'Little Shop of Horrors' opens at Juneau Douglas High School

Musical production not to be confused with "Rocky Horror Picture Show"

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

In time for Halloween, the Juneau Douglas High School drama department - headed by Michaela Moore, Richard Moore and Lucas Hoiland - will present the musical, "Little Shop of Horrors." Originally a 1960's film, the production was made into a musical in the early '80's, then into a not-so-successful film remake in 1986.

"'Little Shop' is a fun musical with lots of entertaining, witty music and humor," Moore said. " We knew that these students would get a kick out of doing this show."

Moore said many have confused "Little Shop of Horrors" with the racier cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and expressed concern about inappropriate content. Both are vintage-type horror movies so it's easy to see the mix-up.

"Please do not throw food at or shout at the performers," Moore joked. "This isn't 'the Rocky Horror Picture Show.'"

Moore says there is some adult content in the script but believes it to be a suitable family show.

"The musical and the movie have different endings," she said. "Even though the play is about a man-eating plant, and she does eat four people during the course of the play, it is always done without blood, and it's tongue in cheek, which fits the style of the play extremely well. Plus, you can't help but like the plant, even though you know that it is trying to take over Seymour, the shop, and then the world."

"Little Shop of Horrors," set on skid row, is about a clumsy flower assistant named Seymour, played by freshman Aaron Abella, who cross-breeds a butterwort and Venus Flytrap cultivating a blood-thirsty plant. His love of the plant, named Audrey 2 after the girl he has a crush on, drives him to kill humans to feed it and keep it alive.

Director Moore believes Audrey 2 to be a symbol of the unbridled greed that accompanies the great American dream and the high price we are willing to pay.

"It is a cost that effects many innocent as well as guilty people," she said. "This play makes us stop and think about our lives and how we are living them."

Abella said he was very nervous during the auditions for the role of Seymour, but Moore, who said Abella is a standout when he gets on stage, said she couldn't tell. Moore said Abella is not only very talented, he's also a great kid who listens to what everyone has to say. Moore added that Abella makes Seymour likeable, which is key to the role.

Seymour's Audrey 2 was created by Roblin Gray Davis from Perseverance Theatre, who pitched in at the last minute when a vendor refused to ship to Alaska. Davis designed all four puppets needed to play the progressively growing Audrey 2.

"He is a creative wonder with putting these monsters together," Moore said.

Once the puppets were created, Emily Smith and Jasmin Evans worked together to make the plant come alive. Smith plays the puppet voice of Audrey 2 and Evans is the puppeteer. Normally the voice is played by a male voice but they thought Smith was perfect for the part.

"We thought that it (a female voice) brought a whole new level to the internal battle that Seymour wages within himself," Moore said. "It lends a level of jealously between the plant and Audrey that isn't there when the plant is the voice of a man. Smith and Evans are so well in tune that if Emily says anything over the microphone Jasmin moves the puppet's mouth and body as if she (the plant) is talking."

Another successful team was Shanae'a Moore and Zoey Wilson, both former Juneau Dance Unlimited dance students who stepped up to create the choreography for the Doo Wap girls. The girls developed a taste for choreography when they were asked to work with cast from "Jekyll and Hyde" last season; both girls were injured, at separate times, and choreographing gave them a way to still be involved with dance.

Moore and Wilson said they couldn't believe how well they worked together and how much fun they had doing choreography.

"The Doo Wap girls bring the show to a psychedelic groove," she said. "They are the modern embodiment of a Greek Chorus and sing and dance in sort of the style of Diana Ross and the Pips."

Senior Callie Cummins plays her first lead role at JDHS as Audrey. Moore said she was proud of Cummins, who made the commitment to be in the play before she was given the lead role because she really wanted to be involved.

Lucas Hoiland designed the set that captures the skid row look where the Little Shop of Horrors is located.

"This is the biggest and most detailed set Hoiland has designed for one of our shows," Moore said. "Some students came in over the summer to paint all the individual bricks."

Unable to find a pianist for the play, musical director Richard Moore had to reluctantly replace the orchestra with a musical soundtrack and a digi machine, which his wife Michaela controls from the booth.

That wasn't the only obstacle for this production: Sickness, a shorter production time and longer rehearsal schedules were some of the other challenges facing the crew but Moore says great teamwork helped them reach their goals.

Moore hopes the production will inspire discussion.

"Are we living a fruitless life of materialism, or a life full of love and compassion for our fellow man?" she said. "(In the end) the chorus begs the audience not to feed the plants of greed and materialism and power."

Life after tragedy

Amid swirling speculation in the aftermath of a tragic Dec. 10 shooting, victims' families endured in silence

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Chase Schneider didn't know he'd been shot until he was lying on the floor, unable to move. His whole body felt like it was asleep and his blood was on the wall near the kitchen counter where he'd been drinking juice. The shooter was Kevin Michaud, 15 at the time.

"I saw Kevin take the magnum out of his backpack on the way from the school bus to his house and put it in the front of his pants," Chase said, recalling the events of Dec. 10, 2008. There were five boys at the Michaud home the afternoon of the shooting, but only Kevin, 14-year-old Aidan Neary and Chase, then 14, were in the room when the gun went off.

Inside the Michaud home, Chase remembers Aidan, who'd had gun safety training, taking the bullets out of the gun because Kevin was acting irresponsibly and pointing it at people. Chase said Kevin put a single bullet back in the gun and began pointing it at different things again.

"I told him to knock it off, that he was being stupid - moments later the gun fired," Chase said, now 15. The bullet struck the side of Aidan's torso and continued on to strike Chase.

"No, I counted!" Chase remembers Kevin yelling. Hours later, Aidan died.

Dareen Puhlick, Chase's mom, said it was a miracle her son survived.

"Chase was hit in the back, in the spine. He could have died from his injuries or been paralyzed. It is just a miracle that Chase is doing OK. His doctors say it's a miraculous injury," she said.

The bullet itself will remain in Chase's body as a painful reminder.

"The bullet is lodged in his spine, but bullet and bone fragments are very close to the spine that are causing him most of his pain. These fragments are the most dangerous because they are not lodged so they can move around in the body and possibly cut into organs," Puhlick said. "He's on a seizure medication that helps to diffuse the spinal cord nerve from firing."

He's trying to be a normal teen but Puhlick says it has been difficult.

"He's not a typical teenager anymore - he can't do the things he used to do."

Virulent speculation

The police's initial public account said all five boys at the house were "playing a game with a single bullet." Many observers concluded incorrectly that they were playing Russian roulette, which conflicted with Chase's account.

Patrick and Mary Neary, whose son Aidan was killed, knew that as leukemia survivor who underwent years of painful treatments, the idea of Aidan playing a game with his life didn't fit. They found the initial reports distressing, but when Chase returned from a Seattle hospital, he told investigators his account.

"Really the only witnesses in the room were Chase and Kevin because Aidan and Chase were in the ambulance and the other two boys weren't in the room, so when the police came and asked what happened - it came from Kevin. That's what he said. I will never know from Aidan what happened and that's really difficult for me," said Mary Neary. "We knew people had misconceptions about what happened. They made comments to us and we were not really able to talk about it. We of course wanted our son to be remembered honorably."

Juvenile legal proceedings are closed and confidential, so during Michaud's adjudication the families were unable to refute the speculation or clarify the initial police and news reports.

The juvenile justice system doesn't mete out punishment in the traditional sense but deals with treatment and remediation programs. Kevin was ordered to two years in a lockdown juvenile treatment facility, the system's most severe response.

The Michauds declined to comment for this story. Puhlick and the Nearys said the Michauds expressed their regret in person right after the incident, but the families haven't spoken since. Both Puhlick and the Nearys are pursuing civil suits against the Michauds. Their lawyers advised them on what they could and could not legally discuss with the Empire.

Puhlick said the initial report of a "game" also created awkwardness in the community and she felt her son was judged and labeled as a bad kid.

"I wanted to stand up for his rights because he was a victim, not a participant," she said.

Warning signs

In retrospect, the warning signs were there.

After the shooting, Chase said he and Aidan were aware that Kevin had taken loaded guns to school at least twice. Chase spoke with Kevin about how much trouble he could get in.

"Kevin said the guns made him feel safe," Chase said.

The families believe the boys were protecting Kevin by not mentioning the guns.

"None of these boys talked about him having guns; we only heard that he was depressed," Puhlick said.

Chase told his mother that Kevin "would just go on and on about how sad he was, and I didn't know what to do."

"Just listen and be a friend; you don't have to say anything," was her response.

Gunplay was not on the parents' minds.

"I was concerned about a lot of things having to do with teenagers, but for some reason guns hadn't crossed my radar," Mary Neary said. "I thought, like many Alaskan families, there are guns in the house but they are under strict lock and key."

Aidan also had mentioned Kevin's demeanor to his parents.

"Aidan told me earlier that Kevin was depressed, and in my mind I thought, that's too bad, because most teenagers do go through depression at some point - we all know that - it just never occurred to me that there was anything dangerous," Mary Neary said.

Accident vs. mistake

The police reported the incident as an "accidental shooting," which Patrick Neary thinks is a mischaracterization.

"Accidents are unforeseen occurrences with adverse outcomes, and mistakes are choices that are made that have adverse outcomes. People like to dispel their responsibility by labeling things as accidents when in reality, if you look at things that could have been a different choice, we realize that it was a mistake," he said.

The Nearys and Puhlick know this is a tragedy for all the families involved but they try to stay positive. Patrick Neary hopes Kevin won't be "inhibited by a stupid mistake he made in his teens - that he is truly transformed and takes responsibility for his actions. We don't want to minimize the seriousness of what he did, and have it seem in any way that it was a small thing."

Puhlick and the Nearys said they want Kevin to get the help he needs and make something of his life.

"I'm sure they are suffering and they know their son in a way that no one else does, I know they want to protect him and they love him and in a way they've lost him - I feel for them," said Mary Neary. "We don't know what the best possible thing is in the long term, it is what we had hoped for - I hope that it is good for him and his family in the end of this, I know that it is very empty for us."

Lessons

Both Puhlick and the Nearys kept close tabs on their kids, and yet the tragedy raised the question if they could have done more to avert it.

"Listen to your kids and take them seriously with everything - their friends and what is going on in their lives," Puhlick said. "I knew where Chase was going after school. I knew who he was with. We knew the parents; we would go to the house and check to see if they were there."

Mary Neary also kept close tabs on her son.

"We were always checking up with the Michaud family and the status of the boys. I had gone to their house; I had gone there to check on the boys and see what they were up to. When they would spend the night, I would always go over to give him his toothbrush but also to check and make sure the parents were home. Aidan had given us no reason not to give him a little freedom, which was what he really wanted as a young boy. I'm not saying that was a mistake. I'm not sure what we could have done differently."

Patrick Neary said everyone should remember to treat each other well.

"I think it is important for people to treat each other with love and respect at each and every moment because you never know if that will be the last time you see them," he said.

Aidan was a blossoming writer and a musician, his parents said. The day before he died, he and a friend recorded a music track.

"The recording got interrupted because his friend's mom came to pick him up," Patrick Neary recalled. They planned to continue the next day.

• Courtney Nelson is a writer living in Juneau and a five-year friend of Dareen Puhlick.

Princess Farhana a Pleasant surprise

Renowned dancer to put on workshops, perform

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Internationally known dancer Princess Farhana will make her first trip to Juneau to perform and teach workshops in belly dance and burlesque this weekend. Some of her moves have never been taught here before, such as her abdominal and fan dance techniques.

Princess Farhana, born Pleasant Gehman, has many talents, but it was her published writing, not her dancing, that first captured the attention of Juneau resident and dance workshop coordinator Shawn Damerval. Damerval picked up a copy of Gehman’s first book of short stories, “Escape from Houdini Mountain,” in a bookstore. Damerval was intrigued.

“The stories were so amazingly outrageous I figured that, despite the ‘fiction’ listing, no one could possibly have made this stuff up,” Damerval said. A few years later, Damerval searched for instructional sword dancing videos and pulled up two of Gehman’s nine instructional videos, “Raks al Sayf” and “Twin Blades,” and introduced herself to Gehman online.

Damerval contacted Gehman again after watching director Steve Balderson’s documentary film starring Gehman called “Underbelly.” They became friends and hatched a plan to bring Gehman to Juneau.

“She tells me about life as a glamorous globetrotting Hollywood babe, and I tell her about what it’s like to live at the foot of a glacier and hike and fly airplanes around the most beautiful place in the world,” Damerval said.

Gehman’s roots were far from Hollywood, but she says they were her early influences.

“I loved ballet dancers, The Rockettes, the Miss America Pageants, and all the 1940s-era Sinbad and Ali Baba movies I saw on television,” Gehman said. She was raised on a Revolutionary War era farm in New York with seven other siblings born to her entertainment writer father, and her ex-Broadway singer and dancer mother. She was supposed to be a boy.

“My name was supposed to be Andrew, but I was a girl and the first thing my father said was, ‘Oh what a pleasant surprise!’ So after about a week, with no decision on a name, and because of my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage they named me Pleasant,” Gehman said. All but one of her siblings are working in the entertainment industry.

After years in the 1980’s-era L.A. punk scene as lead singer of the “Screamin’ Sirens,” and creator of the underground paper “Lobotomy,” from 1977-1981, Gehman became a professional belly dancer in 1991. A chance encounter with a woman who asked her if she was a belly dancer after watching her on a rock club dance floor led to lessons and a passion for the dance. She was recognized as “Oriental Dancer Of The Year 2006” by Zaghareet Magazine, and in 2007 was nominated for “Best Instructor” and “Best Interpretive Artist.”

She added burlesque to her repertoire in 1995, joining the troupe “The Velvet Hammer,” which Gehman described as a traveling circus.

“The Velvet Hammer was not only my sister burlesque dancers, but also a full band, comedians, magicians, puppeteers, aerialists plus all of our costumes and large props — it was nuts. We did some shows where we rented a huge bus and it was just insane — champagne popping, people dancing on top of the seats, practical jokes, yelling and screaming and constant laughing.”

She is currently working on a collection of short stories about her experiences on the road.

“Since my all-girl punk band the 'Screamin’ Sirens,' I have been on the road constantly for thirty years. Believe me, I have some wild stories,” said Gehman, who also judges burlesque competitions such as The Miss Exotic World Pageant.

Pleasant soon layered belly dance with sword balancing.

“All my life, just for fun, I balanced things on my head — stacks of books while running up the stairs — for no reason. The first time I saw a belly dancer performing with a sword, I said, ‘I can do that!’ My husband at the time gave me an antique sword for my birthday, and in the middle of my party, tipsy on margaritas, I put it on my head and danced around for 45 minutes straight, to the amazement of everyone, including myself. After that, there was no turning back,” Gehman said.

She recently coached jazz dancer Tracey Phillips in sword work and belly dance technique and choreographed her sword-dancing scene in “Charlie Wilson's War.”

Living in the ‘underbelly’ of Hollywood wasn’t always glamorous and Gehman struggled with self-esteem issues, but she directed that energy into being an activist for positive body images.

“I think in our society, women are held to a very unrealistic and almost impossible-to-attain commercialized body standard, and the result is that many women do not appreciate their own natural and individual beauty,” Gehman said. “Images that are manipulated through photo-shopping, air-brushing, great lighting and professional hair and make-up teams are an unrealistic standard of perfection, but when we see them, we think we don't “live-up” to that impossible standard, and feel low self-esteem.”

Gehman thinks belly dancing can help.

“Belly dancing looks beautiful on women of all ages, weights, shapes and sizes. One of the things I adore about going to Egypt is that all the women seem so comfortable in their own skin. Actually, in most countries outside of the USA and Western Europe, having curves and little jiggly bits is considered beautiful,” Gehman said.

Gehman recently went to Egypt for the Ahlan Wa Sahlan Festival and had her most memorable dance moment to date.

“I danced in Cairo to a full Arabic band playing Om Kalthoum ... I got chills the moment my music started.”

With the success of “Underbelly”, director Steve Balderson asked Gehman to star in his new upcoming movie “Stuck!,” a tribute to 1950s noir black and white women-in-prison films. “Stuck” will be released in 2010.

Damerval is looking forward to Gehman’s visit, made possible by sponsors.

“After the success of the Dolphina workshops and shows last year, we thought it might be fun to have Plez come up this year. I approached VivaVoom Brrrrlesque in Anchorage about co-sponsoring her trip, and they were very excited at the prospect. Then Noodle of Doum agreed to host her workshops as a sponsored group of JAHC, so everything really started falling into place to make it happen. Everyone I’ve talked to who has taken a workshop with her says she's just fabulous, and I’m really excited to have her come here,” Damerval said.

Her performance will be at 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Rendezvous with Noodle of Doum and Patshiva. Tickets are available at the Rendezvous or Hearthside Books. Her workshops start at 11 a.m. Saturday, running until 7 p.m. Private or small group lessons will be available Sunday at the University of Alaska Recreation Center Dance Studio. These are sponsored by UAS and, while the lessons are open to anyone, UAS students and faculty (with ID) will receive a discounted rate. Registration information (including online registration) and detailed class descriptions at http://www.pierglass.com/noodle/events.html.

Damerval said the classes will be meaty enough for experienced dancers but good for beginners as well.

“We’re also gearing these workshops towards people who are not necessarily experienced dancers but who think it would be fun to try — in fact, one of the reasons behind having a discount for groups of four is we wanted to encourage people to get together and bring their friends to try something new and exciting.”

Hands-in experience

Kids cram a semester's worth of learning into a two-week excursion at Marine Science Camp

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Middle schoolers Lynzey Culver and Chelsea Brown emerged from the waters of Bridget Cove with more than a dozen different marine species in their seine. There was a buzz of excitement amidst the buzzing of nearby horseflies, as fellow students waiting at the shore excitedly transferred the sea life into buckets for closer examination.

It was week one of the TAKU Marine Science Summer Camp, and the kids were learning about sea life hands-on. The camp, which packed a semester of learning into a two-week excursion, wrapped up Thursday night with final group presentations at Thunder Mountain High School.

TAKU, an acronym for tradition, accountability, knowledge and understanding, merges marine science with traditional native knowledge to educate high school-aged students. Incoming freshmen can earn a half credit in school by completing the program.

"Learning about sea life and the environment hands-on is great. I've never experienced anything like this before," said Brown, one of the program's 30 participants. "It's better than the classroom because here we remember everything."

Returning camp director Alberta Jones created the program with the help of National Oceanic Atmospheric Association fisheries lab, state Fish & Game, the University of Alaska Southeast and local Alaska Natives. The camp was free to the students, who had to apply. This was the final year of funding for the program, but Jones is hopeful it will continue.

Students practiced field research techniques at local beaches, and then were required to record, analyze and interpret their findings. Among assignments were gathering various types of bivalves to check for paralytic shellfish and red tide poisoning, ocean acidification experiments, animal dissection and beach seining. Participants also toured the new NOAA facility and took a trip on a research vessel.

Students weren't let completely off the hook from traditional learning methods. Each kept a journal, used to answer that day's question. Example: "What is the ecological and cultural significance of eelgrass and seaweed?"

"We give a different essential question every day because it gives them a writing prompt and they have to think hard about it," said Juneau-Douglas High School Special Education teacher Gene Randall. Randall said they picked Bridget cove because of the eelgrass beds, which act as a protective nursery for juvenile marine life, such as Dungeness crab.

"We try to make a real personal connection," said Randall who has mentored all three years of the program. The ratio of students to mentors this year was 4-1.

Camper Ryan Hicks for one appreciated the personal attention.

"They want to connect with us - bond with us - and they let us do activities instead of watching. I used to step on muscles on the beach and pop seaweed, but now I realize they are animals," Hicks said.

First year camper Tyler Meyer found a way to put his video gaming skills to use while aboard the research vessel Stellar. Meyer and two other students guided a camera-laden, four-foot long remote operating vehicle through the water to observe the sea life below. The students watched from a monitor as the ROV cruised along at depths ranging from 20- to 100-feet deep, revealing sea pens, sea whips, crabs and bottom-feeding fish (and the occasional coral reef that needed to be negotiated).

"Operating the ROV was more fun than video games, and I'm learning about what's under the water," Meyer said.

Rhyan Holmes found the seal dissection interesting, and was a bit surprised by what she found: seaweed.

"It was kind of odd because seals don't usually eat seaweed, they eat fish," Holmes said, also pointing out the seal's cultural significance. "First they told us why the seals are so important to the Tlingit's and how they use all the different parts of the seal; they even make jewelry out of the bones."

High School teacher Jonathon Smith considers this year's camp a success.

"I think (the) camp went really well. You can see as the students present their final projects, they are really into it and they are having conversations at amazing levels with scientists," he said. "I had one parent tell me their child learned more in this camp then they did in an entire year. The thing I see as a high school teacher, is these kids come into the school with a greater sense of confidence, which is really important for retention."

Juneau: Really hard to get to, really hard to leave

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Living in a rainforest that averages 220 rainy days per year creates a desire to escape to warm places. Mexico, Hawaii, and Orlando are popular destinations, but many residents can't afford to spend a lot of money on leisure travel. Here are some tips for airline adventure, without breaking the bank.

Alaska Airlines credit card

A must have for any Juneau resident looking for a change of scenery is an Alaska Airlines credit card. The card earns you a free ticket after accumulating 25,000 sky miles. Work the system by funneling all monthly household bills and every possible purchase through this card for maximum miles, and an annual companion fare ticket can be purchased for $50 along with a paid fare. Every year many expire because the airlines rarely mention them, so folks don't know or forget they have a ticket. People can use someone else's companion fare, but the person donating the coupon has to purchase the primary ticket as well.

Being flexible saves cash

Web specials are another cheap way out, but require spontaneity and time constraints. Sign up for the weekly Insider Newsletter from Alaska Airlines, which notifies mileage plan users about hot deals from Juneau. Frequent traveler Juneau's Yumi Arimitsu shared her big tip that also involves being footloose.

"If they are looking for volunteers because they overbooked your flight, run to the ticket counter. Do not think about it just do it - it will always work out in the end. Recently they (Alaska Airlines) started giving $400 vouchers instead of free roundtrips, but it is still worth it. Sometimes I have made it back to Juneau at the same time or just a few hours later by being rerouted, and it saved hundreds of dollars on my next ticket."

In addition to spontaneous travel using web specials, and bumping yourself off flights, being open to different days keeps green in your pocket.

"Being flexible on your dates is another good way to save money because it is cheaper to fly on certain days," said Carrie Baxter Graham of Paradise Beach Tanning & Travel Salon.

Before using a mileage ticket or purchasing one, always check to see the going rate for buying miles. It costs $687.50 to purchase 25,000 miles, which might save money depending on ticket prices.

Make sure and travel light since airlines are starting to charge for checked luggage.

Bait and switch

Once you get to Seattle or another city that offers other airlines, there are a handful of smaller carriers like Virgin America, Jetblue, and Southwest that can get you to cities for under $100 each way. Alaska Air code-shares with several of its partners so always check the routing on their partners' Web site as well because sometimes Delta or Northwest will charge less for the same seats Alaska is charging.

The more the merrier

Vacationing with ten or more friends will get you a discounted rate if all passengers are traveling on the same dates to the same destination said Christy Virgilio-Ciambor, of Simpatico Travel. "For example, if 10 people are renting a house in Hawaii - discounts can sometimes be up to 20 percent off what you see online."

If you are the romantic partner of a frequent work traveler, tag along on their trips where the room and car are already provided.

Virgilio-Ciambor also recommends Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO), found at http://www.vrbo.com, which offers rental by owners all over the world. Home Away, www.homeaway.com, insures your rental (under $5000) for free.

Early bird gets the package

Graham thinks packages are the way to go financially. "You can book about a year in advance and packages can include air, hotel, car, transportation to and from the airport, and activity at your destination. People are required to put a deposit down within seven days of booking, which varies with consolidators, but any where from $100.00 to $200.00 per person is about average. Final payment is usually not due until 60-30 days prior to departure." She pointed out that by planning a year in advance people can budget an extra payment in their bills and have the vacation paid for before they leave.

"Packages offered through various wholesalers, and travel agents usually have more-valued added perks and can even offer a better rate on a particular hotel since they contract a year out," said Virgilio-Ciambor.

Making reservations online can also save greenbacks. Travelocity.com, and travel bidding on sites like skyauction.com, priceline.com and hotwire.com, can make things affordable by naming your price. Sign up with a company like airfarewatchdog.com who will alert travelers via email of fare reductions.

Graham believes in travel agents over Internet use however.

"By letting a travel agent do the research for you they can help you find the best deal possible. Booking on the Internet is not always the best deals and you have to pay for your hotel, car, and condo right then and there."

The path less traveled

Shoulder season travel can be a wonderful time for escape. Our family went to Disneyworld in Orlando Florida at the end of April, beginning of May and we had the place to ourselves. Room rates were better, crowds were tolerable and the weather was great.

Pair off-season travel with an unusual destination and expect deals. Take Iceland for example.

"There are some phenomenal introductory fares on Icelandair direct out of Seattle and they are offering special add-on rates with Alaska Air," said Virgilio-Ciambor. "It's an incredible destination and a great springboard to some other European cities, as Icelandair allows free stopovers in Iceland in both directions."

A subscription to Budget Travel for $12 a year contains discounted packages and suggested itineraries. For European destinations, Virgilio-Ciambor suggests checking http://www.karenbrown.com.

"Karen Brown has searched the world for the best B&B's, inns etc and offers a variety of price ranges."There are lots of other ways to travel cheap. For the teen with everything, try a global volunteer vacation where you pick an impoverished country and go build a house or teach English there as a family. Travel green and join the ecotourism movement, or go on a bicycle vacation. For real savings, always stay in a place with a kitchen. And don't forget to use your Alaska Airlines card for the groceries.

Is Facebook replacing face time?

Juneau residents find old and new friends are just a click away

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Whether people tend to avoid new technology or embrace it, the online social network Facebook can't be ignored. The world's largest networking Web site is slowly but surely replacing face-to-face interaction, especially in Juneau, where residents often live thousands of miles from family and friends.

With five million new users joining Facebook each week, its user demographic is shifting from college-age students to teenagers, 30-somethings and retired adults. As users become more connected to friends, family and the community through online networking, more people are replacing face time with Facebook.

Many Facebook members say the Web site is addicting. Online networking can create a sensation of time and space collapsing when in the same day a person can connect with their second-grade crush, old employers, high school and college classmates, and professional colleagues.

According to the marketing research company Comscore, the average user is on Facebook 169 minutes each month. Some refer to the program as "crackbook."

Facebook's mission appears benign, claiming the sharing of information intends "to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." Many Juneau residents, who live in relative isolation from friends and family Outside, have become well-versed in the benefits of Facebook.

Meilani Schijvens, a busy Juneau mom with two small children, said she absolutely loves Facebook. It allows her to use any extra minutes to catch up on people she cares about, Schijvens said.

"It's such an easy way to get in touch with people - no looking for lost e-mail addresses. It's an easy way to share pictures of my growing little kids. I'm in touch with all of my cousins for the first time ever and I'm in touch with people from all the different stages and ages of my life," Schijvens said.

Some people say they've learned much more about their friends' similarities by seeing what others are doing. This sparks new conversations and connections, thus deepening relationships.

But as millions of people flock to the site to reunite, share, learn and reminisce, those who don't join for various reasons often feel left out. Julie Johnson, a self-proclaimed "techno-phobe," is one Juneau resident who hasn't been ensnared in the Web.

Johnson has historically resisted technology. She doesn't have a cell phone, rarely sends e-mails and is resentful of pressure to join Facebook. Call her old-fashioned, she said, but she likes to send and receive meaningful pictures and packages through the U.S. Postal Service and receive life news over a cup of coffee.

Johnson is not alone but is quickly becoming the minority - a fact that frustrates her. She recently went on vacation with family. By the time she returned home, developed her film and was ready to mail her letters, the vacation was old news. Her family had posted their photos on Facebook during their first day back. Friends already were commenting on the great photos of Johnson on her vacation - photos she hadn't seen yet and probably wasn't going to unless she joined Facebook.

If Johnson had joined Facebook, her family could have "tagged" her in the photo, and she would have been notified automatically via e-mail. If people haven't posted anything more embarrassing than had a big hair portrait from the '80s, photo taggings can be fun; for others, they're a source of anxiety.

Gone are the days of tearing up or deleting a bad bathingsuit shot for posterity. "It's fun to have people post old photos. It's like looking through an old photo album with an old friend," said Kristin Cox, adding "and anyone else who is interested can see too."

Schijvens echoed this sentiment, saying she looks forward to seeing older photos. "Good thing for me, I looked better then than I do now."

Another busy mom, Tiffany Smith, said she wasn't afraid of photos because she "doesn't tend to work very hard to hide things that people may find unflattering. I just don't much care. I am who I am."

Others expressed a desire to keep the past in the past. Some people said they came to Juneau from another town where they had a reputation they would like to forget. They didn't want the past haunting them in their new life. Others expressed similar worries about a college concert photo or something similar resurfacing for their children to see.

Some college-age people who have grown up with Facebook are posting images of drinking and partying that might haunt them in the future - such as when a prospective employer is researching them on the Internet, or after they've just won eight gold medals. A good rule of thumb for Facebook: Don't post anything that couldn't be a newspaper headline. That brings up another issue: authenticity.

Some users say Facebook is like being invited to a party where you can only be nice, because you can only "like" a comment someone posts. Some users tend to share too much information, but there are others who tend to reveal very little. Many Juneau users don't want to be Facebook friends with co-workers in order to keep their work and personal lives separate and avoid awkward situations.

Christy Virgilio-Ciambor of Juneau has had awkward experiences with past romantic relationships and sharing on Facebook.

"Ghosts of boyfriends and girlfriends past can be odd because even though we're all friends now, there's a limit to how much I want them to know about my life and vice versa," she said.

With 175 million users networking on Facebook, it's become a target for nasty viruses that can crash computers. Facebook applications can plant cookies that are tracked down by hackers who access log-in information to target other Facebook users.

Using Facebook as a tool for community connection takes discipline and an awareness of what one might be disconnecting from when they log on. It takes work to not discriminate against non-users and make the effort to maintain connections with people who aren't using Facebook. Cox confessed, "It does eat up a lot of time when I could be doing something else, like writing a snail mail to my grandma who isn't my Facebook friend."

• Courtney Nelson is a writer living in Juneau.

Showtime at Southeast Showdown

Talamai, Guthrie, and Jackson take titles at Rough House Friday

By Courtney Nelson | For the Juneau Empire

Bailey Johnson, Shaun Guthrie and Tongan Toni Talamai all grabbed respective title belts at the 2009 Roughhouse Boxing Southeast Showdown Friday at Marlintini's Lounge.

Angoon's Johnson, 18, first defeated Leon Paul, 21, and then topped Aaron "The Red Baron" Tucker to earn the event's lightweight title belt and $500 prize money. Johnson defeated Leon Paul by finding some openings to the head and delivering hard right upper cuts and left jabs to his much shorter opponent. Johnson ended round one with a shot that had Paul shaking his head. In round two, Paul was delivered a standing-eight-count after Johnson tagged Paul with a right haymaker that had Paul hanging on the ropes trying to recover and Joe Isturis called the fight.

Johnson, 4-0-0, defeated defending champion Aaron "The Red Baron" Tucker, 13-3-0 in one of the main events of the night. Johnson had the edge after he drew a bye and Tucker was the only fighter who had to fight three bouts. The fight was pretty even until Johnson tagged Tucker in round two and dropped the champion to his knees. Tucker retired as Johnson stayed perfect.

"I think this was the best fight of the night," said promoter Bob Haag.

Shaun Guthrie, 27, weighed in at 172 pounds to defeat Brian Lauth, 18, for the middleweight champion belt and Southeast Showdown Champion. Lauth towered over Guthrie who threw uppercuts to reach the tall Lauth. Both boxers gassed out in round three and the close decision went to Guthrie.

Aaron "The Red Baron" Tucker advanced to the semifinals with his earlier win over Fred Grant Jr. who was tagged with a hard head shot by Tucker early in round one then both boxers traded some hard shots. In round two, Tucker landed the first blow and then dropped Grant for a standing eight-count. Grant answered by clocking Tucker with a right hook that woke him up and Grant found himself on the mat after back to back right hooks. After Tucker dominated the tired Grant, Grant was delivered a standing eight-count and Tucker took the win.

Aaron "the Red Baron" defeated then defeated Michael Guthrie in the very next fight with the match starting off even from the start. Then Tucker landed some hard rights to the exhausted Guthrie who retired about halfway through round one. Michael Guthrie was tired because, directly before facing Tucker, he defeated Charles Paul Bagoya in a bout to advance to the semifinals. Guthrie dominated Bagoya in round one, tapping a sweet spot in the temple to drop Bagoya. Guthrie pummeled Bogoya in round two, tapping him in the forehead and sending him reeling backward. Joe Isturis called the fight after Bogoya was visibly unable to continue.

Nick "the Nightmare" Morgan advanced after easily winning his first bout against eighteen-year-old Clifford "Bad News" Brown. Morgan started off strong by tagging Brown in the eye who then retreated behind his gloves while his fans yelled "punch out." Round one ended as Morgan was reprimanded for punching Brown in the back of the head and Brown retired before the second round began.

Road to the heavyweight title

Tongan Toni Talamai, 23, a heavyweight aspiring professional boxer and Alaska Airlines employee defeated James "The Beast" Roberts Jr. of Klawock in a fight Talamai dominated from the start. Talamai used Roberts' head as a punching bag as Roberts absorbed lots heavy leather before he was delivered a standing-eight-count. In round two, he was issued another standing eight-count and referee Joe Isturis recommended he retire, though Roberts refused. Roberts was knocked to the mat and Talamai grabbed the win.

Talamai went on to defeat Nick "The Nightmare" Morgan 14 seconds into round one by tagging Morgan repeatedly then dropping him with a heavy leather right hook to the temple. Talamai grabbed the heavyweight championship title belt with the win.

Ryan Wong defeated Michael Henderson who came at Wong like a freight train from the bell getting Wong against the ropes early and landing some hard shots to his face. Referee Joe Isturis broke them up and then Wong answered with a right haymaker that sent the solid Henderson barreling into the ropes for a standing eight-count. Round two started with Wong landing a right haymaker to Henderson's temple, barraging him hard shots and then sealing it off with another haymaker and another standing eight- count.

"Keep your eyes on him and cover your head," Henderson's corner yelled. Henderson stayed focused and delivered a right-left combination that sent Wong to the mat. Wong recovered by dominating the third round and, as Henderson tired, Wong found an opening delivering his third standing eight-count. Wong scratched his next fight, dropping out of belt contention.