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• Post #4272002

  Something cool. #GiftLink https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/world/australia/humpback-whale-birth-video-drone.html?unlocked_article_code=1.11A.qwNS.SMZ01Ho6ejx2&smid=nytcore-ios-share

• Post #4271793

  I had my first encounter with biometric exit on an international flight tonight. Because I am on team “how do you know you have rights if you don’t exercise them?” I requested an opt out. And the gate agent told me no one had done that before! They had to call a supervisor to find out what to do. BTW once they figured out the manual procedure it was fast. The agent then put me back at the head of the boarding line and ultimately the opt out wasn’t a big deal. #GiftLink https://www.nytimes.co...

• Post #4222022

  Hello, it’s the weekly #washingtonstate #kingcounty (that is, #seattle and environs) #COVID #COVID19 #wastewater toots. A quick reminder that this King County respiratory disease data comes from Washington State, not the federal government. The West Point (WSPT) sewage treatment plant's 7-Day running average of the Sars-CoV-2 levels went down a bit and then went up a bit. The last data are from 7/21. WSPT is one of three King County(-ish) sewersheds in this dataset. You can find overviews...

• Post #4076370

  Ugh. Stay safe, PNW peeps. #giftlink https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/weather/oregon-wildfire-update-washington.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0VA._BS5.KdTyPA0H3o57&smid=url-share

• Post #4051565

  This is so dishonest and disrespectful. #GiftLink https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/us/politics/iran-troop-deaths.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0FA.eh1a.8hqDnGZOccpT&smid=nytcore-ios-share

• Post #4028744

  I'm happy to report that the #washingtonstate #covid #covid19 #wastewater site is being updated again, yay. It's been down due to a supplier issue since early June. Let's start with the West Point (WSPT) sewage treatment plant. The 7-Day running average of the Sars-CoV-2 levels is up above the nice low baseline level we were enjoying this spring. The last data is from 7/14. WSPT is one of three King County(-ish) sewersheds in this dataset. You can find overviews, individual sewersh...

• Post #4004733

  This is an interesting KUOW story about Washington State prepping for Trump attacks on elections. I didn’t know that King County has an online delivery mechanism for ballots, for example. I hope Clark County is making similar preparations, since I imagine that’s going to be the epicenter of attacks on voting in the state. https://www.kuow.org/2026-07-20/will-trumps-election-moves-affect-was-primary

• Post #4003765

  Recent discovery: the King County library runs makerspaces! I needed some stuff 3d printed, and these awesome librarians had a fleet of prusa printers ready for me to use. They supply the filament. You don’t even need a KC library card! https://kcls.org/makerspaces/ I 💕libraries, they are so badass.

• Post #3977563

  Hi #washingtonstate voters, it's primary voting time. You have until August 4th to get your ballots back in. I filled out my ballot tonight, with particular attention to all the State Supreme Court races. I can't overstate how important these specific races are as we gear up for more court fights. If you want more background beyond the candidate statements, Fuse Washington has an excellent Progressive Voter's Guide here: https://www.progressivevotersguide.com/washington PS: Did you...

• Post #3947274

  This guy is in the US legally and with a valid work authorization. He is a lawyer for the state of Alaska and is now imprisoned in an ICE detention facility in Washington State. ICE won’t say why they they claim he is now deportable, but from this reporting it appears that a speeding ticket is the precipitating event. Yes, you read that right: a speeding ticket. https://alaskabeacon.com/briefs/ice-arrests-and-detains-alaska-state-attorney/

• Post #3848305

  @WADeptHealth@universeodon.com thanks for the update. I look forward to seeing the wastewater reports again soon — I find them valuable, and I know others do too.

• Post #3848268

  RE: https://universeodon.com/@WADeptHealth/116925523679853520 It looks like it will be another week before we get #washingtonstate #COVID #COVID19 #wastewater reports again. 🙁

• Post #3775922

  US peeps: tomorrow, Monday, is the deadline for commenting on the OMB rule change that would give the Trump administration political review over allocated federal grant awards for any reason whatsoever. Here’s a primer on it: https://www.standupforscience.foundation/policy-and-advocacy/beyond-science-how-ombs-proposed-rule-on-federal-financial-assistance-threatens-essential-services-nationwide If submitting a comment to the federal register feels pointless, know that it is very much not. A big...

• Post #3729763

  We also paid our respects to the Red Creek fir, billed as the world’s largest Douglas fir. It’s just shy of 74 meters tall. It’s waaaay back off some logging roads outside Port Renfrew. Locals tell you to make sure you have a full tank and other supplies before you set out, and I say that’s good advice.

• Post #3729600

  Here’s a picture of a bald eagle from our trip to Vancouver Island last weekend. It turns out bird photography is pretty easy, provided said bird can stay still for a hot minute.

• Post #3683927

  Though the weekly #washingtonstate #kingcounty (that is, #seattle and environs) #COVID #COVID19 #wastewater sampling has apparently resumed this week, there's a note up on the dashboard saying that the reporting won't start until July 22nd. That's about six weeks of no wastewater data on respiratory pathogens for the entire state, welp. I'm very disappointed. DoH's site: https://doh.wa.gov/data-and-statistical-reports/diseases-and-chronic-conditions/communicable-disease-sur...

• Post #3635123

  RE: https://universeodon.com/@WADeptHealth/116873752580919355 Some good news re #covid #covid19 #wastewater reporting in Washington State …

• Post #3593876

  Space weather.com published a photo of last night’s aurora plus an ongoing electrical storm, and it is AMAZING. Photo by Roger Hill. https://spaceweathergallery2.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=234609. Ps: I hope I am not being suckered by genAI here. Hard to check earlobes and fingers on this image. :)

• Post #3585829

  In the same vein, here is a Jason Horowitz analysis of Trump’s self enrichment in office that compares it to past examples like Berlusconi and Mobutu, leaving the reader to the conclude that the latter suffered from rookie numbers. #GiftLink https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/world/europe/trump-world-leaders-corruption-wealth.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vFA.TgEE.VqhNWbVuB3j4&smid=nytcore-ios-share

• Post #3584910

  Trump is on one long sacking spree of gullible Americans while also taking in direct payments from foreign governments. Anyway here’s a story by Eric Lifton and David Yaffe Bellany about how it’s going for $Trump memecoin buyers. #GiftLink https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/04/us/politics/trump-coin-crypto-investors-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vFA.JFTU.TKByxBxor-yD&smid=nytcore-ios-share

• Post #3574702

  Much more naked eye visible now. But it’s bedtime for realsies this time. I leave this #aurora in your capable hands.

• Post #3547895

  The Onion’s new Infowars parody site launched, and the ads are pretty great. https://theonion.info/

• Post #3525586

  Hi, these are the weekly #washingtonstate #kingcounty (that is, #seattle and environs) #COVID #COVID19 #wastewater toots. A quick reminder that this King County respiratory disease data comes from Washington State, not the federal government. So, ugh, this is not good: all of the Washington State wastewater data are not being updated. The note isn't making any promises about when the reporting will resume. Since Seattle has about eighteen kajillion people coming here for the World Cup, it w...

• Post #3417086

  I keep reading these stories about how Trump’s advisors are trying to get RFKJr to go easy on the freak until the midterms, but, uh, I don’t think it’s working https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-vaccines/new-acip-charter-could-allow-rfk-jr-further-restrict-vaccine-access-critics-say

• Post #3052086

  This person is a US citizen who could prove it, and the US federal government deprived her of her liberty for almost a month and tried to deport her anyway. Story by Joe Heim at the WaPo. #GiftLink https://wapo.st/3RYgr3s

• Post #1831138

  We went and saw one of the Great Horned Owl babies currently hanging out at Seward Park this evening. The baby on the right looks like it’s the same size as its parent to the left, lol.

• Post #1763942

  The EU approved a combination mRNA flu vaccine and #COVID #COVID19 vaccine from Moderna. The covid component is based on mNexSpike, their next generation vaccine. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/moderna-s-combo-flu-covid-vaccine-receives-european-authorization

• Post #1558906

  We went to see Anila Quayyum Agha’s show at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. This is the centerpiece of the show: an installation called “A Beautiful Despair (blue).” The show runs for a few more days.

• Post #1454567

  This is happening to people with legal status, who have been going through the established process, and who are productive community members. This is as wrong as can be. https://www.texasobserver.org/immigration-court-interpreter-arrested-ice-south-texas-airport/

• Post #1454566

  Hello, these are (usually) the weekly #washingtonstate #kingcounty (that is, #seattle and environs) #COVID #COVID19 #wastewater toots. But it appears none of the three King County wastewater sample sites were updated this week on the dashboard. :( There are three King County(-ish) sewersheds in this dataset. You can find overviews, individual sewershed results, and a breakdown of variants for the state wastewater surveillance program, along with other metrics like case counts and hospitalizatio...