Tasmanian Devil rescued from extinction and other news of considerable consequence

Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week. And one of those where most of the “headline news” seems to change every few hours or so and ranges from health care to the newly revealed private life of a national icon to the Herculean (and perhaps Sisyphian) task of protecting airline travelers from terrorists, and including a man in Las Vegas whose government benefits were reduced so, in retaliation, he kills two people who had nothing to do with it and is himself killed.

One Nevadan I spoke to said that at least the guy got his Social Security death benefits. I seriously doubt that but it did address the general craziness that seems to accompany times like these. I also thought it was a rather sad commentary on human compassion. I wish I could say it was limited to just this one individual but it wasn’t.

That is NOT the way I like leaving one year and entering another so I exercised a personal option. I decided to ignore it all until it all settles out and to turn, instead, to things more positive that are also going on in the midst of all this Armageddon-unfolding coverage of these other works in progress. Yuppers, I went looking for GOOD news and by golly, I found some.

Moving right along then, eh?

The first assessment of how the United States reacted to the swine flu pandemic has come in, and, as, Donald G. McNeil, Jr. of the New York Times reports:

Although it is too early to write the obituary for swine flu, medical experts, already assessing how the first pandemic in 40 years has been handled, have found that while luck played a part, a series of rapid but conservative decisions by federal officials worked out better than many had dared hope.

Yep, for more on this one, please go here.

And under the profoundly good example category and so true to the Pacific Northwest way of doing things, a Seattle woman who built the first girls school in Afghanistan found out that one of the local militants, recently returned from Pakistan, is trying to get this institution closed down. So the founder of that school is going back to Afghanistan to make sure that does not happen.

Hope she remembers to pack wool sox with her Birkenstocks and that this yahoo who has made this trip necessary has also made peace with his ancestors. Like our Canadian neighbors to the north, we’re mostly laid back. Until roused. Yep, check it out.

And again, from the Puget Sound and if you think rich folks don’t care, you just might want to check out a new PBS documentary addressing, as Seattle Times reporter Kristi Heims puts it:

What is the secret to happiness? Even billionaire philanthropists want to know.

Just in time for the post-holiday doldrums, a new documentary conceived by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen aims to shed light on that question.

Yep, for more on this one, go here.

And for those of us who insist on seeing through the worst of times to a happy ending and are also into gadgets and stuff, including a small electric bicycle motor that recharges during coasting and breaking there’s a technology show in Las Vegas I really wish had been done at the convention center here in Seattle. My jealousy in these regards notwithstanding, check this one out.

Several blogs ago, we reported that Seattle has become the nation’s most congested city. We also shared with you that light rail service is running between the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SeaTac) and downtown Seattle’s Westlake Center.

Now, it appears, there’s another alternative and that’s a site that also helps taxi drivers and their families by making it possible for people to share a cab ride to and from SeaTac. Granted, winter is not our prime tourist season, but then again, we don’t always wait for it to stop raining before we fix a leak in the roof. Yep, go here.

This one may not come as especially good news to women but an Australian study has concluded that women who take mates get heavier than women who do not. Don’t stone the messenger and for more information, please go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

Surviving hard times also means taking care of yourself and sometimes, as busy as we are working, looking for work, doing the domestic engineer thing, etc., the simpler tending to our health is, the more likely we are to do it. This one is for kicking a cold or the flu and involves drinking a warm cup of something you probably already have in the refrigerator. Check it out.

MORE GOOD NEWS

Something has been discovered on the moon that is totally weird but could very likely make the colonization of that big piece of cheese a reality a lot sooner than anticipated. It’s a hole about 260 feet/70 meters high and 213 feet/65 meters wide and covered over with a thin layer of lava. They’re called lava capsules and the moon, Mars and earth have them. This one would essentially shield a lunar colony from the extreme effects of temperature, etc. And now that water’s been positively confirmed up there, the whole idea’s being taken more seriously in government and private sectors alike. For more on this one, please go here.

CRITTER STUFF

Well, we’ve got two good ones for you this time and from half the globe apart. The first involved the miraculous survival of nine out of ten sled dogs in Alaska when their musher (driver), in training for that Iron Man of the Way North, the Iditarod, fell off and the team continued on without him. For more on this one, please go here.

We didn’t know that the Tasmanian Devil, that whirling dervish Warner Brothers made so famous as a cartoon character, was facing extinction due to cancer. Apparently, however, scientists have discovered the cause and are discovering a host of vaccines to treat it. I can’t say I’d ever want to run into one of these in the wild but if Tasmanian and other places on the other side of the globe think they’re cool, I have absolutely no issues. Yep, for more on this one and to see what a real Tasmanian Devil looks like, please go here.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

In response to our commentary on the Pew ranking of the most religious American states, we received this, from a reader Pennsylvania emailed:

Interesting stats on religion per state. Pennsylvania ranks pretty high in the importance of religion. My childhood hometown was reported to have the highest number of churches per capita in the United States (possibly in the world).

What's odd about these stats, however, is that the divorce rates in many of the most religious states tend to be higher than in the least religious. I read an article about that a couple of years ago. (Also, if I recall correctly, the percentages of out-of-wedlock births are higher in many of the most religious states.)

On the other hand, the divorce rates in the New England states tend to be lower. (PA has a medium religious score and a lower divorce score, which is cool.)

Here's the most recent data I could find quickly online. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923080.html

I guess those heathens know how to stay married.

I also noticed that the further west one moves, the less importance seems to be placed on religion, which strongly suggests to me that any efforts to save red souls before sending their souls to perdition in such places as Sand Creek could perhaps be more wisely invested in white souls.

Having said this, however, I hope it’s also clearly understood that I shared this with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek. Remember, I also believe in astrology, the Easter Bunny, romance and Santa Claus. I am not a definitive source for any of this stuff, however.

And this one sort’ve slides over into the YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP category so what if I told you that right in the middle of Seattle, in a real nice but not UP Upscale neighborhood, there’s a wild coyote whose been running loose for a couple of months but hasn’t eaten any pets or human beings so it’s like everybody’s going, cool and, it’s rumored greeting him by various names one might reserve for the average domesticated canine. I know what you’d think. You’d think I was making this stuff up just to make Seattle sound weirder than it already is. So go here for a picture and full details, ye of little flipping faith.

That’s it for this week. We’ve got some cool stuff down below you might want to check out. Stay the course, gang. We’re getting there and we’re going to make it. And thanks once again for the ear. And stuff.

Mick

NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS

FUN STUFF

Virtual Experiences

How about a trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to watch a couple of grizzly bears in their Northwest setting? Yep, click here and thanks to our friends at Puget Sound NBC affiliate KING 5.

If you’re into a real interesting and visual escape, we certainly recommend The Art In LA website. It’s a virtual art gallery created by a real gentle, occasionally obnoxious but totally good-hearted soul with standards as fine as those of any engineer I’ve ever met. It’s also a good place for healthy meditation. If you’re lucky, you might just run into the artist herself. Her name is Colleen and she’s a trip, trust me. Yep, she was born under the fourth flag on our masthead.

REVIEWS

Music CDs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good Reads

For those into words that resonate, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsman I know than a man named Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike and the publisher of The Tomato Man Times. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.

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

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

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

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

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

HEALTH

Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.

If you’d like to know whether your eating habits are either adding years to your life or taking them off, take this RealAge quiz. It will not only score your real age against your health age but give you a program for improvement. I’ve been working this one for about a month now and yep, I feel a lot better.

Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.

Ever had trouble getting behind eating a lot of fruits and vegetables despite how good they are for you? Ever had trouble selling that one to your kids and grandkids? Ever been totally sold on the idea then gone to the market and been totally tasered by the price of good health in some places? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above, you really need to check this site out. Fruits and veggies: more matters.

ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT

WorldStart.com - The best source of computer information, tips, education, entertainment, industry news, graphics and useful websites.

PC World – This is the best source we’ve found yet for totally free, useful, reliable and secure (no viruses) downloads ranging from games through utilities and with a nice selection of screen savers, etc. What I particularly appreciate about it is how easy the site is to navigate. They also have a daily letter featuring two “daily downloads.”

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

Free People Search – This is an American online White Pages that I found really simple, quick and user friendly. I looked for myself under the several versions of my name and it found them all. It’s also free and doesn’t involve anything to download.

Know Thy Elected Officials - Just type in your zip code and this site will supply you with the names and contact information for your legislators from the state level up. This is a two click site with a host of other relevant features.

MEDIA

Overview

For those interested in what’s going on in the world of magazines and newspapers in general, we highly recommend Woodenhorsepub.com. They publish a weekly online newsletter for media professionals and for readers simply interested in the future of the publications they enjoy and an advance on new ones they might. Their website is located here.

Entertainment

U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.

Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.

BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,

News

BBC – Best source of international news.

The New York Times – Best source of American news.

The Vancouver Sun -- outstanding source for Canadian national, provincial, and world news.

Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.

Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.

KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.

Talent For Hire
Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist – Whether it’s a one time press release, book or product review, difficult business correspondence, resume or classified ad composition you need, take a look at the services offered menu on my writer-for-hire homepage and we’ll get together on it.

Are you a travel editor looking for color shots of Seattle? Are you an art dealer looking for new work to carry on consignment? You might enjoy checking out a gallery of my work for sale

Human heroism trumps terrorist

Cold Seattle Dusk – December 2009 Photo by MS(R)M

Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week.

It’s also been a real fun time for some international travelers again, hasn’t it? Sigh. On the other hand, it was not an especially good day for Al Qaeda, thanks to the passengers of Northwest Flight 253. According to Scott Shane and Eric Lipton of The New York Times, about the time this particular terrorist decided to execute his mission:

Jasper Schuringa, a Dutch film director seated in the same row as Mr. Abdulmutallab but on the other side of the aircraft, saw what looked like an object on fire in the suspect’s lap and “freaked,” he told CNN.

“Without any hesitation, I just jumped over all the seats,” Mr. Schuringa said, in an account that other passengers confirmed. “I was thinking, Oh, he’s trying to blow up the plane. I was trying to search his body for any explosive. I took some kind of object that was already melting and smoking, and I tried to put out the fire and when I did that I was also restraining the suspect.”

So now, corrective action is being taken and at some inconvenience to airline travel. I spoke with a security consultant in the UK who reminded me that technology ~ across the board ~ evolves and that, like an arms race, there simply is no way to guarantee security this way.

He did not say that all reasonable measures should not be taken. He was addressing realistic expectations. He noted, however, the heroism of Mr. Schuringa and observed that as long as passengers were inclined to act on their own behalf, no terrorist could be assured the success of their enterprise.

We are, unfortunately, nations at war with an enemy as desperate to gain its ends as we were to become, preserve and protect the independent nations we are now. If we measure their potential for sacrifice by our own history and what we continue to do now, I’m sorry but with all due respect, none of this should come as front page news.

War generally isn’t a real fun experience. This one does not, so far, appear to be much of an exception.

Moving right along then, eh?

Well, being a weekly publication and not nearly in the same league as those from whom we draw our sources for this commentary, there are two venerable traditions which I respect but which Northstar Journal does not observe.

The first is a prediction of things to come. To me, that’s a fun intellectual exercise but I just don’t happen to believe that the script’s already been written and that there is nothing we can do ~ good, bad or indifferent ~ to change that. I respect those who do subscribe to that philosophy however and I’m not denying they might be right. It just doesn’t work for me.

I’ve seen too many miracles, maybe? I believe in what John F. Kennedy said about the problems we make, as a species, we’re capable of solving, and I also live in Seattle, a city on seven hills and with eight microclimates within the city limits.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s up to us how things turn out. Not nature, not the gods nor any lesser deities. I live across the lake (Lake Washington) from Bill and Melinda Gates and I don’t figure I’ll ever meet either one of them. But I’m not awed by them and I’m not jealous, either. I’m a working stiff and I’ve been one all my life. If it weren’t for folks like me and most of you, there’d be no Bill and Melinda Gates.

The second venerated journalistic tradition respected but not observed here is this decade round-up of newsworthy events. In the first place, that’s way too much information for me right now. Second, I have my own memories of what was newsworthy, with all due respect. And third, being mathematically challenged, I have a problem with the numbers involved. This is 2009 and I start counting with one, not zero. So maybe next year.

That having been said, I ran across this delightful review of things that have changed over the last ten years. It’s by Associated Press writer Jocelyn Noveck and here’s a sample:

AIRPORTS: Remember when you didn't have to take your shoes off before getting on a plane? Remember when you could bring a bottled drink on board? Terrorism changed all that.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: From acupuncture to herbal supplements to alternative ways of treating cancer, alternative medicine became more mainstream than ever.

APPS: There's an app for that! The phrase comes from Apple iPhone advertising, but could apply to the entire decade's gadget explosion, from laptops to GPS systems (want your car to give you directions to Mom's house in Chinese, or by a Frenchwoman named Virginie? There was an app for that.)

AARP cards ... for boomers! Some prominent Americans turned 50 this decade: Madonna. Prince. Ellen DeGeneres. The Smurfs. Michael Jackson - who also died at 50. And some prominent "early boomers" turned 60: Bruce Springsteen and Meryl Streep, for example.

AGING: Nobody seemed to look their age anymore: Clothes for 50-year-old women started looking more like clothes for 18-year-olds, tweens looked more like teens, long hair was popular for all ages, and in many ways women's fashion seemed to morph into one single age group.

BLOG: I blog, you blog, he blogs ... How did we spend our time before blogging? There are more than 100 million of these Web logs out there in cyberspace.

Yep, for more on this one, please go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

I’m learning more and more that surviving hard times is not just the practical aspects of it. It’s also about what we experience through books, films, television, etc. I’m a firm believer in changing the channel before I throw the boot and that a consumer driven media responds to the choices we make.

I’m also real safe on this one. Over the holidays, my best friend and this publication’s associate editor gave me Susan Boyle’s “I Dream A Dream” CD. A review of it follows.

Well, if ever there was a good time for this one, it is surely now, when it seems as though the whole world could use some hope, some inspiration and an example of how a complicated soul simply expressed can make a difference. I was a professional dance and show combo leader with time in grade at 18 and I know what it takes to move an audience.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, here’s one I should have seen coming but didn’t because I’m not into mountain climbing, washing windows of skyscrapers, scraping rust off suspension bridges, going over the side to red lead big ships, or having anything else, professionally, avocationally or weirdly to do with ropes. But apparently there are a lot of folks who make their living in the woods, inspecting dams and doing this stuff for fun. Thanks to the boon in such green industries as wind generators, apparently there’s a resurgence in the hiring of such unreconstructed daredevils. Yep, this one’s sliding into that other category of You Guys Think I Make This Stuff Up, so check it out, ye of little flipping faith, eh?

MORE GOOD NEWS

For those with the means to downsize their present living accommodations or the faith that things will get better and that they will again be able to afford their own home, here’s one to savor. Small houses are in and there’s a growing market for them. That should be of some good news, as well, to carpenters, roofers, electricians and others of the building trades. This one sounds like another of those, “if they can do it there, maybe we can do it here” stories so for more on this one, please go here.

New York City seems to be a lot safer. The homicide rate in 2009 is the lowest it has been since the NYPD began keeping records in 1963. For more on this one, please go here.

Well, Seattle has regained the title “Most Literate City in America,” according to Central Connecticut State University, which has been making these assessments since 2003. Last year we shared the honor with Minneapolis but apparently now we’re the only tushie on the throne, as it were. Yep, that works for me on a couple three levels. To see how your city ranks and how CCSU made their decision, please go here.

Well, here’s another one that should not surprise us all. But it apparently made headlines in Los Angeles when a recent study determined that poverty can take years off one’s life and that it generally isn’t very healthy. The folks who conducted this study work for the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) so it looks like tax dollars went to confirming what should be obvious to the estimated 47-million Americans living below the poverty line. To experience this stupidness in all its glory, yep, go here.

Our thanks to a reader in Gulfport for sending us this one about Mississippi being ranked by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life the most religious state in the Union. The New England region (New Hampshire and Vermont) was considered the land of the most heathens. The Pacific Northwest didn’t do much better; Washington’s 36th in its respect for religion and Oregon’s fortieth. That’s about where we’ve ranked for over two decades economically, as well. I’m thinking there might be a connection here.

And maybe the fact that devout human beings have never lived on the land accounts for why the weather’s so weird and why there are still active volcanoes, earthquakes and mountain lions and bear and eagles who have absolutely no respect for “western” civilization. And it’s been like this since time immemorial.

So it’s occurred to me that maybe the Conestogas came west to Christianize the land itself. Maybe if we built enough churches and got enough people going to them, the weather would get the counseling it needs and prosperity would indeed come to this land. To see how your state came in, please go here.

CRITTER STUFF

This one’s not especially good news but it’s best to put the warning out any way. The first case of swine flu in a pet dog was reported by veterinarians in White Plains, New York. The animal recovered. Authorities report that other animals, including at least three ferrets, several cats and pigs, and a cheetah named Gijima at a wildlife preserve in Santa Rosa, California also came down with it. Two felines didn’t make it but most of the others did. So just to be on the safe side, please go here.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

This one came to us from several of you and we’ve chosen the sentiments which I think best speak for all.

Please take a moment to say "thank you" to our troops abroad, for the upcoming holidays.
If you go to this website, you can pick out a thank you card. Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You cannot choose who gets it, but it will go to a member of the American armed services

Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank yous.

The Northstar Journal could not agree more.

Well, the next time we come to you, it will be the New Year, so I’d like to close with a personal wish I have for all of us. Yep, I wrote this.

STARDUST AND DREAMS

What I would give for a world of stardust and dreams,
tethered nightmares and galactic slipstreams.
Of Love sought by instinct and loyalties green,
what I would give for a world of stardust and dreams.

What I would give for a world of sadness and rain,
chill memories and truth brought to blame.
Of love sought by needing and loyalties strained,
what I would give for a world of sadness and rain.

What I would give for a world of lyric and song,
late night cafes and Dylan gone wrong.
Of love sought by compass and loyalties long,
what I would give for a world of lyric and song.

What I would give for a world of deer park and blue,
dewy fresh dawns and fried eggs to chew.
Of love sought by woodsmoke and loyalties true,
what I would give for a world of deer park and blue.

What I would give for a world of peace and of crown,
plowshares beat blunt and swords rusting brown.
Of love sought for love and loyalty round,
what I would give for a world of peace and of crown.

Measure for measure, and for too long denied,
this is the life for which He surely once died.
Of love sought for all and by all sorely tried,
let Humility rein and the Cosmos abide.

That’s it for this week. We’ve got some cool stuff down below you might want to check out. Stay the course, gang. We’re getting there and we’re going to make it. And thanks once again for the ear. And stuff.

Mick

NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS

FUN STUFF

How about a trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to watch a couple of grizzly bears in their Northwest setting? Yep, click here and thanks to our friends at Puget Sound NBC affiliate KING 5.

If you’re into a real interesting and visual escape, we certainly recommend The Art In LA website. It’s a virtual art gallery created by a real gentle, occasionally obnoxious but totally good-hearted soul with standards as fine as those of any engineer I’ve ever met. It’s also a good place for healthy meditation. If you’re lucky, you might just run into the artist herself. Her name is Colleen and she’s a trip, trust me. Yep, she was born under the fourth flag on our masthead.

For those into words that resonate, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsman I know than a man named Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike and the publisher of The Tomato Man Times. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.

FOR YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING CONVENIENCE

We invite you to do all your amazon.com shopping through the following link. The Northstar Journal receives a 15% commission on whatever you purchase through this link.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

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

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

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

HEALTH

Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.

If you’d like to know whether your eating habits are either adding years to your life or taking them off, take this RealAge quiz. It will not only score your real age against your health age but give you a program for improvement. I’ve been working this one for about a month now and yep, I feel a lot better.

Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.

Ever had trouble getting behind eating a lot of fruits and vegetables despite how good they are for you? Ever had trouble selling that one to your kids and grandkids? Ever been totally sold on the idea then gone to the market and been totally tasered by the price of good health in some places? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above, you really need to check this site out. Fruits and veggies: more matters.

ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT

WorldStart.com - The best source of computer information, tips, education, entertainment, industry news, graphics and useful websites.

PC World – This is the best source we’ve found yet for totally free, useful, reliable and secure (no viruses) downloads ranging from games through utilities and with a nice selection of screen savers, etc. What I particularly appreciate about it is how easy the site is to navigate. They also have a daily letter featuring two “daily downloads.”

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

Free People Search – This is an American online White Pages that I found really simple, quick and user friendly. I looked for myself under the several versions of my name and it found them all. It’s also free and doesn’t involve anything to download.

Know Thy Elected Officials - Just type in your zip code and this site will supply you with the names and contact information for your legislators from the state level up. This is a two click site with a host of other relevant features.

MEDIA

Overview

For those interested in what’s going on in the world of magazines and newspapers in general, we highly recommend Woodenhorsepub.com. They publish a weekly online newsletter for media professionals and for readers simply interested in the future of the publications they enjoy and an advance on new ones they might. Their website is located here.

Entertainment

U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.

Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.

BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,

News

BBC – Best source of international news.

The New York Times – Best source of American news.

The Vancouver Sun -- outstanding source for Canadian national, provincial, and world news.

Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.

Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.

KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.

Talent For Hire
Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist – Whether it’s a one time press release, book or product review, difficult business correspondence, resume or classified ad composition you need, take a look at the services offered menu on my writer-for-hire homepage and we’ll get together on it.

Are you a travel editor looking for color shots of Seattle? Are you an art dealer looking for new work to carry on consignment? You might enjoy checking out a gallery of my work for sale

Happy Holidays from the NSJ

University of Washington Tower at First Light
Seattle, Washington
Photo by MS(R)M

Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week. It certainly has been a miraculous one for the 148 passengers and six crew members of American Airlines Flight 331, which crash-landed in Jamaica Tuesday night.

I chatted with a retired commercial pilot friend who is probably almost as old as the history of flight itself. He reminded me of a single truth that cuts through all of it. Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.

Yeah, but until they start putting parachutes in every seat of those planes, I’m taking Amtrak or an ocean freighter. I do not like being that close to the face of God in the first place and I can swim a lot farther than I can fly with my own wings.

Well aware of both the five flags under this masthead and the different religions involved, I’ve called upon an individual who does not get a lot of credit for his contributions to this column/blog but who has been my best friend, brother, editor and business partner down three decades now. Here’s his spin on what the season means to the Northstar family. It’s not so much that I’m introducing you to him as that I’m warning you he’s coming.

Season’s greetings to Northstar Journal readers! I have been asked by Rusty to write an end of the year column for you. My name is Denny Steussy and I’m Rusty’s friend and brother!

I’m a religious man and I was having a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit this year, until I was singing in a rehearsal this past Saturday for a special lessons and carols program for my church.

When I realized that my singing in this program was a way I was able to give something back to humanity, It wasn’t an earth shattering activity like inventing a cure for a disease or winning eight medals in swimming in the Olympics. However, it was something I could do to make this world a little better.

Recently, I got a chance again to listen to a song by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers called, “Give A Little Love.” It is a very upbeat and peppy song from a CD called, “Every Child Deserves A Lifetime:

Songs from the “For Our Children” series to benefit the Elizabeth Glasser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (www.pedaids.org) In the refrain of the song, you hear the words, “Give a little Love, Have a little Hope, Make this World a Little Better! Try a little more, Harder than before, Let’s do what we can do together.”

It got me to thinking, what am I doing to make this world a little better? What have I done recently besides singing in my church choir? Then, another “A Ha” moment hit me in regards to my volunteer work to wrap gifts for travelers at the airport after they get through security.

My college choir is doing it as a fundraiser and people donate whatever they want to us. The joy and relief I see on these people’s faces as we wrap their gifts, ask where they are headed and who they hope to see is priceless. So I ask you again, what are you doing to make this world a little better? You can see from my experiences that it doesn’t have to be anything extraordinary.

Maybe you can bake some cookies for your neighbor or buy a phone card through the USO for a solider to talk with their family over the holidays. Maybe you volunteered recently to work in a soup kitchen or drove an elderly person to the grocery store or to an appointment. If you think about it you can probably name one or two things you already do “to make this world a little better.”

A final thought: One of the magazines Rusty and I read is called “ The Week.” In its last issue before the end of the year (Dec. 25, 2009-Jan. 8, 2010) it has this very thought provoking article in “The Last Word” section from a book called, “Tinsel” by Hank Stover.

In this excerpt, Hank describes his work with “Tammie Parnell who does Christmas decorating for people, because they no longer want to do it themselves.” Tammie suggests, “Believe in something. Whether you’re Buddhist or whether you’re Catholic. Just believe in something.”

So it my hope that this holiday season and in the years to come you find something to believe in and that you go the next step by putting it into action.

Happy holidays and if asked I will share with you again next year!

Denny Steussy

Merry Christmas, folks, from The Northstar Journal. If you’d like to contact him in these regards, send it to minstrel312@aol.com and we’ll make sure he gets it.

Moving right along then, eh?

It’s nice, for the second week in a row, to praise a president and in this case, one close to home. Mr. Obama didn’t get all he was hoping from the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change nor with the National Health Care Bill which is likely to become law and policy by the end of this year.

But he’s decided that in the interests of the national and international constituencies involved, it’s best to accept what has been achieved and move on. It’s nice to have a national executive who understands the intrinsic worth of good sportsmanship.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

For those of you without jobs who have not thus far considered them, you might want to take a look at the temporary employment agencies in your community. According to a recent article in the New York Times, businesses are starting to use them again and this is also viewed as a guardedly optimistic indication that the economy is improving.

Based on that article, I sent out my notice of availability to the six temporary agencies I’ve used as backup for over a decade or so. I only received one response but it was from the one I was subcontracting to Group Health when I got laid off in August of 2008. They told me that they’re expecting things to pick up after the first of the year.

If nothing else, it might be a resource worth keeping in the “Just In Case” file. So for more about it, yep, please go here.

And since survival is also about taking time to rejuvenate, I’ll share one of mine with you, as long as it’s understood that I am not prescribing.

I start my day out with a totally feel good television program called Emily of New Moon. It’s filmed entirely on Prince Edward Island, on the Canadian East Coast. It reminds me a little of Mike Landon’s series, Little House on the Prairie.

Except that this one goes places I’ve been before personally, but, with all due respect, never expected to see portrayed so accurately and with such modestly stellar production values.

This is one that resonates quietly beyond Canada and for me, at least, it’s a good reminder of those who worked hard to make sure I had a shot at making it this far. Canadians don’t sugarcoat this and this is one of theirs.

It’s available here in Seattle courtesy of America’s Public Broadcasting System. And our thanks to the CBC for this one.

MORE GOOD NEWS

I do so admire people of vision. I’ve been inspired by folks like Galileo, Edison, and Callenbach. They saw a better way and built prototypes. I guess that’s maybe why I also admire Bill Gates and a cast of a few more innovators.

Richard Branson is among those I think are really cool and I’ll be real frank, it’s also because he has like a few billion to back it up. And he’s making stuff that works.

Branson’s joined with the city of Vancouver, Canada, in throwing a lot of money into green businesses, in terms of accessing international financing, etc.

Considering the efforts the province of British Columbia and its villages, towns and cities have made to reduce the carbon footprint, Branson’s entrance onto this particular scene can hardly be considered an act of the Queen, the Crown or Divine Providence. Richard isn’t giving this money to them. He’s investing it in them.

For more on this one, please go here. And our thanks to the Vancouver Sun.

And a tip of the cap to the U.S. Department of Transportation for limiting the time grounded passengers can be kept confined in the belly of the Big Metal Bird to three hours. “This is President Obama’s Passenger Bill of Rights,” said Transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, in a recent interview. For more on this one, please go here.

Those of you who fly in and out of the Puget Sound’s Seattle-Tacoma (SEATAC) Airport will be delighted to learn that light rail service is now up and running to and from downtown Seattle. The trip takes about a half hour and the fare is $2.50. For more on this one, please go here .

CRITTER STUFF

Well, if you like giant cephalopods and other totally insane creatures from the depths of the unfathomable oceans, this one about the appearance, in significant numbers, north of Baja California, of the jumbo squid will make your day. They’ve been seen from Monterrey, California to Sitka, Alaska. That creeps me out so the only time I want to hear anything more about them is if it’s discovered that they’ve grown legs and have since been since lurking around the Vashon Island Ferry Dock. However, that’s just me so for more on this one, please go here.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Kootenai Nation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the environmental group, the Center for Biodiversity, the white sturgeon just may escape extinction. These prehistoric fish can grow to 19 feet/5.7 meters, weigh as much as 1,000 lbs. / and 453.5 kilograms and live as long as one hundred years. For more information, photos and related links, please go here.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

REMEMBER OUR TROOPS

This one came to us from several of you and we’ve chosen the sentiments which I think best speak for all.

Please take a moment to say "thank you" to our troops abroad, for the upcoming holidays.
If you go to this website, you can pick out a thank you card. Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You cannot choose who gets it, but it will go to a member of the American armed services

Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank yous.

The Northstar Journal could not agree more.

AND UNDER THE CATEGORY, YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP

What if you could grow your own body parts, just in case something happened? And be cared for by a robotic nurse programmed for impeccable beside manners? And live a lot longer than even Methuselah in the Bible simply by taking an anti-aging pill with every meal?

Well, according to a convention of medial geniuses in San Diego, California this month, it’s not rocket science or science fiction. Those options are coming up on a romp and a gallop. Yep, check it out here and our thanks to the Seattle Times.

That’s it for this week. We’ve got some cool stuff down below you might want to check out. Stay the course, gang. We’re getting there and we’re going to make it. And thanks once again for the ear. And stuff.

Mick

NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS

FUN STUFF

How about a trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to watch a couple of grizzly bears in their Northwest setting? Yep, click here and thanks to our friends at Puget Sound NBC affiliate KING 5.

If you’re into a real interesting and visual escape, we certainly recommend The Art In LA website. It’s a virtual art gallery created by a real gentle, occasionally obnoxious but totally good-hearted soul with standards as fine as those of any engineer I’ve ever met. It’s also a good place for healthy meditation. If you’re lucky, you might just run into the artist herself. Her name is Colleen and she’s a trip, trust me. Yep, she was born under the fourth flag on our masthead.

For those into words that resonate, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsman I know than a man named Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike and the publisher of The Tomato Man Times. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

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

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

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

HEALTH

Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.

If you’d like to know whether your eating habits are either adding years to your life or taking them off, take this RealAge quiz. It will not only score your real age against your health age but give you a program for improvement. I’ve been working this one for about a month now and yep, I feel a lot better.

Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.

Ever had trouble getting behind eating a lot of fruits and vegetables despite how good they are for you? Ever had trouble selling that one to your kids and grandkids? Ever been totally sold on the idea then gone to the market and been totally tasered by the price of good health in some places? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above, you really need to check this site out. Fruits and veggies: more matters.

ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT

WorldStart.com - The best source of computer information, tips, education, entertainment, industry news, graphics and useful websites.

PC World – This is the best source we’ve found yet for totally free, useful, reliable and secure (no viruses) downloads ranging from games through utilities and with a nice selection of screen savers, etc. What I particularly appreciate about it is how easy the site is to navigate. They also have a daily letter featuring two “daily downloads.”

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

Free People Search – This is an American online White Pages that I found really simple, quick and user friendly. I looked for myself under the several versions of my name and it found them all. It’s also free and doesn’t involve anything to download.

Know Thy Elected Officials - Just type in your zip code and this site will supply you with the names and contact information for your legislators from the state level up. This is a two click site with a host of other relevant features.

MEDIA

Overview

For those interested in what’s going on in the world of magazines and newspapers in general, we highly recommend Woodenhorsepub.com. They publish a weekly online newsletter for media professionals and for readers simply interested in the future of the publications they enjoy and an advance on new ones they might. Their website is located here.

Entertainment

U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.

Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.

BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,

News

BBC – Best source of international news.

The New York Times – Best source of American news.

The Vancouver Sun -- outstanding source for Canadian national, provincial, and world news.

Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.

Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.

KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.

Talent For Hire

Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist – Whether it’s a one time press release, book or product review, difficult business correspondence, resume or classified ad composition you need, take a look at the services offered menu on my writer-for-hire homepage and we’ll get together on it.

Are you a travel editor looking for color shots of Seattle? Are you an art dealer looking for new work to carry on consignment? You might enjoy checking out a gallery of my work for sale

BC goes electric and perhaps stern lessons learned from these hard times

Wind turbine at elementary school in Palmer, Alaska
Photo by Bill Roth, Anchorage Daily News

Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week.

I’m proud of the way American President Barack Obama accepted his Nobel Peace Prize and I’m very ashamed of both those who attacked the decision of the Committee and the Committee’s need to defend it.

I’m also proud of the way some of the financial institutes the Obama Administration bailed out are paying them back, including Bank of America and Citibank. I understand the need to get tough with bankers.

As a student of history and realistic political expectations, I also know why this Administration wastes little or no time in dealing with those who suggest that in America, one man could bring down in less than a year in office what it took both Democrats and Republicans ~ all of us ~ about the last hundred years to produce. I mean, come on here. This is new?

This Administration doesn’t have time to moan about how history turned out. There’s nothing neither it nor any of the rest of us can do about that. The Obama Administration deals with THIS reality, every day, just like each of us does but with a considerably larger family involved. This New York Times story is a dramatic look at how this Recession is affecting the entire nation and it is not a fun one to read. It is, however, reality.

John F. Kennedy was quoted as saying:

“Our problems are man-made; therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.”

The Obama Administration believes that, as well. They are not trying to feed this nation. They are trying to give those who need it the tackle, the bait and, if necessary, some fishing lessons. I can relate to that. I come from a state with a Congressional delegation and a state legislature which has been doing that since the Klondike Gold Rush.

To get a sense of how you folks feel, each day I watch Seattle’s KING 5 morning news, The Today Show, Ellen and Bonnie. I listen to the BBC. I read a dozen online newspapers and magazines; and I have a network of people on whose information and informed opinions I can count, whether it’s what I’d like to hear or not.

There are also several online chatrooms I visit like I occasionally do the Starbucks offline and around the corner. One in particular is a collection of people of the arts who go back over a decade and have met in “real time” in some cases. This chatroom’s “regulars” come from every part of North America, the UK, Europe and even Australia. They’re a sharp and multi-talented bunch and when I first started visiting, some eight years ago, there were bestselling authors who also dropped in to share advice, connections, etc. It was a great place to hang out, particularly for the self-employed.

In concert with a marked decline in American civility offline and in general, I’ve noticed in this chatroom more and more occasions of a total disintegration of good manners. Perhaps equally disturbing, discussions which were once instructive are now characterized by vulgarity, profanity, name calling, verbal violence, a flagrant lack of concern for the truth and a collective self-centeredness that would have been the envy of Narcissus.

Frightening to me in these regards are the number of studies coming out now that suggest there is little difference between online and offline behavior, especially when it comes to the abuse of women and children.

But maybe that’s what happens to people when they can’t get that sometimes it really isn’t all about them. I hope that’s not what’s happening to America in general. I can bloody well tell you it’s not happening where I live and it most certainly is not happening under my flipping roof.

For god’s sake, people, get a clue and start working together.

And for some practical hints on how to survive this stuff and have fun doing it, keep reading.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

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

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

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

MORE GOOD NEWS

Well, despite now being the nation’s most congested metropolis, Seattle has nonetheless not only met its goal of reducing greenhouse gas but did it two years ahead of schedule. This is one of those, “if they can do it, maybe we ought to take a look at it” stories, so please go here.

Thanks to a new type of solar cell, ‘green energy’ may be even cheaper. It’s built in Fremont, California and a plastics company in Sacramento has a big collection of them on its roof. These new cells supply an estimated one-third of the manufacturing plant’s electricity needs. For more, please go here.

To the extreme north, rural communities in Alaska are reaping the harvest of the wind and we’re not talking these big things like they have in Holland or on these blazing tracts of Southwest American desert. One sits on the roof of a chiropractor’s office, another in a elementary school playground. Alaska is also thinking integrated energy. There are solar collectors in Nome and geo-thermal in Fairbanks. For a fascinating overview of how Alaska’s pulling all this together, please go here.

The entire province of British Columbia is preparing to go electric. They’ve found it costs two-thirds less to fuel an electric vehicle than it does one requiring gasoline or diesel. They’re building a comprehensive grid of solar, wind, tidal, geothermal and in some appropriate scenarios, methane. What makes this so impressive to me is the size of the province, the ruggedness of the terrain, the dramatic extremes of weather and the sheer challenge not only of construction and installation, but maintenance, as well. It’s a rugged go, as they say, but western Canadians are making it happen. For more on this one, please go here.

We also join all of Canada in welcoming home freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout after a horrific fifteen months of captivity in Somalia. She and Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan were captured in August 2008 while attempting to visit a refugee camp. For more on this remarkable individual and her harrowing ordeal, please go here.

MAYBE NOT SO GOOD NEWS

Well, this one sort of falls into that nowhere land between bad news and good. One of out six Americans has contracted the swine flu, according to a report released recently by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But it also looks like this pandemic is among the mildest influenza outbreaks on record, according to another study conducted, in part, by researchers from the CDC. I guess that’s like telling the survivors of the Johnstown Flood that at least it wasn’t as bad as what Noah had to deal with.

NECESSARY TO KNOW BUT NOT GOOD NEWS

A virus of another kind is raging among users of Facebook and Twitter, capturing accounts, obtaining the most personal of information and sending out tainted messages designed to do everything from cyber robbery, to stalking, to the ruin of a reputation, relationship or career. To learn if you’re vulnerable and if so, how you can protect yourself, your family and friends, go here.

CRITTER STUFF

Everyone who loves cows is going to love this story of how a bovine that had just a month before given birth, was rescued from a frozen creek in Washington state. Both mother and offspring are reportedly doing just fine.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

FROM US SENATOR MARIA CANTWELL (D-WASHINGTON)

Today, Sen. Susan Collins from Maine and I introduced bipartisan legislation that will reduce global warming pollution, move our economy off foreign oil, and spur the growth of the clean energy economy -- the largest potential source of new jobs and prosperity today and in the future. This bill achieves two important objectives: protecting the climate and Washington state from catastrophic change, and returning money directly back to Americans.

The Carbon Limits and Energy for America's Renewal (CLEAR) Act gradually limits the amount of fossil fuels entering the U.S. economy by requiring fossil fuel producers and importers to bid at an auction for permits. Out of the money raised at the auction, three-fourths goes directly back to every American, and one-fourth goes toward clean energy investment. Eventually, as the amount of carbon allowed into the market declines over time, we will reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, and by over 80 percent before 2050.

You are rightfully concerned about rising energy bills during America's transition to a clean energy economy. That's why the CLEAR Act is rooted in protecting consumers, with most of the monthly carbon auctions going straight to your pockets. This monthly dividend, made out to each American on an equal per capita basis, is meant to compensate for any higher energy rates experienced.

I released a report today that shows how, with the assistance of these energy security dividends, all but the wealthiest ten percent of Washingtonians (who use the most energy) do not lose money but instead come out ahead. My report shows how a typical family of four would receive tax-free monthly checks from the government averaging $1,100 per year, or up to $21,000 between 2012 and 2030.

The remaining quarter of auction revenue would go toward clean energy research and development, assistance to communities and workers transitioning to a clean energy economy, energy efficiency programs, and reductions in non-CO2 greenhouse gases.

The CLEAR Act invests in America's future by positioning the United States as a global leader in clean energy expansion, creating jobs and recharging our economy at home. With the right policies, tens of millions of green jobs can be created by 2030, strengthening our economy by shipping these technologies to customers around the world.

On my web site, you can find additional information about the CLEAR Act, including the legislative text, a one-page summary and frequently asked questions. The longer we wait to tackle these issues of energy independence and emissions reductions, the larger the economic and social costs of adapting to climate change will grow. The time to act is now.

Best,
Maria

RE: OUR STORY ON SEATTLE’S ASCENSION TO THE STATUS OF AMERICA’S MOST CONGESTED CITIES.

hah ... no joke about the congestion ... I have a girlfriend who lives on mercer island ... it once took me 3 hours to get from the airport to her home ... bad weather added to the mix, but you folks have too few miles of road, and too many cars ... .

parker

REMEMBER OUR TROOPS

This one came to us from several of you and we’ve chosen the sentiments which I think best speak for all.

Please take a moment to say "thank you" to our troops abroad, for the upcoming holidays.
If you go to this website, you can pick out a thank you card. Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You cannot choose who gets it, but it will go to a member of the American armed services

Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank yous.

The Northstar Journal could not agree more.

AND FINALLY, UNDER WEIRD BUT TRUE, REAL CLOSE TO HOME

Well, I learned recently that this neighborhood I’m living in, Seattle’s University (of Washington) District is considerably older than I thought. It predates the first white families who settled here, the European sailing vessels which explored the Puget Sound and even the Native American tribes who visited these waters to fish and to collect shellfish. To learn what a UW coed found when digging in a campus garden, please go here.

That’s it for this week. We’ve got some cool stuff down below you might want to check out. Stay the course, gang. We’re getting there and we’re going to make it. And thanks once again for the ear. And stuff.

Mick

NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS

FUN STUFF

How about a trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to watch a couple of grizzly bears in their Northwest setting? Yep, click here and thanks to our friends at Puget Sound NBC affiliate KING 5.

If you’re into a real interesting and visual escape, we certainly recommend The Art In LA website. It’s a virtual art gallery created by a real gentle, occasionally obnoxious but totally good-hearted soul with standards as fine as those of any engineer I’ve ever met. It’s also a good place for healthy meditation. If you’re lucky, you might just run into the artist herself. Her name is Colleen and she’s a trip, trust me. Yep, she was born under the fourth flag on our masthead.

For those into words that resonate, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsman I know than a man named Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike and the publisher of The Tomato Man Times. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.

SEE’S CANDY FOR A WORTHY CAUSE
From Peg, in Sacramento, CA

I have information to share that will bring joy to a lot of people locally and otherwise..... (See's Candy!) and hopefully, a new community pool at Carmichael Park.

Kiwanis Club of Carmichael, CA is partnering with See's Candy to raise funds for the proposed Aquatic Center at Carmichael Park. H&R Block has donated space for us to set up the candy shop and people can avoid long lines at See's Candy stores and visit the Carmichael Kiwanis store instead!

From now thru Thursday December 24th at 4005 Manzanita Avenue (Courtesy H & R Block)
Bel Air Shopping Center (next to Starbucks) MAP
I've attached a flyer about the sale and here's the website for more information about the proposed Aquatic Center http://carmichaelpark.com/capps.htm

If you need more info, please contact me at my email address: Pegleghill@aol.com. I'll probably be at the shop, so come visit me and buy all your See's Candy Christmas presents.

If anyone is interested in purchasing candy from us, I would be happy to send it postage free. Needless to say I need information and money paid before I can do this.

Oh by the way, the prices of the candies whether bought at a regular Sees Candy Store or from us are the same.

Oh....here's the club's website: http://www.carmichaelkiwanis.com/

HEALTH

Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.

If you’d like to know whether your eating habits are either adding years to your life or taking them off, take this RealAge quiz. It will not only score your real age against your health age but give you a program for improvement. I’ve been working this one for about a month now and yep, I feel a lot better.

Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.

Ever had trouble getting behind eating a lot of fruits and vegetables despite how good they are for you? Ever had trouble selling that one to your kids and grandkids? Ever been totally sold on the idea then gone to the market and been totally tasered by the price of good health in some places? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above, you really need to check this site out. Fruits and veggies: more matters.

ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT

WorldStart.com - The best source of computer information, tips, education, entertainment, industry news, graphics and useful websites.

PC World – This is the best source we’ve found yet for totally free, useful, reliable and secure (no viruses) downloads ranging from games through utilities and with a nice selection of screen savers, etc. What I particularly appreciate about it is how easy the site is to navigate. They also have a daily letter featuring two “daily downloads.”

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

Free People Search – This is an American online White Pages that I found really simple, quick and user friendly. I looked for myself under the several versions of my name and it found them all. It’s also free and doesn’t involve anything to download.

Know Thy Elected Officials - Just type in your zip code and this site will supply you with the names and contact information for your legislators from the state level up. This is a two click site with a host of other relevant features.

MEDIA

Overview

For those interested in what’s going on in the world of magazines and newspapers in general, we highly recommend Woodenhorsepub.com. They publish a weekly online newsletter for media professionals and for readers simply interested in the future of the publications they enjoy and an advance on new ones they might. Their website is located here.

Entertainment

U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.

Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.

BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,

News

BBC – Best source of international news.

The New York Times – Best source of American news.

The Vancouver Sun -- outstanding source for Canadian national, provincial, and world news.

Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.

Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.

KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.

TALENT FOR HIRE
Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist – Whether it’s a one time press release, book or product review, difficult business correspondence, resume or classified ad composition you need, take a look at the services offered menu on my writer-for-hire homepage and we’ll get together on it.

Are you a travel editor looking for color shots of Seattle? Are you an art dealer looking for new work to carry on consignment? You might enjoy checking out a gallery of my work for sale