TO VIEW IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE
Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
September 2, 2018 Volume 11 Number 1
Reader Supported: All Contributions Appreciated and Accepted Here
Be informed. Be entertained. Be empowered. Read The Northstar Journal
INSIDE: Happy Labor Day, America; Good-Bye, Captain John McCain; World Headlines At A Glance; From Olya – Back To School In Ukraine, 21st Century Style; Rusty’s Uncle Seamus; For Your Consideration; Our Science Section, Unabridged; Praise; Censure; Travel; The Green Beat; Health; Community, Home & Lifestyle; Best of the Net; Masha & the Bear; Northstar General Store; All Creatures Great & Small; You Guys Think We Make This Stuff Up; About Us
Norman Rockwell’s Freedom of Speech from his Four Freedoms essay https://www.nrm.org/2012/10/collections-four-freedoms/
HAPPY LABOR DAY, AMERICA; GOOD-BYE CAPTAIN MCCAIN
Hi again, gang, from the shores of The Salish Sea: Well, it was a sad week for many of us as we said good-bye to a fellow American whose last brave act was to have his own life support turned off rather than prolong his own suffering and the suffering of his family in a battle he knew he would not win. For a moving photo tribute to Captain John McCain, please go here.
Monday, September 2, America celebrates Labor Day…by taking the day off. For a quick look at how this all came about, we visited Wikipedia and found some outstanding information to augment what we already knew about the often bloody history of the working man in the United States and why that history is, in fact, so commemorated. We also found three songs that you might enjoy while you’re taking a look at this site. Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford Six Days On The Road by Johnny Cash 40 Hour Week by Alabama live at Farm Aid 1985
As a historical note of minor significance, this edition marks our 11th birthday. We began as a monthly in 1998 and among other things, brought you the first photos of the of the Kosovo War Massacres and a live account of the Nisqually Earthquake which rocked Seattle in February 2001.
When our Canadian editor succumbed to cancer, we ceased publication and when our grief ended, we returned in our present form and format. If you’d like to congratulate us with a coin of the realm thank you, this would be a good time and you can do that by going here.
That’s it for this week, gang. Take care, stay well and God Bless. Rusty
Merritt Scott “Rusty” Miller is a journalist, author, editor and photographer who lives in Seattle, Washington. For comments, please go here
THE PAST WEEK’S WORLD HEADLINES AT A GLANCE
FROM OLYA
Ukraine school children. Photo courtesy of http://www.soft.net
BACK TO SCHOOL IN UKRAINE, 21ST CENTURY STYLE
Hi Rusty:
It’s 1 September and that means the start of a new beginning in schools and universities throughout Ukraine. I am wishing all who students the twin blessings of good luck and wise teachers who are guides along the highways and byways of knowledge.
According to BBC Ukraine, for 450,000 children, this will be their first year. I think they are very fortunate for they will learn by new conception without grades, and the lessons in the form of games. Knapsacks heavy with paper textbooks have been relegated to the past. Before lessons, the children will gather in a circle with a teacher to start the day. From a psychological perspective, this form of communication is great for creating a nurturing class environment.
From the same source, I also learned that the largest school in Ukraine is in Kiev (Kyiv). It has 2284 students. The smallest, in our remote Carpathian Mountains, has three.
Another aspect of this new style of education is that it is also online. As yet, according to sources I checked, there is not enough data for statistical analysis.
Anecdotally, I did read about an online school started in Odessa, whose purpose is mainly to give those from rural areas an opportunity for a formal education. A few schools have apparently appeared since then. One of them is targeting the people resettling from the Donbas and Luhansk areas.
It seems, however, that parents choose online education for a variety of reasons including a bad psychological atmosphere in local school; problems with communications with other kids; misunderstandings with teachers; a desire for more free time, changing place of living etc. And, of course, the online education option gives families more lifestyle flexibility.
I would also like to join our readers in congratulating the Northstar Journal as it opens its eleven chapter. I am wishing us full wind in our sails and that God grant us the wisdom and the strength to continue educating, inspiring and challenging those we serve as “the magazine with the heart.
That’s it for this week, Mishka. Stay cool, my cousin. 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.
According to Rusty’s infamous Uncle Seamus, sometimes the only way you can survive hard times is by sewing rubber pockets in your pants so you can steal soup.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: This past week, the world lost an exemplary human being. Here are his final words to us. ‘Do Not Despair Of Our Present Difficulties.’ Read John McCain’s Powerful Farewell Letter
OUR SCIENCE SECTION, UNABRIDGED
Oookay… Elephant Repellent Invented At A Kenyan School That Warns By SMS
The answer to this one just might surprise you. Is Hypnosis Real? Here’s What Science Says
Hello HAL. Good morning, Rusty Apple Self-Driving Car Rear-Ended During Road Testing
EARTH
We’re In For Dramatic Changes To Earth’s Ecosystems
Hothouse Earth: Scientists Show Us Where We’re Headed
How To Build For The Ocean Of The Future
SPACE
Dates Set For Touchdown On An Asteroid
Astronauts Tackle Air Leak On International Space Station
We’ve Got A Landing Site On Asteroid Ryugu
TECHNOLOGY
Chasing Quakes With Machine Learning
Tablet Bends ‘Like Ancient Scroll’
The Electric Scooter Boom Offers Cities A Chance To Rethink Streetscapes
PRAISE
The Duke Of Sussex Gets On Stage With The Hamilton Cast
FGM: The Maasai Woman On A Mission To Educate Her Community — Video
Pope Denounces Irish Forced Adoptions After Victims’ Appeal
3D-Printed Gun Blueprints Ban Extended
CENSURE
Hong Kong Woman Marries Stranger After Being ‘Tricked’ By Work
Yemen Conflict: UN Experts Detail Possible War Crimes By All Parties
TRAVEL
Is This The Quirkiest Town In The US?
The City That’s Losing Its Lights
The Ancient Samaritans Alive Today
THE GREEN BEAT
First Nations Celebrate Win Against Trans Mountain Pipeline
Five Things About The Trans Mountain Pipeline Ruling
More States Take Interest In Legal Fight Over Washington State Coal Terminal
What Pipeline Protesters Should Know
Trans Mountain Pipeline Construction Underway With Feds Footing The Bill
Why Don’t We Farm Huckleberries?
What If We Retrained Coal Workers For Solar?
The Giant Coal Plant Turning ‘Green’
HEALTH
Burning Health Questions? Email TIME’s Health Editors
STD Rates Hit A Record For A 4th Year In A Row. It Won’t Be Easy To Fix
5 Easy Nutrition Tweaks You Should Make, According To Dietitians
13 Surprising Uses For Baking Soda
Worst Foods From The Deli Section
Vitamins And Minerals From A To Zinc
15 Cancer Symptoms You Should Never Ignore
How To Keep Your Liver Healthy
COMMUNITY, FAMILY, HOME AND LIFESTYLE
America’s Car Culture Is Literally Shortening Your Life
Which Country’s Education Costs Most?
Unintended Impacts Of Women’s Suffrage
BEST OF THE NET
If you think this did not make a grown man cry, think again. Drake Fan Sofia Sanchez Receives New Heart After Birthday Wish
This is spectacular. Fireball Caught On Camera Over Perth
This is one of the best we have ever featured in here. Incredible Waterfalls To See In Every State )
JUST FOR FUN
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.
NASA SELFIES APP LETS YOU PLAY ASTRONAUT
FOR A VERY ENTERTAINING SHOPPING EXPERIENCE WITH LOTS OF ACTUALLY USEFUL FREE STUFF
THE NORTHSTAR JOURNAL GENERAL STORE is a page full of links to mostly free stuff and several unique gifts for under $5.00//4.5 EUROS, including Olya’s novel “Rocket Man” and mine, “Wrath of the USS Testament”. The ‘shelves’ also offer films, television episodes, gadgets and apps to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Now, here’s the really cool part. Load up your cart and instead of getting your plastic out, just drop in the jar on your way out whatever it’s worth to you. You can even try it now and use the back browser to return to the rest of the magazine.
ALL CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL
Photo of Pacific Northwest L Pod courtesy of earthjustice.org
To Save The Orcas, We Must Clean Up The Duwamish And we’re not talking about taking as long as the Monorail with this either, neighbors.
I’m not sure why we need to know this but oookay. Beluga Whales And Narwhals Go Through Menopause
I don’t imagine the State Chamber of Commerce is thrilled this news is getting out. Hybrid Super-Snakes In South Florida?
SHORTS
What Did The Dolphin Say To The Porpoise?
Goats ‘Drawn To Happy Human Faces’
Dinosaur Dna Clues Unpicked In Uk
The Black Mambas Protecting Elephants
Saving The ‘King Of The Birds’ With Dna
The Birds That Forgot How To Get Home
Can A Turtle Live Without Its Shell?
YOU GUYS THINK WE MAKE THIS STUFF UP
Why Are Some Species More Likely To Go Extinct?
Volcano Helped Defeat Napoleon At Waterloo?
The Plan To Measure Wind From Space
ABOUT US
This is what Americans look like, not Donald Trump. (James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington)
The Northstar Journal reaches an international readership of strong, intelligent, proactively compassionate people like you, who are out there helping make this a better world. We are proud to serve them as an information resource in that regard. If you would like to help us help them, please go here. No contribution too large or too small. If you would like to sponsor an edition or contribute in some other way, please contact us at minstrel312@aol.com Thank you and see you next week. RM/OB
