The Weekend Off – The News You Missed
Alaska KNOM – Lacking Sea Ice, Seal Pups Populate Local Beaches Baby seals are appearing on local beaches in greater numbers this year, with over 20 reported sightings in Nome, and a few others recorded in Wales, Teller and Shaktoolik. Anchorage Daily News – Oddball rivers flow north through Alaska Range. Why? Alaska’s landscape has an unusual feature that allows us to enjoy cheap bananas in the Interior and other things that make life possible in the subarctic. The Nenana River, born on the south side of the Alaska Range, makes a U-turn and flows north through the mountains. With it…
Forgotten Founding Father: William Woodford
Not every one who played a part in the Revolution made it to sign the Declaration. This is a picture of Brigadier General William Woodford. I am a direct descendent of his. We talk about the “founding fathers” often enough – but there were so many who gave their lives and had their names forgotten to break away from England. According to history, “He served in the French and Indian War as an ensign in Colonel George Washington’s Virginia Regiment, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1761. During that year he served in the Cherokee expedition under William Byrd and…
The Weekend Off – The News You Missed
Alaska The New York Times – Past Road’s End, Democrats Dig for Native Votes “NAPASKIAK, Alaska — No roads go this deep into the tundra, especially not for Democrats. Not that politics weigh too heavily on the mind when people are consumed with more basic needs, like catching enough fish to eat or scraping together the $6 a gallon it costs to fill up their boat with gas.” Alaska Dispatch – For Senate candidates, no escape from “trackers” on the trail “The Chamber of Commerce, and other groups involved in Alaska politics, are on the alert for “trackers” — the entry-level political…
Open Thread: World Cup, Day One
The FIFA World Cup begins with the first game (4pm Eastern time or 12pm Alaska time) – Brazil vs. Croatia. If I was a betting man, my money would be on Brazil, home court advantage and well… they’re Brazil. As a man without a team, I’ve decided that I’m playing it game by game. In Brazil vs. Croatia, I’m going to root for Brazil. So I ask you Mudpuppies – who’s your team? Who’s going to make it to the finals? Who’s the underdog that’s going to surprise us all? Check out the Guardians sports writers take on it all. Make…
Palin and #WTF Foreign Policy
by Jeanne Devon and Zach Roberts Half-term Governor Sarah Palin has once again decided to demonstrate the flexibility of her intellectual consistency, and take a firm stand on two sides of a controversial issue. Last week she claimed that President Obama “blew it again,” with a deal that traded five members of the Taliban for the return of captive U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl stated that he had been tortured and kept in a cage during his nearly five years as a prisoner of the Taliban. That didn’t seem to be reason enough for the President to work for the…
Bridge The Gulf with Alaska’s Riki Ott
Ed. Note: Please check out the wonderful work that’s being done at Bridge The Gulf. They’re one of the few groups really looking into the long term effects of BP’s oil spill and much more – witnessing what happened in Alaska thanks to Exxon unfold in the Gulf. Interview by Bridge The Gulf’s Cherri Foytlin “I will share my personal story of flying over the Exxon Valdez and seeing this little three-football-field-long tanker in a sea of oil, and going, ‘Okay, I am going to spend the rest of my life working on this and I am not going to go…
Lee Camp Has Been Redacted
Friend and contributor to The Mudflats Lee Camp just got a show on RT and it’s full of awesome. It’s like the Daily Show, but more sharp, funny and independent. Please check out the first episode and tune in Friday nights at 8pm est on RT. In this episode, Lee Camp bites into Monsanto, which makes him ill, and John F. O’Donnell gets molested by the tentacles of the billionaire Kochtopus. Obama ends the War in Afghanistan with something other than peace, Chilean magician Papas Fritas makes $500 million in student debt disappear. Sam Sacks examines NSA reform – and…
Beaten and Arrested Occupier Facing 7 Years
Occupier Cecily McMillan who was found guilty of striking a NYC Police Officer is looking at 7 years in jail. Many of the jurors have signed onto a plea to the judge for her to just receive community service – claiming that they had no idea that their sentence of guilty on felony assault charges would mean such a lengthy sentence. The jurors criminal ignorance aside – many of her fellow Occupiers, lawyers and citizens have called for leniency from the judge. Sentencing for Cecily will be held Monday the 19th.
#BringBackOurGirls Rally at NY City Hall – Photos
Yesterday in New York City Councilmembers called for action on the kidnapped Nigerian girls. As of publication, nearly 300 Nigerian girls are still missing taken by the terrorist group Boko Haram. The US military is getting involved using surveillance planes and satellites to search for the group. I recommend checking out the excellent coverage at Al Jazeera for more info.
Palin Slams GOP Successor in Alaska
Hey, Alaska! Sarah Palin is back. She left our state’s politics in the dust after quitting office in 2009, but yesterday she returned to her favorite local media platform—The Bob & Mark Radio Show—to slam her successor and one-time Lt. Governor, Republican Sean Parnell. The bone she had to pick with him relates to her signature legislation as governor, Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES). The oil tax system that ushered Alaska’s bank account into golden days of plenty, with a savings of more than $17 billion, ACES funded subsequent investments in roads, schools, and critical infrastructure projects. Under ACES,…