The Asia Pacific Journal is proud to offer its readers a preview of John W. Dower's new book, Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor/Hiroshima/9-11/Iraq (New York: Norton 2010). In the first days after the Al Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, prominent American news sources reacted by invoking the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's description of the event as an act of “infamy.” That analogy caught the attention of many people, but Dower has thought more deeply than most about the underlying issues. The resonances between the past and the present are profound and disturbing.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of maintaining professional activity on cognitive functioning at advanced ages.

Methods: The sample comprised 131 people aged 60 years-old and older (M = 68,15 years) of whom 41 were still working (30 women and 11 men, Mage = 65.24), and 89 retired (74 women and 15 men Mage = 69.48). To assess participants’ cognitive functioning the following instruments were used: Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Digit Span Test, Trail Making Test (TMT), Verbal Fluency Test and Boston Naming Test (Short Form). Since age differences among participants of the two groups were found an ANCOVA test was used, and age was included as a covariable.

Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in the Part A of TMT (F = 7.383, p < 0.05) and the Boston Naming Test (Short Form) (F = 3.495, p < 0.05). Compared with retired participants those who were still active had better scores on both measures.

Conclusions: Work-related activity in old age has a positive influence on cognitive functioning and can contribute to older people’s cognitive reserve and to maintaining better attention, naming or word retrieval performance. Thus, in order to maintain good cognitive functioning, when older adults retire, they may need to substitute work with stimulating and challenging activities.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to ascertain the influence of a six-month multidomain stimulation program on cognitive functioning.

Methods: The sample comprised 25 older adults 60 years-old and older (Mage = 66.08 years), of whom 96% were women and 54% had high education. The intervention program had a duration of six months and was implemented in a group format in one-hour sessions on a weekly basis. Lessons on neuroprotective factors, training in practical compensatory strategies to improve daily performance, cognitive training exercises and recreational cognitive stimulation activities were included. In order to analyze participants’ cognitive functioning the following instruments were used: Mini-Mental State Examination, Rey Complex Figure Test, Digit Span Test, Stroop Test, Trail Making Test (Part A and Part B), Verbal Fluency Test, Boston Naming Test (Short Form) and Neuropsi Verbal Memory Subtest. Wilcoxon test was performed to test the impact of the intervention program on participants cognitive functioning.

Results: Statistically significant differences were found after the six-month intervention in verbal memory encoding (W= –2.772, p< 0.05), in spontaneous verbal memory retrieval(freerecall) (W= – 3.456, p< 0.001), inverbal recognition memory (W = –3.184, p < 0.001), in spontaneous visual memory retrieval (W = –2.056, p < 0.05), and in naming by visual confrontation (W = –2.521, p < 0.05). In all cases, participants increased their scores after taking part in multicomponent a six-month multidomain stimulationprogram

Conclusions: One of the biggest concerns among older people is the loss of cognitive abilities that may occur with ageing. Cognitive stimulation programs, if sufficiently comprehensive, can be a good tool to maintain and improve cognitive functions as we age.

This article provides an overview of selected ongoing international efforts that have been inspired by Edward Zigler's vision to improve programs and policies for young children and families in the United States. The efforts presented are in close alignment with three strategies articulated by Edward Zigler: (a) conduct research that will inform policy advocacy; (b) design, implement, and revise quality early childhood development (ECD) programs; and (c) invest in building the next generation of scholars and advocates in child development. The intergenerational legacy left by Edward Zigler has had an impact on young children not only in the United States, but also across the globe. More needs to be done. We need to work together with a full commitment to ensure the optimal development of each child.