It's My Birthday ...

so I'll link if I want to. Click the links to read the whole articles.

Shell to Propose New Arctic Off-Shore Drilling


Shell Oil will apply to drill 10 wells off Alaska's Arctic shore over the next two years under exploration plans headed to federal authorities.


The company hopes to see results from a $3.5 billion investment into Arctic Ocean drilling that has been thwarted in recent years by court challenges or its inability to obtain federal permits.

and

Alaska Congressional Delegation Heap Praise On the Military

In reacting to Osama bin Laden's death, Alaska's Republican elected officials were decidedly quiet about President Barack Obama's role. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young were careful to praise the nation's military and intelligence forces, but did not mention the president.

~ snip~

But Democratic Sen. Mark Begich heaped praise on not just the current president, but his predecessor, calling bin Laden's death "a decade-long commitment by two presidents and thousands of American service members."

What? Politics playing a role in the statements of elected officials? Surely not!

Quote of the Day: "Powerful storms have ravaged the South and Midwest over the past week. Congressional Democrats blame Republican tax breaks for tornadoes." (NewsBusted 5/3/11)

It's now quite bright out when I arise at 5am, and light until nearly 11 pm. Every year, the longer daylight hours are a delight, and our reward for making it through another long, dark Alaskan winter. 

And with that, it's time to make the donuts, so to speak. Birthday or no, there's work to be done.

And to answer the question du jour: 56.