THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016
COMMUNITY
1B
DUMB AND DUMBER
TITANIC SINKS. AGAIN.
BIRD IN A BIPLANE
he 104th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic was April
14, and now you can watch the entire tragic event in a close
to 3-hour real-time animation on YouTube (http://tinyurl.com/titan-
sink) that was created to be played simultaneously with an almost
four-hour podcast (http://tinyurl.com/titanpod). A screenshot from
the video is shown.
The animation is actually a promotion for an upcoming video
game, Titanic Honor & Glory (http://www.titanichg.com), which
includes a “complete and fully interactive recreation” of the interior
of the ship; a large cast of characters, including the ship’s captain,
passengers (including the Astors) and crew members; and a detailed
replication of the Edwardian era style, way of life and manners.
The promotional video of the sinking, which is portrayed in
painstaking detail, is quite harrowing to watch. For those who don’t
want to sit through the almost three-hour play time, there is an exten-
sive and detailed list of the events in the time sequence shown below
the video, so you can pick and choose and fast-forward to any given
spot.
Nautical history buffs no doubt recall that the great-grandson of
Astoria’s namesake, John Jacob Astor IV, died in the Titanic disas-
ter. His pregnant wife, Madeline, survived and gave birth to John
Jacob “Jakey” Astor VI (another family member beat him to JJA
No. V) four months later in New York (http://tinyurl.com/jjastorVI).
T
ile this under “Dumb Things People Do at Sea”: Endurance
runner Reza Baluchi was picked up and towed, again, by a
U.S. Coast Guard cutter April 24, off the coast of Jupiter, Flor-
ida, when his “walk” to Bermuda in a hydro-pod bubble failed,
gCaptain reports (http://tinyurl.com/bubblebummer). He is pic-
tured courtesy of CBSMiami.
This was actually the second time he attempted a walk from
Miami to Bermuda in the inlatable bubble. The irst time, in
October 2014, he got lost in the Gulf Stream — and was ask-
ing for directions to Bermuda — before calling for rescue after
three days. This time, the Coast Guard ordered him speciically
not to do it unless he had proper support and self-rescue options
in place.
He ignored the order, and, no surprises here, called for their
help several hours after departing. He now faces a possible seven
years in jail and a $40,000 ine.
F
FUN FIND
ong Beach, Washington, photographer Janelle Hux always
seems to catch the photos of local wildlife and scenery that
make people go “Wow!” — whether it is perched or soaring
eagles, deer on the beach or crashing waves at Cape Disappoint-
ment — and she spends a lot of time roaming around the penin-
sula beaches with her camera and two dogs to get those shots.
Recently, she came across a beachcomber’s dream ind: a
large glass ishing loat. “(I was) walking the dogs at Benson
Beach and snapping pictures, and there it was, sparkling in the
surf after just rolling in from … ?” She is pictured holding her
newfound treasure. “It was heavy, my arms hurt,” she noted, “but
I wasn’t complaining.”
“Still treasures to be found on the beach, ’cause I just found
this,” she added. “Sure was fun to ind.”
L
he Astoria-Warrenton Airport Advisory Commit-
tee had a pleasant surprise at their last meeting,”
Henry Balensifer wrote. “As they convened in the air-
port terminal lobby, they met Tracey Curtis-Taylor,
who was inishing up her light planning for the next leg
of her trip.”
She is pictured, inset, and with the advisory commit-
tee members who are, from left, Brandon Kraft, Gary
Kobes, Henry Balensifer, Port Commissioner John
Raichl and Mark Smith.
Tracey, who lives in the U.K., took her irst lying
lesson at 16, according to her website, www.birdinabi-
plane.com. In New Zealand, she earned her private pilot’s
license, commercial license and an instructor rating, and
was trained by military pilots to ly World War II air-
planes with the New Zealand Warbird Association.
She is lying a 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane named
“Spirit of Artemis” along the historic airmail route from
Seattle to Boston. The trip honors the Boeing Co., who
helped develop the routes, early pilots like Charles Lind-
bergh, and the role of women in aviation and engineering.
She wants the light to “inspire young women around
the world to follow their dreams, never give up and break
boundaries,” her website says. This U.S. transcontinental
light is the inal leg of her circumnavigation of the globe,
which she began three years ago.
In an interview with Condé Nast Traveler about her
current adventure (http://tinyurl.com/traceyCT), Tracey
noted that “anywhere you go, people love aviation in
America. It’s a fantastic place to ly. It’s the home of the
airplane, so this is kind of a spiritual homecoming for the
plane.”
And even though the biplane will require daily main-
tenance in its 21 legs across the country, Tracey remains
enthusiastic.“This Boeing Stearman is the dream
machine.”
‘T
HELP EVERY LITTLE PAW
y dad and I are walk-
ing for the second time
on behalf of a nonproit organi-
zation called Help Every Little
Paw (www.helpeverylittlepaw.
org),” Leah Hansen of Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho, wrote. “We raise
money for companion animals,
which means when local veter-
inarians call us with a compan-
ion animal in dire straits, we help
inancially.” She and her father,
Mike Hansen, are pictured.
“We will be walking from
Coeur d’Alene to Newport,
Oregon, which is over 600 miles
in 22 days,” she explained. “Our walk will end in Newport, because
Rogue Ales is holding their 10th annual largest dog-friendly beer
festival in the world, the Brewers Memorial Ale Festival, and they
are one of our largest sponsors.” Leah is also the announcer at the
event. “It’s going to be a blast,” she declared.
The duo expect to arrive in Astoria on Thursday, and they’ll
be staying at the Comfort Inn. If you see them around town, why
don’t you give them a warm welcome?
She’s posting the whole experience on Facebook so people
can “walk along with them,” she told the Ear (http://tinyurl.com/
HELP4paws). Their irst few days on the road have also been
declared “a blast,” so it’s so far, so good. As for the weather, one
can only hope for the best. “Not every day is sunshine and lowers
and fuzzy bunnies,” she noted.
“Help Every Little Paw is not a shelter, it’s based on helping
people keep their animals,” Leah said. If you want to donate, you
can do so both on the website and the Facebook page. “It ills my
heart with so much joy to be able to help people who can’t afford
medical care for their pets.”
‘M
EYEING OSPREY
f you’ve ever longed watch the secret life of ospreys, rejoice
— your time has come. The Cowlitz Public Utility Depart-
ment, in partnership with Cascade Networks, now has a live-feed
cam set up to observe an osprey nest in Longview, Washington,
at www.cowlitzpud.org/ospreycam.php
“When a pair of osprey began trying to nest on a PUD distri-
bution pole in 2000, the utility set up an alternate nesting pole
nearby the location to prevent any safety hazards,” the press
release says. “The pair has been using the alternate nest since
then.” The live cam is a new addition this year.
The nest, which is about 40 feet in the air, gets bigger every
year, as ospreys add new nesting material. In case you’re won-
dering how big, an average osprey nest weighs 265 pounds.
Ospreys mate for life, and the couple (pictured in screen shot)
have been named Electra and Watt-Sun. They returned from
their winter home March 25, and nest preparation began March
30. Three eggs were laid on April 18, 21 and 24. Together, the
pair will incubate the eggs, which will take 36 to 42 days to hatch.
If you miss the chicks hatching, never fear, they stay in the
nest 50-55 days afterwards, so you have plenty of time to take
a peek.
I
YEAR OF THE BOAR
ad news: Well, the good news for Bisbee, Arizona, is
that it won the USA Today America’s Best Historic
Small Town competition. What’s unthinkable is that Asto-
ria came in at No. 5, also behind Thomasville, Georgia,
Abingdon, Virginia and Mackinac Island, Michican.
No news, yet: Seaside was a contender in the top 10
Happiest Seaside Town entries in a Coastal Living com-
petition. The votes are all in, but the result is still a mystery.
Seaside was acclaimed for its tourist attractions, aquarium,
volleyball tournament, Hood to Coast event and its sand
dollars, among other things. Keep your ingers crossed, the
May edition of the magazine will reveal the answer.
Pick the Bowpicker: In yet another USA Today 10 Best
contest, Astoria’s Bowpicker Fish & Chips is in the run-
ning for Best Waterfront Seafood Shack.
The blurb says: “Bowpicker Fish & Chips ... does one
thing and does it well: beer-battered Albacore tuna served
on a bed of steak fries. Throw on some malt vinegar and
tartar sauce, and this is seafood heaven, pure and simple.”
Are you hungry yet?
Bowpicker is up against several contenders from the
East Coast, such as Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough in
Noank, Connecticut (more butter, please). So, Bowpicker
fans, vote away at http://tinyurl.com/pickerbow
And, by the way, for you fans of Rockaway Beach: the
Old Oregon Smokehouse is in the running, too.
B
ust when you think you’ve
heard the end of strange sto-
ries arising out of the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
disaster, another one pops up.
The facility, which was badly
damaged during the 2011 Jap-
anese earthquake and tsunami,
has been leaking radiation ever
since after several meltdowns,
despite ongoing efforts to stop
the contamination.
The latest problem? Radioac-
tive wild boars, TechTimes.com
reports (http://tinyurl.com/hot-
boar). While the area is still unsafe for humans, the boars, who have
been contaminated with caesium-137 from eating plants around
Fukushima, are thriving. The population is growing by leaps and
bounds, increasing from 3,000 in 2014 to 13,000 now, and they’re
ravaging local farmlands to the tune of $15 million in crop damage
so far. A boar is pictured in a photo by Michael Schmidt.
Even though pork is one of the most popular foods in Japan, these
“hot” boars are continuing to happily lourish, since their radioactive
meat makes them unit for human consumption.
This may be the Year of the Monkey, but in Fukushima — 2016,
and likely for many years to come — it’s the Year of the Boar.
J