"Please alert people to something we're experiencing right now - having to clean up the mess of someone not naming more than one person as beneficiary on a life insurance policy. We are having an impossible time trying to get the funeral expenses paid for my sister and my mother. They died within four days of each other, and they left each other as beneficiary of their life insurance policies.

'If the person listed as a beneficiary dies, the insurance benefit goes into their estate.

'The problem is, neither of them had a will, either."

(Aside: This means that both estates, the mother's and the daughter's, will have to be probated by the Court, and the Court will decide who gets what. The process can be lengthy, and it can be expensive. The family might not see the funeral money for a while.)

"Also, please alert people to be sure that the person they choose to be their medical decision maker - the person who has Medical Power of Attorney - is willing to do what they would want done. Review the mental capacity of the appointed person regularly.

'My 85 year old Mother couldn't bring herself to honor my sister's Living Will that said she wanted to be allowed to go. The doctor wouldn't write a letter stating Mother wasn't capable of making these decisions for my sister, who was in a coma.

'So, my sister was put on life support, even though there was no hope that she would ever awaken or live a productive life. She lingered for months on a ventilator.

'My family and I wish we had thought about all these things sooner. We are taking a closer look at our own papers now."

She is soooo right.

Life insurance is something we all tend to forget about. When you started that new job, you made out your employer's insurance beneficiary papers on the first day. Have you thought about them since?

What about your Medical and Financial Powers of Attorney (you do have them, don't you?). If you've designated your spouse on one or both, what happens if you're in an accident together? Is there a secod person named who can step in?

If you made arrangements for your children when they were babies, are there things you should change now thatthey're older? Now that several years have gone by, would you still appoint the same people to care for your children in the event of a catastrophe?

Do you have a will? If not, some stranger in a black robe is going to be making decisions for you one day.

What about your parents? If one of them has passed away, has the survivor made the necessary changes to legal documents?

If one parent is in poor health or getting confused, is he or she still the only one legally appointed to make decisions for the other?

This doesn't really have anything to do with your age. Everyone over the age of 18 should give some thought to these questions, and then take action. Should you do something about it right now, before something goes tragically wrong?

You Betcha!

A synopsis on Wine Class.

Plans Aren't Wine, And They Don't Always Age Well


The following crossed my desk recently. The author gave me permission to share her story:"Please alert people to something we're experiencing ...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Featured Wine Class Items

Vino Vac Wine Saver (1 Pump / 1 Stopper)


Vino Vac™ Wine Saver goodbye oxidation. This cleverly conceived pump releases the air that turns open bottles of wine into vinegar. Just place a stopper in the bottle’s neck place the pump over it and pump out the air until you feel resistance. The stopper seals the vacuum and keeps the wine fresh so you can enjoy it as much tomorrow as you did today. Includes: one vacuum-pump and one stopper. 5 1/2'H.


Price: 12.95 USD



Current Wine Class News

Judging the Judges: Study Shows Wine Judges Aren't That Reliable (or does it...?)

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:32:00 -0800
The Journal of Wine Economics has just published a study authored by Robert T. Hodgson titled An Examination of Judge Reliability at a major U.S. Wine Competition. The reported findings should make the fodder for about 10,000 wine blog articles over the next few weeks.The study tracked the ability of wine competition judges to replicate the scores that they gave to wines (during blind tasting competition) at the California State Fair. The study found that (emphasis is mine):...judges were perf

CINEMATIC PASSIONS’ MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES OF 2008

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:28:00 -0800
I just wanted to put up a post that honours some of the great acting that I’ve seen this year. Not only is this a subject that I know something about but a lot of excellent work has a tendency to get lost in the shuffle.So it would do me good to have a discussion for the actors’ benefit - whether they’ve won a barrelful of awards or not. HEATH LEDGER - THE DARK KNIGHTThough I never liked the film, I found HEATH’S incendiary turn awe inspiring. He reminded me of Byron: mad, bad and dangerous to k

Freebies List: 2 of 7 - 26 Jan LA 10:15pm] - 27 Jan NY 01:15am, UK 06:15am, OZ 05:15pm]

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:56:00 -0800
Welcome to the DigiFree digital scrapbooking freebie search engine!This is page 2 of 7 for the split large preview list today.Goto full small previews (high bandwidth)] Goto full large previews (high bandwidth)] Go back to yesterday]Digital Scrapbooking Freebie List:Line's Design (http://linedesign.fr/wordpress) T]G2]Fantasy … my new kit and a freebie for you! - 1 freebie(s) digiscrap de seni (http://senidesigns.blogspot.com) T]G1]for a kiss - 1 freebie(s) http://edelinedesign.com/mythoug

Full List: 26 Jan LA 10:15pm] - 27 Jan NY 01:15am, UK 06:15am, OZ 05:15pm]

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:48:00 -0800
Welcome to the DigiFree digital scrapbooking freebie search engine!Digital Scrapbooking Freebie List:Kim b's digi-scraps and designs (http://kimbsdesigns.blogspot.com) T]G3]Spring cleaning in Summer - 1 freebie(s) godigitalscrapbooking.com (http://godigitalscrapbooking.com/blog) T]G2]Mon 1/26 Daily Download Quick Page - 1 freebie(s)?Raspberry Road Designs (http://raspberryroaddesigns.blogspot.com) T]G3]Paris Nights QP Freebie - 1 freebie(s) Scrapping with Liz (http://scrappingwithliz.blogs

The Creation Myth of Food and Guilt, by John Joseph

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:14:27 -0800
Can a huge hunk of 1500 calorie cheesecake be of equal nutritional benefit to us as a bowl of quinoa and black beans? I asked nutrition expert Marc David this question during his presentation on diet at Corepoweryoga last Sunday in a packed room of attentive listeners. Marc is a nationally renowned author, lecturer and life coach based in Boulder. I came to the presentation expecting to hear about carbs, calories and exercise – perhaps some tips to keep me from reaching for that bag of salty, oi

Gourmet Box Merlot Wins Best of Class in 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Competition (PRWeb)

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:17:33 -0800
In America's largest wine judging, Corbett Canyon 3L Premium Cask Merlot (non-vintage) won Best of Class for Merlots below $15, according to the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Over 4,700 wines were entered from 26 states a gain of nearly 1,000 entries since 2008. (PRWeb Jan 27, 2009) Read the full story at ...

nosmo: Wine list

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:35 -0800
1:30 pm • 27 January 2009; Comments; Tags: photograph wine Iranian revolutionary art (via jhnbrssndn) lowlife: I just spent the past four hours in class learning about poster art from the 1979 Iranian revolution - my professor helped write a book on the subject. The interplay of social realist, ‘68 rebel/Situationist, Persian and Islamic influences on these is awesome and I heartily recommend you check out the link. (click through each page for more posters)


Gift Ideas
April Wine | Australian Shiraz

Labels: April Wine | Australian Shiraz

&type=page">