Question: I received an honorable discharge after serving four years in the Air Force. Am I eligible for any benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs?

Answer:  Veterans of the United States armed forces may be eligible for a broad range of programs and services provided by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to the 2011 edition of “Federal Benefits for Veterans.”

The newest edition of the benefit book offers updated information about the eligibility of veterans. However, eligibility for most VA benefits is based upon discharge other than under dishonorable conditions. Veterans in prison and parolees must contact a VA regional office to determine eligibility. On the other hand, VA benefits will not be provided to any veteran or dependent wanted for an outstanding felon warrant.

You can pick up a free copy of the 2011 benefits book at a VA facility near you or you can get additional information by visiting the VA web page at www.va.gov/

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Russell Davis has spent the last few years aggressively seeking answers to his own veterans’ benefit questions. He’ll be taking over the Taking on Life blog every Friday to tell you what he’s learned and to help honorable military discharged women and men, their spouses, partners and others to find answers

I’m amazed that so far my record is 4-3. I dodged a bullet last Sunday, by drafting a wide receiver only an hour before the waiver wire deadline. In early September, I drafted three wide receivers and since then failed to pay attention to their bye weeks.

So, last Sunday, all three of my wide receivers were on bye week. Fortunately, I had drafted wide receiver Pierre Garcon of the Indianapolis Colts two weeks ago and picked up wide receiver Torrey Smith of the Baltimore Ravens during the 11^th hour last Wednesday. Garcon and Smith played poorly and I didn’t get 4 points between the two of them.

In our league, we get 1 point for every 25 yards received or rushed. Now you know just how poorly they played. They should have sat on the bench to keep it warm. I really missed Hakeem Nicks of the New York Giants and DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. I can count on them to rack up points for me just about every week. 

I won’t be able to dodge a bullet this Sunday. I have three running backs. Felix Jones of the Dallas Cowboys is out with an ankle injury while Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons and Shonn Greene of the New York Jets will be on their bye week. So, I have no running backs for Sunday’s game. I did submit a waiver wire request for Darren Sproles of the New Orleans Saints. If I get him, I’ll have to put Jones in my lineup as the computer program will not accept an incomplete lineup.

 I hope I’ll be able to get Sproles so I’ll have one running back in my lineup. I don’t expect to win this Sunday unless my quarterback, Drew Brees, has an awesome game as he did Sunday night against the Colts. Brees threw five touchdowns and had 325 passing yards. He was taken out of the game near the end of the third quarter. His three-quarter performance netted 29.5 points for me. Brees and the Saints will play the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. Perhaps Brees will repeat his Sunday night performance since the Rams are 0-6 this season.

Also on bye this Sunday are the Green Bay Packers. That means another three slots in my lineup will have to be filled. I have replacements for them; but, two of three of them aren’t that good. I’ll replace tight end Jermichael Finely with Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots, kicker Mason Crosby with Adam Vinatieri of the Colts and Green Bay’s defense with that of the Dallas Cowboys. The winner circle will most likely elude me this Sunday.

I examined my roster for the remainder of the season. I have two quarterbacks – Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, both of them will be on bye during week 11 of the season. At least I have time to draft a quarterback for that week.

I’m going to have to set aside a couple of hours each week to study my roster and make the necessary changes if I intend to be a contender in this season’s Super Bowl. Wish me luck!

Vivian Davis and some members of Center Hill Baptist Church Choir perform during the concert.

The free concert with a love offering was a fundraiser for the Pearl J. Stephens Memorial Scholarship. I was disappointed with the sparse crowd. However, they were generous with the love offerings. The event netted enough to award one $500 scholarship and more donations are pending.

As for the concert performers, they were very good. However, Vivian Davis along with some members of the Center Hill Baptist Church Choir and The Ministers of Praise stole the show – hands down! Those groups were magnificent and should have a recording contract. The Ministers of Praise has made a CD.

Eddie Tukes, a member of The Ministers of Praise, said he and fellow band members “Just enjoy going out each weekend and praising the Lord.” He said my event was one of many where they’ve donated their time and talents.

I had been forewarned that The Ministers of Praise would put on an astounding performance. This was my first time hearing them, and they did not disappointment me. Tukes was my contact as I planned the concert.

As a little girl, I had heard his dad sing “Lily of the Valley” and fell in love with the song. Then as an adult, I had visited churches where his father and the Houston Mount Zion Church Mass Choir would perform because I knew the elder Tukes would sing that song because it was often requested before hand and oftentimes during the performances.

Eddie Tukes of The Ministers of Praise sings "Lily of the Valley."

The elderly Tukes had performed that song when I coordinated a concert in 2005. Whenever he sang that song, I’d be reduced to chills and tears. I’ve never ever heard the song sang the way he did it.

So while basking in memories, I asked the younger Tukes to sing the song. He warned me that he would not come close to his late father’s rendition of the song. He was so wrong! He rocked the church with his version of the song and the audience members were on their feet clapping and swaying and praising God throughout the song.

The concert was so very entertaining. It’s good to be able to gather and have good clean fun!

It’s unwise to handle large back-to-back projects. That’s just what happened to me.

A couple of weeks ago, I finished designing a 76-page souvenir book for the Order of Eastern Star. Just when I ready to start planning for the concert, I was stunned with having to reformat all of the pages for a new printer.

Once that time-consuming task was finished, I dove right into planning the concert.

I had a list of potential performers to contact. It is mind boggling as to how people will volunteer to do something and when contacted, the majority of them request that you call them later for an answer. After a few days of playing the phone tag game, I began crossing names off my list. Finally, five acts had committed to the event and I went with them.

I designed a flyer so copies of it could be posted in various businesses throughout Middle Georgia. I mailed announcements to a slew of churches and sent announcements to the local media. Of course, word of mouth is proving to be quite beneficial in getting a large audience to the event.

I’m most pleased that Hamp “King Bee” Swain agreed to be master of ceremony during the concert. Swain, a 2008 inductee into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, is a noted broadcast celebrity, who was also a musician. Richard Penniman (Little Richard) got his start as a vocalist in Swain’s band, The Hamptones.

Swain also helped launched the careers of Otis Redding and James Brown. He has a voice comparable to that of James Earl Jones. Once you hear their voices, you’ll never forget them. Swain and Jones had roles in the 1976 movie, “Bingo Long and the Traveling All Stars & Motor Kings.” Swain was the announcer during the baseball games.  Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor also starred in the movie. Part of the movie was filmed in Macon and Luther Williams Field was used as the Negro League ballpark.

So, I’m hoping Swain’s supporters will follow him to the concert on Saturday. I’m much hyped about the concert because the performers are well-known throughout Middle Georgia. But more importantly, they are VERY GOOD singers!

Here’s a brief rundown of some of the things I’m doing:

Souvenir Book

I’m designing a book for the Smooth Ashlar 146th Grand Lodge Session that will be held in Macon Sept. 23-28. Although I’ve done more than 40 pages of the book, I still can’t remember what emblem goes with what group because there are so many chapters. So I made a chart to help me assign the emblem or emblems with the appropriate group.

So far, I’ve designed ads for the Royal Arch, Shriners, Amaranth, Consistory, Daughters of Isis, Heroines of Jericho, Knight of Temple, Masons and The Order of Eastern Star. There are a slew of chapters within each of the aforementioned groups, and many of the chapters are buying advertisements in the souvenir book.

I find it amusing that some of the chapters purchased a half page or 1/4-page ad and included a picture and message the equivalent of a textbook to go in the small spaces. I must say that I’ve been working earthly miracles on many of them.

I’ve been forewarned that the deadline for advertising is Thursday and I should expect a flood of ads to arrive. And of course, there will be late submissions. I’ll be ready.

Gospel concert

As the fundraising chairwoman of the Pearl Stephens High School committee, it is my duty to find ways to raise money so that we’ll be able to award the Pearl Jackson Stephens Memorial Scholarship to a deserving Houston County student each year during our school reunion.

So at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Union Grove Baptist Church in Warner Robins, GA, groups and soloists will perform during a gospel concert. So far, I’ve gotten an emcee and two church choirs committed to the event and there are a few who will let me know this week if they’ll be able to perform that day.

After the groups are committed, then I’ll need to advertise the event – make flyers and send announcements to the media and various churches.

School

I’m taking an electronic design class. The class is very demanding and requires us to sketch, sketch and then sketch some more. I’ve stop resisting the technique and I’m actually learning to sketch. My second assignment in this class required 20 sketches of a newsletter design and then my fourth assignment required 20-30 sketches of newspaper advertisements. For each of the assignments, we had to pick three of the sketches and then create them in the Illustrator or InDesign software. I loved that part of the assignment.

During the first week of class, I had to adopt a fictitious client for the duration of the course. My client is Macon’s Freezy Delights, an ice cream parlor. For my client, I’m required to design a newsletter, ads, logo, a package design for the product and a Web site to generate more business.

With the above obligations, there’s no time to be bored.

Answer: There are two Armed Forces Retirement Homes (AFRH) established for retired veterans. They are located in Gulfport, MS, and Washington, D.C. At the time of admission, applicants must be able to live independently. If increased health care is needed after being admitted, assisted living and long term care are available.

The 2010 edition of “Federal Benefits for Veterans” lists the following requirements for veterans who served at least 50 percent enlisted, warrant officers or limited duty officers:

• Honorable discharge

• 60 years old and have 20 or more years of active-duty service

• Service-connected disability that prevents earning a livelihood

• Unable to earn a livelihood because of injuries, disease or disability after serving in a war area or received hostile-fire special pay

• Female soldiers who served prior to June 12, 1948, and are eligible for admission because of compelling personal circumstances

Tenants at the facilities pay a percentage of his or her total income. They must not have been convicted of a felony, free of illegal drugs and alcohol and have no psychiatric problems.

The facilities offer a variety of benefits including: private room, three meals a day, 24-hour security, religious services and onsite recreational activities such as bowling, golf, hobby shops, entertainment, etc. Also, AFRH residents receive basic dental care and access to licensed specialists in optometry, podiatry, mental health, internal medicine and diabetic care.

Clothing, toiletries, dry cleaning and other personal items are at the veteran’s own expense.

Check out the AFRH requirements to see if you are eligible for the retirement community.

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Russell Davis has spent the last few years aggressively seeking answers to his own veterans’ benefit questions. He’ll be taking over the Taking on Life blog every Friday to tell you what he’s learned and to help honorable military discharged women and men, their spouses, partners and others to find answers.

A presentation drawing of an m&m's display that I'll assemble as my final class project.

Well, the class has gone from bad to worse. This is not the ranting and ravings of a failing student. My overall average is 93.33 in this class. Although I hate this course with a passion, I refuse to go down without putting forth my best effort; so, I spend hours upon hours each day on my assignments.

I’m studying to earn a diploma in digital design so that I can start up a home-based desktop publishing business.

A draft of the template I’ll use as a guide while assembling an m&m’s display.

With that said, I don’t see how I’ll use the studies in this class for my home-based business. This class requires a lot of sketching and drawing. I can’t do either well enough without writing explanations so that my instructor and peers will understand the concept that I’m trying to convey. During two assignments, the class was allowed to use Photoshop or Illustrator. I aced them with ease. I have few problems designing on a computer.

The final project requires us to construct a point-of-purchase display that will coax consumers into a spur-of-the moment buy. I chose m&m’s candies because I’ve loved eating them for years and years and they are very colorful.

I’ve done research on the candy and finally got through the sketching and drawing phases of the project. Now I have to design a template, take pictures of the parts and then write a very detailed description of how I will construct the display and what materials will be used.

Whoopee! If I wanted to build things, I would have enrolled in an industrial arts class.

I know how I want to design my display, but realizing my ideas will be quite a challenge. I’ve chosen a stand-alone display and here’s what I want to do:

The display will be 1’ 4” wide with the back of it being 1’ x 1’ 6 3/4” high. There will be four rows of m&m’s with 5 bags stacked in each row. There will be a ¼” divider to separate each row. The flavored candies and the color of their packaging are as follow:

• Red – Chocolate Trio

• Green – Mint Thrills

• Yellow – Chocolate with peanuts

• Violet – Dark milk chocolate

The display will be constructed out of cardboard and spray painted yellow. I’ll use glue to hold it together and computer generated lettering and graphics to make it appealing to consumers.

The presentation drawing of my display (above) needs modifying because I drew the display with boxes of m&m’s in mind. I’ve search several stores and have found them only in bags.

I’m sure as I physically put the display together other modifications will be required.

Meanwhile, I’m still not having fun and I’m so looking forward to Aug. 17 – the last day of THIS class – Hallelujah!

Answer: Veterans, who left the military under honorable or general discharge, have gotten some degree of preferential treatment since the Civil War.

The Veterans’ Preference Act of 1944 that has been amended in Title 5/ United States Code states that veterans who are disabled or served on active duty during certain specified time periods or in military campaigns are entitled to preference over others when hiring from competitive lists of eligible candidates, according to the 2010 edition of “Federal Benefits for Veterans.”

The vets also are given preferential treatment during a reduction in the workforce. Recent changes in Title 5 now offer the same treatment to National Guard and Reserve members if they served for more than 180 consecutive days, any part of which occurred during the period beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and ending on the date prescribed by presidential proclamation or by law as the last date of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

Preference is also provided for certain widows and widowers of deceased veterans and mothers of veterans who died under honorable conditions, on active duty or have permanent and total service-connected disabilities.

There are specific criteria that must be met for each preference. To find out more, contact a representative at the nearest VA facility.

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Russell Davis has spent the last few years aggressively seeking answers to his own veterans’ benefit questions. He’ll be taking over the Taking on Life blog every Friday to tell you what he’s learned and to help honorable military discharged women and men, their spouses, partners and others to find answers.

I hate the class with a passion. It’s about as exciting as watching grass grow in a drought-stricken area. More importantly, I don’t see a need for it in my life or future design projects.

Since beginning classes last year in June, I’ve really enjoyed being challenged by the courses I’ve taken and have been able to maintain a 4-point overall average.

Although I can’t draw a straight line – even when guided with a ruler – I am passionate about and thoroughly enjoy manipulating digital images and type to create unique designs.

As for this class, it requires one sketch after another. My first assignment required 60 sketches –30 nonrepresentational shapes that express sensations such as touch, taste, hearing, smell and emotion and 30 line designs that express speed, resting and expansion. I had the line assignment down pat. As for the shapes, I had about 4 out of 30 correct. So I spent four hours on Saturday rereading the lecture and course books before doing the assignment again.

Then Sunday evening, I read the instructor’s comments that said I had half of them correct. I didn’t consider trying it again.

I enjoyed my second assignment that offered more than 25 images and required me to pair two of them and write a detailed explanation of the message being conveyed to consumers. I thoroughly enjoyed that assignment and got an “A”.

Then came the third assignment with part one requiring an image of a self-contained product that is for sale. I was required to explain how the shape of the display relates to the product. For the second part, I had to follow the aforementioned instructions to explain gravity-fed displays. That was an easy assignment because it involved personal perceptions and writing explanations based on the lecture and textbooks readings.

I’ve read the course syllabus to get a feel for upcoming assignments. I can truly say that nothing appeals to me. The final assignment in this class requires me to design and fabricate a 3-D presentation model of a countertop point-of-purchase display. I could care less about a countertop display that offers gum, candy bars and seasonal items such as school supplies, Easter baskets, etc. Unfortunately, I have to turn in 20 sketches of my project by Friday. If only I could draw!

My interest in a class, project or whatever makes a huge difference in the way I follow through. With this class, I have to force myself to read the more than 80 pages each week and do the assignments.

Last session, I had some problems learning to design in Photoshop. But I never hated the class even when I spent hours viewing on-line tutorials to help me to execute the techniques. I looked forward to completing my assignments and reading critiques of my designs from the instructors and peers. I fell in love with Photoshop and it is now my favorite software.

The big project in my digital image manipulation class was to design a silly caricature that would be the focal point of a flyer advertising a game for an entertainment company. So I thought it would be fun to transform a casual cookout into an up-scaled one.

At the up-scaled affair, I envisioned a formal outdoor setting with foods other than hamburgers and hotdogs and champagne instead of beer or wine. With that thought in mind, I chose a corkscrew as the body of the caricature and to attract more attention, I applied human facial features, arms, and hands. I dressed the character in a tuxedo and had him carry a silver tray loaded with long-stem glasses filled with champagne. The aforementioned elements were extracted and then assembled through layers in Photoshop. What fun!

Why can’t all my classes be so much fun?

Answer: The Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service members (UCX) program provides weekly income to veterans as they look for work, including those who can find only part-time work. The program is administered by the States as agents of the Federal government. According to the 2010 edition of “Federal Benefits for Veterans,” every state program has specific rules. But here are some general requirements your son should meet in order to be eligible:

• Earned a certain minimum amount during the State’s “base period.” His Federal military service and wages count toward this requirement.

• Benefits are based on time spent in the military.

• Left the military under honorable conditions.

• Totally or partially unemployed.

• Able to work, available for work, and seeking work.

Perhaps your son overlooked the section on his DD-214 (discharge papers) instructing military personnel to file for benefits in the week of their discharge date.

He should discuss his circumstances with a rep at the employment office in his area. Since benefits vary from state to state, only the local rep where he applies will be able to tell him the amount and duration of his entitlement.

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Russell Davis has spent the last few years aggressively seeking answers to his own veterans’ benefit questions. He’ll be taking over the Taking on Life blog every Friday to tell you what he’s learned and to help honorable military discharged women and men, their spouses, partners and others to find answers.