There are a variety of browsers out there for our Web surfing these days.
I've tried many of them and have settled on Safari for my daily work on the mac, and Firefox for when I'm surfing in Windows7. I really don't like Internet Explorer, and none of the other Mac-based browsers like Omniweb, Camino, Opera ever really worked for me.
One of the nicest things about Firefox is the amazing set of plug-ins that are available for it. I've found them to be stable, highly customizable, and pretty elegant too. Some of the better ones I've found are Zotero, Adblock (wonderful), Cooliris which is amazing, and even the personas are nice for changing Firefox "skins".

Safari on the other hand, even though it's a fantastic browser, and I love the feature of sending an entire web-page as an email, has real problems with the whole plug-in thing. Ever since Snow Leopard, the plugins have been unstable at best. First up, is that you can't run Safari in 64-bit if you want to run any of the plugins at all. So back to 32-bit it is. That's no problem in and of itself, however for whatever reason, the cocktail of plugins that I find to be most optimal at this point, don't play well together. The list follows:

Safaristand
Glims
Cooliris
1password
Videobox
WebSnapper.

Now I've made sure that I have everything updated all the time, and I've gone and erased and reinstalled my pref-files until I'm blue in the face, but I still can't get the stability that Firefox offers almost everytime.

I've been researching and taking a special type of herb for some time now and I am really impressed by the results. This class of herbs is called the 'Adaptogen' group and many of them have been used for centuries in a variety of cultures.

While studying Taoism at UNC I remember reading about the ancient sages who cultivated Ginseng and various mushrooms in the mountains, claiming that these would give long life and vigor (those sages were always concerned with their chi, or ki in Japanese).

I became more interested in this class of herbs when I realized that I wanted to quit, or at least reduce, my dependance on caffeine while living in Seattle (home to some of the best coffee!).

The first adaptogen that I tried resulted from research that I did on the amazing website iherb.com. I like this website because it has an excellent rating system (something like newegg.com), where many of the more experienced herbalists give explanations as to why they prefer a specific brand, or type of herb.

I tried Rhodiola and Maca at first. Now that I understand more about these two herbs, I generally do not combine them, but at the time I was impressed by the energy that I felt (Maca) along with a general reduction in stress and the need for less sleep. I took them sporadically but I was successful in weaning myself off of coffee completely for about 6 months, and since then I drink much less.

Since then I have been reading many reviews on iherb but I've also been reading online. I ordered a book from Amazon called "Adaptogens, Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief" by Winston and Maimes. I am very impressed with this book and have it here on the table as I write this. The text is an academic text written for the layperson and I can recommend it highly no matter what experience you may already have with herbs.

After reading the book and continuing to research on iherb, I decided to experiment further with adaptogens and began using Eleuthero, which is Siberian Ginseng. I must say that this has had a profound effect on my energy level and mood as well, in that I require less sleep and wake more refreshed each morning. I remember while in Korea that many of the elderly men and women that I met would be practicing Tai Chi Chuan early in the morning, and would then be drinking with me late in the evening. I asked one man the secret of his energy and he showed me the store where he purchased his Ginseng root. Although they may not have been taking Eleuthero (they probably had Panax Ginseng, which is Asian Ginseng), both of these plants are related and the effects can be very similar.

At this point I must admit to a fascination with the stories and effects of these amazing herbs. For those wondering, they are all completely legal and have been used in traditional medicine for literally thousands of years. Taken in moderation, they are completely safe and the effects can range from subtle to dramatic. Currently, the herbs that I am exploring and trying to ascertain their effects on myself are:

Ashwagandha (Indian, adaptogen, calming, strengthening)
Holy Basil Extract (Adaptation to stress, supports healthy blood sugar)
Licorice Root (traditional Chinese medicine)
The Ginsengs (American, Panax, Eleuthero/Siberian
Rhodiola (Russian herb, incredible for athletic energy)
Reishi (Mushroom, stress adaptation, joint pain).

I am hoping to completely replace iboprofen for lower back and joint pain, and to stop coffee more and more completely. Quitting cigarettes I am happy to report took place about 4 years ago, but for those still trying to quit, adaptogens would make a huge difference.

I can't recommend Eleuthero enough, it is really an amazing Ginseng. I look forward to this exciting exploration. It is quite incredible that all of these herbs are now available to us so readily. In the past, emperors and wealthy merchants would have to trade and wait months in order to receive shipments of these amazing herbs. Some of them (Reishi, Rhodiola) were so rare as to be worth incredible sums, and only available for kings.

LINK

I'm working on a book chapter. I'm still trying to organize my writing workflow so that it's streamlined, fast and stable. Unfortunately, although there are lots of software packages available for writing and research, they don't always play well together.

Endnote has been a thorn in my side for some time. Their upgrades are very expensive and it crashes Word 2008 (Mac) on a semi-regular basis. It's much better on the Windows side (Word 2007). I've tried using my Windows 7 Vmware Fusion guest for word processing (for those who haven't tried it, it's great to run both Windows and Mac at the same time!) but it's still clunky and slow for me to move files between the two OSes.

The most exciting tool for my writing lately is called Scrivener. It's a fantastic writing tool that's something like Ableton Live for Audio, you can easily drag and drop sections of your manuscript to create a more cohesive narrative. I find this flexible writing system very powerful and it allows a much more forgiving style of organization than Word.

Word, in general, while still looking very slick, is such a behemoth of a program, takes a while to load and crashes far too often for my liking. I prefer light and fast applications. Bean is another great option, but doesn't offer reference tool integration.

I've been experimenting with Bookends which apparently plays very well with Scrivener. This seems to be an excellent solution. Some of the power users are exporting from Scrivener to LaTeX and rendering there, but I don't think I'll go that route for now as I've seen how complex TeX can get at times. This week I'll keep writing in Scrivener and experiment with inserting references using Bookends.

The last thing I want to mention is the program Papers, it's a fantastic tool for grabbing journal articles but it's been frustrating me a great deal lately due to its clunky browsing system. It's impossible for me to add new tabs even though the developers say that it should be possible! I may have to reinstall it and see what happens...

All in all I would very much like to see more integration between these tools, with easy drag and drop reference management between programs. I want my citations to appear correctly no matter what program I use them in, with stable and light Word Processors providing backup. I hope that the Papers/Scrivener/Bookends system will work out well. The final export will probably be to Word but we'll see.

As always, any suggestions/comments very much appreciated!
Tim

Today I'm teaching a class that I'm excited about, it's called
"Hacking your Mac for Academic Research".
I've been looking forward to this one, it's focusing on Word 2008 for Mac and Endnote integration, the new program called "Papers" for finding research on the web, and a lot of other tips and tricks I've learned while conducting research. All together we'll focus on:

Word 2008
Endnote X1
Iclip
Copypaste Pro
Papers
Skitch
DevonAgent

I've got a Powerpoint, I'll throw it in the downloads section.
I've been busy but as soon as I finish a big project this week I'll start with the video screencast tutorials of some of these great apps!

Until next time :)

It has been a very exciting few months in Seattle. Just on the software front, I've discovered Screenflow, very powerful screencasting software, DevonThink Pro Office for scanning and achieving the goal of a paperless office, and MarsEdit, for blogging! These three packages are simply amazing. I'm teaching a course on using macs for academic research in August, and I will create screencasting tutorials then.

This is my first entry into the new website blog. I have been trying to make a site for quite some time and have finally felt comfortable enough with the software to begin. It is my hope that this site will generate interest in my projects and put me in touch with individuals and groups sharing similar interests and goals, facilitating collaboration.
Please feel free to contact me using the 'contact' page!
This site will become a central hub for my projects, and will eventually host audio, video, and the webstore. The podcasts will also be hosted on this page. Enjoy!
-Tim

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/05/28/arctic-nations.html?ref=rss

Arctic nations will 'follow the rules' in North Pole sovereignty debate.

I am concerned about this Arctic development, as the ‘rules’ that will be followed will invariably be concerned with the economic developing of the signing nations at the expense of the natural resources, culture and environment of the Inuit.

It goes without saying that this land is the hunting ground of the Inuit people.

The main explanation for development in the region is summarized here:

“Interest in the region is intensifying because global warming is shrinking the polar ice, and that could someday open up resource development and new shipping lanes. A U.S. study suggests the region may hold 25 per cent of the world's undiscovered oil and gas”.

Although Canada signed the treaty I am interested in whether the Inuit delegation, including the Makivik Corporation in Nunavik, are involved in this treaty. I will investigate.

Tim Pasch

It has been a while since my last entry, work on the dissertation is progressing well, and I am working on a publication opportunity with Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, director of the Center for Information Assurance here at the UW.
Life in Seattle is excellent, the rains are slowing and spring is definitely here. The possibilities with technology are vast here in the Pacific Northwest.
My concerns for the environment continue to grow, and the prices of gasoline continue to climb, which is definitely a blessing in disguise.
On the technology front I am running VMware Fusion in a Macbook Pro, for the first time using WIndows successfully inside a UNIX system.
I have created a working partition of Ubuntu Linux and am exploring there. The most exciting thing is that I can now run SPSS, Nvivo and Eviews in a Windows Partition on my Mac, making research seamless and preparation for publication much more streamlined. This is a great thing as my life right now is all about publications!
Otherwise, family life is great and I must stay focused on writing the dissertation- it seems endless but slow progress is the key.

The conference was a success. I was very impressed by the experiences of the panelists. Mark Stenge in particular spoke eloquently about the plight of the Marshall islands and all those who live on atolls. Global warming and climate change is affecting us all so far, however for the Inuit and those living closer to the land, the impact is felt much more greatly. Carl Sander from the Burke Museum did a wonderful job organizing, Dr. Stevan Harrell from Anthropology moderated very well, and Terry Williams from the Tulalip Nation brought everything full circle with his powerful teachings concerning the importance of respect for our watershed and realizing that we are all still connected to the Earth- no matter how little some of us may still be aware of it. Qingxia Yang from Tibet spoke of the changes in her native region since her childhood, and they have been dramatic indeed. I am putting my Keynote slide presentation in the downloads section for archival, please feel free to take a look.

My main site is now officially up! The address is
www.timpasch.com
I will be continuing my blog there, however thanks to a new program called MarsEdit I hope to be able to post the blogs here on blogger as well as on my site.
I have been lazy about writing lately however now I hope to begin 2008 with newly inspired writing.
As I have a dissertation to finish I will be writing non-stop...perhaps this practice will assist in motivating me to start early every morning!

Tomorrow is the Focus the Nation conference at the University of Washington. This is a big event for us at the UW- we are joining over 1000 other campuses in our discussion and search for solutions to Global Warming and it's repercussions. I will be presenting at this conference specifically about the impact of climate change on Canada's Northern Communities. It promises to be an important day for Climate change awareness nationally. I've dropped the program for the UW in the downloads section.

Well, I finally was successful in uploading the site today. This was not an easy task, and after the site posted, there was a whole series of technical issues to work through. While there are still so many details that I am not happy with, at least the structure of the site is in place, and I can add edits later.
Today, in addition to working on the site, I was attempting to overclock my main studio computer. This is an art form, as I discovered, and there is a whole litany of tricks, techniques and equipment designed to achieve this goal of getting more speed than you should out of a computer. Unfortunately I pushed things a little too far and for a while I felt like I had destroyed everything. It turns out that I lost a hard drive however.
Luckily it wasn't a critical one and I should be able to restore most of the data. I learned my lesson though- no more overclocking for the time being.

This is my first entry into the new website blog. I have been trying to make a site for quite some time and have finally felt comfortable enough with the software to begin. It is my hope that this site will generate interest in my projects and put me in touch with individuals and groups sharing similar interests and goals, facilitating collaboration.
Please feel free to contact me using the 'contact' page!
This site will become a central hub for my projects, and will eventually host audio, video, and the webstore. The podcasts will also be hosted on this page. Enjoy!
-Tim

TerraPass, a carbon credit based sustainability energy broker (you can offset the carbon emissions from your vehicle or flights through their services) has posted this article on the state of the arctic thaw and the 'no-longer-fabled Northwest Passage'. As I saw in Nunavik, not only language and culture are changing, but the entire geography and way of life are being altered. Now more than ever the Inuit are relevant on the International Stage as the peoples most visibly affected by climate change.

Here's the most recent post from the TerraPass blog:
Go North, young man
by Adam Stein


You may have heard that the Arctic is disappearing. Sea ice is at the lowest level ever recorded. Last month, a chunk of ice the size of Florida (!) disappeared in the span of six days. Polar bears are officially screwed. The no-longer-fabled Northwest Passage has opened up several decades ahead of schedule.

I mention all of this depressing news so that I can bring your attention to the exploits of Ben Jervey, a friend of TerraPass and author of the much-loved Big Green Apple guide to eco-friendly living in New York. Ben right now is on a small boat somewhere north of Greenland, exploring firsthand the effects of climate change in the Arctic.

The trip is part of Cape Farewell, a project that “brings artists, scientists and educators together to collectively address and raise awareness about climate change.” Cape Farewell has a pretty amazingly slick web site that ties together a ton of video and written content, including Ben’s personal blog charting his trip to Greenland and beyond by sailing vessel.

It’s got polar bears, ice bergs, Northern Lights — the whole Arctic enchilada. Check it out.

Go North, young man | Arctic sea ice, Climate change, Northwest Passage | TerraPass: Fight global warming, promote alternative energy

Timothy James Pasch

Arctic thaw opens fabled trade route: "Science & environment: The Arctic's sea covering has shrunk so much that the Northwest Passage has opened up for the first time."

(Via Guardian Unlimited home | Guardian Unlimited.)

Arctic melt opening up Northwest Passage: "PARIS-Arctic ice has shrunk to the lowest level on record, new satellite images show, raising the possibility that the Northwest Passage that eluded famous explorers will become an open shipping lane."

(Via Toronto Star.)

Record sea ice loss opens Northwest Passage: "Sea ice in the Arctic has sunk to its lowest level since satellite record-keeping began, fully opening the most direct route through the Northwest Passage."

(Via CBC | World News.)

NPR : Nations Jostle for a Share of the Arctic: "
 
CLIMATE CONNECTIONS
This article is just one of many articles starting to flood the international media about the Canadian Arctic. This last week in particular has seen a flood of news stories concerning the plight of the polar bear and the vastly underestimated scale of melting ice in the North. Although the polar bear may be an easily identifiable posterchild for Arctic warming, the case of Inuit lands being despoiled through international use of the Northwest Passage are just as critical. Since returning to Seattle from Nunavik I have been taking time to digest all the experiences and have begun organizing my thoughts, it took me a while to get used to things again; my memories of my Inuit family and experiences on the land are very strong and vivid in my mind. Here's another article concerning NOAA's opinion.

NOAA Affirms Sea Ice Will Shrink in Half: "Summer sea ice will probably recede 300 to 500 miles off Alaska's north coast by 2050, compared to the 1980s when ice packs were only 30 to 50 miles off the coast, and decrease to half the size. Mammals dependent on the sea ice, such as polar bears, and fishermen will suffer. Federal scientists compared computer simulations of how warming would affect sea ice with 20 years' of observations.

"

(Via Wired News.)

I was invited to an Inuit Wedding reception in Inukjuaq, and we left home for the event around 6pm. It took place at the Anglican Church in town, and when I arrived there were already about 50 ATVs outside the building. I entered and took in the scene, it was very different from any wedding reception that I had attended before. The bride and groom were seated at chairs at a table facing the crowd, but the guests were seated on the floor (pews had been removed) and everyone was eating seafood with gusto. The fish (mostly char) had been removed from the community freezer and were still frozen, so there were several axes scattered around the room to use in chopping good-sized pieces off the fish, or for chopping off heads or tails. Sea Urchins were also in bowls in the corners. There were also bowls of Western foods, spaghetti, meatballs, salad, fruit, juice, and banana-bread. It was a wonderful combination, the atmosphere was very welcoming, people were all smiling and passing food around, I congratulated the bride and groom in inuktitut and was gracefully thanked, it was a wonderful evening and a very colorful event!

The last few days in Inukjuaq have been passing pleasantly, the family walked up the mountain outside of town yesterday, it was a long walk, about 5 hours there and back! The mountain has "Inukjuaq" written in syllabics up there, and there is an inukshuk on top where we gathered around, drank Inuit tea and talked. Even grandmother walked all the way up, very impressive! The view from the top was amazing, like looking out over the grand canyon, a vast open space with valleys and lakes spread out all around. There were hawks circling overhead and the wind was whipping so hard we took refuge behind the stones.
I noticed so many different types of mushrooms, berries, roots, a herbalist's dream. The grandparents told us about legends of the caribou (they used to be the rulers of the world until the spirits knocked their teeth out!). We saw several complete caribou skeletons on the way up the pass, including one with pelt still on its head and bones. There were several crevasses that we had to avoid while climbing and descending, it would be most treacherous to climb if these were disguised by ice and snow.
On the way down we were attacked by flies, we fled off in all directions, I had to cross a small swamp by jumping on the stable rocks, the insects were in clouds, finally made it through and we all met at an Inuit graveyard, Christian crosses but all handwritten names in Inuktitut, we paid our respects and returned to the boats needed to cross the channel and return home.

Day 5 Sunday

Today we hear over the CB that heavy rain is coming and we need to return back if we don’t want to be stuck on this part of the Hudson for a long time. We pack camp very early (start at 5am) and we are ready to leave with all meats dressed and packed for travel by 730. We check the nets and get some more fish for the cooler on the way back, there are 3 nets to check, J* works very hard in the cold morning water, he is quiet and a hard worker and has a gentle way about him and he is the best hunter on the team. We begin the trip back, this is very difficult, waters are very rough and crash on every wave, soon backs and bones hurt and this continues for several hours. We stop at grandparents’ for a break, this is a welcome respite and we are grateful for the tea and bannick. They accompany us with young I* who is 10 and shows me his new rifle, a .22, very impressive). We relax for a bit before heading off again for the next leg of the return journey, this is a long trip, and I am shown and taught Inuktitut words for the geography on the way back. Seeing the houses of the Inukjuaq community was wonderful, we return before 3pm, then we unload for about an hour. I return back to my Inuit family, utterly exhausted, looking in the mirror I have grown a scraggly beard and am sunburned, but feel that sense of happy deep exhaustedness that means when you lie down you breath a big sigh of contentment…I must say that a shower was very welcome,I take a long rest, download some pictures, and after a few hours walk up the hill to the satellite dishes where I can jump on an internet connection, I spend a few hours up on the hill hood up against the wind checking my email, this has been a wonderful week. I will begin my survey data collection next week and take some time here in town before possibly heading out on the land again.


-

Day 4 Saturday
This morning the mosquitoes are so bad I don’t want to leave the tent. I am told that an amaruq (wolf) was spotted over the ridge at sunrise. There are fresh caribou tracks on the beach. We put on our waterproof and bee-keeping insect gear and head out early, checking nets, and this day is spent cruising the coastline looking for caribou and fishing. The nets are full today with many iqaluqpiq and codfish. We do not see caribou but not from lack of trying, we cruise for miles along the beautiful coast, scanning for antlers and signs. We have language class in the boat today and I learn a lot of vocabulary. We catch some fish, one char gets away after being on the hook, to universal dismay. I am taught local geography, we stop at an island for tea, I am shown goose eggs but these are not taken as the geese are already developing inside. I am shown the herbs that are used to make Inuit tea and there is an arctic spider, very big and I take a picture, they are not sure if it is poisonous. We drink tea, it is bitter but good, we head back on the water, find a mussel bed and harvest some of them, there is target practice but no real shooting, they cannot find the tuktu this time! My guides are berated for not shooting that buck when they saw it…everyone laughs good naturedly but there is some seriousness in it too, the chance was there and they should have taken it they say. We return to camp and we have many, many fish today, nets are again full, we have about 6 big char and many more codfish just from the second checking, the 5 geese left, the one duck and we are in good shape. Everyone wants to try the fire-cooked way, this time we make a really big fire, it is indeed a lovely bonfire, we stand around as the northern lights come out again, there are shooting stars, as the fire dies down we wrap 7 fish and 7 potatoes in foil, we have 3 big char and 5 codfish, the fire is so big that there are plenty of embers, I let them cook slowly for about an hour, the smells are delicious, when they are unwrapped it is like ‘presents’ everyone laughs, we eat with our hands right on the rocks, we gorge ourselves, the steaming char cooked in its own juices on the fire in the cold air was very very nice. Grace was said over the food but it is eaten not with quiet reverence but with lip smacking finger-licking appreciation, the pleasure taken in food here is almost sexual, the animals killed with your own hands and eaten in the same way, there is no distance between you and your food, you take it from start to finish and I think that the Inuit appreciate their food very intensely. We sleep deeply and everyone is completely full for the first time.

Day 3 Friday
Nothing like the smell of fresh naphtha in the morning, tea is made inside the tent, tastes great, I miss my Seattle coffee but this tea is fortified with plants and herbs found by aunt S* yesterday, very nice and fortifying. We are told that it is time to move camp, the conditions here are too windy, we need a calmer place to hunt caribou. In record time the camp is taken down, tents loaded in canoes, everything packed up, we check the nets, jackpot! 2 ducks (in the net) 2 arctic char, 1 is huge and cheers all around, 5 codfish, one duck is released as it is a mother, the other’s neck is snapped with practiced ease, it goes under my feet, codfish are casually thrown in the bucket, char are treated like gold and heads smashed repeatedly before bringing on the boat so that if they drop they will not get away. We stop back at grandfather’s house to bring char, we arrive like heroes with all these fish, celebration, inside the home, on the floor, the char is cut with uluq knives, each chunk of meat is cut into chunks and eaten raw with gusto. Tea is made, everyone loves heavily sugared tea. Grandparents take their time teaching me how to say every object in the house in Inuktitut and laughing at my attempts, this is a fun game (for them!). I get some rainbow trout jerky as a present, bright orange color, delicious and chewy. We’re all full and ready for the journey ahead. I asked the elders questions related to my research, changes that have occurred in their lifetime, they told me about ‘English voices’ (TV/Radio) changing things for them, they are worried about I* their grandson, they want him to grow up in the old ways. They spend a lot of time with him for this, he will stay with his grandparents for the whole time that we are on the land. Grandparents say ‘we are worried about Inuktitut’.
After I while I get hot and take a walk alone, along the beach there are many signs of death, caribou antlers, bones, skulls, a massive ribcage (beluga?), shattered sea urchins, and the theme of life/death comes back again, instead of hiding death, it is celebrated here. Hawks circle overhead and loons: (many) I like that sound very much.
I am called to the boats, we are ready to leave, one last thought that I had on this leg of the trip, about language, about how hard it is to get foreign language TV/news/programming in the US and Canada (I pay 24.95 per month to get one word of Japanese on our TV, the French channel is similarly priced, ditto for Chinese), but English is heard on every single TV and radio I hear up here. I think of what I am told, that current media realities are "realism", this can’t be changed, and hear about idealism of the academy, but I would infinitely rather hear the silence and peacefulness and Inuktitut that I hear today than the English-language advertising that assails me when I head back to town. When I asked my tupiq-mates how they felt about being Inuit, they said “lucky”. When I asked where they would rather be, in town or on the land, they all said “on the land”. We head off on the boats and wave goodbye to the grandparents.

We are on the water for another hour, we turn a corner, suddenly L* shouts tuktu! They point, I see nothing, they point frantically, I still see nothing ☺ My guides see everything, they recognize every birdcall, but I am clueless, we round a corner and finally I see it, a big buck, with a full set of antlers, a prize catch, my guides deliberate, they decide there must be more in the area and choose to head back to camp to tell the others (this will prove to be a sore point for them for the rest of the trip though…general consensus afterward being that they should have shot it immediately). We arrive at camp and everyone is excited, even before camp is set we head out to find the caribou but it has escaped! Everyone is disappointed and we return to camp to find it set up, we lay out nets again, this campsite is very beautiful, a sheltered bay, not windy, but I learn that no wind up here means mosquitoes, more than I have ever seen, bigger, meaner, in clouds and they do not ‘shoo’ off, I am told that dogs left chained to a post have died from mosquitoes when they cannot run away…I am given a beekeeper’s hat to protect my face and all skin must be covered…I am tired and a bit discouraged by all these insects, it’s hot today, I retreat to the tent and take a nap.
I am awakened by the call for hunting, I get up and get waterproof, we head off and look for caribou, I am handed a .243 bolt action rifle with scope to familiarize myself, there is a 10-gauge and 12 gauge shotgun and numerous .22 longrifles, an impressive armory. I shoot the 10 gauge in practice, it is the most powerful weapon I have ever shot, I am told that it will knock me out of the boat if I accidentally pull both triggers at the same time and to be careful. I am impressed by the care that goes into the weapons, these people treat these tools with respect. Also I realize that no meat was brought on this trip, the only food we eat is what we catch, making the hunting even more important. As food is so expensive up here, especially meat, community members are also depending on what is caught during these expeditions to put in the community freezer and on the table.
There is frantic activity and the boat veers off towards an island where I see nothing. We beach and J* is off like a shot running up the hill. The two girls also start running. I hear “Go! Go! In Inuktitut, and find myself running up a hill chasing two girls, J* already having reached the top and over out of sight, not knowing where I am going or why I am there, just running feeling immensely stupid. I puff up the hill much slower than these athletes, I reach the top and there is J* holding two goslings by the neck, they are still alive, he is very happy and proud, the girls are running chasing goslings around the rocks, L* yells “atii!” jolting me out of my stupor, I run after the girls, I catch up with beautiful M*, her face beaming, looking for all the world like a covergirl from teen-beat magazine, kneeling on the jugular of this gosling and crushing the life out of it, her friend Li* is running chasing another one, L* spurs me on and then I spot one, cringing in fear under a rock, and here is where a change came over me, there is a big difference between seeing a cute, cuddly fuzzy baby goose as a pet, and seeing it as dinner, with your friends depending on you, and I chased that gosling along the rocks until I caught it around the neck. They yelled at me to wring its neck, I must say that I have never done this before, I spun it around, and it was still screaming out, and then I realized that I was just making it suffer, and then I spun it the way I should have done in the first place, and the bones just dropped out, it went limp in my hands and twitched before going still. And here another change came over me, at first when I was holding it before it died, it was warm and cute, and I felt affection, but after it died, I felt the blood running and it got colder, and I felt revulsion as I think we do for dead things, but I wanted to feel like the Inuit do, and I urged myself to continue feeling love for it even though it was dead, and not to hold it as if it were a cold clammy dead goose, but to hold it as a lover would and cherish it because it was going to feed the family. And my grip changed from a harsh grip to a softer grip and I carried it back to the boat where we had 5 of them, making this a very successful afternoon. Everyone was elated. I saw a full caribou skull with antlers on the beach before we left that island that day.
We got back to camp, everyone very pleased with our catch, there are 2 char and 3 codfish in the nets. I speak with S* about her experience growing up in Resolute Bay on a government outpost (this is one of the most northern communities of them all, except for maybe Grise Fjord?) she tells me of walrus and arctic tern and that it is a truly cold place there. I believe her ☺ I also tell her my plan that I want to cook come fish and meat on a fire tonight, I feel the need for something cooked, we have wood as there is a wrecked cabin here (wood is rare as we are above the treeline), so I make a fire, this is a big event even for the girls, fires are rare, I make a small fire, we have some tinfoil that we can spare, I wrap some fish and the goose I killed in foil (S* prepares it for cooking in record time, feathers/insides gone in about 5 minutes), we wait until the wood burns and only glowing embers are left, I put the foil-wrapped fish and goose in the coals, the sizzling smells attract the whole camp, curious at this way of cooking, then the Northern Lights come out, as we open the packages, the goose is cooked perfectly in its own juice, I distinctly remember the girls tearing away at that goose like lusty vikings, everyone was impressed but there was not enough for everyone, we decide that we will have a bigger feast cooked like this tomorrow. I felt good having contributed to the community, it felt good seeing people eating what I had killed, a kind of pride.

Day 2.
Thursday- We wake up to heavy rain and wind, rain batters the tent and wind vibrates the taut strings, a strange and wonderful music. Not one drop enters the tupiq, it does not move in the wind. We are on a plain, these are strong winds. I reluctantly go outside for a call of nature, I am battered by this weather, I am glad to get back in the tupiq, my tent in Seattle would not last in this, flexible tent poles would bend/snap. I sleep again, the rain stops. I go outside, lovely colors, water so clear and fresh. We walk up the hill, brother J* shows me the inuksuk his grandfather made, a small one, big views of the countryside. Tracks on the beach say ‘tuktu’ caribou. I am told there are mammoth bones near the lake 3 hills over. We check the nets in full waterproof gear, I am told seriously to not get wet whatever else I may do. I am told never to walk alone, I hear the word amaruq a lot (arctic wolf). Gulp ☺ we check the nets, 3 codfish, 1 iqaluqpiq- Arctic Char! We eat raw char cut into strips and niritsaijuq (bannick) bread, wonderful. Today we are told that the weather is not good for tracking caribou so it is a fishing day, we spend the day fishing on the rocks, wind gusting, beautiful rocks everywhere, salt spray. Fishing all day, we catch many codfish, we are hungry, the day passes, I am called for ‘snacktime’, what to eat?, L* is wading with a net, I see the girls laughing as they smash something against the rocks, I am handed an urchin, instructed to throw it against the stone, it shatters after several tries, the orange part is good to eat, in Japan they call it ‘uni’, this is a delicacy! I have never enjoyed it in Japan but here in the frigid water it is just delicious, I eat with gusto, we feel great. I pass a dead seagull, I am told it was shot ‘qukutimut’ (with a rifle, for trying to eat the drying char). We catch mussels, eat them raw as well, they are lovely. L* catches a fish I recognize from diving as a stonefish, I know these are very poisonous in tropical waters, I yell out in warning, am looked at like a lunatic ☺ apparently in the North these are good to eat…oops
Some caribou soup is delivered to the man’s tent where I sleep, it is delicious, the first meal for today, until we catch more food we won’t have a real meal, I feel strangely strong although the food has been scarce, the water is so fresh and the urchin and mussels were very fortifying. I sleep again so comfortable in the tupiq. Before sleeping I am told why we (whites) are called ‘qablu (bushy eyebrow) naat (fat gut)’. I fit the bill perfectly! :)
I woke up very early 4am, went outside and looked around, the moon was out, stars going on forever, very clear and fresh air. I am dreaming a lot and thinking clearly up here!
I slept again and these tupiq are toasty.

Journal Entry- Hunting Expedition Day 1.

Wednesday- today is a waiting day, J* and L* are anxiously watching the weather. I am told to prepare, we don’t know when we will return. Noon, and word goes out that we leave soon. Buzzing activity, we meet on the beach with a small army of little ikajuqti (helpers). We leave to cheers, over to the lake to fill huge bottles with drinking water. 3 hours on the water, a stop for a tea break. We practice grammar, today the 'najaq/kisiani' forms (if/then), it’s so hard! We are 10 on the trip, in 2 boats. C* the leader calls a stop for a tea break, we disembark, A* the little baby inuk girl is so cute in parka, teenaged girls M* and I* see an arctic hare, I run up clumsily to film it, they look at the big qablunaat disdainfully and whisper behind cupped hands. Little brother IO* fishes, gets his lure stuck in a rock, cool older brother helps him get the lure out. Tea is delicious, Bannick bread even better, we speak Inuktitut over tea, the wind is whipping, raining a bit, it’s very cold.
After another hour we pull into a small inlet, grandparent’s house ☺ they have a nice boat, they meet us at the beach, toothless grins, Inuktitut only, I tell them I want to catch many arctic char (iqaluqpiq) they double over laughing for a good 2-3 minutes at the qablunaat, everyone smiling, they like this funny qablunaat…some other hunters arrive at this waypoint after their expedition, they are fully equipped with hip-waders, they have much meat.
We depart for the next leg of the voyage, we are moving north along the Hudson coast, we travel another hour at least. We set nets before arriving, rocks on both ends, blocking off an inlet, hoping for char. we finally arrive at the campsite, we disembark but it’s getting dark we must work fast. I have never seen a camp set so quickly, wood is cut and my first view of ‘tupiq’ inuit tents: the first word I learned but I never thought they would be like this, semi-rigid structures, wood beams inside and outside, supported by rocks, ultra heavy duty canvas and skin, these are nomadic moveable houses, they are 100% stable in the heaviest winds and very warm on the inside. They are nailed through the canvas onto the wood for extra support. There is no dinner, we have not caught anything yet. We have some bannick waybread but this is important and we have to save it. The tupiq is warm, we are exhausted after the rough open water travel, we sleep quickly and deep.