Next time you hear someone repeat that old line, show them this:
"Why Doesn't the Media Ever Report Any Good News?"
Port's Pat Davis Notes Audit Turned Up None Of Her Missing Socks, Either
Every once in a while, a quote catches a perfect moment, as if in amber. Thanks, Seattle P-I for reporting on the Port's public hearing, and pay special attention to the last line:
All of the reforms passed unanimously, even as Commissioner Pat Davis defended herself and the port's handling of its contracts...more ›
What Would You Do With $97.2 Million?
If you're the Port of Seattle, you spend it on all kinds of stuff! Woo hoo! It's a mad-money third runway!
Get The Snark Out Of Our Kitchen, Seattle P-I
This morning we were glancing through the Going Out section of the Seattle P-I when we ran across these two questionable entries:
"War and Peace": 1 p.m. Sergei Bondarchuk's adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel (part one screens today) is widely considered to be one of Russia's greatest achievements. Right up there with Ivan Drago and those wooden dolls that open up to reveal a bunch of smaller wooden dolls. SIFF Cinema, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall, McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St.; 206-464-5830; seattlefilm.org. $7-$10. Also at 7 p.m.Ivan Drago? Nesting dolls? And then, without warning, this:
"As You Like It": 7:30 p.m. This Shakespeare comedy of mistaken identities, clowns and women dressed as men dressed as women gives further credence to the theory that the Wayans brothers are descendents of the Bard. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island; 206-842-8569. $15-$20.Wayans brothers? (And -- here we look askance -- "descendents" with a final e? Even our Firefox spellcheck knows how to spell descendants.)
The Day After
Crazy wet storm 2007 is now pelting San Franciscans. Here's what's left in its wake:
Tony Wroten, Who Some Say Will Be Seattle's Best Basketball Player Ever, Makes His Metro League Debut Tonight
Franklin vs. Garfield is one of the Seattle sports events that you just shouldn't miss. Here's what we wrote about it for The Stranger in September:
True local hoops fans don't miss this game between two perennial inner-city basketball powerhouses, even at the cost of connubial tranquility. The 2005 game at Garfield fell on Valentine's Day, but happily married Husky basketball coach Lorenzo Romar was there anyway. A win in this game means neighborhood bragging rights for the rest of your life.Tonight's game will be more special than usual, as it's the Metro League debut of Garfield's Tony Wroten, Jr., who national rankings service HoopScoopOnline says is the best 9th-grade basketball player in the country. (Yes, there are people who track 9th-grade basketball. There are people who track 5th-grade basketball.)
Our Obligatory Attempt to Cajole You Into Voting
Why is it important to vote? Let Dan Quayle explain:
Post-Intelligence: the P-I's Irreal Estate Coverage
Did you know that there's only one credible real-estate industry voice in Seattle? It's a marketing firm in town that works with real estate developers. We've learned this from reading Aubrey Cohen's real estate reporting in the Seattle P-I. Here's a search on articles containing the exact phrase "Williams Marketing" -- they're quoted in at least one article per month since last November. (Who are the schmoes paying the P-I for ads when there's so much free ink available?)
Get Out: Bad Monkey's "Blue Surge" @ the Chamber Theater
Get Out Friday: "Lost in Translation" with Mike Daisey
The Hugo House Literary Series kicks off Friday night with "Lost in Translation," and the program features Seattlest-favorite and monologist Mike Daisey, novelist Randall Keenan and historian Lesley Hazleton.
Culture Gap Wars
Uh-oh. Truly insipid story in this morning's Pee-Eye headlined "College freshmen, profs often befuddled by culture gap." Example: today's 18-year-old freshmen don't know about Apartheid, haven't seen the Godfather movies; their profs have to give mini-history lectures and take in Superbad to learn what the kids are talking about.
Webolution: We'd All Love To See The Plan
So we'll begin, the guy at the podium said, the huge black blast door in the Microsoft Auditorium at the Downtown Library eased down its track, slowly cutting off our view of the lobby, and we shivered.
We Survived Lunch at Fort Westlake the Bronx
After all, the Seattle P-I's got a story on the recent street violence, the Seattle Times has coverage of the war zone and the thug factor. And although three of the four incidents since June occurred after 10pm, it's easily worth the $500,000 the city will spend over the next four months to keep lunch hour safe in Westlake Park. We were there, and we've never felt more secure -- which was great because we couldn't find any bike racks in front of Westlake Mall and had to lock our bike to a trash can.
The Timez Classifieds Wantz Yur Biznus
We love a good LOLCAT as much as the next guy, but c'mon!
With So Much Drama From the SPD, It's Kinda Hard Bein' S-Dubya-O-O-P
Swoop, the mascot of Eastern Washington University, was stomped outside a bar Sunday night and briefly detained by none other than police chief Gil Kerlikowske. Apparently. Reports the Seattle P-I:
Lt. Kenneth Hicks, shift commander at the precinct that includes Pioneer Square, was leading Kerlikowske on a closing-time tour of the club district when the senior officers witnessed a man-on-eagle fracas, according to police documents.more ›
News Flash - Safeco Has Bad Food?
So, the Seattle P-I restaurant critic writes that "Safeco's got some of the worst food in the major leagues." That statement struck a nerve with this Seattlest, as we tend to think that Safeco has some of the best food in MLB parks.
Train Derailment Down South, Amtrak Service to Portland is Whacked
This happened between Tacoma and Olympia. Nobody got hurt, but if you were planning to take the train between Portland and Seattle, you'll be taking the bus instead, says Amtrak. There's also a road blocked and some people lost electricity. The AP has the details.
You Said a Mouthful!
Mom always told me not to talk with my mouth full. But that's just what Leite's Culinaria wants local food writers to do for a project about food writing. Launched last year in New York City, now spreading around the country, "Talking With Your Mouth Full" is a night of reading by food writers "to highlight the versatility of the craft."
Speaking Tour: 4/16 - 4/22
CALL 911! CALL 911!: Political and economic commentator and White House strategist during the Nixon administration, Kevin Phillips talks about his book, American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century. Phillips traces the set of related causes that caused the downfall of historical world powers. That same combination of ills he says -- global over-reach, militant religion, resource problems, and ballooning debt -- is at work in the U.S. today.
Yeah, Speaking of Math, Chuck...
One of the weirder blog posts about the Seattle Weekly "expose" of Real Change is over at Crosscut, courtesy of ex-Weeklyite Chuck Taylor. (We'd point you to the Metblogs recap but it's fatally flawed, in that it's missing one of the seminal posts on the subject, namely ours. So no can do. But here's Real Change's take on the kerfluffle-thus-far.)
All the News
--The Seattle Mystery Bookshop gets sucked into a publisher's con game. [Seattle Mystery Bookshop]
PDBE Ban In The P-I And The Seattle Times Today
This week the Washington State Senate is deciding whether to make Washington to the first state in the nation to ban the fire retardant deca-BDE [ESHB 1024]. (The House, where Jamie Pedersen was a sponsor, passed the bill this February.)
Speaking Tour: 1/22 - 1/28
AUTHOR, AUTHOR: Dr. Neal Barnard has his self-promotional finger on America's pulse with his book: Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs. Is a low-fat vegetarian diet in your future?
Unanimous Pick For New Head Of Port Of Seattle
The Seattle P-I reports that Tay Yoshitani, who will succeed Mic Dinsmore, "was the Port of Seattle Commission's unanimous choice from more than 70 possible candidates generated during a 6-month-long national search." Does this mean he'll help the Port understand that it's not got a monopoly, as Bill Virgin was saying the other day?
"No, It Won't Buff Out!"
For our money, there's bigger news than the city's suicide hotline putting people on hold (which made the Slog's morning round-up).
Port Of Seattle: We're Cruising!
What it is, see, is we have this Google news alert set for "Port of Seattle" and "confederacy of dunces." We're always surprised at how often we get sent something.
Voters Not Dumb Enough to Get a Choice on Viaduct Replacement
Poor Mayor Nickels. The news isn't good for him these days. His plan to replace the crumbling Viaduct with a Big Dig-style tunnel is going the same way as the Seattle Monorail Project he helped kill. The Washington State Department of Transportation released estimates that showed Nickels' $2.8 billion price tag climbing to $4.6 billion. And now, according to articles in The Seattle Times and The Seattle P-I, Nickels is taking the choice out of the voters' hands this November.

