I’m happy to see it. Starfish have had a rough few years where I’m from, on the Pacific coast of North America.

If we can ever make Cascadia a (political) reality, I’d be all for it.

Until then, I don’t think Congress would go for it, and the Constitution explicitly gives them jurisdiction over anything involving interstate commerce.

Right, but “extirpation” is the proper term for when a species is gone from a particular area but still exists in the world.

Extinction Extirpation (extinction within a particular region), but yay!

Absolute change per year is a rate, too, no?

No, they’re saying the population is projected to top out at 8.6 billion, so the population growth rate must already be well off its peak.

If this graphic is to be believed, the global population growth rate hit its maximum somewhere around 1980-1990:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Absolute_increase_in_global_population_per_year%2C_OWID.svg

The exact position of Germanic is controversial and really hard to pin down.

Then you’re not really open to talks, are you?

Beautiful spot. One of my favorite places!

Tahoma is closer to the pronunciation in Sahaptin (the language of the Yakama, Klickitat, Upper Cowlitz, and other groups).

As long as we don’t get elevenincheses!

“Bathroom” generally refers to the room in a private home.

In a building open to the public, it’s “restroom,” “men’s room,” “women’s room,” (or if people think they’re being funny, sometimes “little boys’/girls’ room”), or very occasionally “washroom,” though that’s generally more of a Canadian thing.

My grandma (from Skagit County) said “washroom,” and I’ve even seen it on a few signs in WA.

Like this?

https://imgur.com/a/NJrbrph

What do you think of this?

https://imgur.com/a/NJrbrph

I’m afraid—aside from George Washington not actually having much of anything to do with the state—the design is a bit too military-looking for me: like something on the shoulder of a general’s uniform.

Wow, you’re right! It’s even south of Eugene!

I think I was thinking about the line that divides Canada’s population in half, north-south. That line is about level with Ridgefield, WA.

It’s also south of Seattle.

Minas Morgul vibes.

If it’s not too far afield, Lattin’s cider mill southeast of Olympia is famous for their fresh apple fritters!

EDIT: According to the most recent information I could find, freshly made fritters are available between 9 AM and noon, Thurs. - Sun.

We certainly had some damage: a major roadway along Capitol Lake collapsed, some large masonry blocks fell off the corner of an old bank building, and the Capitol dome was set rolling like a top on its base (at the time, it was held in place by gravity alone, but it’s since been pinned to the building)!

I went on a city tour of Olympia (my hometown and the urban area closest to the epicenter), and the tour guide explained that the architect who designed a lot of the buildings in Olympia’s downtown core didn’t really know what he was doing and over-built everything, which has probably helped protect downtown against several quakes over the decades.

Also, having traveled to Canada quite a bit while growing up in the pre-9/11 days, I just have a visceral reaction against having to take my passport to travel there.

Upvoted for correct use of lying. In the internet age, you are a rare and precious jewel, OP!

It does radiate energy in all directions, but the material in the sun is rotating, so it necessarily has an axis of rotation. The rotation has other effects, like twisting the sun’s magnetic field into a spiral.