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In 33 years as a lawyer, I’ve had to deal with all kinds of government agencies. It comes with the territory. At various times I’ve wrestled with the IRS, child support enforcement, Social Security, the ABC board, various boards of professional licensing, and so many different state child protective agencies I can’t even count (that was when I did interstate adoptions). I’ve been involved with everything from the local Zoning Board of Examiners and Appeals, up to the federal Benefits Review...
Q. A pro tech friend tells me that reset is no longer needed because of the way Microsoft does updates. Why do you feel it’s beneficial, given the downsides? A. If there is one universal truth in technology, it is the idea that people often disagree. I prefer to believe that this is a feature, not a bug. Compared to the centuries that people have been building tools, personal technology tools are very young. Tech changes faster than just about any other aspect of our lives. As a result, different people will have very different experiences. T...
While Latinos represent approximately 18% of the population in the United States, fewer than 5% participate in clinical trials or other forms of health research. Being left out of health research could have a significant negative impact on Latino communities, especially when it comes to understanding how new drugs, devices and therapies affect different people. Although Latinos are underrepresented in health research, that doesn’t mean that they don’t participate. NHCOA (National Hispanic Council on Aging) spoke with two Latinos from dif...
Question: How do I find the right senior housing? Answer: In the search for aligning housing to individuality, maintaining dignity, and what's best for your needs, it's important to find a place that provides life enrichment. Safe and secure housing is coupled with focusing on all aspects of living: Social opportunities, mental enhancement and physical requirements. Greater than just an emotional location, your housing choice is unique to you when creating meaningful living. Community-based...
One of the best music concerts I ever attended took place right here in downtown Palmer at Vagabond Blues, back in May of 2017. From Scotland, Dougie MacLean sang and played his guitar. He said he'd been a traveling minstrel for 44 years. About 25 years ago, my husband Gary and I attended one of Dougie's concerts at the Performing Arts Center, but this second one in 2017 was even better because I didn't have to drive to Anchorage. And I was so physically close to Dougie, I could see his strands...
When news reached Seattle of gold discoveries in Cook Inlet in 1896, every available vessel was pressed into service. With ships scarce, those heading north were filled to capacity with prospectors and their supplies. And Capt. Johnny O'Brien's steamship Utopia, which set out with100 passengers that spring, was no different. In early May, it arrived close to Kachemak Bay, but couldn't continue on up Turnagain Arm because of ice in Cook Inlet. Although this turn of events didn't really bother...
While some entertainers are renowned for their personal and professional demands while working, Ruta Lee never aspired to be a diva. Acting nonstop in film, TV and theater since the early 1950s, she tackled projects with professionalism. "There was no time to throw fits because you had to work quickly as you rapidly went from job to job," recalled Lee from Los Angeles. Off-screen tasks were also approached with her trademark zeal. In 1964, she called the office of the Soviet leader Nikita...
I’m an estate planning attorney, not a business attorney. Sure, some of my clients own businesses, but my focus is on how they transfer that business smoothly to their heirs on death, not about what kind of business entity they should use for other purposes. But once in a while I go a little bit beyond that, and talk to clients about LLCs. What is an LLC? It stands for “limited liability company”. Please note that it is not “limited liability corporation,” although people often refer to them t...
Q. My grandson accidentally sent my laptop crashing to the floor when his leg hooked around its power cord. Other than unplugging my new laptop when he visits, how do I tame the mess of cables that is lurking around my computer table? A. I am sorry that this turned into such an expensive lesson. The cords and wires that populate our lives seem pretty much invisible until something goes wrong. Product photography rarely shows wires of any kind. But in real life cables, cords and wires are everywhere. There is a wide variety of techniques for det...
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) coronavirus stimulus package, which President Joe Biden signed into law in March, was designed to defeat the virus, get vaccines in the arms of Americans, checks in the pockets of those who need it, and jump-start the U.S. economy back to health, including safely re-opening schools. This bill is so large in scale – $1.9 trillion – that Republicans in both chambers opposed the legislation unanimously, characterizing it as bloated, crammed with what House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy called a “liberal wish list....
Over these last few weeks, the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC) has joined Asian Americans across the country in grief and in alarm over the ongoing anti-Asian violence recently culminating in a nationwide series of separate attacks on our elders. Our hearts go out to the victims of these horrific acts and their families. This surge in anti-Asian hate against our communities has hit close to home, directly impacting our SEARAC family. Our Board Vice Chair, Kathy Duong, recently...
"So, Mom, what do you want to be called when you become a grandma?" my daughter, Erin, asked in the weeks after we learned she was expecting our first grandchild. This question set off much discussion and research that would continue all through her pregnancy. I could never have guessed my name would become Grandma Aye-Yi. Short for Aye-Yi-Yi! Our two children were very fortunate to have two grandpas and two grandmas as they grew up. My husband, Gary, and I thought nothing of calling both sets...
Six years before World War II broke out, Anthony J. Dimond, Alaska's delegate to Congress, started asking for military planes, airfields, army garrisons and a highway to link the Lower 48 to Alaska. When the war actually began in September 1939, rumors ran rampant around Anchorage that his pleas had been heard and military bases soon would be built to protect the northern front. Congress finally appropriated funds for Alaska in 1940, and the military started making plans for the construction of...
It's been 35 years since Paul Hogan unleashed the iconic character of rugged reptile-wrestling Mick Dundee onto the world in the 80s hit film "Crocodile Dundee" and two sequels. Hogan returned last December – via digital download in the U.S. – in "The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee," released on Blu-ray/DVD February 16. The Aussie actor is quick to point out that "Mr. Dundee" is not another Dundee movie, but a self-parody where the quiet-living Hogan (starring as himself) falls afoul of a series of...
Sometimes when you spend all day, every day dealing with the complications of a particular area of law, the simplest question can surprise you. People ask me, on a fairly regular basis, whether they really need a living trust, or a power of attorney, or a transfer-on-death deed, or some other specific item. But once in a while, people ask me if they actually need a will. The person who asks that question might think they don’t have enough money to need one. Perhaps they assume that if they d...
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...
