http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 14 Sep 2005 20:30:37 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/14/203037.php Roger AsburyThere are few certainties about hunting in Alaska. However, whether or not your hunt was successful, the forests and tundra of this beautiful state will provide stories for years to come. It can often prove difficult to find decent books that provide details for hunting where you live. There are many general books to be had in the outdoors section of your local bookstore, but finding the specifics for your area is generally a word of mouth prospect. That's why I was pleasantly surprised when the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ran an article on Jim McCann's new book Upland Hunting in Alaska.It proved to be a hard book to find. Our Walden's did not have it. Neither did the local used bookstore. I was finally able to get a copy at Down Under Guns, a local gun shop.The book provides a very open look at McCann's hunting life in Alaska. The focus of the book, grouse, play a key hunting role in Alaska. Plentiful, they provide many a hunter with endless hours of sport and a myriad of recipes.McCann's goal is to teach the reader about grouse, how they are hunted, what they eat and where they can be found (but not is so much detail that you'll find his prized spots!) But he goes much farther than that. McCann enjoys the company of three very special companions; his hunting dogs Buddy, Rusty and Rudy. While he does give tips for the dogless hunter, he primarily focuses his personal stories on the exploits of his Brittany spaniels. McCann provides excellent tips for hunting grouse and ptarmigan in interior Alaska. From general locations to specific gear, the tips should help even seasoned hunters improve their luck. From point to follow through, he explains the hunting strategies that work best for each variation of grouse found in Alaska. Ruffed, spruce and sharptails are given plenty of space to explain habitat, locations, feeding and mating. All the while, he focuses on personal history and conservation. He holds little (no) respect for those hunters hanging out of windows blowing away birds along the side of the road. The basic tenet of "Pack out what you pack in" is mentioned several times. Pack out more if anyone before you has been slobs. Never shoot more birds than you need. Rarely does one need to "limit out."The goal is to keep up healthy populations and habitat. This is a lesson McCann tries to drill in early and often. In his chapter on the future of grouse hunting in Alaska, he frets over dwindling habitat and bird populations, and rightfully so. Even in Alaska development continues to expand, consuming habitat. Additionally, as more and more people discover the excellent hunting, or exploit the often-oblivious nature of the bird (what? Move for the hunter? I'M EATING HERE!) populations may rapidly dwindle.While he does have a habit of shifting into storytelling when you least expect it, and retelling previously mentioned information, he does so with a purpose. Each story tells you something about himself, Alaska, the crafty birds and his dogs. You can tell the man loves his dogs and that he is proud of them. I think that makes the book all that much more enjoyable and real. It's easy to empathize with a disappointment or the excitement of the moment.I hope to put his suggestions to work for me. To Alaskan's I say buy this book, hunter or not, just to read about the experiences. To those from out of state, I say buy it for the same reason. You'll learn why we all love to live here.Note: This book is not yet up on Amazon.com. Books36192@blogcritics.org Wed, 14 Sep 2005 20:30:37 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/18/195108.php Roger AsburyHaving recently developed an interest in home brewing, I figured it was about time I looked into how it fit into Alaskan history.Now, home brewing has been going on for eons, and Alaska brewing is short in comparison, but the pioneering spirit that infiltrated the state during the gold rush years has never completely dissipated. The state offers an excellent bounty of brewable items, be it saps, honey and water, or blueberries, cranberries and raspberries.The book takes a decidedly unscientific approach, and does so on purpose. Early Alaskan pioneers didn't have the luxury of hydrometers and big glass carboys. Kania provides tips on constructing everything from airlocks to stills.Which I suppose brings up a point that needs to be made early. A lot of what is in this book would be illegal for you to try at home. Know and respect the law wherever you live. He provides this information for entertainment and education. The book does, after all, provide everything you'd need to know to distill your own liquor, and that is illegal to do, at least in the United States.Making mead, wines and beer all are covered in detail with a number of tasty looking recipes. Stressed throughout the book are safety and cleanliness. Useful illustrations accompany many of the topics, especially construction tips for tools and equipment.There are a number of inconsistencies in the book, and some suggestions I don't agree with. For example, Kania stresses using plastic buckets over carboys. Plastic buckets are easily scratched providing nooks and crannies for bacteria and other nasties to get hold of, making it difficult to clean. This is not an issue with glass carboys.Additionally, on the same page (133) he gives conflicting advice. In one section he stresses never storing alcohol above 15% in plastic containers. Then in a list of tips, he suggests using metal or plastic containers instead of glass to store alcohol.There sections of the book that made me cringe. A section where the author goes into "pseudo Indian" speak had me gagging.Finally, this book appears never to have passed under the eyes of an editor. Typos abound. Between misspellings, incomplete sentences, out of order words, or words that don't belong in the sentence all together, I found myself reading many sections more than once. While I can't say I expect professionalism out of my bootleggin' books, this was just sloppy.This alone wouldn't normally have me not recommend a book, but the problems were so apparent and so abundant that I just can't do it. Yes, the recipes are good. Yes, the history is interesting. But, this book is in it's 6th printing. Shouldn't these problems be corrected by now? Can't do it, purchase at your own risk. Books34410@blogcritics.org Thu, 18 Aug 2005 19:51:08 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/04/164041.php Roger AsburyAbout a month ago, the University of Alaska Fairbanks hosted the Evolution 2005 conference. With several hundred speakers over the course of four days, it proved to be the largest conference ever held at the University. As a member of the IT group tasked with making sure the equipment worked correctly, I was a bit of a captive audience.Aside from the talks and seminars, there were a large number of book vendors as well. While most of these books ranged in topic from text books on invertebrates to thick encyclopedic volumes on biological evolutionary theory, one thin text caught my eye.As a student of psychology I was somewhat disappointed at the utter lack of books on evolutionary psychology. However, at the Oxford University Press vendor booth, a small book in an unremarkable white cover (aside from the orangutan staring down at you) proved to be the only evolutionary psychology book I could find.How Homo Became Sapiens by Peter Gardenfors is a journey through the evolution of thinking. His meta-analysis of a large body of research helps pave the way toward understanding the biological and social steps involved in our mental evolution.Gardenfors pays particular attention to the various mental simulators that play about in our heads. Before we take an action these simulators run through the possible outcomes, allowing us to choose the proper course. Mental simulators are not just the realm of man, however, but were just one step in our evolution.The book takes a step-by-step approach, in order of evolutionary history, comparing and contrasting to other animals in the world, particularly chimpanzees and bonobos, but also cats, dogs, and other animals we wouldn't immediately guess at. By this method he shows that being self-aware isn't so uncommon, but being you-aware, or able to see yourself through the eyes of others, becomes increasingly uncommon as you ascend the ladder of psychological evolution.In the final chapters, he takes a look at language, both spoken and written, as we break into an area that appears, at least on its surface, to be uniquely human. While many animals do have unique vocalizations, it appears that only humans have a specific grammar, and certainly written language. We have the ability to abstract our thinking into symbols and iconography. That language itself evolves, writing styles change, shows that human thinking can change in very short spans of time.This book is a definite must for anyone just beginning their journey into evolutionary psychology. The sheer number of studies cited in this book provides an excellent springboard for further reading. Books32025@blogcritics.org Mon, 4 Jul 2005 16:40:41 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/05/23/143614.php Roger AsburySpending all day on a blog trying to think of something clever to write is thirsty work. But unlike most of my friends, I simply don't like beer. Sprite doesn't seem to have much class, either.To make matters worse, I've never found a wine I liked. After watching the movie Sideways I decided that it was time to change all that. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, and it inspired me to try my hardest to find something out there that I could stomach.I wasn't going to go off half-cocked, though. Wine buying can get expensive fast, particularly if you take a sip and pour the rest down the drain. That had been my experience in the past, and I wasn't about to repeat it. Instead, I decided I needed to find a book and educate myself, first.The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil fit the bill perfectly. The introductory chapters provide an excellent guide to varietals, locations, and history. For the beginner, such as myself, there are sections on choosing, storing, and tasting wine.History is important to wine. This book examines the history of wine, providing excellent coverage of the major wine producing nations all over the globe. I was surprised to learn how many states in the U.S. produce wine.However, it was the detailed descriptions of the various types of wine that led me to make my first, educated, purchase. I wondered into the local shop and purchased an Australian Traminer/Riesling. Rieslings are described as aromatically fruity, with a scent reminiscent of water on stone. Additionally, they tend to have a low alcohol content. This sounded good to me. The book had mentioned Rosemount Estate as a good candidate.This was an excellent wine. It was fruity and acidic, a combination that I liked considerably. A peppery finish cinched the deal. While I know I'm no expert wine critic, I do know what I like.An uneventful and bland tasting Beringer Riesling did not impress me. I don't know if it was the higher alcohol content or what, but it had an unsettling burning feeling going down. It didn't seem nearly as fruity.And then I tried a 2002 Trimbach Riesling. It's an explosion of fruit. Melons, peach, and apple can all be tasted. This was by far the best of the three. However, it seemed to lose something quickly after being opened. By the third day, it seemed very flat, if that's a good word for wine. The taste was not nearly as dynamic.My goal, now, is to try various Rieslings from around the world. I've got Australia, France, and the Napa region of the U.S. According to the book, I really should be looking at German Rieslings. Then, I will branch out. Surely there is a red out there waiting for me to find it. Books29997@blogcritics.org Mon, 23 May 2005 14:36:14 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/20/142139.php Roger AsburyNBC News analyst and journalist, William Arkin, is no stranger to controversy. His 1985 best seller Nuclear Battlefields revealed the location of nuclear bases worldwide and earned him the ire of the Reagan administration.Code Names: Deciphering U.S. Milirary Plans, Programs, and Operations in the 9/11 World continues Arkin's goal of opening up government to the scrutiny it has been shying away from since the eventful day of Sept. 11, 2001. Shortly after publication of this book, he was accused of being a spy for Iraq.Arkin feels exposing government secrecy is important. Excessive secrecy, he explains, is a contributing factor to failures such as those leading to the events of 9/11.Code Names is an in-depth look at the government and military of the United States. Anyone who is interested in the inner workings and relationships between the many departments and agencies involved in the running of our country will find this book a non-stop page turner.The book has three main sections.Cast of Characters explains the workings of the various departments, agencies and military organizations. Facility locations, affiliated code names and explanatory text fills out everything anyone would need to know about the vast network involved in running a country and making war plans.Activities by Country provides a listing of every country the United States deals with in pretty much any way. I had trouble find a country in the world not listed here. It became a challenge amongst friends to name a country and see if it was listed.Many of these listings are incredibly in-depth. Emphasis is, of course, placed on current events, but cold war history plays heavily into descriptions, as well.Code Names is the meat of this book. This chapter contains around 3,000 entries. Many are mundane; code names for various military exercises, such as Cope Thunder, an international exercise that takes place near where I live (and is not any sort of secret.)Others are more ominous. Project Suter describes an airborne cyber-attack capability. An Iraqi informant, code name Curveball, may have provided false information. Good choice of code names!This book is certainly not for everyone. Some may find the encyclopedic/dictionary style hard to deal with and potentially dull. To those, I suggest hunting around and looking for the things that might interest you. This is made all the easier as many of the items include additional names and suggestions to look for. Nearly every Cast of Characters and Country listing provides associated code words.Arkin provides a valuable service by opening up a portion of the ever increasing security that threatens to obfuscate the government. Books28428@blogcritics.org Wed, 20 Apr 2005 14:21:39 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/10/184830.php Roger AsburyAs tensions heat up between the expanding list of nuclear powers, I decided it might be interesting to look into the history of American nuclear development. What better place to start then examining the projects that took place in my home state of Alaska.The Firecracker Boys by Dan O'Neill delves into the mysteries surrounding Project Chariot, a Plowshare project aimed at blasting a harbor in Alaska utilizing atomic explosions. Plowshare projects were meant to showcase the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Hopeful projects included a harbor in Australia and a sea-level canal in Panama.The Atomic Energy Commission and the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory led by Edward Teller, arguably the father of the H-Bomb, went to great lengths to complete the project at Cape Thompson and Point Hope, Alaska. The project was appealing to Alaska Industry and Government, as it was sold as a way to increase trade by opening up a route to the mineral rich country. What they did not count on was strong resistance from Alaska native leaders and dissent within their ranks from scientists hired to perform environmental studies.In his book, published a tad over 10 years ago, Dan O'Neill has amassed an extraordinary collection of interviews and documents from both sides of the argument. The picture that is painted is one of deception and stereotypes. The AEC, expecting an easily manipulated native population instead found a group ready to use their full powers of protest and grassroots campaigning to insure a project that had the possibility of devastating their livelihoods never took place.Additionally, it is shown that the AEC manipulated scientific information, ignored the warnings and protests of their own hired scientists and engaged in an active battle of propaganda and outright lies in an effort to see the project through.Though the blasts never took place, studies involving radioactive isotopes still occurred, including a pile of active debris that leached into the water supply. The natives of Point Hope have an elevated cancer rate.The writing is gripping on several levels. As scientists, mostly employed by the University of Alaska, became more vocal in their protests, they began to feel retribution from not only the AEC, but their place of employ, as well. William R. Wood, President of the University at the time, worked with the AEC to blacklist three of the major scientists that spoke out against Project Chariot.Dan O'Neill utilized personal interviews, archival records and the Freedom of Information Act in effort to get the total picture of events. The book is now over 10 years old, and difficult to find. However, for those that have not read it, and may be renewing an interest in nuclear antagonism do to current events, it is an excellent read to see how, during the cold war, atomic science was pursued. Books26539@blogcritics.org Thu, 10 Mar 2005 18:48:30 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/05/161019.php Roger AsburyIn this age of instant messaging, email, and cell phones, we often think of communication as an immediate priority. We lose some of the finesse of the writers of years gone by. Messages tend to be choppy, full of acronyms and misspellings. There is no grace to our correspondence anymore.After my divorce, my children wound up two-thousand miles away. Too young for email and cell phones, I began learning the art of letter writing. In my town, and I would hope most others, there is a shop specializing in all things writing related. There I found the book Writing Letters with Pen & Ink.The book is filled with wonderful tips and history. It is not a long book, by any stretch of the imagination, at only 29 pages. The pages are packed with artwork, memorable quotes from famous writers, but most important of all, inspiration to put away that keyboard and let the words flow from your hand to ink.A typed letter can never provide the entire picture. Each letter, a laser copy of each other letter, so perfect in form, can not convey the emotional warmth that comes from imperfect handwriting, where a difference in style could signal uplifting feeling, or deepest despair. This book inspired me to write, but there was another problem. I have never had the best of handwriting, and I was recently diagnosed with the neurological disorder essential tremor. This causes a person's extremities to shake, in my case making my handwriting all that much worse.Another book, Write Now came to my aid.This book is filled with everything you need to learn to write in italic, a simple, yet elegant and legible writing style. There are exercises that run you through each letter, both capital and lowercase, organized in such a way that you are learning similar shapes and motions.Italic puts an emphasis on least number of strokes per letter. The result is a system that lets you write neat, clean letters quickly. While I can not claim that italic cursive is the easiest thing to learn, it does look very nice.Within a few days, I noticed that my writing was much more legible. The book is not a miracle worker, you do need to practice to get better. For me, that practice is a weekly letter to my children, even if absolutely nothing is happening. They know I love them, and like to let them knowing what is going on in my life.So get out there and write someone. Everyone loves finding a letter from a friend or loved one amidst the stack of bills. Books25152@blogcritics.org Sat, 5 Feb 2005 16:10:19 EST