Terrorists are not dangerous because they are smart

Air Force One Landing At Boeing Field. Photo courtesy of http://www.boeing.com/

Hi again from the Bastion on the Puget Sound. Hi again from the Bastion on the Puget Sound. Well, President Obama paid Seattle a visit this past week. Sometimes I really think this emerald city on the shores of the Salish Sea is just a little too laid back though. Or maybe it’s just my Andy of Mayberry sensibility. I mean, I expected it to be all over the media with a parade planned and interviews and live coverage from landing to take off.

Ummm, not quite. His imminent visit ran as another local headline. Three people I talked to personally didn’t know he was coming or that he’d arrived. I asked them if ~ had they known ~ they’d have taken the time to join the small crowd downtown hoping to see him. One person asked me:

“Is he granting personal audiences?”

When I explained to him that popes tend to do that a little more often than presidents, he just went like “Oh, THAT Obama.” Then he thought and said, “Presidents probably don’t do BYOB parties when they come to town either?” I told him I didn’t know for sure but that I’d never been invited to one personally.

So I asked him once again if he’d have taken time off to try to spot Mr. Obama downtown, to which he responded, “The pope Obama or the president Obama?”

The other two people I asked were part of the same small crowd at The Northstar Journal yard sale we’re running this week and wisely declined comment.

I know one person who should have known and didn’t. He’s a pilot from Chelan County, in the eastern and remote part of the state. But they have the same media we do here, just not as much of it. (I am sometimes so jealous of them for that reason.) So it’s not like he didn’t get the word because the mail stage was a little late arriving.

And how this individual got a pilot’s license is beyond me. It is impossible to fly the friendly skies of the Greater Puget Sound in anything from an ultra-light to a four banger Beechcraft and not see Boeing Field. If there is such a thing as more impossible than that, it would be to miss a landed, tethered and chocked Air Force One.

That had to have been on the minds of the two fighter pilots whose “scrambling” produced the back to back pair of sonic booms heard Tuesday afternoon shortly before two p.m. There’s been some construction in the University District so until I checked my email and got a news alert from the Seattle Times (thanks, guys), I didn’t pay much attention to it. Then when I found out the President really wanted his visit (to campaign for one of our US senators) to be low key, I thought, well, that apparently didn’t work very well either. He’d have attracted less attention here with the Mother of All Parades than he did with two sonic booms.

One of the things I appreciate about Barack Obama is that he has an extremely well developed sense of irony. Another I truly value in him is that he’s not afraid to laugh at himself. He can apologize without being an apologist and I think that speaks well of his character.

I’m sure he’ll remember his visit to Seattle. Thanks to those two sonic booms, so will the rest of us. Thank you, Mr. President, for giving us a laugh when we all really needed one.

IN OTHER NEWS

For those of us especially in rural areas of America where public and/or motorized transportation is still an option, this is good news. As Associated Press reporter Sandy Shore reports in a story headlined Gas Prices Should Fall After Labor Day. It’ll be interesting to see if that makes a difference in the emissions level. I, for one, would like to think that high gasoline prices are just one reason we don’t drive as much.

This one did NOT come as real good news because agricultural pesticides have been discovered to be the prime cause of a condition which afflicts an estimated three to seven percent of American children. It’s called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. Yep, for more on this one.

Well, Beaverton, Oregon joined the ranks of towns and cities in the Northwest which are allowing the raising of chickens within the city limits. As per the Seattle ordinance of the same nature, this came with a caveat. Hens are allowed but not roosters. We strongly suspect that just outside the city limits, there must be growing industry of roosters raised more for studding than for skewering. In some ways, this does NOT look like Old MacDonald’s farm. For more, yep, go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

I have never felt that it took a lot of money to buy happiness and while that might work on a philosophic level, it has also earned me the reputation for being a profound cheapskate and a splendid example of about how far this whole “it’s the thought that counts” shtick can be carried. Thanks to a University of Washington student who bought something really cool from us, at the Northstar Journal Surviving Hard Times Yard Sale, for about two-thirds of an already marked down price, I feel somehow redeemed. Check out this National Public Radio interview tagged Actually, Buying Happiness Isn't Very Expensive

ON THE CANCER FRONT

I try, sometimes very hard, to provide positive news about the War on Cancer or WAC, as I’ve chosen to call it. As most of you long time readers know, I lost a stepmother, a stepfather and a fiancée to one form of this disease or another. I ran across something though that needs to be shared because as most of us know, cancer is never just about the one battling it. Several of you are parents of children who contracted this disease. This article asks a “simple” question. If your child was diagnosed with terminal cancer, would you tell them? I’ll warn you now, this is NOT a fun read. Our thanks to Derek and Marjean, in Suffolk, England and to the Mail Online. Yep, go here.

RESOURCES AND RELATED LINKS:
Cancer Research Journal
National Cancer Institute (American)
Fighting Breast Cancer: Breast Cancer Survivor Stories
Science Daily: Health & Medicine News
American Cancer Statistics 2009
Canadian Cancer Statistics 2009

HEALTH NEWS

Well, in our ongoing campaign for a fit readership, we’ve found something else fun that makes a difference and that’s bicycling. It’s not the obvious cardio-vascular benefits alone either. It’s like even five minutes of it and fat cells get nervous and easier to burn or shed. Yep, for more on this one.

Post Alley, part of the Greater Farmers Market. Photo by Rusty Miller

For those of you planning to visit Seattle this month and plan to visit the Space Needle, there’s a free concert series going on there too. What some people who fly in for business or a convention do is have their hotel fix them a picnic lunch, then ask the concierge which bus goes to the Seattle Center/Space Needle and for a schedule, and then combine fine dining and a stellar view with some deli sandwiches, a grassy knoll and some outstanding sounds. Yep,check it out here.

If 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

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but a dog is man’s or so the old saws say. It’s certainly true in the case of canines and long before the vaulted St. Bernard. They continue to do so today and thanks to what they are doing with American combat troops, young men and women are surviving the unmitigated hell that war is. If you’re looking for another reason to be proud of the four-footed member(s) of the family, this’ll do it for you. If you love stories about animal heroes, this will definitely make your morning. Yep, go here.

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



YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP

I am the first person to agree that the sooner one gets started in a chosen career, the greater the chances of success. That’s why musicians and athletes don’t usually have normal lives as children. The disciple and focus it takes to learn a musical instrument, to swim competitive, to do gymnastics, the ballet and the arts in general isn’t something the pre-adolescent attention span is prepared to handle. Apparently that’s also true of criminals. To read about how a 10-year-old Jesse James finally got busted and why he’s being charged as an adult, 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 funded by contributions from readers like yourself. If you enjoyed this edition and would like to contribute to the next, please click the donate button below.

Rusty

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. PRESIDENT

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

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.

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

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

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 Miller

If 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

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

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

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

An American president lays it on the line, Leonard Cohen wins a Lifetime Achievement Award and Tai Shan goes to China to make other Pandas

Tai Shan

Hi again from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound. Well, last Wednesday evening, like millions of other people on the planet, I watched America’s chief executive pretty much lay it on the line.

President Obama, in his State of the Union Address, echoed much of what he said in his inaugural speech. Among other things, he reiterated that it is not up to a president or any other single elected individual or government body to arbitrarily make policy; but rather that “policy” should emanate from and reflect the wishes of the people.

He also said that while he would do his best to make those changes necessary, being human and new to the job, he not only expected to make mistakes but to be told that by the constituency (“us guys,” gang) and given our support in correcting for course.

In his assessment of the financial crises we’re in, he pointed out ~ and accurately so ~ that after eight years of a Republican White House – his administration did not cause what we’re facing now. His administration inherited it.

I’m real surprised, considering something incredibly stupid I heard in a chatroom I visit to sample public opinion about “America always going to hell when the ‘Dems’ are in office,” that Barack Obama did not remind people that prior to the Great Depression ~ and mind you, this was before the two-term limit on presidents was passed ~ the Republicans occupied the White House for three terms/12 years and that it was a Democrat the people chose to get them out of it.

America’s chief executive, has, however, consistently stated that he does not consider this a partisan endeavor and so far, for the most part, he’s held to the high road in these regards.

Admittedly, he’s rocking the Good Old Boy Club on Capitol Hill with his Mr. Smith Goes to Washington approach to working together. Apparently he’s not endearing himself to some other folks either. In another chatroom, I ‘heard’ someone say “We’ve got a coon in the White House.” No, I am NOT making this up so don’t even go there.

I’m recalled of another man who felt the same way America’s chief executive does and did pretty much the same thing, albeit not as a politician. Because of my profound love of that individual, I was solidly opposed to Barack Obama becoming president during these tense and trying times.

I did not want to see happen to the senator from Illinois what I saw happen to a man I admire and respect right up there with Moses, Mohammed, Jesus, Eamon DeValera and Gandhi and who was gunned down in Memphis a month after I turned 19 by some hate-filled idiot with a rifle and a lot of other ignorant, bigoted and gutless precedent backing the play.

I’m a white man so maybe I’m not supposed to feel this way but Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. meant a lot to me and I’m not sure I could remain a rational and peaceful human being if Barack Obama went out the same way. I pray Almighty God I’m not the only white guy who feels that way.

Moving right along, then, February is Black History Month in America and to learn more about the contributions these Americans have made to the nation and to the world, please go here and here.

I’m sorry to say, I didn’t watch the Grammy Awards. I understand it took on some aspects of a high-wire act. What I noted and am proud to share is that Canadian singer, songwriter, poet and novelist Leonard Cohen won a Lifetime Achievement Award. For more on this remarkable individual, please go here.

We bid a sad farewell to American author J. D. Salinger, perhaps best known for his novel Catcher In the Rye. The reclusive writer died last Wednesday at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire, at the age of 91. For more on this literary icon, please go here.

MORE GOOD NEWS

Well, we note with some alarm and a little consternation, this rash of automotive industry recalls. It’s like an international ooops with potentially grave consequences for millions of people around the world. So I’ve been looking at some alternatives and one that seems to be taking hold from Beijing to Boston to Brussels to Mumbai is the electric bicycle. Check this New York Times story out and for a list of electric bike manufacturers and more information, please go here.

We’re going to keep following what’s going on in Haiti and here’s one of the reasons why. It’s headlined: Near Quake’s Epicenter, a City Ready for Business and to my mind, it’s as heroic and inspirational a story as I’ve heard in some while. For those who have any doubts about these people’s resiliency, pride and determination to not only recover but build a better world for themselves, I’ll submit this one for consideration. Please go here.

Definitely under the category Why I Do Not Arbitrarily Dislike the Affluent, Just Because I’m Not One of Them, this particular vignette is about one of those millionaires who lives across the lake from me and has been the subject of some controversy. He’s giving $10-billion to coming up with vaccines that could keep a lot of children from dying.

To the cynical, it might be a marketing move. To me, it’s an act of compassion by a human being doing what he can, with what he has, to make a difference. In that regards, he’s no different than you and I and even though I sincerely doubt that I’ll ever be invited to his home, anyone who cares about kids is welcome in mine. Yep, for this one, please go here.

I also found a profound element of kismet in Fit Pregnancy Magazine’s deciding that Portland, Oregon is the best city in the American Northwest to have a baby. For the criteria involved and how other cities in this region ranked, please go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

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.

How are we faring, really, in all of this? Americans are, at the very least, the sum of the seven flags under this masthead and some else. Right along with the rest of us, they’re learning. Yep, check it out.

CRITTER STUFF

This first one weirds me out on a couple three levels. During the driest January since records have been kept here in Seattle, California experienced extreme flooding and now, down in San Diego, they’ve got a invasion of giant squid on their beaches.

It would be a lot more dramatic if it was like this totally and possibly apocalyptic event but San Diego’s already been through trials by fire and flood and there’s nothing in any religious texts I’ve ever read that suggests a plague of squids. These creatures also paid a previous visit like this in July of last year.

I figure that since they’ve so far not come ashore, this isn’t going to be a real hard adjustment for the humans involved. Scientists have no idea why the squids are behaving like this and apparently the squids are not volunteering any information.. Yep, check it out here and our thanks to the Palm Beach Post for this one.

In living testimony that the contention that a dog is “man’s” best friend and sometimes vice versa is not limited to stories in Alaska, America, Flanders or Greece, there’s one canine who owes its rescue from a Baltic ice floe 15 miles off Poland to the crew of a Polish oceanographic research vessel. If they make a movie about this one, I’m having a party behind it so yep, check it out here.

It’s with a heavy heart that America says good-bye to one of the most adorable creatures born under the Stars and Bars in some while. His name is Tai Shan and under an agreement with the Red Chinese government, now that he’s old enough, this panda bear will be going back to the home of his ancestors to, well, like make other panda bears and stuff. Nice going, Tai Shan. You rock, kid. Yep, go here.

YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP. Okay, sigh. What if I told you guys that one way of healing a human brain was to introduce cells from the tail of a mouse? Okay, when you’re done rolling on the floor about this one, go here and check it out, ye of little flipping faith. This one was like ultimate weird of the week for me.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

In response to our wishing a very special lady, a Happy 70th Birthday:

thank you for the lovely birthday wishes, my friend. I did have a great day and yep, 70 is simply a number and life is wonderful. On another note, my companion and I struggle with how much this 'red-headed comedian' was given in severance pay. I hope the amount is not a struggle for him to live within. All we can think of is how many people could be helped with just a fraction of what he 'earned'. Some of this stuff makes no sense to me. Thanks again, Rusty, Peggy, Sacramento, California

Peg, you're more than welcome and some of it totally blows me away too. But then I've never held that human beings were the smartest creatures ever created, except perhaps in the eyes of their own reflection.

In response to our article on International Holocaust Remembrance Day:

I know it's true Rusty and it makes me shiver..............plus thinking about where we are today and the course we are on...........! Thanks for sharing. Sandy, USA

You’re more than welcome, Lass. And Sandy, what’s going on in the world sometimes scares both the shamrock and the Star of David out of me. But then our species has been embarked upon this apparent path to self-extinction for some while now and while we may lack the talent for peace, we seem to be equally inept at TOTALLY blowing it. May we continue to be as maladroit in these latter regards.

A general response from America’s Southland:

From the red clay, humidity and easy living of South Alabama....Greetings. I agree completely with your statements vis a vis the holocaust.. Those who deny this seminal event in Jewish history and in the history of mankind (will any feminists be reading this?) in general remind me of an ostrich with its head in the sandor an old alabama 'possum who's playing dead. Regarding Haiti: I feel the natural compassion for other suffering human beings, however on the subject of relief funds I'm afraid my opinon of this is on a tangential course compared to many. Enough money has been funnelled into Haiti over the past 20 years to pave the entire country and erect earthquake resistant structures. I do realize that most of these funds wound up lining the pockets of Papa Doc Duvalier and Baby Doc Duvalier. Let's not forget the sterling leader, Jean Baptiste Aristide. I'm sure he skimmed his share. I don't feel responsible for this but I don't begrudge humanitarian shipments of food and medical supplies. Mr. Obama has already pledged one hundred million taxpayers dollars to Haiti...I would not be surprised if the USS Carl Vinson wound up just shooting bales of money off its catapults into the countryside. This wouldn't be any less willy nilly than aid packages given the Haitians in the past. Regarding Conan.......I agree. This is the silliest man in television today and unworthy of any consideration whatsoever. I realize that I'm in the minority but Jerry Seinfeld has NEVER uttered anything that I found even remotely funny........as is the case with Conan. I enjoy comics like Robert Klein and George Carlin who inject a little intellectual acumen into their presentations. Live long and prosper.

p.s. I don't know how I overlooked the bit about the WASPS of WW2. Being an aviator I especially appreciate their efforts which freed male pilots to go overseas and fight the air battles. Don't let any feminists see this statement. I'm not prepared to defend my male chauvinist pig pronoucements. As an aside to this, it's interesting that Russian women flew combat missions in WW2 or "The Great Patriotic War" to them. Several of them became aces and German pilots were mortified to find that a woman had shot them down. Many of them flew the best soviet fighter, the YAK 7 from the Yakovlev bureau. Some of them flew the obsolete Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes and harrassed the German troops at night. The Germans called them "nachthexen" or night witches It's also interesting that another obsolete biplane, the British Fairey Swordfish was instrumental in sinking the German battleship Bismarck. Speedy Neutrino, Alabama, USA

Dixie, what amazes me most about your feedback ~ aside from the fact that I agree with most of it ~ is that I know you also got it all said in one breath. Apparently they’re not only continuing to grow them intelligent below the Mason Dixon Line, but with a healthy set of lungs. Speedy, we are honored by your society.

FROM ANOTHER VERY SPECIAL LADY:

thank you for the newsletter. i loved the pic of a yellow lab. i love conan too next to letterman. leno is not a fave. hugs, fay, USA

Fay, if the big guys like those comedians, or some rock stars we both could name but are not here, had as faithful a supporter of their art and enterprises as you have been of The Northstar Journal, a lot more of them would still be with us because they would have remembered who we do things like this for in the first place. Thank you.

ANOTHER RESPONSE FROM THE STATES:

Fascinating articles! Thanks. CIP, Pennsylvania, USA

You’re more than welcome, Counselor.

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

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.

REVIEWS

If you like your news proactive and edgy, we strongly recommend this daily ezine out of Western Canada. It might also go a bit toward the re-education of those who consider their neighbor to the north long on good manners but short on guts and good sense. Canadians pick their battles and this is one good window into how they do it. For more on this one, please go here.

FOR YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING CONVENIENCE

We invite you to do all your amazon.com through by tapping the photo of Susan or the ad. 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 craftsman out there now than professionally known as Tomatoman Mike. 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.

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

Seattle dries out after heavy rains, Haitian relief escalates and Happy Birthday, Michelle

The Seattle Chamber of Commerce is probably not going to like us very much, but honesty compels. This is what it looks like in this town sometimes. This was taken in the University District of Seattle over the weekend. Photo by MS(R)M

Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week. January’s been an exceptionally wet month, with most of the western part of Washington on flood and landslide alert. But it’s nothing compared to what Haiti and other parts of North America and the UK have gone through. We’re cognizant of that and reflecting on it some as we dry out.

Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to all those impacted by the Haiti Quake. We are very proud that two former American presidents for forming a non-partisan organization to fund the long haul restoration of that devastated island nation. We also applaud President Barack Obama and his staff for, what in our personal experience at the trenches end of this kind of thing, has been a prompt, measured and well orchestrated response to this natural disaster.

Given that my own True North was among the first to respond, that gratitude extends to Canada and some beyond the five flags this modest weekly ezine reaches.

The entire international community is united in this one and I’m encouraged. It seems that more and more of us agree with English cleric and essayist John Donne, who, in Meditations 17, contended that no man is an island.

Thank you, one and all and that having been said and some closer to home…

We are also flying the Northstar flag at half mast this week as Washington State mourns the loss of one of its own to the earthquake in Haiti. The body of 22-year-old Molly Hightower was found in the wreckage of the orphanage where she worked as a volunteer. Molly was a credit to her country, her region, her community and her family. If you’d like to be inspired by a good example, please go here.

And yes, the Michelle in the headline is Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, daughter of blue collar stock in Chicago who took her bachelors in sociology from Princeton and her law degree from Harvard and was a corporate lawyer assigned to mentor a new attorney when she met her husband.

So we’d like to take this opportunity to wish America’s First Lady a happy birthday. She turned 46 this past Sunday, January 17. For more on this remarkable individual, please go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

There’s a certain irony in this one. At press time, we’re still watching the results of the senatorial race in Massachusetts. Their Democratic candidate and our governor, Christine Gregoire, have something in common besides gender and political affiliation. Chris was Washington State’s attorney general before she became our state’s chief executive. She’s promised to create 40,000 jobs at a time when there are a third of a million of us on unemployment. To find out why I think she’s going to be able to pull this off, please go here.

MORE GOOD NEWS

We meant to run this one last week but Haiti took center stage. Seven women from the International Community celebrated the new decade by skiing to the South Pole. This one’s in the finest tradition of Shackleton and Amudsen both and coming from a gene pool of strong women, I just rocked with this one and I have a feeling some of you will too. This is REAL adventure. So yep, please go here.

CRITTER STUFF

Well, thank you very much to a very distant cousin in Australia for this one. Not being inclined to dance with wolves or swim with anything bigger than I am, I remain terminally baffled by this one. I am, however reminded (constantly, sigh) that this would be a pretty boring little magazine if we had to rely on me for content. So yep, this one is about the thrill of going to Fiji and getting in the water with sharks. Have fun being a Devonian lunch and tell ‘em Charlie sent ya. Sharks. Brrrrrrrrrr.

Back on dry land and closer to home that Fiji, a species which was once nearly hunted into extinction in the Cascade Mountains of the American Pacific Northwest, and with which I’ve had some personal experience, is not only surviving but expanding its range. Yep, the howl of the wolf is being heard once again in the Deep Reaches.

If you’ve ever gone back three days into these or any other peaks and heard the primordial symphony these majestic creatures create, you’ll understand why some of us welcome them back as neighbors. For more on this one, please go here.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

FROM WINTER THE DOLPHIN AND OUR FRIENDS AT THE CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM

We are all aware of the tragedy that is currently occurring in Haiti. CMA is doing our part by helping the Hilton Clearwater Beach collect donations for the relief effort. Hilton Clearwater Beach has received a donation of a 40’ container from A-Saf-T-Box and it is up to us to help fill it. Hilton will be accepting donations and Clean the World will pick up the container as it gets full to have it shipped.

The Haitian community is in need of canned food, clothing, packaged bottled cases of water, sheets, towels, blankets, hygiene products (shaving cream, razors, soap, lotions, deodorant, tooth brushes & tooth paste), and any pre-packaged, pre-made foods and products that don’t require cooking. This is one of several large hygiene product collections that Clean the World is currently mobilizing and organizing in addition to their normal processing and collection. Additionally, Royal Caribbean has graciously offered space on cruise ships this weekend and next weekend to deliver hygiene products into the northern region of Haiti, where Clean the World has direct distribution on the ground.

Cap Haitien Health Network and Evangelical Church of Haiti (ECH) will assist in providing transportation from the northern region into the impact zone as soon as the items arrive. As a CMA supporter, we know you want to make a difference and this is a wonderful opportunity to directly assist in the relief efforts. To make a donation, simply bring your items directly to the bell station at Hilton Clearwater Beach between 9am and 5pm each day this week. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Mike Morris at mike.morris@hilton.com or 727-461-3222 ext. 195.

For more information about Clean the World, visit http://www.cleantheworld.org. For information about Hilton Clearwater Beach visit http://www.clearwaterbeachresort.com.

Thank you for your support~

Click here to learn more about Clearwater Marine Aquarium or become a member of the CMA family

FROM BELOW THE MASON DIXON IN RESPONSE TO OUR ITEM ABOUT ARLINGTON, WASHINGTON GOATS EATING RECYCLED CHRISTMAS TREES

Here in the South, Christmas trees are frequently tied together along with a concrete block and put in lakes and ponds to build structure where bass and crappies can be found soon after the immersion. Many of them don't go to waste or wind up in a landfill. I abhor the cutting of trees and believe that Christmas trees should only be purchased at a Christmas tree farm. As a youth and even as a young father I went on the Christmas tree cutting expedition but as I've aged my views, as is often the case, have changed. The older I get, the more amazed I am at how much I DON'T know

Well, this one’s not exactly in the category of YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP. It’s more insidious. It’s like WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! . There’s an eight-year-old New Jersey Cub Scout whose mother swears that young man cannot get on commercial transportation without a lot of extra hassle simply because he’s on the Transportation Security Administration’s Watch List.

And he’s only on that list because he shares the same name as someone (we can only assume, at this point) who “deserves” to be on it. Unflipping real that some acreage in Detroit almost became scorched earth because of someone who should have been on it was not caught and this evolving Boy Scout gets a bad time from the country he’s in training to serve. I guess this belongs under yet a third category. GIME ME A BREAK.

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 (and also looks for same from you guys)


FUN STUFF

Interactive

Take this test to see how your memory compares with the average. Click here for fun games to improve your memory.

Virtual Experiences

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.

REVIEWS

Music CDs

Over the holidays, I had a chance to experience Susan Boyle’s “I Dream A Dream” CD. And if ever there was a good time for this one, it is surely now, when it seems as though the whole world could use some hope, some inspiration and an example of how a complicated soul simply expressed can make a difference. I was a professional dance and show combo leader with time in grade at 18 and I know what it takes to move an audience.

It’s a lot more than just being able to sing well. To sing for working class people, who don’t really believe anybody who hasn’t been where they have, it takes being able to get inside the song and become that song.

Check out the selections on her CD. They include: Wild Horses; I Dreamed A Dream; Cry Me A River; How Great Thou Art; You’ll See; Daydream Believer; Up To The Mountain; Amazing Grace; Who I Was Born To Be; Proud; The End of the World; and Silent Night.

Susan does that with each and every one of them. Getting into the song and becoming the song. Like most folks, I suspect, I wanted to hear I Dream A Dream first. That was the same stellar experience the first time I watched her totally wow a panel of British judges and then do it all over again in the Colonies as it were.

As I listened, though, to the other songs, I totally forgot about Susan, the one who did that one. Like she did, I became the soul of those for whom these songs are written and for whom she sings them. It wasn’t hard because I am one of those.

And as haunted as hard times make all of us, including me, she took me to a place where people experience it about as deep as it cuts and yet survive to grow and find a better life. She made me feel a little less lonely and a lot more connected.

I was brought up to believe that whatever a person did in this life, they should never forget who they are as a person. Ms. Boyle has done that both by personal example and in her art. I expect me and mine will be in her debt for some while.

Thank you, Susan, Lass. We are honoured by your society.

To purchase this online, we invite you to go here.

Good Reads

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.

FOR YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING CONVENIENCE

We invite you to do all your amazon.com through by tapping the photo of Susan or the ad. The Northstar Journal receives a 15% commission on whatever you purchase through this link.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

I made chowder, you made pickles. Let’s trade
I so love it when my “home and native land” proves yet again that they have something to teach the International Community about surviving hard times. You’ll love this one, gang. With thanks to the Toronto Globe & Mail.

And lest we think this is limited to country folk, consider this one, headlined, Bootstrapping taken to new extremes in tech industry

Or how about a seasonable application regarding Christmas trees? (This will be a real stretch for those of you in Toronto, New York, Dublin, London and Paris) Ever imagine having one delivered to your home by bicycle? Real close to the category of You Guys Think I Make This Stuff Up so by all means, go here ye yahoos of little faith

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 about a month 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.”

CCleaner - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com
The home of Spybot-S&D! “For the past few years I've been using two free programs to remove the tracking cookies we accumulate every time we visit a site. Both have proven safe and reliable. Try them. You'll be surprised at the amount of binary barnacles your pore little hard accumulates as it sails the cyber seas. Sorry, but neither program eliminates alliterative purple patch prose. Like mine.”
Mike Browne, Sacramento, CA

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.

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

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania photographer waved at by polar bear

This little tomato, rescued from some bad times itself, has managed to hang in there as of this writing. Yep, in Seattle. Photo by MS(R)M

Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week. I don’t know how many of you watched US President Barack Obama’s Tuesday evening address to the nation regarding America’s involvement in Afghanistan but we did here and obviously some of you did as well, judging by the email we’ve received.

You may as well know, this is not a fun subject for me either. I don’t like thinking about it and I enjoy writing about it even less. But several of you have asked how I feel about it and that’s part of the contract.

Historically, Afghanistan has never truly been conquered or contained. The last to attempt it were the Russians when they were still part of the Soviet Union. Just like the French in Vietnam, they were defeated and I’m afraid the outcome will be the same for America in Afghanistan as it was for the US in Vietnam.

As Mr. Obama spoke, the cameras panned across all those future military officers; young men and women in their prime, educated and trained to give their all in the finest of traditions. I could not help wondering how many of them would be alive in two years and, as well, how those kinds of sacrifices might possibly be better served much closer to where these kids grew up.

I am, in principle, opposed to the taking of a human life. As a combat veteran, I am personally horrified by war. As a caring person with young people in my life, two of whom served in Operation Desert Storm, the mounting casualties of both the war in Afghanistan and the one in Iraq make me still fear for my own. I’ve lost too many and I expect most of you can relate to that now then, eh?

I honestly don’t know what’s best in this situation. I only know that as long as military involvement continues to be an option, all efforts to solve the economic and social problems which yet plague the United States and the other flags on this masthead will necessarily be compromised. I would prefer no more of it.

Moving right along then, eh?

To the Fourth Flag, With Thanks For A Good Example
As a follow-up to our coverage of the worst storm in Britain in a quarter century, here’s to a slender young lady engineer of 26 from Oxfordshire who spent a week up there using her skills to help shore up bridges in the wake of the flooding and who slept in shelters, comforting the displaced. She remembers holding one 92 year old woman through the night and until her children were able to get through to her.

This was Fran’s first experience with something like this but it was not mine. So I know what this young lass who means so much to this household has been through. When she spoke of the generosity and simple kindness and compassion shown all around, I can relate to that. I was born under the second flag on this masthead and Canadians are no strangers to the British “stuff upper lip.”

Welcome home, Francesca. Finest kind, Sweetheart. Marseille is also proud.

Autumn Swine Flu Season Peaks in America
In a report recently released by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the New York Times, Overall doctors’ visits for flu declined for the fourth week in a row. Hospitalizations dropped for the third straight week, and, for the first time, there appeared to be a clear drop in weekly deaths. For the statistics and a longer range forecast, please go here.

CRITTER STUFF

Even Jules Verne Could Not Have Imagined This
This is another of those “not furry and not prowling around the moat of the Bastion on the Puget Sound but probably swimming deep down in said castle water skirt” news bytes. Having been scared out of swimming with orcas at an early age, the knowledge that deep in the ocean, far beyond the reach of sunlight and good sense, there are according to Edward Vanden Berghe, who manages Ocean Biogeographic Information System, and as reported by the Portland Oregonian’s Scott Learned
5,772 species living more than a half mile down there makes me very glad I was born without gills, fins, big lungs or enough curiosity to go down that deep and start counting stuff like that. Some of what they found down there was WEIRD. Check it out here.

MAYBE GOOD NEWS, MAYBE BAD, BUT I’M NOT SURPRISED

In the wake of this economic downturn, as of September in America and according to the Wall Street Journal, women held down 49.9% of this nation’s jobs. In this yet Industrial Age, it should not surprise any of us that heart problems have topped the list of the big ten that kill women in America, including cancer.

That’s not good news in my house. It strongly suggests one common denominator might have something to do with how we’re living and what we’re living for. Just a thought. The good news is that according to the Mayo Clinic, most of these are preventable. Yep, please go here.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

This is an opportunity to do something totally off the wall to a few kids in a place most of you have never heard of, much less been. You get a box of See’s chocolates out of the deal. This is from Peg, in Sacramento, California..

I have information to share that will bring joy to a lot of people locally and otherwise..... (See's Candy!) and hopefully, a new community pool at Carmichael Park.Kiwanis Club of Carmichael, CA is partnering with See's Candy to raise funds for the proposed Aquatic Center at Carmichael Park. H&R Block has donated space for us to set up the candy shop and people can avoid long lines at See's Candy stores and visit the Carmichael Kiwanis store instead!
From now thru Thursday December 24th at 4005 Manzanita Avenue (Courtesy H & R Block)
Bel Air Shopping Center (next to Starbucks) MAP
I've attached a flyer about the sale and here's the website for more information about the proposed Aquatic Center http://carmichaelpark.com/capps.htm
If you need more info, please contact me at my email address: Pegleghill@aol.com. I'll probably be at the shop, so come visit me and buy all your See's Candy Christmas presents.
If anyone is interested in purchasing candy from us, I would be happy to send it postage free. Needless to say I need information and money paid before I can do this.
Oh by the way, the prices of the candies whether bought at a regular Sees Candy Store or from us are the same.
Oh....here's the club's website: http://www.carmichaelkiwanis.com/
Thanks for your consideration and thanks Rusty for putting this on your blog. In the midst of recessions, economic downturns and more, I am pleased to be with a group who feels that children need and deserve to laugh and smile.

You’re welcome, Peg. Good luck with this and our check’s in the mail. Our warmest regards to the Delta.

This next one also comes from my former home in California and I’m proud to say it’s also from the finest personal essayist I’ve ever read. (Also see Northstar Recommends below) His name is Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike. His blog is The Tomatoman Times. He’s got two dynamite free computer maintenance software programs to recommend. I’ve been using them for years and endorse both without reservation.

For the past few years I've been using two free programs to remove the tracking cookies we accumulate every time we visit a site.

Both have proven safe and reliable. Try them. You'll be surprised at the amount of binary barnacles your pore little hard accumulates as it sails the cyber seas.

Sorry, but neither program eliminates alliterative purple patch prose. Like mine.

CCleaner - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

The home of Spybot-S&D!

Mike

UNDER THE CATEGORY YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP

If I told you that this photographer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania got waved at by a polar bear, how many of you would believe me? Come on. I want a show of hands here. (Drumming my fingers lightly on the microphone.) That’s what I thought. Well guess what, yahoos and yahoettes? This time, I’ve got proof. And photos. All you have to do is click 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.

Mick
aka Rusty

(And for those curious about both names, like the two countries I claim as home, I’ve got two names; the one I was born with and the one I was given after I was adopted. I’m going back to the first one, Micheal Sean-Patric McGuire)


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.

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 about a month 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

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