City on UserVoice

Geico Airplane Noise [updated]

2010-09-06T21:28:48+00:00

Stop Air and Noise Polution by Eliminating Aerial Banner Advertising!

GregM said:

My precious days off in Alki have been plagued these summer months by the Geico airplane. Just about the time I'm starting to get into a little zone of relaxation, after the weedwackers have died down and the dogs have stopped barking and the sirens are silent and the crotch rockets are quietly parked in front of Tully's and Spud's, just when I'm sitting down with a book of poetry comes a throttling roar from the sky. I look up and there it is over my head, a Cessna that sounds like it's in dire need of a tune up towing behind it a Geico Auto Insurance banner. It circles several times over the Alki neighborhood filling the area, and my head, with continuous noise. This happens at least every Saturday, Sunday and probably weekdays too. Even today, on Labor Day it came. This is counter productive advertsing. As if I'm not already over annoyed by Geico's continous flow of junk mail in my mailbox and my email box. The aerial banner has gone too far. I will forever associate Geico with a noisy annoyance. But beyond my personal annoyance it is a waste of carbon fuel and a flagrant contributor to greenhouse gas. Somebody please set more limits on Aerial Banner advertising over our neighborhoods!

Geico Airplane Noise

2010-09-06T20:59:00+00:00

GregM suggested:
Stop Air and Noise Polution by Eliminating Aerial Banner Advertising!

Seattle Police Department Research into Veteranarin Darts for Belligence and Dangerous Suspects

2010-09-04T02:16:44+00:00

Shannon Lewis Blackley suggested:
Can the Local (Seattle, etc.) Police, Sheriffs Department, and maybe Washington State Troopers DEVELOP something akin to Veteranarian Darts (used presently for large and dangerous animals) to use on belligerant and/or dangerous suspects? This may DRAMATICALLY reduce the HOMICIDE Rate BY officers when they feel themselves in danger so that they would only have to use the FIREARM IN EXTREME CASES.

Eliminate city funding for SHARE/WHEEL [updated]

2010-09-03T19:30:54+00:00

The group is encouraging homelessness by convincing people they are victims of an unjust society. The group convinces homeless that they are entitled to a free ride. This is a borderline militant group that uses intimidation tactics to further their agenda. Get

Becca the 19year old who made it on the streets said:

My name is becca and i work with share... I Was homelessfor three months went to every other shelter but share shelters cause people kept telling me dont. Well i got tired of get biten by bed bugs.. so i went into bunkhouse a share shelter. Best discion i ever made. Everyone is like family..then i got involed and it changed my view of homeless people never would i have thought out of my 19 years of living would i my self be homeless. Well what most people dont know is that you can wake up and everything is gone and dont stereotype homeless people cause alot just wanna get off the streets.. yes some are there for drugs and acohol. but not alll of the.. they just want off or food at least. i wnt form size seven to zero in jeans cause i had no money to eat and no one would help me. Get out there and help cause what you dont do know will bite you in your ass later when you were in my postion..

suspension bridge for 99

2010-09-03T02:31:28+00:00

Mark suggested:
have a suspension bridge starting at the battery street tunnel come out over the water front about 100 yds. and connect back at the stadiums. 1 this will save the tax payers millions of dollars on maintence and security on having a tunnel 2 this would also create a turist attraction with a walk way on the bridge people would walk a long take photos as well as all the runs that seattle has this would attract more tursits also generate more jobs after the bridge is done

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-09-02T07:06:34+00:00

So many of these ideas are about creating a better future. What about maintaining what is beautiful and good for this city? It's a warm, quiet and beautiful place. We should maintain and preserve it for the future. Closing it would be shortsighted.

kennedici said:

Cities don't build things like the conservatory anymore and Seattle should definitely fight to save it. It is ridiculous to even entertain the idea that any benefit would come out of deciding to close such a beautiful landmark.

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-09-02T06:37:27+00:00

amir bahadori said:

Say! What's the Idea. Keep the conservatory open.

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-09-02T06:20:39+00:00

Gavin said:

What Seth said!

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-09-02T05:38:03+00:00

Seth Thomas said:

There isn't much 'old Seattle' left. I get the feeling most of it burned down with Pioneer Square back in the day. This Conservatory is pure class and pure art. It needs to stay open and available to the citizens of Seattle and our visitors from all over the world.

Expand as much light rail and subway as possible [updated]

2010-09-01T23:47:45+00:00

Seattleites have resorted to using mediocre and unreliable bus transportation as the only mode of mass transit since the failure of Forward Thrust. Expand light rail on the west side, connect neighborhoods like UW, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, etc. Look for smart financing methods to grade separate the lines, use existing right-of-ways, and develop a subway network within our city core to move people efficiently through our densest neighborhoods.

Mr_Grant said:

Define “as possible.” After Link gets to Lynnwood, what next? One line to West Seattle, another one to Ballard?

1-3 lines converging on Downtown are not a network, and I think buses are realistic for express intercity service but not rapid urban transit.

What we’re after are orders of magnitude increases in transit ridership.

As others have noted, we must have a network, and it must have many stations, close together. I would suggest we start with the assumption that every Seattle urban village should have at least one rapid transit station. You should be able to go from one neighborhood to another with 1 or no transfers, and without having to go through downtown. It should take you no longer than it would take to drive in congestion & find parking.

While elevated or below-grade rail net is probably the most feasible technically, it is expensive. Seattle is not a compact & dense city, therefore we can’t afford to build enough miles of LRT to make an adequately sized network. Note I’m not against building as much light rail as possible. Let’s do that. But let’s also do more.

I think we can’t be afraid of supplementing LRT with new technologies. I’m talking about light peoplemovers like Personal or Group Rapid Transit, in forms that could include funiculars and aerial trams. Lighter but less costly systems might be a fit for places that need rapid transit but aren’t ready, willing or able to densify to the point where LRT becomes economical.

But I’m not talking about spending transit funds on R&D, I’m not talking about blindly committing to buying anything unproven. I’m talking about keeping an open mind as other countries do the R&D and trialing of new technologies, and then evaluating them on the same financial, performance and service criteria as the current modes.

It’s a conservative approach, and we’ll have to wait longer to achieve a citywide rapid transit network. But we’ve waited so long already, it will be a step forward if we pick a strategy that will get us there eventually.

Expand as much light rail and subway as possible [updated]

2010-09-01T22:43:25+00:00

John Niles said:

Branden:

Although you would think the extension of light rail across the I-90 bridge to the East Side would cut down on traffic, the government-funded draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) reveals that traffic would not be changed by installing light rail across the Lake. Not enough people are expected to ride on Seattle's light rail to make any noticeable change in traffic volume. The numbers for East Link don't work out for the better on roadway traffic volume.

What light rail does provide is a very expensive way -- funded by taxes -- for a relatively few people to trade a congested car ride for the congestion of people on station platforms and in rail cars. In other words, you might like for your taxes to pay for a crowded train as an addition to the crowded roads the train will pass nearby. That in fact is the decision that people have made in the 1996 and 2008 tax elections that set up Sound Transit to be funded at around two million dollars per day.

The question now is, do we want to provide Sound Transit with even more money before the agency has completed the plans for spending the money they already have been given. I say no.

It would be much more efficient to spend Sound Transit's money on boosting the express bus service across the Lake on both bridges, including giving priority to low-emission buses on managed HOV lanes where blocking incidents are cleared very quickly.

Review "ideas for Seattle" before tweeting them

2010-09-01T18:36:56+00:00

notimpressed suggested:
Ideas such as "stop third-world immigration" with links to racist sites could make Seattle look like the city is racist as the website appears to tweet "ideas" without review.

Stop third world immigration

2010-09-01T14:06:01+00:00

etidorhpa suggested:
http://www.white-history.com/USA3rdworldimmi.htm

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-09-01T06:44:24+00:00

Ann Lawrence said:

The Conservatory at Volunteer Park is an essential part of the beauty of this park. It is a living and growing 'library' of the natural world, a world that we need to be reminded to love and treasure.

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-09-01T02:51:53+00:00

Sara said:

Imagine NYC without Central Park. Icons like this are the heart of a city and can't be replaced... Please contribute your thoughts on how to grow the Conservatory at http://softdimension.net/blog/?p=420

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-08-31T21:48:40+00:00

Anna Marie said:

This is a place I've enjoyed since I was a child. I visited again recently, only to find out that there is a danger of the conservatory closing. It would be a shame to lose this precious jewel.

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-08-31T18:38:08+00:00

Mary McKee said:

This conservatory has stood for nearly 100 years, survived the Great Depression, and provided an indoor "outdoor" feel for so many Seattle residents who want a respite from the rainy weather. As a child I would spend hours in the conservatory sketching the plants and learning about how greenhouses work. Please don't let this Seattle icon be closed!

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-08-31T15:59:06+00:00

Michele said:

The Volunteer Park Conservatory is a unique gem and living legacy that cannot be replaced. The collections of plants teach young and old to appreciate the biodiversity of our planet. Getting up close to these plants is to observe life from other climates without having to travel across the world. The conservatory is more important now than ever. I would propose charging a small entry fee to help support it.

Sell surplus schools such as MLK to the highest bidders as long as some community use is retained [updated]

2010-08-30T16:09:42+00:00

Sell the surplus MLK school to the highest bidder, an independent school such as Bush wants to make a playfield and playground that will also be open to public after school hours. This does not cost the taxpayers anything and gives the neighborhood what they wanted most, a play area. The school district could really use this money, and Bush bid is millions more that others.

bv said:

It will be a traffic nightmare for us if community center is on same block as bush, bush has a traffic management plan, any public cc will not and it is nowhere in their proposals. These are small residential streets, not arterials.
At least bush will provide continuity and history of being a good neighbor.

Save our electric trolley buses [updated]

2010-08-26T22:17:13+00:00

Metro's audit suggests replacing them with hybrids, which have significant quality-of-life impacts on our dense urban neighborhoods. We should be expanding (a la Matt Fikse) our ETB network, not eliminating it!

Bennett said:

As a Queen Anne resident on the trolley line, I'm confident in saying that hybrid diesel buses are a nuisance. With 2 routes on this line there are over 160 buses daily. Trolleys not only make the route tolerable but enjoyable to watch and listen to. Cost aside, the noise, carbon and character cannot be compared to the electric trolleys. It would be great to see those values quanitifed in the audit.

Adjust Domestic Violence & No Contact Order Laws [updated]

2010-08-26T07:59:09+00:00

Domestic Violence laws have been way too strict and unjust for over 30 years. People are being separated from their families & loved ones for non-injury, non-violent incidents. It's not fair to have an immediate arrest w/o liable evidence or priors, and to have an immediate No Contact Order in place for 2 years that does not allow ANY communication at all! 'Victims' are treated like babies and the 'accused' are treated like murderers! Better judgment, screening, and laws need to be put in place- NOW! This is hurting so many lives and so many families!

Natalie said:

The Domestic Violence & No Contact Order Laws need to give back the freedom of choice to the people.Let them file a restaining order if they are in a DV situation.Make no contact orders be used by the courts for people that are mentally disable.Stop waisting time,energy,Tax payers money for non-injury,non-violent incidents.Its not fair or right to keep Family or Loved ones from being together.Modification and ajustment can and need to be fixed.

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-08-25T20:49:22+00:00

kcolours said:

To close the Conservatory would be a travesty! Do you realize how unique this building and the park surrounding it is? So many cities would give anything to have this exquisite site that has given pleasure and peace to thousands over the years. Please, please do not take away this treasure from our live.

PRESERVE and reinforce a portion of the VIADUCT and CONVERT it into an elevated PARK or PROMENADE [updated]

2010-08-24T03:03:41+00:00

Why are we tearing down the ENTIRE viaduct structure just to replace it with more road infrastructure? Why is Seattle's solution to everything always "scrape and rebuild"? I propose that we get creative and actually preserve some of the existing structure for reuse. At some point the option to structurally reinforce the viaduct was on the table. And, the replacement of the seawall will do much to increase waterfront soil stability. So why not preserve and reinforce a few of the most structurally sound segments and convert the old viaduct structure into an elevated parkway or promenade similar to the Promenade Plantee in Paris? New surface traffic routes can be integrated or routed around the remaining structure, the public will gain new green space and retain it's coveted view of the sound, and the new park/promenade will serve as a "buffer" to over-zealous waterfront development and support public access. Let's work together creatively to build a green and sustainable Seattle in the 21st Century!!

Tonye said:

I was thinking this very same idea today. You got there first. We should name it after you (or perhaps the mayor?).

use bikes from the dump for more than scrap

2010-08-24T00:22:14+00:00

ed breen suggested:
for years it bothered me to see repairable bikes in the scrap pile to get crumpled. It seems that these could be restored by soon-to-be released prisoners, teaching a trade (legit this time) and providing bikes for the needy.

Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open [updated]

2010-08-23T05:34:24+00:00

Barbara Premo said:

My family has bought a home in Warm Beach and we discovered the Conservatory while exploring Seattle. We love it!!!! And we were in shock to hear that it might close! The last time we were there we happened to chat with a man from Houston, Texas that said he stopped by the Conservatory each time he was in town for business to marvel at the space and plants.....this place is too wonderful to disappear!!!! It adds to the quality of life that Seattle offers! Too precious to lose!

Adjust Domestic Violence & No Contact Order Laws [updated]

2010-08-21T16:46:12+00:00

Rena S. Mitchell said:

How do I navigate this website, or can it be done? Isn,t a 4 year no contact order in essence a "forced divorce", from the government?

Legalize marijuana and tax it. [updated]

2010-08-20T23:56:31+00:00

Just Do It! The city would make a LOT of money on this. It's already happening so why not bring it out in the open and treat it like the business it is. Take the profit motive away from the drug gangs and let us law abiding citizens enjoy a toke without worry.

jusme said:

The problem with this idea is that the criminals not only don't want it legalized because their tax free profits will be gone, but the criminals also have a stranglehold on our govt officials, so until we can get the govt to wake up, keep on dreaming.

Establish a Department of Permaculture [updated]

2010-08-19T18:17:53+00:00

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature. (PermacultureActivist.net) This new municipal entity would increase interdepartmental cooperation across City Departments as well as intergovernmental collaboration across county, state and federal agencies. It would leverage the vast network of local green businesses and non-profit organizations as well as connect with other permaculture organizations + projects across the globe. Consider watching the "Introduction to Permaculture Design Trailer" with Geoff Lawton at http://bit.ly/7pZYCq, listen to local permaculture designer Jenny Pell in "How do I Invite You to Grow Food" at bit.ly/1JNWgV and check out "The Permaculture Concept" with Bill Mollison, co-founder of Permaculture at http://bit.ly/6qaUpI Current activities include establishing perennial edible gardens in Seattle Parks, collaborative design of new reservoir lid projects, food forests on public lands, developing a Cascadia region edible perennial plant list, social events, film projects, citywide permaculture organizations, codifying promising permaculture-oriented codes gleaned from all over the globe, training and retreats for city employees, web/gov 2.0 projects, scheduling a Seattle-area permaculture convergence social potluck, Olmsted Vision 2.0, Best Management Practices, permaculture tours, intersection painting, skills workshops and smaller collaborative neighborhood projects. For more information on how to get involved in this initiative as well as how to get involved in the many exciting collaborative permaculture projects in Seattle and special events contact Daniel Johnson (Seattle Permaculture Guild http://SeattlePermacultureGuild.org + City Repair http://cityrepair.info) at (206) 369 - 2661 (mobile) or by e-mailing him at urbangardens@comcast.net

rl said:

we should turn it into a Hydroponics Farm/Agricultural University - Imagine all the cool green houses with Solar & all the foods harvested could be donated to local food banks. All organic, no pesticides, hormones, just big healthy plants :)

Parking

2010-08-18T23:33:30+00:00

Seattlesuks suggested:
Parking enforcement is a bunch of tax collectors lets give them hell, swear at them, make fun of them. They deserve it.

Find new ways to fund road improvements and repairs

2010-08-16T16:33:00+00:00

BLT suggested:
I am all for alternative modes of transportation, but bicyclists need to be held accountable just as drivers of cars do. I am tired of the "entitlement" that I see in many cyclists, and their reckless and inconsiderate riding (coupled with confusing bike lanes) is causing traffic nightmares. Bicycles and cyclists should be licensed and required to provide proof of safety course completion, similar to the Washington Boating Safety course. Also, cyclists should be required to wear helmets, and fined if non-compliant.

Make Seattle the most Bike Friendly City in the US [updated]

2010-08-16T16:23:31+00:00

(1) Create an extensive network of true bike lanes (not just "sharrows") including protected lanes along major bike commuter routes. This may necessitate removing on-street parking in some locations. We will know we're successful when older people or inexperienced cyclists can feel comfortable commuting on city streets and parents are not afraid to let their kids ride their bikes to school. (2) Work with building owners to create bike commuter stations downtown, where commuters can park their bikes, shower, have a locker, etc. (3) Make sure all public transit options can accommodate bikes. (4) Implement a data driven system to identify and address problem areas for bike commuters (such as Cascade Bicycle Club's site www.bikewise.org (5) Work with major employers to encourage bike commuting, including possible B&O tax incentives. (6) Create an ambitious civic vision celebrates bikes - as a great transit solution, as fun, as healthy, as good for the planet, as cool, etc.

BLT said:

I am all for alternative modes of transportation, but bicyclists need to be held accountable just as drivers of cars do. I am tired of the "entitlement" that I see in many cyclists, and their reckless and inconsiderate riding (coupled with confusing bike lanes) is causing traffic nightmares. Bicycles and cyclists should be licensed and required to provide proof of safety course completion, similar to the Washington Boating Safety course. Also, cyclists should be required to wear helmets, and fined if non-compliant.

Don't build more bike lanes. Build more trails. [updated]

2010-08-15T20:14:50+00:00

Bike lanes are not safe, because I hear about bike tragedies all the time in Seattle. If Denver can build the best bike trail system in the country we can too. Did you know that you can ride your bike throughout Denver and get to wherever you want to go without coming accross a single motor vehicle. It's that cool... I do not like riding my bike on city streets because we all do stupid things and motor vehicles should not be sharing lanes with bikes because it is very dangerous.

Marianne said:

Yes, more dedicated trails, please. Seattle needs improved traffic flow, and the lane narrowing "for bicycles" is a bogus solution. Street reconfiguration to allow turn lanes is good, and can help keep traffic moving. With today's drivers, bike "lanes" are not inherently safer. The arterials should be just that - arterials; flow maximized, not inhibited. Bad enough we already have the worst traffic flow in the nation: http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/11/30/daily14.html

Joules of Perception Amended August 12, 2010

2010-08-12T20:49:05+00:00

Ta Tele suggested:
Joules of Perception Amended August 12, 2010 Specific Topic: Public Health- especially the homeless I have recently lived through 23 months of homeless in Seattle WA. I stayed at the Compass Center Pioneer Square Program for homeless men for half that time. During my stay at the Compass Center there was a specific focus on serving lunches and dinners with high nutrition values. This was done via OPERATION: Sack Lunch and Chef Patti working as a consultant. By May 2009, I was given a space to live at the William Booth of Salvation Army. The address is 811 Maynard Avenue South, Seattle WA. The food management at this facility is very different, and within 6 months I noticed a significant fall in my emotional, physical, and mental resilience. My performance at Highline Community College went from the ability to carry 3 classes to completely dropping out in February 2010. I spoke at length to my Harbor View counselor about this issue, noting my extreme concern about my lack of focus, my lack of drive and simply an overall feeling of exhaustion on all fronts. She concurred with my statements recognizing my different energy level. She noted it was winter and vitamin d deficiency may have something to do with the issue. We discussed my eating habits, just one of the topics considered to trouble shoot the concern. Then by chance I ran into the text called, “Nutrition and Your Mind” by George Watson. The text highlights a great statement: “And any interference with the nutritional supply lines or with the energy-producing systems of the brain results in impaired functioning, which then may be called “poor mental health.” It also points out the value of understanding such things as nutritional bio-chemicals, acetate levels, slow & fast oxidizing. Mr. Watson’s work indicates many mental and health related issues maybe resolved by clearly addressing such items for each patient. His experimental work with Type I and Type II S (based upon ph levels) patients is noteworthy and shows a strong argument for a better food management process at facilities like the William Booth. I would suggest that the City of Seattle setup a benchmark program to re-validate Mr. Watson’s work. The net results should point to cost saving measures on at least 3 fronts: 1) healthcare costs to homeless client over time, 2) number of homeless clients to house over time, and 3) mental healthcare costs to homeless client over time. This matter has been a running concern for me for the last two years, as noted via the email below. Hopefully this shapes the problem in a simple format, thereby making the collective resolve and solution a near-term event. From: hotmail.com To: patti.com CC: lorainah Subject: To Support Organic Food...a little different approach by Michael Bell Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2009 21:24:54 +0000 The Joules of Perception What is perception? Perception in humans describes the process whereby sensory stimulation is translated into organized experience. That is what Peter Lindsay & Donald A. Norman stated in: Human Information Processing: An Introduction to Psychology, 1977. I tend to agree with that statement. Which makes it very easy for me to make the next statement: Poor perception is the number 1 cause of death worldwide. Seems a bit amateurish and naive to make such a claim at this juncture, but be patient with me. Let us now consider the fuel of perception; we will get there with a few explanations first. Science Daily (Mar. 5, 2007) stated the following: “The taste of champagne, the sound of a train, the flash of a pop fly into left field – indeed all of human perception – begins in the brain’s center. That’s where sensory information passes from the thalamus to the neo-cortex for processing.” Yet, how is this done? The brain has neurons that are constantly communicating and buildings groupings (networks) to manage information (stimulus). This is called the neuron synapse. For communication between neurons to occur electrical impulses (current) must be flowing. You may get more detail from http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/synapse.html but for now assume that I am correct. That would mean the brain is constantly recycling electrical impulses and the technical community agrees we measure this energy in units of Kilowatts, Megajoules, BTUs, or million calories. For our sake we should know. This would mean 3.6 megajoules is equal to 859.804 food calories; see http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/science/energy_calculator.html#eleccalc. Now we have arrived where I need to be. The conversation is clearly about energy being recycled within our brains to support the event of Human perception. We now can see that calories are directly related to joules and the quality of the energy we use in this process will without doubt effect the quality of the perception the brain can create. So what control do we have over this process. I propose the calorie or joule management approach. Simply because we have choice regarding the type of calories or joules we provision the physiology of the brain. I will use the automobile as a hands-on example. The picture below notes a clean spark plug and a dirty one. Well, if the gap of the spark plug is covered with the by-products of poor grade gases then the ignition process and burn efficiency of the engine is very poor. At some point a change of spark plug is required and the mechanic may just question what type of fuel (energy) are you putting in the gas tank? The selection of fuels should be considered when managing the brains spark plug (your neuron synaptic networks). The only difference is that you can replace a spark plug, whereas with your brain you must regenerate the network to improve your overall perception capacity. This is done through selecting better burning fuels (food) for the body. By choosing foods that burn more effectively within the brain physiology you have by default improved the capacity for perception. This by default grants a stronger capacity to organize stimulus throughout your day allowing one to improve decision making, therefore causing greater self-correcting behavioral patterns. I can envision diets tailored to specific individuals needs via his brain energy profile. Short of that we should all stick a close as possible to organic foods (costs are very prohibitive these days…makes you wonder why) because of the natural (inherent) synergy with the human body’s burn capacity; other foods contribute highly to the dirty spark plug syndrome. So to all support organizations please commence the mission of chancing the “Joules of Perception”. Best regards,

Distributed power generation [updated]

2010-08-12T15:44:51+00:00

Provide emergency power generation and reduce the amount of money spent every year on electricity by: 1. Using microturbines to provide CHP (combined heat and power) to improve energy efficiency of city buildings. http://www.capstoneturbine.com/ 2. Use smaller CHP units for homes. Freewatt is one example but you should wait for a later model that works in power outages. http://freewatt.com/ Whispergen is another example. http://www.whispergen.com/ 3. Using utility-scale sodium-sulfur (and other battery technologies) batteries to buy power at cheaper rates at night when demand is lower. http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/?en=090109-HQ2

Rene Sugar said:

This CHP system is available from a company in Colorado to generate heat and electricity from solar.

http://www.coolenergyinc.com/

"Imagine a home power system that uses only the free fuel from the sun to generate heat and electrical power, day and night, all year long through the use of simple solar thermal collectors and heat engine technology. Now imagine that the same core heat engine technology can also be used to recycle exhaust gas heat from engines and industrial processes – another free fuel harnessed for making electricity.

These are the two ways that Cool Energy is using its novel SolarHeart® Engine technology (low temperature Stirling engine) to provide savings to its customers. The SolarFlow® System home energy system enables home and building owners to cut their energy bills by as much as 75% and can provide U.S. homeowners annual returns of 20%."

The conservatory in Vol.Park should be feathured just like the Space Neddle. It is far more pleasing

2010-08-12T01:17:51+00:00

All DWI offenders get a minimum 10 year prison term [updated]

2010-08-11T20:14:19+00:00

It is time to start prosecuting idiot drunks so they quit killing people.

Sammy said:

Are you kidding me that we shouldn't prosecute these bastards. I am sick and tired of these low lifes driving down MY roads. These worthless sons of bitches need to be jailed or better yet SHOT! I am fed up with these piece of shits causing trouble. The hell with them and anyone who defends them. I say give them 20 year prison terms. When they drive down the road drunk, it is as if they are telling everyone to screw off because they don't care. Throw them in jail, and let them take it up the ASS from Bubba while in prison. Let them get screwed over.

bring an anchor tenant back to key arena [updated]

2010-08-11T05:40:35+00:00

the health of key arena is very important to me. that said, if we can find a fair, fiscally responsible deal that is not overwhelmingly on the backs of taxpayers to renovate key arena and bring an anchor tenant like an NBA team back to seattle center., we should consider it. working with the new KC exec, Dow Constantine to come up with a fair deal with a significant amount of private dollars would seem like the best course of action.

jafabian said:

When Key Bank's contract is up they should bring back the original name of Seattle Center Coliseum.

FATHER's RIGHTS advocacy/clinics [updated]

2010-08-10T17:30:05+00:00

Children need both parents. The city and area is full of advocates for mothers in custody battles and those who make false domestic violence claims in order to get free legal service and leverage in custody battles. There is nothing to help fathers who cannot afford attorneys. I got custody of my daughter without one. The resources I used should be made available to all (including fathers), for the sake of children.

Fbauer said:

what are these rescources?

zip line [updated]

2010-08-08T23:31:07+00:00

Seattle should create a zip line in one of our parks (consider one of the many parks along lake washington or possibly near the zoo. Having a zip line in the city would be relatively inexpensive (I've contacted a provider and gotten some quotes on construction and insurance, which is reasonable). Anything that you do to make the city more intersting and unique (like a zip line) will bring Seattle positive attention and a reputation for being a fun and worthwhile place to visit. Vancouver did it, so we should too.

connie said:

Where can you get zipline insurance?