ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

You absolutely must check out this new video series addressing why health care reform is important, from the voices from experts, physicians, organizations, retirees and others. The first video is below, where folks discuss how health reform will only strengthen Medicare by prescription drug choices, long term care choices and out-of-pocket expenses.

Thanksgiving is coming up folks, it's time to prepare!

If you're having any thoughts or questions about health care reform, join our Health Action Now Mythbusters group, an online space not only where we'll be posting updates of our myth v. facts campaign, but also so AARP members can discuss the issues surrounding reform.

Also check out our Health Action Now campaign site for more information about the health care crisis and why reform is needed.

So far the House and the Senate have both passed legislation that will provide relief for millions of Americans still looking for a job out there. Extending unemployment benefits could help nearly 2 million people age 55 and over who have a particularly difficult time gaining employment. As we now know, these workers wait an average of 33 weeks or longer before finding another job, higher than most age groups.

This is definitely a step in the right direction with unemployment soaring. Are you having a hard time finding a job? Other than unemployment benefits, be sure to check out our work pages at aarp.org for info and help on how to land your next big gig.

From AARP CEO, Barry Rand

We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors. We've read the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we can say with confidence that it meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage.

Today's endorsement marks the first time in this legislative battle that AARP has put its full weight behind a comprehensive health care reform package. In the coming days, AARP will be educating its members about the health care reform package through its publications, paid advertising and more than five million calls and e-mails to its grassroots activists.

As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act contain critical components AARP has been fighting for on behalf of its members and all older Americans to improve health care for them and their families. They include:

• Protecting and strengthening Medicare for today's seniors and future generations of retirees;


• Ensuring seniors can see the doctor of their choice or find a doctor if they need one by improving Medicare's payments to doctors;


• Lowering drug costs for seniors by closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" and allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug makers for lower drug prices;


• Taking steps to reduce waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiency in the Medicare program;


• Requiring Medicare and insurance companies to provide for important preventive services like screenings for diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis free of charge;


• Stopping insurance companies from denying you affordable coverage because of your age;


• Preventing insurance companies from denying you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition or dropping your coverage if you get sick;


• Limiting how much your insurance company can make you pay out-of-pocket;


• Providing affordable health insurance options for those who don't have insurance; and


• Providing benefits to help seniors and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities by establishing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program.

We cannot continue to let insurers price older Americans out of the market, just as we cannot stand idle while millions of seniors are forced to choose between their groceries and their prescriptions. AARP is proud to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act and the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, and we urge members of the House to pass this critical package in the coming days to help fix our broken health care system.

Elizabeth Pope has a great piece on AARP.org on how to avoid very easily made mistakes when searching for work. As we already know, too many older Americans are out of work and desperately seeking employment during these tough times, but are also susceptible to making simple errors that can cost them a new job. A new study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute says so:

"'The harsh truth is, nobody cares about your experience,' says workplace expert David DeLong, author of the report 'Buddy, Can You Spare a Job?' 'In a performance-driven marketplace, you have to frame your experience and show how you can solve a company's problems. You can't expect the potential employer to figure that out.'

The study, released Oct. 13, also found that older job seekers routinely overestimate their computer skills, fail to seek extra training, and may feel ambivalent about returning to work in spite of financial need. If potential employers sense that ambivalence in an interview, it can kill any chances of a hire."

Read up and learn how to avoid this from happening!

It's not too late to make some yummy treats for Halloween tomorrow!

How to make easy Halloween cookies

Howdini | MySpace Video

Ever wonder why so many marketers and companies are targeting boomers and folks 50 and older? Here's a fun video that explains just how powerful boomers are in the marketplace:

I'm sure you've been hearing a lot of about the fact that there's no COLA for Social Security recipients this year (and maybe the next year). And there's been an equal amount of debate about how to address that, or if it even should be addressed.

The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) released a poll earlier today showing that the vast majority of Americans aged 65+ believe that the lack of a COLA in 2010 will adversely affect their finances.

Incredibly, 71 percent of seniors said that their financial situation will be negatively impacted because their Social Security checks will not be increasing next year. With 78 percent of respondents being retired and out of the workforce, they are more likely to be living on a fixed income, and are reliant on Social Security as a primary source of retirement income.

The results of the survey not only underscore the unfortunate prominence Social Security plays in current retirement planning, but also demonstrates the very tangible impact the down market will have on recipients next year.

Now more than ever we're seeing folks rethinking their retirement strategy - looking to build a comprehensive plan that could include everything from Social Security, personal savings and insured retirement strategies which we're hearing more about.

What about you? Are you going to be impacted by the no COLA? What are you looking into to make sure you have enough money for retirement?

If this isn't a wake-up call, I don't know what is.

While the recession has forced many Americans to delay retirement, one of the hardest hit are those already retired in search of work. There are 6.6 million Americans age 65 or older who have lost their jobs in the recession, 61% more than the 4.1 million unemployed in this age group in 2000, The New York Times reports.

This is five times the number of people in this age bracket who were unemployed in the Great Depression. Making matters worse, many older Americans still owe money on their mortgages.

Check out AARP.org's section on work to get job tips and find out more about issues concerning older workers.

We received a clarion call a few years ago when we discovered that 69% of our members were still providing some level of financial support to their adult children. We realized that we had both an obligation and an opportunity to get more involved and help young adults (aged 18-34 years) understand the role that money plays throughout every stage of their lives. With that said, we have two very important developments on this front:

• This morning, we issued a report that illustrates how pervasive financial challenges are in almost every aspect of young adults' lives, including their relationships and how they use the Internet. From our prior research and what we'd heard from our members, we knew this was a serious situation, but this report shows how deeply these worries are affecting this generation.




• To help young adults confront these challenges, we are announcing a new AARP-sponsored project called LifeTuner.org, a free, online personal finance community for young adults. LifeTuner fills a major need in the financial landscape: an unbiased, inclusive resource where young adults can get free expert advice and share stories with their peers completely free of any commercial jargon.

Our research has shown that while young adults freely admit that they are worried about their financial future and that money often causes friction with their families, partners and friends, they are still reluctant to ask for help because money remains a taboo subject for the most part. Our hope is that LifeTuner will help eradicate those social boundaries and inspire a healthy, helpful dialogue about money management. Additionally, LifeTuner also provides a series of tools and calculators designed to help balance budgets, itemize spending and pay down debt.

We need your help in order to make this mission and this project a success. One of the features of LifeTuner is the "Been There" forum, a place where AARP members can share their life lessons, experiences and finance tips with LifeTuner users. Not only does this offer members a great platform for giving back, but it will also help encourage an intergenerational dialogue around finances, career and other money-related life concerns; something that is sorely lacking in this country.

Young adults play a massive role in the financial future of the United States and the more we can do to make them realize the gravity of their situation, the better we'll all be because of it. The tagline for LifeTuner is 'Your life is your greatest currency' and our goal is to use LifeTuner to help young adults realize this fact.

Click here to see key findings or to download a full copy of the report or visit LifeTuner.org for more information.

AARP Magazine has a great piece about the financial complexities involving new marriages later in life.

Often by middle age, many folks have houses, mortgages, children, debt and a ton of other financial expenses that need to be taken into account if new relationships are formed. The magazine not only talks about these difficulties but takes an actual couple planning to get married and gives us a step by step (and video) giving us an idea of how we can handle our finances when marriages result in merges of expenses.

Have your own question about money? You can also ask the experts in the magazine's Money Makeover series.

Mamma Mia! Now this is a pizza.

Check out President Obama's speech to the financial industry on Tuesday, calling on them to support health care reform.

Check out Nancy LeaMond's (Executive Vice President at AARP) opinion piece on NPR.org right now.

Nancy makes the case for why lawmakers need to provide emergency relief for older Americans who find themselves on Social Security and won't be receiving a COLA this year.

"As Congress looks for solutions to help us all weather this recession, older Americans must not be overlooked. AARP believes that extending last year's $250 emergency relief is simply the right and responsible thing for Washington lawmakers to do, and we will work with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to find a fiscally responsible way to make it happen."

Because I know you want the scoop...and because we are talking to some very cool folks this year at Vegas@50+, here's some sneak peek interviews with the celebs showing up in Vegas!

We chatted with James Brown, NFL commentator, about him, his career and inspiring story.

We also talked with Martina Navratilova about all things health and fitness (she's going to be hosting a morning work out for those of you joining us in Vegas - check it out!).

And...this one is really neat I think...an interview with Jane Seymour about everything from her stint on Dancing with the Stars to what she learned from her first boyfriend!

More to come! Let us know if you spot any cool celebs if you're here in Vegas!

Check out this great new piece by AARP's Michael Zielenziger on how the rising cost of health care is costing older workers their pay wages, and even their jobs:

"According to the Kaiser study, health insurance premiums across America have climbed 131 percent since 1999--far more rapidly than workers' wages, which rose 38 percent, or inflation, which rose 28 percent in the same period.

Only 60 percent of U.S. firms offer health benefits to any of their workers, the survey reports. Among those firms, 21 percent said they reduced health benefits or increased cost-sharing because of the economic downturn, while 15 percent reported they increased the worker's share of the premium.

Now, more workers with health insurance are paying higher deductibles when they receive medical care, the Kaiser study says. In 2006, only 10 percent of workers had to pay the first $1,000 of their medical bills before receiving insurance benefits. Today, 22 percent of workers must pay at least $1,000 out of pocket each year before their insurance starts to pay a portion of their medical bills. A demand for plans with higher deductibles frequently comes from smaller firms, with less than 200 workers."

The multiple first-hand accounts of small business employers serves as a reality check of the choices they're faced with. Check out the entire piece here.

'Cause taters are good for you.



Happy Friday, folks!

As we all know, the Senate Finance Committee took the first major step toward health reform by voting in favor of a health reform package which Max Baucus says will ensure that "in the United States of America no person goes broke just because he or she gets sick." But what is in it exactly? AARP Bulletin posted this mini visual explanation of what is entailed; check it out.

Check out this WSJ article about getting older as an athlete. The author talks honestly and openly about his passion for competition, and how he had to come to terms that trying to come in first at 50 could be risky to his health when his doctor found an aneurysm in his aortic root. So that led him to do more research:

"'The no-pain-no-gain mentality suggests that you can keep making gains if you just work harder,' says Mark Allen, a 51-year-old athletic coach once known as the world's fittest man for winning six Ironman Triathlon World Championships. As co-author of a new book called 'Fit Soul, Fit Body,' Mr. Allen argues against fighting age with more hours on the treadmill. 'If you can't let up on the competitive part of it, if you have to go as fast at 50 as you did at 20, you will grind yourself into the ground and become stressed out, bitter and unhealthy,' he says."

So while recognizing that older folks are and can be physically active (and competitive!), we have to take care ourselves first and foremost - and sometimes that means not being the very best.

Check out this Washington Post piece by Simon Johnson and James Kwak discussing how we can look at affording health care reform.

They give us two ways to grapple with what health care reform would mean for us economically. Obviously this means a lot for those of us struggling during the recession - looking at the country as a whole, and looking at it from the perspective of the federal government is important.

So is health care reform fiscally responsible for this country? Read it and find out.

If you witnessed the awesomeness that was 25,000 AARP members descending upon Washington, DC last year for our annual member event...then you'll understand why I am super excited to head out to Vegas next week for this year's event!

There will be no shortage of star power (hello Faith Hill and Gloria Estefan performing live!)...and oh yeah some learning too (folks can get the skinny on health care reform and financial planning at University sessions).

First, check out our Vegas@50 page here. And just to tease you a little, we sat down and talk to fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo to ask a few questions and financial planner/guru Jonathan Pond. Want more? Check out www.aarp.org/vegas for more great articles before, during and after Vegas@50+.

Can't go but want in on goodies? Check out our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for all the Vegas fun.

After the Senate Finance Committee passed the Affordable Health Choices Act yesterday, Nancy LeaMond (AARP Executive Vice President) released this statement:

"We applaud the Senate Finance Committee for taking another important step toward fixing what's wrong with our health care system. Under the leadership of Chairman Baucus, the legislation reported today moves us even closer to providing much-needed relief to millions of older Americans who still face challenges accessing affordable, quality health care services.

"The Senate Finance Committee bill makes important improvements to the Medicare program by increasing preventive benefits, making sure Medicare's doctors do not face a pay cut this year, and most notably for AARP members--by reducing drug costs for seniors who fall into the dreaded Medicare doughnut hole, a costly gap in prescription drug coverage. Too often, those who fall into this coverage gap stop taking their prescription drugs because they simply can't afford to. While we applaud this assistance with drug costs in the doughnut hole, we urge the Senate to go further to meet the President's pledge to completely close the doughnut hole. With the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, we believe this bill should be improved so that it can help millions of older Americans afford their needed medications and avoid more intensive and costly care later in life.

"The bill also makes some improvements on age-rating, a discriminatory practice that allows insurers to charge exorbitant, age-based premiums to older Americans. Unfortunately, the bill will still allow insurance companies to charge older Americans premiums that are four times more than premiums for younger Americans, making it difficult for older Americans to afford health coverage. We hope the final Senate bill will be improved in this area.

"Finally, we strongly support provisions in the Senate Finance bill to expand home and community-based services (HCBS). The vast majority of Americans age 50 and over want to live in their homes and communities as long as they can. HCBS provisions are not only cost-effective, but can also help slow the growth in health care spending and keep millions of Americans out of nursing homes and in their own homes.

"The legislation passed is yet another milestone in the long journey to health care reform. We look forward to continuing our work with Chairman Baucus and his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to further strengthen the bill, and we will continue to fight for reform that protects benefits for people in Medicare, improves health care affordability, and improves the health of every American."

It's that time of year, folks. And believe it or not, there are many ways you can roast pumpkin seeds!

Martha Hamilton has a piece up at AARP Bulletin about the dilemma that millions of Social Security recipients are facing for 2010: not only will there be no Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, but a hike in Medicare premiums that will leave them in a serious financial bind. The good news is that Congress is taking action.

Tricia Neuman and Juliette Cubanski of the Kaiser Foundation also have a really useful brief on the issue, explaining the relationship between the Social Security COLA and the Medicare Part B premium, and what's at stake for those covered by both programs. Check that out for a good background on the issue, and Hamilton's piece on what is being proposed to help the situation, at least temporarily - the House just passed by a measure that would freeze Part B premiums for the coming year (and the Senate will likely to follow). But another problem is also weighing; others may see a reduction in their SS checks due to Part D premiums.

In short, there is much to be done to ensure Social Security recipients aren't left out in the cold. Let's just hope the work pays off.

As a really cool way to promote green living, AARP has created a new contest that allows folks to not only offer new ideas to be environmentally friendly, but also win stuff for doing it! The Live Green Everyday Sweepstakes urges people to give their tips on how to be green, and gives back green prizes in return.

And that will be every day for the next 6 weeks! Amazon gift codes will be given out to folks each day, and bigger prizes will be given out each week during the sweepstakes - like bicycles, green washing machines and dishwashers, even macbooks and television sets!

Looks like you can't lose with this kind of game. Enter the contest today.

It looks like some of the fear and skepticism are starting to fade as older Americans learn more about the benefits of health care reform. You've read it here before: reform can mean lower drug prices, better coverage and the end of discrimination by health insurance companies. Now a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows that the opposition stirred up by the scare tactics of August is subsiding, dropping 16 points in September.

Check it out for yourself here.

There is a really disturbing article by the Chicago Tribune about how Illinois has relied heavily on nursing homes to house mentally ill patients. As expected, the result has been numerous crimes committed against the older people living in these homes.

More than any other state, Illinois relies heavily on nursing homes to house mentally ill patients, including those who have committed crimes. But a Tribune investigation found that government, law enforcement and the industry have failed to adequately manage the resulting influx of younger residents who shuttle into nursing facilities from jail cells, shelters and psychiatric wards.

Mentally ill patients now constitute more than 15 percent of the state's total nursing home population of 92,225, government records show, and the number of residents convicted of serious felonies has increased to 3,000. Among them are 82 convicted murderers, 179 sex offenders and 185 armed robbers.

Homes for older adults are supposed to just that: homes. Sharing a living space that is supposed to be a safe haven with individuals (while I'm sure many are not dangerous) who may be harmful or disruptive to a way of living that is supposed to be anything but that.

I have one word for you: yum.



P.S. Also check out AARP's awesome recipe guide.

For those who don't know what health reform bills are being proposed, want to know the facts v. myths about health care reform, and what AARP is doing to push for reform to improve the lives of Americans, check out our Health Reform: Get the Facts section of our website.

It not only has a list of resources for you to go to for more information about health reform and legislation pending in Congress, but also ways to get in touch with AARP to answer any questions that aren't addressed on the site. Or do you want to help us in our efforts for health care reform? Check out ways to get involved at Health Action Now!

While we know that the recession has been tough on older workers, some low-income people are reaching rock bottom, to the point where they are having to choose between food, medication and paying rent.

In fact, 46 percent of low-income older workers researched in a new study says they needed to find jobs so they can keep the roof over their head. A similar percentage said had to choose among the three: paying rent, purchasing food or purchasing medication. 46 percent. Not to mention nearly half of those surveyed said they had been looking for work for over a year.

I know it's a downer, but it's an issue that needs attention. Read the entire article here. Also check out Experience Works, who conducted the study and provides assistance to folks in need, as well as the AARP Foundation if you're in this situation. We shouldn't have to go hungry or get sicker to keep a roof over our heads.

As a follow-up to E Street's visit from Kathleen Sebelius who gave us some insight into what Medicare would look like after health care reform, there's a great and substantive AARP article from Friday that gets into the nitty gritty as to why controlling the costs of Medicare doesn't mean benefits will be cut:

"Both the House bill (HR 3200) and draft legislation from the Senate Finance Committee, released this week, include around $500 billion in savings carved from future growth in Medicare spending over a 10-year period. Although that sounds like a huge sum, it's actually only a small fraction of the $6.4 trillion expected to be spent on Medicare from 2009 to 2019. Still, where will the money come from?

The savings are expected to be achieved mainly by: reducing fraud and waste more aggressively; reducing government subsidies to private Medicare Advantage plans; paying doctors more for practices that improve quality of care and save money; and paying providers (notably hospitals and home health agencies) a little less of an increase each year in an effort to gradually trim the rate at which Medicare costs climb over time--aka 'bending the cost curve.'

'These are not reductions in benefits; they're not even reductions in the prices that Medicare pays. It's a slowdown in the increases in prices,' says McClellan, a physician and economist who now heads the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution in Washington."

Read the rest of the piece and spread the word to friends and family; we need to set the record straight on what health care reform can do for Medicare, not that it will take away from it.

From the mouth of the American Medical Association - Dr. James Rohack talks about protecting patient-doctor relationships.

I particularly like the part where Jamie Oliver bashes his chicken with the blunt end of a frying pan in this thoroughly entertaining video from the New York Times.

With the health care crisis affecting so many, it's not surprising to find Americans cutting back on check-ups, medication and other health care that they simply can't afford. But health care professionals are also finding ways to cut back costs for patients so people who need medical attention aren't left at the way side. AARP Bulletin has a great article about how many hospitals are actually making home visits to patients to avoid readmission and the costs that come with it:

"Traditionally, hospitals haven't followed their patients' progress after they've been discharged. But high readmission rates have been linked to spiraling--and unnecessary--health care costs, prompting hospitals like Rush to start pilot programs to give patients the help they may need when they first return home.

A study published in the April New England Journal of Medicine reports that, currently, about one in five Medicare patients returns to a hospital within 30 days of being discharged. And that's expensive."

This has become such a concern that President Obama's budget proposal and health care reform bills are calling for changes in the wat that hospitals are being paid, as well as pending legislation that would create a new Medicare benefit to extend services that assist folks' transition from hospital to home. But in the meantime, many hospitals are taking action on their own. For example, Rush University Medical Center created a program a couple of years ago, the Enhanced Discharge Planning Program, that consisted of follow up calls to patients days after being discharged as well as arranging home visits if necessary. About 60 percent of the people who get follow-up calls need help, according to the program's records.

Looks like they have the right idea. Check out the entire piece.

Folks are understandably concerned about President Obama's contention that no new taxes will be needed to pay for health care reform, which has in turn raised questions about cuts or changes to Medicare.

AARP's Inside E Street has a special report by Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sebelius responding to this concern. In short, there will be no cuts to Medicare benefits, but there would be to waste and fraud in the system, which will only help the program (and our pockets). Check it out.

We thought we'd fill you in on what AARP Executive Vice President, Nancy LeaMond, had to say in response to President Obama's speech today on Wall Street. You can read the full release here, but below is a snippet:

"Older Americans saw their retirement savings decimated by the economic crisis. AARP has long maintained that consumers must be armed with as much information as possible so that they can make sound financial decisions. In a world where individuals must plan for their own financial futures, information is imperative and greater protections are needed in the marketplace.

"AARP supports the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would advocate on behalf of consumers' needs in the financial marketplace. It is important that individuals know they are buying products and getting financial advice from industry certified advisors. It is important that when individuals buy a product that has been recommended to them it is the right product for their needs.

"In a recent AARP survey, 95 percent of people 25 years and older believe in having investment services firms increase their transparency around the costs, risks and benefits of all financial products they offer. The same number of individuals believe companies that manage 401(k) plans should be required to clearly explain their fees on participant's annual statements. AARP has long advocated for transparency in 401(k) plans, having known that the majority of investors are unaware of the fees associated with their retirement savings."

While everyone has their way of remembering and honoring the lives lost on September 11th eight years ago, many have chosen to turn tragedy into purpose. Check out this AARP article on how Americans everywhere are choosing to serve their communities in remembrance on this day:

This year, Sept. 11 will again be a day for reflecting on the 2001 terrorist attacks, but it will also be a time for hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve their communities. The September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance is a key part of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act signed into law by President Obama in April, four months before the Massachusetts senator's death. In his inauguration address, Obama called for an outpouring of the volunteer "spirit that must inhabit us all." He followed up by pushing for the Serve America Act, creating the largest expansion of national volunteer service since the inception of AmeriCorps in 1993.

For those who have engaged in service days regularly for years, the national day of service is a way to standardize their efforts on a single day. For those who have never served, it's an incentive to get involved. And for some of those who have been part of the 9/11 memorials to the lives lost eight years ago, it's the culmination of a dream.

Make sure to check out the entire piece; it's touching as it is uplifting. Also read this piece on how 9/11 has affected immigrants, their role in the rescue operations, and the meanings behind it all.

I can remember the very first time I saw The Wizard of Oz. I sat cross-legged on my parents bed, staring up at the television. I don't think I moved an inch until the Wicked Witch and Dorothy fought in the castle hallway, sending me running!

This year is the 70th Anniversary of the classic film and if you're like me you still watch the movie whenever it's on tv...even if it's half way done!

Fast forward to a particularly low-key evening when I was doing some internet surfing and came upon Elf Island. The site is essentially a virtual world for kids where they can play games, learn about social issues and interact with peers across the world.

In honor of Oz's anniversary, they've brought this huge virtual experience to kids where they can play games, dress up as the Tin Man - and even don Dorothy's slippers. So if your kids have recently seen the movie and you want to keep the magic alive check them out!

An added bonus of the site? They regularly partner with non-profits all over the world to raise children's global awareness about what's going on in places they may have never heard of! Each month there is a new GoodQuest that encourages the kids to work together toward a common cause. This month kids are helping the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation by building 10,000 virtual camp buildings. If they reach the goal, they will fund the construction of a camp in Uganda for children living with HIV and AIDS.

So if your kids are glued to the computer, they mind as well have fun & do good all at the same time eh?!

After the presidential address last night on health reform, AARP conducted an overnight nationwide survey of people 45 years and older, and found that the president's speech caused a change in many Independents who were largely unsure about health care reform.

While most independents had concerns and questions about current health care reform proposals, last night's speech resulted in a majority being "more supportive of the proposals being talked about related to health care." More from our press release:

"In a national survey of Americans over 45, AARP found that many independents had concerns about health reform coming into last night's speech (77 percent), but most (72 percent) felt that some of their concerns were addressed by the President's speech. Further, a clear majority of independents considered themselves 'more supportive of the proposals being talked about related to health care' after the speech was over (63 percent).

'What we saw in this survey was something we've seen for decades: that once you explain why we need reform people understand its importance,' said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President. 'Last night's speech wasn't as much of a 'game changer' as it was a volume softener. Older Americans across the political spectrum continue to agree that reform must be accomplished this year - we are hopeful that momentum carries us to reform that AARP can support.'

When asked if after watching the health reform address people felt that reform should be a priority for our leaders to address this year, 70 percent of Independents, 95 percent of Democrats and a majority of Republicans - 56 percent - agreed it should."

Check out all info from the survey here.

As many of you may know, President Obama is scheduled to address the nation in a speech on health care reform tonight. Here's a preview from AP - an interview with the White House Communications Director on Health Care Reform, Linda Douglas.

Speech time is at 8 pm tonight Eastern, so make sure to tune in and let us know what you think right here in the comments section.

As we find out today that the unemployment rate is the highest it's been in 26 years, AP also released a story about the fact that the poverty rate among older Americans could be nearly twice as high as the traditional 10 percent level. This is according to the National Academy of Science's new formula for calculating medical costs and geographic variations in the cost of living. AARP weighed in:

"'It's a hidden problem,' said Robin Talbert, president of the AARP Foundation, which provides job training and support to low-income seniors and is backing legislation that would adopt the NAS formula. 'There are still many millions of older people on the edge, who don't have what they need to get by.'"

Check out the whole piece, it's a must-read.

A Thai favorite!

Want to stay brain healthy? Our friends on the Brain Health page of AARP.org offer 50 ways to stay healthy between the ears. A number of the recommendations involve feeding your noodle Omega 3s (I'm looking at you, walnuts!). One recommendation involves playing video games. According to a new study, one game in particular, Tetris, may be particularly conducive to good brain health.

Researchers at the Mind Research Network today announced the findings of a scientific study that used brain imaging and Tetris to investigate whether practice makes the brain efficient because it increases gray matter. Over a three-month period, adolescent girls practiced Tetris, a computer game requiring a combination of cognitive skills. The girls who practiced showed greater brain efficiency, consistent with earlier studies. Compared to controls, the girls that practiced also had a thicker cortex, but not in the same brain areas where efficiency occurred.

Who knew a game I play for pure procrastination purposes could also be so good for me!

I though I'd maybe throw in an easy breakfast recipe for a change of pace. Looks delightful

Senator Ted Kennedy died late last night after a hard battle with brain cancer at the age of 77. Our thoughts go out to his family, who said in their statement:

"Edward M. Kennedy -- the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply - died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port . . . We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever."

Below is President Obama's statement on Kennedy's passing, saying he was "the greatest senator of our time."

AARP CEO Barry Rand released the following statement today on the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy:

"Early this morning older Americans lost a champion and this nation lost a role model. Senator Kennedy was a tireless fighter for the poor and the working class and the programs they relied upon, especially Medicare and Social Security. His life will stand as a shining example of what it meant to serve the public good. His loss will be deeply felt by our members and all Americans.

"Regardless of the issue, Senator Kennedy seemed to have one guiding principle: how will this help average Americans? He pushed his colleagues to ask themselves the same question and he challenged us all to make this nation an example for the world.

"His passing is especially devastating considering his lifelong goal to improve health care for this nation. As Congress seems poised to act this fall, Senator Kennedy will no doubt be watching with hope that this goal will be achieved. While his voice on this issue, and so many others, will be absent, his passion and wisdom must carry on.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Kennedy family on their great loss."

AARP's Bulletin Today also wrote an obituary on the life of this leader that can be found here.

From Good Housekeeping

(Ted Weinstein/SFist)

While we were all talking about health care reform, Hasbro's Candyland turned 60. Now I know health care reform is important, but everyone needs a break sometimes.

In honor of the momentous event, San Francisco's famous, curvy Lombard Street was turned into a twisting, turning rainbow of fun. You can check out more photos of the event here and a great video of the event here from Associated Press (also some history on the game in the video).

Vice President Joe Biden was in Chicago today talking health care and his administration's plan to give $1.2 billion dollars to help computerize medical records. "Electronic medical record systems really save lives," Geriatrician June McKoy said.

Biden added, "We're trying to modernize. . . This is not about government control, or 'socialized medicine.' It's simple: Modernize."

Check out the whole piece here.

The New York Times reports:

"The Gang of Six -- the three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee who are writing a health care bill -- have set their first formal August recess teleconference for 9 p.m. on Thursday.

'Bipartisan progress continues,' Senator Max Baucus, the Montana Democrat and chairman of the committee, said in a statement."

Sen. Baucus added, "Our group will be meeting tomorrow, and our staffs continue to meet as well. I am confident we will continue our steady progress toward health care reform that will lower costs and provide quality, affordable coverage to all Americans."

The Washington Post hosts regular online chats about the news of the day...and today AARP's Legislative Policy Director David Certner will be discussing health care reform and fielding questions from listeners.

You can submit questions and comments before the session which happens today Wednesday, Aug. 19th, at Noon ET.

Tune in, learn more and have your questions answered!

For over fifty years, AARP's mission has been educating and engaging in the issues most important to you, our members. With over 40 million members we understand the importance of debate. Even when some members don't agree with our advocacy positions, it is critical that we make sure those differences of opinion are based on facts, not myths designed to derail a long overdue effort to fix what's wrong in our health care system.

Doing nothing is not an option. But any reform must not get between a patient and their doctor. It must not cut Medicare benefits. It must not allow insurers to continue to line their pockets by covering only the healthiest and the youngest.

AARP is committed to making sure health care reform will do the following for our members:

Lower Drug Costs and Strengthen Medicare: Close the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole," ensure patients' access to their doctors, and crack down on fraud and wasteful spending;

Protect Your Health Care Choices: Make sure you can choose your doctor, your health insurance plan and where to receive care;

End Discrimination by Insurance Companies: Prevent insurance companies from denying you coverage because of a pre-existing condition or using age to price Americans age 50-64 out of affordable, quality health insurance; and

Guarantee Stable, Affordable Coverage: Ensure you have the security of knowing that if you lose or change jobs, you will be able to get affordable, quality health insurance.

Since July 1st, when we started seeing a rise in phone calls and emails here at AARP as a result of the health care debate, we have lost approximately 50,000-60,000 members. While we are encouraged that almost 1.8 million people have either joined AARP or renewed their memberships over that same time span, we take the loss of any member seriously. ‪We don't want to see you, our members, leave for any reason, and understand that even when we all have the facts reasonable people may agree to disagree on the proposals being put forth by Congress.

AARP's strength has always been our members, and we're working hard to represent them as best we can. Each of our policy positions have been carefully considered and are set by our all-member volunteer board of directors based on input from our members.

We're also working to dispel several of the myths and lies that have warped the health care reform debate, targeting older Americans in particular with horror stories about euthanasia and rationed care. We believe that, at a time when a lot of the information about health reform surfacing on the Internet, cable news and talk radio simply isn't true, it's important that each of our members are armed with all the facts about this very important debate.

As we continue to fight on your behalf and work to fix our health care system, we are bound to have different opinions among our members. We respect each opinion and choice you make, and will do our best to represent the individuals who have, with their membership, shown that the collective voice of 40 million members working together have the power to make our health care system better - for themselves and for generations to come.

Sincerely,
A. Barry Rand

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

AARP Bulletin has an important piece up today about the health care reform debate, and how so many Americans just don't know who to believe anymore. The piece looks at the information (and misinformation) in depth to give folks a better idea of what's going on, and where the real threat lies. They also give other useful resources by nonpartisan organizations with more fact-checkers about info on different proposals:

- The Kaiser Family Foundation's side-by-side comparisons of the leading proposals

- The Annenberg Public Policy Center's fact checker

- Politifact's Truth-O-Meter

But make sure to check out the whole piece, and spread the word.

So fresh...so delicious.

In case you didn't catch AARP's Legislative Policy Director, David Certner, on The O'Reilly Factor last night, here's the clip.

David answers some of the same tough questions ya'll have been asking in the comments...

From Pete Jeffries, National Campaign Consultant to Divided We Fail

This morning, RedState published an inaccurate piece titled, "AARP
Officially Endorses H.R. 3200, the Democrats' Healthcare Overhaul." The
headline is false and the claims made against AARP within the piece are
misleading.

Fact is AARP has not endorsed H.R. 3200, nor any comprehensive health
reform bill from the Congress or administration.

AARP's official position on health reform has been known for many years
- the organization simply wants what's best for its members and all
Americans in general. AARP has long been advocating for access to
affordable, high-quality health care. That's one of the reasons over the
last two-and-a-half years the organization has been leading Divided We
Fail, a diverse coalition of businesses, consumers, and labor groups
focused on bringing people together and calling for solutions on health
and financial security.

Lastly, AARP has been working with both Democrats and Republicans to
pass health reform legislation that would improve the lives of millions
of Americans, including AARP members 50 years and older, because health
care access and costs have been spiraling out of control.

Please read AARP's earlier post on combating the multitude of
inaccuracies and myths out there in this critical debate.

Our own Drew Nannis appeared on Fox News this morning to talk about a
video circulating of a Dallas AARP Town Hall on health care. The video
has gained some notoriety, so Drew went on Fox News to clarify a few
key points.

1) AARP tried to hold the meeting for about a half-hour before
deciding that to continue would be impossible.

2) Folks later apologized for the behavior of a few of the disruptive
members in the audience. Most of them wanted to hear what we wanted
to say and have a civil dialogue.

3) Two days later, AARP held another meeting, in the same city, with
many of the same people and it went smoothly.

Here's Drew in his own words...

Our own Drew Nannis took to the pages of the Washington Examiner to respond to an editorial the Examiner ran earlier this week.

"The truth is, and especially in Washington, you just can't please all of the people all of the time. And yes, this is a variation on a phrase often attributed to Republican President Abraham Lincoln, so perhaps AARP will be accused of siding with a particular political party (although Tapscott referred to us as "liberal") but that's just the way it is in this town.

Unfortunately, many people behind the deceptive machines who are working to stop health care reform are trying to vary this memorable phrase even further, working around the clock to "fool all of the people all of the time". They are stopping at nothing to spread myths about health care reform and employ scare tactics to deceive the masses."

Drew does a great job of putting AARP's role in the health care reform debate in context. Read the whole thing.

From our Health Care Action Now campaign, where you can find more info.

Myth: Health care reform will hurt Medicare.

Fact: None of the health care reform proposals being considered by Congress would cut Medicare benefits or increase your out-of-pocket costs for Medicare services.

Fact: Health care reform will lower prescription drug costs for people in the Medicare Part D coverage gap or "doughnut hole" so they can get better afford the drugs they need.

Fact: Health care reform will protect seniors' access to their doctors and reduce the cost of preventive services so patients stay healthier.

Fact: Health care reform will reduce costly, preventable hospital readmissions, saving patients and Medicare money.

Fact: Rather than weaken Medicare, health care reform will strengthen the financial status of the Medicare program.

Bottom Line: For people in Medicare, health care reform is about lowering prescription drug costs for people in the "doughnut hole", keeping the doctor of your choice, improving the quality of care, and eliminating billions in waste that is causing poor care and medical errors.

From AARP Spokesperson Andrew Nannis:

A number of folks who are tuned in to the health care debate have offered their thoughts in various comment threads on Shaarp Session and elsewhere on AARP.org. We are thankful to everyone who has chimed in to express themselves. That said, a number of inaccurate statements deserve to be corrected for the record - we hope to get to all of them. For example, many commenters seem to think that healthcare reform will somehow put AARP "out of business." If people feel that AARP may someday not work hard for older Americans, well, that's just not going to happen. If, however, you mean that many of the products that bear our name will no longer be necessary, well, you might have a point. AARP has said it before and let's go on the record one more time just for fun: we would happily forgo every dime in revenue we receive through AARP-branded products in favor for a health care system that renders them obsolete.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) recently authored an article in National Review Online on the current health reform debate in Washington in which he argues:

“One particular provision in the Democratic bill has seniors worried, and rightly so. A new 'Center for Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation' could ration access to medicines and treatments based on the government's assessment of the value of a human life and the 'cost-effectiveness' of treatment.”

The charge is false but this kind of thinking has nevertheless resulted in some irresponsible commentators going so far as to suggest the House bill will result in government sponsored euthanasia.

It's time to debunk this myth.

Sen. Brownback is talking about "comparative effectiveness research." Comparative effectiveness research is simply a wonky term that means the ability to compare different kinds of treatments to find out which one works best for which patient. It is a way of improving the quality of our health system. Such research requires standards and funding. AARP supports comparative effectiveness research provisions in the health reform bills in Congress

Comparative effectiveness research would not limit doctors and hospitals from providing the best possible care to their patients. In fact, this research would do the opposite--giving doctors the best information available to make health care decisions with their patients. This research is designed to also empower patients--giving them more and better information so they can make better decisions with their doctors.

The bottom line is that AARP will not support any legislation that gets between patients and their doctors. Period.

While our country spends more than $2 trillion a year on health care, we spend less than 0.1 percent on evaluating how that care works compared to other options. AARP believes spending more money on research will improve our health delivery models.

What makes the "rationed care" charge so risible is that opponents of the comparative effectiveness provision used the exact same argument against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last February. "One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and 'guide' your doctor's decisions," critic Betsy McCaughey wrote at the time. Given Ms. McCaughey's position as a Director of a medical device maker - an industry that stands to lose billions of dollars in sales of equipment that might be determined as ineffective - we would hope there is no conflict of interest in her outspoken criticism.

It should be noted that the stimulus act hasn't denied treatment to anyone. But that hasn't stopped critics from dusting off the old fear mongering playbook.

Health care is too important for this kind of partisan rhetoric. Let's have a conversation about the issues. Let's talk about what works and what doesn't. But please, let's not make up scare tactics to frighten people from the facts.

There's been some rumors lately about a memo from Speaker Pelosi's office and what it says about AARP and other groups. Drafts of this memo have been posted on various blogs. Last night ShaarpSession called the Speaker's office directly to clear it up for ourselves and were told that what has been published was a draft that had (clearly) not been vetted. Like you, we were skeptical, but the Speaker's folks were good enough to share the actual memo that went out to all House Democrats before the recess - sent 7/31/09 at 1:51PM. We posted it below and hope this clears up any confusion

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Democratic Members of Congress

From: House Democratic Leadership

Date: Friday, July 31, 2009

Re: Strategic Communications Plan for August: Health Insurance Reform

Over the last few months, we have made great progress to advance a strong health insurance reform bill through the House, and are closer than we have ever been to taking this historic step for our country. As we prepare for the five-week-long August District Work Period, we must recognize the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in what may be the most consequential DWP we have ever faced.

Winning the health reform debate in August requires nothing less than an aggressive, multi-front effort to control the message and keep the momentum moving forward. The continued focus and effort of every Member is critical to ensuring our success. The following memo outlines the strategic plan for Member action, earned media, and rapid response for August that will enable us to use this month to build support and momentum so we can return in September well-positioned to pass a health reform bill in the House.

Our message is simple. It is in sync with the White House. And it counters the Republican 'government takeover' message. Hold the insurance companies accountable. Remove them from between you and your doctor. No discrimination for pre-existing conditions. No dropping your coverage because you get sick. No more job or life decisions made based on loss of coverage. No need to change doctors or plans. No co-pays for preventive care. No excessive out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles, or co-pays. No yearly or lifetime cost caps on what insurance companies cover.

SHOWING MOMENTUM & DRIVING THE DEBATE

District Health Care Events

Members have already held more than 550 health care events in their districts this year, but we must do more. The Democratic Leadership has prepared a list of suggested district events and materials to help you organize and conduct successful events during the month of August. Press will be notified each week of a sampling of the events occurring around the country to demonstrate that Democrats are using the August District Work Period to advance the health reform conversation and build support for this critical effort. Members are advised to put a 'human face' on health reform by incorporating personal stories into events and communications.

Telephone Town Hall

In addition to the traditional town hall, the telephone town hall is a convenient and efficient tool for you and your constituents to effectively communicate. Hold a health care focused telephone town hall with guests that can help tell the story about why health insurance reform is so important. For instance, hold a call with a doctor from your district or a small business owner whose testimony can provide a powerful narrative on the need for reform. Leadership or committee staff will also be available to serve as a resource on your calls.

Weekly Events

Each week, a national event will be organized to highlight our continued work and progress on health insurance reform. Events will range from a Committee field hearing, a DC-based press event, or events in Members' districts with Leadership or Committee Chairmen. Additionally, press will be informed of continued efforts by Leadership and Committees to move the process forward.

Radio/TV Booking for Members

An aggressive effort to book Members for national and local radio and TV interviews will ensure our message is delivered to both large and targeted audiences. Stephanie Cherry in the Speaker's office serves as the primary booker for the Democratic Caucus and will be working to book Member interviews over August. She can be contacted at (202) 225-0100 or Stephanie.Cherry@mail.house.gov.

Print Press Outreach

Throughout August, a series of press conference calls with Democratic Leadership, Committee and Subcommittee Chairs, and other key Members will be organized with national and regional reporters to offer updates on the reform debate and to explain the components of the Democratic House measure. State and regional delegations are encouraged to organize conference calls with regional media. In addition, communications staff will be working hard to push the human-interest stories that highlight why reform is necessary and how it will benefit the average American. An aggressive effort will also be underway to ensure our message is targeted and tailored to specific audiences.

Hispanic Media

The Speaker's office will work to book Hispanic/Spanish speaking members of relevant committees on Spanish-language radio and TV. Democratic Leadership will also be available to assist with Hispanic-focused district events, including town halls, telephone town halls, and calls with Hispanic media reporters.

RAPID RESPONSE

Tracking Key Members for message delivery on any day of recess.

Health Care Hotline - Leadership and Committee staff will be standing by to help Members and staff with any issue related to health care.

Daily Myth-buster Email to House staff tracking myths and misinformation in the news and including materials to respond.

Truth About Health Reform Website to log opposition myths and provide independently sourced myth-busting and fact-checking research to set the record straight.

INFORMATION & REGULAR UPDATES

Daily Emails from Leadership Offices

· Momentum/In the news roundups

· Daily myth-buster email

· Statements on developments/framing of news

· New polling data

· New studies or reports

· New section for Daily Dose email highlighting August action

Regular Health Care Update Calls

Democratic Caucus calls will be arranged for Members to receive an update on the latest health reform developments and to share news about how the health debate is progressing in their districts. A similar call will also be organized for staff.

Health Care Clearinghouse & DemCom

All message materials, fact sheets and other resources provided to Members and staff are available on the newly-created DemCom intranet (demcom.house.gov) and on the Health Care Reform Clearinghouse: www.majorityleader.gov/members/health_care.cfm. In addition, each of the committees of jurisdiction and the Speaker's office have resource pages on their sites:

· Energy and Commerce Committee

· Ways and Means Committee

· Education and Labor Committee

· http://www.speaker.gov/HealthReform

WINNING ON THE WEB

There are many creative ways to use New Media to help reach new audiences, hear directly from your constituents, and bolster the overall health reform message.

· Facebook - Become a fan of Health Reform on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/HealthReform and use your Facebook profile to share what health insurance reform will mean for your constituents.

· Twitter - Follow the latest news and rapid response at http://twitter.com/healthreformnow and if you use Twitter, retweet messages you want your constituents to see.

· Delicious - Get must read news articles on our delicious feed at http://delicious.com/HealthCareReform.

· Blog - Blog on health reform on your House blog, or guest blog on websites that your constituents read. Invite bloggers in your district to your town halls and other events and ensure they have information they need on health insurance reform.

· Health Reform Web-Page Template - A template for a health reform web page with images and top-line messages will be sent to all offices for easy integration into Member websites. Members can customize with preferred materials, statements, and district-specific information.

· Embeddable Online 'Flash Quiz' for Members to post on their websites, providing users with an interactive tool to learn health care facts and why reform is necessary.

· You Tube - Members can produce their own recordings to post on their website and social networking pages or embed in newsletters. If you would like to record your own video and need videotaping assistance in DC, please contact the Speaker's press office at x67616 or Antonio and Rob in the Caucus office at x51400. Leadership and Committees will also be working to produce video material to highlight the need for reform.

· Online Chats - Leadership is identifying main stream media reporters and bloggers who are interested in conducting live online chats and interviews on health care reform. Members should contact their local media about such opportunities.

· 'Hidden Tax' Clock - Modeled after the National Debt Clock, the 'Hidden Tax' clock would tally the additional dollars families pay to subsidize the uncompensated health care costs of the uninsured (approximately $43 billion overall per year). A graphic for the clock is being developed.

AP just ran a piece on some of the very distortions we're finding in our Health Care Reform Myths and Facts series:

"Confusing claims and outright distortions have animated the national debate over changes in the health care system. Opponents of proposals by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats falsely claim that government agents will force elderly people to discuss end-of-life wishes. Obama has played down the possibility that a health care overhaul would cause large numbers of people to change doctors and insurers.

To complicate matters, there is no clear-cut 'Obama plan' or 'Democratic plan.' Obama has listed several goals, but he has drawn few lines in the sand.

The Senate is considering two bills that differ significantly. The House is waiting for yet another bill approved in committee."

Check out the entire article here.

Some special interest groups have been spreading misinformation to folks in the hopes of killing health care reform legislation; in short, they perpetuate myths and use scare tactics to make people think that reform is a bad idea. (For example, like the contention that health care reform would ration your care, hurt Medicare or be a government takeover.)

So when these myths are being made, we want to make sure we're here to give the correct information to dispel any fears about what health care reform can do for you. And we'll be debunking them every day this week on the blog!

Myth 1: Health care reform is socialized medicine.

Fact: Health care reform will preserve the employer-based health care system, meaning an estimated 200 million Americans will continue to get their coverage through their employers.

Fact: For people buying coverage for themselves, there would be a range of private health plans to choose from. Also, the so-called "public plan" option would seek to give American consumers another choice if they can't find affordable, quality coverage in the private insurance market. The goal of the "public plan" is to give consumers the best value for their money and force greater competition among insurance plans for our business.

Fact: Every proposal that Congress is considering would allow people to choose their own doctors and hospitals.

Health care reform isn't about a government takeover. It's about guaranteeing all Americans a choice of health care plans they can afford.

Check out more info on health care reform here and check in tomorrow for the next myth debunking!

This one is not for the feint of heart! It's about as spicy an Indian dish as they come. Hazmat suit not included.

One of the most common questions I'm asked when I meet with volunteers and attend health care reform events is, "We're worried health care reform may go too far. Will we be forced into a plan or have to change doctors?"

In this month's AARP The Magazine, I answer that question but I wanted to share it here, too.

AARP will not support reform that would deny you the freedom of choice to keep your current plan, including keeping your current doctor. That's what AARP's fight for health care reform is all about--creating the kind of quality, affordable, and uniquely American health care system you want.

Those of  you who like your current plan and your doctors have told us in no uncertain terms that you want to keep them. Those of you ages 50 through 64 who have had trouble getting coverage have told us that you're tired of being told you can't get insurance because of an illness you had five years ago, or because of some other preexisting condition, or because of your age. AARP supports reform that ensures Americans ages 50 through 64 a real choice of quality, affordable health care plans.

Those of you on Medicare let us know, in overwhelming numbers, how the Medicare Part D prescription-drug coverage gap--the dreaded "doughnut hole"--is hurting you. Annually, about one-quarter of Part D enrollees fall into the gap, paying so much more for brand-name meds that some people stop taking them altogether. Only 4 percent make it across the gap to the other side, when costs drop substantially.

AARP has endorsed an agreement--brokered by Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.)--between President Obama and U.S. drug manufacturers, who have offered to pay half the costs for most people who reach the coverage gap, as part of health care reform legislation. This could take effect as early as July of next year.

Another serious problem we've been hearing more about lately is that of hospitals discharging older patients without any follow-up, or "transitional," services. One of every five Medicare beneficiaries is readmitted within 30 days of discharge; and one of every three, within 90 days--often because of poor communication between patients, caregivers, and health care providers. We need a benefit in Medicare to help people safely transition to home or another setting to prevent costly and unnecessary hospital readmissions.

Our work is to see that you get more from health care reform, not less. You deserve the peace of mind of knowing you will always have quality, affordable care. But we need your support to persuade Congress to act on AARP's commonsense health care reform priorities. Please visit our health care reform website--healthactionnow.org--to see how you can make a difference in getting to needed solutions.

It looks like the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) or otherwise known as "Cash for Clunkers" has launched this week.

For those who don't know, CARS basically does this: the government buys back old cars (which get a combined average mileage of 18 miles a gallon or less) from folks to scrap, and the seller gets $4,500 toward the purchase or lease of a new fuel-efficient car. Not a bad deal to help the environment, right? Via the New York Times blog Wheels:

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said it would eventually provide "a comprehensive list of new vehicles that meet the requirements of the program." Until then, you can use the table found here to look up the fuel economy of all vehicles dating to 1984, the earliest model-year vehicle eligible for trade-in.

Not every dealer is expected to participate in CARS. Those that do must register to be part of the program, and registrations may take a day or so to certify. So the agency recommends that consumers first call a dealer to see if it's participating (and has been certified) before going to the dealership.

The program will run until Nov. 1 or when the $1 billion that Congress has allotted to the program runs out. And consumers can expect automakers to add their own incentives on top of the federal rebates.

Check out this AARP article for more info on Cash for Clunkers and whether it's the right option for you.

If you're anything like my friends and family, they love listening to the national debate on all the issues floating around, but what they really want to know is how they will be impacted in Arizona, for example. Below you'll find a smattering of where to find local AARP info. Don't see your state? I'd encourage you to check out Bulletin Today's State Pages as well as the AARP Online Community for more information and resources.

And of course, if you want to take action on health care reform, check out www.healthactionnow.org for events and info on how to reach your local reps.

California info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

Massachusetts info on the AARP Online Community.

Michigan info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

Minnesota info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

New York info on Facebook and Twitter.

Ohio info on the AARP Online Community.

Oregon info on Facebook and the AARP Online Community.

South Dakota info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

Wisconsin info on Facebook, Twitter and the AARP Online Community.

Did you miss today's townhall with President Obama?

We recorded the event so you could watch it again, or you can read the transcript of the event here.

Got some questions about health care reform? Want some clarity on where AARP stands? Or maybe you're curious about how health care reform will impact you. No matter your question or curiosity get your info straight from the President.

Tune in today at 1:30 p.m. EST for a telephone townhall with President Obama and AARP CEO Barry Rand for a Q&A session with AARP members and volunteers.

You can watch it on the internet here. And share the link to the live video (www.aarp.org/townhall) on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace pages so everyone can learn more.

Thanks to those of you who posted your thoughts in the comments over the weekend. A lot of the concerns posted in the comments are ones we heard during last week's telephone townhalls that we hosted (and more than 400,000 of you attended) so I thought it might helpful if we posted up those questions and answers.

You can check out the whole article from the folks at Bulletin Today here.

From the article as well - here are some of the typical questions and answers fielded during the town hall meetings.

Why is AARP not standing up for seniors when Obama says he will cut Medicare to help pay for health care?
The proposed changes to Medicare will help to get fraud, waste and abuse out of the system and create payment incentives to reward doctors and hospitals for the quality, rather than the quantity, of care they provide. They will not cut the benefits our members rely on in the traditional Medicare program, but will help to keep it affordable to make sure you get the care you need.

Isn't this socialized medicine?
No. In socialized medicine the government directly owns the hospitals and directly employs the doctors. No one in Washington is talking seriously about anything like that. What health reform will do instead is provide people with a system much like the one members of Congress enjoy today. They will be able to choose from a range of quality, affordable private health plans, and possibly a publicly run option as well. These plans will have to accept everyone regardless of preexisting conditions or age. There also will be sliding-scale subsides for people with moderate to low incomes to make sure the coverage is affordable for everyone.

Will I lose access to my doctor?
No. The legislation will include a much-needed fix to the Medicare physician payment system to prevent an unwarranted 20 percent cut in their rates that otherwise would take effect next January and threaten access to doctors. It also will increase pay for primary care doctors to help preserve access to them, and promote training of more primary care doctors and nurses and geriatricians so we have enough health professionals to treat everyone.

Will there be rationing of health care to seniors based on age?
Absolutely not! That's a very harmful myth that opponents of reform are spreading to scare seniors. Nothing in the proposed legislation would lead to rationing of care for older Americans or anyone, and if it did, AARP would be leading the fight to kill it.

Is there mandatory end-of-life counseling for all seniors? Why?
No. This is another myth that reform opponents are using to scare people. What the bill does is let physicians get paid by Medicare for counseling people about things like advance directives, living wills, durable powers of attorney, hospice care and other steps people can take to make sure their wishes about how they want to be cared for at the end of life are known and followed. It's entirely up to the doctor and patient whether this counseling takes place, and completely up to patients whether they take steps based on the counseling to put their end-of-life wishes into legal documents. Facing a terminal disease or debilitating accident, some people want every possible life-saving measure in the hopes that treatment will give them more time with their families. Others will decide that additional treatment is not what they want and decline extraordinary measures. Either way, it should be their choice; all this does is help them make informed decisions about these issues with their doctor.

Will I be losing Medicare as the result of reform?
No. If you like the coverage you have, you can keep it, and that includes Medicare and your medigap coverage. Reform will help curb skyrocketing inflation throughout our health care system, including Medicare, so that Medicare coverage remains affordable for both you and the taxpayers who help foot the bill.

Will I be able to keep my current insurance coverage, which works well?
Yes. If you like the coverage you have, you can keep it.

Will preexisting conditions continue to exclude people from coverage?
No. There is broad, bipartisan agreement that health reform should ban insurers from discriminating against people based on any preexisting health problems.

Yum!

Here's the press conference from last night. 90% of the focus was on the debate for health care reform

Our friends at AARP Bulletin have put together a very useful document that spells out the details of the current debate in easily digestible prose. This is a great resource for anyone wanting to get a handle on the current state of play of the health care debate.

As Congress wraps up before August recess, this is our last chance to make some serious steps to take action for health care reform - and we're having our very own town hall meetings to discuss and strategize.

In fact, AARP will be holding teletownhalls over the next week (which will be audiocast live!) where AARP supporters and members can listen in to hear what role AARP has been playing in the health care reform debate, answer your questions on reform efforts as well as give you an opportunity to potentially connect with Congress straight from the town halls.

There's not much time left, and health care reform legislation will be moving - let's talk about what we can do to make sure it's prioritized. Sign up and submit your questions for Thursday's townhall!

See the times of other town halls after the jump. You'll be able to hear them live here.

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The New York Times covered Obama's speech on the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon, which was yesterday, July 20th, when the astronauts of Apollo 11 took the first steps on that big rock that lights the night sky of our planet:

On the anniversary of the first landing on the Moon, several Apollo astronauts called for new emphasis on space exploration. Mr. Obama has endorsed the Bush administration's plan to return astronauts to the Moon by 2020, asking for a 5 percent increase in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration budget.

"We need to go back to the moon," said Eugene A. Cernan, the last man on the Moon as a member of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, adding that he was frustrated at the lack of preparation for a mission to Mars.

As we celebrate this landmark moment, let's hope for more great findings in space exploration to come!

Although times are tough, the summer tends to trigger the "travel itch" - you know, that sense of urgency to get out of town immediately to a sun-drenched vacation consisting of laying out by a pool and sipping on piña coladas all day. So how can we quench our vacation thirst without spending all of our retirement savings?

Well, it looks like Peter Greenburg has some answers for us. An inquiry led Greenburg to give tips on how to find the best deals for older folks looking to go on a cruise - apparently there a lot of discounts for older adults available. Check out the article and some online resources he gives, like CruiseCritic, GalaxSea Cruise and Tours and Cruise.com.

Happy cruising!

This one looks de-lic-ous!

I came across a great AP article about how older workers are struggling to find a job during the recession, and largely because of their age.

As there has been much evidence that companies discriminate based on a person's age, folks are going to great lengths to appear younger on paper and even in person - from omitting college graduation dates to actually taking botox injections. (Yes, really.) When a group of people are changing their lives and identity in such a way to avoid being discriminated against, that tells me there's a problem.

Check out the entire piece here, and also take a look at AARP's recent feature on how to look out for signs of bias or discriminatory questions in job interviews.

Remember the new social networking section on AARP we blogged about last week? Well, it looks like it may come in handy after we find a new study showing that not only are the numbers of 50+ Facebook users skyrocketing, but their younger counterparts are actually decreasing:

A report released by iStrategyLabs shows that while the number of Facebook's U.S. high school and college-age users declined over the past six months, its popularity among the 55-and-older crowd is booming. In fact, the number of 55-and-older Facebook users showed staggering growth -- 513.7% -- in the last six months, the digital consulting firm said. This isn't a new phenomenon for Facebook. In March, Hitwise Pty. reported that the social network's audience of people over the ripe old age of 35 increased by 23% in February compared with the same month a year earlier. While Facebook was first launched to serve college students, over the past year or so the network has expanded to include many middle-aged folks. (Emphasis mine)

While there are rumors that the decrease in college-aged users is because they are beginning to feel alienated by their parents joining the site, I don't know if that's the entire reason. There are so many new social networking sites being introduced every day, young people end up migrating to the newer and better forums. But be careful kids, looks like mom and pops are right on your tail!

A new study has found that while the average baby boomer thinks they have above average hearing, their kids think they should get their ears checked.

The study researched 250 older Americans and 250 children of boomers, in which they found that although 72 percent of the older participants believed their hearing was average or better, nearly the same percent of children thought their parents had hearing problems. The kicker is that only 35 percent of their kids have actually told their parents they think they should have their hearing tested.

In other words, while it can be difficult to let your mom or dad know they have a hearing issue, how will they hear you out (no pun intended) if you can't even tell them what the problem is?

It's healthy. It's easy to make. It's got it all! Could it be the perfect side dish?

This is awesome. AARP is featuring a social networking section on the site, giving folks some tips on how to dive into the social networking world, as well as some funny stories of web 2.0 overload like "Confessions of a Facebook Addict."

While a common misconception is that older adults aren't engaging social networking (or engaging online at all), that's actually far from the truth. In fact, the fastest-growing group of people joining Facebook is women over 55 years old. Take that, stereotypes!

Make sure to check it out.

While everyone is thrilled that it's finally summer, it's not as dandy as a lot of older folks will begin to fall ill from the heat. We can't forget that heat can cause serious health problems for older adults. We have some tips on how you can beat the heat:

1. Relax and put off chores and any strenuous activity.
2. Stay indoors during the hottest times of the day.
3. Close your shades to keep out the sunshine.
4. If you do not have air conditioning, stay on the lower-level in your home--heat rises.
5. Check with your local agency for cool places you can go such as libraries and public buildings, or a mall with air conditioning.
6. Wear light-weight, loose fitting clothing and protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, sunglasses or use an umbrella.
7. Drink plenty of water even if you are not thirsty. This helps keep your body cool.
8. Avoid alcohol or caffeinated beverages.
9. If you have a chronic medical condition, talk with your doctor about additional precautions you should take to prevent heat related illness. Some conditions and medications may place you at higher risk.
10. Neighbors, friends or family should check in on older people in their homes to make sure they are not suffering from the heat.

So get away from the blazing sun and into some healthy, heat-free summer fun!

While you're staying indoors to beat the summer heat, might as well get your game-on! AARP has released the Video Games for Grownups: Summer 2009 list, and it's not to miss. Some highlighted games for all ages:

• Hasbro Family Night (Hasbro)
• The Maw (Twisted Pixel Games)
• Stoked (Destineer)

And the list goes on. Check 'em all out!

Today, the President will be challenging non-profits to think bigger and expand the ways they can make a difference. At AARP, we're accepting that challenge by connecting our members to Create The Good where they can find and post opportunities to serve. In addition, we're growing our library of free, downloadable "do-it-yourself" toolkits that give you all you need to make an impact with your friends, on your time, in your community.

You can watch the President's challenge live at 2:00pm EST at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ where he will also recognize some great 50+ social entrepreneurs. He will meet with Purpose Prize winners who have finished their midlife careers and come back for their encores, recycling their lifetimes of experience into innovative solutions to community problems.

Recent Purpose Prize winner Robert Chambers will speak. Chambers was 57 when he founded Bonnie CLAC to provide low-income car loans to the rural poor. "I was old enough to understand the injustice I saw and experienced enough to do something about it," says Chambers. "Given the size of our baby boomer population, it's time to figure out how to build on all that experience and use it to solve our nation's most pressing social problems."

Other 50+ Purpose Prize winners invited to the White House are: Gary Maxworthy, who distributes millions of pounds of fresh produce to people in need; Sharon Rohrbach, who provides nurse visits for at-risk newborns; Martha Rollins, who eases prisoner re-entry into the community with job training and support; and Gayle Porter and Marilyn Gaston, who empower African-American women to improve their health.

Visit www.AARP.org/CreateTheGood to find and post opportunities in your state.

If only I were sitting in a rocking chair on my porch right now!

The folks at AARP TV posted some original footage of the Stonewall riots and new interviews with gay and lesbian leaders. Powerful stuff to watch on this day.

USA Today had an article recently on a new study showing that 80% of couples disagree on retirement, such as what age to retire, whether they'll work in retirement or where they'll move to retire.

While the economic recession surely can't help, experts advise to be open and communicative about retirement plans, which is hard when often one partner is responsible for the finances of the household. The other thing to do is make sure both people are aware and knowledgeable of their expenses and investments. After all, only 15% of people said they were confident one partner could handle family finances if the other died.

The piece also gives some basic steps you can take when beginning to talk about retirement with your honey. Check it out.

Via Wallet Pop.

How about that. The Associated Press covers the release of new census information showing that by 2050, 1 in 6 people will be older adults:

"The world's population has been graying for many years due to declining births and medical advances that have extended life spans. As the fastest-growing age group, seniors now comprise just under 8 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people. But demographers warn the biggest shift is yet to come. They cite a coming wave of retirements from baby boomers and China's Red Guard generation that will shrink pensions and add to rising health care costs.

Germany, Italy, Japan and Monaco have the most senior citizens, with 20 percent or more of their people 65 and older."

The piece also talks about the health care crisis and how these estimates should be a factor when dealing with health care reform. Check it out.

I never realized Zucchini could be so versatile!

Photo by Darryl Estrine

Patricia Barry has a piece on AARP Bulletin on health care reform:

"Washington wags like to compare health care reform to a certain kind of cicada--an insect that emerges only once every 17 years, makes a lot of noise and then vanishes underground again. There's a disquieting degree of truth in the joke: Fifteen years have passed since the last serious attempt at reform, led by Hillary Clinton, was buried. Will it be different this time?"

A lot of people hope so. But Barry reminds us that there is much work to be done, and discusses Obama's health care reform plans, including the "public plan" option. She also says that we should recognize that, despite how some may disagree on certain proposals, we generally have the same goal in mind: "to cover the uninsured, reduce costs in the system and change payment mechanisms so that doctors and hospitals are rewarded for the quality of care they provide rather than the quantity of patients they see."

I can get behind that. Check out the entire piece for the lowdown.

Given President Obama's speech to the American Medical Association earlier this week, I wanted to quickly plug AARP's efforts at bringing about comprehensive health care reform. The good folks at AARP's Health Action Now! site have created an interactive map in which users can scroll over testimonials from everyday people about their problems with the health care system.

Here is one typical note, from Roberta H. of Hickory, North Carolina:

"When one of my 8 prescriptions costs $817 for a 28-day supply I hit the "gap" where I have to pay the full price by mid-April!!! And, when a 40-hour stay in the hospital allows them to charge Medicare more than $2,000 just for pharmaceutical costs, the whole system needs drastic change. Last year my pharmacy deductions were more than 1/4 of my Social Security total."

Check out ways you can take action and help influence the debate.

Here's a good summer treat. Mango ice cream. Delish!

This is not to say that older people don't sleep! But a lot of folks do like play into the stereotype that older adults are constantly falling asleep, whether it be during meetings or their grandkid's dance recital or that they just go to bed at 3 pm. However, a new study shows that older folks actually deal with sleep deprivation better than their younger counterparts:

"The older adults -- ages 59-82 years -- showed more resiliency to total sleep deprivation than young adults -- ages 19-38 years -- on a range of measures of cognitive performance, including working memory, selective attention/inhibition, and verbal encoding and retrieval. Performance of young adults significantly declined on all three tasks during total sleep deprivation while that of older adults did not change significantly."

So next time your kid makes fun of you for falling asleep at the TV, challenge them to a sleep deprivation contest to see who handles it better!

Sorry to be a downer guys, but this AARP Bulletin piece was too important not to highlight; while folks may think the economy may be on the up and up, the unemployment rate is still hitting older workers, and hard:

"The unemployment rate for workers age 55 or older hit an all-time high of 6.7 percent in May, a level 116 percent higher than at the start of the economic downturn in December 2007, according to an AARP analysis of the latest government employment data. The jobless rate for younger workers also grew precipitously over the same period--63 percent among those ages 16 to 24, and 110 percent for workers 25 to 54.

Among all workers, the unemployment rate climbed to 9.4 percent in May, more than double the 4.5 percent reported in December 2007. An estimated 15 million people are without work."

The article also highlights differences between younger and older workers' experience with unemployment (and employment) during the recession; it's definitely work checking out.

Even if crustaceans are not your thing, the narrator's grizzly voice and baroque background music make this a video worth watching. Enjoy!

According to a new Harris Interactive Poll, baby boomers (aged 45-63) say that the popular sitcom from the 1970s and early 1980s is their favorite television program of all time. H/t The Examiner, which notes that when you aggregate all age groups CSI comes out on top. Me? I'll take any show with Alan Alda!

Here's Alda reflecting on the popularity of M*A*S*H some years later.

While the term "older people and children" is being thrown around frequently in the midst of swine flu cases found in the U.S. (in other words, older folks and kids are in more danger of getting really sick from the virus), new research has led the Center for Disease and Control to announce that people older 60 may actually have a higher immunity to swine flu than previously thought. Via Associated Press:

"The CDC said tests show higher levels of swine flu-fighting antibodies in the blood of older people than in younger ones, probably from exposure to earlier viruses similar to swine flu."

Yet the CDC also says it's not exactly clear how safe older people are from the infection, so please folks, take the same precautions anyone would to avoid the virus and seek our medical attention if you're feeling a fluish!

Check out our new ad on health care reform that reminds us just how necessary health reform is!

Chef Nancy Russman shows us how to make a delicious looking -- and healthy -- summer meal. Yum!

Just in time for the summer, experts are saying that sunshine can help older adults reduce their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

It's all about Vitamin D. While exposure to sunlight stimulates vitamin D in the skin - and considering the fact that many older people have vitamin D deficiencies from the natural aging process - researchers have found that sunshine can increase the level of Vitamin D in the body and decrease the chances of getting metabolic syndrome, a condition of multiple medical and metabolic disorders that cause heart disease and diabetes.

Leading researcher, Dr. Oscar Franco at Warwick Medical School, said that while recognizing the importance of sunlight is significant, he stressed what the core problem is: Vitamin D deficiency.

"Vitamin D deficiency is now recognised as a worldwide concern and metabolic syndrome has become a global epidemic. More research is needed to find out why older people are more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D and how this is linked to the development of metabolic syndrome and related metabolic diseases."

On the other hand, the folks at Bulletin Today gives us some alternatives to getting vitamin D - because while sunlight can be good for you, excessive exposure can cause other problems, like skin cancer. Check it out!

Gabi Moskowitz shows us how to cook a tuna steak over the skillet. It is so easy even I could do it...And It tastes like summer. Yum!

Former football star and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Jack Kemp passed away this weekend. Over the past few days there has been an outpouring of eulogies from people across the political spectrum who have hailed Kemp as an example of what is best about American politics.

Here is Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne

Politics in recent years has often been a breeding ground for hatred. Kemp was the opposite of a hater. He was all positive energy. If there was one thing he did hate, it was racism. Over and over, he tried to get his party to reach out to African Americans -- not simply the more affluent in their ranks, but the very poor whom he really did believe would benefit from policies geared toward enterprise, including supply side tax cuts, enterprise zones and tenant ownership of public housing. He was serious about this mission when he served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

And from the other side of the political spectrum, Mona Charen in the National Review calls Kemp "Our JFK,"

Jack truly and deeply wanted to give people the chance to improve themselves. He had seen how it could work close up. His father had started with nothing. He borrowed money to buy one truck and eventually developed his business into a profitable trucking company. Jack wanted to distribute that kind of opportunity and as broadly as possible. As the author of the Kemp/Roth tax-cutting legislation, Jack became the godfather of the Reagan domestic agenda.

Clearly, Kemp was a unique sort of politician. We wish his family our throughts and prayers.

AARP The Magazine won a prestigious National Magazine Award for the Interactive Feature Category for the feature "1968: The Year that Rocked Our World." The folks over the magazine deserve a big huzzah for this accomplishment. The awards are a very big deal in the industry--sort of like the Oscars for the glossy-page set. Great work, guys!

Camilla Saulsbury shows us how to make a healthy, vegetarian alternative to cow burgers. You can find the recipe on her blog, Enlightened Cooking.

em>SPECIAL GUEST BLOG FROM MIMI CASTALDI, AARP
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had a devastating impact on St. Barnard Parish, LA. All 27,000 homes were uninhabitable after the storm. More than three years later, only one-third of the residents have returned home.

One of my friends suggested we get a group together to help and the next thing you know, seven of us from DC are down in Louisiana this week helping rebuild houses with the St. Bernard's Project. You can sign up right on the web and choose your dates. When we got here they had an orientation and we met volunteers from around the country. There was even another AARP member from Philadelphia who was on her FIFTH trip!

It has been an amazing experience. We heard the story of one of the residents who was stranded on a roof top for six days waiting for help. We saw house after house that still had the markers from when crews in after the storm.

Our group spent the day in a house that is midway through reconstruction. The owner currently lives about 35 minutes away, but he's eager to return to his home, his neighborhood and his family. Crews of volunteers before us stripped the house down to the studs, treated it to get rid of mold, and installed drywall. It was our job to tape and spackle (or mud) the drywall to create a smooth surface. None of us had much experience, but we had a leader from AmeriCorps who patiently showed us what to do, and monitored it to make sure we got it right. By days end I had the hang of it, and felt like I was making a difference.

As a special treat, we were lucky enough to be able to visit a family who had just returned to their home. The family was so happy they cooked us jambalaya for dinner. I told them that somehow that didn't seem fair since they've been living in this harsh reality for years, and we just arrived. She said, just tell your friends what you're doing and that we need their help too.

To get started, visit St. Bernard's Project today.

Bob Dylan's newest album, Together Through Life, hit music stores yesterday. Edna Gundersen in USA Today offers a typically glowing review.

"He's got grit, for sure. His gloriously wicked, wheezy croon suits these biting, sentimental tales of love in hard times. Dylan may be tangled up in blues, but when he punctuates My Wife's Home Town with a mischievous chuckle, it's clear he has never felt so unfettered."

And in a nod to the younger generation, Dylan has announced a tour of minor league ball parks across the United States (along with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp) in which children 14 years and younger get in for free. Oh, and he's got a twitter page! too. The times they are a-changing!

No one wants to experience a major life crisis such as job loss, divorce, death of a spouse or serious illness or disability, but the reality is that most of us will. According to a recent survey by AARP Financial, nearly 60% of Americans age 40 to 79 already have-- and in vast majority of cases, the event had a significant impact on their finances.

And no wonder. Life crises stir up emotions and can leave many of us feeling vulnerable, distracted and confused. Financial decisions are tough enough. Add a whirlwind of emotions and additional caretaking responsibilities and it's potentially overwhelming.

What if you suddenly had a life crisis? Would you survive financially? Would you know what to do? For tips on where to turn for financial guidance during a life crisis, visit this article from AARP The Magazine.

A week of scam information - not necessarily uplifting, but very important and always helpful. If you didn't tune in everyday, here's a recap of everything we talked about!

Spot a Scam
The $75,000 Lunch
Ponzi Schemes
Free Lunch Monitor Report: From The Trenches
Questions To Ask Investment Advisors?

Ali Occhialini of diet.com shows us how to prepare a healthy, farro risotto with asparagus. Yum!

Investors frequently get invited to lunch seminars that promise to educate them about investing strategies or managing money in retirement--often with an expensive meal provided at no cost. Just because someone buys you breakfast, lunch or dinner doesn't mean you have to buy what they are saying--or selling.

Invitations to Free Lunch Seminars can be tempting. But before you accept, make sure ask a lot of questions such as:

• What are the risks of this investment?
• Will my investment be tied up? If so, for how long?
• What happens if I decide to sell or cash in my investment? Are there surrender charges or other fees?
• What are your credentials?
• Are you licensed to sell this investment?
• Is this investment product registered?

A wise and safe investor always asks as many questions as needed to understand the investment. To learn other helpful hints go here.

Len Bach and his wife are serious about fraud. Serious about making sure that it doesn't happen to you, or anyone you know! Here's a guest blog from Len about his experience as a Free Lunch Monitor:

As longtime AARP Volunteers who make formal presentations on general investment fraud(s), getting involved in the Free Lunch Monitor (FLM) program was quite natural for my wife and me. We are also recent retirees concerned about protecting and growing our retirement savings that took a lifetime to build. A free meal and possibly finding new trustworthy avenues for investment or retirement planning was quite appealing.

We have found that the Free Lunch offers share a number of common traits such as good food and soft sales pitches, but also almost always trade on senior fears about estate issues, medical catastrophes, running out of money, probate, legal and IRS concerns. The sponsors want you to leave the meal site worried about your future. We always follow up with the firms with a second meeting and that is where we have found the hitch in almost every pitch. High commission recommendations abound on legitimate investments, outlandish promises of high returns and low risk are frequent without any formal prospectus being presented, suitability to your specific needs are most often ignored, and fine print in offered agreements can subject you to severe penalties and to unreasonable flexibility.

My wife and I will continue to voluntarily attend these free meal senior sales pitches and to report our findings to AARP and recommend that others do as well. A good free meal is rewarding, but it is uncovering fraud and abuse that we have discovered to be the real dividend for our time and effort.

Remember when we were kids and we had summer reading lists? Lord of the Flies, The Scarlet Letter, Animal Farm...the classics we had to read between trips to the beach, camping and day-long excursions to the pool.

I'm reviving the summer reading list this year - but you won't find any classics on mine. I'm making it a goal to finish a couple books that are difficult to get through and carry on to a few fun ones that will entertain me while I'm trying to get some sun!

If you're like me, a walk through the book store can end with five books in hand and a never ending list of "books I should read." I like to keep track of my reading list on a site called Goodreads. You can connect with your friends, their reading lists, form book clubs, get reader recommendations and convene with other people who love to smell the spines of books, too (maybe that's just me).

I'm going to finally finish A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers...and pick up Supreme Courtship, by Christopher Buckley, Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, by Stephanie Klein, and The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet.

What will you be reading this summer?

Recently we have heard about the biggest ponzi schemes in history. Bernard Madoff has become a household name but these types of scams have been happening for years. In fact, they are named after Charles Ponzi who envisioned and created a massive money making scheme in the early 1920s.

Here's how they work: Investors are lured with promises of unique opportunities producing high returns, and for awhile they may get those returns. But what they don't know is that their money is not really being invested in anything at all. The "interest" they receive is money being paid in by later investors. As long as more investors sign on, which they will because of word-of-mouth advertising about the "great returns," everything seems fine. But since no real investments are being made, it can't last long and ultimately collapses.

So what should you do to make sure you don't get lured into one of these things? Do your research and ask questions! A true financial professional with legitimate investment opportunities will not only welcome your questions but they'll have great answers to them as well. Here's some things to keep in mind while considering an investment opportunity:

• Check the product and the sales person. To make sure the product is registered and the person is licensed contact your state securities regulator. Visit www.nasaa.org.
• Watch out for promises of high returns over a short term.
• Don't be pressured to act quickly. Be ready to say, "I'm not making a decision today."

And like I've been saying all week...this is exactly why AARP and NASAA partnered up to create the Free Lunch Monitor program. Check it out and protect yourself and your community.

Tom Nelson, COO here at AARP, has been passionate about the Serve America Act that President Obama signed today. Here's a guest blog from Tom about why this legislation is so important to AARP, you, and our country:

I'm so pleased that this afternoon, AARP attended the White House signing ceremony for the Serve America Act. It is truly an historic event and one that we're particularly pleased will create meaningful volunteer opportunities for people 50+.

Fifty years ago, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus founded this organization with the motto, "To serve, not be served." The Serve America legislation builds on what is good, strong and unique about America: the self-reliance and self-determination of the American people. Dr. Andrus founded AARP on the same principles.

Inside E Street did a great show in April on the Serve America Act - lots of good information about how the legislation will create more opportunities, including interviews with President Obama's domestic policy advisors and legislators who championed the Act on Capitol Hill. Check it out.

In the next couple of months, there should be more opportunities to volunteer in your communities and neighborhoods. I encourage everyone to find out what's available - even if you only have five extra minutes a week. AARP Create The Good also is a place to find opportunities to serve.

Now is an important time for America and we look forward to the renewed spirit of service this legislation - and each of you - is already helping to foster.

- Tom Nelson, COO, AARP

"We were invited to a seminar where there were two main speakers. They talked about different kinds of investments to have an extra income for retirement and it was interesting. After a couple of days, they made an appointment with me to visit me in my home."

That was the beginning of a tragic story for Luis and Manuela Corona, a couple in Florida. Looking for a way to increase their retirement savings they attended a free lunch investment seminar. Attending this educational seminar led to friendly visits and ultimately pressure to invest in viaticals, a product that they knew very little about.

You can watch their whole story here...and also check out more about ponzi schemes, variable annuities, and more.

Many times investment opportunities come with a "free" lunch that really isn't free at all. That's why AARP and NASAA launched the Free Lunch Monitor program. You can learn the red flags for fraudulent investment schemes and protect yourself and other investors while you're at it.

This is the first in a week-long series of posts here on Shaarp Session that will focus on scams. Everything from spotting a scam, to preventing scams in your community will be covered, and a ton of resources and information will be shared. Let us know what you think!

It seems like every week offers and invitations to invest in a deal of a lifetime come knocking on our doors. During troubled economic times these offers become more tempting but that is precisely why we need to be even more cautious. There are no short cuts to getting rich when it comes to seriously and wisely investing for your future.

Here are some signs you should keep in mind to help detect if a deal sounds too good to be true...so think twice or better yet, run if you hear these phrases:

• "there's no risk..."
• "profit is guaranteed..."
• "you cannot afford to miss this deal..."
• "this offer is only good for today"
• "make the check out to me"

Many times the deals come with a "free" lunch that really isn't free at all. That's why AARP and NASAA launched the Free Lunch Monitor program. Learn how you can become a monitor and help make the marketplace safer for all investors.

To find out about other signs of a scam and get tips on how to protect yourself from an investment scam visit our investment fraud pages.

It's Monday...and it's raining cats and dogs here in DC, so I need a sweet treat to brighten my day. I love to bake and have a serious sweet tooth so I thought I'd pass along this savory and sweet easy-to-make recipe for homemade turtles! I found this on one of my favorite blogs Twig & Thistle.

What do you need? A bag of mini pretzels, pecan halfs and a pack of Rolos. Yes. I said Rolos.

1) On a cookie sheet, arrange the pretzels then place a Rolo on top of each one. Bake at 220 F. for 2 minutes.

2) Remove from the oven and immediately start placing the Pecans on top and pushing them down, squishing the Rolos.

3) Enjoy!

More health care talk folks...

AARP Iowa held a truly amazing forum with Senator Grassley on April 9th to discuss the urgent need for national health care reform during a "Cost of Doing Nothing on Health Care Reform" forum at North Iowa Community College.

C-SPAN was there to tape it so the rest of us can take a look at it. Tune in tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET to catch it and check in here for the schedule and more information.

The New York Times blog, Room for Debate, has a great round-up of experts' thoughts on why and how older workers are struggling to get jobs during the recession. It's no big news that older adults have had difficulties (and have even been discriminated against) in the workforce way before the economy began to falter, but things are particularly hard now.

Between the idea that bosses don't want employees older and more experienced than them, to the fact that older workers cost more to a company salary-wise, to the theory that your productivity decreases as you age, these folks have a range of different reasons why older workers are having such a hard time. (Not to mention the comments section has blown up there as well.) Make sure to check it out.

On the upside, check out AARP's Best Employers for Workers Over 50 - because some folks know how valuable you are!

I filed my tax forms a few weeks ago and BOY! Was I proud of myself for getting it done soooooo early! I'd also be lying if I said I hadn't already spent my whole return in my head yet!

Mostly paying off debt, but a little will go to a much needed mini-vacation. What are you spending your tax return on?

Jane Hamsher left the following response to our statement in the comments section so I thought I'd pull it up to the front page:

AARP had a $20 million advertising campaign last year, "Divided We Fail," that included no blog advertising component. So I find this statement curious:

"AARP would never allow advertisers to dictate our editorial content based on the amount of ad space purchased, and we would be hesitant to buy ads with any media that suggested it might act otherwise."

What exactly are you alleging?

Jane - DWF is one of many campaigns AARP is a part of and, while blog ads weren't a part of that particular campaign to date, the allegation that AARP somehow does not advertise - or worse that we don't see the value in blogs - is incorrect.

Regarding your second statement - we're not alleging anything. When we advertise DWF or any of our other campaigns with CNN, FOX, and others we never expect news coverage on their stations. Similarly, our pitches to producers for story ideas were not met with questions about how much advertising we had purchased. Your concerns about AARP advertising with blogs directly link news coverage and ad dollars. We were simply stating that we would never put our journalists/editors/writers in such a position.

There's been a recent debate in the blogosphere about who - or more importantly, who's not - advertising on various political blogs. AARP is a non-partisan organization that strongly supports all reaches of the online community and values the contribution of the millions of Americans who use blogs to share information and to express their views.

AARP has a robust online presence, with a vibrant online community, an active blog and daily online news source for 50+ America, Bulletin Today.

Because we understand the influence and reach of online communities we have worked with BlogAds, an important resource for marketers targeting blog communities, on targeted ad campaigns over the last year. On May 4, 2007, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas stated that, "...Blogads has been perhaps the single most important component to the rise of the liberal blogosphere. And it will continue to play a huge role as we grow in years ahead." Thanks to BlogAds, AARP ads have been made available to the likes of Daily Kos, Wonkette, Atrios, Talking Points Memo, Americablog, Crooks and Liars, Firedoglake, Political Wire, Red State, Outside the Beltway, Power Line, Townhall and others.

Our ongoing commitment to supporting and participating in the online community means that we intend to continue working with bloggers and to support the growth of this community.

As publishers of the world's largest magazine and the preeminent online destination for individuals 50+, we understand the desire to pursue advertising revenue. Additionally, no one is immune from our current economic crisis and we can appreciate your plea for increased ad revenue. That said, we also strongly honor the integrity of our journalists and writers/editors/content developers. AARP would never allow advertisers to dictate our editorial content based on the amount of ad space purchased, and we would be hesitant to buy ads with any media that suggested it might act otherwise.

- Andrew Nannis, Director of Media Relations for AARP

While we know that the number of older folks using Facebook are skyrocketing, it looks like Twitter users are catching up too. And they ain't all young.

For those of you who don't know how this social networking site works, it's easy as pie - while Facebook allows you to "update your status" in real time so friends can see what you're up to, Twitter does just that. Rather than having a profile, applications, picture albums and all the other facets of Facebook, Twitter only allows you to update your status for your friends to see.

In a way, Twitter is more appealing to those not internet savvy because it's so much simpler than Facebook. Type in your thoughts, press enter, and you're done! So it makes sense that more folks are catching on, and middle aged folks are among the increasing group of new users:

ComScore found that people aged between 45 and 54 are 36% more likely than other age group to use Twitter, making them the highest-rated age group, followed by those aged 25 to 34, who are 30% more likely to Tweet out updates about their life and work.

Older users also spend more time on Twitter than their younger counterparts. Now we need to do some research on folks older than 54 - after all, Boomers can be Tweeters too!

AARP has an article with tips on how to get a good night's sleep - after all, studies are showing that getting better sleep means better health. This is important especially these days; too many folks are losing sleep from being stressed about the economy. They talk about the range of health issues that can arise or be worsened by a lack of sleep, as well as ways to ensure you get 7-8 hours per night. Here are a few tips (with details in the article):

• Get a checkup
• Avoid sleep aids
• Practice stress management
• Nix the nightcap
• Time your naps

But speaking of naps, new research has also shown that women who take long naps every day have a larger risk of death. Interesting how nighttime sleep is good for you, but sleeping during the day can be bad. What would make sense is what the AARP piece said - that too much napping can effect the amount nighttime sleep, or just indicate a larger health problem.

While this R&B icon isn't with us anymore, we felt the need to acknowledge that today is the great Marvin Gaye's birthday. For those of us who grew up listening to the sounds of his glorious hits, this one is for you:

AP has a news story on how older workers are not only struggling to get a paycheck in this tough times, but searching the "help wanted" ads for the first time in their careers. Check it out.

If you're looking for a job, or want some job hunting advice check out Bob Skladany's columns on AARP.org or our Work pages.

The Kennedy Serve America Act, which will strengthen and expand civic engagement and volunteer opportunities for people of all ages, just passed the House and is heading to President Obama's desk for signature into law.

Thanks so much to all of you who reached out to your Representatives and Senators!

Thought you might enjoy reading more about it in this Newsweek story. Excerpt below:

"Tom Nelson, AARP's chief operating officer, said the bill gives more older Americans the chance to apply their years of experience to helping others.

Nelson said his group is hearing from thousands of people who say, "How do I get involved, how do I help my community?"

"That older volunteer can be the ideal volunteer," he said."

To see how your Member of Congress voted, visit www.aarp.org/governmentwatch or to get updates on how you can make a difference, join Create The Good.

Great news! The House of Reps could send voluntary service legislation to the President as early as this evening. We're hearing they will consider the Senate-passed version of H.R. 1388, The GIVE Act/Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act this afternoon.

How can you help? Contact your Representatives now and urge them to support the bill. It's pretty simple, just tell them to "Please pass the GIVE Act as amended by the Senate."

The House operator -- 202-225-3121 -- can connect you with your Congressperson. Click here if you need to see who your representative is. Stay tuned to www.aarp.org/governmentwatch to see how your legislator voted.

PS. If you've already called, and asked your friends to call, visit www.aarp.org/CreateTheGood to find more ways you can help out in your community.

In the Wall Street Journal's money/personal finance/investment blog "The Wallet," Kelly Greene reports that health care costs in retirement are sky rocketing...and the going rate for health care costs are as high as $240,000!! She goes on to point out:

"A 65-year-old couple who retires this year will need about $240,000 to cover their medical expenses in retirement, according to Fidelity Investments research released this week.

"Keep in mind that this eye-popping number is a lifetime estimate and assumes that the couple has no employer-provided retiree-health-care coverage, since many companies are phasing out that benefit. It also assumes life expectancies of 17 years for the husband and 20 years for the wife after retirement."

So what's a guy or gal to do? Experts Greene spoke with advised keeping yourself and your partner in tip top shape no matter your age. So whether it's that diet you've been thinking about, grabbing a walking partner, quitting smoking or heck, training for a marathon now is as good a time as ever to start thinking about your long-term health.

Special Guest Blog Posting for shAARPsession
By Senator Orrin Hatch

The Serve America Act is truly a bipartisan piece of legislation that enjoys widespread support. I would like to take a few minutes to tell you why it is such a good bill.

First, this bill is 100 percent voluntary. No one in our nation is compelled to give service, and this bill upholds that tradition. What the legislation will do is provide new and expanded opportunities for people who voluntarily decide to participate.

Moreover, given our current economic climate, there is no better time to make this investment in our nation's future. For every dollar invested in national service, there is anywhere from $1.60 to $2.60 returned on that investment, whether it's kids being tutored, vacant lots turned into playgrounds and parks, homes being built or aid in the form of disaster relief.

An important aspect of this legislation is its multiplying effect. If the measure of this legislation was solely to provide national service slots for 250,000 individuals, I don't think we would have that much to be proud of. But these national service participants, who will receive what amounts to a below-poverty-level survival stipend to meet their basic needs, will leverage millions of traditional unpaid volunteers and hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment in the nonprofit sector to tackle some of our toughest challenges.

One of the things I'm most excited about with this bill is that it provides opportunities for people to serve throughout their live, whether they are young adults or senior citizens. The bill includes programs like the Encore Fellowship program that are specifically directed at our seniors and Baby Boomers. I think this bill will put the skills and experience of our older generations to good use and, at this difficult time, this is a resource we should be all be willing to tap.

Ultimately, the success of the programs shall not be measured by the number of people who participate, but by the work they accomplish.

Kevin Pho, a primary care physician and health/medical blogger, recently mentioned AARP's Bill Novelli in an op-ed he wrote for USA Today all about comparative effectiveness research.

In the op-ed, Dr. Pho answers questions like, "How will it help patients? What are some of the obstacles that may impede the initiative? And, should it be modeled after the US Preventive Services Task Force?" Many elected officials and comparative effectiveness research nay-sayers wonder if doctors find any value in something like this...and they clearly do.

Pho goes on to say:

"As a primary care doctor, I am frequently faced with decisions where the choice is not always clear. Do the latest, more expensive drugs work better than the less costly, older medicat ions? Will ordering an MRI help me treat a patient's lower back pain? Often, the answer to these questions is, "I'm not sure."

With new drugs and technologies being introduced regularly, doctors face an increasing array of diagnostic and treatment choices. We need to realize that the latest isn't always the best, and by using data from comparative effectiveness research, physicians can provide the best care for their patients."

We're glad to hear doctors being vocal about how beneficial comparative effectiveness research can be to them, and their patients. As Dr. Pho noted, AARP has been vocal on this issue for some time now (thanks for the shout out!) and we don't plan on letting this one go anytime soon.

Kevin's blog can be found here.

SPECIAL GUEST BLOG FOR SHAARPSESSION
BY SENATOR BARBARA A. MIKULSKI:

"There is a new, invigorated spirit of service in the United States of America. Americans everywhere are looking to serve and give back to their country. They want to know how they can give and how they can help. They want to be part of an effort to improve society.

"Last month, more than 9,700 applications were submitted to AmeriCorps, more than triple the amount of applications submitted at the same time last year. Last year, 35,000 college seniors applied for 4,000 Teach for America positions.

"This week we brought legislation to the floor of the United States Senate which will allow millions more Americans to answer the call of service. The Serve America Act is the most sweeping overhaul and expansion of national service programs in 16 years. It is not a Democratic bill, it is an American bill.

"The Serve America Act updates and strengthens national service programs administrated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency I helped create in 1993. It increases the number of AmeriCorps volunteers from 75,000 to 250,000 a year. And it creates new programs to address specific areas of national need. Volunteers will be actively engaged in mentoring and tutoring kids, weatherizing low-income homes, promoting health and wellness, and increasing access to health care. The bill will also engage boomers and older Americans in Encore Fellowships to allow this generation to put their skills and experience to work at home and overseas.

"Many years ago I, too, answered the call to serve. After graduate school, I went down to the VISTA training center in Baltimore to teach volunteers how to be effective in the communities they serve. Seeing that group of determined people making a difference through gumption and hard work really made an impact on me. It was a wonderful experience. One that has colored everything I've done since. And, in giving back, I discovered I got more than I ever gave. This bill is an investment that will engage Americans of all generations and pay dividends long beyond anything we can imagine. It represents the best of America's ideals--spirited volunteerism and the willingness to lend a helping to those in need."

AARP COO Thomas Nelson penned a "Where We Stand" column for Bulletin Today and we wanted to excerpt a bit for you since the Senate's debating the Serve America Act today and expected to vote this week.

"Even as Congress is focusing on financial practices that have badly hurt our economy, the House and Senate are acting on legislation that speaks to what is best about America: a bill to substantially expand opportunities for community and volunteer service...

We've heard a great deal lately about toxic assets. By approving this legislation, Congress and the President can mobilize a very different kind of asset, one found in abundance in every community: the American spirit of service and generosity.

We know from talking to our members and from our survey research that boomers and older Americans stand ready to do more...

AARP urges the Senate to "create the good" by passing national service legislation this week. "

Call your Senators and ask them to support the Serve America Act today. And to find ideas, opportunities and a community of others who want to do more to make a difference, visit www.AARP.org/CreateTheGood.

Our friends at AARP The Magazine deserve a hearty congratulations of being nominated as a finalist in the Interactive Features category of the National Magazine Awards. Specifically, AARP The Magazine's multimedia special "1968: The Year that Rocked the World" earned them this prestigious distinction. These awards are a very big deal in the industry, sort of like the Oscars for the glossy-page-flipping set. Great job, guys and thanks for all the great information!

While grandma may have told you, "Eat carrots! They're good for your eyes!" as a child, this isn't actually the case, says the American Dietetic Association. In other words, carrots won't necessarily improve your vision, AARP reports.

It also won't reverse damage done to the eyes, and it won't cure macular degeneration. (The number one cause in poor vision in Americans over 65.) However, it may help slow the process. For more info on macular degeneration, check out this AARP Magazine piece on newer treatments.

In the meantime, there's nothing wrong with eating carrots anyway - they're still good for you! (And one of the yummier vegetables out there, in my humble opinion.)

AARP.org has a touching story about a Catalino Tapia, recipient of the $100,000 Purpose Prize, honored for launching a foundation of gardeners like himself that provides school scholarships for low-income Latino students:

Tending the homes of the San Francisco area well-to-do fills Catalino Tapia, 64, with pride. But nothing has made this Mexican immigrant prouder than the day his youngest son, Noel, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley law school in 1999. "I still cry whenever I talk about it," says Tapia, a gardener in Redwood City, California. "I was just pinching myself to be sure it was for real."

But something even bigger happened that day. Tapia, who emigrated 40 years ago with just a sixth-grade education, started thinking of ways to give other Latino students the same opportunity his son had. Now he has another reason to be proud: Tapia received the 2008 $100,000 Purpose Prize in honor of his work launching the Bay Area Gardener's Foundation, which gives scholarships to disadvantaged Latino students.

Read more about Tapia's journey here.

You know those catchy commercials where a young guy sings about how his girlfriend's bad credit has them living in her parent's basement? The commercial touts free credit reports and encourages you to visit their Web site to check it out. Well, the Federal Trade Commission is getting the word out that the service these commercials talk about aren't free at all. You have to buy another service to get the credit reports for "free."

So what's a person to do? Check out AnnualCreditReport.com - the only place you can get truly free credit reports according to the FTC - - and pass around their spoof of the popular commercials to get the word out!

That's right folks, AARP announced a brand new CEO for the organization this morning, and the winner is...drum roll...A. Barry Rand!

After 8 wonderful years with Bill Novelli leading the ranks, Rand will be taking over next month as the organization's first African-American chief executive officer. He has a long history at Xerox as Executive Vice President of WorldWide Operations, where he worked for 30 years building the company to what it is, all the while making sure that minorities and women had equal opportunities.

Rand is also board chairman at Howard University, and helped to launch the renowned Executive Leadership Council, an organization that recognizes the strengths and impact of African-American corporate business leaders. In other words, this guy has been around! This is not to mention his experience as a caregiver for his father during the last 8 years of his life motivated his advocacy for the critical issues around AARP's agenda. Says Rand:

"AARP and I have long shared the belief that health care and long-term financial security should be the goals of this nation, goals we all have an obligation to help achieve--from government to corporate America to the individual."

"Lifetime health care and financial security are terms far too many believe are out of reach; not just for older Americans or aging Americans, but for all Americans . . . While we have come far because of the efforts of AARP, we have much left to achieve. I look forward to building on these successes as we continue our work in Congress and in state capitals across the nation. The fight will not be easy, but if I've learned one thing in my career, it's that nothing worthwhile ever is."

Sounds like we'll be in good hands with Rand. Read more about his work here at Bulletin Today. We'll have more to share in exclusive interview footage here on Shaarp Session in the coming weeks!

Oh, how I love yoga. It's a workout for the body as well as the mind - not to mention can be super calming. Who would have thought exercising could be calming?? What's even better is that according to some researchers, yoga can decrease a fear of falling among older adults, a problem that many don't realize is a problem:

Fear of falling is an important public health concern because it can cause older adults -- even those who have not fallen -- to limit their social and physical activity. This effort to avoid falls can create a harmful cycle that can diminish health and quality of life.

But yoga combats this feeling, as well as it literally improves one's balance. To check out yoga basics as well as tips for before you begin a yoga class, check out AARP's review of the practice - it can be very useful for newbies!

A new study is showing that older adults are more impaired by drinking than their younger counterparts, not to mention they're less likely to realize how impaired they actually are.

Via WebMD, we find that the study was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, in which a group of older and younger participants were given tests after drinking a certain amount of alcohol. Older participants took a longer time to finish the test and reported their feelings of intoxication as higher than the younger group. They were also less likely to realize or acknowledge they were impaired.

The danger in this? Sara Jo Nixon, a psychiatry professor at the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Institute comments, "[F]ive seconds is a big difference if you're in a car and need to apply the brakes . . . It can mean the difference between a wreck, and not-a-wreck."

I am in love with this woman. Clara, 93-year old cook and great grandmother, not only shows us how food was cooked during the Great Depression, but tells us stories from her childhood during that time. It's a wonderful way to learn how to cook while listening to some intriguing tales. You can also check out her website here.

Cook on, Clara!

Know someone over 60 who is changing the world? They could win $100,000 for their passion. Nominate them for the Purpose Prize.

The Purpose Prize awards up to $100,000 to social innovators over 60 who are creating new ways to solve pressing social issues - from education to health care, poverty to global warming. Winners are finding purpose in an encore career and putting their experience to work for the greater good.

Click Here for stories on past winners and the nomination form.

Good luck!

Looks like sunny California isn't as sunny as it seems. New research conducted by UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that 47% of California residents aged 65 and older are unable to pay for basic needs. The Mercury News reports:

The new data reveal far deeper poverty rates among seniors than was previously known. According to the decades-old standard of measuring poverty, only 9 to 10 percent of California seniors were considered poor, that is, earning less than $10,000 a year. Researchers note that amount is peanuts in high-cost California, failing to reflect the true cost of survival.

"For us, what's striking is that these numbers are not even taking into account the latest economic crisis," said co-author Susie Smith, a program director at the nonprofit Insight Center for Community Economic Development. She noted the report used 2007 census data. "We can only imagine when we update this information next year, what the numbers are going to look like."

While Obama's stimulus will provide temporary relief to SSI recipients who are blind, elderly or disabled, stronger initiatives needs to be taken in-state to track poverty rates among older people so appropriate local action can be taken. Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, has introduced a new bill, the Elder Economic Dignity Act of 2009, which calls for California to track seniors in poverty, but by using new measurements. Believe it or not, officials currently use a 50-year old federal measure to decide who is above or below poverty.

"There are a lot of hungry seniors, a lot of seniors who have suffered economically over the last decade," said Beall, "So to use a measurement that goes back to the 1950s is clearly not appropriate."

Can't get much clearer than that! Sheesh. Let's cross our fingers that this bill gets picked up.

While this isn't necessarily good news, I'm sure glad it came out. According to a new study by the Yale School of Public Health, we find that feeding into negative age stereotypes - like the perception that all older people are weak - can have detrimental effects on your health. Via USA Today's blog, A Better Life:

More than 400 people, age 18 to 49, were surveyed on their age stereotypes. Thirty years later, 25% of those with more negative age stereotypes - such as the belief that the elderly are feeble or helpless - had suffered a heart problem or stroke, while only 13% of those with more positive age stereotypes experienced a heart problem or stroke. The study appears in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science.

Becca R. Levy, associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale is the study's lead author. In earlier studies, Levy and colleagues found that negative ideas about age can increase stress and decrease the likelihood that the person will live healthfully, increasing the risk of poor cardiovascular health.

This isn't too surprising, but can serve as a useful reminder to avoid getting sucked into age-old (no pun intended) stereotypes that do nothing but harm mentally and physically.

The New York Times has an interesting article about a growing trend - while the general perception is that kids are taken care of, this isn't necessarily always the case. In other words, some school-age kids end up caring for their parents and grandparents.

I don't doubt this will grow even more as the economy suffers. Carol Levine, director of families and health care at United Hospital Fund, says, "Our society thinks of children as being taken care of; it doesn't think of children as taking care of anybody." She also discusses the consequences of children caregivers - on the one hand, caregiving makes help kids develop resonsibility, but others can grow angry and resentful as they sacrifice much of their youth to care for their loved one.

But let's not just recognize the emotional effects of caregiving, but also the ones being cared for. "It is embarrassing for grownups to admit they're so helpless that a child is caring for them," said Kim Shifren, a psychology professor at Towson University.

The good thing about this is that health care programs and organizations are beginning to recognize this issue and create programs to help these kids cope as well as offer them resources. Check out the whole piece for more info.

We'd be remiss to not mention the Oscars for at least a moment, and what a show! The Oscars are still buzzing since the Sunday night festivities, with everyone going over the highlights and upsets that the awards ceremony brought to the table. Between Kate Winslet's father whistling to her during her acceptance speech for Best Actress, to Heath Ledger's family accepting his award for Best Supporting Actor, it was a night to remember.

Below is the awards' opening number with Hugh Jackman, who did a fantastic job as host this year.

What was your favorite Oscar moment?

AARP's CEO Bill Novelli reports to President Obama at the Fiscal Responsibility Summit on the road to sustainability through health care reform. See the clip below and tell us what you think...do you agree? Or disagree?

I love this. Abigail Thomas has a thoughtful piece in AARP The Magazine on writing a memoir, saying, "To write a memoir, cultivate the habit of listening to yourself." Not only does she talk about her own personal journey towards and through memoir-writing, but gives us inspirational advice on how to tune into our inner writer, step by step. One snippet I like:

Writing is the way I ground myself, what keeps me sane. Writing is the way I try to make sense of my life, try to find meaning in accident, reasons why what happens happens--even though I know that why is a distraction, and meaning you have to cobble together yourself.

Sometimes just holding a pen in my hand and writing milk butter eggs sugar calms me. Truth is what I'm ultimately after--truth or clarity. I think truth's what we're all after, although I'd never have said such a thing when I was young. Writing memoir is a way to figure out who you used to be and how you got to be who you are.

She reminds us that a memoir isn't a journal of who you are, but how you got to where and who you are; in other words - the story behind it. After all, everyone has a story to tell.

As we gear up for the holiday o' love tomorrow, AARP has a special V-Day feature with Dr. Laura Berman, who answers 10 questions about making love and sex better for older couples. It's important to not only recognize that age and time can affect the passion in relationships, but to acknowledge that older adults are still capable of passion in their lives!

They also have a poll heating things up by asking AARP members if they're still "Frisky after 50"! Make sure to check it out, and have a great Valentine's Day!

There's some great celeb news lately! Here's more for you!

After Bruce Springsteen performed at Superbowl, the Daily News decided to take on a question about our many aging rock stars - like Elton John, Paul McCartney and others - are these older rockers losing their steam?

No way! In fact, it seems that many older artists are just getting better with age. In fact, Springsteen's new album "Working on a Dream," was titled No. 1 on the latest Billboard's Top 200 Album list. A snippet of the Daily News' review of the album:

No other current, seasoned star has managed to tower over the charts while scoring that kind of zeigeist bullseye. "Working on a Dream" could serve as a virtual soundtrack to the country right now.

It's all about hope at a time when we could really use some, tempered by a realization that for such positive emotions to seem real they can't come out of nowhere.

The songs on "Dream" may be overwhelmingly uplifting, but they all find their narrator achieving his state of grace only after moving through long, lean years of pain and disappointment.

I'm sure people personally relating to this album is partly why it's so successful - as are all of his records. No matter what, you're still Forever Young to us, Bruce!

With the announcement of her being cast in a cinematic adaptation of French writer Collete's Chéri, Michelle Pfeiffer talked to folks about the joys of being an older actress. While many think (and say) that older actresses tend to lose work as older men get even more Hollywood jobs, Pfeiffer said that her roles have become even more interesting as she's aged.

She also talks about how it felt to turn 50:

"If you think hitting 40 is liberating, wait till you hit 50 -- and I was surprised at how liberating it was," she said. "The anticipation of something is always much worse than the reality."

And for that, Pfeiffer is is our crush of the week. Cheri was released in Berlin, and is a contender for the top Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. Good luck, Michelle!

This is great. The Columbus Dispatch has a feature that talks about the struggle older people have finding jobs during this recession, and offers a ton of sites that specifically cater to older folks trying to find work. RetiredBrains.com is one of them, which gives these tips:

• Register with temp companies. "They don't care about age but are more interested in your skills and experience," Koff says.
• Practice your interview. You might not have had a job interview in quite a while, so do a practice interview with an employer you're not that interested in working for.
• Rework the resume. Don't hide your age. Emphasize accomplishments, experience and the currency of your skills.

And these are just a few of many. Check out the sites provided in the article for more info as well as AARP's job-posting board and their list of online job resources.

I've never heard of a better reason to play video games! The Guardian has an article on new study which found that after playing a strategy-based video game, older adults became better at certain mental abilities that tend to decline as people age, like scheduling, multi-tasking and holding two or more things in our short-term memory at one time. Check it out:

The study included 40 adults in their 60s and 70s who hadn't played a video game for at least two years. Half received nearly 24 hours of training on a game called Rise of Nations, which gives players points for building cities, feeding and employing citizens, expanding territory, and creating great works of art, technology and architecture. The other half didn't play or train on any game.

The researchers used several tests to measure each person's mental abilities at the beginning, middle and end of the study. They found that gamers improved in several measures compared with non-gamers. They became much better and faster at switching between tasks. Their reasoning and their ability to hold two or more pieces of information in their memory also improved. They also did better in tests measuring their short-term memory of visual cues and their ability to quickly identify objects that had been rotated.

The study was funded by the US National Institute on Aging, and published in the American Psychological Association's journal, Psychology and Aging. Who knew video games could potentially be good for you? Check out the whole piece for more info.

This can't be good. The New York Times reports that new research at John Hopkins University shows that women are less likely to receive kidney transplants than men. This effects older women primarily, even though they recuperate just as well or better than older men after the surgery.

This was no small study; they took data from a list of 563,197 patients who developed end-stage kidney disease from 2000 to 2005, calculating the likelihood they'd get on the transplant list. And while younger women were just as likely to be on a list, they started dropping off the older they got:

They found that women 45 and younger were as likely as men to be placed on a transplant waiting list. But as women aged, their chances of getting on the list dropped, getting worse with each decade, said the lead author, Dr. Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins.

By the time women were 46 to 55, they were 3 percent less likely to be put on the transplant list. They were 15 percent less likely to be placed on the list at ages 56 to 65; 29 percent less likely at 66 to 75; and 59 percent less likely to be listed by the time they were 75 or older, Dr. Segev said.

The researcher's suggestion behind this is that caregivers, family members and even the patients themselves presume women are weaker than they actually are. I think doctors have to be accountable as well; after all, they're the experts. Either way, to think a stereotype could have this significant of an impact is pretty upsetting. Let's hope this article sheds some light to others and helps change this disturbing trend.

For those out there who aren't with the masses in DC, check out the inauguration here live via MSNBC's coverage. What are you doing on this important day?

You don't see it at first. The stuff.

You see the river, rimmed with ice, and the sky and the boats at anchor. You see the marshy shoreline, stark in its tangled winter cover in countless hues of brown.

I'd come this morning to the Dyke Marsh area of the Potomac River - directly south of Old Town Alexandria on the George Washington Parkway - to help remove debris from the river's edge.

Not much to do, I thought. I was wrong because you just don't see it at first. At least, I didn't.

But I tromped south with 12 to 15 others. We scattered along the shoreline south of the marina and slowly colors began to emerge. Blues and greens, reds and whites, that didn't belong to nature. Slowly the eye begins to pick out the dull gleam of dirty plastic bottles.

Only then do you begin to realize the sad task confronting us.

Perhaps a hundred people were drawn to this service project. I'm certain many - like me - came to honor the memory of Martin Luther King and to honor the promise of a new President.

The volunteers were of every age. There were parents with their children. Some of the kids young enough to be distracted by the shells cast up by the water. There were mothers with their 20-something daughters, teens and retirees and a Congressional aide (from Rep. Jim Moran's office).

The clean-up was sponsored by the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and the Friends of Dyke Marsh.

The volunteers were scattered along a mile, perhaps two of the Potomac shoreline. The debris they hauled from the river's edge was impressive.

Trash sacks bulged with water bottles (lots of water bottles), soda bottles and soda cans, beer cans, juice bottles, baby bottles, energy drinks, potato chip sacks, random bits of Styrofoam (it's the worst) and plastic in countless configurations. Volunteers also dredged up several discarded automobile tires.

Spirits were high. It was a good morning - sunny, dry, in the low 30s - and a good cause.

One day won't do, of course. Return next week, next month, and another impressive mound of trash could be hauled away from the river's edge.

All that trash made me angry, sad and determined. All those volunteers made me hopeful. I will be back. I hope you'll join me next time.

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Love coffee? Love Starbucks coffee? How does a FREE Starbucks coffee sound to you? We think it sounds pretty darn good, especially at this time of day. (*yawn*)

What's the catch you ask? Well just five hours, really.

On Monday, January 19 - which is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day - hit up your local Starbucks, pledge to do five hours of community service work in 2009 and you get your free cup of Joe.

You can read about it all right here.

What do you think about Starbucks getting into the service action? Will you pledge five hours of the 8,304 hours that will be left in 2009 by MLK day? We are! Visit AARP Create The Good for ideas of what you can do - whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours.

If you haven't seen the Golden Globes yet, you should. It's been a phenomenal year in movies and television, and it was great to see who took the cake home last night. (Not to mention the glitz and glamor was pretty fun too!) Some highlights:

• Slumdog Millionaire sweeped in winning awards for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score. Whew!
• The lovely Kate Winslet double dipped for her two wins for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
• Mickey Rourke's awesome comeback in The Wrestler won him Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama. We're pretty proud of this baby boomer!
• Health Ledger won the award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his work in The Dark Knight.
• 30 Rock killed the awards in TV comedy, and the made-for-TV flicks Recount and John Adams dominated as well.

Congrats to all the nominees and winners for a great year of on-screen entertainment. Click here to check out all the winners.

Something to warm your heart before the weekend. Have a great one, folks!

Considering there are only a couple of more days of 2008, this is the time that people start putting together their "best of" lists for the year. And while we didn't necessarily make a "best of," you can guess what we were covering: health. Check out AARP's Top Health Stories of 2008:

• Studies raise questions about benefits and cancer risk of cholesterol drug
• On the drug Vytorin and and its potential cancer risk
• Some good news on cancer trends
• First face transplant in the U.S.
• Public and Congress examines chemicals in kids' products
• As economy decreases, stress increases
• Childhood obesity leveling off after decades of increase
• Some good news for breast cancer survivors
• Statin drug Crestor cuts serious risks

Check out the whole piece for details on each story....

There's a recent CNN opinion piece by Marian Salzman suggesting that a "newer" older generation is now taking the ranks:

As baby boomers lose their authority and appeal, generational power is shifting one notch down: to cuspers (born roughly 1954-1965), who arrived in style in 2008 with their first truly major figure, Barack Obama (born 1961).

George W. Bush, born in 1946 at the start of the postwar baby boom for which his generation is named, will leave office with the lowest approval ratings since Richard Nixon was president. As Thomas Friedman has written, Bush epitomizes what's now seen as "The Greediest Generation."

Who's to blame for the economy going into serious decline?

That's right, the author also suggests that baby boomers are the easy group to blame for the economic crisis, labeling them as "the generation that pursued pleasure, proclaimed 'I can have it all' and refused to grow old -- '50 is the new 30,' etc." How dare those boomers not play into the "old fogie" stereotype and - gasp - pursue pleasure!! Those shameless, greedy boomers, trying to have fun!

This is not to say that cuspers isn't a group to acknowledge and be interested in, I was actually excited to learn more about this generation. But I don't think that demonizing the boomer generation by equating them with an unpopular President and blaming them on the economic crisis is necessary to counterpoint.

This isn't a competition, it's a group of people - tens of millions of people - and simplifying them as "George Bush's generation" is patronizing and just plain silly.

Linda Frey of Allentown, Pennsylvania! More than 7,000 votes were cast online for the "Air Guitar for My Guitar" collaboration between AARP and the legendary rock group Foreigner. Frey will receive the grand prize of a trip for two to Honolulu, Hawaii to meet Foreigner on New Year's Eve at their last tour stop, as well as an autographed limited edition Gibson Signature Series Les Paul Guitar worth $10,000 from lead guitarist and the band's founder, Mick Jones. Congrats to "Lyrical Linda" and everyone who participated.

Here's the winning video.

While it’s been quite a dramatic year, older Americans have had many victories to celebrate as 2008 comes to an end. Here are a few reasons we have to celebrate:

• The passage of the economic stimulus package, which will extend stimulus support to about 20 million Americans who depend on Social Security.
• Our Keep Medicare Fair campaign came out victorious when Congress overrode President Bush’s veto of the Medicare reform bill.
• Most recently, a bill that would waive penalties for retirees for mandatory withdrawals in 2009 passed the House and the Senate, now awaiting Bush’s signature.

With that being said, there’s obviously a lot of nervousness about larger looming problems for the new year, such as the future of the economy and the health care crisis. With the new Obama administration to focus on change for this country, what should be America’s resolutions for 2009? More specifically, what issue means the most to you? Take our poll and let’s open up the discussion in comments!

Bob Crowley, a 57-year-old school teacher from Portland, Maine bested rivals half his age to win $1,000,000 in this year's season of CBS's Survivor. Here is Bob on CBS's Early Show explaining how his aged proved an asset for the competition. Congrats, Bob!

The legendary 1950's "pin-up" model Bettie Page died yesterday at the age of 85. As the New York Times obituary explains, Page defied the typical expectations of women in her day--and ended even up in the cross hairs of a United States senate investigation on "pornography." After dropping out of the public imagination for close to three decades, there has been in recent years something of a Betty Page revival, including the 2005 film "The Notorious Betty Page." At the time, Salon offered a smart take on the significance of Page to her era.

Bettie Page's spirit transcends traditional feminist ideology, cutting straight past perceived ideas of how women should or shouldn't pander to men's sexual appetites. Her pictures are so elemental, so lacking in guile, that they often seem to be less "about" sex than about a pure state of being -- maybe even a state of grace. No wonder Page, even long after she left modeling and became deeply religious, never denounced her past. [Actress Gretchen] Mol's Bettie explains, "I'm not ashamed. Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden. When they sinned, they put on clothes."

RIP, Bettie Page.

Influenza infection rates usually peak around February in the United States, so now is an important time to look at some facts about the disease. Influenza, commonly known as "the flu," is a serious and highly contagious virus that kills more Americans every year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined. And while the very young and very old are at the highest risk of serious influenza illness, all of us in the 50+ category should be concerned about this dangerous disease.

The best way to keep ourselves healthy and to protect those around us is to get vaccinated against the flu every year. However, as a physician, I often hear concerns from patients that lead them to avoid vaccination. Let me discuss some of them here.

• Vaccines do not cause the flu. The injected vaccine is made from dead virus and cannot cause influenza. Some people feel aches and even a little fever in the first day or two after vaccination, but the symptoms aren't from the flu-they represent your immune response to the vaccination.

• Influenza vaccines are effective. In younger, healthy adults, the vaccine is 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing influenza. In older or sicker people, the vaccine is less effective, but can make the disease, if you get it, less severe.

• You can take the flu vaccine any time during the influenza season. Flu viruses circulate until early spring and in fact, cases usually peak in this country around February. It takes about two weeks to be protected after getting vaccinated, so now is a great time to go get a vaccine.

The bottom line? Speak with your doctor today about getting the flu vaccine and speak with your friends and family to make sure they've received the vaccine, too. Vaccinating in December, January and beyond will protect you and your families throughout flu season.

For more information on influenza and prevention, visit www.nfid.org or www.cdc.gov/flu/.

Please share your experiences with influenza and vaccination.

Susan J. Rehm, MD; Medical Director, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases; Vice Chair, Department of Infectious Disease, Cleveland Clinic

Amid all the talk about the economic crisis during the holidays this year, we can't forget about the other problem that's brooding in the back of our mind during the holiday season: how we're going to survive planning the family party madness.

We have a funny but also really useful article on holiday get-togethers with our loved ones, how they can often be super stressful, and what to do about it. And I gotta say, the author - senior VP of outreach for Grandparents.com Amy Goyer - came up with some amazing advice on how to plan effectively. She even suggests using flip-charts! Here are some of her tips:

• Hold a family conference
• Plan ahead
• Lighten up and be open to changes
• Share responsibilities
• Communicate clearly and often
• Honor family traditions

Check out the details in the full article. It actually makes planning for the holidays sound, well, fun!

Our favorite Nanny, Fran Drescher, has been busy lately - she just got back from visiting Europe as the United States' envoy for women's health issues.

Via New York Magazine, we hear she's also interested in that Senate seat Hillary Clinton is leaving open.

Here is a clip from our interview with Fran in our studios awhile back.

You can see more clips and hear the whole interview here.

A little Friday fun from Garry Lee Wright

As Monday, December 1st was World AIDS Day, folks have been blogging all week in efforts to raise AIDS awareness. So we say - better late than never!

I found a local piece from NorwichBulletin.com that talks about how while AIDS is assumed by many to be a young person's condition, more older people have the condition than generally thought. Here are some stats just in Connecticut:

Since 1980 through June 30 of this year, the Connecticut Department of Public Health reported 4,800 Connecticut citizens older than 50 living with HIV or AIDS. That represents 37 percent of all cases.

In the first six months of this year, 27 new cases were reported in people older than 50. The highest numbers of new cases were reported in the 40 to 49 age group. The second highest numbers were in people older than 50.

Looking at general U.S. statistics, I found that 42% of diagnoses of HIV in 2006 were of people over the age of 40. So while we remember the loved ones we've lost to AIDS and work towards raising awareness, let's also remember that this condition effects all people - and all ages.

AARP has a piece on this, "Speaking Out for a Ground Once Unheard Of - Aging with AIDS." It's not to miss.

This is crazy. The New York Times blog Well had a post up yesterday about a compelling new study on aging showing that, on average, older people feel about 13 years younger than they really are. Talk about "young at heart"!

The University of Michigan and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin conducted the study:

Researchers surveyed 516 people between the ages of 70 and 104 who were taking part in the ongoing Berlin Aging Study in Germany, asking a series of aging-related questions, including how old they typically feel compared to the age on their birth certificate. Although individual responses varied, the average gap between chronological age and subjective age was 13 years. Among study participants who were particularly healthy and active, the gap between subjective age and actual age was even wider.

This brings up the discussion of what cultural expectations are of older folks compared to how they really feel. Jacqui Smith, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, says, "We are somehow aged by the culture we live in. It's about how we should look, when you should retire - sometimes those stereotypes are a little out of date.''

Smith also makes an interesting fact that we wish we were older when we're kids, but once we hit our mid twenties, we begin to see ourselves as younger. Other studies have even shown that people as young as 40 and 50 feel about 20 percent younger than they really are.

Do you feel younger than your actual age? By how many years?

Today, six entrepreneurs over age 60 found out that they are 2008 Purpose Prize Winners! One invented a $28 machine to help rural African villagers turn their small peanut farm into a cash crop, another rallied hundreds of volunteers to help Iraqi refugees start new lives in their city, and a third is helping African-American farmers in the South become part of the new "green" economy. The six big winners get $100,000 to continue their efforts - and nine more won $10,000.

Over 1,000 people were nominated for tackling everything from "poverty to pollution, recidivism to racial reconciliation, and health care to homelessness.

Read the inspirational stories here - and join AARP Create the Good Network to get tools and inspiration to make a difference in YOUR community!

This short piece was produced for AARP-TV's "My Generation." It won a a 2008 TIVA-DC Peer Gold for directing (non fiction, under thirty minutes). Enjoy

America just finished a historic election that brought millions of citizens to the polls. We voted in hopes that the new President and Congress would act quickly to address the most important issues facing our nation. And we were united - Democrats, Republicans, and independents - in frustration with Washington gridlock and partisan bickering. Now the real work must begin. We need to turn hope into action and hold our political leaders accountable for delivering on the promises they made to get elected.

At Divided We Fail we've been doing our part in the past 18 months to rally together organizations representing well over 50 million Americans in order to make a unified statement to our president-elect. Barack Obama promised prior to the election to make quality health care affordable, help families save more of their own money, strengthen Social Security for future generations, and end partisan bickering and Washington gridlock. Now is the time to hold him to that promise.

Recommit to Divided We Fail by demanding that this much-needed reform happens, and that it happens quickly! Join DWF and help Obama lead America forward with more than just words--with action.

TAGS: Divided We Fail, AARP, Social Security, Barack Obama, election, Washington, gridlock, health care, financial security, ShAARP Session

I'm heading off for a long weekend of turkey, stuffing and hopefully a work out (thanks Richard). But before I leave, I wanted to leave you all with a little holiday humor from the funny bones at the New Yorker.

Turkey Wish

After Thanksgiving dinner when I was a kid, my dad would make me pull the wishbone apart with him to see who would win the "Turkey Wish." I always thought it was kind of stupid, but my dad took this tradition really seriously. Here's how it went:

1988: I win. I wish for a pony. Dad says I can't wish for that because it's too expensive. I wish for a dog instead.

1989: I win again. Dad yells a word I've only heard in R-rated movies and then hits his hand down on the table, hard. I wish for a Nintendo.

1990: Dad wins. He is really happy. He kisses my mom on the mouth and yells "Now who's the loser?"

1991: I win. Dad locks himself in the bathroom. There's a loud crashing sound like a pane of glass shattering. I wish for us never to play Turkey Wish again.

1992: Dad says my previous wish doesn't count and makes me play. He wins. He wishes for a new son who isn't "such a failure at everything he sets his hand to."

1993: I win. Dad moves to Wisconsin.

1994: Thanksgiving morning, 5 A.M. The phone rings. It is my dad pretending to be an old lady. It is a bad impression. He asks if any one remembers the tradition of the Turkey Wish. I can hear him sobbing softly in the background. He makes up some excuse about needing to go put on his "old lady dress" and hangs up. The next week I receive an envelope in the mail with twenty broken wish bones soaked in tears.

Happy Thanksgiving!

posted by Farley Katz

Have a wonderful holiday no matter where you are or what your plans are. I'm sending out the best joo joo possible for families across the nation!

Oh Richard Simmons...you never go away do you? I was watching holiday-related videos on YouTube (don't tell my boss) and came across Richard doing the holiday hustle while shopping. Amusing? Yes. Annoying? Yes. A reminder to work out this weekend? Maybe!

This is crazy. New findings on brain cancer has been a huge deal for leading researchers in the field over the last couple of years, and AARP and Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa give us a peek into why exactly this is so important.

Dr. Quiñones heads the Brain Tumor Center at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, where he works on research behind the theory that stem cells adult stem cells act as triggers for brain cancer, yet also act have an "uncanny ability to repair damage to their DNA and are therefore able to withstand standard radiation and chemotherapy treatments." This, in turn, allows the treatment to do its work. Quiñones says:

"We were once taught that brain cells die and can't be replaced . . . We now know that the mammalian brain has the ability to regenerate through adult neural stem cells. What we are exploring--and this is the great leap--is whether normal neural stem cells can lose their ability to self-regulate and become dangerous stem cells that create tumors. We are just beginning to understand this link between stem cells and cancer . . . We have to prove that brain cancer stem cells exist. But I think the potential here is real."

But stem cells might not only cause cancer in the brain; new studies are finding that breast, prostate, colon, pancreas, lung and other types of cancer may grow from adult stem cells. Check out the whole article here.

The craze over the movie release of the hit book series Twilight is just about everywhere - I admit I haven't read it yet, but I'm starting to think I should. I'm seeing a lot of commentary that Twilight's appeal goes beyond age. In short, tweens, teens, moms and, yes, older women, are all going nutty for this vampire series.

While it seems so many movies are age-specific these days, there's nothing I appreciate more than flicks (and books) that can reach all ages. For example, Finding Nemo is a favorite of mine. That's right, one of my favorite movies is a cartoon. But so what? The ability for a movie to be clever enough to pull in an adult but funny enough to make a 5-year old belly laugh is amazing to me.

Any age-defying favorites you'd like to share?

While we've been discussing the various ways in which the economic crisis has been effecting our retirement funds, our jobs, and our financial security, we haven't really delved into the way in which these times are effecting our emotions. In the other words, is the stress of it all getting the best of us?

AARP.org has a great piece, "Losing Control: Why Money Worries Are Keeping Us Up at Night", that discusses the ways in which the economy has our stress levels sky-high:

According to an American Psychological Association (APA) poll released in October, the miserable economy "significantly stressed" a whopping 80 percent of Americans in September, up from 66 percent in April. The survey compared the stress levels of more than 2,500 adults nationwide.

Among the respondents, women reportedly felt more anguish about declining economic conditions than men did--84 percent compared with 75 percent. And those over age 63 reported more stress (86 percent) than boomers ages 44 to 62 (83 percent) and those ages 18 to 29 (71 percent). However, when it came to day-to-day pocketbook issues, the youngest age group (83 percent) reported being more worried than boomers (79 percent) and those 63-plus (73 percent).

And of course, stress isn't good for the body, says Katherine Nordal, executive director for the APA's professional practice. "If Americans continue to experience these high levels of stress for prolonged periods of time, they're at risk for developing serious illnesses." And considering the high costs for health care, that is the last thing Americans - particularly older Americans - need right now.

So if you're feeling anxiety, it may be time to start thinking about ways to reduce the stress in your life. My best outlet is yoga - the perfect zen body and mind workout. How do you de-stress?

Looks like my pithy commentary about Starbucks woes got more than a few folks fired up! I, like a few of you who commented earlier, count myself among the lucky. I have another 30 years more in the workforce and am taking care of myself, not a family or even my parents...yet.

I think the most important point here, is that we're all feeling the pain...in our own ways. My mom feels it when she goes to fill up the gas tank. My father feels it when his company (where he's worked for 30 years) announces yet another round of lay-offs or buy-out opportunities.

From the comments posted, everyone's feeling the pinch everywhere you can possibly think of spending money. One reader, Peggy, left a note that struck a chord:

People having to move in with other family members or even strangers just to try to make ends meet. I for one just moved in with my daughter and grandkids hoping to be able to survive. Between the high cost of rent (even though the housing has gone down) and going to the grocrey store there goes everything. Forget trying to save a dime for retirement. Where oh where is this world going to.

So what now? If you could tell President-elect Obama to do one thing in his first 100 days...what would you tell him to do?

I went for my usual before work Starbucks run this morning and while I was standing in line I had a moment of pause. Do I really need a muffin? Aside from trying to be healthier, is it really worth the $1.65? Maybe I should get a grande instead of a venti?

Seems like these days every where I go I'm taking an extra moment to think about my purchases. I'm not planning my retirement, or even working toward buying a home right now...I'm just trying to make my dollar stretch a little further so I can see a movie this weekend!

Where are you feeling the pinch the most? Is it your utility bills? Or maybe at the grocery store (I feel your pain there!)? Share with us and I'll pull some of your stories up for highlights later today and tomorrow!

Remember how President-Elect Obama promised his daughters they can have a puppy when they move to the White House?

He's hardly the first President to have a pet keep the First Family company. AARP TV went back and looked at recent presidential pets. Watch it here:

I found this Bulletin Today article really interesting, and one that applies to many more people than we think. The title, "Are Your Risking You Own Retirement If You Give Financial Help to an Adult Child?"

While some parents may think that they must always support their children no matter what, but this piece may give you some questions to think about. A couple of example:

• Was it a situation that your child couldn't control? Or are you paying to help him recover faster from financial carelessness? The most valuable help you could give toward becoming financially responsible may be not to help.
• Is it an investment that will pay off eventually in financial independence for your child? As they say: That's priceless.

And if you're a parent with a younger child, I find it incredibly important to teach your children about finance and how to manage your money, it could be an enormous tool for them as they grow up. Not to mention, the current state of our economy is all the more reason to do it!

The top 20 finalists for AARP's Win Mick Jones' Guitar Competition have been chosen! Now, it's up to YOU to vote for the best one. These air guitarists range from age 20 to age 79, each one rocking harder than the next. Included in the mix are a 37 year-old California native (nicknamed "Moony") who wants to open a rock-themed restaurant, and a pair of 42-year old twins (known as "Good Twins")

To view and vote for these excited Foreigner fans, go to http://www.winmickjonesguitar.com and check out the videos. Once you've selected your favorite, give it your vote. And remember - you can only vote once, so make sure you make it count! The air guitarist with the most votes wins a trip to see Foreigner play live in Hawaii on New Years Eve and a Gibson Les Paul guitar autographed by Mick Jones of Foreigner.

Voting ends on November 21, so go to http://www.winmickjonesguitar.com right now and pick your favorite!

TAGS: Stolen Dreams, Air Guitar, Win Mick Jones Guitar, Mick Jones, Foreigner, Classic Rock, AARP, Hawaii, Gibson Les Paul, New Years Eve, Moony, Good Twins, ShAARP Session

Medicare Part D enrollment starts in just a few days (November 15), so this is the perfect time for AARP to answer your questions.

For those who don't know, Medicare Part D gives you insurance that assists you in paying for prescription drugs. And AARP.org has a special guide to help you choose a plan that's right for you. There is even a glossary of terms. As an intro, here are six important facts you should know about Medicare Part D program:

1. Anyone on Medicare can get drug coverage regardless of income or health.
2. You are not obliged to sign up (but there may be financial consequences if you don't enroll when you're first eligible to do so).
3. To get Medicare drug coverage, you must select one approved private drug plan among many offering different choices. There is no single government plan.
4. Is your income limited? If you qualify for a part of the program known as Extra Help, you'll pay very little for your medications.
5. Are your drug costs very high? You'll pay no more than 5 percent of the cost of each prescription after you've spent a certain amount out of pocket in any one year.
6. Do you have better drug coverage already? You probably won't need Medicare's Part D coverage. But it's wise to check.

Find more here!

Kara Wooten has been to Iraq three times and been through six IED explosions, suffering brain trauma and eye damage. Finally home for good, it's up to mom Julia Spalding to take care of Kara and Kara's daughter.

I was poking around the New York Times' work blog, Shifting Careers, and came across an interesting post about consulting.

Times are tough and people are losing their jobs. My father has thought a time or two that consulting might be a way to keep your foot in the door and the notion of being your own boss, well, it's always appealed to him.

Consulting is tough going though. You're always looking for your next client and sometimes people want you to work for nearly free or for free period. This is where this post comes in. Freelancer, Michelle Goodman, offers a few times when you might actually want to work for free. This includes: working for your "dream" client or if you have no portfolio or no base clientele to speak of.

Interesting notions...do any readers do consulting work? How's it worked out for you?

Shane Parsons is luckier. He lost both legs, but still has his voice. Here Cindy and Shane talk about his therapy, and what Cindy does for support.

Gail Ulerie, mother of Shurvon Phillip, a paraplegic after his Humvee hit an IED:

(You can read more about Shurvon's story from the New York Times Magazine.

Earlier this year, we featured an article in our magazine on the challenges of parents now caring for their sons and daughters wounded in the Iraq War.
Maryland Public Television recently aired our half-hour special featuring interviews with parents who have put their lives on hold. Throughout the day we'll be posting short excerpts of interviews with parents who are now taking care of their kids, wounded veterans.

For more on this topic, and other interviews and information on caregiving visit our website.

AARP sat down not too long ago to talk with U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, where he told them rather than focusing on the second economic stimulus, his efforts were directed towards making efforts to stable world markets and the U.S. financial system. Here's some of his thoughts:

"We have not done as good a job at communicating as we should have . . . Our objective has never been to save a particular financial institution, but to serve the public interest. "Stability in the financial system is a social good. If we don't have confidence in the financial system and our markets, the people who are the losers are the American people. And the biggest losers are those who are retired and on fixed incomes and those who are working hard to make ends meet. It's a crushing burden."

Indeed it is. Make sure to check out the whole feature.

The work day is over, you're heading home...or off to vote...or the bar...or to your brother's mother-in-law's house to watch all the election night hullabaloo.

If you're hosting your own party, or maybe just want to have some fun with your family, here's a few suggestions:

Real Simple has election night cocktails to celebrate the occasion and also has some food ideas as well.

Make a game of Bingo! from commonly used election-related phrases from media and candidates alike! Daily Kos has a few examples.

How about a nice game of trivia? Scribble a few trivia questions down about past Presidents and have a go. Click here for some ideas.

If you're like me, and just can't keep track, print out this blank map of the U.S. and grab a blue and red marker to track who's winning where.

Came across this interesting little calculator today....gives you a rough estimate of what each candidates tax plans will do to your taxes over the next four years....

http://www.electiontaxes.com/

Iowans got a whooole lotta Champ, the Divided We Fail mascot, today...check him out!

One more guest blogger for you today. This time, Arturo Vargas from National Association of Latino Elected Officials (or NALEO) joins us in talking about the much sought after Latino vote...

Today, the Latino community has a historic opportunity to play a decisive role in the outcome of the presidential election. In order to meet the needs of the country's Latino voters, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund has been engaged in an unprecedented voter engagement campaign that is changing the face of the American Electorate by increasing Latino voter participation.

Nationally, there are 17 million Latinos eligible to register and participate in the nation's electoral process, of which 30 percent are over the age of 50. We anticipate that today Latinos will play a critical role in writing the next chapter of the American story.

Over the past few weeks, the NALEO Educational Fund and its national and local partners, including Mi Familia Vota and the National Council of La Raza, have been making live phone calls to voters in eight states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Texas. In all, live phone canvassers reached out to more than 160,000 thousand young, newly registered, and infrequent Latino voters.

Today, all of the organization's resources are focused on our 1-888-Ve-y-Vota hotline, the largest live-operator bilingual hotline. It is serving as the voter information hotline for the ya es hora campaign and the official Spanish-language hotline for the national Election Protection Coalition. We will be taking calls all day helping voters find their polling places and taking reports on voter protection issues.

Arturo Vargas
Executive Director
NALEO

Beth Carpenter in Missouri sent us this photo today...first Howl-O-Ween and now this!

Here's a few places to play online with while you're at work related to the election:

CNN has an interactive electoral map where you can call the race yourself....have some fun and play the numbers.

Google has some customized searches you can do to find out local election results.

Browse around the Washington Post's polls and survey results page.

If you're looking for a funny take on the elections - Saturday Night Live's web site has all the skits related to the election on their homepage. Just don't laugh too loud...your coworkers will know what you're up to!

New York Times has an interactive map that will be updated every hour.

You can always watch MSNBC's streaming coverage from your computer if you're really looking to kill some time in your cubicle...

I'm sure some of you have heard about or seen the popular PSA campaign called "Don't Vote"...it has every Hollywood celebrity you can think of saying "don't vote" and then acting very confused.

Tamara James, our AARP Ohio Associate State Director for Community Outreach had this to say about her voting experience:

The combination of early voting and six voting machines instead of four at my precinct seems to be successful. My wait was only 20 minutes this morning, instead of the 2.5 hours in 2004. While I was waiting in a shorter-than-expected line, I realized that the young guy explaining how to use the electronic voting machines is my 18-year-old neighbor. After I got over my initial shock that he is old enough to vote, I started thinking back to when I was in grade school and the movement to give 18-year-olds the right to vote. I remember hearing the justification that someone old enough to fight in the Vietnam War should have the right to vote in elections. It seemed so logical to me, even as a 3rd grader. Our family was far from political and didn't pay attention to issues, but it made an impression on me at the time and I vowed that when I turned 18, I would exercise my right to vote. I did, and I've tried to vote in every general, special or primary election ever since.

Tamara James, our AARP Ohio Associate State Director for Community Outreach had this to say about her voting experience:

The combination of early voting and six voting machines instead of four at my precinct seems to be successful. My wait was only 20 minutes this morning, instead of the 2.5 hours in 2004. While I was waiting in a shorter-than-expected line, I realized that the young guy explaining how to use the electronic voting machines is my 18-year-old neighbor. After I got over my initial shock that he is old enough to vote, I started thinking back to when I was in grade school and the movement to give 18-year-olds the right to vote. I remember hearing the justification that someone old enough to fight in the Vietnam War should have the right to vote in elections. It seemed so logical to me, even as a 3rd grader. Our family was far from political and didn't pay attention to issues, but it made an impression on me at the time and I vowed that when I turned 18, I would exercise my right to vote. I did, and I've tried to vote in every general, special or primary election ever since.

AARP's Tallahassee office having a little Divided We Fail fun...

AARP's Florida state director, Lori Parham sent us this note:

Florida elections officials deserve credit for promoting early voting, which almost certainly has helped with congestion today. Some 4.26 million Floridians voted early, either through early voting or by absentee ballot. Almost 38 percent of all registered voters had cast their ballots before the first of the state's 7,000 polling places opened their doors at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time today.

Our folks are seeing only a few problems with ballots or machines. A few precincts we checked had long lines upon opening, but most of those lines had cleared out by 9 a.m. In one Tampa Bay precinct, an optical scanning machine jammed, causing a two-hour delay in voting. On the other hand, in one Tallahassee precinct, another optical scan machine caught an error by a voter and rejected the ballot. The voter was immediately provided with a fresh ballot, and was able to vote successfully.

Another one from our ever dilligent Kathy Keller:

We're hearing from friends and volunteers across the state who tell voters already were in line as early as 5 a.m. today to make sure they could vote before going to work. That morning rush had waits of an hour to an hour and a half between 7 and 8:30 a.m., but lines had largely disappeared in suburban area polling places by 9:30 this morning.

From the AARP North Carolina State President Diana Hatch:

"Rainy election-day weather in North Carolina doesn't appear to be dampening turnout. Lines are long in many precincts, but they appear to be moving at a good pace. Election officials had anticipated that some three million votes would be cast on election day, but those estimates have now been scaled back to around two million after extremely heavy early voting in the Tar Heel state. More than 40 percent of North Carolina's eligible voters - over two and a half million persons - have already cast their ballots. The electorate here has changed significantly with some 400,000 new registrations in the last year, many representing retirees and others who have moved to North Carolina from other states; we'll have to see what impact that has on long-standing patterns in presidential elections."

There has been no shortage of discussion about gender this election cycle, whether it was the candidates themselves or the issues they were discussing. Here's Debra Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families on why this election is so critical for women:

Most of us who are over 50 have voted quite a few times, perhaps for hundreds of candidates if you add up the choices we've made on the many Tuesdays when we've trudged to the polls. That gives us the perspective to recognize that this is an election like few others.

As the long campaign draws to a close, and we rejoice that the political ads are finally going to disappear from our TV screens, it's worth taking a moment to consider what's at stake. For women, the outcome of this election will help answer key questions:

• How will the next President and Congress address our economic woes, and will they make it a priority to protect middle- and low-income workers and preserve our retirement income?
• What kind of health care reform will we adopt? Will it be meaningful reform that gives everyone access to quality, affordable health care with the drug benefits we need? Or will we continue to tinker around the edges, while the ranks of the uninsured grow, and medical errors and other quality problems get worse?
• Will we pass stronger laws to protect seniors, women, people of color, and others who face discrimination in the workplace - and will we enforce the anti-discrimination laws we have?
• Will we establish a minimum standard of paid sick days, so low-wage workers can take a few days off to recover from flu, care for a sick child, or get a mammogram without losing their pay or their jobs?
• Will we adopt paid family and medical leave, so we can all afford to take time off when illness strikes?

The answers lie not just in the results of today's election, but in how engaged and active we are afterward.

Today it feels like the future really is in our hands. But we make the most of it only if we vote today, and then speak out and stay involved tomorrow.

Debra L. Ness, President
National Partnership for Women & Families

Remember SchoolHouse Rocks? Well, here's a 3 minute diddy on the Electoral College a la SchoolHouse! Could be good to show your kids and grandkids while you're at it?

One more video that breaks it down...

Since we're bringing election updates and analysis straight to you here at Shaarp Session, we thought we'd invite a few guest bloggers to share their perspectives too. Below, Ralph Everett from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies talks about why this election is so important - especially for African Americans. Read on:

This is a historic election - in more ways than one.

Take, for example, the issue of voter turnout. With record numbers of new voter registrations and polls showing enormous interest in this election among a broad cross-section of the voting age public, the number of Americans who will cast ballots in this election may surpass the previous record.

The same goes for turnout among African American voters. We expect that African American turnout will increase by about 20 percent and thereby establish a new record for black voter turnout. This increase is driven by strong concerns about the economy and the war in Iraq as well as the historic candidacy of Senator Barack Obama. A surge in black voter turnout would continue a trend that we saw in 2004.

We expect that as young African Americans have been most electrified by the candidacy of Senator Obama, they will record the greatest increases in turnout. In addition, we would expect turnout to reach a zenith among African Americans age 50 and over - because there is enormous interest and concern in issues such as affordable health care, retirement security and family financial security. All of these issues will be affected by the policies and programs of the next President of the United States. Our polling has shown that Social Security is important to retirement security among African Americans, with some one-third of them expecting that it will be their major source of income in retirement. In addition, large majorities of black voters think the next President should do something to ensure that health care is affordable.

Given the stakes, it is difficult to imagine that there are any African Americans under the age of 25 or over the age of 50 who will sit this election out. The surge in interest and participation - something the Joint Center has promoted for nearly 40 years - is a great thing for our country and for the prospects of America becoming that "more perfect union" we all know it can be. If you are one of the few who hasn't yet voted or made plans to cast your ballot, what are waiting for?

Ralph B. Everett
President and CEO, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

From our good friend Morie Smilie - also Communications Director for AARP Colorado:

Downtown Denver Election Commission leadership is calm prior to the polls opening! They moved to a precinct model so traffic should be more manageable than earlier elections. Also, 64% have already voted in early voting!

The weather isn't going to be a factor on the eastern plains, partly cloudy and a high of 67. In the mountains, snow is flying with 8 to 14 inches of powder expected.

McCain will rally his supporters in Grand Junction on the western slope this morning.

While you're partaking in your civic duty why not get a flu shot too?

Select polling places around the nation have accompanying facilities that are offering flu vaccinations! I know I know...everyone's got a theory on the flu shot...but hey, it's better than getting sick!

Now what! Other than sit back and watch the results roll in (and partake in a little punditry of your own)...check out the national chains giving away freebies if you're sporting your "I Voted" sticker!

Find a Starbucks near you...though that shouldn't be hard.

Krispy Kreme is giving away star shaped donuts at participating stores.

Pick up a free scoop of deliciousness at your local Ben and Jerrys.

I even hear that Chick-fil-A is giving away chicken sandwiches with proof of voting!

Grab a free taco at California Tortilla while you're at it!

Divided We Fail teams are out in full force encourage folks to vote! This snapshot comes from Florida...

Kathy Keller, state Communications Director for AARP Ohio sends the following note this morning:

Since we fell back into Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, dawn was beginning to glow as polls opened at 6:30 this morning. Weather forecasters across the state are calling for mostly sunny skies and temperatures to reach the 70s.

County boards of elections are reporting that a quarter to a third of registered voters already have cast their ballots. Ohio's Secretary of State is predicting that 80 percent of the state's registered voters will cast ballots in this election.

Polls remain open until 7:30 p.m. today, and poll workers have been instructed to allow anyone waiting in line at that hour to vote before closing.

Here's a photo from 8:08 am from the Oak Pointe elementary precinct in Irmo, South Carolina. The line is about 75 people deep behind where I took this photo and they are a still coming. We have been in line for about 20 minutes.

For those of you who will be glued to your television sets tomorrow - or out at a watch party - check out Bulletin Today's article on how things might play out tomorrow.

Impress your friends with your deep knowledge of political strategy!

Our state President, Stella Hyde says that over the last year, our volunteers and members have collected over 30,000 Divided We Fail pledge cards from Pennsylvanians who believe that all Americans should have access to healthcare and lifetime financial security. Our members across the state realize the growing importance of the older voter. She believes quite strongly that older voters in PA are informed and ready to make their decision on Election Day.

Why PA is so interesting to watch this cycle:

• The dramatic increase in registration numbers for Democrats, especially in the SE corner of the state, make the area a place to watch, not only on the national level but how it translates into votes on down-ticket races
• Early election polls are favoring Obama to gain 21electorial votes in Pennsylvania, while Republicans have placed a great deal of importance on Pennsylvania in the Presidential race. Since the end of the GOP Convention, McCain has made 17 campaign stops throughout the commonwealth, including one today (Monday) in Pittsburgh. Running mate Palin, has made 23 campaign visits, including last Friday's stops in Latrobe and York.
• This year we are anticipating weather to play a large role in a massive voter turnout with weather forecast predicting highs in the 60s forecast from for most of the state from Erie to Philadelphia.

Our Communications Director in Missouri passed along this note:

On Saturday at the Kansas City Election Board, the line for absentee voting was LONG, but those waiting were in good spirits and chatty. One gentleman was distributing bottled water, snacks and (Starbucks) coffee.

Weather tomorrow in Kansas City: 73 degrees with a few clouds, good air quality. Should be like that for most of the state. B