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Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, August 31, 2011
Death / Sports RIP Wade Belak
Posted by Megan Seling on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 8:29 PM
Wade Belak, a former NHL player who most recently played for the Nashville Predators before retiring in the middle of the 2010-11 season, was found dead in a Toronto hotel room earlier today.
LFPress.com reports suicide as the cause of death, but nothing has been officially announced.
Belak is the third NHL player to die in the offseason. In May New York Rangers' Derek Boorgaard died from an accidentally lethal mix of alcohol and oxycodone, and just over two weeks ago Winnipeg's Rick Rypien committed suicide. All three men were enforcers, a very physical position that can cause a lot of head trauma and concussions, injuries which have recently been linked to a degenerative brain disease.
Very sad.
Music / Savage Love Sing It, Stockard
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 6:15 PM
Typing the words "there are worse things you could do" got this playing in my head...
...and now it's playing yours. (I like this version too.)
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Savage Love SL Letter of the Day: Pretty Little Hippie
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 5:45 PM
Before I go into the now I’ll delve to the past for a little background on myself.
I have always been attracted to females. I have always had crushes on female teachers and classmates. I have always fantasized about women. Another friends mother caught myself and my closest early childhood friend, a girl, naked and in missionary position when we were five. This was my first sexual experience, and I was hard. I think I learned the moves I used on my girl (I was french kissing her) from films. To this day I have trouble getting hard without making out. My love-making style is very cinematic.
I digress.
Moving on, I have had experiences with other males as well. All fondling. I have at times found the penis erotic but it does not consume me. I enjoy women so much and prefer them in every respect. None of my erotic dreams include men and I have only masturbated to orgasm thinking of a man once, which felt awkward and not erotic. The issue at hand, so to speak, is that I get pegged, so to speak, as being gay, so to speak, quite a lot. I recognize why this would be. I do flirt with men. I sincerely like being nice and making people happy and as a matter of course I smile and make eye contact. I think some guys may confuse my polite, hippie "I love everybody" hippie mentality for my being willing to suck their dicks to MAKE them happy, which honestly is not a can of worms, so to speak, that I feel compelled to open. There are plently of women in the world, and I am not in prison at the moment.
The rest of the question—and my response—after the jump...
Chow Headline of the Day
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 5:15 PM
Money T-Mobile CEO to Employees: Don't Worry, We'll Shove This Thing Through Somehow
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 4:09 PM
This Is My Next has text of T-Mobile CEO Philipp Humm's internal e-mail to his employees about the news that the Justice Department is blocking the AT&T merger:
DT and AT&T believe the DOJ has failed to acknowledge the significant consumer benefits of this deal. DT remains convinced that bringing together these two world-class businesses would create significant benefits for customers and the country.
Go read the whole thing, if you really like reading squirmy, cowardly corporate double-speak. But I'll translate it for you right here: "Don't worry: We'll still fuck everyone over—from all you future layoff victims employees reading this e-mail to every last one of our customers—because we've got great lawyers and we're betting the government's bark is worse than its bite."
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Politics Dennis Kucinich, Diehard Qaddafi Supporter?
Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 3:54 PM
Via TPM, and starting at about 2:50, signs from the ruins of Qaddafi's intelligence headquarters in Tripoli that Congressman Dennis Kucinich—still mulling a run next year in Washington State's 1st Congressional District—may have been looking for creative ways to help keep the Libyan dictator in power:
Oops. Kucinich's response: ""I can't help what the Libyans put in their files."
Booze It's Almost Happy Hour O'Clock
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 3:45 PM
And the skies are obediently clearing for the Jimmy Hendricks* Manpurse Happy Hour on the lovely rooftop deck of downtown's Hard Rock Cafe, starting at 5 p.m.! That's an hour and a quarter, give or take, from right now.
Lots of people from the office will be there: Mary Traverse, David Schmader, Paul Constant, Grant Brissey, Cienna Madrid, Dominic Holden, and more, more, MORE!
And, of course, the manpurse. And the drink specials. See you soon!
*While a certain deceased Seattle rock star's manpurse will be available for commemorative photos, for legal reasons, this happy hour is named after Seattle non-rock-star James Hendricks.
LGBTQITSLFA Feds Pursuing a "Vindictive Prosecution" of Dan Choi?
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 3:27 PM
The trail judge thinks there's enough evidence of that to issue a 10-day delay so Choi's lawyers can put the government on trial for putting Choi in trial:
The third day of the U.S. government's trial of former Lt. Dan Choi ended with a 10-day delay for the government to seek an order from a higher court stopping the decision made today by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola to allow Choi's lawyers to argue the government singled out Choi for "vindictive prosecution."
Facciola said this morning that he had found there was prima facie evidence for "vindictive prosecution," meaning enough evidence was presented to allow Choi's lawyers to pursue such a claim. As a result, Choi's lawyers would be able to ask for more documents and evidence from the government in order to investigate if higher-level officials advised their subordinates to try Choi in federal court rather than D.C. court and, if so, why.
Choi got arrested protesting DADT at the White House and is being charged with breaking some obscure federal park service law. He faces six months in prison. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that actress Daryl Hannah isn't going to face six months in prison for getting arrested at the White House yesterday.
You can sign a letter in support of Choi here.
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Politics Mark Your Calendars!
Posted by Dominic Holden on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 3:19 PM
Ready to dive into the slightly-byzantine, totally-enraged politics of the Seattle School District?
Neither are we, but we must. After a three-year run of controversies—ranging from school closures to a $1.8 million alleged fraud scandal that ended in the superintendent’s termination—a majority of the Seattle School Board is up for reelection this fall. A sweep by four serious challengers in the general election would tip the troubled district’s balance of power.
But do these Cliff Mass-endorsed hopefuls have the skills to run the school district?
All four incumbents and all four challengers will debate at Town Hall on September 28 at 7:30 p.m. in an event sponsored by The Stranger. Lightning rounds with all eight contenders? YES! Four sets of one-on-one mini-debates? YES! Vote via text after every round for the winner of each match? YES! YES! FORTHECHILDRENYES! Ahem... the candidates are:
Sherry Carr (incumbent) vs. Kate Martin
Harium Martin-Morris (incumbent) vs. Michelle Buetow
Steve Sundquist (incumbent) vs. Marty McLaren
KIRO’s Dave Ross will moderate, with help from panelists: Lauren McGuire (president of the Seattle PTSA) and Melissa Westbrook (author of the blog Save Seattle Schools, which is also a co-sponsor).
Tickets are free; go online to guarantee your seat here. The event's upstairs at Town Hall Seattle (8th Ave and Seneca Street) on September 28 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Booze The Latest in Cocktail Ridiculousness
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 3:11 PM
- Canon's Facebook
Jamie Boudreau—formerly of Vancouver, BC’s Daniel Boulud restaurant Lumiere (he still says “about” funny) and Vessel downtown, both now closed—is finally opening his own bar: Canon Whiskey and Bitters Emporium. He hopes it'll happen this weekend; he's waiting on getting wine and beer, which, for a man completely fixated on liquor, must be painful. Last night, there was a preview.
Canon is where Licorous used to be, and the Upscale Barbie Dream Date decor has been replaced with dark upholstery, an antique cash register, a bar stained with Angostura bitters (on purpose), and such an extensive and beautiful liquor collection, it’s somewhat unbelievable. Shelves upon shelves of bottles glow alluringly—there must be tens of thousands of dollars of liquor, with more on the way. As Boudreau put it, he wants his patrons to be “ensconced in booze.” To that end, a 100-drink menu-book is soon going to the printer; barrel-aged cocktails will be served in glass flasks; and punch bowls will be available to tables. The Great Gatsby is in the house. The ice cubes will, surely, be perfect.
Boudreau was, I believe, the first barkeep in Seattle to give each cocktail on his menu a date, a place of origin, and a composer as available, back at Vessel in 2006. He was also the first barkeep to lecture me about vodka (look—everybody's doing it now!)—he told me that same year that vodka lacks complexity, is "for amateurs," and lies beneath consideration, and that it would not now nor ever appear on his cocktail menu. He said this with more charm than you would think possible; he's a charming man. And I think I read somewhere that he said at Canon, he wasn't going to be a vodka totalitarian (you can go try to order a vodka drink when it opens and see).
Canon is going to be the new, arguably ridiculous, arguably great pinnacle of Seattle cocktail culture.
2012 Boehner Rebuffs Obama Speech
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 2:59 PM
House Speaker John Boehner threw a serious procedural brushback pitch at President Barack Obama late Wednesday — urging Obama to delay his hastily called Sept. 7 address to Congress by a day to avoid “parliamentary and logistical” problems...His conclusion, which stunned but didn’t necessarily surprise the West Wing: “I respectfully invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Thursday, September 8, 2011 in the House Chamber, at a time that works best for your schedule.”
That's a pretty serious dick move from Boehner.
UPDATE 3:28 pm: SNAPPITY-SNAP! Looks like Boehner told Obama privately that date would be fine and then publicly said no. That makes Boehner like King Dick of Dick Island.
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Booze / City Seattle's First *Premier* Liquor Store
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 2:51 PM
So: The state's first *premier* liquor store opened yesterday at 4100 SW Alaska Street in West Seattle. What makes this liquor store more special than the handfuls of other state-run stores, you ask?
According to a press release from the Washington State Liquor Control Board, instead of what we fondly refer to as the average store's "1950's East Berlin minimalism" vibe, this new *premier* liquor store features digital signage! Hard-wood floors! "Upscale... fixtures!" And an old-timey tasting bar (a.k.a controlled environment) where moderate samples will occasionally be offered. As Andrew Bohrer of the hilarious, articulate and joyfully caustic liquor blog CaskStrength says, "The WSLCB has a lot of employees that have helped elevate spirits over the past few years and they deserve a work environment better than the average dry cleaner or teriyaki shack, glad they have at least one." Indeed.
- WSLCB
- An invitation to drink moderately, sometimes.
I haven't been over to West Seattle to check it out, nor have I found a bar owner or professional drinker liquor aficionado who's seen how *premier* and varied their selection really is. But I'm really interested to find out if it lives up to the hype. Or if, as my grandma used to say, "Slapping chaps on that turd does not make it a cowboy."
The *premier* liquor store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Science Today in Transparency Issues
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 2:33 PM
Popular Science says:
All the new breakthroughs in microscopy we’ve seen recently are designed to help scientists see deeper, inside individual cells and into the depths of the brain. Of course, this would be easier to do if there wasn’t a bunch of other tissue blocking the cells you want to see. Japanese researchers have a new solution: Make it all transparent.
A new chemical reagent makes the brain see-through, allowing fluorescent tags to light up neurons and blood vessels deep inside. This enables 3-D images of entire structures, without having to cut anything away or divide anything into smaller sections.
Start your invisible assassin screenplays now, kids.
Genius Geniuses Won't, They Don't, They Can't Stop. So Let's Party!
Posted by Jen Graves on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 2:07 PM
- COURTESY LEAD PENCIL STUDIO (THE ARTISTS)
- All of the lights.
Susie Lee had her first LA opening last weekend—including a tabletop sculpture that burns tiny pieces of pencil lead when you text its phone number. Once you text it, it has your number, and it gets mad if you don't pay attention to it.
And Wynne Greenwood turned her LA dealer's gallery into a women's spa, with videos substituted for pools of relaxing water; Bam Bam Flintstone was involved.
There are now NINE YEARS of Stranger Geniuses, and they will rock your world.
Come celebrate them with us—plus with live music from Wheedle's Groove and Wild Orchid Children, and DJ sets by Emerald City Soul Club and OCNotes—on Friday September 16 at the Moore. Doors at 9; tickets are $7.
More info, or to donate to the Genius cause, here.
Arts / Visual Art / Theater How Would Your Art Be Different If You Knew a Million People Would See It?
Posted by Jen Graves on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 2:01 PM
I'm fascinated by this idea from Greg Lundgren in today's piece by Brendan Kiley on the proposal to turn the former Lusty Lady into a contemporary arts center called Walden Three:
"You can have a shy, retiring artist," he says, "but that shy artist will create a different show for Walden Three than they would for a coffee shop. We are going to show their art to potentially millions of people—that will step up everybody's game."
Artists, how would what you make be different if you had an audience of millions?
What would a "stepped-up game" look like for you?
What is the role of scale in creative work?
2012 President Obama Vs. the Republican Debates
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:36 PM
The White House just announced that President Barack Obama is seeking to address a joint session of Congress at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 to lay out his jobs plan to deal with the economy.
By sheer coincidence, we're sure, that's also the same time of the POLITICO/NBC News debate with the 2012 Republican hopefuls.
Politico goes on to suggest that President Obama is doing this to look presidential in comparison to the Republicans, who wil doubtlessly be sniping at each other about how much they can limit government's role in everything. Politico doesn't mention, though, that this is sort of a risky move on the White House's part. If something at the Republican debate turns out to be big news—if, say, Herman Cain says something sexist to Michele Bachmann, or if Rick Perry hits Mitt Romney in a particularly vicious way—it'll make the president look insignificant, downright Carterish, when the media leads with debate news the next day.
But enough speculation! We can settle this right now, with a Slog poll:
Dinosaurs Today's Dinosaur News
Posted by Mary Traverse on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:33 PM
Have a tip for Dinosaur News? Send it to dinosaurs@thestranger.com!
"The point is... you are alive when they start to eat you. So you know... try to show a little respect."
Raptor from Tal Moskovich on Vimeo.
Politics Attorney General Rob McKenna Demands That Backpage.com Explain Itself (And So Do 44 Other AGs)
Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:26 PM
- E.S.
- Rob McKenna today: Making demands.
Panic Japan's New Normal
Posted by Goldy on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:15 PM
For those who insist I've made too much of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster:
TOMIOKA, Japan (AP) — Vines creep across Tomioka's empty streets, its prim gardens overgrown with waist-high weeds and meadow flowers. Dead cows rot where they were left to starve in their pens. Chicken coops writhe with maggots, a sickening stench hanging in the air.
This once-thriving community of 16,000 people now has a population of one.
It's all very well to argue that Fukushima wasn't as bad as Chernobyl, and that when you look at the big picture, nuclear power is still a helluva lot safer than coal... unless you're one of the 100,000 Fukushima prefecture residents who have been permanently displace.
At Large Route 2 in Cropseyville, NY
Posted by Jen Graves on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:05 PM
This was the road to my Aunt Kathy's house.
Comedy / Conflict of Interest / Film / Drunk Tomorrow Night: The Enematic Cinematic at Chapel
Posted by Lindy West on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- THIS IS ELICIA SANCHEZ
Who are you?
Elicia Sanchez. I'm a stand-up comedian and a video store employee who splits my paychecks between comic books and happy hour. Also, a responsible adult and maker of good decisions. You will most likely see me on the bus sometime.
What is The Enematic Cinematic?
It started as a blog about the shitty movies I watched that turned into a podcast. The podcast episodes consist of me convincing comedians, filmmakers, friends, and/or random people to come over to my apartment, drink some beer, and then record ourselves talking about the movie we watched in segments such as: what we learned, favorite quotes, or a name from the end credits that sounds like a nickname for a penis. And so on.
2012 / Politics / Savage Love Another Priceless Santorum Autograph
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 12:54 PM
"We attended the Ames Straw Poll," writes "Savage Love" reader and Iowa resident Josh. "My friend Jason had the brilliant idea of seeing if we could get Rick Santorum's autograph. We glued an small image of the Iowa Straw Poll over something that Rick would never sign, had Rick sign our poster, and then, through the miracle of rubber cement, carefully removed the image of the Iowa Straw Poll."
"Was it dishonest? Yes. Was it worth it? Definitely. A memento suitable for framing."
2012 Not Only Did Rick Perry Support Hillarycare...
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 12:34 PM
...he at one time suggested a joint US/Mexico health care program, according to Wonkette. Here's the speech, and here's a relevant paragraph.
Legislation authored by border legislators Pat Haggerty and Eddie Lucio establishes an important study that will look at the feasibility of bi-national health insurance. This study recognizes that the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border compose one region, and we must address health care problems throughout that region. That’s why I am also excited that Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar is working on an initiative that could extend the benefits of telemedicine to individuals living on the Mexican side of the border.
Wow. Perrycare makes Romneycare look like RonPaulcare. Good work, Governor!
Economy Good News, Bad News on Seattle Employment Report
Posted by Goldy on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 12:11 PM
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released July metropolitan employment data today, and the good news is that the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area showed some of the strongest year-over-year gains in the nation, adding about 31,000 non-farm jobs since July of 2010. Yay!
The bad news is that month-to-month, the region actually lost a few thousand jobs between June and July of this year... though these are not seasonally adjusted numbers, so perhaps thats not too meaningful.
Interestingly, while the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area is home to about 43 percent of Washington's civilian workforce, it accounted for 80 percent of the new jobs added statewide over the past 12 months. So as slow as the economy may be around here, it's downright bustling compared to most of the rest of the state.
Animals / Video of the Day Kangarooz Izz Crazee
Posted by Kelly O on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 12:03 PM
I've never understood it, but always wanted to try it...
City The Commenting Has Begun
Posted by Jen Graves on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 11:42 AM
I wrote a story about race—love ya, Birch!—and the very first comment kicks things off with:
I'm... really not sure what to take away from this article. The lesson it seems to want to convey to white people is, "you're racist because of your life experiences, and nothing you do will fix that." This isn't a message that makes me want to reach out; it's a message that makes me want to throw up my hands in despair. I actually tend to avoid interacting with people who are minorities because I know that they'll perceive me as racist, as privileged, as someone who doesn't understand their world.
Please do not despair, Orv. The point of the piece was that you are in plenty of good company. And that avoiding people, or subjects, by retreating into despair is maybe not where it's at. These are just ideas I'm throwing out there.
Books Books Are Not Dead
Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 11:26 AM
In response to the most recent histrionic "books are dead" piece that circulated the internet a couple weeks back, Slog tipper Fnarf alerted us to this long, thoughtful essay about how books are not going anywhere. There's plenty to argue with in this piece, but it's worth it for the reasoned response and the considerate long view the author takes:
The old world is fading, the new world isn't yet in focus. When newspapers and music faced this moment, there was a significant tendency to become hugely angry that the old world in which we were all so comfortable was being "swept away". It's almost impossible for someone who has spent decades working in a calm, creative environment not to be enraged by the sight of American technology companies tipping everything on its head.
You should go read the whole thing.
City / Visual Art / Theater Walden Three
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 11:11 AM
Greg Lundgren (of the Hideout, Vital 5, and Lundgren Monuments) has a big new idea—a really big, really new idea that involves taking over the Seven Seas building (formerly known as the Lusty Lady), turning it into an arts center, and making it the set for a 10-year documentary film about "the cultural renaissance of a major American city."
This project is also a behavioral social experiment Lundgren wants to run on the city's entire arts community. The project is called Walden Three. It's ambitious. It's weird. It's inspired.
Read all about it here.
TV / Celeb / LGBTQITSLFA Another Reason to Love Chaz Bono
Posted by David Schmader on Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 11:08 AM
He'll be hoofing his way into America's living rooms on the next season of Dancing with the Stars. He's been paired with a female dancer, as he should be. Some people are freaking out. One outraged comment featured in the Reuters' report, ABC Attacked by 'DWTS' Fans Over Chaz Bono Casting:
"HUGE HUGE fan of this show since season two and eagerly await each season to get my dancing/entertainment 'fix'!! But when I heard that Chaz Bono was going to be on, I was sick. Not that I have anything personally again her/him, I just don't want that lifestyle choice continually flaunted in the media esp ABC," went one typical anti-Bono comment.
Bono previously impressed me with his open-hearted education of David Letterman on trans issues 101—no question too stupid, all answered with a smile—and his upcoming season on DWTS should be equally illuminating. There'll likely be zero discussion of intricate trans issues, but there will be a real live transgendered star dancing across America's TV sets on a weekly basis.
Of course this also means that many of us will be required to start watching DWTS and voting for Chaz Bono, no matter how crappily he may dance. Maybe this was ABC's key motive, tricking all us snooty progressives who can't be bothered with DWTS to start tuning in and voting. Whatever, I'm game.
Do You Need a Referral to a Doctor Who Specializes in Giving a Shit?
Posted by Jen Graves at 11:03 AM in Health / Comedy
Remembering the Moment John T. Williams Lost His Life
Posted by Cienna Madrid at 10:35 AM in Death / City / Dance
Our Very Own Aaron Huffman, Along With Lots of Seattle Artists, Bumbers by Number!
Posted by Jen Graves at 10:25 AM in Visual Art / Bumbershoot
These Are the People Who Think They Should Be Running the Country
Posted by Dan Savage at 10:24 AM in 2012 / Politics
Unsatisfied Dave Matthews Band Customer!
Posted by Grant Brissey at 10:21 AM in Mailbag
Man Impales Eye on Garden Shears (with Video!)
Posted by Goldy at 9:45 AM in Health / Horrors
Sleeping Is the Most Important Thing You Do
Posted by Jen Graves at 9:44 AM in Visual Art
Feds Sue to Block AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
Posted by Goldy at 9:06 AM in Tech / Economy
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