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March 19, 2024

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No Time for Tuckerman -

Thursday, August 3, 2023

The Quitter Returns! -

Monday, March 21, 2022

Putting the goober in gubernatorial -

Friday, January 28, 2022

Sen. Dan Sullivan – Leading in the Wrong Direction

SEN. DAN SULLIVAN ADDRESSES THE LEGISLATURE BUCKLE UP To say it was mind-numbing to listen to Sen. Dan Sullivan in his address to a joint session of the legislature is an understatement.  To say that was surprising wouldn’t be true. Mind you, he’s not up for reelection until 2026. His job security is solid. He doesn’t need to pander and whip up “the base” to get votes any more. This was the perfect opportunity to deliver a positive address, looking to the future, reassuring the 44% of Alaskans who didn’t vote for him that maybe he wasn’t so bad, and…

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We found Dallas Seavey! Welcome to the 2019 Finnmarksløpet!

The Finnmarksløpet dog sled race is the longest and northernmost dog sled race in Europe. It takes place in the Finnmark, the northernmost region of Norway, and traverses birch forest, river valleys, and northern fjords from Alta to the Russian border and back. The Finnmarksløpet was established in 1981 by the Alta Trekkhundklubb (Dog Sledding Association of Alta) as a 226 km (140 mile) long race. It was later extended to 1,000 km (621 miles) in 1993, and then to its current distance of 1,200 km (746 miles). In addition to the 1,200 km-long race, there is a 500 km…

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Russian Cheating Should Have Consequences Here Too.

It’s not very often that I miss having a television. I haven’t had one for many years, but there is something about the Winter Olympics that really makes me want to watch them. For 20 years, that something has been Kikkan Randall. She’s remarkable and I was sure she already had a stack of gold medals. Alaska is so proud of her. Moms are feeling encouraged by her accomplishments. Kids are talking about when they’ve met her. We’re going to need a parade. There’s a new doping scandal at the Olympics. Initially I thought it was a punchline. Doping of…

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Still ‘Je suis Charlie’ Two Years On

[Editors (Zach) note: This was originally posted on Sarah’s facebook page and she thankfully allowed me to share it with you. Sarah is a human rights lawyer based in Paris and London. You can read her piece on Erik Prince’s plan for the refugee crisis in Europe here.]  Those who knew and/or followed me then remember how difficult that day was for me; some have ended friendships over it, some have started one, some have disagreed but respected my grief. I was present on the scene and I have lost friends. I have lost journalists. I have peered across the…

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Blackwater’s Erik Prince Has a Solution for the Refugee Crisis

The last thing the refugee crisis needs is Erik Prince. Last we heard from Erik Prince, he had set up sail for the new shores of Abu Dhabi, away from pesky congressional hearings about unlawful killings in Iraq, and close to the security-laden borderlands of the Horn of Africa. His new venture, Frontier Services Group, provides logistical and material support in conflict zones as well as aid delivery. We’d like to seize the opportunity of a new year to wish the former Blackwater CEO the best in his new endeavours. In an opinion-piece penned for the respectable Financial Times, the…

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Outside the Olympic Village, There’s a Bigger Story Happening

While much of news media focuses it’s cameras on the sports being played out inside the stadiums there’s a bigger story happening outside that involves thousands of Brazilians. Many have been displaced by the Olympic games and the World Cup before it and many more complain of the games costs in a country reeling from financial collapse. As with Sochi claims of corruption have been made against the government and the IOC – billions of dollars with little oversight have been funnelled from tax dollars to building hotels and stadiums. Many Brazilians ask why the money could be found for the…

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Obama Comes to Alaska: We Have to Save the Ice so We Can Break It

As I drove, I imagined having to explain to a Secret Service agent that the reason my boots set off the sniffer dog is because the last two places I wore them were a pig farm and a gun show respectively. So, there was a perfectly good explanation why I smelled of gunpowder, and fertilizer. “No really! I swear! I still have the pictures on my phone!” I was glad I had allowed extra time. I had allowed so much extra time, it turns out, that I was the first member of the press at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) and waited in…

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The Weekend Off – News You Missed

Alaska Fairbanks News Miner – Pro-Begich super PAC takes on Treadwell JUNEAU, Alaska – A super PAC that supports Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has a new ad that, for the first time, takes on Republican Senate hopeful Mead Treadwell. Put Alaska First’s ad also features Republican Dan Sullivan, the presumptive front-runner in the race who has been a target of the group for months. Alaska Dispatch News – Nixon took time out from Watergate to plot politics with Young, Coghill Forty years after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in disgrace, the secret tapes that proved his role in the Watergate…

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Warren’s 11 Progressive Values for Netroots Nation

DETROIT, MI – Detroit’s Democratic Congressman Gary Peters who is running for the United States Senate addressed a packed house at the Netroots Nation convention in his home city on Friday. “I know the power you have to blog, to communicate to tell stories,” he said. “There are many wonderful stories about Detroit, and the wonderful people who make up this city, and the spirit that they have. Tell about how they have been through some very tough times, but they work hard. And if they work hard they should get a fair shot. And if they get a fair…

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Netroots Nation Photo Album, Day 1

  When I moved to Alaska at 24 years old, I’d never been here, knew not a soul, had no job, and $300 in my pocket. But I was off on a grand adventure to a foreign land. When I touched down in Anchorage in the middle of February after a mind-blowing flight 3 and a half hours north from Seattle, this guy was the first to greet me. I never knew what became of him after the big airport renovation all those years ago, but I found him by the Frontier Airlines check-in. He hasn’t changed. At 14 hours…

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