Recent Stories with tag university

Dear Mr. Rossi:

Dino Rossi, job-hunter

Well, here we are yet again, with you on the losing side of another election. And yet again, you weren't able to muster enough votes outside of King County to overcome the usual overwhelming support for Democrats this county musters. Although you did do two percent better in King County than in 2008, you still couldn't crack the magic 40 percent mark a Republican needs in the county to have a chance at winning.

So, here you are yet again, out of a job. And this time around, you can't go back to real estate. I mean, have you seen the commercial real estate vacancy rate in Seattle? Over 17 percent. You ain't gonna make much money selling or leasing property in this economy. And don't even think about selling residential. You do read Seattle Bubble, right?

And I know you're thinking, Hey, I can latch on as a "political consultant." Let me remind you--you've now lost three times. And even if you want to say hey, I did win in '04, you got your rear spanked in 2008 by Christine Gregoire, a governor so ineffectual she makes Bartleby look like David Allen. I mean, seriously, you came into that election with the momentum and you lost by seven percent? You've done so poorly Alan Keyes could be your campaign manager and you'd do better.

Oh, hey, I can be a lobbyist down in Olympia, you think. And do what exactly? Get some tax breaks for the BIAW when the state budget is about to get another $5-$6 billion blown out of it this next biennium?

Again, you want to win political office, right? And you need to get 40 percent in King County, right? How you going to do that as the land man for the BIAW or the NRA or whatever right-wing lobby firm comes along?

Now, now, put down that Dick's job application. I have a modest proposal for you. I know it sounds crazy, and I know it'll make every Reagan-loving bone in your body ache, but here me out. There is an opening for a well-paying job that I think you'd be perfect for.

President of the University of Washington.... (more)

Hey, kids! If you are enrolled* in a college or university (*must be taking at least one course), and have an .edu email address and an Amazon account, you're eligible for a year's worth of Amazon Prime shipping for free. Here is the full explanation and here is the TOS.

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Rep. Deb Wallace

"A bill that would allow the state's largest universities to set their own tuition, within limits, appears all but dead after it failed to move out of a House committee Tuesday," reported the Times today, just after its editorial board admonished state Rep. Deb Wallace that she "shouldn't drag her legislative heels on what would be one of the most significant fiscal-policy measures to come from the Legislature in decades."

Apparently Wallace does not read the Seattle Times op-ed page, or like many, ignores the unreasoned, unsupported perspectives when they appear.

(Lately the Times has shifted from ill-defended opinion to indefensible opinion, as in today's "forget health care reform" piece in which they argue that the election of a Republican in a state that has already instituted health care reform was a vote against health care reform.)

In any event, students at Washington State University, Western Washington University and the University of Washington can breathe a little easier. The Senate bill (SB 6562) would have ceded tuition-setting control to the state universities, with the ludicrous "limits" of a maximum of a one-year fourteen-percent increase, but not more than an average of nine percent per year, over fifteen years. (It's worth noting that the legislature already granted the universities a one-time 14 percent increase last year.)

As I mentioned a little while ago, Washington state higher education rated an "F" in affordability back in 2008. Tuition at the University of Washington has risen about 327 percent over the last twenty years. College presidents like to pitch tuition increases as a "soak the rich" scheme, pointing to increased financial aid packages, but the financial aid is overwhelmingly in the form of student loans, not grants.

The people getting soaked are the middle class parents of students who go to public schools, and the students themselves. (Median household income has not tripled or doubled over the same time period, if you needed to be reminded.) Certainly what has not increased 327 percent in the last twenty years is the entry-level salary for a college graduate. In the midst of the Great Recession, recent graduates will be lucky to find a job at all.

They can save money for student loan payments, of course, by not subscribing to the Seattle Times. [UPDATE: In retrospect, that last line is too harsh. Plenty of good reporting is in the Times, and it would be a shame for people to go without because of a few hundred witless words. People might even pay extra for a subscription that came without the editorial board or Krauthamer.]

Yesterday was National Pancake Day according to IHOP, who were offering free pancakes. The crowds of pancake dilettantes meant that was out as a breakfast option. The SunBreak Breakfast Team are not amateurs, however. Our list is deep, and on it is the University Village Burgermaster.

Yelper Ryan sets the Burgermaster breakfast table for you: "It was a whole different scene. Old people sat, reading the newspaper, and the menu was expansive. The Burgermaster I usually go to in Bellevue is a Drive-In only, but this place is an actual restaurant."

I got the short stack, eggs over easy, and bacon; Roger got the short stack, scrambled eggs, and sausage. Both $6.99 (see menu in photo gallery). The serve-yourself Boyd's coffee was...mildly coffee-flavored. We joined a row of mostly men of a certain age, all with the morning paper spread out, at the tables next to the window.

Two retirees shuffled in. One sat down, one kept heading for the order counter, then turned. "You're not gonna eat?" he called to his friend. "You don't eat nothin'. A muffin, what's that?" He paused. "You want somethin'? Well, I'll get ya somethin'."

Burgermaster's pancakes are "fluffy," the high-rising style, and don't come around here trying to peddle your multigrain. My over-easy eggs were cooked just right, but it was hard to discern if actual eggs were involved with Roger's yellow scramble. In compensation, his two greasy brown sausage links had it all over my two dry, chewy slices of bacon. The heat lamp extracts a costly due.

At $6.95, this breakfast runs a little high given the quality, but you are paying for the University Village ambiance, don't forget. And without irony, men of a certain age need all the diner-style breakfast spots they can get.

Over the weekend I stopped in at the Varsity for District 13: Ultimatum, which gave me the chance to eat at Ruby's, closed for renovation the last time I visited the Ave. Just across the street from the Post Office, Ruby's used to look like a dorm basement that had fallen on bad times, but after being turned on to the rice bowls, I learned to ignore the sketchiness (which makes me just like 78 percent of visitors, I guess).

A few months after renovation, I almost didn't dare walk in. Why would such an upscale-seeming spot be serving my delicious rice bowls? A full bar gleamed. The lights were low. I was seated (another first!) and ordered a Manny's while I perused the menu. The tables, happily, were still mismatched.

There was a red coconut curry rice bowl (with pineapple) that caught my eye at first, but eventually I settled on the yellow curry dahl. "We're out of spinach," the bartender/waiter told me. I fixed him with the van Baker stink-eye. "I guess we could use some of the fresh spinach for the salads," he said, displaying a sterling brand of adaptability. Ah, problem solved. In a few minutes, a bowl as big as my head, piled high with curried rice, potatoes, and spinach was plunked down. You can choose your carne (or tofu) and the price varies accordingly. My chicken version came to $9. Lamb I seem to recall being $11? There's also salmon, in between, price-wise.

Two months ago when I previewed Seattle University's season, I tried to make the point that SU forward Charles Garcia was among the most athletic players in the country, let alone among D1 independents like Seattle U. In doing so, I made a throwaway joke that has inflamed passions on the Charles River, and even reached ESPN.

My comment was this: Garcia "will be the most talented player on the floor in many of SU's games this year (especially against Harvard)." Because Harvard sucks at basketball. Ha! Mmm, not my best work.

I admit that before I made that comment, I had not actually asked NBA scouts to assess the talent on Harvard's roster, or watched their game tapes, or even bothered to read anything whatsoever about the Harvard basketball program. Instead my joke relied on the fact that HARVARD HAS BEEN SO TERRIBLE AT BASKETBALL THE LAST TIME THEY PLAYED IN AN NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME IT WAS 1946 AND THEY LOST TO NYU. 

Jeremy Lin

Had I been a better blogger, I would've noted that Harvard has a player named Jeremy Lin who is a pretty talented basketball player--and at this moment a better one than Garcia, as he displayed in Saturday's blowout win at KeyArena over Seattle U.

Lin (according to the Harvard site, his "house affiliation" is Leverett, whatever the hell that means) displayed terrific body control around the basket, and was unstoppable in the open court. Garcia struggled to find rhythm on offense, and committed a silly foul on defense that staunched a Seattle U comeback.

Lin probably could be a decent pro somewhere, and he's getting extra notoriety due to the fact that he's Asian-American and even in post-racial ObamAmerica, a stellar Asian-American basketball player is pretty rare. Although if someone could point out the last decent Norwegian-American basketball player I would much appreciate feeling that despite having an 11-inch vertical I might someday get to the League.

I really would like to see Harvard make the tournament, if only to say that my alma mater--yes, I'm an NYU Violet--was their last tourney loss. But if so, will we have to hear whiny, entitled Harvarders (or whatever) complain about a lack of respect for their basketball team? If so, I suggest that the Crimson can stay home.... (more)

Was also the last weekend in which the Huskies won. November 17 and 18, 2007. The Huskies beat Cal 37-23, and the Seahawks beat Chicago 30-23.

Last time the Huskies and Seahawks both won by double-digits: September 8 and 9, 2007. The Huskies beat Boise State 24-10, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay 20-6.

I'd like nothing more than for the Seattle Storm to expand their fan base up to and beyond that of the Sonics' glory years. But shenanigans like this are not going to help. The putative Storm flagship radio station, 1150-AM KKNW, is bumping our playoff-bound women's hoopsters off the airwaves Saturday so they can broadcast ... Nebraska football? Really?

You can still hear the Storm game, it'll be on 880-AM KIXI. The Nebraska football broadcasts are sponsored by the Washington chapter of the University of Nebraska alumni association. While I salute them for their fervency, I have to wonder whether a Storm fans might not do just as much to support their team if given the opportunity.

Getting bumped isn't a huge indignity -- the Mariners get bumped off ESPN 710 for Seahawks preseason games. But for a team that's half-a-continent away?