Photo courtesy of CTVHi again from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound. Well, I don’t know how it is where you live but in my house, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver are dominating the news.
This event has personal and historical significance for me. I was there at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley when, for the first time since the modern games began, the American hockey team defeated both the Canadians and the Russians to take the gold.
I related to it for other reasons besides the patriotism I felt at the time. Squaw Valley is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California, near Lake Tahoe. As a boy, I hiked, hunted, fished and helped build a homestead in those peaks. I was steeped in their history and I knew them in all seasons.
What also struck me was that here were these people from all over a world that had a Cold War going on and a new American president who promised to pay equal attention to the olive branch and the arrows. Here, in what amounted to my backyard, the best of their athletes competed with one another under a universal banner of honor and good sportsmanship.
Somehow, back then, I got the idea that if the nations of the world could do that in the Sierra Nevadas ~ which, face, it are picturesque but are also stone cold and desolate hell in winter, as the Donner Party found out ~ they might possibly one day live in peace on the rest of the planet.
That was some fifty years ago, I grant you, and there are times when we don’t seem any closer to it now than we were back then. But the fact is that we have come a long way since then and these Games are a constant renewal of that faith of mine born in the innocence of childhood, forged in my generation’s ‘great war,” and tested some by history since.
So who do I think really gets the Gold at the Games? Yep, you’re way ahead of me. We all do.
Well, here’s one that could have some interesting political and international complications, except it doesn’t. According to those who manufacture sticks for the game, more Canadian hockey players are southpaws, while their American counterparts shoot right-handed. Being also left-handed, for once I feel NOT in the minority here. Yep, for more on this one, please go here.
MORE GOOD NEWS
We were delighted to learn that the Texas registered nurse who was charged herself after she filed a complaint against a local doctor for, according to Associated Press reporter Betsy Blainey, “improperly encouraging patients to buy herbal medicines and wanting to use hospital supplies to perform a procedure at a patient's home” was found not guilty by a jury. We never really did understand this one because it sounded like something that hasn’t been seen in the Lonestar since the March 16, 1903 “retirement” of Judge Roy Bean, in legend and in fact, sometimes “the only law west of the Pecos.” For more on this one, yep, go here.
In order to help protect endangered fish species, Canada’s largest grocery market chain has pulled shark, skate, orange roughy, and Chilean sea bass off their shelves and is providing customers with information cards listing alternatives. Their plan is to extend this to pet foods and a Loblaw spokesman said they expected to have the policy fully implemented in two years. There are 1,036 corporate and franchised stores, 376 associate stores and 4,692 independent stores involved. Yep, for more on this one, please go here.
We’re proud to report that the Puget Sound’s Mercer Island Police Department is going green. To check out Washington State’s first hybrid law enforcement vehicle, please go here.
SURVIVING HARD TIMES
One of the positive effects that these succession of storms which are battering the American Midwest, South and East Coast is having is that the mayors in all of the impacted areas know they’ve only got so much time to galvanize and employ all equipment, personnel and other resources before blame for whatever damage is caused and however many lives are lost also falls on City Hall. For a window on this one, please go here.
Meeting the environmental goals of the region is expected to create 47,000 jobs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana over the next 20 years, according to a plan approved by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. For more on how this breaks down occupationally, please go here.
The retail sector is already feeling this new economic surge. According to Seattle Times business reporter Katie Ormsby:
“Even during the recession, shoppers have increasingly asked for more clothing, shoes and accessories made from sustainable and organic materials.
“Manufacturers and retailers are responding. Companies such as REI and Nordstrom are stocking more "green" merchandise, including scarves made from recycled cashmere sweaters, organic cotton shirts and running shoes featuring biodegradable midsoles.”
Yep, for more on this one, please go here
We reported earlier about a new “cult” of people who are taking things they enjoy doing and are good at and making a living. This is a series and the link to this one carries them all. We’re going to be running this reminder until that series is finished. Yep, go here.
2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES IN VANCOUVER
With seven flags under this masthead, highlighting one athlete or country; singling out one human drama against a backdrop of hundreds might not be the most appropriate thing, from an editorial standpoint, to do.
On the other hand, as a member of the International Community and a journalist of same, the death of a Georgia competitor, the speculation about whether an American lady skier’s injuries will cost her the Gold, to Canada getting her first, it is all the highest and most ennobling of human behaviour.
It was also in the keeping of the history of both summer and winter Olympic Games. For a totally fascinating look, from ancient Greece to modern Canada, please go here.
The City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and Canadians from Victoria to Halifax worked together for seven years in preparation for these games. The dedication to environmental concerns and fundamental quality of life issues will have positive impacts resonating for decades to come and which have further produced prototypes, which can be emulated across the entire planet. This is one our grandchildren will be reading about and to learn more, yep, please go here.
And to learn about the host country, please go here. Canada Facts & Figures
HEALTH NEWS
American First Lady Michelle Obama formally kicked off “Let’s Move,” her war on childhood obesity last week. According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), two out of every three American adults is obese and one-third of America’s children. America also ranks first among nations in adult obesity and child obesity both. For the specifics on this one and how you can help, please go here.
Well, it looks like it really is possible to be bored to death. In a study to be released in April in The International Journal of Epidemiology, it’s definitely a state of mind that encourages such at-risk behaviors and habits such as cigarette smoking, drinking and other forms of substance abuse. For more on this one, please go here.
CRITTER STUFF
Well, campers at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park must have though they were in a Tarzan movie early Valentine’s Day morning when the elephant herd started trumpeting the arrival of their newest member, a male calf born to mother Ndlulamitsi. Both are doing fine but it’s rumored the father is still recovering. Yep, for more on this one, please go here.
This event has personal and historical significance for me. I was there at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley when, for the first time since the modern games began, the American hockey team defeated both the Canadians and the Russians to take the gold.
I related to it for other reasons besides the patriotism I felt at the time. Squaw Valley is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California, near Lake Tahoe. As a boy, I hiked, hunted, fished and helped build a homestead in those peaks. I was steeped in their history and I knew them in all seasons.
What also struck me was that here were these people from all over a world that had a Cold War going on and a new American president who promised to pay equal attention to the olive branch and the arrows. Here, in what amounted to my backyard, the best of their athletes competed with one another under a universal banner of honor and good sportsmanship.
Somehow, back then, I got the idea that if the nations of the world could do that in the Sierra Nevadas ~ which, face, it are picturesque but are also stone cold and desolate hell in winter, as the Donner Party found out ~ they might possibly one day live in peace on the rest of the planet.
That was some fifty years ago, I grant you, and there are times when we don’t seem any closer to it now than we were back then. But the fact is that we have come a long way since then and these Games are a constant renewal of that faith of mine born in the innocence of childhood, forged in my generation’s ‘great war,” and tested some by history since.
So who do I think really gets the Gold at the Games? Yep, you’re way ahead of me. We all do.
Well, here’s one that could have some interesting political and international complications, except it doesn’t. According to those who manufacture sticks for the game, more Canadian hockey players are southpaws, while their American counterparts shoot right-handed. Being also left-handed, for once I feel NOT in the minority here. Yep, for more on this one, please go here.
MORE GOOD NEWS
We were delighted to learn that the Texas registered nurse who was charged herself after she filed a complaint against a local doctor for, according to Associated Press reporter Betsy Blainey, “improperly encouraging patients to buy herbal medicines and wanting to use hospital supplies to perform a procedure at a patient's home” was found not guilty by a jury. We never really did understand this one because it sounded like something that hasn’t been seen in the Lonestar since the March 16, 1903 “retirement” of Judge Roy Bean, in legend and in fact, sometimes “the only law west of the Pecos.” For more on this one, yep, go here.
In order to help protect endangered fish species, Canada’s largest grocery market chain has pulled shark, skate, orange roughy, and Chilean sea bass off their shelves and is providing customers with information cards listing alternatives. Their plan is to extend this to pet foods and a Loblaw spokesman said they expected to have the policy fully implemented in two years. There are 1,036 corporate and franchised stores, 376 associate stores and 4,692 independent stores involved. Yep, for more on this one, please go here.
We’re proud to report that the Puget Sound’s Mercer Island Police Department is going green. To check out Washington State’s first hybrid law enforcement vehicle, please go here.
SURVIVING HARD TIMES
One of the positive effects that these succession of storms which are battering the American Midwest, South and East Coast is having is that the mayors in all of the impacted areas know they’ve only got so much time to galvanize and employ all equipment, personnel and other resources before blame for whatever damage is caused and however many lives are lost also falls on City Hall. For a window on this one, please go here.
Meeting the environmental goals of the region is expected to create 47,000 jobs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana over the next 20 years, according to a plan approved by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. For more on how this breaks down occupationally, please go here.
The retail sector is already feeling this new economic surge. According to Seattle Times business reporter Katie Ormsby:
“Even during the recession, shoppers have increasingly asked for more clothing, shoes and accessories made from sustainable and organic materials.
“Manufacturers and retailers are responding. Companies such as REI and Nordstrom are stocking more "green" merchandise, including scarves made from recycled cashmere sweaters, organic cotton shirts and running shoes featuring biodegradable midsoles.”
Yep, for more on this one, please go here
We reported earlier about a new “cult” of people who are taking things they enjoy doing and are good at and making a living. This is a series and the link to this one carries them all. We’re going to be running this reminder until that series is finished. Yep, go here.
2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES IN VANCOUVER
With seven flags under this masthead, highlighting one athlete or country; singling out one human drama against a backdrop of hundreds might not be the most appropriate thing, from an editorial standpoint, to do.
On the other hand, as a member of the International Community and a journalist of same, the death of a Georgia competitor, the speculation about whether an American lady skier’s injuries will cost her the Gold, to Canada getting her first, it is all the highest and most ennobling of human behaviour.
It was also in the keeping of the history of both summer and winter Olympic Games. For a totally fascinating look, from ancient Greece to modern Canada, please go here.
The City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and Canadians from Victoria to Halifax worked together for seven years in preparation for these games. The dedication to environmental concerns and fundamental quality of life issues will have positive impacts resonating for decades to come and which have further produced prototypes, which can be emulated across the entire planet. This is one our grandchildren will be reading about and to learn more, yep, please go here.
And to learn about the host country, please go here. Canada Facts & Figures
HEALTH NEWS
American First Lady Michelle Obama formally kicked off “Let’s Move,” her war on childhood obesity last week. According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), two out of every three American adults is obese and one-third of America’s children. America also ranks first among nations in adult obesity and child obesity both. For the specifics on this one and how you can help, please go here.
Well, it looks like it really is possible to be bored to death. In a study to be released in April in The International Journal of Epidemiology, it’s definitely a state of mind that encourages such at-risk behaviors and habits such as cigarette smoking, drinking and other forms of substance abuse. For more on this one, please go here.
CRITTER STUFF
Well, campers at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park must have though they were in a Tarzan movie early Valentine’s Day morning when the elephant herd started trumpeting the arrival of their newest member, a male calf born to mother Ndlulamitsi. Both are doing fine but it’s rumored the father is still recovering. Yep, for more on this one, please go here.
YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP.
Sometimes old saws ~ the literal kind ~ stay in vogue despite their antiquity because the continue to be true. Invariably, it’s been necessary to learn to crawl in order to walk. Until now. And a six month old with a cradle of cat’s worth of curiosity who decided to skip the kneepad stage and get on with the exploration of his world We go to England for this one and yep, oh ye of little faith, you guys get to go here.
That’s it for this week. We’ve got some cool stuff down below you might want to check out. Stay the course, gang. We’re getting there and we’re going to make it. And thanks once again for the ear. And stuff.
Rusty
NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS
FUN STUFF
An image of snow-capped Llaima Volcano in springtime is available at the Earth Observatory, along with an incredible array of other outer space images. This is one of NASA’s more engaging websites and it’s here, as well, that you can subscribe to their online newsletter. Whether you’re an aerospace/astronomy buff or simply enjoy stargazing, this is an excellent site.
Ever been told you look like someone famous? Ever not been told that but would like to have been? Find a photo of yourself, go to this site, MyHeritage.com, upload it and get a gallery of celebrities you resemble, to one degree or another. Yep, it’s a total waste of time and an unabashed indulgence of ego. Probably two reasons why I totally loved it, even though a couple of my own pix didn’t turn up any results. It’s fun to play with so enjoy.
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 Seattle 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.
HEALTH
Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.
Grub you libido will love.
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 about a month now and yep, I feel a lot better.
Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.
Take this test to see how your memory compares with the average. Click here for fun games to improve your memory.
ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT
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.
We invite you to do all your amazon.com by tapping this link. The Northstar Journal receives a 15% commission on whatever you purchase through this link.
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.
Good “Reads”
Entertainment
BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,
TomatoMan Times -- For those who love good writing, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsmen out there now than professionally known as Tomatoman Mike. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck is, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.
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.
News
BBC – Best source of international news.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (multi-media), the Toronto Globe & Mail and the Vancouver Sun -- outstanding sources for Canadian national, provincial, and world news.
KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.
New York Times – Best source of American 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.
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
See you next week, eh?
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