The Blaisdell Blog

The R/V Thomas G. Thompson is a 225 ft. research vessel operated by the University of Washington’s school of oceanography. It is named for the leader in studying the chemical composition of seawater.   Recently, this boat has been busy working to help solve a geological mystery surrounding one of the most poetically named geographic areas on the globe—the Juan de Fuca.   The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a narrow strip of the Pacific Ocean that separates Vancouver Island from the state of Washington.   It is named for its explorer, Ioannis Phokas, a Greek mariner sailing for the court of Spain.   The Spanish translation of his name turns into the musical “Juan de Fuca.”   Yet it is not the Strait, but it’s underlying tectonic plate of the same name that is the focus of study by the men of the R/V Thomas G. Thompson.   The presence of this Juan de Fuca Plate, smallest of the earth’s tectonics, off the coast of our Northwest coast has been known for as long as plate tectonics has bee

Seventy-six billion.   Seventy-six billion doses of death.   That is 232 doses for every man, woman and child in this country.   For you, for your spouse, for every one of your children—that is 232 doses poured down the throats of each of your grandchildren!   That is 76,000,000,000 doses of addictive narcotic handed across the counter—legally—in the United States over the last six years.   The opioid crisis is not a catch phrase used by politicians wanting your vote, to spend your money, to fix a problem that you may or may not have.   The opioid crisis is 76 billion pills (primarily Oxycontin and hydrocodone).   It is also 100,000 deaths from overdose during the same amount of time those 76 billion pills were distributed.   The ruined lives, the abused and neglected children and family sorrow is uncounted and uncountable.               Clearly, addiction is the ultimate responsibility of the addicted.   If your life is being controlled by a chemical that you will abandon all mo

How do you choose the men who will either make history or die trying?   What criteria does a wise person use?   Your decision must be sensible, effective, efficient and—in the end—defensible.   How do you choose?             The astronauts of Apollo 11 where selected from a group that started on the small side of select and narrowed to three men:   Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins.   Two of them, Armstrong and Aldrin, would be the first human beings to set foot on a surface not of this earth.   The third, Michael Collins, would keep the home fires burning on the space capsule that would be their way home.   It was Collins who performed the necessary docking maneuvers with the lunar modular which allowed Armstrong and Aldrin to rejoin him for the return home.                  Who were they?   What were they?   Why were they chosen?   Armstrong and Aldrin had both served as fighter pilots in the Korean War.   Collins was a test pilot.   All of them went into space first in the Gemin