Mary Ann Sundown

Ms Sundown is almost a nonagenarian. More importantly, as a highly accomplished dancer and creator she has certainly brought a liveliness and attention to modern traditional dance in our region. [see previous post on Eskimo dancing

• How singing unlocks the brain -
  http://theelderlies.wordpress.com/2005/11/21/singing-unlocks-the-brain/

Yupik’ elder Mary Ann Sundown, 87, of Scammon Bay made a quest appearance with Upallret Dancers from Bethel during Quyana Alaska presented by the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention at the Egan Center on Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Read the entire story at

• http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/afn/story/8348845p-8243555c.html

2008-04-06
Ms Sundown danced at Cama’i this year.

• See photo at http://www.deltadiscovery.com/camai2008/camai2008-Pages/Image2.html
• and read the Tundra Drums story and photo at http://thetundradrums.com/news/story/1899

Related post:
mary-ann-sundown-on-youtube

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Brit boomers compaign against mandatory retirement

From Boing-boing

• http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/25/brit_boomers_compaig.html

Employers in the UK can sack anyone once they reach 65 years of age, no questions asked/reasons given. So we’ve put together this tongue-in-cheek image as part of our online campaign – Churchill was 65 when he became prime minister in 1940, Mandela 75 when he received the Nobel prize.

• http://tinyurl.com/uvk3c

Grabbing public toilets

The comment left here

• Bath falls common among older adults, but can be prevented -
  http://theelderlies.wordpress.com/2006/09/13/bath-falls/#comment-595

pointed out that generic grab bars in public toilets were not best suited to individuals at home.

Here are examples from our publicly funded senior center. Click on the pictures below to see a larger version. Try the frailty simulation with either toilet [When you visit the senior center -
http://theelderlies.wordpress.com/2005/08/06/ when-you-visit-the-senior-center/]

Place one hand behind your back and stand on one foot. Now, sit down. Then, stand up.

I think each wall tile is 4 inches square (on a side, a.k.a., 4 by 4 inches).

This bathroom is as it appears after (and before) the $280,772 Alaska state community development block grant for senior center improvements. [Bethel Senior Center Building Grants
http://theelderlies.wordpress.com/2005/08/17/senior-center-building-grants/]

This first photo is of our “handicapped” toilet (one of two women’s toilets in the Bethel senior center ground floor.) There are 2 bars, to an elder’s right and back (as seated). Click on each photo to see a larger view.

Here’s the only other woman’s toilet on the first floor. For both, note the grab bars, the extra stall width, the floor to seat height. We fortunately have a variety of older body-types (and abilities) so having just the one standard inflexible set of fixtures levels the playing field and provides equal opportunity aches, pains, strains, ligament tears, fragility fractures.

How well did you do on the tests?

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chop-stick mod

via Boing-boing

• http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/22/everyday_objects_rei.html

is this interesting site which shows how to make a chopstick closer from a clothespin.

[There is an illustration for making ear trumpets out of plastic flowerpots which don't look very useful. However, combined with the plastic fork fake teeth might make an interesting Hallowe'en costume.]

• http://www.atelier-v.ch/21.htm

Queen of gardens in Alaska, 1915 – 2006

LENORE HEDLA: Her “Alaska Gardener’s Handbook” is a bible.

http://www.adn.com/life/gardening/story/8324193p-8220249c.html

By DEBRA McKINNEY, Anchorage Daily News, Published: October 20, 2006

…
“Lenore was the person who set the backbone for gardening here,” he said. “One of the reasons I never wrote a book about gardening in Alaska was that Lenore did…. “Hedla did other things besides pushing the frontiers of Alaska gardening, like being a major in the Women’s Army Corps in World War II. She once had tea with Bess Truman at the White House. Hedla was area director for Girl Scouts of America and was living in Washington, D.C., at the time….

Hedla left her place to the Nature Conservancy, Carlson said, and the bulk of her estate to the University of Alaska in honor of her late husband.

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