I heard some great segments (as usual) on today's Democracy Now! program. I wanted to draw particular attention to this one, because there is some choice testimony.

“We Are Not Terrorists”: Activists with the RNC Welcoming Committee Speak Out Against Police Crackdown & Terrorism Charges

Ramsey County prosecutors formally charged eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. On Thursday, other members of the anarchist group held their first press conference. One local activist accused the police of beating and torturing him in jail. [includes rush transcript]

WILLIAM GILLIS:... I want to see a world of anarchy without domination, without thugs, without warlords, without tyrants and without politicians. And as an American, I believe in actively resisting those who would rule us all.

The brutality and the lies of the state this week are not a surprise, but they are still deplorable. Police kicked down doors with guns drawn on families with their children at dinnertime. Reporters and the media at large have been repeatedly target for repression. Activists have been abducted off the street in unmarked vans and political prisoners held without access to medical attention.

The state has never really bothered with ethical justifications for its violence. But now we see that the agents of the law don’t even bother with internal consistency, ignoring the few rights they have pledged not to violate. Sheriff Bob Fletcher has unleashed a degree of repression that should embarrass and anger us all.

...

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

EDIT: Just called down there, the exact dates of the closure are October 6 until December 14. Can't wait until after the remodel, should be cool.

From the staff report discussing the city spending $60,000 on a carpet replacement at the library (which the library district will repay):

...the City and Timberland Regional Library have several projects already planned for the library building, including carpet replacement, installation of a new information desk and a new circulation desk, the addition of a new sit-down desk for people receiving library cards, new seating and tables in the atrium below the skylights, cleaning of public computer workstations and removal of an underground storage tank, in which the facility will be closed to the public for up to two months.

I've heard a bit about this closure before (not sure about the dates), but apparently, you'll still be able to pick up and drop off books, but the library itself (shelves and all) will be shut down for awhile.

More from the staff report:

The following two movies will be playing this week at OFS:

The Last Mistress (Sept. 5-12):

From OFS: "Erotically provacative director Catherine Breillat’s bodice ripper/literary adaptation stars the mesmerizingly feral force of nature, Asia Argento. An impoverished mid-19th century aristocrat relates the scandalous history of his decade-long affair with the notorious La Vellini to the family of his wealthy intended. Acclaimed by critics across the country, it’s a must-see!"

WALL-E (Sept. 5-12):

From OFS: "It is 700 years into the future and the only inhabitant left on Earth is WALL*E, a solar powered, trash compacting robot. He spends his days squishing the last remnants of life into dense cubes. And then one day a ship appears, which contains a sleek, blue-eyed robot called Eve, and our robot hero is immediately smitten. A love story for the ages, WALL*E is also a stirring sci-fi tale that will enchant all humans."

Find the OFS Calendar here.

A dedicated core group of butoh critters will perform tonight (Fri 9.5.08) on TCTV's Dance Oly Dance from 8 - 8:15.

This group includes Deborah Butler (Berkley), Gabe Raley (LA), Heather Duke (Olympia), Larissa Podzaline (Olympia), Bruce Fogg (Olympia), and Justin Wright (Olympia).

We invite any former students of doranne crable to participate.  The group will move from the TV studio to the Evergreen campus for a pilgrimage through student housing and culminate on Red Square.

We will be getting into make-up in the Governor House at 4pm and arriving at TCTV (440 Yauger Way) by 6pm.

Join us in person or see us on channel 22 at 8pm.

From Domestic Fuel:

Wilcox & Flegel Oil Company, one of the largest fuel distributors in the Northwest, is committed to E85 and is offering the product in the city of Olympia, Washington. This is the sixth location the distributor is supplying.

Hola, so my mates & I are bicycling Seattle today, starting with this bike park

This posse up in Seattle is rag'n, and as these chaps often show-up for runs in Oly (Capital Forest), we're gonna meet a buddy in Seattle for a day of riding- be sure to sheck out the trail event on the 13th!

Fetid Lake of Doom bad for fish and other living things, says state department of Fish and Wildlife:

Management (of Capitol Lake) that includes some estuarine restoration (Estuary and Dual Basin Options) are anticipated to: 1) increase the area, and enhance functions and processes associated with an ecosystem type at higher risk in the Puget Sound Ecoregion (i.e. estuarine wetlands) than the lake options (Status Quo and Managed Lake); 2) favor more special designation species than the lake options; and 3) support fewer exotic species than the lake options.

The researchers released their report yesterday morning at a meeting of the Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan group, which is available here in pdf and here on scribd.

Basically speaking, estuary restoration would be good for fish and animals that depend on estuaries, would restore a rare habitat in Puget Sound and would minimize the exotic species that depend on the shallow, artificle lake.

There's also an interesting discussion on sea-level rise, but I would suggest reading or skimming the entire report:

Our best guess is that cyclic discharge of lake water through the 5th-Avenue Dam will likely occur at lower level of the ebb tide than currently occurs. At some point, the current mechanical controls at the 5th-Avenue Dam will no longer be effective at preventing saltwater intrusion into the lake. Again we do not anticipate large changes in species utilization triggered by sea level rise, rather a broadening of marine species distribution as saltwater intrusion into the lake occurs.

Has anyone seen this (via rocky)?

Don’t miss The Shield Around the K - The Story of K Records… WOW what an outstanding movie! Patrick Maley and John Lunsford were great together! The great cast includes Patrick Maley, John Lunsford, Steve Fisk (IV), Lois Maffeo (II), Gerard Cosloy.

[...]

Profiles the birth and growth of the punk rock DIY record label, K Records, based in Olympia, Washington. Co-Founders Calvin Johnson and Candice Pedersen are interviewed along with over twenty K artists and peers including Mecca Normal, Lois, Rose Melberg, Ian MacKaye, Slim Moon, Dean Wareham and more. Features performances by Beat Happening, Fugazi, Mecca Normal and others.

I'd love to hear a review.

A great post over at Blogging with Badger:

In her speech at the GOP convention, Sarah Palin made a comment about being a small town mayor. She seems to believe that small town = better, and she’s not alone. Most Democrats and most Republicans have bought into the notion that small-town America is our country at its best, most pure form.

I humbly disagree.

I was born and raised in a place called Lacey, Washington. It’s a suburb of Olympia, the state capitol, though it’s large enough at this point that Olympia is almost a suburb of Lacey. It was, while I was growing up, a bedroom community for people who worked in Tacoma and soldiers who were stationed at Ft Lewis.

As I grew the town grew, but even now it’s not exactly huge, having a population of only about 38,000 people. True, this is bigger than Wasilla (which I visited for one day back in 1991), the town Palin ran, which has about 8,000 people, but it’s hardly large. I’d say it’s on the upper end of “small” status, and when I was growing up it was smaller by far than it is now. It was entirely possible to walk from the mushroom farm across from Nisqually Middle School at one end of the town, to St Peter’s Hospital at the other end. Not an easy walk, but not that harsh.

Go read the whole thing.

The third Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which opened July 15 2007, is up for a people's choice award called America's Transportation Award. You can go here and vote for this as often as you'd like. Thanks.