For decades, Alaska Airlines handed out prayer cards to passengers along with their meals. For the past 6 years the practice has only been done for first class passengers, but it still has been a long-standing tradition for Alaska Airlines.

Now, Alaska Airlines’ long-standing tradition of handing out prayer cards will be done away with entirely, the company announced in a press release Thursday. The decision was made, the company explains, after the company heard from customers who thought it was inappropriate to mix religion with transportation.

“This difficult decision was not made lightly,” Alaska Air Group CEO Bill Ayer and Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden wrote in an email Wednesday to regular customers.

“Some of you enjoy the cards and associate them with our service,” they wrote. “At the same time, we’ve heard from many of you who believe religion is inappropriate on an airplane.”

Alaska Airlines first started handing out the prayer cards with meals in the 1970s. The company received very little in the way of complaints from passengers over the course of  nearly 30 years, but that started to change in 2006, which prompted the decision to limit prayer cards to first class and, ultimately, scrap it entirely.

In the press release, Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said that the company considered both decides when it came to the decision.

“After carefully considering all sides, it was agreed that eliminating the cards was the right thing to do,” Egan said. “It is important that everyone know that this decision does not change our core values nor our care for our customers.”

Do you agree with Alaska Airlines’ decision to stop offering prayer cards with meals, or do you think the practice was harmless to begin with?

[Image credit: AP]

Alaska Airlines to stop offering prayer cards to passengers is a post from: The Inquisitr

The harsh Alaskan winter is wreaking havoc on various towns that require shipments of oil to be received in order to operate. According to the Anchorage Daily News temperatures have dipped to 45-below, making passage through surrounding waters extremely difficult.

In one case a Noatak town store has run out of heating oil, while in other towns neighbors have begun using snowmobiles to sell wood to other people in the area.

For the worst hit areas such as the village of Kobuk they have turned to city reserve tanks to supply heating to homes.

Towns such as Nome rely on diesel and unleaded gasoline, shipments that have been delayed by large forming sheets of ice in the Bering Sea. As we reported on Sunday a US Coast Guard ice cutter has attempted to guide a Russian fuel tanker through the area however the process has been slow and a representative for the Coast Guard noted:

 ”As long as we’re making progress, we’re going to Nome.”

It’s not just ice that has halted deliveries to the region, towns were already hurting from delayed shipments in the fall.

If supplies are fully depleted Nome has considered flying in fuel however the cost per gallon would reach closer to $9 instead of the still high $5.98.

Alaskan Towns Close To Running Out Of Fuel As Ice Delays Oil Shipments is a post from: The Inquisitr

Alaska Airlines on Wednesday began testing bio-fuel powered flights, marking the start to an expensive trial meant to improve the airlines environmental footprint.

Before taking off on their maiden voyages to Washington DC and Portland customers were handed a “Welcome to Greener Skies” flier which explained the company’s new approach to greener flights.

The test program includes 75 trips in which the company is running their test planes on a mixture of regular jet fuel and 20% biofuel that produced from leftover cooking oil.

The biofuel uses as many carbon emissions as traditional jet fuel but is considered a more “green” option because it is created using renewable resources.

The fuel is also far more expensive than traditional jet fuel with a cost of $476,000 for 28,000 gallons or $17 per gallon, six times more expensive than standard jet fuel.

It’s still unclear how much more expensive Alaska Airlines flights will become if the jet fuel is permanently chosen for use given the extremely high price of consumption.

Would you be willing to pay more for your next flight if you knew the jet was a more green option that runs on renewable resource?

[Image via Christopher Parypa / Shutterstock.com]

Alaska Airlines Begins Biofuel Flights Using Renewable Resources is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nome seems to have received the biggest battering from the Bering Sea mega-storm that pummeled Western Alaska on Wednesday.

The Alaskan city, population 3,600, was the focus point of the storm, which forced authorities to issue a winter storm warning until 9pm Wednesday. With storm surges of 10 feet, a coastal flood warning was also in effect until 6pm. As you can see from above, some people weren’t taking said warnings that seriously.

Nome, on Norton Sound in the Bering Sea, is roughly 160 miles from the U.S.-Russian border.

Before the storm took hold, the National Weather Service was estimating as much as 18 inches of snow would fall. There would also be near-zero visibility, blizzard conditions, and winds between 50 mph and 70 mph. Said the NWS, gravely:

“Travel and outdoor activities will be extremely difficult and dangerous.”

Prior to the arrival of the storm, Nome’s small population was panic-buying, with the cost of food and water reportedly rising by the hour. How do we know? Simple: Nome resident and avid tweeter Scott A. Johnson told us so.

Johnson’s Twitter account (@akscojo) seemingly discusses every aspect of the storm, and details collapsed houses, flooding, waves powering over sea walls, and details of how city officials were having to shoo people away from roads by the coast, even as the storm peaked. Some of his tweets are below:

“Asparagus and corn selling well. Interesting the things people buy when bad weather approaches. #akstorm”

“It’s blowing so hard, the chandelier in the house is swaying side to side. #akstorm”

“Confirmed. Parts have Nome just lost power. I saw a big blue flash in the darkened sky and the street lights are gone. #akstorm”

Nome, Alaska Feels the Brunt of Massive Bering Sea Storms is a post from: The Inquisitr

A bear cub was discovered wondering among the veggies at Tatsuda’s IGA, a grocery store, in Ketchikan, Alaska. The small bear was caught on video going through broccoli, carrots, onions and other produce right in front of onlookers and policemen who were called to the scene.

According to store manager Joe Stollar who shot the video, the bear went inside the store through the automatic doors are 5:45 pm. A customer took the courage to pick up the cub and placed outside the store in the hope that mama bear would be waiting for her lost child.

Stollar can be heard on the video saying that he thought the grocery’s public announcement system said that there was a bird in the store.

The bear can also be heard crying after being picked up, probably annoyed that the meat section is nowhere to be found.

Bear Goes Food Shopping in Alaska Grocery [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Vanessa Hudgens, best known for her role in the High School Musical films, is reported to be playing a role in an upcoming serial killer thriller alongside Nicolas Cage, called Frozen Ground.

According to a report by Deadline, Frozen Ground tells the true story of Alaska’s most infamous serial killer, Robert Hansen, played by John Cusack. Hudgens will play the role of a victim who manages to escape, after which Cage’s character, a State Trooper who is investigating the case, finds her.

The real-life Hansen was sentenced in 1984 to 461 years in prison for the murder of 17 women, most of which were prostitutes and strippers. During his trial, he also admitted to raping up to 30 women over the course of 10 years.

Hansen was at one point regarded by the community as a respectable family man. He owned a bakery, hence his nickname, “The Butcher Baker”, and had a wife and two children, all unaware of Hansen’s dark side.

Hudgens, 22, recently wrapped up filming on Gimme Shelter, due out in 2012, in which she takes on the role of a troubled teenager whose father abandons her after her decision to keep her unborn baby. Hudgens is also starring in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island alongside Dwayne Johnson and Josh Hutcherson. Journey 2 is due out this year.

There isn’t yet a release date for Frozen Ground, but it’s reported to begin filming on October 17 in Anchorage, Alaska. Scott Walker will be making his directorial debut with the film.

via On The Red Carpet

Vanessa Hudgens set to play a role in upcoming serial killer movie is a post from: The Inquisitr

On August 30, Alaska’s Cleveland Volcano’s lava dome appeared to have peaked at 262 feet, prompting officials to believe that it would stop growing. According to latest data, however, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

According to officials at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the volcano’s lava dome has expanded to 394 feet and appears to be growing further, prompting officials to raise the Volcano Alert status to “Watch”, and the Aviation code back up to “Orange”.

“The presence of the lava dome increases the possibility of an explosive eruption, but does not necessarily indicate that one will occur,” officials at the observatory said. “Short-lived explosions could produce an ash cloud that exceeds 20,000 ft above sea level.”

If the lava dome continues growing, officials say, it’s possible lava will start to leak out over the flanks of Mount Cleveland. Even if that’s the case, officials don’t believe lava flow would be hazardous to aviation around the volcano.

While no solid connection can be made, officials believe that Alaska’s recent 7.1 earthquake, and its subsequent aftershocks, could be the cause of the volcano stirring up again after it had appeared to be settling down.

The Mount Cleveland volcano is located on the western of Chuginadak Island, part of the Aleutian Island, roughly 940 miles from Anchorage, Alaska. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian Island chain and has erupted roughly 21 times in the past 230 years.

via CNN

Alaska volcano ‘Mount Cleveland’ might erupt soon, officials warn is a post from: The Inquisitr

Although the quake was felt by many of the residents in the very remote area of Atka – a region about 1,000 miles south-west of Anchorage, Alaska, only a “small wave” was recorded reaching its shores.

“In Atka, they had a little bump of a wave, but nothing of any kind of a destructive power. Just a wave,” said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Homeland Security.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the temblor, which was downgraded from an initial magnitude measurement of 7.1, was detected  at 10:55 GMT and was located at a depth of 22 miles in the Pacific Ocean.

The coastal areas from the island of Unimak, the largest in the Aleutian archipelago, to the remote and sparsely populated island of Amchitka were the locations involved in the tsunami warning.

Authorities said in issuing the alert they did not expect a destructive tsunami in the Pacific region or Hawaii, although they said they were carefully monitoring a possible threat to the northwest coast of the mainland United States.

As of now, no injuries from any local or federal sources have been reported for this event.

Alaska Native News, weighing in on the quake, noted that the area “is frequented by earthquakes every day, although a majority of them have a magnitude less than this.”

via USA Today
[img]

Alaska Earthquake Rocks Aleutian Islands, Prompts Brief Tsunami Warning is a post from: The Inquisitr

We’ve all heard the “bridge to Hawaii” jokes that leave some people believing they can actually drive to the island state, well now a connection is being made, but it’s from Alaska to Russia. Russian officials this week approved plans to build an underwater tunnel that would cross the Bering Straight.

For anyone getting excited that they will be able to drive their way to Russian, the tunnel is being built for underground train use only, extending the entire 65 miles and making it the longest underwater tunnel in the world.

The tunnel will also be the most expensive at a cost of nearly $1 billion per mile.

At this time it’s still not clear where money for the project would come from, however the tunnel is expected to bring in $11 billion yearly according to some experts, enough money that investors looking to cash in may come forward in the near future.

While the tunnel will not allow automobile driven passengers it is expected to carry nearly 100 million tons of freight between Russia and Alaska on a yearly basis and Russian officials hope it will allow them to gain access to Arctic mineral and fossil fuels they have claimed.

The tunnel won’t be ready anytime in the near future with an expected 15 year build time, however once completed Russian may also end up delivering electricity to Alaska and parts of Canada.

Great just what we need, more of our energy coming from other parts of the world through a huge connected power line.

Do you think connecting Alaska to Russia via tunnel is a smart move?

Russia Gives OK For Underwater Tunnel Connecting Country To Alaska is a post from: The Inquisitr

Two single-engine planes crashed into each other on Saturday killing four people aboard one of the aircraft. The second plane, a Cessna 206 which only carried it’s pilot was able to make it’s way back to Anchorage International Airport and make an emergency landing despite what is being called “significant damage.”

The other plane, a Cessna 180 was destroyed on impact and according to Alaska State Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters:

“It was engulfed in flames on the ground.”

In the official report the planes collided just outside of Amber Lake, 80 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska and the collision comes just two weeks after another in-flight crash occurred in the region, thankfully during that incident the 13 people aboard both planes were left unharmed.

The State Medical Examiner’s office is attempting to identify those who died in this most recent in-air collision.

Two Planes Collide In Alaska, 4 People Found Dead is a post from: The Inquisitr

This week a 200 million year old fossil skeleton belonging to a Thalattosaur was discovered in Alaska along the shore of a low tide near Tongass National Forest.

According to International Business Times, scientist determined that the skeleton which was submerged in water and rocks is a rare marine creature that last roamed the earth nearly 200 million years ago.

One researcher said of the find:

“Scientists are continuing to dig out the rest of the fossils along with finding the skull which may be buried deep into the beach rocks. They were able to dig out two large slabs of rocks with fossils embedded. The slabs were sent to a museum lab in order to chip out the delicate bones in hopes of revealing one of the most complete Thalattosaur skeleton ever discovered.”

Geologist Dr Jim Baichtal revealed to the Daily Mail that the discovery was a complete surprise:

“We were just having our morning coffee out on the outcropping when somebody said, ‘what’s that?”‘

The Thalattosaur, because it is a sea creature is rarely found in decent condition, in many cases only fragments from the creature are discovered.

Dinosaur Skeleton Found In Alaska [Thalattosaur] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) participated in a roundtable discussion yesterday in Alaska addressing resident concerns that standard pre-flight screening procedures were “too invasive.”

TSA general manager for operations Scott Johnson and Democratic Senator Mark Begich sat down with a handful of travelers Wednesday to tak about the controversial search practice. Among the participants were sexual assault victims and individuals with disabilities, and representatives of both groups called for more sensitivity when TSA officials conduct the searches, as well as the presence of a companion during potential pat downs:

They say they’d like to see a system in which security screeners undergo sensitivity training and they’d also like special privileges; for example allowing a companion to comfort them in the event of a pat-down.

Johnson revealed that the pat downs are a procedure the TSA would eventually like to retire:

Johnson said the TSA is listening and constantly reviewing its procedures. Their goal, Johnson said, is to someday have a “no hands” system in which all screening is done electronically.

Sen. Begich would still like to see some change in the way passengers are treated by the TSA:

“I feel better, but not satisfied until we see some of these efforts they’ve talked about unfold,” said Begich, who in the past has criticized the TSA for its treatment of passengers.

On the internet, the TSA scanners have earned the nickname “pornoscanners” among critics.

TSA Listens to Concerns at Alaska Roundtable is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former Alaska Senator Ted “series of tubes” Stevens and former NASA chief Sean O’Keefe are believed to have been two of the nine people aboard a plane that crashed in Alaska shortly before 9pm last night.

The FAA has indicated that five of the nine died in the crash, but have not yet discovered or disclosed the fates of Senator Stevens or O’Keefe. The former senator’s family issued a statement about the recovery efforts following the crash:

“The Ted Stevens family offers their prayers for all those on board and for their families. We thank the brave men and women who are working to reach the site,” said a family statement read on CNN by Stevens’ former chief of staff, Mitch Rose.

“We continue to work with the Alaska National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alaska state troopers. We thank everyone for their support and prayers,” the statement said.

The former senator’s relatives have not confirmed his presence on the flight, but several family friends speaking on the condition of anonymity have indicated to press that the Senator was onboard the flight. Weather conditions in the area are said to be impeding the effort, but initial reports say that four of the nine people aboard survived.

Former Senator Stevens, former NASA chief O’Keefe on downed plane in Alaska is a post from: The Inquisitr

While the big climate conference in Copenhagen is turning out to more of a train wreak as each day goes by another piece of Alaska disappears in the the fridge ocean water. In what could be considered a microcosm of what will happen around the rest of the world at some point Alaska has found it self at the center of an ecological perfect storm.

It is the combination of three major threats of: less ice, more waves and warmer water, that is causing large portions of the state’s coastline to fall into the ocean. We’re not talking inches here either. In fact the amount of disappearing coastline amounts to 45 feet per year.

This fact was discovered recently by researchers at the University of Boulder in a study co-authored by CU-Boulder Associate Professor Robert Anderson. Anderson is joined by Irina Overeem, of CU’s Institute of Artic and Alpine Reseach, Cameron Wobus, from Stratus Consulting, as well as co-authors Gary Clow and Frank Urban from USGS and Tim Stanton of the Naval Postgraduate School.

The researchers used a variety of instruments and methods in the study to examine the dynamic transition between the land and the sea, including time-lapse photography of shoreline erosion, global positioning systems (GPS), meteorological measurements including temperature and wind speed, and sediment analyses of the coastal bluffs. Offshore measurements included sea-ice distribution, ocean floor depth, sea-surface temperatures and wave dynamics, said Anderson, also a fellow at INSTAAR.

The time-lapse images were taken with four tripod mounted “game cameras” often used by hunters and wildlife biologists and which were set up parallel to the shoreline. The cameras snapped pictures every six hours during the 24-hour summer daylight months to track the effects of the waves on the coastline, said Anderson.

“Once one of these blocks topples, the process continues on to the next block,” Anderson said. “These images are very powerful, because they pick up activity during severe storms when we aren’t there to watch.” The images also illustrate the steady melting along the water’s edge that helps to undermine the bluffs even in the absence of storm activity.

Source: University of Colorado

Here is a video showing some of the time-lapse pictures taken of the erosion in action.

Alaska – disappearing at 45 feet per year is a post from: The Inquisitr

The last time anyone really thought about The Blob was when Steve McQueen starred in the hokey sci-fi slash horror movie. Little did we know though that lurking in the depths of our oceans lived a real Blob which has now decided to surface off of the shores of Alaska (oh that is so open for some Palin jokes).

According to report in the Anchorage Daily News it was some hunters in the Wainwright area who first noticed a thick, dark and gooey mass that has been determined to be drifting for miles in the cold Arctic waters. Officials in tandem with the US Coast Guard flew out to Wainwright to investigate and found ‘globs’ of the stuff floating miles offshore and collected some samples for testing.

Nobody knows for sure what the gunk is, but Petty Officer 1st Class Terry Hasenauer says the Coast Guard is sure what it is not.

"It’s certainly biological," Hasenauer said. "It’s definitely not an oil product of any kind. It has no characteristics of an oil, or a hazardous substance, for that matter.

"It’s definitely, by the smell and the makeup of it, it’s some sort of naturally occurring organic or otherwise marine organism."

Source: Anchorage Daily News – Huge blob of Arctic goo floats past Slope communities

Video of fly over by officials can be seen here

So much for it only happens in the movies eh.

The Blob Lives! is a post from: The Inquisitr

An 81 year old man received a 5 year prison sentence in Fairbanks Alaska on Friday for selling OxyContin, a powerful prescription pain reliever.

Rayfield Dupree, who will turn 82 next month, was originally charged with five felony counts of drugs misconduct, but as a result of a plea deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to one consolidated count.

At nearly 82 years of age, Dupree requires frequent medical care for several ailments, including an irregular heartbeat. He will be eligible for parole after serving 20 months in prison, but medical parole could be granted at any time if necessary.

Alaskan Superior Court Judge, Paul Lyle, has ordered Dupree to report to jail by June 22. Dupree posted bail and has been free since shortly after his arrest in November 2008.

81 Year Old Drug Dealer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison is a post from: The Inquisitr

The eruption started at 11:38 p.m. Sunday local time but was obscured by darkness and snow. The height of the initial burst is believed to be 0,000 ft, with a warning of bursts to 50,000 ft. Notably aircraft between Asia and the East Coast of North America pass in the vicinity for fuel stops on their trips. For example, Hong Kong to Toronto stops in Anchorage. Alaska Airlines is reported to have turned back four flights bound for Anchorage to their cities of origin.

An ash cloud warning is in effect for Anchorage, with ash expected to land at 2am local time across the entire Anchorage area.

Scientists had upped their warning of an eruption in the 12 hours before it happened after a series of some 60 odd small earthquakes in the area.

Alaska’s Mount Redoubt erupts is a post from: The Inquisitr

A commercial aircraft has been reported missing in Alaska.

Alaska State Troopers have begun searching for the aircraft that disappeared from radar approximately 7.5 miles (12km) from Nome, in the North West of the State at 6:30pm local time

Details of the aircraft are sketchy, but it is believed to have been carrying “multiple passengers.”

Update: aircraft has been identified as Frontier Flying Service Flight 8218 coming in from Brevig Mission, Alaska.

Update 2: plane believed to be small, up to 8 passengers.

Update 3: plane believed to be a Piper PA-31 Navajo.

Update 4: image added below shows a pizza delivery on the same make of aircraft as the one missing. Frontier has 11 Piper Navajo’s in its fleet.

Update final: plane has been located, and passengers are said to be safe. No details on why the plane didn’t make the airport.

More when we have it.

Aircraft missing in Alaska, search underway is a post from: The Inquisitr

With Alaska’s Mount Redoubt predicted to blow its top by scientists, the web is offering a variety of different views of the mountain, so you can watch the event if and when it happens.

There are a number of Mount Redoubt webcams, some refreshing more quickly than others

Anchorage weather cam has one shot from Mount Redoubt here, although it’s showing mostly trees and snow at the moment.

AVO has a number of webcams in the area, both on the mountain and looking towards it, with latest data updates from the scene, including seismic activity.

Direct link 1, Direct link 2.

If you know of any more, let us know.

Live coverage of a possible volcano explosion: Mount Redoubt Webcams is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mount Redoubt, an active volcano 100 miles (180kms) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska is rumbling and simmering, with geologists warning an eruption is imminent.

Mount Redoubt has previously erupted in 1902, 1966 and 1989. The eruption in 1989 spewed volcanic ash 45,000 ft (14,000 m) into the air, throwing ash over an area of about 7,700 sq. miles (20,000 km²) including the Anchorage area.

Authorities are warning Alaska residents to prepare a disaster plan, stock up on food and limit outdoor activity.

Volcanic ash features small, jagged pieces of rock and glass that can cause damage by direct exposure.

Alaska Volcano Eruption: Mount Redoubt set to blow is a post from: The Inquisitr