BECAUSE WE MUST . . . Our Sarah caused an embarrassing international stir this week -- although it wasn't her fault.
One of Poland's leading papers thought a story in the satirical Daily Currant, in which Sarah urged the U.S. to invade the Czech Republic in retaliation for the Boston bombings, was true.
You get the joke: She was portrayed as confusing Chechnya with Czechoslovakia. (Alas, someone gave her an atlas late in her vice presidential campaign so those fun days are gone forever).
Anyhow, the Polish paper ran a story and a headline quoting her saying, "Let's burn Prague."
The paper discovered its error and pulled the story, but Ear is sympathetic. She could have said it, right?
WELCOME HOME . . . With the legislative session over, most lawmakers can take a breather for a while, kick back and relax. But the folks mad at Lindsey Holmes for switching from Democrat to Republican are not letting up. One of the guys with the Recall Lindsey Holmes campaign says they've got about 650 of the roughly 800 signatures needed for a vote on whether she keeps her seat.
SUGAR AND SPICE . . . A funny thing happened when former Mayor Rick Mystrom set out to write a memoir called "My Wonderful Life with Diabetes."
It turned into two books, and earwigs bet the second one becomes a best-seller.
The memoir was intended to "empower young diabetics," Rick told Ear. He's had Type 1 diabetes for 50 years, long before today's simplified blood testing and insulin injections. Even so, it didn't slow him down: two terms as mayor, a runner, a successful businessman, etc. "I have no health problems," he reports.
When he included information about living with Type 2 diabetes, the book swelled to 600 pages. "Maybe if you were Abraham Lincoln people might want to read that much," his publishing advisor told him. So "The New Diabetic Lifestyle" -- everything you want to know about living with Type 2 -- became a second book.
Let's face it, 26 million Americans have diabetes. About 90 percent of those are Type 2, so which volume seems like the best investment?
Mystrom's Tadfield Publishing expects both books to be out by Sept. 1.
ON THE MOVE . . . Megan Mazurek, anchor for the Channel 4/Fox 9 p.m. news and Channel 13/ABC 10 p.m. news for the past four years has moved to a new job at Morris Communications. It's reportedly an off-mic job as an account executive.
Looks like her dishy new replacement has already started -- at least, earwigs assume she's new. On Thursday's broadcast, she pronounced Valdez that funny way Outsiders do.
Earwigs report the joint Channel 4-13 operation has hired former KTVA anchor Dave Stroh to lead a weekend newscast. And the stations announced a new rural segment starting this week, featuring Jeanie Greene. Plus they've leased the ground floor of the Peterson Towers downtown. New plans for that space will be announced soon.
This is just the beginning. Expect lots of changes across TV Land as GCI and its three newly-almost-purchased television stations shake up the market.
MISSING . . . Remember last month when the Social Security Administration informed KTUU's Mike Ross that he was dead? (He wasn't.) Now comes news that Re/Max agent Don McKenzie isn't going to get any more Social Security checks because the agency doesn't have his correct mailing address.
They notified Don they don't know where he is by mailing him a letter at his correct address -- the one he's had for 12 years.
He called them Thursday. They said they'll "research" the matter.
Good luck with that, Don.
MOVING ON . . . Rosemary Shinohara, longtime (really longtime) Daily News reporter, editor, editorial writer, etc., is retiring at the end of this month. Rose knows more about the neighborhoods and politics of Anchorage than just about anybody. She'll be missed.
Well, maybe not by the mayor.
O.O.M.G . . . To "honor" Michele Brown, United Way CEO and this year's Shining Lights Award winner, four people who should know better dressed up like the Village People Thursday night and "serenaded" her at a Captain Cook ceremony with Village People music, including "Y.M.C.A." ("U-ni-ted-Way").
Wrap your mind around the image of Rick Fox (former Shell Oil boss), Sophie Minich (CIRI CEO), Diane Kaplan (Rasmuson CEO) and Tom Barrett (Alyeska Pipeline president) in costume, doing the disco moves and -- well, you get the picture.
For reasons known only to him, Torrie Allen, an actual pro and former head of Anchorage Opera, fronted for the group.
Everyone had a good time but, really darlings, this is just further proof the '70s should never, ever be allowed to come back.
FLYING FACTOID . . . Febreze air freshener has created a new scent. It's called "Alaskan Spring."
So does it smell like dirty snow and recently thawed dog poop?
Cool.
HEY, WAKE UP . . . Alaska SteamDot on O'Malley has been named the best coffee place in Alaska by the Zagat restaurant guide in a survey called "The United States of Caffeine."
Some winners in places Alaskans go include: Beach Bum Cafe in Honolulu, Cafe Grumpy in NYC, Bauhaus Coffee & Books on Capitol Hill in Seattle, and Peregrine Espresso in D.C.
Compiled by Sheila Toomey Message Sheila at ear@adn.com or 257-4341.
By SHEILA TOOMEY