Why Do So Many People Claim Social Security at 62?

Social Security is primarily known for its retirement benefits, and given that most people think of 65 as the typical retirement age, you might think that most people would wait that long before taking their Social Security benefits. Yet in actuality, more people claim Social Security benefits at 62, the first opportunity at which one can claim retirement benefits, than at any other age, including nearly half of women and more than 40% of men. That fact raises a simple question: Why do so many people take early benefits? Let's look at some possible reasons below.

Reason 1: Many people can't afford to wait.

It's true that claiming Social Security at 62 means that you'll get 25% less in monthly benefits than if you waited until the full retirement age of 66. However, many people don't have the luxury to wait an extra four years before taking monthly checks from Social Security. Being able to continue working into your 60s is far from a guaranteed proposition for today's older workforce, and layoffs, health problems, or other unforeseen circumstances can force you to give up plans to keep earning income as long as you had hoped. If you don't have enough in savings to bridge the gap between the end of your career and full retirement age, then taking early Social Security benefits at 62 can be the best option you have available to make ends meet.

Pakistani activist Tabassum Adnan receives Nelson Mandela award

 Pakistani women's rights activist from Swat, Tabassum Adnan, has won the prestigious Nelson Mandela – Graça Machel Innovation Award 2016.

The award was publicly announced at a ceremony held today (Thursday) in Bogotá, Colombia as part of the International Civil Society Week (ICSW) hosted by CIVICUS in collaboration with the Confederación Colombiana de ONG.

Tabassum Adnan received the award in the Individual activist category.

The Swat native is the founder of Khwendo Jirga, the first ever women-only jirga in Pakistan.

  

Married at the young age of 13, Tabassum suffered 20 years of physical and mental abuse before she divorced her husband, causing her to lose her children, her home, and money.

Married at just 13 years-old, Ms. Adnan divorced her husband after 20 years of physical and mental abuse – a move that caused her to lose her children, her home, and money.

Abandoned and impoverished, she started her own NGO, the Khwendo Jirga or Sister’s Council, which meets weekly to address issues of women's right, including honour-killings, and acid attacks. The jirga also campaigns for causes of local women in Swat, including issues related to women’s security and their voting rights.

In March 2015, she was recognized for her efforts in seeking justice for Pakistani women and was awarded the International Women of Courage award in the US.

Married at the young age of 13, Tabassum suffered 20 years of physical and mental abuse before she divorced her husband, causing her to lose her children, her home, and money.

Married at just 13 years-old, Ms. Adnan divorced her husband after 20 years of physical and mental abuse – a move that caused her to lose her children, her home, and money.

Abandoned and impoverished, she started her own NGO, the Khwendo Jirga or Sister’s Council, which meets weekly to address issues of women's right, including honour-killings, and acid attacks. The jirga also campaigns for causes of local women in Swat, including issues related to women’s security and their voting rights.

In March 2015, she was recognized for her efforts in seeking justice for Pakistani women and was awarded the International Women of Courage award in the US.

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Obama 'to make historic Cuba visit' Obama 'to make historic Cuba visit'

The US has reopened its embassy in Havana, bringing to an end decades of hostility between the two nations.

US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro announced in December moves to normalise diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In a flag-raising ceremony to reopen the US embassy in Havana, US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Cuba to become more democratic.
"We remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by a genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas, practice their faith," Mr Kerry told those gathered on the embassy grounds and millions of islanders watching and listening live. A prisoner in Cuba for five years, Alan Gross was the focal point of tense negotiations between the US and Cuba. Now his release signals a potential thaw in relations between the two countries. In December, Mr Obama told Yahoo News he wanted to meet political dissidents in Cuba to help "nudge the Cuban government in a new direction".

Image copyright AP Image caption Republicans say Mr Obama should not visit while President Raul Castro is in power

Cuba's government responded by saying Mr Obama was welcome to visit but should not meddle in the country's internal affairs.
Mr Obama's visit could coincide with the signing of a peace deal in Havana between the Colombian government and rebels from the Farc group to end that country's civil war, due to take place by 23 March.
The deal was encouraged by the Cuban government.
On Tuesday, US and Cuban officials signed a deal to resume commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades.
However, the Republican majority in the US Congress has blocked Mr Obama's call to end the longstanding trade embargo.
The embargo limits trade and also bans US tourists from visiting the island.

 Alan Gross, 65, travelled to Cuba in 2009 as a contractor to US Agency for International Development (USAID), bringing communications equipment, including internet access, to the country's Jewish community groups.

But Cuban officials accused him of fomenting dissent. He was arrested in December 2009 and sentenced two years later to 15 years in prison for "acts against the integrity of the state".
His imprisonment had been a sticking point amid a slow thaw in relations between the US and Cuba, according the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher.
Now Mr Gross has been released as part of prisoner swap and a major shift in America's Cuba policy

More Than 75 Million People Could Be Impacted by Snow Storm

Good Morning America

More Than 75 Million People Could Be Impacted by Snow Storm

By MEGHAN KENEALLY 8 hours ago Good Morning America

 The threat of a huge winter storm has prompted panic and preparations along the East Coast as the head of the National Weather Service said today that tens of millions of people could be effected.
In addition to those impacted by the snow, an additional seven million people could be impacted by ice and other dangerous conditions, NWS director Louis Uccellini said today.
"You put all the ingredients together, you can get a storm like this and it's happening in real time," he said.
Residents in at least a half-dozen states are being warned to keep their travel plans light and prepare for potentially damaging winter weather starting early this weekend.

Expected Snow Totals

New York: 5 - 10 inches
Philadelphia: 12 - 18 inches
Baltimore: 18 - 24 inches

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More Than 75 Million People Could Be Impacted by Snow Storm (ABC News)

Washington, DC: 18 - 24 inches
Raleigh: 1 - 4 inches

Two People Died in North Carolina Because of the Weather

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said today that there have already been two fatalities as a result of the dangerous weather conditions.
One person died in Forsyth County after the car they were driving slid across a highway median because of slick roads. The second death occurred in Stokes County where similar icy and snowy road conditions caused a car to go down an embankment.
Cold Weather Myths: What You Need to Know During a Snowstorm
Slick Roads Spark More Than 100 Accidents, Strand 'Hundreds' in DC Area
Check Your Local Forecast Here

Winter Storm Causes Widespread Travel Delays Play video

Most Detroit Public Schools Close Due to Teacher 'Sick-Outs' Demanding Better Classroom Conditions
The Random Things People on the East Coast Are Buying Before the Blizzard
McCrory declared a state of emergency and warned that power outages and dangerous road conditions are expected to continue through the weekend.
National Guard soldiers have already been deployed

These Indian College Students' Stories of Sexual Harassment Show It Happens Everywhere

By Julie Zeilinger December 28, 2015 11:50 AM

 From directly confronting their harassers to viral social media posts and even school projects, women are speaking out against street harassment more than ever before. Given that a 2014 report by the organization Stop Street Harassment found 65% of American women have experienced it, these responses are clearly warranted. 

But the issue is one that undoubtedly extends beyond the United States — a reality that a group of Delhi University students revealed in "My First Experience With Sexual Harassment," a recently released Old Delhi Films video, BuzzFeed reported Monday.

While the students' individual experiences varied — from harassment in the home to on the street or in public places — the overall experience is a common one in India. One study revealed 7 in 10 Indian women have been sexually harassed, the Times of India reported in 2012, and an estimated 848 Indian women are harassed, raped or killed daily, according to a 2014 Huffington Post report.

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