Stephen Hawking dies at 76: The renowned theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and science icon died Wednesday, which is Albert Einsteinâs birthday and Pi Day. Coincidentally, he was born on Isaac Newtonâs birthday (Jan. 4th). Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at 21. He was given two years to live. Instead, he lived for 55 more. Hawking is best known for his scientific discoveries like how black holes function and that the universe started with a singularity i.e. The Big Bang. But, he was also known for his ability to bring science to the masses and to spark wonder in us all.
His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018. pic.twitter.com/nAanMySqkt
â Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 14, 2018
He also had a killer sense of humor:
rip stephen hawking, a brilliant mind and deliverer of sick burns pic.twitter.com/v7vQZXHiKJ
â Nicole Zhu (@nicolelzhu) March 14, 2018
Former SDOT Director goes to LimeBike: Scott Kubly started in bike-share. Then he led the Seattle Department of Transportation. Now, after resigning when Jenny Durkan took up the mantle of mayor, Kubly will be the chief program officer for LimeBike. Heâll be working on business development and government relations. He wonât be able to work with SDOT on anything for a year, however.
King County Sheriff warns of kidnapping scam: Two Washington families were targeted by scammers who claimed to have kidnapped their children. The scammers demanded money or they would kill the children. In both instances, the scammers used the childrenâs real names. When the parents called their childrenâs schools the kids were safely in class. Parents were contacted by a blocked number and in both instances the man on the line had an accented voice. One parent encountered a young female voice as well. Anyone else long for the days of the struggling Nigerian prince and his emails? Donât send money over the phone.
Walk-out Wednesday: There are nearly 3,000 walkouts at schools across the country set for 10:00 a.m. In Washington, some will march for 17 minutes in honor of each person killed in the Parkland, Florida shooting. Others will continue on to the University of Washington where thereâs a rally being held at Red Square at 11:30 a.m. The walkout was organized by students to show that gun violence impacts all students regardless of where they go to school.
Students are organized: The kids arenât kidding around. Itâs already starting on the East Coast.
Covering a walkout this morning at an elementary school in Virginia, and the 11-year-old organizers had a press packet ready for me. pic.twitter.com/eeElhGciid
â Lois Beckett (@loisbeckett) March 14, 2018
Theyâre outside the White House:
âEnough is enoughâ | Students already protesting outside of the @WhiteHouse for #NationalWalkoutDay. @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/eZlm3bd6ik
â Michael Quander WUSA (@MikeQReports) March 14, 2018
Except Trump is busy dicking around in California: Get out of there, Donald. He attacked Gov. Jerry Brown, saying Brown has done a very poor job running the state. California has the sixth largest economy in the world. Then he talked shit about sanctuary cities. He viewed some border wall prototypes. Trump lost California by 4 million votes in 2016. Los Angelenos gave him a warm welcome.
Anti-Trump protesters put their message to the president in lights https://t.co/IbP8bL32WH pic.twitter.com/6bFYv6u523
â Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 14, 2018
Layoffs in Kent school district: The district will be eliminating 127 employees across its 42 schools in the next year. Additionally, nine administrators within eight schools will lose their positions. This need to reduce workforce costs is part of a plan to address a budget deficit. The district said it had a $6.9 million budget shortfall in the 2016-7 fiscal year.
Durkan calls for city-wide budget cuts: Sheâll be moving away from the Murray trend of city spending. Since 2012, the cityâs budget grew 28 percent from $3.9 billion to last Novemberâs $5.6 billion. Durkan will be asking city departments to trim their budgets by 2 to 5 percent for next year. She is anticipating Seattleâs economic boom â which has facilitated massive growth and allowed for an increase in spending â to wane. To Durkan, Seattleâs current spending isnât sustainable.
Save our orcas, Jay: There are only 76 orcas left in the Puget Sound. Thatâs a 30-year low. The endangered species has struggled due to lack of food, pollution, and noise and disturbances from vessels. Pretty much, all things human-caused that can be human-prevented. Gov. Inslee is expected to mitigate some of these impacts by announcing immediate and long-term steps today to save the orcas from extinction. Seven agencies will work to boost orca recovery, a task force will be established to track progress, and federal, local, and tribal governments will work together.
What is a solar storm? No clue. Thereâs one expected to hit Wednesday and Thursday. Apparently, itâs a major explosion in the Sunâs atmosphere. That sounds⌠safe. But, for real, thatâs just a scary way to say solar flare. It has the potential to mess with geomagnetic responses on Earthâs surface; GPS could malfunction, commercial flights might be impacted, and energy supplies could be knocked out. Don't tell my roommates. They're both afraid of flying and are flying today. On the bright side, thereâs a possibility of seeing the northern lights!
A G1 Watch is in effect for the 14 & 15 March, 2018 UTC-days. Enhancements in the solar wind due to the anticipated effects of a coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS) are expected to cause the escalated geomagnetic responses. Visit https://t.co/dimAHi8BFd for the latest info. pic.twitter.com/doJIzMWaGe
â NOAA Space Weather (@NWSSWPC) March 12, 2018
Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats: Britain is blaming Moscow for this monthâs poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter. Putin is denying all involvement. Tensions between the two countries are heightening. The expulsion of Russian diplomats is the largest in 30 years and is part of Prime Minister Theresa Mayâs decision to cut ties with all high-level contacts between Britain and Russia. Additionally, May said no British ministers or royals would attend the World Cup in Russia this year. More sanctions are expected to be announced later today.
BREAKING: British prime minister May: Russian state is guilty of attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
â The Associated Press (@AP) March 14, 2018
Some facts on the nerve agent used in the attack:
Jeez https://t.co/iFLMk7K9xw pic.twitter.com/58ECkM2t49
â Yashar Ali đ (@yashar) March 14, 2018
2. The nerve agent used against Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia has only been produced by Russia and is 10 times as potent as VX which was used to kill Kim Jong Unâs brother. https://t.co/Xrhn9zcxLu pic.twitter.com/kyrva7mV0C
â Yashar Ali đ (@yashar) March 14, 2018
The president of the European Council is on Britainâs side:
I express my full solidarity with PM @theresa_may in the face of the brutal attack inspired, most likely, by Moscow. Iâm ready to put the issue on next weekâs #EUCO agenda.
â Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) March 14, 2018
Angela Merkel sworn in for fourth term: The German chancellor won her fourth term 364 votes to 315. This puts an end to six months of political turmoil in Germany as Merkel struggled to form a coalition government. Mainstream parties suffered in Septemberâs election due to a resurgence of right-wing populists. This was the worst showing for Merkelâs conservative bloc in 70 years.
Democrat wins in Pennsylvania special election: Democrat Conor Lamb is the apparent-winner of the House seat by an incredibly thin margin. Trump won the Pennsylvania district by 20 points in 2016. The triumph is a big deal for democrats seeking to take control of Congress during the midterm elections this fall. They need to gain 24 seats to take the majority.
The northeast is handling its shitty weather the best it can: What is going on over there?
"Let it go!" Man in Elsa costume from 'Frozen' lends a hand to help free a Boston police vehicle that got stuck in the snow. https://t.co/k0K31Nd9Lh pic.twitter.com/7i0LffVMrU
â ABC News (@ABC) March 14, 2018
Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: addo Ballard: Richard's Burger Pop-Up, the Persian epic tale Feathers of Fire, and a show with Guayaba, Nauticult, Astro King Phoenix, and Corespondents.
Here's what you're eating today
A big dose of Life for William and Sally to jumpstart their days.
A color-coordinated meal for Derek, sent by his wife, Lisa.