Money and Computing
Dante in the City: Where Have All the Yellow Mustard, Orange Poppies and Blue Lupine Gone?
Julia Sneden writes: Surely, I thought, people have observed and learned a lesson from the large urban areas in the northeast and far west — but no, our small cities have replicated the poor planning and nutty zoning that have allowed the destruction of roadside beauty all over the country. We're right up there with the big guys. The roads that lead into our towns and cities are lined with fast-food joints and factories and car dealerships and shopping centers, so that reaching the center of town seems to take forever. more »
Private Pensions: Participants Need Better Information When Offered Lump Sums That Replace Their Lifetime Benefits
"Since 2012, a number of large pension plan sponsors have given selected participants a limited-time option of receiving their retirement benefits in the form of a lump sum. Although sponsors' decisions to make certain lump sum "window" offers may be permissible by law, questions have been raised about participants' understanding of the financial tradeoffs associated with their choice. This report focuses on 1) the prevalence of lump sum offers and sponsors' incentives to use them, 2) the implications for participants, and 3) the extent to which selected lump sum materials provided to participants include key information. " more »
Elaine Soloway's Rookie Widow Series: Homeward Bound, A Swell Party and Body Type
This is what I miss, from my marriage, from my husband. The toe-to-toe enveloping, the hug. Tommy was low maintenance, helpful around the house, had interests that matched mine, and most importantly, thought I walked on water. I told my daughter, "I'm not ready to date, and I can't imagine sharing my new life with anyone, but I miss spooning. It's a bedtime perk I pine for." more »
Congressional Bills Introduced: IRS & Trafficking, Ratifying CEDAW; Campus Sexual Violence; Tax Credits
A bill to strengthen connections to early childhood education programs; a bill to increase the number of months of vocational educational training that may be counted as work under the temporary assistance for needy families program; a bill to provide for the establishment of a commission to accelerate the end of breast cancer; a bill to create a tax credit for foster families; a bill to direct the attorney general to make grants to states that have in place laws that terminate the parental rights of men who father children through rape. more »