Jeff Bezos might finally have figured out a philanthropy program: A year ago, Bezos took to Twitter to communicate with the common folk: What did they wish to see from their Almighty? Which cause should he bother paying attention to? On Wednesday, Bezos said he has come up with two areas that heâs âvery excited about.â What do you think they are? Perhaps, his philanthropy program will be paying all of his workers a livable wage. Or, it will be a push to install air conditioning in his warehouses. Maybe heâll pay the $400 million a year it takes to solve homelessness in Seattle. One time he donated $42 million to a clock that will run 10,000 years. Itâs a real toss-up with Jeff.
Seattle is an anti-vaxxer hotspot: Non-medical exemptions from vaccination are fucking stupid. The practice has created hotspots where children are more vulnerable to preventable disease outbreaks. One of these hotspots is in Seattle. Thatâs because Washington is one of 18 states that permits these non-medical exemptions based on philosophical beliefs. Letâs be clear. By philosophical we mean the baseless claims that vaccination causes autism. No, it just protects your daughter from polio, Debra. In Seattle, âmore than 5 percent of all kindergarten-age children are unvaccinated,â according to CBS.
Detained immigrant mother desperate to see her son: They told Ibis Obeida Guzman Colindres, 25, it would only be three days until she saw her son again. She would appear in court and then she could hold her five-year-old. That was a month ago. Guzman Colindres hasnât had a court date and she hasnât held or spoken to her son. Whether she achieves asylum and can go live with her mother and half-sister in California depends on if âshe has a credible fear of persecution in Honduras,â her home country, reports the Seattle Times.
Racism at Capitol Hill QFC: A QFC manager pulled some racist bullshit on Tuesday when he intently monitored two black men checking out at the self-checkout station. When confronted, the manager, Brian according to his name tag, told the men they were no longer welcome in the store and escorted them out. One of the men shot video of the encounter. QFC issued a vague apology and suspended Manager Brian until they âhave all the facts.â
Racism in Edmonds: Back in February, some black teenagers were taking photos outside of Harveyâs, an Edmond bar, because âthe light looked cool.â A female manager and a male customer came outside and told them, âthe owner doesn't want n-words on the property,â according to KING5. The manager had a bat. She was later arrested for malicious harassment based on race. But, itâs been four months and no charges have been filed.
Robot cars are coming: More specifically, robot vans are coming. Bellevue wants to establish a fleet of driverless vans in order to cut down on commute congestion. The city believes an electric, autonomous fleet that functions similarly to â but better than â King Countyâs vanpool service could persuade commuters to ditch their cars. The technology and buildout is five to seven years out but Bellevue officials predict the robot fleet will get there faster than bus rapid transit hits I-405 in 2024.
Friday forecast:
Heading to the Cascades today? Be ready for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. This model simulation shows PM thunderstorm development along and east of a line from Mount Baker to Skykomish. When thunder roars, go indoors! #wawx pic.twitter.com/9f0k8mxqxz
â NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) June 15, 2018
Panhandling monkey business: You all come for the news but stay for the puns, right? Anyway. The Seattle Buddhism society is concerned with people posing as monks and asking for money in Seattle. Itâs apparently a big problem here and country-wide. These so-called monks are dressed in traditional garb and ask for donations to their monastery. However, they don't have a monastery. According to actual buddhists, real monks would apparently never do that. A good way to tell a fake monk is to look at their footwear. Real monks would also never wear Sketchers.
Trump wants to be treated like Kim Jong Un: âHe speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.â
Trump says he wants people to treat him like North Koreans treat Kim Jung Un.
â Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 15, 2018
Really. pic.twitter.com/C0K7awpMIV
Scott Pruitt loves perks: He and his family got tickets to the Rose Bowl from the chief executive of Saxum, an energy PR firm. One of Saxumâs clients currently has a pending petition before the EPA. Ethics? What ethics?
Jeff Sessions cites the Bible to explain separating immigrant families: Sessionsâ use of Romans 13 to justify inhumane practices is not super original. Apparently, Apostle Paul was cited by slave owners to justify slavery and was a central argument for the Nazis.
AG Jeff Sessions on immigration policy: Illegal entry into the US is a crime; "I would cite you to the apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes." https://t.co/dARdLrNPbW pic.twitter.com/nu5EWCWlJW
â CNN (@CNN) June 14, 2018
China to retaliate against tariffs: China will immediately impose penalties of the same scale on American goods. The United States is moving forward with tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese products. The tariffs are set to go into effect on July 6th.
Stephen Hawkingâs ashes will be placed between Darwin and Newton: Heâll be interred in Westminster Abbey among his fellow scientific pioneers. In part of his send off, some of Hawkingâs words, set to music by Greek composer Vangelis, will be beamed into space, aimed at the closest black hole.
Russia proposal would change pension age to above life expectancy: The announcement was made while Russians were watching the World Cup opener. Their national team trounced Saudi Arabia 5-0. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev wants to boost the age to collect pension from 60 to 65 for males and from 55 to 63 for women. About 43 percent of Russian men wonât see their pensions because theyâll be dead.
Fun fact for your Friday: Nobody knows who invented the fire hydrant because the patent for the hydrant was lost in a fire.
This weekend's best Seattle entertainment options include: Best of SIFF screenings, the Fremont Solstice Fair, and Father's Day events like the 13th Annual Washington Brewers Festival.