Open Thread – Reading Rainbow
One of television’s finest moments in 2012 was Jimmy Fallon singing “Reading Rainbow” in the style of Jim Morrison. Although there was a more “produced” version with the band, his “unplugged” take on CNN/Piers Morgan was my favorite.
Begich Wins Seat on Appropriations
Score! (I search frantically for a Democratic Alaskan political wonk and fistbump them!) I wrote before about how Harry Reid was busy armoring Mark Begich for his upcoming reelection fight in 2014 with committee positions that would bolster his effectiveness in Washington, and make him indispensable to his home state. What did Ted Stevens fans refer to when touting the special power he held in the senate? “Well, you know…” they’d say as they jammed their hands in theirr pockets and arched an eyebrow, “He was the, uh… head of the Appropriations Committee. Stick that in your pipe and smoke…
Shell & Water Don’t Mix
Royal Dutch Shell’s Alaska operations could have used a dose of “local knowledge” to prevent their latest debacle: the grounding of the oil rig Kulluk. That phrase, “local knowledge,” should ring a bell for Shell. The company was the one of the largest contributors to a group opposing the restoration of Alaska’s Coastal Zone Management program. Why did Shell spend so much money to keep coastal Alaskans away from the table? Don’t they value the experience of local people along the Beaufort and Chukchi coasts? Oh, that’s right. When you’re drilling in their back yards, you only want silent partners….
Downward Dogma: The Hindu Threat
Islamophobia is so 2010. To meet the more current threat totally not facing our nation, one must travel to the town of Encinitas—located on the California coast between San Diego and Los Angeles. Encinita’s local school district has received a $533,000 grant from a local yoga studio enabling students to learn about healthy eating, cultivating small gardens, and… (*cue shrieking violins from Hitchcock film*) Ashtanga yoga. Elementary school students in the district began taking yoga for 30 minutes, twice per week. Parents can opt their kids out of the program, but only 3 to 4 families at each school have…
Meanwhile, In Shell’s PR Office…
Following the loss of control and subsequent grounding of the Shell drilling rig, Kulluk, that company’s PR team goes to work. Sitting in PR headquarters, mostly silent, members of the PR team wracked their brains trying to find a way to at least mitigate some of the negative publicity being aimed at the corporation. Then it came. One member of the team jumped up and exclaimed, “I’ve got it! Let’s spend some money on Facebook and try to get some extra ‘Likes’ over this whole thing!” And everyone at Shell agreed. The end. ************************************************************************************************* Ryan Marquis lives on Alaska’s…
Feds Ask for 35 Years for Militia Leader
Federal prosecutors have asked that Judge Robert Bryan sentence convicted militia leader Schaeffer Cox of Fairbanks, to 35 years in prison. Cox, a 28-year old father of two who founded the Alaska Peacemakers Militia, would be 63 years old when released if prosecutors get their way. Unhappy with his representation during the trial, Cox fired his sometimes lackluster attorney, Nelson Traverso, soon after the conviction. His new Seattle-based attorney, Peter Camiel, has indicated that he will ask for a sentence of 10 years for his client. Cox has already served almost two years in prison since his arrest on March…
Friday Fright Night
“It’s really enormously loud and then it ceases. It doesn’t sound like a jet because the sound of a plane becomes distant as it moves away. This doesn’t move. It’s like having a jet plane in the back yard turning on and off.” Things got weird earlier this evening. The above is from our friend Gayla, who wasn’t alone in hearing whatever “it” is… “I heard that one time this evening while I was out feeding the horses,” reports our friend Jan Flora down in Homer. “I thought a jet was flying over, but the sound stopped. It was very…
Palin Galluping Off the Chart
In these days of political woe and want, when fiscal cliffs, and debt ceilings, and oil rig groundings get us down, there’s really nothing like another little piece of confirmation that Sarah Palin is slipping into oblivion to make us at Mudflats central clonk our coffee mugs together and smile. It doesn’t really mean anything, but it’s still nice. It’s like the empty calories from a butterscotch candy. So, here’s one. Every year since the 1940s, Gallup has done a poll asking Americans two simple questions: What man/woman that you have heard or read about, living today in any part…
Because We Love You
It’s Friday, and here to give you your late-week burst of productivity is the most adorable thing you will see all day, Siku the baby polar bear. Remember, we do this all for you and the GDP.
OT: Shell Games & Hammertime
[This is an open thread.] The backspin on Shell’s latest Alaskan Coastline Enhancement Initiative has already begun, with “we’ll probably mostly skate this time” apparently the central thrust. You should also send a thank-you note to the burglar who broke into your house because, hey—no arson. Thanks, bro. Here now is some context involving Conoco’s Alaska’s US Senator Lisa Murkowski (R). Our friend Heather Aronno over at Alaska Commons produced a July 2011 NPR interview she describes as “Shell making their sales pitch for the offshore drilling that’s going so spectacularly.” “At the time, Senator Murkowski voiced concerns about the…