Sorted by date Results 164 - 188 of 1188
While I am writing this month’s article, we are in the last few days of the annual Open Enrollment Period, when you may sign up to change your enrollment in a Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan. This period occurs annually from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7; changing your plan at other times of the year may require you to be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period. But what if you don’t meet this requirement, and your prescription drug cost share (the amount you pay when you pick up the prescripti...
Pickleball, a funny name for the fastest growing sport for several years now. My office at The Alaska Club East is near the area where we have our pickup pickleball games. The sounds are iconic – the paddle hitting the ball, the ball bouncing on the floor, the shoes squeaking. However, it's always more than these mechanical sounds. There are oohs, ahhs, "I got it", high fives and laughter, so much laughter. Players are in love with the game of pickleball. It addresses so many needs – act...
The ice, snow and cold of wintertime are hazards, but with caution and preparation, people can stay safe and enjoy the winter season with a decreased risk of falls and injuries. This is vitally important for people with poor balance, but applies to everybody. Keep clear pathways and remove tripping dangers. Keep walkways and hallways clear of clutter and debris and make sure there are no tangled extension cords or other hazards. Improving lighting, placing handrails on both sides of stairs, and...
My daughter Erin called from her home in Colorado and left a voice message, "Call me when convenient. I want to talk about quilt batting." Erin had recently resumed work on the corduroy quilt she started over 20 years ago. The top was finished and she wanted to put the layers together, bind it and tie it. This was the same daughter who greatly disliked sewing in seventh grade Home-Ec class at Colony Middle School. It was too structured. She was more of the "creative" type. I'm glad she...
A little "two-by-four" island, a couple of miles off the city of Kodiak, has several Alaska firsts. The first horses in Alaska were brought here, the first road constructed, the Territory's first iron rails put in, and the first field of oats was sown: all to support a sawmill. The sawmill established on Woody Island was perhaps unique in commercial enterprises because its main product was sawdust. And the sawmill, the iron rails, Alaska's first road, and first horses were the result of what...
For those who keep track of Hollywood nuptials, the title of Joyce Bulifant's 2017 autobiography may not represent a marital world record, but it's certainly an attention grabber. The actress, who co-starred in TV series such as "Flo" and "Mary Tyler Moore," recounted her life and career in "My Four Hollywood Husbands." Bulifant describes how alcohol influenced her four hubbies: "Hawaii Five-O" star James ("Danno") MacArthur; TV/film producer, director and screenwriter William Asher; "Days of...
When you were a kid, there was a standard protocol for choosing sides in a pickup game. The two best players—and everybody knew who they were—did some little contest to see who would pick first. If it was basketball, whoever made a shot first got to choose first. In baseball they did that funny thing where they went hand over hand on the bat. And then they took turns picking the players for their team. Of course there were only a limited number of choices for each pick, namely whoever was sta...
Q. I got a new computer this year as a gift, are there any essential apps I should install? A. If you have been purchasing computers or phones for many years, it’s likely you’ve become habituated to installing special software soon after purchase. One of the best aspects of new devices is that every PC, Mac, smartphone and tablet sold today comes with a powerful bundle of free software. There is usually no need to go beyond the bundled software unless something does not fit your workflow, and the short list of exceptions grows shorter each yea...
When and why did you come to Alaska? I was swept up in that back-to-the-land movement of the late 60s, early 70s. And so was my husband at the time. He had gone to Alaska a couple of years prior. We had known each other from college. He liked what he saw and he wanted to go back, so we were married and drove up the Alcan in '71. It was in our VW bus after he'd outfitted it with the bed and the Coleman stove-and all that romantic notion of going off into nowhere. In my younger years I wanted to...
Q: I have seen an internist and a gastroenterologist, but still have unexplained chronic ailments. What else can I do? A: With advances in internet searches and artificial intelligence (AI), it is tempting to self-diagnose. Don’t do it. Leave the analysis for professional providers. What you can do while searching for answers is to approach the situation like a mystery—by thoroughly and systematically cataloging your symptoms. Here are a few easy steps to take. Approach each medical mystery wit...
Choosing a medical provider can be both challenging and overwhelming for many patients. Here in the Great Land, Alaskans often travel significant distances to obtain healthcare. Medicare can help, when searching for and finding a provider. You can also save money by choosing providers who accept Medicare assignment. This last term, “assignment,” is an important one to remember, especially if you are newly enrolled in Medicare. First, a brief introduction to finding health care providers, fro...
As cold winter months intensify, it’s important that drivers take prepare their vehicles in case of snowstorms and the like. It’s especially important to have the proper supplies and safety items on hand in case you get stuck or stranded while driving in wintry conditions. Being prepared can help ensure your safety and peace of mind. One of the most important things to pack is a basic emergency kit. This should include items like blankets, warm clothing layers, gloves, hats, food that won...
The small space between Mt. Sanford drive and Crossroads Clinic didn't seem big enough to hold the log church building from my childhood memories. How could the main room with the cathedral ceiling, the two-story Sunday school addition, the outhouses, the "extra room" mobile home, and all those parked cars possibly fit on that small piece of land? These were my thoughts back in December 1999, as I stared at the empty space where the Glennallen Community Chapel once stood. We had recently moved...
Bird Treatment and Learning Center (Bird TLC) has ten Ambassador Birds in our education program. We could not release these birds back to the wild due to the severity of their injuries or because they are habituated to or imprinted on humans. Two of these birds are snowy owls, an iconic bird of the far North. Many of us don't have the opportunity to see these owls because they are found primarily on the Arctic tundra. Our Ambassador snowy owl, Annik, whose name means "blizzard" in Iñupiaq,...
When the U.S. Government needed them, Alaska's Native population came out in droves. From the beaches of Bristol Bay to the far corners of Bethel, Kotzebue and Barrow, villagers didn't hesitate to provide Alaska with a line of defense after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Col. Marvin "Muktuk" Marston, who'd been put in charge of organizing the Alaska Territorial Guard, traveled along 5,200 miles of western Alaska coastline to personally address the Natives, including a stop in...
If reading bedtime stories to the grandkids is a cherished family tradition, Eddie Muller has an unusual tale to share this holiday season: a gritty feline sleuth searches for a stolen artifact while encountering a host of seedy underground characters prowling through a shadowy urban setting. If that sounds like the plot from 1940s film noir cinema, you're no dope. In his first published children's book, "Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey," the Turner Classic Movies host has...
I enjoy watching the presidential debates every four years. I think the first one I saw was Carter-Ford in 1976, when I wasn’t even old enough to vote. But there is a common mistake that candidates make in these debates. They assume that everyone watching knows about all of the stuff which the political reporters have been talking about all week. A lot of the most critical swing voters —the ones who are actually watching to decide who to vote for, as opposed to just rooting for their fav...
Q. Is there a way to get a refund for apps purchased in an online store? A. There are numerous app stores but the two largest are from Apple and Google, and both offer a refund process. Keep in mind that there are two types of purchases. One type is the cost of the app itself and the other type is an in-app purchase or subscription. The rules are different depending on the purchase type. Requesting a refund for the purchase price of an app is straightforward. In-app subscriptions are much more varied, policies are affected by terms and...
Q: I am feeling stuck in life. A counselor recommends I complete aptitude testing to help gauge my interests, preferences, etc. I’m skeptical since I’m in my 60s. How would it benefit me? A: When people find themselves at a career crossroads, entering retirement, or perhaps yearning to make a life transition, often it is difficult to determine what future possibilities exist. In order to make choices that fit your personality, your skill set, or do what makes you happy, think of ways to tur...
During Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period, you will likely experience more marketing from private Medicare insurance providers, such as Part D prescription drug plans. Companies try to reach consumers in various ways, like television commercials, radio ads, events, mailings, phone calls and texts. The government has rules, though, to protect you from forceful or misleading marketing. Knowing the rules and red flags can help you make the best choices for yourself during Open Enrollment. M...
The holidays are a time for celebration with loved ones, and to share stories about the past year. However, it's important to remember that safety should always be a top priority so that we can make it to the next year's celebration, too. Bringing guests into your home can increase your risks, but there are ways to address that. Prepare your home. Before your guests arrive, take some time to prepare your home for safety. This includes removing any tripping hazards like loose rugs or cords. Ensur...
"Oh!" I said looking around at the ladies. "Did I tell you that I'm going to be a grandma?" A jumble of congratulatory words followed as well as comments and stories about grandmas and grandchildren. We were a group of ten women sitting around tables having a "card party" at our little local church in Slana back in November 2005. Conversation flowed freely at these once-a-month, all day affairs. We weren't playing pinochle or poker-we were making greeting cards. I had attended my first session...
Many adventurous souls headed north during the 1890s after prospectors first discovered coarse placer gold in the Yukon River basin on Fortymile River. But a widowed German immigrant who traveled that arduous route was in search of something much more precious: her son. Anna DeGraf, who lost her husband in the West many years before, climbed the Chilkoot Trail in 1894 at the age of 55. She hoped to find her youngest son, George, who'd left Seattle for the gold-filled Yukon region a few years...
In her new book, "Connecticut in the Movies" released in October, actress Illeana Douglas explores Hollywood's long love affair with the Constitution State. "The book features movies from the silent era to modern films that were either shot in Connecticut or featured the state in some way in the storyline or production," Douglas told me when we met at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, this past summer. "On the one hand, you've got country-living comedies...
The most interesting thing about Twitter is that they changed their name to “X” and yet the ZZ Top song, “I Heard it on the X” has not been trending. But that has nothing to do with my topic today, so I’ll move on. The second most interesting thing about Twitter is that you get these conversations among experts in a particular field, but people who don’t know anything about that field get to wander in and out of the conversation. That can be fun, but it also leads to confusion and misinformat...
