Search Results for 'Sl'

[Smitty]

“Smitty,

I am just curious. Do you have all these right wing web sites bookmarked and read them daily? I have never seen so many sites that appear impartial but, like the nea, are totally agenda driven. At least they make for good humor!”

Well, since the odds of finding this (factual) information on *cough* NPR or PBS or NBC or NYTs or WaPo or CNN or (fill in the blank) are between slim and none, I don’t have much choice.

Thanks for disproving them though.

[waterworld]

Yikes: If Mount St. Vincent has child care or day care facilities or is a school or something like that, the law provides for notice to the school/child care facility of sex offenders in the area, and there are also provisions that restrict sex offenders from living near it.

RCW 4.24.550 covers the various public notice options. The nature and type of public notice about sex offenders depends on the risk level assigned to the individual offender. Level I offenders are those that are deemed to be the lowest risk for reoffending, and there’s less notice to the community about them (although I believe you can still find them on the website). For Level II offenders, detailed information about the offender is given to schools, child care facilities, libraries, businesses, service organizatons, and neighbors and community groups near the offender’s residence and near places where the offender “is regularly found.” For level III offenders, information is provided to the public at large, usually by way of mailings and community meetings.

Apart from the offenders risk classification, the statute provides for notice to the community of any sex offenders who are homeless or transient.

The state also has some ability to control where sex offenders live. Washington has not, to my knowledge, adopted any of the draconian measures that basically force all sex offenders to live under a freeway bridge (which is what Miami did). In this state, sex offenders are required to prepare a residential plan before they can get out of prison. They are not released until their plan has been approved. If the victim of the sex offense was a child, the state is authorized to reject a proposed residence that is in “close proximity” to schools, child care centers, playgrounds, or other grounds or facilities where children similar to the crime victim are present.

After an offender is released, the probation officers supervising him or her enforce the provisions of the residential plan. Obviously, sex offenders cannot always stick with their initial plan, and it is true that many end up homeless due to their criminal record. The law does, however, require the state to keep the community where the offender is residing, even as a homeless person, informed, and sex offenders can be force to move away from child care facilities and schools while they are on supervision.

[Smitty]

They should start serving a “landslide” or a “tidal wave” specialty drink at around 5:01 Pacific………

Tea-based, of course.

[me on 28th Ave SW]

The best analogies I can think of for SPSD administration and the decisions they have made in the recent past (funding paid consultants, administrators and funded untested experimental theories instead of teachers, property upkeep and books) are these: It’s like the person we all know in our circle of friends/coworkers/family that will continuously moan about not having money for the rent while continuing to buy cigarettes, lunches out and new fun things. Then went the rent is due, they will go crying for money to the people who love them too much to say no. It’s like the guy holding the cardboard sign that says “Hungry, anything will help” but will refuse the actual food offered because they want the money for drugs or alcohol. When the district cries “it’s for the kids” they are preying on Seattle’s generous nature and value of education. Sadly, they do not seem to share those same values in actually getting the money to our kids.

..

All the decades I have voted, I have never voted against a school levy until recently. The past few years of actually paying attention to the district and the decisions they are making has opened my eyes. I have witnessed many smart, local people with logical concerns (actually backed by FACTS!) try to have discussions with the people in charge of this district and it gets nowhere and that is horribly frustrating to observe. I can no longer enable them and their selfish decisions with my vote. I expect that the levy will still pass, and I accept that.

..

Until SPSD hears “no extra money coming to you this time” they have absolutely no incentive to do anything different. Better people than me have spent countless hours trying to get them to. The schools themselves will be fine. The teachers will be fine (they knew that they would not get a pay raise if the levy failed, and they also know about the risk of the levy failing). Many of us have not gotten pay raises, had pay cuts, lost benefits, hours or jobs and didn’t see it coming. Classrooms haven’t had full stocked books since back in the 1990s, so that doesn’t feel like a big threat either.

..

I truly believe, in spite of all the idiotic financial choices I have witnessed that there are administrators at SPSD HQ that really do care about kids and that when they realize that they no longer have that “slush fund” they will buckle down and make the right decisions to cut back. Please remember that even though on the ballot the district can say the money is for something does not mean that is where the money actually goes. As it stands right now, they do not feel they have to really answer to anyone, even after a damning audit.

[JoB]

Yikes and TammiW…

according to reports..

homeless camps go in.. crime stats go down.

down is the opposite of up.

that would mean that you would actually be safer with a homeless camp next door.

would i want them in my neighborhood?

Yes, i think i would.

****

for giggles.. i just looked for stats…

and i am not finding them.

i did find an article in 2005 though about tent cities in our area that includes info from King Co police…

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20050213&slug=tentcity13e

and this from Mercer Island looking at police reports for the tent cities that were in Issaquah and Kirkland…

http://www.mercergov.org/page.asp?navid=2514

As this site was used as a link in a discussion i found at the University of Washington’s paper .. i went back and pulled down the Mercer Island police reports…

what i found was camp security that patrolled the camp and turned people with known warrants over to the police.

The reality doesn’t match the horror stories when the camp is well run.. as ours are.

do a little research on tent cities in Washington.

I think you will be surprised at what you actually find.

[TammiWS]

Yikes-thanks for pointing out that WS is one of the possible sites for an encampment.

Flower- thanks for your comments.

Obviously not all homeless are sex offenders (but some will be), not all are mentally ill (but some are), not all are convicts (but some are), not all are harmful (but some are) – its not irrational or wrong for Yikes to be concerned.

I work downtown and rarely see a sober, just out of work, clean cut guy holding a sign and looking for a job. I would ask anyone on this blog to consider an encampment being placed within a block of their home – how would you feel- really….?

Would you go out and volunteer to help, or would you really rethink safety at some point? Would you warn your neighbors this was in place ‘just in case’, would you be part of a block watch etc…People engage in these activities for far less than an encampment being placed in their neighborhood.

I know I’d be less likely to go to that bus stop at 6am in the dark if the encampment is placed there. And I often go to the stop on 35th and Avalon at that time and may rethink that too. NOT because I think everyone who is homeless is a high risk, but I dont want to take the chance even if its 1% risk.

[JoB]

westello…

according to timeslid i was right.. they are elected.

so go after the people who are not doing a good job on the school board. You don’t have to penalize either the kids or the teachers to make your point.

I have lived a lot of places where a lot of people like you went after what they considered an inefficient or non-repsonsive school board by defeating school levies…

not once have i seen that de-seat a single board member..

but every time it penalizes the kids by shortening the school year.. or cutting school programs.. or cramming them into overcrowded classrooms because of unsafe facilities.. or denied teachers adequate materials.. or cut either teacher’s wages or the number of teachers.

That’s the reality.

If you are truly interested in creating a better district for this city then go after the school board that manages it poorly..

not after the resources the kids depend upon to get an education.

[ashane10]

I am having a BIG Moving sale on Saturday from 9-2:00 PM.

102nd and 39th Avenue SW

Corner House

Com on in!

Go to Craigslist and search for “Andreas Moving Sale” to see the quality items for sale! There are several postings and one Moving Sale Posting

[JoB]

Carson…

a fill out the ballot dinner sounds like great fun… and i would love to meet you … but unfortunately i am an unreliable guest.

My illness is in one of those downturns and i have been collapsing mid evening:( I am afraid i am likely to have to rely on virtual company this weekend…

but i would love to get the opportunity to break bread with you when i am doing better… even if the ony beer i can hoist is non-alcholic:(

if i had the energy this weekned i would be working on getting out the vote. it is definitely too early to talk about blithely sacrificing the House…

“The New York Times’ chief polling analyst just wrote, “If our forecasts turn out to be biased against Democrats by just 2 points overall, the party becomes about an even-money bet to hold the House.””

…from one of my endless campaign emails… i am too tired this morning to remember which one or to go back and look… but i am guessing the stuff about the New York Times is accurate….

The results of this election hinge on how well we can convince those who are cynical that their ballot might just make a difference after all…

we need to get the vote out… even here in West Seattle where we complacently think that all things democratic will simply pass. The early turn out is way too low.

There are those who weren’t going to vote because we didn’t stand a chance…

There are those who weren’t going to vote because they believe sacrificing the senate is necessary to a win in 2012…

There are those who aren’t going to vote because they want things to get worse so we can have that revolution they have been expecting since the 60s and throw the industrialists over…

I say the same thing to all of them that i said to Bill Dorn of the SDS when i was a whopping 20 years old… You don’t pull down a house of cards just to see it fall. These are real people and real lives here and as long as there is even a glimmer of hope that we can make their lives better we can’t tear them down around their ears. People aren’t just some theoretical collateral damage.

That argument got me a FBI file while the hubby who was building bombs went un-noticed… but it is still as true today as it was 40 years ago.

… it’s ok.. he never got the chance to set them off. his car keys mysteriously disappeared on the night in question… i wonder … :)

As long as there is a glimmer of hope we need to do everything we can to make that hope a reality.

A centrist president with a self serving senate isn’t my idea of a knight in shining armor leading the charge and as much as i respect Pelosi i personally don’t like her… she is a politician first and a democrat second and none of that bodes well for bills with real teeth…

but right now they are the best chance we have.

If we pull this off… it’s always possible they may begin to reluctantly respect the power of the people …

after all.. fund-raising is the political holy grail and we the people are keeping up with the deep pockets where it counts.

if we give up now.. nothing is possible.

[me on 28th Ave SW]

Seriously, if all WSB readers registered just their Safeway Cards it would really help!

links to our West Seattle Schools:

Alki http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/alki/

Arbor Heights http://arborheights.wikispaces.com/

Gatewood http://www.gatewoodelementary.org/

Highland Park http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/hpel/

Lafayette http://www.mylafayette.org/

Roxhill http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/roxhill/

Sanislo http://www.sanislo.org/

Schmitz Park http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/spark/

West Seattle http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/westseattle/

Pathfinder http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/pathfinder/welcome.html

Denny http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/denny/

Madison http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/madison/

Chief Sealth http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/chiefsealth/

West Seattle http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/wshs/

[sagek]

Sweet 1yo female Calico needs new home

Willow is searching for a forever home. She is a sweet, shy, loving kitty that needs a new home. She came to me as a foster kitty for a friend. My friend is now unable to take her back and I can’t keep her. Willow has lived her whole life with her mother and father, but now it is time for her to spread her wings and find her own home.

She would do best in a home where she is the only cat or with a submissive male. Willow is a total cuddle kitty and needs lots of loves daily. She would prefer a home where she can be an indoor/outdoor cat or have a deck to lay on.

Her favorite activities are chasing the laser pointer, watching birds out the window and curling up for a cuddle on your lap.

At first she is very shy and hesitant, but once she warms up to you, she wants to be with you all the time.

The nitty-gritty

Willow is a 1yo, spayed, short haired calico female. She is currant on all her shots. She uses a covered litter box, w/ clay litter. She is currently on Natural Balance cat food (avail. at Petco) as she was under weight. She is not really a fan of wet food, but does like Greenies treats on occasion. Her favorite toy is the laser pointer and she will chase it up and down the hall. She is very mellow and will let you easily brush her or trim her front claws (back ones are a bit of a struggle). She comes with a crate, food and some supplies.

If you are seriously interested please call Sage at 206-935-0471 or email sagek77@gmail.com to set up an appointment to meet Willow.

More photos:

http://flic.kr/p/8NYN8j

http://flic.kr/p/8NYN91

http://flic.kr/p/8NYN5L

[JoB]

Carson…

and you really honestly think that the great right ad machine won’t place the blame squarely on Obama for their own obstructionism if they get control of the House?

I don’t know what you were drinking tonight.. but i sure wish i could join you. Just a sip would probably put me right to sleep and it’s looking to be a long night:(

[JoB]

property tax relief translates into consumer spending which generates jobs

passing tax savings along to small businesses generate jobs…

jobs add sales tax income to state coffers..

sounds like a much better bet than waiting for those tax breaks for the wealthy to trickle down…

just when is that supposed to happen ?

;-(

rodsreels5…

so what’s more fair?

each of us pays roughly the same percentage of our income

or each of us pays roughly the same tax dollars on essential items?

you are so worried about what the legislature might do that you have overlooked what has already happened.

[metrognome]

Interesting how many people complain about the taxation system in this state taking all their money but refuse to take a risk at changing it, thereby leaving the same system in place. If you are in a lower income category, pretty much all your income goes to necessities. The current WA tax system takes a much higher percentage of your spendable income than it does for someone in a higher income bracket. By voting against this, you are basically saying that you want to pay higher taxes.

Interesting how the opponents focus on the income tax part and don’t mention the reduction in property tax levies and some B&O taxes. Seems like 1098 is an honest effort to START reforming our system. Yes, the legislature COULD lower the taxable income levels in 2 years. Or, they COULD take further steps to make our tax system more equitable. Or, they COULD continue to do nothing and people like RR5 could continue to pay more than their fair share. If nothing else, if you aren’t in the taxable group, you will at least get 2 years of lower prop taxes (if you own property) and reduced taxes if you own a business.

Is it a perfect solution? No, nothing is, if for no other reason than stuff happens and the world changes. It’s a start … and if it is approved, it will end up in court as some folks say that applying a tax to only a few people is a violation of the state constitution.

It will be interesting to parse the election results to see how many who voted no on 1098 also voted yes on 1100 and/or 1105 and 1107 and possibly 1058 and 1082.

[Kayzel]

Having no children, having previously lived in a neighborhood for 35 years which never had trick or treaters, and being new to the neighborhood I asked what is done here so I’ll have something for the kids. And I appreciated the reply.

How about Let’s not overthink Forum questions?

[Flyonthewall]

I had already made up my mind to vote no on this because private L & I insurers will jack up premiums just like private health insurers, but just to check my understanding I gave a copy of the Initiative to my two Workers’ Comp. Judge friends in Florida (a privatized, very heavily litigated WC state)to review.

Their collective conclusion: Keep the system we have. They believe that the insurers will not only jack up WC rates statewide by huge percentages (in Florida 10-15% per year) but they will deny more claims and delay provision of benefits to “starve out” and/or discourage injured workers from pursuing claims, causing an onslaught of workers’ comp. hearings, appeals and attorneys fees. In fact, both Judges stated that they wished Florida’s system was more like Washington’s current state-run one.

A good rule to follow: think twice before giving any money to insurance companies whose bottom line is to maximize profit at the expense of dispensing benefits and reasonable premiums.

[me on 28th Ave SW]

JoB,

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this. I have been involved in my children’s schools, PTAs, read too many Board Meeting notes, watched the meetings live on TV, attended planning meetings etc to be fooled by the rhetoric. This is not about the children, this is about feeding top-heavy district headquarters administration. For the entire twelve years I have had children in this district, the cry has been about books, teachers and class size. The levys have always passed and here we are all these years later still crying about books, teachers and class size.

.

I invite you to spend time trying to hold anyone accountable in this district. Go to a public meeting. You may think you will get answers but will see what I am talking about. The district has plenty of money to have paid consultants present polished power-point presentations and hand out slick colored copies of them to everyone, but cannot or will not answer the public that show up looking for answers.

..

I am willing to take the risk of the levy failing and I will tell you why; because even if it DOES fail, myself all the other devoted volunteers will still be around fundraising to pay for reading coaches, gym teachers, music instructors, enrichment programs, kleenex, snacks and other supplies that SPSD has not fully-funded for years.

[j]

We went last Saturday for lunch. Despite being very busy, we got our food quickly and it was great! Ordered wings for ourselves, a friend ordered a burger (she said it was awesome), and some sliders from the kid’s menu. Pretty sure the kid’s portion would have been more food than even an adult needs. The crinkle fries were some of the best fries I’ve ever had. We’ll go back, but probably on a night where they have a wing and beer special. Going for wings is always a bit on the pricier side.

[rodsreels5]

Mindless zombies by voting no to 1098? LOL, I don’t think so…..

The constitution is absolutely clear: after just two years, the Legislature can change anything about I-1098 with just a simple majority vote. Remember, every single “dedicated” funding initiative that has passed in the last 20 years has been altered in some way by Olympia. I highly doubt that I-1098 will be the first initiative to break that streak.

Proponents of the income tax say the money will be used for education and health programs, but Olympia consistently diverts funds from “dedicated accounts.” In fact, 74 of these accounts – including those for education and health – have been raided in the last 10 years. They can use 1098 funds however the h*@l they want.

I am a hard working individual barely making it, as are most people I know. Olympia needs to be held responsible, so I am voting NO to 1098

[hopey]

My stepson’s trombone has a few dings and the tuning slide is stuck. Any recommendations on where to take it for repair?

[DP]

timeslid: I already voted “yes,” on the levy, and would have done so anyway *

BUT BUT BUT . . .

. . . let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help convey your message about accountability to the District.

Please suggest some text for a brief e-mail and give me the address to send it to, and by gorrie, I’ll DO it. (Hell, you know me. Anything to do with complaining, I’m totally there!!)

—David

* I know someone at the District and my you-know-what would be in a ringer if I didn’t vote for school levies. Is this intellectually dishonest of me? Of course it is!

But hey! I care about my you-know-what.

[2krazy4words]

heres’ tonight’s line-up and details:

The fee for this tasting is $5 with $3 of each tasting fee going to Friends of Animals Foundation (FAF) and Feral Cat Assistance and Trapping.

Featuring EPIC Ales: Come meet Cody, Founder and Brewmaster, as we sample the following 5 beers. Each beer will be paired with a different cheese selected by Cody!

1. Simply Summer: a bone dry earthy hoppy farmhouse ale. Though summer may be over this beer begs to be paired with all the sweet and rich food coming this holiday season.

2. Lyli: a light refreshing wheat-based ale brewed with green tea. Wonderful with all those washed rind cheeses that accompany early fall.

3. Mathilda: an imperial kvass, slightly tart with bready rye notes and mint throughout. Think Russian surf mojito. Plays nicely with roasted tubers and blue cheeses.

4. Beatrice, the spicy cousin of Mathilda, made with szechuan peppercorns and cinnamon. With a nice bowl of curry and this beer on your table you’ve almost escaped the soggy northwest rainy season.

5. Project One, the first big beer from the brewery. Boiled for 3 hours until it took on a sark amber hue. This 9.1% beast was brewed with palm, cane and beet sugar, it finds itself halfway between a west coast amber and a Belgian dubbel.

Want to keep the party going after we close up at 8pm?

Head on over to our neighbors at The Rocksport Bar and Grill and 10% of your food and/or beverage purchase will go to FAF/ FCAT (be sure to pick up a donation ticket from us before you head over!).

[2krazy4words]

heres’ tonight’s line-up and details:

The fee for this tasting is $5 with $3 of each tasting fee going to Friends of Animals Foundation (FAF) and Feral Cat Assistance and Trapping.

Featuring EPIC Ales: Come meet Cody, Founder and Brewmaster, as we sample the following 5 beers. Each beer will be paired with a different cheese selected by Cody!

1. Simply Summer: a bone dry earthy hoppy farmhouse ale. Though summer may be over this beer begs to be paired with all the sweet and rich food coming this holiday season.

2. Lyli: a light refreshing wheat-based ale brewed with green tea. Wonderful with all those washed rind cheeses that accompany early fall.

3. Mathilda: an imperial kvass, slightly tart with bready rye notes and mint throughout. Think Russian surf mojito. Plays nicely with roasted tubers and blue cheeses.

4. Beatrice, the spicy cousin of Mathilda, made with szechuan peppercorns and cinnamon. With a nice bowl of curry and this beer on your table you’ve almost escaped the soggy northwest rainy season.

5. Project One, the first big beer from the brewery. Boiled for 3 hours until it took on a sark amber hue. This 9.1% beast was brewed with palm, cane and beet sugar, it finds itself halfway between a west coast amber and a Belgian dubbel.

Want to keep the party going after we close up at 8pm?

Head on over to our neighbors at The Rocksport Bar and Grill and 10% of your food and/or beverage purchase will go to FAF/ FCAT (be sure to pick up a donation ticket from us before you head over!).

[Chris-SkelTheater]

Responding to an e-mail: easy.

Building and programming everything we need to finish this in time: hard.

Making it to November 2nd: priceless.

“what a guy”, I’d amend that to what a sleepy guy, but thank you.

See y’all at Halloween!

[DP]

Hi, jack!

I’m curious. Does anyone know if Seattle police are still staking out strip joints to make sure that patrons don’t come within four feet of the strippers? If we limited the undercover cops to three drinks per stakeout, and no more than, say, $50 in tips, I bet there would be substantial savings.

And to give you some perspective on the cost of fighting fires these days, does anyone recall the $13 million payout Seattle gave to “disabled” fire fighter Mark Jones recently?

Remember Mr. Jones? He’s the guy who claimed his on-the-job injury made him feel like he was 80 years old but was later videotaped (by the City) playing horseshoes like a twenty-something and jumping up and down in glee when he got a ringer.

Story here:

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/100162714.html

I doubt if the city will ever see any of that $13 million again, but substantial savings could be probably be realized by firing the boneheads on the City’s legal team who decided not to surveill Mr. Jones until after the lawsuit was over.

My point here is not that policing and firefighting are not essential. (They are essential.) My point is to question this notion that the City’s police and fire departments have really been “cut to the bone.” After only one or two rounds of cuts, I seriously doubt that.

I’m for giving government all the money it needs to do its job. I’m also for government being very careful with the money we give it.

Bye, jack!