Alaska

Slate: In the ’80s, a basketball standout nicknamed “Sarah Barracuda” gamely stepped onto the court despite a stress fracture, determined to lead Wasilla High School to a state championship. That Barracuda was Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president (according to her Wikipedia page). McCain’s pick of Palin means a fifth presidential/vice presidential debate should be added to the calendar. A cross-ticket game of horse between Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. Obama has the upper hand because he plays…

When your state governor gets tapped as VP by a major political party, here’s two suggestions for your news coverage: 1) It helps to spell the name of the presidential candidate correctly: Several national news media are reporting that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been chosen by Sen. John McClain to be his vice presidential running mate. That’s especially true when you spell his name properly the eight following times. (Update: They fixed the error.) 2) Also, I understand that…

My buddy Daniel Zhu just got a job as a ranger/French interpreter at Katmai National Park in Alaska. Here’s how his first few weeks have gone: Alaska has been a blast so far! My first few weeks at Katmai National Park was been nothign less than an adventure. The weather has been unpredictable, with 70 mph winds and snow. There have been wild animal sightings everywhere. And I live in a tent frame cabin. My first two weeks at Brooks…

I remember reading “Into the Wild” when I was in 11th grade, and being very captivated by its 14-year-old tale of Chris McCandless and his love of the outdoors and the road. After watching the film last night, and coming back to the story for the first time in about 10 years, I’m still leaning to my initial gut reaction: the guy led a wondrous life, had a great heart, wanted to go on this romantic journey, and all of…