Еще одним кандидатом в энциклопедию стала президент организации русскоговорящих адвокатов-женщин Инна Ферштейн. Она отметила, что ЭРА поможет иммигрантам сохранить русский язык и культурные корни. «Мы все выросли на одних и тех же книгах, – подчеркнула она. – Мы все смотрели одни и те же фильмы. Не случайно мои дети-американцы, родившиеся здесь, свободно пишут и читают по-русски. В этом заслуга не только моей семьи, но и школы».
Дети Инны Ферштейн занимаются в единственной в Нью-Йорке школе с преподованием на русском языке. Активным сторонником создания этой программы, пробивавшим ее в коридорах городской власти, был Евгений Школьников. По словам Ферштейн, это – пример того, как молодые иммигранты, многие из которых приехали в США с помощью американских еврейских благотворительных организаций, «отдают долги» своей общине. «Мы в одном поколении превратились из берущих в дающих, – сказала Инна Ферштейн. – Но пока еще не все понимают, насколько важно отдавать обратно, и какое удовольствие это приносит – намного больше, чем когда ты берешь».
При этом, отметила Ферштейн, многие из представителей ее поколения приехали в США «с двумя чемоданами и с сотней долларов в кармане». Сама она начинала свою трудовую деятельность в Америке с работы в магазине, где получала 3 доллара в час, но при этом училась вечерами.
«Очень важно, чтобы эта «энциклопедия» показала нашим детям, какими мы сюда приехали, кто наши предки и чего мы можем достичь», – убеждена Инна Ферштейн.
Available in english here
Friday, July 8, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Casey Anthony verdict
On June 16 2008, Caylee Anthony was reported missing. She was reported to be with her mother Casey Anthony. Sadly, on December 11th of the same year, she was found dead. Her killer is thought to have been her mother and the verdict was announced today.
Casey Anthony was found not guilty on the charge of murder and aggravated manslaughter. The only counts she was found guilty on were misdemeanors which would give her up to 4 years in jail, 2 and a half of which she had already served. The misdemeanors were the different lies and fabrications she had come up with to explain the disappearance of the child, including wrongfully implicating one Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez in the murder.
The American jury found her not guilty for reasonable doubt and circumstantial evidence. Forensic analysis on the body was impossible because of the long period of decay and DNA evidence tying the car as a possible storage point for the body was not proven.
Should the courts have found her guilty of murder based on the perjury and circumstantial evidence?
Please leave your thoughts on the case below.
Casey Anthony was found not guilty on the charge of murder and aggravated manslaughter. The only counts she was found guilty on were misdemeanors which would give her up to 4 years in jail, 2 and a half of which she had already served. The misdemeanors were the different lies and fabrications she had come up with to explain the disappearance of the child, including wrongfully implicating one Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez in the murder.
The American jury found her not guilty for reasonable doubt and circumstantial evidence. Forensic analysis on the body was impossible because of the long period of decay and DNA evidence tying the car as a possible storage point for the body was not proven.
Should the courts have found her guilty of murder based on the perjury and circumstantial evidence?
Please leave your thoughts on the case below.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Китайские мамы против еврейских мам - кто лучше?
Субботний вечер. Вместо того, чтобы проводить время с мужем, я сижу проверяю и редактирую стилистику 28-го по счету сочинения моей 10-летней Пери, которой предстоит пройти вот уже третий тест для особо одаренных, на этот раз - с сочинением по Марку Твену. Мой десятилетний сын Ари и мой муж - на марафонском 5-часовом соревновании по футболу Chelsea Piers, вкатывают мячи в ворота противника во славу своей команды. Моя пятилетняя дочь - в постели, она только пришла с 7-часового конкурса по пению и официально полностью истощена…
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Monday, July 26, 2010
Can my Ex-Wife get something when I die?
Q: My husband of 20 years past away. His estate is going through probate now. Can his ex-wife be entitled to something? She now claims that she owns all the assets in his IRAs and 401K, totaling $2,000,000. Is this LEGAL?
A: Yes. Many people do simple wills before their death and do not seek advice of professional Estate Planning attorney. As a result, they forget about such important assets in their estate as IRAs, 401K(s) and other retirement accounts.
Independent of your intentions, such as seeing the assets distributed to your wife and children, custodians of retirement accounts must follow the directions of the beneficiary designation form - even if that means that $2 million of the assets legally go to an ex-wife from 20 years ago.
Q: What should I do to make sure correct beneficiaries inherit all of my estate?
A: Consult with an Estate planning attorney prior to divorce, marriage, birth of a child and other important life changing event. Many divorce attorneys do not draft separation or divorce documents properly often forgetting about very important assets that by law belong to your current spouse. Such assets are your IRAs, 401(k)s, pension plan accounts and others. If you designate someone other than your spouse to inherit such assets, you need your spouse's permission! If you get divorced from that spouse, you must properly remove such spouse from those assets.
Most important advice any good attorney can give you - review your estate plan including your beneficiary designations annually and during important changes in your life. And for once, let the professional handle your estate planning needs!
A: Yes. Many people do simple wills before their death and do not seek advice of professional Estate Planning attorney. As a result, they forget about such important assets in their estate as IRAs, 401K(s) and other retirement accounts.
Independent of your intentions, such as seeing the assets distributed to your wife and children, custodians of retirement accounts must follow the directions of the beneficiary designation form - even if that means that $2 million of the assets legally go to an ex-wife from 20 years ago.
Q: What should I do to make sure correct beneficiaries inherit all of my estate?
A: Consult with an Estate planning attorney prior to divorce, marriage, birth of a child and other important life changing event. Many divorce attorneys do not draft separation or divorce documents properly often forgetting about very important assets that by law belong to your current spouse. Such assets are your IRAs, 401(k)s, pension plan accounts and others. If you designate someone other than your spouse to inherit such assets, you need your spouse's permission! If you get divorced from that spouse, you must properly remove such spouse from those assets.
Most important advice any good attorney can give you - review your estate plan including your beneficiary designations annually and during important changes in your life. And for once, let the professional handle your estate planning needs!
An Inheritance Shocker - Retirement Account Beneficiaries
Do you want your spouse to inherit the money in your 401(k) — or do you want your former spouse to get it? If you are divorced, remarried or have children from a previous relationship, make sure you have updated the beneficiary designation for your retirement plan at work. Otherwise, your spouse or kids could be in for a shock.
A shock is exactly what William Kennedy gave his daughter, Kari. The elder Kennedy married Kari’s mom in 1974 while working for DuPont. He named his wife as the beneficiary of his 401(k), and with no children at the time, he left blank the contingent beneficiary (who would get the money if the wife died first).
When the couple divorced in 1994, his ex-wife agreed to relinquish any rights to the money in the plan so that Kari would receive the money. But William did not sign new papers at work to officially change his beneficiary designation. So when he died in 2001, DuPont gave his ex-wife the proceeds — $400,000.
Kari sued DuPont, arguing that it violated the divorce decree by giving the money to her mother. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, which recently ruled in favor of DuPont. The majority ruled that DuPont acted in accordance with ERISA, the law governing retirement plans, which stipulates that beneficiary designations trump all other agreements.
The lesson: It’s not enough to sign a contract or write a will. If you want someone to be the heir of your retirement plan at work, you must stipulate your instructions in the trust documents. Have you done your Estate Planning lately? Have you reviewed your beneficiary designations lately to make sure that the people you want to get your money are really the people who will get your money? If you haven’t done so recently, go to your attorney and do your Estate Planning properly.
Footnote: The court noted that Kari could sue her mother based on the divorce agreement, but that won’t do her any good. She told her hometown newspaper The Enterprise that her mother died in 2007 after moving to Norway and spending all the money.
A shock is exactly what William Kennedy gave his daughter, Kari. The elder Kennedy married Kari’s mom in 1974 while working for DuPont. He named his wife as the beneficiary of his 401(k), and with no children at the time, he left blank the contingent beneficiary (who would get the money if the wife died first).
When the couple divorced in 1994, his ex-wife agreed to relinquish any rights to the money in the plan so that Kari would receive the money. But William did not sign new papers at work to officially change his beneficiary designation. So when he died in 2001, DuPont gave his ex-wife the proceeds — $400,000.
Kari sued DuPont, arguing that it violated the divorce decree by giving the money to her mother. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, which recently ruled in favor of DuPont. The majority ruled that DuPont acted in accordance with ERISA, the law governing retirement plans, which stipulates that beneficiary designations trump all other agreements.
The lesson: It’s not enough to sign a contract or write a will. If you want someone to be the heir of your retirement plan at work, you must stipulate your instructions in the trust documents. Have you done your Estate Planning lately? Have you reviewed your beneficiary designations lately to make sure that the people you want to get your money are really the people who will get your money? If you haven’t done so recently, go to your attorney and do your Estate Planning properly.
Footnote: The court noted that Kari could sue her mother based on the divorce agreement, but that won’t do her any good. She told her hometown newspaper The Enterprise that her mother died in 2007 after moving to Norway and spending all the money.
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