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With the New Year upon us, many of us will make resolutions to change something in our life for the better. The old standbys are lose weight, join a gym, stop smoking, and call your friends and family more. These promises to yourself as well as so many other well intended plans made on New Year’s Day are forgotten by March (I’m being generous here). So let’s strive to make a resolution that may save your life and develop a good practice for the whole year. Let’s take some baby steps toward...
Some courageous pioneers saw the possibilities of the Yukon Basin years before the Klondike Gold Rush. And a few stand out above the rest, including Leroy Napoleon "Jack" McQuesten, Alfred Mayo and Arthur Harper. Had they not seen the need to establish supply centers, it is possible that gold rushes to the Yukon and Alaska would not have boomed during the late 1890s. These men met up in British Columbia in 1873 and continued on to Fort Yukon together. The first winter, Harper went prospecting...
For many, the title "King of Rock and Roll" is reserved for one man: Elvis Presley. Had he lived, the King would have celebrated his 80th birthday on Jan. 8, 2015. Unlike most departed singers who are remembered largely for their music, Elvis lives on through a phenomenal number of appearances in scripted motion pictures – 31 in all – beginning with "Love Me Tender" in 1956 and ending 13 years later with "Change of Habit" in 1969. His movies provide a unique glimpse into another dimension of one...
Dear Jonathan: If I loan my son $80,000 to pay off his mortgage, would either of us have an issue with the IRS? My son would repay the loan at a set amount each month. I would prefer not to charge an interest fee. Thank you for any advice you can supply. Jonathan Says: Believe it or not, your question, which is very straightforward, has a rather complicated answer, but I will try to keep it simple. There is no problem with you loaning money to your son so he can pay off his mortgage, but to avoid running afoul of the IRS, you should: 1. Have...
Q. I’ve heard there is a way to cheat when playing Solitaire. I hate to ask, but can you shed any light on this? A. I don’t know why as many people ask about this as they do, particularly since Solitaire is a game you play against yourself, but Mr. Modem is here to answer questions, not to judge. Well, okay, I judge, too, but I keep my opinions to myself. Well, okay, maybe I don’t keep my opinions to myself, but I only share them with my cats. Here’s how to extricate yourself from Solitaire when you need a card, but it’s just not coming yo...
I have been harvesting moose for over 40 years. When I first began moose hunting my technique was simple-I would sit in a field and wait. In time I learned how to call and when to be in the field. Simply stated, the best time to hunt moose is after Sept. 12, when the bulls are in full rut and looking to mate. I also limit my time in the field to five hours in the morning and at night. Moose are less active during the day. This year we were to hunt Unit 18, which is located in the...
This month I am foregoing my monthly Veteran Healthcare Report to allow the following story to run. The article is the sole opinion of the author and does not constitute an endorsement by the Senior Voice. Self inspection record raises questions about 176th Medical Group By LINDA DUNEGAN, Lt. Col., AKANG, MSC, PhD, Ret. What is the mission of the Alaska Air National Guard? They are citizen airmen / militia. They defend and protect Alaskans from the enemies both foreign and domestic. Alaska’s 1...
Mollie Walsh made a name for herself among the prospectors who flooded north during the Klondike Gold Rush. Her "grub tent" was a welcome sight to many miners who climbed the White Pass Trail in the late 1890s. One man carried such affection for her that he created a memorial that still stands today in the little town of Skagway. Born Mary Walsh in 1872, the Irish lass had packed her bags and headed north from Montana in 1897. Various sources say she was a dancehall girl in Butte, worked for an...
Food, family and fun are usually part of Christmas Day celebrations for many families. The festivity may also include watching old Christmas movies, with the 1947 version of "Miracle on 34th Street" being a traditional favorite. In addition to its Christmas message, the film is remembered for its cast including Edmund Gwenn who won the Oscar for his role as Kris Kringle, adorable 9-year-old Natalie Wood as Susan, and feisty Maureen O'Hara, who played her mother. Although she starred in other...
Dear Jonathan: I am a widower and 50 percent owner of a small business which employs two of my children. I am at retirement age now however I am not ready to stop working quite yet. I am thinking that I should probably update my estate planning because the last time I did this was over 30 years ago when my wife was still alive. Another reason that I want to update is that my children who work at the company have expressed an interest in receiving my ownership in the business after I am gone, so I want to make sure I address that in my plan. Doe...
Q. How can I explore the various settings in Gmail without messing up what I currently have? Is there any place I can see demonstrations of what the various Gmail features and options do? A. Any changes you make to Gmail through its user settings are easily reversible by returning to the setting in question and changing it back to the way it was. As an alternative, since Gmail is free, you can create a test email account for yourself, then experiment until your head explodes. If you test settings in this manner and find something you...
Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) is adding a second day of the week to their Landlord/Tenant Legal Helpline, providing free assistance to both tenants and landlords with legal questions and situations. The Landlord/Tenant Helpline will now be open on both Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m., starting Dec. 2. The number to call in the Anchorage area is 743-1000, and for folks outside of the Anchorage area, the toll-free number to call is 855-743-1001. Volunteer attorneys take incoming calls and will answer general questions from...
Dear Jonathan: I am a widower. My only child, my daughter, is the sole beneficiary of my estate under my will. When I prepared my will, I did not prepare a trust because quite frankly I didn’t feel I had a large enough estate to warrant the cost. Now I am having second thoughts because what I do have, i.e., my house and several bank accounts, I would rather have avoid probate. Short of putting my daughter’s name on the title to my house and my bank accounts and CDs, is there any other way that my estate can avoid probate without my cre...
Q. When I go to my online bank accounts and other sites that I have to sign into, does it make any difference whether I sign out or just click the X to leave? I’m thinking it doesn’t make any difference, but what is your opinion, Mr. M? A. Yes, it makes a huge difference. Make that HUGE difference! Never ever, ever, EVER leave an account that you logged into without logging out. Failing to log out is tantamount to departing your home and leaving the door open. 99.99 percent of the time everything will be fine when you return. On the other hand,...
Senior Benefits and heating assistance If you are 65 years old or older, you might be eligible for the Senior Benefits program, depending on your income. You should call 1-888-352-4150 and ask for an application. Monthly benefits are, depending on income, $125 or $175 or $250 – and assets do not count. It is also time to apply for the heating assistance program. If you do not have an application, you can get one at our office or by calling statewide, 1-800-470-3058. Applications will be a...
Veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War – 9 January, 1962 through 7 May, 1975 – or near the Korean DMZ between 1 April, 1968 and 31 August, 1971, have been determined to have a presumptive service-connected disability for certain illnesses (see VA and VVA websites for full list) and are entitled to compensation as well as medical care. If you served in-country in Korea or Vietnam during these dates, you are eligible for compensation for many illness including Type ll dia...
While workers completed the last portion of the Alaska-Canada Highway at Beaver Creek on Oct. 25, 1942, the idea to connect Alaska to the rest of the world was born many years earlier. Donald MacDonald, a locating engineer with the Alaska Road Commission, had dreamed for years of an overland coastal route to Alaska. It would run north from Seattle across British Columbia through the Yukon Territory to Fairbanks. MacDonald and a group of Fairbanks residents formed the International Highway...
What should have been "a three-hour tour" turned into a 50-year journey for Dawn Wells, who played castaway Mary Ann in the zany sitcom "Gilligan's Island" that debuted on CBS in September, 1964. "I'm still talking and writing about the show and it continues to gain new fans," said Dawn, from her home in Los Angeles. "If you're a 10 year old kid watching the show today, there's not much to date it – a desert island is a desert island." To celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, Dawn draws on h...
Dear Jonathan: My wife passed away last year just a few months after we had updated our estate planning documents. The attorney who prepared the documents on our behalf has recommended to me that I engage in yet another update of my estate planning documents for the purpose of removing my wife from the documents as the primary beneficiary and as the primary fiduciary. I guess I kind of understand why he is recommending this, however, in all of our documents we named our son and our daughter as back-up beneficiaries and fiduciaries....
Q. What happens when an external hard drive runs out of space? Does that mean I have to spend money to buy a new one? A. When you start to run out of space on your external drive, one possibility is to purchase another, larger drive. A better option is to take a look at your saved files and see if you can thin the herd. Try to make a point of periodically reviewing your files and deleting items you don’t really and truly need to save. Old files are a lot like old clothes in a closet: If you haven’t worn something in a year or two (or used a fil...
Discussing aging issues, such as living arrangements, finances, dating, end-of-life decisions and driving, early and often can save families years of heartache, tension and even legal battles. Yet, research indicates that about two-thirds of American families put off these conversations, either because they are uncomfortable with the topics or they just don’t know where to start. Statistics show that 34 percent of adults surveyed are conversation avoiders. That is, they haven’t talked about any important end-of-life issues with their par...
I work as a chaplain visiting folks in their homes, and one of the questions I ask is: “Are you affiliated with a particular faith group?” How a person answers this question tells me a lot about them and their ideas and feelings about religion. Many people these days say they were raised in a particular denomination but they aren’t active. Often it’s too hard to get out and attend services anymore, or they define themselves as “spiritual” not religious. Others who use the word “spiritual” mean they are not, have never been, churchgoers, but the...
For those of you not familiar with the Honor Flight program, it’s a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing World War ll and Korean War veterans an opportunity to travel to Washington DC to visit the nation’s capital and the various war memorials at no cost to the veteran. Sixty years after the end of World War ll, the country finally built a World War ll memorial after many of the “Greatest Generation” had passed away. We are losing World War ll veterans at the rate of one every 90 seconds. A seat on one of these all expense...
Dear readers, it's time to say goodbye. I will retire next month and hand off the reins to a new Long Term Care Ombudsman. It has been a real privilege to hold this position. I've got the best staff and volunteers anyone could hope for, all of them passionate about defending the rights of older Alaskans. But the best of all has been you, the older Alaskans who show so much grit and independence in facing the daily challenges of aging. My job is to make sure our program provides seniors with...
Russian fur traders wanted to build a fort called Mikhailovsk about six miles north of the present town of Sitka in 1799. They gave the Tlingits, who'd occupied that part of Southeast Alaska for more than 10,000 years, beads and other trading goods in exchange for a small piece of land. The Native people at first thought the Russians might be good trading partners. But soon they realized they'd made a bad deal with Alexander Baranof, chief manager for the Russian-American Company. Submission to...
