Begich Gets Standing Ovation at AFN I got to be front row center for Mark Begich’s address to this weekend’s Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.  It was awesome to be sitting in the beautiful Dena’ina Convention Center that came about because of then Mayor Begich’s efforts.  President Julie Kitka presented the Senator with a beautiful [...]

Alaskans have heard it a million times from those Outside. “I used to love Northern Exposure! Alaska looks so cool!” “Insomnia was great!” “My kids thought Snow Dogs was the best! What beautiful country!” “My only experience of Alaska is Men in Trees.” Then they go on to say how beautiful, rugged, and unspoiled Alaska [...]

“You don’t strengthen yourself by having a purge.”   So said Newt Gingrich to Fox’s Greta Van Susteren.  What does he think about ex-governor Sarah Palin, Governor Tim Pawlenty and Teabag organizer Dick Armey lining up behind the obscure independent and very conservative candidate in New York state’s District 23?   Not very much. Well, I just [...]

Seen on Craigslist… Only in Alaska! Trade AR15 for Car – $1250 (Valley) Date: 2009-10-26, 7:56PM AKDT   Looking for early 90′s Subaru Legacy, extended cab 4×4 pickup, ect. Strait across trade or AR15&cash up to $500 Thanks, Please don’t flag, really need a car. Location: Valley it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with [...]

Well, after the last couple days of right wing propaganda, apocalyptic rantings, and the squelching of academic freedom, nothing quite lightens the mood like… full frontal nudity. That’s right, Levi’s back in the news. He has made the decision, and it sounds like he will be baring all for the cameras in his upcoming photo [...]

In Alaska, land of oil and fish, there are battles being waged all the time. The oil companies have infused Alaskan politics like … oil.  And their influence moves on from there – they sponsor our symphonies, they support our kids’ sports teams, they donate to local charities, and just last week Conoco-Phillips, one of [...]

I got an email today from Spouse. He got it from a family member. That family member had gotten it from a friend who had also sent it to his wife and two other friends. That friend got it from another family member who had received it as part of a large group email of 13 friends [...]

Another great creation from flyinureye!  This is the next in the hopefully never-ending Alaska Left Behind series! And speaking of getting carried away…  I got very sucked into writing a post yesterday.  You know when you’re working on something, and all of a sudden you realize that hours have passed.  And then more hours.  Well [...]

Every once in a while something appears on the internet as if from another galaxy where they speak some sort of language that approximates English, but isn’t.  It’s generally the work of some kind of automatic translator that strings together oddly literal, and yet completely off the mark versions of the original into a foreign [...]

UPDATE:  Dr. Rick Steiner announces that he intends to resign from his 30 year professorship with the University of Alaska.  He lost his federal grant funding after years of speaking out against environmental malpractice, including questioning the possibility of responsible oil exploration in Alaska’s Bristol Bay.  The oil industry funds a large portion of the [...]

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Anyone who knows me knows I love a good caper. I’ve participated in several of them in my lifetime. But this… this is beyond “caper.” It’s beyond political demonstration. It is performance art of the highest caliber. The guerilla group Billionaires for Wealthcare [...]

This just in from Dennis Zaki. A local KTUU Channel 2 reporter asks US Senator Lisa Murkowski who she is, how to spell her name, and what her job title is. Murkowski has been in office for nearly 7 years and the number one station in Alaska has a reporter assigned to the senator who [...]

The Alaska Federation of Natives convention is in town, and Anchorage takes on a whole new character. I love when AFN happens, and enjoying the happy feeling of those who gather. Even though sometimes the topics can be serious, and even sobering, there is an abiding sense of community and closeness. The AFN is like [...]

Here’s a sign I saw downtown today advertising bunny boots in white or black, and I thought I’d give you a little bunny boot quiz. Question – What is the difference between white bunny boots and black bunny boots? A)  White bunny boots are made from white bunnies, and black bunny boots are made from [...]

A while back on Mudflats, when rumors were swirling that Sarah Palin might end up with her own political party, we all decided to come up with a name for it.  Because somehow, we knew even then that the “business as usual” Republican Party was too small and predictable to hold the roguish mavericky likes [...]