In the United States, women are assaulted or beaten once every nine seconds; worldwide, one in three women have been battered, raped or otherwise abused in her lifetime, according to women's advocacy organizations.

"That means most of us - while grocery shopping, at work or at home - come across several women a day who have either been abused, or are currently enduring abuse," says Linda O'Dochartaigh, a health professional and author of Peregrine (www.lavanderkatbooks.com). "It's a terrible fact of life for too many women, but if there is something we can do about it and we care about fellow human beings, then we must try."

There are several abuse resources available to women who are being abused, or friends of women who need advice, including:

• TheHotline.org, National Domestic Violence Hotline, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 1-800-799-SAFE (7223)

• HelpGuide.org, provides unbiased, advertising-free mental health information to give people the self-help options to help people understand, prevent, and resolve life's challenges

• VineLink.com, allows women to search for an offender in custody by name or identification number, then register to be alerted if the offender is released,  transferred, or escapes

• DAHMW.org, 1-888-7HELPLINE, offers crisis intervention and support services for victims of intimate partner violence and their families

Perhaps the best thing friends and family can do for a woman enduring domestic abuse is to be there for her - not only as a sympathetic ear, but also as a source of common sense that encourages her to take protective measures, O'Dochartaigh says. Before that, however, loved ones need to recognize that help is needed.

O'Dochartaigh reviews some of the warning signs:

• Clothing - Take notice of a change in clothing style or unusual fashion choices that would allow marks or bruises to be easily hidden. For instance, someone who wears long sleeves even in the dog days of summer may be trying to hide signs of abuse.

• Constant phone calls - Many abusers are very controlling and suspicious, so they will call their victims multiple times each day to "check in." This is a subtle way of manipulating their victims, to make them fearful of uttering a stray word that might alert someone that something is wrong. Many abusers are also jealous, and suspect their partner is cheating on them, and the constant calls are a way of making sure they aren't with anyone they aren't supposed to be around.

• Unaccountable injuries - Sometimes, obvious injuries such as arm bruises or black eyes are a way to show outward domination over the victim. Other times, abusers harm areas of the body that won't be seen by family, friends and coworkers.

• Frequent absences - Often missing work or school and other last-minute plan changes may be a woman hiding abuse, especially if she is otherwise reliable.

• Excessive guilt & culpability - Taking the blame for things that go wrong, even though she was clearly not the person responsible - or she is overly-emotional for her involvement - is a red flag.

• Fear of conflict - Being brow-beaten or physically beaten takes a heavy psychological toll, and anxiety bleeds into other relationships.

• Chronic uncertainty - Abusers often dominate every phase of a victim's life, including what she thinks she likes, so making basic decisions can prove challenging.

About Linda O'Dochartaigh

Linda O'Dochartaigh has worked in health care is an advocate for victims of child abuse and domestic violence.  She wants survivors to know that an enriched, stable and happy life is available to them. O'Dochartaigh is the mother of three grown children and is raising four adopted grandchildren.

Despite slashing government budgets on everything from entitlement to defense programs, NASA is proceeding with its $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission.

Central to the mission's success is Curiosity - a one-ton rover that continues to impress Earthlings with laser blasts for rock samples, mobility via a joystick and plenty of video and pictures. On all accounts, the mission, which may provide answers to questions of life on Mars, has so far been a wild success.

"With this Mars program, NASA has once again captured the imaginations of people throughout the world, instigating conversations about the universe and even the significance of life not only on Earth, but also on other planets," says Sanjay C. Patel, (www.SanjayCPatel.com), author of "God Is Real," a book that explores similarities between modern science and ancient cosmology.

Science and religion do not conflict with each other; they are different languages that ultimately lead to the same truth, he says. As science has done in the past, Patel suspects more data from extraterrestrial locations like Mars will continue to confirm ancient religious theories. He discusses four reasons why the Mars mission is well worth the expense.

• 2012 meets 1492 - an argument for resources: It's not just science-fiction anymore; prominent scientists like Steven Hawking say Earth's moon, Mars and Titan, a moon of Saturn, have resources people will need sooner rather than later. The main reason - the world's explosive growth in human population and the exponential consumption of land and other necessities. What we might find, Patel says, is a scenario very much like that which early Europeans experienced in the New World: new foods, reams of building supplies, new fuels, land and other resources. We may discover things that will become essential to future human beings.

• A spiritual-scientific connection: Science has confirmed what religion posited more than a millennium ago, Patel says. For example, scientific findings have confirmed what ancient Yogis said: That volcanic fire scorched India about 120 million years ago. Related volcanoes in the ocean south of India submerged about 117 million years ago. "The submarine Fire exists in the ocean," he says, quoting ancient Yogis. "It drinks the seawater and removes its saltiness. It then expels the desalinated water from another opening. ... That perfectly describes the undersea volcanoes and hydrothermal vents near India."

• If we're not moving forward ... Predictions as to where we'd be with space exploration in 2012 were quite ambitious during the race to the moon in the 1960s. But we haven't accomplished a lot since then. Celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently argued that we're still reaping the benefits of the research and development that went into the space race decades ago, and to negate space exploration is to turn off one of humanity's most important dimensions - our ambition to innovate.

• Alien life may not be so alien: As the European discovery of the New World revealed, the meeting of foreign civilizations can have disastrous consequences. However, the discovery of life elsewhere, whether or not it is intelligent or self-aware, can further enlighten us as to our origins, our reason for being, and our role in the universe, Patel says.

About Sanjay C. Patel

Sanjay C. Patel studied theology, Sanskrit, ancient cosmology, advanced yoga and meditation techniques, among many other subjects, earning a degree in Divinity at the BAPS Swaminarayan Ashram in India. He continued studies of modern science and ancient spiritual texts for 30 years. His discoveries regarding the convergence of science and ancient texts were published in mainstream science journals and presented at the 22nd International Congress of History of Science in Beijing.

With the war in Afghanistan set to end in 2014, and the Iraq war having ended two years ago, charities that help veterans and their families may be busier than ever - but without the public awareness generated by an ongoing conflict.

Support for the war effort in Afghanistan is on par with the unpopular Vietnam War during the early 1970s, according to a recent Associated Press-GfK poll; only 27 percent of Americans support the effort in Afghanistan. A fundamental difference between then and now, however, is Americans' nearly unanimous support of U.S. troops, says J. L. Narmi, author of SEAL Team 6, bin Laden and Beyond (www.narminovels.com).

"The vitriol expressed toward our Vietnam veterans by many was disgusting, but I think we learned from that injustice, and most Americans think the troops deserve much more support than they're getting," says Narmi, who comes from a military family. All proceeds from his book sales will go to support veterans' charities.

"The problem is that funding, whether it's through government or private charities, doesn't match the expressed support," he says. "And I worry that will only get worse as these soldiers move out of the public eye and try to take up peace-time lives."

Narmi cites some good resources for Americans looking for quality charities that support the troops:

• The Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org): With advances in protective gear and life-saving medical technology, fewer troops are coming home in coffins than in previous wars, but more are coming back with lifelong injury. This charity seeks to foster a generation of well-adjusted wounded service members, and to raise public awareness about their needs and how fellow military men and women can help each other.

• The Navy SEAL Foundation (www.navysealfoundation.org): As detailed in Narmi's novel, SEALs are among the most physically and mentally talented individuals in the world. But they, along with their families, endure enormous stressors, many of which are never discussed due to the nature of their duties. This charity supports these elite warriors and their families.

• Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org): Whether or not you think you know about the legitimacy of a charitable organization, it doesn't hurt to take a few minutes to verify an organization's status. This site is widely recognized by investigative reporters to be a reliable resource in reporting a nonprofit's activity. The above two groups, in which Narmi has donated money, have been verified via Charity Navigator.

• Still not sure? ... Skepticism is understandable. It seems the more we hear or read about charities, the more we learn that we shouldn't simply take their word for how donations will be spent. Media coverage spotlights those outlier groups that are clearly fraudulent; however, most charitable organizations are absolutely streamlined, with workers donating their time or receiving a minimal wage. It has never been easier to verify a charity's reputation. Additionally, for those with the time and willingness, individuals may create their own nonprofit. Narmi is working to set up his own, called Hire the Vets!

"If everyone who said they support the troops gave just a modest amount to help a veteran that has risked his or her life for our freedom, we would come across far fewer tragedies on the news about vet-related joblessness, homelessness and suicide," he says.

About J. L. Narmi

J. L. Narmi comes from family with deep roots in the military; his brother, retired Rear Admiral Ronald E. Narmi, worked closely with SEAL teams throughout his career. Narmi's fascination with the Navy SEALs resulted in ""SEAL Team 6, bin Laden and Beyond," which was completed just eight days before the real-life mission that resulted in bin Laden's death. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and earned his MBA from Creighton University. Narmi is a graduate of the Securities Industry Institute of the Wharton School - University of Pennsylvania.

Income taxes are going up next year, and not just for those who earn more than $200,000 a year.

"Taxes are likely to be higher for everyone" says financial planner Rick Rodgers, author of The New Three-Legged Stool: A Tax Efficient Approach To Retirement Planning (www.RodgersSpeaks.com).

"We all know about the expiring Bush tax cuts, which may or may not be extended for everyone or just some," he says. "There are also new taxes that were part of the healthcare reform law passed in 2010; the expiring payroll tax cut; the alternative minimum tax that already expired in 2011, and many other provisions that have expired or will expire at year end."

Nearly everyone should prepare to pay more, Rodgers says.

The good news is you still have time to take advantage of 2012 tax rates, which may turn out to be the lowest we will see in some time. Rodgers offers these strategies that can be implemented before the end of 2012:

• Roth Conversion - No one knows for sure what will happen to the tax code next year, which is why a Roth conversion is one of the best tax-planning strategies available. Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA creates a taxable event in 2012. All future earnings in the account will be tax-free, as long as you wait five years and are age 59½ or older when you take withdrawals. The biggest advantage to the Roth conversion strategy is the ability to "undo" the transaction as late as Oct. 15, 2013. Should the new Congress pass a major tax reform bill next year that lowers tax rates across the board, you can put the money back into your IRA. It will be like the transaction never happened.

• Harvest capital gains - Harvesting gains is similar to harvesting losses. Sell appreciated securities that you've held for at least 12 months to realize the long-term gain for tax purposes. You can immediately repurchase the same asset because there is no wash sale rule for realizing gains. This allows you to pay tax on the gain in 2012, when rates are low, and establish a new cost basis in the asset to minimize increased gains that may be taxed at higher rates.  This strategy should appeal to anyone in the 15-percent tax bracket because capital gains are taxed at zero and may jump to 8 to 10 percent in 2013 if the tax cuts expire. The strategy is also appealing to anyone subject to the Medicare surtax. If the current tax laws expire, the tax rate on long-term capital gains will jump from 15 percent to 23.8 percent (21.8 percent for assets held more than five years).

• Pay medical expenses - Anyone who normally itemizes medical expenses on their tax return should accelerate those expenses into 2012 if they can. Medical expenses are deductible only if they exceed 7½ percent of adjusted gross income (AGI). This means if your AGI is $50,000, you can deduct only medical expenses over $3,750.  Next year the threshold jumps to 10 percent of AGI.  Pay your January medical insurance premium in December to move this deduction to 2012.  Any routine eye exams or dental visits should be moved up to December.  Paying with a credit card would give you the deduction this year and delay the actual payment until 2013.

Rodgers warns that a common mistake is to wait and see what happens.  It has not been uncommon for Congress to make significant changes to the tax code late in December, leaving taxpayers little time to react.  He advises a diversified approach to tax planning.  Make a partial Roth conversion, harvest some capital gains but don't wait until it's too late to do anything about rising taxes.

Take a proactive approach to tax planning this year to cushion any fall from the fiscal cliff.

About Rick Rodgers

Certified Financial Planner Rick Rodgers is president of Rodgers & Associates, "The Retirement Specialists," in Lancaster, Pa. He's a Certified Retirement Counselor and member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisers. Rodgers has been featured on national radio and TV shows, including "FOX Business News" and "The 700 Club," and is available to speak at conferences and corporate events (www.RodgersSpeaks.com).