A few weeks ago I was quoted in the Olympian regarding my opinion about the erosion of the ideal Briggs Urban Village. First floor retail, second story office and apartments. Its a great idea, but not one apparently very popular with the people who own most of my neighborhood. Don’t get me wrong, it is…
Month: September 2013
Cascadia Exists: Dipping my toe into Cascadian religion
Religion seems to potentially be a deep and rich topic for defining how Cascadia exists. Like many other regions (Methodists in the Midlands and Baptists in Dixie) religion seems to have a defining pull on Cascadia. But, in a unique way, different (seemingly) than another other region. But, for now, just a couple of maps…
Draft of Call it Cascadia Manifesto
Don’t call us the Northwest. When you talk about the upper left hand corner of the United States (and possibly the lower left of Canada), go ahead and call us Cascadia. Here are a few reasons why: 1. The current alternative is “Northwest” or the redundant “Pacific Northwest” (as if we need to distance ourselves…
Walter Wilder shot himself in New Jersey
Prenote: If you’re thinking about suicide, talk to someone right this minute. Call 1-800-273-8255 or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It had been six years since the Capitol building in Olympia, Washington had been completed. Walter Wilder was in his home in Suffern New York, less than a mile from the New Jersey border….
The rise and decline and possible rise again of the Olympia oyster
The history of the Olympia oyster — as talismanic center of a Puget Sound home grown industry — is one of the most fascinating stories around here. It is literally an industry and species wiped out because of industrial pollution which itself doesn’t exist because of laws and social concerns that didn’t come about until…
What we’re all concerened about right before the city election (Olyblogosphere for September 9, 2013)
The somewhat under cover debate on a low income shelter somewhere in northern Thurston County finally surfaced in August when a possible location on the eastside of downtown. Here are a sampling of the Olyblogosphere discussion so far. 1. Ken has a fairly well written explanation of what the prevailing opinion would be of people…
People outside of Cascadia don’t think about Cascadia. Is that a bad thing? (Cascadia exists #6)
This map series in the Business Insider is fascinating. It is a series of graphic answers to questions asked to Americans about what they think about other states. What state is the rudest, has the best food, best or worst sports fans and that sort of thing. California, the South in general and New York…
Oregon’s territorial delegate didn’t purjer himself in front of the Supreme Court and Washington’s first Republican territorial governor wasn’t a Lincoln pall bearer
First on Samuel Thurston, which I wrote about here, but I’ll do it again. Its pretty interesting, I took at look into this claim, that Samuel Thurston (the first territorial delegate from Oregon to Congress) lied in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to take revenge on English settlers that predated American claims. I read…