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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 2015)
COMMUNITY THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 1B CYCLING FOR CANCER TOP OF THE WORLD WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR TURBINE he Navy Times reports that the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, with its Seattle-based crew and scientists aboard, arrived at latitude 90 degrees north on Saturday, making it the ¿UVW86VXUIDFHVKLS to arrive at the North Pole unaccompa- nied (http://tinyurl.com/healypole). The vessel and its crew are pictured, courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard Paci¿c Area. The Healy — which is 420 feet long, weighs 16,000 tons, has 30,000 horsepower, and can break more than 10 feet of ice at a time — is an oceanic research vessel on an expedition to measure “air, ice, snow, seawater, meltwater and ocean bottom sediment baselines” for the pole area. Why? The Coast Guard plans to increase its presence there as more passages open up for ¿shing, shipping and oil exploration in the Arctic Ocean. F lynn Donoho, and his dog, Diva (pictured), stopped by for a visit recently on his way back to Southern California to see his mother. Since 2011, he’s been “Cycling for Cancer” all around the country raising money for the American Cancer Society in honor of his sister, Melinda, a cancer survivor. Flynn has been in all of the “Lower 48” states, has pedaled around 34,000 miles, and has 17 states left to hit twice. He’s also been in 120 newspapers (by his count), on “Good Morning America,” and on many radio shows. This year, he started in May from Huntington Beach, Calif., went across to New Mexico, up the east side of the Rocky Mountains to Montana, then headed back west to the coast, and ¿nally south, back where he started. After a rest, his next fundraising trek is across the south and up the East Coast. So far, he’s raised $1,555. Want to donate? Go to httptinyurl.comÀynndo Flynn’s only traveling companion is Diva, his 3 1/2 year-old chow/heeler mix. He has no backup vehicle, no one is following him, and his phone is broken. He is completely alone on his mission, and has only what he’s carrying with him. Most of the time, he is offered both food and water while on the road. “I pray to the Lord for the things I need and somehow it hap- pens,” he told The Dalles Chronicle (http//tinyurl.com/Àynndo1). “I don’t ask nobody for nothing.” So what keeps him inspired? “I’ve talked to 100,000 people around the U.S.,” he told the Ear, “and not one of them doesn’t know someone with cancer. Everyone is affected, one way or another.” PAINTED LADY T he name Fukushima is usually associated with the nuclear plant in Japan that started leaking radiation after the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami. But now, perhaps, the name will have a new association, since the Japanese have built the world’s largest ÀRDWLQJ ZLQG turbine in the ocean 12 miles off Fukushima’s coast, ac- cording to NBC News (http://tinyurl.com/shimawind). A still shot from an NBC video of the project is shown. Towering over the water at 344 feet high (about 110 feet taller than Haystack Rock), the 7-megawatt turbine is tied to the seabed by four 20-ton anchors, and is expected to be able to withstand extreme weather and huge waves crashing into it. In fact, the installation was delayed sev- eral times because of typhoons. “These turbines and anchors are designed to withstand 65-foot waves,” Katsunobu Shimizu, one of the chief engineers on the project, told NBC during a sea tour of the turbine given from a boat. “Also, here we can get 32-foot-tall tsunamis. That’s why the chains are deliber- ately slackened” — the loose chains connecting it to the seabed would give the turbine lots of freedom to move about without getting damaged. “The Àoating turbine was part of an experimental project sponsored by the Japanese government to create the world’s ¿rst Àoating offshore wind farm, connecting three Àoating turbines with one Àoating sub-power sta- tion,” the article says. “Its goal is to explore the commer- cial feasibility of wind power as an alternative to nuclear power, as well as to examine whether this could become a potential industry which Japan can export overseas.” So where’s Oregon’s wind farm? CAN YOU DIG IT? I n 2012, the Ear reported that the Alderbrook Station net shed, got a brand-new roof. Built in 1903, and once part of the Union Fishermen’s Co-Operative Packing Company, it is owned by architects Lisa Chadbourne and Daren Doss, and is pictured, courtesy of www.chadbournedoss.com “(The roof) was quite leaky,” Daren told the Ear at the time. Fortunately, Alderbrook Station is on the National Register of Historic Places (http://tinyurl.com/alderstaNHR), and was there- fore eligible for an Oregon State Historic Preservation Of¿ce Preserving Oregon Grant to help with the expenses. But the building’s revival hasn’t stopped with a new roof. According to the Alderbrook Station Facebook page, in May, 36 single-hung six-over-six single-pane historic wood sashes were installed. But that’s not all — recently, the west side of the build- ing received its ¿rst coat of spiffy red paint in 70 years. The ongoing preservation efforts on this historic landmark are enough to make even the crankiest curmudgeon crack a smile of appreciation. As one commenter noted, “What a gift to us all!” Indeed, it is. BABY BOOM I t’s little too late for the baby shower. Twenty-year-old Muncher (aka L-91) of the Southern Resident L orca pod, has given birth to a new calf, so far only called L-122, spotted near Sooke, B.C., a blogger for the Kitsap Sun reports (http://tinyurl.com/newL122). After two years of no surviving calves, the birth is a con- tinuation of the “orca baby boom” that started last December. Momma orca and her newborn are pictured in a photo by Dave Ellifrit of the Center for Whale Research. “While the whale community is understandably excited about the births, their arrival also means there are more mouths to feed,” Monika Weiland, executive director of the Orca Be- havior Institute, wrote on her Facebook page. “Without an in- crease in abundance of their primary prey, Chinook salmon, it is unlikely this population of whales is going to recover.” T TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD R ichard Donner, director of “The Goonies,” strikes again. Last year he caused quite a stir by saying a sequel was likely to hap- pen (it hasn’t). Recently he spoke up again, this time to say there are new plans for the coming-of-age classic. The Goonies are pictured, courtesy of Warner Brothers Entertainment. Playbill reported that Donner told Yahoo (http://tinyurl.com/goon- play): “We’re going to do an Off-Broadway (of ‘The Goonies’). Do you know what immersion theater is? Where there’s no seats. The venue is, you go into a warehouse and there’s something happening in that warehouse, and that’s the play you’ve come to see — only you become part of it, and you travel through with actors.” “It’s very popular now,” Donner explained. He was referring to immersive-theater productions like “Sleep No More,” a long-run- ning hit. “It will take another year or so, but it’s going to be won- derful.” Time will tell, but back to the Goonies sequel. What about it? “Everything takes a long time to get it right,” Donner told Yahoo. “If you do things fast and quick and easy, that’s a disservice. If there were going to be another movie it would take us a long time to get it right, because we have a lot of history that we’re involved with, and a lot of integrity that we have to keep to what once was, and lives a life of its own without destroying it. Maybe the powers that be are working on something.” Is that cryptic enough for you? TRACKING THE TRACKER S ometimes history reveals itself in rather unexpected ways. Have you ever wondered how researchers are ¿guring out Lewis and Clark’s exact trail, despite only knowing for sure where scattered camping spots were lo- cated? After all, the maps were iffy at best, and the trail was quite old and cold. An article on io9.com says researchers have been ¿lling in the gaps in the famous trail by ¿nding and studying the expedition’s latrines (http://tinyurl.com/LaxLC): “Lewis and Clark were fairly well-equipped and well- trained, even if only by the standards of the day ... Accord- ing to their own records, they bled people who were fever- ish, they gave purgatives to people who felt weak, and they administered potassium nitrate (a preservative substitute for salt) to people suffering from heat stroke and dehydra- tion. They also brought along the wonder drug of the day, mercury chloride (otherwise known as calomel), as a pill, a tincture, and an ointment. “Calomel was often used to treat those with syphilis ... along with nearly everything else, including constipation. And an expedition that ate mainly the game they could catch along the way would have suffered from constipation regularly. In their journals, Lewis and Clark regularly make note of someone having to take one of Dr. Rush’s Bilious Pills (because constipation was thought to be caused by an excess of bile) ... “Most of the mercury that the men ingested went out of the system again, which means that over a century later, histo- rians and archaeologists were able to pin down where Lewis and Clark had stayed by testing old latrine contents for mer- cury. Several sites have been discovered exactly this way.” And now you know. W hile hiking on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, B.C., in June, a man found a peculiar-looking object on the beach, the Campbell River Mirror reported (http://tinyurl. com/tsutrak). He tossed it into the back of his truck, and took it home. What the man didn’t know was that it was a tsunami debris tracking device that was still emitting signals every 90 sec- onds. Researchers monitoring the transponder, which was one of 12 devices placed in the Paci¿c in January 2012, were utterly bafÀed when it appeared to be moving inland. Then the signal stopped. The unit’s signal pinpointed the last known location of the device within a 1,600-foot radius, and the search began. Agencies were alerted, and press releases went out, but it was Gord Kurbis, a news reporter, who went out and conducted a door-to-door neighborhood search. He did, indeed, ¿nd the “citi]en scientist” who had picked up the transponder. It is pictured, courtesy of Gord Kurbis/CTV News. The man had kept the device for a couple of days before opening it (thereby cutting off the signal), then went out of town for work, not reali]ing the device was being frantically sought. Anyway, all’s well that ends well, and the transponder is headed home. 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. Mixed Media Open House — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Dots ’N Doodles, 303 Marine Drive. For information, go to www.dotsn- doodles.com North Coast Conservative Picnic — 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lighthouse Christian Church, 88786 Dellmoor Loop, Warrenton. Barbecue dinner $7.50, hot dog dinner free for children. Live music, four Repub- lican guest speakers, auction, gun rafÀe. For information and rafÀe tickets, call -im Hoffman at 541-969-2976 or Ed McNulty at 503-791-7966. Pug Socializing Club — 1 p.m., Car- ruthers Park, Warrenton. For pugs and their owners. For information, call Dave Kinney at 415-827-5190. -oin online at http:ti- nyurl.comsocialpugs 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. 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. MONDAY SUNDAY Astoria Flying Club Barbecue — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Astoria Airport. All are wel- come. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and short Àights around the local area (weather per- mitting). National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Support Group — 2 to 3:30 p.m., Seaside Public Library, 1131 Broadway. Family to Family Support Group, for anyone with friend or loved one suffering from a serious brain (mental) illness. For informa- tion, contact Myra Kero at 503-738-6165, or k7erowood@q.com, or go to www.nami.org 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 Àoor of the Astoria Elks Lodge, 453 11th St. Guests always welcome. For information, go to www.AstoriaRotary.org 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 -anet King at 360-665-3005. Knochlers Pinochle Group — 1 p.m., Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Cost is $1 per regular session per person. Players with highest and second highest scores split the prize. Game is designed for players 55 and older, but all ages are welcome. Seaside Lions Club — 5 p.m., West Lake Restaurant & Lounge, 1480 S. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside. For information, call 503-738-7693. Line Dancing for Seniors — 6 to 7:30 p.m., Astoria Senior Center, temporarily located at 1555 W. Marine Drive in the old Astoria Yacht Club. For information, call 503-325-3231. PaciÀc County (Wash) Democrats — 7 p.m., South County Building, 7013 Sandridge Road in Long Beach, Wash. For information, email Diane Knutson at dlknut- son69@yahoo.com TUESDAY Do Nothing Club — 10 a.m. to noon, 24002 U St., Ocean Park, Wash. Men’s group. For information, call -ack 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. See NOTES, Page 2B