[cross-posted at The Huffington Post] Think of it as a second chance. Or a second course in the “Dinner with Sarah Palin” eBay auction that you thought was already history. Here’s a quick recap for those of you who haven’t been playing along at home. Sarah Palin decides to auction off dinner with herself with proceeds [...]

Well, I’ve been waiting for more, but I think this one finally gave up.  And that’s a shame really, because its name and message just kept evolving over time.  It has visited several times in the past few weeks and I think it may have visited under another name long ago.  Our troll’s current name?  It started out [...]

It’s almost like Christmas for progressives. Max Blumenthal is comin’ to town!   Be prepared to find out who’s naughty and who’s naughtier in the secretive and relatively unknown underworld of the conservative religious right.  His new book Republican Gomorrah explores the roots of the movement and carries the reader all the way through to the [...]

A beautiful and endangered Steller Sea Lion catches the late summer sun in the Chiswell Islands. Their numbers have decreased 70-80% in these waters since 1970.  Their precipitous decline is being closely studied and a current theory blames overfishing of herring, pollock, and other species in the Gulf of Alaska.

[cross-posted at The Huffington Post] I got a phone call from my oldest friend yesterday.  We’ve been friends since nursery school, stayed best friends in grade school, high school, college and beyond.   We were the kind of friends that had hundreds of “in jokes” and we passed notes, and talked on the phone more than [...]

This submission came from a Mudflats reader who wishes only to be known as Mudflatter N. Mudflatter N works in an elementary school, and offered this post as a way of sharing her experience showing President Obama’s recent address  to a group of 9-12 year olds. ************************************* I work in an elementary school with a [...]

After ravens, puffins are definitely my favorite Alaskan bird.  This pair of horned puffins found a “comfy” nesting spot on one of the islands in Resurrection Bay.  By the end of the summer they have gotten so fat that when the boat goes by you see them trying to haul their big bodies out of [...]

Today, in addition to being “Talk Like a Pirate Day,” is the first anniversary of the Mudflats Forum! Some of you are Forum devotees, and others have looked warily at that little link over on the sidebar and have wondered what might be in there, but haven’t checked it out yet. The Forum, for those [...]

~~Shannyn and Brian the Mudflats Moose on the air with Ron Reagan~~ Yup, the week went by that fast!  It’s “Smarter Saturday” on KBYR 700am in Anchorage. The station as a whole still isn’t quite smart enough to offer our doyenne of Democracy a five day a week show, but we’re hoping that they’ll eventually [...]

Well, it’s been scarcely a week since the 9/12 anti-Obama rally drew between 40,000 and 2 bazillion people to our nation’s capital to protest…well…everything. And now, this weekend it’s the “Values Voters” summit.  Tolerance?  Helping the least among us?  Working together for a sustainable planet?  No, not those values, Silly.  Have a look at the [...]

[cross-posted at The Huffington Post] I have a confession to make.  I’ve been watching the Sarah Palin Ebay dinner auction with somewhat of an obsession.  Newsworthy?  Probably not.  More important things to think about?  You betcha.  But I’ve been doing it anyway.  It’s cheap entertainment when you’re sitting around sick with the flu.  Blame it [...]

Thanks to all for your well-wishes, and advice on flu remedies.  I’ve stocked up on lemon and honey and ginger.   Hoping to feel better by tomorrow.  New post will be roboposting soon. Back to the cave…

Just a quick post… The flu has arrived, and it has kicked my butt. I’ll post when I feel up to it, but bear in mind that anything that sounds like I’ve gone off the rails may have to do with fever and/or Nyquil. You can use this as an open thread. I’ll probably pop [...]

The Magnificent Moose from Dennis Zaki on Vimeo. Rutting season is about to begin. Gentlemen, start your engines! Yes, they’d be checking their giant wristwatches if they had them, and if they could tell time. But for now, they’re just hanging out. Waiting.

Well, the poor old thing has had a rough eight years, but today is a moment to celebrate the spirit of the United States Constitution.  Today is Constitution Day.  The last time I was in Washington D.C., I stopped in to the National Archives to pay it a visit.  An image of page 1 is [...]