President and Vice President Job Duties

There is a lot of discussion about whether Sarah Palin has the experience to be President. Many people seem to be reacting emotionally, based whether they want McCain or Obama to win. They aren't doing what most organizations do when they look at candidates for a job: review all the experience of the candidate against the duties of the job. Of course, Palin has been selected by McCain to be his vice presidential running mate. But for every vice presidential candidate, we must ask if she can also step in as President.

So I decided to look up the job duties of the President and Vice President in the US Constitution . Just looking at the Constitution (see the excerpts below) the President doesn't have all that much to do compared to the Legislature. The Vice President only presides over the Senate and votes when there's a tie.

Based on that Palin is certainly qualified to be Vice President. But so am I and most other Americans.

Oh yes, and there's the part about becoming President. What rereading the Constitution reminded me was how much the Presidents of late have essentially usurped the power of the Legislature. Our real focus should be on recalibrating the power balance between the executive and legislative branches.

I tried to pick out what the Constitution says about the President, Legislature, and Vice President, but I readily admit I may have missed some things. Here's what I did find:


What does the President do?

Article II: The Executive Branch
Section I
Clause 1:

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

Clause 8:

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Section 2

Clause 1:

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

Clause 2:

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

Clause 3:

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

Section 3

He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

That doesn't look like too much. So who's supposed to do all the work? If we look at the Legislative section of the Constitution we see:

Article I: The Legislative Branch

Section 2:
Clause 6:

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.


Section 8

Clause 1:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Clause 2:

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

Clause 3:

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

Clause 4:

To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

Clause 5:

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

Clause 6:

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

Clause 7:

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

Clause 8:

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

Clause 9:

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

Clause 10:

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

Clause 11:

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

Clause 12:

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

Clause 13:

To provide and maintain a Navy;

Clause 14:

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

Clause 15:

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Clause 16:

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

Clause 17:

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And

Clause 18:

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

And while we're at it, we should look at the duties of the Vice President.

Section 1

Article I: The Legislative Branch

Clause 6:

In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office,10 the Same shall devolve on the Vice President,

Section 2:

Clause 4:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

Driving Around Oregon

Our original plans for the day got scuttled. So we had breakfast in a logger pizza place.








And then wandered slowly toward the ocean. Past lots of little rivers.








It was sunny, with a steady breeze, in the low 60s F. (about 16C)



























I tried to do some homework on this slug. I don't think it's a banana slug, but I couldn't find a picture that would match this one. It's about three inches long.
















He just stood there looking as we went over a nearby bridge. It didn't really look deep enough to jump from that high. He was still there when we came back.

A Day in Portland

We had lunch with Masami and Shpresha and Sharon, people I knew when I was a guest faculty member at Portland State University for six months in 2003-4.




After lunch they put me in my old seminar room to work on a few things and catch up with all the hits coming in about Palin. Like other Alaska blogs, apparently, this was my second highest hit day - 563 right now.








Later we walked around downtown before meeting friends for dinner. The sky was very blue, temps in the low 70s, as we passed the Art Museum.































In a little park area between streets the Oregon Ballet Theatre was practicing in a tent.













A costume store.


























One of the great book shops in the United States. Powell's is room after room after room on several floors or used and new books. A favorite place of our when we lived here.








































































We had dinner here with Gary and Roxanne who we knew from Anchorage and from when we lived here. It was great to see them again.







We checked the tram station near Marty's yesterday. It's about a 20 minute walk home from the end of the line. But both ticket machines at the stop were broken. We turned down Gary and Roxanne's offer of a ride home (way out of their way) and decided to board without tickets. The guy with the beard told us to push the emergency button and tell the driver who said we could ride free then. Then the two Obama canvassers got on. As we were pulling into one station we heard screaming at the other end of the train (about four cars away.) The driver came onto the loudspeaker calling for police. Who boarded immediately as we entered into the station. A young black woman and a young white woman slipped quickly off the train. The police - Wackenhut Security guys - stayed on the train to the end of the line where we got off. At the end we heard the driver reporting the incident - a white guy had been yelling racial epithets at a white girl and black girl sitting together.

Palin's Speech Made Biden's Speech Look Lame

As an Alaskan, I couldn't help but feel good about our Governor's speech accepting the vice presidential nomination. Well, she's only been announced. The nomination comes next week. But she was pure Palin. For those who are wondering, this is real. She's poised, comfortable, and speaks honestly. It was a real contrast to the older man standing next to her with the shit-eating grin on his face.

Palin has become a strong, confident speaker. Her nomination and, even more, her speech will is going to totally change this election. The Republicans did a great job of pointing out all her best points.

The Obama people better be careful when they attack Palin. I'm in a household here in Portland that's got Fox News on. They reported that the Obama people said Palin was in the pocket of big oil. If that's their research, they're in big trouble. She is clearly NOT in the pocket of big oil. But, as I said, I'm getting my news from Fox, so I have no idea if the Obama people really said that.

I did notice that when McCain introduced her and said that she'd stood up to vested interests, he left the oil companies off his list. But Palin didn't leave them off her list. And that has been her biggest coup.

I would say from what we've seen in Alaska, Palin is honest, serious about doing what's right, takes on anyone who she thinks is wrong. And she took on the big oil companies and so far she's won. But the Monehan firing also reveals some lack of experience and lack of sense of the protocol. The video is the first few minutes of this morning's speech.



For another video of Palin, see her introducing a several day workshop for legislators and the public on AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act).

There will be lots of contradictions in this race. The McCain folks have been blasting Obama for lack of experience. It isn't just about being governor for 18 months, it's also her exposure to different ideas and different people. She spent time outside of Alaska when she went to the University of Idaho. Other than that, I suspect she's spent more time outside of Alaska as Governor than she did since she moved to Alaska as an infant. I don't that she's been outside the US besides Canada. These gaps should cause concern. But who knows what the glamor and the media can do?

Marty and Jake

Fox Says its Palin for McCain VP

Photo at induction of Rabbi Michael Oblath October 2007.









"ARE ANY OF THE ALASKANS UP? McCAIN PICKED PALIN" is what woke me up this morning, 15 minutes ago.


My mind is spinning. Sure, we've heard her name was in the ring for VP, but it all seemed so far fetched.

The first time I saw her was a small group of people at the University of Alaska Anchorage when she was just starting to run for governor. Her hair was piled up on her head, she was in scuffed snow boots. She spoke openly and directly. A real person, not a politician. I liked her, but thought she was in way over her head. She said she didn't know to a number of things and even asked if the audience had suggestions. I knew at the time that she'd stood up the Randy Ruedrich, the Republican Party Chair of Alaska, and resigned from the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission very publicly saying it was because Ruedrich had a conflict of interest and she couldn't continue to serve. That was pretty gutsy.

Then, to many people's surprise, she actually beat sitting Republican Governor Murkowski in the primary. Well, by the time of the election, I think we'd all seen the polls so we weren't that surprised. But when she started to run it was a real long shot. The party stalwarts were all against her. She certainly was helped out when it came out the FBI had searched the offices of several prominent Republican officials.

As governor, as I've said in previous posts, she was the right person at the right time. She stood up to the oil companies on the Petroleum Profits Tax (also known as Petroleum Production Tax) and got it raised. Then she stood up to the big oil companies over AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act). After the previous governor had negotiated privately with Conoco-Phillips and BP to build a natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48. She had reinstated the commissioner of Natural Resources who'd resigned because of how Murkowski was negotiating. They set up conditions the State insisted on and put out a Request for Proposal requiring them. The big oil companies didn't turn in any proposals. But an pipeline company from Canada did. Then the oil companies put in a proposal after the deadline, which didn't meet the state requirements. Palin was able to get the legislature, in special sessions over the summer, to approve Trans Canada's bid to get a license.

Meanwhile she's been on the cover of Vogue magazine and did other such national publicity work. Her biography came out and the book was simply a PR job on the sweet but strong willed girl who grew up in Wasilla. I found it hard to stomach. This was not a serious book.

And now we're seeing some of the inexperience coming to the surface in the way she handled the firing of the head of the State Troopers. It has come out that her staff and family have been pressuring him to fire one of the troopers - who just happens to be her ex-brother-in-law.

This is a woman with a lot of internal strength. She also has very limited experience outside of Alaska and in public office. She was mayor of a town of about 74,000. She's been governor almost two years. She's floated on a bubble of strong moves against the oil companies, supported by the FBI's investigation into oil related corruption in Alaska and three ex-legislators convicted and a number of other people indicted and/or pleading guilty. Her physical beauty has certainly been a major attention getter - she's been called the hottest governor in the USA. She has a son serving in the Middle East and a newborn child with Down's Syndrome. When he was born in April, she said she had her family to take care of and was not a candidate for Vice President.

I think this is a woman with a lot of smarts and strengths. But she also has had probably the least experience of any Vice Presidential candidate in my lifetime. If, in ten years, she proved her mettle, I'd say she'd be a long shot candidate. She'd have been through the rough and tumble. Right now, she's only had amazing successes. The Monehan firing has been the only bump. She isn't used to failure.

But the US and Republican image machines can make a lot of this woman and they will. I'd like to say she could surprise us. But I have to say she also has a huge amount to learn. She hasn't been tested in the rough and tumble of national politics or even the primaries.

No one can say American presidential politics is dull.

Martini Glasses Then and Now

Marty has been educating us on a lot of things. I finally caught one important then-and-now history lesson on video.

Alaska Dominates Menu

Went to a Seafood place tonight in Portland.

Google Searches

I continue to find interesting ways people got to this blog.

• doing' it to it like pruitt used to do it to it
• lots of people, mostly from towns that have McClatchy papers, have been checking on Gary Pruitt. But what is this one about?
• why do i know things before they happen
• I'm sure this person didn't find the answer here
  
• meaning of wild hair up his butt
• Bingo, I had a whole post answering this question.
  
• gary pruitt needs to go
• more pruitt
  
• how can you know if a person is wearing a wire
• well I did discuss the ethics of wearing a wire, but not how you could tell
  
• battered Gary Pruitt
• yak a mai noodles (Lisbon)
• Google seems to first look for the whole phrase. They it looks for the words in a post. Then on the blog as a whole. So this person got the post on Yak and Yeti restaurant. There have been various posts on noodles. How Google decides which post to send the person to I have no idea.
  
• where do the japanese flight attendants eat sushi in anchorage?
• This actually got them to Yamato Ya where the Japanese flight attendants go. But the post didn't say that. But it had a picture of their sashimi.
  
• charlie in on golden pond
• Charlie, who own's Charlie's Bakery, used to own a restaurant called Golden Pond. This is explained in the post so all those words were in one post. But it wasn't what the searcher seems to have in mind. A few South Africans have checked out Charlie's Bakery. I think there must be one there too.
  
• downey gunk in my washing machine
• Downy gunk? This one got to one of the Maytag posts
  
• what do hfh look like?
• This person got to the Habitat for Humanity post (same as Yak and Yeti post.) If that's what they meant by hfh, then they got a picture of what HfH housing looks like. At least one project.
  
• buy companies that can be run by gary pruitt (Fresno Bee)
• fly horses fairbanks to seattle (Lemon Lima)
• I reviewed a short movie called Dear Lemon Lima that was set in Fairbanks. They were going to film the long version in Seattle. I suggested if the French crew that filmed Crossing Alaska With Horses could do it in Alaska, the Lemon Lima team could too. I don't think that's what they were looking for.
  
• how to resign because of inability to do job
• I did talk when people should resign
  
• are thoughts sin
• The Spitzer posts gets hits like this now and then
  
• fire gary pruitt
• us marshals polo shirts
• Here's what the Google preview on this one looked like:
  "... almost everyone had on a yellow polo type shirt with a royal emblem on the chest. ... US Marshals Flying Vic Kohring To California Monda…"(Yahoo search)
• if i was born in 1908 how old would i be?
• Math is so hard. I wonder if my post on people born in 1908 answered the question for him.
  

House Boats

Now these are really HOUSE boats.

Dems Viewed from Portland

Various Alaska bloggers are covering the convention from Denver. Celtic Diva, Alaska Raven, Dennis Zaki are blogging. Delegate Kimberly Pace has been sending reports to Bent Alaska.

I'm getting to watch bits and pieces here at Marty's condo in Portland, Oregon.



This whole convention extravaganza is starting to look unseemly to me. Part of it is the media highlighting any hint of controversy over and over again. But all the flash and partying seems so wrong when the Dem message is that the economy is hurting so bad. And all those corporate sponsors. What happened to campaign finance reform?

Were the ADL Ballots Legal?

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS:

1. The Alaska Primary elections had ballots that combined candidates for the Democratic Party, Alaska Independent Party, and the Libertarian Party of Alaska. The Republicans had separate ballots.
2. By combining two or more parties onto one ballot, the primary is no longer a contest between the two party candidates for the nomination of their party. The percentages of vote for candidates that are not running against each other makes no sense at all.
   
3. The state law says "The director shall prepare and provide a primary election ballot for each political party." To me, that sounds like a separate ballot for each party.
4. The Division of Elections Media Guide says that "In Alaska, the political parties determine which candidates will have access to their ballot and which voters are eligible to vote their ballot."
1. Both the Libertarian Party and Alaska Independent Party by-laws call for what is known as a 'blanket" ballot which lists all candidates for all offices. That makes sense since they don't have more than one candidate for any office. Between the two parties, I could only find a total of three candidates in only the US House and Senate races. They have provisions for other options if the other parties do not allow blanket ballots.
2. I couldn't find the Democratic by-laws, but their Plan of Organization says, " The Alaska Democratic Party’s primary election is open to all registered voters." That doesn't say open to all other parties.

It all seems to hinge on whether the Democratic Party by-laws call for an open primary or a blanket primary.


The Post

Alaska Statutes on Primary Elections say:

Chapter 15.25. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES

Article 01. PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Sec. 15.25.010. Provision for primary election.

Candidates for the elective state executive and state and national legislative offices shall be nominated in a primary election by direct vote of the people in the manner prescribed by this chapter. The director shall prepare and provide a primary election ballot for each political party. A voter registered as affiliated with a political party may vote that party's ballot. A voter registered as nonpartisan or undeclared rather than as affiliated with a particular political party may vote the political party ballot of the voter's choice unless prohibited from doing so under AS 15.25.014 . A voter registered as affiliated with a political party may not vote the ballot of a different political party unless permitted to do so under AS 15.25.014 .

However, the State did NOT provide a ballot for each party. The Republicans had a separate ballot. But the other parties had all their candidates combined on a single ballot called ADL.



So, for the US Representative, Democrats and Alaska Independent Party were combined. This means, that people voting here did not choose between Diane Benson and Ethan Berkowitz, which is what is supposed to happen in a primary, but they chose between Benson, Berkowitz, AND Don Wright, the Alaskan Independence Party candidate. So, the election results percentages are also skewed. While the two Democrats were in competition with each other and Wright was NOT in competition with anyone, Sean Parnell's Division of Election put them all in competition with each other.



So, Berkowitz and Benson's votes add up to 59,487. The race between Benson and Berkowitz really should be
Benson 40.9%
Berkowitz 59.09%

Wright should have 100% of his party vote.

The same problem exists for the US Senate race. All the parties except the Republicans are combined. But they weren't all running against each other. The statewide elections have winners with significant enough votes that it probably doesn't matter. But suppose the Democratic house race were as close as the Republican. From what it looks like to me, the ballot would be very challengeable.


I did a quick scroll through the election results for the State House and Senate races and there do not seem to be any candidates other than Republicans and Democrats in those races. But my initial reading of the Alaska Statute suggests that there should have been ballots for

Democrats
Republicans
Alaskan Independents
Libertarians

The first two ballots would have had slates for all the offices and propositions.
The Alaska Independent ballot would have had one candidate for the US Senate and one for the US House and the propositions.
The Libertarian Party ballot would have had one candidate for US Senate and the propositions.

The Republicans closed their primary several years ago to only include people, if I recall correctly, who were not members of another party and Republicans. According to the Division of Elections Media Packet (p. 14):

In Alaska, the political parties determine which candidates will have access to their ballot and which voters are eligible to vote their ballot. Based on the political party by-laws, the below table outlines the 2008 Primary election ballot choices.

People with no party affiliation could have chosen any ballot.

Democrats, Alaska Independents, and Libertarians could all have chosen a Libertarian, Alaska Independent, or Democratic ballot.


OK, I've been doing more searching and have come up with interesting results. I can't find the Democratic Party By-Laws on line. However, they do have a Democratic Party Plan of Organization. I could find this statement about primary elections:

ALASKA DEMOCRATIC PARTY ELECTION RULE

Section 10) The Alaska Democratic Party’s primary election is open to all registered voters.

This isn't explicit, but implies that there should be a Democratic primary election, which is open to all voters. That is different from open to all parties.

HOWEVER, the Libertarians and the Alaska Independents both want their candidates to be in primaries with all the candidates.


Alaska Independent:

Article IX. PRIMARY ELECTIONS

The Alaskan Independence Party believing in the principle of voting for the individual, does establish an open primary election which lists all parties' candidates for office.
9.01 Primary Election Electors

Any registered voter who has not voted another primary ballot may vote in the Alaskan Independence Party primary.

9.02 Non-Disqualification of Electors

The fact that a voter has voted in the Alaskan Independence Party Primary Election shall not disqualify that voter from voting in the primary election of any other political party or parties, where that voter's participation in the primary election of the Alaskan Independence Party is authorized or permitted by the rules of the other party, or by the statutes of the United States.

The Libertarian Party of Alaska doesn't believe in Primaries:

ARTICLE XI: PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION OF CANDIDATES FOR POLITICAL OFFICE.

a. The Alaska Libertarian Party maintains that primary elections are a waste of taxpayers’ money, and serve only as free advertising for candidates in a process wherein, for all practical purposes, the winners have already been decided, or, as is often the case, only one candidate per political party is in a primary election for a given post. We have also seen examples of candidates undesirable to a given party winning the primary election. But, until that happy day when government-sponsored primaries are abolished, and we may nominate all our candidates at our own convention, we recognize the hard realities and expediencies of politics, and consent to have Libertarian candidates for elective public office appear on a primary ballot which has the following two characteristics:

(1) The primary ballot also lists the candidates of all (or some) other political parties which are willing to have their candidates appear on a combined primary ballot; and

(2) The primary ballot is available to any voter, regardless of party affiliation, who wishes to select that combined primary ballot, as long as that voter has not also selected a different primary ballot.

b. When it is not possible for Libertarian candidates to appear on a primary ballot which complies with the requirements set out above, the Alaska Libertarian Party will, whenever possible, have its candidates for elective public office appear on a primary ballot which has the following two characteristics:

(1) The primary ballot also lists the candidates of all (or some) other political parties which are willing to have their candidates appear on a combined primary ballot; and

(2) The primary ballot is available to any voter who wishes to select that combined primary ballot, as long as that voter has not also selected a different primary ballot, and is not registered as being affiliated with a political party which does not appear on the combined primary ballot.

c. When it is not possible for Libertarian candidates to appear on a primary ballot which complies with either of the alternatives set out above, the Alaska Libertarian Party executive committee shall choose between any primary ballots which may be available for Libertarian candidates.

It makes sense for parties that only have one candidate in each race to want to be combined with other parties. It gains more visibility for their candidates.


I also checked Wikipedia on the various types of primary elections. The Republicans clearly had a closed primary, which they chose to do a number of years ago. But I thought the Democrats wanted an open primary (see below), but what they got was a blanket primary according to Wikipedia:

• Closed. Voters may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party. Independents cannot participate. Note that due to the use of the word "independent" in the names of some political parties, the term "non-partisan" is often used to refer to those who are not affiliated with a political party.

• Semi-closed. As in closed primaries, registered party members can vote only in their own party's primary. Semi-closed systems, however, allow unaffiliated voters to participate as well. Depending on the state, independents either make their choice of party primary privately, inside the voting booth, or publicly, by registering with any party on Election Day.

• Open. A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his own party affiliation. When voters do not register with a party before the primary, it is called a pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she wishes to vote in on election day. Because of the open nature of this system, a practice known as "raiding" may occur. "Raiding" consists of voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party, effectively allowing a party to help choose its opposition's candidate. The theory is that opposing party members vote for the weakest candidate of the opposite party in order to give their own party the advantage in the general election. An example of this can be seen in the 1998 Vermont senatorial primary with the election of Fred Tuttle for the Republican candidate.

• Semi-open. Each voter may vote in any single primary, but must publicly declare which primary she will vote in before entering the voting booth. Typically this declaration is accomplished by requesting a ballot. In many states with semi-open primaries, election officials record each voter's choice of party and provide the parties access to this information.

• Blanket. This system allows voters to vote for one candidate per office, regardless of party affiliation.

• Run-off. A primary in which the ballot is not restricted to one party and the top two candidates advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. (A runoff differs from a primary in that a second round is only needed if no candidate attains a majority in the first round.)

Since I didn't find the Democratic by-laws, I'm not sure what they say. Their Action Plan says their primary should be open to all voters, but doesn't say open to all candidates. That would seem to leave the question unanswered until someone can find the specific language in the Democratic by-laws that says whether they intended to have an open or blanket primary.

To Portland

My wife and son took off in the rental truck at 6:30am headed for Half Moon Bay. I waited at my daughter's house, doing some writing, til she got up for breakfast. Then, for the first time in many years, I walked my daughter to school. On the way we passed the shoe tree. I think people should have fun and not be overly serious all the time, and this tree is unique. But I also couldn't help wondering about how rich some people are, that they can simply throw good shoes up into a tree, while other people in other parts of the world can't afford shoes.






If I got this right, this is Savery Hall being rehabbed. My daughter's department has been moved out while they are working on it inside. The University of Washington campus is full of big old brick buildings and huge trees and a surprising amount of activities given school doesn't start for a while.





Then I drove south, stopping at the Olympia home of old Anchorage friends Don and Joan where I managed to be just in time for lunch. Really, Don, that wasn't planned. Their home is a beautiful spot at the end of Puget Sound and we ate overlooking the water. And the sun was out for lunch! It was nice to see Don and Joan (who came home for lunch) after maybe four years.




Now I'm at Marty's on Hayden Island, just across the bridge from Washington State. Marty is another former Alaskan and we did a lot with Marty and his wife Ellen the six months we lived in Portland five years ago. Ellen had been on dialysis for years and died just over a month ago. She was an very talented, bright, and beautiful woman whose smile lit up the room. Marty was devoted to Ellen throughout her long illness. I'm glad we're able to spend some time with Marty now and maybe distract him a little.
They had finally found a home they both really enjoyed out on Janzten Island. Marty and I had dinner out on one of the many docks.

Celtic Diva's Conventioning, I'm Moving Boxes

First meet the kids for breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe in the University district.











Then we drive to the truck rental place.













Then to where J and C have had their stuff stored for the year. It was all in these three large units.












Here's the truck still mostly empty.













The unit is finally empty!!!
















The truck is almost full, just the mattresses to buttress the end.













The view from the storage building looking at the end of the truck at the dock.












One of the workers at the storage place. Lots of tatoos.











On the way back to M's. The skies opened.







Then off to dinner at Galeria on Capitol Hill - meet a former student and her husband and a good friend's of J.




Galieria's Jose Cuervo collection.










Tomorrow J and J drive the truck to San Francisco.

From Dry to Wet

We left a cloudy, but dry Anchorage about 7:30pm.



And arrived at cloudy and wet Seattle about midnight.

School Starts Tomorrow

Since it looks like I'll be here the whole Fall semester, I've decided to put some structure into my life and take a couple of classes this fall at UAA.

And I'm taking Mariano Gonzales' Digital Art and Design. I took a similar class from him years ago - I think it was just called computer art back then. I'd seen some murals he'd made with video and digital and thought I should learn. Well, it wasn't a class to touch up photos. It was an art class and on the first day when we got our assignment to take three of the tools in the program we were using (Corel Draw?) and make a picture, I quickly discovered that everyone else in class was an accomplished artist.

My simple flower pot with a daisy looked like 2nd grade compared to the detailed cowboy boots on one side of me and the portrait on the other side. But I worked hard and did reasonably well, and learned a lot.

So this will give me a chance to get my photoshop skills back up and do some more creative work with my pictures and from scratch. [Posted with permission of the artist]

Mariano is a UAA professor and wicked artist whose work is technically precise and often political as this picture of St. Ted demonstrates. You can see more of his poster work here. He's doing more sculpture now.

I'm signing up for a weight training class just so I'll get in on a regular basis. I've been reasonably good about running (or biking), but I haven't done weights for a while. Class gets me in twice a week and I get pushed more than I would push myself.

Unfortunately, we head out tonight for Seattle to see the kids and then Portland to visit friends there. I have to get word to the weight training teacher, but there's no name listed.

Read Books Not Blogs

Gary sent me this picture which he got from The Girl in the Green Dress











Good fiction is packed with far more truth than most non-fiction. And it's a great escape from the here and now. But I've been trapped in Salman Rushdie for much too long.

I started reading The Ground Beneath Her Feet on the plane to Thailand last February. It starts out in Mumbai full of Rushdie's wild prose riffs that soar, race, even explode, always challenging.

Why do we care about singers? Wherein lies the power of the songs? Maybe it derives from the sheer strangeness of there being singing in the world. The note, the scale, the chord; melodies, harmonies, arrangements; symphonies, ragas, Chinese operas, jazz, the blues: that such things should exist, that we should have discovered the magical intervals and distances that yield the poor cluster of notes, all within the span of a human hand, from which we can build our cathedrals of sound, is as alchemical a mystery as mathematics, or wine, or love. (p. 19)

Some of his books are like that non-stop. In this one the gaps got longer and longer as he wandered off into cosmic collisions that didn't work for me. The second half of the book became a burden as I had to slog through the parts between the brilliance.

A fictional rock impresario explains why he bought the pirate radio ships blasting rock and roll into England in the 60's when the government stations on land only played the music of the past:

I understood then that the limit on the needle time was the enemy, the censor. The limit was General Waste-More-Land's broadcasting ally, General Haig's whore. Enough with big bands and men in white tuxes with bow ties pretending nothing was going on. I mean come on. A nation at war deserves to hear the music that's going mano a mano with the war machine, that's sticking flowers down its gun barrels and baring its breasts to the missiles. The soldiers are singing these songs as they die. But this is not the way soldiers used to sing, marching into battle bellowing hymns, kidding themselves they had god on their side; these aren't patriotic-bullshit, get-yourself-up-for-it songs These kids are using singing instead, as an affirmation of what's natural and true, singing against the unnatural lie of the war. Using song as a banner of their doomed youth. Not morituri te salutant, but morituri say up yours, Jack, those about to die give you the fucking finger. That's why I got the ships. (p. 267)

...and whenever someone who knows you disappears, you lose one version of yourself. Yourself as you were seen, as you were judged to be. Lover or enemy, mother or friend, those who know us construct us, and their several knowings slant the different facets of our characters like diamond-cutter's tools. Each such loss is a step leading to the grave, where all versions blend and end. (p. 509)

I kept putting it down, picking it up, putting it down again. Mostly I was caught up with work in Thailand, studying Thai, and just being in Thailand. And I've read some non-fiction - mostly trying to figure out how to use this computer better, but also Maimonides. I probably should have permanently set Rushdie aside a couple hundred pages ago. But like a gambler at a slot machine, I'd get another small prose jackpot which kept me plugging along until now I'm at page 518, only 57 to go. I'll be out from under the tyranny of this book soon, free to enjoy fiction again.

Books should be hard to put down. This one is hard to pick up. And today I picked up a totally different book. It's only 180 pages. It's by Angolan, José Eduardo Agualusa, and is translated from the Portuguese. Totally engaging. The Book of the Chameleons is narrated by a gecko on the walls of the house of Félix Ventura.

"But do tell me, my dear man - who are your clients?"
Félix Ventura gave in. There was a whole class, he explained a whole new bourgeoisie, who sought him out. They were businessmen, ministers, landowners, diamond smugglers, generals - people, in other words, whose futures are secure. But what these people lack is a good past, a distinguished ancestry, diplomas. In sum, a name that resonates with nobility and culture. He sells them a brand new past. He draws up their family tree. He provides them with photographs of their grandparents and great-grandparents, gentlemen of elegant bearing and old-fashioned ladies...He sells them this simple dream.

Touched by Fall

Birch leaves, most still green
One already touched by fall
Clings no tree, a wall.

Bike Trail Confusion

As I was near the end of my third mile today, near Lake Otis and Chester Creek, probably the corridor used by the bear hit on Gambell yesterday morning, (Wow, as I searched for the link to that article, I found out that everybody is carrying that story. It was an AP story even in the Anchorage Daily News), I saw a couple with bikes, stopped and looking at a map.

Well, they wanted to do the Loop - Chester Creek to Campbell Creek to Coastal Trail back to downtown. It's a great ride, but there are these gaping holes in it as well as unmarked turns. The visitor trying to patch together these three great trails really faces a challenge. They even said they tried it from the other way, but eventually gave up.

And I feel bad. I tried to explain to them how to





1) make sure they turned right so they could cross the Northern Lights bridge,









2) then turn the right way to get around Goose Lake, (the sign is all backward)













3) past the construction at UAA




and find the 4) connection after the Tudor Bridge, then 5) find the Campbell trail from there, and 6) refind it after it stops at Lake Otis, then












7) get under the Seward Highway (which I have posted here),










then 8) turn the right way on the dirt trail to get to Arctic Road Runner where they'd be home free.



Except, after they left, I realized that, of course, they weren't home free, because that trail doesn't have an obvious connection to the Coastal Trail and they would be lost at the same break they were lost at coming the other way.

Maybe someone will tell them how to get to Kincaid from there. They have till 9 tonight to catch their plane. Sorry, I left out the end. But by Arctic Road Runner I already figured they'd have to be pretty smart and pretty lucky just to get there.

We need:

1. A bike trail map that gets people through the gaps
2. Signs on the trail to help people do the Loop
3. To have the gaps filled in

It's a great ride, but finding it is a much bigger challenge than riding it.


I'll try to post some instructions with pictures when we get back from our trip.

Alaskan Abroad Adds to the Corrections Discussion

Dillon at Alaskan Abroad has added to the discussion on making corrections to online versions of the newspaper (and blogs.)

I really think these type of changes call for an editor's note at the top of the story pointing out exactly what was altered.

The whole post is at the link above.

Biden

Be careful when you vote on Prop. 2

I voted today because we're headed out of town on Sunday night. Before you go to vote, be sure you know how you want to vote on Prop. 2 - aerial hunting of wolves. I found the wording confusing.

This bill amends current law banning same-day airborne shooting to include grizzly bears. The bill permits the Board of Game to allow a predator program for wolves and grizzly bears if the Commissioner of Fish and Game finds an emergency, where wolves or grizzly bears in an area are causing a decline in prey. Only employees of the Department of Fish and Game could take part in the program. Only the minimum number of wolves or grizzly bears needed to stop the emergency could be removed.

I guess I thought that since the proponents of Prop 2 have been talking about how airborne hunting of wolves was such a terrible thing that they were proposing a law to ban that. I didn't realize we had a law that already bans it. That's what threw me off. We do. But there are exceptions for situations when the predators need to be culled so that the moose and caribou populations will be higher so that humans can hunt them, and, if there is disease. .

What this amendment appears to do is to more stringently define when the State could authorize airborne hunting and then when it does authorized it, only State Fish and Game employees can do the hunting. Also wolverines are also mentioned in the statutes.

You can go to the election page to get the wording of the ballots and to another page to read the voter pamphlet.

The ballot information, I'm afraid, is not particularly helpful. You'd think it would tell you the number of the current statute that will be replaced or amended by the proposition. And you'd be wrong. Or at least I couldn't find it. I had to go to the Alaska Statues and find it myself.

Here's the existing language that would be replaced - at least that's how I understand it.

Sec. 16.05.783. Same day airborne hunting.

(a) A person may not shoot or assist in shooting a free-ranging wolf or wolverine the same day that a person has been airborne. However, the Board of Game may authorize a predator control program as part of a game management plan that involves airborne or same day airborne shooting if the board has determined based on information provided by the department

(1) in regard to an identified big game prey population under AS 16.05.255(g) that objectives set by the board for the population have not been achieved and that predation is an important cause for the failure to achieve the objectives set by the board, and that a reduction of predation can reasonably be expected to aid in the achievement of the objectives; or

(2) that a disease or parasite of a predator population

(A) is threatening the normal biological condition of the predator population; or

(B) if left untreated, would spread to other populations.

(b) This section does not apply to

(1) a person who was airborne the same day if that person was airborne only on a regularly scheduled commercial flight; or

(2) an employee of the department who, as part of a game management program, is authorized to shoot or to assist in shooting wolf, wolverine, fox, or lynx on the same day that the employee has been airborne.

(c) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both. In addition, the court may order the aircraft and equipment used in or in aid of a violation of this section to be forfeited to the state.

(d) When the Board of Game authorizes a predator control program that includes airborne or same day airborne shooting, the board shall have the prerogative to establish predator reduction objectives and limits, methods and means to be employed, who is authorized to participate in the program, and the conditions for participation of individuals in the program.

(e) The use of state employees or state owned or chartered equipment, including helicopters, in a predator control program is prohibited without the approval of the commissioner.

(f) In this section,

(1) "free-ranging" means that the animal is wild and not caught in a trap or snare; and

(2) "game management program" means a program authorized by the Board of Game or the commissioner to achieve identified game management objectives in a designated geographic area.

Here's the language of the initiative:

FULL TEXT OF PROPOSED LAW
An Act Prohibiting the Shooting of Wolves & Grizzly Bears with the Use of Aircraft Be it enacted by the People of the State of Alaska that Section 1. A.S. 16.05.783 is amended to read: Section 16.05.783. (a) A person may not shoot or assist in shooting a free-ranging wolf, wolverine or grizzly bear the same day that the person has been airborne. However, the Board of Game may authorize a predator program involving the shooting of wolves or grizzly bears
Ballot Measure 2
Bill Amending Same Day Airborne Shooting from the air or on the same day that a person has been airborne if
(1) the Commissioner of Fish and Game makes written findings based on adequate data demonstrating that a biological emer- gency exists and that there is no feasible solution other than airborne control to eliminate the bioogical emergency;
(2) any shooting is conducted by Department of Fish and Game personnel only, and not by any permittee or agent;
(3) the program is limited to the specific geographical area where the biological emergency exists; and
(4) the program removes only the minimum number of wolves or grizzly bears necessary to eliminate the biological emergency.
(b) This section does not apply to a person who was airborne the same day if that person was airborne only on a regularly scheduled commercial flight.
(c) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both. In addition, the court may order the aircraft
and equipment used in or in aid of a violation of this section to be forfeited to the State.
(d) In this section,
(1) “free-ranging” means that the animal is wild and not caught in a trap or snare; and
(2) “biological emergency” means a condition where a wolf or grizzly bear population in a specific geographic area is depleting a prey population to a point that if not corrected will cause an irreversible decline in the prey population such that it is not likely to recover without implementing wolf or grizzly bear control.

By the way, while I was in the Statues, I came across this law of elephant permits. Just in case you were thinking of bringing back an elephant from your next trip:

Sec. 16.40.060. Elephant permit.

The commissioner may issue a permit, subject to reasonable conditions established by the commissioner, to possess, import, or export an elephant. A permit may be issued only to a person who proves to the satisfaction of the commissioner that the person

(1) intends to exhibit the animal commercially;

(2) possesses facilities to maintain the animal under positive control and humane conditions; and

(3) maintains personal injury and property damage insurance in an amount established by the commissioner.

Bears, Moose, People Part 2- The Pieces

[All the wild bear pictures and the runner in the woods picture were taken by my friend Doug while he was visiting this summer.]


In the Bears, Moose, People Part 1, I discussed the narratives people have in their heads about urban wildlife. In Part 2 I want to discuss the pieces, basically those things that can change or be changed to decrease the likelihood of bad encounters between people and bears.

I see three basic factors:

1. People
2. Bears
3. Land
   

1. People

People can change their behaviors:

• Stop attracting bears into urban areas
• no bird feeders in the buffer zone - residential area on the edge of parkland
• bear proof garbage cans in the buffer zone (shared country)
  
• no raising animals - chickens, goats, rabbits - in the buffer zone
• Limited use of park areas where bears are present
• stop activity that is most likely to provoke confrontations with bears, such as
• activity that increases likelihood of sudden encounters - ie.
  
• moving quickly through forested areas such as biking, running
  
• quiet movement through forested areas
• going into areas of bear habitat - spawning salmon runs
  

2. Bears
We can't change the general behavior of bears.

However,

• we can understand bear behavior and then using that understanding, change our own behavior in ways that will decrease specific bear behaviors. This works for bear behaviors that are affected by human behaviors, like coming into residential neighborhoods because of garbage, dog food, and bird seed.
• protecting particular areas, if deemed necessary, with bear proof barriers. For the most part this is impractical because of the large amount of land in question. This is, however, the logic behind bear proof garbage cans. If there are specific areas where people congregate, such as the Campbell Science Center, where bears could become a problem, there could be raised decks, boardwalks, etc. that would better separate humans and bears.
  
• remove bears that become problems - relocation or, if necessary, killing problem bears.

3. Land
In abstract terms, we can identify three land areas:

• Bear country - this is the natural area of bears, people enter this area occasionally at their own risk
  
• Shared country (border zone) - this is area, such as parks on the edge of urban areas, where both people and bears go regularly
  
• People country - this is urban area, particularly residential, that is primarily the natural area of people, where bears only occasionally enter

The problem here is that different people would put the boundaries at different places on the map. For some, bear country would be at least 50 miles from any road, and shared country would be 25 or more miles from any road. People country would extend as far as anyone could reasonably hike or bike from a trailhead from a road. Others would consider shared country parks on the urban edge.



How people react to the options listed above will depend on the narratives they have about people, bears, and the relationship between people and bears. Let's look at this. (And as I write this, I realize I'm modifying a bit the narratives I outlined in Part 1, or even offering new narratives. Please indulge me on this.)

Narratives about Bears range from:

• Treadwell narratives - bears are really sweet and gentle and if you understand them we can all live in harmony.

to

• Bears are vicious animals and the wild bears should not be anywhere near people

I think the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Bears are not ruthless, vicious creatures, but the are big, powerful, have sharp teeth and claws and in some circumstances can be dangerous to human beings. Those basic dangerous situations have been identified by biologists as:

• protecting their young
• protecting their food
• when startled or otherwise provoked or threatened

Biologists also tell us that bears have different ursanalities ("personalities" doesn't seem quite the right word) and, like some people, some bears don't follow the general rules of how bears behave.

All the recent bear encounters appear to fit these categories. Bears coming into urban areas seem to be looking for food that people have left out, or in the form of moose or fish. These bears have not attacked people, and those who have not shown fear of humans, have been shot by state biologists or police.

Narratives about People

These are more difficult. But let me give it a shot:

• Freedom extremists - These people seem to still be in that childhood stage where they don't think about how their actions affect others. They want to do what they want to do and others be damned. If I want to go riding in the park, well, I should be able to do that without fear of bears. Therefore, get the bears out.
  
• Extreme anti-risk Parents - Anything that might cause the slightest risk to their children should be banned or removed. (What people consider to be a risk is subjective.)
  
• Dare-devils - They aren't so interested in getting rid of the bears, but want to be able to take whatever risks they want to take. "If I want to take that risk, what's it to you? I'm not asking you to do it." They may not realize that their behavior may jeopardize the bear by provoking an attack that will cause public reaction to remove or kill the bear. Or that their feeding a bear will cause that bear to approach other people for food.
  
• The ignorant - They just aren't aware, don't read the rules, act surprised and even indignant if something bad happens. "How was I supposed to know?"
• Basic Rule Followers - these people follow the rules, particularly the ones that make sense to them. They'll buy bear proof garbage cans and read and follow the bear-safety pamphlets.
• Coexistence activists - They moved to Anchorage because of the natural wilderness and are active in protecting the wilderness and animals and promoting safe interaction.
• Bears are our friends utopians - They embrace the coexistence ideal and gloss over the fact that bears can kill. "Why can't well all just live as one happy family?"
• Bear Tyrants - They insist that the loss of any animal life is a crime and that anyone hurt by a bear was at fault.

OK, I'm offering a few extreme examples here and I'm sure I've left out a lot of possible ways people think about this topic, but you get the idea. We don't agree. And we aren't consistent. There may be times when we fit one narrative and other times when we don't.

Whatever rules or guidelines or laws we have about what people should or should not do, there will be people who don't follow the rules. There are also people who will follow the rules, yet still find themselves in dicey situations. Life contains risk. Dogs cause more human deaths in Alaska than do bears. Finding exact stats on this is not easy, but so far this year I'm aware of two children killed by dogs (in Fort Yukon and in Anchorage). This 1981 report that says:

Between 1955 and 1980, 14 human deaths from dog attacks were documented in the State of Alaska. In addition, discussions with private physicians, private veterinarians, public health nurses, and sanitarians strongly suggest that at least twice this number of human deaths from dog bites occurred during this 25-year period of time. Of the 14 documented cases, all occurred in children less than 10 years of age.

This 2008 report says

Alaska Report at a Glance:

• Deaths (1991-2002): 9
• Median Age: 54 months
• Age Range: 9 to 64 months
• Circumstances: Three cases of free-roaming dogs, three of chained dogs, one victim wandered into dog lot, one attacked indoors by pet, one unknown

Wikipedia's list of bear deaths in the United States lists 7 human deaths from bears in Alaska in the 1991 - 2002 period. Most of these deaths were in what I have called bear country, though the two hikers at McHugh Creek, within the Municipality limits, were in what could be called shared country. Another death at a cabin near Glenallen might also be called shared country.

I'll try to get up Part III - Conclusions up before too long.

[If anyone can tell me how to fix the gaps around those picture, please do. I know that there is blank picture space blocking the wrap, but that's never happened before with pictures from iphoto.]

Stevens' Conflicting Statements Raise Doubts about his Mental Acuity

Yesterday, I suggested that Ted Stevens' best strategy for this election would have been to gracefully retire and protect Alaska's power in the Senate by sharing the knowledge he's accumulated in his long years of experience by mentoring his successor.

I also reported that he mumbled now and then. Today I got a link to this story from the Begich* campaign:

Sen. Ted Stevens is creating a legal defense fund to fight federal charges that he concealed more than $250,000 worth of gifts.

The Alaska Republican has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to approve the fund, which would be administered by a trustee who could solicit donations to help the senator with his court fees, according to Stevens’s spokesman.

Stevens said Tuesday during an Alaska Public Radio interview that the fund was already established, but his spokesman indicated Wednesday that Stevens misspoke and that he was "now seeking approval ... to establish such a fund.”

Senate rules require legal defense funds to be approved by the Select Committee on Ethics before any money can be raised. So far, no paperwork is on file with the Senate’s Office of Public Records. Once it is approved and the appropriate paperwork is submitted, Stevens can use the fund to pay his legal bills.

The old [younger] Ted Stevens wouldn't have made this mistake. It's not the fact that the the fund didn't exist yesterday that is important to me. It's the fact that Stevens didn't know it.


*I get emails from the Begich campaign and others now and then. It's raised questions for me about my role here. Clearly I lean toward what people call 'left.' but I don't see this as a partisan blog that simply pushes the party line. But I do try to put the pieces together and Stevens' error here is news. Calculating the value of his experience has to be balanced by calculating liability of his declining mental alertness over the next six years.

I'm also trying to figure out how to address questions about Begich's friend John Rubini. I haven't been on Ray Metcalfe's Anchorage tour of "Anchorage Political Corruption." But I have heard from other sources that Rubini looks very questionable. My basic response has been that Begich has known forever that he would eventually run for higher office, he has a good sense of the ethics rules, and that he's smart enough to avoid doing something stupid enough to jeopardize those ambitions. I was told, "All that may be true, but everyone has blindspots."

Of course, this all helps me understand why Republicans are sticking by Stevens. Those who like to spout black and white ethics simply haven't looked a little below the surface. If not Begich, who should I vote for? I don't think that Begich has done anything wrong. But supposing he has? Would that eliminate him from consideration? How bad would it have to be? This is a smart politician who in many ways has a vision that mirrors mine, though certainly not completely. Reps from the Begich campaign, people I respect, assure me that there is nothing there. Damn, life is so complicated.

So, I guess I'll have to check out Ray's tour and then bring my specific questions to Mark Begich. Why am I writing this if this is only rumor now? Well, the general story has been well covered by Ray Metcalfe. And I expect this is going nowhere. I'm also mindful that it isn't my job to find fault with candidates I support any more than the Republicans find fault with their candidates. Let the Republicans do the work. But I also want to have a blog that deals with the long-term truths of human beings more than the short term outcomes of specific political campaigns.

We are headed out of town next week, so this will be on hold for a bit.

Smashed Window

I came home from a couple of events at UAA this evening to find my van's rear window smashed. Since I don't drive it that often, I'm not 100% sure when I last saw it intact. I went by it at the end of my run today and should have seen it then. J said she went by it when she came home from her walk about 3:30pm. This evening I was on my bike. But would someone smash it in broad daylight? Maybe we just didn't notice it. That's a scary thought too.




UPDATE: 10:30pm - Our neighbors who were outside,as we were headed out to the Thai Kitchen. They all looked at the damage and we noticed that all the glass is on the outside. The car was locked, nothing inside was disturbed, the propane was turned off. It's all very curious. One neighbor had parked right behind the van about 4pm and hadn't noticed anything. But then they were all standing out there and didn't know about the window until I pointed it out. Any dectectives out there?

Ted Stevens' Trial Stays in DC - Now What?

NPR also just announced on the air that the Stevens trial won't move to Alaska.
[11am update: ABC News has a report, but not much detail. So does Alaskan Abroad.]
Based on no hard evidence whatsoever, here are some thoughts on what might happen with the Stevens trial.

The idea that the defense wanted a speedy trial so Senator Stevens could be acquitted before the November election makes sense. This has also allowed them to ask for the trial to be moved to Alaska - where they probably assume, quite reasonably, he might get a friendlier jury - and to drop some things. Now that option has been closed off.


The ADN has also said that they've requested the Prosecutors do a better labeling job of all the audio and video tapes they have to listen to.

I'm guessing, that given the piles of things they have to read and listen to, there is no way they can be ready by September 24. (I could be wrong. They could hire a whole slew of young, smart attorneys to listen to those tapes 24/7 - but they have to all be up-to-speed and clever enough to catch important tidbits on the tapes.)

So now since the trial is not being moved to Anchorage, there will not have to be an automatic delay to send out notices for jurors, etc. Finding 12 Alaskan jurors who haven't heard about this case would have taken a while. Maybe someone back from a year in Antarctica or someone living in a cabin outside of Chicken. It took 2 1/2 days to select a jury in Anchorage for Pete Kott.

With the trial staying in DC, we'll find out how much he really wants a speedy trial, or whether this was all dependent on moving back to Alaska.

Saying they want a speedy trial to prove Sen. Stevens' innocence before the election is a good political move. It's been well reported. But being convicted before the election won't be a good move.

So they can now argue that they wanted a speedy trial, but, damn, the prosecutors dumped so many boxes of materials on them that to ensure Sen Stevens gets justice, they'll need more time before they can be ready for the trial. It's not our fault, it's the Prosecutor's fault for collecting so much irrelevant material, but we still have to go through all of it to protect our client

So what happens if Stevens gets convicted before the election? A couple of lawyer friends say he would be forced out of the Senate if he's conviceted. If that happens, the Governor can appoint his replacement as Senator.

BUT, I believe the Republican party chooses who his replacement as candidate would be. Not totally sure on this, but I think this is the case.

Since Governor Palin and Republican party head Ruedrich don't get along too well, it is conceivable if all this played out just right, that they could appoint different people.

NPR reports Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones Dies of [Suffers] [Dies of] an Aneurysm

[Update 11:17am: I don't usually deal with late breaking news and as you can see, I don't do it well. But now there are a reports online such as this updated ABC News report that reports that Congresswoman Jones has passed away.]


On NPR they just announced that Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones just passed away.

[11:07am NPR just had an on-the-hour report that says she is in the hospital with an aneurysm, but alive. I'm not sure why the conflicting reports on the same network.]

I'm checking the internet, I found this report from a couple of hours ago from ABC news when she was reported as 'stabilized.'

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, was hospitalized Tuesday night at the Huron Road Hospital in East Cleveland after suffering an aneurysm while driving her car in Cleveland Heights.

As of noon ET on Tuesday, her condition had "stabilized," according to a statement released by her office.

This is significant to this blog because I have posted about the number of black members of Congress which gets a few hits daily. I put it up when I found no site where I could find a clear, accurate list where I could count how many black members of Congress there are. Trying to keep up to date on that list is not easy. I have added this information, but I'm not sure that there haven't been other additions or deletions since I posted it.

The picture is from About.com which also has a bio on Congresswoman Jones.

Ted Stevens on Talk of Alaska - My Question

Steve Heimel hosted Senator Stevens on Talk of Alaska today. (The audio isn't up yet, but should be by this evening I think.) Since I'm a writer more than a talker, I emailed my question in. But apparently the guys who read the emails were still recovering from a late night of Running.


The Senator was explaining that his wealth of experience and knowledge made it important for him to be retained in the Senate to protect the interest of Alaska. Here's my question to the Senator that didn't get asked:

Senator, you have said that your many years of experience and knowledge of issues is critical to represent Alaska and protect our interests.

Isn't that always going to be the case? How do you propose that your eventual successor be prepared to take office? Right now, you are still healthy enough to act as a mentor for a new Senator, that may not be the case in six more years.

If you should lose to Mark Begich, what role do you see for yourself in helping get him up to speed to fight for Alaska?

If you get to hear the show, see if you agree with my assessment that he was pretty belligerent to anyone who pushed for more than a superficial answer to questions he didn't want to answer. I understand that he'd said he wasn't going to talk about the impending trial, but it's just as easy (well, maybe not for him) to politely deflect the question as it is to sputter in anger at the callers.

I do think that age and succession are important issues for Alaskans to think about in this election. I note this from Time Magazine's 1962 Senate Scorecard:

Alaska. Senator Ernest Gruening, territorial Governor back in pre-statehood days, is challenged by Republican Ted Stevens, a former U.S. attorney only half Gruening's age (38 to 75). But Stevens will probably have to wait a while.

Today's challenger is 46 to Stevens' 84 years, more than half Stevens' even greater age.

My mother's a couple years older than the Senator and she only retired last year. She has good days days and not so good days, and my experience with others in their mid-80s suggests that while their brains can still be sharp, their bodies simply aren't as reliable as they once were.

Stevens did a fair amount of mumbling on today's radio show as he tried to get his words out. Hey, I do that too sometimes. But if you set yourself up as a candidate for office, you invite people to candidly assess your abilities.

There is a reluctance - I feel it myself - to challenge elders. I know that his knowledge of Alaska and particularly of the US Senate and Alaska is unrivaled. But one day, he will leave the Senate. It would be better when he's still alive and well enough to help his successor. And respect for elders apparently didn't stop Ted Stevens when he first ran for Senate. Michael Carey writes:

As a much younger candidate for the Senate, Stevens repeatedly hammered incumbent Ernest Gruening as too old. His attacks in 1968 were blunt, personal and quite jarring -- especially as the "aged" Ernest Gruening was younger then than Stevens is now.

Some Stevens' supporters say we should vote for him because of all he has done for us. But we should also remember that the young Ted Stevens didn't have that attitude toward the 78 year old Ernest Gruening. The Senator would have us believe it is not about him, but about what is good for the State of Alaska. Then we shouldn't simply vote for Stevens out of respect for what he has done in the past, but we should consider which candidate is poised to do the most good for us in the future.

Peter's Sushi - After and Before

The fire was August 12. I posted some pictures August 15 and here are two views of then and yesterday. The Fire Department says the reports are not complete yet, but the debris is totally gone.

Bear Tooth - Texas 4000 - Cleo and the Shadowlands

Before the movie - Cleo 5 to 7 - a group of young men and women from Austin, Texas passed around a mic, and told us why they had joined the Texas 4000 bike trip from Austin to Anchorage.

It's a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society and each rider, we were told, raised at least $4000 in pledges, which comes to $160,000 for all 40 of them.


This is all a good thing, but as they spoke about why they had joined this bike ride, I couldn't help but whisper sarcastic comments into J's ear before suppressing my contrarian thoughts.

Then there was a preview for the movie Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter Thomposon which glorified his cuttingly blunt, political reporting. "He was not afraid to express himself in sometimes shocking ways" says Jimmy Carter. "He captured certain truths about human perversity" says Tim Crouse,the author of Boys on the Bus.

Cleo From 5 to 7 turned out to be a black and white (except for the opening scene) 1962 French film about a beautiful hypochondriac from 5 to 7pm awaiting word from her doctor on her cancer diagnosis.. This is NOT a film I would have picked for a cancer fighting fundraiser.

So, I thought about my blog and Hunter Thompson - a man I have little admiration for as a person, but I can't help but acknowledge that sometimes the severely dysfunctional are the ones who can see hypocrisy and truth much more clearly than others, and I do admire the ability to see and write truths.

Then we watched Shadowlands, a much richer film than Cleo, that portrays a CS Lewis who also can't say what's on his mind for most of the movie. And that's when I decided I couldn't NOT say what I was thinking.

So, here are my blasphemous thoughts on the bikers. As the mic passed from hand to hand, people basically said, in various levels of articulation, that they were inspired to join this long ride because of [fill in family member, friend] who [survived, is fighting, lost to] cancer. And thinking about their personal cancer victims kept them pedaling 4000 miles.

I know they've been on the road for a couple of months, this is the end of the trip, and they've been paraded out in front of crowds to recite this mantra hundreds of times. But I wanted just one person to sound real, just one person to say something like:

I did this because I wanted to come to Alaska.
I did this because otherwise I would have had to work for the summer.
I did this because I'm crazy and this seemed like a really crazy thing to do.

I wanted someone to be real, to not robotically fill the stereotypical role of do-gooder who modestly says I did it all for the Gipper. These are flesh and blood young men and women in their early 20s or so who've pedaled 4000 miles. I'm sure they had some rousing times, interesting adventures, but in tonight's performance all passion was bleached out.

I can just hear some of you gasping - how can he say something nasty about these kids who gave up their summer to raise money to fight cancer?

I know these kids did a good thing, I'm sure they inspired people - and yes I too have people close to me who are cancer survivors and victims and I know that malignant neoplasms are the leading cause of death in Alaska [I posted the stats just this week] and raising money to find ways to fight it are important.

I also know that fighting cancer costs lots of money and funding it through bike rides rather than through a national commitment to spend more, carefully monitored money on cancer research than on killing and maiming people in the Middle East is really a giant joke. According to the National Cancer Institute the US spent about
$1.4 billion on cancer research in 2007. According to Wikipedia we spend about $12 billion per month or about
$144 billion per year on the Iraq war.

I propose to Congress that they appropriate $1.4 billion for the Iraq war next year and suggest to President Bush that he can organize bike rides and bake sales to fund the rest of the expenses next year after he's out of the White House.

If you think that sounds preposterous, why don't you think funding cancer research through bike rides is a joke too?

It's also true that by passively playing our roles as consumers, like these kids played their roles as dedicated fundraisers in the theater tonight, of chemical products that have polluted our air, water, land, and bodies, we have contributed, in part, to the high levels of cancer in the world today.

I don't deny that riding bikes to Alaska is work, but these kids didn't 'give up' their summer, they had a great adventure they'll never forget. I also understand it is one way, maybe the best way, that this group of college students and alum, could make their contribution. And I'm sure the ride gave them lots of time to think. I hope they had the information available to think about how cancer is caused, how the dismantling of regulatory agencies and the exporting of manufacturing to countries with minimal environmental protections all play a role in our high cancer rates. I don't want to diminish the value of their contributions. If forty riders raised $4000 each, that comes to $160,000. And I'm a strong believer in the idea that many small contributions add up to real money.

But if they had spent half the time they spent riding, becoming experts on cancer - the science, the economics, and the politics, and not just the personal drama - I think they would be a lot more powerful advocates of change than they are now, and this summer would not fade into a memory of a great adventure in which they raised enough to pay the annual average salary of two pharmaceutical drug reps.

Hunter and Jack (CS), was this post ok?

Renewing Old Ties

Thursday, CY and WF dropped by from the airport on their way to Homer. CY was a professor in my program when I taught a year in Hong Kong 1989-90. He was very excited to hear that an Alaskan was coming because he is a serious fisherman who comes regularly to fish here. We hadn't seen them for quite a long time and though the visit was short it was nice to reconnect and catch up and hear about other faculty in the program.






Friday night after seeing "La Casa de Babys" at the museum - yes those red things in yesterday's post are in front of the museum as several people guessed - we stopped at Barnes and Noble. First I bumped into Darren and then Terry. Terry is a year younger than my son and lived across the street for a while. We hadn't seen him since his parents' 30th (I think) wedding anniversary a few years ago. It was great to see him again and his wife who preferred not having her picture taken. Terry was fine, but the picture is blurred, so above is the picture of them they agreed to.





This afternoon we went to an open house at some friends' place because their daughter and grandson are in town. I've known K for a long time and there were so many people to talk to K and I really only had a few minutes to talk. I'm hoping we'll get another chance before she goes back to LA.





And finally, surpassing even how long it's been since I'd seen Doug, is Harriet. She, her husband, and brother and sister-in-law are here for their Alaska adventure. Harriet was in my Peace Corps group - Thailand 19 - and I haven't seen her since then. She told me to pick a restaurant. How could I not pick the Thai Kitchen to renew old (I won't succumb to that tired pun) ties?


For those of you who thought this was about how to bring your old neckties back to life, I found this video that answers the question of a young man who's facing two years as a missionary in Honduras and says that the rules are that the ties must be conservative, "but nothing says they can't be awesome." The beginning of this video from threadhead shows how to renew those old ties.

How to Re-Fashion an Old Tie

Correction

A reliable source has told me that ADN reporters are to leave corrections to their editors, and the editors did make the correction today on David Shurtleff's position at the Berkowitz campaign. I was also told that the ADN takes their corrections seriously. The correction was already in the works before I posted yesterday.


But as I mentioned in the earlier post, there are still questions about how corrections are handled - intentionally and unintentionally - for the online stories, which, for most of us, will be the story of record when we've recycled our newspapers.

The online story says:

...Berkowitz spokesman David Shurtleff said in an e-mail...

This is the corrected version, but there's no hint that there was an incorrect version. The best blogs will go back and do it this way:

...Berkowitz campaign manager [spokesman] David Shurtleff said in an e-mail...[[MPB made an excellent suggestion to also include the date of the correction]] [[August 18, 2008]]

to show the original and the corrected version.

So Where's this?

Nobody identified where I snapped the muskoxen picture.

Here's a really easy one. Where is this?

Jack Dalton and Raven's Radio Hour - Starts Sunday August 17

I got this message forwarded to me today. Jack Dalton is a terrific actor/story teller. He has a great natural presence and is a truly nice guy besides. I'm going to try to catch at least one of the performances:

Sundays through Wednesdays, August 17 to September 16, at 7pm. (more specifics below)

I saw two different performances of My Heart Runs in Two Directions at Once
and they were both good, but not exactly alike.

And you can eat real Alaska Native food! Something you can't do easily in Anchorage if you don't have family or good friends who invite you to have real stuff.

Here's the email:


Dear Friends! Exciting news!
Starting this Sunday, August 17, at 7pm, an Alaska Native theatre company at
the Alaska Native Heritage Center truly becomes a public event. The
ANHC proudly presents "Raven's Radio Hour: 90 minutes of fun, fun, fun, fun
. . . a two hours show," a gleeful romp through the Alaska Native world in
the style of a 40s variety radio show. Starring Raven, played by Alaska
Native storyteller Jack Dalton, and featuring the Alaska Native Heritage
Players: Christina Gagnon, Ethan Petticrew and Allison Warden.

And there's more! It's also a dinner theatre, well, perhaps "cafe" or "deli"
theatre is a better description. Truly entertaining light fare and Native
favorites, like caribou stew, salmon spread with Sailorboy Pilotbread, and a
variety of desserts, including Marge's World Famous Agutaq.
Showtimes are Sundays through Wednesdays, August 17 to September 16, at 7pm.
Tickets are $20 per person. Seating is cabaret-style and limited, so
advanced reservations required. The show is about 120 minutes with a
15-minute intermission, and not recommended for childen under the age of
16.
Please share with all your friends, relatives and colleagues! And I look
forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.
Thank you again for all of your support.
Jack.

Raven Feathers & the Wind
storytelling, writing, teaching and spirituality
2207 Spenard Road, Ste 102, Anchorage, Alaska 99503
phone 907-227-4428, fax 907-272-0757
booking and schedule info 907-227-4428
info@ravenfeathers.com
www.ravenfeathers.com

Kyle and Sean - Blogging style slipping into their reporting?

I was a little surprised reading Kyle Hopkins and Sean Cockerham's front page piece on Governor Palin yesterday. It was all very properly newsy until we got to the last paragraph of the page which began:

If you've been asleep all week, here's the recap:

Both these reporters work hard and the ADN has them working both as straight news guys on the print version and bloggers online. And I'm sure it's hard to keep those two roles straight. But what about the editor? Or have they decided that chatty is ok on the front page?

And Sean, after reading your article on Ashley Reed, I just called David Shurtleff to congratulate him on his promotion to campaign manager, but he assured me that Joe Hardenbrook still has that job, and that he (David) is still the press guy.

I just got the links to these stories - the Palin story and the Reed story - and I see that in the latter, Shurtleff is now listed as campaign spokesman. So how does it work now? No more corrections? You just go in and change the story? How's that going to affect the newspaper as a source of history if people can just go in and change the story whenever? Hard copy documents may not be as easy to access, but at least the stories don't change while they are on the shelf.

I want you all to understand that this is just a friendly observation. Unlike some of my blogging compatriots, I recognize that the ADN's financial uncertainties are putting a strain on everyone there. I appreciate that they put up a lot of good sources and give links to court documents saving me the trouble of having to look them up myself. These are good guys doing good work under difficult circumstances. But the issue about changing the record IS an important issue.

On this blog, I've set up a rule for myself that if I'm making minor spelling and typo corrections, or cleaning up the language of a sentence without affecting the content, I don't leave tracks that I've made changes. But if I'm making substantive corrections - like correct identification of someone's job title - I strikeout the old language and put the new language in with [brackets]. That let's my readers know that I've gone in and made changes. The ADN has a corrections box, but although they fixed this online, it didn't show up in the corrections in today's paper.

Good Grief - " Federal attorneys have been manipulated into a partisan political attack on Stevens."

As I've read the stories each day back and forth about Ted Stevens, I've consoled myself that, given the Justice Department has been Republican controlled for almost eight years, that no one can say this is a partisan attack on Ted Stevens.

What is a partisan attack?

Partisan originally comes through the French from the Italian and referred to a member of an army, who was fighting for a cause. As the term has evolved in the United States and been attached to the word "political" it has been connected to the idea of a person who believes strongly in his political party and makes decisions, not based on law or reason, but on what will help the party. The old spoils system of the late 1800's and early 1900's was highly partisan as people were given government jobs if their party won office.

So, in the US we have come to distinguish politics - the generic exercise of power ideally for the public good - from partisan politics - where power is used purely to support one's party. Municipal elections in Anchorage are supposed to be non-partisan. Candidates are not nominated by parties and their party affiliations are not on the ballot, even though assembly members generally are members of parties.

Imagine the loud screams and accusations if there were a Democrat in the White House and the Justice Department was going after Stevens. We would hear no end of attacks on the miscreants in the Justice Department and the White House who were using their sacred power for partisan political ends.

But this is a Republican administration that has been in charge of the Justice Department investigating Republicans, so at least this is one thing I needn't worry about.

But if I thought no one would say this was a partisan political attack on Stevens, I was wrong.

Imagine my chagrin when I read Jim Crawford's Compass piece in today's [by the time I post this it will be yesterday's] Anchorage Daily News.

Federal attorneys have been manipulated into a partisan political attack on Stevens.

There's empty space there as I shake my head in disbelief and I try to find something to say more original than "Give me a break!" This is the Justice Department that has just, finally, after a few years of allegations, discovered that career employees (not political appointees) were routinely hired or not because of political affiliation. (That is partisan politics, Jim.) This is a Republican administration and, if you didn't notice, Ted Stevens is running as a Republican.

THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN POLITICAL ATTACK!!!!!!

And, by the way, who exactly is doing this manipulation of the Federal attorneys? I've seen them in action in three trials now and I can't imagine them being manipulated easily. They do their homework and they're damn good. Was it the Attorney General who manipulated them? Maybe George Bush? Or do Senate Democrats have moles in the Justice Department who have turned these guys to the dark side? Maybe they're being blackmailed by Mark Begich spies who videotaped them hunting bear illegally in Girdwood. Did you leave out the name of the dastardly manipulator(s) so we would have to read your next column to find out?

At least Crawford cut out his nonsense about the Hatch Act which appeared in the Fairbanks Daily News-miner version of this piece:

The Hatch Act forbids federal employees, specifically those from the Department of Justice, from playing campaign politics. The U. S. attorney, FBI and Justice Department are playing campaign politics. Dirty campaign politics. Huey Long, Louisiana-style, hardball, campaign politics. They violate the Hatch Act they are charged to enforce.

Well, not exactly. The original Hatch Act forbade federal employees from taking part in partisan political campaigns. It was passed by Republicans who wanted to stop Franklin D Roosevelt from using federal employees to work on his reelection. Not only can't they work during working hours, but they weren't allowed to be involved in federal elections on their own time either. The Hatch Act was significantly amended in 1993 to allow many federal employees to take part in campaigns. But I haven't seen any Begich signs up yet on the sides of the FBI or Federal Buildings.

The FBI and Justice attorneys' job is to follow up leads on wrong doing and to go after violators regardless of party affiliation. It would be unethical of them to NOT pursue an investigation simply because the subject was an important politician of the same political party as the administration.

The Justice Department - and other federal departments - are never supposed to go after people purely for political reasons. I'm glad that Jim Crawford is such a strong advocate of keeping politics out of normal government functions. I wonder why I didn't see a compass piece from him when it was revealed earlier that political appointees in the Bush administration were firing Attorneys for not going after trumped up charges against Democratic elected officials. Once again, everyone sing the chorus, this is a Republican administration here prosecuting a Republican Senator. That is hardly the normal definition of partisan politics.


The Girdwood House Assessments

Most of the article makes the half point that Sen. Stevens' Girdwood home was assessed at $142,000 in FY 2001 and $271,300 in FY 2003, for a difference of only $123,700 (land value excluded). Therefore, he argues, that the $130,000 Sen. Stevens' paid for the remodeling is equal to the value of the improvement. Case closed.

He starts the article by saying he's been in real estate for 30 some years. Then, surely he knows that when someone does remodeling, the COST - the money it takes to do the work for things like supplies, hourly wages, etc - does not necessarily lead to an equal increase in the value of the home. If you paint your walls magenta using paint hand made from fireweed petals at a cost of $100 per gallon, you probably will not increase the value of the house equal to the cost of the paint. You may well lower the value of your house.

Over the years I've read countless articles in the ADN, such as this one (not from ADN) that talk about what sort of remodel will have the best impact on the value of your house. A good kitchen remodel, if I recall correctly, usually gives the most bang for the buck. I don't recall ever seeing an article suggesting that lifting the ground floor and sliding in a new ground floor under the original was a sure money maker. I suspect it would have been much more cost effective for the Stevens to buy a new house.

The amount of benefit is the cost of the labor and materials put into the house, NOT the increase in the value of the house. Nice try Jim. But I'll hand it to you, the matching figures were probably just too much to resist. (I didn't look these up to check Crawford's claim) But that's not how campaign watchdog agencies count these things. It does make a kind of sense if you forget that the value in this context is the amount Bill Allen is out of pocket, not the potential money you could get for selling the house.

And Crawford cleverly, unfortunately too cleverly for his own good, pays Mark Begich, Stevens' Democratic opponent for the US Senate, a compliment in order to strengthen his own argument here about property assessments:

Assessments, by Alaska statutes, must be at full market value and Mayor Mark Begich has done a good job at making certain that properties are at full value. Municipal tax revenue depends upon it.

Oh Jim, you sell real estate. That must have been really hard to write with a straight face. Oh, and there's one, teeny weeny problem here. Crawford cites the assessments for the years 2001 and 2003. Mark Begich didn't take office until April 2003. I don't know for sure if the 2003 assessment comes out in 2003 or 2004, but clearly the 2001 assessment was before Begich and he probably didn't have time yet to affect the 2003 assessment. But if he did make changes, then the increase in the property assessment would have at least partially reflected the more accurate assessment that Crawford implies that the Begich administration implemented, not just the increase in value due to the remodeling.

OK, I assume that Jim Crawford, a former Chair of the Republican Party (in the grand tradition of Rudy Ruedrich?) has promised to publicly support Ted Stevens, but why do something that is so full of holes? Why does the ADN have to publish this sort of nonsense? Let him put it on the Voice of the Times Website, that's what it's there fore.

My regular readers are going to wonder at my tone in this piece. My wife's already in bed and I didn't give her a chance to look through it and make suggestions. I did cut some snark out. . But Crawford's piece is just so far over the line, so inaccurate, so illogical, so transparently a piece of political bluster, that keeping my sarcasm in check has been really hard.

I agree with those who say Stevens has done many fine things for the State of Alaska. And maybe a judge will take that into consideration if this gets to sentencing . But this sort of political hack job makes him look pathetic.

Oh, yes, here are some definitions of partisan I checked while writing this.

From etymonline:

partisan (n.)
1555, "one who takes part with another, zealous supporter," from M.Fr. partisan (15c.), from dial. upper It. partezan (Tuscan partigiano) "member of a faction, partner," from parte "part, party," from L. partem (nom. pars), see part (n.). Sense of "guerilla fighter" is first recorded 1692. The adj. is 1708 for warfare, 1842 for politics

From yourdictionary.com

noun

1. a person who takes the part of or strongly supports one side, party, or person; often, specif., an unreasoning, emotional adherent
2. any of a group of guerrilla fighters; esp., a member of an organized civilian force fighting covertly to drive out occupying enemy troops

Etymology: MFr <>partigiano < parte <>pars, part

adjective

1. of, like, or characteristic of a partisan
2. blindly or unreasonably devoted
3. of or having to do with military partisans

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary only defines the noun partisan:

a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance




Onpedia's dictionary gives us a definition for the adjective, the way Crawford uses it.

.	partisan - devoted to a cause or party nonpartisan, - free from party affiliation or bias

Brideshead Revisited - New Movie revisits the old book and tv series

Doug, you shouldn't have left so soon. We needed you at dinner after watching this movie to fill in some of the questions we had about class and school in England. I'll get to that later.

The title gives away a lot. We'll be revisiting Brideshead often. And the movie will visually be in and out of the shadows, blacks and whites, reflecting how we see all the characters - partially revealed partially in the dark. Sometimes I think the directors have a good laugh as people read all sorts of things into their films. But I was struck, over and over again by how people walked in and out of shadows; how only one side of a face was lit, the other dark; how the light danced - on cigarette smoke, on the shimmering walls of the canal.

When I took a photo class long ago, I remember that an ideal photo had in it some total white and total black. As you watch the clips, you'll see the cameraman does that in many (most?) scenes. I need to go back and see if that is true throughout. Even outside in sunshine, there's the black band on the white hat, or shadow masking some part of the frame.
Matthew Goode, as Charles, stood out as the student who goes to Oxford in the early 20th Century and quickly falls in with Sebastion, Lord Sebastian, the troubled, very rich young man with a suffocatingly Catholic mother and a father who's escaped her choke hold for a cheerier life in Italy leaving the children in her clutches. All the acting was good (Emma Thompson played the mother). But while Ben Whishaw's Sebastian allowed him to be dramatic in a more flamboyant way, Goode had to work within very narrow confines, his eyes and lips doing much of the acting. Or so I remember it.




My questions that beg for Doug's participation in the discussion had to do with the role he was supposed to play. Despite the fact that his mum had died when he was little, and that his father never looked at him when they spoke, which they barely did, he was incredibly comfortable with who he was. His second day at Oxford, though he wasn't from any of the proper prep schools, sitting in a room with Oxford's very out and camp gay crowd - with there being little hint of his prior gay experience - he appears totally at ease with himself and the situation and responds with complete composure to the taunts he receives.

OK, I know the book is famous and I think I saw some episodes when this was a series on tv. Maybe it's all clear in there. But while there were hints here and there that he was trying to fit in, it really isn't until the end that he tells Julia straight out how much he needed being part of Brideshead. Yes, we were told that in scenes along the way, but Goode's calm composure in every situation, seemed too cool. I would have liked to see a bit of self-doubt. The words "I wanted to fit in" weren't accompanied by an edge in his voice, a shadow (not literally, there were plenty of those) on his face. He always knew exactly what to say in dicey situations (well, these were dicey in a very upper class way, like wearing the proper shirt for the occasion, meeting Mother) with no hesitation, with the right inflection, and a hint that this was all rather easy.

Of course, he may have been that rare person who actually had that much comfort at a young age in who he was to carry it off. That would have been what made him so attractive to all around him. And the hint at the end that perhaps he was like Rex, the American, and that all this was simply calculated, was tantalizing, but I didn't see enough of this in his character to give me doubts about his intentions. I'm so naive.

I need to go back and find out which, if any, of the characters the author Evelyn Waugh saw himself as. Doug, fill me in. Or Jay, maybe you have some insights.

Leadership Anchorage Recruiting

This is an unpaid recruiting ad that I'm putting up because I believe in the program and the people running it. Leadership Anchorage is run through the Alaska Humanities Forum. Its aim is to help groom people to take important roles in the community. I've known a number of people who have gone through the program. They mostly are working hard, many with families, even going to school part time - busy people.

But the chance to be in a group of interesting people, examine who you are, what you want to be, and develop strategies to get there makes taking even more time to participate in this program worth it.

Photo from Leadership Anchorage page on the Alaska Humanities Forum website. If you click there, you can read the names of the people in the picture. And a lot more about the program. Besides the people this year, some of the people who have gone through this over the year include:
Janie Leask, First Alaskans Institute
Nils Andreassen, Institute of the North
Liz Posey Urban League of Young Professionals
Bill Wielechowski, Alaska State Senate
Guadalupe Marroquin, Municipality of Anchorage (she works in the Clerk's Office and spared no effort to overcome my fax problems so I could vote in last April's Muni election from Thailand.)
Macon Roberts, Anchorage School Board
Angelina Estrada Burney, State of Alaska


I'll tell you not to be put off by the word Leadership. I have some real heartburn with that word and maybe I'll do a post on it. It doesn't mean you have to be ready to lead your army into battle on horseback. We lead in lots of different ways. Even shy, quiet people can be leaders. If you secretly want to do great things, here's your chance to get a big boost.

Disclosure: Jim MacKenzie, the director of the program, was a student of mine in the public administration program at UAA. (Some of my former students turned out ok.) He's really, really smart and thoughtful. He spent about ten years in Japan and speaks Japanese well enough to have acted as an interpreter for all sorts of business and political exchanges while working for the Anchorage Japanese Consul. (I had trouble communicating to Doug who speaks actual English English.) I promise you that the participants of this program do not work harder than Jim does.

So, if you ever thought that you should be doing more good work than you are now, or that you could use a group of eager peers to help you make Anchorage, Alaska, or the world a better place, go check out the rest of this post and the website.



Leadership Anchorage Now Accepting Applications!

Leadership Anchorage applications for the 2008-2009 class are now
available. As applications are received, interviews will be
scheduled, with the final application deadline being September 8,
2008. [The program year begins with an overnight retreat at the end
of September.

Leadership Anchorage is a nationally recognized, rigorous program for
adults. It is designed to expose the leaders of non-profit,
neighborhood, business, and ethnic organizations to the larger power
brokers of Anchorage and Alaska. After eleven years, more than two
hundred graduates, and recognition as one of the top civic leadership
programs in the country, the program continues to grow and expand its
reach. Program participants over nine months experience a two-day
retreat and nine rigorous, full-day sessions (mostly on Saturdays).
These sessions include speaker presentations from established leaders
in the community, readings in the humanities and on leadership as
well as group dynamic learning exercises designed to facilitate the
development of critical leadership skill sets.

The cornerstones of LA's curriculum are a one-on-one mentorship
program, and a civic service related group project designed to
address an expressed need in the community. The goal: more effective
community leadership with a wider and more diverse network of
connections.

Open to individuals who have already demonstrated a commitment to
their community, have already shown leadership skills, but who would
benefit from intensive leadership training. Anchorage residency is
not required. Diversity is crucial; there is no ceiling on age.

For further information, contact Jim MacKenzie at 272-5324 or
jmackenzie@akhf.org.

2008~2009 Program Links
http://www.akhf.org/programs/leadership/leadership_applications.html

The Sears Mall Is Truly Ugly

There are places all over town where green is disappearing and structures are taking its place. But there are some places in town that are so ugly, they are begging to be replaced. The Sears Mall certainly qualifies as one of the prime spots.

Imagine an eye-soothing, noise absorbing four foot high tree topped green berm bordering Benson, Northern Lights, and Seward Highway. Real architecture with interesting lines, aesthetic surfaces, functional design and spaces both inside and out.

Let's hope no one nominates this eyesore for the Historic Preservation List. Instead it should go on the to-tear-down-and-make-beautiful list. If people stop shopping there, maybe it will happen sooner. Or to keep people shopping there the owners could start engaging the community to turn this prime location into a beautiful urban oasis.

Rich M. Wanda's Low Profile Campaign

On Telephone Ave. near Denali.


It's low budget too.



You can go to the Federal Election Commission to see the rest of this chart and how much other candidates have raised and spent.

CH2M Hill: "From time to time, ... the U.S. government investigate[s] whether we conduct our operations in accordance with applicable regulatory ..."

I caught this because someone got to my blog by Googling "ch2m contract fraud." I looked to see what else they found. CH2M Hill bought Veco, according to Bill Allen in the Pete Kott trial, at a bargain basement price when he was forced to sell. When the name on the VECO building was changed last year, I pondered whether CH2M Hill would be a better corporate citizens than VECO had been. I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, though some commenters linked to spots that showed they had problems with contracting in Iraq and with Katrina relief. So it seemed a good time to add some more information.

Overall, I don't read SEC filings enough to know if this is in the normal range or not. Let's hope it is not. But let's post it and let others give it some context.

CH2M Hill submitted its Form 10K with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) February 29, 2008. I'm posting here the Legal Proceedings section.

The title quote is a bit of fancy legal writing to make things look pretty benign. My legalese isn't all that good, but I would translate it as:

"We have regular investigations from the US Attorneys to see whether we've violated any laws." Given the lax regulatory enforcement under the Bush administration, it would seem to take some real effort to trigger regular investigations.

But not to worry, sometimes we aren't found guilty.

These investigations often take years to complete and many result in no adverse action.

Key issues they list:

• $ 2 million settlement in Connecticut (still pending conclusion)

"we entered into a deferred prosecution agreement" - a subsidiary worked out a deal with the United States Attorney so they aren't going to be prosecuted is what that sounds like.

The DPA relates to an investigation of a Clean Water Act (CWA) violation at two wastewater treatment facilities in Connecticut. Pursuant to the DPA, the subsidiary contributed $2.0 million to community projects and took other agreed upon steps to enhance CH2M HILL's CWA compliance procedures at the two wastewater treatment facilities in Connecticut

I'm guessing at the translation into English: "We worked out a deal where we paid $2million to various community groups to escape from being prosecuted."

• Veco
  

Although we were satisfied with the results of the due diligence review, no assurances can be given that the ongoing investigations will not result in civil or criminal charges against VECO, now a subsidiary of ours. Any such charges and related publicity could have an adverse effect on our reputation in the business community or future business operations.

• Hanford Nuclear Spill
  

On July 27, 2007, our subsidiary, CH2M HILL Hanford Group ("CH2M Hanford") caused a spill of approximately 85 gallons of radioactive waste, during routine maintenance operations on the Hanford Reservation owned by the United States Department of Energy ("DOE").

It looks like they face a possible $.5 million fine from the State of Washington on that one. (Is the "." a typo? If I were writing it I would have written Half-million rather than have it look like five million. Maybe it was intended to be confusing. Who knows?


The whole Legal Proceedings section is below.


From the Filing:

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

We are a party to various contractual guarantees and legal actions arising in the normal course of our business. From time to time, agencies of the U.S. government investigate whether we conduct our operations in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. Because a large portion of our

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business comes from federal, state, and municipal sources, our procurement practices at times also are subject to review and occasional investigations by U.S. and state attorneys offices. Such state and U.S. government investigations, whether relating to government contracts or conducted for other reasons, could result in administrative, civil or criminal liabilities, including repayments, fines or penalties. These investigations often take years to complete and many result in no adverse action. Damages assessed in connection with and the cost of defending any such actions could be substantial. While the outcomes of pending proceedings are often difficult to predict, as of the date of this filing, our management believes that no ongoing litigation or investigation is likely to result in a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In January 2006, a subsidiary entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. The DPA relates to an investigation of a Clean Water Act (CWA) violation at two wastewater treatment facilities in Connecticut. Pursuant to the DPA, the subsidiary contributed $2.0 million to community projects and took other agreed upon steps to enhance CH2M HILL's CWA compliance procedures at the two wastewater treatment facilities in Connecticut. Provided CH2M HILL complies with its obligations under the DPA through January 2008, the U.S. District Attorney for the District of Connecticut will recommend dismissal of all actions against the subsidiary in connection with this matter. The violation is related to failure to comply with sampling and reporting requirements of the CWA and there is no evidence the violation resulted in harm to human health or the environment. Although the term of the DPA ended in January 2008 and we believe we have fully complied with the DPA, the DPA will not be released and the criminal charge will not be removed until the U.S. District Attorney for the District of Connecticut is satisfied all conditions have been met. We are currently in discussions with the U.S. District Attorney for the District of Connecticut to achieve this resolution.

In September 7, 2007, we acquired VECO and substantially all of its operating businesses. Prior to the acquisition, on May 2, 2007, the founder, then chief executive officer and principal shareholder of VECO, Bill Allen, entered into a plea agreement with the United States Department of Justice pursuant to which he agreed to plead guilty to certain criminal charges involving bribery of public officials, violation of campaign contribution laws, and tax fraud. In connection with the investigation of the allegations against Mr. Allen, the United States Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service and certain State of Alaska government agencies commenced investigations of VECO and certain of its other employees. In the process of reviewing VECO's business and operations prior to the acquisition, we engaged in special due diligence designed to address concerns related to the conduct of VECO's past operations and various investigations underway by the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service and certain State of Alaska government agencies. Although we were satisfied with the results of the due diligence review, no assurances can be given that the ongoing investigations will not result in civil or criminal charges against VECO, now a subsidiary of ours. Any such charges and related publicity could have an adverse effect on our reputation in the business community or future business operations.

On July 27, 2007, our subsidiary, CH2M HILL Hanford Group ("CH2M Hanford") caused a spill of approximately 85 gallons of radioactive waste, during routine maintenance operations on the Hanford Reservation owned by the United States Department of Energy ("DOE"). No one was injured, and the DOE's accident investigation concluded that "[because] of low concentrations and short duration of the exposure, it is not likely that the spill event caused an overexposure or chronic health impacts". CH2M Hanford took all prompt and appropriate steps to formulate and implement a corrective action plan that has been accepted by the DOE. In connection with the event, the DOE's Office of Health, Safety and Security has conducted an investigation under its Price Anderson Act nuclear safety authority. The DOE has not yet taken any formal action against CH2M Hanford as a result of this investigation. The DOE has broad discretion in setting fines, but it takes into account a contractor's prompt acceptance of responsibility and the formulation of an appropriate corrective action

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plan, which is what CH2M HILL has done to what we believe to be the DOE's satisfaction. The Washington Department of Ecology has proposed to fine the DOE $.5 million in connection with the spill and, if the fine is levied, CH2M HILL will be financially liable for it under our contract with the DOE. CH2M Hanford is in discussions with the the Washington Department of Ecology about a possible reduction of the proposed fine. Finally, the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") proposed to fine both the DOE and CH2M HILL in connection with the spill. CH2M HILL settled that fine for $6,800 and $24,000 in in-kind services to support the local Tri-County emergency response team. CH2M HILL's management does not believe that this event will materially impact CH2M HILL's business or results of operations.

Walkers, Bikers, and Runners Don't Count

There's only one problem with this sign. At the end of Juneau Street here, it is only a dead end for cars. If you are walking, biking, or jogging, you can continue down a paved winding path to the Chester Creek bike trail.

But if you don't know that, this sign surely wouldn't help you at all.

Begich Fund Raiser - Long Time No See

We rode over to a Begich Fund Raiser tonight downtown. On the way, something flew up from under a car it seemed. The car stopped as I was passing what turned out to be an envelope, a check, and a checkbook, all of which I gathered and took to the man who I knew slightly. When we got to the fund raiser, there he was. And while he was in a car and we were on bikes, we arrived just a little after he did at the fund raiser about two miles away. We also picked up Ron ZZ on the bike trail and he was going to the same place.

The young woman in the picture surprised me by asking what my daughter's name was. Well it turned out to be the daughter of my daughter's physics teacher who took students on outdoor adventures in the summer.

I'd gone along for one - a ten day kayak trip in Prince William Sound - with this young woman, who was seven years old at the time. I found an old picture of the trip. She's the young one in the middle. But this sort of things happens a lot in Anchorage. She's finishing up college next year, headed for four months in Africa if things work out.





And this man walked into the crowded living room. He said to me, "Everyone's having a good time, I don't think you need me." I agreed. "You're right, just put your check in the basket and you can go." But, he stayed and talked a bit. Nothing earth shattering.








Then we were off to the Alaska Apple User Group meeting at the museum.

On the way home, we caught some late sun. It's setting earlier and earlier - this was taken about 9:30pm.

Bears, Moose, People Part I - The Narratives

Several bear attacks with graphic front page coverage in the Anchorage Daily News this summer have raised the volume in Anchorage's ongoing discussions about the risks of wildlife in town against the advantages of living in a town with moose and sometimes bears.

A lot of the coverage is breathless reporting of the details of specific attacks and pictures of the victims in their hospital rooms along with interviews with people who like living with wildlife and people who want the bears shot

The way people react to such situations is often related to the narratives they have in their heads. We latch onto any incident that seems to support what we believe and we tend to reject evidence that contradicts the stories we've grown to believe. Environmentalists think that Al Gore's movie proves everything they've been believing while many in the Bush administration see it as flawed propaganda.

Without taking people's stories, their narratives into account, we really can't

• understand how and why people respond the way they do, which allows us to
  
• begin an authentic discussion that can lead to community action that satisfies most people

So, in this post I'm going to run through some of the narratives that seem to underlie the discussions I've been hearing this summer about bears in Anchorage. (Moose are also an issue, but not like bears. Mostly I'm going to ignore the moose issues here.)

I would also note that people can hold more than one of the narratives at the same time. Some people integrate them into one single story, others compartmentalize them and see the world as one story when it fits and the other story when that one fits and never see a contradiction.


The Possible Stories:

Story 1: Bears are dangerous animals and have no place near urban settings where they can endanger people.

This sounds clear, but where do we draw the line?

• By people at risk:
  Wildlife in Anchorage is not worth risking any people's lives, therefore:
• All dangerous wildlife should be removed from the Anchorage Bowl to protect human life.
  
• However, wildlife should not be removed to protect adults who stupidly provoke (put in your own definition of this) wildlife.
• Wildlife in Anchorage is not worth risking a child's life, therefore any bear in a neighborhood where children live, should be immediately removed.

• By geography. All bears:
• in Anchorage residential or recreational areas should be removed.
  
• within 10miles of an Anchorage home should be removed.
• within 2 miles of an Anchorage home should be removed
• in any residential areas should be removed
  
• in areas zoned for lots of less than one acre should be removed.
• that come within five feet of a home should be removed

• By bear behavior - All bears that:
• show no fear of people should be removed
• have been seen eating garbage should be removed
• threaten people should be removed
  

Holders of this story include people who did not come here by choice and have tried to recreate the ideal life of where they came from. Bears aren't part of that dream. It includes some hunters. It includes people who strongly believe in order and controlling nature. It also includes people who have grown up in Anchorage and have seen the bear population increase dramatically in recent years and are genuinely concerned about the safety of their family. The ADN earlier wrote about

Hillside resident Scott Gorder has seen so many bears in his yard in recent years that he's nervous about leaving his house come summer.

Since he bought his home in 1990 he's seen the number of bears increase, he said.

"I grew up in town," Gorder said, "but as kids we camped everywhere (on the city's edge). I never saw a bear."

In his youth, he and friends camped and fished along Campbell Creek east of Lake Otis. They never worried about bears being attracted to their fish. They left their camp full of food. In short, they did just about everything one wants to avoid in bear country because of the danger of attracting the animals, Gorder admitted.

If I had kids and lived on the Hillside and bears were pawing my back door regularly, I suspect I'd be thinking more along these lines.





Story 2: Wildlife is a special feature of Anchorage and we can all coexist. Of 73* US cities with populations over 250,000 Anchorage is the only one that has a significant bear and moose population. (Though some have coyotes or pumas or poisonous snakes.) The Municipality has promoted the city in the past with a dancing moose called Seymour and the the slogan "Wild About Anchorage." The current Anchorage slogan is "Big Wild Life" and the website that promotes Anchorage has bears representing the 'wild' part of the slogan. Living with wildlife is part of the attraction of Anchorage for many residents. People who don't want moose or bears in their yard have 71 other US cities where they can live. People who want this sort of environment have just one choice: Anchorage. That choice should not be removed. Options:

People who do not want the risk of encounters with bears should:

• Move out of Alaska and let the rest of us enjoy this environment
• Move into a part of town that has a negligent risk of bear encounters

A very vocal section of the Anchorage population has always supported the idea of wildlife, particularly moose, being part of our urban environment. This is not a new issue. Wolfsong's website has a series of letters to the editors from three years ago which show a lot of support for then censured wildlife biologist Rick Sinnot who publicly made some candid remarks about people who attracted bears to a neighborhood with dumped fish waste. I'm not sure if these are all the letters from that day or they picked the ones that fit their stand on the issue.

* I took the number from a Lexington website. Various sources give different ways to talk about how many other cities there are. Tucson's website mentions 141 metropolitan areas in the US and Canada with more than 250,000 people. Demographia identifies 96 principal metropolitan areas (in the US) with populations over 500,000.


Story 3: People's perception of risk is skewed. Bears are a minor risk compared to other causes.

Top five causes of death in Anchorage in 2006 were:

• Malignant Neoplasms (Neoplasm =tumor; any new and abnormal growth, specifically one in which cell multiplication is uncontrolled and progressive. Neoplasms may be benign or malignant.)
• Heart Disease
• Unintentional Injuries
• Cerebrovascular Disease (Disease of the blood vessels and, especially, the arteries that supply the brain.)
• Diabetes
  

The state chart above doesn't identify the unintentional causes. We know that only two people have ever been killed in Anchorage by bears - Marcie Trent and her adult son while jogging a wooded path past a bear kill at McHugh Creek, technically in the city limits, but pretty much out of town - in 1995. (The stories I found said hiking, but they were early news stories. I remember the day well because we were headed right there to hike, but got headed off by someone who called to say it was closed.) So bears are not in the top five, top ten, or even a cause of death in Anchorage for any year except 1995.

[Note, I had to take this story from the New York Times because Google gave me an Anchorage Daily News story that begins " A bear attack Saturday..." but is dated April 17, 2007. The NYT article is dated July 4, 1995. This raises a giant question about the integrity of digital newspaper files that can be changed - intentionally or unintentionally - after the fact. This one is obviously in error - it even has the "last modified" time as earlier than the published time. I'm posting a screen shot at the bottom of the post as documentation in case they change it. An Alaskan Abroad has recently criticized the ADN for changing digitial stories without acknowledging the change. But also reported that they did later follow up with a correction.]

1990-1994 stats from the Municipality of Anchorage (I know you guys are short handed, but those stats are 14 years old and older) lists the ten top causes of death and breaks out motor vehicle accidents from other unintentional causes.

This narrative would go on to suggest that death by bear is a low risk and that if people want to prevent human deaths, they should work on preventing obesity (diabetes was the 5th highest cause of death in 2006 in Anchorage) and various traffic violations that lead to death. Some radical bicyclists who believe this story might advocate banning all cars like the radical safety people might advocate killing all bears. The 1990-94 stats also suggest that we work on suicide (number 7 back then) prevention and crime prevention (homicide was number 8).

Perception of risk is not necessarily related to actual risk. Certainly the ADN front page, big pictures coverage of bear maulings is far more graphic and attention grabbing than its coverage of traffic deaths. And how many of the cancer or heart disease or diabetes deaths get front page coverage with pictures? Every non-lethal bear mauling does.

There are certainly other stories/narratives people carry in their heads about bears in the city.

• The Timothy Treadwell story was about how humans and bears can live together in complete harmony. One of his bear friends ate him, but only in the 13th summer that he lived with bears in the wild.
• As humans moved from the pre-modern to the modern world, they moved from being part of nature to being conquerors of nature. But today we are finding out that many of those conquests - dams, DDT, automobiles, for example - were short term fixes with long term negative side effects. People holding this story would argue that we need to get back into balance with nature, to understand nature. If we do this, we can probably live fairly safely with a limited bear population.
  
• No one and no thing should restrict my freedom to do as I please. I'm going where I want to go, when I want. I've got a gun and if I run into a threatening bear, I'll shoot it.

People sometimes take anger or frustration about something in their life that they can't overcome and redirect it toward something they feel safer attacking. I'm sure you all know couples who are in bad marriages but take out their anger on some 'legitimate' cause rather than confront each other. I'm sure there are spouses who rant and rave against bears because they really resent having been dragged up to Alaska by a spouse.

So those are some of the narratives. Did I get yours? Part of yours? If not add it on in the comments. Even if the narratives aren't completely accurate, just talking them out helps people become aware of stories in their heads that they've acquired along the way without seriously examining. It also helps people understand that sane, reasonable people can hold contradictory stories.

In the next post on this topic, I'll try to identify the various components of this issue that can be manipulated (in the positive sense) to effect changes.



* Here's the ADN story with the incorrect dates I mentioned above. All photos can be double clicked to enlarge.

Anchorage Musk Oxen - Blogspot v. Word Press

BB who set up the Women Serving Women Veterans website and I met today because she had a number of questions about how to make things happen on the blog. We'd met at the Juneteenth Celebration when I video taped her and a couple of other folks with exhibits there. She also confirmed my earlier conclusions that Blogspot was a lot easier than Word Press as a platform for a blog, though you can probably do more with Word Press if you have better computing skills. Someone had told her to use Word Press. (I had suggested Blogspot.) She said she spent 2 1/2 days trying to set things up in Word Press, and had gotten a lot more done in 2 1/2 hours on Blogspot. Probably some of what she did for Word Press helped get her ready for Blogspot.

So one thing we did was go into the Word Press site she'd set up and put up a post to redirect visitors to the Blogspot site. That was the first time I'd actually been in a Word Press blog and it certainly has a cleaner look than Blogspot and with what I've done on Blogspot, I could figure things out fairly easily in Word Press. At least for the simple things we did.

Anyway, so, can anyone figure out, from the musk oxen picture, where we met?






The way home we had an interesting layer of clouds over Anchorage.

Doug's Second Guest Post - The Long Ride Home

[Here's Doug's report from after we dropped him off at the airport. I guess we should have waited to see if the plane was leaving on time. Since his flight was going over the pole and not through Southeast AK, I suspect the volcanic eruption that shut down Alaska Airlines wasn't the cause of the delay. Excerpted from his email with his permission.]

My journey home wasn't quite as smooth as I had hoped.After you dropped me off (thanks for that and for the all Alaskan breakfast), I went to the check-in to find that the flight had been put back to 8.00.p.m. It was too long and too nice a day to hang around the airport, so I wandered off around Goose Lake [I think he means Lake Hood], strolled down Wisconsin Ave, pausing for a 5 cent lemonade at a garden sale, and took myself down to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail where you and I cycled. Didn't find my camera, but enjoyed the walk into town, past families and individuals enjoying their Sunday in the sunshine, walking and on bikes. After taking a few photos downtown, I had a coffee and wrap in Kaladi Bros., and got a bus back to the airport. I tried ringing you to say good-bye again, but you were obviously out (on your bikes?) by then, and I didn't leave a message.

Finally on the plane, I found myself seated by a charming Anchorage hairdresser called Lulu who was on a visit to her parents in UK, leaving her husband in Anchorage holding the fort. We chatted and got along well enough to give each other moral support when we finally arrived at the Kafkaesque nightmare that is Frankfurt airport, where we were shuttled between Condor and Lufthansa desks, trying to get someone to take responsibility for us failing to make the Heathrow connection several hours earlier.I can't say I feel I would be likely to ever use Condor again.

Eventually we got on a flight to London just after 8.00.p.m.Frankfurt time. On arrival, we both retrieved our bags, which had miraculously travelled on the same plane as ourselves and went on our respective ways at around 9.30.p.m.
I eventually got home at around 11.30. p.m. last night in a state of total exhaustion (again!) and after a good night's sleep I seem to have resumed a normal post jet-lag state. The sun is shining after heavy rain this morning, my washing is done and I'm off to the shops to restock my cupboards with hopefully slightly less unhealthy comestibles than I might have purchased before Joan began to enlighten me on the error of my ways

Wild Hares or Hairs?

The blogger at Anarchy In The AK comments yesterday about an ADN report on the surfer who got pulled out with the tide in Turnagain Arm.

What the ADN fails to mention is that Paul is not just your casual dip-shit that gets a wild hare up his ass and decides to go surf the bore tide.

OK, I have to be careful all the time that I don't write 'their' instead of 'there' or 'its' instead of 'it's' so I'm not casting stones here. But it made me think, "It is 'hair' isn't it?" And what the hell does it mean anyway?

Daily Writing Tips has this discussion:

DWT reader Jess received an email in which the sender said “I got a wild hair about me.” Jess says that the expression was used in the sense of acting impetuously.

However, the expression for which “wild hair” is a shortening is “to have a wild hair up one’s ass.” The meaning of this vulgar expression is “to have an obsession or fixation about something.”

Garrison Keillor conveys this sense in his August 2, 2008 News from Lake Woebegone segment. In this instance it’s not a hair but a quarter, and it’s not up anything, it’s between the butt cheeks. He’s talking about a woman who is very angry about something and is going to confront her brother about it:

…she stalked across that farmyard like somebody who’s carrying a quarter in their butt. If you go around carrying a quarter in your butt, you won’t think of anything else.

Disagreement exists as to why a hair should cause such single-minded discomfort, but I suppose there could be such a thing as a painful ingrown hair. The word “wild” in this context refers to the fact that the hair in question is not going where it is wanted.

The meaning implied in the email, “to act impetuously or in an uncharacteristic manner,” doesn’t seem as apt.

The comments at the end suggest

• common use of the idea of a spontaneous act
• no agreement on hare or hair
  

and a reference to Kevin Drum's discussion of some Google results in A Wild Herr.

Thomas Frank, The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule

A lot of times I'm just wordy. But usually there's a purpose, beyond laziness, even if the purpose isn't achieved. Usually it is to show connections - connections among seemingly isolated events and also to show the context of how I got to the idea. The chart below is an attempt to make some of this clearer. Unfortunately, the way I use simple computer tools to cobble things together means I couldn't put links in the chart. But they're below.




So, KWMD, a radio station licensed in Kasilof, but translated into other areas like Anchorage at 104.5 and 87.7 on the FM dial, plays a lot of shows plucked from all over the country. Things that some people would call way left. But I remember before Nixon resigned 34 years ago this week (August 8, two days after my son was born). It was during Republican Nixon's administration that legislation like the Clean Water Act, The Environmental Protection Agency, the Privacy Act, and Affirmative Action passed. At the time he was considered a conservative Republican. So I would say that while KWMD makes NPR seem reactionary, it really is only slightly left of Nixon.

Tonight, KWMD aired a show called Media Matters from WILL, a station in Illinois. On that show, host Bob McChesney interviewed Thomas Frank, author of The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule.

This week [August 10, 2008] our guest is Thomas Frank. Well-known author of What's the Matter with Kansas and Commodifying Dissent, Frank has recently been appointed a columnist at the Wall Street Journal. His new book, The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule, has just been released on Metropolitan Books.

You can hear the RealPlayer version of the Media Matters Interview with Frank.

You can also hear a short audio excerpt from the book (Alaska's corruption is briefly mentioned within the first two minutes.)

So why should you care? Because Frank, in the interview and I assume in the book which I do plan to get, fills in a lot of the details of what I watched happening as a professor of public administration with the rise of the conservatives. His narrative matches one that I think is a plausible explanation of what has gone on since Reagan came into office.

Essentially you have a group of folks with overlapping world views - Republicans, Conservatives, and people whose goal in life is to amass money and power. Some of these people are honorable people who sincerely believe in the Constitution, the rule of law, and rational debate. Others are scam artists whose basic interest is their own and they are willing to play people who can help them. It's the honorable ones who are writing insider exposes as they are growing more and more disgusted with how the Bush administration has perverted their conservative values. But, they did go along with much of it because they had ideological beliefs that they thought were being pursued. And they found social issues - abortion and then homosexuality - with which they could seduce the so called Religious Right to join their party, though these weren't issues they really cared about.

What are those beliefs?

• Government is the problem.
• Free enterprise is the answer.

So the agenda of the most Machiavellian members of this cabal were to trash government institutions - The Wrecking Ball - and make this change as permanent as possible. Why?

Some honestly believed that government power threatened the free market and was wasteful. And after years of Democratic rule, the left wing ideologues and the equivalents of the greedy ones on the right, had done their share of looting and caused their share of government inefficiency and corruption.

More sinister were those who saw advantages in weak, incompetent government:

• it can't perform its regulatory functions efficiently (thus allowing corporations to get away with health, safety, labor, and environmental violations)
• it makes government look bad, thus gaining voters to their own candidates

Frank argued in the interview that conservatives have been carefully plotting this for forty years (and we've seen more and more evidence of this coming out as in the right wing Federalist Society training lawyers for federal judgeships) and they worked to make these changes permanent for the inevitable day that they are out of power. (Well there was Rove's Permanent Republican Majority, but fortunately people who 'know' they are right are also blind to their own arrogance and weakpoints.) Frank listed two ways they do this:

• Deficit spending takes money out of the treasury that can support the Left's programs. Clinton inherited a deficit that made it impossible for him to fund the programs he wanted to set up, like a new health care system. He spent his eight years creating a surplus which W quickly turned into an even greater deficit. Frank argued, and I'm inclined to believe it because I've heard conservatives talk about this strategy, that it was all intentional to gut government. And an Obama administration, should we get there, would face the same harsh reality.
  
• Privatizing as much of government as they can, thus getting rid of the collective memory and competence that was the legacy of a time when people trusted (mainly) the government. If their jobs weren't simply eliminated through privatization, then many were so disheartened they left or took the privatized jobs which paid three or four times as much as they earned working for government.

Privatizing also has the advantage of giving away chunks of valuable governmental investments at bargain rates to friends and supporters. (I can go into much more detail on most of the points, but this is a blog post, not a book. But as an example, I worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) when the Reagan administration came into power in 1981. I saw the incredible group of dedicated experts with years of experience who would have been dispersed if the proposals to privatize the weather service had been carried out. And how private companies would have greatly benefited from cheaply gaining control of the enormous investment taxpayers had made for the weather satellites and other infrastructure.)

A caller suggested a third method of perpetuating the destruction of government:

• Filling the courts, particularly the Supreme Court, with extreme conservatives who have been raised in this ideology. Frank amplified the point saying that one of the ways this group plans to dismantle what is left of the New Deal is to have social programs that redistribute wealth declared as unconstitutional unfair taking of property.
  

I've heard enough bits and pieces of evidence over the years that suggest this is a plausible narrative to describe what has been happening. You can listen to the interview to fill in some of the details, or better yet get the book and judge for yourself.

Bill Weimar Indictment

The ADN has posted Bill Weimar's

• Charging Document
• Factual Basis for the Plea
• Plea Agreement
  

A quick preliminary look appears to reveal:

Weimer has agreed to plead guilty for the following:

• Count 1

...William Weimar, Candidate A, Consultant A, and others known and unknown, did knowingly and unlawfully conspire . . . to deprive the the public of the honest services that Candidate A would provide as an Alaska State Legislator, through a scheme to disguise WEIMAR’s direct payment to CONSULTANT A of approximately $20,000 in expenses for CANDIDATE A’s campaign for the legislature, without reporting the payment as required by applicable Alaska law and regulations and without routing it for payment through CANDIDATE A’s campaign, and through the foreseeable use of the mails, interstate were communications, in violation of Title 18 US Code Section 1341, 1343, and 1346.

• Count 2

Weimar concealed the money through breaking the $20,000 into three payments to avoid the required reporting of transactions over $10,000.



Presumably Weimar will cooperate with the Prosecutors as part of the agreement, though I could not, in my first reading of the agreement, see where that was spelled out.

The section of the Plea Agreement titled "What the Defendant Agrees to Do" doesn't really tell us what the Defendant will do for the Prosecutors.

• Section A covers "Material Elements of Plea Agreement" and says Weimar voluntarily agrees to sign this.
• Section B is called "Satisfaction with Counsel"
• Section C is "Charge To Which The Defendant Is Pleading Guilty" (see above)
  
• Section D is "Factual Basis for Plea" and goes into the facts that support the charges
  
• Section E is "No Downward Departures" where he agrees not to ask for a lower sentence.
• Section F is "Waiver of Venue" where (Montana resident) Weimar agrees to proceed in the District of Alaska.

Nothing here says what he agreed to do to help the Prosecutors - carrying a wire, testifying, or other actions.

III is Penalties and Consequences of Pleas
This says his penalty, if he complies completely, should be 10-16 months in prison
Three years of probabtion.
$3,000-$30,000 in fines.

IV is Rights Waived By Pleading Guilty

V is "What the United States Agrees to Do" which includes not prosecuting him for other things they already know about or come out of these particular charges.

VI is "Adequacy of the Argument"

VII is "The Defendant's Acceptance Of The Terms of This Plea Agreement"

Candidate A is not known, but appears to be a candidate who did not win the primary. Don't know which party Candidate A was either. Consultant A is also not named, but is not an Alaskan.

Weimar was a major player in the private prison business in Alaska, which was the industry that Tom Anderson was convicted of assisting. A major witness against Anderson was Frank Prewitt who was a consultant for Cornell, an Outside private prison company, which in the trial was cleared of knowing that Prewitt was cooperating with the FBI and that it was the FBI, not Cornell, that provided the money for Anderson.

Philip Munger at Progressive Alaska worked for the prison system, knew Weimar personally, and has posted on this topic too.

[8:30pm - Lisa Demer at the ADN has filled in more details to the article I linked to on top this afternoon. The link is still good. She suggests that Jerry Ward was the unsuccessful candidate the money was being sent to and fills in more on Weimar's relationship to Cornell. And that Weimar had been a Democratic activist much earlier.]

Taiko Concert - Drumming as a Full Body Sport

Mary, a reader, emailed me about this concert Monday night at West High.

Quite some time ago, we first saw the Kodo Drummers, at West High, I believe. I was totally caught up in the drumming - the incredible precision and strength of the drummers was mesmerizing.

When they came back to Anchorage, we saw and heard them again, this time in the Atwood Auditorium. Still incredible. (See the video I found on YouTube below - thanks Helloeudora)

I don't know how good Monday's groups will be, but I'm certainly going to give it a shot. This totally changed my perception of drumming. Here it is a full body sport.

Taiko Concert Anchorage - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Taiko Concert Anchorage

H's Shower

When I got home from dropping off Doug, I read the newspaper in my favorite room taking advantage of the sunny day.









Then we biked toward those clouds that had been drifting west from above the mountains.
Luckily, the clouds stayed where they were. We had a good time with H and her friends toasting her upcoming wedding in Oaxaca. [Wa HA ka]

Doug teased me a lot about how much time I spent on the computer. While he was here I cut it way down and most the posts are travel picture posts. I still haven't said anything about Sen. Stevens or other things that have been happening like bears. I'll try. Meanwhile Alaska Airlines is frustrating me because we can't figure out our wife's mileage password, the emails we put in to get a new one aren't working, and their phone lines are busy and not taking calls.

Doug Heads Home on a Beautiful Day

Early afternoon flights are so civilized. There's time to get up naturally (no alarm) and even to stop off for breakfast on the way to the airport.So we took Doug to Anchorage's quintessential Alaska kitsch restaurant and cholesterol center - Gwennie's - for breakfast, which he seemed to enjoy. That should tide him over til about Iceland on his way to Frankfurt and then London. The web says the Lufthansa strike was settled, so he should have few worries. If anyone finds Doug's Nikon coolpix digital camera, which he lost on the Coastal trail bike trip a week ago, please let me know. My craigslist lost and found* ad got no responses.




Today is one of the most beautiful days of his visit. Blue skies with thunderheads massing over the Chugach.





On the way home stopped at Cuddy Midtown Park for a picture and found the geese and the daisies also enjoying the sunshine.



Now that I'm back from my two week Alaska vacation - without having to fly anywhere - I've got lots to catch up with. But it was a great trip. In hindsight I realize what a disaster it could be to invite someone you haven't seen in 38 years to spend two weeks with you, but it turned out fine. Doug is one of those people who knows me from a different time and different place and we were back into our friendly US-Brit bantering almost immediately. And Doug has a perspective on me that few if any others have and I need time to digest his friendly digs.





He got us out in this rainy summer when we might otherwise have hunkered down inside. I got lots of exercise to counter all the foods I normally wouldn't have eaten. Thanks Doug, hope the flight home is an easy one. You've had enough adventure for this month.

*So where would you advertise a lost camera in Anchorage? The ADN has practically nothing any more. Doug thought we should report it to the police, but that seemed strange to me. When I finally checked the APD lost and found online, it had three cameras since April. Can't imagine that's all the cameras people found. Craigslist had the most, even a digital camera, but not Doug's.

Do put an address label or some other name and email address on your cameras, computers, and other loseables so someone finding your lost things doesn't have to work so hard. And if you have done that already, check to see that the letters haven't worn off like they have on my binoculars.

Reed Lakes Hike - Trail Maintenance Paradox

We had sun, rain, clouds, a little more sun, a little more rain, lots and lots of mud, and stunning scenery. L went with Doug and me on this hike. He's I's grandfather and he and I did this trip last year in May, but we didn't get all the way to the lakes because there was snow and water then.


The 'road' off the Hatcher Pass road to the parking lot for the Reed Lakes trail is something like a video game as you dodge potholes and rocks for 2 miles, lost points are punctuated by a loud thud under the car. The parking lot was packed Friday about noon. It turned out the Colony High School cross country team was up there doing a practice run.




Part of my upbringing taught me that things you work hardest for are the sweetest. So having a hard-to-get-to trailhead, and then a trail that makes the spectacular scenery a job to see makes a certain amount of sense. Part of the charm is that this trail isn't packed - though Alaska has more than enough people who are willing to put up with the driving and walking conditions of this hike. And many, I think, relish the hardships. Besides the mud, much of the trail disappears and reappears along the stretch of boulders you go through.


However, because of the poor quality and maintenance of the trails, they get really muddy. Because they go up fairly steeply, they are very slippery. So people begin to walk off the trail creating new trails. Or they make shortcuts across the switchbacks, leading to places for rainwater to start worse erosion.






Eventually, this spectacular area is going to be badly scarred by an increasing number of cuts through the flowers and tundra. So, putting in decently designed trails and cutting off the shortcuts and educating hikers would serve the beauty of this area much better.












But unlike the trail along Exit Glacier, which is in a national park, Reed Lakes is just part of state land.




Given our oil money surplus, the problem isn't money. It's long term planning and prioritizing how to use the money we collectively have to make our collective lives better.








To do the things that we can't do by ourselves - like save our beautiful land from erosion because too many people want to hike there, but the trails can't support them all.

A Memorable Journey - Doug's Turn

[This is a guest post - in both senses - by Doug who gets a chance to get his two cents in on the blog.] Denali was a scenic wonder. The mountains and tundra were the stars. It was great to see the wildlife, especially the bears, but they were along way away,even through a 400mm lens. There had to be somewhere I could get closer. There was. Brooks Falls, in Katmai National Park, is known for attracting bears to catch the huge numbers of salmon making their way upstream to spawn. It was the tail-end of the season, but probably my best chance of seeing grizzlies at close quarters.




Joan generously offered to drive me to the airport at an unearthly hour and before 8.00 I and several other tourists flying southwest towards the hamlet of King Salmon. Here a shuttlebus took us to the lake where a DH Sea Otter .took us on the final leg of the journey to the camp.
After the obligatory talk about how to stay safe around bears, we were allowed to go off to the
viewing platforms.


There were half a dozen brown bears at the falls, all concentrating intently on securing the elusive salmon, with varying degrees of success, and totally oblivious to the humans madly clicking cameras a few dozen yards away. The size and power of these powerful creatures was truly impressive. Over the next few hours I snapped and filmed happily in between long sessions observing the bears' dexterity in lifting their meal from the fast-flowing water, and respecting their patience during long periods when success eluded them.
The experience was one I wouldn't have missed.
I'm grateful to Joan for persuading me that I should go, and even more to both she and Steve for showing me so much of the amazing environment that is Alaska.Their enthusiasm has been as great as their hospitality, and they have facilitated experiences which will stay in my memory long after I return home.

Euro Students Again - Plus You Can Meet Them Too

The European Education students came over for lunch today and we discussed values. Each brought some food and a memento that would help us understand who they are, told us about a value that they felt strongly about and what happened in their life to make that so important. They felt strongly about things like respect for others, responsibility, honesty. Again, I was very impressed with all of them. We were lucky because the sun was shining as we sat on the deck and talked and ate. I got everything into the house after they left just seconds before it started to rain. (As I'm about to post this, there's rare - for Anchorage - thunder.)

Then I got this email that says you can come see and hear them yourselves:

The participants of the US Department of State sponsored Summer Institute for Outstanding Student Leaders in Education will present their perspectives of the "New Faces of Europe" on [Tuesday] August 12 and [Wednesday] August 20 from 4-7 p.m. in Rasmuson Hall, room 110. [at UAA]

This presentation is open to the public and is an opportunity to find out how Europe is changing for 13 outstanding student educators who will lead Europe into the future.

Contact Russ Howell at (907) 786-4338 or anrbh@uaa.alaska.edu for additional information.

The presentations of last year's group were very interesting - a rare opportunity here in Anchorage to have a number of young European adults talking about how they see the world. Plus you can ask them questions. They're from Germany, France, Spain, and England. All speak very good English. The Germans include students of Turkish, Greek, and Albanian ethnicity.

[Sorry I didn't get pictures of them all. Some I missed and some I took bad pictures. Double-click the picture to enlarge it.]

Catching up while Doug's Bear Watching

The Denali bears were mostly off in the distance. The closest he got was after the discovery hike. He got on a bus back to the campground and was told by the other passengers that they'd just, minutes ago, had three bears walking around the bus. They showed him the pictures. Since this is probably his first and last trip to Alaska, he's booked a one day flight to Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park.

Meanwhile I have the European education students coming over for lunch. So this is a quick post. I asked in a previous post about businesses with political signs. Double Musky has a big Ted Stevens sign, but then we all know from reading the newspaper that the owner is a close friend of Ted. We took advantage of our 40 minute wait to go over to the Prince Hotel and look around. The Lion's Club has a Welcome Back Uncle Ted sign. Girdwood is Ted country. (Couldn't get pictures, sorry.)


It's hard to take a non-flash picture inside the Double Musky. (Though this one came out better than the outside picture. The camera's looking at the ceiling if that isn't clear.)


And on the last stretch home we had to wait for construction on the Seward Highway south of McHugh. Although the sign said 20 minute wait, it was closer to 40. I counted 73 southbound cars waiting for us when we finally got to go (I wasn't driving.) At least got Doug some near-the-road dall sheep.

Exit Glacier - Kenai Fjords National Park

We had glorious weather all day. The young Russians (well one was Ukrainian) who cleaned the B&B Doug stayed in in Seward said that they were going to see the bears at Bear Creek. So before Exit Glacier we went to see. J and Doug saw them, I heard them splashing.



Then back to the Exit Glacier Road. Here's the first real glimpse of the glacier as you drive in. I'm going to dig out our 1984 pictures and do some comparisons. But for now, here's today.
Everything is changed since we were last there - we're guessing 2003. There are new buildings, new signs, and the trails are different. But most noticable is the missing glacier. Well, yes, it's still there, but much less of it. Again this will be more obvious when I find old pictures. But as we got closer, I said to Doug, it feels like it used to be all the way to here. Then Doug read the sign - in 1999 you could touch the glacier from here. That's less than ten years!



Our goal was to go up the Harding Icefield trail at least to the point where we could see the icefield. The trail is better, but still difficult. At the beginning there are steep rocky spots. Here's one part of the trail that is not only steep and rocky, but also a small stream.


We ran into these two rangers with clipboards. They are observing hikers to see where they go and find out why - they are trying to keep people on the main trails and save the vegetation elsewhere. They said last year about 10,000 people climbed this trail, the most ever. And it was very busy today, much more so than I've ever seen it. On a Wednesday, but they said days of the week didn't seem to matter nor did weather. People were there when their travel schedules got them there and they hiked. I'd guess most of the hikers are there June, July, and August. So if there were 9000 hikers in those three months, it would be 3000 per month, or 100 a day. I'm guessing there were over 100 today on the trail. We were constantly seeing people coming back.

Here's a shot of the ridge on the other side of the Glacier from us.

Here's Doug taking a short rest on what I decided was his throne,

Here's J, taking a nap at the top - well, our top. The trail continued on. It wasn't totally clear how far we got. The trail to the end on the map (see below) is 7.8 miles with a gain of elevation of about 3000 feet. That gain is evenly divided. I was watching how all of us were going and thought that this was the best view for the energy output we were going to get and still make it back in time to stop at Double Musky. I have to say it was spectacular up there with views of the Harding Icefield, Exit Glacier, the valleys below, and the mountains all around. In the warmth of the sun. With a chilly wind off the icefield. I could have stayed there forever.

Here's one of the marmots that guard the trail.

Here's a tiny taste of the panorama I mentioned above. To the right would be Exit Glacier (you can see part of it on the right) and the Harding Icefield above. That view is in the previous picture. You can double click this picture to enlarge it somewhat. What a day.


These two pictures are looking down onto Exit Glacier. In the top picture you can see five or six people hiking on the glacier in the lower left.

I know I had a similar picture already, but it was so spectacular. Those are mountain peaks sticking out of the sea of ice. The Harding Icefield stretches 30 miles.

Here's the trail map. You can enlarge it. I think we got somewhere between Top of the Cliff and the Emergency Shelter. It would be nice if they had some trail markers along the way to let you know where you were compared to the map.

Here's the RV parking lot back down at the bottom again. You could see this along with the cars from way up on top.

This was the Harding Icefield trail up along the side of Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park just a few miles out of Seward.

Sun in Seward - Happy Birthday J

Last night after dinner there was sun across the bay. We woke up to glorious blue sky and sunshine this morning. We're headed for Exit Glacier and then home.

J, hope your day is good, sorry we aren't with you. But we'll all get together and celebrate the summer and fall birthdays soon.

Seward - Sea Life Center: What Ted Did Right, Sort of

In the shadow of the Stevens indictments, many Alaskans are saying, "But Ted Stevens did so much for Alaska." The Sea Life Center in Seward has Uncle Ted's fingerprints all over it. We have a first class facility for research and education on Alaskan sea life. For a state with approximately 44,000 miles of coast line this is important. Seeing the creatures living in almost their natural environments can spark the imagination and passion that is necessary to inspire people to learn and perhaps even develop a career.


There's no way the average citizen can get this close to living flounders and rockfish, sea lions, and puffins. This is not the kind of thing that you can measure the value simply in numbers of visits per year.

The knowledge people gain here, the kids who are inspired in different ways to learn more and pursue careers related to the sea life is incalculable. This has been one of Ted's babies. [At first I was upset when I saw the big scratches on the glass of the giant tanks at the Sea Life Center today. Who would be so low that they would scar these beautiful tanks? But when I looked closer, I saw the scratches were NOT on the outside, but the inside. Maybe the sea lion wants out.]


And perhaps it is a symbol of the tragedy of Ted Stevens.

Poor judgment by the protagonist (hero/heroine) causes a fall from grace and social ranking. Poor judgment is a tragic flaw, or error, called hamatria. It leads to personal catastrophe and unintended harm to others. (Gallaudet)

In an era when government projects are scorned and every institution has to support its own bottom line, there is something to say for politicians who have the vision and the clout to help establish places like the Sea Life Center. Here's the hero part. (I also heard one of the guides today say that the state of Alaska paid for about 2/3 of the original cost.) But how did everyone think it was going to be maintained? Especially in an era when new taxes are opposed by most politicans? Was Senator Stevens planning to live and be Senator forever and thus maintain places like the Sea Life Center in perpetuity? Did he think that once it was built the State and others would step in to keep it going? How did he expect an expensive institution like this to be able to fund itself?

Murre

And then there are the sleazier side of the Sea Life Center where money was funneled through the Sea Life Center earmarked specifically to purchase property a Stevens aide who had speculated on land in downtown Seward. [Update April 2009: The ADN link isn't giving access to the article it seems. The specific citation is: Ben Stevens ' secret fish deal - State senator helped steer Adak pollock to a company he had financial stake in Anchorage Daily News (AK) - Sunday, September 18, 2005 Author: RICHARD MAUER Anchorage Daily News ; Staff]

Horned Puffin and Murre

King Eider

Steller Sea Lion Rear Flippers

I didn't check to see whether this is Woody the sea lion they used to have.

Tufted Puffins

Researchers took a baby red legged kittiwake from its nest (I think they said this is the first place in the world of only two that have successfully bred kittiwakes) to weigh it and measure it. The parents were less than pleased.




All these pictures were taken today in the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward.

Seward Kayaking

Doug and I went Kayaking today. Still waters, easy three hour kayak. John of Sun Cove Kayakers was a great guide for us and the three others. J was off walking and in the library.

American Dipper Video

I'm going out on a limb here and calling this an American Dipper. Let me know if I've messed up. It looks like the dipper in the book and it certainly dips regularly. This is a much better bird video than I normally put up because it isn't my video. Doug took it with his fancy Fuji digital camera with good optical zoom.



OK, I realized that I needed to look this bird up to be sure. The bird's eyes kept turning white, so we surmised it had white eyelids. So when I checked online, Wikipedia confirmed it was an American dipper:

The American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a Water Ouzel, is a stocky dark grey bird with a head sometimes tinged with brown, and white feathers on the eyelids cause the eyes to flash white as the bird blinks. It is 16.5 cm long and weighs on average 46 g. It has long legs, and bobs its whole body up and down during pauses as it feeds on the bottom of fast-moving, rocky streams. It inhabits the mountainous regions of Central America and western North America from Panama to Alaska.

This species, like other dippers, is equipped with an extra eyelid called a "nictitating membrane" that allows it to see underwater, and scales that close its nostrils when submerged. Dippers also produce more oil than most birds, which may help keep them warmer when seeking food underwater.

I also thought it strange that the English vernacular name is 'American' but the Latin name is 'mexicanus'. But given it's range, American is probably more accurate.

Resurrection Bay Cruise

Blogger seems to be having a problem with uploading photos. Glad I got yesterday's up this morning. Doug and I cruised Resurrection (there's resurrection and insurrection, but I've never heard of or can find through google just plain 'surrection') Bay out of Seward today while J walked and hung out in Seward (she doesn't do well on boats.) Clouds dominate Seward today, but only a short drizzle on the boat. Imagine stunning pictures of green water, green and brown mountains, and grey clouds.

[10pm: The photo uploading problem is over here are the pics.]

The view from the boat coming out of the Seward boat harbor.

Inside the boat

The lunch buffet

Getting close up to the rocks

This company - Major Marine Tours - has an agreement with the National Park Service so there were rangers on board giving information on the area. Here Doug is looking at a jar with plankton that had been scooped up from the water. Part of the tour goes through Kenai Fjords National Park.

I know, the puffin is barely visible, but I thought the water had a nice pattern to it.

This is a kittiwake rookery

On our way back. Although it was cloudy it only rained a few drops and the sea was very calm. We saw puffins (tufted and horned), sea lions, harbor seals, mountain goats, otters (one with an octopus, one with a crab, and one with a baby), bald eagles, and various other birds. We didn't see any whales or dolphins.

To Seward

Doug and I spent Saturday biking the loop from our house around Goose Lake to Kincaid and back, with a detour to the Saturday market downtown. Yesterday we (including J) hiked to Ptarmigan Lake and today we're getting ready to do a Ressurection Bay cruise. J doesn't do boats. Doug's staying a Ballaine's BB in Seward tonight and I'm using their wifi. So here are a couple of pictures of yesterday.

Doug on the trail.

Ptarmigan Lake

Can you spot the American dipper? Middle on the left.

The lake again.

View on the hike back.

Ptarmigan Creek.

Visiting European Education Students at UAA

Yesterday afternoon I had the chance to do a two hour workshop with a group of European education students (one is already a teacher) who are in Anchorage for a month studying education topics, and if I understand it right, with a focus on teaching about diversity. This is the third summer I've worked with one of these groups and they've always had a very interesting mix of students and this year's group is no exception.



There are students from Germany, Spain, France, and England this year.



The German groups have always sent students with diverse ethnicity. This year among the German group were people of Albanian, Greek, and Turkish descent.



The official title of this program which is administered by the American Russian Center at UAA is 2008 Summer Institute for Outstanding European Students in Education. (Actually, the paper I have has two similar titles. The other one is for "European student leaders.")

The participants all speak excellent English and have great senses of humor. They'll be getting classroom teaching and, if the program follows last year's, they'll be making various education related field trips - to ,schools in the Anchorage School District, McLaughlin Youth Center, etc. They are not a shy group and I asked their before posting the pictures.

Wat Alaska Yana Vararam - Log Cabin Buddhist Temple

Ben at Thai Kitchen has been asking me to go with him to meet the Abbot at the Thai Budhist Temple. So today we went. Note the blue sky. It was a very nice summery day. Finally.





Phramaja (a title for monks) Boonnet is one of a few monks who is here in Anchorage at this wat (temple).











Phramaja Lertsak is the monk I was there to meet. He got his PhD in India and speaks good English. We talked about a lot of things including the possibility of his lecturing on Buddhism at UAA or APU. He has followers in Thailand who want to build a wat for him, but he told me that he wanted to learn more about the world outside of Thailand first as well as work on his inner learning.







This is the room for meditation and and prayer.








In one part of the wat are large framed pictures that tell the story of the life of Buddha.







At 11 am everyday members of the wat bring food for the monks. Today was the Thai Kitchen's day to bring food as did another community member. Thai monks do not eat after noon, though they can drink water or fruit juice.













There is also a library with books in Thai and in English on Buddhism. They gave me a book on the wat.

The wat has been there since 1996, but is well hidden on D St right near C St. and Fireweed. The booklet says there's morning and evening chanting and meditation at 8am and 8pm that is open to the public.