Bloglander

UPDATE: On Monday, Monsanto chipped in another $540,000 to fight I-522, bringing the No campaign's total funding to nearly $22 million. 

Per the Seattle Times:

First, it smashed the record for fundraising by a campaign opposing a statewide ballot measure.

Now, No on 522 holds the title for most money raised by any initiative campaign in Washington state history, period.

Bankrolled by out-of-state biochemical corporations and food industry heavyweights, the campaign trying to defeat GMO labeling Initiative 522 on Saturday broke the $21 million mark in total contributions, the latest campaign reports to Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) show.

In the process, the No camp surpassed Washington’s previous high mark of money raised by any initiative campaign. The old record — set in 2011 by Costco-backed supporters of the liquor-privatizing Initiative 1183 — was $20.1 million.

The No on 522 campaign reached record ground fueled by last week’s contributions of $3.8 million from the food-industry PAC the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and $460,000 from biochemical giant Dupont Pioneer.

The Yes on 522 campaign, meanwhile, has raised about a quarter of its opponent's war chest — $6.3 million. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps is still the campaign's biggest contributor, having poured $1.7 million into the effort. The Yes camp's latest big-ticket donations pale in comparison to the No side's recent influx of cash. Last week, Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher, now CEO of organic beauty company Intelligent Nutrients, gave $50,000 to the campaign; health food producer Nutiva donated $35,000; and American Halal Company, maker of Saffron Road frozen foods, contributed $22,500.

The No campaign's expensive campaign strategy seems to be paying off. According to the latest Elway poll, support for I-522 is waning: 46 percent of voters surveyed said they support the measure while 42 percent said they oppose it. The difference is now within the margin of error.

Want to know where your favorite food brand stands on GMO labeling?

The Cornucopia Institute has created this infographic showing which popular organic/natural food manufacturers have financially backed or opposed labeling in Washington.

This week the Inlander celebrates 20 years of existence, and our publisher put together an album of photos from the Inlander’s early days of planning around kitchen tables and sharing computers.

When the first issue went out in October 1993, a lot of us who are now writers and editors weren’t doing a lot of sophisticated reading yet. (Some of our interns weren’t even born.) Here’s what we were up to when the Inlander got started:

Chris Bovey, art director

I was 13. Yeah, I used to get beat up a lot.

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Chey Scott, listings editor

At almost the very same time the Inlander was born back in 1993, I was about to become a big sister for the second time, to my little brother Andrew (born Nov. 6). I was in kindergarten at Lake Spokane Elementary, in Nine Mile Falls.

I remember during class one day my teacher, Mrs. Byers, was announcing who had been named “Mustang of the Month” for being an outstanding student. (Yes, it’s true, I was a teacher’s pet from the start.) In a speech before revealing which of us got the award, she gave away a few hints, including: “this student has just become a big sister.” Yet, this didn’t strike me as specific to me since I already had been one, to my little sister, Erica. Weeks later, I remember my mom bringing baby brother Andrew to be my “show-and-tell.”

The rest of those first months of kindergarten were a blur of singing songs and making dried-bean-and-glue collages. I was also pretty stylish back then — though I wasn’t recognized by my classmates for it — my Gramma made just about my entire school wardrobe.

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Heidi Groover, staff writer

This is probably about what I was doing then.

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Laura Johnson, music editor

The start of 1993 was forever burned into my then-6-year-old brain when the lights flickered out. A wind storm of enormous magnitude, now known as the Inauguration Day storm since it fell on the same day President Clinton was sworn in, crashed down on the Seattle area taking out many trees and our power lines along with them. For days my family of four was without power. We huddled in piles of blankets the living room as my dad fed log after log to the fireplace, our only source of heat, while listening to the radio newscasters rattle off updates about the blackout. My parents cooked dinner on the grill in the backyard. I was told not to open the refrigerator or else we'd lose all the food sealed within. At night we lit candles to be able to see each other. At first it was like camping; new and exciting (plus, I didn't have to go to school). But then, it got to the point where being cold and not being able to watch TV just wasn't fun anymore. Once the power went back on, I swore I'd never take a light switch for granted again. But soon, going on with my daily first grade life, I forgot all about how it was to be without power.

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Deanna Pan, staff writer

I’m rocking the pigtails on the right.

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Jacob Jones, staff writer

A lot of things happened in 1993. Bill Clinton was sworn in as president. Czechoslovakia dissolved into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Some alt-weekly paper started in Spokane.

But my entire childhood also transformed that year with the release of the movie Jurassic Park.

Steven Spielberg's cinematic marvel completely blew my 8-year-old mind. I made my parents sit through it at least two or three times in the theater. I could not get enough of those terrifyingly real dinosaurs.

From then on, my friends and I would spend countless hours imitating and imagining prehistoric beasts in all their computer-generated glory. It's really the only thing I cared about that whole year.

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Lisa Waananen, web editor

I was a second-grader in the fall of 1993, and my mom convinced me to grow out my bangs. I wasn’t a fan. The bangs were back by third grade.

Not enough girls signed up for fall soccer, so I was the only girl on my team. Since I grew up in Minnesota, land of the Vikings, the purple-and-yellow shirts were the best colors your team could get. I didn’t mind being the only girl and I took pride in never crying if I got hit in the face with the soccer ball. I did cry whenever we lost a game, and I got a lot of after-game lectures about being a good sport and not yelling at my teammates.

The City of Spokane held its Fall Leaf Festival at Finch Arboretum on Saturday. Children played in a large pile of leaves while their parents took photos and sometimes participated in the fun. Those who attended learned how to compost from the Spokane Master Composters, learned about conservation at various informational booths, and enjoyed the fall foliage around the park.

HERE

It’s cold! It’s windy! A few thousand people have been without power since last night. (S-R)

Gonzaga students attacked late at night by a man and woman wearing red hoodies with their faces painted like skeletons. (KHQ)

Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre may live on after all, though in a smaller form. (Cda Press)

Spokane nonprofit Transitions, which helps homeless women and children, is getting a brand new community room after winning a national interior design contest. (KXLY)

NEAR

Tribal leaders have been asking the University of Washington to build a longhouse on campus for decades, and they finally broke ground on Friday. (Seattle Times)

An apartment fire in Wenatchee is being blamed on a dog that accidentally turned on the stove while reaching for treats. (AP)

Thomas Robinson of the Portland Trail Blazers got a speeding ticket for driving 107 mph on I-5. (Oregonian)

THERE

Lou Reed, the Velvet Underground leader and rock pioneer, died at 71. (Rolling Stone)

More than 60 people were killed in a series of blasts around Baghdad on Sunday, mostly targeted in Shiite areas. More than 600 people have been killed this month. (Al Jazeera English)

Five people are dead after a car crashed in Tiananmen Square and caught fire. (BBC)

Documents from the Edward Snowden leak seem to indicate the U.S. has been spying on the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, dating back to 2002. And since she’s supposed to be our friend, it’s kinda awkward. (NYT)

TOO CLOSE

A school bus crashed into a home in Texas on Friday after the brakes went out — and that’s my cousin’s house! His family just moved in several weeks ago. His wife and two younger children were inside at the time, and the older two were among the elementary school students on the bus. They were all fine; five other people had minor injuries. (Houston Chronicle)

Winston Churchill's recipe for success — "Economy of effort. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down." — may actually be bad for your health. Check out this animated guide on the basics of good posture. 

What do you do to keep moving at the office?

Yes. That is most certainly a sheep. I must admit that since birth I've been unable to tell the difference between a goat or a sheep.

I have no idea what is wrong with this goat SHEEP or if it needs veterinary treatment. But I do know that he is hilarious. 

Local graphic designer/artist/musician Nick Tibbetts found this goat SHEEP out at Walter's Fruit Ranch and uploaded this video. Now the internet loves this goat SHEEP because, well, the internet loved animals who do non-animal things.

As one YouTube commenter points out, he kinda sounds like a death metal singer.

Whether you enjoy dressing in sexy costumes or not, Halloween is here. And because the holiday is next Thursday, there is an outpouring of Halloween-inspired events starting this weekend and rolling all the way to Oct. 31. Click here for our comprehensive list of Halloween events.

FRIDAY


Losing Skin is pretty busy this weekend. First they host a Halloween Misfits Cover show at The Hop! Friday. That lineup features Reason for Existence, Faus, Lay the Tarp and more. The night starts at 6 pm and is $7 or $5 with costume. Saturday, the local metal group moves their show to Mootsy’s. That night will include Dislich, Bloody Gloves and Brothers Ov Midnite. The venue is taking a $5 cover or $3 with costume, it starts at 8 pm.

The Federico Aubele concert that was supposed to serve as The Bartlett’s soft opening show has been moved next door to the 21-and-over nYne. The evening will include Lisa Alma, Bias and The Diving Jewels. The show is $10 at the door and begins at 7 pm.

SATURDAY

Seattle may not be Memphis, but people can get funky there too. Bringing that rhythm to Moscow this weekend is the eight-piece group, the Polyrhythmics. A conglomeration of afro beats, multiple horned instruments and brand of swanky, coolness, their music pulls your ears in — even without the enticement of vocals.

Formed three years ago, the band has gone on to tour up and down the West Coast and releases two full-length LPs. A self-described brotherhood, their song titles such as “Stinky Finger” and “Nurple” prove the act likes to have a lot of fun all while still taking their music seriously. Pop in one of their albums while driving around and you’re sure to feel a bit like you’re in a James Bond film. The show starts at 9:30 pm at John’s Alley in Moscow. Cost is $5.

More shows of interest:
- Cursive Wires and Hannah Reader take on Jones Radiator
- The Viking Bar will put on a “Show Me Your Tatto” Halloween show featuring Jimmy Nuge, Nixon Rodeo, Eyes Like Time Machines and The Lion Oh My


SUNDAY


If Brian Wilson and Kurt Cobain were to collaborate, the result might be the San Francisco three-piece, Couches. With heavy guitars, easy rock rhythms, A California beach vibe and “don’t tell us what to do” kind of lyrics, Couches is a breath of fresh air from all the electronic or folk-inspired music new bands keep putting out these days. This can all be heard on the recently released 7-inch, which contains the song, California, an awesome antithesis to The O.C. theme song. Playing Treefort Music Fest in Boise earlier this year, the band is back in the Pacific Northwest to tear it up (and potentially eat some burritos) at the Baby Bar this Sunday at 8 pm, that’s right folks, fo’ free. Openers include Chung Antique and Normal Babies.

AROUND HERE

The county medical examiner says the man who died outside an Oz Fitness earlier this year after a confrontation with police (in which they put him in a choke hold) died from oxygen deprivation. (SR)

Former Idaho House Speaker Lawerence Denney will run for secretary of state. (CdA Press)

The sheriff's office blames distracted driving and pedestrians crossing streets outside of crosswalks for increased car vs. pedestrian accidents. (KXLY)

ELSEWHERE

DNA tests show the "mystery girl" found in a Roma camp in central Greece is the child of two people police say may have sold her. (BBC)

Newly released documents in the JonBenet Ramsey case show that a grand jury voted to indict Ramsey's parents before a district attorney said there was insufficient evidence. (CNN)

Amid nearly 600 dog deaths the agency suspects may be linked to treats imported from China, the FDA is considering new rules for animal food. (WaPo)

AROUND HERE

A Spokane Valley woman says treats under investigation by the FDA killed her dog this week. (KREM)

A ruling is expected today on whether the Ridpath Hotel should be on the National Register of Historic Places. With the designations come tax breaks. (SR)

Rapper Macklemore, who himself has battled drug addiction, invited teens from a local rehabilitation center to his sold-out concert last night. (KXLY)

A pizza-eager SUV driver smashed into a salon in Hayden yesterday afternoon. (CdA Press)

ELSEWHERE

Police say they've arrested an 11-year-old boy who brought knives, a gun and more than 400 rounds of ammunition to school. (KPTV)

Contractors involved in building the federal government's healthcare exchange say they didn't do a full check of it until days before its launch. (NYT)

Pirates have kidnapped two American citizens off the coast of Nigeria. (AJ)

Submissions have started rolling in for the Inlander's 2013 Short Fiction Contest. So keep those typewriters clacking, Spokane. We're looking forward to reading your stories.

This year's theme is "Bridges" — real, imagined or metaphorical. You can interpret the concept however you want.

Remember, you can submit multiple stories for consideration. Just keep them shorter than 2,000 words each. Send your stories as an attachment to jacobj@inlander.com. Check out additional guidelines here.

The contest deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 22.

For a little inspiration, here's a list from The Guardian of the Top 10 bridges in literature. They include the Westminster Bridge, the Hixon Whitney Bridge and the Spanish crossing in For Whom the Bell Tolls.

In related news: Short stories often don't receive the respect of novels and larger works, but earlier this month the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature reinforced the power of short stories by honoring Canadian writer Alice Munro as "master of the contemporary short story."

For a little more inspiration, you can read some of Munro's stories in The New Yorker right here.

You can also check out our contest winners from 2010, for which the theme was "Redemption."

2010 Winners:

Resource Management

A New Mexico Story

Alive and Well

Runners up:

Rose Blossoms at Midnight

Beauty Everlasting

On the Road: The Story of Jimi Snakeskin