Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 601
In the mid 1930s, a few fellows got together and decided it would be great to put together a winter sports tournament for all of Anchorage's residents. Vern Johnson, Clyde Conover, Thomas Bevers and Dale Bowen wanted to organize several teams to compete in hockey and basketball. With the city's population less than 4,000 at the time, the idea took hold and turned into a carnival to show community support and celebrate the beginning of the end of winter. Revelers bought tickets to the Winter...
Debby Boone's recording of "You Light up My Life" not only became a monster hit of 1977, but went on to become one of the most popular songs of the decade. "I have a hard time believing it's been 40 years," said Boone. The album of the same title released that year became certified platinum (1 million in sales in the U.S.), yet it was never released on CD when the new music format became popular in the 80s. "To celebrate its 40th anniversary we have just released the original album on CD for...
Last month, I promised that I would cover the estate planning consequences of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” in this month’s column. At the time that previous column was due, the final version of the bill had just passed, and I still needed time to figure out what was in it. And there is a lot in it. Most of it doesn’t have anything in particular to do with estate planning, though. And the parts of the bill that do affect estate planning, don’t change a whole lot about what you should do. The m...
Q. Are recent reports of iPhone battery problems serious or much ado about nothing? A. The truth lies somewhere in between. When it comes to the battery strength, your smartphone “lies” to you all the time. At first glance the battery-level icon seems to work like a gas tank. The first gallon of gas in the tank is as powerful as the last. The dashboard gauge shows a good estimate of how much gas remains. This simple metaphor works reasonably well when the battery is young. But as a lithium-ion battery ages, the little white lies told by the...
I have been hunting since I was 12 years old and still enjoy it, though I am now in my 70s. The key to hunting when one gets older is to think safety at all times and try not to over-challenge oneself. Do not hunt alone. I have a cabin 25 miles up Alexander Creek from its confluence with the Susitna River. Now that I am in my 70s I limit my river trips to higher water. Gone are the days when I could pull an 18-foot boat with gear and engine through shallow water. This year we had high water, so...
Will Social Security be in your future? The short answer is “yes.” The other short answer is “maybe.” Let’s start at the beginning. Who cares if Social Security has a future? About 61 million people, or more than one in every six U.S. residents, currently collect Social Security benefits. They care. About 40 percent of Americans age 65 and older would have incomes below the poverty line without Social Security benefits. With Social Security benefits, 9 percent do. They certainly care. The median retirement account balance is $2,500 for all w...
In the nation’s capital, where politicians are always wearing partisan political jerseys, the nomination of Alex Azar to be the new Health and Human Services Secretary may offer the hope of a fresh start on health care issues. President Trump’s recent nominee to run HHS, the largest agency in the federal government, has steadfastly opposed President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), which Azar often describes as “circling the drain.” So the 50-year-old Indiana native is not likely to get many Democrats on his side when the Senate votes on...
By all accounts, Bharti Parikh, 66, has led an exciting life: from a childhood in the tiny village of Patton in Gujarat, India, to a law degree and fulfilling years in America that included working for the City of New York, being invited to be an artist at President Clinton's inauguration, and being a singing star on TV. However, there's also another sadder, more stressful side to her story, one that is unfortunately shared by so many older adults in America. Bharti Parikh is a caregiver, and ha...
My Anchorage neighborhood had been chattering about packages disappearing from doorsteps. Security camera footage was posted to Facebook of people stealing boxes. So I was not stunned when one of ours went missing late November. The delivery service tracking information showed it being left by our front door, but it vanished. "We call them porch pirates, stealing packages from front porches," says Michelle Tabler, Better Business Bureau Alaska Regional Manager. "We've heard reports that these thieves actually follow the UPS and FedEx trucks...
The holiday season is a joyous and festive time of the year for most folks. But some in our community don’t feel celebratory due to depression. Be it because of long term illness, the loss of a spouse or, worst, a child, the loneliness of deep winter could be the tipping point for someone considering ending their life. September was National Suicide Prevention month, but the holiday season and its aftermath are a particularly vulnerable time for our relatives and neighbors who are going t...
Dear Savvy Senior: As a divorced woman, am I entitled to my ex-husband’s Social Security benefits? I was married for 14 years and would like to know how this works. - Happily Divorced Dear Divorced: Yes, you may very well be eligible for divorced spouses Social Security benefits if you meet certain criteria. Here’s how it works. A divorced spouse can collect a Social Security retirement benefit on the earnings record of their ex-husband (or ex-wife) if you are at least age 62, were married for at least 10 years, are unmarried, and are not eli...
In late November I sat with my son and his friend enjoying the ambience of the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Denver. We waited with quiet anticipation along with the rest of the sold out crowd. After a while the house lights went down and a spotlight followed three men as they walked across the stage. First Nikos Kilcher sang a beautiful song he had written for his wife, then brother Atz Lee sang his song titled "Rain" while playing his double bass. Father Atz Kilcher followed up by...
Juneau became the capital of the 49th state on Jan. 3, 1959, after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the statehood act into law. It became the only state capital not accessible by road. But Juneau was not the capital of the Last Frontier when Alaska became part of the United States in 1867. Sitka was the center of government for Russia-America. So why did the Americans choose to move government offices to Juneau? The discovery of gold deposits in the area that became Juneau-Douglas in...
Starting out as an assistant director on "I Love Lucy" in the late 50s probably wasn't a bad introduction to Jay Sandrich's television career behind the camera. "I wrote a letter to Lucy's company (Desilu) and was invited for an interview," recalled Sandrich from Los Angeles. He was immediately offered the job despite possessing only a film degree from UCLA and a couple of years' experience working on army documentaries. "It was my first real job in the business," he said. "The only reason I...
I was hoping this month's column would be about the changes to the tax code and how that effects estate planning. No such luck -- the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is still pending in Congress, subject to last-minute negotiations, and my deadline is nonetheless upon me (the Senior Voice editors are brutal taskmasters. The last time I was late with my column, I woke up to find a severed horse's head in my bed). So, let's have a little fun instead. Let's look at somebody who did it his way – and did it r...
Q. How can I use my phone to take a family photo and include everyone in the picture? A. Smartphone cameras have gotten so good that there has never been a better time to put one on a tripod. Phone cameras perform magic to keep images sharp in all sorts of conditions, but you can still make images with a tripod that would be impossible otherwise. Gathering the whole family together in one frame is the perfect place to begin. Attaching a smartphone to a tripod requires a special bracket. Before you grab the first bargain bracket you come...
Form Christmas letters. Whether they arrive by snail mail or email, people seem to either love or hate these annual family newsletters. Let me just state up front that I am a fan. Because my mother embraced this particular tradition, her children and grandchildren now have a wonderful treasure of family history. Dad arrived in Anchorage in January 1940 from Montana and Mom came to Seward in 1951 from New York. They married in 1954. As far as we know, Mom wrote her first Christmas letter while...
By JACQUELINE GARCIA Diverse Elders Coalition Every morning, Eduardo arrives at a day laborer center in Los Angeles to pick up his crew for the day. Depending on the working schedule, the 52-year-old man takes between two and four men to work in different projects, mainly in construction. "Sometimes other [day labor workers] laugh at me because I often take the older men," said Eduardo. "But I take them because they have less opportunity to be hired," he said. For many years Eduardo also worked...
The holiday season is upon us and that means people are searching for the perfect gift for friends and family. From socks to wine and pajamas to animals, people will receive both wanted and unwanted gifts. What about you? Have you heard murmurs from the kids that you could use a cat to keep you company? Are you thinking your grandchildren really need a dog in their lives? Let's look at the good and bad of giving and receiving pets as gifts. Research from the ASPCA (American Society for the...
Even as people attempt to sing it, few know the words of the world’s best-known and most-sung song (outside of “Happy Birthday”). Or much else about the mystery song. Dick Clark, long the host of the new year’s eve TV broadcast from Times Square in New York, didn’t know. “All I remember is ‘drink a cup of kindness,’ and ‘old acquaintances,’” he said. The song is sung by average people all over the world, in English and at least 40 other languages, from Times Square to Tokyo, at funerals, graduations, farewells, Boy Scout jamborees and other f...
More than four decades ago Congress enacted the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act, which conveyed about 40 million acres to Alaska Native-owned corporations and settled aboriginal land claims. President Richard M. Nixon signed it into law in December 1971. Why was the Native land claims such a big issue after statehood? The Alaska Statehood Act said the new state could choose more than 103 million acres of its land – an amount larger in total area than California – to build its eco...
The tragedies that befell singer Connie Francis throughout her life would challenge the most resilient of souls. Nevertheless, she navigated each dark, engulfing personal tunnel with unwavering tenacity, always eventually emerging aided by her sense of humor. "It never failed me and kept me going," she said from her home in Parkland, Florida. "From the age of 10, I worked on TV with many comedians like Don Rickles and developed a sense of humor." While her professional breakthrough came in the...
Forms can be helpful. And dangerous. Back in the days when I did a lot of trial work, I encouraged the court system to develop forms that people could use for simple matters. I saw a lot of folks who needed some form of relief, but couldn’t afford thousands of dollars to retain an attorney. Forms for simple things like filing a motion in a family law or probate case made a lot of sense. And I still believe in that. However, there is a downside to the use of forms. If you try to use a legal f...
Q. What is the best way to clean the screen on a smartphone or tablet? A. My favorite method is a microfiber towel sold under the trademark Dash Gear (www.cleantools.net/products/dash-gear). I discovered these in a local auto parts store a few years ago. I wipe yesterday’s fingerprints off my iPad and phone each morning. (Dirt on screens is much easier to see in daylight.) If it takes more than a few seconds, I drop the towel into the laundry. Once cleaned, the towel works as good as new. Beware of the term “microfiber.” I have encou...
To author Studs Terkel, World War II was The Good War. And to Tom Brokaw, those who lived through it were The Greatest Generation. Sacrifice was the order of the day. And, as Betty Curtis and Carmen Suter can tell you, everyone made sacrifices every day. "I wouldn't go through it again for anything, but it created an interesting generation of people," said Curtis, who was 13 and living in Delphos, Kansas, about 60 miles north of Salina, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. On t...
