COMMUNITY
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015
1B
Get the lead out
‘A true Saint’
Former Astoria resident, SHERYL GINN, who now lives in Sit-
ka, Alaska, posted an interesting tidbit on Facebook recently. “I used
growing up years, we had a New Year’s Watch get-together at home.
In addition to the tradition riisi-puuro (rice pudding) and fruits and
nuts, we had the NEW YEAR’S PREDICTIONS. This was done
-
per. Then the hot lead was poured by each into a tub of cold water.
The different shapes that formed, sizzling in the water, were then the
prophecy for the year — as, perhaps, a ship’s shape would indicate
a sea journey.”
The Ear did a little research, and found this tradition is called
in ancient Greece. It is a New Year’s tradition in Finland to this day,
according to a Finnish blogger (http://tinyurl.com/leadprophet), who
says that tin, lead or beeswax can be used. The photo shown is from
the blog.
“Do any of Astoria’s Finns do the lead predictions today?” Sheryl
asks. Good question. Anyone know the answer?
pictured, left, had an opportunity to meet DREW BREES, pictured
right, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, at the New Orleans/
Air Force Base in Tampa, is a “huge Saints fan,” according to his wife,
Who’s your mama?
The birth of a calf named J50 in the endangered Southern Resi-
dent KILLER WHALE J Pod in the Salish Sea off the Washington
Coast caused quite a stir recently. In case you’re wondering, the dis-
tinctly unimaginative name is comprised of the pod letter (J, K or L)
plus the number of its birth order.
Soon after the happy arrival, a question was raised. Was there
midwifery involved? KEN BALCOMB of the CENTER FOR
was. Baby J50 is pictured, swimming with J16, initially believed to
be the calf’s mother, in one of Balcomb’s photos.
But then the scientist started wondering if J16 really is the moth-
er. After all, she is about 43 years old, which is considered too old to
reproduce. Now he thinks the real mother is J36, and noted that “bite
marks on the baby indicate another orca may have helped deliver
the baby by pulling it out of the womb with its teeth,” the article
said. “He and other researchers believe J16 may be the orca midwife
and grandmother to the new orca. (He) said J16 may be helping her
it in the past two years, and will raise the population of the three pods
detail. Brees shook Jeremy’s hand and thanked him for his service.
Taken later in the day, there’s also a video clip called “Drew
Brees signs autograph for true Saint,” that is posted on the Saints’
off, the Saints won, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20.
A home away from home
Q13FOX ran a story recently about Ocean Park, Wash., resident
PVGZ ADDAMS, pictured inset, who was so touched by a story
about a homeless man who had been robbed in Seattle, that he drove
SHELTER he had built (http://tinyurl.com/pvgzhouse).
-
ER, pictured, who is also homeless, and was delighted to receive
the insulated shelter, complete with wheels, a lock, carbon monoxide
detector, and a box of toiletries.
Now Pvgz is a man on a mission, and he is raising money to build
more Hvgz Portable Homeless Shelters at www.gofundme.com/por-
table-shelters. “As the weather gets colder, more and more people
living on the streets are going to succumb to frost bite, hypothermia,
pneumonia, and possibly death due to lack of dry, warm shelter,”
he explains on the website. “This cause means a lot to me, as I was
homeless myself for a period of time.”
For now, Pvgz plans on making the shelters with off-road bike
tires, and light enough to pull by hand. However, the long-range goal
is to purchase some property and build a community, “where we
All that’s left
Ever wondered what a place would look like in the after-
math of a catastrophic subduction zone event? NewRepublic.
com (http://tinyurl.com/Otsuchipix) featured images by Argen-
tinian photographer ALEJANDRO CHASKIELBERG (www.
chaskielberg.com) taken a year and a half after the 2011 Japa-
nese earthquake and tsunami.
60 percent of the residential buildings were damaged or de-
stroyed, and about 10 percent of the population was killed
— and took haunting photos of the residents sitting in
what’s left of their former homes (a portion of one image is
shown), which later became the Otsuchi Future Memories
project.
If you ever think you need a reminder to “Be prepared!”
just take a look at Chaskielberg’s photos.
‘Coffee and a Bagel’ take the cake
BROWN, pictured, was honored at Eugene International Film Fes-
named the Best Animation Short Short in the festival, which draws
release from the university (http://tinyurl.com/gavinshort).
widowed man who decides to brave the Internet and was Brown’s
observations at an Internet cafe while he was studying abroad He’s
solar power, and other self-sustaining knowledge, to help give them
an extra hand.”
Also, Pvgz envisions starting a business employing the people
they’ve helped to make more portable shelters, and to “help more
people get on their feet.”
“Please, help us, help them,” Pvgz requests. “Anything you can
give toward this cause will be greatly appreciated.”
“I hope the world will have a lot more people like him,” a happy
Michael Wheeler told Q13FOX. “I hope he gets a lot of help so he
can do this for other people. I don’t want to be the only one this
happens for.”
a video editing and motion graphics intern for the PORTLAND
TRAIL BLAZERS.
Get ready for adventure
new bilingual children’s book, “MAGDALENA’S PIC-
NIC,” has been released, published by Red Heart Books in
Portland, and is available on Amazon.com (http://tinyurl.
com/magdapicnic).
“I’m so excited!” she said in an email. The author and
the book cover are pictured.
“My books focus on adventures, South American cul-
tures, and using your imagination,” Patricia, who grew up
in Lima, Peru, writes on her Facebook page (http://tinyurl.
com/FacebookPAM). “I believe in writing bilingual En-
glish-Spanish children’s books that push a child’s imagina-
tion to its limits.”
“All children have an inherent role-playing ability and
my goal is to encourage this quality through my stories,”
she explained. “I also strongly feel that children exposed to
different cultures and languages develop into sensitive and
well-rounded adults. My stories develop in faraway places
and in different cultural settings, where my characters are
always ready for adventure.”
the bounding main
North Coaster PAM
CHATER spotted a
group of sea lions that
were rafting together re-
cently about 50 feet off
Cannon Beach. A photo
of RAFTING SEA LI-
ONS is shown, courtesy
of the Caspar Commu-
nity Newsletter (www.
casparcommons.org).
“We have seen this on several occasions last week, some with
large pods,” she told the Ear. “We Googled them, and it seems they
do this behavior when they are resting, and they group together for
On the phenomenon rafting, SealSitters.org had this to say: “Raft-
ing is an unusual behavior in which a number of sea lions will cluster
visible above water. Typically, this will occur in areas where there is
no suitable haul-out. This behavior is believed by biologists to be a
method of thermoregulation (regulating the body temperature).”
“(Rafting) is a rare phenomenon to see,” Pam said. “Way cool.”
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
Lower Columbia R/C Society — 8:30
a.m., back room at Uptown Cafe, 1639 S.E.
Ensign Lane, Warrenton. Local Academy
of Model Aeronautics (AMA) chartered ra-
dio control model aircraft club meets for
breakfast and business. All model aircraft
enthusiasts are welcome. For information,
call 503-458-5196 or 503-325-0608.
Columbia Northwestern Model Rail-
roading Club — 1 p.m., in Hammond.
Group runs trains on HO-scale layout. For
information, call Don Carter at 503-325-
0757.
Bingo & Chili Feed — Chili at 4:30
p.m., bingo at 5:30 p.m., Norse Hall, Puget
Island 144 Highway 409, Cathlamet, Wash.;
$5 per bingo card, cash prizes.
SUNDAY
Finnish Brotherhood, UFKB&S
Lodge No. 2 — 1 p.m. birthday social, 2
Suomi Hall, 244 W. Marine Drive.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI) Support Group — 2 to 3:30 p.m.,
Seaside Public Library, 1131 Broadway. For
anyone with friend or loved one suffering
from a serious brain (mental) illness. For
information, contact Myra Kero at 503-738-
6165, or k7erowood@q.com, or go to www.
nami.org
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m., Sea-
side American Legion, 1315 Broadway. For
information, call 503-738-5111. No cost;
suggested $5 tip to the instructor.
MONDAY
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m., Bob
Chisholm Senior Center, 1225 Avenue A,
Seaside. Suggested donation $3 for those
older than 60; $6.75 for those younger than
60. For information, call Michelle Lewis at
503-861-4200.
Columbia Senior Diners — 11:30 a.m.,
Peace Lutheran Church (lower level), 565
12th St. Cost is $5. For information, or to
have a meal delivered, call 503-325-9693.
Warrenton Senior Lunch Program —
noon, Warrenton Community Center, 170
S.W. Third St. Suggested donation of $5 for
seniors and $7 for those younger than 60.
For information, or to volunteer, call 503-
861-3502 Monday or Thursday.
Astoria Rotary Club — noon, second
Guests always welcome. For information,
go to www.AstoriaRotary.org
Warrenton Kiwanis Club — noon to 1
p.m., Doogers Seafood and Grill, 103 U.S.
Highway 101, Warrenton. For information,
call Darlene Warren at 503-861-2672.
Parkinson’s Support Group — 1 p.m.,
Peace Lutheran Church library, 565 12th St.
For information, call 503-338-8469 or 503-
440-1970.
Peninsula Quilt Guild — 1 p.m.,
Peninsula Church Center, 5000 N Place,
Seaview, Wash. Newcomers welcome.
Bring nonperishable food donation. For in-
formation, call Janet King at 360-665-3005.
Seaside Lions Club — 5 p.m., West
Lake Restaurant & Lounge, 1480 S. Roo-
sevelt Drive, Seaside. For information, call
503-738-7693.
The end
“Here’s the skull I found,” RONALD FOSS wrote in an email
to the Ear, and attached was the photo shown, of the BONE next to
a quarter, for size. He wanted to know what kind of animal it came
from. So, the Ear sat down and researched skulls until the cows came
home, and went back out again, but with no success.
Finally, consulting an expert seemed like a good idea, so an email
with the photo was sent to PROF. MADONNA L. MOSS, who is in
who is also the curator of zooarchaeology at the Museum of Natu-
ral and Cultural History in Portland. Her reply was pithy and to the
point: “This is NOT a skull. It is the synsacrum of a bird.”
Huh? More research. Merriam-Webster says a synsacrum is: “a
solidly fused series of vertebrae in the pelvic region in birds, dino-
saurs, and pterosaurs ...” To make it a bit clearer, StudyRoom.us says
the synsacrum “corresponds to the rump.” So actually, it’s a bird butt.
But what kind of bird? The Ear doesn’t know, and the professor
didn’t say. That part of the puzzle remains a mystery.
— 7 p.m., South County Building, 7013
Sandridge Road in Long Beach, Wash. For
information, email Diane Knutson at dlknut-
son69@yahoo.com
TUESDAY
Tobacco Free Coalition of Clatsop
County — 9 to 10:30 a.m., Clatsop County
Health and Human Services, 820 Exchange
St. Anyone interested in tobacco use pre-
vention and education welcome. For infor-
mation, call Steven Blakesley at 503-325-
8500 or Alissa Dorman at 503-325-4321,
ext. 5758.
Do Nothing Club — 10 a.m. to noon,
24002 U St., Ocean Park, Wash. Men’s
group. For information, call Jack McBride at
360-665-2721.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m., Bob
Chisholm Senior Center, 1225 Avenue
A, Seaside. Suggested donation of $3 for
those older than 60; $6.75 for those young-
er than 60. For information, call Michelle
Lewis at 503-861-4200.
Columbia Senior Diners — 11:30 a.m.,
Peace Lutheran Church (lower level), 565
12th St. The cost is $5. For information,
or to have a meal delivered, call 503-325-
9693.
La Leche League of Astoria — 11:45
a.m. to 1 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church
nursery room, 1545 Franklin Ave. Topic is:
“Breastfeeding: The Healthy Choice.” For
those interested in breastfeeding; mothers,
babies and toddlers welcome. For informa-
tion, call Megan Oien at 503-440-4942 or
Janet Weidman at 503-325-1306.
Astoria Lions Club — noon, Astoria
Elks Lodge, 453 11th St. Prospective mem-
bers welcome. For information, contact
Charlene Larsen at 503-325-0590.
Line Dancing for Seniors — 1 to 3
p.m., Astoria Senior Center, temporarily
located at 1555 W. Marine Drive in the old
Astoria Yacht Club. For information, call
503-325-3231.
Warrenton Alzheimer’s Support
Group — 2 to 3:30 p.m., 2002 S.E.
Chokeberry Ave., Warrenton. Support and
See NOTES, Page 2B