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How to Plan an International Trip During Retirement

From the U.S. News & World Report website

Whether you’ve always dreamed of checking global destinations off your bucket list, or you have only recently felt the twitch to travel internationally, one thing is certain: The retirement years are a nearly perfect time to pack your bags. You have more time in your schedule, as well as the flexibility to choose deals that are only available for certain dates.

The key to creating an unforgettable international experience that fits into your budget is to plan ahead. Follow these steps to set up and thoroughly enjoy an international trip during retirement.

Macular Degeneration: Managing This Vision Condition

From the U.S. News & World Report website

Helyn Guerry, 88, of Houston, looks around her room but struggles to make out the objects directly in front of her. Macular degeneration, a common eye condition among older adults, seriously blurs her central vision.

Driving is no longer possible for Guerry. Fortunately, she has a support system in place. “I have a grandson who’s very near and dear, and he comes once a day,” she says. He helps her catch up with paperwork and takes her to the grocery store because she can’t read labels now. She also has occasional professional help from an aide who accompanies her on visits to the doctor.

Guerry can’t read print books anymore. When she recently picked up her Kindle, she noticed her eyesight had deteriorated a bit more. Now she uses a machine that reads books aloud. Fortunately, she says, her hearing is still good.

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Task Force Hawaii

From the Hawaii Air National Guard Facebook page

National Guard photos by SrA John Linzmeier

Lava fissure’s erupts at Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions, Pahoa, Hawaii on May 15-17, 2018. In response to the ongoing outbreak, more than 100 members of the Hawaii National Guard have been assisting Hawaii County agencies as part of an operation called Task Force Hawaii. The activated guardsmen are providing around-the-clock presence and guidance to evacuees.

Air National Guard photos by Senior Airman John Linzmeier

Online ordering coming soon to more commissaries

From the Military Times website

Commissary officials will expand their program offering online ordering with curbside pickup starting this summer, said Robert Bianchi, interim director of the Defense Commissary Agency.

The commissary system is moving to new business technology which will allow a more efficient process for the program, which is called “Click2Go.” The program will be tested at Fort Eustis, Virginia, starting in late July or early August. Officials are still working on a rollout schedule for other commissaries, he said.

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New Followers 18.05.21

You can register to receive an email every time there is a new post. In the “Follow Retiree News via Email” section and press “Follow”. On the next screen, enter your email address and press ENTER. Shortly, you will receive a confirmation email to your address from WordPress.com. You acknowledge the email and you are a registered reader.

After you compete this short registration process, you get a notification email every time there is a new posting. The email has a quick teaser of the posting, along with tags that indicate how the posting relates to special topics/areas. There is a direct link to the website (Read more of this post)

Retiree New post sample   click on graphic to enlarge

Thanks to these Retiree News readers who registered to “Follow Retiree News via Email”:

ronhase, patches012101, Penny Reed, Jackie Jakahi, silentwolfe, lovepaige31, Gary Mizumoto, Tracy Tobias, mmm,smile5350, Harold Kato, Calvin Chow, dlacuata, slowviper

Taps: Kenneth Hasegawa

Kenneth Susumu Hasegawa, 77, of Honolulu passed away April 8, 2018. Born in Kekaha, Kauai. Retired National Guard aircraft mechanic.

Survived by wife, Harriet; brother, Stanley; sister, Elaine (Dennis) Kato; sisters-in-law, Michie and Hiromi; predeceased by brothers, Harold and Walter.

Private services held. Arrangements by: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC

Retiree News extends heartfelt sympathy to the Kenneth’s family and friends.

pūpūkahi: Spring 2018

pupukahi large

The pūpūkahi is the State of Hawaii Department of Defense monthly newsletter. Printed versions of the pūpūkahi have been the “command information” newsletter for decades, however, it was suspended in 2009 due to budget cuts.

Click here to read the Spring 2018 digital pūpūkahi

Best surge protector: Reviews and buying advice

From the TechHive website

You only know for sure that you needed a surge protector after your equipment fries. Then it’s too late. For a very reasonable amount of money, you could put an almost literal firewall between your expensive (and cheap) electronics and the juice coming in from a wall socket. A surge protector throws itself into the line of fire, sacrificing its components again and again so that your devices stay functional.

These reviews are of surge protectors designed for a home office or cubicle, or a home-entertainment system. Such power mediators have a single function: keeping voltage from exceeding a certain rated level, beyond which equipment can blow a fuse, burn out its power supply, or completely fry its circuitry beyond repair. The surge protector takes a hit instead of your hardware or A/V system, and it could potentially save you hundreds to many thousands of dollars, depending on what you have connected.

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Never Too Late to Operate? Surgery Near End of Life Is Common, Costly

From the Kaiser Health News website

At 87, Maxine Stanich cared more about improving the quality of her life than prolonging it.

She suffered from a long list of health problems, including heart failure and chronic lung disease that could leave her gasping for breath.

When her time came, she wanted to die a natural death, Stanich told her daughter, and signed a “do not resuscitate” directive, or DNR, ordering doctors not to revive her should her heart stop.

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Armed Forces Day 2018

“It is fitting and proper that we devote one day each year to paying special tribute to those whose constancy and courage constitute one of the bulwarks guarding the freedom of this nation and the peace of the free world.” — President Eisenhower, 1953

Hawaii Guard Honors Senator Daniel Akaka

Off the Hawaii Adjutant General’s Facebook page

Click here to see all the photographs

Nebraskan is first woman to be named nation’s top Army National Guard warrant officer

From the Omaha World-Herald website

A 35-year veteran of the Nebraska Army National Guard has been selected as the leader of 8,600 Army National Guard warrant officers nationwide.

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Teresa Domeier will assume the position of command chief warrant officer at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia. She will be the first woman to hold the position. She will take over the job later this year from Chief Command Warrant Officer Peter Panos.

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Special thanks to Gordon Lau for submitting this post

Medicare costs could rise by more than 200 percent for these retirees

From the CNBC website

This year, high-income retirees can expect to shell out even more money to cover their Medicare premiums.

That’s because as of 2018, there is a shift in the income brackets that are used to determine how much older Americans will pay for their Medicare Part B and Part D coverage, according to a recent analysis by HealthView Services, a provider of health-care cost projection software.

Medicare Part B covers preventive services and doctor visits, and Part D covers prescription drugs.

These surcharges could take a bigger bite out of present and future retirees’ income than they may have expected.

Taps: Tom Wolfe 1931-2018

From the Air Force Magazine website

Tom Wolfe, the journalist and nonfiction author who wrote the book—and coined the term – “The Right Stuff,” died May 14, at age 87. Wolfe’s book, published in 1979, stylistically chronicled the history and culture of US military test pilots, following their exploits through the end of the Mercury space program.

A film treatment of the same name with an ensemble cast, directed by Philip Kaufman, was released in 1983 to great critical acclaim, winning four technical Academy Awards. The book and film caused the US to re-discover its rocketplane-era test pilots, particularly Chuck Yeager, who Wolfe portrayed as the prototypical cool-headed ace and aviator, and John Glenn, who in the same year as the film’s release unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the US presidency.

Affecting a white suit and responsible in large part for the “new journalism” trend of writing factual stories in a novelistic fashion, which he called “literary journalism,” Wolfe also invented what he called “saturation journalism,” in which the reporter shadows his subject, usually a politician, for an extended period of time, to be on hand when major events take place involving that person. He also famously wrote “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and coined the terms “The Me Decade” and “Radical Chic.” —John A. Tirpak

The term “The Right Stuff” continues to describe military pilots. The film presented the stress of being a test pilot and the how these pilots handled it.