Open Thread
And the sleds keep gliding across the finish line in Nome…
Our teams are doing great, and we’ve got two across the line:
Aliy Zirkle came in at 16th place. The top 10 still eludes her, but next year is just around the corner!
Michelle Phillips came in at 27th with those handsome lead dogs.
Colleen Robertia (whose dogs at home are being minded by our Voices from the Flats contributor LoveMyDogs) is holding steady in 36th place, and has left White Mountain.
Wattie McDonald, our intrepid Scotsman is in 45th, out of Koyuk
and Newton Marshall from Jamaica is in 47th out of Koyuk. It’s just amazing to me that someone from a country with no snow is even in this race, nevermind doing so respectably.
The first 27 teams are in at this writing, and you can check out who’s coming next on the Leader Board – HERE.
And now off to hit the hay…. Hope everyone had a happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day!
On a day when the QUITTER EX-gov went back on the air to use her worn out, lame cliches in a word-Salad with SOUR dressing it seems only fitting to be reminded of how well she trained her own former lapdog…Meg Chihuahua.
In case some of those missed it the first time….. here is a reminder of how Granny trained Her Lapdog to bark & recite cliches that make no sense either.
She taught her well. Anderson Cooper never was able to figure out what
” QUITTER Basketball” was all about. I think that was the ONLY time I have seen him that flustered on the air. It’s STILL funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrAYT9PHlr8
Here’s something new and totally different:
Does anyone know what’s going on with the extension of unemployment benefits (speaking specifically here about Alaska)? I know that the federal emergency benefits were extended through March 31 (I think), and the Senate passed a bill to extend through December 31 — BUT that bill now sits in the House, and both chambers need to agree on the final bill before going to the President. What’s going on now?
Nationally, there are a lot of people hurting. I hope Congress acts responsibly.
I’ve been looking at Google News, but haven’t seen much of anything happening. Thanks for anything you can share!
Hooray for those doggies and their people! I hope the weather is good for them today.
Lots to do around here, and lots of mud needs to dry up so I can do it!
Have a great day.
I’m so proud of all the dogs (and their mushers).
We are just coming in to mud season. This week is in the 60s! By next week we might lose our entire snow pack.
Until it snows again, which it will. Always a chance of snow until middle or end of April.
@1 HonestyinGov
Thanks, THAT was funny and I had never seen before! Agreed, I’ve never seen Anderson Cooper stumped for words. Giggle. Whatever happened to Meg these days?
Go Colleen Robertia, I’m rooting for you and your beloved pups to show their stuff and I see that they are!
Go Jamaica! One has to admire the chutzpah and for that I cheer them!
Got a new member to the canine posse. A really cute pup- check out pics if you want-
Frank
Joe Redington Sr., the “father” of the Iditarod, said that one reason he loved the Iditarod race is that compared to most “sports”- anyone could participate -age and gender didn’t matter. And that marvels me every year when I see all of the diverse mushers.
A Random Bit of Oddness to start the day…
Last week we received a letter informing us we would be getting –this week– our 2010 Census form…and would we please “fill it out and mail it in promptly.” The letter was dated 8 March 2010.
Sure enough, we received our 2010 Census form this week. We received it on Monday, 15 March, to be exact.
Being a good citizen (and ignoring what some on the Right *cough* Bachman *cough* Beck *cough* assorted nutjobs *cough*, have been spouting about the nefarious things the Census count will be used for by this socialist/communist/etc., administration) I set about immediately to fill out the form…
The 2010 Census form is easy enough to read – all it asks for, basically, is the number of people living at the location to which the form was mailed, a phone number to reach [one of] them, the name(s) and birthdate(s) of each person residing there, and each of those individual’s race and gender. Oh, and how do you ‘pay’ to reside in the place associated with the mailing address…do you own it mortgage-free; are you paying rent to someone; paying a mortgage; living there free of charge; etc.
So far, so good… the only thing that stumped me is that: on the one hand, I know I should “fill it out and mail it in promptly” as instructed in the 8 March letter from the U.S. Census Bureau; on the other hand, the instructions on the actual Census form, itself, begin with: “The Census must count every person living in the United States on April 1, 2010,” and it specifically> mentions the “April 1, 2010″ date in five other places (sixteen, if you count where it specifically asks for the age of the [up to] 13 other people who might also be living at the location.)
Do I hang on to the 2010 Census form *until* 1 April 2010 (17 days from when it arrived at this mailing address) and then fill it out so the form reflects accurately the number residing here *on* 1 April, or do I throw caution to the wind and fill in/’project’ the number (with names, gender, race, birthdates) of people who I’m pretty darn sure will be living here on that two-and-a-half weeks from now, date?
I realize taking the Census is a major undertaking, that getting *everyone* in the US counted is an *enormous* task that’d give anyone heartburn and an inordinate number of sleepless nights, but geeze, Louise!, couldn’t ‘they’ have ‘timed’ the arrival of the letter of notification and the arrival of the actual Census form a bit better? [I know, for example, the USPS will 'hold' for delivery, mail/letters from companies, advertisers, etc., until a specific date.]
Why, oh why, is there such ‘lag time’ between when the Census form arrives and the date on which the respondent is instructed to “[...]count the people living in this house, apartment, or mobile home using our guidelines”… 1 April 2010?
If I fill out the form and mail it in today, am I ‘jumping the gun’ and ignoring the specific instructions *on the form*? If I hang on to it until 1 April to count, on that day, the people living at this address, will I forget I even have the Census form and not mail it in at all? Such a difficulty to puzzle out.
At times, I think the various government agencies bring about (to their [individual] entities) more problems than reasonably necessary. I’m sure that with the timing of the arrival of the form v. the date the people living at the location [to which the form was mailed] are to be [physically] counted, this Census 2010 will be the same; it’ll end up having created a totally unnecessary problem for itself. It would have been *sooooooo* easy to coordinate the form *arrival date* and the *’count’ date*, but, Noooooo…that didn’t happen.
Gads, I get frustrated by people/entities who do *not* think things through; I get totally frustrated by ineptitude. beth.
#9 @beth
From the Census website (www.census.gov) :
Question
What is the due date for returning the questionnaire?
Answer
IF ASKED BEFORE April 1, 2010: The Census Bureau does not establish a due date for returning the questionnaire, but we ask that you mail back the questionnaire as soon as possible. Even though the census counts people as of April 1, if you plan on living at the address on the questionnaire on April 1, you can complete the questionnaire now and mail it back in the postage-paid envelope.
IF ASKED ON OR AFTER April 1, 2010: The Census Bureau does not establish a due date for returning the questionnaire, but we ask that you mail back the questionnaire as soon as possible. Please complete your questionnaire now and return it to us. If we do not receive your questionnaire soon, a census worker may visit your house and complete one with you.
LiladyNY @ 10 ~ unfortunately, that –what the Census Bureau has up on its website– is *assuming* the address [person/people] to which the Census form was mailed, has access to the intertubes for answers to questions about the *exact* count date as specified *on* the form. Even though so many of us take intertube access for granted, not everyone in this country has, can get to, or knows how to/can use, it…but *every* residence has been sent a form ~ the respondent having internet access, or not.
If the person/respondent *doesn’t* have access to the intertubes but does have questions about the count date of a form (1 April) that’s arrived well *before* that time (say, 15 March), there *is* a phone # they can call for clarification, though. Also unfortunately, that means the CB is having to hire even *more* phone answerers to field questions; and specifically to to field a specific question that could have –and *should* have– not been a question, in the first place. A simple coordination of mail delivery date and count date would’ve nipped that specific question in the bud; it would’ve made the *vast majority* of questions about it, null and void for all but the most obtuse of respondents (AKA – the ‘get out of the gene-pool’ types.)
It’s also obvious to me that there *have* been many questions about the count date v. form arrival date. If there *hadn’t* been, the CB wouldn’t have posted the explanation/answer on their website [so those with internet access could find the answer v. calling the toll-free number].
Seems to me, (and this is just me, now) that by FIRST coordinating the arrival of the form and the date on which the count was [is] to be made, the Census Bureau would’ve saved itself (and the respondents) a *whole* lot of headaches. Alas and alack…’they’ didn’t run it by me, first, to see how they could’ve saved time, money, and confusion by taking such a simple measure… Such silly billys. beth.
Our form is completed & hanging on the Fridge – figure I’ll wait till next week – just to make sure nobody gets sick & kicks the bucket before the end of the month (j/k). But yes, it is confusing.
Rather hope those in the Bachmann district follow her lead & not send theirs in – thereby – she’d loose her seat !!!
I heard on MSNBC last night , that a picture with SP will cost $10,000 at Michele Bachmann’s re-election campain fund raiser. The picture I saw of SP on the internet shows her with a very short haircut. I thought she looked like crap before—-but you should see this one., Whew!!!!!!
Anyone who would pay for a picture of these two——is off their rocker.
OMG! Did you kids see this?
karen marie -
Kinda looks like this :
http://www.austinarticles.com/images/friends/elly_may_clampett.jpg
@ karen marie
OMG that picture! What is that stupid woman doing? I picture that little Tattoo dude on Fantasy Island running around saying “De Hair! De Hair!”
Here is one of the comments I chuckled over:
“She must be wearing Frumpits now. Or else she’s hoping her retro-disaster-do will bring on a retro-disaster like the Hillarycare disaster. Sort of a magical-thinking, rally-cap kind of thing.”
Go Colleen Robertia! Go Penny the Small and Mighty! You are almost to Nome – wohoo!
Sarah Palin has a distinct misunderstanding of what a classy person looks like as it applies to hair, attire, and mannerisms, and she must think a classy lady must be loud and brash.
A classy lady doesn’t need to wear expensive clothing or flashy jewelry, and she certainly doesn’t need 60′s bouffant hairstyles! Understated elegance goes a long way towards emitting a sense of class.
Most importantly, a classy lady doesn’t have a sassy mouth. She knows when to speak and when to not speak, and she certainly doesn’t screech nonsense 24/7.
Sarah should spend some of her ill-gotten gains by hiring a few professionals to dress her, do her hair and make-up, and give her voice lessons and teach her how to modulate her voice. However, I am sure she thinks (thanks to her rabid, vapid followers) that she is perect just as she is, so she won’t make any attempt to improve.
OOPS – she is perect just as she is,
should be PERFECT
Sorry!
@beth LOL
More Census workers means more JOBS even if they are temporary, so we should ask many many questions.
One’s local newspaper should be able to provide one with information with regard to the location of census kiosks for forms and people who can answer questions and provide assistance to fill out those forms. Local Post Offices and libraries are always (also too) good sources of information.
Colleen is out of White Mountain which would put her in Nome around 3-4 this afternoon (Alaska Time). She looks like she might be able to catch the guy in front of her. She has a habit of speeding up on the last leg. It depends on many things. The wind, how her leaders are doing, etc, etc.
Although Joseph has been blogging (very negatively), he has not e-mailed me back nor, as far as I can tell, made contact with anyone that I tried to link him up with in Nome. I am, at this time, glad that I am not there because I would wring his neck. He wants so badly to be self-sufficient that he cuts his own nose off to spite his face. He won’t sleep until she gets there so he will be a bigger mess than she is when she does. Silly man.
OMG, it’s the hairdo from hell.
I actually watched the video at Gryphen’s site. Yes, I watched the whole lot. And wow, there is some serious deep breathing, swallowing and blinking going on. She didn’t look comfortable at all. She spewed the same old word salad. Her appearance was beyond bizarre – crazy hair, over-glossed lips and very heavy eye makeup, gawdy jewellery. I think I’ve covered it all.
teutonic13 — I have a new canine here this a.m., too, but this one is uninvited. It’s warm enough to have the doors/windows open this morning, and as I was sitting here reading the morning news and blogs, a black lab probably 11-12 mos old came trotting in, introduced himself as my new BFF, then laid down w/ his chin on my foot – and he’s still there. He has a tag w/ a phone # – I’ll call after while.
——————————-
John McMansions and Sarah the screeching wild Alaskan millionaire are coming to Tucson on the 23rd of March (next Tuesday), to remind us
how effin’ glad we are that Obama is presidentwhat common, down to earth folks they are and howunthinkable it is that they would ever use a kitchen table as cheap and tacky as minein-touch they are with our kitchen tables and real umurikans.Did you know John McCain was a POW?! I have five kids!!The rally is at noon and about 40 miles away, which means I would have to write off the whole day to attend. While I’m not sure I can justify that, I am still thinking about it. It would be fun to go muck in with the local Republicans – as a cultural experience. Mexicans/Mexican culture are part of my home turf, but a Republican rally – that’s foreign. This county (Pima) in ’08 voted for Obama and gay marriage, it is the home district of Rep Raul Grijalva, co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus, and it is home turf to a Democratic challenger for McCain’s seat. It’s really curious to me that McCain chose to bring the wild Alaskan dingbat here to the bluest part of Arizona to campaign for him. They did choose a venue SE of town, though, (what could becheaperfolksier than the fairgrounds?) where they have a chance to draw not only from Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson but also from the Ft Huachuca area further to the SE. I have a feeling his choice might give one of us a WTF moment – I’m hoping it’s him.Desert Mudpup.
I read a fabulous article about a dog that did this.
Older dog, came in to nap at a neighbor’s house. She didn’t know the dog but let it be. When it was done, he got up and left. Did this for weeks. She finally followed the dog home and met the owner.
Woman with several small children and a newborn. Said the dog probably just needed some peace and quiet for a few hours.
They had a laugh. The dog kept coming for a while for his quite afternoon nap.
Dogs. Gotta love ‘em.
Palin on Hannity’s show
“The government that governs least governs best”.
Then we should be well pleased with the government we set up in Iraq!
Here’s one of our Real Alaskans, and we have many! The Stupid Twit from Wasilla is an anomaly, or maybe a boil. She so needs to be popped.
For those of you who have not followed previous year’s races and might wonder what makes Lance tick, this is a good little read, written by another long time musher.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/projects/iditarod-2010/4492-what-lances-win-means
I meant to post a small item I particularly liked in the Joe Runyan article:
“In addition, Mackey never complains and rarely admits pain. His empathy for other people’s struggles and his ability to inspire all of us has endeared him to his large fan following. He often says his fans have far bigger struggles than his own. ”
People who know Lance, love him. I got to meet his uncle, Rick Mackey, at one of the race starts and boy howdy did he have the most beeee-u-ti-ful dogs! Their coats were just glistening in the sun, as though he and his handlers had brushed them for hours. His dad, Dick Mackey is famous for being a great guy!
tnx, karenmarie @14! My favorite comment:
“Wow, great picture.
You can almost see the nictating membrane in its eye.”
http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/dr._quit_medicine_woman/
Nice to hear about the dogs and handlers as they come in.Doesn’t Ms palin know she does not speak for the majority.President Obama won with a majority which is more than we or anyone can say about ex president Bush he was put in by his own appointed SC judges.
Great Granny 2C
Years ago I had to sit through a long film in which its sociologist creator talked in a hooty Prairie-Bible-Institute voice about his theory that “What you are now is what you were then.” He believed that to understand someone you had to look at the culture and events of the decade in which they came of age. It’s not a bad theory.
For Sarah this is the 80′s- in 1980 she was 16.
Think Steel Magnolias, made 1989. Dolly Parton’s hair, wossername’s hair salon, Sally Field’s persona, a baby even at the risk of the mother. etcetera…
Dolly’s films- what the 80′s thought were hunour.
1980 9 to 5
1982 Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
1984 Rhinestone
1989 Steel Magnolias
Dear Mudpuppies,
It’s the worst possible nightmare for Alaska’s wilderness, and I need your help to stop it.
A foreign-owned mining company called Anglo American is planning to dig one of the world’s largest open-pit mines — the Pebble Mine — in the heart of Alaska’s irreplaceable Bristol Bay watershed.
You couldn’t pick a worse place to dig this dirty 2,000-foot-deep, two-mile-long gold and copper mega-mine.
That’s why we need you to sign our Petition of Protest now so that we can send your signature along with hundreds of thousands of others to Anglo American’s Annual Shareholders Meeting, which ironically enough is being held on April 22: Earth Day!
Please take action immediately to help save this Alaskan paradise. The planet’s largest sockeye salmon streams run through it, with tens of millions of salmon not just supporting an abundance of bears, whales, seals, and eagles but also sustaining Native communities that have thrived here for thousands of years.
https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page
I know many readers here have opposed Pebble Mine already, but please let the shareholders at Anglo-American know just HOW opposed we really are.
Thanks, and as always, Health and Peace.
Quote from Steel Magnolias:
Shelby: [to hairdresser Annelle] “Relax! You can’t screw up her hair. Just tease it and make it look like a brown football helmet.”
The link I posted above will take you to NRDC but I shortened it so it wouldn’t take you to my auto-login. Please go the the homepage (the link will be on the page it takes you to) and find the link to protest Pebble Mine. Again, I apologize.
Was there a thread here earlier with the klanity/lady blah blah crapola clip from last night? Am I going crazy? I’m sure I saw it, now there’s a big blank at the bottom of the page….
Although I live happily in NYC, I’m on Patrick Leahy (D-VT)’s email list. I didn’t realize what a great photographer he is. Here’s a link
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/showcase-138/
so you can check it out for yourselves.
Health and peace.
Taking on Palin… about time
http://www.graysonforcongress.com/default.asp
I’m betting that she didn’t have time to get ALL of her extensions redone (it takes hours) so she just had them done in the back and ran with it.
/semi-snark
Thanks Zyxomma.We have some of the same mining problems in our state
I found out why Mrs Paylin was wearing that hair—
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100318/ap_on_en_tv/us_obit_fess_parker
mommom–LOL!!
@mommom – you’re a wicked one aren’t you? LOL
New blog comes out swinging
http://terminalhypocrisy.blogspot.com/2010/03/corrupt-bitches-club.html
From Grayson’s website — love it:
“Recently, Congressman Alan Grayson summed up the Republicans’ Health Care plan as:
Don’t get sick
If you do get sick…
Die quickly”
I refer you to Honesty’s post in the Eddie Burke thread, about an entire pack of four wolves just killed yesterday in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Two were radio-collared by National Park Service.
Here’s Honesty’s post:
http://www.themudflats.net/?p=10703#comment-179363
Here’s the story mentioned in the thread:
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/03/updated-alaska-gunners-wipe-out-wolf-pack-yukon-charley-rivers-national-preserve5548
So sad. This pack lived very close to me.
Reading the above article, and also one on the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, I see there are quite a few folks who think this was just no big deal. I do not agree.
honestyinGov March 18th, 2010 at 1:58 AM Says:”"Anderson Cooper never was able to figure out what… I think that was the ONLY time I have seen him that flustered on the air.”"
Nah… we saw him tonight on Celebrity Jeapardy. He was totally ignorant of history and geography… especially for someone with a US pedigree such as his. A Vanderbilt, indeed. I lost a LOT of respect for him watching this evening.
Andrew Halcro is ripping Dairygate and Tom Irwin today. He’s uncovered another loan secured with cheese as collateral….yes, cheese. He’s also exposing the “witch hunt” against employees at the Dept. of Agriculture:
“March 19, 2010: Chalk it up to just another chapter in “the look the other way administration” of Governor Sean Parnell.
Another $200,000 state bail out, granted two weeks ago to the Matanuska Creamery after they presented 40,000 pounds of cheese and their accounts payable (which obviously weren’t enough to keep their head above water) as collateral.
Only in DNR Commissioner Tom Irwin’s world would this be possible.
After all, Irwin was the master who brought us such fan favorites as AGIA, the gas pipeline plan that state lawmakers are abandoning faster than the Titanic.
He brought us the continuation of the Point Thomson litigation after he rejected a development plan that the court later ruled was done illegally.
And he brought us an all Mat-Su Valley Board of Agriculture, whose director has a father in law in the dairy business that continues to benefit from the state handouts that are keeping a money losing dairy in business.”
Read the whole story at:
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/dnrs_irwin_arrested_development_witch_hunts
@45 Lee323:
Now I gotta go check that out. Can’t say I always agree with Halcro, but by golly, he sure does have a knack for sniffing stuff out. (Was he ever an investigative reporter?–) I do love reading his stuff for what I can learn.
This Mat-Maid thing has turned into such a joke. Can’t believe they’re still going along with–and supporting!– it. What a load of nepotism, fraternalism, whatever kind of -ism you want to call it. What a load of crap.
honestyinGov is right –
“It is Parnells ( and Sarah’s )Friends that will create a severe financial impact to ALL of Alaska because of HIS decision. I’ll donate money to ” WHOEVER ” is his opponent in the Election. And I’ll be sure to mention THAT tomorrow as well.”
This latest killing of an entire wolf pack in Yukon-Charley National Preserve smacks, to me, of an in-your-face challenge from the State of Alaska. They just don’t want to do things like the federal government thinks they should be done. They even go against a previously-agreed mutual agreement, just two days after the state’s predator control program went into effect. Nope, Alaska just don’t want to take orders from no feds.
Here is honestyinGov’s Facebook link — you don’t need a Facebook account. Just go there, and contact Parnell — the contact info is at the top left.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=365452741386
I’m doing it. Thanks, Honesty.
Everyone, do it now!
Halcro’s story is really good.
Whaddaya wanna bet some of that $40K worth of cheese is ….. moldy ….. ?