⢠A test of cocaine in the Northwest (from Vancouver to Portland) shows that 91.5 percent has been cut with levamisole, a livestock drug that can obliterate the immune system of regular users. The Stranger collected the data by distributing test kits and anonymous mail-in surveys over the last year.
⢠City council member Sally Bagshaw's business cards are embossed in braille, which is awesome.
⢠On September 13, the Washington State Redistricting Commission proposed four locations for the state's new 10th Congressional District. One of the options: a district that splits Seattle in two, creating a boundary encompassing South Seattle and its environs and containing a population of mostly racial minorities. Who's most enthusiastic? Republicans trying to take territory from lefty Seattle representative Jim McDermott and potentially make the liberal-trending 8th District, now held by Republican representative Dave Reichert, more conservative.
⢠A TV commercial released last week warns that alcohol is very dangerous and, thus, voters should reject Initiative 1183, which would end the state's monopoly on liquor stores. The ad doesn't say who paid for it: the liquor industry itselfâwhich clearly isn't anti-alcohol. It just wants to maintain its sweetheart distribution deal with state liquor stores.
⢠Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is a libertarian douchebag, say people familiar with his personality.
⢠A meeting of the American Association of Port Authorities last Tuesday got punked by activists who were critical of the association's labor and environmental practices. The activists slipped "revised" agendas under all 900 Westin Hotel room doors, including such panels as "The Green Washing of the Cargo Supply Chain Award," "Handout Happy Hour," and "Integrating Jim Crow into Today's Workplace."
⢠Last week, the ACLU of Washington announced it was hiring a campaign coordinator to kill Washington State's death penalty during the next legislative session. But state senator Adam Kline (D-37), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says that next year is off the table. "This is one of those things that's like gay marriage," Kline says. "It's not going to happen in a year, it's not going to happen in two years, but I believe it's going to happen."
⢠City council member Jean Godden filed a records request for the personnel files on Bobby Forch, who has worked for the city since the early 1990s and is challenging her in the general election. The records didn't turn up much. While one review from 2006 expresses concerns about Forch's performanceâsaying he's "not a good fit" for his positionâmany are glowing.
