Trends and Innovations: 3-D Scanning Technique Recreates Stroke-Perfect Van Goghs

Have you always wanted a Van Gogh in your living room, but never seem to have a spare $20 million to pick one up? A new technique from Fujifilm could give you the next best thing: a 3-D printed reproduction almost indistinguishable from the original.  It's called Reliefography, and it works by combining traditional high-quality photography with 3-D scanning and printing.  Click here to read full article, from NBC News

2342 BC – Urukagina Stands Up For Property Rights

From around 5000 BC, the emergence of agriculture in ancient Sumer led to the rise of city-states.  Government, religion and writing followed.  To track tax payments, tithe and trade, the ancient Sumerians developed a system of writing, called cuneiform, that used a wooden wedge to impress shapes onto clay tablets.  It is from these clay remnants that we learn of their laws and practices and of a revolution that occurred in the city-state of Lagash.

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© Russell Investments 2013. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Live Well and Leave a Legacy – Join “Leave10”

I was pleased to be honored as founding member of a new charitable movement to pledge to leave more than 10% to charity when our mission here on earth is over.  We have always believed in giving back to the community, starting in our youth with boy scouts for Rocke and 4-H for me.  We believe every dollar of our charitable donations will come back to us ten times over.  We implore you to consider giving more to expand your wealth. 

Click here to learn more about Leave10

Or check out the Leave10 facebook page 

Medicare Open Enrollment Period October 15 – December 7

David Johnson, Medicare supplement and Long Term Care specialist with Lehman Wood Johnson, Inc., reminds us the Medicare open enrollment period is the time during which people with Medicare can make new choices and pick plans that work best for them. Each year Medicare plans typically change what they cost and cover. In addition, your health-care needs may have changed over the past year. The open enrollment period is your opportunity to switch Medicare health and prescription drug plans to better suit your needs.

Click here to read full article

For more information call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit the Medicare website at www.medicare.gov

Trends and Innovations: Late Retirement Helps Brain

People who continue to work later in their lives have less of a risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, according to Inserm, the French gov’t health research agency.  The agency studied half a million workers, from shopkeepers to bakers, and found that for each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is cut by 3.2%.  The Alzheimer’s Association said people don’t necessarily have to delay retirement, but the key is to keep cognitively active after retiring.

Article obtained from Investor’s Business Daily, July 2013

New Interest Rates on Federal Student Loans - Again

On August 9, President Obama signed the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013, which changes the formula for determining federal student loan interest rates. The law comes after months of partisan bickering and uncertainty in the student loan arena, which culminated with the rate on subsidized Stafford Loans doubling to 6.8% on July 1. The new legislation introduces a new market-based system that ties federal student loan interest rates to the government's borrowing costs. The legislation will apply retroactively to student loans that originated July 1.

Click here for full article and details on the new rates

Tesla Model S Achieves Best Safety Rating of Any Car Ever Tested

Independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception. Approximately one percent of all cars tested by the federal government achieve 5 stars across the board. NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars are captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers, where the Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4 stars.

Click here to read more.  Article courtesy of Tesla Motors.