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Q. What is Clubhouse? A. Clubhouse is a new social network that connects people in audio chat rooms. It has become quite popular in the last couple of months and is by invitation only. If it continues to accelerate, it will only be a matter of time before someone invites you to join. But my advice is to tread cautiously. The Clubhouse app does a few things that old-time internet folks such as myself find distasteful. When you first sign on you are asked for permission to access your contact list. Say no and you are stopped cold. Say yes and Clu...
As is now well-known, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color. For American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, the virus has proven to be extremely deadly for people living in both rural and urban settings. Additionally, COVID-19 rates may be higher in this group due to persistent health disparities such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease among AI/AN populations. Perhaps counterintuitively, cultural traditions, beliefs and practices among...
When people think of volunteering at their local animal shelter, their first thought is usually to volunteer as a dog walker. But what if walking big, exuberant dogs doesn't appeal to you or doesn't sound safe to you? The good news is that there are plenty of other ways to help the shelter and their animals. Cats and small animals need volunteers too. Volunteers can spend time petting and brushing cats or letting them play and explore in an exercise room. Rabbits also appreciate time out of...
Recently I came in from my afternoon snowshoe laps and quickly removed all my winter gear. While waiting for my tea water to heat, I pondered my enjoyment of my favorite winter exercise. I hadn't gone out the previous day because of a 6-degree temperature along with our famous Mat-Valley winds, which were blowing snow sideways. But, my recent session had been exhilarating. Fresh moose, snowshoe hare, and mouse tracks all showed that I wasn't the only one to venture out once the "blizzard" let up...
In the Koyukuk country, two rivers and a lake are named after a grizzled old Scottish prospector who explored the Copper River Valley. Not much is known of John Bremner's life before he arrived in the North Country, but his death triggered a very exciting chapter in Alaska's history. The hijacking of a Yukon River steamer, a wild chase on the Koyukuk, a miners' trial and frontier justice for Bremner's murderer make a story that could have been written by Rex Beach or Jack London. His stay at...
Back in 2019, actor/writer/producer Terry Ray convinced Erin Murphy – best known for playing baby Tabitha in "Bewitched" – to reprise her role in a short five-minute web skit in which her now-adult character seeks out a therapist (played by Ray) to deal with childhood issues lingering from growing up as the daughter of Darrin and Samantha Stephens. It was the beginning of a web series called "TV Therapy" that has delighted fans of classic television. "One day my dad came into the room and he...
What next, meteor strike? Invasion of space aliens? Zombie neighbors? We live in strange, worrisome times, but fear not. A good book will transport you to a calmer universe, or at least a different one. These are highly-rated books that feature main characters who are older persons. Some are light and humorous, others more thoughtful and somber. Perhaps you will find one or two that pique your fancy. Want someone to read to you? I do. I use the internet to check out audio books from the local...
If you like movies with car chases, then you know who Paul Walker was. During the past 20 years, the Fast & Furious movies — I think there were nine in all — were your visual feast for car races, chases and crashes. And Paul Walker, a good-looking and talented actor who was himself a car aficionado, was the star of the first seven of those films. Until he died at the age of 40. Walker died in a fiery car crash, in a Porsche being driven by a friend at a speed somewhere in excess of 80 miles an...
Q. What is the best way to dip my toes into the world of streaming TV? A. Many TVs have built-in streaming support for one or two services. If you have a TV like that, I would start there. However, if you want to explore the endless buffet menu of online streaming services, I recommend a Chromecast with Google TV. There are several different Chromecast digital media players, but the only one worth considering is the newest model. It sells for about $50 and comes with a remote control. What sets the Chromecast apart from its competitors is the...
Some significant changes affecting seniors on health care issues may have gotten lost in the tumultuous whirlwind changes between the end of the Trump administration and the start of the Biden administration. Amid the increasing intensity of the pandemic, the violent turbulence at the U.S. Capitol, and the slower than expected rollout of the first vaccines, Congress actually got some important things done affecting seniors that went unnoticed, buried in the massive spending package. Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package and...
Not many 18-year-old girls that I know would take on the job of being "camp cook" for five construction guys. I don't know what gave me the idea I could do it. It just happened – the job fell into my lap. In 1974 my husband Gary worked for Mercer Construction and they had just finished a big job in King Salmon. The next job was remodeling bathrooms at Ft. Wainwright Army base and, after that, they were to remodel kitchens in the family quarters on Eielson Air Force base. We all moved up to F...
A few years before Lady Luck showered riches on Clarence Berry, the "luckiest man in the Klondike" didn't have enough money to pay his room rent. Caught in the panic of 1893, he was broke. He couldn't ask his sweetheart, Ethel Bush, to marry him and saw no particular prospect of ever being able to do so. In the Fresno Valley of California, where Berry raised fruit, he seemed destined to a lifetime of hard, plodding work for a bare living. So when he heard of riches to be dug out of the earth in...
Raised in a rough Harlem neighborhood in the 40s and 50s, childhood proved challenging for Hank Garrett. "We lived in the slums and I'd walk into the kitchen in the mornings to find the floor covered with roaches," said Garrett from his home in California "And I still remember waking up one day with a weight on my chest – it was a rat." As outlined in his 2020 autobiography, "From Harlem Hoodlum to Hollywood Heavyweight," other hardships dogged young Hank throughout his troubled teen years. "...
No matter what else happens during these nonstop tumultuous times, a good book is sure to improve your outlook. These books feature main characters who are older persons. I select highly-rated books that tilt toward uplifting rather than depressing. Some are light and humorous. Others are more thoughtful, maybe a bit philosophical. Perhaps you will find one or two you feel compelled to read. Family Matters, by Rohinton Mistry "Rohinton Mistry's enthralling novel is at once a domestic drama and...
Dear Savvy Senior: I will turn 65 in a few months and plan to keep working for several more years. I have good health insurance from my employer now. Do I have to sign up for Medicare when I reach 65? — Looking Ahead Dear Looking: Whether you need to enroll in Medicare at 65 if you continue to work and have health insurance through your job depends on how large your employer is. The same rules apply if your health insurance comes from your spouse’s job. But first, let’s review the basics. Remember that original Medicare has two parts: Part...
Deadlines are a funny thing. Two months ago, I needed to get my Senior Voice column in, shortly after the election. So on the morning after election day, I took a quick look at the results, and it appeared we would have divided control of the federal government, with the Democrats controlling the White House and House of Representatives, and the Republicans controlling the Senate. So I wrote, in my column, that there would probably be no major tax changes for at least the next two years. And the...
Q. I got my first Android smartphone over the holidays. Which apps do you consider must-haves? A. Best in class apps for Android are not hard to find. Depending on your phone model, many of them may already be installed. Here is a quick roundup of apps on play.google.com I think you should consider: Google Maps. The first and best of its kind, Google Maps will help you find your place in the world. Pair it with Waze for driving directions. Podcast Addict. There is no shortage of podcast apps. This app is a great place to experience what...
President-elect Joe Biden will not get a traditional honeymoon from Congressional lawmakers to start off his new administration in January. It will severely limit what he can accomplish on his ambitious health care agenda. With sharp divides in both houses of Congress, where a few votes one way or the other could determine success or failure, Biden may even have trouble getting his Cabinet nominations through. Without a doubt, Biden's two-prong agenda – to solve the coronavirus pandemic and patc...
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming increasingly clear that the virus disproportionately affects communities of color, American Indian, Alaska Native and LGBT communities. Of those affected, perhaps one of the most overlooked groups are diverse family caregivers who may be simultaneously caring for families, aging loved ones and themselves during the pandemic. Particularly for African American and Black communities, the caregiving role may lead to worse health outcomes due to the lack of formal supports and increased barriers...
I sat at my dining room table this past Nov. 19, ready and waiting for the appropriate time to click on the link for our daughter's college graduation. Erin said she didn't know many details about her outdoor graduation ceremony for Colorado State University, but the invitation link stated the program would be from noon to 12:30 p.m. After making adjustment for Alaska time, I sat waiting with curious expectation. Soon I found myself thinking about attending our son's college graduation in...
It was a cold, snowy, windy January day in 1909 when a short, slightly built 22-year-old disembarked from the Yakutan in Prince William Sound. Eustace Paul Ziegler arrived in the boom town of Cordova to take charge of the Episcopal mission. Fresh from the Yale School of Fine Arts, he must have been a shock to the thousands of roughly dressed pick-and-shovel "stiffs," lumberjacks, miners, engineers, dynamiters, surveyors, adventurers and what-not who had "floated in with the tides and the ties"...
Now in her seventh decade as a film actress, British beauty Jacqueline Bisset first hit the big screen in the mid-1960s and was soon on her way to becoming a household name after dramatic roles later in the decade in films such as "Bullitt" with Steve McQueen. Although her role was small as McQueen's sizzling love interest and she didn't appear in the film's action sequences, Bisset was on set to witness some of the legendary driving scenes often performed by McQueen, a keen race car enthusiast....
These books feature main characters who are older persons. I select highly-rated books that tilt toward uplifting rather than depressing. Some are light and humorous. Others are more thoughtful, maybe a bit philosophical. Perhaps you will find one or two you are compelled to read. The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma's Table, by Rick Bragg "This is one of the sweetest, tenderest, most endearing memoirs I have ever read from a boy to his mother, his grandmother and grandfather, and...
I try to avoid using Latin, since so few people understand it and I’m not in the business of confusing people. But as we lean toward the tape in this marathon run that 2020 has been, the words “annus horribilis” – horrible year – seem appropriate. Yes, I know, we have seen worse. 536 when a volcanic eruption ruined crops and caused massive starvation. 1665 when the Bubonic Plague swept through Europe. 1918 when people were dying from the Spanish Flu and trench warfare. 1996 when the Spice Gir...
Q. Why should Windows users care about Apple’s new M1 computers? A. When Apple revealed the first iPhone in 2007, there were people who thought the demo must have been fake. Engineers with knowledge of how cell phones work simply could not accept the idea that any company, let alone a company that had never built a cellphone before, could pack so much power into such a tiny device. We all know what happened next. Within a decade Nokia and Blackberry all but disappeared, replaced by iPhone and Android. History is likely to repeat itself in t...
