Has anyone noticed that the famous republican slogan of "drill baby drill" seems to have all but disappeared lately?
It just fell off the face of the earth once gas prices plummeted. I just saw a bumper sticker in Anchorage stating "drill now, drill here, pay less for gas". What a funny joke. I can't believe that person has the gall to even drive around with that thing.
The joke might not even be as obvious in the lower 48, but here in Alaska the state government is crying themselves a river that low oil prices are hurting our state budget. Hiring freezes are in effect and everyone is worried. So when are we drilling baby?? Does Palin want the state budget tanking more?
Wonder if the dittoheads even noticed that gas prices fell WITHOUT drilling anything....
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wake Up and Smell the Population
Well I guess I can't really say the population stinks, but what many folks don't realize is: reproduction and growth is actually causing more social strife than anyone cares to admit.
Population worries were once the popular choice for doomsday scenarios, but somehow they have fallen out of favor in recent years.
I say bring the worries back! Our whole unsustainable financial system is based on the need to grow the economy as the global population grows. As our human population blossoms, our fish are over-fished, simple resources depleted, and the bulldozers are happily plowing down more wilderness to build, build, build...
A few sourdoughs in Alaska do notice as more newcomers arrive in the great North they spoil all the fun. People become less polite, vandalism increases, hunting grounds disappear and water front property is snatched up and public access disappears--to name a few issues..
But I got news for you folks, it's not ending anytime soon--and most people are actually gung-ho about it. A quick example--everyone wants the new Home Depot or Costco to be built, so the wilderness is paved, new jobs are formed, creating a demand for more housing, causing more pavement, more box stores and more houses. I've actually heard people say: what's so wrong with creating new jobs and homes? To feed and house my family? Well the problem is- even giant Alaska doesn't have enough land to keep up an economic model based on paving, building and growing. Land runs out.
So what are your grand kids going to do for money if everything is already built up? And even worse, what if one of those grand kids wants to actually fish from a clear stream or hike in the woods, but all he has left are giant parking lots and Taco Bells. This scenario isn't as nuts as it sounds, anyone been to Northern NJ, Los Angeles, Miami, etc.. lately?
Population worries were once the popular choice for doomsday scenarios, but somehow they have fallen out of favor in recent years.
I say bring the worries back! Our whole unsustainable financial system is based on the need to grow the economy as the global population grows. As our human population blossoms, our fish are over-fished, simple resources depleted, and the bulldozers are happily plowing down more wilderness to build, build, build...
A few sourdoughs in Alaska do notice as more newcomers arrive in the great North they spoil all the fun. People become less polite, vandalism increases, hunting grounds disappear and water front property is snatched up and public access disappears--to name a few issues..
But I got news for you folks, it's not ending anytime soon--and most people are actually gung-ho about it. A quick example--everyone wants the new Home Depot or Costco to be built, so the wilderness is paved, new jobs are formed, creating a demand for more housing, causing more pavement, more box stores and more houses. I've actually heard people say: what's so wrong with creating new jobs and homes? To feed and house my family? Well the problem is- even giant Alaska doesn't have enough land to keep up an economic model based on paving, building and growing. Land runs out.
So what are your grand kids going to do for money if everything is already built up? And even worse, what if one of those grand kids wants to actually fish from a clear stream or hike in the woods, but all he has left are giant parking lots and Taco Bells. This scenario isn't as nuts as it sounds, anyone been to Northern NJ, Los Angeles, Miami, etc.. lately?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Difference between cold and ALASKA COLD
I know all too well what the Lower 48 folks consider "cold & frigid weather". It means things like slushy roads and salt, "wind chill factor" freak outs, designer ear muffs, and quaint warming huts at the ski resorts. Folks fall over and faint when forecasts predict single digits or teens.
Compare this to the interesting phenomena of Alaska cold. We've been sitting in quite a spell for a few weeks now. Not all places in Alaska are crazy cold mind you. (Areas by the sea are actually very mild--like Juneau or Homer) But take anything in the interior and you learn a whole new skill set. My particular experience happens to be in the temperatures ranging from
-39 to -26 F lately.
New things you learn about in this kind of cold are:
1- how quickly a dog can poop while standing on three legs (paws hurt in cold snow)
2- electric sockets become frosty indoors
3- bathroom vent freezes shut
4- daily visits to the roof in order to unclog the sewer vent (frozen sewer steam)
5- watch out for metal cold burns--door knobs, car grills
6- no sort of adhesive sticks, so good luck trying to glue/stick any sort of heating coils to all the auto apparatus that has frozen shut.
7- your car won't start after 24 hours without a block heater--this leads to all the auto shenanigans most Alaskans engage in at these temps.
Auto games include: jump starting every morning (espec. a diesel)
spraying starter fluid into the air filter
tarping a car and sticking space heaters underneath it
pushing the car to a heated garage to thaw out
8-Snot and noses freeze shut, but so far the dogs have never come indoors with a "peestickle" sticking to them. So I believe one can pee without worry in an outhouse....but who knows at -45???
Compare this to the interesting phenomena of Alaska cold. We've been sitting in quite a spell for a few weeks now. Not all places in Alaska are crazy cold mind you. (Areas by the sea are actually very mild--like Juneau or Homer) But take anything in the interior and you learn a whole new skill set. My particular experience happens to be in the temperatures ranging from
-39 to -26 F lately.
New things you learn about in this kind of cold are:
1- how quickly a dog can poop while standing on three legs (paws hurt in cold snow)
2- electric sockets become frosty indoors
3- bathroom vent freezes shut
4- daily visits to the roof in order to unclog the sewer vent (frozen sewer steam)
5- watch out for metal cold burns--door knobs, car grills
6- no sort of adhesive sticks, so good luck trying to glue/stick any sort of heating coils to all the auto apparatus that has frozen shut.
7- your car won't start after 24 hours without a block heater--this leads to all the auto shenanigans most Alaskans engage in at these temps.
Auto games include: jump starting every morning (espec. a diesel)
spraying starter fluid into the air filter
tarping a car and sticking space heaters underneath it
pushing the car to a heated garage to thaw out
8-Snot and noses freeze shut, but so far the dogs have never come indoors with a "peestickle" sticking to them. So I believe one can pee without worry in an outhouse....but who knows at -45???
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