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March 28, 2024

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Friday, January 28, 2022

Odds and Ends – Cabbage, Landfill, Venom and Mud.

Pass the Slaw!

Those long summer days always make the giant vegetable exhibit at the Alaska State Fair interesting.  This year was even more exciting than usual…if you consider staring at giant vegetables exciting.

A world record green cabbage tipped the scales at 125.9 pounds, with a 21-inch diameter head, and a leaf span of about 5 feet.

In the shadow of the giant cabbage was another world record breaker, an 82.9 pound rutabega.

Dump da Dump Dump…

The City of Emmonak is about to receive a $3.2 million loan and a $1.4 million grant from stimulus money to construct a desperately needed new landfill, improving sanitation and creating new jobs.

The current landfill in Emmonak is an unpermitted open dump located on a Yukon River flood- plain, upstream from the village water supply. Because access is unrestricted, children often play in the area and animals feed on the trash, creating serious health concerns. The community’s efforts to construct a new landfill have stretched over several years.

“Emmonak has faced many hardships in the past year, including one of the most difficult winters in recent memory,” said Begich. “It is good to see investment in the community to help solve a problem which has been unresolved for far too long.”  Senator Begich supported and voted for the stimulus bill.

Where’s Meg?

We’ve heard all about it.  Levi spilled his guts about his almost mother-in-law.  She doesn’t know much about huntin’ and fishin’, she sends others out to fetch her lattes and Taco Bell, she doesn’t cook, she sleeps alone, she wanted to adopt her daughter’s soon-to-be-born child and pretend it was hers…  Here in Alaska we collectively dove under our desks.  We wore our special venom repelling foul weather gear.  We ducked and covered.  We checked the Facebook page of the former governor, cringing, shielding our eyes from the acid-tongued reply from Megan Stapleton.  And then….. nuthin’.

Hmmmm. People have been verbally flayed for far less than that in Palin Land. Since this lack of response obviously goes against every instinct for smack-em-down, in-your-face, name-calling retribution we have come to know…  New leadership?  (strokes chin)  Wonder who’s behind the curtain now?

Abuse of the Mudflats!

This little news item caught my eye for obvious reasons.  Apparently more than 100 golf balls have mysteriously washed ashore and littered the mudflats in Australia.  Suspected are teens who have been hitting balls into the bay. Had they been caught, a $200 fine would have been the consequence.  A local boating enthusiast Duncan McGregor (no I did not make that up, and isn’t that the best name EVER for an Australian boating enthusiast??) said,  “It’s a marine park for Christ’s sake and there are animals around.’’

The Australian Marine Conservation Society director Darren Kindleysides (they’re killing me here) said the act was “totally irresponsible’’ and showed a lack of respect.

Councillor Peter Cumming (…nevermind) said it was “stupid behaviour’’.

Transparency is a Beautiful Thing

CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) and the Obama Administration just reached a settlement in four cases regarding public access to White House visitor logs. You may remember that CREW filed suits against the Bush Administration seeking records of visits by Christian conservative leaders and lobbyist Stephen Payne and the Obama Administration seeking visitor logs of visits to the White House by health care and coal executives.

The most significant development, however, is the commitment by the Obama administration to post visitor records online on an ongoing basis, bringing a historic level of transparency to the White House.

CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan praised the White House, stating, “The Obama administration has proven its pledge to usher in a new era of government transparency was more than just a campaign promise. The Bush administration fought tooth and nail to keep secret the identities of those who visited the White House. In contrast, the Obama administration – by putting visitor records on the White House web site – will have the most open White House in history. Because visitor records will now be available online, CREW dismissed its lawsuits.”

Nicely done, CREW.

Comments

comments

Comments
94 Responses to “Odds and Ends – Cabbage, Landfill, Venom and Mud.”
  1. InJuneau says:

    SO, the cabbage guy just broke his new world record with an even bigger one: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/state_fair/story/923340.html

    And the answer to what happens to the GIANT cabbages is:

    Hubacek said “The Beast” will ultimately become compost, tilled under to feed another year’s cabbage plants. He grows smaller cabbage elsewhere in his garden for eating, he said.

    The big ones “get woody; then they’re not as good to eat,” he said.

  2. lilly says:

    Mrs. Palin actually may have been in San Diego as was reported. With Todd and a few kids poolside with a laptop.

    Her collaborator on her memoirs is a San Diego resident.

    Lynn Vincent. She also wrote “Donkey Cons. Sex Crimes and Corruption in the Democratic Party.”

    This should be rich.

  3. kareninTexas says:

    Airfare not included….lol, lol,lol, I’ll bet she’s thinking the buyer will whisk her away to Paris instead of coming to Alaska to eat! How transparent!

  4. kareninTexas says:

    Yuck! I’ve just lost my appetite! If I had the money, I would give it to the vets and have dinner with them WITHOUT HER!

  5. greatgrammy1 says:

    Breaking News! HLN (part of CNN) is reporting that dinner with Sarah Palin and family will be raffled off for a charity. Bids start at $25,000. I didn’t catch the name of the charity.

  6. yellerdogg says:

    #65 BuffaloGal, #76 Duncan & #85 Nina Trick

    Re: Polish/Ukranian and Duncan ancestors

    HELLO COUSINS!

  7. leenie17 says:

    BuffaloGal # 63
    I’m still imagining the giant stuffed cabbage rolls that could be made from the 124 lb whopper. My Polish/Ukrainian gramma would’ve had a happy time with that much cabbage.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Holubtsi for 1,000 anyone??? That’s a LOT of boiled rice. And of course you just GOTTA have the kielbasi to go with it! Yummmmmmm…

  8. Nina Trick says:

    76 Duncan Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 3:57 PM
    Nothing wrong with being a ‘Duncan,’ especially if you’re a Campbell too.

    Hello Duncan! Agreed about nothing wrong with being a Duncan, especially if you are a Campbell or even a Craig also too.

  9. seattlefan says:

    Wow! That is one big cabbage!

    Regarding the transparency thing, after watching Ana Marie Cox on Rachel tonight, it turns out that there are caveats with the transparency (probably rightly so….national security reasons and family privacy) but the critics will have a hay-day with that.

  10. All l Saw says:

    one final note.

    A local dump is usually supported by a local property tax base, and I’m just guessing here but Emmonak probably doesn’t have the revenue to do it on their own – and I assumed, (obviously wrongly) that these regional corporations were serving as a “village cooperative” of sorts to use their collective resources to keep up with modernity as Julie Kitka says.

  11. All l Saw says:

    from Mother Who Thinks “No! That kind of thing is handled by governments using tax dollars and user fees. No business is expected to perform these services at shareholder expense due to race or locality.”

    I get this, and this is the debate I was trying to illicit.

    Let me be clear, I WANT economic development and autonomy for these communities. I think our government SHOULD be providing infrastructure but I’m trying to understand what the role of the ANC’s – as their representatives have claimed – as they relate to the ANCSA and federal contracting preference.

  12. All l Saw says:

    Um. I never once said “cash lying around”. I also put links to the articles so everyone could read (and discern) for themselves the information contained therein.

    With those kinds of assets and growth in income I’m sure they could easily secure the financing needed to construct a municipal dump.

    My question has to do with securing it through Federal Stimulus AND securing Federal Contracts with very little if any competition using a Small Business Administration program with no limits on the income, assets, growth or size of the loan package. Is $244 million a year a small business? For non-Native owned small businesses (including Veterans) the upper limit is $17 million a year in revenue.

    Obviously this is a sore subject, it’s not my intention to ruffle feathers but I pay very close attention to ALL news related to Alaskan issues and not just mind blowingly long blog threads that sometimes happen here (no offense Mudflats but its been really hard to keep up since, well you know… this time last summer). As much as I would like to know who everyone is and how they think before I post – its just not possible, and I try and participate anyway.

    There is a disconnect between what is actually given back to the communities on which these corporations are using to continue their phenomenal growth during a time when most companies aren’t doing so well.

    I run a for-profit company and I feel exceedingly obligated to “give back” for “no good reason” because the opportunities that Alaska has given me demand it. In fact, when we are having a downturn I feel the ONLY way to get our mojo back is to do things for free, (either way I’m not making money, might as well feel a little better about it).

    So many natives are moving to more urban areas, not so they can fight traffic but so they can find some financial stability. If constructing a municipal dump would create a dozen or so jobs in that local community why did it take electing Mark Begich to get it done?

  13. JP says:

    @ Mother who thinks: Exactly right.

    But what got me more was the implication that they were somehow failing morally by sitting on their cash while the people they served suffered.

    Reading the accounts, they had revenue of 224m, for net income of 26m. So they provided 224m worth of services, and made 12% margin for the investors that made that possible, and the amount of services they provided was up 62% from the previous year. Those are FANTASTIC numbers for a for-profit community service organisation: a high and quickly growing level of service, on a low margin that still provides return for investors. The people responsible should be proud, and not have to worry about being criticised for their success just because they didn’t solve every single problem faced by their community. Perhaps if they keep growing at 60% a year they’ll solve some of these other problems too, in time.

  14. Empish says:

    Our State Fair Parade usually ends at AVPH (Alaska Veterans & Pioneers Home). This year it started at Jr High and went around the building, then downtown due to reconstruction of the water mains. The vegetables adorning the harvest float are then donated to the home.
    Don’t know how tasty a cabbage would be after being on display for two weeks at the fair. They look pretty dried up and tired after a while.

  15. Lori in Los Angeles says:

    I don’t know where Meg is, but Scarah, Piper and Todd have been in San Diego.
    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/
    Scarah by the pool, on her computer (watching wedding shows?). I know Meg was well-paid by sarah pac (when you include the fees to her husband and to her consulting firm IzzyL-something) – BUT, wouldn’t it be a SCREAM if Meg has been thrown under the bus/discarded and decides to write a tell-all?
    I can dream, can’t I?

  16. Fern says:

    Mother Who Thinks @ 75

    Perfectly stated.

    And I would like to add one more point – Northern economic development is very, very difficult, especially for remote communities. There are just not a lot of options for an economic base – tourism, resource extraction, subsistence activities, and infrastructure development and maintenance. Anything I’ve missed? In the northern Aboriginal communities I’m most familiar with, the band council is the primary employer.

    And it is brutally expensive, as all you northerners well know, to get raw materials in and finished products out.

    So this sanitation project is actually a pretty good one, to my way of thinking, and a good way of spending stimulus money. It will safeguard the health of residents. it will bring employment $ into the community. Some materials will be bought in the region. Maybe they can train a few local heavy equipment operators etc.

  17. Duncan says:

    Nothing wrong with being a ‘Duncan,’ especially if you’re a Campbell too.

  18. Mother Who Thinks says:

    @JP–thanks for weighing in. I’m the one that started that little “love fest” and my point was that it’s easy to misunderstand how Native corporations function. It is also too easy to point at them and say “They are not helping their own people” when that is a) far from true, and b) not their role or responsibility when it comes to the things that American citizens and taxpayers have come to expect from their government, i.e. infrastructure for the public good.

    Americans, whether they are Alaska Natives who live in remote villages or non-natives living in urban centers, must be treated the same. To use “All I Saw’s” logic (inferring that the for-profit corporation in the region should be spending its profits to provide sanitary infrastructure) would be like saying Boeing should be held responsible for the waste disposal in Seattle.

    No! That kind of thing is handled by governments using tax dollars and user fees. No business is expected to perform these services at shareholder expense due to race or locality.

    That is all.

  19. Irishgirl says:

    Maybe saying “I think you may have made a mistake” would be more diplomatic. 🙂

  20. JP says:

    A Fan @ 69:

    No disrespect intended, and I know what the tone of Mudflats is like – I may not post as much as I’d like, but I’ve read every post for over a year now.

    I just think that if you have insinuated that a corporation has a whole heap of cash lying around because grew its assets by over $100m, when in fact that’s not true, and someone points that your error, the civil thing to do is to admit your error.

    Instead, All I Saw did not acknowledge their error, but switched to another tack in which they looked at different figures and AGAIN misrepresented them to insinuate a large amount of unspent cash, when the figures say the opposite.

    I don’t have any axe to grind against All I Saw, but any argument that the corporation should be doing more with its $100m+ cash should be seen as a weak one when the $100m of cash doesn’t exist. When errors are not admitted, but instead different figures are misrepresented to back up that incorrect claim, then I think it’s fair to say that there’s an agenda there that isn’t entirely honest. If it’s not dishonest, then it’s at least based on a mistaken reading of the accounts. Better to be called ignorant than dishonest, in my book.

  21. MinNJ says:

    Competitive growing is a sport, like any other; and it has its own fans, supporters, and participants. For many, it is the science of agriculture and the fate of nature. It all in the game…

  22. rvdee says:

    Wow! Whatta cabbage! And the photo on the Daily News site is quite beautiful. I have seen prize pumpkins at the CT state fair, but they are all misshapen and not at all pumpkin-like (in the Platonic sense). This is “some cabbage”, as a certain spider might have it.

    I have a 12.59 ounce cabbage in the fridge, and I think I’m just gonna have to stir fry it with some pork and ginger tonight in tribute.

    How edible is a cabbage as large as this whopper?

    I can’t imagine that the rutebegas are edible at all. Unlike 98.6 percent of the world’s population, I love rutebegas, but I believe their ediblity declines as they approach the size of a human head. I would have to think that rutebegas of this weight are more like the heads of blue whales and would thus be very woody and very inedible.

    Unless one’s Scarlett O’Hara or a character out of one of those Russian novelists.

  23. MinNJ says:

    Oh, AKM, your Australian story could not have more charmingly and humorously told…LOL, and thank you! Off to read naughtymonkey’s link…

  24. A Fan From Chicago says:

    JP@ #64 – I don’t mean to practice being a moderator without a license but we’re pretty civil over here. We don’t “call people on their ignorance.” I don’t have the faintest idea whether you or “All I saw” are correct. Your subject matter is beyond my pay grade.

    But let’s be respectful. It’s been a tough week all around and maybe everyone should just chill out for the long weekend.

  25. Gramiam says:

    AkPetMom, I was not referring to your late unlamented Governor, but to the Medical waste dump that was in the news a few months back and the fact that Lake Lucille is a “dead”lake. I certainly meant no disrespect to fellow mudpuppies.

  26. BuffaloGal says:

    InJuneau – that’s what I thought. I was hoping those giant veggies would go to some good. Maybe ground up for animal feed? I have a hard time tossing out potato and cucumber peelings. I would go mad letting a 125 lb cabbage to to waste.

    I’m heading to chat shortly in hopes of someone talking me down from an idea that I’m playing with. If I put it into motion it’ll take even more time from what I’m supposed to be doing to make a living but…. I sort of like it. I’ve been trying to come up with a way to counter $P’s facebook page, being as no one is allowed to comment negatively. C’mon up if your of a mind to.

  27. BuffaloGal says:

    naughtymonkey – Friday eve going into a long weekend is a perfect time for being all gossipy. Nice update!

    Re: “where’s Meg”. Now, as interesting as it was to read Levi’s take on things … doncha just really, REALLY want Meg to jump ship and write a book?

  28. InJuneau says:

    BuffaloGal–I’m not sure any of them are worth eating by the time they’re that big, plus they spend a week or so on display, so I’m not sure they’re edible at the end of that even if they were at the beginning. Someone from up there would know better than I, however.

  29. JP says:

    @All I Saw:

    Here’s your first post on this:
    ——–
    All l Saw Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 12:54 PM

    from their own reports:

    “Calista Corporation has posted its year-end financials for 2008. Highlights for
    the year include revenues of $224 million — an increase of 62 percent from
    2007 — which resulted in a net income of $26.6 million after taxes. Both
    represent a record high for the corporation. In addition, company assets grew
    to $144.9 million in 2008.”

    So they increased their assets by $144.9 million when the village of Emmonak had to resort to a webdrive to get heating fuel?
    ——-

    In that post you mirepresented TOTAL assets as ANNUAL GROWTH in assets.

    ——-
    All l Saw Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 2:06 PM
    JP they grew their income by nearly $100 million that year, read the annual report.

    That is an astounding sum with such a small shareholder base.

    One year, a 62% increase in revenue. Most companies strive for 10-20%.

    ——–

    And even with that increase in REVENUE, their NET INCOME was only $26.6m. If you don’t know the difference between revenue and net income, or total assets and growth in assets, you really should not be offering commentary on this subject, or at least you should expect people to call you on your ignorance of the financial side of matters. You have insinuated on both these matters that they have an extra $100m lying around unused this year, when that is very clearly untrue from the very numbers you posted.

    Perhaps their community leadership could be better – I don’t know, I’m on the other side of the world – but all your “evidence” points to is that you can’t read a financial statement properly.

  30. BuffaloGal says:

    All this talk of giant vegetables reminds me that I’ve been so busy online these past days that I’ve forgotten to shop! I have the house to myself this weekend but the cupboards are sadly bare. Tomorrow, I must shop!

    Now, just how does one process a giant vegetable? Do you feed them thru a wood chipper? I’m still imagining the giant stuffed cabbage rolls that could be made from the 124 lb whopper. My Polish/Ukrainian gramma would’ve had a happy time with that much cabbage.

    Hey – what happens to the giagundus veggies after the fair? Are they tasty enough to eat? Seems like such a waste, if not.

  31. naughtymonkey says:

    Just feelin’ gossipy today. We may not know where she is now, but Palin was in San Diego.
    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/

  32. InJuneau says:

    South, dear jojobo1, south to Juneau!

  33. nswfm CA says:

    42 AKPetMom Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 1:33 PM

    My college roommate, more religious than me, said she “Saw God” when she went to AK about 10 years ago, so I’m sure it is drop-dead gorgeous. (She’s the one with the band aids from the Spain trip I mentioned in the open thread.)

  34. All l Saw says:

    No one threatens me and I talk mad shit =-)

    I think the angry people stay home or only go to Costco and Church or something – by and large most people I encounter care more about the weather than politics.

  35. jojobo1 says:

    AkPetMom your area is beautiful and I have pictures I took of the sleeping Lady my sister showed me when I was up there.That whole area is just beautiful.I never got to go north to Juneau.After reading some commentson ADN from people in Wassila I would be afraid to comment on much.There were death threats from the palin supporters from Wassila.it is not the area it is some of the people.

  36. All l Saw says:

    JP they grew their income by nearly $100 million that year, read the annual report.

    That is an astounding sum with such a small shareholder base.

    One year, a 62% increase in revenue. Most companies strive for 10-20%.

    Julie Kitka goes on to say:

    “ANCSA corporations are not merely for-profit corporations; they are stewards of the Native homeland, sponsors of education and training opportunities, employers of “first resort” for our aboriginal people. There is so much more tied into these corporations than many people might guess. Most of our entire land base—our land is key to our heritage, culture and future—is held by the corporations, just as Congress intended in passing ANCSA. The corporations have broader responsibilities than many other corporations, for in their hands are our settlement lands, lands which we can not afford to lose. Alaska Native corporations were not started as ordinary corporations, and were not intended to function as ordinary corporations.”

  37. All l Saw says:

    I’m going to the Alaska State Fair to spend all the money I’ve saved for Christmas, watch the kids ride overpriced rides and yeah of course…

    EAT!

    I know I’m getting older because instead of looking at the stuff at the Fair I always find myself staring in awe at Pioneer Peak. People without mountains in their life must be lonely, unless of course they have a boat =-)

  38. InJuneau says:

    AKPetMom–guess I’d forgotten that he’d grown up in Haines (ooo, a SE boy!). Too bad you can’t manage it down here (we’re a bit bluer than the MadZoo!). Well, I hope he has fun at the fair and that you and the pets have fun camping! Wait, he’s from SE and doesn’t like hiking or camping? What’s up with that?!?

  39. InJuneau says:

    And, a turnip, that at 5.14 lbs, WASN’T big enough to enter: http://www.adn.com/626/v-gallery/story/922950.html?/1521/gallery/912262-a913595-t3.html

  40. AKPetMom says:

    InJuneau, I think you know that PetDad grew up in Haines right? If we could make a living there we would be in Haines, but alas, not many opportunities there.
    Plus, AKPetDad has to work the State Fair at the MacHaus (apple computer store) booth this Saturday, and plus, he doesn’t really like hiking or camping 🙂

  41. JP says:

    @ All I Saw:

    Go back and read your own quote. It does NOT say that the corporation “grew assets BY $144.9m” but that it “grew assets TO $144.9m”. Even if all those assets were income producing, the annual income would pretty much be burnt up entirely by funding just that ONE landfill in ONE village, and as others have pointed out blowing a big chunk of their income on something that ISN’T THEIR RESPONSIBILITY in the first place would be, frankly, hugely irresponsible – not great leadership.

  42. InJuneau says:

    AKPetMom–not taking AKPetDad? Well, whatever you take along, have a blast. And although I could never live in Wasilla, I have to agree that it’s in a very beautiful place (though not as beautiful as Juneau (hey, I’m just looking to pick a fight with you for fun! 😉 )).

  43. CO almost native says:

    @ALL I Saw and AKPetMom:

    I don’t disparage your beautiful town because of You-Know-Who. YKW has departed- perhaps that is why the water is sweet and the scenery is spectacular and the veggies are enormous 😉

    Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, all you mudpups. I am taking Miss Mocha and hiking along the Platte River Greenway- no camping for me. My idea of roughing it is a motel without a bath tub…

  44. All l Saw says:

    BTW my family moved to Alaska in the 70’s because my dad was offered a job with BLM to audit the transference of land for the ANCSA.

    That’s how I ended up growing up in that rural community, and it is a key component of my personhood. Getting to know the people, not just the art and the history but the individuals was the single biggest privilege of my life.

    I can’t remember eating store bought meat or fish in the 10 years I lived there – eskimo ice cream wasn’t “gross” it was DELICIOUS! Is the subsistence prosperity enjoyed in the less prosperous years gone by the wayside in favor of global financial entanglements?

  45. Say NO to Palin in Politics says:

    it’s going to be fun when the connection to her fast quittypants speech and what she’s doing in the future is made clear. the “why” will be glaringly obvious.

    Maybe Meg is under the bus, or partway there.

    It’s too bad they didn’t picture it so you could get perspective on it’s size. I am amazed how things grow up there, with all that daylight yet in such a short period of time, being a gardener and plant lover, I’d love to experience it. I’ve really enjoyed Diva’s gardening pics.

    “The previous world record, set in Wales, United Kingdom, in 1989, was 124 pounds, Liska said.

    That broke a record that lasted 124 years. “So maybe we’ll sit on this one for a while,” she said.”

  46. All l Saw says:

    @ Mother Who Thinks

    I am being careful. Senator McCaskill’s primary question was “can a disadvantaged group grow out of its disadvantage”, in short she’s asking if the no limit rule that applies to ANC’s was a SUCCESS and has achieved its goal – primarily providing an economic path for indigenous peoples.

    I’m simply asking if expanding assets by $150 million in the same year the same communities they were chartered to serve are suffering extreme hardship is really achieving what the contracting preference was intended to.

    The percentage of Native hire in SOME of these corporations is shameful, and I’m in a position to know.

    The testimony to Senator Claire McCaskill’s hearing on the subject of NO LIMIT Small Business Administration Loan offerings to Alaska Native Corporations…

    http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_id=b181d787-3563-4050-b1dd-1503adf47733

    from Julie Kitka, President of the AFN:

    “The structure of ANCSA, of corporations owned and operated by Alaska Natives, was a secondary issue on the minds of Alaska Native people. Protecting the land and our traditional way of life, and surviving in the modern world was critically important then, as it is today.

    The 8(a) treatment of Alaska Natives is part of ANCSA, literally. The basis of the treatment of Alaska Native corporations stems from amendments to ANCSA and to the Small Business Act. In 1986 & 1987, I was working on behalf of the Alaska Federation of Natives in Washington D.C. on a package of amendments to ANCSA called the “1991 Amendments” when the 8(a) amendment was enacted and I know this for a fact personally.”

    I’m not blaming “victims” I’m asking for accountability from their leadership.

    I grew up in a largely native community in the 70’s and 80’s – LONG before the prosperity some dreamed of became a reality. I envied my childhood friends who were native – they seemed to live fuller, richer lives with no more than any of the rest of us and I ALWAYS attributed it to their culture of community.

    I’m simply asking if the actions of these corporations really mirrors the opinions of the Natives that are trying to maintain ties to their cultural lands via local employment and economic development.

    And yeah I think they should be providing more social services, for-profit or not.

  47. AKPetMom says:

    We don’t live in a toxic waste dump here in Wasilla. I really wish people would STOP judging the entire population based on the fact that the stupid Ex Gov happens to live here.

    I spend my evenings in the most beautiful mountains known to man, with my dogs and taking photos of this incredible scenery.

    The giant cabbage was not made large by some sort of weird “toxic waste” here in Wasilla. Apparently the worst toxic waste that Wasilla has seen in many a year has hightailed it to points unknown and by most accounts, has left behind not only a relieved immediate family, but also a relieved populace.

    I would only have to ask that before you make derogatory statements about my town that you would have taken the time to visit this area, and not just the strip malls and the downtown corridor, but the area, the wilderness, the part of the Mat-Su that makes it special to those of us that choose to reside here.

    It’s not all bad, believe me, I grew up in racist, hateful Virginia and I don’t ever want to go back there. I’ve also seen many other parts of the lower 48, and aside from parts of Montana and a few place in Colorado, I’ve never been more spiritually moved than here in Alaska.

    Populations and people and their ideals be damned….I’m here for the outdoor opportunities and that’s what keeps me sane…(well, somewhat 🙂

    And on that note, I’m off for a “mind cleansing” and “decompression” 12 hour hike to the most beautiful campsite in the world. Me and 4 dogs and no laptop and no cellphone. Only a tent and some dehydrated foodthings and 2 gallons of water and, of course, a french press for the morning coffee. (and 3 bottles of wine)

    Losing myself for 4 days. I will miss Shannyn on Saturday but alas, I believe that there are loyal commenters that will catch me up when I return.

  48. GlobalVillage says:

    Awww Aussiegal – sorry to hear you’re homesick – just to let you know we have a beautiful spring morning here just south of Sydney and the smell of jasmine is simply divine. Not so good for hayfever sufferers mind you.

  49. Regarding Aussie names… The PM of the country is Kevin Rudd, otherwise known as Krudd.

  50. GlobalVillage says:

    JP @26 and you too AKM – had a laugh at the Queensland names.
    It’ll take a while for anything to hatch out of those little “eggs”.

    mae lewis – God only knows what Ms Wendy Deng has been slipping into old Rubbies green tea.

  51. Mother Who Thinks says:

    @ All l Saw Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 12:54 PM
    from their own reports:

    “Calista Corporation has posted its year-end financials for 2008. Highlights for the year include revenues of $224 million — an increase of 62 percent from 2007 — which resulted in a net income of $26.6 million after taxes.

    With respect: this is a complex issue which deserves more research on your part prior to making comments like yours.

    Calista and the other 11 regional Native Corporations represent shareholders in ALL the villages in their area, not single communities such as Emmonak. They for-profit, shareholder-owned business entities, NOT non-profits or municipalities typically responsible for infrastructure or waste management. The Regional Corporations often provide some forms of assistance (jobs, dividends, etc.) to the villagers in their areas but they are not obligated or expected to provide the things that governments provide to citizens everywhere else.

    Your comments can lead to misinformation and perpetuation of “blame the victims” thinking, so please be careful. Thanks.

  52. Grover says:

    My 4th or 5th grade geography class coincided with Alaska’s statehood. Still remember a picture of a smiling young girl holding this huge cabbage grown in the Matanuska Valley. I was fascinated by it.

  53. Bystander says:

    Frenchconnection #30:

    Price of Palin resignation: $40,000
    Price of special session $100,000

    AK getting rid of crazy Governor: Priceless!

    Have a good Labor Day, Pups.

  54. Frenchconnection says:

    What I do not understand is why did the state of Alaska have to pay Sarah Palin 3328$ to move ‘out’ of the governor’s mansion, when it was her decision to quit her job early???

  55. aussiegal77 says:

    OMG!! another spelling error!! And I haven’t even begun my holiday weekend drinking yet! Oh noes!

    sorry…..”parnets” = Parents!

  56. aussiegal77 says:

    opps….”releash” = Release!

    I was thinking “Unleash” and “Release” at the same time…sooo hence….”Releash!”

    hahahaha

  57. aussiegal77 says:

    Oh I don’t know…..it’s a long weekend, Meg may be sharpening her claws and waiting to releash vicious tweets and FB post come Tuesday.

    As for those kids in my beloved homeland – bloody hell! Don’t they have parnets! UGH.

    And yes – Duncan McGregor is an awesome name =D

    SIGH……I miss home…..!

  58. All l Saw says:

    from their own reports:

    “Calista Corporation has posted its year-end financials for 2008. Highlights for
    the year include revenues of $224 million — an increase of 62 percent from
    2007 — which resulted in a net income of $26.6 million after taxes. Both
    represent a record high for the corporation. In addition, company assets grew
    to $144.9 million in 2008.”

    So they increased their assets by $144.9 million when the village of Emmonak had to resort to a webdrive to get heating fuel?

  59. Frenchconnection says:

    The price tag for moving the former GOP vice presidential candidate and her family from the governor’s mansion in Juneau amounted to more than $3,328.
    __________________

    Some removal price for someone who was never there!

  60. Frenchconnection says:

    Palin resignation costs Alaska at least $40,000

    By RACHEL D’ORO
    The Associated Press

    Published: September 4th, 2009 11:51 AM
    Last Modified: September 4th, 2009 12:08 PM

    Early estimates put the cost of Sarah Palin’s midterm resignation as Alaska governor at a minimum of $40,000 — and that’s not counting a special legislative session partly linked to her departure.
    The preliminary figures obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request show it cost the state almost $14,100 for the swearing-in ceremony of new Gov. Sean Parnell in Fairbanks on July 26 after Palin formally stepped down the same day.

    The price tag for moving the former GOP vice presidential candidate and her family from the governor’s mansion in Juneau amounted to more than $3,328.

    Not included in the tally is the estimated cost of more than $100,000 for a one-day special session held last month in which state lawmakers approved Palin’s pick to replace Parnell as lieutenant governor.

  61. mae lewis says:

    Karen, that was no slip. That’s exactly why that sly old fox is attracted to the sort of foxy Sarah. Helen at nailinpalinnow has a wonderful description of Rupert’s current beautiful 38-years-younger wife. Please read all about the Chinese connection and why Hong Kong is such a good spot for the launch of the Brand New Sarah. If Sarah excited McCain, she must be doing wonders for old Rupert- that or it’s the Chinese herbal medicine.

  62. All l Saw says:

    okay its not exactly clear to me how Emmonak falls under the Calista Corp (a highly profitable Alaska Native Corporation) who, among other ANC’s claims that its no-limit SBA 8(a) contracts are necessary to help native peoples in Alaska….

    but still needs federal money to provide for a sanitary means of disposing of their garbage?

    ASRC alone booked a $1.2 billion increase in revenue from 2007 to 2008 – but they still need federal preference in bidding contracts.

    Since I no longer live in rural Alaska I really have no clue how the Native Corporations really contribute to the communities they were formed to serve now – and I have my doubts about the effectiveness (considering the failure of rural public schools, infrastructure and basic needs like heating fuel).

    Alaska Business Monthly has a really great 3-story spread advertisement on the wonderfulness of Alaska Native preference for federal contracts.

  63. All l Saw says:

    and we actually have sparkling clean, uncontaminated water, (unless you live near beavers but that’s another story).

    I drink water straight out of my well, without filtration and my friends and family that visit from places OTHER than Wasilla rave about it. Just sayin that too.

  64. JP says:

    As a father of toddlers, I can vouch for the fact that if they’re *really* upset, or *really* hurt, then there’s this awful silence before they explode into tears or tantrums. The longer the silence, the worse it’s going to be. Just saying 🙂

    And as an Australian, all I can say about those names is they’re from Queensland *rolls eyes*

  65. All l Saw says:

    just to defend Wasilla a little bit.

    It is absolutely gorgeous here in the summertime – we go from a monochromatic world to an explosion of foliage and color almost overnight.

    It’s neighboring town (Palmer) was a farming colony started in the WPA days… because of its extremely fertile soil.

    Just sayin. I don’t live here because I like rednecks and snowmachines – and it shouldn’t be given up to the Palinistas so easily.

  66. kareninTexas says:

    OOOOOpppppssss!!! Murdock. hmmmm a freudian slip?

  67. kareninTexas says:

    Don’t give up on hearing from the Twit…its Friday and the beginning of a holiday weekend.
    I don’t see her writing a book in a month….that would be way to much of a challenge for her! Does Murcock have a fetish for bondage????

  68. twain12 says:

    #16 Susie Snowflake Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 11:11 AM
    I don’t trust her a bit, so this silence makes me wonder what she’s up to. Could she really be just secluded with her ghost writer getting the book completed?
    ________________________________
    i don’t trust the quiet either…..i think this is the calm before the storm. She is laying low so that whatever she is up to has the desired effect.

  69. mudkitten says:

    Peter Cumming? Oh dear. lol.

  70. John says:

    Where’s Meg? Maybe they had a two for one special at the undisclosed location rehab center.

  71. honestyinGov says:

    Now that CREW has some free time on their hands… how about a NEW job assignment.
    See what you can dig up on Faux News and mr. Murdock. And don’t bring a shovel. You will need something along the line of a big industrial backhoe to dig through all that ‘toxic filth and waste’.
    Ethics…. I dare them to try to find some buried over THERE.
    You can be sure that word is not in Glenn Becks’s dictionary because he is still looking up O G L I A R……??? { scratching his head…}

  72. nswfm CA says:

    15 mae lewis Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 11:01 AM

    Sometimes, they use the drugs to keep the clean up less difficult. Wherever she is, I hope she stays there and doesn’t come out.

  73. Physicsmom says:

    Hooray for Emmonak and Sen. Begich in getting a new landfill, jobs and a healthier environment. This is what good government can do. As angry as I am at the President right now over the Public Option debate, I’m so proud of him for pushing the stimulus plan through. I guess that’s what separates the Dems from the Rethugs; we (Dems) can support a leader who occasionally disappoints us…as long as it’s only occasionally.

  74. Susie Snowflake says:

    I don’t trust her a bit, so this silence makes me wonder what she’s up to. Could she really be just secluded with her ghost writer getting the book completed?
    Gryphen (Immoral Minority blog) has some interesting information about the family situation and probably separation from Todd.

  75. mae lewis says:

    You know, that’s a big choice to make, money or power. Sarah had a chance to be right behind the most powerful person on Earth, last year. But she didn’t work hard enough for that job. She didn’t work hard enough to hold the job she had (which was pretty powerful). So it must be the money. Question is, will she work really hard for $$$$? So far, keeping her mouth shut makes me think she’s trying harder this time. We’ll have to see how it turns out when she does open her mouth in Hong Kong. Bets??

    Instead of drugs, nswfm, they might be trying to clean her up.

  76. Martha says:

    From former Obama campaign workers.

    Here’s something you all can do, if you so choose, please sign the petition below:

    PETITION TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: “We worked so hard for real change. President Obama, please demand a strong public health insurance option in your speech to Congress. Letting the insurance companies win would not be change we can believe in.”

    http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5649/t/4951/content.jsp?content_KEY=2793&tag=pod_huff1

  77. InJuneau says:

    Maybe she’ll just go back to being a mouthpiece for ACS, though if I were anyone in charge at that company, I don’t think I’d actually want her back.

  78. Carol.Seattle says:

    No, she’s not drugged. The carrot being held out in front of her is $$$$$! Can’t you just imagine what a lovely little puppet ‘they’ are planning of making of her. It’s gotta be lots of $$$$ to keep that maverickness in check…. and also a good minder.

  79. nswfm CA says:

    5 mae lewis Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 10:00 AM
    —–
    I think she’s drugged. Valium or stronger.

  80. zyggy says:

    I wanna see a cabbage roll with one of those leaves. =)

  81. InJuneau says:

    And wasn’t there a new record pumpkin in the past few days? Maybe not world record, but prob. a state one. Thought I read that on the ‘tubes somewhere…

  82. BigSlick says:

    AKM – I sent you a picture of where Meg is….somewhere along the highway of life….

  83. Gramiam says:

    Is it just me, or did anyone else pick up on the fact that the” Cabbage from hell” was grown in Wasilla! Must be some truth to the toxic waste issue. The farmer claims he has an even bigger one at home. I think I’ll pass on that slaw, AKM!

  84. jc in co says:

    AKM, regarding “where’s meg”. with all the craziness going on in our country, health reform, president’s address to the children met with such hate. I might just hop on a plane from Colorado To Alaska, or where ever those twits are holed up, if I hear one word out of either one them and tell them “for once in your insipid little lives, sit down & shut-up. It’s not always about you!”

  85. mae lewis says:

    I’m with you, Donna, it’s Rupert. He must be doing better than the GOP staffers who tried to prepare Sarah last year. He’s doing better than former buddy, John Coale. I think that Hong Kong is the equivilant of the Broadway show out-of-town previews. It’s a tryout. Then, maybe she can handle the book tour. If she does well, then the sly old fox can put her on Fox. It is absolutely out of character for Levi’s latest to go unanswered. That Rupert must have her under lock and key, away from media so she doesn’t even know what’s been said about her. The good old Sarah we used to know would have screamed Levi down by now; something sure is different.

  86. daisydem says:

    My hubby and son are always complaining and whining about losing their golf balls in water when they go out to the courses. I think I will interrogate them as to whether they have been playing in Australia.

  87. DonnaInMichigan says:

    New leadership? (strokes chin) Wonder who’s behind the curtain now?

    No! No! Don’t look behind that curtain!!

    Pay no attention to the man behind there!!

    It’s only Murdoch of OZ… I mean Fox news…

    He’s just sprucing up Doro….er…. Ms. Palin, for her debut as a FOX NEWS hostess.

    Follow that yellow brick road…all the way to the bank!

  88. pvazwindy says:

    Visitor records-from this point on, not historical

  89. zyggy says:

    I hope Pres Obama maintains the openness, it is fresh and revealing, all in one. =)