Friday, March 20, 2015
Friday, September 05, 2014
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Laughing matters...
Marky started clowning in 1991 and soon had a large following and was in demand at parties all around Anchorage and the Matsu Valley. Marky and Friends started in 1992 and put Marky's clowning and balloon art together with the most talented face painters in the state, a perfect party pairing! Marky expanded his new troupe, centered around the talents of his wife, a former Miss Alaska, PJ Williams, and her skills with a paint brush. PJ created transitory works of art on living canvases, plying the craft of face painting, and they soon had a lucrative booth at the Alaska State Fair and were finding themselves booked at both private and corporate events around the state. Marky and PJ were constantly on the lookout for additional talented artists to supplement their events, and soon had a small core group of some of the most skilled face and body painters in the state, receiving their basic training from PJ, and later attending workshops in face and body painting around the world to further perfect their craft. Marky and Friends, as they have come to be known, are based in Wasilla, but serve Alaska and the world. Marky and Friends venue credits are too numerous to mention in this limited article, with Marky being Alaska's premier clown for many years with a talent for making over 200 balloon animals and art. His favorites are rainbows, fishing poles, laser guns, bows 'n' arrows and two hearts on a magic wand. Many of Marky's balloon creations are former top place constructions in balloon twisting competitions. Marky has done seven contracts for the Japanese theme park Huis Ten Bosch, spending a total of two years in Japan. He has been on national Television in Japan five times, and local Alaskan television many times as well as featured in many Japanese commercials.
Marky's face painters are constantly perfecting their craft by attending conventions, teaching classes and staying up to date on the latest products and techniques. Of utmost importance are the materials that they select, paying the premium prices for the finest professional face and body paints available, an expense that is reflected in the unsurpassed quality of their work. Marky and Friends have had their awesome face painting booth at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer for 20 years, with featured painters coming up from as far away as Florida. The Alaska State Fair booth is by Pioneer Plaza next to Colonel Mac's Popcorn! Over the years Marky and Friends have not only moved up the trail to the current preferred position they now hold but have improved their booth from the classic blue tarps to the current professionally constructed booth which optimizes space allotment while assuring a smooth traffic flow, as Marky and Friends often find themselves with lines rivaling those of the famous Turkey Legs and Sling Shot.
And in March 2012 Marky got a new website by Webmusher Design of Wasilla. The new site features hundreds of images from Marky's many years of entertaining around Alaska, Japan and England. You can also keep in constant contact with Marky and Friends through the Facebook Group linked off the website. Visit http://www.markyandfriends.com and remember to bring your smile.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Marky and Friends bring more than just balloons and paint to the party.
Certain to be the focal point of any gathering your patrons will delight in watching World class artists create face paintings that have won acclaim and awards around the world and have been published in leading trade journals, news papers and magazines.
For the finest in all around family oriented wholesome entertainment at your next event you really should take a look at Marky and Friends website, you will be entertained.
http://www.markyandfriends.com
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
An Open letter from Susan Patch
Why is Mimi Rothschild trying so hard to pin all her bad press on Helen Hegener and Heather Idoni?
The facts: Mimi Rothschild, Howard Mandel and Learning by Grace, Inc. sued Heather Idoni for posting a series of links to websites critical of the Rothschild/Mandel homeschooling "academies." Heather did not create the sites linked to, she merely linked to them.
When Helen Hegener of Home Education Magazine linked to Heathers site and wrote an editorial relating her own experiences with Rothschild/Mandel she was named in the lawsuit as well.
To read Mimi Rothschild's "Speaking the Truth in Love" blog entries one might get the impression that Helen Hegener and Heather Idoni are the only two people who have ever spoken out about her business activities. Mimi Rothschild is doing her level best to demonize Helen and Heather and convince the homeschooling community and the world at large that it is she who is the victim, it is she who is being unfairly persecuted and that it is all Hegener and Idoni's doing. Apparently Mrs. Rothschild is in denial of the hundreds of forum entries, other blogs, consumer protection websites and homeschooling websites critical of her and her businesses on which she herself has responded vehemently denying everything for many years.
The reality of the situation is that many, many people over many, many years have been speaking out about the Rothschild/Mandel businesses and there is a great deal of information on the internet to prove that. Anyone can do a simple search on Yahoo, Google or any search engine. Go check Yahoo Answers, or a generic search for "Mimi Rothschild" on blogs/forums/news or web-wide on Google or any other search engine and you will find, in addition to Mimi Rothschild's own prolific self-promotion, hundreds of websites detailing her various "homeschools" and customers experiences with them.
Now Mimi is trying to set herself up as the victim of cyber-bullying, cyber-harassment and telling anyone who will read her blogs that it is all a pack of lies made up by two mean people out to destroy her. She has even gone so far as to turn this into a new business opportunity by starting a website about cyber-bullying dedicated to Helen and Heather. One that is nearly all merely cut & paste from a free Federal website. Mrs. Rothschild has made up story after story to explain why these two women are waging a vendetta against Mimi Rothschild, Howard Mandel and Learning by Grace, Inc. The truth of the matter is that there is no vendetta. There is no campaign to destroy Mimi being waged by Hegener and Idoni.
On August 25th Mimi Rothschild began a series of blog posts that have been dedicated to destroying Helen and Heathers credibility and accusing them of posting all sorts of lies about Mimi all over the internet. The truth is that except for one post by Helen Hegener -on her own website and Facebook comments - approved by her attorneys and linking to the Federal Court case and a short piece explaining her side of the story and that was re-posted by others with permission, there have been no blog posts about Rothschild/Mandel at all by either Helen or Heather. Not one. Anywhere. Mimi insists there are many. She insists that anything that appears anywhere speaking out against her is part of a carefully orchestrated plot by Idoni and Hegener. Even when the blog owners tell her it is not Mrs. Hegener or Mrs. Idoni writing Mimi insists that everyone loves her and if there is bad press anywhere about her it must be Hegener and Idoni doing it.
This would be comic if it were not so pathetically sad. If it were not doing real damage to real people. She is playing to an audience of her own imagining, trying to trivialize her own bad public image by destroying others. She is trying to make herself out to be a tragic heroine while viciously attacking others. She is trying to say that where there is smoke the defendants in a lawsuit she filed against them must have set the fire. She is playing the divert attention card, playing the victim card, the sympathy card and the righteous Christian crusader card all at the same time.
Mimi Rothschild's house of cards is crumbling.
© 9/13/2011 Susan Patch The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
The facts: Mimi Rothschild, Howard Mandel and Learning by Grace, Inc. sued Heather Idoni for posting a series of links to websites critical of the Rothschild/Mandel homeschooling "academies." Heather did not create the sites linked to, she merely linked to them.
When Helen Hegener of Home Education Magazine linked to Heathers site and wrote an editorial relating her own experiences with Rothschild/Mandel she was named in the lawsuit as well.
To read Mimi Rothschild's "Speaking the Truth in Love" blog entries one might get the impression that Helen Hegener and Heather Idoni are the only two people who have ever spoken out about her business activities. Mimi Rothschild is doing her level best to demonize Helen and Heather and convince the homeschooling community and the world at large that it is she who is the victim, it is she who is being unfairly persecuted and that it is all Hegener and Idoni's doing. Apparently Mrs. Rothschild is in denial of the hundreds of forum entries, other blogs, consumer protection websites and homeschooling websites critical of her and her businesses on which she herself has responded vehemently denying everything for many years.
The reality of the situation is that many, many people over many, many years have been speaking out about the Rothschild/Mandel businesses and there is a great deal of information on the internet to prove that. Anyone can do a simple search on Yahoo, Google or any search engine. Go check Yahoo Answers, or a generic search for "Mimi Rothschild" on blogs/forums/news or web-wide on Google or any other search engine and you will find, in addition to Mimi Rothschild's own prolific self-promotion, hundreds of websites detailing her various "homeschools" and customers experiences with them.
Now Mimi is trying to set herself up as the victim of cyber-bullying, cyber-harassment and telling anyone who will read her blogs that it is all a pack of lies made up by two mean people out to destroy her. She has even gone so far as to turn this into a new business opportunity by starting a website about cyber-bullying dedicated to Helen and Heather. One that is nearly all merely cut & paste from a free Federal website. Mrs. Rothschild has made up story after story to explain why these two women are waging a vendetta against Mimi Rothschild, Howard Mandel and Learning by Grace, Inc. The truth of the matter is that there is no vendetta. There is no campaign to destroy Mimi being waged by Hegener and Idoni.
On August 25th Mimi Rothschild began a series of blog posts that have been dedicated to destroying Helen and Heathers credibility and accusing them of posting all sorts of lies about Mimi all over the internet. The truth is that except for one post by Helen Hegener -on her own website and Facebook comments - approved by her attorneys and linking to the Federal Court case and a short piece explaining her side of the story and that was re-posted by others with permission, there have been no blog posts about Rothschild/Mandel at all by either Helen or Heather. Not one. Anywhere. Mimi insists there are many. She insists that anything that appears anywhere speaking out against her is part of a carefully orchestrated plot by Idoni and Hegener. Even when the blog owners tell her it is not Mrs. Hegener or Mrs. Idoni writing Mimi insists that everyone loves her and if there is bad press anywhere about her it must be Hegener and Idoni doing it.
This would be comic if it were not so pathetically sad. If it were not doing real damage to real people. She is playing to an audience of her own imagining, trying to trivialize her own bad public image by destroying others. She is trying to make herself out to be a tragic heroine while viciously attacking others. She is trying to say that where there is smoke the defendants in a lawsuit she filed against them must have set the fire. She is playing the divert attention card, playing the victim card, the sympathy card and the righteous Christian crusader card all at the same time.
Mimi Rothschild's house of cards is crumbling.
© 9/13/2011 Susan Patch The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Logos and branding
Just a few of the logos I've worked up recently...all images ©Webmusher or the respective client.
Contact bill@webmusher.com for your design needs.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Webmusher Design leased Servers
Our servers are independently certified daily by Scan Alert to protect your information from hackers by meeting all federal security audit requirements. HACKER SAFE certified sites prevent over 99% of hacker crime.
Intel Dual Xeon Servers
Our servers run Dual Intel Xeon processors with 2-4GB of RAM and RAID protected hard drives providing the power, versatility, and reliability required for high end servers. The combination provides outstanding performance and headroom for peak workloads, resulting in faster response times.
Raid Disk Mirroring
RAID is short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks and used to mirror data on two disk drives simultaneously to ensure data integrity. Disk mirroring protects from loss of data by instantly switching to the other disk with no interruption in service if one of the disk drives fail without requiring data restoration from a backup.
RAID also provides twice the read rate of a single disk to increase performance. When multiple requests are made for the same data, demand can be distributed between two disks therefore decreasing response time for data access.
Red Hat Linux Operating System
We exclusively use the Red hat Linux operating system (Enterprise & Fedora) on our servers. Linux is one of the most popular server operating systems in the industry today due to it’s scalability and track record as the most stable operating system on the market. It is constantly under active development which insures a reliable, secure, and robust platform for web hosting environments.
We operate out of two world class datacenters, ThePlanet and NAC. These two locations provide our clients with complete redundancy.
ThePlanet Datacenter
ThePlanet is located in Dallas, Texas and offers complete redundancy in power, network connectivity, and security. The network architecture utilizes the enterprise routing and switching engines from Juniper M20 routers and Cisco switches. The network is fully meshed and redundant with 10 tier one backbone providers with at least 1Gbps or greater uplink which includes AboveNet, AT&T, Broadwing, Global Crossing, Level3, nLayer, Sprint, Time Warner, UUNET, and Verio. Datacenter
NAC Datacenter
NAC is located in Parsipanny, New Jersey and considered one of the best networks in the world. NAC is one of the largest providers in the Massachusetts to Washington DC area, with core market focus in New York and New Jersey and has connections to multiple tier one backbone providers including Level3, AboveNet, UUNET, InterNAP, Genuity and over 300 peering points and transit providers spanning three countries within North America and Europe.
Intel Dual Xeon Servers
Our servers run Dual Intel Xeon processors with 2-4GB of RAM and RAID protected hard drives providing the power, versatility, and reliability required for high end servers. The combination provides outstanding performance and headroom for peak workloads, resulting in faster response times.
Raid Disk Mirroring
RAID is short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks and used to mirror data on two disk drives simultaneously to ensure data integrity. Disk mirroring protects from loss of data by instantly switching to the other disk with no interruption in service if one of the disk drives fail without requiring data restoration from a backup.
RAID also provides twice the read rate of a single disk to increase performance. When multiple requests are made for the same data, demand can be distributed between two disks therefore decreasing response time for data access.
Red Hat Linux Operating System
We exclusively use the Red hat Linux operating system (Enterprise & Fedora) on our servers. Linux is one of the most popular server operating systems in the industry today due to it’s scalability and track record as the most stable operating system on the market. It is constantly under active development which insures a reliable, secure, and robust platform for web hosting environments.
We operate out of two world class datacenters, ThePlanet and NAC. These two locations provide our clients with complete redundancy.
ThePlanet Datacenter
ThePlanet is located in Dallas, Texas and offers complete redundancy in power, network connectivity, and security. The network architecture utilizes the enterprise routing and switching engines from Juniper M20 routers and Cisco switches. The network is fully meshed and redundant with 10 tier one backbone providers with at least 1Gbps or greater uplink which includes AboveNet, AT&T, Broadwing, Global Crossing, Level3, nLayer, Sprint, Time Warner, UUNET, and Verio. Datacenter
NAC Datacenter
NAC is located in Parsipanny, New Jersey and considered one of the best networks in the world. NAC is one of the largest providers in the Massachusetts to Washington DC area, with core market focus in New York and New Jersey and has connections to multiple tier one backbone providers including Level3, AboveNet, UUNET, InterNAP, Genuity and over 300 peering points and transit providers spanning three countries within North America and Europe.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Copper basin 300 Pics
My Sister Helen was out braving the cold and covering the Copper Basin 300, you can see some of her pictures from the trail here...
Monday, January 12, 2009
We're havin' a heat wave!
It has warmed up to 13 degrees above zero. After more than 30 degrees below it seems like springtime.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Shoutback isn't charity, it's $harity
Shoutback claims it helps fundraisers, but if you look around their site you won't find the actual percentage mentioned anywhere. The reason for this is that they take 50 to 80% for their own use.
If you do all the work of getting local sponsors they take 50% of what you generate. If they help at all with finding sponsors then your take is a pitiful 20%.
How many sponsors would pay the minimum $20.00 per Month AND the $195.00 "signup fee" if they knew that those they were trying to help only got $0.20 of every dollar?
The better charity programs take 10% or less for their overhead, some of the best to be avoided take 20 or 30%, but to take 80% is not just overhead, it's flat out greed.
IMHO you would be better off soliciting direct donations from local supporters and not supporting the young and greedy wannabe net millionaires at Shoutback. They get a -5 stars from me.
Here is my correspondence with them...
"Dear Shoutback,
Please detail the auction process. What portion goes to the group and what portion goes to the seller?
what portion is kept by Shoutback as fees and how are the seller and group paid.
I could not find this information on your website.
Thank You, Bill Fikes"
and they replied...
"Bill,
Sorry it took me until now to get back to you. The auction element of the Shoutback fund raising web tool will be removed on Wednesday. We will be featuring a new look and easier fund raising tools and Wednesday the 1st of October you will see these changes.
With the new Shoutback tool you will be able to go to your community for support, ask local businesses to list gift certificates and then sell them on your Shoutback page for half price. The group will recieve 50% of the proceeds. We have a staff that will make calls and get these listings for you, if you need the help. If we help and make calls, the percentage for proceedes from sales to the group is 20%.
Also, check out the social networking features of the site. Your group can communicate, post events, pictures and videos. The more members you have the easier it is to raise funds.
You will receive a newsletter with tips and hints as well as updated from us. Look for it on Wednesday and after that we will sending it our monthly.
We are always available to help so feel free to contact us."
Jodi Brooks
Director, Shoutback
6401 Davis Industrial Parkway
Solon, Ohio 44139
O 800.592.2030 ext. 154
F 440.542.2795
jbrooks@shoutback.com
shoutback.com
If you do all the work of getting local sponsors they take 50% of what you generate. If they help at all with finding sponsors then your take is a pitiful 20%.
How many sponsors would pay the minimum $20.00 per Month AND the $195.00 "signup fee" if they knew that those they were trying to help only got $0.20 of every dollar?
The better charity programs take 10% or less for their overhead, some of the best to be avoided take 20 or 30%, but to take 80% is not just overhead, it's flat out greed.
IMHO you would be better off soliciting direct donations from local supporters and not supporting the young and greedy wannabe net millionaires at Shoutback. They get a -5 stars from me.
Here is my correspondence with them...
"Dear Shoutback,
Please detail the auction process. What portion goes to the group and what portion goes to the seller?
what portion is kept by Shoutback as fees and how are the seller and group paid.
I could not find this information on your website.
Thank You, Bill Fikes"
and they replied...
"Bill,
Sorry it took me until now to get back to you. The auction element of the Shoutback fund raising web tool will be removed on Wednesday. We will be featuring a new look and easier fund raising tools and Wednesday the 1st of October you will see these changes.
With the new Shoutback tool you will be able to go to your community for support, ask local businesses to list gift certificates and then sell them on your Shoutback page for half price. The group will recieve 50% of the proceeds. We have a staff that will make calls and get these listings for you, if you need the help. If we help and make calls, the percentage for proceedes from sales to the group is 20%.
Also, check out the social networking features of the site. Your group can communicate, post events, pictures and videos. The more members you have the easier it is to raise funds.
You will receive a newsletter with tips and hints as well as updated from us. Look for it on Wednesday and after that we will sending it our monthly.
We are always available to help so feel free to contact us."
Jodi Brooks
Director, Shoutback
6401 Davis Industrial Parkway
Solon, Ohio 44139
O 800.592.2030 ext. 154
F 440.542.2795
jbrooks@shoutback.com
shoutback.com
Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday, December 21, 2007
Freedom to Fascism
A must see for every free America, while there still some left., December 21, 2007
I picked up a free copy of this at the Alaska State Fair and 4 Months later I got bored and watched it. Don't wait like I did, watch this movie NOW and you will understand a little about how you are being slow boiled into enslavement.
You do not have to pay income tax, it is illegal.
The Federal Reserve bank is a Private Corporation that prints money and sells it to us.
The civil riots in New Orleans are just a small sample of the War that is coming, understand what side your on before it gets to your home.
See this site for additional background information...
http://area907.info/911/index.php
"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw Light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe... corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed."
| By | Bill Fikes |
You do not have to pay income tax, it is illegal.
The Federal Reserve bank is a Private Corporation that prints money and sells it to us.
The civil riots in New Orleans are just a small sample of the War that is coming, understand what side your on before it gets to your home.
See this site for additional background information...
http://area907.info/911/index.php
"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw Light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe... corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed."
Abraham Lincoln
Friday, December 07, 2007
John Pezzenti Jr. Rest in Peace
“I learned that eagles can recognize a face for over 20 years, and they’re territorial, they’ll return to a tree where they nested the year before. So I’d go back, knowing that the eagle is going to nest there, and it recognizes me and knows I didn’t do anything bad the year before, so it allows me, each year, to get a little closer.” John Pezzenti, Jr.
I met John Pezzenti Jr. at the Alaska State Fair in 1997, just after the release of his book, John Pezzenti's Alaska. I was painting faces with Marky D' Clown and his troupe of face painters and John wanted a Bear paw as I recall. Marky, as usual, sent the "special request" to me and I had the opportunity to closely (3 to 4 inches) engage John in conversation. The first thing I noted about John was his size, he seemed to be a much larger man than he actually was, something in his aura enlarged him. The next thing I noted was the Bear Claw hanging from a hide strap around his neck. We discussed photography and I told him about my work in the Army as a POA photog. By the time he looked in the mirror and paid $20.00 for a $10.00 face painting we had agreed that I would create a website for his book.
Over the next few Months we exchanged phone calls, and "John Pezzenti's Alaska" came into being as one of my very first clients. I lost touch with John after that, the site remained up and after billing notices went unanswered for going on two years I assumed John was either no longer interested in keeping the site or had moved on to other pursuits, like following a Grizzly through the brush for days to get just the right shot, or sitting on a subzero mountainside waiting for the Moose to cross in front of the Glacier. John was a man that was comfortable being alone with himself, he perhaps had demons like most of us do, but he could deal with them one on one and allow his higher self to come out, and capture images that immediately impressed you with the quality, the eye of an artist capturing a moment that few would ever see if he had not captured it, and shared it with us.
I met John Pezzenti Jr. at the Alaska State Fair in 1997, just after the release of his book, John Pezzenti's Alaska. I was painting faces with Marky D' Clown and his troupe of face painters and John wanted a Bear paw as I recall. Marky, as usual, sent the "special request" to me and I had the opportunity to closely (3 to 4 inches) engage John in conversation. The first thing I noted about John was his size, he seemed to be a much larger man than he actually was, something in his aura enlarged him. The next thing I noted was the Bear Claw hanging from a hide strap around his neck. We discussed photography and I told him about my work in the Army as a POA photog. By the time he looked in the mirror and paid $20.00 for a $10.00 face painting we had agreed that I would create a website for his book.
Over the next few Months we exchanged phone calls, and "John Pezzenti's Alaska" came into being as one of my very first clients. I lost touch with John after that, the site remained up and after billing notices went unanswered for going on two years I assumed John was either no longer interested in keeping the site or had moved on to other pursuits, like following a Grizzly through the brush for days to get just the right shot, or sitting on a subzero mountainside waiting for the Moose to cross in front of the Glacier. John was a man that was comfortable being alone with himself, he perhaps had demons like most of us do, but he could deal with them one on one and allow his higher self to come out, and capture images that immediately impressed you with the quality, the eye of an artist capturing a moment that few would ever see if he had not captured it, and shared it with us.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Compare services
Service Provider
Email Account for each additional email account.
Borealisbroadband $2.99/month
Webmusher: FREE
Extra Email Space Each additional 10 MB of space,
Borealisbroadband $2.99/month
Webmusher: FREE
Domain Registration
Borealisbroadband $75.00 setup + Registration Fee
Webmusher: $12.00 Per Year
Email Domain Hosting
Borealisbroadband $75.00 Setup $24.99/month
Webmusher: FREE
Web Hosting
Borealisbroadband: Call
Webmusher: From $20.00 per Year
Email Account for each additional email account.
Borealisbroadband $2.99/month
Webmusher: FREE
Extra Email Space Each additional 10 MB of space,
Borealisbroadband $2.99/month
Webmusher: FREE
Domain Registration
Borealisbroadband $75.00 setup + Registration Fee
Webmusher: $12.00 Per Year
Email Domain Hosting
Borealisbroadband $75.00 Setup $24.99/month
Webmusher: FREE
Web Hosting
Borealisbroadband: Call
Webmusher: From $20.00 per Year
Friday, July 20, 2007
Monday, June 04, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Who killed the Dead Dog?
After 13 years of being the most notorious and most excellent party place in the MatSu the Dead Dog Saloon (AKA "Rainbow lake Lounge", AKA "Scatters", AKA Borealis Beach Club") will be closing their doors on Friday the 13th of April.
Jim and "Ms Lucky" Lisa will be hosting their last party this coming Friday and asked me to invite all their old friends to stop by for one last blow out.
As for who killed the Dead Dog, there are a few in the line up that I think a finger (I won't say which one) could be pointed at. George W. Bush and his Quest for Oil in the sand and sun of Iraq certainly played a part. Inflated gas prices made many choose between a night out dancing and drinking and filling the tank with gas, come to think of it the price of a full tank of gas in most rigs could pay for several nights drinking at the Dead Dog. Thanks Dubya, thats another one I owe ya.
The Alaska State Troopers certainly played a role in the demise of the Dog. For some reason they have maintained a close watch on the Dead Dog for many years. I used to watch them parking in the dark across the road when I drove a cab in the Valley, waiting like an old west highway man for a hapless victim to forget to signal or any other legally intercessionable infraction as they departed the Dead Dog. The death knell could be heard tolling it's sorrowful chime when the AST decided that the land directly behind the Dead Dog Saloon was a good place to put an Alaska State Trooper Sub Station, assuring that the patrons would feel their hot breath on them as they tried to forget the multitude of other oppressions heaped on them over a cold beer after work.
The irony (there always has to some irony, doesn't there?) is that Lisa sold the land where the AST put their lair in an attempt to breath new life into the old Dog and instead hastened its final demise.
The Dead Dog Saloon is for sale, (see http://alaskahome.info) perhaps it would make a good "Cop Bar" where the Boys in Blue could gather after a hard days crime fighting to toast their domination over the evildoers, potheads and small business persons. But more than likely some BushCo Oil company will buy the acreage and put another Gas Station Multimart on the corner, or it will just stand empty, a silent monument to an Alaska that once was where Men could smoke and drink and be merry and Women could entice them out of their massive, ah, paychecks with sly smiles and bared breasts.
The Right Wing Fundamentalists will no doubt have a rousing prayer meeting come Sunday, knowing that the Dead Dog Saloon is just one of many dominoes falling before the onslaught of puritanical viewpoints that lead them to believe they have the right and obligation to dictate how others should live. The Silver Fox, 4 Corners and other Valley watering holes are feeling the same tight vise around their balls that brought down the Dead Dog.
So lets make sure that when they are rising their sacramental wine in a toast to their victory over the free thinkers, dope smokers and bike riders they remember that we can still turn out in mass when one of our fellows falls, and make this Friday the 13th the good old fashioned Irish wake that will give the wine sippers nightmares for Months.
Let's make sure that while Jim and Lisa get a righteous send off and drain the taps, empty the wine racks and party till the law says we have to stop! (that's still 5 Am, for now) Soon they will be saying we can't even start.
This editorial contains the views of this writer, and if you don't like them reach around behind you and grasp that big stick and pull hard before someone else grabs it and pushes.
1994 - 2007
Jim and "Ms Lucky" Lisa will be hosting their last party this coming Friday and asked me to invite all their old friends to stop by for one last blow out.
As for who killed the Dead Dog, there are a few in the line up that I think a finger (I won't say which one) could be pointed at. George W. Bush and his Quest for Oil in the sand and sun of Iraq certainly played a part. Inflated gas prices made many choose between a night out dancing and drinking and filling the tank with gas, come to think of it the price of a full tank of gas in most rigs could pay for several nights drinking at the Dead Dog. Thanks Dubya, thats another one I owe ya.
The Alaska State Troopers certainly played a role in the demise of the Dog. For some reason they have maintained a close watch on the Dead Dog for many years. I used to watch them parking in the dark across the road when I drove a cab in the Valley, waiting like an old west highway man for a hapless victim to forget to signal or any other legally intercessionable infraction as they departed the Dead Dog. The death knell could be heard tolling it's sorrowful chime when the AST decided that the land directly behind the Dead Dog Saloon was a good place to put an Alaska State Trooper Sub Station, assuring that the patrons would feel their hot breath on them as they tried to forget the multitude of other oppressions heaped on them over a cold beer after work.
The irony (there always has to some irony, doesn't there?) is that Lisa sold the land where the AST put their lair in an attempt to breath new life into the old Dog and instead hastened its final demise.
The Dead Dog Saloon is for sale, (see http://alaskahome.info) perhaps it would make a good "Cop Bar" where the Boys in Blue could gather after a hard days crime fighting to toast their domination over the evildoers, potheads and small business persons. But more than likely some BushCo Oil company will buy the acreage and put another Gas Station Multimart on the corner, or it will just stand empty, a silent monument to an Alaska that once was where Men could smoke and drink and be merry and Women could entice them out of their massive, ah, paychecks with sly smiles and bared breasts.
The Right Wing Fundamentalists will no doubt have a rousing prayer meeting come Sunday, knowing that the Dead Dog Saloon is just one of many dominoes falling before the onslaught of puritanical viewpoints that lead them to believe they have the right and obligation to dictate how others should live. The Silver Fox, 4 Corners and other Valley watering holes are feeling the same tight vise around their balls that brought down the Dead Dog.
So lets make sure that when they are rising their sacramental wine in a toast to their victory over the free thinkers, dope smokers and bike riders they remember that we can still turn out in mass when one of our fellows falls, and make this Friday the 13th the good old fashioned Irish wake that will give the wine sippers nightmares for Months.
Let's make sure that while Jim and Lisa get a righteous send off and drain the taps, empty the wine racks and party till the law says we have to stop! (that's still 5 Am, for now) Soon they will be saying we can't even start.
This editorial contains the views of this writer, and if you don't like them reach around behind you and grasp that big stick and pull hard before someone else grabs it and pushes.
1994 - 2007Saturday, November 25, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
