Happy Thanksgiving! Reported last night: a security guard intimidating a four-year-old, Snohomish County having all kinds of water problems, the outcome of Phoenix Jones's pepper-spray fiasco and a recovered purse. more ›

There is no way quite so glamorous to celebrate the season like going to go see The Nutcracker. It's nostalgic and timeless. The Tchaikovsky score is as much a part of Christmas as fruitcake, and the story, imagery and the setting are all pure yule. While most of us have fond memories of going to see it as children--all dressed up in our finest and gawking mystified at the spinning ballerinas--it's a delight for adults as well. more ›

The ORCA card is, of course, the new, handy way to pay fares for many kinds of transit including the new Link light rail. Like all good Seattle things (e.g., a trendy restaurant, your friend's house, or the Fremont Troll), the youth ORCA card is not that easy to find unless you know where to go already. more ›

The School Board voted last night to approve proposed changes to school start times. In the fall, elementary schools will begin class at 9:30 a.m. and K-8, junior high, and high schools will begin at 8:15 a.m. We've heard from usually reliable sources both that kids learn better in the mornings and that mornings are bad for learning, so since that one's apparently still up in the air, we'll whine about what an ill thought-through decision this is with regards to working parents. more ›

No, but seriously--this is good news. In February, all over Washington, dentists are offering free dental care to low-income children, including screenings, cleanings, X-rays and fillings (where possible), and referrals if things have gone further south than that. Because dental care is generally so expensive, it's the kind of thing that low-income parents have to skip when it comes to their kids' health. Washington Dentists Care (we know it might not seem like when they're coming at you with that drill, but they do) is sponsored by the WSDA, whom we applaud because your teeth have to last your whole life.

Here is a partial list of free care offered this month. Please call for an appointment: more ›

Last week we noticed that chi-chi children's clothier Flora and Henry had closed their storefront on Pine to focus on online sales. Today we walked past an unilluminated Illuminations store in Pacific Place, which had a clearance sale followed by a "Two Hours Left! Everything Free!" smash 'n' grab over the weekend. Who will be next? Because there will be next. We'll be posting about last night's Paul Krugman talk at Town Hall later on, where he predicted a "pretty ugly several years" ahead of us, and not just for upscale retailers. [UPDATE: Aha! The Napa Auto Parts store at Westlake and Harrison has closed. That's about as far from upscale as you get. We were told auto repair would be a bright spot in this economy, since people aren't buying new cars. What gives?] more ›

Seattle mental health blogger Philip Dawdy is less than impressed with the notion that CNN's Sanjay Gupta could be the nation's next doctor-in-chief. Says Dawdy, "As a reporter, Gupta strikes me as a lightweight outside of neuroscience and neurosurgery, who either gets his information straight from pharma companies and establishment doctors or is too incapable or incurious as a reporter to look for contrary information." And he offers as evidence Gupta claiming that there were no child suicides related to antidepressant use back in 2004. To Dawdy, who can think of four questionable cases prior to the broadcast, that's of a piece with Gupta's inability to see much wrong with Vioxx, which was later taken off the market. Vioxx-maker Merck would be hit by class action suits totaling just under $5 billion. more ›

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He's been ordered to remain in custody while the court figures out if he understands the charges and sounds out Booker's moral compass. Someone give the boy a brownie and a hug, for God's sake. more ›

Seattlest, as you know, has long been an advocate of playing hooky on Friday. Today, if you're looking for an excuse to cut out early, just tell your boss you can't bear to sit in the office any longer on the Happiest Day of the Year. How did "they" figure out that today is the happiest? A simple math formula, of course: "According to the research this has been worked out using the equation O + (N xS) + Cpm/T + He." Naturally, divide the Cpm by T. more ›

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"Play smart," came the exhortation from Blanchet parents, as their children began to fritter away a lead that had been 13 points with three minutes left. But let's face it, people--asking high school basketball players to "play smart" is like asking high school musicians to "maintain your vibrato" or high school cheerleaders to "save it for marriage." So, on our Metro League Tuesday (TM), through a series of ill-advised drives, poor passes, bad fouls and,... more ›

Bellevue is entertaining its crazed shoppers and downtown urbanites with daily holiday drum lines, snowflake lights and snow (yes, fake snow). We have seen it with our own eyes, and it is as if you chasséd on stage of a live performance of the Nutcracker. Snowflake Lane is a Bellevue tradition and is going on now until December 24, beginning at 7 p.m. daily. If shopping under fake snow doesn’t get you excited, you... more ›

Birth of a fetish: The Register reports an unfortunate MSN messenger encounter between two young girls and Microsoft's badly programmed Santa chat bot. more ›

Sunday was the first time we'd ever been to Fircrest. more ›

Sometimes the world really is a beautiful place. Specifically when there's beer involved. Jack's meeting friends on Saturday for a session of oak-aged beer tasting at Brouwer's Big Wood Fest. He'll then spend the rest of the day rubbing his tum tum and smiling a lot. Thrilled about the possibility of the year's first snow fall, Kim will spend as much of the weekend as possible getting over the cold that's been lingering for a... more ›

It seems like we've been seeing a lot of plays lately with children in them. Into the Woods at the 5th Avenue had kids, and Whistle Down the Wind at the 5th Avenue and A Christmas Carol at the ACT both do. more ›

Four Dickens Carolers are singing in lovely harmony. Children toddle by, then look back at the carolers, their eyes wide with wonder. Garland and lights are everywhere. more ›

Until the day after Thanksgiving, Seattlest hadn't seen The Nutcracker -- probably the world's most famous ballet -- in years. But we had a solid image in our head of what it looked like because when Seattlest was a little kid, our mom made an annual birthday tradition to see it every year on opening night. For much of our childhood, this meant getting all spiffed up and walking a few blocks to Lincoln... more ›

In 1987, the British illustrator Martin Handford creates a cartoon character named Wally for a series of children's books. Renamed Waldo for the American edition, he becomes an icon of pop culture. more ›

Thanksgiving doesn't allow for us Seattlesters to partake in our usual rock and roll lifestyles. Instead it's friends and family and mellow times about the house. Our drinking's liable to be more restrained and coordinated with a heavy meal of rich food. (Seattlest Geoff offered some choice beer recommendations earlier this week for those who've got a pit-stop planned on the way to grandmother's house tomorrow.) And according to the weather report, it's going to be cold but clear tomorrow, with morning to afternoon sunshine to make that drive a little more pleasant. more ›

In this corner, we have the accused, Amanda Knox, Seattle's girl-next-door and alleged participant in the murder of one. Google News hits: about 1,811. In the other corner, Risperdal aka risperidone, one of the most widely used anti-psychotics in the world, approved for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and marketed off-label for the "irritability" associated with autism, Asperger's, ADHD, and being teen-aged or elderly, and related to the deaths of at least 1,000 people (according the... more ›

As if The Terrorists haven't already been winning by employing their agents, the American Indian, to poo-poo on our Thanksgiving parade of turkey, football, and/or explaining your deviant behaviors to your meddlesome aunts and uncles whom you only see once a year. This time, worst of all, our very own government is getting in on the act. Are you flying this holiday and wondering if you can bring aboard your grandmother's delicious jelly or your uncle's savory gravy? The answer is a resounding No! according to the Keystone Cops. Pack your mother's tangy salsa in checked baggage or have it shipped! Here's the list of un-American gels and liquids: more ›

It's pouring rain and it's exhausting looking for a new hard drive, so we pull over on Greenwood Avenue, right in front of Herkimer Coffee. It's bustling with people, despite the rain, and we anticipate a long wait. To our surprise, the line moves lightening fast and we're soon faced with two adorable and cheerful baristas. If you want to feel trendy without being surly or "holier than thou," Herkimer Coffee is your place. Although... more ›

We're getting a new Major League Soccer team and everyone either is or should be excited. Drew Carey's walking around town, season tickets are flying off the shelves and the MLS Cup is approaching this weekend. On the field Houston faces New England, but there's sure to be a lot of talk during the broadcast about Seattle, our new team and the interesting ideas that have been associated with it. Unfortunately, no one in Seattle will see that broadcast. KOMO won't be showing it. A reader figured out it wasn't on KOMO's schedule and sent them an email. Here's what he got in return: more ›

Seventeen teams showed up at the Old Pequliar last night to see if our voice would give out. We managed to get through the evening without having a Peter Brady moment, but we're grateful to those of you who were willing to step up to the mic at a moment's notice. more ›

The night's first piece paired the Northwest Symphony Orchestra with Michael Shrieve, a badass, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer who played with Santana at Woodstock. The combination of heavy percussion and hearty strings and brass had our knees bouncing. Next up was Messina, a funny, chatty guy with endless reserves of enthusiasm for the cause his symphonies support. The tango "Dance of the Rain" featured Dance Contemporary performers and Andre Feriante on acoustic guitar. The orchestra's string section paid perfect compliment to Feriante's deft fretwork. more ›

Mateo Messina, a Seattle native, has been composing television and film scores and penning symphonies for 10 years. His most recent score is for the upcoming, buzz-magnet comedy Juno. His latest symphony will be heard tonight at Benaroya Hall's (sold out) Symphony Legacy concert. (That's him above, at last year's show.) more ›

Like our high school hero Dan Zanes, we prefer to share "all ages" music with our toddler instead of mind-numbing "children's music." While we are not bumpin' to tales of Jay-Z's unfortunate experiences with his lady friends in various high-priced vehicles, neither are we interested in musical lessons on counting, going potty, and naps. more ›

Adult gorillas aren't cute. The last time we saw one at the Woodland Park it climbed a tree and crapped a giant turd into its giant hand. Parents were shielding their poor children's delighted eyes. more ›