Hella Bus Blog

Please give a round of applause with your computer hands for two new Bus Staff rockstars who will be making all the magic happen this fall!

Both were 2011 Summer Fellows and will be sticking around the Bus office all fall long.  Bios below!

Danielle Kim (left) was raised in Washington, where she graduated from Seattle University with a B.A in Political Science, but still finds time to visit her relatives in South Korea every few years. When Danielle isn’t seen cautiously biking around the car-flooded streets of Capitol Hill, she can be found recycling strange objects, or hidden under a pile of books in your local library. She always welcomes a healthy debate of a new Supreme Court case that may change the course of politics. Danielle will be co-leading the Pledge to Vote program this fall. danielle [at] washingtonbus [dot] org

Abigail Doerr (right) loves making strawberry rhubarb pies, sewing, knitting, practicing safe bike riding, and crossword puzzles.  By observing her hobbies one may assume that she'd be above the age of the average Washingtonian (which is 35 years old). Is she 45? 55? You'd be very wrong.  She is the ripe age of 22.  Abigail was born and raised in Spokane, Washington.  She took a four year hiatus from Washington to study politics, spanish, and crafting at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.  This summer she finally returned to the state of Washington to be a Summer Fellow and now responds to the title of Fall Field Staff person. Abigail will be driving the Bus Trips this fall (figuratively). abigail [at] washingtonbus [dot] org

Building crews are breaking ground today at 15th and Madison on the site for the new Cascadia Center for Sustainable Design and Construction. The Center will be the headquarters of the Bullitt Foundation, a Seattle environmental group. And as you might expect, this building is going to be crazy sustainable. The most sustainable commercial building in the world, they say.  Among the many requirements the designers imposed on themselves:

• 100% on-site energy production (renewable, of course)
• 100% on-site water harvesting
• On-site waste management

Awesome! It is anticipated that the Center will last 250 years, at which point we will all be cyborgs anyway:

What I think I love most about this building, though, is what it represents in terms of our priorities. The Seattle Times article here has a bunch of disgruntled comments about the downsides to working in such a building. But one thing I know for sure is that someone needs to start making buildings like this, or else the thermostat controls are going to seem like small potatoes in the face of climate change-induced sweltering heat. "The technology's not there yet!" Oh, well I guess we might as well wait for the model of Voteborg with central cooling.

The point is that if our priorities about these things don't change at some point, then these sweet buildings will never get built. As far as I'm concerned, the Cascadia Center's commitment to the strictest environmental building codes is a step in the right direction. Denis Hayes, CEO of the Bullitt Foundation and the progenitor of Earth Day, says, "I am not Donald Trump." Indeed.

It's tough to say goodbye.  The 2011 Summer Fellows graduated from the program on Saturday, so let us bid them a farewell of our own as they launch into public life - in picture form!

Plum provided the towering sandwiches.

Troublemakers, the both of them.

Washington Bus Education Fund Board President Randy Engstrom awards the ceremonial Votebot trophies after some beautiful words.

The Fellows turned the tables on the Summer Fellows Staff with some awards of their own.

The one and only Natalie Ortega who ran the program to perfection.

RICHARD STRIKES AGAIN!

Thanks to Liz Dunn for the amazing space, Plum for the delicious food, presenters, homestay hosts, family and friends for their endless support, and finally to the 2011 Summer Fellows for inspiring us all with their dedication to their fellow Washingtonians. Pow!

Washington Bus, Candidate Survivor from Rogue Scholar on Vimeo.

Enjoy this incredible video of the magic that was Candidate Survivor made by the geniuses at Rogue Scholar. If you were there, you're probably in it. Seriously. Incredible.

If you witnessed any auspicious signs on your way to work/school/the fridge today, perhaps a comet or strangers loitering outside of vacant school cafeterias looking for a polling place, you're not alone. It is - after all - primary day! Fill out your ballot, slap a stamp on it, and get it postmarked pronto!*

*Then email us for our top secret primary party plans. That's your reward, you foot-note reader you.

On Saturday, the Bus (literal and proverbial) launched into Central Washington for our first full-scale Bus trip of the year to support the Yes on Districts campaign for a more representative political process in Yakima. And, as you might have guessed, it was unbelievable.

Lead by the indomitable 2011 Summer Fellow, a team of Yakimaniacs and Seattleites alike teamed up to make young voices heard for smart governance.  Also, our VHS player finally works, so the wins kept pouring in (by wins I mean late nineties action films).

The crew knocked on over 3000 doors in roughly 3000 degree temperatures (periodic water sprinkler dance breaks were very necessary), relaxed in the beautiful environs of Davis High School, and brought young people from across the state together for a great cause! Pictures!

Carlos, warming up the Seattle crew at the office.

There was no fun had on the Bus whatsoever. It's not allowed.

Unfurled at Davis High School.

Bus board member Elizabeth Mendoza gives the lowdown on Proposition 1.

Sub sandwiches never tasted so good.

Summer Fellow Andy Montes sharing some of her canvassing expertise.

Yakima canvassing pros.

Huge thanks to the 2010 Summer Fellows Halei Watkins and Morgan Pualani for leading the Yes on Districts Campaign, Davis High School for the excellent (and temperate) space, and for the unbelievable team of young folks that made it a huge success!

Hella Bus is driven by the Washington Bus Media Interns - the cadre of smart young writers, graphics, and video folks that bring the wise words to your door each and every day.  As they wrap up their summer program, we're opening up the proverbial doors of Hella Bus for a new team to carry the torch.  The Washington Bus Media Internship is open to motivated folks with strong writing, graphic design, or video production skills who'd like to join the Bus team in bringing a new political and cultural perspective to our state.  College credit is available to interns currently enrolled in a college or university.  Information and application below.

Questions? Email alex [at] washingtonbus [dot] org.

The Washington Bus Media Internship Application

What is it?

Washington Bus Media Interns build the most original, irreverent, and powerful online voice for young people in Washington State (hint: this one). Media interns run the blog Hella Bus, creating written and multimedia projects that reach vast networks of young Washingtonians, community leaders, and top level policymakers.

Hella Bus serves to introduce and highlight youth perspectives and experiences in public discourse in a way that is positive, inclusive, and meaningful.  Interns may specialize in writing, graphic design, or video production.

Responsibilities include:

• Coordinate with Managing Editor to set weekly and internship-long goals.
• Contribute regular blog posts in accordance with the Hella Bus style guide.
• Participate in weekly writers meetings to pitch stories and set publication schedule.
• Attend monthly leadership development meetings.

• Collaborate with fellow Media Interns on short and long-term Hella Bus projects, ranging from written to video to graphic design.
• Become the most hilarious, insightful, and innovative communicator in the state of Washington.

Interest in:

• Politics is encouraged, but not a must.
• Collaborating with a diverse and youthful team, aka your peers.
• Issues relevant to young people in Washington State, including policy, campaigns, arts and culture, and many, many more. In fact, you know what? You tell us.
• Independent self-starter with a good sense of humor.

The Washington Bus Media Internship is based in Seattle –Media Interns must be present at all required meetings and trainings.  The fall program will run from August 31st to November 16th with the possibility of an extension through the winter and spring. The internship requires a 10-hour weekly time commitment with minimum four hours in the office (if this is a challenge for you, explain in the application, and we can evaluate together).  Interns will be able to apply for college credit if currently enrolled in a college or university.  As a Media Intern, your focus will be on the Bus’s communications work, but you will have many opportunities to participate in Bus events across the board, including music festivals, Bus events, and tons of foosball.

TO APPLY:

Please answer the following questions in a separate document, and email them to mediainternship@washingtonbus.org in pdf format. In addition, please submit a resume and two examples of your work, whether in written, video, graphic, or other form. Early application deadline: August 19, 2011. Final application deadline: August 26, 2011 (we anticipate filling our application requirements in the first deadline).

Tell us about yourself in no more than two paragraphs.

• If you could change one thing about today’s media climate, what would it be?

• What are the three most interesting articles you’ve read recently (you don’t have to impress us, it’s an honest question)

• Briefly, take us through how you would approach writing or making a video blog post about one of the following three topics: bike lanes in your city, your favorite new band’s album, changing social and economic patterns in a nearby neighborhood (gentrification, development, etc…).

Good luck! Questions? Email alex@washingtonbus.org for more information.

The Washington Bus is an inclusive organization, fostering & drawing on leadership from communities of color, recent immigrant communities, and emerging young voter demographics.

Filmmaker Ken Burns, famous for his sweeping, informative, really really long documentaries that chronicle various aspects of the American Historical character, recently came to Seattle to promote his newest project: Prohibition. After showing a brief (in Ken Burns time, fifteen minutes is brief) clip from the film, Burns joined in a panel talk with co-director Lynn Novick, author Daniel Okrent, and Seattle Times editorial writer Ryan Blethen. I caught up with Ken Burns as he was walking to a small round-table discussion among members of the audience. We talked briefly about the impact of Prohibition, what history means as we look toward the future, and the importance of being well-informed in today’s political society.

TRANSCRIPT:

(A staff member tells us we must get moving)

Sam Heft-Luthy: We’ll walk and talk.

Ken Burns: Unfortunately, I come from the Great State of Michigan, where Gerald Ford was not able to do those things at the same time.

(We walk slowly, lagging behind the rest of the group.)

SHL: Why Prohibition? What sort of lessons do you hope the story can teach?

KB: This is an amazing story, one that resonates with today’s themes, and I hope people will just see the ways in which history is a great teacher. [In the round table discussion, Burns elaborated on the historical lessons of Prohibition: that it solidified the sentiment that the Constitution should not be drastically altered, that major public outpouring can produce major political results, and that its failure proved that human appetites can not be easily restricted by laws.]

SHL: What was the most surprising aspect of the story that you learned in your research?

KB: The whole point is that we’re not telling you what you should know, we’re trying to discover ourselves through a subject – so every day we discover amazing things. If I had to pick one, I would say the story of a bootlegger in Seattle named Roy Olmstead who was on the police force and became a bootlegger. It’s an incredible story, but just one of hundreds of stories that we got involved in [during our research].

SHL: What do you feel is the most dangerous trend or aspect of American political society today?

KB: Intolerance. The willingness to get your information only from a source that ratifies your own increasingly myopic views.

SHL: What do you feel is the most encouraging aspect of American society?

KB: The democratization of just about everything, that it’s hard to get away with stuff.

SHL: What is your research process like once you settle on a topic?

KB: Intensive, comprehensive, and never stopping. Most documentary films have an early research period, after which you stop researching and write a script. That becomes the template for not only shooting but editing as well, then boom, done. We on the other hand [Burns and Novick’s production company] have never stopped researching. That, I think, is the key.

Candidate Survivor! What a night. I think it's best if we just let the pictures do the talking:

Over 500 people in attendance (by latest count). To a city council candidate forum. Seriously.

Overflow to the balcony.

Toby, laying the groundwork for the night AND looking dapper. Multi-tasking.

The candidates take the stage.

Panelists extraordinaire Dominic Holden, Sarah Cherin, and Larry Mizell Jr. bring the funny.

Jean: feeling sassy. Bruce: looming.

And the human Bruce Harrell arrives just in time!

The godfather, city-council style.

Sally "one swan per minute" Clark.

Commanding victory for Sally Clark!

Tim Burgess brings down the house with a council-themed Wiz Khalifa remix. Seriously amazing.

That just happened.

The vibes were oh so good!

Wise words from Jean Godden.

Quasi-cookie baking from Bobby Forch.

Text message voting.

The co-winners of the final bout, Bobby Forch and Michael Taylor-Judd!

Nicole Keenan, the architect of the whole night, gets some well deserved love.

Thank you so much to everyone who made this amazing night possible including Neumos for the space and set-up, event sponsors Seattle Works, NARAL, the Stranger, and Rock the Vote, our hilarious panelists, the candidates, and of course, you (!), the good people that packed the house and made this an incredible moment in the history of Seattle politics.  Thank you!!!

*Check out some great coverage of the event from Seattlest (awesome), the Stranger, and Publicola!

We've had a lot of big field days over the course of the Bus excellent four years.  But Saturday at the Capitol Hill Block Party was straight up the biggest. Find most of the photos from the biggest field day in Bus history on our Facebook page (and tag yourself!).  Here's a teaser:

Alex met the Handsome Furs! Ahhhh!

Big Mario, Big Meinert, and the Summer Fellows.

Check out our Facebook page for more!

Last night, over 350 students, transit riders, and activists piled into the Burien City Hall chambers to speak their minds on the proposed cuts to King County Metro bus service. A full Bus young Washingtonians headlined by the 2011 WaBus Summer Fellows were out in force, and a few Vote Bots even showed up to support the proposed $20 car tabs fee (read all about it here). We rolled the actual Washington Bus down to Burien for the hearing along with dozens of young Metro riders desperate to keep the service that is integral to get to school and work. College and high school students, the elderly, the disabled, and every other sort of transit rider around came out to tell the stories of how the proposed cuts will personally effect them.

Sug telling the people what's up.

Media Intern Peter Johnson testifying.

Paris brings the house down.

Summer Fellow Amber Rose Jimenez with the good words.

What a powerful night! The Bus, alongside leaders of the UW student body, brought the youth voice to the proceedings and took the energy to the next level.  Check us on King 5, and in this awesome Burien blog.

The popsicles given out by the Bus every year at Capitol Hill Block party (which is going down TOMORROW by the by) are unique in the world of chilled fruity dollups of goodness. These are not just any popsicles. These are magic. And this magic will be provided to you, yes YOU, for a simple favor to democracy - a pledge to vote!  Now why are these popsicles so magical, you wonder aloud to the crowd? Well, the Bus has created visual guides for your viewing pleasure to show just how our popsicles are created.

These glorious sicles of pop are forged in the heart of a mountain, where an explosion of flavor greets them into their new existence.

But, this is no normal mountain, it's a fearsome volcano!

Then Vote Bot takes over, transporting the popsicles to the desert in order to understand the true thirst they shall be quenching at Block Party.

And a trip under the sea to truly know hydration.

And finally, to cools those cray cray popsicles down to below freezing temps, Vote Bot makes a final stop to visit the penguins in Antarctica, heed their wisdom, and understand the true meaning of Christmas.

Cool. Tasty. And ready to go.

Want one? Yes, yes you do. Come to Capitol Hill Block Party (or Cal Anderson park outside) tomorrow and visit the bus to pick up your very own globe-trotting popsicle like these smart folks last year:

EXCITING NEWS FROM BUS HQ: Buses. We love them.  And not just because we have one! Although we do have one. And now is the time to use it.

We're packing the real live Washington Bus full of good people and rolling to Burien this Thursday evening at 4:30 pm. Why? To bring a literal bus load of energy to the King County Council hearing on the proposed Metro service cuts.  We love metro, and it's the crucial moment to make our voices heard and maintain the services that we count on.  We'll be departing from Bus HQ on Capitol Hill and heading down in one great, music-blasting, armada.  RSVP to Alex Miller at alex [at] washingtonbus [dot] org to reserve your spot. 

Check out our Dansportation post for all the info about the proposed cuts, but here are some cliff notes:

• Without an increase in funding, Metro is facing a 17% cut in service affecting the majority of routes in King County.  This is "the rough equivalent of eliminating all rush hour bus service for commuters, or all weekend service in King County." Wowza.
• King County Executive Dow Constantine has proposed a $20 annual car tab license fee as a stop-gap measure for funding Metro for the next two years.
• With the official vote in six days, the proposal is currently one vote short of passing the council, with two councilpeople currently against it, but on the edge.
• Our voices, together, can make the difference.

Join us this Thursday to help us save one of the most critical services in the County and to bring the young voice to the table. Box o' info here:

Bus for the Buses
4:30pm, Thursday, July 19th
Return by 8pm
Meet at Bus HQ (1100 E. Union St. Apt 1E)
Email Alex Miller at alex [at] washingtonbus [dot] org to save your spot!

P.S. While you're waiting for Thursday, sign this petition opposing the cuts!

Last night, the Bus family put on it's fancy pants and convened at a sold-out Chihuly Boathouse to celebrate good work and the good people who make it happen (you, perhaps?). Thanks so much to the generosity of Dale and Leslie, Billy O'Neill, the Boathouse staff, our awesome boards of directors, Rep. Eric Pettigrew, and, of course, the infamous 2am Posse for providing music for the night.  Pics below!

2am Posse holding down the tunes.


Folks were greeted by these shining faces.

Carlos and Mikeya

The avant vote.

Baller, baller, and more baller.

Summer Fellows looking good!

Enter the Vortex.

Andy, Alma, Awesome.

There were many heartwarming moments.

Legends of their time.

A momentary glimpse into the future.


And good times were had.

What a beautiful night! Cheers to Caffe Vita, EJK Accounting, WinPower Strategies, Northwest Passage Consulting, Pacific Continental Bank for sponsoring!  And, most of all, thanks to the boathouse full of rad people who came to support the Bus! We'll see y'all very soon.

In 2009, the Bus threw a little thing called Candidate Survivor, a Seattle City Council forum that just so happened to be the largest in the history of Washington State.

Well it's 2011, and HOLY CRAP. It's back. And it's better than ever.

Candidate Survivor takes the best parts of a city council candidate forum (smarts, people power, a smorgasbord of candidates) and adds that zesty brand of Bus flavor complete with a talent show, dance parties, and the outside chance of a candidate human pyramid.

It's young people (you + your friends!), in a club (Neumos!), wielding Real Ultimate Power.  Yes, you read that right - that means you'll be voting, via the magic of text messaging (technology!) to decide which candidate will be the survivor in each race.

Yes it's free, yes it's all ages, and yes you're going to be there.

Candidate Survivor is your best opportunity to have Seattle City Council candidates meet you on your turf and speak to the issues you care about. Behold the facts below and RSVP today:

Candidate Survivor
Wednesday July 27th
Doors at 7, program begins at 8pm
Neumos (925 E. Pike St.)
Free, all ages (bar with ID)
RSVP