Book Review: "The Pine Barrens", James McPhee, 1967

        As a young journalist, Professor McPhee sought topics for his writing close to home.  The Professor grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, which is located a  bit north of the center of the state.   The journalist's art form-the essay, the column, the in-depth article, seeks to reveal to readers little known facts often overlooked.  The Pine Barrens offered just such a topic:  a place, nearby, that most locals knew a little about, but few knew well.  Mr. McPhee turned his sights on to the Pine Barrens.

     At one time, the area included about 1600 sq. miles of the landscape, but by the 1960's, it was reduced to about 1000 sq. miles, more or less.  This is not inconsiderable in a relatively small state as New Jersey. The Barrens occupy the southeast corner of the state, not including the Atlantic coast.  It's topography is characterized by low undulations without significant high points.   This speaks to the geology of the area formed by glaciation and the retreat of those glaciers over time.  Throughout the area, one can find the reason for the name-Pine Barrens.   The forested landscape is covered with trees: pines, firs, and cedars.  In some parts, the trees are so thick as to limit intrusion by anybody.

      McPhee, a New Jersey native, was raised on the northern edge of the Barrens, at Princeton, a place that would become his touchstone for life(he still resides there and works at the University).  In his early 30's, McPhee felt it was time to explore the region on his doorstep and give it and its inhabitants some scrutiny, and off he went(down the road a piece.)

    On one of his first forays into the Pines, McPhee met two men who would mentor him for years on all topics "Barrens":  Mr. Fred Brown, 79, and Mr. Bill Wasovwich, 26 years old.  They are neighbors, living in a place/town of Hog Wallow with about 23 other residents.  Fred is a widower, father of 7 children, all moved away years ago.  Bill was left behind when his parents decided to leave, one after the other when he was about 15 years old.  He was left to fend for himself; which he has done.   Fred provides advice and guidance based on his vast experience as a father.

        As per McPhee's diligence and skills as a writer/journalist,  he develops background, providing not just history, but depth and substance through connected dots that illuminate local character.  Fascinated by geology, McPhee includes the story of how iron rich minerals were leached from the earth by glaciation and found their way to the streams and bogs of the Barrens.  During the Revolutionary War(1776+++), these iron finds were sourced as material for cannon and shot used by Gen. George Washington, among others.  Smelters were scattered across the low hills and wood-fired kilns consolidated the metal into shot.

      Concurrently, agriculture was found to be wanting due to poor soil conditions: too sandy and lacking nutrients of any sort.  Looking at what grew there, locals fixed on blueberries and cranberries which thrived on cold, clean water that settled in bogs/swamps across the landscape.   Over time, locals figured out what works, and a thriving business of berry farming became the mainstay of the Barrens(today, we know this in the brand:Ocean Spray).

      Modernization of surroundings did occur: highways(two) passed through the area, east and west; and north and south.  Atlantic City was the resort town on the coast cited as the new Las Vegas.  Despite the efforts of former President Donald Trump,  it failed in that regard.   A supersonic jet port made it to the drawing boards complete with housing, adjacent businesses, and recreation facilities.  It went nowhere.  The New Jersey legislature continues to thwart all efforts to change anything, ever.

      With little remarkable features to draw visitors, the area at best, is a draw for deer hunters who visit annually to stock their freezers with venison for the winter.  Bill and Fred often provide guide services in the area around Hog Wallow.  Professor McPhee has done well to shed some light on the area.  Despite its location to the power centers of commerce and government, the Barrens remain foreign to most Americans, and most New Jersey folk as well.

5 stars- It's a good quick, read, in the McPhee genre of journalism.

 

Truckee Airport Closed by Record Snow Fall

      Well, it had to happen:  lots of snow, limited resources, no access roads available, and power outages.  The combination of events caused a closure that lasted days.   With only a small crew to clean both hangar access and runway clearance, the director of operations was forced to announce a suspension of operations.  Citing FAA rules, Tahoe/Truckee Airport suspended ops last Monday.  Many pilots whose planes were on the ground, some covered, some not, had to make other plans to travel.  Those who had to go went to Reno International Airport.   Operations in Reno continued throughout the snowstorm which had little effect on the ground there.

      At an elevation of about 5900', Tahoe Truckee is susceptible to all weather that sweeps the Sierra from west to east.  Given its vulnerable geographic location, a wide open bluff top, surrounded by 30' tall pine trees, it's not surprising that closures regularly occur, especially during winter snowstorms.

     Are you flying in and out of Tahoe/Truckee airport?  Keep up to the minute on conditions.

Snowfall: New Record Amount

      So, you think there's a lot of snow out there?  You are correct.   The monthly record for December has been shattered, not broken, but beat up badly.    How many 'feet' then and now?  Let's check:

Old record:

         179.0"

New record:

          193.7"

24 hour total:

 38.9"

     Bottom line lots of snow!  But I-80 is closed, so no skiers can arrive to enjoy the feast of powder.  Oh, well.

James Webb: Immortalized by a Telescope

 Well, folks, the deep space searching telescope is on its way.  Where is it going?  Nowhere place.   Unspecified except for some esoteric coordinates only astronomers can appreciate.   It will be out there a long ways, putting it simply.  The telescope, in development for decades, will advance knowledge of our "universe", and expand our understanding of the space/time conundrum.   The James Webb telescope has a very large mirror, the main source of information gathered by the instrument.  It will "see" things, objects or events, in the distant pass that only now are reaching us with help from the scope.

        This instrument will replace the Hubble telescope, the workhorse of the last 30 years or so, that took photos of formerly unseen events that occurred in outer space.  What's the difference between the two?  First, and foremost, the Hubble collected only visible light, that is, objects we could see.   The Webb scope will take images of space across a different light spectrum: ultra violet light.  This capability will enhance its light-gathering ability and allow us "to see" much more into deep space.  Astronomers fully expect to see back in time to the origins of the universe, out galaxy included.   Scientists also hope to gather data that will shed 'light' on our own universe: the Milky Way.  We will perhaps be able to discern with some accuracy, the  end of our existence-the death of our "star" that will mark the end of earth and its inhabitants(us).  

      Our investigative tool is not all about black holes, outer limits, red dwarfs, and such, but actually a chronicle of our own technological advances, from optics to computers.  Who could have envisioned the iphone 20 years ago or, more importantly, its impact on our lives?  Who could foresee the demise of the lowly telephone, a symbol of pedestrian communication for generations?   Disruptive forces have become commonplace, and little is known about the long term effects.

      For the next month, the James Webb Scope will be adjusted and placed in its "home".   Its sunshield will be unfolded(made by Northrup Grumman in Redondo Beach,CA).  This is the key to its longevity.  Without a sunshield, the scope would burn up.   The orientation of the scope will also be tested and directed according to plan.   In a month or so, new information will be transmitted back to earth: a revolution is upon us.  Get ready.

Traveling This Week?

      So, Joe Biden addressed the nation yesterday and listed steps to be taken to right away.  These steps are government actions that will deal with the variant of Covid-19 called Omicron that has emerged in the last 3 weeks, and has proven to be exceptionally contagious.  This variant now accounts for 75% of new cases in the US.   More work is being done in labs around the country to identify the variant's characteristics and how it affects the infections that result.  Of course, this new variant comes while the world is coping with the Delta variant that emerged mid year, 2021, and is still around causing more infections than the original Covid.

        Beijing is starting to get a little anxious with the Winter Olympic Games only 6 weeks away,  Should the Communists cancel the Games?  Why of course, if they are concerned about the health of the athletes, the officials, the locals.  But will they have the spine to postpone?  Hardly, they are Commies, they do what's good for the Party first, and foremost.  Xi JP, president, wants the Games to go on; he wants the publicity; he needs the publicity to further his hold on the Party.

We'll see.  Where is Ms. Peng?  The world waits.

Russyan Hacker Extradited to US

      So, the US wins one, finally, against another Russyan criminal.  This time the perp will answer for his alleged crimes to a court in the US, a long way from Babushka Land and its FSB, or Putin's Junk Yard Dogs.   This particular perp is a 41 year old professional hacker, having been implicated in many nefarious plots to cause cybersecurity problems for governments and corporations around the world.  He's now have to: 1) get some lawyers, 2) go to lockdown, 3) change his life style,4) forget about his girlfriend, 5)forget about his future, 6) forget about a normal life, 7) forget about new friends, 8) forget about family, 8) remember his former life, 9) remember what "normal" was like before this unfortunate turn of events, 10) remember the winters in Moskova, 11) remember to curse the man who gave him a laptop computer, 12) and finally, to curse the name Putin for his imprimator on his actions.  Oh, well, as I've said before, Russyans are not ready for prime time engagement with the real world.  They want Czarist Russya to return, so dissenters can be exiled to Siberia and the whole population can live in fear on a daily basis.

Nobel Prize in Economics To Erdogan?

        I thought a little black humor would be entertaining this first day of winter, 2021.  Yes, yesterday was the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, or the top half of Mother Earth, or the half that counts, or the half that teeters because it is weighed down by too many humans.  So, Turkey, presided over the delusional President Erdogan, has recovered some of the value of its currency, the Turkish Lira.  The local Lira has been under some recent pressure-we call it in the West inflation.  It occurs when prices for goods increase rapidly, causing anxiety among the population.

       Mr. Erdogan has been a politician for many years, banking on the nation's acceptance of a secular government following in the footsteps of its predecessor government.  However, Mr. Erdogan has fallen under the influence of conservatives, often commenting on his own muslim faith, and his adherence to its precepts.  One of which prevents faithful muslims from charging interest on borrowed funds.  It's not a huge step from that position to the current government position of Turkey to lower interest rates, despite the obvious conflict with accepted economic theory which holds that government central banks should raise interest rates to curb inflation.  No, says Mr. E.  : lower them to boost the creation of jobs and the production of more goods and services.  Poor Ratrap Erdogan.  Perhaps he's smoking hashish, or drinking too much coffee, or staying up watching Late Night, or maybe too much soaking in the hot tub.  Whatever he's doing, his thinking is warped and it has hastened the country's sharp decline, and has permanently damaged his reputation and his ability to govern his country.  Now perhaps he has an unknown strategy that will reveal itself soon.  Perhaps he's thinking long term: look at the just announced plan for the citizens:

      One can deposit funds in any bank, choosing a term for locking in a guaranteed rate of interest: 3 mos., 6 mos., nine, or 12 months with a rate set by the central bank.  At the end of the term, if the Lira value falls, the government would make up the difference by depositing the amount in the account holders name. The government has not indicated where the funds would come from that would be paid out.   Ha ha, ha, ha: aren't governments and politicians wonderful?  They can say anything they want and have no accountability, unless booted out of office after the fact.

      Old Ratrap Erdogan fits right in with the rest of the world's liars and producers of lies and instability.  He fits right in with the Orange Baboon recently ejected from the White House.  Old Ratrap won't be around much longer as the citizens can only take so much B.S. from a sitting president.   Look at Chile: the people just elected a 35 year old former protester as president.  We love to see these upstarts have a chance to derail a government. Keep watching Turkey and Chile.  (No, it's not a recipe for Thanksgiving).