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Are tiny black holes zipping through our solar system? Scientists hope to find out

Scientists say microscopic black holes could explain the elusive "dark matter" that makes up a quarter of all matter in the universe. But can it be proven?




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California hospitals scramble on earthquake retrofits as state limits extensions

California legislators for years have granted extensions on a 1994 law requiring hospitals to retrofit their buildings to withstand earthquakes. Gov. Gavin Newsom in September vetoed an extension for all hospitals but signed a bill granting relief to rural and "distressed" hospitals and some others.




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As bird flu outbreaks rise, piles of dead cattle become shocking Central Valley tableau

Although California dairy farmers had heard about the H5N1 bird flu before it hit, none was prepared for the devastation it would cause in some herds.




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House Republicans learn from Trump’s first-term mistakes to be ‘ready on day one’

House Republican leaders are learning from their mistakes during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term to be “ready on day one” to implement their aggressive agenda plans filled with policy changes during the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency.  House leaders have been in conversations with Trump for nearly a year to discuss policy proposals and […]




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Blumenthal says there's a 'real risk' in PGA and LIV merger: 'Want to get to the bottom of it'

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) discussed the Senate's investigation into the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, saying there is a "real risk" with the proposed agreement.




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Opinion: Why the push to legalize gambling on U.S. elections is so dangerous

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission denied financial services firm Kalshi's bid to allow betting on control of Congress. Now the company is suing to overturn the decision.




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Elon Musk blasts Apple's OpenAI deal over alleged privacy issues. Does he have a point?

The Tesla and SpaceX leader's beef with OpenAI flared up again after Apple unveiled its plans to use ChatGPT to support some of its AI features. Apple said privacy is a key component of its entry into the space.




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Phishing attack hits L.A. County public health agency, jeopardizing 200,000-plus residents' personal info

The personal information of more than 200,000 people in Los Angeles County was potentially exposed after a hacker used a phishing email to steal login credentials.




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How Santa Clara chipmaker Nvidia became one of the world's most valuable companies in the AI boom

Santa Clara chipmaker Nvidia has ridden the AI revolution to briefly vault over Microsoft and Apple and become the world's most valuable company.




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Judge blocks California law that targeted deepfake campaign ads

AB 2839 aimed to label AI-generated content in political ads as "manipulated." A federal judge says the law violates the 1st Amendment.




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'Blade Runner 2049' producer sues Elon Musk, Warner Bros. Discovery over Tesla Cybercab launch

'Blade Runner 2049' production company Alcon Entertainment sued Tesla, Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery for copyright infringement. Here's why.




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How Can Fungi Address the Global Food Waste Problem?

Scientists are reimagining the food system, turning to fungal fermentation as a sustainable method for transforming food byproducts into tasty treats.



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  • News & Opinion

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Nats second baseman Danny Espinosa to the 15-day disabled list

The locker sat empty in the happy clubhouse, its contents packed away and its occupant gone. Danny Espinosa has been a key contributor to the Nationals since his first promotion from the minor leagues late in the 2010 season. He has played 390 games for Washington, most of them at second base. But on Tuesday he was absent, a glaring void next to his normal spot alongside teammate Ian Desmond’s stall. Around the room loud music blasted from the stereo system after a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. Espinosa wasn’t there to enjoy it.




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Nats ace Stephen Strasburg to the 15-day disabled list

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg did not throw a bullpen session as hoped this week and instead was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with a strained lat muscle.




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Titan sub implosion: Coast Guard says it has recovered remaining debris from submersible wreck

The United States Coast Guard says it has recovered the remaining debris from the site of the Titan submersible that imploded four months ago while visiting the site of the RMS Titanic shipwreck.




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Slog AM: Election Day Pretties, Boeing Machinists's Strike Ends, Cloned Blackfooted Ferret Gives Birth

Seattle's only news roundup. by Ashley Nerbovig

Ok weather to vote in! Should be a pretty nice day to stroll down to your nearest ballot box, with a high of 52 degrees and partly sunny, and a slight chance of rain after 2 p.m. 

So go vote! Don't let anything stop you. As Hannah said yesterday, you can still vote! I voted last year on the last possible day, and I hadn't registered yet at that point. I just jogged down to Lumen Field though and it was super easy to register, vote, and leave. Even if you're feeling left out because you're not in a swing state and the entirety of the country's future doesn't rest on your shoulders, the future of this state and city really does! Dropping some helpful links to make sure you have everything you need to make your voices heard. First, how to register to vote. Second, how to replace a lost ballot. Thirdly, ballot box locations. Finally, our handy cheat sheet for help filling out your ballot. 

Done your civic duty already? Well then sit back and enjoy the final hours of uncertainty at one of the many election night parties happening across the city tonight. The Stranger is throwing one at the Crocodile—it’s sold out, but we think it’s worth it to take your chances on standby tickets. There might be some no-shows, and we can squeeze you in. But if you don't wanna chance it, check out this list of parties you can attend from our sister publication Everout. Stranger reporters will be dotted around the city to bring you coverage of the election from various candidate election parties as well.

Speaking of voting: The Boeing machinists approved a contract last night ending their strike after 53 days, according to the Seattle Times. The latest contract, approved by 59% of membership, includes a 38% general wage increase over the next four years, which equates to 43% when you factor in raises on top of raises. The contract did not restore the pension that they lost in a contentious vote 10 years ago. Union president Jon Holden said the union should be proud of what they accomplished and that it was time to get back to building planes.

Alleged sex abuse in youth detention: An additional 176 people made allegations against Washington state for failing to protect them from sexual abuse while they were children at youth detention centers in the state, according to the Seattle Times. Combined with another lawsuit filed in September, that brings the total number of people claiming they were sexually abused in Washington's detention centers up to almost 400. Meanwhile, the Seattle Times Editorial Board continues to decry and complain about youth diversion programs meant to help kids avoid being sent into lock up.

Seattle Steel Pan Project Evicted: The Seattle Steel Pan Project, dedicated to teaching the art of steel plan music and performance, needs a new space to operate in after MLK FAME Community Center in the Central District evicted the group this week, according to an Instagram post from the project. In the post, the group accused MLK FAME of bowing to the demands of neighborhood "Karens" who complained about the groups weekly practice. I reached out to MLK FAME for a response, who did not immediately reply, but I'll update if they do. In the meantime, the project is asking everyone they know if they have any ideas where they can house their steel pan band. Their email address is steelpanproject@gmail.com. Here's a little taste of what they do:

Ok. Moving on. Let's talk about the presidential election: Let's be real, no one knows how this election will shake out. The polls are insanely tight in swing states. Dixville Notch, a tiny New Hampshire town that votes at midnight every year on Election Day, tallied up their six votes which resulted in a tie, with three votes for Vice President Kamala Harris, and three for former President Donald Trump. There is a very good chance we don't know the election result tonight, and maybe not for a couple days.

Battleground states prepare for certification fight: Given the resistance to certifying the vote in swing states in the last election cycle, many officials have already started to prepare to quash attempts by county officials to squabble over valid election results, according to Politico. Election officials fear if Trump loses, he won't just fade quietly into the night, and instead will mount another attempt to overturn election results.

Meanwhile, the two parties also are wrestling for control of congress. New York stands out as a battleground state for the House, as the congressional seats they lost in 2022 helped Republicans take the chamber back, according to Politico. Meanwhile in Texas, Democrats continue to try to take Senator Ted Cruz's seat, and while Cruz continues to lead, Representative Colin Allred is within spitting distance of him. But, it's wholly unpredictable who will control what in 2025.

But for some good news: One of my top five favorite creatures in the world continues to beat the odds. A cloned black-footed ferret mother in Virginia gave birth to two little baby ferrets in June, according to the Washington Post. Unclear why we're only hearing about it now. We should have rang the bells. If you don't know much about black-footed ferrets, you're really missing out. These little bandits scurry across our prairie lands, and has supposedly gone extinct twice, but they're resilient AF. Now with the cloning and the babies, we could continue to see this species soldier on. Ugh I love them so much, I've been obsessed with them ever since I lived in Montana. And I'm not a ferret girl, it's just they're little markings make them look like they have a tiny black Zorro mask across their smol faces. Here is a video of them being adorable:

I'm so excited about this cloning thing: Instead of a musical recommendation, another video about black footed ferrets.

 




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How Alexis Mercedes Rinck’s Victory Reclaimed Public Safety as a Progressive Issue

Tuesday’s catastrophic results at the federal level mask a different, more durable, and deeply consequential result here in Seattle: Voters chose a public safety candidate from the left. by Kamau Chege

Tuesday’s catastrophic results at the federal level mask a different, more durable, and deeply consequential result here in Seattle: Voters chose a public safety candidate from the left.

For close observers, the result was no surprise: Alexis Mercedes Rinck, running on a strong message of smart, sensible, and progressive public safety and stability, won her primary handily, led in the polls in the lead up to the general election, and easily defeated an incumbent councilmember citywide with more votes than any city council candidate has ever won in a Seattle election.

The critical takeaway is how she won. Rinck, unlike other candidates from Seattle’s left wing in recent years, conceded to the obvious but difficult-to-navigate reality that Seattle voters view public safety as the single most important issue in local elections and, importantly, that those views actually reflect a material reality that bears serious public attention and public work. Missing from the campaign were efforts to browbeat voters for being concerned about public drug use, visible homelessness, and a pervasive sense of disorder in our streets. 

Unlike her opponent, however, Rinck’s policy proposals to tackle voters’ biggest concerns are evidence-based. She supports deep investments in affordable housing — and is willing to raise revenue to pay for it. She’ll work to expand mental health treatment opportunities for those who need it. She’ll fully fund critical municipal services that connect people to resources before they fall into crisis. And she’ll work to build more housing everywhere.

Woo’s campaign, meanwhile, felt rudderless and contradictory to itself. She was at once painting herself as an outsider seeking change, but also as an incumbent who got progressive results. But in facing a charismatic, competent opponent who conceded that Woo’s main issue was central but ran on doing something about it that might actually work, Woo’s campaign collapsed. 

At the beginning of the year, a campaign based on public safety seemed like fertile ground for Woo and her colleagues on the city council who won their elections hammering the same themes against a left that failed to counter pandemic-era attacks about defunding the police.

Rinck’s progressive campaign neutralized those attacks by recognizing a fundamental liberal principle: that when public spaces become private domains — whether through encampments or open air drug markets — they deny public amenities to the many while inadequately serving the few who are unhoused or in crisis. The solution most people want, as Tuesday’s results suggest, lies not in costly incarceration or aimless sweeps but in moving people from crisis to care.

The public’s fixation on safety and stability in this election should not surprise us. Fears about safety flourish in populist moments, in cities divided between haves and have-nots, and in places grappling with widening inequality. As zoning laws continue to strangle our ability to build, crisis care programs are starved for funding, and democratic institutions strain under populist pressure, voters gravitate to a basic need for physical and psychological security.

Rinck’s campaign offers us a model and a playbook for organizing with hope and meeting people where they are — even if that is initially a place of fear and contradiction. Her campaign, and those we hope will follow it in winning back the City Council for progressives, offers abundance in the face of scarcity and hope in the face of despair.

We’re facing bleak times as a country. Perhaps it’s precisely because things are so bad right now that we can't give in to despair, whose pernicious power is its ability to narrow our attention to narratives that only encourage more despair. Its impact results in our inaction. 

As implausible as it seems, this moment demands hope, and specifically, hope as action. We must remind ourselves and each other of our own agency, and our ability to imagine a better future, a better system. Despair calls on us to retreat. Hope asks: what if we win? Then demands we go out and make it happen. On Tuesday, Rinck did just that.

Kamau Chege is a democracy reform advocate. Rian Watt is an economic justice advocate.




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Screaming With Meaning: The Definitive Blood Brothers Lyrics Q&A

"These pigs locked me up to see what color I'd rot into!" by Suzette Smith

Like any fan of Seattle hardcore band the Blood Brothers, I have found myself at a show, pressed up against a wall of people, shouting the wrong lyrics to their songs. For instance, on their hit "USA NAILS" there's a hook where you think you're singing a cheer-style "one, one, and two!" but the lyrics are actually: "These pigs locked me up to see what color I'd rot into!"

The energetic screamo group was active from 1997-2007, during which time they released five critically-acclaimed albums, completed several European tours, and even played a set on Jimmy Kimmel Liveovercoming the reservations of the show's freaked-out producers. Perhaps the best indicator of their success is the fact that their US reunion tour—which hits Seattle on November 14 and 15—is selling out in several cities.

Ever ones to cut the bullshit, Blood Brothers don't have a new record; they're playing the fucking hits. Still, the tour is timed with Epitaph's anniversary reissue of one of their biggest albums Crimes (2004) on vinyl.

When we sat down to talk to Johnny Whitney, who fronts the band with fellow singer/screamer/guttural whisperer Jordan Blilie, he noted that plenty of lyrics websites list incorrect verses for Blood Brothers songs. "It's hilarious how wrong some of them are," Whitney said. "The lyrics on Spotify are not even close to what I'm actually saying. Just buy the fucking CD, and look it up. Come on, people."

We spoke with Whitney and Blilie separately, over sprawling phone calls that we have organized into this piece. For clarity, we're listing their responses together, as we seek to get into the nitty gritty of this group's  danceable, screaming-nightmare material.

Foremost, Whitney and Blilie both began by gushing about the other three members of their band: frenetic drummer Mark Gajadhar, vigorous guitarist Cody Votolato, and ultra-versatile bassist Morgan Henderson, who is currently best known as a member of Fleet Foxes.

"I cannot fucking believe that I got to work with these guys," Whitney says. "I just took all those things for granted at the time. Everybody was, and still is, coming from totally different places [musically], but there was always something really special about all of us together that was there from the moment that we started."

THE STRANGER: Johnny, I've always gotten the impression that you're the major force behind the lyrics.

JOHNNY WHITNEY: I came up with the majority of the lyrics, but it certainly was collaborative between Jordan and I. I would freewrite as much as I could, to have material to draw from, and going back to those notebooks kept things as free and fresh and not contrived as possible. The drawback of that approach is the lyrics are very abstract and hard to parse direct meaning from, but that's also kind of the point. I found myself writing about the absence of answers, or the absence of concrete truths that you can hold onto.

A lot of times, my process would center around coming up with a cool idea: a song name or some common refrain that we would want to work into a song, like "Burn Piano Island, Burn." Something that has a hook or conveys an image or feeling. Then we would reverse engineer the lyrics from that.

JORDAN BLILIE: I would absolutely say that I felt like Johnny was the driver, and for good reason. He's really good. When you see someone who is in a flow state, you do your best to accentuate and collaborate, to help mold and shape and add your pieces. It was always stuff that I was really excited to dig into. It was just that rich and that vibrant. The challenge for me was what can I add to it, you know? It always pushed me to try and come up with the most creatively-inspired stuff that I could.

You two have such an engaging stage style. People would call it sassy, but that has always felt like a description from people who have never been to a play and can't recognize theater. Do either of you have a background in theater arts?

WHITNEY: I wanted to be a child actor—I actually auditioned for that movie Blank Check (1994). Actually, a year after Jordan and I met, we were both in a Jr. High production of Alice in Wonderland. He was the Mad Hatter, and I was the Mock Turtle.

BLILIE: Why would you say that? [Laughs]

Jordan Blilie (left) and Johnny Whitney (right) Suzette Smith Jordan Blilie screams on the tour's first night in San Francisco. Suzette Smith

"USA NAILS" was such a hit, and it involved a phone number everyone could scream. How did that come to be?

WHITNEY: The name and the "1-900-USA-NAILS" comes from the chain nail salon, but we reverse-engineered it into a song about somebody using their one phone call from the county jail to call a phone sex line. It's the idea of loneliness, disaffection, and parasocial relationships with things that exist solely for their own profit or gain.

And yet it's also danceable. There are these moments live where you have an audience of people shaking their asses and shouting "to see what color I'd rot into!" Did you start with that idea and work backwards, or just jam it into that moment of the song?

WHITNEY: At that time, the band would all sit together in a room and have a kind of song tribunal about how each part should go. Then, at some point, we'd have a semi -finished version and [Jordan and I] would just try to fit lyrics to the songs. Especially on Burn, Piano Island, Burn. Some of those songs needed an editor so bad, right? I wouldn't change a thing about it, but looking back, there are parts where it sounds like everybody's playing a different song at the same time, but it kind of works, right? And for the lyrics, sometimes we just had to make it work.

That wasn't the first time Jordan whispered his lyrics in a guttural tone, but it's one of the more emblematic, right? How did that start?

BLILIE: By necessity—I don't have much of a range, you know? I have this weird baritone. Very early on we were drawing from crust punk, where you just have two voices screaming. And we didn't put a whole lot of thought into even what the other person was doing. But then, as we continued to develop, the stuff became more complex, and there was more room for different sorts of shadings of what we could do vocally. So it was just finding out: What is it I can do other than scream at the top of my lungs?

WHITNEY: Jordan's part at the end just works right? He was very inspired by Jarvis Cocker.

BLILIE: Yeah, you can trace that right back to Pulp. If you listen to any Pulp song, there's gonna be some whispery storytelling, with the compression cranked up so you can kind of hear every lick of the lips.

<a href="https://thebloodbrothersofficial.bandcamp.com/album/burn-piano-island-burn">Burn, Piano Island, Burn by The Blood Brothers</a>

BLILIE: Some of my favorite moments of writing with Johnny are the ones that we would where we would crack each other up.

Can you give an example?

BLILIE: Every lyric of "Guitarmy." We really got a kick out of the idea of opening our major label debut with the words, "do you remember us?" Because of the audacity, the absurdity of it.

So you guys all started this band when you were in your teens.

BLILIE: Yeah, we started when we were like, 15-16.

Are there any lyrics that have not aged well, in your opinion?

BLILIE: I'm sure they're the ones that we're not playing. [Laughs.] This question reminds me of something one of my professors said. It was my first class at UCLA, Queer Lit from Walt Whitman to Stonewall. In class discussions my fellow classmates would critique writing from the 1800s for not satisfying certain criteria, and our professor would say: You cannot look at the text backwards. You have to look at it forwards. You can't apply current day criteria to something that was written when that criteria didn't even exist. You have to engage with it in the context of when it was written. I don't think anything we wrote is in a canon warranting that level of examination, but it's useful nonetheless. It's a way for me to remind myself that I was 20, and I had the tools of a 20-year-old. It helps me to not beat myself up too much about it.

WHITNEY: There's a story behind this. When we were doing the song "Camouflage, Camouflage" on Young Machetes, Jordan and I were going back and forth on the lyrics. He was like, "Yeah, I'm great with all this." But he put a line through one verse, where I say: "All the girls in Montreal are smashing skateboards in the street." And I was just like: Fuck you, dude. I'm gonna keep this in. But he was right, because it sounds stupid, and it's like, really horny and makes me want to light my skin on fire. So I'm changing it to something else, probably something different every night.

Johnny Whitney (left) holds a crowd member's hand for support. Suzette Smith The crowd supports Johnny Whitney while he sings. Suzette Smith 

I wonder about imagery in Blood Brothers' songs that seems to be responding to beauty standards at the time. Like, in "Ambulance, Ambulance" you've got this blistering segue to the chorus: "What is love? / What is scam? / What is sun? / What is tan?"

WHITNEY: That's a double meaning. Because it's like tan—like suntan—but also tan is a blah color, right? It's like the color of a dentist's office wall. If you think of the idea of love being something that could feel on-fire, passionate, the color of a dentist's office wall is the opposite. Although, tanning does come into play in a lot of our lyrics. I've noticed as well.

Or on "Beautiful Horses" the lyrics are "gallop into your romance novels / dance atop heavy pectorals."

BLILIE: I think we were seeing an increasingly vapid culture, and we were trying to dig into that—dig into: What does it do to someone when they're bombarded by these sorts of images and messages? There was a lot of that in that writing; I can't say specifically with "Beautiful Horses," but I think "Trash Flavored Trash," would probably fit under that umbrella.

<a href="https://thebloodbrothersofficial.bandcamp.com/album/crimes-bonus-track-version">Crimes (Bonus Track Version) by The Blood Brothers</a>

In "Rats and Rats and Rats for Candy" there's an ongoing narrative of rats living inside a woman. It's like a play. There are characters. And the rats eventually chew out of her and try to find a new body to live in. I wondered if that was also about beauty standards or body dysmorphia?

WHITNEY: That song, it's about that, but it's also about manipulation, right? Not to get too personal, but I grew up with somebody who weaponized being sick—faked being sick—for their entire life in order to manipulate people and extract something they needed out of them. The character in that song is kind of a victim, but like a siren at the same time. They're trying to lure somebody in.

Is that person the rats, or are they Candy?

WHITNEY: The rats are in Candy. I mean, it's both.

What about "The Shame?" Your group resonates so much with "everything is gonna be just awful / when we're around" that you're putting it on t-shirts 20 years later. What does it mean?

WHITNEY: The whole premise of that song is having to sell yourself—how to commoditize yourself. It's about how you function in a capitalist society. You sink or swim by your ability to market yourself, make yourself desirable—whether it be in relationships, job market, blah blah blah. I've always been repulsed by that and was especially at the time we wrote it, which was in Venice Beach, while we were recording Burn, Piano Island, Burn. It was the longest time I'd ever been in LA, and that's the epicenter of being a self-salesman. That line encapsulates the feeling of being sold something. And you're in a position where, in order to survive, you have to be your own salesman.

Salesmen show up in other songs, like "The Salesman, Denver Max." That's another one that almost feels like a short story.

WHITNEY: I initially cribbed the idea for that song's lyrics from the Joyce Carol Oates short story, "Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?" It follows a narrative of a very dangerous, predatory man in the process of stalking and kidnapping somebody. “Denver Max” was a huge, uncomfortable gamble for me, because I wrote the entire song on my acoustic guitar, recorded it to a 4-track, and then played it for the guys—totally expecting them to hate it. It was really daunting to try to contribute as a songwriter; Cody, Morgan, and Mark are such talented musicians. I think they may have hated it; I don't really remember how we ended up recording it. It was nobody's favorite thing, but we just tracked it, and it sounded great and worked.

Have you read anything by playwright Caryl Churchill?

WHITNEY: Never heard of her.

"Live at the Apocalypse Cabaret" has a lyric in it that reminds me of her play Far Away, which has a scene of milliners making hats for people to wear at a public execution, so I always felt a symmetry there, because of the lyrics "the cross-eyed map of the afterlife is knitting tiny neck ties." 

WHITNEY: I'm going to be super honest, the songs that I'm the most familiar with the lyrics of, at this very moment, are songs that were going to be playing, because I've been rehearsing them. But I do remember, with that song, we were trying to be funny without being silly. Like, a cross-eyed map is a map that makes no sense, where you don't know where you're going. Knitting tiny neckties are noose ties. It's like dressing yourself up for death, right? It's trying to dress up something that's really heinous and horrible and incomprehensible, and also trying to navigate that, through a map that makes no sense.

At this moment you have cracked my understanding of a play you haven't even read. But I digress, I've read that "Celebrator" was a direct response to Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."

BLILIE: That pumped up patriotism felt gross when taken in context with the images and much of the information that we were seeing come out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Is that why there are so many mentions of amputated limbs on Crimes?

BLILIE: The bulk of Crimes was trying to engage with war so that's where you get a lot of that grizzly imagery.

Well, personally, it's so nice that you're touring right now. Blood Brothers are great for when you need to scream, but you can't. You can scream along to the Blood Brothers in your head, or out loud at a show.

BLILIE: I'm glad that we could be of service, in that regard. It's hard for me not to go into a really bleak mindset when I look at our current political landscape. I find myself equal parts enraged and terrified. And there are times when I have to just close all news down. I guess it is a good time to get up and scream.

The Blood Brothers play the Showbox Thurs, Nov 14 and Fri, Nov 15. Thursday's show is all ages, and Friday's is 21+. 

This story was originally published in our sister paper, Portland Mercury.




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Could a Musk buy Bluesky?

Cory Doctorow: "I will never again devote my energies to building up an audience on a platform whose management can sever my relationship to that audience at will." It's a good practice, and while I completely support it, I am part of several communities that could remove me without recourse. I do it because I value the people in the community, and feel that life is too short to wait for everyone to get it right.

Doctorow was writing about Bluesky, and once again, on Bluesky a discussion starts on what it would take for Bluesky to attract developers, and each time I am told that they have done enough, and I go away thinking that their pitch is a scam, and they're building value in a user base that they will sell. They certainly could do it, and for all we know the founders may have already sold some of their stock in the latest investment round which valued the company at $x billion. (I did a search to find the evaluation but it appears to have not been announced.)

I gave them a roadmap, again, of how to demonstrate that they're open, and finally concluded that the only way to really do it is to "provide a download that you can install on any popular operating system to get an instant blue sky network, running on its own without any help from anyone else. Then you can claim to be really open and until then there will be a lot of confusion." (And I was generous at that. More accurately, people with experience in tech will be certain this is yet another deal where the founders get rich, where the users are the product and have read too much into their promise of being open.)

I'm still on Bluesky but I expect them to be another Twitter, which btw had an open API too, and it's pretty good, but they never offered the option of people running their own twitters. That would have been good protection against a Musk buying them out and turning us into pawns in his plan for world domination. Do we really want to help someone else build one of those?

In early 2017 I observed that Twitter had just been used to route around journalism and elect a president. This value wasn't on their balance sheet as an asset. I felt its stock was vastly underpriced. Exactly as it turned out when Musk bought it. Everyone still thinks he paid too much, at this moment it could possibly gain him control of part of the US government's $6 trillion per year budget early next year, and if they start selling the assets of the government he could be in the best position to buy them at pennies on the dollar, or take a percentage of each saleAt this point it doesn’t matter what the NYT says. Either way they jumped the shark for the last time in this election.. He could probably start borrowing against it the day after the election is called for Trump.

In the title I ask if a Musk could buy Bluesky, it's possible they have a way to prevent that in the design of their corporation, that's why it's a question. But if the price were right maybe the founders would sell out even if they didn't have to.




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How a Blog Can Transform Your Brand

Blogging is fast becoming an essential for businesses across a diverse range of sectors. Retail, I.T, travel, food & drink and entertainment brands have all done their fair share of dabbling in this commonly overlooked activity, and while some might be quick to rubbish the idea, it’s an undeniable fact that blogging has the potential […]




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Get Long Last Blog Traffic Tips

Blog traffic is not driven by new traffic; individuals driven by return clients. Your new traffic is going to be fluidic. One week you might have lots of new visitors, and the following weeks you may have very few at all. Your repeat viewers are the ones who are supposed in order to create up […]




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Increase Traffic to Blog, Get More Leads – No More Excuses!

“I want to increase traffic to my blog or website”- The very same question keeps on haunting all the business owners. It has kept me on my toes for a long while. Now, I thought to jot down all the very best strategies for increasing not only traffic but also qualified leads. Read them, share […]




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OEM Fashion Slave Bracelet-Ring with Black Stone.

Fashion slave bracelet-ring with imitation black stone inlaid used by harem dancer in medieval time. This bracelet-ring features a triangular layout of gem-stone looking black stones connected with a slim length of chain to a metal ring that loops over a finger. You will feel like a princess wearing this ornate exotic bracelet! Beautiful unique bracelet that will always be cherished!!. This item fits from 6" to 8" wrists. Price: USD7.55




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When I Find Myself In Times Of Trouble, Mother Mary Comes To Me.... Please Donate

“When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see, there will be an answer. let it...




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TED Stockings: Proven DVT reduction through published peer reviewed clinical studies

This article proves the point that only the T.E.D. Anti-Embolism Stocking has been clinically proven to prevent DVT in over 14,000 patients. Clinical proof is through published peer reviewed clinical studies.




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New collection: Sheer Double Band Cuban Foot Stocking

A new collection of sheer thigh high backseam stockings with double band and cuban foot, by MusicLegs®. Closely resembles the 'fully-fashioned' stockings of the 1950s. Seamless with 'backseam' and bands sewn with additional fabric. Reinforced toes.




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New color: Opaque Reversible Bodystocking

Added Beige color to the collection of bodysuit by MusicLegs®.

Opaque bodystocking with reversible V-back and long sleeves. Open crotch for convenience.




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Stock replenishment: Ruffle Lace Adjustable Garterbelt

Stock replenishment for Ruffle Lace Adjustable Garterbelt With Clips, by MusicLegs®.

Ruffle lace trim garter belt. Very sensual. Comes with adjustable garter with clips.




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New collection: Lace Adjustable Garterbelt With Clips

A new collection of garter belts by MusicLegs®.

Stretch lace patterned garter belt. Very sensual. Adjustable and detachable back waist band and garter with clips.




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New collection: Opaque Thigh Hi with Adjustable Lace Up Top

A new collection of Opaque thigh high stockings by MusicLegs®.

Opaque thigh high stockings with wide comfort band and sensual adjustable lace up top.




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New collection: Opaque Stocking with Double Sheer Bands

A new collection of knee highs from MusicLegs®.

Opaque thigh hi with double sheer bands.

Onesize (5'~5'10", 100~175lbs).




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New collection: Music Legs Reversible Stretch Opaque Mini with Bow

A new collection of minis by MusicLegs®.

Reversible Stretch Opaque Mini with Bow.

Onesize (5'~5'10", 100~175lbs).




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From Aerospace to the Blues Stage: Laurie Morvan gave up engineering for soul-feeding gig

It's not easy choosing a chaotic, uncertain gig over a lucrative, secure career…



  • News & Opinion/Currents Feature

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Studio tours unite artisans, public

David Gaxiola recalls how different the Tucson arts scene was when he left town eight years ago…



  • News & Opinion/Currents Feature

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Dusk Approaches: Quinn XCII invites everyone to the table

Singer-songwriter Quinn XCII is ready to serve three musical meals to the guests at Dusk…



  • News & Opinion/Currents Feature

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Ask MeFi: Any old-school bloggers still posting?

I started blogging in the late 90s and posted regularly for many years. But then a few years ago I decided it was too much work and moved that daily activity over to Google+. Which obviously wouldn't go anywhere ever. Poop. So now it's gone and I'm restarting my blog. I looked around for some OG bloggers from the 90s and early 2000s. And found..... only Kottke???




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Public Affairs Schedule

MONDAY

5a, 7a, 5p - Democracy Now!
6a, 8a, 3p - Thom Hartmann Program
6p - Local Public Affairs

TUESDAY

5a, 7a, 5p - Democracy Now!
6a, 8a, 3p - Thom Hartmann Program
6p - The Bioneers
6:30p - Sea Change Radio

WEDNESDAY

5a, 7a, 5p - Democracy Now!
6a, 8a, 3p - Thom Hartmann Program
6p - Law and Disorder

THURSDAY

5a, 7a, 5p - Democracy Now!
6a, 8a, 3p - Thom Hartmann Program
4p - Healthy Living with The Doctors
6p - CounterSpin
6:30p - Between the Lines

FRIDAY

5a, 7a, 5p - Democracy Now!
6a, 8a, 3p - Thom Hartmann Program
6p - Left, Right & Center

SUNDAY

7a - Alternative Radio
8a - New Dimensions
9a - Travel with Rick Steves




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Spokane mother-daughter duo Kim and Aimee Cash make sustainable bowl covers

It's a pretty basic need: You gotta eat…




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Neighbors raise concerns about a rapidly growing cabinet company in North Idaho and hope to block further expansion

Panhandle Door Inc. started 25 years ago as a small mom-and-pop cabinet business in Naples, Idaho, about 6 miles south of Bonners Ferry in Boundary County…




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The Lost City is a lighthearted romp, and one that largely works thanks to its likable leads

In evaluating the films released thus far this year, it is hard to think of one that more closely aligns with about everything you would expect than The Lost City…



  • Screen/Movie Reviews

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Journalist Nate Schweber shares a historic story of public lands conservation for the Palouse's Everybody Reads program

Like the main characters of his latest book, author and journalist Nate Schweber is shaped by his upbringing in the Western United States…



  • Arts & Culture

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Royal Blue Fine Woodworking: Going with the grain to create lasting beauty and functionality

Josh King’s Royal Blue Woodworking is named for his first dog, Bud, a blue Great Dane. For six years King studied at Colorado’s Red Rocks Fine Woodworking College, where, as he puts it, he got to learn from “eight different Michael Jordans.” King has now been a full-time fine woodworker for 12 years, though Bud has sadly passed on…




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On loving the Seattle Mariners, even when it seems like a terrible idea

It's October 22, 2001, and I'm standing on a crowded Key Arena concourse…




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How humans relate to those that bleat, bark and buck

My first 18 years saw a lot of pets — a cat, a dog, two rabbits, some fish, a frog and a snake…



  • Culture/Arts & Culture

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Spokane County Commissioners discuss repurposing surplus land for affordable housing

Earlier this week, Spokane County Commissioner Chris Jordan presented a draft ordinance that could allow the county to sell surplus land at a discount so it can be used for affordable housing…



  • News/Local News

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Clear the table after a meal and enjoy the camaraderie of a crafty evening

There's no doubt it's fun to get together with friends and family and catch up on one another's lives during the holidays…



  • Health & Home/Lifestyle

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Award Season: Notable Design

We're always searching out interesting and noteworthy projects at H&H, and we're happy to report that two buildings we've featured have recently been honored with awards…



  • Health & Home/Lifestyle

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The Blue Door Theatre champions improv theater basics to build community during its relocation to downtown Spokane

There are only three rules in improv: Be mentally present in the scene, always make your scene partner look good, and approach every scene with a "yes and..." mentality…




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Q&A: Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis discusses the new album Invincible Shield before the band plays Spokane Arena

Leather…




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It's awesome when your kids are able to make you #breakfast that is as good as this! (Now they just need to work on cleaning up!)

marusin posted a photo:

via Instagram ift.tt/2b6gvKI