More Guns, Less Budget in Juneau
Last month a woman took her own life on the steps of the Courthouse in Juneau. The Legislature went on lockdown — after ushering aides and press out of the room. As a result, the Legislature is considering new protocols to keep their own precious souls safe from any gun violence that might befall them while at work. I get it. The Capitol building is a no-gun zone. But what I find truly remarkable is that Sen. Pete Kelly will even go to work in a “gun-free zone.” According to the “logic” in his op-ed on SB 174, the Legislature…
Bird of the Week – Sharp-shinned Hawk
Alaska has two Accipters, the genus of smaller hawks with rounded wings and long tails. This is the smaller of the two, the Sharp-shinned Hawk. This is a juvenile, still counting on mom and dad for meals. In fact, he caught WC’s attention by his incessant squawking, begging for food. WC would guess that he’s pretty near his last delivered meal, that his parents were gong to leave him on his own pretty soon. If he kept that noise going all night he would have wound up a snack for a Great-horned Owl. The Sharp-shined Hawk feeds almost exclusively on smaller…
Photos: Bill Clinton in Scranton, PA [Updating Live-ish]
The Clinton campaign comes to the Keystone State with an appearance from the former President himself, Bill Clinton. I’ll be updating the photos as I take them. So far there are a couple hundred people waiting for Bill at the Scranton High School gymnasium. There are a handful of opposing campaigns not so subtlely waiting to get in – a crew of bros supporting Donald Trump and a solo Bernie fan. Check back later for more photos – and possibly from video. UPDATE! The Trump kids didn’t end up doing anything other than raise their hats a couple times when…
Around the Lens – Episode 20
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/126783/Around%20the%20Lens%20-%20Episode%2019.mp3 This week we had panelists David Burnett and Doug Strickland. We discussed the importance of newspapers, which podcasts we liked and a new way to stabilize your camera. Our picks this week included the announcement of Alexia judging, April’s Fools Day pranks, Cuba and it’s changes and the death of Bob Adelman. Please support the show and sign up for Dropbox.com through our referral code. Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or YouTube, or via our direct feed, follow us on Twitter and and like us on Facebook. To see our bonus topic support us on Patreon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LflW0I8WhI
Wisconsin Congressman Tells Real Reason for Voter ID
Yesterday Ted Cruz won the Wisconsin Primary to the surprise of no one. While the Cruz campaign is behind in delegates, Cruz endorser and Wisconsin Congressman Glenn Grothman was already looking forward to the November election. In an interview with WTMJ at the Cruz celebration rally, he gave two reasons why the Republicans could be confident… even though Wisconsin has been a blue state for decades. “Why would it be any different for Ted Cruz or a Donald Trump?” “I think Hillary Clinton is about the weakest candidate perhaps they’ve ever put up and now we have photo ID and I think…
“Let Me Give You A Little History”
If you were looking for a primer on election theft, here’s the video for you. Investigative journalist Greg Palast, gave a talk at actor and activist Mimi Kennedy’s home, where he laid out 16 years of vote theft history. From his first investigation into voter suppression during the 2000 election, Palast moves election by election explaining the evolution of how the vote is stolen. It’s an excellent set-up for the upcoming release of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: A Tale of Billionaires & Ballot Bandits. You can also watch Mimi Kennedy and Harvey Wasserman’s talks.
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska ADN – Rep. Don Young reveals his choice for president Rep. Don Young shared some frank thoughts about the Democratic presidential candidates — and Donald Trump — and revealed his presidential pick in an interview on “The Dave Stieren Show” this week. USA Today – Reports: Alaska Air close to deal to buy Virgin America Alaska Airlines is close to a deal to buy San Francisco-based Virgin America, according to multiple reports out Saturday. Juneau Empire – Pot initiative backer cites concern with Alaska smoking bill Public smoking restrictions that recently passed the Alaska Senate could hurt proposed cannabis cafes in…
“Apparently All Y’all Are White”
Last week Rosario Dawson gave, what is so far my favorite speech of the election. She’s one of the founders of Voto Latino and one of my favorite actors working today. So when she took the stage I knew it was going to be interesting. In front of a crowd so yuge that it would make Donald Trump blush, she declared the running meme of the election – that Bernie can’t win states that aren’t ‘white and rural’ complete garbage. After correcting the facts on Bernie’s pro-choice record, Dawson continued with the line “…apparently all y’all are white— that’s crazy….
Trump/Republicans Not Any Different on Abortion
Donald Trump has finally said something I believe. He’s since walked it back, but this week he said he believed women should be punished for abortions. He also said he didn’t think anything should happen to the man who impregnated the woman. That seems fair. Holy hell has torn loose. The anti-abortion and pro-abortion rights people came together in shock that the GOP presidential front runner would say such a thing. The anti-abortion surrogates hit the television circuit to say how much they loved women who consider abortion and would like to “take care of them” not punish them. Sen…
Bird of the Week – Golden Eagle
Raptors get all the publicity. Let’s look at some raptors, then. The Golden Eagle, much less common than the Bald Eagle, is one of North America’s largest raptors. At least in Alaska, Golden Eagles tend to return to the same nest year after year, nesting there from about age 4 to age 20 or older. Each year the breeding pair adds more sticks to the nest, and the cumulative effect can be very impressive, as you can see here. Alaska’s Golden Eagles migrate to South America for the winter. One of the world’s experts on Golden Eagles lives in Fairbanks….