Posted Fri, Mar 2, 10:57 a.m.

Thanks for this interesting profile, Bob. If anyone's interested in a copy of the book, I found that Alibris lists several copies.

Posted Mon, Jan 23, 10:01 a.m.

I'm growing tired of articles like this. Yeah, okay, painkillers are addictive, and some people abuse them. But this only makes it worse for those of us with low-level-but-chronic conditions that benefit from occasional painkiller use. I hate it when doctors look at me sideways if I ask for Rx. ...

Posted Thu, Jan 5, 7:16 a.m.

There are known associations between mental health states and various human traits; just yesterday I was having a conversation with someone about creativity and certain forms of "madness." Certainly, some mental health conditions bring with them particular skills or qualities that can enhance their work performance. But one only need ...

Posted Fri, Oct 21, 10:18 a.m.

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/20/141549739/what-slew-an-ancient-mastodon-dna-tells-tale NPR ran this version of the story last night. Maybe someone here can tell me the answer to this: Why is the retired WSU prof. referenced in the NPR piece storing artifacts in his basement? If he excavated the site "on the job" while he was with WSU, wouldn't ...

Posted Thu, Oct 6, 10:13 a.m.

I'm on board the same train as Knute. Already this morning I read nasty posts on McGinn's Facebook page about the arrests & a Portland Business Journal article about the protestors there refusing to get permits. I don't have a lot of sympathy for so-called protestors who, when I see ...

Posted Thu, Sep 22, 2:39 p.m.

This, to me, raises questions: Where is this tribe's historic land? Is it more where they are now, or the high ground they're seeking to relocate to? If its historic lands are along the water, would the tsunami danger not have existed all along? This may not be a popular ...

Posted Mon, Aug 29, 11:36 a.m.

Are these maps available in another format where they are capable of being enlarged (so I can scope in on the community I work for)? Thanks-

Posted Tue, Aug 16, 10:55 a.m.

Jordan, I've re-read your piece several times and am still unclear on how the EB-5 program is perceived as a threat. As you point out, it is an immigration program; not a development or land-use program. The level of investment and job creation in return for US residency is the ...

Posted Tue, Jul 19, 10:22 a.m.

How do you feel about this in relation to parks & rec programming? What are the implications for programming that is built on a cost recovery model of 100% for senior programs but highly subsidized youth programs?

Posted Thu, Jul 14, 8:11 a.m.

It's Robinson Jeffers, not Jeffords.

Posted Fri, Jul 8, 1:46 p.m.

I read an earlier piece on this legislation. Full disclosure: I am a Shoe Queen; I've occasionally been called Imelda, so you'd think I'd be in full favor of cheaper shoes. However, in reading the proposal, I found the justification to be feel-good rhetoric. Regressive tax? Maybe. Typically (& put ...

Posted Fri, May 20, 9:09 a.m.

Um. Is this supposed to be a review? ...because if it is, I'd suggest that the writer has a wee bit o'bias issue. Controversial or not, it's a hit Broadway play- standard fare for community theaters everywhere. A kids' group did it in Olympia a few years ago. If you ...

Posted Wed, Apr 20, 2:12 p.m.

I'm not sure I agree with the notion that additional sidewalks lead to more water pollution. It's clear that additional impervious surface increases the runoff volume. However, if already impervious area (paving) or semi-pervious area (graveled shoulder) is converted to sidewalk, that doesn't necessarily create a large added volume. The ...

Posted Mon, Apr 11, 1:50 p.m.

Suggest folks also read columnist Leonard Pitts' perspective: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/09/2159376/the-civil-war-a-conspiracy-of.html

Posted Tue, Mar 29, 2:36 p.m.

My opinion: You've heard of "plop art" or "plop development"? -in other words, predesigned features that are merely plopped into place with no regard for context. I feel that merely "plopping down" toll lanes into Seattle will carry with it the same sort of unintended consequences that might accompany any ...

Posted Fri, Mar 25, 10:09 a.m.

Aside from communications with minority communities, I feel like WSDOT's information campaign fails at a broader level. What I'd like to know is how occasional users, esp. those from outside the area, are supposed to use this facility. I live 2 counties away & have no reason to have a ...

Posted Thu, Jan 13, 3:18 p.m.

Not that your work is biased on anything...but why shouldn't a property owner have a right to predictability and certainty with regard to the zoning conditions applicable to his land? I understand that the times, conditions, and laws change, but if someone has invested the time, effort, and cost to ...

Posted Wed, Jan 12, 10:38 a.m.

I certainly appreciate the issue, but the tone of the article seems to imply something untoward is going on, & I don't think it's right to make Master Builders wear that responsibility. Bricklin & others certainly know that the legal principle of vesting predated the GMA, & the GMA itself ...

Posted Fri, Aug 20, 3:44 p.m.

Aah, but the devil's in the details: how would the privacy policy work?! (This reminds me, still need to deadhead the rhodies.)

Posted Wed, Jul 21, 7:07 a.m.

Portland Center Stage just produced this recently & it was fabulous!

Posted Wed, Jul 21, 7:06 a.m.

Oh thank you for publishing this the week AFTER I had to travel across the bridge! Of course the current spans are engineered to the hilt, but who doesn't think about the old Galloping Gertie movie while driving across?

Posted Wed, Jul 21, 7:01 a.m.

It's about time someone wrote about this. Horses Ass has been talking about it for weeks, & no one else has picked up the ball.

Posted Mon, Jul 19, 7:03 a.m.

Gee, Steve should be running weekend motivational seminars!

Posted Mon, Jul 19, 7:02 a.m.

Isn't income tax within the state's purview, & not local government?

Posted Wed, Jun 30, 10:41 a.m.

"The deserts of Eastern Washington"?? What deserts would those be?

Posted Fri, Jun 25, 11:26 a.m.

No disrespect to the Times, but I'd venture to say it won because The News Tribune's powers that be failed to submit its own coverage.

Posted Fri, Jun 25, 11:23 a.m.

There's a typo in the address. It's 4916 not 416.

Posted Wed, May 5, 10:39 a.m.

Interesting perspective which, in thinking about it, gives me pause not on the immigration issue but on the sociological aspects of Facebook. Most of my exchanges about the Arizona law have been on FB, & I wouldn't say people are coming from a partisan bias but more from the standpoint ...

Posted Wed, May 5, 10:32 a.m.

I used to work in the Grand Central building, which is lovely; however, it, too, has lost tenants in recent years. I can't disagree with the premise of the article, but the emphasis on Belltown as the hot spot for night life has drawn down the neighborhood. Urban design is ...

Posted Tue, May 4, 9:23 a.m.

Mr. Drosendahl (I hope this was said in the correct tone): I believe your article contains a typo. Hillsdale College should properly be characterized as a small college that takes NO government funding. I suppose a college that "takes on" government funding is another thing entirely. Love, the spirit of ...

Posted Tue, May 4, 9:17 a.m.

Pierce County is currently attempting to do this same thing right now, by creating a countywide flood control district that would principally benefit the Puyallup River valley.

Posted Tue, Apr 27, 10:32 a.m.

There's a key mistake in the article. The movie will be showing at the Guild 45th, not the Varsity (per Landmark Theatres' website).

Posted Mon, Apr 26, 2:03 p.m.

I realize this entire thing was framed within a religious paradigm, but I feel compelled to ask the question without god. What if there is no god and mankind is, at its foundation, on its own? Does humanity need to choose sides? Or, does it merely feel compelled to do ...

Posted Fri, Apr 9, 11:39 a.m.

I really didn't appreciate Lightfoot's decision to link this with the current-day census or gun registration. That kind of statement only stirs up ignorance and fear.

Posted Fri, Mar 19, 8:10 a.m.

In my mind, the top reason this and other frequently banned books keep being brought up is simply that people have heard their titles and associate them with being "bad." I would also lay money that 9/10 of the nazi cows (ref. Field of Dreams) who support book banning have ...

Posted Wed, Mar 10, 8:21 a.m.

Interesting article. I'm not a teacher, but I very much enjoyed (and excelled at) writing in school. I'm not sure the Calkins method would've been comfortable for me at that time because I lived in an alcoholic, abusive home, and my journalistic entries definitely would've been in the noir vein. ...

Posted Mon, Mar 1, 9:40 a.m.

The UPS man steals the show.

Posted Mon, Feb 22, 9:45 a.m.

I have a Facebook friend (someone I actually know, not just a virtual "friend") who gave it up for Lent! (I sent her your article at work instead of via FB.)

Posted Mon, Jan 18, 12:22 p.m.

"I think it would be far more interesting and helpful to inhabit a world where the relative merits of Buddhism and Christianity, New Age and Judaism...are in lively debate." I find that difficult to swallow. My measure of others is whether or not they are "good" people. What constitutes good, ...

Posted Fri, Jan 15, 9:48 a.m.

Clubs & restaurants stampeding away from the last "hotspot" to the next...sounds sort of like Pioneer Square & Belltown, don't you think? Personally, this means little chance I will ever go to Flying Fish again, which is really too bad because the fare is terrific. Coming from southward it's on ...

Posted Thu, Jan 7, 11:47 a.m.

Based on my sketchy knowledge of Buddhist representations and one temple visit, I agree this looks more like a Bodhisattva than a Buddha. It's my understanding the disproportionately long, thin fingers are indicative of enlightened beings. But the UW shouldn't have to rely on ignorami like me. May I remind ...

Posted Tue, Dec 15, 10:51 a.m.

I don't think it's such a bright line. I was brought up in a non-religious family, yet we celebrated Christmas, and I still do. It may seem counterintuitive but despite the fact that Christmas is, in its foundation, a Christian holiday, it is also a non-secular holiday for some. I ...

Posted Tue, Dec 15, 10:45 a.m.

To clarify: Was Chasan's article supposed to be funny?

Posted Tue, Dec 15, 10:44 a.m.

Was that supposed to be funny?

Posted Tue, Nov 24, 10:34 a.m.

I buy from everyone: Online, Amazon, Bookcloseouts, Alibris & eBay sellers; Powells both online & in person. (In searching for a particular book one day, I discovered my next-door neighbor is secretly running, in violation of the neighborhood covenants, an online bookstore out of his garage.) There's a B&N; across ...

Posted Wed, Nov 18, 9:58 a.m.

I, too, have read of the controversy involving the exhibit; but I opted to view it on its first pass through Seattle. I found it to be absolutely fascinating, except for the fetus portion which was disturbing. (I can't say I wasn't warned. There were signs and an opportunity to ...

Posted Mon, Nov 16, 9:43 a.m.

There's always a way to gently say "no" without insulting someone. This isn't it. The verb form of "friend" is "befriend," as in "to befriend" (or not to, in this case).

Posted Fri, Nov 13, 9:43 a.m.

A couple of thoughts in response. First, I fail to see how R71 & Salish Sea are connected. Are you saying only ignorant rednecks in Pierce Co. don't get it in either case? Because that's what it sounds like you think. I didn't happen to agree with the vote, but ...

Posted Thu, Nov 5, 11:15 a.m.

A response to David Sucher's post, irrespective of the topic at hand: I'm sorry to hear you lost your sister, & I was surprised at her complaint you aired. I've been fortunate enough never to have to go through that, but every woman I've known who's had breast cancer treatment ...

Posted Wed, Nov 4, 9:40 a.m.

Personally, I think they should go for "North Portland."

Posted Tue, Nov 3, 11:01 a.m.

Knowing no more of this than I do from the article, it makes me wonder if there aren't a couple of different things at work here. First, it occurs to me that the "say no" sentiment from the neighborhood may come from some sense of encroachment owing to this or ...

Posted Tue, Nov 3, 11:01 a.m.

Knowing no more of this than I do from the article, it makes me wonder if there aren't a couple of different things at work here. First, it occurs to me that the "say no" sentiment from the neighborhood may come from some sense of encroachment owing to this or ...

Posted Wed, Oct 28, 4:14 p.m.

I know quite well what's involved; don't need a ride along but thanks for heightening others' awareness of the possibility.

Posted Tue, Oct 27, 10:05 a.m.

I don't agree with WashingtonStateLaw on the matter of arrest being mandatory in this situation. I understand the DV law, but there is room for an officer's judgment call - the foundation being a belief that a DV situation has even occurred. It isn't clear from the series of stories ...

Posted Tue, Oct 20, 4:49 p.m.

YES!

Posted Thu, Oct 15, 11:39 a.m.

I was there, & I heard Mr. Katz saying these things. However, I also heard him calling for an added layer of government at the "metro" level - keep the cities and counties as they are, he said, this would be above that level - & had the impression he ...

Posted Thu, Oct 8, 5:17 p.m.

My question has nothing to do with possums: How do you have a legal dwelling unit when it doesn't have a water supply or facilities?

Posted Thu, Oct 8, 4:41 p.m.

"Dress like the homeless"...that reminds me of an experience when I last worked in downtown Seattle, some 20 years ago. I was taking shopping bags full of unwanted clothing into the office on a weekend for a coworker, & a street person I saw every weekday approached & asked quite ...

Posted Tue, Oct 6, 7:28 a.m.

Feliks, you've inspired me to subscribe immediately! (Ooh, lookie, a "2 free preview issues" special on their Web site!) Sunset was omnipresent in our house when I was growing up, but it occurs to me the only time I read it anymore is in my chiropractor's waiting room. In 1998, ...

Posted Fri, Oct 2, 10:33 a.m.

Two thoughts: 1. This question adds a whole new dimension to "WWJD." 2. Damn you, Knute, for mentioning Bakeman's turkey sammiches. It's been 20 years since I worked in downtown Seattle and I still miss them!

Posted Wed, Sep 16, 10:15 a.m.

State law changed this year to require that RVs be allowed in manufactured home parks, equivalent with residential structures. (Meanwhile, under the building code they aren't.) I can't necessarily agree with Kammerer that the rate of druggies and alcoholics in this group is the same proportion as the general population. ...

Posted Fri, Sep 11, 9:50 a.m.

The practice persists in the South Sound. And have you seen the TV commercial for - pardon me if I don't get this quite right - the "You Go, No You Go, No You Go Guy" as a personification of Seattleites?

Posted Thu, Aug 6, 2:09 p.m.

It's interesting that this is characterized as "consensus" when the description of the process points to majority vote. One is not the other. And while I appreciate the time, effort, and attention a group of stakeholders puts into such a process, no matter how diverse, it does not represent everyone's ...

Posted Thu, Jun 18, 11:34 a.m.

Cameron & chichiRat, you are both slightly wrong. Cameron is correct, chichiRat is incorrect; there is a move to toll Snoqualmie - currently in the form of a "study" not "plan." Cameron is wrong, chichiRat is right; it doesn't "belong" to WSDOT! Look up the state tolling study under the ...

Posted Thu, Jun 18, 11:18 a.m.

As a native Wenatcheeite (Wenatcheeian?) who's now a 360er, formerly a 206er, I think this article speaks well of Wenatchee's need to start looking outside its own boundaries. Tracy Warner's been there a long time and knows the attitudes that prevail. This is one more thing in the whole "east ...

Posted Mon, Jun 15, 12:05 p.m.

I'm gratified to notice that you don't suggest this has an application in the public sector!

Posted Mon, Jun 8, 9:51 a.m.

In my mind, Starbucks has a couple of things going against it. One is the economy, and everywhere you look the top item on the list of "how to pare down your budget" is stop buying coffee. In fact, you almost get at this with your initial comment in the ...

Posted Thu, May 14, 10:36 a.m.

Transit-oriented development doesn't mean just jamming in high-density housing developments anywhere proximate to a transit stations - which is precisely what the bill that died would've REQUIRED. Stations are located with relationship to transportation routes - rail lines or freeways - without regard to the area's living environment. Those locations ...

Posted Tue, May 5, 2:57 p.m.

In reading about this, not just this article/comments but others, it appears that Nickels has taken the approach of cutting as much as possible with least impacts to warm bodies. In some cases these are employees, while in others they are the recipients of services. Never have I seen neighborhood ...

Posted Thu, Apr 23, 8:46 p.m.

I think one thing folks fail to recognize is that sometimes indicating "none" merely means "none that I want to share with you." Also, there's a good share of folks who, despite having a sense of spirituality, just don't feel it's necessary to go to a place to share that ...

Posted Fri, Mar 27, 10:45 a.m.

Do I favor changing names? No- for the reason of "branding" articulated in the article. People identify with Puget Sound, not Salish Sea. To me this is a ridiculous discussion and waste of time when the real work is about clean water. I respect the work PSP is doing; however, ...

Posted Tue, Mar 3, 7:53 a.m.

My entire last weekend was spent chatting with strangers. First, at the Unitarian book sale where I met a woman who was midway through moving up here from Oregon when her fiancee, who she said had lied to her about having cancer, died. Now she's in sort of an in-between ...

Posted Thu, Feb 19, 9:46 a.m.

I had to laugh at the notion of the Yakima and Columbia valleys being "truly diverse." I grew up in that area, and the only thing diverse about it is the high Hispanic population. When I was a child, the migrant workers - and they truly were migratory at that ...

Posted Wed, Feb 18, 7:39 a.m.

I can't disagree; this is where I see things headed. At the same time, I fear for our communities when it finally happens. Part of the "yarn" that knits together the community is to be found in the little newspaper details about bake sales, ballet recitals, public meetings, and the ...

Posted Fri, Feb 13, 8:17 a.m.

This is not just an issue about prisoner access. The idea of a sunshine law is predicated on good-faith requests (as well as compelling good-faith responses). Some citizens who have nothing better to do with their time have turned this into a means of harrassment - for instance, every one ...

Posted Thu, Jan 15, 7:59 a.m.

"Planners are merely bureaucrats"?! I suppose so, if that's what you think of your job. Personally, I strive not to be merely a bureaucrat, yet at the same time I don't have the arrogance to deem myself a "land use superstar." Yeesh. As with any issue, there are some people ...

Posted Thu, Nov 20, 7:41 a.m.

Gee, this should've been worked together with the other piece about atheism and politics. It could provide some explanation for Northwest political views! :)

Posted Thu, Nov 20, 7:37 a.m.

There are a whole lot more people out here who eschew organized religion than others might think. It took me a helluva long time to be able to say out loud "I'm not a Christian" because I was always worried about how others would react (and still do; it isn't ...

Posted Tue, Nov 18, 10:30 a.m.

Last week, I was dismayed to find that Sirius/XM had rolled out its programming changeover with no notice whatsoever, save for an e-mail the morning of. Gone were my favorite personalities, and my favorite channel has been replaced. This morning, thanks to a linked article I'd sent to a friend ...

Posted Thu, Nov 6, 9:29 a.m.

"I did hard time in Olympia motel rooms" Hmmm, I'm sure you didn't mean for that to sound somehow nefarious...

Posted Tue, Oct 21, 11:09 a.m.

Personally, I don't choose to share my voting preferences. But I must admit that in the candidate races, I'm getting tired of voting AGAINST somebody in selecting my preferred candidate. I would like to have someone I support, but more frequently it isn't an affirmative vote so much as a ...

Posted Mon, Oct 13, 12:56 p.m.

My comment: The left-hand margin is cutting off on both the comments box and the posted comments themselves. I don't recall this happening previously so maybe it's a glitch in the new program - ???

Posted Mon, Oct 13, 12:53 p.m.

To me, this sort of decline is reflective of diversity - albeit the down side - and a decline in "common" cultural expectations about behavior, engagement, etc. The old guy who put up the traffic cones never expected to encounter people whose values were so different than his that a ...

Posted Tue, Sep 30, 9:26 a.m.

Is this supposed to be funny?: It really isn't. The representatives I heard speaking out on yesterday's failed vote for the most part had a somber tone, not self-congratulatory. No, this isn't a good situation; yes, I do question our government's ability to get us out of it. But this ...

Posted Wed, Sep 24, 12:50 p.m.

The problem with the argument in the last paragraph: Sewers are considered, under the state Growth Management Act, to constitute "urban" infrastructure. See definitions of "urban services" and "rural services" in RCW 36.70A.030(20). The latter refers to exceptions for sewer provision in rural areas created under RCW 36.70A.110(4), which does ...

Posted Fri, Sep 19, 2:58 p.m.

It's THE Evergreen State College!: ...not Evergreen State College; as in our state moniker "The Evergreen State."

Posted Mon, Sep 15, 2:20 p.m.

Not my candidate: This woman does not represent my values, and to me merely serves as a symbol of the R party's desperation to win the "v vote" by putting a woman on the ballot. Really, it's sort of sad that she doesn't recognize she's being used in this way.

Posted Mon, Sep 8, 12:18 p.m.

What's the legal process?: I don't live in Seattle so am not familiar with its codes, and frankly I'm disinclined to spend a lot of time sifting through looking for the statutory notice period that I know must be there for public hearings! The Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A.140) sets ...

Posted Mon, Sep 8, 11:55 a.m.

Read a book!: I'm not just a late adopter; my husband insists I'm a dinosaur. I still don't have an Ipod or a laptop. I can't program my cell phone without the book, and I have no idea how to use its camera or other, non-phone functions. My husband says, ...

Posted Tue, Aug 26, 12:32 p.m.

A bad tourism move: I live in Olympia. I used to live in S. King, and I still come to Seattle a fair amount to shop, eat out, go to events, etc. Just yesterday, one of my King Co. friends and I planned a "girls' weekend out" at a Seattle ...

Posted Wed, Aug 13, 11:55 a.m.

No grandfather status??: Why is it that the City's nonconforming use standards don't apply to this structure? If it was legal in the first place, and it's been in continuous operation even through the changes in ownership, then it should be a legal nonconforming use - sometimes called "grandfathered" - ...

Posted Wed, Jul 30, 9:25 a.m.

The nanny wants you to speak properly: HUH??? I must've missed the latest generaiton of slanguage. Now it's "nannying" instead of "Big Brother"?! No, when I Googled the term "nanny government" - because truly, I've never heard the word used in this way before - up came a whole bunch ...

Posted Thu, Jul 3, 9:33 a.m.

The correct answer should be...NO.: Federal tax returns are private. Despite being a public figure, any elected official or candidate has the right to expect privacy in some areas of his or her life. This should be a non-issue, but even by asking it becomes an issue if the candidate ...

Posted Wed, Apr 9, 12:01 p.m.

News to me!!!: Good grief! I've been telling people the wrong thing all these years!! I grew up in Central Washington - yes, you Seattle-centrics, there is such a place, usually dubbed "Eastern" over here - and prior to reading this story believed the current Pike Place location was the ...

Posted Mon, Mar 3, 11:28 a.m.

Push poll, push-pull, pull in: I completed the ST survey last week, after which I encouraged numerous other public sector colleagues to take a look at it; that ST is clearly fishing to shape its next ballot measure. Push polling? Maybe. But at minimum, a fairly blatant attempt to take ...

Posted Tue, Jan 15, 12:45 p.m.

Offensive characterizations: I don't particularly appreciate some of the wording in either the headline or content of this column. "Godless" because I don't have a religious affiliation? Lacking in "values" because I don't choose to attend church? Clearly this discussion calls for a more open mind. People can have values, ...

Posted Thu, Dec 27, 9:44 a.m.

Dif'rnt strokes for dif'rnt folks: Since moving to Olympia over a decade ago, I've all but stopped attending weeknight functions in Seattle; it makes for too long a night and too early a workday morning following. However, when I discovered a solo third-row Young Frankenstein ticket available on a Thursday ...

Posted Tue, Dec 4, 10:37 a.m.

I hope my latest visit doesn't portend things to come!: I happened to be in Portland last weekend and aborted my usually lengthy, expensive visit to Powell's after I found the "cranky fairy" had evidently visited its staff overnight. My trip began with a thorough dressing-down by a woman in ...

Posted Wed, Oct 31, 6:54 a.m.

Renovation ain't cheap: I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding when people think about school construction. Capital funding for schools and educational funding for school programs do not come out of the same pot of money. It seems as if, when the "average guy" thinks of these two things, there's a ...