Today was a good day - in many ways. The eight years of Bush Jr. finally ended. Not a day too late. He should never have been elected to the office, but one can only say that "a people get the politicians it deserves"...
That statement is certainly still true, so what a difference only 8 years can make. Today was a big day, for the US, and for the World. Probably no inauguration of a head of state has ever gotten so much attention from around the globe. And, it is not just because Bush is history, or that this is the first African-American elected to the highest office, it because finally a "good man" finally has taken the oath.
I do not know Obama, never met him, but based on what I've seen so far, he is smart, intelligent, well educated, well articulated, supposedly a good listener, engaging, and we just have to hope that he will use all his "skills" to "stand his ground", make a lot of "correct" decisions, and get people engaged and interested in the running of this nation - a nation that still has a huge impact on the rest of the globe.
The expectations on his presidency are sky high, but I think he will work hard - and it started in his speach - to get them down to a more realistic level and get people to gather around both the problems as well as the solutions. If the solutions are the "right" ones, well, only time will tell!!!
From my little cocoon out on the West Coast, I did get a chance to watch some of the day's events, and the day was "sealed" with a glass of good Single Malt. It was truly a day to remember!
To be noted as well: The White House web page has been completely overhauled and open to search engines like Google and MSN Live. The Administration really has taken a step into the 21st century - literally over night.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Finally - a TUNNEL deciZion
Puget Sound leaders today took the only sensible decision for the future: A Tunnel!
A tunnel is the ONLY sensible alternative in a region where natural beauty and access to the water literally is worth millions - if not billions. Seattle only has one waterfront and we'd do a disservice to future generations if we blocked it off with new construction - be it viaduct, condos, or warehouses.
As for the cost - yes a tunnel does cost money - now it is time go overseas and truly LEARN from what has been done on similar projects in cities around the globe (Oslo, Norway and Gothenburg, Sweden are two similar and recent project that directly comes to mind). Tunnels CAN be built wisely and cost effectively. Well managed projects do not turn in to another "Big Dig" a la Boston.
Hence, there is no reason a tunnel in Seattle should cost 8 to 10 times the cost of a recent - and similarly sized - tunnel along the waterfront in Gothenburg.
We have bright engineers, good workers, and construction companies that ought to be very interested in a project like this. On the other hand, we need regulation - yes, that pesky word - to ensure that there is ample competition for this project and not only one or two overpriced bidders (like for the recent ferry bid), or worse, like on the EastCoast, the mob and paybacks drive up the cost of construction.
And, while at it, I'd encourage WSDOT engineers to go to both Oslo and Gothenburg and see how these cities totally have changed the waterfront for something "better" - not an area that is jammed with traffic, or filled with dilapidated warehouses. Oslo is already successfully done, Gothenburg (tunnel completed in June 2006) is in the midst of the transformation process. Even if we spend a few millions on sending people on "study" trips, in the end it is worth every penny, assuming they truly learn and apply practices deployed in other successful projects.
Another project that is worth while visiting, even though it is "across the water" is the bridge/tunnel combination that connects the southern Swedish city of Malmoe with Copenhagen. A massive project, where the tunnel is 2.5 miles long (out of a total of over 9 miles for the entire link across the Oresund Strait).
Paris, France, is another example where tunnels have been both dug and "lidded" for everything from massive freeways, via high-speed rail links, to pedestrian connections.
Oslo is not stopping with traffic tunnels, but also has other project "going underwater", where parking structures with 800 stalls will be submerged to allow for housing developments go on top.
For those who are scared about the "Big One", it might be best to leave the region since really no area is "safe". Living in an earthquake prone area is a risk we are sort of willing to take (just as we take a flooding risk living close to sometimes raging rivers). But, on the other hand, BART (SF Bay Area) has several underwater tunnels, even though they are "tubes", resting on top of the seafloor, that managed extremely well in the last "big one" in 1989. Look at Japan as well. Earthquakes and long underwater tunnels move massive amounts of people. In a more geologically stable area, we have the the "Chunnel" (yes at great expense but also lenght), a working and vital link between the UK and the European continent.
What I am trying to say is that there are ways to do this right from the get go. Tunnels do not have to be that pricey, nor unsafe. If I have a small concern about this project, it is that it does not seem to include any provision for future transit. As many have stated, the additional cost for building a tunnel that can accommodate three lane in each direction is likely wise. Now or in the future, those added lanes can support some type of mass transit.
All that said, I do not think the final drawings are anywhere close to be presented. If it'll be one BIG "tube" with traffic stacked, or two smaller tubes side-by-side, or if there will be some extra "access" tubes for traffic to/from Magnolia/Queen Anne Hill, it is likely still far to early to tell.
But, all in all, a good comprise has been decided upon; tunnel, surface improvements, transit improvements, should provide ample capacity for everyone that needs to travel through our beautiful city. The leadership did what was needed - they did dare to make a decision for the future! Just too bad it took so many years.
A tunnel is the ONLY sensible alternative in a region where natural beauty and access to the water literally is worth millions - if not billions. Seattle only has one waterfront and we'd do a disservice to future generations if we blocked it off with new construction - be it viaduct, condos, or warehouses.
As for the cost - yes a tunnel does cost money - now it is time go overseas and truly LEARN from what has been done on similar projects in cities around the globe (Oslo, Norway and Gothenburg, Sweden are two similar and recent project that directly comes to mind). Tunnels CAN be built wisely and cost effectively. Well managed projects do not turn in to another "Big Dig" a la Boston.
Hence, there is no reason a tunnel in Seattle should cost 8 to 10 times the cost of a recent - and similarly sized - tunnel along the waterfront in Gothenburg.
We have bright engineers, good workers, and construction companies that ought to be very interested in a project like this. On the other hand, we need regulation - yes, that pesky word - to ensure that there is ample competition for this project and not only one or two overpriced bidders (like for the recent ferry bid), or worse, like on the EastCoast, the mob and paybacks drive up the cost of construction.
And, while at it, I'd encourage WSDOT engineers to go to both Oslo and Gothenburg and see how these cities totally have changed the waterfront for something "better" - not an area that is jammed with traffic, or filled with dilapidated warehouses. Oslo is already successfully done, Gothenburg (tunnel completed in June 2006) is in the midst of the transformation process. Even if we spend a few millions on sending people on "study" trips, in the end it is worth every penny, assuming they truly learn and apply practices deployed in other successful projects.
Another project that is worth while visiting, even though it is "across the water" is the bridge/tunnel combination that connects the southern Swedish city of Malmoe with Copenhagen. A massive project, where the tunnel is 2.5 miles long (out of a total of over 9 miles for the entire link across the Oresund Strait).
Paris, France, is another example where tunnels have been both dug and "lidded" for everything from massive freeways, via high-speed rail links, to pedestrian connections.
Oslo is not stopping with traffic tunnels, but also has other project "going underwater", where parking structures with 800 stalls will be submerged to allow for housing developments go on top.
For those who are scared about the "Big One", it might be best to leave the region since really no area is "safe". Living in an earthquake prone area is a risk we are sort of willing to take (just as we take a flooding risk living close to sometimes raging rivers). But, on the other hand, BART (SF Bay Area) has several underwater tunnels, even though they are "tubes", resting on top of the seafloor, that managed extremely well in the last "big one" in 1989. Look at Japan as well. Earthquakes and long underwater tunnels move massive amounts of people. In a more geologically stable area, we have the the "Chunnel" (yes at great expense but also lenght), a working and vital link between the UK and the European continent.
What I am trying to say is that there are ways to do this right from the get go. Tunnels do not have to be that pricey, nor unsafe. If I have a small concern about this project, it is that it does not seem to include any provision for future transit. As many have stated, the additional cost for building a tunnel that can accommodate three lane in each direction is likely wise. Now or in the future, those added lanes can support some type of mass transit.
All that said, I do not think the final drawings are anywhere close to be presented. If it'll be one BIG "tube" with traffic stacked, or two smaller tubes side-by-side, or if there will be some extra "access" tubes for traffic to/from Magnolia/Queen Anne Hill, it is likely still far to early to tell.
But, all in all, a good comprise has been decided upon; tunnel, surface improvements, transit improvements, should provide ample capacity for everyone that needs to travel through our beautiful city. The leadership did what was needed - they did dare to make a decision for the future! Just too bad it took so many years.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Flooding follows Znow
First a lot of snow, then warm weather, and then rain, tons of it. The weather "stream" is referred to as the "Pineapple Express" since it originates in the waters around Hawaii - warm, moist air - and the end of this firehose is normally the Olympic Mountains or the Cascades. But all water that ends up there has to come down. And with warm weather, add to that a lot of melting snow.
So, here it resulted in amazing (and for many surprising) flooding. All passes were closed, I-5 closed south of Olympia, and only way out of state is driving into Canada or flying. Sort of strange, living in one of the most high-tech hubs on the planet.
Today could not sit home and just watch it all on TV - especially not after that some areas SW of Seattle got over 16 inches - that is more than 400 mm... - of rain over the past two days. So Aksel and I decided to drive up to Snoqualmie Falls and City, one of few areas one could actually still get to, to get a close up encounter of the disaster.
Despite weather report talking about clearing, it started raining heavily and later even snowing, wet, very damp snow. Snow that sticks like wet wool gloves...
It was sad to see the state in downtown Snoqualmie, with belongings thrown out of flooded houses into the front yard, but at the same time, living close to sometimes "raging rivers" (as the amptly named tavern in Fall City), you actually do take a risk (just as we do living in an earthquake prone area...). A river that is beautiful and calm in late summer, can quickly turn wild and raging with some precip up in the mountains.
WSDOT has posted some truly amazing photos of the damage at their Flickr site. There is a lot of destruction, or should we say evidence of Mother Nature's Fury, but check especially the ones taken up on Snoqualmie Pass.
If interested in some stuff from last winter, there are "true" winter pictures in WSDOT's Winter 2008 Flickr archive
So, here it resulted in amazing (and for many surprising) flooding. All passes were closed, I-5 closed south of Olympia, and only way out of state is driving into Canada or flying. Sort of strange, living in one of the most high-tech hubs on the planet.
Today could not sit home and just watch it all on TV - especially not after that some areas SW of Seattle got over 16 inches - that is more than 400 mm... - of rain over the past two days. So Aksel and I decided to drive up to Snoqualmie Falls and City, one of few areas one could actually still get to, to get a close up encounter of the disaster.
Despite weather report talking about clearing, it started raining heavily and later even snowing, wet, very damp snow. Snow that sticks like wet wool gloves...
It was sad to see the state in downtown Snoqualmie, with belongings thrown out of flooded houses into the front yard, but at the same time, living close to sometimes "raging rivers" (as the amptly named tavern in Fall City), you actually do take a risk (just as we do living in an earthquake prone area...). A river that is beautiful and calm in late summer, can quickly turn wild and raging with some precip up in the mountains.
WSDOT has posted some truly amazing photos of the damage at their Flickr site. There is a lot of destruction, or should we say evidence of Mother Nature's Fury, but check especially the ones taken up on Snoqualmie Pass.
If interested in some stuff from last winter, there are "true" winter pictures in WSDOT's Winter 2008 Flickr archive
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
FoZter a Dog?
Wife thought it'd be a good idea to foster a German Shepherd pup for a few days. One of her colleagues at the hospital is very active in the Northwest German Shepherd Rescue, a great organization that rescues and cares for GSDs that people - for whatever strange reason - do not care for.
Met the wonderful and beautiful pups "Hans" and "Hummel" last night at Amy's house. It is hard NOT to take these guys in, but it is also easy to forget what it takes to take on another dog, especially a roudy puppy.
We in any case decided to have these two guys meet Phoebe tonight up at the AG Bell schoolyard. Hummel was a lot of fun, and followed me around allover, almost tehtered to me, just as if I was his dad. Phoebe did not really care much for him, wanted to play a little bit, but mainly just did not care. Decided to take Hummel to our house home and have him meet Phoebe on her "home turf". In my view it went OK, even though she once sort of told Hummel, "hey, this is my spot, back off", but wife was a tad pessimistic and also sad, since she decided that Phoebe can not be trusted with other dogs in the house. I think it was more of a case that "Hummel" was a tad too old (about 5 months) and large, and no longer just a small "pup", just behaving like one. A younger dog would probably have worked great.
All that said, one could see in Phoebe's face that she really questioned WHY we would take in another dog when we have HER! "I am not good enough?". Once Hummel was gone, she returned to her favorite postion as the biggest couch potato around... Peace in the house.
Met the wonderful and beautiful pups "Hans" and "Hummel" last night at Amy's house. It is hard NOT to take these guys in, but it is also easy to forget what it takes to take on another dog, especially a roudy puppy.
We in any case decided to have these two guys meet Phoebe tonight up at the AG Bell schoolyard. Hummel was a lot of fun, and followed me around allover, almost tehtered to me, just as if I was his dad. Phoebe did not really care much for him, wanted to play a little bit, but mainly just did not care. Decided to take Hummel to our house home and have him meet Phoebe on her "home turf". In my view it went OK, even though she once sort of told Hummel, "hey, this is my spot, back off", but wife was a tad pessimistic and also sad, since she decided that Phoebe can not be trusted with other dogs in the house. I think it was more of a case that "Hummel" was a tad too old (about 5 months) and large, and no longer just a small "pup", just behaving like one. A younger dog would probably have worked great.
All that said, one could see in Phoebe's face that she really questioned WHY we would take in another dog when we have HER! "I am not good enough?". Once Hummel was gone, she returned to her favorite postion as the biggest couch potato around... Peace in the house.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Neighbors are back - and so is the Znow!
Sort of hard to imagine. When we dropped off our neighbors at SeaTac for their winter trip to Europe, it started snowing when we were driving through Bellevue.
Today, two weeks later, we were driving towards the airport to pick them up, and even though most snow has melted/rained away, it started SNOWING as we were driving through Bellevue. What's up with that town?
Later in the evening, when everyone was safely home, I took Phoebe for a late night walk, and it was almost prettier than during our very heavy snowfall around Christmas. The snow tonight was so wet and heavy, but it was also very "untouched" due to the late hour, and one realizes how much "dampening effect" the snow has on sound/noises. Snow just makes everything so very peaceful.
Back home after the walk, I peaked out into the backyard, and our poor bamboo was probably in worse condition tonight, than after the Christmas snowfalls. The bushes are supposed to be some 30+ feet tall, but were weighed down so much by the vet snow that they did not reach to more than maybe 5 feet. But, bamboo's been through this before and it must be a very resilient plant, or rather grass, so it'll recover. Note to self: Go out early Monday morning and shake off as much of the heavy stuff as possible to help the bamboo recover!
Today, two weeks later, we were driving towards the airport to pick them up, and even though most snow has melted/rained away, it started SNOWING as we were driving through Bellevue. What's up with that town?
Later in the evening, when everyone was safely home, I took Phoebe for a late night walk, and it was almost prettier than during our very heavy snowfall around Christmas. The snow tonight was so wet and heavy, but it was also very "untouched" due to the late hour, and one realizes how much "dampening effect" the snow has on sound/noises. Snow just makes everything so very peaceful.
Back home after the walk, I peaked out into the backyard, and our poor bamboo was probably in worse condition tonight, than after the Christmas snowfalls. The bushes are supposed to be some 30+ feet tall, but were weighed down so much by the vet snow that they did not reach to more than maybe 5 feet. But, bamboo's been through this before and it must be a very resilient plant, or rather grass, so it'll recover. Note to self: Go out early Monday morning and shake off as much of the heavy stuff as possible to help the bamboo recover!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
LutefiZk and a very true Christmas dinner in Ballard
Kristine hinted in early December that we'd be invited to a "LuteFisk" party on December 28th at her house. An honor in itself, but due to snow in Seattle some other stuff got in the way, and she rescheduled for tonight.
But what an Amazing Party in Ballard! We expected only a small dinner, with some fish that taste like "snot" (quoted from a good friend), but upon arriving we entered in to something that much better can be described as a Scandinavian cabin at Christmas - with the bonus of being filled with fun and interesting people!
After a few hours of mingling, hanging around the wonderful woodstove (there is NO BETTER heat than the one generated by a wood stove - I don't care what others say), we eventually got seated.
And, expecting "just" lutefisk" we were treated to a full Scandinavian "julmiddag" with not much missing. I am NO FAN of lutefisk (memories of grandma's tasty but a fish so bony you could not eat it still hangs around), but was positively surprised when having a really good bite of this "sloppy" fish in early December at Sons of Norway up in Bothell. Kristine was up for a challenge, especially when declaring she had never cooked lutefisk before...
So, after a very tasty "sill sallad" (once again, a first since I never liked this dish at home), the fish came out and it was GOOD! I even had a few extra servings, on top of the meatballs, the beer and the wine. Coffee, prinsesstarta, an excellent selection of schnapps, and great friendship made this a night to remember.
(all photos are a tad "retouched" due to the dark environs, resulting in more visible images but pretty poor photo quality)
But what an Amazing Party in Ballard! We expected only a small dinner, with some fish that taste like "snot" (quoted from a good friend), but upon arriving we entered in to something that much better can be described as a Scandinavian cabin at Christmas - with the bonus of being filled with fun and interesting people!
After a few hours of mingling, hanging around the wonderful woodstove (there is NO BETTER heat than the one generated by a wood stove - I don't care what others say), we eventually got seated.
And, expecting "just" lutefisk" we were treated to a full Scandinavian "julmiddag" with not much missing. I am NO FAN of lutefisk (memories of grandma's tasty but a fish so bony you could not eat it still hangs around), but was positively surprised when having a really good bite of this "sloppy" fish in early December at Sons of Norway up in Bothell. Kristine was up for a challenge, especially when declaring she had never cooked lutefisk before...
So, after a very tasty "sill sallad" (once again, a first since I never liked this dish at home), the fish came out and it was GOOD! I even had a few extra servings, on top of the meatballs, the beer and the wine. Coffee, prinsesstarta, an excellent selection of schnapps, and great friendship made this a night to remember.
(all photos are a tad "retouched" due to the dark environs, resulting in more visible images but pretty poor photo quality)
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