The People's Paper March 2023

Power of Nutraceuticals

Submitted By Josh Fryfogle, Make A Scene Media

“Print is dead.”

That’s what they said at the print house when I picked up the first edition of Make A Scene Magazine in May, 2007. Yet, here we are in 2023, proving otherwise.

Over 15 years ago I decided to take what little money I had as a struggling musician and start this publication, which eventually evolved into The People’s Paper. Make A Scene Magazine began as a continuation of my music promotion efforts, thus the name. The phrase ‘Make A Scene’ implied the ethos of my efforts as a local musician: that local musicians could, if they took matters in their own hands, create a music scene of their own, outside of the mainstream, corporate music industry that had overtaken that swath of our culture.

The idea was simple. Local musicians would be able to promote themselves through Make A Scene Magazine, without waiting for some paid journalist to get around to the task. However, it wasn’t musicians who answered that clarion call, but the larger arts community. In fact, even though this publication was founded by a musician for musicians, they barely used it at all, instead waiting for the validation of

corporations. But I wasn’t discouraged entirely, because the other artistic disciplines (theater, poetry, painters, sculptors, etc…) were so encouraging! I realized then, as the arts community at large made use of this new medium called Make A Scene, that I needed to expand my vision if I wanted this thing to grow.

And grow it did! It wasn’t long before people outside of the arts community started sending in content, too. The guiding principle of Make A Scene was about freedom of expression. That message really resonated with local people, that they should BE the media. Eventually I realized that I was getting more content from outside of the arts scene than I was getting from within it. The People’s Paper was born.

Social Media In Print

All of this was happening as the corporate press was repeating their refrain that print media was inevitably going the way of the buffalo. Print publications themselves were the ones pushing this narrative, more than any other medium, while they repeated the chorus that the internet would replace print entirely. They reiterated, again and again, that people would give up on print entirely, like paper was the problem. But I had a different view:

because of the paper they print on, but because of what they print on the paper. People were losing trust in corporate media, and corporate media blamed their medium, rather than themselves. But the internet was playing a role in this downward trend in the print industry, in that it allowed for competing narratives to form. People were using MySpace, and then Facebook, to push back on these lockstep narratives that mainstream media had previously had control over. I saw Make A Scene Magazine, and The People’s Paper, as proof of that. The reception we received from our readers - who were also our writers - was a constant encouragement.

The impetus of my efforts was, and remains, artistic. It’s not about politics to me, it’s about self-expression being a cultural norm. That’s why The People’s Paper isn’t primarily political. In fact, most of our content is apolitical, because it is an organic reflection of our community, which is mostly apolitical. Corporate media makes money by pissing some people off, and affirming the biases of others, and politics is the best way to do so.

This is why those print publications of yore have all leaned into the modern click-bait model online, because their business is corralling people into an emotionally-charged, highly-suggestible state of mind. That’s how their corporate advertisers make money, and how corporate media stays in business. Our paper, aptly titled The People’s Paper, doesn’t do that.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

ICONIC EXPERIMENTAL ROCK BAND RETURNING TO ALASKA

COMMUNITY

Alaskan Mother of 8 Fighting Stage IV Cancer

Contributed by The Joy Davidson Fundraiser

Joy Davidson, a wife to her husband Joel and mother to her eight children (ranging from a freshman in college to 3-years-old) has been diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer which has metastasized.

To spend time with Joy is to discover what you love about your own life, and to find a friend in her means that she will ferociously defend your beloved roles as sincerely as she does her own. She does not speak poorly of others, even in the face of profound betrayal and disappointment. Do you know how rare that is? She loves her town, her mountains, and her church so dearly.

Rarely have we witnessed her needing the help of others - she’s normally tending to them, with a most generous heart. We have countless visions of her pounding the pavement, the

snowbanks, and city hall, fearlessly building up a culture of life. Her deepest happiness is her large family. Their traditions and hospitality mark the seasons for other families, as we trust they will for many years to come.

We are asking for prayer warriors to storm heaven for miraculous healing for Joy but we are also asking for financial help for their family during this time. Joel is self-employed running The Alaska Watchman and Joy homeschools 7 of her 8 kids full time.

The Davidsons will be hit with a lot of medical bills as well as travel costs as Joy is hoping to seek treatment in the Lower 48. These funds will help immensely with Joel taking time off of work + all the bills and extra costs that will pile on.

Even the smallest donation adds up!

During this season of Lent we ask you to consider directing your almsgiving & generosity towards this incredible

HeartReach on Wheels

Contributed by Hannah Metcalf

HeartReach Center is taking its services on the road! Founded in 1987, HeartReach has been the source of free and compassionate care in the Valley for women and families who need support through pregnancy and early childhood.

Now, with the launch of our Mobile Medical Unit (MMU), we can provide access to more remote parts of our community.

The Mat-Su Valley is a unique place. We are the second most populated borough in Alaska, but spread out

over 25,000 square miles compared to Anchorage’s 1,900. That’s a lot of ground to cover!

It is not uncommon for clients to travel from Willow, Talkeetna, and Sutton to receive the free services we offer, such as pregnancy testing, STI testing and treatment, and limited obstetric ultrasound. The MMU eliminates the obstacles of transportation and scheduling by bringing our medical services to those areas.

The HeartReach Mobile Medical Unit is staffed by medical professionals and offers the same quality of care our

family who is truly entering into the desert with Our Lord. Please share this fundraiser far and wide so we can get as much support as possible for this family!

If you are local to the Valley/Anchorage area and would like to help physically, please see the emails below:

Dani Witczak (meals) akwitczaks@gmail.com

Mary Ellen Grandel (household tasks) marygrandel@rockemail.com

Theresa Imlach (prayer warriors) saimlach@gmail.com

brick-and-mortar facility is known for. We are excited for the opportunity to reach those more remote areas of our unique community.

Keep an eye out for the big blue bus when you’re on the roads, and if you would like to see the HeartReach MMU in your neck of the woods, reach out to info@heartreachalaska.com.

Palmer Family Park is Coming to Mat-Su this Summer

Contributed by Amy O’Brien

Palmer Family Park will be an inclusive and accessible park open to the public. The park has been designed with support from occupational therapists, special education teachers, community members, and parents in order to ensure the park is available for ALL to play.

Some of the equipment at Palmer Family Park that is not available at any other park in the state of Alaska. The

park also has a ramp to the main play structure. PFP has been created with the goal that we would like to see individuals of different abilities playing side by side. The surfacing at Palmer Family Park that is beneath the equipment is called ‘Poured-in-Place’ and is a rubberized surfacing that is durable, highly elastic to prevent injuries, and provides ease of access for all.

We have had many community members and organizations partner with us on this endeavor. Most recently,

Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded $350,000 in support of the creation of Palmer Family Park ensuring the park is installed this summer. The park will be located at 1951 N Hemmer Rd. in Palmer.

COMMUNITY

2023 Easter Eggstravaganza

Contributed by Sleepy Hollow Staff

Come over to Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, April 8th from 11am-3pm. This event will feature several egg hunts for a variety of age groups, as well as a petting zoo, arts & crafts, vendors, games, contests, and more!

Egg Hunt Schedule:

11am: Ages 6-9 & 10-12

11:30am: Ages 0-5

12pm-1pm: Games & Contests

1pm: Ages 6-9 & 10-12

1:30pm: Ages 0-5

2:30pm: Ages 0-5, 6-9,10-12

Admission is free, but this year registration is required to participate. Parking is limited! To register, go to: www. myalaskatix.com

Throughout the off season, the golf

Contributed by Carolyn Lambrecht

Thanks to the hard work of Rotarians in the Valley and the community, Wasilla Rotary will be awarding multiple scholarships, up to $5000, to graduating high school students across the Valley.

Are you eligible? You bet! Going to College, Trade School or any type of certification that furthers your educa-

course remains open. It is during this time, the employees work hard planning our annual Easter Eggstravaganza. Every year we think of ways to make this event bigger and better.

Sleepy Hollow Golf Course & The Headless Horseman are owned by an agency called NFH (Neurodiverse Family Haven), that provides group home, supported employment and day habilitation services to adults with intellectual disabilities. Our employees work alongside their job coaches daily, to ensure you get the best customer service around! When you come down to Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, you are helping provide opportunities for our employees to explore their highest potential and thrive in a work setting.

The Sleepy Hollow staff get the oppor-

tunity to learn skills in greens maintenance, carpentry, marketing, farm animal care, agricultural activities, customer service & culinary arts. By offering our free community events at Sleepy Hollow, we can encourage inclusion within our Mat-Su Community. We look forward to seeing our awesome community down at Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, 2721 E. Sleepy Hollow Circle, Wasilla, for the annual Easter Eggstravaganza.

tion and helps to get you on a career path qualifies. We are thinking outside of the box, and so should you! Completed applications must be turned in by April 15th!

The application is available at www. tinyurl.com/wasillarotary, on our Facebook page, or you can call Carolyn at 907-727-7127 or email mfjak@mtaonline.net for further information!

45 Years of Serving the Valley and Alaska

Contributed by L&B Color Printing

L&B Color Printing was started in 1978 by Lavon and Betty Barve (L&B).

Originally on the right side of Knik on Railroad Ave., They later purchased the property at the corner of Denali Ave. and Railroad Ave. They moved their presses and other equipment to the new location. Business was good and there was a need to expand the building to allow for more presses and other equipment. For a while they even operated an antique store out of one portion of the shop.

It was a family-run business which Lavon and Betty operated with their children, Mary, Lance, and Judy.

Lavon was also an avid dog musher for many years, winning the Yukon Quest and finishing in the top ten of the Iditarod many times. Later, when Lavon would be a checkpoint official during the Iditarod, Betty and the crew would “hold down the fort” keeping the shop going and cranking out customers orders.

Technology changes and L&B Color Printing changed with it. In the beginning everything was cut and pasted together. Typesetting would be done on what was called a Compugraphic Typesetter. What few fonts were available were on strips that would be placed into the machine. The typed project would come out on a special film that was developed. Special tape was used to put borders around items. Then the project would be shot with a camera and the image on the negative would be burned onto a metal plate for each job. The plates would be put onto the offset printing press and the items printed.

Desktop publishing came later and L&B has gone through their share of computers as technology has changed. Later silvermaster technology was used for simpler jobs. It would shoot the image that had been printed on paper by the computer and place it directly onto a paper plate that the machine developed and then it could go straight onto the press. Metal plates were still used for more complex projects. L&B Color Printing

later acquired computer to negative technology that would send the images directly to film that would be developed and burned onto metal plates. Gone were the days of having to send full color projects to a special shop in Anchorage that would produce color separated negatives for the shop to use for color plates. L&B could output straight from the computers to four negative films with the colors already separated.

Silvermaster and metal plates have given way to polyester plates that are printed directly onto from the computers and straight onto the presses. Today, L&B Color Printing even uses a digital press that prints full color projects directly to the desired paper for projects up to 13”x26”.

When L&B Color Printing started, it used a couple antique letter presses in addition to its offset presses. One was set up to do die cutting such as windows on presentation folders. The other was specially set up to put numbers on raffle tickets and forms. Each item had to be placed onto the press individually, get numbered and removed. Now L&B has a machine that feeds them though at a much faster speed, that is when the items aren’t being automatically numbered as they are printed on the digital press. One of the circa 1910 letter presses still sits on display at the shop.

With time L&B Color Printing added

equipment for cutting vinyl letters for vehicles and such. They also added two large format printers. One is used for printing blueprints, indoor wall menus as well as large pictures and posters for mounting on foam board. The other specializes in printing outdoor items such as banners, vehicle magnets and more.

Besides growing technologically, L&B Color Printing has grown in its reach within the state. It now has customers all over Alaska that place orders to be picked up when someone is coming through Wasilla or even mailed directly to them in their own town.

Just as technology changes, children grow up and start families of their own. Mary now lives in Florida with her family which includes grandchildren. Lance still lives and works in Alaska and has his own grandchildren.

Judy continues to work at the shop though and her son, Lavon’s grandson, James Charles, runs the presses.

In 1992, Lavon Barve was recognized by the Alaska State Legislature for being the first and continuously running print shop in Wasilla. That was 31 years ago; but Lavon and his print shop are still going strong. L&B Color Printing and Lavon have served Wasilla, the Valley and the rest of Alaska for 45 years.

The Barves look forward to serving Alaska for many more years to come.

MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA PAGE 3

COMMUNITY

Contributed by Lana Kosek

Be fully prepared to visit your Mat-Su Job Center early and often for assistive workshops, career counseling, typing assessments, use of computer/copier resources and so much more.

All job center services are at no cost to you! We are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services upon requests to individuals with disabilities. More than 100 companies are expected at this year’s 2023

Employer Expo! Interact with employers hiring for entry-level, technical, professional and seasonal positions. Speak with university, vocational tech school, apprenticeship and union representatives. If you arrive early, be enthusiastic, ask questions, show initiative, collect business cards, network with others, and take notes. Come dressed for success, bring plenty of resumes, have

Zoom Boating Safety Class, April 1-2

Contributed by Doris Thomas

US Coast Guard Auxiliary

“Boat America,” a six-lesson course for recreational boaters, will be offered via Zoom the mornings of April 1 through 2 by the Eagle River Flotilla, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The class meets from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday

and Sunday. Students may complete the optional final exam online at home after the class.

Subjects covered include small boat handling, trailering, legal requirements including Alaska boating law, navigation rules, emergency procedures and personal watercraft considerations. The

cost is $25, which includes the textbook and Eventbrite fee. Course information is at this link: tinyurl.com/boatsafetyak .. The direct Eventbrite registration link is eventbrite.com/e/boat-america-tickets-494453542857.

The Zoom link will be provided after

Classes are Expanding at Wasilla Area Seniors

Contributed by Sally Barnes

Club 50 at Wasilla Area Seniors is interested in talking to any volunteers that have experience in teaching fitness classes geared towards seniors such as dance or martial arts. We previously had classes in Line Dancing and Kung Fu. The seniors LOVE these classes, and the participation was great.

If you or someone you know has a few hours a week to spare, please consider sharing your knowledge. Our current class schedules are as follows:

Monday:

Tuesday: 10:00am – Bingocize 11:00am – Workout YOGA 1:00pm – Tai Chi

&

Wednesday: 8:30 am Strong Seniors – In Person & Zoom 10:00 am Strong Seniors – In Person 11:00am Workout Yoga – In Person

Thursday: 11:15am – Let’s Walk DVD 1:00pm Tai Chi 2:15pm NIA

Friday 8:30am Strong Seniors – In Person & Zoom 10:00am Strong Seniors – In Person 10:00am Bingocize 11:00am Workout YOGA

Please note: ALL Strong Senior, Tai Chi and Bingo Cize classes are FREE! Our low monthly rates make it possible for all seniors, age 50 and older, to

your 30 second pitch ready and put your best foot forward.

The Employer Expo takes place Wednesday, March 29th from 10A to 3P at the Curtis Menard Center, 1001 S Clapp St, Wasilla. For more information, contact the Mat-Su Job Center at (907) 352-2500 or you can scan the QR code on page 4 of The People’s Paper!

the student registers. Early registration is encouraged so the flotilla has time to mail the textbook to the student before the class. Anyone who has questions or can’t register online may contact the flotilla at (907) 694-3570 or cgauxeagleriver@gmail.com.

This course meets the requirements for safety certification in many states and some insurance companies will offer a discount to skippers who have completed the course.

enjoy our clean facility with awesome instructors. Please come join us to try any class for free.

For more info, contact CLUB50 at 907-206-8807. We are open Monday through Friday from 8am until 4pm.

Shabbat candles are lit by Jewish women and girls, as young as the age of three, 18 minutes before sunset or one and a quarter daylight hours before sunset, on Friday afternoon or on the eve of Jewish holidays. They light candles to usher in peace and blessings to their homes and to the world.

COMMUNITY

Consign49 Spring 2023 Consignment Event

Contributed by Ryanne Ori

Consign49 Spring 2023

April 13th-17th

Raven Hall, Alaska State Fairgrounds

Do these sunny, longer days have you in the mood for warmer weather along with a seasonal closet refresh? How would you like to shop from a selection of thousands of high-quality clothing and décor items at 60-90% off retail prices, while also directly supporting local community members! Spring is just around the corner, and so is the 20th semi-annual Consign49 Consignment Sale!

Consign49 hosts a community consignment event each spring and fall, in which over 300 local community members bring new and gently used clothing, accessories, and home décor items together to form a large-scale re-

sale pop-up.  Each consignor individually prices and prepares each item, and items are dropped off approximately one day before the sale begins. Consign49 Team Members then organize all items, so everything can be easily shopped according to category and size.

There is also a dedicated boutique section, in which local boutiques have discount and clearance items for sale. In addition, there is a “vendor row” where local businesses will have booths for sharing their products and services. Consign49 is a smart, sustainable way to shop, earn money, and extend the lifecycle of high-quality items! Consignors are motivated to do some spring cleaning, while also earning some extra cash. Shoppers get to browse a huge selection of brand name and much needed seasonal items, for a fraction of retail prices.

Additionally, many items that go unsold at the end of the event will be donated to local charities in need. For the spring event, a large portion of donations will be going to the My House Foundation to support programs for homeless youth in the Mat-Su Valley.

The Consign49 Spring 2023 Consignment Sale will be held April 13-17 at Raven Hall at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer, Alaska.  Admission and parking are free, all major credit cards are accepted, and dressing rooms will be provided. Event hours are 9am – 8pm, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 9am – 7pm on Sunday.

On Sunday, April 16th, many remaining items will be marked half-price, depending on whether the individual consignor has chosen to put the item into the half-price sale.  Additionally, this spring event marks the 10 year

In A Place Far Away… But Not Too Far

Contributed by Melissa J. Martin

There is an Anchor Point Food Pantry with a vital mission in the Anchor Point area, catching people that fall through the cracks – Seniors, Veterans, Disabled, and the working class that make a little too much to qualify for SNAP or heating assistance, but they must still pay the rent and buy their medication.

With nine board members that truly care, the APFP brings health and healing to the community by providing nutritious meals and a food box to families once a week.

The Anchor Point Food Pantry lost its home during Covid19 in 2021. After having been housed in a church for nine years, we grew to a capacity that

they could no longer support. We weren’t a part of their church, so on good terms we left to venture on our own.

Thanks to the 100 Women Who Care in Homer and a local resident, we were able to set up camp for that summer and continue our mission. The Kenai Peninsula Food Bank helped us keep clients fed with meals and food.

Long story short, we are now leasing a 3.5-acre piece of Kenai Peninsula Borough land to build our food pantry, and we received a sizable grant for building purposes only. It is possible to move into it this fall, although it won’t be fully completed. We are doing this while we pay $1200 per month for rent (for a place that is too small for us), $1500 for

food and supplies, $400 for fuel, etc.

We have been operating in Anchor Point since 2006. Our programs and partners are as follows The TEFAP Program (KP Food Bank); Summer Produce Program (Food Bank of AK and KP Food Bank); Holiday Boxes and Dinners Program (Lions Club/S. Army boxes and the Share-the-Spirit Christmas boxes, and Hilcorp); Children’s Program -“Kid’s Day” & Back-to-School ( KPFB, the Homer Foundation, and Ace Hardware); Homeless & Marginal program (Homer Community Resource Connect, Bridges of Alaska, and local vendors); and Several of our volunteers provide a delivery service to the homebound, and have delivered to as many as 100 households during Covid. We need help on our

anniversary of Consign49 events!

The spring event will be extended to Monday, April 17th from 9am – 3pm for a special anniversary sale event. Any remaining sale items will have even further discounts applied!

If you are interested in becoming a consignor at the event, please go to www. consign49.com for more information.

Consignor spots are limited and will be on a first come basis.  Please send an email to info@consgin49.com for more information.

journey, and our neighbors need to be fed; as we, at the same time, work to raise funds, seek grants, and construct a permanent home for the pantry.

We are building a donor base, but it takes time. We’re hoping that a few good people will look kindly upon us and help us with this endeavor. We live in a community with no supermarkets and few physical resources, but we know our community (Alaska) is full of caring hearts who can provide those resources.

Please consider supporting the good work of feeding our neighbors. Together we can make this happen so that we can provide food now and long into the future. Thank you.

Melissa Martin, E.D., Anchor Point Food Pantry, PO Box 266, Anchor Point, AK 99556

Valley Charities Medical Equipment Lending Program Expands

Contributed by Kiki Valley Charities, Inc.

Valley Charities, Inc. provides a wide range of durable medical equipment to help improve your quality of life at no cost to Mat-Su Valley Residents. Valley Charities Durable Medical Equipment Program has moved to a new location at the Mountain Village Shops, next to the UPS Store in Wasilla. This program expansion is due to a grant from the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

IMPACT OF PROGRAM

A woman and her friend stopped at our

new location to pick up a cryo-cooler for an upcoming knee surgery. While they were looking, the woman noticed a tilting wheelchair that was designed for special needs. The woman was talking to her friend about how nice it would be if her daughter, who has MS, had the wheelchair. We asked if she would like to have it, and the woman said they couldn’t afford it.

Talking with the woman further, we explained that tilted wheelchairs are not something that we normally use in the Durable Medical Equipment Program. And, we would like to donate

this tilted wheelchair for her daughter to use. We also donated a special needs walker that is not part of our program. The woman left smiling with the cryocooler and medical equipment for her daughter.

It is rewarding to know that Valley Charities’ Durable Medical Equipment Lending Program saves families a lot of money so they can afford other things like rent or food.

TESTIMONIAL

A gentleman came in for a cryo-cooler and told us that another location want-

Bee Well Chiropractic Is Hosting a Event for Parents!

ed to rent a cryo-cooler for $350.00. As the man walked away, he thanked Valley Charities for what we do for the community, and that he was thankful that such a great service is available. If you are in need of medical equipment on loan, please visit www.valleycharities.org and go to the Durable Medical Equipment Program tab. Open the tab, and you’ll find a request form to complete and submit. Once your selection has been confirmed, we will hold the equipment in your name for up to 24 hours The Durable Medical Equipment can be loaned out for up to 6 months.

Contributed by Dr. Josh, BeeWell Chiropractic

Dr. Josh at Bee Well Chiropractic is hosting an event for parents who are interested in learning more about ways

to regulate the emotions and behaviors of their children.

During The Perfect Storm, Dr. Josh will dive deep into the science and neurology behind your child’s struggles,

Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant

Happy National Nutrition Month!

Create healthy habits that are sustainable and celebrate your needs.

Behavioral science states that if something is easy it is likely you will do it. When something makes you feel good, you want to do it again. When something tastes good, you want to eat it again. So, tap into ways that are already happening, to make healthy choices easier!

We all have our staple, go-to meals –tacos, pasta, burgers, salmon, pizza or even breakfast for dinner. Take advantage of these automatic meals and add one (or two) more veggies.

Essentially, Every Time You Eat, Have A Plant! Besides the evening meal, add veggies for breakfast and lunch, too.

Every Time You Brunch. A brunch meal with nutritious food boosts metabolism, balances blood sugar levels, improves cognitive function and promotes heart health. Think creatively and make a colorful plate! There are so many fun and creative brunch options to choose.

Transform Your Toast. Forget about the standard with bread toast with butter! Think about adding a few veggie toppers to lift your breakfast game. Try these tasty combinations on whole wheat bread, whole grain bread or sweet potato toast:

- Avocado, radishes, and green onion

- Mushrooms, egg, and thyme

- Ricotta cheese, tomatoes, basil, and black pepper

- Sweet potato toast (slice the sweet potato and put in the toaster)

- Almond butter, bananas, and cinnamon

- Cottage cheese, strawberries, and honey - Hummus and tomato slices

Pizza For Brunch? Yes! Add veggies on your own personalized pizza to start the day.

Build Your Brunch Pizza. Get creative with your crush – make a homemade vegetable crust with cauliflower, sweet potato or broccoli.

Choose a spread – tomato sauce, pesto, hummus or olive oil are great options. Pile on the veggies – use seasonal, frozen or canned.

Add a protein – choose from a variety of options like eggs, tofu, beans, turkey or mozzarella cheese.

Sprinkle on a seasoning – add herbs or spices for an extra boost of flavor like basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic powder or lemon zest.

Try this combination: cauliflower crust, pesto, spinach and sliced hard boiled eggs.

Every Meal, Use Veggies On-Hand. Add veggies in the fridge or from the freezer to frittata for a meal. Plan two cups of veggies per person. Another idea is to use more or different veggies in your stir fry. Add greens like spinach, baby kale, beet greens and others into a stew or soup.

Basic Frittata Recipe:

- Preheat the oven to 400°F.

from emotional regulation and behavioral challenges, to focus and concentration issues, and more. This event is important because it touches on the impact of stress and isolation in the lives of the children in our community, both of which have run rampant over the past year or so. Dr. Josh is making a BIG impact on the wellbeing of families in our community and giving them tangible HOPE, ANSWERS, and ACTION STEPS. “Parents, maybe you’re worried about how a label (anxiety, sensory, ADHD, or even autism) will impact your child’s life? But what if they didn’t have to be confined

by a label? What if what you really need is to help them sleep through the night, have less meltdowns each day, handle transitions easier, regulate their emotions a bit easier, and get sick less often? If this sounds like you, then the Perfect Storm Workshop is perfect for you! Get your HOPE back, your questions ANSWERED, and ACTION STEPS that are easy and effective!”

The workshop is Tuesday, April 4th at the Palmer Alehouse. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Must Register by Thursday, March 30th! Please share this information with our community! If sold out please register for our waitlist! go.beewellak.com/workshopregistration-beewellak

- Whisk together 2 large eggs, ¼ cup milk, and 1 clove garlic, minced, until well combined. Set aside.

- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ cup minced onion, ¼ cup diced bell pepper, 1 ¼ cup chopped broccoli, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender but still bright green, 5 to 8 minutes. - Spread it evenly across the pan. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and gently shake the pan to distribute.

- Sprinkle with ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the eggs are set. Season to taste and serve.

Raw carrots, celery, radishes and bell pepper chunks dipped in hummus or eaten plain are crunchy treats. Dried vegetables such as zucchini chips, kale chips or plantain chips (with guacamole) are fun treats, too. Try some new veggies like jicama to appeal to your taste buds.

Free Dental, Vision, Medical Exams at Pop-up Clinic

Contributed by Dr. Patrick Campaign

As a lifelong Anchorage resident and optometrist, I take pride in caring for my fellow Alaskans. Over the years, I have tended to thousands of people through medical eye examinations and volunteering. During that time, I’ve always wanted to do a large humanitarian event to help my fellow neighbors. After being homeless for a time myself, I understand the concerns which Medicaid and state programs do not cover, and especially for people who cannot afford healthcare, dental or vision services.

After years of planning and coordination, we are finally going to make that happen.

Remote Area Medical – RAM® – a major nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics delivering free, quality dental, vision and medical care to those in need – will hold a free, two-day clinic on April 15-16. RAM will be set up at the O’Malley Sports Complex, located at 11111 O’Malley Centre Dr., Anchorage, AK 99515. This clinic is in collaboration with the Mountainview Lions Club Foundation.

All RAM services are free, and no ID is required. Free dental, vision and medical services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The patient parking lot will open no later than 11:59 p.m. (midnight) on Friday night, April 14, and remain open for the duration of the clinic. Once in the

parking lot, additional information regarding clinic-opening processes and next steps will be provided. Clinic doors open at 6am

Services available at the free RAM clinic include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, eye exams, eye health exams, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses made on-site, women’s health exams and general medical exams.

Due to time constraints, patients should be prepared to choose between DENTAL and VISION services. Medical services are offered, in addition to dental or vision services, free to every patient attending the clinic. If you are interested in joining me in helping

Cucumber Cracker. Using a cucumber for a cracker the perfect way to keep your appetizers gluten free, it also ensures your guests are enjoying their veggies! Place a dollop of hummus atop a sliced cucumber along with finely diced olives, seeds or other topping for a beautiful presentation.

Add a Burst of Color. An option to white cabbage is a vibrant purple cabbage. Easy to assemble (and make ahead!) it gives a burst of color to the plate.

Use a Skewer. Whenever possible, skewer your vegetables and fruits with other foods or alongside dips. For example, line a toothpick with a grape tomato, slice of basil and a cube of cheese or skewer fruit for the dessert table.

Whether you’re packing lunch, shopping, snacking or brunching, remember to Have A Plant.

others, we need volunteers of all types, medical or nonmedical. If your church would like to help supply food for volunteers, please reach out.

For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.ramusa.org or call 865-579-1530.

A big thank you for assistance by the Providence Health Foundation, Credit Union One, Frontier Eye Care and many others!

Contributed by Julie Cascio University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center Welcomes Gastroenterologists to the Mat-Su

Contributed by Deena Straub

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is proud to announce gastroenterologists, Shishira Bharadwaj, M.D., Divesh Anireddy, M.D. and Seth Miller, M.D. recently joined the medical staff. The gastroenterology specialists bring years of experience caring for complex gastrointestinal issues to establish the Mat-Su Gastroenterology Clinic as part of Mat-Su Medical Group, scheduled to open March 1, 2023.

With a focus on the entire digestive system, Mat-Su Gastroenterology will provide the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease,

irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease as well as other digestive disorders affecting the esophagus, intestine, colon, pancreas, gallbladder, liver and other organs. The GI specialists are skilled in endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, a procedure used to detect and treat problems in the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts and pancreas.

“The addition of our first full time gastroenterologists will meet a need we have endeavored to fill for many years,” says Dave Wallace, CEO of MatSu Regional Medical Center. Mat-Su Medical Group will now have the ability to address our community digestive

health issues here in the Mat-Su Valley.” Drs. Bharadwaj, Anireddy and Miller are excited to join Mat-Su Medical Group and care for patients with digestive disorders – from dietary sensitivities to diseases of the liver or intestines to colorectal cancer. “Our goal,” Dr. Miller states, “is to provide the treatment patients need to get well, and improve their quality of life and overall health.”

Patients with digestive health conditions will now have the services and expertise to address their digestive issues and/or disease close to home.

Mat-Su Gastroenterology is scheduled to open March 1, and is located in Medical Office Building 1, Suite 200, 2490 S. Woodworth Loop, Palmer, AK

Welcome to CannaBasics: Endocannabinoid System

Contributed by Bailey Stuart

Have you heard about the Endocannabinoid System within your body? I had not when I first started consuming cannabis many years ago. Over the last few decades we have slowly learned more and more about one of the largest system in our bodies. However, this is a system within our bodies your average doctor does not know about. That presently is not a part of the medical school curriculum. But with education it has the potential to improve many of their patients’ lives.

The Cannabis plant protects itself by producing a viscous resin in structures known as trichomes on its leaves and flowering parts. These trichomes are what produce cannabinoids we commonly call cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). There are approximately 113 known cannabinoids to date. Each plant comprises different cannabinoids, some that are active such as CBD and some that are euphoric or mindaltering such as THC. Until recently we only found these cannabinoids on the cannabis plant. However, current research has now found cannabinoids

on other plants such as carrots, broccoli even black pepper. The discovery of these cannabinoids is what lead to scientists to the discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

. The ECS regulates and controls many of the critical bodily functions, including learning, memory, emotional processing, temperature, pain control, sleep, eating, immune responses.

The ECS is a vast network of chemical signals and receptors that are throughout our brains and bodies.

The receptors in the brain we call CB1 receptors and outnumber man of the any other receptor types in the brain, who knew? We certainly didn’t until the late 1980’s (1989-1990) thanks to a man named Raphael Mechloulam, a top cannabinoid scientist and pioneer for our scientific research of Cannabis Sativa L. The CB1 receptors he discovered are now known to be the receptors that regulate activity of systems in the body that need adjustment like hunger, temperature, and alertness.

CB2 receptors were discovered in 1993 also by Professor Mechloulam and his

Spiritual Energy Touch Therapy

Contributed by Daniel N. Russell, MS, Energy Therapist

People often report feeling lighter on their feet, feeling better, and having more power, after having energy touch therapy. An advantage of energy touch therapy is that it enhances one’s faith and health. It also accelerates, balances, and centers a flow of life energy, called qi, throughout the body more quickly and easily than Shiatsu Acupressure and Acupuncture techniques. More and more people have been seeking out energy therapy, as an adjunct to massage, because the spiritual aspect adds to the health benefits.

In energy touch centering one pulls excess heat toward areas of the body

REAL ESTATE

where there is not enough energy. This accelerates a flow of life energy (qi) throughout the body, which may increase both healing rate and energy level in patients. Sensitive heat sensors are located in the palms of our hands, and just below each lower eyelid. So, by placing one’s palms over a patient’s body and concentrating the mind, with training, one can detect where there is too much heat energy or not enough heat energy.

In this way it may be determined where to place a cold stone to help pull excess energy to center and balance it. It is often desired to pull energy toward the sixth tsubo on the Conception Vessel (CV-6), also known as the hara or tanden in Shiatsu and Acupuncture therapy,

team. The CB2 receptor is a second type of receptor that mostly is engaged with our immune tissues and is critical to helping control our immune function, and plays a role in bowels like intestinal inflammation, contraction, and pain in inflammatory bowel conditions. This receptor is of great interest in drug development because they are not associated with euphoric effects or the “high” that the CB1 receptors are known for. For some, those particularly looking at the health benefits, the euphoria associated with cannabinoids use is an unwanted side effect.

You may be shocked to know this but did you know that Israel has led the charge on today’s understanding of cannabis? Cannabis studies have been going on for decades, they are the leaders in cannabis research. And in particular Professor Mechloulam work is largely the reason why they have led this research. Professor Mechloulam is now 93 years old, and we all should thank him for the dedication of his life’s work and the path he has created for us all in our understanding of the plant Cannabis Sativa L. After these discoveries pharmaceutical companies started working on drugs

and to center the qi or life-force energy there. This tsubo (acupressure point) is 2 finger-widths below the belly button. I have observed, when a large cold stone is placed on the tanden, or CV-6 tsubo, that excess heat dissipates from areas of excess energy, and heat energy builds up, quickly, under this cold stone.

I encourage my patients to use their mind together with my mind to move the energy. I also, silently, ask God to send the Holy Spirit to help the patient to heal. The stone serves as a tool to help concentrate the mind on centering the qi energy, and on healing. So, I have founded a non-verbal, touch ministry. There is no charge for this ministry! I use a single, large, smooth, black basalt stone, because these stones are good black-body radiators, which means they absorb a lot of heat and then radiate it. You can find such stones on Alaska’s beaches and riverbanks, where

Low Inventory in Housing - Who’s to Blame?

Contributed by Ken Hagler

The housing market here in Alaska and around the US, has been facing a challenge these days: there just aren’t enough homes for sale. How can this be? According to Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, the root causes of today’s low supply comes down to two things: rate-locked existing homeowners and the fear of not finding something to buy. Let’s take a closer look at these issues and what they mean for potential home buyers and sellers.

Rate-Locked Homeowners. Homeowners who are rate-locked are

those who have mortgages with rates lower than the current market rate. This means that it doesn’t make financial sense for them to move, as refinancing would be too expensive. As a result, their homes remain off the market, unavailable for purchase by someone else.

The Fear of Not Finding Something To Buy. With so few homes available for purchase, many potential buyers (who might also be home sellers) are afraid that they won’t find something suitable if they do decide to move. This fear leads them to hang on to their existing home, afraid that if they sell it they might not find something better or in

the same price range. What Does This Mean For You? These two issues present a huge challenge for potential home buyers and sellers alike. With fewer homes available on the market, competition is tight. Even though some areas of the country show a drop in prices, Alaska prices have held relatively steady.

That said, there are still ways you can make sure you get exactly what you’re looking for when buying or selling your home - like working with a local real estate expert who knows how to navigate today’s low inventory environment and can help you put your equity to work in order to keep the

99645. For an appointment with a MatSu Gastroenterologist call: 907-8616315.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is a 125-bed healthcare facility providing advanced surgical service, including robotic-assisted partial and total knee and total hip replacement, cardiac care, emergency services, sleep studies, inpatient behavioral health, advanced wound care, three urgent care centers and the Family Birthing Center.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is accredited as a Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology, and as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.

that affect our Endocannabinoid Systems. One drug truly showcased the importance of having a healthy ECS. A drug called Rimonabant was created to block the CB1 receptors. This was an anti-obesity drug that went very wrong. Patients that were using Rimonabant found themselves losing weight because of the block on the CB1 receptor but were also becoming suicidal and very commonly patients were experiencing nausea and upper respiratory tract infections. This drug was pulled from the market in 2008 after many suffered the side effects of blocking their CB1 receptor. The Rimonabant drug truly showcased the importance of having a healthy Endocannabinoid System.

With all this said, I’m only touching on the large subject that is the Endocannabinoid System. I feel this is one of the most important days. In my class I bring in experts on the subject for day 2 and we end with a question and answering session. There is so much still to learn about cannabis and its effects on our bodies, but the ECS is something worth taking the time to learn and understand.

Author: Bailey Stuart Adjunct Professor UAA

they have been deposited and ground smooth and round by glaciers over tens of thousands of years. Most types of stones work fine, though, as long as they are not porous.

Room temperature of about 600 F is fine for the temperature of cold stones placed upon the body. One may think that it would be uncomfortable to have a cold stone placed on their belly, but it pulls and gathers heat quickly from areas of excess energy in the body, and one can actually feel heat building up under and around the stone. You may contact the author at 907-444-5647 or by email: dnrussellms@yahoo.com.

Daniel N. Russell, MS is a physics consultant, former Term-professor at both Physics Dept. and Massage Therapy Program, University of Alaska, and ordained spiritual energy touch therapist in Anchorage, Alaska.

costs of your next home down. It also helps to get pre-approved so you know your buying power. Low inventory is one of today’s biggest challenges in the housing market - but it doesn’t have to stay that way! By understanding why inventory is so low and taking steps such as working with an experienced Realtor, you can make sure you find the perfect house no matter what challenges may arise in today’s low inventory climate. With their help and knowledge of local markets, you’ll be well on your way towards locating your dream home soon!

Ken Hagler, Alaskan Realtor® Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Dream Makers, Wasilla, AK 1051 E Horvath Dr Suite 103, Wasilla, AK (907)891-8830 www.alaskahomesforsale.realestate

POLITICS & OPINION

Join the Battle for Alaska’s Future: Stand with Representative David Eastman

Contributed by Richard Stoffel

Alaska’s future is at stake, and we need to rally behind the best legislator in the state, Representative David Eastman. Eastman’s unwavering commitment to saving babies and upholding our country’s republican values has made him a target of corrupt and unconstitutional legislators. But Eastman refuses to be silenced, and now he needs our help.

Despite facing multiple politically-driven lawsuits, the most recent of which

cost he and his family over $250,000, even though the court acknowledged his innocence, Eastman remains resolute in his pursuit of making Alaska a better place. He has been unfairly targeted because of his unwillingness to conform to the ungodly alliance of politicians, but this is precisely what makes him the best state legislator in Alaska.

We cannot allow corrupt politicians to silence the voice of the people. We must show our support for Eastman’s

tireless efforts to bring meaningful change to our state. That is why Eastman’s supporters have organized a fundraiser to help him continue his important work. We urge you to join us in this fight for Alaska’s future.

The event will feature two incredible speakers who share Eastman’s unwavering commitment to defending our values. Former law professor and prosecutor David Clements, an expert on election integrity and J6, will speak at the event. Clayton Trotter, a pro-life

Putting Feminism Back Into The Feminist Movement

Contributed by Marilyn Bennett

When I was in my 20’s I was very involved with the feminist movement. As a young woman out in the workforce I found that sexual harassment was rampant. I quit a couple of jobs to get way from over-amorous bosses and put up with lower pay as well as less opportunity than the young men in my profession.

Since then things have changed dramatically. The workplace is now safe for the majority of women. Today they now have a better chance of getting a job than do the young men they compete against. Affirmative Action has certainly changed things, but has also brought new challenges. First, will her colleagues think she only got her job because of Affirmative Action? This is not comfortable for her nor the people she works with.

The second and totally new problem is that men are now feeling left out. Consequently a small number of them have decided to pretend to be women so they can make the new system work for them. This is a double edged sword, as

by claiming to be a transgender woman they have a double victim status. They may claim Affirmation Action both as a female and as a trans person. This is crazy, but it could be the new norm. The other thing going on in the new world order is with the movies. Women are now just arbitrarily subsisted for men in action movies. The action comics have never had many women readers. As a kid I read action comics and enjoyed Super Man as well as Wonder Woman. However the new female superheroes have larger muscles than most weight lifters. Also, they never lose or even get hurt although they go up against huge evil men.

The new feminist movement apparently wants to get more women viewers and the Bat Woman series was made with this in mind. I don’t know many women who could relate to Bat Woman. There is a very small target audience as men who are the main audience of Action Movies would certainly not watch it. To attract a new audience to a hero or heroine, you need a good story and a reason why men and women would want to watch. Politically correct

characters do not automatically attract viewers.

Then we have Commander Holdo in Star Wars. The Last Jedi. For some reason this woman is portrayed as rude, unprofessional and condescending to her male subordinates. I don’t understand why Hollywood thought that having a commander be an overbearing prick was a good idea. I don’t think this helped the women’s movement.

In the past the original Wonder Woman was strong, beautiful, kind hearted and doing good with her lasso of truth. The new Wonder Woman is still beautiful, but she has become less about doing good and more about indulging herself. Those who perpetually view society as a struggle against the patriarchy need to come up with a better vehicle. It is not enough to take a popular character and arbitrarily change him into a woman and think everyone should be ok with that. I love a good story about a woman who has done something great against all odds. I do not appreciate a fake action shot of a muscular woman beating up men. Women have advanced over

And You Get a Gravel Pit… And You Get a Gravel Pit!

Contributed by Tim

Members of the Borough Assembly are pushing a gravel pit ordinance that will make it easier for anyone to start a gravel pit on their property; potentially next to you or down the street. This ordinance (OR 22-131 ) would increase the size of permissible gravel pits from the current 2,000 cubic yards per year to 10,000 cubic yards per year without requiring public comment, review or permitting. 10,000 cubic yards is about 1,000 dump trucks of gravel removed per year.

This ordinance first came up months ago and was greatly opposed by Valley residents and businesses at an Assembly meeting. The Assembly ignored those voices, adjusted some numbers on the ordinance and sent it to the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission voted to skip any public comment and send it back to the

Assembly for a vote last week. After significant opposition at that meeting on March 7th it has been tabled for March 21st.

Under the current gravel pit application process, permitting, review and public comment are required for a pit that is over 2,000 cubic yards and 80-85% of those applications are approved.

The proponents of this ordinance in the Assembly have not provided any reason for it. There is no shortage of gravel in the Valley; we send a lot of it to Anchorage every year. They have only deflected concerns about dust, traffic, property value, animal habitat destruction, aesthetics (GIANT UGLY HOLES) and water quality. Most of those deflections include phrases such as “most likely” and “probably wouldn’t”; they have not provided any solid evidence to discredit these concerns.

Together We Must Stand

Contributed by Patricia Fisher

There is currently an ordinance before the Borough Assembly, sponsored by Mokie Tew, which would increase by 5 times the amount of gravel which could be mined without a public hearing.

At the Assembly meeting on March 7th, there was over two hours of public

testimony, after hundreds of emails were posted to Assembly and Planning Commission members, requesting that the Assembly FAIL the legislation.

Reasons cited were safety, damage to roads, loss of property values, degradation of water, the lack of requirements to ensure safe practices, and the failure to enforce reclamation at the end of the

The current process includes a public hearing for adjoining residents to speak to the impacts on their property. It allows for rules to mitigate the impacts of the added traffic, noise and dust. It includes a review to ensure operators have a proper reclamation plan. It requires gravel pit operators not leave excessively steep slopes, that they have a plan for safe roadway operation and that groundwater and drinking water are protected.

If there is no problem, why do we need a solution? The potential reasons are suspicious. Do the proponents have an immediate special interest or pressure through outside partners? Is there a future plan and this ordinance is just a step toward a bigger outcome?

We elect local leaders to deal with problems and concerns in our community, to work for us, in our best interests as

activist and law professor, will also speak at the event.

We cannot let corrupt politicians win. Join us in supporting Representative David Eastman and help him continue his work to make Alaska a better place. For more information on how you can help with the fundraiser, please contact Richard Stoffel at 907-841-1347. Together, let us fight the good fight for Alaska’s future.

the years by figuring out ways of winning that did not include using brute force to overpower men.

Like it or not, men like saving women. Women like being saved by men. Men do not like being physically saved by women. Women also do not like being saved by a woman. That is the truth. When the fire department in our town lowered their physical requirements to include women I pictured myself being carried by a 5’5” woman down a ladder from my third story apartment. It was a scary thought. You may hate the thought that men get to be the physical action heroes, but it is reality. The market has rejected the idea of female action heroes in starring roles. They are only marketable if paired with men as part of an ensemble.

For a real fictional heroine we need to look no further than Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. She was very feminine but used logic and knowledge to solve problems. She saved the hero from himself by using cleverness and not muscles and so was a true feminine heroine.

I grew up with three brothers and know that boys and girls are not only built differently, but also think and react

residents, taxpayers, and as a community. They should not be using their place on an elected board for personal or business benefit, at the local level or even the state level.

This ordinance has no purpose for our community.

The Borough Assembly meets on March 21st to vote on this ordinance. If you feel you and the members of our community should retain our right to review and comment on gravel pits in our community you need to speak up. Here’s how you can do that:

Email your Assembly members: https:// www.matsugov.us/assembly

Attend the meeting on March 21st and speak directly to them. Call in during the meeting: 1-855-2252326; Press *3 when you hear the clerk announce they have opened the public hearing for the legislation (OR 22-131).

life of the pit. A comment repeated most often was that the public was being cut out of the process since there was no provision for public hearings on the startup of new pits. It was also clearly stated that the current level (2,000 cubic yards) which can be mined without a permit, is working just fine, and no change is necessary.

Sadly, the Assembly did not listen to the public. The legislation should have failed outright then and there, but it was carried over to March 21st. This

means that Borough residents must go through the commenting process again on the 21st. It is ridiculous that we must continue fighting this battle, as it was voted down at the request of residents just over a year ago. I urge anyone who is concerned about this denial of public process to contact their Assembly representative. The names, telephone numbers and emails are on the Borough webpage.

Patricia Fisher Mat-Su Borough Resident

Liberty, Liberally

Words (are Weapons) of Wisdom

by Joshua Fryfogle

Tyranny isn’t afraid of your guns

Go to the gun store, buy every one

Tyranny controls your guns with your fear

Go to the gun range - plug up your ears

Tyranny is the State of man

Go any place, in every land

Tyranny fears the littlest seed

“Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.”

Just because you are ignorant doesn’t mean that you’re stupid. People feel stupid when they realize that they are ignorant about something, but ignorance is just a lack of knowledge. Stupidity would be to not care that they are ignorant.

“Not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance, is the death of knowledge.”

- Alfred North Whitehead

People on the political right have in recent years had a renaissance of sorts. It’s encouraging to me, to see our nation at the beginning of what might be a real revolution - a continuation of that original American Revolution. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to convert revolution into totalitarianism instead of Western Liberalism.

The founding fathers only started a process, and they knew it. They acknowledged that education was the key to continued Liberty of the individual. They knew, because they were highly educated men. In a time without public school, education was valued because only the powerful had an education. Knowledge is power, so the saying goes. “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.”

- John Adams

American mythos is that a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, as he left Independence Hall at the end of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” to which Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

The Founding Fathers are celebrated by United States patriots today, but the founders would be amazed at our general ignorance of what they did, and why. These men had a classical education, including the literature of the world, rhetoric and discourse, along with Latin and Greek studies to make them aware of the etymology of words. Most people today don’t even know the word ‘etymology’, much less what it means.

etymology noun

US (/ˌet.ɪˈmɑː.lə.dʒi/ ET-im-OL-ə-jee)

The study of the origin and history o words, or a study of this type relating to one particular word

Uneducated people are easily controlled. So it follows that if our society is being controlled by an educated elite class then we must be ignorant. We ignore the institutions of academia, and as a result we are unarmed in the warfare of words. And government is words, on paper.

“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” - James Madison

What did the founders write, on paper? They wrote out guarantees and acknowledgements of our inherent,

God-given rights. This was an effective argument at the time, because it inverted the concept of the Divine Right of Kings: that we should submit to the King, because God decides who is king. The founding fathers adhered to the philosophy of individual Liberty, using similar reasoning. They reminded their readers that God gave everyone free will, just as he made the king into a ruler. It was genius, really. But only an educated individual, who truly understands the words that are used to justify our laws, could have made such an argument. It’s an educated argument, profound and succinct.

Some of the smartest people I’ve ever known were ignorant. People who have shaped my life in the most important ways, who taught me life lessons that I treasure, were not well-educated. This essay is not an attempt to shame people for being ignorant. This is my contribution to the momentum of this moment, when society seems to be awakening to our loss of Liberty. It’s been happening for decades, slowly but surely, like an alarm clock that we’ve ignored, and snoozed, until this late hour.

To be free, in theory, is an idea that all the great philosophers and their students have explored. Our ability as human beings to go against the herd is what separates us from the animals. The human, being human, is capable of being more than their instinct compels them. Our ability to use language to communicate and educate, to innovate and renovate our reality to suit our free will, sets us apart from each other, and from the beasts of the field.

“I know of no safe repository of the ultimate power of society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.”

- Thomas Jefferson

The founders understood this, all too well. Sure, they understood that we needed to be armed with physical weapons, as a last resort, but to always be ready with a retort. They knew that we would be free, on paper, but that to truly BE free is to learn and grow in our Liberty all the days of our lives. To be free, in practice, requires that we be educated, as were the founding fathers.

We celebrate them for taking up arms, and we celebrate the constitution and Bill of Rights, but the education and insight that went into writing those laws is what really protected future generations. The second amendment was and is necessary, but first things first.

The First Amendment was written, on paper, as a reminder. It’s a single sentence, with a primary clause, followed by a series of subordinate clauses, separated by semicolons. The grammar here is very important to understanding the intent of the First Amendment ...

ARTICLE CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

More than the guns you think that you need

Tyranny likes that you think you are free

Let’s you have guns, but won’t let you see

That all of these weapons of war are so weak

Compared to the truth and the wisdom to speak...

...wordswordswordSWORDSwordswordswords...

Liberty Is Lovely

Liberty is she whom every individual yearns for, and it is in that yearning that our learning of Liberty becomes amorous.

Liberty is what the subjugated masses in time desire, each and every one of us. It’s the freedom to do no harm, but to otherwise freely express our most beautiful Self.

Liberty lets art flow from the fingertips, it lets relationships and culture grow, peacefully, like a garden.

Liberty has grace, and with kindness by her side, her mere appearance will silence those who doubt her. She is striking to behold.

Liberty is the gift of Self, the free will to decide how you will be in the world. Life is your only chance to dance, in her thrilling embrace, this face to face union...

Liberty sings a song that, once heard, makes the heart feel forever full, like a pool, with a fountain.

Liberty decorates the drab, destitute world, freely and without force.

Liberty need not force anything... she allows.

Liberty is lovely.

“I can’t believe what God has done Through us He’s given life to one

But isn’t she lovely made from love?”

-Stevie Wonder, Isn’t She Lovely

- George Washington Carver

... It’s about protecting our ability to become aware, to learn and teach and share with each other, all in service to our individual consciences.

First, in its primary clause, the First Amendment acknowledges the liberty of Religion, and protects even the idea of Religion from being defined or refined by the State. Ultimately, it protects the individual’s freedom of conscience, to think for themselves. Without the ability to think and believe as one might, their liberty is snuffed out from the start. The following clauses establish lawful guarantees of rights that naturally follow that of freedom of conscience. These include the right to speak freely what we have thought about and believe, to even print and publish freely, to gather freely, and at the end of this process of thought, to petition the government our shared concerns and to receive a response to those concerns.

The first amendment establishes our right to think as being guaranteed by the State, and had the founders not been educated men, we would have never had

the opportunity to truly live as free people, because we would never have been free on paper.

Education is the key to maintaining our Liberty. Not the kind that ends, but the kind that endures. It’s a process of education in our everyday lives, a lifestyle of learning, that the founders modeled for us. Their own lives, those few who stood up and fought for freedom, were dedicated to learning.

Today, it’s sad to say, those who proclaim freedom loudest are least likely to know anything about it.

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

- Benjamin Franklin

Here are some texts and resources that influenced the founding fathers when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights: Any of the writings of John Locke, Montesquieu, The Federalist Papers, The Magna Carta, the works of William Blackstone, Voltaire, Rousseau, Adam Smith, the Iroquois Confederacy, and Thomas Paine. There are countless resources online, both written and video, to help you on your way.

Speak Freely

Song Lyrics by Joshua Fryfogle

Liberty, Liberally, is at the center of The People’s Paper, literally and philosophically.

Liberal Arts are synonymous with philosophical thought.

This publication (Liberty, Liberally) is actually mine, whereas The People’s Paper (and MAS Magazine) are made public by members of the public each month. I’m not the publisher of those papers - I’m a steward instead. My team works hard to facilitate freedom for the People in our community.

My sense of duty to those publications

(The People’s Paper and Make A Scene) is expressed earnestly, here in the pages of Liberty, Liberally, which is found here in the center of the pages of The People’s Paper. My heart is opened up, here in your hands, to help you understand why I would devote my life to lifting your voice.

Liberty isn’t something that can be represented. It can’t be assigned to a proxy. The People’s Paper doesn’t publish anything, the People do. They make the decision to send it in, to make it public, and we agree to print their sincere expressions of conscience.

But Liberty, Liberally, allows me to remind our readers why The People’s Paper exists.

The supporting philosophical orientation that is required for The People’s Paper to remain true to its mission is broad. It is the Liberal Tradition, it is the founding philosophy of the West, that each individual is, by nature, free already, and that they need only realize their freedom. This happens in the mind before it happens in the social milieu.

I’v been writing my whole life. Songs, poems, all manner of writings, really. My interest in the liberal arts is lifelong.

At the center of my working life, in everything I’ve chosen to do with my professional life, is this aspiration to amplify the voices of the community, and to vivify their communication. It is this idea, that a Free Society can be peaceful and prosperous if individual rights are respected, that steers my ambitions.

My decision to start publishing my writings was arrived at after nearly 15 years. I could have published my writings all along, alongside the other community members who make use of our public service. (I’ve written much more than I’ll ever publish.) My worry was that as the attendant of The People’s Paper, and thus the People, my own use of the pages of The People’s Paper would send the wrong message. For this reason, I’ve only occasionally published my own writings in Make A Scene or The People’s Paper.

It’s a conundrum, really. Liberty, Liberally, solves that problem.

Though I would have been within my rights, and within my purview to publish my own essays in The People’s Paper, I would have risked reinforcing the idea that you, the reader, are only that. But you, dear reader, have all the rights that I have. You, the individual, have just as much right to freedom of the press that anyone else has, regardless of academic credentials. Freedom of press is for everyone.

I’ve tried to explain this ethos to as many as would listen these last 15 years. But I’ve also tried to avoid the pitfall that other media companies have always fallen into. By not publishing my writing in every issue, and sparingly when I do, The People’s Paper could not be confused as The Josh’s Paper. Sometimes, it’s what you don’t say that says the most.

You can respond to what you’ve read, or write what matters to you.

WWW.MAKEASCENEAK.COM

We’ve gotten a surprising number of donations from community members at The People’s Paper and Make A Scene Magazine over the years, and recently it’s increased with the publication of Liberty, Liberally.

We’ve also received many requests for subscription services, requests to mail Liberty, Liberally, and our other publications to people near and far...

So we thought, why not make it easier to donate, and get something in return, too? With a minimum

$8 per month donation, you’ll receive a copy of each publication - and even special publications and other things that might fit in a Manila envelope!

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement and financial support over the years. We take your trust very seriously, as we steward content from you and your neighbors onto the printed page.

It’s an American tradition which we are blessed to uphold.

COMMUNITY

Women In History Month: My Inspiration

Contributed by Yvonne Moss

I have always had an eye for artistic value. So when an opportunity arose to put my innate artistic inclinations to use, I stepped into Barbara Holthause. In the 1950’s, Home Economics was a required class in many schools across the country. I had my share of sewing instruction from my mother, relatives and classes. At seventeen, the 4-H (Head, Heart, Home & Health) community caught my attention with home design. It was Mrs. Holthause who assisted in pointing my talents in a clearer

direction and elevated it to a higher level.

As a busy mother of two children, Barbara headed the Arapahoe County 4-H in Colorado. My recollection of how many years she held that position or her background is eluding my recall. However, her memory and my experience with her remains. She turned the head of an awkward and shy teen and put me on a path I had hoped for — art.

First, she encouraged me to focus on my interests. Art was mine but she explained how to utilize it off a flat canvas

POLITICS & OPINION

my project was worthy of County competition and on to State. I was elated.

and into living applications. I decided on a clothing design and bedroom decor for my 4-H projects. Secondly, with her “Anything is possible” and “If you work at it, you can achieve” enthusiasm, Barbara encouraged me to design an outfit and furnishings for a room I would enjoy. Putting one and two together, under her tutelage, I created a lovely white dress-suit, with fitted jacket and below-the-knee skirt, that was awarded an Honorable Mention. Then, with a variety of red tones in wall colors, curtains and bedspread (remember this is 1950s), my furnishings project took Grand Champion. Later, Barbara told me

I was involved with 4-H and Barbara for a short time, until circumstances led me elsewhere. However, the experience I received under her guidance has followed me for more than 50 years of my art and designing career. Many other young people, I am certain, benefited by her positive influence. She demonstrated passion for her leadership position with warmth and compassion while working with children of all ages. In my book, a woman does not necessarily have to be a famous celebrity to be a role model. She just has to be part of your history.

Did ‘Rank Choice Voting’ Get a Second Wind?

Contributed by Katherine Baker

Everything I’ve been hearing lately from the defenders of ‘Rank Choice Voting’ relates to how much money it is going to save the State of Alaska due to no more costly ‘run-off’ elections. (After the laughter stops and everyone gets serious again, let’s examine that).

The winning candidate in Alaska must get, not simply a majority of the vote, but over 50% of the vote. 50% plus 1. (Remember when that went into effect?)

Isn’t that the real reason for costly ‘runoff’ elections? And not our actual voting system? In fact, we could say lawmakers created a costly problem themselves of ‘run-off’ elections where no problem existed before. Then they tried to solve it by throwing out our established voting system and now are trying to pound a square peg into a round hole as a solution, by blaming the voter system!!

All the while crossing their fingers and hoping the people of Alaska won’t notice!

WHEW! That is stenchy!

And it doesn’t appear they are willing to stop until they completely destroy our entire voting system.

Now I wonder ‘why’ they didn’t just go back to the drawing board and re-think their ‘50% plus 1’. Maybe tweak it or even consider whether the majority vote of the people, whatever that percentage works out to be depending on the number of candidates and/or writeins, is itself sufficient? Do we need ‘50 % plus 1’? Can Alaska afford ‘50% plus 1’. In their words that would save Alaska a lot of money-’millions of dollars’.

But wait! How dumb do they think we are? Do they believe the people of Alaska are gullible enough to believe the lawmakers didn’t know ‘run-off’

Want to Restore Alaskan’s Right to Address Corruption in Government?

MUST WATCH: Video of AK

Rep. Ben Carpenter on the Grand Jury Issue: Restoring Alaskan’s Constitutional Right to Expose and Address Corruption in Government. www.alaskagrandjurorsassociation.org

elections were going to cost the State money? Stenchy.

This is starting to look like a con game.

A shell game where the hand is quicker than the eye. They create a problem (EX: costly ‘run-off’ elections) and then they pretend to be helping us (EX: saving Alaska money) while they are actually hurting us (EX: using ‘rank choice voting’ to take away our direct, single choice, free and fair election voting rights) Then they garnish it with a big RED cherry on top strategy known as ‘Management By Confusion’.

‘Management By Confusion’ is a real and widely used strategy. In fact, it is a global strategy. We’ve all witnessed it.

Some characteristics of ‘Management By Confusion’ are loud, continuous, repetitive, nonstop noise narratives designed with a particular end in mind. They use falsehoods, emotional button pushing, etc. and anything we can empathize with to persuade us to agree.

And if we don’t see it their way then they label and cancel us! ‘Management By Confusion’ is not a management strategy although they call it such. The name is misleading and could be called misinformation and/or propaganda. In other words, it is another redefinition that resides far from the reality it conveys. ‘Management By Confusion’ is a strategy designed to usurp power and control from individuals, groups, companies and governments. It is used locally, nationally and globally. It is therefore by factual definition a coup strategy and not a management strategy at all. Now who would put a covert coup strategy in our workplaces, government offices and politics?

Take a few minutes out of your day to sign the petition to put ‘Rank Choice Voting’ on the ballot. Everyone now knows by experience how it really works. Let’s put it on the ballot, vote it out and go back to the direct, by the people, single choice voting. Your signature and your vote matters. Preserve your voting rights and the voting rights of your children and grandchildren.

POLITICS

Who’s Behind Dunleavy’s Carbon Plans?

Contributed

by

Chuck Campbell

Last month, I gave a brief overview of Governor Dunleavy’s carbon-sequestration plan – what it was, the contradictions surrounding it, the embarrassing sketchiness of the carbon-capture industry itself, and why this plan is offensive to sound principles. This month, I’ll be looking into some of the organizations that have supported or weighed in on Dunleavy’s plan.

Something that caught my attention while reading through a January 28th article in the Anchorage Daily News was that environmentalist groups are pitching this plan to us in very economic terms, promising millions in store. That, by itself, raises questions. If this is an economic, rather than environmental, project, why are so many environmentalist or environmentalism-adjacent organizations supporting it? If it is an environmental project, why are the environmentalists, rarely subtle about their goals, being so careful to speak in economic terms?

One organization quoted in the ADN’s article, Wild Heritage, doesn’t show up in the usual sources, but a casual search of the name turns up an “about” page hosted by another group, the Berkeley, California-based Earth Island Institute, where Wild Heritage’s description speaks for itself: “Wild Heritage works to keep these forests free from industrial activity, and fights for the restoration of degraded forests so that over time they begin to recover their primary-forest

values.”

Earth Island Institute, meanwhile, has a much higher profile. It is close kin to the John Muir Project, an anti-logging organization named after the founder of the Sierra Club, and has an entry on InfluenceWatch… where it turns out to be a hardline anti-logging organization.

One California anti-logging group turns into three all-but-identical faces. Suddenly, a possible motive appears.

To give credit where it’s due, Wild Heritage’s chief scientist, Dominick DellaSalla, does admit that the idea of continuing logging while reaping millions from carbon-offset schemes is “pie in the sky.” Will anyone listen? Will Dunleavy listen?

Another outside organization supporting Dunleavy’s plan is the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. According to InfluenceWatch, it is the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. But when speaking to Alaskans, they speak economically: “There’s a real potential market out there, if you can show and verify that you are making real emissions reductions.”

Compare their homepage: “Our mission is to secure a safe and stable climate by accelerating the global transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and a thriving, just, and resilient economy.” Again, to Alaskans, they treat the money as the goal, with the environmental side as the means – even though their purpose is obviously environmentalism with a side of social activism.

FAITH & OPINION

My Heart Compelled

Contributed by Charles Dean Walker

Anyone can identify themselves as a follower of Christ. It doesn’t make it true. That’s what I say about Christian Nation-

alists. They are wicked, they pervert my religion. I will not be silent.

We as believers can not be silent. Christian Nationalism is Fascism.

My Testimony of Deliverance

Contributed by Miquela Sampson

My name is Miquela Sampson, and this is a short testimony of the wonderful work God has done in my life! I had always known about God, but never expressed or was genuinely concerned about knowing Him personally. I was baptized as a baby, and again as a young adult, but never committed my life to Him. I lived my life ignorant of the details of what God’s plan of salvation was or truly meant. The Bible says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”. Additionally, in the original Hebrew Genesis 1:1 says, “בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃’’ which translated to English says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”. By examining the meanings of the six letters in bereshit (beytresh-aleph-shin-yud-tav), they form a sentence: “The Son of God is destroyed by his own hand on the cross.” Little did I know God was going to move mightily in my own life in such a way that I can understand and never want to go back to that old life He rescued me from! I grew up in the Russian Orthodox church, unfortunately never understanding anything being said or done. Furthermore, I never understood the purpose of occasionally walking to the

altars and kissing the icons. By the time I became a teenager, I heard about people “giving their life to Jesus”, never knowing the full meaning or purpose. With a limited understanding, I concluded it was necessary that I “be a good girl”, the type that a person would be teased for in school.

As I got older, I grew a sense of pride and ignorance, making poor decisions while hanging around bad people. I specifically remember this train of thought I had, “If I were to start drinking, my parents would still love me, my grandparents would still love me. I see other people doing it so it can’t be that bad.” This was only the beginning of the consequences of living in sin. A few years go by, my sister has a sleepover with her friends at our house, and they decide to play with a Ouija board. Knowing this was a bad idea, I pleaded with her not to do it when I was in the room. My request was not honored and after I had fallen asleep, they began. I woke up in sleep paralysis, hearing my sister ask that demon to whom it was next to. It responded with ‘D’ and ‘M.’ I felt petrified hearing my sister say ‘M’. My attempts to wake up failed, I wanted to scream but it was as if my mouth was glued shut! That demon stayed with me for more years to come.

But these are just organizations that support Dunleavy’s plan. What about the firms that have been hired by the government to study it? One, which issued a report for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources last year, is Anew Climate. If their name doesn’t give it away, their buzzword-laden website, which entices the prospective customer with “climate solutions as a service,” will: they are an activist company. Is our legislature “talking past the sale” here? Can we trust them to deliver an unbiased view of a project this close to their cause?

Another company involved in the process is worth a closer look because of their frequent use by Dunleavy and the legislature: Gaffney, Cline & Associates (GCA), AKA GaffneyCline. Their website, while not as obvious as Anew, still shows adjacency to the environmental movement (“We are actively engaged in the energy transition, assisting clients to measure, report, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions’’), though this seems to be a relatively recent development.

More interesting is a GCA executive who spoke at a Senate meeting on March 3rd, 2022. His name is Nick Fulford, he comes from the United Kingdom, and he currently works as GCA’s Director of Gas and Energy Transition.

As befits his title, his LinkedIn profile shows that he is on board with “net zero” (a euphemism for hard-throttling productive activity) and “Environmen-

tal-Social-Governance” practices (the force turning major corporations into far-left activist groups). His bent toward environmental policy combined with a long history in oil & gas make him the perfect candidate to sell this dangerous plan in Alaska. Unfortunately, he’s not done: he’ll be the mainstage presenter at the Juneau Economic Development Council’s Innovation Summit, right around the time this paper goes to print.

The other GCA executive who spoke at that meeting, Director of Corporate Strategy Mike Cline, keeps a much lower profile on LinkedIn, but shows interest in “The Net-Zero Circle” and engages occasionally with pro-carboncapture posts.

An aside: money is not the basis of a healthy economy. Production, which naturally initiates the flow of money, is the basis of a healthy economy. To base an economy on nothing, or, in the case of carbon offsets, on deliberate nonproductivity, is to guarantee stagnation and failure.

So don’t be fooled by promises that carbon offsets or sequestration can bring millions to Alaska without harming our existing industries. These projects, backed by anti-development groups and by consultancies that aid & abet industrial throttling by another name, will absolutely block badly-needed new production, as is likely their purpose. Once established, they may be used against existing production as well. Alaska needs real jobs and real production, not carbon offsets that pay us not to use our natural resources.

Fascism has no place in God’s kingdom. Christian Nationalists are false Christians. They let evil guide their hearts. Hearts that they let be turned to stone. Evil has no place in God’s Holy kingdom. Their bigotry is sin. Their forceful nature on others is sinful. They are a mockery of the Christian faith. May God have mercy on them. “Forgive them father

As an adult, I was still drinking, I also began smoking marijuana. I had no idea that doing those things opened the door for unclean spirits to take residence in my body. In 2020, After a major earthquake in the village I grew up in, I experienced unusual, recurring panic attacks every 2-5 minutes throughout the night. I did not sleep for 6 days after that. On the 7th day, I blacked out and came into an embarrassing situation at my workplace. The demons inside of me undressed me and I walked through the office I worked in, in front of all of my coworkers. At the time I had no control over my body, I was not myself and only understood something in me was taking over my body.

Long story short I ended up in the Emergency Room where I was administered a shot to calm down. This was the first mental hospital visit out of 5. Although I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me, I knew someone who could fix it, Jesus Christ. I began to pray, and knew I would find an answer in The Bible. It was at this time I understood why a person who believes in Jesus reads the Bible. My life was completely upside down and, as quickly as I wanted it to, wasn’t improving right away. I end up in jail due to an open warrant for missing a court hearing. I continued to experience these dark things in my sleep. I remained on the fact that Jesus was the answer.

for they know not what they do” Just as Christ said on the crucifix. Lord guide the poor souls away from Nationalism. Make them see the error of those ways. Save them lord from the evils of Nationalism. Amen.

Upon coming out of jail, I searched “demon possessed person” on YouTube. I scrolled through the list of results and watched a video from The Supernatural Life. Daniel Adams was in a park where a large crowd gathered to meet him to be prayed for. I watched a woman describe the afflictions she wanted to be set free from and knew I needed to be delivered. As many times as I went to church , I never knew about people being delivered from demons, let alone that it was even real. I had watched plenty of exorcism movies and horror movies only to know Hollywood’s depiction. I reached out to people on the deliverance map from The Supernatural Life website and was soon set free. I prayed for and finally found freedom.

I began to read The Bible the 3rd day of being in jail and continued to read every day after. I know Jesus has set me free because I no longer have blackouts and end up in embarrassing situations. I have zero desire to smoke marijuana or have another sip of alcohol ever again. I want what Jesus has for me. I help others be set free; I participate in my church as a children’s Sunday School teacher. Praise God that He never changes, that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever because He still sets people free, He still breaks the chains of bondage, lust, and fear. Signs and miracles are still occurring. Glory to God!

The People’s Paper, as the name implies, simply prints what local people like you tell us to. By using our online form, local people send in their content, what they care about, and the end result is a publication that is mostly apolitical. We don’t make ‘editorial decisions’ like corporate media makes. You do, by choosing to contribute, or not.

Nothing New. The truth is, this model that we’ve adopted is not an innovation. It’s a revival. The Freedom of the Press, like every other clause in the First Amendment, was intended for every individual. It was never supposed to be that we should trust the media industry to tell us the truth, or that some professional industry would replace our own responsibilities and rights as free people. It was always supposed to be us who made use of that freedom. And that’s what this publication is all about, restoring the role of real people in the public discourse. We’re here to help you shape your local culture as an accurate

reflection of the people, instead of some corporate culture that is hoisted upon us all.

Stop looking for media that tells you what you want to hear. Instead, say it yourself, and we’ll make sure our readers hear it the way you mean it. We don’t care if it’s political or not. Based on 15 years of doing this, most of it won’t be. We’re more than that, People!

Expanding into Anchorage and Eagle River is a big step for us, but it’s long overdue. Our goal is not to prop up a particular perspective, but to facilitate a freedom that has fallen out of favor. We aim simply to amplify your voices, rather than our own. This is the mandate of the First Amendment.

If you would like to contribute to our collective effort, you can tell us what to print by going online at MakeASceneAK. com, and clicking on the Submit Article button. We’ve faithfully served the Mat-

Su for 15 years, distributing our paper at hundreds of locations, and now we’re ready to serve Alaskans in Eagle River and Anchorage. If you’re interested in supporting our cause, there are several ways to do so.

Monthly donations. You can make a one-time or monthly donation online, and for all monthly donations of $8.00 or more, we’ll mail a copy of the paper to an address of your choice. Visit us online at MakeASceneAK.com/donate.

Ad sales? Call Kendall at (907) 373-2698. Kendall is our full-time sales representative. Not only do we offer print advertising, but we also own the commercial music station, 95.5 The Pass, KNLT, and we offer a wide range of media services, including website design, video production, and much more.

We specialize in the local guys, so if you’re a local business owner, we will treat you like you matter!

Snow Kiting and Biking in Avalanche Terrain

Contributed by Debra McGhan

Sean Wisner, Fire Chief for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in Valdez, decided to give snow kiting a try. He’s spent a considerable amount of time in the mountains and prides himself on leading by example. In addition to his career in fire safety, he’s a world-class triathlete, big mountain alpine skier, and served as the snow safety director for big mountain events like the World Extreme Skiing Championships and Tailgate Alaska. He also served as President of the Alaska Avalanche Information Center for many years. This man knows a lot about safety protocols and avalanche danger.

He started by kite boarding in the warm waters of the Baja years ago and perfected his skills kiting in Prince William Sound and Anchorage’s Turnagain Arm.

“I’m pretty comfortable and good at kite boarding so when I heard about snow kiting I thought, I want to try that.”

At the beginning he played with the kite in a large, wide open area in Thompson Pass. He likened it to riding on flat ocean waters. “I was only lifting a few feet off the snow when I started,” he said.

But then one day he found himself having a ‘panic attack’ when the wind lifted him up in the air so high he was suddenly skiing uphill and watching the snow get further and further away.

“In just seconds I was way the heck up in avalanche terrain with no guide, no gear and no plan,” said Wisner. “And no one knew where I was or what I was doing. I was so focused on riding the wind higher and further than ever before that I lost sight of the real situation until I thought, wait! I have kiteboarding gear

but no avalanche gear.

“I knew if I got in trouble on this mountain and triggered a slide, I would likely die.”

To his fortune, he maneuvered the kite back to a safe landing but walked away angry at himself.

“I should have recognized the potential risk and been more prepared. I realized if this could happen to me, it would likely happen to other people. I just want to share my experience and maybe warn someone else before they get into serious trouble.”

Snow kiting is far from the only sport or recreational equipment exposing people to potential hazards. Wisner, who rides snowmachines and a snowboard, is also an avid biker. In the winter, you’ll often find him on the trails riding a ‘fat tire’ bike, another winter activity that continues growing in popularity.

“These bikes are simple for anyone who rides,” said Wisner. “You can ride on the frozen trails left by snowmachiners where you could easily find yourself crossing avalanche run out zones, exposed to overflow or thin ice or confronting a moose vying for trail rights.”

And then there are Timbersleds or ‘snow bikes.’ “Timbersled users are doubling every year, with approximately four-thousand in use today,” reported Sarah Carter, with the Alaska Avalanche Information Center, in her International Snow Science Workshop White Paper - Snow Kiting and Biking in Avalanche Terrain.

Carter, a nationally recognized avalanche instructor for the American Institute

Migration Time Again

Contributed by Nancy Wade Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center

Somewhere on an island off the coast of Antarctica, an Arctic Tern is preparing to head north, completing the longest round-trip journey known of any animal. This epic flight is known as migration, and although many animals migrate, certain birds are the distance champions.

Our Arctic Tern began his southbound voyage of 12,000 or more miles in the far northern reaches of North America, Europe or Asia, nesting as far north as the Arctic coast. In September, as the sunlight begins to wane in the northern hemisphere, the Arctic Tern heads south, in a meandering route away from land until it reaches the islands and mainland of Antarctica. Here he will spend the northern winter in the relative warmth and summer sunlight of the southern hemisphere. Then in March, when daylight wanes in the south, he will retrace his steps to his northern nesting grounds. Along with the longest known annual migration of any bird, the Arctic Tern probably sees more daylight than any other.

Although the Arctic Tern has a very long migration, it is by no means the only remarkable one.

The Bar-tailed Godwit is a large shore-

bird that nests in Alaska. To escape the winter, it migrates south to New Zealand. Instead of following coastlines and making a casual flight with rest stops, it eats until over half of its body weight is stored fat for a non-stop flight to the south. Radio tagged birds have been tracked flying over 6000 miles in 9 days. Birds are able to undertake these epic journeys by sleeping in flight. Long-distance migrants can rest their brain one hemisphere at a time, giving each side a short rest. In addition, they take very short micro naps of only a few seconds. During the winter the Bar-tailed Godwit will feed and replenish its fat reserves, only to repeat this migration in the spring. They will be back to nest again in Alaska by early May.

Migration can also provide impressive flocks of birds, and here in Alaska we can view them in several locations. In Cordova up to 5 million shorebirds visit the beaches to rest and refuel on the rich mudflats on their way to nesting grounds in Alaska. The most common is the Western Sandpiper, but tens of thousands of Dunlin, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Sanderlings and Whimbrels also join in the feeding frenzy. They will stay for a few days before scattering throughout the state to breed.

Hawks, falcons and Golden Eagles that migrate to the lower 48 states for the

for Avalanche Research and Education, presented research showing a mix of people who decide to try snow biking. They range from the curious to long time snowmobile riders looking for something different to dirt bikers who have never ridden on snow but buy the snow bike and head for the mountains in winter for the first time.

“With all these new user groups heading for the mountains, there is a real need to raise awareness about what you should know, carry and do in avalanche terrain,” advised Wisner. “I tell people, ‘here’s what I like to do and where I screwed up so they might avoid getting in the same situation and ending up with a tragic outcome.”

Kiting and Biking could easily put unsuspecting riders in avalanche terrain. If you plan to give one of these exciting new recreational activities a try, you would be wise to increase your backcountry awareness and avalanche skills before heading into the backcountry.

Wearing an avalanche transceiver and carrying a pack with probe and shovel inside should be added to your ‘essential gear list’ when kiting and biking in the mountains. After all, you never know where adventure will come or the wind might blow.

“Alaska is one of those places that will jump up and bite you if you’re not careful,” warned Wisner. “You need to make sure you not only take the right gear but get educated and practice so you’ll be prepared.”

Learn more at www.alaskasnow.org or www.alaskasaferiders.com

winter are also beginning their northbound journey, most arriving around mid-April. These large birds need to use prevailing winds to assist them in long flights. Hawks and eagles are designed for soaring rather than for long periods of flapping flight, so they follow mountain ranges with their upwellings of warm air to help keep them aloft. Hawks will often spend a few days in one location along their migration route to feed and wait for favorable weather. Theirs is a long but more relaxed flight. Here in Southcentral Alaska the hawks present a bird watching spectacle as they move up the Copper River and through the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and on into the interior. Commonly seen are Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles, Sharp-shinned Hawks and swans.

Summer is a busier season at the Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center due to these additional summer visitors, the short breeding season and more daylight and human eyes to discover injured and orphaned birds. Our operation is funded solely by grants and donations from the caring public. To support our rehabilitation activities as well as the resident education ambassadors we are hosting our annual fundraising event on Saturday, April 8. Join us at the Palmer Moose Lodge at 5PM for a prime rib dinner, auctions and games. Tickets are only $50 and available online at www.akwildbird.org. Those who prefer paper tickets may purchase them by cash or check from our volunteers or at the center. Call 907-892-2927 for information.

Terrain

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The Mat-Su Valley’s Community Newspaper and Entertainment Magazine.

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by Alaskans, for Alaskans. We’re more than just a newspaper!

The Sad Demise of Neighborhoods of Our Past – Part I

Contributed by Doug Ferguson

Have you ever gone back to a house, neighborhood, farm or place where you worked in which you had spent a significant amount of time in your life and found it run down, deteriorated, or just plain gone and replaced by something else? Then you can relate to feelings of loss, disappointment and in some cases, just plain anger when you see it!

In the past twenty years or so, I have had the disheartening experience of seeing two established neighborhoods where I spent lots of time deteriorate and eventually be condemned for demolition. In the first one I spent a significant part of each summer as a youth at my grandmother’s wonderful old house on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio when my mother and I visited there. Youngstown was one of many “rust belt” cities that were some of the first in the country to deteriorate as we started to lose the “heavy” industries like steelmaking to Asian countries for “cost” reasons and environmental pressures.

These stories are typical of what has happened to many formerly prosperous towns and cities around America over the past thirty or forty years because of our short sighted “cost” and “no-pollution-in-my-backyard” policies.

My maternal grandfather was a piano tuner in the small town of New Castile, PA. across the state line about a dozen miles from the booming steel mill city of Youngstown, Ohio. He had four children, but was barely making enough to make ends meet. So he gave up the job he loved, took the trolley each day between the two places and went to work in the steel mills of Youngstown.

The other new houses on the street were just as nice and unique. The street was just a few blocks from the southern city limit where it met the growing township of Boardman. At the eastern end of the street they built a large and beautiful Lutheran Church made of limestone.

Fast forward to 1992 when during a trip we visited the area. Then the 65 year old neighborhood was in good shape, the original shade trees planted years ago trimmed and the houses well maintained. It was great to see! Even though Youngstown stopped making steel in the 1970’s, it didn’t look like it had affected my grandparent’s old neighborhood!

houses a neighborhood mission!

Since then, over 4500 houses have been demolished by the city using ironically labeled “Urban Development ‘’ and “Environment” funds! An aerial view from “Google Earth”, shows that one of these houses was my grandparent’s.

The root cause, of course for this waste and tragedy, was the loss of Youngstown’s steel industry when there wasn’t much of anything of comparable size to replace the jobs lost. Over the period from 1970 when steel production stopped to 2021, Youngstown’s population dropped to more than half from 138,800 to 60,300!

A LOCALLY OWNED MULTI-MEDIA COMPANY IN THE MAT-SU VALLEY, ALASKA

The other was the huge building complex of and surrounding neighborhood of the company where I worked in Endicott NY in my first job out of college. I’ll tell that story in a future article.

By working 12 hour shifts, common at the time, and sometimes “double shifts’’ (24 straight hours!), he was able to finally afford a long lot in a new neighborhood on the developing south side of Youngstown, build a beautiful new house with hardwood floors and trim, a large living room, dining room, a full basement with a fruit cellar and concrete floor and a wonderful front porch that went across the front of the whole house! You could say he achieved the American Dream! All that work took its toll, however, and he died in his early 50’s so I never got to know him.

However, just 13 years later in 2005 when back for my 50th high school reunion in Boardman, we couldn’t believe the changes when we visited. About every 4th or 5th house was boarded up! I found out later this was an attempt to eliminate “Crack Houses”! Most of the remaining occupied houses were in need of repairs. Lawns were un-kept. Stumps were all that remained of many of the old trees. Sidewalks were gone in many places.

The only neat area on the street was the old Lutheran Church, which now

Many can be blamed, of course. Failures to invest in new “open hearth” technology by short term profit seeking management plus extreme demands made by labor unions during the good times and later pressures from government and environmental forces to shut down “dirty” manufacturing or move it “outof-sight” to another country all figured in the demise.

It just took a while to finally finish off my Grandfather’s American Dream on the South side of Youngstown! Could that happen here in Alaska? We’ll see. Regardless, very sad to watch!

People, Animals and Their Same Senses

is good at collecting dim light, so they have better night vision. A reflective layer in the dog’s eye, called the tapetum lucidum, magnifies incoming light.

Contributed by Angie Lewis

Alaska Animal Advocates

Dogs have the same 5 senses that people do, but to very different degrees. Some senses are less developed than in people, while others are extraordinarily more sensitive.

Sight - Dogs can see movement and light much better than people. In the retina of the eye, dogs have more of a specific type of cell called a rod, which

PETS & ANIMALS COMMUNITY

This reflective layer lends a characteristic blue or greenish glint to dogs’ eyes when light (for example, headlights of passing cars) shines into them at night.

However, dogs do not have as much visual acuity as people, meaning that they cannot distinguish fine details as well. They also cannot differentiate colors as well because they have fewer of the cells in the retina called cones, which are responsible for color vision. Contrary to popular belief, however, dogs are not completely colorblind. Nictitating membrane, dog - A unique

Local Lox, Bagel & Koffie Bar Opens

Contributed by Sam Laney

Alaskan Cold and Hot smoked Salmon on a locally sourced bagel, and Italian Roast Coffee, is what I have based my small enterprise on, but I also offer Italian Sub sandwiches as well as roasted Caribou Bratwurst, Avocado Toast, Hummus on Flatbread, Charcuterie, Panini Sandwiches, Black Cod on a Ciabatta roll and much more…

For a little personal background, I grew up on salmon here in Alaska, but went away to school inMaryland and stuck around the D.C. area working for the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities. While on the east coast, I

fell in love with Lox (Gravlax, soaking salmon belly meat in a salt brine for 3 months) and bagels…only to find Atlantic farmed salmon to be far inferior to our Alaskan wild-caught salmon.

When I returned home to Alaska, I found an exceptional local bakery (North Star Bakery on the Palmer Wasilla Highway) and I had my pivot for a small foodie eatery based in the land I love while showcasing the bounty that sustains me in mind and spirit. You are what you eat, they say…

Look for my storefront on the right side of the Parks Highway as you are heading north out of Wasilla. I use premium

feature of the dog eye is the nictitating membrane, which is also called the third eyelid. This additional eyelid is a whitish pink color, and it is found under the other eyelids in the inside corner (near the nose) of the eye. The third eyelid extends up when needed to protect the eyeball from scratches (for example, while traveling through brush) or in response to inflammation.

Hearing - The ear canal of the dog is much deeper than that of people and creates a better funnel to carry sound to the ear drum. The average dog can hear about 4 times better than the average person, including sounds at higher frequencies than can be detected by the human ear.

Dogs are also better at distinguishing the direction of a sound, which is an adaptation useful for hunting. Unfortunately, this deeper ear canal predisposes dogs to ear problems. Grease, wax, and moisture can build up in the ear, leading to inflammation and infection. Floppy ears or hair within the ears further limit ventilation, making matters

worse. This is why many dogs need frequent preventive ear cleaning. Smell and Taste - Dogs have an extraordinarily acute sense of smell; it is about a million times more sensitive than that of people. They can detect odors at extremely low levels and can distinguish odors that are subtly different. This is why dogs are able to sniff out drugs and explosives at airports, search for human victims at disaster sites (including victims deep under water), and follow the scent track of criminals.

Odor molecules dissolve in the moisture that coats the inside of the canine nose. Signals are then sent from the olfactory membranes in the nose to the olfactory center of the brain, which is 40 times bigger in dogs than in people. Dogs also have an organ on the roof of the mouth that allows them to “taste” certain smells. As in people, taste and smell in dogs are closely linked. However, dogs gain much more information about food from smell than from taste. Dogs have only about one sixth the number of taste buds that people do, and their distinct sense of taste is actually quite poor.

cold-smoked Sockeye for the Lox and also have hot-smoked Coho for those who prefer that method. Smooth cream cheese on a variety of flavored bagels, red onion slivers, capers on top and crunchy fresh dill pickles really hits the mark! When tourist season gets going, I plan to sell bagels by the dozen, cream cheese blocks, and vacuum packets of salmon for take-aways on the journey North as there is not much available between Wasilla and Fairbanks.

Whether you’re addicted to the taste of fresh lox on a good, locally made bagel (like I am), have never tried it before but are curious about the legendary combo, or are a tourist traveling through our area who has had one before in the Lower 48 but not with our superior, locally sourced salmon, here is your

delightful opportunity to do so...!

Stop on by for the ultimate Alaskan gastronomic extravaganza… and support Wild Alaska Salmon in the process! Call 907-373-1474 for more information or to place an order. Open 7 days a week, from 6am to 3pm, in the Westside Center, 925 Commercial Dr, Wasilla.

We have a new way for customers to win prizes at turn-ASpeak with store sta ff today to learn more. Collect your numbered window cling today!

REWARDS FOR PROUD VALLEY DOGOODERS!

PETS & ANIMALS

Dogs, and Following Your Heart, Can Save Your Bacon

Contributed by Sarah L.

The first time Astrid Mueller took a leap of faith was when she lived on Kodiak Island and decided to divorce her husband. She felt her marriage did not align with her anymore. She was scared though. Astrid had been lucky during her marriage. Her husband had taken care of their main expenses while she built her coaching business. If she left, what would she do to survive? How would she make an income? Despite the unknown, staying in a marriage she had outgrown seemed far worse than taking the leap to follow her heart. So, she did what she always does when big questions are swirling around in her head, she went for a walk.

It was a bright and sunny day. She breathed in Kodiak Island’s salty air while walking among the Sitka spruce that swayed in the wind. As she was coming down a hill, she ran into a friend. He was so happy to see her: He urgently needed a dogsitter.

“The universe brought me to the right place at the right time,” Astrid said, excited at this opportunity to be around dogs and make some money.

For Astrid, taking care of dogs was not just a job, it was a soul-filling activity. Astrid likes to say, “dogs saved my bacon” not only helping her gain income, but also releasing stress, and filling her with love and happiness. While in the midst of dog sitting for her friend, she had a life-changing idea: she could make stable income from dog sitting while she continued to grow her coaching business.

Filled with inspiration, she built a Facebook page, inviting her friends and members of the Kodiak community to join. By the end of the weekend, she had already found her next clients and her fun new side gig was starting to take off!

“It was all intuition and inspiration,” Astrid said.

Fast forward several months, Astrid moved to Anchorage and then to Palmer to heal stage 4 cancer. One of her doctors said that it could not be healed. But Astrid didn’t accept that as her truth. With faith, her positive outlook, and with focus on her emotions and mindset, she discovered huge resilience, and fully recovered. Just like with the dog sitting idea, she kept following her intuition and heart to support her healing. Out of this healing journey, she found a new passion to help cancer patients heal and thrive. Now more than ever, since surviving cancer, she doesn’t compromise on her health and happiness anymore.

“I’ll do things to take care of myself, but I don’t take actions based on fears and what I think I should do,” she said.

“I follow my heart.”

It was challenging to stay calm after cancer, as she did have any regular income and all her savings were used up. But instead of feeling anxiety, she chose joy.

“Choosing joy is not like a switch we can just turn on when we’re stressed out. But we can choose to do things for ourselves that lead to joy,” she said.

“That can be anything like walks, playing with dogs, or choosing a fulfilling occupation.”

Astrid tried DoorDash and considered other side gigs to make additional income, but the numbers didn’t seem to add up. These jobs were taking valuable time away from building her business and helping people.

However, she stayed curious —and for the most part calm —thanks to skills she learned through her cancer journey and coaching experience.

Then it all came to her in an epiphany:

She would start a “doggy day care!” she said. Immediately after posting on Facebook, she got flooded with requests.

“Doggies who are otherwise lonely during the day get loving company while I get to continue growing my CANcer coaching business working from home,” she said happily.

Astrid intends to keep her day care and dog boarding exclusive so she can focus on her business without too many distractions, but she still has a few spots open.

Just like dogs who take breaks, play and need joy to live happy lives, so do people. Joy is the foundation of her practice.

“Health and happiness are important, not just nice to have,” she explained. “Health and joy are life. Following my heart helps me create joy and that helps me be healthy, and live! Solutions always show up when I follow my heart. And joy ripples on to others from there!”

To find out more about Astrid’s doggy day care, find her on Facebook as “Astrid Mueller Life.” To find out more about her CANcer coaching, visit AstridMueller.com

“Doggies” as Astrid says are yet again saving her bacon! And so has been following her intuition and heart.

COMMUNITY

Clean Air Challenge 2023

On May 13th more than 200 hundred bicyclists will gather in Talkeetna, Alaska for the Clean Air Challenge, in which participants unite to ride for one cause—lung health. The lifesaving ride will benefit the American Lung Association and their mission to improve lung health and help prevent lung disease.

The Clean Air Challenge is the largest annual fundraiser for the American Lung Association, Alaska. Each year we challenge riders of every age and skill level to join us as we ride our bikes from the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge up the Highway toward the majestic Denali Mountains and back. Each rider commits to raising at least $350

in fundraising, but many go far beyond that point to help continue funding for the organization’s vital lifesaving work. The more money raised the more lives we save in our community!

Participants that raise over $500 will receive a night stay at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge the night of the event and participants who raise over $800 receive a two-night stay at the lodge during the weekend of the event.

The American Lung Association’s work directly touches more than 34 million Americans each year including roughly 100,000 Alaskans living with lung disease.

Saving lives through a pioneering model of research, education and advocacy, the Lung Association focuses

on defeating lung cancer, creating a tobacco-free future, championing clean air for all and improving the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families. Learn more about the Clean Air Challenge on May 13 and register

at www.cleanairchallengeak.org or contact the Alaska Office at HeatherL. Johnson@lung.org or Jessica.Frey@ lung.org When you cant breathe, nothing else matters.

Alaska Sunset View Resort is a great location to host a variety of different events. From weddings to family vacations, and everything in between.

The possibilites are endless for a fun getaway and a successful event.

Meet the Valley Market Real Estate Team

Contributed by The American Lung Association