Table of Contents | July/August 2008
Browse the Archives
Search the Digital Archive
Get the e-Edition
Download a pdf version of this issue
Become a Member
…and get the paper edition of the Bulletin
Editors' Letter
You Be the Reporter
During this election campaign, we'll be working to forcefully and clearly address the crucial issues facing our nation, and specifically the 50-plus population. But there's another very important role to be played—by you.
In the News
Soaring Prices Hit Meal Programs
"What we're finding is a crisis situation," says Enid Borden, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels. "It's a life-and-death issue."
Suiting Up to Drive Into Aging
Automaker Nissan is outfitting design engineers with suits that approximate the effects of aging, right down to having to maneuver a middle-aged spread behind a steering wheel.
The Poll: Rising Food Costs
This month's poll looks at how rising food costs have changed shoppers' consumption and entertainment habits.
Now Hear This: People, Trends and Ideas
Super-autobiographical memory, freestanding emergency departments and mechanical massagers.
Funeral Planning, the Online Way
You may not be able to choose when you go to your final resting place, but you can customize your sendoff for free on two new funeral-planning websites.
Relief for Older Disaster Survivors
HelpAge International, a 25-year-old London-based network of not-for-profits, is focuses on empowering older people worldwide during emergencies.
Outrage: Trouble Brews Over Bottle Caps
In February, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ordered microbrewery owner Vaune Dillman to cease using his six-year-old company bottle cap slogan.
Your Money
Retirement on Hold
Property and other assets are down. Health care and living costs are up. How long will you have to keep on working?
Save a Buck: Gas 'n' Go
To lure guests, some inns and big-chain hotels are offering free gas cards to those arriving by auto.
Save a Buck: Cheaper Fuel at Home
Gas comparison websites help you find the best prices by Zip Code.
Save a Buck: Savvy Search
At many popular search engines, results may be skewed by firms that pay for "sponsored links."
Scam Alert: Fast Lane to Your Wallet
Crooks target cars parked at sports facilities.
Ask Sid
Do I need to buy a new TV for the switch to digital?
Your World
Tradition Under Stress
China's aging population is exploding, but its families are scattering. Who will care for the elders?
Under One Roof: Chinese Americans and Filial Piety
In China, the traditional relationship between parent and child has long been based on reciprocal love and respect, or "filial piety." But does filial piety still thrive amongst Chinese Americans in the United States?
Your Health
Cash Before Care
Many hospitals now want upfront pay for treatment, forcing some patients to go broke—or without care. What can you do if you need emergency care but don't have the money?
Your AARP
Join the 50th Annniversary Party
AARP was chartered on July 1, 1958, and has big plans to celebrate its 50th.
Discounts
Roadside help and discounts at bookstores.
Keep Medicare Fair
AARP's campaign urging Congress to "Keep Medicare Fair" generated more than 600,000 e-mails, phone calls and petitions as of mid-June.
Hooray for Hollywood
Hollywood writers, producers and actors are helping AARP focus attention on health care and financial security issues at the core of the Divided We Fail effort.
Where We Stand: To Your Good Health
We need to understand that the things we can do something about—like diet and exercise and tobacco use—are every bit as important as things beyond our control, such as family history.
Databank USA: Never the Bride or Groom
Percentage of the population age 50-plus who have never married, by state.
Ask the Experts
Q. I enjoy giving money when my heart responds to a certain cause, but it seems I’ve ended up on a charity “hit” list. How can I get them to stop calling for donations if they’re exempt from the federal Do Not Call list?
The Law: Will employers start trimming retiree health benefits?
On March 25, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear AARP's appeal in a case concerning employers' ability to reduce benefits to workers or retirees who become eligible for Medicare or a state health plan.
In the Know
Opinion: Let's Put a Leader in the White House
You'd think that with 80 percent of the American public saying we're on the wrong track, there would be a lot of serious discussion about leadership in this election. Not so.
Book Excerpt: Everlasting Debt
Despite centuries of distaste for debt, the United States will be nearly $10 trillion in debt by Election Day 2008.
Letters to the Editor
Bulletin readers respond to articles from the June 2008 print edition.
What I Really Know About Summer Nights
"Terri!" My mother's holler meant another summer night of red rover, steal the bacon and hide-and-seek was at an end ...
Power of 50
This month's Power of 50 looks at 50 fascinating facts about past presidents.
Most Popular in Bulletin Archives
