WATCH: Colbert Calls Begich a Hero
Last night, The Colbert Report responded to the defeat in the Senate of the Manchin-Toomey Amendment in an extremely funny segment that once again brought Alaska into the spotlight. Colbert called Alaska’s Democratic Senator, Mark Begich, a “hero” saying: “Despite relentless pressure from special interest grieving parents, 45 Brave Senators stood tall to protect what they find most precious, the A rating from the NRA. “The heroes were not just Republicans, 4 brave Democrats joined in, including Alaskan Senator Mark Begich, who celebrated his vote to kill background checks saying ‘It’s dangerous to do any type of policy in an emotional…
UPDATE: Bloomberg’s Cash Goes after Mark Begich – Doesn’t Sway AK Senators
UPDATE: Alaskan Senators Mark Begich (D) and Lisa Murkowski (R) both voted no on the Manchin-Toomey Amendment. Senator Begich was one of only 5 Democratic Senators to vote against the amendment – 4 Republicans voted for it. Quoting TPM: The Republicans who voted for the bill were Sens. Pat Toomey (PA), Mark Kirk (IL), Susan Collins (ME) and John McCain (AZ). Democrats who voted against it were Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Max Baucus (MT), Mark Begich (AK) and Mark Pryor (AR) — the latter three are up for reelection in 2014. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) changed his vote to no…
What Exxon Doesn’t Want You To Know About The Arkansas Oil Spill
You might have heard about the Exxon oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas. The original Mayflower ship explored new territory. And in a way, so is this oil spill because it’s one of the first tar sands oil spills in the US and we’re learning how hard it is to clean up. I love learning new things, don’t you? – Lee Camp Here’s a guest post from comedian/activist Lee Camp. We’ll have an interview from Lee about his new show Moment of Clarity later in the week, but please listen to his informative rant on the Exxon Mayflower Spill. It’s Rated R…
UPDATE: Exxon Wins Safety Award. No, Really.
In this weeks “No really, this is not an Onion article,” Exxon Mobil proudly announced that the National Safety Council awarded it the “Green Cross for Safety medal at its annual fundraising dinner in Houston last night. The dinner honored ExxonMobil for its leadership and comprehensive commitment to safety excellence.” While the award winner was decided earlier last year – one might question the safety record of Exxon after the growing Mayflower oil/tarsands spill. But to the National Safety Council I guess that’s not a safety issue. The award was given at a fundraiser for the National Safety Council sponsored by UPS,…
The Story Behind the Meme: Equal Rights Equal Sign
As a person who’s worked on branding and social media in the non-profit sector I’ve always admired the Human Rights Campaign. Their branding, use of social media is at a level that most corporations can’t match. In a country where it seems there’s a 100 groups for every cause the HRC stands out and has become the go to organization on GLBT rights. So this past week when the HRC logo went viral I was wondering to myself – how did they decide on something as elegant and straightforward as the equal sign. Well I’m guessing they’ve been asked that…
Mayor Misrepresents Student Performance
I look forward each week to Sunday’s Alaska Ear column in the Anchorage Daily News, as penned by formerly-anonymous reporter Sheila Toomey. For many years I considered it purely entertainment, until I got involved with the fetid swamp known as Alaska politics. It was then that I discovered the accuracy of The Omnicient Oriface’s information. So it was with great interest that I read this tidbit from Sunday’s column: “. . A couple of weeks ago earwigs reported our new school superintendent, Jim Browder, walked out in protest while Mayor Sullivan made a presentation at some big public meeting. The…
These Bears – Not So Sweet
Everyone knows this bear. Probably after Winnie the Pooh and Yogi, it’s the most recognizable bear on the planet. Heck, outside of the US it’s probably THE most recognized bear on the planet. It’s also likely the only reason many school kids even know what a polar bear is (but let’s not get distracted by the terrible state of our k-12 schools in America). This is about looking at this bear in a different way. As a former die-hard Coca-Cola drinker, I’d look forward to these commercials as a kid. They meant Christmas was approaching. Suddenly, glass bottles would appear in…
Big Oil, Big Ketchup & The Assassination of Hugo Chavez
By Greg Palast for Truthout Venezuelan President Chavez once asked me why the US elite wanted to kill him. My dear Hugo: It’s the oil. And it’s the Koch Brothers – and it’s the ketchup. Reverend Pat Robertson said, “Hugo Chavez thinks we’re trying to assassinate him. I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it.” It was 2005 and Robertson was channeling the frustration of George Bush’s State Department. Despite Bush’s providing intelligence, funds and even a note of congratulations to the crew who kidnapped Chavez (we’ll get there), Hugo remained in office, reelected and…
Alaska-Sized Perspective
Here in Alaska, we always get calls from concerned relatives when they hear about tsunami warnings, or earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions in Alaska. And if we had relatives in Delaware when a natural even such as those occurred, you can bet we’d be on the blower in a flat second to find out if they were alright. But, here’s something to put all your Alaskan news into a little perspective. These maps pop up on Facebook every now and then, but I still find them fascinating. Even living here, you tend to lose perspective sometimes. So, if Alaska were superimposed…
2012 Parting Shots
If you live in the Lower 48, you may be under the illusion that your state knows how to do “trashy” and “no way—that’s not for real!” It doesn’t. Not compared to Alaska. So sit back with some popcorn and check out the pros. Parenting Fail If you’re going to engage your own son in LSD-fueled hand-to-hand combat in the street over a woman (!), at least don’t do it in the nude. In Spenard, that makes you such a cliché. Poor Kids Get Baked Speaking of excessive nudity, House Finance Co-Chair Bill Stoltze refused to allow a vote on…