Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Death-defying set pieces, first class production, and a great director makes this one of the best films in the action/spy series.
New Year's Eve
Director Garry Marshall and a host of famous faces throw out some bland and predictable confetti to usher in the new year.
Burning Man
Wildly jump cutting, flashing back and forward in time for no reason other than effect, Burning Man delivers a visceral movie experience that leaves you wondering if it had all run in normal linear order, it would have had much impact at all.
The Ides of March
George Clooney returns to the directors chair, and delivers an entertaining drama about the darker side of politics.
Moneyball
Miller spares us the heroics and gives us instead a real feeling for the way things are in the dressing rooms of pro sport the world over. And no anthems!
Movie Review: The Ides of March
Beware The Ides of March? Not unless you want to miss a cracking new Clooney film!
The Debt
...at the heart of all this is -a disastrously skewed mission that ends up with the three young agents and their prisoner trapped in an East Berlin flat, dumped by their own colleagues and the Americans...
Breaking Dawn - Part 1
The romantic supernatural saga tips over into pure melodrama in its fourth installment, but surprisingly it's a better film than its predecessors.
Anonymous
Anonymous is wonderful fun and a terrific movie, just don't mistake it for a coherent argument!
Moneyball
"Moneyball" may not hit a home run, but it's an interesting true story about the state of modern-day sports.
Drive
Drive is one of the most wonderful movies of this or any year, showing that not only is there endless life in a timeworn genre if you love it enough and know your stuff.
In Time
'In Time' is a science fiction thriller, that on paper works, but in its execution doesn't.
Anonymous
Director Roland Emmerich and writer John Orloff dip a quill in poison and stab Shakespeare in the back in this well made piece of revisionist history.
Movie Review: We Need To Talk About Kevin
An Oscar-worthy, gripping yet harrowing film that had me tense throughout and drained at the end. Phew!
Movie Review - Midnight in Paris
A Woody Allen romantic's tale where you need to throw out all expectations of realism and go along with the fantasy.
How The Nature Of The Music Industry Has Changed During The Pandemic
NPR's music correspondent answers questions about the changing nature of the music industry during the pandemic and talks about how some artists are trying to make ends meet.
What Recent College Graduates Are Going Through During The Pandemic, Continued
NPR's education reporter talks about what graduating seniors are going through right now as the colleges are closed due to the pandemic and answers their questions.
What Recent College Graduates Are Going Through During The Pandemic
NPR's education reporter talks about what graduating seniors are going through right now as the colleges are closed due to the pandemic and answers their questions.
Listener Questions On The State Of The U.S. Economy, Answered
NPR's business correspondent takes listener questions on the state of the U.S. economy and unemployment.
What Happened Today: Health Care System Crumbles, Testing Questions
Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, answers questions about access to testing for COVID-19, false-negative results and the challenges of mass testing.
Tyson's Largest Pork Plant Reopens As Tests Show Surge In Coronavirus Cases
The Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, Iowa, reopened Thursday after a coronavirus outbreak there. Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson says he'd support a second shutdown if the changes aren't enough.
What One Needs To Know Before Starting Gardening
While staying at home during the pandemic, people are now trying gardening to find out if they have a green thumb. But gardening is not an easy hobby and requires some research.
Paris Suburbs Are Facing Social Disparities Under The Coronavirus Lockdown
The French are facing social disparities in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. With long bread lines and tensions with police, the Paris suburbs are faring poorly under the lockdown.
Some Questions On The Future Of The Coronavirus Vaccine, Answered
Scientists work tirelessly to find a coronavirus vaccine. But there are some questions to answer: How soon a viable vaccine would be developed? Would billions of people worldwide be able to to get it?
What Would A Sharp Decline In Remittances Mean For Latin America
Immigrants in the U.S. sent an estimated $150 billion to their home countries in 2019 — half to Latin America and the Caribbean. The World Bank is predicting a sharp decline in remittances this year.
Coronavirus Update: The U.S. Health Care Industry Is Challenged By The Pandemic
The health care sector has cut 1.4 million jobs in April. And as COVID-19 has consumed health care resources, other essential routine procedures — like screenings for strokes — have gone down.
How To Prevent Glasses From Fogging Up While Wearing A Mask
Some Americans who wear face masks have faced a problem: Their glasses keep fogging up. Optometrist Joseph Allen shares some tips on how to treat spectacles before putting on a mask.
The Biden Campaign Is Trying To Reach Voters Virtually
President Trump and Vice President Pence have made official visits to battleground states this week, while the Biden campaign tries new ways to reach voters in key states virtually.
The Pandemic Cancels The Celebration Of Victory In WWII In Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin had celebrations to mark victory in WWII and a constitutional vote to keep him in power till 2036 planned for this spring. But the pandemic has canceled both events.
How The Bank Of America Is Dealing With The Coronavirus Crisis
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Brian Moynihan, the Bank of America CEO, about banks raking in fees from the Paycheck Protection Program.
Remember less fortunate: ‘We’re all in this together’
Tim Burgess’ Op-Ed “Pandemic exposes our neglect of children, families” [Opinion, April 24] and the letter to the editor “Inequities: Don’t waste opportunity” [May 1, Opinion] demonstrate how low-income people suffer more during a crisis. I agree that a moratorium on evictions and a 15% increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would help […]
‘Fractured politics’: Educate yourself
Re: “How we got here: One country, several nations” [May 3, Opinion]: Thank you to David Horsey for an excellent column that summarized the book “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America” by Colin Woodard (and also provided a colorful map). It is a book I have shared over […]
Lockdown order: Where’s the ‘practicality and common sense’?
Gov. Jay Inslee’s continued lockdown is not giving us transparency on metrics for reopening the state. Even with the so-called “phased approach,” there’s nothing that the public can look for to know whether the next phase is in sight. The governor keeps talking about “data.” The Seattle Times publishes graphs of the daily number of […]
Meat and dairy: ‘Unsustainable’
Re: “The business of burps: Scientists smell profit in cow emissions” [May 2, Business]: The lengths to which humans will go to subdue and tweak nature and animals for their own whims and profit boggles my mind. When I read that scientist are lending their names and investors money to studies about how to make […]
Early learning: ‘Think both locally and globally’
Re: “Pandemic exposes our neglect of children, families” [April 26, Opinion]: Tim Burgess points out that “nowhere are our systemic failures more damaging and longer lasting than in the education of our children,” and he goes on to note research that early learning opportunities in child care and preschool can have a lifetime impact. As […]
Small-business boost: Don’t forsake LGBTQ community
Re: “King County Executive Dow Constantine proposes additional $57 million for coronavirus response” [April 23, Northwest]: While this proposal, expected to be voted on by the Metropolitan King County Council Tuesday, distributes $16 million among small businesses; tourism promotion; homeless-youth programs; and arts and culture groups, it designates no allocation for queer bars and nightclubs. […]
Homelessness: No more ‘business as usual’
“Coronavirus pushed Seattle to treat homelessness differently. Will those changes last?” [May 3, Project Homeless]: Greater than the fear engendered by exposure to the coronavirus, we are facing our society’s unwillingness to address growing economic inequality. It has taken an extreme crisis for local government to take action that has long been in its grasp. […]
Coronavirus: Global problem
Let’s all remember that COVID-19 is a global pandemic. As bad as it is in the U.S., low-income countries are suffering in nightmarish ways. The gains made in child immunization are lost because of a critical shortage of health workers. We have clean water and sanitation not available in many countries. I’m asking our representatives […]
Coronavirus: New etiquette for hiking
Re: “Wear a mask for you and your neighbor” [May 5, Opinion]: We need to establish a new etiquette for hiking our wonderful trails this summer. Tuesday was the first day that some outdoor areas reopened, so I decided to hike. The trail was full of young people, none wearing masks. As an elderly solo […]
Pulitzer Prize: Praise from a pilot
Re: “Seattle Times wins Pulitzer Prize for Boeing 737 MAX coverage” [May 4, Northwest]: Congratulations to aerospace reporter Dominic Gates and the entire staff for this Pulitzer Prize for the Boeing 737 MAX disaster. Some Seattle-based pilots were quick to blame Third World pilots and operators for these terrible events. In my 53 years as […]
Reopening states: Hopes and fears
With the extension of Washington state’s stay-at-home order pushed through May 31, I’ve been thinking a lot on whether we have a plan to keep our citizens safe from infection after reopening before a vaccine is developed. Do we all just go about our lives as if there’s not an incredibly contagious disease spreading itself […]
Potato glut: Logistics ideas to prevent waste
Re: “In French fry heartland, spring turns bitter as coronavirus cuts into global demand” [May 1, Northwest]: This made me pause, cringe and empathize with the farmer, Mike Pink. Pink was going to plow millions of pounds of potatoes under, basically making them garbage, because there are no buyers. His usual buyers are french-fry processors. […]
Big-business tax: It’s definitely not the time
The reintroduction of the business head tax by Seattle City Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Tammy Morales is the height of irresponsibility. Only an ideologue could survey the current landscape — an economy in induced coma, a downtown deserted and a business climate of unparalleled uncertainty — and think, “Now’s a splendid time to put a […]
Bird-watching: Important lessons
Re: “Bird-watching soars among bored Americans” [May 3, Nation]: Will Americans learn anything from observing birds? I’ve been birding for years and have learned how much bird populations are changing due to the annihilation of the world’s environment. Will the newest birders begin to understand that we must all take care of the planet as […]
Big-business tax: All will be hurt
Re: “Seattle’s war on employers must end now” [May 3, Opinion]: The solution to the area’s housing problems and its related issues is the creation of more and better paying private-sector jobs. Raising taxes on large employers will only reduce their interest in growing their businesses here when they have options to go to other […]
Coronavirus: Ban live-animal markets
While President Donald Trump pushes for investigation into the possibility of the coronavirus escaping from a lab in Wuhan, China, many scientists are pointing to a live-animal market in that city. Found in many countries around the world but primarily in Southeast Asia, live-animal markets sell domestic, wild and imported animals for human consumption. Conditions […]
Stay Healthy Streets: Let’s open many more
Re: “Seattle will close 6 more miles of street” [April 24, Northwest]: The city’s Stay Healthy Streets initiative provides a safe way to get out and maintain a six-foot perimeter. We need many more of these streets. Seattle is lucky to have a long stretch of public right-of-way that’s ready to become part of the […]
Coronavirus: Food waste
How tragically ironic is it that American farmers are plowing their crops under and dairy farmers are dumping their milk when food banks have more clients than ever before? There must be some way to correct this absurd wastefulness. Chris Syrjala, Seattle
Homelessness: Spend the right way
Re: “Our homelessness crisis is urgent, tragic — and completely solvable” [April 24, Opinion]: The authors, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Diane Yentel, propose a “Housing is a Human Right Act” taxing and spending $200 billion over 10 years in housing and homelessness services. No details are offered in this solution except block grants that […]