I would like Olympia to be a community that has reduced it's production of waste to near zero (sustainable) levels (and not just around the holiday season!).

I would like to see a vibrant downtown, populated with eateries, art galleries and art studios, a diversity of businesses that will have taken the concept of localism to new levels. I would like to see a community that has made meaningful strides in the direction of self-sufficiency. I can imagine a downtown where automotive traffic is limited to circumstances of necessity, i.e. where disability requires it, for example, or in the case of the transportation of large loads (like food.)

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I requested and received emails sent and received by the members of the Olympia City Council for the past six months. After sorting with respect to certain issues, I'm able to report some preliminary findings.

I chose to start by looking at two months: August and November. I reasoned that August would be a time when the population of homeless people would most visible, and would be a good comparison for November, when that population would be least visible.

The Council sends and receives a lot of email, about 1,600 in November alone (including a lot of spam -- they need better filters). I began by sorting out the messages that council members sent, allowing me to focus on the messages they received (interestingly, I noticed that some members do not seem to use email as much as the others). Then I searched on the following keywords: pedestrian, ordinance, amendment, sidewalk, downtown, homeless, street, and interference. This resulted in roughly 140 unique emails, of which approximately 80 were in favor of the amendment, and 60 against. (I've attached redacted versions of the emails in support of the ordinance that were received in November).

Now, some observations:

• First, 4 pro to 3 con is nothing like the 10 to 1 ratio that I've heard attributed to some Council members, and when considered in the context of the public meetings, it would seem that the anti-ordinance crowd has a majority. This is disappointing because it really erodes trust when public officials skew the data that they're getting on an issue. (To be fair, the report I heard was said to include personal conversations in addition to email, but that would require a lot of conversation to make up the difference.)
• Second, the comparison with August, a month in which the Council received a similar number of emails overall, and when you might expect people to be seeing more folks on the street. I could find only two that directly related to this issue (both complaints about the homeless). Not exactly a deluge.

I'm not sure if I'll have time to sift through the other four months of emails that I have, but if anyone is really interested, they are welcome to do so. I'll bring it on Monday to the Broho in case anyone does.

In Love We Wait

At the edge of madness dangles a star
    as all the world awaits—
The birth of a child meek and mild
    foretold by prophets of late.

An angel appeared to Joseph at night
    and whispered in a dream—
Be not afraid of shame and blame
    or of a woman unclean.

Go ahead and journey instead to
    Bethlehem in the east—
Where glory is told in a story of old
    beginning in Galilee.

Of angels that talk and shepherds and flocks
   in pastures ever green—
And love ahead and love behind and
   love that will always be.

AB Christie

From the Alliance For Community Media:

WE HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD BY AN FCC AIDE THAT THE "SUNSHINE" DATE IS THIS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, CLOSE OF BUSINESS.

This means that all of our contacts on this issue must be complete by then.  After that, we cannot call or contact them with our concerns.

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO CALL THEM AND FOLLOW THE FOUR EASY STEPS LISTED ON THE ATTACHMENT.

• All PEG, I-Net and other in-kind services would be counted against 5% franchise fees.  5% would be an absolute cap.
• Municipalities would have to approve new franchises for telephone companies within 90 days or allow them to operate without franchises.
• There would be no build-out requirements allowed whatsoever.
• New operators would not have to provide PEG channel capacity!

This is no false alarm.  We need you to check in now or all you have done before now will be for naught.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Anthony T. Riddle
Alliance for Community Media
666 11th Street NW, Suite 740
Washington, DC 20001
202.393.2650 p, 202.393.2653 f
<www.alliancecm.org>

Suburban Sprawl: environmental devastation, racial segregation, social isolation. Such descriptions have become synonymous with American suburbs--and South Sound is joining the ranks. Yet owning a new home in suburbia is still “the American dream.

I thought you all might enjoy reading an article in the Olympian about our concert!  I really hope we have a good turn out both to support OCS and PiPE!   Make sure to come and see if you can spot me give the sign of the Caiman from stage!  =) 

(And the people down at the Olympian must really like that picture of Terry!  lol  It's so goofy!  I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that they had used it AGAIN!!!)

Bluegrass Musicians and Fans -

You're invited to join us for homegrown fun at the Black Lake Grange this Friday for our all-comers monthly bluegrass jam. We generally start at 6 and go to about 9 (or later if we're having too much fun!)

All experience and age levels welcome. You don't have to play or sing to have fun at the jam. If you just like bluegrass music and would like to hang out with friendly folk this event is for you

Stringed acoustic instruments (and the occasional harmonica) invited. If you can sing, so much the better - that 'ol "high, lonesome sound" will cure what ails ya. We'll pass the hat to help pay for use of the Grange. NO alcohol or drugs allowed.

Get to the Grange: from Olympia west side or S.R. 101, go south on Black Lake Blvd. all the way past Black Lake. Grange is at sharp right-hand turn where the road turns into 62nd Ave. Look for flashing light over road at fire station. Grange is just past it on the right. Info: Charlie, 357-3346

Hope to see you there!