...Alaska will be on the front lines of this new world. The question is: will Alaska be ready? Dan E. Bloom is a former editor of the Capital City Weekly who has been living in Asia since 1991. He can be reached at bikolang@gmail.com.

...and if nothing else, yes, we can still use them to line the birdcage or wrap fish during the Salmon Derby. Dan E. Bloom is a former editor of the Capital City Weekly who now blogs from Taiwan. He can be reached at bikolang@gmail.com.