Had things gone differently on the beaches of Normandy, some government organization may have gone after your grandfather in some generic German suburb. However, since America fucking won World War II, our grandparents aren't in the same boat that an 86-year-old Bellevue man finds himself in. The Justice Department claims that Peter Egner was guard and interpreter for a Nazi death squad that killed over 17,000 people, and is seeking to revoke his citizenship, which......

Last year we invoked the name of Cal Worthington as a flimsy excuse to post the amazing "Montgomery Flea Market" ad. Now, we actually have an ad from the master himself. Big ups to Cal for wearing a Mariners jacket (and also for the zebra). There is a definite lack of men on horses leading zebras around in our television advertising today. Worthington, incidentally, is still alive--he turned 87 last month. This terrific profile in......

You haven't seen Seattle until you've seen it from under a Duck! Yesterday's minor collision downtown was captured on cell phone, thankfully. In fairness, these amphibious landing craft were developed by the U.S. Army during World War II, and that is a German vehicle. Take that, Jerry! UPDATE: On-the-spot photographer brentvanw adds in the comments: Please note that the Duck was full of awestruck tourists and they were listening to "tequila" and singing along while......

Watching David Hare's dramatization of the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq last night at ACT, we were reminded of an email exchange we had that summer with an old college friend. Our friend, a Brit, was at the time starting her career as a history teacher, and if we recall correctly, we wrote her something to the effect of, "You know why World War I started, you know why World War II or......

"Les Schwab, 89, was the sort of bigger-than-life person for whom Oregon is legendary: the independent maverick and unabashed capitalist who insisted on doing business his way, who ignored business trends, treated people with respect — and raked in the profits." So says the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Schwab, who died Friday, was orphaned at 15 and supported himself selling newspapers in Bend. He worked his way up to circulation manager, and married his high school sweetheart......

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. And then we......

Realizing that trying to protect our way of life with humans gets people killed, the Navy has decided to do the job with sea lions and dolphins. "Dozens of dolphins and sea lions trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers could be sent to patrol a Puget Sound military base, the Navy said Monday." The dolphins would use their sonar to detect an enemy intruder, and then the sea lion would attach a special cuff......

Wednesday, November 15 >>>UW iSchool at Kane Hall, 7:00-9:00pm. "Voices in an Empty Room: Five Apologies for the Narrative": Children's author Richard Peck discusses his writing and teaching careers, and his experiences with the kids today. He'll read from On The Wings Of Heroes, his new novel about a World War II childhood. Free with RSVP. Kane Hall, Rm. 220. >>>Third Place Books, 7:00pm. We saw this book talk about adoptive parents and thought......

Last night we found a way to enjoy a Mariners game-- get red-ass drunk and scream at the players for three hours. This normally isn't our style. We much prefer to score the first few innings, sip on three dollar tea, and roll our eyes at whatever Hargrove does. However, we were with old friends from out of town, the home town nine had just dropped eleven in a row, obnoxious Yankee fans were......

It's rained for 22 straight days which seems pretty excessive to us, but we were really dry last winter so maybe our perspective is just skewed. Mud slides are happening and home owners are getting their first looks at puddles in the basement. Generally, it sucks. Anyway, other media outlets have been broadcasting the fact that we might meet or exceed the historical high for consecutive days of rainfall which is 33. Seems to Seattlest......

Seattlest learned to sail at the Center for Wooden Boats' sailing school last summer, and en route to each lesson we tromped past the work-in-progress Pirate. Since we are plum ignorant about wooden boats, the Pirate inspired us to think things like, "Wow, uh, that one looks kinda un-done." Turns out, Pirate was a famous 1920s racing boat designed by a famous boat designer. Pirate is now "done" and will be re-christened as part......