Anchorage Daily News
"This Eskimo village sits on the edge of the continent, part
shantytown, part suburb, part Wild West. One can't go farther west
without stepping into the Bering Sea, and, just beyond, onto the
frosty eastern tip of Siberia. No roads lead to Hooper Bay, which is
why the modern world has taken its time coming here, and then only in
spots. Clusters of plywood shacks stand a short distance from
subdivisions of look-alike modular homes. There's no running water
but lots of VCRs and satellite dishes and computers hooked up to the
Internet. One of the more curious aspects of life here has to do with
firearms. Every household has an assortment of rifles and shotguns.
When people are hungry, they go out and shoot something, like a
walrus in the surf. Every adult has legal access to guns -- except
the police." (11/07/04)