Whole lotta love for zeppelins
Posted Tue, Aug 31, 2 a.m.
A new-generation airship is visiting Puget Sound, a reminder of the pleasures and Northwest history of traveling by dirigible.
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(20 comments) - Four powerhouse teams named finalists in central waterfront design
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Mossback
Crosscut most recent
Mike McGinn: Don't call him Mayor Moonbeam
Posted Wed, Aug 25, 2 a.m.
But Seattle's mayor shares some of the same ideas as former (and perhaps future) California Gov. Jerry Brown: he's green, progressive, and believes government has to be realistic in an era of limits.
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Columnist on vacation: Thanks, Danny
Posted Fri, Aug 20, 2 a.m.
"Seattle Times" columnist Danny Westneat is right about the benefits of time off, but happy furloughs might give our bosses the wrong idea. They should pay a premium for our vacations. Time and a half sounds right.
READ MORE 4 COMMENTS
Obama's liberal critics: Carrying hope too far
Posted Thu, Aug 19, 2 a.m.
The Seattle visit to help Sen. Patty Murray is a reminder that it's time for progressives and the "professional left" to get more realistic about Obama and stop whining.
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Space Needle: Tower of power
Posted Mon, Aug 16, 2 a.m.
It's easy to underestimate the importance of our landmark icon, but the Needle has meaning for the city, and transmits the Seattle 'brand' to the world.
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Seattle, the 21st-century bungalow city
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 2 a.m.
Seattle's love affair with the modest, architectural backbone of neighborhood housing continues, with an important landmark designation and new design guidelines for the next generation of urban cottages.
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Mark Twain: a model for local-eating moderns?
Posted Tue, Aug 10, 2 a.m.
As a new book shows, the famous American author provides a great lens for exploring regional foods and their preparation, from Northwest 'Olys' to the art of cooking raccoon.
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Can-do Seattle: Can we do a project right anymore?
Posted Thu, Aug 5, 2 a.m.
We've seen the can-do Seattle spirit in action saving July 4 and the Seafair races. But when it comes to big construction projects, gridlock and paralysis could be a strategy for avoiding big flops.
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How the Muni League's hidden bias got Seattle into its current state
Posted Tue, Aug 3, 2 a.m.
Got my August primary ballot, voted and sent it in, with no help from the Municipal League.
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In defense of Mike McGinn's tunnel position
Posted Thu, Jul 29, 2 a.m.
Seattle is not gridlocked, tunnel doubts are legit, and the mayor is no "birther." If fears are truly groundless, as the city council would like to think, why not test the tunnel at the polls?
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Elliott Bay Book Company's move was a blessing in disguise for Pioneer Square
Posted Mon, Jul 26, 2 a.m.
The Main Street program is coming to Seattle, and a new move to revitalize the neighborhood puts the onus of success on the Square's little guys, which some argue is right where it should be.
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Should Seattle have an income tax?
Posted Mon, Jul 19, 6:41 a.m.
Along with budgets cuts, fairer, more sustainable city funding, especially in hard times, is worth exploring.
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The tunnel: Let's vote
Posted Thu, Jul 15, 2 a.m.
Seattle activists are floating the idea of a Viaduct tunnel referendum. Good idea.
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The Barefoot Bandit: I don't get it
Posted Mon, Jul 12, 11:48 a.m.
Why is Colton Harris-Moore so popular? Shouldn't we be happy to see the 19-year-old fugitive in chains?
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How to prevent a boondoggle, on the waterfront and beyond
Posted Mon, Jul 12, 2 a.m.
The debate over the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel suggests a way to reduce the risk of public boondoggles. Put politicians personally on the hook.
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Oh, to be in North Korea's pavilion!
Posted Fri, Jul 9, 2 a.m.
Our man in Shanghai: At Expo 2010, there are no lines to see the North Koreans' pavilion. You can also spend time in Iran, Afghanistan, Burma, and the land of Hugo Chavez. Have fun tracking international outliers.
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How the U.S. underperforms at Shanghai's Expo
Posted Thu, Jul 8, 2 a.m.
Our man in Shanghai: America's pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai is underwhelming, even with a fine performance by a young actress named Rain, perhaps because of caution on the part of corporate sponsors.
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Our man in Shanghai: Vancouver shows 2 faces to sell itself to China
Posted Wed, Jul 7, 2 a.m.
Expos are about the world, but also remaking cities. Shanghai's fair showcases urbanism, which includes a Northwest pavilion that promotes density but will sell sprawl too, if that's what China wants.
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Our man in Shanghai: Feeling the 'force' of the future at World's Fair
Posted Tue, Jul 6, 2 a.m.
Urbanization is a theme that is expressed everywhere at World Expo 2010, especially in the massive China Pavilion.
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All-hours bars, more guns: back to Seattle's future?
Posted Thu, Jul 1, 2 a.m.
Sometimes, we humans forget the past. Maybe Seattle will get a refresher on its Wild West past, when saloons ran 24 hours a day and manly men wore six-shooters.
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Knute "Skip" Berger is Mossback. In addition to writing and blogging for Crosscut, he is editor-at-large of Seattle magazine, political columnist for Washington Law & Politics, and a regular guest of Weekday with Steve Scher on NPR affiliate KUOW-FM (94.9). A Seattle native, Berger has long been a writer and editor for local magazines and newspapers. Most recently, he was editor-in-chief of Village Voice Media's Seattle Weekly from 2002 to 2006, where he wrote the award-winning Mossback column. Berger has also worked for the Hope Heart Institute, Washington State Centennial Commission, and served as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster reserve corps. He lives in Seattle.
Mossback Blog posts
Will the Space Needle ever be eaten?
Posted Mon, Aug 30, 11:10 a.m.
The Empire State Building has lost its fight to have its piece of skyline all to itself. Let's hope that doesn't happen here.
MOREWhy progressives should be fiscal conservatives
Posted Wed, Aug 25, 3:30 p.m.
A liberal Oregon Congressman makes the case for leaner, activist government.
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Saving an island school: the clock is ticking
Posted Thu, Aug 19, 4 p.m.
Heritage advocates have a short deadline to try and save a Bainbridge island educational landmark from the wrecking ball.
MORESpeaking of the Space Needle...
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 2 a.m.
Here's one suggestion for its 50th-birthday celebration: Go back to the old color scheme.
MOREMark Twain: A vision for Portland's leadership on bicycling
Posted Wed, Aug 11, noon
What would Twain do? More than a century before Portland would be regularly ranked among the top cities for bicyclists in the country, the author envisioned how Portland could become the ultimate city for cyclists.
MOREIs the new spotted owl a worm?
Posted Wed, Jul 21, 11:42 p.m.
The Feds decided to find out if the Great White worm of the Palouse is endangered or not.
MOREA writer with multiple personalities?
Posted Mon, Jul 19, 5:30 p.m.
That's what a website suggests after an analysis of a week of Mossback columns.
MORESeattle's soccer transformation
Posted Sun, Jun 13, 11:25 p.m.
The mystery of the sport's appeal no longer matters. The Sounders have made a difference in a sad sports town.
MORECrosscut takes honors in annual journalism contest
Posted Mon, May 24, 2:04 p.m.
The regional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awards four Crosscut writers in its online-news category.
MOREPolitics of City Hall architecture
Posted Tue, May 25, 11 a.m.
Seattle's seems to suit its current mayor, stylistically at least.
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Duwumps
An early name for Seattle was Duwumps, which reminds us of a time before civic pretension, "world-class" ambitions, and over-priced coffee. In that spirit, this news is collected as an antidote to Seattle hype. If you see stories that aid the cause of Lesser Seattle — or more positively, Greater Duwumps — send them to Mossback.
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