I went off on a tangent in the Otto's thread and I wonder if more OlyBloggers in the downtown know could chip in to help. Here's what has been posted thus far:

Initial post: Is it just me or do the rents in downtown Olympia seem prohibitively high for small local businesses? I've read that Olympia has/had a 15% vacancy rate which is deemed acceptable. The only local thing I turned up on numbers was the Business Examiner's write up on Pierce County. According to it Pierce County (the entire thing) had commercial vacancy rates of 6.75% in 2007. Fife was their high at 14.29%.

I think the rental rates in downtown Olympia are cost prohibitive for too many local entrepreneurs which leads to an increase in vacant commercial spaces. Why are the downtown commercial real estate owners willing to accept the loss of income from so many vacancies?

Responses:

Mathias: they base their rent prices on the possibility of what Olympia could become, rather than what it is. Unfortunately there's hardly anyone really taking steps in turning that possibility into reality. Olympia can be great, and we're already paying for it, but we don't have it yet...

Guglielmo: One explanation is that property owners maximize expected rental income by forgoing low-rent leases in favor of the possibility of landing someone willing to pay considerably more. Doesn't make it "right." Just is. They are "speculative" vacancies in the landlords property portfolio.

Repost: Come to Tacoma! We need you to represent the independent media voices of Olympia- of course dressed in court attire.

Today it was announced that Lacey Phillabaum will be the first to testify against Briana Waters.

Phillabaum has been put on the witness list for tomorrow, and it is uncertain which part of the day she will be called. There is also a chance earlier witnesses could take longer than expected, pushing Lacey's testimony back until Friday. It is important for people to be packing the courtroom whenever she is up there testifying. We are putting out a call for witnesses to come and observe court in support of Briana for both days!

I thought this article might help lighten the mood here on Olyblog. I wrote it for a health food magazine in order to connect clowning to their monthly theme. Apperently February is "heart health" month. Perhaps we Olympians could use a little of both - clowing and heart health. Here's to laughter and love...

What can a fool have to teach about heart health? I could simply say that laughter is the best medicine, but it’s much deeper than that. Most of us are aware of the mind/body connection, as acknowledged in the adage “laughter is the best medicine.” And most of us probably experience our bodies more through our emotions than through our thoughts. Just imagine the last time you felt a strong emotion like fear. You may have felt a little wobbly, shaky or weak inside. Perhaps your heart was beating very fast as you felt the blood drain from your face. You had a physical reaction to the strong emotion.

The body responds to your emotions and at the center of both is the heart. The physical and the emotional heart are intimately woven together as one and, like two lovers, have the power of influence over the other. Thus, how we feel about the world plays an important role in determining our physical health. Thoughts are powerful, but feelings are closer to the center of our being. It is within the heart that we are most human.

I have spent my life exploring the question, “What does it mean to be fully human, to be a fully healthy human being in the world? What is the mind or emotion/ body connection? Or, what do spirit and matter have to do with being human?”

Seems like it is time for more kittens and happy fuzzy creatures today...  I had to work indoors ALL freaking day, sitting staring outside....  Time to plan another trip to the capitol forest and punch holes in paper...

Check out agathafrye's Rainwalk visual diary of a downtown walk.

But I don’t have much today. Other than I just walked over to Café Vita’s for a cup of their most excellent drip and ran in to Janet preparing for her interview with Susan Wicklund. Noticed some wicked-sweet shadows from the February sun and watched a mustachioed man in black doing bicep curls with a 12 pound dumbbell on the junction box at the corner of 4th and Washington. That’s my report.

On another note, I was chatting with Meta last night about things philosophical and managed to bring up Camus’s fine essay, The Myth of Sisyphus. It’s one of my favorites. I discovered it during my own clichéd existentialist period in college. It’s still a favorite read.

The biggest cable and telephone companies would like to charge money for smooth access to Web sites, speed to run applications, and permission to plug in devices. These network giants believe they should be able to charge Web site operators, application providers, and device manufacturers for the right to use the network. Those who don't make a deal and pay up will experience discrimination: Their sites won't load as quickly, their applications and devices won't work as well. Without legal protection, consumers could find that a network operator has blocked the Web site of a competitor, or slowed it down so much that it's unusable.

The network owners say they want a "tiered" Internet. If you pay to get in the top tier, your site and your service will run fast. If you don't, you'll be in the slow lane.

Net Neutrality 101

Sign the petition to tell your elected representatives to protect Internet freedom now.

The Downtown Shopper has arrived.

Everyone, and i think we mean around 70,000 household around Olympia should have received this week along with the Shopwise Mailer the 2nd official Downtown Shopper.

So, grap the mailer, head on downtown and shop the amazing stores participating offering a great variety of discounts and deals.

See you out there,

mathias

einmaleins

PS: The sun is shining, what are you waiting for, it's such a rare chance...

From OMUG:

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM OMUG General Meeting @ 7pm:

Chris Brownell, a local blogger, will tell us about blogging and chat room participation. Blogging with your sweetie. (Olympia Community Center)

Mix and Meet: 6 pm
General Meeting: Business and then program: 7 pm
February 14 Program Valentine'