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Friday, April 18, 2025
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Bill to cap rent increases approved by Washington state House
A bill to cap yearly rent increases cleared the Washington state House on Monday following a spirited debate on whether such limits will bring greater security for tenants or higher prices and fewer … more
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Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone and Vritika Gupta dramatize a real-life murder case from three decades ago on Vancouver Island in Hulu’s “Under the Bridge.”
Hulu’s ‘Under the Bridge’ grapples with true-crime ‘girl violence’
  After seeing her star-making turn in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” last year all that Hulu had to do to get me to watch its true-crime miniseries … more
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Ghee.
Towards kitchen sustainability
When I hear Zero Waste So flashy, all or nothing, one of those bossy change maker fad ideas. ZERO Waste is daunting, and unsustainable in its absoluteness, and not welcoming with an … more
Paul Dano, as “Roaring Kitty,” inspires his online followers to declare a virtual class war against GameStop stock short-sellers, in “Dumb Money” on Netflix. Courtesy photo
‘Dumb Money’ takes smart, satiric look at absurdity of GME short-selling
  I'd meant to see "Dumb Money" near the end of last year, but recent absurdities in the news had me feeling weirdly nostalgic for the comparatively quaint online firestorms of the COVID … more
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African sauces.
What’s saving me in the kitchen right now?
  Once a quarter I’m taking you into my kitchen for a look at what I’m learning, and how it adds to a kitchen life.   New Cuisine—Africa I’m … more
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Preparing for Olympic Pride 2024
“What has happened to Olympic Pride?” is a question posed frequently over the past few months. The answer is positive and affirming. While the non-profit organization “Olympic … more
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Like Saturday Night Live’s Hans and Franz, Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart will pump you up in Rose Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding.” Courtesy photo
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ makes neon-hued magic
I somehow missed "Saint Maud," the 2019 debut film by writer-director Rose Glass, but after seeing "Love Lies Bleeding," which Glass directed and co-wrote with Weronika Tofilska, I'm definitely … more
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Sidonie’s Gluten Free Sourdough. Courtesy Photo.
Spring cleaning and no-knead sourdough
Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for the Food Co-op   My inner spring cleaning happens while at the sink with soapy hands, hanging up a pot, or grabbing the milk bottle from the … more
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A variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers can thrive in a straw bale garden. March is a good time to begin conditioning bales to prepare them for spring planting. Photo courtesy of Barbara Faurot
From straw to table: Gardening with straw bales
For generations, straw bales have been used to grow a steady supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Like other traditional gardening practices, they’re enjoying a resurgence as … more
By Kirk Boxleitner For all the films that have been so hotly debated this Oscar season — I will now remind everyone forever that Godzilla is no longer just "King of the Monsters," but also a literally Academy Award-winning onscreen presence — I find it slightly disappointing that two films that offered some of the more unexpected turns in cinema over this past year were all but shut out among the Oscar contenders. Although it received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, "American Fiction" only won Best Adapted Screenplay for writer-director Cord Jefferson, while "Saltburn" didn't even receive a single Oscar nomination. Fortunately, they're both currently streaming online. "Saltburn" on Amazon Prime Video: University of Oxford scholarship student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is lonely on campus, until he's taken under the wing of charismatic child-of-privilege classmate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), which eventually leads to Felix inviting Oliver to the Catton family's opulent country house, Saltburn, for the summer. "Saltburn" is unsubtle about its initial direction, as Oliver's awed observations allow us to vicariously bask in the frivolous and somewhat decadent affluence of the estate's aristocratic parents and their spoiled children, entitled extended relations and social hangers-on who have overstayed their welcomes. "Saltburn" recruits proven and established acting talents such as Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and Carey Mulligan, but then lets them run on a slightly amusing autopilot, like Henry James characters being test-driven by Bret Easton Ellis. The real breakout performer here is Keoghan — an "It" boy who's recently distinguished himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Eternals," "The Banshees of Inisherin," and the Apple TV+ miniseries "Masters of the Air" — as he surprises and misleads viewers by turns, weaponizing his distinctive yet ambiguous facial features to obfuscate the film's impending narrative shift. That "Saltburn" succeeds at yanking the rug out from under those watching comes down to the subtle emotional shadings of what Keoghan reveals, over the course of the film, but for all the ingenuity and due diligence with which "Saltburn" lays the groundwork for its biggest revelation, I found that it left a slightly curdled aftertaste on my tongue. "Saltburn" is marginally less restrained in showcasing the graphic excesses and consequences of a "royal" family's debauchery than Denis Villeneuve was with House Harkonnen in "Dune: Part Two," so exercise caution. "American Fiction" on MGM+: College literature professor Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) finds himself facing the same struggle for Black authors that Robert Townsend chronicled for Black actors in 1987's "Hollywood Shuffle," as Monk is pressured to accommodate misconceptions that white audiences harbor about the supposedly "authentic" Black experience. After Monk's well-written novels are repeatedly rejected by publishers and readers alike, for not validating well-intentioned but self-serving white stereotypes about Black hardships, and Monk's mother Abigail (Leslie Uggams) requires expensive elder care, he manufactures a persona as a poorly educated Black criminal, to sell his "true" story to whites who can't get enough of exploitative tales of Black pain. From the white student who objects to her Black professor's study of historic Southern literature not censoring "the N-word," to the panel of white literary judges who recruit two Black authors to be "more diverse," then override those Black judges' disapproval of a book's pandering portrayals of Black people, "American Fiction" shows us how white people who are ostensibly opposed to racism wind up perpetuating it as a direct result. Wright rivals character actors such as Howard Hesseman and James Le Gros in delivering a lived-in depiction of someone so bone-weary of continual disappointment that they've all but resigned themselves to a state of perpetual disgruntlement, but "American Fiction" is far from a one-man show, with Uggams, Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross all joining Wright to evoke the feel of an authentically affectionate and fractious family. There's even an adorable romantic subplot, although not from the couple you might expect. Even better from a storytelling standpoint, Jefferson's screenwriting and direction play creatively with the process of how fictional tales are constructed, as authors weigh how their characters should act, and how their narrative threads should (or shouldn't) be resolved. Seeing the always-welcome Keith David indignantly ask Jeffrey Wright why the writer allowed his half-baked character to get shot made me laugh out loud. Indeed, the stylistically varied options presented during the film's conclusion are perhaps the most hilariously honest representations of the commercial and ego-servicing considerations that determine a screenwriter's preferred finale, ever since Woody Allen's Alvy Singer rewrote reality to give himself a happy ending in "Annie Hall.
Don’t let ‘Saltburn’ and ‘American Fiction’ get lost in the Oscar shuffle
By Kirk Boxleitner   For all the films that have been so hotly debated this Oscar season — I will now remind everyone forever that Godzilla is no longer just "King of the … more
North African Beans and Greens Stew. Courtesy photo
Angel food wisdom for Women’s History Month
By Sidonie Maroon Culinary Educator for the Food Co-op   Life Lessons My Grandma, Winnie A. Dennis Wilson, born February 29, 1916, gave me cooking lessons every weekend of my … more
German SS officer Rudolf Höss (played by Christian Friedel) surveys his home's backyard, and the Auschwitz concentration camp it overlooks, in Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest." Courtesy photo
‘Zone of Interest’ offers painful but vital reminder
By Kirk Boxleitner   In adapting Martin Amis' 2014 novel, "The Zone of Interest," to the big screen, writer-director Jonathan Glazer takes seriously the phrase, "the banality of evil," … more
Heart’s Love Fudge. Photo courtesy Sidonie Marion
Heart-healthy treats to love
By Sidonie Maroon Culinary educator for The Food Co-op   As cooks, we’re the gatekeepers of our family’s health, and we decide how the pantry is stocked. This goes for … more
The Pontius-Haller Building was built in 1888-89, and demolished 70 years later in 1958. Between August 1912 and sometime in the 1920s, the building was home to the Army-Navy YMCA. “The main floor contained a lounge complete with fireplace, canteen, billiard room, and facilities for the ladies. The second floor had a large meeting room while the remainder of it and the third were devoted to sleeping rooms with a capacity of 50.” (Hermanson, J. 2001. Port Townsend Memories.)
THE WAY WE WERE: NEWS OF THE PAST FROM THE LEADER
Curated by Katherine Darrow   One hundred years ago in Port Townsend, a branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was located at Washington and Taylor Streets at the … more
SOUP SAVVY
      I know I’ve done my job when the first reaction to a spoonful of soup is a long sigh with closed eyes and a smile.The more you make wonderful soup, the more … more
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Kurt Russell wields pseudoscience to save the day in “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” on Apple TV+. Courtesy photo
Monarch’ & ‘For All Mankind’ conclude on high notes
    The previous week's weather had me housebound, so no trips to the movie theater for me. Instead, I bunkered down and caught up on streaming series, as two shows ended their … more
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The University of Washington rowing team, who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics, receive their due in “The Boys in the Boat.” Courtesy photo.
‘Boys in the Boat’ falls short of best intentions, ‘Reacher’ returns with big dumb fun for everyone
    As a Washington state boy, there’s no way I wasn’t reviewing this week’s premiere of “The Boys in the Boat,” based on the 2013 book by Daniel … more
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Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari propels Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.” Courtesy photo
‘Ferrari’ stalls in drama, excels in racing action
    "Ferrari" is every inch a Michael Mann film. Its acting, cinematography and production are all impeccable, but I didn't find the end result entirely compelling. Mann has … more
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Kitchen to Kitchen: What worked for me in 2023
  Look back to remember what works If you’re serious about improving your culinary skills, then sit down with a cup of coffee close to the New Year and reflect on what … more
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100+ Years Ago
      Friday, January 4th, 1924   Canned: Shine Man Says Hundreds of Tons of Fine Fruit Now Going to Waste W.R. Hicks, of Shine, known as one of the … more
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