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Social distancing shouldn't lead to social isolation
Even in the best of times, social isolation is a significant problem. In Alaska, 42,898 people over the age of 50 live alone and are at higher risk of social isolation, which is now magnified by the “social distancing” requirements across the...
The doctor is in on your nearest screen, hopefully.
With social distancing, depression, isolation and loneliness hitting the nation’s seniors particularly hard as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government has made big changes to Medicare to help doctors reach patients easier witho...
Improving Alzheimer's awareness with innovative research on Arab Americans
The Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer's Disease (MCCFAD) is a newly formed Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, housed at the University of Michigan and funded by the...
Have a pet care plan in place in case of COVID-19
In our last article, we talked about having an emergency plan for your pets in case of natural disasters. The current COVID-19 public health crisis is a reminder that we need pet care plans not just...
Spring crane sightings prompt reminiscing
"Look! Look! Look!" I excitedly exclaimed to my almost 16-year old son as I pointed to the field on our left. We were driving past one of the many grain fields in the Matanuska Valley where we live....
The last dog sled mail service
The establishment of airplane competition didn't stop Chester Noongwook of St. Lawrence Island from continuing his dog sled mail service run until 1963. His was the last mail delivery of its kind in...
Paul Petersen remembers TV mom, Donna Reed
While most of us will be remembering mothers on May 10 this year, entertainers who worked as child actors in television sitcoms may also have special memories of their 'TV mom.' For Paul Petersen,...
Never let a crisis go to waste
This is the second time in less than two years I have written this column in the wake of a major traumatic event. A few days after the 2018 earthquake, I used that event to remind people that...
Computer tune-ups, anti-virus, voice assistants
Q. What is an effective way to keep my laptop running like new? A. There is a powerful technique that can work miracles, but it also requires great care — reinstall the operating system. This is not the best option for everyone, but done properly i...
Getting diverse elders ready for the 2020 Census
By now, every home in the United States should have received an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census, our once-in-a-decade opportunity to ensure that our communities are counted. Census results help determine how billions of dollars in...
Alaskans, your service is needed
Where were you when the pandemic came to Alaska? Future generations will demand an answer from each of us. Did we change our habits to protect the vulnerable? Did we make sure our elderly neighbors had everything they needed? Long after the virus...
Prop 7 passage is vital to Anchorage seniors
Thousands of Anchorage area seniors, youngsters and others need help from voters in this spring’s municipal election. Voting begins after ballots go in the mail on March 17 and ends on April 7 when the polls close. I ask voters in the Municipality...
Washington Watch: High drug costs top voter concern
Despite a genuine consensus that something must be done, Congressional efforts to rein in drug prices remain stalled and more than likely dead until after the November elections. Even with rhetoric rising on how important controlling drug prices is...
Parkinson's and pingpong; shingles vaccine and stroke
Protecting yourself from COVID-19 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that the new novel corona virus will be spreading around the country and everyone in Alaska should be as pre...
Washing was part of the price of log homes
I welcome the sight of springtime sunlight streaming through the south facing windows of my home, but along with that comes noticing dirt on the window glass and a thicker than usual layer of...
Alaska produces its first homegrown movie
Movies about Alaska, mostly based on books by Jack London and Rex Beach, thrilled audiences during the early 1900s. But all motion pictures were filmed outside of Alaska. So when a group of Oregon...
France Nuyen's amazing Hollywood journey
France Nuyen remains astonished not only by her successful Hollywood career, but by her very survival. Turning 80 last year, Nuyen is still beloved by Star Trek fans for her role of Elaan, the...
What does a Miller Trust actually do?
I’m keeping a list of the most frustrating myths I run into. First on the list, without a doubt, is the belief that a will avoids probate (it doesn’t). A close second is the myth that a Miller...
App Store permissions, internet self-care, new drive storage
Q. I was tempted by an app on the Microsoft App Store but stopped when I saw the permission list: “Access all your files, peripheral devices, apps, programs, and registry.” Do I have to let them breach my security? A. Any sort of restriction on...
2020 Census is vital for American Indians and Alaska Natives
American Indians and Alaska Natives are the ethnic group with the highest undercount of any defined by the Census Bureau. Approximately 4.9 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives were undercounted by the 2010 Census. The reasons for this...
Emergencies happen. Are your pets prepared?
Wildfire. Earthquake. Winter storm. Windstorm. Any of these events can, and have, happened in Alaska. And any of them can result in you and your pet having to either shelter-in-place or evacuate. Are...
"Please return" letters yield surprise family treasure
My mother's handwriting jumped out at me as I pulled out the contents of a 1960s-era postmarked envelope. What a wonderful surprise, I thought, as I read her letter and set it aside. I was half an...
Anchorage booming into a 'Baghdad on the Tundra'
By the early 1950s, the tent city at the mouth of Ship Creek had turned into a bustling, modern city. Clifford Cernick wrote that Anchorage was much like Baghdad in an article that appeared in the...
Pat Priest remembers Munsters fondly
When Universal Pictures assembled the cast of the popular TV series "The Munsters" for the big screen adaption in the 1966 film "Munster, Go Home!" another actress replaced Pat Priest as Marilyn...
Analysis: Health, money, politics -- what's in it for you (or not)?
President Donald Trump recently has been making a striking claim – insisting he has ensured that people with preexisting medical conditions continue to have health insurance coverage. In tweets, at campaign rallies and even at his recent State of...
