Good morning.
Has your commute been thrown a monkey wrench with this traffic? Have you been forced to bike through somewhat chilly conditions? Have you had to sit in a somewhat more cramped bus? Have you experienced the horror of telecommuting? Are you in Southern or Eastern Washington and not seeing the fuss?
Personally, my commute is fine, but it’s a bit weird anyway.
The Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally meets this evening for conversations, politics, and conspiracies over a drink. You might say, “It’s Mueller time!”
We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the back room of the tavern beginning about 8pm.
Can’t make it to Seattle? Check out one of the 261 chapters of Living Liberally, including 22 in Washington state, eight in Oregon and three in Idaho. Find a chapter near you. Or start a new chapter in your community!
Hey everyone, please learn to stand.
In an open thread last week, I mentioned that people on public transportation who stand in front of open seats are the way. But Seattle has a problem with people standing in all sorts of wrong places. In doorways. At the counter after they pay. On the curb cut when the walk sign is on.
Adam ruins everything: How big meat made bacon a meme.
Stephen: Monks of the quivering palm.
New Yorker: Lifeboat.
Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses.
Robert Reich: The big economic switcheroo:
WaPo: “I’m in trouble”—Virginia farmer hurting from shutdown:
Buzz Feed: How spicy food affects your body.
Now This World: Elections to watch in 2019.
Daily Show: Switzerland’s responsible gun nuts (Pt. 2).
Vox: How humans disrupted a cycle essential to all life.
The Dotard Трамп and Other Bricks in the Wall:
Vox: How salmonella-tainted food gets in your fridge.
Jim Jefferies: A far-reaching conspiracy theory about chickens.
Jimmy Dore chats with Sen. Mitt Romney:
Wired: Why it’s almost impossible to ride a bike 60 kilometers in one hour.
Wendover: The new economy of the warming arctic.
WaPo: Why am I nonessential?.
Trevor: Malala Yousafzai—Helping refugee girls with “We Are Displaced” and Malala Fund
Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.
I don’t poop at Starbucks enough to know if it’s common, but the restroom in the one in Capitol Hill has a sharps container. This seems correct for harm reduction. If people were shooting up before, it’s better than used needles going in the trash, or being reused.
For the traffic mess some people are going to experience when the Viaduct shuts down, it might be a chance to take public transportation. I recommend it. But! You should probably know what the hell you are doing. So here are some tips to make sure that you don’t mess with other people’s commute.
Load your Orca Card now. Or if you don’t have one, know how much your trip will cost and have it ready before you fumble around at the bus door, or wherever you pay.
Figure out your route ahead of time. The driver (ar least Metro) will help you out, but if it’s super crowded, there might be a lot. They will talk to you at the door, but if you cause them to stay at the stop through a light, everyone on the bus will hate you. One Bus Away is great, and all the transit agency websites have tools to help you out.
Standing in front of open seats doesn’t help anyone. Jesus, man. Just have a seat. Or if you’re worried about getting off soon, move away from it so someone else can sit down.
If it’s crowded, move toward the back, and away from doors. Exit from the rear doors of buses. Don’t crowd the platform on the train.
Please join us this evening for the weekly meeting of the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally, border wall edition. Who knows…we might be in a state of national emergency by the time our event starts. You’ll need a drink.
We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the room at the rear of the tavern beginning about 8pm.
Can’t make it to Seattle? Check out one of the 260 chapters of Living Liberally, including 22 in Washington state, eight in Oregon and three in Idaho. Find a chapter near you. Or you might consider starting your own chapter!
So, it’s probably too early, but 2020 primary elections for President and possibly governor are sooner than we might want. I am going to try to stay neutral. There are people I like more than others, but there’s no need to pick at this point. Hopefully we can get to issues at some point.
BuzzFeed: Americans and Russians swap snacks.
Jonathan Mann: Medicare for allllll:
Young Turks: Tucker Carlson does incel porn.
The Dotard Трамп and His Band of Mobsters:
Vox: Why fixing the US bail system is tricky.
Nova: 2018 in review—the biggest science stories of the year.
Robert Reich: Why we must get Big Money out of politics.
Wired: How photography is affecting our brains.
The 116th Congress:
Pitchfork Economics: Whatever happened to the middle class?
The Atlantic: The world’s happiest animal.
Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.
I am excited about the US House of Representatives and the Washington State Legislature. Like, I actually expect great things from the state. A less regressive tax code and maybe steps toward pre Kindergarten education at the state level. At the Federal level, finally, finally, finally some accountability.
Oh right, I post open threads here sometimes. Anyway!
Over Christmas break, I listened to the Pitchfork Economics episode about trickle down economics, and how it’s the conventional wisdom. It made me think about the great chain of being. We can look back and see how silly it was. But if you were living in a time when it was professed by everyone around you, and presumed to be from God, it’s easy to understand why people kept using it as a way to understand the world.
The Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight to contemplate the possibilities and promise of 2019. Please join us and start out the new year left!
We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the room at the rear of the tavern beginning about 8pm.
Can’t make it to Seattle? Check out one of the 260 chapters of Living Liberally, including 22 in Washington state, eight in Oregon and three in Idaho. Find a chapter near you. Or you might consider starting your own chapter!
Daily Show: The year in outrage.
Young Turks: Jerks of the Year.
The Year in Review: Humanitarian crises around the world.
Craig Melvin and Jane Timm: Fact checking The Dotard Трамп’s most sweeping claims of 2018.
Vox: 2018, in 5 minutes.
Young Turks: Turks of the Year.
The Daily Show’s Michael Kosta: Top Michaels of 2018.
Hallie Jackson: Swamp watch—Looking at the year’s biggest DC scandals.
Young Turks: The worst part of 2018.
Goldy and Friends: What is the trick in trickle down?
Wired: Biobots—Snakebot, batbot, and more robots inspired by nature.
Wendover: Cities at sea—How aircraft carriers work.
Drunk History: A surprising Christmas story—Washington crossing the Delaware .
Robert Reich: Ten steps to save American democracy:
Ari Melber: Pelosi exposes the secret holding back women in Congress.
Farron Cousins: Job growth SOARS after minimum wage increases.
Aliens under the ice: Life on rogue planets.
Roy Wood, Jr: CP Time—2018 Episodes.
The Dotard Трамп And Other Clowns of Chaos:
The Daily Show: The White People Whisperer—Dr. David Campt’s guide to avoiding holiday disasters.
Steve Kornacki: State Election Board dissolves before certifying NC-9 race.
The Atlantic: The adrenaline rush of herding reindeer.
Pitchfork Economics: How Republicans sold their trickle-down tax cuts as a great deal for the middle class.
BuzzFeed: A surgeon reviews gun violence in PG-13 movies.
Phosphorescent: This Land is Your Land:
Young Turks: “Deportation bus guy” goes to jail.
Vox: Why monks have that hair cut.
Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.
Eager to share our brilliant political commentary and blunt media criticism, but too genteel to link to horsesass.org? Well, good news, ladies: we also answer to HASeattle.com, because, you know, whatever. You're welcome!