Vote "No" on Measure 2

Vote No on Measure 2

From http://noelevated.org/


Measure 2 on Seattle's March 13 special election ballot presents a disastrously flawed option for replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Its new elevated viaduct option would be:

* Bigger — up to 226% larger than the current one
* Noisier — louder traffic noise on our waterfront
* Uglier — 50% more of our downtown in shadow

Don't let this plan even get off the ground
For more than 50 years, the Alaskan Way Viaduct has put a wall between the city and the waterfront.

That used to be a good thing. At the time, the waterfront was a dirty and dangerous place, and it made sense for Seattleites to drive above it.

Since the 1950s, however, most of the shipping terminals have moved south and opened up space and views that had never been appreciated before. Parks and museums are growing where there was once only industrial activity, and people come from all over the world to enjoy our city, the Sound, and the mountains.

And right in the heart of that experience is a noisy, dirty, crumbling freeway

Bring back Seattle's waterfront
Taking the viaduct off the waterfront and returning the City's waterfront to public use is a great gift to future generations.

It will also help our economy and environment. Today Seattle's waterfront businesses are shops, restaurants and tourism, and an inviting waterfront will help bring people and jobs to Seattle and surrounding areas. More downtown green space will also encourage residents to live downtown and reduce sprawl.

We're not the first city to face this challenge. Port cities all over the globe, including San Francisco, Baltimore and Barcelona, are tearing down their elevated freeways, rediscovering their waterfronts and finding new sources of revenue and jobs.

Bigger. Noisier. Uglier. And more of downtown in permanent shadow.
There's no hope of building a better viaduct. Because of earthquake and other safety requirements, a new elevated highway will be much bigger and much wider than the existing viaduct— at least fifty percent wider with shoulders and walls that will even take away the stunning view enjoyed by motorists. This huge new double-decker highway will permanently place even more of the downtown waterfront in shadow.

We know how urgent problems can force hasty solutions. There is no doubt that the Alaskan Way Viaduct must be torn down, and soon. But if we rebuild the elevated structure, we lose so much: priceless open space, the opportunity to improve the environment of Elliott Bay and Puget Sound, and the economic benefits of a world-class waterfront.

Vote NO on Measure 2
There are alternative ways to handle our transportation needs without building a bigger, noisier viaduct on our waterfront. For economic, environmental, and quality of life reasons, vote NO on Advisory Ballot Measure Number 2, say NO to another elevated viaduct.

Capitol Hill's Espresso Vivace made it into Business Week

David Schomer had spent 16 years working toward this moment. It was February, 2001, and Schomer, owner of Espresso Vivace Roasteria in Seattle, was demonstrating an espresso machine he had fitted with a device that solved one of the biggest problems in espresso-making: water temperature fluctuations that can make coffee taste burned or sour. A half-dozen industry veterans waited eagerly as Schomer pulled the first shots from the rejiggered machine.The espresso flowed smooth and thick as honey. "I had tears in my eyes," recalls the wiry, blunt-speaking 50-year-old. "I just could not believe it."

Conquering the temperature problem was the coup de grâce in Schomer's long struggle to create the perfect cup of espresso. The former Boeing engineer and musician had rethought every aspect of brewing espresso, from the freshness of the beans to the patterns baristas make in the espresso's crema, the foam topping created during brewing. Along the way, Schomer documented his discoveries in trade journals and eventually a book and videos that were the first to promulgate standards for espresso making.

Read More

Seattle becomes Safeway's first test market for biodiesel

From Seattle Business Journal

The Safeway grocery on Admiral Way in West Seattle has started selling biodiesel as the national grocer uses the city as its first test market for the cleaner-burning fuel.

Safeway's biodiesel station is located at 4115 S.W. Admiral Way. The biodiesel fuel comes from soy grown in Iowa and distributed by SC Fuels of Tacoma.

Officials at Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) said biodiesel might be sold at two additional Seattle locations in the future.

Housing sales decline in 40 states; but not in Northwest

WASHINGTON — The slump in housing deepened in the final three months of last year, with sales of existing homes falling in 40 states and median prices dropping in nearly half the metropolitan areas surveyed.

Although Washington state's sales of houses and condominiums declined 16 percent, prices continued to climb, thanks to a generally strong economy.

In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area, prices rose 11.3 percent in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Spokane prices were up 12.2 percent, and Portland up 11.2 percent.

Read More

No Gay Pride

Looks like there might not be a Gay Pride this year
Apparently they owe alot of money from last year.
Read About It Here

“It’s time to stop the gun violence”

Nickels sends condolences to mayors in Salt Lake City, Philadelphia;
sites of most-recent mass shootings

SEATTLE - After mass shootings this week in Philadelphia and Salt Lake City left 10 people dead, Mayor Greg Nickels sent letters of condolence to the mayors in these two cities. “Unfortunately Seattle knows all too well what a terrible tragedy this is for all of the victims and their families. And it’s a tragedy for all law-abiding residents of our communities,” Nickels wrote. “Our prayers are with you all today.”

Nickels followed the letters with a renewed call to state leaders to pass common-sense gun laws to help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and give cities more tools to protect neighborhoods from gun violence.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: it’s time to stop the gun violence. How many more senseless shootings, such as those in Salt Lake City and Philadelphia, will it take before the violence ends?” Nickels said.

Nickels urged lawmakers in Olympia to ban assault weapons, close the gun show loophole that allows criminals to buy weapons without background checks, and require trigger locks and safe storage of firearms.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gave Washington State a D+ for its efforts to shield families from gun violence. State law preempts local communities from passing stricter gun regulations, leaving cities few options for curbing criminal access to guns on a local level.

Although Seattle remains one of the safest major cities in America, guns have been involved in far too many crimes in the city. Like other major cities, Seattle is dealing with an increase in gun crime.

The year 2006 will be remembered with great sadness with the Capitol Hill murders and the attack at the Jewish Federation firmly imprinted upon Seattle’s collective memory. Overall, homicides totaled 30 - five more than in the previous year. Coinciding with the increase in homicides, aggravated assaults with firearms also continued their upward trend. The number of crimes in which guns were used, threatened or implied has increased 18 percent since 2005 and 46 percent since 2004.

Seven states have passed full or partial assault weapons bans, including California, New York and Hawaii. Seattle police seized more than 140 of these military-style weapons over the past five years. They were used in 37 violent crimes, 11 drug crimes, 14 parole violations and 25 cases of unlawful possession.

Nationwide, 18 states have closed the gun show loophole, which allows anyone - including a convicted felon - to buy a weapon without a background check. According to a study by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, gun shows are a significant source of illegally trafficked guns, supplying as much as 30 percent of all guns sold in violation of federal law. There were 42 gun shows in Washington in 2005, including 22 in the Puget Sound area.

Passing a requirement for trigger locks and safe storage would help prevent the theft of guns from homes and reduce the chance of accidental shootings, especially among children.

Seattle has been recognized nationally for its efforts to identify the traffickers and “straw” purchasers who supply many of the weapons used in crimes. The city has taken the lead in working with other law enforcement agencies to develop a database that will assist police in identifying the sources of guns used in crimes, known as “gun-trace data.”
The information will be used to ensure that all licensed gun dealers in the region are playing by the rules and following federal, state and local firearm regulations.

Nickels is a founding member of Mayors Against Gun Violence, an organization that now includes 123 mayors nationwide. This month the mayors will convene in Washington D.C. to urge the new Congress to defeat a series of gun bills that would protect criminals by making it harder for ATF and law enforcement agencies to share information on gun crimes.

Not Another Elevated Viaduct -- Video

Brought to you by Team Nickels
I dont know if a tunnel is the solution but I definetly dont think we need another Viaduct
Here is a video produced by Team Nickels