Hi again from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget. In some ways, this has been one of the more interesting and certainly tragic weeks in recent memory. And while it’s not our intention to bring anyone down, we do intend to address the losses as well as the gains. That’s what we do here.
Our hearts go out to the people of Poland, who last week lost their president and dozens of their country’s military and political leaders, when an aircraft carrying those dignitaries crashed while attempting a landing in thick fog at the Smolensk Airport in Russia.
The Polish delegation flew there, to this site of the 1940 Soviet Army execution of 20,000 of the Polish Army’s elite officer corps in the Katyn Forest, to join their former adversaries in a nations-healing exercise of profound significance to both peoples. It was a ceremony of reconciliation.
In Poland and Russia, we have two proud nations who have far more in common than they have different, mourning a massacre neither of them ~ because they weren’t there at the time ~ is responsible for. They are remembering so they never forget and so that it will never happen again.
That kind of healing occurs in families, sometimes, and nations are nothing more than big families. Now, these two countries have something else to commemorate. And because there were 97 people on that plane from Poland who had to die one more time to make sure things like the Katyn Forest Massacre, the Warsaw Ghetto and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising never happen again, they both have something else to never forget.
For more on this one:
Related links:
Katyn Forest Massacre Memorial site (In Polish and English)
Time Magazine: The Katyn Forest Massacre
Inside Poland: News, Facts, Figures & Other Information
Poland - Wikipedia
Poland Mourns Nation’s Loss, Begins to Rebuild
Even as we’re publishing, we’re reading about the massive earthquake which struck China this morning near its border with Tibet. Despite the remoteness of the province and county involved, preliminary reports cite a death toll of 400, 10,000 injured and still others buried under debris and rubble. For more on this one:
Our hat goes off to the leaders of both America and Russia for hammering a few more swords into ploughshares. We’re well aware that both nations will still have enough in their respective nuclear arsenals to turn Planet Earth into a big black cinderball but the message here is as clear as the direction. Nuclear war is apparently passing out of fashion as an instrument of foreign policy or international diplomacy by two of the three nations who made it an option in the first place. Lots of gnarly stuff flows down hill. I hope this does too. Nice going, guys. Please carry on. For all our sakes.
The list of this year’s Pulitzer Prize winners has been published and we are proud to report that one of our favourite newspapers, The Seattle Times, was one of them. So was a play which originated in a neighboring community across Lake Washington. Considering the teasing I’ve taken down the years about living in a gloried trading post that had to be rebuilt because the tides kept making its sewers back up, this was especially sweet. Yep, for more on this one:
Under the It’s Definitely Not Necessarily Good News But We Need to Know It Anyway, if anyone has any illusions about how this Recession has changed, literally, the course of human history, they won’t after reading this Washington Post and Washington Tribune story headlined Millions of Unemployed May Never Recover. It’s a grim read but an informative one and I did not, strangelyi perhaps, walk away from this one depressed, even though I happen to be one of those millions mentioned. Yep, for more:
And for those who still may not believe in miracles, you might want to check out the story of Nadia Bloom, an eleven year old Florida girl who spent five days in an alligator and water moccasin infested swamp and was found alive and complaining a little about all her mosquito bites. If you believe, as I do, in guardian angels, this young lady has a flock of them. It makes me wonder what great things she’s destined to do with the rest of her life. Go, Nadia Bloom. You rock, girl. For more and a video:
Starting in June, Washingtonians will be paying more for candy, gum, bottled water and non-microbrewery beer. In order to close a budget shortfall of $2.8-billion, a sales tax has been levied against these commodities. To see what other measures lawmakers in Olympia took to keep government and its services running:
Our hearts go out to the people of Poland, who last week lost their president and dozens of their country’s military and political leaders, when an aircraft carrying those dignitaries crashed while attempting a landing in thick fog at the Smolensk Airport in Russia.
The Polish delegation flew there, to this site of the 1940 Soviet Army execution of 20,000 of the Polish Army’s elite officer corps in the Katyn Forest, to join their former adversaries in a nations-healing exercise of profound significance to both peoples. It was a ceremony of reconciliation.
In Poland and Russia, we have two proud nations who have far more in common than they have different, mourning a massacre neither of them ~ because they weren’t there at the time ~ is responsible for. They are remembering so they never forget and so that it will never happen again.
That kind of healing occurs in families, sometimes, and nations are nothing more than big families. Now, these two countries have something else to commemorate. And because there were 97 people on that plane from Poland who had to die one more time to make sure things like the Katyn Forest Massacre, the Warsaw Ghetto and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising never happen again, they both have something else to never forget.
For more on this one:
Related links:
Katyn Forest Massacre Memorial site (In Polish and English)
Time Magazine: The Katyn Forest Massacre
Inside Poland: News, Facts, Figures & Other Information
Poland - Wikipedia
Poland Mourns Nation’s Loss, Begins to Rebuild
Even as we’re publishing, we’re reading about the massive earthquake which struck China this morning near its border with Tibet. Despite the remoteness of the province and county involved, preliminary reports cite a death toll of 400, 10,000 injured and still others buried under debris and rubble. For more on this one:
Our hat goes off to the leaders of both America and Russia for hammering a few more swords into ploughshares. We’re well aware that both nations will still have enough in their respective nuclear arsenals to turn Planet Earth into a big black cinderball but the message here is as clear as the direction. Nuclear war is apparently passing out of fashion as an instrument of foreign policy or international diplomacy by two of the three nations who made it an option in the first place. Lots of gnarly stuff flows down hill. I hope this does too. Nice going, guys. Please carry on. For all our sakes.
The list of this year’s Pulitzer Prize winners has been published and we are proud to report that one of our favourite newspapers, The Seattle Times, was one of them. So was a play which originated in a neighboring community across Lake Washington. Considering the teasing I’ve taken down the years about living in a gloried trading post that had to be rebuilt because the tides kept making its sewers back up, this was especially sweet. Yep, for more on this one:
Under the It’s Definitely Not Necessarily Good News But We Need to Know It Anyway, if anyone has any illusions about how this Recession has changed, literally, the course of human history, they won’t after reading this Washington Post and Washington Tribune story headlined Millions of Unemployed May Never Recover. It’s a grim read but an informative one and I did not, strangelyi perhaps, walk away from this one depressed, even though I happen to be one of those millions mentioned. Yep, for more:
And for those who still may not believe in miracles, you might want to check out the story of Nadia Bloom, an eleven year old Florida girl who spent five days in an alligator and water moccasin infested swamp and was found alive and complaining a little about all her mosquito bites. If you believe, as I do, in guardian angels, this young lady has a flock of them. It makes me wonder what great things she’s destined to do with the rest of her life. Go, Nadia Bloom. You rock, girl. For more and a video:
Starting in June, Washingtonians will be paying more for candy, gum, bottled water and non-microbrewery beer. In order to close a budget shortfall of $2.8-billion, a sales tax has been levied against these commodities. To see what other measures lawmakers in Olympia took to keep government and its services running:
Being both a student of, and to a certain extent, a victim of hard times past and present, I’ve seen and done some pretty shabby things to survive but one thing I’ve never done is rip off a church. The closest I’ve ever come is spending all day in a theatre in Long Beach, California, watching a movie about this kid sailor who cleaned out the collection box of the base chapel and ended up getting sentenced to Portsmouth Prison for like twenty years. Yep, The Last Detail.
This really exemplary robbery I’m talking about now was actually the theft of the plumbing, which in this particular structure, was copper. There’s apparently quite a market for it and other places in the past have been stripped of wiring and fixtures made of the stuff.
I had just enough fire and brimstone in my religious upbringing to actually be afraid for what’s ultimately going to happen to these thieves when they die and go before Judgment. I wonder what the punishment in Heaven is for doing a House of God? What do you suppose copper’s going for Up There these days?
CROSSING OVER
We return to Montcoal, West Virginia to mourn the last four of 29 miners trapped deep underground when methane gas exploded at the Upper Big Branch mine April 5th. Both the US Senate and House have promised to investigate and Gov. Joe Manchin III called for a national moment of silence at 3:30 Monday afternoon. For more on this and to contribute to a fund for the families left behind:
We bid a fond farewell to American television star Dixie Carter, who died of cancer in her Los Angeles home, her husband, American television and film actor Hal Holbrook, at her side. Perhaps best remembered for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on the hit series “Designing Women,” the native Tennessean was nominated for an Emmy for her work on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”. Ms. Carter was 70.
This really exemplary robbery I’m talking about now was actually the theft of the plumbing, which in this particular structure, was copper. There’s apparently quite a market for it and other places in the past have been stripped of wiring and fixtures made of the stuff.
I had just enough fire and brimstone in my religious upbringing to actually be afraid for what’s ultimately going to happen to these thieves when they die and go before Judgment. I wonder what the punishment in Heaven is for doing a House of God? What do you suppose copper’s going for Up There these days?
CROSSING OVER
We return to Montcoal, West Virginia to mourn the last four of 29 miners trapped deep underground when methane gas exploded at the Upper Big Branch mine April 5th. Both the US Senate and House have promised to investigate and Gov. Joe Manchin III called for a national moment of silence at 3:30 Monday afternoon. For more on this and to contribute to a fund for the families left behind:
We bid a fond farewell to American television star Dixie Carter, who died of cancer in her Los Angeles home, her husband, American television and film actor Hal Holbrook, at her side. Perhaps best remembered for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on the hit series “Designing Women,” the native Tennessean was nominated for an Emmy for her work on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”. Ms. Carter was 70.
The American television community lost another beloved member with the passing of actor John Forsythe. The star of Bachelor Father, he later went on to win fame and professional awards as Blake Carrington in Dynasty. What many may not realize is that he was also the voice of Charlie on Charlie’s Angels. A total professional but a modest one, he once offered this estimate of his own talent. “I figure there are a few actors like Marlon Brando, George C. Scott and Laurence Olivier who have been touched by the hand of God. I’m in the next bunch.” Mr. Forsythe, a native of New Jersey, died at his home in Santa Ynez, California, of pneumonia, after a year long battle with cancer. He was 92.
GOOD NEWS
Well, according to National Bureau of Economic Research, the Recession is over. Most Americans are apparently reluctant to believe it and even the government is not out buying party supplies. New York Times economic reporter Floyd Norris takes a look at the last seven Recessions to determine why. For more on this one:
Awhile back, we reported on how the City of Portland, Oregon managed to turn its drainage system into a tourist attraction. I thought the whole thing was a little loopy but since it was working, I just shrugged and went, “sounds like something they’d try down in San Francisco.” One of these days, I will learn. Maybe. The City of San Francisco has decided to make a tourist attraction of its Tenderloin District. Apparently, despite a certain amount of gentrification over the years, there are still enough drug addicts, panhandlers, disabled and mentally incurable people living there to make it some form of urban exotica. I almost split my Kevlar over the name they’ve come up for it. Check out San Francisco’s new spin on Reality Tourism. There’s nothing more I can possibly say that beats the story itself. For more on this one:
Doctors at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance have come up with a far less invasive way to diagnose lung cancer where the lymph nodes are involved. It doesn’t require surgery. It doesn’t take as long and it’s not nearly as expensive. For more on this one:
COOL STUFF WE FOUND ON THE NET AT A GOOD PRICE (FREE)
The trouble with cleaning most computer screens is that you can only get the smudges, dust, etc. that are on your side of it. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could do BOTH sides? And enjoy the company of humankind’s best friend in the process? Thanks to the wizardry of cyber science, now both are possible. For the cleanest screen on your street:
And just in case, in this anxiety ridden age, you don’t think you have enough to worry about, take a minute or two and watch the population of the planet grow before your very eyes. I don’t normally recommend a stress-INDUCER but after a coffee break with this one, somehow a lot of my own worries assumed a more manageable perspective. For the World Population Clock:
SURVIVING HARD TIMES
Sometimes what keeps me going are outrageous but successful examples of outside the box thinking. I know, as well, that just because you’re not punching the proverbial time clock doesn’t mean you can’t make a living. Since the start of this Recession and as we’ve shared with you in numerous articles, we’ve seen the proliferation of “cottage industries” started by a few daring and inventive souls who proved to their neighbors and communities that a lot of people could get in on this one.
I also find it a tad disconcerting that somehow, goats keep cropping into this weekly ezine. I’m not a fan of them, their milk, or their cheese. The only thing I have ever been accused of having in common with them ~ aside from a tendency to batter and butt stuff so that when I stop, I get a rush ~ is the indiscriminate palate attributed to these cloven hooved creatures of a Creator with a profoundly weird sense of humor.
It all comes together in Associated Press reporter Jeremy Hsieh’s story headlined “Goat farms spur growth in Alaskan cheese making”. So baa and stuff. And enjoy.
HEALTH NEWS
The next time you’re in pain, relief might only be a breath away. Researchers have determined that taking deeper breaths than usual and holding them for a couple of seconds not only reduces pain but anxiety as well and make people generally happier overall. Yep, to check it out:
Medical science has apparently positively determined that Recessions are a real pain. If it doesn’t give you one, it’ll make buddies with those aches, bruises and strains you already have and invite them over for a party. On you. And in you. To see what you can do about Recession Pain doing a home invasion number, yep, to check it out:
CRITTER STUFF
Well, it happens but it’s rare. Whale watchers on a tourist boat Sunday got to see a gray whale mugged by a gang of transient orcas who are not part of the three pods which frequent the Puget Sound. These hooligan killer whales rammed their victim several times and then took off for waters unknown. The gray, familiar for the last 19 years to local wildlife enthusiasts and known as “Patch,” swam to shallower waters to recover and was seen Monday, swimming with others of his kind, apparently unhurt. The exact identity of the perpetrators of the assault have not been established and no arrests were made.
YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
If I told you guys there was a three-year-old girl in China who tightrope walks above tigers, even though she’s afraid of them (and you hadn’t seen The Today Show Tuesday), would you believe me? To those of you who nodded, I guess I’m not the most gullible person in the whole world. I mean, I wouldn’t believe me. And I’d be wrong. Nope, I’m not making this up. She’s tethered so when she slips, which she does occasionally, she doesn’t hurt herself. When we watched the video on this, we got the impression the child was not totally enthusiastic about this. But all concerned said all the safety regulations were being obeyed. I assume that also means keeping those tigers the best fed and happiest on the planet. No, I do not consider this a sane form of employment for any human being, much less a young one. But I also don’t live in China and I am not about to tell 1.3 billion people I don’t know what constitutes an appropriate after school job for kids. For a video, more on this and to share your feelings on the subject:
Well, that’s it for now. Before you leave, you might want to check out Northstar Recommends. We’ve added (and will continue to do so) cool things we find. And if you’re in a shopping mood, we invite you to peruse our amazon.com ads and our reader-generated Northstar General Store.
Take care, stay well, thanks again for the ear and we’ll see you next week. Hang tough, gang. We’re going to make it and come out better for the learning, then, eh?
Rusty
NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS
RESOURCES
Maker Culture: Taking Things Into Our Own Hands - For 12 weeks in the fall of 2009, 45 online journalism students at Ryerson University and the University of Western Ontario worked together to document the evolving Maker Culture community.
Maker Culture? That's coders, fabricators, foodies, artists, educators, activists, citizen and even scientists grabbing the Do-It-Yourself ethic with both hands and changing our world in the process.
These are people who aren't just making things, they're making a point of sharing what they've learned, what they've made, and why. Often, for free.
Makers are responding directly, locally to globalization, commercialization, copyright and central command and control.
This is the introduction to a fascinating series on how to become more self-reliant, live a lot more economically and enjoy the company of others doing the same. If you’re looking for ideas, inspiration and resources to get through hard times or just to simplify you life, we highly recommend this one.
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.
Stalking Resource Center division of the National Center for Victims of Crime – Internet harassment, stalking and abuse in general is now against the law. If you’re being victimized or if you know of someone who is, this is an excellent resource.
FUN STUFF
If you share my passion for American History, you’re going to love AmericanWest.com This is historical society stuff that is also extremely interesting to read. So yep, just in case you didn’t get it the first time, check it out here.
Houston At Night and other totally cool images are available at the Earth Observatory, along with an incredible array of other outer space images. This is one of NASA’s more engaging websites and it’s here, as well, that you can subscribe to their online newsletter. Whether you’re an aerospace/astronomy buff or simply enjoy stargazing, this is an excellent site.
Ever been told you look like someone famous? Ever not been told that but would like to have been? Find a photo of yourself, go to this site, MyHeritage.com, upload it and get a gallery of celebrities you resemble, to one degree or another. Yep, it’s a total waste of time and an unabashed indulgence of ego. Probably two reasons why I totally loved it, even though a couple of my own pix didn’t turn up any results. It’s fun to play with so enjoy.
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.
Ever get so stressed you feel like you’re really jammed up against it? Take a deep breath and check out you’re surroundings is the advice of Dr. Roberta Lee in her book The Superstress Solution. We have and what I’ve generally found is that the outside reflects the inside. If I’m real busy, jackets get tossed over chairs, used coffee cups appear magically on window ledges and desk top clutter takes on a total biosphere all its own. Perhaps not surprising, dealing with the outside can really help you relax. And although we don’t recommend you try this at home, if you wait long enough, it can be also be real good exercise. This is a mental health must so check it out here. We’re reading Dr. Lee’s book now and we bought it here.
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.
There’s a new book out now which could make a dramatic difference in the way toward the way women experience the passing of years. Despite major industries involved ~ cosmetic, fitness, elective surgery, to name three ~ the idea that women become less attractive as they grow older has also very likely contributed to more anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, etc. than any other single factor in a woman’s life except cancer and childbearing.
We also suspect that it has probably cost men just as much, if not more, than it has cost women, even in a nation historically known for its tolerance of a double standard. The book is entitled Face It: What Women Really Feel as Their Looks Change. Read about it here and if you decide you’d like to purchase it online, you can buy it here. I especially recommend this to men. It’s time our gender took more responsibility for this.
RESOURCES
Maker Culture: Taking Things Into Our Own Hands - For 12 weeks in the fall of 2009, 45 online journalism students at Ryerson University and the University of Western Ontario worked together to document the evolving Maker Culture community.
Maker Culture? That's coders, fabricators, foodies, artists, educators, activists, citizen and even scientists grabbing the Do-It-Yourself ethic with both hands and changing our world in the process.
These are people who aren't just making things, they're making a point of sharing what they've learned, what they've made, and why. Often, for free.
Makers are responding directly, locally to globalization, commercialization, copyright and central command and control.
This is the introduction to a fascinating series on how to become more self-reliant, live a lot more economically and enjoy the company of others doing the same. If you’re looking for ideas, inspiration and resources to get through hard times or just to simplify you life, we highly recommend this one.
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.
Stalking Resource Center division of the National Center for Victims of Crime – Internet harassment, stalking and abuse in general is now against the law. If you’re being victimized or if you know of someone who is, this is an excellent resource.
FUN STUFF
If you share my passion for American History, you’re going to love AmericanWest.com This is historical society stuff that is also extremely interesting to read. So yep, just in case you didn’t get it the first time, check it out here.
Houston At Night and other totally cool images are available at the Earth Observatory, along with an incredible array of other outer space images. This is one of NASA’s more engaging websites and it’s here, as well, that you can subscribe to their online newsletter. Whether you’re an aerospace/astronomy buff or simply enjoy stargazing, this is an excellent site.
Ever been told you look like someone famous? Ever not been told that but would like to have been? Find a photo of yourself, go to this site, MyHeritage.com, upload it and get a gallery of celebrities you resemble, to one degree or another. Yep, it’s a total waste of time and an unabashed indulgence of ego. Probably two reasons why I totally loved it, even though a couple of my own pix didn’t turn up any results. It’s fun to play with so enjoy.
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.
Ever get so stressed you feel like you’re really jammed up against it? Take a deep breath and check out you’re surroundings is the advice of Dr. Roberta Lee in her book The Superstress Solution. We have and what I’ve generally found is that the outside reflects the inside. If I’m real busy, jackets get tossed over chairs, used coffee cups appear magically on window ledges and desk top clutter takes on a total biosphere all its own. Perhaps not surprising, dealing with the outside can really help you relax. And although we don’t recommend you try this at home, if you wait long enough, it can be also be real good exercise. This is a mental health must so check it out here. We’re reading Dr. Lee’s book now and we bought it here.
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.
There’s a new book out now which could make a dramatic difference in the way toward the way women experience the passing of years. Despite major industries involved ~ cosmetic, fitness, elective surgery, to name three ~ the idea that women become less attractive as they grow older has also very likely contributed to more anxiety, high blood pressure, depression, etc. than any other single factor in a woman’s life except cancer and childbearing.
We also suspect that it has probably cost men just as much, if not more, than it has cost women, even in a nation historically known for its tolerance of a double standard. The book is entitled Face It: What Women Really Feel as Their Looks Change. Read about it here and if you decide you’d like to purchase it online, you can buy it here. I especially recommend this to men. It’s time our gender took more responsibility for this.
FOR YOUR SHOPPING CONVENIENCE
And for a truly unique shopping experience, drop by and browse THE NORTHSTAR GENERAL STORE.
Press Releases, Product Reviews, Promotional Copy, Digital Photography, Online Research and Investigation, Ghost Writing, Special Projects. Seattle-based and wired into the International Community. For more information, email to minstrel312@aol.com or go here -> Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist.
GOOD “READS”
Books
If you’d like to read something which combines the best elements of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a neo-eco Mickey Spillane detective thriller, you’ll love this one.
“In the brave new world of the Internet, FedEx and an international taste for the exotic, wildlife poachers steal everything from elk horns to geoducks, the world's largest clam. In the waters of Puget Sound in Washington state, state wildlife agents stalk these thieves on land and at sea. In "Shell Games: Rogues, Smugglers, and the Hunt for Nature's Bounty," Seattle Times environmental reporter Craig Welch joins these detectives on the trail of one of the region's most notorious geoduck thieves.”
Welch, a Seattle Times environmental reporter is a compelling writer and this excerpt from the book would be worth the experience even if we were not also fascinated by the subject. If, after reading this extract, you’d like to buy the book, you’ll find it for sale here.
News
BBC – Best source of international news.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (multi-media), the Toronto Globe & Mail and the Vancouver Sun -- outstanding sources for Canadian national, provincial, and world news.
KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.
New York Times – Best source of American news.
Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.
Seattle Times – Best source for news of the city and the Puget Sound. Its reportage is unbiased but their columns and other opinion pieces do reflect the predominant values of the Pacific Northwest.
Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.
Entertainment
BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,
TomatoMan Times -- For those who love good writing, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsmen out there now than professionally known as Tomatoman Mike. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck is, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.
U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.
Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.
See you next week, eh?
