Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska KNOM – First Evidence of Ancient Trade With Asia Uncovered in Northwest Alaska There’s new evidence that metal goods from central Asia made their way to Alaska long before contact with Europeans. Juneau Empire – After Legislature quits with work undone, Governor calls them back At 11:46 a.m. Sunday, the Alaska Senate adjourned the fourth special session of the 29th Alaska Legislature. Forty minutes later, Gov. Bill Walker issued a proclamation stating that the fifth special session will begin on July 11. On its agenda will be three items: Using the earnings of the Alaska Permanent Fund to pay…
2nd Amendment Overreach
Regulations are killing my freedom to blow myself up with a gas container. When I was a kid, gas containers were not much more than red buckets with a spout and a usually missing black cap. Yeah, some gas sloshed out when you carried the can in and out of the boat or off into the woods with the chainsaw, but that was just the way it was. No big problem. These days, I need nuclear codes to get the spout to open enough for a dribble of gas. And the spout has some kind of magic slot that apparently…
Bird of the Week – Rusty Blackbird
Some years ago, Mrs. WC got a telephone call from a lady who reported there were a lot of “baby Ravens” in her yard. After careful questioning, Mrs. WC established they were Rusty Blackbirds which, after all, are nearly black, even if they don’t otherwise resemble Common Ravens very much, and “baby Ravens” not at all. Joking aside, Rusty Blackbirds are a species in trouble. Their populations have declined catastrophically. Data from long-term surveys like the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Counts suggest that Rusty Blackbird numbers have plummeted a staggering 85-95% since the mid-1900’s. It’s likely some combination of…
Joe Biden For VP
Written and originally published for NationofChange.org I know, on principle it’s a ridiculous idea. Vice President Biden has already served 8 years in the position and it seems that he’s ready to retire. But here’s the deal – the current favorite media front runners for the position NEED to stay where they are. In a political world where Massachusetts Senate seats can go to Tea Party pickup driving guys darlings – Democrats don’t really have the flexibility for taking chances. But before we even talk about the current choices – let’s discuss 2008. Everyone wanted in on the Obama Administration,…
Reverse Robin Hood Economics
I’ve watched a particular boat for the last several years. It’s a 15-and-a-half-foot wooden boat built decades ago by my neighbor Dick Dunn. The little boat sat submerged, tied to a piling, during most tides. Barnacles and blue mussels took up residence and seemed quite happy shacked up from bow to stern. See, another neighbor had acquired the boat and got pretty busy with a million projects. It happens. Every time I drove past that forgotten vessel, it made me a tiny bit sad. The boat had been built for a wonderful woman here on the bay who has since…
Bird of the Week – Ruffed Grouse
We’re pretty much done with raptors. It’s time to look at birds a little lower down the food chain. And in Interior Alaska, that means the Ruffed Grouse. This is Dennis, a Ruffed Grouse who was determined to drive all humans out of his territory. Dennis isn’t with us any longer; it’s not a behavioral style that confers an evolutionary advantage; his genes have left the pool. Like every species of Galliformes that WC has encountered, the Ruffed Grouse has an elaborate courtship display, including the display shown here and very impressive “drumming.” While perched on a log, stump, boulder,…
Around the Lens – Episode 28
This week’s panelists for Around the Lens, episode 28, featured newcomer Michelle McLoughlin and returning panelist Jamie Rose. We discussed Instagram and their changing algorithm, equipment upgrading and the D500. Our eye-catchers this week included a story about the recently killed NPR photographer David Gilkey, dog toys that show wear of being dog toys, the book Afghanistan Between Hope and Fear and a story about Trump and a judge. Watch the video on YouTube. Podcast on iTunes – https://goo.gl/9Xx9Eo Podcast Direct Feed – http://goo.gl/v622SN Facebook – https://goo.gl/1ZqpHo Instagram – https://goo.gl/9s5KLE Twitter – https://goo.gl/XLeYuW Patreon – https://goo.gl/O5BiyH
AAACK! It’s Election Season in Alaska Again
Originally published on ADN.com When I was growing up my dad had a secretary. Her name was Cathy, and it was during the era of the “Cathy” comic strip. I was pretty sure it was written about her. I thought she was wonderful. She had awesome permed hair and those glasses that were pink on the bottom and blue on the top with a sparkly butterfly in the lower corner. Cathy had something to figure out. How to program her VCR to record shows. Because of the digital video recorder, there is an entire generation who doesn’t understand how many…
Bird of the Week – Long-tailed Jaeger
Jaegers, called Skuas outside of North America, are cousins of gulls that have a more raptor-like lifestyle. The smallest Jaeger, and the most common in North America, is the Long-tailed Jaeger. This is a mostly pelagic – sea-going – species that comes ashore to coastal and alpine Alaska to breed. Handsome and elegant in flight, with a long tail, it is highly territorial. More than one alpine backpacker has been ambushed by a Long-tailed Jaeger protecting its nest. This species’ diet in during consists primarily of lemmings and voles, so it is vulnerable to cycles in the populations of these rodents. The Long-tailed Jaeger…
Last Second Candidate Filings Flood In
It’s not that Alaska politics isn’t always interesting but the drudgery of the last couple of months has been draining. The Republican run state capitol has been nothing but frustrating – not passing anything of meaning for an entire session. Including a budget. So today, the last day to file as a candidate suddenly it suddenly became VERY interesting. There’s awesome news, some bittersweet news and some &^%*$ what is going on sort of news. Let’s get to the awesome news first. Friend of TheMudflats and life of the Union party, Vince Beltrami is running for State Senate. Now, while that’s pretty…