News Junkie: An Excerpt
The epic tale of addiction, News Junkie, by friend and occasional contributor to The Mudflats, Jason Leopold, has been reissued. The book looks behind the scenes into the life of one of the best living investigative journalist on the trail, and his double addiction to cocaine, and journalism. News Junkie brings you along for investigations of Enron, Karl Rove and many more. It’s one of my favorite books on journalism, and should be mandatory reading for anyone going into the field. Leopold, who now writes for Vice Magazine, and Al Jazeera on the NSA, Guantanamo, and other issues, has been called a ‘FOIA (Freedom of…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska ADN.com – Archaeologists rush to save ancient Yup’ik treasures threatened by melting permafrost QUINHAGAK — On the eroding Bering Sea coast of far Western Alaska, archaeologists from around the world are unearthing remnants of an ancient Yup’ik village frozen in place for hundreds of years. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner – Court agrees to review Alaska Roadless Rule case ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A full federal appeals court will review the decision allowing Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to be exempt from federal restrictions on road-building and timber harvests in “roadless” areas.” NY Times – Shell Submits a Plan for New Exploration of Alaskan…
First Comes Exxon, Then Comes God – Mayflower Arkansas hit by Tornado
Mayflower: Deadly Tornado Sweeps Through Arkansas Town That Endured ExxonMobil Tar Sands Pipeline Spill in 2013 (via Desmogblog) Mon, 2014-04-28 16:59Steve Horn On March 29, 2013, ExxonMobil’s Pegasus tar sands pipeline ruptured in Mayflower, Arkansas, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of diluted bitumen (“dilbit”) pouring down the town’s streets. Now, just over a…
Arctic Oil Spill Readiness Virtually Nonexistent
Report: Arctic Oil Spill Readiness Virtually Nonexistent (via Desmogblog) Thu, 2014-04-24 11:16Farron Cousins Sea ice in the Arctic Circle is currently melting at a pace far greater than scientists had originally projected. While this is bad news for the planet — sea ice helps reflect the sun’s rays and keeps the arctic…
“Russia with Love”: Alaska Gas Scandal is Out-of-Country, Not Out-of-State
“Russia with Love”: Alaska Gas Scandal is Out-of-Country, Not Out-of-State (via Desmogblog) Fri, 2014-04-18 10:28Steve Horn A legal controversy — critics would say scandal — has erupted in Alaska’s statehouse over the future of its natural gas bounty. It’s not so much an issue of the gas itself, but who gets to decide how it gets to…
NOT Made in Alaska – DC Dan Buys from New Zealand
Earlier this week Jeanne Devon documented the hilariously unfortunate copy and paste job of Dan Sullivan’s website. “Carpetbagging Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan (OH->DC->AK) is running against incumbent Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) this fall. When serious and professional candidates run for office, they usually hire someone to develop a website for their candidacy.” The Mudflats has now uncovered some new issues on his site. This time they’re not just from out of state, they’re from the other side of the planet. New Zealand, in fact. Most Alaskan politicos have their own stock of photography from their years in Alaska –…
Chevron & Ecuador: The Real Story
Last week, The New York Times reported: Chevron won a major victory. A federal judge in Manhattan ruled that a two-decade legal effort to punish the company was marred by fraud and corruption, making it increasingly likely that the oil company would be ultimately successful in beating back the legal and financial challenge. There’s $9.5 billion up in the air, and the oil giant Chevron will do anything to make sure it doesn’t have to pay up. Greg Palast, who has covered the story for BBC Television says,“The judge is completely, utterly full of s**t.” Palast, who investigated the story for…
KXL & Pebble Mine – One Company OK’d Both for Gov’t
State Dept’s Keystone XL Contractor, ERM Group, Also OK’d Controversial Pebble Mine in Alaska (via Desmogblog) A DeSmogBlog investigation has revealed Environmental Resources Management Inc. (ERM Group) — the contractor performing the U.S. State Department’s environmental review for the northern half of TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline — gave…
Broken Trust: Victims of Pipeline Spills Tell Their Stories – from Julie Dermansky
Broken Trust: Victims of Pipeline Spills Tell Their Stories (via Desmogblog) Evaluating pipeline safety is the business of engineers and scientists, but evaluating the human cost of transporting hazardous materials near people’s homes is best left to those who’ve experienced the fallout. Homeowners shared their experiences…