Harper Lee duped out of her copyright to To Kill a Mockingbird

Celebrated novelist Harper Lee has found the courage to fight her own injustice. The author of the Pulitzer Prizewinning novel To Kill a Mockingbird has sued her literary agent for duping her out of her rights to the book, according to this article in The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/04/harper-lee-kill-mockingbird-copyright.

She joins the sad ranks of Mickey Rooney and Brooke Astor, both celebrities who were victims of financial exploitation perpetrated by people they trusted. Harper Lee, who is now 87, says that she has no memory of relinquishing her rights to the novel. She had the same agent for 40 years, but when he became ill in 2002 his son-in-law (the defendant in this lawsuit) took over several of his clients including Lee, according to the lawsuit.

If only Atticus Finch, attorney and hero of the book, were available to keep this guy from escaping justice.

Older Americans Act reauthorization: what's up?

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has drafted a bill to reauthorize the Older American Act. He is hosting an event in DC to rally support for the reauthorization. Here's the scoop on the event:

OLDER AMERICANS SUMMIT
WHEN: Thursday, May 23rd at 11:00 AM
WHERE: 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building
WHAT: Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Older Americans Month, highlight the success of the Older Americans Act programs, and show support for the Act’s reauthorization to meet the needs of our nation’s growing senior population.
Questions? Call Billy Gendell at (202) 224-5480
Press contact Michael Briggs at (202) 224-5141

Now is the Time to Pay Attention to Elder Abuse

“Efforts to address elder abuse are 40 years behind those of child abuse and 20 years behind those of domestic violence” said Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging (ASA) and Administration for Community Living Administrator, in an interview last week on American University radio station WAMU 88.5 FM (Washington, DC). Greenlee added “That if we do not act now and apply the lessons we have learned from combating child abuse and domestic violence and sexual assault to develop a comprehensive approach that brings together all of the different resources to prevent elder abuse, the problem will only deepen. Elder abuse is a problem that is only going to intensify as the population ages and the number of older persons increases.”

Administrator Greenlee and Bob Blancato, National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, who also participated in the interview, made it clear that elder abuse is a crisis.

You can find this week’s series on WAMU’s web page: http://wamu.org/aging_and_abuse. This page contains the audio and transcript of the broadcast, as well as additional resources: more of the interview with AS Greenlee, including her “Three Questions,” and material from the Year of Elder Abuse campaign.

The rest of the series will be featured on the WAMU page throughout this week, and will include the following stories, and you can click on the links to read and listen:

• Part 1, Monday: Elderly Couple's Tale Of Abuse Not So Uncommon
• Part 2, Tuesday: Adult Protective Services Fight Against Elder Abuse
• Part 3, Wednesday: Tackling Nursing Home Complaints With Ombudsman Programs
• Part 4, Thursday: Financial Exploitation Of Elderly Difficult To Detect
• Part 5, Friday: House Calls A Better Option For Some Elderly