CrossCut has updated it's navigation

Chuck Taylor announced CrossCut v1.1 tonight:

We've been in business not quite four months, and we've learned a lot in that short time, much of it from your comments and suggestions. The changes you see reflect just some of that. Crosscut will always be a work in progress, and we've already got plans for further refinements. For now we hope you'll find these improvements useful. Please let us know.

We haven't changed a core feature of Crosscut — guiding you to the best journalism and most important news in the "great nearby" of our Northwest, saving you the trouble of having to visit dozens of Web sites. Early each day, I and three other editors scan the region and summarize the news for you. And we post lots of original articles by our own writers and contributors, which appear on the home page under the Crosscurrent heading.

To our pleasant surprise, there are lots more excellent stories out there than we first thought, so much so that Crosscut has come to seem a little crowded and overwhelming to some readers. Let me explain how we now make it easier to navigate.

Quick take, I like it!

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I'm going to go out on a limb and make a few predictions: Gonzales and Impeachment

1. Alberto Gonzales is going to resign within the next ten days.

He's become a spectacle, a tragic embarassment ... a liability in an administration full of liabilities. Watching the Daily Show coverage tonight it's clear, he's going to have to resign to take the heat off the administration.

2. We're about to see a shift in opinion on the impeachment issue

Watching clips of Tony Snow ripping the judiciary committees contempt citation against Bolten and Miers, it occurred to me that this administration has no apparent credibility. I don't think Democrats will be able to leave this team in power in good conscience any longer. I think we're about to see a shift in Republican thinking as well. This country can't endure 18 more months of this administration.

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Just Two Cool Cats

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Multi Stroboscopic

Only one more week of photo class...tonight's phrase is multi stroboscopic

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Democrats Walking a Dangerous Tightrope of Political Strategy

I know the Democrats think that keeping Bush in power until 2008 is a winning political strategy for them but I believe this may be against the country's best interests and extremely shortsighted. Bush should be impeached today for the lies that brought us into the Iraq war, the politicization of the justice department and the pardon of Scooter Libby. Leaving him in power another year and a half is very risky. He's doing incredible damage to the country, the Constitution, our military readiness and our credibility abroad. If there is another major domestic terror attack, he might successfully seize broader powers via martial law, even postponing elections indefinitely, or he might more subtly politically capitalize on the situation erasing the Democrat's current advantage. Furthermore, letting Bush and Cheney's assault on the Constitution, Habeas Corpus and Congressional powers to oversee the executive branch and make war continue unchecked sets a terrible precedent.

It's clearly time for the Bush administration to go. It's not clear if the Democratic House of Representatives will do what needs to be done.

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Heading to Peru next week

I'm off to Peru soon with Equal Exchange, the Fair Trade cooperative I invested in several years ago after writing about socially responsible investing for the Seattle Weekly. I'll learn all about the fair trade collectives in Peru, work in the fields, meet the families who supply our morning fixes and then wind up in Macchu Picchu. Along the way, I hope to learn a bit more about Latin American democracy to see if we Americans might gain some new insights from our neighbors.

A couple of years ago Equal Exchange started selling chocolates ... and yes, I've been wondering whether I should have held out for the chocolate tour.

I am leaving the laptop at home but will check email occasionally. I'll blog about the trip on my return. Look for photos then too.

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Two years later, large checks from Blue Cross of California

It took me two years of hassling Blue Cross of California, Groundspring's (where I worked) health insurer, but I finally received $2,000 in checks for physical therapy that I'd been owed. The private insurance industry is practically unregulated - so it's actually kind of amazing that I was eventually able to get them to pay. Essentially, Blue Cross did just about everything possible to lose, delay and avoid the claims that I submitted. Because I was on COBRA during this time, neither Washington State nor California regulators had jurisdiction. The Federal Government folks said that they could put in a call on my behalf but otherwise I would have to hire an attorney. Thanks W. Sicko has taught me that private insurance is not the solution to America's health care woes.

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Try the Comedy Central Video Application on Facebook

I've put together a new Facebook application for browsing, watching and sharing Comedy Central videos from all the shows that they provide RSS feeds for.

Install the Comedy Central Video application for Facebook

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Go see Manufactured Landscapes

I really enjoyed Manufactured Landscapes, a documentary by Jennifer Baichwal following Edward Burtynsky to China, as he captures the effects of the country’s massive industrial revolution. The opening scene is mind blowing as is the scene of the young factory girl assembling circuit breakers in real time. This movie reminds me that dealing with China may be this country's greatest future challenge but it touches on many other issues as well.

The movie reminded me of Andy Goldworthy's Rivers and Tides but turned on its head.

Watch Burtynsky's lecture at TED

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Catfish With a Side of Scombroid

This article on seafood inspection is chilling. It's a must read for any fish eater. It struck me as odd that one article in the New York Times Op Ed page seemed to suggest that seafood safety is at risk while another seemed to say it's perfectly safe for pregnant women to eat sushi. Read story at NewsCloud.