While we are busy sweeping homeless people, and wondering where the money will come from to pay our teachers, let's turn to this report, presented by Bloomberg: "Seattle Overtakes Boston as Third-Richest US City by Household Income." Apparently Dying Seattle is "enjoying a strong rebound from the pandemic." In fact, Seattle's metropolitan area is one of four metros in the US whose median income is above $100,000. If there is extreme poverty in this part of the world, it is not because of poor "life choices." It is imposed on people. We, as a community, have decided that it's acceptable to keep people in what Maxim Gorky called "the lower depths." At this point, let's turn to these words by another great poet, T.S. Eliot:
"When the Stranger says: 'What is the meaning of this city?
Do you huddle close together because you love each other?'
What will you answer? 'We all dwell together to make money from each other?' or 'This is a community?'"
The way things are going, even living in what amounts to a closet (an aPodment) will cost a pretty penny. Marc Stiles of Puget Sound Business Journal reports that 1,401 units of "micro-sized apartments" are now on the market, and it's likely that the buyer ("investor") will "jack up rents." The city of Seattle was offered the chance to buy and protect these tiny units from the blood-sucking fangs of the market, but apparently it preferred sweeping homeless camps over addressing the affordability crisis. Stiles: "The list price of the portfolio is around $220 million, according to a multifamily industry source familiar with the deal, who didn't want to be named to protect business relationships."
MAGA Scrubbing Smiley just will not stop: "This shows Patty Murray has no compassion for Washingtonians who have had their lives and livelihoods ruined by rampant crime." But former Stranger critic Annie Wagner (who, like myself, does not own a car) says it like it is: "it is a thriving neighborhood. i'm raising my 5 year old here."
Now that her corporate allies failed to take down my ad holding her accountable for soft-on-crime policies, Patty Murray has resorted to making fun of Seattle’s crime crisis, claiming that Capitol Hill is a "thriving neighborhood." (1/) https://t.co/WWukUx0Aqh
— Tiffany Smiley (@SmileyForWA) October 6, 2022
I agree with Danny Westneat. The GOP should bus or fly migrants to Seattle, to Washington State. And also "send us some refugees. We want you to." We obviously need more workers, there are openings everywhere ("Fred Meyer hosting in-store hiring event across Washington on Saturday"), and the more we circulate the dollars, the better for the economy as a whole. Now, I know this is a capitalist scheme, but capitalism proper is not about the wider economy or "raising all boats," but the concentration of power. This is why the GOP doesn't give a flying-fuck about Herschel Walker's reported payment for an abortion. They care two fucks that it contradicts his promotion of a total ban on abortion. The only thing they want is to claim a senate seat for those who are still enjoying (and want even more than) Trump's gigantic tax cuts.
A prayer circle was created to shield Herschel Walker from the venomous words, coming from one his son. Do you have any words for this scene? pic.twitter.com/0S6Z1ffddt
— SANJOSEMAILMAN (RETIRED LETTER CARRIER) (@WeAreBlueCrew) October 5, 2022
Yes, it's still summer in October. But I wish the whole of summer had been like today. Foggy in the morning, low 70s during the day. What we can say about the present transition from summer to winter is that 80 degrees can't crack it. Anything over that point is horrible. And anything above 90 degrees is nothing but hell on earth.
Soon, the leaves will have to give up the production of solar-driven food and turn yellow, orange, and red, and begin to fall. Now, imagine a human economy that was so advanced that it made solar panels that fell in autumn and were compostable. Another world is always possible.
Dan Wilson raising the Mariners flag on top of the Space Needle this morning!
— Seattle Mariners ON Tap (@MarinersONtap) October 6, 2022
Hopefully we’ll get a good picture once it’s not this foggy up there in Seattle 😂 #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/NiQIPjxha7
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Dank Brandon: And, yes, this is a big deal, particularly for the Black community.
dank brandon! https://t.co/cmj3xo101A pic.twitter.com/yHmiNVTcFw
— G. Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) October 6, 2022
Ebola! Is it coming to America? Because the US wants to look like it's doing something about the possibility, it has started "redirecting travelers from Uganda to five U.S. airports to screen them for the Ebola virus." Of course, this is all show and little substance. Ebola is no Corona. But it must have an excellent PR team because people tend to fear it more than the virus that's killed over 1 million Americans.
Amazed at how Ebola gets people's attention. Current outbreak has 62 cases and 25 deaths to date for a disease spread primarily by direct contact with body/bodily fluids.
— David Boulware, MD MPH (@boulware_dr) October 5, 2022
In contrast, the Covid-19 7 day average is 447 US daily deaths for an airborne disease.
Ebola! Are you there? Yes, it is Charles. No, sorry, you can't infect me because I'm on the phone. But can you take a moment from killing Africans and call Ron DeSantis? Yes, that one—the governor of Florida. Exactly. You already know about his sorry situation. He is in desperate need of the kind of PR team that handles your stuff. Give him a call. Help him out, if you can.
Ron DeSantis should, I am not joking, fire his press office for allowing him to step directly into this hilarious Chad vs Virgin meme living tableau. pic.twitter.com/G6rnsX2nfV
— Unworthy Hand (@kisstheblade_) October 6, 2022
Because I'm feeling autumn coming in my bones, let's end PM with Coltrane's "My Favorite Things," which contains McCoy Tyner's piano poem to the season we are entering.
I wrote this in 2005:
The solo Tyner provided for Coltrane's over-interpretation of "My Favorite Things" (1961) is startling. How could someone so young (23 at the time), whose formal experience of the piano had just reached the decade mark, bring out of this very difficult instrument emotions that very few artists are lucky enough to articulate near the end of a long life. The solo said "autumn in a big city," "falling leaves in a central park," "short and early dusks," "those shimmering stars," and "my lover's grey and brown sweater"—all of these ephemeral things were communicated with impeccable ease.