Boink!
Boink! Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

That "river of rain" finally hit Seattle: It's wet 'n' wild!

The Russian hack? Gets worse.

Argentina will only allow one more flight from the UK to land in Buenos Aires: And then it's a temporary ban due to the UK's virus strain problem. Belgium will block travelers from the UK. So will Chile, Denmark, France, and a long list of other countries. In Washington state? Well: "Inslee’s new proclamation requires anyone arriving in Washington from [the United Kingdom and a handful of other countries] within the last 14 days to quarantine for 14 days—and the restriction applies to those who have recently arrived." Weak sauce. Here's the presser:

Britons feel "profoundly isolated" by this "early taste of Brexit," reports the NY Times: The shutoff has even urged lawmakers to call for new victory gardens to feed the island. In one harsh take, the Times called the place Plague Island. And the Brexit split with the EU isn't even supposed to happen for another 10 days.

Well, I got it!
"Well, I got it!" Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

Biden's 50% full of the COVID-19 vaccine: He'll get to take his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine in three weeks. The goal seems to be to get Biden vaccined-up before the inauguration, "where, even in its scaled-down form, he is bound to interact with hundreds," writes Yahoo News.

Dr. Jill Biden also got a dose of the vaccine today: She joins House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and also Sen. Bernie Sanders in getting vaccines. VP Mike Pence got one last week, VP-elect Kamala Harris gets one next week, and who knows what's up with Trump.

Congress faces a midnight deadline to pass this stimmy: Let's get this $600 bread!

Speaking of bread: Here's the most popular bread of 2020.

Let's just stay on this bread beat for a moment and acknowledge that Kitanda is coming to Capitol Hill. If you've never visited the Eastside-bred bread & coffee biz, you'll like what's coming on over to the Hill. The local Brazilian coffee chain has the best cheese bread and plans to open in January in the same spot where Glossier once Glossiered, reports Capitol Hill Seattle Blog.

I was on the radio again today: So was Jasmyne Keimig! We chatted with KUOW's Bill Radke about Christmas movies.

Jeff Bezos will give $25 million more to All in Washington: He previously gave the statewide COVID-19 relief fund $25 million in June. All in WA's current fundraising goal is $100 million. Bezos said he will also match individual donations under $1 million.

Take a break and peep at some architecture: Sound Transit recently released a 360-degree tour of the new U District Station. Here's the side view:

web-theplatform-uds-360-map-112420.jpg
Sound Transit

And while we're chatting about architecture: I almost spit my coffee at the headline. "Trump Issues Executive Order Mandating ‘Beautiful’ Architecture for Federal Buildings." The order specifically targets Brutalist and Deconstructivist architecture. More from Art News:

The order states, “New Federal building designs should, like America’s beloved landmark buildings, uplift and beautify public spaces, inspire the human spirit, ennoble the United States, command respect from the general public, and, as appropriate, respect the architectural heritage of a region.”

The document praises ancient Greek and Roman buildings as “sturdy and useful” and disparages modern designs for federal buildings commissioned by the General Services Administration. It describes the San Francisco Federal Building, which opened in 2007 and serves as an example of deconstructivism, as being deeply unpopular among residents, who, according to the President, “consider it one of the ugliest structures in their city.” The order likewise derides Salt Lake City’s new federal courthouse, which locals view as “ugly and inconsistent with its surroundings,” the order says.

From one ugly infrastructure project to another: The Seattle Department of Transportation says an original project to reinforce 16 bridges to withstand earthquakes will cost much more than original plans estimated, reports Heidi Groover for the Seattle Times. "Instead of 16 bridges, the city plans to complete seismic retrofits on 11, leaving notable and costly locations like the Ballard and Fremont bridges off the list," writes Groover. Good luck out there! Note this line highlighted by Crosscut's David Kroman:

It's snow watch in Seattle: I don't see any, but people are reporting otherwise.