crosscut.com : British Columbia

Fill it with American regular

Crosscut — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:06:01 PDT

While Fourth of July vacationers might be excited to see fireworks tonight, they won't be as enthusiastic about Washington's skyrocketing fuel prices. The Seattle Times reported on the recent 1.5-cent increase in the state's gas tax, the last of a three-year, 9.5-cent increase. So while commuters currently pay $4.35 per gallon, 55.9 cents of each gallon goes back to Uncle Sam, or George in Olympia.

But that ain't nothing compared to what's going on in British Columbia.

Sausage Links, potty-humor edition

Crosscut — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:59:01 PDT

Democratic congressional candidate Darcy Burner's home was "severely damaged" by a fire this morning. Horse's Ass has the coverage, while NorthWest Cable News has the video. ...

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. ...

Music festival alert: Vancouver, B.C., is the place for jazz

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

One of the world's premier music festivals is going on to the north of us, and lovers of live music ought to sit up and take notice.

Hurray for mass transit, but it's no silver bullet

Cascadia Center — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:01 PDT

For one thing, bus and rail ridership represents only a fraction of trips now, and that's not likely to radically change soon. A Seattle think tank believes a balanced approach is called for, accepting the fact single-occupancy vehicles will play a huge role in years to come.

Seattle's Hollywood 'Head Hunter'

Crosscut — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:20:01 PDT

For Northwest history geeks, the most anticipated film event of the season is a rare chance to see a rare film, the just-restored 1914 silent, In the Land of the Head Hunters by Seattle's photographic master Edward S. Curtis. Known most for his monumental work photographing North American Indians, Curtis is mainly remembered and widely collected as a still photographer. Yet he also worked in film (including a stint for Cecil B. DeMille) during cinema's infancy. The "shadowcatcher" caught moving pictures, and his feature will be on screen again in June.

Vancouver, B.C., loses some ground as a sustainability leader

Crosscut — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:41:01 PDT

In recent years, Vancouver, B.C., has provided Seattleites with eco-friendly examples of sustainable, compact communities. As recently as the 1990s, Vancouver's walkable neighborhoods accounted for 67 percent of the population, enabling broad use of bicycles and public transportation. British Columbia also has ambitious goals for addressing climate change and recognizes the painful inconvenience of rising gas prices. The cities of Vancouver and North Vancouver are listed as having the highest percentages of compact communities. However, these numbers are slipping.

The need for cruise control

Crosscut — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:00:01 PDT

An environmentalist explains why better federal regulations are needed to police polluters among the world's fleet of cruise ships: State and local authorities can only do so much. Over six months this year, Puget Sound will see 211 big ships bearing 835,000 passengers call on Seattle.

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.

Annals of Northwest secession

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

A primer of regional separatist movements, real and imagined.

Hey, what about an Absolut Ecotopia?

Crosscut — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A vodka ad stirs anger and nationalism, tapping a history that links to the fight for the Pacific Northwest.

A Canadian is shaking up the Northwest newspaper business

Crosscut — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:00:01 PST

If printed papers are dying, publisher David Black of Victoria acts like the happy guy at the funeral.

The Vancouver gambit for building roads and transit in Seattle

Crosscut — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 11:29:01 PST

When British Columbia announced its $14 billion plans for new transit early this week, it upped the stakes for competition among West Coast cities in the transit Olympics. It also injected itself in what will be a hot debate in Washington — the use of private investment to build the next generation of transit and highways.

2007 in review: Mossback hunts down the wildest animal stories of the year

Crosscut — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 01:00:01 PST

Giant swimming rats, seducing Sasquatch, and bear-hunting at the Vancouver Olympics.

Selling the Northwest's global genericism

Crosscut — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:55:01 PST

One of the virtues of travel is that it gives you a chance to see how your part of the country is selling itself to the outside world. After flipping though a copy of Alaska Airlines magazine on a recent flight to San Francisco, I have to say that if Horace Greeley were shilling for regional real estate developers, he'd be saying "Go West in style, yuppie scum!" He'd take out a full-page, four-color ad to do it, too. Current real estate pitches emphasize wealth, urban amenities, and a let-them-eat cake luxury lifestyle that is the antithesis of anything remotely regional or rooted. Local color? No. Rain? What's that? Moss, mountains, a frontier spirit? Hmmm, call the valet to take out the trash.

Look out! The Olympic mascot's got a gun!

Crosscut — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:31:01 PST

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics has unveiled their cuddly new mascots: Quatchi, Miga, Sumi — and a sidekick named Mukmuk, a Vancouver island marmot. Picking mascots for major events is never easy: they have to be a graphic icon, irresistible to children, and ridicule-proof. Sometimes mascots are based on real animals, sometimes they're totally invented creatures. Vancouver seems to have followed a middle path by basing theirs on local First Nations mythology: Sasquatch (Quatichi), Sea Bear (Miga) and Animal Guardian Spirit (Sumi). Cuddly as they are, they have a serious job to do. One of Sumi's jobs is to brandish a gun in peace-loving Canada.

Bruce Chapman is right

Crosscut — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:00:01 PST

The Discovery Institute's head uses the James Watson controversy to make a good point about the legacy of eugenics and the dangers it poses for the future. But the role of religion in that history shouldn't be given a free pass.

Bitch-slapping bears, Bigfoot, and mystery moss

Crosscut — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:00:01 PDT

Mossback update: Critters big and bigger, some of which can be seen and some of which can't, and none of which you'd want to.

Vancouver is Shangri-not

Crosscut — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:00:01 PDT

The city that inspires Dubai and Abu Dhabi has some soul-searching to do. After the Olympics, of course.

The warpath not taken

Crosscut — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 05:00:01 PDT

How would Pacific Northwest history have differed had we taken pioneer James Swan's advice about how to treat the native population?