crosscut.com : Weird

Amazing Bigfoot discovery!

Crosscut — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:01:01 PDT

From what I can tell from news reports, yesterday's press conference by Bigfoot hunters claiming to have found a Sasquatch corpse in Georgia had some startling revelations. One is DNA results that answer the question: Just what is Bigfoot?

Was we 'robbed' by nature?

Crosscut — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:00:01 PDT

I couldn't help but laugh at this bold headline on CNN.com: "Gravity, erosion rob Utah park of popular arch." Why so funny? There wouldn't even be an Arches National Park if it wasn't for gravity and erosion. In fact, many of the West's most popular parks are monuments to gravity and erosion (think the Grand Canyon for one).

Sausage Links, 'text me ur VP selection' edition

Crosscut — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:08:01 PDT

It may come as no surprise that Republican U.S. Rep. Richard "Doc" Hastings isn't a real doctor — but did you know he's a college dropout? The folks at McCranium discovered that juicy detail in this Daily Record story about Hastings' recent commencement speech at Central Washington University. Since then, the blogosphere — comme d'habitude — has pounced.

Sausage Links, debating the polls edition

Crosscut — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:00:01 PDT

Washington state pollster Stuart Elway unveiled his latest poll — and it's a doozy. Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire is crushing GOP challenger Dino Rossi by 16 points. A SurveyUSA poll taken last week, however, showed Gregoire only up 49 percent to 46 percent — a pretty big discrepancy. Either way, voters will get a chance to refine their choices in coming months, as the two gubernatorial candidates agreed yesterday to debate at least three times before the Nov. 4 general election. So far, the debates would be in Seattle, Yakima, and Spokane. ...

Sidewalk crack addict

Crosscut — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:00:01 PDT

As a public service, we bust a few myths. Suffice it to say that all roads do not lead to Rome.

Sausage Links, no pun intended edition

Crosscut — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:43:01 PDT

Seattle Post-Inteliigencer political writer Chris McGann reports how Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi's opposition to abortion, gay marriage, gun control, stem cell research and gay rights' expansion has been underplayed by his campaign in an effort to sway liberal voters. Rossi, however, says those aren't the issues he's running on. Meanwhile, Josh Feit at the Stranger has some potentially bad news for Gregoire — the ominous Obama-Rossi yard sign juxtaposition. ...

Sausage Links, plastic bag identification edition

Crosscut — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:56:01 PDT

Democratic congressional candidate Darcy Burner is sitting on a boatload of cash. So far she's raised $1.2 million, while her opponent, Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, has only received $916,000 from donors. David Goldstein at Horse's Ass has more coverage. ...

All the rage

Crosscut — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:00:01 PDT

What's to blame for all the anger as cyclists, drivers, and citizens fight over their rights on the streets? Is it $4 gas? Young punks? Class warfare? Poor urban design? It's time to theorize.

Sausage Links, beer for thought edition

Crosscut — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:12:01 PDT

Is beer the sleeper issue of the 2008 election? The folks at FiveThirtyEight seem to think so. Apparently, Cindy McCain's company, Hensley & Co., is set to make at least a million bucks from InBev's takeover of Anheuser Busch — a merger which Sen. Barack Obama called a "shame" and which has already sparked some antitrust interest. ...

The pet peeve

Crosscut — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:00:01 PDT

A number of bloggers have been looking into the Southern California habit of putting "the" in front of freeway numbers, as in "don't take The 5 because it's really backed up." People in other parts of California are alarmed at the spread of the habit throughout the state, and I've heard it creeping into Seattle jargon, as well.

Holy chiroptera! Meet the local bats

Crosscut — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:21:01 PDT

Like the neighbors I rarely see until July, bats are making their appearances during the drawn-out summer evenings here in the Northwest. Flitting in the dusk, these nocturnal and flying mammals that use ultrasonic calls outside of our hearing range inhabit a world quite separate from mine. But Bats Northwest, an education and conservation group of bat aficionados, is here to bridge that gap through summertime bat walks at Green Lake, and there's one this Monday, July 28, at 8 p.m.

Vanity profanity! The 600 license plates banned by the state

Crosscut — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:00:01 PDT

Try as they might, some motorists can't outsmart officials when it comes to custom license numbers. On the other hand, sometimes seemingly illicit alphanumerics are actually demonstrably proper.

Sausage Links, transit migraine edition —Â part deux

Crosscut — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:00:01 PDT

Want to know if the new light rail line will stop in your neck of the woods? Any minute now, the Sound Transit board is expected to approve this map of proposed transit routes to be placed on the ballot. For now, here's the buzz:

Sausage Links, pot, farms, and medicine edition

Crosscut — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:58:01 PDT

Count on the alt-weeklies to provide blow-by-blow coverage of the recent ~~medical marijuana bust~~ illegal search and seizure. Dominic Holden at The Stranger has the story about the incident — along with copies of the police report and the arresting officer's search warrant. According to the reports, Seattle Police officers tore down a wall while searching for an illegal pot-growing operation that didn't exist, while seizing bags of marijuana and medical records. The folks at Seattlest would like to remind the SPD that medical marijuana has been legal in Washington for nearly 10 years. ...

More fun than Deliverance!

Crosscut — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Spend your summer vacation in Eastern Washington, an exotic locale where lakes are slippery, the Scablands surprising, and wheat farmers are smashing stuff for fun.

Sausage Links, cougar-hunting edition

Crosscut — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:28:01 PDT

Praise the Lord and release the hounds — because our good state Legislature has enacted a law which makes it legal once again to use dogs to hunt cougars. Now, I didn't even know cougar hunting was legal in Washington — minus Cougars wearing crimson — but apparently, it is. While the bill was actually passed by the Legislature in February, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a public meeting on Friday to discuss whether the pilot program should continue for another three years.

Meanwhile, Micheal Reitz of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation has compiled a list of some other curious laws enacted by the Washington Legislature this year. My personal favorite: Violators may face up to $1,000 or up to a year in jail for selling raw or unprocessed huckleberries without a permit.

RFK Jr.'s plot to destroy the planet

Crosscut — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:00:01 PDT

Environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently paid a visit to Washington and sang its praises, but I'm not sure why he'd be welcome these days.

Sausage Links, gas cards for bad guys edition

Crosscut — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:20:01 PDT

Alright everybody. Let's head to Tacoma. If we hurry, we can help Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers catch sexual predators, gangsters, domestic violence abusers, and violent criminals. Why? Because they're giving away $250 gas cards and up to $1,000 in exchange for information that would lead to arrests. Here's the list of criminals. Start hunting. After all, what better incentive is there to dodge outrageous gas prices than to catch perverts? Don't answer that.

Screwed by the Okies — again!

Crosscut — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:00:01 PDT

Who's to blame for losing the Sonics to Oklahoma City? That's the question being kicked around town. But I wonder why it is that "world class" Seattle keeps getting its collective ass kicked by the Okies.

When animals attack, and also when they don't

Crosscut — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:00:01 PDT

It's the time of year when animal-human encounters are on the rise. Bears are picnicking on hikers, moose are invading trailer parks, and muskrats are blamed for destroying entire towns. You could be next.