BLOOD, OIL, GAS & COAL

Hi again from the Bastion on the Puget Sound. Well, American Gulfporters got yet another heart-stopper this past week. The bad news is a second oil platform exploded. The good news is that there was no loss of life and since it wasn’t pumping anything, no oil or natural gas leaks.

Is it just me or is that still not very reassuring? How safe are the rest of those rigs out there? I’d love to see the actuals on a few of them. I’d also like to know what the industry considers an acceptable risk when they keep men, machinery and materiel on the job for too long.

I have a feeling I’d hear what I’ve heard before, off the record. The demand for the product determines the risk factor. And who determines the demand? We do. For as long as we’ve been using fossil fuels, miners and wildcatters have been dying hard and in inordinate numbers. That doesn’t seem to have mattered very much to us.

If that is, in fact, true ~ particularly in light of the dramatic evolution of renewable options ~ I’m wondering whether the responsibility for dead miners and wildcatters rests with those directly involved or whether it is ours.

Seems to me there’s some blood mixed in with that coal, that oil and that gas. And more than a gallon or so of widow’s tears.

IN OTHER NEWS

Last week, we reported on a rural Washington State school teacher who somehow managed to keep his job after being twice arrested for inappropriately touching his female students. State school superintendent Randy Dorn suspended the teaching license of Michael Moulton, thus ending what victims say is a thirteen-year history of victimizing the most vulnerable. We consider this a totally appropriate intervention by state government and we are actually prouder of that than we are ashamed that in our home state, that this extremely questionable excuse for a decent human being lasted as long as he did in public education. Yep, for more.

This will come as good news to those of us who love organic gardening and consuming the harvest of same. A study recently released by Washington State University (Go Cougars!) confirms that in the case of strawberries, the fruit in “Fruit and Soil Quality of Organic and Conventional Strawberry Agroecosystems, organics are better for both the consumer and the soil in which they are grown. For more on this one.

If you love a good fight for a worthy cause, there’s one shaping up in the interior of Canada’s western province, British Columbia. There’s a proposal to open a new copper mine and the First Nations are opposing it fiercely. To see what North America’s original environmentalists are doing to make a stand, please go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

We’ve spent a lot of time ~ and based on your emails, appropriately so ~ on the more hands-on, non-cyber aspects of surviving hard times. But I got to thinking that those of us who have access to the Net also have ways to generate an income. In my house, it’s another sugar can. I have a potential client now who produces fine walking sticks, flutes and stone sculptures. He’s also soon going to be teaching a course in the last one. The first photo below is the stone he found. The second is what it told him it wanted to be.

He’s also a performing musician who loves demonstrating the instruments he makes. I started out in life in the same art and trust me, he’s good. He’s not interested in being famous but he wouldn’t mind some land on this side of the mountains, his own place, replete with a studio where he and his protoges can create good music. He also wants a workshop for his walking sticks and stone sculptures.

Most of all, he wants an all-weather place of his own to market what he produces. That’s “real time” we’re talking about here. He’s fully aware that yard sales, flea markets, etc. are not going to help much in those regards.

By his own admission, he is totally Internet challenged. He does, however, recognise the value of online marketing. He’s got the stuff and all he really needs is to be promoted honestly and appropriately out there in Cyber Land. That’s what I’m doing and it’s worth 20% commission to him.

We’re talking website creation and networking. And yep, I’m also teaching him how to do it. Nobody lives forever and he’s perfectly capable of doing the whole nine yards himself. It’s just part of the learning curve.

And yep, since I’m also a novelist with a book for sale, I’m hoping for an ‘agent’ with as much enthusiasm for that one admittedly modest attempt at literature of mine as I have a profound appreciation of his art.

This link I found talks about a lot more ways to use the Net to make money. So yep, for this one, go here.

ON THE CANCER FRONT

This has got to be good news not only for those suffering from an admittedly rare form of cancer (tracheal) but, by implication, for all transplant patients. In this specific case, it’s essentially a donated windpipe using the patient’s implanted healthy stem cells to generate tissue which more closely resembles what it is replacing. Yep, we’re talking about dramatically reducing the risk of transplant rejection of other organs, as well. For more on this one, please 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

Good health really can be fun, as I learned once again at this website entitled Froot Facts. Did you know, for instance, that whenever you munch down on a stalk of celery, you’re eating what the ancient Greeks awarded the winners of sporting events? This is another great reference, as well, for parents to motivate their kids to eat what’s good for them. Yep, for this one, please go here.

Eating healthy foods can also be budget enhancing and according to a recent Public Health Nutrition study, one dish is as cheap as fifteen cents American. Without realizing it, we’ve been eating like this for years and our doctor, who has two kids still in college, hates us. We are contributing nothing to their education expenses. The folks at the Farmer’s Market and the PCC Co-Op, however, love us to death. Yep, for more on this one, please go here.

SEATTLE SCENES

The University District Farmers Market, Seattle, Washington

Photo by Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller

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

Ralph

Sasha

I’ve mentioned before that Northstar’s household is critter friendly and I’ve regaled you folks with stories and video of the bears, cougars, bobcats, and bald eagles “taking back the ‘hood’” as it were out here. I almost had myself convinced it was a “Northwest thing,” so I’m delighted to report that there’s a borough in New York City undergoing an ‘invasion’ of raccoons. Yep, check it out here. (And Ralph says hello.) If it’s happening anywhere else under these seven flags, we’d love to hear about it, with a link and permission to share. Email us here then.

Well, given what we’ve reported about dolphins and sea lions being trained to protect the American portion of the Salish Sea (Greater Puget Sound), it comes as good news of sorts to learn that the American government is tightening up regulations around what is appropriate killer whale watching. Us being who we are, however, we’ll go along with it until the first time there’s a military incident in these waters. Then, you will not be able to keep us off of them. This is our home and theirs as well, so if you want to engage in this stupidity, take it outside. You’ve got the whole Pacific Ocean for this. We really don’t need this in our backyard.

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

For as much as we call for an accounting of human weirdness in this column, we are nonetheless constantly on the lookout for those individuals and behaviours which ennoble the species and address the compassion, the charity, the strength of character and the integrity which is also part of the gene pool of our species. This story comes from “east of the mountains,” as we refer to that part of our state which lies on that side of the Cascades. It is headlined “German woman gets to thank Portland woman in person for post-WWII CARE packages”. Seattle Times reporter Erik Lacitis is one of the finest chroniclers of life here on the shores of the Salish Sea and he’s crafted a powerful, moving and penultimately inspiring story of friendship and love. 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

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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

CONGRATULATIONS, MRS. MEZVINSKY

Hi again from the Bastion on the Puget Sound. Well, today, Camelot blossomed once again as former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton wed long-time beau and best friend, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, exchanged vows at a Beaux Arts estate on the Hudson River called Astor Courts.

Ms. Clinton was resplendent in a strapless white gown with silver beading around the waist and Mr. Mezvinsky was, we understand, quite dashing in a dark Burberry suit. The mother of the bride wore fushia. The two-part ceremony was conducted by a minister and by a rabbi, as per the religions of the bride and groom respectively.

It was, as well, a celebrity-studded event and besides close friends and family, those in attendance included Madeleine Albright, secretary of state during Chelsea’s dad’s second term; family friend and fashion designer Vera Wang, who created Chelsea’s wedding gown; and Hollywood couple Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.

It was, by all reports, the stellar event of the summer on the Hudson and a good time was had by all. For more on this one, please go here.

Related
As Chelsea Clinton Celebrates Her Wedding, Town of Rhinebeck, N.Y., Elbows Its Way In

IN OTHER NEWS

At a time when it’s sometimes easy to feel as though things have gotten thoroughly and totally out of hand, it’s nice to read news to the contrary. And to me, when it involves as something as fundamental to survival as improving the quality of the air we breathe, the land we seek to sustain us, and most importantly, perhaps, the water on which we so vitally depend, I feel personally empowered. For an excellent example and a splendid treatment of the subject in general, yep, go here.

When a major industry embraces regional biofuels, I pay attention. When I’ve been involved in that industry and live in that region, I pay considerably more. And when it turns out to be an exportable model for the other six flags under The Northstar Journal masthead, I pass it along. Our thanks to Caroline Hidalgo of the Portland Oregonian for this one headlined “Northwest Aviation Leaders Aim To Develop A Regional Biofuel Industry.”

In a related development which has me just a little nervous, the Boeing Aircraft Company plans on having 90 percent of its jets recyclable by 2016. That means they’re going to be made of used materials or new ones which will be. And I’m thinking, oookay. I mean, I’m cool with drinking out of cups, wearing clothing, using a computer, shopping with and buying stuff in containers that have been recycled. But going up 30,000 feet at a little less than the speed of sound in this big roaring steel, glass and polystyrene mother ship made from stuff that at one time I probably drank out of, wore, keyboarded, packed groceries in and took a can opener to? Ummm, that’s like when I decide to get daring in the kitchen. Being the quintessentially polite soul that I am, I always offer housemates (and/or sometimes people who walk by in front of the place when I’m sitting out on the steps chowing down) my latest culinary adventure. If they survive the first couple of bites, I’ll try it. So for those of you who collect frequent flyer miles like a hypochondriac does symptoms, and who want to keep soaring across those friendly skies past 2016, let me know how it goes. If it still works out for you, I might try a flight from Seattle, Washington to Bellevue, Washington. Most of that’s over water so if anything goes wrong, at least I can swim home. Yep, for more on this one, go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

A real big part of surviving hard times (and good) is having the energy to enjoy a full day and feeling good at the end of it. Those of us still looking for work or worried about keeping the income we still have often make the mistake of cramming so much into our waking hours that we either forget to eat breakfast or skimp, figuring we can catch up at lunch or dinner. That is sooo NOT a good idea and it’s totally self-defeating. For the profound medical truth behind this one, please go here.

CROSSING OVER

We join theatre goers and theatrical professionals under at least these seven flags in observing the passing of American-Canadian actor Maury Chaykin. Character actor and screenwriter True Boardman, Jr. once observed that the stage and screen were not supported by the stars among them but by those who remained all but invisible, who so became the characters they played and portrayed so many, that they lent credibility to both the best and the worst moments of Don Juans and divas alike. True was my mentor and I’ve enjoyed Mr. Chaykin’s contributions for most of my adult life. He left quite a legacy behind and his example has not been lost on others. For a much finer tribute than this, please go here.

NORTHSTAR, THE DRAGON

HUMANS NEED TO CHANGE TO AVOID VIOLENT WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS

Shannon Moneo

Victoria — From Friday's Globe and Mail Published on Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010 10:34PM EDT Last updated on Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010 10:36PM EDT

As B.C. experiences a bizarre season of wildlife-human conflicts, with a rare attack by a black bear and deer being demonized for attacking people and pets, a wildlife ecologist says people need to change.

“Humans aren't particularly good at modifying their behaviour to accommodate wild animals,” said Chris Darimont, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and research scientist with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “Humans have concluded we hold dominion over wild animals.”

But increasingly, humans are sharing space with mammals such as deer, who are in effect food migrants, following what Mr. Darimont refers to as “delicious things in gardens and lawns.”

Unpleasant incidents occur when humans push the instinctive buttons that animals have for dealing with predators, Mr. Darimont said from his Victoria office.

One example occurred on July 20, when a woman in Victoria went for a walk with her medium-sized mutt and saw a doe with three fawns. She cautiously kept moving, but the doe charged and later stomped on her dog, who wasn’t badly injured. To the doe, the dog was a wolf, and thus a threat to her fawns, so naturally she displayed anti-predator behaviour, Mr. Darimont said.

“We don’t think of deer as aggressors,” he said. “We think of them as big-eyed creatures.” When they attack, it’s completely unexpected, eliciting a raw response that harkens back to human evolutionary memories of being both predator and prey, Mr. Darimont explained.

In Cranbrook, a doe attacked a dog in June, and earlier this month a newspaper carrier was left with a black eye after a deer encounter. The eastern B.C. community, as well as neighbouring Kimberly, are polling their residents to see what should be done, with a cull as one solution. In Victoria and Nanaimo, residents have also been calling for deer culls due to the damage the animals are doing to gardens.

According to Ministry of Environment spokesperson Angie Poss, a cull is only one method. Repellents, landscaping alternatives and fencing are other possibilities. Population reduction strategies such as capture-and-relocate programs and fertility-control strategies are other options.

But eliminating deer from urban settings won’t be easy, Mr. Darimont said. The easily accessible, nutritious food found in yards, along with a loss of predators, are sustaining urbanized deer.

“The only default is to modify our behaviour to avoid encounters,” he said. “Fence our gardens better, don’t let dogs approach deer.”

Other animals are also losing their natural habitats. A 2004 Journal of Bioscience study reported that in North America, grey wolves have lost 42 per cent of their range, cougars have lost 36 per cent, grizzly bears 53 per cent and black bears 39 per cent.

In the case of the recent black-bear attack, a Vancouver Island man had been sleeping outside under a tarpaulin near Port Alberni, even though a bear had been spotted around the campsite three days earlier when food was briefly left out.

“If the camper had knowledge of a bear hanging around in camp, it’s likely not a wise thing to be sleeping outside,” Mr. Darimont said. “If the bear was hanging around camp, that bear had access to food before the event occurred.”

The attack on the sleeping camper, which left the man with head wounds requiring plastic surgery, as well as other wounds, was only the second ever on Vancouver Island by a black bear that resulted in injury. Mr. Darimont suspects the male, 68-kilogram bear may have mistaken the man for a deer.

Special to The Globe and Mail
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ON THE CANCER FRONT

This is another one of those, “I Get to Smile Because Something I Get Dinged For A Lot Turns Out To Be a Cancer Fighter.” I am a delicatessen sandwich-aholic and a fanatic for extreme toppings. I have learned that lots of onions, hot mustard, jalapenos, assorted exotic peppers and garlic at the right time also have certain socially tactical benefits like on company I really don’t want hanging around a long time. I have also discovered that it endears me to others who share my passion and to me, spice is all. In short, if there’s no horseradish in Heaven, I’m going to Hell for lunch. It turns out cancer hates horseradish as much as I adore it. Yep, for more on this one, 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

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.

This is sooo Seattle I almost fell out of my chair laughing. First of all, I happen to share my neighbor’s passion in these regards and second, I love it when someone in my own town can turn me on to great seafood restaurants I’ve never heard of before. Check this one out then, under the headline “Why sardines ought to be on Seattle's plate”. Our thanks to Hugo Kugiya at Crosscut.com for 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


This one falls under “A Very Messy Job, Thank God Somebody Was Willing To Do It. In this case, it was cleaning off a bald eagle which landed in a sludge pond at an Oregon sewage treatment plant. The public utility workers didn’t mind wading in and getting the great bird but they had no place to put it so some volunteers from the Wildlife Center of the North Coast picked it up and drove it to their facility in Astoria. The female raptor rode the whole way in the lap of one of her human rescuers and then got to take four baths in warm water and Dawn liquid detergent. She’ll try out in the Center’s 100-foot flight cage and released later back around Newhalem. Nice going folks. And for more, go here.




Thanks to an exceptionally wildlife-savvy American jurist, the endangered lynx will now have thousands of acres more protected habitat in Montana, Idaho and Colorado. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy concluded that these creatures were wrongly excluded from the same protections granted other species facing imminent extinction. Thank you, Your Honor, and for more on this one, 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

This one ought to come as real good news to those who guard our nation from the undesireable and the just a little too our there. A guy tried to smuggle 18 baby Titi monkeys into Mexico in what authorities described as his “girdle.” He said he’d thought of leaving them in his suitcase but was worried that the x-rays might hurt them. He was taken into custody and charged with trafficking in an endangered species. The fate of the monkeys has not been officially disclosed but an informed source has it that the 16 who survived will be returned to their native Peru and placed in the care of local wildlife authorities.

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