March 2018 | Howard County Beacon by The Beacon Newspapers

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Premiere brings Matisse to life

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PHOTO BY KATIE SIMMONS-BARTH

By Robert Friedman After more than 100 years, the art collecting Cone sisters of Baltimore, the great French artist Henri Matisse, and the modernist literary icon Gertrude Stein are together again — on stage, at least, at the Howard County Community College in Columbia. They are the leading characters in All She Must Possess, a world premiere play by Baltimorean Susan McCully, being presented at the Rep Stage on the community college campus. Valerie Leonard and Nigel Reed, actors who are married to each other and live in Columbia, are bringing their prize-winning acting talents to the production, which is Rep Stage’s contribution to the 2018 D.C. Women’s Voices Theater Festival. The play centers on the collecting efforts of the sisters, Etta (1870-1949) and Claribel (1864-1929) Cone, daughters of GermanJewish immigrants who settled in Baltimore in the 1870s, and whose family’s textile business made them part of a thriving Jewish community in the city at the time. The two spinster sisters lived most of their wealthy lives in Baltimore, while going on many trips to Europe (Paris in particular), in their extensive efforts to collect modern art. They were able to afford the trips thanks to their annual inherited income of $2,400 each — considerable spending money back then. The experts of the time considered the “degenerate” works of art purchased by the sisters to be worthless. But they now make up the world-renowned modern French collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The museum’s Cone Wing houses more than 3,000 works by Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin and others, whose total value today has been estimat-

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Exploring Virginia’s African American heritage sites; plus, two bargain vacation spots, farther from the madding crowds page 22

ARTS & STYLE Valerie Leonard (right) portrays Gertrude Stein and Grace Bauer plays Etta Cone in a world premiere play about the Cone sisters, whose vast collection of modern art now fills a wing of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Leonard also plays the role of Etta’s sister Claribel in the play, All She Must Possess, which is onstage at Howard Community College through late February.

ed at $1 billion. There are 500 works by Matisse alone — the largest museum collection of the Post-Impressionist master’s artistic output anywhere.

Area playwright Playwright McCully, 54, is a performer, an assistant professor at the University of

Maryland at Baltimore (UMBC), and a feminist theater scholar. She said she spent a year researching the sisters’ lives, and a year and a half writing the one-act play in which Etta and Claribel Cone are back in Stein’s Paris salon, meeting such starving See MATISSE page 29

Young Frankenstein is brought to life at Toby’s Dinner Theatre; plus, a world premiere play focuses on the art-collecting Cone sisters page 26 TECHNOLOGY 4 k Online shopping pros and cons FITNESS & HEALTH k How to break a fall k Breast cancer blood test

THE 50+ CONNECTION 15 k Newsletter from Howard County Office on Aging and Independence LAW & MONEY 19 k How to simplify your finances k Beware certain credit card offers ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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Apparently, it’s up to us My column last month, about my experi- with various suggestions, questions and ence with an outrageously and unneces- their own similar experiences, one caller, sarily overpriced prescripwho gave no phone number tion, generated a good deal of or email address, left the folreader comment. lowing voicemail message on In case you missed it, in our office line as soon as she brief: I was repeatedly encourread the column. aged by a doctor, despite my “I just read your editorial. protests, to try out a “new” And what I don’t see in the artimedication that combined two cle is what you did about it after readily available over-theyou talked with your doctor. counter drugs into a single Did you call Medicare? Send a prescribed pill. The doctor copy to every member of the said he would call in the pre- FROM THE Maryland delegation in Conscription, and assured me I PUBLISHER gress? Did you contact AARP? By Stuart P. Rosenthal would owe no co-pay for the As a matter of fact, if I were you, new drug if I decided to fill it. I’d send a copy to “60 Minutes.” I took some samples home to try it out, “Let’s do something about it! It’s a great and was shocked a few days later to find a article, but if all you do is call your doctor, bottle of 60 pills in my mailbox, sent to me it’s certainly not going to stop.” by a pharmacy I was not familiar with. I found her message striking, not beI was even more shocked when I no- cause she seemed to feel the issue was of ticed (in very fine print) that the bottle had such great importance that I should forbeen billed to my insurance company for ward my story to all the powers that be. But more than $2,000. rather because it seems to me that she may I called the pharmacy and insisted they have missed a crucial point of my column. take it back and credit my insurance compaIn case other readers may have had the ny. Then I called the head of the medical same misunderstanding, I have decided to practice and informed him about the experi- devote this month’s column to a clarification. ence. He expressed amazement at the cost, In no way did I see my experience as and indicated he would tell his staff to think unique, or worthy of a congressional hearing twice before prescribing it in the future. or television expose. In fact, I think it’s fair to While a number of readers responded say that “overpriced prescription drugs” is

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Baltimore area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Howard County, Md., Greater Washington, DC and Richmond, Va. (Fifty Plus). Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. • Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher ..............Judith K. Rosenthal

one of the most common topics discussed today. The White House has called it a high priority to address, Congress has held heavily publicized hearings in the last few months. Television and newspaper reporters highlight it frequently. On the contrary, what was most concerning to me was the dawning awareness that — despite all this public attention and discussion of the issue — rampant overprescribing of unnecessary medications apparently continues to happen every day in doctors’ offices across the country. This raises two questions for me. First, why are our doctors apparently unaware of the costs of new drugs (and so willing to promote the latest brand of the drug manufacturers who send reps to their offices bearing gifts)? And second, why are we patients so cowed by our doctors, or blinded by claims of “zero co-pays,” that we accept medications that we may (or should) know, are probably unnecessary, overpriced or both? Of course, no patient asks their doctor “are there other medications that will cost my insurance company less?” Especially if those other options may actually end up costing us more in terms of our co-pay. You see, it turns out that the manufacturers of these overpriced combo drugs purposely absorb the co-pay of the patient’s insurance company so that consumers don’t complain, and so that doctors feel they are doing “the right thing” by saving their patients from paying anything out of pocket. One thing doctors do know is that many of their patients never fill their prescriptions, in part because of the cost to them. The clever trick of the drug companies in absorbing the co-pay avoids that obstacle. And so the reason I wrote my column was to encourage as many individual consumers as I possibly could (that is, the nearly 400,000 readers of the Baltimore, Howard County and Greater Washington Beacons, as well as FiftyPlus, the paper we publish in Richmond), to be alert to these

kinds of schemes, and to challenge their doctors (and pharmacies) on it. Let’s face it: What the drug manufacturers are doing is not illegal. They work carefully within patent law to develop new combinations of drugs that they can then price however they choose. Medicare and insurance companies can only do so much. There may well be some patients out there who truly benefit tremendously from these new drugs, so Medicare feels obliged to cover them and insurance companies follow suit. (And listen to how loudly consumers complain when Medicare hesitates to cover a new drug or treatment.) But that doesn’t mean these drugs aren’t hugely overprescribed by doctors. “60 Minutes” can bring moral pressure to bear, but there’s nothing they can really do to stop this other than by shaming the occasional company, lobbyist or doctor. Congress is not going to get into the business of pricing individual medications (certainly not when so many members accept significant campaign contributions from drug manufacturers and face nearly 1,500 lobbyists from the industry). Simply put, the problem is systemic. The system allows it, and there’s no easy way to disallow it. And that means the only way I know of to really put some brakes on it is from the bottom up: through actions by consumers. By you and me. And so I think the person who called us actually hit the nail on the head without realizing it: It’s precisely us calling our doctors that has the best chance of changing things. As she so rightly said, “Let’s do something about it!” Please share your thoughts with us about this and other issues of importance by emailing, calling or responding via our website, www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com. Thank you.

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.

• Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Vice President, Sales & Marketing ....Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory • Director of Operations ........................Roger King • Advertising Representatives .................................. ................................Barbara Koscielski, Steve Levin • Assistant Editor ..........................Rebekah Alcalde

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 (410) 248-9101 • Email: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com Submissions:

The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 31 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions.

Dear Editor: Thank you for your eye-opening account [regarding overpriced prescription drugs] in your February “From the Publisher” column. There’s one aspect that doesn’t fit. My insurance company always refuses to pay for anything in any way questionable/not on their official “formulary”/cheaper alternatives available, etc. Ultimately the insurance business is all about maximizing profits. Why would they pay $2,000 for something that is worth pennies? It doesn’t fit.

Is something else going on? Daniel Gordon Via email Dear Editor: I am a regular reader of The Beacon for many years. Your editorials are always my principal focus, and I am almost always delighted with your comments and observations. But this editorial [A bitter pill indeed, Feb. 2018] was in a class by itself. It is one of the best you have ever written. See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 10

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Technology &

Innovations Pros and cons of buying products online

Benefits • Price. Direct-to-consumer brands pitch that they can offer higher quality at lower prices by cutting out the middleman. Warby Parker pioneered this area by offering all of its eyeglasses for a single uniform price of $95. That can compare to hundreds of dollars at traditional retail. • Quality. As companies with a limited range of products, these brands are squarely

associated with the products they sell. This compares favorably with buying at Amazon or a big box store, where the actual maker is somewhere far down a global supply chain. Some of these companies promise better manufacturing practices or other socially responsible approaches to business. Also, since they are direct to consumer, some of these companies can be more nimble with offering a variety of updated options, in response to consumer demand. Betabrand, an online apparel brand, for example, has a “crowdfunding” model. New styles are introduced and get made only if enough people pledge to buy them. • Service: In order to get you to buy things online you might otherwise not,

these companies often try to offer highly responsive customer service. This can include free try-ons, free samples, free shipping and returns, and customer loyalty programs. At the same time, some people like to shop and make decisions on a purchase without having to interact with sometimespushy salespeople. But that’s not all there is to shopping on social media...

Drawbacks • Try-ons. A major reason that people don’t like to shop for glasses, clothes or matSee ONLINE SHOPPING, page 6

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ts o N rac nt Co

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By Anya Kamenetz Have you ever thought about buying a pair of pants online without trying them in real life? Or a pair of glasses? Or even a mattress? While using Facebook or Instagram, listening to podcasts or just browsing the web, you may have come across ads from brands like Betabrand, Warby Parker, Casper or Harry’s. These companies represent a growing niche in the retail marketplace: direct to consumer. They bypass traditional retail channels and sell their own products themselves using social media. These brands tend to have cachet, particularly with younger people. Nearly half

IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Jitterbug is owned by GreatCall, Inc.Your invoices will come from GreatCall. 1Monthly fees do not include government taxes or assessment surcharges and are subject to change. Plans and services may require purchase of a Jitterbug Flip and a one-time setup fee of $35. Coverage is not available everywhere. 5Star or 9-1-1 calls can only be made when cellular service is available. 5Star Service will be able to track an approximate location when your device is turned on, but we cannot guarantee an exact location. 2We will refund the full price of the Jitterbug phone and the activation fee (or setup fee) if it is returned within 30 days of purchase in like-new condition.We will also refund your first monthly service charge if you have less than 30 minutes of usage. If you have more than 30 minutes of usage, a per minute charge of 35 cents will be deducted from your refund for each minute over 30 minutes.You will be charged a $10 restocking fee.The shipping charges are not refundable.There are no additional fees to call GreatCall’s U.S.-based customer service. However, for calls to a Personal Operator in which a service is completed, you will be charged 99 cents per call, and minutes will be deducted from your monthly rate plan balance equal to the length of the call and any call connected by the Personal Operator. Jitterbug, GreatCall and 5Star are registered trademarks of GreatCall, Inc. Copyright ©2018 GreatCall, Inc. ©2018 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.

See LINKS & APPS, page 6

I N F O R M AT I O N F R E E ★

While we haven’t had a lot of snow yet this season, there’s still a chance for a big storm this month. Instead of spending hours shoveling your driveway and sidewalk, an app called SnoHub lets users connect with local people who can plow you out. Started in Connecticut last winter, Sno-

F R E E ★ I N F O R M AT I O N

❏ Park View at Columbia (see ad on page 23) ❏ Park View at Ellicott City (see ad on page 23) ❏ Park View at Emerson (see ad on page 23) ❏ Shriner Court (see ad on page 26) ❏ Somerford Place (see ad on page 3) ❏ Vantage House (see ad on page 11) Name_________________________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________________________

City______________________________________State______Zip________________

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❏ Park View at Colonial Landing (see ad on page 23)

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Please provide your e-mail address if you would like to receive of events and programs of interest. Email_________________________________________________________________

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this form to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 or fax to (410) 248-9102.

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monthly links to the Beacon online and occasional notices

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Plus six other convenient locations in Annapolis, Severna Park, Easton, Kent Island, Salisbury, and Ocean Pines

❏ Homecrest House (see ad on page 13)

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❏ Heartlands Senior Living (see ad on page 3)

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443.832.4562

❏ Charlestown/Erickson Living (see ad on page 9)

I N F O R M AT I O N

Dr. Tyler Raup, Au.D. • Mariya Hutto, Hearing Aid Dispenser

❏ Brooke Grove (see ad on page 32)

F R E E

Come by during walk-in hours to have your devices cleaned and checked! The first cleaning is free, and we work with all manufacturers.

❏ Alta at Regency Crest (see ad on page 8)

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Accepting new patients.

Housing Communities

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For free materials on housing communities and health studies, just complete and clip this coupon and mail or fax it to the Beacon.

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Free Clean and Check of ANY Brand of Hearing Aids During Our Walk-In Hours

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The Howard County Genealogical Society will host a lecture by member Ron Schwartz at a meeting on Wednesday, March 14 at 7 pm. The topic is “Ely Samuel Parker: Connections in American and World History,” and features Schwartz’s lifetime interest in, and research on, the Native American and his prominent family. The meeting will be held at the Bain 50+ Center, 5479 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia. For more information, visit hcgsmd.org or call the Bain 50+ Center at (410) 313-7213.

I N F O R M AT I O N

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A lot of customers don’t want to just buy TVs and sofas. They also want someone to come over to hang up the flat screen or put the furniture together. Launched six years ago as an online platform where people could hire profes-

Need help accessing eBooks, eAudiobooks, or streaming content on your laptop, phone or tablet? Drop in the Savage Branch library with your questions on Thursdays from 7 to 8 p.m. No registration is required. The library is located at 9525 Durness Ln., Laurel. Call (410) 313-0760 for more information.

I N F O R M AT I O N

Hire a helper

TECH THURSDAYS

F R E E

Can alcohol cause anxiety? Is Seattle the rainiest U.S. city? Why are rodents such popular lab test animals? You’ve got questions, and the website HowStuffWorks has answers to thousands of them. The site got its start in 1998 at a college professor’s kitchen table. From there, it grew into a source of unbiased, reliable, easy-to-understand answers and explanations of how the world actually works. There are now nearly 30 million visitors to the free site each month. www.howstuffworks.com

Feb. 22+

I N F O R M AT I O N

How the world works

BEACON BITS

F R E E

By Barbara Ruben

sionals to clean homes or put up a ceiling fan, the company Handy has moved into partnerships with stores and shopping sites to offer its services to customers. On Wayfair, for example, furniture buyers can also hire someone to assemble it for them as they check out. At Walmart, a test at its Atlanta stores lets shoppers hire Handy professionals at the register when they buy a TV or furniture. Handy CEO Oisin Hanrahan says people are more likely to buy a product when they can have it assembled. If the site you order from doesn’t offer Handy as an option, you can connect with one of their background-checked and insured workers (they have 80,000!) through the Handy website or app. www.handy.com; Free in the iPhone app store and from Google Play.

FREE INFORMATION ★ FREE INFORMATION ★ FREE INFORMATION ★

Beacon Links & Apps

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Technology & Innovations | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Online shopping From page 4 tresses online is, of course, that they want to try these things on in person. And this can be a big drawback to online shopping. These companies may offer trial periods and money-back guarantees, but they do that in full knowledge of a home truth of consumer psychology. That is, once the product gets into your home, it is most likely to stay there. • Marketing. Just because there are no

Links & Apps From page 5 Hub expanded to the Mid-Atlantic (including the Washington and Baltimore areas) and the Northeast this winter. Users can select if they just want their driveway plowed, or if they need sidewalks and other walkways cleared, as well as any salt-

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

sweaty salespeople breathing down your neck when you shop online for, say, mattresses, that doesn’t mean there is no unwanted marketing associated with these brands. A recent investigative report in Fast Company, a business magazine, showed that various online mattress companies offered both incentives and threats to bloggers who represented themselves as independent reviewers of mattresses. Some of these bloggers may have been earning millions of dollars. The bottom line is to take anything you read online about a product with a grain of

salt, even a supposedly “independent” review. • Locked-in. For savvy consumers, one more drawback of many online direct-to-consumer retailers is the subscription model. A mattress is likely to be a once-in-along-while purchase. But other companies specialize in products you’ll buy again and again: glasses (Warby Parker) or contacts (Hubble); razors (Harry’s) or feminine products (Lola). And a whole other category of direct-toconsumer, web-focused retailers is turning just about any product category into a sub-

scription, usually in the form of a monthly box: cosmetics, snacks, pet treats, clothing, you name it. Here’s the issue: We all get exhausted making decisions month in and month out. These companies rely on getting your credit card information once and then sending you products — whether or not you want them or need them. This can wreak havoc on your budget, even if it’s fun when you open the mail. © 2018 Anya Kamenetz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

ing desired. https://snohub.com; Free in the iPhone app store and from Google Play.

several years ago for its personalized approach to finding foods that are healthy and nutritious. Users sign up with their age, gender, weight, height and activity level, as well as health conditions and dietary goals, such as non-processed foods or vegetarian. They can also tell the app if they want to avoid MSG, high fructose corn syrup,

gluten and other things in food. The app lets users scan a product barcode to see a personalized nutrition grade (A, B, C or D) and learn about a product’s pros and cons. The app also tracks food intake and exercise, as well as the quality of calories, not just quantity. It also ferrets out ingredients that are sometimes not easy to decipher on food labels — such as trans fats, excessive or added sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Users can chat with others on the app to swap nutrition advice. This community is also available at the Fooducate website, along with recipes. www.fooducate.com; Free in the iPhone app store and from Google Play.

Eat better Fooducate won first prize in the U.S. Surgeon General Healthy App Challenge

Solo travel pricing tracker As most single travelers know, they’ll pay a price for not sharing a room or cruise ship cabin. But it can be hard to find out how much more they will have to spend or where such options are offered. Solo Trekker 4 U claims it is the only existing way to find solo travel deals by destination and trip type linked to single supplement pricing. Users can search 900 providers with 26,000 trips. Some of the best are featured on the home page — from English countryside bed and breakfasts to Sri Lanka cultural adventures. The site also includes a blog with posts about such subjects as safe solo traveling for women, and how to travel with your dog. https://solotrekker4u.com

BEACON BITS

Mar. 25

JAZZ PERMORMANCE

Jazz vocal group Cloudburst will perform Sunday, March 25 at 5 p.m. at the Other Barn, 5851 Robert Oliver Pl., Columbia. Sponsored by the Oakland Mills Community Association, tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Other Barn or by reserving through www.brownpapertickets.com. For more information, call Lavenia Nesmith at (301) 596-5128 or email lavenia_nesmith@comcast.net.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Health Fitness &

CANCER BLOOD TEST A new blood test may help doctors predict breast cancer recurrence A HEARTY SOUP Recipe for a comforting vegan lentil soup is high in protein, fiber BE A HAPPY CAMPER Consider attending a summer camp with your grandchildren RELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS How to confront violence and guilt in unhealthy relationships

Getting stronger can help prevent falls Dear Savvy Senior: pressure, back pain, depression and obesiI’ve fallen several times over the past ty. And some studies even show that it year, and my doctor has helps improve cognitive funcrecommended that I start a tion, too. strength-training program Here are some simple ways to help prevent future falls. to help you get stronger. But at age 72, I’ve never lifted weights before and Getting started could use some help. What After you get your doctor’s can you tell me? okay, consider working with a — Looking for Help professional trainer or physiDear Looking: cal therapist for a few sesWeak leg muscles and poor sions to help you develop a SAVVY SENIOR balance are two of the biggest safe and effective routine you By Jim Miller factors that cause older adults to can continue on your own. fall. After age 40, most people lose about one Or go to www.growingstronger.nutripercent of their muscle mass each year, tion.tufts.edu for a free program from which really adds up over time. Tufts University in Boston and the Centers But study after study has shown that it’s for Disease Control and Prevention. never too late to rebuild muscle through Also see www.go4life.nia.nih.gov, a restrength training. Regular resistance or source created by the National Institute on strength training can help you build mus- Aging, that offers a free exercise guide cle strength, increase your bone density that provides illustrated examples of exerand improve your balance, coordination cises you can do at home to strengthen and stamina, and will help prevent falls. your body. You can order a free copy onIt can also help reduce the signs and line or by calling 1-800-222-2225. symptoms of many chronic conditions, To improve your strength, you have to such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood keep stressing your muscles, so you’ll

need to exercise at least two or three days a week for 30 to 45 minutes, and increase resistance and the number of repetitions over time. But be sure you give your muscles a day off between workouts. It makes the muscle stronger and more able to resist future injury.

Inexpensive equipment If you work out at home, you’ll probably need to invest in some equipment. While some strength training can be done using your own body weight (like pushups, sit-ups and leg squats), there are many great tools for strength training, including hand weights, ankle weights, medicine balls, and resistance bands or rubber tubing. You can find all these products at sporting goods stores, or online at Amazon.com for around $10 or less. Cans of soup, water bottles or plastic milk containers filled with water or sand can also be used (like small hand weights) for resistance.

Take a class If you don’t like exercising alone, con-

sider joining a gym. Or call your local senior or recreation center to see if they offer any strength training exercise classes. You should also check out SilverSneakers (www.silversneakers.com, 888-423-4632) and Silver&Fit (www.silverandfit.com, 877-4274788) — fitness programs offered in thousands of fitness centers, gyms and YMCAs throughout the U.S. with special classes designed for older adults. These programs are available for free to those who have certain Medicare supplemental policies or Medicare Advantage plans. Some other good fall-prevention exercises that can help you get stronger include aerobic activities like walking, cycling or water aerobics. And to improve your balance there’s tai chi, along with a number of simple balance exercises that you can do anytime — like standing on one foot for 30 seconds, then switching to the other foot, and walking heel-to-toe across the room. Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Ways to reduce fall risk and injuries It can happen to anyone at any time. One minute you’re on your feet; the next you’re on the ground. Falls are the leading cause of all non-fatal injuries, and the most common reason for visits to the emergency room. One in five falls results in a significant injury, such as head trauma or broken wrists, hips, legs or ankles. Falls are also the second leading cause of injury-related deaths behind motor vehicle accidents. “We often associate falls with children or the elderly, but in fact 50- to 60-year olds experience more falls than older individuals,” said Dr. Allison Averill director of neurorehabilitation, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (www.kessler-rehab.com). “And while falling at some point in time is inevitable, there are ways to protect yourself from serious injury by cre-

ating a safer environment in and around your home, and also by learning how to fall,” Averill said.

To reduce fall risk: Eliminate clutter. Keep pathways clear by moving furniture or removing throw rugs, toys and other obstacles in the home, as well as tools, hoses and other items outdoors. Focus on safety. Make sure rooms are well lit, and use handrails on stairways and grab bars in the bath or shower. Outdoors, pay attention to the pavement or other surfaces and weather conditions. Even at the market or the mall, watch the flooring, displays and other potential hazards. Build your balance. Developing core strength and flexibility through ex-

ercise and/or physical therapy, along with training like tai chi, may help improve balance. Check your eyes and your meds. Poor eyesight, certain medications, and even your diet — as well as the effects of arthritis, MS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke and other medical conditions — can affect balance and coordination and lead to falls. See a physician if you experience any difficulties.

If you start to fall: Understanding the science of falling is critical. Studies have shown that it’s not whether you slip on a wet or icy surface, trip over a rug or a crack in the sidewalk, or fall down a flight of stairs, but rather what you do in those brief seconds before you reach the ground: Protect your head. Falls are the #1

cause of traumatic brain injury in the United States, accounting for nearly half of these injuries. To help minimize the risk, try to tuck your head toward your chest if falling backward, and turn your head to the side if falling forward. Reach and relax. Although it’s natural to tense up, try to stay loose and reach with your arms bent to help cushion your fall. Butt first. Falls are the second leading cause of spinal cord injuries. To help distribute the impact of a fall, try to land on the fleshier parts of your body and roll with the fall. For more information, visit www.kesslerrehab.com. Kessler Institute is one of seven federally-designated model systems in the nation for the treatment and research of both traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Health Shorts Blood test helps predict recurrent breast cancer A blood test five years after breast cancer treatment helped identify some women who were more likely to relapse — long before a lump or other signs appeared — a preliminary study found.

It was the largest experiment so far to use these tests, called liquid biopsies, for breast cancer. Results suggest they someday may help reveal which women need longer preventive therapy and which ones can be spared it. “It could be providing an early warning sign” for some women that cancer is returning, said Dr. Joseph Sparano of Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care in New York, who led the study. On the other hand, “if you had a negative test, there was a 98 percent chance you would not have a recurrence in the next two years,” and perhaps could skip

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

further treatment, he said. The test — CellSearch, sold by Menarini-Silicon Biosystems — looks for stray cancer cells in the blood. Breast cancer survivors may be tempted to rush out and get it, but doctors say it’s too soon for that. Although it’s been used for about a decade to monitor certain patients with advanced cancer during treatment, its value for helping to predict breast cancer relapse risk is not well established, and insurers won’t pay the $600 to $900 tab. The study involved 547 women in longterm follow-up from an earlier cancer drug study. Two-thirds of them had cancers fueled by estrogen, and in most cases it had spread to lymph nodes but not more widely. All had surgery and chemotherapy followed by hormone-blocking medicines for five years. Guidelines now recommend considering hormone blockers for up to 10 years, but they have side effects and their benefit beyond five years is fairly small. So finding a way to tell who really needs that would be a big help. Women in the study had a CellSearch test five years on average after their cancer was found and treated. Among those with estrogen-fueled disease, 5 percent had cancer cells in the blood test, and they turned out to have a 22-fold higher risk of recurrence within roughly two years compared to women whose blood test was negative. About 65 percent of women with hormone-positive disease and a positive blood test did not have a new breast cancer within two years. The blood test seemed to do a good job of identifying which of these hormone-positive patients were at low risk of recurrence, suggesting that women who test negative may be able to forgo an additional five years of hormone-blocking medicines. The test did not predict recurrence risk in the rest of the women in the study,

whose tumors were not fueled by estrogen. They have a lower risk of recurrence after five years to start with. — AP

New diabetic drug helps with weight loss U.S. regulators recently approved a new diabetes drug that reduces blood sugar levels and also helps people lose significant weight. Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its once-a-week shot for people with Type 2 diabetes. The drug, Ozempic, also known as semaglutide, works by stimulating the body’s own insulin production and reducing appetite. In one big company-funded study, Ozempic, on average, reduced long-term blood sugar levels at least 2 1/2 times as much as a popular daily diabetes pill, Merck & Co.’s Januvia. It also helped study participants lose two to three times as much weight as those in the comparison group. Over 56 weeks, patients who got a lower dose of Ozempic lost an average of 9.5 pounds, while those who got a higher dose lost 13.5 pounds. The patients who took Januvia lost an average of 4 pounds. Novo Nordisk, a leader in diabetes care, has also been testing the drug separately for weight loss alone. The new drug comes in injector pens, and costs about the same as similar weekly drugs: $676 for a four- to six-week supply without insurance. Novo Nordisk already sells a similar once-a-day shot, Victoza. Ozempic will compete with other popular once-a-week drugs in the same class, including Eli Lilly and Co.’s Trulicity and AstraZeneca PLC’s Bydureon, which don’t produce as much weight loss. — AP

BEACON BITS

Mar. 13

ACCESSIBLE EQUIPMENT DEMO

On Tuesday, March 13, Ellicott City 50+ Center will focus on tools that promote independence, offering a demonstration table featuring high tech and manufactured tools, information on where to purchase them, and related programs in the community. The demonstration starts at 10 a.m. and ends at noon. The center is located at 9401 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. To learn more about the event, call the center at (410) 313-1400.

Mar. 23+

CANCER SELF-MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Howard County General Hospital will hold a free six-week cancer self-management workshop on Fridays from March 23 through May 4 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the hospital’s Wellness Center, 10710 Charter Dr., Columbia. The sessions will provide information and practical tools to help people with cancer and their caregivers manage symptoms and perform everyday tasks. For more information and to register, visit www.hcgh.org or call (410) 740-7601.

Feb. 26+

DIVERSITY FILM FESTIVAL

Howard Community College will host a Diversity Film Festival from Feb. 26 to March 2. The collection of films, which span the past 30 years, honors the diversity within the college and the broader community. Free and open to the public, the festival features daily showings in the college’s Monteabaro Recital Hall, located in the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. With the immigrant experience as its theme, the festival will open Monday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. with a presentation by George Clack, with the Howard County chapter of Indivisible, who will host a Q&A after the first showing of A Better Life. Visit www.howardcc.edu/filmfestivals for up-to-date information about the film festival.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Be a happy camper with your grandchild If you attended a camp as a child or some of their old passions. If you’ve ever teenager, you might remember the mean- traveled with your grandchildren before ingful experiences you enand enjoyed yourself, think of joyed, or the long-lasting camping as another experifriendships you forged. You ence to spend some vacation may also yearn to go back to time with your grandkids. those days of s’mores, singThe summer before last, I alongs and summer sun. went on a vacation with my The good news? Just begrandparents to Alaska. We encause you are no longer a kid joyed some camp-like activities doesn’t mean you can’t go to together, including hiking, camp. photography and nature walks. There has been a recent inThis experience not only alGENERATIONS crease in the number of op- TOGETHER lowed me to experience the portunities for grandparents By Alexis Bentz beauty of America’s largest and their grandchildren to state, but it brought me a lot bond at “grandcamps.” Not only will this closer to my grandparents. allow you to once again partake in the fun A camp can be just as powerful. Both of a summer camp experience, but it can teens and grandparents will be able to spend also allow you to develop stronger relation- some meaningful time together, and bond ships with your grandchildren. over fun and interesting camp activities. Camps are an ideal way for children or Camp will also give both generations the opteens to experience independence for the portunity to make new friends of both ages. first time. Grandcamps are no exception, beHow will you find a camp that sounds cause many don’t allow parents to come — right for both you and your grandchild? only grandchildren and their grandparents. Fortunately, there are plenty of options to Grandcamps are a great way to introduce a choose from, each with unique activities child to the idea of going to sleep-away camp and focuses. in the future. They won’t be completely on For nature and sports lovers, Sierra their own because their grandparents will be Club’s Just for Grandparents and Grandthere, so they will have the comfort of a famil- kids — which gives campers opportunities iar face. Still, they will be separated from their to hike, skate, swim and more — could be parents and exposed to what camp is all the perfect fit. about. For a historical experience, a stay at HisThey will also get to truly be them- torical Virginia camp could be a blast. selves, and won’t have to worry about the Campers can actually weave baskets and pressure to “fit in” that they might experi- cook over an open hearth while enjoying ence at home. At a camp, they can let loose colonial music. and have a great time. More of an artsy type? At Sagamore Camps can be just as beneficial for the Summer Camp’s “Grand Camp,” attendees grandparents. Going to camp enables can create crafts, barn dance, and particithem to get a vacation, relax and revisit pate in music programs and talent shows.

Some universities — including the University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University and Winona State University in Minnesota — offer a slightly different type of grandcamp, in which campers can stay in university housing and take classes together. If you are a person of faith, some church camps offer grandparent-grandchild experiences. And they tend to be less expensive than some other camps. Doing a search online for “grandparent grandchild camps” can help you to find the perfect option for yourself and your grandchildren. Don’t have grandkids? You can still enjoy a “homemade” camp experience by

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BEACON BITS

Mar. 1+

RETIREMENT FINANCES COURSE

Howard County Community College has scheduled an evening course on retirement planning for Thursday, March 1 and Thursday, March 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at its Gateway Campus, 6751 Gateway Dr., Columbia. Those 60 and over pay $52. For further information or to register, visit www.howardcc.edu or call (443) 518-1700.

Mar. 9

camping out in your backyard with a friend or other young family member, and planning some fun activities: perhaps roasting marshmallows, bird-watching, star-gazing and telling ghost stories. Regardless, enjoy the opportunity that a grandcamp, official or homemade, gives you to get closer with a special member of the younger generation. Some of the many websites where you can search for grandparent/grandchild camps include: www.grandparents.com, www.roadscholar.org, www.stratfordhall.org, and www.grandcamps.org, a ministry of a Christian grandparenting organization. Alexis Bentz is a 10th grade student at Wootton High School in Rockville, Md.

There’s no risk in learning more! Call 1-800-989-6981 or visit CharlestownCommunity.com.

CPR INSTRUCTION

A free one-hour presentation of hands only CPR instruction will be held on Saturday, March 9 at 9:30 a.m. at the Other Barn, 5851 Robert Oliver Pl., Columbia. For more information, visit www. oaklandmills.org, call (410) 730-4610, or email events@oaklandmills.org.

Catonsville 12620106

CharlestownCommunity.com

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Comforting lentil soup doesn’t need meat By Melissa D’Arabian Rich bean soups are classic winter comfort food. They are filling, healthy and inexpensive, making them a worthy addition to the menu rotation. The downside to dried bean cookery is the time it takes to soak and then cook beans. Canned beans are a reasonable substitute, although they cost more than three times the price of their dried, bagged counterparts. An easy, money-saving solution is lentils, which you can find easily at any grocery

store, next to the dried beans. Brown lentils — the type you’ll most likely find in inexpensive bags next to the rice — don’t require any soaking (although a good rinse is recommended), and are cooked to tender perfection in about a half hour. Don’t let the cheap price fool you: the everyday brown lentil is a nutrition powerhouse. One serving has over 8 grams of filling fiber, 9 grams of protein, and a nice array of vitamins and minerals, including over half the daily requirement of folate

and nearly 20 percent of our daily iron. Lentils themselves have an earthy, mild flavor, so they easily take on the flavors of other ingredients. Today’s recipe for Smoky Lentil Soup is all plant-based, which means it’s truly jam-packed with health-boosting foods, but it’s also full of flavor. It gets its smokiness from smoked paprika instead of the traditional ham bone, and little bit of cumin. Finely chopped mushrooms add meaty depth of flavor, and I use small cubes of butternut squash instead of classic carrots for just a touch of sweetness. A bonus: the entire dish cost about $10 to make, and you’ll probably have leftovers. Meatless Monday fans, this may be your new favorite dish.

Smoky (Vegan) Lentil Soup Servings: 8 Start to finish: 45 minutes, including cook time 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups chopped) 1 stalk celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup chopped) 4 ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped (about 1 cup chopped) 1 1/4 cup cubed butternut squash (1/2inch cube) (or substitute chopped carrot) 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning (or dried oregano) 3 cups vegetable stock

Letters to editor From page 2 I will be tracking down my medications (some of which I have taken for years), and explore how much my insurance company is paying for them. When my internist tells me to take some drugs, I do so. No other suggestions are considered. Your comments add substance to my own concerns over accepting any “wonderful savings” on supposedly great deals that I encounter.

2-3 cups water 1/2 pound dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked through (about 1 1/4 cup) 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or wine vinegar) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, if needed In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven, soften the onion, celery and mushrooms in the olive oil over medium heat, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the squash, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder and Italian herbs and cook for another five minutes, stirring frequently. Onion should be quite soft now. Add the stock, 2 cups of the water, the lentils and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce heat, cover partially with a lid, and let simmer until lentils and squash are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. If the mixture gets too thick, add up to another cup of water. Once soup is cooked, remove 1 to 2 cups of the soup to a blender and very carefully blend on low until somewhat smooth. Pour the thickened, blended soup back into the pot and stir. Stir in vinegar and taste for salt. Add the salt only if needed. Chef’s note: green lentils may also be used, but add about 10 minutes of cooking time. Nutrition information per serving: 155 calories; 22 calories from fat; 3 g. fat (0 g. saturated; 0 g. trans fats); 0 mg. cholesterol; 328 mg. sodium; 27 g. carbohydrate; 7 g. fiber; 4 g. sugar; 8 g. protein. — AP I enjoyed your superb editorial, encourage you to continue, and will continue to be a devoted follower. Louis P. Solomon Via email Dear Editor: Thank you for editorial last month, “A bitter pill.” I found it most interesting and informative, and I applaud your courage. I shared a link to your article with many of my friends. Harriet Gordon Silver Spring, Md.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

LOW INCOME HOUSING INFORMATION The Howard County Department of Housing’s Moderate Income

Housing Program requires developers of new housing in specific zoning district to sell or rent a portion (usually 10 to 15 percent) of the dwelling to eligible households of moderate income. To learn more or to see if your household qualifies, visit http://bit.ly/HoCoModerateIncomeHousing or call (410) 313-6343.

Mar. 27

PHOTOGRAPHER DAVE ROE Photographer Dave Roe’s exhibit, “An Eclectic View of the World,” will open Tuesday, March 27 at the Artists’ Gallery, 8197 Main

St., Ellicott City. A reception for Roe will be held at the gallery on Saturday, April 7 at 4 p.m. For gallery hours and more information, visit www.artistsgalleryec.com or call (443) 325-5936.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

For those who would like to take up a new art or craft — or perhaps return to an old passion that had been set aside for years — here are some area programs that provide adult arts classes: Artipre Art Institute of Maryland, Ellicott City, http://artipre.com, (410) 465-7788 Bead Soup, Savage, (240) 456-4568, www.bead-soup.com The ClayGround Studio and Gallery, Ellicott City, (443) 812-1158, www.claygroundonline.com Columbia Art Center, (410) 730-0075, http://bit.ly/columbia-art-center Howard County Community College continuing education, Columbia, (443) 518-1000, http://bit.ly/HCC-senior-classes

Howard County Office on Aging 50+ Centers, (410) 313-6400, www.howardcountymd.gov/50pluscenters Howard County Recreation and Parks, (410) 313-4700, http://bit.ly/ Recreation-classes Howard County Arts Council, Ellicott City, (410) 313-2787, http:// bit.ly/hoco-arts-council Kidera Fine Art, Woodbine, (410) 489-0431, www.kiderafineart.com

The Queen’s Ink, https://queensink. com/, (301) 497-9449 Roxy’s Art, Savage, www.roxys-art.com, (301) 776-8285 Amateur artists 50 and above are encouraged to enter their works of art in an upcoming regional competition sponsored by the Beacon. Our Celebration of the Arts competition will open April 1. Read the Beacon in coming months for further details, or visit our website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.com.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Facing violence and guilt in relationships Dear Solutions: him. Tell her to remember this: The first I’m ver y concerned about my time you get hit, you’re a victim. The next granddaughter, who is contime, you’re a volunteer. sidering marr ying her Dear Solutions: boyfriend. She is confiding I’ve been seeing a man, in me and asked me, “Can and although I like him, I someone love you and still don’t feel as connected to hit you at the same time?” him as he seems to be to She says she knows her me. boyfriend loves her and One of his children and wants to marr y her, but one of mine live in Califorwhen he gets very angry he nia, and I haven’t seen my lashes out at her physicalson for many months. ly. They’re making wedding SOLUTIONS Now my boyfriend has plans, but she says that By Helen Oxenberg, offered to take me to Calilast week he punched her MSW, ACSW fornia for a birthday celein the face, and she still bration at his daughter’s has the bruise. house and wants to come with me to He says he loves her and promised visit my son and his family. I will that it won’t happen again. She asked spend time at his daughter’s house, me if she should believe him. Please but I want time alone with my son, help me answer her. who’s going through a divorce, and — Aggravated with my little granddaughter. Dear Aggravated: My friend always wants to spend as Tell her to look in the mirror and be- much time as possible with me, so I lieve her face! Tell her that violence is not don’t know what to say to him about about love. It’s about control. He wants her not coming with me to visit my son. I to do what he wants her to do no matter feel guilty doing this because he’s paywhat, and he doesn’t know how to handle ing for the whole trip. anger. How do I tell him, and what do I do He needs to get a lot of professional help with the guilt? before she can even consider marrying — Ellen

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

NOMINATE AN ATHLETE

The Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks is seeking nominees for its 2018 Community Sports Hall of Fame to recognize individuals who have gained prominence in, or made substantial contributions to, community recreational sports in Howard County. The deadline is Sunday, April 15. Nomination forms are available online at www.howardcountymd.gov/halloffame or by calling the Department of Recreation & Parks at (410) 313-4711.

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Dear Ellen: Put the guilt in an envelope and give it to a friend to hold for you until you get back from the trip. Your boyfriend is doing this for both of you. He wants you to share the birthday with him at his daughter’s house, so it’s his choice to pay for the trip. Be clear before you go. Accept this gift graciously, but tell him that you hope he’ll understand your need for time alone with your son since you haven’t seen him in a long time. This will also give him time

alone with his daughter, which she probably wants. So there’s something in it for both of you. And if you miss the guilt, you can pick it up from your friend on the way back from the airport. Enjoy! © Helen Oxenberg, 2018. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

A Publication from the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence

Volume 8, No. 3 • March 2018

Women’s Hall of Fame Welcomes 2018 Inductees

ach year in March, National Women’s History Month, the Women’s Hall of Fame (WHOF) inducts up to five Howard County women who have made significant contributions to the County, the State of Maryland or the nation. This year the Commission for Women has selected three outstanding Howard County women for induction in the 2018 WHOF: Patricia Emard Greenwald; Debra Ann Slack Katz; and Joan Webb Scornaienchi. Through leadership, vision, and ingenuity, Patricia Emard Greenwald has enriched the lives of thousands of area adults and children through education, horticulture and historic preservation. Shawn Gladden, executive director of the Howard County Historical Society describes Pat as “a dedicated advocate for Historical Education and Preservation and very deserving of this honor.” While working as G/T Resource teacher, Pat coordinated her students’ efforts to save the Pfeiffer’s Corner Schoolhouse from demolition, which sparked her passion for historic preservation. Since then, she has been instrumental in the rehabilitation of three schoolhouses in addition to her own historic home, Salopha, which dates to 1720. Warren Dorsey, 97, the oldest living graduate of the nowrestored Sykesville Colored Schoolhouse, said, “Pat breathed life into the project, awakened our whole community to provide materials and services and helped to relight a beacon of hope for all of us.” Youth groups and adults now regularly visit the facility to participate in a variety of meaningful experiences addressing diversity. Currently, Pat is helping to renovate the Second Ellicott Quaker School as a “hands-on” Howard County Children’s Museum portraying mill town life. Debra Ann Slack Katz is the corporate director of Safe Resident Handling at Genesis Health Care. A registered nurse for 43 years, Debbie epitomizes the selflessness, compassion and caring traits of her profession, and has used them to better Howard County. Her family’s roots in Howard County can be traced for 13 generations, and her mother, Doris Thompson Slack, was inducted into the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009. A consummate volunteer, Debbie was appointed by County Executive Allan Kittleman to chair the Historic Ellicott City Flood Workgroup, co-founded the Ellicott City Historic District Partnership (now the ECP) and is a member of the Ellicott City Master Plan Advisory Committee. Fellow Partnership board

It is an honor to recognize this year’s inductee class for all that they have done and continue to do to make Howard County a better place. Through their significant contributions to Howard County in historic preservation, public health, leadership, volunteerism and education, these three women are exemplary role models and an inspiration for future generations. — Allan H. Kittleman Howard County Executive member David Myers says, “Debbie’s commitment and enthusiasm is infectious; it’s the reason I became involved in our Ellicott City community. The information she brings to the table has been a huge benefit in the aftermath of the 2016 flood.” ECP co-founder Lexi Levi Milani agrees. “Debbie serves with no other agenda than making her hometown the best it can be and she is incredibly forward-thinking about how to keep Ellicott City vital.” A graduate of Leadership Howard County, Debbie has also worked on both County and State political campaigns, as a lobbyist in Washington, DC, and served on over 24 boards and commissions. Joan Webb Scornaienchi is passionate about mentoring, educating and advocating for women and youth in particular. When she became executive director of HC DrugFree in 2009, she brought a strong background as an educational and grant administrator from the Maryland Department of Education, which, combined with her passion and keen vision, helped create a valuable nonprofit in Howard County and in Maryland. “What makes Joan distinct is her ability and passion for saving lives through education, modeling and being accessible,” says Becky Mangus, publisher of The Business Monthly, “She never lets youth feel they are alone when facing substance use and homelessness; and is an ongoing resource for parents and the community.” The recipient of numerous awards for her service to the community, Joan has been named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women three times and was inducted into the Circle of Excellence for sustained achievement and commitment to mentoring. She is the past chair of the Howard County Commission for Women, chair of the Howard County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Board, vice chair of the Howard County Public School System’s Health Council and serves on the HCPSS Mental Health Task Force. The Howard County Commission for Women will host the Women’s Hall of Fame 2018 Induction Ceremony, Thursday, March 22, 7:00 p.m. in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building in Ellicott City. The event is free and open to the public.

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

The 50+ Connection

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Fibs Your Landlord Might Tell You... Or Forget to Mention By Rebecca Bowman, Administrator, Howard County Office of Consumer Protection

It can be hard to find an affordable apartment or house, so you may be tempted to jump at a place that fits your budget. But it can cost you more later if you don’t take the time to verify a landlord’s promises and ask about terms that aren’t mentioned. The following “promises” and potential issues are prime examples.

“It’s a standard lease; you don’t need to read it” Take the time to read through your lease terms to make sure you’re not missing anything. Yes, it’ll take some time. And no, it’s not particularly fun. But it’s more fun than getting caught by surprise with no legal recourse down the line.

“This place is in move-in condition” Don’t sign a lease until you see the property. And, make sure you aren’t penalized for a prior tenant’s damages by asking the landlord to walk through the unit with you and document (in writing or with pictures) existing damages such as carpet stains or broken floor tiles. Also, look for evidence of pests, rodents or mold. If the landlord promises to make repairs, be sure to get it in writing.

“This is a great neighborhood” Your prospective landlord probably won’t mention that the house next door is occupied by loud, obnoxious people who never seem to go to work or go to bed. Similarly, he probably won’t tell you if the neighborhood has traffic problems or is a high crime area. Before signing a lease, do some research and visit the property at different times of the day and night. You may also get good information by talking with people you see walking a dog or going to work in the corner store.

Connections Social Day Programs offer adults who need guidance and supervision a place to stay active, have fun, and remain connected to the community. Want to see for yourself what Connections is all about? Connect with the Connections Social Day Program at Ellicott City on March 2, from 11:00 a.m. to noon as our members create works of art with the help of a ceramics instructor (small fee applies). Each month a new, fun program will be available. For more information or to register, call 410-313-1425.

When will the landlord drop by? Obviously, a landlord needs access to the property to make repairs and to ensure that you are properly maintaining the unit. But you’ll want some advance notice for non-emergency visits. Make sure the lease states when and under what circumstances the landlord can enter the property.

Are they visitors or roommates? Some landlords are very strict about the number of people who live in their properties. Extra people can cause parking or noise issues and additional wear and tear. Don’t assume your apartment can be your friend’s second home. Review the lease and ask your landlord about any restrictions on how many and how often you can have others stay with you.

“No pets” REALLY means no pets! Dogs and cats (ferrets, snakes, and birds) can cause major damage to a rental property, which is why some landlords don’t allow them. Others charge pet deposits or extra rent to protect themselves. Check the lease and don’t assume that your pet will go unnoticed.

Visit us at www.howardcountymd.gov/landlordtenant or contact us at consumer@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-6420.

Saturday, March 3 East Columbia Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia

Learn How to Identify ID Theft & Scams! 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. How to select a tax preparer, find free tax preparation services and avoid tax-related scams and ID theft.

FREE Document Shredding 11:00 am to 2:00 p.m. The 50+ Connection is published monthly by the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence. This publication is available in alternate formats upon request. To join our subscriber list, email kahenry@howardcountymd.gov 6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., Suite 200, Columbia, MD 21046 410-313-6410 (VOICE/RELAY) • www.howardcountymd.gov/aging Find us on

www.Facebook.com/HoCoCommunity

Kim Higdon Henry, Editor • Email: kahenry@howardcountymd.gov Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the Office on Aging and Independence or by the publisher.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

The 50+ Connection

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Eating Right Can Reduce Fall Risks for Older Adults

Eating well and staying active can make a dramatic difference in the quality of life for older adults. In fact, you are never too old to enjoy the benefits of improved nutrition and fitness. As you get older, your food choices become even more important to your health. Source: eatright.org

Independence (OAI). Eating the right amount of protein helps older adults preserve muscle mass, fight infections, recover from injury or surgery, reduce falls, and maintain independence. “If the body is deprived of essential nutrients, especially protein, it is considered malnourished,” she explains, “Malnutrition can lead to decreased lean muscle mass and diminished muscle strength, which can increase your fall risk.” Johnston suggests talking to your health care provider or a registered dietitian about your Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) to find the amount of dietary protein that’s right for you. OAI’s new evidence-based program, Stepping Up Your Nutrition can help older adults better understand the correlation between nutrition and fall risk. This nutritional approach to fall prevention helps participants explore their eating habits to determine whether they are contributing to, or protecting against their risk of falling. The next session will be held at the Elkridge 50+ Center on Tuesday, March 27, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. There is a fee of $5 to participate.

For more information or to register, contact Carla Johnston at cjohnston@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-3506.

March is National Nutrition Month Each March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates National Nutrition Month® to reinforce the importance of developing sound eating and physical activity habits. “Go Further with Food” — the theme for 2018 — encourages us to achieve the numerous benefits healthy eating habits offer, while urging us to cut back on food waste. When it comes to nutrition, older adults in particular need to focus on food quality, not quantity. Aim for a diet with fewer total calories, with more nutrients per calorie, especially protein, B-vitamins and calcium. In other words, make every calorie count. For a healthy eating plan, visit www.eatright.org or attend a free nutritional workshop, offered at most Howard County 50+ centers. Nutrition also plays an important role in fall prevention, according to Carla Johnston, of the Howard County Office on Aging and

Living Well with

HYPERTENSION

CHRONIC CONDITIONS

The Village in Howard

Columbia Association

6061 Stevens Forest Road Columbia, MD 21045

6310 Hillside Court, Suite 100 Columbia, MD 21046

Friday, March 16 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Wednesdays • 6:00 – 8:30 PM March 7, 14, 21, 28 • April 4, 11 Course materials will be provided, and can be purchased on-site for a nominal fee.

5 fee covers course cost and all materials for this 2 1/2 hour workshop

To achieve the most benefits from this program, we encourage a commitment to attend all six sessions.

To register or for more information, contact: Carla Johnston, Health and Wellness Coordinator Howard County Office on Aging and Independence FOR DETAILS ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS, VISIT US AT cjohnston@howardcountymd.gov • 410-313-3506 (VOICE /RELAY) www.howardcountymd.gov/livingwell

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The 50+ Connection

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Howard County 50+ Centers

SPOTLIGHT ON THE NEWLY RENOVATED

ELKRIDGE 50+CENTER! www.howardcountymd.gov/50pluscenters for all 50+ Center events

Long-Awaited Elkridge 50+ Center Opens Its Doors By Terri Hansen, Howard County Office on Aging and Independence

n September 2014, County officials began meeting with architects from Grimm + Parker to plan a new 50+ Center and Library in Elkridge. After more than a year of planning and public meetings, Howard County broke ground for the new Charles I. Ecker campus. Over the past 18 months, county officials have worked with the architects and the builder, Costello Construction, to bring the Elkridge community two fabulous new buildings in one — the Elkridge 50+ Center and the Elkridge branch of the Howard County Library System.

meet with information specialists from Maryland Access Point of Howard County; and learn about all the services provided by the Office on Aging and Independence and other offices of the Department of Community Resources and Services.

For a list of Elkridge opening week events, see below, or call 410-313-5192 for details or to register.

All are welcome to join County Executive Allan H. Kittleman for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 50+ Center and Library on Saturday, March 10 at 9:45 a.m. There will be opportunities to tour both sites and learn what each has to offer. The 50+ Center will be open for tours starting at 10 a.m. and the library will be open during regular Saturday hours.

Elkridge 50+ Center Grand Re-Opening!

Don’t miss this very exciting occasion... it’s definitely one for the Elkridge history books!

6540 Washington Blvd., Elkridge 21075

Can’t wait to see the new Elkridge 50+ Center? Join us for a “before the ribbon-cutting” preview on Monday, March 5, beginning at 8 a.m. The Elkridge center staff has planned a full slate of events for Monday, March 5 through Friday, March 9 to introduce the community to the newly-expanded facility. Opening week events include health and wellness presentations and demonstrations, tours of the facility, tasting events and equipment orientations in the new 50+ Fitness Center. Those interested in joining the center or renewing their membership can register and receive a new picture ID membership card. Five times the size of the original center, the new Elkridge 50+ Center boasts a comfortable lounge with a fireplace, two classrooms and a multi-purpose room for large events which can be divided into two medium-sized classrooms. Wi-Fi is available throughout the building, with several areas designed for laptop users; if you don’t have your own laptop, you can borrow one for use in the building. The Fitness Center offers a full range of equipment, including treadmills, recumbent bikes, elliptical machines, ADA-compliant total body recumbent steppers, a leg press and seated rowing machine, a functional trainer and free-weights for strength building. Members interested in using the Fitness Center can either pay a $ 5 per day drop-in fee or join the GO50+ program ($75 per year for Howard County residents and $100 per year for non residents). GO50+ members can use the fitness facilities at the Elkridge and Ellicott City 50+ Centers, as well the Gary J. Arthur, North Laurel and Roger Carter Community Centers. Visit the new Elkridge 50+ Center soon to learn about all the new programs and enrichment opportunities. Sign up for a fitness or art class, register for classes offered by Howard Community College;

Monday, March 5 • 8:30 a.m. OPENING WEEK EVENTS MONDAY, MARCH 5 9:30 -12:30 ....... Posture Screenings 12:00 noon......... Tasting Event 1:00 - 4:30 ......... Maryland Insurance Administration

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 9:00 - 10:00 ....... Agewell Exercise Class 11:00 - noon ...... Qi Gong Demonstration 11:00 - noon ...... Seated Massages 11:30 - 1:00 ....... Lunch & Learn: Health & Wellness Programs 12:30 - 3:30 ....... Fitness Center Orientation (register in advance)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 9:30-12:30 ......... Posture Screenings 10:00 - 12:00 ..... Fitness Evaluations 10:00 - 11:00 ..... Art with Pastels 12:00 noon......... Tasting Event

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 9:00 - 10:00 ....... Agewell Exercise Class 9:30-12:30 ......... Posture Screenings 12:00 noon......... Tasting Event 2:00 - 4:00 ......... Seated Massages

FRIDAY, MARCH 9 10:00 - 12:00 ..... Mental Health Screening 10:00 - 11:00 ..... Yoga Demonstration 12:00 noon......... Tasting Event 12:30 - 3:30 ....... Fitness Center Orientations (register in advance)

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Money Law &

TECH TITANS Prices are surging for tech stocks around the globe. Some expect strong growth, but others are worried about a pullback GIVING AWAY THE STORE Think twice when offered a store credit card, which can cause your credit score to drop in several ways

Simplify finances — for you and your heirs By Liz Weston Simplifying and organizing our financial lives can make things easier for us while we’re alive and for our survivors when we’re not. This task becomes more urgent as we age. Our financial decision-making abilities generally peak around age 53, researchers have found, while rates of cognitive decline and dementia start to climb at age 60. Over time, we tend to become more vulnerable to fraud, scams, unethical advisers and bad judgment, said financial literacy expert Lewis Mandell, author of What to Do When I Get Stupid. Cleaning up our finances early can help protect us. Some steps to take:

Consolidate financial accounts Fewer accounts are easier to monitor for suspicious transactions and overlapping investments, plus you may save money on account fees. Your employer may allow you to transfer old 401(k) and IRA accounts into its plan, or you can consolidate them into one IRA. For simplicity, consider swapping individ-

ual stocks and bonds for professionally managed mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (but check with a tax pro before you sell any investments held outside retirement funds). Consider moving scattered bank accounts under one roof, but keep in mind that FDIC insurance is generally limited to $250,000 per depositor per institution.

mends her older clients keep just two credit cards: one for everyday purchases and another for automatic bill payments. But note: Closing accounts can hurt credit scores, so wait until you’re reasonably sure you won’t need to apply for a loan before you start dramatically pruning.

Set up a watchdog Automate payments Memory lapses can lead to missed payments, late fees and credit score damage, which can in turn drive up the cost of borrowing and insurance. You can set up regular recurring payments in your bank’s bill payment system, have other bills charged to a credit card, and set up an automatic payment so the card balance is paid in full each month. Head off bounced-transaction fees with true overdraft protection, which taps a line of credit or a savings account to pay overlimit transactions.

Prune credit cards Certified financial planner Carolyn McClanahan in Jacksonville, Fla., recom-

Identify someone you want making decisions for you if you’re incapacitated. Use software or a lawyer to create two durable powers of attorney — one for finances, one for healthcare. You don’t have to name the same person in both, but do name backups in case your original choice can’t serve. Consider naming someone younger, because someone your age or older could become impaired at the same time you do, said Carolyn Rosenblatt, an elder-law attorney in San Rafael, Calif., who runs AgingParents.com. Grant online access to your accounts, or at least talk about where your trusted person can find the information she’ll need, Rosenblatt recommends. Also create “in case of emergency” files that your trusted person or heirs will need.

These might include: • Your will or living trust • Medical directives, powers of attorney, living wills • Birth, death and marriage certificates • Military records • Social Security cards • Car titles, property deeds and other ownership documents • Insurance policies • A list of your financial accounts • Contact information for your attorney, tax pro, financial adviser and insurance agent • Photocopies of passports, driver’s licenses and credit cards A safe deposit box is not the best repository, because your trusted person may need access to its contents outside bank hours. A fireproof safe bolted to a floor in your home, or at minimum a locked file cabinet, may be better, as long as you share the combination or key (or its location) with your trusted person. Scanning paperwork and keeping an encrypted copy in the cloud could help you or someone else recreate your financial life if the originals are lost or destroyed. — AP

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Is more tech in mutual funds a good thing? By Stan Choe As technology takes over more of people’s daily lives, it’s also taking over everbigger chunks of their retirement accounts. Surging prices for technology stocks around the world mean the industry is making up a larger proportion of global markets. In the United States, Apple, Google’s parent company, and other tech companies account for nearly 24 percent of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. A decade ago, they made up less than 17 percent of S&P 500 index funds. The makeover is even more dramatic overseas, where ascendant companies like China’s Tencent and Alibaba have quickly stormed into the ranks of the world’s largest. As a result, investing in many stock funds has increasingly become a bet on technology companies. That could be reassuring for investors, given how tech companies have been able to deliver big profit growth for years, even when global economic growth was only middling. But it’s also a concern for skeptics who see tech stocks as overly pricey and primed for a pullback. The worries came into starker relief late last year, after tech stocks tumbled more than the rest of the market.

Tech in emerging markets To see how the tech takeover is changing investing, consider mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that focus on stocks from emerging markets. These kinds of funds offer access to growth in China and other developing economies. A decade ago, these funds were dominated by hulking telecoms, energy companies, and the commodity producers that feasted on fast growth in construction and factory activity. They included China Mobile, the Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, and Russia’s Gazprom natural-gas company. In late 2007, technology companies made up less than 11 percent of Vanguard’s Emerging Markets Stock Index fund. But in the ensuing years, tech companies like Tencent and Alibaba grew to serve hundreds of millions of users buying things with their mobile phones, chatting online and listening to music. Now the Vanguard fund, which is the largest emerging-market stock fund by assets, has almost twice as much of its portfolio apportioned to technology stocks. Its biggest single holding is Tencent, the company behind the popular WeChat messaging app and other products. “It’s a sign of the times,” said Patricia Ribeiro, senior portfolio manager at the American Century Emerging Markets and

Emerging Markets Small Cap funds. “In the emerging space, it’s a story about the consumer.” The shift toward technology stocks and away from old-economy companies is a result of the rise of emerging markets’ middle classes, which are increasingly going online and also benefiting from the world’s voracious demand for technology, she said. Ribeiro has 33 percent of her Emerging Markets fund invested in technology stocks, more than any other sector. Some of her recent acquisitions include Momo, a Chinese dating app, and AAC Technologies, a Chinese supplier for Apple. A decade ago, the fund invested more money in financials, raw-material production and other areas of the market. The portion devoted to tech was just 12 percent. The fund has ranked in the top 8 percent of its category for returns over the last five years, according to Morningstar. In the United States, tech stocks in the S&P 500 doubled the gain of the index through 2017’s first 11 months. A slump in the sector toward the end of the year reminded investors that tech stocks are historically prone to price swings and expensive of late, based on several measures of value. Analysts attribute the drop in tech stocks — nearly 4 percent in a little more than a week in December — to investors looking for reasons to sell and take profits. Washington’s push to overhaul the tax system served as a trigger. Tech stocks stand to gain less from lower tax rates than other industries, so some investors moved money out of tech and into those sectors expected to be tax-overhaul winners, such as financial companies and retailers.

Strong growth expected But technology companies are in the midst of reshaping several industries, from retail to media, and proponents see even more growth ahead. Ken Allen, portfolio manager at the T. Rowe Price Science & Technology fund, calls it “being on the right side of change.” Plus, the pace of adoption is accelerating. It took Microsoft’s Windows nearly 26 years to get to 1 billion users. For Google’s Android operating system, it took less than six years. Many mutual-fund managers seem to agree. After looking at 495 mutual funds that invest $1.9 trillion, strategists at Goldman Sachs found that actively managed funds generally have even more invested in the technology sector than index funds do. The margin has been shrinking a bit recently, but the preference nevertheless remains. A big difference between tech stocks of today and the last time the industry was such a dominant force in the market during the late 1990s is how much profit they’re making. Tech companies are not only making money, they’re delivering some of the strongest gains as customers continue to snap up iPhones and click on ads in Facebook. Tech stocks in the S&P 500 reported 21 percent growth in earnings per share in the third quarter of 2017, triple the rate of the overall index. That’s a far cry from 2000, when tech stocks made up nearly 35 percent of the S&P 500 at the height of the dot-com bubble and investors were more interested in capturing “eyeballs” and web traffic than in something as mundane as sales or even earnings. — AP

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

Store card could torpedo your credit score By Bev O’Shea When a sales clerk cheerfully asks, “Would you like to save 20 percent on your purchases today by opening a card with us?” you may think you’re getting a bargain. But the reality sounds a lot less cheery: “Would you be interested in a low-limit card that could damage your credit standing?” Credit expert John Ulzheimer warns that opening a new store card could hurt your credit score by: • Having an outsize impact on your credit usage, which is a big factor in credit scores • Causing an inquiry on your credit • Reducing the average age of your credit accounts

Lower limit, higher usage The credit limits on retail cards that you use only at one store or chain are typically about 10 percent of those on comparable general-use credit cards, Ulzheimer said. Let’s say you open a store card to get 20 percent off a $250 purchase. After the discount, your balance is $200. A few days later, you spend $150 more. You’re still well below the card’s $1,000 limit — but your

balance is 35 percent of your credit limit. How much of your credit limit you use has a major influence on your credit scores. The only thing that matters more is paying on time. Credit experts advise staying below 30 percent of the limit on any card. Consumers with the very best scores typically use less than 10 percent. To keep your usage low, credit card expert and author Beverly Harzog suggests paying your bill before the issuer reports the balance to the credit bureaus. Call the customer service number on the card to find out when that is. Or get in the habit of making online payments as soon as you purchase something. That way, your charges never stack up. A retail card doesn’t just affect your scores by spiking your credit usage. “When you apply for a new card, the card issuer is going to want to pull one of your credit reports,” Ulzheimer said. That helps the issuer assess whether to approve your application, but it can cause a small, temporary dip in your score. “That’s problematic — I wouldn’t call it catastrophic,” he said.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

SENIOR TAX CREDIT PROGRAM

County Executive Allan H. Kittleman reported recently that 82 percent of more than $2.2 million in new Howard County tax credits have gone to those who have applied for the senior and aging-in-place tax credits. The Senior Tax Credit is available to homeowners who are at least 65 years old and either have lived in the same dwelling for at least 40 years or are retired members of the military. The credit is equal to 20 percent of the eligible county tax and may be granted for up to five years. Residents may apply for the 2018 Agingin-Place or other residential tax credits by visiting www.howardcountymd.gov/Departments/Finance/Billing-and-Payments/Real-Property-Taxes/Tax-Credits.

Mar. 20

TURN INNOVATIVE IDEAS INTO REALITY

Learn how coaching can transform a computer concept into reality through validating the idea, creating awareness, and positioning the business for the best chance for success. In “The Next Big App,” Roger Weber, associate professor of entrepreneurship, and Paul Hogan, instructor of computer science at Howard Community College, discuss how to take your innovative idea and make it happen. The talk is on Tuesday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. This talk takes place in the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Building at the college, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. While free and open to the public, seating is limited, so guests are asked to RSVP at www.howardcc.edu/lectureseries.

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The bigger problem comes if you’re approved. That new account causes the average age of your credit cards to decrease. Credit age is a minor factor in scores, but every point counts. The worst decision of all might be to apply for card after card as you shop to snare multiple discounts. Each application can ding your score, and each new approval drops your overall age of accounts.

Limited usability, limited services On top of potentially hurting your credit scores, retail cards have usability issues. They’re often good only at one store or retail chain, usually have high interest rates, and typically have less robust security alerts than traditional cards. You might be better off using an existing credit card, especially if you have a rewards card that offers cash back on every purchase, not just the initial one. “In the grand scheme of things, 20 per-

cent off your purchases, one day ever, isn’t that big of a deal. Even if you spent $1,000 — which I doubt most people will do — that’s a $200 discount,” Ulzheimer said. “Really, you didn’t save $200, you spent $800.” And if you carry a balance instead of paying in full, interest will eat into that discount.

Avoid snap decisions If you shop at a particular place often enough, it might be worth opening a store card to access ongoing discounts, presales and insider benefits. But resist deciding that in the checkout line. And if you already have a store card? Don’t close it — that also would hurt your average age of accounts. Better to use it lightly and pay on time. Both actions have a positive effect on your credit scores. And make the most of any exclusive deals the card offers. — NerdWallet via AP

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Travel Leisure &

Visit Lima, Peru instead of Barcelona for a bargain vacation without the crowds. See story on page 24.

Explore Virginia’s African American sites

PHOTO BY GLENDA C. BOOTH

tention. At one time, tourists visiting Washington’s Mount Vernon, Madison’s Montpelier or Jefferson’s Monticello never heard a word about the slaves whose labor enabled these plantations to function. Fortunately, that is no longer the case. At Montpelier, for example, there is a new exhibition, “The Mere Distinction of Colour,” designed “to pay homage to those in the enslaved community.” “All of the different nuances of African American life to which society attributed so little is now being brought to the surface,” said Ronald Chase, President of the Gum Springs Museum in Fairfax County. Gum Springs, a historic black community a few miles from Mt. Vernon, was founded by West Ford, a Mount Vernon slave freed in 1805. The Gum Springs Museum’s collection honors notables of this almost 200-year community. Speaking of Mt. Vernon, George Washington first expressed his desire to no longer own slaves in a 1778 entry in his diary, and called for their release in his will (to occur after the death of his wife, Martha). But she decided to release the many slaves who worked at Mt. Vernon two years after his death. The “Lives Bound Together” exhibit at Mount Vernon Estate presents the first president’s dilemma and other perspectives on slave life. The exhibit remains open through this September. A 14-by-16-foot slave cabin made of roughhewn logs and mud dramatizes the contrast of slave living conditions with their owners’ elegant lifestyle, as do slaves’ unmarked graves near the Washingtons’ imposing tomb. A memorial created “Sir” James Thornhill stands beside the mural he painted of by Howard University Harriet Tubman in Richmond, Va. His many murals focus on architectural students African Americans, both well-known and ones who have not honors those in unbeen in the public eye.

PHOTO BY GLENDA C. BOOTH

By Glenda C. Booth Perhaps surprisingly, “Virginia is home to the longest continuous experience of African American culture and life in the United States,” the state’s tourism agency touts. It is a journey of highs and lows, tragedies and triumphs. In a state that promotes its early devotion to democracy and human dignity through numerous Colonial and Revolutionary War sites, the landscape is riddled with examples of slavery, the Confederacy and racial discrimination. Today, African American history and culture are told not only through the occasional monument, but also through food, music, literature, politics, business and little-known spots. Much of the history of Virginia’s African Americans was never written. Most slaves were illiterate; many lacked last names. Wooden grave markers and cabin homes rotted long ago. The good news is that remaining African American sites are getting more and more at-

An annual ceremony honors George Washington’s slaves buried in unmarked graves at Mt. Vernon, his estate. A memorial was added to the cemetery in 1983.

marked graves who served in bondage to the Father of Freedom.

In Northern Virginia Alexandria has a proud African American history — as well as one not so proud — conveyed in more than two dozen sites, including these: The Alexandria Black History Museum chronicles the successes and ordeals of local African Americans from 1749 to the present. Alfred Street Baptist Church, dating from 1803, is the oldest black Baptist church in the Washington, D.C., region. At 1315 Duke St., Isaac Franklin and John Armfield ran one of the country’s largest, slave-selling enterprises in the 19th century, including a slave pen for thousands awaiting sale. Today called Freedom House, it is a small civil rights museum and office. The eight-acre African American Heritage Park is next to a 19th century African American cemetery. Nearby, are statues of Emily and Mary Edmondson, two women who fled slavery in 1848 on a ship, the Pearl. They were imprisoned and eventually freed. Members of the U.S. Colored Troops staged one of the first organized civil rights actions in 1864 when patients at L’Ouverture Hospital petitioned for their comrades to be buried in Alexandria’s National Cemetery. During the Civil War, people of African descent who fled the Confederacy and

were protected by Union forces occupying Alexandria were called “contrabands.” Over 20,000 contrabands, many destitute, came to or passed through Alexandria. Freedman’s Cemetery honors these refugees at a spot where 1,800 graves were once covered by a gas station and an office building and encroached upon by a railroad, brickyard and highways, including the Beltway. The city razed all the structures and identified grave sites by analyzing subtle soil color differences. The most prominent feature is the Place of Remembrance, designed by Alexandria architect C.J. Howard, and featuring a Mario Chiodo sculpture depicting grief that leaps off the former gas station pad. And in more modern times, Samuel Tucker led one of the country’s first anti-segregation sit-ins at the Alexandria library in 1939. The four million annual visitors to Arlington Cemetery probably don’t realize that Arlington House, built by slaves, was the plantation home of our first president’s grandson, George Washington Parke Custis. Later, a Custis cousin, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, lived there. After the Civil War, Union troops decided to surround the mansion with a cemetery to ensure the family would never return. Now known as Arlington Cemetery, it rests in fields where 200 slaves toiled. See VIRGINIA SITES, page 23

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Virginia sites From page 22 To learn more about African American history in Alexandria and other parts of northern Virginia, see www.alexblackhistory.org. Consider taking a 90-minute walking of Alexandria’s black history with Manusmission Tours. See www.manumissiontours.com.

In Richmond, Va. Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, is full of symbols of Virginia’s schizophrenic history. Glistening white on a hill is the state Capitol, the iconic, Greek-temple-like building designed by Thomas Jefferson — slave owner and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Nearby looms a 60-foot equestrian statue of General George Washington, the slave owner who led the colonies’ revolt against tyranny. Nearby is an 18-figure, granite and bronze memorial honoring the African Americans who led a 1950s protest of inferior, segregated schools in Farmville, Va. The Capitol sits a few hundred feet from the elegant, 19th century mansion where the state’s governors reside while in power. The home has seen some big changes over the years. In 1954, Gov. Thomas Stanley vowed to use every legal means to resist the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, which found that separate educational systems for blacks and whites are unequal and unconstitutional. Sixteen years later, Governor Linwood Holton escorted his daughter from the mansion to the predominantly black public high school nearby. And from 1990 to 1994, the nation’s first black governor — Douglas Wilder, a grandson of slaves — lived there. The Reconciliation Statue memorializes the slave trade, a few blocks from the area known as Shockoe Bottom — Richmond’s 19th century commercial heart and the country’s second largest slave trading center. Authorities hanged rebelling slaves there in 1800, including their leader, a blacksmith known as “General Gabriel.” In 2014, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Shockoe Bottom as one of the 11 most endangered places in the U.S. because of a controversial plan to raze buildings to construct a minor league baseball stadium, hotel and other buildings on the historic site. The Trust helped stop the construction of the stadium. Now plans are underway to build an interpretative center that remembers Shockoe Bottom‘s dark past. A 17-stop Slave Trail walk, starting at Manchester Docks across the river from Shockoe Bottom, tracks slave marketing routes. Not all of Richmond’s African American sites represent the city’s scarred past. Artist James Thornhill’s boldly colored murals in historic Jackson Ward illuminate African Americans both well-known and little-known. In this section of Richmond, the “birthplace of Black Capitalism,” Maggie Walker’s home is a story of empowerment. Daughter

of a former slave, she became the first African American woman bank president. When, from post-Civil War to the 1930s, white establishments refused to serve blacks, she created services for her people — a bank, department store, insurance company, newspaper, a Girl Scout troop. At the Black History Museum and Cultural Center — situated in a former armory, school and gym for “coloreds” — a touch-screen exhibit chronicles slavery from Egypt to the present, including slaves’ resistance, the Jim Crow era, and the struggle for equal rights. One standout story is that of Henry “Box” Brown, a slave who in 1849 “mailed” himself to Philadelphia abolitionists in a wooden crate — a 27-hour journey via wagon, railroad, steamboat and ferry. Down the block is a statue of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, a local and accomplished tap dancer, known for tapping up and down stairs in a complex rhythmic pattern. He became the country’s most highly-paid African Amer-

ican entertainer in the early 20th century. After heated controversy, in 1996 a statue of tennis great Arthur Ashe joined the towering statues of five Confederate leaders on Monument Avenue, a boulevard that once symbolized what some called “Southern glory.” Despite recent controversy over Confederate monuments throughout the South, these statues are still standing. Surrounded by children, Ashe holds a tennis racket in one hand and a book in the other. The following websites provide further information about black history sites in the Richmond area: www.virginia.org (see Historic Sites), www.visitrichmondva.com (see Civil War and Black History Museum entries), and the Elegba Folklore Society at http://efsinc.org/tours.

In Hampton, Va. A historic marker at ironically-named Point Comfort recognizes the spot where the first Africans, “20 and odd” from Angola, disembarked from the White Lion in Virginia in

1619. A Hampton History Museum room replicates the ship’s galley, where slaves were crammed and transported, and showcases 17th century shackles. Other exhibits at the museum relate the story of Cesar Tarrant, a slave who won his freedom by steering a ship for the Virginia Navy in a two-hour battle in 1777. Another panel explains that African Americans were once integral to the area’s seafood industry. Under Union occupation, Fort Monroe, built in part with slave labor, offered refuge to runaways. The fort imprisoned Confederate President Jefferson Davis from 1865 to 1867. From his cell’s bed, he had to look at a Union flag, still there today. An exhibit titled “When the Computer Wore a Skirt,” at NASA’s Langley Visitor Center in Hampton, celebrates the African American women made famous by the recent movie Hidden Figures. Three of the five lived in Hampton, and did some of the See VIRGINIA SITES, page 24

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Try bargain vacations for smaller crowds By Miriam Cross Hordes of tourists swarming the world’s most popular destinations can make travel unpleasant. For example, Barcelona and Venice are so crowded that disgruntled residents have staged protests over the influx of visitors. Governments looking for ways to reduce the crowds in Barcelona and Dubrovnik are considering limiting hotel construction or capping the number of cruise ships that unleash swells of day-trippers. If your heart is set on viewing Paris from atop the Eiffel Tower or skiing at a chic Colorado resort, the crush of people with the same idea may not deter you. But if you prize a less-crowded experience, consider these alternatives to popular vacation spots around the world. One way to avoid the crowds is to travel

Virginia sites From page 23 math basic to generations of aircraft and manned spacecraft. Another panel honors the World War II Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first African American fliers. Hampton University opened in 1868 with two teachers and 15 newly emancipated black students. It was founded by Gen.

during the off-season. But scheduling time off from work or school, and risking rainy and cold weather, aren’t for everyone. So we chose places that are less packed all year round and offer good value even in peak season. Here are two suggestions.

Snowbasin, Utah instead of Vail Colorado has a slew of ski resorts that draw plenty of season pass holders and other visitors, thanks to a variety of terrain, high-quality facilities and plentiful lodging. To spend more time on the slopes and less time shivering in line for the lift, venture further afield. The facilities at Snowbasin, an hour’s drive from the Salt Lake City airport, were revamped for the 2002 Winter Olympics (the resort hosted the downhill, Super G and combined races). But its location is Samuel Armstrong, who was sent by the American Missionary Association to educate blacks. Besides Booker T. Washington, who walked to Hampton from West Virginia, and other notables, the university educated Native Americans from 65 tribes in the late 1800s. The university’s museum is the oldest African American museum in the U.S., and the only museum in the South open to

just remote enough to put off the masses. Trails are suitable for all levels of skiing across more than 3,000 acres, and the terrain is varied, too. “Snowbasin has bits of Utah all in one place, from the rolling mountains of Park City to the steep, rugged terrain of Cottonwood Canyons,” said Evan Reece, CEO of Liftopia, an online seller of lift tickets. An excursion to the nearby ski resort of Powder Mountain can be tacked on to the same trip. Facilities there are not as fancy as Snowbasin’s, but it has more than 8,464 skiable acres — more than any other resort in the U.S. You’ll also pay less to schuss down the slopes. A lift ticket for a Saturday in February at Vail recently cost $164 online. For the same date, you could buy a lift ticket for $89 at Snowbasin or $79 at Powder Mountain. There are condos and rentals near both African Americans until at least the 1920s. It is the first institution to establish a collection of African American art, started in 1894. The Emancipation Oak looms near the university’s entrance. Here, in 1863, locals gathered to hear the first Southern reading of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Under its branches, Mary Peake illegally started a school for children of former slaves. Today, designated by the National Geographic Society as one of the 10 great trees of the world, it sports a canopy over 100 feet in diameter and a trunk at least six feet across. It is a true symbol of survival. More information on Hampton is available at www.visithampton.com.

In Roanoke, Va. Slave-holding plantations were not as prevalent in southwest Virginia as in other parts of the state, but the history of discrimination, struggle and survival is here too. Roanoke’s Harrison Museum of AfricanAmerican Culture (www.harrisonmuseum.com) documents how, during segregation, local blacks proudly created their own schools, stores, doctors’ offices and hospitals, especially in the historic Gainsborough neighborhood. Today, a statue of Rev. Martin Luther King,

mountains. But in nearby Ogden, you’ll have your pick of accommodations and apres-ski activities, including indoor skydiving, rock climbing and stand-up comedy. Public buses connect both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain with several stops in Ogden ($7.20 for a 24-hour pass). The bus ride takes about 45 minutes each way.

Lima, Peru instead of Barcelona Fans of architect Antoni Gaudi may settle for nothing less than a trip to Barcelona, where his sculptural buildings and towering Sagrada Familia Church enliven the city. Barcelona also features dozens of museums, Catalan cooking, a thriving nightlife and sandy beaches. But you will be far from alone: The city See BARGAIN VACATIONS, page 25

Jr. stands tall. A mosaic at the City Market honors African American railroad workers. Thirty miles away is the Booker T. Washington National Monument, a National Park Service site and formerly the Burroughs tobacco plantation, where Washington was born and freed. A reconstructed cabin with a dirt floor gives visitors a glimpse of slave life. Here Washington ached for an education, later writing, “to get into a school house and study in this way would be about the same as getting into paradise.” Park rangers conduct educational programs, and offer 19th-century recipes for neckbones and gravy and Confederate cornbread. Learn more at www.nps.gov/bowa. Reflecting on his youth, Booker T. Washington offered, “One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him.” Perhaps Virginia is gradually getting out of that ditch. At the same time, in the words of civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis, “There’s still a great deal of pain that needs to be healed.” Learn more about these and many other sites that commemorate black history in Virginia at www.virginia.org/blackhistoryattractions.

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Bargain vacations From page 24 hosts more than 30 million visitors each year. If you simply want to spend a few days reveling in art, architecture and cuisine in a lively city, head south to Lima, Peru, instead. (You’ll also avoid the Catalonia turmoil in Barcelona.) The old colonial town of Lima comes to life in its historic center, designated a UN-

ESCO World Heritage Site. You can tour the catacombs at the San Francisco Church and Convent for $3, or watch the changing of the guard outside Government Palace, the former residence of Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish explorer and founder of Lima. Or explore Huaca Pucllana, 1,500-year-old ruins that rise up in the upscale Miraflores district. On the artsy side, pre-Columbian objects and textiles are on display at the Lima

Art Museum and the Larco Museum. We found flights from the Washington area in May in the $500s, or in the $600s later in the summer (which is Lima’s mild winter). Four-star hotels averaged $138 a night in the summer of 2017, compared with $233 in Barcelona, according to rates from

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Lima, Peru’s central square is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is currently summer in this Southern Hemisphere City.

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For a list of local arts classes, see page 12.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alive! Young Frankenstein at Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Frankenstein (played wonderfully by funnyman Jeffrey Shankle). Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lecturing professor at a top New York medical school who wants to leave his grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gruesome history in the past. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called to the old town to settle his grandfatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s estate, and while there is successfully tempted to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Join the Family Businessâ&#x20AC;? by the spirit of Victor in a phenomenal number by actor Justin Calhoun.

Cast of characters As with any Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show, the cast makes excellent use of the small theater-in-theround experience. Shankle really nails the quirky, high energy of Frederick Frankensteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character, and the role is a showcase for his vocal ability and impressive range. His first number, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Brain,â&#x20AC;? features goofy Mel Brooks lyrics with a Gilbert and Sullivan-esque flair. But the best male performance of the night was by David James, who plays Frankensteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hilarious hunchbacked henchman, Igor. He gets all the best oneliners, and is especially funny when he meets Frederick for the first time with the show stopping number â&#x20AC;&#x153;Together Again.â&#x20AC;?

JANUARY NUARY UARY 11 - MARCH MARC C H 11 1

The first act also introduces us to three strong leading ladies. Elizabeth, played with much-needed over-the-top drama and sass by Alicia Osborn, is Frederickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tease of a fiancĂŠ, and she makes it known with the number â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Touch Me.â&#x20AC;? She does a complete 180 by Act Two with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Deep Love,â&#x20AC;? which offers an even better showcase of her big vocals (and hair!). The second lady we meet is the absolute gem Louisa Tringali as Frankensteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innuendo-loving assistant Inga. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bright light, from her big notes to her impressive yodeling skills in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Roll in the Hay.â&#x20AC;? Soon after meeting Inga, Dr. Frankenstein is introduced to his housekeeper, the intimidating Frau BlĂźcher (cue the spooked horses!), who was once intimate with Frankensteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandfather. We find this out in the smash number â&#x20AC;&#x153;He Vas My Boyfriend,â&#x20AC;? during

which actress Tess Rohan had the audience clutching their sides with laughter. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the best numbers in the first act. Eventually the villagers, led by Inspector Kemp (an under-utilized but very good David Bosley-Reynolds), catch onto the funny busiSee FRANKENSTEIN, page 28

PHOTO BY JERI TIDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY

By Rebekah Alcalde Prepare for some wild, thoroughly irreverent fun at Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dinner Theatre with the current show Young Frankenstein, the musical based on Mel Brooksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hit cult/comedy film from 1974. The musical version was created much more recently, in 2007, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely true to the original movie â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not surprising since the music and lyrics are also by Brooks himself. Coming on the heels of Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional, family-friendly holiday show, Miracle on 34th Street, Young Frankenstein is decidedly not kid-friendly. So to enjoy this boisterous, suggestive and hilarious musical, leave the grandkids at home. In case youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not familiar with the film, Young Frankenstein is an affectionate parody of the classic 1931 horror film Frankenstein and of the horror genre in general. The musical version opens in Transylvania, where the townsfolk rejoice at the funeral of Dr. Victor von Frankenstein, the famed mad scientist who haunted the town by making a monster from the remains of deceased people. Unfortunately for them, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one Frankenstein left alive â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a Dr. Frederick

In the campy musical Young Frankenstein, now at Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Jeffrey Shankleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young Dr. Frankenstein, his henchman Igor (David James) and assistant Inga (Louisa Trinfalli) try to convince the townsfolk that the monster they created is actually a â&#x20AC;&#x153;man about townâ&#x20AC;? in the number â&#x20AC;&#x153;Puttinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the Ritz.â&#x20AC;? Christopher Kabara, as the monster, looms behind, goofy grin and dance moves ever present.

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World premiere focuses on Cone sisters Stein, Matisse and more Along with the sisters, we meet on stage their great friends: sister and brother Gertrude and Leo Stein; Henri Matisse, who was their artistic soul brother; Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude’s longest lasting love, and Matisse’s “Blue Nude” painting, which comes alive in a frame on the wall. A lot of the play involves the word play (and love play) between Etta and Gertrude, whose flirtations may, or may not, have gotten down to bodily passion. A snippet of their conversation: Gertrude: “Language cannot capture truth. What we experience in the subconscious mind doesn’t occur in words.” Etta: “Well, I can’t say what I’m feeling.” Gertrude: “If you say it, it already isn’t. Words can only say what that was or almost is.” Get it? Got it? Good. Director Joseph W. Ritsch moves the characters, as well as the dialogue and non-action action, along at a professional pace, so there are no really dull moments in this heavily dialogued play.

Nuanced performances Etta, the seemingly submissive but inwardly fierce and longer-lasting driving force behind the sisters’ collection, is the play’s protagonist. You sense in Grace Bauer’s performance Etta’s true grit behind her outward reticence. Valerie Leonard plays both Claribel Cone — the elder, outwardly surer, somewhat snooty and snotty elder sister — and Gertrude Stein. Leonard is an actress and a half in both roles. The statuesque Leonard may seem an odd choice to play the much shorter, more rotund Stein, judging from portraits and pictures. But in theatrically expressionist terms, Leonard captures Stein. Keri Eastridge is just right as The Writer, by turns cowed then insistent, as she interacts with her characters, who constantly argue with her about who and what they are (and aren’t) and will or won’t be for her when the curtain goes up on the curtain-less stage. Nigel Reed, the one male actor in the

PHOTO BY KATIE SIMMONS-BARTH

By Robert Friedman What’s it all about — art, literature, love, life? Those are questions the play All She Must Possess attempts to explore to varying degrees in playwright Susan McCully’s meta-theater premiere, being presented by Rep Stage at Howard Community College. The 80-minute, one-act play doesn’t just break the “fourth wall,” it tears it down completely. Here, “the Writer” and her characters talk about lots of metaphysical things, not least how to present on stage the ultimate nature of art and people in the “modern age” dawning at the turn of the 20th Century. They discuss, for example, whether expressionism and Cubism, the traditionbreaking art movements of the time, should be presented using the typical theatrical realism, or rather via an impressionistic method more in keeping with the theme? The play-within-the-philosophy-of-theplay involves the Cone sisters of Baltimore, Etta (1870-1949) and Claribel (18641929), daughters of German-Jewish immigrants who settled in Baltimore in the 1870s, and whose family’s textile business made them part of a thriving Jewish community in the city at the time. The two spinster sisters lived most of their wealthy lives in Baltimore, while going on many trips to Europe (Paris in particular), in their extensive efforts to collect modern art. They were able to afford the trips thanks to their annual inherited income of $2,400 each — considerable spending money back then. The experts of the time considered the “degenerate” works of art purchased by the sisters to be worthless. But they now make up the world-renowned modern French collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The museum’s Cone Wing houses more than 3,000 works by Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin and others, whose total value today has been estimated at $1 billion. There are 500 works by Matisse alone — the largest museum collection of the Post-Impressionist master’s artistic output anywhere.

Long-time actors (and married couple) Valerie Leonard and Nigel Reed each play dual roles in All She Must Possess. Leonard plays Claribel Cone and Gertrude Stein, while Reed plays Henri Matisse and Leo Stein. They met while appearing in Anna Karenina at the Olney Theatre and later married.

cast, does his Frenchified best to portray a nice-guy Matisse and to convey brother Leo Stein’s take on beauty and art. The not-so-sweet Alice B. Toklas is performed with fine faux innocence by Teresa Castracane, who also gets to speak as Matisse’s originally controversial “Blue Nude.” From her frame on the wall, she

gives Etta lessons on what Etta and great art mean to each other. There’s also a lot of projection on the initially bare walls — from huge Matisse works to typewritten letters (when Etta offers to type up Gertrude’s literary breakSee CONE SISTERS, page 28

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Frankenstein From page 26 ness happening in the Frankenstein castle and are understandably concerned. The menacing monster that the doctor brings to life is played by Christopher Kabara, given some extra height with a little help from some platform shoes. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say the monster ultimately proves to the villagers that he’s no longer a menace and should be accepted, and we’re treated to some hilari-

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

ous dance moves during “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” The show moves quickly, barely stopping for breath, and it’s completely campy and entertaining.

Show details Young Frankenstein continues through Sunday, March 11 at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, located at 5900 Symphony Woods Rd. in Columbia, Md. The show runs seven days a week with evening and matinee performances. Doors

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CANDLELIGHT CONCERTS PROGRAM

Billed as a “classical ensemble with a pop mentality,” the Calefax Reed Quintet will perform on Saturday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at the Smith Theatre at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. Pieces include Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” and Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.” Tickets are $35. Mention Beac10 for a 10% Beacon discount. For more information and tickets, call (410) 997-2324 or see www.candlelightconcerts.org/20172018-season.

Ongoing

OUTER SPACE ART SHOW

Artist Forest Arnold’s show “Nebulas, Comets, Eclipses and Other Space Phenomena” is featured through Monday, March 12 at the Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Old Frederick Rd., Woodstock. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, but it is advisable to call the Conservancy at (410) 465-8877 before visiting as the gallery is sometimes closed for private events.

HC318

open at 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, for dinner prior to the evening performances, which begin at 8 p.m. On Sunday evenings, doors open at 5 p.m. for dinner, followed by the performance at 7 p.m. For the Wednesday and Sunday matinees, doors open for brunch at 10:30 a.m., with shows beginning at 12:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Ticket prices range from $45.50 (for children under 12) to $64, depending on the performance. Ticket prices include an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner or brunch, tea and coffee. Specialty alcoholic drinks — like this show’s tequila-drenched mango margarita, named “Abby Normal” — are priced separately. Our buffet meal was quite good, featur-

ing a selection of meats and sides (including helpfully marked vegetarian and gluten-free options), including prime rib, roast turkey, fried fish, cocktail shrimp, a variety of vegetables, salad bar and more. Cake and unlimited ice cream are also included. You can also arrange to have coffee or alcohol brought to you during intermission. At Toby’s, the show’s actors also wait on tables. Their tips constitute much of their pay for their performances, so be sure to tip well. They definitely work for it with this show! For more information or to reserve tickets, call (410) 730-8311 or visit www.tobysdinnertheatre.com.

Cone sisters

bia. There will be a post-show discussion on Feb. 23. Rep Stage will also hold a preshow lecture prior to the 2 p.m. performance on February 24. Tickets are $40 for general admission, $35 for patrons 60+ and the military, and $15 for students with a current ID. The Feb. 22 performance is $10. For tickets and additional information, visit www.repstage.org, or call the box office at (443) 518-1500. There is also an exhibit of women’s clothing from the era of the Cone sisters at the Rouse Company Foundation Gallery, on the main floor of the Horowitz Center.

From page 27 through scribblings). Credit the projection action to Sarah Tundermann. Julie A. Potter designed the costumes, most appropriate for the times. All She Must Possess offers ample rewards for a playgoer who is all ears, and puts their mind squarely on what’s going on up on the stage. The play runs through Feb. 25 in the Studio Theatre of the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, located on the campus of Howard Community College at 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, in Colum-

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

Matisse From page 1 young artists as Matisse and Picasso. “I became fascinated by the sisters, who were old-fashioned in their personal styles of dress and behavior, but radical in their tastes for art,” McCully said. “I was especially fascinated by Etta” — the younger sister, who the playwright found to be “a female hero.” Etta, the focus of the play, “took care of people, while going about collecting, doing it all quietly,” said McCully. Women heroes often live lives of great accomplishments with little fanfare, said the playwrightteacher-performer. McCully also noted that diary entrees showed that Etta and Gertrude were lovers for a time, which would also make Etta “a kind of gay hero.” Rep Stage’s “Audience Guide” to All She Must Possess points out that Etta Cone’s “complicated relationship with Gertrude Stein included years of strong attachment, then feelings of hurt, then ambivalence.” The relationship cooled for good around 1907, when Stein’s future lifetime partner, Alice B. Toklas, came on the scene.

An impressionistic play While the play may not be a conventional linear drama, McCully said, she “worked very hard to be true to the characters, to portray them as the persons they were.” For instance, while some of the meetings portrayed in the play may never have actually taken place, the exchanges between the characters are factual, based on their letters. At the same time, McCully said, while the play contains historical facts, the structure adopts the expressionistic and even cubist styles of the artists the play is about. As she puts it, “Like a Picasso painting, the audience may see three sides of a person’s character at the same time,” McCully said. And in a Harry Potter-like moment, one of the characters in the play portrays a real-life “Blue Nude,” speaking from the frame of Matisse’s painting, which was highly controversial at the time. In fact, an effigy of the work was burned when it was shown in Chicago in 1913.

“Blue Nude” was bought by Claribel in 1926 and is now part of the Baltimore Art Museum collection — and considered one of the artist’s greatest works.

Origins of their passion By all accounts, the sisters were more than unusual for their times. Their early friendship in Baltimore with Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo may have led to their strong interest in the arts. Etta made the sisters’ first art purchases in 1898. Just a few years later, they took a trip to Europe to start collecting paintings from the unconventional artists of the day. Art historians say that the paintings were not bought with future donations to museums in mind, but strictly because the sisters liked what they saw and wanted the art to decorate their homes. Photographs of their apartments show paintings from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. While the sisters appreciated the works of Picasso, they were drawn more to those of Matisse, according to McCully, because they felt more comfortable with the French artist’s more gentlemanly ways. After Claribel’s death, Etta commissioned Matisse to paint a portrait of her sister. Matisse sent her four drawings of Claribel and six of herself, as a gift for their strong support of his early work.

A love of acting, and each other Two of the play’s stars, Valerie Leonard, 57, and Nigel Reed, 63, have performed on local and New York stages for decades. Leonard has been acting for more than three decades, from Broadway to many roles at the Olney Theater Center. Reed has appeared off-Broadway and acted in 22 Rep Stage productions. The couple met while appearing in a stage adaptation of Anna Karenina at Olney. Leonard, in the title role, “kept throwing herself under a train every night [how Anna died in the Tolstoy novel], and every night I had to take care of her,” Reed joked. Reed is Baltimore-born, Ellicott Citybred (a graduate of Mt. Hebron High School) and, since 1976, a Columbia resident. He has won a multitude of awards for

doctors at the time. Claribel attended and received degrees from several medical schools, including Johns Hopkins, and specialized in pathology. Leonard said she has listened to audio tapes made by Gertrude Stein (18741946), to get some hint of the personality of the woman known for such quotes as, “A rose is a rose is a rose” (meaning “Things are what they are”) and, when describing the disappearance of her childhood home, “There is no there there,” which has come to be used to describe places where little of interest happens. Leonard plays both characters on stage at the same time in what is not your usual theater piece about two women from Baltimore who broke barriers in collecting art and in life. What is it like for two actors to be married to one another? “The schedule, itself, could be upsetting,” said Leonard. “When people are coming home, you’re going to work. But it’s a special joy to be working together,” which the couple has done, so far, in seven different plays. Reed said, “Frankly, l can’t imagine being married to anyone who is not an actor. Not everyone can understand the life style, the set of skills needed, the anxieties. “Our work continually gets judged. You need a support system. Your mate understands. What we’re doing is a calling, really.”

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 30 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

his local appearances, among them the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2002, when he portrayed Oscar Wilde in The Judas Kiss at Rep Stage. If you watch soap operas, you may also have seen him as Wally McFadden in “All My Children” and Tim Werner in “Guiding Light.” The one-time pre-law student at UMBC turned in his law books after a successful tryout for a campus production in 1973 of T.S. Elliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. Forty-five years later and still going strong, Reed plays both Matisse and Leo Stein, Gertrude’s art collector-promotercritic brother, in All She Must Possess. Leonard was born on Long Island, and spent 20 years acting in the Big Apple. She decided to move to this area in 2001, and has lived in Columbia since 2005. Among many other local-based performances, she had a role in the Baltimore-based TV show “The Wire,” and appeared recently in local productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Fiddler on the Roof, as well as in Arthur Miller’s The Price at Olney. Leonard has just been nominated for a Helen Hayes award as Best Supporting Actress in a musical for playing Mrs. Pearce and Mrs. Higgins in Olney’s production of My Fair Lady. One of Leonard’s roles in All She Must Possess is as Claribel Cone, the elder sister, who was one of the relatively few women

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ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: ABIDE TANGY DAWNED PRYING Answer: What the pudgy diner did at the end of the buffet line -- GAINED "WAIT"

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PLATINUM MEMBERS: The Beacon Newspapers • Vantage House Retirement Community GOLD MEMBER Howard County Oﬃce on Aging & Independence SILVER MEMBERS Brightview Rolling Hills • Brooke Grove Retirement Village • Ellicott City Health & Rehabilitation Center Home Call of Maryland • Kindred at Home (formerly Gentiva) • Oasis Senior Advisors Right At Home In-Home Care & Assistance• Senior Care Lifestyles, LLC The Bob Lucido Team of Keller Williams Integrity BRONZE MEMBERS ComForCare Home Care of Howard County • Let’s Move, LLC Somerford Place • Stress Free Solutions • Williams Asset Management PATRON MEMBERS Angels of Elder Care Planning, LLC • Alzheimer’s Association - Greater Maryland Chapter Assisting Hands Home Care • Country Gardens Assisted Living, Freedom Mobility • Genesis SelectCare Home Instead Senior Care • Home With You Senior Care • Integrace Copper Ridge • Integrace Fairhaven Life Matters • Luba Services, Inc • Neighbor Ride, Inc • Professional Care Pharmacy Shangri-La Senior Living • The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant • Visiting Angels • Winter Growth, Inc.

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus A Crossword as Lovely 1

21 24

30 34

44 47

Across 1. Actress/model Rene 6. Drink mixers at Barcelona bars 11. Health resort 14. “___ the fat lady sings” 15. Extra inning 16. Start of a TERRIBLE crossword clue 17. Start of Arbor Day advice 19. Tech school in Troy, NY 20. Gluttony or sloth 21. Vegetable soup ingredient 22. Chocolate baron buried at Hershey Cemetery in 1956 24. Advice, part 2 29. Reach the moon 30. Unpleasant type of trip 31. Undersea menace at Dunkirk 34. Rev the engines 35. Container for 7 Up or Coke Zero 38. Advice, part 3 43. Blockhead 44. “___ not a crook” 45. Controlled a canoe 46. Ben & Jerry flavor: Karamel ___ 49. Letters clockwise around a weathervane 51. Advice, part 4 56. Come to the same conclusion 57. Largest coll. in Richmond 58. Work done by one dyne for one cm 60. Gender-neutral ending for gentor miss61. Advice, part 5 66. Fail to tell the whole truth 67. “Ain’t”, corrected 68. Going out live 69. Exceeder of Mach 1 70. “Not in the biblical ___” 71. Thomas Edison’s Park

Down 1. Dead-end jobs 2. Like many Nolan Ryan fastballs 3. “Shorthand transcriber”, shortly

Jumble answers on p. 29.

Scrabble answers on p. 29.

Stephen Sherr

4. Bro or sis 5. Futbol chant 6. Show up for class 7. Insinuate 8. Start of a brief cycle 9. It helps you check in or cash out 10. Terri’s twin sister, on The Simpsons 11. Trolley 12. Cola, which once touted “Twice as much for a nickel” 13. One born on April Fool’s Day 18. Cross the river 23. Paragon of slipperiness 25. Parcel of land 26. After the scheduled time 27. Chills and fever 28. Common sushi ingredient 31. Men in Black craft 32. Abbrev. often used for airports in Baghdad, Bangkok, and Belfast 33. Parking option 34. Place to perform pilates 36. Count of rings on a tree trunk 37. Give silent approval 39. Gaelic name for Ireland 40. Indian bread 41. Seating area, second closest to the stage 42. Playing with a full deck 47. Salt Lake City athlete 48. Sorority letters 49. Stir up emotions 50. Good name for short order cooks 51. Get-out-of-jail fees 52. Unattractive citrus fruits 53. Roman M, C, and X (but not V) 54. Family car 55. Hansel and Gretel’s path back home 59. Greek sandwich 62. Intense anger 63. YMCA members 64. Actor Hanks or Selleck 65. “___ of these days...”

Answers on page 29.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 8

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.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Health PAID RESEARCH STUDY: Participants needed for research study at the University of Maryland, College Park. Seeking healthy adults age 5570 with either (1) extensive meditation experience or (2) no prior meditation experience to study the link between bacteria in the gut and day-to-day behavior. If you qualify and enroll, you will earn $25/hour for 2 sessions of up to 1.5 and 2.5 hours, respectively. For eligibility info, contact us at 301202-4834 or BrainBodyStudy@gmail.com. STOP OVERPAYING for your prescriptions! SAVE! Call our licensed Canadian and International pharmacy, compare prices and get $25.00 OFF your first prescription! CALL 1-888-9817657 Promo Code CDC201725. DENTAL INSURANCE. Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for details. Not just a discount plan, real coverage for 350 procedures. 844366-1003 or http://www.dental50plus.com/320 Ad# 6118. PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR — May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-851-0949.

Financial

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

WERE YOU AN INDUSTRIAL OR CONSTRUCTION TRADESMAN and recently diagnosed with lung cancer? You and your family may be entitled to a significant cash reward. Call 1-888-351-0312 for your risk free consultation.

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

For Sale 2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed. Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve 410-913-1653.

Home/Handyman Services ESTATE LIQUIDATION: One call solves it all when you hire us to handle your estate liquidation and/or home cleanout. We sell your treasures, take care of charitable donations and provide junk removal. We also purchase partial estate contents. Always buying antiques, jewelry, fine art, vintage toys, collectibles, advertising, sports memorabilia, militaria, rare books, Mid Century Modern furniture and more. We serve Howard and Montgomery counties, DC and NOVA. No home, barn or warehouse is too packed for us! Friendly, conscientious staff. Call Chris (202) 731-9447. www.OrionsAttic.com.

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

Miscellaneous ENJOY 100% GUARANTEED, DELIVERED to-the-door Omaha Steaks! Save 75% plus get 4 more Burgers & 4 more Kielbasa FREE! Order The Family Gourmet Buffet — ONLY $49.99. Call 1-844-302-3754, mention code 51689JCT or visit www.omahasteaks.com.

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 TV/Cable

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

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

SPECTRUM TRIPLE PLAY! TV, Internet & Voice for $29.99 ea. 60 MB per second speed. No contract or commitment. More Channels. Faster Internet. Unlimited Voice. Call 1-888366-7573.

Wanted MONEY, TIME TO SELL! Make the right choice. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. We buy jewelry, coins, silver, antiques, watches, gold, art, paper money, toys, bottles, etc. No middleman, no fees, no overhead means more money for your stuff. Give me a call, and let’s do business.717-658-7954.

CASH FOR ESTATES, PARTIAL ESTATES, DOWNSIZING. I buy a wide range of items. Buy-out/cleanup. Gary Roman, 301-520-0755. BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

Thanks for reading!

BEACON BITS

Mar. 2

DO YOU HELP CHILDREN? The Howard County Office of Children and Families is seeking nom-

inations for people, programs and organizations that have positively impacted Howard County children for its annual “Celebrating Successes for Children” awards program. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, March 2 at

TV/Cable

www.howardcountymd.gov//CelebratingSuccess. For more information, or to DIRECTV. CALL AND SWITCH NOW — Get NFL Sunday Ticket for FREE! Every Game. Every Sunday. CHOICE- All-Included Package. Over 185 Channels. $60/month (for 12 Months.) CALL 1- 888-572-4953.

request a nomination form in an alternate format, call (410) 313-1940 or email children@howardcountymd.gov.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Heartlands Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Homecrest House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Park View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Shriner Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Somerford Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vantage House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Columbia’s Village Centers . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Jitterbug Flip Cell Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Legal Services

Subscriptions Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Hearing Services

Angels of Eldercare Planning . . . . . . . . . .20 Frank, Frank & Scherr, LLC . . . . . . . . . . .19 Lifson Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Chesapeake Hearing Centers . . . . . . . . . . .5 Miracle-Ear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Medical/Health

Events COGS Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Funeral Services Going Home Cremations . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Home Health Care A-1 Action Nursing Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 HomeCentris Personal Care . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Options for Senior America . . . . . . . . . . .13

Housing Alta at Regency Crest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Charlestown/Erickson Living . . . . . . . . . . .9

Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Real Estate Services EXIT Spivey Professional Realty . . . . . . .20 Long & Foster-Nellie Arrington . . . . . . . .21 Stress Free Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Retail/Services Antwerpen Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Budget Bath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Senior Services Senior Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15-18

Technology TheBeaconNewspapers.com . . . . . . . . . . .14

Theatre/Entertainment Candlelight Concert Society . . . . . . . . . . .27 Celebration of the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Columbia Pro Cantare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Tour & Travel Eyre Tour & Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Festive Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Nexus Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

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M A R C H 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

DIFFERENT

because what surrounds you really matters.

Tuesday, march 27 10 A.M. – 1 p.m. Westbrooke Clubhouse • 18310 Slade School Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860

MAINTENANCE-FREE LIVING NEVER LOOKED SO BEAUTIFUL

Sign up for one of two optional information sessions to be offered at 11:15 a.m. & 12:15 p.m. Discover the casual elegance and comfort of our independent living cottages. TOUR a cottage and MEET current residents. Explore Westbrooke Clubhouse, its restaurant and fitness center. Enjoy our 220-acre campus of lush pastures and hardwood forest.

Learn how to become a no-obligation priority list member, examine financial options and review the long-term benefits of a secure lifestyle with continuing care.

301-260-2320 or 301-924-2811

Please register with Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org by March 25.

www.bgf.org

Independent living assisted living rehabilitation long-term care memory support

INDEPENDENT LIVING OPEN HOUSE

simply