Basketball, "hot" coffee and cold water

No fair using ringers: The cities of Snohomish and Lake Stevens haven't gotten far with negotiations to determine which will win the right to include an area north of U.S. 2 within its city limits.

We suggest the matter be settled with a neighborly game of basketball. But let's not put this on the shoulders of high school students. We want both city councils to suit up and play.

G is for G-string: The owner of a Lynnwood "sexpresso" stand that opened near a preschool says he's willing to make some concessions to parents upset over scantily clad baristas; during school hours they'll conceal their pasties and G-strings with lingerie.

See kids, Mr. Espresso Stand Owner is teaching us all about "cooperation." That's a big word, isn't it? It's spelled "s-o- s-u-e-m-e."

Fly me, I'm Surly: Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group airlines had some choice words for Boeing and its workers as he took delivery of his delayed 777-300 ER. "Do we want to take a risk with Boeing in the future?" Branson asked rhetorically.

As Stephen Colbert can attest (see related video), Branson knows how to throw cold water on an occasion.