POSTCARD FROM THE EDGE

"Hello. This is Al." It's Greenpeace annoyer-of- powerful-polluters Al Baker on a satellite phone. Last seen in 1995 kayaking in the South Pacific to heckle French nuclear testers, he's now calling from this British flyspeck, Rockall Island, 300 miles west of Scotland. Greenpeace last week declared Rockall the independent, though mostly virtual, nation of Waveland (Website: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk passports available) to stop oil exploration in the surrounding sea. The weather is good, says Baker, which means that waves are not as high as the 60-ft. height of Waveland, though that's not always the case. There are lots of whales and dolphins to watch and some fish, mostly pollock, for Al and two other squatters to catch. "We're good for a month at least," he reports. Bye, Al.

--By John Skow