Articles written by Mike Sunderland
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Real Climate Change
The Fairbanks Flood of 1967 was followed by more dramatic climate events. No sooner had 1967 turned into 1968 than we had a winter in which a raging blizzard deposited 16 feet of new snow on the...
The Blizzard of '68
The winter after the great Fairbanks flood of the previous year was memorable. Mother Nature was not finished with us. She must have known that I would soon be leaving Alaska for good and she wanted...
Disinformation Campaign
Who do you trust to tell you the truth? Would you know the truth if you heard it? What is the difference between “disinformation” and a “different point of view or belief”? Your answers to...
Now That's A Footprint!
I came across some stats the other day that, if remotely accurate, are astounding, shocking and demand action. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for a jolt. According to this info it takes 21 to 35...
We Have It Rough?
If you think we have it rough today with a shaky economy, terrorists, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, tidal waves, high taxes, high unemployment rates, low income to high cost of...
How to Stop a Bully
In my preteen years our family lived in a subdivision across the river from downtown Fairbanks, AK. Besides having one of the best home we had lived in up to that time, the housing area was...
A Smashed Elbow
Edited by Michael K. Sunderland Calvin K. Sunderland, my dad was, among many things a storyteller. It’s a trait that seems to have been passed on to me. I recently unearthed the following story of...
Advanced Training
When advanced Navy boot camp training commenced in earnest our recruit company was quickly immersed in fire fighting techniques, first aid, NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical warfare), among other...
What Is News
Working for a local newspaper may not be as glamorous as working for a big city daily, but it is not boring. Where else can you do a story on a carrot that looks like Abe Lincoln, a 2-headed snake, or...
Who Is Your Friend?
The other day I sat down to write another article and my mind went blank! Go figure. So I loaded up the CD player with music by an old favorite of mine… C.W. McCall. I doubt many youngsters (anyone...
North Pacific
Written by Calvin K. Sunderland My dad was not a braggart. It was rare he would talk or write about his time in the WWII Navy on board the heavy cruiser USS Portland. What follows is one he wrote a...
Scared? Who? Me!
Warning! This is a true story of a Navy boot camp experience. The language has been toned down to protect the guilty. I stood looking Fear in the face. Fear with a capitol F–E–A-R, complete with...
Dust and Chickens
In the late 40’s and early 50’s dust storms (and this was before climate change, too!) roared through the plains and I remember one in particular. I was spending some time with grandma and grandpa...
Library Jabberwocky Guide
After some diligent investigation over a rather short period of time (I’m trying to emulate a federal in depth investigation) I have researched and assembled a somewhat limited dictionary of...
Energy Crisis '74
There was a humorous record released in 1974 by the comedy team of Buchanan and Goodman, titled “Energy Crisis ‘74” Below is a word-for-word transcription of the lyrics… “We’re here at...
Not Right
Here’s a short story to illustrate a dangerous trend being foisted on America. Hesitatingly he walked into the Java Shoppe. His downcast eyes refused to make contact with the patrons. Trying not to...
The Art of Forensics
News outlets – newspapers, radio and TV – sometimes use a rather fancy and greatly misunderstood word when they speak of the presentation of evidence. That word is “forensics.” We’ve heard...
Times They Are A Changing
Let’s start the New Year by reaching into the past. As we look ahead into 2022 I’m reminded of a 1960’s Bob Dylan song: “The Times They Are A Changing.” Dylan tended to be a bit morbid with...
A Four-Eyes is Born
My first newspaper route was acquired in 1962. I had it for about 2 years and it was a major reason why I ended up needing eyeglasses. My route began and ended at the Fairbanks Public Library. There...
I Dodged the Draft!
During the Viet Nam war era the hippies, peaceniks and other radical liberals were advising young men of draft age to avoid the draft in any way possible. Self-inflicted injuries, leaving the country...
Some Things Never Change
Thanks to my dad I became something I never thought I would be – a student of history. History was boring with no practical application in our fast changing, technically oriented world. Then I came...
Code of the Rest
Below is a poem I wrote about 15 years ago. I saw then that some of what has hit this country in the last few years was already in the works. I never thought the poem would be such a correct...
The Ruling Class
Humans tend to have a rather bad trait that often raises its nasty head. Shortly after God created the human race certain members of this new creation determined that they were better than anyone else...
More Than a Lady
She’s a real lady and for as long as men have gone to the sea, they continue to fall in love with her. For quite a number of men she was their first love. She is built. I mean really built! Her...
Biggest Man in My World
Allow me to tell a wee bit about the one person I feel was the biggest man in the world. Big, large, great, grand, impressive, distinguished, striking, and exceptional are used to describe people we e...