In the News ;
88Number of unmarried men 18 and older for every 100 unmarried women in the United States.
Caring for Pets of the Homeless
Why would a homeless person have a pet when he can barely take care of himself? That’s what Genevieve Frederick of
Carson City, Nev., wondered when she saw a homeless man beg-ging, his dog next to him. Then she realized that the pet was
probably his only companion. ; Frederick soon learned that
the man’s situation wasn’t
unique. Of the nation’s 3. 5
million homeless people, 10
percent have at least one pet.
; Frederick, 64, founded Pets
of the Homeless, which provides food and veterinary care
for pets of homeless people
throughout the United States
and parts of Canada. Starting
with one food collection site in
2007, the organization has expanded to meet an increased
need caused by job losses, depleted retirement income and
foreclosures. It now has 288
collection sites and 256 distribution sites. ; “Pets of the
homeless don’t choose their
owners,” says Frederick. “But
that doesn’t matter, as long
as they receive attention and
love.” —Eleanor Gilman
; Now Hear This
People, Trends and Ideas
; A homeless
Vietnam vet and his
friend in New York.
Black Belt Pioneer
At San Francisco’s 23rd annual Keiko Fukuda
judo tournament, kicking off this month, its
98-year-old namesake (above) will be celebrated as the first woman to achieve judo’s
highest level—10th-degree black belt. Says
the 4-foot- 10, 100-pound granddaughter of
a samurai: “My motto is, ‘be strong, be gentle,
be beautiful.’” That’s also the title of a film
documentary about her scheduled to debut
in early 2012. “She’s making the impossible
possible for women to go farther in the martial arts world,” says Shelley Fernandez, 80,
a brown belt and manager of the Soko Joshi
Judo Club where Fukuda still teaches.
Don’t Miss Out on Drug Savings
Uncle Sam provides low-cost prescription drug coverage
for Medicare beneficiaries with
limited incomes. But about 2
million people who are eligible
for these savings—often worth
thousands of dollars—have not
applied, Medicare officials say.
; Under Part D’s Extra Help program, you pay zero or reduced
premiums and deductibles and
low copayments for prescriptions. You qualify if your annual
income is no more than $16,335
(if single) or $22,065 (if married)
and your resources are worth
no more than $12,640 (single)
or $25,260 (married). Your
home, cars and personal possessions do not count as resources.
; Eligibility rules are more flexible than they used to be. “So if
you were turned down for Extra
Help in the past due to income or
resource levels, you should reapply,” says Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services Administrator
Don Berwick. ; To apply, call
1-800-772-1213 or go to ssa.gov/
pubs/ 10525.html. —Patricia Barry
But Can He Swim?
The case of Roy Lester, who says
he lost his lifeguard job at Jones
Beach State Park because he
refused to wear a skimpy swim
brief during testing, may hit a
New York court next year. Lester (right), 61, claims his refusal
to wear the snug swimsuit in
2007 was tantamount to age
discrimination. State park officials deny bias. About 80 of
271 lifeguards at Jones Beach
are age 40 to 80. During testing, lifeguards may wear briefs,
boxers or board shorts, but not
the longer jammer style that
Lester prefers. —Mike Tucker
