A bluster-phobic Financial Times writer tears into one of Howard Schultz’s more bombastic hype statements. Your Thursday headline roundup also mentions a snag in the police reform plan; a miscarriage (of more than just justice) at the private immigration jail; the return of an annual spectacle loved by some tribal members and hated by some animal lovers; and layoffs at a local tech giant.

We start MISCmedia MAIL today with a talk on the need to dance, unite, and celebrate oneself. Also: Nick Hanauer’s warning to “my fellow plutocrats”; a (probable) deal for the ex-Public Safety block at last; why the West Point sewer plant really broke down; and Bill Gates’s misadventures in hoteliering (is that a word? Probably not).

Many of us got to see the Northern Lights around here recently. In more down-to-earth topics, Ed Murray’s not going away; preservationists compare ID “upzoning” to the WWII internments; a rescued orca’s now a mom; and a developer wants to build 11 apartments on a 32-foot-wide lot.

As the first “official” female Doctor Who lead is announced, MISCmedia MAIL remembers the local woman who starred in several DW fan films. Also: Past allegations against Ed Murray revealed; a war hero facing deportation; the miracle of cross-laminated timber; and a neighbor’s dispute gets taken to Google Earth.

Your big weekend MISCmedia MAIL sees the outfit that sometimes calls itself “Seattle’s only newspaper” morph into something slicker but less frequent. Plus: An ex-MTV VJ now on Fox Business (!) gives an ill-informed rant against “commie” Seattle; Tim Eyman being his usual insufferable self; workers in the City of SeaTac still battle for their overdue back pay; thoughts about the meaning of Bastille Day; and the usual scads of weekend activity listings.

Thursday’s big and small topics include King County’s own country fair coming back from near death; an ex-Amazon exec predicting Costco’s doom; a recent “cyberstalking” suspect pleading “free speech;” Mexico inviting (some) “Dreamers” back; and landline-phone nostalgia.

Your midweek missive notes how our allegedly pinko-socialist state has the top “environment for business,” and how that’s partly due to our regressive tax system. Plus: more city-sales-tax fallout; airport robots (not as pilots, yet); stopping tech-sexism from the boardroom on down; and a certain Mariners player who made a certain big play at a certain big game.

Tuesday’s big e-missive concerns the city high-earners’ income tax and those who want to prevent it; scary new tech for (digitally) putting words in people’s mouths; school murals that were preserved even though the school wasn’t; and one artist’s dream of skateboarding in a giant frying pan.

In Monday’s MISCmedia MAIL: Today will likely see the start of the legal skirmishes to either confirm or reject Seattle’s proposed municipal income tax. Also: Jay Inslee as a “demo singer” for the Dems’ campaign points; more doubts about the state budget deal; another anti-trans “bathroom bill” fails; and the Rep planning a grunge musical.

An Arizona building, thought by some to be “abandoned,” turns out to house a UW-funded breeding operation for lab monkeys, far from local protesters. Closer to home, we discuss the newest drive to rein in police use of “deadly force;” a poll showing more Seattle people like “upzoning;” the role of architecture in keeping libraries busy; and a music legend’s “funny money” scheme.

Thursday’s MISCmedia MAIL starts with good news: Pieces of the ferry Kalakala were saved, and may come soon to an art installation near you. Also: cracks start appearing in the Legislature’s state-budget kludge; STD cases are on the rise; a tiki bar gets targeted by “cultural appropriation” charges; and one guy had a really dumb idea how to get the best view of the fireworks.

Like a lot of our nation’s vital-infrastructure stuff, the century-old Ballard Locks could use a bit of refurbishing. Our post-holiday e-missive additionally examines the eco-threat of microfibers; the short career-life of techies; and why “resistance is patriotic.”

We’ve finally gotten to see the Olympia sausage factory’s freshly-ground state budget, and it’s about as much a mess as you’d expect. Our between-the-holidays missive also brings up a 1st Ave. building with a storied past but not much of a future; Inslee refusing the White House’s voter-suppression drive; a potential threat to many existing homeless shelters; and thoughts by an old Roman about patriotism and its abuse.

We’re still waiting to know all that’s in the last-nanosecond state budget deal. As for things we CAN tell you about this Fri. morn: Ed Murray’s still not running for re-election; original Cobain-made art coming to the Art Fair; more about the young man shot by officers for holding a pen; and a proud anniversary for a proud nation (alas, not ours).

We’ve got a state budget deal! Now we wait to find out what it is. While you wait, read about the start of the city’s new anti-homelessness plan (and its discontents);  orca miscarriages; and Bezos’ non-payment of a non-extant tax.