
Weāre headed toward extinction: Bring it, bitch. University of Washington scientists believe that greenhouse gases caused the mass extinction event 252 million years ago. It starts with volcanic greenhouse gases being released in the oceans, a mass-marine creature die off, and badabing-badaboomādeath, extinction, ruin. They think weāre headed that way if we keep up our current greenhouse gas-emitting habits. We deserve to die not with the bang of a fabled meteorite but with the whimper of us melting off the Earthās surface.
Jay Inslee now officially āactively consideringā presidential run: The will-he-wonāt-he tension is keeping me on the edge of my seat. His political action committee has reported $112,500 in donations for his not-official-but-basically-official presidential run. Tell us your campaign slogan already, Jay! He says he hasnāt made up his mind yet.
Itās now a buyerās market, as they say: Thatās a thing they say, right? I donāt know. What Iām trying to get at is that thereās a cool-down in the Seattle housing market. Prices keep dropping, supply is high, and interest rates, as Mike Rosenberg with the Seattle Times points out, are inching their way back down. People also arenāt buying. This was the seventh month in a row where fewer people bought homes.
Apple takes third in most valuable company race: There isnāt a real race, but Apple has been usurped as the most valuable company. Microsoft has the lead. Close behind? Obviously, itās Amazon. Cāmon. Get with the program. The two richest companies in the world live in Seattle. So, how about that income tax?
Who will be Seattleās Next Top SDOT Director??? The answer is: TBD. The search for a permanent Seattle Department of Transportation director has been dragging on for almost a year now. But, the mayor has declined to say who the finalists are. There are finalists, she assures the press. Of course, there are finalists. While the search continues, so do the transit-heavy issues facing our city. Read the help wanted ad here.
Meanwhile, light rail is really coming: I can almost taste it.
Keeping with the #TBT theme, here's the bird's-eye of U District Station last week and from fall of 2017. More details on U District Station and Northgate Link opening in '21: https://t.co/4EfgJZKFIK pic.twitter.com/5t1MbtZItP
ā Sound Transit - š š š (@SoundTransit) December 6, 2018
Mudslide warnings in LA: All those fires really loosened up the soil. Now, LA is getting battered by something theyāve only heard about in myths and legendsārain.
River of waters pours down a Malibu canyon moments after the most intense rains #Malibu pic.twitter.com/7b7cLRayoL
ā Richard Winton (@LAcrimes) December 6, 2018
Our turn for rain: You had your fill, Inland Empire, now itās our turn.
Open the storm doors! Unsettled weather returns for the weekend with widespread precipitation Sunday into Monday. Additional systems are also expected next week. #WAwx pic.twitter.com/TN3hl6am5V
ā NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 6, 2018
Taxes are fueling French riots: Gas costs $6 a gallon in France. A lot of that price is due to a gas tax that is meant to cull the Frenchās dependence on fossil fuels. However, many people are furious. Though they may believe in the causeāsaving the world from imminent death via climate changeāthe taxes still impact them, especially those who live in rural areas and are dependent on driving.
Things are fishy in city government: SCC Insight's Kevin Schofield organized this campaign asking the city auditor to investigate city government officials' use of private email accounts to conduct government business.
In a letter, several editors ask @CityofSeattle Auditor David Jones to open an investigation into city officials conducting government business on their private devices and accounts. https://t.co/1VforaleGL by Kevin Schofield via @SCC_Insight pic.twitter.com/QGFgHz5GFi
ā WashingtonCOG (@WashingtonCOG) December 7, 2018
Kevin Hart, newly minted 2019 Oscar host, comes under fire: Hart was chosen as the new host of the Oscars this year. Twitter users did like Twitter users do and started digging up Hartās online skeleton closet. He's got a past. He recently posted a video apologizing and saying that he āloves everybody.ā
I wonder when Kevin Hart is gonna start deleting all his old tweets š¤š¤š¤ pic.twitter.com/ZbYG6SI3Xm
ā Benjamin Lee (@benfraserlee) December 5, 2018
Welcome to the dystopia:
#Florida family buys expensive new "smart" fridge, discovers it's so smart that no technician knows how to fix it. All the gadgets work, but the fridge part isn't refrigerating. https://t.co/XUpvZbenx8
ā Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) December 6, 2018
A vaccine for bees: Finnish scientists have created an edible honey that will protect bees against diseases. Specifically, the vaccine is meant to fight a bacterial disease called American foulbrood. This vaccine is the latest attempt to save the bees.
The Stranger's Pet Watch has a 100 percent success rate: About three-and-a-half weeks ago a woman and pet owner came to us to help her find her beloved cat, Cairo. He'd gone missing. We posted about it. Now, she's told us that Cairo has been found. It turns out he was in the neighbor's basement for all that time! Did our post help find him? We really can never know for sure. But! If you or your friends are missing a pet or you saw a flyer on the street, email petwatch@thestranger.com. We find pets!