Issue 6: The Creative Arts by PS Magazine

THE CREATIVE ARTS

SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2014 ISSUE 6

Exclusive Interview with

DEAN KOONTZ The Lost Art of Letters

The Late Style of Creative Geniuses

Master Yogi TAO PORCHON-LYNCH IN SEARCH OF VITAMIN G i

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ISSUE 6 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

MEET ME AT MOMA. PHOTO: MICHAEL NAGLE

The Creative Arts

DEPARTMENTS 6 Remember When 10 Did You Know? MEET ME AT MOMA. PHOTO: JASON BROWNRIGG

11 Health & Wellness: Take A Hike! The Benefits of Walking to Stay Creative 14 Life with The Eden Alternative: Knocking on the Back Door to the Soul

FEATURES

18 Dr. Lori: In Search of Vitamin G: The Benefits of Exercising in Green Space

The Lost Art of Letters by Katherine Adams

20 The Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging: The Arts Are Chocolate for Your Brain

24 House Call with Dr. Kramps: Late Life Depression

An Interview with Dean Koontz: The Man Behind The Best-Selling Name by Christina Burns

42 Engaging in the Late Style of Creativity by Enuma Okoro

46 The Tao of Yoga: Life Lessons from a Master Yogi by Christina Burns

IN EVERY ISSUE 4

Letter from the Publisher

49 Books: Leonardoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brain 50

Games & Puzzles

54 Fun & Games 57 Horoscopes 61 Puzzle Solutions 64 The Last Laugh 3

LE T TER FROM THE PUBLISHER

uring his 70th year, my grandfather’s recently diagnosed stomach cancer paralyzed him from the waist down. Up until then, “Happy Jack” had lived a very active life, dedicated to his work and to raising thirteen children with a loving wife of more than forty years. His doctors advised him to settle in and expect to live the balance of his remaining time in a wheelchair, but Jack wouldn’t abide by that. Instead, supported by many unsung, caregiving heroes (which most families have) such as my sister and other grandchildren and children, Jack persevered first through a long period of rehab and, after a few years, proudly recaptured the ability to self-ambulate with a walker. When Jack departed some years later (a night one of his favorite NY Mets, Lenny Dykstra, homered to win the game…at which I and others were in attendance), our memories of his legendary perseverance were supercharged with a collection of poems he started writing soon after he became paralyzed. Ranging from simply versed celebrations of staring at the ocean to more complex spiritual odes, Jack tapped a creative passion later in his life that helped fuel his ambition to overcome significant physical challenges. In doing so, he also bequeathed to us very personal and inspirational life examples that others can follow and emulate—a group in which I absolutely include myself. Today, some of Jack’s work is framed and on display where his greatgreat-grandchildren can read his rhymes and connect with his thoughts. Similarly, over the past six years, I’ve visited hundreds of senior communities all across America and admired the countless works of art and other expressions of creativity that grace many hallways and common spaces. Each piece is a testament to what many of us know from personal experience: we are a national culture surrounded by thriving and creative aging individuals who continue to inspire and speak to us throughout the entirety of their lives…and beyond.

Sincerely,

John Polatz Publisher and CEO 4

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POP CULTURE, NEWS, AND EVENTS FROM PAST DECADES

Remember When... 1934

1944 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared together in the musical film, The Gay Divorcee. PHOTO: SILVER SCREEN COLLECTION/ GETTY IMAGES

“Kilroy Was Here” was a form of graffiti to mark where an American serviceman had been, and to offer encouragement to others who were serving in far-flung places.

The musical production, Anything Goes, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, made its debut on Broadway. PHOTO: SASHA/GETTY IMAGES

Ansel Adams published a book of photographs depicting the experience of Japanese interment camps in the US.

1954

Ernest Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in literature for The Old Man and the Sea. PHOTO: NORDIC PHOTOS/SUPERSTOCK

1964

1974

President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the first members of the National Council on the Arts including Gregory Peck, Ralph Ellison, Leonard Bernstein, Agnes de Mille, and David Smith. Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov defected from the USSR while in Canada, eventually taking citizenship in the US. PHOTO: DOUG GRIFFIN/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

Harpo Marx, the hornblowing middle brother of the Marx Brothers, died nearly six months following his retirement. The US Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, DC was completed. Felix de Weldon’s sculpture is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in the defense of the US since 1775. PHOTO: MESUT DOGAN/123RF

PHOTO: PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Slava (“Sal”) Veder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, Burst of Joy, depicted an American prisoner of war reuniting with his family after 5 years of captivity. PHOTO: AP PHOTO/SAL VEDER

1984

1994

2004

The Andy Warhol Museum was established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PHOTO: ANDY WARHOL, CAMPBELL’S SOUP II, 1969, © AWF

Tom Clancy’s debut novel, The Hunt for Red October, was published, which introduced his recurring series character, Jack Ryan.

The theatrical production company, Cirque du Soleil, was founded with funding from the Quebec government. PHOTO: © THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

LIFE magazine was revived, this time as a weekly publication that was included as a free supplement to some US newspapers. Anna Karenina, written by Leo Tolstoy in 1877, once again became a bestseller after being featured on Oprah’s Book Club.

PHOTO: MAX VADUKUL/THE LIFE PREMIUM COLLECTION/ GETTY IMAGES

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, was named as the first person to become a US-dollar billionaire by writing books.

Remember When... PUBLIC ART DEPICTED AMERICAN LIFE

RAY STRONG, GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, 1934. SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC / ART RESOURCE, NY

n 1934, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, American artists were given the opportunity to benefit from the first federally funded arts program, the Public Works for Art Project. The program, which only lasted for the first six months of that year, hired 3,749 artists who were paid an average of about $75 per artwork. Artists were asked to depict “the American Scene” during the Depression era. The 15,663 works produced were displayed in schools, libraries, post offices, museums, and government buildings.

MILLARD SHEETS, TENEMENT FLATS (FAMILY FLATS), CA. 1934 SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC / ART RESOURCE, NY

DID YOU KNOW FASCINATING FACTS TO KNOW AND TELL

For 47 days Henri Matisse’s painting Le Bateau hung upside down in the Museum of Modern Art’s 1961 exhibition, The Last Works of Henri Matisse. No one noticed the error— not even Matisse’s son—until a visitor noticed the discrepancy compared to the exhibition catalog. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) created The Cat in the Hat when he was challenged by publishing executive William Spaulding, who wanted a school primer that would inspire kids to read more. Geisel managed to use 236 of the 348 words selected from a standard first grader’s vocabulary list. The Cat in the Hat was published in 1957 and sold around one million copies in the first three years. A study conducted in 1995 found that pigeons are able to differentiate between cubist and impressionism paintings. The birds were first trained with a limited set of paintings by Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet. Only when a Picasso painting was shown did the pigeons obtain food with repeated pecking. They were then able to generalize and correctly discriminate between the two painters as well as the works of other cubist and impressionist paintings. PHOTO: 123RF SOLEG/123RF; IMAGE: CLAUDE MONET, THE JAPANESE FOOTBRIDGE, 1899. NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON. GIFT OF VICTORIA NEBEKER COBERLY, IN MEMORY OF HER SON JOHN W. UDD, AND LEONORE

In 2012 the Brazilian prison system introduced its program, “Redemption through Reading.” Brazilian inmates can reduce their sentence four days for every approved book they finish reading and then write a satisfactory essay on, which must conform to standard writing rules and format. The approved list includes 12 works of science, philosophy, and classic literature. PHOTO: 123RF JONATHAN KERSHAW/123RF

NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM AND THE SUN NEWSPAPER PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

IMAGE: HENRI MATISSE, LE BATEAU, 1953

HEALTH & WELLNESS

TAKE A HIKE! The Benefits of Walking to Stay Creative

PHOTO: NILS VOLKMER/123RF

ou may have heard it before from stories of ancient scholars to anecdotes of thinkers

taking a break when faced with a stubborn creative

block, or inventors pacing back and forth in their offices in search of solutions: walking boosts creative thinking. 11

We might ascribe to these characters an active personality type, one that needs to move around in order to relieve stress or blow off steam. Only recently has scientific scrutiny turned its lens to the reality behind this common assertion, to see if walking actually promotes creativity. In a study conducted last spring at Stanford University, researchers showed that while walking, people were more inventive and prolific in their responses when given questions testing so-called “divergent thinking,” which measures creative problem-solving. Some were more than two times more creative in their responses while walking than when just sitting. Surprisingly, it didn’t matter if these people were walking outside, or in one room walking on a treadmill, the results were the same; it was the physical action of walking, not the environment, that provided inspiration. And the creative juices continued to flow for some time after the walker sat down again. Other studies suggest that there can be quite disparate effects on creativity depending on where one walks. However, these are much more difficult to assess. For example, 12

for some, an urban environment produces disjointed and distracted thoughts, while for others, cities are creatively stimulating. By and large, however, it seems that peaceful walks are more beneficial. For a while now, scientists have linked exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, with maintaining a healthy brain and safeguarding cognition. Only now are they looking into the possible benefits of gentle exercise, specifically walking, on the processes of the mind. It’s notoriously difficult to pinpoint the origin of inspiration, the sudden flash of insight that comes about when the mind is unhindered by rigorous rules and preconceptions; but researchers and creative thinkers have some good theories about how walking helps foster innovation. Walking seems to work much like how music affects our moods and, incidentally, not at all like the brain activity produced by harder exercise. The rhythm of our walking is like internal biofeedback, our pace naturally following the contours of our thoughts and moods. And vice versa, as we can change our thoughts and moods by consciously

PHOTO: CHRISTINE LANGER-PUESCHEL/123RF

changing our pace. The steady, repetitive nature of walking somehow opens the channels of creativity, perhaps merely by improving our moods, one of the proven benefits of walking. It may be that, when no longer conscious of our movements (walking requires very little concentration for most of us), the mind flows with the beat of our own bodies’ treading. It does not spend energy suppressing thoughts or rationalizing, but meanders through all sorts of possibilities. Poets, especially, have historically been fond of composing while walking, spinning off eloquent descriptors, perhaps finding the rhythm of their feet as helpful to their creative impulses as the sights and images they encountered. Writers, too, have advocated for walking as crucial to inventiveness. Friedrich Nietzsche credited a series of daily walks for his philosophical novel, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which he claimed to have conceived in almost its entirety while walking, formulated in his mind long before he sat down and put pen to paper. Describing the creative experiences precipitated during his walks, he

wrote, “One hears, one does not seek; one accepts, one does not ask who gives; like lightning, a thought flashes up, with necessity, without hesitation regarding its form—I have never had any choice.” Yet while walking is beneficial for creative thinking, it proves less applicable if one needs focused attention. Researchers found that walkers did more poorly when asked to come up with specific answers to straightforward questions, tests that measure “convergent thinking.” If you need to work on a problem of this nature, walking may not help. If you want to get your creativity flowing, go for a walk! 13

LIFE WITH THE EDEN ALTERNATIVE

KNOCKING

ON THE BACK DOOR TO THE

SOUL

It’s 1995. My father, who is living with Alzheimer’s disease, sits across from me in a restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He is quiet, staring at his hands in his lap. Most of the day, he’s seemed lost in his own world…one I can’t quite seem to reach. While we sit there, picking at our food, a Flamenco guitarist sets up in the corner of the room and begins to strum a few chords. The music begins to pick up, and I watch Dad’s eyes focus in a way that I hadn’t seen in months. There’s a light there, a glimmer of someone I used to know. As the music builds, so does Dad’s attention, and before I know it, he’s across the room, clapping out the most exquisite flamenco beat in perfect time to the music. The guitarist grins approvingly and eggs him on in Spanish. Dad doesn’t speak Spanish, but the language they share in this moment tran-scends any spoken word or dialect. 14

PHOTO: COURTESY OF BOND360

by LAURA BECK

A door in time has somehow opened, and I can see the cocky young soldier, devastating women on the dance floor with merengue, tango, and paso doble. As a young man, Dad had been a 1940s-era bad boy, the gorgeous Errol Flynn type, who convinced my mother to marry him during a single spin on the dance floor. Mom said he could own the room, when he wanted to. And here, he’s owning it again, so “big” in who he is, who he’d been, and who he will always be in my heart. Fast forward to the spring of 2012. There’s buzz in my email inbox and Facebook about someone named Henry, a man living with dementia, and a video clip of him has gone viral on social media. This catches my attention. Working in the field of eldercare, I’m sadly unaccustomed to people expressing much interest in those who live with dementia. When I watch the clip of Henry, however, I see the fascination. What I find is an incredible example of the tenacity of the human spirit. Our first sight of Henry finds him listless and bent over his interlaced fingers. But, once he’s offered an iPod that plays his favorite music—the jazz singer Cab Calloway—Henry begins

to bloom like a flower. His posture changes, his eyes open wide, his hands move with the music, he begins to croon and scat along with style, throwing in a spirited “OoWWWW!” here and there, for emphasis. An off-camera voice asks Henry what the music does for him. Minimally responsive only moments before, Henry eloquently states, “It gives me the feeling of love…I feel a band of love, of dreams.” Identity, meaning, and joy are among seven domains of experience that The Eden Alternative says are essential to our wellbeing. In the video clip, Henry’s reflections are cross-cut with comments from renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, who shares that the music has helped Henry become “restored to himself,” that he has “re-acquired his identity.” Like that day back in 1995 with Dad, Henry’s favorite music has offered a back door to the soul, a way back to what inspires him and all that is rich in meaning and memory. Henry’s story and a handful of others are the focus of the documentary film, Alive Inside, winner of the Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. 15

This moving documentary highlights the work of Dan Cohen, a social worker determined to transform the lives of those living with dementia and other cognitive challenges through access to personalized music. Mr. Cohen’s work builds on extensive research that affirms the neuroscientific impact of music on the brain. Experts maintain that music serves as a sort of portal to our unique personhood. We can all recall times in our lives when a song we hear triggers a memory, a feeling, or even sensory information associated with a certain moment in time. This becomes especially crucial when memory is challenged in some way and the experience of our own identity is harder to access. Then, notes Dr. Sacks, our sense of self, “which is not recoverable in any other way, is embedded, as if in amber, in the music.” Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Principle Six of The Eden Alternative reminds us that tapping into those things that we find meaningful is essential to our health. Thus, when we can no longer connect to our true essence through the usual channels, the soul finds an alternate route through the power of 16

Experts maintain that music serves as a portal to our unique personhood. music. It is no surprise, then, that when Dad lost the ability to express himself with words, he began to sing his story instead. In the last two years of his life, Dad found his voice mostly through jazz scat. Like Henry, this had been the music of his youth, and with a flawless sense of rhythm, he would sing to me how he was feeling. “Ba doobee ba ba, bada boom ba boom,” I might hear, capped with “and that’s it” on the end like punctuation. I could sense his mood through his inflection. If he was melancholy, the singing would be slower, softer. If he was angry, he’d riff through gritted teeth. If it was joy he felt, it was infectious. What touched me was how we seemed to feel closer through all of this. The new language we shared called on me to tune into him and reach him in a way that the use of words had somehow prohibited.

JAMES STEVENSON, THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION/THE CARTOON BANK

As the Persian poet Rumi once said, we had “fallen into the place where everything is music.” Where words no longer brought us together, something richer did…a universal expression, a deeper knowing…a place where the resilient human spirit, against all odds, rises to meet itself and seek another.

Laura Beck is the Learning and Development Guide for The Eden Alternative, an international, non-profit organization focused on creating quality of life for Elders and their care partners. For more information about The Eden Alternative, go to www.edenalt.org.

“Tell us again about Monet, Grandpa.” 17

Doctor Lori Stevic-Rust IN SEARCH OF VITAMIN G:

THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISING IN

Green Space

cientists have begun to study the physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vitamin G,â&#x20AC;? or green exercise. This refers to exercising by taking short walks, gardening, running, or engaging in more extensive cardiovascular workouts while outdoors. Studies have found that when we are outdoors our minds are more relaxed and our bodies tend to breathe more efficiently. Nature brings about a certain peaceful atmosphere that makes exercising a pleasant experience

with minimal distractions. Being active while outside allows for more efficient oxygen consumption, allowing for better endurance training for athletes or simply improving exercise efficiencies. Growing evidence from researchers has shown that engaging in physical activities in green space reduces stress, improves depression, manages anger, and contributes to an overall sense of well-being. British researchers concluded that even short periods of green exercise, as little as five minutes, were enough to make a positive difference on physical energy and mental wellbeing. And, motivation and commitment to an exercise plan was significantly greater for those who exercised in green space compared to those who exercised indoors. Yet another study from Japan found measurable benefits to the nervous system with notable reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of subjects when they performed activities in green space compared to those who were indoors.

PHOTO: MARCY MALOY/GETTY IMAGES

Simply bringing nature into view or inside can also have a significant effect. In a study measuring psychophysiological stress through electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), blood volume pulse (BVP), and state anxiety indicators, those who had a view of the outdoors were less physiologically stressed than those without a window. Similarly, research conducted in a hospital setting revealed that patients who had a view of the outdoors or had plants in their hospital rooms tended to recover faster and experienced less pain compared to those with no plant material or window. The added benefit to exercising near water shows to have greater levels of relaxation; meditation and enhanced self-esteem have been reported. Further, being in green space exposes individuals to sunshine, which has long been known to improve mood by affecting the chemistry of the brain. During the course of a normal day, we are bombarded with multiple distractors and stimulants that

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR VITAMIN G • Walk outside, even for 5 to 10 minutes, particularly when the sun is shining • Try to perform indoor exercises near a window • Incorporate live plants into your living space • Purchase a membership to a wildlife organizations, then set a schedule to visit regularly our mind has to forcibly push from awareness. In nature, the inhibitory centers of the brain do not have to work as hard to push out distractors. The mind can take in the everchanging stimuli in nature that creates harmony and relaxation in the mind. 19

THE BENJAMIN ROSE INSTITUTE ON AGING

The

Arts Are

Chocolate for Your

Brain

PHOTO: HOWARD SHOOTER/GETTY IMAGES

by DR. LINDA NOELKER

r. Gene Cohen, a preeminent gero-psychiatrist, scholar, and research scientist, loved to say the arts are chocolate for the brain. He authored the book, The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life. Dr. Cohen believed maturity and the unique life experiences it brings increase our potential for creative expression. His mission was to help us learn how to tap into this inner potential and enrich our middle and later years. The approach he took was to investigate how older adults’ participation in performing arts programs affected their physical and emotional health and social engagement. He studied older adults who joined a professionally conducted chorale group and a comparison group of adults who engaged in their usual leisure activities. After one year, findings showed those in the chorale group had higher ratings of physical health, fewer doctor visits, less medication use, fewer falls, higher morale, and were less lonely than those in the comparison group. Since Dr. Cohen and his colleagues published this research in 2006, other researchers have added to the

scientific evidence that engaging in the visual and performing arts helps maintain health and quality of life. Some of the studies have focused on how the arts can help family caregivers and those for whom they care. One investigation showed that family caregivers of hospitalized cancer patients who engaged in creative arts activities at bedside experienced less stress and anxiety and more positive emotions. The caregivers also increased their positive communication with the cancer patients and their health care providers and derived enjoyment from the artwork they created. Caring for family members with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders can be especially stressful for caregivers. In response, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City developed a groundbreaking program in 2007 called Meet Me at MoMA to address the needs of caregivers and persons with early stage Alzheimer’s disease. The MoMA Alzheimer’s Project offers a monthly gallerydiscussion program led by specially trained members of the museum’s Department of Education. The 21

MEET ME AT MOMA. PHOTO: JASON BROWNRIGG

educator facilitates warm and interactive discussion to assist caregivers’ and their relatives’ experience of great art together. Small groups are led through a tour of four or five artworks that relate to a theme and the educator engages participants in observing, describing, and connecting to the works and each other. The program offers a safe yet stimulating environment in which the opinions of all participants are valued to increase feelings of selfworth and esteem. The program was formally evaluated by research scientists from the New York University Center of Excellence for Brain Aging and Dementia. Findings showed both 22

caregivers and care receivers experienced improved mood directly after participation and in the days following the museum visit. Almost all caregivers planned on returning for future visits which is further evidence of the program’s value and benefits. To encourage replication of the program by museums across the nation, the project produced a publication in 2009 titled Meet Me: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia. It has been widely adopted and proven to be a vital resource for making arts programs available for the enjoyment of those with memory disorders and family caregivers.

SAM GROSS, THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION/THE CARTOON BANK

Benjamin Rose has long recognized the importance of art and music therapy, making them a part of programs for older clients in the Adult Day Program and to residents and their families when it operated residential care settings. Currently, Benjamin Rose leads the Northeast Ohio Center for Creative Aging to expand opportunities for older adults’ participation in the arts, and increase the scientific evidence for the health and quality of life benefits of arts participation.

Dr. Noelker joined the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging in 1974 and has served in a variety of capacities including Director of Research, Director of the Katz Policy Institute, and Senior Vice President. Currently, she is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and Senior Outreach Services, and was recently elected President of the Board of Directors for the National Center for Creative Aging. In 2011, Dr. Noelker was inducted into Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame.

“I’m writing a memoir. It’s mostly recipes.” 23

HOUSE CALLS WITH DR. KRAMPS

Late Life

DEPRESSION by MELISSA KRAMPS, DNP

Just this week alone, I have treated eleven patients for depression in my clinical practice. Unfortunately, many cases of depression go undetected and therefore untreated, leading to unnecessary suffering. In fact, the age of 85+ group has the second highest rate of suicide in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). 24

The missed diagnosis of depression in older adults happens for a number of reasons. There is the misperception, both on the part of the patient and some healthcare providers, that depression is a normal part of aging. Comments such as, “If you lost your spouse of 50 years you would feel depressed too” or, “If I was old and had multiple medical problems and all of my friends moved away, I would be depressed,” may justify feelings of depression but do not take into account that you don’t have to feel that way. Yes, grief associated with loss is normal, but it should not persist beyond a period of time or interfere with a person’s day-to-day function. Not all older adults experience classic depression. This is another reason why it can be missed. Rather than having a feeling of a depressed mood, some people may have difficulty sleeping, become more irritable, or develop excessive fatigue or other physical symptoms. Depression can manifest as difficulty concentrating, easy tearfulness, or weight changes. Some older adults mistakenly attribute their symptoms of depression to one of their chronic illnesses, such as stomach pains in a person

with a history of gastrointestinal problems. Clinicians start to suspect depression as the cause of symptoms when the medical work-up of symptoms does not reveal a cause. When mental anguish takes a physical form, it is referred to as somatization. There are also some diseases that have depression as a presenting symptom. An underactive thyroid gland and heart disease can each cause depressive symptoms. There is an association between stroke and development of depression. Illnesses such as Parkinson disease and Alzheimer’s disease can be preceded by depression for years. Even some cancers have depression as an initial symptom. A loss of interest or pleasure, low energy, or just a general “not right” feeling can be symptoms of depression and are worth mentioning to your healthcare provider. There are several options for treatment for depression that can lead to an improved quality of life. Medication and psychotherapy both work for depression on their own, and they are even more successful when they are used together. For some people who have more severe or difficult to treat depression, electroconvul25

GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE Choose the best answer for how you have felt over the past week: 1. Are you basically satisfied with your life? YES / NO 2. Have you dropped many of your activities and interests? YES / NO 3. Do you feel that your life is empty? YES / NO 4. Do you often get bored? YES / NO 5. Are you in good spirits most of the time? YES / NO 6. Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen to you? YES / NO 7. Do you feel happy most of the time? YES / NO 8. Do you often feel helpless? YES / NO 9. Do you prefer to stay at home, rather than going out and doing new things? YES / NO 10. Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most? YES / NO 11. Do you think it is wonderful to be alive now? YES / NO 12. Do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now? YES / NO 13. Do you feel full of energy? YES / NO 14. Do you feel that your situation is hopeless? YES / NO 15. Do you think that most people are better off than you are? YES / NO  Answers in red indicate depression. Score 1 point for each red answer.  A score of more than 5 points is suggestive of depression and should warrant a follow-up comprehensive assessment.  A score greater than 10 points is almost always indicative of depression. 26

sive therapy can be very effective. There are things you can do to improve your mood and protect against depression. The first is to avoid social isolation. This can be difficult at a time in your life when friends are moving or passing away, or your family lives out of state. Make an effort to speak to at least one person a day, even if it is only over the telephone. Some older people are reluctant to participate in activities within their senior community, but they can be a great place to expand your social network. If you are Internet savvy, you can look into meet-up groups in your area to participate in activities with people who share similar interests. Pursuing your hobbies or cultivating new ones is another way to keep you active and engaged with life. This is particularly helpful if your chosen activity involves other people. You may even think about teaching your skill as a way to feel useful and to meet new people. For example, knitting is a rather solitary hobby. However, you may choose to knit in a coffee shop while sitting at a communal table, join a knitting circle, or volunteer to teach school children how to knit.

Simply taking the time to appreciate the beauty in life can be uplifting to the spirit. Treat yourself to fresh flowers or visit your local botanic garden. If you cannot go to the ballet or the symphony, listen to classical music on the radio or buy a DVD of your favorite ballet to enjoy at home. The Metropolitan Opera offers live broadcasts of performances you can attend at your local cinema and also has recordings you can watch on demand on a computer or iPad. Take advantage of senior discounts at museums and explore the exhibits on your own or do a guided tour. 27

Exercise is also an excellent way to improve your mood. It is a natural antidepressant, increasing the brain chemicals responsible for feeling good. It can alleviate the anxiety sometimes associated with depression and get your mind off worries. The exercise does not need to be intense. You can go for a walk, do some gardening, lift lighter weights, dance, or do any other activity that gets your heart pumping. Everyone feels sad or blue sometimes, but if it is persistent and interfering with everyday life you should take charge of your health and speak to your provider about whether you may be experiencing depression. Depression is an illness, not a weakness in character or an indication that you are crazy. If someone you care about is suffering from depression, you should understand that it is not just a passing mood or something that they can “snap out of.” Social and physical activity can minimize the risk for depression and also be strategies for treating it.

Melissa Kramps, DNP, NP-C, GNP-BC is a board certified nurse practitioner in adult health and gerontology who earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Columbia University School of Nursing. She has experience in hospital medicine, primary care, and teaching. Dr. Kramps currently works in neurology at the Weill Cornell Memory Disorders Program in New York City.

by KATHERINE ADAMS

t’s had a good run. But after more than two and a half millennia, the age—and art—of writing letters is coming to a close. Its demise has been decreed by the arrival of technology and the resulting equalization of society. The telegram and the telephone heralded the end if they did not exactly cause it; telegrams were engineered to be specialized and succinct while telephones, at least at first, did not make calling long distance particularly easy. Nor did one necessarily want to share intimate thoughts and emotions while speaking into a plastic receiver, though certainly

we have become far more at ease with the practice. Etiquette die-hards lamented the impersonal effects of the electric typewriter, the fax, the computer— but it was really email that changed everything. Electronic mail is our main mode of correspondence today, in business and personal interactions, surpassing even telephones, and causing so-called “snail mail” to be old-fashioned and almost obsolete. And phone texting makes it possible to have instantaneous dialogues with people over distances, not unlike the telephone, and yet for some inexplicable reason, texting is the preferred method of 29

are on display in libraries around the world. In our own time, most correspondences are stored and subsequently lost and forgotten in computers. There will be fewer and fewer handwritten letters exchanged, fewer love letters sent by travelers back home, or to beloved spouses on the battlefield. Evidence of letter writing exists from the fifth century B.C., and the language of letters has changed very little since then. We open with a greeting, express a thought, and then close the letter, usually with an endearment. Most letters have formed parts of ongoing correspondences—long, thoughtful dialogues recorded over time. Historically, extensive philosophical and theological treatises were relayed in this way. Paul’s epistles make up no less than thirteen books of the New Testament. Epistolary is also how we know so much about the teachings of Saint Augustine of Hippo, just one of many religious leaders throughout history who

IMAGE: LA LETTRE, 1843. PHOTO BY ABRAHAM SOLOMON/FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHIC/GETTY IMAGES

communication among today’s youth. The trend in communication seems irreversibly headed towards elusive words, where messages and texts lack the articulation of letters past. There are many people who are resisting this sea change, arguing that it is not possible to compare the brevity and transient nature of texts and emails to thoughtful handwritten letters. For them, a letter is a physical, tangible connection between people. Undoubtedly, the process is inherently intimate; it begins with an intention, transfers one’s sentiments onto a blank page through the medium of ink and paper. As if a contact relic, it passes from one hand through the mail to the recipient, an object that exists in real space, not cyberspace. Just think how precious the handwritten letters of the past, of famous men and women in history, even the letters of the common people that witnessed and commented upon significant events, or recorded their loves and losses, fears and aspirations. These sacred artifacts

spent a great deal of his time writing developed as early as the 15th cenletters. He claimed that these were tury, in which a series of letters is his conversations with people that used to tell the story, allowing autime and geography had separated thors to switch points of view. 17th from him. With letters, he estaband 18th century novelists deemed lished very close friendships with people from around the Mediterranean whom he never met in person. And, letters have sometimes left entirely different legacies than public personas might have wished, such as Emily Dickinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passionate side as revealed in her personal correspondence, and Napoleon Bonaparteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maudlin love letters to Josephine. In letters, we are permitted insights into personalities that would never be revealed otherwise. A testament to their importance in European society is Letter from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the rise of the epistoto Maria Anna Mozart, 1770 lary novel, perhaps 31

Factoids

ABOUT LE T TER WRITING

The first record of using â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dearâ&#x20AC;? in the salutation is on a letter dated ca. A.D. 1250. j Among the most common materials used in the ancient world correspondences were ostraca, small shards of broken pottery, plentiful and cheap, of which numerous examples survive. j Paper was invented by the Chinese around A.D. 250 and made its way west via the Silk Road centuries later. The manufacture of paper in the West began in the Islamic Iberian Peninsula around the 10th century. j Fountain pens have been around since the 17th century, but it was not until the 1850s that fountain pens with reliable technology were invented and not until the 1880s that they were mass-produced. j Postage for letters used to be the responsibility of the recipient, not the sender.

them so important that letters were practically ubiquitous as literary devices, employed to reveal the true motivations of their characters and thus essential to plot development. Already by the early 20th century there were complaints that the art of writing letters was lost. At first, the invention of the postage stamp was blamed, which the conservative, upper class believed cheapened the entire transaction, permitting the masses to dash off letters of little thought or importance. Technology has indeed made communication easier and there is no doubt we take for granted that it is possible to call, email, or text someone and have the message conveyed in an instant. Certainly we can take pleasure in these advantages as we communicate instantly and frequently with our loved ones. Letters require waiting, and it seems almost pointless to do so in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world. Yet there are reasons to write a letter, circumstances in which a letter is simply superior, such as thank-you and sympathy letters. However, some still find

satisfaction in expanding this limited range to include genuine letter correspondences with friends and family. Those who do find the reward in the process itself, they are writers by hobby and by trade. Indeed, most creative writers have historically been prolific letter writers. The blank page is like a

canvas, and the writer an artist. It opens a space upon which one can reflect and create, potentially leading to greater self-awareness, not to mention eloquence and lucidity of thought. Our first written treatise about the purpose of letter writing dates to the 2nd or 1st century B.C., in which the attributed author, Demetrius, writes: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The letter, like the dialogue, should be strong on characterization; for a person writes a letter almost drawing an image of his own soul. In every other form of composition, it is possible to discern the writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character, but in none so clearly as in the letter.â&#x20AC;?

Letter from Helen Keller to Alexander Graham Bell, 1900 33

DE AN KOONTZ The Man Behind the Best-Selling Name

The highly acclaimed novelist shares his passions and creative process with PS Magazine.

PHOTO: JERRY BAUER

by CHRISTINA BURNS

hances are pretty good that you have read one of Dean Koontz’s books. If you have not, then you have most certainly spotted one if you have ever stepped foot into a supermarket checkout line, an airport gift shop, or any library or bookstore. In fact, he is so synonymous with the suspense-thriller genre that on the front cover of any of his numerous novels, his name appears as prominently as—if not larger than—the book’s title. 34

Mr. Koontz is a world-class author in league with the likes of J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, Stephen King, and Tom Clancy. His work has been translated into 38 languages, appeared numerous times as no. 1 on The New York Times Bestsellers List, and at present, over 450 million books by him have been sold. His ability to craft compelling storylines that mix suspense, mystery, and science fiction with intelligent humor and deep humility has captivated a legion of fans. In this exclusive interview with PS Magazine, Mr. Koontz describes where he came from, his creative process, his passionate love and devotion to animals, and just what it means to be a best-selling novelist.

PHOTO: JERRY BAUER

Q: Early in your career, your wife, Gerda, proposed a five-year trial for you to dedicate yourself as a professional writer. What was the turning point for you both during that period?

Gerda and Dean

A: Gerda offered to support us for five years if I gave up my teaching job and became a full-time writer. I tried to negotiate her up to seven, but she has Sicilian blood and wins all negotiations! I had, by then, sold a few paperbacks and short stories, but I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t making a living from writing. The turning point? I moved from science fiction, where I started, to suspense and mainstream fiction. After four years or so, Gerda quit her job and began managing our finances and doing some of my research. She says in one way it was a mistake because when she worked for other people, she put in only a forty-hour week! 35

Q: It is well documented that you work for long sessions at a time. What does your daily ritual involve? A: Up at 5:45. Shower, shave, take the dog—Anna—for a walk. By 7:00, I have breakfast at my desk and read The Wall Street Journal. I’m at work by 7:30. I rarely have lunch. I work until 5:00 or 5:30. I do this six days a week. During the last month of a novel, I get up earlier. I love long sessions. The real world fades and the world of the novel becomes more vivid to me. If the characters are true to life, I laugh out loud when writing dialogue, as if I’m hearing their unique voices when they say something funny, and if tragedy strikes them, I can be moved to tears. Employees, passing my office, hearing me, probably think I should be institutionalized! He’s in there alone, laughing! Now he’s crying! Q: You have an enormous body of work. What’s your creative process for starting a new book? A: I begin with an interesting premise. In The Husband, for instance: what if the wife of a gardener was kidnapped and he needed to come up with $2 million in ransom, though he only has $11,000 in the bank? Why would the kidnappers think he could get the money? And could he? Next I ask myself what themes the premise is likely to involve—what the book is about, aside from plot. Then what kind of character is likely to be the best vessel with which to explore those themes. When I have one or two

PHOTO: DAN MACMEDAN/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

Anna and Dean at home key characters, I give them free will and see where they take me. I don’t use outlines. It’s like leaping off a cliff. But it usually works. Q: Your book, The City, was released this summer. Where did you find the inspiration for this story? A: I graduated college and got married in the 1960s. It was a time of change—good and bad. I wanted to write mostly about what was right with that decade but against a backdrop of what was wrong with it. I love big band music, which was past its day in the ’60s but still had influence. I started what I thought was a 20,000-word story about a musical family, the Bledsoes, whose lives cross paths with some bad people. I so fell in love with the narrator, Jonah, that I realized I had a book. In many ways, Jonah is like me. He’s a musician, not a writer, black rather than white. But he grows up in poverty, as I did, and he has a problematic, violent 37

father, as I did, but his mother, like mine, gives him the strength to overcome the worst life can throw at him. The 20,000-word story became a 120,000-word novel. Q: Your Odd Thomas series will be at its conclusion with the upcoming book, Saint Odd, due to be released in January 2015. Why did you decide to close that series? A: Oddie was always a close-ended series. In the first book, a promise is made to him by a fortune-teller. After his tragic loss in Odd Thomas, I sooner or later had to fulfill that promise that has kept him going through eight books. Besides, he’s on a journey toward complete humility, and when he reaches it, he is no longer suited to this world. I was on Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s radio show a few books ago, and he asked me if I realized that, in Oddie, I was writing the life of a saint. When I told him that the final book had always, in my mind, been titled Saint Odd, he was delighted. I will miss Odd Thomas. He made me laugh—and think—a lot. Q: In the 1970s and early 1980s, you wrote two books on the subject of writing fiction. Will you ever write a new book about being a popular fiction writer in today’s market? A: I’ve been thinking about it. What I would write now, on that subject, would be far different from—and more complex than—what I wrote then. After all these years, I would say to young writers, “Don’t listen to that whippersnapper Koontz. He was an idiot. A well-meaning idiot, but an idiot just the same.” I am less of an idiot now. Sometimes it seems to me that the whole point of a well-lived life is to become less of an idiot year by year, though I imagine I’ll still be, to some degree, an idiot when I pass. Q: There is a quote that is attributed to you: “The imagination is a muscle, partly. And the more you use it, the easier it becomes.” Do you believe that your best work is yet to come? 38

PHOTO: DAN MACMEDAN/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

A: All I can be sure of is that my best efforts are yet to come. Whether the books will be among my best, only time will tell. Another way of saying that I’m less of an idiot now than I was back in the day is to say that I’ve grown wiser. I’ve gone from poverty and violence to success and inner peace, from doubt to faith, and sharing that journey with a woman I’ve loved for 52 years and to whom I’ve been married for 48. I’ve led a quintessentially American life, and much grace has been bestowed upon me, and I am grateful for every moment of it, the hard times as well as the good. I want to write fiction that deals with the deeply mysterious nature of the world— that thrills but also leaves the reader with a sense of hope. Q: You received your first golden retriever, Trixie, as a gift from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), and three books were published by Trixie to support service dogs. Will your golden, Anna, author any books in the future? A: Anna’s first book, Ask Anna: Advice for the Furry and Forlorn, hits stores on October 7, and all the author proceeds will go to CCI. Trixie’s first hardcover outsold my first hardcover fourteen to one. For a while, I 39

seethed with envy. Seethed, I tell you! But it’s impossible to hold a grudge against a golden retriever. Trixie so changed my life and Gerda’s that I wrote a memoir about her, A Big Little Life. Anna is a very different personality, but she’s as loving and lovable as Trixie, and I want my furry daughter to have a huge success.

A: It’s three-pronged. We make grants to charities for people with severe disabilities, CCI being our longest relationship. Assistance dogs utterly transform the lives of people with paraplegia and quadriplegia, children with spina bifida, and even autism. In these cases, seeing what can be achieved through the human-dog bond is exhilarating, beautiful, and profoundly moving. Second, we make grants to organizations concerned with dog welfare. Third, we contribute to certain faith-related causes. When we die, what we haven’t given away while alive will go to the foundation. And if by some miracle I make it to Heaven, I’m going to be terribly disappointed if there aren’t dogs, dogs everywhere! “Surprise!” 40

PETER STEINER THE NEW YORKER COLLECTION/THE CARTOON BANK

Q: Gerda and you have set up a charitable foundation. What’s the foundation’s mission?

Rethink

your skin

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your skin care essentials 41

PHOTO: STEVE SATUSHEK/GETTY IMAGES

ENGAGING in the Late Style of

Creativity by ENUMA OKORO

n 1972, the famed art historian Kenneth Clark published the essay, “The Artist Grows Old,” which examines what is sometimes referred to as “late style.” In it, he studies some of the great masters of the visual arts, including the likes of Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne, and their most impressive works that were produced in the later stages of life. 42

A handful of others have gone on to write about aging and artistry, yet each essay or book dedicated to the subject tends to reserve late life artistic achievements to a small group of old masters. It is remarkable and unfortunate how little creativity and accomplishment our society expects from maturing adults. In American culture, one’s youth and early adult-

hood is seen as the pinnacle of achievement and the height of innovative energy. It is easy to internalize this myth of the uncreative and unproductive older adult. Somehow, we have allowed ourselves to believe that the older we get, the less we have to contribute to the world, and the less we can expect our minds to function in creative and transformative ways. But experience and research offer far different claims. There is evidence of too many adults in the world—beyond the old masters—whose creative endeavours heightened and blossomed as they matured into their 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond. Morgan Freeman was not widely recognized for his acting skills until he played the role of Sargent Major John Rawlins in the 1989 award-winning movie, Glory. He was fifty-two years old. The writer, Millard Kaufmann, co-creator of the Mr. Magoo cartoon series that ran on television in the 1960s, didn’t

publish his first novel, A Bowl of Cherries, until 2007. He was ninety years old. Mention the name Louise Josephine Bourgeois at a dinner party and people might likely respond with a blank stare. But perhaps ask if anyone has ever heard of the Spiderwoman, the artist behind the famous, massive sculptures of spiders, and you could receive some recognition. Bourgeois was a renowned French-American sculptor born in 1911 in Paris. Deeply invested in exploring issues of loneliness, betrayal, and trauma, she poured her interest into artistic creative energy. But of all her works, she is most famous for a series of spider sculptures she created when she was in her seventies and eighties. The largest, a tribute to Bourgeois’ mother, entitled Maman, is a steel and marble piece standing over 30 feet tall. Her art has sold at auctions for over $10 million dollars. Bourgeois was still creating and finishing up art pieces weeks before her death in

PAUL CÉZANNE, STILL LIFE WITH MILK JUG AND FRUIT, C. 1900. NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON, DC. GIFT OF THE W. AVERELL HARRIMAN FOUNDATION IN MEMORY OF MARIE N. HARRIMAN. 1972.9.5.

2010. She died at the age of ninety-nine. Iconic photographer and documentarian Elliott Erwitt has been creating images for over 70 years. Chances are you have seen one of his thousands of black-and-white images of everyday life caught in moments of whimsical and yet poignant perspectives. There is the shot of a woman’s fashionable boots between the miniature legs of a Chihuahua and the enormous legs of a Great Dane; his pictures that capture social inequality in the South in the 1960s; and the solemn photograph showing a grief-stricken Jacqueline Kennedy holding a folded American flag at President John F. Kennedy’s funeral. At the age of eighty-six, Erwitt continues to travel around the world making art that astonishes as much as it delights. The world might be surprised at such levels of creativity in maturing adults, perhaps even assuming

these instances more extraordinary than the norm. But neurological research suggests that maturing adults actually may be better wired to creative pursuits than their younger counterparts. Dr. Rex Jung, an assistant professor in the department of neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico, is part of the growing research field of positive neuroscience. As the brain ages, scientists are discovering cerebral networks that can produce perhaps surprising results in the behaviour of mature adults. One of which is enhanced creativity. In a public radio interview with Krista Tippett, Dr. Jung shared his working definition of creativity as that which is both novel and useful. His studies have revealed that as humans age, the insulating sheath around the brain’s frontal lobes begin to erode. This process known as demyelination, can lead to a variety of challenges, including

LOUISE BOURGEOIS, MAMAN, 1999. NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA, OTTAWA. PHOTO: LEN STAPLES/GETTY IMAGES

loss of memory and decreased reasoning faculties. But one aspect of demyelination that often goes undiscussed is the effect this erosion has on creating new possibilities for brain activity. In laymanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terms, when our cognitive abilities weaken with age, the process also loosens up the ways in which we formerly made connections between things. In a sense, our minds can be said to become more flexible and less rigid in how we see and understand things. It is as though new pathways open up for different ideas and concepts to connect and interact in previously unimaginable ways. Jung credits scientist Arne Dietrich for the scientific term for this cerebral activity, now known as transient hypofrontality. Maturing adults are perhaps even better prepared physiologically than young prodigies to be creative. As fascinating as this research is, it is also important to think about how the rich and varied life experiences of maturing adults can lead to deepening innovation and creativity as the years go by. The older we get, the wider our range of perspective and perhaps

the deeper our ability to draw connections across different fields of experience. A long life provides not only a deeper well of material for creative engagement, but it also fosters a level of empathy that can richly affect how we create, our subject matter, and our forms of creative expression. We are not all going to be Michelangelos and CĂŠzannes, producing famous works of genius. There are multiple forms of creative engagement with various levels of intensity. Creating a family tree, writing our life story for our grandchildren, taking up a musical instrument just for the sheer joy of it, these are all valid and beautiful forms of releasing our creative energy. What seems most significant is the recognition that with each passing year, when it comes to being vibrant, creative, wondermaking beings, we actually get better with age. And that alone is a welcome and sweet sounding tune worth dancing to. Enuma Okoro is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives between New York City, Paris, and Abuja, Nigeria. www.enumaokoro.com 45

Tao

The of

Yoga

Life Lessons from a Master Yogi

CHRISTOPHER LANE/GETTY IMAGES

by CHRISTINA BURNS

“There is nothing

you cannot do.”

o goes the personal mantra of Tao Porchon-Lynch, a yoga grand master. At 96 years of age, she is the oldest yoga teacher as recorded in The Guinness Book of World Records. Age has never been an obstacle for Ms. Porchon-Lynch, who sincerely believes that there is nothing she cannot do, and that all the power in the universe is right inside of her. She has overcome the effects of aging—including several falls and subsequent broken bones, metal rods, and a hip replacement—by controlling her body and mind. “Doctors said that I would never be able to do advanced yoga again. I told them not to tell me what I can’t do, only what I can.” Life for Ms. Porchon-Lynch began in Pondicherry, India. Her uncle and aunt raised her after her mother’s death during childbirth. She discovered yoga as a girl but was told it was only for boys. Nevertheless, she was determined. Her life was greatly influenced by a friend of her uncle, Mahatma Gandhi, whom she

met and marched with in 1930. She came away from that experience fascinated by the people she met from around the world, including many dignitaries, and what they stood for. Ms. Porchon-Lynch left India for Europe where she worked as a model, then as a cabaret dancer in England during World War II. After the war, she was an actress under Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, appearing in various films including Three Cockeyed Sailors (1940), Show Boat (1951), and The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954). Eventually she retired from film and dedicated herself to teaching yoga, which she has been doing for over 45 years. In addition to yoga, she is also an award-winning ballroom dancer, a hobby she picked up when she was 87 years old. The fascinating thing about Ms. Porchon-Lynch is not necessarily her age and physical strength, but that she appears to be the embodiment of yoga principles. Ms. Porchon-Lynch regularly teaches yoga classes several days a week in Westchester County, New York, and she also travels the US teaching special event 48

classes and workshops, sharing her inspirational lessons. Earlier this summer, Ms. Porchon-Lynch delivered a TED talk where she shared some of her wisdom: Feel the wonder of living. Revitalize yourself with every breath. Don’t think negative thoughts; think, “This is going to be the best day of my life.” Don’t let age dictate what you can and cannot do. The power of a smile meets everyone and it opens up the doors to the world. Ms. Porchon-Lynch continues to find meaning from others. Once, when she was teaching a class of children, a 6-year-old girl asked her when she planned to retire. Her answer: “I’m not going to retire. I’m going to dance my way to the next planet,” to which the girl responded, “That makes sense. We’ve put a man on the moon. And when I reach your age, all the stars will be filled with people and I will see you there.”

BOOKS

LEONARDO’S BRA IN: Under st a nd i ng Da Vi nci’s Creat ive Gen iu s

r. Leonard Shlain’s posthumous publication is an interesting description of the life and work of the creative genius, Leonardo da Vinci. Dr. Shlain’s goal is outlined at the beginning, and it is a problematic one. We don’t even know where the Renaissance thinker is buried, so whatever limited scientific analysis that could be conducted to ascertain his DNA is likely never to be undertaken. So it is not the physiology of the man that will provide insights into his brain, but his legacy, one that has taken a half of a millennium to unfold. Dr. Shlain, who died in 2009, was a surgeon, and his research into the processes of the brain guides his description of how da Vinci’s own must have been constructed and

functioned. Dr. Shlain argues that da Vinci’s brain was physically different than most others, notably with a larger corpus callosum, that part that binds the two halves together and permits communication between the left and right cerebral hemispheres—allowing him to be uniquely equipped to be both scientific and creative. Dr. Shlain spins us a narrative of da Vinci’s very humble beginnings and how he was forced to teach himself the education he was not freely given, leaving open the question of what he might have accomplished if he had been educated to his fullest capacity. What may prove most interesting is Shlain’s hypothesis that da Vinci’s brain marks the next step in human evolution. 49

What’s Wrong?

Illustrated by Chuck Dillon

How many silly things can you f ind in this picture?

Movie Maze Steven is meeting his friends for a movie. But first he has to find the movie theater! Can you help him find the one path that will take him there? Hurry, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost showtime! Answer on page 61

Start

Illustrated by Mike Moran

Finish

Music Makers

Eight objects that begin with the letter m are hidden in the big picture. Can you find them? Answer on page 61

mug

muffin

Illustrated by Kelly Kennedy

mop

mushroom

magnifying glass 52

moon

mitten

microphone

Art Find The names of 17 art supplies are hidden in the letters. Some words are across. Others are up and down. We found ERASER. Can you find the rest? Answer on page 61

S K E T C H P A D W C L A Y H P A I N T I X Q Z A J P B Z C S J V G L U E R P R S M O C K P R U A A O E R A S E R S S Y R A Q Z V N W H T O S S I Q J C X V E N J E N G L I T T E R W L K F E L T Z J X

Illustrated by Jack Desrocher

Word List BRUSH CHALK CLAY CRAYON EASEL ERASER FELT GLITTER GLUE INK PAINT PAPER PASTE PENCIL SCISSORS SKETCH PAD SMOCK

FUN & GA MES

Solutions on page 63

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 1

14 15

ACROSS 1. Not take responsibility (4,3,4) 7. Religious leader (6) 8. Actually existing (4) 9. Grind teeth (5) 11. The same as (5) 13. Stylish (5) 14. Unite (5) 16. Energy (4) 18. Adjacent (6) 20. Uncommon (11) 54

DOWN 2. Word formed from initial letters (7) 3. Witness (3) 4. Head coverings (4) 5. Post-Renaissance music period (7) 6. FBI’s external counterpart (inits) (3) 10. Odd (7) 12. Branch of mathematics (7) 15. Whole (4) 17. Not strict (3) 19. Fuss (3)

WORD SEARCH: ACTRESS OSCAR WINNERS Best BEST Actress Oscar Winners

A N R L T E Y L T O P R N S I

B O T O K C R N K N F N C U H

S A O L E A R P Y S R U S T P

S M O E B R E T E W R N A Y P

ANDREWS ANDREWS BERRY BERRY BLANCHETT BLANCHETT BULLOCK BULLOCK CHRISTIE CHRISTIE COTILLARD FONDA COTILLARD FOSTER FONDA FOSTER

H B R N R L B E E E H I L O N

O M R T R L T L T R R L R R B

E F U N E R A S A D T T J C D

N N Y L J E O N W N M A S H R

L N M S A F W I S A C M E R A

C P C I C D M W N K N H N I L

F C W O A N N N S E A K E S L

HUNT JACKSON KELLY MATLIN PORTMAN STREEP SWANK WINSLET

W C T W H K C O L L U B F T I

W H E E H U N T F L U H S I T

R Y O O M O L D C Y O L I E O

S N N R E W O O A U C I C S C

HUNT JACKSON KELLY MATLIN PORTMAN STREEP SWANK WINSLET 55

FUN & GA MES

Solutions on page 63

SUDOKU Sudoku—also known as Number Place—is a logicbased, combinatorial numberplacement puzzle. The aim of Sudoku is to enter a number from 1 through 9 in each cell of a grid. Each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each number.

1 3 1

7 3

8 8 6 2

8 9 5 2

7 3 8

5 5

LETTER SOUP Can you rearrange the floating letters below to spell out the names of various fruits? Each letter should be used exactly once in the resulting set. 1. 2. 4. 5.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 HOROSCOPES by Chris Flisher

ARIES (March 21–April 19) Your slow and dedicated effort to reinvent yourself continues as the world enters a new seasonal phase. Education, travel, and all things spiritual may be high on your radar screen, but the work will be worth it. As arduous and tedious as some of the large organizational tasks may be, you may soon come to realize how fruitful your efforts have been. Your significant relationships may come rushing forward with help in ways you could not have imagined. A warm outpouring of support may pleasantly surprise you just when you thought all your efforts were in vain. TAURUS (April 20–May 20) Travel and education may prove to be the most important pathways for you to follow as you head into a new phase. Unexpected endings may, by turn, bring about unexpected beginnings, and before you run for cover on that comment, remember that an unusual transition may indicate increased

responsibility, accountability, and ownership. In short, you may be asked to step up and deliver exactly what you have been secretly pursuing all along. Be mindful of what you wish for, as it may come true, as your daily routine shifts to accommodate a new way of living. GEMINI (May 21–June 21) You may want to prepare yourself for a large organizational restructure as the workplace becomes the setting for realignment. Whether you are now part of a new reporting structure or assigned to a new team, you may be surprised at the way things look at the end of this period. As with any major shift, you are quick to realize the potential and strike with a creative burst that may give you the upper hand or at least draw the attention of others on your team. Don’t be shy under such circumstances since spontaneity may allow you to cast a very favorable impression to just the right people. 57

CANCER (June 22–July 22) Don’t be surprised if your romantic life takes a turn during this period. Associations you make now may linger for some time, so choose wisely especially if they are tied to your career in any manner. You may find that unexpected work-related events deliver an individual that helps shape your future in some meaningful manner. This same characteristic may ripple through your domestic situation where you may see real progress. You may find that special attention to details serves you well, particularly regarding creative projects. To sweeten the deal you may find significant savings come as a result. Savings are an increase in disguise. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Even though the expansive planet of Jupiter is in your sign, Leo, you may still feel some pressure. The challenges may arrive in your primary domestic area of your life and while they don’t spell out danger, they may require more attention than usual. Such changes may involve a reduction in expenses 58

or other cost-cutting shifts that bring a heightened focus to your primary residence or family in general. Your daily routine may also be under a make-over as demands to learn new skills or adapt to a shifting market force you to adopt new daily habits. Of course, anything that you can do to improve your skill set may prove valuable. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Creative efforts on your part to seek outside financial help may bear long-lasting results if you can craft the right proposal. With that in mind, you may find that it’s the extra work that you put in that delivers the results you seek. Large financial institutions, educational bodies, and legal entities are all ripe for delivering a surprise outcome. The same may hold true for relatives who are apprised of your trials under these skies. You may find yourself quite active in this arena as you put in extra effort to complete forms and provide the rationale for such aid. Mind the details.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Expect to see some pretty random and exciting events happening in your significant relationship. The interesting part is that this may also dovetail nicely into your primary residence as well. If it does creep into your home life you may expect it to have a reverberating impact that sets a new course for you there. You may find that you are very well received throughout this period as you bring old patterns to a place of closure and embark on a bold new start. This is your time of year; after all, so expect to have the doors open and the lights go up all around you. Nice attention. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Re-organizations at work may put you off for a bit, but try not to let it bring you down. The changes that may appear are for the better as you craft a new role for yourself. These past few years have been onerous and you need a breath of fresh air to enliven and spur you on. You may find that you have a renewed confidence and a swelling sense of power coming on slowly, especially in your

written and spoken correspondences. Try and view these inevitable changes in a positive light as you are truly poised for some long-awaited relief. By late December you may feel a significant weight lifted from you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You may possess an unusually strong personal drive over these months as you see creative ventures suddenly come to fruition. Drive means being totally consumed with achieving something of value that has a creative and innovative edge to it. If you can put the right pieces in place at the right time you may be able to witness significant long-lasting progress. The degree and precision of such an occurrence may be dictated by your willingness to partner with others, so pay heed to suggestions from outside sources. You may be able to score quite a long-shot, either through a joint effort or by sheer good fortune. Keep your bags packed since the road calls. 59

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Unusual connections and fortuitous alliances may come by way of your domestic setting. Roommates and partners may figure prominently in your current state of evolution. As you strive to carve out a new you going forward, you may be truly happy to see how far you have come and how distant the once-near past now seems. Being fully present in the here and now, allows you to have great hindsight and a renewed confidence from lessons learned. Occupation options may be positive during this period, but try and view them as a temporary measure. You may be slated for much higher heights so regard these as mere baby steps. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) The road may be calling you and as exciting as that sounds, you may be pulled down to earth for a bit as you need to tidy up, especially in your career, before you can go globe-trotting. You may find that you are in the final stages of a project or a lifestyle 60

that has been long-suffering for you. While that sounds like a buzz-kill, think of how liberating it will be once you complete the tasks. Relationships may be clicking along nicely and you may be eager to return to an overseas partner, but not until you turn off the lights and lock the doors in your daily occupation. PISCES (Feb. 19–March 20) The dreamy influence of your ruling planet, Neptune, may impart a cast of longing upon you during this period. All of that may sound fine and dandy, but the rose-colored glasses may need to come off until you can get check off some necessary tasks. Education and travel plans may need to be firmly in place before you can waltz back into dreamland, however. Working with your peers may bring you the greatest innovative options and these may be significant, long-lasting associations than pan out over a long period of time. Despite the duration involved, the financial implications may be worth the wait. © 2014 Chris Flisher

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