Monday, May 18, 2009
Sex Baby not Daddy
Posted by Charles Mudede on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 8:32 PM
Mystery solved:
Alfie Patten, the boy who was reported to have conceived a child when he was 12 years old, is not the baby's father, DNA tests have shown.Alfie, now 13, from Eastbourne, in East Sussex, told a national newspaper in February that he believed he had made his 15-year-old girlfriend pregnant.
But the tests have established Tyler Barker, 15 and also from Eastbourne, is the father of Chantelle Stedman's baby.
Next time, Alfie.
Politics Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 6:08 PM
Politico says that the Sarah Palin camp seriously considered trying to forge an alliance with Hillary Clinton earlier this year:
In an unusual attempt to forge an alliance between two of the most prominent political families in American politics, John Coale, a Washington-area Democratic donor and onetime adviser to Sarah Palin, urged the conservative Alaska governor to use her political action committee to help retire the presidential campaign debt of Hillary Clinton.Coale, a wealthy trial attorney and the husband of Fox News talk show host Greta Van Susteren, approached Palin with the improbable plan in February while in Alaska with his wife, who was taping an interview with the former Republican vice presidential nominee.
An outspoken Clinton supporter during the Democratic primary who switched his allegiance to the GOP ticket for the general election, Coale made his case to Palin at the Iron Dog snowmachine competition in Fairbanks, where Todd Palin was competing over Valentine’s Day weekend. His broader aim, say Palin camp insiders, was to help Palin develop a relationship with the former first family that he thought could bolster the polarizing governor’s standing with Democrats and independents.
That certainly would have changed the political environment a little bit, wouldn't it?
Media / Books / Nerd This Week in Plagiarism
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 5:35 PM
Did Maureen Dowd plagiarize from Talking Points Memo?
Did Jason Aaron plagiarize a Wolverine story from a comic book blogger?
At the moment, it looks like Dowd committed a cut-and-paste error. And Aaron's idea wasn't all that original to begin with. So, probably not on both counts.
(This post could've been about six times as long, but I'm into brevity today.)
History / Fashion Call the Ancient Peoples of Mesoamerica "George Foreman"
Posted by Lindy West on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 5:13 PM
'CUZ APPARENTLY THEY WERE SELLING EVERYBODY GRILLZ.
Via National Geographic:
Sophisticated dentistry allowed Native Americans to add bling to their teeth as far back as 2,500 years ago, a new study says.Ancient peoples of southern North America went to "dentists"—among the earliest known—to beautify their chompers with notches, grooves, and semiprecious gems, according to a recent analysis of thousands of teeth examined from collections in Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History.
The early dentists used a drill-like device with a hard stone such as obsidian, which is capable of puncturing bone.
The ornamental stones—including jade—were attached with an adhesive made out of natural resins, such as plant sap, which was mixed with other chemicals and crushed bones, Jiménez said.
Image of King K'inich Kan B'alam II, upon whom I so disrespectfully scribbled, from Wikipedia.
Politics / The Ladies The Gender Gap
Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Gee, hard to understand why the GOP has such a difficult time attracting female voters.
Oh.
Line Out Juggalos on Denny
Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 5:03 PM
If you were riding your bike down Denny yesterday toward downtown and were wondering why it seemed suddenly like juggalos and juggalettes had taken over the world—hanging out of their cars in that dusty parking lot, standing on street corners, crossing crosswalks, looking all crazy and dirty and apocalypsey—you now have you answer. The reason for their ever-presence on those few blocks (with many photos by Kelly O of those faces) is here.
Politics / Homo Fierce Urgency Of Whenever Watch
Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:58 PM
Today The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld asks Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs about the president's timetable for the repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). President Obama not only promised to repeal DOMA if elected, he held up his support for a full repeal of DOMA as a critical difference between himself and Hillary Clinton. (Clinton only supported a partial repeal of DOMA.) Gibbs' answer could not possibly be more dismissive:
The Obama administration appears to have no intention whatsoever of following through on any of the promises Obama made during the campaign. They clearly want gay issues—and gay reporters—to go away. We need to make sure that the Obama administration understands that the only real way to make this issue go away—the only way to get us to turn down the volume—is for the president to start delivering on the commitments he made during the campaign. (Video via Towleroad.)
I'm thinking a march on Washington is in order. Let's take our demands to his front door.
Chow Space for Lease: Cremant
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:52 PM
The saga continues: Mike McConnell (Via Tribunali/Caffe Vita owner) has given up the lease on the Madrona restaurant space. Now building owners Roy McMakin (the architect, who designed the beautiful, witty space) and his spouse Mike Jacobs are looking for a new tenant. And while it's scary out there, plenty of people are still opening restaurants (sushi in Ballard, anyone?).
Photo: domesticarchitecture.com; more Cremant photos here.
Enviro No Green Here
Posted by Charles Mudede on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:51 PM
The worst in the world is still the American consumer.
A sample of the American:
A sample of the Germans:
Savage Love Savage Love Letter of the Day
Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:35 PM
I'm a 19-year-old gay man with a slightly unusual fetish. For some reason or other I find men in formal clothing (suits and ties) to be an incredible turn on. I am currently single and whenever I masturbate I put on a crisp, white shirt and a nice silk tie. The problem is, on the occasions that call for such attire—weddings, graduations—I often have unwanted erections. What should I do? It's not as if I don't enjoy this fetish and want to rid myself of it, but it does get in the way sometimes. I know all the centaur lovers and other people with unrealizable fetishes might scoff at me, but your advice would be greatly appreciated.Unrealizable Fetishists Have It Worse
I would advise you to beat off before, during, and after weddings, graduations, funerals, etc.
Now I've got a question for you: how the heck do you manage the dry cleaning bills? I mean, you're 19 and you put on a clean, white shirt and a silk tie whenever you beat off? I would've gone through six shirts a day when I was 19—and can you even get come stains out of silk ties? Or do you toss your tie over your shoulder when you're about to blow? Or is your dick safely tucked inside a black dress sock?
Spill, UFHIW.
City / Religion The Steel Drummer Solution
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:25 PM
The mysterious religious zealots who've hounded the University District Farmers Market for the last month were (sort of) back in force last weekend after taking a week off to harass NARAL at a fundraiser in Green Lake.
The group, it turns out, is part of a street preacher collective known as Open Air Seattle—although one Open Airee referred to themselves as a member of the creepy, Lovecraftian-sounding "Called Out Ones"—who spout fire, brimstone and anti-gay hatespeech on street corners around town.
Last weekend, they took up residence on the four corners of 50th and University, waving signs about sin and hell across the street from the University Street Fair and Farmers Market.
I wish I had something exciting to report back about this group of douchebag bigots—who've managed to piss off a whole bunch of farmers market vendors and businesses along the Ave—but truth be told, they're just your regular, run of the mill religious nuts. 
They're ridiculous, hateful turds with little geographic and cultural knowledge—"Queen Anne Hill, that's where [the gays] are at," one street preacher, Paul, told me—in desperate need of some sort of validation. It's unfortunate that they've chosen to set up shop in front of the farmers market—they say they don't have anything against farmers, and one Open Air member told me she believes "Jesus ate organic"—but there seems to be a simple solution: steel drums.
It was nearly impossible to hear Open Air members shouting bible verses over the din of several steel drummers playing outside of the farmers market on Saturday. This is the only thing steel drummers have ever been good for. Maybe the market folks should look into getting them to come out every weekend.
Film I Have Things to Say About Angels & Demons
Posted by Lindy West on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:13 PM
In case you were wondering:
Here's what happens: The pope dies. Meanwhile, a lady-scientist and a priest-scientist create antimatter in a little bottle ("Inject particle beams!"). Then someone steals the antimatter AND science-priest's eyeball! Harsh! Then Tom Hanks is all, "It's the ancient Illuminati threat." Then a skinny, tea-drinking, bespectacled atheist in a sinister hippie Vanagon (OF DEATH!) kidnaps a bunch of cardinals. Then Tom Hanks gets access to the Vatican archives, which gives him a funny feeling in his genitals. Then he unravels a conspiracy, then switcheroo, then KABLOW!, then switcheroo again, the end.
Read the whole thing HERE.
Sex The Kali
Posted by Charles Mudede on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:10 PM
What this image fails to tell me is this...
...Is it pointing the past or future of Miss California.
In any case, I recently discovered a real live woman whose appearance was definitely improved by her pregnancy. She works in this city. I can not tell you anymore about her. But Eric Grandy knows my meaning.
Lastly, there is no real philosophy of pregnancy? Why? Tons has been about death, about illness, about sexuality, and other important events in the life of the body. But a search for something that is sustained and deep about pregnancy will produce little or nothing. Who is to blame for this dearth? Firstly, men, because they dominate the philosophical discourse. Secondly women, because they treat pregnancy like its something sacred, untouchable, the temple of the body. Both (men and women) block access to any sustained thought of this most important of human events: birth. But if there were to be a philosophy of pregnancy—one beyond the usual nonsense that relates it to the creative process (we find this in James Joyce)—then pregnancy would be seen in the terms of an abstraction.
Now, everything is abstracted in some way. Any interaction involves an amount of abstraction. When we sit on a chair, we abstract it. Meaning, many things can be done with the chair and sitting on it is one of those many things. Sitting does not exhaust all of the chair's possibilities. True, sitting on a chair might be the essence of a chair, but an essence by no means exhausts the possibilities of a chair. Nor does an essence always mean the best use of an object in a given moment. If someone is attacking you and there is a chair nearby, sitting on it is not the best thing to do with it. Using the chair as a weapon (another abstraction) is a far better use of that chair. So essence is not eternal or essential—this line of thinking will lead to the area that surrounds the concept of affordance. So, a pregnant woman. What kind of abstraction is this?
News / Sex Brothel Island
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 4:05 PM
Another prostitution bust for Bainbridge Island. Last February, police arrested some prostitutes at a hotel.
Now they've scared away a fully functioning brothel on the south end of the island. The brothel, which probably got wise to the investigation, closed shop voluntarily.
Police learned of the brothel after receiving over a dozen complaints from neighbors. In a few cases, would-be clients accidentally went to the wrong address or were spotted sneaking around in backyards.“Neighbors were getting odd knocks during the middle of the night, with men asking for (prostitutes) by name,” Shultz said.
“I’m amazed,” said Iver McDougal, president of the South Bainbridge Neighborhood Association and 30-year island resident. “A lot of people, I know, will be surprised and not very happy.”Brothels don’t fit the image many have of Bainbridge, he said. The island has relatively low crime and boasts a well-educated and wealthy populace.
“We’re an upscale community and I think we have a sort of upscale self-image,” he said.
Since when are brothels necessarily downscale, Mr. McDougal? If they're good enough for Eliot Spitzer, they're good enough for Bainbridge Island.
Politics And the KC Exec Is...
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 3:57 PM
The meeting of the King County Council to appoint the interim King County executive is happening live right here. Bob Ferguson just put former Seattle mayor Charley Royer's name forward; his colleague Larry Gossett just nominated former executive Ron Sims' chief of staff (and current interim county exec) Kurt Triplett, arguing that Triplett has more experience in county government.
The verdict: It's Triplett. Julia Patterson: "Kurt can maintain a very steady and experienced hand on the helm of this budget process. ... I don't think this is any time for any learning curve." Pete von Reichbauer: "I'm glad we're not having a candidate for elective office as county executive during these (economic) times." Kathy Lambert: "Going into this budget, we do not have time for poorly put-together, incomplete information. ... I don't want to see happen again this year what happened last year." Larry Phillips is saying that the criteria that went into choosing Triplett ("deep knowledge of county government," understanding of how to put together a budget) would be great criteria in choosing a permanent county executive (a position for which he's running).
The roll call on the vote to include Triplett's name on the appointment legislation (his actual appointment will be by acclamation, i.e., unanimously):
For Triplett:
Reagan Dunn (R)
Larry Gossett (D)
Julia Patterson (D)
Larry Phillips (D)
Pete Von Reichbauer (R)
Dow Constantine (D)
Kathy Lambert (R)
Jane Hague (R)
Bob Ferguson (D)
TV / Nerd "If we canceled Joss Whedon's show I would have got 110 million emails from his fans today."
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Fox has announced their fall schedule and there's a bit of a surprise: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the Terminator TV show, has been cancelled, but Dollhouse, the drama from Joss Whedon, is back on the schedule next year. The quote headlining this post is from Fox's Entertainment President, Kevin Reilly. You'd think with the mammoth Terminator movie opening on Friday that Fox would have been a little more forgiving of the tie-in TV show. Though her show has been cancelled, Summer Glau is still hotter than Eliza Dushku, although neither woman can really read promotional copy aloud in a convincing manner:
New Fox shows next year include a spin-off of The Family Guy and Human Target, a TV show based on a DC Comic about a man who disguises himself as people who are in mortal danger.
Politics Triplett Using Sims's Car and Driver
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Kurt Triplett, former chief of staff to King County Executive Ron Sims, has been serving as temporary interim county executive while the King County Council narrows down the nominees for interim county executive. (The council is deliberating at this very moment over whether that role should be filled by Triplett or former Seattle Mayor Charley Royer. Whoever is chosen will step down in November when the voters choose a permanent KC exec. Fun!) Anyway, despite his less than grand current title, Triplett has been availing himself of Sims's former car and driver, who pick him up and take him home every day (in addition to transporting him to and from official county business.) According to executive spokeswoman Carolyn Duncan, the car and driver are part of the standard protection afforded to every King County Executive, temporary interim, interim, permanent or otherwise. John Urquhart, media relations officer for the King County Sheriff's Department, says the car and driver are part of the department's executive protection division, which costs the county $225,000 annually before overtime. Urquhart says the county has received "credible threats" against county executives in the past.
Includes reporting by Stranger news intern Alexander Brown.
The Ladies "Common Ground"
Posted by Erica C. Barnett on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 2:51 PM
There are people who believe that women have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies (whether that choice means birthing 18 children, having an abortion, giving a baby up for adoption, spending a fortune on fertility drugs when thousands of living babies go unwanted, or becoming pregnant at 66), and there are people who do not believe women have that right.
And between those two groups, there is no room for "common ground"—any more than there is room for "common ground" between those who support marriage equality and those who believe gay people are condemned to hell. We don't sit down and dialogue with gay-bashers racists or any other kind of bigot—we pass laws that prohibit their bigotry from infringing on the rights of others. This is a basic tenet of rights-based democracy. Why, when it comes to women's right to choose, is this so hard to understand?
Chow Burning Beast 2009 Tickets Now on Sale
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 2:34 PM
The second annual world's-best feast in a field is July 12: "Food comes off the fires around 6pm. Service goes until it's gone or guests are full! Make a day of it—come early and stay late. Smoke Farm has 360 acres to wander and a river to dip in." Cost: $75, but that money goes to a good cause (Smoke Farm itself, a place for artists, thinkers, and assorted greatnesses).
This grand-scale cookout features Seattle's best chefs, and it is so, so fun. Last year it sold out twice (initial tickets, then more when, by popular demand, organizer Tamara Murphy bought more meat). This year, there will be venison ("not necessarily revenge for the deer that took out Tamara's car on the drive down the hill to the farm," according to Smoke Farm). If you're into meat and have the dough, get your ticket now.
UPDATE! "Eleven star-studded cooking teams gather to prepare and master an assigned animal, vegetable and/or sea creature, whole or in parts, using fire, earth, steel and little else... participating chefs includes; Dylan Giordan (Serafina), Angie Roberts (Boka), Matt Dillon (Sitka and Spruce, The Corson Building), Garret Abel (DeLaurentis), Dustin Ronspies (Art of the Table), Gabriel Claycamp (The Swinery), Ron Jones (Jones Glassworks), Tyson Danilson (Le Pichet), Jonathan Sundstrom (Lark), Zephyr Paquette (Eilliott Bay Cafe), Jennifer Alphonsine (Circa Alehouse) - and more!"
Media / Religion Do You Hate Yourself? Part 2
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 2:21 PM
The LDS Newsroom informs us that today the LDS Church has launched The Mormon Channel, a free 24-hour-a-day internet radio station that is billed as "The Official Radio Station of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." Here are some shows:
The Light of MenThe Light of Men is a series of radio dramas, airing regularly, depicting the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through intriguing and inspirational dramatization, these programs will introduce the listener to the places Jesus walked, the doctrine he taught, the people with whom he lived and travelled, and the conflicts and opposition that eventually led to his trial, his death, and his glorious resurrection.
and
History of HymnsHistory of Hymns investigates the inception and the evolution of the hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The episodes include history and progression of the music as well as the text. The program features interesting stories surrounding the creators and others involved in the evolution of the hymn bringing listeners up to date. Also included are interesting stories surrounding the performance or inclusion of the hymn in a variety of settings.
I've been listening to it for a few minutes now. It's like a really boring NPR with a hard-on for God. Step it up, Scientologists! You're on notice; where's your radio station?
Sex God Loves Beauty
Posted by Charles Mudede on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 2:18 PM
To see more of that Christian booty, go here:
She has the body of a woman but the teeth of a horse. The teeth might be continuous with, or expression of, the mind.
Boom Sisley Proposes 160-Foot Towers in Roosevelt
Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 2:11 PM
If a controversial landlord gets his way, sixteen-story residential towers would replace run-down houses in the Roosevelt neighborhood. Developers working with Hugh Sisley, who owns 50 properties hugging Northeast 65th Street, submitted plans in late April to redevelop the dilapidated rentals and boarded-up houses. Today, the city announced it would study the proposal and issue a report on the impacts of increasing the area’s height limit from 40 feet to up to 160 feet.
The area, in many respects, seems ideal for more density: The properties sit from one to three blocks from the future Roosevelt light-rail station, which voters approved last November. But neighbors—conflicted between finally getting rid of blight and the specter of upsetting a quiet neighborhood—say that 16 stories is too tall.
“The largest zoning proposals are truly laughable from our perspective,” says Jim O’Halloran, land-use chair of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association. “160-foot and 125-foot tall buildings are not even worth talking about.” The group, in the past, has proposed buildings that are only about 40 feet tall, and he expects the group to reassert that 40 feet is the maximum height it will tolerate.
But the neighborhood is in a weak position to play hardball; Sisley may not accept an offer under 85 feet. “He wants the highest and best use,” Jon Breiner, a principal of Roosevelt Development Group, which signed a contract with Sisley to try and develop the properties, said last year. If Sisley, known for being stubborn and aloof to neighborhood concerns, rejects the offer, he could leave the abandoned properties as magnets for vermin and vagrants. Nonetheless, the city’s impact study will likely find unmanageable impacts from the tallest proposed buildings, favoring heights capping out around 85 feet. Here is the area we're talking about:
O’Halloran says residents may be “willing to contemplate 65 to 85 foot building heights” in exchange for amenities such as building a new park and preserving views of the historic brick face of Roosevelt High School (the white box in the photo next to the football field).
“No one is happy, not Sisley or neighbors, with the current situation, but we aren’t willing to take anything just to change it,” O’Halloran says. “I don’t think a man in his 80s wants to die surveying the squalor.”
The city will hold a meeting to take public comment on what factors it should study (e.g., traffic, parking, shadows, etc.) when considering Sisley's proposal on June 9. Comments may also be submitted in a letter. Details are here.
Nerd It is Not My Birthday
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 2:10 PM
But I would still really appreciate it if someone were to make me an AT-AT cake.
The end of the long, terrible reign of circle-and-square-shaped cakes is nearly at hand!
Sex My Heart's Not On Fire, Elvira
Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 1:56 PM
But I'm thinking that's because I'm not the right target for your unsolicited email...
Hello! My name is Elvira. I want to get acquainted with you. I'm 27 years old. And I am lonely, and seeking long-term relations. I wish to find my second half which I have not met befor. May be you? I hope, that you will answer me and it will be the beginning of our relations. I send you a picture, that you dbltk who I'm. More about myself I with pleasure will write you, if you answer me. Ask, if you have questions. I will be waiting for your answer. I hope, that you will not keep me waiting for a long time.
Here's Elvira's picture...
Any lonely straight boys that would like to begin relations with Elvira can write her at this email: lalamarmuzetka@yahoo.de. If you do decide to write to Elvira, be sure to update your matchmaker here at Slog about your relations.
Theater Coming This Week to Theater Off Jackson
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 1:52 PM
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