The Dutch are evaluating their brave experiment with allowing open sales of marijuana in coffee shops and the results are negative. Health authorities now say that marijuana is not harmless and so the rules are tightening and shops are closing. In some areas they are not allowing foreigners service to stop busloads of Germans from coming. The Independent (UK) is concerned.
March 1 - Osama bin Laden directed Zarqawi to conduct attacks on the United States this week. This is basically two guys hiding in caves and one says "You go out and attack them." And the response: "No, I will stay here and guard my cave, you go!" "No, you!" "Not me, guy!"
The South Asia Tsunami
Update 3/26 - Arthur Chrenkoff has the 3-month update. Death toll 273,000 and 110,000 missing and presumed dead. Indonesia doesn't like the presence of foreign, non-Muslim people providing love, aid and cash. At least not enough to allow them to continue, so everyone has to leave within weeks. The barriers to aid delivery - culture, pride, transportation and other infrastructure - have combined to frusterate many donors - Japan's huge donation has barely been touched.Update 1/11 - The earth is still rattling two weeks after the massive earthquake and tsunami, according to the Australian Herald-Sun newspaper.
"Australian National University scientists said special equipment was showing much of the planet was still ringing like a bell. Dr Herb McQueen, from the university's earth sciences research school, said a gravity meter at Mt Stromlo Observatory was still recording vibrations generated by the Boxing Day quake."
Update 1/10 - Some sophisticated Europeans say it's another proof that Bush is stupid that he sent an aircraft carrier to the Indian Ocean for tsunami aid. Matt Rosenberg linked to Varifrank for his first-person story of clearly defending the President's use of resources.
Update - A US diplomat posts on his blog what he cannot otherwise day. First-hand knowledge of how the UN people hang out in luxury hotels in the capitals and hold news conferences. But they are never seen where the action is. The hard, sweaty, exhausting relief work is being done by Americans and Australians. The Diplomad
I have followed the story since I read the news early Sunday morning 12/26. We lived on Oahu in Hawaii for two years and have been to Maui around 20 times. In Hawaii the tsunami warning system has sirens along the beach that are tested every Wednesday at noon. So there is no escaping some knowledge of the dangers of tsunamis. And the telephone book shows maps of the entire coastline of the island showing the danger line - get past this line to be safe.
Furthermore, we read about the 1946 wave that hit Hilo on the Big Island. It hit, after traveling thousands of miles from Alaska, a bit before school started. Kids waiting for school to open saw the water recede. (In the middle of the ocean the tides are slight - like 2-foot difference.) In their curiosity they went out; I think their teacher went with them. And that receding water was the precursor to the huge, fast-moving wave. And the school kids died. With the knowledge we have, if we had been at a beach when the water receded we would have been screaming "Get off the beach! Run! Now!"
These are the most interesting links I have found. Wikipedia is a volunteer-written encyclopedia where anyone can contribute. They have editors to provide some organization and to remove false information. But experts contribute what they know. This is the best explanation of the science of tsunamis and this particular one. It also has the animation done by US NOAA.
Tilly Smith is a 10-year-old girl from Great Britain who learned the warning sign of receding water in the classroom and saved many lives! New York Post.
Excellent photo series taken in Thailand. People drawn to the beach by curiosity see the show and run for their lives. Source: CoreyKoberg.com.
Is Farmed Salmon Safe to Eat?
When we were in Alaska on our cruise we did a combined bike ride and hike "port activity" in Sitka. (Great place; everyone loved it.) All three of the guides indoctrinated us in the dangers of farmed salmon. "Ask for wild salmon." If they had only sung their song once we would have been impressed. But they repeated it several times over the 3 or 4 hours of the activity.
What does science tell us?
Patrick Moore was one of the founders of Greenpeace. He is still working to sustain our environment. But he discovered what many of us have - that Greenpeace and other environmental groups have gone from being careful about development to being against development to being against human life on earth. So Moore set up his own organization. Greenspirit
Select the link "Farmed Salmon" to read his paper about the safety of farmed salmon. The PCB level is far, far below the danger level.
Sound Politics
is a "blog," that is, a web log about Puget Sound area politics and issues. I was invited by Stefan Sharkansky to be a contributor; there are 5 of us. I am posting my opinions about the news there 2 to 4 times per week. Take a look.
Bush's "No child left behind" ed reform is changing schools
After 3 years the Bush-Kennedy education bill is doing what many thought no possible: changing how schools operate.
<<For the first time, an overwhelming majority of states now test new teachers. They also test nearly all students, including those deemed learning-disabled. And they are publicly reporting information on the safety conditions in public schools that either hadn't been collected or was locked away in file drawers, according to a study on the state implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act released yesterday.>>
Terrorists Have No Geneva Rights
John Yoo in the Wall Street Journal spells it out. The protection of the Geneva Conventions is for soldiers in uniform representing their country. Terrorists do not qualify, so the US and the Coalition countries are not constrained by Geneva. (Everyone seems to know what the Geneva Conventions say, but does anyone ever read them?)
A quote:
"The reasons to deny Geneva status to terrorists extend beyond pure legal obligation. The primary enforcer of the laws of war has been reciprocal treatment: We obey the Geneva Conventions because our opponent does the same with American POWs. That is impossible with al Qaeda. It has never demonstrated any desire to provide humane treatment to captured Americans. If anything, the murders of Nicholas Berg and Daniel Pearl declare al Qaeda's intentions to kill even innocent civilian prisoners. Without territory, it does not even have the resources to provide detention facilities for prisoners, even if it were interested in holding captured POWs."
Hundreds of Christians slaughtered in Nigeria
... by Muslims
No, Zogby is wrong on this one
May 14, 2004--Last Sunday, pollster John Zogby created quite a stir by announcing
his view that the election is now Kerry's to lose. John is a good pollster
and makes many good points, but I respectfully disagree with him on this
one.
Coffee improves thinking
Researchers found that coffee helps doing cognitive tasks if taken in small amounts over time, rather than a few large cups. And it helps most, not in the morning, but later in the day. In the morning you are rested and naturally more alert. But later in the day you slow down and caffeine helps the most. Every time I find a report that coffee is bad for you I find two stories like this about its benefits. So I am continuing my 32-year experiment drinking coffee.
How café culture can beat fatigue - Telegraph, UK.
NY Times "apologizes" to Mel Gibson
Peter Bart writes for Variety, the entertainment industry's newspaper. He takes on the NY Times for being unfairly hard on Mel Gibson. He even found where "The Times" made a backhanded correction: 'Contrary to an earlier report, the correction said, Mel Gibson did not "deploy" TV talk show hosts like Bill O'Reilly to urge audiences to see "The Passion of the Christ." Gibson discussed his movie with them, but did not "deploy" them.'
Rosenblog discovers the Key
Matt Rosenberg has become one of my regular news sources. Based in Seattle and politically sensible. Saturday he and his family made a trip to the Key Peninsula. And they walked past our place the "Folly" - photo. He has the highest praises for the quiet of the beach.
Matt's story at Rosenblog.com.
Baghdad Jim profits from Saddam Hussein
Our Seattle member of Congress is so far left that people say he could bring Fidel Castro to town for a fund raiser and people would still support him. He went to Baghdad when we were waiting for Saddam to comply with the UN Resolutions and comply with the weapons inspectors. And while there he said on live television that President Bush would tell a lie to invade Iraq and take out Saddam.
Now we learn that he accepted a campaign donation from an Arab businessman who received cash from the infamous UN-Iraq "oil for food" program. Of course he just returned it. But he didn't ask any questions. 4/16
Seattle Times (Note that the headline is an alibi. Seattle Times on the job.) Registration is required to view pages in the archive. It's free.
My letter in the Seattle Times
On Saturday 2/28/04 the Seattle Times printed a letter of mine. I know which option Mayor Nickels and Congressman Larsen will take - the second. That's how I define hypocrisy.
Link (I think when the page linked to is two weeks old you have to register - free - to view it.)
Here is the full text:
Seattle leaders are requesting $1 billion to repair the Alaskan Way Viaduct ("Officials seek boost for viaduct," Local News, Feb. 21). And I agree it is necessary to repair or replace it.
But everyone is concerned about the federal budget deficit. When Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, get their large appropriation, will they stand up with President Bush when he signs the budget and say "It is necessary to have a deficit in order to pay for this needed highway project"? Or will they slam the president for the deficit while they smile and count the money they got?
Or Nickels and Larsen could suggest where to cut $1 billion out of other programs
to pay for this highway repair.
Ron Hebron, Lake Forest Park
Link to the article I was referring to
Sudan's president thanks US for role in peace
The leader of a Muslim country is thanking the US for leadership in world peace efforts. I saw a link to this story published in South Africa. I haven't seen it in a US source. OK, I didn't look real hard. The second link is about peace progress in Africa. 1/1/04
Independent Online South Africa - Sudan's President
Seattle Times - Peace progress in several African nations
Saudi Leader Calls to Legalize Slavery
From Saudi Information Agency, an independent news source via Daniel Pipes:
November 7, 2003 "The main author of the Saudi religious curriculum expressed his unequivocal support for the legalization of slavery in one of his lectures recorded on a cassette and obtained exclusively by SIA news.
"Leading government cleric Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan is the author of the religious books currently used to teach 5 million Saudi students, both within the and in Saudi schools aboard - including those in the Washington , DC metro area. 'Slavery is a part of Islam,' he says in the tape, adding: 'Slavery is part of jihad, and jihad will remain as long there is Islam.' "
Protestantism spreads in Cuba
CAMP CANAAN, Cuba - Paul Northrup raised his hands and shouted "Alelujah!" A congregation of more than 1,000 Cubans echoed back.
The small church that Northrup planted in central Cuba 50 years ago has grown and thrived since he left in 1959, becoming a small part of a broad movement that Cuban evangelicals have built across their socialist nation.
"They told us when we left, the work would fail," Northrup said. "There were seven churches then. Now there are 53."
Seattle Times 11/29/03 - I don't think it requires registration for this archived article
Public university support pornography for students
"Club for Persons of Randy Nature, or P.O.R.N., ... meets every Tuesday in a dorm room to watch free pornographic films while enjoying popcorn and soda."
Story in "The Western Front," the campus newspaper.
I rode 14 days of a cross-country ride in June, 2003 - 800 miles from Puget Sound in Seattle to the prairies east of the Rocky Mountains on the other side of Glacier National Park. The Cross Country Classic. Great trip. Excellent management by Monica Eddy. Great people. Good weather. Great country, especially Washington's Columbia River gorges and Western Montana.
More Photos - Monica had a digital camera around all the time. Many photos.
We live near the great Burke-Gilman trail, one of the first conversions of abandoned railroad grade to a walking/cycling trail. I ride to work about 20 times a year during the months with more daylight. It's an excellent route from home. But it's 44 miles round trip and too far. So I drive 5 miles and do a 34-mile round trip.
I ride a Gold Rush aka Fold Gold, a long-wheel-base recumbent bicycle; the model that folds and has a rear suspension. It's great. Being long, it is very stable at speed and is especially good on the flat and down hill. I do OK going uphill, but I can't stand up. The Rans Company. The Rans Stratus I rode to the middle of Montana was stolen.
Chilly Hilly Bike Ride
The Chilly Hilly is "The winter ride" in Seattle. It goes around Bainbridge Island, a ferry ride from downtown Seattle. Only 33 miles, but 2250 vertical including some over 10% grades. (I thought it was about 2700, but this is what the Cascade.org web site says.) And of course many years there is rain; this is Seattle! But yesterday it was sunny and warm for February.
It was featured with a large photo on the front page of the Seattle Times Monday. The photo on the front page is kind of funny because all the faces it shows are men who show grim determination. You would think it isn't a fun ride, but it is. But the photographer caught the riders at the moment seconds before they open the boat for unloading and the big ride. So they are thinking "I've planned this for weeks. Hurry up and let me get on the road!" The second photo in the story clearly shows a recumbent rider - walking up a hill. Do they all have gray beards? But at least two other riders are also walking and it's the longest hill.
I rode my new Fold Rush - Fold Gold? - but had only ridden 70 miles since my Stratus was stolen last September. And I paid for it. I had no trouble with the 33 miles. But after about 1,000 feet of climbing my strength reserve was gone. On one of the later hills - not a big one - when I was near the top, I should have shifted, but decided to push it instead. But I had nothing to push with. One thigh cramped. The next hill I walked with cramps in both thighs. I have *never* walked a hill before. Except when I did the 3-day Tri-Island Bike Trek (3 days of 300-foot hills and up and down) with my father when he was 78! I never complained about walking on that ride!
Lake Forest Park, Washington, USA
