MISCmedia by Clark Humphrey » Blog Archive DOWN, ON THE FARM (RANDOM LINKS FOR 8/17/11)

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DOWN, ON THE FARM (RANDOM LINKS FOR 8/17/11)

August 16th, 2011 by Clark Humphrey

from thepoisonforest.com

Gov. Gregoire wants the feds to consider declaring all of Wash. state a farm disaster area, due to this year’s long, cold, wet weather.
The SeattleÂ waterfront tunnel referendum, in which a “no” vote meant disapproval of the deeply boring tunnel scheme, got a seemingly unassailable 60-percent “yes” vote.
In the City Council primaries, Jean Godden got under 50 percent of the vote; her general election challenger will likely be Bobby Forch. All other incumbents are sailing through into the general election.
Earlier Tuesday, the City Council put aÂ $60 car tab surcharge on the November ballot. It would fund assorted “transportation improvements,” i.e. transit and roads. (This is different from the $20 car tab surcharge approved by King County in order to save Metro Transit from the massive sales-tax collapse.)
Today (Wednesday) marks theÂ 25th anniversary of Rachel, the fundraising pig statue at the Pike Place Market. Yes, there will be a public event at noon. Yes, it will involve fundraising, for the Market Foundation.
The Twin Teepees, Chubby & Tubby, the Playland Amusement Parkâ€”they all live again on the new AuroraÂ Avenue commemorative mural. It’s at the east side of Aurora at N. 105th St.
We’ve just one more month until Ballard’s legendary Totem House fish n’ chips shopÂ reopens as a branch of Red Mill Burgers. The signature totem pole has been refurbished and re-installed.
Could our region have another “La Nina” winter? Who the heck knows?
The state Liquor Board will let sidewalk cafes serving booze go up in more places.
So where are all the “green jobs” promised when the city got a big federal grant to help weatherize homes and businesses? The city says they’re coming, maybe later this year.
Author Larry Sabato believes we’re in an age of “junkyard journalism” and have been since approx. 1979â€”well before Fox, even before Limbaugh.
Verizon’s got big profits, but still wants workers to take big pay and benefit cuts. The response: 45,000 of said workers have walked out.
Where do people think the economy these days is actually doing fine? In Washington DC, of course.
You can’t even get into the same room with some Republican candidates unless you pay them.
Psychiatry prof Nassir Ghaemi thinks when it comes to our leaders, sanity is way-overrated.
The Mariners no longer have the baseball player named Milton Bradley, but the Seahawks just signed a football player named Atari Bigby. His highlight tapes should be accompanied by the “Pole Position” song, with hits denoted by the spaceship-explosion sound from “Berzerk.” The team’s defensive formations should look like the attack formations from “Space Invaders.”