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Sears Roebuck catalogue days

by Peter Twitchell There are countless humorous stories from the early days. One story involves the Sears Roebuck catalog. Here is as I heard it. I was told by an Elder on the southwest coast […]

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Loving memories

by Peter Twitchell My first cousin Mary Evon told me when I was a teenager that all my cousins were my brothers and sisters. I began looking at Mary as a leader, an Elder who […]

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Things to Tell Your Husband

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: I’ve been married several years, and there have been some pretty serious ups and downs in our relationship. Growing up, I always heard my mother say that you never build […]

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The great voices of radio past

by Peter Twitchell Through the years since May 1971 KYUK has had great announcers – people like Levi Lott. He was one of the first announcers, he was from Tuluksak knowing the traditional language of […]

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Live in the present

by Peter Twitchell I try my best to live in the present, in the moment because that’s all I have in my life – this moment to breathe fresh air, to feel the sun’s warmth on […]

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The Golden Years

by Peter Twitchell Life gets interesting as I age. First, I’ll admit time flew by from my youth to my retirement age. I have to admit again that it seems like it’s slowed down to […]

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Calling All Tin Foil Heads

by Tad Lindley Did you know that Jesus was tempted to use painkillers? No, nobody came up to him with a sheet of tinfoil, a lighter, a hit of Oxycontin, and a ballpoint pen casing, […]

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Remembering 9/11

by Peter Twitchell It just dawned on me on this day 9/11/2001 between 9:30 and 10 o’clock I was camped across from the Aniak gravel bar watching two American jet fighters behind the Korean Airlines […]

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A Better Seat on the Titanic

by Tad Lindley When the ocean liner Titanic left Queenstown, Ireland, she had about 2,224 souls aboard. Some were crew members (176 crew men did nothing, but keep shoveling coal 24 hours a day to […]

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Never again to be seen

by Peter Twitchell When I was a boy about 13 my mom made a profound statement that I never forgot. As a matter of fact, she brought this up twice to me into my teens […]

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It’s time to grow up

by Peter Twitchell Each one of us are given gifts that help us to grow in the body of Christ. In Ephesians 4:16 Christ Jesus is the head of the church. As followers of Christ […]

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We live on through our music

by Peter Twitchell I returned to Bethel over the last couple days to clear out my Bethel storage. It didn’t make any sense to live in the Matanuska Valley and have storage in Bethel. It […]

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Where Does Psychology Come From?

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: Where does the study of psychology come from? Answer: The earliest origins of psychology are in the writings of the ancient Greek philosophers, particularly Aristotle. They wrote about the nature […]

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Boreal Owl Takvialnguaraq

by Frank Keim The Boreal owl is just about the tamest large bird in Alaska. Many years ago near Scammon Bay I skied so close to one I could probably have put my hands around […]

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Some things don’t make sense

by Peter Twitchell I didn’t want to watch the news after the multiple shootings and needless mass killings across our country in the last three years, it’s been a really sad state of our country now […]

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Cauga?

by Tad Lindley Imagine living to be 100 years old. Now think about all the food you would eat over that 100 years. Gather it all up in your mind. It would be numbers of […]

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LUV Talk

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: My husband and I love each other, but it seems that he never wants to deal with the issues that cause the problems in our marriage. Instead, he is likely […]

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The choice is yours

by Peter Twitchell I can share that I have been in church gatherings since infancy. Mom always bundled me up and brought me to worship services in church for the family of God gatherings, to […]

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Hope Lives Next Door to Defeat

by Tad Lindley All these years I never noticed Romans 12:12. It starts with the words, Rejoicing in hope… I’ve always just skated right by and thought, “Yeah, I’m down with that, ‘rejoicing’ is a […]

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Yup’ik word origins

by Peter Twitchell I had no clue that some Yup’ik words had their origins from the Natives from Russia. Words like milk (mulukuuq), miiskaq (large bowl for making Eskimo Ice Cream or, “Akutaq”), tengmiaq (goose), […]

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Token Economy

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: I have four children, ages 4, 5, 7, and 8. When they were babies, they were so sweet and cuddly, but now that they are older, I am pulling my […]

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Blue-slipped By Jesus

by Tad Lindley The Blue Slip Explained Many of us in Bethel live in houses with a water tank and a sewer tank. At my house, every two weeks the sewer truck comes and pumps […]

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Carrying on the torch

by Peter Twitchell All our Elders are going home, now we are the Elders. Yes – baby boomers. It was wonderful to grow up from kids to adults being fed a daily diet of words […]

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Protection of private property

by Peter Twitchell This is Peter Twitchell, lifelong citizen of Bethel. My family settled and lived in Bethel Alaska since time immemorial. I for one, although I live far from the city limits of Bethel, […]

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Parenting Issues

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: What are some of the most common parenting issues you have seen in your practice? Answer: Probably the most common parenting issue that I see is one parent sabotaging the […]

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Our sacred land

by Peter Twitchell Who is teaching our kids about our sacred Tundra land, air, and sea? We the people are the stewards of this land to take care of it as we would an infant […]

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Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi

by Frank Keim Although I’ve never seen an Olive-sided flycatcher in the YK Delta, I have been assured they nest there – probably more in the semi-open boreal coniferous forests with bogs and muskeg in […]

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Sexual Addiction, Perception or Fact

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: I recently married, and I know my husband is cheating and it’s with multiple women not just one. He holds me when we sleep, sometimes we hold each other while […]

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When Joseph Got Psycho With Them Part 2

by Tad Lindley Last week we left Joseph (still undercover and speaking through an interpreter) and his 11 brothers having a feast. If you have not read last week’s column, please go back and read […]

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School years of old

by Peter Twitchell I want to write a little story about village of Akiak in 1962. When I was 11 years old in ‘61 dad David Adams Twitchell took me up to the village of […]

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Guardianship

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: My mother is quite elderly, and I am concerned that she may be in need of a guardian. I recently found that there are a number of bills that have […]

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Believe it or not

by Peter Twitchell There was an interesting question posed to two contestants on the Family Feud show today. Host Steve Harvey asked each member of the family this question: “What makes you suspect that your […]

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The best gift

by Peter Twitchell When I was growing up across the river from Bethel it was also our fish campsite where mom and dad made the best fish salmon slabs and strips. The fish was always […]

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Remodeling Your Living Room Part I

by Tad Lindley If you have an average American living room in your house, it’s time to remodel. I’m talking about a living room that has a couch and some chairs and perhaps other furniture. […]

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Teaching  Children to be Respectful

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: Can you give me tips on how to teach children to be respectful? Frequently, children take their cues from their parents. If they are around respectful parents they learn respect; […]

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We can’t give away what we don’t have

by Peter Twitchell I heard someone make the statement that “alcohol does not let people get violent.” I myself would never make such a statement. I couldn’t because I believe alcohol fuels our negative emotions […]

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Marriage vs. Cohabitating

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: I’m preparing to graduate from high school. I’ve had some dates, but I have never been sexually active. I made a choice not to become sexually involved with any of […]

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Live and learn

by Peter Twitchell Live and learn! Until today I didn’t know plants needed food! Growing up I never gave this a second thought! I guess I never looked deep enough into the soil so to […]

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Innocent lives

by Peter Twitchell I am amazed about talk shows on TV, especially since the pandemic started in 2020. Many of them are of a personal nature, such as people who don’t have an idea whose […]

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How to Talk to Your Spouse

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: There are some pretty serious issues that I need to talk to my spouse about, but I have not been able to get up the courage to do so. Do […]

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The kindness of strangers

by Peter Twitchell Recently I was at a grocery chain store here in Wasilla. Upon checking out I searched my pockets, my card clasp, and my wallet for the discount card. My total purchases were […]

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Except You Accept the Exception

by Tad Lindley Perhaps you have seen the following sign in a restaurant or grocery somewhere in your travels: No Shirt. No Shoes. No Service. No exceptions! It makes it hard for folks on a […]

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When to Get Marriage Counseling

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: How does one know when a marriage has reached the point that it could benefit from counseling? In all honesty, most marriages could benefit from counseling, and it’s not necessary […]

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A better year

by Peter Twitchell I learn something new every day and that’s a good thing and the fact is that we all do. How has it been all these many years that I thought Merrill Field […]

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Easter Sunday

by Peter A. Twitchell I was brought up from a baby in the 1950s. Already, our Yupiaq people like my Grandma Hannah Pitka, my Mom Sarah, her sister Annie Nansen, Mary Kohl, and Mollia Woods […]

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The Struggle to Fall Asleep

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: I love to sleep, once I fall asleep, but I struggle to fall asleep, so sometimes I dread getting into bed, knowing I am going to have a hard time […]

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Good advice will be remembered

by Peter Twitchell I would like to talk about growing up in Bethel, Alaska and one man in particular. That was our tribal chief Edward Hoffman who never neglected us boys. The moment we ran […]

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Man Brushes Teeth for 24 Hours Straight!

by Tad Lindley Are you brushing your teeth enough? According to online recommendations from the American Dental Association, we should all be brushing our teeth twice a day for two minutes per brushing. That’s a […]

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Single parents deserve our thanks

by Peter Twitchell I believe single mothers and fathers deserve recognition because they are so strong for whatever reason. There are men and women both who have children in their custody and they choose to […]

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Don’t Make Me Count to 491

by Tad Lindley It wasn’t how my mom ran discipline, but I have seen many parents use the, “I’m going to count to…”-method of child management. For instance, “I’m going to count to 10, and […]

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Godspeed, Congressman Young

by Peter Twitchell So long to Alaska’s Representative and friend, Don Young. I’ve always felt he was our representative and friend in Congress for fighting for the best interests of Alaskans and his State. I […]

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Disagreements Over Discipline

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: My wife often scolds me for not disciplining the children when they misbehave, but when I do try to discipline them, she attacks me for being too harsh. I find […]

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Memories of Berry Camp

by Peter Twitchell Mom, Dad, and Grandma Hannah had a favorite salmonberry picking spot back in the 1950s when I was growing up. The area sits below Tuntutuliak on the Kuskokwim right side of the […]

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Pronoun Fails File #37: I vs. We

by Tad Lindley This one was not even on my radar until I saw a random post about baptism on Facebook. The post was something about somebody baptizing using the word “we” instead of the […]

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Quitting Tobacco

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: We are in a financial bind. We can’t pay our rent, yet my husband smokes a pack of cigarettes each day. I know we are on the verge of being […]

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Healthcare today

by Peter Twitchell I had my post-op for my hernia surgery today February 24, 2022 at the Alaska Native Medical Center hospital. I ran into an old friend who asked me how I’ve been. I […]

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Basketball Part II: Fouled Out

by Tad Lindley I grew up playing a variation on basketball called “33”. Thirty-three is sort of like tackle basketball. The only rules are no double dribbling, and no traveling. It was every player for […]

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How to End an Argument

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: Please give me some tips on how to stop arguing with my wife. It seems that she is ready to fight at the drop of the hat, and so am […]

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Man’s best friend

by Peter Twitchell I remember the days of the Fur Rondy Festival weekend sled dog races in Anchorage back in the 50s when there were many local mushers and names of familiar people from rural […]

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A fixture of our past

by Peter Twitchell The “Outhouse” is a thing of the past but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a boy growing up 3 miles on the other side of the Kuskokwim River […]

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Feeling Rejected

by Dr. Lorin Bradbury Question: I have bipolar disorder and am currently in a serious depressed state. I try to avoid arguments with my spouse because I know my thinking is skewed. She accuses me […]

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I wouldn’t wish this on anyone

by Peter Twitchell Webster’s dictionary defines a hernia as a protrusion of an organ or part (such as the intestine) through connective tissue or through a wall of the cavity (as of the abdomen) in […]

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Reflections on life

by Peter Twitchell The year 2020 to 2022 has been like an eye-opener to me. It made me look at our behaviors as Humanity a lot closer and gave me more focus on us as […]

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White-tailed Ptarmigan Taqikataq

by Frank Keim Although I’ve never seen White-tailed ptarmigan in the YK Delta, I’ve observed them many times in the Alaska Range. In winter, these perfectly white birds are hard to distinguish from Willow ptarmigan, […]

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A Miracle in 1983

by Peter Twitchell What I experienced back in 1983 is a Miracle. There is no other way I can explain it. Early in 1983 mysteriously the palms of my hands and the soles of my […]