Polar Bear Rehap and Training

[Photo from fogonazos.blogspot.com.]

The Anchorage Daily News had a feature story today by Tom Kizzia on the Palin administration's opposition to having polar bears put on the endangered species list. Maybe we need some creative thinking here.

It appears that in Ontario, Canada they are already relocating polar bears and training them how to live off the polar ice. You can check it out here.

Let Erin and Hig Stir Your Adventure Juices

There are still people who do more than just talk about wild adventures they want to take. Phil has been reporting on the progress of Erin and Hig who also have their own blog.

They've been using non-motorized transportation (rafts, feet, skis, etc.) to get from Seattle to Anchorage. They're on their way to Umimak Island via the proposed Pebble Mine site.

Tuesday they will be at UAA to talk about their trip so far.



UAA Fine Arts Building Recital Hall

7:30 p.m. Tuesday January 29, 2008

FREE EVENT --- FREE PARKING

Join Erin and Hig as they share their experiences pack rafting, hiking and skiing from Seattle to Anchorage.

They started at Seattle?s University District in June, negotiated the BC and Alaska Inside Passages, walked and rafted the Wild Coast from Gustavus to Cordova, traversed Prince William Sound to Valdez, and hiked
and skiied from there to Palmer, packrafted down the lower Mat, Knik and Knik Arm - all without using any motorized transport!

Hear how they intend to finish their trek past Pebble Mine?s proposed site, on their way to Unimak Island.

It's always good to see people who do what everyone says is impossible.

Border Cafe

We don't know much about Iran. TV gives us the images that quickly convey "Iran" in our minds - women covered head to toe in black, people demonstrating, etc.

Movies made by local nationals is one of the best ways to get past those kinds of images. Even if they are making propaganda movies, they unconsciously show us bits and pieces of everyday life that tell us more than a year's worth of tv stories.

So getting to see Border Cafe - it also shows up as Transit Cafe - at the museum tonight was a double treat. We saw a good movie and got a bit of a vaccine against American media Iran stereotyping.

Yes, there were women with just their faces showing, there was family pressure for the widow to move into her brother-in-law's place to protect the family's reputation. But here the brother-in-law explained, cajoled, begged his foreign sister-in-law to move into the new apartment he built for her in his family compound. Meanwhile she reopens her husband's cafe near the Turkish border and creates a community of her own.

OK, eventually the restaurant gets shut down, but partly because it is so successful that it is badly hurting the other restuarants in town. The traditional male hierarchy that reinforces the brother-in-law's power isn't a good thing. Yet it wasn't that long ago that husbands had the legal right to make the decisions in the US, and women here still face a lot of discrimination. Seeing the movie puts a whole different face on life in Iran. It's not THAT different from ours - different in degree, yes, but the movie protrays an Iran that is a lot more decent and humane than are shown usually.

I also never thought about all the foreign truck drivers who carry goods into Iran everyday - Russians, Turks, Greeks, and who knows where else. Watching people who had no common language communicate was also a pleasure.

So how many of you even knew that Iran had a border with Turkey?



Louise Kennedy of the Boston Globe has a thoughtful review.


The winter twilight sky is staggeringly beautiful as it flows from a deep velvet indigo to pastel blue. This evening we had one of those great skies. You can just see a touch of it in the picture above as we were going into the museum for the movie.

To Thailand Soon ไป เมือง ไทย ใน ไม่ นาน

Working this out has taken a while. The American Jewish World Service (AJWS) had a spot for me at one NGO, but political issues ruled that out. So they worked out another one. I'm not sure how much I can blog about specifics, but I will keep blogging in general. If all works out I'll be in Chieng Mai for about 2 1/2 months. Will be helping with management activities. English level is low to non-existent I'm told, so I have to get my Thai back up to speed. Actually it was pretty serviceable last spring when we were there and I have been listening to the audio for "Thai for Advanced Readers." I need to start practicing writing again. My spelling's terrible.

Here's a page from the reader. This story is about Thais in the US.



Here's the title with a little help.



Two of the words in the title are in the title of this post. (The 'h' after the K and the T means you blow air out of your mouth when you say them. So Th is like a T sound, but T alone is the same sound but without the air coming out. A little like a D, but Thais have two different sounds. KH is like a K, K without the h is a K without the puff of air, or like the G in 'go'. So, that's why Thai, has an h, but isn't pronounced thigh.)

I was trying to find a website with the Thai alphabet. But then I found this one which looks like a great source for studying Thai.

As I keep looking for a simple Thai alphabet page with the English sounds I'm finding a lot of neat resources for learning Thai. Here's a page that shows how to write the first few consonants in the Thai alphabet.

OK, after much time exploring Thai sites, many with interesting stuff, I finally found a reasonably simple Thai alphabet with English phonetics. It has more than you need, but it's good.

Wow!!! Bridgman and Packer! Best Show I've Seen in a Loooooong Time

We went opening night. That means if you read this right away, you can still get tickets for this incredible show on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Yeah, I know I don't like to see something that's been hyped as great because then I'll compare it to my high expectations. I had no idea what to expect. I didn't really read the details of the article in the paper the other day, but I just got a feeling that we should go to this. Besides, it was our anniversary. Sorry Ropi, they were in Budapest last April, so I guess you missed them.

My reactions:

Wow!!!
How'd they do that?
Damn, I feel like a hick. I didn't even know people did stuff like this.
Wow!!

You should go if you like at least three of the following:

Watching water ripples in a stream.
Magicians doing really amazing tricks.
Shadow leaves dancing on your sunlit white walls.
MC Escher.
A cello dancing with a human voice.
Surprises.
Precision.
Optical Illusions.
Hand drumming.

Wait. There is no rippling stream in the show. I'm just trying to give you a sense of this show without giving anything away.

If you took this list literally, maybe you shouldn't go see it. Or, if you can't stand stuff that is NOT:

Linear.
Predictable.
Melodic.
Clear and straightforward.


There aren't a lot of seats at the Alaska Dance Theater, which by the way was another neat surprise. I'd seen the building once and thought, hmmmm, that looks interesting, but this was the first time we've been inside. (Our daughter hasn't gone to dance lessons in many years.) Anchorage has a wonderful new venue that was just perfect for this performance. But,as I was saying. There aren't a lot of seats and they weren't all full!!!! Just because it was a snowy Thursday night is no excuse.

But if everyone there tonight tells five people (and everyone else seemed just as amazed as I was) you'll be lucky to get a seat for the next performances. Get tickets on-line at Outnorth.org
.

I don't really want to tell you more. Being surprised by what they do is part of the fun. The first piece was amazing. The next ones got progressively amazinger. Yes, despite the flesh in the ADN promo article, it's fine for kids. They'll love it.

If you must, go to the Bridgman/Packer Dance website. But it isn't nearly as good as the show.

Oh, and a tidbit about the cellist/voice guy, Robert Een (that's two syllables). He sang in one of the temples at Ellora in India. These are a set of magical temples carved out of the rock hillside over an 800 year period. Based on what Robert told me, I think it might be the temple in this picture I took in November 2006. The acoustics were incredible. It would be - I'm running out of breathless adjectives so pick your own favorite - to hear him in there.

I'm not really a hick, and I don't get this excited easily. These guys are first class.

Creative Thinking - Rejection Letter

Here's a good example of someone NOT thinking routinely that I found at The Zohar Class.

Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee
412A Clarkson Hall
Whitson University
College Hill, MA 34109

Dear Professor Millington,

Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me an assistant professor position in your department.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite Whitson’s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,

Chris L. Jensen

[Originally from here]

Propaganda Techniques

To get a little perspective on political propaganda, check out this video. I'm guessing it is 1950's vintage. Things have gotten a lot more sophisticated.





But, it still doesn't hurt to use their checklist:
1. Recognize the technique
2. Get the facts
3. Know the purpose
4. Weigh the facts against the purpose and techniques

I found this YouTube video on a Barcelona blog that had linked to my blog.

Golf or Trees?

Yesterday on the ADN front page:

Twenty-three acres of forest would be cleared under current plans to upgrade the nine-hole golf course and surrounding areas at Russian Jack, a 320-acre park that is the largest oasis of green in East Anchorage and one of the oldest parks in the city.

Today in the ADN Community Datebook:

Plant trees for clean water, 5:45- 7:30 p.m., Russian Jack Springs Park chalet. Tammie Wilson with the Municipal Watershed Management Division will describe how to make attractive gardens that capture and filter runoff before it reaches storm water drains. Hear about Habitat for Humanity's innovative housing project where plants and new construction materials and techniques eliminate runoff. Sponsored by Anchorage TREErific. Free.(343-4288)

Does an expanded golf course at Russian Jack at the expense of 23 acres of trees make sense?

Cable Starlings, a former state amateur golf champion and president of the Anchorage chapter of First Tee," thinks it does. He's pushing golf as a way to "reach [low-income] kids how to play golf, [and also teach] social skills..." I think it is great when someone takes his sport or hobby and uses it to help others in his community. But one also has to consider what the community has to pay for this and who in the community loses from the effort.

The problem I see here is that Cable has started out with 'golf' rather than starting out with kids. If we are really trying to help kids, especially low-income kids, to develop life skills, we would start with a study of programs that have been successful doing that.

We should also consider, given that developers constantly tell us that Anchorage is 'land scarce', how many kids can we serve per square foot? If we use that measure, I bet there are a lot of other projects that would serve a lot more kids with a lot less land with equal or better outcomes. We should also consider serving these kids for as many months per year as possible. Golf is certainly not a year round activity in Anchorage.

If one were suspicious, one might wonder whether the kids are an excuse to get the city to upgrade Russian Jack so it can be accredited by the US Golf Association. (The article says "One of the requirements [of First Tee] is a course accredited by the U.S. Golf Association, which Russian Jack is not.) The Alaska Railroad used commuter service to Matsu and Girdwood by 2005 as part of their justification for the Bill Sheffield Railroad Depot whose trains still only serves cruise passengers. I have no reason to believe Cable isn't truly interested in programs for kids. And he likes golf. But is this plan the best way to help those kids?

And, then there are the environmental issues that they are talking about at Russian Jack tonight.


The United States Golf Association does ongoing studies on the effect of pesticides and fertilizers on surface runoff and groundwater contamination:

Environmental Impact of Golf In response to public concerns about the effects of golf courses on the environment, the USGA has funded research examining the fate of turfgrass pesticides and fertilizers since 1991. The USGA continues to support scientifically based investigations on the environmental impact of golf courses. The focus remains on research to understand the effects of turfgrass pest management and fertilization on water quality and the environment. Research on best management practices evaluates pesticide and fertilizer programs for golf courses in order to make turfgrass management recommendations that protect environmental quality. The research is conducted on university experiment stations and participating golf courses. Projects evaluate pesticides or nutrients that pose an environmental risk, and identify cultural practice systems that minimize volatilization, surface runoff, and groundwater contamination.

The US Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment Golf is optimistic about golf and the environment:

"Golf has come nearly full circle in its relationship with the environment. The game began as an ecologically benign pursuit. In the second half of this century, golf ran roughshod over the landscape. Lately a more balanced and subtle approach has emerged with anew generation of course designers: moving less earth, preserving wetlands and shifting from the obsession of lush lawns." With the many societal responsibilities prominent in today's world, we cannot avoid the fact that we must respond to them. Conservation of water, energy, and maintenance man-hours have taken on as much importance as playability and aesthetics."

Compared to even a decade ago, today's superintendents use less water, fertilizer, pesticides, and fossil fuel than their predecessors, but without a reduction in turf quality." Good environmental management and design is the result of a multitude of factors including a thorough understanding of how these factors interrelate on a specific site in a specific locale.

"In general, golf can become part of any environment and materially affect it, and if proper planning, construction, and maintenance are done it can enhance the site." "The golf industry conveys a more cooperative sensibility towards environmentalism than it did a decade or two ago."

Other sites that discuss the impacts of golf courses:


America's 18,000 Golf Courses Are Devastating the Environment
Japan Golfcourses and Deforestation (JPGOLF Case)
United Nations Environmental Programme

Environmental Institute for Golf discusses the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America’s Golf Course Environmental Profile Project

"typically you receive $4 for every story"

I got this email today. Obviously not from a native English speaker. Fits in the category of too good to be true (at least the $4 per story just to post it). What's the angle? Are they going to need my bank account number to pay me? Legitimate advertising? Anyone have any ideas?

Hi,my name is Tracey
I took a look at the site , and Its good what you have so far. http://whatdoino-steve.blogspot.com/
We would like to hire you to update your blog , with simple little articles,
we write the articles, you just have to post it. Its simple really.

We have added your blog site here in order to get started.

typically you recieve $4 for every story ( 2 paragrapgh) you post on your site for us.
you an't only limited to that. You can receive up to $10 for posting a story more than 1 story is post daily,so thats good.
they are on average sometimes 10 posted daily.

Talk on stories of interests

• travel
• entertainment
• news
• music
• biz
• sports

How to post our story.

- log in to blogger
paste the story we give you,
hit publish
email me the url of the published story
thats it
estimates time
You are paid daily for each published story

1 mminute.

Let me know if your interested . You begin today , your paid today.
Thanks Tracey

I just googled the domain name from the email. It goes to a website with lots of hearts and flowers and romantic - but not pornographic - links. Not going to send people there for free though. :)

[9:33pm - Just saw the awful font this was in and cleaned it up so you can read it]

Rural Sexual Abuse - Anchorage Daily News coverage v. Tony Hopfinger's Newsweek coverage

The Anchorage Daily News had a front page story today on sexual abuse in rural Alaska. It gives no context at all. If I were relatively new to Alaska, or just uninformed about rural Alaska, I might conclude, from this story, that Alaska Natives are nothing but sex abusers. We get statements, undoubtedly true, but without context, such as:

Ground zero is the Bethel region, where troopers investigated 17 percent of the cases, more than any other post in the state, TePas said.

"We have an epidemic," she said. "It's a statewide epidemic, but the epicenter, our data shows, is the Bethel region."

The early figures paint a disturbing picture of rapes and other sexual violence against adults and children in Western Alaska, where the population is largely Alaska Native and villages are often loose extensions of family.

In all the 989 cases, family members and friends sexually abuse or assault each other in more than 90 percent of the incidents, she said.

While the ADN chose to run a Tundra Drums piece which just gives statistics but no discussion of the context on today's first page, to my knowledge, they have not given any coverage to Alaska writer Tony Hopfinger's in depth Newsweek article mentioned last week by Alaskan Abroad on the multi-million dollar settlement of sexual abuse cases by the Roman Catholic Priests in the Yupik community of St. Michael. [January 23: They did run a good piece on the settlement in November by Lisa Demer.]

I can't give you a precise account of why the sexual abuse levels are so high in Western Alaska. There are probably multiple causes. Alaska Natives being inherently evil is NOT one of them. Tony's other article on Wales that I mentioned in two previous posts gives a lot of context into why a young man in that community might commit suicide. All the issues he raises in that article might help us understand what is happening in Western Alaska. Alcohol is clearly a factor. But the St. Michael's article also suggests that perhaps the church[es] helped cause some of the sexual abuse problems in these villages. In St. Michael's the abuse, according to the article, was extensive - one specific priest had about 60 victims. We know that people who were abused are more likely than others to become abusers, though, as this article from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service suggests, it is not inevitable and it is far more complex than a simple correlation.

It would be nice to see the ADN do a more careful job of reporting about rural Alaska. The Tundra Drums, according to the Alaska Newspapers, Inc website,

is an independent newspaper dedicated to being the definitive informational medium for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and is published weekly by Alaska Newspapers, Inc.

Its audience is in rural Alaska. They have a better understanding of the context than people in Anchorage and other places in Alaska where the ADN is read. You can't just take such an article and drop it onto the front page without some background.

It is important that the problems of rural Alaska be covered by the ADN, but raw data without context may do more harm to urban-rural understanding than no coverage at all.