The Iditarod sled dog race is officially over. The last musher reached Nome in the wee hours of this morning, and got the traditional “red lantern award.” There are always great Iditarod stories, but this year had one of the best ever. Was it Dallas Seavey being the youngest winner ever? Pfft. No. Martin and [...]

by Linda Kellen Biegel I’ve been waiting to see what crappy legislation (considered to be “a lesser of evils” by legislators who desperately want to trade for votes on their own bills, or shore up their second amendment credentials) would show up this session. Ding, ding, ding, ding…we have our winner! House Bill 80 has [...]

Yup.

When I saw Verna Pratt at the front of the room, I had no idea she was the author of several of the Alaska wildflower books I have on my shelf as well as wonderful pressed-wildflower pictures I’ve always wanted to hang on the walls of the little English Cottage I’m going to have some [...]

Humans aren’t the only ones feeling overwhelmed by this year’s record dump of snow. I passed this guy on my way home today, up to his very tall armpits in a snow berm on the side of the road. He didn’t seem to mind me stopping to take a quick picture. All they want to [...]

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” Think of the symbols of patriotism used, and overused in politics – most notably the stars and stripes, bald eagles, [...]

Happy St. Patricks Day to all! Raise a glass of green beer, green tea, and cheer! Most of all, stay safe and happy. Enjoy our two Irish musical selections for the day. One for the tea-totallers, and one for the whiskey drinkers. Pick your poison.

Has anyone else noticed the glut of TV ads for Lisa Murkowski?  ”But she’s not running in 2012,” you say. And, after noting that you are an astute observer of Alaska’s political landscape, I tell you that they are not actually campaign ads. “But they sure look and sound like campaign ads,” you say. “True,” [...]

Anyone who’s ever lived in rural Alaska will recognize this little bit of innovation – an old refrigerator converted into a salmon smoker. But this winter, it looks more like an ice box.

by Mel Green (Originally posted at Bent Alaska) Nearly 1,100 Alaskans — about 75% of contributors — have so far donated to One Anchorage, a March 7 press release announced. But it didn’t take long for anti-LGBT leader Jim Minnery to claim that “Outside Gay Rights Funds Bankroll Prop. 5 Supporters,” completely ignoring One Anchorage’s [...]

The marvel of frozen water in some of its many forms.

Happy Pi Day, everyone!  The post below is actually recycled from last year’s Pi Day. But rather than confess to you that it’s a lot easier and quicker to repost this one, than to write a new one, I’m going to come at this from the angle that just as pi is eternally, beautifully constant, [...]

by Linda Kellen Biegel Tim Meyers stands at the front of room 306 at the UAA/APU Consortium Library. He’s the next guest presenter for the session: Sustainable Agriculture in Rural Alaska at the Alaska Botanical Garden’s Spring Conference. The title of the Conference is “Extend the Season, Expand Your Mind” in honor of guest gpeaker, [...]

Congratulations to Dallas Seavey, winner of Iditarod XL. Seavey is a third generation Iditarod musher, and the youngest person ever to win the race. He made the journey in 9 days, 4 hours, 29 minutes, 26 seconds, the seventh-fastest time recorded on the race’s northern route. Second place finisher Aliy Zirkle had the eighth-fastest time. [...]

Well, it’s Cheesy Grits Primary night in the deep south. So, what’s really important to the Republican primary voters in Alabama and Mississippi? What feature, above all others, is most critical in a president? Is it morality? Experience? True conservatism? Of course not. Better an immoral, un-experienced fake conservative than… President Obama. And if it’s [...]