Monday, July 21, 2025

Leave Epstein etc. to Jon Stewart, et al.

CONTENT WARNING: Epstein, vulgar language, references to child sex abuse, body parts, racism, pretty much the whole disgusting #PedoInChief gamut.

Jon Stewart Reacts to Colbert's Cancellation & Trump's "Bawdy" Epstein D...






Monday, July 7, 2025

A dead trooper and a killer sentenced to prison. Isn't America great?

Note to self: RantWoman, do you REALLY need to be having social media spats with loudmouth media figures?

Tough job, but someone needs to do it.

But RantWoman, does that someone HAVE to be you?


Seattle Times covers up illegal status of man who killed state trooper


Clearly, another Brandi tirade is what I need this evening. 1. Heartfelt condolences to the trooper's loved ones. Just because people are not splattering speculation all over social media or getting in the face of a trooper's grieving loved ones is not an indication that people do not recognize the risks police officers face daily and send prayers every time the story comes up in the news. 2. The fact that a person came to WA through no fault of his own and has RESIDED in WA since infancy means he is as much a Washington man as anyone in this story. Nowhere in the story does the Times imply that he is a CITIZEN. He is a RESIDENT. That term covers LOTS of people in WA with lots of different immigration status. 3. Perhaps Brandi has never heard of all the issues with disproportionate policing of black and brown people or of the value of NOT releasing details that will inflame the public. LOTS of people can read between the lines and let the case develop. 4. Regardless of a defendant's immigration status, he is entitled to presumption of innocence and a zelous defense. That is a hard reality for everyone in law enforcement but since the country is enduring, the presidency of a lifelong fraudster sex predator felon who pardons people who threatened the life of his own vice president and killed police officers, I do not consider it inappropriate to expect that all criminal defendants REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS also enjoy due process. 5. Considering the current realities for everyone living undocumented, I do not think it is terrible for a zealous defense attorney to suggest that circumstance may have driven him to drink or to emphasize his efforts to be a father and to improve himself while in jail. 6. Perhaps, Brandi needs to read up a little about how other countries handle many of the issues in this story. And please do not get me started about dehumanizing language like "illegal aliens" or "anchor babies." Again, my heart goes out to the trooper's loved ones and colleagues.

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Only one wayfinding oops.

 Hah!


Remember RantWoman's angst about construction at the UW Medical Center

Adventures of RantWoman: A wholesome alternative to World Events anxiety: CONSTRUCTION at UW Montlake.


RantWoman is VERY happy to report things turned out to be much simpler than RantWoman was fussing about.


RantWoman arrived on her usual Northbound bus on NE Pacific. Lo, there were both stairs and an elevator. RantWoman is a wimp about stairs, especially poorly lit ones but a friendly human helped RantWoman find the elevator.


Friendly Help told RantWoman to go down and there would be a walkway right from the elevator.


RantWoman did find the walkway on her second try.


First RantWoman just automatically pressed the button for the lowest floor. 


Oh fabulous. Parking garage. Hot. smelly, dimly lit. RantWoman foggeed around a little bit. No walkway.


So RantWoman decided to get back on the elevator and see what was what. This time the elevator stopped on the level that went straight to the walkway. Phew.


The walk to RantWoman's appointment was a bit of a maze, but especially after the procedure the walk was especially helpful in shaking out back spasms. And the exit through the Surgery center toook RantWoman straight to the stop for her bus home.


As an aside,Tips for mapmakers:


make it easy to print just the map on a whole sheet of paper, perhaps automatically landscape mode if possible.


consider using graphics instead of lines for paths. Maybe little round circles for wheelchair friendly and, say, triangles for the pedestrian route. And where they overlap alternate the little icons. Make the graphics different colors but realize that the routes still need to be identifiable if printed in black and white.


Monday, June 23, 2025

A wholesome alternative to World Events anxiety: CONSTRUCTION at UW Montlake.

 

Please enjoy long list of whines in the text of this post
Map of the Montlake UW Medical Center

RantWoman has a medical appointment at the UW Montlake Medical Center soon.


Oh FUN! The reminder text came with info about construction in the main entrance, closed street crossings and who knows what all.

UW Medical Center – Montlake Entrance Upgrade and Waterproofing | UW Medicine


RantWoman first attempted to interact with the map on her phone. Bad idea. RantWoman has a couple options for enlargement but it's too easy to lose context and full orientation clues.


RantWoman appreciates that there are directions aimed at pedestrians. RantWoman however is baffled by some of the text and the map doesn't help. For one thing RantWoman is confused by the appearance of bus stops. The cute little bus icon seems to be pointing perpendicular to the direction buses travel and RantWoman is completely confused by how to get from the bus stop to pedestrian-friendly paths, with or without traffic signals.


Well, one suggested routing suggests to RantWoman crossing Pacific St somewhere Montlake. RantWoman has used that street crossing. RantWoman does not like it nearly as much as the simple straightforward one near a bus stop. RantWoman hopes between signage and the "Ask a human algorithm that she can find the underground tunnel referenced in the directions.


RantWoman appreciates that the text prints out in large print. RantWoman wishes she could say the same thing about the map shown above. RantWoman's first effort to print the whole webpage yielded lovely readable text but the map took up about 1/4 of the 11" side of regular 8.5 x 11 inch paper. 


Black and white printing also obliterated several of the lightly colored lines in the map.


But lo RantWoman is resourceful. RantWoman decided just to download the map image and print that. That is more steps than lots of people will want to try and RantWoman had to fight off several AI-based offers of "help." RantWoman now has an almost workable map.


HOWEVER, RantWoman how the miniscule map works for drivers, especially drivers unfamiliar with the area. Surely not only RantWoman but also at least some drivers would really appreciate an easily printable map, a page with only the map, with the text on another page.


There. Enough rant for now. RantWoman will now get to bed so she can pop out of bed and interact with the built environment well-rested.



PS. After whining and grumbling about all the travel disruptions over the weekend, RantWoman's travel experience was tolerable.

Adventures of RantWoman: Who needs riots? Thank you transportation planners? And Happy Ride Transit Month

Leg 1

7+5 downtown busier than usual and a helpful police officer directing at what is a pretty simple street crossing anyway. The 5 did fill up with people who all debarked at stops near the Fremont fair.


Event with a guest working on Accessmap.app who is going to get an email with suggestions about something to indicate whether streets are arterials, minor arterials or residential streets.


After event, a walk from Greenwood to Aurora along the N side of N85th street, to save a couple street crossings.


E line to another stop.


(Ordinarily RantWoman would just take the E line downtown and transfer to the 8 at Denny. Separate whine about that not being viable right now.)


Walk to catch the Eastbound 40 to Northgate station, followed by 1 line to Capitol Hill and the 8 home from there. Train crowded and platform way more crowded than average. Train was terminated at Capitol Hill, single tracking and there were humans to guide people to the shuttles (or bus lines) downtown. RantWoman found this tolerable even with having to add an extra transit segment and the Juneuary temps and bluster.


Friday, June 20, 2025

Who needs riots? Thank you transportation planners? And Happy Ride Transit Month

Way to go transportation planners. Invite thousands of guests to town for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Then schedule at least two major transportation disruptions for the very same weekend. 

Such a brilliant way to make a good impression on visitors.


To wit:
SoundTransit. 

Regarding the FIFA World Cup Club

Ride Sound Transit during FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Matches from June 15 - 25

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will bring six matches to Lumen Field between June 15 and June 25, marking the first time the U.S. hosts the tournament. With up to 150,000 visitors expected over ten days, Sound Transit anticipates a surge in ridership, particularly on the 1 Line, where regular commuters should prepare for crowded trains. To accommodate demand, weekday Sounder schedules will see adjustments, along with additional trips on select Sound Transit Express routes to enhance service.

Due to this international tournament, riders will need to plan for extra time as we manage services to support ridership.

To view event service, please visit the link below and click on the individual event dates under Club World Cup Event Service section.

Please note that the Sounder schedule is being readjusted, this includes canceling some trips to reallocate train resources to provide event service.

For full schedule and detailed timings, visit: https://www.soundtransit.org/worldcup

Last updated: Jun 09, 2025 11:48 AM

Click here for more information: https://www.soundtransit.org/worldcup

From the ST downtown track repair announcement email.

Definitely close all downtown Light rail stations and then encourage people to ride the train to capitol hill and take the streetcar downtown.

On Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22, Sound Transit will close the 1 Line between Capitol Hill and SODO stations. This closure concerns repairs to the track near Westlake Station. 

 

On these days, shuttle buses will serve each 1 Line station between Capitol Hill and SODO. The bus stop locations are listed later in this message. Passengers should consider taking a local bus line to travel faster through the area. A visual chart on the Navigating service disruptions web page displays alternative service options. Please call Passenger Care at 1-888-889-6368 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.) for trip planning assistance. 

 

The 1 Line will operate approximately every 15 minutes between Lynnwood and Capitol Hill and between SODO and Angle Lake. At Capitol Hill and SODO stations, trains will operate in both directions on the same platform, to be determined based on operational needs. Passengers who need assistance navigating the station can request help from Sound Transit personnel on the platform or by calling or texting Security at (206) 398-5268.

 

Planned 1 Line Shuttle bus stops served during this 1 Line disruption:

 

  • Capitol Hill: Broadway & E Denny Ave (SW corner, stop #11060)
  • Westlake: Pine St & 5th Ave (NE corner, stop #1110)
  • Symphony: 3rd Ave & Union St (SW corner, stop #450)
  • Pioneer Square: 3rd Ave & James St (SW corner, stop #500) (please note that this stop location may change if the shuttle route is affected by ongoing construction south of James St)
  • International District/Chinatown: 5th Ave S & S Weller St (NW corner, stop #844)
  • Stadium: 6th Ave S & S Royal Brougham Way (SW corner, stop #21833)
  • SODO: S Lander St & SODO Busway (NE corner; not a regular bus stop)

 

  • Northbound (toward Capitol Hill):
  • SODO: SODO Busway & S Lander St (NE corner, stop #99254)
  • Stadium: SODO Busway & S Royal Brougham Way (NE corner, stop #99267)
  • International District/Chinatown: 4th Ave & S Jackson St (SE corner, stop #620)
  • Pioneer Square: 3rd Ave & James St (SE corner, stop #531)
  • Symphony: 3rd Ave & Union St (SE corner, stop #570)
  • Westlake: 3rd Ave & Pine St (NE corner, stop #590)
  • Capitol Hill: Broadway & E Denny Ave (SW corner, stop #11060)

 

Visit soundtransit.org/disruption for online information about currently planned 1 Line disruptions. Please note the work schedule is subject to change. Visit the Service alerts web page for current information on service disruptions and to sign up to receive alerts by text or email.

 

We apologize for the inconvenience of this disruption. Thank you for your patience.




I5

Seattle braces for traffic chaos as lane closures begin on Ship Canal Br...



RantWoman would love to be wrong. RantWoman would love to hear that everything worked magically, that all forms of wayfinding performed brilliantly, that visitors who won't ride the bus under normal circumstances will all pile onto the bus or summon Uber / Lyft 


Metro along Denny and repairs at UW Montlake Medical Center

In the meantime, RantWoman has a separate rants about multiple stop closures for the Metro 8 along Denny way.and about pedestrian conniptions while the from entrance to UW Medical Center Montlake is under construction.