Yes, queer people can face the death penalty in Qatar, but won’t someone think of the poor soccer players facing temporary suspension? A plan for soccer players to wear rainbow armbands at the World Cup has fallen apart. FIFA, the sport’s governing body, has sided with the country’s anti-gay political leaders and threatened rainbow-wearing players with “yellow cards,” which is a form of warning that can lead to suspension. Meanwhile, guards tried to stop a fan from entering a match while wearing a rainbow T-shirt. 

City Hall should install a traffic-death counter. Safe-streets advocates organized a protest over Seattle’s epidemic of traffic deaths the morning, and they brought a sign highlighting the number of people that drivers have killed this year. During the protest, which lasted just a few hours, the sign was rendered out-of-date twice as news of more deaths kept rolling in. The latest was a 21-year-old man found dead on Aurora Ave early this morning. He’s the third pedestrian to die on Aurora Ave in the last two months.

Colorado authorities failed to take guns from the Club Q shooter. The man accused of killing five people and injuring two dozen others was known to authorities after a 2021 incident involving a bomb threat against his mother. To restrict his access to weapons, they could have used Colorado’s red flag law, which was, incidentally, written by the parent of a man killed in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting. But they didn’t. Here in Seattle, various LGBTQ+ organizations will hold a vigil for the victims tomorrow evening.

A major earthquake hit Indonesia. It registered 5.6 on the Richter Scale and was centered in West Java, killing 162 people and injuring hundreds more. There’s been heavy damage to buildings, and the numbers of dead and injured could rise as rescuers reach more remote areas.

Yet another bad apple. A retired Boise police captain named Matthew Bryngelson was scheduled to speak at a white supremacy convention this weekend. He retired in August of this year after 24 years on the force, and he has written that he “became aware of the violent tendencies of Blacks” as a police officer. Just an absolute garbage can of a person.

Fancy a boat ride? Here’s a nice tour of the new Colman Dock on the waterfront, where you’ll be catching the ferry from now on.

Why attend the University of Washington? For the infectious diseases, of course. US News and World Report has named UW one of the top schools in the world for researching infectious diseases. Great news for the next generation of scientists, bad news for listeria.

We choo-choo-choose to stand up for workers. Freight rail unions may strike in two weeks, which could cause serious disruption to the nation’s supply chains. Much of the negotiation has involved reforms to draconian work rules, including the refusal of rail companies to provide sick leave. Hey, does anyone know if there are any big annual events coming in the next couple of weeks that rely heavily on the movement of goods and packages around the country?

More Mario Kart courses are coming on December 7. The third wave of DLC drops in just three weeks, with the usual smattering of courses from past titles: Berlin Byways, Maple Treeway from the Wii, the 3DS Rainbow Road, and so on. I still long for them to add the two-player feature from Double Dash, but I doubt that’s happening in this generation. 

Starbucks wishes you happy holidays, and also you’re fired. According to union organizers, the company fired a barista one day after she help organize a strike.

No, Seattle hotels, you cannot work your employees to death. The Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to a Seattle law that requires hotels to provide low-wage workers with health care coverage. This could prompt other cities to implement similar rules.

The life of Leslie. I’ve got a new video up, remembering the great Leslie Jordan.