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Friday, July 20, 2007

Tension at The Stranger

posted by on July 20 at 15:24 PM

posted by Jeff Kirby

It’s probably not wise that I speak out against a Stranger writer in his own forum, but his brazen words in this week’s paper have left me little choice. Brendan Kiley’s article about the Seattle Center is irresponsible journalism at its worst; the kind of near-sighted, poorly researched slander that should cost a journalist his job in a fair and just world. He left out the single most important aspect of the story, the center of Seattle Center: this is where one goes to get good taffy. The Center house may be built like an armory, and it may have had maggots fall from the ceiling at one point, but god damn it if it isn’t the only place I know around here where a man can get some fresh, flavorful taffy. Kiley advocates for “plan four,” in which it is suggested the Center House “build a fancy-ish restaurant up top and some cheaper cafes on the bottom, mak[ing] the whole thing less a food court and more a place you’d want to be.” The Center House is better than a “food court,” Mr. Kiley. You can’t get freshly pulled taffy at the goddamn mall, now can you? And what do you suggest we build in its place? A “cheap café”? I don’t want a cheap café; I want to see my taffy being made in front of my eyes, like Benihana for people who still have their soul. But you, like the people in charge of plotting the destruction of this city treasure, obviously just don’t get it. For shame, Brendan Kiley. For shame.

RSS icon Comments

1

Fuck taffy. Raze the place and put in a garden.

Posted by Jude Fawley | July 20, 2007 3:36 PM
2

The Commons...part deux!

Posted by YouHadYourChance | July 20, 2007 3:44 PM
3

Fuck a garden. Pave it over and drop a Chihuley sculpture that looks like taffy smack in the middle.

Posted by Noroestero | July 20, 2007 3:47 PM
4

Not "like" an armory. It *was* an armory.

Posted by MvB | July 20, 2007 3:48 PM
5

@1 yeah, a BEER garden!

Posted by Callie | July 20, 2007 3:50 PM
6

Eat a dick. Taffy sucks and you all know it. Kiley in '08, bitches!

Posted by davej | July 20, 2007 3:57 PM
7

Let's walk around the Seattle Center campus with Meinert and figure this out.

Posted by Ewen Dingwall | July 20, 2007 4:04 PM
8

I couldn't agree more 'bout Mr Kiley's article. I have many good taffy memories; having secretly lived in an exhibit in the Childrens Museum for years I live on the stuff. Dont forget the awesome carmel apples & fudge!!!!!!

Posted by Special K | July 20, 2007 4:05 PM
9

Plus, they still have an Orange Julius. Delicious since 1926. (check out their pyschadelic website)

Posted by orange | July 20, 2007 4:11 PM
10

The sad thing about the Center is that no matter how crappy it is, or you think it is, whatever they replace it with will be ten times worse. And anyone involved in the discussion who mentions "Central Park" or "Boston Common" should be killed.

Posted by Fnarf | July 20, 2007 4:28 PM
11

I hate when this happens.

No, not tension at the Stranger. Whatever to that. I can't stand when someone starts an entry with a premise that I completely agree with, but then the reasoning is something completely stupid, irrelevant and inane. LOL.

I do think Kiley completely fucked this article up. The article's problem is that, in discussing the revitalization proposals, Kiley skips over the alternative proposals with an attitude of 'oh, take my word for it, they suck' and never bothers to explain them. But then he goes on lengthy tangents about the proposal he likes. Same old shitty one sided Stranger 'advocacy journalism' i.e. blatantly choosing a side, and ignoring facts that don't support their side of the story.

If Kiley presents the alternate proposals just ONCE, and then briefly explains what about them misses the boat, the articles gains serious credibility. But he doesn't, and it just comes across as more of the same bullshit. You're telling me Savage couldn't give Kiley an extra 100-200 words of space to make such a crucial point? Or would making the points have derailed the entire article?

This is especially frustrating given ECB's article on the Stone Way bike lanes was completely pointless (I rode the 16 yesterday and I saw newly drawn bike lanes on Stone Way: WTF, ECB?), and, even if it wasn't, redundant and could've been cut in half, which would've left Kiley with more than enough space (given requisite ad re-placement) to do what it took to solidify his article.

As it stands, he looks like a fucking liar who is willfully withholding crucial info.

Posted by Gomez | July 20, 2007 4:29 PM
12

love the food court - and the stage in the middle - dancing, music, fun-fun-fun, unique and interesting and authentic, and CHEAP, or at least affordable

leave it to the we need to change everything people to attack the one thing that works well for tens of thousands of visitors, and is not a mall.

paint it, spruce it up, new lights, floor covering and let it be for 40 more years

kiddie rides can replace fun forrest

Posted by Gold | July 20, 2007 4:31 PM
13

Okay, it was a little harsh to call Kiley a liar, but it's bad journalism and bad form to omit critical facts.

Posted by Gomez | July 20, 2007 4:34 PM
14

Gomez: Seriously, proposals two and three were "incremental compromises" and half-measures just like I wrote, along the lines of Let's tear down some of the Northwest Rooms but not the stadium or Let's tear down the stadium but not the Northwest Rooms.

Posted by brendan | July 20, 2007 5:24 PM
15

So Bush meets this Marine who lost both his legs in Iraq and says \"Good Man, We\'re Gonna Get Him Some New Legs...\" Bush is the guy Dan Savage supported to start a war in Iraq. The Marine is the guy who is paying the price for Bush\'s stupidity and incompetence.

Excerpts below from Dan Savage\'s \"Say yes to war\" piece Oct. 2002

\"While the American left is content to see an Iraqi dictator terrorizing the Iraqi people, the Bushies in D.C. are not. \"We do not intend to put American lives at risk to replace one dictator with another,\" Dick Cheney recently told reporters. For those of you who were too busy making papier-mâché puppets of George W. Bush last week to read the papers, you may have missed this page-one statement in last Friday\'s New York Times: \"The White House is developing a detailed plan, modeled on the postwar occupation of Japan, to install an American-led military government in Iraq if the United States topples Saddam Hussein.\"\"

\"In the meantime, invading and rebuilding Iraq will not only free the Iraqi people, it will also make the Saudis aware of the consequences they face if they continue to oppress their own people while exporting terrorism and terrorists. The War on Iraq will make it clear to our friends and enemies in the Middle East (and elsewhere) that we mean business: Free your people, reform your societies, liberalize, and democratize... or we\'re going to come over there, remove you from power, free your people, and reform your societies for ourselves\"

Posted by For Shame Dan Savage for shame | July 20, 2007 10:10 PM
16

Is this the best parting shot that the "unpaid intern" can deliver before going back to school? l4m3!

Posted by mmbb | July 21, 2007 12:11 AM
17

I'm sure everyone has their ear to the ground to hear my ammendments to the Seattle Center plan, but I say that LQA needs a goddamned neighborhood playfield. Stick one in the Seattle Center.
(Fnarf - I know, there's nothing TO DO at the Boston Commons but amble around, stand up and sit down, but it does have a handful of playfields.)

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | July 21, 2007 8:48 AM
18

I agree with Jeff. More taffy. They need a taffy museum *and* a fudge museum as well. Watch the professionals or make it yourself. Isn't that what PBS used to be all about?

The Children's Museum hasn't pulled it weight in years. Take what works and move it outside next to the fountain. Kids need more outdoor time anyway.

And just fuck that noise about cheap cafes. What are you really saying, Kiley? Good food priced low? I don't think that's what you're saying. Gut the rest and have open air bays for street food and taco trucks. The new Seattle Center = Soul.

Posted by WenG | July 21, 2007 5:23 PM
19

Maggots dropping from the ceiling? Shades of "Suspiria"!

Posted by Loonesta | July 21, 2007 5:29 PM
20

Hey intern - your journalism career might be well served with correct usage of words that are important in the trade. Here's a mnemonic device to help you remember the difference between slander and libel: "slander is spoken."

Best wishes.

Posted by Thoughtful_person | July 22, 2007 9:41 PM

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