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The case for more rail transit
Little boxes, crammed together
At the top floors, the high and mighty are in denial
Sausage Links, blame-game edition
Sausage Links, gas cards for bad guys edition
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The case for more rail transit
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Sound Transit showdown
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At the top floors, the high and mighty are in denial
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Little boxes, crammed together
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More fun than Deliverance!
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Bus envy
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Crosscut most recent
Sausage Links, top-two headache edition
David Postman had a busy morning. First, The Seattle Times chief political writer reported the proper way to describe the death with dignity "assisted suicide" initiative. Then he dropped a political firebomb, reporting the state's political parties haven't yet given up trying to ax the "top-two" primary, with both Republicans and Democrats claiming the entire '08 election won't count. I thought that headache was over. Turns out it's just getting started. ...
Polimedia (late) lunch links, 'Belch if you love democracy' edition
The Right blogosphere is all over the GOP's call to investigate Gov. Christine Gregoire's gambling compact with a Washington state native tribe, here and here — while Eric Earling at Sound Politics also makes an interesting observation about The Seattle Times' lack of coverage on the issue.
Gregoire's gambling compact should shock us all
Since my return to Seattle more than seven years ago, I have noted many changes in the state and local political cultures. The most disappointing has been the degree to which supposedly "liberal" governors, legislators, mayors and others accept as business-as-usual policies and practices which are shockingly self-interested and against the interests of a majority of their constituents.
America's national forests are in the middle of a "heritage" crisis as historic structures fall victim to budget cuts, vandalism, and neglect. Northwest forests are not immune, but citizens can help. How about vacationing in a fire lookout this summer?
Seattle's Hollywood 'Head Hunter'
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.
The Northwest's real fairy tales
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.
How the West was nuked
One of the best trends in historic commemoration is a greater willingness to honestly embrace history some would like to forget. In the bill containing Washington's new Wild Sky Wilderness that just passed Congress, there is funding for a National Park Service memorial on Bainbridge Island commemorating the shameful internment of Japanese civilians during World War II. The internment proposal was pushed hard by Rep. Jay Inslee and Sen. Maria Cantwell. Coming to terms with our nuclear past is another problematic area, but one that is also getting a more attention in the West.
A Western Washington University professor has compared native languages in North America to those in Asia and found ties that suggest they come from the same ancestors.
While officials are calling for a moratorium on commercial salmon fishing along much of the West Coast, they're opting for a different tactic in Puget Sound: continued fishing.
Tacoma's Cushman dam reduced parts of the Skokomish to a trickle years ago, and the time to repair the damage — to salmon habitat and to the Skokomish people — is now.
Trying to find a saner, more just "ethic of place." Good luck with that, Seattle. Two important new books explain why.
How would Pacific Northwest history have differed had we taken pioneer James Swan's advice about how to treat the native population?
The Seattle-based national radio host has been the talk of the blogosphere this week. And he was flamed as the "Worst Person in the World" by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann for an article about America's culpability in the institution of slavery. He spoke with Crosscut's David Neiwert about why he believes he was right.
What do Paul Allen, a gray whale, and the Washington State Ferries have in common? They all displace a lot of water. Or two of them are running out of gas, and one of them is all gas. You decide.
An exhibition in Seattle features a 150-year scrapbook of images highlighting our relationship with nature, from dead eagles and illuminated orcas to sacred groves and horned loggers.
Last of four parts: On Day 5, the author, an historian, completes her circumnavigation of Lake Washington on foot, returning to Kirkland, which was a spectacular failure as a steel town but is a booming modern suburb. Her total distance: 67 miles. Duration: centuries.
Some of the most interesting and odd-ball historic preservation work is going on outside of Seattle in the land of vanishing farms, strip malls, and "Kung Pao weiner schnitzel."
The 12-acre Denny Triangle land sale opens up options for downtown development, but it also could be a chance to right some wrongs — if we play our Trump cards right.
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Baker Dam
With the Olympics just 18 months away, congestion at the U.S.-Canadian border raises concern
Mariners lead league in at least one category: environmental awareness
New name for the Sonics: Oklahoma City Thunder, says a TV station
A long-odds referendum could reverse the city's settlement with the Sonics
King County pulls a pesticide guide to food from the Web
Tomatoes get the green light from the FDA, but hot peppers are still suspect
Bremerton's historic Sinclair Building will be torn down this week
Mariners lead league in at least one category: environmental awareness
Sausage Links, pot, farms, and medicine edition
The black critic who dares to dis hiphop
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