What Febreze is Not Telling You
Febreeze, the product whose mission is to remove offensive odors from air and fabric, offers its products in a variety of sensual and indulgent fragrances like Sweet Citrus & Zest, Mediterranean Lavender, and Apple Spice & Comfort. Mmmmm. And now, there’s a new offering to delight your sniffer. “Alaskan Springtime” probably sounded good in some marketing meeting in a conference room at Proctor & Gamble headquarters in Cincinnati. “Alaska… That’s clean and refreshing, right? Slap a picture of an Alpine dogwood on that can, and we’re good to go.” Voilà – “Alaskan Springtime,” or if you’re fancy, or Canadian, “Printemps…
SB21 Repeal Referendum Certified!
After taking the maximum allowable time under the law (go figure), Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell certified the application for a referendum petition filed last week by Vote Yes – Repeal the Giveaway, a grassroots Alaskan group formed to challenge the controversial new law known as Senate Bill 21. The certification allows a signature drive to move forward to put this oil wealth giveaway to a vote of the people in 2014. The group is now waiting for petition booklets from the state. SB 21 dramatically lowers Alaskans’ oil income, transferring billions of dollars from resource owners to multinational oil companies. It…
Congratulations, Conoco.
ConocoPhillips Alaska profits outpace Lower 48, Canada, Latin America, and Europe – Combined Senator Bill Wielechowski (D – Anchorage) applauded ConocoPhillips on another quarter in which profits from Alaska operations exceeded a half of a billion dollars. “After spending three months in Juneau listening to complaints about the competitive disadvantage of doing business in Alaska, public records once again indicate near record profits from Alaska operations,” said Senator Wielechowski. ConocoPhillips financial statements released today indicate 1st quarter profits in Alaska of $543 million. Adjusted earnings in Alaska exceeded those in the Lower 48, Canada, Latin America, and Europe combined….
Bill Walker to Run for Governor
Republican Bill Walker announced today that he is making another run for governor of Alaska in 2014. Known for his founding and continuing role in the Backbone Group, Walker has advocated strongly for an all-Alaska natural gas pipeline, and a fair and reasonable tax on oil development in the state. Backbone has held rallies across Alaska and has been vocal in its disapproval of current Governor Sean Parnell’s plan, supported by the majority of Republicans in the legislature, which would give billions in no-strings-attached money to oil companies. Former mayor of Valdez, Walker made an unsuccessful attempt to secure the…
Palin Denied Lemonade Lawsuit Fees
Some of you are about to have a flashback. What will cause this flashback? Three words: Piper’s lemonade stand. I realize that most of you are still here, but some of you were just transported back to the post-election days of 2009. I’m not doing this just to have fun yanking you around (although that was kind of fun). This is actually relevant to a little piece of news that developed yesterday. A federal judge on Wednesday ruled against Sarah Palin, denying her request to be compensated for more than $22,000 in attorney fees she spent in a case against…
Oyster Roundup – Shame Fail, Salmon Fail & More
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Some news nibbles. Eat ’em raw. Pro-Salmon Petition Denied The Commissioner of Fish & Game has rejected a petition signed by more than 6,000 Alaskans asking for a law that would prohibit coal mining activities that destroy salmon streams, because right now, that doesn’t exist. Commissioner Cora Campbell says that her department could already do that, if they felt like it. In Upper Cook Inlet, PacRim Coal is currently submitting permit applications that would create the state’s largest coal strip mine. “PacRim’s plan would set a historic…
The Good We Can Do
Media saturation and outrage fatigue. That’s the kind of week it’s been. There were so many stories — from all over the country and world in such terrible detail. There seemed nothing to do but watch as horror after horror unfolded. When was the last time I heard “Breaking: Good News?” As summer draws near, we watched the U.S. Senate — including both of our senators — fail the victims of past and future gun massacres. On Patriot’s Day blood spilled on the streets of Boston, limbs lost, lives lost. We saw a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in…
Repealing SB21 – The Fight Begins
Alaska Founding Father Vic Fischer, former Anchorage Assemblywoman Jane Angvik and Jack Roderick, author of the oil history book “Crude Dreams,” appeared in the shadow of the building that holds the Lt. Governor’s office – the Robert Atwood Building to call for the repeal of the controversial Senat Bill 21. The countdown for the referendum has already started. Over 30,000 signatures (10% of the votes cast in 2012) are needed within 90 days after the bill left the Senate, which was last Sunday, the 14th. Vic Fischer called the bill unconstitutional, and said that the founders looked to statehood, “to get…
Alaska Eyes 2014
The legislative session in Juneau has ended, and our elected officials have flown away from the carnage they either created, or endured. The stalwart among us, the political junkies who don’t need to take time off to lick wounds, yell at clouds, or throw chairs, will begin to think of… 2014. The courts have ruled that the redistricted map used for 2012 is not Constitutional. We literally go back to the drawing board to rework legislative boundaries. And the insanity will begin all over again. But wait, that’s not all! U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES We’ve also got our one…
Stabenow’s Storyknife
When I first started accepting advertising on The Mudflats, I felt a little guilty about it. It seemed strange. And then Dana Stabenow, Alaskan author of the wildly popular Kate Shugak mystery series, snapped me right out of it. She bought my first ad to promote her new book, and told me don’t I dare feel weird about it, and I was to charge her what I thought it was worth, and not a penny less. And that was final. She was the first person who really made me feel like what I did had value. Not just an…