Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week. As the other flags on this modest masthead know, the first one on it is celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow. The second flag celebrated it last month. (For the benefit of non-subscribers, our email version has five small flags waving under The Northstar Journal banner. From left to right: America, Canada, Ireland, England, France)
From an historical standpoint, Thanksgiving in America is like the Irish song that is so popular here on St. Patrick’s Day. If you really listen to the lyrics of Wearing of the Green, you see there's no joy in it for those of Erin or shamrock descent.
Thanksgiving is sort of the same way for the folks who were here when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. It’s been painted as this spiritual communion between newcomers and natives.
Ultimately, it paved the way for the exploitation, humiliation, subjugation and slaughter of an indigent population established close to the land from one arctic pole to the other and one ocean to the other, as well. That’s the entire Western Hemisphere.
I’m recalled of a “joke” someone real close to me and who was what we now call in America, “First Nation,” told me.
“Micheal, you know what the Indian who watched the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock said, don’t you?”
“With all due respect, Lass, nope.”
“There goes the neighborhood.”
She could say that a little easier than some who grew up “Indian” on blueblood Boston’s Beacon Hill, female and an orphan. She was incredibly beautiful and trust me, she forgave a lot.
Because her people were there long before any of those of Boston Tea Party royalty, she remembered a pristine Charles River. She knew what Thanksgiving really means and that it is seasonal and timeless.
It’s what’s done when the harvest is in. You tally it against a hard winter and a quick spring. It’s what every species on this planet does this time of year. She learned from what she considered and trusted a larger family. So do I.
As frightening and as uncertain as times got for her and for us, she believed that if you provided for your own and gave some left over, it would all even out. So do I.
Understandably then, and perhaps more at some times of the year than at some others, I miss her. I’m also real thankful for the pleasure of her company while she was among us. And that me and mine are still slogging along, just like when we did it together. And probably just about as naïve, bless her heart.
I expect some flags under this modest masthead can resonate some with that, now, then, eh?
Okay and moving right along here and stuff…
North England Takes A Torrential Pounding
Our hearts and prayers certainly go out to those of you in the United Kingdom and particularly in the North of England and Wales. Your island nation, which is about the size of the American state of Kansas, has been slammed with the worst rains and subsequent flooding in over a quarter of a century, according to the BBC and accounts several of you have shared with us personally. It’s impressive the way you’re handling it. You may no longer be the heart of a mighty colonial empire but you’ve lost none of the resolve that has, for centuries, characterized you. Hitler was wise not to invade you for it surely would have destroyed Germany. These storms will pass and there will most certainly once again be bluebirds over Dover’s white cliffs.
I Should Have Seen This One Coming
Canada’s having a contest to see which of its cities, towns and/or villages can become a Slow City. According to Living On Earth’s Washington correspondent Jeff Young:
A Slow City is a sort of quiet resistance to fast lane, drive-thru homogenization. The seaside town of Cowichan Bay, north of Victoria on Vancouver Island, doesn't have a single fast food restaurant in sight.
This is an on the scene radio interview and you can hear waves and seagulls in the background. You can also download it in mp3 format and share it with friends as a personal download. Check them out.
CRITTER STUFF
If you love seeing wolves in the wild, the video that goes with this one is going to make your day, possibly your week. According to the Portland Oregonian’s Abby Haight, these magnificent creatures are making a comeback in eastern Oregon and their Fish and Wildlife got a 90-second video of a pack running through a snowy forest. To watch it and learn more, go here.
I’m not a real fan of snakes. Growing up in high mountains, rattlers were an every day part of life. I’ve never been bitten. I respect them but I’m not afraid of them. Having said that, if I’d have been in the kitchen of this home in the South Puget Sound of Washington State and encountered a snake big enough to hug me to death and swallow me whole, I think I might have blown it totally. This housewife didn’t and now said python is vacationing in a local shelter, waiting the identification of an owner or adoption.
TO YOUR HEALTH
We were delighted and impressed to learn that San Francisco, the butt of so many jokes over the last forty years or so, has a public health plan that works and can considered a prototype for other communities. Nice going, folks and finest kind.
UNDER THE CATEGORY YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
From an historical standpoint, Thanksgiving in America is like the Irish song that is so popular here on St. Patrick’s Day. If you really listen to the lyrics of Wearing of the Green, you see there's no joy in it for those of Erin or shamrock descent.
Thanksgiving is sort of the same way for the folks who were here when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. It’s been painted as this spiritual communion between newcomers and natives.
Ultimately, it paved the way for the exploitation, humiliation, subjugation and slaughter of an indigent population established close to the land from one arctic pole to the other and one ocean to the other, as well. That’s the entire Western Hemisphere.
I’m recalled of a “joke” someone real close to me and who was what we now call in America, “First Nation,” told me.
“Micheal, you know what the Indian who watched the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock said, don’t you?”
“With all due respect, Lass, nope.”
“There goes the neighborhood.”
She could say that a little easier than some who grew up “Indian” on blueblood Boston’s Beacon Hill, female and an orphan. She was incredibly beautiful and trust me, she forgave a lot.
Because her people were there long before any of those of Boston Tea Party royalty, she remembered a pristine Charles River. She knew what Thanksgiving really means and that it is seasonal and timeless.
It’s what’s done when the harvest is in. You tally it against a hard winter and a quick spring. It’s what every species on this planet does this time of year. She learned from what she considered and trusted a larger family. So do I.
As frightening and as uncertain as times got for her and for us, she believed that if you provided for your own and gave some left over, it would all even out. So do I.
Understandably then, and perhaps more at some times of the year than at some others, I miss her. I’m also real thankful for the pleasure of her company while she was among us. And that me and mine are still slogging along, just like when we did it together. And probably just about as naïve, bless her heart.
I expect some flags under this modest masthead can resonate some with that, now, then, eh?
Okay and moving right along here and stuff…
North England Takes A Torrential Pounding
Our hearts and prayers certainly go out to those of you in the United Kingdom and particularly in the North of England and Wales. Your island nation, which is about the size of the American state of Kansas, has been slammed with the worst rains and subsequent flooding in over a quarter of a century, according to the BBC and accounts several of you have shared with us personally. It’s impressive the way you’re handling it. You may no longer be the heart of a mighty colonial empire but you’ve lost none of the resolve that has, for centuries, characterized you. Hitler was wise not to invade you for it surely would have destroyed Germany. These storms will pass and there will most certainly once again be bluebirds over Dover’s white cliffs.
I Should Have Seen This One Coming
Canada’s having a contest to see which of its cities, towns and/or villages can become a Slow City. According to Living On Earth’s Washington correspondent Jeff Young:
A Slow City is a sort of quiet resistance to fast lane, drive-thru homogenization. The seaside town of Cowichan Bay, north of Victoria on Vancouver Island, doesn't have a single fast food restaurant in sight.
This is an on the scene radio interview and you can hear waves and seagulls in the background. You can also download it in mp3 format and share it with friends as a personal download. Check them out.
CRITTER STUFF
If you love seeing wolves in the wild, the video that goes with this one is going to make your day, possibly your week. According to the Portland Oregonian’s Abby Haight, these magnificent creatures are making a comeback in eastern Oregon and their Fish and Wildlife got a 90-second video of a pack running through a snowy forest. To watch it and learn more, go here.
I’m not a real fan of snakes. Growing up in high mountains, rattlers were an every day part of life. I’ve never been bitten. I respect them but I’m not afraid of them. Having said that, if I’d have been in the kitchen of this home in the South Puget Sound of Washington State and encountered a snake big enough to hug me to death and swallow me whole, I think I might have blown it totally. This housewife didn’t and now said python is vacationing in a local shelter, waiting the identification of an owner or adoption.
TO YOUR HEALTH
We were delighted and impressed to learn that San Francisco, the butt of so many jokes over the last forty years or so, has a public health plan that works and can considered a prototype for other communities. Nice going, folks and finest kind.
UNDER THE CATEGORY YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
One of you, in this instance under the first flag (America), likes to explore weird places and find even weirder stuff. You tell me about it and I’m thinking, I’d really like to share this with the readership, but since I already have a credibility problem and this one is particularly out there…
(see first photo left at the top)
This time, however, I have proof. We’ll call this reader Annie the Archaeologist, or Anniark, for short. She went to Peru and in a crypt, found a bunch of human skulls. She explained that there is a lot of spiritualism in Peru: after 5 yrs of being in a crypt, the bones are removed and sent home. If you want to know more about this, email her care of us and we’ll pass your requests along.
This time, however, I have proof. We’ll call this reader Annie the Archaeologist, or Anniark, for short. She went to Peru and in a crypt, found a bunch of human skulls. She explained that there is a lot of spiritualism in Peru: after 5 yrs of being in a crypt, the bones are removed and sent home. If you want to know more about this, email her care of us and we’ll pass your requests along.
Well, that’s it for this week, folks. Take care, stay well and thanks once again for the ear.
Mick
aka Rusty
NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS
FUN STUFF
How about a trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to watch a couple of grizzly bears in their Northwest setting? Yep, click here and thanks to our friends at Puget Sound NBC affiliate KING 5.
If you’re into a real interesting and visual escape, we certainly recommend The Art In LA website. It’s a virtual art gallery created by a real gentle, occasionally obnoxious but totally good-hearted soul with standards as fine as those of any engineer I’ve ever met. It’s also a good place for healthy meditation. If you’re lucky, you might just run into the artist herself. Her name is Colleen and she’s a trip, trust me. Yep, she was born under the fourth flag on our masthead. (England)
For those into words that resonate, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsman I know than a man named Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike and the publisher of The Tomato Man Times. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.
HEALTH
Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.
If you’d like to know whether your eating habits are either adding years to your life or taking them off, take this RealAge quiz. It will not only score your real age against your health age but give you a program for improvement. I’ve been working this one for several months now and yep, I feel a lot better.
Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.
Ever had trouble getting behind eating a lot of fruits and vegetables despite how good they are for you? Ever had trouble selling that one to your kids and grandkids? Ever been totally sold on the idea then gone to the market and been totally tasered by the price of good health in some places? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above, you really need to check this site out. Fruits and veggies: more matters.
ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT
WorldStart.com - The best source of computer information, tips, education, entertainment, industry news, graphics and useful websites.
PC World – This is the best source we’ve found yet for totally free, useful, reliable and secure (no viruses) downloads ranging from games through utilities and with a nice selection of screen savers, etc. What I particularly appreciate about it is how easy the site is to navigate. They also have a daily letter featuring two “daily downloads.”
Free People Search – This is an American online White Pages that I found really simple, quick and user friendly. I looked for myself under the several versions of my name and it found them all. It’s also free and doesn’t involve anything to download.
Know Thy Elected Officials - Just type in your zip code and this site will supply you with the names and contact information for your legislators from the state level up. This is a two click site with a host of other relevant features.
MEDIA
Overview
For those interested in what’s going on in the world of magazines and newspapers in general, we highly recommend Woodenhorsepub.com. They publish a weekly online newsletter for media professionals and for readers simply interested in the future of the publications they enjoy and an advance on new ones they might. Their website is located here.
Entertainment
U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.
Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.
BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,
News
BBC – Best source of international news.
The New York Times – Best source of American news.
The Vancouver Sun -- outstanding source for Canadian national, provincial and world news.
Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.
Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.
KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
The Northstar General Store
Mick
aka Rusty
NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS
FUN STUFF
How about a trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to watch a couple of grizzly bears in their Northwest setting? Yep, click here and thanks to our friends at Puget Sound NBC affiliate KING 5.
If you’re into a real interesting and visual escape, we certainly recommend The Art In LA website. It’s a virtual art gallery created by a real gentle, occasionally obnoxious but totally good-hearted soul with standards as fine as those of any engineer I’ve ever met. It’s also a good place for healthy meditation. If you’re lucky, you might just run into the artist herself. Her name is Colleen and she’s a trip, trust me. Yep, she was born under the fourth flag on our masthead. (England)
For those into words that resonate, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsman I know than a man named Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike and the publisher of The Tomato Man Times. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.
HEALTH
Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.
If you’d like to know whether your eating habits are either adding years to your life or taking them off, take this RealAge quiz. It will not only score your real age against your health age but give you a program for improvement. I’ve been working this one for several months now and yep, I feel a lot better.
Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.
Ever had trouble getting behind eating a lot of fruits and vegetables despite how good they are for you? Ever had trouble selling that one to your kids and grandkids? Ever been totally sold on the idea then gone to the market and been totally tasered by the price of good health in some places? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above, you really need to check this site out. Fruits and veggies: more matters.
ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT
WorldStart.com - The best source of computer information, tips, education, entertainment, industry news, graphics and useful websites.
PC World – This is the best source we’ve found yet for totally free, useful, reliable and secure (no viruses) downloads ranging from games through utilities and with a nice selection of screen savers, etc. What I particularly appreciate about it is how easy the site is to navigate. They also have a daily letter featuring two “daily downloads.”
Free People Search – This is an American online White Pages that I found really simple, quick and user friendly. I looked for myself under the several versions of my name and it found them all. It’s also free and doesn’t involve anything to download.
Know Thy Elected Officials - Just type in your zip code and this site will supply you with the names and contact information for your legislators from the state level up. This is a two click site with a host of other relevant features.
MEDIA
Overview
For those interested in what’s going on in the world of magazines and newspapers in general, we highly recommend Woodenhorsepub.com. They publish a weekly online newsletter for media professionals and for readers simply interested in the future of the publications they enjoy and an advance on new ones they might. Their website is located here.
Entertainment
U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.
Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.
BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,
News
BBC – Best source of international news.
The New York Times – Best source of American news.
The Vancouver Sun -- outstanding source for Canadian national, provincial and world news.
Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.
Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.
KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
The Northstar General Store
(see cat photo at the top)
Well, marching orders have come down from on high. We need to start selling stuff on this site. That does not, however, in any way, shape or form obligate you to buy any of the weird stuff that’s likely to appear on the shelves. We’re going to keep it real simple; Paypal for those who have it and regular mail/post and a personal check for those who don’t. We’re also soliciting others who have things they’d like to run here and signing them on for ten percent commission. One of the first things we’re putting out is a 2010 Sasha the Cat calendar. If you’re interested in sharing this experience with us and helping build it, by all means, email us here and we’ll talk.
TALENT FOR HIRE
Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist – Whether it’s a one time press release, book or product review, difficult business correspondence, resume or classified ad composition you need, take a look at the services offered menu on my writer-for-hire homepage and we’ll get together on it.
Are you a travel editor looking for color shots of Seattle? Are you an art dealer looking for new work to carry on consignment? You might enjoy checking out a gallery of my work for sale
TALENT FOR HIRE
Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist – Whether it’s a one time press release, book or product review, difficult business correspondence, resume or classified ad composition you need, take a look at the services offered menu on my writer-for-hire homepage and we’ll get together on it.
Are you a travel editor looking for color shots of Seattle? Are you an art dealer looking for new work to carry on consignment? You might enjoy checking out a gallery of my work for sale
No comments:
Post a Comment