As part of the firedoglake preparation for the author’s appearance at fdl’s Book Salon on Sunday, here’s an update on what Eric’s subjects of Chapter Thirteen, Saradise Lost, have been up to since early November, 2008:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s nomination of Anchorage attorney Wayne Anthony Ross, AKA – “WAR,” to be Attorney General, is turning out to be the most divisive cabinet nomination in Alaska history. During nomination hearings in the legislature last week, testimony on Ross was provocative and contentious. Then a bomb shell hit the Palin camp. They won’t recover.

Every day for the past week, another sign the shelf life of Sarah Palin has expired came out. Beginning with volcanic eruptions that revealed unreadiness by the state for an event predicted since January, it ended with the arrest in Wasilla, of Todd Palin’s sister, for burglary. In between these two, were policy and public relations disasters, erupting one dark cloud after another.

Alaska blogger and reporter Denis Zaki arrived in Emmonak yesterday evening. He attempted to attend a meeting this morning between State of Alaska and village officials, but Palin’s people wanted him out of the picture, so the village officials asked him to leave. Dennis is pissed.

A group of Alaska progressive bloggers have formed new political action to push our legislators and others to continue to strive toward ethics reform this coming legislative session, with a concentration on implementing recommendations of the Branchflower Report, and other important ethics issues.