-- C.A. Beard
Steve Langer
sglanger@vela.acs.oakland.edu
anon ftp site
ri-exp.beaumont.edu
News Archives
News Archives
On last month's Fix;
the answer to last month's Fix,
Is the US food supply safe? If not, how would you fix it?"
is
In the past year alone, there have been over 20 deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations caused by various forms of food poisoning. Recent ground beef recalls from Burger King and last year's Odwalla Apple juice come to mind from E.Coli problems. Several years ago Milwaukee's water supply was laced with Crytosperidium. And there is the omnipresent danger of pork, poultry and shellfish poisoning from trichinosis, salmonella and hepatitis, among other nasties. What is needed is a simple cheap method of sterilization that does not require the consumer to do anything (since if consumers were smart, much of these outbreaks would not have occurred). The simple, cost effective solution for all of this - radiating the hermetically sealed food.
Opponents of gamma sterilization of food point out that Xrays would disassociate the molecules composing the vitamins, thus reducing the nutritive value. That's even more true for cooking or heat pasturization, but I seriously doubt anyone wants to go back to unpasturized milk or raw chicken. The second chief argument, that ionizing radiation would contaminate the food with cancer causing free radicals, is ludicrous on its face as the 1/2 life of such radicals is on the order of 10exp(-8) seconds.
When the biologists finally figure out how to cure cancer biologically, we can put all those medical LINACs to work doing something really useful, radiating food.
By Matt Keyes from The Daily of The University of Washington
(thanks to Sheryl for typing this in for me)
Bainbridge Island is well known for being two things. To some it's an idyllic peaceful respite from sprawling suburban uniformity, distinguished by its small town idiosyncrasies and natural beauty. To others it's haven to the most self-righteous insular yuppies ever to segregate themselves from the non-Volvo driving proletariat. A small economic anomaly where the skyrocketing value of their property means residents can afford to pay as much for a cup of coffee as a bottle of wine.
To the dapper young daytripper, these reputations are respectively quite attractive and reupulsive. Only the calm voice of the Daily can cut through the hype to show you how to enjoy the pleasant and inexpensive change of pace Bainbridge has to offer.
The ferry from downtown Seattle, $3.50 round trip, encompasses a few stunning views of the city and mountains then drops you off a block away from Winslow Way. Winslow, "Downtown" Bainbridge, is about two blocks of small shops and cafes, very few of which have even a second story. The boutiques and book shops dissipate into residential area very quickly on either side, and the closest thing to a franchise is a U.S. Post Office.
The wise daytripper's first stop will always be the Chamber of Commerce & visitor's center behind the ice cream shop in the first building you'll hit on Winslow way. At the visitor's center one can procure a few essential bits of advice on local restaurants along with a map of the downtown. The center even indulged one tourists unexpected request to see a local ostrich farm.
LOCALS
One is then free to wander about and enjoy the myriad pleasures of
possibly the most consciously preserved "small town ambiance" and
"feeling of community" in the nation. Allow yourself the pleasure of
saying "Hi" to people on the street, many Islanders will actually
respond.
If one engages in conversation with locals avoid hinting that you might move there. The rapid influx of people has residents up in arms trying to preserve the Island's identity. The most vehement "locals" are the recent arrivals who fear you might dilute the strong sense of community to which they've been developing ties the entire nine months since they moved up from Baja, California.
If you do inadvertently offend, all will be mended by quickly changing the topic to one of local interest such as the injustice of the state's property tax or the benefits of organic produce.
The most popular acitivity among tourists is browsing through the quaint local shops. Bainbridge Arts and Crafts has a nice gallery next to the two book stores. The absence of the towering signs and giant parking lots which pollute commercial America is a pleasant relief. However the prices are not.
It would be poor form for any sophisticated daytripper to show shock at the local inflation of prices. Try to smother any gasps with a comment like -- "How expensi--experimental! A scented candle coming out of a ceramic sea shell is truly ahead of its time! Oh, look, so are the prices! I think I'll just step out and make sure I didn't leave the lights on in my Volvo."
For those actually keen on making an interesting purchase I recommend the Children's Thrift Store behind the visitor's center.
Another attraction is the ubiquitous public art which the commmunity is very proud of supporting. This pride is not unwarranted. There's a piece of concrete in which the brief poem; "It would be well to stop--look up, to where the sky's been cut in branches" is inscribed. That's just on the sidewalk leading to Safeway.
An admirable collection of public art is at the library. From the ethereal glass sculture on the ceiling to the anthro- pomorphic tree etched in the window of the children's reading room, local artist left hardly an inch untouched. I was surprised to find that the toilet bowls weren't fashioned by Chihuly.
THE ROMANCE OF FROG ROCK
Far and away the single finest piece of public art is Frog Rock, a
humble masterpiece on the intersection of Phelps and Hidden Cove
roads. The rock was originally a victim of senior paint night (a
Bainbridge High School tradition) in 1971. Robert Green and Ellen
Barnes had agreed to paint it with friends. However, the dark and
rainy night discouraged their friends and left the young duo alone.
Undaunted, the dashing young couple came out at three a.m. to grapple
with four gallons of green paint in the glare of their headlights.
What they illegally created is now the most revered amphibian in this county. Robert and Ellen later married and are now living on the Island.
BIKE & BUS
Frog Rock, five miles north of the ferry, is one of many attractions
accessible only with transportation. The Island draws cyclists with
the same magnetism that a convention on stretch pants with a juice
bar would. The Island is full of lush green lanes which tend to
weave, merge and divide at random like a school of dolphins at play.
If you like difficult scavenger hunts or Where's Waldo you'll love
hunting down the signs which mark bike paths through these
picturesque back roads.
The solution is to stop by the visitor's center where they will set you up with a map, some directions and a good chance at a very pleasant ride. I strongly recommend heading north from the ferry on Ferncliff Avenue to Frog Rock and Fay Bainbridge State Park for a picnic. The route is gorgeaus and has few of the muscle melting hills for which Bainbridge is notorious.
The nicest and most competent bicycle repairs and rentals are at B.I.cycles under Washington Mutual near the ferry.
A car or bicycle is doubly nice because convenient public transportation is not among Bainbridge Island's many virtues. The Island has made a valiant attempt at providing several yellow bikes for public use but they are difficult to find. Buses run from the ferry terminal for a dollar but only hourly in the morning and evening.
BUSDRIVER BURRITOS
What Bainbridge bus drivers actually do best is burritos. Bainbridge
is full of excellent restaurants but the only one of note to all
discriminating daytrippers is Chili Cosmo's at the end of Winslow
Way.
Manned by two of the island's school bus drivers, one ex-bus driver and one ex-photographer, the entirety of Chili Cosmo's is packed into a pillar/kiosk slightly larger than a telephone booth. No establishment can provide a bigger, healthier, cheaper, tastier meal. They serve burritos, mean burritos, burritos whose praises can never adequately be sung.
THE PRETENTIOUS AND THE PEGASUS
Afterwards you can rub elbows with the locals at their favorite
hangout; the patio outside Bainbridge Bakers, just opposite Chili
Cosmos. It's probably the best bakery and locals often go there for a
latte' and gossip. Feel free to eavesdrop while you enjoy a
pull-apart. The bakery is also an excellent place to spot the
Island's celebrities: Ben Sheppard from Soundgarden, Chris Kattan
from Saturday Night Live, David Guterson author and don of People's
best looking and most beloved of all, the professor from Gilligan's
Island.
But if you'd care for something a little less low-brow, head down from Chili Cosmo's to the Pegasus Cafe' on the waterfront. The cafe, which has a lot more character, not to mention indoor seating which both Cosmo's and the bakery lack.
Pegasus gives one the impression that the staff's been cramped up too long with only an espresso machine to occupy their time. Everthing from the fireplace mantle to hanging of play bills is done in a needlessly pleasant and slightly impressive manner. The bathroom is done in a Peter Pan motif; deep blue walls on which stars are painted with Wendy floating near the ceiling and silver tinsel boa wrapped aroun the pipes. Again, I checked to make sure the toilet bowl wasn't made of hand blown glass.
An impressive piece of trivia to drop is that the Chandlery behind Pegasus is where basketball star Ed Lovrich, the first man to shoot a basketball one handed, invented the maneuver in the '30s.
Pegasus has live music free every Saturday night, but even at its wildest Bainbridge night life is about on par with a slow night in the Vatican. The Bainbridge Performing Arts center near the ferry does have something most weekends, with luck it'll be a play or shore. But the nights activities are more likely to rate somewhere between Native American story telling and adult social dancing on the thrill-o-meter.
1. Tom writes.