Palin: Waterboarding is Baptism for Terrorists
It was reported a couple weeks ago that Sarah Palin, speculating on the whereabouts of the still-missing Malaysia Airlines plane, said it had “flown straight to heaven.” It turned out she hadn’t said that at all. The quote was part of an article written on one of the infamous news satire websites that continually dupe unsuspecting users of the internets. The good ones hit so close to the mark, it’s hard to tell. A couple days ago, Sarah Palin was quoted speaking on the United States’ CIA torture program saying, “If I was in charge, they’d know that water boarding…
First Comes Exxon, Then Comes God – Mayflower Arkansas hit by Tornado
Mayflower: Deadly Tornado Sweeps Through Arkansas Town That Endured ExxonMobil Tar Sands Pipeline Spill in 2013 (via Desmogblog) Mon, 2014-04-28 16:59Steve Horn On March 29, 2013, ExxonMobil’s Pegasus tar sands pipeline ruptured in Mayflower, Arkansas, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of diluted bitumen (“dilbit”) pouring down the town’s streets. Now, just over a…
Arctic Oil Spill Readiness Virtually Nonexistent
Report: Arctic Oil Spill Readiness Virtually Nonexistent (via Desmogblog) Thu, 2014-04-24 11:16Farron Cousins Sea ice in the Arctic Circle is currently melting at a pace far greater than scientists had originally projected. While this is bad news for the planet — sea ice helps reflect the sun’s rays and keeps the arctic…
Sexual Assault in Nat’l Guard: Parnell Knew
On Feb. 28, 2014, our governor, Sean Parnell, wrote a letter asking the Department of Defense to investigate “reports of sexual assaults and other behavior creating a hostile environment and culture within portions of the Alaska National Guard.” He explained that he was compelled to request the investigation by “information I recently learned.” That was not true. In fact, it was very far from the truth. Military officers had risked their careers to tell the governor personally that female soldiers had been sexually assaulted by other Guard members and that those assaults were not only not investigated, they were covered…
Bird of the Week – Glaucous-winged Gull
WC is an unabashed Laridophile, a gull lover. And in coastal Alaska, one of the most common Alaska gulls is the Glaucous-winged Gull. The Glaucous-winged is a four-year gull, meaning it takes four years to reach maturity. Each year, each young bird goes through at least two different plumages, as do adults. So you have at least eight different-looking gulls, that are all Glaucous-winged. It can make gull identification a challenge. Adult breeding Glaucous-winged birds are fairly straightforward: a large gull, with no black in the wings or tail, and medium grey wings. Hard core birders also note the small…
Why Did John McCain Choose Palin?
Books have been written, movies have been filmed, pundits have… pundicized. But no one really knew the answer to the most asked question of the 2008 Presidential campaign. Why the f*** did John McCain choose then Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate? Well, he finally answered that question on (of all places) Late Night with Seth Meyers. Check it out. hat tip to Mediaite
Bird of the Week – Northern Wheatear
There is a bird that winters with elephants and giraffes, and summers with us in Alaska. The Northern Wheatear has one of the longest migration routes among the passerines, the small singing birds. The species breeds on rocky slopes like the White Mountains and Brooks Range in Alaska. Once the kids are fledged, it packs up and flies to Africa – yes, southeastern Africa – for the winter. 9,000 miles, each way. The bird weighs just 25 grams. It’s a privilege to photograph them. For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.
“Russia with Love”: Alaska Gas Scandal is Out-of-Country, Not Out-of-State
“Russia with Love”: Alaska Gas Scandal is Out-of-Country, Not Out-of-State (via Desmogblog) Fri, 2014-04-18 10:28Steve Horn A legal controversy — critics would say scandal — has erupted in Alaska’s statehouse over the future of its natural gas bounty. It’s not so much an issue of the gas itself, but who gets to decide how it gets to…
Putin Snubs Alaska – Not Invasion-Worthy
You can finally stop scanning the horizon with binoculars from your porch, Alaska. Turns out Vladimir Putin doesn’t want us. At least that’s what he’s claiming in front of the cameras. The Russian President and former KGB agent participated in an annual televised call-in show, where he answered questions from viewers on a wide range of topics. One of those callers asked Putin if he had any plans to “acquire Alaska.” Apparently Vlad does not find the 49th state invasion worthy. “What would you need Alaska for?” Putin asked, reminding viewers that even though Russia had sold off Alaska on the cheap back in…
God Hates Changepoint & Bieber
The Westboro Baptist Church is making plans to picket another Anchorage location on its whistle stop Hate Tour of the Last Frontier. Their destination? Changepoint Church. WBC had already announced plans to picket the Alaska Native Heritage Center on the morning of June 1 to voice their distaste about all that unholy Native Heritage and “diversity.” While they’re in the neighborhood, they’re going to stop by Alaska’s #2 mega-church and let ’em have it for being “lukewarm” about their Christianity. There is only one other mega-church in the city – The Anchorage Baptist Temple – which so far has been passed…