THE GREATER GOOD IS ALIVE AT MICROSOFT
THE GREATER GOOD IS ALIVE AT MICROSOFT. GETTY IMAGES

Hello, no Timothy today. He has a flight this morning and also got to the airport two hours ahead of time to beat any long TSA lines. So you're stuck with me.

Microsoft proves it's the good tech giant: Bill Gates's brainchild is putting up $500 million to help the affordable housing crisis in Seattle. This marks the clearest and biggest effort by a tech company to address the inequality its existence has created. Microsoft hopes that this generosity will inspire other companies *cough* Amazon *cough* to follow in its footsteps.

The orcas are sick but the scientists are furloughed: The Lummi Nation, a Washington tribe, noticed that two orcas were sick earlier this month. There's no one to help. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is unable to intervene like they did last summer with ailing J50. Why? Because the scientists aren't working during the shutdown. Veterinarians are willing to help, but they require permission from NOAA.

A Seattle identity crisis: Well, I have some bad news. Seattle doesn't even rank in the top 30 of rainiest cities in the United States. We're 32nd. Portland, on the other hand, is 19th. What's number one? New Orleans.

Houseboats declining in Seattle: If Sleepless in Seattle were made now, Tom Hanks's character may have had a hard time making ends meet for his houseboat. There used to be 2,000 houseboats 50 years ago. Now there are only 500. It's getting more expensive to own them and policy changes are inhibiting their existence.

Don't drink when you're pregnant: A new UW study is confirming what we always knew—alcohol is bad and pregnant women should not imbibe. Except this study is saying that no amount of alcohol is good for a fetus. That's because the effects of alcohol on the pregnancy aren't just determined by how much alcohol is consumed but by the genetics of the fetus. Essentially, there's no way to know how a fetus will respond to any quantity of alcohol. So just cut that shit out.

A food bank for the feds:


Our Slog AM writer got to the airport two hours early: Because the government shutdown is making airport security lines wind into baggage claims across the country. And overworked and unpaid TSA agents can only do so much. Well, the Sea-Tac Airport line took only about 15 minutes for Timothy to get through. He said the TSA agents seemed nicer than usual. Where in the world is Timothy going???

LIVE UPDATE
LIVE UPDATE.

Cardi B gets it: A little PSA about the government shutdown.

Theresa May somehow still standing: Brexit was defeated. A No Confidence vote in Parliament was expected to end May's career. Yet, by a narrow margin of 19 votes, the vote was defeated. May remains in power.

I know you want this: I hope Betty White is immortal.


Three cats have the bubonic plague in Wyoming: Over the past six months, three cats have been infected with the plague. No people in Wyoming have been infected. But it's highly contagious (you've heard of the 1300s) and can spread easily from animals to humans. Timothy is going to Wyoming today. Should we advise him not to pet any cats?

Rudy Giuliani logic is incomprehensible:


Headline of the week: 'Where am I gonna get my pizza': Spokane man to host vigil for Little Caesars in Kmart.

Tonight's best Seattle entertainment options include: J. Mase III's variety show And Then I Got Fired: On Being Trans, Unemployed & Surviving, a concert with Sudanese American rapper Bas, and the opening of Photographic Center Northwest's 22nd Annual Juried Exhibition.