AARP - AARPs 2014 Almanac

Copyright 2013 by AARP. All rights reserved. AARP is a registered trademark.

This ebook was produced by RosettaBooks.

Cover design: Scott A. Davis, Creative Director; Anne Masters, Assistant Art Director

Cover illustration: Mary Kate McDevitt

Michael Wichita, Director of Photography

Contributors: Elizabeth Agvnall, Patricia Barry, Tara Coates, Allan Fallow, Bill Hogan, Christina Ianzito, Kim Keister, Sid Kirchheimer, Larry Lipman, Julia Lobaco, Jane Margesson, William Newcott, Austin OConnor, Gabrielle Redford, Candace Sagon, KC Summers, Nickie Williams

Researcher and copyeditor: Michelle Harris

Director, AARP Books: Jodi Lipson

Published by AARP, Washington, DC.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
ISBN ePub edition: 9780795336362

Contents

AARPs 2014 Almanac offers facts, figures and forecasts relevant to people who are 50+. With a newly revised format, youll find dozens of categories

• What I really know: These poignant personal reflections were submitted by readers like you on topics ranging from voting to spring cleaning to caregiving.
• History and current events: 2014 is a significant year, marking, among other events, the 50th anniversary of the pivotal Civil Rights Act; the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which paved the way for the rapid escalation of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam; and the Beatles debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. History buffs will find 365 days of historical events.
• Freebies and savings tips: Save money in 2014. Learn where to go for free stuff year roundfrom good-for-you yoga classes to decadent doughnuts. Youll also find the best seasonal buys (yep, sheets in January), scams to avoid and sales tax holidays in your state.
• Fun places to go this year: Here youll find ideas for inexpensive, fun travel around the countryfrom events on this side of the pond marking the anniversary of D-Day to pumpkin-hurling contests. Each month also offers lists of film festivals, book fairs and cooking festivals nationwide.
• Birthdays: Who got the idea of going into law after watching Perry Mason on TV? Find who is celebrating a milestone birthday this year, along with fun facts about them, in this years almanac.
• Diet, health and recipes: If staying fits a struggle, and dieting means deprivation, try our way. This years almanac offers easy fitness-by-the-month tips; power foods for the 50+; delicious (and yes, healthy) recipes using seasonal foods; and immunizations you need this year.
• Timely stuff: Youll find a plain-language preview of the Supreme Court cases that impact you. Also see the Medicare and other deadlines as well as national observances that you need to know about.

So jump into the topics that interest you, or just browse. Lets get started!

Musing of the Month:
What I Really Know About Snowstorms

by Pam Nolasco, Huntingdon, PA; reprinted from AARP Bulletin January-February 2013

Snowstorms keep people apart but also bring people together. It was a snowstorm of separation in 2011 that would change life for all involved.

My husband was snowbound in New York on a business trip. Our 25-year-old son was at our Pennsylvania home with the task of clearing snow from a long driveway. And I was caregiving at my parents house in New Jersey, and also digging out my minivan, the driveway and the sidewalk.

It was then that I realized the status quo was not a good arrangement. It was time for my parents to move in with us. I mapped out a plan and had the talk with my parents in March, and set the moving date for mid-May.

It wasnt an easy move. None of us even started to breathe again until a month later. In September 2011 my mom had total hip replacement surgery. My 89-year-old dad has Parkinsons. It still isnt easy, but we have learned a new way of life together.

When Hurricane Sandy took out our power for three days last fall, we helped one another get through it. My husband had stocked batteries, lighting and cooking fuel. I prepared hot drinks and meals on the camping stove and filled the bathroom sink with warm water for washing. Our son provided entertainment.

The snowstorm of 2011 inspired a decision that was difficult but timely, and ultimately successful. It brought my family together so we can help one another every dayespecially in times of distress.

50th anniversaries

Jan. 8

In his first State of the Union Address, with the U.S. poverty rate at about 19 percent, President Johnson declares a war on poverty. His speech leads to the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act, which harnesses federal funding to oversee a variety of community-based anti-poverty programs, and to the creation of two social insurance programs, Medicare and Medicaid.

Jan. 16

Hello, Dolly! opens at the St. James Theatre on Broadway with Carol Channing in the title role. The musical will go on to play for 2,844 performances.

Jan. 18

Architect Minoru Yamasakis plans for the World Trade Center in New York City are unveiled to the public.

Jan. 20

Meet the Beatles!, the first Beatles album from Capitol Records in the United States, is released 10 days after Chicagos Vee-Jay Records releases Introducing The Beatles. The two record companies will battle it out in court for months, and Vee-Jay will go bankrupt in 1966.

Jan. 23

James Hardy performs the worlds first heart transplant on Boyd Rush, 68, using a chimpanzees heart. It is a last effort to save Rush, and no human heart is available. Rush dies after 90 minutes, and the first successful heart transplant will be performed three years later by Christiaan Barnard.

The 24th Amendment takes effect, making poll taxes unconstitutional.

January national months, observances and holidays

National Blood Donor Month

National Glaucoma Awareness Month

National Mentoring Month

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

National Stalking Awareness Month