Strong winds through the Puget Sound last weekend caused this tree to lean over. Within 24 hours, the tree was cut down and the fence repaired. The University District, Seattle, Washington Photo by MS(R)MHi again from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound and happy totally weird weather, eh? I mean, what have we done to so completely brown Mother Earth off to deserve this? Before we start a buffalo stampede of answers to that one, hey, it’s a RHETORICAL question, okay?
And of course I’ve got my own theories about why. Al Gore didn’t invent global warming no more than he invented the Internet. This is like a planetary mood swing, a cycle it goes through naturally. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. I’m not convinced anyone else does either or I would know from listening to them. That works with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus and it works for me with this.
I enjoy dramatic weather. It takes my mind off things I can do even less about, like why Republicans and Democrats continue to slander and libel one another in the name of universal health. Last summer, I said good-bye to a five-year relationship with a tempestuous Irish woman who was much better at arguing than I am and a lot louder at it. Sometimes thunder and lightning was a blessing under the roof we shared.
There’s also usually a lot more I can do about the weather than my relationships with people. There’s no arguing with the weather. There’s no real fighting it. There’s dressing for it and keeping healthy for those times when it’s too windy for an umbrella and the rain is falling at nearly horizontal.
There’s also knowing how to totally enjoy a maximally (not a word but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it one) a warm day. Here, on hot days, we go walking along the Ship Canal, or boating on and swimming in Lake Washington. We frequent coffee houses with small tables outside or veranda cafes which catch the western breezes off our two lakes and the Puget Sound beyond.
And yes, when it catches us unprepared, we dig out, bury, mourn and move on. Nature itself dictates that. Nature mirrors it as well. And because we know how to dress for it, work in and with it, and embrace it in all its moods, tempers, passions and profound prejudices, we tend to take the affairs of the human species with perhaps a bit more grace and certainly, with considerably less fanfare.
So Happy Rain, etc., then, eh?
Well, this one’s really over the top and close to home. Some Washington State Jackass That Walks On Two Legs threatened to kill my senator, Patti Murray, because she supports the health care reform bill. She also comes from a state that already has much of the federal program in place, thanks to a can-do lady governor and a good slate of lawmakers in Olympia. People like this really need to chill the flip out, you know? I mean what kind of idiot does stuff like that. This guy needs some time to think it over making turpentine in a prison lumber camp and then a year of closely supervised sensitivity training. I also think he should be tracked for the rest of his life so he doesn’t surface east of the mountains and act out an assassination of our other senator, who also, by the way, supported national health care.
CROSSING OVER
This week, Washington state says farewell to five of their own after an explosion at an oil refinery in Anacortes last week which left five dead. Our condolences to the families of Daniel J. Aldridge, 50, of Anacortes; Matthew C. Bowen, 31, of Arlington; Darrin J. Hoines, 43, of Ferndale; Kathryn Powell, 28, of Burlington and Donna Van Dreumel, 36, of Oak Harbor.
For photos and more on this
Also see: Refinery tragedies all too common
Our hearts go out, as well, to the town of Montcoal, West Virginia, where at least 25 coal miners died when a large pocket of methane gas exploded deep underground Monday. Both The Massey Energy Company, the biggest coal mining business in central Appalachia and the owner of the Upper Big Branch mine, and the mine itself have absolutely abysmal safety track records and have been cited numerous times in these regards.
And of course I’ve got my own theories about why. Al Gore didn’t invent global warming no more than he invented the Internet. This is like a planetary mood swing, a cycle it goes through naturally. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. I’m not convinced anyone else does either or I would know from listening to them. That works with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus and it works for me with this.
I enjoy dramatic weather. It takes my mind off things I can do even less about, like why Republicans and Democrats continue to slander and libel one another in the name of universal health. Last summer, I said good-bye to a five-year relationship with a tempestuous Irish woman who was much better at arguing than I am and a lot louder at it. Sometimes thunder and lightning was a blessing under the roof we shared.
There’s also usually a lot more I can do about the weather than my relationships with people. There’s no arguing with the weather. There’s no real fighting it. There’s dressing for it and keeping healthy for those times when it’s too windy for an umbrella and the rain is falling at nearly horizontal.
There’s also knowing how to totally enjoy a maximally (not a word but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it one) a warm day. Here, on hot days, we go walking along the Ship Canal, or boating on and swimming in Lake Washington. We frequent coffee houses with small tables outside or veranda cafes which catch the western breezes off our two lakes and the Puget Sound beyond.
And yes, when it catches us unprepared, we dig out, bury, mourn and move on. Nature itself dictates that. Nature mirrors it as well. And because we know how to dress for it, work in and with it, and embrace it in all its moods, tempers, passions and profound prejudices, we tend to take the affairs of the human species with perhaps a bit more grace and certainly, with considerably less fanfare.
So Happy Rain, etc., then, eh?
Well, this one’s really over the top and close to home. Some Washington State Jackass That Walks On Two Legs threatened to kill my senator, Patti Murray, because she supports the health care reform bill. She also comes from a state that already has much of the federal program in place, thanks to a can-do lady governor and a good slate of lawmakers in Olympia. People like this really need to chill the flip out, you know? I mean what kind of idiot does stuff like that. This guy needs some time to think it over making turpentine in a prison lumber camp and then a year of closely supervised sensitivity training. I also think he should be tracked for the rest of his life so he doesn’t surface east of the mountains and act out an assassination of our other senator, who also, by the way, supported national health care.
CROSSING OVER
This week, Washington state says farewell to five of their own after an explosion at an oil refinery in Anacortes last week which left five dead. Our condolences to the families of Daniel J. Aldridge, 50, of Anacortes; Matthew C. Bowen, 31, of Arlington; Darrin J. Hoines, 43, of Ferndale; Kathryn Powell, 28, of Burlington and Donna Van Dreumel, 36, of Oak Harbor.
For photos and more on this
Also see: Refinery tragedies all too common
Our hearts go out, as well, to the town of Montcoal, West Virginia, where at least 25 coal miners died when a large pocket of methane gas exploded deep underground Monday. Both The Massey Energy Company, the biggest coal mining business in central Appalachia and the owner of the Upper Big Branch mine, and the mine itself have absolutely abysmal safety track records and have been cited numerous times in these regards.
Just as explosions in oil refineries are an all too often occurrence, so tragedy is hardly unknown in the coal mining industry. In both of these, though, I think the common threat is that Americans have been willing to pay the human price for two energy sources whose emissions also pollute the environment. The one thing I especially appreciate about green energy sources is that they don’t come blood-smeared.
To me, when there are viable options, there is simply no justification for the death of any man or woman in a refinery, a coal mine or in the woods. Nobody has to die to insure the energy needs of Planet Earth and no one should. To mourn these miners and learn more about this:
Also see: Inside the West Virginia Mine Explosion
GOOD NEWS
Well, we found it pretty cool that Ford and Microsoft are collaborating on a system for recharging electric cars that will allow utility companies to vary their rates by the hour in order to more efficiently manage the load. Apparently, charging an electric car doubles the amount of energy a home owner uses it. Utility companies worry that with the additional electrical appliances running, their generators may be overloaded. This system will compute the cheapest time of the day to recharge. It’s usually late at night, after everyone’s gone to bed and most things are turned off.
For more on this one:
Well, if you’re looking for another reason to visit New York City, you might add The Battery Park Library to the list. It’s not only ecologically state of the art, but it looks like Frank Lloyd Wright dreaming about art, with lots of colored plastic, floor to ceiling windows and blond hardwood floors. They also have like 36 computer stations scattered about and most everything is made of recyclables. This is obviously not our father’s reading room but it sounds like a delight to experience.
For more on this one, yep
Here’s good news for those suffering from or at risk from neck and head cancer, which generally kills 70 percent of its victims due to the difficulty in early stage detection and diagnoses. Doctors now are using a mouth wash to catch it earlier and there’s one being developed now for home use, as well. Medical experts estimate that 80 percent of those diagnosed at the onset of this disease respond to treatment and recover.
Yep, for more on this one
COOL STUFF WE FOUND ON THE NET AT A GOOD PRICE
(Free is a good price, right?)
For the children in your life:
Editorial Review of Tux Paint
Also see: Inside the West Virginia Mine Explosion
GOOD NEWS
Well, we found it pretty cool that Ford and Microsoft are collaborating on a system for recharging electric cars that will allow utility companies to vary their rates by the hour in order to more efficiently manage the load. Apparently, charging an electric car doubles the amount of energy a home owner uses it. Utility companies worry that with the additional electrical appliances running, their generators may be overloaded. This system will compute the cheapest time of the day to recharge. It’s usually late at night, after everyone’s gone to bed and most things are turned off.
For more on this one:
Well, if you’re looking for another reason to visit New York City, you might add The Battery Park Library to the list. It’s not only ecologically state of the art, but it looks like Frank Lloyd Wright dreaming about art, with lots of colored plastic, floor to ceiling windows and blond hardwood floors. They also have like 36 computer stations scattered about and most everything is made of recyclables. This is obviously not our father’s reading room but it sounds like a delight to experience.
For more on this one, yep
Here’s good news for those suffering from or at risk from neck and head cancer, which generally kills 70 percent of its victims due to the difficulty in early stage detection and diagnoses. Doctors now are using a mouth wash to catch it earlier and there’s one being developed now for home use, as well. Medical experts estimate that 80 percent of those diagnosed at the onset of this disease respond to treatment and recover.
Yep, for more on this one
COOL STUFF WE FOUND ON THE NET AT A GOOD PRICE
(Free is a good price, right?)
For the children in your life:
Editorial Review of Tux Paint
If you have children in your life, then you know how much they love to draw and paint--and they love computers. It's a sure bet, then, that they'll love Tux Paint.
This free program is a labor of love, designed and maintained by a community of volunteers. And it's user-friendly for parents and teachers as well: There is a long list of interface languages to choose from, and when you install the program you're treated to a comprehensive how-to, then asked to configure the program. You can simplify it for use with younger children, make it run in full-screen mode, disable printing, and more.
Tux Paint is easy to use. Small children (ages 3 to 5) might need a little guidance at first, but even beginning readers should be able to follow the penguin guide's advice on how to use the various tools. Children can start with a blank drawing space or choose a background (a castle, undersea scenes, maps, and so on). Older children will likely appreciate the grid options, which allow for more precise drawings.
The download linked to this review is compatible with Windows XP, 2000, Vista, and Windows 7. But there are many versions available on the Tux Paint site, including earlier versions of Windows, Mac OS X, Linux distributions, and many more. The source code is available as well. The developers also offer a free download with extra "stamps" to add to the program.
Tux Paint is Open Source software, distributed under the GNU General Public License. It is especially well suited for schools and educational institutions--though children anywhere will enjoy it.
--Kim Saccio-Kent
For more and to download:
Editorial Review of ZAC Browser
This well-designed and entertaining children's Web browser has a serious purpose: to help children on the autism spectrum benefit from the educational Web sites that other kids enjoy. Nonetheless, young children who are not on the spectrum will also find this browser very entertaining--and it's free.
The program opens in full-screen mode, and the Home page is a cheerful aquarium. Icons for Television, Games, Music, Stories, and a Whiteboard line the bottom of the screen. Every section has an interactive background; Music, for example, has cute little bears holding bells. As you roll the cursor over each one, it emits a different chime. Web pages are accessible via thumbnails on each section page. One caveat: If the People CD Web site is down, ZAC Browser cannot access Web sites. The Whiteboard drawing tool is still functional, however.
John LeSieur, president and CEO of People CD, created ZAC Browser for his severely autistic grandson. He reports that the boy plays with the browser independently, and comes away from his sessions calm and refreshed. LeSieur has made ZAC Browser available to other families in the hope that their children
will enjoy the same benefits.
Children affected by pervasive developmental disorders like autism and Asperger syndrome face a wide range of challenges. ZAC Browser is graphically oriented and easy to use, with a variety of entry points and ways to use the program. The sites it links to include favorites like Boowah and Kwalla, Sesame Street, PBS Kids, and more.
In addition to the browser, parents get access to The Autism News, an information-packed site that includes a discussion forum.
--Kim Saccio-Kent
For more and to download:
SURVIVING HARD TIMES
Under the “attitude is all” category, we came across something that definitely tweaked ours. I am a total and complete fan of the music of Elvis Presley and enjoy listening even to the better impersonators. I also have weird friends and one in particular, a chemist of sorts, who spends a lot of time inhaling the fumes of strange substances. Therefore, when he told that he’d met a rabbit t who does Elvis even better than Elvis did Elvis, I was a bit skeptical. I’m not anymore. Yep, to check it out:
Well, the employment numbers for March are out now. After losing eight million jobs since the Recession began in December 2007, 162,000 jobs were generated and President Obama called this the best news of this front in over two years. Economists, however, have been less than ebullient, pointing out that America needs to add at least 100,000 jobs per month to keep up with the number of new workers joining the labor force, not to mention finding positions for the estimated 15 million Americans already looking for work. For more on this one:
Also please see: Upbeat Signs Revive Consumers’ Mood for Spending
HEALTH NEWS
Well, apparently medical science has proven that people who smile a lot are healthier and live longer than those who do not. Why, to me, is that a lot like saying that generally, it’s warmer when the sun is out than when it is not? Our scientific community seems destined on documenting the obvious. I guess that’s so the next civilization won’t have to dig down through a (to them) prehistoric landfill to discover that although we knew things like that clean air and water were really better for us than polluted versions of either/both, for reasons unknown, we never managed to incorporate those particular “discoveries” into our lifestyles in time to keep us from perishing when our middens buried us.
Yep, for more on this one
We’ve been banging the drum a lot lately about the benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise on everything from the body politic to the cost of health care to the national debt. One of you emailed us to say that people actually ate a lot better in the 1970s than they do now and supplied us with a good link. It turns out to be totally true. Check out this article entitled: Go Retro to Slim Down.
CRITTER STUFF
Well, people living on Mercer Island, a bridged residential neighborhood on Seattle’s Lake Washington, were a bit alarmed when one of them, an artist out jogging near Mercerdale Park, came across animal paw prints about six inches wide. She took pictures of them on her cell phone and emailed them to state wildlife experts, who identified them as those of either a bobcat or a small cougar. Authorities do not believe either creature poses a threat, per se, except to pets who may be out loose between dusk and dawn. Residents have been apprised and since those tracks were first seen, there have been no other sitings of, or evidence of, either animal. For a pix of that track and more on this, yep:
I’m a critter lover to the max and that probably explains why I have a quasi feral and profoundly fey Maine coon cat whose best friend is a raccoon named Ralph. But then this is Seattle, where bald eagles nest on skyscrapers, bobcats run lose in our neighborhoods and larger parks, and bear and cougar occasionally show up on their way from one forest to another.
I love it when I can find something truly positive to report about the other lifeforms with which we humans ~ however reluctantly or inconveniently ~ this bluegreen intergalactic planetary spaceship. This one’s from the National Wildlife Federation’s website and it’s entitled Found! Five New Populations of Endangered Species: Gorillas, grizzlies, black-footed ferrets and other rare species stage a comeback. Yep, click the headline. I guarantee it’s worth the read.
YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP.
Well, this is one case where I wish I had made this one up because it doesn’t cast either my neighborhood, the University of Washington and/or some Husky students in a very good light. It happened during this last windstorm, Monday night at around 11:30 p.m., when a power outage ~ for reasons which defy all reason to me ~ inspired some young people to start a bonfire in the street and get rowdy.
When the Seattle and campus police showed up, the crowd turned even more obnoxious and starting throwing things, including containers of beer, at emergency services personnel and it took about two hours before firefighters were able to move in and extinguish the blaze.
The fact that no one was injured suggests to me that God was listening that night and that no arrests were made definitely demonstrates a forbearance on the part of law enforcement personnel that I hope is not shown by the parents of these Juvenile-Delinquents-For-A-Night. Some of these kids were huge and in their early twenties but as far as I’m concerned, if you’re going to act like a kid, you’re going to be treated like one. Even if you are the size of Paul Bunyan’s oldest offspring.
I’m glad these future leaders of the Pacific Northwest did not see the gaol or the Bastille. But I hope their parents gave them a good spanking. Behavior like this is also not good for tourism or for a reputation we Puget Sounders have of living among live volcanoes, earthquakes, Western Hemisphere monsoons and the economic mood swings of the Boeing Aircraft Company and yet still being pretty laid back about most things. Chill out, you ‘little’ yahoos. Sometimes it’s not always about you. Yep, for a video of this one:
Well, that’s it for this week. Before you leave, you might want to check out Northstar Recommends. We’ve added (and will continue to do so) cool things we find. And if you’re in a shopping mood, we invite you peruse our amazon.com ads and our reader-generated Northstar General Store.
Rusty
For the ezine (graphics enhanced) version of The Northstar Journal, please email a request to mminstrel312@aol.com and you'll be added to the subscriber list.
NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS
FUN STUFF
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.
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.
Writer At Work is a blog which comes to us from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England and here’s another case of appropriate hyperbole. Cadie, its author, is a university writer in training with a visually impressive informational website worthy of a professional with three decades more time in grade. Whether it’s specific advice to her peers or a dynamite story on a literary event in the United Kingdom, she does an admirable job of, as they say in the Colonies, “covering her bases.” She learns quickly, this one, and passes it along. What I also truly like about this site is that it is also a lifestyle slice of Merry Olde and from as ingenuous a source as I’ve met in some while. She’s a trip, gang. Check her out here.
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.
FOR YOUR SHOPPING CONVENIENCE
And for a truly unique shopping experience, drop by and browse THE NORTHSTAR GENERAL STORE.
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”
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.
Seattle Times – Best source for news of the city and the Puget Sound. Its reportage is unbiased but their columns and other opinion pieces do reflect the predominant values of the Pacific Northwest.
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.
Entertainment
BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money.
Writer At Work -- a visually impressive informational website which includes specific advice to writers, a list of resources for same and dynamite stories on a literary events in the United Kingdom, this one is for the aspiring writer and the professional alike.
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.
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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