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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, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:30:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/06/04/rip-herfys-in-fremont http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/06/04/rip-herfys-in-fremont Bethany Jean Clement <p>Over in comments on <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/now-closed/Content?oid=16895228">Now Closed: Recent Restaurant RIPs</a>, commenter K X One tells us that Herfy's in Fremont has <strong>gone to the great hamburger beyond</strong>. Apparently, there are still Herfy's (Herfy'ses?) in the food court at Uwajimaya, in Georgetown, and scattered across the Eastside... so, yay?</p> <p>Over <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/obits/Content?oid=8748">here in the deep <em>Stranger</em> archives</a>, we learn:</p> <blockquote><p>Herfy's [was] an Everett-founded, now-defunct burger chain noted for a photo-realistic cow's face as its logo. (A few scattered burger stands still operate under the Herfy's name, but are all independently owned.)</p></blockquote> <p>(...not to be confused with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herfy">Herfy</a>, the Saudi Arabian chain, though it is confusing.)</p> <p>I've never been to a Herfy's. <strong>Is it sad</strong> that the one in Fremont is gone?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/06/04/rip-herfys-in-fremont#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16948074&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Chow Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/06/04/rip-herfys-in-fremont?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16948074&id=comments 36 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 11:20:49 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/the-k-is-garlicky-is-stupid http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/the-k-is-garlicky-is-stupid Megan Seling <p>If you wanted to say something was garlicky <em>without</em> the K it'd look like garlicy which looks like it's <strong>garlic flavored lice</strong> or something. So while I get that the K in garlicky is totally necessary, I still hate that it has to exist. It's so presumptuous.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/the-k-is-garlicky-is-stupid#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16854553&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> ??!! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/23/the-k-is-garlicky-is-stupid?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16854553&id=comments 26 Thu, 23 May 2013 11:10:43 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/when-is-the-fuji-bakery-in-interbay-finally-going-to-open http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/when-is-the-fuji-bakery-in-interbay-finally-going-to-open Bethany Jean Clement <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:262px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/cookie-bread-and-tons-of-butter/Content?oid=6987010"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/7f92/1367880710-chow-click-3.jpg" alt="This is what we are talking about." title="This is what we are talking about." width="250" height="228" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">Kelly O</li><li class="imageCaption">This is what we are talking about.</li></ul></div></p> <p>As per <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/cookie-bread-and-tons-of-butter/Content?oid=6987010">Rachel Eggers' 2011 review</a>, Fuji Bakery's head baker Taka Hirai* spent three years at Jo&#235;l Robuchon's three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo, and this expertise is reflected in everything at Fuji (except maybe the decor). They use <strong>a particular European cultured butter</strong>; they make their own yeast. Japanese-meets-French offerings include curry buns, green tea danishes, and baguette sandwiches with fillings such as smoked salmon, milk cream (!), and mentaiko butter, while the straight-up French stuff&#8212;croissants, tiny quiches, etc.&#8212;is WAY better than some so-called French bakeries.</p> <p>After a hiatus, the <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/fuji-bakery-returning-soon/Location?oid=6803357">Fuji Bakery in the ID</a> and <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/fuji-bakery-returning-soon/Location?oid=6803426">the one in Bellevue</a> reopened not too long ago (and not soon enough for rabid fans).</p> <p>Now inquiring minds <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/now-open/Content?oid=16638164">over here in comments</a> want to know when the long-delayed Interbay Fuji is opening, so we asked, and they answered: </p> <blockquote><p>Thanks for checking in! We're aiming to open the third location before summer starts, so hopefully around <strong>late May or early June</strong>. </p></blockquote> <p>And they will post it on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fujibakery">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.fujibakeryinc.com/">website</a> when it happens, for all of our information.</p> <p>Meanwhile: Anyone been to G.A. Bakery, which joined Fuji in the Bellevue location in January, offering "<strong>authentic Bosnian food and baked goods</strong>"?</p> <p>*<strong>UPDATE</strong>: Baker Taka Hirai is back in Tokyo and <strong>no longer with the company</strong> (thanks, johan_smithe). Anybody been to either of the Fujis since they reopened without him?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/when-is-the-fuji-bakery-in-interbay-finally-going-to-open#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16688130&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Chow Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/07/when-is-the-fuji-bakery-in-interbay-finally-going-to-open?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16688130&id=comments 3 When Is the Fuji Bakery in Interbay Finally Going to Open? This is what we are talking about. Kelly O Tue, 07 May 2013 07:30:33 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/i-shouldnt-do-this http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/i-shouldnt-do-this Dan Savage <p>...but sometimes I can't help myself. An ongoing email exchange:</p> <blockquote><p>Hope you get AIDS Fagget</p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>It's "faggot."&#8212;<em>Dan</em></p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>LOL commie</p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>LOL illiteratie.&#8212;<em>Dan</em></p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>Best illiterate than a cock sucker with AID. Hope you get AID fag.</p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>Let me help you with that: "<em>Better</em> illiterate than a <em>cocksucker</em> [one word!] with <em>AIDS</em>. Hope you get <em>AIDS</em>, fag."&#8212;<em>Dan</em></p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/i-shouldnt-do-this#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16687330&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Etiquette Cats POT Comedy Horrors Booze Dinosaurs Life Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Teh Internets http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/06/i-shouldnt-do-this?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16687330&id=comments 63 Mon, 06 May 2013 13:32:01 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/overheard-in-the-office http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/overheard-in-the-office Brendan Kiley <p>"I find it amusing that May Day ended up with you buying an iPhone."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/overheard-in-the-office#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16664694&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/05/03/overheard-in-the-office?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16664694&id=comments 6 Fri, 03 May 2013 12:11:34 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/23/publishers-weekly-hasnt-said-squat-about-my-new-book http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/23/publishers-weekly-hasnt-said-squat-about-my-new-book Chicago Fan <p>But you should pre-order it anyway!</p> <p>Did you like Devil in the White City? Of course you did. Who doesn't? <a href="http://www.nupress.northwestern.edu/Portals/0/S13_CAT_WEB.pdf">Chicago By Day and Night: The Pleasure Seeker's Guide to the Paris of America</a> was a guidebook published for visitors to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Daniel Burnham might've picked it up, though he's never once mentioned (the book was written before we began to worship architects as artists). H. H. Holmes's hotel might've rated a mention, had it been built when the book was composed. If you're a DitWC fan, this book will complement your enjoyment of Larsen's.</p> <p>CBDN guides potential visitors to "free and easy" shows, saloons, carousels, masquerades, and other fun things to do away from the Fair itself. It's a fascinating artifact of the late 19th Century, when any woman who flirted with a man on the street might be an "adventuress" who planned to take him for all he was worth, via blackmail, the badger game, or the panel room. A taste from that chapter, with our notes after the jump:</p> <blockquote><p>The term adventuress is applied to women of careless reputation who, being much too smart to endure the ignominious career of professional demi-mondaines, resort to various shrewd schemes to fleece the unwary. Some of their class work in concert with male partners, and in such cases the selected victim generally becomes an easy prey. The confidence man may be dangerous; the confidence woman, if she be well educated and bright, as well as pretty, is irresistible except with the most hardened and unsusceptible customers. The shrewdest old granger of them all, who steers safely through the shoals and traps set for him by male sharpers, will go down like the clover before the scythe under a roguish glance, as it were, from a &#8220;white wench&#8217;s black eye,&#8221; as Mercutio said.<br /> There is no mortal man in this universe of ours, be he never so homely or ill-favored, who does not cherish in his heart of hearts the impression that there is a woman or two somewhere whom he could charm if he wished to. It is the spirit of masculine vanity that forms the material upon which the adventuress may work. With the art of an expert she sizes up the dimensions of her victim&#8217;s vanity the instant she has made his acquaintance and plays upon it to just the extent she deems expedient and profitable. If it were not for masculine vanity, the American adventuress could not exist.</p></blockquote> <p><br />Along with my colleague Paul Durica, I've introduced, edited and annotated this fascinating bit of history. Some key features you might like: lots of dirty jokes, along with serious economic history (the chapter on gambling, for instance, includes the Chicago Board of Trade as just another way to lose your shirt, along with back-alley craps games or faro banks in saloons). Reminders of how cities change, and how they stay the same. Very cool illustrations, and lots of double-entendres (watch for the "delicious lays"). </p> <p>But all in the service of scholarship. <a href="http://www.nupress.northwestern.edu/Title/tabid/68/ISBN/978-0-8101-2909-2/Default.aspx">Pre-order!</a> Use the code DURICA13 for a discount.</p> <blockquote><p>This chapter outlines the three primary methods used by female con artists, and/or crooked prostitutes, to make money, in descending order from genteel blackmail to the badger game to the panel room. Just as a con man presenting an out-of-town visitor with a chance for some easy money requires his mark to cooperate, a con woman depends on her victim&#8217;s sexual desire and vanity to put him in a place where he will pay her off or be robbed. The emphasis placed throughout the chapter on not trusting any woman one meets for the first time in a public place continues the theme of gendered spaces in the city: women on their own in public were an erotic opportunity, a physical threat, or both. Blackmail would simply involve threatening to expose a man&#8217;s indiscretions to his family or business partners back home. The badger game involves a fake husband or other outraged man demanding satisfaction for his dishonor (see Nelson Algren&#8217;s &#8220;Design for Departure&#8221; in The Neon Wilderness for a story about a couple playing the badger game). The panel game was more straightforward robbery, although the writer here neglects to mention that this last ploy would not happen with a supposed dalliance but during prostitution. Some brothels were constructed with rooms furnished with only a bed and single chair. The man would leave his clothes on the chair, and as our author delicately puts it, &#8220;while the interview between the more or less affectionate lovers is in progress,&#8221; the woman&#8217;s compatriot would slide the panel back and steal the man&#8217;s watch, money, and other valuables. The customer could not complain (if he even noticed before leaving the &#8220;establishment&#8221;) because doing so would mean admitting he&#8217;d patronized a prostitute, and the brothel would have both paid-off police protection and on-site bouncers in any case.</p></blockquote> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/23/publishers-weekly-hasnt-said-squat-about-my-new-book#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16564377&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> City History Conflict of Interest Nepotism Architecture Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Nerd http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/23/publishers-weekly-hasnt-said-squat-about-my-new-book?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16564377&id=comments 12 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:00:00 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/bacon-condoms-make-your-meat-look-like-meat http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/bacon-condoms-make-your-meat-look-like-meat Kelly O <blockquote><p>J &amp; D's Foods, a Seattle company that also makes bacon lubricant&#8212;which "began as an elaborate April Fool's prank and was never intended to be a real product" but nonetheless persists out of sheer novelty&#8212;has topped itself by offering a pork-flavored prophylactic.</p></blockquote> <p>Look at the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/bacon-condoms-photos_n_2974081.html">photos on HuffPo</a>. Should *everything* really <a href="http://store.baconsalt.com/Bacon-Condoms_p_177.html">taste like bacon?</a></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/bacon-condoms-make-your-meat-look-like-meat#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16400383&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Chow Sex Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/bacon-condoms-make-your-meat-look-like-meat?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16400383&id=comments 10 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:23:56 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/from-the-mailbag http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/from-the-mailbag Brendan Kiley <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/f558/1364927550-blankuse.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/f558/1364927550-blankuse.jpg" alt="BLANKUSE.jpg" title="" width="500" height="692" /></a></div></p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:412px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/1da5/1364927596-blankclose.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/1da5/1364927596-blankclose.jpg" alt="BLANKCLOSE.jpg" title="" width="400" height="261" /></a></div></p> <p>That's why other newsrooms call ours "the brain trust."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/from-the-mailbag#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16398940&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Two-Block Radius Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/04/02/from-the-mailbag?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16398940&id=comments 2 From the Mailbag Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:34:08 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/28/if-north-korea-is-going-to-keep-faking-stuff http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/28/if-north-korea-is-going-to-keep-faking-stuff Grant Brissey <p><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/03/is-this-north-korean-hovercraft-landing-photo-faked/100480/">They should really get someone who's better at photo editing.</a></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/28/if-north-korea-is-going-to-keep-faking-stuff#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16367578&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/28/if-north-korea-is-going-to-keep-faking-stuff?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16367578&id=comments 2 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:00:38 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/26/every-time-i-go-to-read-something-about-tilda-swintons-nap-at-moma-i-fall-into-a-nap-of-my-own http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/26/every-time-i-go-to-read-something-about-tilda-swintons-nap-at-moma-i-fall-into-a-nap-of-my-own Jen Graves <p>But <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/03/tilda-swinton-moma/63511/">have at it</a>, Slog. Tell me if you find anything interesting.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/26/every-time-i-go-to-read-something-about-tilda-swintons-nap-at-moma-i-fall-into-a-nap-of-my-own#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16346222&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Visual Art Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/26/every-time-i-go-to-read-something-about-tilda-swintons-nap-at-moma-i-fall-into-a-nap-of-my-own?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16346222&id=comments 14 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:34:26 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/22/this-morning-a-man-told-me-to-smile http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/22/this-morning-a-man-told-me-to-smile Megan Seling <p>When I did not smile (I continued looking for my keys in my purse and avoided all eye contact, in fact), he told me my "<strong>pretty face was going to waste</strong>."</p> <p>UGH, SIR.</p> <p>I kept walking, I did not want to interact with him. In hindsight, I wish I would've responded like this (his words are the stuffed toy, I am the puppy who has had enough):</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QYZfcFzcwxo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Good morning!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/22/this-morning-a-man-told-me-to-smile#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16317555&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Animals ??!! The Ladies Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/22/this-morning-a-man-told-me-to-smile?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16317555&id=comments 147 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:29:22 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/14/which-is-the-best-star-trek-series http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/14/which-is-the-best-star-trek-series Mary Traverse <p>I've been watching <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Voyager">Star Trek: Voyager</a></em> on Netflix streaming. While I've seen almost very episode of the preceding three series (the original series, <em>Next Generation</em> and <em>Deep Space Nine</em>), I'd only ever watched one or two episodes of <em>Voyager</em>. Now, five seasons in, I can safely say my suspicions were confirmed: <strong>this is my least favorite <em>Star Trek</em> series</strong>. (Though I have yet to see even one episode of <em>Enterprise</em>, which is next on my list, so maybe I'll change my mind. <em>Deep Space Nine</em> remains my favorite of the shows.)</p> <p>Look, I love having a female captain, and Janeway has her moments, no doubt. And The Doctor is kind of delightful. But <strong>Andy Dick was a guest star</strong>, you guys. And then there's the moment where Chakotay is trying to revive Janeway on an away mission and he literally yells, "Breathe, damn you, breathe! Don't you die on me now!" </p> <p>ANYWAY please vote in these binding Slog polls. (You may remember our <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/12/17/who-is-the-best-character-on-deep-space-nine">very important DS9 poll</a> from December.) Be sure to tell me in the comments how wrong I am about preferring <em>DS9</em> to <em>Voyager</em>, and why Neelix is the most interesting of all <em>Star Trek</em> characters ever.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/14/which-is-the-best-star-trek-series#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16250844&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> TV Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Nerd http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/14/which-is-the-best-star-trek-series?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16250844&id=comments 87 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:50:01 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/on-martyring-the-art-of-charles-krafft http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/on-martyring-the-art-of-charles-krafft Jen Graves <p>People have been extremely interested in talking about the Holocaust denials of Nazi-imagery artist Charles Krafft, which I <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/charles-krafft-is-a-white-nationalist-who-believes-the-holocaust-is-a-deliberately-exaggerated-myth/Content?oid=15995245">first wrote about in <em>The Stranger</em></a> a month ago. I was asked <a href="http://www.earwolf.com/episode/ironic-hitler-teapot/">in a podcast last week</a> whether I'd smash it if I owned it. The answer to that was easy: <strong>I wouldn't bother martyring it</strong>. What I <em>would</em> do with it was a slightly harder question. I answered that I guess I'd hide it behind objects by better artists, and let it moulder in shadow. I'm pretty tired of talking about Charles Krafft. </p> <p>But many people are not, and I understand that, too. The questions now are mainly about <strong>the fate of the objects</strong>. About what they mean now. About how to think about a teapot in the shape of Hitler's head, or a perfume bottle stoppered with a swastika and titled <em>Forgiveness</em>, or, for that matter, any of the works Krafft has made that are on their surface not directly related to the Third Reich or war or violence&#8212;although there are <strong>surprisingly few that are indirectly not related to those subjects</strong>. For me, they've become one hell of a lot less interesting now that I know they all spring from the mind of an aspiring demagogue claiming to be a victim. Dullest. Trick. In. Book.</p> <p>Most of why the conversation isn't going away is because the art itself keeps popping up. It's everywhere. <strong>Tim Detweiler</strong>, former Museum of Northwest Art director, who spoke eloquently <a href="http://www.studio360.org/2013/mar/01/provocative-artist-comes-out-as-holocaust-denier/">on public radio's Studio 360 about what museums can do when showing Krafft's works now</a>, tipped me off last week that Krafft's work is currently on display in <a href="http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/new-blue-and-white">an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston</a>. The accusation that the community of Seattle is especially complacent compared to the East Coast, Detweiler said, is ridiculous. Maybe. But since this is where I live, this is where I care about.</p> <p>On Monday at Gallery4Culture, I ran into <strong>Sara Edwards</strong>, who organized the City Arts festival where Krafft's <em>Forgiveness</em> was displayed two years ago. She's now thinking twice about her own assumptions, she said&#8212;especially the assumption that other people think like you do. As my father once said, let this be a lesson to you, and to me.</p> <p>When I visited the home of collectors <strong>Bob Kaplan and Margaret Levi</strong> yesterday&#8212;where they live with their collection of Australian aboriginal paintings and sculptures (<a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/buzzing-glorious-world/Content?oid=13858139">featured at Seattle Art Museum last year in <em>Ancestral Modern</em></a>)&#8212;they pointed out a Krafft painting hanging <strong>in the entrance to their bedroom</strong>. It was made before Krafft's turn toward White Nationalism or even his ceramics focus. It's an ominous painting of a military bunker, and it's beautiful. And creepy. (Is it more creepy now? I don't know. I only just saw it for the first time.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Levi">Levi is a world-renowned scholar of "trustworthy government"</a> and has spent her life studying and writing and teaching about social justice. At her office in UW's political science department, she has more Kraffts, delicate Delft ceramic guns that she assumed contained an implicit stance against violence.</p> <p>Making comedy out of the situation is one option. <strong>Matt Besser, one of the founders of Upright Citizens Brigade</strong>, happens to be the son of Samuel Besser, the collector I wrote about in the original story, who gave his collection including Krafft's <strong>Hitler teapot</strong> to the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. Samuel Besser, now passed, was a man against "isms," who was taunted as a boy for being Jewish, then kept out of non-Jewish organizations in college. The DeYoung curator had speculated that if Samuel Besser had known about Krafft's ideology, Samuel Besser would have smashed the teapot. Matt, the son, at first agreed, but now he is not so sure. He invited me and Phil Campbell to come onto his weekly podcast, <a href="http://www.earwolf.com/episode/ironic-hitler-teapot/">Improv4Humans</a>. We talked about art, artists, and intentions, alternating with comedy sketches. <a href="http://www.earwolf.com/episode/ironic-hitler-teapot/">Listen to the whole thing here</a>.</p> <p>People have also been asking whether Krafft has responded. Yes, on Facebook, claiming he's being censored. I also got a piece of hand-delivered snail mail that may or may not have been from him. It was a stunt: an "official" communique from <strong>the Mystic Sons of Morris Graves</strong>, handwritten on crinkled paper with its edges burned, signed by the dead artist himself. (In the place of a postmark there's a signature that could be Krafft's; I don't feel like diving down the rabbit hole to find out.)</p> <p>The Mystic Sons is a jokey masons-like crew that Krafft founded and serves as "Grand Polmarch" of&#8212;whose most famous act was <strong>smashing a bunch of Chihulys once upon a time</strong>. The smashing was widely publicized as a bunch of Chihuly haters making a spectacle. But it was also meant as a smashing of idols that mocked <strong>people who would be stupid enough to smash idols</strong>, and this latest notice was presumably sent in the same spirit since it proposes that "Brother Charles Krafft be banned from Lodge #93, <strong>tarred, feathered, censored and gagged</strong>. Then tried and convicted in the facebook of public opinion to be guilty of nothing less than a crime against his own career."</p> <p>I have nothing to say about this, being an unfun woman. From Krafft's web site:</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/d72a/1363192393-mystic_sons_screengrab_jpeg.jpg" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/d72a/1363192393-mystic_sons_screengrab_jpeg.jpg" alt="Mystic_Sons_screengrab_JPEG.jpg" title="" width="500" height="367" /></a></div></p> <p>Hilarious!</p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/charles-krafft-is-a-white-nationalist-who-believes-the-holocaust-is-a-deliberately-exaggerated-myth/Content?oid=15995245">Join in the comments on the story itself</a>.</p> Visual Art Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/13/on-martyring-the-art-of-charles-krafft?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16224558&id=comments 0 On Martyring the Art of Charles Krafft Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:02:22 -0700 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/05/overheard-in-the-office http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/05/overheard-in-the-office Goldy <p>"Eat it. I've eaten off of the sidewalk, and I'm still here."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/05/overheard-in-the-office#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16167033&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/05/overheard-in-the-office?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16167033&id=comments 15 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:30:43 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/04/16160636-overheard-in-the-office http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/04/16160636-overheard-in-the-office Goldy <p>"We can't afford coffee cups because we're spending all our money simultaneously heating and cooling the building."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/04/16160636-overheard-in-the-office#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16160636&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/04/16160636-overheard-in-the-office?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16160636&id=comments 7 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:35:22 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/01/overheard-in-the-office http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/01/overheard-in-the-office Cienna Madrid <p>"I can't hear you, Goldy, but if you're talking about how I should <strong>eat your feces</strong> again..."</p> <p><strong>UPDATE</strong>: "I'm just giving you good medical advice. It's a real thing!"</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/01/overheard-in-the-office#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16139844&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/03/01/overheard-in-the-office?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16139844&id=comments 8 Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:41:53 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/27/dine-around-seattle-helps-out-farestart-this-year http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/27/dine-around-seattle-helps-out-farestart-this-year Kim Fu <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:212px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/12ba/1361990338-logo_das.gif" alt="logo_das.gif" title="" width="200" height="309" /></div></p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Event?event=16110979">Dine Around Seattle</a> starts this weekend, that thing in March and November where you can get a <strong>$30 prix-fixe dinner</strong> (and some $15 prix-fixe lunches) at certain restaurants, Sunday to Thursday. (Not be confused with Seattle Restaurant Week, where something similar happens at a larger number of restaurants on a shorter-if-not-quite-eponymous timescale, as it lasts 10 days.)</p> <p>After 10 years, the event changed hands last fall, making this is the second DAS run by the nonprofit <a href="http://www.seattlenetwork.org/">Seattle Good Business Network</a>, which kicked things off last night with a party for food-related people. The big news: SGBN has partnered up with <a href="http://farestart.org">FareStart</a>, an amazing program that provides culinary training and job placements to homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Rather than previewing the restaurants' menus (as the invitation seemed to suggest, but beggars/choosers), the party featured appetizers designed and prepared by students of FareStart&#8217;s 16-week course, including bulgogi beef skewers, lemongrass chicken meatballs, cold veggie frittatas with tapenade, and chocolate chip cookie sandwiches with mint cream (those cookies, oh man).</p> <p>Dine Around Seattle restaurants will be providing info about FareStart, and some will ask patrons if they want to <strong>add $1 (or more) to their bill</strong> to support the organization. A good cause, for sure, and worth giving a dollar (or more) to, but the overall price-point question about Dine Around Seattle remains&#8212;is this a great opportunity to try out new places, or a gimmick wherein you don&#8217;t get to choose what you eat and don&#8217;t necessarily save money? At some of these restaurants, putting together a nice meal for $30 per person isn&#8217;t much of a challenge. And one can always <a href="https://getinvolved.farestart.org/donate">donate to FareStart independently</a> or go to one of their <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Event?event=3887210">fantastic guest chef nights</a>.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/27/dine-around-seattle-helps-out-farestart-this-year#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16111347&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Chow Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/27/dine-around-seattle-helps-out-farestart-this-year?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16111347&id=comments 1 Dine Around Seattle Helps Out FareStart This Year Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:25:00 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/22/nun-gutsno-thats-not-a-typo http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/22/nun-gutsno-thats-not-a-typo Chicago Fan <p>It's things like <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21534215">this</a> that make me proud to be of Irish descent. I think. The lede:</p> <blockquote><p>An Irish publican has been prosecuted after police found dozens of "nuns" drinking illegally, several hours past closing time on his premises.</p> <p>Christy Walsh, who runs the bar in Listowel, County Kerry, has been fined a total of 700 euros (&#163;605) after his pub was raided twice in one night.</p> <p>He had helped to organise a charity event in the town last July, in which hundreds of people dressed up as nuns.</p></blockquote> <p>Begorra.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/22/nun-gutsno-thats-not-a-typo#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16077069&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Dudes Etiquette Booze ??!! Religion Nightlife The Ladies Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Drunk http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/22/nun-gutsno-thats-not-a-typo?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16077069&id=comments 2 Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:13:54 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/20/where-your-bag-goes-at-seatac-airport http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/20/where-your-bag-goes-at-seatac-airport Dominic Holden <p>Wearing its strong suit, the <em>Seattle Times</em> has a neat video following your luggage after it disappears on the conveyor belt: <br /><div style="text-align:center;"><object id="flashObj" width="500" height="325" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2050542026001&playerID=1815105101001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAFn2Wfk~,QUqnr01qM6bpNZuy12T2qOqbWE8EnGeJ&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2050542026001&playerID=1815105101001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAFn2Wfk~,QUqnr01qM6bpNZuy12T2qOqbWE8EnGeJ&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="500" height="325" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object></div></p> <p>This is some genuinely nifty, Mister Rogers shit right here. It's great to see Fairview Fanny doing the sort of stuff she does best.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/20/where-your-bag-goes-at-seatac-airport#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16055820&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/20/where-your-bag-goes-at-seatac-airport?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16055820&id=comments 15 Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:22:35 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/15/overheard-in-the-office http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/15/overheard-in-the-office Cienna Madrid <p>"I went to the symphony last night. There were only four pieces, and there were <strong>three standing ovations</strong>. I think you should treat standing ovations like you only have three to give <strong>in your whole life</strong>."</p> <p>"You know what I hate? How all the kids on sports teams get trophies now. Fuck 'em!"</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/15/overheard-in-the-office#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16019739&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/15/overheard-in-the-office?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16019739&id=comments 24 Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:39:02 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/14/intimations-of-spring-on-a-cloudy-valentines-day http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/14/intimations-of-spring-on-a-cloudy-valentines-day Bethany Jean Clement <p>Certain yards in Seattle smell delicately of hyacinth (and that name comes from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_(mythology)">a sexy Greek hero</a> killed by a Frisbee, don't you know).</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:463px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyacinth_(mythology)"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/4d32/1360871473-hyakinthos.jpg" alt="Hyakinthos.jpg" title="" width="451" height="599" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">PD-OLD</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/14/intimations-of-spring-on-a-cloudy-valentines-day#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16010796&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Life Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/14/intimations-of-spring-on-a-cloudy-valentines-day?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16010796&id=comments 10 Intimations of Spring on a Cloudy Valentine's Day PD-OLD Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:36:47 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/07/chabelas-versus-cabelas http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/07/chabelas-versus-cabelas Bethany Jean Clement <p>Slog tipper Rick writes:</p> <blockquote><p>There's <a href="http://www.wallyhood.org/2013/01/chchchabelas/">an amusing forum row</a> between two people going by "miaomiao" and "Woofwoof" over a new restaurant opening in Wallingford called Chabela's. Most people believe that the Chabela's trademark looks too much like the Cabela's trademark...</p> <p>Maybe not news of the world, but definitely an amusing half-hour <strong>of Wallingford neighborly absurdity</strong>.</p></blockquote> <p>Rick sent this days ago, but <a href="http://www.wallyhood.org/2013/01/chchchabelas/">the thread is still going.</a> Everyone should hold hands with Dave Matthews and take some deep breaths.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/07/chabelas-versus-cabelas#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15955012&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Chow Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/07/chabelas-versus-cabelas?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15955012&id=comments 15 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:01:23 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/05/juice-fast-day-two-only-losers-chew http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/05/juice-fast-day-two-only-losers-chew Anna Minard <p><div class="blogImageLeft" style="width:212px;"><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/c8cd/1360105113-juice_bottles.png" class="zoomable"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/c8cd/1360105113-juice_bottles.png" alt="The wreckage." title="The wreckage." width="200" height="254" /></a><ul><li class="imageCredit">ANNA MINARD</li><li class="imageCaption">The wreckage.</li></ul></div>This morning, when I walked in to work carrying a bottle of what looked like the <strong>Jolly Green Giant's diarrhea sample</strong>&#8212;and feeling pretty okay about it&#8212;Cienna took one guilty look at me and said, "Um... I owe you a hamburger." WHAT THE FUCK? As she told you all already, she has <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/05/anna-i-totally-owe-you-a-burge">fallen off the juice-fast wagon in less than one goddamn day</a>.</p> <p>I am still going strong! Yesterday was okay. By the time I got home, I was kind of <strong>done with juice</strong>. But I had one left, and so I drank it, and it was weird (kale + celery + parsely + dandelion + ginger + lime). It tasted like, oh, I don't know, if your front lawn came to life and you gave it a BJ, and then you found out it had grass STIs. You know how if you eat tons of celery, it'll sort of start <strong>burning your mouth</strong>? My mouth felt like that for an hour.</p> <p>When I woke up, I was hungry. I had a juice. It was orange + almond + alfalfa. It tasted like a watered-down Creamsicle that came from a farm. I was still hungry. Everyone keeps asking me how I feel, but the answer is just <strong>hungry and ennui-ridden</strong>. Yesterday, I got really sad and emotional about what is the point of life, anyway? I'm pretty sure it was juice-related.</p> <p>Now I am two juices into the day, and I have two juices to go. I'm so hungry I want to drink both of them immediately, but I have to ration, because holy shit, that is all I have left to "eat" for the rest of the day. <strong>I miss chewing</strong>, and I miss coffee.</p> <p>I'm going to start eating on Friday night, and I can't wait. I also can't wait to have <strong>the alcohol tolerance of a toddler</strong>. It's gonna be great!</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/05/juice-fast-day-two-only-losers-chew#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15933562&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Horrors Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/05/juice-fast-day-two-only-losers-chew?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15933562&id=comments 25 Juice Fast, Day Two: Only Losers Chew The wreckage. ANNA MINARD Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:16:21 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/04/im-lunching-on-juice-boxed-wine http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/04/im-lunching-on-juice-boxed-wine Cienna Madrid <p>As Anna mentioned, the two of us are <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/04/my-actual-hippie-juice-fast-vs-cienna-madrids-qfc-juice-cleanse">not eating solid foods this week</a> for what started out as a $250 joke and calcified into sad, plodding reality. Anna agreed to do the straight juice cleanse because I think juice cleanses are stupid and also because I have no self control.</p> <p>You know what I take very seriously, however? <strong>Curses</strong>.</p> <p>A few weeks ago, I received an anonymous package in the mail. The package contained a zip-locked baggie of a powder that smelled like horse. A hand-written note inside read, "Cienna. 100% curse remover. Nullifies most powerful curse. <strong>Take back your life!</strong> Sprinkle on juice."</p> <p>What an incredible gift! I would've sent the sender a thank-you note but there was <strong>no return address</strong>. </p> <p>Now, my mother has begged me not to partake in this 100% curse-removing liquid cleanse, mostly because I suspect she doesn't want me undoing years of hard work on her part. But I'm doing it. AAAND: I'm going to be a little bit more healthy and deliberate than Anna and her hoity-toity juice cleanse.</p> <p>Instead of relying on "experts" to tell me what to drink, I'm going to rely on QFC and <strong>my body's natural cravings for non-chewy things</strong>. So far today, I've had a Bolthouse Farms&#8482; Chocolate Protein Plus drink because I was squatting up a storm this morning and I really needed a protein fix.</p> <p>For lunch, I'm having 1/2 a small boxed wine (the cute, portable ones) mixed with 1 Capri Sun&#8482;, sprinkled with curse mix.</p> <p>For dinner, I assume my stomach will be eating its lining, but I might suck down a La Croix and a Go-Gurt for good measure. Also, Kelly O has promised to bring in her <strong>Montel Williams food emulsifier</strong>, so if shit gets desperate, I can emulsify myself some de-cursed steak tartar.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/04/im-lunching-on-juice-boxed-wine#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15923007&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/04/im-lunching-on-juice-boxed-wine?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15923007&id=comments 18 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:37:58 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/03/i-just-googled-guacamole-secrets http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/03/i-just-googled-guacamole-secrets Bethany Jean Clement <p>...and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=guacamole+secrets&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8">the results</a> are pretty sad. <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/healthy_cooking_blog/4_secrets_to_making_the_best_guacamole">eatingwell.com</a> says: </p> <blockquote><p>1. Use Ripe Avocados [duh]... </p> <p>2. <strong>Be Bold with Garlic </strong>and Onion [double-duh]... take a cue from Top Chef winner and Mexican-food expert Rick Bayless and add roasted garlic too [this actually sounds worth a try]...</p> <p>3. Use Fresh Cilantro and Limes [DUH DUH DUH]... </p> <p>4. Take Smart Shortcuts... Add a couple spoonfuls of your favorite jarred salsa [I sometimes do this just for the hell of it, but in addition to everything else, not as a shortcut]... If you are really in a rush&#8212;say with only 5 minutes left until halftime is over&#8212;grab a package of <strong>premashed avocado</strong>, available in the produce department of some markets [does this really exist? YUCK].<br /></blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/food/articles/2011/06/06/20110606ask-a-chef-guacamole-tips-secrets.html">azcentral.com</a> says: "Ultimately, it's <strong>your palette</strong> that dictates the perfect guacamole." If you've got a dictatorial palette, I would like to come over and witness that, but I might not stay if it's the one saying what should go in the guacamole.</p> <p>One thing that is good in guacamole: a big spoonful of <strong>organic sour cream</strong>. And when I worked as <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/we-lived-to-serve-we-served-to-live/Content?oid=9539251">the cook at the Roanoke</a>, Tom the bartender taught me the right way to cut an avocado, which is as shown in this video, except without the kitchen towel for safety:</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PAAMx_R523o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Got anything else?</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/03/i-just-googled-guacamole-secrets#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15916306&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Chow Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/03/i-just-googled-guacamole-secrets?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15916306&id=comments 46 Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:04:22 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/01/seattles-premier-jewish-narcoleptic-drag-queenupdate http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/01/seattles-premier-jewish-narcoleptic-drag-queenupdate David Schmader <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:449px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/11a7/1359755152-1359581982-screen_shot_2013-01-30_at_1.36.00_pm.png" alt="1359581982-screen_shot_2013-01-30_at_1.36.00_pm.png" title="" width="437" height="159" /></div></p> <p>Two days ago, I <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/30/seattles-premiere-jewish-narcoleptic-drag-queen">slogged</a> about the Season 5 premiere of <em><strong>RuPaul's Drag Race</strong></em>, featuring Seattle starlet <strong>Jinkx Monsoon/Jerick Hofer</strong>.</p> <p>In the post, I noted how <strong>Jinkx came out as narcoleptic</strong> on the episode, and asked "Seattle's premier Jinkx Monsoon historian" Adrian Ryan, "Is Jinkx Monsoon a narcoleptic, is Jerick Hofer a narcoleptic, or neither? (My secret dream is that he's faking it as a hilarious character trait for Jinkx, but let me know what you know.)" Adrian's reply: "oh hell no, he's totes faking it. it cracks me up."</p> <p>Well, it turns out Adrian Ryan is actually Seattle's premier Jinkx Monsoon <strong>fabulist,</strong> as I learned when I put the above question&#8212;Is Jinkx narcoleptic, is Jerick narcoleptic, or both or neither?&#8212;to <strong>Mr. Hofer himself</strong>. His response:</p> <blockquote><p>Jerick is Narcoleptic, so Jinkx is sometimes narcoleptic. It's less of a Jinkx characteristic and more of a, <strong>the person who plays Jinkx is narcoleptic</strong>....To answer it simply, Yes. Jerick Hoffer has narcolepsy and has since he was 17. My sleep attacks are not fake. They are edited conspicuously on the show, but that's for ratings. Fact of the matter is, that's real.</p></blockquote> <p>My response:</p> <blockquote><p>Oh my God! Would you be up for answering a couple more questions? I'm mostly just interested in what it's like to <strong>navigate the world of live performance</strong> with the potential for sleep attacks part of your life. The fact is, you do navigate it, incredibly well, full-time, professionally and brilliantly, and that you're doing it with this sleep disorder is amazing and I'd love to know more if you're up for talking about it. (And if you don't care to discuss medical concerns with members of the media, I understand and totally no hard feelings.)</p></blockquote> <p>His response:</p> <blockquote><p>Well, to be honest, my case of narcolepsy is fairly moderate. Only a very small percentage of the narcoleptic community experience ALL the symptoms at an extreme level. A larger portion experience SOME of the symptoms at varying degrees of severity. I manage my specific case by taking naps when I can, natural/homeopathic remedies, nutrition and stress control. </p> <p>So narcolepsy as a daily obstacle, but a manageable one while my symptom level is at where it's at. But ask anyone in the cast of RENT, <strong>whenever I wasn't rehearsing, I was sleeping.</strong> Ha ha. (Ben DelaCreme can attest to this as well.) </p> <p>Thanks for checking in, XxOo, Jinkx</p></blockquote> <p>And there you have it. <strong>Go Jinkx!</strong></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/01/seattles-premier-jewish-narcoleptic-drag-queenupdate#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15903318&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> TV Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/02/01/seattles-premier-jewish-narcoleptic-drag-queenupdate?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15903318&id=comments 7 "Seattle's Premier Jewish Narcoleptic Drag Queen!"&#8212;UPDATE! Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:00:03 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/25/in-which-i-put-on-my-goldy-hat-and-bitch-about-the-seattle-times-editorial-board http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/25/in-which-i-put-on-my-goldy-hat-and-bitch-about-the-seattle-times-editorial-board Cienna Madrid <p>Not to shit all over Goldy's toes or anything&#8212;I know how invigorating he finds a good <em>Seattle Times</em> editorial fisking&#8212;but I have to call out this blatant lie in this most recent <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/editorials/2020208234_editbruceharrellemployeebackgroundchecksxml.html">ham-fisted screed</a>:<br /><blockquote>Bruce Harrell of the Seattle City Council&#8212;and now a candidate for mayor&#8212;is working on a bill to help ex-prisoners find jobs. His motive is good: Ex-inmates need to find work. However, his initial proposal would unduly restrict employers&#8217; ability to check applicants for criminal convictions or pending charges.</p> <p><strong>State law already forbids employers from asking most applicants about criminal convictions unrelated to the job</strong>. As proposed, Harrell&#8217;s legislation would forbid an employer from any check of criminal background until after a job was offered. The employer would be forbidden to cancel the offer unless the applicant&#8217;s background had a direct bearing on fitness for the job.</p></blockquote> <p>I am taking issue with the bolded sentence above (never mind that the previous sentence DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS IT). I have no idea whose ass that uncited "fact" was pulled from&#8212;these editorials are unbylined, ostensibly so no one's held accountable for making shit up&#8212;but based on <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/sentenced-to-a-life-of-unemployment/Content?oid=14658225">my reporting on this issue</a>, that's wrong wrong wrong. The editorial board is most likely referring to <a href="http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=162-12-140">WAC 162 12 140</a>, but as one employment lawyer told me, <strong>"they're grossly misstating the law."</strong> A law which, by the way, has been invalidated by two of three Washington state appellate courts.</p> <p>In fact, employment for ex-offenders is such a complicated issue that the ACLU of Washington has <a href="http://aclu-wa.org/secondchances">an entire program</a> devoted to helping ex-offenders navigate employer background checks. </p> <p>"<strong>Most employers do background checks</strong>," reads the first sentence in their Guide to Criminal Records and Employment (<a class="pdflink" href="http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2013/01/25/1359159667-2012-04-12_guide_to_criminal_records_and_employment.pdf" target="_blank">.pdf</a>). "You may not be fully protected by anti-discrimination laws unless you answer the employer&#8217;s question accurately."</p> <p>Then there's helpful gem, from the same ACLU document:</p> <blockquote><p><strong>Employers ask all sorts of questions about criminal histories</strong>. Some employers ask if you&#8217;ve ever been convicted of any crime. Some will ask if you&#8217;ve been convicted of specific types of crimes &#8212; violent crimes, for example. Some will only ask about convictions that are within a specific time period&#8212;like 7 years.</p> <p>Whatever the employer asks, you should answer accurately. But what if you have something on your record that the employer&#8217;s question doesn&#8217;t cover? For example, what if an employer only asks about convictions that are within the last 7 years, but you have a conviction that is 15 years old?<br />You are not legally obligated to disclose information that an employer does not ask for. But, even if you do not disclose it, the employer may find out about it. <strong>There is no easy solution to this problem</strong>. </p></blockquote> <p>I'm not going to comb this whole stupid editorial line by line, as Goldy often does, because I have neither the time nor the patience for that kind of bullshit. My point is, Harrell's legislation is seeking to fix a <em>real</em> problem&#8212;a big problem&#8212;that ex-offenders face when navigating our current employment system, as much as the <em>Seattle Times</em> editorial board would like to blithely pretend otherwise.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/25/in-which-i-put-on-my-goldy-hat-and-bitch-about-the-seattle-times-editorial-board#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15844656&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> City Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/25/in-which-i-put-on-my-goldy-hat-and-bitch-about-the-seattle-times-editorial-board?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15844656&id=comments 21 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:45:43 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/24/if-you-were-wondering-whether-the-10-chocolate-bars-at-stumptown-which-were-hand-crafted-by-brooklyn-artisans-to-openly-mock-my-poverty-a http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/24/if-you-were-wondering-whether-the-10-chocolate-bars-at-stumptown-which-were-hand-crafted-by-brooklyn-artisans-to-openly-mock-my-poverty-a Cienna Madrid <p>...The answer is <strong>no</strong>. No they are not.</p> <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:412px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/7c03/1359070569-screen_shot_2013-01-24_at_3.35.05_pm.png" alt="Screen_shot_2013-01-24_at_3.35.05_PM.png" title="" width="400" height="327" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">The Stranger</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/24/if-you-were-wondering-whether-the-10-chocolate-bars-at-stumptown-which-were-hand-crafted-by-brooklyn-artisans-to-openly-mock-my-poverty-a#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15831823&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Two-Block Radius Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/24/if-you-were-wondering-whether-the-10-chocolate-bars-at-stumptown-which-were-hand-crafted-by-brooklyn-artisans-to-openly-mock-my-poverty-a?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15831823&id=comments 25 If You Were Wondering Whether the $10 Chocolate Bars at Stumptown, Which Were Hand-Crafted by Brooklyn "Artisans" to Openly Mock My Poverty, Are Worth the Price... The Stranger Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:37:28 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/22/cavafy-on-hamlet-just-why-his-nephew-killed-himwas-never-precisely-explained http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/22/cavafy-on-hamlet-just-why-his-nephew-killed-himwas-never-precisely-explained Brendan Kiley <p>I'm just back from three weeks in Burma/Myanmar (the country so nice, the military dictatorship named it twice!), where electricity is often intermittent and access to internet can sometimes require renting a motorcycle just to drive to a shack with a dial-up connection. So I'm out of the blogging rhythm and find myself wanting to post a poem about a play. (I'm pretty sure that's not how this is supposed to work.)</p> <p>I'll post more notes on Myanmar later (where I had to invent a fake resume just to get a visa, since reporters are not welcome). But uppermost in my mind this afternoon: in my jetlag-insomnia, I've been re-reading <em>Hamlet</em> and stuff surrounding <em>Hamlet</em>.</p> <p>Since this year is Greek poet C.P. Cavafy's 150th birthday, here's his deadpan (with some buried glimmers of glee) synopsis of the play. The poem, <em>King Claudius</em>, reminds me of an entry I once read in a theater calendar that described <em>Glengarry Glen Ross</em> as a play about a contest in a real-estate office.</p> <p>If Cavafy had been a theater-calendar editor, he might've described <em>Hamlet</em> as "an elaborate lie told by an enabler named Horatio to cover up for his mentally ill friend."</p> <p>* * *</p> <p>My mind now moves to distant places.<br />I&#8217;m walking the streets of Elsinore,<br />through its squares, and I recall<br />the very sad story<br />of that unfortunate king<br />killed by his nephew<br />because of some fanciful suspicions.<br /> <br />In all the homes of the poor<br />he was mourned secretly<br />(they feared Fortinbras).<br />He was a quiet, gentle man,<br />a man who loved peace<br />(his country had suffered much<br />from the wars of his predecessor),<br />he behaved graciously toward everyone,<br />humble and great alike.<br />Never high-handed, he always sought advice<br />in the kingdom&#8217;s affairs<br />from serious, experienced people.<br /> <br />Just why his nephew killed him<br />was never precisely explained.<br />The prince suspected him of murder,<br />and the basis of his suspicion was this:<br />walking one night along an ancient battlement<br />he thought he saw a ghost<br />and he had a conversation with this ghost;<br />what he supposedly heard from the ghost<br />were certain accusations against the king.<br /> <br />It must have been a fit of fancy,<br />an optical illusion,<br />(the prince was highly strung in the extreme;<br />while he was studying at Wittenberg,<br />many of his fellow students thought him a maniac).<br /> <br />A few days later he went<br />to his mother&#8217;s room to discuss<br />certain family affairs. And suddenly,<br />while he was talking, he lost his self-control,<br />started shouting, screaming<br />that the ghost was there in front of him.<br />But his mother saw nothing at all.<br /> <br />And that same day, for no apparent reason,<br />he killed an old gentleman of the court.<br />Since the prince was due to sail for England<br />in a day or two,<br />the king hustled him off posthaste<br />in order to save him.<br />But the people were so outraged<br />by the monstrous murder<br />that rebels rose up<br />and tried to storm the palace gates,<br />led by the dead man&#8217;s son,<br />the noble lord Laertes<br />(a brave young man, also ambitious;<br />in the confusion, some of his friends called out:<br />&#8220;Long live King Laertes!&#8221;).<br /> <br />Later, once the kingdom had calmed down<br />and the king was lying in his grave,<br />killed by his nephew (the prince,<br />who never went to England<br />but escaped from the ship on his way there),<br />a certain Horatio came forward<br />and tried to exonerate the prince<br />by telling some stories of his own.<br />He said that the voyage to England<br />had been a secret plot, and orders<br />had been given to kill the prince there<br />(but this was never clearly ascertained).<br />He also spoke of poisoned wine,<br />wine poisoned by the king.<br />It&#8217;s true that Laertes spoke of this too.<br />But couldn&#8217;t he have been lying?<br />Couldn&#8217;t he have been mistaken?<br />And when did he say all this?<br />While dying of his wounds, his mind reeling,<br />his talk seemingly babble.<br />As for the poisoned weapons,<br />it was shown later that the poisoning<br />hadn&#8217;t been done by the king at all:<br />Laertes had done it by himself.<br />But Horatio, whenever pressed,<br />would produce even the ghost as a witness:<br />the ghost said this and that,<br />the ghost did this and that!<br /> <br />Because of all this, though hearing Horatio out,<br />most people in all conscience<br />pitied the good king,<br />who, with all these ghosts and fairy tales,<br />was unjustly killed and disposed of.<br /> <br />Yet Fortinbras, who profited from it all<br />and gained the throne so easily,<br />gave full attention and great weight<br />to every word Horatio said.</p> <p>* * *</p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/22/cavafy-on-hamlet-just-why-his-nephew-killed-himwas-never-precisely-explained#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15806663&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Books Theater Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Insomnia http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/22/cavafy-on-hamlet-just-why-his-nephew-killed-himwas-never-precisely-explained?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15806663&id=comments 10 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:04:05 -0800 The Stranger http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/07/couple-thoughts-about-les-miserables-for-musical-theater-nerds-only-not-for-you-everyone-else http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/07/couple-thoughts-about-les-miserables-for-musical-theater-nerds-only-not-for-you-everyone-else Christopher Frizzelle <p><div class="blogImageCenter" style="width:512px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/65c1/1357600866-lesmiz.jpg" alt="Anne Hathaway is the only good thing about this movie." title="Anne Hathaway is the only good thing about this movie." width="500" height="311" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Universal Pictures</li><li class="imageCaption">Anne Hathaway is the only good thing about this movie.</li></ul></div></p> <p><small><strong>PLEASE NOTE:</strong> As the headline says, this post is for musical-theater nerds only. For people who already know the show. Otherwise stop reading. Don't scream at me about spoiler alerts because Russell Crowe kills himself!! OK? Kills himself. He dies. <strong>He's dead. </strong>Dunzo. Along with almost everyone else. Although some of them come back from the dead to sing about Jesus. </small></p> <p>1) Going to see <em>Les Miserables</em> with someone who <strong>doesn't realize it's a musical</strong> is a hilarious experience. "Wait, is this a musical?" said my friend about one minute, five seconds in. He was the one who chose the movie. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!</p> <p>2) <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/maladroit/Content?oid=15587850">Goldy's totally right, it's klutzy, it's all close-ups, all "giant heads in dreary circumstances,"</a> and Hugh Jackman's giant head is particularly out-of-control giant, and veiny, and ugly, and never once does he take off his shirt or become a wolverine, which is ridiculous. </p> <p>3) Russell Crowe's stiffness puts taxidermy to shame. It's like <strong>Russell Crowe wasn't available</strong> so they got Madame Tussauds' Russell Crowe to play Russell Crowe playing Javert, and the wax statue was all, "Yeah, I can sing. I can sing!! LET ME SING." Also, how satisfying is it when his body, post-jumping-off-building, lands on the side of that fountain and makes that crunching sound? Gah! That was so satisfying. And possibly an inside joke from the sound effects people about his stiff performance.</p> <p>4) Anne Hathaway is amazing. As in, <strong>one is amazed how much better the movie gets when she's in the frame.</strong> I could watch her just standing there sewing for the rest of my life. Also amazing: how much better a song gets if she sings it. Who knew Fantine was even a character? Who in history has listened to "I Dreamed a Dream" all the way through&#8212;the most skippable song on the original cast recording, which has, let's be honest, a lot of skippable songs? "I Dreamed a Dream" is the worst. Until this movie. Where it is the best.</p> <p>5) Helena Bonham Carter + Sacha Baron Cohen = not funny. They play the Thenardiers, the "comic relief," but in this case the comic relievers have been relieved of their comic relief duties. Or something. Mathematically, they cancel each other out? It's weird. It's almost riveting how boring their performances are. </p> <p>6) Sweet <strong>battle scenes.</strong></p> <p>[ <a href="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/07/couple-thoughts-about-les-miserables-for-musical-theater-nerds-only-not-for-you-everyone-else#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15692544&amp;id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Film Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/07/couple-thoughts-about-les-miserables-for-musical-theater-nerds-only-not-for-you-everyone-else?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15692544&id=comments 33 Couple Thoughts about <i>Les Miserables</i> (for Musical-Theater Nerds Only!! Not for You, Everyone Else!) Anne Hathaway is the only good thing about this movie. Universal Pictures Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:24:52 -0800 The Stranger