It's Voting Season!

Slog AM/PM

Slog PM: Cops Lead Nationwide Anti-Vax Movement, Ferguson Successfully Defends Vaccine Mandate, FDA Panel Recommends J&J Booster

by Rich Smith • Friday at 6:09 pm

Nearly 140 officers at the Seattle Police Department have refused to turn in their vax cards. The deadline for them to do so is Monday.
Nearly 140 officers at the Seattle Police Department have refused to turn in their vax cards. The deadline for them to do so is Monday. The Stranger

Councilmember Tammy Morales stumped for Nicole Thomas-Kennedy downtown this morning: After a bunch of right-wingers and civility trolls tried to get the city fired up over some inflammatory tweets, Morales highlighted the City Attorney’s primary role of defending Seattle’s progressive revenue streams and policies against constant corporate assault. TV reporters then did what TV reporters do (amplify the “concerns” of the safe and landed gentry, and then frame questions as if politicians create public policy based on extreme or outlier incidents). In answer to their questions, NTK argued that addressing root causes of petty crime would bring the city a better return on investment than jail, that jail doesn’t appear to deter people from stealing food and clothes because they keep going to jail and yet they keep being cold and hungry, and that people are not living in park encampments because of “Seattle’s progressive policies,” they’re living in parks because they don’t have homes.

For the 100th time: Seattle has been thinking about homelessness for a while now. Election day will mark the 7th year since former Mayor Ed Murray and Executive Dow Constantine declared homelessness an emergency. “Progressives,” hobbled by a corporate mayor, gained a majority on the city council 1.8 years ago, about four months before the pandemic shutdown the economy, derailed everything, reduced shelter capacity, increased mental health problems, and ramped up income inequality. The idea that homelessness emerged from progressive city policy — and not, say, Reagan gutting federal funding for housing and mental health services and then subsequent presidents refusing to make adequate investments all while Big Pharma kicked off an opioid epidemic — is so fucking dumb that I can’t even type any more.

Continue reading »
Film/TV • Unstreamable

Celebrate Video Store Day With These Spooky Unstreamable Films

by Chase Burns and Jas Keimig • Friday at 5:00 pm

Bundles galore!
Bundles galore! Scarecrow Video
Unstreamable is a column that finds films and TV shows you can't watch on major streaming services in the United States.*

In honor of Scarecrow Video's annual Psychotronic Challenge, which happens every October, we're choosing unstreamable films that check off boxes on the challenge's watch list this month. Here's that watch list.

Alsoooo, this week's column is extra special because tomorrow is Video Store Day. Let's get to it!

***

THE GARDENER
United States, 1974, 86 min, Dir. James H. Kay

Beware his seeds.
Beware his seed.

Tomorrow, October 16, is Video Store Day, and Scarecrow Video will celebrate from 12 to 6 PM with online and in-store deals, including 50% off all used items in-store. There's also a day-long live stream on Scarecrow's YouTube, featuring short films, a video collage from Collide-O-Scope, a discussion of horror movies with Ken Jennings, and a pop-up visit from us at Unstreamable.

As for Scarecrow's monthlong Psychotronic Challenge, which we overviewed in our last column, this Saturday's challenge is "Video Store Day: Watch something physically rented or bought from an actual video store." This one's easy for people with access to Scarecrow; for the challenge, I tried to pick something with a physical case that stood out. So: The Gardener, which, look at that case! So shiny! I crossed my fingers that the film's aesthetic would match the case's, and I'm happy to say it's appropriately groovy.

Continue reading »
EverOut

37 Cheap & Easy Seattle Events This Weekend

by EverOut Staff • Friday at 2:30 pm

Take a leisurely weekend drive down to Federal Way to see the trees poppin off at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Gardens Fall Foliage Festival.
Take a leisurely weekend drive down to Federal Way to see the trees poppin' off at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden's Fall Foliage Festival. Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden

A penny saved is a penny earned, and we’re here to help you save your pennies in this weekend’s roundup of cheap and easy things to do. Check out events around Seattle like Tacoma’s Arts at the Armory and a Fall Foliage Festival in Federal Way, or stay in town and check out some Refract offerings (just be careful not to break anything!), or flip through rows of records at the biannual Northwest Record Show. For more ideas, check out our guide to the top 50 events happening this week or our complete food guide.

FRIDAY
MUSIC

Criminal Squirrel Orchestra
Criminal Squirrel Orchestra is a Bothell-based quartet of rodents—err, seasoned musicians—whose repertoire encompasses original music, covers, and mashups. They're excited to be back on stage and go nuts (had to, sorry) in "one the finest rooms we've played!"
Aurora Borealis, Meridian Park (free)

Read on EverOut »
Stranger Election Control Board

The Stranger Endorses Nicole Thomas-Kennedy for City Attorney

by Stranger Election Control Board • Friday at 12:15 pm

nicolet.jpeg
You may have heard that electing Nicole Thomas-Kennedy as the City Attorney will trigger torrents of blood and heroin needles to fall from the sky. That’s because Fox News and the suits who back her Trumpian opponent spent a lot of money making histrionic claims about the perils of not throwing poor people in jail (at a cost of $176 per night) and pointing to some allegedly NTK-involved tweets that say pee pee poo poo on the cops. Now don’t get us wrong — nobody loves wild theatrics more than the SECB, especially when there are drugs involved — but let’s all calm down for a second.

The City Attorney’s office defends the city against lawsuits, advises City Hall on the legality of certain policies, and makes decisions about prosecuting misdemeanors and traffic infractions. That’s the scope.

NTK’s opponent, Ann Davison, who became a Republican during the Trump administration, thinks NTK will unleash chaos by declining to prosecute most low-level crimes. To make her case, she points to a recent increase in the rates of some felonies, which the office doesn’t handle. When challenged on that point, Davison falls back on the theory that jailing more people for misdemeanors will prevent felonies.

Continue reading »
Film/TV • Books • Geeky

Naked Oscar Isaac Is But One of the Many Pleasant Visuals in Dune

by Matt Baume • Friday at 11:00 am

A family outing.
A family outing. Dune
I did not go to see Dune for the laughs, which is why I was startled to find that the movie ends with one of the funniest cinematic jokes I’ve ever seen.

After two and a half hours of slow, sweeping shots and poetic dialogue about power and prophecy, it becomes apparent that the entire experience has been foundation-pouring for a sequel. (Or two sequels, if director Denis Villeneuve has his way.) The last thirty minutes are a real slog as the audience waits for the inevitable “to be continued” to appear on screen.

Sure enough, as the music swells, a character played by Zendaya — who has served as a mostly silent figure signaling mystical visions and pronouncements, turns to the camera and says, “this is only the beginning.”

I bark-laughed. No shit, Zendaya. It was a moment nearly as hilariously wall-breaking as the final shot of the doomed '80s sitcom I Married Dora, when the entire cast interrupts the story to announce, “We’ve been canceled. Adios!” Fade to black.

But I wasn’t mad. All right, Dune, you got me. I’m hooked. Can’t wait for part 2.

Continue reading »
Food & Drink • Things To Do • EverOut

This Week in Seattle Food News: Rubinstein Bagels Comes to Capitol Hill, Kricket Club Opens in Ravenna, and Shota Nakajima Announces a Pop-Up

by EverOut Staff • Friday at 10:30 am

The sourdough-fermented bagel shop Rubinstein Bagels officially opens its Capitol Hill location today.
The sourdough-fermented bagel shop Rubinstein Bagels officially opens its Capitol Hill location today. Rubinstein Bagels

This week, chef Preeti Agarwal of Meesha opens her highly anticipated new restaurant Kricket Club in Ravenna, and Capitol Hill gets a location of the buzzworthy bagel shop Rubinstein Bagels. Plus, Li'l Woody's is headed to the Climate Pledge Arena, the New York Times lists three Seattle restaurants as some of the most exciting places in America, and Top Chef star Shota Nakajima announces his next pop-up. Read on for all of that, plus events happening this weekend, like Taste of Iceland. For more culinary inspiration, check out our food and drink guide.

NEW OPENINGS AND RETURNS


IJ Sushi Burrito
This casual spot serving sushi burritos as well as poké bowls and salad bowls recently opened in the University District. Options range from the "Sumo Crunch" (shrimp tempura, surimi crab, avocado, cucumber, onion chip, tempura flakes, and eel sauce) to the "Dancing Salmon" (poké salmon, avocado, green leaf lettuce, masago, cucumber, and onion chip spicy mayo).
University District
Pickup, delivery

Read on EverOut »
Stranger Comics

New Comic: Crying on the Light Rail

by Mads Horwath • Friday at 9:30 am

Panel1.jpg
Panel2.jpg
Panel3.jpg
Continue reading »
News

Slog AM: Boeing's 737 MAX Technical Pilot Looking at 100 Years Behind Bars, Seattle's Floating Slum Gets the Realness Today, David Horsey Can Go the Way of Horse Shit

by Charles Mudede • Friday at 8:51 am

Whats this job? And why isnt it mine?
What's this job? And why the bloody hell isn't it mine? Charles Mudede

Boeing execs appear to have embraced the business of throwing whoever they can under the bus. This time it is Mark Forkner, the company's "former chief technical pilot on the 737 MAX program." He has been charged with fraud. Seattle Times' aviation reporter, Dominic Gates, a fine fellow for the most part, though he failed to take Boeing's buyback bonanza seriously, reports that the "indictment alleges he deceived both the Federal Aviation Administration and airline customers by withholding information about the MAX’s new flight control system, called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So on, so on, and so on. But it sounds like that guy was just doing the company's bidding. The plane had to sell like hotcakes. And more sales meant much more money could be extracted from the fantastic future and directed to the most bloated shareholders. You get the picture. But the planes fell right out of the sky. And this Texas flunky is facing "a sentence of up to 100 years in prison."

Continue reading »
Slog AM/PM

Slog PM: Inslee Announces New COVID Stuff, Brown Paper Tickets Needs to Pay, Let's Go to Bangkok

by Chase Burns • Thursday at 5:30 pm

Inslee announced a new requirement that should've already been a requirement.
Inslee announced a new requirement that should've already been a requirement. TVW

Get vaxxed or show a negative COVID-19 test if you wanna watch your big-ass concerts or bigger-ass sportsball games in Spokane and Yakima and Tacoma and all over the state, announced Gov. Inslee today. "Effective November 15, large events in Washington state will be required to verify that all attendees are either fully vaccinated or received a negative test within the last 72 hours," reads the gov's press release. Statewide, this requirement applies to people 12 or older and indoor events with 1,000 or more attendees and outdoor events with more than 10,000 attendees.

It boggles the mind why the state wasn't already enforcing this mandate. Maybe it has something to do with people like this guy.

Some jurisdictions have enforced their own event requirements: From the Seattle Times:

A similar mandate will go into effect in King County on Oct. 25, requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test in most indoor spaces and at outdoor events with 500 people or more, including at restaurants and bars with indoor seating, sporting events, museums, gyms and concerts.

Inslee's office also confirmed that they're sticking with their Monday deadline that requires state employees and health care workers to verify that they're fully vaccinated. "It will not be extended," said the office. The state will grant some people exemptions. What happens if they don't verify their vaccination status by Monday? What's that famous Trump phrase?

We've got a big TV debate tonight between Seattle's two mayoral candidates! Bruce Harrell didn't threaten to pull out of this one. It starts at 7 PM, and you can watch it for free on multiple platforms.

Continue reading »
Food & Drink • Things To Do • EverOut

These Seattle and Portland Restaurants Made the New York Times' 2021 Favorite Restaurant List

by EverOut Staff • Thursday at 5:00 pm

Seattles Communion is among five Pacific Northwest spots to be featured on the New York Times 2021 list of the most vibrant and delicious restaurants in America.
Seattle's Communion is among five Pacific Northwest spots to be featured on the New York Times' 2021 list of the most "vibrant and delicious" restaurants in America. J. Rycheal

This week, the New York Times confirmed what Pacific Northwesterners have long known—that our dining scene is worthy of the national spotlight—with its 2021 list of "the 50 places in America we’re most excited about right now." Three restaurants from Seattle and two from Portland were included among the compilation of the nation's "most vibrant and delicious restaurants," and the Times' critics had plenty of glowing praise for the local spots. Read on to discover which establishments made the cut and why.

SEATTLE


Archipelago
This high-end restaurant from married couple Aaron Verzosa (formerly of Modernist Cuisine and Harvest Vine) and Amber Manuguid focuses on a Pacific Northwest approach to Filipino cooking, using local and seasonal ingredients.
The New York Times says: "It’s rare for the chef to check in with diners at the end of the tasting menu and make sure they’re feeling full, but Archipelago isn’t like any other tasting. A puff of pan de sal pulls apart effortlessly, filling the air with a sweet, buttery perfume. Burning pine needles, and the rich, muscly scent of shrimp paste waft over from the open kitchen. Cooks walk around with a tray of sliced rib-eye steak, offering seconds. You could easily get lost in the deliciousness of the modern Filipino food, but Aaron Verzosa and Amber Manuguid do more than send out excellent food. They tell complicated, expansive stories about the Pacific Northwest and the many ways that Filipino immigrants have shaped it, using words, pictures and even some unexpected dance moves behind the pass."
Hillman City
Pickup, dine-in

Read on EverOut »
Stranger Election Control Board

The Stranger Endorses Lorena González for Mayor

by Stranger Election Control Board • Thursday at 2:00 pm

mlorenag.jpeg
In Lorena González and Bruce Harrell we have two lawyers, two city council presidents (one current, one former), and two people of color who’ve fostered deep connections with marginalized communities in Seattle — but the contrast in this race couldn’t be clearer.

González wants to create a city that works for workers. Harrell wants to create a city that works for corporations. If you need more than that, then please continue reading. If that’s all you need to hear, then vote González and move on to the next endorsement.

Continue reading »
Film/TV

SLAY Film Fest: Local Filmmaker Spotlight!

by The Stranger • Thursday at 1:45 pm


This year's SLAY has super freaky, super terrifying short films from all around the world. (Do you have your tickets?!) But we're particularly proud of the few talented directors that came from our neck of the woods, so we asked them a few questions about horror, inspiration, and what's really fucking scaring them these days.

Projector
Kailynn Heath (Seattle, WA)


Projector.png


What is your favorite horror movie?
My favorite horror movie is currently Hellraiser. It's not the scariest movie but I love the vibe of these BDSM, extradimensional gods just screwing with people's lives.

Without giving anything away, what inspired you to make Projector?
A lot of my favorite horror deals with unexplainable entities interacting with people, so taking that and shoving the entity into a projector sprung from that.

What is the scariest thing happening in real life?
Honestly the scariest thing to me is how there's still so little representation of queer/lgbtq people in film. Especially dumb movies. I want dumb action movies with queer people!

Continue reading »
News • Labor

Sawant to Propose Free Parking for Carpenters, Meeting Core Demand of Many Union Workers

by Hannah Krieg • Thursday at 12:25 pm

Sawant wants the boss to pay for parking. Union leadership blames the council for making parking expensive.
Sawant wants the boss to pay for parking. Union leadership blames the council for making parking expensive. HK

The ambient rumble of construction work is back in full force in downtown Seattle after 54% of the The Northwest Carpenters Union membership voted on Monday to accept the fifth attempt at a reasonable contract with Associated General Contractors of Washington. The contract did not promise free parking — a key demand for many union members — but an ordinance from Councilmember Kshama Sawant now asks the city immediately to mandate construction employers pay for the parking of construction employees.

And Sawant means now, even as the council starts the important work of writing the city budget.

“It's the duty of the City Council, in my view, as the highest legislative body, to address the needs of working people, as and when they come to the fore,” Sawant said. “It would have been unconscionable for me as a union member myself and as somebody who has for nearly eight years represented the interest of working people, to not have highlighted this.”

Continue reading »
News • Music • City

The Vera Project Speaks Out About Climate Pledge Arena Construction

by Jas Keimig • Thursday at 11:00 am

Tough times for Vera Project.
Tough times for Vera Project. Courtesy of Vera Project

110-degree steam leaks. Repeated confrontations with maskless construction workers. Inaccessible entrances. Loud, building-shaking vibrations and noises.

For the past two years, Seattle's beloved all-ages venue and non-profit The Vera Project has dealt with these and other construction-related problems thanks to the nearby renovation of the Climate Pledge Arena, carried out by the Los Angeles-based construction company Oak View Group. As the Foo Fighters and Death Cab for Cutie are set to open the arena next Tuesday, leadership at Vera, which occupies the Northwest Courtyard of the Seattle Center, is pushing for financial compensation for their arts organization.

Over the phone, Vera executive director Ricky Graboski said when construction on Climate Pledge Arena (CPA) began back in 2019 the disruption was "pretty significant" and "irritating," but didn't prevent them from carrying out any programming or scheduled shows. At the time, the venue, he said, was wary of creating any big corporate enemies.

Then in March 2020, the pandemic hit. Graboski observed that crews "ramped up construction" as soon as resident orgs in the courtyard shut down to the public. While Vera staff were mainly working from home last summer, construction made it difficult for them to access the space in the way they wanted. But the real issues began when staff started to go back to the office over the past year to plan programming and livestream virtual events in their space.

Continue reading »
Picture Books

This Week's Comics: A Lighthouse in Space, Monsters in the Dark, and a Darn Cat

by Matt Baume • Thursday at 9:30 am

3fb16270-66b2-43d3-96a3-194116fe5971.jpg

I read exactly the wrong thing a couple of years ago when I got a copy of Heart of Darkness. I was planning to read the Joseph Conrad story that inspired Apocalypse Now, but I didn’t realize that the book actually contained two Conrad stories, and started with his lesser-known short story The Secret Sharer. I was shocked by how much it turned me on.

The story is set a hundred-ish years ago aboard a ship; the captain, walking the deck alone, discovers a mysterious man in the sea and hauls him aboard, stowing him in his cabin without the rest of the crew’s knowledge. I read it as a story about furtive gay romance — this is almost certainly not even remotely Conrad’s intent — and became obsessed with the idea of adapting the story to a science fiction setting. I poked around with the plot every few weeks for over a year before I realized that everything I wanted from the story already existed in the original version, and that adding spaceships and lasers contributed nothing that Conrad hadn’t already written.

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to make an adaptation that was explicitly gay — the one thing that I was prepared to actually add to the text! — but sometimes it’s hard to know what you like about something until you’re no longer interested. Oh well.

A new comic out this week attempts to similarly adapt a Jules Verne story by transposing it from olden-times to future-times. I’m sure the authors saw something in the original work that they liked, and I wonder what it could have been, because whatever it was did not successfully complete the journey.

Other new comics this week have a bit more appeal: One is about a nocturnal sprint to save the world, and the other is about a cat. (As the T. S. Eliot poem goes, “O CAT!” Now that’s a sentiment that needs no adaptation, but here we are.) Thanks as always to Phoenix for helping to sort through this week’s extensive new releases!

Continue reading »

Next