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Personalities Feed

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 →


Don’t use, give away, or sell your Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play infant sleeper because they’ve been recalled due to infant deaths

About 100 infants have died in Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play infant sleepers. And, unfortunately, kids are continuing to die because the deadly sleepers are still being used and sold second hand. The CPSC is upset with Mattel and Meta for not doing enough to keep the dangerous infant sleepers away from consumers. Read more →


Academy Award nominations movies shown in 2022 focus on trauma and violence, with the return of sexism

Movies continue to be one of the most popular past times in the United States. Joseph Campbell called them the great American dream machine. However, in my opinion, movies fall short because they focus so much on violence. For many years, I’ve written about how violence in the media is harmful to children. Read more →


Presidents’ Day: A celebration of democracy, a day off, or shopping?

Presidents’ Day sort of sneaked up on me this year. At times in the past, I’ve written about Presidents’ Day as a time to appreciate our democracy and celebrate the many freedoms we have as a result. As thoughts of democracy come to mind, the war in Ukraine looms large. Read more →


Sign up for my free newsletter and get money saving tips every week

It’s fun to write my weekly newsletter, Helpful Money Tips for You. It’s free and when you sign up, you’ll get lot of tips to help you with saving money, budgeting, and learning about the latest financial news. Below is the latest copy of my newsletter. As you can see, it has ideas for saving money for Valentine’s Day, on streaming services, and by using appliances more wisely. Read more →


Looking at the past and the future as we move forward in 2023

I don’t know about you, but 2022 went by so fast for me. After four years, I was finally able to get the first draft of the book about my journalism career done, but the printed copy is still elusive. I’m not a person who makes resolutions, but I’ve written about why people make them and how well they work or don’t work. Read more →


Biden administration takes action on ‘junk fees’ to help financially stressed consumers

For years, I’ve suggested that consumers consider banking with a credit union rather than a bank. Why? Consumers often can’t trust banks not to gouge them with high interest rates and fees. It was great to listen to President Biden speak on the radio and on television about the action his administration is taking on “junk fees.” Read more →


Should you buy an I Bond before the Oct. 28 deadline?

Michelle Singletary, financial writer for The Washington Post, has been recommending buying Series I Bonds for months now. Singletary says for investors with money to spare and who are looking for safety, inflation has been good for Series I Bonds, which the Treasury Department announced will be paying 9.62 percent until the end of October. Read more →


FDA’s proposal to use a ‘healthy’ symbol on package food has value, but more needs to be done

I’m fortunate that my first college degree included classes in nutrition. I learned the value of eating fruits and vegetables for health and avoiding junk food. However, the recent debate on low-carb or a vegetarian diet, and dozens of spinoffs, has added confusion for the American public, and even me. Read more →