Seeing Things Differently - The Bean (Cloud) at Millenium Park in Chicago

The most basic theme of this blog is how do we know what we know?  I try to look at things from a different angle or make connections among seemingly disparate topics or otherwise question conventional wisdom.  I'm not always that successful.       

But this video seemed to fit into this.  I already did a post on the Bean (officially it seems to be the Cloud [Gate - thanks Anon], but my friends called it the bean), but those were all still pictures.  When I was there I walked under it with my video going.  It's pretty lame video technically, but it gives you a bit more sense of the sculpture which distorts the world we as we know it and caused me to think about things a bit differently.

Lupe Marroquin, Alaska House Candidate District 31

At the Democratic event last Monday just after the filing deadline, in addition to the video of Janet Reiser, I also got this video of another new candidate, Lupe Marroquin.  As I wrote in the post last week, Lupe went to extraordinary lengths to make sure I got a ballot when I was in Thailand a couple of years ago.  She has no opponents in the primary, but incumbent Bob Lynn does have an opponent (Steve Pratt) in the Republican primary.  And as I wrote last week, Rep. Lynn was one of the legislators I saw regularly in Juneau, and while I don't agree with all his stands, I'm convinced he's an honest politician who votes for what makes sense for the public as he sees it, and he's not blinded by ideology or tied to the party line.   And I'm biased for another reason.  Besides being one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Representatives, he's one of the few who has his own independent blog (not set up by staff for his official legislative or party website.)  Marroquin has a campaign Facebook page.

I had some trouble with Viddler so I made a Youtube version as well.  You can try them both and see if you find one better than the other. 

Irisistable

Look at this deceptively plain umbrella emerging from the green. Who could imagine what all is hidden inside?

Having just read E. O. Wilson's The Future of Life, I can't help thinking about his discussion of the value the biosphere adds to human life. He cited an estimate of $33 trillion a year for services such as natural water filtering and recirculation. But that didn't count the value of all the designs on all the petals of all the flowers in the world. What if people had to actually paint them? This is the incredible loss we have for each species that goes extinct.

In the case of an Iris it's the joy that the beautify of each flower brings, not to mention holding the soil when it rains, feeding bees, providing mulch. When a florist sells an iris, she doesn't have to pay for the incredible labor it would take for a human to try to reproduce this spectacularly intricate design. That's free from nature. The least we can do is recognize that value. Not simply in the spectacular species - after all, how many people spend much time looking this closely at individual irises - but in the more mundane as well. They may not offer this sort of beauty (though looked at from the right angle I bet they do) but they probably contribute to the functioning of the biosphere in ways we don't even know.

And as humans clear the Amazon and the other remaining natural biodiversity rich habitats of the world, we are losing flowers, butterflies, frogs, birds, fish, that are just as amazing visually as this iris and make other contributions to the good of the earth.  In many cases they go extinct even before they are recorded by humans.   Imagine going through all the art museums in the world and demolishing them wholesale to build shopping malls.  All that art pales in comparison to the natural art we are destroying each day to plant crops, find minerals, and generally pursue profits.

I can imagine the natural world pushing forward its most beautiful representatives like this iris to plead with humans to pay attention and recognize that we are part of nature, not masters of nature.  Please, it pleads, it is so much easier to destroy than it is to create.  Recognize what you are losing because it cannot be replaced.

Yes, I know that sounds a lot more emotional than I tend to be here.  But I'm convinced that we don't have a lot of time left to turn things around.  The people who claimed the earth was round were derided by the flat earthers.  History is replete with people resisting new narratives, especially those narratives that demand they change.  More recently, the people who said the housing market couldn't last were derided by those making obscene profits and those finally moving into new houses.  Those with a vested interest in an oil driven economy and all the consumable goods available at the mall do not want to believe that their lifestyle is helping to destroy the planet.  But the evidence and common sense suggests otherwise.  Where do all these goods come from?  Where do they go when they break?  We're wiping out species to make it happen.  And as many coastal residents on the Gulf decry the oil lapping up on the beaches, they want more wells to be drilled, because that's the easiest gravy train they know to the American Dream.  We have to modify that dream into a life that is both happy and fulfilling AND sustainable. 

So we need to stand our ground until people get it - or prove us wrong - because I don't think there's that much time to save so many of the species that took millions of years to create.  Look at these irises and ask yourself if you could create this?  If not, then let's not destroy it and all the other plant and other species that are threatened by human destruction of their habitats in the pursuit of this unsupportable lifestyle.

Eventually we'll have to find a different way to live because we'll just use everything up.  Why wait until we've wiped out all the natural biodiversity?  Let's figure it out now and at least keep all that natural wealth. 

In the Shadows of Lives Lived

We only learned after we got back that two special friends had died while we were gone.  Yakov and Lisa (as we knew her) came to Alaska from Moscow in 1994.  Both were doctors there and ended up in Anchorage near Yakov's sister.  They loved Anchorage's wilderness, frequently walking and biking the bike trails.  Although their English was much better than my non-existent Russian, there was much left uncommunicated in words.  Instead they used their eyes and smiles and love of life to make us appreciate how special they were and made us feel.  Yakov invited me several times to come play pool with him at the senior center where he would tell me how good I was playing as he pocketed his balls.  They taught us the joys of king boleta mushrooms - showing us how to choose good ones and various ways to cook them.  And don't forget vodka.  Lisa. Lisa. Lisa.  I felt like I'd known Lisa all my life.  She had such a warm smile and lively eyes.  There was a special connection.  I just felt completely comfortable around her.  We could talk seriously and playfully; there were no facades, just real human to human connection.  Unfortunately we weren't together often enough.   They'd had health problems on and off, but I didn't realize I would never see them again.  They were both 80.

My aunt Bert died last weekend in Los Angeles.  She is someone who has been on the periphery of my life since I was born.  She was my mother's brother's wife.  I did connect meaningfully with my uncle as an adult, but never really had any serious conversations with my aunt, except maybe about her paintings.  They were married for over 60 years.  The pictures I've taken in our last visits were mostly of my uncle who was always the more outgoing of the two.  But here's my aunt (in the turquoise shirt) with my mom and uncle.  She's about 90 in this picture. 

And Johnny Wooden died too.  I started UCLA in 1963.  So I had student season tickets for the 1963-64 basketball games.  I still remember vividly the LA Classic game at the Sports Arena near Exposition Park in December 1963 when UCLA, having won a few games, went up against Michigan, which may have been number 1 at the time.  It was the game sports writers said UCLA would face a real team.  In the first few minutes it was 16-0 UCLA.  That was the first big game of that initial undefeated season.  Each game that year was fantastic since UCLA, up to that point, had been a mediocre team and each win was like a surprise gift.  In later years, while the basketball got better, every game was also the one in which the winning streak might end.  The danger of losing replaced the excitement of winning.  But that first year, despite their winning streak, UCLA was often seen as the underdog just waiting for their luck to run out.

I got to see the team and Coach Wooden close up at many of the games as the dynasty began.  I attended the preseason game when the freshman team - which included Lew Alcindor - defeated the national champion varsity team.  I'm not among those who deify Wooden.  There were things that have been rumored to go on with gifts to players that may have been ok then, but aren't today.  Wealthy patrons of UCLA looking after the team members on the side.  So I suspect things were not all as squeaky clean as they are portrayed.  But it was fantastic basketball and I was at the right place at the right time to experience it.  Wooden was 99 when he died the other day.  He lived a good, fulfilled life.



Mary died last week too.  Mary was our friend Lynn's guide dog.  Cancer.  She was a working dog whose life wasn't carefree and who made Lynn's life much easier.   There's Mary on the floor at work at Cyrano's.

Finally I want to mention "three Afghan civilians" who were mentioned in the news this weekend too.  From what I can tell, they died in separate incidents between January and May.  I didn't know them.  Their names weren't even in the newspaper.  They were just three anonymous people.  All the attention was on an Alaskan, from Wasilla, who has been accused of shooting them. The Alaska link is my excuse for mentioning them here.  People die every day and we can't interrupt our lives for everyone who dies in the world.  We need to keep on with our own lives.  But we should take time to remember the the people (and in this case also a dog) we knew as well as those whose lives we are through strange twists of fate linked to, such as the three Afghan civilians.  I've emailed the reporter and the base public affairs officer Lt. Col. Tamara Parker to see if they know the names of the civilians.  If they respond I'll let you know. 

Meanwhile, spend a moment in the shadows of these lives lived.  Then reflect on what's truly important to you and stop worrying about the unimportant stuff and get out into the sunshine and live your lives boldly and lovingly.  Do things that make the world better.  Make other people's lives happier, not harder.  You don't have much time to waste. 

For those interested, you can double click the images below to enlarge them.

Another Reason to Enter (and Finish) the Iditarod

Here's what they'll look like:

I have absolutely no problem with this.  I'm assuming, of course, that the $50 fee offsets the price for making the plates and may bring in a little extra money.

Three Anchorage Trees with White Flowers

I wonder what percent of people in Anchorage, as the go past trees full of white flowers this week recognize more than just "tree with white flowers" and can distinguish amongst them.  And how many more actually know the names.  Here are three trees that are blooming near my house right now.

Crab apple blossoms

Choke cherry blossoms [6/3/17 I've put in new link, old one no longer worked]

[Update:  I didn't like the original Mt. Ash picture, so I've replaced it with a new one.]

Mountain ash blossoms

I'm not sure that knowing these different trees is terribly important.  But in general terms, one's ability to notice the details of our lives is important.  It relates to our attentiveness and our ability to notice changes in what's happening around us.  Of course we can't keep track of everything, and there are a lot of details I don't notice, but I think most humans have a lot of empty space still in their brains which would accommodate more attentiveness. 

By the way, all three of the trees are in the family Rosaceae or the Rose Family. 

The Future of Life - Why is this so hard for people to deal with?

It's a battle between two narratives:

Narrative 1:

The free market is the most economical system for bringing prosperity to the world and government regulation just screws things up.

Narrative 2:
The free market has many positive benefits, but it also commodifies our collective resources resulting in the catastrophic destruction of the Earth's species and if we don't stop this trend immediately, we will destroy those things that makes life possible on earth.

I am much closer to the second narrative than first.  One of the most persuasive arguments in Wilson's book (he favors Narrative 2)  comes in the chapter "How Much is the Biosphere Worth?" A 1997 study estimated the annual value at $33 trillion.

Ecosystems services are defined as the flow of materials, energy, and information from the biosphere that support human existence.  They include the regulation of the atmosphere and climate;  the purification and retention of fresh water;  the formation and enrichment of the soil;  nutrient cycling; the detoxification and recirculation of water;  the pollination of crops;  and the production of lumber, fodder, and biomass fuel. [p. 106]

Reading this book as oil floods the Gulf of Mexico and eight years after it was published, my basic view of the world was reinforced and my frustration with my fellow humans who choose to ignore the impact human population increases have had on the earth and who choose to ignore the impact of their gluttonous consumption of the world's resources.  It's as though we have been selling off pieces of our back yard garden where we've been growing our food and now we are taking the wood off our house for heating fuel without thinking about where we will get our food and where we will live in the future. When will we realize that consuming our resources like this can't end well?

I sympathize with people who cling to the material things that were part of the American dream as they were growing up.  But I'd also point out that happiness can be found at lower levels  of material consumption.  Sure, we need a basic level of comfort - housing, food, security, etc.  But where is that basic level?  How is it that generations of humans lived well without big screen televisions, without SUVs, without 2200 square foot homes, etc?  Are all these things worth an unsustainable exploitation of the earth's resources?  Wilson says strongly no.


My book group met Wednesday night to discuss E. O. Wilson's book The Future of Life.  It's a short (189 pages) but difficult book.  It's data heavy and could use, as one of the group members suggested, much better headings and titles.  For example, Wilson talks about biodiversity for much of the book and I was looking for where he was going to tell us why this is important.  It wasn't obvious.  I finally found it in the chapter called "For the Love of Life" which would more usefully have been titled "Why Biodiversity Matters."  

Wilson also doesn't do a good job of clearly telling us his key points.  They're there, but hidden in all the data.  I did read the book carefully, taking lots of notes, so I did get some of them.  But without Wilson spelling them out, I have to guess that these are the ones he thinks are the key points.


1.   Biodiversity* is shrinking.  We are losing species and genetic variety at a faster and faster pace every year.

2.  The Causes of Biodiversity are summarized as HIPPO;

Habitat destruction.  Hawaii's forests, for example, have been three-fourths cleared, with the unavoidable decline and extinction of many species.

Invasive species.  Ants, pigs, and other aliens displace the native Hawaiian species.

Pollution.  Fresh water, marine coastal water, and the soil of the islands are contaminated, weakening and erasing more species.

Population.  More people means more of all the other HIPPO effects.

Overharvesting.  Some species, especially birds, were hunted to rarity and extinction during the early Polynesian occupation.  [p. 100;  Hawaii is just the example of what is happening around the world here]

I need to emphasize population because he spends a lot of time on this.  The increase in human population underlies the other four factors. 

3.   It's late in the game to stop this destruction of biodiversity but if humans become aware and have the will, it is possible.  The final chapter is called "The Solution."  I have problems with the idea of a "solution" in human affairs.  We don't solve issues as though they were math problems.  Rather we better balance the factors that affect the issue, and we may well unbalance it in the future.  And given the negativity of most of the book, one wonders whether the author really believes things can be changed or if the editors said it needed a happier ending.  But here are some of the things he offers in that chapter.

• Ethics - Humans, he argues, have a genetic propensity toward fairness.  If people see that some people are destroying the planet by using more than their fair share, they will fight for fairness. (But what if they are the ones gaining unfairly?)
• The way is to change people's narrative. We think of the environment (all of its resources) as capital.
  
  

  Having appropriated the planet's natural resources, we chose to annuitize them with a short-term maturity reached by progressively increasing payouts.  At the time it seemed a wise decision.  To many it still does.  The result is rising per-capita production and consumption, markets awash in consumer goods and grain, and a surplus of optimistic economics.  But there is a problem:  the key elements of natural capital, Earth's arable land, ground water, insects, marine fisheries, and petroleum, are ultimately finite, and not subject to proportionate capital growth.  Moreover, they are being decapitalized by overharvesting and environmental destruction.  With population and consumption continuing to grow, the per-capita resources left to be harvested are shrinking.  The long-term prospects are not promising.  Awakened at last to this approaching difficulty, we have begun a frantic search for substitutes.   

  This leads to two problems:
  • Economic disparity and
  • Accelerating extinction of natural ecosystems and species
  
  He suggests adding statistics that take into account the value of the biosphere into our  evaluations of economic assets and deficits as one way to change how we use our resources.
  
  He then goes on to list the action that can be taken to turn things around
  
  
  
  • Salvage the world's hotspots - those habitats that are both at the greatest risk and shelter the largest concentration of species found nowhere else.
  • Keep intact the five remaining frontier forests (combined Amazon Basin and the Guianas; Congo of Central Africa;  New Guinea;  the temperate conifer forests of Canada and Alaska combined;  the temperate conifer forests of Russia, Finland, and Scandinavia combines.)
  • Cease all logging of old growth forests everywhere.
  • Everywhere concentrate on lake and river systems, which are the most threatened ecosystems of all. 
  • Define and prioritize the marine hotspots of the world.
  • Complete the mapping of the world's biological diversity
  • Use most advanced ecosystem mapping techniques to ensure full range of the world's ecosystems are included in global conservation strategies.
  • Make conservation profitable.
  • Use biodiversity to benefit the world economy as a whole.
  • Initiate restoration projects to increase the share of the Earth allotted to nature.
  • Increase capacity of zoos and botanical gardens to breed endangered species.
  • Support population planning

There are other issues the book raised for me:

1.   What is a reasonable human population on earth where humans can live a comfortable live style that doesn't use up the Earth's resources?

2.   How do we get there?

3.  How do we get people to see the collective impact of individual behavior as we try to balance saving the biosphere and biodiversity with the market economy?

4.  How do we conceive the difference between the death of individuals and the death a species?

5.  How do we understand what is a normal rate of species extinction versus a human caused rate of species extinction?

All of these are addressed in the book to some degree, but need much more discussion.

Some group members expressed the bittersweet hope that the oil spill might help raise people's awareness of how our resource use endangers the planet. 



*From his glossary at the back of the book:

Biodiversty:  All of the hereditary variation in organisms, from differences in ecosystems to the species composing each ecosystem, thence to the generic variation in each of the species  As a term, biodiversity may be used to refer to the variety of life of all of Earth or to any part of it - hence the biodiversity of Peru or the biodiversity of a Peruvian rainforest.  (p. 213-214)


NOTE:  Blogspot sent out a notice that they have a new agreement with Amazon to enable bloggers mentioning books to automatically link to Amazon so that readers can easily buy the  book and the blogger would get a percentage.   I have resisted ads on this blog for various reasons - including aesthetics, conflicts of interest, and the fact that the size of my readership isn't large enough to earn me significant profits anyway.  But I thought I'd mention this.  There are some books I mention I wouldn't encourage my readers to buy.

But this one I think everyone should read.  Including our governor and mayor who strongly support economic development without calculating the costs to the biosphere of the projects.  Neither cares if we wipe out the Cook Inlet beluga whale population - which NOAA has declared an endangered species - if it means that we'd have to think more creatively to maintain our current economic situation.  But the governor has vetoed money that would have added about 1200 kids and about 100 mothers to Denali Kid Care health insurance because some of the money might be used for an abortion.  The intentional loss of one potential human being is more important to our governor, it seems, than the loss of a whole species.

Alaska Legislative Races - 26% Uncontested

The Lt. Governor's office is in charge of elections and on his website is the list of people who have signed up to run in the August primaries.  The deadline was June 1 and I got this on June 2, but there are some who are still pending certification. 

Five of the 20 Senate seats only have one candidate - that's 25%, all incumbents, who are running unopposed.  Two Democrats and three Republicans. 

[Update:  an ADN Alaska Digest piece today listed 14 unopposed candidates.  I had sixteen.  On double checking the Lt. Gov's website it seems one I had thought was unopposed has an opponent (Kurt Olson), but one the ADN did not list is on the list still as unopposed (Lindsey Holmes.)]


Twelve  [Eleven] of the 40 House seats are unopposed - 30 27%, all incumbents.  Six Democrats and five Republicans.  This is a little misleading though.  Three of the Democrats running unopposed - Regie Joule (Kotzebue), Bob Herron (Bethel), and Bryce Edgmon (Dillingham)- are from rural Alaska and they joined the Republican majorities on the grounds that as minority members they can't get the projects their districts desperately need.

All three seats from Juneau (one Senate and two House) are unopposed.  I'm sure their media markets are not real happy that the candidates won't need a lot of advertisements. 

Below I've cut and pasted the list from the Lt. Governor's website.  I've highlighted the unopposed Republicans in red, the unopposed Democrats in blue, but I've made the House Democrats who joined the majority Republicans purple.  (The Senate was evenly split 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats.  All the Democrats and most of the Republicans joined in a coalition to form the majority.  There were four minority Republicans who did not join the coalition.  Of the minority, only Sen. John Coghill is on the list of candidates.) 

State Senate District B

* Dennis Egan (Democrat) - Incumbent

3156 Pioneer Avenue
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 586-6136

State Senate District D

* Pete Higgins (Republican)
3875 Geist Rd, Ste E-126
Fairbanks, AK 99709

* Joe J. Thomas (Democrat) - Incumbent
879 Vide Way
Fairbanks, AK 99712
Phone: (907) 590-4648

State Senate District F

* John B. Coghill (Republican) - Incumbent

PO Box 58003
Fairbanks, AK 99711
Phone: (907) 488-7886

State Senate District H

* Charlie R. "Charlie" Huggins (Republican) - Incumbent

3375 Edgewater
Wasilla, AK 99654
Phone: (907) 373-6419

State Senate District J

* Ron Slepecki (Republican)
8649 Cross Pointe Loop
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: (907) 222-0939

* Bill Wielechowski (Democrat) - Incumbent
1300 Farrow Circle
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: (907) 333-2806

State Senate District L

* Johnny Ellis (Democrat) - Incumbent
1231 W. Northern Lights Blvd
Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: (907) 276-4633

* Richard M. Wanda (Republican)
PO Box 211986
Anchorage, AK 99521
e-mail: richardwandaforstatesenator@yahoo.com



State Senate District N

* Ed Cullinane (Democrat)
7232 Hunter Circle
Anchorage, AK 99502
Phone: (907) 830-9755

* Lesil McGuire (Republican) - Incumbent
2022 Kimberly Lynn Cir
Anchorage, AK 99515
Phone: (907) 351-8060


State Senate District P

* Catherine A. "Cathy" Giessel (Republican)
12701 Ridgewood Road
Anchorage, AK 99516
Phone: (907) 345-5470

* Jennifer B. Johnston (Republican)
11090 Hideaway Lake Drive
Anchorage, AK 99507
Phone: (907) 346-1087

* Mark W. Moronell (Republican)
www.moronellforalaskasenate.com

* Janet L. Reiser (Democrat)
PO Box 244993
Anchorage, AK 99524
Phone: (907) 903-3041

State Senate District R

* Gary L. Stevens (Republican) - Incumbent

PO Box 201
Kodiak, AK 99615
Phone: (907) 486-4205

State Senate District S

* Lyman F. Hoffman (Democrat) - Incumbent

PO Box 763
Bethel, AK 99559
Phone: (907) 543-3583

END OF SENATE RACES - BEGINNING OF HOUSE RACES


State Representative District 1

* Kyle B. Johansen (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 8601
Ketchikan, AK 99901
Phone: (907) 617-5537

* Ottar Mobley (Democrat)
PO Box 19185
Thorne Bay, AK 99919
Phone: (703) 678-8737


State Representative District 2

* Steven A. Samuelson (Republican)
PO Box 2188
Petersburg, AK 99833
Phone: (907) 723-3664
e-mail: StevenSamuelson@gmail.com
Candidate's web site: http://www.StevenSamuelson.com

* Reber P. Stein (Democrat)
2323 Sawmill Creek Rd
Sitka, AK 99835
Phone: (907) 747-3960

* Peggy Wilson (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 2211
Wrangell, AK 99929
Phone: (907) 874-3020

State Representative District 3

* Beth Kerttula (Democrat) - Incumbent

10601 Horizon DR.
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 463-5440

State Representative District 4

* Cathy Muñoz (Republican) - Incumbent

2101 Jordan Avenue
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 723-8089 e-mail: cathym@riemunoz.com
Candidate's web site: http://www.cathymunoz.org


State Representative District 5

* Robert W. Beedle (Democrat)
PO Box 16
Cordova, AK 99574

* William A. "Bill" Thomas Jr. (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 942
Haines, AK 99827
Phone: (907) 766-3365


State Representative District 6

* Alan Dick (Republican) - Pending Certification

* Rex L. Goolsby (Republican)
PO Box 814
Tok, AK 99780
Phone: (907) 883-8218

* Woodie W. Salmon (Democrat) - Incumbent
PO Box 21
Chalkyitsik, AK 99788


State Representative District 7

* Mike Kelly (Republican) - Incumbent
1625 Wolverine Lane
Fairbanks, AK 99709

* Bob Miller (Democrat)
1355 Silverberry Dr.
Fairbanks, AK 99712
Phone: (907) 460-8683
e-mail: miller4statehouseak@gmail.com


State Representative District 8

* David Guttenberg (Democrat) - Incumbent
PO Box 80731
Fairbanks, AK 99708
Phone: (907) 388-0194

* David M. "Dave" Talerico (Republican)
PO Box 521
Healy, AK 99743
Phone: (907) 683-2469


State Representative District 9

* Scott Kawasaki (Democrat) - Incumbent
2008 Carr Avenue
Fairbanks, AK 99709
Phone: (907) 590-0315

* Joseph A. Michel (Republican)
PO Box 61219
Fairbanks, AK 99706
Phone: (907) 347-9636


State Representative District 10

* John S. Brown (Democrat)
814 Austin Street
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: (907) 452-5870

* Urban E. Rahoi (Republican)
1001 Lakeview Terrace
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: (907) 456-6967 or (907) 509-2803

* Vivian M. Stiver (Republican)
523 2nd Ave
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: (907) 347-2102

* Steve M. Thompson (Republican)
PO Box 70843
Fairbanks, AK 99707
Phone: (907) 374-4806


State Representative District 11

* Sean P. Rice (Democrat) - Pending Certification

* Tammie Wilson (Republican) - Incumbent
571 Canoro Road
North Pole, AK 99705
Phone: (907) 590-7602


State Representative District 12

* Bert L. Cottle (Democrat)
PO Box 1049
Valdez, AK 99686
Phone: (907) 835-3700

* Eric A. Feige (Republican)
PO Box 1208
Chickaloon, AK 99674
Phone: (907) 351-2360
e-mail: ericfeige4akhouse12@gmail.com
Candidate's web site: ericfeige4akhouse12.org

* Pete Fellman (Republican)
HC 60 Box 4200
Delta Junction, AK 99737
Phone: (907) 895-4090

* Don Haase (Republican) - Pending Certification


State Representative District 13

* Don Benson (Republican)
PO Box 4059
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: (907) 745-4913

* Carl Gatto (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 2894
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: (907) 232-3060
e-mail: carljgatto@gmail.com
Candidate's web site: carlgatto.com

* David J. Parks (Republican)
PO Box 1683
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: (907) 982-5420


State Representative District 14

* Wes Keller (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 875910 #267
Wasilla, AK 99654
Phone: (907) 376-6115


State Representative District 15

* Stephen Jacobson (Republican)
2685 N. Alma Drive
Wasilla, AK 99654
Phone: (907) 357-1189
Candidate's web site: www.jacobson4statehouse15.com

* Mark Neuman (Republican) - Incumbent
13768 W. Maplewood Drive
Wasilla, AK 99654
Phone: (907) 354-0800


State Representative District 16

* Bonnie Nelson (Democrat) - Pending Certification

* Bill Stoltze (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 464
Chugiak, AK 99567
Phone: (907) 688-5754 or 745-5772


State Representative District 17

* Anna I. Fairclough (Republican) - Incumbent

PO Box 771112

Eagle River, AK 99577
Phone: (907) 694-7090


State Representative District 18

* Nancy A. Dahlstrom (Republican) - Withdrew
PO Box 771094
Eagle River, AK 99577
Phone: (907) 694-4929

* Bill Cook (Republican)
19328 Monastery Dr. #A
Eagle River, AK 99577
Phone: (907) 694-1010

* Dan Kendall (Republican)
PO Box 770616
Eagle River, AK 99577
Phone: (907) 696-7066

* Martin J. Lindeke (Democrat)
16111 Cline Street
Eagle River, AK 99577
Phone: (907) 622-4216

* Dan Saddler (Republican)
PO Box 771811
Eagle River, AK 99577
Phone: (907) 696-5492


State Representative District 19

* Gabrielle LeDoux (Republican)
PO Box 102293
Anchorage, AK 99510
Phone: (907) 677-8159
e-mail: voteledoux@gmail.com
Candidate's web site: www.voteledoux.com

* Pete F. Petersen (Democrat) - Incumbent
8633 Turf Ct.
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: (907) 522-6870


State Representative District 20

* Max F. Gruenberg Jr. (Democrat) - Incumbent
4801 Kenai Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 337-1688

* Scott A. Kohlhaas (Libertarian)
6701 E. 6th Ave. #24
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: (907) 337-3171
e-mail: scott@scottforhouse.org
Candidate's web site: www.scottforhouse.org


State Representative District 21

* Robert E. Clift (Libertarian)
6402 Hampton Drive
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: (907) 337-9679

* Barbara E. Norton (Democrat)
6130 Country Lane Circle
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: (907) 222-2540
e-mail: cnmbarb@gmail.com
Candidate's web site: barbaranortonforstatehouse.com

* Lance Pruitt (Republican)
2954 Brittany Place
Anchorage, AK 99504
Phone: (907) 929-4934
Candidate's web site: www.lancepruitt.com

State Representative District 22

* Sharon M. Cissna (Democrat) - Incumbent

PO Box 141892
Anchorage, AK 99514
Phone: (907) 272-8662

State Representative District 23

* Les Gara (Democrat) - Incumbent

PO Box 202259
Anchorage, AK 99520
Phone: (907) 250-0106


State Representative District 24

* Robert Benton (Republican) - Pending Certification

* Berta Gardner (Democrat) - Incumbent
1405 Matterhorn
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 223-9330


State Representative District 25

* Harley Brown (Libertarian)
2104 Cleveland Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99517
Phone: (907) 744-7646

* Mike Doogan (Democrat) - Incumbent
PO Box 91876
Anchorage, AK 99509

* Thomas M. Higgins (Republican)
3402 Dorbrandt St. #36
Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: (907) 575-3297

State Representative District 26

* Lindsey Holmes (Democrat) - Incumbent

4149 Hood Ct.
Anchorage, AK 99517


State Representative District 27

* Robert L. "Bob" Buch (Democrat) - Incumbent
3160 W 71st Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99502

* Mia Costello (Republican)
5512 Yukon Charlie Loop
Anchorage, AK 99502
Phone: (907) 770-1702


State Representative District 28

* Jodie Dominguez (Democrat)
205 E. Dimond Blvd. #288
Anchorage, AK 99515
Phone: (907) 248-2111

* Craig W. Johnson (Republican) - Incumbent
12200 Timberlane Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99515
Phone: (907) 349-4307


State Representative District 29

* Chris Tuck (Democrat) - Incumbent
8220 Barnett Drive #2
Anchorage, AK 99518
Phone: (907) 223-6474

* Kris Warren (Republican)
900 W. 86th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99515
Phone: (907) 344-5914


State Representative District 30

* Charisse E. Millett (Republican) - Incumbent
2860 Beluga Bay Circle
Anchorage, AK 99507
Phone: (907) 227-7673

* Jeannette O. Reddington (Republican)
4460 Mars Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99507
Phone: (907) 947-0308

* Lynda L. Zaugg (Democrat)
PO Box 232401
Anchorage, AK 99523
Phone: (907) 440-2849


State Representative District 31

* Bob Lynn (Republican) - Incumbent
4400 Trapline Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99516-1538
Phone: (907) 346-4447

* Guadalupe "Lupe" Marroquin (Democrat)
PO Box 111956
Anchorage, AK 99511
Phone: (907) 338-9448
e-mail: lupemarroquinforstatehouse@gmail.com

* Steve Pratt (Republican)
3115 Seawind Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99516
Phone: (907) 345-0032


State Representative District 32

* Mike Hawker (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 111329
Anchorage, AK 99511
Phone: (907) 346-2844

* Matthew Moore (Democrat) - Pending Certification

* Christian M. Rawalt (Republican)
PO Box 112872
Anchorage, AK 99511
Phone: (907) 727-8097


State Representative District 33

* Kurt E. Olson (Republican) - Incumbent
317 Diane Lane
Soldotna, AK 99669
Phone: (907) 260-4822

* Richard "Dick" Waisanen (Democrat)
44932 Eddy Hill Drive
Soldotna, AK 99669
Phone: (907) 262-6298


State Representative District 34

* Charles M. "Mike" Chenault (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 8154
Nikiski, AK 99635

* Ray G. Southwell (Alaskan Independence)
PO Box 6881
Nikiski, AK 99635
Phone: (907) 776-3384

State Representative District 35

* Paul Seaton (Republican) - Incumbent

PO Box 1564
Homer, AK 99603
Phone: (907) 299-3434
e-mail: Paul@VotePaulSeaton.org
Candidate's web site: http://www.VotePaulSeaton.com


State Representative District 36

* Alan Austerman (Republican) - Incumbent
PO Box 8766
Kodiak, AK 99615
Phone: (907) 486-5930

* Andrew Schroeder (Democrat) - Pending Certification

State Representative District 37

* Bryce Edgmon (Democrat) - Incumbent

PO Box 84

Dillingham, AK 99576
Phone: (907) 842-1729

State Representative District 38

* Bob Herron (Democrat) -Incumbent

PO Box 602
Bethel, AK 99559
Phone: (907) 543-4377


State Representative District 39

* Vincent T. Beans (Democrat)
PO Box 32336
Mountain Village, AK 99632
Phone: (907) 591-2347

* Neal W. Foster (Democrat) - Incumbent
PO Box 1633
Nome, AK 99762
Phone: (907) 250-8375

State Representative District 40

* Reggie Joule (Democrat) - Incumbent

PO Box 1269
Kotzebue, AK 99752
Phone: (907) 442-3452

Janet Reiser State Senate Candidate Seat P

My state representative, Berta Gardner, had a reception for Democratic House Candidates last night.  After being in the Capitol every day for several months and then being totally disconnected from all that during our trip, I figured this was a good chance to see some of the folks I'd met in Juneau and to see some of the new candidates.  It was.  Among other things I learned was that Nancy Dahlstrom, House Rules Chair this session,  had resigned from the legislature to take a job with the administration.  I don't think that made it into the London papers.

 I met several of the new candidates, but didn't get pictures of them all.  At left above is Janet Reiser, a chemical engineer, who is running for Senate Seat P, the seat Sen. Con Bunde is retiring from.

Lupe Marroquin a retired public servant, most recently in charge of elections at the Municipality of Anchorage, is running for House in District 31.  This was the first time I actually met Lupe in person, but she went through extraordinary efforts to get us absentee ballots in Thailand in March 2008.  Getting a fax through to us and our getting it back took a lot of work on her part.  I was so impressed that I did a post on her efforts.

Rep. Bob Lynn has a primary opponent on the Republican side.  I got to know Rep. Lynn while I was in Juneau.  The one committee that I attended most regularly was the State Affairs Committee that he chaired.  I found him respectful, thoughtful, and he had a good sense of humor.   If he wins his primary, then the voters of District 31 are assured a good representative no matter who wins.

Jodie Dominquez, shown here (left) with her campaign manager, is running for House District 28 against Rep. Craig Johnson who appeared to me to be a strong advocate for oil and gas interests in the legislature.




I'm hoping that this election Alaska bloggers can take a key role in helping voters get to know the candidates.  My sense is that we (Alaskans) should seriously evaluate the candidates as if we were hiring someone to handle our personal estates.  Because that's what we're doing.  We need to get past the PR television ads that package candidates based on focus group information on how to push voters' emotional buttons.  And we need more than how they come off in a single public television debate.

We need to seriously look at their resumes and determine who is most qualified.  We need to interview them and we need to talk to them in less formal situations.  While I am a registered Democrat, I plan to give as objective information about candidates as possible.  To say that a registered Democrat or a registered Republican can't report on the elections is ridiculous.  That would either mean some of the most qualified reporters couldn't report, or that reporters would have to hide their affiliations by registering independent.  I think it's better that we declare our affiliations and then let the readers consider what we write.

Unlike some other bloggers, I will not use my blog as a partisan forum to push Democrats and attack Republicans.  (That's perfectly legitimate, but just not my style.) But I also can't cover everything.  I will attempt to gather information that will help readers make informed choices.  And I assume that on occasion I will slip into opinion, but it will be supported by the facts.

Here's a video I got of Janet Reiser last night.  One of the nice things about talking to people who are fairly new to politics is that they tend to be pretty open and haven't learned yet to hide themselves behind a professional facade.  Candidate Reiser really seems talks from the heart here.  Yes, she's pushing her candidacy, but she's pretty transparent.




So, Alaska bloggers, let's give Alaskans more information than they've ever gotten about the candidates for the legislature. Let's try to transform this political races to businesslike hiring decisions. If there are skeletons, let's get them out, but I don't think we should focus on the negative. Rather we should help Alaskans get to know the candidates in all their rich complexity.

Scott McAdams - February Video of New US Senate Candidate

I'd been getting Google hits for Scott McAdams for a week or so and was wondering what was going on.  Then I heard he was possibly running for the US Senate against Lisa Murkowski.  Today, KTUU says he has announced for the position.  Here's a  bit of video I made back in February when McAdams was in Juneau for an Alaska Municipal League meeting and to do a little lobbying with the legislature.