Join the Native Student Alliance in celebrating a Day of Indigenous Solidarity, Monday, October 10th. There will be a march from Woodruff Park located at the intersection of Harrison St. and Thomas to Silvester Park, downtown. All those interested in joining the NSA are asked to assemble in Woodruff Park at 4 pm, the march will begin at 4:40 and the rally and celebration in Silvester will take place from 5 - 7 pm and will include a performance by Aztec dancers and speakers, including yours truly.

As you know, our government still observes "Columbus Day" as a federal holiday. Many of us feel that the time has come for American Society to move on from a celebration of colonialism and 500 years of oppression of the native peoples of this hemisphere. Rather, we wish to focus on the survival and revival of many rich and enduring indigenous cultures, the contributions that have been made to the benefit of all civilized peoples by indigenous peoples and our hope for a future society that will respect and honor the sacred in the natural world around us. I hope to see you there.

Probably one of the better ideas I've ever heard of, that I would really love to do, but would take some real convincing to get me off my duff to do, is Nanowimo, or National Novel Writing Month.

Its way more than a month really (I heard about it a few years ago from a friend that was seriously considering jumping into it). It is a great examle of how the internet works to bring people together and... well, I'd let the Nanowrimo folks explain details themselves:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

HADITHA, Iraq -- They stormed the insurgent-ridden city of Fallujah, returned home, and now are back in Iraq's most troubled province - all in 10 months time. Some prefer this hectic pace.

"I didn't join the Marine Corps just to stand around," said Lance Cpl. Giovanni Perez of Los Angeles.

But for others, the demands of the overstretched U.S. military are just too much, regardless of the bonuses being dangled before them to re-enlist.

"I get out of the Marine Corps in seven months and I can't wait," Cpl. Daniel Trigg of Olympia, Wash., said while guarding a mosque where a large cache of insurgent weapons was being removed.

Trigg is on his third tour in Iraq in three years. His last tour had him in the southern city of Najaf, where U.S. troops fought fierce battles with Shiite Muslim militiamen last year.

The Olympian is running a piece about planned improvements to Percival Landing.

The popular boardwalk will be rebuilt during the next 10 to 20 years.

A study found that some of the wood pilings that support the 30-year-old landing from below are deteriorating and must be replaced.

Barker Landscape Architects of Seattle and Elizabeth Conner, an artist from Vashon Island, have been hired to lead a $125,000 public process for the redesign. The city will hunt for state grants and other construction money next year.

The existing landing and public art cost $4.1 million, said David Hanna, parks services manager. It will cost $6 million to rebuild it, with the price rising to $9 million if part of the landing is redesigned so it doesn't hang over the water.

In the meantime, the city will spend about $125,000 making annual inspections and repairs to keep the boardwalk open while it plans for the replacement.

The draft plan does not say what materials will be used when the landing is rebuilt. Residents have said they prefer a wood or rustic look. Johnson said the city will keep that in mind as they look for materials that can withstand the marine environment better than the wood pilings.

Public comment will be accepted until Oct. 20th. Check out the plans here.