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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...
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 incoming-President Joe Biden calls the "very dark winter," efforts are being made to prevent a repeat of this continued death spiral and apply lessons learned so far. So what lessons can be learned and what can be done to inspire a meaningful shift in how the country cares for – and spends on – its elderly peo...
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 without being religious. Religion is organized and has specific beliefs, that usually come with a strict set of rules. Spirituality is more of just believing in something bigger than humanity and being empowered, but not necessarily sticking to a set of rules or believing precisely what someone else b...
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 for the weather too? In some cases, that answer may just be "yes." Here's some general tips on which dogs could benefit from an extra layer of warmth on chilly winter walks: 1. Small breed dogs tend to get cold quickly because they can't generate and retain enough body heat to stay warm. They may even...
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 officer in Wyoming and Oklahoma Territory. He'd also escaped from prison while serving time for bank robbery, murder and holding up a stagecoach in Texas. The sketchy lawman's reputation as a range detective in Wyoming, notably as a killer for ambushing rustlers, secured his appointment in Alaska...
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 since April on his YouTube channel NeilSedakaMusic, the singer, pianist and composer of 60s hits such as "Calendar Girl" and "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" continues to churn out the casual performances from behind his home piano several times a week and plans to continue into the Christmas season an...
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 strike up a conversation because they seem totally engrossed in their pursuit, and pointedly sealed into their metal and glass capsule. Maybe they seek solace from the kids? The spouse? Loud music? Inner demons? Not really sure. Regardless of where you choose to read, or why, here are some suggestions y...
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 like Biden is going to edge out Trump, the Senate will remain in Republican hands, and the Democrats will hang onto the House. I was waiting until today, when I thought I would know who won, to write my Senior Voice column. I expected that the Democrats would most likely control both houses of...
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 most serious constraint is a nearly full disk drive. Every drive needs local storage to grow, and a too-full drive can cause slowing just as you describe. A good rule of thumb for drives is to avoid using the last 20 percent of free space. If the drive is not full, the next suspect is random access m...
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, whose father worked for Jack loading cargo at the Anchorage airport in the 1950s. Many years later, she herself worked for Jack in publishing, which brought about this story. Alaska in the early 70s, also known known as pre-pipeline. Everything and everyone was high. On optimism as well as trepidation. A...
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 narratives. Names like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera have not always been at the forefront of our history. Far too often, we see the practice of whitewashing affect how history is told. This leaves the BIPOC community with the task of undoing this flawed storytelling. They cannot and should not do it...
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 the usual time in the evening because Dad worked at the Copper Valley Electric power plant during the day, even on Thanksgiving. As I got older, I helped more each year with food preparation. We set the table with the real silverware out of the wooden chest, but used our everyday dishes. Most of Mom'...
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 population in excess of 400 – provided that two-thirds of the voters were ready to assume responsibilities of city government for its 2,500 residents. A group of interested citizens filed a petition with the U.S. District Court at Valdez, which was the headquarters of the Third Judicial Division. T...
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 "Miracle on 34th Street" actually take place at Thanksgiving with the annual Macy's parade. The 1947 movie and Thanksgiving festivities hold special significance for actress Natasha Gregson Wagner. "I don't recall the first time my mother showed me 'Miracle on 34th Street,' but I remember as a child...
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 help you forget about the depressing news program you just saw? Well then, take a look at these: The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill -- "Laos, 1976: Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old medical doctor, has been unwillingly appointed the national coroner of newly-socialist Laos. Though his lab is unde...
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 true statement, a number of untrue conclusions have risen up. To start with, this is a true fact only if you’re looking at the federal estate and gift tax. Gifts of up to $15,000 each year don’t count. By the way, this is not $15,000 total from one person; it’s $15,000 from any one person to any one o...
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 stores I pay without touching anything by waving my wrist above the card reader. The watch maps my daily walks and measures the distance I travel. When walking, I use the compass and altimeter to get a sense of the landscape. If the watch detected that I suddenly fell and was unable to respond, it...
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 himself credited for sinking his budget proposal targeting Medicare. But the increasing confusion of information over the future of Social Security (SS) and Medicare has reached fever pitch in the current political environment. Both candidates for president are playing games with the facts. Dem...
"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, what's up?" I asked. "I've called three different days, morning, afternoon and evening, and you're never home. I thought something happened to you," he scolded. After we discussed which days and what time of the day, I realized we'd been out of the house on each occasion. In the morning we had gone...
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 larger population and a better road system would help achieve that goal. "More people for Alaska is her greatest need," said the former pack-train worker. "But they won't come, and we could not take care of them if they did, until we have roads to take them to the valleys, hills and mountains where...
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 taking refuge in an isolated farmhouse under attack from flesh-eating ghouls. O'Dea remembers watching the film on the big screen for the first time when it premiered in her hometown of Pittsburgh, where the film was also shot, although she recalls identifying more as an audience member than one of...
