Saturday Shopping at -7°

Black Friday means tens of thousands of shoppers all heading toward Anchorage on the lone highway.

We avoid it like the plague.

Today, however, we needed a few things, so off we went at 09:30, before the Reavers and zombies hit the stores. Gas in the truck, renewed membership at Sam's, a few more decorative trinkets for the living room, and some odds & ends at Wally World.

-6 at the house, -7 along the river, -1 at the stores. If it gets much colder, I'll have to zip up my coat.

Only Tuesday?

I'd swear that yesterday was at least two days long.

 

It was 1 degree above on the drive in, this morning. Temps rocketed up to 2° by the time I got to work. And AccuHunch guesses that cold weather will move in by the end of the week, with lows in double-digits below zero ... again. But it's okay; we haven't put away our parkas. That doesn't usually happen until around the end of March.

 

* * * * *

A number of us have been discussing the sudden uptick in violent crimes around the city of Anchorage in the last year or two. Yesterday, two men held up a Denny's Restaurant at 8 am, while the place was full of diners. They robbed the store, four customers, and fired a shot into an empty seat before escaping in a stolen car. And there have been several other violent situations in the last few days.

 

When I started carrying a .45 again, several years ago, my wife asked why. Nobody asks why, these days.

 

* * * * *

The Anchorage School District has begun its annual song-and-dance about their budget. (They have the highest-paid teachers in the U.S., just for the record.) This year, they report a $15 Million shortfall for the coming year, and propose eliminating 99 full-time teaching positions - notice how they never say "eliminate teachers" - to reach the goal.

 

The next step in this dog and pony show, however, will be within a couple of weeks, when they announce that they've found money somewhere else, and will simply transfer the funds from one account or another into the operating budget.

 

Happens every year. Yawn.

 

* * * * *

Do you remember that I wrote about the UAA faculty voting "no confidence" in the University's president, a few weeks ago?

 

Now, the UAF (Fairbanks) faculty has repeated that performance. One wonders what's going on behind closed doors when the Boards of Regents meet. And what their criteria for selecting presidents. And exactly how far out of touch those criteria are ...

 

* * * * *

Alaska's junior Senator, Dan Sullivan (R) is taking another shot at breaking up the 9th District Court of Appeals, long known as one of the most liberal benches in all Christendom ... or something like that. The decisions that proceed from those judges have so little to do with morals and opinions in Alaska that it makes us wonder what color the skies are, on their planet.

 

* * * * *

That's all I can find, this morning. Have a wonderful, blessed day out there - and thanks for stopping by, friends.

Midweek Potpourri

Ouch! That's Gonna Leave a Mark Dept: 

A woman injured by a piece of climbing gear in a fall was flown off Pioneer Peak near Palmer on Tuesday evening by an Alaska Air National Guard helicopter crew.

A report of a fallen climber who "had an ice ax lodged in her back" first reached Alaska State Troopers at about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to an online dispatch. 

* * * * *

The First of Many Dept:
Morning temps below freezing, that is.

It was 36° at my house on the hillside, but 32 in the river valley below. That temp bounced around as I drove to work, reaching 39 at one location just outside of Anchorage.

The truck's thermometer reading dropped to 31 as I reached the district where my building is located, and the temp on the software which controls the HVAC shows 29.4° F. at the roof.

While the lows are supposed to be a bit higher over the next week, I guarantee you this: it won't be much longer before we look back at 29 degrees as the balmy last days of Fall.

* * * * *

Hedging His Bets Dept:

Anchorage Assemblyman Patrick Flynn knelt during the Pledge of Allegiance at Tuesday night's Assembly meeting, which he said was in solidarity with a national movement started by NFL player Colin Kaepernick to protest police brutality and social injustice.

Flynn also put his hand over his heart while he knelt and recited the pledge and also wore an American flag pin.

"Obviously I'm respectful of our community and our country, which is why I put my hand over my heart and knelt at the same time," Flynn said in a later interview.

I'm guessing he hasn't made any headlines lately, and so decided an empty gesture was the best way to garner some attention. I'm not going to say the first thing that went through my mind when I saw this headline, because I'd just have to repent all over again. 

17°

That was the temperature when we got up this morning, although it's 21 or so now. AccuHunch guesses we'll have a cloudy day, with more snow moving in tonight. We transitioned from fall to winter very quickly, it seems. And after last year's failure to provide winter at all, we're okay with this.

I went out after breakfast and scraped yesterday's ice and snow off my wife's SUV, and topped off the tank for her. She should be ready to go in the morning, except for any lingering snow showers leaving deposits on the windows.

As we expected, there were no trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood last night. This makes six seven years without Halloween visitors. We're okay with that, too.

* * * * *

I suspect we'll stay mostly inside today, with a crock of homemade soup and some movies to watch. Or maybe we'll just read. Despite what I said, above, it's not really winter yet. But it's getting there. :)

Thanks for stopping by, my friends. Have a blessed day!

Back to Normal

Normal temps, that is.  It was 27° at our place this morning, but is supposed to rocket upward into the low 40s today. For the record, 27 is the average low for this time of year; we've been some 10 degrees warmer because of all the rain clouds which prevent the heat from radiating overnight. Either way, there was frost on the car windows.

Many of the leaves, mostly fallen from the trees now, are plastered to paved surfaces from all the rain. It's been dry for the last couple of days, and is supposed to be so today as well. That's the first time in a month we've had more a single day without rain. And of course, it's to be rainy - changing into a rain/snow mix by the beginning of next week - for the foreseeable future, as temps continue to slide.

* * * * *

The Anchorage mayor, under pressure to increase revenue due to the statewide shortfall - which is in turn due to the low, low price of oil - has proposed raising municipal fees on everything. 

Well, practically everything. He is floating a plan to increase the fees by proposing "structure changes and inflation-based increases to several hundred city fines and fees."

Let's see what's affected:

• animal shelters
• cemetery plots 
• speeding tickets
• fines for parking in a handicapped space to double from $250 to $500
• fees for animal boarding, licensing and vaccination
• fines for texting while driving
• fines for running over an animal with a motorcycle
• food facility operating fees and plan review permits
• the cost of a child care center license 
• a new $25 fee, so that residents would be able to rent “humane” animal traps for cats and dogs 
• a surcharge for using a new electronic plan review service [for building permits - Ed.] that is set to launch early next year
• from Parks and Recreation, a proposal to rent hand-pulled golf carts at $5 for three hours, and golf clubs at $7 for three hours
• the parks department also wants to change punch card systems and special hours for facilities in favor of daily admission rates and seasonal passes

The list goes on and on. The only things certain is that everything is going to cost more, and that the Assembly will rubber-stamp the increases.

A fee for breathing isn't on the published list, but it's only a matter of time. 

If you drive a car I'll tax the street
If you try to sit I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk I'll tax your feet

 (Lyrics from Tax Man, by the Beatles)

 The only thing unexpected in the linked article about the fee increase proposal is a statement from the Mayor that cost of "doing business" in Anchorage has increased by 46% since 2001. He doesn't explain (of course) how that could be possible while the Consumer Price Index shows an annual increase of only 1.7 percent or so.

What was it Disraeli said?  Oh, yes:

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."

Thursday

It's 0° F., and I'm tired with a sore throat. Don't really want to work today, but that paycheck is a powerful incentive.

Well, it is most of the time. Today, not so much.

* * * * *

The Iditarod site puts Jeff King first into the checkpoint at Galena this morning, with Aliy Zirkle and Aaron Burmeister not far behind.

Four-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion Jeff King is the first musher in to Galena, earning a five-course meal -- as well as $3,500 in cash and a complimentary bottle of Dom Perignon -- as he continues to lead the race following an overnight breakout from Ruby.
http://iditarodch2.tv/2015/03/king-picks-up-meal-to-go-with-lead-as-he-reaches-galena/
Martin Buser and Jessie Royer round out the top five, but they're still in Ruby (the previous checkpoint). Ruby is the checkpoint nearest where the normal route from the south intersects with this year's northern trail.

Most of the mushers are due for a mandatory 8-hour layover soon, so standings will change again.

2015 Iditarod route shown as a light blue line. Click to enlarge.

* * * * *

In a sad, related story:  In the minute it took Lance Mackey to walk to his dogsled just feet from the Tanana Community Hall where mushers in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race stop to rest, his hands went cold despite the thick, fleece gloves protecting them.

Lance has won the Iditarod four times, and set records doing it, in the late 2000s.

... Mackey suffers from Reynaud’s syndrome, which limits blood circulation in his hands. That makes him extra-susceptible to cold, and the temperature has been dropping to 30 below zero at night.

... Jason Mackey, also an Iditarod musher, said Lance's hands have now taken on a blackish hue like those of  a mechanic working on a greasy car all day. ... “It’s his last Iditarod,” Jason told Alaska Dispatch News in an interview Wednesday. “He won’t be racing it no more. It’s time to turn the page.” 

* * * * *

There's No Temperature This Morning

which would explain the 0° display on my dashboard while driving in. :)

Falling temps and dense fog; that's been our weather for the last 72 hours. The frost continues to build on unheated surfaces, and bare pavement provides all the traction of axle grease.

If it weren't for studded tires, three-quarters of Anchorage cars would be in roadside ditches by now.

* * * * *

I have occasionally um, okay, regularly expressed frustration with federal over-regulation and overreach in Alaska, with the Fed controlling 60 percent of the state. Clearly, this is at odds with the concept of State sovereignty and self-determination.

There's a decent commentary in today's paper, on that topic. It's worth a look, and here's an excerpt to whet your interest:

So here we are. We are facing multiple issues of federal overreach and with the perfect governor for the job – the one mentored by the late, great Gov. Hickel. So far, we have seen no bold moves. There have been no bulldozers in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, nor have we sent teams up to ANWR to start exploring for oil.

Clearly the governor can’t really do what he claimed he would in that debate. He spoke boldly in order to garner support for the shock value of the statement. However, this is exactly what we elected Walker to do. If there is one thing we gave the governor a mandate to do, it was to stand up to the federal government. So now, Gov. Walker, all eyes are on you – what’s your move?

 * * * * *

Speaking of federal overreach, it seems railroads have been ordered to install "a federal mandate that would make improvements to train safety. It's called PTC or Positive Train Control. The National Transportation Safety Board says every rail line in the country must implement it by the end of the year."

There's one problem with this technology for commuter rail: Alaska doesn't have any. While the Alaska Railroad (owned/operated by the State, not Amtrak. They went broke trying to run it, and sold it to us) provides passenger service, it's not a commuter service, and doesn't plan to provide it.

Again

-2° at the ol' homestead, and most of the way to work, too. Some low-lying clouds kept us from getting as cold as predicted, but I see some -10 and -12 readings on the east side of town. And it's dropped to -4 now, in the pre-dawn chill that begins a couple of hours before sunrise.

And that doesn't include the dense fog I drove through, part of the way here. It's always fun when the headlights frost over, mid-drive. At least with the block heater and the blast furnace under the dash, there's no problem keeping the windows clear from the get-go.

This truck was originally sold in Fairbanks, and the heater will drive you out, if you don't turn the temp cooler after a couple of miles. The Expedition had a great heater, but it took forever to get warmed up all the way. This one is much faster.

And in Alaska, a quick source of heat comes in pretty handy. :)

Crisp & Frosty, Updated

Good morning! It's a balmy 17 degrees F. here at work this morning, and there's a rain/snow mix in the forecast beginning tomorrow.

Weather Underground was calling for minor accumulation, but that seems to have gone away.  Either way, it's going to be chilly and wet.

* * * * *

There's a sad note in the news this morning: our mutual friend Borepatch (see my sidebar) was in a motorcycle accident yesterday, with injuries. Prayers would be appreciated.

And then there's this:

Barbara Washburn, wife of the late mountaineer Bradford Washburn and the first woman to climb Mount McKinley died on Sept. 25 in Lexington, Massachusetts. She was 99.  (emphasis added)

* * * * *

The L.A. Times has identified an ad run by Alaska's Democrat Senator as the "worst Democratic attack ad." Unfortunately, it's what we've come to expect from that side of the aisle on the Hill.
Sigh ...

* * * * * 

The bloke to whom I've been giving guitar lessons gave us several pounds of moose & caribou last night, for which we are quite grateful. Thanks, Andy!

* * * * * 

The rest of the news is of purely local interest, and comprised of the usual: politics, name-calling, and more politics. Bleah... we're going to be very, very glad when this election cycle is over.

A Note About the Weather, and "That" Reporter

The weather widget on my sidebar says it's 43 somewhere in Anchorage. Perhaps so, but it's 32 here La Casa del Pablo. So there.

* * * * *

Since the national media rarely care to devote the time to fully cover local stories, here's the local story on the foul-mouthed reporter you've probably already heard a snippet about:

ANCHORAGE - A reporter for Anchorage CBS-affiliate KTVA quit on live television Sunday night, using the f-word to punctuate an announcement that she will work to legalize marijuana as the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club.

The reporter, known professionally as Charlo Greene, made the announcement during the station's 10 p.m. newscast at the end of a story titled "Voting for easier access." Greene told viewers that she is owner of the group, which describes itself as a liaison between people who hold medical marijuana cards and those who can supply the drug.

"Everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska," she said.

"And as for this job," Greene continued, "Well, not that I have a choice, but f--- it, I quit."

Greene soon explained the event with a post on the crowd-funding site Indiegogo.com. The reporter wrote that she left her job in order to "end a failed drug policy that has ruined the lives of far too many Americans." She asks visitors to the site to donate money for marketing and travel in support of legalization.

KTVA News Director Burt Rudman issued an apology on the station's Facebook page at about 11:20 p.m.

"We sincerely apologize for the inappropriate language used by a KTVA reporter during her live presentation on the air tonight. The employee has been terminated," he wrote.

Alaska voters will decide whether to decriminalize pot in November.

Alaska corporation records show the Alaska Cannabis Club was formed on April 20 of this year, owned by Charlene Egbe, Greene's real name. Greene reported stories about the Alaska marijuana debate after the creation of the Cannabis Club group, without disclosing her connection to the corporation.

The Alaska Dispatch News, which published a story in August that anonymously quoted a club founder who didn't want to reveal her name because she feared "potential repercussions from her employer," posted a clip of the video here. 

I'm sure she'd want me to publish her photo.

A Bit Nippy This A.M.

After several nights where the temps hovered around the freezing point, it was 18° at 06:00. Could be worse, though: Fairbanks reported -4, and it's -24 at Deadhorse (near Barrow on the North Slope). With windchill, it's -51 there.

18 sounds pretty good. The best part is that the humidity is so low that the dew point has dropped to -6, meaning we'll have no frost. I'm pretty much done with scraping windows, thankyouverymuch.

* * * * *

Our local fish-wrapper, the Anchorage Daily News (a left-leaning rag if there ever was one) has been sold to a local concern, the Alaska Dispatch. That outfit was, if I'm not mistaken, an anti-Sarah Palin blog back in 2008. One of their writers was the woman who kept suing the Palin administration, and wound up driving Gov. Palin from office, in large part, due to the frustration of having her staff tied up with answering the constant demands for documentation.

My recollection may be off a bit, but their website hasn't demonstrated any particular conservative slant since then. They recently featured an op-ed calling for more Democratic candidates on the Alaska ballot.

It's getting more & more difficult finding an unbiased report on local conditions. I guess that shouldn't surprise me ... but hope springs eternal, and all that.

That hope has rapidly dimmed over the last decade, though.

* * * * *

But God's on His throne, and Jesus is coming soon! And there's this sign of hope from Great Britain, of all places:

Militant atheists should “get over” Britain being a Christian nation, the communities secretary, Eric Pickles, has said.

Pickles calls on atheists to stop imposing their “politically correct intolerance on others.”

The member of Parliament's address to the Conservative Spring Forum in London is not the first time he has highlighted Britain’s identity as a Christian country.

Whaddya know about that?  :)

Monday's News: Alaska Edition

Doing it the Hard Way Dept:

A marine salvage expert is planning to use a small amount of explosives to remove a wrecked fishing vessel from rocky shores near Dutch Harbor.

The vessel Arctic Hunter ran aground in early November and is not salvageable, said Dan Magone, president of Magone Marine Services. According to Magone, explosives placed inside of drilled holes in the rock and vessel will help break the wreckage free from the rocks that are impaling it. It is a common practice to use explosives in situations like this, he said.

Can't Nail 'Em Down Dept:

Anchorage School District officials say nearly one-fourth of the student population changes school locations annually.

The Anchorage Daily News reports switching schools often happens when parents move to different homes because rent has increased or other reasons connected to poverty.

Some schools have a turnover rate of 50 percent ... October and November are known for wild fluctuations in student population.

On and On Dept:  The cold snap we're experiencing doesn't want to move on. The prognosticators at the weather service are pretty sure it'll moderate by mid-week, but it was still -3° this morning.

But this is what they guess will happen:

That 16 degrees is pretty optimistic. He said we'd get up to 10 yesterday, but the high temp at my house was only 3° - and that wasn't until 10 pm.

Chilly Morning, Tragedy, and a Hero Recognized

It was 27 degrees when I left home this morning, but the sun has come up & the blue skies are dazzling. The snow's still on the mountaintops, and the weatherman predicts a rain/snow mix for Sunday.

After putting in an hour at work, I went to the local tire shop this morning & got new snow tires installed. It's the first time in 10 years I've put them on in September, rather than mid-October, but as I mentioned yesterday, signs point to an early winter.

* * * * *

You won't see this story on your local news (because it didn't happen in New York, DC, or California) but a 38-unit apartment building here burned down yesterday. There are 100 or so folks looking for new homes & trying to rebuild their lives this morning.

Please keep them in your prayers.

* * * * *

And here's one good story, to round out the morning:

from www.adn.com

Arthur W. Owens, who served during WWII as a U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade, is greeted after having been presented the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and other medals for his heroic combat actions during a ceremony 68-years later at the National Guard Armory on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013. While serving in Germany, Owens’ tank was hit by an anti-tank shell on March 23, 1945. 

After evacuating the tank, he discovered that two of his crew was still in the tank. Although the anti-tank-gun continued to fire at the tank, he made two trips back to the tank and each time pulling one of the injured crew to safety. Owens was also awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, and European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, and the Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp.

Hand salute!

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

From the Anchorage Daily News:

At 5.8 on the Richter scale -- revised upward from an initial magnitude of 5.7 -- it was strong enough to knock objects from shelves, but no serious damage was reported, said Guy Urban, senior watchstander at the Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2012/12/03/2712109/57-quake-hits-southcentral.html#storylink=rss#storylink=cpy

 You can read the whole story at the link.


It's -7 at Casa del Pablo this a.m., but AccuHunch is guessing - again - that we'll warm up to normal (low single digits to around 20 during the days) by week's end, with some snow moving in.

My wife is moving a bit slowly this morning, but isn't as sore as she might have been; thank you all for your good wishes & expressions of kindness. We appreciate it.

Cold Start

It's five degrees this morning, but no snow yet. We've had 6.5" of snow so far, which is a bit below normal; the weatherman mentioned a "very large system" that might be here by early next week.

On the other hand, that's a week out ... and anything more than four hours in advance is a guess*.

I see where the Dept. of Veterans' Affairs (formerly known as the VA) is moaning that "more than half" of the nation's veterans have "little or no understanding of the benefits due them". I disagree.

Let me fix that: "More than half of the nation's veterans see how the DVA runs its hospitals and clinics, and - having experienced Tri-Care once - have no desire for further involvement with the uncaring bureaucracy."

I'll stipulate that there are exceptions, and your mileage may vary. If you've had a positive encounter with post-service treatment or services, then GOOD. The only positive service I received, way back when, was the G.I. Bill checks which helped me through college. The health care? Not so much. And yes, I'm a disabled vet with service-connected injuries.

Readers are welcome to leave comments about their experiences, of course.  What say you, fellow veterans?



* Or so opined a Navy meteorologist in my presence, back in the day.

Lazy Morning

No matter how hard I try, nor how late I stay up reading, morning always seems to come 'round again. Darn it.

I slept late (!), not arising until 0718; that's the latest I've stayed in bed in ... honestly, I can't remember the last time. I generally wake before 0530, except when on vacation. I don't even fight it anymore; a lifetime habit isn't something I can turn on/off easily. Darn it.

But we had a leisurely morning, as it's the first Saturday in several weeks that Younger Daughter doesn't have to go to work. We lazed around the living room, sipping coffee and enjoying a companionable silence until breakfast.

Scrambled eggs, a thick slice of fresh-baked bread with butter and marion blackberry jam, and a cup o' joe on the side ... can't be beat.

It's 4 degrees outside, so I'm in no hurry to get started, and may just take it easy today. Thanks for stopping by, my friends.