One thing that bugged me about some of the comments from the Cascadia Calm post was the treatment of some regional personalities as normal, while others abnormal. But, Kim brings up Southern Charm indirectly, so I’ll take a look at Southern Charm. The idea behind Southern Charm as the polite normal is pretty straight forward….
Month: August 2013
You’ll never change us, outsiders! (Cascadia exists #5)
On the Cascadian Calm post, there are a handful of comments worth responding to. Here’s my first shot, which is mostly just a bunch of adding and subtracting. First, from Anonymous: …people are becoming aware of the “Seattle Freeze”, and as out-of-towners slowly take over the NW area. Second, from Kim Bannerman: There are far…
Why is it all named Puget Sound?
From George Vancouver’s journal in 1792: Thus by our joint efforts, we had completely explored every turning of this extensive inlet; and to commemorate Mr. Puget’s exertions, the south extremity of it I named Puget’s Sound. Because Olympia, or rather what today we consider the suburbs of Olympia was first in western Washington, we call…
The Football Game that Changed Cascadia (Cascadia Exists #4)
For the South, there’s a very and bright line clear line of when the era following the Civil War ended. Unfortunately for me, it is when the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the University of Washington Huskies in the 1926 Rose Bowl. I kid you not, Southerners take this story very seriously: It was more than…
Explaining better with maps and what are Cascadian politics? (Cascadia exists #4)
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post trying to connect how Appalachian and New England settlers have shaped Cascadia. I used a map to shortly show how some things (like legalizing marijuana) cuts across the usual political barriers in at least one part of Cascadia, Washington State. Muto_krang on a reddit thread about the…
The recent law change that gives you a beauty contest ballot and lets the candidates raise more money
If you live in Olympia, go take a look at your ballot. Looks pretty empty. There’s only one raced listed on this summer’s primary ballot in Olympia and that is for county auditor. The interesting part is that it really isn’t a primary election, in the traditional sense, since only two candidates appear on the…