The SunBreak » gregoire

For the Latest Climate Change News, We Go to Pteropods & Guillemots

Michael van Baker — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:50:07 +0000

Pteropods are not cocktail party conversation, usually. They are tiny amuse-bouches of the sea. Many fish, including salmon, eat them, though; if they were to die off, the impact would be significant. Research on their sensitivity to ocean acidification is of sudden interest.

Can “Troy Davis: The Human Face of the Death Penalty” Change Your Mind?

Michael van Baker — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:55:40 +0000

The evening is built around video footage, photos, and stories about Troy and his family, provided by Seattle documentary filmmaker and author Jen Marlowe (interviewed previously). Marlowe met over the years with Troy Davis and his family, working to prevent his execution, and will talk about Davis's case and about the human impact that can't be summed up in a screaming headline. Marlowe says she wants to talk in particular about the effects the death penalty has on families, and warns that she will have footage from the vigil outside the prison in Jackson the night of Troy's execution.

Seattle Bubble Commenters Explain the State’s Budget for You

Michael van Baker — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:53:04 +0000

Seattle Bubble readers are sharp cookies. The very first commenter zeroes in on the difference between the state's past obligations and current spending: "Like most states and cities, the increase is from pensions (retired state employees living longer, with bigger pensions), and from health care costs for both current and retired employees and medicaid recipients outstripping inflation by a large margin. $2 billion removed from what’s left after these and other mandatory spending hits the remaining programs very hard."

Washington State Economy Needs That Boeing Bounce…And More

Michael van Baker — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:13:35 +0000

That's well and good, says Raha, but "Boeing cannot, by itself, save us from the impact of another slowdown in the U.S. economy." Recently, Raha has made a point of looking for upsides, saying that barring this or that unforeseen incident, the state can expect modest growth. Yet, since 2008, the winds have refused to blow fair. Now the disruption of the Japan earthquake has been followed by a summer of wrangling over the emperor's new debt ceiling, and even incremental recovery has stalled out.