Idle No More Rally – Anchorage, Friday January 11th, 2013 – A Good Start

Idle No More has rapidly spread from Southcentral Canada, into the U.S. upper midwest, the U.S. side of the St. Lawrence river valley, to the Pacific Northwest south of British Columbia, and into other countries with subjugated indigenous populations.  Begun less than two months ago, it is spreading like the Ghost Dance movement on steroids.  I've heard it referred to locally as "Re-Occupy Wounded Knee," which might not be fair, as that de-Canada-izes the movement's origin.

It is propelled by the internet, social media such as facebook, twitter, youtube and skype, and good old grapevine word-of-mouth.  21st century smoke signals.  What started in Saskatoon as a small protest and hunger strike over a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper over his Omnibus Bill, C-45, the resulting teach-ins in Canada have led to concerns about other Omnibus bills, and their elements that reduce indigenous rights.

In late December, there was an Idle No More flash mob dance in Juneau.  It has been followed by three more solidarity demonstrations, including teaching aspects.  Here's Alaska Native story teller Ishmael Hope, on one of the Juneau actions:

On a deeper level, something I really love about this movement is it helps get people together, and right now, all we’re doing — we’re not making big speeches. We’re getting together and we’re singing our ancient clan songs. … What this helps us remember is there’s no separation between a culture, our language and our sovereignty. They strengthen each other. So we sing our songs, we know ourselves more and we’re able to stand up for ourselves better.

The Anchorage event, with its major component of teaching materials handed out by the event's sponsors, resembled many of the education and awareness-based INM actions in Canada and elsewhere.

The rally's sponsors were varied, and representing issues from all parts of Alaska:

REDOIL: Their network consists of grassroots Alaska Natives of the Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Tlingit, Gwich'in, Eyak and Denaiana Athabascan tribes. The REDOIL network addresses the human and ecological health impacts of the unsustainable development practices of the fossil fuel industry in Alaska.  REDOIL's main concern in the past has been with the oil industry, and the physical deterioration of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline.

Chickaloon Village Traditional Council: The organization currently operates seven departments: Health and Social Services, Housing, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Justice, Transportation, and Accounting/Administration.  They help serve the needs of  Tribal citizens and another estimated 2,373 Alaska Natives and Native American Peoples living in their service area, as well as the non-native community members living in Glacier View, Chickaloon, Sutton, Palmer, and Butte.  CVTC is deeply involved in coal industry development on and near traditional tribal lands.  They are not supportive of any current coal mining projects.

Alaska Community Action on Toxics: ACAT is a statewide environmental health and justice organization established in 1997.

They hope to assure justice by advocating for environmental and community health. They believe that everyone has the right to clean air, clean water, and toxic-free food.

Their active programs help communities implement effective strategies to limit their exposure to toxic substances and to protect and restore the ecosystems that sustain them and their way of life.

Since the end of the first decade of the 21st century, ACAT has been increasingly involved in providing health information abut coal mining and other mineral development projects in the state, such as the proposed Pebble Mine.

Alaska Rising Tide:  The Alaska chapter of this international grassroots organizing collective has been deeply involved in Alaska Native rights and mineral development issues.

At Friday's rally, speakers represented each of Alaska's main tribal families, Eskimo, Aleut, Athabaskan and Southeastern.  None were supportive of the ongoing development projects, such as Shell Oil's Arctic offshore drilling project, the gigantic Pebble Mine, or any of the many contemplated coal mines around the state.

I was happy to see articulate speakers like CVTC's Theresa Wade, speaking about projects I'm directly involved in, like stopping local Mat-Su coal developments, right in our back yards, or in the case of Chickaloon - front yards.

Idle No More is so new, so fresh.  I wonder if, like Occupy Wall Street and the American Indian Movement, the FBI and other Federal agencies are already targeting INM for infiltration, disinformation, and the creation of fake plots.

Probably.

Here's my video of Friday's rally.  It is just three short clips from the 80-minute long rally:

1). Lisa Wade, an Athabascan from the Chickaloon Traditional Council, speaking about impending coal developments on traditional tribal lands, and the struggle against this.

2). Marcelle McIntyre and Matt Walker from the Tsimshian Dance Group in Southeast Alaska, from Metlakatla.

3). Paul Pike, from the Mi'kmaq Nation on the island of Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), in Canada. He is a founder of Medicine Dream.


Bob Hallinan from the Anchorage Daily News took some fine photographs.

My longtime friend, Linda Scates, posted hers at her photo niche.

And Anchorage Idle No More's facebook page is getting packed with photos.

MSNBC Host Trashed by Obama Supporters for Not Always Calling Him "President Barack Obama"

This is ridiculous, but maybe it is time to talk about it some more: 

I'm a blogger, not a journalist, reporter or commentator for anything remotely resembling the mainstream media.  But I got journalism training, took journalism classes, was news director for one radio station and public affairs director for another.

Years and years and years ago.

There's a rule called "first reference."  In my blog articles, when I link to an article from the New York Times, the first time I mention that paper, it is the "New York Times."  From then on, it is the "NYT," which is accepted blog shorthand.  I even italicize New York Times and NYT.  When I remember.  But I don't remember why I do that.  I think it is from a style book.

First reference:

When someone is first mentioned in a news story, their first and last name should be typed out. From then on, their last name can be used as a reference to that person. When the first and last name of a person is used as the initial reference to that person, this is called first reference. 

The purpose of only using the persons last name through out the rest of the story, is to keep the article brief and straight to the point

The Associated Press and New York Times have style books.  The AP calls theirs a stylebook, the NYT's is a style guide.I still have my pre-WWW copy of the AP Stylebook.  There are a lot of other style books and manuals out there, and many mainstream publications or organizations have their own rules.

In the MSNBC segment, they mention that reporters or TV commentators sometimes go as far as first name on second reference (2nd reference means all references after the first one).  In Alaska, we're probably more that way than any other state, because so many people know each other. It wasn't just Sarah.  It is Lisa and Don and Mark and so on.  Until he died, it was Ted, or St. Ted. 

Interestingly, nobody - I mean nobody - calls our current governor "Sean."  Most Alaskans don't consider him one of us.  I like Don's (Rep. Don Young's) name for him best - "Captain Zero," which describes what Parnell is - a cypher .

I decided back in late 2009 to not EVER describe our current president as "President Obama" unless it was absolutely required for sake of accuracy.  At the same time, I promised I'd honor him with his formal title if he did any of the following:

1).  Evacuate the torture camp at Guantanamo Bay

2).  Prosecute and imprison at least one of the many torturers or murderers we have employed there, and now shelter.

3).  Prosecute and imprison at least five major banksters for their crimes that cost us trillions.

Since then, I've gotten new gripes, but if he did any of the above three, I'd begin to address him by the ceremonial title he owns in name.  But I never call the guy "OilyBomber" or "Obomber," or whatever.  Nor am I willing to call him "Barack."

Besides, didn't we have a revolution between 1775 and 1781 that was supposed to end the concept of royalty and high titles?

What do you think?

Arab Fifth Column Al Jabr Attacks U.S. Schools

Thank God for FOX News! They've uncovered another scary plot in our schools.  That this one involves an ancient Islamist cult, started by Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, when he wrote the revolutionary screed, The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing, sometime in the early ninth Century.

In the succeeding 1,200 years, al-Khwārizmī's terrorist ideas have infiltrated math, higher math, abstract thinking, logic and concepts of artificial intelligence philosophy.  Not to mention hundreds of millions of math students, who lost an accumulation of billions of hours of sleep studying his terrorizing ideas, and went so far as writing billions of numbers and letters (usually, X's, A's, B's and C's) on their inner forearms or the palms of their hands - sometimes even drawing blood!).

Here's FOX, exposing the plot - without even naming what it is specifically:

 Wonkette notes:

We don’t know how Eric Bolling, of Fox braintrust “The Five,” managed to talk about liberal indoctrination with math without even bothering to note that algebra was invented by A-RABS and is a Mooslem plot. But at least he is on the case of the Marxists at Scholastic teaching the distributive property with a worksheet about distributing the wealth. 

GO SCHOLASTIC!

Here's the liberal, uh -  Commie, uh - Al Qaeda propaganda Scholastic is, uh, distributing:

Product Description: 

Insight into the distributive property as it applies to multiplication is defined and supported with examples. Students complete each multiplication sentence using the distributive property!

What an insidious plot! Thank you, FOX.

What would America do without you?

By the way, the comments at the Wonkette article linked to above, at The Raw Story, and at Booman Tribune, are hilarious.

And, here it is.  You don't even have to waterboard me to get the info out of me:

2 × (1 + 3) = (2 × 1) + (2 × 3) but 2 /(1 + 3) is not equal to (2 / 1) + (2 / 3).

Idle No More to Hit Anchorage Big Time Friday - Town Square

The organizers of this event have managed to pack it full of significant speakers and cultural artists - some of Alaska's best! - in a very short time.

I'll be there, taking it in, participating and interviewing.

Here's the Press Release:

Idle No More Movement Catches Fire in Alaska

Alaskan Native Peoples and allies join the Idle No More Movement day of Global Action

Anchorage, AK - Indigenous people and allies from across Alaska will gather in Town Square on Friday in solidarity with the Idle No More Movement for indigenous sovereignty sweeping across Canada and the Globe. Alaska’s Idle No More Event will emphasize the issues that Alaska’s Indigenous Peoples face concerning sovereignty, subsistence rights, environment, health and well-being, culture, and spirituality. This will be a peaceful Rally.  We are drumming, singing, dancing, praying and giving voice to the Spirit of our lands and waters, which need our defense now.

The Idle No More Movement began as a response to a renewed assault on indigenous rights in Canada by the Conservative Government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The movement has forced Harper to meet with a coalition of First Nations leaders, including Atiwapiskat Chief Teresa Spence who has been on hunger strike for nearly a month. Friday’s Rally in Anchorage is part of solidarity actions planned across the globe. (Follow on Twitter #J11)

Supported by REDOIL, Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, and Alaska Rising Tide.

 Tentative Schedule: ALASKA IDLE NO MORE RALLY – Noon, Town Square Park, Anchorage, Friday, January 11^th

Noon – Opening Traditional Prayer

Chief Lee Stephan- Athabascan, Eklutna (Welcome)

Chief Gary Harrison- Athabascan, Chickaloon (Sovereignty)

Faith Gemmill- Gwich’in- Arctic Village (Vision)

Mae Hank-Inupiat, Point Hope (Chukchi Sea/ Shell)

Rosemary Ahtuangruak-Inupiat, Barrow (Health and Oil)

Allison Akootchook Warden-Inupiat, Kaktovik (Beaufort Sea/ Shell and Arctic Refuge)

Vi Waghiyi-Siberian Yupik, St. Lawrence Island (POPS/ Contaminants/ Toxics/ Military)

INUPIAT DANCE GROUP 

Gwich’in Elder or Youth (Arctic Refuge)

Rochelle Adams- Gwich’in, Ft. Yukon (Yukon Flats/language, culture, identity)

Lisa Wade-Athabascan, Chickaloon (Wishbone Hill Coal)

ATHABASCAN DANCE GROUP 

Alannah Hurley-Yupik, Clarks Point (Pebble Mine/BBAY Shell offshore)

Fishermen- Yupik, YK Delta (Subsistence Rights and Salmon issues/Donlin Mine)

YUPIK DANCE GROUP 

Dune Lankard-Eyak, Cordova (Coal/EVOS)

TSIMSHIAN DANCE GROUP

ALL DRUM GROUPS DRUM SIMULTANEAOUSLY TO BRING POWER OF DRUM/SPIRIT to close out speaking portion

PAMYUA  

Medicine Dream

Sleeping Lady Drummers

Closing – Participants will dance a round dance to close Rally

John Brennan vs. a Sixteen-Year-Old: Czar of the Drones

--- by Medea Benjamin

In October 2011, 16-year-old Tariq Aziz attended a gathering in Islamabad where he was taught how to use a video camera so he could document the drones that were constantly circling over his Pakistani village, terrorizing and killing his family and neighbors. Two days later, when Aziz was driving with his 12-year-old cousin to a village near his home in Waziristan to pick up his aunt, his car was struck by a Hellfire missile. With the push of a button by a pilot at a US base thousands of miles away, both boys were instantly vaporized—only a few chunks of flesh remained.

Afterwards, the US government refused to acknowledge the boys’ deaths or explain why they were targeted. Why should they? This is a covert program where no one is held accountable for their actions. 

The main architect of this drone policy that has killed hundreds, if not thousands, of innocents, including 176 children in Pakistan alone, is President Obama’s counterterrorism chief and his pick for the next director of the CIA: John Brennan.

On my recent trip to Pakistan, I met with people whose loved ones had been blown to bits by drone attacks, people who have been maimed for life, young victims with no hope for the future and aching for revenge. For all of them, there has been no apology, no compensation, not even an acknowledgement of their losses. Nothing.

That’s why when John Brennan spoke at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington DC last April and described our policies as ethical, wise and in compliance with international law, I felt compelled to stand up and speak out on behalf of Tariq Aziz and so many others. As they dragged me out of the room, my parting words were: “I love the rule of law and I love my country. You are making us less safe by killing so many innocent people. Shame on you, John Brennan.”


Rather than expressing remorse for any civilian deaths, John Brennan made the extraordinary statement in 2011 that during the preceding year, there hadn’t been a single collateral death “because of the exceptional proficiency, precision of the capabilities we’ve been able to develop.” Brennan later adjusted his statement somewhat, saying, “Fortunately, for more than a year, due to our discretion and precision, the U.S. government has not found credible evidence of collateral deaths resulting from U.S. counterterrorism operations outside of Afghanistan or Iraq.” We later learned why Brennan’s count was so low: the administration had come up with a semantic solution of simply counting all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants.

The UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism has documented over 350 drones strikes in Pakistan that have killed 2,600-3,400 people since 2004. Drone strikes in Yemen have been on the rise, with at least 42 strikes carried out in 2012, including one just hours after President Obama’s reelection. The first strike in 2013 took place just four days into the new year.

A May 29, 2011 New York Times exposé showed John Brennan as President Obama’s top advisor in formulating a “kill list” for drone strikes. The people Brennan recommends for the hit list are given no chance to surrender, and certainly no chance to be tried in a court of law. The kind of intelligence Brennan uses to put people on drone hit lists is the same kind of intelligence that put people in Guantanamo. Remember how the American public was assured that the prisoners locked up in Guantanamo were the “worst of the worst,” only to find out that hundreds were innocent people who had been sold to the US military by bounty hunters?

In addition to kill lists, Brennan pushed for the CIA to have the authority to kill with even greater ease using “signature strikes,” also known as “crowd killing,” which are strikes based solely on suspicious behavior. When President Obama announced his nomination of John Brennan, he talked about Brennan’s integrity and commitment to the values that define us as Americans. He said Brennan has worked to “embed our efforts in a strong legal framework” and that he “understands we are a nation of laws.”

A nation of laws? Really? Going around the world killing anyone we want, whenever we want, based on secret information? Just think of the precedent John Brennan is setting for a world of lawlessness and chaos, now that 76 countries have drones—mostly surveillance drones but many in the process of weaponizing them. Why shouldn’t China declare an ethnic Uighur activist living in New York City as an “enemy combatant” and send a missile into Manhattan, or Russia launch a drone attack against a Chechen living in London? Or why shouldn’t a relative of a drone victim retaliate against us here at home? It’s not so far-fetched. In 2011, 26-year-old Rezwan Ferdaus, a Massachusetts-based graduate with a degree in physics, was recently sentenced to 17 years in prison for plotting to attack the Pentagon and US Capitol with small drones filled with explosives.

In his search for a new CIA chief, Obama said he looked at who is going to do the best job in securing America. Yet the blowback from Brennan’s drone attacks is creating enemies far faster than we can kill them. Three out of four Pakistanis now see the US as their enemy—that’s about 133 million people, which certainly can’t be good for US security. When Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar was asked the source of US enmity, she had a one word answer: drones.

In Yemen, escalating U.S. drones strikes are radicalizing the local population and stirring increasing sympathy for al-Qaeda-linked militants. Since the January 4, 2013 attack in Yemen, militants in the tribal areas have gained more recruits and supporters in their war against the Yemeni government and its key backer, the United States. According to Abduh Rahman Berman, executive director of a Yemeni National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms, the drone war is failing. “If the Americans kill 10, al-Qaeda will recruit 100,” he said.

Around the world, the drone program constructed by John Brennan has become a provocative symbol of American hubris, showing contempt for national sovereignty and innocent lives.

If Obama thinks John Brennan is a good choice to head the CIA and secure America, he should contemplate the tragic deaths of victims like 16-year-old Tariq Aziz, and think again.

Medea Benjamin, cofounder of www.codepink.orghttp://www.codepink.org/ and www.globalexchange.org http://www.globalexchange.org/, is author of the book Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control.

Idle No More Rally - Anchorage Town Square - Friday at Noon

I'll be there:

Calling all Alaska’s Indigenous Peoples and Allies

Join Us for a Global Day of Action! 

Friday, January 11th, 2013 
Anchorage Town Square 
12PM NOON 

Come out and join us for a solidarity event to support Chief Teresa Spence and our Brothers and Sisters in Canada!

Rally on the ISSUES of Alaska’s Indigenous Peoples!

We call on all people to join in the revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty and subsistence rights, protects health, well-being, the land and waters, and works towards justice and action.

Protect Mother Earth!
-------

Dress warmly! Bring an extra blanket or jacket!
-------

REDOIL 
ACAT 
Chickaloon Village Traditional Council 
Alaska Rising Tide

Sen. Begich, U.S. House, Interior Department and USCG All to Investigate Shell Alaska and Kulluk Grounding

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich (D), the Department of the Interior and the United States Coast Guard all announced Tuesday that they will be investigating aspects of the New Years Eve grounding of Shell Alaska's Arctic oil drilling rig, Kulluk, on an island off of Kodiak.

Last week, Rep. Ed Markey (D - Mass), ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, along with other House Democrats in the House Sustainable Energy and Environment coalition indicated they hope for a House probe:

The coalition is made up of 45 House Democrats. 

"The recent grounding of Shell's Kulluk oil rig amplifies the risks of drilling in the Arctic," they said in a joint statement. "This is the latest in a series of alarming blunders, including the near-grounding of another of Shell's Arctic drilling rigs, the 47-year-old Noble Discoverer, in Dutch Harbor and the failure of its blowout containment dome, the Arctic Challenger, in lake-like conditions." 

The coalition believes these "serious incidents" warrant thorough investigation, the statement said.

We'll see if Markey can get the GOP-controlled HCNR to formally investigate this.  I have my doubts. Alaska Rep. Don Young is a senior GOP member of the committee, and he will do everything he can to keep anything from getting in Shell's way.  However, Markey, who has let it be known he is considering a run to take Sen. John Kerry's place in the Senate, will push this hard.

The U.S. Coast Guard investigation of the Kulluk's grounding is inevitable.  The announcement today is no surprise:

The Coast Guard has ordered a marine casualty investigation of the Shell Oil-contracted drilling rig Kulluk’s Dec. 31 grounding on Sitkalidak Island, a day after it was safely towed to an anchorage about 30 miles away. 

A Tuesday statement says the investigation, ordered by Coast Guard 17th District commander Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, will be led by a Coast Guard investigator. It will receive support and technical advice from the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board. 

“In accordance with statute, the formal investigation will probe every aspect of the incident, to include but not limited to the causes of the incident, whether there is evidence that any failure of material was involved or contributed to the incident or whether there is evidence of misconduct, inattention, negligence (or) willful violation of the law,” officials wrote.

We'll get to hear the crew of the Kulluk and Aiviq testify.

Under oath.

 Within the past hour, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it will conduct a review of Shell Alaska:

The Interior Department is launching a “high-level,” 60-day review of Shell’s troubled 2012 attempts to look for oil off Alaska’s northern coast after the company experienced a series of mishaps. 

The review arrives a week after Shell’s Kulluk drillship ran aground en route back from the Arctic region, and as Interior is under pressure from green activists to block 2013 drilling off Alaska’s coast.

Sen. Begich issued a press release this morning, which links to the formal letter he has sent to Marvin Odum, president of Shell Oil USA and Admiral Robert Papp, Commandant of the USCG.  Begich issued the notice in his capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard.  This is from his press release:

Begich announced his intention to hold a meeting in Alaska to take a closer look at the incident, its causes and the response effort in a letter to Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Robert Papp Jr. and Shell Oil Company President Marvin Odum issued Tuesday. 

In the letter, Begich reiterated how much Alaska and the nation stand to gain from development of Outer Continental Shelf resources: 

“Over the past four years, I have worked closely with both of you to ensure we develop the vast oil and gas resources in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas with the highest standards for safety and environmental protection,” Begich said in the letter. 

“Moving ahead with the Arctic drilling program is critical to Alaska’s economic future. While this incident notably involves marine transportation and not oil exploration or drilling, we must quickly answer the many questions surrounding the Kulluk grounding and improve any regulatory or operational standards as needed to ensure this type of maritime accident does not occur again.”

Begich's formal letter indicates he has been listening to those of us who are highly critical of Shell's handling of the routing of the Kulluk from Dutch Harbor to Seattle, and to our concerns about why equipment failed:

I feel it is important to examine how this grounding occurred; the adequacy of the towing ships for the job in extreme, but not unexpected, weather; the failure of the tow vessel Aiviq's engines; reports of inadequate spare parts inventory, and the failure of the towing systems which led to the grounding of the drill rig.

And, yes, Sen. Begich has been following our coverage of the grounding here at firedoglake.

This will be the second time the Alaska Senator will have held hearings on Shell's Arctic drilling problems.  Back October 14th, Begich convened a hearing on the fiascos surrounding the September testing failures of the containment dome Shell had devised for the emergency response barge, Arctic Challenger.  However, at the time, environmentalists criticized Begich for not looking more closely at what many even then felt was shoddy or criminally negligent performance by the oil giant up to that point:

Lois Epstein, Arctic program director for The Wilderness Society, said Begich didn't delve deep into those problems and others. 

"It was unfortunate on the part of Sen. Begich and the committee that they didn't try to address certain things in depth," said Epstein. "For example, why did the (Noble Discover drill rig) drag on anchor? What has Shell learned from that mishap?" 

Slaiby told Begich that the Noble Discoverer's dragging was quickly stopped, with tugs bringing it under control in 22 minutes. 

And he described the error that led to the damaged oil-containment dome as it was being tested off the coast of Washington state earlier this month. An electrical problem led to a valve failure that forced the dome to rapidly descend. The descent was stopped before the dome reached bottom but not before water pressure damaged one side of the dome and some of the buoyancy chambers. 

The containment dome was created to suck up spewing oil or gas in hoses and transport it to the surface where it can be flared off. Shell conducted a "top to bottom" review to learn from that mistake and will have the containment barge and system -- an unprecedented piece of oil-spill response hardware --- ready for Arctic drilling next year, Slaiby said. 

"I strongly believe we have to be our strongest critic," said Slaiby at the hearing, adding that the containment system could be a "game-changer" in offshore exploration and should have been an industry standard for decades.

Begich's letter to Shell and the USCG indicates he is reading his mail.  One example is this email, sent to the Senator by marine environmentalist Rick Steiner, late last week:

From: Richard Steiner  

Date: Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 5:18 PM 

Subject: Re: (Kulluk Tow Incident) Inquiry Response (1103763) 

To: "Bob (Begich) King", Shawna_Thoma@begich.senate.gov, "Fleek, Susanne (Begich)" 

Folks -- 

Let me respectfully recommend that we seize the Kulluk incident to reevaluate all emergency vessel towing contingencies in all Alaska waters -- Arctic, Aleutians, and PWS. We are sorely lacking in all of this. 

Thus, the Kulluk may be a real blessing in disguise -- if it helps us prevent EVOS II. 

Regards, 

Rick Steiner

Other critical voices are coming forth.  Of interest is an article published late Sunday by the Alaska Dispatch.  Written by Cliff Mass, a meteorologist at the University of Washington, it skewers any claim by Shell that they really had a good enough weather window upon leaving Dutch Harbor on December 21st, to have plotted the journey to Seattle as they did:

Shell Oil made a misguided and poorly informed decision to move a huge drilling platform (the Kulluk) from Dutch Harbor Alaska to Seattle starting Dec. 21. As described in the Seattle Times and elsewhere the problems grew from broken tow lines and faulty engines on December 26th, to the eventual grounding the Kulluk on an island just south of Kodiak island on Dec. 31. 

Anyone familiar with the meteorology of the North Pacific and the Gulf of Alaska knows that this region is one of the stormiest on the planet with one major storm after another during midwinter. Unbelievably, a Shell Oil spokesman said, that forecasts indicated a favorable two-week weather window. This is at odds with the facts.

I'm letting Sen. Begich's staff know they should consider having Prof. Mass come up for the Kulluk hearing to testify as an expert witness.

 Meanwhile, the Kulluk is anchored in Kiliuda Bay, on Kodiak Island's south shore.  Why they didn't bring it all the way into the Port of Kodiak baffles me.

Marcy Wheeler Addresses Obama's Promotion of His Assassination Czar to Head the CIA

Thoughts on Jean Sibelius' Second Symphony

Tomorrow evening I'll have the privilege of beginning the Anchorage Civic Orchestra's rehearsals for our Spring concert, to be held on Friday, March 29th.  The centerpiece will be Jean Sibelius' Second Symphony.

I performed in it back when I was in High School, as second trombone, with the local Highline Civic Orchestra, under the baton of Howard Jakey.  Since then, I've heard several live performances, some in Alaska.  The work harkens the soul of the North Country as few other masterpieces do.

After Finlandia and his Violin Concerto, the 2nd Symphony is Sibelius' most popular work, and one of the most often performed symphonies of the 20th century.

Often, when I start studying and rehearsing a composition, I fall in love with it, even when it hadn't struck me before that process began.  I was already fully in love with this one, though.

Memorizing passages and marking hundreds of cues in the score, though, I'm already in tears, listening to many varying interpretations, in recordings dating back as far as the late 1920s, and as recent as last month. As a faculty member at UAA, I'm allowed access to the Naxos Music Library, which has tens of thousands of recordings online.  So, since September, I've probably heard 20 or more renderings of this profound masterpiece.  The ACO's take will be unique and viable.

Here's Leonard Bernstein, directing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in one of his last of many performances of this iconic utterance from the North.

 Part One: Part Two:

Obama Nominates Hagel as Defense Secretary - Let the Battle Begin

I despise John Brennan, Obama's choice for the CIA.  The two American bloggers who have made the best case against him are Marcy Wheeler and Glenn Greenwald.

Regarding Chuck Hagel, I'm Hagelnostic.  The other front runners, Michele Flournoy and Ash Carter, are both so inside of the borg, they can’t even see the box from where they are, let alone the outside of it.  Reading some of their articles on defense policy last month was a good way to fall asleep.  We're not going to get Dennis Kucinich as a Defense Secretary.

The battle over Hagel will essentially be a contest over how much influence the blindly pro-Israel neoconservatives will be able to openly enforce.  This group works best behind the scenes, so an open C-SPAN-broadcast battle on the Senate floor against the confirmation of a former colleague would be unprecedented, and if they're stupid enough to try it, will most likely fail.

The best post-nomination roundup of reactions I've yet seen is by Philip Weiss, at Mondoweiss.