THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015
COMMUNITY
1B
SAD AND BLUE
TWO COASTS, NO COASTING
ON THE COVER
L
ast week a rare occurrence happened down the coast north of
Gold Beach — a 78-foot blue whale washed up, KATU reports
(http://tinyurl.com/whaleblu). The unfortunate critter is pictured,
courtesy of Oregon State Parks, which led the effort to get the car-
cass off the beach.
The skeleton will be preserved and put on display in Newport,
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students and volunteers had to strip off the blubber, which is 4 inches
thick. Not to mention decomposing.
Just to give you an idea of the size of a blue whale, National Geo-
graphic says (http://tinyurl.com/whaleblu2): “Blue whales are the
largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnif-
icent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet (30 meters)
long and upwards of 200 tons (181 metric tons). Their tongues alone
can weigh as much as an elephant. Their hearts, as much as an au-
tomobile.”
Why the whale died is a bit of a mystery, but Calum Stevenson
of Oregon Parks and Recreation mentioned that the whale had what
appeared to be bite marks on it, and speculated it might have either
been killed by an orca, or perhaps hit by a large boat.
He also noted that normally they would bury the carcass, but this
one’s a keeper because it is so rare for a blue whale to come so close
to the Oregon Coast.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
W
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of a mysterious species, Omura’s whales, has been released,
BBC reports (http://tinyurl.com/omurapix). A population of the crit-
ters was discovered in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. A still
shot is pictured, courtesy of Cerchio et al, 2015, Royal Society Open
Science.
Omura’s whales are a small cousin (32-39 feet) of the blue whale.
The images came about because of a study done by a team of interna-
tional scientists, led by Salvatore Cerchio from the New England Aquar-
ium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to see, among other
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These mammals are so little known, scientists don’t even know how
many of them exist.
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tion of Omura’s whales that’s ever been found.
M
‘W
ith the popularity of Steven Spielberg’s recent
movie ‘Bridges of Spies,’ and its focus on the
Cold War in Berlin, I thought it would be interesting for
you to know that a former Astorian was featured on the
cover of ‘Life’ magazine” during that period, Jerry Ol-
son wrote to the Ear. “His name is Don Cheney, who was
a tank commander stationed at ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ in
September 1961.” A photo of the cover is shown.
If your history is a little rusty, according to Mr. Wiki-
pedia, shortly before the magazine cover photo was tak-
en, a barbed-wire barrier was erected to divide East Ber-
lin and the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its allies)
and West Berlin and the Western Bloc (the U.S. and its
allies). The barbed wire soon become the concrete 12-
foot high Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie was one
of, and the most famous of, the wall’s restricted border
crossings (http://tinyurl.com/CPCharlie).
“Sgt. Cheney is a former member of the Astoria High
School class of 1959, and now lives in Spanaway, Wash-
ington,” Jerry added. “To my knowledge, he is the only
Astorian ever to appear on the cover of ‘Life’ magazine.”
SHIPNOTES
NOTHING BEATS RUNNING A MARATHON
ichael “Sasha” Miller spotted an unusual sight in the pouring
rain on Oregon Highway 202 recently — unicyclist Anthony
A. Jones, who was wearing rain gear and a backpack. He is pictured
in photos from his Facebook page.
“Essentially the story goes that I am a 20-year-old from New Or-
leans,” he told the Ear, “and I decided to catch the Greyhound Bus to
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Greyhound lost my unicycle, and I ended up stranded in Portland for
25 days until some local unicyclists took pity on me and donated a
unicycle to me ...
“I actually caught the transit to Hillsboro and rode from there to
Astoria with my entire home on my back. I made my way through
Highway 47 and 202 ... It took me two and a half days, during which
I got completely soaked, and discovered my hate for hills.”
Anthony arrived in Astoria on Halloween night. His hate for hills
notwithstanding, he unicycled up to the Astoria Column while he
was here. “There were a surprising amount of wonderful things to be
found in such a small town,” he told the Ear.
Only expecting to stay for a day, he actually left Nov. 2. “It was
harder to leave Astoria than I had expected,” he wrote in his blog
www.2coastsnocoasting.com. “Everyone has been very friendly and
welcoming, and history lessons are scattered around the town. I met
a few well-traveled people in Astoria. One gentleman even tuned up
his guitar and played me a zydeco song about red beans and rice,
after he learned I was from New Orleans!
“... But before making it out of town I got interrupted again, this
time by seals! They seemed to be having a party, but I told them I
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of town along the 101, a shortcut from the scenic route, but I couldn’t
afford to make any more stops for history.”
PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBIA
D
o you suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia — a morbid and
irrational fear of Friday the 13th, when superstitions abound?
Hopefully, not.
Those of a superstitious nature might be interested to note that
The Thirteen Club was formed in 1881 with the lofty goal of im-
proving the number 13’s reputation (http://tinyurl.com/the13club):
“They met on the 13th of the month, sat 13 to a table, broke mir-
rors and spilled salt with exuberance and walked in to dinner under
crossed ladders.”
The club’s annual reports noted member deaths each year. The
Ear can just envision an entry now: Cause of death — crushed by
ladder.
EMPTY-HANDED
• R
C
arla Oja called to tell the Ear that Astorian Chris Luhrs (pic-
tured) competed in the New York City Marathon on Sunday,
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toria,” he replied. “It is my second year teaching there, and my 10th
year overall. I spent eight years before that teaching in New York state.
“The NYC Marathon was my fourth marathon. I have been doing
marathon running the last three years, but have been running com-
petitively since high school and college. I run because it is my way
of relaxing from my day and enjoying the outdoors. It also allows me
to travel to different places that I want to visit.”
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(out of over 50,000 runners) in 3 hours, 27 minutes and 58 seconds,
averaging 7:56 minutes per mile. The Ear is exhausted just thinking
about it.
“The experience of the marathon was fantastic,” he declared.
“Nothing beats having over a million people cheer you on over 26
miles. Everyone congratulates you after the race, and treats you like
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over 50,000 people was an amazing moment, as well.”
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added, “and seeing New York City in a way no other person can see
it!”
emember Destiny, the completely restored 81-year-
old, 85-foot hermaphrodite brigantine staysail schoo-
ner that was moored off Astoria for a while (http://tinyurl.
com/svdestiny)? Commissioned by American playwright,
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once owned by Howard Hughes, the Destiny also served in
the Hooligan Navy during World War II.
Current owners Mike and Dawn Hilliard decided to
have Destiny spend the winter here in Astoria, and went look-
ing for a slip where she could be safe and cozy. In the process,
they had an interesting encounter.
“Think you might be interested to know,” the couple told
the Ear, “that the local Port Operations Manager, Matt Mc-
Grath, just told us that his grandfather used to own Destiny.
And, that he and his dad used to sail on her when she was in
Hawaii.”
How’s that for a “small world” moment?
• The Ear has been taken to task for last week’s story about
mega-yacht Sailing Yacht A by Alex Andreev of Eurasia
Advisory, a “strategic communications and public affairs
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vessel, Andrey Melnichenko.
Was Mr. Andreev distressed because the boat was men-
tioned as being possibly one of the ugliest yachts ever built?
No. He objected to the use of the name White Pearl, which
has been bandied about in several publications as being the
vessel’s actual moniker. But it ain’t so. Not at all.
“Sailing Yacht A is the only existing name of the vessel,”
Mr. Andreev wrote. “There is no yacht or project called White
Pearl, which is incorrect.” The Ear stands, and sits, corrected.
Sailing Yacht A it is.
F
or Veronica Castillo of Beaverton, Friday the 13th came early,
and with a wallup. According to KOIN.com, she was playing on
a slot machine at the Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester, Washing-
ton, and the machine said she hit the jackpot for $8.5 million (http://
tinyurl.com/nope8mil). She is pictured, courtesy of KOIN.com
She was over the moon, of course — but not for long. Casino
staff came over, told her the machine malfunctioned, and printed up
a ticket for $80 instead. Their reasoning? There’s a sticker on the
machine that says a machine malfunction voids all pays and plays.
The casino has sent out a lengthy press release defending them-
selves, declaring the $8.5 million was a “display malfunction,” and
not only claiming that the most she could have won was $6,000, but
that “the win claimed by Ms. Castillo is not legally or practically
possible on the machine.” (www.luckyeagle.com/press-releases)
Oh yeah? Ms. Castillo ain’t buying it. “To me, it’s cheating, may
even be fraudulent,” Castillo told KOIN 6 News. Guess who’s look-
ing for a lawyer?
COMMUNITY NOTES
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Lower Columbia R/C Society
— 8:30 a.m., back room at Uptown
Cafe, 1639 S.E. Ensign Lane, War-
renton. Local Academy of Model
Aeronautics (AMA) chartered radio
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.
Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m.,
Seaside American Legion, 1315
Broadway. For information, call
503-738-5111. No cost; suggested
$5 tip to the instructor.
Columbia Northwestern Mod-
el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in
Hammond. Group runs trains on
HO-scale layout. For information,
call Don Carter at 503-325-0757.
MONDAY
Scandinavian Workshop —
10 a.m., First Lutheran Church, 725
33rd St. Needlework, hardanger,
knitting, crocheting, embroidery
and quilting. All are welcome. For
information, call 503-325-1364 or
503-325-7960.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center, 1225
Avenue A, Seaside. Suggested do-
nation $3 for those older than 60;
$6.75 for those younger than 60.
For information, call Michelle Lew-
is 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 Pro-
gram — noon, Warrenton Commu-
nity Center, 170 S.W. Third St. Sug-
gested 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
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 play-
ers 55 and older, but all ages are
welcome.
Astoria Alzheimer’s & Other
Dementia Family Support Group
— 2 to 3:30 p.m., ¿rst-Àoor confer-
ence room, Clatsop Care Center,
646 16th St. Open to all family
members of people with dementias.
For information, call Rosetta Hurley
at 503-325-0313, ext. 222, or email
support@clatsopcare.org
Astoria Toastmasters — 6:30
p.m., Hotel Elliot conference room,
357 12th St. Visitors welcome. For
information, go to www.toastmas-
ters.org or call 503-894-0187.
Line Dancing for Seniors — 6
to 7:30 p.m., Astoria Senior Center,
temporarily located at 1555 W. Ma-
rine Drive in the old Astoria Yacht
Club. For information, call 503-325-
3231.
TUESDAY
Do Nothing Club — 10 a.m.
to noon, 24002 U St., Ocean Park,
Wash. Men’s group. For informa-
tion, call Jack McBride at 360-665-
2721.
See NOTES, Page 2B