*Author’s note: If you are on a diet, and do not have iron-clad determination, stop reading.*

Photo thanks to Pie, Cupcake Royale and Full Tilt

There are many hard-hitting, thought-provoking, whistle-blowing, tough as nails journalistic pieces out there…this is not one of those pieces.

This is about all things joyous. All things wondrous. All things splendid. All things, sweet.

Our delicious tour of sugary goodness begins with one of my favorite treats; pie. At an establishment aptly named Pie, in the heart of the Fremont neighborhood. Pie specializes in personal-size, all hand-made confections using only fresh and natural ingredients, including a delicious hand-made flakey crust.

“We make our pies in small batches all day long, so what you see on the menu in the morning may be different than what you see by evening time,” said Jess Whitsitt, co-owner of Pie. The changing Pie menu does not only include sweets, however; it also includes “savory” pies – think of pot pie, but WAY better.

“We have many interesting savory pie creations: Pork Pot Sticker Pot Pie, Spaghetti with Meatballs Pie and Swedish Meatball with roasted potatoes and Lingonberry Sauce Pie, to name a few,” said Whitsitt, “but English Meat and BBQ Pulled Pork are our most popular.”

However since we are talking about all things sweet, you can find that at Pie too – patron’s favorite creations include Coconut Cream, Berry Awesome and my favorite, Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie. Even better, Pie has a late night window from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. “We get a lot of families the first hour and then we get the fun people who have been out at the bars in Fremont after that, or just folks from the neighborhood who have a late night craving,” said Whitsitt.

If you prefer cake to pie, cupcakes in fact, then you can pop over to one of Cupcake Royale’s many Seattle locations for a Dance Party Holly Hobbie, Royale with Cheese or President Obama’s favorite, the Salted Caramel.

Cupcake flavors range from lavender to bacon, and their interesting arrangements has earned them national attention, appearing on Cupcake Wars on the Food Network last month.

“We were asked each year they ran Cupcake Wars and finally we made the show. I think we came across the most culinarily professional, and perhaps the least crafty-craft. Which is cool, because we’re all about the taste and doing cool things with interesting ingredients,” said Jody Hall, Founder of Cupcake Royale.

Whatever ingredients Cupcake Royale chooses (including for their unique “Cupcake of the Month” – be sure to make it in before the end of September to try the Huckleberry Cupcake), ingredients are always kept local. “Cupcake Royale thinks local is always the best way to go. By investing in our friends and neighbors, we’re making an investment in our community,” said Hall.

It’s Cupcake Royale’s investment in community and creativity in sweet perfection and that allows them to thrive in an ever-growing cupcake market. Said Hall, “We know that there are other delicious cupcakes out there. We’ve tried many of them. In the nearly eight years since we first opened, we were the first cupcake bakery to open outside of NYC, many cupcake bakeries have opened. But what has always set Cupcake Royale apart is our focus on nostalgic style and taste, real and local and organic ingredients when possible, our community settings (mall-free since 2003!), and our philanthropy. We donate over 40,000 cupcake annually to help small local businesses raise funds, and just recently, we created a special ‘The Gay’ cupcake and were able to donate $10,000 to the It Gets Better Project.”

The final stop on this Tour de Sweet is in a part of town you might not expect sugary goodness: Rat City (also known as the White Center neighborhood in West Seattle) at Full Tilt Ice Cream. You want hand-made artisan ice cream in pleasantly unexpected concoctions? They got it. You want classic arcade games like Wack-a-Gator and Skee-Ball? They got it. You want to hear some live music? They got it. Heck, you want a BEER to go with your ice cream? They got that too!

With locations also in Columbia City and the U-District, Full Tilt strives to not only indulge your sweet tooth, but provide events to bring neighbors together. “We have everything from political potlucks, bike repair classes, to punk rock shows. I think they are very important to our communities where there is very little in the way of safe, all ages places,” said Justin Cline, owner of Full Tilt, “We are also launching a record label, and a co-op kitchen in the south end.”

But even with all their events, Full Tilt still finds time to create an ever-changing variety of ice cream flavors. “Salted Caramel is most popular by far. Next is Ube,” said Cline. “We do a peanut butter banana and chocolate covered bacon flavor that we have dubbed The Memphis King. We also did a flavor recently with Chapulines, which are dry roasted grasshoppers from Oaxaca.”

I might be skipping the grasshoppers, but on my last visit I enjoyed a sorbet that tasted exactly like a grape popsicle, while my friends had Maui Coffee Porter Beer floats. How good is their ice cream? To quote a post from the Full Tilt Facebook page, “Our White Center store closed at 7 tonight. We sold out of ice cream. Thanks for the amazing day.”

I could keep going on about all the deliciousness Seattle has to offer (I didn’t even get to touch on the donut bliss of Mighty-O or Top Pot, or the magic of Theo’s Chocolate Factory, or…), but I can feel myself slipping into a sucrose coma. So I beckon all readers to don your stretchy pants and join the legions of out-of-towners, out-of-country-ers, and especially locals, who always have these three sweet champions on their “to-eat” list.

The Mona Lisa of headstands

Savasana (also known as Corpse Pose, or as I call it, “nap time”) has always been my favorite part of yoga. It’s the time at the end of practice where one aims to relax the body and quiet the mind while laying restfully on the back. Practicing Savasana here, underneath the warm, elusive Seattle sun, softly swaying on the waters of Shilshole Bay off the coast of Ballard, is pure bliss.

I, along with five others, have just completed an hour of yoga on the two-by-10 foot surface of a stand up paddleboard, referred to as “SUPs”. Our instructor, Hasna Atry, guided us not only through an array of postures, but also through the basic ins-and-outs of stand up paddleboarding. Even the novices like me who had never even set eyes on one had to make the roughly two-thirds mile round trip paddle to our yoga spot.

Surf Ballard has quickly become the buzz of Seattle as the only spot offering this new adaption of the widely practiced workout. Hasna, who has quite the perfect yoga name, has been teaching small classes on the water just since this May and on dry land for two years. While more “temperature friendly” spots such as Hawaii and California already have SUP yoga classes in place, it was Hasna’s friendship with Surf Ballard’s co-owner Andrew Drake that brought SUP yoga, now called WASUP, to the Pacific Northwest.
“Because of my connection with Andrew, I could just take out boards whenever I wanted and was practicing yoga on them, and I was like maybe the rest of the world wants to have fun with me too! So the creation of it was really organic,” said Hasna. “But I’m still playing with [the practice], just figuring out what is accessible and doable on the paddleboard. I’m exploring.”

The sessions she began conducting mostly with friends and family were noticed by the blog My Ballard, and quickly picked up by King 5 and The Seattle Times. Shortly after WASUP experienced a surge of success with a Living Social offer of three classes for $30 (thanks to a thoughtful boyfriend I am part of that surge).

As only a recreational yoga practitioner, meaning I do it whenever it strikes my lazy fancy, I was concerned about my ability to combine it with an unstable surface on top of very chilly waters. But Hasna makes it quite clear that poses can be taken only as far as is comfortable to each individual student, making it appealing to both newbies and yogis alike.

For example, Hasna, not surprisingly after seeing her grace and agility on the SUP, executed a headstand on the board, where as I was more than happy to stay in the prep position. “The people that are doing it sometimes have an established practice in yoga, sometimes not and are just willing to feel it out and meet themselves exactly where they are. So I find people not getting too frustrated with themselves, sort of being able to laugh it off and say, ‘I can’t do that yet, but that’s ok.’”

However Hasna says there are a few connective threads she sees in her students: “They are people that are adventurous, have good amount of confidence in their body awareness, and are hardy. So like, on rainier days people are still showing up, like, ‘give me a hat, I’ll still go out,’ or ‘give me a wetsuit and let’s go do this.’”

“Did you fall in?” everyone asks. No, I didn’t (though I surely would have had I attempted that headstand!), and neither did anyone in the two sessions I’ve been to so far, but Hasna says you have to leave yourself open to the possibility it may happen. “People always ask me how often someone falls in and I never have an answer,” she said, “I would say it happens less often than it does happen. But it does happen.”

While I managed to stay dry, I did not escape the next-day soreness. The strength required by your core just to stay balanced and the energy exerted by your shoulders to paddle is a workout in itself, and when coupled with Hasna’s fully encompassing yoga practice I was left reaching for some Advil (in a good way, of course!)

Individual two-hour classes are $23, which is excellent considering that just a two-hour SUP rental at Surf Ballard is $30. “I tried really hard to make it affordable for people so they can gain a practice out of it, instead of coming once and saying ‘yeah, that was cool, but I can’t afford it,’” said Hasna. “To me the value of more people being able to access this practice is important.” For more information and to register for a class (Hurry! They book up FAST), visit wasupyoga.com. Namaste.

The Melon is excited to present an interview with Grammy Nominated singer/songwriter Henta. A native of England, Henta has since found herself in Seattle focusing on electronic music with her husband Marcell Marias.

We caught up with Henta at a recoding studio in Seattle (The Piano Studio) and found her working on material for a new album that calls back to her roots in organic instrument driven music.

Prior to the interview, we helped film a music video for her song “Rain”, featured below.

Some times the best ideas come from the most unlikely of places. A month or so ago, I received an email from Tacoma’s most infamous City Council meeting personality, Robert “The Traveller” Hill. Emails from Robert are not new to anyone whose address he’s managed to get a hold of. Nor are phone calls with story ideas.  Needless to say, I usually glance through his emails, but don’t often find anything worth reporting on The Melon. The email in question was much the same as the others.

–The subject of Robert’s latest email. Robert’s email, which had a long list of media and city council recipients, recalled a conversation he had with City Council Member David Boe about how Boe had expressed interest in Public Access Television and further that:

“[A]n active, citizen-led organization *has* to be in existence to administer to the station & studio.”

Robert "The Traveller" Hill

I knew Robert had been fighting for Public-Access Television in Tacoma for a long time. I remember long calls about its importance and about getting on board to help bring it to the public attention.

“Email over some information and I’ll put something together,” I would say.

“Okay, I will,” Robert would reply.

But the information never came, and I never reported. This latest email was archived. Then, almost 10 days later, something miraculous happened. “RE: [Sep.21] current stautus on PUBLIC-ACCESS TELEVISION in Pierce county or Tacoma” read the subject. Someone from Robert’s long list of recipients had replied to his email, and what’s more, it wasn’t an “unsubscribe” demand. The email was from Robert Kam, Public Access Manager at TCTV – Thurston Community Television. Addressed to Councilmember Boe, Kam’s email reads as follows:

“Dear Councilmember Boe,

If you are on the fence about whether or not to start working toward a public access center in Tacoma just take a look at Olympia’s public access network.  Your humble neighbor to the south is producing live karaoke and dance programs, faith programs, social justice programs, candidate forums, parade coverage, beauty contests, mental health programs, etc. etc.  The list goes on and on.  Your city could benefit from such a rich local television diet.

If you are wondering if the demand is there consider as soon as we opened our membership to people outside of Thurston county we had a flood of Pierce county residents going through our training program. I encourage you to speak in favor of a public access channel the next time the cable franchise is being negotiated.  I also encourage you to talk with click about the possibility of them providing one.

To learn more about TCTV in Olympia go to our website, www.tctv.net

Robert Kam
Public Access Manager
TCTV – Thurston Community Television

City Council Member David Boe

Robert Hill had support. Real support from a proven system. Maybe it was the surprise of such a legitimate response to Robert’s call to action that sparked a realization in me, or maybe it was an abundance of warm feelings from eating too much dark chocolate, but I had realized something. Robert Hill was right.

Public Access Television is a massive community builder, a wonderful creative outlet and an excellent opportunity to hone production skills. Like the abundance of local blogs promoting events, discussing news and sharing art, information and knowledge, TPA (Tacoma Public Access) could do the same while reaching new audiences and providing “live space” for person to person collaboration. Think of how many students could benefit from the video training opportunities (note: I do not personally find the linked video tasteful). TPA could be huge, especially for a city with some much local pride.

As Robert Kam from TCTV in Olympia noted, not only does a public access system work, it is hugely popular among citizens. Up north in Seattle, SCANTV provides the same opportunities for students, community and creatives alike, boasting upwards of 150 active producers, three public-use editing stations,  equipment rentals, and an abundance of workshop opportunities. Until recently, all has been well at SCANTV, but 2011 budget announcements have placed SCAN in jeopardy.

Enthused by Robert Kam’s response and a realization that “The Traveller” had perhaps been right all along, I sent a follow up email to Councilmember David Boe.  Here’s what I wrote (yes, I talk about The Melon a lot):

“Councilmember Boe,

I would like to help push the power of public access media. The gift you would help to provide to the people of Tacoma by offering an outlet for creativity, communication and information would be massive. What better way to celebrate the city of Tacoma than to celebrate the unique voices of its people?

My community focused online magazine, The Melon (themelononline.com), produces a plethora of valuable content that has the potential to reach out to so many eyes who are unaware of some of the great events and people in our city. With public television, our service can bring information to tons of new eyes. Some examples:

• Mouth and Mics (Poetry Event)
• Coverage of Tacoma Pecha Kucha’s -  (Did you know that Mayor Strickland spoke at a recent one and it was captured on video? How great would it be if this was on public access television too?)
• The Sweet Spot (Documentaries on Local Artists)
• Coverage of local politics
• and more…

Imagine a channel that had the true beat of the Tacoma art scene, or provided a local politics discussion or a CLAW-centric cartooning show. All of these things are possible.

With our vast experience and know-how, The Melon would be pleased in aid you and Tacoma in creating public access television for its citizens. Please help us to start the discussion. There’s so much creativity and interest blossoming in Tacoma, let’s give that community a new and important outlet to thrive.

Sincerely,

Elliot Trotter
Creative Manager, The Melon

How do we make Public Access Television a Reality in Tacoma?

It’s pretty clear to me, (and in discussions) local filmmakers and educators that Tacoma could greatly benefit from Public Access Television. In fact, it’s essentially the law to have one, says a 1972 Supreme Court ruling which requires all cable systems to provide, at the request of the municipality, an access-channels for public use. Further, the rule was amended in 1976 to require those cable systems provide access to public use studios and equipment at the request of the municipality. [Source: Museum of Broadcast Communications]

Yes, funding is an issue. Tacoma, like many cities in America, is fighting to weather an economic tornado, as the many empty storefronts downtown reflect. Perhaps some outside organization of angel investors, or a series of grants will aid in giving birth to TPA, but first it must be made clear that this is something we, the people of Tacoma, want.

Petition for Public Access Television in Tacoma

In order to show the Tacoma City Council that the citizens of Tacoma want Public Access Television to be on the agenda, we need to organize.  There’s already a facebook group with a small amount of support, but it’s important to communicate in ways that are more easily digestible. That is why we put together a petition. Our goal is to have 10,000 citizens sign our petition by February 11th (the birthday of great thinker and inventor Thomas Edison). We want 10,000 members of our community who agree that there’s value to a Public Access Station in Tacoma to help show the City Council that we want this to happen. This is Step 1. First we ignite the discussion. Then we pave the way.

I ask that you please share this petition link. Share it with you friends and family. Share it with your fellow Tacomans. Let’s centralize this call.

Petition Link: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/publicaccesstacoma

Starting the Discussion

How do you think TPA would benefit Tacoma? How would you use it? Where can we find funding? Please help us seek these answers in the comments section below.

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/quazie/

At 9pm every Tuesday and Friday, members of the Capitol Hill community meet at the Cal Anderson tennis courts to play a couple hours of dodgeball. The balls are supplied by a bunch of dodgeball enthusiasts, who have been hosting the game for years.

When I first moved from Tacoma to Seattle, I was very concerned about losing a sense of community. Tacoma had so many opportunities to contribute an be a part of the city. That’s where the Frost Park Chalk Off’s (a community maintained, weekly chalk competition) came from. That’s even what sparked this website. So when I moved to Seattle, I was uncertain if that same spirit would be alive. Walking around Pine St. one late summer evening, I happened upon this group of dodgeballers wailing rubber at each other. The fence outside the tennis courts were crawling with onlookers who “oohed” and “aahed” at some of the great hits and beefy throws. The people playing were not some organized league of elitist ball-bombers, but instead…everybody. Hipsters, gays, jocks, nerds, old and young, black and white, nearly every demographic you could think of and some you never would expect to subject themselves to having plastic balls hurled at them were taking to the courts with smiles on their faces.

I will admit, I was too shy to enter the arena the first time, but not a week or so later, I found myself skipping on the green, squeezing yellow rubber, readying a grip for launch at my opponent.  There are some basic rules: After the first point of contact the ball is technically dead. If you haven’t been in yet during a round and there are still more than five people remaining you can go in. These rules are governed by the masses and happily shared with all newcomers.

That sense of sharing is sort of what Capitol Hill dodgeball is about. It’s not about who gets out, or who got nailed in the face, it’s not about how you move or throw a ball, it’s all about having a good time. If you’re playing, you’ve earned the respect of your community, because you’re helping to create a good time for all. That is what community is about. That is what this is. What I feared I wouldn’t find in Seattle, turned out to be right in my own neighborhood.

But now this longstanding staple of community has come to the fire as complaints have reached city offices and discussions are being had by Seattle Parks and Recreation whether or not to force dodgeball elsewhere or grant “official” permission to use the Cal Anderson tennis courts. This King 5 video describes the situation pretty well. Meet me below the embed to hear my say on the matter.

Clearly dodgeball is important. It was huge for me in developing a sense of place and community, as it is for many others. Further, the Cal Anderson location is an ideal location for the diverse crowd, for promotion this event, displaying community in action and because it has been there for years. The conflict comes from apparently a handful of tennis players who believe the courts are being damaged by dodgeballers.  Such a claim is intensely unfounded.  To suggest that a rubber ball thrown by even the mightiest of persons is creating any damage to concrete is absurd.  Even if Randy Johnson was throwing every Tuesday night, he wouldn’t make a dent.  Tennis balls on the other hand, when hit with a racket are more likely to chip away at the ground, though still practically impossible.  So if no real damage is being done, perhaps I should humor old man winter’s Pandora’s Box suggestion.

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/alex-s/

This tennis advocate suggests that dodgeball opens up the courts to alternative sports that may cause real damage like bicycle polo. To suggest that dodgeball leads to bicycle polo is almost as crazy as saying gay marriage leads to the marrying of animals. What he’s suggesting is that if people see that dodgeball is allowed on the courts they’ll assume they can do anything there. Why this is nuts is that there are still rules. You can’t go shooting pellet guns at the tennis courts because that’ll do real damage.  This is pretty apparent. It’s not as if dodgeballers are the gatekeepers to all morals.   If bicycle polo creates real damage than they are responsible, it’s not dodgeballs fault.  Okay, I’ve already given way to much attention to this pin-headed argument.

So what then? Perhaps the tennis advocates suggest that the tennis courts should be used for tennis because that’s what they’re made for.  Perhaps, but community facilities are for communities to decide how to use.  In this case the community is hundreds of people who have played dodgeball compared to a handful of tennis players that, chances are, won’t even use the courts at 9pm.  Even if they would, what’s to stop other tennis players from getting their before these particular advocates do and forcing them to wait or play at another time?

As one dodgeball regular suggested in a comment somewhere (how do you like that citation English degree?), if dodgeball is kicked off Cal Anderson, they’re going to just play somewhere else and displace some other group of tennis players, so why not do the least harm and give the majority what it wants – exactly what it already has: community.

“Steve Davis is a documentary portrait and landscape photographer, and the Coordinator of Photography at The Evergreen State College.  He won 1st place in the Santa Fe Center for Photography’s Project Competition Award in 2002, and received two Washington Arts Commission/Artist Trust Fellowships . His work has appeared in Harper’s, the New York Times Magazine, and is in the collections of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the George Eastman House, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Musee de la Photographie in Belgium.  He is represented by the James Harris Gallery, Seattle.”

On July 3rd, a plethora of artists gathered at the Satori Group‘s loft in downtown Seattle for a new collaborative event called whizARTbang! What is it? whizARTbang is a new collective of artists and supporters. It hopes to connect, collaborate, and support art in any way it can.

Each month, members host an intimate gathering featuring culinary art, visual art, live performances, and libations. The Melon was on hand for July’s gathering which featured a sampling of work from: Culinary arts, Painting, Stand-up, Dance, Video Art, Experimental Theater, and Sketch Comedy. Here’s our footage from the event which featured The Melon’s own Electric Elliot:

Artists included:

-Zoe Scofield
-Derek Shankland and Mike Klotz
-Stephen Ross
-Emmett Montgomery
-Jason Miller
-Juniper Shuey
-Boom! Theater
-Kevin Kantner (not to be confused with Kevin kantor)
-Counsel Langley
-Harlequin Hipsters
-Elliot Trotter

We just received a nice little press release from Melonite Emily Knudson. It’s about an exciting new TV show that’s supposed to be doing big things for sustainability and community. If they can make TV a positive force, maybe this is worth a read. Here’s the release:

Seattle’s little TV show that could – Mission: Sustainable – is gaining momentum on its climb to the top by taking an unconventional and simple path to success.

Seattle, WA – January 4, 2010 – There’s a unique story developing in Seattle for television producer Rose Thornton, and it revolves around the simple concept of “ask and ye shall receive.” Against all odds – as well as Hollywood’s blueprint for how-to-make-a-television-show – Thornton and her company, ReGeneration Productions, are nearly finished producing the pilot episode for the green-themed makeover show Mission: Sustainable.

This man-bites-dog story is compelling because Thornton bypassed the traditional approach of selling a TV show to the networks. She wasn’t interested in optioning the concept or parading through the networks with a treatment to pitch the show. Instead, she opted to produce the pilot episode on her own – with little production experience and no money – simply by telling people she needed their help.

Silly idea? Not to Thornton, who has applied this mantra since May of 2009 and has a long list of successes already under her belt, including finding a director, holding auditions, casting a team of eight local sustainability experts, locating a crew and necessary equipment, shooting and editing the pilot episode, and creating the “Green Carpet Event of the Season” in the form of the show’s premiere at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion on February 11, 2010. In addition to the Seattle premier, the Mission: Sustainable team was also invited January 22-24 to broadcast the pilot during Eugene, Oregon’s 5^th annual Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show – the nation’s first sustainable home show, attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually.

“From the very beginning, all I had going for me was an idea I was extremely passionate about,” says Thornton, a 23-year-old graduate from the University of Washington’s Community, Environment and Planning program. “All I’ve done is share my idea with people who care about the environment and sustainable living, and it wasn’t long before people were contacting me out of the blue offering their support. It has been a phenomenal seven months.”

Mission: Sustainable has been fueled by the energy of more than 50 volunteers – not a single person involved in the production is being compensated – and the donation of products and services from more than a dozen organizations, including the Seattle Center, In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes, Mode Organic Salon, PCC Natural Markets, Full Circle Farms, Mutual Fish Co., Vesta Home Performance, Absolute Digital Media and Pure Audio. More than $20,000 has been donated since the project began in earnest last September.

“I’m proud to say that I live in a community that gets the importance of sustainable living,” says Thornton, who estimates the total out-of-pocket expense for the show to be less than $900. “Whenever we’ve asked for help, Seattleites have stepped up and delivered with pride and enthusiasm. They want this show to make it and are doing whatever they can to help us. I’m humbled and forever grateful.”

Thornton and company are facing their greatest financial obstacle since the project began with a $5,000 funding gap to secure payment for required union workers for the premier event at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion.

“We think it’s extremely important to have the premier at a green location, and Fisher Pavilion fits the bill,” says Thornton, who is working closely with her marketing team to invite local politicians, dignitaries and celebrities to attend the big event, which is expected to draw more than 1,000. “We reviewed several less expensive venues, but all along we’ve felt this was the venue for us. Now, we simply need to ask all the green-friendly businesses to help us make this dream a reality.”

Thornton and company are reaching out to more than 100 Seattle-based companies to support their efforts in the form of donations. In return, the sponsoring companies will have reserved seating at the event, logos included in all advertising efforts and the opportunity to have a booth at the event. In addition, anyone in the community can donate to help the cause by visiting the Mission: Sustainable website at www.mission-sustainable.com and selecting the “Donate” tab.

Anyone interested in supporting the Mission: Sustainable production process is invited to contact Thornton at rose@mission-sustainable.com. “This is a show about Seattle initially, yet it’s for the benefit of the entire planet,” says Thornton. “We’ll talk to anyone and everyone who wants to help us get the show on TV as soon as possible.”

Media Contact: Rose Thornton, 206-335-5370, rose @mission-sustainable.com

About Mission: Sustainable: Think Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and What Not to Wear for green lifestyles. Each show will feature a new individual nominated by friends and family for a sustainability makeover. Depending on the nominee’s lifestyle, three green consultants will be chosen to perform a makeover customized to the individual’s needs, desires, and walk of life.

About ReGeneration Productions: Founded by Rose Thornton, ReGeneration Productions creates community-based green media in the Seattle area with a mission to communicate the ideals and practice of urban sustainability. Visit www.regenerationproductionsllc.com for more information.

We were pleased to hear that we would have the opportunity to sit down with three fantastic authorities on voting reform.

• Paul Jacob, former President of U.S. Term Limits and current President of Citizens in Charge
• Krist Novoselic, former bassist from Nirvana (yeah, that Nirvana), current voting reform advocate and Chair of FairVote
• Kelly Haughton, President of Citizens for a Better Ballot

Huddled in The Melon’s studio, what followed was a riveting discussion on Ranked Choice Voting, democracy, and three big amendments in Pierce County’s upcoming election.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download mp3

protectvoterchoice.com – Official No on Amendment 3, RCV website

noriggingthesystem.com – Official No on All 3 website

rankedchoice.blogspot.com – Kelly Haughton’s personal blog on RCV

fairvote.org – National election reform organization

Special thanks to Erik Connell for making this interview possible

photo by Erik Bjornson

Let’s face it: Russell’s decision to move to Seattle and abandon Tacoma was a punch in the face to our city and city residents alike.  Let’s take a week to mourn their decision and the negative consequences the move will have on our city and then get over it and continue to work to rebuild Tacoma.

It is hard to blame the Russell Company for moving.  Had they stayed in Tacoma, they would have been located across the street from the Luzon Building which is in such a dilapidated and dangerous condition it has forced the City of Tacoma to close the adjacent street.  In contrast, moving to Seattle will allow Russell to move into the shiny Chase Center.  Can Tacoma really be surprised of Russell’s move?

Having Russell move out of downtown Tacoma will certainly have a significant negative impact on restaurants and other businesses in the area where Russell employees frequent.

photo by Erik Bjornson

An even worse blow may have been delivered to the psyche of Tacomans who have been pummeled by Seattle continuously for the last 100 years.  The latest poaching of Russell from Tacoma is just another series of blows Tacoma has endured from Seattle.

The Good News

Although the Russell Company was physically located downtown, the company took great pains in their building design to interact very little with urban life downtown.

Russell employees drove to a private parking garage downtown and then walked over the street via a skybridge adding very little to the vibrancy of the area.

Unlike other businesses downtown such as DaVita, Russell had its own cafeteria within the building isolating many of its employees from the streets of Tacoma.

Hopefully, the new tenants of the Russell building will be more independent and from a variety of companies which will facilitate new businesses and life downtown.  The Russell Building appears to be in good shape and could be relatively easy to lease.

Whatever the future, Tacoma needs to take the initiative and redouble its efforts to reduce the visible blight downtown if it is every going to attract and retain companies downtown and people who would want to work at them.

Erik Bjornson is an attorney in Downtown Tacoma who often writes about urban issues in local papers and blogs.  He is a member of the North End Neighborhood Council and edits the blog the Tacoma Urbanist.