MetaFilter posts tagged with washingtonstate

What is green and goes burp in the night?

mrzarquon — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:20:11 -0800

The Hanford Site in SoutheastWashington (located on the Columbia River) is considered the dirtiest place on earth. 177 Underground storage tanks hold over 50 million gallons of radioactive and toxic waste. And they are leaking. Constructed in 1943 as the plutonium production complex for the Manhattan Project, it covers 580 square miles and grew to have 9 nuclear reactors and 5 plutonium processing plants. Poor management by the Department of Energy, and a changing list of contractors competing for the project by lowest bid have left an incredible mess to cleanup. Here is another timeline of events documenting the habitual mis management of the project. It is hard to believe that such a huge environmental disaster waiting to is rarely discussed. If it wasn't for the Hanford Challenge event I was invited to last week, I still would not have known of it. They are a group working to help moderate the discussion between the whistleblowers and the contractors. Hopefully they will complete the cleanup before these signs are out of date. (And more importantly, before the 1 million gallons of contaminated ground water reach the Columbia River). The Burping (in the title) is in reference to the chemical storage tanks which has an amalgam of toxic and radioactive materials, still undergoing chemical reactions and in some cases releasing hydrogen gas. One whistleblower was a chemist who refused to not writeup an employee for smoking as they were monitoring one of the tanks, waiting for a burp. P.S. Did you know the Richland (city local to the Hanford Site) Bombers are a highschool team with a mushroom cloud as their logo?

Custom Spirits

owhydididoit — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:41:00 -0800

Craft distillers just got a boost in Washington State. It's now legal* to sell "up to 2 liters of their goods per customer and serve 2 ounce tastings – the same rights as craft brew or winemakers." The law has been brewing for a while, and is expected to have a significant effect on the local economy. *HB 2959

Digging the past

mathowie — Fri, 04 May 2007 07:13:00 -0800

A retired construction guy with a large property was bulldozing a new driveway and noticed some shiny rocks. He excavated carefully, revealing an entire forest of upright, undisturbed petrified trees (photo gallery). Soon he began cataloging and selling pieces to museums but has since stopped. More about his find. (via girlhacker)

RoadLog

PrinceValium — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 21:34:58 -0800

So you've zoomed in on your house and admired your city skyline. Now get back down to earth, and take a virtual drive of every inch of Washington state's public highway system. [+]

Tim Eyman is a Horse's Ass

josephtate — Tue, 28 Jan 2003 12:18:25 -0800

BE IT RESOLVED, That the citizens of the State of Washington do hereby proclaim that Tim Eyman is a Horse's Ass. Tim Eyman, previously discussed on MeFi, is now the subject of Washington State Initiative 831. This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is democracy in action.

Mack Twain — Sat, 23 Feb 2002 23:18:22 -0800

Washington States insatiable appetite for money has led to the highest state tax on cigarettes, $1.425 per pack; this is in addition to the federal tax of $.39 per pack and the State sales tax of 6.5%. At least 17 states are considering following suit. Proponets claim it's a win-win situation: tax revenue + 'helping' people quit. Is that believable? Do they want the money or do they want people to quit, or both? And is it fair for 25% of the population to be the sole source of needed revenue?

goto11 — Thu, 14 Feb 2002 20:53:27 -0800

Washington State house members voted today to end the TV blackouts imposed on local Seahawks games. The taxpayers are paying for the stadium. Should they continue to be forced to go to it in order to see the games?

kokogiak — Fri, 25 Jan 2002 11:22:06 -0800

WA Lawmakers try to remove "repugnant" Theory of Evolution from schools . Yes, this is the 21st century, and yes - we in Washington State now have two bills, (Senate and House) before our congress that propose "All textbooks and curriculum that teach the theory of evolution shall be removed from the public schools forthwith and replaced with textbooks and curriculum that teach the self-evident truth of creation".

I don't know whether this is a legitimate effort to change the law, or a (hopefully) doomed effort to curry favor with conservative voters. [originally via fark]

argybarg — Thu, 08 Nov 2001 10:39:47 -0800

"The sky won't fall, it will probably just trickle down." On whom? (Guess who.) Out here in Washington State voters just approved another in a series of initiatives that, collectively, choke off the state government's primary funding sources. What else are the results of the initiative process around the country? And are The People responsible enough to be trusted with it?

kokogiak — Tue, 01 May 2001 09:58:34 -0800

Anti-bullying vote blocked by Christian Conservatives The Washington State bill would have required school districts to set up policies against harassment, bullying and intimidation. Christian conservatives that blocked the vote claim "it amounted to censorship of their right to condemn homosexuality." There is no mention of homosexuality in the bill at all. So this leads me to the conclusion that these Christians condone "harassment, bullying and intimidation." How far from the Golden Rule can you stray and keep a straight face?