In our rapid descent from in-place to laughing-stock, Seattle is now the target for ridicule over its expensive, dangerous, now-up-for-fire-sale public toilets. Slate.com is the latest to yuk it up with bathroom jokes. At least the raspberries over the Sonics have been pushed off the front pages.
It's not unusual for units of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild and managements of The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer to not get down to serious labor negotiations until contracts are about to expire. What's different this time is the climate of the newspaper business. It's ugly, getting uglier. To wit: "Grim Reaper: Newspapers Cut 3,500+ Jobs in Two Months."