"yellow dragon on pole" by Seattlest Flickr Pool Contributor Seattle rainscreen. Thanks!

It's not every day that the local news headlines look so....well....international. This morning, we've got Seattle money going to China to help out after the horrific earthquake; more information about the death of a museum director in town from Thailand who was in federal custody; Seattle-based federal prosecutors in Baghdad conducting a criminal investigation on a Seattlite paratrooper; and an incinerated tavern in Fife. (Fife is almost like another country, anyway. Kidding.)

It's news days like this one that remind Seattlest what a vital, truly globally-reaching city we live in. How could we not have our share of fingers in international pies when the 2000 Census showed that about 17% of the city's population (that's 95,000 people) was born in other countries? And half of those immigrants arrived here as recently as the '90s!

It's a glorious time to live in Seattle, and we have a stunning weekend ahead of us during which to celebrate our parks, museums, and cultural diversity! See how much a little sunshine can improve the city's mood?