The Northstar Journal

WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE WORLD

Posted on August 17, 2019 by minstrel312

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam August 18, 2019 Volume 11 Number 51

Entirely Reader-Supported Please Go Here. Thank You.

INSIDE: When Dinosaurs Ruled The World; Surviving The Train Ride We Don’t Enjoy; From Our Mailbox; Climate Change; Community, Home & Lifestyle; Earth; Ecology; Health; Good News, Not So Good News; News From Our Sources; Rusty’s Infamous Uncle Seamus; Our World and Beyond; Science in General; Space; Technology; Funzone: Best of the Net; Travel; Masha & the Bear, All Creatures Great & Small; Strange But True; About Us

Photo courtesy of Dinotopia

WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE WORLD

Rusty Miller, Editor

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea: Incredible as it seems, I’ve suspected this for a long time: The Atlantic: It’s Possible Dinosaurs Had A Whole Civilization As most of you know, I’m a fan of Coast to Coast radio, which has some pretty ‘out there’ stuff. But this time, we’re talking about one of the most respected media in the history of the printed word.

And I agree with the Atlantic that if dinosaurs did evolve a highly technological culture that long ago, chances of it surviving in any form we can currently detect is slim. The more sophisticated our machines and gadgets become, the more fragile they tend to be and less amenable to carbon dating to establish age.

What evidence we do have of dinosaurs suggests that they have been around much longer than we have. Several huge craters on earth’s surface make their relatively sudden extinction very likely something beyond their control and not something they precipitated.

In terms of awareness, I do believe that their legacy survives and has served as a foundation for our own relatively swift evolution from Prometheus to Paypal. Depending on one’s definition of ‘modern’ or ‘state of the art,’ I also believe that some species on the planet have developed a civilization so marvelously adapted to the environment that it does not manifest itself at all in forms that will fossilize. I cite dolphins, orcas and the indigenous human beings of several continents as examples which come most immediately to mind.

What all this means to me is that if we really want to get along, we need to spend much less time building things that will take an epoch to vanish and will not speak well of us until they are gone and instead, much more time appreciating all life on this planet, including one another.

That’s it for this week, gang. Thanks for the ear and have a good one.

Rusty

Northstar editor Merritt Scott “Rusty” Miller is a journalist, author, editor and photographer living in Seattle, Washington. For comments, please go here

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Ukraine, from the window of a train. Photo by Olya Bereza

SURVIVING THE TRAIN RIDE WE DON’T ENJOY

Olya Bereza, Associate Editor

Hi Rusty:

Another 18-hour train journey in a hot overcrowded common train carriage made me philosophical. Just thinking what an art it is be transient, not fixed at the moment, letting life happen but realizing that all will pass so not to dwell on negativity.

One could call it meditation. This state of mind really helps to stay calm in the eye of the storm or like this time madness of train ride when I happened to be surrounded by noisy neighbors well known for being loud, as few gypsies with newborns joined us. The lack of ventilation, the stuffiness of the air and the excessive heat of a non-air conditioned carriage did make this particular journey one of the hardest.

The problem in summer in Ukraine is that there are so many train travelers that if one really wants to go to visit tourist towns, there is the lack of tickets and not much of choice. Keeping in mind that unbearable circumstances do not last makes any journey easier. I have friends who suffer from depression and for them, I think, it is even more important to see ourselves as transient through life circumstances.

One just needs to be patient enough to wait for the next station to get off the train ride we don’t enjoy.

Olya

Northstar columnist and associate editor Olya Bereza was born in the former Soviet Union and now lives in Ukraine. Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, she is a degreed psychologist with a background in international marketing and personnel management. For comments, please go here.

FROM OUR MAILBOX

Several of you have asked why it is that we have not spent more time with Jeffrey Epstein and others of his ilk who are making global news. There are three reasons.

First, these stories are personally disgusting and some of them to the extent that working on them makes me physically ill. It happens when you’ve covered enough blood and guts to make four John Wayne movies and one starring Audie Murphy.

Second, we would hope that extreme coverage of stories like this discourages those who would star in them. Professional and personal experience suggest that for some, such notoriety is the supreme motivator.

Third, there is only so much room in this magazine and I’m guessing that you all would prefer to read stuff that either makes you feel good or empowers you to change bad stories into good ones. Reading about the extreme behavior of the lowest common denominators does not accomplish either.

I personally believe in reincarnation and in Purgatory. To me, the latter is where you go to experience all the pain you have caused others. You stay there until that’s done, then you get another chance, unaware of the details of that previous life, but almost compulsively compassionate because of them.

CLIMATE CHANGE

What Would Our Cities Look Like If We Took Our Climate Change Values Seriously?

Extreme Climate Change Has Arrived. Here Are The Fastest-Warming Places In The U.S.

Five Takeaways From The Post’s Analysis Of Warming Climates In The United States

22 States Sue Trump Administration Over Relaxed Coal Restrictions, Citing ‘Climate Crisis’

Views: State-Led Climate Goals — Like Washington’s — Will Lead The Way

Glasgow Named To Host 2020 UN Climate Summit

seamus

Rusty’s infamous Uncle Seamus: If Donald Trump will just be patient, Sir Richard Branson will eventually have an asteroid to sell him, one that was not previously owned by some of the biggest and fiercest people in the history of humankind.

moon halo over observatory

Moon Halo Over Magellan Telescope

OUR WORLD AND BEYOND

This should keep us humble. On Geological Timescales, Human Civilization Is An Event, Not An Epoch

Incredible. A Sorceress’s Kit Was Discovered In The Ashes Of Pompeii

Like millions on this planet, I was hoping this was not something we would need to worry about anymore. I was wrong. What A Deadly Nuclear Explosion In Russia Tells Us About The World’s New Arms Race

SPACE

Astronomers Detect Eight New Potential Alien Signals

Did These Tardigrades Survive Crash-Landing On The Moon?

Why The UAE’s Mars Mission Is The Arab World’s Moon Shot

Can Snowball Planets Support Life?

Latest Images From NASA’s Earth Observatory

TECHNOLOGY

This Tesla Surveillance Hack Can Tell You If You’re Being Followed

14 Fun Facts About Roller Coasters

The Brain That Can Move Objects

Here’s How That Internet-Famous ‘Fish Tube’ Works

FUNZONE

BEST OF THE NET

The Actress Who Left The Stage To Become A Civil War Spy

Paul Hogan aka Crocodile Dundee: Storyteller Extraordinaire

Watch Leaves Change Color In A Matter Of Seconds

TRAVEL

Space To Roam: A Tribute To North America’s Public Lands

London’s Biggest Mystery?

Places On Earth Where You Can Visit Mars

DAILY 10 QUESTION TRIVIA QUIZ: This one is from Daily Email Trivia and delivered to me in mine. There is also an opportunity, the site, to take more quizzes on a wide range of subjects and to engage interactively and competitively

A superpower no longer, a resource hungry and repressive America faces a Latin American armada rampaging its west coast and a strong, silent and powerful Canada manning the North Wall. The fires of rebellion burn in the Pacific Northwest and it is into this crucible and forge that the cybernetic patrol boat Testament and her crew of three men and three women are thrust. Individuals of duty and conscience both, when they join the other side, all Hell breaks loose. A rollicking adventure for anyone who loves the sea, a good yarn and characters who spring to life even as Testament herself leaps the waves. For a $4.00 Kindle Book adventure you will remember for a lifetime, please go here.

BOOKS BY FRIENDS: MEADE FISCHER

rockeytherocketman

Associate editor Olya Bereza is also the children’s novelist Holley Dovetail. This is one of several of short novels for the young and the young at heart. To preview and/or purchase on amazon.com, please go here.

ALL CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL

Giant goanna. Photo courtesy of http://www.cape-york-australia.com

Where is Crocodile Dundee when we need him? Australia Couple Injured In ‘Freak’ Goanna Attack On Their Dog

Here’s an “oookayyy,” as he backs slowly out of the room moment. In Fighting Deep Fakes, Mice May Be Great Listeners

Researchers Think They Know Why Cats Eat Grass But only the cat still knows for sure.

SHORTS

The Humpback Comeback

Beavers On The Coast Are Helping Salmon Bounce Back. Here’s How.

This Is The Only Place On Earth Where Lions Live Alone

swimming with anchovies

STRANGE BUT TRUE

These Sharks Glow Underwater—Thanks To Tiny ‘Lightsabers’

French ‘Spiderman’ Scales Hong Kong Skyscraper With Banner Urging Peace

Welsh Man Is First To Walk The Length Of The Yangtze River

snoopy0001

ABOUT US: : The Northstar Journal is an international general interest online weekly reaching readers in 22 countries, where it is also shared with family, friends and associates. The Northstar Journal is also on FaceBook and Nextdoor.com. It is entirely reader supported. To contribute, please go here. If you would like to sponsor an edition or participate in some other way, please contact us at minstrel312@aol.com Thank you and thanks for stopping by. Have a good week. Rusty and Olya

A REPORT CARD FOR PRESIDENTS

Posted on August 10, 2019 by minstrel312

TO VIEW IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE

Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
August 11, 2019 Volume 11 Number 50

Entirely Reader-Supported Please Go Here. Thank You.

INSIDE: A Report Card For Presidents; Siberia Is Burning; From Our Mailbox: A Public/Private Partnership To Reduce Gun Violence; Our Polarized Positions; Climate Change; Community, Home & Lifestyle; Earth; Ecology; Health; Good News, Not So Good News; News From Our Sources; Rusty’s Infamous Uncle Seamus; Our World and Beyond; Space; Technology; Funzone: Best of the Net; Travel; Masha & the Bear, All Creatures Great & Small; Strange But True; About Us

A REPORT CARD FOR PRESIDENTS

By Rusty Miller, editor

Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea: Our hearts go out to all those impacted by the gun smoke and urban carnage that seems to characterize America on an almost daily basis now. You’ve all by now heard from voices far more eloquent than ours. So with all due respect, this week, I’d like to share with you an idea that might have international applications.

I’d like to see America’s chief executive receive an annual performance evaluation and an annual physical that would include testing for illnesses of the brain and mind.

I’d like to see a report card put together by the Judiciary and the Congress, just like the ones many Americans ~ including me ~ had growing up. Each year, on January 1, they would be distributed to Congress, who would then grade the president. He would need to keep a certain score to remain in office and one allowing him to seek re-election.

I’m not an administration expert but my sense is that it would not take a rocket scientist to make this one fly. And not just over the land of the free and the home of the brave, but perhaps even where you live.

Thanks for the ear, gang, and have a great week.

Rusty

Northstar editor Merritt Scott “Rusty” Miller is a journalist, author, editor and photographer living in Seattle, Washington. For comments, please go here

Photo courtesy of Danil Barashkov, The Siberian Times https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/russia-spikes-clouds-rain-making-12911892

SIBERIA IS BURNING

By Olya Bereza, Associate Editor

Hi Rusty:

Unfortunately not good news for environment from Siberia, Russia, where burnt forests area could be compared to Greece. That is very informative article and pictures here “The World’s Largest Forest Has Been on Fire for Months” Initial inaction of authorities who hoped that like before the fire will die off itself led to drastic results. Expecting a good rain to help is not really a proactive position especially if the rain is not forecast. The delay caused hundred of people to sicken with smoke which has, at this writing, extended to the Urals. Authorities described it as “Siberia is burning”. https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/blogs-trending-49196949 That has taken the social media by storm and is another example of how artists and writers can use the Net to such powerful effect.

Also the Prime Minister Medvedev appealed to the Prosecutor General, the Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a request to verify the version of the deliberate arson of forests in Siberia in order to conceal illegal methods of logging.

Active phase of fighting with fire started only in the beginning of August. The forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and military are used. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation creates an aviation group to assist in extinguishing forest fires as areas are difficult to reach.

Usually firemen first seek to contain the fire by stopping its front from spreading, while others work to surround it and work toward the front. Despite the adventure of aircraft firefighting, it is often not feasible and for a variety of reasons but primarily logistic.firemen on the ground extinguish the front of the fire and not the entire fire itself so the flame will go further, and besides, at the same time, ground firemen i.e. soldiers and emergency responders cut off this front.

Estimates on social media of what it would take to extinguish the fire by air included 30,000 flights of the aircraft IL-76 , which carries 42 tons of water over a range of 1,000 – 2,000 km/621 – 1,243 miles, in comparison to the more the modern amphibious aircraft Be-200 which carries 12 tons.

To collect water and refuel, you need the appropriate airports so the aircraft will not need to fly long distances. Seldom are these airports conveniently located in the wilderness. Drought can also dry up sources even if they could be accessed by air.

Secondly, the topography of the rivers and lakes is such that it is difficult to find a platform where the amphibian could land on the water. Collecting water by aircraft directly from a river requires two kilometers in a straight line.

The largest straight section of the river here is slightly more than half a kilometer. Only helicopters could help. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory they have 10 IL-76 aircraft and 10 helicopters of the Military Transport Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces according to the source

We live on one planet so obviously heavy fires affect not only Russia “Smoke From Siberian Forest Fires Reached U.S., Canada” That esteemed gesture of Donald Trump to call Putin and offer help. I’m sure in situation like that international support is very welcome.

Alaska and Siberian fires shown from the space in this Guardian video Unprecedented Wildfires Burn In The Arctic During Heatwave where it is said that Arctic fires exacerbate global warming.

Military and civil operators in 38 countries have operated the IL-76 in large numbers so offering help could be a nice gesture of good will showing understanding that Blue Planet is our shared dormitory, even if we all used to think about our own separate private rooms (countries). Global calls as climate change shows how outdated is that attitude.

Olya

FROM OUR MAILBOX

A PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE

Laina Farhat-Holzman

A short letter to the San Francisco Chronicle proposed a brilliant solution to our national plague of gun violence. The writer proposed that we nation-wide mandate liability insurance for all gun owners, as we now do for automobiles, Both are capable of human injury, death and property damage,

All that is needed is for our Congress to mandate liability insurance for all gun owners. The private enterprise insurance companies might like this mandate (lucrative for them) and such policies could be priced according to the potential damage these weapons can cause.

Anybody who owns a military-style rifle, an instrument capable, as we have recently seen, of murdering hordes of people in less than one minute, would have to buy a very expensive policy, unlike a handgun owner who can only kill one person at a time. How many assault weapon owners who are law abiding would want to assume this expense? We give them a choice.

In addition, an insurer could increase the premium for anyone who used a gun in committing a crime, a convicted spousal abuser, or someone mentally unstable, as identified by family or coworkers. If we cannot get a Congress with enough decency to enact a real gun control law, we could at least make it so expensive that it might be out of reach of anyone but criminal cartels (who need to be pursued another way). Insurance can do what our feckless lawmakers cannot do, and this method does not run afoul of the 2^nd amendment, an outdated law that should be cashiered by our legislators if they had the guts. Personal lethal armories are not the same as “a well-regulated militia.”

Our lawmakers do not seem to be able to defy the National Rifle Association, even though we now know from the Mueller Report that this organization has received Russian financing. Putin is delighted to have Americans killing each other with such ease, something not possible in his own authoritarian state. There, only the State can kill peaceful demonstrators, not armed White Nationalists.

Some sensible bipartisan legislation has already been passed by the House of Representatives. These bills have been passed on to the Senate, where Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to bring these bills up for a vote! Mr. McConnell has earned his new nickname of “Moscow Mitch.”

I cannot imagine why Congress (both House, Senate) and the President would oppose such a capitalistic solution that could be immediately enacted as mandating insurance coverage for all gun owners. Nobody is taking their weapon away. Nobody is weighing in on the comparative dangerousness of weapons. We would only demand the same sort of responsibility of lethal weapon owners as we do for automobile drivers.

If we need to wait for legislation requiring military-automatic weapons to be surrendered to the authorities (nobody needs one for hunting or self-defense), it will take decades. If we try buying back such weapons as Australia and New Zealand have done, it will again take decades. But if we levy insurance on such weapons, the number of owners will rapidly decline. This can work as a pocketbook issue.

The non-system we have now faces another problem that nobody seems to be recognizing. Who pays for the hospitalization, property damage, and funerals of gun-violence victims now? Can you imagine being shot, taken to a hospital, and then being billed for the care? Our current non-system depends on Internet money-raising, iffy at best.

If we leave this to the Insurance industry to sort out, we give them a chance to redeem themselves for their unsatisfactory public service in healthcare. People in the midst of chemotherapy for Cancer often have to fight Insurance Companies to pay for drugs that they need. People injured in highway accidents are sometimes faced by unexpected draconian bills if they need helicopter transport or are taken to an “out of network” hospital in an emergency. Not acceptable.

Hospitals, Insurance Companies, and those injured by uninsured drivers, along with the hundreds of victims of automatic rifle slaughters, could instead benefit from government-mandated insurance coverage that nobody is getting now. Agree? Send this column around.
Laina Farhat-Holzman is a historian, lecturer, and author of God’s Law or Man’s Law. You may contact her at Lfarhat102@aol.com or www.globalthink.net.

OUR POLARIZED POSITIONS

Meade Fischer

There’s a current tsunami of debate on several fronts. Among these are gun violence, right/ left politics, economic inequality, race relations, immigration, religion and gender issues. I’m sure I’ve left a few issues out. What they seem to have in common is that they’ve become polarized. Issues should be discussed, debated and eventually resolved. Instead we have finger pointing, name calling and demonizing. The trend seems to boil down to “my side is completely right; the other side completely wrong.” It’s a feel good position, but it solves nothing.

The reality is that every position has some truth and some falsehood. Some positions have only a grain of truth, such as “our immigration policy is broken.” However, you can have a grain of truth like this mixed with a basket of total nonsense. Even the positions we agree with are a mix of truth and untruth. Once we really recognize this, we can actually start talking to other people as people rather than caricatures, either mindless puppets or devils.

At a very deep level we are all responsible for the truth and falsehood in the world. We are connected, and each action we take ripples out and touches others, who in turn touch people we will never meet.

As intelligent, responsible people we have a duty to weigh every issue and position and decide for ourselves the degree of truth and falsehood therein, likely the most serious activity we can undertake.

Meade Fischer is a widely-published travel writer, ocean-class kayaker, Northern California community activist and friend of 45 years. He can be contacted at http://www.meadefischer.com