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On March 30, 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and Russian minister to the United States Edouard de Stoeckl exchanged copies of the Treaty of Cession, whereby America agreed to pay Russia $7.2 million for the territory of Alaska. The formal transfer of the territory did not happen until several months later, but Seward had been wanting Alaska for years before he finally succeeded in obtaining it. "Standing here and looking far off into the northwest, I see the Russian as he busily...
This column is primarily for beginners who want to buy their first paddle, but don't know where to start. I recommend buying a less expensive paddle to get you going just to see if this game is for you. If you find it's not, you hurt yourself, or you want to upgrade to a better paddle, you can always donate that cheaper paddle to your local club or school. I started by buying a very basic lightweight paddle from Pickle-ball, Inc. (the company formed by the inventors of the game). It was a...
For those of us who lived through the 70s and 80s, the comedic impressionist Rich Little was everywhere on television. While he guest-starred in many classic TV shows, Little will always be remembered for his hilarious appearances on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast TV series in the 1970s and early 80s. "I look back on those Dean Martin Roasts – and I did 24 of them – with much affection," said Little from Las Vegas, where he has been a long-time resident. "Aside from Ruth Buzzi, I'm the only reg...
Taxes can really take a bite out of your estate. You worked hard, you saved some of what you made instead of spending it all, and from what’s left, Uncle Sam might just take nearly 40%. Forty percent. Yeah, almost that much. I’m not really talking about the estate tax here. Yes, the federal estate tax (call it “death tax” if you prefer) is a flat 40% rate. But it only applies if your estate is more than $13 million. Or if you are a married couple, if they handle it right, $26 million. With apolo...
Q. I received an Apple Watch as a gift. I love the Minnie Mouse watch face, but do not know what else to do with it. Please help. A. The small screen on an Apple Watch can be difficult without practice, but I hope to show you that working through challenges has a worthwhile payoff. I do not have the space to explore step-by-step instructions, but I can describe a small subset of what is possible. For more, check out the link in the Wander the Web section below. The Apple Watch is essentially an iPhone dashboard for your wrist. In that role it c...
Social Security beneficiaries will soon receive a whopping 8.7 percent increase in monthly checks — welcome relief for retirees fighting the ravages of inflation. This is the largest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) since 1981 and will add $146 to the average retired Social Security recipient’s monthly benefit, pushing it from about $1,681 to $1,827, says the Social Security Administration. The agency began adjusting Social Security benefits for inflation in 1975 to ensure that the buying power of monthly checks did not evaporate as prices ine...
Q: As my health declines it is harder to have good days. How can I adapt to my changing life? A: The American Psychological Association (APA) defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress”. Successful aging is a process. Studies have shown that art can help people with depression, anxiety, and stress, and art has also been linked to improved memory, reasoning and resilience. There’s something quite beaut...
Medicare coverage and costs normally change each year, so it is important to understand and review your benefits. Here is an overview of what’s new in 2023. Part A Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facility services, home health care, and hospice. Most people do not owe a premium for Part A, but if neither you nor your spouse have 10 years of Social Security work credits, you may owe a monthly premium. If you are admitted to the hospital as an inpatient, you w...
Making exercise fun and easy Ongoing research is showing that there are significant cardiovascular benefits at 6,000 daily walking steps at any pace. The evidence-based health benefits of walking are continuing to accumulate, according to ongoing research by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Findings from the latest study led by Amanda Paluch, an assistant professor of kinesiology in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, show that older adults who walked between...
The afternoon of Dec. 12, 2022, the phone rang and it was Michael, my snowplow driver. "Lady (he always calls me 'lady'), I've been thinking, and I just don't know what to do with you." He said he drove into my driveway a short way, dropped the blade and back bladed, but had no place to take the snow. We'd received 16 inches overnight, in this second of three snowstorms in about a week's time. Michael is a wonderful neighbor who has kept our driveway free from snow problems ever since my...
After brief stints in Skagway and Whitehorse, one Kansas girl swirled her way into gold rush history when she stepped on stage at the Palace Grand in Dawson City in 1900. Kathleen Eloisa Rockwell, better known as "Klondike Kate," delighted audiences of miners with her song-and-dance routines. She wore an elaborate dress covered in red sequins and an enormous cape in one dance that made her famous. Kate would take the cape off and start leaping and twirling with a cane that had yards of red...
Before "Grease," the hit 1978 movie, there was "Grease" the musical theater production first performed in Chicago in 1971 before moving to Broadway a year later for over 3,000 performances. Adrienne Barbeau, who played Rizzo during the first five months of the show's run, helped commemorate the 50th anniversary of the production as a co-editor of the 2022 book, "Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More – Stories from the Broadway Phenomenon That Started It All." It features personal anecdotes from t...
When I was in college – still a young and callow fellow – the TV show “Dallas” premiered, and I became a fan. A few seasons in, there was a scene that affected my career. If you don’t remember the show, it featured a couple of brothers who were in the oil business in Texas. Bobby Ewing was the sincere, likeable younger brother. J. R. Ewing was the evil, manipulative older brother. The other characters included their regular nemesis, Cliff Barnes, a crusading lawyer who just happened to be Bob...
Dear Savvy Senior: What are the IRS income tax filing requirements for retirees this tax season? My income dropped way down when I retired in 2022, so I’m wondering if I need to even file a tax return this year. – Recently Retired Dear Recently: Whether or not you are required to file a federal income tax return this year will depend on how much you earned last year, as well as the source of the income, your age and filing status. Here’s a rundown of this tax season’s IRS tax filing requirement thresholds. For most people, this is pretty...
Q. Is the Apple Pencil useful? A. For me, it fits into the “nice-to-have” category. I have avoided writing about Apple Pencil before now because it was something of a curiosity. It only worked with pricey iPad models, and it seemed like a product whose customers already knew why they wanted one. Today all four iPad model lines support Apple Pencil, including the least expensive model. Moreover, a recent system update added a new app called Freeform on every Apple device. Taken together, these changes make the Apple Pencil worth a deeper loo...
One of the biggest obstacles in achieving health equity for diverse populations is the lack of diversity in clinical research. Although gender equity advancements have been made through the inclusion of white women, clinical research lacks diversity, with minimal representation from racial and ethnic minority groups. In the last three decades, older adults, pregnant and lactating individuals, LGBTQIA+ populations, and people with disabilities have also remained underrepresented-and even...
Q: In the new year I am looking for volunteer opportunities. Any ideas? A: Mentoring can be an incredibly rewarding experience, both for the mentor and the mentee. If being mentored, it is one of the most important investments a person can make in themselves. Whether needing a mentor to develop professionally, grow business, increase personal agency, or to become a better leader – mentorship is an invaluable asset. Not only does it provide perspective on the journey as a mentee, but also gives t...
If you're new to pickleball, or just need a refresher course on how to behave (you know who you are), here are well-accepted rules for behavior before, during and after play. These basic rules were taken from www.woodbridgepickleballclub.org, and I've embellished them. 1. Begin each game by acknowledging the other players and introducing yourself if you don't know them. This is what helps makes pickleball the great "social" game that it is. By making an effort to introduce yourself you're...
During my recent bout with COVID-19, books helped keep my sanity. I enjoyed reading during the long weeks of recovery, when I had little energy to do much else. I have loved books for as long as I can remember. My parents read to me from a very early age. They gave me an oversized, full-color picture dictionary for my seventh Christmas in 1962. Oh, how I treasured that book and spent hours poring over the details. As a young girl growing up in Glennallen, I remember looking at books in the...
Many images come to mind when one thinks of gold rush days in Alaska: bearded prospectors swishing pans filled with water as they search for specks of gold; saloons beckoning the hardworking boys to forget all their troubles with a slug of whisky and a game of chance; and ladies known as "Lil" leaning against pianos, offering to help miners lighten their leather pokes. An image that doesn't usually come to mind is that of four nuns mingling with the masses on the virtually lawless streets of...
With a new 400+ page autobiography recently published, Bill Mumy's "Danger Will Robinson: The Full Mumy – A Memoir," is crammed with fascinating facts and stories recalling his long acting and musical career (see www.NCPBooks.com). "'Lost in Space' is definitely covered and certainly Will Robinson is the character most people identify with me," said Mumy from Los Angeles. But despite the book's title, the author examines much more than just the galaxy-wandering Robinson family. Riveted to his o...
Many years ago, a physicist named Werner Heisenberg formulated a rule called the “Heisenberg uncertainty principle.” No, it has nothing to do with cooking meth. It is a useful principle in physics, and it has to do with not being able to accurately measure the position of an object, and its direction, at the same time. But for my purposes today, we don’t need to get too far into the science. For scientists, a recognition of uncertainty – the limitations of measurement, the effect that measuri...
Q. I have promised myself that 2023 is the year I finally organize my passwords. What do I need to know? A. The list of things we have to remember grows longer each year. As phones have become the center of our digital lives, almost everyone has more than a handful of hard to remember passwords. Until now, my advice was to consider a commercial password manager app like 1Password or LastPass. However, as prices for these apps continue to rise, and as built-in smartphone features have improved, there are better choices available. Many of these f...
Q: It’s the time of year when many people take trips to see their loved ones. What could I do over the holidays if I can’t travel to visit family because of my health? A: Health prevents travel for many people. If unable to visit loved ones because of an illness, injury or other health-related issue, it may be difficult to be away from family. There are a few things you can do, though, to make the situation a little easier. Here are some ways to stay connected even when you can’t travel. 1. St...
Even though January first is just another day, many of us will invest some energy in reviewing our successes in the year flown by, and strategize for further personal gains in the precious time that remains ahead. This is an excellent exercise in self care, because really taking care of oneself requires strategy and commitment. There is no more valuable way to spend time, since taking care of yourself forms the basis of your authentic capacity to care for others, and all living beings including the air, water and soil. New Year’s resolutions ar...
