City of London

Living in London can be a very exciting experience. 

Not many people know that London is known as one of the most visitor friendly cities in the world. You will find hat London is such a highly diversified city with space and a place for everyone to live. Everything you can think of is readily found here where there is a plethora of entertainment media. From ancient museums to modern opera houses, London boasts of a fine mix of people from different races, tribes and cultures.

So, it is possible on a Monday morning to see an asian with an African talking as if there were no racial divide. The exciting nature of this city is thus what is responsible for the mass movement of people towards its hub for either vacations, schooling or work. And be cause of its ever increasing and teeming populace, London always a spot open for anyone who might be interested.

One of the more common bar jobs in London that anyone could easily pick up is the position of a bar tender. This position is commonly occupied by students who have a need to work their way through school. The fact that the job offers the opportunity of a shift also makes it a favorite of most students. The requirements for this job are not much. All you need is the ability to be polite, nice, and friendly as you will be having a lot of contact with people who either club or party. The job rates start from 1000GBP a month. But with continuous efficiency, you can easily get the bar manager to increase the salary.

London’s night life is extremely intoxicating. If you love to club or party, or just like unwinding after a hard day’s work, you would always find a spot for yourself. Someone once said that if you find London boring, then you might as well lie down and die. London has a plethora of entertainment options. For those who love opera music, you would find the opera houses very welcoming as they host some events through the year. If you love clubbing, you will find a vast array of clubs; from rock, to techno, to hip hop, London provides you with all the entertainment you need.

There are various events hosted throughout the year by a number of bodies and organizations. For instance, those who love pop music will find the Party in the Park one day pop event very satisfying. Football fans can watch a live match and participate in the euphoria of knowing that teams like Chelsea FC , and Arsenal have their headquarters in the city.

Art lovers will most definitely find a large collection of museums and art galleries at their disposal. London is home to many historical museums and art galleries. A quick tour of London’s museums will bring you to Tate Modern, and the Design Museum. The Tate Museum boasts of a collection of historical treasures from the 18th century. With all of these and more, you will find visiting London or living in London a pleasant experience.

Alaska Volcanoes

There are approximately 800 active volcanoes in the world. More than 40 of those are in Alaska. Most of Alaska's volcanoes are along the Aleutian Arc, extending westward from central Alaska along the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands toward eastern Russia. This is also the northern portion of the Ring of Fire, where the Pacific plate meets other plates. The plates move a lot here, causing earthquakes and volcanic activity.

 
One of the greatest eruptions in history was the 1912 eruption of volcanoes in what is now Katmai National Park and Preserve, on the Alaska Peninsula. The explosions lasted two days and sent about seven cubic miles of ash and pumice, or light rock full of air pockets, into the air. The wind blew the volcanic ash more than 100 miles away, to the town of Kodiak. Up to 12 inches of ash caused serious problems in Kodiak. It damaged buildings, cars and airplanes and polluted the water supply. Smaller ash falls reached Fairbanks, 500 miles away; Juneau, 750 miles away; and Puget Sound, 1,500 miles away. Volcanic material also filled a glacier-carved valley and formed what is known today as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. For more than 50 years, scientists believed Mount Katmai was the source of the eruption, but they later found that almost all of the magma that erupted came from the nearby Novarupta volcano. 

Scientists are keeping a close eye on three volcanoes west of Cook Inlet near Anchorage. They are Augustine, Spurr and Redoubt.
The Augustine volcano has been the most active volcano in the Cook Inlet region, erupting at least twice in the 1800s and four times in the last 100 years. An eruption in 1883 sent a tsunami, a giant sea wave, hurling toward the small fishing village of English Bay. The 30-foot wave destroyed boats and buildings, but luckily no one was killed. In 1986, ash blew out of the volcano, as well as giant white clouds of steam. Ash fell over the entire Kenai Peninsula and other areas, including Anchorage. 

On June 27, 1992, Mount Spurr burst into eruption, shooting a mushroom cloud thousands of feet into the air. The ash cloud traveled over Cook Inlet into Anchorage, about 80 miles away. No lava came out of the volcano. It erupted again in July, August and September, blanketing Anchorage with more ash. It took several months to clean up all the ash. Before these eruptions, the volcano had been quiet for nearly 39 years. The ash caused millions of dollars of damage.

Mount Redoubt's 1989-1990 eruption proved very damaging. Volcanic ash caused severe damage to aircraft and left some businesses and homes in Anchorage without power. The ash cloud was so thick, it turned daylight into darkness. Some schools even had to close. The explosion sent ash avalanches down a nearby glacier. The ash flows and floods from the melting glacier slowed oil production in Cook Inlet for several weeks. It was Redoubt's fourth and most damaging eruption of this century. The volcano also erupted in 1902, 1966 and 1967-68.

Alaska Volcano Observatory

Scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage keep track of the many volcanoes in Alaska. They gather information day and night about volcanoes from seismograph machines that let them know when the earth is rumbling. 
 

Since volcanoes often make a lot of noise before they blow, scientists are able to warn us ahead of time of possible eruptions. The Alaska Volcano Observatory uses a color code to let people know how dangerous the eruption may be. Still, scientists are not 100 percent sure how powerful an eruption may be.

The Good Friday Earthquake - Alaska 1964

Alaska has hundreds of earthquakes each year.

Most of them are small and happen on the Aleutian Chain, where there are also several volcanoes.
Sometimes smaller earthquakes called aftershocks happen after a big earthquake.
Although aftershocks are not as strong, they can still cause weakened buildings to collapse.

The March 27, 1964 Good Friday earthquake measured 8.6 on the Richter scale, but was later bumped up to 9.2, which makes it the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America.
It lasted nearly four minutes.

During the earthquake, streets in Anchorage cracked wide open.
The quake was so strong, it knocked down buildings and split houses in half.
The walls in dozens of downtown shops collapsed, destroying things inside.
In the Turnagain Heights area, the bluff slid to the ocean. Seventy-five homes were carried away into Cook Inlet and destroyed.
The earthquake's epicenter was in Prince William Sound, about 80 miles east of Anchorage. It started about 12 ½ miles below the Earth's surface.

The Good Friday earthquake was one of the strongest earthquakes in over 400 years. Nine people were killed in Anchorage and more than 100 died in other areas.



Some cities close to the ocean were hit with a tsunami, a huge sea wave unleashed by the earthquake. The giant waves, some as big as 50 feet high, flooded Seward, Valdez, Kodiak and other coastal communities. They washed out fisheries and destroyed boats and homes. Some of the waves traveled all the way down the West Coast of North America and hit Hawaii.

Most people who live in Alaska have felt an earthquake. Luckily, most of the earthquakes are small and don't cause any damage. Still, nobody really knows when a big earthquake will hit, but scientists are trying to figure out ways to predict them.

Alaska Education

Alaska's far flung school districts, in urban communities and small villages, are bound together today through the Internet, which allows for extensive access to resources within the state and world wide. 

Great distances between communities prompted as early as 1939 establishment of the Alaska Central School based in Juneau, which provides free home schooling by corresondence courses for thousands of students, grades kindergarten through high school. In 1999 alone, Alyeska Central School served some 3,500 students at all grade levels. Students participate for a variety of reasons, from a specific preference for home schooling to inability to attend public school, for medical reasons or because the student is traveling.

The University of Alaska, founded in 1917 in Fairbanks as Alaska Agriculture College and School of Mines, by a special act of the Alaska Territorial Legislature, is today a multi-campus university. The university's statewide system, created in 1975, gave the Anchorage and Juneau campuses their own central staff and chancellor, although the statewide president and administration remain in Fairbanks. For information on specific campuses and updates on all university events, see http://info.alaska.edu/. 

Through campuses at Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, plus smaller facilities in communities statewide, and distance delivery systems, thousands of students study vocational, undergraduate and graduate level courses, through the statewide system. 

Alaska Pacific University, a private liberal arts college adjacent to the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, also offers undergraduate and graduate school degrees in a number of fields.

Alaska Economy

The oil and gas industry is the largest measure of the state's economy, with nearly 85 percent of the state budget supplied by oil revenues.

Thousands of residents are employed in oilfield-elated occupations. The buy-out of Arco by British Petroleum will result in upwards of 400 fewer jobs in the industry.
Tourism, commercial fishing, timber, mining and farming also
play an important role in the economy. The tourism industry, which attracts over one million visitors annually, is moving to boost year-round tourism.

Commercial fishermen harvest nearly six billion pounds of seafood, including millions of wild salmon, and groundfish, from fisheries carefully monitored by state and federal fisheries biologists. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, lending support to entrepreneurs of new seafood products, is a major sponsor of the annual Symphony of Salmon competition to promote new value-added wild Alaska salmon products.

Alaska's timber industry supplies world markets with logs, lumber, pulp and other forest products from Chugach National Forest and Tongass National Forest, a 16.8-million-acre rain forest, plus state and private land holdings.

Alaska contains half the nation's coal reserves and its
largest silver and zinc mines. Gold glittering in Alaska streams and mountains still lures miners to work corporate and private claims.

The Alaska Miners Association (http://www.alaskaminers.org) formed in 1939, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 1999.

The mining industry provided some 3,452 full-time equivalent jobs in 1998, the latest year such statistics are available. Rising gold prices in late 1999 boosted industry spirits.

About 15 million acres of soil in Alaska are suitable for
farming, including one million acres currently in farms. Long summer days produce vegetables of extraordinary size, including cabbages weighing more than 90 pounds and 20-pound zucchini squash. There is a growing movement in the lush Matanuska Valley north of Anchorage for more organic crops.

Labor and industry trends are tracked by economists with the AlaskaDepartment of Labor and published monthly in Alaska Economic Trends.
In addition, rural Alaska has a substantial subsistence economy, with many residents dependent on fish, moose, caribou, seals, walrus and whales to feed their families. The subsistence lifestyle is important for its sustenance, as well as its historic cultural role in the lives of many Alaskans.

Alaska - Ketchikan

The indigenous peoples of Southeast Alaska discovered Revillagigedo Island, where Ketchikan is situated, long before Capt. George Vancouver explored the area in 1793.

He named the island after the Viceroy of Mexico, in recognition of the Spanish exploration of the Inside Passage, which had occurred just one year before.

Early Native residents valued the area at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek for its abundant salmon returns each summer and established a fish camp there to catch and prepare food for the winter. When Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, U.S. fishing interests began to investigate, purchased land and eagerly established a fish saltery in Ketchikan and nearby Loring in the 1880s. Ketchikan was already regarded as a commercial center in 1887, serving as a supply source for prospectors heading to the gold fields of the Yukon, and becoming a new home for those without the means to continue north. In the year 1900, 800 residents signed a petition to incorporate into a city. Area residents, businesses and organizations will host a variety of events throughout the year to celebrate the first 100 years of Ketchikan’s history.

From centennial themed annual events to new activities planned just for the occasion, Ketchikan loves a party and the Centennial promises plenty.

Getting Here by Air

The journey is half the fun

Alaska Airlines

Ketchikan is just 90 minutes by air from Seattle, with several daily flights in and out provided by Alaska Airlines.  Scheduled daily jet service is also available to and from Anchorage, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Wrangell.
Ketchikan International Airport is located on Gravina Island, a five minute ferry ride to town. Airport shuttle vans and a water taxi service meet all flights, transporting passengers and luggage from baggage claim to your Ketchikan destination. Connections to outlying areas via wheeled and floatplanes are available at the airport. Ground service and parking space is also available for private aircraft traveling to Ketchikan.

Floatplanes

Local commuter air carriers connect Ketchikan with all of the outlying communities of southern Southeast Alaska, and Prince Rupert, Canada. The aircraft are called “floatplanes” because of the large floats that allow them to take off and land safely on the water. Floatplanes can land in bays and harbors to access waterfront communities and on lakes to reach remote recreation areas and fishing hot spots.

These folks are ready to help

Alaska Airlines
P.O. Box 68900, Seattle, WA 98168
800-426-0333, www.alaskaair.com

Ketchikan International Airport Transportation Services
(private aircraft )
1000 Airport Terminal Bldg., Ketchikan, AK 99901
907-225-6800
http://borough.ketchikan.ak.us

 Getting Here by Sea

 

Cruise Lines

Ketchikan is a major cruise ship port along the Inside Passage, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Cruise lines calling in Ketchikan include American West Steamboat Co., Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Clipper Cruise Line, Cruise West, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas.  Ketchikan’s friendly citizens, scenic beauty and wide range of shore excursions and activities consistently rank it among the most popular ports of call among passengers.

Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS)

The Alaska Marine Highway System operated by the State of Alaska, maintains a fleet of ferries connecting Ketchikan with the lower 48 states, and Canada to the rest of Alaska’s Inside Passage. Ferries range from day boats to full-service vessels accommodating passengers with staterooms, food and beverage service and vehicle transport.  The scenic ferry trip north from Bellingham, Washington takes 36 hours, from Prince Rupert, B.C. 6 hours. Convenient connections are available to Metlakatla, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Juneau, Haines and Skagway with regular service to Southcentral Alaska via Seward.  Vessels accommodate vehicles of any size.

Inter-Island ferry service

The Inter-Island ferry service operates daily service to and from Prince of Wales Island. The terminal located in Hollis provides access to other communities via the Prince of Wales road system.

Private vessels

Ketchikan has plenty of moorage for visiting yachts and private boaters and can provide any needed marine services including fuel, boater’s supplies and repair services as well as a shipyard capable of hauling out most sizes of vessels.

These folks are ready to help

Alaska Marine Highway System Reservations
6858 Glacier Hwy.
Juneau, AK 99802-5535
800-642-0066
www.alaska.gov/ferry

City of Ketchikan Ports and Harbors Department
334 Front Street, Ketchikan, AK 99901
Phone: (907) 225-3111
www.city.ketchikan.ak.us


Inter-Island Ferry AuthorityCall Toll Free 866-308-4848
www.interislandferry.com

Alaska Tourist Information

Where is the best place to get tourist information?

If you are planning a trip to Alaska, we suggest that you contact The Alaska Public Lands Information Center (APLIC). 

 

 

Alaska's State and Federal public lands are rich and varied. 

Agencies serviced by the APLIC are: 

National Park Service 

U.S. Forest ServiceU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceU.S. Geological Survey 

Alaska Division of Tourism

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Alaska Department of Fish & Game.

 

Whether you hike, camp, photograph, hunt, fish, take a scenic drive or want to rent a remote cabin, the APLIC can provide you information in Anchorage,Fairbanks, Ketchican, and Tok.

 

 

Fish and wildlife information, trip planning, natural and cultural resources exhibits, films and videos, book and map sales, recreation, and visitor information and interpretive programs are available.

 

 

The phone numbers are: Anchorage: 907-271-2737, Fairbanks: 907-456-0527, Ketchican: 907-288-6234, and Tok: 907-883-5667. 

 

Their address in Anchorage:

Alaska Public Lands Information Center

605 West Fourth Avenue, Suite 105

Anchorage, Alaska 99501