THE NORTHSTAR JOURNAL
Proudly serving North America and the International Community since 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Volume 5, No. 50
Merritt Scott (Rusty) Miller – Editor
Seattle, Washington
SOMETIMES THE BEST DIPLOMACY IS KNOWING WHEN TO MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
Hi again from the shores of the Salish Sea. Well, some of you have asked recently why it is we haven’t taken a more proactive stance in what’s going on in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East, including Israel and Palestine.
With very rare exceptions, I don’t believe it is constructive for foreign governments to meddle in the domestic affairs of other nations. It has been tried many times in the long history of some of these conflicts and even when the nations involved were conquered and became part of empires, the contention continued.
I have a particular disdain when such intervention is conducted by Mighty Nations with a solid history of colonization. In at least one case I can think of, what it took to make one nation Mighty involved a program of genocide that was not forced upon an ignorant or unwilling citizenry but supported by a constituency which became rich on the slaughter. The policy became so intrinsic a part of the culture that songs lauding it and films gloriously portraying it became high art and the behavior of the victors, very much to be emulated.
If I was a small country with domestic problems, I would not want a Mighty Nation like that within my borders or off my ocean shores. I would fear its influence and I would be extremely reluctant to accept its aid, military or peaceful. I would certainly not want it choosing sides and thereby announcing to the rest of the world that the Mighty Nation was dictating domestic policy to My Country.
I said there were exceptions and genocide is certainly one of them. If military intervention were necessary to prevent it or to stop it, I would support it IF it was United Nations sanctioned and clearly a UN operation and not a Mighty Nation incursion with a couple of smaller Mighty Nations along for the ride to give it global legitimacy.
I also firmly believe that even Mighty Nations have more important things ~ at least for the moment ~ to be doing besides sending their citizens to foreign places to kill people they don’t even know, much less have reason to dislike.
For one thing, we’re back in a pioneering mode. In order to save this planet from the extreme consequences of global warming, we’re literally going to have to change the landscape of our coasts. Perhaps even more challenging, we are going to need to replace a fossil-fuel-dependent infrastructure with materials and power sources that are also both renewable and non-toxic to produce.
We, as individual citizens, need to take a long weekend to catalogue all the things we own or would like to own and ask ourselves how many of them we could do without if we knew it would help the young man down the street with the asthma that gets really bad when the wind blows the smoke from the mill on the other side of town the wrong way.
We must find a way to embrace the culture of restoration and re-greening with the same passion with which we have so often marched off to make war on other nations, humble and mighty alike.
We need, in the final analysis, to affirm our own global humanity before we ever again accuse another nation of having none.
IN OTHER NEWS
Who are the world’s most powerful leaders now, according to Forbes magazine? The answers just might surprise you.
It looks like an earthquake remembered where it last struck. The impact rocked buildings in Tokyo but was, in fact, deep and off the coast. It also did much less damage this time. There was considerably less to revisit.
I am an unabashed fan of “the Royals,” so it’s with some personal pleasure that the Northstar Journal congratulates Kate and her husband on this wee spark of life they’ve started. My hope for that spark is “that your parents’ privacy will be respected and that by the time you are born, it will be a bit gentler world for children like you.”
WORLD NEWS SHORTS
Africa: Africa’s Largest Solar Plant Will Be Built in Ghana
Europe: Unemployment in Euro Zone Rises to a New High
Austria: Law Students in Austria Challenge Facebook Privacy Policy – NYTimes.com
Canada: Hottest Canadian Millennials: Generation Y’s Talented Guys & Gals Easy On the Eyes
Canada: Canada Won’t Condemn Israeli Settlement Plans, Stands Apart From U.S.
France: Young and Educated in France Find Employment Elusive
India: Indian Official Starts Pulling Up Corruption’s Roots in Mumbai
International: Terrorist Attacks More Than Quadrupled In Decade Since Sept. 11, 2001, Study Finds
Middle East: 5 Nations Summon Israeli Envoys to Protest Settlement Plans
The Philippines: Typhoon Botha: Death Toll Rises in the Philippines
Scotland: Greetings from Schotlandia Scotland, dairy industry is in present decline
UN: U.N. Treaty To Control The Internet? ‘Completely Untrue,’ Says U.N. Telecom
UN: 2012 Quality of Living survey
US: US Senate Passes Russian Trade Bill, With a Human Rights Caveat
US: Marijuana Legalization Poll: Americans Want Federal Government To Leave States Alone
US: November Jobs Report: U.S. Economy Adds 146,000 Jobs As Unemployment Rate Drop
HURRICANE SANDY SHORTS
After Hurricane Sandy, Dunes Prove They Blunt Storms
Hurricane Sandy Damage In New York By-The-Numbers
Cuomo Sandy Aid: Governor Travels To White House Urging For Quick Action On Relief Funds
CLIMATE CHANGE SHORTS
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Hit Record in 2011, Researchers Say – NYTimes.com
Climate Change Study Indicates Amount Of Heat-Trapping Pollution Rose By 3 Percent
Special Report: IPCC, assessing climate risks, consistently underestimates
NOAA sees sea level rise of up to 6.6 feet by 2100
Doha Talks Show Need for Climate Action in Post-Sandy U.S.
SYRIA SHORTS
Syria Rebels Find Skype Useful, but Dangers Lurk
Syria Chemical Weapons Threat: U.S., Russia Set For Surprise Meeting
Wider Chaos Feared as Syrian Rebels and Kurds Clash
Damascus Airport Becomes Battle Zone
OH CANADA
During the third quarter, Canada’s gross nation produce grew at about 20% the rate of its neighbor to the south. What does this economic slowdown bode for the nation now?
Canada’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.2 percent in November as 59,000 jobs were created.
The population of Canada hit 35,000,000 last month. With its large land mass, it is still one of the most sparsely settled nations on the planet. To see how it compares with other nations its size in population and for more information in general, please go here.
SHORTS
Neutrality On Mideast Supported By Half Of Canadians, Poll Suggests
Vancouver’s Quality Of Life Tops Canadian Cities: Mercer Survey
City Calls On Port Metro Vancouver To Delay Coal Export Expansion
What Were The Most Popular Baby Names In Canada In 2012?
Pedestrian Deaths Dominate Vancouver Traffic Fatalities
GOOD EXAMPLES
They may not have the odds in their favor and there certainly are not very many of them, but thanks to a handful of Oregon legislators, the region’s salmon are making a slow return.
It’s now law. As of December 6th, all you need to get married in Washington State is the price of the license.
Here’s something one just does not see very often; a consortium of mining companies and environmental groups working to save trout.
SHORTS
Massachusetts Boy, Receives Dream LEGO Set After Sending Heartfelt Letter to Company
Protecting the Ozone: 25 Years of the Montreal Protocol
Where Are My Cars, My Good Chap?
BAD EXAMPLES
I have a great love of the Australian people and normally I’m pretty proud to be a journalist. But when I read about how a pair of disc jockeys from Down Under deceived a source to get information they could never have obtained honestly, I’m not so high on the Fourth Estate. When I learn that said source subsequently committed suicide, I’m glad I know people in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and several other places down there who are as appalled and as ashamed as I am.
Deforestation in the Amazon watershed destroyed a United Kingdom/State of Oregon-sized area between 2000 – 2010. “Save the Rain Forest” was one of the battle cries of the Baby Boomer environmental movement. Destruction of that vital part of the planet is still going on so it’s time for the daughters and sons of those first “Greens” to take this one up too.
President Obama is apparently considering Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour for ambassador to either Britain or France. It’s my understanding that these postings are often used to reward the party faith. Ms. Wintour raised over $40-million for Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign. We’d still like to know what other “credentials” this ambassadorial candidate has. Is she familiar with the history and culture of either nation? Is she fluent in French? What makes her more qualified than a candidate from say, the Diplomatic Corps, to begin with?
FROM YOU GUYS
We would like to acknowledge the generous contribution of PZ in Oregon, Wisconsin. When we opened the envelope, we heard the same bell that rang when Clarence got his wings in It’s A Wonderful Life.
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, NATURE AND EXPLORATION
Scientists are fascinated by the Great Dying off of most life on this planet about 250-million years ago. Now they think it might have been started by a volcano spewing oxidized nickel that fell into the oceans and was gobbled up by nickel-consuming bacteria who just ate until they burst. So if this theory is to be believed, gluttony was responsible for a mass extinction. Why can I not seem to escape parallels in the 21st Century?
NASA’s extraterrestrial probe Dawn has just departed a year of orbiting a huge asteroid Vesta. It found landscape on this huge planetoid suggestive of flowing water, despite the lack of an atmosphere or any traces of moisture, at least that Dawn could detect.
In an attempt to systemize the search for life on other planets, scientists have come up with the Habitable Exoplanets Catalog, which lists all heavenly bodies discovered so far that could conceivably support organisms of some kind from the fundamental building blocks to creatures a thousand times more complex than ourselves.
SHORTS
Sumerian Language & Climate: Long Drought Killed Off Ancient Tongue, Research
Mercury ‘Pie Crust’ PHOTOS Suggest Underground ‘Ghost Craters,’ Scientists Say
Most Distant Object? Ancient Galaxy Discovered 13.3 Billion Light-Years From E
CURIOSITY SHORTS:
Editor’s Note: Mars Rover Curiosity has been busier than the Energizer Battery bunny so to keep up with the little dude, we’ve creating this special shorts section. Go, Curiosity.
Organics On Mars: Curiosity Rover Finds Evidence Of Organic Compounds On Red Planet
The other rover on Mars has apparently also been busy and has made a signficant find. Opportunity recently celebrated its eighth year and 22nd mile on the Red Planet.
THE GREEN AGENDA
Washington’s Outgoing Governor, Christine Gregoire, Pushes for Ocean Acidification Action
Which Is Greener? It’s Not What You’d Expect
If It Was a Matter of Life or Death, Could You Eat Your Car?
Doha Climate Conference: China’s Demand For Emissions Leniency Challenged By US
Yakima Nation Contests White Salmon River Pipeline Construction In Washington
US Senator Maria Cantwell: We shouldn’t have to rely on a research firm to police gas markets |
Oregon Governor Raises Concerns About Coal Exports
HEALTH
Most of us have known for years that getting out into nature is healthy. I’d guess a lot of us have probably had a bit more of nature than we can handle. For all practical purposes, I live in a forest and pretty much have since 1979. But I can still remember smoggy Southern California and the sweltering San JoaquinValley. Outside magazine has been examining getting out into nature from not only a health perspective, but of longevity. They’ve got four beautifully illustrated articles of how this is working and why. Please go here.
Here are ten foods we need to be worried about because they can cause us to get sick, especially during climatic extremes.
And as the season of the supreme “oink out” approaches it is probably very appropriate to provide information on How to Prevent Weight Gain Over the Holidays – a video
SHORTS
Real Men Visit the Doctor – Regular Checkups Prevent Heart Disease and Diabetes
Take a Daily Morning Walk to Sleep Better and Stay Healthy
LIFESTYLE
Every year, millions die on this planet simply because they lack the survival skills to do otherwise. See how you’d do if proverbial push ever came to shove.
Residential mail and package theft always goes up this time of year. Here are tips to keep you from being victimized, and our thanks to the Wedgwood Wide Block Watch Program here in Seattle for these.
- Get a locking mailbox.
- If you have a mail slot in your door, request the postal delivery people to use that.
- If you’re expecting a package, track it through the delivery service. FedEx, UPS, and USPS all have fairly good tracking systems. And make arrangements accordingly.
- Ask your neighbors to watch for deliveries and for packages on your porch, and watch for packages on theirs. Make an agreement that you’ll do this for each other. (When I retrieved a package from a friend’s porch, her neighbor took down my license number and was prepared to report me. I can’t argue with that. It’s great Block Watch action!)
- Without being too paranoid, be alert for strangers on your block, especially if they’re visiting porches. Notify USPS when going on vacation. Call 800-275-8777. Ask your local post office to hold your mail.
- Outgoing mail is important, too. Never, ever, include a check in outgoing mail that you leave on your porch for USPS pick-up. Take it to the post office.
And there’s a reward for your watchfulness! The United States Postal Inspection Service offers up to a $10,000 Reward for information and services leading to the arrest and conviction of any person for Mail Theft. Theft of mail, or even possession of stolen mail, is a Federal Felony and upon conviction each offense may be punishable by a fine up to $250,000 and imprisonment up to five years. (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1708)
Even though I believe that age is just a number if you’re healthy, grounded and doing for others, I enjoyed this humorous essay entitled, “You Know You’re Middle Aged When…”
SHORTS
The Perfect Gift From the Kitchen Is ‘Real Food,’ Says Julia Moskin
A Smarter Thermostat To Save Energy
Vegetables That Cold-Proof Any Salad
Northwest’s Rural Gay Community Coming Out Of The Shadows
Building Homes for Modern Multigenerational Families
GIFT IDEAS
For the frugally minded, here are 100 gifts that can be purchased for twenty dollars and under.
For the nature minded, Adopt a black bear and protect wild places like Yosemite National Park.
ON THE CANCER FRONT
At the request of several of you, we’re providing this information again. Causes Of Cancer: What Lifestyle Changes Can You Make To Keep Cancer Away?
Anyone fighting breast cancer is aware of the drug tamoxifen. New studies strongly suggest that it should actually be used much longer than previously prescribed. For more information, please go here. Also please contact your health care provider for further consultation.
RESOURCES AND RELATED LINKS: Cancer: What You Need to Know American Cancer Society Canadian Cancer SocietyNORTHSTAR FORUM
New York Times Op Ed contributor Hilary Leila Krieger asks us to take another look at the true meaning of Hanukkah.
BEST OF THIS WEEK’S NET MEDIA
A delightful video interview with British actor Sir Michael Caine
NASA Images: ‘Earth As Art’ Book Will Take Your Breath Away (PHOTOS)
Isaac Newton vs. Rube Goldberg:’ 2D House’s Machine Will Make You Question Which End Is Up
New NASA images show the Earth’s electric light show
NORTHSTAR ENDORSEMENTS
BACK COUNTRY GALLERY: BEST NATURE PHOTOS ON THE NET
BLACK SEA AGRO: AGRICULTURE IN THE BLACK SEA REGION
CREAM MAGAZINE & MILLENNIUM ART GALLERY
THE SEADOC SOCIETY: PEOPLE & SCIENCE HEALING THE SEA
SEATTLE SCENES
All photos used in Seattle Scenes, unless otherwise noted, were taken by the editor. For a visual tour of the Northstar Gallery, please go here.
Another sign of the season, lights in a Wedgwood rock garden
NEWS
For years, zip code 98118 has enjoyed a reputation for being not only the most culturally diverse in Seattle but very possibly in the United States. It turns out that it’s not. I found this article a totally fascinating look at a city in which I’ve lived for over 20 years, including for about six months in that particular neighborhood.
20 great Seattle places to take your family
Seattle legends: Truth or fiction?
THE TODAY FILE: “Your guide to the latest news from Seattle and around the Northwest”
SEATTLE LINKS
Komo 4 News (ABC)
King 5 News (NBC)
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
A Native American tells us why it is necessary to restore sockeye salmon runs to a lake and the river which feeds it. I found this as moving as it was informative.
Cats in Christmas trees (and one guilty dog)
SHORTS
SeaDoc Society December Update: Lots of Cool Stuff In This One
Endangered Species Canada: Bats, Snakes Among Species In Danger In Canada
Adorable Scottish Fold Kitten Really, Really Wants Your Attention (VIDEO)
RELATED LINKS: Living With Wildlife BBC’s wildlife finder National Geographic Daily News – AnimalsYOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
And down in New Zealand, dogs are learning to drive.
A FINAL WORLD
The Northstar Journal is one hundred percent supported by readers like you. If you enjoyed this edition and would like to contribute ~ however modestly ~ to the next, please go here and with our thanks. Rusty
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