TO VIEW IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE
Pacem, Libertatem, Justitiam
September 16, 2018 Volume 11 Number 3
Reader Supported: All Contributions Appreciated and Accepted Here
INSIDE: The Mailbag & Online Chatrooms; World Headlines At A Glance; From Olya – Stopping A Killer Epidemic in Ukraine; 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
THE MAIL BAG & ONLINE CHATROOMS
Hi again, gang, from the shores of The Salish Sea: We got email, chatroom and in-person happy 11th Birthday, Northstar wishes from several of you and one in particular who has been enjoying Olya’s columns a lot too. We shook the sugar can and it rustled. That’s always a good sign too. So thank you very much. It means a lot to both of us to hear from you guys.
As any small entrepreneur in the 21st Century knows, “if you want that rustle, best be on the hustle”. That means making a profile with your business links on it, then going into a popular chat room, which is like a virtual online coffee house or pub, and interacting in a way that draws favorable attention to your profile and the information it contains.
The concept is consistent with virtual reality and instant personal communication on a global scale. I’ve been “doing chats” for a long time and my favorite “hang out” now is you will is one called “Dating Older.”
Room names are not meant to be taken literally sometimes. This room draws people from most of the former British Empire, including Oceana (Australia and New Zealand), Canada, Europe, the UK, inclusive of Scotland and Wales) and Ireland. They are, for the most part, extremely well-mannered and the things they discuss and they way they discuss them are, for the most part, family fare.
There’s also some offline bonding that occurs in this room as it does many others, and some truly positive information sharing. Through the others in the room, we get windows on places we’ve never been, provided by those who actually live there.
That having been said, chat rooms are not for the emotionally fragile. Behind the cloak of relative anonymity, the psychological refuse of all our shores washes up, vocally, and treats many a mental health expert to a display of textbook dysfunctionalism predating primordial soup.
It’s kind of like walking into a pub full of shaggy giants when everyone’s having a bad hair day and you’re bald. Except that these rooms have a feature called Block and when you use that, the moody shaggy giants disappear. So in that regard, virtual might be better than actual.
To check out chatrooms yourself, we recommend Wireclub and you can find them 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
STOPPING A KILLER EPIDEMIC IN UKRAINE
Hi Rusty:
This time it’s not about news but instead, about some worrying statistics I found on the site of a local political party about alcohol use among underaged. As you can see in the diagram above: consumption of alcohol in various age groups. source https://www.facebook.com/StopAlcopop/
The purpose of the campaign is to stop the industry of low-alcohol cocktails (the so-called “alcoholic beverage”) in Ukraine. Looking at how much on the streets youth drinking and smoking there is, the time for this kind of campaigns is now.
This is also a “local problem” gone national. For example, the image of a young mum pushing a pram with one hand, with a cigarette and an alcoholic drink in the other has become quite common.
Apparently, many parents aren’t even conscious about smoking with their own kids around. The same is unfortunately true in the night trains of Ukraine. Despite the regulations, smokers still indulge in the communal areas even knowing the air flow in the trains is congested.
Once I was curious to talk to one of them going to Poland. To my question do you smoke in Polish trains, the answer was- “Well, no, the fines there are too big.”
So a person is prepared to follow the strict rules in another country but feels free to disregard the rights, freedoms and protections of citizens in their own? Sad.
Another aspect hitting underaged now too is the increased use of hookahs. Cigarette packages in Ukraine carry a message of the health risks involved. Hookahs, which are also popular for smoking marijuana, hashish and opium, do not. And hookah bars are growing as mushrooms after rains. The Dangers Of Just One Evening Of Hookah Smoking. The rationale seems to be that the amount of nicotine kids inhale during this is considered “safe” compared to a cigarette.
Both kill and it’s time to change this.
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, the only downside to freedom of speech is that it guarantees the right to speak one’s mind even to those who have far more wind than sail.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: The NFL Fought Trump’s Bullying 30 Years Ago And Won. Should It Do It Again?
OUR WORLD, UNABRIDGED
Now that the season for these has begun… How To Stay Safe In A Hurricane
This Is Awesome And Just A Little Scary. World’s Biggest Airplane Takes Off From Oakland
I use the word “awesome” a lot when it fits. What Is The Hypatia Catalog?
EARTH
Humans May Have Wiped Out Largest Birds
Hurricane Florence Seen From Space
Welcome To The Meghalayan Ages
SPACE
Alien-Hunting AI Discovers Dozens Of Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts
TECHNOLOGY
China’s ‘Sea Dragon’ Underwater Robot Reaches Record Depth On Test Dive
A New Life For An Abandoned Skyscraper
Herbie 2.0: Putting Psychology To Work In Self-Driving Cars
PRAISE
Meet The Scientist Behind These Stunning Images Of Jupiter
Islanders In Kenya Build Recycled Plastic Boat To Highlight Pollution
Pope Francis Summons Bishops To Vatican For Abuse Prevention Summit
Amazon Chief Jeff Bezos Gives $2bn To Help The Homeless
The Pacific Ocean Is Getting A Long Overdue Cleanup
CENSURE
‘I Work 3 Jobs And Donate Blood Plasma To Pay The Bills. I’m A Teacher In America’
The Global Fight Against Climate Change Just Stalled. The Clock To Restart It Is Ticking
Google, Facebook, Twitter Face EU Fines Over Extremist Posts
Skripal Poisoning: Putin Says Suspects ‘Civilians, Not Criminals’
Les Moonves Resigns From CBS After Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Three Detained Women’s Rights Activists Should Be Immediately Released
TRAVEL
These Countries Have The Most Powerful Passports In The World
The Cities That Make Living Easy
THE GREEN BEAT
Time To Get Serious About Green Building
How Much Of The Ocean Is Fished?
Views: An Insurance Executive Explains Why We Need A Carbon Tax
Is BPA-Free Plastic Safe? Maybe Not
Climate-Friendly Cuisine? Welcome To Zero Foodprint
Shell Gives Up Exploration Permits To Make Way For Protected Area
What Are You Doing To Cut Plastics?
Whale Shark-Inspired Aquadrone Scoops Up Ocean Trash
California Governor Signs Law For Clean Energy By 2045
HEALTH
Burning Health Questions? Email TIME’s Health Editors
Your Lifespan In A Fire-Filled Future
Making Slow Food A Way Of Life
People Around The World Experienced Record Levels Of Stress And Pain In 2017, Study Says
Why Whole-Fat Milk And Yogurt Are Healthier Than You Think
The Placebo Effect Is Real, And Scientists May Be Able To Predict Who Responds
Cancer Will Kill About 10 Million People This Year, Experts Predict
COMMUNITY, FAMILY, HOME AND LIFESTYLE
What A Society Designed For Well-Being Looks Like
$2 Billion To Support Homeless And Low-Income Families
People Of Color Are Still Being Locked Out Of The Democratic Process
5 Ways Small Actions Have Huge Power
Psychologist: After 9/11, Americans Were United. Today We’re Divided By Threats That Don’t Exist
7 Big Things You Should Understand About Teacher Pay, According To Teachers
Teens Are Over Face-To-Face Communication, Study Says
BEST OF THE NET
The Red Ball Express, (Universal, 1952) stars Jeff Chandler, Sidney Poitier, Hugh O’Brien and a totally excellent cast in the historically accurate story of the Army Transportation Corps which kept Patton’s Third Army, among others, supplied in their race to free Europe from NAZI Germany after the invasion of Normandy during WWII. It is realistic and has several sub themes, among them, racial integration in the American armed forces (See also Tuskogee Airmen). Shot in black and white, it is also a film for general audiences and even has a theme song you’ll find yourself humming, singing or whistling long after the popcorns gone and everybody’s gone home. As a technical post script: the advisor on this film commanded the actual Red Ball Express.
FUN ZONE
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.
DO YOU SEE A DRAGON IN THESE CLOUDS?
FOR A VERY FUN SHOPPING EXPERIENCE WITH A LOT OF 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
Nope, this isn’t about a new species. It is, instead, an excellent story about an outstanding wildlife management program with photos that will tweak your cuteness factor. Flying Goats!
We absolutely agree with this. Vancouver Island’s Orcas Need More Than The Rescue Of One Sick Whale
We agree. It’s About TIME This Animal Was Added To The Endangered Species Act!
SHORTS
Honeybees Are Hurting. What Else Can Pollinate Our Food?
Humans Devastated Chinook Salmon. Now They Want To Save It
How A Tiny Satellite Fleet Will Track Millions Of Animals
YOU GUYS THINK WE MAKE THIS STUFF UP
Colorado Robber Drops Gun, Then Trousers — Video
Russian National Guard Chief Challenges Navalny To A ‘Duel’
Inside The World Of Kenya’s ‘Killer Cop’ — Video
ABOUT US: 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
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