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Still in limbo: Senior health, hunger and finances
Congress is making its end-of-year legislative sprint, with hot-button health care legislation stuck behind critical must-pass spending bills before a government shutdown. But lawmakers often push shutdowns off with temporary all-inclusive spending...
Submit proposals for 2020 American Indian Aging Conference
You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA)’s 2020 American Indian Aging Conference. The conference will be held August 17-21, 2020 in Reno, Nevada at the Nugget Resort & Casino (1100 Nugget...
A working adventure in King Salmon
During my senior year at Glennallen High School, my husband-to-be, Gary, was hired by Woodruff Construction, who had the contract to build an addition to the high school end of the K-12 building. Afte...
Myth surrounds Alaska purchase
One hundred and fifty-two years ago, a ceremony held in Sitka transferred Alaska from Russia to the United States. The agreed-upon purchase price of $7.2 million had been paid earlier in the year. It...
Growing up with 'Dracula' in your blood
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó was a veteran of over 170 stage plays and several silent films in his native Hungary when forced to flee to Germany in 1919 for political reasons. Known under the stage...
Password managers to the rescue
Q. What is a password manager and how does it work? A. Password managers are apps that use a master password to protect confidential information. They enable users to securely store more information than can be memorized. The two common...
The dual stigma of being HIV-positive and over 50
HIV/AIDS used to be considered a disease of the young. In the early 1980s, when doctors first reported cases of HIV, nearly 70% of diagnoses were among people under 40. Fast forward four decades later and more than 50% of Americans with HIV are now...
Tales of The Beast and its admirers
While looking through a box of artwork a while back, I came across an 11-inch by 14-inch pencil drawing of "The Beast." At the bottom right corner were the words: "To Pop... Christmas 1990...love,...
Captain Healy rules Alaska waves
A "floating court" of sorts evolved when justice was meted out from the decks of revenue cutters beginning in the late 1880s. And a commander in the U.S. Revenue Marine, precursor to the U.S. Coast...
Newhart turns 90
Known for his gentle satire, basset hound eyes, and witty routines, former Chicago accountant-turned-comedian Bob Newhart turns 90 this month (Sept. 5). This year is also the 60th anniversary of...
Internet speed, surfing incognito, USB-C flaws
Q. The Internet in my house seems slower than at my local coffee shop. How do I measure the speed and compare the two? A. My favorite test site is located at www.speedof.me. Each connection has three numbers: Ping, Download, and Upload. Ping...
Successful aging and community engagement
The school classroom is filled with children eager to hear stories from Marge, who is volunteering in the classroom. Marge speaks fluent Yup’ik and was raised in the community where she has lived her entire life. In both Yup’ik and English, Marge...
Public assistance allowed my refugee family to build a better future
Born in Santa Ana, Calif., to two Muslim refugee survivors of the Cambodian genocide, Hatefas Yop wasn't aware of her family's use of public services when she was a young girl. After all, her peers...
The discovery day that started the Klondike Gold Rush
Three men found a large deposit of nuggets on Aug. 17, 1896, which started the famed Klondike Gold Rush. George Washington Carmack, who came north in 1885, James Mason, better known as Skookum Jim,...
Celebrating Ernie Kovacs' birth centennial
Opening last summer in Jamestown, New York, the National Comedy Center will launch an exhibition honoring comedian Ernie Kovacs beginning with a Festival on August 7-11 (see www.comedycenter.org). "It...
Disk recovery, lost keys, TV tracking
Q. My computer was crushed in an accident. I was able to rescue the drive from the wreckage, but how do I copy my files onto a new computer? A. This can be a surprisingly complex task. Simply installing the old drive into a new computer will not...
Time is an Eagle: Remembering Edna Woolston
Editor’s note: Long-time Senior Voice readers will remember Edna Woolston’s frequent columns from her home in Sutton, sharing stories about her days there with her husband and their animals, and her thoughts and recollections about many aspects...
Student load debt is a crisis for seniors
If you think America's college loan crisis – with more than $1.5 trillion worth of debt – is only a young person's problem, think again. The federal government is now garnishing the fixed-income Social Security benefits of seniors in its...
Is physical health the be-all to successful aging?
In rural communities across Alaska, it is not uncommon to see young people on four-wheelers or snow machines, riding around town with family and friends and spending time outdoors. On the same roads you see elders walking alone or with others to...
Lessons learned about type 2 diabetes, Native Americans
In the United States, American Indians and Alaska Natives have a greater chance of having type 2 diabetes than any other racial group. This is troubling because without medical intervention, the progression of type 2 diabetes may lead to other...
Social hour a pleasure for both kittens and admirers
What happens when you mix kittens and the residents of Providence Alaska's assisted living facility, Horizon House? You get the Kitten Social Hour! Kitten Social Hour had a humble beginning. An...
Kitchen table became a venue for international sharing
Many diverse conversations took place at our kitchen table when my husband Gary and I lived in Slana, partly because we ran a bed and breakfast in an area of Alaska that is off the beaten trail, but...
Black Wolf Squadron lands in Nome
The U.S. Army Service's famed "Black Wolf Squadron" planted its mark on Alaska history in 1920, when four biplanes flew across our northern skies in an attempt to prove the feasibility of long-distanc...
Terry Moore as Valentino's Lady in Black
Since her first film role in 1940, Terry Moore has appeared on the big screen in each of the subsequent eight decades. Recently celebrating her 90th birthday, the actress plays a lead role in the...
Killing iTunes, dying PCs, and missing email
Q. A few weeks ago I read that Apple was killing iTunes. How will I load music onto my iPod? A. In early June there was a flood of dire sounding news about the end of iTunes. Let me put some of the more alarmist implications to rest. Apple is...
