Elise Sereni Patkotak

So Randy Beaver’s dad Vincent is suing the state over his son’s death. He apparently feels they were negligent when they placed him in foster care with a young female relative.

According to the report in Alaska Dispatch, Randy and his four siblings lived with a variety of relatives in multiple communities but at no point do they seem to have been living with either their mother or father. So one must ask, where were mom and dad and what were they doing that was more important than raising their children in a safe and sober home? 

A quick check

All those commercials running on TV now claiming that this country can’t afford health care for its residents and begging people to call their senators and stop racking up gabillions in debt never mention that the three wars we are fighting are also putting us into debt. Not only that, but most of the money we have spent on “reconstructing” Iraq after choosing to destroy it for no valid reason in a war of choice is simply missing… unaccounted for or in projects that fall down as the last nail is hammered in. But no one seems to think it

This is a note I received after my Wednesday column in the Anchorage Daily News. This is what I’m talking about when I speak about the holiday spirit year round.

Ms. Patkotak, I thoroughly enjoyed your article on “Spreading Goodwill..” and shared it with my staff. In the true spirit of Christmas this year as well, we are excited to help those who are in need by offering a Free Dental Clinic to those who are in pain and discomfort and can’t afford their dental emergency because they are out of work and have no Dental Benefits. Being a service

I love Bing Crosby on a lot of levels. I would love him even more if I didn’t have to listen to him incessantly singing about a White Christmas starting about Nov. 1 of each year. 

Am I really the only one for whom the constant Christmas music is starting just a little too early each year to be as special as it should be? Is there no creativity left in radio programming so that the only response they have to filling air time is playing Wayne Newton watching mommy kissing Santa Claus starting way too soon after Labor Day?

Well, it’s apparently official. Our gal Temporary Sal will be returning to the place where it all began to do a book signing at Elmendorf. And no, don’t bother getting all gussied up. It’s closed to the general public.  Yep, when Temporary Sal waves goodbye to us common folk, she really means goodbye.

But since I believe that in her heart she’s still just that little belle from Wasilla who stole our hearts and trust a scant few years ago, I also believe that she is probably still at least vaguely interested in what’s been happening in Alaska since she’s

I bought a box of Q-tips from Costco when I first moved to Anchorage ten years ago. Then I forgot that I did that and bought another box of Q-tips from Costco. Let there be no doubt in your mind that two boxes of Q-tips from Costco equate to more Q-tips than most families will use in a lifetime.

It occurs to me that when I die, the most valuable thing I will leave to my heirs is my stash of Q-tips. Please don’t fight over them. There’s more than enough to go around.

In case there is any doubt in anyone’s mind, I don’t have the faintest idea how to move the poster to the other side of the page. Sorry about that.