Good morning!
It's back, folks. Mt. Redoubt is "likely to erupt" in the next few days, the experts say. Here's the current Observatory statement:
2009-05-05 07:16:34
Seismic and rockfall activity increasing. Explosive eruption likely in coming days; could occur at any time with little or no warning.
The growing lava dome is becoming increasingly unstable and should a dome failure occur it likely would result in a significant explosion producing high altitude (>30,000 ft ASL) ash plumes, trace to minor ash fall in parts of south-central Alaska, lahars in the Drift River Valley, and pyroclastic flows in the immediate vicinity of the volcano.
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Today is the mayoral run-off election in Anchorage; we'll see if we can get a fiscal conservative elected to the office for a change. He garnered 43-point-something of the vote last month, but it takes a 45 per cent majority to be elected. His opponent has been lying (why doesn't that surprise anyone?) about the good guy's supposed plan to implement a large sales tax.
He did say that he'd support a sales tax if it would replace the property tax on a dollar-for-dollar basis. When he found out it would take a 14 per cent sales tax to do that, he dropped the idea. His opponent (who'd like his name mentioned here) continues to talk about it as if it were still in discussion. Naturally, we must scare the voters in order for the other fella to get enough votes to win.
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It's 33 degrees this morning, which is just about normal. We've had overnight "lows" in the upper 40s and low 50s for the last several days, but the jet stream has obviously shifted. The forecast is for 55 degrees today, just a few degrees above normal. The sun is already shining, though, so how bad can it be?
I'm off to cast my vote. Have a great day, folks, and come on back!
URGENT CALL TO REPENTANCE: All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord. And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the Kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules among the nations. (Psalm 22:27-28)
10 comments:
I hope the Conservative wins. Keep us updated. Alaska is beautiful, but I have to admit the volcanoes and earthquakes are probably enough to scare me away. I hope you had a relaxful birthday.
DR - the volcanos are near the coast, so there is MUCH of our state which is not that close.
Regarding earthquakes, there are also places farther from the faultlines.
The most important thing to remember, though, is that both features are far less prevalent than tornados & violent thunderstorms in your part of the country.
I second that.I hope the good guy wins too. Ah Mt. Redoubt is at it again. Stay safe.
Thanks, Cassie. So far, so good.
Best of luck that your candidate wins! Of course the opponent lies and half the people never figure that out. *sigh*
I hope when/if Redoubt blows again that the ash gets blown away from your direction. Ah Mother Nature - she makes her presence known everywhere in the world.
Oddly enough one thing I don't find scary is volcanoes. While we don't always know exactly when they'll blow, unlike Pompeii, we are no longer taken by surprise when they do.
Earthquakes are a bit more worrying, rather like tornados in the midwest. But they are what they are. I'd be less worried about them in Alaska than in California... I have no idea why I feel that way. LOL.
Have a great day!
Teresa, the good guy won. Yay for our side! He is a fiscal conservative, which is a darn sight better than his predecessor. I actually liked the last guy, but since he got to D.C. has shown his true colors - voting a straight party line except on 2nd Amendment issues, a true saving grace.
I hear you, regarding the volcanos. The closest of them is Mt. Spurr, some 75 miles due west of Anchorage. We have ash-producing types here, rather than lava-producers. They're all across the Inlet from us, anyway, so lava wouldn't get here. If lots of scratchy dust is the worst they can do, then so be it.
Earthquakes in AK? We're built primarily on flat land, rather than on hilltops with houses on stilts. Also, the population & construction density is much, much less here than in most CA communities. The big one, the 9.2 'quake that struck here in 1964 is a once-in-200-years event, or so the experts believe. We tend to hope they're right!
Rev. Paul,
I can hide from a tornado or thunder storm in the basement. An earthquake though, no hiding from that. The Discovery Channel just recently was talking about a town that was completely destroyed in Alaska by an earthquake and they had to move the whole town. They also covered an airplane that was trying to land in Anchorage and flew through volcanic ash and almost crashed. Most things don't worry me, but I respect mother nature. I noticed God tends to use her to dole out punishment now and then.
DR, I hear you. You should note that the town that was destroyed was during the 9.2 quake in 1964. That doesn't happen, as a rule, during the normal 3.5 to 5.0 quakes. Thank God.
The jetliner that lost power was during the 1992 eruption of Mt. Spurr. Its engines came back on while it was losing altitude, and they landed safely.
The airport, having learned its lesson from that event, immediate either re-routes or cancels flights when a volcano erupts, even if there's no apparent ash in the plume. Smart move.
I'm not saying life here is without peril, but far more towns have been destroyed by tornados than by Alaskan earthquakes. I lived in "Tornado Alley" for nearly 50 years, by the way.
Life is an adventure, after all, and I trust God for my family's well-being. He hasn't let us down yet. Having said that, I also admit that it makes a difference for those who are called to a certain place, as we are, and those who are merely contemplating it.
Rev. Paul,
I definitely know what you meant about God calling you to a certain place. When my wife and I got married I just assumed we would be right back down South, but got led to Wisconsin against our preference. Having to daily fight the liberal and Yankee attitudes up here has brought us closer together and made us cherish the South all the more. I hope God leads us back there soon.
Your brother lives in Missouri, are you also from there? I was stationed in Missouri for a while. Beautiful, Conservative state.
I was born in Kansas, went to grade school in Illinois, and then lived in Missouri for nearly 40 years prior to moving to Alaska six years ago.
I miss the Ozarks in the fall, when the leaves change. I still have family and friends there, as you know.
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