Wolves & More
In the late ‘50’s biologist Farley Mowat, graduate of the University of Toronto, was assigned to the rural Keewatin region north of Manitoba, Canada. His mission was to study wolves. His experiences inspired him to write Never Cry Wolf. Published in 1963, it became an international best seller despite harsh criticism from those who labeled it fiction. Having almost zero aptitude for science, I won’t comment on that except to say that attitudes toward wolves have changed considerably since his one-year sojourn. There was once a bounty on wolves, believed to be wanton killers. Farley claims the one he observed killed only what they needed to survive, and often subsisted on mice. Today the species is protected by law. Where the truth lies, I haven’t a clue, but I enjoyed the book, which reads like a sort of adventure. The most surprising aspect is its sparkling prose, polished without being pretentious or too technical, only minimally overwritten. There is abundant humor, chiefly in the clash of cultures between the white man and his occasional Eskimo visitors. I also enjoyed the broadsides at bureaucracy, and the segment on making a mice stew. The 164 pages of the Bantam paperback read like considerably less. All five readers who have rated it at Amazon gave it five stars. I rate it four. Mowat had more than 40 books published. Never Cry Wolf was his twelfth. He was a combat veteran of WWII and was also assigned to an intelligence outfit. His life’s work earned him many minor literary awards and honorary degrees. He passed away in 2014 at 92. (Facts from Wiki) Here’s a pic from the 1983 film adaptation that starred Charles Martin Smith, who played Toad in American Graffiti (1973).
Headline of the day, from nypost.com: “Cop’s Tesla runs out of battery power during high-speed chase.” Appropriately, it happened in California. And here’s the most interesting headline, same source: “Dems’ impeachment drive is all about hurting Biden.” And here’s a hopeful one for those who use the product, from foxnews.com: “Fish oil reduces heart attack risk, study finds.”
The wolves have been stalking President Trump since his election. Every two weeks or so they’ve tried a new tactic. So far none has taken him down. Will the latest Ukraine-related details finally lead to impeachment? Since I’m pro-Trump, it’s hard for me to be objective. I hope the counter arguments I’m hearing from conservative talk show hosts are true. Even if they are, the facts are not likely to be reported by the mainstream media — unless they really want to throw Biden under the bus — but it doesn’t look like they can do that without sacrificing one of their sacred cows, Hillary. That would completely reverse one of the scenarios they’ve clung to — foreign interference in the election of 2016. They would have to practice real journalism on the political front. I doubt they have that in them.
I came across a new term in an article at foxnews.com: “‘Incels’ are part of a subculture who identify as involuntarily celibate, meaning they are unable to find romantic partners even though they desire one.” Two of the recent mass-shooters were described as such.
Business was brisk for the second straight day at the floating book shop. Here’s what sold: Smash Cut by Sandra Brown, The Nazi Officer’s Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith Hahn Beer & Susan Dworkin, The Enormous Room poetry collection by E.E. Cummings, seven kids books, five books in Russian, a huge Laurel & Hardy pictorial, audio books by Danielle Steel & John Grisham, and Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury. My thanks to all the buyers.
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