There will be a vegan potluck at Sunny Tree FoodMart
on Saturday, Feb. 9 starting at 3pm.

Sunny Tree Restaurant is temporarily closed until February 13, hope to see you second saturday next month!

Sunny Tree Vegetarian FoodMart
131 Decatur St. NW, Oly
(360) 943-9633
(360) 943-9727
Map to Sunny Tree
What is a vegan? (from the American Vegan Society)
VEGANS (pronounced VEE-guns) Live on products of the plant kingdom.
Veganism is compassion in action.
It is a philosophy, diet, and lifestyle.
Vegans exclude flesh, fish, fowl, dairy products (animal milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.), eggs, honey, animal gelatin, and all other foods of animal origin.

-- Practice Peace on your plate...go vegetarian!
Vegetarian Starter Kit

"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."
ADA Position Paper on Vegetarian (including Vegan)Diets

"Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems," senior UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official Henning Steinfeld said. "Urgent action is required to remedy the situation."
Livestock's Long Shadow

Today's Olympian featured an article on the proposal to build new multi-use high rise buildings in the area between Capitol Lake and Budd Bay.

Can Olympia use high-rise buildings of this type, is there demand? What are the likely positive and negative outcomes of such development? (tax revenue, cultural benefit etc. v. obstruction of view, obstruction of wildlife corridor, other undesirable environmental impacts, etc.)

If you like bluegrass you need to check out the annual Wintergrass festival in downtown Tacoma, February 21-24. You can find information on performances and workshops here.

EVERGREEN WOMEN vs. NORTHWEST UNIVERSITY, 5:30 p.m. The Geoduck women have been making strides the past two weeks, beating Cascade Conference power Oregon Tech for the first time and completing their first season's sweep of Corban College. Help them nail down a CCC playoff berth!

EVERGREEN MEN vs. NORTHWEST UNIVERSITY, 7:30 p.m. The Geoduck men are the hottest team in the Cascade Conference right now, with five consecutive wins. Make it loud and help them make it six straight as E-State looks to nail down a home playoff game for the first time in six years!

Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for seniors, military personnel and teens 13-17, $1 for kids 12& under. EVERGREEN STUDENTS, as always, are admitted FREE with student ID.

photo by enpen
mouseout photo by enpen

photo by enpen
mouseover photo by enpen
mouseout photo by enpen

photo by enpen

The levy increase on the ballot is completely unreasonable. If your home is worth $200,000 (which is below the average home price in Olympia) you could be paying an addition of $454 annually! They received a requested levy increase only 2 years ago!!! This current levy is just for maintenance and operations.

They are also seeking another levy for Technology which could cost the owner of a $200,000 home as much as $92. This would mean a total increase of your taxes of $546!!! I can’t afford to pay an additional $546 per year in property taxes. That money could be spent to stimulate the economy during this recession.

There are many reasons for not passing these levies:

First, the amount of the cost to the home owners is astronomical. An increase of over $500 (about average) per home is simply beyond reason.

Secondly, I do not believe the money will actually go to programs which will assist learning. The North Thurston Schools web site has not indicated any specific information on the projected use of this money.

From The Olympian:

go to original

...

Bush asked for $70 billion as an "emergency allowance" for war costs for the first part of the budget year, which begins Oct. 1, and the White House said, without citing a specific figure, that it would request more for 2009 "once the specific needs of our troops are better known." If the current rate of war spending is a guide, the additional request for 2009 is likely to exceed $100 billion.

...

"The specific needs of our troops..."!?

The specific need of our troops is to be protected from assault and abuse - and all enemies (including political enemies) foreign and domestic.

I allege that certain members of the Bush Administration are the enemies of the troops because those officials have lied to our uniformed service personnel repeatedly in re: the necessity of war in Iraq.

Iraq did not pose a threat. The war is about global domination (of which oil is a necessary ingredient.)

Our troops need the truth! They need an end to illegal and unjustified military aggression!

Here is a link to the blog covering this event which is underway now.

Join us for a Capital City Pride committee gathering and town hall Friend-raiser Monday, February 4 at 6:30pm at Chica's Cafe on Legion Way, near Sylvester Park in downtown Olympia.

Chica's Cafe
105 Legion Way SW
Olympia

Complimentary appetizers will be served! For more information, go to www.capitalcitypride.net.

This is an opportunity to gather with Pride committee members to share your ideas and suggestions for Pride 2008. This event is open to the public and we encourage all ideas and suggestions!