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Positive paradigms emerging for long term care living
So far, almost 40 percent of the nation's more than 240,000 COVID-19 deaths are from seniors living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. As the coronavirus pushes into what...
December is Spiritual Literacy Month
Spiritual Literacy Month is an annual designation observed in December. This December, broaden your mind and challenge yourself to read a book (or five) about spirituality, faith or religion. It’s important to remember that you can be spiritual...
Even Alaskan dogs must dress for the weather
We're Alaskans. Cold and snow doesn't keep us, or our canine companions, inside. As you're donning your coat, mittens, hat and warm boots, have you ever wondered if you should be dressing your dog...
Alaska's first law officer knew crime well
Alaska's first law officer in the Interior knew a thing or two about the criminal element. Frank Canton, appointed deputy marshal for Circle in winter 1898, had served with distinction as a peace...
Neil Sedaka still singing through the pandemic
Many performers have recorded videos of encouragement for fans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic months. But few, if any, have been as prolific as Neil Sedaka. With more than 150 mini-concerts posted s...
Entertaining novels about people our age
Every day I take a 45-minute walk around my neighborhood, and the last few months I have noticed something rather curious. Every week or two I walk past a car parked in the street with someone just sitting in it, often reading a book. I don’t...
The only constant is change – try to keep up
You have the advantage over me, Dear Reader. You know how the election turned out. Oh, I have a general idea. As I write this, it is November 4, the day after the election. At this point it looks...
Slowing computer, AppleTV explained, family memories online
Q. My computer slows down the longer I use it. A restart will make it better for an hour, but I fear this problem will get worse. A. Computers slow down for many reasons. When a computer slows down, it generally means a resource is constrained. The m...
Jack Roderick and one memorable convention
Editor’s note: The recent death of former Anchorage borough mayor and long-time community booster Jack Roderick brought back lots of memories and stories, including this one from Older Persons Action Group staff worker Sheila Abbott Patterson,...
Activist elders remind us history isn't just lived, it's made
As we conclude our celebration of LGBT History Month, we must recognize how LGBT history has been told. For decades, the trailblazing work of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) LGBT pioneers has been eclipsed by white and cisgender...
Every Thanksgiving memorable in its own way
Thanksgiving means different things to different people. For me as a child growing up in Glennallen, it meant a big turkey dinner that we always ate with just our family of six. Dinner was served at t...
This is your 100th birthday, Anchorage!
Technically speaking, Anchorage was born in November 1920. According to information gleaned by the League of Women Voters many years ago, it was eligible to become a first-class city because it had a...
Daughter recalls Thanksgiving with Natalie Wood
With the holidays approaching, seasonal movie favorites will soon be inching their way into television schedules. While considered perennial Christmas entertainment fare, the opening scenes of "Mirac...
Entertaining novels about people our age
How about a novel that features characters "of a certain age"? And how about a book that is entertaining, totally engrossing, and makes you smile at least some of the time? Perhaps something that will...
Tackling the $15,000 tax question
The most stubborn myths usually start with a kernel of truth, which is then taken out of context. For instance, this is true: “You can give up to $15,000 away each year, tax-free”. But from that...
Apple Watch SE, rechargeable AA batteries, VPNs
Q. What is the one tech gadget you would miss the most if it were suddenly gone? A. Of all the gadgets I own, the one I use most often in my daily life is the Apple Watch. Here are the highlights: I use the watch to play music and podcasts. At most...
Social Security: Policy, politics, fact and fiction
The misleading ads and distorted facts have not quite hit the level of the 2011 classic “granny off the cliff” political ad where an elderly woman was being foisted from her wheelchair over the edge of a cliff, which then-House Speaker Paul Ryan...
Slana phone hack was retro, but effective
"Where have you guys been all week?" our son, Patrick, demanded when I answered the phone one morning back in October 1999. He was calling from his home in Colorado. "We haven't gone anywhere. Why,...
Sourdough governor understands Alaskans
Alaska's governor from 1933 to 1939 believed that more people and more roads would help the territory achieve statehood. And John Weir Troy, who came to Alaska during the gold rush in 1897, thought a...
'Night of the Living Dead' still lives for Judith O'Dea
When Halloween returns each October, so do the 50-year-old memories for actress Judith O'Dea who starred as Barbra in the 1968 horror classic "Night of the Living Dead" as one of several characters...
To have and to hold (together) is not so easy in Alaska
Al Martinez was a longtime syndicated newspaper columnist. Toward the end of his career, he said that of all the controversial subjects he had written about (including a lot of articles about...
New life into old computers, unwanted alerts, iPhone security
Q. I have several old computers in my garage that are just taking up space. Before I send them to the recycler, I wonder if there is anything useful I could do with them. A. Working from home and remote learning has increased the demand for...
Where the two presidential candidates stand on senior issues
Major-party presidential candidates Trump and Biden have dramatically different visions for the future on health care issues. So in assessing their policy positions, it's also important to look at...
How does unemployment affect Social Security's solvency?
Social Security’s finances depend largely on payroll taxes, tying the strength of Social Security to the strength of the U.S. economy. The U.S. unemployment rate was more than 13.3% through May. That was worse than the 2009 Great Recession,...
Staying home doesn't have to be boring – for you or your cat
Although staying inside may be new, and a bit challenging, to us, it isn't new for our house cats. They know that inside your home is the safest place to be. While finding ways to keep yourself...
