Go Palin!

McCain's selection of Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his running mate is a smart move. Not only does he put a woman on the ticket, which is long overdue, he also reaches out to conservatives in a big way. And, my polar bear suit gets a big boost of credibility. On August 24, 2008, we submitted our notice of intent to challenge the listing of the thriving polar bear as a "threatened" species. Our suit will be filed around September 24. I was interviewed on the Glenn Beck show about our suit a couple of months ago. Subsequently, Gov. Palin was interviewed on the show about the State of Alaska's suit challenging the listing. Her interview can be seen here. Prior to the listing, she had an interesting op-ed published in the New York Times explaining her opposition to the listing.

Last week, I was interviewed by FoxNews TV for an expose on the polar bear that is supposed to underscore our side of the issue. I am told that will be aired sometime next week. That story is more timely now that Gov. Palin has been nominated. I suspect McCain will take some hits from the Left over choosing an "anti-environmental" candidate. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

If you get a chance, check out our polar bear page here.

Ruminations on the Olympics

I love the Olympics! The Beijing Olympics were no exception. I spent every possible moment in the past two weeks watching whatever I could. I find the very thought of the entire world participating in a common endeavor inspiring in the extreme. There were some wonderful back stories and many exceptional performances. From open to close the Olympics were thrilling. It didn't hurt watching the events on a widescreen TV in high def. The images were just amazing! I felt an actual sense of loss when the olympic torch was extinguished.

Highlights
*Lezak's final leg of the 4x100m swim relay
*Phelp's fingertip win in the 100m butterfly
*Dara Torres' silver medal win in the women's 50m freestyle at age 41
*Men's gold medal basketball match
*Men's gold medal volleyball match
*Women's gold medal soccer match
*Bolt's 100m and 200m runs
*Men's and women's 4x400m relays
*Artemev's performance on the pommel horse in team comp

Disappointments
*Dara Torres' hairsbreadth silver medal finish in the women's 50m swim
*Bolt's showboating in the 100m dash
*Shaun Johnson's missteps in the women's gymnastics
*Legat's DQ from the 1500m and poor showing in the 5000m runs
*Men's and women's DQ from the 4x100m track relays
*Controversy over Chinese women gymnasts
*Taekwondo competitor kicking ref in the face for a bad call

Pet Peeves
*Lack of coverage for the less popular events
*Michael Phelps mother
*NBC attempts to create controversy
*Knucklehead questions asked of the atheletes
*Michael Phelps mother
*Constant coverage of beach volleyball
*Endlessly repetitive commercials
*Michael Phelps mother

Stomach-Turning Shocker
*Weightlifter's arm bending backwards

Reunion

The July family reunion in Oak Harbor was one of the funnest events I've experienced in years. It's hard to describe how wonderful it is to see family members enjoying themselves playing, talking, eating, hiking, boating or just "hanging out." We have such a neat family. I just wish the reunion didn't have to end. Thanks to Jonathan, we have hundreds of pictures to remind us of our favorite moments.

It was really great having our immediate family together for a short while. Anna and Jonathan came early and Kristina, Amara and Ethan were able to stay after the reunion for a week. I loved every moment of it, but we would have loved to have spent more time with Alan and Joe. Thanks guys for coming and making the reunion something special.