Imagine getting a notice to vacate your home -- in a short 20 days. You must pack up, look for new lodgings whose rent you can manage. Then meet the financial demands of a new landlord if you do find a place...
Posts published in “–”
In April Parallax Perspectives on TCTV, Glen Anderson helps the public understand the serious shortage of housing that is truly affordable for people who are not rich. Local governments in Olympia and elsewhere want to solve the problem, but they have misdiagnosed it, so they have proposed the wrong solutions,…
The March 5th forum on rental regulation was a spirited evening. Four members of City Council and Olympia’s senior staff people listened to community advice and concerns about rental housing.
The first US gathering for women’s rights was convened in Seneca Falls, NY, by leaders of the anti-slavery movement. The “Declaration of Rights and Sentiments” signed by participants benefited from the gathering’s exposure to the Iroquois nation, where women enjoyed social equality...
And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.…
The coronavirus outbreak has now hit Thurston County. Thousands of county residents are at risk of contracting the disease and suffering the economic fallout of its rapid spread. Many local residents do not have the option of working from home. Service, retail and restaurant employees, gig economy workers, those employed…
El brote de coronavirus ha llegado y golpea el condado de Thurston. Miles de residentes del condado corren el riesgo de contraer la enfermedad y sufrir las consecuencias económicas de su rápida propagación. Muchos residentes locales no tienen la opción de trabajar desde casa. Los empleados de servicios, minoristas, de…
Can we learn anything from a socialist country? When Bernie Sanders mentioned that Cuba’s population has a high rate of literacy, US politicians and their media echoes acted like he had endorsed the Devil Incarnate...
The 2021 budget proposed by President Trump reveals the intent of this administration to reshape America as an authoritarian country run by big business backed by a sweeping military sector. Some deep cuts proposed by the President would affect mandated programs like Social Security, Medicare, food stamps and unemployment. However,…
We are all familiar with the dominant narrative that the virulent strain of influenza known now as N-Covid-19 originated at a crowded seafood market in Wuhan China when an errant bat infected poultry, passed the virus to humans and quickly mutated into at least two deadly strains. Because the market…
Over the past several weeks, I have witnessed the death of an idea – the United States as a democratic republic...
Shortly before Doug Shoop retired from managing Hanford cleanup operations for the US Department of Energy in 2019, he met with members of the Hanford Advisory Board and answered a simple question: of all the issues that need more attention than they are getting now, what keeps him up at…
In this month’s column, you will be able to explore with me some aspects of “socialism,” often in the news because of Bernie Sanders—but rarely given an accurate explanation...
These suggestions relate to Olympia, but they work for other towns as well. Many businesses offer takeout. That’s a great option for support. Many are online, so check their websites to see if there is a way to buy a gift card or shop. This includes theaters. A win-win option…
The Port of Olympia has participated in live animal transportation since 2015.
Hay miedo. Hay aislamiento. Hay compras de pánico. Hay enfermedad. También hay muerte. Pero, Dicen que en Wuhan después de años de ruido Puedes escuchar el canto de los pájaros. Dicen que después de algunas semanas de sosiego El cielo está despejado Azul y claro. Dicen que en las calles…
Yes there is fear. Yes there is isolation. Yes there is panic buying. Yes there is sickness. Yes there is even death. But, They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise You can hear the birds again. They say that after just a few weeks of quiet…
The Rachel Corrie Foundation • Olympia Mutual Aid Collective • OlyAssembly: Are we in this together or not?
On February 4, Paul Pickett met with Dennis Kucinich for an interview. The following are excerpts from that longer conversation.
It might seem from news stories that the biggest “threat” to free speech today comes from intolerant students—both those who shout down speakers promoting white supremacy, and those who disrupt presenters arguing for Palestinians. In fact, there are few such incidents, though those are extensively reported...
In January people in Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Yelm suddenly found boarding the city bus a pleasure! No fumbling for exact change, counting out pennies, searching for a pass, stuffing wrinkled dollar bills into a resisting slot: riding the bus is free! And there’s more. As of February 3, ruralTransit…
…Lohen Che’ s landlord kicked him and everyone else out of affordable duplexes on 10th Ave SE—and then applied for a tax exemption from the City Council for “market rate” apartments across the street. This month, the City Council granted an 8-year exemption from property tax on those apartments. Before…
Because of our topsy turvy economy and the rise of e-commerce Olympia now has a number of empty Big Box stores. One glaring example is the empty Toys R Us store with a huge parking lot sitting all alone on Cooper Point road. We could be using buildings like these…
Dear WIP, Recently I spoke to Olympia’s assistant city manager, who told me that the Parks Department had a meeting with mountain bikers to plan a bike park at Kaiser Woods. He said that they didn’t need to follow the Open Meetings Law. That’s not true!. It’s perfectly clear. All…
On February 17, Bernie Sanders captivated a rowdy crowd at a packed Tacoma Dome. The night began with the Puyallup Tribal Council setting the tone for a historic rally in honor of Bernie Sanders and his supporters....