Nah. . . Forget Politics For Now - Anchorage Trails Along Streets Are Snow And Ice Free!

So many things nationally and locally to ponder, but I checked out the sidewalk/trails along a loop from Tudor, Elmore, Dowling, and Lake Otis back to Tudor (that being my warm up run until the the greenbelt trails are clear in the spring) and things were snow and ice free.

I actually didn't take any pictures of trail, except for this one on a bridge on Elmore.

I checked on last year's posts and this one from March 22 is the first bike ride I did last year.  I wrote the

 "for the most part the trail was ice free.  There'd been one spot where a thick chunk was floating over a puddle, but there was a bit of room to go around it.  But then, almost home, I got to this hard packed ice near Providence."

As I recall, there were places where there were big puddles and snow was melting from where it was piled next to the trail.  And the bridge over Campbell Creek (at Lake Otis) still had snow on it.

This year the trail was basically like in the picture.  There were wet areas, but no ice or snow that I was riding through.  There's  a picture in last year's post of trail full of ice and snow on both sides near Providence.  But this time I went in the other direction so I didn't go by there at all.  But I suspect it's clear too.

Anyway, here's Campbell Creek, north fork, from the bridge at Elmore.

And a little further down the road, the south fork of Campbell Creek.

Here's what this spot looked like on March 22, 2019 - with blue sky and sunshine.

Then west on Dowling and north on Lake Otis - here I am at Campbell Creek again, but here both the north and south forks have already converged into one creek.

It seemed a bit early to be so snow and ice free this year, even before I check last year's post.  But I also saw a tweet:

Number of days with a min temp of 40°F or lower at Anchorage Intl AP through March 25th. We're 13 days lower than the second lowest year. @AlaskaWx @DaveSnider pic.twitter.com/EqnuQy9ion

— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) March 25, 2019

I think this would be clearer if it said "we've had 13 fewer days that dipped below 40˚ than the year with the next fewest days"  it would be clearer.

The End Of The Mueller Investigation - Day 1

Attorney General Barr reduced Robert Mueller's report to four pages [link goes to Barr's report] which he gave key Congressional committees.  In response, Seth Abramson, who's been following all this closely for years now tweeted today:

If these potential pardons occur, it'll be because media misreported today's events and allowed a false narrative to gain stream that gave Trump the cultural capital to pardon co-conspirators. Media has about 24 hours, maybe less, to calm down and properly report today's events. https://t.co/njMkBNZVdX

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) March 25, 2019

So before people fall for this, "nothing to see, keep moving" interpretation from Barr, here are a couple of others who seem to agree with Abramson.


From Marty Lederman's "How not to think–and what the Mueller Report won’t tell us–about Trump’s efforts to obstruct the investigation "at Just Security today:

". . .That’s why you’re already familiar with many of those acts:  Trump pressured Comey to back off on Michael Flynn.  He fired Comey in order to take off the “great pressure” he faced “because of Russia” (as he said in his contemporaneous boasts to Russian officials!).  He constantly disparaged, and called in into question the impartiality of, Mueller and his team of lawyers.  He insulted countless career and Trump-appointed DOJ and FBI officials of extraordinary integrity.  He said he wouldn’t have appointed Jeff Sessions if he knew Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation, tried to get Sessions to reverse his decision to recuse, and humiliated Sessions when he wouldn’t budge.  Eventually he fired Sessions and then displaced Rod Rosenstein as Acting Attorney General with a lackey, deviating from centuries of practice.  He persistently referred to the critically important Russia investigation as a “witch hunt.”  And on and on.

These things have become so regular, so commonplace, that we’ve come to take them for granted.  Make no mistake, however:  They are not things any other president would ever do.  Any other president would–of course–do everything in his power to support, praise and cooperate with his own officials as they were engaged in an investigation of one of the most serious foreign threats to the nation in recent years.  And any other president would abide by the decades-long norms prohibiting presidential interference with, and commenting, on, DOJ investigations–especially when DOJ is investigating the president himself and people in his orbit.
Trump’s behavior with respect to the investigation has been deeply deviant, and inexcusable.  Moreover, it has been–quite obviously–part of a concerted, multiyear effort to obstruct, and undermine the legitimacy of, the Russia investigation.  No serious person would dispute that.  (Indeed, Trump virtually boasts about it.)  And most of it has been out there in plain view already–which is why the Mueller report to Barr is unlikely to contain any great surprises or revelations. . ."

From "Trump Aided and Abetted Russia’s Attack. That Was Treachery. Full Stop. The scandal may not be a crime. It’s a betrayal."  by David Corn in Mother Jones today:

"On Sunday afternoon Attorney General William Barr sent a letter to Congress noting that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation “did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” The message also noted that Mueller could not exonerate President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice, but that Barr himself had decided that the evidence Mueller developed was “insufficient to establish” that Trump had obstructed justice. Trump proclaimed it was “complete and total exoneration.” And Trump champions popped the cork and declared case closed, nothing to see, end of story, no need for further investigation, Trump did no wrong.
Well, that is fake news."

There's so much more that we've seen that Trump has done and as some are telling us to move on now that the report is in, while they didn't say that while Trump demanding Obama present his birth certificate and that we should "Lock her up!"  

When I think back to when the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to turn over the tapes he'd recorded of all the meetings in the oval office, times were really different.

• First, it was pretty clear that the tapes showed that Nixon had lied.  There had been a cover-up and it went all the way up to the top. 
• Second, the idea that the president had lied about this mattered.   
• Third, the Democrats controlled both the House and Senate - but Nixon didn't have the hold on the congressional Republicans that Trump has.  

Well, here's a later tweet from Seth Abramson:

Yes—but the tide is changing.

Media had a *bad day* today. I predict there's a better week ahead for them. https://t.co/toToFpwAGR

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) March 25, 2019

Legislative Info Office Hearing on the Budget [UPDATED]

Given that the Governor's 'budget roadshow' is being handled by Americans for Prosperity, a Koch funded group, and requires one fill out a form online with more personal information than I want to add to AFP's data base, the House majority caucus is having its own hearings around the state.

It was jammed today with people testifying (mostly) against the Dunleavy budget and for reinstating an income tax.  I did hear two folks (one after the other) say they wanted their full PFDs and the state shouldn't subsidize lazy people.  But everyone else were ready to reduce their PFDs for public education, health care, etc.

If you click on this image it will get much bigger and clearer

I'll add to this later.

LATER:


There was a line that went out the front door, and I didn't get there until about an hour into the hearings.

There was an overflow room with a video of the session in the next room over.

And there was another overflow room.

And the hallway was full of people from the line that went out the door.  This was really the only big sign that I saw and did not seem to reflect the sentiment of most people testifying.

The control room was between the hearing room and one of the overflow rooms.  It had dark smokey windows.

Anchorage's Temple Beth Sholom Get's New Alaskan Rabbi

Rabbi Abram Goodstein, at his installation last night told this story. (Loosely paraphrased.)

My bar mitzvah was right here at this bimah.  Afterward, we went into Rabbi Rosenfeld's office and I said, " It's over!!"
And the rabbi said to me, "No, this is just the beginning."
And here I am now at the same bimah, and that office is now my office.  

The synagogue was packed with members of the congregation and many community fans.

If you look closely, you can see the children's klezmer band playing "mazol tov".

This was a joyous occasion and bodes well for Anchorage.   And, of course, there was a lot of food.  This is the dessert table.

Big Bright Vernal Equinox Moon Greets Us After Move To Amend Panel

After attending a  panel discussion on "The 28th Amendment" we walked out to see this giant moon pushing up over the mountains and not quite out of the clouds.

Here it's a little higher and we're out of downtown.

I'm still fighting my camera when the auto settings can't figure out what to do.  The manual settings just aren't intuitive and I use them so rarely.  The moon wasn't - as I remember it - so yellow.  

The panel was interesting and very civil.  The basic concern is with the impact of Citizens United and the problems of unlimited money from corporations and other non-human entities on elections in the United States.  The key objection I heard was that by limiting constitutional rights to human beings (Citizens United ruling was based on their First Amendment Right to free speech) organizations will be stripped of important rights, such as due process.  In response, Dr. Sharman Haley (standing at the mic in the picture) argued that such organizations are created and sanctioned by states and it is there, not in the constitution, that their rights should be established.  At least that's what I understood.  

To learn more, check out  Move To Amend.  

Another idea that was raised to make elections less contentious was ranked voting.  Dr. Haley argued that first, this would eliminate the need for primaries.  And second,  if candidates want to win, they have to be listed second on a lot of ballots.  Thus taking an extreme stand will likely lose them the election.   There's more on ranked choice voting here.

Alaska Governor's Roadshow Sponsored By Koch Funded Americans For Prosperity

We knew before the election that Dunleavy's campaign was largely financed by his brother in Texas.  But now it looks like that was just the beginnings of an actual coup.  The Koch's Americans for Prosperity have arranged and organized a set of what were advertised on the Governor's website as public meetings to discuss the Governor's budget proposal.  I'm starting to think that AFP actually had a lot to do with the budget itself now.  In fact, just after the election in November, Jeremy Price was appointed Dunleavy's Deputy Chief of Staff.  According to Must Read Alaska, a blog written by the former communications director of the Republican party in Alaska, 

“In 2014, Price was tapped to begin a branch of Americans for Prosperity in Alaska and has since grown the organization to a well-known voice for economic freedom. The group is supported locally and receives organizational support from its national parent, Americans for Prosperity, which is back [sic] by the Koch Brothers.”

ROADSHOW

The governor announced a road trip:  From the Governor’s Webpage:

“Governor Announces Statewide Roadshow to Outline Permanent Fiscal Plan for Alaska
March 18, 2019
Juneau, AK – Today, Alaska Governor Michael J. Dunleavy announced “A Statewide Discussion for a Permanent Fiscal Plan” a series of community focused discussions and meetings to outline a permanent fiscal plan for Alaska, including the vision behind his FY2020 budget proposal and a package of constitutional amendments meant to address the state’s long-term fiscal stability.”

Then there’s a long explanation of why his budget is necessary to save Alaska from deficit — cutting the state functions drastically is ok.  Raising any revenues — taxes —  is not.  (Trump seems ok with a trillion dollar deficit, but Dunleavy will have none of that.)  So here’s the posted schedule:

“Upcoming Events and Locations:
Kenai, AK – Monday, March 25, 2019
6pm – Public Event at The Cannery Lodge
Anchorage, AK– Tuesday, March 26, 2019
10am – Talk of Alaska
6pm – Public Event at 49th State Brewery
Nome, AK– Wednesday, March 27, 2019
4pm – Public Event at Old St.  Joseph’s Hall
Fairbanks, AK– Thursday, March 28, 2019
8am – Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce
6pm – Public Event at Westmark Hotel
Mat-Su, AK– Friday, March 29, 2019
6pm – Public Event at Everett’s
*Times and locations are subject to change.”

But there aren’t any links to these events on this announcement.  The Anchorage Daily News reports that 

“JUNEAU — A day after Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced he will hold a series of public meetings across Alaska to discuss his budget proposal and long-term fiscal plan, ticketing arrangements reveal the meetings are being sponsored and managed by the conservative-libertarian group Americans for Prosperity.
That sponsorship was not disclosed when the governor said he would hold public meetings in Anchorage, Nome, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Kenai and Fairbanks next week.”

Well, it’s not exactly clear what’s happening now.  I went to Americans for Prosperity (AFP) websiteand found six events listed for Alaska Public Policy Forums.   I’m posting a screenshot because I don’t know how long this will be there.  (The sixth one (another one for Kenai) just didn’t fit easily in the screen shot, but it looks just like the others.)

​

Note that these are labeled “AFP Presents:  Fortifying Alaska’s Future.  So, the public tour for the governor to discuss (that implies two way conversation, right?)  the budget with the public, turns out to be a propaganda event organized and paid for by Americans for Prosperity.  But clicking on these events gets you to a page that basically says this link doesn’t work.  

The ADN article touches on what I would have found at the links, I’m assuming, before the linked pages were taken down:

“The events’ ticketing web pages says [sic], “this is a private, policy focused event dedicated to discussing Americans for Prosperity’s issues,” but that isn’t true, said Ryan McKee, Alaska state director of Americans for Prosperity.
“They are open to the public, absolutely,” he said.”

And,

Dunleavy press secretary Matt Shuckerow agreed, adding in an emailed statement that the administration ‘partnered with AFP-Alaska and the Alaska Policy Forum to assist in hosting, organizing, coordinating these events’.”

And there were some restrictions.  From a press release from Alaska Senate Democrats 

“On the event website, Americans for Prosperity provided a 415-word disclaimer on the terms and conditions of the event which threatens Alaskans if they do not comply with their rules. If you don't follow these set rules, you will be denied admission or forced "to leave the event."

From the terms and conditions document.

“This is a private, policy focused event dedicated to discussing Americans for Prosperity’s issues.”

But the Gov was passing these off as public meetings from the governor’s office.  Here is an abbreviated and somewhat paraphrased version of the conditions:  

• All attendees must register themselves and guests with real names and may be asked to show IDs
• No signage allowed, No candidate stickers, pins, t-shirts etc.
• By attending you irrevocably consent and authorize AFP to distribute, use, broadcast, or disseminate into perpetuity your likeness in such media for whatever purpose without further approval from you and with no compensation forever and wherever
• But you may not record, reproduce, or transmit by any means any portion of or the entirety of any AFP event without specific written permission.  

You can see all the terms at the link.  [As I read the terms, I suspect this is a standard AFP document, not particularly written for these events.  I’m guessing they stuck it in rather than getting their attorneys to make a special one.]   Mind you, this is how the governor was going to explain his budget to the state, and, since they were called public meetings and discussions  by the governor, most of us thought there would be two way communication.  Governor's explanation and public responses.  

Instead this shows how completely Dunleavy has been bought by the Koch’s to do their bidding.  And raises serious questions about how much of Dunleavy’s budget and policies have been crafted by Koch and Americans for Prosperity. 

Fortunately, unlike  in Wisconsin and Kansas and Michigan and other states that have had this sort of attack, in Alaska Gov. Dunleavy doesn’t have a fool-proof supportive legislature.  A lot of Republicans in the Senate (which they control), are not happy with the governor’s budget.  And somehow — I still have figured out how — the Democrats pulled off a coalition of all the Democrats and a number of Republicans in the House. 

It’s still not clear to me that this roadshow is going to actually happen, and if it does, how one is to get tickets, or whether the AFP Terms and Conditions can legally apply to ‘public’ events of the governor. 

We’ll see.*  And for folks who have been through this in the last decade in other states, pay attention and let us know who these imported characters — like our ‘visiting budget director’ Donna Arduin — and what they did before they got here.  We are doing lots of research, but first hand knowledge is helpful.

And if you want to keep track of what’s happening, long-time Alaska reporter Dermot Cole seems to be the most relentless interpreter of Alaska political events at the moment on his blog Reporting From Alaska.

*Before posting this, I just called Noah Hanson, press secretary for the Senate Democrats and learned that Sen. Donny Olson of Golovin has offered to pay for a venue for a public forum in Nome if there are no stipulations such as the AFP agreement discussed in this post.  

Break Up

Ice shelf at end of driveway last week

The temperature has been well above normal - sometimes the lows being higher than the normal high - but it's also been cloudy and grim out.  The warm days have been causing snow to melt and then freeze up at night.  The city plowed the street, but never cleared the berm they left.  It's melted a little each night into a shelf of ice that's 4 inches or more in places.

I've been going out and chopping ice and making a channel.  The picture on the left was a week ago.





This morning there was a powdering of snow on the ground, but from the dentist's chair, I could see sunshine to the south.

And this afternoon, the sun had made it into town.  (Of course the sun was there all along.  It's just the clouds cleared, but it really did feel like the sun had come.)

And with the sun beating down, the shelf was getting slushy and the ice and snow in the part of the streets the cars crunch was mostly gone.

Here you can the melting remnant of the berm.  It's hasn't been snow for a while.  Rather it's a hard crusty icy wall.  I went to the corner to see if I could shovel out the drain, but it was not going to happen.

But I was able to play with the ice chopper at the end of the driveway.  With the warmth and the sun, the shelf was changing composition.  And parts broke off with a single chop.  And then I had lots of ice to clear away.  I know that all this will go on its own, but if I gain a week that's good enough for me.  And I get some exercise.  Out in the sun.


It's a great time of the year.  We're a day from the equinox when every part of the world has the same amount of light.  After that, those places further north get more light.  And around 60˚ north, we gain almost 6 minutes a day now.  And there should be close to a full moon tonight as well.

There were even patches of ground showing up as snow melted and evaporated.

I think the green is just some grass that made it through the winter under the snow.  The berries are from the mountain ash tree that the bohemian waxwings didn't find.

Salmon Roe Technicians Wanted

For something a little different today.

Sunday's Anchorage Daily News classified section included a bunch of long ads for:

1.   Salmon Roe Technicians:  5 Temporary, full time positions to work from 6/1/2019 to 9/20/2019. Work will be performed at plant in Valdez, AK.  Responsible for processing salmon roe to produce Ikura and Sujiko (Japanese salmon roe products) for export to Japan.  [Then there's a long description of all they have to do such as "sorting, salting, preserving, brining, seasoning, mixing, agitating, dewatering"  and then inspecting and packing, and providing technical expertise in grading and quality control  . . .]

This positions is 40 hours a week plus up to 40 hours overtime for $14.50/hour and $21.75/hour overtime.  It includes transportation to the site, housing and meals, and transportation back "if the worker completes half the employment period or is dismissed early by the employers."

Experience needed?  two years of this work processing roe for the Japanese market and knowledge of processing and grading standards for the Japanese market.

The employer is Pac-Maru Inc.  Seattle (which is a subsidiary of  Toyo Suisan Kaisha Ltd..)

2.  Salmon Roe Technicians:  5 temporary, full-time positions to work from 5/5/2019 to 9/20/2019.  These will be at "3 land plants in Kenai  and Kasilof, AK.  This one is pretty similar, but it's up to 44 hours overtime and pays $15/hour and $22/hour overtime.

This one is from North Pacific Seafoods, Seattle

3.  Also Salmon Roe Technicians - this one for Cordova, Naknek, Togiak, Unalakleet, and/or Kenai, AK.   $14.50/hour and $21.50/hour overtime.

The employer Nomura Trading Co., Ltd, Bellevue, WA.

4.  Peter Pan Seafoods is looking for 9 Salmon Roe Technicians - for Dillingham and Valdez.  This ad has much the same details though the language is a little different.  It only pays $14.48/hour and $21.72/hour over time, but it has up to 50 hours of overtime possible.  They'll also pay for visa and border crossing expenses.  And you apply, not to the company, but to the Alaska Dept. of Labor.

Here are some worker comments about Peter Pan Seafoods.

5.  Westwood Seafoods has openings for 7 seafood processing technicians (surimi and roe) in Dutch Harbor.  "Must be willing to work up to 12 or more hours per day, 7 days per week, depending on fish availability.  Big difference here:  Wage is $20-$40/hour DOE plus health insurance and potential for bonus.  Overtime at $30-$60 per hour DOE.  Free room and board as well, however, return transportation paid only if employee works the whole contract or is dismissed.  (Getting back from Dutch Harbor is a lot more than Valdez or Kenai!)  And the contract is from 5/24 to 10/24/2019.  Again, apply at Alaska Dept. of Labor.

6.  Premier Pacific Seafoods, Inc has openings for 3 seafood processing technicians (surimi and roe) on board M/ Excellence or the Phoenix vessel in the Bering Sea and North Pacific.  Wages here are $16.65 to $30/hour and $24.98 to $45/hour overtime, depending on experience, or if higher, $235 - $300 per day, plus health insurance, possible bonus, and room and board.
Here are some worker comments about Premier Pacific. 

7.  Finally Nicherei U.S.A. LLC has 25 openings for Salmon Roe Technicians "at multiple work sites in SW Alaska, incl. plants in Cordova, Kodiak, Naknek, and Valdez.  35 regular hours at $14.48/hour and up to 30 additional at $21.72/hour overtime.  This one has slightly different wording about food and lodging.  The others said this was free.  This one includes it in a sentence about travel to site (reimbursed if complete half the period) and travel back (if complete whole period.)  The wording suggests that meals will be covered if half the contract is worked.


I understand that lots of college students go work in fish processing plants and on fishing ships over the summer for the adventure and the pay that comes with all the overtime.  But it would seem to me that a Salmon Roe Technician with two years experience are harder to find and should get paid more than minimum wage.  The only two companies here paying more than minimum wage are Westwood Seafoods and Premier Pacific Seafoods, though the later is on a ship which adds more adventure but also much more risk.

NOTE:  I saw these ads in the print edition and couldn't find them online. They're on pages C-2 and C-3, of the Sunday Anchorage Daily News, March 17, 2019.

Folks Crowd Anchorage Muslim Community Center In Show Of Support

I'd never been to the mosque before - it's only been completed in the last couple of years and it's hidden on a side street in a neighborhood I don't normally go.

The Interfaith Council probably wasn't expecting so many people - the room was pretty full when we got there and people just kept coming in.  I only knew about this because I'd sent an email to the Center after I heard about New Zealand, and I got one back telling me about the vigil.  Watching the doorway - we were seated near it - I suddenly looked for other ways out because the door wasn't that big.  And there were two more exits directly outside.  They kept bringing more chairs.  Then little kid chairs.  I don't even want to guess at a number because it was, I'm sure, way beyond what the Fire Department would allow.  And I have to admit that I thought about the exits because my mind imagined what it would be like if someone started shooting in there.

Here's a mashup of three pictures to give a sense of the crowd, even if the perspective is all messed up. (The left side is actually mostly the back of the room.  Maybe I should learn to use the panorama feature on my phone camera.) The middle picture was when we got there when there was still some room.

Although there were speakers, it was pretty low key.  There were people from different religious groups - Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and of course Muslims.  Mara Kimmel, the mayor's wife said a few words too.  I noticed three other returned Peace Corps volunteers.   More important were all these people most of whom were strangers talking to each other with respect and love.   The people from the mosque were so incredibly nice.  As we came in we started to take our shoes off, as Muslims coming in were doing, and they insisted that we keep them on, in the nicest possible way.

We do have to keep in mind that most people are good and decent when they aren't afraid and stirred up by bigots.  Let's keep tapping in to that basic goodness.  Let's get more people talking to each other in safe spaces on safe topics, people who are now mostly living in bubbles with people who reinforce what they believe.

Vigil in Support Of Alaskan Muslims - Tonight (Saturday) at 7pm

The Interfaith Council is sponsoring a vigil tonight.  From the Facebook page:

"In light of the tragedy in Christchurch, New Zealand there will be a vigil tomorrow at 7pm, at the Islamic Community Center of Anchorage.  All are welcome to attend, and stand with our Muslim neighbors at this time of loss."

The Islamic Community Center of Anchorage is at 8005 Spring Street.




This is a good time to support one of our many communities that is particularly under attack in the US and around the world.  To show them we care and support them.