March 2015 | Baltimore Beacon

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Our world-renowned glassblower

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PHOTO BY AVRAHAM BANK

By Carol Sorgen Gianni Toso’s Mount Washington home is a long way from his native Venice, Italy, but he carries with him 700 years of his family’s tradition as Murano glassmakers.

The Venetian island of Murano has specialized in fancy glassware for centuries, developing or refining many glassmaking technologies that are still used today in the crafting of pieces ranging from contemporary art glass and glass figurines, to glass chandeliers, wine stoppers and tourist souvenirs.

Toso is one of the pre-eminent glassblowing artists in the world today. His works can be found in galleries and private collections throughout the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Israel and Japan.

Toso, 72, and his wife Karyn moved to Baltimore 20 years ago (first having settled in New Jersey after moving to the U.S.).

“I had first been to Baltimore in 1972 and felt comfortable here in a way I didn’t in New Jersey,” he said (perhaps in part because of Baltimore’s large Orthodox Jewish community, of which the Tosos are members).

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The legacy of several presidents colors Charlottesville, Va. area; plus, a visit to the University of Virginia page 22

An early start to his art Though Toso earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting, glassblowing has always been in his blood. He began working in a glass factory at the age of 10 — without his parents’ permission or knowledge — earning $1 a week to keep the factory’s furnace stoked with wood. (In some ways, not much has changed; a wood-burning stove heats the studio that Toso built himself adjacent to his Northwest Baltimore home.)

Once his parents found out about his subterfuge, they allowed the young Gianni to keep working at the factory, as long as he attended school at night.

At the age of 14, Toso became a student at the prestigious Abate Zanetti fine arts academy on the island of Murano, where for seven years he followed a curriculum that included geometric design, art history and painting. The school’s philosophy was that through a well-rounded education artists can create new forms.

At the same time that he was studying at the academy, Toso learned the practical aspects of glassblowing by working in 12 different factories over the course of 14

ARTS & STYLE Gianni Toso, one of the world’s pre-eminent glassblowing artists, works on one of his pieces in his Mt. Washington studio. He moved to Baltimore 20 years ago from Murano, an island near Venice known for its ancient tradition of glassmaking.

years, making everything from chandeliers to goblets to ashtrays.

When he was 23, Toso opened his own small studio, producing lampworked souvenirs. (Lampworking is a type of glasswork where a torch or lamp is primarily used to melt the glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements.)

Four years later, Toso opened a studio in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, where he created a line of 12 animal figurines that he sold to souvenir shops in San Marco.

A whirlwind romance It was also at that studio that Toso met his wife.

“She stopped in my studio looking for a

kosher restaurant,” he recalled. “It was already late in the day and the restaurants would soon be closed, so I told her that if she wanted a kosher meal, she would have to eat in my home. Seven hours later, we decided to get married.”

Like a glassblower knows when the precise moment has arrived to execute a shape, said Toso, so did he know that the seemingly sudden decision to get married made sense.

“You know when the time is right (for glassblowing or marriage!)…not a minute sooner or later!” he said.

Venice brought Toso more than a wife.

It was there that he began to be recognized for his art. In 1969 his massive chess See GLASS BLOWER, page 28

Play at Everyman Theatre portrays the consequences of war; plus, a Baltimore photographer captures her hometown. page 25

TECHNOLOGY k Apps to help you lose weight k Walking and driving maps

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Should we spend it all?

For the past two months, I’ve been writing book. But I read his article, and the argument in this column about the financial pit that we he made intrigued me at first. are digging for ourselves as a His premise, based on his country. At least, that’s one family’s experience, is that way of looking at the trillions hard-working savers like his of dollars of expanding deficits parents scrimped and sacriembedded in our federal and ficed their whole lives, dutifully state government budgets. saving for retirement. But in his Our demographic trajectomother’s last years, the entire ry (rapidly aging population, sum was “completely drained expanding longevity, dwinby the nursing home in less dling proportion of current than 18 months.” workers to retired workers, I was with him that far. I etc.) suggests this imbalance FROM THE knew many older adults (inbetween revenues and costs PUBLISHER cluding my own mother) who will only get worse by the day. By Stuart P. Rosenthal spent their last dollars in a I have tried to make the matter of months, or a couple case for a realistic assessment of the prob- of years at most, paying for nursing home lem, and suggested a wide variety of steps care. we can take, both as individuals and as But Riggs’ epiphany was not that his government entities, to ameliorate the parents should have tried to save more if consequences that will otherwise overtake they could, but rather, that they should us in just a few years. have spent all their savings much earlier in While I have received a number of their lives (or given it away to family or thoughtful letters from readers (some of charities), when they could have enjoyed which appear below), I also was recently its benefits more. He suggests his mother sent a proposed article by a Dr. Stanley would have been better off had she enRiggs of Florida. He is plugging a book he tered the nursing home eligible for Medirecently wrote, entitled Build Wealth & caid and died poor.

Spend It All, Live the Life You Earned.

He seems to be saying that since her He did not send, and I have not read, the last years were destined to be unpleasant

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• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal

anyway, and since having lots of money in a nursing home doesn’t get you service any better than that provided fellow residents who have no assets, what was the point to following all that “save for retirement” advice?

Furthermore, he points out that, in general, the current advice of estate planning professionals is to allocate your investments among cash, stocks and bonds, and to spend about 4 percent of the total each year, adjusted for inflation.

In most cases (assuming continued earnings, and no significant losses, in your investments), that should enable you to gradually deplete your savings over 25 or 30 years. The goal is to preserve your financial independence for as long as possible.

But he finds this, too, to be foolish, in that “traditional estate planning seeks to preserve your net worth up to, and usually beyond, your life, with the remainder being distributed to your heirs, attorneys and the taxman.”

Instead, Riggs advocates the “I’m spending it all” approach, as his book title suggests.

Since no one knows the date of his or her (natural) death, this requires a “tolerance for being almost broke” at the end, as he says.

But then he asks, “Do I want to be the patient in the nursing home with the most money, or the one with the greatest memories? Would I rather be rich and have broken dreams, or be broke but have rich memories?”

From a purely selfish perspective, I suppose his approach makes sense. Like the bumper sticker, “I’m spending my children’s inheritance,” it glorifies the Greedy Geezer stereotype.

I tell you about this approach not to praise it, but to bury it, if possible. For I do consider it to be purely selfish, and despicably so.

I am not saying we need to continuously deprive ourselves of pleasures throughout life. Far from it. When we have reasonable

incomes, after setting aside reasonable portions for savings, we are entitled to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

And if we are confident there will be money left over after we are gone, I think it makes sense to give at least some of it as gifts to our children and grandchildren while we are still alive to watch them enjoy it.

Both of those behaviors are not only normative, but they teach important lessons to our families and to others: that there are rewards for a life well-lived and that planning ahead has benefits.

But to encourage people of means to spend themselves into poverty, with the expectation that their fellow taxpayers will foot the bill for their last years, is not only irresponsible, it holds the potential to impoverish our entire country.

Currently, mandated spending on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare programs and interest on the federal debt consumes two-thirds of the federal budget.

Medicaid, an entitlement that is typically half-funded by state governments, is a rapidly growing share of every state’s budget.

Considering the more than 75 million mostly affluent baby boomers now heading into retirement, what it would cost state and federal governments (i.e., us taxpayers) to cover all of that generation’s long-term care costs would no doubt crowd out most discretionary funding, leaving little or nothing for healthcare, education, social services, you name it.

That might bring pleasure to one generation of fortunate, well-off Americans, but could well put an end to the American dream for everyone else for decades.

I’d like to know what you think. Please share your opinion with us via letter, fax, email or website comment.

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

• Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Contributing Editor ..........................Carol Sorgen • Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory • Advertising Representatives ............Steve Levin, ........................................................................Jill Joseph • Editorial Assistant ........................Rebekah Sewell

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Dear Editor: This is in response to the column “Facing facts, part II” that appeared in the February Beacon.

This is not totally a personal issue, as it is also a political and economic issue. On any Econ 101 chart, you have a revenue line, an expenditure line, and the distance between the two is the budget gap. The question is how to get these two lines to converge.

The answer is political will. You have been around as long as I have, and you know as well as I do, that no politician has the will to take any constructive action to solve a real problem.

Until this happens, we will continue on

this path toward who knows where.

Malcolm Price Easton, Md. Dear Editor: It’s no secret that having a circle of friends equates with good health, as your February cover story (Good friends bring good health”) says. That’s not the only advantage. As Robert D. Putnam shows in his book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, the benefits of “social capital” are immense.

Through careful research, he illustrates the ways communities with supportive networks have higher percentages of school See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 11

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

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Technology &

Innovations New apps aim to help users lose weight

By Daniel Pendick Smartphones and tablets combine an extraordinary amount of portable computing power with Internet connections via cell phone signal and WiFi. Many health entrepreneurs are trying to harness that power to help people get healthier. According to one estimate, the number of health apps for phones may already top 40,000.

Now the tough question: Do they actually work? A study published last fall in the Annals of Internal Medicine on one popular weight-loss app finds that the answer is “not so much.” But the reason may lie more with the user than the product.

Researchers at the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles put to scientific scrutiny a free app called MyFitnessPal. It’s based on research on how people make changes in their habits. The company claims it has more than 50 million registered users, and was recently acquired by Baltimore-based Under Armour.

MyFitnessPal is a web-connected food journal and weight loss coach. A user can access a database of more than 4 million foods, and add what he or she ate to a daily log.

The app calculates the number of calories consumed and compares them to the

daily calorie goal, which the app computes based on the user’s current weight, goal weight and desired rate of weight loss.

The researchers randomly assigned more than 200 overweight middle-aged women to one of two groups: One used MyFitnessPal as a weight-loss aid, the other talked to a primary care doctor about weight issues but did not use MyFitnessPal. The women’s progress was assessed at three and six months — long enough to detect a significant difference in weight loss among these relatively motivated calorie counters.

The app users lost an average of about 5 pounds — but so did the non-app users.

That means, at least in this study, recommending a weight-loss app to people who want to lose weight isn’t much better than getting advice from a doctor. One reason may be that use of MyFitnessPal fell off quickly — from an average of five times a week at the start of the study to just over once a week by the second month.

Attempting a better approach Simply giving people an app to track their data is not enough to create positive health outcomes, said Dr. Kamal Jethwani,

the head of research and innovation at the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare (Boston, Mass.) and assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School.

Many health apps still lack the built-in intelligence to figure out what particular mix of features — coaching, social connections, and financial or other incentives — can provide sufficient motivation to fuel real change.

“There are many examples of apps that do one of the three right,” Jethwani said. “I have not seen one that does several things very well.”

To help change that, Jethwani and his colleagues at the Center for Connected

Health are developing a smarter app called Text 2 Move to spur healthier behaviors in people with diabetes.

This dynamic phone messaging system tracks a user’s activity and location, and provides him or her with personalized, motivating messages and other feedback. Preliminary research suggests it increases average walking time by a mile a day and improves blood sugar control.

The next-generation version of the app will have multiple motivation modes — coaching, social and “gamification” [which refers to using game-like methods and behaviors to encourage participation]. It will See WEIGHT LOSS APPS, page 4

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Weight loss apps From page 3 analyze a user’s behavior for a short trial period and then “decide” which behavior it thinks will work best.

“We would want to have an app that, within a couple of weeks, based on your data, decides what motivational style is going to work for you and offers you a host of options,” Jethwani said. This is more likely to succeed than depending on stressed and overtaxed healthcare workers to figure out the best option and “prescribe” it for you.

What makes an app work?

In spite of the MyFitnessPal’s poor showing in the UCLA trial, it and other health apps can be useful tools for people who want to manage their weight and lifestyle.

But it takes two things from the user —

motivation to make a change, and using the app enough to produce the desired effect.

“Clinicians must become aware of these tools and support our patients in their use, since they are a great way to start moving the needle on the awareness and education needed to produce lifestyle changes,” said Jethwani. “Motivated patients will achieve great results, while other patients may stop using them, but will definitely gain better insights into their lifestyles.”

If you are interested in health apps, good information is available from a website called Wellocracy (www.wellocracy.com), which is run by the Center for Connected Health. It provides tools and information to help people find apps and personal fitness trackers that suit their personal needs and motivational style. [Also, see “Using a digital fitness monitor” on this page.]

Take a few for a test drive and see if you

MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

feel better.

Daniel Pendick is executive editor, Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

© 2015 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Using a digital fitness monitor The latest trend in high-tech health puts control in the palm of your hand.

It’s called digital fitness monitoring, and it comes in the form of tiny gadgets that you wear or place in your pocket.

“If you’re already motivated to exercise or eat differently, the monitor is a great tool to track your progress and help you understand where you need to make changes,” said Dr. Anne Thorndike, a preventive medicine researcher and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Digital fitness monitors (DFMs) come in wearable styles such as wristbands, watches and pendants, as well as hand-held pieces you can clip onto a sleeve or slip into a pocket.

DFM features may be simple — such as sensors that track the number of steps you take or how many calories you burn. Or they may be more sophisticated, with sensors that capture your heart rate, perspiration, skin temperature and sleep patterns.

Some DFMs have longer-lasting batteries, light-up screens and alarms that vibrate or flash to remind you to be more active or announce that you’ve reached a goal.

Others have satellite navigation, speed and pace sensors, and even weather gauges. Most have programs for a computer or smartphone that allow you to chart your progress.

DFM prices increase with the number

of bells and whistles available. You may see one gadget for $25 and another for $750. The majority, however, are in the $50 to $200 range. How much you spend is a matter of personal preference.

“Sophisticated monitors can be fun, but all you really need to know is how many steps you’re taking,” said Thorndike.

She advises that you first determine what kind of information will help you reach your fitness goals, then consider if you’re going to wear a DFM on your wrist or clip it onto your clothes. “And look for something that’s easy to use and can be charged quickly,” she said.

Before you set your fitness goals, wear the DFM to get a sense of how many steps you already take.

“We tell people to shoot for 10,000 steps a day, but if you only take 2,000, you can set your first goal at 3,000,” said Thorndike.

Then use the DFM to see how you’re doing throughout the day: if you’re low on steps by dinner, take a walk afterward.

And consider fitness competitions with others using DFMs. Thorndike just completed a study that found young adults who used DFMs and engaged in competitions had a small but statistically significant increase in activity levels.

— Harvard Health Letter © 2014 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Free map apps help drivers and walkers

By Anick Jesdanun Many people use smartphone apps to map their drive to dinner or find a less-congested route to work. But did you know that you can use them for public transit, too? You can even access some maps when your Internet connection is down, such as in the subway, or if it’s spotty.

Here’s a look at what leading free map apps can do for you, whatever mode of transportation you choose.

Bumper to bumper Most major map apps show you current traffic conditions. The best guide you toward a little-known shortcut or less-obvious route to avoid congestion.

In a high-traffic area like Washington, D.C., Waze is the app for you. Users update the map with the latest conditions, even reporting cars parked on the shoulder. Google

bought Waze in 2013, so Google Maps now factors in Waze’s user contributions, too.

The Here app for Windows also will help you find the speediest route. But it doesn’t want you to get a ticket. The app knows speed limits for various roads and will beep when you go over, even by a small amount. (You can turn that feature off, when you want.)

Taking a stroll?

Map apps give you the choice to input what mode of transportation you plan to take on your route. It’s worth clicking “walk” if you’re hoofing it to your destination. Otherwise you might end up on a six-lane highway, miss shortcuts such as recreational paths, and go out of your way taking one-way streets. I eliminated a one-block detour using Google Maps’ walk-specific directions to visit a friend in Chicago, for instance.

Apple Maps is very user-friendly for walkers. As you walk, the distance displayed decreases, but the map itself doesn’t change.

That confused me at first, but I came to appreciate it. Other apps tend to constantly refresh depending on where you are and how you’re holding the phone, which can be headache-inducing as you move your hand or arms. With Apple Maps, the direction you should be heading toward is on top, and the streets are fixed on right angles.

If you choose transit on Google Maps, it will include the walk to and from the bus or subway stop in its directions. Apple Maps doesn’t offer transit directions, but it will suggest transit apps you can install.

Use your computer Say you’re comparing restaurants on your home computer, and you don’t want to duplicate efforts when you leave the house.

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If you use Apple Maps, you can research places and directions on the Mac’s Maps app and hit a share button to send the destination to your iPhone or iPad. From the mobile device, you simply tap on that location to get voice-guided directions.

Google offers something similar, though it’s not as precise in practice. If I look up a destination on Google Maps on a Mac or Windows computer, the place is usually already there when I check my phone, as long as I’ve signed in to my Google account.

It’s more automated than Apple’s approach, but sometimes the destination I need isn’t there. Other times, the app is cluttered with places I’ve searched for before but wasn’t necessarily intending to go to.

Either way, it beats retyping everything on a phone’s small keyboard.

Here for Windows allows you to download maps for an entire state or country ahead of time, so you can get directions when you don’t have an Internet connection or don’t want to pay for data roaming abroad.

The app is inconsistent in finding the right destination, but once it’s found, you can get voice navigation as long as your phone can locate a GPS signal. Unfortunately, it’s not available on Apple or Android devices. You need the less-common Windows phone.

Google has an offline option, too. You need to look up the location ahead of time and save that portion of the map by pulling up the info box at the bottom of the screen. (Though you don’t get directions — just the map.)

Several third-party apps promise offline mapping, but you should expect to spend up to $10 on a premium version for anything useful.

CoPilot’s free version is the most functional of the three I tried. You need to pay for voice guidance, but a passenger can follow upcoming turns on the screen for free.

With Maps.me, you need to pay just to enter a destination. And even if you pay for Galileo, you still don’t get turn-by-turn directions from that app.

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A calming influence After viewing the above website you might want to take a few minutes out of your day to relax and perhaps medicate.

Calm.com offers soothing music and video of nature scenes. Every time you open the site, the picture is different.

Users can just watch and listen, or learn to meditate in two- to 20-minute sessions. Calm also offers an app to turn your iPhone or iPad into an island of tranquility anywhere. www.calm.com

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Health Fitness &

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REVERSE SHOULDER PAIN A recently developed surgery rebuilds your shoulder joint in reverse REVIVE WINTER SKIN Try moisturizers with jojoba or coconut oil to help eliminate dry skin BACK IN SHAPE Strengthen your core, sleep more and improve posture to help back pain BONE UP ON VITAMINS Vitamins C, B12, D and K, along with magnesium, help keep bones strong

Cancer patients try drugs out on mice first

By Marilynn Marchione Scientists often test drugs in mice. Now some cancer patients are doing the same — with the hope of curing their own disease.

They are paying a private lab to breed mice that carry bits of their own tumors so treatments can be tried first on the customized rodents. The idea is to see which drugs might work best on a particular person’s specific cancer.

The mice may help patients make what can be very hard choices under difficult circumstances. Studies can suggest a certain chemotherapy may help, but patients wonder whether it will work for them.

Often there’s more than one choice, and if the first one fails, a patient may be too sick to try another. So hundreds of people have made “mouse avatars” over the last few years to test chemotherapies.

“What I’m doing is personalized cancer treatment. It’s the wave of the future,” said Eileen Youtie, a Miami woman using mice to guide care for her hard-to-treat form of breast cancer. “Part of this is trying to eliminate chemos that are not going to work on me. I don’t want to waste time taking them and poison my body.”

Still experimental — and expensive But there are no guarantees the mice will help.

“There’s not a lot of science” to say how well this works, and it should be considered highly experimental, said Dr. Len

Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

There are some early encouraging reports, he said. One study of 70 patients found the mice generally reflected how well patients responded to various drugs.

Dr. Andrew Gaya of Leaders in Oncology Care, a private clinic in London, helped lead a 70-patient study of avatar mice, and gave results at a cancer conference last September. It looked back at how well mice performed in patients whose outcomes from treatment were already known.

About 70 percent of the time, tests in the mice suggested something that turned out to have helped the patients, he said. And if something had not worked in the mice, it almost never worked in a patient.

But there is no evidence that using mice is any better than care based on medical guidelines or the gene tests that many patients get now to help pick drugs.

Mouse testing costs $10,000 or more, and insurers don’t cover it. It takes several months, so patients usually have to start therapy before mouse results are in.

“I do see promise, but it’s very time-consuming, it’s very expensive. For the average patient, standard care is going to be the way to go,” said Alana Welm, a cancer researcher at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

She gave a talk on mouse avatars in December at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. It was the third major cancer meeting in the last year to feature work on customized cancer mice.

A Baltimore mouse house Several labs breed these mice, but the main supplier to patients has been Champions Oncology, a company based in Hackensack, New Jersey, that also operates in London, Tel Aviv and Singapore. About 7,000 mice are kept in a Baltimore lab with six rooms that resemble stock rooms of a shoe store, with tall shelves that hold row upon row of plastic cages labeled with each cancer patient’s name.

Most mice are white-furred females with beady red eyes, but others are hairless. Some live alone while others climb over one another and sleep in small piles.

All have easy access to food and water, and many bear signs of the tumor graft — a shaved portion of hair, an incision scar and a lump growing off one side.

Patients have a tumor sample sent to Champions, which charges $1,500 to bank it, plus $2,500 for each drug tested in groups of mice implanted with bits of the tumor.

The tumor grafts are under the mouse skin — not in places where the cancer normally occurs, such as the pancreas or lungs, and therefore don’t reflect the human tumor’s environment.

Most patients try three to five drugs and spend $10,000 to $12,000, said Champions’ chief medical officer, Dr. Angela Davies.

Youtie spent $30,000 “because I want them to test all the possible drugs,” even some for other types of cancer.

Reuven Moser, a 71-year-old man from Tel Aviv, Israel, said his avatar mice confirmed that drugs prescribed for colon cancer that

had spread to his liver were a good option.

“Most of the time the oncologists want to follow a protocol, but they don’t know how it will affect the patient,” Moser said.

“It was very reassuring” to see the mice respond, he said.

Not perfect, but best for now Mice have some drawbacks, said Dr. Benjamin Neel, director of research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto and a spokesman for the American Association for Cancer Research.

The mice have highly impaired immune systems so they can tolerate the human tumors. That means they don’t reflect how a person’s immune system would respond to a treatment and cannot be used to test immunotherapies.

“Even if it turns out these have real value,” they’re likely to be eclipsed by newer advances, such as ways to grow tumor cells in a lab dish that take only a few weeks, he said.

But for now, mice seem the best bet, along with gene testing and her doctors’ advice, said Youtie, the Miami woman with breast cancer.

Her mouse testing suggested that either of two drugs would be effective, so she chose the one thought to have fewer side effects on the heart. She recently finished chemotherapy, is about to finish radiation treatment, and said she does not feel guilty about using the mice.

“Animal abuse? I don’t look at it that way,” she said. “It’s not testing cosmetics.

It’s trying to save my life.”

— AP

8

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MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Option ‘reverses’ typical joint surgery

By Dr. John W. Sperling Dear Mayo Clinic: I have severe arthritis in my shoulder. I recently found out my rotator cuff is also torn. I can’t lift my arm much anymore without a lot of pain.

My doctor recommends reverse shoulder arthroplasty. What does this surgery involve? How successful is it for someone in my situation?

Answer: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty is surgery used to replace a damaged shoulder joint. The procedure differs from standard shoulder replacement surgery because it switches the shoulder’s normal ball-and-socket structure around to allow for more stability in the joint after surgery.

Reverse shoulder arthroplasty is partic-

ularly useful for people like you who have a damaged rotator cuff along with shoulder arthritis. In such cases, this surgery often can effectively reduce pain and increase shoulder mobility.

Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround your shoulder joint. They hold the joint in place and help you raise your arm. When tendons in the rotator cuff tear, it often leads to pain and weakness in the shoulder joint.

In some cases, torn rotator cuff tendons can be surgically repaired. But when they are severely damaged, especially if arthritis also affects the joint, reverse shoulder arthroplasty may be a better treatment choice.

In your natural shoulder joint, the top of

your arm bone fits into a socket on your shoulder blade. During reverse shoulder arthroplasty, that ball-and-socket mechanism is reversed.

A surgeon attaches an artificial ball to the shoulder blade. An artificial socket is attached to the top of the arm bone. The new socket is fitted against the new ball to allow smooth movement.

The tissue is sewn together around the joint, and the incision is closed. After surgery, the large deltoid muscle that covers your shoulder typically is able to move the arm.

The surgery usually takes one to two hours and requires an overnight hospital stay. As with all surgeries, reverse shoulder arthroplasty carries some risks, including bleeding and infection.

After the surgery, you need to have your arm in a soft sling for several weeks. Physical therapy is often recommended after reverse shoulder arthroplasty, but most people can complete that therapy at home.

The stitches placed during surgery dissolve on their own, so a follow-up procedure to remove them is not necessary. Full recovery can take up to several months.

The results from reverse shoulder arthroplasty usually are quite good. In approximately 90 percent of cases, people who have this surgery experience significant pain relief, and their ability to move

their arm increases substantially.

New technique; experience counts Compared to other forms of joint replacement surgery, such as hip and knee replacement, reverse shoulder arthroplasty is relatively new.

It was introduced in the United States in 2004, although it was available in Europe for about a decade prior to that. Currently in the U.S., only a handful of specialty healthcare facilities, including Mayo Clinic, do a high volume of these surgeries each year.

With that in mind, if you decide to pursue reverse shoulder arthroplasty, it is a good idea to find an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in shoulder replacement and who is familiar with performing this specific type of shoulder surgery.

In the hands of an experienced surgeon, reverse shoulder arthroplasty can be a very effective treatment option for people in your situation who are dealing with both a rotator cuff injury and shoulder arthritis.

— John W. Sperling, M.D., Orthopedics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

E-mail questions to MayoClinicQ&A@ mayo.edu. For more info, visit www.mayo clinic.org. © 2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All Rights Reserved Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

9

Which moisturizers are effective in winter?

Dr. Howard LeWine Q: My skin is very dry and itchy, especially in winter. There are so many moisturizers to choose from. How do I pick one?

A: Regularly applying a good moisturizer is an important part of skin care. Moisturizers can soothe dry skin and help relieve itching. Also, wrinkles will be less noticeable, even though the effect is only temporary.

Indeed, there are lots of products available. Most moisturizers contain water, glycerin, petrolatum, stearic acid, and propylene glycol and/or lanolin. Finding one that’s right for you may mean trying a few different products.

Simple petroleum jelly is one of the most effective moisturizers, especially when used right after bathing to seal in moisture. It’s also one of the least expensive. However, many people dislike using petroleum jelly on their faces because it looks and feels greasy.

Instead, creams and lotions that contain some water are a better choice for a facial moisturizer. Many of them are humectants. These are oil-free moisturizers that bind water to skin, so the smoothing, softening effects may last longer.

Some moisturizers contain botanical ingredients, such as jojoba oil, coconut oil, safflower oil or linoleic acid. These ingredients tend to help maintain the skin’s outer

layer of keratin and keep skin supple.

Manufacturers often add cetyl alcohol, palmitic acid and/or dimethicone to moisturizers. These ingredients lend a creamy, velvety, or translucent look and feel to the product.

If you’re frequently outdoors, look for a moisturizer that also provides protection from sunlight. Choose one with at least an SPF of 30 that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

Think twice if you’re considering a skin toner. Many of these contain drying, irritating ingredients like alcohol or acetone.

Some also contain highly acidic citrus, camphor or menthol.

Q. Over the past couple of years, I’ve had to get up at night more to urinate. Now it’s happening two to three times every night. What could cause this?

A. When a person needs to get out of bed to urinate two times or more at night, doctors call it nocturia. There are some medical reasons for nocturia that you and your doctor should consider. The more common ones are: 1. An enlarged prostate in a man. An enlarged prostate can push on the bladder or urethra causing a more frequent urge to urinate.

2. Diabetes mellitus. Some of the excess

sugar in the bloodstream “spills over” into the urine. Your body makes extra urine to remove it.

3. A bladder problem. Inflammation from a urinary tract infection or interstitial cystitis can cause you to urinate more often.

4. A medicine. Water pills (diuretics) are the most common medicines that cause nocturia.

Less common causes include: 1. Water retention in the legs (edema).

Fluid that builds up in the legs during the

daytime may move to the kidneys at night.

2. A high blood calcium level. Much like sugar, excess calcium prompts your body to make more urine to get rid of the calcium.

3. A kidney problem. Some kidney conditions cause excessive amounts of water loss through the urine.

4. Too little antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Without this hormone, the body can’t hold on to water. The condition is See MOISTURIZERS, page 10

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MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Antidepressants provide relief gradually

By Dr. Michael Reese Dear Mayo Clinic: How soon after starting on antidepressants should I begin to feel better? What type of changes will I notice?

It’s been three weeks and I don’t feel like my depression has lessened. If anything, it seems to be getting worse.

Do I need to try another medication?

Answer: Many people who start taking an antidepressant begin to see some improvement in their symptoms within several

weeks. But for others, it may take longer.

The changes are not immediate or sudden, so you may not notice them much at first. Because of that, it’s important to give the medicine time to work. Anytime you feel symptoms of depression getting worse, however, contact your healthcare provider.

As with all medications, you need to take an antidepressant at an adequate dose for an adequate length of time to see the most benefit. Typically, four to six weeks is a reasonable amount of time to use an antide-

pressant and decide if it is effective for you.

In most cases, the improvement you get from an antidepressant is gradual, and the benefits may be subtle. For example, if tearfulness is a common symptom for you, it might become less frequent. But it’s unlikely to disappear right away.

If anxiety is a persistent problem, it may slowly diminish and your interest in returning to hobbies and other activities may gradually increase.

Sometimes family members and friends may notice that you’re doing better before you feel significantly better. With that in mind, try not to rely only on your own perspective. Consider asking the people around you what their impressions are, too.

If you don’t see any improvement within four to six weeks, then it may be time for another approach. Your healthcare provider may recommend that you continue taking the same medication, but increase the dose.

It’s possible that taking another type of medication along with an antidepressant may be helpful. This is called augmentation. The purpose is to use an additional medicine, such as lithium, to boost the effects of the antidepressant.

In addition to medication, adding another type of therapy to your treatment plan may be useful, as well. For example, psychotherapy, also known as counseling or

Moisturizers

Also consider your use of alcohol and caffeine, especially in the evening. Both of these drinks increase urine output by the kidneys.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is a practicing internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and chief medical editor of internet publishing at Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School.

For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2015 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

From page 9 called diabetes insipidus.

Other than edema, the other medical problems almost always cause frequent urination during the day, as well as at night.

There may be simpler explanations for nocturia. You could be drinking too much water and other fluids late in the day. Drink enough to quench your thirst and maintain good hydration, but drink as little as possible within four to five hours of bedtime.

See ANTIDEPRESSANTS, page 11

Dr. Goldman is currently investigating and treating patients with Lower Extremity symptoms attributed to FIBROMYALGIA. Many may have relief, without medication or therapy, within 1-2 weeks.

Most people with foot or leg symptoms (arthritic, aching, burning, or cramping) , even those who have had other treatments including surgery of the foot (or back) can be helped, usually in 1 or 2 visits.

Many people with Difficulty Standing or Walking attributed to Arthritis, Spinal Stenosis, Neuropathy, Poor Circulation or Poor Balance can be helped quickly without medication. If I cannot help you, I will refer you to another specialist.

H ELP F ORYOUR F EET.C OM

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

Antidepressants From page 10 talk therapy, often can be effective treatment for depression.

Several kinds of psychotherapy are available. Your healthcare provider can help you decide which one may be right for you.

Switching to a different antidepressant is an option, too. Usually a medication from a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, is the first line

Letters to editor From page 2 graduation, for instance. Areas lacking “social capital” suffer from higher drop-out rates, illness, out of wedlock pregnancies, divorce, drug use and crime.

So congratulations Pam Schneider and Randy Jacobs, friends from childhood! But not all of us are so lucky.

The plague of loneliness in America is real and growing. Another study is also described in The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-first Century by Jacqueline Olds.

At times, I’ve been crushingly lonely and always blamed myself — but no longer. Our society encourages individualism and isolation. Where are the clubs and community organizations of years past?!

After retiring from the railroad, I’d hoped to work with civic organizations and

11

of treatment for depression. These include medications such as fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft).

Other types of antidepressants are available, though, if SSRIs are not effective for you. Among them are drugs known as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs, and norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors, or NDRIs. Studies have shown most antidepressants to be comparable across classes. That means there’s no need for you to be on one

certain type of antidepressant. You can work with your healthcare provider to find the one that best fits your needs and circumstances.

Communication with your healthcare provider is key to developing an effective plan for treating depression. It’s important that you feel comfortable talking with him or her about your symptoms and how you’re doing. If you don’t feel you have good rapport with your provider, or if communication is challenging, you may want

to consider seeking a second opinion.

Also, keep in mind that if your symptoms get worse at any point, it’s critical for you to contact your provider to reassess your situation. The two of you can then decide if you need to make changes to your treatment plan right away.

— Michael Reese, M.D., Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. © 2014 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

volunteer for worthwhile causes. What a futile desire that turned out to be.

Most of the clubs are defunct. The Women’s Civic League’s clubhouse at 9 N. Front Street is always shuttered — it was where I served as recording secretary for several years.

As for volunteering, it’s an insult! I’ve helped out so many times only to come away feeling I was nothing more than “unpaid help.” Volunteers today are never considered “part of the team.” We’re just dogs’ bodies to work when needed and then discarded.

I’ve mentioned this at church, and in light of falling church attendance, more effort should be made to encourage comradeship. In years past, ostracism and exile were painful sentences. Yet we inflict these punishments on ourselves.

Furthermore, since civic groups, church attendance, trade association and club mem-

bership foster a healthy democracy, it is in the interests of the elite that these organizations not be discouraged. Lonely people spend money, don’t forget.

Recent highly reported events have forced me to examine my life and our culture. The more I do this, the more I see we are a socie-

ty deprived of friendship and belonging.

This can and does lead to tragedy. It’s time Americans recognize the individualistic lifestyle we embrace is hazardous to our health!

Rosalind Ellis Heid Baltimore

Gentle Foot Care in Your Home Diabetic foot exams Corns/calluses Wound/infection care Toenail fungus Dr. Richard Rosenblatt DPM

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There is no charge for this event but seating is limited. Reservations are necessary by Tuesday, February 24 by contacting Jeri Farmer at 410-983-3496.

There is no charge for this event but seating is limited. Reservations are necessary by Monday, March 9 by contacting Jeri Farmer at 410-983-3496.

Open Houses - Stop In! Saturday Open House February 21 • 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Walk-in Wednesday March 4 • 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

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MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Physical fitness essential for healthy back With changes in the spine that come with aging, occasional backaches may grow more frequent and blossom into a chronic and disabling pain condition.

But this doesn’t have to happen to you.

To maintain the best back health possible, you have to address both the body and the

mind, said Dr. Zacharia Isaac, a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass.

“Cardiovascular and strength training are good basic prevention to keep your back healthy,” Isaac said. “Because of the

brain’s involvement with back pain, maintaining a good sleep cycle and good emotional state are also very important.”

Tips 1. Don’t baby your back.

It’s important to respond to back pain constructively.

“Acute back pain flare-ups are so painful that most people start to baby their backs,” Isaac said. “If people tend to shrink too much from their daily activity level, they get de-conditioned.” In turn, de-conditioning can lead to worse pain and disability.

“Neurological changes happen that sensitize you to the pain,” Dr. Isaac said. “That feeds into a cycle of more avoidance of activity and more de-conditioning.”

When you have a sore back, avoid extended bed rest. Slowly transition back to your usual activities.

“It’s important to maintain normalcy,” Isaac said. “Get up and walk around the house. Try to do light tasks. Maintain moderate activity.”

2. Strengthen your core.

Strengthen the muscles that support the lower spine as an insurance policy.

“Moderate exercise is very helpful,” Isaac said. “Many people who are moderate exercisers have fewer musculoskeletal problems.”

Ask your doctor to suggest daily back exercises appropriate to your condition, or ask for a referral to a physical therapist to teach you the most effective exercises to prevent back pain.

3. Stay limber.

If the muscles that support the lower spine become tight, it can make pain worse.

Trouble generally develops in the muscles and ligaments of the pelvic girdle, which See HEALTHY BACK, page 15

BEACON BITS

Feb. 24

GET IN CONTROL

If you suffer from bladder or bowel incontinence, you’re not alone. Johns Hopkins gynecologist Victoria Handa and colorectal surgeon Susan Gearhart will hold an online seminar to discuss treatment options, including nonsurgical therapies and surgical procedures, and what to expect afterward. The seminar will be held Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 7 to 8 p.m.

To register, call (877) 546-1009.

Ongoing

IT’S TAX TIME

Get your taxes prepared for free every Thursday from now through April 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arbutus Senior Center. Call the office or stop by the front desk to make an appointment with an AARP tax preparer and find out what you need to bring. Appointments fill up quickly. The senior center is located at 855 A Sulphur Spring Rd. For more information, contact (410) 887-1410 or arbutussc@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Ongoing

HELP AVAILABLE FOR SENIORS AND DISABLED

Maryland Access Point (MAP) offers expertly trained staff utilizing a comprehensive and up-to-database to provide information about services and resources for seniors and persons with disabilities in Baltimore County and beyond. Call the information hotline at (410) 887-2594.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

13

Your bones need more than just calcium

By Kara Lydon, R.D When you think about bone nutrition, you probably think of calcium first. And rightly so: A solid body of research suggests that you should meet your daily calcium needs (1,000 - 1,200 milligrams) for optimal bone health.

With 54 million Americans suffering from osteoporosis, it’s important to do all you can to feed your bones to prevent this debilitating condition.

Get these nutrients, too The promising news is that a host of other nutrients are emerging as potential nutrients for optimal bone health, as well.

These include: 1. Magnesium. Fifty to 60 percent of magnesium in the body is located in the bone, so it makes sense that magnesium

influences bone formation. Recent research suggests that magnesium deficiency could be a risk factor for osteoporosis.

A 2014 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that lower magnesium intake is associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD), while a 2010 issue of Biological Trace Element Research found that magnesium supplementation at 90 percent of the RDA suppressed bone loss in postmenopausal women.

The National Institutes of Health concurs that diets that provide the recommended amount of magnesium can enhance bone health, but cautions that further research is needed to fully understand the role it plays in osteoporosis prevention.

2. Vitamin C. Widely recognized for its role in maintaining a healthy immune system, vitamin C also is a major player in bone

BEACON BITS

Mar. 12

PREVENT BONE LOSS AND OSTEOPOROSIS

development. The current literature on the relationship between vitamin C, bone metabolism and osteoporosis in humans is outdated and inconsistent, but recent animal studies show promising findings.

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine reported that vitamin C had a positive effect on preventing bone loss in mice, which could translate to humans.

3. Vitamin B12. This vitamin is best known for its neurological functions, but it also may affect bone formation. A 2013 review in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism found an association between low B12 levels and low BMD. Similarly, Turkish researchers found a significant association between B12 levels, BMD and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

4. Vitamin D plays an essential role in calcium absorption. Insufficient levels can lead to rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. A 2012 meta-analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine found that supplementation of at least 800 International Units (IU) of vitamin D reduced the risk of hip and non-vertebral fractures.

5. Vitamin K also has gained attention recently for its role in bone health. A 2014 review in the Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics confirmed a link between vitamin K intake and reduced risk of fractures.

Sources in food 1. Magnesium 310, 420 mg. Sources: avSee BONES, page 15

Caring places. Healing spaces.

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Health Studies Page

MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Studying supplements to improve memory

By Barbara Ruben Can supplements made from red grape skin and tomato extract help enhance memory? That’s the question Dr. Majid Fotuhi, founder and chief medical officer of NeurExpand, a medical practice that works to help improve cognitive function in older adults, is trying to answer.

He is studying if and how the supplements resveratrol (derived from grapes) and Fruitflow (from tomatoes) can help people with mild memory loss. The supplements may help improve blood flow to

the brain, which in turn might improve brain function, according to Fotuhi.

Previous studies (not by Fotuhi) have found that patients taking NSAID pain relievers like ibuprofen and aspirin, combined with vitamins E and C , did better on cognitive tests. DHA, a fatty acid found in fish and algae, has also been shown to help.

Now Fotuhi is looking at other supplements that might support brain health.

“People are always asking me what they can take. I don’t want to recommend any-

thing without clinical studies showing a benefit,” Fotuhi said.

Volunteers sought The NeurExpand study is now recruiting people ages 50 to 80 with concerns about their memory.

“We are looking for people who forget names, forget where their keys are, but are otherwise functioning OK,” he said.

The three-month-long study takes place at the NeurExpand office in Lutherville, and requires three visits.

During the study, participants will be randomly divided into four groups. One group will take 150 mg. each day of resVida, a resveratrol supplement. The second group will take 150 mg. each day of Fruitflow-II The third group will take both supplements, and the fourth group will take a placebo, or a pill with no active ingredients. Neither the researchers nor the patients will know who is in which group.

Fotuhi wants to see if taking both supplements might have a synergistic effect, similar to the study of NSAIDs and vitamins C and E, in which those taking a combination had much better results.

What the study entails During the first study visit, participants will take several tests to assess their memory and cognitive skills, as well as cardiovascular fitness testing, including a stress test on a stationary bike.

The next day, participants will have a blood test and have an ultrasound taken of their carotid artery in their neck to assess blood flow to the brain. These tests will be

Do You Experience Memory Problems?

Enroll now in a clinical study at the NeurExpand Brain Center.

A clinical study is underway to evaluate the effects of two dietary supplements, Fruitflow® (tomato extract) and Resveratrol (grape extract) on memory, blood flow, and fitness. Dr. Majid Fotuhi, Medical Director of the NeurExpand Brain Center is the Principal Investigator.

You may qualify to participate if you: t BSF CFUXFFO BOE ZFBST PME t IBWF NJME NFNPSZ DPNQMBJOUT t BSF JO HPPE IFBMUI BOE IBWF B primary care physician Call today to see if you are eliglible.

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done both before participants take the assigned supplements and three hours after.

After three months, participants will return to repeat many of the same tests.

To qualify for the study, participants must be in good overall health, have a primary care physician and be sedentary or moderately active.

They must also discontinue certain dietary supplements for a month before the study starts. These include the supplements in the study, fish oil, seed oils, ginkgo biloba, ginseng and DHA. Those in the study may not drink more than two glasses of wine per day.

Those with major neurological and psychiatric diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, cannot take part in the study. Those in the study also cannot have uncontrolled high blood pressure, low platelets, liver failure, renal failure or bleeding disorders.

Taking supplements to support memory is just a small part of what Fotuhi recommends to maintain brain health. The most important factor is exercise, he said.

He also recommends a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in processed foods and trans fats (“No donuts, no French fries” he admonishes). Adequate sleep and learning new things are also important.

“Of course, all this is easier said than done,” he concedes. “Supplements are just an added factor that will make you even better.”

As for the supplements in the current study, “If the trial shows positive results, I am going to start taking them,” Fotuhi said.

For more information, call (410) 494-0193 or see www.neurexpand.com.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 10

FREE HEARING SCREENING

Catonsville Senior Center will offer a free hearing screening on Tuesday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to noon. Make an appointment at the front desk. Catonsville Senior Center is located at 501 N. Rolling Rd. For more information, contact (410) 887-0900 or gemcdowell@baltimorecountymd.gov.

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

Healthy back From page 12 allow you to bend and twist at the waist.

“When the hip girdle is unbalanced, you have more flare-ups of back pain,” Isaac said.

Learn some stretches to keep your pelvic girdle limber. Some of the same exercises often recommended for routine back pain will help, but a physical therapist can carefully assess your specific musculoskeletal issues and prescribe stretches to release the tension.

Bones From page 13 ocado, almonds, spinach, black beans, edamame, peanut butter, whole-wheat bread, kidney beans 2. Vitamin B12, 2.4 mcg. Sources: clams, salmon, haddock, canned tuna, fortified breakfast cereals, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, egg 3. Vitamin C 75, 90 mg. Sources: oranges, strawberries, red or green bell pep-

4. Straighten up.

Poor posture can put stress on the back and trigger back pain. Don’t slouch when you sit. If you are slouching or leaning because of ongoing pain, loosening the hip girdle with stretching exercises may help.

“That allows you to stand more upright and put less mechanical strain on the low back,” Isaac said.

5. Get some sleep.

Getting restful sleep is essential for anyone with back problems because sleep deprivation sensitizes you to pain.

GET THE HELP YOU NEED

The Baltimore County Self-Help Guide, a resource for women, families and service providers, is available online. It lists services in areas including health, education, employment, as well as crisis hotline phone numbers. The guide can be found at www.baltimorecountyonline.info/agencies/women/resources.

Call (410) 887-3448 for more information.

Apr. 26

POPULAR JEWISH MUSIC GROUP

The Maccabeats, a popular a cappella group, will perform at Beth Shalom Congregation, 8070 Harriet Tubman Ln., Columbia on Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $20 in advance and are $25 at the door. For tickets and more information, see www.beth-shalom.net or call (410) 531-5115.

Apr. 19

“When you have poor sleep, it also alters brain chemistry and you’re more prone to developing a chronic pain state,” Isaac said.

6. Stay positive and relax.

People who are depressed and anxious tend to have worse back problems. And of course back pain itself can get you down.

Like sleep deprivation, blue moods and anxiety can make you more sensitive to pain.

Relaxing deep-breathing exercises can help relieve the stress of a back pain flare-

15

up. If you are getting depressed, anxious or hopeless about your condition, ask for more help from your doctor.

Think of the flare-up as a temporary setback, and focus on what you will be able to do in the future to make back pain a less frequent companion in your life.

— Harvard Men’s Health Watch © 2015. President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

pers, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, mango 4. Vitamin D 600, 800 IU. Sources: cod liver oil, Sockeye salmon, fortified milk, swordfish, canned tuna, fortified orange juice, egg 5. Vitamin K 90, 120 mcg. Sources: collard greens, spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green leaf lettuce, kale, Swiss chard — Belvoir Media Group, LLC, www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2014 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

KIDNEY WALK

Participate in the 13th annual Greater Baltimore Kidney Walk on Sunday, Apr. 19, at Camden Yards. This popular community fundraiser calls attention to the need for organ donation and prevention of kidney disease. Registration begins at 9 a.m. in Parking Lot B. After Zumba warm-up exercises, the 2-mile walk will begin at 10 a.m., followed by refreshments and entertainment. Adults also can take NKF-MD’s free Kidney Health Risk Assessment (KHRA) to see if they are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Walk participation is free, but there is a $100 fundraising minimum to earn a t-shirt.

Walkers may walk alone or form teams, and sponsorships are available. For more information or to register, visit www.kidneywalk.org or call (410) 494-8545.

Want to Prevent Falls in the Elderly?

Seeking Men and Women to participate in a research study at the University of Maryland & Veterans Affairs of Baltimore to better understand balance and the prevention of falls in aging individuals.

You will receive:

• Health evaluation • Balance, step, strength, and/or flexibility exercises • Compensation for your time If interested call: 410-605-7179 & Mention code: LIFT at Baltimore VA/University of Maryland Gerontology Recruitment Line *You must be at least 65 years old and in good health *Participants will be seen at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine *You will attend approximately 41 visits for 1 to 4 hours each per visit

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MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Supplements can help you quit smoking I overheard a family talking at the table Second-hand smoke is the combination next to mine. The son, who looked 35 of smoke from the burning end of a cigayears old, snapped, “Cut me rette as well as the smoke some slack, I only smoke breathed out by a smoker. It’s three cigarettes a day!” no less dangerous for you I debated whether or not I than smoking, because it conshould intrude upon their tains over 7,000 chemicals, conversation, and eventually hundreds of which are toxic. decided not to. Everything I Not easy to quit want to tell him, I shall now Smokers have a difficult tell you. time quitting. There’s a billionEven if you smoke fewer dollar market for nicotine than five cigarettes a day, you DEAR patches, lozenges, gums and damage your heart. There’s a PHARMACIST prescription drugs like Chantix. two- to four-fold increase in By Suzy Cohen These are certainly good opheart disease and stroke from smoking. It causes more than 480,000 tions, but they don’t work for everyone.

So today, I’m sharing some ideas that indeaths each year in the United States.

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clude dietary supplement options you can find at a health food store. I still insist you get your medical practitioner’s approval before using these, because I can’t possibly know what’s right for each of you.

These are just considerations, and they do have side effects of their own: SAMe (S adenosylmethionine). Your body makes this natural amino acid, but you can also buy SAMe as a dietary supplement in the United States. With your physician’s approval, the starting dosage of 200 mg. is taken twice daily on an empty stomach (one hour before a meal). Slowly increase it by 200 mg. every few days until you get up to 400 to 600 mg. taken one hour before meals two or three times daily. If it makes you irritable, you’re taking too much.

After you’ve been on SAMe for a while, and you’ve achieved a dose of at least 400 mg. twice daily, you can try adding another natural amino acid, Tyrosine, about 200 to 500 mg. twice a day, one hour before eating. The net effect should make you feel good, and stop the crave for nicotine.

5HTP (5 Hydroxytryptophan). This is another natural amino acid that creates more serotonin, just like the prescription

drugs sertraline and fluoexetine.

If you’re on an antidepressant, then a low dosage of 25 to 50 mg. should be okay. If you do not take antidepressant medications, then a higher dose, like 100 to 300 mg. once or twice a day, might be acceptable. Before beginning, read about potential adverse reactions, such as “serotonin syndrome.”

Lecithin. This naturally occurring compound is a good source of choline, which helps stabilize cell membranes. It’s often (but not always) derived from soy. The dosage is 500 to 1000 mg. twice daily.

So now you have several options, and effective combinations vary from person to person. Some of you might benefit from tyrosine alone, or just SAMe, or perhaps lecithin.

Whatever combination you try, include a little vitamin C, since smoking depletes that antioxidant.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

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Money Law &

17

SHORE UP FINANCES Work longer, save more and take benefits later to avert a retirement crisis POISED FOR GROWTH From Apple to Macy’s to Sirius XM, here are some stocks to consider for growth or speculation LEARN FROM THE WINNERS A veteran investment analyst shares her personal portfolio strategies

Older taxpayers receive some tax breaks

By Carole Feldman You’ve downsized to an apartment, the kids are long gone, and you’re no longer eligible for some of the deductions and exemptions that had helped you lower your tax bill.

But for those 65 years or older, there are other tax breaks that might benefit you come tax time.

threshold? Social Security benefits aren’t taxable. If the combined income is above these income ranges, up to 85 percent is subject to income taxes.

While some states also tax Social Security benefits, you won’t have to pay state tax on them in Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia.

Social Security taxes

Higher standard deduction

For one, not all your Social Security benefits are subject to federal taxes. How much depends on your other income and filing status. “No one pays federal income tax on more than 85 percent of his or her Social Security benefits,” the Social Security Administration says on its website.

To determine what percent of your benefits might be taxable, add half your benefits to your other income, including nontaxable interest. If your combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000 and your filing status is single, up to 50 percent of your benefits might be taxable, according to the IRS. For married couples filing jointly, the 50 percent taxable figure applies if your combined income is between $32,000 and $44,000.

Combined income lower than the

People 65 and over also should consider whether it’s more beneficial for them to claim the standard deduction or to itemize.

The standard deduction is higher — $7,750 if your filing status is single, $14,800 if you’re married filing jointly and you and your spouse are both at least 65.

That compares to $6,200 for single filers under 65 and $12,400 for married taxpayers under 65 who are filing jointly.

“Seniors very often have already paid up their mortgage and they very often don’t itemize anymore,” said Jackie Perlman, principal tax research analyst at the Tax Institute at H&R Block.

But it’s important to do the math — or let your tax preparer or tax software do it for you — to see whether it still makes

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sense to itemize even with the higher standard deduction.

Even if you don’t have mortgage interest to deduct, you can still deduct any property taxes you paid. State income taxes also are deductible, or alternatively, you can choose to deduct state sales taxes, an attractive option if you live in a state that doesn’t have an income tax.

Medical expenses For those 65 and older, medical expenses are deductible to the extent they exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income. That threshold applies even if only one spouse has reached 65 and you file jointly. For those under 65, medical expenses are deductible only if they exceed 10 percent of adjusted gross income.

Medical expenses include the portion of doctor, dentist and hospital bills, and the cost of prescription drugs not covered by insurance, as well as premiums for Medicare or other insurance coverage.

Prescription eyeglasses are also included, as are the cost of false teeth, hearing aids, wheelchairs and the cost of transportation to medical appointments.

Of course, charitable donations are deductible by everyone who itemizes. However, taxpayers who are at least 70 1/2 had another option for charitable donations that was extended in December only through the end of 2014.

At that age, you’re required to take a minimum distribution from your individual retirement accounts. If you rolled that distribution over directly to a charity by Dec. 31, 2014 — instead of taking the money and then donating it — the distribution is not counted as income and therefore is not taxable.

“The difference is you’re lowering not only your taxable income but also your adjusted gross income,” Perlman said. And that can affect such things as whether Social Security benefits are taxable and whether you can deduct your medical expenses.

But there’s no double-dipping. If you itemize, you can’t also deduct a charitable donation that was made through a direct rollover from an IRA. There is also a small tax credit for lowincome seniors, which Perlman says is not widely used. “It might be helpful for someSee TAX BREAKS, page 18

18

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MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

How to avoid your own retirement crisis Many of today’s workers will have a hard time retiring at the traditional age while maintaining their standard of living.

A new book on the subject, Falling Short: The Coming Retirement Crisis (Oxford University Press), offers useful insight into the problem. Authors Charles Ellis, Alicia Munnell and Andrew Eschtruth, experts in retirement planning, offer advice both on “what we can do as individuals” and “what we can do as a nation.” Here are some of their ideas.

Here are some of their ideas for individual initiative.

• Work longer. Not everyone has this option, but those who do reap significant advantages. Working longer not only produces current income; it also results in a large increase in Social Security benefits, allows you to contribute more to your retirement plan for higher investment income, and shortens the length of retirement, reducing the lump sum required to maintain your standard of living.

• Save more. This is easier said than lowest fees. Use index funds and target funds done. In a 2014 survey, 36 percent of re- to achieve superior results with low fees. spondents had not saved any• Keep the money in the thing for retirement, and 56 perplan until you retire. Too cent had not even tried to figure many who invest in retireout how much they might need. ment plans withdraw funds Making saving “easy and auprior to retirement, particutomatic” is the way to go in order larly when they change jobs. to save more. I was able to retire Avoid this; you’ll pay a 10 perin my 50s because I instituted aucent penalty and lose the taxtomatic investments from my deferral advantage. When salary as soon as I started workchanging jobs, you always ing, prioritizing my retirement have options to roll over reobjectives over other expense al- THE SAVINGS tirement funds.

GAME ternatives.

• Consider an advanced By Elliot Raphaelson • Make your 401(k) plan life deferred annuity. Annuwork for you. The earlier you ities are contracts offered by instart contributing toward retirement, and surance companies that pay monthly paythe longer you wait before withdrawing ments in exchange for a premium. They can funds, the lower the required contribution. protect you from outliving your assets — and Join your employer’s retirement plan as soon may provide you more annual income than as possible, and contribute at least enough you could obtain on your own. each year to receive the full employer match.

An advanced life deferred annuity, also • Invest wisely. Don’t stop investing in called longevity insurance, is designed to stocks because of a short-term fall in prices. ensure a steady income if you live beyond [Ed: In fact, when prices fall, it may be the best your mid-80s. The authors cite a typical case time to buy.] Rebalance your portfolio regularly. Use investment alternatives with the See AVOID CRISIS, page 19

Tax breaks From page 17 one who neither contributed to the Social Security system nor ever married.”

Free tax prep assistance The IRS offers free tax preparation help for people 60 and older, working through non-profit groups. Two organizations provide such assistance at many locations throughout the Washington area.

The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide pro-

gram is available free to taxpayers with low and moderate income, with special attention to those 60 and older. You do not need to be a member of AARP. For more information or to find a location near you, go to www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaid or call 1-888-687-2277, The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people of all ages who generally make $53,000 or less, as well as to older adults and people with disabilities. To find locations, see http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep. — AP

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BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

19

Stock and fund ideas poised for growth

By Carolyn Bigda We’ll start with eight companies that will grow no matter what happens to the economy. Then, we offer funds and fund portfolios you can invest in starting with a mere $1,000.

Stocks to consider Abbott Laboratories (symbol ABT, $44). The drug and medical-device maker has said it will sell part of its overseas generic-drug business for $5.3 billion. The deal will allow Abbott to focus on emerging markets, where sales in the third quarter of 2014 helped boost overall profits by 13 percent.

Avoid crisis From page 18 of a person at age 65. A one-time premium of approximately $12,000 would buy payments of $7,000/year for the rest of their life starting at age 85. This alternative may be suitable for healthy individuals who have other sources of income between 65 and 85.

• Opt for a Social Security “annuity.”

Another option for individuals who have sufficient assets at retirement age is to “buy” an additional amount of Social Security by claiming benefits later, up to age 70.

By doing so, you increase your Social

American Express (AXP, $92). In 2014, Amex launched OptBlue, which allows third-party processors to manage card transactions for small retailers. Execs believe the number of mom-and-pop stores newly accepting Amex could rise by 50 percent annually for several years.

Apple (AAPL, $115). In the quarter that ended in September, during which the latest iPhone models were released, Apple saw its strongest revenue growth rate in seven quarters. Its new mobile-payment system, Apple Pay, faces competition, but adoption by retailers is growing. And a high-tech wristwatch, Apple Watch, should

Security income by 8 percent per year deferred. This alternative is actuarially superior to a commercial annuity because insurance companies have expenses that add to the cost of the product that Social Security does not charge.

Planning for retirement is not easy. This book is concise, informative and highly readable. It is a valuable tool for anyone planning seriously for retirement (and everyone should be.)

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com. © 2015 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

start shipping in early 2015.

Gilead Sciences (GILD, $101). Gilead won approval from U.S. regulators in October to sell Harvoni, which could become a blockbuster hepatitis C drug. Gilead also has treatments for HIV. Analysts say profits could increase by 25 percent in 2015.

Macy’s (M, $63). Macy’s shoppers can now check online to see if an item is in a nearby store. If an improving economy boosts consumer spending, Macy’s will be ready. Among other things, Macy’s, which also owns the Bloomingdale’s chain, has started testing same-day delivery from stores. Analysts see earnings rising 13 percent in the January 2016 fiscal year.

Precision Castparts (PCP, $236). The firm makes complex molds and other com-

ponents used to build jet engines. For three of the past four quarters, the company has fallen short of earnings forecasts as clients used up inventory, and the stock has dropped 13 percent over the past year. But Stephen Levenson, an analyst at investment bank Stifel, said the de-stocking should end in early 2015. Meanwhile, production of the high-tech Airbus A350 XWB and Boeing 787 Dreamliner will boost profits.

Charles Schwab (SCHW, $28). Low interest rates have pressured profits at Charles Schwab. But the broker is making up for it with volume. According to a report by the William Blair firm, Schwab was on track to gather more than $100 billion in net new asSee STOCK FUND IDEAS, page 21

20

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MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Five lessons learned from stock winners

By Kathy Kristof Can a wise but moderately lethargic investor beat — or at least equal — the stock market? Kathy Kristof, a Kiplinger’s columnist and author of Investing 101, is aiming to answer that question with her practical in-

vesting project.

She is taking $200,000 of her own money and dividing it into two pieces — $10,000 going into Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF (symbol VTI), and the rest going into individual stocks that she selects.

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Here she talks about five of her winning trades.

Four of my stocks have more than doubled since I bought them: Apple (symbol AAPL, $115, 110-percent total return), Microsoft (MSFT, $48, 106 percent), Seagate Technology (STX, $66, 217 percent) and Spirit Airlines (SAVE, $84, 503 percent). A fifth, Lockheed Martin (LMT), would also have been a big winner had I not sold it too soon.

Why did I buy these stocks? With Apple and Microsoft, the lure was cash. Both companies are loaded with the green stuff and continue to add to their treasuries.

Lesson one: Cash is king.

I discovered Spirit while writing a story about the risks of buying initial public offerings (kiplinger.com/links/ipo). Wall Street hated airline stocks at the time, but Spirit was profitable and growing rapidly; three months

after we posted the article, I bought 723 shares for $13.96 apiece, a couple of bucks above the IPO price. Wall Street now loves airline stocks, and Spirit is my biggest winner.

Lesson two: Wall Street is fickle.

Keep your own counsel.

In July 2012, I reported that Seagate’s shares were selling for a “ludicrously low” 3.2 times projected earnings. To be sure, 75 percent of Seagate’s sales were tied to personal computers, a business that Wall Street has declared dead.

But as I mulled the market’s dismal prognosis, I was creating vast amounts of data, including pictures and videos that I wanted to store. So I bought a new hard drive — and about a month after the article appeared, I picked up 435 shares of Seagate for $23.11 apiece.

Lesson three: When Wall Street leaves a company for dead, stop to check its pulse.

Lockheed entered my portfolio a month after I recommended it in December 2011.

Despite a near government shutdown and constant battles over the federal budget, Lockheed shares climbed 25 percent in the 13 months after I bought them.

At that point, I sold because I thought I could do better elsewhere. Bad move. Since I bailed, the stock has soared 98 percent.

Lesson four: When you own a great company, ignore temporary setbacks.

Buy and hold.

My untimely sale of Lockheed wasn’t a total bust. I used some of the proceeds to buy an additional 105 shares of Apple at $60 apiece (the figures are adjusted for a recent seven-for-one split). I’ve made 92 percent on those shares, but I would have done better had I just held on to Lockheed.

Lesson five: When it comes to trading, less is better.

Kathy Kristof is a contributing editor to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. © 2015 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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JCS PROVIDES CAREER SERVICES

Jewish Community Services’ Career Services helps local employers with recruitment activities and finding qualified employees who meet the specific needs of their business, at no cost to employers. Career Services also provides professional outplacement services for displaced workers. 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.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

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Build a high-yield ETF portfolio. Start with three shares of junk-bond fund iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond (symbol HYG, $90, 5.2-percent yield). Add 10 shares of iShares US Preferred Stock ETF (PFF, $39, 5.6 percent. Finally, buy four shares of Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ, $81, 2.5 percent).

(Money-saving hint: If you have a brokerage account at Fidelity, you can buy the two iShares ETFs commission-free. Likewise for Vanguard brokerage clients and the Vanguard ETF.) Buy a top-notch fund. These five funds have performed better than their category average over the past 10 years, and each requires $1,000 or less to get started: Both Oakmark Fund (OAKMX) and Oakmark Select (OAKLX) invest mainly in large U.S. companies selling at bargain prices.

Homestead Small-Company Stock (HSCSX)

Be a lender. At peer-to-peer lending sites such as Lending Club and Prosper, you can invest in personal loans and receive monthly payments and interest as borrowers repay the loans.

To mitigate risk, create a portfolio of loans with a range of credit ratings. Prosper lists average investor returns of 5.5 percent to 11.4 percent, and Lending Club’s historical returns range from 4.7 percent to 9 percent.

Take a flier on a low-priced stock.

You can buy 100 shares of any of the seven stocks listed below for less than $1,000.

They all carry a fair amount of risk, but if things go right, you could make a bundle.

(For more details on each stock, visit kiplinger.com/links/low.)

Aptose Biosciences (APTO, $7.08) Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH, $3.82) Groupon (GRPN, $7.27) Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS, $5.10) ParkerVision (PRKR, $0.91) Rite Aid (RAD, $5.69) Sirius XM Holdings (SIRI, $3.49) Grab 10 shares of a blue chip. Prefer more-established companies? You could

$2

Portfolios for $1,000

Other investment options

MasterCard (MA, $89, 0.7 percent). The credit card company boosted its dividend by a stunning 45 percent in December.

Pepsico (PEP, $98, 2.7 percent).

Besides its namesake soft drinks, Pepsi owns Frito-Lay, Quaker and other great brands.

Carolyn Bigda is a contributing editor to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.

Send your questions and comments to moneypower@kiplinger.com. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com. Š 2015 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

fre e

sets for the third straight year in 2014.

Stanley Black & Decker (SWK, $94).

The power-tool maker is benefiting from a housing rebound. In the third quarter, sales in Stanley’s do-it-yourself segment rose 9 percent. Ron Sloan, senior manager of the Invesco Charter Fund, said the company’s profit margins could climb by as much as three percentage points in 2015.

buy 10 shares of any one of these five stocks for roughly a grand. The reward: healthy dividends now and the likelihood of share-price gains as earnings grow.

CVS Health (CVS, $91, 1.2-percent yield). The drugstore chain is getting a boost from its rapidly growing pharmacyservices segment.

Danaher Corp. (DHR, $85, 0.5 percent). Danaher makes everything from medical devices to measuring systems. It has $12 billion in the till for making acquisitions.

Walt Disney (DIS, $94, 1.2 percent). The smashing success of the movie Frozen proves that we are all kids at heart.

in

From page 19

is a member of the Kiplinger 25. Artisan International (ARTIX) invests mainly in large, growing foreign companies. For an all-inone option, try Vanguard STAR (VGSTX).

W ith

Stock fund ideas

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Travel Leisure &

University of Virginia faculty live in historic pavilions on campus. See story on page 24.

On the presidential trail in Charlottesville yond Charlottesville’s borders.

In that rural setting, the city of about 44,000 residents is an enclave of arts, culture and history. A good way to experience and enjoy all three is to stroll along the Historic Downtown Mall.

The brick-paved pedestrian walkway combines the nostalgia of renovated historic buildings reminiscent of small-town Americana with more than 130 trendy shops and 30 restaurants, many with an outdoor cafe.

The street follows a route that during Colonial times connected Richmond with the Shenandoah Valley. It was called Three Notch’d Road, which referred to three nicks made in tree trunks to mark it.

© THOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION AT MONTICELLO

By Victor Block The gracious mansion is a perfect example of an 18th century gentleman’s country estate. Its rooms are filled with elegant furniture and architectural touches imported from Europe by Thomas Jefferson.

In its heyday, a virtual Who’s Who of early American leaders dropped by to visit, including two James — Monroe and Madison, the latter accompanied by Dolley.

About 10 miles away stands a much simpler wood-frame cottage where Theodore Roosevelt escaped the pressures of the presidency. It was built without a stove, well or bathroom facilities, and would have fit almost twice into the parlor of the much larger mansion. A newspaper article written at the time described its “meager complement of furniture.”

These two houses couldn’t be more different, nor could the men who once stayed in them. This diversity, which says much about the character of the two presidents, also extends throughout Charlottesville, Va., and the countryside that surrounds it.

Part college town, part living history museum, Charlottesville adds life and color to important chapters of the nation’s past. The small city is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, surrounded by rugged Appalachian Range peaks and pastoral landscapes. Agriculture has long been a staple of the area’s economy, and small farms, orchards and vineyards lie just be-

A tale of two presidents A short drive from the Mall is Monticello — the plantation home that occupied much of Thomas Jefferson’s interest and activity over decades, and which demonstrates his genius in architecture. Work began on the mansion in 1768, when Jefferson (a self-taught architect) was 26 years old, and remodeling continued until his death in 1826.

Design features included ideas gathered during Jefferson’s several years living in Europe. They include dumb waiters, which he saw in a Parisian café, skylights, French doors that open in tandem automatically and a seven-day wall clock that still chimes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

An aerial photo shows the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819.

The 21,000-student university is ranked second among the 2014 top public schools on a list produced by U.S. News and World Report. Read about the school on page 24.

Thomas Jefferson began building his Charlottesville mansion Monticello in 1768, remodeling the home, replete with innovations such as dumb waiters and skylights, until his death in 1826.

In contrast with the elegance of Monticello is the tiny, modest cottage where Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed relaxing while serving as president. It was purchased by his wife Edith who, like Teddy, cherished simple pleasures derived from nature.

The rustic retreat has been described as “the most unpretentious habitation ever owned by a president,” which says a lot about Roosevelt. Among personal touches are a chart listing birds that he spotted during his stays at the cabin, and letters he wrote to his children decorated with sketches of cartoon-like figures.

Homes of Monroe and Madison Introductions to two other presidential homes in the Charlottesville area support Virginia’s nickname as “The Mother of Presidents.” Four of the first five presidents, and eight in all, were born in the state.

Guides leading tours of Montpelier, the home of James Madison, note his prominent place in history as, among other accomplishments, a member of the House of Representatives, delegate to the Continental Congress, secretary of state and fourth president.

Strolling through the plantation house, I found even more meaningful his instrumental role in drafting both the Constitu-

tion and its first 10 amendments, and the fact that he authored important documents in the rooms where I was standing.

Madison’s prominence was equaled by that of his famous wife Dolley. She was known for her social graces and hospitality, which boosted her husband’s popularity. Dolley did much to define the proper role of the president’s wife, which led to the term “First Lady.” When Madison left the White House in 1817, he and Dolley returned to Montpelier where they lived out their final years.

The Ash Lawn-Highland plantation, which borders Monticello, was home to the fifth president. While serving as secretary of state, James Monroe negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, and the Monroe Doctrine that he established formed the cornerstone of America’s foreign policy for over a century.

Monroe purchased the estate at the urging of his close friend Thomas Jefferson.

Monroe referred to the small house, that was added to by later owners, as his “cabin castle.”

Today, visitors are immersed in the atmosphere of a working farm, with demonstrations of spinning, weaving, open-hearth cooking and other early American pursuits.

See CHARLOTTESVILLE, page 23

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

Charlottesville

cent per mile” and “Coloured persons, 5 and up, 1/2 cent a mile.”

From page 22

Sleepy Scottsville

Virginia vintages

A setting very different from plantation homes, and the hustle and bustle of Charlottesville, is tucked into a horseshoe bend of the James River about 20 miles south of the city.

The village of Scottsville (population about 600) served as a local ferry crossing and river port during the 18th century.

Flat-bottomed “bateaux” boats transported tobacco, grain and miscellaneous cargo to Richmond, and returned with clothing, furniture and other goods imported from England and France.

A combination of events, including the Civil War and advent of railroads, undermined the town’s importance and left it a sleepy shadow of its former self. However, it retains historical touches well worth experiencing.

A little gem of a museum recounts the story of the town and river. A deteriorating warehouse, which in the mid-19th century stored grain, tobacco and other produce awaiting shipment in river boats, overlooks the Canal Basin Square adjacent to the river and the canal beside it.

Exhibits in the square include a packet boat, which over 150 years ago plied the James River, and a list of tariffs charged for transporting cargo and passengers. Among fares were “White person, 12 and older, 1

No trip to the Charlottesville area would be complete without at least one stop at a winery, and even here the influence of Thomas Jefferson is felt — or, rather, tasted.

He began planting vineyards close to Monticello, and dreamed of producing wines equal to those of the Old World.

However, a series of mishaps and misfortunes doomed his effort, and for some 200 years Virginia’s infant wine industry did not achieve distinction.

That changed recently as a new generation of winemakers began to produce improved vintages. Virginia now has at least 230 wineries, and if Jefferson’s dream of competing in quality with the best that France and Italy offer is yet to be completely fulfilled, he would be proud to know that his beloved native state is the fifth largest producer in the country.

Jefferson’s unusual failure as a maker of wine pales in comparison to his achievements and those of his famous neighbors, who were among the founders of our country. A visit to Charlottesville brings their and other stories to life in a setting as varied as were those early leaders.

Where to stay, eat In a city surrounded by farmlands, it’s not surprising that a number of restaurants serve

Call today to arrange a tour and complimentary lunch!

(410) 580-1400

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fresh-from-the-ground fare. Up to 95 percent of the ingredients used at the Brookville Restaurant in the Historic Downtown Mall (225 W. Main Street) come from Virginia farms, foragers and the chef’s garden.

Some dishes, like chicken with waffle ($25) and biscuits served four ways ($5 to $8) have a southern twang. For more information, call (434) 202-2781 or log onto www.brookvillerestaurant.com.

Touches of the past come to life at the C&O Canal Restaurant (515 E. Water St.).

For example, the walls and bar in the bistro are made with wood from an old barn, and the upstairs dining room served

23

as a bunk house for railroad workers during the Depression.

The menu here also focuses on local ingredients, including a Virginia oyster stew appetizer ($10) and locally raised pork tenderloin ($27). For more information, call (434) 9717044 or log onto www.candorestaurant.com.

Guests at the English Inn are immersed in a world of British tradition. In addition to the décor, touches like afternoon high tea add to the atmosphere. Amenities include a hot breakfast buffet, indoor swimming pool, exercise room and sauna. Rates See CHARLOTTESVILLE, page 24

24

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

The roots of the University of Virginia To many people, the town of Charlottesville, Virginia and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello are synonymous. Indeed, even more than at his famous home, the presence of Jefferson can be felt throughout the quiet college town, most especially at the University of Virginia, which he founded.

A visit to UVA brings you back to modern times — but only for a moment. Jefferson’s vision of his “Academical Village” became reality starting in 1819, and the University continues to function much as he intended.

Welcome back to the 1800s.

In addition to offering arguably the finest education among public institutions available to capable students “regardless of wealth, birth or other accidental condition or circumstances” — producing more Rhodes Scholars than any other state university — UVA maintains a tradition of student self-governance, including a student-

run honor system that actually works (at least most of the time).

Although the university has expanded since Jefferson’s time, Jefferson’s original buildings remain much as they were. The Rotunda, a scaled-down version of the Pantheon in Rome, was designed to maintain architectural balance in harmony with the five Pavilions on either side, which house classrooms and faculty residences.

Jefferson envisioned a scholarly community where students and professors live in close proximity to share knowledge and nurture together a life-long commitment to education. To help achieve that goal, he intermingled students’ rooms among the Pavilions, connecting them with low colonnaded walkways.

The expansive Lawn between the two rows of buildings, and the serpentine walled-gardens weaving in, out and around

the Pavilions, provide quiet space for personal reflection and personal connections between teacher and student. This was a radical approach to education at the time.

The 54 student rooms along the Lawn are astonishingly unchanged since the University opened. The 150-square-foot rooms contain a wooden bed, an old-fashioned secretary’s desk, fireplace and a small free-standing wooden closet which contains a sink. Other plumbing facilities — minor amenities such as showers and toilets — are located a bracing winter’s walk away.

Upon first viewing, I assumed they were just another historical attraction that recreates living conditions — in this case, of students — in the early 1800s. Imagine my surprise to find that students today actually vie for the honor of living there!

A select few fourth-year students who

have made substantial contributions to the University are chosen for the opportunity to closely approximate the lifestyle of the scholars who lived and studied in these same rooms in Jefferson’s day.

It is not surprising that Jefferson invested so much heart and soul into his final triumph. The university embodies Jefferson’s three greatest passions: his vision as an educator, his talent as an architect, and his skill as a gardener.

The very essence of his dream — the interactive student/faculty community, the student-run university governance, the personal code of ethics — still permeates how campus residents think and act today. Thomas Jefferson is alive and well and still attending the University of Virginia.

For more infor mation, see www. virginia.edu.

— Fyllis Hockman

Charlottesville From page 23 begin at a reasonable $100. For more information, call (434) 971-9900 or log onto www.englishinncharlottesville.com.

It’s early Americana that’s the focus at the Boar’s Head Inn, a gracious resort that sets the tone for a visit to the history-rich Charlottesville area.

A large part of the main hotel building is made of wood from a gristmill that was built nearby in 1834 and later dismantled.

That includes the pine floor of the Old Mill lounge, along with beams and wall paneling. Fieldstones that were part of the mill’s foundations adorn a fireplace and an arched entrance into the inn.

The golf course is laid out over land that was part of a 1734 land grant, and where the Boar’s Head now stands a modest inn named Terrell’s Ordinary provided lodging for westward travelers.

Along with such historical touches, the Boar’s Head offers amenities and facilities expected at an AAA Four-Diamond Resort. In addition to golf, there is tennis, squash, a spa, and activities ranging from biking and hot air ballooning to fishing and swimming. That’s a lot of leisure living for rates that begin at $165.

For more information, call (855) 574-5627 or log onto www.boarsheadinn.com.

Charlottesville is about 115 miles from downtown Washington, D.C. For more information about Charlottesville, call (877) 3861103 or log onto www.visitcharlottesville.org.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 5

PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW

Roland Park Country School’s Kaleidoscope Program will host a day trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show and Reading Market on Thursday, March 5, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cost of the trip is $95. For reservations, call (410) 323-5500 or visit www.rpcs.org.

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Style

25

Arts &

Gianni Toso crafted this award-winning chess set depicting Hassidic Jews and Catholic priests. See cover story continued on page 28.

Ruined’s harrowing portrayal of Congo war

Based on real experiences One comes to understand there’s a

method to Nadi’s madness, for she is feverishly working to keep her oh-so-delicately balanced view of reality from falling apart.

There are considerable forces at work — drawn from Nottage’s interviews from real-life DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) war survivors — to destroy that balance. Fortunately, not all are evil.

Enter Christian (Jason B. McIntosh). If he is so named to represent historic Christian values, like grace, hope, love, faith and service, he does not disappoint. McIntosh portrays Christian as someone simple on the surface, but in fact a complex and compassionate man (Mama calls him “Professor”).

He is driven by his love for Mama Nadi and family to endure a variety of sacrifices.

Will Christian somehow survive a war where children decapitate men with machetes? Will he win that “last dance” with Mama? We aren’t sure until the play’s final scene.

You see, Christian represents a threat to Mama Nadi’s sense of order: Who has time for romance when you’re trying to survive in a war zone?

As Christian presses for some sign that his feelings might be reciprocated, Nadi stops moving, stands firm, juts out her chin and is defiant. It’s a stance she takes often, whether it is standing up to false saviors of the people like Kisembe and Osembenga (their respective rhetoric almost identical despite representing opposite sides in the war), or reminding “the girls”

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at the bar who is in charge.

In hopes of offering his sister’s daughter some form of refuge, Christian brings niece Sophie (Zurin Villanueva) and her friend, Salima (Monique Ingram), to Mama Nadi’s. Mama derides Salima for being “plain,” and refuses to accept Sophie when Christian informs her she is “ruined” — a term meaning so defiled by countless rapes as to make her “useless” in the flesh trade.

Mama Nadi is ultimately swayed and takes Sophie in; this is the first true crack in her armor, one that will continue to grow, painfully, as the play continues, leading up to a final revelation which is at the core of Mama’s pain.

PHOTO BY STAN BAROUH

By Dan Collins War is hell.

What matters, as playwright Lynn Nottage explores in her Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Ruined, now playing at the Everyman Theatre, is how one chooses to deal with it.

For the soldiers of the Congo — like Commander Osembenga (Manu Kumasi) of the ruling government, and rebel militia leader Kisembe (Gary-Kayi Fletcher) — war offers the ultimate expression of freedom.

But this is a freedom from morality, civility, mercy, and all the common bonds of what we judge to be humanity. War is a fiery floor where their unleashed ids may frolic in the bloodshed and maidenheads of the subjugated men and women about them.

For others, war is economic opportunity.

War affords men like Mr. Harari (Bruce Nelson) the chance to trade in gems and minerals torn from the earth as it is dug and blasted away by miners and soldiers alike.

But for women, war is only a destroyer of both flesh and fantasy. Dawn Ursula plays Mama Nadi, a woman who has mined a niche of her own, eking out a living as proprietor of a hardscrabble, corrugated-iron-enclosed bar-and-brothel.

Ursula portrays Nadi as a woman in perpetual movement, almost dancing across the stage as she interacts with cast members, as though there is continuous music playing in her head.

Everyman Theatre presents Ruined, a play based on true stories about the horrors of civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here, Christian (played by Jason B. McIntosh) unsuccessfully tries to woo Mama Nadi (Dawn Ursula), who owns a brothel and bar.

Solace in fantasy Pain is the currency the women of this brothel deal in. Ingram’s Salima is one more refugee whose life and dreams were See RUINED, page 27

26

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Photographer turns lens on hometown tended a film photography class in the late 1960s at Maryland Institute College of Art, but soon lost interest. It was not until 2007 that she delved back into shooting photos, mainly of family at first.

Now, Atkins photographs everything from architecture to farm animals, pets, landscapes and portraits, using both Canon and Fuji camera systems. “I will shoot anything that catches my eye,” said

vation of those properties, however, was not enough to satisfy her artistic hunger. “I do the designs for the rehabs in our real estate business and that kept me going for a long time,” said Atkins.

“Something was missing, though, and photography filled that void. It fulfills me and makes me feel good about me, as it’s all mine.”

An eclectic portfolio Atkins bought her first camera and at-

Atkins. “I think the worst thing any artist can do is limit themselves.”

She is inspired by both local and worldrenowned photographers, such as Connie Imboden, William Eggleston, Vivian Maier, Peter Turnley, Diane Arbus, Dorothea Lange, Helmut Newton, Henri CartierBresson and Ansel Adams, among others.

See PHOTOGRAPHER, page 27

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERYL ATKINS

By Jennifer L. Waldera “I was feeling the need to scratch my artistic itch,” said Cheryl Atkins, 63, of her inspiration to pursue photography. “I have always been an artist in one form or another.”

Professionally, Atkins (who was also a competitive bodybuilder, “a long time and many pounds ago!”) and her husband Tom renovate properties to sell or lease throughout the eastern part of Baltimore City, where they reside.

Her involvement in designing the reno-

After a nearly 40-year break from photography, Cheryl Atkins picked up her camera and began shooting again eight years ago. She now finds endless opportunities to take photos in Baltimore, including a popular series of “drive by shootings,” where she takes candids of Baltimoreans from a car being driven by her husband.

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Ruined From page 25 destroyed by war. Her fantasy of returning to her husband and her village is threatened on numerous fronts.

Bueka Uwemedimo, who plays her estranged husband, Fortune, is also aptly named, as what he represents — a return to an idyllic life of sweet gardens and blue skies — is a fortune to be had, but a wild gamble at best.

Jade Wheeler’s Josephine, the daughter of a village chief, lives a fantasy where she will go away with Mr. Harari to live in the

Photographer From page 26 One of Atkins’ favorite subjects is the city street scenes and individuals found in her “Driveby Shootings” collection. Photos in the collection routinely receive high praises from fans and followers on social media, like Flickr and Facebook, where she shares her work.

Since Atkins cannot photograph and drive at the same time, her husband serves as her willing chauffeur. “Tom is in the driver’s seat and we drive all over Baltimore, while I take photos of people on the streets,” she said. “I absolutely love it, and did this almost exclusively for the first few years I was seriously into photography.”

While she loves photographing her

big city as befitting her royal heritage. Sophie reads romance novels to Josephine and Salima to help reinforce a dream of a happy, loving life, for which there appears to be little hope.

If Josephine’s fantasy is about status and Salima’s about marriage, Sophie’s dream is to free her mind — to learn, to have a career. A one-time university student, she is put in charge of keeping Mama’s accounts, and since she cannot “entertain” in the usual way, sings songs instead. When the soldiers visiting the bar grab her, one physically feels the pain of her “ruination.”

Well-paced and directed

hometown, geographically speaking, there are no limits to Atkins’ work. While the setting for many albums in her collection is Baltimore City-based — from portrayals of quaint waterfront Fell’s Point to events like Artscape, farmers’ markets, and Bike Jam — there is no shortage of pictures from cities like Portland, Oregon; Mystic, Connecticut, and Tilghman Island, where she and her husband have a getaway home.

Though social media is the largest platform for her work, Atkins has also participated in many exhibitions throughout Baltimore, including solo shows at the Enoch Pratt Library and Patterson Park Public Charter School. She has also taken part in the School 33 Open Studio Tour and in group shows at the Highlandtown Gallery.

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Director Tazewell Thompson does an exemplary job in keeping the play well paced, encouraging vivid and in-yourface performances by this cast of 17 actors.

Kudos to scenic director Brandon McNeel for creating a realistic set, accenting the far corners of the stage with piles of broken barrels, chairs, bicycles and tables, representing the chaos that dwells all around Mama Nadi’s haven.

In the end, the war that Mama Nadi fights so vainly to keep out bursts through her door, blood is spilled and there is

Atkins also uses her talent to raise funds for local organizations, holding shows at venues such as the Laughing Pint bar and restaurant in support of the Patterson Park

27

death. But while Mama and her charges may be beaten, they are not defeated.

Nottage’s play is about the incredible resiliency of the human spirit. Despite its darkest manifestations, there can be grace and love.

Ruined continues its run at Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre at 315 W. Fayette St. in downtown Baltimore through March 8.

Tickets range from $34 to $60 and may be purchased by calling (410) 752-2208 or by visiting www.everymantheatreorg. Patrons 62 and older can receive a $6 discount off tickets for Saturday matinees and Sunday evening performances.

Public Charter School.

“I really enjoyed doing that, and look forward to doing the same thing for other See PHOTOGRAPHER, page 29

28

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Glass blower From page 1 set, “Jews vs. Catholics,” won first prize in an exhibit of Murano’s master glassblowers.

The chess pieces depict leaders of two opposing theologies — Catholic Franciscan Priests versus Hasidic Jews — in a whimsical way.

Shortly thereafter, famed artist Salvadore Dali commissioned Toso to make a series of 12 of Dali’s surrealistic flowers in glass.

In 1972, Toso’s growing recognition earned him an invitation — as the only Venetian — to participate in the International Glass Symposium at the Museum Bellerive in Zurich, Switzerland. The symposium was led by Harvey K. Littleton, the artist responsible for helping to found what is called the studio glass movement in the United States.

Littleton developed and taught do-ityourself techniques that liberated glassblowers from the hot, sweaty, dirty work of factory production. They made molten

glass easier to work with in a studio setting, much like a potter works with wet clay.

According to Karyn Toso, her husband’s decision to attend the symposium was not easy, as Venetian glassblowing techniques traditionally were zealously protected, and Toso had to consult with his family about what he could and could not share with the other artists at the symposium.

“In the old Venetian Republic, if a glassblower left Murano and went to another country, he was killed, and the government seized all of his family’s property and possessions,” Karyn relates on Toso’s website.

Fortunately, modern sensibilities prevailed, and Toso was able to accept the invitation without fearing for his life. He spent two weeks living and working with 16 other glassblowers from around the world.

“It was a way for me to get off the small island (of Murano) and into the rest of the world,” he said.

MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

A new way to think, work “There, from all of the good energy and enthusiasm, particularly from the American artists, for the first time in my life I shared ideas with strangers, and with people who, like myself, did not see glass only as artisans who make craft production,” Toso added. “It was a fantastic cultural happening.”

It was at the symposium that Toso became aware that glassblowing could combine the elements of both craft and art. Craft is repetition, he explained, which would allow him to make a living, while art makes people think.

Toso soon became a leader in the Glass Studio Movement, promoting the idea of glassblowing as an art form. In 1979, Marvin Lipofsky, who had met Toso in Zurich and was at that time chairman of the Glass Department at the California College of Arts and Crafts, invited Toso to headline a glass-blowing tour of art departments in American universities, making him the first Venetian to teach Italian techniques to American students.

During that visit, Toso also became enamored with American culture and the freedom artists have here to create without having any political ties. He sold his studio in the Venetian Ghetto and began his new life in the United States.

“In America, I saw the future and continuity of my family’s tradition, and the future of the Glass Studio Movement,” he said. “I miss Italy (and he still returns to purchase his supplies on the island of Murano). But in many respects, America is the most beautiful and blessed country in the world.”

Because Jewish Orthodoxy precludes working on the Sabbath (from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown), Toso does not regularly exhibit in galleries because “meet the artist” receptions are generally held on weekends.

And though he, from time to time, serves as a guest faculty member at such institutions as the Corning Museum of Glass, he also eschews the administrative work and university politics that accompany ongoing faculty positions. “Culture should be separate from politics,” he explained.

While his Orthodoxy (which he came to as an adult in Venice) is a strong part of his life, Toso’s glassworks encompass both secular and religious themes — from collections such as “Big Sur” and “Carnevale,” to “Chuppahs” (a Jewish wedding canopy) and “Menorahs” (the candelabrum used to celebrate Chanukah, or the Festival of Lights).

Individual figures can begin at about $300, while a complex, 114-piece work that took him a year to make, recently sold for $120,000.

What takes time, Toso explained, is not necessarily the actual production, but the “harmony” he seeks in each piece.

“There has to be a dialog between figures,” he said. “When you have that, you feel the pulse and the heartbeat that the artist has created.”

While Toso says that his focus in life is his family, the Jewish community, and “paying the bills!” he is, at heart, a romantic Venetian (“not Italian!”) who sees art as the best way to connect human beings.

For Toso, his glasswork is just one aspect of his life as a “creator.” He gardens, he cooks, he makes wine (from grapes supplied by a California grower), and even still chops the wood that heats his studio, all with one goal in mind.

“I like to create positive energy in life.”

To see more of Gianni Toso’s glassworks, visit www.giannitoso.com.

FROM PAGE 30

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

Photographer From page 27 causes in the future,” said Atkins.

Between photographing, editing, posting to social media and attending occasional exhibits, Atkins admits that her “passionate hobby” fills most of her spare time, but that the support she gets from family is priceless.

“My husband, family and friends have been amazingly supportive,” said Atkins.

“From my husband driving to venues with me, to my niece Kathleen flying from L.A. for my artist’s talk at the Highlandtown Gallery last summer, to the wonderful comments I get from my friends on Facebook and Flickr, I could not be more pleased. It’s very important to me to know that my work pleases them. I find it very motivational.”

Atkins credits photography with rekindling her artistic spirit, and recommends it

29

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

to others as well. “I want people to know that interesting things are around them everywhere,” she said. “All one has to do is look.

“It is never too late to become involved in photography,” Atkins continued. “If you feel something lacking in your life, pick up a camera, or your phone camera, and take a walk. Photograph whatever pleases you, no one else. You might be surprised at what you find and who you find within yourself.”

According to Atkins, it’s not necessary to have an expensive camera to get started. “Use your phone if that’s all you have,” she said. “Just start. Just shoot. Develop your eye and expose your work via any means you have available. Social media is fantastic for that.”

In terms of future plans, Atkins would like to see her work included in print publications, and may even consider opening a gallery.

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MILITARY ITEMS Collector seeks: helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, webgear, uniforms, inert ordnance, ETC. From 1875 to 1960, US, German, Britain, Japan, France, Russian. Please call Fred 301-9100783, Thank you. Also Lionel Trains.

WE BUY JEWELRY, SILVER, GOLD, AND COSTUME. Coins, Paper Money Too. Watches, Clocks, Military Badges and Patches Old and New. Call Greg, 717-6587954.

She also has in mind doing her own coffee table book. “I’m not yet sure the direction…whether I want to do a ‘pretty’ one, or one of my hard-edged shots from the streets of Baltimore,” Atkins said. “Both are close to my heart.”

As always though, Atkins has set her sights high. When asked who or what would be at the top of her list to photograph, she definitively answered, “Keith Richards.”

Atkins’ photos are for sale, priced around $400 for a matted, framed museum-grade image. (Unframed prints are also available.)

Her work can be found on her Flickr site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomkitty/.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD L A B S E P I A V E R D I S C H A B E B R A N A E R O D R N O N A P I E V I N C A N N A I T E M L O R E

A B O A R D D I C E

S E W U N N I S X M E O W N E N T E R S E S E

E X I T K E N N Y L I M P

T E N D

A C E R B I N C A P A A L A O W N I T

A L S O Y E L P E D

S O C C E R M O M E R N I E

A C L U E

C H I L D

S O P A S

I D E A

C E N T

S S T S

I D L Y

C E O N L S E

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MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Crossword Puzzle

PUZZLE PAGE

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus

Cheap Thrills 1

2

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12

by Stephen Sherr 4

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16 19

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38 41

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58

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50 54

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3. Carbonated “beer” 4. Tailor-made 1. White coat place 5.

Highway offway 4. ___ good example 6. Keep watch over 8. Pouches 7. Razor-edged 12. Photoshop tone 8. 21st century carpooler 14. CEO, CFO, or the like 9. Detective’s excited shout 15. Dos X cuatro 10. Free diner, sometimes 16. Every sentence needs one 11. Cantina cuisine category 17. It is bottled in 33 Down 12. Gloomy 18. Prepare a coupon for usage 13.

On the train 19. Cheap monster 20. Operating system first 22. Star Wars action figure created by AT&T 23. Suffers a scraped knee 21. And another thing 24. Honest pres.

24. “I’m having ___ day” 27. Game first named “The Conquest of 25. ___ Rabbit the World” 30. Land between the Med. and Dead Seas 26. Get frequent flyer points 28. Species of duck 31. Cheap graphic lit.

29. Singer Loggins or Rogers 37. Dynamic beginning 32. Party host’s lament 38. Last section of a SUBPOENA 33. Place to sample 17 Across 39. Poetic tributes 34. Creative spark 40. Cheap villain 35. Sign omitted from a standard 45. Diarist Anais computer keyboard 46. School with motto “Light and Truth” 36.

Former fast flights 47. @@@ 41. They might land on 48. Each Park Place 51. Ginger drink 42. Unity 53. Cheap actor 43. “There aughta be ___” 60. Blonde heir, ___ Nicole Smith 44. Barked shrilly 61. 2000 title character, ___ Brockovich 48. Be of use to 62. ___ a high note 49. Ford from the 70’s 63. New couple 50.

First piece of peace 64. Formal introduction 52.

Groundbreaking comic Kovacs 65. Pickle possibilities 54. Forest unit 66. Teaching of old 55. Walk awkwardly 67. Back-to-school mo.

56. “Step ___!”

68. TV Network logo 57. Without purpose Down 58. ___ slaw 1. Son of Jacob; father of the blue jean 59. Negotiation’s start and end 2. King Kong, and his smaller relatives

Across

BB3/15

35

44

46

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Scrabble answers on p. 28.

34 39

42

45 49

11

30

29 33

37

48

10

21

32

40

9

23 27

26

8

14

22 24

7

Answers on page 29.

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2015

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.

Business and Employment Opportunities OUTSIDE SALES/PART-TIME/BUSINESS TO BUSINESS. Flexible hours/Salary + Commission. We are a 25 year old family-owned company seeking an experienced sales associate to work with established business customers as well as cultivate new accounts. 410-332-1166.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Events FREE RANDALLSTOWN BIBLE STUDIES – What the Bible really teaches about the Trinity? Where’s hell? God’s name is important to life everlasting. John 17:3, Psalms 83:18.

Ben, 410-286-1357.

Financial Services TAXES – ACCOUNTING, BOOKKEEPING and eldercare. Call 410-653-3363.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate FOR RENT, NEWLY RENOVATED LOVELY one-bedroom apartment in private home.

Separate entrance, washer/dryer. Quiet neighborhood in Pikesville, near transportation. $800. 410-653-2594.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month.

Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards.

Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $10 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise.

Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad.

Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, Baltimore Classified Dept.

P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227

For Sale BOOKS, THOUSANDS, for the collector and reader, all ages and subjects. Antique Depot, historic Ellicott City, Booth 119, 3rd floor.

PARKWOOD CEMETERY – Taylor Avenue – Poplar Lot 831 – Site 2. Also includes one burial vault and one opening and closing of grave site – value $6,685. Sell for $3,300 or best offer, 410529-1191.

14 KT. SCOTTISH RITE 32 degree Double Eagle Ring, excellent condition, $600. Scottish Rite 14 degree 10 kt. Band, $150. Pictures Available. Pretchless2@comcast.net or 410-6689620.

Caregivers

MAUSOLEUM FOR SALE with opening and closing, at yesterday’s price, at the Garden of Faith Cemetery in Baltimore County. Please contact Ruth at 410-842-5992.

SEEKING A LIVE-IN CAREGIVER to do light housekeeping, laundry, & prepare meals for elderly man; references required. Call 410-665-3849.

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.

Home/Handyman Services

Personal Services

HANDYMAN AND HONEY-DO SERVICE – Small jobs are my specialty. Prices by the hour, day or job. MHIC # 95672, Fully Insured. Dave, 443-514-8583.

LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN – FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversational.

Grammatical. Private lessons. Reasonable Rates. Tutoring students. 443-352-8200.

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

Wanted

SANFORD & SON HAULING & RECYCLING. Trash + Junk removal, house & estate cleanouts, garage + basement cleanouts. Demolition – Shed, deck fence + pool removal. Licensed + insured. Free estimates over the phone. Call 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm. 410746-5090.

BALTIMORE’S BEST JUNK REMOVAL – Clean Outs: Whole House, Emergency, Attics/Basements. Furniture and Junk Removal, Yard Waste Removal, General Hauling, Construction Debris Removal. Free estimates.

10% Senior Discount. Licensed, Bonded and Insured. Call Jesse, 443-379-HAUL (4285).

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree] knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-279-8834. Thank you.

Classifieds cont. on p. 29

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies

Dementia Study . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Diabetes Research Study . . . . .20 Elderly Falls Study . . . . . . . . .15 Gallbladder/Kidney Stone Study . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 HYPNOS Diabetic Sleep Study .15 IDEAL Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 NeurExpand Memory Study . .14 Parkinson’s Exercise Study . . .15

Financial Services

Bennett Senior Services . . . . .18 Boomer Business Summit . . . .18 Catholic Charities . . . . . . . . . .17 Debt Counsel for Seniors and the Disabled . . .18 Golden Real Estate . . . . . . . . .12 JSR Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Ridgebrook Insurance . . . . . . .19 Salvation Army . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Funeral Services

Holly Hill Memorial Gardens . .20

31

Hearing Services

Clarity & Comfort Hearing Center . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Hearing & Speech Agency . . . .8 Maryland Relay . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Housing Referral Service

Pharmacies

Senior Placement Service/ Care Patrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

CVS Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Lexington Pharmacy . . . . . . . . .5 Rite Aid Pharmacy . . . . . . . . .12 Walgreen’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Legal Services

Retail

Home Health Care

Options for Senior America . . .3

Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm . . . . . . .17

Shelf Genie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Wilkens Beltway Plaza . . . . . .21

Housing

Medical/Health

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation

Blake & Sons Waterproofing . . . . . . . . . . .29 Brookfield Residential . . . . . . .6 Charlestown . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Heritage Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Meadows of Reisterstown . . . .27 Memorial Apartments . . . . . . .23 Oak Crest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Park Heights Place . . . . . . . . .29 Park View Apartments . . . . . .24 Shangri-La Assisted Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 St. Mary’s Roland View Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Westminster House Apts . . . . .26 Williamsburg Homes . . . . . . .21 Woodholme Gardens . . . . . . . .23

Cleanse Institute . . . . . . . . . . .15 Dr. Richard Rosenblatt, DPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Dr. Stuart Goldman, DPM . . .10 Health Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Ideal Health Chiropractic . . . . .7 Low Vision Specialists of Maryland & Virginia . . . . . . .4 Mishpacha Dental . . . . . . . . . .13 NeurExpand Brain Center . . . . .8 Progressive Rehab Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Smart Pain Management . . . . . .9

Movers

Easy Movers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

CommuniCare Health . . . . . . .13 Holly Hill Nursing & Rehabilitation . . . . . . . . . .11 Manor Care Health Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Theatres/ Entertainment

Hollywood Casino . . . . . . . . .32 Radio Flea Market . . . . . . . . . .25

Tour & Travel

Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel . . . . .23

Volunteers

Baltimore City RSVP . . . . . . .25

32

MARCH 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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