Sunday, September 25, 2011

Happy 20th Anniversary to Nirvana's Nevermind

      On Saturday, September 24, 2011, Seattle's Experience Music Project (EMP) celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of Nirvana's top-selling album, Nevermind. Featuring the popular single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana's second album knocked Michael Jackson off the top of the billboard charts in 1991.



      The EMP is currently featuring an exhibit entitled Nirvana: Bringing Punk to the Masses. Several of Kurt Cobain's guitars as well Krist Novoselic's bass and Dave Grohl's drums are on display. This large collection of Nirvana memorabilia includes demos of Kurt's first songs that were made with his aunt's eight track player. Visitors can see art work that Kurt created during his senior year at Aberdeen High School. The exhibit includes stage prop mannequins known as the "In Utero Angels" from the tour promoting Nirvana's third and final album, In Utero.



     Grunge rock is a form of alternative rock that became popular in Washington State in the mid eighties. Known as the "Seattle sound," grunge rock is characterized by distorted electric guitars and angst-filled lyrics. The release of Nirvana's Nevermind album and Pearl Jam's Ten album helped grunge rock attract a mainstream audience in the early nineties. The exhibit at the EMP features the music of other grunge rockers that Nirvana knew and liked. Visitors can listen to Pearl Jam, Mia Zapata and the Gits, Bikini Kill, Alice in Chains, and more.

     On Nevermind's 20th anniversary, a video of Nirvana performing at the Paramount Theatre was shown in the EMP's Sky Church.




The sculpture above can be seen at the EMP. It was made of 700
guitars to symbolize the roots and branches of American pop music. 

 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

A Day of Remembrance

     Today is Sunday, September 11th, 2011. It is the tenth anniversary of the bombings of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

     On this day, I am remembering the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives because of religious fanaticism.

     In June 2003, my daughter and I traveled to New York City. We visited the site where the World Trade Center once stood. To my surprise, it looked like an ordinary construction site. I didn't realize that we were there until I noticed the flowers, sympathy cards and other greetings that other visitors left. This simple memorial site was fitting because the men and women who died there were ordinary citizens who hadn't done anything wrong. They had merely gone to work.

     Today I am remembering the firefighters who bravely entered the blazing towers and tried to put out the fires. How heartsick I felt when I saw the buildings collapse on national television! Later, someone modestly said that those brave men were only doing their jobs. That's because firefighters risk their lives every day to protect us from fire and its destruction.

     Let's remember the police officers, the paramedics and the good Samaritans who risked their lives to help the victims.

     Let's remember the doctors, nurses, grief counselors, social workers and others who worked tirelessly to help the victims and their families.

     I have often said that if I had been one of the victims, I would not want to know what was happening. I would  prefer to die quickly, without living the last few minutes of my life in absolute terror. My husband disagrees. He says that he would prefer to know what was taking place around him. But my husband is a trained warrior, having retired after 21 years in the U.S. Army. I'm quite certain that if he had been aboard one of the hijacked airliners, he would have attempted to retake it, like the heroes who died in Pennsylvania on Flight 93.

     Today is a day to remember our heroes. When we Americans pull together and work for the common good, nothing and no one can defeat us.

    

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Hike Safely in Bear Country

     A grizzly bear that killed a Michigan hiker in Yellowstone National Park will most likely be put to death. Wildlife rangers have set traps and plan to kill the bear if DNA taken from hair samples proves that it was the one that mauled the hiker.

     According to  the Jackson Hole News & Guide, the body of John Wallace, 59, was discovered on August 26, 2011 along the Mary Mountain Trail. Located in a remote area, this trail is known for its large population of grizzlies. The trail is closed from March to June to allow bears to eat the carcasses of bison that died over the winter without being disturbed by humans.

     An autopsy has confirmed that Wallace died of injuries consistent of a bear attack. He was not carrying bear spray. Nothing indicates that bear cubs were in the area when Wallace was attacked.

     This was the second time a bear has attacked and killed a man in the national park this summer. On July 7, 2011, Brian Matayoshi of California was killed on Yellowstone's Watipi Trail after he and his wife, Marylynn, surprised a grizzly sow and her two cubs. The Watipi Trail is located about eight miles from the Mary Mountain Trail. Like Wallace, the Matayoshis were not carrying bear spray. Wildlife rangers ruled that the mother bear should not be put to death because it was defending its cubs.

     I'm amazed that a female bear is called a "sow." When I hear the word "sow," I think of a pig or a hog. Not a bear!

      I don't claim to be an expert about bears. Or about hiking or camping for that matter. But the Pacific Northwest is bear country. My family and I spent a week at Yellowstone National Park last June. This is what I learned there.
     
     Before entering the national park, I recommend visiting the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. (The locals simply refer to this small town as "West.") This museum offers educational exhibits about the wildlife found in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Because bears normally avoid contact with humans, the only bears that I saw during our week at Yellowstone were the animals at the Discovery Center. Other visitors told me they saw bears in Grand Tetons National Park, but not at Yellowstone.



     At the Discovery Center, we watched a grizzly uproot the pine trees in its enclosure. After the staff removed the bears from the enclosure, children were permitted inside the enclosure to set out food for the grizzlies. This was a wonderful learning opportunity.  



     The Discovery Center also offers tips on how to hike and camp safely in bear country. The staff puts on daily demonstrations on the proper use of bear spray. Bear spray contains a chemical found in hot peppers, which makes the solution irritating to the nose, eyes, mouth and lungs. The solution can temporarily disable a bear, but it does not cause permanent damage. Do not spray it on backpacks, clothing or other items because it does not work like a bug repellent. Use it like Mace. Bear spray costs forty to fifty dollars per can, but it is well worth the price. If you are threatened by a bear, a can of this pepper spray could save your life. Work with the wind and spray the solution into an attacking bear's face until the animal retreats.

     When hiking in the national park, stay on the park's trails. Hike in groups of three or more. Be aware of paw prints and scat (bear droppings.) Hikers should whistle, hum or make noise to let the animals know they are in the area. The last thing you want to do want to do is startle a grizzly. Carry bear spray.

     If a bear crosses your path, walk away slowly in the opposite direction. Don't take a photo of the animal or try to get a better view. Don't turn your back on the bear. Watch the bear until you can no longer see it and it can no longer see you.

     Do not run from a threatening bear. Grizzlies can run up to 35 miles per hour. A bear can be on you in seconds.

     One of the best defenses in a bear attack is to stop, drop and play dead. Sometimes a bear will walk away if it thinks the threat has been eliminated. Remain motionless until the bear is gone. If it sees or hears you move, it may attack again.

     Very rarely, a black bear may think of a human as food. If a bear continues to bite you long after you have stopped, dropped and played dead, assume that it wants to eat you. Fight for your life!

     The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports that Kevin and Julie Boyer survived a bear attack while hiking in Yellowstone's Hayden Valley on July 2, 2011. The Montana couple ventured off the park's trail when they were attacked by a grizzly sow defending its cub. Fortunately, the Boyers were carrying bear spray.
They attribute their survivial to bear spray.