My thanks to the many veterans who turned out today to work with the Texas Court Reporters Association, the San Antonio Bar Association, the Towers, and a group of lawyers so that the veterans’ stories could be collected as part of the Veterans History Project. The project will transcribe the stories—along with preserving audio recordings and the veterans’ photos, journals, letters, and other historic material—so that these documents become part of the permanent collection at the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center. The Project, found online at www.loc.gov/vets, is designed to make “accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.”
This weekend, San Antonio attorneys and court reporters will volunteer to work with veterans to collect stories of the major conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Nationally, the VHP has collected more than 70,000 stories from veterans and civilian war workers who share their memories. After the VHP receives the transcribed interviews, its processing staff digitizes each transcript and places them online where they may be reviewed. Stories may be searched by conflict or era, branch of service, prisoner of war, and gender. Service location, unit or ship, or individual names may be searched, also.
The United States Congress created the VHP in 2000. Public Law 106-380 was sponsored by Representatives Ron Kind, Amo Houghton, and Steny Hoyer in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senators Max Cleland and Chuck Hagel in the U.S. Senate. The legislation received unanimous support and was signed into law by then-president Bill Clinton on October 27, 2000 with the hope that people for generations to come will have the opportunity and place to read about the real-life experiences of American servicemen and women.
Pulitzer prize-winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith have filled in the sketchy details of Vincent Van Gogh's life, art, and death in their newly-released book Van Gogh: The Life. CBS investigative reporters spoke with the authors about their literary works and those of Vincent Van Gogh:
Seems like today if you are looking for peace of mind, our popular culture will quickly direct you to such sources as Zen meditation, rolfing, crystals, or some such mystical source.
A recent article in Forbes suggested several steps for achieving financial peace of mind via feng shui. These basic areas to consider included:
• Bones: The physical structure of your assets. Reorganize, consolidate, and/or close various accounts.
• Breath: How your accounts are arranged and the way your assets flow between them. Consider creating automatic arrangements between accounts.
• Head: The purpose of your money. Create a clear purpose for your money by creating new accounts or separating money from one account into another.
• Heart: How you personally feel about your money (e.g. confused, vigorous, tired). Research companies more in line with your personal philosophy to keep your accounts.
For more information on applying the principles of feng shui to assets, see Mindy Crary, Feng Shui Your Money, Forbes, Oct. 12, 2011.
A new effort to educate seniors on how to protect them themselves from financial abuse and scams has been published by the National Council on Aging (NCOA).
The new toolkit – Savvy Savings Seniors: Steps to Avoid Scams - is produced in partnership with the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER), and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
The toolkit is the second in the Savvy Saving Seniors financial education series, following the release of a guide on money management skills earlier this year.
In addition to offering typical scam scenarios, the toolkit includes step-by-step instructions for professionals to facilitate a workshop with older clients, and a list of signs for caregivers and family members to look for when concerned about their loved one.
The Savvy Saving Seniors toolkits are part of a larger initiative between NCOA and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to provide one-on-one financial assistance to over 1,200 older adults experiencing economic distress over the next year.
The National Council on Aging is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCOA’s mission is to improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged. www.NCOA.org | www.facebook.com/NCOAging | www.twitter.com/NCOAging
The Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement is a nonprofit organization established in 1996 dedicated to the education and advocacy that will improve the long-term financial quality of life for women. As the only organization to focus exclusively on the unique financial challenges that women face, WISER supports women’s opportunities to secure adequate retirement income through research, workshops, and partnerships. www.wiserwomen.org
A French judge declared L’Oreal heiress, Liliane Bettencourt, incompetent and granted control of Bettencourt’s financial affairs to her only child, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, and grandsons, Jean-Victor and Nicolas. Here is the report from The Huffington Post:
© Free Blogger Templates Photoblog III by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
