The ACT needs to get its act together: Sorry. I'll see myself out for that one. But first, 40 Washington students who took the ACT at the beginning of the summer have had their tests lost in the mail. FedEx can't locate the package with the tests, and parents and students are heated. ACT officials can't really do much since the test isn't scored on the honor system. They at least have reregistered the students to take the four-hour test again in September.
Remember that attack on the Northwest Detention Center last month? It's okay if you don't. I know how exhausting this news cycle is. The attack took place at 4 a.m. when an armed man rolled up outside. He started firing shots at responding officers and throwing "incendiary devices." He also tried to blow up a propane tank. He was killed. The video footage of the attack was just released. Mostly all you can see is a car on fire. I tried to embed the video, but I think all that was showing up was a white square. You'll have to settle for the hyperlink. :(
Want to know something horrifying? According to a new study, 45 percent of Americans wear their underwear two days in a row. Thirteen percent wear their underwear for a week.
South King County is getting priced out: As Seattle gets more unaffordable, more people are moving south. And what happens with that influx of people? The existing residents of South King County—historically a bastion for people with lower incomes, immigrants, refugees, and people of color—are priced out. South King County cities are trying to work together to find affordable housing solutions.
Your weekend weather report: Plus a little recap on the summer so far.
High temps near normal with morning clouds thru the weekend. In Seattle the number of very warm days in 2019 is down significantly from 2018. Here is a list of the number of days with highs 85+ thru Aug 15th.
2019 10
2018 29
2017 17
2016 12
2015 23
2014 17
2013 14
2012 6 #wawx pic.twitter.com/0MHwnfm5HO
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) August 16, 2019
4,000 households without power this morning: They are in Madison Park and East Capitol Hill. A tree fell down. Some power lines got in the way. Seattle City Light said that power should be restored by noon.
Lake Washington almost claims another life: An 80-year-old man is in critical condition after being rescued from Lake Washington. He was unconscious when firefighters showed up to a call about a person in distress in the water. It feels like there have been a lot of near-drowning stories this summer. Anyone else feeling that too?
Some bones to pick with LimePods: Critics want Lime to tighten up their LimePod car-share program. There have been multiple crashes of the white-and-green Fiats. Besides the reports of LimePods being used as getaway cars for crimes, the cars have been involved in multiple hit-and-runs. This video kinda makes you squint—but if you look closely, you can see a car speed into the Ballard High School parking lot (witnesses say the car was doing doughnuts) and then peel out onto the street straight into a parked car. The best (worst?) part is when the occupants just run away.
After the first LimePod hit & run story I did, the victim in *this crash reached out & sent me this video! V similar story. You need to watch this w/ sound ON.
+ I got video of *another super erratic pod driver...
People say Lime needs to tighten their security.
11p #KIRO7! pic.twitter.com/1uZh7DDLKj
— Deedee Sun (@DeedeeKIRO7) August 16, 2019
Hong Kong protesters to boycott 'Mulan' and Disney: Liu Yifei, the actor playing the titular role in the upcoming Mulan live-action remake, posted her support of Hong Kong's police force on Weibo, the Chinese social media site. Liu wrote: "I support Hong Kong's police, you can beat me up now." Followed by: "What a shame for Hong Kong." She then added the hashtag "IAlsoSupportTheHongKongPolice." Dang, who knew Mulan would turn out to be a narc? Protesters are calling for a Disney boycott.
Jackie Chan also spoke out against the Hong Kong protest: He threw his support behind Beijing and called himself a guardian of the Chinese flag. Okay, Jackie.
Katy Perry faces two sexual assault accusations: The first claim against the pop star came from her “Teenage Dream” costar Josh Kloss who said Perry pulled down his pants and exposed him in front of her friends, according to the A.V. Club. A second person—a TV presenter and producer in Georgia, the country not the state—has come forward. She said Perry tried to kiss and touched her innapropriately when Perry was intoxicated.
Check out this cloud: Or, as I call it, a "glitch in the Matrix."
Beautiful shelf cloud just moved through Hiawatha, KS! #kswx pic.twitter.com/FTqVuG8e0w
— Dillon Killoren (@DKilloren) August 15, 2019
Amazon's worker-drone hive-mind manifests on Twitter: If you're online in any capacity this will probably be old news to you. But, if not, let me be your guide. Amazon has appointed some employees from its fulfillment centers to respond to online criticism of Amazon. These accounts pop up on Twitter and defend the company with their own positive lived experiences. It's all very creepy, and I do not believe for one second that those accounts are run by actual people despite Amazon's claims. Here's an excerpt from a recent thread involving Amazon's "FC Ambassadors."
Nope, I am not a robot mam. I was just sharing something from the FC that are all from me and my experience. That would be a crazy technology to artificialize thoughts. I am actually a picker inside the FC,(prep itms) and was given a chance to be an ambassador here in social m.
— Rafael - Amazon FC Ambassador 📦 (@AmazonFCRafael) August 14, 2019
Representative Rashida Tlaib won't visit the West Bank: She had appealed to Israel to let her visit the West Bank and see her family, including her 90-year-old grandmother, after Donald Trump urged that Tlaib and Representative Ilhan Omar be barred from the country. Israel accepted on the condition that she would not "promote boycotts against Israel." Despite getting approval, Tlaib will not be making the visit. "Visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in,” Tlaib said on Twitter.
Anderson Cooper interviewed Stephen Colbert about grief: Cooper's mother died in June. Colbert's childhood was shaped by tragedy when his father and two of his older brothers were killed in a plane crash when Colbert was 10. Colbert has grappled with the grief his entire life and, he says, he's thankful for it because it makes him feel more human. To exist is to suffer. This interview is truly moving.
You said "what punishment of gods are not gifts. Do you really believe that?" @andersoncooper, choking back tears, asks Stephen Colbert, as they discuss grief.
"Yes," replies the comedian. "It's a gift to exist and with existence comes suffering. There's no escaping that." pic.twitter.com/p5rUUhZKxq
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) August 16, 2019
But... I can't tell if that's my favorite video of the week because this video exists: This is one of those things that you can only watch with sound. "What 'appened to yer fohlks?" this Chicago hero asks this tiny coyote pup.
Guy with thick chicago accent helps coyote pup pic.twitter.com/RJB9sqkrxl
— derek (@eedrk) August 15, 2019
A fun fact for your Friday: North American area codes were originally assigned based on population size and the ease of dialing on a rotary phone.
The best Seattle entertainment options this weekend include: Hempfest, the Seattle Tattoo Expo, and your last chance to eat in the Canlis parking lot at Hawaiian Nights