Seattle Voting Guide: The Name Game

OK, so it's time to elect some more people to office. In the past, we've done a picture-only analysis and a web site analysis. This time, we'll go for names. That's right: word association, word roots, or other gut reactions to people's names. Hey, from a guy who gets his last name mispronounced most of the time, I can relate.

King County Prosecuting Attorney
Bill Sherman. Hmm...Sherman. Hey, wasn't that some sort of general guy? Wow, that's pretty cool. Satterberg? Sorry, doesn't ring a bell.

Name Game vote: Bill Sherman

King County Assessor
What? Noble vs. Nobles? That's way too close! Can't...compute...difference.

Name Game vote: write-in "Noble(s)"

King County Council District #6
Pope is very holy. But Hague sounds like Hogue, the winery. Redemption vs. sin. Well, that's easy.

Name Game vote: Jane Hague

King County Council District #8
Constantine. Hey, that sounds like the namesake of Constantinople (no, not Istanbul). Cool. Potter, while reminiscent of the fantasy series' hero, doesn't do it for me. Wizardry teens vs. a friggin historical anchor and capital of three empires? Try to Patronus that one.

Name Game vote: Dow Constantine

Port Commissioner Position #2
Tarleton is kinda wacky, while Edwards is boring. Wow, this is a tough one. Neither really ring a bell... OK, Wikipedia for the tie-breaker. Whoa, check out that depiction of Banastre Tarleton! What a great headpiece!

Name Game vote: Gael Tarleton

Port Commissioner Position #5
Fisken? That sounds kind of imposing and sly, doesn't it? Like, "He's going to fisken you, watch out." Bryant sounds pretty safe. Plus, they make heating and cooling systems. Who doesn't want a cozy home, after all?

Name Game vote: Bill Bryant

Seattle City Council Position #1
Godden. That sounds quite Supreme Being doesn't it? But Szwaja! Whoa, look at that consonant-to-vowel ratio!

Name Game vote: Joe Szwaja

Seattle City Council Position #3
Harrell. Boring. Velázquez. Exotic!

Name Game vote: Venus Velázquez

Seattle City Council Position #7
Della. Hey, isn't that an actor? Cool. But Burgess, it means elected official! He's practically made for the job!

Name Game vote: Tim Burgess

Seattle City Council Position #9
Clark. Like Clark Howard, consumer advocate! Fenton? As in, the funeral home? No thanks.

Name Game vote: Sally Clark


Remember: vote early, vote often!

How Much Did You Pay For Radiohead's New Album?

You first.

Update: Looks like most people paid $0.00.

Scupltures Of Naked People Are Not The Best Political Platform

Meet Judy Fenton. Judy is running for a seat on the Seattle City Council. OK, Judy, welcome to the race!

But wait, let's see what Judy stands for. From her site:

PUBLIC ART: Parents and teachers work hard to instill safe boundaries for our children, the precious next generation. Public art must not blur and confuse those boundaries!

Hmm...what does that mean? A Seattle Weekly article sheds some light:

Specifically, Fenton is concerned about the fountain at the base of the Olympic Sculpture Park that depicts a man and a boy standing naked facing each other. "We spend a lot of heartfelt time and effort teaching our children boundaries and guidelines, telling them if somebody touches us in ways that aren't appropriate what they should do," Fenton explains. "If somebody sees that statue, it will undo that and confuse them."

...

Ok, Judy, seriously? A statue of a naked man and naked boy facing each other, arms outstretched, is one of the issues you're basing your entire campaign on (and, presumably, one you think is a cornerstone issue that must be resolved in this city)? Come on. Seriously?

Ha! I get it - it's a joke, right? You really meant that you wanted to give more funding to the arts, including naked statue art. Right?

Oh crap, you're serious?

...

OK, then, I can only do one thing. I'm declaring my position on artwork for Seattle. From now on, I believe that all public art depictions of one Judy Fenton of Seattle, WA be barred from display in any public place.

The reason? You see, it scares the hootenanny out of me that someone believes these statues are a problem, and believes it is so much an issue as to run a political campaign on it. And, you see, that confuses me and undoes all the heartfelt time and effort that public art has strived to instill in me. Sorry, Judy - I just can't have that. You know, just like children can't bear to look at statues of naked people.

This Is Exactly What I Don't Want An F-18 To Be Doing

Check out the first picture in this news article. Is that an F-18 flying mere feet above the surface of the San Francisco bay?

Yes, this is kind of neat, until (and I'm going to run the risk of sounding like a parent here) someone gets hurt. Furthermore, it's one thing to risk your own life. But why those people on the water? This seems beyond standard "air show risk" to me, and on into "reckless abandon".

Cupcake Royale Fall Flavors Arriving Soon

Seasonal cupcake flavors are arriving soon at your nearest Cupcake Royale
. Pumpkin, Apple, and Carrot (Cake) options will make the cooler weather a bit more worth it. And, to kick things off, the Ballard shop had some baby cakes available in these flavors, to get everyone in the mood.