50plus LIFE – March 2021

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All the Colors of the Earth beneath Our Feet page 4

Discovery Explains Racial Disparities in Colorectal Cancer page 12

4 TIps for Retirement planning page 20

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March 2021

50plus LIFE

www.50plusLifePA.com

2021 Expo Dates UPDATED DATES & LOCATIONS Exhibitor booths will be spatially distanced, and personal social-distancing and other CDC guidelines will be observed.

omen’s Expo

DAUPHIN COUNTY

June 23

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

LANCASTER COUNTY

Shady Maple Conference Center Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl

Sept. 23

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

YORK COUNTY

York Expo Center Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Ave., York

Sept. 29

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Park City Center

(Former Bon-Ton store)

LANCASTER COUNTY

600 Park City Center, Lancaster

Oct. 13

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K St. Carlisle

50plusExpoPA.com

7th Annual

3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Wyndham Resort – Expo Center (Formerly Lancaster Host)

2300 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster

June 19

8th Annual

Harrisburg Mall

(Former Boscov’s store)

9th Annual

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

June 5

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Harrisburg Mall

(Former Boscov’s store)

3501 Paxton St., Harrisburg

Sept. 18

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

E

Oct. 23

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Park City Center

(Former Bon-Ton store)

600 Park City Center, Lancaster

omen’s Expo

Nov. 13

Cumberland County

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K St. Carlisle

aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available! www.50plusLifePA.com

Lebanon Expo Center 80 Rocherty Road Lebanon

5th Annual

June 9

10th Annual

22nd Annual

25th Annual

19th Annual

22nd Annual

22nd Annual

Caregiving • Finances • Health & Wellness • Home Improvements Leisure Activities • Nutrition • Retirement Living • Technology and more!

Health & Wellness • Finance • Home Shopping • Technology • Beauty Nutrition • Fashion and more!

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March 2021

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Cover Story

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P.O. Box 8049, Lancaster, PA 17604 Phone (717) 285-1350 (610) 675-6240 Fax (717) 285-1360 Email address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com

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March 2021

50plus LIFE

By Gabriele Amersbach

they started as young children.

Harris’s radio career took him all over the United States and gave him many opportunities to build up his rock and mineral collections.

“I used to call myself a migrant disc jockey because we moved like military people.”

Eventually, Harris and his wife, Bonnie, wanted their children to be close to family again and decided to settle permanently in Pennsylvania.

R.J. Harris’s Reading backyard wasn’t just a place to play ball or cut the grass on Saturdays. It was a potential treasure trove.

“I wanted to be a geologist until age 12 and was always digging up the backyard. My mother would find me digging for dinosaur bones.

A pyrite cube from Spain, a perfect square Another time, I built an crystal of “fool’s gold.” oil derrick out of two-byfours.”

Harris’s father had died when he was a child, and his mother had to ‘I was hooked’ work during the day.

Once he was settled, That left him alone at Harris became even home and “adventurous.” more committed to Everywhere he went, his rock and mineral young Harris found collection hobby. He interesting and unique became a Cub Scout rocks and minerals. By master and took the age 8 or 9, he saved his kids to find fossils, in pennies to go to the particular up in Perry Reading Museum’s gift County. shop to buy his favorites, Yard rocks, including rose quartz, amazonite, In the early ’90s, rose quartz and iron quartz crystals, calcite crystals, kyanite, and he joined Central pyrite, also known as more.

Pennsylvania Rock and fool’s gold.

Mineral Club.

Then his early career “I went on my first quarry trip to Snyder County, plans took a surprise turn. found all kinds of beautiful crystals, and I was “I woke up one day at age 12 and heard the guy hooked.” on the radio having fun and decided from that day Within three years, Harris became president on, that’s what I wanted to do,” says Harris, who of the club. He is now vice president after having now does a morning news and talk show from served five terms as the club’s president.

5–9 a.m. on WHP580, simulcast on WRAW (the Harris has also served as past president of the station that first introduced him to radio).

Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary As a young adult, Harris focused on his career, Societies, which oversees all of the rock clubs and with less focus on his rock and fossil collecting. jewelry makers east of the Mississippi. They also However, as soon as his children, daughter Christi offer insurance for digs. and sons Michael and Eric, were old enough, he By joining a club, members are able to dig in took them rock hunting wherever they were living, quarries and collecting venues that would be closed and his passion for collecting rekindled. to the average person. Clubs also provide members “All of my children have some of my passion for with safety training and insurance. geology. I think that my daughter, Christi, probably “A rock less than the size of baseball falling from got more of the bug than the other two, but they up above literally could kill you,” says Harris. “We all liked it,” says Harris. “When they were in grade wear hard hats, safety glasses, and steel-toed shoes; school and studied geology, they always had great we take it pretty seriously.” things to show.”

On a typical dig that Harris leads, each member Now his seven grandchildren and two stepsigns paperwork at arrival and undergoes the grandchildren each have their own rock collections www.50plusLifePA.com

quarry’s specific safety training.

“What is really neat about rock collecting is you learn from the people you’re with,” Harris says.

“Typically there are some older folks who have been in the club forever and have been on all kinds of digs. They can teach you everything, from how to carry your tools to how to bring back your treasures in ingenious carts and buckets. And you learn the geology.”

in the family room.

No worries: Harris has found a home for the other 10 cases.

“I have a ‘man’ room that has quite a few cases, and then there’s the basement,” he says. “At least 50 nice, large specimens are in the yard.”

Harris’s love of rocks and minerals is most apparent when he is asked to list his favorites.

They include, “huge, beautiful quartz crystals from Arkansas; amethyst crystals from Georgia that When Pennsylvania was Beachfront Property are perfectly purple and gorgeous; an apple green While quarries and mines require permission for mineral from Snyder County called wavelite with groups to come in and dig, the amateur geologist little bubbles like little half-spheres, just absolutely can easily find a fossil site to explore. beautiful; and perfect pyrite cubes from Glendon, “Fossils are everywhere, from Lancaster to North Carolina, that are bigger than softballs.”

Dauphin and York counties, but are especially Despite the size of his collection, his quest for plentiful in Perry County,” says Harris. geological marvels is not over. He continues his He suggests an internet search to identify a few digs and often attends mining camps from Poland, sites accessible to families.

Maine, to Wildacres, North Carolina, as vacation “Usually fossils are so abundant that everyone spots. will find some, especially a trilobite (the state fossil) For the interested public who would like to stay and seashells.” local, Harris’s Central Pennsylvania Rock and Harris explains that before the continents Mineral Club (rockandmineral.org) has an annual divided, there was one land mass called Pangea. show with dealers and educational displays as well “You’ll see that Pennsylvania was pretty much on as events for children.

Fossils, including trilobites, petrified wood, dinosaur dung, various fossilized seashells, the equator. If you can imagine, we were once lush “Literally thousands of minerals exist under our and others. seas and tropical lands. That’s why we have all these feet, and we have no idea they are there. A museum sea creatures fossilized,” Harris says. “If you live in or a collection like mine lets you see all the colors of Cumberland County and stand on shale, that was beachfront property. What the earth beneath our feet,” Harris concludes. “How the earth was formed is is now Perry County was called the Devonian sea. really is a pretty amazing story. I call it God’s artwork.”

“We also have lots of limestone, formed from the remnants of sea creatures that have built up over all those years.”

Most Prized Finds Harris has collected several thousand specimens, from quartz and calcite, to the very rare wulfenite, mimetite, and delicate Desert Rose selenite. The collection encompasses a wide range of minerals with numerous classifications “that will probably have people’s eyes glaze over,” laughs Harris.

How to display his many treasures?

“My inspiration was the Carnegie Museum. I went there for the annual gem show and saw an incredible collection of Pennsylvania minerals in beautiful cases all lit up with halogen lights. That’s when I realized lights are the most important thing,” says Harris. “I buy display cases or curios from people and have turned them into rock cases.”

Lest the family home become a museum as well, Harris’s wife, Bonnie, has suggested a limit of two cases of the most beautiful specimens to be displayed

Need more fun in your life?

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50plus LIFE and Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania have partnered to bring you weekly audio readings of 50plus LIFE’s editorial content!

Listen to the livestream Thursdays from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at www.vrocp.org!

The program will repeat 3 times that day and Saturdays from 11-11:30 a.m.

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50plus LIFE

March 2021

5

CROSSWORD

Puzzle Page

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 21.

SUDOKU

WORD SEARCH

Types of Trees Apple Birch Cedar Cherry Cottonwood Cypress Dogwood Elm Laurel Lemon Maple Oak Orange Palm Pine Redwood Spruce Sycamore Walnut Willow

Across 1. Wine county 5. Operatic song 9. Air pollution 13. Frosted 14. Flippers 15. Musical notation 16. Give up 19. Tennis part 20. Mythical craft 21. Antecedents 22. Allow 23. Type of paper 24. Battery contents Down 1. Pesky insects 2. Suffer 3. Chipper 4. Commotion 5. Blazing 6. Command attention upon arriving 7. Division word 8. Blond shade 9. Ladles 10. Do yardwork 11. Assayers’ stuff 12. Solidify 15. Greek portico

27. Rabbit 29. Auction off 32. Muse of poetry 33. Cry of surprise 34. Fabrication 35. Allot, with “out” 36. Coal container 37. French door part 38. Business abbr.

39. Landlord’s due 40. Shady spot 41. Cheers 43. Aquatic plant 17. With 39 Down, Emerson predecessors 18. Flubbed 23. Take in a foreign national 24. Hippodrome, e.g.

25. Come down with an illness 26. Resident (suffix) 28. Maturing 30. After dotted and finish 31. Bad look 32. Arab ruler 37. The Black Cat writer

44. Camera feature 45. Coral reef 47. Mme., in Madrid 49. Diving duck 50. Some votes 51. Behold 54. Take corrective action 57. Telephones 58. Praise 59. Assortment 60. London’s ___ Park 61. Doctrines 62. Nonverbal OKs 39. See 17 Down 40. Bored 42. Paper clip alternative 46. Ballpark figure 48. Marsh growth 49. Dog command 50. Goat hair fabrics 51. Fodder holder 52. Geraint’s lady 53. Freudian topics 54. Educational institution (abbr.)

55. Actor Wallach 56. Adams of Get Smart

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March 2021

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I’ll Drink to That!

By Randal C. Hill

Do you recognize this song?

To Anacreon in Heaven, where he sat in full glee A few sons of harmony sent a petition That he their inspirer and patron would be When his answer arrived from the jolly old Grecian Voice, fiddle, and flute No longer be mute

As the storm clouds eased and drifted away, and as dawn brought light to the smoke-filled sky, Key saw that Fort McHenry’s 15-star flag still defiantly waved. Key, overcome with relief and emotion, began writing a poem of praise — “The Defense of Fort McHenry” — on the back of an envelope he had in his pocket.

The lyrics that flowed from his pen became a testament to American resolve, endurance, and the willingness to persevere against overwhelming odds.

Baltimore newspapers quickly printed his verses, and soon, with Key’s blessing, his brother-in-law set the words to the melody of a group singalong called “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a rousing number popular in pubs throughout Baltimore at the time.

That November, a local music store printed Key’s words for the first time under a more lyrical title: “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

By the time the war ended a few months later, Key’s soul-stirring song had become ingrained into America’s popular culture.

On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a law making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official United States national anthem.

While the tune has played a large role in molding the modern image of America, only its first verse is usually sung, while the other three remain unknown to most people. All four verses conclude with the same line: O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

On March 3, we’ll again honor National Anthem Day, as we have every year for 90 years.

National Anthem Day is March 3

It doesn’t ring a bell? The words to this old British drinking tune from 1775 may not be familiar, but “To Anacreon in Heaven” features a melody you have heard — and sung — countless times. ...

Francis Scott Key was a Washington, D.C., lawyer — and an amateur poet.

During the War of 1812, Key was dispatched to Baltimore by President James Madison to negotiate for the release of a prominent surgeon, Dr. William Beanes. He had been captured and was being held aboard a British ship as a civilian prisoner of war.

Key boarded an English vessel under a flag of truce in Chesapeake Bay on Sept. 7, 1814. He secured Beanes’s release but was then detained on a British ship while the English proceeded to attack nearby Fort McHenry.

Beginning at 6 a.m., British warships fired rockets and mortars at the fort for 25 continuous hours, while over 1,000 American soldiers inside responded with cannon fire. (Philadelphia residents 100 miles away heard the explosions.)

Due to a lack of accuracy with the weaponry on both sides, little actual damage was done, although four Americans inside the fort perished. When the British ran out of ammunition, they hauled up their ships’ anchors and sailed out to sea.

Although Randal C. Hill’s heart lives in the past, the rest of him resides in Bandon, Ore. He can be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

Inventive Women from History Some of the most common things we use every day were invented by creative women.

Here are a few, gathered by the Mental Floss website: Circular saws. Tabitha Babbit, a weaver in a Shaker community, suggested that instead of a two-man pit saw that worked only when being pulled forward, a circular saw would be more efficient.

She attached a prototype to her spinning wheel in 1813 and filed a patent thereafter.

Paper bags. Margaret Knight created the modern, flat-bottomed paper bag in 1868. Before then, paper bags looked like envelopes.

A man tried to steal the idea and file a patent, but Knight filed a lawsuit and won the rights to her creation.

Windshield wipers. Mary Anderson invented the first manual windshield www.50plusLifePA.com

wipers in 1903. They didn’t take off because most drivers thought it was safer to simply drive through rain and snow than keep pulling a lever to clear it.

Another woman, Charlotte Bridgwood, invented an automatic version in 1917, but it wasn’t accepted either. Still, by 1920 windshield wipers were everywhere, starting with Cadillac, which began installing them on all its cars.

Liquid paper. A secretary named Bette Nesmith Graham corrected her typing

mistakes with white tempera paint.

After years perfecting the formula in her kitchen, she patented Liquid Paper in 1958. Gillette bought her company in 1979 for $47.5 million.

Kevlar. This lightweight material will stop a bullet. It’s five times stronger than steel.

A chemist named Stephanie Kwolek discovered it by accident in 1966 as she was trying to develop a lightweight fiber for car tires.

50plus LIFE

March 2021

7

Savvy Senior

Jim Miller

How to Prevent the Silent Epidemic of Kidney Disease

Dear Savvy Senior, Do kidney problems run in families? My mother died from kidney failure 10 years ago at age 74 but didn’t know she had a kidney problem until it was too late.

– Just Turned 60 Dear 60, Anyone who has a family history of kidney disease, or who has high blood pressure or diabetes, is at increased risk and needs to have their kidneys tested.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 37 million U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease (when the kidneys can’t properly do their job of cleaning toxins and wastes from the blood). Millions more are at risk of developing it, yet most people don’t realize it.

That’s because kidney disease develops very slowly over many years before any symptoms arise. But, left untreated, the disease can eventually require people to spend hours hooked up to a dialysis machine or get a kidney transplant.

Even mild kidney problems can double a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as cause anemia and bone disease.

The reason kidney disease has become so widespread today is because of

The ultimate resource for boomer and senior living and care options.

Read it online, in print, and on mobile/tablet devices. onlinepub.com

the rise of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, which all strain the kidneys.

Another factor is the increasing number of people who take multiple medications, which can overtax the organs. People over age 60 are especially vulnerable, both because they tend to take more drugs and because kidney function normally declines somewhat with age.

Get Tested Because kidney disease has no early symptoms, the only way to catch it before it advances is to have a simple blood and urine test by your doctor. So, anyone who has diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, a family history of kidney disease, or is age 60 or older needs to get tested.

African, Hispanic, Asian, and Indian Americans, along with Pacific Islanders, are also at increased risk.

If you’re diagnosed with kidney disease, you need to know that there’s no cure, but there are steps you can take to help contain the damage, including: Control your blood pressure: If you have high blood pressure, get it under 130/80. If you need medication to do it, ACE inhibitors and ARBs are good choices because of their proven ability to protect the kidneys.

Control your diabetes: If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar as close to normal as possible.

Change your diet: This usually means reducing the amount of protein and phosphorus you eat and cutting back on sodium and possibly potassium. Your doctor can help you determine an appropriate eating plan, or you may want to talk to a dietitian.

Watch your meds: Dozens of commonly used drugs can damage the kidneys, especially when taken in high doses over long periods — most notably NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen. Herbal supplements can also be very dangerous.

Talk to your doctor about all the prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal products you take to identify potential problems and find alternatives.

Exercise and lose weight: If you’re overweight and inactive, start an aerobic fitness routine (walk, swim, cycle, etc.) that gets your heart pumping. This will help lower blood pressure, control diabetes, and help you lose excess weight, all of which will help your kidneys.

Quit smoking: If you smoke, quit. Heart disease becomes a much greater risk to the kidneys if you smoke. Smoking also doubles the rate of progression to end-stage renal failure.

25th Annual Edition

Call today for your free copy!

(717) 285-1350

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March 2021

50plus LIFE

Limit alcohol intake: Drinking too much alcohol can worsen kidney disease too, so talk to your doctor to see if it’s safe for you to drink, and if so, limit yourself to no more than one drink per day.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Kidney Donations Needed Nationwide — and for Central Pa. Girl Potential donors must be between 21 and 70 years old and not have a history 109,000 men, women, and children of diabetes, uncontrolled high blood were on the national transplant waiting pressure, or kidney disease themselves. list as of September 2020.

It can take several months for That number comes from potential donors to be evaluated and OrganDonor.gov, the U.S. government’s depends on how quickly the necessary website on organ donation and tests — which include blood and transplantation. urine tests, blood pressure checks, an Requests for the most frequently angiogram, chest x-rays, and others — needed organ — the kidney — make up can be completed. about 83% of the people on the national All expenses related to testing and transplant waiting list, according to the surgery are covered by Vera’s insurance.

United States Department of Health “Our greatest hope is we can find a and Human Services. living donor who is a good match so And now, a 10-year-old Boiling 10-year-old Vera Anderson is on the waiting list for a kidney Vera can enjoy life like any 10-year-old,” transplant for the second time.

Springs girl is on that waiting list for the her family wrote on her Facebook page, second time in her short life. facebook.com/VerasKidneyJourney.

Born with branchiootorenal syndrome, by age 2 Vera Anderson had already For more information on donating a kidney to Vera, call the Penn State been on dialysis for more than a year when she received an emergency kidney Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Transplant Clinic at (717) 531transplant from a recently deceased person. BOR syndrome is a genetic 6092. disorder that causes abnormalities of kidney structure and function.

To learn more about organ donation, visit Explore Living Donation Like many tweens, Vera is a spunky girl who enjoys dancing and drawing. (explorelivingdonation.org), Living Donors Online (livingdonorsonline.org), She likes cooking with her mom, too, as well as watching Liverpool FC with and the United Network for Organ Sharing (transplantliving.org). her dad and exploring the outdoors with her big sister, Maia.

She has also spent a lot of time in hospitals and doctors’ offices, however, and her family is hoping a living donor can be found so Vera can spend less time in those places in the years to come.

On average, deceased kidney donor transplants last 10-15 years, according to the American Kidney Fund. Kidney donations from a living donor last longer, about 15-20 years on average.

But these averages assume the transplanted organ does not get rejected by the host body.

In Vera’s case, her system has been rejecting the donated kidney for quite some time, and last summer her transplanted kidney — her only functioning kidney — declined to the point that another transplant became urgently No Entrance Fee necessary.

Kidney transplant surgery is a three- to five-hour procedure performed laparoscopically. Donors are usually in the hospital for one or two days and rest at home for a week. Normal activity is typically resumed in four weeks.

YOU WILL NEVER

By Megan Joyce

Foundation

SCSEP Senior Community Service Employment Program

Seniors Wanted.

BE BORED AT ASHBRIDGE MANOR

Paid Training For Dauphin, York & Cumberland Counties

AARP Foundation SCSEP is a non-profit agency with a goal to help unemployed, low-income seniors (age 55+) who want to get a job and need some training assistance. Our participants will be placed at a non-profit agency to perform their on-the-job-training. All participants will receive a stipend for 20 hours a week at $7.25 hour.

We need: Clerical, Customer Service, Maintenance, Administrative, Classroom Assistants and Food Service.

Interested Applicants Call: Elizabeth: 717-234-5961 (Dauphin) Kelly: 814-241-8630 (York, Cumberland)

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

March 2021

9

Service Stories

Robert Naeye

Animal Care Specialist Endured Close Calls in Vietnam, Part 2

The following is the continuation of Russell “Doc” Walters’s Vietnam experience. Part one appeared in the February issue of 50plus LIFE.

But his request for transfer was denied by an officer who wrongly assumed he was an infantryman looking for easy duty, when in fact Walters was a noncombatant veterinarian One day, Walters’s commanding officer specialist. said, “Doc, if you want to be a real part of this “Yeah, I was trying to get a cushy job for unit, you might wanna go on some missions myself, flying on a Huey as a door gunner over with us.” the friendly skies of Laos,” says Walters, with So he did, flying on a Huey helicopter for an air of sarcasm. what would be the first of numerous combat Operation Lam Son 719, which lasted 45 assault missions. A photo shows Walters in days, resulted in 100 American helicopters the helicopter sporting a wry smile. But in destroyed and another 500 damaged, with 50 hindsight, he says, “I don’t know why I looked crew members killed in action. so cheerful except for the fact I was young and After a trivial disagreement with his st 1 Lt. Russell “Doc” Walters, Walters and his wife, Sue, dumb.” commanding officer in the 198th Infantry spring 1975. in a 1992 portrait taken for And yet on that mission, Walters’s tracker Brigade at Chu Lai, Walters was abruptly their vow renewal on their unit did not make contact with the enemy, transferred to the 11th Infantry Brigade at Duc 25th anniversary. who had already fled the area around the Pho, which had a horrendous casualty rate. landing zone after losing several men in a Tropical diseases were always a problem firefight. in Vietnam. In April 1971, Walters had to be On a combat-tracker mission out of a medevaced to an Army hospital for malaria. forward base at Song Be, Walters’s small Feeling sick as a dog one night, he asked one unit went out to find a missing G.I. who had of the nurses if she could put a bullet in his gotten lost in the jungle. The missing soldier head so he would feel better. later wandered back into camp unscathed.

And then came the scout dog mission of But when Walters’s team and their April 23, 1971, when, as Walters says, “the supporting infantry squad were heading worst day of my life occurred in a single home, Walters witnessed one of the soldiers nanosecond.” tripping an enemy booby trap, leading to one A Viet Cong explosive device detonated, fatality and wounding several others. perhaps by command, killing nine Americans On another mission out of Song Be, he saw and wounding 11 others. A scout dog also lost his first enemy dead soldier after a firefight. her life. To this day, Walters cannot remember “The funny thing is, I sort of felt sorry for how he got back to his base. him,” Walters recalls.

“Two hours of my life were a total blank And later, while riding a tank on a mission Walters, standing at left, with five surviving members of the and still remain so to this day,” he says. with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, The VA called it “medical amnesia.”

63rd Infantry Platoon, 23rd Infantry Division, during the 2018 an RPG round knocked several men off the After a short trip to Antarctica, possibly National Combat Tracker Reunion in Florida. vehicle, including Walters. Fortunately, there to help test new cold-weather gear, followed were no injuries. by leave in Lewistown to see his family and a short stay in Hawaii, Walters All of these close calls left Walters with a case of post-traumatic stress returned to Chu Lai in late July for his second six-month extension. Soon disorder. thereafter he experienced his only nighttime firefight.

As he says now, “I don’t know a single man from a combat tracker or a “At the time, I thought the sight of thousands of rounds of red, green, and scout dog unit that didn’t have some degree of PTSD after getting home from white tracers whizzing around in the dead of night was one of the prettiest Vietnam. It was just the nature of the job.” sights I had ever seen. I believe, at that point, I may have been in Vietnam a After serving his one-year tour, Walters voluntarily extended his time in little too long.”

Vietnam for another six months.

Walters was transferred to another unit, and having been promoted to He was transferred to the 23rd Infantry Division in Chu Lai, one of the sergeant, he got his own hooch to himself. But his fortune was short lived. largest Army bases in Vietnam. Distinguished alumni of this division include His hooch was destroyed in October 1971 by Typhoon Hester, the most former Pittsburgh Steeler running back Rocky Bleier, Pennsylvania Gov. destructive storm to hit Vietnam since 1944.

Tom Ridge, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Gen. Norman Walters left Vietnam for good in December 1971, making it home just Schwarzkopf. in time for Christmas. The Army was downsizing as the Vietnam War There, he volunteered to serve as a helicopter door gunner in the midst of a was winding down, but Walters was told he could continue his career if he large operation into the neighboring country of Laos. please see SPECIALIST on facing page

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March 2021

50plus LIFE

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The Reel Deal

Boogie Randal Hill

It seems that there aren’t too many lines of work that 39Discouragement and resolve hang in equal measure over year-old Eddie Huang hasn’t been involved in.

Boogie’s head like a threatening raincloud.

His resume includes attorney, book author (Fresh Off the “We never expected to have freedom or independence or Boat), TV host, chef, stand-up comic, clothing designer, equality in this country,” he proclaims, “but it doesn’t matter attorney, and marijuana dealer. what the challenges are, you run through that wall.”

And now the busybusybusy son of Taiwan-immigrant He also expounds cynically on some daunting stereotypes: parents is bringing his coming-of-age drama Boogie to the “No one believes in an Asian basketball player … it’s a joke silver screen. in this country. We can cook, clean, count real good, but The film stars Huang’s former assistant, Taylor Takahashi, anything else, we’re picked last.” as Boogie. The diverse supporting cast includes such on-theThen there’s the crushing burden of expectation. When rise actors as Pamela Chee, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Mike Moh, Chin draws close to his lofty goal, he admits to his girlfriend, and Dave East.

“I’ve got to represent. I’ve got 5,000 years of Chinese history.

Now-deceased rapper Pop Smoke — he was murdered That’s a lot of pressure.” in 2019 — provides the haunting music that is woven She, in turn, offers simply, “You have a chance to change throughout the story. history.”

Image via Focus Features Boogie is a classic inspirational sports drama but one that is Huang has admitted he was inspired by the hit feature Boogie official movie poster. played out, for a change, in the Asian American experience.

Good Will Hunting, whose story motivated Eddie to enter the Written and directed by Huang, the movie tells the filmmaking world. story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, a Chinese-Taiwanese American high school “That movie was the moment where I said I would like to make a movie basketball phenomenon in New York whose dream is to play in the NBA. He that changes another kid’s life. The way that they were able to humanize maintains these dreams amid turmoil at home and among his classmates at his domestic violence and those relationships, it opened my eyes because I didn’t Queens high school. know you could talk about stuff like that in movies.”

Boogie’s parents lean on him to try for a scholarship to a prestigious Released by Focus Features, Boogie is scheduled for a March 5 release. university. Chin must deal not only with them and at-school rivals, but also Randal C. Hill enjoys getting sneak peeks of forthcoming movies from his home on navigate a relationship with a winsome girl he has recently met and fallen in the Oregon coast. He can be reached at wryterhill@msn.com. love with.

SPECIALIST from facing page accepted a reduction in rank and went into the student nursing program.

He attended Penn State University. In just a few months, he had transitioned from the jungles, rice paddies, and war zones of Southeast Asia to a place known as “Happy Valley.”

“Talk about your culture shock,” he says.

Walters finished his degree in just three years. As a student, he trained at Penn State’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He lived in student apartments derisively called “the kennels.”

But as Walters comments, “I had no gripes. After all, I knew what it was really like to live in a kennel!”

He also had a student nursing clinical rotation on a psychiatric ward at the VA Hospital in Lebanon, where half of the patients were Vietnam veterans.

After graduation and being promoted to 1st lieutenant, he worked at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, helping Vietnamese refugees settle in the United States in 1975. He was awarded a Humanitarian Service Medal for his efforts, the first of its kind.

He also participated in the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989-90 and in the 1990-91 Gulf War as part of a unique 18-man Forward Surgical Team (Airborne) as an operating room nurse.

Walters retired from the Army in 1992 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a major. He and his wife, Sue, currently live in Hershey. They had one son and one daughter, both of whom joined the military, although their daughter passed away unexpectedly.

They are currently raising a female yellow Labrador puppy, named “D” www.50plusLifePA.com

in honor of 1st Lt. Howard D. Payne, who perished in Vietnam on his first mission as a scout dog commander.

Walters is busy working on his fifth novel, which depicts the life of a scoutdog handler and his faithful dog in Vietnam.

Reflecting on his Army years working with dogs, Walters says, “I have a strong affection for military working dogs. I Long Term Care t Medicare Supplement considered them as fellow combat soldiers.

If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

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Robert Naeye is a Hershey-based freelance journalist. His website is robertnaeye.com.

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March 2021

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Strange Colon Discovery Explains Racial Disparities in Colorectal Cancer

By Josh Barney, UVA Health

March is

The colons of African Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals, helping explain racial disparities in colorectal cancer — the cancer that killed beloved Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman at only 43.

Scientists led by UVA Health’s Li Li, M.D., Ph.D.; Graham Casey, Ph.D.; and Matt Devall, Ph.D., of the Center for Public Health Genomics, found that one side of the colon ages biologically faster than the other in both African Americans and people of European descent.

In African Americans, however, the right side ages significantly faster, explaining why African Americans are more likely to develop cancerous lesions on the right side and why they are more likely to suffer colorectal cancer at a younger age, the researchers say.

“Our discovery provides novel insight of the mechanistic underpinning for the observed racial disparities in age-of-onset and anatomical distribution of colon neoplasia,” said Li, the leader of the Cancer Control and Population Health program at UVA Cancer Center.

“Side-specific biological aging of the colon might emerge as a novel biomarker to guide the development of personalized prevention and intervention strategies.”

Colons Old Beyond Their Years African Americans are disproportionately affected by colorectal cancer. The American Cancer Society reports that African Americans are 20% more likely to develop colorectal cancer and 40% more likely to die from it.

Overall colorectal cancer rates have declined in America in recent years, but African Americans have not seen the same decreases as people of European descent.

And even as the overall rates have dropped, the rate among younger people has gone up.

While doctors have long appreciated these disparities, they haven’t really understood the causes. The new study helps answer those questions. It’s the first to show that the right and left sides of the colon actually age differently.

The researchers made this determination by looking at the DNA in colon tissue and the “epigenetic” changes that come with age. These epigenetic changes are not alterations to the genes but changes that affect how the genes work and how well they can do their jobs.

The scientists found that the right side of the colon in most African Americans had suffered a unique pattern of “hypermethylation,” affecting gene expression. It was, in essence, like the right side was old beyond its years.

This, the researchers believe, could contribute to African Americans’ increased cancer risk and could explain why they are more likely to develop cancerous lesions on the right side.

The research could also explain why younger people of European descent are more likely to develop lesions on the left side — the side that tends to age faster in that group.

“These findings highlight the importance of colon sidedness to biology of colorectal cancer,” Casey said. “The fact that the colon biology of people of African and European ancestry differs further highlights the critical importance of more research involving participation of people of African descent.”

Li and his team say further investigation of what they have found could lead to better ways to treat and prevent colorectal cancers.

“We are working to validate our discovery in independent patient cohorts,” Li said. “Our discovery is a step forward in our effort to prevent colorectal cancer and reduce racial disparities in this deadly disease.”

The researchers have published their findings in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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March 2021

13

Special Enrollment Period for Marketplace Coverage Open until May 15 In accordance with the executive order signed by President Biden, on Feb. 15 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services opened a special enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace® to consumers in the 36 states that use the HealthCare.gov platform.

The SEP will continue through May 15.

At least 13 states plus the District of Columbia, which operate their own Marketplace platforms, have decided to offer a similar opportunity.

The SEP will allow uninsured or underinsured individuals and families affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency to access health coverage.

During the SEP, consumers can also find out if they qualify for financial assistance to help pay for health insurance.

Currently, 9 out of 10 consumers enrolled in coverage through HealthCare.gov receive financial

help, and 75% of consumers can purchase a plan for $50 or less per month after financial assistance.

All of the plans at HealthCare.gov cover essential health benefits, such as primary care visits, and

cover many preventive care services with no out-of-pocket costs to the consumer.

CMS will communicate with current enrollees to let them know they can also take advantage of this opportunity.

Consumers who want to access the SEP to enroll in coverage and see if they qualify for financial help to reduce the cost of monthly premiums can visit HealthCare. gov or CuidadoDeSalud.gov to view 2021 plans and prices and enroll in a plan that best meets their needs.

Additionally, consumers can call the Marketplace Call Center at (800) 318-2596, which provides assistance in over 150 languages.

TTY users should call (855) 8894325.

Consumers can also find a local assister or agent/broker in their area by visiting localhelp. healthcare.gov.

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The Beauty in Nature

Raptor Counterparts Clyde McMillan-Gamber

Raptors are birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, and owls, that capture other creatures for food.

Similarly sized red-tailed hawks and great horned owls and equally sized American kestrels and screech owls are adaptable, common counterparts to raptors in southeastern Pennsylvania and through much of the United States.

Red-tails and kestrels are daytime hunters of rodents and larger insects in this area’s farmland, woodlots, and suburban areas, all Red-tailed hawk. human-made habitats. Horned owls and screech owls hunt the same prey in the same habitats, but at night.

Those hawks and owls are counterparts of each other, and those raptors don’t compete directly with each other for the same prey animals, allowing them all to live in the same habitats.

And the majestic red-tails and horned owls capture larger prey than kestrels and screech owls can, again reducing competition among these local raptors.

Though these beautiful birds represent different families, they all have several traits in common, which is an example of convergence. All hawks and owls have long, sharp talons for seizing prey. They have excellent vision and hearing to locate potential victims. And they all have hooked beaks to tear meat off their prey animals.

All these attractive raptors have camouflaged feathering, cryptic beauty that makes it difficult for the prey to spot them. And the handsome kestrels and cute little screech owls avoid larger predators because of their blending into their habitats.

All these raptors, as species, are permanent residents in this area, though some red-tails and kestrels migrate through here in spring and fall, sometimes in impressive numbers. When I suddenly see red-tails and kestrels in farmland where they had not been before, I guess they are migrants.

The 2-foot-tall, stately horned owls and red-tails begin courting in December and January. One sometimes hears pairs of owls hooting to each other during that time. And red-tails are spotted perched together in lone trees in fields at that time.

Each female of both species lays two to three eggs in an open, stick platform

in a tall tree by early February. The young of both kinds hatch in March and are on their own

by June when prey species are abundant.

The 1-foot-tall kestrels and screechers court during March. Sometimes one can hear the “killy, killy, killy” of the kestrels during the day and the descending whinnies of the screech owls at dusk.

Kestrels and screechers lay three or four eggs per brood in tree cavities and nest boxes erected specifically for them. Again, the offspring of both kinds are on their own by June.

Great horned owl.

These beautiful raptors are spotted in southeastern Pennsylvania the year around. Look for horned owls secluded among tall, suburban conifers; red-tails perched majestically on lone trees in cropland; kestrels gripping roadside wires; and dozing screech owls in tree cavities.

We have been thrilled to have all these species in our suburban neighborhood at one time or another.

Clyde McMillan-Gamber is a retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist.

Nature’s Wonders

by Clyde

A nature blog

by Clyde McMillan-Gamber, retired Lancaster County Parks naturalist and longtime 50plus LIFE columnist

Each story is like a walk with your own naturalist.

NaturesWondersByClyde.BlogSpot.com

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE

March 2021

15

Social Security News

Get Your Social Security Benefit Statement

By John Johnston

Tax season is upon us, and replacing your annual benefit statement has never been easier.

The benefit statement, also known as the SSA-1099 or the SSA-1042S, is a tax form we mail each year in January to people who receive Social Security benefits.

The form shows the total amount of benefits you received from us in the previous year so you know how much Social Security income to report to the Internal Revenue Service on your tax return.

If you live in the United States and you need a replacement form SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S, simply go online and get an instant, printable replacement form using your personal My Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount.

A replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S is available for the previous tax year after Feb. 1.

If you don’t have access to a printer, you can save the document to your computer or email it to yourself. If you don’t have a My Social Security account, creating one is very easy to do and usually takes less than 10 minutes.

With a personal My Social Security account, you can do much of your business with us online. If you receive benefits or have Medicare, your personal My Social Security account is also the best way to:

• Request a replacement Social Security number card (in most states and the District of Columbia) • Get your benefit verification letter • Check your benefit and payment information • Change your address and phone number • Change your direct deposit information • Request a replacement Medicare card • Report your wages if you work and receive Social Security disability insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits If you’re a noncitizen who lives outside of the United States and you received or repaid Social Security benefits last year, we will send you form SSA-1042S in the mail.

The forms SSA-1099 and SSA-1042S are not available for people who receive Supplemental Security Income benefits.

Visit ssa.gov to find more about our online services.

John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.

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Take a (Virtual) Trip across Pennsylvania Offered by Penn State Extension April 5 to May 24, “Everybody Walk Across Pennsylvania” is a free virtual walking program designed to help participants meet their health goals this spring.

The eight-week, semi-structured program encourages participants to increase their physical activity and develop healthy eating habits.

Participants can join individually or form teams of five with family, friends, coworkers, or even the family dog.

Because it is a virtual program, locations and times of walking can be customized, and the program also includes an exercise conversion chart to convert many activities into reportable miles.

Extension educators Stacy Reed and Laurie Welch are co-chairs for the program. Last fall, there were 471 registered participants who walked approximately 62,000 miles in all — which works out to crossing the state of Pennsylvania about 220 times, Reed said.

Reed and Welch noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, staying mentally and physically well is more important than ever.

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50plus LIFE

March 2021

17

Grief Relief

A Dozen Guidelines for Coping with Loss Victor M. Parachin

After her husband, Jay, died, Sherry Cormier, Ph.D., a psychologist and professor of counseling, took time to grieve, reflect, and then publish an excellent book that is a combination of memoir and grief self-help.

In Sweet Sorrow: Finding Enduring Wholeness after Loss and Grief, Cormier offers these dozen guidelines for better coping with loss.

1. Reduce responsibilities. In the days and weeks after a loved one has died, do less, not more. Don’t hesitate to accept help when offered. Move more slowly and be more mindful.

2. Resist unwanted advice. People — many of whom have had no personal experience of grief — will offer a wide variety of advice. Again, the time shortly after the death of a loved one is the time to turn inward and follow your instincts.

3. Defer major decisions. The general rule following a death is for a survivor not to make any significant changes for at least 12 months. Grief challenges decision-making skills. As much as possible, hold off on making any major life change.

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4. Plan for grief triggers. The first year of bereavement presents many “firsts” — birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, graduations — all of which you will celebrate without your loved one.

These days can trigger deep sadness and sorrow. Expect this. Remind yourself this is a “normal” pattern of grief.

5. Identify vulnerabilities. Cormier says that having medical procedures done without the support and presence of her husband increased her anxiety.

“When I had to undergo my first colonoscopy after he died, I cried when I arrived at the hospital … Now I recognize that I need to rely on someone else as a supportive presence and not be stunned if a fresh round of grief surrounds this sort of experience for me.”

6. Avoid comparisons with other survivors. Just as each personality is unique, each experience of grief is unique. Avoid making yourself feel badly if someone else seems to have recovered more quickly from loss than you are doing. Every journey through grief is different.

7. Do something novel. As grief eases, consider taking up a new hobby, enrolling in a class, or joining a group engaged in activities that interest you.

8. Share your story. As you heal, find ways to use your pain to help others.

You could reach out directly to someone else who has lost a loved one very recently, or you could reach out and help another via email or correspondence.

This will take the focus off yourself and increase your sense of satisfaction that something useful is emerging from your grief.

9. Identify what motivates you. “On your worst days, think long and hard about what motivates you to heal from loss,” Cormier advises.

This could be spending more time in spiritual practices, such as prayer and meditation, or it could mean taking a group fitness class to keep the body healthy.

10. Develop and use resources. Create a “team” of people who can help you ease the pain of grief. This could include a massage therapist, a yoga instructor, a personal trainer, an acupuncturist, a family physician, or a meditation group.

11. Recognize the potentially transformative energies of loss. Grief is a painful but powerful teacher.

Through the loss of a loved one, we learn the importance of living one day at a time. We learn that nothing can be taken for granted. We learn that life can change in an instant. Embrace those lessons.

12. Cultivate a relationship with yourself. “The biggest takeaway message from my grief journey is this: What are you left with after you lose something or someone so precious? Yourself!”

For Cormier, this meant “remembering who I am and staying true to myself despite other persons or situations that expect me to do or be otherwise.”

Victor M. Parachin, M.Div., is a grief counselor, bereavement educator, and author of several books, including Healing Grief.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Art & Antiques by Dr. Lori

Online Selling in the Age of COVID-19 Lori Verderame

When you think of eBay, Etsy, Ruby Lane, Facebook Marketplace, Chairish, and other sites for online selling, you probably think about electronics, toys, kitchen items, jewelry, paintings, magazines, clothes, doorknobs, bikes, celebrity autographs, and just about everything — old or new — else!

Working or non-working condition doesn’t even matter when it comes to selling stuff online. Many people are selling online, and I’m showing them how to do it with instructional videos about how to spot a valuable work of art or antique and how to turn something old into something outstanding.

Two things that the recent, albeit horrible, pandemic has accomplished in our culture are making all of us more comfortable with video-conferencing technology, like Zoom, Webex, WhatsApp, and Google Duo, among many, many others.

More of us are talking to our friends and family from home via tablet or smartphone. I’m spending many days each week offering guidance on heirlooms and valuables with video-call appraisals.

The second circumstance the pandemic has prompted is an opportunity to be at home for a long period of time and to clean out the clutter. During this time at home, we’ve descended into our basements, ascended to the attics, looked in the backyard sheds, dug deep into the garages, and unlocked the offsite storage lockers in an effort to sift through all the stuff.

Much of what we have found as we assumed the role of household archaeologists has been a variety of items from lots of different people and places and from all different time periods.

What have we found? We have found stuff that we want to donate, trash, or sell. We ask ourselves, should I trash it? Our sustainable side says, “Can’t someone use it? Where can we donate it? Goodwill? Salvation Army? Church sale? Synagogue auction?”

There are lots of places where we can get rid of our possessions, but what about making a little money from this unwanted stuff? No one gets a great return on a yard sale. The best thing about a yard sale is the space you get in the house from the stuff that went out to the front yard.

The new technological comfort zone that we have all experienced from the coronavirus quarantine and virtual homeschooling has made many of us more at ease with new methods to sell art, antiques, and collectibles online.

So, it’s time to get out your smartphone camera, snap some clear and tightly cropped photos of that old toaster or gently-played-with My Little Pony doll, and watch my instructional YouTube videos about spotting valuables and selling and listing your treasures online.

Most people know that items like paintings, sculptures, antiques, collectibles, and jewelry have value on the secondary or resale market, but did you know that sports cards, non-working electronics, and last year’s clothes also have value in the online marketplace?

Even pieces of other items can have value as craft materials or parts for workshop tinkerers, who will buy such objects. Knitting needles and a bag of yarn that isn’t quite enough for a bedroom afghan can even be sold online.

What looks like junk may be saleable.

Even the everyday stuff — like a Tinkerbell pillow sham, that wrong-color www.50plusLifePA.com

foundation makeup that you never returned to the store, or used garden tools — are sold in the online marketplace.

Sure, the prices may not make you rich, but it is still more money than you had when that object was just taking up space in the linen closet or sitting on a shelf in the backyard shed. My mother used to say “pennies make dollars,” and that’s the way you can learn to take something that looks like trash and turn it into cash.

Repurposers — those talented people who can take an outdated bedroom armoire and make it into a trendy coffee station for the kitchen/family room with some chalk paint and new hardware — have been doing this for centuries.

When it comes to selling online, look for quality, and use my tips to start selling for profit.

Dr. Lori Verderame is the award-winning Ph.D. antiques appraiser on History channel’s The Curse of Oak Island, about the world’s oldest treasure hunt. Dr. Lori offers free information about antiques appraisals and selling at drloriv.com and youtube.com/drloriv.

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March 2021

19

New Year, New Hope: 4 Tips for Your Retirement Planning Diversification can help reduce risk and can be a critical factor in helping you reach your goals, but make sure to consider taxes.

Place relatively tax-efficient investments, like ETFs and municipal bonds, in taxable accounts, and put relatively tax-inefficient investments, like mutual funds and real estate investment trusts (REITs), in tax-advantaged accounts. Taxadvantaged accounts include retirement accounts, such as a traditional or Roth individual retirement account (IRA).

If you trade frequently, do so in tax-advantaged accounts to help reduce your tax bill.

By Albert Lalonde

COVID-19 took a heavy toll on the U.S. economy in 2020, causing millions of job losses and forcing many businesses to close.

It also affected lots of retirement plans in the process.

A survey by the Pew Research Center found that 36% of Americans who save regularly are saving less because of the pandemic, and one-third said they’ve had to dip into their retirement savings to pay bills.

While much economic uncertainty remains in the months ahead, there are some important steps you can take this year to help your retirement savings: Customize your budget for life. Adjust your budget, and remember to pay yourself first. At a minimum, be sure to have three items within your budget: how much you’re taking in after taxes, how much you’re spending, and how much you’re saving.

If you’re not sure where your money is going, track spending using a spreadsheet or an online budgeting app for 60 days. Determine how much money you need to cover your fixed monthly expenses and how much you’d like to put away for other goals, such as retirement.

The rule of thumb is to save 10–15% of pretax income, including any match from an employer, starting in your 20s for retirement. If you delay, add about 10% for every decade you delay saving for retirement.

Remember to reevaluate your emergency funds and make sure to have four to six months’ worth of essential living expenses set aside in a savings vehicle.

Manage your debt. For most people, some level of debt is a practical necessity; however, problems arise when debt becomes the master, not the other way around.

To stay in charge, keep your total debt load manageable. Don’t confuse what you can borrow with what you should borrow.

Keep the monthly costs of owning a home (principal, interest, taxes, and insurance) below 28% of your pretax income and your total monthly debt below 36% of your pretax income. Eliminate high-cost, nondeductible consumer debt, and avoid borrowing to purchase depreciating assets.

Try to pay off credit card debt, and consider consolidating your debt in a low-rate home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC).

Optimize your portfolio. We all share the goal of achieving better investment results. Research, however, shows timing of markets is difficult and can be counterproductive. Create a written plan that will help you stay disciplined in all kinds of markets. Focus first and foremost on your overall investment mix.

After committing to a savings plan, how you invest is your next important decision. Have a targeted asset allocation — that is, the overall mix of stocks, bonds, and cash in your portfolio — that you’re comfortable with, even in a down market. Make sure it’s still in sync with your long-term objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon.

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Protect your estate. An estate plan may seem like something only for the wealthy, but there are simple steps everyone should take, especially after the year we just went through.

Without proper beneficiary designations, a will, and other basic steps, the fate of your estate or minor children may be decided by attorneys, probate courts, and tax agencies. Make sure to review your beneficiaries, especially for retirement accounts, annuities, and life insurance.

The beneficiary designation is your first line of defense. Therefore, keep information on beneficiaries up to date to ensure the proceeds of life insurance policies and retirement accounts are consistent with your wishes, your will, and other documents.

Update or prepare your will, and remember that a will isn’t just about transferring assets. It can provide for your dependents’ support and care and help you avoid the costs and delays associated with dying without one (intestate).

When writing a will, we recommend working with an experienced lawyer or estate planning attorney. Keep in mind: Your beneficiary designation trumps what’s written in a will, so be sure all your wishes are aligned.

If your estate is large and complex and you want to spell out how your estate should be used in detail, consider a revocable living trust, the cost of which is typically more expensive. Talk with a qualified estate-planning attorney to see which estate plan makes the most sense for you.

Next, have in place durable powers of attorney for healthcare or patientadvocate assignments. In these documents, appoint trusted and competent individuals to make decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated.

Make sure they understand your medical wishes.

Lastly, take care of important estate documents. Make sure a trusted and competent family member or close friend knows the location of your important estate documents. You may even want to consider uploading your estate documents in a digital format for easier access.

Remember, you don’t have to do everything at once. There’s a lot you can do to improve your financial health. Take one step at a time, and constantly make small improvements throughout 2021.

Albert Lalonde, a financial planner and investment adviser representative, is the founder of Kaizen Financial Group (kaizenfinancialgroup.com). Lalonde, a fiduciary, was inspired to enter the financial industry after watching his parents navigate their own retirement with no one to properly advise them.

www.50plusLifePA.com

Tax-Aide Help Available, Adjusted for Pandemic Due to coronavirus safety concerns, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide has made adjustments to its free tax-preparation services for 2021.

Tax-Aide services include all-virtual, lightcontact, or in-person approaches; the availability and type of services will depend on virus levels in each area.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year to ensure they understand the latest changes to the U.S. tax code.

The AARP Tax-Aide program offers free tax counseling and preparation services at the following locations in our coverage area. Please note that some counties did not display any site locations.

Please call for an appointment (unless otherwise noted) or visit aarp.org/money/taxaide for more information.

Cumberland County Baughman Memorial United Methodist Church 228 Bridge St., New Cumberland (717) 774-0409 Mondays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Appointments through April 9.

Camp Hill United Methodist Church 417 S. 22nd St., Camp Hill (717) 737-5631 Mondays, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Appointments through April 5.

East Pennsboro Community Center 98 S. Enola Drive, Enola (717) 732-3915 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Appointments through April 8.

Mechanicsburg Place 97 W. Portland St., Mechanicsburg (717) 591-5581 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Appointments through March 25.

(717) 766-1533 Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Appointments through April 7.

Trinity Lutheran Church 2000 Chestnut St., Camp Hill (717) 774-0409 Mondays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Appointments through April 8.

Dauphin County Halifax United Methodist Church 105 Wind Hill Drive, Halifax (717) 896-0364 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Limited appointments available through April 13 for virtual tax preparation requiring two brief, in-person meetings.

Hanover Church of the Brethren 601 Wilson Ave., Hanover (717) 633-6353 Mondays, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For an appointment, call weekdays, 8 a.m. to noon Messiah United Methodist Church 1300 N. Beaver St., York (717) 771-9042 Tuesdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Red Land Senior Center 736 Wyndamere Road, Lewisberry (717) 938-4649 March 12 and 26 Union Fire Company 201 York St., Manchester (717) 771-9042 March 5 and 19, April 2

West Hanover Township Recreation Center 628 Walnut Ave., Harrisburg (717) 219-3945 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Wrightsville Hope United Methodist Church 404 Hellam St., Wrightsville Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to noon Walk-ins welcome.

Lancaster County Grace Community Church 212 Peach Bottom Road, Willow Street (717) 464-6274

York County residents with tax-related questions (other than appointments) can email yorkaarptaxaide@gmail.com or call the voicemail line at (717) 640-5006.

To access documents that need to be completed before an appointment in York County, visit yorkcountypa.gov/county-human-services/agencyon-aging to download, print, and complete.

York County Aldersgate United Methodist Church 397 Tyler Run Road, York (717) 771-9042 Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Puzzles shown on page 6.

Puzzle Solutions

Mission Central 5 Pleasant View Drive, Mechanicsburg

Dover Community Library 3700 Davidsburg Road, Suite 1, Dover (717) 292-6814 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For an appointment, call Mondays and Wednesdays, noon to 6 p.m.

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50plus LIFE

March 2021

21

Sixties Flashback

Danger, Dames, and Double-O-Seven Randal C. Hill

“Bond. James Bond.” sinister nuclear scientist named Dr. Julius Film critic Peter Bradshaw once wrote, No (Joseph Wiseman), who espouses world “It is the most famous self-introduction from domination as his goal. any character in movie history. Three cool Along the way, Bond has to contend monosyllables. Surname first, a little curtly with such inconveniences as a “deadly” … and then, as if an afterthought, the first tarantula (tarantulas aren’t poisonous), name, followed by the surname again. flamethrowers, flying bullets, severe “Connery carried it off with an icily beatings, and a near drowning. disdainful style, in full evening dress [and] Adding to the complications is a trio with a cigarette hanging from his lips.” of temptresses — the Asian charmer Miss U.K. writer Ian Fleming’s novel Dr. No Taro (Zena Marshall), casino denizen Sylvia was first published in 1958. Four years later, Trench (Eunice Gayson), and the bikinithe silver-screen treatment gave movie fans clad, seashell-collecting siren Honey Ryder John Kitzmiller, Sean Connery, and worldwide a chance to see, for the first time, (Ursula Andress).

Ursula Andress in Dr. No (1962) Fleming’s fearless, dashing, lady-loving Agent Dr. No doesn’t actually appear until 007 in a highly entertaining bit of celluloid melodrama. one hour and 27 minutes into the story. At one point, the no-goodnik tries in And its handsome star was a 32-year-old newcomer with a thin resume. vain to persuade Agent 007 to join his evil organization. That’s when Dr. No The Scottish breakout actor, Sean Connery, was born in 1930 to an Edinburgh huffs, “I thought you had some style, Mr. Bond, but I see you’re just a stupid factory worker and a cleaning woman. As an adult, Connery worked as a policeman.” milkman, a truck driver, a lifeguard, an artist’s model, and a coffin polisher (!)

Dr. No provided the signature elements for the later James Bond movie before he gained fame and fortune via James Bond. offerings: its distinctive theme music; head-spinning, high-octane action As licensed-to-kill Agent 007, our hero was about as sexy and dangerous sequences; alluring young women; and even Bond’s preference for vodka as one could get. But before the movie-going public was allowed to see (and martinis (shaken, not stirred). fall in love with) Connery, director Terence Young first chose to tutor the Footnote: When the feature was released, United Artists had to make some rough-around-the-edges actor in how to display wit, charm, and style as the adjustments to the title before it reached foreign markets. In South Korea, for charismatic Bond character. example, the film’s name would have been literally translated as 007 Murder And although Connery stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall, all the Bond sets and Number, and in Japan the movie would have been called We Don’t Want furniture were built slightly smaller than in real life, so as to make Agent 007 Doctors! appear even larger and more imposing than he actually was.

In Dr. No, Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the murder of a fellow Although Randal C. Hill’s heart lives in the past, the rest of him resides in Bandon, agent and his secretary. He eventually becomes involved with a mysterious and Ore. He can be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

Steering Clear of Targeted Phishing Attacks

By Scott Schober

If cybercrime were measured as an economy, it would be the third largest country, after the U.S. and China, at $6 trillion globally, according to Cybersecurity Ventures’ 2020 special report, Cyberwarfare in the C-Suite.

This chilling statistic relies heavily upon email phishing attacks as the major contributor to so many breaches and data theft. One group of victims stands out as not only the most likely targets, but also among the most lucrative, too.

Senior citizens have survived wars, natural disasters, and even disco, so you would think they might be spared the indignity of being hacked

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and ripped off based solely on their advanced age, but According to the U.S. Department of Justice, older adults lose more than $3 billion each year to financial scams.

And these scams and correspondences come via the most popular communication format on the planet: email.

Email attacks arrive in the form of many incarnations, including spear-phishing, whaling, catfishing, and other colorful labels, but they all seek to trick users into revealing private data in some way.

Once this data is divulged, hackers can sell it or use it to invade further into the victim’s digital life. please see STEERING on facing page

www.50plusLifePA.com

STEERING from facing page Due to their trusting nature and overall inexperience with the internet, older adults can find themselves the target of daily phishing attacks, but so long as they follow three simple rules, they should be safe from most cybercrime attempts.

1. Never click on any link or attachment in an email you were not expecting. Similar to “never take candy from a stranger,” this rule is pretty straightforward — but imagine the stranger is disguised to look exactly like a loved one.

This is the quandary we have found ourselves in when using the internet as a primary form of communications and transactions. Things are not always as they appear to be.

Stay home; Stay safe!

2. Even if you think the email message you just received is legitimate, do not click on any links within it. Simply type the website URL into your browser (after the first few letters, it will probably fill in the rest for you) so you can be sure you are visiting the real website and not some counterfeit website created to capture passwords from victims.

3. If you already clicked on a link or an attachment in a suspicious email, don’t panic, but stop what you’re doing and take a breath. So long as you did not reveal any confidential passwords or login information to a website you do not trust, you are still safe.

And so long as you did not install any executable files (often ending in .exe or .zip, for instance) onto your computer, you are still in the clear.

If you still suspect you’ve been targeted by a recent phishing attack, you can always check your PC for malware and viruses using antivirus software.

Software like this can also help prevent malware from installing itself onto your computer in the first place, so it’s recommended that you keep running these security programs in the background.

We can all fight back against phishing attacks by reporting suspicious emails to the anti-phishing group at reportphishing@apwg.org or directly to the organization that the email was pretending to originate from.

For instance, if you received an email that claimed to be from PayPal, but it did not look legitimate, you could just forward the message along to spoof@paypal.com. You should then receive a reply from PayPal indicating whether the email was real or not.

Remember, not all suspicious emails are phishing attacks, but not all are harmless spam, either. Considering the number of unsolicited emails and phone messages I receive daily, I’ve developed a thick skin to ignore most of these annoyances.

But it does take a little training and a keen eye to spot some of these targeted spoof emails. If you take the time to study some of them further, you will probably start to see patterns emerge, such as messages regarding medications, insurance, finances, and other common issues that concern our senior population.

It’s important to stay vigilant against hackers and scammers because they are always changing their approaches and messages in attempts to swindle their targets. In the world of digital transactions and communications, trust should never be assumed but rather earned.

We’ve spent most of our lives waiting for letters to arrive in our physical mailbox, so we can wait a few extra seconds before opening and clicking on our emails, too.

Scott Schober is the president and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems, a New Jersey-based provider of wireless test and security solutions, and the author of three bestselling security books: Hacked Again, Cybersecurity is Everybody’s Business, and Senior Cyber. Schober is a cybersecurity expert for live security events, media appearances, and commentary. scottschober.com, @SeniorCyber

www.50plusLifePA.com

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Simply mail this form and $15 for an annual subscription to: 50plus LIFE • P.O. Box 8049, Lancaster, PA 17604 Call (717) 285-8131, or subscribe online at www.50plusLIFEPA.com!

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March 2021

23

The Bookworm Sez

An Environmental History of the Civil War Terri Schlichenmeyer

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An Environmental History of the Civil War

By Judkin Browning and Timothy Silver c. 2020, The University of North Carolina Press 260 pages

effects lingering well past war’s end.

Hunger was a near-constant issue that affected soldiers’ stamina; on or off the battlefield, they were not always well fed. At least one general ordered his troops “not to confiscate private property,” but hunger was stronger than a need to obey, and food stores were regularly raided, leaving civilians to starve.

Troops dealt with floods or drought but, unaccustomed to local weather or ill prepared by suppliers, soldiers suffered from heat stroke or severe dehydration. These conditions were often exacerbated by dysentery from drinking water contaminated by debris, human and animal waste, or corpses dumped in water sources or inadequate graves.

These are but a few issues of environment that happened to soldiers, but the authors also write about the effects on the environment from soldiers: fields left stripped and barren, cattle populations that took decades to recover, entire forests destroyed, alterations to the land, and countless graves and trenches dug for those who never went home …

Chances are, if you’re a student of Civil War history, you own shelves and shelves filled with battle dates and please see ENVIRONMENTAL on page 26

About Us – The Lancaster County Office of Aging (LCOA) was established 45 years ago as a

NG • DIGN AGI ITY

VO C AD

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VE TI

•

ASS OMP ION • A •C C

Save the Earth!

You’d agree to that. Who doesn’t want to enjoy a bright, airy afternoon with cotton-ball clouds? Of course, you’d happily leave your grandchildren those shirt-sleeve kinds of days, thunderstorm evenings, clean air and water.

That’s what you’d choose if you could — though, as you’ll see in An Environmental History of the Civil War by Judkin Browning and Timothy Silver, things weren’t always so sunny.

In all the battles that occurred in the Civil War, just one campaign — the Mud March of January 1863 — was named after the weather in which it happened. It was the result of not having accurate weather information, leading to poor planning. And it was not the only time that unforeseen forces affected the war.

The war, say Browning and Silver, had barely begun when measles outbreaks hit the newly formed ranks especially hard.

The average soldiers were boys from rural areas and “rural folk … lacked the immunity that some city folk enjoyed,” so thousands fell ill.

Bacterial infections followed, as did insect-carried and water-borne diseases; syphilis and gonorrhea spread, too, their

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Lancaster County Office of Aging Maintaining the independence and quality of life for seniors through information, services, and protection since 1974.

result of the passage of the Older Americans Act. This act directed states to develop a network of services and supports to help keep older adults healthy and independent.

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging was created to fulfill this mandate. In turn, a network of 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) was established throughout the commonwealth to carry out this mission at the local level.

Funding for aging-related services is a combination of state and federal monies, with the Pennsylvania Lottery providing the major source of funding.

In Lancaster County, the AAA is part of county government. We are dedicated to providing Lancaster County residents, 60 years of age and older, with a wide range of informational resources and services as well as advocacy efforts and elder abuse protection.

The LCOA offers the following services:

Our Philosophy:

• Information and referral services

u

Support

the older person’s right to decide his/her own destiny. Encourage consumer self-determination and choice.

• Long-term living assessments • H ome and community-based support services

u

Support

the older person’s right to risk.

• Protection from abuse and neglect

u

Promote

independence and dignity.

• A PPRISE, Medicare, and related health insurance counseling

u

Avoid

unnecessary/inappropriate institutionalization.

• Senior center services

• • • • • • • •

Adult daily living services Caregiver support Employment Ombudsman services Transportation Legal services Health and wellness programming Volunteer opportunities

For more information, please call us Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 717-299-7979/1-800-801-3070, visit our website at www.lancoaging.org, or email aging@co.lancaster.pa.us.

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Free Public Transportation Available to Vaccination Sites Capital Area Transit (CAT) the business day prior to their and rabbittransit are appointment. CAT or offering shared-ride rabbittransit staff will transportation assist individuals in service to any the reservation community process.

CAT and rabbittransit member When are dedicated who needs scheduling to ensuring that transportation a sharedto and from ride trip to a transportation is not their scheduled vaccination a barrier in getting COVID-19 site, riders must vaccination have a confirmed vaccinated. appointment.

COVID-19 As the COVID appointment at the vaccine continues to location to which they are become more available, CAT requesting transportation. and rabbittransit are dedicated to If you are in need of ensuring that transportation is not a transportation to a COVID barrier in getting vaccinated. vaccination site in the rabbittransit Advance reservations for service area, contact the rabbittransit transportation service are required. call center at (800) 632-9063.

Residents will need to call CAT For Dauphin County residents, (Dauphin County only) or call the CAT customer service center rabbittransit no later than noon at (717) 238-8304.

Why Newspapers?

84%

of Baby Boomers have taken action as a result of seeing an ad in a print newspaper in the past 30 days.2

Pet of the Month

Peter Peter is a 5-yearold neutered male New Zealand white rabbit. This guy is as sweet as can be and loves to be showered with attention.

In his free time, however, Peter loves tossing toys around and taking bunny naps.

This distinguished gentleman knows what he likes, and what he likes is fresh, rabbit-approved vegetables every day — that is the key to staying healthy!

Ready for this handsome guy to take up some room in your heart?

Peter’s ID number is 227751. Please send your application to adoptlancaster@humanepa.org, or give the shelter a call at (717) 393-6551 to learn more.

1 in 5 Adults is a Caregiver.

All Need Products and Services to Help Them on Their Journeys.

Why advertise?

•Y our focused message reaches its targeted audience.

•M ulti-venue promotion — online, in print, and through social media platforms.

•Y ear-round distribution — annual women’s expos and 50plus EXPOs, local offices of aging, and other popular venues.

Because in print or online, newspapers are

the most trusted source

Features: • Informative Articles • Directory of Providers • Ancillary and Support Services

View the 2020 edition online at www.BusinessWomanPA.com

of news and information among all age groups.1

Ad Materials Deadline — May 14, 2021 To advertise your products and services, call 717-285-1350 or email info@onlinepub.com Sources: 1Coda Ventures; 2NAA

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To be included in the July 2021 edition, please call 717.285.1350 or email info@BusinessWomanPA.com

50plus LIFE

March 2021

25

ENVIRONMENTAL from page 24 biographies. An Environmental History of the Civil War moves the story in a totally different direction.

Here, authors Browning and Silver take a no-holds-barred approach that goes deep into parts of the war that affected men on an individual basis, with a focus that’s less on generals and more on general troops, and a narrative that extends to both Black and white.

Overall, that information is factual as well as matter-of-fact, but it can be horrifyingly gruesome, too, with vivid descriptions of wounds and dispassionate images of violent death.

This, in other words, probably isn’t a book you’d want to take to dinner.

That aside, Civil War buffs and anyone who’s curious about day-to-day details of history won’t be able to resist this thorough, non-sensational, very fascinating book.

An Environmental History of the Civil War shows that it was a war between the North and the South — and with the Earth, too.

Need to talk to someone?

Not sure where to turn?

CONTACT can listen!

CONTACT Helpline Available 24/7

1-800-932-4616

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 14,000 books.

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SEASON

RSVP – York County is seeking volunteer drivers 55 and over to deliver senior food boxes for York County Food Bank.

The boxes will be delivered once a month at the volunteer’s convenience.

Volunteer benefits include: transportation reimbursement, free supplemental liability insurance, recognition and appreciation events, and assistance with clearances.

For more information, contact Scott Hunsinger at (717) 893-8474 or yorkrsvp@rsvpcapreg.org.

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March 2021

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Serious conditions. Smart solutions.

People with conditions of the brain and nervous system have plenty of questions. Our Penn State Health Neurology team helps you find answers by providing expert care for:

We’ll meet with you in person or virtually through Penn State Health OnDemand.

• ALS and other neuromuscular disorders • Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other cognitive disorders • Headache • Multiple sclerosis • Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders • Post-concussion conditions • Seizures and epilepsy • Stroke

Learn more at pennstatehealthondemand.com.

To make an appointment, call 717-531-3828.

Because we conduct research in partnership with Penn State College of Medicine, we can bring you the latest, most effective treatments. We’re committed to providing you with the highest-quality, compassionate care, while keeping you safe.

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