Hi again from the Bastion on the Puget Sound. This week, a bottlenosed dolphin who hung out in New Zealand died. His name was Moko and he had a real obnoxious attitude sometimes. He also spent most of his life saving water-stupid human beings and helping water-smart ones rescue others of his species and cousins, like tide beached whales.
On a remote part of the planet, this dolphin has been making communications history and swimming its talk. It doesn’t just care about its own. It cares about us. And it has neither the time nor the energy to differentiate between a jackass and a pachyderm, a Muslim or a Jew, a Baptist or a Buddhist, a Catholic or a charismatic. In his world ~ water ~ we all pretty much look the same.
There aren’t a lot of people in New Zealand so when 400 people show up not only to say good-bye to a dolphin but to build him a coffin and go the whole flipping distance, I figure that’s worth a least passing notice now then, eh?
Moko, you were a class act and you’re going to be a tough one to follow. Thank you, lad, for the time you chose to spend among us. Attitude and all.
IN OTHER NEWS
We’re delighted to hear that apparently BP’s latest attempt to cap the Deep Horizon oil spill has been successful. Pressure tests were run on the new cap and it looks like it’s holding. BP is also running ads on American television promising to stay in the Gulf until the damage has been totally mitigated and to assume total financial responsibility. I’m not much up to raining on anyone’s parade but I’m skeptical. If BP and other industry leaders had taken such a responsible approach in the first place, neither the Exxon Valdez tanker spill nor this one involving a fixed installation would likely have happened or, if they had occurred, would have been handled with more dexterity than the Three Stooges on ice. As I’m sure millions of us around the world are doing, we’ll continue to keep an eye on this and to promote safer and saner alternatives. The Nation magazine just came out with a special Green edition and its lead says it all. “The real solution to the BP oil disaster is obvious: the United States needs to break its addiction to oil."This special issue of The Nation describes, in practical terms, how the country can rise to that challenge.”
It was interesting to hear about the “earthquake” in Washington, DC. We were somehow not surprised. We just thought it was another several hundred thousand unemployed Americans who lost their benefits, banging their fists on the table, shaking their heads and wondering how a nation with even the marginal literacy rate of this one could have elected such ninnies and nincompoops to represent their interests on a national level. I don’t think November’s going to see much change but I’m betting we’ll see a much lower voter turn out as Americans from one Bangor to the other realize that if anyone is going to look out for them, it’s going to be their neighbors, their community, in a lot of cases including ours, our state government. It’s not going to be a collection of self-aggrandizing professional politicians who bring enough pork home to clog the arteries of even the greediest of bacon lovers. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, God Rest His Soul, did that and ruined his state’s economy as a result. The federal government is failing millions of Americans a day and as self-indulgent as the children of the eagle can be, when they get their proverbial bellyful, they demonstrate a remarkable ability to survive without the assistance their tax dollars are paying for. And yep, an even more predictable penchant for evading those taxes. The Tea Party is too noisy for the kind of revolution gathering over the land now. This “movement” has no leader because it needs none. In my opinion, the changes we’re likely to see have been long overdue.
Related
Frustration and Despair as Job Search Drags On - NYTimes.com
Washington State continues its self-directed evolution toward lifestyle self-sufficiency with a landmark report published by the University of Washington entitled “Opportunities for Increasing Access to Healthy Food in Washington.” Jennifer Langston, the Sightline Daily reporter who reviewed this comprehensive document, said it offers over 500 steps to better eating.
As far as we’re concerned, this is another example that can be studied and applied in every community under these seven flags. So even if you’re not really into it yourself, we’d appreciate you passing it along to community leaders, co-op directors and others involved in efforts like this. Here’s the link to Jennifer’s story. Here’s the link to the report she discusses.
SURVIVING HARD TIMES
This article in Yes Magazine entitled “How to Share Time: When dollars are scarce, timebanks help neighbors swap skills, instead” is as useful as it is fascinating to read. Its lead sets the tone.
“During the last two great depressions in the U.S., hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of people organized to meet their basic needs when the mainstream economy and centralized monetary system failed them. Unemployed poor folks got together to create time dollar stores and cooperative mills, farms, health care systems, foundries, repair and recycling facilities, distribution warehouses, and a myriad of other service exchanges.”
We definitely recommend this one. Writer Mira Luna has done her homework and we also appreciate that the publication itself is sited not far from here on Bainbridge Island, another jewel of Cascadia. Yep, go here.
ON THE CANCER FRONT
Medical researchers in Washington State have led the fight to cure cancer and those at Washington State University in Spokane have found a way to make cancers age prematurely and die.
"Hopefully, we can make cancer cells die like normal cells," says Weihang Chai, an assistant professor in the WSU School of Molecular Biosciences and WWAMI medical education program in Spokane. "Basically, you make the cancer cell go from immortal to mortal."
For this and a lot more about what’s being done to beat this one, please 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
If you’re having a tough time getting a good night’s rest, you might want to consider the time of day you bathe or shower. According to a RealAge.com article entitled The Best Time to Shower For Better Sleep, “research shows that older adults who stick to a routine when it comes to personal care tend to fall asleep faster and enjoy better sleep quality compared with folks who have erratic schedules.” I also appreciated this piece because it includes tips on how to not only get more sleep but BETTER sleep. Yep, for more, go here.
I’m an unabashed admirer of American First Lady Michelle Obama and her concern for the health of the nation’s youth. Her campaign to eradicate childhood obesity has focused national attention on this epidemic and ignited a blaze of food quality legislation that cannot help but make a big difference. Michelle is also America’s First Mom and I found this interview in which she discusses how she talks to her daughters about health totally ingenuous and certainly inspirational. Yep, for more, go here.
SEATTLE SCENES
If you’re planning to visit Seattle in the near future, you might want to check these sites out first.
SUMMER GUIDE
Let us steer you to the best beaches, festivals and fun.
JULY EVENTS
JULY 5 – 30: Seattle Chamber Music Society Summer FestivalBenaroya Hall - Downtown Seattle. The Seattle Chamber Music Society presents its 27th Summer Festival, held July 5th - July 30th. The main Summer Season consists of Twelve Concerts each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings... beginning at 8:00 PM.
JULY 16 – 18: Bite of Seattle
Seattle Center - Downtown Seattle. First introduced to the Seattle area in 1982 at Greenlake with 26 Restaurants and 1 Entertainment Stage, the ` Bite of Seattle ' has grown into one of Seattle's largest Summer Festivals, with more than 50 of Seattle's finest Restaurants... 30 Food Product Companies... 5 Beer Gardens... live Entertainment... a Comedy Club... Piano Bar... Wine Tasting... and more!. Festival Hours: Friday & Saturday 11 AM - 9 PM; Sunday 11 AM - 8 PM. Nearby Hotels: Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue - Executive Pacific Plaza Hotel
PART OF SEATTLE HAD TO BE REBUILT because the tides made toilets, which we didn’t have when our pioneering antecedents first got here, back up. The Pioneer Square Underground Tour tells most of us all we know about what lies underneath Seattle our fair city. It's a touristy exploration of the city's oldest basements, a jokey excursion through an urban underbelly filled with commentary about the foibles, and drinking habits of the city's lusty pioneers. It's the closest many of us come to seeing firsthand the archaeology of the city. Yep, for more on this one:
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
Most of us know how important honey bees are to the global ecosystem. Probably as many of you are aware that something has been killing these incredibly intelligent and complex creatures. Researchers consider these flying insects among the best communicators in the world but so far, they haven’t been able to tell human beings what’s wrong. However, there is a member of our species, a very special person, who does understand them and is on the verge of a breakthrough which could insure their survival and literally redefine our perception of intelligence and sentience among the rest of the creatures with whom we share this planet. Yep, for more on this one, go here.
Recommended Related Links:
BBC’s wildlife finder
National Geographic Daily News - Animals
Well, it’s been about three months since a creature for whom I have a great deal of forbearance but no enduring affection has surfaced again, thanks to a new neighbor watching me out in the front yard hacking away at a blackberry thicket that wasn’t there the night before. He suggested that there was an easier way and proceeded to expound on the virtues of this creature who has a passion for not only the most persistent and fanatical of all our local flora but for a lot of other underbrush that Nature had never intended for a mammal’s stomach. He had me sold until I figured out what he was talking about. If you think you know, go here immediately. If you need a hint, it ain’t Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer.
YOU GUYS (STILL OCCASIONALLY) THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
I didn’t think this one was weird so much as a little discriminatory. As we’ve reported in the past, Seattle’s really going back to its agricultural roots and in a greater metropolitan area which shares its skyscrapers with eagles, its parks and its suburbs with bear and cougar, its trees with sometimes very territorial owls and its neighborhoods with raccoons, the leap is not so great to make. We’re growing more of our own food and people raise chickens in their backyards. Well, now it seems some twit on the Seattle City Council says hens are cool but roosters are noise pollution.
I don’t know whether to send this not-too-bright elected official a bottle of dandruff shampoo for his tonsils or Windex for his bellybutton but it’s clear to me this individual’s head is so far up somewhere he can’t be seeing too clearly. I mean, even for Seattle, notorious for its obnoxious eccentrics, this is a stretch. Where does this City Councilman think eggs come from? Immaculate conception? And what about other hens? Seems there’s also a concern about surplus roosters. I’m thinking, “Sell a rooster and a hen as a matched set when they’re chicks. And two roosters to a gay couple as pets.
With a little creative marketing, there’s a fair menu of options out there. If they can put a chicken in every pot (I hate myself too when I do that), it seems to me they could put a pair of them in every backyard. And community gardens. Make them cool. Get high schools to start calling their teams things like The Rhode Island Reds or The Cockadoodle-Doers. Extol the virtues of male chickenhood. Set up chatrooms for the discussion of them. Form a national organization and pay lobbyists to seduce lonely legislators for laws to protect roosters and provide for their welfare. Make this great nation of ours a symbol of liberty, equality and fraternity for chickens all over the world.
It’s what makes us great. It’s the American Way.
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.
Rusty
On a remote part of the planet, this dolphin has been making communications history and swimming its talk. It doesn’t just care about its own. It cares about us. And it has neither the time nor the energy to differentiate between a jackass and a pachyderm, a Muslim or a Jew, a Baptist or a Buddhist, a Catholic or a charismatic. In his world ~ water ~ we all pretty much look the same.
There aren’t a lot of people in New Zealand so when 400 people show up not only to say good-bye to a dolphin but to build him a coffin and go the whole flipping distance, I figure that’s worth a least passing notice now then, eh?
Moko, you were a class act and you’re going to be a tough one to follow. Thank you, lad, for the time you chose to spend among us. Attitude and all.
IN OTHER NEWS
We’re delighted to hear that apparently BP’s latest attempt to cap the Deep Horizon oil spill has been successful. Pressure tests were run on the new cap and it looks like it’s holding. BP is also running ads on American television promising to stay in the Gulf until the damage has been totally mitigated and to assume total financial responsibility. I’m not much up to raining on anyone’s parade but I’m skeptical. If BP and other industry leaders had taken such a responsible approach in the first place, neither the Exxon Valdez tanker spill nor this one involving a fixed installation would likely have happened or, if they had occurred, would have been handled with more dexterity than the Three Stooges on ice. As I’m sure millions of us around the world are doing, we’ll continue to keep an eye on this and to promote safer and saner alternatives. The Nation magazine just came out with a special Green edition and its lead says it all. “The real solution to the BP oil disaster is obvious: the United States needs to break its addiction to oil."This special issue of The Nation describes, in practical terms, how the country can rise to that challenge.”
It was interesting to hear about the “earthquake” in Washington, DC. We were somehow not surprised. We just thought it was another several hundred thousand unemployed Americans who lost their benefits, banging their fists on the table, shaking their heads and wondering how a nation with even the marginal literacy rate of this one could have elected such ninnies and nincompoops to represent their interests on a national level. I don’t think November’s going to see much change but I’m betting we’ll see a much lower voter turn out as Americans from one Bangor to the other realize that if anyone is going to look out for them, it’s going to be their neighbors, their community, in a lot of cases including ours, our state government. It’s not going to be a collection of self-aggrandizing professional politicians who bring enough pork home to clog the arteries of even the greediest of bacon lovers. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, God Rest His Soul, did that and ruined his state’s economy as a result. The federal government is failing millions of Americans a day and as self-indulgent as the children of the eagle can be, when they get their proverbial bellyful, they demonstrate a remarkable ability to survive without the assistance their tax dollars are paying for. And yep, an even more predictable penchant for evading those taxes. The Tea Party is too noisy for the kind of revolution gathering over the land now. This “movement” has no leader because it needs none. In my opinion, the changes we’re likely to see have been long overdue.
Related
Frustration and Despair as Job Search Drags On - NYTimes.com
Washington State continues its self-directed evolution toward lifestyle self-sufficiency with a landmark report published by the University of Washington entitled “Opportunities for Increasing Access to Healthy Food in Washington.” Jennifer Langston, the Sightline Daily reporter who reviewed this comprehensive document, said it offers over 500 steps to better eating.
As far as we’re concerned, this is another example that can be studied and applied in every community under these seven flags. So even if you’re not really into it yourself, we’d appreciate you passing it along to community leaders, co-op directors and others involved in efforts like this. Here’s the link to Jennifer’s story. Here’s the link to the report she discusses.
SURVIVING HARD TIMES
This article in Yes Magazine entitled “How to Share Time: When dollars are scarce, timebanks help neighbors swap skills, instead” is as useful as it is fascinating to read. Its lead sets the tone.
“During the last two great depressions in the U.S., hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of people organized to meet their basic needs when the mainstream economy and centralized monetary system failed them. Unemployed poor folks got together to create time dollar stores and cooperative mills, farms, health care systems, foundries, repair and recycling facilities, distribution warehouses, and a myriad of other service exchanges.”
We definitely recommend this one. Writer Mira Luna has done her homework and we also appreciate that the publication itself is sited not far from here on Bainbridge Island, another jewel of Cascadia. Yep, go here.
ON THE CANCER FRONT
Medical researchers in Washington State have led the fight to cure cancer and those at Washington State University in Spokane have found a way to make cancers age prematurely and die.
"Hopefully, we can make cancer cells die like normal cells," says Weihang Chai, an assistant professor in the WSU School of Molecular Biosciences and WWAMI medical education program in Spokane. "Basically, you make the cancer cell go from immortal to mortal."
For this and a lot more about what’s being done to beat this one, please 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
If you’re having a tough time getting a good night’s rest, you might want to consider the time of day you bathe or shower. According to a RealAge.com article entitled The Best Time to Shower For Better Sleep, “research shows that older adults who stick to a routine when it comes to personal care tend to fall asleep faster and enjoy better sleep quality compared with folks who have erratic schedules.” I also appreciated this piece because it includes tips on how to not only get more sleep but BETTER sleep. Yep, for more, go here.
I’m an unabashed admirer of American First Lady Michelle Obama and her concern for the health of the nation’s youth. Her campaign to eradicate childhood obesity has focused national attention on this epidemic and ignited a blaze of food quality legislation that cannot help but make a big difference. Michelle is also America’s First Mom and I found this interview in which she discusses how she talks to her daughters about health totally ingenuous and certainly inspirational. Yep, for more, go here.
SEATTLE SCENES
If you’re planning to visit Seattle in the near future, you might want to check these sites out first.
SUMMER GUIDE
Let us steer you to the best beaches, festivals and fun.
JULY EVENTS
JULY 5 – 30: Seattle Chamber Music Society Summer FestivalBenaroya Hall - Downtown Seattle. The Seattle Chamber Music Society presents its 27th Summer Festival, held July 5th - July 30th. The main Summer Season consists of Twelve Concerts each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings... beginning at 8:00 PM.
JULY 16 – 18: Bite of Seattle
Seattle Center - Downtown Seattle. First introduced to the Seattle area in 1982 at Greenlake with 26 Restaurants and 1 Entertainment Stage, the ` Bite of Seattle ' has grown into one of Seattle's largest Summer Festivals, with more than 50 of Seattle's finest Restaurants... 30 Food Product Companies... 5 Beer Gardens... live Entertainment... a Comedy Club... Piano Bar... Wine Tasting... and more!. Festival Hours: Friday & Saturday 11 AM - 9 PM; Sunday 11 AM - 8 PM. Nearby Hotels: Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue - Executive Pacific Plaza Hotel
PART OF SEATTLE HAD TO BE REBUILT because the tides made toilets, which we didn’t have when our pioneering antecedents first got here, back up. The Pioneer Square Underground Tour tells most of us all we know about what lies underneath Seattle our fair city. It's a touristy exploration of the city's oldest basements, a jokey excursion through an urban underbelly filled with commentary about the foibles, and drinking habits of the city's lusty pioneers. It's the closest many of us come to seeing firsthand the archaeology of the city. Yep, for more on this one:
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
Most of us know how important honey bees are to the global ecosystem. Probably as many of you are aware that something has been killing these incredibly intelligent and complex creatures. Researchers consider these flying insects among the best communicators in the world but so far, they haven’t been able to tell human beings what’s wrong. However, there is a member of our species, a very special person, who does understand them and is on the verge of a breakthrough which could insure their survival and literally redefine our perception of intelligence and sentience among the rest of the creatures with whom we share this planet. Yep, for more on this one, go here.
Recommended Related Links:
BBC’s wildlife finder
National Geographic Daily News - Animals
Well, it’s been about three months since a creature for whom I have a great deal of forbearance but no enduring affection has surfaced again, thanks to a new neighbor watching me out in the front yard hacking away at a blackberry thicket that wasn’t there the night before. He suggested that there was an easier way and proceeded to expound on the virtues of this creature who has a passion for not only the most persistent and fanatical of all our local flora but for a lot of other underbrush that Nature had never intended for a mammal’s stomach. He had me sold until I figured out what he was talking about. If you think you know, go here immediately. If you need a hint, it ain’t Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer.
YOU GUYS (STILL OCCASIONALLY) THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
I didn’t think this one was weird so much as a little discriminatory. As we’ve reported in the past, Seattle’s really going back to its agricultural roots and in a greater metropolitan area which shares its skyscrapers with eagles, its parks and its suburbs with bear and cougar, its trees with sometimes very territorial owls and its neighborhoods with raccoons, the leap is not so great to make. We’re growing more of our own food and people raise chickens in their backyards. Well, now it seems some twit on the Seattle City Council says hens are cool but roosters are noise pollution.
I don’t know whether to send this not-too-bright elected official a bottle of dandruff shampoo for his tonsils or Windex for his bellybutton but it’s clear to me this individual’s head is so far up somewhere he can’t be seeing too clearly. I mean, even for Seattle, notorious for its obnoxious eccentrics, this is a stretch. Where does this City Councilman think eggs come from? Immaculate conception? And what about other hens? Seems there’s also a concern about surplus roosters. I’m thinking, “Sell a rooster and a hen as a matched set when they’re chicks. And two roosters to a gay couple as pets.
With a little creative marketing, there’s a fair menu of options out there. If they can put a chicken in every pot (I hate myself too when I do that), it seems to me they could put a pair of them in every backyard. And community gardens. Make them cool. Get high schools to start calling their teams things like The Rhode Island Reds or The Cockadoodle-Doers. Extol the virtues of male chickenhood. Set up chatrooms for the discussion of them. Form a national organization and pay lobbyists to seduce lonely legislators for laws to protect roosters and provide for their welfare. Make this great nation of ours a symbol of liberty, equality and fraternity for chickens all over the world.
It’s what makes us great. It’s the American Way.
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.
Rusty
