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About

THE BLOG--HISTORY

"Blue Oasis" began in 2005 in its Blogger format (now an archive) and became possibly the first Alaska Blog on Progressive Politics. At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis was honored to represent Alaska as the state blog.

Transition--Community Blog

In September 2008, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis moved to a Soapblox Community Blog format. Readers can become full participants by registering on the blog to comment and write "diaries." Diary titles appear on the right sidebar for folks to read and provide comments. Blog editors may choose to move some of these diaries to the front page.

While this Community was formed specifically with Alaska in mind, all "friends of Alaska" are welcome as members!

**Note about registering** Scroll down the right side until you find the link to register. Then, just follow the instructions!

**Note about comments** To comment on a story, click on the heading and then look for the "comment bar" at the bottom (it's light grey, I can't seem to change it). I believe the font color NOW permits you to see the "post comment" text.

YOUR BLOGMISTRESS

My name is Linda Kellen Biegel and I am a former 15-year Federal employee. Thirteen of those years were spent working for the US Army Corps of Engineers. I am also semi-retired from the Alaska music scene (singer, sound tech, stage manager, logistics).

When the blog was chosen to represent Alaska in the DNCC State Blogger Pool at the Denver Convention, I attended with the help of Alaska Real blogmistress, Writing Raven and my daughter Morrigan. On August 29th, one day after Barack Obama's inspiring speech at Invesco Field , my life took another turn as it did for all Alaska bloggers when Gov. Sarah Palin was chosen to be John McCain's VP running mate. Since then, I've either assisted or have been interviewed by media from the UK, Italy, Australia and Germany as well as national media outlets such as Wall Street Journal, NY Times, ABC Good Morning America's Kate Snow, National Journal, Dallas Morning News, LA Times, and NPR.

Presently, I work as a freelance writer, PR, event coordinator, community organizer, wife to computer programmer Josh and mother to 11-year-old Morrigan. Our family especially enjoys our summers in Alaska where we get to subsistence set-net fish Sockeye salmon as well as halibut fish/whalewatch in the family's homemade aluminum boat, "The Neverdone" (when it's working). We reside in Anchorage, Alaska.

Origin of "Celtic Diva"

I've used "Celtic Diva" as a screen name since the early 1990's on Web TV.

"Celtic"

"Folks have asked about my Celtic heritage, especially in light of my name. What they don't realize is that I'm adopted. I was born Valerie Morehead of the Clan Muirhead. I was adopted at three-months-old by the Kellens. I always "knew" I was Celt even before really knew. I was drawn to all things Scottish, especially music. That's why my parents eventually told me at age 16."

"Diva"

"Linda is well-known in Alaska & beyond as the prominent progressive political blogger Celtic Diva of Celtic Diva?s Blue Oasis. But back in the day, the early 1990s, I knew her as Linda Kellen, a member of the local folk/rock band Sky is Blu, which amongst other things performed in at least a couple or so of the annual women?s show Celebration of Change, in which I also performed. And if you don?t already know, let me tell you: Linda is one fine damn singer."

I went on after the break-up of "Sky is Blu" to perform with various Alaska musicians and work with national folks like Bo Diddly, Coco Montoya, Debbie Davies, Taj Mahal, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bad Company, Creedence Clearwater, Carny Wilson, etc...

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--Anchorage Daily News "Community Voices" column 7/9/08

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--Anchorage Daily News "Community Voices" column 4/30/08

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--Anchorage Daily News "Community Voices" column 3/26/08

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--Anchorage Daily News "Compass" column 10/24/07

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My daughter touched a Silver Medal!

USA Women's Olympic Hockey Team Star Kerry Weiland with our friend Isabella and my daughter Morrigan at St. Baldrick's Day



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******************************************************************************************

Alaska Personnel Board Meeting NOON TOMORROW May 27, 2009 **UPDATE**

by: Celtic Diva

Tue May 26, 2009 at 20:39:08 PM AKDT




********************************UPDATE***********************

For background and analysis:

OK, So here's the bombshell...

Governor Palin's over-the-top response...

Sarah Palin's dangerous words

Clearing up some misconceptions

Everyone has an opinion...

Ethics Complaint Dismissed...

ADN reveals lack of understanding...

*************************************************************


A Clay Bennet Cartoon

Alaska's very own Personnel Board (yup, THAT Personnel Board) will be meeting tomorrow starting at 12:00 noon in Room 880 at the Frontier Building, 3601 C Street, Anchorage, Alaska

What will they be meeting about?

To take action on minutes from earlier meetings, to review outstanding ethics cases and reports, to consider the adoption of proposed amendments to Leave Rules, and other matters that may come before the board within the scope of this notice. Deliberations on ethics matters will occur in executive session because these matters are required to be confidential under AS 39.52.340.

Here are the Personnel Board Members.

Here's the agenda:

AGENDA
State Personnel Board Meeting
May 27th, 2009
12:00 P.M.

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Agenda

3. Approval of Minutes:
  a. December 15, 2008

4. Ethics Disclosure - Personnel Board Members

5. Public Complaints Against Police Officers - Terry Vrabec, Executive Director, Alaska Police Standards Council

6. Review of Quarterly Ethics Reports

7. Review of Ethics Case Log

8. Executive Session under AS 44.62.310:
  To discuss matters before the Board which are confidential.  Deliberations on these matters will occur in executive session as authorized by AS 44.62.310(c)(3), to consider matters required to be kept confidential under AS 39.52.340.

9. Public Comment

10. Proposed Leave Rule Amendments

11. Update from Director of Personnel and Labor Relations

12. Other matters that may come before the Board
   a. Next Meeting
   b. Other

13. Adjournment

Notice I bolded the "public comment" area and notice that it's AFTER the Executive Session,  which could be very long.  I'm having the girls bring books, their DSes, snacks, the works. There's no way of telling how long it will be until Public Comment happens.

The Statute they are looking at revising is this one:

AS 39.25.130. Extension of Partially Exempt and Classified Services.

There is no way of knowing what (if any) hearings are happening during the executive session on which (if any) of the ethics complaints.

However...

The Personnel Board does NOT meet on a regular schedule...two to three meetings a year.  Usually, when they do meet, it's because there needs to be one or more hearings.

Celtic Diva :: Alaska Personnel Board Meeting NOON TOMORROW May 27, 2009 **UPDATE**
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Polite (0.00 / 0)
Governor Palin's over-the-top response...

This is a very, very polite way of saying that she reacted like a junior high school kid would!

Looking forward to hearing what happens at the meeting.  Thanks for all that you do and for keeping us informed.  You have had to put up with a lot of that Junior High School stuff and while I am sorry about that, I am glad that you are not backing down, nor letting them get to you!

You have a lot of support from all over! Keep up the Good Work!  


We are very proud of you! (0.00 / 0)
If I were in Anchorage I would love to be there with coloring books of my own!  You are doing the right thing by going through all these state procedures and reporting on what you find.  Government is FOR the people, and all too often that is forgotten in the public sector.  I have worked for the state and two city governments in AK and it's sad to see that procedures can become ineffective because the people performing them lose touch with the public who they serve.



Thank you so much :D (0.00 / 0)
It seems that I'm hitting awfully close to the mark, if you check out Conservatives4Palin right now.  So is Mudflats!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


Celtic Diva


[ Parent ]
Hahaha (0.00 / 0)
Boy are you and Mudflats certainly getting under their skin or what?  Two entire topics, one right after the other dedicated to you guys.  

I'd also like to point out that they did a nice little write up on how Palin has ended her 4 month old hiring freeze, with quotes from the ADN article to boot. BUT it is also very noticable that they left out the fact that during this "freeze" the Palin administration gave 354 waivers, denied 2, with 66 waiver requests still pending.  IN FOUR MONTHS THEY GAVE OUT 354 WAIVER REQUESTS!

Another tidbit left out?

Anchorage Republican Rep. Mike Hawker said the hiring freeze "sounds like it was an exercise in futility" given the number of waivers approved. Hawker, the main architect of the state operating budget in the House as co-chairman of the Finance committee, said he was always skeptical of it.

"Back when we were doing budget hearings it didn't look like anyone was going to save anything, all the departments were looking at ways to get around the freeze," Hawker said.

http://www.adn.com/news/govern...


[ Parent ]
Orcs have a little bit of humor after all (0.00 / 0)
Hey the orcs have such a cute nickname for Sarah, but for some reason they added an "a" at the end - go figure! Cuda.  I say Cud and Dud sounds just about right!  Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  Just fix their spelling a bit (which is a common thing anyway with those folks).



Andree McLeod Ethics Complaints (0.00 / 0)
My jaw has just hit the floor.

Andree McLeod's Ethics Complaint Against Palin Is Recommended for Dismissal by Michael Geraghty of DeLisio Moran Geraghty & Zobel, P.C. He says neither case constitutes a violation of the state ethics act.


They are all.... (4.00 / 1)
on her fricken payroll! Everyone needs to send concerns to FBI or CREW! Its so obvious since troopergate, that this is how it has to be!

[ Parent ]




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A Bodenstown Perspective (url is "oneceltsview"--ya gotta love that!)
AK Root Cellar
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Alaska Real - by Writing Raven
Alaska Standard
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Alaska Women Reject Palin
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Bent Alaska
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Henkimaa--Mel's Blog
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FiveThirtyEight.com
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Elizabeth Van Brook's--Beautiful Poetry
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Frank Schaeffer's Blog
The Gavel (Speaker Nancy Pelosi)
"God's Own Party" Leah Burton's Blog
Hullabaloo
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Iraq Blog Count - blogs by present and former residents of Iraq
Jack and Jill Politics
Kyra at the Moment
Margaret Cho Blog
Oz Mudflats! (Alaska bloggers Aussie friend!)
Pam's House Blend
Pandagon
Political Voices of Women's Community
Sarah Palin Truth Squad
Stand Up For Our Nation
Sundries (Republican blog but a good read)
Talk to Action: Reclaiming Citizenship, History and Faith
Taxgirl--my new favorite website!
Think Progress
Watergate Summer
Zennie's Zeitgeist

OUTSIDE WEBSITES

Crosscut.com - News of the Great Nearby
TheMiddleclass.org
Molly Ivins Archive
Buy Blue
Eye On Palin--Defenders of Wildlife
OrganizedMom.net - because I need help!!
J.K. Rowling's Official Site
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