Make A Scene December 2013

Musical Acts at the Sitzmark, Alyeska Resort

Known as a family-friendly gathering spot with a casual menu of burgers, grilled sandwiches, draft beer and full bar, the Sitzmark Bar & Grill at Alyeska Resort has established itself as worthy music venue with a strong line-up featuring wellestablished national acts as well as local’s favorite Anchorage-based bands.

Open daily during the winter season at 11:00 A.M. and serving lunch and dinner, the Sitzmark is also the favorite après ski spot at Alyeska Resort. Opening day of the 2013/14 season is scheduled for Wednesday, November 27.

The diverse music line-up for the 2013/2014 season includes a mix of local Alaska bands and legendary national acts. Concerts at the Sitzmark start at 10:00 P.M. with doors open at 9:00 P.M. for guests ages 21 and over.

Tickets for Sitzmark concerts can be purchased online at the resort website, at the Sitzmark or any Alyeska Ticket Office and by phone at 907-754-2275.

About Alyeska Resort : (AlyeskaResort.com)

Alyeska Resort is Alaska’s premier yearround destination featuring The Hotel Alyeska, an award-winning 304 room full-service property. Located just 40 miles from Anchorage and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Alyeska Resort is your base camp for summer and winter excursions.

Alyeska Resort stands out during ski season with 650” of average snowfall annually and the longest-continuous double black diamond ski run in North America.

> Learn more about the resort and plan your Alaskan adventure at AlyeskaResort.com or 800.880.3880

Highlights from the 2013/2014 music calendar are on the next page >>

Matt Hopper & the Roman Candles

December 27 and 28, 2013

Admission: $5

Leftover Salmon (www.leftoversalmon.com)

January 3 and 4, 2014 Admission: $30

Glossary (www.glossary.us)

February 14, 15 and 16, 2014 Admission: $10

Young Dubliners >> (youngdubliners.com)

February 21 and 22, 2014 Admission: $20

The Mother Hips (www.motherhips.com)

March 6, 7 and 8, Admission: $15

Michal Menert (michalmenert. com) March 14 and 15, 2014 Admission: $15

Lucero (www.luceromusic. com) April 3, 4 and 5, 2014 Admission: $20 advanced / $25 day of show

Jerry Joseph (www.jerryjoseph. com) April 11, 12 and 13, 2014 Admission: $10

The Photonz April 25, 26 and 27, 2014 Admission: $10

> For a complete band line-up and to purchase tickets, please visit thesitzmark.com

DID YOU KNOW?

In 1915 the record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.

Wreaths for Foster Kids

By Betsy Woodin

Walking the Red Road meets at 6:00 Mon nights at Wasilla Middle School and is open to anyone interested in learning about American Indian and Alaska Native culture and traditions.

They decorated lovely holiday wreaths for the silent auction at Turn-a-Leaf Thrift store.

Come bid on a wreath, proceeds will be used for gifts and holiday activities for foster children. Auction ends Dec 18th, call Betsy at ACRF 376-4678 for more information.

Bid on a holiday wreath in the used book area at Turn a Leaf Thrift Store. The silent auction ends Dec 18th and ACRF will use the proceeds to buy gifts for foster children.

> Call Betsy 376-4678 for more information.

“Come

bid on a wreath, proceeds will be used for gifts and holiday activities for foster children. Auction ends Dec 18th, call Betsy at ACRF 376-4678 for more information.”

Tundra Cartoonist Gets into Live-Action

By Jamie O’Connor

Chad Carpenter, the cartoonist behind Tundra Comics, is a staple of Alaskan comedy. His comics are published in 575 newspapers across the U.S., Europe

and the Caribbean. He successfully publishes comic books, graphic novels and has produced one short film.

Chad and his brother Darin’s latest pet project is a comedy thriller/ spoof set in small-town Alaska. “Moose” is a full-length feature film full of mountain pirates, hippies and a killer moose terrorizing the small, fictitious, town of Gangrene Gulch.

“I want to have fun,” said Chad at a meeting with his general production team in November. Fun is what this

CONTINUES ON PAGE 43

The Winter Solstice Festival of Lights, 2013

Contributed by Raven Wi’

Raven Wi’ of Raven’s Creations and Mike Borgford of Raven’s Glassworks have been working on a fund-raising event, the Winter Solstice Festival of Lights for nearly a year. It began with a vision of a fun-packed event for families, while honoring our Veterans, as well as local artists.

The main theme of the event is to have fun on the longest night of the year, knowing the days will soon be getting longer. (Historically, winter solstice marks the official beginning of winter and celebrates the harvest or culmination of prosperity from the summer and fall).

Several local business have donated a number of items and shown tremendous support for the festival. Included during the Friday-Saturday event: Artists which will have a wide variety of gifts for last minute shoppers, a silent auction hosted by Hope for Heroes, a scavenger hunt which includes visiting downtown Palmer businesses and the Museum of History and Art, an art competition to be held in the Palmer Train Depot, an ice candle competition, and last but not least, drawings for fabulous prizes Saturday at 5 pm. Tickets will be available at the auction table beginning at 10 am Friday the 20th.

All net proceeds will go directly to Hope for Heroes which is affiliated

with Warriors of Alaska and Alaska Healing Hearts, programs designed to help our Veterans and their families. If you wish to make a donation or add an item to be auctioned off, please visit the auction table Friday morning. Whatever you can manage will be greatly appreciated.

Some solstice tidbits:

Winters in Alaska are associated with long dark cold nights, ice and snow, glistening stars, and brilliant Northern Lights dancing wildly across the pre-dawn sky. This is especially so on the shortest day, or, longest night of the year - Winter Solstice, otherwise known as the official beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

According to an article by National Geographic, the term solstice means “sun stands still,” which occurs twice a year, in June and again in December. “Since ancient times, people have celebrated the solstice(s) and observed it with many different cultural and religious traditions.”

While most people today associate solstice as being a Pagan celebration, historically solstice was adopted by Christian leaders who “endeavored to attract pagans to their faith by adding Christian meaning to the existing festivals.”

Winter Solstice Has Been Celebrated Since Ancient Times

“The holiday timing of the winter solstice is rooted in ancient religions. Throughout history, humans have observed this seasonal milestone and created spiritual and cultural traditions to celebrate the rebirth of sunlight after the darkest period of the year.

“Modern pagans attempt to observe the solstice in the traditional manner of the ancients. ‘There is a resurgent interest in more traditional religious groups that is often driven by ecological motives,’ said Harry Yeide, a professor of religion at George Washington University. ‘These people do celebrate the solstice itself.’

“Many more people observe the solstice while participating in modern holidays—even if they do not always realize the connection.”

The Christmas Connection:

“Scholars don’t agree about the exact origins of Christmas. ‘In the early years of the Christian church, the calendar was centered around Easter,’ said Yeide. ‘Nobody knows exactly where and when (perhaps in Egypt) they began to think it suitable to celebrate Christ’s birth as well as the passion cycle (the crucifixion and resurrection).’

“Eastern churches traditionally celebrate Christmas on January 6, a date known as Epiphany in the West. The Gospels do not specify when Christ was born, so the date may have been originally chosen because of the belief that the season of Christ’s conception would be that same as that of his death and resurrection.

“But the new celebration soon became co-mingled with traditional observances of the solstice.

“’As the Christmas celebration moved west,’ Yeide said ‘the date that had traditionally been used to celebrate the winter solstice became sort of available for conversion to

“Raven Wi’ of Raven’s Creations and Mike Borgford of Raven’s Glassworks have been working on a fund-raising event, the Winter Solstice Festival of Lights.

the observance of Christmas. In the Western church, the December date became the date for Christmas.’

“Traditional solstice celebrations existed in many cultures. The Roman feast of Saturnalia, honoring the God Saturn, was a weeklong December feast that included the observance of the winter solstice. Romans also celebrated the lengthening of days following the solstice by paying homage to Mithra—an ancient Persian god of light.

“’This gave rise to an interesting play on words,’ said Yeide. ‘In several languages, not just in English, people have traditionally compared the rebirth of the sun with the birth of the son of God.’”

MyHouse

Live From the Gathering Grounds Café: It’s Friday

Night

By Jesse Lederman

Friday the 13th of December was a lucky day at the Gathering Grounds Café as about 25 people enjoyed an extraordinary evening of music and poetry. Gathering Grounds, fast establishing itself as one of Wasilla’s bestchoices for coffee, pastries, and sandwiches, is operated by MY House, a non-profit dedicated to serving the needs of homeless youth in the Valley.

Emcee Joseph Hartman of Matanuska Music kicked the evening off at 7 PM, performing several of his own songs to warm up the crowd. The mood ranged from rollicking to

deeply poignant as members of the community of all ages took to the microphone, reciting poetry, singing, and performing on a wide variety of instruments.

One of the highlights was a jam session featuring guitar, piano, ukulele, and alto recorder.

“Friday Night Live is such a fun event to partner with Matanuska Music!” said Michelle Overstreet, MY House’s founder and president. “The coffee shop atmosphere is a nice casual backdrop where folks can really open up and play music and recite poetry on a welcoming stage.

The crowd is diverse, creative and very fun, and we can’t wait to see where it goes from here.”

> Gathering Grounds Café opens at 7 AM Monday through Saturday

We are located at 300 N. Willow Street in Wasilla, at the intersection of Willow and Herning.

For further information contact Michelle Overstreet at (907) 414 0930

DID YOU KNOW?

That in the mid-1990s homeless children in Miami developed a vast, elaborate, and consistent mythology that spread by oral tradition throughout the community as a coping mechanism.

> The next Friday Night Live at Gathering Grounds will be on January 3rd starting at 7 PM

MyHouse

Jess Lederman

Joins MY House as Board Member and Chief Investment Officer

Jess Lederman, who created two of the first private-sector counterparts to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, built several national mortgage businesses, and was a senior executive with the world’s largest mortgage company, has joined Wasilla-based Mat-Su Youth Housing (MY House).

MY House is one of Alaska’s most successful and fastest-growing non-profit organizations and is dedicated to serving the needs of homeless youth in the valley ages 14-24, providing safety, shelter, clothes, supplies, warmth and nourishment.

“Jess will not only serve on the Board,” said Michelle Overstreet,MY House’s founder and president, “but will also work hands-on in the volunteer role of Chief Investment Officer. He is helping us to increase our fundraising, will work directly with the youth we serve to show them how to build success strategies for their lives, and will assist in directing the for-profit business ventures that we use both to employ and train our young clients and to raise money for our core mission.”

Jess Lederman has published over 40 anthologies on the global financial markets, and was the

principal architect of several new forms of housing finance, including innovative methods of providing affordable housing when he served as Executive Director of a nonprofit housing trust in Jackon Hole, Wyoming.

When the mortgage market went into crisis in 2007, Jess was asked to become the Chief Risk Officer and Senior Managing Director of Countrywide Financial, at that time a Fortune 100 company, and helped to guide the firm to its merger with Bank of America in 2008.

“I am delighted to join MY House,” said Jess Lederman, who moved to Wasilla in early 2012. “Michelle Overstreet, Charity Lovelace, Michael Carson, and the rest of the team have created an extraordinary organization with a passion for helping the most vulnerable members of this community.

By aiding these youths, we help not only them but their future families and generations to come. I am so impressed with the culture here, which blends compassion with a no-nonsense approach that offers a hand up, not a handout. Every dollar we raise is treated as a precious resource to be spent directly on our mission, with a bare minimum of overhead.”

For further information contact Michelle Overstreet at (907) 414 0930 or Jess Lederman at (907) 414 5385

What is MY House?

Every year hundreds of our valley youth find themselves without a home to provide them with a safe roof over their heads, warmth, food and people who can care for them. Our teens, it’s no fault of their own, that they are hiding in plain sight around us every day, struggling to find a safety net each night. MY House wants to let teens know, that they’re not alone, that we do care for them, and that they are welcomed here.

The mission of MY House is serving the needs of the Homeless & Runaway Teens throughout the Mat-Su Valley.

MY House is a non-profit organization that makes available the basic needs of safety, shelter, warmth and nourishment for teens in the valley that needs our support. We thank you for visiting to learn more on how to help our valley teens.

Happy Holidays from Non Essentials...

Downtown Palmer 745-2258

Open Mon-Sat 10:00am-6:00pm

Check us out for all your Holiday gift-giving needs!

Hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy the many activities of Colony Christmas. Palmer was buzzing and the weather held out, encouraging folks to bundle up and take advantage of the wide array of events.

Thanks to the dedicated volunteers that work to make Colony Christmas the most amazing annual community gathering!

Family Fun

The Corner Link The Toast

By Donna Turner

Did you know that the custom of toasting special occasions actually started with a piece of bread?

According to stories, the word toast became associated with the custom in France, in the 17th century. The French would place a piece of toast in the bottom of a wine goblet. Guests shared the wine and deemed the person who ultimately received the toast as lucky.

Phone: 907-357-1543

Mon-Fri: 10 to 7

Saturday: 10 to 6

Sunday: 1 to 5

According to various apocryphal stories, the custom of touching glasses evolved from concerns about poisoning. By one account, clinking glasses together would cause each drink to spill over into the others’ (though there is no real evidence for such an origin). Centuries ago, the clicking of the glasses was done to keep evil spirits at bay.

Toasting etiquette and protocol for toasting is comparatively elaborate and fixed. At a wedding reception, the father of the bride, in his role as host, regularly offers the first toast, thanking the guests for attending, offering tasteful remembrances of the bride’s childhood, and wishing the newlyweds a happy life together.

The best man usually proposes a toast in the form of best wishes and congratulations to the newlyweds. A best man’s toast takes the form of a short speech (3–5 minutes) that combines a mixture of humor and sincerity.

The humor often comes in the shape of the best man telling jokes at the groom’s expense while the sincerity incorporates the praise and complimentary comments that a best man should make about the bride and groom, amongst others.

The actual “toast” is then delivered at the end of the speech and is a short phrase wishing the newlyweds a happy, healthy, loving life together. The maid of honor may follow suit, appropriately tailoring her comments to the bride. The groom may offer the final toast, thanking the bride’s parents for hosting the wedding, the wedding party for their participation, and finally dedicating the toast to the bride.

The practice of announcing one’s intention to make a toast and signaling for quiet by rapping on the wineglass, while common, is nonetheless regarded by some authorities as rude. Except in very small and informal gatherings, a toast is offered standing. At a gathering, none should offer a toast to the guest of honor until the host has had the opportunity to do so. In English-speaking countries, guests may signal their approval of the toast by saying “hear, hear.”

The person honored should neither stand nor drink, but after the toast should rise to thank the one who has offered the toast. Putting one’s glass down before the toast is complete, or

simply holding one’s glass without drinking is widely regarded as impolite, suggesting that one does not share the benevolent sentiments expressed in the toast, nor the unity and fellowship implicit in toasting itself.

Even the non-drinker should be counseled not to refuse to allow wine to be poured for a toast. Inverting the glass is especially discouraged.

A helpful hint to the person proposing the toast; always maintain eye contact with the person being honored as you deliver the toast, avoid negative body language such as chewing gum, hanging your head, tapping your foot, running your fingers through your hair, jingling coins or keys in your pocket or scratching yourself anywhere.

Finally…remember to smile!

“Did you know

that the custom of toasting special occasions actually started with a piece of bread?”

Community

Growing in AlaskaFinding your way: In seasons

By Jacob Mann

Dear Alaska,

I write this smack dab in the middle of November (15th). A full moon is on it’s way (17th), known as the Frosty Moon and the Hunter’s Moon.

Thanksgiving about to stuff us and the Winter Solstice approaching. It feels like Santa’s hat has been unloading earlier every year. Alaska is shifting gears. The work is getting harder, the air... so much colder.

We live and breathe as small towns, then sleep and wake as a community: bundling up for the winter. In the midst of seasons changing, the town is a frosty vignette. The ground stirs with a ryhthmic yet whimsical energy. In the misty midst of the valley, the fleeting days fade together, trees changing their tactics and the skies won’t make up their minds. I’ve made mine.

I made these words and longingly await to dabble some more. I have

made up my mind unlike the clouds. I have chosen a path like the glassy rivers, trickling white like a blank canvas, no longer afraid of the empty page.

I am registering for the upcoming spring semester at the Mat-Su College, looking for a job (yet again), making writing my reason for the season and ebb of my life, and most crucially, repairing the tattered souls (starting inward) in my life.

I feel a cool wind. The breeze whisps a conclusion for this Article

-the God above poured his words through my finger tips -

“I can feel the air of who I am in my steady breaths.

I exhale. The ice will reveal a mirror and man. The reflection?

The Mann I am supposed to be. Who are you today?

Open up with the world, that evershifting journey.

Let’s frontier like it’s our last.

To depart, I say: Grow in the ice fellow Alaskans.

“The ground stirs with a ryhthmic yet whimsical energy. In the misty midst of the valley, the fleeting days fade together, trees changing their tactics and the skies won’t make up their minds. I’ve made mine.”

907-373-2698 (office)

888-383-9909 (fax) makeasceneak@mac.com www.makeasceneak.com

Make-A-Scene publishes 10,000 copies monthly. We distribute to Wasilla, Palmer, Meadow Lakes, Big Lake, Eagle River & Anchorage. We’re always growing thanks to our contributors, our advertisers, and to you the reader!

Thanks for helping Make-A-Scene!

Pets & Animals

DID YOU KNOW?

That seeing eye dogs are train to poop on command, so that their vision impaired owners can easily clean up after them.

Keeping Your Pets Safe During the Holidays

By Angie Lewis, AARF

Gifts that contain human food can present problems for your pet. Chocolate, raisins, onions, coffee, tea, and alcohol are delicious to us humans, but are quite dangerous for animals. Foods such as yams, sweet potatoes, and canned pumpkin (minus spices) are safe for your pets to eat.

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Disclaimer:

MakeASceneAK.com, and the parallel paper edition of our monthly news service, is a forum for our community. Both exist for the benefit of our local community, serving as a virtual meeting place for the ideas, thoughts, news, and information that the folks in our community choose to contribute. The articles and opinions herein are the property of the author, not the publisher. The publisher and editor assume no responsibility for injuries or loss incurred by anyone utilizing the information herein, or responding to the advertisers.

Celebrating the holidays can be such a wonderful experience for many of us. The smells, foods, decorations, and gifts make this very enjoyable. Being surrounded by our pets is a true joy this time of year. However, the holiday season can be very dangerous for your pet if you are not cautious.

Although plants add to the ambiance of our holiday celebrations, there are more than 700 plants that are toxic to pets. Poinsettias and mistletoe are dangerous to animals. So, keep these plants out of reach of your four-legged companions, or buy artificial plants.

Burning candles can be a concern this time of year. Put these candles in areas that are not accessible to your pets. Do not leave the house with candles lit, at any time. There are battery operated candles that can be used with safety in mind.

Let’s start with the Christmas tree. If you use a real tree, make sure that the water in the stand is covered, so that your pet cannot drink it. The pine sap is not safe for ingestion. Also, it is best to turn off the lights to your tree when you are not home. Pets might chew on the cords and get electrocuted. Pets can get tangled up in the cords as well. Do not use tinsel, ribbon, or other glittery items, as these are very enticing to pets, particularly cats. Ornament hooks can be swallowed and cause damage to intestines. Decorating the bottom part of your tree with decorations that are made of wood or plastic, that won’t break, can prevent intestinal blockages.

So, if you are feeling as though there are too many restrictions on your holiday experience, just imagine this time of year, or any time of year, without your faithful companions at your side. This will make the decision to be safe an easy one. Enjoy the holidays with your animal companions at your side.

rescueadogtoday@gmail.com

Pets & Animals

Meet Chocolate

By Angie Lewis, Alaskan Animal Rescue Friends

Chocolate is a young girl with lots to say. She wants to let you know that she is house-trained, gets along with other dogs, and is familiar with being in a dog crate.

Chocolate admits that she is still learning about staying down when first meeting people and working on not counter surfing.

She is a very food motivated dog and this will guarantee easy training. She is asking for a forever home and patiently awaits an answer.

To learn more about, or to meet Chocolate, please email:

Alaskan Animal Rescue Friends (AARF) at rescueadogtoday@gmail. com or call 727-6728 or 538-4717

DID YOU KNOW?

The domesticated dog evolved from a tamer version of the gray wolf. Based on DNA evidence, researchers currently believe the dog was domesticated in Asia at least 15,000 years ago, with some scientists arguing that dogs and humans have been partners for as long as 100,000 years.

The Many Styles of Tai Chi

Submitted by

Carole Milstead

Flowering Fist Tai Chi

Tai Chi comes in many styles. It has been said that there are as many ways to do Tai Chi as there are people who practice it.

Every master puts his own mark on what he teaches. Most forms come in large frame or small frame. Usually, this means the form has large moves or small. Although there are probably many different forms the most popular and best known are Chen, Yang, Sun, Wu and Wu or Hao style.

Tai Chi styles are named after the family who developed it. All tai chi styles improve health, reduce stress, help you move more gracefully and strengthens your balance. Each tai chi style has a different syllabus, structure and flavor as to how its specific tai chi techniques are applied. All five tai chi styles can potentially give you tai chi’s health benefits.

Chen Tai Chi form is the parent form of all the others. It is the oldest of the forms, founded in Chen village by the Chen family in the 1500s. Chenstyle is characterized by Silk reeling (spiraling moves), alternating fast/slow motion and bursts of power called fa jin. Chen- style Tai Chi more athletic and physically difficult than most other tai chi styles and, as such, is often more appealing to young people. Besides the basic shorter versions, Chen, also, has a long form plus weapons such as straight sword, broad sword, fan and staff.

Yang-style comes directly from Chen. A member of the Yang family was supposed to have watched the Chen family practicing the movements. At that time, the Chen was secretive about what it was doing. Yang family members tried to emulate the Chen moves and added their own. While Chen is very athelic, Yang style is much more dance like. Different forms of Yang style are based on gentle choreographed moves, with large or medium moves. Yangstyle has long and short forms, also weapon forms. Yang is the most popular form taught today.

Wu-style is a variant of Yang-style. While Yang-style has large sweeping move, Wu has small compact ones.

BBB’s 12 Scams Of Christmas

By The Better Business Bureau

Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington warns about common holiday scams and frauds:

1) Malware E-cards: Viruses and malware often travel in fraudulent holiday email cards. Don’t click on links or download attachments in unsolicited emails.

2) Stranded Grandkids: It’s the classic grandparent scam—verify identities before wiring money out of the country.

3) Counterfeit Gifts: Low prices on luxury goods almost always mean cheap counterfeits; purchase products from legitimate retailers and avoid too-good-to-be-true prices.

4) Pickpockets: Keep purses and wallets secure when shopping and avoid setting down bags while waiting in lines.

5) Stolen Gift Cards: Only purchase gift cards from reputable dealers, not online or from individuals to avoid common gift card frauds.

6) Fake Coupons: Be cautious when downloading digital coupons and be wary of sites that require personal information.

7) Santa Scammers: What could be more jolly than a letter from Santa addressed directly to your child? Make sure sites are real and not for identity theft purposes.

8) Fake Charities: Charities count on end-of-the-year giving, but be careful of scammers that set up fake charities with similar sounding names.

9) Bogus Websites: It’s easy to mimic real websites. Navigate to legitimate retailers through verified channels.

10) Travel Scams: With busy holiday travel, bargains may be tempting. Be cautious when booking through online ads and never wire money to persons unknown.

11) Romance Scams: Everyone wants a special someone under the mistletoe, so holidays are a prime time for scams. Be careful with online sweethearts who get cozy too fast or ask for money.

12) Puppy Scams: Be very careful buying pets online, especially at the holidays.

It’s not just Santa that’s watching this time of year, scammers and thieves are too. Check with BBB for tips and advice on all kinds of holiday shopping.

Don’t be a Scrooge; visit BBB’s News Center year-round for updates on local scams.

Manny’s Driver Education

Don’t Toy With Safety

Contributed by The BBB

The holidays are quickly approaching and shoppers will be rushing to purchase and ship last minute gifts. At the top of many lists are the latest toys and electronics for kids. According to the National Retail Federation, 44 percent of shoppers plan to buy toys and 33 percent plan to buy electronics to give as holiday gifts in 2013. Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington urges consumers to purchase with care when considering gifts for children.

181,000 children under the age of 12 were taken to emergency rooms across the country in 2012 with toy-related injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many of these injuries could have been prevented with a few simple proactive steps:

1) Check the most current list of recalled products at cpsc.gov/en/ Recalls.

2) Make sure that toys are ageappropriate.

3) Read and adhere to packaging labels. For the first time ever, a recent NRF survey found that tablets and game consoles are among the most-requested gifts by both girls and boys.

1) Check the Electronic Software Rating Board’s rating of video games, software and apps at esrb.org/ratings before making purchases.

2) Avoid extended warranties, which are expensive and rarely worth the cost.

3) Adults should register devices for children and explain the dangers of giving out personal information to strangers.

With hundreds of millions of packages expected to be sent between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s important to remember the appropriate shipping deadlines for getting gifts under trees on time:

United States Postal Service: Saturday, Dec. 14—Standard Post

FedEx: Tuesday, Dec. 17—Standard Ground & Home Delivery

United Parcel Service: Friday, Dec. 20—Standard UPS Ground

Issues with toys and electronics are not new, read the Toys and Tech: Shopping Advice article in BBB’s News Center for more information.

Happy holidays from BBB; may the desired gifts be in stock and on sale.

Classes Begin: Sept. 9, 10 & 12 - Oct. 7, 8 & 10Nov. 4, 5 & 7 - Dec. 9, 10 & 12 (10 am - 2 pm)

FLOWERING FIST TAI CHI

> THE MANY STYLES OF TAI CHI CONTINUED

Most of the form looks a great deal like Yang-style. Wu is the second most popular form practiced today.

Tai Chi Chuan is a sophisticated form of Qi Gong or energy movement/work. Qi Gong itself has very meditative and gentle moves. Sun-style is the most Qi Gong like of the five most popular forms. Sun-style is the newest of the five styles. It was developed in the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

Hao-style (or the second Wu-style) is a very advanced form. It has few if any practitioners outside of China. In fact, it is a rare form in China. Its movements are very small. Most of the movements of this form are focused on internal movement of energy.

Physical movement is less important. One would have to have many years of practicing Tai Chi or have extensive knowledge to appreciate Hao-style.

In the Valley, the types of Tai Chi Chuan classes is somewhat limited. Anchorage does have Chen teachers, as well as Yang, Sun and Wu.

If you are interested in learning Tai Chi Chuan, I suggest you observe a class or try a one if possible Most important is to find a teacher that you resonate with. At the present time, there is no governing body to have a blanket system for certification of teachers.

Although Jet Li and others are working together to have a way to certify instructors. Remeber, Tai Chi Chuan is meant to be played. So have fun with it. Your body will love you for it.

> See our ad to the left of this article for more information on Tai-Chi and classes with Flowering Fist.

A Remedy for Remedy

By Brooke Mortensen

Hardships tend to pop up in life when we are least expecting them and tend to happen to those that we would least expect. Regardless of their timing and target, part of life is dealing with those hardships and fighting through.

This is exactly what Heather DeVilbiss and family are doing and have been since spring. On May 5th DeVilbiss found out that her 3-year-old daughter, Remedy had a brain cancer called pineoblastoma. They were told that the cancer is treatable with 6 months of chemo and 2 months of radiation.

To date, Remedy is now over halfway through her radiation and her family is staying strong and hopeful and gearing up for their return to Alaska.

We, at the Eagle Hotel, want to join the efforts to help Remedy and her family during this time.

Please join us by coming in to our restaurant and lounge on Saturday December 21st for a great American or Italian dish. We will be donating 20% of all sales made that day to Remedy and her family.

For more information about this event please visit us at the Eagle Hotel located at 918 South Colony Way or call 907-333-9000.

For more information about Remedy and her story you can visit www.caringbridge.org.

Circling Path Celebrates 1st Year Around The Sun

Contributed by Circling Path Tai Chi

What’s better than being coowner of Fireside Books? Having a Tai Chi studio next door! Just over a year ago we cleaned out some office space and I opened Circling Path Tai Chi Studio. I love being able to share T’ai Chi Ch’uan (or Tai Chi) with others. It’s not a large space, but there are advantages to limiting class size to eight or ten students.

I chose the name Circling Path because it represents the spiraling steps we take on our life journeys of experience and growth. While doing Tai Chi we are often making circular motions with our arms, circling around ourselves, fully aware of our body center and how those circling motions give direction and power to our movements. There are many layers to T’ai Chi Ch’uan and in each lesson we are building and expanding the layers of nuance as students progress.

Why study Tai Chi? This ancient

Chinese martial art is practiced for health, and relaxation, as well as self-defense. Its emphasis on slow movement and deep relaxed breathing lead to a meditative quality that contributes to serenity of mind and clarity of thought.

Many people find that it helps keep them in the present moment. Kathy Wells, an advancing student, has this to say about why she practices:

“Recently, a friend asked me about Tai Chi and why I liked it. I answered that it gave me permission to do things slowly, methodically and to be in the moment. I appreciate it for its potential of self defense but more so for its calming yet energizing effect. I always feel better after a round or two of whatever number of movements I choose on any given day.

“During classes I practice my observation skills as I watch the instructor demonstrate movements. I have learned this is a critical component of the study and practice because there are many nuances important to the techniques and movements. Tai Chi is a practice I consider to be both rigid and flexible and it makes sense to me to view it from both aspects. Each of us has our body types, way of moving and views of the world.

“I appreciate the connection between movement and breathing. Most intriguing is that as I practice and learn, I am continually surprised by each new revelation of the way a particular movement is executed -- even though I thought I had it all figured out. I look forward to practicing more of ‘being in the moment.’”

As the instructor, I appreciate the variety of people who sign up for classes. Some are clearly athletes who do a variety of sports or exercise. Others have been more sedentary and are looking for a way to start being more active. Tai Chi is appropriate for anyone, no matter their physical condition.

There is much that can be gained even from doing it sitting in a chair. The gentle exercise tones muscles through slow, sustained breathing and movement. Longterm benefits include increased joint strength and flexibility, balance, co-ordination, and mental focus. The last one is often a surprise to people. Tai Chi looks like an easy activity but it can be surprisingly challenging to learn.

I believe that is one of its greatest benefits - that it is a mental stretch as well as a good physical activity. For me it perfectly blends the joy of movement with the discipline of both

Enjoy the season!

physical and mental activity. If you are interested in finding out if this is a journey you would like to begin, contact Melissa Behnke at 863-4650 or msbehnke@mtaonline.net

> New class sessions will begin in January.

Red Barn Auction House

www.redbarnauctions.com

The Magical Adventures of Merlin & Anne of Green Gables Dual Auditions

Submitted by Alaska Theatre of Youth

AUDITIONS JAN 5-6, 2014 for Anne of Green Gables or The Magical Adventures of Merlin

SUN JAN 5 from 3-5:30pm or MON JAN 6 from 6-8:30pm ATY Rehearsal Hall 610 W. Fireweed Lane, 99503

Auditioners only need to come to one day of auditions and will be excused when finished. Auditions held in order of appearance. Two shows audition at once!

Shows will perform at the Sydney Laurence Theatre in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Please come to auditions prepared to do cold readings from the script and dress to move! Auditioners should prepare a short song to be performed without accompaniment.

All auditioners are encouraged to memorize a short monologue/ passage from any play to recite from memory (30-60 seconds max). A passage to read aloud will be provided for those without a prepared piece.

Auditioners that do not yet read should come prepared to share a memorized poem, nursery rhyme or joke.

Performers will need to miss 2 partial days of school for schooltime performances. Rehearsals generally take place 6-8:30pm or 6-9pm Mon-Fri, Tue-Sat, or SunThu. Sat/Sun rehearsals are usually in the afternoon. The Director will determine the rehearsal schedule after auditions.

Please come prepared to note any pre-existing plans (trips, other after school activities) on the audition form. There is a $100 actor participation fee (a contribution toward show expenses) for all performers 18 and younger that are selected to participate in the production.

Scholarship applications and payment plans available. ATY has a “kid-first” casting policy which gives developing actors casting preference over adults actors. From time to time adults may be cast in ATY plays to provide mentorship and to role-model professional practices.

The Dixie Swim Club, Comedy/ Drama

Submitted By Valley Performing Arts

What happens when college best friends grow up? We get a show spanning over 30 years of joy, heartbreak, and martinis, when they get together once a year to rekindle that special bond. You will laugh and cry as the women in Dixie Swim Club cope with marriage, children, love, sex, disease and death in this delightful play.

Set over the same weekend in August, every year for over 30 years, a college

girls’ swim team meets at their special ocean-side cottage to escape from the world and rekindle their friendship.

Over drinks, discussions, and occasionally catty arguments, the girls enjoy life’s simpler times. Directed by Marcia Beck, this play opens January 10th and runs through January 26th.

Treat your friends to a great evening of fun and join us at Valley Performing Arts, 251 W. Swanson Avenue, Wasilla. Tickets for this play are on sale now! Don’t miss this exhilarating show.

> Call VPA at 373-0195 Visit our website: valleyperformingarts.org, or come by the office, Monday through Friday 9am to 3pm to get your tickets.

DID YOU KNOW?

PBS Artist Bob Ross was enlisted in the USAF for 10 years and started painting while stationed in Alaska - the mountains there inspiring much of his future work.

3161 E Palmer-Wasilla Hwy, #2 9AM-4PM Mon-Fri

LINKS serves communities located within the Mat-Su Borough School District, including outreach to remote areas and villages, to provide support and training, parent-toparent connections to mentors, information and referral, and access to library materials. These services are provided through one-on-one assistance and individualized workshops for small or large groups.

The Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank the sponsors of the 2013 Colony Christmas

Fractal Building Materials

Protect Against Disasters

By Daniel N. Russell, Physicist

Three main causes of people losing their homes are fire, earthquake, and water damage. Many dear friends have had their houses burn-up or destroyed by floods or collapse during earthquakes, and many have lost their lives in such disasters.

The reason for these catastrophies is that their houses were made of materials that burn, and that crackup during earthquakes, and that are easily damaged by water and mold.

Fractal building materials provide a solution to this problem, because they cannot burn, cannot be damaged by water, and stop crack-progression (see my US Patents 5928450 and 5707724). Even if fractal wall panels were to collapse, they are so lightweight that they would not kill people. But, people always ask, “Are fractal building materials cheaper than the cheapest materials available on the

Happenings at Palmer Museum

2013 was an eventful year for the Palmer Museum of History and Art!

We enjoyed celebrating our one year anniversary of the Palmer Art Walk, brought you new and exciting temporary exhibits and were awarded several grants that allowed us to update our equipment and complete our new outdoor giant vegetable installation. This next year will be even more hectic as we welcome a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, continue to update our facilities and introduce a new interactive exhibit in our museum.

Continuing into January of 2014 will be the Alaska Native exhibit Living the Life: Haa Kusteeyí, a compilation of art work from Inupiaq and Alutiq artist, June Pardue, Alutiq artist, Alfred Naumoff and Tlingit artist, Benjamin Schleifman.

The exhibit explores the native traditions of their cultural groups and how it has influenced their art. Each artist has developed their own unique style which has been fused with elements of their cultural identity. The result is an insightful and expressive compilation of work which includes jewelry, sculpture, painting and clothing.

As part of the exhibit, June Pardue will be teaching a series of courses on Cabachon Beading and how to make Baby Mukluks at the museum. Both courses will have two sections

comprised of two classes each which will allow more people to fit it into their schedule. The first Cabachon Beading section will be held on January 8th and 10th from 11:30AM –2:30PM. The second section will be held on January 18th and 25th from 11:30AM – 2:30PM. The course is $80. The first section of the Baby Mukluk course will be held on January 15th and 16th from 11:00AM –2:30PM.

The second Baby Mukluk course will be held on February 1st and 15th from 11:00AM – 2:30PM. This course is $85. All registered students will be provided with a materials list after class payment has been received. Each course will be limited to 12 students each so be sure to sign up early.

All those interested in participating should contact the instructor, June Pardue, at 745-0051 (5-10PM) or via e-mail at Pardue_77@hotmail.com.

Living the Life: Haa Kusteeyí marks an important new change within the museum. It is the first exhibit to incorporate the museum’s new temporary exhibit equipment which includes six temporary display

> PALMER MUSEUM

panels and a variety of twelve display pedestals.

The project was supported by a GrantIn-Aid from the Alaska State Museum that was developed with the Dorothy Page Museum in Wasilla. Both museums will house six pedestals each and will share their pedestals with the other museum when needed.

The new equipment will allow each museum to expand on the amount of art work included in their temporary exhibits and allow for a greater variety of media to be represented in the valley.

The grant is part of an annual program supported by the Alaska State Museum that awards funding to Alaska museums and museumrelated organizations for projects that improve the quality of museum services and operations within the state.

The Palmer Museum was also awarded a Rasmuson Art Acquisition Grant for 2013 which allowed the museum to purchase a new contemporary art piece to add to its contemporary art collection.

This year’s selected art work was Gail Niebrugge’s pen and ink drawing entitled, Musk Ox.

Educational

Democrats Planning Retreat

Mat-Su Democrats invite all fellow Democrats and left-leaning independents to join us at our annual planning retreat January 11, 2014, from 10am to 2pm.

We will meet at Red Beet Restaurant, 5031 Mayflower Lane #1, Wasilla, just off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. We have some exciting ideas for the coming year. If you would like to be part of the planning process, please put January 11 on your calendar. This meeting will be in place of our normal 1st Saturday morning monthly meeting.

Please RSVP your intent to attend this fun event by contacting Gwen Heynen at 745-7949, or Gini King-Taylor at 2322268. Thank you!

DID YOU KNOW?

The Dutch version of Santa (Sinterklaas) lives in Spain and is accompanied by Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), usually portrayed by a teen wearing blackface and dressed like a Moor. Zwarte Piet kidnaps naughty children.

The Art of Celebrating Sinterklaas

By Carmen Summerfield

As I was decorating our home for Christmas, I found a treasured photograph of me as a young child celebrating Sinterklaas during my first year in school.

Sinterklaas is his usual Dutch name, but his more formal name is Sint Nicolaas (St. Nicholas) or simply Sint. St. Nicholas’ day, December 6, is celebrated in many countries around the world. Sinterklaas is the basis of

the mythical holiday figure of Santa Claus in the United States (notice the similarity—Sinter-klaas and SantaClaus).

Sinterklaas wears a bishop’s robes including a red cape and a mitre, and is assisted by many mischievous helpers with black faces and colorful Moorish dress, dating back many centuries. These helpers are called Zwarte Pieten (Black Petes).

In the days leading up to Sinterklaas Avond (the evening before St. Nicholas’ day), Sinterklaas rides from town to town on his white horse, surrounded by his helpers. In myth, the Zwarte Pieten are looking

for naughty children, and so many traditional Sinterklaas songs still allude to watching Zwarte Pieten and a judging Sinterklaas.

On the days before Sinterklaas Avond young children put their shoes in front of the chimneys and sing Sinterklaas songs. Often they put a carrot or some hay in the shoes, as a gift to Sinterklaas’ horse. The next morning they will find a small present in their shoes, ranging from sweets to marbles or some other small toy.

The Dutch feast of Sinterklaas Avond is the most important tradition for my

Educational

family and for all the Dutch, and it is the main time for family gift-giving. For it is in giving that we receive. As the Dutch like an element of surprise, a small gift may be wrapped in a huge box, or it may be hidden and require following clues to discover where it is.

Each gift, anonymously signed “from Sinterklaas,” comes with a clever rhyme that may point out a person’s shortcomings in a humorous way. The object is to tease in a well-meaning way, to make a good joke, to produce a rollicking rhyme. Originality, not the value of the gift, is what counts.

In Holland, Sinterklaas Avond is even more important than decorating a Christmas tree! Celebrating Sinterklaas Avond is my most cherished childhood memory from growing up in the Netherlands.

I wanted to share my treasured childhood photograph of Sinterklaas, so I contributed a copy to the Palmer Museum for their “Christmas Remembered” exhibit this month. Stop by and join in the celebration!

“In Holland, Sinterklaas Avond is even more important than decorating a Christmas tree! Celebrating Sinterklaas Avond is my most cherished childhood memory from growing up in the Netherlands.”

In as little as five months, you could complete a program and start a new career. Choose from accelerated certificate, associate, and bachelor degree programs. Choose between day, evening, or online classes. Take advantage of our financial aid and job placement assistance services.

Programs available at Charter College Wasilla

Business

• Business Management Accounting, B.S.

• Computer Science: Concentration in Business Applications, A.A.S.

• Computerized Accounting, A.A.S.

• Business Administration, Certificate & A.A.S.

Health Care

• Health Information Technology, A.A.S.

• Medical Assistant, Certificate

• Allied Health, A.A.S.

• Nursing, B.S. (offered through the Anchorage campus as an online program)

Legal/Criminal Justice

• Criminal Justice, A.A.S.

• Paralegal Studies, A.A.S.

Trades/Vocational

• Applied Technology, A.A.S.

Who clears away the winter snow and summer dirt from the streets in Palmer? Picks up your trash each week? Battles wind, snow, darkness and ice

L to R back row Dan Rodrigue, John Prevost, Danny Russell, Mark Hotchkiss, Ailis Vann, John Berberich, Dane Shaver, and Director Tom Healy. L to R front row: David Sutton, Scott Sanderson, Alycia Anderson and Superintendent Greg Wickham. Not Pictured are Eric Van Dusen, Rick Pittman, Paul Gibbs, Greg Dellinger, Isaac Bellamy and Dennis Lords

We have a GREAT team of hard -working, dedicated Public Works employees. They don’t get much attention, but they make all the difference in our City. The next time you see one of them, please say thank you ! City of Palmer

Meet Gardening Expert Jim Fox at Fireside Books

Submitted by Fireside Books, Palmer

Jim Fox was born and raised in Alaska, learning to garden at the tender age of three, guided by his farming grandmother. That knowledge served as the beginning to a lifelong love for Jim, who now lectures and writes books about horticulture and history.

> He will be at Fireside Books on December 21st at 11:30am signing his books and divulging more

His latest book, How to Buy the Right Plants, Tools, and Garden Supplies, has proven to be very popular with Alaskans, teaching some of the best planting tricks.

> PALMER MUSEUM CONTINUED

This year’s selected art work was Gail Niebrugge’s pen and ink drawing entitled, Musk Ox. The drawing will be on display with the museum’s other art acquisition pieces that are located in the museum’s extension gallery in the Alaska Room at the Palmer Public Library.

The Rasmuson Art Acquisition Grant is an annual grant that allows Alaska museums and culture centers to purchase contemporary works of art by living, resident Alaska artists.

This program is highly beneficial to not only the artists within our state but also to the institutions who strive to promote and preserve the arts in our communities.

As we begin 2014, the museum is eager to continue focusing on updating our facilities so that we can display more of our collections and provide our visitors with a more engaging experience.

As always, we welcome suggestions and volunteers to help us achieve this goal and look forward to bringing the valley community more history and more art!

For more information about our activities or how to become a part of the Palmer Museum, please visit our website at palmermuseum.org.

About PMHA:

The Palmer Museum of History and Art is a non-profit museum that serves the community of Palmer in preserving and sharing the history and art of the Palmer region.

The museum’s collections contain items that best depict region’s art history, exploration, settlement, agriculture, and trade, cultural and social development.

During the summer, May 1st through September 30th, the museum also serves a Palmer’s Visitor’s Center and is open seven days a week from 9:00AM to 6:00PM.

The museum also operates during the winter months from October 1st through April 30th, Wednesday through Friday, 10:00AM to 5:00PM and Saturdays, 10:00AM to 2:00PM.

COME EXPERIENCE

ALASKA AT ITS BEST!

> Maria & Jacinta Grandel work on Expressive selfportraits in Advanced Painting

Upper Room Arts

Contributed by Tina Fisher

Art student Taylor Rubel has severe astigmatisms in both eyes. Even after corrective surgeries that left scarring, Taylor is considered legally blindkeeping her from obtaining a driver’s license but not hindering her desire to create art. Taylor has accepted the rigorous challenge to take the Advanced Placement Studio Art course at Upper Room Arts this semester and submit her portfolio to the College Board for credit before pursuing her goal to attend college next year.

Like many students at Upper Room Arts, Taylor has found that the creative process offers a therapeutic haven from the stress of her senior year.

Michelle Todero, former Arts Director of Salvation Army Camp in Detroit,

Michigan and instructor at Upper Room Arts says, “I want to show my students that no matter how long it’s been or how un-creative you’ve been told you areanyone who dares to make art is in fact, an artist”.

Even elementary age artists are developing their skill and creativity.

“Life and creative expression go hand in hand. There’s beauty in everything and everyone around you. Sometimes you just have to tilt your head, and squint a little, to get a better look,” encourages Elementary Instructor Jamie Bottoms.

> What is Upper Room Arts?

We want students at Upper Room Arts to be effective visual communicatorsfinding meaning, beauty, and transformation through the creative process and sharing it with the world.

“Glory Reflected” by Taylor Rubel

My gaze is turned towards You,

Let Your glory reflect in me and through my life, I laid down my burdens, for You know them all, Every stone I lay before Your feet, oh Lord. When all seems lost, You find me,

When I feel the darkness lurking around me, You say “Away!” I have changed my ways through You, oh Lord, And as a new dawn arises, I will call upon Your name, Always and forevermore.

> Painting & Poem by AP Studio Art student Taylor Rubel. View more student work at: www.upperroomarts.blogspot.com

DID YOU KNOW?

That a 15-year-old blind kid was able to use his enhanced hearing to hack telephone systems by perfectly reproducing dial tones. He even went as far as faking calls to the SWAT team in order to have them surround the houses of his enemies. He got sent to Federal Prison.

matsu.alaska.edu/spring-2014-course-schedule/

Adjunct Faculty Positions

History – Posting #0067858

Education-Early Childhood / Posting #0067623

Refrigeration and Heating / Posting #0066834

Basics of Biodiesel & Veg Oil Fuel Sys / Posting #0066473

Faculty Positions

Assistant Professor of Refrigeration & Heating Posting #0067811

Temporary Staff Positions

Art Model / Posting #0067853

Writing Tutor / Posting #0067269

Full vacancy announcements and the online application are available at www.uakjobs.com

MSC is an EEO/AA

ACRF Adoption Success!

Submitted by Alaska Center for Resource Families

Even though schools were closed and state offices closed early, we were still able to celebrate 27 adoptions at the Palmer Courthouse Dec. 5th.

Thanks to a grant to ACRF from United Way of Mat-Su each child was able to pick out a fleece blanket that volunteers from the Grandparent Support Group, Walking the Red Road, and Girl Scouts tied together.

The children also received a special pillow from Pillows for Kids, and a teddy bear from OCS. This wonderful event was the result of a collaboration between OCS, ACRF, the GAL’s and the CASA’s.

Best Wishes to our Forever Families.

> For information about adoption call ACRF 376-4678 or visit www.acrf.org

That 90% of all

adoptions, mostly men in their 20-30´s. Reason: Business leaders need a succesfull son to take over the business.

The Story Retold

Ann Lyon

Shelter the innkeeper did allow A babe in the manger-made cradle A crèche was created in the stable With animals - donkey, sheep and cow

Angels Host and Star show the way Magi and Shepherds bold Myrrh, frankincense and gold Short their stay, their gifts they did lay

Our loved ones seen so seldom Reason for season, the story retold As holiday recollections unfold To hearth and home we welcome

Embracing traditions from the world wide From near and far a miracle described Customs, rituals and folklore applied Written, spoken, and not transcribed

All coming together, to celebrate Diverse observance these customs be From Ocean Atlantic to The Bering Sea Customs of countries we incorporate

Poinsettias bright from Mexico

Northern Europe her lighted Yule log Colonies from Britain gave us eggnog From Tudor England came mistletoe

Pineapples over doorways a jolly proposition Christmas trees festooned in light Advent Calendars counted in delight Bright ribbon’d presents a joyous tradition

Greetings from the globe around Many languages extolled The Christ story is retold Christmas salutations do abound

Peace and Goodwill to all races

Warm hails of greetings exposing Tidings of Peace to all bestowing Wishing to all a Merry Christmas

• Easy Steps in the College Selection

• Financial Aid Assistance

• Scholarships & Application Process

• Scholarship Essay Writing

• Resume Creation

• Interview Skills

• Learning about Careers

Also Specialize in Resumes for Employment Website: www.findingyourfuture.us

E-mail: future@mtaonline.net (907) 354-5405

To have your non-profit organization included in this free community resource list, please email your info to: makeasceneak@mac.com

SENIORS

Palmer Senior Citizens Center, Inc.

The priApry mission of the Palmer Senior Citizens Center, Inc. is to assist individuals age sixty or older, individuals of any age with Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Disorders, individuals of any age on the Medicaid Waiver program and other eligible individuals in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough remain as independent as possible in the least restrictive environment possible and out of expensive nursing homes for as long as possible. Services include: congregate and home delivered meals, transportation, adult day services, care coordination, senior employment, family caregivers support, information / referral, chore services, senior housing, chore services, Better Choices Better Health classes, HELP program, activities and volunteer opportunities.

745-5454, pscc@mtaonline.net

Alzheimer’s Resource Agency of Alaska

As Alaska’s resource on Alzheimer’s disease, the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Agency of Alaska (ADRAA) is committed to providing information, education and services for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) and their caregivers. We have served Alaskans since 1984, and today we help more than 5,000 people annually.

As a non-profit statewide organization, we provide family consultations, care coordination, in-home services for frail elders & individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and education programs to family caregivers and health care professionals. We are your resource for information and can refer you to services in Alaska or the contiguous U.S. Sam Meneses, 746-3432, www.alzalaska.org

Valley Charities, Inc; dba Turn-A-Leaf Thrift Store

Provides medical equipment to all income brackets in the Valley; provides clothing and household goods to Valley residents that are economically disadvantaged.

John Rozzi , 376-5740

Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc. (WASI)

A Health and Wellness Campus for Seniors on the Go! The goal at WASI is to assist and refer services for Seniors 60 and older so they can live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Some of the services provided are: Meals:

Family Style Meals Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Center. Meals on Wheels home delivered meals.

Housing:

Independent Housing for low income and Aprket rate individuals. Optional Assisted Living Services

Transportation:

Partnership with MASCOT Bus $.60 per one way ride. Dr. visits by appointment

Other Activities:

Cards, Wii, and Painting at the Center

Blood Pressure Checks Club50 Fitness Center, Strong Seniors Program ($5/8 weeks) Shopping Trips and other outings

Valley Performing Arts Theater Visits And much more… call 376-3104 opt.2 for more information.

Dennie Jaques , 376-3104

Mat-Su Area Partnership (MAP)

An organization of non-profit agencies in the MatSu Valley. MAP holds a monthly meeting on a Thursday at the Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla. www.mapartnership.org/matsu/

Mid-Valley Seniors Inc

Mid-Valley Seniors, Inc.

Mid-Valley Seniors has 3 senior housing units-18 apartments and serves a congregate meal Mon-Fri at 12:00pm. Home delivered meals served daily fresh Mon-Fri, weekend meals are frozen.

Transportation to Adult Day Services is available Mon-Fri 8:00am-3:00pm

Come up to the Center for activities or lunch. Lisa Byrd, 892-6114 mvscadmin@mtaonline.net

FAMILIES & CHILDREN

Alaska Family Services

Alaska Family Services is a multi-dimensional non-profit that has over 20 programs serving the Mat-Su Valley. Major areas are: domestic violence, behavioral health, WIC, family support, and residential for youth with emotional issues. Donn A. Bennice, Ph.D. 746-4080 akafs.org

LINKS Mat-Su Parent Resource Center. We provide support and assistance to families with disabilities. LINKS provides support and trainings, parent to parent connections to mentor, information and referral, and access to library materials. These services are provided through one-onone assistance and individualized workshops for small or large groups. Our vision is to ensure that every parent and family who has a child with a special need has access to information, education, outreach, and support in a culturally competent environment and to empower then to be advocates for themselves, their children, and their families. New location on the Palmer-Wasilla Hwy next to North Star Bakery, across the street from MSSCA. Amber Parker, Admin Assisiant. amberp@linksprc.org , 373-3632

MYHouse Homeless Teen Shelter in the Matsu is a non-profit that exists to provide services to unaccompanied youth, ages 14-24, in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The services we provide include, but are not limited to, hot meals, shelf stable foods, gas cards, transport to shelter, clothing, tents, sleeping bags, laundry, shower, hygiene products, street outreach, access to medical, dental and mental health care, vocational services and employment opportunities, educational advocacy and life coaching. Our youth center, The Gathering Place, is located at 300 N. Willow St in central Wasilla. Also on campus is the MYHouse Café, Gathering Grounds, which exists to provide employment for homeless and at risk youth, as well as our partnering agencies and businesses, Nine Star, Mat-Su Public Health Center and Car Deets (an automotive detailing business which hires homeless youth). To learn more, visit our website at myhousematsu.org or call 373-4357.

Family Promise Mat-Su

Provides a shelter for families without housing. We mobilize community resources and local congregations to provide compassionate care through shelter, meals, and case management to families without housing. Guest families are housed in area church buildings at night for a week at a time...moving to new host church on Sundays. Applications are available on our website. 357-6160, www.familypromisematsu.org

The Children’s Place

The Children’s Place child advocacy center is a child-friendly, neutral facility where professionals from many agencies involved in the evaluation, investigation and treatment of child abuse meet to coordinate and bring their services to the child and their family. We provide child forensic interviews, medical exams, linkage to mental health providers, follow-up support and referrals throughout the investigation process. Referrals to The Children’s Place are made through law enforcement and Office of Children’s Services.

The Children’s Place, 357-5157, www. alaskachildrensplace.com

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska

Strengthens our communities by providing mentors to all children who need and want a caring adult role model – special friends who can help them expand their horizons, realize their potential and enrich their futures – changing their lives.

Alaska Center for Resource Families

Provides support, training and education for foster, relative and adoptive families caring for children that have been abused and neglected. ACRF also helps support the Mat-Su Grandparents Support

Group in collaboration with Links and Volunteers of America. For more information about foster care and adopting children that are in the OCS child protection system visit our website www.acrf.org or call 376-4678. 376-4678, bwoodin@nwresource.org

Pillows for Kids Foundation

We provide little pillows of support and little scholarships for local children to participate in brain-training activities such as art, music, gymnastics, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, skating, horseback riding, and Aprtial arts.. Mentors and community members contact us when there is an identified need to keep kids, preschool through college, connected with good activities in our community. We plan to publish a book and CD/DVD of Evan’s “Little Pillow” song (copyrighted) soon. Currently, we are selling washable, decorator pillows of all shapes, sizes and colors for kids and adults as a way of creating funding for the scholarships. Valerie Koivunen pillowsforkids@gmail.com

The Moose Boosters Wrestling Club

A youth development organization that provides aid and funding to low income recreational facilitates and athletes at the high school level. Funding supports athletes who participate in wrestling programs while meeting academic standards. Michelle Heun 355-7099

Set

Free Alaska

Brief description about non-profit: Our children, friends, co-workers; there is someone we know who is struggling with addiction and destructive behaviors. It is the goal of Set Free Alaska to provide excellent, individualized services to our clients. Set Free Alaska is a Christian outpatient substance abuse treatment center that uses a mind-body-spirit approach to recovery. Our programs are designed to assist people in gaining freedom from the bondage of addiction and destructive behaviors. Set Free Alaska realizes that cost can be a huge deterrent to people seeking and receiving the help they need as well as a huge relapse trigger. Our assessments are based on a sliding fee scale. It is the goal of Set Free Alaska that no person be denied the services they need due to lack of financial resources. Our offices are open Mon-Fri 10-6 and we are located on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway across from the AT&T Sports Center.

Philip Licht, Executive Director 373-4732, www.setfreealaska.org/

Big Lake Community Clothing Closet

Donated by local Alaskans, Big Lake Community Clothing Closet provides quality clothing to people in need, at no charge.

Clothing and footwear for people of all ages is available. Also, assorted household items as they are available.

This unique program helps people locally.

Donations are accepted, to further the program. Any money donated helps pay the rent for our location at 2955 Big Lake Rd., Big Lake, Alaska. Financial donation could also be mailed to the Big Lake Community Clothing Closet, PO Box 527069, Big Lake, AK 99652.

Hours of operation: Tues. 9 am – 1 pm, Weds. 11 am – 3 pm

All donations of quality clothing in good condition can be donated at the above address during regular hours of operation.

We are a non-profit organization, all donations are tax deductable. Tax ID available to donors.

Check us out on Facebook.

Co-Administrators

Stephanie O. 892-5450

Christy M. 775-3238

The ARTs

Alaska Celtic Pipes & Drums, under the leadership of Pipe Major Aja Stewart, are now seeking Pipers and Drummers who would like to play with our Band. We want to increase the size of our awardwinning Drumline, so if you are already familiar with drumming (snare, tenor, or bass,) or if you want to learn to play, we would like to hear from you! We would like to extend a cordial invitation to anyone who would like to learn to play bagpipes or drums, to FREE lessons with our Band.

You don’t have to be Scottish, or even have any musical background, to start. We firmly believe that you’re never too old to learn; we have active students and performing members of the Band ranging in age from 7 to 70!

We are a grade IV competing, family-oriented Pipe Band, established in 2005, and we are very active in supporting our community with music at parades, concerts, and special events. Our purpose is to advance the rich cultural heritage of Great Highland Bagpipe music, and to have FUN doing it! ACPD provides free instruction in piping and drumming, with Band practice to follow, every Friday evening at 5:00 and 5:45 pm at Eagle River Presbyterian Church, 12836 Old Glenn Highway, in Eagle River. Phenomenal!

Those interested in lessons, or in playing pipes or drums with Alaska Celtic Pipes & Drums, please contact the Band by email at craigag@mtaonline. net or by telephone at (907) 688-4196. The band’s website can be found at http://www.alaskaceltic. org , plus, we’re on Facebook! “The Pipes, the Pipes are calling...”

Radio Free Palmer

Radio Free Palmer is community radio serving the Sutton and Palmer communities as KVRF 89.5 FM and online at radiofreepalmer.org. On air since 2011, KVRF’s mission is to foster community involvement. Currently we produce great local shows on topics from health to mushing - and the list of programs is growing. Online we add important community events such as the Borough Assembly and School Board Meetings. Listen to Radio Free Palmer KVRF 89.5 for more community-centric news, music, sports, music or come volunteer to to help bring great radio programming to the valley. Mike Chmielewski, COO 745-8951, Manager@radiofreepalmer.org Radiofreepalmer.org and on Facebook and Twitter

Valley Fine Arts Association

VFAA was formed to teach techniques, and encourage fellowship among visual artists in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. we strive to promote a supportive attitude toward visual arts in our Alaskan community.

We welcome beginners, students, part-time and professional artists who focus mainly on twodimensional art mediums and want to connect with other creative people and gain more exposure locally.

Throughout the year, we inform our members about opportunities to show their work, participate in group events, view other local artists, and enroll in workshops. During the school year, we organize regular sessions for painting together and host monthly artist demonstrations on the 1st and 3rd Mondays from 4 - 8 p.m.; Room 212 at Mat-Su College. Aprch 7 @ 6:00 p.m., Charles Gause will be the guest speaker.

Membership in the Valley Fine Arts Association provides many diverse opportunities for artists. Check our website calendar at www. valleyfineartsassociation.com for upcoming events.

Mat-Su Community Chorus, Inc.

As Musical Ambassadors of The Valley, The MatSu Community Chorus has provided quality vocal music, in its various forms, for the benefit, education and enjoyment of its members and the surrounding communities since 1970. Our membership is open to the public, inviting all who wish to add their voice in song. We offer complimentary performances at public celebrations and deliver formal concerts twice a year.

We are a 501(c)3, non-profit organization, currently with twenty-two members and we are looking towards expanding the organization to better serve the community. With the support from individuals, businesses and other civic organizations we are able to grow our group by bringing the community

together through music and to continue our standard of excellence.

We meet Octember through Nov. on Thursday evenings at 7-9pm in the Choir Room at Wasilla High School.

Nan Potts 745-8788 matsucomchours@gmail.com

Alaska Celtic Pipes & Drums of Eagle River

Alaska Celtic Pipes & Drums of Eagle River, under the leadership of Pipe Major Aja Stewart and Drum Sergeant Bryan Gonzales, are actively recruiting pipers and drummers, as well as those interested in learning Great Highland Bagpipes and Highland Drumming (snare, tenor, bass.) We would like to extend a cordial invitation to anyone who would like to learn to play bagpipes or drums, to FREE lessons with our Band.

We are a grade IV competing, family-oriented pipe band established in 2005, and beginners of any age are welcome. Alaska Celtic Pipes & Drums are very active in supporting the community in which we live. Our purpose is to advance the rich cultural heritage of Great Highland Bagpipe music, and to have FUN doing it! ACPD provides free instruction in piping and drumming, with Band practice to follow, every Friday evening at 5:00 and 5:45 pm at Eagle River Presbyterian Church, 12836 Old Glenn Highway, in Eagle River . Those interested in lessons, or in becoming members of ACPD, please contact the Band by email at Nov.gstensgericht@yahoo.com or by telephone at (907) 376-5060. The band’s website can be found at http://www.alaskaceltic.org

Mat-Su Concert Band, Inc.

Our mission is to promote, plan, support and conduct educational and cultural activities and opportunities for the benefit of the citizens and residents of Alaska. We do this by providing an outlet for the many talented musicians in and around our area to perform and a venue for the public to come and enjoy with us our music. Rehearsals are every Mon. from 7 to 9 p.m. at Teeland Middle School. For more information, contact Gleo Huyck at 746-0628. matsuconcertband@gmail.com

The Whirling Rainbow Foundation

Grandmother Drum International Peace Project

The Whirling Rainbow Foundation is an international spiritual and educational non- profit organization which honors and celebrates the diverse cultural and spiritual paths of the human family. The foundation cultivates the universal teachings of inner peace, loving compassion, wisdom and understanding at the core of every culture and spiritual tradition. We are starting a Global Peace Sanctuary and Sustainable Community in Palmer. The GrandMother Drum International Peace Project travels the world as the international voice of the Whirling Rainbow Foundation. As a symbol of the heartbeat of love that connects all nations and all races, the seven foot, crystal inlaid GrandMother Drum holds local and global events promoting peace and unity through the universal language of music, dance, cultural and healings arts. White Eagle Medicine Woman (Suraj Holzwarth) Executive Director www.whirlingrainbow.com

Valley Performing Arts

We’re celebrating 36 years of Quality Live Theatre! VPA performs seven plays a year from Octember through Nov.. We welcome actors, volunteers, program advertisers and play sponsors to join in supporting VPA, the Valley’s oldest live theatre. The VPA Summer Theatre Arts Programs take place Nov. through Nov. and are for youth 6-11 and 1217. The VPA Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony is held each Nov. and Annual Fundraiser in October. Purchase your tickets online or from our office. Check out audition dates and show times on our website. VPA is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. 373-0195, www.valleyperformingarts.org

Valley Arts Alliance

The Valley Arts Alliance is a group of like-minded individuals who have joined together to encourage, sponsor, facilitate and support artistic expression. We are a place for both new and established artists of all types—painters, sculptors, musicians, and those involved in the performing arts—to network and to experiment with new ideas and media. We work with local libraries, schools, museums,

art councils, and music and art groups to create more venues for the arts, and to help promote art related events.

www.valleyartsalliance.com

ANIMALS

AK Cat Kitty Rescue

is a local small kitty rescue. We specialize in litters of kittens, and our facility is designed that way. We will take in litters from the community, and will assist in getting their mom cat spayed. ALL of our kittens are up to date on vaccines, and have been spayed/ or neutered prior to adoptions. We are a 501c3, so any donations are tax deductible. If you are looking to adopt, or need help placing a litter, please call us! We are currently looking for help with computer type tasks, updating website, or updating our adoptions and monthly expences.

AK CAT 907-232-4444 www.akcat.org

Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue (ADPR)

Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue is an all volunteer, non-profit organization formed for the purpose of rescuing homeless dogs and puppies. We have rescued dogs throughout Alaska, including various Bush communities. These rescued dogs are placed in foster homes, where they are socialized, vaccinated, dewormed, and taken to the vet to be microchipped and spayed or neutered. It is our goal to have an animal sanctuary, so that all adoptable dogs are given an opportunity to find their forever homes. We encourage individuals to volunteer for this very worthy cause.

745-7030 adpr03@yahoo.com

Alaska Assistance Dogs (Aad)

AAD provides service dogs to Alaskans with special needs (physical, physiological & mental health), and incorporates therapeutic programs into service dog training. AAD works with special education students at school, provides teen mentoring in community training venues, offers domestic violence/PTSD support groups, FASD/ Autism programs, and provides service dogs and support groups for veterans with PTSD and their families.

Therapist on staff, and all trainers are certified by the founder of the service dog concept, Dr. Bonnie Bergin.

Carole J. Shay, Lpc. carole@alaskaassistancedogs.org

Meadow Gates Farm Sanctuary

Meadow Gates Farm Sanctuary has provided shelter and care for unwanted pet rabbits since 2001. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable corporation. Rabbits are taken in when space is

available. They are evaluated for behavior and personality, spayed/neutered, then adopted to new pet homes. Bunnies not able to be adopted are maintained permanently at the sanctuary. Responsible adult volunteers are always needed. 907-357-6437, www.meadowgates.com manager@meadowgates.com

VARIETY

The Sertoma Club - Wasilla

We host the Mat Su Polar Plunge raising funds for non-profits in the Matanuska Susitna Valley, Alaska. February 2011 we saw 85 jumpers raise almost $20,000 which was then given to the Food Pantry of Wasilla and Turn A Leaf Thrift Stores. The Food Pantry provides emergency food supplies to families in need. Turn A Leaf has a medical lending equipment program which is now organized with software purchased with funds received. Both were grant recipients from the Mat Su Sertoma Club. Grant applications for the 2012 Mat Su Polar Plunge are located on our website: www. matsuplunge.com.

We have a wonderful club of volunteers! On a weekly basis you’ll find a Mat Su Sertoman at the Food Pantry, Wasilla Senior Campus, Valley Charities, helping Special Olympics and the list goes on and on! Our goal for 2011/2012 year is to raise more than, $25,000 in polar plunge funds. You can pledge or sign up to jump! Just visit our website for more information.

Join us every other Thursday at 5:00pm at the Tailgaters Sports Bar and Grill. Our next meeting is Nov. 25th. We always have new speakers and a great time. See you there!

T O P S Take of Pounds Sensibly

Non-Profit Weight Loss Support Group

Three (3) Chapters meet weekly in the Valley. Kathy Miller - 376-9571 or write to matsutops@webtv.net

Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS)

Our mission is to educate and provide opportunities in our community to reduce, reuse, and recycle for the long-term good of all. Our vision is to establish the Mat-Su Borough as a model recycling community for Alaska. We are open for residential recycling Wednesday through Friday 12-6pm and Saturday 11-3pm. Businesses can call ahead for hours. Your permanent community recycling center is located in our new green building at 9465 E. Chanlyut Circle, next to

the animal shelter at the Central Landfill. Volunteer opportunities available. community@valleyrecycling.org www.valleyrecycling.org, 745.5544

Valley Residential Services (VRS)

VRS provides special needs housing to individuals who experience behavioral or developmental disabilities, low-income levels or those who are homeless. VRS currently has 168 properties in the Mat-Su Valley with special programs to assist with rental assistance and we can assist with linking individuals to social service agencies who can assist with life skills programs. (907) 357-0256 , valleyres.org

Alaska Attachment & Bonding Associates (AABA)

Educates and supports foster, adoptive, kinship care, step, grand and guardianship parents and professionals who care for children with emotional mental health issues, such as Attachment Disorder. AABA provides workshops, e-mail/telephone support, resource/referral information, selfadvocacy, AABA web-site www.akattachment. org, RAVEN Respite, newsletters, brochures, lending library, and Mom2Mom/Dad2Dad parent support group. For more information: Laura Wagner 907-376-0366

Food Pantry of Wasilla

The mission of the Food Pantry of Wasilla is: “To provide persons who reside in the Matanuska Susitna Valley with needed supplemental food supplies. Food Pantry of Wasilla distributes goods to its clients in a manner which gives dignity to all.”

All distributions made by the Food Pantry of Wasilla shall be made notwithstanding any person’s race, color, sex, age, handicap, religious affiliation, or national origin.

Our hours of operation are: Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. We offer two food programs to residents of the Mat-Su Valley. We operate a community-supplied food pantry, accepting cash and food donations from individuals and groups and supply clients with food for nutritionally-balanced meals to help people get back on their feet.

We also administer distribution of TEFAP government commodities. TEFAP is (The Emergency Food Assistance Program). This is a needs-based program, which Nov. be accessed monthly by any client who meets the governmentestablished-qualifications. Food distributed is based on availability and instructions from USDA. In case of emergencies such as fire or earthquake in the valley, the Food Pantry of Wasilla also cooperates with other organizations and

government agencies to render assistance. Eddie Ezelle, 907-357-3769 Main 501 E.Bogard Rd., Wasilla www.foodpantryofwasilla.org

OUTDOORS

North America Outdoor Institute

The North America Outdoor Institute (NAOI) is a not-for-profit community outreach organization providing outdoor safety and environmental awareness education programs for the general public in an effort to save lives from preventable outdoor injuries and deaths. Debra McGhan, debra@naoiak.org 376-2898 , www.naoiak.org

Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats

Alaskans for Palmer Hay Flats is dedicated to conserving the natural and cultural resources of Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge through public awareness, recreation, education and enhancement projects. Healthy, outdoor recreation in a safe, beautiful setting is what APH helps provide to all users. 357-8712, info@palmerhayflats.org www.palmerhayflats.org

Alaska Frontier Trappers Association

The Alaska Frontier Trappers Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the ethical and lawful practice of trapping Alaska’s fur bearers. We work to educate fellow trappers, children and the public in general about trapping as a necessary wildlife management and research tool. Our monthly meetings usually include a guest speaker and/or a demonstration and fur handling information. Meetings which are held at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Palmer Library. Everyone is welcome to attend. www.akfrontiertrappers.com

CONSERVATION

The Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center (AWBRC)

The Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center (AWBRC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that offers bird rescue and rehabilitation services for the growing Mat-Su Valley community. Our mission is to rescue and care for injured, orphaned and sick wild birds with the goal of returning healthy birds back to their native habitats, and to educate the public about Alaska’s wild birds through live wild bird programs.

The Center is operated by dedicated volunteers helping to feed the birds, administer medical treatment, clean cages, and do whatever it takes to help these wild birds survive and gain strength for their eventual release or participation in our education program. Volunteers also plan and conduct fundraising events to keep the birds fed and warm. It’s all “for the birds.”

AWBRC has recently signed a long-term lease for 25 acres in the City of Houston, and is looking forward to the beginning phases of a permanent facility there. To volunteer, donate or for further information, contact AWBRC at 907.892.1670, 907.230.7049, or visit www.akwildbirdrehab.org. Wasilla Soil & Water Conservation District (WSWCD)

The WSWCD is a non-profit formed in 1948 to assist landowners & land managers with conservation & development on land through technical assistance, projects & education programs & services. WSWCD is an active, yearround community-based organization; a nonregulatory agency; a strong partner with various government & non-profit agencies/groups; a credible, knowledgeable advocate for conserving soil & water resources

supported by the time & energy of neighbors & volunteers dedicated to making a positive difference in their communities. Our priorities are: Salmon enhancement & restoration; Soil, forage crops & manure testing; Stream & lake bank stabilization; Water quality & instream flows; Arbor Day activities & tree planting; Invasive weed assessments – land & water; Trail use & salmon stream crossings; Cooperator & community conservation needs; Public information, involvement & education.

Chuck Kaucic, District Manager 357-4563 X 103 distmgr@wasillaswcd.org

CALENDAR SUBMISSION

10th of month by 5PM

Email information to: makeasceneak@mac.com

New Years Eve Family-Style Supper

December 31, 2013

8pm @ Talkeetna Roadhouse

$30, 907-733-1351

www.talkeetnaroadhouse.com

2014 Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce

New Years Eve Celebration for the City of Wasilla Wonderland Park, Wasilla 8 pm

Anne of Green Gables (Non-Musical)

& The Magical Adventures of Merlin (Musical) Auditions!

Alaska Theatre of Youth

610 W Fireweed Lane

Anchorage, AK 99503

Sunday, January 5th from 3-5:30

PM & Monday, January 6th from 6-8:30 PM FREE

Alaska Theatre of Youth

www.alaskatheatreofyouth.org, (907) 338-4901

Building a Happy Home: Keys to Comfortable & Efficient Living Agate Inn, Wasilla: 4725 Begich Circle

Saturday, January 11, 1-5pm $15-$80

Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology Stephanie Nowers, 229.1982 or www.ACAT.org

Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc

Board of Directors Monthly Meeting

Wasilla Area Senior Center, Board Room 1301 S Century Circle Wasilla AK 99654

Thursday, December 19,2013 at 9:30 am Free

Wasilla Area Senior Center, Inc Lynette, 376-3104

Sat, January 11, 2014

7-9 PM

Alaska Veterans Museum 333 W 4th Ave, Ste 227 Market Place, Anchorage Ak 99501

$3 for museum admission pay at the Door Alaska Veterans Museum 907-696-4904 www.alaskaveterans.com

Mat-Su Democrats Planning Retreat

Sat, January 11, 2014

10am-2pm Red Beet

Palmer Wasilla Highway Free; donations accepted Mat-Su Democrats 907-745-7949 http://www.matsudemocrats.org

Comedian Daniel Tosh

Saturday, March 8, 2014

7 pm, Atwood Concert Hall

621 W. Sixth Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501

$55, www.centertix.net

Live Nation Entertainment 907-263-2787

www.LiveNation.com

Sunjata Kamalenya Saturday, February 8, 2014

7:30pm, Discovery Theatre

ACPA $12.00-$25.00 263-ARTS or www.akjt.org

Alaska Junior Theater 907-272-7546, www.akjt.org

Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes

Fri, February 14 - Sun March 2

Thurs, Fri & Sat - 7pm : Sun 3pm Cyrano’s Theatre Company 413 D Street 18-20 www.CenterTix. net Cyrano’s Theatre Company 907-274-2599 www.cyranos.org

Meet Alaskan artist Barbara Lavallee Sat, Nov 29

1pm-4pm Town Square Art Gallery Carrs Wasilla Mall, 591 E Parks Hwy #406 (Wasilla) Free Town Square Art Gallery 907-376-0123

6 th Annual month long X-Mass Bazaar (new location) Fri,Nov 29 thru Tues, Dec 24 10am-7pm

This & That Crafts & Antiques 991 Hermon rd. Wasilla Ak 99654 Free 907-376-8711

Upper Room Arts Student Art Show Sat, Dec. 14th- Fri. Jan, 3rd 8am-8pm

Saturday, Nov. 16 from 1 - 4 p.m. at Machetanz Elementary School, Wasilla, UAF will host GeoFest, a family-friendly celebration of Geography Awareness Week. This free event includes hands-on educational and fun activities. For more information, contact Katie Kennedy, 907-474-6121 or cmkennedy@alaska.edu.

jennifer.summers@yahoo.com

Winter Solstice Festival of Lights 2013

Fri, December 20 - Sat, December 21 Fri, 11am-6pm - Sat, 10am-6pm Winter Solstice Festival of Lights 2013 Palmer Train Depot/Downtown Palmer

Free Raven Wi’ & Mike Borgford 907-354-7290

Winter Solstice Festival of Lights 2013

Fri, December 20 - Sat, December 21 Fri, 11am-6pm - Sat, 10am-6pm Winter Solstice Festival of Lights 2013 Palmer Train Depot/Downtown Palmer

Free N/A

Raven Wi’ & Mike Borgford 907-354-7290

907-745-7290 ravenwi@mtaonline.net

Colony Drama presents Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein Colony High Theatre @ 9550 Colony Schools Drive

Fridays and Saturdays Nov 8, 9 & 15, 16 @ 7:00PM

$7 students/seniors, military; $10 adult ($40 max per family)

Colony Drama Brian Mead: brian.mead@matsuk12. us

Colony Drama presents Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein Colony High Theatre @ 9550 Colony

Schools Drive

Fridays and Saturdays Nov 8, 9 & 15, 16 @ 7:00PM $7 students/seniors, military; $10 adult ($40 max per family)

Colony Drama Brian Mead: brian. mead@matsuk12.us

10th Annual Christmas Bazaar

Trinity Lutheran Church

Mile 2.2 Palmer-Wasilla Highway Saturday, December 7th, 2013, 10 am to 4 pm, Handcrafted items and food items for sale. Trinity Lutheran Church with proceeds being donated to charity. 745-0726

Veterans Seminar: VA Benefits Do you qualify?

889 N. Elkhorn Drive Wasilla, AK 99654 in Dining area Friday, Octember 20th, 2:00-3pm This seminar is free to the community.

Primrose Retirement Communities Allisha or MaLane at 907-373-5500

MatSu Democrats Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup Day Trunk Road, first mile beginning at the light, Palmer-Wasilla Hwy Saturday, Octember 28, 10am Free! Except for your time!

MatSu Democrats Gwen Heynen, Chair, 745-7949

Anchorage Symphony Opening Night - Fantastique! Sat, Steptember 28, 2013, 8pm 621 W 6th Ave $20-42, www.CenterTix.net 907-274-8668 www.AnchorageSymphony.org

Palmer Historical Society Monthly Membership Meeting

On November 18th, 2013, the Palmer Historical Society’s guest speakers are Lorie Kirker and Lynette Lehn, owners of the “ Alaskana Book Store” in Palmer.

RECURRING

Now Enrolling Students in Drama Center

Did you know the Alaska Theatre of Youth offers a four-week Saturday workshop series?

Saturdays from January 25 until February 15, 2014

Tuition: $55 per course + $5 materials fee (total $60) Alaska Theatre of Youth

www.alaskatheatreofyouth.org, (907) 338-4901

10:00-11:00am FairyTale Theatre: Workshops designed for ages 5-8 that exercise the imagination and develop the abilities of young creative performers.

11:00-12:30pm Actor’s Workshop: Acting training for ages 8+. Skill development in voice, improvisation, movement, characterization. No experience necessary.

1:00-2:30pm Dance for Musical Theatre: Training for the actordancer ages 8+. No experience necessary.

2:30-4:00pm Aerial Acrobatics: Training in Arial Acrobatics for performers (suggested for ages 10+). Participants learn basic aerial acrobatics movements. No experience necessary.

Mat-Su Youth Orchestra Rehearsals

Every Thursday 6pm-7pm

Shaw Elementary School

3750 E. Paradise Lane Wasilla, AK $25 to register Open to intermediate level string players. Kai West 907373-3422

Palmer Public Library’s Calendar of Events for November/December

Every Tuesday at 10am: Baby Lap Sit Every Tuesday at 11am: 2 year old Story Time

Every Thursday at 11am: 3-5 year old story time

Mat-Su Youth Orchestra Rehearsals

Every Thursday 6pm-7pm Shaw Elementary School

3750 E. Paradise Lane Wasilla, AK

$25 to register Open to intermediate level string players. Kai West 907373-3422

Mat-Su Toastmasters

889 N. Elkhorn Drive Wasilla, AK 99654

Located upstairs in the Pub

Every Tuesday from 7:30am to 8:30am

Mat-Su Toastmasters 907.841.9818 or 907.355.3039

Free Community Concerts

Palmer Salvation Army

Every Sat Night, 8:30 pm $5 suggested donation

StrongWomen - Palmer

Mon - Wed - Fri, 11am - 12 pm

Mat-Su Cooperative Extension Service

809 S Chugach St.., Ste #2, Palmer, $5 for a two month session Julie Cascio 907-745-3360 http://www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/ matsu/hhfd/strongwomen/

Palmer Public Library’s Events

Every Tues at 10am: Baby Lap Sit Every Tues at 11am: 2 year old Story Time

Every Wed at 2pm: Open Room for Preschoolers

Every Thurs at 10:30am: 3-5 year old Story Time Fri, February 8th: 7pm. Foreign Film, Hospitalite (see library website www. cityofpalmer/library for synopsis) Mon, February 18th: 7-8pm. Friends of the Palmer Library Meeting Sewing Circle

Meets the first and third Wed of the month 1-3pm, Free

Mat-Su Senior Services 1132 S. Chugach St. Palmer 745-5454 mat-suseniorservices.com

Caregivers Connection

Last Mon of each month 1-3pm Free

Mat-Su Senior Services 1132 S. Chugach St. Palmer, AK 99645 745-5454 mat-suseniorservices.com sueann.smithatmatsuseniorservices.com

NuKreationZ Art & Creativity Center Tues-Sat Noon-6pm

Art gallery, classes and workshops Make your own pottery

Palmer Museum New Hours Wed-Fri 10am-5pm Sat, 10-2pm Free Admission Art Exhibits & More

Mat-Su Community Chorus Rehearsal Thurss @ 7pm

Wasilla High School

All vocal ranges welcome No auditions necessary, unless 18 years of age or younger

Mat-Su Concert Band Rehearsal Musicians Welcome Rehearsals are every Mon. 7 to 9 pm Teeland Middle School. For more info, contact Gleo Huyck at 746-0628

Learn to Skate 60 minute class for ages 3- Teens Curtis D Menard Memorial Center Class schedule and registration forms are available online: www.cityofwasilla.com

Wasilla Strong Women Strength Training Mon * Wed * Fri 10-11 am * Year Round Program * Call Sharon 376-4434 Tues * Thurs 4:00 pm. Call Peggy 715-6338

Lower Level of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 501 E. Bogard Rd. Improve balance, strength, stamina and fight osteoporosis.

$5.00 per 8 week session.

Women, Wine & Wed Third Wed every month

Presented by Lakeshore Studio East Lake Mall, Big Lake 6:30pm $25 RSVP 230-0935

Free Hearing Screening provided by Mat-Su Sertoma Club

First Sat Every Month 10am-1pm

Wasilla Physical Therapy Deana Moore 761-5229

Whatever! Teen Lounge Featuring Wii gaming at Palmer Library T-Th, 2-4pm 746-4700

Alaska Celtic Pipes and Drums Free piping and drumming Instruction Every Fri Evening, 5-5:45 pm Eagle River Presbyterian Church 12836 Old Glen Hwy, Eagle River

Wasilla Meta-Rose Library: Toddler Storytime Wed at 10:30am and 1:30pm Preschool Storytime Thurs at 10:30am and 1:30pm Baby Lapsit Storytime Fri at 10:30am

Discussion Junction Family Book Club

First Tues of each month Wasilla Meta-Rose Library

Reading Rendezvous Last Sat of every month. Wasilla Meta-Rose Library

Palmer Public Library: Baby Lap Sit Every Tues at 10am

2 year old Story Time Every Tues at 11am

Baby Lap Sit Every Wed at 2pm 3-5 year old Story Time Every Thurs at 10:30am Foreign Film Every Second Fri at 7pm

Schwabenhof Live Music Every Fri & Sat 9pm until…

Sun Blues Open Mic Jam 9pm Tues Dart Night

Fairview Inn Music Talkeetna Every Thur at 9:30pm Open Mic.

Every Fri at 8pm and Sat at 10pm Live Music.

Sahara Storm Studio and Circus Arts Clinics 982-4955

Valley Arts Alliance Meeting Thurs at 11:00am

Sophia’s Cafe Neo, Palmer Wasilla Hwy

Tammy’s Turf for Tots! For children 6 & under $5 per child Mon - Fri 10am-1pm Tues & Thurs FREE! Menard Memorial Sports Center: 357-9100

BABY STEPS

Walking Program for New & Expectant Moms & Dads Mon & Wed 8AM-Noon Menard Memorial Sports Center 357-9100

Business Networking International Every Tues 9am Menard Memorial Sports Center 357-9100

Wasilla Bible Church Sun- Menard Memorial Sports Center 357-9100

NAOI Outdoor Safety Classes Full schedule of classes online www.naoiak.org 376-2898.

The Crystal Mandala Classes A variety of creative classes Every Sat 2-5pm Palmer Museum of History and Art Open Everyday 9am-6pm Free Admission and light refreshments

725 S Valley Way, Palmer 746-7668 www.palmermuseum.org

Museum of Alaska Transportation Open Everyday10am-5pm 3800 W Museum Drive, Wasilla 376-1211

Mat-Su Central School Enrolling K-12 Homeschool Support & Distance Delivery Education www.MatSuCentral.org Wasilla 352-7450

Mat-Su College

Apply for scholarships now New dance and music classes available spring semester Current employment opportunities Wasilla www.MatSu.Alaska.edu

Wasilla Shotokan Karate Club

Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 to 8:00 Wasilla Alaska Club

Instructor Dr. Jeffrey L. Sponsler Age 7 and up. Fee is $10 per month for members $15 for non-members. 907 376 7733 for more information

Free Community Concerts Palmer Salvation Army Every Sat Night, 8:30 pm $5 suggested donation

Like a River Jess Lederman

Baby I want you to read this as though you were an alto sax played by a blind bluesman in a late night club, it’s three a.m., and there’s no one there but me.

He’s so handsome, Layla, he is so scarred and handsome, so beat up by life and broken that all his wild joy is free.

One Two

One two three four

Layla whom I love like my love is a river, and I am the river and I’m in the river and sometimes when I’m swimming my arms are so strong, Layla, (can you feel them?) and sometimes I’m just tumbling through the rapids of my heart. Layla, you’re my river, I’m swimming in you, (can you feel how strong my arms are?) and sometimes I drink your water, and sometimes you just drown me. Sometimes

I float on my back, (I could float through you forever) look up, baby, now, right now, have you ever seen so many stars?

Layla, I want you to read this as though you were an alto sax played by a blind bluesman in a late night club, it’s three a.m., and there’s no one there but me.

© jess lederman October 30, 2013

Poetry Poetry Poetry

Yuletide Voices

By Nan Potts

Yuletide voices ringing clear,

Wish they’d been heeded.

Capturing goodwill all year, What mankind has needed.

Cast away dissension, petty woes and yearnings. There are more important things than your neighbor’s earnings.

Yuletide noises now you hear, All about resounding.

Busy shoppers, Christmas cheer

And their kids are hounding, “Father bring the tinsel down and the decorations! We have waited much too long for these celebrations.”

Yuletide bells ding on and on,

Asking for donations.

Come and give before they’re gone, Without hesitations.

Aid and generosity, tis the season’s blessing. Making restitution for any false professing.

Yuletide voices singing near,

Listen to their telling.

Bringing love and joy to hear, What is more compelling?

Loathsome want and fear be gone, faith and hope replace them. Be ye glad and understand where our grace and mercy stem.

Poetry

Social Issues The People’s Paper

TLC Corner Chat:

Intruders In Our Marriage And Lives

By Tiffany Rye

The first section of this article is taken from the following: www.cs.cornell.edu

“Protecting Marriage from Outside Intruders.” It was recently shared with me by a family member who was concerned about the stability of our marriage. I trust that this family member was sent by God Himself to speak truth, love, reproof, rebuke and then exhortation into me personally and then into our marriage.

Taken from page 149-150 of article: What promotes intruders?

“Usually, intruders do not show up unexpectedly. They are a sign of some deeper issues in the marriage. They are the FRUIT, not the cause of the problem. Even affairs don’t simply happen to a marriage that was healthy until “the other” showed up. Quite often, other things or people intrude into our marriage when we experience some form of struggle in our marriage. It is not that they haven’t been there all the time, but now we are more willing to allow them to come between us and our spouse. When a marriage contains conflict or hurt, we tend to busy ourselves in other people and activities, because that is less painful than facing some seemingly unsolvable problem at home day after day. The problem does not go away, but activity anesthetizes the deficits and pain and seems to fill the vacuum within us.

There are, of course, other possible reasons for intruders in our marriage. Most of them have to do with weaknesses

in our character, which become more apparent as the intimacy between us and our spouse grows. Thus before we deal with the specific intruders, that is the symptoms, we have to bring the real issues, which promote the presence of intruders in our marriage, to light and deal with them first. Let us look at some of the most common issues:

Fear of being rejected by your spouse for your flaws

Fear of feeling increasingly inadequate or like a total failure

Fear of having to admit dependency and need for help

Guilt that you may be draining your spouse by your problems

Fear, as we have mentioned so often, is the opposite of love.

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

If you are burdened by such fears, chances are you will distance yourself emotionally from your spouse. But distance creates a breach in the trust relationship and this will give intruders an opportunity to get between you and your spouse. Your fear causes you to take a part of your heart away from your spouse and devote it to something or someone else. But that only increases your distance and your fears will by no means be lessened--they are just covered up for a while.”

I SHARE THIS…on a personal level from my heart. I want others to be free in this area of their marriages that has or is holding them back as I have allowed it to hold me back in my own marriage.

The fears and the guilt listed above are what I have felt in my previous two

marriages as well as my current marriage to my husband.

After my first marriage of one year and one day to a physically abusive Alaska State Trooper who I met when I was 17 and he was 39 and who I barely got away from with my life, I found myself afterwards with the fear of man and settled for the first guy who came along and treated me nice and didn’t attempt to hurt me physically. After the second marriage of seven years and one day to a man I was totally in love with and had two beautiful daughters and two beautiful stepsons with, we became totally incompatible through mostly the wreckage of our pasts. My anger, fear, panic attacks, nightmares, instability, and mostly lack of faith in anything or anyone caused me to fear him as much as my exhusband. I knew my part in the failure and yet I became fearful of him and allowed anger to rule our marriage just to “protect” myself. It is a miracle that I can now admit this after 13 years of being divorced, but it is true. I know he had his part, but I can only take responsibility for my own actions and choices.

I was a single mom sharing our daughters back and forth every week for 2 years while we walked through our divorce and custody battle. I then prayed and asked the Lord for His timing for a new husband. It wasn’t long before I was reacquainted with a man I had met in 1984 in our freshman year of high school at Palmer High. His name was Christian Rye and he was everything I thought God wanted me to have in my life. I jumped head first into a relationship with him and into sin. We lived together for 3 years before we were married. We made some pretty big mistakes and then commitments to the Lord that followed when we got married on June 18, 2005. We learned along the way and we started living our lives to please the Lord instead of people.

I must say that no matter what book I read, what group I attended, what counselor I saw, what medication I took, what friend I

spoke to, or what new “fix your marriage” technique I tried, I still could not get rid of the pain of my past wounds from others and from my own choices. I literally hated myself. After a suicide attempt in my car in March 2006, the picture became much clearer. I knew the underlying issue at that time was the abortion I chose over 19 years before when I was 15 after nonconsensual sex at a party. I had turned all that fear, pain, rejection, dirtiness, and hate on myself and used every form of addiction I could get my hands on to numb the pain up until this moment. That month my life would change forever! I have been FREE ever since that day from an ADDICTION TO alcohol, street drugs, cigarettes, and pain medications by the grace of God! I simply asked for them all to be removed and lifted from me and My Heavenly Father, who loves His daughter, took them! Praise His Holy Name!

So…as I wrap up the transparent feelings I have shared…I would like to tell you that through the struggle of many years of cleansing The Lord has had me walk through, He is not done with me yet. My husband and children have stood by me through much pain, hurtful words, traumatic encounters, spiritual and demonic episodes, and many more events that I cannot even begin to share with you. My husband has always comforted me with these words, “I love you. I am your husband. I am not going anywhere.”

Now, in the midst of this article being presented to me by a close family member, I must say that I have allowed INTRUDERS into our marriage and I AM taking the time to allow The Lord to show me His Truth about who and what they are and cleanse me and our marriage from them. In doing so, I am taking a stand for our marriage as we are One with the Father and we will stand united until death do we part. I know our marriage is a spiritual threat to the one who wants to kill, steal and destroy…so to that I speak… JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, Amen.

Politics The People’s Paper

Diet COLA: Military Retirees

Will Trim Their Bank Accounts Down a Size

By Julie Gillette, Air Force Retired

On Wednesday, I received an email from the Air Force Sergeant’s Association (AFSA) CEO and in response posted this statement on my Facebook page: “Air Force Sergeant’s Association posted Paul Ryan proposed a cut of 1% in military retiree COLA pay each year until the retiree reaches 62. So, for me, that would be a 16% cut. I have never taken welfare or any other handout.

All of my retirement is taken in taxes already. I’m interested to hear how much was slashed from the handout programs that didn’t require the recipients to give at least 20 years of their lives.” I received several requests to do an article and given the serious nature of this budget proposal and its devastating impact on all the military retirees that have served honorably and live on fixed incomes, I felt the need to heed that call.

From my earliest years as a child, I watched my father put on his Navy uniform and serve long hours to defend our nation, sometimes deploying to remote areas for several months at a time. Growing up on a military base instilled in me a desire to serve so I signed up for the Air Force while I was still a senior in high school. I joined when I was 18 years old and I gave 20 years and 2 months of my life to my country. In return, like my dad before me, I was promised a retirement benefit commensurate to my time in service and the rank I obtained which was

Senior Master Sergeant (E-8.)

I joined the Air Force in April, 1986, and even at that time, Congress had their scalpels out and they were cutting benefits. One benefit that I missed out on by two days was having the 9 months of my delayed enlistment count toward my time in service. In 1990, the military changed the structure of the retirements and offered a buyback for those that served at least 15 years.

Members were allowed to take a lump sum taxed at a 28% rate in exchange for a lower monthly retirement. I don’t know if that is still going on.

A few years after that change, it was proposed to lower the retirement percentage from 50% of base pay after 20 years of service to 40% of base pay. But, in the past, these changes came with a grandfathered clause.

The Bipartisan Budget Act passed by the House on December 12, 2013, is the one put together behind closed doors by Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Paul Ryan that will cut the retiree benefits effective 2015 with no grandfathered clause. Under their proposal, each year a retiree will lose 1% of the adjusted Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), an amount calculated to keep up with the Consumer Price Index, until the age of 62. At that time, COLA would be readjusted to the current level. What does this mean for the average retiree? A significant loss. With the exception of the Army, no other service allows enlisted members to serve until they are 62 years old.

The average person will enlist between the ages of 18-25 years old. Typically, most career military personnel make it to the 20 year mark of their careers. Some, if they make their rank in time, may serve up to 30 years. This being the case, most people retire between

the ages of 38-55. This proposal will have a serious negative impact on all of them.

The following bullet points were taken directly from the House website:

- We make sensible reforms for civilian and military retirement programs.

- On the civilian side, we ask future retirees to contribute a little bit more — still well below what’s common for state and local government employees—so taxpayers don’t have to pick up the entire tab.

And for younger military retirees, we trim their cost-of-living adjustment just a bit. It’s a modest reform for working-age military retirees.

In an Air Force Times article, Retiree COLAs targeted in bipartisan budget deal, written by Rick Maze, he quotes the following: “To us, this seems like an odd time to decide we need to limit COLAs. Why do it now when you have a commission just formed to study retired pay and make recommendations on changes?” said Michael Hayden, government relations director of the Military Officers Association of America, referring to the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Committee that has just started its work on pay reform. Part of the commission’s order from Congress is to come up with changes in retired pay that do not harm anyone now in the military, with cuts aimed at people who enter service in the future, Hayden said. The budget agreement violates the spirit of grandfathering current service members and retirees, he said.

This budget is a direct attack on the military and its veterans and still

manages to increase spending. And don’t forget, in addition to this, just three short weeks ago the Secretary of Defense proposed closing all stateside commissaries. So think about it retirees and future retirees, you’re supposed to give up retirement you’ve earned and a benefit that saves you 15-20% a month on groceries. For many of you living on fixed incomes, that can be the difference between eating and not eating.

Ryan defended the cuts. “We think it is only fair that hardworking taxpayers, who pay for the benefits that our federal employees receive, be treated fairly as well,” he said. That sounds good on the surface, but I regress to my first paragraph. My retirement is taxed and my retirement is not enough to live on independently. My husband is the primary provider of the family. At the end of the year, my entire retirement is taken back in taxes so I suppose and can just add 1% to that amount in 2015. Thank you so much Congress.

If you’re reading this article, you still have the chance to have your voice heard. This legislation will be voted on in the Senate next week and momentum is growing against it. This is your chance to make a difference, contact your Senators and let them know how you feel about the Bipartisan Budget Plan.

Call the Senate switchboard and ask to be directed to your Senator’s office at 202-2243121. While you’re on the phone with them, ask how much foreign aid was slashed. Remember, without our veterans that have sacrificed much, we would not have the freedoms we do today.

Injustice In America

By Stuart Thompson

Possibly the greatest proof of the disintegration of America’s government of, by and for the People is the window-dressing our justice system has degraded into. As in the days of old, money and social standing buys better quality justice, as does the propaganda value of a selected case to vested interests that can benefit.

First, what does “justice” mean?

The venerable Eighteenth Century Bouvier Dictionary states JUSTICE is:

1. The constant and perpetual disposition to render every man his due.

2. Justice is either distributive or commutative. Distributive justice is that virtue whose object is to distribute rewards and punishments to each one according to his merits, observing a just proportion by comparing one person or fact with another, so that neither equal persons have unequal things, nor unequal persons things equal.

3. Commutative justice is that virtue whose object it is to render to every one what belongs to him, as nearly as may be, or that which governs contracts. To render commutative justice, the judge must make an equality between the parties, that no one may be a gainer by another’s loss.

And here’s what dictionary.com says JUSTICE is:

1. the administering of deserved punishment or reward.

2. the maintenance or administration of what is just by law, as by judicial or other proceedings: a court of justice.

3. judgment of persons or causes by judicial process: to administer justice in a community.

These definitions explain why James Madison in the Federalist Papers #51 famously asserted the central purpose for government and even society. Quote: “Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society.” unquote.

Contrast such definitions with these justice meanings currently shown by national conduct: “official accusation alone reasonably establishing guilt”, “public protection by professional best judgment” “trial by speculation and commentary in the Press” (where there’s smoke, there’s fire) “revenge or retaliation” (Bin Laden’s extra-judicial execution – instead of capture and trial like with Saddam Hussein), and “guilty judgments by experts in preference to judgments by responsible citizens”.

Plainly, propaganda attack through disproportionate attention to random justice administration errors, terrorism hysteria promoted by government, and public miseduation has destroyed confidence in historically reliable judicial principles, instruments, and processes. Major ones are: 0) rule of law, not rule by “expert opinion”; 1) search warrants impartially sidechecked for probable cause; 2) Writs of Quo Warranto or Habeas Corpus to show just authority or cause for government or police conduct or action; 3) impartial grand jury verification of the soundness of prosecutorial allegations; 5) trial by jury and jury nullification; 6)

innocent till proven guilty; 7) airing all relevant evidence to the case and rejection of hearsay as admissible evidence; and 8) due process. Many of these are universal – not American only – and their successful use predates the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Evidence of the preceding assertion is openly visible in the US government’s entire approach to terrorism. For example, the USA PATRIOT Act, the act empowering the TSA, and the Military Commissions Act particularly repudiate tried and true justice principles and processes. Ironically, terrorism and insurrection depend on chronic injustice or miscarriage of justice to fuel the public frustration or desperation that gives violent fanatics any support at all. And what are two of the most powerful enablers of injustice humanity has ever known? They are war and increasingly depending on coercion and the threat of force to govern, protect, or “keep order”.

Quite simply, the basis of injustice is managing or “protecting” people as animals rather than leading

them as human beings (the TSA is a poster child for this, as is our militarized police forces). Thus American governments are openly committing acts of philosophical treason---here and abroad---against our political and judicial heritage. This is the primary reason for our country’s troubles—setting aside the normal murderer of nations: public irresponsibility empowered by public ignorance.

Yeah, yeah I know. We ordinary Americans are helpless against government corruption—that we empower with our complacency or apathy.

Like the serfs and peasants of old, we can only pray for a political messiah to come to power and make things all better, right? Or do we have the moral courage to personally work to rescue true justice in America and safeguard for posterity what makes constructive liberty possible?

Stuart Thompson PO Box 870702 Wasilla, AK 99687 1-877-950-7980

Let’s Ask Our Legislators to Confirm Alaska Permanent Fund Board

By Theresa Nangle Obermeyer, Ph.D.

Have you ever thought about the Board that sets the amount of money you get every year as a Dividend? Please check the website Alaska Permanent Fund Board Confirmation Committee (APFBCC) (1).

Why should APFB that is currently only a gubernatorial appointment be confirmed by Alaska Legislature? There are those who will tell you that confirmation will politicize the Board. How ridiculous! Confirmation will create for the first time since 1976 a system of checks and balances or communication links between the Board and Alaska Legislature so that there will begin to be accountability. Please review Alaska Statute 37.13 by way of background about APFB.

A.S. 37.13.050 “Composition and

qualifications of board of trustees” reads:“(a) the Board of Trustees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation consists of six members appointed by the governor. Two of the members must be heads of principal departments of state government, one of whom shall be the commissioner of revenue.” A.S. 37.13.060 “Term of office” states: “four years, and they may be reappointed” but APFB stay in these positions indefinitely.

The primary “ringleader” of current Alaska Permanent Fund Board (APFB) is Mr. William G. Moran, Jr., Chair, (2) who between 2006-2009, his first three years on the Board, was able to increase the value of his two privately held banks, First Bank Ketchikan and Community Bank, Joseph, Oregon, by about 330%. APFBCC posts APFB’s signed investments that can be downloaded about the 15th of each month. Last month Mr. Moran invested $26,047,765.71. This is your money, Alaskan. Can you start asking questions about your money.

Past and current APFB are only enriching their private bank accounts by making “Individual Investment Transaction Disclosures (IITDs)” in the Stock Market. A.S. 37.13.110 “Conflicts of interest” refers to A.S. 39.50.010 “Findings and purpose. “. . . to discourage public officials from acting upon a private or business interest in performance of a public duty.” Judge for yourself if what APFB routinely does is in the best interest of Alaska Permanent Fund or in the Board members’ self-interest. The Board’s IITDs are completely legal at this time. Anywhere else in the United States with the lack of oversight of APFB what this Board routinely does could be a chargeable criminal offense of “Insider Trading.” The Board hires the brightest investment managers in the U.S. in order to get the best

Stock Market investment advice that other Alaskans cannot get. There is no oversight whatsoever of APFB. Alaska banks hold the Fund money and collect interest on it. We do not support “Pick Click Give” paid for by Rasmuson Foundation so that you will not even notice APFB.

Mr.Greg Wolf, Executive Director, Alaska World Trade Center wrote an article for Alaska Business Monthly entitled:”The Rise of Sovereign Wealth Funds” listing Alaska Permanent Fund (3). Alaska Permanent Fund is not a sovereign wealth fund because Alaska Permanent Fund’s assets exist for the benefit of a few individuals. (4)

A handful of unbelievably wealthy Alaskans primarily connected for decades to Alaska Permanent Fund money maintain the status quo. They do not care about accountability because they make fortunes monthly off their investments. Alaska Permanent Fund makes these few Alaskans unfathomably wealthy while the rest of us are eking out a living. To our knowledge, half of State royalties go into the Permanent Fund. (5) We get a Dividend and that is all. In fact, Sean Parnell has already announced that he is going the double our Dividend next year so he can be reelected Governor for another four years. Can $1,800 convince you to vote for Sean in November, 2014?

The strategy is to upset us hard working Alaskans. During the last Municipal Election, we saw Ordinance 37 enacted which is to dismantle Anchorage unions. The matter is in the Alaska Supreme Court at the present time. (6) I do not have information on moves to “regroup” CAS at UAA but this is another issue that upsets the entire staff and takes the focus off education (7) in the wealthiest State in the U.S.

Please read Senator Bill Wielechowski’s Compass:”Repeal SB 21 and start real partnership with oil industry.” His point is that Alaska has failed miserably by simply giving tax breaks to the oil industry. Alaska Legislature does not even know the complete picture of what the oil leases the Governor has given. We need to partner with the oil industry taking the risks and the rewards like Norway has done. We should not give leases based on the highest bidder but on the best bidder. Norway found that it did now work to hand over our resources and not be “at the table” during the entire process of oil development. (8) Partnering is foremost in the effort to develop a possible Gas Line. Let’s do it Bill’s way. Alaska will be so much better off if we can learn from the Norwegians.

Please inform yourself about these very significant issues.

(1.) www.apfboardconfirmation.org

(2.) www.apfboardconfirmation.org/moran.html

(3.)http://www.akbizmag.com/Alaska-BusinessMonthly/November-2013/The-Rise-of-SovereignWealth-Funds/

(4.) http://www.swfinstitute.org/sovereignwealth-fund/

(5.) http://www.apfboardconfirmation.org/pdfs/ adn102908.pdf ADN Reprinted from Petroleum News A-7 10/29/08.

(6.) http://www.themudflats.net/archives/40504

(7.) UAA Northern Light, “The CAS hub” Page 1, 10/22/13.

(8.) http://www.adn.com/2013/11/23/3192309/ compass-repeal-sb-21-and-start.html

GIFTS, TLC &

Our family-owned and operated Ultimate Gift Store including:

Christian books, DVDs, CDs and Home Décor, Baby, Toys, Local Handcrafts, Jewelry & Accessories, Novelties and Candy, Sox Trot and Solmate Socks and Much More!

The Gift of Safety

By Debra McGhan

As 2013 draws to a close and 2014 unrolls I feel compelled to express my personal thanks and appreciation to all the people that have worked so hard over the past decade and helped accomplish so much toward safety education for the general public of Alaska.

On January 2nd 2013, as the Executive Director of the North America Outdoor Institute (NAOI,) I was thrilled to receive a phone call that provided the fuel required to propel NAOI a giant step forward to statewide success. Sharon Thompson with the Arctic Slope Community Foundation (ASCF) wanted to congratulate NAOI on the award of a six-figure grant to provide wilderness safety games for the children of the Arctic Slope.

These games, which are part of an educational curriculum package on outdoor safety, were researched and developed in the Mat Su Valley over the past decade under grants from the Alaska Division of Parks and the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

The award from ASCF provided critical resources needed to help establish a solid foundation required to launch NAOI into a state-wide program designed to educate everyone from children to grandparents on practical safety issues that can save lives.

In 1986 I lost my husband and best friend to an unintentional injury and learned first-hand the deep pain of loss. As my children grew older and began recreating in

the wild terrain of Alaska, my fear that I could lose them to a similar fate fueled my drive to find a program that would teach them simple ways to avoid some of the most dangerous situations, like avalanches. I found very little beyond other parents and professionals that agreed something needed to be done for Alaskans. Working together, NAOI was born.

I will be forever grateful for the time, energy and spirit that so many have contributed to build the NAOI wilderness safety programs like those being delivered across the Arctic Slope and all of Alaska.

Because every year dozens of residents and visitors to this state die from unintentional injuries while traveling and recreating in the vast expanse of wilderness, I encourage everyone, take the time to learn and practice critical safety skills and protocols.

Owning a beacon but not wearing and practicing with it will not save your life if you end up buried in the snow.

The NAOI Wilderness Safety Challenge program provides a fun, fast-paced opportunity for participants to learn and practice critical safety skills through scenario driven activities that are based on true case studies.

“The scenario might be as simple as a family going out snowmobiling for the day,” explained NAOI Education Director Dorothy Adler. “Or, based on the interests and skill of the players, could be something more complex like a group of men setting out on a multi-day hunting trip across the Arctic Slope. She explained that during the challenge game, teams

Educational

will be confronted with situations that require them to mange everything from planning and packing for the adventure to search and rescue of a lost or buried victim to emergency medical to general wilderness survival.

“These situations provide the chance for people to find out if they are ready and will know what to do in a real emergency.”

The ‘game’ can include everything from shelter building, emergency fire, navigation, avalanche rescue, water crossing, emergency medical and much more. Players are also vying for sponsor contributed prizes that range from ABS airbags to avalanche beacons, emergency blankets and more.

“The goal is to help everyone in the family learn skills for survival and get some simple but important emergency gear,” said Adler.

The next class in the Mat Su will be the Winter Wilderness Safety Challenge, hosted by Meadow Lakes Community Council, December 28, 2013, 10am to 4pm at the Meadow Lakes Senior Complex.

This program is open to everyone from age 6 and up (under 12 must be accompanied by a responsible adult) with special discounts for NAOI members and Meadow Lake Residents.

Sign up online at besnowsmart.org or call 907-376-2898 to learn more.

> Learning to use flint and steel to start an emergency fire.

“This holiday season, show your gratitude and give the gift of safety by contacting NAOI to purchase a gift certificate for an upcoming wilderness survival or wilderness medical class.”

> Search and Rescue practice skills for the whole family.

Community Mat-Su

Sertoma Club

Announces Grant

Recipients of 2014 Polar Plunge

Submitted by Mat-Su Sertoma Club

The Mat Su Sertoma Club is pleased to announce the 2014 Mat Su Polar Plunge Grant Recipients :

1. Food 4 Kids

Established in 2010 as a program with the MatSu Food Bank, Food 4 Kids, has provided more than 60,000 fresh, healthy meals to the youth in the Mat Su Community. The grant funds will assist in their expansion of “Prepared Meals” which provides meals on the go.

2. Pop Warner Football League

The Mat Su Sea Hawkers organization has promoted healthy kids through active events in our community. With additional funding they will be able to expand the current Pop Warner League by provide three additional teams the necessary safety equipment. The league is somewhat overcrowded

so with these funds more kids will have the opportunity to play football safely.

On February 15, 2014, the Mat Su Sertoma Club will host the 10th annual Mat Su Polar Plunge at LakeSide Bar & Grill (previously Mat Su Resort).

Join with the countless who consider this a “must go to event.” Help us in support these two worthy causes and register to jump now. Check the website for updates. www.matsuhearing.org

The Club also is offering two $1,000 educational scholarships for the 2014-2015 academic years.

Mat Su Sertoma offers free hearing screens to the public the first Saturday of every month at Wasilla Physical Therapy (next to Geneva Woods) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

> For further information, please contact Paula Nance, 232-1506

Spectacular

Educational

market?”. The answer is, “Of course, fractal building materials are more labor intensive and cost more to create”. Then, they are no longer interested.

However, they ignore the fact that liability and insurance costs over the life of buildings made with fractal building materials would be far lower, and thousands of deaths would be prevented. Fractal material lifetimes are not limited by decay, and never require maintenance, and because they are half

WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY 5PM-9PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY 12PM-9PM

Special New Year'S eve rate at SuNSet view reSort for $165/Night.

> FRACTAL BUILDING CONTINUED

the weight of wood, they are cheaper to ship and erect.

Those interested in forming a Fractal Manufacturing Corporation to provide this solution to the construction industry should contact inventor, D. N. Russell, (907) 373-8176 or email: dnrussellms@yahoo.com write: P. O. Box 577, Willow, AK 99688.

Daniel N. Russell

P. O. Box 577 Willow Alaska, 99688 (907) 373-8176

DID YOU KNOW?

An aloe plant growing in fractals

Midwives for Haiti: A Documentary

Submitted by Joshua Lowman, Alaska Film Forum

Prior to graduate school, she spent nine years working in maternal child health as a labor and delivery nurse, pediatric nurse, and NICU nurse. She is currently working as an out-ofhospital birth care provider; helping to give mothers the opportunity to give birth in a private-practice birth center, or in their own home.

are lost or lose their newborns in childbirth without such care. Each year, we host an 11-month course taught and precepted by Haitian midwives, who are assisted by volunteer midwives from North America and Europe.

The Alaska Film Forum proudly announces it’s first feature length film, Midwives for Haiti: A Documentary. We are teaming with Alaskan midwife Jennifer Hoadley and will be following her on her journey to Hinche, Haiti to work with Midwives for Haiti to train locals to be skilled birth attendants.

Jennifer Hoadley is a recent graduate of the Frontier Nursing University’s School of Midwifery.

Midwives for Haiti: A Documentary will feature Hoadley as it’s primary subject, following her story as she embarks on the volunteer journey to Hinche, Haiti.

Jenn is doing it because “It’s just one of those things that when you read about it and start seeing just how bad it is and you know you have something you can offer to make a small difference… It just sparked something inside me that got the ball rolling on this.”

Midwives For Haiti is a non-profit that offers education and training in prenatal care and skilled birth assistance to Haitian nurses, so that they may better serve their fellow Haitian sisters, who too frequently

The Alaska Film Forum is dedicated to building Alaska’s film community and encouraging independent filmmaking through exhibition, education, and production.

An indiegogo funding campaign was launched to fund the project and can be found at indiegogo. com/projects/midwives-for-haiti-adocumentary/ and will be running through December 23rd, 2013.

> For more information on Alaska Film Forum or Midwives for Haiti: A Documentary, please visit out www.alaskafilmforum.org

“The Alaska Film Forum proudly announces it’s first feature length film, Midwives for Haiti: A Documentary. We are teaming with Alaskan midwife Jennifer Hoadley and will be following her on her journey to Hinche, Haiti to work with Midwives for Haiti to train locals to be skilled birth attendants.”

Film

> MOOSE THE MOVIE CONTINUED

project will be. Chad has a track record of producing successful Alaskan comedy. He is dedicated to making “Moose” an excellent all-Alaskan production. Following the success of this film, his team plans to produce more films; helping to create a viable motion-picture industry in Alaska.

The companion graphic novel to “Moose”, illustrated

Duckett, will hit bookshelves in May.

The Carpenter brother’s short film, “Frost Bite,” had a production budget of $77 and a bag of aged Cheetos.

“Moose” is funded by local sponsors and a Kickstarter campaign that raised $64,000.

Local actors interested in joining this Alaskan adventure are invited to auditions on January 4, 2014 at 11am. at the Frontiersman conference room on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. Experienced actors are preferred.

>