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Alaska Needs This: A Patch that Makes Humans Invisible to Mosquitoes (+video)

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Photo Credit: indiegogo[A] technology firm based in California [has invented] a patch which makes the wearer invisible to the insects.

The Kite Patch uses non-toxic compounds that disrupt mosquitoes’ ability to find people through CO2 for up to 48 hours.

The technology was developed by Olfactor Laboratories and the University of California at Riverside, with backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health…

‘The Kite Mosquito Patch isn’t just another mosquito product, but a powerful alternative to most products on the market, enabling people to live normal lives with a new level of protection against contracting mosquito-borne diseases,’ said Michelle Brown, the chief scientist and vice president of Olfactor Laboratories, Inc.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska’s Business Climate Continues to Suffer, Ranked 44th out of 50 States

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Photo Credit: Kiskadee 3According to an annual scoring based upon inputs from the National Association of Manufacturers and the Council on Competitiveness, Alaska is ranked seventh from the bottom for competitiveness.

The categories and point values for the scoring this year are:

Cost of Doing Business (450 points)
Economy (375 points)
Infrastructure (350 points)
Workforce (300 points)
Quality of Life (300 points)
Technology & Innovation (300 points)
Business Friendliness (200 points)
Education (150 points)
Cost of Living (50 points)
Access to Capital (25 points)

Alaska received a total score of 1140. The top state, South Dakota, received a score of 1639, while the worst state, Hawaii, scored 924.

From its ranking in 2012, Alaska slipped in the following categories: workforce, quality of life, infrastructure and transportation, economy, and education. It remained the same, 50th in the nation, in technology and innovation. Alaska also retained the same score from 2012 to 2013 in cost of living (49th).

Alaska’s biggest decline was in economy, moving from fourth in the nation in 2012 to 23rd in the nation this year.

Alaska did see improvement in cost of doing business, business friendliness, and access to capital, leading to an overall increase from 47th in nation in 2012 to 44th in nation this year.

Restoring Liberty is Now in the Top 50 Conservative Websites in the Nation

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According to the July 4, 2013, “Official Top 100 Conservative Websites for 2013,” Red Flag reports that Restoring Liberty is now ranked 49th* in the nation.

The report reflects that websites such as Mark Levin, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, American Conservative, Ann Coulter, TeaParty.Net, Family Research Council, PJ TV, Laura Ingraham, World Magazine, and others have lower rankings than Restoring Liberty, reflecting lower Internet traffic.

As always, our success is due to your faithful readership, loyal volunteers, and staff (especially Katy). Joe and Kathleen Miller thank every one of you for making Restoring Liberty one the nation’s top political websites.

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*Red Flag periodically updates its rankings. Restoring Liberty’s ranking at that site will fluctuate with its worldwide Alexa ranking.

Republican Senator Accuses Group of Bribing People To Block New Alaskan Mine’s Construction

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Photo Credit: Opposing Views

Photo Credit: Opposing Views

Republican Sen. David Vitter claimed an environmental group tried to skew survey results regarding the construction of a new Alaskan mine, which has recently put Republicans and the Environmental Protection Agency at odds.

Vitter accused the group, Trout Unlimited, of “bribing” people to comment on a study examining the environmental impact of the new mine by offering them a chance to win a free fishing trip, according to Fox News.

The study, which was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency, looked into the effects of the proposed copper and gold mine — named Pebble Mine — on its surrounding the Alaskan ecosystem, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

“This is a pretty low tactic to try and bribe support of their efforts to preemptively kill a job-creating project,” Vitter said. “Skewing the public’s response is really unhelpful in the process to get an unbiased review.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska Volcano Eruptions Get Worse: `We Can’t Explain’ Says Geologist (+video)

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volcanoAlaska volcano eruptions are entering a more powerful phase. After six weeks of Alaska volcano eruptions reaching five miles into the sky, covering nearby communities with ash and shutting down air flights, there looks to be no end.

Alaska volcano eruptions 2013 started in May at the Pavlof Volcano, which is located about 590 miles southwest of the major city Anchorage, in the Alaska Peninsula. The most powerful phase of Alaska volcano eruptions started with low-level rumblings.

According to scientists at the federal-state Alaska Volcano Observatory, the latest phase of Alaska volcano eruptions started late on Monday and continued through the night into Tuesday. The blasts emanate from the crater of a 8,261 foot volcano.

Tina Neal, an geologist at the observatory said, “For some reason we can’t explain, it picked up in intensity and vigor.”

In May, Alaska volcano eruptions sent a smaller ash cloud 15,000 feet into the air. The ash was visible for miles. Residents were worried that it would damage power generators.

Read more from this story HERE.

Speaker John Boehner Headlining Alaskan Fundraiser with Randy Ruedrich and Commissioner Dan Sullivan in Anchorage

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is set to raise money in Alaska with the former chair of the Alaska GOP that Sarah Palin took on for corruption.

Politico reported on Thursday that Boehner will raise money in Alaska on July 2, and former Alaska GOP Chair Randy Ruedrich is listed on the invitation to the event.

According to Politico, Boehner will “headline a July 2 event at a private home in Anchorage to collect donations for the Boehner for Speaker joint fundraising committee, which benefits his campaign, PAC, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Ohio Republican Party.” The maximum donation allowed is $52,600.

Rep. Don Young (R-AK), who has faced numerous ethics charges in Congress, is also on the host committee for the event.

Ruedrich ultimately resigned “his job as a state oil and gas regulator” in 2003 after Palin joined Democrats to call his political fundraising a conflict of interest for drawing money from industries he regulated.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska, Other States No Longer Subject to Key Provisions of 1965 Voting Rights Act

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Photo Credit: Evan Vucci

Photo Credit: Evan Vucci

The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that states no longer can be judged by voting discrimination that went on decades ago, a decision that argues the country has fundamentally changed since the racially motivated laws of the civil rights era.

In a 5-4 ruling, the justices said the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that mainly Southern states must undergo special scrutiny before changing their voting laws is based on a 40-year-old formula that is no longer relevant to changing racial circumstances.

“Congress — if it is to divide the states — must identify those jurisdictions to be singled out on a basis that makes sense in light of current conditions. It cannot rely simply on the past,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the majority, which was comprised of the court’s conservative-leaning justices.

The four liberal-leaning justices dissented, arguing that racial discrimination in voting remains a real threat. The majority didn’t disagree with that, but the core of Chief Justice Roberts‘ opinion was that discrimination today looks markedly different from what it did decades ago, so the law must be changed to reflect that.

The Shelby County v. Holder ruling sparked an immediate debate about the status of race and discrimination in modern America.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska’s Delegation Selling Out Alaskan Workers … Again (+video)

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Photo Credit: Wonderlane

Photo Credit: Wonderlane

This past weekend, Byron York of the Washington Examiner reported that some questionable provisions were inserted into the amnesty bill “for Alaska.”

As we’ll discuss below, Mr. York might not have gotten the “for Alaska” right, but he certainly tagged the responsible parties: Alaska’s US Senators, Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich.

Mr. York notes that the amnesty bill was “rewritten … to pay a big favor to the state of Alaska and its two senators…” How? By allowing for “more low-wage guest [read “foreign”] workers” to come to Alaska and work in “Alaska seafood processing…”

Rather than going through the standard process where the Commission of the Bureau of Immigration and Labor Market Research relies upon a methodology to determine which occupations have shortages, the amnesty bill specifically designates “Alaska seafood processing” as a “shortage occupation” justifying the immediate importation of foreign workers. Apparently, no other state-based industry receives this type of special treatment under the bill.

So what are average Alaskans getting for their delegation’s hard work in creating this special provision for the state? Screwed, that’s what.

There’s no question that importing foreign workers into a state with significant unemployment is a travesty. What makes matters worse is that much of this seafood processing occurs in rural regions with high native populations. And Alaska’s native unemployment rate is reprehensible, pushing 20%.

So who are the sea food processors that asked for this subsidy? Many – but not all – are foreign to the state, ultimately competing for the same resource that average Alaskans depend on for their personal consumption.

So Mr. York might not understand who our delegation is working for when he suggests their specialized legislation is “for Alaska.” It’s certainly for somebody, but not for ordinary Alaskans.

[see Billy Kristol’s slam on the amnesty bill yesterday:]

Troopers, Mounties Square Off in Shooting Competition in Palmer This Weekend

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Troopers and Mounties(PALMER, Alaska) – Alaska State Troopers will try to defend last year’s win over the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on home turf at the 53rd Annual International Police Shooting Competition taking place at the Palmer Shooting Range this weekend. A team of Troopers has won the team honors the past two years in a row – winning in both Whitehorse, Yukon in 2012 and Fairbanks in 2011.

The contest, known as “The Shoot,” pits a team of Troopers against a team of Canadian RCMP counterparts. After a day of practicing, on Sunday they’ll shoot side by side using the Troopers’ standard issue pistol, a .40-caliber Glock, to go through an AST course of fire, then use the RCMP’s standard issue 9 mm Smith and Wesson to go through the RCMP’s course of fire. The competitors then switch weapons and each shooter must complete the other teams course of fire using their partner’s sidearm. This relates to a case years ago where the Mounties and Troopers were working together to track down a suspect near Hyder, a border community in Southeastern Alaska with a neighboring Canadian community just across the international line. Policy prevented the Trooper from using his service weapon in Canada when the trooper crossed the border. The Mounties had to provide him with one of their weapons to use during the apprehension.

While the event is built up around a shooting contest, the occasion is more about camaraderie between the Troopers and Mounties. Shortly after Alaska became a state in 1959, Inspector Joe Vachon, commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, wanted to find a way for the Mounties and Troopers to get to know each other better on a personal basis as well as strengthen their working partnership. It is the longest standing international shooting competition in the world. Some of the Troopers competing this weekend have had to reach across the border and work with Mounties. The Shoot gives them an opportunity to establish and strengthen those long-standing relationships with the RCMP.

After the team portion on Sunday, members will compete individually in a tactical course that is separate from the overall team competition. Spouses also get a chance to compete in the Significant Other Shoot Off on Saturday. Visitors can watch the competition from designated areas at the range.

Schedule of Competition:

Saturday, June 22
09:00 – Team Practice at Palmer Range at end of S. Brooks Road off of Outer Springer Loop near Palmer
13:00 – Significant Other Shoot Off Competition at the Palmer Range

Sunday, June 23
08:00 – 53rd Shoot at Palmer Range
13:00 – Tactical Competition at the Palmer Range

Day of Prayer to be Held across Interior Alaska

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TCC Day of PrayerA resolution calling for a “Day of Prayer” as a time for prayer for the land, waterways, andimals, and people who use God’s creation on June 21st was passed in March of 2013 by the Tanana Chiefs Conference Full Board of Directors. The resolution introduced by the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government explains that the “decline of the king salmon stock has forced us (indigenous Alaskans) to abandon our traditional and spiritual lifestyle of gathering food.”

Tanana Chiefs Conference is encouraging communities across Alaska, including its 42 members, to participate in the upcoming “Day of Prayer” on June 21st, beginning at 12:00 P.M. The “Day of Prayer” is to gather people and communities who are concerned with the health of our resources and declining fish and wildlife throughout Alaska in one unified voice.

Tanana Chiefs Conference is dedicated to protecting traditional subsistence ways of life. This includes protecting our wildlife and fish resources, and understanding the current trends of decline we are seeing across the State.

Communities across the Interior are asked to organize their gatherings at the local level and submit photos to TCC’s newsletter, “The Council”.

For more information, contact Doreen Deaton, Communications Director, (907) 452-8251 Ext. 3570.
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About Tanana Chiefs Conference: TCC is a non-profit organization that works toward meeting the health and social service challenges for more than 10,000 Alaska Natives spread across a region of 235,000 square miles in Interior Alaska.