Bloglander

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As always, I’m late to the party. I just discovered Veep this weekend. Back in 2012, I did take a peek at the pilot, but maybe I was just in a bad mood or incapable of laughing that day, whatever, I didn’t think it was funny. BUT it is funny — very darkly and satirically funny. Push through to the second episode and you’ll want more spitfire fictional vice president Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and more jokes about how unimportant the vice presidency really is. For fans of The West Wing, this is the anti-Aaron Sorkin. Watch now.

— LAURA JOHNSON

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The best Sci-fi (as opposed to Syfy), both comedic and dramatic, takes a basic high-concept premise — What if we could jump inside of dreams? What if dogs could be made smarter? — and follows it through to surprising, unexpected conclusions.

So in the Adult Swim animated comedy I’m rewatching, Rick and Morty, the idea of a love potion of course goes terribly wrong, and of course, leads the entire world to go lust-crazed after teenager Morty. But Rick and Morty takes that idea three, four, seven steps further until nearly the entire world has been transformed into praying mantis creatures, then worse, and then the entire universe has to be scrapped. That seems to happen surprisingly often in Rick and Morty.

From Community creator Dan Harmon and from another guy who’s somehow crazier than Dan Harmon, Rick and Morty offers a sort of darker, more booze-soaked twist on the Doc and Marty relationship from Back to the Future. They happened to put together one of the best first seasons of any animated show — or any comedy, period. It’s been a surprise hit, thanks to — in spite of? — Adult Swim-type stunts like putting an entire episode (split up into 15-second segments) on Instagram before it airs.

Many shows undercut their sweetness by dipping into sardonic, but Rick and Morty is almost entirely sardonic, until it undercuts that with unexpected sweetness. To get a sense of that tone, see this clip where Morty’s suffering horrible paralysis and seizures, a consequence of his latest terrifying misadventure with Rick. But Rick is so excited and self-absorbed, that all he can see is the prospect of all kinds of wonderful things, in the future, Morty. And so click right now, Morty! Watch the entire series, 100 times, Morty, at rickandmortyadventures.com, Morty!

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Mostly I’ve been making everyone else watch these songs/videos from Expo ’74, because they’re amazing and stuck in my head.

OK, moving on. I stumbled across this via Twitter earlier today, and it’s mesmerizing: deep-sea video from the Okeanos Explorer, livestreamed by the NOAA. Remotely operated cameras rove the sea bed in the Gulf of Mexico on a three-week expedition, and you can follow along in real time as they inspect coral and various creatures. The audio narration helps explain what you’re seeing at any given time, but it’s not essential. So you should probably just keep this on all day at work for the moments when you could use a little more wonder in your afternoon.

— LISA WAANANEN

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Corrections officials have long used solitary confinement, as a "prison within a prison," to isolate and punish problem inmates. Intended to keep prisoners from hurting fellow inmates or corrections staff, the practice has come under renewed scrutiny recently as research has suggested long-term isolation can cause permanent psychological harm and new behavioral problems. In Frontline's April 22 documentary, Solitary Nation, viewers take a graphic tour through a single solitary unit, watching as inmates flood their toilets, pass contraband between cells and slash open veins in violent acts of desperate self-mutilation. It's a disturbing window into prison power dynamics and the thin line between punishment and torture. Prison State, part two of the show’s exploration of mass incarceration, airs tomorrow night.

— JACOB JONES

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There are a lot of people who take videogame participation and creation, and thus critique, very seriously. And these people have some incredibly insightful perspectives on this medium of entertainment and creativity that’s exponentially growing each year. In the past year as I’ve exposed myself to the world of gaming more and more (I’m very much still an amateur) these deeper looks into the psychology and technology of video games have become a fascinating subject.

Specifically, I’ve been drawn to watching the PBS Game/Show YouTube channel. It’s hosted and created by former Wall Street Journal culture reporter Jamin Warren, who’s also the founder of KillScreen, a video game site and magazine that covers the “intersection between games, play and other seats of culture from art to music to design.”

In each weekly episode, Warren seeks to answer an open-ended question about gaming, often referring back to some pretty complex scientific and/or sociological theories. Sometimes Warren delves deep into the psychology of games — the future of storytelling, the lack of gay characters in games, racism and videogame stereotypes — while other times the topic strays toward opinions, with episodes like “What are the Worst Video Games Ever?!?”

The show is smart and thoughtful, and can be entertaining and educational for the curious, casual players and super gamers alike.

— CHEY SCOTT

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Maria Bryk/Tinker Tour

Mary Beth Tinker at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., with the display about her 1969 Supreme Court case.

Nearly 50 years ago, Mary Beth Tinker wore a black armband to her junior high school in Des Moines to protest the Vietnam war. The 13-year-old student was sent home and suspended from school, as was her 15-year-old brother and another friend. The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court as Tinker v. Des Moines School District, and ended with a landmark decision in favor of the students.

Justice Abe Fortas wrote the majority opinion in the 7-2 Supreme Court decision: “It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

To this day, the Tinker case is an important precedent for a question that comes up in many different ways: Do kids in school have a right to free speech? And advocating for that right is Mary Beth Tinker, who remains an activist for young people’s free speech. She’s been on a national tour since last fall, and stops at Washington State University today for the annual Friel Memorial Communication Seminar at 5 pm.

Tinker’s tour is no victory lap or mere history lesson — the rise of the Internet and social media has created an entirely new realm of student speech. And it’s one that worries free speech advocates, because schools are cracking down on expression that doesn’t even happen on school grounds.

The legal precedent, based on Tinker and other cases, is that high school students do have a right to free speech, but that comes with a very big asterisk. Administrators can squash speech if it causes a “substantial disruption.” They can censor school newspapers in some instances. And private schools can follow whatever rules they like. But the biggest unknowns come with social media, where kids have been suspended punished for things they put online outside of school hours. This Atlantic story summarizes some of the issues well, and the Student Press Law Center provides a lot of other background materials and updates on current cases. (Disclaimer: I was once an intern there.)

Tinker has made more than 100 stops on the tour so far to talk about her experience and tell students why their voices matter. Tomorrow she speaks at Pullman High, then continues on to the Seattle area.

HERE

Last week, we published an in-depth story on how tough it is to find mental health care in rural Idaho. But there was one bright spot. The growth of telemedicine, a way to conduct psychiatry, dermatology, and even assist with surgery from a distance. But as reporter Betsy Russell shows, the recent sanction of a doctor for prescribing an antibiotic using telemedicine threatens the practice. (SR)

As buildings go, 28 isn’t very old. But Spokane’s overcrowded county jail is already falling apart. (SR)

Meanwhile, in Kootenai County, there’s consideration of asking a private company to build a new jail. (AP)

The market for stolen copper wire is still hopping, apparently, in Post Falls. Someone stole $1,800 worth from a  Post Falls asphalt company recently. (AP)

Spokane County judge ruled that, no, Mayor David Condon can’t expand its exempt positions to include firefighters. (Inlander)

THERE
As we learned last week, withered old white men, for all their grizzled charm, still possess the power of flagrant racism. (AV Club)

The United States bumped up its sanctions against Russia, for that whole Ukraine thing. (NYT)

Gun rights activists hate gun control so much, they even hate controlled guns. (NYT)

Rep. Michael Grimm of New York, the same chap who charmingly threatened to throw a reporter over a balcony, faces a 20-count indictment for “fraud, perjury, and obstruction.” (Washington Post)

The Vox is doing one of the best jobs clearly covering education issues right now. Their latest covers who the Obama administration is trying to regulate to improve the most important part of teaching: The teaching. (The Vox)

GRAB BAG

Watch last night’s Last Week Tonight, with John Oliver, today. (YouTube)

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Young Kwak photo

Mayor David Condon has supported increasing the number of exempt positions in certain city departments.

A Superior Court judge has ruled against the city's expansion of positions in the Spokane Fire Department that are exempt from civil service, according to the union representing local firefighters. 

The union brought the complaint against the city last summer arguing that increases in positions that are hired by appointment instead of through civil service testing violated state law and the Spokane City Charter. Mayor David Condon has led the push for more exempt positions in the fire, police and parks departments, increasing the total between them from six to 40 exempt positions, although not all have been filled. The changes were approved by the city council last year, though the political balance has since shifted. Condon and leaders of those departments have argued that hiring outside of civil service provides for more flexibility than outdated and rigid civil service testing. But some on the council, like Councilman Jon Snyder and Council President Ben Stuckart, argued exempt positions can encourage nepotism and the administration should instead look to reform the civil service process. 

According to Stuckart and City Spokesman Brian Coddington, the judge issued an oral decision Friday. (Stuckart says he expects a written ruling by Monday or Tuesday.) The decision will not directly affect the changes to the parks or police departments, since the case was specifically about the changes to fire positions.

Coddington says he doesn't yet have many details, but offered this in an email to the Inlander: "The city is considering an appeal. We worked within the civil service rules and process and believe the City Council had the authority to create departments within the division."

Stuckart says he plans to bring an ordinance forward in coming weeks to overturn the changes to the fire department.

"I've heard that some of the language [the judge] used was pretty harsh and scathing to the city. I hope if we reverse it, that will be a clear enough signal [to the administration] not to appeal," Stuckart says. "[The change] was designed to undermine civil service. Everyone can differ on their opinion of civil service, but the way to change it is not to use words to try to undermine it."

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City of Spokane

Work on Huntington Park and the new plaza near City Hall is nearly complete. Avista has been partnering with the city on the project (and is footing the bill for the renovations) and, in one of the last steps before the area is unveiled May 2, buried a time capsule there Monday.

News to you? Us too. And apparently to the Spokane City Council as well. In an awkward exchange at a committee meeting Monday, councilmembers heard about the time capsule for the first time, after it was already buried. That’s because this time capsule, unlike some others in Spokane’s past (more on that later), wasn’t the work of city officials but of the contractor who’s been working on the renovations in that area, according to City Spokesman Brian Coddington. There was no public process in selecting what went in the time capsule and no city officials were invited to the burying. That’s partially because it was done in a quick, “very informal” process, Coddington says, and partially to keep the secret of where it’s buried to avoid vandalism.

Then again, maybe that’s all for the best. If you watch NBC’s Parks and Recreation, you know time capsules can bring out the worst in all of us. (Just wait for 1:11)

Still, Spokane is no stranger to burying stuff in the ground for the future. The city took suggestions back in 2005 for a time capsule to be buried near the Monroe Street Bridge. In 2006, city workers opened a time capsule placed behind a wall in the Chase Gallery in 1981 and found items like a phone book and a Washington State University football program. The city then replaced those things with children’s art, a mechanical parking meter head and other items and reburied it for another 25 years.

Here’s what this latest capsule included, aiming to cover “environment, culture, species, industry and technology,” Coddington says:

Lilac Festival commemorative Pin

WWP Outage Kit instructions (historic)

Avista 125th anniversary Commemorative Book

WWP 100th anniversary commemorative Book

Tribal Arrowhead

Pictures from Stevens Elementary students showing how they use energy

Invitation to Huntington Park Groundbreaking

Avista Corp. Annual Report for 2013

Expo 74 Gala Celebration and Gala collaterals

Avista monthly Bill for Lisa Lee

Spokesman Review and Avista commemorative insert – March 13, 2014 (anniversary date)

Inlander  – April 17*

LED Light bulb

Solar Power Grasshopper — toy

Avista 125th anniversary commemorative pin

Visit Spokane Promotional Materials for the region

2014  Bloomsday Finisher’s T-Shirt

Huntington Park Plans

Valley Chamber Membership Certificate — Avista

Cowgirl Chocolate: Moscow, Idaho

Fairchild commemorative  Pin

Mayoral Coin (Spokane)

Expo 74 Coin

Letter from Mayor Condon**

Cheney Free Press Paper

*As you can see in the photo, it was last week’s Green Issue, which also included stories about marijuana policy, Gail Gerlach’s acquittal and some nostalgia over hand-painted signs and vinyl records. Enjoy it, the future!

**According to city staff, this was the same or similar to his 2014 State of the City address, which you can read here.

If it was up to you, what would you put in a time capsule for future Spokanites?

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NASA

You are here.

Happy belated Earth Day from a recovering save-the-world evangelist. I used to think that it was my job to save the world. That if we just recycled and composted hard enough, that everything would be OK. Today, I tend to find more truth in George Carlin’s words on the topic:

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“We’re so self-important. So arrogant. Everybody’s going to save something now. Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save the snails. And the supreme arrogance? Save the planet! Are these people kidding? Save the planet? We don’t even know how to take care of ourselves; we haven’t learned how to care for one another. We’re gonna save the f—-in’ planet? And, by the way, there’s nothing wrong with the planet in the first place. The planet is fine. The people are f—-ed! Compared with the people, the planet is doin’ great. It’s been here over four billion years.”

Comedians are among the only people in our society who can hold up the truth without getting shut down or labeled as crazy. Meanwhile, in the “real world,” absolutely ludicrous values reign unchecked. Our consumer culture has destroyed a hearty portion of the planet while most are still married to the ideals of capitalism, which by its design must expand to consume the rest. In the meantime, we in the so-called First World can’t seem to consume enough to fill the void left inside us. The vacuum of meaning in our death culture becomes more pronounced all the time. Pop culture fascinations include volumes of end-of-the-world lore, starring zombies and their hapless human counterparts alongside dramatizations of the day-to-day cycle of buying and selling — reality shows about pawn shops, cake baking, real estate, you name it.

“How come of all the creatures that bump or jump or swim on this sequined, spangled garden called Earth, we’re the only ones dumb enough to pay rent?” Jeffrey Stonehill asked this question at some point during the documentary Back to the Garden and it stuck with me. The more I explore the problems my generation has been tasked with solving, the more frustrated I become with the simple solutions that hang just out of reach. We have inherited a narrative in which jobs and the mystical, invisibly handed economy are the key and that without the complex global market, the planet would descend into chaos. When I look around, it seems that chaos has won out as a result of our economic system and its social effects rather than been staved off by its miraculous power.

Ours is a culture simultaneously repulsed by death and drawn to ultimate destruction. Politicians, pro-life until you’re born, supported by street corner zealots praying for the end of days abound. Under the constant cry of “Jobs! More jobs!” we assent in our desperation to do any job, even the kind that actively destroy the planet we call home. Unhappy people in this culture gobble down more drugs, illicit or prescription, than any society in history because they are afraid both to die and to live. What would it mean to really live? To be part of a society radically, rather than selectively, “pro-life”? How often do we stop in a day to just take in how incredible it is that we are flying around in infinite, majestic, cold, fascinating space on a rock that happens to host conditions favorable to what we call life? Do we then consider that all of the stuff on the rock, and beyond it, has been recycled forever? There is no new stuff. Perfect circles of interdependent systems ripple out throughout the universe and through you in every cell of your body. In short, it’s pretty epic! It’s easy to forget when we’re just trying to pay the rent.

So how do we use that knowledge to save ourselves and, perhaps, the world? I don’t have all of the answer to that, but here are a few ideas. One opportunity to take part in the whole list is this Saturday’s Earth Day celebration at Riverfront Park.

• Make and share good art. Art is often the quickest way to connect to what another person feels, and we can’t build a better society without empathy. It also has the symbolic flexibility to question the status quo without being openly antagonistic.

• Connect with nature. In the Northwest, we still have some amazing wilderness to explore. Particularly for children, it is so important to get out into it and internalize the value that we want to protect. It isn’t just the habitats and resources that need to be protected, but the experience of being part of the awesome whole of life referenced above.

• Rebuild community. A shift away from the destructive systems of civilization and capitalism would not be smooth if we dove right in today. People in our society don’t have the connections to one another, nor the practical skills to rebuild self-sufficient community. The good news is that most people like making friends and everyone feels safer and more fulfilled when we work together to meet our mutual needs.

• Listen to yourself. So many messages are crafted for us to consume every day (including this one!) that it’s easy to lose track of your own thoughts and your own truth. Finding any way to slow down and cultivate the memory of who you really are couldn’t do any harm at all. ♦

On Wednesday, the Bing Crosby Theater filled with Walters, Maudes and the Dudes for the Inlander's showing of The Big Lebowski. The beer was from Perry Street Brewing and a good time was had by all. See for yourself:

The Inlander's Suds & Cinema series pairs film classics — very loosely defined — with beer from local breweries for movie nights at the Bing Crosby Theater. Once announced, the next event will be posted here.

FRIDAY (TONIGHT)

Portland rock four-piece the Hague features an electric violin, but don't expect them to sound like Yellowcard. They bring their folkish, alt-rock ways to the Bartlett tonight. Local acts Drag Like Pull and Moon Talk open the show. The show is all-ages and $8 at the door.

SATURDAY

Dead Serious Lovers put out a new album nearly a year ago and it’s still pretty great. They play the Bartlett Saturday with the Echolarks. Expect to hear much off that album but hopefully some new tracks as well.

Are you trying to help save the Big Dipper or what? Show up at the venue Saturday to hear local acts Blackwater Prophet, Pyramids of Panic, Bandit Train and T & the Beav for free. All donated proceeds directly benefit the venue, which plans to have its grand opening in May. The event is 21+.

Snoop Dogg, man. He’s back. It seems, says Leah Sottile, that the kids responsible for Washington State University’s annual Springfest have hit the jackpot this year, nabbing Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Lion) to headline the event. The only thing that could go wrong? The longtime rapper could perform a set entirely of his terrible reggae songs under his newly assumed “Lion” moniker. Give the people what they want, man: gin, juice, endo, murder — none of this hippie-dippy bullshit. $44/public; $29/WSU students.

The Red Room Lounge meanwhile, has Oakland rapper A-Plus along with Jay Tablet and Knobody, DJ Harlo and IMperfect Cody performing. The show starts at 9 pm and is $10.

SUNDAY

Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo may have been rocking for a long time, but rest assured that Benatar can still belt as high as any rafter will allow. They take on the Coeur d’Alene Casino Sunday. Tickets start at $50.

Giving CdA Casino a run for its money this Sunday is Northern Quest Casino, pulling in seasoned rockers Blue Öyster Cult. It’s been 13 years since BÖC released a new album, so you can guarantee they’ll play all of your favorites. The show starts at $35. More cowbell!

HERE

Double non-fatal shooting in Spokane Valley may have gang connections. (KXLY)

Spokane detectives leading investigation into Liberty Lake police officer's death in apparent vehicle crash this morning. (KREM)

Idaho arguing it cannot be sued over alleged "license-plate profiling" because state has sovereign immunity. (S-R)

National Labor Relations Board files complaint against Deaconess and Valley hospitals over union dispute. (Inlander)

THERE

Bodies of father and son in Coeur d'Alene double murder still not buried a month later due to family conflict. (CDA Press)

Woman praised for saving one child from fire while another later died now arrested on arson charge in case. (Seattle Times)

Judges say new court computer system in Montana has caused "chaos and confusion." (Missoulian)

ELSEWHERE

Controversial Nevada rancher, who local Rep. Matt Shea recently visited to offer support, continues commenting on his comments, this time taking off his boot and waving it at cameras. (WaPost)

Half of the expedition teams on Mount Everest leaving amid uncertainty of climbing season following deadly avalanche. (BBC)

A failed trade agreement creates new challenges for Obama in Japan and Middle East. (NYTimes)

Jacob Jones

Union hospital employees strike outside Valley Hospital at dawn on Dec. 4.

The National Labor Relations Board has filed a labor practices complaint against Valley and Deaconess hospitals as contentious negotiations remain stalled four months after a one-day strike over staffing levels and scheduling protocols, union leaders announced today.

The NLRB complaint (read here) alleges the hospitals, managed by Community Health Systems, Inc., discouraged union membership by retaliating against striking workers and refused to bargain in good faith with the SEIU Healthcare 1199NW union.

"These charges add even more strength and volume to our calls for the hospitals to stop fighting us and start working with us to provide better patient care," Diane Gross, a Deaconess health unit coordinator, says in a news release.

Hundreds of union nurses, technicians and hospital support workers held a one-day strike on Dec. 4, describing problems with insufficient staffing and unfair scheduling practices. Union representatives say some employees were locked out for the rest of the week after Valley Hospital hired temporary workers to cover their shifts.

The newly filed complaint gives the hospital management until the first week of May to issue a response. It also proposes a labor board hearing for September to consider testimony from the parties.

Hospital officials previously disputed they had "locked out" striking employees. Spokeswoman Sasha Weiler has said hospital officials have always negotiated in good faith.

"We are working to obtain details of the NLRB determination and its rationale," she writes in an email response. "We will assess our options as we learn more."

Valley Deaconess NLRB Complaint by inlanderweb