Whether you purchased the bond yourself or were given the bond as a gift, it normally cannot be redeemed until 1 year after its purchase. If you live in a federally-declared disaster area, the 1-year waiting period can be waived.  If you are cashing in electronic bonds for disaster relief, simply write an email inside your TreasuryDirect account at https://www.treasurydirect.gov/ explaining the situation. If you’ve been affected by a disaster and are cashing in paper bonds, your bank should be able to waive the 1-year minimum holding fee if you live in a federally-declared disaster area. EE savings bonds were meant to be long-term investments. If you cash in your EE bond before it is 5 years old, you will lose the last 3 months of interest. Paper EE savings bonds double in value at the 20-year mark, meaning that if you want to get the best bang for your buck, wait until the bond has reached its 20-year maturity.  Say you have a bond worth $100 and an interest rate of 0.20%. After 20 years, the bond reaches a maturity value of $200, even though the nominal value of the loan, given the interest rate, would normally be $105. After the adjustment, and until the loan hits 30 years old, it will earn a fixed interest rate. Regardless of the interest rate on your current EE savings bond, waiting 20 years before cashing in the paper bond will guarantee you an effective yield of about 3.5 percent. EE savings bonds only earn interest for 30 years. If you have a bond that is older than 30 years, it doesn't make much sense to keep it invested in an interest-less bond, so cash it in. Knowing the value of EE savings bonds will help you decide whether it's a good idea to cash in your bonds. Depending on the year issued, EE savings bonds have various interest rates.  Bonds bought before May 1997 earn different interest rates depending on when they were bought. Bonds bought between May 1997 and April 2005 earn a variable interest rate, meaning their interest rate changes. It changes every 6 months and it's 90% of the average 5-year Treasury yield for the previous 6 months. Bonds bought between May 2005 and the end of 2006 earn between 3.2 percent and 3.7 percent interest and will continue to do so for as long as you own them.

Summary: Cash in after the mandatory 1-year period unless you’ve been affected by a disaster. Avoid penalties by waiting at least 5 years to cash in your bonds. Wait at least 20 years for the best investment on a paper bond. Cash in any EE savings bond that is older than 30 years old. Find out the interest rate of your EE savings bonds.


The hole should be wide enough to prevent accidental damage to the roots as you plant them. By having a wide hole, you also ensure that the soil directly surrounding the roots is not as compacted, making it easier for the roots to spread. In addition to being twice as wide as the clump of roots, the hole should also be about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) deep. The roots should be below ground level, and the crown should be around 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) below ground level, as well. Refill the hole with the soil you initially removed from the plot. The soil should be of the same loamy consistency as the surrounding soil. Make sure that the roots are completely covered and firmly pack the soil down in place to remove any gaps of air. If planting multiple Astilbe divisions at once, the holes should be spaced far enough apart to allow the roots room to spread. Immediately after planting the root clumps in the ground, you should thoroughly drench the soil with a garden hose or watering can. New plants absorb a great deal of water before they sprout and produce flowers, and if the roots are allowed to dry out during this time, the growing process may be disrupted.

Summary: Dig a hole twice as wide as the clump of roots. Place a division into the hole. Backfill the hole with soil. Space the divisions 1 to 3 feet (30 cm to 1 m) apart from one another. Water the divisions thoroughly.


The head should be straight and not tilted to either side. Perform the following movements to open the airway and make the rescue breaths as effective as possible:  Put one hand under the child’s chin and the other on the top of the head. Gently tilt the head back and lift the chin. Use your thumb and forefinger to close the child’s nose. If the child is younger than one year, you don’t need to do this because you will breathe into both the child’s nose and mouth. Do not move the head more than necessary if you think the child may have a spinal cord injury. Take breath and lean over the child so that your lips are over her mouth and form an airtight seal. If the child is younger than one year, cover both the nose and the mouth with your mouth. Breathe gently and steadily into the child’s mouth for one to one and a half seconds, watching for the chest to rise.  After exhaling into the child’s mouth turn your head and watch to see if the chest deflates as it would during natural breathing. If so, this suggests that the breath was effective and the airway is not blocked. If you have a barrier mask with a one-way valve, wear it while providing breathing assistance. This will protect you from any infections that the child may have. If the airway is obstructed, you may see that the breath you exhale doesn’t inflate the lungs. You may also feel that it blows back in your face instead of going into the child’s body. If this is the case, you need to check for an obstruction.  Open the child’s mouth. Look inside to see if you see any pieces of food or objects that the child may have choked on. If so, remove them. Do not poke your fingers or any other object deep into the child’s throat. If you do, you run the risk of pushing an object further in. If you don't see an object, reposition the child's head and try another rescue breath. Consider performing maneuvers for possible choking or foreign bodies if you cannot get air in. Continue rescue breathing, giving one breath every three seconds for the child. Check for a pulse every two minutes while doing rescue breathing, and to perform regular CPR with chest compressions if the child loses her pulse. Continue with rescue breathing until one of the following occurs:  The child begins breathing on her own. You will notice that she is improving if she starts coughing or moving. Emergency responders arrive. At that point, they will take over.

Summary: Position the head for rescue breathing. Provide rescue breaths. Clear the airway if necessary. Continue rescue breathing.


To go deeper into the cartoon, it’s essential that you pinpoint the issue that the cartoonist is portraying. You’ve likely already started to come up with some ideas just from your careful observation. Now, challenge yourself to determine what the exact topic is. If you need help, google the terms, people, or places that you recognize and see what they’ve been in the news for recently. Do some background research and see if the themes and events seem to connect to what you saw in the cartoon. Cartoons are often made about controversial topics, so there are likely several different viewpoints the cartoonist could have taken. Determining what their view is will help you glean the overall message. Ask yourself how the different characters, objects, or places are portrayed, and if you can identify a clear hero, villain, or victim. The view might be complex, but do your best to parse it out. For example, an anti-war cartoon might portray the soldiers as heroes, but the government ordering them into battle as selfish or wrong. Once you’ve put together all the elements of the cartoon, take a moment and think about how effective it is. Consider this from your point of view as well as that of the intended audience. Ask yourself: Does it make a sound argument? Does it use appropriate and meaningful symbols and words to convey a viewpoint? Do the people and objects in the cartoon adequately represent the issue?
Summary: Use the figures, symbols, and text to identify the issue at play. Decide what perspective the artist has on the issue. Evaluate the effectiveness of the cartoon.