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It's just after noon on the third Friday of the month, and 89-year-old Betty Lynn is preparing to take her seat behind a small brown table in the main room of the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, NC. Visitors are already beginning to flood into the 2,500-square-feet building to meet the actress best known to 60s TV fans as Barney Fife's girlfriend, Thelma Lou, from "The Andy Griffith Show," set in the fictional town of Mayberry. "Over 500 people come through," says Betty of a typical day...
Dear Jonathan: My financial advisor is pestering me to create a trust for the purpose of holding my assets for probate avoidance. However, I am really not interested in creating a trust and I am not all that concerned with having my estate being probated. The only thing that matters to me is that my children get whatever is left of my estate in equal shares, and if my assets have to be probated first before that happens, so be it. Am I wrong in thinking this way? Jonathan Says: Not necessarily; there is no right or wrong answer here. What’s m...
After more than 30 wonderful years as a writer, I have decided to retire. I know what you’re thinking, “He’s much too young to retire.” Okay, so maybe you are not thinking that, but it’s my final column, so would it kill you to work with me here? Thank you. All kidding aside, I have been the beneficiary of a long, rewarding career as a writer and I remain grateful to all newspapers and magazines that considered my work worthy of publication. As “Mr. Modem,” my words of occasional wisdom have appeared in The Reader’s Digest, The Wall St. Journa...
I cannot believe that this year is almost over. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! It is ironic to me that although I have helped so many people in all the years that I have been working with AARP and the Older Persons Action Group this is the first year I will have been alone through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Due to my advanced age I have lost all my friends, who have either moved out of Alaska or are deceased. My small family lives a thousand miles away and will not be...
When you have a chronic condition, what does that mean? Of long duration; continuing or lingering; incurable or manageable? Alaska has chronic homelessness and veterans are part of that population. Whether a ‘civilian’ or a veteran, the situation is often through no personal fault. And, a number have personal resources or assistance, which can make it possible to cure or manage their homelessness. VetVillageAK is a project focused on homeless veterans in Alaska; it’s been in development by the Alaska Veterans Foundation since 2009, so it’s...
Sled dogs have a long and illustrious history in the North Country, from the early days of Native settlements to the gold-rush booms during the 1890-1900s. Natives of Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland and Siberia used dogs as winter draft animals for centuries. Russians arriving in western Alaska during the early 1800s found Alaska Natives using dogs to haul sleds loaded with fish, game, wood and other items. The Natives ran ahead of the dogs as they guided them on the yearly trips between...
Richard Anderson appeared in over 200 films and TV shows throughout his career. But it's not just his well-known role as security chief Oscar Goldman in "The Six Million Dollar Man" that elicits fan questions on the classic film/television convention circuit. "They always ask about 'Curse of the Faceless Man,' which we made in 1958 and was my first lead film role," said Anderson from Los Angeles. "It was a low-budget remake of 'The Mummy' two decades earlier, featuring a stone monster rather...
Dear Jonathan: My mother, who is a widow, passed away several months ago. Thankfully she prepared a trust and transferred her assets to that trust so that there would be no probate to deal with at her death. While in the process of cleaning out her house, I came across a folder with several stock certificates of publicly created companies, which are titled in both of my parents’ names as husband and wife. I was quite surprised to come across these since I wasn’t aware they owned stock in any of these companies. I have already checked, and all...
Q. Sometimes people I send email to tell me that when they open my message, their computer freezes. I’m sending you one of my emails that did this. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong that might be causing this? A. The email you sent me contains eight graphical animations, including four animated closings, “Goodbye,” “Adios,” “CUL8TR,” and “Sayonara.” While I understand that “cutesy” is in the eyes of the beholder, I would encourage some measure of restraint when it comes to email “enhancements” of this type for several reasons. First, all...
Older Persons Action Group and Senior Voice Alaska recognizes and honors veterans every day for their service to our nation. But on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, special thanks are needed. A reprint from the VFW’s website on the origin of the well-known red poppy is in order for this edition. Buddy Poppy The VFW conducted its first poppy distribution before Memorial Day in 1922, becoming the first veterans’ organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was ado...
Before the Internet and cell service became synonymous with instant communication, Alaska's remote villages relied on a military network of telephone-telegraph radiophone stations to relay messages. Only a few cables reached a few Alaska cities back in the mid-1900s, so messages from these Alaska Communication System stations were transmitted to and from radiophone stations scattered all over the territory. With no roads and no other forms of communication, these radiophones were the lifeline...
Come November, Henry Darrow's thoughts typically turn to turkeys ... and burros. Darrow, who turned 82 in September, played Manolito in the popular 60s western television series "High Chaparral." He recalls the memorable Thanksgiving episode, "For What We Are About to Receive," first broadcast on NBC on November 29, 1968. "We spent that episode looking for a lost turkey that I'd won in a shooting contest," said Darrow, from his home in North Carolina. "The bird falls off my wagon and in one scen...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Nov. 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Nov. 4 and 18), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Nov. 5, 12, 19 and 26), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s southeast communities can call the Jun...
Dear Jonathan: My husband and I have been married for 10 years and it is a second marriage for both of us. We both have adult children from our first marriages. We have recently been talking about putting together an estate plan, but we are having difficulty deciding how to provide for each of our respective children at either of our deaths. We each want to provide our own children with a certain portion of our assets when we die, but are not quite sure how to accomplish that. Do we just leave it to the other spouse and trust that he or she...
Q. Is there any way I can reduce the size of a photo that was given to me in .JPG format? A. There sure is: Irfanview is a free graphics viewer/editor. Once installed, click "File", then "Open" to display your photo. With the picture displayed, click "Image," then "Resize/Resample". You will be able to choose from several options in the next window, including setting a new size by typing in the pixel dimensions, making the new picture a percentage of the original, or selecting from several standard sizes. If you click the Half button, you can...
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog on lottery scams and the vulnerability of seniors to this type of scheme – whether by phone, mail, or email. Since then, I have received more reports from victims. Community partners throughout the state have all mentioned an uptick in cases of lottery scams. Just last month, I spoke with the daughter of a 91-year old woman who contacted Better Business Bureau with her mom’s story. It’s a heartbreaking story. She told me that her mom has sent a total of $20,000 to scammers. It all began with the scam artis...
I was pretty hard on the well intending elected officials who are trying to expand Medicaid to the uninsured in the in my article last month. My objections were based on my concern for the cost to the state in a time when future revenues are going to be limited and uncertain. Having been taken to the woodshed more than once in my life, this time I have finally have seen the light. I am not sure if it was a blinding light or a burning bush, but my religious epiphany occurred just the same. I had...
One of the last ships scheduled to leave Southeast Alaska in the fall of 1918 met with disaster only a few days into her voyage. On October 23, Canadian Pacific Railway steamship Princess Sophia pulled out of the port at Skagway around 10 p.m. and headed into the Lynn Canal bound for Vancouver. The 245-foot Scottish-built ship was filled with 350 Klondikers, families and others heading south for the winter. The steamship company, in an effort to hold more passengers for the voyage, had...
From "I Love Lucy" and "All in the Family" to "Married with Children" and "Seinfeld," structuring a sitcom around four lead characters often proved a successful formula. "It was the perfect format for 'The Honeymooners,'" said Joyce Randolph, who starred as Trixie in the popular 1950s series based on two tenement-dwelling couples – the Kramdens and the Nortons. As the sole surviving member of the original series cast – which included Jackie Gleason, Art Carney and Audrey Meadows – Rando...
Dear Jonathan: My husband and I recently completed our estate planning. We were able to save a lot of money by downloading forms off the Internet. The forms were pretty straightforward and after doing our own research we feel very comfortable with what we did. One thing we chose not to do, however, was to prepare wills which we didn’t feel were necessary because we created a trust. It is our understanding that if we have a trust, our assets are protected from probate and a will isn’t necessary. Are we on the right track? Jonathan Says: Fir...
Q. How do I capture or save what appears on screen? A. Depending on the version of Windows being used, press the Windows Logo Key and the Print Screen key, which is sometimes displayed as the PrntScrn or PrtSc key. Pressing the Print Screen key copies what appears on screen to the Windows Clipboard. You can then paste it into another document or email message. If you want to capture only the active window – the window in which you are currently working – and not any other window that might be lurking in the background, hold down the ALT key...
They’re not real ghosts, but sadly it’s true that thieves are able to steal the credit of people who are gone. They open accounts, run up bills, and get away with it for a while. That’s called ghosting. According to security firm ID Analytics, 2.5 million people every year are running up charges after they are deceased. While Aunt Sally may have passed on, as far as creditors know she’s out shopping for designer boots or high-rolling in a Las Vegas casino. And you may not find out about it `til collectors come looking for payment from Aunt Sall...
Much has been written about the governor’s attempt to expand Medicaid in Alaska and the debate has yet to be settled. While I am sure some of the stakeholders like the working poor, social service non-profits, medical providers, and small businesses are in support of the expansion, seniors and veterans are the big losers. I have been admonished that it is selfish of me to deny coverage to someone who cannot afford health insurance when I have coverage. This line of justification does not wash w...
Everyone keeps a little cash for emergencies, right? We do our best to hide it, but the trouble is, most of us hide it in places that burglars can easily find. Chris McGoey, a Los Angeles based security expert lists a couple of the worst places to hide cash. In your bedroom. This is where most of us hide cash, jewelry and easily-grabbed valuables. McGoey says this is the first place crooks look. Forget the dresser, the night stand, under the mattress, in the closet. “Burglars will flip the bed over almost every time,” he says. McGoey also say...
Many of those who came to Alaska during World War II liked what they saw and decided to set down roots in the Last Frontier. Among them was a true visionary who created one of Anchorage's premier recreational facilities, organized the Alaska Territorial Guard and built the first subdivision in the town once known as "Ship Creek." Born in Tyler, Washington, in 1890, Marvin "Muktuk" Marston found himself mining copper and gold from the bush country of Northern Ontario and Quebec in the late...
