The Seattle Symphony’s dirty laundry has been aired out for all to see in a newspaper of record. The New York Times has run a detailed account of the politics, in-fighting, factions, favoritism, lawsuits, and reported verbal abuse during Gerard Schwarz’s tenure as music director. The drama even spilled over onto the Internet with a musician writing accusations against Schwarz on his weblog. This article also reveals the results of the orchestra committee survey which were not publicized. Players had voted 61 to 8 in favor of new artistic leadership and 61 to 12 in favor of forming a search committee for a new director. The national exposure is not likely to calm any of the still ongoing tensions. Meanwhile, Schwarz recently broke his leg skiing and will be conducting the remaining performances of the year while seated. (NYT article in Seattle PI)

When I give my cat pills I put them in some cream cheese. But these “pill pockets” look even better (and a lot less messy!). They’re treats for cats and dogs that you can hide a pill. Do they make them for kids too? (thanks Medley!)

Sur La Table is carrying a cute sterling silver charm bracelet with cooking-related charms such as a stand mixer, colander, whisk, and measuring cup. Other food & wine charms are available; I can see a wine themed bracelet all ready to be put together in that set. (via luxist)

Seattle Fun Forest, the small amusement park area next to the Space Needle has not been able to bring in enough money to pay its lease for a while. They’ve agreed with the city to close up shop at the end of 2009. Our toddler enjoys the surprisingly sufficient selection of rides suitable for tots, and two more years of those will be perfect for us.

Hackers at MIT added board games to various campus locations on Monday. The side of the Media Lab became a gigantic Scrabble game. Cranium, Mouse Trap, and of course chess made an appearance.

Blogger Anita Rowland brought people together sincerely, genuinely, and altruistically. She passed away yesterday and as her memorial page fills with the thoughts of those whose lives she touched it’s apparent that she not only gathered people together but also took the time to form an individual relationship with each person, whether through email or personal conversations at events she arranged. Our days are filled with often rushed prioritizations of the tasks we find most important. Some of us overlook the significance of maintaining and building the connections between people. Anita will be greatly missed.

Behind the scenes at the Omaha World-Herald (Omaha.com) the day of the mall shooting that left nine people dead. President Bush had been in town, with numerous reporters dispatched to cover his various engagements, and his plane had departed only about 40 minutes prior to the shooting. 50 of the 200 person newsroom staff pitched in to cover the incident, working well into the night. The paper’s web server bogged down, additional hardware was brought online while advertisements and video feeds were turned off to reduce unnecessary overhead. (via Romenesko)

The Lighthouse for the Blind in Seattle is a non-profit organization that provides training and employment for the visually impaired. More than just a resource, it’s a manufacturing plant that holds contracts with Boeing and the U.S. military. Incoming CEO Kirk Adams is ready to grow and publicize the Lighthouse which has been operating in obscurity. Along the way he hopes to “redefine to the public what it means to be blind.”

Sublingual immunotherapy is an alternative to allergy shots that is being used in 40% of allergy treatments in Europe. Hayfever sufferers in the U.S. can subject themselves to allergy shots to desensitize their immune systems to pollen, but the sublinqual technique hasn’t caught on yet. Administering the allergen under the tongue may not be as effective as a shot, but a regular doctor’s visit isn’t required to administer it, not to mention the lack of a needle.

Is Subaru about to enter the motorcycle market? Parent company Fuji Heavy Industries has supplied an engine for a “new single-cylinder sportsbike” called the HS500sa. It’s not exactly a high-performance bike, and nobody knows exactly what the story is, but there have been rumors going around for a couple years that there will be Subaru-branded motorcycles in 2008.