report lays out a road map, backed by polling that revealed surprising attitudes of Seattleites and Portlanders about their hometown architecture.

Sausage Links, blame-game edition

Crosscut — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:05:01 PDT

David Goldstein at Horse's Ass says everyone has missed the boat about the latest mess surrounding the "top-two" primary. The Seattle Times blamed the parties. The parties blamed the state. Others blamed the lawyers. Goldstein, however, says the person to blame for what could be the "most monumental legal fuck up in state history — one which puts the legitimacy of our entire 2008 election in jeopardy" — is state Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Teach both sides of the flat Earth!

Crosscut — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:01 PDT

It's really quite simple: A lot of knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Health insurance coverage vs. science

Crosscut — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A device to help those with autism and other conditions communicate has been excluded — and then included, and then excluded again — from health insurance coverage in Washington. At issue is the process by which insurers decide what's covered and why, which doesn't always reflect scientific consensus.

Harvard finally gets its act together on gender studies

Crosscut — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:00:01 PDT

It had offered a mere 76 courses. Now with addition of "Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece" and 29 others, the curriculum is at last worthy.

Sausage Links, media-bashing edition

Crosscut — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Lefty blogger David Goldstein at Horse's Ass has been battering the local media lately. Yesterday, he unleashed on Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Chris McGann for his coverage of Gov. Chris Gregoire's now infamous state gambling compact. Today he asks Crosscut's Ted Van Dyk to apologize to Gregoire for his own coverage of Casino-gate. ...

A Boeing field trip

Crosscut — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:22:01 PDT

I made the decision last month to pull my seven-year-old daughter from school for field trips of our own. For one day every two weeks, for the remainder of the school year, we are exploring the Northwest's offerings, history, and culture.

Orchids and onions for a new week

Crosscut — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:53:01 PDT

First, orchids:

To Barlett Sher, Intiman artistic director, who won a Tony Award Sunday of his direction of the New York Lincoln Center revival of the 1950s Rogers-Hammerstein musical, "South Pacific." The revival won six additional Tonys.

Shepherding in Bruce Shepard, new Western Washington University prez

Crosscut — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:01 PDT

With last-minute approval of a faculty-union contract, outgoing president Karen Morse leaves the new guy with a crisis resolved. Shepard, of Wisconsin, takes office in September.

Social progress in White Center

Crosscut — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:00:01 PDT

The neighborhood is the focus of several programs designed to boost test scores, encourage early learning, improve living conditions, and provide a positive example of community pride and success that can be applied elsewhere. Part 2

Polimedia lunch links

Crosscut — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:53:01 PDT

Ruby Chow remembered: Brad Wong outlines the contributions from the life of a local political icon. ...

Elite opinion on Obama: Jamieson, Sims and Locke, Horsey, Westneat. ...

Lost in the blind alley of busing

Crosscut — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:01 PDT

The impetus for desegregation came from commendable civil rights-era reform attempts, but school busing to achieve ethnically diverse classrooms has largely failed. Understanding desegregation's history may shed light on what we can do right in the future.

ELF members gained nothing by the UW arson, and so much was lost

Crosscut — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:00:01 PDT

A former staff member of the University of Washington's Center for Urban Horticulture wonders why, seven years later, the crime makes no more sense than it did the morning Merrill Hall went up in flames.

A Lake Union field trip

Crosscut — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:00:01 PDT

Love the warrior but hate the war, and other weekend ruminations

Crosscut — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:00:01 PDT

Also: Whom to blame for gas prices, kudos for the schools supe, Sound Transit's latest audit, and polygamy's free pass.

A bold plan to turn UW into a Stanford died a quiet death

Crosscut — Tue, 20 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

State universities have clumsy and stingy masters in state capitols. Is it time for divorce court? Here's the story of how some people advising the University of Washington looked at such a scheme.

Getting ready for the Big One

Crosscut — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

The images of the quake aftermath in China raise the question: What would the wake of a major quake look like in Seattle? Fortunately, we have the answer. Or at least a pretty good guess.

The P-I's D. Parvaz will head to Harvard

Crosscut — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:00:01 PDT

Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorialist, pop culture writer, and columnist D. Parvaz has been named a Nieman Fellow and will head off to Harvard University for a year of studying, it was announced Friday, May 16. The Niemans are prestigious fellowships offered by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.