What cool local blog(s) is/are missing from our list of "Favorite Olympia Blogs"? I try to keep up, but I'm afraid some may have escaped my attention. Does anyone have a favorite that I haven't hit on yet?

By the way: new user rupski has a blog called East Bay Birders.

The Declaration of Peace is a nationwide campaign to establish by September 21, 2006 a concrete and rapid plan for peace in Iraq, including:

• a prompt timetable for withdrawal of troops and closure of bases
• a peace process for security, reconstruction, and reconciliation
• and the shift of funding for war to meeting human needs.

If this plan for peace is not created and activated by Congress by September 21, the International Day of Peace, Declaration signers across the U.S. will engage in nonviolent action in Washington, D.C. and in communities throughout the nation.

Also worth looking over is West Point Graduates Against The War.

OUT-GMOs will be presenting the Documentary, "A Silent Forest", narrated by Dr. David Suzuki at Traditions Cafe, 300 5th Ave, on Friday, Sept 8 at 7:00PM. A Silent Forest depicts the growing threat of Genetically Engineered trees. Dr. Suzuki, who is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist, and is currently the host of the CBC television's The Nature of Things, breaks down complex scientific concepts while detailing the dangerous impacts GE trees will have on human health, native forests, forest-dwelling people and wildlife.

OUT-GMOs (Olympian's United for Truth about Genetically Modified Organisms) is a local grassroots alliance to educate the community on the health and environmental risks of consuming and growing genetically engineered foods. OUT-GMOs hosts monthly movie screenings, conducts outreach and events, and is working to improve the quality and safety of the food served in the Olympia School District. Films, books and CD lectures on GMOs are for sale after the events. Kevin Anderson, who helped spearhead OUT-GMOs, is also the Director of the National GM-Free School Lunch Campaign that is working to remove GM ingredients from kids' school meals.

FOR MORE INFO: Call Kevin, 539-1829, and check out:
www.responsibletechnology.org or www.stopgetrees.org

While The Tune Stranglers are playing Manhattan, Red Brown, vocalist LaVon Hardison and clarinetist Tommy Russell will be whooping it up at the Broho on Monday September 4th from 8 to 10:30 for free. Should be a slightly more straight jazz as opposed to the country swing sound of the Tune Stranglers. I heard LaVon do a walk-on with the Tune Stranglers a few weeks ago, and she was fantastic!

[The following is an article I wrote for the upcoming Works In Progress. It will be out Friday.]

The Trials of the Oly22
by Pat Tassoni

On August 20th, the first Stryker brigade soldier died in Iraq. Sgt. DeRoo was previously stationed at Fort Lewis and possibly he, his brigade and their equipment and passed through Olympia during the last weeks of May this year. He or just his fellow brigade members and their equipment was greeted by hundreds of demonstrators during this time as an 11-day protest of the Port of Olympia occurred in an attempt to stop war shipments bound for Iraq that resulted in 37 arrests. Demonstrators brought to the attention of the Port of Olympia officials, the wider community and eventually the world, their perspective that the war in Iraq is illegal and the Olympia community and the Port of Olympia should not be complicit in and profiting off the war crimes of a continued presence there. If the port officials had listened, Sgt. DeRoo may still be alive, and many more to come including Iraqis need not die.

Read more:

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Wednesday August 30, 2006

Damascus- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Syrian President Bashar Assad in talks in Damascus Wednesday solidified their stances in the face of US pressure, with Chavez lashing out at the US and Israel as the "roots" of the problems in the Middle East and the world. At a joint press conference, Assad called Chavez's visit "historic" and added that the two had "successful, intensive and very important discussions" in talks focused on "bilateral relations".

The two leaders signed 13 agreements, protocols and other documents in various fields including energy, transport, trade, and agriculture, and also agreed to allow Venezuelans and Syrians to enter each others' countries without visas.

Chavez was awarded an honorary doctorate in the international relations from Damascus University.

Saying he would soon visit Venezuela, Assad hailed his counterpart's "honourable stances and his adherence to justice and freedom" in the Middle East.

Assad added that both leaders discussed the "burning" issues of the Middle East and the need to strengthen relations between Arabs and Latin America, including agreeing upon the need for a timetable for the withdrawal of "foreign forces" from Iraq.

Assad also expressed Syria's support for Venezuela's obtaining a seat on the United Nations Security Council and said he would try to market this stance with Arab and friendly countries as it saw this issue would enhance the mutual interests in seeking the establishment of "multipolar" world reflecting all cultures and civilizations.

Chavez expressed at the press conference his gratitude for the warm public welcome in Syria, adding that Syria and Venezuela had the "same... decisive and firm stances in the face of imperialism because we have decided to be free and we want to cooperate to build a new world based on respecting the sovereignty and self-determination of states and peoples."

This time lapsed footage was created by the folks at billie's diary.

According to widespread news reports, a pack of rampaging raccoons has killed at least ten cats in Washington State's capital city of Olympia (see a map of Washington State).

The masked marauders are also reported to have attacked a small dog and to have forced a pet owner to get rabies shots.

Local resident Lisann Rolle told the Associated Press (AP) that she was bitten when she tried to pull three raccoons off her cat. She says that she now carries an iron pipe when she ventures out at night.

Another resident, Tony Benjamins, told AP, "We used to love the raccoons. They'd have their babies this time of year, and they were so cute. Even though we lived in the city, it was neat to have wildlife around.

"But this year, things changed. They went nuts."

While this particular neighborhood seems to have a serious raccoon problem, the reports of the incidents may be giving raccoons in general a bum rap.