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Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. editor@thestranger.com (The Stranger Editor) webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/bruce-harrell-tackles-ex-offender-job-assistance http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/bruce-harrell-tackles-ex-offender-job-assistance Cienna Madrid <p>It doesn't make any goddamn sense to release people from prison like soiled doves and then <strong>finger-wag at them</strong> to become productive members of society when, on the whole, they struggle to find employment and housing&#8212;the two main stabilizing economic factors in any person's life. </p> <p>If we want to keep people from re-offending, we have to be ready to offer them the critical assistance they need to reintegrate into society. According to an Illinois study that followed 1,600 individuals recently released from state prison, only 8 percent of ex-offenders employed for a year committed another crime, compared to the state&#8217;s 54 percent average recidivism rate. </p> <p>Luckily, the Seattle Office for Civil Rights and City Council member Bruce Harrell seem ready to tackle the contentious subject by introducing <strong>job assistance legislation for ex-offenders</strong>. </p> <p>Draft legislation won't be introduced until June, his aides tell me, but at today's 2:00 p.m. meeting of the Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology committee meeting, council members will receive their <strong>first briefing</strong> on the city and state hurdles that ex-offenders currently face when looking for employment. You can <a href="http://seattlechannel.org/viewer_live.asp">follow along here</a>.</p> <p>Next on Harrell's list? Addressing <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/making-ex-convicts-a-protected-class/Content?oid=5860279">the hurdles of ex-offender housing</a>, an issue I wrote about several years ago.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/bruce-harrell-tackles-ex-offender-job-assistance#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678354&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/23p0gc2zDMU" height="1" width="1"/> Crime City http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/bruce-harrell-tackles-ex-offender-job-assistance?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678354&id=comments 0 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:02:35 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/for-christs-sake-would-somebody-please-run-against-judge-chris-washington http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/for-christs-sake-would-somebody-please-run-against-judge-chris-washington Dominic Holden <p>The largest local congregation of lawyers has released its <a href="http://www.kcba.org/judicial/surveys/2012_final_superior_court_report_summary_041212.pdf">annual survey</a> on the quality of the King County bench. An unmistakable trend emerges in the report's 25 pages: King County Superior Court judge Chris Washington comes in <strong>last in every singly category</strong>.</p> <p>Ranking judges on a scale of 1 to 5, King County Bar Association lawyers gave Washington between a 2.7 and 3.5 in four areas of skill. His weakest rating was in <strong>legal decision making</strong> (where he scored the 2.7 rating) while the average for judges in that category was 4.1 and the highest was a 4.5, by judge Michael Trickey. Other categories where Washington, who previously <a href="http://www.komonews.com/news/49010391.html">won a Shrammie</a>, was at the bottom: integrity and impartiality; demeanor, temperament, and communication; and administrative skills.</p> <p>Thankfully, Mr. Washington is up for reelection this year. But as of yet, nobody has filed to challenge Washington&#8212;and the <a href="http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/currentelections/201208/candidatefiling.aspx">filing deadline is this Friday at 4:30 pm</a>. Now get this: If no one files against him within the next 51 hours, Washington doesn't appear on the ballot and he automatically wins. So for the love of Buddha and all that is holy, would somebody please consider running against him?</p> <p>And, yeah, it's possible that all those mean attorneys who filled out surveys are wrong about Washington, and he's a great&#8212;nay, <em>superior</em>&#8212;superior court judge. Washington didn't respond to a request for comment to make his points about the low ratings, however he would probably note the number of responses he got was also lower than most other judges. He may also note that when he ran in 2004, his <a href="http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/pamphlet/pamphlet.aspx?cid=8375&eid=1203#c347">voters guide statement</a> celebrated his "well qualified" rating, 30 years of work as a lawyer, and serving on a "committee to advise Archdiocese of Seattle concerning reports of sexual abuse." But after eight years in office without a challenge, he's <strong>ripe to prove himself in November</strong>. Anyone?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/for-christs-sake-would-somebody-please-run-against-judge-chris-washington#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678149&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/gt14ekPYH98" height="1" width="1"/> Politics http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/for-christs-sake-would-somebody-please-run-against-judge-chris-washington?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678149&id=comments 0 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:45 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/drunk-tanks-enlarged-prostates-and-homosexual-necrophilia-an-interview-with-greer-mcgettrick-of-the-mallard-after-her-first-night-in-jail http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/drunk-tanks-enlarged-prostates-and-homosexual-necrophilia-an-interview-with-greer-mcgettrick-of-the-mallard-after-her-first-night-in-jail Grant Brissey <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/af38/1337194670-music-lead-570.jpg" alt="Greer McGettrick Trash-can abuser." title="Greer McGettrick Trash-can abuser." width="500" height="351" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">LUIS WOLF </li><li class="imageCaption"><b>Greer McGettrick</b> Trash-can abuser.</li></ul></div></p> <p>Greer McGettrick is the Mallard, and whether she's playing alone or with her backing band&#8212;currently Dylan Tidyman-Jones ("Boy Dylan") on drums/keys/vocals and Dylan Edrich ("Girl Dylan") on bass/guitar&#8212;the vibe is woozy, hallucinogenic garage rock that sounds like it was recorded from the basement through the heat vent in the upstairs kitchen. In other words, they're your new favorite band to listen to while getting drunk. The Stranger spoke with McGettrick the day after she had a minor mix-up with the San Francisco Police Department. Here's what she said on no sleep for about 36 hours.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/drunk-tanks-enlarged-prostates-and-homosexual-necrophilia/Content?oid=13669737"><u>Continue Reading >></u></a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/ekFJzfbaLMY" height="1" width="1"/> International http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/drunk-tanks-enlarged-prostates-and-homosexual-necrophilia-an-interview-with-greer-mcgettrick-of-the-mallard-after-her-first-night-in-jail?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678681&id=comments 0 Wed, 16 May 2012 13:52:40 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/sl-letter-of-the-day-laying-down-the-mother-in-law http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/sl-letter-of-the-day-laying-down-the-mother-in-law Dan Savage <blockquote><p>I recently said "YES!" to my fianc&#233; and we're getting married in the fall. He's perfect in (almost) every way except for one: ever since his dad died he's been the biggest mama's boy. I understand and love his mom dearly, but I found out that my fianc&#233; told his mother that she could accompany us on our HONEYMOON. His mom is so ecstatic. WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!? How do I fix this? I love my fianc&#233; AND his mother, but only said yes to marrying one. Advice?! You're the BEST.</p> <p><em>Mundane Over Mom</em></p></blockquote> <p>My response after the jump...</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;">&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;</div></p> <p>Oh, good&#8212;an easy one.</p> <p>You don't need to fix this, MOM. Your fianc&#233; does.</p> <p>He needs to call his mother ASAP and say this: "Mom, I'm really sorry, but I shouldn't have invited you to accompany me on my upcoming honeymoon. You know I love you, and you know MOM loves you, but we're going on our honeymoon alone. We'll plan a trip when we get back&#8212;a trip for all three of us&#8212;later this year, maybe over the holidays. But we're going to be honeymooning as a couple."</p> <p>If your fianc&#233; won't say that to his mother&#8212;if he can't clean up this mess by disinviting his mom without blaming you and poisoning your relationship with your future MIL&#8212;<em>don't marry him</em>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/sl-letter-of-the-day-laying-down-the-mother-in-law#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678343&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/46ivh5YjnNo" height="1" width="1"/> Savage Love http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/sl-letter-of-the-day-laying-down-the-mother-in-law?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678343&id=comments 15 Wed, 16 May 2012 13:35:23 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-team-kind-of-apologizes-for-denying-press-access-to-mitt-romney http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-team-kind-of-apologizes-for-denying-press-access-to-mitt-romney Paul Constant <p><a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/pants-on-prairie-fire">I told you about the </a>Romney campaign attempts to keep reporters off the rope line this morning. <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/16/romney-aides-secret-service-block-press-from-event-rope-line/">CNN has more</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>Press aides for the Romney campaign and a lone Secret Service agent attempted to <strong>physically block reporters</strong> from asking questions of the GOP contender along an event rope line in Saint Petersburg, Florida on Wednesday.</p> <p>The brief altercation was captured on video by CNN. A spokeswoman from the Romney campaign later called it "an error."</p> <p>"<strong>We're not going to do this</strong>," Romney press aide Kristen Warren can be heard saying in the video as she held out her arms to prevent various reporters from approaching the rope line, an area where Romney was shaking hands with supporters.</p></blockquote> <p>My favorite part of that video is that the reporters are being denied access to the presidential candidate as Kid Rock's "<strong>Born Free</strong>" plays in the background. It's not like freedom of the press is in the Constitution or anything, after all! In any case, <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/05/romney-campaign-physically-restricts-reporters-123627.html#.T7PWsL2TGxo.twitter">the Romney campaign has admitted </a>that physically restraining the press was an "error."</p> <p>Meanwhile, the last anything-goes press conference held by Mitt Romney <strong>was back in March</strong>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-team-kind-of-apologizes-for-denying-press-access-to-mitt-romney#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678209&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/HOGBAHvwKW8" height="1" width="1"/> 2012 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-team-kind-of-apologizes-for-denying-press-access-to-mitt-romney?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678209&id=comments 3 Wed, 16 May 2012 13:07:14 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-alaskan-who-was-mauled-by-a-brown-bear http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-alaskan-who-was-mauled-by-a-brown-bear Charles Mudede <p><a href="http://www.ktva.com/home/outbound-xml-feeds/Bear-Mauling-Victim-Recovering-151737295.html">KTVA</a><br /><blockquote>ANCHORAGE - An Eagle River man mauled by a brown bear over the weekend is still in the hospital, but 57-year-old Howard Meyer says he's grateful to be alive.<br />&#8220;I was screaming at the bear, basically screaming at myself, you know, and thinking this is the end,&#8221; Meyer said Tuesday.</blockquote> The line ("I was screaming at the bear, basically screaming at myself...") recalls one of my favorite passages in Proust's <em>Remembrance of Things Past</em>: <br /><blockquote>It is in sickness that we are compelled to recognize that we do not live alone but are chained to a being from a different realm, from whom we are worlds apart, who has no knowledge of us and by whom it is impossible to make ourselves understood: our body. Were we to meet a brigand on the road, we might perhaps succeed in making him sensible of his own personal interest if not of our plight.<strong> But to ask pity of our body is like discoursing in front of an octopus, for which our words can have no meaning than the sounds of the tides</strong>, and with which we should be appalled to find ourselves condemned to live.</blockquote> Can you see the connection? This discoursing in front of an octopus is the same as screaming at a bear. You are discoursing to yourself; you are screaming at yourself.</p> <p>Lucky for the bear, the Alaskan turned out to be a fine human being:<br /><blockquote>Fish and Game have no plan to shoot the bear, and Meyer is fine with that, because to him it was just a bear being a bear.</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-alaskan-who-was-mauled-by-a-brown-bear#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678223&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/e71HS83Ja00" height="1" width="1"/> Animals http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-alaskan-who-was-mauled-by-a-brown-bear?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678223&id=comments 3 Wed, 16 May 2012 12:59:54 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/kucinich-wont-run-for-congress-in-washington http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/kucinich-wont-run-for-congress-in-washington Eli Sanders <p>In an e-mail announcement, the departing Congressman from Ohio&#8212;who's been engaging in a long-running flirtation with the idea of a Congressional run in this state&#8212;says he's concluded that he "<strong>can best serve from outside the Congress</strong>."</p> <p>In response, Washington State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz, a longtime foe of the idea that Kucinich should run here, says: "<strong>I thank him for a wise choice</strong>, and look forward to following his contributions to our nation."</p> <p>Full Kucinich statement in the jump:</p> <blockquote><p>I would like to thank you for your support, and thank the tens of thousands of concerned Citizens for Kucinich who in the past few months have written, emailed and called to discuss my running for Congress in Washington State.</p> <p>At the end of this term I will have served sixteen years in the House of Representatives, leading the way for peace, to bring an end to the wars, for workers' rights, for health care for all, for monetary policy reform and to end the corrupting influence which money has on our political decision-making process. My staff and I have worked to deliver a level of constituent service to the people of Cleveland, which most agree is unmatched for results. As testimony to our efforts in the Cleveland area I received about 75% of the vote from my present constituents who were included in the newly redistricted area in which I ran in March.</p> <p>Because of my love of public service, I have given a great deal of time and much thought to the advice and encouragement I have received from so many people of good will in Washington State. I certainly want to continue to be of service to our country and to the working men and women who have built it.</p> <p>After careful consideration and discussions with Elizabeth and my closest friends, I have decided that, at this time, I can best serve from outside the Congress. My commitments to peace, to workers' rights and to social and economic justice are constant and are not dependent upon holding an office. They are dependent upon my continuing to stand up, to speak out, to organize, to motivate and to inspire our nation as to its deeper potential. This I promise I will do with great energy and heart.</p> <p>I will complete my service in the U.S. House on January 2, 2013, with the same passion and devotion to duty with which I began it on January 3, 1997. And when I do, I shall think of you and all those who have given me encouragement to continue to be of service, and I will smile, knowing that we shall meet again in our celebration of the potential of citizen activists to change the world.</p> <p>Please continue to encourage your friends and family to sign up at www.Kucinich.us because we will need to continue to work together for change outside Congress, as we have worked for it from within. This is just the beginning!</p> <p>Sincerely,</p> <p>Dennis</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/kucinich-wont-run-for-congress-in-washington#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678190&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/rvvhHZ4apNI" height="1" width="1"/> 2012 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/kucinich-wont-run-for-congress-in-washington?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678190&id=comments 5 Wed, 16 May 2012 12:57:07 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/women-file-emergency-injunction-against-rob-mckenna-on-healthcare-reform-act http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/women-file-emergency-injunction-against-rob-mckenna-on-healthcare-reform-act Cienna Madrid <p>Plaintiffs in the lawsuit against state Attorney General Rob McKenna&#8212;which accuses him of <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/rob-mckenna-crappy-lawyer-or-crappy-liar/Content?oid=13598979">violating his professional ethics</a> and lying to Washington residents about his attempt to overturn Obama's healthcare reform act&#8212;announced today that they'd filed an emergency injunction against McKenna, asking a judge to force McKenna to reverse his healthcare pleadings before the U.S. Supreme Court.</p> <p>Three women personally delivered injunction papers to McKenna's downtown Seattle office this morning, along with <strong>2,100 signatures condemning McKenna's weasely healthcare reform doublespeak</strong>. McKenna has told Washington residents that he only seeks to invalidate the Affordable Care Act's controversial individual mandate, and that he supports the rest of the healthcare reform law. However, he's taken the opposite position in his legal arguments and has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to kill the law in its entirety&#8212;which would invalidate numerous women's and children's healthcare provisions and bring back lifetime caps on insurance coverage, among other things.</p> <p>The emergency injunction asks that a King County Superior Court judge force McKenna to submit new pleadings to the U.S. Supreme Court immediately, supporting many critical provisions in the healthcare act that he's publicly stated he supports&#8212;before the court weighs in on the constitutionality of Obama's Affordable Care Act (which is expected to happen in June).</p> <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:212px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/9f60/1337197788-screen_shot_2012-05-16_at_11.43.46_am.png" alt="Nikki Mackey and her pile of legal papers." title="Nikki Mackey and her pile of legal papers." width="200" height="149" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">I own this</li><li class="imageCaption">Nikki Mackey and her pile of legal papers.</li></ul></div>"I asked to be able to deliver these documents personally because I want to be able to face the person dictating my life expectancy&#8212;or attempting to," explained Nikki Mackey, <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/speaking-truth-to-mckenna/Content?oid=13599245">a breast cancer survivor and plaintiff in the McKenna suit</a>, after she passed the pile of papers to McKenna's receptionist. (McKenna wasn't in the building.)</p> <p><br />"We&#8217;re asking for a hearing in <strong>seven days</strong> and we expect that we will receive it," says attorney Knoll Lowney, who represents the 96 women who are suing McKenna to reverse his legal arguments. </p> <p>"This is an extraordinary case and we think that the judge is going to grant the injunction because Rob McKenna admits that the briefing he submitted to the U.S. Supreme court on severability is contrary to his clients interests," Knoll continues. "<strong>It&#8217;s hard to imagine a situation ever, that a state attorney would file a brief when he doesn&#8217;t believe in it and that he admits that it&#8217;s contrary to his clients interests</strong>."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/women-file-emergency-injunction-against-rob-mckenna-on-healthcare-reform-act#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677743&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/0_JQrKWxsVg" height="1" width="1"/> The Ladies http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/women-file-emergency-injunction-against-rob-mckenna-on-healthcare-reform-act?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677743&id=comments 2 Women File Emergency Injunction Against Rob McKenna on Healthcare Reform Act Nikki Mackey and her pile of legal papers. I own this Wed, 16 May 2012 12:56:13 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/siff-notes-2012 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/siff-notes-2012 David Schmader <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/a4e0/1337197217-picture_3.png" alt="Picture_3.png" title="" width="500" height="74" /></div></p> <p>You know how some years of the Seattle International Film Festival are better than others? In all seriousness, holy crap! This is the best SIFF since <em>The Stranger</em> can remember, and the entire staff watched previews until our eyes bled to find that out. You're going to find a ton to love.</p> <p>SIFF 2012 kicks off tomorrow night with Lynn Shelton's <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=12911485"><em>Your Sister's Sister</em></a>, the first film by a Seattleite (and Stranger Genius) ever to be featured at the giant gala. For closing night, it's Stephen Gyllenhaal's <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13560217"><em>Grassroots</em></a>, the tale of Grant Cogswell's 2001 run for Seattle City Council. In between, SIFF ransacks the globe for delights, from Spain (the Aptovian black comedy <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13542858"><em>Cousinhood</em></a>) to Austria (the gritty coming-of-age tale <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13527091"><em>Breathing</em></a>) to South Africa (the surfing-meets-Shakespeare-under-apartheid crowd-pleaser <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13575035"><em>Otelo Burning</em></a>) to Iran (the heart-crushing drama about life under Sharia law <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13560057"><em>Goodbye</em></a>).</p> <p>Despite SIFF's ace curating of world cinema, the film inspiring the most passion among the Stranger SIFF Squad is another Northwest product: <strong>Megan Griffiths's</strong> <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13552373"><em>Eden</em></a>, which tackles the soul-sickening subject of child sex trafficking with an artistry and humanity that is profound. <em>Eden</em> is harrowing and riveting and might be a masterpiece; <strong>if you miss it at SIFF, you're an idiot</strong>. (<a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13552373">Saturday night! 9:15 pm! Egyptian!</a>)</p> <p>Among the splashy special events: <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?search=movietimes&film=13577354"><em>The Story of Film: An Odyssey</em></a>, a cinema historian's 15-hour tribute to the glory of film from the silents through today, and <strong>"An Evening with Sissy Spacek,"</strong> featuring Terrence Malick's 1973 glory <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/MovieTimes?film=13607468"><em>Badlands</em></a> (Spacek's first performance in a leading role), followed by an onstage Q&A with Spacek herself.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/siff">Here is a guide to every single film screening in SIFF 2012</a>, featuring eyewitness reviews of more than 150 films and a baker's dozen jokes in poor taste. Dig in.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/siff-notes-2012#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678070&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/ef3q_Ok5U-s" height="1" width="1"/> SIFF Film http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/siff-notes-2012?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13678070&id=comments 1 SIFF Notes 2012! Wed, 16 May 2012 12:53:04 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-council-wants-your-advicebut-are-they-finally-ready-to-listen http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-council-wants-your-advicebut-are-they-finally-ready-to-listen Dominic Holden <p>The Seattle City Council's chief spokeswoman, Laura Lockard, just issued a statement asking writers like myself to let folks like yourself know that the council wants applicants for the <strong>Seattle Human Rights Commission</strong>. Five seats are open. Lockard explains what you'd do: "The Commission advises the Mayor and City Council on human rights and social justice issues."</p> <p>The problem is this: Most council members have <strong>ignored the commission</strong> when it counted. Sure, sure, they don't have to listen to the commission if they don't want. And, well, they don't.</p> <p>We have a recent example of a time when the commission's analysis was pertinent to pending legislation, in 2010, when the council was considering a controversial bill to penalize aggressive panhandlers (who already face criminal penalties) with further fines. In a unanimous vote against the measure and following up with a blistering 15-page report, the commission warned that the bill created due process concerns, was prone to selective enforcement, and ultimately "<strong>does not comply with human rights standards</strong>." At the final council hearing, bill sponsor Tim Burgess didn't provide copies of the report (instead he splayed out lots of papers showering support for his own legislation) and neither did Lockard. In fact, Lockard sneered when I asked her about the commission's report at that hearing, telling me that the commission only "<strong>gets as much weight as public comment</strong>." </p> <p>In the end, most council members voted against the commission's advice. That is, Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Richard Conlin, and Jean Godden told the unanimous commission to shove a cork in it. </p> <p>Now they're asking you to join it. Sigh. </p> <p>But I think you should apply anyway. In fact, I may even apply. The Seattle Human Rights Commission is stacked with brilliant, sane, forward-thinking people. Attorneys Chris Stearns and Roslyn Solomon to name two. They do great work, such as recently issuing a report on <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/humanrights/">recommendations for police accountability</a>. </p> <p>And if you're sharp at fuck (unlike me), you should apply. Send an <a href="mailto:felicia.yearwood@seattle.gov">email here</a> by May 31 with your resume and cover letter. Because the commission does make a difference. In the end, McGinn vetoed the council's odious panhandling bill&#8212;largely thanks to the commission's footwork. And this time around, if the council has an ounce of wit, it will <strong>take the commission's advice more seriously</strong> and jettison liabilities like Lockard.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-council-wants-your-advicebut-are-they-finally-ready-to-listen#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667177&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/ORHRUXMV-qE" height="1" width="1"/> City http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-council-wants-your-advicebut-are-they-finally-ready-to-listen?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667177&id=comments 3 Wed, 16 May 2012 12:37:33 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/lunchtime-quickie-its-noon-have-you-vacuumed-the-cat-yet http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/lunchtime-quickie-its-noon-have-you-vacuumed-the-cat-yet Kelly O <p>Seriously.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tZJ8CZynxVg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/lunchtime-quickie-its-noon-have-you-vacuumed-the-cat-yet#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677705&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/49vY8OJQhS4" height="1" width="1"/> Video of the Day http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/lunchtime-quickie-its-noon-have-you-vacuumed-the-cat-yet?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677705&id=comments 5 Wed, 16 May 2012 11:58:35 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/mayor-and-exec-reach-arena-deal-but-the-city-council-sounds-skeptical http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/mayor-and-exec-reach-arena-deal-but-the-city-council-sounds-skeptical Dominic Holden <p>Goldy will have more on this soon. But here's the news for now: This morning, Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that they have reached an agreement with financier Chris Hansen for a roughly $500 million sports arena in SoDo. It would be home to a new baskethooping team that would stay in Seattle for at least 30 years, if we can find one, and possibly a puck-in-goaling team. </p> <p>"The total amount to be paid to ArenaCo by the City and County for acquisition of the Project Site and the lease-purchase of the Arena Facility will be $200 million," says a <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/arena/docs/120516PR-MOU.pdf">memorandum of understanding</a> posted on the city's website. That $200 million, the cap on the public's end of the deal, would be covered by bonds funded by arena proceeds and taxes. </p> <p>But Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess, chair of the council&#8217;s finance committee, sounds less than enthusiastic in a statement he just sent to reporters. "We will determine if municipal bonds for this project are an appropriate and wise commitment from the City," Burgess wrote. His full statement appears after the jump.</p> <p>Here's Burgess has to say:</p> <blockquote><p>The Council will thoroughly review the Mayor&#8217;s proposal for a new sports arena. We will determine if municipal bonds for this project are an appropriate and wise commitment from the City. We will also explore any risks to the City&#8217;s financial stability and whether this investment provides sufficient public benefit. To the extent appropriate, we will do this work in coordination with the County Council&#8217;s concurrent review.<br /> <br />As the proposal was negotiated, my colleagues and I developed a list of issues we expect the Government Performance and Finance Committee will focus on during deliberations, including financial protections for the City, the impact of the new arena on our important maritime and industrial sector and the relationship between the City and the County. We shared this list with the Mayor&#8217;s staff in early April and through this committee we&#8217;ll examine whether the proposed agreement addresses these and other questions.</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/mayor-and-exec-reach-arena-deal-but-the-city-council-sounds-skeptical#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677091&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/XfRES-0J95o" height="1" width="1"/> City http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/mayor-and-exec-reach-arena-deal-but-the-city-council-sounds-skeptical?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677091&id=comments 24 Wed, 16 May 2012 11:23:55 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/last-nights-savage-u http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/last-nights-savage-u Christopher Frizzelle <p><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:videolist:mtv.com:1685159/cp~instance%3Dfullepisode%26autoPlay%3Dfalse%26id%3D1685159%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideolist%3Amtv.com%3A1685159" width="512" height="288" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed><div style="margin:0px;padding:4px;width:500px;text-align:center;font-family:Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/savage_u/series.jhtml" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Savage U</a> - <a href="http://www.mtv.com/videos/home.jhtml" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Full Episodes</a></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/last-nights-savage-u#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677142&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/lNmitg8_2w4" height="1" width="1"/> Sex TV http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/last-nights-savage-u?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13677142&id=comments 0 Wed, 16 May 2012 11:17:21 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/another-third-party-dies-an-ignoble-death http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/another-third-party-dies-an-ignoble-death Paul Constant <p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/americans-elect-the-third-partys-latest-death-knell/2012/05/15/gIQAP4uVRU_blog.html?wprss=rss_the-fix">The Fix says</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>Americans Elect, the group that has spent the last two years securing ballot access for a yet-to-be-named middle ground presidential candidate, wound up running into a significant problem: <strong>Finding a candidate</strong>.</p> <p>The group announced late Monday that no candidate has attained the level of support he or she would need to even be considered at the group&#8217;s online convention next month, and the deadline for candidates to qualify has passed. That leaves the group with ballot access in more than half the states &#8212; including many swing states &#8212; but<strong> no candidate to actually put on the ballot</strong>.</p> <p>The group says it will meet Thursday to decide whether to press on.</p></blockquote> <p>The top two losers at the moment are former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, and Rocky Anderson, who as near as I can tell has <strong>one very angry fan</strong> who loves getting into fights on the internet. I think if a Republican were to break with his party, say <strong>fiscal sanity is important but social issues are not</strong>, and run with a third party on the ballot in every state, that Republican would do very well for himself in November. I'm not saying Americans Elect would win the White House, but they could at least inspire the schizophrenic break that the Republican party sorely needs at this point. Romney's biggest problem is that he has to try to shape all the various past leaders of the Republican Party&#8212;teabaggers, evangelicals, neocons&#8212;into one coalition, when the party needs someone to cut ties with all those groups and offer something different for the future. A third party would be the quickest, most efficient way to do that, but it's not going to happen this year.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/another-third-party-dies-an-ignoble-death#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13666044&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/T5PLdrB2L5E" height="1" width="1"/> 2012 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/another-third-party-dies-an-ignoble-death?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13666044&id=comments 13 Wed, 16 May 2012 11:09:53 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-reaches-out-to-hispanic-voters http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-reaches-out-to-hispanic-voters Dan Savage <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qOJreyDEqqY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Um... thought it was for real when I saw the still image. Via <a href="http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/">Sullivan</a>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-reaches-out-to-hispanic-voters#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13676702&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/Bdfr9Igk1us" height="1" width="1"/> 2012 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/romney-reaches-out-to-hispanic-voters?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13676702&id=comments 6 Wed, 16 May 2012 10:13:51 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/a-critical-overview-of-the-stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/a-critical-overview-of-the-stranger Kent Merriwether, Independent Filmmaker <p><a href="www.thestranger.com/seattle/Home"><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:212px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/5fd1/1337182861-cover-400-3.jpeg" alt="cover-400-3.jpeg" title="" width="200" height="274" /></div></a><em>We're observing <strong>Slog silence from now until 11 a.m.</strong> while we have an editorial meeting, but look&#8212;we made an<a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/IssueArchives?oid=13667893"> entire paper's worth</a> of stuff for you! Here's what Kent Merriwether, Independent Filmmaker, has to say.</small></em> </p> <p>Last summer, I finished principal photography on my debut feature film, <em>The Killist</em>, about a Starbucks barista and trivia host named Vegas who's also a secret hit man. Vegas's pop-culture-savvy wit and prowess as an assassin are as sharp (and deadly) as the cut of his suit. To say that I was proud of <em>The Killist</em> would be an understatement: For less than $30,000, I produced, scripted, directed, lit, and created the SFX for a motion picture that, in my humble opinion, could stand up to any Hollywood product. People I showed the movie to compared it to Tarantino, Spielberg, and Scorsese. I completely agree. And it is no exaggeration to say that my childhood friend Eddie Blunt, making his big-screen debut as Vegas, is the next Matthew McConaughey. He falls in love with his target&#8212;a stripper played by my girlfriend, Deena Thompson. In the tour-de-force third act, Vegas has to decide between being a good company man or telling the whole system to go fuck itself.</p> <p>Since the <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-strangers-guide-to-siff-2012/Content?oid=13669941">Seattle International Film Festival</a> brags about being the biggest film festival in the country, I had high hopes when I submitted the film to SIFF for consideration last November. But then we got a rejection slip from SIFF in the mail, and it's like, what the fuck? I sent an e-mail to <em>The Stranger</em> about how they should do a feature on SIFF's bullshit standards, and they wrote back that they were "actually excited" about SIFF this year because there are "more quality films than usual." That's such complete horseshit I don't even know where to start. When I asked them to review <em>The Killist</em>, they never responded.</p> <p>After I sent a few more e-mails about it, someone finally wrote back and said I could submit my critique of SIFF "to run in the Public Editor column." I don't read <em>The Stranger</em> every week, so I don't even know what that is (sorry!), but I would just like to point out that SIFF is fucking bullshit if talented filmmakers being compared to Tarantino, Spielberg, and Scorsese aren't being given a fair shot. According to the internet,<a href="http://www.thestranger.com/siff"> the opening movie at SIFF is by Lynn Shelton</a>, who must have sucked a lot of dicks at <em>The Stranger</em> because they gave her a Genius Award and they write an article about her every three months, even though no one I know even likes her movies. Also, women are not exactly known for being good directors&#8212;get pissed if you want, but it's true.</p> <p>I tried to read about the other films that made the cut, but it's just a bunch of standard film festival crap about atomic energy is bad and rape in the military is bad. LOL. This mealy-mouthed social consciousness is just overkill. I hate that <em>The Stranger</em> is cheering on this mediocre "We Are the World" crap. If you want to see the real future of film, including my girlfriend, who I swear to god is the next Megan Fox, <em>The Killist </em>will be screening this Friday and Saturday night at the Papa Murphy's in Mountlake Terrace. The manager there actually cares about American cinema.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/a-critical-overview-of-the-stranger#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13676085&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/Md0B2zAPQFY" height="1" width="1"/> Housekeeping http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/a-critical-overview-of-the-stranger?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13676085&id=comments 11 A Critical Overview of <em>The Stranger</em> Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:44 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/hey-journalism-i-thought-you-were-supposed-to-be-better-than-this http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/hey-journalism-i-thought-you-were-supposed-to-be-better-than-this Goldy <p><a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/media-reports-confirm-rumored-existence-of-dow-constantines-penis">I can't match Dan for eloquence</a>, but I also can't resist adding my own two cents on <strong>PenisGate</strong>, mostly to express surprise that allegedly credible news organizations like SeattlePI.com, KING-5 News, and even the <em>Seattle Times</em> chose to give this non-story legs.</p> <p>I'm constantly being told how you real journalists are all so much better than dirty bloggers like me. Apparently not.</p> <p>Don't get me wrong, I love me some muckraking, and I'm not above dishing the dirt of a politician's private life <strong>when it is relevant</strong>. But absent evidence of malfeasance or hypocrisy (of which there is none) I fail to see how a relationship between an unmarried politician and another consenting adult is any of my business, let alone scandalous.</p> <p>I know, I know, "Who's being the hypocrite now, Goldy?" you might say, and if a similar story had arisen about a Republican politician, yeah, I probably would have covered it. But A) I'm a partisan liberal Democratic hack, not a neutral, objective, fair-and-balanced reporter, remember? And B) a Republican politician engaging in extramarital sexual relations is <strong>almost by default a hypocrite</strong> (and thus fair game) due to his party's relentless and oppressive Christianist campaign to impose their so-called "family values" on the rest of us. I don't see many Democrats dressing up anti-gay bigotry "in defense of marriage," so they deserve a little more leeway in terms of how they conduct their own private lives.</p> <p>And as long as we're talking about hypocrisy, let's talk a little more about the constantly moving standards at the <em>Seattle Times</em>. When I revealed the reason why 2005 Republican King County executive nominee David Irons Jr.'s own mother wouldn't vote for him&#8212;<a href="http://horsesass.org/?p=1098">she said he hit her</a>&#8212;the <em>Seattle Times</em> was just about the only media outlet to refuse to cover the scandal, despite the fact that Irons' parents had pleaded with Joni Balter to tell their story before I ever caught whiff of it. And when the <em>Seattle Times</em> came into possession of 62 pages of documents detailing sexual harassment charges against then Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland, they sat on it. For months. In the middle of the 2008 election season. It wasn't until the documents finally came my way and <a href="http://horsesass.org/?p=5191">I broke the story</a> that the <em>Seattle Times</em> and a number of other newspapers who also passed at the story finally front-paged the scandal for fear of being scooped by their print competitors.</p> <p>With each of those stories and throughout my blogging career I heard from reporters and columnists who have questioned my journalistic ethics and standards, but, you know, <strong>you can't have it both ways</strong>. You can't roll your eyes at our "fuck"-filled reporting while at the same time stooping to levels of scandal-mongering beneath the standards of <em>The Stranger's</em> newsroom.</p> <p>Or if you can, could you at least be consistent about it so that we know what we're up against? Thanks.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/hey-journalism-i-thought-you-were-supposed-to-be-better-than-this#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667633&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/bzGFbRBhzgg" height="1" width="1"/> Media http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/hey-journalism-i-thought-you-were-supposed-to-be-better-than-this?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667633&id=comments 9 Wed, 16 May 2012 08:44:53 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/professional-acting-advice-for-mitt-romney http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/professional-acting-advice-for-mitt-romney David Schmader <p>From <em>Inside the Actors Studio</em>'s James Lipton, via <a href="http://videos.nymag.com/video/James-Lipton-Advice-Mitt-Romney;Most-Recent-in-News#c=JQYKVP34X3NYQZC3&t=How to Act Human: James Lipton's Advice for Mitt Romney">NY Mag</a>.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe src="http://videos.nymag.com/video/James-Lipton-Advice-Mitt-Romney/player?layout=&title_height=24" width="416" height="291" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/professional-acting-advice-for-mitt-romney#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13676047&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/soCv7HAlEFM" height="1" width="1"/> Politics Arts http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/professional-acting-advice-for-mitt-romney?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13676047&id=comments 1 Wed, 16 May 2012 08:36:07 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/so-those-christians-who-yelled-at-me http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/so-those-christians-who-yelled-at-me Dan Savage <p>...for <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/01/testaments-old-and-new">citing a verse from the Old Testament</a> to demonstrate how Christians read the Bible selectively&#8212;they toss around the anti-gay bits, they completely ignore the <a href="http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/dt/22.html">kill-your-non-virgin-daughters</a> bits (to say nothing of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6%3A5-9&version=NIV">the slavery bits</a>)&#8212;are going to jump down <a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/05/manny_pacquiao_gays_put_to_death.php">this professional boxer's throat</a>, right?</p> <blockquote><p>Manny Pacquiao, who lives and trains in Los Angeles, is probably in deep shit in this liberal city of brotherly love. That's because the boxing champion said that gay men "must be put to death." Really. In a recent interview with the <em>National Conservative Examiner</em> the fighter quoted the Bible in relaying his feelings about President Obama's support for same-sex marriage: "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Um. Okay. He was quoting Leviticus 20:13.</p></blockquote> <p>Um. Okay. Leviticus 20:13 is from the Old Testament. Which, according to the screamers I heard from, isn't "<a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/01/testaments-old-and-new">germaine</a>" to Christians. I expect that Pacquiao will start to hear from scores of outraged Christians in three, two, one... never. Via <a href="http://www.joemygod.blogspot.com/2012/05/pro-boxer-gays-must-be-put-to-death.html">JMG</a>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/so-those-christians-who-yelled-at-me#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675934&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/K3iOPps_tlY" height="1" width="1"/> Religion LGBTQITSLFA http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/so-those-christians-who-yelled-at-me?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675934&id=comments 38 Wed, 16 May 2012 08:34:43 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/wednesday-morning-news http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/wednesday-morning-news Jen Graves <p><b>Another Murder in Seattle (Shoreline)</b>: <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/crime/2-shot-in-Shoreline-151673305.html">A 17-year-old girl was shot and died</a>. KING 5 reports, "Police believe the unknown suspects opened fire in an apartment complex parking lot on the 300 block of Richmond Beach Road around 12:30 a.m." An 18-year-old man still in critical at Harborview.</p> <p><b>War Crimes Trial of Bosnian Military Leader</b>: <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/05/20125162133193486.html">Has begun at the Hague</a>. In the courtroom, Al Jazeera English reports, "Mladic made eye contact with one of the Muslim women in the audience, running a hand across his throat, in a gesture that led Presiding judge Alphons Orie to hold a brief recess and order an end to 'inappropriate interactions.'"</p> <p><b>Run on the Banks in Greece</b>: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18086419">Greek president tells the BBC it is "great fear that could develop into a panic."</a></p> <p><b>Oil Leak in Whidbey Island's Penn Cove</b>: <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018215487_penncove16m.html">Rickety old boat leaks oil for a mile and a half, catches fire, and sinks</a>.</p> <p><b>The New First Partner of France</b>: A journalist, not married to Hollande, just partnered. "&#8220;I haven&#8217;t been raised to serve a husband,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I built my entire life on the idea of independence.&#8221; And when her own magazine ran her picture on its cover, she congratulated it for its sexism on Twitter. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/world/europe/frances-first-lady-valerie-trierweiler-seeks-her-own-path.html?_r=1&hp">Introducing Val&#233;rie Trierweiler, the opposite of a trophy wife</a>.</p> <p><b>Some States Are Using Money Meant for Housing to Close Budget Gaps</b>: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/business/states-diverting-mortgage-settlement-money-to-other-uses.html?hp">The money is from a banks settlement, and meant to help homeowners</a>. (I clicked through to the study; Washington is not an offender.)</p> <p><b>45 Layoffs Last Week</b>: <a href="http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2012/05/seattle-schools-send-layoff-notices-to-45-employees/">Of Seattle school teachers and employees</a>. (Oh yeah, it was <a href="http://www.teacher-appreciation.info/Teacher-Appreciation-Week-2012/">Teacher Appreciation Week</a>, too.)</p> <p><b>Crackdown</b>: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/world/europe/riot-police-break-up-antigovernment-encampment-in-moscow.html?hp">On anti-Putin protests in Russia</a>.</p> <p><b>9-Year-Old Boy Holds Up His Own Sign at Westboro Baptist Hate Fest</b>: <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/05/16/152821271/9-year-old-to-westboro-baptist-god-hates-no-one?ft=1&f=1001">"God Hates Nobody."</a></p> <p><b>Jerry Sandusky</b>: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/05/16/us/ap-us-penn-state-abuse.html?hp">He's asking the judge to, you know, just let him go.</a></p> <p><b>Kony Watch</b>: <a href="http://blogs.aljazeera.com/africa/2012/05/14/closing-joseph-kony">Ugandan army and US Special Forces may or may not be close to finding Joseph Kony</a>.</p> <p><b>Cuts to Federal Child Care Aid</b>: <a href="http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/16/11583469-child-care-cost-hikes-derailing-womens-careers?lite">Derailing women's careers. But not in this great country! Or...</a></p> <p><b>Silverton, Colorado, Population 638, Is Saving its Newspaper!</b>: <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47163008/ns/today-today_news/t/tiny-town-chips-save-its-historic-newspaper/#.T7PeoJ9Ys8g"><em>Today</em> reports</a>, "How's the paper doing now? 'We made $236 last year in profit,' Esper said. I laughed. 'Hey,' he cried, 'don't sneeze at that. It's more money than a lot of big papers make!'"</p> <p><b>You Have More Sperm Than You Think</b>: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120515-are-sperm-counts-dropping">That scary the-sperms-are-falling! the-sperms-are-falling! study from 20 years ago was not so simple</a>.</p> <p>It's not only sperms that are falling! "My thought is that when God drops a puppy from the sky, you keep it." Okay, but did anybody actually see the hawk drop the puppy from the sky? IMPORTANT NEWS, people.</p> <p><object width="420" height="245" id="msnbca21f6" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" /><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=47444200&width=420&height=245" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed name="msnbca21f6" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="420" height="245" FlashVars="launch=47444200&width=420&height=245" allowscriptaccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">breaking news</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">world news</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">news about the economy</a></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/wednesday-morning-news#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675819&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/2RTtobeWpfo" height="1" width="1"/> News http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/wednesday-morning-news?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675819&id=comments 7 Wed, 16 May 2012 08:32:00 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/what-do-governor-chris-gregoire-and-ny-times-columnist-thomas-friedman-have-in-common http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/what-do-governor-chris-gregoire-and-ny-times-columnist-thomas-friedman-have-in-common Cienna Madrid <p>They both eat lunch, apparently. A keen-eyed slog tipper spotted Gregoire slurping lemonade with Friedman downtown yesterday at the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar. It looked a little something like this:</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/02ba/1337178666-greoigre_friedman.jpg" alt="I went to high school with the Coen brothers, you know." title="I went to high school with the Coen brothers, you know." width="500" height="198" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption">"I went to high school with the Coen brothers, you know."<br />"Oh really? I adored their movie about bowling."</li></ul></div></p> <p>I really wanted to know what they discussed, but sadly our slog tipper refused to don a mustache and pose as a waiter for eavesdropping purposes, or sidle up to a neighboring table while pretending to read a copy of the <em>NY Times</em>. Which means all we can do is speculate wildly. Help me out, Sloggers!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/what-do-governor-chris-gregoire-and-ny-times-columnist-thomas-friedman-have-in-common#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13669175&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/XqYX4IdKjqY" height="1" width="1"/> Chow http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/what-do-governor-chris-gregoire-and-ny-times-columnist-thomas-friedman-have-in-common?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13669175&id=comments 12 What Do Governor Chris Gregoire and <em>NY Times</em> Columnist Thomas Friedman Have in Common? "I went to high school with the Coen brothers, you know." The Stranger Wed, 16 May 2012 08:31:59 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/pants-on-prairie-fire http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/pants-on-prairie-fire Paul Constant <p>You know your big speech on President Obama's "prairie fire" of a national debt is a bust if even <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/mitt-romney-debt-speech-inferno_n_1519253.html">the Associated Press </a>feels the need to do a step-by-step fisking of <strong>all the lies in it</strong>:</p> <blockquote><p>ROMNEY: "America counted on President Obama to rescue the economy, tame the deficit and help create jobs. Instead, he bailed out the public sector, gave billions of your dollars to the companies of his friends, and added almost as much debt as all the prior presidents combined."</p> <p>THE FACTS. <strong>Hardly.</strong> Presidents from George Washington through George W. Bush ran the national debt up to $10.62 trillion, the amount it was on the day Obama took office. Today, it is $15.67 trillion, according to the Treasury Department's Bureau of Public Debt. So it has gone up by $5.05 trillion under Obama. That's roughly half of the amount amassed by all the other presidents combined.</p> <p>In short, the debt has gone up by about half under Obama. <strong>Under Ronald Reagan, it tripled</strong>.</p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/mitt-romney-debt-speech-inferno_n_1519253.html">There's much more</a>. Every politician stretches the truth a little, but Mitt Romney<strong> out-and-out lies repeatedly</strong>. And there's no way to call him on those lies directly, because he <strong>doesn't make himself available to reporters</strong>. This morning, Romney campaign staffers were <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/kasie/status/202758361823973376">physically preventing reporters</a> from taking places at the rope line at an event so they could ask questions of him. Is this the Romney campaign strategy? Lie as much as possible and keep the hell away from reporters so you don't get called on it?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/pants-on-prairie-fire#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675831&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/pE2wBUbJ5HE" height="1" width="1"/> 2012 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/pants-on-prairie-fire?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675831&id=comments 28 Wed, 16 May 2012 08:02:54 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-universal-subway http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-universal-subway Charles Mudede <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18072627">BBC</a>:<br /><blockquote>A study of the world's largest subway networks has revealed that they are remarkably mathematically similar.</p> <p>The layouts seem to converge over time to a similar structure regardless of where or over how long they were built.</p> <p>The study, in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, analysed 14 subway networks around the world.</p> <p><strong>It found common distributions of stations within the networks</strong>, as well as common proportions of the numbers of lines, stations, and total distances.</p></blockquote> <p>Later in the story:<br /><blockquote>"Although these (networks) might appear to be planned in some centralised manner, it is our contention here that subway systems like many other features of city systems evolve and self-organise themselves as the product of a stream of rational but usually uncoordinated decisions taking place through time," they wrote.</p></blockquote> <p>I love how this seems to point to a kind of global logic or mind. The subway system begins with the particular (<a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/seattle-subway/Content?oid=13321295">a given city</a>) <br /><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:312px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/01b4/1337181110-1322066747-subway.png" alt="1322066747-subway.png" title="" width="300" height="400" /></div><br />...and slowly evolves into the universal (the truly global city, the terminal point of humanity).<br /><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:412px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/beb6/1337180233-screen_shot_2012-05-16_at_7.56.29_am.png" alt="Screen_shot_2012-05-16_at_7.56.29_AM.png" title="" width="400" height="241" /></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-universal-subway#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675822&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/NjeskulbkrY" height="1" width="1"/> Transportation http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-universal-subway?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13675822&id=comments 18 The Universal Subway Wed, 16 May 2012 07:49:36 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-beacon-food-forest http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-beacon-food-forest Bethany Jean Clement <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:262px;"><a href="http://beaconfoodforest.weebly.com/"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/5b07/1337122159-screen_shot_2012-05-15_at_3.46.55_pm.png" alt="Screen_shot_2012-05-15_at_3.46.55_PM.png" title="" width="250" height="158" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">beaconfoodforest.weebly.com</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>Have you heard about the <a href="http://beaconfoodforest.weebly.com/">Beacon Food Forest</a>? It sounds really, really cool. The possible problem, per <a href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2012/04/should-seattle-really-be-growing-goji-berries-and-jujubes/1802/">the Atlantic</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>Of course, any "free" food source begs the question of what to do with <strong>overzealous pickers</strong>. No definitive answer on how to handle that predicament has been established yet, though. According to Herlihy, the only solutions right now are to produce an abundance of fruit so there's enough for everyone and to embed <strong>"thieves' gardens"</strong> with extra plants in the park for those people eager to take more than their share.</p></blockquote> <p>...but all <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/">the city's P-Patches</a> (of which the planned Food Forest is a part) <strong>seem to do all right</strong> contending with that potential issue... and a program in a small town in England has had to urge people to come and take the produce.</p> <blockquote><p>&#8220;What we found was that in the first 18 months or two years nobody picked anything,&#8221; says Pam Warhurst, originator of the <a href="http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/">Incredible Edible Todmorden</a> project. &#8220;We had to keep saying to them, <strong>go on, it&#8217;s fine, you can help yourself</strong>. Eventually people got the knack of it."</p></blockquote> <p>Seattle is just <strong>as polite as an English village</strong>. (And as unaccustomed to picking fruit and vegetables for free&#8212;I wonder how much of the hesitation is "but it might be DIRTY!"-related.)</p> <p>Also, <strong>if you need it that bad, take it</strong>. That's kind of the point, isn't it?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-beacon-food-forest#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667333&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/PXfi0Arw_7w" height="1" width="1"/> Chow http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/the-beacon-food-forest?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667333&id=comments 5 The Beacon Food Forest! beaconfoodforest.weebly.com Wed, 16 May 2012 07:35:38 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/charges-against-one-may-day-protester-dropped-after-incident-video-surfaces http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/charges-against-one-may-day-protester-dropped-after-incident-video-surfaces Eli Sanders <p>From the King County Prosecutor's office:</p> <blockquote><p><strong>Joshua Garland, 28</strong>, was charged with one count of Assault Third Degree for allegedly grabbing a police officer's hand and twisting and pulling his arm. After reviewing video provided by Garland's defense attorney showing the alleged incident, prosecutors no longer believe they could prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.</p></blockquote> <p>Andy Roberston, the attorney for Joshua Garland, tells me that the charge-dropping video comes from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr_FljU4FRM">YouTube user seanbann</a>, and shows Garland, at about :20 in, holding a large camera and wearing a black a bandana over his nose and mouth as he gets forcefully pulled behind police lines and arrested.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="540" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yr_FljU4FRM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Garland is <a href="http://www.alexgarlandphotography.com/">a photographer</a> who goes by Alex (that's his middle name) and if you notice him wearing a gas mask beneath the black bandana, his attorney says that's "because he was pepper sprayed by police earlier in the day, while shooting photos."</p> <p>Three other protesters still face charges of assaulting officers during the May Day protests, and are set to be arraigned on May 17.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/charges-against-one-may-day-protester-dropped-after-incident-video-surfaces#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13672832&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/ojZODK27nq0" height="1" width="1"/> City http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/16/charges-against-one-may-day-protester-dropped-after-incident-video-surfaces?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13672832&id=comments 20 Wed, 16 May 2012 06:00:00 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/charles-mudede-forgives-jay-z-for-everything http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/charles-mudede-forgives-jay-z-for-everything Grant Brissey <p><a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/blogs/lineout/">And tonight everyone can breath well and sleep deep.</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/un-WT6Ufn0I" height="1" width="1"/> The Ladies http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/charles-mudede-forgives-jay-z-for-everything?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13670848&id=comments 0 Tue, 15 May 2012 19:17:38 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sl-letter-of-the-day-bi-boy-problems http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sl-letter-of-the-day-bi-boy-problems Dan Savage <blockquote><p>I'm a 16-year-old bisexual guy with a preference&#8212;at least at this point in time&#8212;for guys. I have a girlfriend. I have known her for almost five years. We have been in a long-distance relationship since September 2011. Despite the fact that she moved from where I live up to about four hours north by car, we still manage to have a great relationship. For example, I attended her Prom earlier this month.</p> <p>However, I also attended my city's LGBTQ Prom this past Saturday. There I met a 17-year-old guy that I found somewhat attractive. He hit on me throughout the night. I gave him my number, not thinking he would take that as an initiative to try to start a relationship with me, but that night and the day after, however, he texted me often, and made me both uncomfortable and enthralled.</p> <p>My girlfriend&#8212;let's call her "Selena"&#8212;and I have a very good relationship, but, both of us being bisexual, we have discussed the possibility of being in an exclusive heterosexual relationship with one another whil having smaller relationships with the same-gender partners on the side. She had a friend-with-benefits near the beginning of our relationship that she no longer sees but the topic hasn't been brought up in a while. I am worried as to the outcome of telling her about my "crush." Selena has always enjoyed our talks about each other's same-gender attractions, but I'm incredibly clueless as to how to discuss this to her.</p> <p>The texts that the boy&#8212;let's call him "Dave"&#8212;sent me, some of them at least, were sexual in nature, and we discussed possibly meeting up and starting a sexual relationship. He lives very close to where I do and attends a school a block from my house. I am a virgin&#8212;both genders considered&#8212;and the idea of sex right now makes me uneasy. But I am interested. Still, sex as an idea scares me at this point and I don't think I'd be ready for that sort of thing. As such, this afternoon, I told Dave that I felt we were moving too fast. He agreed. I still, though, felt like I wanted to get to know him better, possibly as a future boyfriend.</p> <p>I suppose I have two problems:</p> <p><strong>1.</strong> How should I talk to Selena about this? I'm sure she wouldn't be too opposed to the idea, but if she were, I would probably feel a bit inhibited. Should I bring it up as a question or as an idea? I'm sincerely clueless.</p> <p><strong>2.</strong> How can I have a good relationship with Dave in a non-sexual way? He has gone as far as giving and receiving blowjobs, and I would be uncomfortable with both at this point in my life. I like him a lot, but is it a bit too much to ask to be more than friends if he is sexually active and I am not interested in the idea.</p> <p>Thank you very much.</p> <p><em>Not Agreeable Intervals</em></p> <p>P.S. My apologies if this problem is a bit juvenile.</p></blockquote> <p>My response after the jump.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;">&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;&#183;</div></p> <p><strong>1.</strong> Openly, honestly, directly and without hesitation. It might help if you remind yourself&#8212;again and again&#8212;that while the stakes feel high right now, NAI, they're actually quite low. You've known Selena for a long time, and you're good friends, and you have a nice, safe, comfortable thing going with her. It sounds like your relationship with Selena has been a nice buffer; that is, this long-distance relationship has allowed you to explore the emotional and social aspects of dating without any sexual pressures or expectations. And this relationship has been great for you, there's been a lot of affection, an you'll no doubt be bummed when it ends. But remember: there aren't a lot of adults out there who are still dating&#8212;or who are married to&#8212;the folks they were dating in high school. So your relationship with Selena, however wonderful, is destined to end at some point... and if this conversation ends it, well, your relationship with Selena was destined to end at some point, right?</p> <p>So tell her this: "I went to the LGBTQ Prom and met this boy and he's been calling and texting me and I don't want date him&#8212;I'm only somewhat attracted to him and he's more experienced than I am and frankly he's come on a little strong&#8212;but honestly I'm enjoying the attention. So I wanted to check in with you about that same-gender-partners-on-the-side arrangement we used to talk about. Not because I'm going to jump into bed with this guy. I'm not ready for sex. But eventually I am going to be ready for sex&#8212;including sex with boys&#8212;and I think we should talk about this stuff now, Selena."</p> <p>If Selena freaks out and dumps your ass, well, your relationship with Selena was destined to end at some point, right?</p> <p><strong>2.</strong> Tell Dave you're not ready for sex but you could use a friend.</p> <p>And don't assume that because Dave's sexually active he wouldn't be interested in a friendship. If it turns out that friendship is "too much to ask" of Dave&#8212;if he really is only interested in your dick&#8212;he'll let you know by either disappearing or by accepting your friendship so that he can continue to pressuring you for sex. If he disappears on you, well, he wasn't a very nice guy and you didn't lose much. If he accepts your friendship and pressures you for sex then he's a terrible guy and you won't lose much when you disappear on him.</p> <p>But he might be up for being friends. So ask.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sl-letter-of-the-day-bi-boy-problems#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13669549&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/-MLoHERN8Pk" height="1" width="1"/> Savage Love http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sl-letter-of-the-day-bi-boy-problems?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13669549&id=comments 23 Tue, 15 May 2012 17:34:10 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/did-president-obama-swear http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/did-president-obama-swear Paul Constant <p><a href="http://">So it has come to this:</a></p> <blockquote><p>News of <strong>Obama&#8217;s usage of the dirty &#8220;s&#8221; word</strong> [<em>NOTE: She means "shit," but she cannot type the word "shit," perhaps because she is Mormon, or an elementary-school student.</em>] came when Huffington Post editor Ethan Klapper tweeted &#8220;Obama hot mic just now &#8212; &#8216;I gotta get my sh&#8230;&#8230;&#8217;&#8221; right after the president allegedly used the full-length version of the obscenity....Fox Nation has muffled audio of the utterance, although I&#8217;ve listened to it about ten times and still cannot make out any bad language. And Mary Ann LoFrumento says he never swore to begin with, having tweeted in the aftermath of Klapper&#8217;s tweet, &#8220;I was sitting close to the President on the platform and he said &#8216;<strong>I gotta get my gift</strong>&#8217; referring to his medal of distinction.&#8221;</p></blockquote> <p>This is <strong>the most important issue of our time</strong>! Here's the video:</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/emeYTL5sY6w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/did-president-obama-swear#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667247&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/d7i26gkPlPA" height="1" width="1"/> 2012 http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/did-president-obama-swear?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667247&id=comments 32 Tue, 15 May 2012 16:26:39 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/heather-mchugh-is-giving-the-theodore-roethke-memorial-poetry-reading-at-uw-on-thursday http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/heather-mchugh-is-giving-the-theodore-roethke-memorial-poetry-reading-at-uw-on-thursday Christopher Frizzelle <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/16f8/1337123909-skeleton-and-mchugh.jpg" alt="skeleton-and-Mchugh.jpg" title="" width="500" height="332" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">David Belisle</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>Heather McHugh, the certified genius&#8212;by <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=316787"><em>The Stranger</em></a> and then, a few months later, by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Fellows_Program">John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur</a>&#8212;is reading from a wide range of her work on Thursday, May 17, at Kane Hall at 8 pm. <strong>It's free.</strong> If you care at all about poetry&#8212;or humor, or life&#8212;you should go. </p> <p>The Roethke memorial reading is a big deal. This is its 49th year. Past readers: Robert Lowell, Elizabeth Bishop, James Merrill, Seamus Heaney, and <a href="https://depts.washington.edu/engl/events/rreaders.php">other world-famous poets.</a></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/heather-mchugh-is-giving-the-theodore-roethke-memorial-poetry-reading-at-uw-on-thursday#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667876&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/iyqjQK_jW5Y" height="1" width="1"/> Books http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/heather-mchugh-is-giving-the-theodore-roethke-memorial-poetry-reading-at-uw-on-thursday?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13667876&id=comments 2 Heather McHugh Is Giving the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Reading at UW on Thursday David Belisle Tue, 15 May 2012 16:18:40 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sage-study-claims-light-rail-is-pushing-minorities-out-of-rainier-valley http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sage-study-claims-light-rail-is-pushing-minorities-out-of-rainier-valley Cienna Madrid <p><em>This post has been updated.</em></p> <p>The addition of light rail is driving up rents and hastening gentrification in one of Puget Sound's most racially diverse neighborhoods&#8212;Rainier Valley&#8212;and without aggressive new jobs and housing policies that favor working class families, <strong>the fabric of the neighborhood will be destroyed</strong>, argues <a href="http://pugetsoundsage.org/article.php?id=448">a report released yesterday</a> by Puget Sound Sage (formerly known as the Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs and Housing for Everyone, or SAGE).</p> <p>"Since construction of the light rail land values around the stations have increased dramatically," says the Sage report. Already, minority populations are dwindling, the report continues, and "The presence of light rail stations in Rainier Valley is likely to cause more gentrification."</p> <p>While the minority population grew by 47 percent over the last decade in King County (and the white population shrank by two percent), in Rainier Valley, the trend is reversed: Communities of color only increased by 5 percent over that same period&#8212;and the white population increased by 17 percent. </p> <p>The study notes that <strong>23 percent of low-income Rainier Valley residents depend on public transit to get to work</strong> (versus only 14 percent of their more affluent neighbors)&#8212;and thus would benefit the most from transit-oriented development. </p> <p>"The report highlights, and we hear it over and over again, that <strong>the success of light rail threatens to destroy what we find beautiful in the neighborhood</strong>," explains Seattle City Council member Mike O'Brien, a staunch advocate for more light rail who expressed concern not only for low-income residents but for local businesses in the area. "The mix of cultural businesses is critical and they might not exist if real estate triples in the next few years. We're pretty good about housing in the city, but when it comes to affordable retail space, it's definitely a new field for us."</p> <p>City officials have already recognized the importance of preserving south Seattle neighborhoods&#8212;most recently around the Othello light rail station, with a newly-launched city initiative that seeks to stabilize small businesses in the area and build a multicultural center for residents (here's a <a class="pdflink" href="http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2012/05/15/1337117010-net_initiative_council_presentation.pdf" target="_blank">.pdf</a> of the initiative). But Sage's new report, "Transit Oriented Development that&#8217;s Healthy, Green and Just," suggests it's not enough:</p> <p>"Existing efforts are likely to <strong>fall short of stemming the tide of displacement</strong> or realizing a vision that puts racial justice at the center of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning," the study states. The goal of transit-oriented development is, of course, to encourage the growth of dense, walkable communities with healthy public transit options to reduce our reliance on cars. </p> <p>Although it's short on details, the 50-page study lists 16 recommendations for curbing displacement along southeast Seattle's light rail corridor, including:</p> <p>&#183; Create "local, high quality jobs in TOD projects in Rainier Valley&#8212;including both short-term construction jobs and long-term, on-site jobs."</p> <p>&#183; Along those lines, the report also recommends pushing for higher wages at service-sector jobs along the light rail corridor&#8212;like at SeaTac airport, where <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/14/new-report-highlights-poverty-wages-at-sea-tac-airport">current wages rival those of McDonald's employees</a>.</p> <p>&#183; Ensure affordable childcare near light rail stations for working parents.</p> <p>&#183; Support "community-controlled development" to help "stabilize Rainier Valley residents"&#8212;in other words, promote nonprofit development projects, like <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/04/02/city-grants-el-centros-petition-to-beef-up-property-height">El Centro de la Raza's mixed-use affordable housing and performance center space</a>, in lieu of for-profit development projects.</p> <p>&#183; Turn surplus Sound Transit property into affordable housing and affordable commercial development projects through "joint development projects."</p> <p>&#183; Include communities of color in TOD decision-making, not just stakeholder meetings to achieve racial equity outcomes.</p> <p>But the report neglects to explain how many of the recommendations could, or should, be implemented. What role does the city have in dictating working wages, for example? </p> <p>"One of the tricks is figuring out how to do that," O'Brien says. Over the coming months, O'Brien is organizing meetings with his fellow council members and Sage representatives to figure out how the recommendations can be absorbed by various city entities and projects.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sage-study-claims-light-rail-is-pushing-minorities-out-of-rainier-valley#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13665376&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/stranger/slog/~4/DzJ5TdOx-ow" height="1" width="1"/> Transportation City http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/15/sage-study-claims-light-rail-is-pushing-minorities-out-of-rainier-valley?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13665376&id=comments 42 Tue, 15 May 2012 15:49:01 -0700 The Stranger