Thursday
December 02, 2004
'Preflight'
Pilot Kevin Roof prepares for
takeoff...
Front Page Photo by Carl Thompson
Alaska: International
Exports Increase Nearly $400 Million; Experts say numbers are
at record highs and Alaska seafood exports lead the way -
International export of products from Alaska increased dramatically
in the first nine months of 2004. Overall, sales have climbed
$384 million or 18% above and beyond the strong growth at this
time last year. - More...
Thursday - December 02, 2004
Alaska: The
Skinny on Humans and the Cold by Ned Rozell - I've heard
that Alaska mountain-climbing legend John Waterman prepared for
a solo winter ascent of Denali by lying in a tub filled with
ice water. Whether Waterman's chilly soak is fact or embellishment,
the ice bath nonetheless inspired me to research the cold tolerance
of humans.
Over the years, many people
have shed their clothes for the sake of human cold-tolerance
research. Many of those people were in the Army or the Air Force.
Military leaders were interested in ways to prepare infantryman
for cold-weather warfare in the Arctic. Other studies were performed
out of pure interest, such as several by the late Laurence Irving,
a well-known Alaska scientist. - More...
Thursday - December 02, 2004
Alaska: Say
goodbye to Rudolph and other reindeer if global warming continues
- With increasing global warming Rudolph and the rest of Santa
Claus' reindeer will disappear from large portions of their current
range and be under severe environmental stress by the end of
the century. - More...
Thursday - December 02, 2004
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Kanayama from Boyama
Mountain
Photo by Daniel Patton
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Kanayama Korner
Daniel Patton: School
Is A Serious Matter - Ohayoo Gozaimasu Citizens of Ketchikan!
This is Dan Patton, the 2004-2005
Kanayama exchange English teacher, checking in from our beautiful
sister city, Kanayama, Japan. Lately, the weather here has been
absolutely gorgeous: crisp, cold nights give rise to a thick
blanket of fog that by 9:00-10:00am has been burnt off by a bright
sun, which in turn warms the air into the mid to upper 50's by
noon. The fall colors peaked a few weeks ago in this part of
Japan (the Japanese Maples and Gingko trees were absolutely radiant),
but there in the lower lying areas there is still quite a bit
of beautiful foliage to be seen. Like most good things, however,
this weather won't last long and I'm constantly being reminded
by the locals that winter is very cold in these parts.
I try to explain that I spent my college years in interior Alaska
and am accustomed to subzero temperatures, but they will have
none of it. Fairbanks winters did have one distinct advantage
over Japanese ones the tendency towards central heating in buildings.
In Japan, central heating is the exception rather than the rule.
There's a logical reason for this (it has to do with earthquake
safe architecture), but regardless, Kanayama's cement-block schools
have been feeling more like giant walk-in refrigerators lately!
- More...
Thursday - December 02, 2004
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'Our Troops'
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