The World Cup Starts Today*: Opening ceremony in Johannesburg is overshadowed by Nelson Mandela's 13-year-old great-granddaughter getting "killed in a car crash on the way home from Thursday night's World Cup concert."
Speaking of Car Crashes: Two Federal Way teens are killed the night before graduating high school.
37 People Killed in Violence in Kyrgyzstan: "Gangs of young men carrying sticks and steel rods reportedly rampaged through the city, smashing storefronts and torching cars and houses..."
Double Those Earlier Numbers: "A government panel on Thursday essentially doubled its estimate of how much oil has been spewing from the out-of-control BP well, with the new calculation suggesting that an amount equivalent to the Exxon Valdez disaster could be flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every 8 to 10 days."
No, No, This Celibacy Thing Is Totally Working, Guys: "Standing before more than 10,000 Roman Catholic priests, Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday strongly reaffirmed the Vatican's commitment to priestly vows of celibacy, cutting off speculation that he might reconsider the issue in light of the church's sexual abuse scandal."
Why We Can't Trust the Chihuly Museum: Dominic Holden has a wrap-up of all the fishiness, attempts to block transparency, and conflicts of interest surrounding the selection of what should replace the Fun Forest at Seattle Center.
South Sound Espresso Stand Robber: Arrested.
Maurice Clemmons's Sister: Guilty of assisting her brother after the Lakewood shootings.
New Orca Calf in Puget Sound: Adorable.
Sounders Lost Last Night: "The League's worst team, DC United, was in town for the final league match prior to the World Cup break. The Sounders were coming off an inspiring win last Saturday over the New England Revolution. Things appeared aligned for the team to finally begin pushing forward. Nope."
The Peep Show at the Lusty Lady Closes Tomorrow: Check out Brendan Kiley's history of the placeâwith NSFW photos!
* The Stranger will be liveblogging most of the World Cup matches. Cienna Madrid and Fnarf blogged South Africa v. Mexico this morning from the 5 Point; Bryan T. Bissell and I will be liveblogging France v. Uruguay today at Cafe Presse at 11 am here on Slog. Here's a full list of bars around town showing World Cup matches.
