Take a Wheelchair to a National Park
By Judi Hasson | for Kiplinger’s Retirement Report | August 2015 The National Park Service offers features and services to make the Grand Canyon and other federal lands accessible to all. Marian Jacob, who uses a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis, never thought she would ever experience the beauty of a national park. But in […]
Homeowners Who Just Walk Away
By Judi Hasson | for MSN.com | April 9, 2008 Thousands of strapped homeowners are simply abandoning their homes before foreclosure even begins. The stories of three families illustrate the personal and financial trauma. The mortgage industry calls it “jingle mail” — keys that arrive in envelopes from homeowners who’ve decided they’d rather walk away […]
How To Stop Driving
By Judi Hasson | for CarInsurance.com No one rings a bell when it’s time to stop driving. But the car insurance rates that plummeted when you turned 25 begin to rise again about the time you sign up for Medicare. You have a few fender benders, or even total your car. Your family begins to […]
Hidden Taxes You Pay Everyday
By Judi Hasson | for MSN.com Everyone knows there are federal taxes on tobacco and alcohol, but did you know the feds take a bite out of your afternoon candy bar? There are plenty of unexpected taxes that raise the price of goods and services — sin taxes, import duties, user fees and excise taxes […]
FDA Launches Mobile Device To Find Tainted Eggs
By JUDI HASSON | for Breakinggov.com | April 09, 2012 The Food and Drug Administration has turned a mobile tablet that it calls the “Egg Pad” into a virtual detective squad to uncover the presence of tainted eggs and health violations during farm inspections. Using a Panasonic Toughbook and software developed for the FDA by […]
Don’t Be THAT Mother-In-Law
By Judi Hasson | for AARP.org For generations, mothers-in-law have been the butt of jokes, the villains in movies, and OK, probably occasionally a total nightmare in real life. But now you’re playing that role and you certainly don’t want anyone to cast you into those old stereotypes. Don’t worry: There are plenty of ways […]
NARA’s 1940 Census Launch Delivers Lessons In Big Data, Cloud Computing
by Judi Hasson | for BreakingGov.com When it comes to big data and high public demand, the cloud can be a federal agency’s salvation.That’s what the National Archives and Records Administration learned during the recent and long-anticipated 1940 census launch — the largest-ever release of publicly available data in the federal government. With 22.5 million […]
Private Hospitals To Gain Access to Vets’ Medical Records
By Judi Hasson | for Breakinggov.com The Department of Veterans Affairs has reached the final stretch of what’s been a long effort to employ technology that allows private hospitals access to veterans’ medical records that can be used to evaluate health history and deliver better care. The move is one of many within the VA […]
How Private Is Your Medical Info?
by Judi Hasson | AARP.org | September 17, 2012 10 things you should know about what can — and can’t — be shared You don’t need to be a celebrity to have valid concerns that your medical records might be stolen or read by others. Over the past three years, almost 21 million patients have […]
DHS ICE Targets Child Predators In Expanding Homeland Security Mission
By Judi Hasson | for Homelandsecuritytoday.us Most people don’t think of child sex crime cases as a homeland security threat. But it most certainly is, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is bearing down on a worldwide epidemic with an arsenal of 21st century tools. When the redesigned US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) […]