Yesterday’s revelation of the bizarre “don’t call me Liz” e-mail thread between a McDermott aide and an overly apologetic scheduler from JP Morgan Chase has made it from Politico’s “shenanigans” blog [#] across the internet and back. Today it crossed over into even stranger territory when Keith Olbermann ended Countdown [msnbc] with a staged reading of the messages. Adding even further to the oddity, the part of Elizabeth Becton was played by a man in a terrible wig. Watch for yourself:

“don’t call me liz”, msnbc.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels most definitely did not cross a picket line in Providence RI yesterday. No sirree Bob.

Local 799 of the Providence International Association of Firefighters picketed the US Conference of Mayors meeting in Providence, this past weekend, to publicize their grievance with Providence’s Mayor David Cicilline. The firefighters have been working without a contract for four years; Cicilline has publicly referred to the protest as “political extortion,” as opposed to the exercise of the firefighters’ First Amendment rights.

VP Joe Biden, former King County Executive Ron Sims, former Governor Locke, and former Police Chief Gil Kerlikowski (and wow, that list certainly points up how many of our local politicos the Obama administration has taken on-board. I think it’s that “no state income tax” thing) all cancelled their appearances. Nickels, who was sworn in as the 67th president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Monday, ducked the issue by not going outside.

According to Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis and Nickels spokesman Alex Fryer, Nickels’ hotel was connected to the Rhode Island Convention Center. Since the demonstration primarily took place across the street, Nickels could give his cap-and-trade speech and be dubbed Conference President without having to see or confront the firefighters. Fryer said in an email that “we are respectful” of the “labor protest across the street from the convention center.” Local 799 president Paul Doughty would probably call that honoring the letter, but not the spirit, of the protest. On Monday, the protesters moved out of the city-designated areas.

The firefighters were not the only people protesting Cicilline’s policies, labor and otherwise. ‘Right to the City’ (a group protesting stimulus spending), the union of local Head Start employees, representatives of the Providence policeman’s union, and a group that were protesting the way the city handles protesters, all made an appearance at one time or another.

This is the first time that Providence has hosted the Conference in 77 years.

*

[NOTE: Edited to fix cliche'.]

The Seattle City Council is reviewing a draft plan to make Seattle a more pedestrian-friendly town. Appropriately enough, the measure is called the Pedestrian Master Plan. Very grand sounding, ain’t it?

I’ve lived in Seattle long enough to remember when Westlake Plaza was closed to traffic, and I’m still outraged that the city opened it. Westlake Center has never regained the vibrancy and foot traffic that it had when the Plaza was closed. And does anyone think that closing Pike Place Market to through traffic would detract from its appeal? There is no bad there.

The new plan, currently in draft and public comment stage, purports to focus on “safety, equity, vibrancy, and health,” through six stated objectives:

1. Complete and maintain the pedestrian system identified in the Pedestrian Master Plan
2. Improve walkability on all streets
3. Increase pedestrian safety
4. Plan, design, and build complete streets to move more people and goods
5. Create vibrant public spaces that encourage walking
6. Get more people walking for transportation, recreation, and health

These are great goals, and the plan (read it HERE or download as a PDF -low res or high res) does an admirable job of outlining strategies and tactics to meet them. The city has a funding levy of $60 million to fund pedestrian improvements over the next six years. Based on current programs, the plan projects that $47 million will go towards new improvements, such as sidewalks, curb ramps, and signals, while $19 million would pay for maintenance. The plan would require other funding to fully support all of the objectives, such as private investment.

And it’s this last part that has me worried: private investment.

The draft Plan includes stated strategies for meeting the objectives. Among the strategies for #5– “Create vibrant public spaces that encourage walking”– the single most important strategy is missing: car-free streets. Instead, “develop guidelines for car-free and shared space streets,” is the last item in the sidebar, under “sample of actions” that could possibly, perhaps, be considered to encourage walking.

Private investment does not like car-free streets. Private investment likes lots of convenient parking, preferably on-site parking. Pedestrians buy only as much as they can conveniently carry home or back to the office. Drivers buy as much as can fill up their SUV for the drive home to the suburbs. Car-free streets favor small businesses that serve local residents and employees. Parking lots favor ’shopping destinations’ that serve tourists and visitors. National chain stores and big retailers wield the political clout and investment dollars that result in parking lots, narrow sidewalks, and through traffic. Neighborhood business owners, residents, and employees get screwed. Again.

It doesn’t have to be that way. As residents and business owners, we have a say in this process. The public comment period for the draft Pedestrian Master Plan has been extended to Friday, June 26th. You can read it at http://www.seattle.gov/mostwalkablecity.htm, or download a PDF from the same site.

Also, the Transportation Committee and the Special Committee on Pedestrian Safety will host a public hearing on the draft plan on Tuesday, July 21st, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall (600 Fourth Ave.). This is your chance to be heard. Don’t blow it!

Other ways to comment:

Online webform: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/pedestrian_masterplan/contact.htm
E mail: mostwalkablecity@seattle.gov
Telephone: 206-733-9970
Mail: Pedestrian Master Plan Comments
Seattle Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 34996
Seattle, WA 98124-4996

The City of Seattle has created a Pedestrian Master Plan aimed at getting Seattle to be a more “walkable, livable, and healthy city”. The city has cooked up some notions on policies and programs and projects that are all about achieving this lofty goal. The city is looking for your feedback on the plan, now through June 15.

You can learn all about the Master Plan on the SDOT website here where you’ll also find links to news stories and blogs all about walking, as well as all the information you could ever want to know about walking in Seattle. I highly recommend spending some time using the Pedestrian Toolbox, particularly the semi-interactive feature on “Common Pedestrian Issues”.

According to a weekend press bulletin, Jan Drago will be holding a press conference at a “podium with mikes” near SAM’s Hammering Man to announce “her decision on the Mayor race.” The event takes place at 12:30; so if you’re looking for a lunchtime diversion, pack a picnic lunch and a question or two.

However, the appearance of JanDrago4Mayor on twitter seems to have spoiled the surprise about which way she’s leaning.

the first non-test post from @jandrago4mayor

update: Another release this morning provides a preview of her remarks, including a dig a Greg Nickels for making such a name for himself across the country: “I am not running to be the nation’s Mayor. There is enough here to do at home.” Among her with her promised focus on reinvigorating our economy and rebuilding trust between the neighborhoods and the Mayor’s Office, Drago pledged to “hit the reset button and lead this city.” I’m not entirely sure what that means, but if it’s anything like the –SPOILER– season finale of LOST, it should be exciting and blinding.

(full press release after the jump)

(more…)

Consumerist points out that starting this summer, Washington State will force companies with 3 or more staff members clocked in to let customers use their restrooms in times of need. Previous horror stories likely prompted the bill.

The bill goes into effect on July 26th. The Seattle Times points out that “Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, testified for the bill earlier this year.” Woohoo celebrity endorsement!

This is likely my final post on Seattle Metblogs regarding the Hunger Challenge. It’s been a pretty good week.

A friend left this comment earlier and I wanted to address it in full here.

I personally think using any kind of kitchen machine is cheating. If we are doing this hunger challenge to bring attention to low income families and their eating dilemmas, I wouldn’t expect most of them to have such machines or the will to want to make such foods.

I disagree with this assessment for a variety of reasons. First off, used pasta makers can be found for fairly cheap. I’ve also seen many kitchen machines for free on Freecycle and or for cheap on local Craigslist posts.

Second, not everyone currently on food stamps have always been poor. With the downturn in the economy, visits to area food banks and applications for food stamps have increased, showing the need from many who previously did not need these services. My household for example, has the funds right now to buy kitchen appliances with cash, but if say my husband was laid off and neither of us could find work for a year, we would still have our kitchen appliances (if we hadn’t sold them for food).

Third, just because someone is poor doesn’t mean they do not have the inclination to cook. Consider this: many in the cooking industry do not pull in large salaries, but maybe they just love to cook so much that they make it happen at home. There are also those who are going to school and working only part time (or receiving unemployment) who are eligible for food stamps.

I think there are many different types of people who can be considered poor, due to different circumstances. Those living in poverty very well likely have not always lived in poverty. All in all, these are a few of the reasons why I do not consider it cheating to use kitchen appliances during a hunger challenge.

We’re heading into the 5th and final day of the Hunger Challenge here and we’re still under our $60 budget. Today’s dinner consisted of homemade pasta (1 cup flour, 1 egg) and cheater’s spaghetti sauce. We use cheater’s spaghetti sauce when tomatoes are out of season; start by sauteing onion, garlic, broccoli (stems and crown), bell pepper, and zucchini, a teaspoon of thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Add jar of sauce (I found a jar of organic sauce at Madison Market for $2.89) and simmer down. Add water. Simmer down. Repeat. As it reduces, it gains a complexity that the regular jar of sauce does not have on it’s own.

Homemade pasta is so cheap, coming it at under $0.35 for 4 servings. It requires a pasta maker though, as well as the time to produce it. It is so easy to grab packaged pasta at the store that I almost picked up a pack (we have enough left in our budget to afford it) but we had the flour and the egg on hand anyway.

When we are not taking this Challenge, we normally attempt to adhere to a diet that is predominantly vegetarian. It saves money and also can be healthier in many respects. Our diet this week can be compared to the vegetarian food pyramid, though we did have bacon and turkey sausage in small portions on a few days.

Overall, this challenge really helped us get back on the “bandwagon”, so to speak, for a healthier diet. One of the biggest fears I had going into this was the chance that I would get really cranky. When I don’t eat right, my blood sugar tanks, and I get a bit irrational. The term I have heard is “hangry”. Earlier I did write a letter to my stomach, but it was mostly in good humor. Usually if I don’t take a snack or eat a healthy breakfast, I will grab something at one of the numerous cafe’s on the UW campus or just head to a restaurant for lunch. I haven’t been able to do this all week and I didn’t have a single instance of being “hangry”.

Lastly, I have been browsing my favorite food sites looking for the very first thing I am going to make on Saturday after the challenge has ended. It’s currently a cross between Lemon Cake or grilled cheese sandwiches w/ a bowl of tomato soup.

Be sure to check out the week’s worth of blog roundups and other information related to the Hunger Challenge here.

We just wrapped up our third day of the Hunger Challenge with a fantastic stir fry. Here’s how I made it without the need for fancy preservative-packed specialty sauces:

• 1/2 package firm tofu, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon safflower oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 crown broccoli w/ stem, cut into bite-size pieces (yes, including the stem)
• 1/2 zucchini, chopped
• 3 oz sugar snap peas
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup brown rice

In a small container, mix soy sauce, sugar, and 1 clove garlic. Add cubed tofu, cover with lid, and let marinate for an hour, occasionally flipping the container.

In a medium size sauce pan, add rice and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and ignore for 20 minutes.

In a hot wok, add safflower oil and heat. Add onion and saute for one minute. Add carrot, garlic, and jalapeno. After a minute, add broccoli stems, followed by broccoli, sugar snap peas, and zucchini. Saute until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add tofu and marinade mixture, saute until vegetables are coated and tofu is heated through. Serve over hot rice.

Happily, I feel better about using a wider variety of vegetables today. For breakfast, we had an egg, a pear, and a slice of bread. Lunch was leftover red beans and rice (which has gained a nice zesty flavor from sitting in the fridge due to the hot Italian turkey sausage). For snack, I had an orange. Fruit, vegetables, carbs, and protein. I think we did fairly well today.

The last two breakfasts this week will consist of (rolled) oatmeal. Not very imaginative, but good for us. We have a bit of fruit for snacks. Lunch will be leftovers. Dinner either Thursday or Friday will be spaghetti with homemade pasta (using our last egg and a cup of flour), marinara sauce, and the rest of the vegetables we didn’t use in the stir fry (broccoli, yellow onion, garlic, zucchini, and red bell pepper).

Total spent so far is a whopping $54.50. That leaves us with $5.50. I was thinking I could pick up some cheese to use in a salad with the spaghetti. We have one small pear left, so maybe I can afford a wedge of blue cheese. We only have oil, salt, and pepper to make salad dressing with, so I’ll likely skip the dressing entirely (which is what I typically do anyway).

I am curious how much everyone typically spends on their weekly groceries. On a good week, we average about $100 (including alcohol) for our household of 2, though we occasionally feed friends. I tend to try out new recipes fairly often and we do love our cheese, so some weeks we blow the budget. My husband mentioned yesterday that he heard of a woman who can feed her family of 4 on $800 a year, I believe using coupons and very careful planning. That is $15 a week. *whistles*

After not an inconsiderable amount of pleading from his supporters and some serious self-reflection, former Seattle City Councilmember Peter Steunbreck has ended months of speculation by electing not to run for election as Seattle Mayor.

Announcing his decision in a Facebook group dedicated to supporting his now completely hypothetical run for office, Steinbrueck says that instead he has instead accepted a one year position as Loeb Fellow at Harvard University but encourages his supporters to continue “an open dialogue about our hopes and dreams for the future”.