News

Just a quick note that the Alaska State Fair is now under way. It's running from August 26th to September 6th. You might even see me there, as (a) I want to go there and check it out, and (b) I'm driving into Palmer, Alaska on a daily basis, trying to find a new place to live, and the Alaska State Fair is right there in Palmer.

Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was killed in an airplane crash in Alaska last night, according to the Anchorage Daily News and other media outlets. Even closer to my heart as an ex-aerospace engineer, former NASA chief Sean O'Keefe was also aboard the plane that crashed in southwest Alaska. At this time there are believed to be three survivors of the plane crash.

I was working from home late yesterday afternoon and early evening, and as I sat here typing, I thought for sure the ground was moving again. Sure enough, we had several more earthquakes yesterday, though none were as major as the earthquake we had the first week of April (see "Earthquake in Wasilla").

Here are two pictures from last night of websites that track earthquakes in Alaska. First, this image from the Alaska Earthquake Information Center:

To the person who wrote and asked if Sarah Palin always wears red outfits, all I can say is I don't know. I've noticed that too, and I think it's pretty funny.

Here are a few pictures from the Sarah Palin red wardrobe collection:

Sarah Palin in red outfit #1:

I was sad yesterday to read this report of two eagles in Alaska's Prince William Sound area that got so caught up in their mating ritual that they forgot they were plunging to Earth as fast as gravity would take them.

The short story is that the male died, and the female somehow miraculously lived, and is currently trying to recover, though one of her wings may be permanently damaged.

It looks like TLC will be airing a television show named Sarah Palin's Alaska.

The only information available at this time is that it will be an eight-part Discovery/TLC documentary series about Alaska, and "Emmy-award winner Mark Burnett of Survivor and Apprentice fame" will be the executive producer. No dates have been announced yet.

I personally don't like it when people mix politics with other things like this, but Alaska is definitely a tremendously interesting topic -- I can't argue with them about that.

I really enjoyed this blog posting titled "I miss the ocean" by a woman named Yaari Kingeekuk. This short blurb tells what her excellent blog post is about:

Here I am living in two worlds, the St. Lawrence Island Yupik and western way. I live in a city which to me is big; and that’s Anchorage. I struggle as I try to survive in both worlds.

I just found these great Iditarod 2009 photos on the Sports Illustrated website. The black-and-white dog in the first photo reminds me of one of my dogs (Zeus).

In the most interesting news of the day -- okay, besides wondering about Mount Redoubt -- an avalanche closed down the Seward Highway for several hours today. The avalanche occurred in an area just south of Girdwood. Here's a link to the rough location on Google Maps.

Mount Redoubt erupted twice again this morning, with a blast at 9:24 a.m. that went up to 65,000 feet. (That's over 12 miles, straight up.) Commercial airline flights in southcentral Alaska have come to a halt, or a near halt. The National Weather Service is saying that there might be ash-fall of up to an eighth of an inch in Homer.

For full details, the Anchorage Daily News has the story and some incredible pictures.