Post  #2701.    This is so Seattle. The city employs Trash Checkers whose job it is to go around in the early morning on Trash Day and audit people's trash. Especially recycling, which I can tell you is very hard to get right. The consequences of a F-A-I-L are mild for the time being, a polite notice on your trash toter, but the ordinance specifies an escalating scale of punishments all the way up to execution (or so it has been rumored.)

Coincidentally, and I'm happy to report also "so Seattle" is the trend for the biggest night of tagging to happen on Trash Day Eve. After a night of defacing the city, the little bastards throw away their spray paint cans in as many recycling bins as they can.

The final stage, a series of angry community meetings with lines at the speaker's microphone snaking all the way out the door, isn't unique to our city. The appearance and indignation of the various speakers is, however, and worth watching on the news.Rick Macherat Rick M. In the day.
posted by Rick at 11:58 PM

Post  #2700.   Why "government" and "money" are meaningless terms. Type "Biden" and "rape kit" on Google. You'll see one of the 36 television appearances the Vice-President made on Friday. They're rolling him out. This one was to announce that SEVENTY-NINE MILLION DOLLARS is being allocated* to help clear up the rape kit backlog. In most major cities, the backlog is stuck in the year 1904 when the government first became involved and dictated from then on the identification of victims would be of the "Jane D." form. From 1904 until late 2014, all those cases are still on the shelves, waiting for someone to decide what to do with them. That's what the $79,000,000.00 is for. There will be meetings (see: Travel) and studies. As for current rapes, the same seven technicians are working as hard as they can to finish up December of 2014 and get into 2015 before it's over. The film clip showed a pair of techs handling a rape kit box. Although it appeared so, shirley they weren't trying to figure out how to open it.Rick Macherat Rick M. In the day.
posted by Rick at 11:16 PM

Post  #2699.   A bit more on the History of Seattle. In 1792, Captain Vancouver heard the story of how Mt. Rainier was named and decided to take credit for it himself. You might note that the Wikipedia biography doesn't mention this at all, a reminder, perhaps, of the suspicion which has been around literally for hundreds of years. As native lore tells it, Lt. Rainier and Chief Seattle were walking one day, having another of their many difficult conversations. They came to a rise and beheld, as Rainier would have had it, presciently, Mt. Victoria, after his own 2nd cousin. The Chief pointed at magnificent Mt. Tahoma, and said, "Lnrainier!" The Lieutenant replied, "Yes?" The Chief repeated, pointing and moving his finger up and down, "Lnrainier!" The Lieutenent, again, said, "I heard you the first time, Chief .. Whut? Whut. Do. You. Want?" As always happened in their communications, this went on until Rainier got it. "Ahhh. You are renaming Tahoma in my honor, Mt. Rainier." "Yes, yes, yes!" said Chief Seattle," now speaking excitedly in Lushootseed/Whulshootseed, hoping the news would induce Rainier finally to leave and spread the news to the world. He did just that and ultimately became Admiral of the Blue, a Member of Parliament and wealthy. Here is a painting showing how well life treated him:



On one of their earlier walks, Dkhw'Duw'Absh Chief Seattle, also known Si'ahl, Sealth, Seathle, Seathl, or See-ahth, had pointed at the expanse of what is now Elliott Bay and said, "Sea!" "See whut?" said Rainier, and off they went again, finally discovering to their great amusement that the word was the same in both their languages with "tle" meaning "by the.".

For years later, people on both sides said recounted that Chief Seattle waved vigorously as Rainier's ship pulled away at last, obviously missing his dear friend already. Happily, he and all of us would forever have that magnificent mountain the remember him by. Incidentally, did you know that it is not illegal to make up anything you want on the Internet? It's true! Know what else? There are no rules. Grammar? Forget it. Spelling? The machine handles that. Usualy. Style? Please. In my case, I'll never see another big red "AWK!" next to my typing. I've been doing this and trying to hasten our march toward the State of Idiocracy for about 24 years now. Rick Macherat Rick M. In the day.
posted by Rick at 12:40 AM