I have noticed an unusual energy the past two or three days.

Don't have much time to write so here goes:

Hazy sky; lots of military overflight, f-15s?, f-18s? and helicopters; are those bombs exploding that I hear tonight?

Anyone else noticed anything? Kind of feels like I would expect it to feel if Sauron was preparing to move.

bert

The Olympian's story on the isthmus rezone this morning was headlined "Opponents in majority at city height hearing," but it didn't include any actual data about the crowd. (Since I'm kind of a geek, and I like knowing the numbers, I went down and counted the sign-in sheets today.)

15 people signed in supporting the rezone. 287 people signed in opposing it. (There were also a few people who signed in but didn't express a position, and a couple I couldn't decide how to count.) The longer comment sheets weren't available yet.

Best,
Thad

This post is not meant to be a debate on issues or a place for dogmatic rants. If you want to discuss Obama vs. McCain, Rossi vs. Gregoire, hammer on State employees, or the ethics of the Iraq Invasion, etc., please take it elsewhere. Instead, I'm interested in how accurate our OlyBlog political seers might be in predicting the cold results of several election outcomes and political problems in an objective way. I know several of you lurkers out there are political junkies. Step right up and show yourselves. Be brave. Political scientists, this is your moment!

The questions:

Presidential race: Who will win? Extra bonus points for predicting popular vote percentage and Electoral vote count.

Extra special point for predicting the outcome of the Presidential race in Washington State. If you're a real addict, county by county results will be incredible.

Rossi or Gregoire? Percentages? 

Land Commissioner race: Sutherland or Goldmark? Percentages?

State Hiring Freeze: When it will be lifted?

Osama Captured or Killed Before the Election: Yes or no?

In the Presidential race, who will be the target of the "October Surprise?": And if you predict the details of the surprise that will be extra-special, scoop-worthy, and you should consider a career as a political pundit.

The Economy: Further down the toilet by Election Day? Or stabilized?

Gas Prices: I'll use Washington Gas Prices as my source. As of today, the lowest gas price in Washington State is $3.49 at several stations in the Bellingham area. Will this go up or down by Election Day?

Invasion of Iran before Election Day? : Yes or no? 

I'll revisit this post after Election Day and see (A) If anyone was willing to take a big risk and predict, and (B) If so, how accurate they were.  

I started a new thread out of fear any posting I made would get lost in the volumes under your original post HERE.

I would like to thank you for all your hard work and dedication and ability to respond to all the negativity and opposition with dignity and respect.  Some posts directed at you seem as if to be cornering you in hopes of changing your mind or making you a fool but you are able to escape with your stance intact!

I agree in the opinions of and would like to join OLY 2012 in their efforts to improve downtown and promote growth. 

Again, thank you for speaking for those of us who agree with the stance and opinions of Oly 2012 and feel we don't have a voice or fear reprisal.

For those of you who disagree with OLY 2012 and my opinion, please show the same respect and dignity Peter has in any responses you may have here.

Aires and Graces debut CD-EP "Hope and Fortitude" is available! The six song EP features staples of the Aires and Graces set and exhibits both sonic density and lyrical depth.

"For those who enjoy the sounds and concept of patriot working class protest, pay attention to this band." -- Oi Bastards Webzine

"A number of good band have been appearing years in the United States in the last few years. And one of those bands, is Aires and Graces." -- Watch Your Back Blog

You can get our record at our website airesandgraces.deadendsocialclub.com Or at Deadendsocialclub.com Or Along with other great Dead End Social Club releases at Interpunk.com.

We also have shirts left. We have a few M, L, XL’s. They are available for only 15 dollars. You can email us at info at deadendsocialclub dot com for availability.

You can order our shirts through our website Airesandgraces.deadendsocialclub.com

While you are looking to buy merch. Remember that Dead End Social Club has the “Take it Back” scarves available. Featuring the Crucified Skinhead image, and the phrase “Take it Back”. All sales for this scarf will go directly to helping us out on the Patriot tour!!!

Deadendsocialclub.com

Yeah, so... I'm not exactly a n00b on the internets, but this site has always baffled me.

My first visit was about a year ago. I saw that the site seemed to be set up for news, but was used more like a forum, although most of the content seemed to be generated by blogs, which I couldn't find a list of. Confused about how to navigate the site, and mystified by the many references to something called a "caiman," I left.

Today I tried again. This time I saw a list of recent posts in the sidebar. Intrigued by the topics, I registered, logged in, and tried to post a comment.

A pink error message box appeared, along with a notification that my comment would be subject to moderator approval before posting. That means twice the chance that my comment won't post at all, and twice the delay in finding out if it did. And then the list of posts mysteriously disappeared from the sidebar, so I couldn't even find the thing (thread? blog? caiman?) I'd responded to.

Eventually I discovered that the "books/collections" link did not refer to antiques or paperbacks but to a useful index (finally!) of topic-related threads. It took a while to figure this out because something on the main page (a video? one of those RSS menu thingies?) kept trying to load itself, crashing my browser and making me have to restart my computer. I've never had that problem on any other forum or blog site, but it happened about five times in 30 minutes on this one.

I'm sorry that my first post is so negative. I just want this site to be more accessible so that I (and others like me, assuming such creatures exist) can actually use it.

Community Youth Services in late September will host a series of youth poetry workshops presented by renowned mythologist and storyteller Michael Meade and his Seattle-based group, the Mosaic Multi-Cultural Foundation. The four-day program, entitled Voices of Youth, Voices of Community, will engage street dependent youth in the creation of an artistic forum for their own expression while developing mentoring relationships within their community. Mosaic seeks to create cross-cultural alliances, mentoring relationships and social connections built upon personal trust and commitment to bridging unhealthy divisions in contemporary communities. Hearing the acute perspectives of youth can significantly change the community’s perception of both local and national issues and inspire continuing conversations across the generation gap. Voices of Youth inspires and empowers local youth, fosters ongoing cross-generational dialogues and leads to the development of unique local forms of mentoring.

"A healthy, many-cultured community is like a MOSAIC in which the overall design reveals the singular beauty of each part,” writes Michael Meade on the foundation’s website. “In that sense, America is not a melting pot that dulls and blurs, but a mosaic, made of numerous distinct pieces, with beautiful, unexpected colors, rough edges and hidden symmetries."

The workshops will culminate in a public performance for the community that will take place on Friday, September 26, 7 pm, at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts Black Box Theater. It is free and open to the public. To learn more about the event, contact Brian Hatcher at Community Youth Services, (360) 943-0780, ext. 137. For more information on Mosaic, visit www.mosaicvoices.org.

Here's a video of last year's event:

Photos are up, posted to flickr. Here's a link to the set: Olympia City Council Urban Water Front Rezone Isthmus Land-Use Hearing

here's a sample:

The 5th annual World Sacred Music Festival of Olympia is scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 2009. It may seem a long time from now, but when planning such a huge event, the time is really short!

The committee is urgently seeking a few key volunteers. If we don’t have these positions filled by October 15, the festival probably will not occur! WILL YOU PLEASE help identify people who might be willing to fill one of these critical volunteer spots?

· Event Coordinator: Someone who will oversee the work of the various committee chairmen and keep them on track. Organizational skills and event management abilities are key. 

· Funding/Sponsorship Coordinator: Someone who, with staff support from festival sponsor Interfaith Works, will seek business and community sponsors for the festival. Put your connections to work!

· Volunteer Coordinator: Schedule and arrange the training of festival volunteers. We have much of the scheduling and structure already in place, just need someone to oversee it all. 

Interested persons should contact interfaithworks@comcast.net or phone 360-357-7224.

Lots of info about the festival may be found on the festival website, olysacredmusic.org 

A devoted volunteer planning committee is already deeply engaged in recruiting performers and artists, soliciting tablers, recruiting volunteers, etc. These three volunteer, part-time positions are crucial to completing the planning group.