crosscut.com : Mossback

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.

Your chance to join the Mod Squad

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:00:01 PDT

A number of events are coming up for people interested in preserving Northwest modernism, from Googie to Brutalism to starship chic. Here's a quick rundown and reminder of doings connected to stories I've been covering on Crosscut.

Puget Sound on Prozac

Crosscut — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Pretty as it is, our signature waterway is a chemical dump for everything from oil to sewage — and even anti-depressants. You may be surprised (and disgusted) by what turns up there.

57 states — and the Soviet of Washington?

Crosscut — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:43:01 PDT

Sen. Barack Obama must be drinking some of the same Seattle water as secessionist Mayor Greg Nickels. In Beaverton, Ore., he told the crowd that he'd visited "57 states" with "one left to go." He goes on to say that the only states he hasn't been to during his presidential bid are Alaska and Hawaii, which means Obama thinks the U.S. has 58 states, though by his own count there should be 59.

A Seattle software exec makes sure that the buffalo don't roam

Crosscut — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:35:01 PDT

In the 19th century, tourists used to slaughter bison herds from passing trains, blasting the big beasts into near extinction just for fun. That ugly tradition is echoed in the recent massacre of buffalo in Colorado, which has also touched off a classic confrontation over rights between two ranchers. The Northwest connection: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's John Cook points out that the man behind the recent massacre is the chairman and CEO of one of Seattle's top software companies, Jeff Hawn of Attachmate. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The Northwest's real fairy tales

Crosscut — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:08:01 PDT

When it comes to Northwest legends, we usually think big: There's Bigfoot, D.B. Cooper's Big Heist, Paul Bunyan and his Big Blue Ox — even the Big White Worm of the Palouse. This tradition goes back. When Jonathan Swift documented Gulliver's travels in the early 1700s, he placed the land of the giants, Brobdingnag, in the Pacific Northwest — somewhere between what we know today as British Columbia and Alaska. But we have our mini-myths, as well. Yes, Northwest giants are fun to think about (remember Olaf?), but take a minute to think about our munchkins.

A city of scolds

Crosscut — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:00:01 PDT

Seattle City Hall has cracked down on drinking and clubs, it's on the verge of banning fast food and taxing plastic grocery bags, and now even plastic-bottled water is a civic sin. Switch to tap water! says the mayor. Mossback thinks enough is enough.

Smells like ... Chanel No. 5?

Crosscut — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:59:01 PDT

In 1996, the album Grunge Lite featured Muzak-style versions of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Mudhoney classics, turning them into elevator music before anyone else did. It seemed like an attempt to inoculate the music's legacy by injecting a shot of irony before anyone else did. It didn't work. Today you can get a "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ringtone for your cellphone (just Google "Nirvana ringtones" and take your pick).

Annals of Northwest secession

Crosscut — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:01 PDT

A primer of regional separatist movements, real and imagined.

Greg Nickels' rebel yell

Crosscut — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:00:01 PDT

Seattle's mayor waves the flag of secession. In so doing, he may have waved goodbye to a future in state politics.

The Great White hope

Crosscut — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:00:01 PDT

It may be the season for finding big white enigmas. In March, scientists spotted a long-rumored white killer whale in Alaska. Closer to home, researchers who have been pawing the sod in search of the Great White earthworm of the Palouse have come up with some surprising new clues about the elusive and possibly endangered creature. Two recent discoveries, one near Moscow, Idaho, and one near Leavenworth, Wash., suggest that the worms are not only out there, they may live farther afield than previously thought.

How the West was nuked

Crosscut — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:56:01 PDT

One of the best trends in historic commemoration is a greater willingness to honestly embrace history some would like to forget. In the bill containing Washington's new Wild Sky Wilderness that just passed Congress, there is funding for a National Park Service memorial on Bainbridge Island commemorating the shameful internment of Japanese civilians during World War II. The internment proposal was pushed hard by Rep. Jay Inslee and Sen. Maria Cantwell. Coming to terms with our nuclear past is another problematic area, but one that is also getting a more attention in the West.

Mods versus snobs

Crosscut — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Modernist architecture is for the elite, right? Not any more. The movement to preserve modern structures is finding new energy in populist appeal and as a counterbalance to today's McMansions and Viagra villas. The debate over a Ballard Denny's is just one squabble in a growing national discussion about preservation, proportion, and pedigree.

A writer's weekend: The case of the iffy stiffy

Crosscut — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Sex, struggle, and the future of reading are fodder for famous writers at a Bainbridge conference.

How about a nuclear museum on the UW campus?

Crosscut — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

I got a very interesting e-mail from Dr. Steven Gilbert, Phd., Vice President of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR). He'd read my recent piece about the possible tear-down of More Hall Annex (the old Nuclear Reactor Building) on the University of Washington campus, and he has a great idea for the facility: Turn it into a nuclear museum. In fact, WPSR is already at work on the museum project, and it might be the perfect tenant if the UW will reconsider its destruction of this fascinating, historic modern structure.

A study says the case for road tolling is 'compelling'

Crosscut — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:00:01 PDT

The Seattle Times has an overview of the long-awaited results of the federally funded, multi-million "Traffic Choices" study conducted by the Puget Sound Region Council (PSRC) to look at the viability of widespread road tolling throughout Greater Seattle. The PSRC describes the research as "the most comprehensive study of demand response to network tolling in existence." A summary of the study can be found here (pdf).

Angry Art Thiel spares J.P. Patches

Crosscut — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:01 PDT

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Art Thiel has long been my favorite local columnist. What makes him a good columnist is also what makes us lucky he's not a gun-toting spree killer who's climbed a clock tower to teach us all a lesson. Thiel's latest column on the Sonics reminds me of the last scene in the movie Bataan where the movie fades out as doomed G-I Robert Taylor defiantly sprays machine gun fire as he's about to be over-run by the enemy. Thiel stands his ground like he's defending the Alamo, and he's generous in spreading blame and naming names when it comes to answering the question: Who lost our storied NBA franchise?

Shanghai Surprise

Crosscut — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A group with Northwest ties is aced out of a pavilion bid for Expo 2010 in China. Instead, the U.S. State Department has given the go-ahead to a team with connections to Warner Brothers and a major D.C. law firm. Now all they have to do is raise $80 million.

Some good Googie news

Crosscut — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:22:01 PDT

In the world of news related to Northwest Googie architecture and historic preservation, there are some new and interesting developments. They range from negotiations over a controversial Ballard diner, an upcoming lecture on Googie architecture by the expert on the topic, possible landmark status for popular a burger stand in Tacoma, and the announcement of the state's 2008 awards for historic preservation. Here's a quick rundown.

When Proust met Miss Bardahl

Crosscut — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:01 PDT

I happened to be down near Seward Park late Thursday morning. Weekdays are usually very quiet along Lake Washington, save on Thursdays when the model plane guys fly their buzzing aircraft over Andrews Bay. But today, I heard the unmistakable roar of the past, a familiar RUH-RHU-RHU-RHU of an old-time hydro. I could see the flying spray of a rooster tail and spotted KIRO's Chopper 7 hovering overhead. As I came around the corner to Stan Sayres pits, a crowd had gathered. There in all her glory was Miss Bardahl, the Green Dragon of hydroplane racing's glory years.