Buying Facts, Not Propaganda

Worldwide Terror incidents 2000 – 2006
Originally uploaded by AlaskanLibrarian.
In a Friday speech, President Bush once again attacked the good faith and intelligence of people who oppose the war in Iraq:
Some have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists, by fighting them in Iraq we are making our people [...]

Today’s Heroes are Republicans

With the depressing passage of the Military Commissions Act, widely believed to not only authorize indefinite detentions, but to also allow techniques widely recognized as torture by other countries, the use of coerced confessions, and allow the President to declare US Citizens as enemy combatants under vague standards; I wish to salute the following Republican [...]

Future of media lives in Talkeetna

One of the great things about the Internet is the explosion of independent media and the loosening grip of Big Media on music. Whole Wheat Radio, a Talkeetna, Alaska based web radio station has been leading the way for the past five years.
What do they play? I’ll let them answer:
We focus on independent musicians in [...]

Muslim Child and other good books

While listening to a recent LISRadio podcast, I came across a “Tiger Eye Reading Room” interview with Canadian Muslim author Rukhsana Khan. Ms. Khan is the author of Muslim child, a book that translates the five pillars of Islam into children’s stories. Based on her description of the first chapter, this book will be an [...]

Virtually walk among the totem poles

Have you wanted to visit Southeast Alaska and learn about Alaska Native culture in this area? One site that gives you a taste of this is Carved History, a virtual walk among the totem poles gathered in Sitka National Park. The virtual walk takes you to each of these totem poles:

Saanaheit Pole & House Posts
Yaadaas [...]

Librarian 1 Google 0 – Bush pilot bio

Recently a patron asked for help in locating a book by or about the famous Alaskan bush pilot Don Shelton who flew out of Talkeetna in the 1960s. The patron had searched extensively on Amazon and Google but was unable to locate a book.
So I tried WorldCat via FirstSearch and found a Don Shelton, but [...]

No one felt like critiquing nonviolence

After someone accused me of cherry-picking examples of successful nonviolence, I issued a challenge to anyone who felt similarly to send me examples of times that nonviolence/nonviolent resistance had failed, which it has at times. I gave people a week to send in their examples and my hope was that we could have some interesting [...]

Eagle feeding

Eagle feeding
Originally uploaded by AlaskanLibrarian.
It’s rare that I get an eagle shot from my window that doesn’t involve an eagle on his post or flying away. But here we are. Guess the eagle wanted to see what the ravens were so interested in!.

If President doesn’t like Geneva, dump it!

At a recent news conference, President Bush complained about the vagueness of article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and how it was blocking his aggressive interrogation techniques. Techniques which are conceeded to include the simulated drowning technique of water boarding.
Meanwhile, supporters of the President are arguing that Geneva is irrelevant because no one follows [...]

Who’s Afraid of the big bad wolf – Not Alaskans!

Back in 2002, the Division of Wildlife Conservation of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game produced this report:
A case history of wolf-human encounters in Alaska and Canada by Mark E McNay.
The report was produced in response to a wolf attack in northern Alaskan. Examining reported wolf attack cases since 1970, Mark E McNay concluded, [...]