olympia in a can part 1: super big fun times

Holy crud. The Bus is STILL coming down from Oly in a Can last night. It was a truly awesome evening! Over a hundred young people jammed into Grey Gallery to watch the State of the Union and get the skinny on higher ed happenings in Olympia.

Here’s what happened. Stage 1: mingle! (results below). Stage 2: Barack Obama State of the Union! (thoughts? The Bus is cautiously optimistic). Stage 3: Imbibe. Stage 4: Talk to legislators. Stage 5: Talk to expert panel. Stage 6: Video testimony.

Huge thanks to everyone who made the night happen: Erik and the whole Grey crew, Representatives Deb Wallace and Bob Hasegawa, our expert panelists Mike Bogotay, Maggie Wilkins and David Parsons, and of course the more than a hundred young people who, for one night, turned Grey into the center of Washington’s political universe!

Oh, and we discovered a great recipe last night… check it out:

Recipe for “Olympia in a Can”:

Ingredients list:

• 1 Barack Obama… in person (via satellite)
• 1 US Congress
• 1 Olympia
• 6 cans Olympia beer
• 1 technology
• 1 Internet
• 1 Grey Gallery and Lounge
• 2 legislators
• 1 expert panel
• 100 young people cramming Grey Gallery

Go to Grey Gallery. Set up technology. Activate Internet. Combine Barack Obama Congress. Watch for 1.5 hours (patience required). After crowd of 100 young people finishes applause add legislators and expert panel. Olympia beer to taste. Repeat recipe twice every two weeks during legislative session.

The Bus’s tank is still full of Oly goodness… yum yum. “It’s the water” indeed. And we’re doing it all again in just two week! Join the Bus at Grey (same bat time, same bat channel) on February 10th as we get into the nitty gritty on what Olympia has on tap for the environment!

art + people + politik

your blogger. note pastiness (result of working in basement)

Wenzilla

upstairs + downstairs

look at all those people

sonny. flyness.

shmooze thomas shmooze

look barack's over there --->

<---look barack's over there

mile high club much?

Go Veg With Masta Killa

Not much else to say about this.  There are many people who you wouldn’t be surprised if they were in a PETA add… Masta Killa is not one of those people.  Hip-Hop artists are usually the ones being called out by PETA, but Masta Killa has closed the gap and united the seemingly separate communities of rap music and animal activism.  Below is his testimonial to vegetarian cuisine.

BUDGETPOCALYPSE: c.r.e.a.o. (cash rules everything around oregon)

financial services

So we here at the Bus are celebrating Wu-Tang Week. It’s kind of a big deal:

Here I am here I am, the Method Man
Patty cake patty cake hey the method man
Don’t eat Skippy, Jif or Peter Pan
Peanut butter, Cause I’m not butter
In fact I snap back like a rubber
band, I be Sam Sam I am
And I don’t eat green eggs and ham
Style will hit ya, wham!

Still, even with our jams from Shaolin Land (killa bees!) and the planning for the crazy-awesome-event-called-Olympia-in-a-Can-that-is-happening-tonight-that-you’re-going-to-be-at-amiright? we’re still on the watch for any and all stories that might help avert the coming BUDGETPOCALYPSE.

To wit: today brings word from across the mighty Columbia of the results of a special election held in Oregon to raise taxes. The election featured two referendums: Ref. 66, which raises the income tax on Oregonians earning $250,000+/year, passed by 54%. Ref. 67, which raises corporate taxes, passed by 53%. This is great news for Oregon, which has endured brutal cuts in minor things like education. The increase was pitched as a way to deal with those cuts and others… good work, Oregon, for balancing those cuts with

be there

some revenue. A balanced approach like the voters of Oregon endorsed is critical for maintaining vital services.

we ❤ taxes?

Which is why YOU! should come to Olympia in a Can tonight from 6-8pm at the Grey Gallery on Capitol Hill in Seattle. It might not seem obvious why, but bear with me: we’re going to be talking to legislators involved with the committees on the Budget and Higher Education, and we need to know what revenue increases and service decreases may be coming. Tonight’s your chance to ask, and a question about Oregon wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

Cause remember: you gotta protect ya neck.

Olympia in a can. Tonight. Be there.

OMG

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG OMG OMG  OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG  OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

We’re kinda excited. OLYMPIA IN A CAN. IS HAPPENING. TONIGHT. From 6-8 pm. The Bus will be there. You will be there. Legislators will be there. Beer cans will be there (for 21+ with ID). Barack Obama will be there (sort of).

Where is there, you ask? Good question! Way to warm up the question asking skills for tonight! There = the totally rad Grey Gallery, which is located on Capitol Hill, in Seattle, on 11th between Pike and Pine. If you want to get all maps and compass on us it’s on the east side of the street, OK?

Here’s how it’s going to work: we’re going to listen to Barack Obama do that State of the Union thing starting at 6. Then at 7 we’re going to hear from some experts and then start asking our legislator friends questions.

Who are our legislator friends? Another great question! Jeez, these questions. You guys are gonna be on POINT tonight. Anyway, our legislator friends are Deb Wallace, Bob Hasegawa, and Scott White. Rep. Wallace is from the 17th District (Clark County) and she’s the Chair of the Higher Education Committee. Whoa. That’s what they call a “get” in the biz, my friends. Rep. Hasegawa is from the 11th District (South Seattle/Tukwila/SeaTac etc.) and is not only on the Higher Ed Committee but also serves as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee. Big fish, my friends, big fish. Rep. White is from the 46th District (Northeast Seattle) and also is a key player on the Higher Ed Committee. The Bus knows how to reel ’em in, I’m tellin ya. Big props to our friends in Oly for sitting down to chat with us.

Experts? Experts on what? You know: the budget. Education. Education and the budget. Official Friends of the Bus Mike Bogotay, Maggie Wilkins, and David Parsons are all going to have much good expertise and much good questions. Yes yes yes. They represent the UW Student Association, the League of Educaton Voters, and the UAW Local 4121 (which represents teaching assistants), respectively. Our friend Dominic Holden will be making the long trek across 11th Avenue from The Stranger. Big thanks from the Bus to those friends and organizations for coming out.

And, last, but most most most definitely not least, we need to give massive props to the Grey Gallery, who’s letting us crash on their proverbial couch and eat all the stuff in their fridge for three nights during the session… thanks guys!

Oh, and thanks to YOU! for coming. So OMG OMG OMG we’re gonna totally see you tonight. WOOOOOOOO!

Gabe’s Picks – January 27

Recently a lot of print has been dedicated to the “New School” of Seattle hip hop made up of groups like THEESatisfaction and Champagne Champagne.  These groups fuse techno laden beats with classic laid back raps to create music that is both fun to listen to and invokes real emotion.  The question many are asking about the “New School” is if it is a lasting musical style, or just a fleeting craze.  In my opinion, one group stands above the rest in both their excellent beat selection and their lyrical talent.  That group is Helladope, made up of MC’s Jerm and Tay Sean and part of the Cloud Nice collective.  Both MC’s rap and Tay Sean handles most of the producing duties.  The duo is based in Beacon Hill and released their first album, Return To Planet Rock, in 2009.

ohmigodohmigod OLYMPIA IN A CAN…

…IS TOTALLY TOMORROW. Are you excited? We are.

Why should you be excited? Cause we’re going to grab a beer and a piece of the democratic process at the Grey Gallery in Seattle* at 6 pm. YOU! can talk to your legislator without even going to Olympia. Wow. That is pretty incredible. We’re also going to watch Barack Obama’s second(?)** State of the Union address.

For the more numerical types, here’s 10 reasons why you should come:

1. Liquid refreshment (in cans)

2. YOU! and your video testimony

3. Legislators answering YOU!r questions

4. Public higher education needs your help

5. It’s a reason to get out on Wednesday

6. Awesome art

7. You can make new friends

7. We have a Bus

8. It’s the water

9. We all really want to see you

10. BARACK OBAMA WILL BE THERE… via satellite… speaking to Congress… about the State of the Union

So be there…

…or be s-q-u-a-r-e.

*The address: 1512 11th Avenue on Capitol Hill (between Pike and Pine)

**Cause the first one technically wasn’t required by the Constitution… it was more of an address to a joint session of Congress… or something.

parliamentary television testimony!

Whoa! Parliament! That was a sweet show. No? Really? I think you can sum it up with three things: great party, hip-hop, and cupcakes. Yes. All these things. Some people had such a good time, in fact, that they are still partying… albeit on the Internet.

Trust us, it’s totally the same thing. It’s also on Youtube (as are a ton of other awesome Bus videos).

Oh, and there’s also another thing these videos on the Bus’s Youtube channel… the environmental protections we need and the budget crisis that might threaten them.

Check it: the ever-helpful Schmudget blog (run by the friendly folks at the Washington State Budget and Policy Center) notes that cuts to environmental protection and health programs could be 15% during the coming BUDGETPOCALYPSE. WHOA. That’s a lot of mismanaged water supply.

Just goes to show how big the budget crisis is this year. And hey, if you missed a chance to party at Parliament, chances are you’ll probably get another chance to kick it hard with the Bus… you know how VoteBot loves to get funky. Maybe you’ll even get another chance to testify to your legislator via video and have a brew… maybe that chance is tomorrow 6-8 at Grey Gallery in Seattle… oh, wait, it is? Come to Olympia in a Can Part One. And Part Two. And Part Three. The Bus wants to see you already, party people.

more testimonies below the jump

Sonny Nguyen and Olympia in a Can

As IF you needed one more good reason to come to Oly in a Can this Wednesday, fate has delivered one into your hands, and unfortunately it’s not the kind we like to hear about. If you’ve been to any Bus event, you’ve met Sonny, he’s a longtime volunteer, our new(ish) Intern Coordinator, and a soon-to-be student at Evergreen in Oly (speak of the devil).

However, Sonny also has another description: he’s one of the thousands of students who just found out that the state-funded grant that would pay for a big chunk of his education was on hold for a year. Yes. Just frozen up. It’s trouble, and Sonny can put it better in his words.

I’m Sonny, the Intern Coordinator for the Washington Bus. I’ve been here pretty much as long as the Bus has been around. You probably already know that the proposed budget cuts to higher education funding are bad, like really, really bad. I didn’t really get the grasp of it until this weekend.

So on Saturday, there I am just being Sonny and coming back from a hike, and I see this letter on my coffee table. It’s from the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, which isn’t too out of the usual. During my senior year, I was awarded the WAVE Scholarship. Basically I took video production classes for three years and did pretty well so I the Workforce Board awarded me two years of free college.
I figure the letter on my coffee table must be a check up or little update or something, so I open it and pull out the one page letter and collapse.

Because of the budget crisis, there’s a possibility that all WAVE recipients are going to have their scholarships suspended for a year.
This sucks. A lot. It’s pretty ridiculous if you think about it.

“Hey Sonny, here’s some money! Go get yourself an education. SIKE! Just kidding, you’re on your own. You’ve got about six months to get together enough money for a college education. Good luck.”

There are 49 legislative district. The WAVE Scholarship is given to three students in each legislative district. So that’s 147 people a year that are awarded the scholarship. 147 people a year for the last few years have just gotten a letter saying that for their next year of tuition, they’re on their own. Surprise!

Frustration doesn’t even begin to describe this emotion.

Boo. That’s not tight. And Sonny’s not the only person to feel the pinch, there are thousands just like him – maybe it’s you. Sonny will be at Olympia in a Can, and he’s looking for some answers. Will you be there too?

Olympia in a Can
6-8 pm
Grey Gallery and Lounge (1512 11th Ave, on Capitol Hill)
Free, all-ages, sweet.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

’cause we all need help feeling epic before the weekend starts.

-THE BUS

The future of campaign finanace is the past

Dave Bossie, Prez of Citizens United, and the man responsible (if we were to choose one single person). Photo by Luke Sharrett, courtesy of the New York Times

The Bus is all about open and fair elections… that’s a pretty important ingredient of Democracy Soup, isn’t it? Yum yum. That plus free press, checks and balances, and judicial review…

…oh, yeah, judicial review. Well, the Supreme Court whiffed on that front. They released a ruling that allows corporations and unions to spend they dollaz on campaign ads whenever they want in elections, just like they could back in the day. This has a lot of ramifications… particularly if you’re not a fan of the (usually super-negative) TV and radio ads that show up in early fall during election years. You now get to hear your friends at Faceless Corporation X share their opinions on the worthiness of candidates… cause that’s totally the missing voice in this system we’ve got.

more below the jump