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 The Bush administration reluctantly will list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because of shrinking sea ice from global warming. "I believe this decision is most consistent with the record and legal standards of the Endangered Species Act - perhaps the least flexible law Congress has ever enacted," Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said. Mayor and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Begich today said he was disappointed to see Sen. Ted Stevens support the watered down Graham-McCain G.I. Amendment during a vote in the Senate. The Senate rejected Republicans' efforts to attach the Graham-McCain Amendment to a bipartisan collective bargaining bill that affects firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians.AlaskaDemocrats.org press release: Last week Stevens and the Republicans in the Senate blocked the Federal Airline Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Bill, which included the provision to give airline travelers additional rights.
 The US Senate has rejected a Republican-backed proposal to expand offshore oil and gas drilling. Democrats said an expansion of offshore drilling would do nothing to reduce Americans' dependence on foreign oil.Fifty years ago, Charles Bentley and five other young men chugged across the ice of Antarctica in three tracked vehicles, exploring the mysterious white continent. In those days when frontiers existed on the planet, Bentley and his comrades saw a mountain range ahead of them that had Rocky-Mountain-size peaks with no names.
U.S. oil companies have begun a national public relations campaign meant to counter their negative image, an industry lobby group said. The American Petroleum Institute didn't disclose a precise figure but said it would spend less than $100 million on advertisements per year, The Washington Post reported Friday.
AUDIO: FBI recording of convicted oil company bagman Bill Allen engaged in a conspiracy with Conoco/Phillips Alaska president Jim Bowles - June 6, 2006 Allen tells Bowles "just between me and you, I've got Pete Kott...and Ben doing it." Bowles tells Allen the best possible outcome will be to "get this thing stopped." A team of U.S. and Japanese experts has traveled to a remote island in Alaska to look for the remains of Japanese troops killed during World War II.
By Susan B. Andrews and John Creed
In addition to many other student groups it reaches, over the years Chukchi College, a branch of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has served college-bound high school students both in Kotzebue and in the Northwest Arctic region's surrounding villages. By Jackolyn R. McCoy
My mother-we call her "Momma"-sits across the kitchen table from me. I glance at her and smile because we look so much alike: big brown eyes, long butterfly eyelashes, that same straight smile. It's as if I were looking into an aged mirror. NATION/ALASKA
• Life on ice, two miles thick• Lewis plea bargain in Spitzer hooker case • Begich Proclaims Strong Support for Net Neutrality POLITICS
• Republicans can't stand Bush either• Jimmy Carter says US must talk with Hamas • Paul to lead mutiny at Republican convention • John Edwards endorses Barack Obama for president WORLD
• UFO files released by British military• Zimbabwe sets another vote deadline • Bombings kill 60 in Jaipur, India • Myanmar cyclone claims at least 50,000 SPORTS/ENTERTAINMENT
• Pete Doherty back after prison• Justin Henin retires from tennis • R. Kelly facing long prison sentence • Remy Ma and Papoose win morons of the year award • Boston's Pierce and Garnett over Cleveland 96-89 |
John Edwards endorses Barack Obama for president
An Edwards endorsement could be a turning point in Clinton's decision to drop out. Republican Party in deep trouble nationwide "The Republicans are losing candidates non-stop due to scandal, arrests, and Bush worship. Voters are finally waking up to the fact that the Republican message is flawed." Quote of the Week  
I don't remember any episode of that show where Andy Griffith took cash from anybody  Prosecutor Joseph Bottini ripping Vic Kohring's lawyer's suggestion that Kohring is like Andy Griffith. Latest in Alaska's Media  By Vic Kohring Guest Post by Vic Kohring "The media as a whole, with a few exceptions, has been a lynch mob and will not be satisfied until I'm in prison. My innocence matters little to them. Some folks have tried to be open minded and look at things objectively, for which I'm grateful, because in reality our government had no interest in seeking truth and justice."  By Bill McAllister Don't cry for me, Alaska Ironically, Sarah Palin's popularity makes her especially unpopular with some people. Today a radio talk show host scoffed at the notion of popularity, saying it should be of no relevance in a political debate. A different shock jock once spat out, "What is this 'will of the people' nonsense?" Yeah, what's with this democracy business, anyway?  By Terry Haines Mr. Terry Goes to Town - Part Two From the peanut gallery the floor of the Alaska State Senate is a little underwhelming. You could fit the whole thing into a good size Denny's. From ours seats, a couple of rows crammed into the corner of the room, the Senators looked remarkably lifelike. Even Senator Cowdery, who is so curmudgeonly he used dumpster babies as a political tat.  By Steve Kohring - More thoughts and questions Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has named five stages of grief people go through following a serious loss. Sometimes people get stuck in one of the first four stages. Their lives can be painful until they move to the fifth stage - acceptance. Columns Rural Alaska Students Attending Schools from State Universities to the Ivy League In addition to many other student groups it reaches, over the years Chukchi College, a branch of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has served college-bound high school students both in Kotzebue and in the Northwest Arctic region's surrounding villages. Super "Momma" Shows Soft Side Amid Family Pet Crisis My mother-we call her "Momma"-sits across the kitchen table from me. I glance at her and smile because we look so much alike: big brown eyes, long butterfly eyelashes, that same straight smile. It's as if I were looking into an aged mirror. CORRUPT BASTARD CLUB  • Ongoing coverage of the "Corrupt Bastards Club" Recent CBC Activity: • Victor Kohring sentenced to 42 months in prison • Hayes Sentenced - FBI statement • Kohring's lawyer Browne wants light sentence - real light • Benson says Young should come clean or resign • Senate goes after Young for shady earmark switch • Zaki Blog • More ... |
Outside Media  Bush's Iraq sacrifice - I gave up golf As violence in Iraq continues -- clashes today left 11 dead and 19 injured -- President Bush has for the first time revealed the great sacrifice he's made for the sake of our soldiers: he's given up golf. From an interview with Politico and Yahoo News: "I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," he said. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal." By Paul Rieckhoff Congress: Money for War, But No Money for the Troops? When it comes to hypocritical "Support the Troops" rhetoric, I thought I'd seen it all. But I was wrong. This week, a small group of Democrats are using back door dealings to torpedo the widely-supported new GI Bill.  By Alex Strachan Crab fishing series unlikely hit; Deadliest Catch returns for 4th season Once again, the crab-fishing boats turn into the stiff headwinds of the Bering Sea, battered by waves the size of four-storey buildings while, on deck, deckhands take time out from trolling for crabs to smash away the ice with sledgehammers so the boats don't become too heavy and capsize in the roiling grey seas. It's a new season of Deadliest Catch, Discovery Channel's unlikely hit documentary series, and this time the crab-fishing boat crews of the Time Bandit, Cornelia Marie and other vessels will experience serious injuries in their day-to-day battle against 100 km/h winds, subzero temperatures and vicious squalls.  By Brent Batten Brent Batten: Young's speech, investigative debate Two points about U.S. Rep. Don Young’s defense last week of the Coconut Road earmark. Point One: It provides fertile ground for federal investigators. Point Two: Point One may not matter. As to the first point: The defense offered by Young, an Alaska Republican who in 2005 chaired the House Transportation Committee, was confused and scattered. He on one hand argued that $10 million to study an interchange at I-75 and Coconut Road was a good project with local support and on the other hand claimed not to know exactly how it got into the 2005 highway appropriations bill.  By The Editorial Board Congress Ventures Down the 'Slippery, Slippery Road' Congress is in the business of making rules to live by, but things always get tense when it has to start applying rules to itself. Congress's usual response to an ethical scandal has been to hope that it blows over. Right now, Congress is engaged in a low-level civil war over ethics. The House resents the fact that the Senate has intruded into what it regards as a House ethics matter. Nevertheless, it has approved a Senate-originated proposal for the Justice Department to investigate the House’s latest embarrassment, dubbed the Mystery of Coconut Road. CRIMEFIGHTING Whistleblower.org Report corrupt politicians to the FBI website Report tips to the FBI website NOAA Office of law enforcement 1-800-853-1964 Hotline E-mail Anti-Trust Complaints to: antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov |