Don Young Attacks Federal Employees, Goes Hitler
The “Congressman for All Alaska,” Don Young (R) was a featured speaker today at the Federal Overreach Summit in Anchorage. Young, who has a reputation for being outspoken, outrageous, and often politically incorrect was in rare form. After railing on what he perceives as the intrusion of the federal government into land and resource issues in Alaska, and into our personal lives, he castigated the EPA, the DEC, the National Parks Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers, saying they “do nothing.” He also had a harsh message to federal employees in general who number 22,887 in his state of only…
Gov Parnell Smacks Down Feds
Yesterday, a “Federal Overreach Summit” began in Anchorage. For two days, lawmakers and administration officials will gripe about the “feds” and what is described as intrusion into Alaska’s affairs. But the federal overreach discussed on the first day of the summit didn’t touch on Stand Your Ground law, or issues of reproductive choice, or gay marriage, or even voting rights which have been so much in the news as of late. This federal overreach is quite specific, and gets to the heart of what this administration considers important. It’s all about land use and resource extraction. A Department of Natural…
Kangaroo Palin Down Under
“I don’t oppose Islam as a country,” she said during a sit down interview in Australia. Looks like Palin is at it again, this time embarrassing the state of Alaska from down under. While that may sound like side order of Palin word salad – it’s not – it’s actually from Australian Parliamentary candidate Stephanie Banister. Banister, who has now quit the race (again one-upping our half term governor) also followed up the misunderstanding of nations and religions with the following… “Jews aren’t under haram, they have their own religion which follows Jesus Christ, They don’t have a tax on…
Exclusive Exerpt: Pilgrim’s Wilderness
Into the Wild meets Helter Skelter in this true story of a modern-day homesteading family in the deepest reaches of the Alaskan wilderness–and the chilling secrets of a maniacal, spellbinding patriarch who called himself Papa Pilgrim. Tom Kizzia was the perfect writer to tackle this fascinating, horrifying, and very human story that could have happened only in Alaska. His former work as a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News led him to travel extensively throughout Alaska, and to report on a family that would leave a lasting impression on his psyche. The result was his new book, Pilgrim’s Wilderness. Like many Alaskans, the…
Walker & Wielechowski – Alaska First
It’s summer. I don’t watch TV in the summer. I fish. So I first heard about the Domino’s ad, “powered by pizza,” with its slam on halibut, by reading the Mudflats blog. Yes, I know, Domino’s “thought halibut was a funny word.” The ad shows a lonely man in a dark room spitting halibut into a pie plate as the announcer says, “No one ever had a world-changing idea over halibut. NO way…” Having just returned from my hometown, the “Halibut Capital of the World,” Homer, Alaska, I had almost 20 pounds of fresh halibut fillets on ice. (Thanks, Pop!)…
Bird of the Week – American Golden-Plover
American Golden-Plovers breed in the northern two-thirds of Alaska, after migrating up from South America. This pretty lady was at Eagle Summit, working hard to lead WC away from her nest. If you walk on alpine trails or terrain in Interior Alaska, especially drier tundra, you’ll hear the distinctive “tk-wheee” call as the male and female work to divert your attention to them. Technical stuff: f7.1, 1/320, ISO200 More bird photos at Frozen Feather Images.
A Winter Alaskan’s First Summer
By Alex Stein I pull over to take yet another picture on the Seward Highway. “Unspeakably beautiful,” a man in a Grateful Dead t-shirt says. I nod. How can you argue with that? We talk for a long time about Alaska. Then we both stare out over the water at the snow-dotted peaks. Another car pulls in next to us and a woman gets out. She takes a few photos, says it was prettier the week before, and speeds off. I have a confession to make. On my first trip to Alaska, I drove a rented Toyota Tercel up the…
Domino’s Apologizes to Alaska – Is it Enough?
BREAKING: The War on Halibut is heating up. Domino’s Pizza has sent an apology for offense to the state of Alaska, and the fishing industry as a whole over their new “Powered by Pizza” ad campaign that disparages Alaska’s beloved halibut. The furor in Alaska began whenThe Mudflats weighed in (HERE) after seeing the Domino’s TV commercial which claims “no one ever had a world-changing idea over halibut. No way,” as an actor spits halibut out of his mouth and on to the plate in disgust. Alaskans across the board were angered by the slight to our tasty and beloved…
Domino’s Pizza Trashes Alaska Seafood
Why do you hate Alaska, Domino’s pizza? The new “Powered by Pizza” ad campaign for Domino’s Pizza asserts that good ideas and American innovation begin over pizza. It’s the food of brainstorming sessions, cutting-edge garage bands, and geeky future startup pioneers. Domino’s isn’t really my thing, but it’s a clever, upbeat sort of ad—something a little different, and inoffensive. Or so I thought. They seem to have taken a cue from our former half-term governor who isn’t content to simply promote her own ideas, but must also create a fictitious “evildoer” to knock down in the process. And we, on…
Clare Ross Virtual Fundraiser!
Clare Ross is the awesome Dem who will be running against… Lindsey Holmes, the Democrat turned Republican who is currently helping her new Republican colleagues muck things up in Juneau. Here’s the announcement for Clare’s virtual fundraiser so you can chip in. Let’s flip this seat back to where it should have been in the first place! **************************** The weather is way too nice this summer to give up a night outside for another boring fundraiser…So this Thursday evening check in online at our Virtual Fundraiser! (HERE’S HOW IT WORKS) 1) On Thursday, August 8th between 8 AM and 10…