Hurricane Ida Weakens; Area Schools Close

NEW ORLEANS --

A weakened Hurricane Ida moved through the Gulf of Mexico early Monday, forecast to skirt the mouth of the Mississippi River before making landfall in Florida on Tuesday.A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning is in effect from Grand Isle, La., to Pascagoula, Miss., as the Category 1 storm headed toward the Gulf Coast. The storm was downgraded overnight, with maximum sustained winds now at 80 mph.Read more

The Berlin Wall: Timeline

THE SCENE IS SET: 1945- 1961

May 1945: The final major offensive of the Second World War sees the Soviet Army capture Berlin. With the end of the War on May 8th, Berlin is split into four sectors; The British, American and French in the West of the city and the Soviet in the East.

October 29, 1946: Travel restrictions are introduced for movement between the Soviet and Western administered sectors in Germany. A travel document known as an Interzonenpass is required to cross between them.

June 24, 1948: The Soviets block rail and road access to Berlin in an effort to force the Allies to use supplies from the Russian held sector of the city, which would give them de-facto control over the whole of Berlin. In response the Allies begin the Berlin Airlift to keep the city supplied with food and fuel.

May 12, 1949: By the following spring, more supplies are reaching Berlin than when the traditional routes were open, and the Soviets end the blockade as it becomes clear that their strategy is failing. The airlift ends almost five months later.

October 7, 1949: The German Democratic Republic (GDR) is declared in East Berlin, formalising the separation that had been established in the aftermath of the war.

May 26, 1952: The border between East and West Germany is closed every where apart from Berlin, where a crossing remains open.Read more

University of Alaska Anchorage

This is the newest building at the University of Alaska Anchorage, compliments of ConocoPhillips, and formally named the Integrated Science Building (CPISB). Recently opened this fall, it is eco-friendly, with State-of-the-Art construction, dedicated to similar instruction, research, and interdisciplinary science. The public was invited to the opening program, and were overwhelmed by this 120,000-square-foot facility. In addition to the three modules, or wings, adjacent to the glass atrium is a 64-seat digital planetarium, with a 33 foot dome that projects a seamless image over the entire dome surface, with a sound system to match.Read More

UAA online, University of Alaska Anchorage

UAA online, University of Alaska Anchorage:- University of Alaska Women’s Bazaar opens holiday shopping with big crowd.

Scarves, jewelry, watercolors and wood carvings were just the beginning of the University Women’s Association 41st annual holiday bazaar, which saw a near-record turnout this weekend inside the University of Alaska Fairbanks Wood Center.

If the attendance level is any indication of a healthy economy, bazaar co-chairwoman Georgene Nielson said, Fairbanks is doing pretty well.

Within 15 minutes of closing Sunday afternoon, the Wood Center was still packed with anxious holiday shoppers eager to find that unique gift with an Alaska flair. Read more