Anchorage Press December 13, 2018 by Wick Communications

ANCHORAGE PRESS • ANCHORAGE’S DISCORDANT NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2018 • VOL. 26, ED. 50 • FREE

INSIDE * Last-Minute Gift Guide Pages 15-18 * Memorial for slain sex workers this weekend

SHOULD I STAY OR ? O G I D L SHOU ALASKA

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USIC IN M F O E T A T S E TH

* Knopp breaks with GOP caucus

December 13 - December 19, 2018

CHALLENGE YOUR FRIENDS WHO MAKE DEAD HOOKER JOKES

731 I Street, Suite 102 Anchorage AK 99501 (907) 561-7737 Fax: (907) 561-7777 anchoragepress.com ANCHORAGE PRESS

SUNDAY IS INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX WORKERS. JOIN US AT ACAL FOR A CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL

General Manager/Editor Matt Hickman editor@anchoragepress.com Regional Retail Sales Manager Tawni Davis tawni.davis@frontiersman.com

woke early one morning in March to missed calls and texts from Anchorage journalists. A sex worker had been murdered a few hours before and they wanted to know if I knew which one of us it was. I panicked and texted friends, hoping everyone was alive. I kept flashing back in my memory to just a couple years ago when a woman who had reached out to me for help in screening customers, help I couldn’t give her because it BY TARA was sex trafficking under Alaska law, was brutally murdered. Within hours my murdered colleague was identified as Cheri Ingram, and the murderer as Simon Weyiouanna. I didn’t know Cheri, but the person I was dating at the time had been good friends with her. When I pulled up a Facebook picture of her murderer I recognized him as a guy who had tried to make an appointment with me, but didn’t pass my screening. I sent the picture to another sex worker. She'd seen him in the same apartment he killed Cheri in. When she had seen him she had taken safety measures that are now criminalized as felony sex trafficking. He had been weird, but not violent. Simon’s neighbors saw him dragging

Contributing Writers James Roberts, Zack Fields, Indra Arriaga, RJ Johnson, John Aronno, Tim Bradner, Jean Bundy, Rob LeFebvre, Amy Armstrong, Sam Davenport, Victoria Petersen, Kokayi Nosakhere, Jack Tobin, Robert Foran III, O'Hara Shipe, Richard Perry, Johnny Tetpon, Cody Herron-Webb Special Advisor on Readership J.W. Frye events@anchoragepress.com Page design Bethany Strunk bethany.strunk@ myheraldreview.com Advertising Account Executives Bridget Mackey bridget.mackey@ anchoragepress.com WICK COMMUNICATIONS ALASKA Publisher Dennis Anderson publisher@frontiersman.com Editor Matt Hickman news@frontiersman.com Advertising Coordinator Candice Helm candice.helm@ frontiersman.com Advertising Account Executives Petra Albecker petra.albecker@ frontiersman.com Heather Copelin heather.copelin@ anchoragepress.com Tawni Davis tawni.davis@frontiersman.com Brandon Williams brandon.williams@ frontiersman.com The Anchorage Press is a news, opinion, features, arts, entertainment and recreation paper. Established in 1992, the Press is printed weekly on Thursdays and distributed throughout Anchorage and the surrounding area. Copyright: the Anchorage Press is published by Wick Communications Co. With the exception of syndicated features and cartoons, the contents of the Anchorage Press are copyright 2018 by Anchorage Press. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part systems without the permission of the publisher.

ALASKAN FAMILY OWNED!!

Cheri’s dead body to his car and held him at gunpoint until the police came. Aside from her family, friends, and colleagues no one seems to remember or care about Cheri’s murder. Besides being stigmatized as a sex worker, Cheri was an Alaska Native woman and a drug user – marginalized in three ways, she was seen as disposable and as an acceptable target for violence. Last year Peppermint Patty BURNS was murdered. Her murderer was never found. No one seems to care. The police don't seem to investigate. We came together to memorialize her at last year’s International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers and afterwards found out that her family had refused to claim her body and the state sent her to be buried in Fairbanks. In 2016 Jackie Goodwin was brutally murdered after reaching out several times to other sex workers for help with safety. Years ago Jackie could have worked safely at one of the many houses that flourished in Anchorage – the Trapline, the Chateau, and so many more. In 2016 the laws relegated her to working in isolation, with no support and

little ability to screen clients for safety. Her body was found on scene with the murderer, though a tow truck driver had to point her body out to police who didn't notice. Also in 2016 Taneisha was found dead, pantsless, in Mountain View. The police told us it was only a suspicious death. In 2014 Jessica Lake was found dead, pantsless, in Fairview. The police's forensic van was on scene near my friend’s house for well over 12 hours, and police were said to have told women on the street that she had been raped, killed, and dumped, and that they should all watch out for a serial killer. Later the police said it was only a suspicious death. The police haven't solved a murder of an Alaskan sex worker (unless the murderer was found on scene with the body) in well over twenty years. Earlier in 2014 Jael vanished while working. Later her purse and maybe clothes were found in the woods and the police said they suspected foul play. Her case is still unsolved. In 2012 Mary Anne Alexie disappeared from Spenard. Her case has never been solved. I could keep going. There are currently 17 unsolved cases of missing and murdered Alaskan sex workers. Until recently, the police code for when a sex worker was CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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December 13 - December 19, 2018

recent opinion column referred to as the “compensation in Anchorage Daily ratio”—and is the highest ratio in News tried to make the the country.” case that state employees are Moody, who writes that he has lazy, overpaid and a lot of their a master’s degree from George jobs should be eliminated. Mason University, picks a few The author, Robert Griffin is federal and state statistics from a a board member of the Alaska small set of tables and claims to Policy Forum, a right-wing have discovered the truth about group closely aligned to the government excesses in any state Dunleavy administration that you choose to name. He lives in got started with support from New Hampshire, according to a group backed by the Koch his Twitter account. Brothers network. The Donors REPORTING All of his papers comparing Capital Fund provided $192,000 FROM ALASKA private and state wages feature BY DERMOT COLE the same slipshod analysis. in 2009-2010. The Alaska Policy Forum From his writing, there is no claims on its website that “rightclue that he has ever come within sized government” in Alaska means cutting shouting distance of Alaska or that he knows state wages and the number of employees to anything about the state. reduce spending by $1.3 billion or $1.7 billion. I asked Gunnar Knapp, who knows a lot Don’t believe it. about the state, for his take on the Alaska Policy As evidence, the group offers a recycled doc- Forum claims. ument that has been peddled for more than a Knapp, who is retired from the University of decade, with slight revisions, to residents of Alaska Anchorage and the Institute of Social Oklahoma, New Mexico, Maine, Illinois and and Economic Research, said that Griffin’s colother states as a cure-all. umn and Moody’s article “grossly simplify the “Oklahoma taxpayers have no direct way to issues” about state compensation.” judge whether or not they are getting a good “The article compares the ratio of average ‘bang for the buck’ for the goods and services compensation in state government with averprovided by the public sector,” J. Scott Moody age compensation in private sector jobs. This is wrote in 2008. absurd. It only makes sense to compare comHe wrote in 2017 that, “Alaskan residents pensation in similar types of jobs,” he said. have no direct way to judge whether or not “The paper, of course, takes no note of the they are getting a good ‘bang for the buck’ for many contributing factors to why, in comthe goods and services provided by the public parison with other states, state government sector.” employment in Alaska is a higher share of total In just about every state where his retread employment and why average state governappears, Moody ends with this advice: “Policy- ment compensation is higher. makers must pursue pro-growth economic pol“These include, for example, higher costs icies—such as lower regulations, lower taxes, of living, the various things that Alaska govand secure property rights—that will promote ernment does that other state governments economic development by allowing private don’t do (such as operating airports across sector businesses to better compensate and hire the state and managing vastly higher land additional employees. Such policies are a win- acreages and fish resources per capita), the win for both the private and public sectors.” greatly higher costs of medical care, and so In the ADN column, Griffin claims that on.” according to the Alaska edition of Moody’s Finally, it appears that neither Griffin nor paper, the “average Alaska government Moody had any awareness of the two substanemployee was compensated $105,759 in 2016. tial 2017 research reports by Mouhcine GuettaA worker in the private sector doing the same bi and Andrew Bibler on this issue for the Unikind of work was compensated $68,152.” versity of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social But even Moody’s recycled paper doesn’t and Economic Research. make that claim. Moody made no attempt Those studies “showed that the question of to compare workers ”doing the same kind of whether public or private sectors earn more is work.” It would be hard to do that. complex, and varies depending upon occupaAbout Alaska, Moody wrote, “In 2016, state tion, sex, and years working. It does not show government compensation was $105,759 per anything like the dramatic gross difference sugjob while private sector compensation was gested by Mr. Griffin,” Knapp said. $68,152 per job. In other words, the average state government job paid 55 percent higher Dermot Cole can be reached at dermotmcole@ than the average private sector job—hereafter gmail.com

o there he was, a young This is the stuff of the Wild NATIVE Alaska Native man, maybe West. 30, maybe 35, standing in NATION Despite the breakdown of line with a bag of pre-mixed soil American culture, in general, with in his arms at Home Depot. A incredible chaos, ours remains woman is standing in line right intact and we will endure. Our behind him. She has stuff in her bond to Mother Earth is as powhands, too. erful now as it was in the days of “So what are you planting?” Geronimo. We will not give up a “Nothing,” he said. single square inch more and we “But you’ve got pre-mixed soil will continue to demand respect there.” she said. and dignity for everyone. “No, not planting anything,” he I, for one, am glad for the said. “I’m buying my land back, 56,200,000 acres of Indian resone sack at a time… and I have ervations down south and our receipts.” ownership to 44-million acres BY JOHNNY This little story was told to me TETPON of land here in Alaska. Together, by my son Mark, a friend of Kevin Native people own and control O’Halloran, the one who coined 100,200,000 acres of land in the what, I think, is the most profound statement U.S. in America. It’s a pittance compared to a time we looked The symbolism here for Native people every- to the horizon in four directions and saw “our where, is likely the greatest story ever told. It’s a land.” Now, they both provide a safety net story of nearly all of the lands in United States of should we as urbanites ever become displaced America, including Alaska, once being thought – guaranteed. That’s not to say will forget how of as “our land.” When I was a youngster, Dad much we have lost to conquests, wars, outright and us boys went caribou hunting at Denali theft, and claims of “settlement.” every year. Along the way, we’d see signs posted: Today, many Native Americans and Alaska “No Trespassing.” Dad would comment: “This Natives live somewhere other than the reserused to be our land.” vations or rural villages, often in large cities, That’s how we thought. such as Anchorage and Phoenix. In 2012, Native people have had a hard time wrap- there were over 2.5 million Native Americans ping their arms around the concept of “own- and Alaska Natives with about 1 million living ing land.” Land was the same as air we breathe, on reservations. freely given by the Creator. So were the waters It was just 50 years ago that we heard almost of the sea and rivers of the countryside. daily about the “plight” of Native Americans So it has taken a couple of generations for and Alaska Natives. Economically we were at us to be able to think in terms of buying land the very bottom of the totem pole. Now, some and owning it – even at one bag at a time. The of us have prospered and have gone far beyond comment was probably said in jest, but I can that station in life due to hard work, determiunderstand the meaning of it. nation, and the motto: We shall endeavor to When the pilgrims landed at Plymouth persevere. Rock, they probably thought they had arrived The collective geographical area of all reserin a new land. What they didn’t know is that vations in America is approximately the size Native American tribes had lived and died of Idaho. While most reservations are small there since time immemorial. History books compared to U.S. states, there are 12 Indian say Columbus discovered America, discount- reservations larger than the state of Rhode ing the fact that Native tribes, the first inhabit- Island. The largest reservation, known among ants, were there. And Alaska Natives had the us as Navajo, is similar in size to Ohio. same experience. Like Kevin O’Halloran, we remain connectTo put this all in perspective, let’s fast for- ed to the land, even as we buy a few pounds ward to 2018, a time when the words of our of it back from Home Depot to make up for founding fathers have dimmed in large part lands lost since European contact. We are also due to American leadership that pays no atten- extremely proud of the younger generation tion to the U.S. Constitution and the Rule of who have taken over the reins at our Native Law. Felony crimes are being linked to the cur- corporations and have done a tremendous job. rent president of the U.S. along with criminal Our future is brighter than ever. indictments and criminal convictions being levied against his top advisors and former To reach John Tetpon, please email: johnnyadvisors. There is talk of impeachment. tetpon@yahoo.com

“Marijuana has intoxicating effects. Marijuana may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impars concentration, coordination, and Judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana. There are health risks associated with the consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults twenty-one years and older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are breastfeeding or pregnant.”

December 13 - December 19, 2018

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EXAGGERATED CLAIMS ON STATE PAY

“I’M BUYING MY LAND BACK — ONE BAG AT A TIME.”

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RIGHT-WING GROUP RELIES ON RECYCLED REPORT FOR

KNOPP BREAKS WITH GOP CAUCUS LEAVING HOUSE MAJORITY STATUS IN QUESTION BY TIM BRADNER

o matter how the state Supreme Court will rule on disputed ballots in the Fairbanks legislative election, the organization of the state House of Representatives will remain a work in progress. Even if Republican Barton LeBon’s one-vote win in Fairbanks House District 1 over Democrat Kathryn Dodge is upheld by the state high court, which is expected to rule quickly on the matter, Republicans will hold a 21-19 margin over a likely Democrat-led minority. A one-vote margin of control in the 40-member state House isn’t enough to govern, particularly with MatSu’s maverick Republican David Eastman in the GOP group. Eastman is fiercely independent and typically goes his own way in voting, usually not aligned with his fellow Republicans. If Dodge prevails, the House will be Knopp split 20-20, which means no legislative business can be done. It takes 21 votes to approve any action, even the election of a Speaker and assignments of members to committees and chairs of committees. What is likely to happen is organization of the House by a coalition of some Republicans and Democrats, and last Saturday Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, said he has started work to Eastman organize a coalition and that he would not be part of a Republican-led Majority that totals only 21. Knopp told KINY radio in Kenai that with a 21-member majority everyone would have to be in agreement, and that a coalition is needed for the House to function. With his streak of independence Eastman cannot be counted on, which would leave the House stalemated at 20-20 votes on key issued like the budget. Legislators are being tight-lipped on propects for a coalition. “This is all a work in progress,” said Rep. Jennifer Johnston, an Anchorage Republican. However, Democratic Rep. Andy Josephson, also of Anchorage, said he welcomed Knopp’s initiative. “I’m an admirer of Gary Knopp and I hope this leads to something (a House organization) that would be good for the people of Alaska. Obviously the House is evenly-split, so it would be good to put together something of mutual benefit,” Josephson said. While the House seat in Fairbanks is still unresolved, with a judicial outcome that could tip the balance of power, another vacancy, that of the Eagle River seat that would have been occupied by Nancy Dahlstrom, will most likely filled by another Republican who would be appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Dahlstrom has been appointed Commissioner of Corrections by Dunleavy, and thus cannot take the legislative seat she was elected to in November. Coalitions of Democrats and Republicans are quite common in the Alaska Legislature. In the current Legislature, which was seated in January 2017 and will be in charge until mid-January, 2019, Democrats were joined by three dissident Republicans, Reps. Paul Seaton of Homer; Louise Stutes of Kodiak and Gabrielle LeDoux of Anchorage. Seaton was defeated in his reelection bid in November but Stutes and LeDoux won another term and are considered likely to align with Democrats again, although that is not certain until the Legislature convenes Jan. 15. Among Democrats who might “cross over” to organize with Republicans, many consider Nome’s Rep. Neal Foster and Kotzebue’s Rep. John Lincoln possibilities. Rural legislators often join with whoever runs the Majority because, as the sole representative in a large district, they must work with whoever is in power to protect programs vital to constituents regardless of philosophy. Foster has joined Republican-led majorities it the past and while Lincoln is still new to the House, being appointed to fill a CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

FALLING OIL PRICES THREATEN ALASKA BUDGET FIX BY TIM BRADNER

hanks to higher oil prices, a projected $700 million state budget deficit has been erased for this year, and there could even be a small surplus. Or, maybe not. Oil prices are heading down again and the surplus may not actually appear, state revenue officials warned Dec. 3. The Department of Revenue issued what it called a “preliminary” prediction for state revenues Dec. 3, just as Gov. Mike Dunleavy was sworn into office, but is holding off on the full forecast until Dec. 15 to get a better feel for what may happen with oil markets, and prices. Fiscal Year 2019, the current state budget year, is about half over, ending June 30. If oil prices tank in the next few months the projected surplus may vanish and a deficit reappear. Earlier this year the Legislature approved a plan to use some of the Permanent Fund’s annual income to help fund the state budget. However, much of the budget is still financed by oil and gas revenues. “Once again, Alaska is experiencing oil price volatility,” outgoing Revenue Commissioner Sheldon Fisher said Monday, as the forecast was released. Fisher said a team of economists at the revenue department worked with petroleum geologists and engineers in the state Department of Natural Resources, and private petroleum economists, through October to develop short and long-term projections of revenues and oil production. Then things changed. “During November, however, the oil markets have experienced the largest monthly price decline, in terms of percentages, in a decade. Markets now appear to be oversupplied due to Iranian oil remaining in the market despite the imposition of oil price sactions during November,” Fisher said. The revenue department had expected Saudi Arabia to replace the Iranian oil but instead it increased production further and added more oil,” he said, “which had a profound effect on prices in the last month.” The question now is whether the Saudi government will implement production cuts to help stabilize the market. State economists hope to have a feel for that by mid-December and to issue the final revenue forecast document, Fisher said.

Meanwhile, the former commisioner turned over the reins at the revenue department to incoming Commissioner Bruce Tangeman, who Dunleavy appointed last week. Also, before he left office last Monday Gov. Bill Walker proposing using part of the surplus, if there is one, to pay for a $230 million supplemental capital appropriation to tackle deferred maintenance on state and university buildings around the state. The state has a deferred maintenance backlog on facilities that exceeds $1.8 billion. Now that he is in office, Gov. Mike Dunleavy will have to decide whether to act on Walker’s recommendation. It would fund repair work on public building in 60 communities, Walker said. On the oil production forecast, Alaska production has been declining so far this year but is expected to increase in 2019 and 2020 thanks to new North Slope oil discoveries being brought on line. North Slope production has dropped so far this year, averaging 505,184 barrels per day for January through October, or 17,402 barrels per day below the same period in 2017. However, the daily average is projected to be up to 529,800 barrels per day in 2019 and 533,000 barrels per day in 2020, according to the forecast. State petroleum economists include only new projects that are sanctioned, or officially approved, in the forecast. This year two new developments included are ConocoPhillips’ GMT-1 and GMT-2 projects in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. GMT-1 recently started production, and Hilcorp Energy’s new Moose Pad project in the Milne Point field, which the company said will begin

production in January. GMT-2, ConocoPhillips’ second project in the NPR-A, is sanctioned and in construction, and is to be producing in 2021. Two other larger developments are in the planning stages, ConocoPhillips’ Willow project in the NPR-A and Pikka, being developed by Oil Search and Repsol on state lands near the Colville River. Because these are not yet sanctioned, or approved, their production is not included in the forecast. With Willow and Pikka not included the revenue department’s forecast is for a gradual decline after 2020 to 493,400 barrels per day by 2027. However, if Willow and Pikka are approved and proceed to development the production contribution will be substantial, estimated at 220,000 barrels per day at peak between the two. Essentially, the new discoveries on the North Slope are offsetting declines in the older, larger fields on the slope. BP and ConocoPhillips, operators of the large “legacy” Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk River fields on the slope, have worked hard to mitigate declining production largely with new technology. The companies held Prudhoe and Kuparuk production generally flat in the two years following sharp oil price declines in late 2015. However, both fields are likely to show declines this year, former state Natural Resources Commissioner Andy Mack said he had been told by senior managers at both companies. On Monday Corri Feige became the state’s natural resources commissioner after Dunleavy became governor. Mack spoke in an interview last Thursday, when he was still commissioner. December 13 - December 19, 2018

WHAT’S HAPPENING ALASKA THURSDAY DECEMBER 13

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts – Anchorage Community Concert Band's Winter Portraits 7p-8:30p Aviator Hotel – Open Mic Night w/ TLoop & Whitney Youngman 7p-11p Campbell Creek House – Alaska Jumping Flea Society 12:30p-1:30p Humpys – Becky Kotter & Co. 8:30p-12:30a Koots – Tico, Tommy, KIllBillSax 10p-1:30a Sullivan’s Steakhouse – Blaze & Eric 6p-9p Tailgaters Sports Bar & Grill (Wasilla) – AK Acoustic Projekt 7p-9p The Writer’s Block – Live from Philly: HipHop, Classical, & Soul 7p-8p

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14

907 Alehouse – Locomotion Alaska 8p-12a Alaska Center for the Performing Arts – ASD International Songfest 6p-8:30p American Legion Post 15 – No Wake Band 6p-9p Amvets Post 49 - JD Cox & The Harmonica Guy 8p-12a Anchorage Moose Lodge – Danger Money 8p-12a The Carousel Lounge – HarpDaddy Farewell Blastoff Benefit ft. Unknowns 10p-12a Church of Love – All Ages Estatic Dance 6p-9p Everett’s (Wasilla) – Marc Brown & the Blues Crew 8p-12a Garcia’s (Eagle River) – Will H. Johnson 9p-12a George’s Nightclub (Kenai) – Anniversary Party w/ Hot Mess 6p-3a Humpy’s – Superfrequency 9:30p-1:30a

COMPILED BY CODY HERRON-WEBB

For more information visit: akconcerts.com/playing-soon Want to have your music listed here? Email: whatshappeninginanchorage@ gmail.com or reach out to AK Concerts on facebook.

Koots – Music of Pantera w/ Decepticide & Everuin 10p-1a Koots – DJ Joe Brady 10:30p-2:30a Last Frontier Bar – AK Live Hip-Hop 10p-2a Loussac Public Library – Teen Open Mic 3:30p-5:30p Silvertip Grill (Girdwood) – Gary Steadman 8p-11p Sitzmark (Girdwood) – Conway Seavey Band 10p-2a Schwabenhof (Wasilla) – The Braided River Band 8p-11p SubZero – DJ House Sessions 9p-1a Van’s Dive Bar – Orion DonichtSasshole,Dante Manalo,Adrien Parsons, Johnny Lungs 8p-2a Veronica’s Café (Kenai) - Open Mic Night 6p-8p VFW Post 9981 – Becky Kotter & Co 7p-11p The Whale’s Tail – Past Our Prime 7p-9p Williwaw – Speakeasy Sounds w/ DJ Spencer Lee 10p-1a Williwaw – Bubblegum Pop Dance Party w/ DJ Gre 11p-1a

SATURDAY DECEMBER 15

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts – Tuba Christmas 12p-1p Alaska Center for the Performing Arts – Kenai Peninsula SIngers: Anchorage Christmas Concert 4p-6p The Aviator – Blues Jam 8p-2a Black Birch Books (Wasilla) – Qwuen Vrae The Carousel Lounge – Orion Donicht 10p-2a House of Harley Davidson – Jerry’s Situation 12p-4p

PRESSINGEVENTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 UAA WINTER POTTERY SALE The ever popular UAA ceramics club pottery sale is almost here. Due to the earthquake, it had to be postponed until Thursday, December 13th, but that means more goodies hot out of the kiln just for you. Arrive as early as you can, because this stuff goes fast! Credit cards will be accepted. The sale begins at 8am. (UAA Gordon Hartlieb Hall, Room 108, 2465 W Campus Drive) MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY Jane Austen and Christmas romance! In this winning and witty sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the bookish middle child of the Bennet family finally has her day. Constantly overshadowed by her four sisters, Mary Bennet finds hope for a new life beyond her family from an unexpected holiday romance. Austen fans and first-timers alike will find much to love in this alluring comedic tale. Tickets are $23 - $25 at CenterTix.com and the performance begins at 7pm. (Cyrano’s Theatre, 3800 Debarr Road) KUF KNOTZ WITH CHRISTINE ELISE DJ KUF Knotz is a force to be reckoned with. Just this year he opened for G. Love, Yellowman, and Wyclef. He's joined forces with classical harpist and soprano vocalist Christine Elise, to collaborate an album of healing and community building. All the way up from Philly, these two are not-to-be-missed opportunity as a Writer's Block Listening Room Event! Tickets are $10 by calling 907.929.2665. The music begins at 7pm. (Spenard Writer’s Block, 3956 Spenard Road) TEAM CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY AT WILLIWAW SOCIAL Hosted by local nightlife luminary Kyle Farrell, your table competes to impress a cast of characters with your terrible sense of humor. Get the most cards selected by the host to win a Williwaw Social gift card or other fabulous weekly prizes and bragging rights! Format: Teams of up to 8 members December 13 - December 19, 2018

will receive a stack of white cards (nouns), either from Cards Against Humanity packs, custom packs, Williwaw's own collection of heinous cards or from cards submitted to us by our patrons. The host reads a black card aloud. Each player at each table will pick a card from their hand and share it with their team. Each team will then have 60 seconds to choose one card from among all proposed cards to offer to the host. The host collects each team’s card and reads the black card with each proposed white card aloud (hilarity and a sense of existential doom ensues). The host will select their favorite from among the cards, and the winning table will receive the black card as a point to add to their score. At the end of the night the table with the most black cards wins! Featuring Midnight Sun Brewing Company craft beer and handcrafted food! The indecency starts at 7:30pm. (Williwaw, 609 F Street) FREE SOLO ~ ENCORE PRESENTATIONS Back by popular demand after two sold out shows! From award-winning documentary filmmaker E. Chai Vasarhelyi and worldrenowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, comes FREE SOLO, a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world's most famous rock ... the 3,200ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park ... without a rope. Celebrated as one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, Honnold’s climb set the ultimate standard: perfection or death. Succeeding in this challenge, Honnold enters his story in the annals of human achievement. FREE SOLO is both an edgeof-your seat thriller and an inspiring portrait of an athlete who exceeded our current understanding of human physical and mental potential. The result is a triumph of the human spirit. $10 General Admission at BeartoothTheatrepub.net. The movie begins at 8pm. (Bear Tooth Theatrepub, 1230 W 27th Avenue) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14 ZOO LIGHTS Get ready to be dazzled this

Koots –DJ Covy 10:30p-2:30a Koots – Beer Choir Caroling 7p-9p La Potato – Medium Build’s 2nd Birthday all ages show! 3:30p-5p La Potato – Medium Build’s 2nd Birthday 21+ 8-11p Matanuska Brewing Co (Anchorage) – Alaska's Blues Core 9p-12a Palmer Church of God – Karrie Pavish Anderson 7p-8:30p Silvertip Grill (Girdwood) – Cerutti & Eriksson 8p-11p Sitzmark (Girdwood) – Tyson Davis 10p-2a SubZero Microlounge – Vik & the Vapor Rubs 6p-8p Uncle Leroy’s Coffee – Queen's Coffeehouse Confessions 7p-8p The Whale’s Tail – The Nuther Brothers 7p-9p Williwaw – Greats w/ DJ Gre 10p-2a

Mathew Burgoon 8p-10p Van’s Dive Bar – MonDrews w/Drew Erickson 10p-12a

SUNDAY DECEMBER 16

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts – Family Holiday Pops 4p-6p American Legion Post 29 – DJ Ray 6p-10p Anchorage Museum – Anchorage Concert Chorus & AK Children’s Choir 1p-4p Humpy’s - Open Mic 8p-11p Koots – Open Mic Comedy 7:30p-10p Van’s Dive Bar – Open Mic w/ Jay Straw 9p-1a

MONDAY DECEMBER 17

Koot’s – Open Mic Night 9p-2a Silvertip Grill (Girdwood) – Open Mic 8p-11p Van’s Dive Bar – Comedy Open Mic w/ winter by our Zoo Lights displays! Walk the zoo trails and enjoy seeing the animals while admiring these custom displays. Some are even animated to music! And our trail light canopies are a favorite for selfies and pictures. Tickets may be purchased at admissions during open Zoo Lights hours for $7 each for annual members (ages 3 and up) or $9 each for nonmembers (ages 3 and up). Ages 2 and under are free. Zoo Lights begin at 5pm and end at 8pm. (Alaska Zoo, 4731 O’Malley Road) BIVY 2018 CLOSING EVENT The live experimental music performance with Hollis Mickey starts at 6 pm. It's also the last chance to visit the show Ionian Archaeological Archives by Marco Emmanuele. The bookstore is filled with lots of new books and a selection of works from the shows of 2018. In occasion of this year-closing event 10%-20% off on selected items. (Bivy, 419 G Street) COMEDIAN QUINN DAHLE AT KOOT'S Fresh off a development deal with 20th Century Fox, Quinn has appeared on The Tonight Show, Showtime, Comedy Central, Lopez Tonight and Carson Daly. He has worked with such names as Robin Williams, Drew Carey, Tim Allen, Dane Cook, Dana Carvey, Norm McDonald and many more! Originally from Minnesota, Quinn has lived in Colorado and Arizona before settling in Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. Now married to a Mexican-American girl from east L.A., Quinn is never short of material. His comedy appeals to all age groups and ethnicities and he loves to talk about them all. However, audiences often come back just for his improvisational crowd work where he can be the most spontaneous. Advance tickets are $20. Available at myalaskatix.com and the show kicks off at 7pm. (Koot’s, 2435 Spenard Road) A CHRISTMAS CAROL A greedy businessman with no place in his life for kindness, compassion, or charity, Ebenezer Scrooge is resigned to a lonely old age. But when four ghosts appear and warn him of a miserable afterlife, Scrooge is reminded of all the chances he had before to make different choices. Charles Dickens’ immortal tale of redemption, skillfully and faithfully adapted Anchorage’s own Arlitia Jones with Michael Evan Haney, is a heartwarming holiday gift for the whole family. The show runs through December 29 with performances at 7:30pm

TUESDAY DECEMBER 18

American Legion Post 28 – Open Mic 6:30p-9:30p Koots – Eternal Cowboys 10p-2a Uncle Joes Pizzeria (Old Seward Hwy) – Becky Kotter 6:30p-8:30p Vans Dive Bar- Grateful Jams 7:30p-12a

49th State Brewing Co. – Dave Roland 6:30p-9:30p 907 Alehouse & Grill – Arctic Jungle Band 7p-10p Koots – Comedy Open Mic 7:30p-10p Koots – Open Decks 10p-1:30a Loussac Library – Anchorage International Folk Dancers 6p-8p Matanuska Brewing Co. (Anchorage) – Blaze & Eric 7p-10p The Mug Shot Saloon (Wasilla) – AK Acoustic Projekt 9p-12a The Pioneer Bar – The Eternal Cowboys 10p-12a Sullivan’s Steakhouse – KillBill Sax 6p-9p Thursday – Saturday and 4pm on Sunday. Tickets are available at CenterTix.com. (Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, 621 W 6th Avenue) LATIN NIGHT AT LA POTATO Join Anaya Latin Dance for Latin Night at La Potato featuring Latin dance music from all around the world, enhanced by the live accompaniment of an excellent conga player, Luís! Held the second Friday of every month; the first one on December 14th. Dancing starts promptly at 8pm and lasts until close (11 pm). Excellent food available to order as well as delicious beverages from La Bodega. (La Potato, 3300 Spenard Road) SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15 WHITE CHRISTMAS Christmas is almost here. Gather your little ones and come down to the 49th State Brewing Co in downtown Anchorage for this heartwarming family event! Kids will visit with Santa and you'll receive a commemorative photo, and everyone will enjoy a Christmas Carol sing-along brought to you by the The Alex Cruver Trio! Plus! There's a bonus afterwards! All attendees will enjoy a complimentary screening of White Christmas! TICKETS INCLUDE: Visit with Santa, Christmas goodie bag for the kids, a commemorative photo with Santa, Christmas card craft corner, and the Christmas sing-along with the Alex Cruver Trio! Directly following is the complementary viewing of White Christmas! Located in the Heritage Theater at the 49th State, special concessions will be available for the movie. If you'd like to make reservations before or after the event, no problem! Attendees will receive priority seating. Just mention that you are attending the event when making your reservation call 907.277.7727. For a full list of events visit 49statebrewing. com. (49th State Brewing Company, 717 W 3rd Avenue) 11TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS VILLAGE Christmas Village is the last Christmas major shopping event of the year on December 15th from 10am-6pm hosted by Anchorage Markets. With over 125 vendors, you're sure to find a great gift for any of your friends or family this holiday season. Don't miss this amazing 1-day event at the Dena'ina Center in downtown Anchorage! The event runs from 10 – 6pm.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

A New Kind of Sex Pill Beats Generic Viagra to the Market A patented pill costing less than $1 a dose stands to help millions of men with failing sex lives; no prescription will be required SAN DIEGO − A new sex pill is set to take the spotlight with the Viagra patent about to expire. Since it’s not a drug, it’s something very different, it won’t require a perscription and is priced just under a $1 a dose. The new pill called Vesele is part of a new class of performance enhancers for men, which work on the body and mind, supporting firmer and harder erections Formulated with a special compound known as a blood flow boosters, Vesele can transport its active ingredients in higher levels into the blood stream, where it begins to work. The patent pending ingredient increases nitric oxide production, initiating a process known as vasodilation, which causes arteries and vessels throughout the body to relax. This allows blood to flow to penis and genitals, promoting stronger, harder erection which last longer. But what makes Vesele so remarkable, and what these other sex pills can’t do, is that a small portion of this blood flows to the brain, which creates feelings of intense arousal. In laymen’s terms, users become incredibly excited and turned on. This is why the makers of Vesele say their pill has worked so effectively in human clinical use survey trial. It increases blood flow to the two most important organs for great sex, the penis and the brain.

The Brain Erection Connection Until now, medical researchers did not fully understand the brain-erection connection. It has now been made clearer with the data backing Vesele. When both are supplied with a constant blood flow, men are harder and firmer for longer...and have higher sex drives. “Most of the research and treatment methods for men’s sexual failures have focused on physiological factors and have neglected the emotional ones. For the leading sex drugs to work, like Cialis and Viagra, you need visual stimulation” explains Dr. Henry Esber, from the company who created Vesele. According to research published by the National Institute of Health, 50% of men taking these drugs stop responding or can’t tolerate their side effects...and on top of that they spend $25 per pill and it doesn’t even work half the time. This is what makes Vesele so different. It provides the blood stream with nitric oxide which cause arteries to relax. The patented

accelerator speeds up this process even more. The result is an increase in hardness and maintenance and frequent sex when it is taken daily.

Great Sex At Any Age With the conclusion of latest human clinical use survey trial, Vesele is now being offering in the US. And regardless of the market, its sales are exploding. Men across the country are eager to get their hands on the new pill and according to the research, they should be. In the trial above, men taking Vesele saw a staggering 45.1% improvement in erection hardness from baseline over a four-month period. Their erections also lasted twice as long. These same men also experienced an astounding 27% increase in the desire for sex (libido/sex drive) and an even greater improvement in overall satisfaction and ability to satisfy their partners.

Higher Absorption into the Blood Stream Vesele is made up of three specialized ingredients: two vasodilators and a patented absorption enhancer often called an accelerator. The FDA considers all to be safe. Research shows that with age, many men struggle to produce an erection firm enough for penetration. And although there are many theories as to why this happens (including a loss in testosterone) one thing is certain, inadequate blood flow is virtually always to blame. That’s why sex drug manufacturers focus on blood flow, it makes your erection hard. But what’s more surprising, and what these manufacturers have failed to consider, is that lack of blood flow can also kill your sex drive. That’s because blood supplies energy for the brain. This energy is required for creating brainwaves that cause excitability and arousal. Studies show that nitric oxide stimulates the entire cardiovascular system, including the arteries that lead to both the brain and penis. The higher concentration of the ingredients in Vesele combined with the accelerator ensures that this process continues to work over time. The sexual benefits of Vesele will start to show as its ingredients build up in the system over time. This is why many men take it every single day.

Expiring Patent Opens the Door to a New Sex Pill: Vesele is a new pill that cost just $1 a dose does not require a prescription. It works on both body and mind to increase arousal and erection hardness.

The Same Study Shows Positive Effects on Women In the same outstanding study referenced throughout, Vesele was also shown to have a surprising effect on women too. That’s because the same arteries and vessels that carry blood and oxygen to the brain and genitals are the same in men and women. “In our study, women taking Vesele saw a stunning 23.7% and 20.4% improvement in arousal and sex drive over baseline. You can imagine why some couples are taking Vesele together. Everything feels better. Everything works better. Everyone performs better.

A New Frontier of Non-Prescription Sex Pills With daily use, Vesele is helping men (and women) with their sex lives and overcome sexual lets downs without side effect or expense. Through a patented accelerate, Vesele’s formula is better absorbed into the bloodstream, resulting in remarkable improvements in erection firmness and hardness. And with better blood flow, users also experienced sexual feeling they haven’t felt in years.

Where to Find Vesele This is the official release of Vesele in Alaska. As such, the company is offering a special discounted supply to any reader who calls within the next 48 hours. A special hotline number and discounted pricing has been created for all Alaska residents. Discounts will be available starting today at 6:00AM and will automatically be applied to all callers. Your Toll-Free Hotline number is 1-800-323-0473 and will only be open for the next 48 hours. Only a limited discounted supply of Vesele is currently available in your region.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. RESULTS NOT TYPICAL. VESELE IS NOT A DRUG AND DOES NOT REPLACE PDE5 INHIBITORS. 113052

December 13 - December 19, 2018

Y A T S I D L U SHO I D L U O H OR S GO NOW?

STATE OF MUSIC IN ALASKA

A MITCHELL, S IS L E M S IM A L DUS C ’S ALASKAN EXO HIS WEEKEND T R E T F A D N A S, DADDY’ SMITH ALEX PARSON P R A ‘H N E R R A OW, D FAREWELL SH

BY DARREN ‘HARPDADDY’ SMITH

It's always tease, tease, tease You're happy when I'm on my knees One day it's fine, next it's black So if you want me off your back Well come on and let me know Should I stay or should I go? — Joe Stummer/Mick Jones - 1981

ast winter, my 30th straight in Alaska, I began to plot my route. First stop: Swamp Blues Harp (harmonica) master Lazy Lester – Paradise California… Second stop: Harrison, Arkansas and on to hang with the one and only Gary ‘Alaska’ Sloan I didn't go last winter as I had hoped to. Tragically, this past August, Lazy Lester hit 2 hole draw for the final time on his harp and we lost another shining example of what the real deal blues is all about… Noted blues promoter Dick Waterman likes to say that those who become obsessed with the blues have an entry point. As a youth in upstate New York, my neighbor Mike Pendrak would be laying down Muddy licks as I would come up with silly lyrics as only my 8-year old mind could imagine. Then, shortly after college, I saw James Cotton at a small bar in my hometown of Hamilton, New York and my life changed. My thirst for what makes the blues harp so unbelievably soulful and powerful began. I've spent a good portion of my adult life spinning Cotton, Big & Little Walter, Sonny Boys I & II, and Lazy Lester albums, practicing those beautiful riffs. It's all we have left. These masters are now all gone, but their legacies shine brightly. In 1971, Gary Sloan brought the blues to Alaska. Last Summer, I sat down with him at the Middle Way Café and he started telling me all these stories. I have amazing mentors, and I listen to them. When Gary Sloan talks, I listen. His eyes light up as he starts telling me about when he first brought the blues to Alaska… “I literally looked up John Lee Hooker in the directory and called him at home. Hooker says to me, ‘Well Sure, Mr. Sloan, I Would Love To Come To Alaska. Get In Touch With My Agent.” Gary looks at me and his hands go out by his side. “I had no idea what an agent was and then I start getting calls from Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and it all began… But those stories are for another day,” he tells

December 13 - December 19, 2018

Alex Parsons me. “You come on down to Arkansas; I've got an old trunk. You’re a big guy; pick up that trunk and tip it upside down and we’ll start right there… All the good old stories.” He goes on to tell me how I'm one of the only ones who want to hear his old stories. I called bullshit on that, and now I'm doing something about it. I’m getting ready to hit the road, along with my dog Razzie to hear more of what Gary has to lay down on me — about how Paul Butterfield made him take a pack of smokes and hold it like a harp so you can get airtightness and monster tone and attempt to get this damn 3rd position harmonica down so that it’s second nature to me like cross harp is. Gary plays these beautiful melody lines, soulful octave draws and high-piercing flying pitches that send the crowd buzzing, along with an innate ability to bring a show. I've got a lot to learn, but I can’t really do that here anymore. And I've got many more people that I need to see. Don’tcha know Buddy Guy is setting up residency at his club, Legends in Chicago, the entire month of January. As I've been considering my trek out of Alaska, with the Clash and Lazy Lester’s ‘Bye Bye Baby’ on constant rotation, I’ve been wondering about all of the really talented musicians that have left the state. What had propelled them to do it and what is it about Alaska that compels us to come back. Portugal. The Man, 36 Crazy Fists — it's easy to see why these megabands seek larger venues, audiences, and fame elsewhere. Alaska’s just not a big enough market with limited opportunities, but what about those of us grinding it out here for years? Dragging our amps, axes, and microphones down icy highways, risking our lives and sanity to do what we love, to be among the community that we love. I think of Soulman Sam and all

Harpdaddy those smoky nights at the old Blues Central; Sam bringing us the real deal, bodies moving and me nervously awaiting a chance to blow a few songs with him. Sam is now tearing it up at the famed Antone’s in Austin and Blues Central (not the cocktail bar above Williwaw) is now a relic of Anchorage past… much like the 4th Avenue Theater. A lot has changed over the past 30 years that I have been witness to in this live music scene, but I still feel blessed that I can run down to Van’s Dive Bar on a Friday night and jump on stage with the Diva of Delirium, the legendary LuLu Small. This Alaska music scene is unique. Embrace those you love while they are still here. Eight weeks ago I decided to step back from my role as leader of HarpDaddy & The BackCountry Mojo to get back to what drew me to this scene — as a fan — so I’ve been hitting the local roadhouses, saloons, dive bars, and kitchen tables seeking out my favorite musicians to play and chat them about our local live music scene. The stories, the characters, and the business side of things. I was saddened to hear that Melissa Mitchell is heading to Maui, so I thought that I should start my

Melissa Mitchell research there. “Well, the answer to the question is… I'm going,” Melissa laughs. “For many reasons. I've been here my whole life — born and raised. I've seen myself through some long winters and some crazy summers. The summers become so intense that by the fall, you literally fall and you know the highs and the crashes you have as an artist. I think that, physically, mentally, and emotionally I am ready for a little more balance; something that is less manic than our seasons. And I love the beach. I'm looking forward to unpacking the past twenty years of my musical experience and see what's next…” Melissa has been a staple on the Alaska music scene since she started playing solo shows on the Kenai Peninsula over twenty years ago. Her recent projects include crowd favorites, The Melissa Mitchell Band and the Hope Social Club, traveling the state and headlining our top festivals. “It’s been amazing. We've pretty much hit the top of what we can do here in Alaska and so it's a fitting time for a break, which we take in the winter anyways so it's not really an end to anything. So let's step off, shift the focus. The ideas of what I wanted out of a musical career have changed over the past 20 years and I no longer have a desire to stand and sing in front of a million people. I’m not interested in the hustle now. That part of it is not important to me anymore.” For me, life changes are helping to direct my new path. Much the same for Melissa. Last December, she married her high school sweetheart, Justin Standley. “It's a function of settling into a really happy marriage and life and my kid growing up and graduating,”

she said. “All of a sudden my world just opened up and I can do anything I want, and I want to go to the beach.” Again she laughs, but I sense a true therapeutic connection to the beach and all that it offers to her. As a 53-year old, I’m a little embarrassed to say that I’ve never taken a beach vacation, unless annual dipnetting outings count. I foresee a beach and warm sand therapy in my very near future. I also get a real sense from Melissa how much she cares about this community. “It’s the human connection, the community connection that is important to me,” she said. “It’s really easy, because we are a small community, to get stuck in the minutia of keeping the gigs going, but there comes a time that it becomes a cog-in-the-wheel situation. Am I helping the musical community by staying and playing? Or am I of better benefit if I step out, take a little break and do some soul-nurturing? We need to take care of ourselves... Something that we all need to focus on, now more than ever.” As a self-proclaimed ‘mediocre’ harp player, my thirst to learn more about playing different styles on this little tin sandwich propels me out of state to meet with those that have mastered their craft. I pose a similar thought to Melissa. “For me, I really want to play my guitar more,” to which she responded, “I don’t REALLY know my instrument. I use it as a tool to work through a song, but I don’t feel like a ‘guitar player’ and I’d love to focus on that, and just spend some time thinking about what I really have to say anymore. I haven’t been writing very much. I’ve been taking in this world a little too much and I don’t really want to write CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

STATE OF MUSIC IN ALASKA

AKIMI SUMMIT

ADDRESSES VENUES, DISTRIBUTION AND A CONFIDENCE GAP IN THE GREATLAND SCENE

BY MATT HICKMAN

light in population, enormous in size, Alaska presents a number of barriers to success for its state’s wealth of talented musicians of all stripes. In an effort to address this concern bordering on a crisis, the Alaska Independent Musicians Initiative was formed, and last weekend at the Church of Love in Spenard, the group put on its second Alaska Music Summit. The three-day event featured guest speakers and presenters, breakout sessions where participating musicians came up with ideas on how to get better success working with venues, and distributing their music in the Greatland and beyond. “Everytime you get three or more musicians in a room they start whining about venues; all the ones that are gone, or didn’t work, or are there and stiff you, the ones that pay you or play you...” said Marian Call, an Alaska musician who participated in the four-woman song circle in Saturday night’s main event. “So what the hell do we do about it? We brainstormed and thought, ‘what if we had a roundtable with venues and musicians and put together a sort of best practices document… We’d like to have a guide and some sample contracts for venues to be better to hiring musicians and musicians to be better to venues.” That was just one of many themes discussed at the conference, according to AKIMI cofounder Michael T. Howard, an Anchorageborn singer/songwriter. “Pretty much everything in Alaska is underdeveloped right now,” Howard said. “But it takes a trifecta of linking the audience to the music and the performers to the venues — all of those pieces have to be in place and we’re consistently missing one of them.” Emma Hill is a well known singer/songwriter, and regular participant in the Spenard song circle. She said she has to tour outside of Alaska just to make a liveable wage. “Just like anybody, we have to eat. People don’t really want to pay us very much and that can be difficult. I’m a side-hustler, and I do what I have to make ends meet, but music is my full-time living and I have to leave the state to make a liveable wage,” said Hill, who was the booking agent at Tap Root when it closed in 2017. “Honestly, it’s aboiut reminding people it’s OK to pay $5 or $10 at the door. It goes to paying musicians a liveable wage… That 5 go long way to make sure someone pay mortgage.” Call said the concept of AKIMI is to build a sense of team so the burden for promoting the value of music in the state doesn’t just fall on one person or a small group of people. “There have been a lot of efforts to get Alaska musicians together and they were always predicated on one person with a vision, but we’ve seen so many people burn out that way,” she said. “We’re trying to do teamwork with a vision. The goal is ultimately to make an organization that is built, not by one person, but by a whole bunch of musicians.” The summit also included a number of guests from the lower 48, including independent label publicists like Carl-Eric Tangen from Hearth PR in Seattle. “We’ve worked with promoting a number of Alaska artists over the years,” he said. “There are a lot of artists from Alaska, and Alaska is on the brain of everybody in the Lower 48, but music is not neccessarily a thng they associate with it yet.” Tangen suggested that Alaska begin to look at itself, not as a disjointed U.S. territory, but, in terms of music culture, as a part of the global arctic, which is a burgeoning musical belt. “If you turn the globe away from common orientation and look at Alaska as part of the

circumpolar north it’s closer to where music is the most vibrant — places like Iceland, Greenland and Northern Canada. Alaska is really interesting because it’s not only part of the scene in the U.S. but of the circumpolar north,” Tangen said. “Iceland’s entire population is just a bit more than Anchorage, and, per capita, they export more music than anywhere on Earth; everyone’s eyes are on Iceland. I think the Faroe Islands are next — all eyes are going there, but it’s been happening in Scandinavia, Greenland and Northern Canada. I think Alaska can absolutely be a part of that.” Tangen said what might be holding Alaska back from joining that parade is, well, Alaskans. “Alaskan artists have a definite place at the table, it’s just a matter of kind of asserting and owning that,” he said. “I’m really interested to see in the next few years if Alaskan artists can take that on and kind of own that for themselves and the rest of the world, to show the world what Alaska is instead of it being the Discovery Channel that leads that conversation (via reality TV). There’s great stuff being made. There’s a landscape and an environment and a lot of unique situations that are fertile grounds for some real creative stuff.” Annie B. Good, a folk musician part of Saturday’s song circle, who got her start in Juneau, but made her biggest strides in Fairbanks’ thriving music scene, said she’s seen that lack of confidence be an inhibitor for a while now. “The crisis is Alaskans self-sabotaging under the pressure,” she said. “They say to them-

selves, ‘I’m not this fabulous, I’m cracking’, so our challenge is preparing audiences to shine with a bigger world view, and making that transition from bar band to headliner, or even an opening act for a major band in a major city. I think there’s a fear of success — that’s a real hurdle — we don’t feel like we deserve this. You tell your friends and neighbors about your show and you’re embrrassed. You don’t want to feel like a big fish in your town and the whole state is your town, so you have to go to Portland (to exhibit pride).” A concern held by many at the summit was that the Alaska music scene is too dependent on playing bar gigs at places not devoted to music first-and foremost. Venues like Blues Central and Taproot have gone the way of the dinosaur, and while venues like Van’s Dive Bar, Koot’s and the new La Potato have come in to provide stages, those businesses are predicated on getting people drinking and socializing. It’s a business model where the music doesn’t come first. That dynamic is, of course, not uncommon down below, but in Alaska it can be especially difficult for artists producing original works. Tourists in the summer months are morethan-likely going to be drawn to cover bands playing at bars, and in Alaska, an ignominious drinking problem has a way of infecting the music scene, too. “Alcohol is a huge factor in the music scene and alcoholism is self-medicating — it’s the way you stay up late enough to collect your money and to relate to the audience. With

(alcohol) there is a freedom but with that comes a negative side,” Good said. “Austin has a program where you get a sponsor to come with you to the bar, to be sober with you so have one human to engage with. I think the next challenge for Alaska, once we figure out our market, is addressing this substance issue and just making sure the kdis don’t have to rely on that to develop their persona or to stay awake… they can play for 45 minutes and go home.” “There is an issue with bars being the only place to play, which is great for select genres, but if bars are the only venue you have really limited careers and genres,” Howard said. “In terms of the all-ages thing, this is a really big issue and it creates a really crucial gap. For those artists who are 14 to 21, there’s a lot of energy and passion as they’re developing into whatever they’re going to be… What Alaska lacks is all-ages venue spaces. I don’t want to use the term ‘crisis’, but it is a serious thing. It has a lot of further, downstream effects if we’re missing all-ages venues for kids.” Alaska also doesn’t have a distinct sound, which is something Howard hopes will continue to be discussed as AKIMI prepares for its third summit. “That’s where the conversation is at — is there an Alaska sound? And it’s tricky, we don’t have a good answer to that, but it’s good to have been able to pose the question,” he said. “We want to keep building good elements on it. It’s exciting, it’s starting to grow. We want to take some questions and some action ideas we had and we’re going to hold ourselves accountable to it… The ideas that came out of this (summit) is that there are scenes emerging. The next steps came out like linking with the tourism industry and working hand-inhand with venues to make some momentum.” December 13 - December 19, 2018

STATE OF MUSIC IN ALASKA

CATCHING UP WITH DJ COVEY HIP HOP SAVED MY LIFE BY SNARLEY BROWN

n a big state/small town type of community like Anchorage, you're bound to run into some nepotism. This is especially so when talking about the music scene. The hip hop community isn't much different. Sadly, the people you will hear the most about aren't always the ones with the most talent, or the biggest following. Typically, they're just the ones with the biggest budget. With that said, one might find it both discouraging and pointless to venture on into such territory. What people forget is this; hard-work, talent, and self-drive can never be ignored. This brings us to our subject; DJ Covy. I've always said that if you really wanted to be doing something, you'd already be doing it. In other words, if you aspire to do or be a part of something, the best way is to just start practicing said activity ritualistically. The beginning is almost always rough, with minimal exceptions. The nice thing about life is that we can progress. Once you start doing something, its safe to say the outcome will either be: A) You become more at ease with what you're doing, eventually coming up with a stylized way that suits your abilities. Or B) You realize it just isn't for you. When I went from being a "punk" drummer to an emcee, the transition wasn't easy. It was hard to find a producer that would take me and my artistic visions seriously. So I said ‘fuck it,’ and took matters into my own hands. I went on eBay, bought an Akai MPC 1000 (it's a sampler/beat machine commonly used for hip hop production), hooked it up to a record player, and starting banging on the pads for 8 months straight. From this came the birth of my first release as Snarley Brown, entitled "Peanuts the LP". The album has since gone out of print, but I've never lost the perspective I gained from doing that project. With all that said and done, it brings us to our subject; DJ Covy. A long time friend, O watched this man take a pretty interesting transformation. He went from a bartender, to a club DJ. He didn’t stop there though, as he now is a Disc Jockey for 101.3 KGOT and iheartradio on Thursdays. If there's anyone who understands my mantra of being about

Who did you inherit your work ethic from? My work ethic came my dad. Hands down the hardest working man I know.... ex military timing is everything if you are on time you are late kinda guy. your shit, its this man right here. To be honest, I could stand to take some notes from the guy. As long as I've known Chris (DJ Covy), he's been nothing less than electric when it comes to his self-drive. He's always been good about doing the work to get where he wants. Where so many DJ's you see up here are positioned because of who they know, Covy gains his placement from what he shows. Just so I don't come off like I'm just kissin' ass the guy’s ass, I'll share a story with ya. So, rewind back a few months. This is a week or so after the Press Ppicks. I reached out to Covy about getting some coverage. I knew tell he was a little let down when he did win first in the "Best Club DJ" category. It wasn't so much bitterness, but I knew first-hand how hard he's worked this past year. The kid went from DJ'ing in downtown Anchorage, to being picked up by 101.3 KGOT, as well as getting signed by a label out of Miami. Needless to say, he accomplished a lot with just a little bit of time, and I felt it unjust for his accomplishments to go uncredited. So Chris and his long-time friend Nick come to scoop me and Rae (my friend and photographer for my Press pieces) up from my spot in Government Hill. At the time he was pushing for a residency at the newly opened Dave and Buster's in the Dimond Mall. I knew he had a plan when he asked me to put on my Anchorage Press t-shirt. So we get to entrance, me

with my press shirt, Rae with her camera bag, and the sales pitch begins. "Hey, how are we doing tonight?", he inquired with genuine demeanor to the girl working the door. "Do you mind if I speak with the manager on duty?” “Oh, hi! My name is Christopher Covington, I go by DJ Covy.” Chris comes off as genuine, for the simple fact that he is. Nothing that he was saying was untrue, but he knew how to present it in a way that would carry weight. The manager was more than happy to have us. So much so that he covered our appetizers and even gave us a card loaded with credits to play games. One the ride back I hit him with a couple interview questions, just a way to give more perspective to the readers.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Arctic Herbery Thenow Originalopen! Herbery is Flower | Extracts

December 15-18 Danish Christmas And December 22 & 23 Dinner$40.00 Three Courses

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STATE OF MUSIC IN ALASKA

COPING SKILLS: AFTERSHOCK CENTRAL As humans, we are always trying to make meaning out of something. Whether it’s tracks in the snow or a voice that you can barely hear or a song that you only half-remember, we are all trying to make meaning out of it. And then operate from that meaning. – Tom Waits

Mixtape by Jonathan Bower

’m consumed with the ways we make meaning in and of our lives. By the ways we navigate or think about and orient ourselves towards everything we can’t control; and I’m fascinated by how we manage or attend to what we think we can. This began as a compelling-enough interest in my youth and has become more and more the critical fuel source driving me through my dayto-day in adulthood. But note: I’m not interested in how we impose our interpretation of meaning, or how we assert what we think is meaningful onto others in order to further our particular agenda or belief system. No. I only want to know and learn about the spaces in which you find meaning. And if you find no meaning to speak of, I want to know that, too. Everyone has a story. No exceptions. This pursuit has become a passion that’s evenly divided my dual-career focus between a bohemian life in the arts, and a more stable vocation in the mental health field. In both fields, crises and efforts to understand and frame them in some form of a narrative consume considerable attention and effort. In one of the trainings I lead at the mental health agency where I work, a crisis is defined as “a turning point for better or worse, an unstable time in which decisive change is impending.” We certainly aren’t schooled in our culture to see how crisis events or circumstances might be a turning point for the better. We aren’t often taught, in other words, to search for or to find meaning in distressing circumstances. Meanwhile, our species tends to have the “turning point for the worse” dialed in at a pitch-perfect, thoroughly anxiety-producing setting. The songs this week feel rooted in a critical moment of impending and decisive change. When we have it within our power to freak out and/or collapse in defeat, or to become more curious and a little more grounded than we’ve perhaps been schooled or conditioned to be during crisis moments in our lives. And they’re also just solid, great songs capable of standing on their own two feet, regardless of my thoughts about them.

Cranes in the Sky – Solange

I tried to keep myself busy – I ran around in circles Think I made myself dizzy – I slept it away, I sexed it away, I read it away Some of us find we can’t sufficiently quell or cure aftershock-anxiety or other distressing circumstances with booze, a pot shop run, retail therapy, or any of the other available, mostimmediate coping, numbing, or emotion-blunting mechanisms. And Xanax only stops your chest from pounding while your soul still spins and goes haywire. For me and my temperament, good songs do a work that nothing else can. On Solange’s 2017 song, Beyonce’s sister explores all the ways she’s tried to quell an innerrestlessness, a specific longing or wound that no material item or single experience has proven able to sufficiently address or satisfy. The heart is the heart, and it will take the time it takes with what it needs to process. And that may for a time seem thoroughly unacceptable to your racing thoughts and stellar intellect and efforts to selfmedicate or numb out – and it may prove unacceptable to anyone who processes things faster than you or who would rather you suck it up or grow up and move on. Your heart pulses, moves, and heals at your heart’s pace. And no one else’s.

One Trick Ponies - Kurt Vile

Looked long into the length of a tunnel Called all your names And we was tripping out 'cause we needed a way out And all them other crystalline mystic rationalizations Loved them all right down to my soul Looked well into the depth of a hole Pondered perpetual motion in the echo We’re almost a couple weeks away from the earthquake now and I still don’t know how to properly describe the feeling of huddling under

my kitchen table wrapped around my ten-yearold, feeling as if we’d suddenly launched from a lazy street in Spenard and been dropped into a raging storm at sea. In those moments, I wondered if the floor was going to give way before the ceiling caved in or vice-versa. Not many days before the quake, someone posed me some sincere questions about my life as a divorced, single father: How could I promise to be with someone forever and bring offspring into the world and now see it all reduced to an arrangement where their mother and I shuttle kids back and forth between each other’s homes? How do I even cope with these arrangements? I personally can’t think of a single divorced or single parent who could satisfactorily answer those questions and I didn’t know how to begin answering them then either. Which is not to say they aren’t good questions. There are just a lot of big life questions that words will always fail to sufficiently address, and there are matters that only life can answer through the lens of experience and one’s unique, individual processing of it. The Guardian recently called Kurt Vile “a guitar hero in our age of anxiety” and maybe that’s why this song is in such heavy rotation at home now. In those moments under the kitchen table, clasping Matt, I stared down a long tunnel for what was not in real-time long at all but what felt like an eternity and I emerged nearly convinced that every single moment of my life had brought me to this one – every regret, joy, hurtful word and misshapen deed, every awkward, kind, and despicable gesture. Everything good and bad in my life had merged and found us there. But then again, maybe that’s crazy talk by some delusional chump grandly obsessed with meaning-making. Or, to quote Vile maybe this all just amounts to a bunch of “crystalline, mystic rationalizations.” Could be. Sure. Who knows? Who can say?

Common Disaster – Cowboy Junkies

Going to find me someone to share a common disaster Run away with me from a life so cramped and dull Not worry too much about the happily-everafter… Won't you share a common disaster? I said this would be an earnest mixtape and it’s proving to be, for sure. But come on – admit it: In between freak-outs about aftershocks, don’t you feel a kind of solidarity and bond with everyone who experienced it? Strangely connected? This isn’t to downplay your anxiety. But it’s pretty hard to make anyone who wasn’t here understand what you experienced and are sometimes still feeling, right? The groove on this 1990s CJ’s song still sounds fresh today, and vocalist Margo Timmins’s delivery is so feisty

and mischievous she could easily convince me to follow her directly into the epicenter of the next quake.

Night Talks - Mark Kozelek &/or

Ceiling Gazing – Mark Kozelek & Jimmy Lavalle I’m so happy to be alive - to have these people in my life Laying in my bed ceiling gazing – can’t make my mind stop from racing It’s not good or bad – it’s just how God made me To lay awake at night – ceiling gazing It’s hard to pitch you just one Mark Kozelek song. Or to know which one to offer. The front man of Sun Kil Moon, Red House Painters, and countless solo projects has proven my single greatest musical “coping skill” in what’s amounting to the most bewildering, rollercoaster year in recent memory. In Ceiling Gazing, a synthesizer on a dreamy Quaalude setting accompanies Kozelek through a sleepless evening as he stares at his ceiling, wide awake from jetlag, home after a tour. This past week many of us have found ourselves at all hours wide awake, staring into the dark above us, thanks to the latest aftershock. We probably don’t feel, in that moment, as mellow and contemplative as Kozelek, but in my own way, heart thundering, those jerks awake at ungodly hours have found me taking stock and evaluating what feel to me some essential and necessary matters. In Night Talks, Mark’s singled out one friend with whose evening conversations he’s come to rely on and depend: Our night talks - I always think of them fondly Know that our night talks always meant everything… Our night talks are what I look forward to throughout my day I don’t want our night talks to ever go away Who are you in deep conversation with now? With whom are you finding you can reflect on all the different threads of your experience safely and honestly? I was on the phone with a friend a few nights ago when a large aftershock hit, and even given our distance across town from each other, there proved an immediate connection in that moment, a shared truth to our feelings about this experience that carried more import and solidarity than would have occurred if we’d experienced it alone. I’ll wrap up this batch of post-earthquake music musings next week. Thanks to those of you who sent me some songs since we kicked this off last week. It means a lot. Stay safe. Contact the writer at jonathanjbowermusic@ gmail.com

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BEAN’S CAFE ASKS FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT Anchorage — Bean’s Cafe is gearing up for the Holiday season by collecting “beanie boxes” to distribute to clients. This annual tradition encourages members of the community to donate festively wrapped shoe boxes filled with personal care items, warm weather gear and holiday cards to clients of Bean’s Cafe. This will be the only gift many will receive this holiday season. Donations of prepackaged boxes or bulk dona-

tions of items can be dropped off at Bean’s Cafe administrative office, 1020 E. 4th Ave, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. or at Tastee Freez, 3901 Raspberry Road, seven days per week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Items need to be received by December 18 for distribution on December 20. Donations can also be made online at www.beanscafe. org. For more information call 907-433-8603. Bean’s Cafe, a part of the

Anchorage community since February 1979, maintains a center where the hungry and homeless are provided with hot nutritious meals, a warm and safe day shelter, as well as information and referral assistance to health and human service programs. Bean’s Cafe is open 365 days a year, ensuring these services are always available to those who need it the most. For more information visit www.beanscafe.org.

Beanieboxes! Thursday, December 20, Bean’s Cafe will distribute festive gifts to the homeless and those most in need in Anchorage. For many, this will be the only gift they receive this holiday season, and we need your help to ensure everyone receives one! If you would like to contribute, please package the gift in a wrapped, unsealed shoe box, and deliver to either location listed below. We also welcome bulk donations of any of the items listed, which will then be gift wrapped at Bean’s Cafe. The shoe boxes can be dropped off at the following locations every day between now and December 18th at: Admin Offices, 1020 E. 4th Ave, Mon. - Fri., 8am - 4pm Tastee Freez, 3901 Raspberry Rd, Every day, 11am-9pm For more information, please call Bean’s Cafe Client Services at 297.5601. Travel size items appreciated.

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STRESS RELIEVING GIFTS BY RJ JOHNSON

ears ago, my friends and I decided to do a secret Santa gift exchange for the holidays, rather than trying to find the perfect gift for each person we spent time with. We had it all planned out with forms to fill out, and price limits, and everything to turn it into an easier gift giving experience for all involved. That year, one of my tribe had fallen on hard times and confessed to me that buying the gifts was going to wipe out much of his spending money through January, but he still wanted to participate. What he didn’t know was that I had drawn his name, and I had been struggling with what to buy for him. Suddenly it became clear and I was able to get him gift cards for the things that he would be sacrificing in order to take part. Being able to hand him those cards was the only time I have ever been able to feel what the Gift of the Magi story was about, and I will always treasure that memory. With that story in mind, I present a few ideas as last-minute gifts for your loved ones. There are many people that spend beyond their means while trying to bring joy to others. Why not remove some of their financial stress for the next few weeks? We are just about to start getting more light in Alaska, but we are not there yet. Coffee is still a necessity for so many, and I know for me personally when I make budget cuts the quality of my coffee is one of the first things to go. A gift card to a great shop like Uncle Leroy’s (www.uncleleroyscoffee.com) or Black Cup Coffee (www.blackcupak.com) could be great for that Tinder addicted friend that always needs a place for a first date, or for the college student in your life that needs just a couple more hours awake to write that paper. Stop by Metro Cooks (www.metrocooks.com) for a great reusable cup with a lid and straw and help your caffeinated friend stop using so much disposable plastic, or maybe a Nespresso machine so that they don’t have to leave the house at all on colder days. While you are at Metro, grab a Shower December 13 - December 19, 2018

Beer Holder for that person that enjoys this simple pleasure. When you are trying to save money dropping even one beer can be a tragedy. Speaking of imbibing, 49th State Brewing Company (ww.49statebrewing.com) is offering a fantastic deal on gift cards where you can 20% of what you spend or more when purchasing. If your friends are anything like mine, they aren’t really drinkers, but they enjoy the high that can only come from Alaskan THC products. Denali Dispensaries (www.denalidispensaries.com) and Satori (www.satorialaska.com) are the closest shops to my house, and I will be making sure that certain people in my life do not run out of their favorite strains. They are just nicer after they consume. (You know who you are.) Another thing that goes quickly when people cannot afford to spoil themselves is time in the salon. The next thing you know people are buying boxes of hair dye and creating extra work and frustration for their stylists down the line. Save your friends hair, take care of their next appointment. I know that for clients of Salon da Vinci (www.salondavinciak.com) the friendly staff would have no problem helping you find a gift certificate in just the right amount for someone’s full service. While you are there, get your eyebrows done. With the season’s madness and hectic schedule, you have neglected them — I saw you. With self-care and beauty regimens in mind, I am going to be making some organic face scrubs and bath salts for many of my

friends as gifts (surprise!) and I will be doing some shopping at Natural Pantry for oils and supplies. If you do not have the desire to make

your house as messy as mine will be, stop by Lush (www.lush.com) or Bath and Body Works (www.bathandbodyworks.com) in the 5th Avenue Mall. Both places have products far beyond the typical scented candle and bubble bath package that you are thinking. With nerves and anxiety on high alert these days, the gift of relaxation could be just the thing. The secret to gift-giving is just listening for the little hints. For some folks the situation could be more serious, and you could really help someone out by paying one of their bills. I know that a month off from taking care of my cell-phone would be amazing. For someone else, their house may have sustained some damage from the quake, and they might be trying to save up some funds for a small repair or maybe trying to replace a broken tv. Think about ways your gift could show kindness, and it may end up being the favorite thing they receive.

LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE HUMOR HIGHLIGHTS GIFTS CELEBRATING THE QUAKE BY AMY ARMSTRONG

“THE BEST WAY TO GET OVER STUFF IS WITH HUM OR.”

ast week’s earthquake aftershocks jolted enterprising Alaskans into entrepreneurial mode as they created and designed gifts to commemorate the 7.0 shake, rattle and roll of Nov. 30. You’ve heard the saying, “been there, done that, got the tee shirt,” right? If you were on The Last Frontier that last day of Nov. 2018, you’ve done the first two. There are several options available for completing the third item: getting the tee shirt. From shirts celebrating survival of the seismic event to shirts proclaiming the tenacity of Alaskans, the designs are done by Alaskans for Alaskans. Josh Wood, owner of Alaska Spiritwear in Anchorage, honors the durability of Alaskans with his depiction of a crack running through the state and the words, “I Survived The 2018 Alaska Earthquake” printed in white on a black shirt. He isn’t interested in making a profit from shirt sales. He’s donating $5 from each purchase to the school of the buyer’s choice. “It’s not much really,” Wood told the Anchorage Press. “But I don’t want to just make money off the disaster. I want to give something back to the community. I live here, I work here, I have built my business here and my kids go to school here.” He knows insurance won’t cover all the damages sustained by schools. His plan is to donate to school PTAs allowing those groups individually to use funds to replace things that might not be covered otherwise. Order from

Wood online at www.alaskanshirts.com. Glenys Mee, owner of Starry Night Art Studio, and her friend, Christine Hohf, opted for a James Bond theme with the “shaken not stirred” martini glass with the state of Alaska being poured in to the glass. The idea was Hohf’s; the design was done by Mee. “Just something to make people laugh after a stressful week,” Hohf said. “The best way to get over stuff is with humor.” Mee, who has participated in the weekend craft fair at the O’Malley Castle, will be on site again this weekend with the “shaken not

stirred” design available. Contact Mee via Facebook at her art studio’s page. Robin Lee Reich of Faith Words Customized Gifts in Eagle River – the part of Anchorage where the earthquake did the most damage – takes a spiritual path for her tee shirt designs. One design features the state with a broken heart where Anchorage would be and the words, “Our Hearts Are Shaken Not Broken,” and the date of the event as 11-30-18 printed in white and available in various colors. Another design has a mountain outline with the words, “Though The Mountains Move & The Hills Shake, My Love Will Not Be Removed From You,” with the scriptural reference of Isaiah 54:10 printed below. Find Reich’s designs at her company’s Facebook page. Melody Martindale took a classic approach with the words, “Our Hearts Are Shaken, Not Broken,” in a cursive script written inside the outline of the state with a heart where Anchorage is located. Her design is featured on the upper chest section of tee shirts available online from TeePublic.com. If tee shirts aren’t your thing and perhaps you’re looking for something to clutch when the next big one hits, Paula Runyan’s “Earthquake Remembrance Pillows” are an option. Runyan owns Bubbling Brook Farmhouse, a rustic décor vintage market specializing in custom upholstery and the transformation of grain and feed sacks in to decorative item, in Willow. Her company also creates pillow designs featuring Alaskan themes. She couldn’t resist several play-on-words

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for the front of pillows designed to make living rooms cozier and perhaps serve also as conversation starters. “Shake It Baby,” “Shaken, Not Stirred,” and “Quaked Alaska,” are the three phrase choices featured on her home-crafted pillows. Order the pillows at her company’s Facebook page. Need a coaster to put your aftershock therapy drink on? Melissa Marks, owner of Tundra Trophy and Awards, can hook you up with a wooden coaster specially designed to honor the earthquake. Marks’ design features an outline of the state with a heart etched in the area where Southcentral Alaska is located as well as the combination of the 8 stars of gold (the Big Dipper) and Polaris from the state’s flag etched in the upper half of the state. A large 7.1 to honor the Richter scale is etched to the left of the time the first quake hit at 08:20 a.m. with the date below as 11.30.2018. The word, “ALASKA” is below. Orders can be placed via the company’s Facebook page. Perhaps one of the most honest gift ideas submitted came from Brian Mitchell of Houston. He found Crown Royal gift sets half off at a Wasilla grocery liquor store. Reach Amy Armstrong via email at authoramyarmstrong@gmail.com.

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SHAKESPEARE FOR THE HOLIDAYS TBA THEATRE PRESENTS THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR BY RJ JOHNSON

hakespeare only mentioned Christmas three times in his collective works. This probably had nothing to do with his feelings about the holidays, and more to do with the fact that it wasn’t a popular holiday for celebrations when he was alive. It wasn’t until two hundred years after his death, during Victorian times, that it became closer to the celebration we know and love today. A fantastic holiday mashup happened last weekend as TBA Theatre opened The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare, directed by Megan Bladow, at APU Grant Hall. The entire production has been styled in the Victorian era, had a few holiday touches added, and fully embraced the magic of the season. This hilarious tale follows the antics of the buffoonish Falstaff as he tries to swindle money out of two prominent housewives in Windsor but finds himself outwitted at every turn. Add in the antics of three suitors trying for the hand of Anne Page in marriage and some mistaken identities for good measure, and you have a Christmas tale that will be fun for the entire family. Upon entering the audience is transported to a stunning Dickens style village at Christmas. The set design from Rachael Androski, and what I am sure is countless hours from her extensive team of painters and set crew is stunning. As the show progresses, the set unfolds, transforming and spinning on the rotating stage, assisting not only the pace of the show, but also adding to the wonder. Combined with the costume design from Jennifer Wright and her large team of assistants, the visual effects that make up this show are alone worth the price of admission. With the large stage and moving set lighting was key, and a

design by Frank Hardy was very successful. One of my favorite touches of the performance was the cast of carolers that opened the show and returned to entertain during each brief set change. Under direction from Seth Eggleston, this group filled the space with familiar Christmas songs performed in beautiful harmonies. The passing by of townsfolk was a common theme while quick changes were made, and the entire production ran smoothly, without the audience ever losing focus. Director Bladow had a cast of over thirty people for this production, and she has proven how well she understands the individual strengths of actors, as well as her sense of comedy. Sir John Falstaff is played wonderfully by Rodney Lamb. He is boisterous while being delightful, and as slimy as he is seductive. His expressive and over the top character was matched well by Dana Mitchell as Mistress Ford, and Erin Dagon Mitchell as Mistress Page. The Mitchell’s delivered some of the most hilarious moments in the show while deceiving the impoverished knight.

More laughs were earned by the servants of Falstaff; Grace Fahrney as Bardolf, Tyler Andrus as Nym, and Catie Barlett as Pistol. The drunken frolicking of these three actors was always fun to watch, as they threw themselves completely into each scene, sometimes quite literally. Bartlett is becoming one of my favorite local actors to see on stage. She has always proven an understanding of comedy and as I see her in more roles, I am reminded of the great ladies of SNL, like Radner, Wiig, Dratch and Oteri. The entirety of the cast showed skill in each type of comedy that was happening on stage, from melodrama, to slapstick, and even casual double entendre. Some of my other favorite performances came from Kevin Keith as Dr. Caius and Morgan Mitchell and Elijah Carricaburu as Mistress Quickly and John Rugby respectively. Of course, Caius needed his opponent for a highly entertaining fight scene, choreographed by Wayne Mitchell, with Sir Hugh Evans, brought to life by Steve Wright. Eric Moll is delightful as Abraham Slender and when sharing the stage

with the enchanting Jessica Faust as Anne Page, the differences in the characters make them a perfect match for hilarity. TBA Theatre has certain things they are always expected to do well. For this production, they have exceeded expectations in regard to set, costumes, and knowledge of history. This take on Shakespeare, The Merry (Christmas) Wives of Windsor if you will, is respectful of the work of the world’s most famous playwright. The Victorian take is a familiar way for many of us to remember Christmas. It is within the small moments of humor, and the honesty of the characters that are being portrayed that you find the sparks of enchantment. Bladow and company have created holiday magic, and they should all be proud. The Merry Wives of Windsor runs through December 16th. For tickets and information please visit www.tbatheatre.org.

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CHUNKS OF NORTHERN COAST FALL TO THE SEA BY NED ROZELL

SCIENCE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 the moment when my focus really started shifting. What made you stay with it? I've always loved the feeling you get when performing for an audience. When I was younger I played saxophone, piano, and guitar. I've always loved music, it’s been my number one love, so for me to be able to do that for a living? It's amazing. Do what makes you happy, that's the goal. Where are you currently spinning sets? Every Thursday I'm on 101.3 KGOT and IHeartRadio. On Wednesdays I'm at the world

PHOTOS COURTESY BEN JONES

Drew Point, Alaska, in summer 2018. RIGHT: UAF researcher Chris Arp is seen from above while he stands on Drew Point, Alaska, in late November 2018.

now, the mystery will remain as to whether the “cryopeg” — salty permafrost that is unfrozen and crumbly — is in a big way responsible for the drama at Drew Point. The photogenic nature of Drew Point seems to be increasing. Jones, Arp and coauthors in a recent paper calculated that the northern coast there is losing 56 feet per year to the Arctic Ocean. In the most drastic year they measured, 2016, the sea consumed an average of 72 feet of famous Koots on Spenard. My First Fridays are spent at Williwaw, my other Fridays have been at the Avenue Bar. My Saturdays, I'm back at koots. Then, not to mention, the private gigs in doing all the time; weddings, parties, stuff like that. How did you score the KGOT gig? Really? I just asked. I posted on facebook "How would I go about playing a mix on KGOT?", which someone responded to. It kind of just took off from their. I'm not afraid to ask someone how to get to where I want to be, because sometimes that's really all it takes. If you're a good person who does the work, you show people you can get

a 5.5-mile stretch of coast around Drew Point. Even in a low year of land loss at Drew Point, 21 feet of coastline disappeared. For a Washington Post reporter,

Jones in November calculated that the ocean is gobbling about 30 football fields of land from the area each year now. Erosion of coastlines is nor-

it done. The rest kind of takes care of itself. Obviously, as a club DJ I'm sure you find yourself strapped to the "top 100" playlist. Let's take away the crowd though. If you could set the mood to your liking, who/what would you start with, and how would it progress? As far as music I just wanna make people feel good. It’s not all about the newest hip hop song who is cranking the volume louder. I like hidden Jams sometimes. Like shy guy from Diana king. Overall it doesn’t matter about what I want it’s what the crowd wants to hear and every time I step behind the tables I make sure I can make as many people happy as possible all at once.

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When reality TVlife host first film to tell the storyCarlos of the legendary Greek/American opera singer Kurozaki breaks into a completely in underground her own words. Told through mysterious performances, TVtelevision interviews, home pyramid for a event, movies, family aphotographs, private he removes special gem... letters and unpublished memoirs—nearly ULTRAMAN GINGA THEshown MOVIE all of which have neverSbeen to - A sinister 2014 the public—the filmspace reveals warrior, the essence of an extraordinary who rose Etelgar, forces awoman beautiful from humble New York City young alienbeginnings princess,inAlena, become glamorous mirror international totouse heramagical to superstar and one of the greatest trap every Ultraman hero inartists of all time. the Galaxy! ENGLISH DUBBED.

mal, but the north coast of Alaska is different, with its core of frozen ground and wedges of ice that formed during a colder period of Earth’s existence. Though the ocean is capped with sea ice most of the year, for a three-to-four month window the relatively warm water eats at the cliff bases until they fall, exposing new faces to warm air and ocean waves. Now, with less and thinner sea ice, there’s a longer open-water period. “It provides more time for waves to erode the base of the bluff,” Jones said. The researchers have pulled cores of soil from the blufftops. Last summer, they cored a bit deeper than usual and noticed a structureless section near the base of the bluffs, a deposit of “saline permafrost that was unfrozen at minus 8 degrees Celsius. “We never really thought about it before, until we pulled up these cores,” Jones said. “The salinity of these soils (at the base of the cliffs) increases the erodibility of these deposits.” Next spring, when soil-drilling is more feasible, Jones and Arp hope to get soil cores from about six feet below beach level, to see how extensive the unfrozen permafrost is, and to maybe find some clues on whether salty, unstable permafrost is becoming more common as the Arctic warms. Since the late 1970s, the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute has provided this column free in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell ned.rozell@alaska.edu is a science writer for the Geophysical Institute.

THEANNIVERSARY SISTERS BROTHERS 55TH

series. Monday TOArt-house KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)

and Tuesday, December 17th

10:30pm and 18th 8:00 pm

Small-town Alabama, 1932.is In 1850s Oregon, a gold prospector Atticus (played chased byFinch the infamous duo ofby assassins, Gregory the Sisters Peck) brothers.is a lawyer and a widower. He has two young children, Jem and Scout. Atticus Finch is currently defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Meanwhile, Jem and Scout are intrigued by their neighbours, the Radleys, and the mysterious, seldom-seen Boo Radley in particular.

Film Festival Series 19 RETRO SERIES / JANUARY THIS MOUNTAIN LIFE ~ WESTWORLD (1973) AIFF 2018 Film Festival Series. 10:30pm

Tuesday, December 18th

An amusement 5:30 pm $10 park for rich vacationers. park Presented as part of theThe Anchorage provides customers a way Internationalits Film Festival to outinto their Fewlive venture true fantasies mountain through use of robots wilderness.the A riveting portrait of human passion set high anything in the peaks of British that provide they Columbia, Canada. want. Two of the vacationers Martina and her 60west year-old mother Tania choose a wild embark on a 6 month, 2300km journey adventure. However, after a to Alaska through a relentless mountain computer they wilderness; abreakdown, group of nuns inhabiting a mountain retreat to be closer to God; find that they are now being a photographer is buried in an avalanche; stalked by a rogue an impassioned alpinist; arobot focused snow gun-slinger. artist; a couple who has been living off grid in the mountains for nearly 50 years.

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he frozen cliffs of Drew Point, Alaska, (population zero) are tumbling to the ocean faster than perhaps any other location in the Arctic. The sea has eaten house-size chunks of tundra at a rate of more than 50 feet per year recently. Ben Jones has watched pieces of Alaska’s northern coast disappear since 2003. Then, as a University of Cincinnati researcher, he flew over Drew Point and saw blocks of tundra and frozen soil that had detached from the land and leaned into the sea like capsizing ships. Last week, he and Chris Arp, both of UAF’s Water and Environmental Research Center, snowmachined out to Drew Point in dim winter light. With the landscape now locked up for the long polar night, they went to see if they could gather a deeper plug of soil from a chunk of land that had fallen into the ocean in summer 2018. They wanted to find out if salty, unfrozen soil at its base might have something to do with why the 20-foot cliffs at Drew Point are losing so much to the ocean. But they found conditions too challenging, and not because there is no sunrise up there this time of year. “There was a lot of slushy snow and water at the base of the bluff,” Jones said in an email from Utqiaġvik, where he and Arp stayed after returning by snowmachine from a cabin on the northern shore of Teshekpuk Lake, about 60 miles southeast. “It would have made coring pretty challenging in the subzero air temps.” They will attempt a deeper soil sample into the bluff on a scheduled trip up there in April 2019. For

December 13 - December 19, 2018

MARIA BY CALLAS: VOICE ETERNAL FILM REVIEW BY INDRA ARRIAGA

om Volf's MARIA by CALLAS is perhaps one of the most respectfully and delicately made films about Maria Callas, her sublime voice and her genius, to play on the big screen; and films there have been many. Volf exhibits a deep understanding of Callas and he defers completely to her, thus the title, “Maria” the person, “by Callas” as presented by the myth or as she is often called, La Divina. The documentary uses performance footage, personal photos, interviews, Callas’ own writings and correspondence, and homemade movies to let the great soprano speak for herself. As it turns out she was only human, but a complex one with a heavenly gift and an abandonment for it that came at no small price. Callas was a legend in her own time— this is one of the only times one can write that and it’s not a cliché. Every time Maria Callas stepped on the stage, she changed the world. Her voice and persona have stood the test of time, the only voice and presence that rivals Callas’ is that of her contemporary on the side the world, Umm Kulthum, an Egyptian singer of incredible prominence. What Callas had in introspection, Kulthum made up for with her star power, but that’s a different documentary. MARIA by CALLAS is an intimate look at Callas’ life, but by no means is it complete, but no single film about Callas could ever be. Volf misses some key events and significant experiences, like Callas’ time

teaching at Juilliard. Over the decades, the myth has disproportionately overshadowed Callas’ humanity in a Frida Kahlo sort of way. Everyone thinks they know her, and can or want to identify with her, and project on to her, when in reality it’s misplaced adoration, even if it’s well deserved. MARIA by CALLAS is a refreshing look at the person and the singer. More importantly, the documentary serves as an antidote to the bloated and misunderstood persona of Callas that has emerged ever since Maria became Callas, and has often been propagated by lesser artists. Callas inspires everyone, singers, fashionistas and designers, moviemakers, writers, etc., most of the time it’s positive other times it’s like Terrence McNally’s awful play, “Master Class”. In the play McNally strips Callas of her genius and intellectual dignity, and depicts her as an eccentric and insufferable diva who pathetically pines away for an underserving man, complete with emotional breakdowns and temper tantrums. Nothing could be farther from the truth according to MARIA by CALLAS; it’s good to let La Divina put things in context for herself. McNally’s play references Callas’ time at Juilliard but viewers should really seek out the CDs and book with transcriptions from her classes, they provide brilliant insights into her thinking on music, beauty, art, and are remarkably humbling because she truly was an artist without equal, and she was candid, and funny; strict but encouraging. MARIA by CALLAS is a treat, just to see her performances on the big screen is worth it! But to see her in a quieter light is beyond compelling.

Bear Tooth PG for mild thematic elements, some smoking and brief language Monday December 17 2018 5:30 PM (113 Minutes)

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MUSIC TO THE HEART

WILLIS LEADS THE WAY IN STUNNING ‘SONGS FROM THE SILVER SCREEN’ AT MAD MYRNA’S BY RJ JOHNSON

isa Willis can sing, and she can sing well. For anyone who has seen her perform in the Anchorage Opera or in local theatrical productions, they know this to be true. In the past, Willis has occasionally put on cabaret style shows as benefits. Recently she paired up with local actor and director Warren Weinstein to produce another cabaret, but this time the impetus was more artistic, and less altruistic. “I like to sing with a live band and I know that there are not very many opportunities for singers to perform with the band outside of theatrical productions,” she said. “I also love cabarets because singers get to choose songs that they know that they can sing well, or songs from a show that never gets produced in town for whatever reasons. Also, it’s an intimate experience.” Weinstein has directed Willis in two different musicals this year and said “we talked about wanting to do something different in this town. Something that other people aren't doing.” He said that “she took it, she ran with it, she drove it, and she did an exceptional job. She's wonderful.” The two artists collected a group of performers and last Sunday evening at Mad Myrna’s entertained a packed ballroom. The event, ‘Songs from the Silver Screen: A Cabaret’, was hosted by Heather Doncaster, who took the stage wearing calf-high, sequined boots and a sparkly jacket. Doncaster wears many hats in her professional and personal life but has also performed in some musicals and has experience on stage. Her charm and wit won the crowd over for the two-hour event. She even surprised the performers as she invited each on stage to answer some pop questions before their numbers. Meagan Hayes opened the show with high energy performance of ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen, and most recently from the film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The band made up of Alex Cruver on keys, Francisco Badillo on drums, Murray Caplinger on Bass, and Kelly Leavitt on guitar, did a wonderful job working with the 12 individual singers. It was mentioned at one point that the cast had only been able to do four rehearsals prior to the event. If they hadn’t said anything, nobody would have known, but it spoke to the level of professionalism and talent that was occupying the space. Next up was Kaylee Vardeman, the Director of Operations for the Anchorage Opera, who stunned the crowd. She performed three times through out the cabaret, and as expected,

delivered solid arias that had people picking their jaws up off the floor. Her other selection, ‘Climbing Uphill’ from the musical ‘The Last Five Years’ was a more comedic piece which tells of the trouble’s performers have while auditioning. She had the crowd laughing while she hit every note. Douglas Gleason Parmley also took the stage with ‘It All Fades Away’ from ‘The Bridges of Madison County’. His vocals handled the bluesy love song perfectly, but his real shining moment came in a duet with Anna Cometa from the recent movie ‘A Star is Born’. As the two performed ‘Shallow’, their friendship and chemistry on stage was apparent. The show stopping moments continued from singers like Nathan Huey performing ‘Hair’ from the musical of the same name while stripping out of his jacket and ascot and getting a little more comfortable. Zaide Manzano, Emily Soule and Kae Hartman all delivered solid and beautiful solos. Manzano’s choice to perform ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman was a crowd favorite. Some of my favorite other pieces were both songs chosen by Karlee Dolphin Reaves, who started with ‘Why Don’t You Do Right’ in a red sequined

gown that rivaled Jessica Rabbit. Kyle Lindsey joined the band with his violin to accompany Reaves when she sang ‘Touch the Sky’ from the Disney movie ‘Brave’. A duet of ‘When I Fall in Love’ from the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, performed by Catie Bartlett and Isaac Kumpula, was incredibly touching. The well dressed and beautiful couple owned each moment and note, and it was a pleasure to see. Willis also performed, and her choices of song were very personal to her. First, she did a tender version of ‘Baby Mine’ from Disney’s Dumbo. She explained prior to singing that it had always been the song for her son, and through his life whenever he was sick or sad, she would sing it for him. Her son was not old enough to attend the show, but thanks to social media the performance was streamed live for him. Her next choice, ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from Les Misérables was started without a lot of explanation, but the raw emotion on stage showed how personal each word and note were for the local artist. The crowd also must have felt it, as they leapt to their feet with applause when she finished. This cabaret was not backed by any theatre company or performed for any non-profit. It was simply the goal of two friends, a way for artists to come together and perform in a manner that they knew. A way to entertain an audience, be together, and showcase the enormous amount of talent that is here in Anchorage. The next cabaret is already in the works, and Willis and Weinstein plan to keep putting them on as long as audiences want to see them. Art for art’s sake. It really is wonderful. For more information email anchoragecabarets@gmail.com

NEWS OF THE WEIRD Seems Like an Honest Mistake

John Stevenson of Inverclyde, Scotland, hit a bump in his plans to vacation in the United States on Dec. 3 when his visa was denied after he declared himself a terrorist while filling out a Department of Homeland

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Security online form commonly known as ESTA. One of the questions on the form asks, "Are you a terrorist?" Stevenson, 70, told The Independent that the website "must have jumped from No to Yes without me knowing," adding that the site kept timing out and crashing as he and his wife, Marion, tried to answer the questions. "I even called the border control in the U.S. and gave them my passport details," he said. "They looked up my ESTA number and said, 'You're a terrorist.' The only time I've been in court was for jury service. Marion is sick about it. ... I don't know why that question is on the form in the first place." (UPDATE: United Airlines refunded the Stevensons' airline tickets and gifted them two free flights to New York once their visa troubles are all worked out.)

[The Independent, 12/1/2018]

Armed and Clumsy

A shopper at a Buckeye, Arizona, Walmart was in the meat department on Nov. 27 when his semiautomatic handgun, which he had positioned for a quick draw in the waistband of his sweatpants, began to slip. As he tried to reposition it, he told Buckeye police, it discharged, striking the gunslinger in his privacies. AZCentral reported the unnamed shopper was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, and no one else was hurt. However, police did file a charge of unlawful discharge of a firearm. [AZCentral, 11/28/2018]

Least Competent Criminals

— A successful heist at an electronics retail store requires careful planning and attention to detail -- a fact that appears to have escaped three men in North Raleigh, North Carolina, on Nov. 12. That night, the News and Observer reported, an employee of the store called 911 to report that three men had entered the store with semi-automatic weapons and ordered workers into the stockroom. One of them was carrying a cardboard box, officers learned, which he used to load up mobile phones and smart watches. The men also filled two crates with merchandise, which totaled more than $26,000. When the robbers left through the back door, they took the crates with

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 December 13 - December 19, 2018

Cuba from the Air We approach the island From a westerly direction. The air is smooth. Outside my window there are octopi That swim in long undulating bursts Through the supernatural fog.

I would not be the first To see riotous color And extrapolate Happiness. When my power went out It was charming Provincial.

We drop out of the heavy bellied clouds, And the island appear, All bound In a wide sweet river, like a serpent, Crowned with a wreath of banana leaves.

When I was told Not to linger On a highway For fear of bandits, I walked to the Malecón Alone And stared into the night black water.

The island Shaped like the torn fin Of a sea turtle And all the brightly colored roof tops Like battered disks Of aluminum coke and pepsi cans.

When I was told to open the door Only for friends, Never the police I gave my companion a piece of paper With lines of what to say if she was ever stopped.

I will not call Cuba a peacock I will not demean it with exoticisms And I will not call it “she,” For islands are not women And have no maidenhead. And women are not farmland Or trees To be sown or cut down But there are women here And women can be islands Migratory, sandal shod, And coveted. I stood on a balcony Looking for the moon Which hung as it did anywhere Like an orange slice. But there are no oranges here. There are mangoes And guavas And mangoes And bananas, But there are no oranges. I would not be the first To mistake a heavy table For prosperity.

PRESS WRITES

By Caroline Streff

When I saw a man Drag a beautiful girl Down the street By a fistful of her dark hair, I thought again: Women perhaps Are islands. Lonely And made still By unnatural means. This island sleeps Belly down. And the gulls fly over it Like men or airplanes, Without sympathy. And I flew with them. A view from the Malecón It emerges from the ocean Like a thunderclap; Its broad spiked back Breaking the surface, The wind carrying its sour scent To meet me, as I watch it Slump through the water, Fish hooks and line

Tangled in its scales, Its flat webbed feet Sinking into the sand Erasing the names Of twenty dozen lovers. Pale and bloated, It bellows and heaves. It scrambles up the wall, Tugging its rubber float alongside, Defeated. It huffs, and casts out a line, a balloon the color of moonlight, waiting for a fish. I pat its shoulder And offer it a cigarette. Better luck next time. Origin Story Daughter, You are angry with me. You have discovered That the story I told you Of your birth, How you had appeared Nestled against my side, The umbilical cord of a vine From the flowerpot in my window Still kissing your belly, Is a lie. You know you have a father And you wonder where he is. You were born In a room Of brick and heavy air Like a cathedral, God staring out at me from the walls. And His mother, Whose eyes are all the more terrible Studying me shrewdly Asking how long? how long? Before I would send you far away. Your father and I Conspired with hunger, And prayed over you

Till you shrank to the size Of a fingernail. We placed you In a dish With a scrap Of your grandmother’s Tablecloth for a sail, And set it upon a sympathetic current That would carry you to Florida. I starved myself for thirty days Before I followed in a balloon made with handkerchiefs with a single candle to carry me, clutching to a length of rope. I saw your little dish below me Still heavy with provisions: The lumps of dried fruit The crumbs of salted meat The thimbleful of fresh water. I landed upon the beach And waited for you. At last you arrived On the purple Hippocrene rush of foam and water, And I held you in my palm And fed you with an eyedropper I had tucked behind my ear. And slowly you began to grow again. And now Years later, we sit Here In this suffocating little room In the middle of a never ending stretch of grass And you wonder why I never told you of your father Why I have stolen the words from your tongue And made you a stranger to the sea. And I find… That the answers I have Are lost in the fog of a language I have denied you And that I have almost forgotten.

OH, BY GOLLY

t some point in “How the Both Thurl and Burl’s voices will Grinch Stole Christmas!” GRAMMAR forever be ingrained in our culthe Grinch is scheming GUY tural Christmas traditions. aloud to his dog, Max, when he Back to my lyrical problem: can asks, “Are you having a holly jolly you have a “holly, jolly” ChristChristmas?” Even for a guy whose mas? heart’s an empty hole, the Grinch’s I understand “jolly.” Jolly is question has been bothering me an adjective that means happy this holiday season. While we’re and jovial. When I hear the word on the topic, I have to point out “jolly,” I picture Santa laughing that the song, “You're a Mean One, and his belly bouncing like a bowlMr. Grinch” was famously sung by ful of jelly. I think because of the Thurl Ravenscroft, who has one famous line in “‘Twas the Night of the most perfect names ever Before Christmas,” the word jolly, named. Ravenscroft was also the BY CURTIS when used to describe a person, can HONEYCUTT come along with overweight convoice of Tony the Tiger. Let’s quickly jump to another notations. Whether we think about amazingly-named holiday singer. Burl Ives it or not, the words used in our holiday songs, most famously sang the Christmas standard poems and movies build their own unique “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” The song is fea- associations related to the Christmas season. tured prominently in the 1964 stop-motionHolly is always a noun. Holly is either a animated special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed proper name (Holly Golightly, Holly HobReindeer,” where Ives also performs the bie, et. al.) or a shrub. The holly plant’s red voice of the narrator, Sam the Snowman. berries can make your belly particularly un-

December 13 - December 19, 2018

jolly if ingested in high enough doses. But “holly” isn’t an adjective. A wreath is often made from holly, but holly is still a noun. You can’t have a “holly” Christmas. It’s almost as if song lyrics don’t pass through a grammar editor before they’re allowed to be recorded. But that’s the strange thing that happens with language when it’s part of a culture--it evolves. It moves. Meanings shift and words that just happen to rhyme end up next to each other in a Christmas song sung by Burl Ives. But, at the end of the day, even though it’s technically not a grammatically correct phrase, we all know what it means to have a “holly, jolly” Christmas. It means to celebrate with people you love, share warmth and happiness, and maybe even kick back a few glasses of eggnog with Uncle Rick. What even is “nog”? That’s a question for another day. Curtis Honeycutt is a national award-winning syndicated humor columnist. Connect with him on Twitter (@curtishoneycutt) or at curtishoneycutt.com.

CAROLINE STREFF BIO

aroline Streff is a recent graduate from the University of Alaska Anchorage where she studied Literature and International Studies. Caroline rediscovered her interest in poetry while representing UAA on a grant in Havana, Cuba. Since then she has become involved with local artist’s cooperative, The Sunlight Collaboration, headed by Katie O’Loughlin and Marissa Citro, with whom she has performed at Earth Matters On Stage (April 2018) and the Anchorage Museum (June 2018). Caroline is currently working as a teacher at a local private school and plans to pursue a graduate degree in Rhetoric and Composition.

ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGE RESOURCE WEBSITE LAUNCHED A new website, alaskanativelanguages.org, has just been launched. The site includes recordings and resources for Alaska’s 20 official Indigenous languages. The site also includes learning resources, information on groups working on various components of language revitalization and maintenance, language apps and keyboards, news digests centered on Alaska Native Languages, a short history of language revitalization, and links to social media run by language advocates. Through publishing this site, the site administrators hope to have experts of their own languages contribute

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Submitted poem

GRANNY RHYME ROYAL A poem by Jamaille Austin

Show this scoundral our kindred doyenne A natural province rendezvous touring For rhapsody balladry tenor brags As I recollect kinetic art flags Your extravagant embroidered quilt rags In this life when nothing is a picnic Sojourner mums are truly authentic

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December 13 - December 19, 2018

EVER-EXPANDING 49TH STATE BREWING CO. SET TO EXPLODE INTO SHIP CREEK PRODUCTION FACILITY COULD BE OPEN BY MIDDLE OF 2019 BY JAMES “DR. FERMENTO” ROBERTS

9th State Brewing Company got too big for its brewing britches a long time ago when it first built the brewpub in Healy in 2010. A seven-barrel brew system was being sourced with the hopes of feeding their other businesses in "the canyon," or Denali Village, 13 miles north of the Park's entrance. That included, primarily, Prospector's Pub and Pizzeria and the Salmon Bake, where local beer is a big feature. The seven-barrel brewery didn't happen right away. In July of 2011, then-brewer Jason Bullen was cranking out beers on a half-barrel system — essentially a system just north of a homebrew set up —and was trying to source a five barrel system. By July of 2012, a larger system was in place, but the brewery always operated at capacity and still couldn't keep up with demand. In 2014, a 15-barrel brewhouse was installed. The big move came in 2015. In a surprise announcement, I learned that 49th State purchased Anchorage's Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company and planned for a complete retrofit. In one of the most anticipated beer events in my foamy history up here, 49th State Anchorage opened on the Fourth of July in 2016. I drove back from my mining camp in Hope to make the gig. More than two years later, all I can say about the venue’s explosive popularity is — good luck getting in there and getting a table. Even if you want to just hang in the bar area to sip your suds, expect to have to elbow your way in and strategically search out someone getting ready to leave if you want a table. With the brewery in Healy cranking out suds and the brewery in Anchorage doing the same, it still isn't enough. A couple of weeks ago, I heard that 49th State was in the planning stages of opening a production facility just below the 3rd Avenue showpiece in a property that provided warehouse space and offices for an oilfield outfit. The location is west of the railroad station. This didn't surprise me at all. What surprised me — and I should have known this — is that this is no spur of the moment decision based on demand for beer. It's part of the brilliant, Alaska-focused vision of the 49th State owners and it's been in the works since the Healy days. “I can tell you that going back to the start when we opened in Denali, the plan was always to grow within our means and according to demand,” says David McCarthy, one of the 49th State owners. From the day we opened we wanted to be in a larger city. We looked at FBX, then Anchorage, but even before we opened the brewpub, we went in there, we told the Goose owner that we knew the production wasn’t where it needed to be. We needed production close to shipping routes. The concept was there before opening the pub in Anchorage.” In retrospect, this doesn’t surprise me either. McCarthy and his group are serious planners; nothing is taken lightly at 49th State. Sure, it’s a great sign of keen business acumen, but it also has to do with an unerring love for the people and employees that embody the 49th State empire and the impact that new venues can have on the downtown corridor and Anchorage overall. “Look, we’re building a corporation one beer at a time. The production facility is a catalyst for growth, sure, but we have to be careful; people’s livelihoods are at stake,”

December 13 - December 19, 2018

says McCarthy. “We have an aggressive concept for the years to come, and this production facility is a big part of it, but we have be cautious in over-extending our overflowing passion,” says McCarthy. Still, a production facility combined with modern, shared upscale office space as part of 49th State’s partnership with The Boardroom will create jobs and help put the Ship Creek area more firmly on the map. “We looked at some other properties off the Seward Highway and out in Eklutna. But we’re so invested in the strength of downtown Anchorage we wanted something here. Ship Creek isn’t the most highly desirable space to go visit, so we took a huge leap of faith about bought the building. We partnered with the Boardroom. There’s a lot of synergy with a brewpub tasting room in there and the cutting edge concept the Boardroom brings to Anchorage,” says McCarthy of the 8,000 square foot, almost brewery-ready building he discovered one day while riding his bike to work. “When I look at the sheer numbers of people, we increase the traffic downtown. A rising tide raises all ships,” says McCarthy. “This is a very progressive mixed-use design concept.” Still, it’s as much about the people as the beer. “We’ll add between 12 and 20 additional full time positions to start and we’ll need a lot of part time as well. It’s not just about the numbers. It’s not just about making beer; it’s as much about making a cool community. I believe in myself and I’m surrounded by people that share my vision and that I can depend on. We don’t want to just have the best beer, we want to be the best employer at the same time,” says McCarthy. Although none of this is happening tomorrow - the open-concept production brewery and pub – won’t open until the fall of 2019, and perhaps the pub a bit later – it means big changes for the brewing operations. “The goal is to have production for yearround beers prior to the summer. The brewery will come first then the tasting room will follow in the early fall of 2019,” says McCarthy. “Our brewing staff is actually three guys,” says 49th State-Anchorage brewmaster David Short. “I’m taking over as brewmaster all the way around and I’ll be the production manager for the three brewing operations,” he says. “Production management is about logistics, supply chains and shipping; it’s not the most fun part of the job. I’ll be in charge of the three facilities, quality management and just the direction of our operations, the production of the beer and where it goes,” says Short. After five seasons as the brewer for the Healy operation, Vince La Rochelle will become the head brewer at the new production facility. Devin Wagner has been working in the Anchorage brewery at 49th State and will continue there, in what’s affectionately called the “Lab” where small batch beers and specialty beers will come from. “Devin’s passion lies in the small batch, hand-crafted realm and he’ll be pushing the beer envelope there. Vince wants to come to Anchorage and set up permanent roots. He deserves this; he’s super-knowledgeable, detail-oriented and is the perfect guy to oversee the production facility. Although Vince will continue to guide the Healy operation, we’ll be searching for a new head brewer up there. All of the packaging will move to Anchorage, says Short.

As for the pub itself, patrons will be rewarded to an entirely new concept. “I love Alaska and I want to feel like I’m drinking a beer while sitting outside. Up in Healy, we put trees inside the pub and a huge round out-doorish fireplace in the middle in the pub,” says McCarthy. “I want the new tasting area to be a more refined city version of Denali, which is more rough and edgy. What we did was take the love of the outside element and incorporate it with a more modern feel with lot s of copper, tile work, a more modern fireplace, and a more open floor plan for larger groups but adaptable for any size gathering.”

Large windows both facing outside and glass walls inside jutting into the brewery production space will provide a unique experience front and back. “There’s a large bar area, but in the tasting room, the wall that faces the equipment; it’s all convertible glass like you’re actually sitting in the production facility; it’s like you’re sitting in there with the brewers,” says McCarthy. Slow, purposeful and over time as the market demands and the community grows. That seems to be the ongoing 49th State mantra. I’m on board. Look for new digs in Ship Creek in the middle of next year.

WEIRD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

PACKAGE STORE LICENSE Moreland Properties LLC is making application for a new Package Store License AS 4.11.150 liquor license, doing business as No DBA located at No Premises. Interested persons should submit written comment to their local governing body, the applicant and to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board at 550 West 7th Ave, Suite 1600, Anchorage ak 99501. AP#66 Publish Dates December 13, 20, 27, 2018

LEGAL

PACKAGE STORE LICENSE

Film-On Productions LLC is making application for a new Package Store License AS 4.11.150 liquor license, doing business as Bear Tooth Theatrepub and Grill located at 1230 W 27th Avenue, Anchorage. Interested persons should submit written comment to their local governing body, the applicant and to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board at 550 West 7th Ave, Suite 1600, Anchorage ak 99501. AP#67 Publish Dates December 13, 20, 27, 2018

them, but forgot the cardboard box which, serendipitously, sported a shipping label with an address on it. Police used the address, along with a mug shot from a previous crime that matched an image in the store's surveillance video, to track down Brian Lamonte Clark, 22, and arrest him for robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery. [Raleigh News and Observer, 11/30/2018] — The Lucardo Escape Rooms in Manchester, England, were the site of a misguided break-in on Nov. 29 when two thieves ransacked a fake bank vault as if it were the real thing. The Manchester Evening News reported that more than 50 surveillance cameras captured the duo's antics as they broke into fake safes and opened drawers that held only puzzles. "They must be Manchester's stupidest burglars," said Lucardo director Ian Pownall, 26. The business lost about 100 pounds in cash, but damage amounted to about 1,000 pounds — not to mention lost revenue while the business cleans up. "We're a small, family-owned business, so even a couple of thousand pounds will have an effect on us, particularly before Christmas," Pownall said. [Manchester Evening News, 11/29/2018]

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classads@frontiersman.com legals@frontiersman.com LANGUAGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 to the specific language sections and to add resources that can be shared with wider audiences. Those wishing to assist with populating the site should the site administrators on the Contact Us page on the alaskanativelanguages.org website. Earlier this year, Governor Walker declared a linguistic emergency for Alaska Native languages with Administrative Order 300. This website is part of a larger effort by grassroots language activists to share information about languages, creating visibility for each languages and sharing resources for language learners, language teachers, and those interested in finding out more. “One of the most important thing about this wide and varied language movement is hearing about the great work that people are doing all the way across Alaska. It makes people feel less alone in this work, which is often very difficult,” says Veri di Suvero, who helped create the new website. Di Suvero helped organize a language summit, Huch’itidulq’uł, during 2018 AFN which brought together language advocates from all over the state to share language efforts happening across Alaska. The current alaskanativelanguages.org website originally grew from a chapter of the Alaska History & Cultural Studies site from the Alaska Humanities Forum (AKHF). While working at the AKHF, Myles Creed, who assisted with the current site, was tasked with populating a chapter of the Alaska History & Cultural Studies site with recordings in many of the 20 official Alaska Native languages of the state. This summer Creed spearheaded an effort to get Iñupiatun added as a language on Facebook. He is currently working towards a PhD in Linguistics at the University of Victoria.

MEET VALERIS Valeris is ready for adoption!! Estimated to be about 1.5 years old this sweet, mature boy will do well in many homes as long as he's permitted to be himself! He likes to climb and must have a high perch to watch his new family from!:) Valeris is neutered, microchipped and current on all vaccines!! If interested in meeting this beautiful boy call 315.9510

BURNS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 murder was NHI: No Human Involved. Some police departments still use the code, but even if they don’t, most police departments don’t investigate the murders of sex workers the way that they do the murders of women who are seen as having higher social standing. Every year I read through the names of murdered sex workers from all over the world on the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. I don't think any other city, even with much larger populations, has as many murders of sex workers as consistently

— At the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton, England, there was more in the air than just the sharp projectiles tossed by competitors on Nov. 16. According to Reuters, former two-time champion Gary Anderson, 47, from Scotland, prevailed over Wesley Harms, 34, from the Netherlands to reach the quarter finals, but Harms had a gripe: He said he was affected by the "fragrant smell" Anderson had emitted as they played. "It'll take me two nights to lose this smell from my nose," Harms told a Dutch television station. Anderson objected, saying the smell came "from the table side," laying the blame on spectators. "If the boy thinks I've farted he's 1,010 percent wrong," Anderson declared. "If somebody has done that they need to see a doctor. ... He says it was me, but I would admit it." [Reuters, 11/17/2018] — Shanetta Yvette Wilson, 37, was standing in line at a Dollar General store in Dania Beach, Florida, on Nov. 25 when the urge struck and she let one rip. John Walker, who was standing nearby, was offended and complained about "the defendant farting loudly," according to the resulting Broward Sheriff's office

as Anchorage. But people still think it's cool to joke about us getting murdered, to play the dead hooker in the trunk of a car (that’s Jackie, you assholes) card in Cards Against Humanity. Only a handful of people ever show up on the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to stand against these murders, and never anyone from the non-profits and church groups who claim to care about us (but only if we keep our mouths shut and are good props for their stories about us that help them get more funding that they don't use to help us). I want to challenge my fellow Alaskans this year. Show up for the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Join us

complaint, so Wilson pulled out a small folding knife, opened it and threatened to "gut" Walker as she moved toward him. The Miami Herald reported that police called to the scene tracked down Wilson and charged her with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. [Miami Herald, 12/1/2018]

Government in Action

Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, a 22-year member of Japan's parliament, was named by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in October to two new posts: cybersecurity and Olympics minister for the country. But according to Reuters, at a committee meeting on Nov. 14, when a member of the opposition asked Sakurada a "gotcha" question about his computer literacy, he admitted: "I've never used a computer! ... I've always directed my staff and secretaries to do that kind of thing." He assured the lawmaker there would be no problems. Mmm-hmm. [Reuters, 11/14/2018]

Update

In The Hague, Netherlands, motivational speaker Emile Ratelband, 69, will not turn 50 on his next birthday, as he had hoped. As reported earlier, Ratelband petitioned the court in November for an age change, saying he feels discriminated against both in the career realm and on Tinder. But the Associated Press reported that on Dec. 3, a Dutch court rejected his plea to become 49, saying he did not convince judges that he had been discriminated against and that "Mr. Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly," but noting that changing his age would nullify any number of records from public registers. Ratelband hopes to appeal. [Associated Press, 12/3/2018]

Scrooged

An unnamed substitute teacher in Montville, New Jersey, won't be returning to Cedar Hill School after revealing a sacred secret to first-grade students there on Nov. 29. Superintendent Rene Rovtar told NJ.com that the sub got into a debate with a student about whether Santa is real. That's when the 6-yearolds started quizzing her about the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Elf on a Shelf, and the teacher "proceeded to debunk all of it," Rovtar said. Parents reported doing "damage control" after the kids returned home from school, and the sub is no longer welcome in the district. [NJ.com, 12/4/2018]

Sunday, Dec. 16th, for a candlelight memorial at 4 p.m. at the Alaska Center for Alternative Lifestyles (233 5th Avenue). Stay or come back for a burlesque fundraiser at 6 p.m.. Challenge your friends who make dead hooker jokes. Challenge the fake do gooders who make their livings speaking for us but still won't show up for us. Do the right thing, every time. This is how we will end violence against sex workers, and against all of Alaska’s most marginalized. The Community United for Safety and Protection is Alaska’s group of current and former sex workers, sex trafficking victims, and allies working towards safety and protection for all people in Alaska’s sex trades.

December 13 - December 19, 2018

mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter

SLIGHT CHRISTMAS

Savage Love. By Dan Savage Straight and married but not boring, and heading to my parents’ house for our first family Christmas since my asshole MAGA brother “stumbled over” the Tumblr blog where the wife and I posted about our sexual adventures. (Pics of MMF threesomes and crossdressing/pegging sessions, plus some dirty “true enough” stories.) My brother has always been an angry screwup, so he leapt on the chance to make me look bad by sending the link to my parents, siblings, and even some close family friends. Our Tumblr blog is still up because we aren’t ashamed. Any advice? Totally Uncool Malicious Bastard’s Lame Reveal Your Tumblr blog isn’t going to be up for much longer, TUMBLR, as the company that owns Tumblr—Verizon—is

ashamed of your blog and the millions of others like it. Tumblr announced last week that all “adult” content is banned as of December 17. And the definition of “adult content” is pretty broad: “photos, videos, and GIFs of human genitalia, female-presenting nipples, and any media involving sex acts, including illustrations,” although they will allow genitals and those wicked “femalepresenting nipples” in images of classical art. (No contemporary junk or lady nips allowed.) This is not just a blow to people who use Tumblr for porn—and that’s most people who use Tumblr—but also to the sex work community. Sex workers had already been driven off most other online platforms by anti-sex-work crusaders, and now sex workers are being driven off Tumblr as well. Forcing sex workers off the internet won’t end sex work, the stated goal of antisex-work crusaders, but it will make sex work more dangerous—which tells us everything we need to know about the motives of anti-sex-work crusaders. While they claim to oppose sex work because it’s dangerous, they push policies that make sex work more dangerous. Sex workers weren’t just advertising online, they were organizing—in addition to honing and making the political argument for decriminalizing sex work, they were screening potential clients and sharing information with each other about dangerous clients. Just like anti-choice/ anti-abortion crusaders, antisex-work crusaders don’t want

to “protect” women; they want to punish women for making choices they disapprove of. (As a general rule: If what you’re doing makes people less safe, you don’t get to claim you’re trying to protect anyone—it’s like claiming you only set houses on fire to drive home the importance of smoke alarms.) Anyway, fuck your sexshaming/smut-shaming brother, TUMBLR. As for the rest of your family, you and the wife should slap smiles on your faces and act like you’ve done nothing wrong—because you haven’t done anything wrong. Your asshole brother is the bad guy, and any family members who wish to discuss how offended they were by your Tumblr blog should be directed to speak with your brother, as he’s the one who showed it to them. How can I explain to my sisters that although I am a free sexual woman, I still prefer men as sexual partners? My sisters are both involved with women and they cannot understand how, with all the awful sexual inequality in the world, I can still be primarily attracted to men. Sometimes I even imagine my sexuality as a gay man’s sexuality in a woman’s body, and I try to explain it to them in this way. I’m not a secret right-winger or someone kidding around by asking this question. This is a real issue. Give It To Me Straight P.S. I have a straight male friend who says he’s a lesbian trapped in a man’s body. What do you think of this? People don’t choose to be

BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Consumer Reports says that between 1975 and 2008, the average number of products for sale in a supermarket rose from about 9,000 to nearly 47,000. The glut is holding steady. I suspect that 2019 will bring a comparable expansion in some of your life choices, Aries—especially when you're deciding what to do with your future and who your allies should be. This could be both a problem and a blessing. For best results, opt for choices that have all three of these qualities: fun, usefulness, and meaningfulness. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): People have been trying to convert ordinary metals into gold since at least 300 AD. At that time, an Egyptian alchemist named Zosimos of Panopolis unsuccessfully mixed sulfur and mercury in the hope of performing such magic. But now let's fast forward to twentieth-century chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, a distinguished researcher who won a share of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1951. He and his team did an experiment with bismuth, an element that's immediately adjacent to lead on the periodical table. By using a particle accelerator, they literally transmuted a small quantity of bismuth into gold. I propose that we make this your teaching story for 2019. May it inspire you to seek transformations that have never before been possible. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): United States President Donald Trump wants to build a concrete and fenced wall between Mexico and America, hoping to slow down the flow of immigrants across the border. Meanwhile, twelve Northern African countries are

December 13 - December 19, 2018

collaborating to build a 4,750-mile-long wall of drought-resistant trees at the border of the Sahara, hoping to stop the desert from swallowing up farmland. During the coming year, I'll be rooting for you to draw inspiration from the latter, not the former. Erecting new boundaries will be healthy for you—if it's done out of love and for the sake of your health, not out of fear and divisiveness. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau advised artists to notice the aspects of their work that critics didn't like—and then cultivate those precise aspects. He regarded the disparaged or misconstrued elements as being key to an artist's uniqueness and originality. I'm expanding his suggestion and applying it to all of you Crabs during the next ten months, even if you're not strictly an artist. Watch carefully what your community seems to misunderstand about the new trends you're pursuing, and work hard to ripen them. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1891, a 29-yearold British mother named Constance Garnett decided she would study the Russian language and become a translator. During the next forty years, she produced English translations of 71 Russian literary books, including works by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov. I see 2019 as a Constance Garnett-type year for you, Leo. Any late-blooming potential you might possess could enter a period of rapid maturation. You'll have the power to launch a new phase of development that could animate and motivate you for a long time. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I'll be bold and

straight—some poor motherfuckers are born that way—any more than hetero-romantic bisexuals choose to be heteroromantic bisexuals. You can’t help who you’re attracted to, GITMS, primarily or otherwise, and the contempt of family members can’t change a person’s sexual or romantic orientation. Your sisters should understand that, since they most likely wouldn’t be with women if the contempt of family members had that kind of power. As for describing yourself as a gay man trapped in a woman’s body and your straight male friend describing himself as a lesbian trapped in a man’s body… Unless the two of you are trans—in which case, you could be homos trapped in the wrong bodies—your friend is just another straight guy mortified by the mess straight people (mostly white, mostly men) have made of the world. You’re also mortified by straightness, GITMS, or at least the sexual inequality that often comes bundled with it. But instead of your straight male friend opting out of heterosexuality (which he can’t do) or you framing your attraction to men as a gay thing to get your sisters off your back (which you shouldn’t have to do), your friend should identify as straight (because he is) and you should identify as someone who doesn’t give a shit what her sisters think (because you shouldn’t). If good straight guys and “free sexual women” in opposite-sex relationships don’t identify with heterosexuality

and/or hetero-romantic orientations, GITMS, all the shitty straight people will conclude that they get to define heterosexuality (which they don’t). I’m a gay man in my mid 20s, and I’m getting more serious with a guy I met a few months ago. I was surprised to eventually learn that “Michael” is in his late 30s, since he easily passes for my age. I’m comfortable with the age gap, but I’m struggling with how to present this to my parents. Religious and conservative, they were cordial but distant with the last guy I dated (who was my age). I’m afraid the age gap with my new boyfriend will create even more discomfort for them and that Michael will sense it when he comes along to visit for the holidays. I’m considering lying to my parents if Michael’s age comes up. I’ve challenged my parents’ attitudes for many years—but at this point, I’m willing to trade honesty for the chance to be treated even a little bit more like a “normal couple” at Christmas. Is it selfish to ask Michael for permission to lie about his age? I’m nervous to even share my feelings with him, for fear it will give the impression I’m embarrassed by him. Awkward Gatherings Expected Given Age Peculiarity Tell one lie to make your relationship seem more acceptable to your parents, and you’ll be tempted to tell them more lies—and I don’t know about you, AGEGAP, but not having to lie to mommy and daddy anymore was one of the reasons I came out of the closet. And if you want your parents to

predict that 2019 will be a nurturing chapter in your story; a time when you will feel loved and supported to a greater degree than usual; a phase when you will be more at home in your body and more at peace with your fate. I have chosen an appropriate blessing to bestow upon you, written by the poet Claire Wahmanholm. "On Earth I am held, honeysuckled not just by honeysuckle but by everything—marigolds, bog after bog of small sundews, the cold smell of spruce." LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out." This advice is sometimes attributed to sixteenth-century politician and cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Now I'm offering it to you as one of your important themes in 2019. First, be extremely discerning about what ideas, theories, and opinions you allow to flow into your imagination. Make sure they're based on objective facts and make sure they're good for you. Second, be aggressive about purging old ideas, theories, and opinions from your head, especially if they're outmoded. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Memorize this quote by author Peter Newton and keep it close to your awareness during the coming months: "No remorse. No if-onlys. Just the alertness of being." Here's another useful maxim, this one from author Mignon McLaughlin: "Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference." Shall we make it a lucky three mottoes to live by in 2019? This one's by author A. A. Milne: "You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Until 1920, most American women didn't have the right to vote. For that matter, few had ever been candidates for public office. There were exceptions. In 1866, Elizabeth Cady Stanton

be comfortable with Michael, if you don’t want them to think there’s anything wrong with their son dating an older man, deceiving your parents about Michael’s age is a terrible first move. That says you think there’s something wrong it— and you won’t just be saying that to your parents, AGEGAP, you’ll be saying it to Michael as well. And let’s say things work out with Michael. The lie you told that first Christmas will only serve to make things more awkward after you finally tell them the truth about your boyfriend’s age. And if your parents are like other mildly or wildly homophobic parents, i.e., if they’re inclined to regard the man who sodomizes their son as a negative influence in his life, they may not believe the lie was your idea. They’ll think this creepily youthful older man—this man who showed up in their home wearing a suit made out of the skins of younger gay men— encouraged their son to lie to them so they wouldn’t object to the relationship in the early stages, when their objections might have had the ability to derail it. Finally, AGEGAP, if your older boyfriend is concerned you may be too immature for him—not all young people are immature and not all immature people are young, but this shit does correlate—telling him you’re still in the lieto-mommy-and-daddy stage might prompt him to end this relationship. On the Lovecast: RealDoll brothels?! Listen at savagelovecast.com.

was the first to seek a seat in Congress. In 1875, Victoria Woodhull ran for president. Susanna Salter became the first woman mayor in 1887. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Sagittarius, 2019 will be a StantonWoodhull-Salter type of year for you. You're likely to be ahead of your time and primed to innovate. You'll have the courage and resourcefulness necessary to try seemingly unlikely and unprecedented feats. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Studies show that the best possible solution to the problem of homelessness is to provide cheap or free living spaces for the homeless. Not only is it the most effective way of helping the people involved; in the long run, it's also the least expensive. Is there a comparable problem in your personal life? A chronic difficulty that you keep putting band-aids on but that never gets much better? I'm happy to inform you that 2019 will be a favorable time to dig down to find deeper, more fundamental solutions. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Many people in Iceland write poems, but only a few publish them. There's even a term for those who put their creations away in a drawer rather than seeking an audience: skúffuskáld, literally translated as "drawer-poet." Is there a comparable phenomenon in your life, Aquarius? Do you produce some good thing but never share it? If so, 2019 will be the year you might want to change your mind about it. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Scientists at Goldsmiths University in London did a study to determine the catchiest pop song ever recorded. After extensive research, they decided that Queen's "We Are the Champions" is the song that more people love to sing than any other. This triumphant tune happens to be your theme song in 2019. It should help you build on the natural confidence-building influences that will be streaming into your life.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 (Dena’ina Center, 600 W 7th Avenue) DIARY OF A WORM, A SPIDER, AND A FLY CTC’s annual Family Holiday Musical for children and families - a musical adventure through a bug’s life! Is Spider getting too big for his own skin? Will Fly find her superhero powers in time to save her Aunt Rita from peril? Will Worm learn to stand on his own two feet…even though he doesn’t have feet? Cyrano’s invites you to take a look at the world from a bug’s perspective. Perhaps you’ll see that their lives are not all that different from yours. This heartwarming musical captures all the droll humor and whimsy of the wildly popular books. Production is sponsored by ConocoPhillips. The performance is at 12:30pm and tickets are available at CenterTix.com. (Cyrano’s, 3800 Debarr Road) ANCHORAGE CIVIC ORCHESTRA FAMILY HOLIDAY CONCERT Anchorage Civic Orchestra Family Holiday Concert with special guests from the Kenai Peninsula Singers and Redoubt Chamber Orchestra. The event starts at 4:00pm and tickets are available at CenterTix. com. (Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, 621 W 6th Avenue)

ANSWERS TO SUDOKU

MEDIUM BUILD'S SECOND BIRTHDAY SHOW If you couldn’t make it to La Potato’s opening weekend to see the boys, have no fear, Medium Build is coming back to the La Potato stage to celebrate their second birthday! The event is 21+ and doors open at 7, but feel free to go earlier and enjoy some dinner before the show. (La Potato, 3300 Spenard Road) SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16 2018 SOLSTICE TREE TOUR This is a celebration of Winter Solstice, festive holiday trees and healthy outdoor fun for all ages (as well as skiers and non-skiers) and is an Anchorage winter tradition! The Solstice Tree Tour showcases Kincaid’s winter magic while bringing the community together to celebrate and showcase Anchorage’s trails! Event entry is free and offers a rare opportunity for people to take a winter walk or snowshoe on the ski-only Mize Loop – though skiing is encouraged! More than 30 trees have already been sponsored and will be decorated by local businesses for this year’s event. Free hot drinks for kids, holiday cheer for adults and traditional s’mores will be served as families and individuals travel the 2.5-kilometer Mize Loop. Warming barrels will be provided to help tree viewers stay comfortable. The loop concludes with a friendly competition among tree

sponsors: event attendees voting on the top tree. Ski demos will also be available for beginners. Carpooling or biking to the event is encouraged since there will be limited parking. The fun begins at 4pm. (Kincaid Park’s Mize Loop, 9401 Raspberry Road) INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX WORKERS Join ACAL in standing against violence against sex workers and memorializing sex workers who were murdered this year, including Anchorage's Cheri Ingram. The event will feature a memorial as well as performances by Burly Q Performers. $10 suggested donation and the event begins at 4pm with performances at 6pm. (ACAL, 233 E 5th Avenue) ANCHORAGE CONCERT CHORUS - FAMILY HOLIDAY POPS Join the Concert Chorus for a perfect winter afternoon with Alaska’s largest auditioned chorus! This upbeat concert will feature some of your favorites including: The Pentatonix version of “Mary Did You Know?” and a gospel version of “There’s No Place Like Home for The Holidays”. Tickets are $32.50 at CenterTix.com and the music starts at 4pm. (Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, 621 W 6th Avenue) For a full list of events, visit us online at AnchoragePress.com/ Calendar.

CROSS WORD & SUDOKU

GOP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 vacancy and then elected for his own term in November, he will be under pressure by constituents to seek committee assignments that have influence, which means he must align with those in power. Among Republican house members there are a number of moderate Republicans from urban areas, particularly Anchorage, who might join with moderate Democrats in an organization, essentially outflanking conservatives like Eastman among Republicans and the liberal wing among House Democrats. What would emerge would be a centristorganization that would be moderately prodevelopment on economic issues but also somewhat protective of social programs and education. Meanwhile, the state Senate’s organization is not without its tension, although the 20-member upper chamber of the Legislature is traditionally more collegial. It is also typically led by experienced lawmakers, no matter what party dominates, and most internal Senate negotiations are behind-thescenes. Republicans, holding 13 seats, are clearly in charge in the Senate with Democrats a clear minority, holding only 7 seats. Anchorage Republican Sen. Cathy Giessel is Senate president with the influential Finance committee to be run by two cochairs, Republican Bert Stedman of Sitka and Natasha Von Imhof of Anchorage. Giessel is a conservative by philosophy but has demonstrated an ability to work across the-aisle with Democrats on key, even controversial issues, particularly in health care. But rural Democrats have typically joined

with Republican-led majorities in the Senate, and Bethel’s Democratic Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a long-serving legislator, has traditionally sat on the Senate Finance Committee as a majority member. At first, following the November election, there was a concerted effort by conservative senators including MatSu’s Mike Shower and Eagle River’s Lora Rienbold, to ensure no Democrats were included in the Senate Republican-led majority. They lost that battle, so that Hoffman was once again allowed in and even named once more to the Finance Committee. The Finance committee was also enlarged from seven to nine members so that it now would include almost half the 20-member senate. There are factions within the Senate Republican Majority with the divisions mainly between conservative and moderate Republican senator and those from larger communities, like Anchorage and MatSu, and smaller communities, particularly coastal districts. Stedman for example, represents a Southeast Alaska coastal district and is a veteran legislator who, while conservative, sometimes charts a course that is independent of Republicans from larger communities, like Anchorage, particularly on natural resource issues. Sen. Gary Stevens, of Kodiak, also represents a coastal constituency and has long been involved in education. In the past he has often disagreed with urban Republican senators over budget cuts to schools and in 2019 he might spar with Gov. Mike Dunleavy if the governor champions a proposal to amend the state constitution to allow state funds to go to religious schools, an idea Dunleavy put forward when he was in the state senate.

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S CROSSWORD

EVENTS

December 13 - December 19, 2018

THE SLEUTH DISCOVERS ART IN ASIA—PART II SLEUTHING ART

BY JEAN BUNDY

n late November I flew to the AICA-International (art critics) conference in Taipei to read my paper, ‘Arctic Environmental Challenges through Virtuality’. In between sessions, I toured several Taiwan art museums. Traveling back to Anchorage, I stopped in Tokyo to take advantage of their major art venues. Of Note: this past week has been very stressful to Anchorage and vicinity as incessant aftershocks, especially at 3am, deprive citizens of sleep. I get it! I hope that this short romp through Asian art provides some diversion, both informative and at times funny. Asian art was something my art history classes ignored. It was always the last chapter in textbooks, and never assigned. However, art lovers have traveled for centuries to the Orient, absorbing/adopting techniques of the ‘other’. Flat shapes and storytelling seen as scroll-landscapes influenced Impressionists from Claude Monet to Mary Cassatt. Japonisme became a decorating style in late nineteenth century Western culture. Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Mikado’ satirizes Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868), a time of hierarchical order but also the flowering of much culture. The Taipei National Palace Museum houses art relocated from mainland China, 1949. This museum with its iconic upsweeping tiled roof has

adopted ‘exiting the gift shop’, selling academic books with tourist schlock. I watched school children in British uniforms: plaid kilts, navy blazers, ushered through exhibits, more interested in playing with their iPhones. Although Mainland Chinese now frequently visit ‘The Palace’ curious to see what was taken from the mainland, a jade rock fused with a brown rock resembling a slab of bacon was all the rage and had to be viewed after waiting in a long line. The Palace restaurant’s ‘set menu’ offered soup, rice and a compartmentalized tray of various fried and marinated fish, pork and veggies--Häagan Daz ice cream was everywhere in Taiwan. Some Palace highlights: a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Jade bok choy cabbage complete with katydid and locust was once a gift to an emperor symbolizing the purity of his bride-tobe and her future breeding potential. A Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) white porcelain bowl with blue flowers was identical in shape to a Paul Revere bowl. He is credited with this iconic design made in silver: a round bowl with bent rim and small cascading base, often given as a prize. With all the China trade to New England in the late eighteenth century, maybe Revere appropriated this design? An exhibition: ‘Pure Offerings of a Myriad of Plants’, presented ink and pigment drawings from 960-1875, vibrant as ever. Monitors showed bright copies of the genuine imagery which had to be viewed in semi-darkness. Interest in floral arranging leading to painting specimens began as offerings to Buddha and expanded to becoming a

Qing Dynasty, Jade Cabbage cultivation of the mind. Much of the works shown demonstrate an understanding of color--greens vibrating against reds, oranges against blues, etc. Many European artists didn’t get this concept until Isaac Newton (16431727) wrote about ‘complementary colors’. Who knows if his scientific discoveries penetrated Asia, or Asians were more astute earlier? Like many pursuits, a passion for flowers was an elite occupation along with burning incense, drinking tea, and hanging paintings, that eventually expanded into the middle classes. I caught the Taipei Biennial 2018, curators: Mali Wu and Francesco Manacorda, at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. The exhibition: ‘Post Nature, A Museum as an Ecosystem’, demonstrated that using art venues to

Art by Hsieh Chun-Te, Museum of the Taipei National University of Education portray water shortages, erosion, pollution, and social injustice is becoming popular worldwide. OK: here’s the problem. Fine art museums are not designed for aesthetic science projects, at least not yet. Genuine science

museums have figured out how to engage the public by minimizing wall verbiage, varying sizes of diagrams, inserting original art, looping videos, CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

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Fresh Bread Gift Baskets You can also follow my adventure along the way at my HarpDaddy & The BackCountry Mojo Facebook page. The Carousel Lounge is graciously supporting my fundraising efforts for this trip by hosting a HarpDaddy Blastoff on Friday, Dec 14 featuring a rocking set with HarpDaddy & Unknowns, along with a set with BackCountry Mojo alum, followed by a jam with some very special guests. But next week please tune in to my follow-up article, Give Me One Reason to Stay Here & I’ll Turn Right Back Around, where I discuss some of the challenges within the local live music scene with Katt Moore, The Anchorage Downtown Partnership and Anchorage Assembly member Matt Claman.

SLEUTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

and providing abundant seating. This Biennial displayed futuristic housing models, packing crates turned into stair treads, and a walk-in plant terrarium—all good, but the show lacked cohesion, too small for the massive square footage. One Biennial exhibit: ‘On the Deep Wealth of this Nation, Scotland 2018’ by Helen and Newton Harrison, imagines Scotland becoming the first entirely self-sufficient nation. While this initially sounds ‘nationalistic’, closer scrutiny revealed they imagine redistributing Scotland’s abundance of water, not only to end in-house droughts, but to acquire surplus for trade. While this is a noble cause, the half dozen wall posters exhibited had all too small photographs, and many paragraphs of way too small print. Another exhibit: ‘Scratching Post, 2018’ by Alexey Buldakov turned discarded buoys into cat faces, situated on cardboard shelving, that stray cats might use. This piece becomes a metaphor for Houtong, Taiwan, where the coal industry declined in the seventies. People left, abandoning cats. Today Houtong has become a tourist destination, featuring its protected cats, thanks to Peggy Chien who in 2008 used social media to alert people to the feline problem. Another exhibit was a looping video, ‘Rubber Man, 2014’ by Khvay Samnang who appears as a naked Cambodian

Gardens of Tokyo National Museum drenched in liquid rubber sap. He alludes to changes in indigenous culture as agribusiness takes over Native farming with indifference to wildlife and ancestral spirits. Over at the National Taiwan University of Education, the photography exhibition ‘Parallel Universe of Hsieh Chun-Te’ visualized themes about the inner spirit reacting with the outer world, superimposing people and objects upon wild country. Although show themes seemed gossamer, a clown-like androgynous human reflected in a mirror feels like it merges modern and ancient Asian heritages--not always the case. On the way back to Anchorage, I spent three days in Tokyo tromping through three museums. At the National Museum of Modern Art the show, ‘Awakenings, Art in Society in Asia 1960s-1990s’ seemed lackluster resembling imitations of the Mexican Muralists and Depression/WPA projects. One striking piece, from the National Gallery Singapore, was Jim Supangkat’s

December 13 - December 19, 2018

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‘Ken Dedes, a half Buddha/half female figure who wears tight jeans that expose her vagina. This ‘sacred and sensational’ sculpture reminded me of Robert Arneson (1930-1992) who is associated with politicizing classical columns, particularly the San Francisco, Harvey Milk shootings. In spite of Asia’s rich aesthetic heritage, I continued to see a strong fascination with their ‘other’, especially in Tokyo with its National Museum of Western Art. While the permanent collection of Western art looked like what New York’s Metropolitan and Paris’ Louvre have deaccessioned, their fall showing of ‘Rubens and the Birth of the Baroque’ was one of the best exhibitions I’d observed in 2018. Although known as the Flemish master, Rubens (1577-1640) spent 1600-1608 in Italy painting Biblical/classical allegorical themes while absorbing the literary and philosophical culture, and Titian’s coloration. Amusingly, Tokyo’s National Museum was showing Duchamp works from the

Philadelphia Museum of Art. But Westerners were gravitating to the art from the Edo Period (1603-1868) which depicted beauty adjacent to creepy, along with flowers, the moon , bridges and of course Mt. Fuji motifs. Also popular, Kabuki actors and Sumo wrestlers fetched up on prints like today’s rock stars and athletes. European Impressionism is clearly indebted to Edo. In conclusion, Asian museums were hyper-clean with an abundance of assistance and lots of lockers for stowing gear. I did find the militaryuniformed Tokyo guards, who placed their personal possessions in baskets underneath assigned chairs, a bit bossy/daunting. This basket idea fetched up in Tokyo museum cafes, under each table for umbrellas and bags to be stowed while eating a ‘set meal’— with soup, rice, and white Jello-esque pudding. Chinese flower paintings pushed Realism, while Japanese flower prints take viewers to an almost cartoonish space. The Edo Period lives on in Anime and advertising as seen with Japan’s Toto toilet ads bragging about their variety of flushes and sprays. While waiting to board my JAL flight back to Los Angeles, passengers of all nationalities giggled at a video of cartoon figures, bare bottomed on potties. Universally ‘needing to go’ is perhaps the best way to demonstrate Globalism is inevitable. Jean Bundy AICA-USA is a writer/painter living in Anchorage. Email 38144@alaska.net

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from that place.” Do I ever understand where she is coming from. I feel confident the universe will figure all that out as Melissa digs her toes into the warm Hawaiian sand. I eagerly look forward to the results. The good news is that Melissa intends to return to Alaska to tour for at least a month next summer and “then have them (Hope Social bandmates) come over in the fall or maybe we meet up and do a tour,” she said. “That’s really been our goal all along — be less of a touring weekend band and more of a band that goes and plays places that we can water the seeds that we have planted” Your last chance to catch Melissa and Hope Social Club before she heads out is at The Sitzmark this New Year’s Eve. Another perspective that I wanted to gain was that from a young musician that is ready to pursue their passion and emerge as an artist. As leader of HarpDaddy & The Puddle Jumpers, a youth band that I founded to create stage and mentoring opportunities for our local youth talent, I had the pleasure of working with jazz keyboardist, Alex Parsons. I say jazz, because that is how i got to know Alex, watching him playfully finger complex jazz standards at the Organic Oasis with seasoned musicians three times his senior. but It became quickly apparent that a very talented punk rocker burns within. Alex comes from a supportive family of artists and I’m intrigued as to what he wanted out of his travel experience, so I touched base with him, now 21, to see what motivates him and what he is seeking. He laid it down to me maturely, like

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this: “basically I can break it down to three reasons: I want to network with musicians to expand my opportunities in the music business. Secondly, this country is rich with musical history —Chicago, New York, New Orleans — I want to experience these cultural landmarks. And lastly, I really want to get a different perspective on life and figure out what I REALLY want out of my musical career.” Interesting times. Alex has been in the Pacific Northwest for about a month now and social media offers me a glimpse into his journey. He posts that he was able to see his favorite band, Underoath, play at the Showbox in Seattle. He jams with friends, has life experiences. I ask him what has made the most impact so far along the road. He tells me, “the trip is really motivating me to work hard at what I do… I’ve also become more grateful of what I already have in life — a home to come back to, music, friends… it’s all a blessing.” So, I too, will soon leave on my own blues and rockabilly roots adventure as I travel across the southern United States to visit friends, fellow musicians, famous venues, old theatres, and hopefully a warm beach or two. I have specific things that I hope to learn, but I am most excited about the unseen, the unplanned. I’m also equally eager to bring back to Alaska a higher level of musicianship and performance to share with my friends and fellow musicians. Along with some spicy stories of my adventure to share.

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