A very busy July spent both in rural and urban Alaska has created a wealth of news. The rural part is a good place to start. Fishing has been amazing at Tikchik Narrows lodge, and this rainbow caught by Ashley Weber made for a nice photo.
Many of the rainbow trout caught near the Lodge have no coloring but this one has a very distinct colorful stripe. Ashley is an artist who has provided art work for the lodge in the past, and this rainbow will likely be the model for artwork in the future.
Speaking of artwork, how about this drone shot of fishing in the Narrows.
John McDonald visited the lodge and sent this late night photo of the dock, taken at 2:30 AM
A popular activity for Lodge guests is a trip to Brooks Falls to view brown bears. Guest Josh Fitzgerald took this video near the Falls. Visitors are instructed to step off the trail if a bear approaches, which the Fitzgerald family did, with a slight increase in pulse rate.
It is amazing that the Park Service allows such close interaction with bears at this location. There never has been a serious incident involving bears at Brooks Falls. Here is Andy’s August update from the Lodge.
ALO Update
ALO settled some cases recently. One significant case involved the death of a man who had prostate surgery and died a while later from an internal infection. ALO’s medical expert said the man was not a good candidate for surgery because of his age and medical history, and also said there was a mistake made during surgery when the incision was made where internal mesh from prior surgery was located. The man quickly showed signs of possible infection but there was a delay in follow up surgery resulting in his death. Another case involved the sexual abuse of a young boy at a youth club. The boy was assaulted by another boy in an unsupervised location. A minor car accident in Anchorage resulted in modest damage to a car driven by a young person formerly from Bethel. The insurance company involved wanted to ignore the claim and the family asked for help. The insurance company got the message and paid up, and ALO collected its fee which was dinner at a nice restaurant with the family.
A sordid case of sexual misconduct has rocked the US District Court in Anchorage where ALO does some business. This article relates the story of a judge who recently resigned when is was clear that he was about to be featured in some damaging news reports. Read here. This judge had little support from his fellow lawyers when he was appointed but Trump was more impressed with his support from Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan. And now Sullivan is holding up the appointment of another judge in hopes that his favored choice can be appointed by Trump after the election. Meanwhile there is one judge on duty, assigned all the cases, and two seats are empty.
In Other News
Speaking of Trump, the recent political news is happening at an amazing pace. The entire process has changed very quickly since Biden withdrew as a candidate. Some examination is needed. Support for Biden was lukewarm in his party, and his departure made it possible for many people to get excited about the election again. Much of that excitement comes from the desire to defeat Trump and the belief that Harris can do that. This old video might explain why some people want that to happen.
Those folks are all prominent conservatives. If folks from your own party say those things about your candidate there might be a problem. It is also important to note what some key former Trump administration people have to say. His former Secretary of State called Trump a fucking moron. His former Chief of Staff said he was the most flawed person he had ever met. And if most of your former cabinet is opposing your re-election, it might be a problem.
Many of Trump’s words are hard to fathom. He congratulated Putin on the recent prisoner swap with the US, but not a word about the US role in that deal. He has often praised Putin and other dictators as strong leaders. Of course they are strong, they have no opponents! He attacks his opponent on the basis of her race and sex, even though in recent elections he and his party have fared badly with those two voter groups. He disputes the size of crowds at Harris rallies even though millions have seen news reports and photos of those events. He neglects to pay the bills for his campaign visits to American cities. And he is fascinated with Hannibal Lector and speaks of him as if he is a real person.
Trump never has learned to try to broaden his political base. He enjoys the cult-like support of his hard core supporters, and does nothing to lure moderates to his side. He must fear losing the adulation of the base, but in the process he has cost the Republican party several elections, including his own, and some Senate and house seats. He is slipping quickly in the polls and also in his grip on reality. Two noteworthy news items should cause Trump supporters some serious concern. The always conservative Wall Street journal in an editorial noted that Trump “is looking like a loser” and pointed to his “idiotic antics” And Nikki Haley, who generated lots of support in this year’s Republican primary elections before dropping out in favor of Trump, told him to “quit whining” about Harris and develop a more positive message. The most notable difference between the two candidates todays is the difference in tone. Trump looks back in anger and Harris looks forward with joy. Which would you rather hear?
Underlying all of this political turmoil is the persistent gap in wealth in America. There are too many billionaires and too many homeless. Other countries have discovered that providing homeless people a decent place to live often leads to those people rejoining the workforce. As it is they spend most of the energy just surviving, And as for the ultra-rich here are two clips that might explain the situation.
The problem with billionaires is they have too much control over our political process. This comedian nails it.
Please explain how it can be ok for someone to spend millions on vacations for a sitting Supreme Court justice who just happens to vote consistently for the positions supported by that donor. That situation has a foul odor. Thomas has a serious bias in favor of the positions preferred by his benefactor, and he votes accordingly without fail.
Speaking of Thomas, the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling has had some significant blow back that might not have been foreseen. For example, this situation in Idaho. Read article here. Most people there were delighted with the decision, and then the doctors started leaving. It is one thing when others can’t get an abortion, but what do you do when you can’t get medical services where you live?
Trump’s whining is regarded as childish by his critics, and this example confirms that whining is mainly a childish trait.. Grandson Jack was at the Angstman cabin and a boat ride was next on the agenda. He was unhappy about something and was in full whine mode, Anyone who has dealt with a three year old knows the mode. He was told he couldn’t go on a boat ride until he stopped whining. Five minutes later he responded “I want to go for a boat ride and I want to keep whining.”
This article by long time conservative journalist Bernard Goldberg is a must read for his insight into the election. Read here.
Mandatory Moose & Other Characters
This month’s mandatory moose is a different color.
This buck is one of the biggest ever captured on video at the Elk Farm.
Seth Kantner of Kotzebue thinks the bugs are kind of bad this year.
He might be right.
Finally this story from a moose hunt many years ago. A man and his teenage son were invited to go hunting moose at the Angstman camp one September on the Innoko River north of Bethel. The son was one of about 8 kids in a family of limited means. For camp chow the first night their guide and pilot made hot dogs and beans, which was likely a familiar meal for the kid. After the food was heated, the chef broke out some plates and a bag of hot dog buns. The kid was handed a plate with beans and the hot dog in a bun. He remarked “A real hot dog bun??” His dad responded “That’s what you can do when you have money”
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