You know what makes these fires worse? Climate change.
You know what makes these fires worse? Climate change. JPhilipson/Getty Images

"Center of the Universe" sign atrocity update: By now you’ve probably heard that some loser stole the beloved, historic Fremont sign indicating that North 35th Street and Fremont Avenue is the known center of the universe. Now KIRO 7 has video of the perp who did it. Warning, this video has graphic sign-dismantling footage, and if you are a “Fearsome and Frolicsome Fiefdom of Fremont” resident, it may be hard to watch. All I have to say right now is that of course she drives a fucking Audi.


Raging forest fire takes out an entire town… and it’s November: There are actually three active forest fires blazing across California. From Gizmodo:

"Pretty much the community of Paradise is destroyed, it’s that kind of devastation,” CALFIRE Captain Scott McLean said, according to the AP. “The wind that was predicted came and just wiped it out.”
Holy shit, look at this video.


More breaking news on the fires: Boy, I thought I was done with fire stuff today until this came out:

The entire city of Malibu was ordered evacuated early Friday as Southern California's ferocious wildfire roared toward the tony coastal enclave.
Holy shit, California, fair thee well and please stay safe!

New big boy in the zoo: For the first time since 1996, the Woodland Park Zoo is bringing in a male gorilla to help fill out the troop. His name is Kwame, he is 18 years old, and he has just the sweetest face, even though he will be the new alpha male and could probably rip off your limbs. I have very conflicting feeling about zoos, but I absolutely adore primates, so I may just have to go check this cutie out.


The great Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back at work despite injury: Literally no one is surprised that RGB is already back "up and working" after being hospitalized for breaking three ribs. RGB doesn't let anything stop her from getting down to business. RGB's nephew said, "The last I heard, she was up and working, of course, because what else would she be doing, and cracking jokes."

I forgot what cold weather was, did you? I know winter comes every year, but I just was not prepared this time. Any good leads on a warm coat?


Federal judge in Montana sticks it to Trump: A Montana federal district court judge blocked the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, "ruling that the Trump administration must first provide an updated environmental analysis." You'll remember that an executive order to approve the pipeline was one of Trump's first moves after taking office. The Montana judge cited that "the Trump administration failed to present facts or a 'reasoned explanation.'" That sums up his presidency pretty well, doesn't it?

One piece of Trump porn: This is laughable. It's great when I don't even need to point out how dumb this man is.


The Seattle Times is getting so nuanced in its analysis of I-1631: The Seattle Times points out that "pricing fossil-fuel pollution in Washington state faces an uncertain future." The article continues:

Initiative 1631 has gained less than 44 percent of the yes votes. The results underscore how tough it is to muster sufficient political support for putting a price on oil, natural gas and coal emissions — even in Washington, a stronghold of the environmental movement.

Gosh, you know what makes it even tougher to make progress on reducing carbon emissions in "a stronghold of the environmental movement"? Having the state's largest paper encourage people to vote against that progress.

Our acting US attorney general thinks judges should be Christian: What does he find important in a judge? "Do they have a biblical view of justice?" Oh boy, I think that about sums it up. After agreeing that if a judge has a "New Testament" view of justice, they'll be a good judge, acting AG Matthew Whitaker continued, "If they have a secular worldview, that ‘this is all we have here on Earth,’ then I’m going to be very concerned about how they judge." Those are his own words, people.

Gold Star comment:

Original Andrew: Whitaker looks like a giant dildo, so the whole country is about to get fucked.

This weekend's best Seattle entertainment options include: The Seattle Chapter Black Panther Party Tribute Mural Unveiling, the two-day all-out cacao bacchanal that is the Northwest Chocolate Festival, and a photography presentation with the man who took the photo of Obama’s cabinet watching Osama bin Laden’s demise (among many other iconic photos), Pete Souza.