What a breaking news afternoon we're having. We were alerted by @thesouthlake's tweet about a 3:30 p.m. bank robbery at the WaMu at 5th and Union downtown. KING 5 says the robber says he left a bomb behind, which means he has also left a lot of snarled traffic behind. The suspect is "in his 30s with no facial hair and no glasses," which leaves us out because we're wearing glasses and have been all day. Anyway, that block of 5th is shut down until they sort it out.
Bank Robber Makes Off With WaMu JPMorganChase Money
Proof a Joke About a Bomb Is Never Taken as a Joke
When will people learn that a joke about having a bomb is never taken as a joke? We believe this statement has always been true, but is especially so in our heightened state of paranoia about security. Just to reiterate this truth, two Seattle gentlemen temporarily halted ferry service on Sunday, after making a joke about placing a bomb in the trunk of their car.
Sorry, FDR, But December 7th Probably Lives in Less Infamy Than Your Internment Order
The most unfortunate victims of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor--which happened 66 years ago today--were surely the 2,333 military personnel who lost their lives.
Seahawks (6-4) vs. Cooking (Gooey Butter Cake)
This fall we are combining our love of the football and our dream of learning to cook. On Sunday morning, following a trip to a local farmer’s market/major supermarket chain, we will be preparing a meal from the city of the Seahawks opponent. Then at halftime we will throw our badly burned hands in the air and make hot dogs.
Seahawks (5-4) vs. Cooking (Deep Dish Pizza)
(This fall we are combining our love of the football and our dream of learning to cook. On Sunday morning, following a trip to a local farmer’s market/major supermarket chain, we will be preparing a meal from the city of the Seahawks opponent. Then at halftime we will throw our badly burned hands in the air and make hot dogs.)
Seahawks (3-2) vs. Cooking (Jambalaya)
(This fall we are combining our love of the football and our dream of learning to cook. On Sunday morning, following a trip to a local farmer’s market/major supermarket chain, we will be preparing a meal from the city of the Seahawks opponent. Then at halftime we will throw our badly burned hands in the air and make hot dogs.)
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods.
Advanced Hippie Technology Befuddles Bomb Squad
Seattle Police, or the Washington State Ferry system, or the FBI, or whatever shadowy anti-terrorist unit is in charge of this particular investigation hasn't contacted Seattlest at this time. They haven't asked us into the evidence room in the basement of some nondescript building and opened the box containing the suspicious device they found in a Seattle/Bainbridge ferry bathroom and asked us to identify it. We can identify it, however, and you probably can too if you ever smoked pot in a college dorm.
Get Out: B-Movie Monday @ Central Cinema
The people who bring you Sidewalk Cinema take over pizza-and-beer-serving Central Cinema tonight with a '50s B-movie double-feature in glorious 16mm: Port of Hell and Sky Liner. In Port of Hell, a ship with an atom bomb on board (fucking Commies!) shows up in the L.A. harbor just when harbormaster Gibson Pardee is getting all sorts of blowback for his stringent safety concerns. It's a race against time, and the film only runs 80 minutes! Even shorter, clocking in at 61 minutes, is Sky Liner, even though the action takes place during a transcontinental flight. A government courier is murdered, an FBI agent collars the culprit, but then the assassin is himself killed and the G-man has 'til wheels down to find out whodunnit.
Return of the Occidental Tourist
Yesterday Seattlest broke out of the office at noon, grabbed a Tats'trami and headed to Occidental Square. There's nothing like passing a short hour with a book and a gut bomb in a square... Actually, had a book along, but it was only cover for our real mission which was to watch all the little people go about their little lives and they happily obliged by showing up and staring back at us. What? Just eating a sandwich and reading over here. Nosy freak.
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by poop. Finally D.C. contemplated taking Vermont's place as a state and marveled at the GOP lessons learned from the "Macaca Moment."
Give Dad Beer For Fathers Day
We were all happy to hear about the return of this weekend’s Washington Brewers Festival at Saint Edward State Park. If you are looking for a last minute Fathers Day present, is there anything better than taking your dad out to drink beer all day (While watching people throw kegs)?
Folklife--Everybody Needs a Thrill, Folklife--We've All Got a Space to Fill
Yes, we're Folklife enthusiasts. Where else can you get a funnel cake, a hip-hop spitfest, a latin dance party, and a contest for liars, all in one place? We quoted Prince in the headline because we wouldn't be surprised if he showed up at Folklife this year. There is so much shit going on this weekend, and you don't have to drive all the way to the silly Gorge and pay through your nose to enjoy the music, yall.
The Word Is Madcap: Harold Lloyd @ The Paramount
FACT: On August 24, 1919, film star Harold Lloyd -- while posing for publicity shots in which he was lighting a cigarette from a lit bomb -- blew the thumb and forefinger off his right hand. "Somehow," accounts explain, "a real bomb had gotten mixed in with the props." In 1923, as if to underscore learning nothing from the experience, he released one of the most famous films of all time, Safety Last! (Which you won't see at this month's retrospective of the films of Harold Lloyd because they just showed it a while ago.)
Seattlest Finds A New Way to Die, In Our Basement
Once the dust had subsided, after we'd sawed through a concrete wall and brushed the rat droppings from our heads that rained down on us as we demolished our basement bathroom, we began to find unusual things. Old toys stashed behind sheetrocked walls, left there to mourn their solitary confinement at the hands of a former owner who was too lazy or cheap to free them amidst the detritus of the dump.
Toy Submarine Holds Ferry Terminal Hostage For Hours
There was just footage all over the TV news of a suspected explosive device at the Steilacoom ferry dock, complete with bomb squad guys dressed in their big pillow suits and Johnny 5 the suspicious package handler, however, Seattlest barely had time to start formulating an Escape From McNeil Island fantasy before the device was discovered to be just some kid's homemade submarine. Cool toy--we wonder how well it worked--but taped up segments of PVC probably aren't something you want to lose track of.
Oklahoma City vs Oklahoma City in Oklahoma City
The Sonics will play in their possible future home town tonight when they face the Oklahoma City/New Orleans Hornets in the brand new Ford Center.
Speaking Tour: 3/26 - 4/1
FANTASTIC FICTION SALON: Novelist, nonfiction author, and short story writer Terry Bisson has swept every honor in the science fiction field as well as France's Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire. He joins Hugo House's Writing Fantastic Fiction workshop series, where he will teach "Who Likes Short Shorts? We Like Short Shorts!"
Tenacious D Makes the Paramount a Living Hell
Rock stars are dark and mysterious, calculating and philanthropic, and almost always stylish and physically attractive. And then there are Jack Black and Kyle Gass.
Seattle Is Way Less Stupid Than Boston
Oh Boston, you silly over-reacting bunch of Nancys. Who can't tell the difference between a LiteBrite and a real bomb? Seriously, getting riled up and freaking the fuck out over some strange marketing thingies?
Get Out
THEATER: The Brown Derby Series, which debilitated audiences last year with their staged production of Trapped in the Closet, is back, this time they're doing Total Recall. With Seattlest favorite Dusty Warren!
Can Somebody Check the School Board's Diplomas?
The Times has already called on the School Board to resign. Seattlest is calling for the school board to repeat 9th grade English.
Seattlest Trivia: Last Night's Quiz (10/24)
A record-setting 20 teams competed in Seattlest trivia at the Old Pequilar last night. The winning team scored 64.5 points (out of 80) and toook home $150. We'll post complete results this afternoon.
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-verse
Celebrate Ben Franklin's 300th birthday with the Bikini Bandits and Phillyist! (NSFW). Speaking of Mr. Franklin, send in a picture of Ben (or Ed Rendell) with a red tongue and win a free t-shirt. And they might have the next YearlyKos in Philly.
Is Weird Al From Seattle Or Something?
Because his newest album is called "Straight Outta Lynnwood," and that seems like an odd cultural reference to use nationally. Maybe there's some other relevant Lynnwood we're not aware of?

