Speaking of great ideas from rural Alaska...

Last night I "vocalized some frustration" about not recognizing the good things in and coming from the Alaskan villages - including encouraging the youth toward leadership and building the communities up.

With serendipitous timing, I was forwarded this (also from the Tundra Drums) about a great opportunity some smart, hard-working kids have to go to New York City, and win huge resources for their school... and they're from Kokhanok village. :) Using math, science and creativity, they came up with an idea, a solution to a big problem Alaska is having. The Tundra Drums:

"They answered three questions about how math and science can help the local environment and landed among the top 50 entries from all over the United States...
The next challenge to win that trip to New York and possibly a great deal more in prizes requires getting enough votes."

Most other schools have a leg up on votes simply because they have much larger population to draw from. Which means - go check out the video and VOTE! It's a great, simple idea that could have a huge impact.

Go Kokhanok eighth graders! You make Alaska proud!

_

Drum Practice

This has been making the rounds. Very cool, self-described "quirky" Tlingit piece of animation.

Arctic tribute to MJ

Whatever your feelings about Michael Jackson, I believe history will still show him as one of the most influential artists of our time. If you think on nearly all the biggest names of music, painting, literature, etc., there were some incredibly striking personal issues, problems, whatever that history easily forgives and forgets, embracing the body of work. Like it or not, Michael was an icon of our times, and historians a hundred years from now will use him in descriptions of this era, just as Mozart and Van Gogh are used to describe their own era.

Here's a video I saw on the national news coverage of today's services - an Alaskan tribute from Toolik! (And what Alaska tribute would be complete without monster mosquitos?):

More Emmonak coverage on CNN

Two more CNN clips using Denniz Zaki's footage. The word is really getting out to the world now!





Also on the Emmonak news front:
Anchorage Daily News on Ramras/Palin fight over village aid. And no, Palin STILL has not addressed this issue in any relevant way.

You must watch this! Palin/John Stewart video

Kodiak Konfidential posted John Stewart's take on the Palin VP pick - nothing like taking the truth and showing just how tragically laugh-out-loud this pick is.

Welcome to The Big Tent

Not the most exciting video ever made (a bunch of people sitting at computers?) but a little taste of the chaos that is The Big Tent. For those that don't know, The Big Tent is where 400 or so bloggers are calling home during the convention. Pictured is just the lower level in the main tent - there is a second story for event, and the building next door houses the food and electricity.

One of the first surprises for "the most technologically advanced convention in history" - porta potties. Yeah... a bit of the rustic, just so nobody forgets their roots...

All in all, a energetic place where a lot of people who have conversed forever are finally meeting. There's probably a thousand other posts from all the people on the computers here, but just a snippet of the environment I will be in some of the time.