Category: reviews

How do you get a Prius through the snow? I didn't used to care but in the last few years Redmond has had snow sitting on the ground for a week or two. There are low profile chains that will work on a Prius but that's a bad solution for me because the main roads in Seattle will be clear of snow, it's the neighborhood roads and side streets that will be covered. So after a mile or two of driving I would have to take the chains off. Studded tires could work but most of the time there is no snow on the ground and having to have my wheels put on and off is a pain. Snow tires could work but the snow season is only a month long and temperatures go all over the place, besides we get more water than ice/snow towards the end of the down fall and snow tires do badly on that. In the end I found and have tried out a reasonable solution to my problem âÄì The Autosock.

I tried out the autosock on my car last winter and this winter. Both times they worked really well. They gave me excellent traction both on packed and loose snow. They take literally 60 seconds to put on and take off. They aren't perfect but they work pretty well. Where I ran into problems with them is on slushy snow. I had to rock the car several times, driving back and forth, to get through a few really slushy patches. And when the snow started to seriously melt the autosock met it's match and stopped working. But so long as the snow was reasonably solid (e.g. power or packed) they worked well. I tried them on the steep hills around my home and they gave excellent traction both going up and down hills. Besides the looks on people's faces as a Prius with what looked like a shower cap on its wheels confidently drove past in the two foot snow was priceless.

I have never driven a four wheel drive but my guess is that autosocks are no substitute for a four wheel drive or real snow tires. But they got me around just fine and the cost is certainly right.

I guess I got lucky because all the folks I voted for made it to the general election so I don't have to go back and revisit those choices. The big choices then were President, which I covered in a separate article and the various initiatives which I cover below.

• President/Vice President- Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez

• United States Representative – Congressional District No. 1 – Jay Inslee

• Governor – Christine Gregoire

• Lieutenant Governor – Marcia McCraw

• Secretary of State – Jason Osgood

• State Treasurer – Allan Martin

• State Auditor – Brian Sonntag

• Attorney General – Rob McKenna

• Commissioner of Public Lands – Peter J. Goldmark

• Superintendent of Public Instruction – Randy Dorn

• Insurance Commissioner – Mike Kreidler

• State Representative – Legislative Dist No. 45 – Position 1 – Roger Goodman

• State Representative – Legislative Dist No. 45 – Position 2 – Larry Springer

• State Supreme Court – Justices of the Supreme Court – Position 3 – Mary Fairhurst

• State Supreme Court – Justices of the Supreme Court – Position 4 – Charles W. Johnson

• State Supreme Court – Justices of the Supreme Court – Position 7 – Debra L. Stephens

• Court of Appeals, Division No. 1 – District No. 1 – Judge Position 5 – Lau, Linda

• Court of Appeals, Division No. 1 – District No. 1 – Judge Position 6 – Ann Schindler

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 1 – Tim Bradshaw

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 22 – Julia Garratt

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 37 – Jean Rietschel

• Initiative Measure No. 985 – No

• Initiative Measure No. 1000 – Yes

• Initiative Measure No. 1029 – No

• King County Charter Amendment No.1 – No

• King County Charter Amendment No. 2 – Yes

• King County Charter Amendment No. 3 – Yes

• King County Charter Amendment No. 4 – No

• King County Charter Amendment No. 5 – Yes

• King County Charter Amendment No. 6 – Yes

• King County Charter Amendment No. 7 – No

• King County Charter Amendment No. 8 – No

• Sound Transit – Proposition No. 1 – No

Continue reading 11/04/2008 – Primary Election – Redmond, King County,
Washington

Those I have told my intention to vote for Mr. Nader have generally had one of two reactions. Either they said I was throwing away my vote or they said that I was helping McCain to win. My response to these accusations is that my vote is about indicating where I want this country to go and I don't want it to go to the same corporate owned, poll driven, pork barrel politics we have had to date. I am confident that neither Obama nor McCain will make any substantive changes to what ails this country so I feel duty bound to vote for someone who I think will make a real difference. Therefore I am voting for Ralph Nader.

Continue reading 11/04/2008 – Primary Election – President of the United
States of America – Ralph Nader

The denial of service attack continues. By putting such a large number of candidates on the ballot the only conceivable result is less effective representation. Unless one dedicates one's life to reviewing candidates (and how does on review judges anyway?) there is no way to give effective overview to so many candidates. The only practical result I can see from this deluge of candidates is less people voting and for those who do vote, less attention being paid to each candidate.

• United States Representative – Congressional District No. 1 – Jay Inslee

• Governor – Christine Gregoire

• Lieutenant Governor – Marcia McCraw

• Secretary of State – Jason Osgood

• State Treasurer – Allan Martin

• State Auditor – Brian Sonntag

• Attorney General – Rob McKenna

• Commissioner of Public Lands – Peter J. Goldmark

• Superintendent of Public Instruction – Randy Dorn

• Insurance Commissioner – Mike Kreidler

• State Representative – Legislative Dist No. 45 – Position 1 – Roger Goodman

• State Representative – Legislative Dist No. 45 – Position 2 – Larry Springer

• State Supreme Court – Justices of the Supreme Court – Position 3 – Mary Fairhurst

• State Supreme Court – Justices of the Supreme Court – Position 4 – Charles W. Johnson

• State Supreme Court – Justices of the Supreme Court – Position 7 – Debra L. Stephens

• Court of Appeals, Division No. 1 – District No. 1 – Judge Position 5 – Lau, Linda

• Court of Appeals, Division No. 1 – District No. 1 – Judge Position 6 – Ann Schindler

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 1 – Tim Bradshaw

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 10 – Regina S. Cahan

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 22 – Julia Garratt

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 26 – Laura Gene Middaugh

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 37 – Jean Rietschel

• Superior Court – Judges of the Superior Court – Position 53 – Mariane Spearman

• King County Initiative 26 and Council Proposed Alternative – Question 1 & 2 – No/Council-Proposed Alternative

Continue reading 8/19/2008 – Primary Election – Redmond, King County,
Washington

So far the most important issue on the ballot is Initiative 25. If you want any possible hope of having a meaningful vote in King County please vote yes for I-25.

This isn't an election, it's a denial of service attack! The whole point of representative democracy is that citizens have neither the time nor the background to make detailed choices about how the day to day activities of government are to be run. But in this election we am being drowned in no less than 9 different measures in addition to 14 different elected offices of which only 3 appeared on the primary. This is just nuts! The only consequence of dumping this many issues and elected offices on the citizenry is to so overload the citizenry that they either don't bother to vote or vote blindly.

• Initiative 960 – Yes

• Referendum Measure 67 – Approved

• Senate Joint Resolution 8206 – Rejected

• Senate Joint Resolution 8212 – Rejected

• House Joint Resolution 4204 – Rejected

• House Joint Resolution 4215 – Rejected

• King County Prosecuting Attorney – Bill Sherman

• King County Assessor – Scott Noble

• Port of Seattle – Commissioner – Position No. 2 – Bob Edwards

• Port of Seattle – Commissioner – Position No. 5 – Alec Fisken

• City of Redmond – Mayor – John Marchione

• City of Redmond – Council Position 1 – Hank Myers

• City of Redmond – Council Position 3 – Dayle (Hank) Margeson

• City of Redmond – Council Position 5 – Richard Cole

• City of Redmond – Council Position 7 – David Carson

• Lake Washington School District No. 414 – Director District 1 – Jackie Pendergrass

• Lake Washington School District No. 414 – Director District 2 – Chris Carlson

• Lake Washington School District No. 414 – Director District 5 – Ravi Shahani

• Public Hospital District No. 4 – Commissioner – Rebecca Hirt

• Public Hospital District No. 5 – Commissioner – Jeanette Greenfield

• King County Initiative 25 – Yes

• King County Proposition No. 1 – Medic One – Approved

• Sound Transit Proposition No. 1 – No

Continue reading 11/6/2007 – General Election – Redmond, King County,
Washington

Since I do not associate with either the Democratic nor the Republican parties I don't vote in either of their primaries. So I will only be giving my opinion on non-partisan positions and various measures. I went to the King County Voter Guide which generates a custom on-line guide just including positions/issues I'm eligible to vote for. I then checked the voter guide candidate text, check the candidate's web site, check the PI, the Seattle Times, the Stranger, the Municipal League of King County and searched the net.

• Port of Seattle – Commissioner – Position No. 2 – Thom McCann

• Port of Seattle – Commissioner – Position No. 5 – Alec Fisken

• City of Redmond – Mayor – John Marchione

• King County – Proposition No. 1 – Yes

• King County – Proposition No. 2 – Yes

• City of Redmond – Proposition No. 1 – Yes

• City of Redmond – Proposition No. 2 – Yes

Continue reading 8/21/2007 – Primary Election – Redmond, King County,
Washington

It's voting time! Now why, you might ask would I publish the way I'm planning on voting? Well, if I can convince one other person to vote the way I will then I've doubled the power of my vote. And if someone convinces me to change my vote then I'll have been saved from making a mistake.

As for those who are wondering why a privacy activist like me would publish such private information keep in mind two things. One, I choose to publish this information and choice is the core of privacy. Two, at least until mandatory mail in ballots come to King County in another year or two no one actually knows how I really voted.

• Initiative Measure 920 – NO

• Initiative Measure 933 – NO

• Initiative Measure 937 – YES

• House Joint Resolution 4223 – YES

• United States Senator – Bruce Guthrie

• United States Representative – First Congressional District – Jay Inslee

• State Senator – 45th Legislative District – Toby Nixon

• State Representative – 45th Legislative District – Position 1 – Roger E. Goodman

• State Representative – 45th Legislative District – Position 2 – Tim Lee

• Justice of the Supreme Court – Position 2 – Susan Owens

• King County District Court – Northeast Electoral District – Judge – Position 2 – Frank V. LaSalata

• King County – Proposition No .1 – YES

• King County – Proposition No. 2 – NO

Continue reading 11/7/2006 – General Election – Redmond, King County,
Washington

On 9/19/2006 it will be time to vote in my part of the world. As usual I provide my election guide. Since I claim allegiance to neither the Democratic nor the Republic parties I will not be taking part in their primaries. As such I will only list my position for nonpartisan positions. I will update this article as I decide on my positions.

• Justice of the Supreme Court – Position No. 2 – Susan Owens

• Justice of the Supreme Court – Position No. 8 – Gerry L. Alexander

• Justice of the Supreme Court – Position No. 9 – Tom Chambers

• Court of Appeals Judge – Division No. 1 – District No. 1 – Position No. 4 – Ronald E. Cox

• Court of Appeals Judge – Division No. 1 – District No. 1 – Position No. 7 – Marlin J. Appelwick

• King County District Court – Northeast Electoral District – Judge Position No. 3 – Frank V. LaSalata

• King County Proposition No .1 – NO

Continue reading 9/19/2006 Primary – Redmond, King County, Washington

Below are reviews of several hundred restaurants that I've eaten in during the last few years. Most of the reviews are for the Seattle area but you will also find reviews from around the world including Amsterdam, Australia, Hawaii, Las Vegas, London, etc. The reviews are ordered by country/state, restaurant rating and then restaurant name. If you don't like my ordering then you can download the Excel spreadsheet and order them yourself!

Continue reading Reviews of hundreds of Restaurants in Seattle and Around the
World

I never got a voter pamphlet but thankfully King County has a really nice service that lets you enter your name and address and get back a customized listing of what will show up on your ballot.

• County Positions
  • County Executive – Ron Sims
  • Sheriff – Sue Rahr
  • County Council District 2 – Morgan Catha
  • Port of Seattle Commissioner – Position 1 – Lawrence Molloy
  • Port of Seattle Commissioner – Position 3 – Lloyd Hara
  • Port of Seattle Commissioner – Position 4 – Jack Jolley

• City of Seattle Positions
  • Mayor, City of Seattle – Al Runte
  • Seattle City Attorney – Tom Carr
  • Seattle City Council Position No. 2 – Richard Conlin
  • Seattle City Council Position No. 4 – Jan Drago
  • Seattle City Council Position No. 6 – Nick Licata
  • Seattle City Council Position No. 8 – Richard J. McIver

• Judicial Positions
  • Court of Appeals – Position 2 – Susan Randolph Agid

• School Positions
  • Seattle School District No. 1 – Director – Position 4 – Michael DeBell
  • Seattle School District No. 1 – Director – Position 5 – Mary E. Bass
  • Seattle School District No. 1 – Director – Position 7 – Linda Thompson-Black

• District Positions
  • Seattle Popular Monorail Authority – Position 8 – Beth Goldberg
  • Seattle Popular Monorail Authority – Position 9 – Jim Nobles

• Measures
  • Seattle Proposition No. 1 – No
  • City of Seattle Advisory Measure No. 1 – No
  • Seattle Popular Monorail Authority Proposition No. 1 – No
  • Seattle Popular Monorail Authority Proposition No. 2 – No

Continue reading 11/08/2005 King County, Washington, USA Elections