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Battleship: Liam Neeson Versus the Aliens

Was Stanley Ann Dunham, the President's Mother, Named for Bette Davis Character?

History has now recorded a second version of how Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, got her first name. Though Dunham told her Mercer Island High School classmates and others it was because her father Stanley Dunham wanted a boy, a relative says it was actually because her mother was such a ... More >>

Producing Poetry: Rhubarb Returns to Local Farmers Markets

Farmers Markets are starting to bloom, with the recent returns of the Broadway and Columbia City markets marking the start of the season. But the nature of farming means opening day isn't the only celebration on market calendars: Between now and October, when most markets begin their winter hiatus, ... More >>

Tell Me About That Album: Devo's Live in Seattle 1981

The band brings the Seattle Center Arena back for Record Store Day.

Lucky 2012 with Calvin Harris

The band brings the Seattle Center Arena back for Record Store Day.

Standing With the Man

Artists aren't fighting piracy to get rich. We're fighting to survive.

Ramen Lover Lobbies for Instant Noodle Holiday

​Many iced-in Seattleites are right now scouring their cupboards for lunch, which means plenty of locals will end up eating packaged ramen noodles - a happenstance that enormously pleases Edmonds' Hans Lienesch, the self-declared "Ramen Rater." Lienesch is pushing for more eaters to commemora ... More >>

Ben Huh, I Can Has Cheezburger Creator, Says Internet 'Flexing Its Political Muscle' With SOPA/PIPA Protest

Today's demonstration in Westlake Center may be is definitely* snowed out, but some of the Web's most popular sites are still blacked out in protest of the Internet censorship bills SOPA and PIPA. Among them are the Cheezburger network of sites, and the company's founder and CEO Ben Huh says the on ... More >>

Ten Artists We Can't Stop Listening To, Even Though They're Assholes

We couldn't help but notice that when they released the Grammy nominations last week, neither Kanye West nor Taylor Swift received nods in the Album of the Year category, despite both having released worthy albums within the requisite period. Surely, we can expect a classic Kanye meltdown any minute ... More >>

"Gulab Jamun" Is How You Say Holey Shit! in Hindi

Paneer tikka masala and gulab jamun makes for a heart attack, India-style.​The Place: Maharaja Cuisine of India, 4542 California Ave. S.W., 935-9443, WEST SEATTLE. The Hole: What with Dunkin' Donuts and most buddy-cop movies, it's easy to think of the donut as an American dessert. But really, ... More >>

Afghan Cuisine's Thanksgiving Parallel

The international language of leftovers.

My Favorite Seafair Memory

​Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb. His sports column on ESPN.com runs every Wednesday.​ Seattle has had a longtime love affair with water. We are surrounded by it on basically all sides, and the first settlers in this area--of Scandinavian descent--moved here so that ... More >>

Cyberstalking Prevention: A Computer Privacy Expert Offers Tips for Avoiding the Fate of Sixth-Grader Leslie Cote

​One of the creepiest things about an adolescent cyberstalking case that came to a close yesterday in King County Superior Court is how two of Leslie Cote's friends were able to pose as the Issaquah sixth-grader and post sexual come-ons--including invitations for oral sex--from Cote's own Face ... More >>

Snoqualmie Tribe Has a Wacky Idea Inspired By Willie Nelson: Legalize Marijuana

Wikimedia Commons​Oh those silly Native Americans and their practical jokes. Have you heard about their latest one? Whew boy, it's a doozy. Get this: the Snoqualmie Tribal Council passed a resolution declaring marijuana legal on their reservation as of July 30. Ha! Legal weed! Isn't that just ... More >>

Greentenders

In honor of Earth Day, here are seven classic cases of ecohypocrisy.

Georgetown Liquor Company Trivia Brings Cranial Assault

​ The Bar: Georgetown Liquor Company is the vegan-friendly hangout that has already gained a pro-gamer reputations with its three classic video game consoles up for free play, a classic Bally Game Show pinball table and a plethora of board games available for check-out. I spotted a couple of w ... More >>

Historian Murray Morgan and His Historic Bridge - Now Both Will Be Draped in Black

Morgan​Black seems an appropriate tone for the Murray Morgan bridge in Tacoma. After all, Morgan, the prolific Tacoma historian who wrote one of Seattle's most important books, has been dead since 2000. And he did once kayak the Danube to the Black Sea. But the main reason the Tacoma Landmarks ... More >>

Amanda Knox Wikipedia Info Scrutinized for Bias by Wiki Founder Jimmy Wales

​There is no Wikipedia page for Amanda Knox. There is a page for the "Murder of Meredith Kercher," but Knox supporters claim it's chock-full of misinformation and bias. And after a well-placed letter caught the eye of Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, the article-editing minions and Wales himself ... More >>

What the Hell Is Halal? (Hint: Heavenly)

​The Stop: Othello(ish) The Vibe: One of the biggest complaints about Seattle's light-rail system is the distance between stops. If you live between two stations, it's a bit of a schlep--a miserable experience on a rainy day. As someone who mostly rides the train for the food, it means that I ... More >>

Feds Say Portland "Child Foundation" Funneled Millions to Iran

Image via​Granted it's a little vague, but Child Foundation sounds like a perfectly respectable name for a nonprofit international aid organization. After all, who doesn't want to help children? But according to federal prosecutors, the Portland-based group was responsible for illegally sendin ... More >>

Eat Your Oatmeal

How a Fremont programmer created one of the web's top cartoons.

Bear Expert Steve Herrero Says Attacks Are On the Rise

​If it feels like more people than usual have been mauled by bears lately (most recently Bellevue City Councilmember John Chelminiak who survived a black bear attack outside his family's cabin near Lake Wenatchee ) that's because its true. "Overall there has been an increase in bear attacks, b ... More >>

Scott Pilgrim Eats Some Poutine, Eh

"Play 'Stairway'!"​The Dinner: Poutine at Steelhead Diner (95 Pine Street) The Movie: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, at Pacific Place (600 Pine Street) The Screenplate: Canada is a strange place. It's filled with left-handed pacifists who pronounce Dunkin' Donuts as "Tim Horton's" and put grav ... More >>

Sanna Nyassi, Seattle Sounders Muslim Midfielder, Not Fasting For Ramadan

​Sanna Nyassi has a problem. As a replacement for the recently traded Freddie Ljungberg, the Seattle Sounders midfielder knows that he'll be relied upon even more than usual during this season's home stretch. But the Gambian Nyassi is also a practicing Muslim. And yesterday marked the first da ... More >>

Free Slurpees in Celebration of 7-11's Birthday (Also Some Trivia)

Thank you! Come again...​I am not generally one for suggesting that anyone go to a convenience store looking for grub. But when it's as hot as balls out there, when there's a frosty treat waiting for you, and when said frosty treat is free? Well, then I have a tendency to relax my standards ju ... More >>

Uwajimaya's Five Weirdest Drinks

Where else in this fair city can one find Hello Kitty rice cookers, green tea cream puffs and sushi-shaped erasers but at Uwajimaya? Since the 1940s, the Asian supermarket has plied Seattle with all manner of exotic goods of questionable utility. I ventured into Uwajimaya's drink aisle in hopes of f ... More >>

King County Official Calls Bullshit On Mike McGinn's Tunnel Comparisons

​On his perpetual mission to undermine the plan to replace the viaduct with a tunnel, mayor Mike McGinn often points to failures of King County to do a big dig without running into huge cost overruns. The Brightwater sewage tunnel has been an ongoing financial disaster and the cost of the down ... More >>

Rocket Queen: Deep in the Heart of Ballard

Musicians pay tribute to a state they love.

Are Cream Cheese Hot Dogs Really a Seattle Thing?

​It's an ongoing argument here at the Seattle Weekly office. Some say they originate in New York, others Chicago. But people from the southwest sure seem to think we invented them. I ran into five very drunk insurance salesmen visiting from Arizona outside of the Last Supper Club last night. T ... More >>

Celebrate Australia Day @ The Kangaroo and Kiwi

Happy Australia Day! ​Happy Australia Day! The folks down under celebrate "the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia" (thanks, Wikipedia) annually on January 26. In other words, it's a day for Seattle transplants to get shithoused. The Kangaroo and Kiwi, G ... More >>

What I'm Listening To: Jose Gonzalez, Sufjan Stevens, and Other Sad Songs

This is Jose Gonzalez, who is a downer (in a good way). ​For the past few months, I've been attempting to perfect my Pandora Radio station. If you're not a regular Pandora user, here's a quick definition, via my good friends at Wikipedia: "Pandora is an automated music recommendation and Inter ... More >>

Editors Are to Pulp What Krab Is to Seafood

Editors play Showbox at the Market on February 5​No matter how many times I listen to it, I keep coming to the same conclusion about Editors' In This Light and On This Evening: that it is pretty much a failed attempt at sounding like a modern-day Pulp. It is the Krab to Pulp's Dungeness. The A ... More >>

What Will Susan Hutchison Run for Next?

WikipediaJohn Glenn sez: Susan Hutchison's got the right stuff.​Susan Hutchison's "thank you" letter to supporters this morning is anything but defeatist. She acknowledges that this one didn't work out (Dow Constantine is up 58 percent to 42 percent of the votes counted so far). But she's not ... More >>

Your Arts & Cinema Weekend Planner

​For whatever reason, several repertory films are playing this weekend, which we'll begin with the bestselling author whose novels have been adapted to more recent movies. Nick Hornby has a new novel out, and he wrote the script for An Education, which is already earning good reviews in New Yo ... More >>

Because of the British, Your City Light Bill Is Going Up

One of City Light's dams in the North Cascades. Pretty, huh?​Okay, not really, but here's your daily dose of boring City Council debating mixed with a strong dose of nerdiness. Fun! So, the council is currently considering a proposal by City Light to raise utility rates 8.8 percent next year. ... More >>

Nick Hornby

One of City Light's dams in the North Cascades. Pretty, huh?​Okay, not really, but here's your daily dose of boring City Council debating mixed with a strong dose of nerdiness. Fun! So, the council is currently considering a proposal by City Light to raise utility rates 8.8 percent next year. ... More >>

Bumbershoot: Monday’s Recommended Shows

One of City Light's dams in the North Cascades. Pretty, huh?​Okay, not really, but here's your daily dose of boring City Council debating mixed with a strong dose of nerdiness. Fun! So, the council is currently considering a proposal by City Light to raise utility rates 8.8 percent next year. ... More >>

M's at the All-Star Break: Reasons to Be Optimistic, and to Trade Erik Bedard

The All-Star break is a time to take stock of the first half-plus of the baseball season and prognosticate on the rest of it. Last week, Mike Seely offered five questions for the Mariners. And yesterday, Vernal Coleman looked at whether the team should trade talented, oft-injured pitcher Erik Bedard ... More >>

NYT Hearts SLU, Photographs Westlake, Queen Anne, Lower Queen Anne

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Flash of Genius: Ford Motor Co. Declares War on Greg Kinnear

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Last Night: Hanson at the Moore

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Eddie Izzard

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Frank: Trophy Eternal

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

First Call: The West 5 Palette Challenge

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

New Releases: April Fools Edition

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Geniuses Gather in Lake Forest Park!

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Confirmed: Ian MacKaye Not Dead

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Last Night: Andrew Bird at The Showbox

Photo Credit: Stuart Isett for the New York TimesIf the New York Times were looking to get Paul Allen as an investor, yesterday's article on South Lake Union wouldn't be a bad start--if it could get its pictures right. The paper spilled some ink on Allentown as part of its ongoing "Surfacing" series ... More >>

Operation Smoke and Mirrors

Frank Rich takes a damning peek backstage, neglects to review the audience.

Beethoven in Bellevue

On choosing the right warhorse to ride.