I'm not great with odds, but I think over 100,000 people have RSVPed as attending on Facebook, so if you figure about half will actually show that would be around 75K. Yeah, I'll go with 75,000.

On a personal note, i will be one of the 75K. I have my ticket booked and my lodging arranged. Hello, DC!!!

You might also ask this question on Electionland. 

There is an expert panel of local journalists there answering questions right now and it's possible that they already have what you are looking for.

I just posted the below to

http://questionland.com/questions/12978-if-i-lost-my-ballot-is-there-a-way-can-i-still-vote

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Had you lost it a few weeks back you could have requested a replacement ballot via http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/replacementballot.aspx . Obviously they can't mail you out a new ballot at this point.

Instead, you should be able to vote in person at one of the Accessible voting places. They are primarily designed for voters with disabilities but per KC "these locations are open to all voters":

http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/accessible.aspx

You may want to call 206-296-Vote (8683) to confirm all of this though.

Had you lost it a few weeks back you could have requested a replacement ballot via http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/replacementballot.aspx . Obviously they can't mail you out a new ballot at this point.

Instead, you should be able to vote in person at one of the Accessible voting places. They are primarily designed for voters with disabilities but per KC "these locations are open to all voters":

http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/accessible.aspx

You may want to call 206-296-Vote (8683) to confirm all of this though.

I hope his spirit doesn't get clogged in the tubes

I've heard of him. Didn't know that he died, though. A pity... he's done a lot of work for good over the years.

I don't think we actually FULLY pay it off in 2012- see below.

We owed 127 million when it was imploded.

Bob Young in the SeattleTimes answered this well in 2005:

Here's how the hotel-motel tax is distributed to arts and culture programs in King County:

The Sonics -- and potentially the Mariners and Seahakws -- are at this point competing with arts advocates for hotel-motel tax revenues after the year 2020.

...though TECHnically we're really at this point paying off the new roof and new seating (other bonded costs), and you could argue that the principal construction has been paid (though the law doesn't seem to divide/categorize the debt like that)

It's scheduled to be done "mid-summer," according to Seattle Parks & Rec. They had some delays in April due to soil contamination.

This is what it's supposed to look like, per Parks & Rec:

According to the UW Daily, 516 13th Ave E, #202, in a building that no longer exists.

See p4 of their summer special: http://media.dailyuw.com/papers/100621_WEB_FULL.pdf

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA). He responded to her rant by asking what planet she was living on, causing great consternation at Fox News, whose talk show anchors were concerned that the very core principles of our democracy were being undermined when an elected official dared to treat a constituent's paranoid anti-government rant without the same respect accorded to a visiting head of state.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYlZiWK2Iy8

I-1098 if you support social services and a more progressive tax structure

I-1068 if you support legalizing Marijuana and saving the state $150 million/year

I believe I-1100 and I-1105 to be flawed ways to privatize alcohol because they would erode the tax base.Do not sign them

Do not sign I-1053 (Eyman's initiative) and I-1082 (BIAW's initiative), and I-1107 (Candy and soda industry initiative)

Also read this, it was in the Stranger last week

To be fair, it can be confusing to anyone, even if you know the difference. Just separating the two in ones speech is difficult.

If you're talking about crazy dreads guy who stumbles around downtown always wearing a blanket and looking deranged, who just walks into traffic randomly and gingerly tries to kick cars, and is a traffic accident waiting to happen... yeah, he probably needs some help.

We moved in March, and therefore received our census form at the address that we weren't technically occupying on April 1st. We watched for a form at our new address, but never received one, so we sent in the old one.

A census worker called me from our building's call box this past Wednesday night. I wasn't at home and told her to come back the next night, completely forgetting that I would be at work and Jon was out of town. She came back again and left an unfailingly cheery message with a callback number. I called her back and left her a message, she called me back, still super friendly and not at all annoyed that I wasn't home when I told her I would be.

I had mentioned returning the form at our old address in my message, but she didn't bring it up. She asked me a few questions, we joked when I actually knew Jon's middle initial (she said she's come across people who have lived together for many years and had no idea), and overall it was a completely painless and fast process. It's taken me longer to type this (long, boring) story about the census than it actually took to answer the census questions. My point is, what's the big deal?

The census taker was a nice girl who was probably grateful to find a decent-paying job in this economy, and had clearly been jerked around by assholes who confuse disliking civic duty with disliking people charged with enforcing civic duty. I couldn't care less that the government now knows I'm white and that I'm in a relationship with the person I live with; they could find that out by checking Facebook.

The census is especially important to Washington state this year because we have a chance at gaining a congressional seat (which would be good for us). Every resident who didn't send in their form and avoids their census worker is ultimately working against their own best interest.

Those signs have been up since at least February of 2007. I used to work nearby and still live a few blocks to the north and walked past them daily. I wouldn't knock on the door, as my sense of personal safely prevents me from disturbing potentially volatile schizophrenic people, but you might consider calling Heath and Human Services to see if help is available.

I had never actually heard of it before I saw this post and happened to come across an article about it today. Thanks for raising my awareness of it all.

Apparently some new information on it all, though this is from a Fox News correspondent, the evidence seems pretty weak, and it has the flavor of a very anti-student demonstrators tone.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/04/new-light-shed-on-kent-state-killings/?orly

If they are placed out of the main path, in areas already obstructed by streetlights or fire hydrants, I'm fine with them. If I have to stop for pedestrians going the other way because your sign is blocking two way traffic, then you deserve to have your street junk thrown into the garbage with all of Tim Eyman's initiatives.

We need the First Avenue line. Without it, the two alignments don't connect. With it, we have a network.

This is not legal advice. This is crappy internet advice from people you've never met. But it's also advice from someone who is married, who has family we don't completely trust, and who has been involved in the fight for equal marriage rights for nearly 15 years.

There are a couple of things to be concerned about as a gay couple, married/DP'd,/CU'd or not:
1. Family
2. The Government (includes all bureaucrats and organizations like hospitals, nursing homes, courts, etc)

1. Do everything you can to make your relationship codified and known to everyone. This means getting all available legal protections -- DP, marriage, commitment ceremonies, etc (some of these or maybe all of them) -- even if they're not honored in your state, or even if they're not legally binding (eg, marriages by a UU or UCC church are valid marriages in the eyes of those churches, but not necessarily the state). It means power of attorney. It means end of life directives and possibly living wills. It means having the frank and hard discussions with your partner and friends.

2. TELL EVERYONE that you're a couple. This means being out. Why? Because if you're dead and your partner is incapacitated, you will need to rely upon the kindness of strangers to honor your wishes, or if you're battling an idiot hospital nurse who thinks he's God's security guard and that keeping the homos apart will get him closer to heaven. Tell people that you've got your partner's power of attorney. Use words with the people who have some control over your lives (your doctor is the best example I have) that indicate you're a couple: my husband and I, my partner and I, we, the two of us, etc, on a regular basis so they aren't surprised when it's suddenly important and act not out of spite but out of ignorance.

3. Travel with your legal documents (not your wills) that indicate you're a couple that a hospital might require to ensure your right to make medical decisions on your partner's behalf. And by travel with, I mean the glove compartment of your car, not just on vacation. I don't necessarily mean on the bus or subway, but it's a good idea to keep a copy at the office too. Where are you most likely to get injured? Probably your car. Consider some sort of wallet-sized version too.

4. Make sure a 3rd party -- friend, lawyer, trusted family member -- knows your wishes and relationship and can be reached fairly easily. Have a backup or two, too. If you're both injured, someone needs to be able to speak for you. Think "porn buddy" but without the upside (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9gnexnnIDc and there's a missing final line: Jeff: That's the beauty of it, you see? Your best friend's dead, but there's a bright side!).

5. Make sure your wills and other docs are tight enough that family members cannot override them easily: explicitly deny them access or authority; clearly specify what they are to receive, rather than just having them next in line after your partner: And sis gets only my EasyBake oven and only in the event [my partner] predeceases me; ensure that your burial directives are explicit.

6. Have something in writing that discusses who owns what property: the stuff you each brought to the relationship and the stuff you acquired after you were a couple. Personally, I think that stuff you got after you were together should be jointly owned, but that's me. This is less important for junk than it is for stuff of value: cars, art, furniture, property, etc. And it's especially important if for some reason it's not titled in both names (thinking cars and property here, which might be in one person's name for tax or other reasons).

7. Title real property in ways that minimize the tax burden upon transfer. This is especially true when one partner pays more of the mortgage than the other.

8. Figure out how you're going to handle your money. Everything separate? Everything joint? A mix? This isn't really a protection issue, but it is a relationship issue and one that people need to discuss. We have friends who keep nearly everything separate and who say at restaurants, okay, I owe you $20 for last time, and we have other friends who put both incomes into a joint account and everything is paid from there. DISCUSS THIS so it's not an issue later. Also, the joint account is a great way to document that items were purchased together.

9. Do all these things BEFORE you need them.

10. FIGHT for your rights when you're concerned about them. Do not allow yourself to be denied access to your partner. Any hospital employee who tries to keep me away from my husband will have to have me arrested because that's what it will take. Don't let some pissant deny your last moments together. And also remember that, as I mentioned above, sometimes people will treat you inappropriately not out of malice but because they don't realize you're together. Give them the benefit of the doubt and a chance to correct a mistake (or to prevent one from happening) before going nuclear on them. But go nuclear if you need to. Also, self-confidence is key: remember that you're in the right and assume that they WILL honor your relationship. Going through customs, my husband and I have always filled out one family declaration form and never had a problem (we've only done it a few times, in 2001 from Europe, maybe 2002/2003 from Canada, and again in 2010 from Europe). We don't ASK if we can fill out one form, we just do it. Hand it to the Customs guy, answer his questions, and proceed.

11. Use common sense: if you're traveling in Iran, don't tell the hospital he's your spouse. This might be useful in part of the USA, too, or anywhere you are concerned about mistreatment if someone knows you're gay, such as a hospital when things are going fine but Nurse Ratched is your caregiver. My husband and I look enough alike (same race, close in age and builds, etc) that we can pass for brothers if we had to, and we're willing to say that if it's a matter of self-preservation. Uncle/nephew, brother-in-law, cousin, can also work, especially if they're limiting visiting hours to their definition of "family". I don't think we've ever actively used this technique, but it's in the arsenal.

I hope this helps.

Are you sure the character name wasn't Warren G. Craddock?
He appeared during the Kree-Skrull war as the "grand inquisitor" accusing people of being alien until they could prove that they were not, correct? Sounds like a bit of McCarthy and the Salem Witch Trials rolled into one.

PS: Wasn't it eventually revealed that Craddock was the missing fourth skrull from outer space who was hiding in that guise, trying to stir up unrest and shake the government and the superheroes to prepare for an invasion? (An invasion that never happened until Secret Invasion in the last seven years was scripted and pulled off by Bendis and Marvel Comics Group???)

Who wrote that? Roy Thomas or Stan Lee? Seem like that's about 1971 or so, after Lee turned over the writing duties to Roy Thomas around issue #52 or so, right?

...mamaries?

Please clarify: Have you already filled out your tax return? Do you owe money from a previous tax return or other debt?

Your EIC calculation will be included on your tax return, reducing any amount you owe or increasing your refund. If you have a previous IRS debt, they will keep any refund and send you a letter explaining what they did, your new balance, and your options. Does this make sense?

It says on the SPU site that you have to pay for garbage service, although it does say: "Call Customer Service at 206-684-3000 to request a special rate or waiver." If there is a strike call SPU to register your support for the union. Also call Waste Management now and tell them you support the union.

Teamsters 174 has a place you can sign up for strike support but it doesn't say what that means.

If there is a strike I think going down to the picket line and/or driving by honking and giving thumbs up is really important to drivers' morale. You could maybe also bring them snacks. They'll probably have picket lines 24/7 so they'll always need support, especially if it goes on awhile.

I don't blame those who are applying for these jobs, the way the economy is. I can't expect anyone who is out of work and able to do this job to put ethics before money for food and bills. Unfortunately the "scabs" are much easier for people to dump their scorn on than the greedy executive bastards.

You don't know what the magnitude of an earthquake is until it's over. That said, take the same precautions as for a smaller severe earthquake. Get under a sturdy desk or similar object and ride it out. Beware of items that can fall and hurt you, lamps, pictures on the wall, etc. Do not run outside, as falling debris (like bricks & glass) can injure you.

If you're outside, get inside somewhere, in a building lobby or at least under a (not glass) alcove. Again, try to find something sturdy to get under. The possibility that you'll get hurt by falling bits of debris outside is larger than that of a large chunk hitting and crushing the desk you're under. Do not run into the street--there is danger of falling light poles, snapped electrical wires, etc.

Do not be alarmed if you are in a building and it starts to sway. A bit of flexibility is a good thing--it's less likely to be brittle and break. Like the way a flexible tree can withstand higher winds than a tree with no give.

In terms of travel, well... This city is extraordinarily dependent on bridges, which probably shouldn't be used if there is any concern of structural damage. If you have a car, you may have to take a considerable re-route. For example, if all the bridges in the region are affected, you may have to drive completely around Lake Washington to get up north.

Jonah Spangenthal-Lee wrote a very informative article on this subject last year.

Basically, King County health regulations in tandem with ridiculous legilsation from the City Council has created a prohibitive environment for street vendors. Precooked hotdogs and popcorn seem to be the only safe food for our streets under the current requirements. Luckily, the City has wised up and is now pursuing reform to this excessive regulation.

Here is an excerpt of City goals from a DPD project paper:

Recommendations for Seattle

The City of Seattle is considering the following reforms for mobile food vending in the right-of-way:

Citywide:

Diversify types of food that can be sold from food carts. Currently carts are limited to hot dogs, espresso, popcorn and flowers. The Health Dept is considering expanding this list to allow assembly of pre-cooked ingredients and other foods on a case-by-case basis.

Eliminate required 200’ Park setback. This would be dropped as vending has been shown to improve park safety.

Set “clear path of travel” standards, consistent with the Pedestrian Master Plan guidelines, for carts on sidewalks. Food carts would only be permitted where there is sufficient sidewalk space to ensure clear sidewalks for persons with disabilities and easy access to area businesses.

Create a Street Use Permit for mobile trucks. Currently only trucks serving construction sites are permitted. This would allow the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to issue street use permits where mobile trucks could operate from the right-of-way, in designated spaces.

Set standards for design, litter pickup, and hours of operation. Allow SDOT to set guidelines for cart dimensions and design, and standards for trash clean up and hours of operation.

Create setbacks from restaurants. Require food vendors be 50 feet from an adjacent food service, unless with the written permission of the business.

 Improve noticing requirements to the public and area businesses. Require public notice of all pending applications for mobile food vending in the right-of-way, and require the food vending applicant notify all adjacent businesses in person of a pending application.

In Center City Urban Centers (see attached):

Allow mobile vending from the street. Mobile food vending from the street is currently prohibited. SDOT would identify locations in Center City neighborhoods, as a pilot, where curbside vending would be permitted during certain days and times. A vendor would need to secure a street use permit to operate in a designated space.

Issue an RFP for vendors at specific locations. Solicit proposals from vendors to help activate certain public places and provide public amenities.

The City Council had hoped to introduce new legislation this spring, but now it looks like we might not have anything done until summer. They are probably being lobbied by myopic, upscale restaurant owners who somehow see taco stands as competition.

Once the Council figures out some way to mitigate their whining, things will change.

yes.
At about 1:30, Seattle Police Department used a helicopter and some K9 units to track a Hispanic male in his mid-30s—wearing brown t-shirt, 5'11, brown hair—who was headed southbound at NE 125th St and 26th Ave NE.

Rainier Beach is one of two communities in Seattle that will get their neighborhood plan updated this year. I am looking forward to working with this community.

I will work to get better Metro bus service in SE seattle. I agree that regional light rail is not the same as local bus service.

An observation -- the state is spending billions of dollars on new highways that will be tolled. So, if you can afford a car, tolls, and the cost of downtown parking, the state has a plan for you. Meanwhile, we are cutting local transit. Our elected leaders have their priorities backwards.

You mean you're looking to cram your RSS reader full of informative feeds, right? Here's a start:

City podcasts and RSS feeds:
http://www.seattle.gov/html/citizen/rss.htm

neighborhood blogs:
-http://www.capitolhillseattle.com
-http://www.centraldistrictnews.com
-http://www.westseattleblog.com
-http://www.myballard.com
-http://www.wallyhood.org

transit:
http://www.seattletransitblog.com
http://www.orphanroad.com

news/politics/commentary:
http://www.crosscut.com
KUOW podcasts
http://www.publicola.net
http://www.seattlecrime.com
http://www.horsesass.org
http://www.hugesscity.com

green/reuse/sustainability:
http://www.platform21.nl/
http://greenupgrader.com/

I desperately wanted her for Senate Majority Leader. I think she'd be a world of improvement over Harry "no spine" Reid. Yes, I think she'd certainly be keeping the Senate more in line.

That's where the Republicans have it all over the Democrats; they're more homogenous, so lockstep is not only possible with them, it's expected. That's how they were able to get so much of their loathsome agenda forced through. Even with a "filibuster-proof" 60, we're still lucky to get a simple majority on ANYTHING, just because there are some contrary fucks on the Democratic side of the aisle, and no one the equivalent of Tom DeLay to force them into compliance (there's a reason they called him The Hammer).

Now whether or not it's a good thing to have a lockstep party is another discussion entirely. But legislation proposed by the Democratic majority would definitely be being pushed through more efficiently in that scenario.

I think many world leaders do know English (or some other widely-used diplomatic language, such as French), for several reasons:
1. Many world leaders, even if not coming from an English-speaking country, attended American or British educational institutions. Colombian President Uribe attended Harvard and Oxford for a time. President Arroyo of the Philippines spent 2 years at Georgetown. Etc.
2. I think the wide net cast by the scope of the British Empire and American imperialism in the last few centuries spread the reach of the English language. Thus, in any country with any significant British or American footprint on it (for good or bad), I think you'll see this echo, where students (particularly in the best schools) eventually learn some English. And since many leaders come from those well-educated circles, they know English.
3. I'm willing to bet some know English, but don't use it for various political reasons (especially if his/her political platforms are built on nationalism, or have a particularly sharp anti-American/anti-Western foreign policy stance).
4. Even for those world leaders who don't know English (or can't use it -- see #3), I'm willing to bet many know other diplomatic languages suitable to the geographic region: French in Africa, Russian in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Chinese in East Asia, etc. I think the tendency to know only one language is only unique to our country.