Apr 14, 2011

Officer James Lee, the Seattle Police officer involved in the following encounter was charged with assault yesterday: As you can clearly see, a man holding his hands in the air was kicked three times. Once in the leg, twice in the head/face. Ironically, City Attorney Pete Holmes ruled that the exact same behavior in the “Mexican Piss Incident” was,...

Apr 13, 2011

Seattle schools have taken political correctness to a whole new level. See: http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=459668 To summarize, a 16 year old girl wanted to hand out Easter Eggs to a third grade classroom. The school agreed, on one condition: Instead of calling them “Easter Eggs”, the girl would have to refer to them as “Spring...

Apr 13, 2011

Even though Seattle is the greatest city in the country, it does have some peculiarities that make it lacking in some areas. One of these areas is a vibrant street food culture. In most large cities, street vendors are part of the landscape; a landscape that really helps add to the “energy” of the streets. Seattle, however, only has a few street...

Apr 13, 2011

Yesterday, a group of people lined 5th Avenue between Madison and Marion to protest Washington State SB 5073. I’m not terribly up to speed on this bill myself, but apparently it would, among other things, create a “voluntary” registry of patients who use medical marijuana. The registry would be “confidential”, with the caveat that...

Apr 12, 2011

Today at 10am, students gathered on the lawn of the Seattle Central Community College to protest the proposed 11% budget cuts in higher education funding. According to a release by organizers: “Our educated workforce is the engine that drives our economic survival, allowing us to attract and retain powerhouse multinational industrial and technological...

Apr 12, 2011

As a former bicycle messenger, these stories are near and dear to my heart: Seattle Police are looking for the driver of a red minivan that slammed into a bicyclist in Belltown then drove off, leaving the biker critically injured. The crash happened around 7:00p.m. Monday on First Avenue between Bell and Blanchard streets. The bicyclist, a 30-year old man, was...

Apr 11, 2011

Last Monday, the Seattle City Council unanimously adopted a measure to give a secondary designation to First Avenue between S. Royal Brougham Way & Edgar Martinez Drive. The new street name is “Dave Niehaus Way South”. Dave Niehaus was the Mariners broadcaster since the team’s inception in 1977. He died last November of a heart...

Apr 10, 2011

I spent the day today following a flash mob all over the city of Seattle. Why? Because it was there … and a couple of friends were in it. The action started at 11:00am at the Cal Anderson Park ballfields for a final rehearsal. When practice was over, the mob headed down to the Space Needle where the first performance was scheduled. Once there, a couple...

Apr 9, 2011

I used to laugh at the notion of a “Webmaster”, but it’s not nearly as bad as a “Market Master”. Why not “Market Overlord”? Seriously, what egomaniac comes up with these terms? Something seems unnatural about needing a permit to busk, but I imagine that Pike Place would be overrun without them. It’s clearly the...

Apr 7, 2011

Speak of the devil. “Neighbors in Lake City are fighting back against the mayor’s plan to add bike lanes to a big North Seattle hill, eliminating two lanes for cars. This week, yellow-and-black signs questioning the change to Northeast 125th Street appeared on the hill with the main number for Mayor Mike McGinn’s office. The Seattle Department of...

Apr 5, 2011

Today is April 5th. Minor holiday for Nirvana fans around the world. After a well-deserved nap today, I decided to head over to Lake Washington Boulevard and see how the festivities were shaping up. I hopped on my scooter, rode up to the forbidden gas station (which has ironically become my primary filling station), and filled up my tank; all .9 gallons of it. ...

Apr 5, 2011

Man, I’m tired. I was up all night nursing a sick child back to health. Yes, I am as surprised as you are that I am still lactating at this age. In any event, sometime around 11pm the local news came on and cut to a shot of the Space Needle. It was glowing a different color. I immediately began chomping at the bit. On one hand, I had a sick kid. On the...

Apr 2, 2011

Oh my god, the sky is falling! The sky is falling! http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Seattle-street-signs-changed-on-April-Fools-Day-119099109.html It appears to be an April Fools Joke, leaving people laughing and confused on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Someone taped an “n” over the “k” on signs for Pike Street and vice-versa...

Apr 1, 2011

Have city workers been drinking on the job? I just jumped on my scooter for a quick trip up to Broadway, and on my way back, I noticed the City has entirely mislabeled a major street. As I was getting ready to make my usual turn on Pine Street, I noticed that the smaller street sign for Pine Street said “Pike St”. I U-turned, parked my scoot in front...

Apr 1, 2011

The Federal Government has launched two concurrent investigations into the Seattle Police Department. We’ve known for some time that the Department of Justice would be scrutinizing the SPD for civil rights violations, and those investigations have begun. What comes as somewhat of a surprise, however, is that the Feds will also be launching a completely...

Mar 31, 2011

At about 9am this morning, I left home with my family en-route to Broadway Market for a little pre-weekend grocery shopping. Weekday mornings are prime if you hate standing in line, and standing in line is something that I detest more than anything. As we were climbing Mount Pine Street, led by two sherpas, I checked my Android to see if anything interesting...

Mar 30, 2011

eduplace.com At least that’s what wealthy corporate news would have you believe. There’s a new “study’ making the rounds in the mainstream media. Apparently, the Wall Street Journal came up with a new scheme to get eyeballs, and I have to hand it to them, it worked. The scheme is called the “Misery Index”, and it claims to...

Mar 28, 2011

Download Video: MP4 I just got back from the “Pro-Police” rally on 12th Street, and I have to tell you, I’m kind of baffled. I mean, I just don’t get it. What, exactly, are the people of Capitol Hill supposed to think about this? “Awww shucks, ma’am, you’re right. That whole Ian Birk thing was an overreaction on my part. My...

Mar 28, 2011

I cannot fathom the lack of intellect behind the statement scrawled on this wall. Hey guys, when you’re done rebelling against daddy, can you wash this off? Better yet, keep this crap in your own neighborhood. You know, in Bothell where you left to escape your unglamorous past. It’s not revolutionary to destroy property with the knowledge that your...

Mar 28, 2011

I was not even aware that this had been proposed: A proposal to let big companies put corporate logos at the top of downtown high-rises will not be considered this year, City Council President Richard Conlin said Monday. (snip) Currently, Seattle protects the skyline from business branding through a 1986 code that bars building signs higher than 65 feet. An...

Mar 28, 2011

As the owners and players wrangle over $9 Billion in revenue, rumblings have already begun about a potential cancellation of the 2011-2012 NFL football season. Yesterday, a few protestors gathered outside of Qwest Field (a/k/a Century Link Field) to vent their frustrations at what they perceive as greed on the part of the team. (Read about it here:...

Mar 26, 2011

I just left Victor Steinbrueck Park near Pike Place Market where a group of about 30 people are currently protesting Monsanto in what they call the “Rally for the Right to Know”. Rallies to raise awareness of the danger of Monsanto are planned around the nation this Saturday, March 26th. They are being organized by The Organic Consumers Association,...

Mar 25, 2011

It’s better than “Quicken Loans Field”, but not by much. The venerable Qwest Field is rumored to be getting the name change this summer, and from early feedback, it does not appear that the name will be popular. It seems like a slap in the face for a publicly-funded stadium, and helps explain why I would never, ever, EVER vote for public...

Mar 23, 2011

In what to me is arguably the humorous story of the year, yesterday, a pro-police rally was held by none other than … The wives of police officers. Seriously. No, really, I’m not kidding: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/118484749.html “Chanting encouragements like “Woo, you rock, you rock, you rock!” and “Who do we love?...

Mar 22, 2011

New banners are flying over Broadway in Capitol Hill. These new decorations have appeared courtesy of a construction mitigation fund set up by Sound Transit and the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce while the new subway station is being built. Read the full story...