Open Thread: Think Warm Thoughts
I know Alaska has had a weirdo Winter, but here in New York we’re ready for it all to end. For now, here’s a photo from spring of last year at Bird Creek. Think warm thoughts.
Occupying Two Years – The Crest of a High and Beautiful Wave
“It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era — the kind of peak that never comes again…” – Hunter S Thompson It may, or may not, but damn – it was a great ride. Two years ago this month I was standing by the bull – that famous one by Wall Street. It was surrounded by metal police barricades – something that would become the norm during the life of Occupy. Those barricades became a defining characteristic of the protest – keeping marchers on a defined route, keeping them out of Zuccotti Park, keeping the press contained…
Aurora Hunt Successful
Saturday night while most people are hitting the bars and partying – Mudflats contributor Carl Johnson, Frank Stelges and I journeyed to an undisclosed location to hunt the elusive aurora. (I have been sworn to secrecy) While our prey took a long time to show – when it did – it was a glorious one. The moon was out in full force, and barely a cloud in the sky, the stars were shining bright and thankfully the temperature stayed relatively nice… so here my mud-puppies are the spoils of a victorious hunt. The mighty aurora.
It’s Flag Day! So here are some flags!
I love Flag Day. It’s the one day that (maybe outside of July 4th) that people get into flags. When I was in elementary school I won 1st place in every Flag Day competition (they were mostly collages). Oddly I don’t even know the history of Flag Day – but I don’t care… usually these things have some horrible racist and or genocidal (see: Columbus Day). If you’re interested – go to google.com and google “Flag Day.” Don’t post what you find in the comments. I like living in ignorant bliss. Anyway. I’m going to go tomorrow and buy a…
Poll: “Alaskans want Sarah Palin to Run,” Alaskans: UM, NO.
Another week, another set of polls concerning the Alaska Senate race. Last week PPP polled Sen. Begich, this week it’s a poll on the Republican primary ticket… and it’s a bit surprising. Sarah Palin wins the Republican Senate nomination. For those outside of Alaska you might be thinking, “duh… of course.” But for those in the state it’s common knowledge that not too many people are a huge fans Palin, who has come to be known as “the quitter” or the “half-term governor.” In fact she’s so disliked here that according to a PPP poll in February she would lose to Hillary…
Last Aurora Hunt of the Season?
A couple of nights ago the northern lights were suposed to be out in force, so I went north from Anchorage in search of my prey – Aurora Borealis. After driving over an hour north, pulling off into dark corners along the Glenn Highway. I thought, again the prediction maps were just a tease. So since I was already out wandering around in the darkness, I decided to find a spot and take some star trail photos. I stopped at Thunderbird Falls in the Chugach. The wind was occasionally biting, but it stayed in the high 30’s so I knew I’d…
UPDATED: Massive Landslide at Bingham Mine – Is this what Pebble will bring?
UPDATE: Quoted from Dow Jones 4/16/2013 RIO Tinto has asked employees to take vacation or unpaid leave after a massive landslide at its Bingham Canyon mine in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley, one of the world’s largest copper producing mines. Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Utah Copper unit said it has asked for workers to volunteer to take leave because the operation isn’t running at full capacity. “The slip has destroyed the main access decline into the pit, so a new decline will need to be constructed before mining can resume. We have no guidance from Rio on how long this will take, but…
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…
Mudflats ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Coverage
TheMudflats.net and yours truly have been singled out for honor by the prestigious magazine The Atlantic this week. Was it for our amazing investigative reporting? For the awesome photo spreads we do? In depth coverage of the proposed Pebble Mine? Unfortunately, no. It’s because I nearly got my head beat in at Occupy Wall Street. I’ve written about 15,000 words, and taken about a terabyte of photos at OWS over the past year – witnessed the worst and best of America, broke news stories, got shots that no one else did – and yet this is what we get singled…