Hi again from the Bastion on the Puget Sound. We’d like to wish American president Barack Obama a late Happy Birthday. The Eagle’s chief executive turned 49 this past Wednesday. We were sorry to hear that Michelle and the kids couldn’t be with him but then hard times don’t always make for traditional celebrations.
I found it sort of ironic that most of the press I’ve seen on this has used his birthday as another opportunity to attack his professional performance. What I have NOT seen so far are these same Sunday afternoon quarterbacks offering constructive alternatives.
Where I come from, if you haven’t got a better idea, people expect you to keep your mouth shut until you do. But then we also don’t have a lot of time for whiners either. We don’t really expect a lot from government and mostly, we’re not disappointed in these regards. Shrugging.
If you’d like to spend a few minutes learning more about Barack Obama
I found it sort of ironic that most of the press I’ve seen on this has used his birthday as another opportunity to attack his professional performance. What I have NOT seen so far are these same Sunday afternoon quarterbacks offering constructive alternatives.
Where I come from, if you haven’t got a better idea, people expect you to keep your mouth shut until you do. But then we also don’t have a lot of time for whiners either. We don’t really expect a lot from government and mostly, we’re not disappointed in these regards. Shrugging.
If you’d like to spend a few minutes learning more about Barack Obama
IN OTHER NEWS
We’re certainly glad that BP has apparently finally taken care of what many experts are calling the biggest oil spill in human history. It was also interesting to read a related story suggesting that what remains does not pose much risk. I’m sure that comes as comfort to someone but considering the damage that has already been done to the Gulf Shore economy, I cannot at the moment ~ for the life of me ~ imagine who that might be. So good luck with that one, guys. Sigh.
We’ve mentioned before that Seattle is preparing for electric cars by, among other things, installing recharging stations at the Park and Ride lots which serve the Puget Sound’s two major public transportation systems. Nissan is opening a dealership here for its Leaf and last week, one of our local television stations sent a reporter out to try one on possibly the steepest street in town. I had the opportunity to watch that segment and our terrain was no problem for the leaf. With a range of about one hundred miles per charge, the Leaf is still an urban option. But as the technology continues to evolve and as the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada engage in the parallel development of the appropriate infrastructure, it does appear that electrics are back this time and this time, to stay. For more, yep, go here.
In a related story, our neighbor to the south, Oregon, is trying out a new quick recharging station that can do in 20 minutes what it still takes several hours at most such stations currently. With both states committed to the electrification of Interstate Five, the American West Coast’s north-south freeway, and with the Greater Vancouver area and the province of British Columbia in general mirroring developments in these regards, travel in general in our region will be a lot quieter, a lot healthier and a lot better for the environment. And maybe it’s just me, but I believe that if we can do it here, it can certainly be done where you live. Yep, for more, go here.
We’re certainly glad that BP has apparently finally taken care of what many experts are calling the biggest oil spill in human history. It was also interesting to read a related story suggesting that what remains does not pose much risk. I’m sure that comes as comfort to someone but considering the damage that has already been done to the Gulf Shore economy, I cannot at the moment ~ for the life of me ~ imagine who that might be. So good luck with that one, guys. Sigh.
We’ve mentioned before that Seattle is preparing for electric cars by, among other things, installing recharging stations at the Park and Ride lots which serve the Puget Sound’s two major public transportation systems. Nissan is opening a dealership here for its Leaf and last week, one of our local television stations sent a reporter out to try one on possibly the steepest street in town. I had the opportunity to watch that segment and our terrain was no problem for the leaf. With a range of about one hundred miles per charge, the Leaf is still an urban option. But as the technology continues to evolve and as the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada engage in the parallel development of the appropriate infrastructure, it does appear that electrics are back this time and this time, to stay. For more, yep, go here.
In a related story, our neighbor to the south, Oregon, is trying out a new quick recharging station that can do in 20 minutes what it still takes several hours at most such stations currently. With both states committed to the electrification of Interstate Five, the American West Coast’s north-south freeway, and with the Greater Vancouver area and the province of British Columbia in general mirroring developments in these regards, travel in general in our region will be a lot quieter, a lot healthier and a lot better for the environment. And maybe it’s just me, but I believe that if we can do it here, it can certainly be done where you live. Yep, for more, go here.
SURVIVING HARD TIMES
Over the last three years or so, we’ve run an article a week on surviving hard times. We hope it’s helped and judging by your responses, it has some. I think sometimes a review of the basics ~ the short list, as it were ~ is in order. It’s a good reminder, at least for me, that there are, in fact, things all of us can do that will make a difference. Tricks Of Surviving In Hard Times, by Melvin Polatnick, does exactly that. I’ve printed this one out and posted it strategically. Yep, I enjoyed it that much.
ON THE CANCER FRONT
Over the last three years or so, we’ve run an article a week on surviving hard times. We hope it’s helped and judging by your responses, it has some. I think sometimes a review of the basics ~ the short list, as it were ~ is in order. It’s a good reminder, at least for me, that there are, in fact, things all of us can do that will make a difference. Tricks Of Surviving In Hard Times, by Melvin Polatnick, does exactly that. I’ve printed this one out and posted it strategically. Yep, I enjoyed it that much.
ON THE CANCER FRONT
There’s a new invention which could reduce the need for skin cancer biopsies and improve the accuracy of diagnoses. It’s being tested at Vanderbilt University and the initial results are good. It uses a laser beam to illuminate several lays of the suspected area, analyzes it and compares it to the chemical composition of the different types of melanoma. For more on the one, please go here.
It is estimated that approximately 22,000 women in the United States have ovarian cancer and that 14,000 of them will die from it this year. It’s been a difficult disease to diagnose but that should change now that the Food & Drug Administration has approved a new type of blood test. Seattle KING 5 TV’s oncology reporter and herself a cancer survivor, Jean Enersen, explains that “the test, called Ova1, reads five specific proteins. It can determine if an ovarian mass is malignant or benign or if the patient needs to see a specialist for surgery.” Yep, for the full story, go here.
RESOURCES AND RELATED LINKS:
American Cancer Statistics 2009
Canadian Cancer Statistics 2009
National Cancer Institute (American)
Fighting Breast Cancer: Breast Cancer Survivor Stories
Science Daily: Health & Medicine News
It is estimated that approximately 22,000 women in the United States have ovarian cancer and that 14,000 of them will die from it this year. It’s been a difficult disease to diagnose but that should change now that the Food & Drug Administration has approved a new type of blood test. Seattle KING 5 TV’s oncology reporter and herself a cancer survivor, Jean Enersen, explains that “the test, called Ova1, reads five specific proteins. It can determine if an ovarian mass is malignant or benign or if the patient needs to see a specialist for surgery.” Yep, for the full story, go here.
RESOURCES AND RELATED LINKS:
American Cancer Statistics 2009
Canadian Cancer Statistics 2009
National Cancer Institute (American)
Fighting Breast Cancer: Breast Cancer Survivor Stories
Science Daily: Health & Medicine News
HEALTH NEWS
With August being the hottest month of the summer for many of us, it probably won’t hurt to check out the quality of the sunscreen you’re using. It’s important, I think, to remember that one size does not fit all and that even when there doesn’t seem to be enough of the bright and yellow stuff out there to constitute a sunny day (any where other than Seattle), that sunscreen is still important. Yep, check it out here.
This is for the workout fanatics among us, and quite frankly, I hope there’s a few. I hate dancing by myself, as it were. When I relax and especially if I’m thinking of going on vacation/holiday, I feel a little guilty if I’m getting too much rest. It’s almost like there’s some weird comfort in being as tired at the end of the day as I usually am so I tend to add or sneak in an extra workout or two. NOT A GOOD IDEA, according to a recent study. To find out why, yep, go here.
SEATTLE SCENES
This statue of Sadako Sasaki, a little Japanese girl who survived the bombing of Hiroshima during the Second World War, only to die of radiation sickness at the age of 12, is the centerpiece of Peace Park, a minuscule green space at the end of a bridge leading to the University of Washington. Photo by Rusty MillerIf you’re visiting Seattle and would like to have a rather atypical experience, you might want to consider packing a lunch, leaving your hotel and grabbing a Metro bus for a short ride across the Ship Canal to the neighborhood of Fremont and a walking tour which includes mini-parks, some extremely interesting statues and vistas of two lakes, a towering dormant volcano and two mountain ranges that are simply not to be believed. For details, please go here
If you’re wondering why so many of us here are so passionate about the Pacific Northwest and the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, check out this slideshow of Mount Rainier taken recently and yes, on a sunny day.
SUMMER GUIDE: Let us steer you to the best beaches, festivals and fun.
SEATTLE FACTS AND FIGURES
Seattle Rainfall in Comparison To Other US Cities
Seattle Geography & Climate
For more information about Seattle
For live cameras on Seattle, the Puget Sound and Washington State
CRITTER STUFF
SUMMER GUIDE: Let us steer you to the best beaches, festivals and fun.
SEATTLE FACTS AND FIGURES
Seattle Rainfall in Comparison To Other US Cities
Seattle Geography & Climate
For more information about Seattle
For live cameras on Seattle, the Puget Sound and Washington State
CRITTER STUFF
In a move which apparently re-establishes federal preeminence in the protection of wildlife, US District Judge Donald Molloy reinstated the Endangered Species Act to cover all three states in which the Rocky Mountain wolf runs. This halts planned hunts in Idaho and Montana this autumn. It is the result of a suit brought by Defenders of Wildlife and other groups. For more on this one, please go here. And to perhaps better understand the role this species plays in its environment, check this out.
Well, it looks like one of the darlings of the Greater Puget Sound is headed for celebrity status once again. Luna, an orca who just showed up suddenly back in 2001 off Nootka Sound, was the subject of a 2007 locally produced documentary, Saving Luna. Now she’s slated to star in a Hollywood style treatment entitled The Whale and this one has Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson as executive producers. There are several layers of genuine human to orca human interest in how this one’s coming together. I totally enjoyed this one and our thanks to Molly and Scott in Vancouver, BC for sending it to us. Yep, go here.
Related
A Whale’s Tale
Related
A Whale’s Tale
Recommended Related Links:
Go Northwest: Northwest Wildlife Websites
BBC’s wildlife finder
National Geographic Daily News - Animals
Retrieverman’s Weblog: Engaging articles on domestic & wildlife in the American South
Go Northwest: Northwest Wildlife Websites
BBC’s wildlife finder
National Geographic Daily News - Animals
Retrieverman’s Weblog: Engaging articles on domestic & wildlife in the American South
YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
There’s a town in Montana that’s been victimized by one of the biggest, cleverest and most elusive burglars probably in the history of crime as that state has known it in the 21st Century. Frustrated investigators have attributed as many as 20 home invasions to this particular suspect. They may finally, however, have a break in the case(s). It seems this particular thief in the night has a devout appreciation of pizza (I can relate) and was actually caught indulging in one during a recent break-in. The homeowner awoke to find the perp, a full grown adult black bear leaning on a big chest-style freezer, munching on a frozen pepperoni and Canadian bacon thin crust. Since there have been other incidents in neighboring communities, it is believed that this particular bruin is actually part of a gang. Authorities attribute the crime wave to a late berry season, which sounds like as good an explanation as any when you haven’t really got one. For film and more on this, yep, go here.
Well, that’s it for now. Thanks for the ear. Before you leave, if you’re in a shopping mood and into some interesting choices? We’ve got a “reader stocked” General Store that you might want to check out. If you’d like to sell something with us or know someone who does, email us at minstrel312@aol.com and we’ll see what we can do.
The Northstar Journal is not for profit and funded, in part, by contributions from readers like yourself. To contribute, please go here and our sincerest thanks.
Rusty
The Northstar Journal is not for profit and funded, in part, by contributions from readers like yourself. To contribute, please go here and our sincerest thanks.Rusty
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