Three Days at Sea That Have Nothing to Do With Politics – Day One.
By Jeanne Devon I just got back from a few days out on the water. Upon my return, I was faced with two choices – 1) Spend a couple days catching up and writing about politics 2) Take you along with me on the boat trip and write about something that has nothing to do with politics. I opted for the latter. If you are looking for a scathing post about Sarah Palin, or why Sean Parnell is even worse, or a long reverie about what flavor pie* I’d like to throw at Mayor Dan Sullivan, you’ll have to come…
Voices from the Flats: The Anonymous Bloggers on Palin’s “Fishing Philosophy”
We here at Mudflats have great respect for the writers at the wonderful blog “Anonymous Bloggers,” who live and work in Rural Alaska and other locations outside of “Los Anchorage.” I am especially excited when they pool their experience and write a post on one of the most confusing aspects of Alaska life — fishing rules and regulations. Here, Alaska Pi and Ugavic address Palin’s audacity while visiting New Hampshire in pretending that she had a clue about fishing regs and what was good for Alaska. I encourage you to go to the blog and read the original post and…
Open Thread – Rock Ptarmigan
Anchorage is full of all sorts of interesting wildlife, but the humble ptarmigan is often overlooked. Ptarmigan have a couple things going for them. First is the cool silent “P” at the beginning of their name. Second, the Alaska State Bird is a ptarmigan, specifically a Willow ptarmigan. It isn’t, as you may have heard, this: It is also rumored that ptarmigan are delicious, but I cannot vouch for that personally. I much prefer them in situ. The fellow up there on the rock is the appropriately named ‘rock ptarmigan.’ Go figure [photo h/t Spouse]
Governor Sean Parnell and House Forfeit Alaska Sovereignty
By Shannyn Moore I was 8 years old and Frank McMichael was the most curmudgeonly man I’d ever met. He was the first person I’d heard cuss. Oscar the Grouch had Frank McMichael eyebrows. Frank carried a .44 revolver. Instead of a mattress, he slept on stacks of cardboard. At the time, my family was new to setnet fishing. The best memories of my life were on the west side of Cook Inlet — living in a bunkhouse built of cannery crates, with Visqueen windows, an outhouse and a creek. Frank had moved to the west side after World War…
Open Thread – Where in the World are the Authors?
Blind Allegiance co-authors have been busy! Frank Bailey has been doing back to back interviews in the Big Apple with everyone from Lawrence O’Donnell to Sean Hannity to The View and CNN. Be sure to look for him tomorrow on Inside Edition. Jeanne Devon appeared on Sun Network News in Ottawa with David Akin, and you can catch her tomorrow live streaming at Radio or Not with Nicole Sandler at 7:30am Alaska time, 11:30am ET. Ken Morris had a great interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, and will be seen nationally on NBC news channels. I’ll keep you posted as…
A Belated Apocalyptic Legislative Wrap-Up from Les Gara
Well, it seems like the only thing that got raptured yesterday was the internet service at Mudflats Central. It gave me a day off the grid, but it also meant that the Pre-Apocalyptic newsletter that I was going to post from our friend Rep. Les Gara is now a little past its apocalyptic prime… But the information is still important and very relevent, so we’ll just go with the irony of my raptured online service, and enjoy it anyway. My theory is that the rapture actually did happen, but nobody was eligible. Carry on. ************************************************* By Rep. Les Gara You…
Oyster Roundup – Shuck ’em!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Grab your metaphorical cocktail sauce and belly up to the oyster bar for some tasty news nuggets from Alaska and beyond… Bigfoot Goes to Ketchikan? Stop the presses! Mysterious shaggy grey ape-like creature almost clearly spotted through foliage and almost conclusively captured on shaky video by breathless videographer! Is it or isn’t it? You can watch the video yourself and make the call. This is the first time a Bigfoot has been spotted in Ketchikan, and only the 22nd such sighting in Alaska. And frankly, I think…
Governor Scott Walker Snubbed: Request for Rail Funds Denied, WI on Hook for $150 Million
By Patrick DePula During his gubernatorial campaign, Governor Scott Walker consistently labeled the $800 million Wisconsin received in federal high speed rail funds as a waste of tax payer dollars, an Obama Administration boondoggle, and completely unnecessary. Shortly after winning his election, he got his wish; US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood happily took back the money allotted to Wisconsin and redistributed it to other states who actually desired to enter the 21st century, provide transportation alternatives and create jobs. Governor Walker then touted the loss of the money as a huge win for his administration, and the taxpayer. Fast forward a couple…
Oyster Roundup!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Derby Day! That’s right. Today with your plate of tasty oyster news nuggets, you can also enjoy a mint julep. (pause while that sinks in) OK, maybe not the best combination, but you understand my metaphorical drift. It should be an interesting race today. There are 19 horses in this year’s race, and there’s a great summary in the Wall Street Journal (linked above) for those of you looking for a quick primer. It’s been a long, strange trail to the 137th Kentucky Derby, which gets underway…
Voices from the Flats – The BP Gulf Disaster Taught Us Lessons We Already Knew
By Hal Shepherd, Acting Executive Director, Kachemak Bay Conservation Society Homer, Alaska The BP Oil Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last year should serve as a stark reminder to Alaskans just how vulnerable our fisheries and the families they support are to spilled oil. Alaska is no stranger to such events. Cook Inlet, which supports one of the state’s premier commercial and sport fishing economies, is a clear example of what we have to lose if an uncontrollable well blowout occurs here. Such an incident is not so difficult to imagine. Right now, two independent oil companies, Houston-based Escopeta…