Portapotty on Steroids
Seattle paper reported today ( http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/120831_cruise06.html ) that a cruise ship accidentally-on-purpose dumped 40 tons of raw sewage into inland waters on its way to berth in Seattle. I cringed a couple years ago when the Port of Seattle started stumping for more Alaska cruise ship docking. Chamber of Commerce types always tout tourism as a ‘clean’ industry, but cruise ships are about the filthiest industry you could court. They’re allowed to dump outside the three-mile limit, but it irks me that they’re allowed to dump water at all - gray, black or otherwise. And water’s not all they ‘accidentally’ dump - there’s garbage, restaurant waste and oil-laden bilge. Here’s a more polished synopsis:
http://www.bluewaternetwork.org/campaign_ss_cruises.shtml
I’ve always been an ardent environmentalist, but since taking up sea kayaking a couple years ago, I am more acutely aware of water on Puget Sound and elsewhere, and its quality. I can paddle a good ways beyond 3 miles, and I really don’t care to dip my paddle into whatever’s coming out of these ships.
Photo Opt Out
I don’t watch much television, and almost no news, so I thought it would be a great idea to go looking on the internet to see if I could find that infamous picture of Michael Dukakis rakishly posing in an Army tank, and think up some spoof juxtaposing it with one of Dubya. Turns out Stephanoupoulis and everyone has been all over it, so I won’t waste the energy. I’m happy some of the braver churchmice Democrats are finally creeping out of their dank redoubts and chipping a little bit about how much money was blown on the photo op.
What I’m Listening To
On my Archos Jukebox right now: Maktub - Khronos (cd)
This is a Seattle band currently on tour, playing in New York City tomorrow night:
It’s a combination of sweet soul and some edgier stuff, including a knockout cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘No Quarter’. (This is the only cover they do, though - everything else is original) The lead vocalist, Reggie Watts, can sound like Otis Redding, Soundgarden and Barry White in different parts of their set. We’ve been following them for the last 3 years or so, and delighting in various spinoff projects that members of the band show up for. Looks like they’re making a play for the next level with this tour.
