"Speak Slowly," by Arboreality That's right, little turtles. Soak up that sun while you can. The forecast is clear and sunny as far as we can see for the next several days, but you never know when the real September will stand up. This and other shots of sun worship available today and everyday in our Seattlest Flickr Pool.... [continue]

First things first: Brett Paulson, barman at Txori, responds to recent violent incidents in Belltown by circulating a petition that asks Governor Gregoire to send in the Washington State Patrol "to help eradicate the open air drug trafficking." Txori is two doors from Wally's, a convenience store that's a magnet for low-lifes, and Paulson's beginning to think it's safer to walk through Belltown's alleys than its sidewalks. Councilman Tim Burgess is on the case... [continue]

Isabella Pinarello_Nigel Raleigh_120scan by kjten22 This reminder to get in some more road time before the rains come is brought to you by the always active Seattlest Flickr Pool.... [continue]

After hearing about the affirmative strike vote by the Boeing machinists earlier this week, we assumed that both sides would meet up at Disney World and settle this whole labor thing somewhere between EPCOT and Frontierland. Apparently, labor negotiations aren't that simple. This afternoon, talks broke off and union local 751 president Tom Wroblewski made the following statement: Brothers and sisters: The strike will commence at one minute after midnight tonight. This Company disrespected the... [continue]

Ah yes, we say, full of ignorant bravado, our wines are the best there is. World class, to coin a phrase. Well, reality check, folks: not this year. Over 9,000 wines from around the world were entered in the most prestigious competition of them all, the Decanter World Wine Awards, and the judges (also from around the world) narrowed them down by region, by grape variety and by price. Of the top two dozen, not... [continue]

The Seattle-PI asks in the headline of a couple-hundred-word story a question we could answer in one word and a single photo. The P-I: Have hippie dancers become a dying breed at Bumbershoot? Answer: No. Evidence: Dancing Scarf Guy by Seattlest Flickr Photog smohundro... [continue]

There has been several flavors of WTF news from all over today. You have your tragic WTF news, the duh WTF news, and the just truly head-scratching WTF news. Behold: WTF Skagit County?!?WTF King County?!?WTF John McCain?!?Photo Courtesy of the AP. John McCain meets the teen father-to-be of Vice Presidential Pick Sarah Palin's grandchild.... [continue]

The 76 gas station at the north end of Broadway is under a heavy lockdown at the moment--all the roads around, including Broadway, are blocked off. We heard from a guy directing traffic in a reflective orange vest--and therefore a quotable source--that someone ran over a pump. One of the FedEx Kinkos employees taking an enforced sunbreak on the curb told us that something had actually caught fire over there. ("Fire in building," says the... [continue]

An afternoon treat: Grayskul's video for "Missing," a creepy-cool verily addictive substance of a rap song from their latest album Bloody Radio, is now playing...on MTV! Holy crap! That is a really, really good look for Seattle locals JFK and Onry Ozzborn. This video was directed by another local, Christian Hansen, and may we just say: deeply awesome. E-Hats should be tipped to 206Proof.... [continue]

"Bacon Salt, Milkshake, Mustache at Luna Park Cafe" -- a Seattlest cell phone photo. In the hopes that wishful thinking will help extend the summer weather in Seattle, we want to share our recommendation for a quintessential Seattle way to cool off on those coming hot September days. On one of the few very hot days this summer, sweating simply sitting in our living room, Seattlest devised a plan with our best friend to ease... [continue]

Project Runway (or in Heidi-speak, Pwoject Wunway) is on tonight! Will the likeable-after-all West Seattle barista Blayne say something clever? Will his outfit win us over? We're sure looking forward to it, whatever happens. And this evening, the planets align to give us dual burning orbs of ultimate reality television entertainment: ANTM's Cycle 11 (theme: "Feel The Love") premieres at 8 p.m. on Channel 11. And yes, this does have something to do with Seattle,... [continue]

Vandalized GOP booth, courtesy King County RNC. It's not like the GOP has been absent from the news lately, with the RNC in full swing and the swirls of controversy surrounding Gov. GrandMama Palin. Still, we're surprised the blogosphere hasn't gone crazy over the vandalism of the Republican Party's booth at Bumbershoot this weekend. According to a vaguely-worded press release from the King County Republican Party, their booth was closed on Sunday when "unidentified... [continue]

If you're unfamiliar, allow us to introduce you to Laura Gibson—one of the best singer-songwriters coming out of the ever-vibrant Portland singer-songwriter scene. Granted, "vibrant" is not a word we'd use to describe Gibson's work. In fact, we suggest you nap a bit on Sunday afternoon before you head out to the Tractor, because she could sing you into the happiest of bar naps if you're not careful. Her voice is incredibly soothing and her... [continue]

Most news reports and editorials that reference the striking Bellevue teachers list salary as the primary motivator for the strike, which is the easy play because it's always about money. Except when it isn't. The striking Bellevue teachers we've talked to (full disclosure: Seattlest's wife is a striking Bellevue teacher) list the current implementation of the centralized curriculum as the primary motivation for the strike. In 2006 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded millions... [continue]

"lake crescent twilight" by Don Natawijaya Wow. That's gorgeous. We do so love our Flickr pool.... [continue]

The capital of Alaska is Juneau, thank you. Named for a prospector, Joe Juneau. Not a very nice guy, apparently. But Alaska, you know, Sarah Palin's state. Juno, on the other hand, is, variously, the code name for the Normandy beachhead assigned to the Canadians, the title of a film about a pregnant teenager (predating Palin's daughter, Bristol), and the name of a new restaurant in downtown Seattle. The restaurant is on the street... [continue]

On Monday Bumbershoot was a smoldering guyville. And we have the photos to prove it. Who knows why the festival was so testosterone heavy, but if boys were your thing, you had a grab bag to choose from.... [continue]

"i Hope," by Seattlest Flickr contributor sonek321 Friday The Seahawks dispatched with the Oakland Raiders 23-16 in the final preseason game. In recent years, preseason games have become little more than an exercise in injury avoidance, and the Hawks emerged relatively unscathed, although the receiving corps has taken a hit with losses of Engram and Obomanu for extended periods. The Hawks were 3-1 in preseason action andwill begin regular season play on Sunday as they... [continue]

"[Untitled]" courtesy of Minette Layne Willie Nelson seems to get better with age and every new smile-line on his weathered face. Add your photos of icons, lovers and red-headed strangers to the Seattlest Flickr Pool.... [continue]

Looking past Bumbershoot for a second, we want to alert you to an evening we've been waiting for with bated breath--to our doctor's surprise and chagrin. So what if we're taking days off our life? If laughter is the best medicine, we might as well put ourselves in a condition to need it. And laughter--plus chortling, snickering, and a few guffaws--is what you can count on at Frequently Asked Questions: Mike Daisey and Reggie Watts... [continue]