"Since consumption is merely a means to human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption... Modern economics, on the other hand, considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic activity." - E.F. Schumacher - Small is Beautiful

 In 1974, E.F. Schumacher published "Small is Beautiful," a collection of essays touting the virtues of smallness. He argued that we were too focused on increasing GDP and producing more goods, and in the process stomping on the environment, and even our own best interests. Though Schumacher's ideas were largely discarded during the boom-times of the 90s and 00s, the combined effects of the recession and our increased environmental awareness seem to be bringing Schumacher's ideas back to the forefront....

A woman walking home late at night alone and intoxicated had her purse stolen and was pushed to the ground as she was about to enter her Belmont Ave apartment building earlier this month, according to a Seattle Police Department report.

Early on Saturday, March 13 around 4:20 AM, the woman called 911 and told the responding police officer that somebody had pushed her to the ground and taken her purse but she could not provide additional details about the suspect because she was too intoxicated, according to the report....

The area near 10th Ave E and Roanoke Park was locked down for more than an hour Sunday night as investigators worked to determine whether a suspicious item left near Fire Station 22 was a bomb. The area was also closed around 8:30 PM according to police radio chatter. The same area was also...

View video at C-SPAN.org

The House of Representatives tonight passed a massive overhaul of the nation's healthcare system. Here's a link to C-SPAN's coverage of our 7th District Representative Jim McDermott's speech from the floor of the House tonight:

Mr. Speaker, there are times in history that action is demanded. In 1935 we needed social security and unemployment insurance. The Democrats answered. In 1965 we needed healthcare for senior citizens. The Democrats answered. In 2010 the country needs healthcare reform, and the Democrats will answer tonight....

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The Union Triangle is the kind of place where things happen that straddle the lines between what is true, what is hoax and what travels back and forth between the two and couldn't give a shit. Is Pony for real? How about Barista Boyz and their go-go boy baristas? Maybe the Maserati dealership across the street is in on the game, too.

Add to the list this weekend's Twitter-fueled reports of the Cobra Lounge -- a new hookah club that is supposedly springing to life somewhere near 11th Ave and Madison....

Barista Boyz off Broadway -- which replaced the old Buzz Stop back in January at 1122 E. Madison -- had their grand opening on Saturday. I took a stroll down the hill to pay a visit after my partner called and said, "You have to get down here, the Boyz are shirtless!"...

We're not sure any of the proposals before the City Council to curb aggressive panhandling were designed for a situation like this. A man who says he was attacked in the Dick's Drive-In parking lot by a panhandler who had asked him for $5 ended up with a 3-inch laceration on his abdomen but was able to drive away, according to a Seattle Police Department report.

According to the report, the man pulled into Dick's parking lot late last Sunday afternoon and walked down the street to use a nearby ATM. On his way...

We already reported on one good reason to get your census survey response in the mail -- here's another. Organizers of Saturday's All OUT for the COUNT event say they are planning to fill Pike/Pine with fun and promotions to reward you for doing your part to be counted. We can't find...

Lost Parrot - liquidnight

There is a lot going on in this Craigslist Seattle Pets posting that also qualifies for the Missed Connections section. An animal lover, a parrot, Capitol Hill, the '60s:

This is a very very long shot. But I worked at Jack's Aquiary that then became Ridlow's Pet Store on Capitol Hill from 1965-1968. There was a beautiful Double Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot there for sale named (of course) Polly.

She had belonged to an elderly lady who had to give her up. I loved her dearly and wanted to buy her but I didn't have the money. She was sold and I was heartbroken. I have never stopped thinking about her....

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[Full Disclosure: Josh is an officer on the Capitol Hill Community Council]

Seattle Trolley Bus. Originially uploaded by Jason Rodriguez

Thursday night was the monthly general meeting (3rd Thursdays, 7pm @ Cal Anderson Shelterhouse) for the Capitol Hill Community Council. With three major topics and a packed house, there was a lot covered and discussed in the two hour meeting.

As always, the meeting started with open floor, a time for any community member to make an announcement or voice their opinion. Five comments were made:

• Friends of the Volunteer Park Conservatory asked for support on their Opportunity Fund proposal to rehabilitate the Conservatory's East Greenhouse.
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Only one QFC employee's opinion, but this SeattleCrime brief on yet another QFC shoplifter caught in the act seems to put words to the anecdotal evidence we've seen that the store gets more than its fair share of freeloaders:

"QFC has been victim of more frequent shoplifts as of late," the QFC employee later told officers, adding that "shoplift suspects are becoming more bold."

One possible...

Urban farming has been growing in popularity of late.  Four scores from now, historians may identify the apex of this trend as the year 2010.  I first became aware of the possibility of urban farming after reading Novella Carpenter's Farm City.  Now, we have Cherry Hill Urban...

Seattle Police arrested a man this afternoon after an alert neighbor reported seeing the man breaking into a home in the 900 block of 19th Ave E.

Multiple patrol cars and...

In 2013 there will be a new streetcar on First Hill, connecting the Capitol Hill light rail station to the International District light rail station. And it's looking more and more like that streetcar will be traveling on Broadway, and not on 12th Avenue to the east or further west on the...

At Streissguth Gardens, the bright purple rhododendrons shout loud and clear that a beautiful Capitol Hill spring is just around the corner. This lush and idyllic garden is tucked away in a small pocket of northwest Capitol Hill, an official part of St. Mark’s Greenbelt. The backdrop...

Seattle’s Annual LGBT Pride Parade and PrideFest at Seattle Center will still be off of Capitol Hill but some of the formal activities of Seattle Pride and PrideFest are moving up to the Hill.

In November 2009, we told you about Viper Creek Club inviting you all to appear in their video for "Eliza".  It was filmed at a house on 757 Broadway Ave E.  See if you or someone you know made the cut.

Viper Creek Club "Eliza" from Thomas Price on Vimeo.

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Seattle may be the first city in the world to approve a completely self sustaining, environmentally sound and solar powered multipurpose commercial building – once the Capitol Hill Design and Review Board approves it. Wednesday night's meeting in Seattle University's Alumni Relations building was packed to capacity, signifying the importance of the project moving forward....

I found Henry and Dejah on their way out of Cafe Presse yesterday.  Dejah made this necklace for Henry but has since found herself snagging it.  I wish I would have gotten a better shot of all the clever knick knacks she used to make it.   ...

Here is what we know from Izilla Toys: "Join us this afternoon at our Cap HIll store to make awesome giant paper flowers! It's free, fun and will help make your day even sunnier! 4-6pm"

We first learned about this unofficial memorial through a Line Out commenter on Monday.  FriendsOfSlats offered up this suggestion:

I think Linda's from 5-7 on Thursday the 18th is a good start...but Slats was everywhere, so the celebration should continue everywhere afterwards as people see fit. Bring a candle, bring pictures and stories...Chris was a nice guy and deserves to be remembered as such. We'll move on up the street at 7 to The Comet and then the Cha Cha, then down to The Funhouse...and if we really got punk rock and ambitious we would declare every day after St. Patrick's Day on the hill to be St. Slats' Day.

With funding for education under threat and cutbacks looming, Seattle Central Community College is moving forward with an ambitious addition to its Capitol Hill campus, according to an e-mail memo from a school official forwarded to CHS. According to the e-mail, the college has received bids...

the mambo close-up Originally uploaded by seasnow2007

When we first reported the case of artist Jack Mackie against photographer Mike Hipple, CHS wondered if the art at the middle of the controversy shouldn't be removed from the Broadway sidewalk to protect citizens from further litigation. Is that scenario possible? Unlikely, city officials tell CHS.

After speaking with the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Seattle Department of Transportation and City Council staff, CHS has learned that while the ongoing lawsuit has stirred up a great deal of controversy, it hasn't sparked any action for officials to change the situation around the Broadway Steps nor in the way the City of Seattle acquires public art....

Say goodbye to winter and hello to spring with a Spring Celebration at Miller Community Center, 330 19^th Ave. E. There will be a coloring contest, egg hunt, jump toys and Gymboree play time. This event will be held on Thursday, March 18, from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost is $2. For more information,...

The old Broadway Grocery location has sat empty since closing in September of last year, but rather suddenly* in the past couple of days Crossroads Trading has taken over the corner space.  North Broadway still has a pretty good collection of clothing stores, as the expanded store sits...