January 2019 | Baltimore Beacon

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

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Your kids don’t treasure your treasures?

By Carol Sorgen When Shelley Shannon remarried recently, she went from a five-bedroom house to a two-bedroom furnished condo in Baltimore City.

“We’re still trying to fit the few things I brought in,” said Shannon, who either sold or gave away 85 percent of her belongings.

“If they aren’t important for this lifetime, they aren’t important,” she said. “When you really want something — and I really love my husband and wanted to be with him — it’s easy to part with the past and look forward to the future.”

The first thing Shannon did when it

Quarry Lake at Greenspring. “They’re asking themselves, ‘Would you rather have this ring or $20,000?’”

According to the Mayflower 2018 Mover Insights Study, approximately half of millennials surveyed aren’t keeping family

came to downsizing (increasingly known these days as rightsizing) was ask her family and friends what they wanted. What many people like Shannon these days are finding out, however, is that their family and friends don’t especially want any of their “stuff.”

“A lot of kids — and kids can range from millennials all the way up to baby boomers — would rather have money in the bank or to spend on an experience,” said Ron Samuelson, CEO of the family-owned Samuelson’s Diamonds & Estate Buyers in

So your daughter isn’t interested in your collection of cat figurines, and your son has no room for the dining room table you inherited from your mother. Now what?

If you’re working on streamlining all the stuff you’ve collected over the years, you have a number of options.

Go to Google and enter your location and the various types of venues that might be of help — from consignment stores to auction houses — and you will find a number of leads to pursue.

Selling your things

As you downsize, either to declutter generally or to enable a move to a new home, you may find your children and grandchildren don’t want your china, furniture or collectibles. Instead, determine if you might be able to sell or donate the items so others may benefit.

heirlooms to pass down to their children.

And their parents don’t particularly want their parents’ stuff either.

“Adults from all generations are emSee STUFF, page B-3

Paring down your possessions

Fewer things, more experiences

BY IOPHOTO

Without the use of any preliminary drawings, Friedheim works with steel — bending, folding, hammering, grinding, filing, bolting and welding pieces together to assemble otherworldly creatures, human figures, and even functional objects such as furniture and barbecues.

Friedheim gets some of his best material from the scrap heap, so each creation is an improbable association of rebar (ridged steel rods), sheet steel, repurposed machine parts, and other found objects, such as bent nails.

“I like building something large out of

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID FRIEDHEIM

From an assemblage of parts

JANUARY 2019

More than 125,000 readers throughout Greater Baltimore

Transforming steel into art

By Carol Berkower It has been 12 years since the metal sculptor David Aaron Friedheim returned to Baltimore from San Francisco with his wife, ceramic artist Trisha Kyner, and on this day he is in a reflective mood.

“I wake up not knowing whether I’ve been an incredible success or an abject failure,” said the 59-year-old New York native and alumnus of Maryland Institute College of Art. “How could I not even know?”

In contrast to the angst suggested by his words, however, Friedheim’s bemused expression seemed to acknowledge the absurdity of the question. The son of a painter and a classical musician, he has a long resume of building artwork on commission for private and public clients, and has exhibited his sculptures in many solo and group shows throughout the country.

Friedheim’s sculptures are the first things visitors notice outside the former mom-andpop grocery store in Gwynns Falls where he and Kyner live and create. His brightly painted figures strike a whimsical note among the two-story brick rowhouses and modest wood-frame homes in this residential working-class neighborhood, and passing drivers regularly pull over for a closer look.

On the concrete sidewalk that runs the length of the brick building, a five-foot-tall steel man gazes primly over his shoulder.

A bent steel rod forms the outline of the man’s head. An eye, a nostril and a pursed mouth occupy one hemisphere, fixing the man’s gaze to his left, while a tightly curled tube inside the other hemisphere suggests a whirring brain.

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If you have gently worn clothing with higher-end labels, or furniture that’s in good condition, you may be able to sell it at a consignment store. These stores continually mark down the price of unsold items over time until they go.

Keep in mind: They pay you only if and when your stuff sells, keeping a portion of the sale price as their commission. Sometimes, if an item doesn’t sell in a fixed period of time, they’ll donate it or you can retrieve it.

Auction houses will sell valuable furniture, jewelry, books and other items if they feel there will be a market for them.

Check www.liveauctioneers.com/auctioneer/directory for a listing of more than 4,000 auction houses across the country.

Another option is selling online. You can post your items on eBay, and either sell to the highest bidder or set a fixed price with its “Buy It Now” feature. See www.ebay.com.

A number of bookstores will buy indemand books and even pay for shipping, but be prepared not to make a lot of money. Enter the ISBN number of a

book into Book Scouter (https:// bookscouter.com), and the site searches 35 book buyback vendors for the best offer.

Donating your items If you itemize your taxes (although fewer people will find that financially advantageous this year), you can deduct the fair market value of all goods you donate.

To determine fair market value, use thrift store prices, a used-car guide, or other appropriate reference for used items. Some online tax preparation programs will suggest values for the most common donated items.

To claim a tax deduction, you must complete a form if your total donations are worth $500 or more, and must have a recent appraisal of any donated items you claim are worth $5,000 or more.

You can search a listing of a number of organizations accepting donations at www.thethriftshopper.com.

While Goodwill and Salvation Army take some furniture, donations may be more welcome at nonprofits specifically geared to take them. Habitat for Humanity has several ReStore locations that accept donations of furniture, household goods and building materials. See www.habitat.org/restores/donate-goods to find one near you.

In the Washington area, a Wider Circle is seeking furniture donations. In addition to providing furniture to those who can’t afford it, the nonprofit organization provides a variety of other services to those in need of stable housing.

See http://awidercircle.org/get-involved.

— Barbara Ruben

SEE SPECIAL INSERT Housing & Homecare Options following page 12

ARTS & STYLE Metal sculptor David Aaron Friedheim poses with a part of his bent steel triptych named “Dragon.” Other pieces, which frequently incorporate found objects as well as a variety of metals and parts, range from a giant bright yellow frog (which resides in his backyard), to towering steel monsters, to gold-painted figures just a foot high.

an accumulation of smaller parts,” he said, adding that he is intrigued by “grotesque imagery” and its use in the decorative arts.

“Many of my images originate in wooden furniture, ceramic plates, illuminated manuscripts, and various forms of wall coverings. I believe that creativity is often found in nooks and corners,” he added.

In Friedheim’s artist’s statement for the Maryland State Arts Council, he notes that he wants to make sculptures that require little explanation yet inspire contemplation, capture the viewer’s interest, and provide enjoyment.

His studio, which he likens to the inside

of his mind — “it’s where I think with my hands as well as my eyes” — is occupied by metalworking tools and materials. And his sculptures, which range in size from towering steel monsters to gold-painted figures barely a foot high, are crammed together on a high shelf by the dozens.

Friedheim’s artistic vision has evolved through the years. Standing sculptures gave way to two-dimensional pieces sprouting on his walls or arched over a doorway, then to flat animalistic figures he refers to as “steel drawings.”

See SCULPTOR, page 21

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Ready for a riddle?

I’m not generally a riddle lover. But I’m short distance, comes to a dead stop, then listening to a book on tape that my wife en- returns back to him. And he says he can joyed, Elastic: Flexible Thinkdo this without bouncing it ing in a Time of Change, by off anything, tying anything Leonard Mlodinow (m-lod’to it, or giving it spin. How? nov).

While you consider those, The book is about the I’ll note that these kinds of human brain and the multiple riddles can be challenging bemethods by which we think cause we tend to think analyt— something science has ically most of the time, and only recently come to underespecially when trying to stand. solve problems.

The book addresses what When we think analytically, he calls our brain’s elasticity: FROM THE our brain tries to travel the an ability to think creatively, PUBLISHER shortest path to a solution, so to consider perspectives be- By Stuart P. Rosenthal we tend to rely on what we alyond our own, and to draw ready know (or think we connections between radically different know). In fact, these riddles are designed to ideas in a non-logical manner. encourage exactly that kind of approach.

In order to illustrate what he means, he But it’s logical thinking that actually opens one chapter with a challenge to the makes these riddles difficult to solve! We reader: Can you solve these riddles? As I need to think outside our normal patterns, listened to the book while navigating and even refuse to follow straightforward through traffic, I took him up on it. Are logic to get to the answers. you ready to give some a try?

In the first riddle, the man is reading #1. A man is reading a book when the from a book. But it’s written in Braille, so lights go out. Even though the room is he’s reading with his fingers. pitch dark, he continues reading. How? The magician isn’t tossing the ping-pong (Note: it’s not an electronic book.) ball against a wall or across the floor, as we #2. A magician claims to be able to might first imagine. He’s throwing it straight throw a ping-pong ball so that it goes a up into the air, so it reverses direction and

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comes back to him thanks to gravity.

The reason for including such riddles in the book is not to trick us, but to illustrate how our minds can jump to the wrong conclusions. When we intently focus our analytical powers, we sometimes miss the point.

Ironically, our brains often make the most creative connections, and find solutions to problems that otherwise evade us, when they act without conscious direction so our thoughts can roam freely.

One way to become more in touch with our elastic brain involves a different kind of effort. Mlodinow describes how he purposely tests his most closely held beliefs in order to widen his perspective and engage more of his brain.

He selects a deeply held value or belief (some might call it a prejudice) and tries to see it from the side of a person of good intention who holds the opposite belief.

He knows he’s not fooling himself, and he doesn’t expect to change his own opinion.

But by working to understand why others believe what they believe, and how they might view his opinions, he usually comes to accept that there can be different positions on the matter, and that those who disagree with him are not truly evil, as he might originally have felt.

To me, this is one of the major insights of the book. Though it’s natural and generally helpful for our brains to take the easy

route to a decision, it’s important to use all our faculties when we want to understand another person’s perspective, politics, culture or beliefs.

We tend to be rigid and judgmental when we think analytically. So when that fails us, as it sometimes does when trying to communicate with others, we need to think more elastically.

We will come to understand ourselves and others better — and maybe even regain a more civil society — when we can train ourselves not to retreat to our most comfortable logic.

The book deserves more than this brief description of one point. There are many more insights in it. So I encourage you to read it (or listen to it) yourself.

I predict it will put you in a frame of mind to be more open to new ideas and concepts — and to be more tolerant of your fellow human beings.

A NOTE TO READERS: Have you had your DNA tested and learned something interesting about your family? If so, please contact our managing editor Barbara Ruben at (301) 949-9766 to help us with an upcoming story. Thank you!

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• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher ..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Vice President, Sales & Marketing ....Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory • Director of Operations ........................Roger King • Contributing Editor ..........................Carol Sorgen • Advertising Representatives .................................. ..............................Barbara Koscielski, Steve Levin • Assistant Editor ..........................Rebekah Alcalde

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Dear Editor: Tried to read your article on “Is medical cannabis for you?” in the December issue.

Cannot do it. Reason, I live in an area where about all the kids and many of the adults are pot users. I see the results of constant pot usage and am the victim of having to smell it et al.

To me, the making of it legal and calling it medical is bunk. There are many other drugs people can use to get rid of pain. It is nothing but a front to use to get away with recreational usage.

The neighbor next door has two children, one about 4, the other 6. The smell is so bad that it comes through the walls of our rowhome. We get headaches from it.

Called the police, and they cannot do much about it. If it can give me a headache, what does it do to the brains of their children?

Also, when we drive out of our community, there are so many people driving under the influence we fear that we will be in an accident. I think it is in Colorado that they proved that dope usage while driving is beginning to

overtake accidents by those on booze.

Another point is do you know that it is only pot that they are smoking? Or is it sprayed with opium, angel dust, PCP, or some other more powerful drug?

And who gets affected? Is it the user only or others?

Also, I am told, even by the police, that pot has cancer causing compounds in it that I should not be breathing in. You complain about cigarette smoke in your face, but not pot smoke.

And the stench gets on your clothing, in your nose, in your house. You cannot sit on the porch and relax when they do it around you or even a half block away. I know. I am the victim of this abuse of pot.

If pot is a drug, and it is illegal for you to give me your other drugs, why should it be legal to blow your drug in my face so that I have to experience taking a drug I do not need nor want to take? For you to affect my life with your drug, is that right and moral?

F. Kenneth Buraczynski Baltimore

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

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Health Fitness &

DO YOU HAVE ULCERATIVE COLITIS? A Hopkins study is looking for patients to help doctors find the best therapies and better understand the disease LESS INVASIVE, LESS EFFECTIVE Laparoscopic surgery for endometrial cancer may heighten the risk for recurrence of the disease DON’T ENABLE ABUSE Speak up if your spouse emotionally abuses you — and get counseling

An eye scan may detect early Alzheimer’s Results from two studies show that a new, non-invasive imaging device can see signs of Alzheimer’s disease in a matter of seconds.

The researchers show that the small blood vessels in the retina at the back of the eye are altered in patients with Alzheimer’s.

Even patients who have a family history of Alzheimer’s but have no symptoms show these telltale signs.

Researchers also showed that they can distinguish between people with Alzheimer’s and those with only mild cognitive impairment. Results from these studies were pre-

sented at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

A window to the brain A new kind of precise and non-invasive imaging called optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) has assisted much of the recent research on the eye’s connection with Alzheimer’s. It enables physicians to see the smallest veins in the back of the eye, including the red blood cells moving through the retina.

Because the retina is connected to the brain by way of the optic nerve, researchers

believe that the deterioration in the retina and its blood vessels may mirror the changes going on in the blood vessels and structures in the brain, thereby offering a window into the disease process.

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s is a currently a challenge. Some techniques can detect signs of the disease but are impractical for screening millions of people: Brain scans are expensive and spinal taps can be harmful.

Instead, the disease is often diagnosed through memory tests or observing behavior changes. By the time these changes are noticed, the disease is advanced.

Even though there is no cure, early diagnosis is critical as future treatments are likely to be most effective when given early.

Early diagnosis would also give patients and their families time to plan for the future.

The goal of this latest research is to find a quick, inexpensive way to detect Alzheimer’s at the earliest signs.

Researchers at Duke University used OCTA to compare the retinas of Alzheimer’s patients with those of people with mild cognitive impairment, as well as healthy people.

They found that the Alzheimer’s group

had loss of small retinal blood vessels at the back of the eye, and that a specific layer of the retina was thinner. Even people with mild cognitive impairment did not show these changes.

“This project meets a huge unmet need,” said Dr. Sharon Fekrat, a professor of ophthalmology at Duke. “It’s not possible for current techniques, like a brain scan or lumbar puncture (spinal tap), to screen the number of patients with this disease.

“Almost everyone has a family member or extended family affected by Alzheimer’s. We need to detect the disease earlier and introduce treatments earlier.”

Confirmed by Israeli study Because genes play a significant role in how Alzheimer’s disease begins and progresses, another team of researchers, from Sheba Medical Center in Israel, examined 400 people who had a family history of the disease but showed no symptoms themselves. They compared their retina and brain scans with those who have no family history of Alzheimer’s.

See EARLY ALZHEIMER’S, page 6

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

Antibiotics an alternative for appendicitis

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gies. The study included 530 adults with simple appendicitis diagnosed by CT scan.

They were randomly assigned to have surgery right away or to take antibiotics.

The researchers just reported the longterm study results in the Journal of American Medical Association. For those that were assigned to antibiotic treatment, 39 percent had recurrent appendicitis over the next five years. Most recurrences occurred within the first 12 months.

The surgery patients in the study had a traditional open appendectomy. Today it’s more common to have a laparoscopic procedure. This is done through small incisions. Recovery is much faster than with the larger incision needed for open appendectomy.

When I had appendicitis three years ago, I was offered antibiotics or surgery. I chose immediate laparoscopic appendectomy. I didn’t want risk a recurrence, especially since I like to travel, and I was able to adapt my work schedule without much hassle.

Someone else with appendicitis might have different priorities. He or she may find it very inconvenient to have immediate surgery, and would rather postpone an operation, or not have one at all unless appendicitis recurs.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2018 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

F R E E

By Dr. Howard LeWine Q: A friend was recently treated with antibiotics for appendicitis. I thought appendicitis required an operation. What’s changed?

A: For more than 100 years, appendicitis was considered an emergency that required immediate surgery to remove the appendix (an appendectomy). Today a course of antibiotics offers a safe alternative in many cases.

Before we had CT scans and ultrasounds, doctors had to diagnose appendicitis based on the patient’s symptoms and the physical exam. Good diagnosticians got it right about 85 percent of the time.

So it was very acceptable to remove a normal appendix once out of every seven surgeries. That’s because surgeons were most worried about missing a severely infected appendix or one that had ruptured.

Nobody would consider running a study to compare antibiotics alone to surgery for symptoms of acute appendicitis.

But when CT scans came into common use, doctors had a great tool to help diagnose the cause of abdominal pain. With the detailed pictures CT scans provide, doctors can determine who has “mild” inflammation of the appendix that has little chance of developing into an abscess or rupturing.

This opened the door to consider antibiotic treatment as an alternative to immediate appendectomy. Doctors began offering antibiotics to some patients with simple appendicitis.

Nine years ago, researchers launched a formal study comparing the two strate-

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JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Health Studies Page

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Hopkins study focuses on ulcerative colitis

By Carol Sorgen Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, progressive disease that affects nearly 1 million Americans. Up to one-third of patients with UC will require hospitalization for severe symptoms such as pain and bloody stools, often within the first year after diagnosis.

While new therapies have revolutionized the medical care available to patients, offering a greater possibility of achieving remission or reducing the need for surgical intervention, researchers still have not seen a significant improvement in disease

outcomes among those with the most severe form of the disease.

In addition, medical providers still are not able to tailor care for UC patients by predicting at the outset who may develop acute progression of the disease or see few benefits from medical therapy, and therefore be able to benefit from early surgery.

Johns Hopkins University is conducting a study in which investigators will observe up to 300 patients with severe ulcerative colitis. This study will be the first of its kind in the United States, and will be a key resource for understanding the natural

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history, risk factors and optimal therapies for care of UC patients.

Investigators hope that this study will serve as a valuable resource for clinical trials of new therapies and innovative strategies.

Over one-third of patients with severe UC receive intravenous steroids, which is the basis for initial management of the disease. Infliximab and cyclosporine are the two most commonly used medical therapies for these patients. In two previous clinical trials, they have shown to be similarly effective in both the short and long term.

Up to a third of patients, however, do not respond to this treatment. This lack of response is not well understood and may be a result of different factors that may be both patient- and drug-related.

One of the factors contributing to the limited success in treating patients with se-

vere UC is there haven’t been large clinical studies to understand why some don’t get better with IV medication.

Patients who have been hospitalized for acute severe ulcerative colitis will be invited to enroll in the study. Those who participate will be treated by their physician’s treatment plan.

Investigators expect that some participants will be treated with standard versus accelerated dosing of the drug infliximab, in addition to other treatment strategies.

Eligible patients must be between the ages of 18 and 80, and have been diagnosed with an active form of ulcerative colitis or inflammatory bowel disease. They must have been hospitalized and treated with intravenous corticosteroid therapy or medical rescue therapy.

For more information, contact Dr. Joanna Melia at jpeloqu2@jhmi.edu.

Early Alzheimer’s

and smaller hippocampus, were associated with scoring worse on a cognitive function test.

“A brain scan can detect Alzheimer’s when the disease is well beyond a treatable phase,” said lead researcher Dr. Ygal Rotenstreich, an ophthalmologist at the Goldschleger Eye Institute at Sheba Medical Center. “We need treatment intervention sooner. These patients are at such high risk.”

From page 4 They found that the inner layer of the retina is thinner in people with a family history. The brain scan showed that their hippocampus, an area of the brain that’s first affected by the disease, had already begun to shrink.

Both factors, a thinner inner retina layer

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7

Less-invasive surgery less effective too

By Carla K. Johnson New evidence about a cancer operation in women finds a higher death rate for the less invasive version, challenging standard practice and the “less is more” approach to treating cervical cancer.

The unexpected findings are prompting changes at some hospitals that perform radical hysterectomies for early-stage disease.

The more rigorous of the two studies was conducted at more than 30 sites in a dozen countries. It found women who had the less invasive surgery were four times more likely to see their cancer return compared to women who had traditional surgery.

Death from cervical cancer occurred in 14 of 319 patients who had minimally invasive surgery and 2 of 312 patients who had open surgery. Results were published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Radical hysterectomy is standard treatment for women with early-stage cervical cancer. Rates are declining because of widespread screening. The number of operations has fallen, too, to several thou-

sand a year in the United States.

Some women with early-stage cervical cancer are choosing fertility-sparing techniques, treatments not included in the new research.

In both studies, researchers compared two methods for radical hysterectomy, an operation to remove the uterus, cervix and part of the vagina. The surgery costs around $9,000 to $12,000 with the minimally invasive version at the higher end.

Some hospitals went back to traditional hysterectomy after the results were presented at a cancer meeting in March.

“We immediately as a department

changed our practice and changed completely to the open approach,” said Dr. See SURGERY, page 9

Differences in surgeries Traditional surgery involves a cut in the lower abdomen. In a newer method, a surgeon makes small incisions for a camera and instruments.

Patients recover faster, so laparoscopic surgery, which has been around for more than a decade, gained popularity despite a lack of rigorous long-term studies.

It’s not clear why it failed to measure up.

Experts suspect there may be something about the tools or technique that spreads the cancer cells from the tumor to the abdominal cavity.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 16

HIV AND HEPATITIS C TESTING

The Baltimore County Department of Health provides free, confidential HIV and Hepatitis C testing at the Essex Branch Library from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16. No appointment necessary. Results are available in 20 to 40 minutes. If you’re not sure whether you should be tested, stop in to talk to staff about the risk factors and ways to protect yourself.

Information will also be available about PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) to protect yourself from HIV. The library is located at 1110 Eastern Blvd,, Essex. For more information, call (410) 887-0295.

Ongoing

RESOURCE FOR BALTIMORE AREA START-UPS StartupDigest.com is a weekly email newsletter for startups in 40 cities, including Baltimore. Sign up at www.startupdigest.com.

Your recovery after a hospital stay should begin with a knowledgeable, interdisciplinary team that understands your health care goals. Working with state-of-the-art equipment, we have the expertise and experience to treat patients recovering from a variety of conditions, including: Neurological Cardiac Orthopedic Cancer Pulmonary Complex Medical

manorcare.com © 2018 HCR Healthcare, LLC

If you need help with any of these conditions, you may benefit from an inpatient skilled nursing and rehabilitation stay.

Four Baltimore locations: • ManorCare – Roland Park • ManorCare – Rossville • ManorCare – Ruxton • ManorCare – Towson For more information, call

888.255.7054

8

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JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Don’t enable abuse; stand up for yourself Dear Solutions: made a gesture of eating some, and then I hope you can help me find a better sat in a glum, silent mood all evening. way to react to my husband When we got home, he when he blames me for exploded at me, yelling that things and yells and screams I had no right ordering at me. clams when I know he We went to dinner with hates them, and that I gave two other couples, and I the idea to the others. wanted to order a clam appeHe carries on this way tizer. The other two women every time something goes wanted to share it, so we orwrong and blames me. dered it for the three of us.

When this happens, I start When the other two men saw shaking and cr ying and it, they wanted it also and de- SOLUTIONS feel sick. cided to order it for the three By Helen Oxenberg, I don’t say anything beMSW, ACSW of them to share. cause a day or so later he My husband hates clams, brings flowers and apolobut he said nothing, let them order it, gizes, but I know it will happen again.

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It’s happening more and more.

What should I do?

— Donna Dear Donna: Don’t clam up — speak up! Your husband will not take responsibility for his own actions or inaction as long as he can bully and scream at you and get away with it.

He has temper tantrums like a spoiled child or, more threateningly, like an abusive husband.

Tell him, before another incident happens, that you will not accept blame for anything you didn’t do, and you will not hang around to watch or listen to his tantrums. Abuse, unless stopped in its tracks, does not get better. It often erupts into physical violence.

Insist that he go for therapy. If he refuses, get out — there’s no gain in this pain.

Dear Solutions: Very soon after my good friend died, her husband remarried. Now he’s becoming more and more disabled and is having a lot of trouble walking.

At a meeting the other night, we saw him having a hard time while this new wife just sat there and didn’t even try to help him. I wanted to poke her and tell her to help him.

I think we — the old friends — should say something to her about how inconsiderate she’s being, but my husband says no. I thought I could just say nicely, “Doesn’t he need help? I think you should help him.”

He limps and wobbles when he walks. What do you think?

— Old Friend Dear Old Friend: No matter how he “limps and wobbles” it’s his limp and his wobble, and therefore his independence. Many handicapped people would rather struggle than accept help

because that struggle still allows them to hold onto a feeling of control.

Give “this new wife,” as you describe her, the benefit of the doubt and assume that she knows whether he wants help or not.

Don’t ask her. That would sound as if he’s a child and she’s his mother. You can only ask him if he wants help, and then respect his wishes.

It’s hard to lose a good friend and then see someone else taking her place. But if this man is also a friend of yours, be happy for him that he’s found a companion.

Too fast? For mature adults, even fast can sometimes feel too slow.

Dear Solutions: I met a man at a program that I attended recently. He was very, very attentive and flattering to me, and kept insisting that we should see each other in the future.

He lives in a different state, though, and instead of making arrangements, he just keeps calling and talking on the phone.

Should I volunteer to travel to his state to meet with him since he doesn’t say anything about coming to me? He’s still very flattering, but I’m a little cautious now because people at the program who knew him warned me that he’s what they called “an operator.”

— Gladys Dear Gladys: Trouble is, he’s a long distance operator! Suggest once that he come to your state or that you meet halfway. If he says no, hang up. He’s the wrong number. © Helen Oxenberg, 2018. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

Surgery From page 7 Pedro Ramirez of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Ramirez led the more rigorous study, which randomly assigned 631 patients to one of two surgeries. After 4 1/2 years, the rate of those still living without disease was 86 percent with less invasive surgery and 96 percent with traditional surgery.

The experiment was halted early in 2017 when the higher death and cancer recurrence rates showed up. The original plan was to enroll 740 patients in the study, which was funded in part by surgical device maker Medtronic.

For 33-year-old Alicia Ackley, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in July, the recommendation for traditional surgery came as a surprise, but she followed the advice of her doctor at MD Anderson after hearing about the research.

Tests following her September operation show no signs of cancer. “I’m very glad I went that route,” Ackley said. “The open hysterectomy got everything.”

The other study looked at 2,461 women

with cervical cancer who had radical hysterectomies from 2010 through 2013. It found a 9.1 percent death rate after four years among women who got minimally invasive surgery compared to 5.3 percent for traditional surgery.

Jan. 10+

MORNING YOGA AT RUSCOMBE Join Ruscombe Community Health Center on Thursdays, beginning

Jan. 10, from 10 to 11:15 a.m. for a relaxing, kripalu-style yoga class at Hill House Conference Room, Ruscombe Mansion. The fee for eight classes is $120;

‘Surprising’ and ‘alarming’ findings

$18 per class for drop-ins. This class is appropriate for all. To reserve your place,

“We’re rethinking how we approach patients,” said study co-author Dr. Jason Wright of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. “There’s a lot of surprise around these findings.”

The research is “a great blow” to the technique, and the findings are “alarming,” said Dr. Amanda Fader of Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. She said Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has stopped doing less invasive hysterectomies for cervical cancer until there is more data.

While some patients with small tumors might do as well with minimally invasive surgery, “surgeons should proceed cautiously” and discuss the new information with patients, Fader wrote in an accompanying editorial.

— AP

call/text (410) 925-5689 or e-mail claudiasimpson@comcast.net. Ruscombe is

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

BEACON BITS

ONGOING FREE DENTAL SCREENINGS IN BALTIMORE CITY

Baltimore City Health Department’s Oral Health Services provides preventive and urgent dental care services to low-income, uninsured and Medicaid-eligible residents of Baltimore City. Dental services are available at two dental clinics located in West and East Baltimore, and as part of the school-based oral health prevention program. For more information, call (410) 396-3100.

located at 4801 Yellowwood Ave.

Jan. 9+

REMEMBERING OUR PARENTS On Wednesdays Jan. 9 through Feb. 13 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Gilchrist will sponsor a grief support workshop, “Remembering

Our Parents,” at the Hunt Valley Center, 11311 McCormick Rd. The group will also meet at the same location on Thursdays from Jan. 17 through Feb. 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.gilchristcares.org or call (443) 849-8251.

WELLNESS EVENTS MARKAYOURACALENDARS Curio Wellness Center Products & Services: Vitamins, Supplements, All Natural Skin/Beauty Products, Spa & Wellness Seminars.

Wellness Center is open to the public—you do not need to be a patient.

Ongoing

ONGOING HOW TO STOP SMOKING

Baltimore County loves quitters. If you want to quit smoking, the Baltimore County Health and Human Services Department offers free counseling, smoking cessation classes and nicotine replacement. For more information, phone (410) 887-3828 or email tobacco@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Curio Dispensary Medical Professionals on staff and available for consultation.

Visit curiowellness.com/our-dispensary/ to learn more.

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JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Money Law &

Gift Card Granny, Booking.com and many more sites can save you money. See story on page 11.

Shop around to find good savings interest

By Sarah Skidmore Sell Savers rejoice — you can finally earn a little more on the money you’ve been setting aside.

To draw in customers, banks — particularly online institutions — have been getting more competitive with the rates they are offering on savings, CDs and even checking accounts. That means a savvy consumer may be able to earn far beyond the norm if they are willing to shop around.

Take the humble savings account: The average interest rate in the U.S. is 0.09 percent, according to the FDIC. And that is just an average — some banks are offering rates as low as 0.01 percent while many others are at or above 2 percent.

To someone with $5,000 sitting in an account, that means the difference between earning 50 cents a year in interest versus $100.

In the low-interest rate environment that followed the Great Recession, banks routinely paid little to nothing on many personal accounts. The Federal Reserve began to raise its rates in 2015, but traditional banks were slow to do the same for customers.

They had little incentive — customers had

grown complacent after years of low interest rates. And traditional banks were large enough that they had huge deposits and other business lines that served them well.

Options online and off A number of online banks spotted an opportunity and began offering much higher rates to attract more customers.

They could afford to because they didn’t have the cost of maintaining a storefront on every corner. But also, not having the benefit of size, they needed to offer more attractive rates to survive.

Some bigger banks took notice and, wanting to better serve a more online-focused customer base, began to respond with higher rates themselves.

While interest rates are still low historically speaking, they are on the upswing. Experts say more banks are getting into the rate race and consumers should take note.

So while lesser-known players, like Bank5 Connect, offer a 2.05 percent annual percentage yield, or APY, on a savings account, bigger banks have some nice offerings as well.

Marcus, the online bank of Goldman

Sachs, also has a 2.05 percent rate on its savings account, and HSBC Direct offers a 2.01 percent rate.

“The outlook for savers is very positive, and the opportunity cost of not moving your money is only going to grow,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. That’s because money earning little to no interest is losing its purchasing power over time if the rate earned on it does not keep pace with inflation.

Here are a few things for consumers to consider: Complacency isn’t going to earn you anything, and experts say many consumers are missing out simply because it takes effort.

“One of the biggest mistakes we make is getting into a product that is not right for us,” said Paul Golden, spokesman for the National Endowment on Financial Education. “I think consumers should shop around.”

It won’t take long: Take a look at your existing accounts and find out what you are getting paid. Then do a quick search online to get a sense of comparable rates.

(Many websites, such as bankrate.com, compile and sort the data for you.)

Online banks are leading the way on

rates. Community banks and credit unions may offer competitive rates as well. And many big banks are rolling out options with highly competitive rates.

Want to stick with your traditional big bank? Even switching to a different type of product may earn you more. Or if you’re an established customer of a bank, try to negotiate a better rate.

Look closely at terms It also pays to look at all the features of any existing or new accounts to make sure things are as good as they seem.

Can you access the money easily? How easy is it to transfer among accounts? Is there a balance requirement? What kind of fees might you face? Will the rate change over time? And are there any other restrictions that might limit how you earn or access the funds?

Golden also suggests making sure there have not been any security or data breaches at that institution recently.

You may want to take a look at online reviews to see what other customers say. And See SAVINGS INTEREST, page 12

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

11

Best money-saving software, websites

By Pat Mertz Esswein If you’re looking for ways to cut costs on everyday spending, you can do so from the comfort of your home. Several online sites and software programs allow you to save big on everything from preparing your next tax return, to household items, to prescription drugs.

Here are a few of our top picks.

Free tax software Only about 13 percent of taxpayers are expected to itemize on their federal tax returns under the new tax law, so you may no longer need to buy a premium tax software package.

Credit Karma Tax is a free program that allows you to prepare and file one federal and one state tax return. You can import information from prior years’ tax returns from TurboTax, H&R Block and TaxAct, as well as W-2 forms from major payroll providers.

If your payroll provider isn’t supported, you can take a photo of your W-2 with your smartphone to import your data. Credit Karma Tax also offers an app that allows you to prepare and file your taxes on your smartphone.

If you determine, after launching the program, that you need to itemize after all, no worries: Credit Karma’s free program supports all tax forms, not just those for taxpayers with simple returns.

on a store’s website and applies them automatically at checkout. The extension also searches Amazon.com for the lowest price.

For gift givers with a hard-to-shop-for someone on their list, GiftCardGranny.com offers discounted gift cards.

And before you book your next vacation, go to AutoSlash.com and Booking.com for your rental car and hotel reservations. AutoSlash finds the best rental-car rates based on discounts you qualify for and tracks prices to alert you when they drop.

Frommer’s, the travel guide publisher, ranked Booking.com as the top hotel search and booking site in 2017 because of its high number of properties and transparent pricing.

Discounts on Rx Keep your prescription costs down by searching for and printing coupons for brandname and generic drugs at GoodRx.com.

The coupons are accepted at more than 70,000 pharmacies, including CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Walmart.

You can’t use the coupons with your insurance because that would be considered an out-of-network purchase, GoodRx says.

But your insurer may let you apply what you paid out-of-pocket when using the coupons toward your deductible, so save your receipts.

Health savings accounts Coupons and travel deals Finding a good deal on items can be time-consuming when every retailer bombards you with sales pitches, but these sites can cut through the hype.

For your everyday wants and needs, leave the search to Honey, a browser extension available for Chrome, Safari and Firefox.

Honey searches for coupons while you’re

Your best option is usually the HSA offered by your employer because contributions made through payroll deduction avoid Social Security and federal income taxes, plus you may get an employer contribution.

If you need to sign up for an HSA outside of an employer, contributions are taxdeductible. Look for an HSA with low fees

and saving options that match how you’ll use the account.

If you plan to tap the HSA to pay current medical expenses, the HSA Authority is a good choice. It offers an insured account that pays a small rate of interest, charges no monthly service fee, and comes with a debit card.

If you’ll keep the money growing for the long term, consider HealthEquity, which offers a self-directed account with a choice of 23 low-cost Vanguard mutual funds. The monthly fee is 0.03 percent of the invested balance.

Auto insurance site To shop for better rates, start at www.insurance.com. Fill out a form with your address, claims history and driving record and get instant rate quotes (in all states but Massachusetts, Michigan and Rhode Island) from insurers serving your area. Companies may include Allstate, Erie, Esurance, Farmers, Geico, Liberty Mutual, Mercury, Nationwide, The General, The Hartford and Travelers. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BEACON BITS

Jan. 18

PREPARING FOR TAX TIME

Prepare for filing taxes with a practical discussion centering around deductions and credits, including the earned income tax credit and implications of the Affordable Care Act. This workshop on Friday, Jan 18 from 10 a.m. to noon is presented by MakingChange at the Lansdowne Branch Library, 500 3rd Ave., Lansdowne.

For more information, call (410) 887-5602.

12

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Savings interest From page 10 always make sure your account is FDIC insured, which means there is federal backing that your money will be there — up to a certain level — if there were a bank failure.

You can make money on a variety of accounts these days, so consider what best suits your needs.

A traditional savings account is a great fit for money that you need access to but don’t plan to tap often. The money is liquid and can be easily transferred into other ac-

counts. But beware, Federal Reserve rules limit these accounts to no more than six withdrawals or transfers a month.

A money market account traditionally pays a higher rate than a savings account.

The average national rate for a money market account is 0.15 for deposits under $100,000 and 0.24 for those over. Compare that to 0.09 for a savings account.

These accounts vary, though, because they typically offer some check-writing and ATM access. But money market accounts usually require a higher balance in exchange for those benefits, and face the same

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JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

withdrawal rules as a savings account.

CDs, or certificates of deposits, also offer higher rates than a savings account — the national average is as high as 1.18 percent — but these lock up your money for a specific amount of time.

When you open a CD, you essentially agree not to withdraw the money until its maturity date. If you do before that time you face an early withdrawal penalty that may wipe out anything you earned. That makes these a good choice if you have a long-term savings goal and you are confident you won’t need the cash in the meantime.

You may even want to consider an inter-

est-bearing checking account if you don’t want to limit access to your money but still want to earn a little on it. The rate may not be as high as other options though: The national average is 0.06 percent, according to the FDIC. But again, competition has bred some innovation.

Simple, an online bank that only offers checking accounts, came up with a unique option. It is offering customers a 2.02 percent APY if they keep their daily balance at $2,000 or above. However, the rate is variable, and if you dip below $2,000, you don’t earn that same high rate.

— AP

Five best moves for your portfolio

By John Waggoner These portfolio moves will help boost the income you get from your portfolio, shield it from inflation, and make it less volatile, too.

Dial down volatility. Stocks with low volatility should weather dips better than jiggier peers. Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (symbol SPLV, $48) holds the 100 stocks in the blue-chip index with the lowest volatility; iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA ETF (USMV, $55) tracks low-vol stocks by sector.

Fight inflation. The principal value of Treasury inflation-protected securities adjusts according to changes in the consumer price index. Buy them from Uncle Sam at www.treasurydirect.gov, or consider Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities Fund Investor Shares (VIPSX).

Plump up your yield. SPDR S&P

Dividend ETF (SDY, $93) holds the highest-yielding stocks of large companies that have raised their dividend payouts for the past 25 years. The fund yields 2.5 percent. First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index ETF (TDIV, $36) buys tech’s biggest dividend payers and yields 2.5 percent.

Play rising rates. Higher rates mean lower bond prices, but they hurt short-term bonds least. Consider lowcost Schwab Short-Term Bond Index (SWSBX). Or cash in on higher rates with Fidelity Floating Rate High Income (FFRHX).

Cut costs. Fidelity Zero index funds charge no fees and require no minimum investment. You must be a Fidelity brokerage customer. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

B-1

Your kids don’t treasure your treasures?

By Carol Sorgen When Shelley Shannon remarried recently, she went from a five-bedroom house to a two-bedroom furnished condo in Baltimore City.

“We’re still trying to fit the few things I brought in,” said Shannon, who either sold or gave away 85 percent of her belongings.

“If they aren’t important for this lifetime, they aren’t important,” she said. “When you really want something — and I really love my husband and wanted to be with him — it’s easy to part with the past and look forward to the future.”

The first thing Shannon did when it

Quarry Lake at Greenspring. “They’re asking themselves, ‘Would you rather have this ring or $20,000?’”

According to the Mayflower 2018 Mover Insights Study, approximately half of millennials surveyed aren’t keeping family

came to downsizing (increasingly known these days as rightsizing) was ask her family and friends what they wanted. What many people like Shannon these days are finding out, however, is that their family and friends don’t especially want any of their “stuff.”

See TREASURE OR STUFF, page B-3

Paring down your possessions

Fewer things, more experiences “A lot of kids — and kids can range from millennials all the way up to baby boomers — would rather have money in the bank or to spend on an experience,” said Ron Samuelson, CEO of the family-owned Samuelson’s Diamonds & Estate Buyers in

BY IOPHOTO

So your daughter isn’t interested in your collection of cat figurines, and your son has no room for the dining room table you inherited from your mother. Now what?

If you’re working on streamlining all the stuff you’ve collected over the years, you have a number of options.

Go to Google and enter your location and the various types of venues that might be of help — from consignment stores to auction houses — and you will find a number of leads to pursue.

Selling your things

As you downsize, either to declutter generally or to enable a move to a new home, you may find your children and grandchildren don’t want your china, furniture or collectibles. Instead, determine if you might be able to sell or donate the items so others may benefit.

heirlooms to pass down to their children.

And their parents don’t particularly want their parents’ stuff either.

“Adults from all generations are em-

If you have gently worn clothing with higher-end labels, or furniture that’s in good condition, you may be able to sell it at a consignment store. These stores continually mark down the price of unsold items over time until they go.

Keep in mind: They pay you only if and when your stuff sells, keeping a portion of the sale price as their commission. Sometimes, if an item doesn’t sell in a fixed period of time, they’ll donate it or you can retrieve it.

Auction houses will sell valuable furniture, jewelry, books and other items if they feel there will be a market for them.

Check www.liveauctioneers.com/auctioneer/directory for a listing of more than 4,000 auction houses across the country.

Another option is selling online. You can post your items on eBay, and either sell to the highest bidder or set a fixed price with its “Buy It Now” feature. See www.ebay.com.

A number of bookstores will buy indemand books and even pay for shipping, but be prepared not to make a lot of money. Enter the ISBN number of a

book into Book Scouter (https:// bookscouter.com), and the site searches 35 book buyback vendors for the best offer.

Donating your items If you itemize your taxes (although fewer people will find that financially advantageous this year), you can deduct the fair market value of all goods you donate.

To determine fair market value, use thrift store prices, a used-car guide, or other appropriate reference for used items. Some online tax preparation programs will suggest values for the most common donated items.

To claim a tax deduction, you must complete a form if your total donations are worth $500 or more, and must have a recent appraisal of any donated items you claim are worth $5,000 or more.

You can search a listing of a number of organizations accepting donations at www.thethriftshopper.com.

While Goodwill and Salvation Army take some furniture, donations may be more welcome at nonprofits specifically geared to take them. Habitat for Humanity has several ReStore locations that accept donations of furniture, household goods and building materials. See www.habitat.org/restores/donate-goods to find one near you.

In the Washington area, a Wider Circle is seeking furniture donations. In addition to providing furniture to those who can’t afford it, the nonprofit organization provides a variety of other services to those in need of stable housing.

See http://awidercircle.org/get-involved.

— Barbara Ruben

B-2

Housing Options | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Housing Notes

By Rebekah Alcalde

New Maryland rental housing locator The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has launched a redesigned affordable rental housing locator that provides free searching and listing for tenants and landlords. The new look is cleaner, more modern, and easier to use on smartphones and tablets.

The free site, MDHousingSearch.org, enables landlords and property owners to list and advertise their affordable rental

units at no cost. Potential tenants receive free access to those listings and can tailor their search for housing to include information on accessibility, neighborhoods, amenities and other features.

Secretary Kenneth C. Holt said “this overhaul of MDHousingSearch.org will improve customer service and help more working families, seniors and individuals with special needs find a safe, decent and, most importantly, affordable place to call home.”

The new site features more than 103,000 housing units that are registered statewide, which can be searched free and anonymously. It also allows you to view which are currently under construction, and which enable potential tenants to apply in advance.

Free multilingual technical support is available online or by phone. Also offered are live webinar trainings for service and

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

COUNTY PUBLICATION Baltimore County Department of Aging announces its Senior Di-

gest will be renamed the Time of Your Life Digest. Subscriptions for Baltimore County residents 60 and over are $5 per year, $7 per year for all others. To order a subscription, mail a completed subscription form (available online at www.baltimorecountymd.gov), along with a check or money order payable to Baltimore County, Maryland, to: Time of Your Life Digest, 611 Central Avenue, Towson, MD 21204. For more information, call (410) 887-3050 or email digest@baltimorecountymd.gov.

JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

property providers, housing and social caseworkers, and agency and property staff.

For more information, visit MDHousingSearch.org.

New memory care neighborhood Residences at Vantage Point, a Life Plan Community in Columbia, Md. formerly known as Vantage House, has opened a new memory care neighborhood called Monterey Place.

While the rest of the community has studio to three-bedroom apartments, the new “neighborhood” includes 24 private apartments and several homey shared spaces.

The staff at Monterey Place provides assistance with daily needs, including bathing and dressing, meal service, medication management and 24/7 availability.

The community is a Hearthstone Institute Certified Center of Excellence, which follows an innovative evidence-based approach to improve quality of life and reduce common symptoms of memory loss.

This new neighborhood is the most recent change to the community, following a major renovation and expansion of its facilities, including dining venues and fitness and recreational spaces.

Residences at Vantage Point is located at 5400 Vantage Point Rd., in Columbia, Md. For more information, visit www.Van-

tageHouse.org or call (410) 992-1241.

Best cities for empty nesters Looking to down-size, move somewhere warmer, or just ready for a fresh start?

Move.com analyzed more than 400 cities in the U.S. to rank the top choices for empty nesters (those age 50 to 65) to move to.

The data team researched locations’ popularity with empty nesters, which accounted for 40 percent of the total score, cost of living (20 percent), tax-friendliness (20 percent), average year-round temperature (10 percent), and distance to the nearest airport (10 percent).

Topping the list is Carson City, Nev., with a migrant population aged 50-65 of 2,475, an average monthly cost of only $779 for rent and utilities, an average temperature of 50.9 degrees, and a local airport fewer than 30 miles away.

Laredo, Texas has the lowest cost for rent and utilities, at $689; Georgia and Nevada are the most tax-friendly states on the list, keeping Social Security benefits untaxed; and Odessa, Texas had the best average yearly temperature of 65 degrees.

All cities who make the list are located in the South and are fairly tax-friendly.

For more information or to read the full report, visit www.move.org/top-cities-forempty-nesters.

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JCS PROVIDES CAREER SERVICES Jewish Community Services’ Career Services helps local employers find qualified employees who meet the specific needs of their

business, at no cost to employers. To list a position with JCS Career Services and to learn more about services for employers, call (410) 466-9200 or visit www.jcsbaltimore.org/employers.

1. MORE for your money 2. MORE amenities 3. MORE peace of mind These are just three great reasons to choose retirement living at Charlestown or Oak Crest.

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Call 1-800-590-4091 or visit EricksonLiving.com for your FREE brochure.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

Treasure or stuff From page B-1 bracing the value of decluttering through the minimalist movement by shifting away from collecting things and moving toward creating simple, stress-free lives,” according to the survey.

One reason for the “less is more” approach, the survey reports, is that minimalism is a hot design trend for modern homes. But it’s also a way of life, with more people embracing the habit of decluttering.

And then there’s also the economic factor. Many millennials can’t afford to purchase a home, and don’t have the space to keep their family’s heirlooms. Meanwhile, their boomer-age parents are often selling their larger homes, and don’t have the amount of space they once did.

Florida-based senior move manager Jenn Neumann, president of Neu Spaces, sees many older adults who assume their children and grandchildren will appreciate their possessions.

“That’s my cue to have a conversation with them,” said Neumann, a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers. “I have to let them know that no one wants your treasures,” she said, adding that this shouldn’t be taken personally.

“Most of their children haven’t seen these items in many, many years, and forgot they even existed. They’ve already emotionally detached from the items long ago.”

What to keep, sell, trash Samuelson helps clients who are downsizing make decisions about what to keep, what would be a good investment for family members to hold on to, or what can be let go without dithering too much about it.

“If a piece is sentimental but doesn’t have a lot of financial value, we advise keeping it,” he said, adding that old jewelry frequently has value and can usually be repurposed to be more in keeping with today’s styles. Coins are also worth holding onto, Samuelson advised.

Other items, like furniture, not so much.

Large pieces such as dining room breakfronts are being dumped on the market and sell for next to nothing, said Matthew Quinn, an owner of Quinn’s Auction Galleries in Falls Church, Va. “We see it every day,” said Quinn, who frequently speaks to senior groups about downsizing. “Between our parents living longer and boomers aging themselves, there’s a lot of stuff out there.

“Lladros, Hummels, stamps...you name it, we collected it,” Quinn said of his fellow boomers and their parents. He observed that for many people, collections were a symbol of prosperity. “But today, wealth is no longer connected with objects.”

If you have a collection you love, but your kids or grandkids don’t, Quinn advised keeping just one piece. “You don’t need 50 of something. You have your memories.”

Trying to “guilt” your family members

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into taking your things isn’t a good idea either, Quinn observed. “They’ll keep it for a while until the guilt wears off and then they’ll call me [to try to sell it].

“Give your loved ones one piece of your collection so they have something that will remind them of you. But don’t burden them with too much.”

When downsizing, Quinn advised focusing on three questions: What do I need every day? What will it cost to move an item? What’s the best charity for me to donate items to?

Downsize before you move Baltimore County resident Dara Bunjon hasn’t downsized yet, but her ultimate goal is to move out of her house and into a highrise apartment. “I’ve been widowed for over two years, and don’t need the aggravation that comes with owning a home,” she said.

Bunjon’s husband was an inveterate collator, and she said it could well take her the rest of her life to sell off all his things.

Gone so far is a Nikon camera, trains and train memorabilia, guns, record albums, and a turntable and speakers.

She’s currently trying to sell her late husband’s pipes and watches. She has also been selling off through Facebook her collection of more than 300 cookbooks. But she hasn’t even started on her china collection yet (“I hear that the young’uns don’t want china”).

Bunjon said she has also made “donations galore” and in the past five years has

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filled two trash dumpsters.

Kim Martin and her husband recently moved from North Carolina to Alexandria, Va., for her husband’s job. They downsized from a three-bedroom house with a fenced backyard to a 980 square-foot condo.

“It was difficult and time-consuming,” said Martin, saying that not only did she and her husband have their things, but she had her son’s belongings, as well as items from her parents and her mother-in-law.

“It was emotional to put my hands on items and think about whether I really needed them and what to do with them,” said Martin.

“Lots of items were given to Goodwill or other charities, as I could not store them in a much smaller home. My college-age son told me frankly that there were a lot of things he didn’t want [nor had the space to store them].”

Martin’s advice to others going through the same process is to first acknowledge that it’s going to be a difficult task — both physically and emotionally.

Then start going through each room and asking yourself whether you use the item, are you enjoying it (or is it already packed away and half-forgotten), and would you use it in your new environment?

“I had to become non-emotional about the process, and really be honest with myself,” said Martin. “The reality was that many of the items that were given away did have value — whether financial or sentimental — but were not used.”

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Housing Options | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

ASSISTED LIVING LIVING COMMUNITY ASSISTED

Weinberg Park Assisted Living 410-664-0100 5833 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD 21215 Weinberg Park is a vibrant Assisted Living community where you can live with confidence and independence. Whether you need help getting dressed, managing medications or friendly conversation, we are there for you with a gentle helping hand.

We offer private or semi-private suites, certified nursing assistance, medication management, a 24-hour emergency response system, laundry & housekeeping services, delicious & nourishing kosher meals and individualized service plans. Our doors are open to everyone, regardless of income level, and we strive to keep our fees at a competitive market rate. Call today to schedule a tour! We look forward to showing you the comfort and care we offer to all our treasured residents!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Charlestown 1-800-222-9651 715 Maiden Choice Lane Catonsville, MD 21228 CharlestownCommunity.com A sprawling 110-acre campus, hundreds of resident-run clubs, and three clubhouses featuring dozens of top-notch amenities. For over 35 years, Charlestown retirement community has been delighting Baltimore area seniors with all the comforts of maintenance-free senior living. This enviable lifestyle comes with the security of a 90% Refundable Entrance Fee* and a predictable Monthly Service Package that covers utilities, telephone, cable, Internet, scheduled transportation, and much more. Residents have their pick of stylish apartment homes, plus convenient on-site medical care, including advanced care options should health needs ever change.

Call 1-800-222-9651 for your free brochure. *Carefully read the Residence and Care Agreement for the conditions that must be satisfied before the Provider is required to pay the entrance fee refund.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Oak Crest 1-800-333-5693 8820 Walther Boulevard Parkville, MD 21234 www.OakCrestCommunity.com If you’re looking for modern conveniences in a warm, welcoming environment, it’s time to visit Oak Crest, Baltimore County’s most popular continuing care retirement community.

Recent renovations include a new all-season pool and fitness center, an exciting new restaurant, and an updated salon and day spa. Residents of this private, 87-acre community enjoy all the luxuries of maintenance-free apartment living, plus the security of stable monthly expenses, a 90% Refundable Entrance Fee*, and quality on-site care for every stage of living. It’s the ideal choice for your vibrant retirement lifestyle. Call 1-800-333-5693 for your free brochure. *Carefully read the Residence and Care Agreement for the conditions that must be satisfied before the Provider is required to pay the entrance fee refund

JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Find help with home chores and small jobs Dear Savvy Senior: Like TaskRabbit and Takl, Amazon will conWhat’s the best way to find good, trust- nect you to qualified workers that handle worthy, qualified people who dozens of household chores can help folks with home and other small jobs. chores or small jobs?

Amazon also screens all — Looking for Mom workers through media searchDear Looking: es, online interviews, reference Getting help at home for checks and background any number of household checks. And all experts need to tasks is a lot easier than it have appropriate licenses and used to be, thanks to a numinsurance. ber of web-based tools that To purchase and book a can quickly and easily conservice, you can either buy a nect you and your mom to a SAVVY SENIOR pre-packaged service with a wide variety of skilled, care- By Jim Miller fixed price (for example, two fully vetted workers. hours of cleaning) or you can Here’s what you should know: submit a custom request and receive estimates.

Finding qualified help When booking, you select three different One of the best ways to find qualified, dates and time frames, and the worker rereliable, trustworthy people that can help sponds to confirm an appointment. All paywith home chores and other small jobs is ment is done through your Amazon account. through referrals from people you trust.

If your mom primarily needs a tradesBut if your friends or family don’t have man like a plumber, electrician, painter, any recommendations, there are a number roofer or carpenter for home repairs or reof online companies you can turn to now, modeling projects, you should also check like TaskRabbit.com and Takl.com.

HomeAdvisor.com and AngiesList.com.

These are on-demand service compa- Both of these sites can connect you with nies that can quickly and easily connect prescreened, customer-rated service proyou to skilled workers for such things as fessionals in your area for free. cleaning and housekeeping, moving and packing, lawn and yard cleanup, handy- Help for older adults man tasks, grocery shopping, running erAnother option you should know about rands, furniture assembly, picture hang- is AskUmbrella.com, which is a fee-based ing, closet organizing, and much more. membership service for those 65-plus. It TaskRabbit currently has more than provides qualified, vetted workers to do 60,000 Taskers (workers) in 47 U.S. cities, small jobs in and around the house for while Takl currently serves 75 U.S. cities only $16 per hour. Currently available only with around 35,000 workers. Both serve in New York, they are expanding nationalthe Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas. ly over the next year.

All you need to do is download their app, If your mom is on a tight budget, you or go to their website, and select the service should also contact her nearby Area Aging your mom wants done. Then set a time Agency (call the Eldercare Locator at 800when she would like the worker to show up. 677-1116 if you need their number). They The software then matches your re- will refer you to services in her area, if quest and provides you a list of qualified, available. feedback-rated workers (including their For example, some communities have hourly rate) from which to choose. Once volunteer programs that provide chore the job is complete, payment is done and handyman services to help seniors in through the company’s app. need. And some local nonprofits offer resiYou should also know that all TaskRab- dential repair services that offer seniors bit and Takl workers go through a thor- minor upgrades and adaptations to their ough vetting process, including extensive homes. In Baltimore, try Rebuilding Tobackground checks, before they can be gether at rtbaltimore.org. recommended.

Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, If, however, you can’t find a skilled worker P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit through TaskRabbit or Takl, or if they don’t SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor serve your area, another option is Amazon to the NBC Today show and author of “The Home Services at Amazon.com/services. Savvy Senior” book.

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ECHO HOUSE SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

Echo House Multi-Service Center, which provides substance abuse treatment, needs volunteers to participate in community events, fairs and festivals to introduce the organization, its mission and its resources to the community. For more information, call (410) 947-1700 or visit www.echohouse.org.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

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# FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION For free information from advertisers in this special section, check off those that interest you and mail this entire coupon to the Beacon. Please do not request info if you are not interested.

All replies will be entered into a random drawing to win tickets to Gypsy.

HOUSING COMMUNITIES ❑ Carroll Lutheran Village . . .B-7 ❑ Catholic Charities Senior Services . . . . . . . .B-2 ❑ Charlestown . . . . . .B-2 & B-4 ❑ Christ Church Harbor Apts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6 ❑ Glynn Taff Assisted Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3 ❑ Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant . . . . . . . . .B-7

❑ Oak Crest . . . . . . . .B-2 & B-4 ❑ St. Mary’s Roland View Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 ❑ Weinberg Gardens . . . . . . .B-8 ❑ Weinberg House . . . . . . . . .B-8 ❑ Weinberg Manhattan Park .B-8 ❑ Weinberg Manor East . . . . .B-8 ❑ Weinberg Manor West . . . .B-8 ❑ Weinberg Manor South . . . .B-8 ❑ Weinberg Park Assisted Living . . . . . . . . . . .B-4 & B-8 ❑ Weinberg Place . . . . . . . . .B-8

❑ Weinberg Terrace . . . . . . . .B-8 ❑ Weinberg Village Community . . . . . . . . . . . .B-8 ❑ Weinberg Woods . . . . . . . .B-8 ❑ Westminster House . . . . .B-3

HOME HEALTHCARE ❑ Genesis SelectCare . . . . . .B-6

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Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this entire coupon to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227.

You may also include the free info coupon found on page 5.

One entry per household please.

Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________E-mail_______________________________________________ City _______________________________________________________ State ______________________ Zip ____________________ BB 119

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JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Is it smart to pay off your house early?

By Mary Kane Colette Leavitt faced a difficult financial decision a few years ago, as she approached her 60s. She originally planned to retire early, at age 62, with her mortgage paid off. She would be free and clear of the financial burden of monthly payments.

“It would open up some income to do things for enjoyment, as opposed to obligation,” said Leavitt, of Hooksett, N.H. But in the end, Leavitt, now age 60, decided to keep her loan. She owes just

$49,000, at a rock-bottom 3.25 percent interest rate. Despite the low balance, she felt the peace of mind of building up her savings and keeping cash in hand for future expenses outweighed her initial desire to be mortgage-free.

Although she worked with her longtime financial planner, Peter Canniff, who is with Advanced Portfolio Design, in Westford, Mass., it was still a hard choice to make. Dealing with mortgage debt isn’t always just about the finances. The decision is often emotional.

“You think about it, think about it, and think about it,” said Leavitt, an administrative assistant at a utility company. “It can cause a lot of anxiety.”

These days, more retirees are carrying mortgage debt into retirement. About half of all retirees 65 to 69 were mortgage-free in 2015, down from nearly 60 percent in 2000, according to mortgage giant Fannie Mae. But you’ll need to carefully consider whether carrying a mortgage into retirement is right for you.

You may be in a position similar to Leavitt’s, wondering whether to pay off your mortgage, particularly if you are a few years away from the payoff date and have the balance whittled down.

Should you pursue the relief of having no monthly payment hanging over your head anymore, or find other uses for your money that could potentially be more beneficial to your bottom line?

You can start to answer that question by considering a variety of factors, such as whether you plan to stay in your house, your cash flow needs in retirement, and how much investment risk you can tolerate.

Your feelings about debt and financial security could affect the decision you make.

Investing in stocks may deliver a higher return than paying off a mortgage with a low interest rate, but you may not be able to sleep well at night. And changes under tax

reform also may affect your choice.

Take a look at taxes Under the new law, the standard deduction is significantly more generous, while some housing-related itemized deductions have been squeezed.

The standard deduction for a married couple this year is $24,000, with an additional $1,300 for each spouse over age 65.

So a couple with both partners over age 65 will get a $26,600 standard deduction.

Those who itemize deductions face a $10,000 cap on the write-off for state and local taxes, which includes property taxes on the house; that cap applies to both individual and joint filers. In addition, interest on up to $750,000 of new mortgage debt is deductible, while the prior cap was interest on $1 million of mortgage debt.

A homeowner with sizable charitable deductions or medical expenses may still find it advantageous to itemize deductions.

But many people who have itemized in the past likely will find themselves switching to the standard deduction for their 2018 taxes. Not itemizing means losing the tax benefit of a mortgage, because the taxpayer won’t be able to write off the interest on the loan.

“The new laws obviously change the dySee PAY OFF HOUSE, page B-7

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

Pay off house From page B-6 namic on this,” said Lyle Benson, president of LK Benson and Co., a financialplanning firm in Towson, Md. For retirees who are homing in on their mortgage payoff date, the loan may not be throwing off enough tax-deductible interest to help make itemizing worth it.

If your original mortgage had a balance of $350,000 and it’s down to only $60,000, most of the monthly payments will be principal, said Michael Landsberg, director of Homrich Berg, an Atlanta wealth-management firm. Mortgages throw off the most interest — and provide the most tax benefits — on the front end, so an older mortgage won’t provide much of a mortgage interest deduction. “The hurdle for itemizing becomes even higher,” he said.

Review interest and investment rates If you won’t benefit from itemizing, paying off the loan could be a sensible route tax-wise. But if you snagged a low interest rate for your mortgage, consider where the money you would use to pay off the loan is coming from and how much it earns.

If you’re earning about 4 percent or so on the bonds in your portfolio, and paying about the same or less in mortgage loan interest, “you really have to step back and ask, ‘Am I better off paying off my house

and reducing my bond portfolio a bit?’” said Robert Keebler, a partner with Keebler & Associates, a tax advisory firm, in Green Bay, Wis. If you are considering drawing from your portfolio, assess your asset allocation. If your portfolio is overweighted in stocks, you might pull cash out to pay off the mortgage when you rebalance. Or if you are taking required minimum distributions from your retirement accounts, consider using that money to pay off a mortgage early.

But before you pay off your mortgage, take a look at any other debts you have. If the interest rates are higher, consider knocking those debts off first.

If you have a home equity loan, you might want to pay it off before the mortgage. The new tax law doesn’t allow a deduction for interest on either old or new home equity loans, except when used for home improvements.

And don’t forget to factor in the opportunity costs for the money you are using to pay down your mortgage. You could invest it instead, if you feel confident that you can generate higher returns than your mortgage rate. Or, like Leavitt, you could put it toward your living expenses and an emergency fund.

Even if the numbers don’t favor paying off the mortgage, finances may not be your only consideration. Some older homeowners feel more secure with their homes totally paid off. Others worry about running out of money in retirement, so

they want a paid-off home as a lifeline, said Canniff.

If you are still a decade or so away from retirement and are sure you don’t want a mortgage in your future, take some steps now to reach that goal.

Make an extra mortgage payment each year, apply a bonus or other windfall to your

mortgage payments, or refinance into a 15year mortgage to pay it off as quickly as possible, while you have income, said Ann Thompson, a senior vice president at Bank of America. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BEACON BITS

Dec. 20+

FREE EXCEL TRAINING CLASS The Enoch Pratt Library offers a free computer training class in

Microsoft Excel. Learn to create spreadsheets of text, numbers and formulas.

Class meets at the Walbrook branch located at 3203 West North Ave., Baltimore on Thursdays, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 27 at 7:30 p.m. This training session will use the 2010 version of the program. Prior basic computer knowledge is necessary, and registration is required. For more information or to register, call (443) 984-4944 or visit www.prattlibrary.org.

Ok, you’re a senior, I’m a senior, let’s make a move today!

Senior Apartments LIVE WELL FOR LESS Roland View Towers • One- and Two-Bedroom as well as Efficiencies • Rents from $575-$930 Utilities Included!

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• Only 2 blocks from Hampden’s ‘The Avenue’

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And ask about our new Wrap, Pack and Move incentive program.

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B-7

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B-8

Housing Options

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JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Your Life, Enriched

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einberg Village Community 3430 Associated Way Owings Mills, MD 21117 410-356-4660 Weinberg Gardens 1500 Bedford Ave. Pikesville, MD 21208 410-602-8200

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BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

13

Leisure &

The ancient Hindu/Buddhist Temple City Angkor Wat draws more than 12 million visitors a year to Cambodia.

In low-cost Cambodia, there’s much to see

Know before you go You’ll run across the word “Khmer.” It has multiple meanings. It’s the official language of Cambodia. A Khmer is a native of Cambodia. It’s also the name of the ancient kingdom that reached its peak of power in the 11th century.

Cambodia is about the size of Oklahoma. Most of its 16 million residents practice Theravada Buddhism. With an average annual income of about $1,500 per capita, it’s the second poorest country in Southeast Asia. So far, it remains one of

the least expensive countries to visit.

Luxury hotel rooms can cost less than $100 a night, and the country has plenty of accommodations in all categories, including guest houses and hostels. Meals in moderate restaurants rarely cost more than $5.

Weather is warm year-round. Little rain falls from November to May. March to May is the hot season. Days in June through October see daily afternoon monsoon deluges, and it is the quietest time for tourism.

There are no direct flights from North America to Cambodia. You must take connecting flights from major destinations elsewhere in Southeast or East Asia, such as Bangkok, Singapore or Ho Chi Minh City.

You will need a visa ($30, plus an extra passport photo). Fill out the paperwork provided on your flight, and obtain a tourist visa upon arrival at the Siem Reap or Phnom Penh airport.

Currency is the Riel, about 4,000 to $1, with Riel currency coming in denominations from 50 to 100,000. The U.S. dollar is accepted everywhere, and all ATMs dispense U.S. dollars.

Roads have improved in the past few years, but many are still narrow and bumpy. If you are on your own, buses are the cheapest and most convenient way to travel between towns.

Shared taxis are another possibility, but they are stuffed with passengers, and the

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

By Jamie Lee Pricer Once the site of one of Asia’s most significant early civilizations, Cambodia today presents a rural society far less populated and economically developed than its neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam. And that is the crux of the country’s charm and appeal.

Visitors throng to the country’s premier tourist draw, Angkor Wat, but you will find much to see and do on the road to this ancient temple, now a World Heritage Site.

A popular tourist trail starts in the south at the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, and heads north on modestly maintained Highway 6 to Tonle Sap, a lake so large it looks like a sea.

The six- to eight-hour drive ends at the city of Siem Reap, the launching point for exploring Cambodia’s temple country.

PHOTO BY BANANA REPUBLIC IMAGES

The Temple City Angkor Wat, over 400 acres in size and surrounded by a moat, is one of the largest religious monuments in the world. It was built in the 12th century, and today attracts more than 2 million tourists a year. Some of the Buddhist shrines on the site, such as this one being entered by a monk, are encased in huge tree roots.

In Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, modern motor scooters ride past Wat Ounalom, a temple compound built in 1433 that serves as headquarters of Cambodian Buddhism. The grounds include 44 structures.

drive is notoriously heart-pounding. The choice of self-driving is littered with government obstacles, so it’s better to hire a car and driver.

In town, the best choice is a tuk-tuk — some form of covered seating pulled by a scooter. Another option is a moto, a scooter taxi where a passenger rides behind the driver. Rides go for $1 to $2.

Scooters are the transportation mode du jour. It’s not unusual to see mom, dad and two kids plus their groceries amazingly packed on a scooter. Goods that you might expect to be hauled by truck are roped onto scooters.

Chow down Cambodian food is a mishmash with influences from France, Vietnam, China and Thailand. It is more delicately spiced, with less chili and sugar than Thai food.

The national dish is amok, a thick soup cooked with fish, meat, vegetables, eggs and coconut milk, often with hints of lemongrass or light curry. Chicken, pork, fish and rice are staples. The markets offer a wide range of vegetables.

That’s also where you will find trays of fried grasshoppers, beetles and crickets.

Sold by the bag, they are eaten like sweets.

The cheapest food is street food prepared on portable stoves or barbecues. Favorite of-

ferings are fried noodles, baguettes, fresh fruit and ice cream.

Cheaper restaurants simply place their pots in front, you lift the lid and point to what you’d like. It will be served with a plate of rice.

In the larger cities, you can find more upscale restaurants with international cuisine. Tourist restaurants with English-language menus and Western cuisine are found in larger towns and traveler hubs.

Cambodians eat early. Restaurants tend to close by 9 p.m., although some stay open longer in tourist areas.

Important note: Don’t drink the tap water. To be safe, use only bottled water, even when you brush your teeth.

Phnom Penh Evacuated and left to ruin by the Khmer Rouge (the communist rulers of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979) a generation ago, Phnom Penn is now flourishing and experiencing rapid development.

Situated at the confluence of three rivers, including the Mekong, the city is crisscrossed by broad tree-lined boulevards and dotted with colonial villas, modern architecture, and boutique hotels, hostels and restaurants.

See CAMBODIA, page 14

14

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Cambodia From page 13 Still it’s not totally recovered. Side roads are in poor shape, some of the villas are ruined beyond repair, and the old drainage system backs up whenever it rains. Poorer people live in shanty villages on the city’s outskirts.

Phnom Penh offers the country’s most happening nightlife with late-night bars and clubs along the waterfront. Choices range from girlie bars, karaoke, dance halls and local discos to high-end options.

One stop hardly ever missed by visitors is

the enormous, hot, noisy and crowded shopping mecca, Psar Toul Tom Poung (Russian Market). It’s “the place” to buy textiles, antiques and silver, motor bike parts, bootleg DVDs, fake designer bags and handicrafts.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The best cultural highlights are the Royal Palace, probably the city’s most memorable sight; the Silver Pagoda, home to a sacred emerald Buddha; the National Museum, with a top collection of sculptures from Cambodia’s temples; and, sadly, the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, which recalls the many Khmer Rouge atrocities.

Continuing north, a popular stop for

JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

tourists is the little town of Skuon, less than an hour’s drive on the highway from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. It is famous for its edible spiders. They are a type of Asian tarantula about 2 inches across, that are served deepfried with a hint of salt and garlic.

At 4,000 square miles, Tonle Sap is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. It stretches along for about half the distance between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Thousands of families live along or on it, supported by fishing. Most live in primitive conditions.

Those along the shore have built homes on stilts; at the height of the wet season in September water levels can rise well above 30 feet. Others live in floating villages that move seasonally to keep floating in the shallow lake.

Vendors offer various boating tours of the area.

Markets and museums Siem Reap is the gateway to Cambodia’s temple area. More modern than the rest of the country, it’s packed with hotels, restaurants, bars, boutiques, tourists and tour operators. Nonetheless, it retains a bit of small-town colonial charm.

As in Phnom Penh, shopping is not to be missed. Here, the most popular spot is the Angkor Night Market, with hundreds of closely packed stalls that offer every kind of

craft and collectible produced in Cambodia.

Hours are from about 5 to 10 p.m. daily.

The Angkor National Museum tops the list of best cultural highlights. If possible, it’s best to visit here before the temples.

Pieces of ancient Khmer sculpture are exhibited in wide galleries. Multimedia presentations provide background on Cambodian history, heritage and religion.

Another choice is the Artisans d’Angkor, where you can see students hone skills in wood and stone carving, lacquer-work, gilding and silver-working. The end products can be bought in a boutique at the center.

A stroll along the riverside walkway, running along both sides of the Siem Reap River, lands you at the formal Royal Gardens, flanked by two venerable hotels.

Temples of Angkor The temples of Angkor are a monument to the greatest ancient civilization of Southeast Asia. Angkor was the heart of the great Khmer Empire spiritually, politically and geographically.

More than 100 temples to various deities are scattered over 150 square miles. They were built between the late 6th century through 1200. In the great days of the empire, each temple was the center of a busy community. As they were typically built of wood, they See CAMBODIA, page 15

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

CATCH JOHN WATERS AT THE BMA

More than 160 photographs, sculptures, and sound and video works created by John Waters, Baltimore’s iconic filmmaker and artist, are on view at the Baltimore Museum of Art through Jan. 6. The museum is located at 10 Art Museum Dr. To reserve tickets online, visit www.artbma.org, or for more information, call (443) 573-1700. Senior tickets are $13.

Dec. 28

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Usher in the new year on Friday, Dec. 28, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Pikesville Senior Center, 1301 Reisterstown Rd. Enjoy entertainment by the Reputations, followed by a dessert reception and a toast to the new year in the company of friends. For more information, call (410) 887-1245 or visit www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Pikesville.

Ongoing

301 McMechen Street | Baltimore, MD 21217 .

Studio and Two Bedroom Availability!

Studios as low as $800/a month.

Call Today! 410-523-0013 TTY: 711

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The Walters Museum hosts free walk-in tours every Saturday and Sunday, from 1 to 2 p.m. No registration required. These free tours feature unique themes and aspects of the museum’s extensive collection, and are open to visitors of all ages. On the first Saturday of each month, the Walters offers a free tour in Spanish from 1 to 2 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 23, celebrate the holiday season at the Eat, Drink and Be Merry Tour. For more information, visit www.thewalters.org or call (410) 547-9000. The Walters Museum is located at 600 N. Charles St.

Jan. 14

Get your first month of rent FREE! Must be a qualified applicant.

Income limits apply.

FREE TOURS AT THE WALTERS

LAWYERS IN THE LIBRARY

Maryland Legal Aid lawyers will be on hand at the Hereford Branch Library to offer free legal advice on Monday, Jan. 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. Please bring all relevant documents. Assistance is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The library is located at 16940 York Rd. To learn more, call (410) 887-1919

Jan. 1

NEW YEAR’S DAY CONCERT

Ring in 2019 with Bach in Baltimore’s annual New Year’s concert at Zion Lutheran Church, 400 E. Lexington St. The concert begins at 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, $27 at the door. For tickets, concert information, or to audition for the choir, visit www.BachinBaltimore.org or call (410) 941-9262.

BALTIMORE BEACON â&#x20AC;&#x201D; JANUARY 2019

Cambodia From page 14 are now entirely vanished. At its height, the region boasted a population of 1 million at the time London was a small town of 50,000.

Today, 2 million tourists clamber through the crumbling ancient monuments each year. Tickets are required to enter what is loosely called the Angkor Archaeological Park. Admission is $20 for one day. Tickets are printed with your photo, and they are checked at various stops. The fine for entering without a ticket is $100.

The most popular of the temples built by god-kings is Angkor Wat. Other best-visited stops are the walled city of Angkor Thom, where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see dozens of towers plastered with faces, and Ta Prohm, with its semi-ruined shrines and statues smothered by giant tree roots.

Angkor Wat is the national symbol and the highlight of any visit to Cambodia.

Dominated by five lotus flower towers, it was built in the 12th century to honor the Hindu god Vishnu. It is the largest, best preserved and most religiously significant of the Angkor temples.

On approach, you first cross a vast moat on a broad causeway. Once you enter the main building, you climb through a series of galleries and courtyards before reaching the central sanctuary, which gives views back to the causeway and across the

surrounding countryside.

Intricate stone carvings adorn nearly every surface, with more than 1,000 Apsaras, or celestial dancers, sculpted into the walls. Along the outer gallery walls run the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which narrates stories from Hindu mythology. Be ready to climb steps to reach different levels, as well as a steep ladder-like staircase to the top.

Due to its popularity, Angkor Wat can be crowded. The best time to visit to avoid the mass of bus parties is 7 to 9 a.m.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

with air conditioning are $15. www.ivyguesthouse.com The moderately priced Villa Medamrei offers free pickup from the airport or bus station. www.villamedamrei.com Rambutan Hotel has some rooms with private rooftop terraces and apartments that range from $126 to $152. All come with complimentary foot massages. www.rambutans.info For further tourist information, contact: â&#x20AC;˘ Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highlights, information on accommodations, history and Khmer cul-

15

ture. www.tourismcambodia.org â&#x20AC;˘ Canby Publications, convenient online extracts from Cambodian city guides. canbypublications.com â&#x20AC;˘ Cambodian Information Centre, information on everything from clubs and organizations to the legal system. www.cambodia.org The least expensive roundtrip flight to Phnom Phen from BWI in late January is $1,042 on ANA, a Japanese airline, but that fare requires an 18-hour layover in Tokyo.

Korean Air offers a flight for $1,465 that is about 10 hours shorter in travel time.

If you go Cambodian hotels can be very inexpensive. The ones below have English-speaking staffs and websites in English and represent the range of prices.

Phnom Phen You Khin, a three-story guest house with pool. Rates range from $39 to $59. www.youkhinhouse.com The Quay, a 32-room boutique hotel overlooking the Tonle Sap River and Mekong Rivers. Rates range from $75 to $95. www.thequayhotel.com Raffles Hotel Le Royal is a luxury hotel with rates from $230 to $292. www.raffles.com

Siem Reap Low-price Ivy Guest House has non-airconditioned rooms for $6 to $8. Rooms

BEACON BITS

Jan. 15

OBAMA WHITE HOUSE BOOK TALK

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Ivy Bookshop will host author Gautam Raghavan speaking about his book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House.â&#x20AC;? The free event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Ivy Bookshop, 6080 Falls Rd. For more information, visit www.theivybookshop.com or call (410) 377-2966.

Ongoing

READING PARTNERS NEEDED

Reading Partners needs volunteers to provide students in underresourced elementary schools with the proven, individualized reading support they need in order to read at grade level by fourth grade. You will meet one-on-one with your student every week. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be provided a structured curriculum, in-person training, and ongoing support to help your student thrive. No teaching experience required. Hours are flexible between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays. Opportunities are available at various schools across Baltimore. For more information, visit http://readingpartners.org/location/baltimore/.

Ongoing

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MERCY MEDICAL CENTER SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

Mercy Medical Center volunteers are a dedicated, caring and diverse group of individuals who offer their time and talents in a manner that reflects the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission, and values of the Sisters of Mercy. Volunteers work throughout Mercyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downtown campus and community physician sites in Overlea, Glen Burnie and Lutherville. For more information, visit www.mdmercy.com or call (410) 332-9227.

Jan. 4+

ANNUAL WOODWORKING SHOW

The Woodworking Show will be held from Friday to Sunday, Jan. 4 to 6, at the Cow Palace, 2200 York Rd., at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Hours are Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For the past 30 years, Woodworking Shows, held nationally, have established a devoted following by providing woodworkers with an outlet for their passion through tools, education and a sense of community. Purchase tickets at the door for $14 (cash only) or buy tickets online and receive $2 off. For more information, visit www.thewoodworkingshows.com.

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Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

JANUARY 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BALTIMORE BEACON

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

17

Enjoy winter’s beauty from aboard a train You can easily enjoy great winter snows- from Alpine Chur over the Bernina pass and capes without fighting the drifts and the down a spectacular line to semi-Mediterranean Tirano, Italy. ice: Just take a train. Enjoy the This route is a UNESCO sights from a comfortable, World Heritage site, and it’s the wide seat, through a panoraone most often pictured on ma window, maybe while sipposters and ads. Winter or ping something cold or warm. summer, it’s one of the world’s Except in unusual circumgreat scenic rail journeys. stances, railroads keep their Trains operate all year, altracks open through snowfall though at some times you heavy enough to shut down have to change at Ponteressithe highways. And many travna, near St. Moritz. The el on routes with better sightschedule favors southbound seeing than you can find from TRAVEL TIPS

By Ed Perkins trips for best daylight viewing. any highway.

Some beautiful routes are on regular trains, at regular fares, not special excursions. Amtrak’s two top winter scenery trains operate through the western Rockies and Sierras: — The California Zephyr, between Chicago and Emeryville (for San Francisco), provides daytime sightseeing over the Rockies and Sierras on successive daytime segments. Daylight sightseeing through the Rockies is better westbound. If you just want the mountains, start or end your trip in Denver rather than Chicago.

— The Empire Builder passes next to Glacier National Park in Montana on its trip through the Rockies, and it also passes through the Cascade Range in Washington. The best daytime Glacier Park sightseeing times are on the eastbound trip.

But in winter, you don’t get much daylight through the Cascades in either direction.

— The Glacier Express is probably the best known Swiss panorama train. It runs between St. Moritz and Zermatt all year, with the exception of a break from October 23 to December 10.

Winter trains with panorama cars operate

once daily in both directions. If you prefer, you can take less than the full trip, but don’t miss the section between Chur and St. Moritz over the UNESCO World Heritage Albula route. A full eight hours in the spectacular Alps — what more do I need to say?

— The new Gotthard Panorama Express takes you over the former mainline that has been bypassed by the new 35-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel. The new tunnel cuts the travel time substantially, but 35 miles in a tunnel under the Alps isn’t a big sightseeing event.

Instead, take the panoramic train over the steep grades, curves and spiral tunnels along deep river valleys and gorges. The Panorama Express trip runs between

Lucerne and Lugano, combining a boat trip on Lake Lucerne with the train.

All three Swiss trains are covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. But if one is enough, you can buy individual tickets. All three require reservations, with an extra fee. Buy either way online at www.sbb.ch/en or raileurope.com.

You can find good snowscape trains in many other countries with high mountains, from Austria to Japan to New Zealand. Check out the rail options wherever you’re heading.

Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Ed’s new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com. © 2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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We Turn Addresses

into homes

MOST COMMUNITIE S ARE 62 AND B ET T ER

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

BALTIMORE COUNTY (CONT.)

The Greens at Hammonds Lane: 410-636-1141 Park View at Furnace Branch: 410-761-4150 Park View at Severna Park: 410-544-3411

Park View at Randallstown: 410-655-5673 Park View at Rosedale: 410-866-1886 Park View at Taylor: 410-663-0363 Park View at Towson: 410-828-7185 Park View at Woodlawn: 410-281-1120

Trains in the East

BALTIMORE CITY

Among other Amtrak trains with the potential for winter snow is the Pennsylvanian, through the Alleghenies from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. (Note: the westbound schedule isn’t good for daylight in the Appalachians.) The Lake Shore Limited through the Berkshires, between Boston and Albany, and the Cardinal through West Virginia are also candidates.

North America’s top winter rail trip used to be the Canadian, between Toronto and Vancouver, especially the segment between Edmonton and Vancouver. Unfortunately, congestion on the Canadian National has caused a schedule revision that no longer covers the top mountain scenery during daylight.

VIA Rail is fixing that problem, but not until next spring. As far as I can tell, the Rocky Mountaineer between Vancouver and Banff surprisingly doesn’t operate in the winter.

Ednor Apartments I: 410-243-0180 Ednor Apartments II: 410-243-4301 The Greens at Irvington Mews: 410-644-4487 Park Heights Place: 410-578-3445 Park View at Ashland Terrace: 410-276-6440 Park View at Coldspring: 410-542-4400

EASTERN SHORE Park View at Easton: 410-770-3070

HARFORD COUNTY Park View at Bel Air: 410-893-0064 Park View at Box Hill: 410-515-6115

BALTIMORE COUNTY Cove Point Apartments I: 410-288-2344 Cove Point Apartments II: 410-288-1660 Evergreen Senior Apartments: 410-780-4888 The Greens at English Consul: 410-789-3000 The Greens at Liberty Road: 410-655-1100 The Greens at Logan Field: 410-288-2000 The Greens at Rolling Road: 410-744-9988 Park View at Catonsville: 410-719-9464 Park View at Dundalk: 410-288-5483 Park View at Fullerton: 410-663-0665 Park View at Miramar Landing: 410-391-8375

HOWARD COUNTY Park View at Colonial Landing: 410-796-4399 Park View at Columbia: 410-381-1118 Park View at Ellicott City: 410-203-9501 Park View at Ellicott City: II 410-203-2096 Park View at Emerson: 301-483-3322 Park View at Snowden River: 410-290-0384

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY Park View at Bladensburg: 301-699-9785 • 55 & Better Park View at Laurel: 301-490-1526 Park View at Laurel II: 301-490-9730

On the rails in the Alps If you want really great snow scenery, you can’t beat Switzerland. Although my recent (sponsored) train trips there were in snow-free late summer, I’ve also done them in winter, and you just can’t beat the Swiss panorama trains for scenery any time of the year.

I particularly recommend three: — My favorite is the Bernina Express

Call the community nearest you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour. www.rhomecommunities.com MOST COMMUNITIES ARE PET-FRIENDLY

18

JANUARY 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BALTIMORE BEACON

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Style Arts &

Herman Heyn spent 31 years showing Baltimoreans the stars and planets from his telescope. See story on facing page.

Having a Wilde time at Everyman Theatre Wildeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alter ego?

If Wilde were in the audience as the curtain rose on the current Everyman Theatre production of his work, he would have enjoyed seeing resident company member Danny Gavigan sporting what could only be called an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oscar Wilde wig,â&#x20AC;? echoing the playwrightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long, glossy hair. He plays Algernon, a flamboyant neâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;er-do-well who finds a kindred spirit in friend John (Jaysen Wright).

The aristocratic pair trade bon mots (it is Wilde after all) as they regale each other with personal tales of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bunburyingâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the act of leading a double life to avoid oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s filial responsibilities and social duties. The term is also a pointed jab by Wilde toward those aforementioned â&#x20AC;&#x153;sensibilities and conventions,â&#x20AC;? as the word here also suggests sex between men.

Further, much attention is given in the opening act to the two menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire to sample finger sandwiches made from cucumber, a familiar phallic symbol. The sandwiches are meant for Ladies Bracknell and daughter Gwendolen, but they are consumed only by Algernon.

In the midst of all the Bunburying, cu-

PHOTO BY CLINTON BRANDHAGEN

By Dan Collins At first glance, The Importance of Being Earnest, a play by the acclaimed Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, would appear to simply be a comical farce, an amusing romp where Victorian sensibilities and social conventions are satirized.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a clever work, which initially seems a mix of a Shakespearean comedy (replete with star-crossed couples and mistaken identities) and the Marx Brothers. (Bruce Randolph Nelsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gender bending Lady Bracknell is a tad reminiscent of Margaret Dumont, the rich society lady so often the butt of Grouchoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jokes.)

It certainly is all these things, but something more.

Wilde went from fame to infamy for violating the 19th century Victorian mores and English laws that judged homosexuality to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;grossly indecentâ&#x20AC;? (and for which Wilde would suffer imprisonment). He used Earnest, his last published work, to take a stab at both â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or better said, to make a thousand cuts.

This production, together with the program notes, highlight the sexual subtext.

The friendship between rakish bachelors Jack, played by Jaysen Wright, and Algernon, played by Danny Gavigan, gets a modern take in Everyman Theatreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of Oscar Wildeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Importance of Being Earnest. The comedy, which features Wildeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trademark witty repartee, is onstage through Dec. 30.

cumber consumption, and debates about an engraved cigarette case (a gift Wilde often bestowed upon his male lovers), Lady Bracknell, a wrathful rhapsody in blue, bursts upon the scene.

A Baltimore stage favorite, Nelson steals every scene he â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or here, she â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is in, thanks to clever body language, facial See EARNEST, page 19

JA N UA RY 1 7 - M A R C H 1 7

Let Mee E En ntert in nterta i Y Yoou!!

410-730-83111

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

19

Street-corner astronomer says goodnight

By Judy Colbert Star light, star bright...just a little dimmer now.

Herman Heyn — teacher, soldier, matchmaker, writer, featured character in Jon Jefferson’s novel Wave of Terror, and astronomer — is hanging up his telescope for the last time. At 88, Heyn has been Baltimore’s “Street-Corner Astronomer” for the past 31 years.

The avuncular Waverly resident is a selftaught astronomer who started his street corner life on November 13, 1987 when, at the age of 56, he took his telescope out for an evening’s view. He invited people to look through the scope, and he explained what they were seeing.

Heyn’s advancing age and the arthritis in his neck, with its resultant pinched nerves, now make it difficult to handle the telescope, even with the assistance of the teenager next door who has become his right-hand man.

Viewing the stars and planets Since he began, Heyn has helped people scan the skies 2,857 times, he calculates.

That was at the Inner Harbor, Charles Village and Fells Point, where he’d set up at

Earnest From page 18 expressions, and a tone that ranges from scratchy soprano to bullying bullhorn, all in flamboyant costumes that bemuse and bedazzle the audience. (More than just the usual kudos go to costume designer David Burdick for his lavish creations, echoed perfectly in David Ettinger’s kaleidoscopic set designs.)

Serving as foils to Algernon and John are Lady Gwendolen Fairfax (Katie Klieger) and Cecily Cardew (Paige Hernandez), two women who have plots and passions of their own. Together, these fair ladies bounce between the boundaries of friend and foe, dueling with parasol and hand-fan at one moment, and being wrapped in the bonds of loving sisterhood the next.

the Thames St. end of Broadway Square with an 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector telescope.

His latest telescope is his fourth. He bought his first one in 1981 for $1,300.

Today, with all the additional computerization, a similar unit would cost about $2,500 to $3,000.

Heyn would set up the telescope, aim it toward something gasp-worthy, and then let you “Hav-A-Look” as his sign read. You might see the moon, the planets, and some stars. He often gave viewers a yellow Postit note that read, “I Saw Saturn” (or Mars or Jupiter).

His enthusiasm has been contagious.

He has inspired a couple of people to go into the field of astronomy, others to buy a telescope and even a marriage proposal.

Heyn didn’t charge a fee, but he definitely accepted contributions. He made $10 his first night and $40 the next. He went to City Hall the next day and applied for a license. He soon added a plastic cowboy hat, mounted between the scope’s legs, as a subtle collection plate.

Over the years, Heyn said the contributions from his skywatchers have earned him a total of $200,000 (which, divided by

Rounding out the cast are Everyman staple Wil Love as the Rev. Canon Chasuble, and Helen Hedman as Miss Prism, who, despite the former’s vow of chastity and the latter’s repressed-governess ways, dance delicately along a thin line between propriety and romance.

Carl Schurr provides a vaudevillian flair to his roles of butlers Lane and Merriman, characters separated only by hair color.

Like the Bard’s comic works, all ends well as lovers finally find each other’s arms, and men once friends find they share an even stronger bond.

Deft, comic script As wonderful as the performances of this fine acting ensemble are, the true star of the show is Oscar Wilde’s spritely script, full of irony and innuendo, which has both the characters and the audience

Cars, boats, furniture, antiques, tools, appliances Everything and anything is sold on

Radio Flea Market Heard every Sunday, 7-8:00 a.m. on 680 WCBM

31 years means, on average, not quite $6,500 a year). “It’s all reported to the IRS,” he hastened to say, and the money earned “supplements my meager Social Security retirement funds.”

Over the past 30-plus years, Heyn has repeatedly received many questions. As in, “Can you see the flag on the moon from Earth?” “No,” said Heyn. “A satellite circling the moon can, though.”

“Would you want to go to Mars or the moon?” others have asked. “I’d want to go to the moon,” he replied. “If someone tapped me on the shoulder today and said, ‘Get your toothbrush, you’re leaving tomorrow,’ I’d be there.

“But not Mars. That’s too much of a time investment, involving seven months to fly there, two years for a window to return, seven months back.”

While many people tell him that the sky is so inspiring it must have been created by a higher power, that’s not Heyn’s belief.

“The universe is too big and beautiful for any god to have dreamed it up,” he believes.

Nor does Heyn believe that there’s life

in outer space, explaining, “There are billions and trillions of stars. The conditions on earth are so unique that to be duplicated someplace else is real improbable.”

The one thing Heyn hasn’t seen in the skies is a flying saucer. He’d like to, he said, but he’s never heard of any astronomer who has.

Meeting strangers all the time has given Heyn a lot of self-confidence and honed his street performing skills. And, of course, he’s learned a lot about astronomy along the way.

Just because Heyn is retiring from schlepping the telescope out into the world doesn’t mean he’s given up on astronomy, however. He is looking forward to addressing seniors groups and other organizations. Just give him a call at (410) 889-0460.

Heyn’s big concern at the moment is that, come the summer of 2019, “Jupiter and Saturn, two of my three best objects (the moon is the third) will be close enough to easily telescope in one evening.

I worry that I may find it hard to resist their call.”

Judy Colbert is a Glen Burnie-based freelance writer and published author.

turning from one direction to the next.

It is therefore fitting that the full title of this play is “The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” as Wilde’s mischievous pricks of the establishment that pepper his play create what I am sure in Wilde’s mind was a “serious comedy for trivial people.”

Performed in three acts with two inter-

missions, The Importance of Being Earnest continues its run at Everyman Theatre, at 315 W. Fayette St. in downtown Baltimore, through Dec. 30. Tickets are $38 to $56, with a $5 discount for those 62 and older for Saturday matinee and Sunday evening performances. To buy tickets or for more information, visit http://everymantheatre.org or call (410) 752-2208.

Dreaming of the moon

New: Now place classifieds online.

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Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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the world at your fingertips. From the moment you open the box, you’ll realize how different the WOW Computer is. The components are all connected; all you do is plug it into an outlet and your high-speed Internet connection.

Then you’ll see the screen – it’s now 22 inches. This is a completely new touch screen system, without the cluttered look of the normal computer screen.

The “buttons” on the screen are easy to see and easy to understand. All you do is touch one of them, from the Web, Email, Calendar to Games– you name it… and a new screen opens up. It’s so easy to use you won’t have to ask your children or grandchildren for help. Until now, the very people who could benefit most from E-mail and the Internet are the ones that have had the hardest time accessing it. Now, thanks to the WOW Computer, countless older Americans are discovering the wonderful world of the Internet every day. Isn’t it time

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Mention promotional code 110582 for special introductory pricing.

1-888-703-0240 © 2018 first STREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.

84101

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– Janet F.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

Sculptor From page 1

A mammoth triptych Now these drawings have metamorphosed into something grander, with an upright triptych of monumental proportions dominating his studio.

Each of the three panels measures nearly six feet wide by ten feet high. Each contains a couple of steel drawings of winged creatures whose bodies taper into serpentine tails and are welded to a background of flowering vines.

The triptych was born of improvisation.

Five years ago, Friedheim laid several steel drawings on the floor and welded them together. He liked how they looked, “like a Roman mosaic,” but they couldn’t stay on the floor, so he built a frame to enable them to stand upright. This was followed by more collages and more frames.

Friedheim’s images are inspired by all manner of art, life and imagination — from pre-Colombian ceramics to Northwest Coast totem poles to the Flintstones.

“I have sketchbooks going back years with things that catch my fancy. When I go to a museum or a library or travel, I like to have a sketchbook with me.”

Friedheim says the artist with the greatest influence on him was Pablo Picasso, whose work from the 1920s was the first of its kind to suggest a more linear kind of sculpture.

Friedheim also traces his artistic lineage through the elongated figures of Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, the kinetic sculptures of American abstract artist Alexander Calder, and the works of David Smith, an American sculptor who intro-

duced welded steel sculpture to this country in the postwar period.

Although his own work reflects echoes of these earlier abstract artists, Friedheim has a traditional side. “I still believe in an art of visual pleasure,” he said, observing that many contemporary artists are “obsessed” with ideas and concepts and disregard the need to create works that are pleasing to the eye.

Colorful chameleons and frogs In the yard behind Friedheim’s studio lies a yellow frog roughly the size of a VW Bug, with red and green spots. The frog is a product of Grendel’s Mother, a partnership created by Friedheim and his wife that generates large multimedia compositions in collaboration with students and community groups.

In 2015, the frog was displayed at Coppin State University for Earth Day, when the students held a wake to commemorate all species being driven to extinction. The frog is made of cotton bedsheets dipped in glue and acrylic paint, draped over a steel armature.

Once in a while, Friedheim will glimpse a person dashing out of a car to snap a quick selfie with the frog. He is gratified to see his art having this kind of effect.

“I don’t know what to do about the problems of the world,” he said. “Trisha and I are just artists. But one thing artists can do is focus people’s attention.”

Friedheim’s pieces have been displayed throughout Baltimore and have been seen at Artscape, Baltimore Clayworks (which has described his works as being filled with “mischievous joy”), and the Howard County annual outdoor sculpture exhibi-

Wanted

Wanted

SEEKING FULL/SEALED BOTTLES of vintage Bourbon and Rye. Do you have full/sealed vintage bottles of bourbon or rye collecting dust in your cabinet? Do any of your bottles have an old red and green tax strip? Call Alex, 443-223-7669.

BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-5966201.

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Also Lionel Toy Trains, and coin operated machines. Will pay top prices for my personal collection. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Gold, silver, costume. Buying whole estates. Gary Roman, 301-520-0755. Theatticllc.com.

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

Friedheim’s miniature figures can be seen in the holiday exhibition at Y:ART Gallery and Fine Gifts at 3402 Gough St. in Highlandtown through Jan. 12.

For more information or to see his work in person, Friedheim may be reached at davidfriedheim@yahoo.com.

Carol Berkower is a freelance writer in Baltimore.

BEACON BITS

Classifieds cont. from page 23.

FROM PAGE 22

tion, Artsite.

A multicolored panel of dancing children with clasped hands arcs over the entrance to the Mount Washington School playground.

A brightly painted, six-foot-long chameleon has appeared at multiple locations around town, and a pink rabbit is permanently installed in the Columbia Mall; both were made in collaboration with Kyner.

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Thank you for reading!

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD S M O K I O W A B E E R A E S T R A T O G R E B E O N E R N I G D S A P I G O T G A I A M I N X A N T I

E W N I F S U N I E E D I N G E T H E D E A Y S R O S Y O U H I O T O S

I N I T S

S T R E E T A R S A I C E E R B R E O S L O

P S L T E A D F R G A E R R C U M E S E T C O C R A A C K H I I T D E

H O M O S A P I E N S

A R E N A

M I N T Y

I D E A S

D E N Y

D E R E M S B U T

Ongoing

CHRISTMAS TRAIN GARDEN The Martinsville Christmas Train Garden celebrates the history of

Middle River at the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum. The museum is located at Martin State Airport, 701 Wilson Pt. Rd. Tickets are $5. The exhibit is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.mdairmuseum.org or call (410) 682-6122.

Dec. 25

A MITZVAH AND A MOVIE From 10 a.m. to noon on Dec. 25, at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, help fill backpacks with school supplies and create

homemade stress balls for the students at Esperanza Center, a Baltimore-based organization whose mission is to welcome immigrants. Activities are suitable for all ages and no artistic talent is required. Then, if you like, stay and watch a History Channel mini-series about Houdini from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The series follows the man behind the magic as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era. Tickets for the movie are $10 for adults; $8 if 65+. Visit http://jewishmuseummd.org/single/houdinithe-mini-series to register and learn more, or call (410) 732-6400. The museum is located at 15 Lloyd St. in downtown Baltimore.

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JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus In Agreement 1

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Scrabble answers on p. 21.

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1. Coal plant output 6. A Just a bit of 1 Across 10. Hoax 14. Hawkeye 15. Like BWI or IAD airports 16. Actress Spelling 17. Heineken and kin 18. Use a rifle 19. It might be the end of hymn 20. An alliance against common foes 23. Joseph Lauder’s life and business partner 25. Video game company, originally called Service Games 26. “___ it ain’t so, Joe” 27. One incompatible with a Horse, according to the Chinese zodiac 28. Loud clamor 30. Roman goddess of Earth 32. Fairy tale villain 34. Bicycle adjuster 36. “I’m with ___” (Valentine’s day T-shirt) 39. Demonstrate cooperation 42. Muppet originally voiced by Jim Henson 43. Most of a Yahtzee game set 44. Quinceanera celebrant 45. Aussie greetings 47. Environmentalist’s prefix 49. Thumbs down vote 50. Gradually weaken 52. Flower or wine, depending on the accent 54. Boorish 56. Words of support 59. Greek goddess of Earth 60. Put on the payroll 61. Seeker’s foe 65. Flirty girl 66. Oklahoma tribe 67. Agenda entries 68. Second to speak at the debate

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69. Norway’s most populous city 70. First performance

Down 1. Bro or sis 2. Bro of Curly (but not Larry) 3. Finance a car 4. In gold, 24 is pure 5. Opposite of “preceded” 6. ‘net connection, at Starbucks 7. Letters OK’ing a contract change 8. Illegal speed contest 9. Brand that promises to remove dust 10. Get top billing 11. All the people 12. Venue for indoor football games 13. Like most Mentos 21. Horse’s comment on a See ‘n Say 22. Madcap comedy 23. ___ to please 24. Worst place to attach a fort 27. Part of a Star Wars costume 29. Is unprepared for job interviews 31. Deteriorate 33. City in Northern Oklahoma 35. “___ expected” (smug selfcongratulation) 37. Brainstorms 38. Disavow 40. Visibly sad 41. City 210 miles south of Medina 46. Chocolate drink, since 1926 48. Flower used in perfumery 50. Spreadsheet icon meaning “sum up” 51. “You can say that ___” 53. Swashbuckling Flynn 55. Go fly ___ 57. Emmy winner for Best Comedy 1979-1981 58. “How can anyone ___ mean?”

62. Society newcomer 63. Big flightless bird 64. Last of “FIRST”

Answers on page 21.

BALTIMORE BEACON — JANUARY 2019

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either.

Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Entertainment WARREN BUFFET SAID he would not mind being in jail, if there was a good bridge game there. Bridge lessons offered by teacher who was once the youngest Life Master in the US. Perfect holiday gift. Mark 410-578-3467.

Financial DONATE YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR BOAT to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3-Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. CALL 1-844-855-7670.

GOT AN OLDER CAR, VAN OR SUV? Do the humane thing. Donate it to the Humane Society. Call 1-844-230-2952.

For Sale THREE BEAUTIFUL ADJACENT LOTS, Prime Garden in Glen Haven. Retail value, $16,500 — will take $7,000/obo. Call 443-3748854 or 410-636-2677.

SHIP MODELS FOR SALE. H.M.S Victory 1805. Length - 1385 mm. Height - 940 mm. Width - 525 mm. $250, negotiable. Liberty Ship SS, Jerimiah O’Brien. Scale 1/16’=1’ Length 27 1/2” $50.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

For Sale 2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.

Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve, 410-913-1653.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate DOWNSIZING YOUR HOME? If so, our company specializes in solving real estate problems, especially ones that pose a financial burden on you the homeowner. We can solve almost any financial problem that real estate throws at you. Call The Pundt Group today at 202-6811227 or visit us at www.pundtrealestate.com.

Health DENTAL INSURANCE. Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for details. Not just a discount plan, real coverage for 350 procedures. 844366-1003 or http://www.dental50plus.com/320 Ad# 6118.

STOP OVERPAYING for your prescriptions!

SAVE! Call our licensed Canadian and International pharmacy, compare prices and get $25.00 OFF your first prescription! CALL 1-888-9817657 Promo Code CDC201725.

PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR — May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-851-0949.

Home/Handyman Services RESIDENTIAL PAINTING: RETIRED PAINTER seeking residential, light commercial work in Baltimore area. Call Mark at 443324-0091. Good work at good prices.

Legal Services WERE YOU AN INDUSTRIAL OR CONSTRUCTION TRADESMAN and recently diagnosed with lung cancer? You and your family may be entitled to a significant cash reward.

Call 1-888-351-0312 for your risk free consultation.

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? Up to $2,671/mo. (Based on paid-in amount.) Free evaluation! Call Bill Gordon & Associates. 1866-970-0779. Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington, D.C. Office: Broward Co. FL., member TX/NM Bar.

NEW PROCEDURE FOR PLACING CLASSIFIED ADS All classified ads must now be submitted and paid for online, via our website, www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/classifieds Deadlines and Payments: To appear in the next issue, your ad text and payment must be entered by the 5th of the preceding month (for Baltimore and Howard County editions); by the 20th (for Washington and Richmond editions).

Cost will be based on the number of characters and spaces in your ad: • $25 for 1-250 • $35 for 251-500. • $50 for 501-750 (maximum length). The website will calculate this for you.

Note: Maryland contractors must provide a valid MHIC number. • Each real estate listing qualifies as one ad. • All ads are subject to publisher's discretion. Payment will be refunded if unacceptable for any reason.

To place your classified ad, visit www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/classifieds Miscellaneous

TV/Cable

ENJOY 100% GUARANTEED, DELIVERED to-the-door Omaha Steaks! Save 75% plus get 4 more Burgers & 4 more Kielbasa FREE! Order The Family Gourmet Buffet — ONLY $49.99.

Call 1-844-302-3754, mention code 51689JCT or visit www.omahasteaks.com.

DIRECTV. CALL AND SWITCH NOW — Get NFL Sunday Ticket for FREE! Every Game.

Every Sunday. CHOICE- All-Included Package.

Over 185 Channels. $60/month (for 12 Months.)

CALL 1- 888-572-4953.

Wanted Personals STILL LOOKING FOR EDDIE COLVIN, approximately 84 years old who once lived near Ashlan Avenue and Castle Street, may now live in Dundalk, Middle River, Essex. A nice gentleman said he talked to you last year in White Marsh. No strings attached. An old elementary school classmate just wants to wish you and yours well. Call Rosemarie in evenings, 410882-6328.

TV/Cable SPECTRUM TRIPLE PLAY! TV, Internet & Voice for $29.99 ea. 60 MB per second speed. No contract or commitment. More Channels.

Faster Internet. Unlimited Voice. Call 1-888366-7573.

DISH Network. 190+ CHANNELS. FREE Install. FREE Hopper HD-DVR. $49.99/month (24 months) Add High Speed Internet - $14.95 (where avail.) CALL Today & SAVE 25%! 1844-560-5837.

ESTATE LIQUIDATION & COLLECTIBLES: One call solves it all when you hire us to handle your estate liquidation, down-sizing and/or home cleanout. We sell your treasures, take care of charitable donations and provide junk removal. We also purchase partial estate contents/collections.

Always buying antiques, jewelry, fine art, vintage toys, collectibles, advertising, sports memorabilia, military items, rare books, Mid-Century Modern furniture and more. Based in Silver Spring, we serve Montgomery County, Howard County, Baltimore County, Washington, D.C., NOVA and beyond. No home, barn or warehouse is too packed for us! Friendly, conscientious staff. Call Chris on cell, 202-731-9447. www.OrionsAttic.com.

Classifieds cont. on page 21.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies

Baltimore City Senior Companion Program . . . . . .12

Charlestown/Erickson . .B-2, B-4 Christ Church Harbor Apts. .B-6 Glynn Taff Assisted Living . .B-3 Linden Park Apartments. . . . .14 Lutheran Village @ Miller’s Grant . . . . . . . .B-7 Oak Crest/Erickson . . . .B-2, B-4 Rhome Communities . . . . . . .17 St. Marys Roland View Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 Weinberg Communities .B-4, B-8 Westminster House Apartments . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3

Home Health Care

Legal Services

Genesis SelectCare . . . . . . . .B-6 Options for Senior America . .19

Angels of Elder Care Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

COPD Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Knee Osteoarthritis Study . . . . .6 Stroke Fatigue Study . . . . . . . . .7

Dental Services Denture Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Government Services

Housing Alta at Regency Crest . . . . . . .11 Carroll Lutheran Village . . . .B-7 Catholic Charities Senior Services . . . . . . . . .B-2

Medical/Health Charm City Wellness . . . . . . .15 Curio Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

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Herban Legends . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Keswick Wise & Well Center .15 Kraus Behavioral Health . . . . . .4 Nature’s Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Patriot Mobility . . . . . . . . . . .B-6 Pure Life Wellness . . . . . . . . . .4 Regenerative Medicine . . . . . . .6 Rosenblatt Foot Care . . . . . . . .12 Senior Care Lifestyles . . . . . . . .5 Skin Cancer EB . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Zinger Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Real Estate Bob Lucido Team . . . . . . . . . . .3

Restaurants

Subscriptions Beacon Subscription . . . . . . . .22

Technology Beacon Silver Pages . . . . . . . .16 TechMedic4U . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 TheBeaconNewspapers.com . .16 WOW Computer . . . . . . . . . . .20

Theatres/ Entertainment Chesapeake Shakespeare . . . .18 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . .18

Travel

Glory Days Grill . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel . . . . .14 Superior Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Shopping

Volunteers/Jobs

Radio Flea Market . . . . . . . . . .19

The Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Manor Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

24 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

JANUARY 2019 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Introducing the future of personal transportation.

It’s not a Wheelchair...

It’s not a Power Chair...

It’s a Zinger Chair!

10”

The Zinger folds to a mere 10 inches.

More and more Americans are reaching the age where mobility is an everyday concern. Whether from an injury or from the aches and pains that come from getting older– getting around isn’t as easy as it used to be. You may have tried a power chair or a scooter. The Zinger is NOT a power chair or a scooter! The Zinger is quick and nimble, yet it is not prone to tipping like many scooters. Best of all, it weighs only 47.2 pounds and folds and unfolds with ease. You can take it almost anywhere, providing you with independence and freedom.

Years of work by innovative engineers have resulted in a mobility device that’s truly unique. They created a battery that provides powerful energy at a fraction of the weight of most batteries. The Zinger features two steering levers, one on either side of the seat. The user pushes both levers down to go forward, pulls them both up to brake, and pushes one while pulling the other to turn to either side.

This enables great mobility, the ability to turn on a dime and to pull right up to tables or desks. The controls are

right on the steering lever so it’s simple to operate and its exclusive footrest swings out of the way when you stand up or sit down. With its rugged yet lightweight aluminum frame, the Zinger is sturdy and durable yet convenient and comfortable! What’s more, it easily folds up for storage in a car seat or trunk– you can even gate-check it at the airport like a stroller. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life. It folds in seconds without tools and is safe and reliable. It holds up to 265 pounds, and it goes up to 6 mph and operates for up to 8 hours on a single charge.

Why spend another day letting mobility issues hamper your independence and quality of life?

Zinger Chair® Call now and receive a utility basket absolutely FREE with your order.

1-888-643-4080 Please mention code 110581 when ordering.

Just think of the places you can go: • Shopping • Air Travel • Bus Tours Not intended for use by individuals restricted to a sitting position and not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Zinger is not a medical device. © 2018 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.

83933

• Restaurants– ride right up to the table! • Around town or just around your house