Alaska Patriots Submit Petitions for SB21 Repeal (VIDEO)
An energetic crowd gathered at an the obscure office of the Alaska Division of Elections on Ship Creek Avenue today. The sunny Saturday did not keep the hardcore advocates, and activists away. They gathered to submit 898 petition booklets filled with the signatures of Alaskans who want to see the Parnell oil tax rollback overturned by the people via ballot initiative. The bill would give billions from Alaska’s coffers to oil companies with no strings attached. A total of 30,000 signatures were required from 40 separate districts across the state to get the repeal measure on the August 2014 primary…
Bird of the Week – Least Sandpiper
Last week, WC featured a Bald Eagle, one of Alaska’s largest birds. This week, it’s one of the smallest, and certainly the smallest shorebird, the Least Sandpiper. The out of focus bird behind and to the right is a Western Sandpiper. Even out of focus, you can see the bill is much longer and the eyebrow is stronger and longer. This photo was taken at the Copper River Shorebird Festival in 2012 One useful tip for improving your photos of birds is to get down to their level, rather than photographing them from above. This shot was taken with WC…
Begich on a Palin Senate Run
Remember that line from Brokeback Mountain, “I wish I knew how to quit you?” Well if Sarah Palin were Jake Gyllenhaal and Alaska were Heath Ledger, she’d have been all, “I’m outta here!” And now that she’s considering a run for the Senate in the very state she quit, the Senator whose seat she’s looking to fill had a few things to say about that. “I don’t know if she’s a resident. She’s been away from Alaska a lot and has probably lost touch with what’s going on… “Most Alaskans I see on a pretty regular basis, but I haven’t…
Palin Considers Senate Run
They said it couldn’t happen. They said she was done. But she does not like being done. At the very least Sarah Palin is making headlines with idle threats. At most, she actually is doing what she says, and considering a run for the U.S. Senate. “I’ve considered it because people have requested me [to] consider it,” Palin told conservative radio host Sean Hannity on his show. Ever the reluctant leader. As a matter of fact, she told Sean Hannity once that George Washington was her favorite founding father for just that reason. He wasn’t seeking power and prestige, or…
July 4th Parade Photos – Anchorage (Part 2)
Here’s part two of the Anchorage July 4th Parade and Fair photo essay. You can check out part 1 here. Even with the damp weather the crowds were out in force – many in some really cool costumes/uniforms – the 5 men in period uniforms were nice enough to pose for me out on the park strip.
North Pole Dentist Won’t Go Away
BY SHANNYN MOORE I was hoping the Alaska Republican Party would self-correct. The GOPers have had more than a month to make things right but haven’t yet seen a need. Oh, I know, they’re just as busy as the rest of us, getting ready for guests, looking for the top of the pressure cooker, wondering if sunburned mosquito bites were worth that day at the Slide Hole. (They were.) See, there’s a bad penny that keeps showing up in Alaska politics. I wonder why Republicans don’t get rid of him, because sooner or later someone will write a story or…
Bird of the Week – Bald Eagle Portrait
This handsome fellow was warning gulls and other eagles to stay away from the salmon carcass he’d found, but he may have also been complaining about the pouring rain. Bald Eagle shots are very common, of course. To get one that grabs the viewer, you need to do something different. Perhaps seeing the ridges on the roof of an eagle’s gullet meets that requirement. Technical stuff: f8, 1/320 second, ISO 800. More bird photos at Frozen Feather Images.
July 4th Parade Photos – Anchorage (Part 1)
This July 4th was a wet one in Anchorage. The day started with a slight drizzle and then just petered out to be damp, a bit cold. Luckily there was a good amount to do and see on the Anchorage park strip – between the parade and the fair so I kept warm. There was also a chili cook off that unfortunately I forgot to test out. I took quite a few photos – and even after the edits ended up with a pretty size-able photo-essay so I decided to cut it into two parts. The second part will be…
1 Simple Act You Can Do to Save Alaska
On this day when even the most ardent curmudgeon can’t help but feel a little patriotic stirring, even if it’s only for what has been… or what might yet be, you have something to do, Alaskans. Santa says. And so does this guy. Yes, I am talking to YOU. NOW. This is the last week to sign the petition to repeal the most devastating legislation Alaska has ever seen – Senate Bill 21 (SB21). You don’t have to think of him as Uncle Sam. He can be Uncle Jay (Hammond), or Uncle Wally (Hickel), or Uncle Bob (Bartlett), or…
Chicken & Waffles, & John Boehner?
STRANGE OMEN #1 I should have know something was afoot in the universe when this happened just down the road from my house, begging the question, “Why?” Just to be clear, I have never actually seen a chicken cross the road, nevermind in this visually perfect allegorical fashion. I have never even seen a chicken in my neighborhood at all, though clearly there is now photographic evidence that they exist. About a quarter mile and a few hairpin mountain road turns away from the chicken sighting, is something relatively new to Alaska – a fancy gated community. It is called…