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May 2023

Facts and Figures for Mother’s Day 2023

Although Mother’s Day is highly commercialized, I like remembering my mom on this special day and I enjoy visiting with my daughters over WhatsApp. Maybe next year, I’ll be able to travel to Spain again in May. Since my birthday is May 4 and my daughter’s is May 23, we have so much fun celebrating our birthdays plus Mother’s Day in May in Spain. Read more →


Is the pandemic really over?

No. What ended on Thursday was the covid health emergency on public health and safety measures in the United States. In addition, the World Health Organization recently ended the covid related global health emergency. The U.S. ended the covid health emergency because Republicans would no longer support funding for it. Read more →


Which cities have the most and least student debt this year?

Graduations are coming up and many parents and students are thinking about student debt, which totals $1.63 trillion in the United States. That's about $37,600 per borrower. In the short term, students are not overly optimistic about their financial situation, as 88 percent are concerned about the economy and 80 percent are worried about inflation, Read more →


Two student loan debt relief scammers shut down

Paying off student loans is a big job, especially since it usually takes most people years to achieve it. Consumers need to beware of debt relief companies that promise quick loan forgiveness. Scammers claim they’ll help you, for a fee, but their schemes often leave you deeper in debt. The FTC has stopped two student loan debt relief schemes. Read more →


What to do when ‘May the Fourth be with you’ is your birthday

Today’s my birthday. Yes, I do get a lot of “May the Fourth be with you” comments. I just shrug it off that my birthday, to some, is an unofficial Star Wars holiday. Since I’m an older adult, I’m thinking a lot today about friends and relatives that I’ve celebrated birthdays with in the past who are gone. My favorite birthdays? Read more →


More than 2 million sledgehammers are being recalled due to the head detaching

This recall is so large, it even made one of the national news programs recently. Stanley Black & Decker is recalling about 2.2 million DeWALT, Stanley and Craftsman fiberglass sledgehammers in the United States and an addition 53,000 in Canada. The sledgehammer head can loosen and detach unexpectedly during use. Read more →


It’s May Day and International Labor Day

Spring is my favorite time of year, and on May Day, when I was a kid, we used to make paper baskets, put flowers in them, and hang them on door knobs. Then we’d ring the bell and run away. One time, I took part in a maypole dance. It was magical. Many countries around the world celebrate International Labor Day on May 1. Read more →


My interview with Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of ‘When Bad Things Happen to Good People’

When I worked at The Anchorage Times during the 1980s, I was fortunate to get my dream job writing a consumer action column. However, along with the job as columnist, I also had to be the religion editor. It meant that every week, I had to write a big feature article on religion along with compiling the Church Circuit. Read more →