As some Olybloggers may remember, Thurston County proposed changes last summer to the policies that protect critical area (defined as: “important fish and wildlife habitat areas, wetlands, critical aquifer recharge areas, frequently flooded areas and geologically hazardous areas, such as bluffs

If you go to the city of Oly website today, you see a notice for a new website, featuring: "More convenient navigation and search features. Online access to City Council meeting videos. Updated design. New web address."

What else would it include? 

Maybe city council blogs? Or a forum on budget items? Maybe not, but a boy can dream. 

On your dream city of Olympia website, what would there be? 

I made it to the big time.

Bill White, chief propaganda minister of the Neo Nazi group, the National Socialist Movement, reads my blog. Specifically, an entry about smear campaigns, which I wrote about here on Oly Blog too.

Mr. White's response (caution, this link direct to hate site) is....you guessed it.......an example of a smear campaign.

my favorite daily stop for direct links to primary documents concerning current history:

"Cryptome welcomes documents for publication that are prohibited by governments worldwide, in particular material on freedom of expression, privacy, cryptology, dual-use technologies, national security, intelligence, and secret governance -- open, secret and classified documents -- but not limited to those. Documents are removed from this site only by order served directly by a US court having jurisdiction. No court order has ever been served; any order served will be published here -- or elsewhere if gagged by order. Bluffs will be published if comical but otherwise ignored."

TWO EXAMPLES OF THE LINKS FOUND ON CRYPTOME:

DOD Tribunals Transcripts (Redacted for public release by DOD)

US Military Dead in The "War On Terra" Updated April 20, 2006. Total 2,542 US Dead (includes 162 US dead in Afghanistan during Iraqi war and 1 dead at Guantanamo of non-hostile cause):

Year 1 -- 582

Year 2 -- 958

Year 3 -- 904

Year 4 -- 98

I, for one, am pretty excited about the Lifton event at Evergreen State College. April 25th at 8:00 pm, Free at the Communications Recital Hall.

It's the headliner event for the Willi Unsoeld Seminar and should be enlightening for those of us in favor of enlightenment. I hope to take some notes and blog after the event.

Expecting to be busy this week at various events associated with the Rachel Corrie Foundation event that starts up tonight, April 20th, with Arun Gandhi at the Washington Center. Music starts at 6:30. I have family event calling tonight, but will be at South Puget Sound Campus on Saturday to take part in the activities. See you here or there.

OMJP has scheduled a debate on the subject "RX for a sick health care system: Single Payer or Health Savings Accounts?"

Tuesday June 13th, 2006
7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M
The United Churches of Olympia
110 11th Avenue SE
Olympia, WA 98501-2259

Moderator: Deborah Vinsel, Executive Director TCTV (Thurston Community Television)

Single Payer viewpoint: Aaron Katz - former Director of the Health Policy Analysis Program of the UW School of Health and Community Medicine; currently Editor-in-Chief of Northwest Public Health and Director of the Packard-Gates Population Leadership Program.

Health Saving Account viewpoint: Paul Guppy - Vice President for Research, Washington Policy Center; former Capitol Hill Chief of Staff and Legislative Director.

We believe this debate will be an important contribution to public understanding of possible solutions to a crisis about which there is currently a great deal of public confusion.

Note: OMJP welcomes the endorsement and support of this debate by other groups and organizations, so please contact Gar Lipow at garlpublic@comcast.net or at (360) 943-1529 if your group has an interest in co-sponsoring or endorsing this event.

Free concerts this Friday and Saturday nights:

Dear OCS Friends,

In the late Spring of 2005, Olympia Choral Society director Terry Shaw led a group of gifted OCS singers and Timberline High School choral students on a pilgrimage to New York City, there to perform at Carnegie Hall, the Mecca of American Music.

Inspired by that adventure, he visualized taking the patrons of OCS on a vicarious tour of what is in truth the music capital of the world. The program includes opera, Broadway, jazz, blues, pop and more!

This remarkable tour will take place at the North Thurston Performing Arts Center on Friday and Saturday evenings, April 21 and 22. As usual, performances will start at 7:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 7:00 p.m. OCS welcomes as special guests the Timberline High School Chamber Choir.

Also as usual, admission is free, although donations will be gratefully received for ultimate distribution to the designated charity for the OCS 2006 year.

The 2006 Annual High School Scholarship ($1500) will be awarded at the concert to 3 local music students.

Bring a friend and enjoy a Night in New York!

Olympia Choral

This idea is inspired by a comment White Feather made elsewhere, got me thinking.

I'll agree right up front that this would not be a properly designed scientific experiment and that naturally my already developed progressive tendencies will outweigh a few days of conservative re-education. But I am willing to give it a try.

Here is the challenge. Come up with a list of books to read, DVDs to watch, music to listen to, web sites to scan........things I can do for free/find through library/rent cheap......and I'll put together several days of focus on them. I'll blog here with you all and we'll discuss.

I'm aiming for early May for doing this. All suggestions entertained, I won't be able to do everything but surely we can figure out how to influence me conservatively for several days.

What restaurant downtown should I eat at? What radio station should I listen to? When should I wake up in the morning?

Child-development expert Gizane Indart will offer information on early brain development and advice for parents on how to help children build emotional reserves during her discussion “Raising the Emotionally Resilient Child During Challenging Times.

Join Eliza and Vince for a celebration of the release of their new cd "Eliza and Vince play Variety Music."

Price: $10.00 Low Income $5.00

From Vince's website: Vince Brown has been performing and teaching acoustic music on guitar & banjo in a variety of styles for over 30 years. He has played at venues and festivals around the world. He now resides in Olympia, Washington.

Recent performance projects include western swing style take-off guitar with Red Brown & the Tune Stranglers; guitar & tenor banjo with the gypsy swing band Hot Club Sandwich as well as regular performances on guitar and 5-string banjo both solo and with fiddler Eliza Welch.