Man Found Shot to Death on First HIll in Seattle's Third Homicide of 2010
Late Monday night, a security guard working on First Hill called 911 to report that he'd just heard what sounded like three gunshots. Police searched the area near James St. and Terry Ave., eventually finding a man in his late 50s shot to death behind the wheel of his still running pickup truck.
A search of the area near the 76 gas station where the victim was found turned up no suspects, say police. KOMO News reports that surveillance cameras at the gas station didn't capture any activity related to the shooting.
Police now say that the killing is being investigated as a murder, the third in Seattle proper so far this year.
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Does Microsoft Support the Troops or Not?
In a time of war, with our soldiers spread thin on two fronts, is there some reason they shouldn't be able to spend their precious R&R back on base killing zombies, bitch-slapping hos, and battling flying dragons in enchanted kingdoms? Well, according to a report on Wired, Microsoft refused to sell its popular Xbox 360 console to the U.S. Army for training purposes. Writer Michael Peck says an Army technology officer cited MSFT's reasons, including that a major military purchase could create a shortage of Xbox 360 units on the consumer market. Is this a case of profits over patriotism? We're not so sure about Wired's analysis: Usually a private contractor can make a mint by selling its wares to the federal government, especially if it has a monopoly on the product.
The ladies of Grand Theft Auto can help provide invaluable military training.
In the same Wired report, Microsoft denies the military's claim, but it's still unclear if the company would actually permit large-scale sales of the Xbox 360 console to run battle simulations for young soldiers who were practically weaned on video games. If our brave military men and women are to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda, how can we deprive them of weapons like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Gears of War 2, Mass Effect, and Grand Theft Auto? If they can't enjoy the same gaming freedom we enjoy back home, that would mean the terrorists have won.
Queen Anne's Counterbalance Park Defaced by Highly Resourceful, Aesthetically Unimaginative Morons
Tagging's cool, we all know that. And at a time when the city is literally laying off hundreds of people, and services are being cut everywhere, it's nice to know that Seattle Parks gets to blow part of its meager budget trying to clean up after the assholes who tagged Counterbalance Park on Lower Queen Anne last night.
Female Car Thief Kept Diary of Her Crimes
Tiffany Mcdonough is accused of breaking into at least five cars and one house. Why are police confident the 28-year-old is the woman behind a small-crime spree? Because she wrote it all down.
Continue reading "Female Car Thief Kept Diary of Her Crimes"...
Wanted: Non-Godly to Rate Churches
The only thing worse than trying to find a job is trying to find a job during a recession. To that end, we present Wanted: A weekly look at the weirdest ways to pay the bills in Twenty-Ten.
This man was docked two points for being "too preachy."
The Job Undercover parishioner for ChurchRater, the Yelp for Yahweh.
The Responsibilities Anonymously attend church service, then dish about it afterward.
Monkey Spankings at the Morgue: King County Finds No Fault in Sperm Donations by Medical Examiner Staff
Was it good government practice for morgue staffers to provide the King County medical examiner with samples of their sperm at $20 a pop? The voluntary ejaculations were a bit unseemly, a new county investigations report reveals, but at least the self-abuse wasn't an abuse of authority.
KOMO-TV A KCME workbench
If it all seems a little strange, keep in mind this is the morgue that held an office contest awarding $10 for the most grisly death-scene photos; where a boss showed up at work wearing a bulletproof vest; and where someone stole the remains of a newborn baby from the body cooler.
Reader: The Brady Campaign Is Shooting Blanks
Reader Lster921 responds to Double Shot of Requesto: Brady Campaign Wants Starbucks to Stop Allowing Guns in Stores
It's always good to hear from one of the rational gun owners.
"The Brady Campaign has no right to demand anything from anyone, let alone a corporation. Their hideous attempt to disarm America is shameful."
Continue reading "Reader: The Brady Campaign Is Shooting Blanks"...
Manther Introduces "Missin' the Sonics"
A Manther is the male version of a cougar: an older man who preys on younger women. It's also the name of a hip-hop group out of Salem, Ore., that's just given the world this five-minute ode to the dearly departed SuperSonics.
I was having a hard time figuring out why I almost liked this video. The world needs less Andy Sambergs, not more. And when they're not aping the conventions of every '90s R&B music video ever, the members of Manther spend their free time filming themselves making basketball trick shots (a hobby most guys grow out of after they've gotten their learner's permit).
Then I realized: it's the Squatch costume. Put a man in a monkey suit and I am riveted.
Does John Murtha's Death Make Norm Dicks the "King of Pork"?
Determining who gets what defense spending in a country that loves to spend money on its defense is a plum job. And now that Rep. John Murtha, aka the "King of Pork," has passed, it looks like that job is Rep. Norm Dicks' (D-Boeing) for the taking.
Western Pennsylvania's beloved pork king has gone on to that old sty in the sky.
Dicks has served on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee for 31 years. And his likely ascension comes at an opportune time for his favorite aerospace beneficiary and an inopportune time for Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Grandstanding).
Last week, Shelby used a parliamentary tactic to stall the confirmation of 70 presidential nominees. His tantrum came in protest of the bidding process for replacing the Air Force's refueling tankers that he says is rigged in Boeing's favor. A win for Shelby would mean 1,500 new jobs in Mobile. But that scenario appears less likely now with Dicks wearing the crown.
Older Gent Gets Into Brawl Over a Girl, Loses
To be clear, seeing your favorite bar employee safely home after her shift is a classic "good guy" move. 
There's nothing funny about a man in his 60s getting beat up. This picture, however ...
Granted, not everyone who does will behave gracefully after arriving at said employee's doorstep. Still, the act itself is a chivalrous one.
Points get reduced, however, if during the process you assault a sexagenarian.
Continue reading "Older Gent Gets Into Brawl Over a Girl, Loses"...
Mute Swans and Leif Erickson Will Have to Wait--Their Bills, and Others, Have Died in Committee
This weekend was the deadline for most bills in Olympia to be voted out of committee. Those that didn't make it died on the vine, at least for now. So, despite the tearful hearings, public appeals, and lobbying, the legislature will not even vote on the assault rifle ban, legalizing pot, or workers' compensation reform. 
Don't be fooled: they're vicious.
But those are the more celebrated measures. Plenty of other bills died in near-obscurity during the 2011 legislative session. Was their fate deserved? Take a look, and you decide:
Seattle Blogs: Is the Department of Corrections Harassing Medical Marijuana Patients?
Who dat thinkin' today's blogs are too hungover to post?
Are guys like this getting mistreated?
- HorsesAss has a lengthy, well-worth-your-time look at how Washington's Department of Corrections treated a 60-year-old woman with fibromyalgia who was arrested in Arizona for holding less than a quarter ounce of medical marijuana.
- TechFlash says that Washington is home to five of the Top 100 best companies to work for. With one very notable exception.
- West Seattle Blog reports on the armed robbery of a Jack in the Box. Looks like someone is gunning for the title of Worst in the Country.
Not Cool, Bro: Frat Boys Bring Home Drinking Buddies, Get Robbed
Not many good decisions get made at 6 a.m. after a night spent drinking. A fact two University of Washington fraternity members can attest to.
Generic Frat Boy says that's a clear violation of Brotiquette.
Late Saturday night, the frat boys came back to their house with three new buddies they'd met at the bar. But the friendship was not meant to last.
The new guys grabbed some laptop computers and clothes that didn't belong to them. When the frat boys tried to stop them, the rude house guests implied they were armed. Thus ending the budding bromance.
Shortly after leaving in a car, the thieves were stopped by police. All four, including a getaway driver, have been booked on investigation of robbery and are most definitely disinvited from the next Heaven and Hell party, brahs.
State Senator Don Benton, Seeking Ever More Exclusive Dining Ambience, Takes Run at Patty Murray
GOP state legislator Don Benton yesterday jumped into the crowded race against Patty Murray, and is said to be the powerful U.S. Senator's strongest opponent so far. But the man who says he wants to be the next Scott Brown, the little-known ex-jock who claimed Ted Kennedy's legacy seat in Massachusetts, has some notable embarrassments to overcome. 
Don Benton's dream lunch.
• In 2002, in the middle of a dire budget crunch, the Vancouver state senator threw a much-lampooned temper tantrum over capitol renovations that temporarily cost him and his colleagues their exclusive dining room, with its French-trained chefs. Instead, the state senators would have to share facilities with lowly House members and eat food from a kitchen that also served—imagine the horror—the general public.
Jeff Bezos Vs. Steve Jobs: Soon to Fight in Full Color?
You advertise for a job, and the rumors start flying. That's the situation for Amazon, whose modestly successful Kindle device has now become the subject of direct competition with Apple's new iPad. 
It's an e-reader! It's a computer! It's both!
The NYT and others are pointing to a job listing posted by Amazon that seeks a hardware display manager knowledgeable in LCD screens. Those are necessary for full color, as the iPad uses. Now everyone is speculating that Amazon's next Kindle refresh will also be full-color and—possibly—more of a computer and less of a simple electronic content reader.
This comes soon after Amazon acquired a company called Touchco, which specializes in touch screens (see the TechFlash report). Which, again, would make the next Kindle iteration more iPad-like. But will that make Jeff Bezos less of a retailer and more of an elegant, arrogant, Jobsian designer of overpriced electronic gadgets? If he walks onstage at the next product launch wearing a black turtleneck and jeans, the rumors may be true.
