THE NORTHSTAR JOURNAL
Proudly serving North America and the International Community since 2007
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Volume 6, No. 24
Published by
Seattle, Washington
WAKE UP, DUDE
THIS IS NOT
“I’VE GOT A SECRET”
Hi again, from the shores of the Salish Sea Well, from the mail we’ve been getting on the subject, it looks like there’s no way of getting around commenting on that American who revealed classified information which the U.S. intelligence community admits has not threatened national security.
I don’t like people who do this. I carried a Top Secret clearance during part of my time in the American Navy. I read a lot of stuff that ~ had I been a ‘thinking man,’ instead of a trained communications person ~ would have made me wonder why it was classified in the first place.
Intelligence gathering is an investigative process designed to form a “picture,” if you will. Look at it like a jigsaw puzzle. Individually, no piece equals the whole. But each piece, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is essential for a complete puzzle.
That’s why people in the CIA, MI5 and other national intelligence agencies, get paid to read foreign newspapers, watch foreign television, listen to foreign radio and visit foreign websites and chatrooms.
There’s no way a single individual can assess the potential harm the secrets they leak could cause. And if there was extensive damage done, would it be in the best interests of national security to reveal that?
As far as I’m concerned, this was irresponsible grandstanding supported by others who appear to have even less understanding of the process than this Quixotic prat.
Perhaps it is because I have known too many brave individuals that I am skeptical of heroes. It is one thing to save the lives of eight people in the process of saving one’s own. It is something else again to risk one’s own life for the lives of 267, knowing one’s own will likely be forfeit.
That having been said, I would not punish this blabbermouth. I disagree with what he did but I do not doubt his sincerity. Besides, incarceration tends to produce martyrs faster than one small mouse can stampede a circus full of elephants.
Just don’t let this dude near any information ~ personal or private ~ you don’t want on the world wide web in 24 hours, in case his misguided patriotism comes out of remission again.
On the other hand, if there’s something you really want several billion people to know about by week’s end, tell this guy. Make sure he understands that what you’re sharing with him is vital to national security. If he acts like he doesn’t believe you, look relieved, do the stations of the cross and mutter, “Oy vey, Allah be praised.”
Like my infamous Uncle Seamus used to say, “If you can’t beat them and don’t want to join them, confuse the H out of them and walk away clean.”
Until next week, take care and Godspeed, then, eh? And thank you. I hope you like this week’s edition.
IN OTHER NEWS
In a landmark decision with profound implications, the U.S. Supreme Court last week ruled that human genes cannot be patented.
Well, here’s a recent discovery which certainly explains a lot. On average, men mature at the age of 43, some 11 years after women. By implication, it could also explain the attraction to older men. Women don’t want a husband they also have to raise.
Which are the world’s most competitive cities? The answer just might surprise you.
WORLD NEWS SHORTS
CLIMATE CHANGE
Tough spot for farmers: Adapting to change you can’t believe in
U.S. and China team up to fight climate-changing HFCs
A Rare Step Forward on Climate Change
Fourth of NYC Could Be Flood Zone By 2050s
As Summer Temps Rise, Can We Stand The Heat?
Water Levels Fall in Great Lakes, Taking a Toll on Shipping
Four Measures Could Stave Off The Worst of Global Warming
How Cuba Is Bracing For Climate Change
Global Climate Negotiations Break Down in Bonn
Bloomberg’s Big Climate Change Plan Depends On Successor
Island in the sun: Why are our cities heating up faster than everywhere else?
NORTH – SOUTH KOREA
Two Koreas to Discuss Restoring Economic Ties
North Korea’s Recalcitrance Looms Over Talks With South
North Korea Cancels Historic Talks With South
OBAMA SURVEILLANCE
White House Says Congress Was Briefed 13 Times on Surveillance Programs
Obama Calls Surveillance Programs Legal and Limited
NSA Programs Likely To Continue
Intelligence Czar: I Gave ‘Least Untruthful’ Answer On Surveillance
Why NSA Surveillance Only Bothers Some People
The 8 Craziest Intelligence Leaks in US History
N.S.A. Chief Says Phone Logs Halted Terror Threats
SYRIAN WAR
Syrian Opposition Says It Rejects Talks Unless Rebels Get Arms
Syrian Teenager’s Public Death Reveals Growing Anger as Civil War Continues
Rebels Accused Of Killing 60 Shiites In Eastern Syrian Town
Video: Syria’s Improvised Arsenals
Death Toll in Syrian Civil War Near 93,000, U.N. Says
Obama Authorizes Sending Weapons To Syrian Rebels
Syria Presses Aleppo Attack; Rebels Size Up U.S. Vow of Aid
TURKISH PROTEST
Video: Turkey Turns to Taksim
Turkish Leader Agrees to Meet Protest Organizers
Turkish Police Push Into Square Near Park Protest
Turkish PM To Meet Taksim Protesters
Turkish Leader Orders an End to Protests in 24 Hours
Turkish Leader Offers Referendum on Park at Center of Protests
Turkish Protesters Say Talks Lead to a Tentative Agreement
Police Storm Turkish Park Occupied by Protesters
OH CANADA
The Trans Canada Highway in rural Ontario was closed for five hours last week after a truck loaded with fireworks struck a moose. Officials at Wildlife Canada say there has been a rash of such incidents across the country and suspect that the morbidly depressed among these creatures have found an easier way to end it than antler bashing with a large tree or a provincial Conservative.
Could the worst possibly be over? Construction Jobs Soar, Housing Starts Soar. Is The Bubble Back?
This is a disgrace to all of Canada and it needs to get fixed. Yesterday. WAREHOUSED: Nova Scotians With Intellectual Disabilities Face Housing Crisis
SHORTS
Confirmed: Canada Has NSA-Style Surveillance Program
Canada’s Unexpected New Economic Champion
Here Are The Canadians Listed In Offshore Tax Havens Leak
12 Highlights of Chris Hadfield’s High-Flying Career
Canada, Are You Ready For Poutine Pizza?
Canadian Manufacturing Posts Biggest Drop In Years
American Dream More Alive In Canada:
GOOD EXAMPLES
I admire actors and actresses who do more than play heroes on television or in films. I’ve long admired Robert Redford for using his celebrity and influence to make us all more aware of climate change and the need to do something about it. Now, “the Horse Whisperer” is doing more than that. He is urging President Obama to “show the courage of his climate convictions.”
U.S. joins world to take on challenge of food waste — The U.S. Food Waste Challenge is a great step toward a more economically, socially, and environmentally streamlined food system.
Princess Diana’s two sons continue to make us proud. Prince Harry Saved Soldier From A Homophobic Attack. And lest anyone think this Royal is just another tin soldier, check this out.
SHORTS
Chicago Tactics Put Major Dent in Killing Trend
Facebook Opens Arctic Circle Data Center
BAD EXAMPLES
Well, it looks like we’re still poisoning ourselves. Energy-related CO2 emissions rose to a record high in 2012.
Maybe this is why everybody in Washington, DC seems so reluctant to reduce greenhouse emissions. The U.S. government is the fourth biggest greenhouse gas polluter in the country
The Least Peaceful Country In The World Is…
EXPLORATION, HISTORY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
We announced last week that Canada’s “man in space,” astronaut Chris Hadfield was handing his wings in. Check out these 12 highlights of an illustrious and exemplary career “touching the face of God.”
As bicycles become increasingly the mode of personal transportation of choice, parking space could become a problem. A firm in Japan appears to have come upon one viable solution.
As a decades-long advocate of solar power, in all its applications, we are absolutely delighted to learn that the world’s largest solar sail is set to launch in November of 2014.
OUTER SPACE
Rover Opportunity Finds New Evidence That Ancient Mars Was Habitable
Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week – June 9, 2013
NASA Eyeing Nuclear Fusion Rockets for Future Space Exploration
Ancient Mars Had Component Key to Life, Meteorite Reveals
Weightless Flames: How Fires Burn in Space
Russia Promises Manned Launches from Its Own Soil in 2018
NASA Goes ‘Green’: Next Spacecraft to Be Reusable
CLOSER TO HOME
WATCH: Real-Life Invisibility ‘Cloak’ Makes Creatures Disappear
An Old Torah, a Thought-Controlled Helicopter and a Very, Very Old Primate
LOOK: 26 Scientists & Doctors Who Gave Their Names To Dread Diseases
NORTHSTAR WEEKLY READER QUIZ
This country is crawling with millionaires. Can you name it?
THE GREEN AGENDA
OR electric cars save about $2.78 an ‘eGallon’
Island in the sun: Why are our cities heating up faster than everywhere else?
The garden plot thickens: Taking guerrilla gardening to the next level
Organic farming sucks (up carbon)
NASA Goes ‘Green’: Next Spacecraft to Be Reusable
HEALTH
Here are ten foods you could eat for the rest of your life, living long and prospering.
Sometimes, just about the time you say that it can’t be done, you get interrupted by ~ yep ~ somebody doing it. Check this out, gang. A 91-year-old recently broke the bench press record by lifting 187.2 lbs/849.2 kg.
Here’s another reason to love trees and make sure you’re around a lot of them. The absence of them can kill you.
SHORTS
5 Ways to Handle Your Emotions
As Summer Temps Rise, Can We Stand The Heat?
Trees may be keeping you alive
LOOK: 26 Scientists & Doctors Who Gave Their Names To Dread Diseases
Yaz, Yasmin Birth Control Pills Suspected In 23 Deaths
ON THE CANCER FRONT
There’s a new treatment for melanoma (skin cancer) that uses the body’s own immune system.
LINKS
LIFESTYLE
Trees may be keeping you alive
Voice-Activated Technology Is Called Safety Risk for Drivers
Data Reveal a Rise in College Degrees Among Americans
Exhibit at Auschwitz-Birkenau Honors Children of Holocaust
Why Extroverts Like Parties and Introverts Avoid Crowds
Why Humans Are Bad at Multitasking
With bicycling on the rise, motorists get a new round of driver’s ed
BEST OF THE NET
WATCH: Dog Plays Hard To Get With Baby Duck
Video of divers encountering a humpback whale will remove all the stress from your day
David Gallo: WATCH: What We Don’t Know About Life At The Bottom Of The Ocean
PERENNIALS
Liveblog: Cute animals to look at | Grist
Outer Space, Space Shuttle & Solar System Videos
LiveScience Best Science Photos of the Week
NORTHSTAR ENDORSES
BACK COUNTRY GALLERY: BEST NATURE PHOTOS ON THE NET
BLACK SEA AGRO: AGRICULTURE IN THE BLACK SEA REGION
CREAM MAGAZINE & MILLENNIUM ART GALLERY
HELP END WORLD HUNGER & POVERTY | HEIFER INTERNATIONAL® | HEIFER.ORG
THE SEADOC SOCIETY: PEOPLE & SCIENCE HEALING THE SEA
BLOGS WE FOLLOW
The Tomatoman Times – Sardonic, ironic, sometimes poignantly incisive, this is also one of the longest running human interest blogs on the Net and well worth the read.
Meade’s California Coast is moving commentary and photos by one of that state’s premier photojournalists. Short, poignant and memorable, it is a tribute to both the craft and the subject.
No Camels – Weekly Israeli Innovation News is like a blend of Popular Mechanics, Scientific American and the science pages of the New York Times and the Huffington Post. I totally geek out when I read these folks.
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.
EAST KING COUNTY TOWN HALL WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19: TRANSPORTATION AT A CROSSROADS: LEARN MORE, MAKE YOUR VIEWS KNOWN.
NEWS, WEATHER & INFORMATION
HERE’S A CHANCE TO SAVE METRO AND VISIT ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWNS IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
EAST KING COUNTY TOWN HALL WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19: TRANSPORTATION AT A CROSSROADS: LEARN MORE, MAKE YOUR VIEWS KNOWN
BellevueCity Hall, concourse and council chambers
450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue
5:30-6:30 p.m. – open house and comment period
6:30-8 p.m. – moderated panel discussion and questions
Directions to Bellevue City Hall
Join The Conversation On Twitter Using #Transfuture
Can’t Be There? Send Questions To The Speakers
Email community.relations@kingcounty.gov or tweet to @kcroads or @kcmetrobus.
Learn more about King County’s transportation future
THE FIRST URBAN FOOD FOREST IN AMERICA ~ WHICH JUST HAPPENS TO BE ON SEATTLE’S BEACON HILL (SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN) ~ IS NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC FORAGING. Produce free for the taking includes plums, apples, walnuts, berries, vegetables, and herbs. For more on this one, yep, please go here.
THE TODAY FILE: “Your guide to the latest news from Seattle and around the Northwest”
Here’s the 10 day forecast, courtesy of the good folks at our CBS affiliate, KIRO 7.
SEATTLE DIRECTORY
KOMO 4 News (ABC)
KIRO 7 (CBS)
KING 5 News (NBC)
ALL CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL
I’m one of those schmaltz-enhanced people who happen to think that puppies of all breeds are cute. To a point and that point is usually a matter of numbers and invasiveness. When I see a pack of ten pre-adolescent Corgis marauding about the domain, committing domestic mayhem in the name of YouTube popularity, I am reminded of the wolf packs I watched as a kid and read about in stories by Jack London. These yapping, bouncing, insanely hyperactive little dudes and dudettes will, with very little encouragement, grow into snarling, lunging, murderously hyperactive canines with a full set of teeth and the human-fostered belief that wrestling control of the world from our species is both ordained and very cute. Excuse me? It is not cute. It is self-destructive and it could well precipitate our extinction. Sometimes, ten yapping, bouncing, insanely hyperactive little Corgi pups are all it takes to tip the evolutionary scale.
If you want to see absolute grace in motion, check out hunting cheetahs rely more on agility than speed
This is what your supermarket would look like if all the bees died off: Whole Foods did a little experiment and pulled all produce pollinated by bees.
SHORTS
Endangered deer gets its head stuck in a Doritos bag
English Flying Reptiles Had Brazilian Relatives
U.S. To Tighten Chimp Protection
RELATED LINKS:
National Geographic Daily News – Animals
YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP
And then there were the ants that apparently learned how to ring a doorbell. Repeatedly.
AVAILABLE FROM NORTHSTAR
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WRATH OF THE TESTAMENT an exciting seagoing saga of war and rebellion For the kindle book, ($3.99) at amazon.com
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A FINAL WORLD
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Until next week, then, take care, stay well and Godspeed. Rusty
The Northstar Journal 