Originally a Chinese tradition, most families set off at least one 10,000 box for good luck in the new year. Other families, like in the photograph above, bought boxes of firecrackers.
At midnight, the sound of the firecrackers filled the night like a wartime firefight. Skyrockets lit up the sky more than the largest Fourth of July fireworks display.
Health concerns and the ever-present threat of house fires moved the City Council to pass a new law limited firework sales in 2012.
Prior to the new law, sales were unlimited. The new law required a $25.00 permit for each purchase 5,000 fireworks. Sales are now limited to resident 18 years and older. Firecrackers may only be used on holidays, including New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year, Fourth of July and other cultural events approved by the HFD on a case-by-case basis.
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From the U.S. News & World Report website
Many older adults need a little assistance with the tasks of daily living as time marches onward. In these instances, you may be considering moving yourself or a loved one into an assisted living facility. And if and when it comes to that, you’ll no doubt have dozens of questions to answer before taking that big step.
“There’s so much to think about, where do I begin?” asks Dr. Susann Varano, a geriatrician at Maplewood Senior Living, a Westport, Connecticut–based senior living residence company. She says picking the right assisted living facility should mirror how we select a college or career path earlier in life. “It’s similar to when we’re thinking about our careers and picking undergraduate degrees and schools. We do our homework. We do our due diligence. We see if our interests match what the school has to offer. Then we find out, can we get into the school? Can we afford it? What’s the cost? The location? What’s the reputation? I don’t know why we don’t do that for assisted living.”
From the Money Talks News website
It’s a sad fact that scammers often target the people with the most to lose, and the least chance to catch on or fix things.
Seniors may have strong credit and a large nest egg for scam artists to go after. They also may be more trusting or less likely to report scams if they fear friends and family will think they can’t manage their own affairs anymore.
Harold G. DeMello, Jr., March 30, 1940 December 6, 2019, 79, a longtime resident of Enchanted Lake in Kailua, Hawaii, and recent resident of Henderson, Nevada, passed away on December 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. Born in Honolulu, he was preceded in death by first wife Antoinette and brother Howard.
He is survived by wife Margaret “Stevie” Braine DeMello; children Carole (Lanark) Lockard, Darlene (Patrick) Sousa, Patrick (Jennifer) DeMello, Julie DeMello, Dean (Kalei) DeMello, and Keith DeMello; stepchildren Stephen Fong and Brandi Sam Fong; grandchildren Anthony, Shauna, Shannon, Daniel, Kanalu, Logan, and Keola; step-granddaughter Amber; great-grandson Maddox; and sisters Linda DeMello (George) Schofield and Marlene DeMello (Gene) Faria.
The eldest of four children of Harold Sr. and Hilda Rosa DeMello, Harold Jr. was raised at St. Louis Heights in Honolulu, also spending many weekends at the family’s home in Lanikai, Kailua.
He was a graduate of the St. Louis School Class of 1958 and served in the Hawaii Air National Guard for 41 years, working as an aircraft mechanic supervisor including several overseas assignments before retiring in 2000 as a Chief Master Sergeant.
He was a classic car enthusiast, volunteered as one of the first coaches introducing Soccer to Hawaii in the 1970s, and remained a spirited spectator at the sports activities of his children and grandchildren (as well as critic of many referees!).
Services will be held Thursday, January 9, 2020, at St. John Vianney Church, 920 Keolu Dr., Kailua, HI 96734. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m., with a memorial service at 10:15 a.m. followed by Mass at 11 a.m. Afterward, family and friends are invited to join the DeMello ohana for lunch on the nearby Fellowship Lanai. A private interment will be held Friday, January 10, at Oahu Cemetery in Honolulu.
From the Frolic Hawaii website
I have been a burger fan for as long as I can remember. Ask my parents — no matter where we went, if there was a burger on the menu, that’s what I was having. From palm-sized sliders to triple-deckers as big as your head, there’s a burger for every occasion and appetite.
This list is the ongoing result of my lifelong quest to discover Oahu’s best burgers.
From the Kaiser Health News website
Do you have an exorbitant or baffling medical bill? Join the KHN and NPR ‘Bill of the Month’ Club and tell us about your experience. We’ll feature a new one each month.
Alexa Kasdan had a cold and a sore throat.
The 40-year-old public policy consultant from Brooklyn, New York, didn’t want her upcoming vacation trip ruined by strep throat. So, after it had lingered for more than a week, she decided to get it checked out.
Kasdan visited her primary care physician, Dr. Roya Fathollahi, at Manhattan Specialty Care just off Park Avenue South, and not far from tony Gramercy Park.
The visit was quick. Kasdan got her throat swabbed, gave a tube of blood and was sent out the door with a prescription for antibiotics.
She soon felt better and the trip went off without a hitch.
Then the bill came.
From the Wired Magazine website
As we draw ever closer to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all the shopping days in between, you’ll have no shortage of cheap, flashy, internet-connected gadgets to choose from for holiday gifts. But in the frenzy, don’t forget that the widgets you buy will live at recipients’ houses—or on their wrists—for months or years to come. With that in mind, it’s worth considering the security and privacy risks involved, so you know what you’re getting people into before they unwrap the box.
The December 2019 issue of the National Guard magazine features the following articles:
Power of the Purse Army leaders wanted to pause the buy of new CH-47 Chinooks, but Congress always has the final say.
Family Touch A lot of loving care has enabled the KC-135 to age gracefully. Good thing, because some may have to last another 40 years.
A Needed Head Start GUARD ROOTS: The National Guard was fully mobilized and training for war as best it could when bombs fell on Pearl Harbor.
NDAA Compromise Reached Several National Guard items were included in the annual defense policy bill.
The National Guard Association of the United States
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20001 | www.ngaus.org
P: 202.789.0031 | F: 202.682.9358 | newsletter@ngaus.org
From the Military Times website
For the first time since 2010, troops will see a pay raise of more than 3.0 percent. And they may not have to wait another decade before the next one arrives.
Congress and the White House signed off on a 3.1 percent pay raise for troops starting on January 1, a move that will produce a significant bump to military paychecks next year.
For junior enlisted troops, the raise amounts to roughly $815 more a year in pay. For senior enlisted and junior officers, it equals about $1,500 more. An O-4 with 12 years service would see more than $2,800 extra next year under the increase.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave expanded approval to a prescription form of fish oil called Vascepa, to help prevent heart trouble in people at high risk who are already taking statins.
Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) was already FDA-approved for a small percentage of patients with exceptionally high blood levels of triglycerides, a type of blood fat.
The new approval greatly expands the potential pool of patients, because it now includes people with simply high levels of triglycerides — at or above 150 milligrams per deciliter — and multiple risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.
Off the Hawaii Air National Guard Facebook page
When Airmen go above and beyond their normal call of duty, it’s hard to not take notice.
Master Sgt. Dwayne Yoshioka, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lim, Tech. Sgt. Walter Chun, Staff Sgt. Ikaika Flores, who have been recognized by Maj. Gen. Thomas Kennett, Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air Mobility Command, for their indispensable support for an AMC mission.
On December 4, these outstanding Airmen from the 154th Maintenance Squadron provided a no-notice response for an AMC aircraft in need of repairs. Flores and Chun responded to and corrected avionics discrepancy on a KC-135 Stratotanker from Sioux City, Iowa. On the same day Yoshioka and Lim’s hydraulics expertise was called upon to repair a boom system on another KC-135, based out of Wisconsin.
With their combined teamwork, resilience and craftsmanship these professionals were able to identify and correct show-stopping discrepancies, allowing both aircraft to carry out their important missions.
For their remarkable performance, each Airmen was presented a challenge coin as a token of appreciation.
For new retirees—especially those on a fixed income—it’s more important than ever to take full advantage of every tax break available. Afterall, you have to stretch out your retirement savings to cover the rest of your life. But seniors often miss tax-saving opportunities, usually because they just don’t know about them. Don’t let that happen to you—check out these often-overlooked tax breaks for retirees. You could save a bundle!
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