The Mike Miller Trail in South Beach

ron says 4 thumbs down...

Here it is 3am and I write now about a trail I walked today. The reason I am doing that is because I ache everywhere from this misadventure. This trail is not for Seniors.... even those that consider themselves to be in terrific shape.

The trail has many steep ups and downs with mud holes that would make excellent pig wallows. Roots from the forest trees creep all over the trail and lie in wait for the unwary foot. Falling is not something you and I can afford to do... A broken hip can cost you your life.

The minute I entered the trail you could hear a dinner bell bong because lunch was served and I was it. Mosquitoes sang their high pitched whine all around as they sampled me. I spent two hours there thinking maybe the end would come into sight on the next step. Your eyes have to be constantly downcast to keep away from obstacles so there isn't much forest enjoyment. Baby steps are necessary most of the way because of steep angles and holes dug out by rain and boots. There was one advantage to that.... I ran across a lady that had 5 malamute dogs pulling her along and as you might suspect I was able to dodge the many dog droppings they left on the trail.

There are many nicer places to walk around our area and I intend to write about them from time to time. Once in awhile I will have a partner who likes to take pictures along and they will show up here as a slide show. Ladies you can walk along too.

I am a spur of the moment type of person and may call those that want to walk at anytime. Don't care much for planing this type of activity. I have one walk in mind that is a downhill pavement walk but needs people to place along the route for those that tire and can't go the full distance.

So, went the day and Ibuprofen is kicking in so the ache is fading... Bye for now RT

Tech comes to LVH

by Ron Thomas

A few days ago, while walking the neighborhood, I noticed a guy with a big pole with a plastic dome on top of it stopping at each house taking some sort of readings with another instrument kind of like a theotlite and GPS combined.

That was to much for my tech savy brain to let go of. Asking him what he was doing became irresistible for me.

He was working for the PUD and what he was doing was locating the electric meters on each of our homes exactly, using overhead sattelites . Why you say? The PUD has plans, he said, to put new meters on our electric services that can be instantly and accurately read from their offices, doing away with the traditional meter reader and providing them with upto date and accurate readings at their offices.

Right away I'm wondering could they be persuaded to send us energy audits showing times of our energy usage and how much? Could be a way of helping us cut our utility bill. Maybe they could put it on line for us to look up?

Interesting possibilities... What can you think of?

Did a Child Pick Your Strawberries? - Page 1 - The Daily Beast

Did a Child Pick Your Strawberries? - Page 1 - The Daily Beast: "By the time she was a teenager, Luz was often working 13-hour days, when she wasn’t in school. Her employer gave her no choice about hours. “No one can leave. They block the exits and say everyone has to help out.” She fell behind in school and said most of her friends had dropped out. She was often sick from exposure to pesticides. “You could see it all around, and you were breathing it. … My stomach was always heaving. Every single day.”"

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay: "Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials are planning a full closure of U.S. Highway 20 from 6 p.m. Friday, May 14, until 6 a.m. Monday, May 17, to do blasting next to the highway as part of the Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville project. Project managers say they need to remove 900 feet from the eastern slope at milepost 22."

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay: "he Newport City Council will leave a fuel tax implemented last October in place until at least Oct. 31 of this year before reviewing it for possible changes or elimination.

Drivers who purchase fuel between November and May in Newport pay a 1-cent-per-gallon tax, and they pay 3 cents per gallon during the peak tourist months between June and October. Funds from the local gas tax go toward street maintenance."

The Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India located in Trisul, India | Atlas Obscura | Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The Skeleton Lake of Roopkund, India located in Trisul, India | Atlas Obscura | Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations: "In 1942 a British forest guard in Roopkund, India made an alarming discovery. Some 5000 meters above sea level at the bottom of a small valley, was a lake absolutely full of skeletons. As the glacier melted in the summer it revealed ever more skeletal remains, both floating in the water and lying haphazardly around the edges. Something horrible had happened here."

Bobby & Ron's Excellent Adventure

A couple of daze ago two old guys went on a walk in the garden of eatin. Otter Rock area. Thought you might like a peek....

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay: "Responding to concerns about the high number of drivers with disabled parking permits being cited for parking in wheelchair-only spots, the Newport Police Department said on Wednesday it would issue only warnings for the next 90 days."

LVH Great Northwest Anniversary Cruise

The cruise for LVH residents in 2011 has a website to answer your questions, help select the amenities you want, and even sign on and pay for our June 17th 2011 cruise to Alaska.

On the right side top of the link page just click the picture of our Cruise Liner.. "The Infinity"

So far about 9 cabins are spoken for. Each person that signs on gets amenities added to our group rate. So, sign up today, put down your deposit and make payments until 90 days before departure if you like or pay all at once.

Our residents Ben Davi and Dee Shimek are our go to people in the park for answers you can't find by clicking the ship and investigating the website.

Eat more protein to avoid hip fractures, elderly told | Mail Online

Eat more protein to avoid hip fractures, elderly told
| Mail Online: "Elderly people who eat more protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures, according to a new study published today.
Consuming meat, eggs, fish or cheese helps to build stronger muscles in the legs, which can reduce the chances of falls."

Burnt Woods man arrested on burglary, theft charges

Burnt Woods man arrested on burglary, theft charges: "A Burnt Woods resident faces theft and burglary charges for multiple alleged� crimes in Lincoln County.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, on April 25, a deputy investigated a reported burglary in Toledo in which someone went into a residence and took two rifles. The rifles were later located at a second-hand store in Newport.
James Loren Anderson, 23, was arrested on charges of first-degree burglary and second-degree theft.
On Tuesday, a deputy was dispatched to a theft of two chain saws taken from a workshop near Burnt Woods."

Veterans Administration Links

Ron Says:

Several days ago John Spangler emailed me a whole group of links that pertain to Veterans enrolled in the VA Benefits Program. Somebody went to a lot of work to create that email with all those links.

We have decided to honor them by publishing their work as a web page on our blog so it is readily available to all our Vets if they ever need it. Whoever, you are thank you.

Find the link to that web page on the right side bar under the heading of "Everything Else".

RT

Google Reader

Google Reader: "Reported by Michael Rubin (The Corner):
[1. I]t was the Icelandic economy’s last wish that its ashes be scattered over the EU.
[2.] Iceland goes bankrupt, then it manages to set itself on fire. This has insurance scam written all over it."

Google Reader

Google Reader: "If you have an indoor cat, a grass pot for chewing on can make a caring addition to your cat's daily activities. Cats eat grass as a way to help their stomachs work well, so this is a good health measure if your cat never goes outdoors."

America's First Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine - Science and Tech - The Atlantic

America's First Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine - Science and Tech - The Atlantic: "Last Thursday the Food and Drug Administration approved Provenge for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Provenge is the first therapeutic vaccine to be approved in the U.S. for cancer treatment, ushering in what may be a new era in immune-based cancer treatments. Approval marks the successful conclusion of a 20-year odyssey with some remarkable twists and turns."

Pentagon drops opposition to big Oregon wind farm | OregonLive.com

Pentagon drops opposition to big Oregon wind farm | OregonLive.com: "On Friday, Oregon Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden� and Jeff Merkley� and U.S. Rep. Greg Walden,� R-Ore., announced the Pentagon had agreed to allow the project, the largest in the United States, to go forward."

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay

News Times Newport Oregon - News Times - local news, vacation rentals, entertainment, school sports, event calendar, real estate, breaking news, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay: "The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) at Oregon State University (OSU)’s Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) proposes building a wave energy test facility known as a Mobile Ocean Test Berth (MOTB), deploying it in a designated area about two miles offshore from Yaquina Head. As part of the process, DOE officials are preparing an environmental assessment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), subject to scrutiny by and input from local, state, federal, and tribal agencies, and area residents."

Google Reader (3)

Google Reader
(3): "The sheepshank is a useful knot for two purposes. It can be used to temporarily shorten a rope or it could be used to allow a rope with a damaged or frayed part to be still used (the damaged part would be in the center, where there is no tension). One of the properties of this knot is that it can get easily undone without tension, so to keep it in place, tension needs to be applied on both sides of the knot."

Google Reader

Google Reader: "investigators may have picked the wrong culprit. Processed carbohydrates, which many Americans eat today in place of fat, may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease more than fat does--a finding that has serious implications for new dietary guidelines expected this year."

Senior citizens' version of 'Jersey Shore': Drama at retirement center is tame in 'Sunset Daze'

Senior citizens' version of 'Jersey Shore': Drama at retirement center is tame in 'Sunset Daze': "'Sunset Daze' seems determined to prove that even when we move to retirement communities, we never completely escape the melodramas of high school."

Ephphatha Poetry: "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" - Tim Wise

Ron says... Don't read this if you like what you see on the TV about the Tea Party. It is a political point of view that is disturbing. I don't normally publish anything of a political or religious nature here but this makes a point that I feel compelled to share.

Ephphatha Poetry: "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black" - Tim Wise: "'Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black' - Tim Wise"

Google Reader

Google Reader: "This new gem rivals what may be Hubble’s most famous image, a shot of the Pillars of Creation taken in 1995. The shot above is of a star-forming region in the Carina Nebula. The enormous pillar of gas and dust is 3 light-years tall. The seam in the middle is the result of new stars forming and emitting powerful gas jets that are ripping the pillar apart."

The Lunatics Who Made a Religion Out of Greed and Wrecked the Economy | The Smirking Chimp

The Lunatics Who Made a Religion Out of Greed and Wrecked the Economy | The Smirking Chimp: "Even if he stands to make a buck at it, even your average used-car salesman won't sell some working father a car with wobbly brakes, then buy life insurance policies on that customer and his kids. But this is done almost as a matter of routine in the financial services industry, where the attitude after the inevitable pileup would be that that family was dumb for getting into the car in the first place. Caveat emptor, dude!"

The beaches along the Eastern seaboard are about to disappear, says one EPA scientist. Why isn't anyone listening? - By Josh Harkinson, with additional reporting by Kate Sheppard - Slate Magazine

The beaches along the Eastern seaboard are about to disappear, says one EPA scientist. Why isn't anyone listening? - By Josh Harkinson, with additional reporting by Kate Sheppard - Slate Magazine: "Titus, the Environmental Protection Agency's resident expert on sea-level rise, first happened on Maryland's disappearing beaches 15 years ago while looking for a place to windsurf. 'Having the name 'beach,' ' he discovered, 'is not a very good predictor of having a beach.' Since then, he's kept an eye out for other beach towns that ha ve lost their namesakes—Maryland's Masons Beach and Tolchester Beach, North Carolina's Pamlico Beach, and many more."

WE TV Premiering New Reality Series About Senior Citizens In Retirement Home | AHN

WE TV Premiering New Reality Series About Senior Citizens In Retirement Home | AHN: "WE tv is set to premiere the highly anticipated new docu-series “Sunset Daze.” The cable network is premiering a back-to-back episode of the show where the party-loving senior men and women are the stars.

“Sunset Daze” will take us to the world’s largest retirement community of Sun City in Surprise, AZ. It explores the lives of nine Sun City residents who do not see their advanced age as detriment to live their lives to the fullest."

Google Reader

Google Reader: "“Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.”"

Life on an oil rig. - By Emily Yoffe - Slate Magazine

Ron says, This story comes close to my last 15 years before retirement. The writer gives a good outsiders view of a floating rig. Hope you enjoy it.

Life on an oil rig. - By Emily Yoffe - Slate Magazine: "Eleven workers are still missing after an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday night. In 2007, Emily Yoffe experienced a day in the life of the roustabouts and roughnecks who live and work on an oil rig. The original article is reprinted below."

Predicting the next Northwest mega-quake still a struggle for geologists | OregonLive.com: "On a January night in 1700, one of the largest earthquakes in history ruptured the seafloor off Oregon and Washington.

Within minutes of the magnitude-9 earthquake, a 30-foot wall of water drove over low-lying coastal areas. The tsunami crossed the Pacific within 12 hours and flattened houses along Japan's east coast."

Baby Whale on Oregon Coast Died of Rope Entanglement

Baby Whale on Oregon Coast Died of Rope Entanglement: "(Seaside, Oregon) – A dead baby Gray whale washed up onto a north Oregon coast beach Friday, surprising visitors and leading northwest media to immediately speculate it had something to do with the spate of dead Grays on the Washington coast.

Instead, a necropsy has since proven what experts initially could tell by sight: it had been caught in rope from crab pots and drowned."

Woman, airport security tussle over elderly woman's applesauce | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Woman, airport security tussle over elderly woman's applesauce | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times: "Prosecutors charged Nadine Kay Hays, 58, who was traveling to Nashville, Tenn., with her mother, with misdemeanor battery after the reported fight with the Transportation Security Administration agent last April.
Hays denied striking the agent, arguing that she merely brought down her hand to keep agents from taking away her mother’s applesauce, cheese and milk.

“I am not going to plead guilty to something I didn’t do. I’m a person of character,”� Hays, whose mother died last month, told the Glendale News Press. “I end up reliving this disaster every spare moment of my life. You just flash back and you see these scenes over and over.”

The case has been ridiculed by talk-radio hosts, who railed against the agents involved and challenged how confiscating a disabled woman’s applesauce would improve national security."

String an Indoor Clothes Line for Cheap and Space-Efficient Drying - Home - Lifehacker

String an Indoor Clothes Line for Cheap and Space-Efficient Drying - Home - Lifehacker: "This DIY indoor clothes line, however, makes excellent use of a small space and provides abundant room for wet clothes.

Most drying racks and even commercial laundry-room lines are too short on actual drying space. This clever clothes line setup doubles the line back upon itself a dozen times in a small space that would have otherwise gone unused—not only is the line itself space efficient but the use of the wasted space in the laundry room is a double-whammy of space management."

Ice cap thaw may awaken Icelandic volcanoes: Scientific American

Ice cap thaw may awaken Icelandic volcanoes: Scientific American: "OSLO (Reuters) - A thaw of Iceland's ice caps in coming decades caused by climate change may trigger more volcanic eruptions by removing a vast weight and freeing magma from deep below ground, scientists said on Friday."

Wisconsin Electric Car Pioneer Ben Nelson Explains New Models to Milwaukee Hybrid Group

Wisconsin Electric Car Pioneer Ben Nelson Explains New Models to Milwaukee Hybrid Group: "Henry Ford had a deal to mass-produce electric cars with batteries supplied by Thomas Edison, according to home-grown electric car builder Ben Nelson. The package was going to include windmill systems to recharge the batteries, which would have meant no fuel costs at all. Edison was slow getting his end of the technology together, so Ford went with a petroleum-powered internal combustion engine instead."

Mark Hyman, MD: Glutathione: The Mother of All Antioxidants

Mark Hyman, MD: Glutathione: The Mother of All Antioxidants: "It's the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease -- yet you've probably never heard of it. It's the secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer's disease. There are more than 89,000 medical articles about it"

New gadget for geocaching – Its Hotz Outside - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive

New gadget for geocaching – Its Hotz Outside - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive: "If you don’t remember, geocaching goes something like this: Someone goes out into a field, clump of woods or other hard-to-find area and buries or hides a container of something. The “stuff” could be anything from key chains to a journal. That person then goes on-line and posts the GPS coordinates. Other people log on, write down the coordinates and then go off on an adventure to try to find the container."

Squid invasion hitting Oregon coast and scientists are concerned, but could there be a silver lining? | OregonLive.com

Squid invasion hitting Oregon coast and scientists are concerned, but could there be a silver lining? | OregonLive.com: "NEWPORT -- Last year when fish surveyors went out to count whiting -- Oregon's largest fishery by volume -- they found plenty to count all right, but it wasn't what they expected.

Instead, they found themselves looking at so many Humboldt squid, they couldn't see the whiting -- also known as hake -- to get an accurate count, said Selina Heppell, an associate professor in fisheries at Oregon State University."

Answers to your questions about Alzheimer's | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

Answers to your questions about Alzheimer's | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register: "The Alzheimer's Association would not recommend taking your mother out of the nursing home for an overnight stay. Persons with Alzheimer's generally do better with routines that are predictable and familiar. Changing the routine or setting can be confusing and disruptive for people with Alzheimer's and may have negative consequences. A major change including an overnight stay at a different place with unfamiliar surroundings, has the potential to be very disruptive. Family members know best what is good for their loved one, and you should go with your instinct and stick with short outings daytime outings rather than an overnight stay."

Chart of the Day: Cutting the Deficit | Mother Jones

Chart of the Day: Cutting the Deficit | Mother Jones: "Ah, the American public. God love 'em. The Economist asked if they'd rather tackle the federal deficit by cutting spending or raising taxes, and the runaway winner was cutting spending, by a margin of 62% to 5%. So what are we willing to cut? Answer: pretty much nothing."

International Space Station flies through the Aurora @ 28000 kph

Google Reader

Google Reader: "Confucius say, 'If you are in a book store and cannot find The book for which you search, you are obviously in the..."

Eating eggs for breakfast helps reduce calorie consumption throughout the day by 18 percent

Eating eggs for breakfast helps reduce calorie consumption throughout the day by 18 percent: "A new study demonstrates that eating protein-rich eggs for breakfast reduces hunger and decreases calorie consumption at lunch and throughout the day. The study, published in the February issue of Nutrition Research, found that men who consumed an egg-based breakfast ate significantly fewer calories when offered an unlimited lunch buffet compared to when they ate a carbohydrate-rich bagel breakfast of equal calories.(1) This study supports previous research which revealed that eating eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet helped overweight dieters lose 65 percent more weight and feel more energetic than dieters who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories and volume"

GE makes LED replacement for 40-watt bulb | Green Tech - CNET News

GE makes LED replacement for 40-watt bulb | Green Tech - CNET News: "General Electric, the granddaddy of light bulbs, has developed an LED replacement for 40-watt bulbs that can last for 17 years.
GE on Thursday unveiled the Energy Smart LED bulb that puts out 450 lumens--about the same output as a 40-watt incandescent--while consuming 9 watts."

Douglas-fir disease spreading along Oregon and Washington coasts | OregonLive.com

Douglas-fir disease spreading along Oregon and Washington coasts | OregonLive.com: "A fungal disease attacking Douglas-fir trees along the Pacific Northwest coast is intensifying and may be linked to a warmer climate and extensive planting of Douglas-fir on logged tracts, new Oregon State University research suggests.

The epidemic of Swiss needle cast stunts growth in both older and younger trees and appears to be unprecedented over at least the past 100 years, OSU researchers Bryan Black, David Shaw, and Jeffrey Stone concluded."

Think Progress � ExxonMobil paid no federal income tax in 2009.

Think Progress � ExxonMobil paid no federal income tax in 2009.: "Exxon tries to limit the tax pain with the help of 20 wholly owned subsidiaries domiciled in the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands that (legally) shelter the cash flow from operations in the likes of Angola, Azerbaijan and Abu Dhabi. No wonder that of $15 billion in income taxes last year, Exxon paid none of it to Uncle Sam, and has tens of billions in earnings permanently reinvested overseas."

For elderly, the wired world holds terror — or delight - The Boston Globe

For elderly, the wired world holds terror — or delight - The Boston Globe: "So is West Roxbury resident Jane Kennedy, somewhere past 70. “I’m not on the Internet,’’ Kennedy said. “I don’t know that much about it. It seems to get more and more advanced. I don’t even know what they’re talking about: BlackBerries, blueberries.’’"

Why use the star ratings?

When you use the star ratings at the bottom of each article. It has an impact on the kind of stories I put on the website.

rt

In Australia, the bionic eye comes into focus | Health Tech - CNET News

In Australia, the bionic eye comes into focus | Health Tech - CNET News: "Announced this week at the University of Melbourne, the wide-view neurostimulator concept was developed by researchers at BVA and the University of New South Wales for patients with vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration.
The set-up includes a video camera mounted to glasses to capture images"

computers in the 60's

Google Reader

Fatty foods may be just as addictive as heroin and cocaine: study

Fatty foods may be just as addictive as heroin and cocaine: study: "Here's how it works: Both drugs and these kinds of fatty foods send a rush to the pleasure centers in your brain.� However, the rush is short-lived and is followed by a 'crash.'� It will now take more and more of the substance to achieve the same 'high,'� Paul J. Kenny, Ph.D., an associate professor of molecular therapeutics at the Scripps Research Institute, told CNN."

One of these things is not like the others

Click chart for greater size

High-Fructose Corn Syrup "Prompts Considerably More Weight Gain" than Sugar - Health - Lifehacker

High-Fructose Corn Syrup "Prompts Considerably More Weight Gain" than Sugar - Health - Lifehacker: "A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.
'Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests,' said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction. 'When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese — every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight.'"

Google Reader (103)

Google Reader
(103): "Hello, Earth! Can you believe that this photo was taken by a man who attached a digital camera to a balloon? Madness.


There’s actually not too much involved here. You take a helium-filled, high-altitude balloon, strap a digital camera to it, and off you go. The camera goes up (that’s 22 miles above the surface of the planet), takes a photo every five minutes, then it comes floating down to Earth on a parachute. A simple GPS, not too different from the one in your car right now, gives the location of the camera when it comes back down."

I hear people say that living in a small town is boring. Really? We had the blessing of the fleet one week-end and the arrival of a beautiful tall ship the next . . . that is pretty exciting from where I sit. At the Blessing of the Fleet festivities, we watched the survival suit races, the lineup of the boats for the blessing and the beginning of the highliner competitions (weather turned nasty so we didn't stay). The blessing is for the safe return of all the fishing vessels, for a bountiful catch, and for the wives and families left at home. The fishing boats pass by the USCG Victory where each one receives its blessing, which makes it an even more moving and beautiful sight. If you have not see it before you should try and catch it next year, it is worth it. Then this morning (Friday, March 26th) we were at our favorite place, the Newport Coffee House, when the tall ship Hawaiian Chieftan sailed into Yaquina Bay and docked right in front of us. Boring? NO WAY!!!

Science Says High-Fructose Corn Syrup Is Pretty Much The Worst Thing Ever - The Consumerist

Science Says High-Fructose Corn Syrup Is Pretty Much The Worst Thing Ever - The Consumerist: "Those spoilsport researchers at Princeton are off spreading the word that sweet, delicious high-fructose corn syrup is as bad for your diet as Taylor Swift music is for your soul. The substance, found in soda, cookies, salad dressing and pretty much everything else that tastes good, is worse for you than fat or sucrose.

From the Princeton story:"

AAAAaah Yeah!

Cancer genes switched off in humans - Health - Health & Fitness - Life - The Times of India

Cancer genes switched off in humans - Health - Health & Fitness - Life - The Times of India: "For the first time, researchers have used short sequences of RNA that can effectively treat skin cancer in people by silencing specific genes behind tumour production."

NOAA review backs move to Newport | statesmanjournal.com | Statesman Journal

NOAA review backs move to Newport | statesmanjournal.com | Statesman Journal: "NOAA on Tuesday reiterated its intent to move its research ships and base to Newport in a 69-page review required by the Government Accountability Office."

Google's Brin Talks About China Gamble - WSJ.com

Google's Brin Talks About China Gamble - WSJ.com: "Behind Google Inc.'s dramatic decision to shutter its China-based search engine this week was co-founder Sergey Brin's change of heart about the compromises required to do business in a land that was increasingly reminding him of his native Soviet Union.

The beginning of that change came just after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Mr. Brin says in an interview about the China decision. As the glow of the Olympics faded, he says, the Chinese government began ratcheting up its Web censoring and interfering more with Google's business. Around that time, he says, the murky rules of doing business in China grew even murkier."

Google Reader

Google Reader: "Thank goodness that, a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and arm bears has never been abridged."

Google Reader

Google Reader: "I never quite figured out why the sexual urges of men and women differ so
much. And I never figured out the whole Venus and Mars thing. I have never
figured out why men think with their head and women think with their heart.
I have never figured out why the sexual desire gene gets thrown into a
state of turmoil, when it hears the words 'I do'

FOR EXAMPLE:

One evening last week, my wife and I were getting into bed".......

OSU team rescues entangled sea lion at Sea Lion Caves | OregonLive.com

OSU team rescues entangled sea lion at Sea Lion Caves | OregonLive.com: "The five-person team quickly descended into the darkness, slipping over steep, wet rocks with hundreds of sea lions bobbing in the water nearby.

Holding up big plywood boards as shields to protect themselves, the crew closed in on the sea lion as the vet gave it a tranquilizing shot using a pole.

Then they waited for the medication to take effect.

They had thought they might be able to cut the net off with their hands, but the creature never went to sleep.

'She remained active and aggressive through the whole procedure,' Rice said. 'We had to be careful not to get bit.'

Sea lions have bacteria in their mouths that can be toxic to humans, causing serious tissue damage."

EZ How to Origami

I ran across the above link and think you might have some fun by visiting it.

Another big marine facility for Newport? � Daily Journal of Commerce – Building and Construction News in Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest

Another big marine facility for Newport? � Daily Journal of Commerce – Building and Construction News in Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest: "One huge project already is raising Newport’s status as a world leader in oceanic research while promising long-term jobs for the state’s depressed construction industry. Another project may soon follow.
Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal and Marine Genomics Building got a boost from the Oregon Legislature, which dedicated $9 million in state money to the $25 million project. Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed House Bill 3643 into law last week."

Oregon Coast Whale Watching and Weather Expected to be Awesome

Oregon Coast Whale Watching and Weather Expected to be Awesome: "Rain or shine, whale traffic off the Oregon coast should be at its peak for the annual spring watch week March 20-27, according to Park Ranger Morris Grover of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department's Whale Watching Center at Depoe Bay."

New Alert System for Community Awareness

ron thomas

Notifying residents of community problems such as "water loss", "Electrical outages", "Icy pavement leaving park", "Trees Down", "Flood conditions", "Tsunami Alerts" and other events has long been a concern at LVH.

We have tried many ideas such as telephone trees and the LVH FRS radio Net on Ch6. Neighborhood Watch was interwoven among these processes and yet if we were to grade ourselves on their success in keeping the entire community informed and upto date we would be charitable to award a D+ for our efforts.

That is not to say that the very few that tried their best to make a broken system work did not do a good job because they were all outstanding. What is broke is the way we do things. The CERT team (our community Safety team) has a new idea that we have been testing since January and it looks like it is going to work close to 99% of the time ( a real improvement). We have found a phone dialing service that our people can initiate a call we record ourselves and it will go to every phone listed in 2 minutes flat. That means all 186 homes in the park will be notified within 2 minutes. There will be a cost associated with making all those calls. It will cost about $8 to notify the whole community. The Social Club voted to pay $25 for the year for keeping time available for calls. That means three alerts.

When you get a call from the service it will start by mentioning LVH as its source with the alert following. At the end of the announcement you will be advised to tune to CH6 FRS and ask for updates or to call the Park Manager. If you are not available it will put the recording on your answering machine. It will send calls to Cell Phones.

At the end of this automatic phone session a report is generated by a computer on line that lets us see if the call was answered by a human or went to message. If no answer is received the phone dialer tries 3 more times and then quits. The person receiving the report then knows who received the call and who did not.

Their TERMS OF SERVICE dictate that our list is strictly confidential and will not be used for any other purpose by the phone dialer service. The phone numbers on the community phone list are the ones that will be entered for this service.

If your phone number is not upto date on community phone directory you won't get a call.

For those that want to opt out of this phone dialer service, for whatever reason, please print you name on the Opt out list below the clubhouse bulletin board.

Lastly, the LVH Radio Net will no longer call for Sunday night radio checks. Most of the time certain community members will voluntarily monitor FRS CH6. If you have a problem you can try to contact one of them and you are all welcome to use it as a source to practice and chat with one another to gain experience.