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Late-life artist relishes challenge

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By Margaret Foster For most of his life, Allan Akman has dabbled in art. The 77-year-old Rockville resident spent his 33-year career as a military consultant, but on nights and weekends, he painted using watercolors and oils. When he retired in 2009, Akman had a long “bucket list” of things to do, books to read and places to visit. But he became captivated by one of the first items on the list: learning to make silkscreen prints. Silkscreen printing is a multi-stepped painting process in which the ar tist squeegees paint through prepared finemesh screens using a rubber blade, gradually producing an image by printing one layer of color at a time. Andy Warhol is perhaps the most famous screen printer, known for his pop images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s soup cans. Akman’s works were displayed last June at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland, in a solo exhibition called “Precision.” He recently sold a dozen prints to a corporate hospital, which plans to display them this spring. “He really made up for lost time and is super prolific,” said Gretchen Schermerhorn, Pyramid’s artistic director, in an email. “With this kind of validation,” Akman said, “I have no regrets that I haven’t gotten to other items on my list.” Akman grew up in Washington, D.C., the son of a Polish immigrant who started a local grocery chain and hardware store. He majored in mathematics at the University of Maryland and attended graduate school at Carnegie Mellon, where he received a master’s degree in business. Then he returned to the area, settling

MARCH 2020

L E I S U R E & T R AV E L

Explore Barcelona’s winding streets and curvy, colorful architecture; plus, snorkeling in Indonesia, and how to avoid crowds in Italy page 43

ARTS & STYLE

Timon of Athens shines at the Shakespeare Theatre; plus, U.S. military bands, and Bob Levey on the luck of supercentenarians Allan Akman discovered a new talent in retirement: making silkscreen prints. It’s now his passion. To learn the complex process, he sought help from a Maryland art gallery, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center.

with his wife in Glover Park. He taught at the University of Maryland for several years before starting his own consulting company in 1976.

Spark ignited full-time hobby

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In his mid-60s, Akman glimpsed a See ARTIST, page 56

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Understood too well? We all want to be understood by our “curate” their content for you, showing close friends and, particularly, by our you only the articles, op-eds and blogs that reflect your political opinions mates. We want them to know (or, if you appear to like getwhat our preferences are, ting upset, showing you the what we like to eat, with ones most sure to raise your whom we like (and don’t like) blood pressure). to socialize. We don’t even need to exWe want them to rememplicitly ask these devices for ber our birthday, what types of gifts please us, what music such favors. Unlike people, we like to listen to at different they don’t need to be told or times of day. These are reminded about our preferamong the myriad ways in ences. They figure them out which people who love each FROM THE on their own and, seemingly, other show they understand PUBLISHER never forget which clothing By Stuart P. Rosenthal and appreciate each other. items we once lingered over But today, a device can do while shopping online. all of this for us and more, and probably do Better yet, they don’t try to change our it better. A “smart refrigerator” can re- opinions or expose us to different ways of order your preferred foods when they’re thought the way a spouse might. running low and have them delivered. These examples of useful artificial intelDigital assistants from Amazon, Google ligence (AI) come from companies that and other know-it-all companies will re- say they are simply trying to make our member your spouse’s birthday and, once lives easier, more convenient, less burit gets to know their taste (and your budg- dened. Personal assistants theoretically et), can send your spouse a gift in the right have only our interests at heart. (After all, size, perhaps even with a card having an catering to our every whim is how they appropriate message. make money.) And it’s true that many of us Publications that you frequent online do appreciate the benefits we derive from know what topics you like to read and will such technology.

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But there are other, similar artificially intelligent bots that, you might say, have an ulterior motive. For example, we all know and hate those daily dastardly robocallers, who impersonate our neighbors and want to scam us. There are the emails that purport to be from our friends, but ask us to FedEx gift cards ASAP, and the digital ads that are constantly inviting us to stray from our diets as we pass by pizza and pastry shops. Now, I have to admit that people we know (and even love) can lie to us sometimes, try to manipulate us in certain ways, say one thing and mean another. We humans are not above such behavior. But in interpersonal relationships, we believe we can usually detect — and even appreciate — the occasional white lie, well told. It feels very different when we have no idea where the deceptive phone calls, emails and digital ads are coming from, and when we are certain that the responsible party only wants our money or our vote or our credit card number for nefarious purposes. I went shopping the other day for a birthday card for my wife. I chuckled or choked up over numerous cards in a huge variety of styles. Some were clearly for the romantic young marrieds, others for the “we’ve been through a lot together” couples, and some were perfunctory “have a great day; indulge yourself” cards. And yes, I usually have no trouble finding a card that perfectly expresses my feelings for my wife. She, in turn, gives me cards that accurately convey her emotions and thoughts. If I don’t have a problem giving my wife a heartfelt card written by someone else, why should it be a problem if I ask Alexa to “buy my wife something nice for her birth-

day” or “send her the kind of flowers she likes, with a nice card”? Well, somehow that seems unseemly, less personal. Is it just a matter of degree? Have we ended up here because we relinquished much of the personal touch long ago by communicating with, and giving to, others via Hallmark cards, Amazon “wish lists,” form letters and email blasts, and it’s just that the technology has gotten better? Perhaps it’s true that today’s AI computers understand us and those we interact with better than we do. And if that’s so, what do we lose in exchange for this greater efficiency? The opportunity to make personal choices, to spend a little time thinking about others, and to make an effort to understand others are among the things that make us human. The movie The Matrix, which I saw when it came out more than 20 years ago, made little sense to me at the time, but I did get the point: namely that human beings in the future function solely as batteries, our purpose being to power the machines that really run the world. In that futuristic dystopia, most human beings are all but dead, lying in pods connected to wires, generating body heat that keeps the machines humming. We take no real action, cannot even move or eat or awaken from our condition. But to keep us subjugated, AI computers give our brains a complete world of pleasant thoughts that make us think we are interacting with others, so we don’t even realize what has become of us. That movie scares me a lot more today than it did two decades ago.

Attn: Amateur artists and photographers Enter your best works in any of seven categories in the Celebration of the Arts — the Beacon’s online art competition for people over 50. Professional judges will select winners, who will receive cash prizes and exhibit opportunities. Enter photos of your work by March 20. For more information, see page 51, or visit thebeaconnewspapers.com/COTA2020.

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 info@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: About 20 years ago, while practicing in Montgomery County as a primary care physician, I volunteered to help make Montgomery County, and later the state of Maryland, smoke-free. Unfortunately, now we have the vaping epidemic in teens. I work at the FDA, and my daughter who is in public school asked for my help as she saw so many students vaping in the school bathrooms, hallways and classrooms.

I started sounding the alarm in 2018. I went to several schools and presented to students, teachers and parents about mental health and vaping/drug use in Montgomery County Public Schools. As I noticed my voice is not being heard and there are several other challenges faced by students without any innovative initiatives, I have decided to run for a seat See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 61

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Innovations Will heirs or hackers get your digital assets? By Liz Weston A bank or brokerage can’t just take your money when you die. If you don’t have a will or other estate plan, the laws of your state determine who gets the value in those accounts. Your digital assets are a different story. Your online photos and videos, frequent flyer miles, cryptocurrency and other digitally stored files may well disappear without a trace if you don’t make a plan to pass them along. Conversely, some stuff you may prefer to shut down or keep private — emails and texts, social media accounts, dating app profiles — could be shared or hacked unless you take steps to secure the information.

Estate planning experts recommend creating an inventory of your online accounts and digital files, along with your login ID, passwords, the answers to any security questions and what type of two-factor authentication, if any, is in use. (Two-factor authentication is often a code that’s texted or emailed to you, or generated using a smartphone app, to ensure it’s really you who is trying to access your account.)

Make a full list Start with a list of your devices — smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers — and their passwords, along with passwords to any important apps. Then inventory the other electronic

records you use, own or control. Here are some categories to consider, along with some examples to jog your memory: • Email accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, work email) • Social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) • Storage and file sharing (Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive) • Rewards (travel rewards, credit card points, retailer loyalty programs) • Shopping services (Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, eBay) • Blogs and online businesses (domain name registrars, hosting services, online business accounts) • Video ser vices (Netflix, YouTube,

Hulu, SlingTV) • Music services (Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora) • Books (Kindle, Audible, Apple Books) • Photo sharing and storage (Shutterfly, Flickr, SmugMug) • Gaming accounts (Xbox, PlayStation) • Online dating accounts (Match, Tinder, eHarmony) • Virtual currency (bitcoin, ethereum, World of Warcraft)

Decide who gets what Some assets can’t be passed down. When you buy a book or song online, for See DIGITAL ASSETS, page 7

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Technology evolves fast. Remember floppy disks and MySpace? If not, consider that 10 years ago, nobody had an iPad or an Instagram account. Meanwhile, biometrics, including fingerprint scans and facial recognition, are already replacing passwords and other login credentials. Your digital assets, and how you access them, are likely to change even faster than your financial and physical property, Prangley said. She makes it a point to review and update her digital estate plan annually, at the same time she’s updating her passwords. “It’s something I do, like spring cleaning, once a year,” she said. —AP/NerdWallet

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example, you’re typically only buying a license that expires when you do, said Ray Radigan, head of private trust at TD Bank in New York. One workaround is to set up a family account that allows you to share your digital bounty now and after you die. Many travel providers also insist in their “terms and conditions” that rewards aren’t your property, but their actual policies vary. Many airlines, for example, will transfer frequent flyer miles to the appropriate heirs, said Karin Prangley, senior vice president at financial services firm Brown Brothers Harriman in Chicago. Some companies, including Google and Facebook, allow you to designate someone to handle your account when you die. Others simply close or deactivate accounts when they learn of a death. Searching for the company name along with the phrase “what happens to my account when I die” can turn up its policies. Once you decide what you want to happen with each type of account or digital asset, write down your wishes. You can leave these instructions and the relevant login credentials in a letter, stored with your other estate planning documents, which can be given to the person you want to carry out those wishes: your digital executor.

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Your digital executor could be the same trusted person who settles the rest of your estate, or you might want to choose someone who is more tech-savvy. Talk to the person first to ensure they’re willing, and then let them know how to access the documents they’ll need, said Jason Largey, senior estate planning strategist at Personal Capital in Denver. Your digital executor should be named in your will or living trust, estate planning experts say. Depending on state law, your attorney may need to add additional language to your documents to address the disposition of your digital assets.

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Age-Friendly Montgomery “I invite you to take part in all the resources our County has to offer.” County Executive Marc Elrich

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

Developing tech to spot risk of dementia By Michael Casey An effort to use voice-assistant devices like Amazon’s Alexa to detect signs of memory problems in people has gotten a boost with a grant from the federal government. Researchers from Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the University of Massachusetts, Boston will get a four-year $1.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. The team hopes to develop a system that would use machine and deep learning techniques to detect changes in speech patterns to determine if someone is at risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s. “We are tackling a significant and complicated data-science question: whether the collection of long-term speech patterns of individuals at home will enable us to develop new speech-analysis methods for early detection of this challenging disease,” said Xiaohui Liang, an assistant professor of computer science from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in a statement. “Our team envisions that the changes in the speech patterns of individuals using the voice assistant systems may be sensitive to their decline in memory and function over time.” John Batsis, a member of the team and

associate professor of medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, said the system would help families better plan for care should someone develop a cognitive impairment. “Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are a major public health concern that lead to high health costs, risk of nursing home placement, and an inordinate burden on the whole family,” Batsis said. “The ability to plan in the early stages of the disease is essential for initiating interventions and providing support systems to improve patients’ everyday function and quality of life.”

Privacy, language barriers exist Batsis admitted this was a novel approach and that challenges lie ahead in developing a system he and the other researchers plan to eventually test in people’s homes. The system, in theory, would aim to pick up changes in a person’s speech pattern, intonation and lexicon, he said. But researchers also would have to figure out how to make the system work for a myriad of languages, when there are multiple people speaking in the room, or when someone mumbles or doesn’t speak clearly. “These are all pragmatic and practical issues,” Batsis said.

Should a system one day be sold commercially, researchers envision that patients, the family or caregivers would choose to enable the system on their voice assistant. “A huge challenge is that of privacy,” he said. “You need to think about these things. Older adults that may be at risk or whose family member are concerned about this need to have buy-in for that.” Several experts who were not part of the research welcomed its focus. “Imagine if we had another tool to help diagnose this, and if that tool helped us detect it early,” said Alicia Nobles, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Diego,

and the co-founder of the Center for DataDriven Health at the Qualcomm Institute, in an email. She noted that detecting impairments early may be “crucial” to helping patients and their caregivers manage their care. Sarah Lenz Lock, the senior vice president for policy at AARP and the executive director of the Global Council on Brain Health, also said the research looked promising. “We need to assure that people’s privacy is maintained through the expanded use of technology in this way,” she said. “But speech patterns present a promising area for early screening of cognitive decline.” —AP

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Health Fitness &

PAINKILLER WARNINGS To avoid addiction, use opioids sparingly; try non-prescription painkillers first THE BEES’ KNEES Knee replacement surgery: the pros, cons and alternatives to try first READY FOR A CLOSE-UP What are dermal fillers, and do they really erase signs of aging? BLOOD DONORS NEEDED People of all ages can donate blood. It doesn’t take long, and it’s a lifesaver

U.S. life expectancy rises (for a change) By Mike Stobbe Life expectancy in the United States is up for the first time in four years. The increase is small — just a month — but marks at least a temporary halt to a downward trend. The rise is due to lower death rates from cancer and drug overdoses. “Let’s just hope it continues,” said Robert Anderson, who oversaw the report released in January by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest calculation is for 2018 and factors in current death trends and other issues. On average, an infant born that year is expected to live about 78 years and 8 months, the CDC said. For males, it’s about 76 years and 2 months; for females, 81 years and 1 month. For decades, U.S. life expectancy was on the upswing, rising a few months nearly every year. But from 2014 to 2017, it fell slightly or held steady. That was blamed largely on surges in overdose deaths and suicides. Suicides continued to increase in 2018,

as did deaths from the flu and pneumonia during what turned out to be an unusually bad flu year. But declines in some other causes of death — most notably cancer and drug overdoses — were enough to overcome all that, according to the report.

Lower lung cancer rate Cancer is the nation’s second killer, blamed for about 600,000 deaths a year, so even slight changes in the cancer death rate can have a big impact. The rate fell more than 2%, matching the drop in 2017. “I’m a little surprised that rapid pace is continuing,” said Rebecca Siegel, a researcher for the American Cancer Society. Most of the improvement is in lung cancer because of fewer smokers and better treatments, she said. Also striking was the drop in drug overdose deaths that had skyrocketed through 2017. The death rate fell 4% in 2018, and the number of deaths dropped to about 67,400. Deaths from heroin and prescription

painkillers went down, while deaths from other drugs — fentanyl, cocaine and meth — continued to go up. And preliminary data for the first half of 2019 suggest the overall decline in overdose deaths is already slowing down. It’s still a crisis, said Katherine Keyes, a Columbia University researcher. “But the fact that we have seen the first year where there’s not an additional increase is encouraging.” Nationally, for all causes of death, more than 2.8 million Americans died in 2018. That’s about 26,000 more than the year before, the CDC report found. The number went up even as the death rate went down because the population is growing and a large group are retirement age baby boomers.

Other findings: — The 10 leading causes of death remained the same, with heart disease at No. 1. The death rate for heart disease declined slightly, by less than 1%. — Death rates also dropped for stroke,

Alzheimer’s disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases and unintentional injuries, which include drug overdoses. — Americans who were 65 in 2018 are expected to live another 19 years and six months, on average. — The infant mortality rate fell more than 2%, to 1 in 177 births. — Gun-related deaths declined very slightly, to about 39,700, thanks to a drop in homicides involving firearms. Suicides with guns rose by nearly 600, to more than 24,400. — The suicide death rate hit its highest level since 1941: about 14 per 100,000. The rate peaked during the Depression in 1932 then mostly declined until 2000. It’s been rising most years since then. The U.S. has the highest suicide rate of 11 wealthy nations studied, according to a separate report released by the private Commonwealth Fund. That report also found U.S. life expectancy is two years lower than the average for the 10 other wealthy nations. —AP

Do face masks protect from coronavirus? By Carla K. Johnson People around the world are buying protective face masks in hopes of keeping the new virus from China at bay. Some companies have required them for employees. Schools in South Korea have told parents to equip their children with masks and hand sanitizer. But do the masks work? It depends. All viruses are small enough to get through a typical strap-on medical mask, but the germs don’t generally spread through the air one at a time, said Dr. Mark Denison of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Denison studies SARS and MERS, which are coronaviruses, the same family as the new virus, which is now named COVID-19. Instead, viruses ride from person to person on droplets from a sneeze or cough. Those droplets land on hands and other surfaces, where they are touched by others, who then touch their own eyes, noses or mouths. Masks can block large droplets from a sneeze or cough. That means they have

some value, Denison said. Also, someone in a mask can’t touch their own nose and mouth. That can help prevent the wearer from picking up germs left on surfaces by someone who is sick, he said. Masks are “a very sensible precaution” while scientists work to study exactly how the new virus is transmitted, University of Oxford researcher Trudie Lang said. None of this, however, is based on rigorous research. Nobody has compared groups of masked and unmasked people by exposing them to the new germ, Denison said. A 2017 review of studies in healthcare workers suggested masks offer some protection against SARS, but the authors noted “existing evidence is sparse, and findings are inconsistent.” The best way to avoid getting sick from the new virus is to wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. That’s the same advice for avoiding regular cold and flu viruses.

CDC recommendations The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not currently recommend masks for the general public. Officials in February said the risk to the general public in the U.S. remains low. The CDC does recommend masks for people being evaluated for the new virus, people confirmed to have it, household members and caregivers. Airline crew should offer a face mask to a sick traveler, the CDC said. Healthcare workers treating patients with the new virus are advised by the CDC to take additional precautions such as goggles or face shields. UNICEF said in January it has shipped six metric tons of respiratory masks and protective suits to China for use by health workers.

Factories working overtime Masks are commonly used in some countries when wearers are sick, fighting allergies, or on days when air pollution is bad. The new virus has fueled demand for them around the world.

Respilon, a Czech company that makes its “nanofiber” masks in China, sold 700,000 of them last year worldwide. Since the new outbreak, it received orders for 7 million more in one week. The problem: It could not make any because the Chinese government extended the Lunar New Year holiday into February in a bid to contain the virus’ spread. In Taiwan, once the holiday was over, factories were up and running. Premier Su Tseng-chang said the government had already distributed 23 million masks and that Taiwan will be able to produce 4 million more a day. A mask factory in Shanghai went into overdrive despite the holiday. “We are now working 24 hours, two shifts a day, 12 hours shift,” said Liao Huolin, president of the mask company. “We violated labor law,” he said, “but the workers understand.” AP journalists Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul; Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo; Havovi Todd in London; Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan; Erika Kinetz in Shanghai and Karel Janicek in the Czech Republic contributed to this report. —AP

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Superfoods that can help fight off colds By Amanda MacMillan They say you are what you eat. So, it makes sense that eating nutritious foods can help you maintain a healthy immune system. “Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants — these are what keep your body strong, and without them you’re not giving your body the edge it needs to ward off infection,” said registered dietitian Karen Ansel, a former spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For the best defense against colds and flu, make these healthy foods part of your diet: Fish Oily fish — including salmon, tuna and mackerel — are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (compounds that help reduce harmful inflammation in the body). Chronic inflammation prevents your immune system from working properly and can contribute to colds and flu. Garlic These pungent cloves contain allicin, a sulfuric compound that produces potent antioxidants when it decomposes. Garlic packs the biggest antioxidant punch when eaten raw. Anise seeds These licorice-flavored seeds, which have antibacterial properties, have been shown to ease coughing and help clear con-

gestion from the upper respiratory tract. Citrus fruits Studies show that taking vitamin C at the first sign of illness may reduce a cold’s duration by about a day. Eating lots of citrus — noshing on orange and grapefruit slices, or using lemons and limes in recipes — will provide a healthy dose of this powerhouse nutrient. Fennel Fennel is a natural expectorant and can help clear chest congestion and soothe a persistent cough. Make your own fennel tea with 1.5 teaspoons of the seeds and 1 cup boiling water. Steep for 15 minutes, strain and sweeten if desired. Yogurt and kefir Probiotic foods such as yogurt and kefir are a good way to replenish beneficial strains of bacteria, which promote digestive health and help prevent stomach ailments and upper respiratory tract infections. Red peppers Like citrus fruit, red peppers are high in vitamin C. In fact, one red pepper has 150 milligrams of the nutrient. (A large orange, by comparison, has about 100 mg.) Skinless turkey breast Lean proteins are high on Ansel’s list of flu fighters. “We think we need protein to build muscle, and we do. But we need it to

build antibodies and fight infection in the body, as well,” she said. Chicken, turkey and pork are all good sources of protein, as are beans, nuts and dairy. Blueberries These antioxidant powerhouses are bite-size immunity boosters, especially when they grow in the wild. Studies suggest that wild blueberries contain the most active antioxidants of any fresh fruit, thanks to their high levels of anthocyanins — among the most potent antioxidants. Dark chocolate Ounce for ounce, pure cocoa contains more of the disease-fighting antioxidants known as polyphenols than most berries — and it’s loaded with zinc, too. To reap

the immunity-boosting benefits without the unhealthy extras (like high sugar content), stick with bite-size portions of dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or higher. Carrots and sweet potatoes Orange fruits and vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene. Your body converts this organic compound into vitamin A, which is essential for maintaining a strong immune system. Health.com delivers relevant information in clear language that puts health into context in peoples’ lives. © 2020 Meredith Corporation. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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When/how to use opioids for acute pain By Scott Weiner, M.D. Two recent articles have again highlighted how often opioid pain relievers — medications like oxycodone and hydrocodone — are excessively prescribed in the U.S. for acute pain, sometimes for vulnerable populations, and sometimes for conditions for which they are probably not even indicated. The first paper, by authors at Boston Children’s Hospital, evaluated visits to the emergency department by adolescents and young adults (ages 13 to 22) over an 11-year period from a nationwide sample. About 15% of patients — roughly one in six — were prescribed an opioid, with high rates seen for ankle sprains, hand fractures, collarbone fractures and dental issues, for which an incredibly high 60% of patients in this age group received an opioid. The second paper compared opioid prescribing by dentists in the U.S. and England in 2016, and the numbers are shocking. U.S. dentists prescribed about 35 opioids per 1,000 people, compared to just 0.5 opioid prescriptions per 1,000 people in England. The pain experienced by people in the U.S. can’t be staggeringly different than in the U.K. So why the discrepancy? In the U.S., prescribers were reassured for years that opioids were a safe and effective way to treat pain. Yes, they are effective. But as evidenced by the vast increase in opioid-re-

lated overdose deaths seen in the country over the past decade, they are not safe.

OTC pain meds work, too On the other hand, medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — over-thecounter pain medicines that you can get at any supermarket — actually work amazingly well for acute pain. As an example, a large survey study of more than 2,000 patients who underwent a range of dental procedures discovered that the vast majority experienced adequate pain relief with over-the-counter or non-opioid prescribed pain medications. Similar studies are abundant. Another looked at patients treated for low back pain in the emergency department and found no difference in pain after five days, whether the patient was treated with an anti-inflammatory medicine (naproxen) or an opioid. It just didn’t make a difference, so why take the risk?

When an opioid makes sense Of course, there are times when the overthe-counter medications are not going to be sufficient to treat acute pain. In those situations, the goal should be to take non-prescription medications first, and then add an opioid only when the pain is unbearable. Typically, this period of severe pain is in

the first three days after a surgery or trauma. For example, my colleagues evaluated opioid consumption in the days after suffering an acute fracture. Most patients needed only about six oxycodone pills. We therefore subscribe to the recommendations of the Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (OPEN) program in Michigan, which recommends relatively small opioid prescriptions after surgery, such as 10 pills after having your appendix removed or hernia repaired, and just five for procedures like a breast biopsy. Patients do fine with these smaller numbers of pills, and they’re at less risk of developing long-term opioid use.

How to discard leftover pills

When the acute pain is gone, if there are leftover opioid pills, discard them safely. Although opioid misuse among teens is decreasing, it still is a major problem. About two-thirds of adolescents who misused opioids got them from friends or family for free. These medications should ideally be stored securely and dispensed by a parent or guardian following the appropriately prescribed schedule. There are lots of places to safely discard pills. In fact, the Drug Enforcement Administration has a website that lists the closest bin locations. If one of those is not accessible, mix the medication with coffee grounds, kitty litter See OPIOIDS, page 14

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Knee pain? Options to try before surgery Courtesy of the University of Michigan When cartilage inside the knee joint starts to break down, a person may begin to experience pain. “If you were to look inside a healthy knee joint, you’d see a thick cushioning of cartilage that covers and protects the ends of your bones, as well as another type of cartilage, called the meniscus, that acts like a shock absorber between the bones,” said Andrew Urquhart, M.D., a professor of orthopedic surgery at Michigan Medicine’s Comprehensive Musculoskeletal Center. “The meniscus keeps the knee joint stable and helps evenly spread out the weight the knee joint bears.

“But when a person’s knee cartilage is deteriorating, the bones rub together and they may experience pain when walking or weight bearing.” To treat a painful knee, Urquhart mentioned a few options. “Many patients jump to surgical options, but we recommend every patient start with diet and exercise or physical therapy before considering knee replacement surgery,” he said.

What surgery involves Total knee replacement surgery involves capping off the thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia) with metal, and inserting a plastic bearing, or artificial joint, in between the

bones where cartilage would normally exist. In some patients, a plastic cap is inserted over the kneecap (patella) as well. Urquhart notes that the surgery shouldn’t be taken lightly. “About 15 to 20% of patients that undergo knee replacement surgery have buyer’s remorse because they still experience discomfort or a sensation of instability in their knee, even after surgery,” Urquhart said. “That’s why we strongly encourage patients to try non-surgical options before electing surgery.” Urquhart answers some common questions he hears from patients about knee replacement surgery: Q: What’s causing my knee cartilage

to break down? A: There are a number of conditions that can cause knee pain and the cartilage to deteriorate. Some of the most common are arthritis; an injury, such as tearing the meniscus; and obesity. Q: Am I a candidate for total knee replacement? A: Patients in their 50s or older who have a hard time walking, despite trying non-surgical treatments first, may be good candidates for knee replacement surgery. Before considering knee replacement surgery, I always recommend patients start with improving their diet and exercise routine.

Opioids

Ask your doctor about which over-thecounter pain treatments you can safely take, and maximize those. For more severe pain, such as from fractures or after surgery, use the minimum number of opioids needed to tolerate the pain, then back off once the pain is bearable. Then continue with non-prescription treatments. Scott Weiner, M.D., is a contributor to Harvard Health Publications. © 2020 President and Fellows of Harvard College. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

From page 13 or dirt, seal it in a plastic bag, and put it in the trash. Don’t flush it down the toilet, as opioids and other drugs can contaminate the water supply.

Use minimally, if at all My general recommendation for opioidnaïve patients, regardless of age, is this: If you have a simple problem, like a sprain or a dental procedure, or even back pain, do whatever you can to avoid an opioid.

See KNEE PAIN, page 17

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REHABilitation

REHAB OPEN HOUSE TOUR AND Hors d’oeuvres Tuesday, march 31 10 a.m. – noon

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Tour our state-of-the-art Rehab Center and two-story physical therapy gym. Experience the innovative, revitalizing environment of our healing space. ENJOY meeting our extraordinary staff who specialize in rehabilitation. Register with Toni Davis by Sunday, March 29, at tdavis@bgf.org or 301-388-7209.

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Dermal fillers can reduce signs of aging By Kristina Liu, M.D. The four major structural components of our face are skin, fat, muscle and bone. As we age, volume loss in these areas contributes to the visible signs of aging. Dermal fillers may help. Over time, age-related bone loss in the face can lead to retraction of the jaw line, descent of the nose and loss of high cheekbones. The facial muscles also decrease in volume and elasticity, and deflation and move-

ment of facial fat further accentuates the signs of aging. Finally, the skin stretches and loses elasticity. Compounded by the loss of scaffolding provided by fat, muscle and bone, these changes lead to wrinkles, sagging skin and other familiar signs of aging. Dermal fillers, an injectable treatment performed in a doctor’s office, can help smooth lines and replenish lost volume, restoring a more youthful appearance.

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Many types of fillers Dermal fillers are soft, gel-like substances that are injected under the skin. They can address a number of common concerns, including smoothing of undereye circles, lifting of cheekbones, volumization of the lips, smoothing of lip lines and nasolabilal folds (the creases that run from the side of the nose to the corners of the mouth), and rejuvenation of the hands. Dermal fillers can be composed of a variety of substances, some naturally occurring and some synthetic. One of the most common compounds used in dermal fillers is hyaluronic acid (HA). HA is a naturally occurring substance found in our skin, and it plays a major role in keeping skin hydrated and voluminous. HA fillers, depending on their specific chemical makeup, can last from six months to much longer before being gradually absorbed by the body. One of the main benefits of HA fillers, aside from their natural appearance when injected, is that they can be dissolved by a special solution in case of an adverse event, or if the person dislikes the appearance. Also, most HA fillers are premixed with lidocaine, a numbing agent, to maximize comfort during treatment. Other available dermal fillers include those made from calcium hydroxylapatite, poly-L-lactic acid, polymethyl methacrylate, and autologous fat (fat that is transplanted from another part of your body). Calcium hydroxylapatite is a minerallike compound naturally found in human bones. It has been used in dentistry and reconstructive plastic surgery for years with a long track record of safety. Poly-L-lactic acid is a synthetic filler that helps stimulate collagen production. This filler is different from other fillers because

its results are gradual. Volumization occurs over several months as it stimulates the body to produce collagen. Polymethyl methacrylate is a semi-permanent filler. While it is more durable compared to other more readily biodegradable fillers, it has potential complications such as forming lumps or being visible under the skin.

Get professional advice Each of these substances has its own pros and cons, as well as a unique density, longevity and texture, which means a particular material may be more or less suited to a specific area of the face or desired result. Choosing the right type of dermal filler requires the guidance of an experienced, board-certified dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon with a thorough understanding of facial anatomy and familiarity with the variety of available fillers and their respective injection techniques. A medical professional will thoroughly evaluate any specific areas of concern, understand what you hope to get out of the procedure, and review what to expect before, during and after the treatment to ensure the best cosmetic outcome.

Avoid black market fillers Dermal filler procedures can be expensive, which has prompted some consumers to turn to the black market online to purchase do-it-yourself fillers. The Food and Drug Administration has issued an official warning urging consumers to “never buy dermal fillers on the Internet. They may be fake, contaminated or harmful.” See DERMAL FILLERS, page 17

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Knee pain From page 14 Many Americans are overweight, and just losing a few pounds can improve symptoms in the knee, which carries five times a person’s body weight when going up a single stair. Targeted physical therapy and exercise can improve and strengthen the muscles in the knee, which may result in less pain. We also recommend patients try nonsteroidal medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to reduce swelling and pain. For some patients, we recommend trying steroid injections, such as cortisone injections, before electing knee replacement surgery. When all of the non-operative options listed above do not work, patients should consult with an orthopedic surgeon. During that consultation, a physician will likely give strength and ligament tests, take Xrays, and discuss symptoms as well as the

Dermal fillers From page 16 Dermal fillers are safe and effective in the right hands. Finding the right physician to perform your dermal filler procedure is key. Don’t be afraid to ask about training and certification to ensure you’re receiving care from a board-certified, experienced dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon. With the right preparation and communication with your physician, you can achieve natural, beautiful and safe results. Kristina Liu, M.D., M.H.S., is a contributor to Harvard Health Publications. © 2020 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 14+

SPRING FLOWERS WALK

Enjoy the cherry blossoms and other spring flowers without the crowds. Join the Seneca Valley Sugarloafers Volksmarch Club on 5k or 10k walks through Bethesda’s Kenwood neighborhood. Pets are allowed. The $3 walks take place from Sat., March 14 until Sun., Apr. 26. Sign in beginning at 7 a.m. at Starbucks Coffee, 4611 E. Sangamore Rd., Bethesda, Md. To learn more, call (301) 828-5257 or visit sugarloafers.org.

Mar. 18

INTRO TO MEDICARE

Are you about to turn 65 and want to know about your healthcare options? Attend a seminar by the county’s State Health Insurance Assistance program (SHIP) to learn about Medicare. The free class will be held on Wed., March 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. To learn more, call (240) 777-0678.

benefits and risks of surgery. Q: What’s the difference between partial knee replacement and total knee replacement? I’ve also heard of resurfacing the knee; what does that mean? A: A partial knee replacement is performed on patients who have intact ligaments and pain isolated to the inside portion of the knee. Performing surgery on that inside portion of the knee can result in relief of symptoms and the patient not needing surgery on the entire knee joint, thus the “partial” title. All knee replacement surgeries involve some amount of resurfacing, or replacement of the knee’s cartilage. Q: How long does it take to recover after surgery? A: Every patient’s recovery time is different, but most patients can expect to be up and walking without a cane or walker about four weeks after surgery. They can generally bend their knee to or beyond 90 degrees by that point, but they may still ex-

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perience some pain or stiffness. Q: Will I be able to get back to a physical, active lifestyle? A: Most patients — about 80 to 85% — feel their knee functions better after surgery than before. These patients can get back to lowimpact physical activity, such as walking, hiking, biking, playing golf or tennis, and other light recreational activities. We discourage

high-impact activities, such as basketball and running, as these can reinjure the knee. A Wellness Update is a magazine devoted to up-to-the minute information on health issues from physicians, major hospitals and clinics, universities and health care agencies across the U.S. © 2020 www.awellnessupdate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Questions on dry skin, cholesterol drugs By Howard LeWine, M.D. Q: My skin has become very dry and itchy over the past year. Could it be some other skin problem, not just dry skin? A: Our skin’s top layer, or epidermis, is normally thick with naturally occurring fats and oils that act as a barrier to help retain moisture and prevent irritants from entering the skin. But as we age, the skin thins, and we lose some of those fats and oils. This allows vital

moisture to escape from the skin, allowing it to become dry and cracked. While dry skin in itself is the most common cause of itchy skin, sometimes it’s tough to tell if the symptoms are caused by a different condition, such as contact dermatitis, eczema or psoriasis. People with contact dermatitis are more vulnerable to allergens and irritants such as fragrances that could cause inflammation. When they come in contact with something that causes a reaction, they de-

velop a red, cracked, itchy rash. Eczema is another term for atopic dermatitis, a condition that is mostly diagnosed in children. In older adults, eczema is a more general term for skin that’s chronically dry, cracked and itchy despite the use of moisturizers. Psoriasis causes thick, raised, red or silvery patches of scaly skin on the elbows, knees, scalp and trunk. This skin condition isn’t as itchy as eczema. Psoriasis is the result of an overactive immune system that causes a rapid turnover of skin cells and leads to cells piling up on the surface.

Over-the-counter remedy For simple dry skin, a concerted effort to moisturize the skin throughout the day may be all it takes to get rid of itching and dryness. But most people don’t moisturize often enough, or they use lotions that contain too much water to be effective on very dry skin. Instead of liquid lotion, look for an oilbased cream that’s so thick it comes in a jar, not a pump bottle. If moisturizing alone isn’t working, it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor or a dermatologist. Q: My cholesterol level has remained about the same for many years, but now my doctor suggests that I start taking a statin drug. What has changed? A: There are two major reasons why your doctor could now be recommending a statin — the cholesterol guidelines continue to evolve and/or you have developed other heart disease risk factors, such as Type 2 diabetes or hypertension. In the past, the decision to start a statin or other drug was based primarily on the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), the so-called “bad cholesterol.”

New guidelines have removed this “target-driven” approach. They don’t focus on the LDL numbers. Instead, they recommend using risk to decide when people should take a statin drug to lower LDL cholesterol. Statins are best because they do more than just lower a number. They reduce risk of developing heart disease and having a stroke. New evidence suggests that an LDL cholesterol level much lower than 70 mg/dL is probably beneficial for some people. So, even if you have an excellent LDL blood level, you likely should take a statin if you have: —Artery disease, including angina, a previous heart attack or stroke, or other related conditions —A very high level of harmful LDL cholesterol (generally at or above 190 mg/dL) —Diabetes, if you are also 40 or older For everyone else it’s a decision that you make with your doctor, depending on risk factors that include: —A parent, brother or sister who had coronary artery disease or stroke at an early age (a man before age 55 or a woman before age 65) —Tobacco use —High blood pressure —A low HDL (“good cholesterol”) level (under 40 milligrams per deciliter) A statin dose tailored to the individual is more important than reaching a particular target number. Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2020 President and Fellows of Harvard College. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Can a chiropractor treat low back pain? By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. If you’ve ever seen a doctor for back pain, you’re not alone. An estimated 85% of people experience back pain severe enough to see a doctor at some point in their life. Yet despite how common it is, the precise cause of pain is often unclear. And a single, best treatment for most low back pain is unknown. “Standard care” includes a balance of rest, stretching and exercise, heat, pain relievers and time. Some doctors also suggest trying chiropractic care. The good news is that no matter what treatment is recommended, most people with a recent onset of back pain are better within a few weeks — often within a few days.

A variety of treatments Estimates suggest that low back pain costs up to $200 billion a year in the U.S. (including costs of care and missed work), and it’s a leading cause of disability worldwide. With the backdrop of the opioid crisis, we badly need an effective, safe, non-opioid alternative to treat low back pain. Some doctors refer patients to a physical therapist right away. But many people with back pain see acupuncturists, massage therapists or a chiropractor on their own. Experts disagree about the role of chiropractic care, and there are few highquality studies about this approach. Should it be a routine part of initial care?

Should it be reserved for people who don’t improve with other treatments? Are some people more likely to improve with chiropractic care than others?

Evidence for chiropractic care A 2018 study published in JAMA Network Open is among the latest to weigh in on the pros and cons of chiropractic care for treating low back pain. Researchers enrolled 750 active-duty military personnel who complained of back pain. Half were randomly assigned to receive usual care (including medications, self-care and physical therapy), while the other half received usual care plus up to 12 chiropractic treatments. After six weeks of treatment, those assigned to receive chiropractic care: —reported less pain intensity —experienced less disability and more improvement in function —reported higher satisfaction with their treatment —needed less pain medicine While no serious side effects were reported, about 10% of those receiving chiropractic care described adverse effects (mostly stiffness in the joints or muscles), while 5% of those receiving usual care had similar complaints.

Some concerns While this study suggests that chiropractic care may be helpful for low back pain, some aspects of the study make it hard to be sure. For example: —It only lasted six weeks. Most newonset back pain is better by then regardless of treatment. —The differences in improvement between those receiving chiropractic and usual care were small. It’s not clear how

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noticeable such a difference would be or whether the cost of chiropractic care would be worth that small difference. —The study included a mix of people with new and longer-standing low back pain and a mix of types of pain (from a pinched nerve, muscle spasm or other reasons). So, it’s hard to generalize these results to everyone with back pain. —Most of the study subjects were young (average age 31) and male (77%). All were generally healthy and fit enough to pass military fitness testing. —Study subjects knew which treatment they were receiving. This creates potential for a placebo effect. Also, the added time and attention (rather than the spinal manipulation) might have contributed to the response. Even within the two groups, the care varied — that is, not everyone in the usual care group received the same treatment, and this can also be said for the chiropractic group. If any of these factors had been different, the results might have been, too. For example, it’s possible that if an older population of people with chronic low back pain had been studied, “usual care” might have been the better treatment. This new study lends support for chiropractic care to treat low back pain. But it’s important to recognize the limitations of this trial, and keep in mind that side effects were more common among those receiving chiropractic care. In addition, chiropractors aren’t free (although, fortunately, insurance coverage is becoming more common). Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., is faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing. © 2020 President and Fellows of Harvard College. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Should early dementia patients drive? Dear Savvy Senior, these are red flags. Is there a good rule of thumb reIf you need some assessment help, hire a garding when dementia padriver rehabilitation specialist tients should stop driving? who’s trained to evaluate older My 82-year-old mom has drivers. See AOTA.org/olderearly stage Alzheimer’s disdriver or ADED.net to locate ease but still drives herself one in your area. around town just fine. —Inquiring Daughter Transition tips Dear Inquiring, Through your assessMost doctors agree that peoments, if you believe it’s still ple with moderate to severe desafe for your mom to drive, mentia should never get beyou should start recommendhind the wheel. But in the early SAVVY SENIOR ing some simple adjustments stages of Alzheimer’s, driving By Jim Miller to ensure her safety, like drivperformance should be the deing only in daylight and on fatermining factor of when to stop driving, not miliar routes, and avoiding busy roads and the disease itself. bad weather. With that said, it’s also important to realAlso, see if she will sign an Alzheimer’s ize that as your mom’s driving skills deteri- “driving contract” (see ALZ.org/driving orate over time from the disease, she to print one), which designates someone might not recognize she has a problem. to tell her when it’s no longer safe to So, it’s very important that you work drive. closely with her doctor to monitor her drivYou may also want to consider getting a ing and help her stop when it is no longer GPS car tracking device (like MotoSafety. safe for her to drive. com or AutoBrain.com) to help you keep Here are some additional tips that can an eye on her. help: These devices will let you track where she’s driving and allow you to set up zones Watch for warning signs and speed limits that will send you alerts The best way to keep tabs on your to your smartphone when she exits an mom’s driving is to take frequent rides area, or if she’s driving too fast or braking with her, watching out for key warning harshly. signs. For example: Does she have trouble re- Provide alternatives membering routes to familiar places? Does When your mom’s driving gets to the she drive at inappropriate speeds, tailgate, point that she can no longer drive safely, drift between lanes or fail to observe traffic you’ll need to talk to her. It’s actually best signs? Does she react slowly or make poor to start having these conversations in the driving decisions? early stages of the disease, before she Also, has your mom had any fender ben- needs to quit driving, so she can prepare ders or tickets lately, or have you noticed herself. any dents or scrapes on her vehicle? All of You should have a plan for alternative

transportation (including a list of family, friends and local transportation options) that will help your mom get around after she stops driving. For tips on how to talk to your mom, the Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence offers a helpful guide called “At the Crossroads: Family Conversations About Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia and Driving” that you can get at TheHartford.com/Publications-on-Aging.

If she refuses to quit If your mom refuses to quit, you have several options. First, suggest a visit to her doctor who can give her a medical evaluation and prescribe that she stops driving. Older people will often listen to their doc-

tor before they will listen to their own family. If she still refuses, contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to see if they can help. Some states require doctors to report new dementia cases to the DMV, who can revoke the person’s license. If these fail, consider hiding her keys or just take them away. You could also disable her vehicle by disconnecting the battery or park it in another location so she can’t see it, have access to it or sell it. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Is recurring stomach pain from an ulcer? By Robert Kraichely, M.D. Dear Mayo Clinic: I thought I had an ulcer, but my doctor ruled that out and wants to run tests. He said it could be functional dyspepsia. What causes this, and is it treatable? A: Functional dyspepsia (also called nonulcer dyspepsia) and peptic ulcers can feel much the same. But unlike a peptic ulcer, which involves open sores in the digestive tract, functional dyspepsia involves recurring indigestion

or stomach pain that has no obvious cause. Common signs and symptoms of functional dyspepsia include a burning sensation or discomfort in your upper abdomen or lower chest, bloating, belching, an early feeling of fullness when eating and nausea. While not life-threatening, the symptoms can significantly affect your quality of life.

Use of endoscopy One component to help with diagnosis is endoscopy, in which a thin, flexible,

lighted instrument (endoscope) is passed down your throat so that your doctor can view your esophagus, stomach and the first part of your small intestine. Endoscopy also allows your doctor to collect small pieces of tissue (biopsy) from your stomach or duodenum to look for inflammation or cancerous growths. Your healthcare provider can determine whether an endoscopy is needed, but endoscopy generally is recommended in adults 60 and older who have symptoms. A normal result on this test most often indicates functional dyspepsia. Endoscopy also may be performed on adults younger than 60 who have “alarm” features — such as weight loss, anemia, difficulty swallowing or persistent vomiting — along with dyspepsia symptoms. If no abnormal results are found with endoscopy, a noninvasive breath or stool test to check for the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacterial infection may follow to guide the course of treatment. This test also is used for adults under 60 with no alarm features. If H. pylori is present, your healthcare provider may recommend an antibiotic to eliminate the infection.

Ways to reduce stomach acid For those who test negative for the bacterium, as well as for those whose symp-

toms persist after antibiotic treatment and clearance of H. pylori, the first line of treatment is to reduce stomach acid. This may be performed using two types of medications: proton pump inhibitors or H2-receptor blockers. Proton pump inhibitors reduce acid by shutting down the tiny pumps within stomach cells. Examples include esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec). H2-receptor blockers, including famotidine (Pepcid) and ranitidine (Zantac), reduce acid production by blocking histamine receptors in stomach cells. Cognitive behavioral therapy also may be recommended as a way to cope with the symptoms and reduce the stress that may trigger stomach pain. Because functional dyspepsia lacks a fully understood cause and its symptoms overlap with other gastrointestinal conditions, the diagnosis of functional dyspepsia can be challenging. Researchers continue to explore better means of clearly identifying it. Email a question to MayoClinicQ&A@ mayo.edu. For more information, viit mayoclinic.org. © 2019 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

SENIOR LIVING WITH STYLE

Whatever your taste or budget, you’ll ﬁnd your picture-perfect apartment home at Ashby Ponds, Greenspring, or Riderwood, the area’s most popular senior living communities.

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Ashby Ponds, Greenspring, and Riderwood are managed by Erickson Living,® one of the nation’s largest and most respected builders and developers of continuing care retirement communities.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Hospitals need blood donors of any age Dear Mayo Clinic: I’ve never donated blood before because I’m nervous that I’ll faint when I see the needle or blood. Is there anything that I can do to prevent that from happening? A: It’s common to be nervous about donating blood if you’ve never done it before. But blood donation center staff members are skilled at making the experience as smooth as possible, and your donation will make a difference. Hospitals are always in need of new blood donors. It is estimated that fewer than 3% of Americans donate blood. That’s a concern because many people in the U.S. need blood every day. Some may need blood during surgery. Others may require blood transfusions after an accident. Still others have a disease that makes it necessary for them to receive red blood cells or other blood components. In some cases, receiving donated blood may be the difference between life and death. Fear of fainting, needles and seeing blood are all reasons people cite for avoiding blood donation. But these worries often turn out to be much less daunting than people anticipate. For example, the needlestick for blood donation is similar to what you feel when you get a vaccination or have blood drawn. Also, you do not have to watch as the

needle is inserted, and you do not have to see the blood. Many blood donation centers offer TVs or small video screens that you can use during a donation to help keep your mind occupied.

Tips to avoid fainting Fainting before, during or after blood donation is rare. Studies suggest that drinking about 16 ounces of water and having a salty snack before you donate may lower your risk of fainting. Eating a healthy meal before you donate blood also makes it less likely that you will have other side effects, such as dizziness, lightheadedness or nausea, after you donate. As you consider donating blood, be assured that the process is safe. A new sterile collection set, including a needle, is used for each donor. That means there is no risk of getting an infection or disease by donating blood. Most healthy adults of any age can donate about a pint of blood without any health risks. Your body replaces the fluids it loses during a blood donation within about 24 hours. The red blood cells that you donate are replaced in your body within several weeks. When you arrive at the blood donation center, you are given a confidential med-

Seeing is

BELIEVING

ical history form to fill out. You’ll also have your blood pressure, pulse and temperature taken. A small sample of blood taken from a finger-stick is used to check your hemoglobin, the part of your blood that carries oxygen. If your hemoglobin concentration meets eligibility criteria and you meet all the other screening requirements, you can donate blood, no matter what age. Finally, keep in mind that there is no substitute for human blood. One donation

can help at least three people. By donating blood, you are offering a lifesaving gift. —Manish Gandhi, M.D., transfusion medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. Email a question to MayoClinic Q&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org. © 2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

SPRING OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, March 25th 1:00 - 3:00 PM

8100 Connecticut Ave. Chevy Chase, MD 20815

301-907-8895 Falcons Landing is proud to announce The Terrace Homes. With the best features of apartment and cottage living, The Terrace Homes offer a new take on Independent Living for military officers who have honorably served and senior-level federal employees. No matter how you spend your days, Falcons Landing gives you the freedom to relish all the activities that define who you are.

Join us for a taste of spring! Stop by to enjoy a variety of hors d’oeuvres and desserts prepared by our Executive Chef and see what’s new at Premier Residences of Chevy Chase.

Call (703) 215-2573 to claim your Terrace Homes apartment before they’re all reserved!

Kindly RSVP to jberkman@5ssl.com or 301-907-8995.

FalconsLanding.org | 20522 Falcons Landing Circle, Potomac Falls, VA 20165 Falcons Landing is proud to be a non-proﬁt Life Plan Community.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

March 2020

UPCOMING SEMINARS & EVENTS at Brooke Grove retirement village

As experts in senior care and memory support, Brooke Grove Retirement Village is pleased to offer seminars and events that promote physical, spiritual and mental well-being. All seminars and events will be held at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 18131 Slade School Road on the Brooke Grove Retirement Village campus. Please register with Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org. caregiver connection: “Healthy Back Habits” TUESDAY, MARCH 17 • 2-3 P.M. Whether you’re a caregiver experiencing emotional and physical stress resulting in pain or just need some relief from your aching back, this seminar is for you! Most back pain can be managed through exercise and healthy lifestyle habits. Discover how proper posture and body mechanics, along with speciﬁc exercises you can do at home, can minimize or prevent back pain. FREE. Register by March 15.

Parkinson’s Programs

Rehab open house

Don’t face Parkinson’s alone! Brooke Grove Retirement Village is pleased to partner with the Parkinson Foundation to offer a variety of classes, programs and a support group for those with Parkinson’s or other neurodegenerative diseases.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31 10 A.M.-12 P.M.

PARKINSON’S COMMUNICATIONS CLUB Tuesdays 12:30-1:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 1-2:15 P.M.

Second Wednesday of Each Month 2-3:15 p.m. PFNCA EXERCISE FOR PARKINSON’S CLASSES

Nine to Ninety is the love story of Phyllis and Joe Sabatini, who at age 89 and 90 live in the home of their daughter, son-in-law and young granddaughter. As the family struggles to make ends meet and Joe’s health problems escalate, Phyllis becomes determined to free her daughter from the burden of caretaking. Their surprising decisions ignite bigger conversations on how to age with dignity.

Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays 3:30-4:30 p.m.

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860

Film screening/discussion preceded by complimentary lunch at 12:30 p.m.

Independent living

FREE. Register by March 29.

PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP

living well seminar: “Nine to Ninety”

FREE. Register by March 16.

Imagine the best therapies and equipment—in a beautiful environment that rejuvenates and restores. Tour our new, state-of-the-art Rehab Center and two-story physical therapy gym. Experience the innovative, revitalizing environment of our healing space.

301-260-2320 · www.bgf.org assisted living

rehabilitation

long-term care

memory support

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Wash hands to keep yourself, others well Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic The single most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick and to stop the spread of disease-causing germs is to wash your hands — often. All it takes is soap and water, 20 seconds of scrubbing hands and wrists and then a good rinse. Viruses that cause colds and the flu are most often transmitted by hands. People commonly catch colds when they rub their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold virus. By washing your hands frequently, you wash away germs that you may have picked up from other people or from contaminated surfaces. Parents and grandparents can encourage children by setting an example. Wash hands often in front of children to teach them that hand washing with soap and water is more than a chore — it’s an important way to prevent colds, sore throats and other infections. Also, because dirty hands often can

carry germs, teaching children to keep their hands away from their eyes, nose and mouth also will help prevent illness. Make hand washing fun for kids by singing “Happy Birthday” twice while they rub their hands together with soap and water. This way, you’ll be sure they washed for a good 20 seconds.

A year-round practice Hand washing takes on an especially important role during the winter months, when infectious diseases such as the flu are in season. (If you haven’t already, consider getting a flu shot.) You also can protect your health during cold and flu season by getting plenty of sleep, exercising, eating nutritious foods and drinking lots of fluids. Also, remember to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and avoid rubbing your eyes and nose. Stay away from crowds when possible, and don’t share food or drinks.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and toss the tissue in the trash. Then wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water or an alcoholbased hand cleaner. This practice will help avoid spreading germs to others. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder instead of your hands. The bottom line is that hand washing is

easy and effective. With proper hand washing, you can protect your health and help prevent the spread of colds and flu to others. A Wellness Update is a magazine devoted to up-to-the minute information on health issues from physicians, major hospitals and clinics, universities and health care agencies across the U.S. Online at awellnessupdate.com. © 2020 www.awellnessupdate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

New insights about brain from epilepsy By Carla K. Johnson and Malcolm Ritter Although Genette Hofmann is still using her brain, last month she donated a bit of it to science. Hofmann needed the surgery — her Seattle surgeon was looking deep into her brain, where he found the trigger for the epileptic seizures that had disrupted her life for 30 years. But to get there, he teased out a bit of healthy tissue the size of a lima bean and, with her blessing, quickly sent it to some researchers, who were eager to study live brain cells. Hofmann joined other epilepsy patients who’ve helped scientists reveal basic secrets of the brain — knowledge that could lead to

new treatments for a variety of diseases. Research volunteers such as Ruth Nall made a different kind of contribution in a California hospital room, reading sentences aloud as a network of surgically implanted sensors kept close track of how her brain worked. Since she was going to have electrodes implanted anyway, she reasoned, why not help out? “Plus,” she added, “I’d have visitors.”

Disorder provides clues Epilepsy disrupts the brain’s electrical activity, producing recurrent seizures that involve strange sensations, behaviors, emotions and, sometimes, loss of consciousness.

Most people with epilepsy don’t need surgery and can control seizures with medications. But when surgery is necessary, research scientists can ask to piggyback on the procedures for a rare chance to study the brain directly. For decades, studies of epilepsy patients have revealed secrets of the brain, like how the two halves operate differently. The disease has a long history of revealing the importance of the brain to memory, emotion and everything we call “the self,” said Christof Koch, chief scientist at the Allen Institute in Seattle, where Hofmann’s cells were analyzed. “Seizures have taught us more about brain and the mind, and the relationship between the two, than any other disease,” he said. The Allen Institute is building an online atlas that makes information on hundreds of human brain cells freely available for study. The institute hopes that will provide a new avenue, beyond brain scans and animal studies, for tackling conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and autism.

Volunteers make a difference For Hofmann, 57, the decision to contribute to the study was simple, even beyond her own epilepsy. She spent years caring for a grandmother with dementia. “This will be my chance to make a difference,” she said.

Nall, the California woman, underwent surgery, too. But before that, doctors had to discover the spot that was triggering her seizures. To do that, surgeons often implant sensors on and within a patient’s brain to eavesdrop on its activity and catch the trigger in the act of causing a seizure. Patients being monitored in this way may spend a week or more in a hospital room as doctors wait for seizures to happen. “It is rare that you have the opportunity to study the brain in such a detailed way in awake people,” said Dr. Joshua Rosenow of Northwestern University. The monitoring of Nall’s brain provided data for several papers published in the past couple years. Nall said she’d encourage others to take the same step. “It is something you feel good about later,” she said. “Let your life be defined by the lives that you change.” Two weeks after Hofmann’s surgery, she was optimistic. “So far, so good,” she said. “No seizures.” Part of her brain is gone, but she doesn’t feel anything’s missing. In fact, happy memories have surfaced, “things I haven’t thought of since I was a girl.” Contributing brain cells to science “makes me so proud and so satisfied,” she said. “It makes me feel more connected to the human race.” —AP

BEACON BITS

Mar. 26

LGBTQ CARE

Learn about the specific care needs for LGBTQ+ older adults at the end of their lives at a free workshop. Topics include palliative care, behavioral needs and healthcare decisions. The workshop will be held on Thurs., March 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. at CaringMatters, 518 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, Md. To register, call (301) 990-7927 or visit http://bit.ly/CaringMatters.

Caring for your aging parent or loved one? It’s not all up to you. Call us. 240-777-3000 ADS@ MontgomeryCountyMD.gov

Aging & Disability Services Mon and Fri: Tue, Wed, & Thur:

8:30am – 5:00pm 8:30am – 7:30pm

A free service of your County Government

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Health Studies

INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

How to best prevent muscle loss with age By Margaret Foster After age 30, adults lose as much as 5% of muscle mass every decade. That phenomenon is called sarcopenia, or aging-related loss of muscle. It’s a vicious circle: If you don’t exercise, you become weaker and even less able to exercise. “If you’re unable to be as active and do as much physical activity, then you’re setting yourself up for a worsening of the problem,” said Steven J. Prior of the University of Maryland. But it’s never too late to get in shape. This spring, Prior and a team of researchers are launching a study to determine what types of exercises can increase muscle mass and strength in older adults.

Focusing on aerobic exercise Previous studies showed that strength training (such as lifting weights, doing push-ups, etc.) can reverse sarcopenia. But what about aerobic exercises like walking or swimming? Can that build mus-

cle mass, too? In the six-month study, participants between ages 65 and 88 will visit the university’s College Park or Baltimore campuses for testing and exercise visits. They will be randomly sorted into two groups: one that does three months of resistance training (such as weightlifting) first, followed by three months of aerobic exercise; and another group that starts with aerobic exercise and then moves on to resistance training. Everyone will work with an exercise physiologist three times a week in the university’s exercise facility. The exercises are safe and can be adjusted to anyone’s ability, according to Prior, the study’s primary investigator. “Everything is monitored by exercise physiologists who are well trained in prescribing exercises for older individuals. All exercise interventions are tailored specifically to the person’s ability,” Prior said. “Most people will be able to come in and do this confidently.”

BEACON BITS

Mar. 18

PUBLIC FORUM ON RACE EQUITY Join an important discussion of racial equity in Montgomery County,

Md. Learn about the intersection of race and age, and how racial equity impacts the health, housing and transportation of people of all ages. Attend this public forum presented by the Montgomery County Commission on Aging on Wed., March 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, Md. To register, visit http://bit.ly/COA2020FORUM or call Tremayne Jones at (240) 777-1120.

Builds on previous study This isn’t the first study Prior has done on sarcopenia. His 2016 study found “that low skeletal muscle capillarization is one factor that may contribute to sarcopenia and reduced exercise capacity in older adults by limiting diffusion of substrates, oxygen, hormones and nutrients.” In other words, if your muscles have dense oxygen-rich capillaries, they receive oxygen more quickly and efficiently during exercise. To track progress during this new clini-

cal trial, researchers will not only measure changes in participants’ strength but in the size of their muscle fibers. They will also record changes in the number of capillaries in their muscle tissue. Parking is free, and participants will be paid a total of $300 to exercise three times a week for six months. People with diabetes and smokers aren’t eligible for the study. For more information or to volunteer, call (410) 605-7179 and reference the “CAPS” study.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Eat a rainbow of foods to stay healthy By Matthew Kadey Healthy eating advocates will say good nutrition is not a black-and-white issue. On the contrary, it’s in our best interest to fill our grocery carts with an assortment of colorful vegetables and fruits! Many of the pigments that give the dynamic shades to the stars of the produce aisle are considered powerful antioxidants, which offer health benefits to our bodies.

What do antioxidants do? Antioxidants are a class of compounds that hunt down and mop up free radicals, thereby preventing them from damaging our cells and spurring on inflammation. The end result of a diet rich in antioxi-

dants like flavonoids and polyphenols is likely a lower risk for maladies including cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. A 2019 study in the journal Nature Communications found that individuals who habitually consumed a higher intake of flavonoid-rich foods, such as apples and broccoli, had a reduced likelihood of dying from two of the biggest killers in society today: cancer and heart disease. A daily flavonoid intake of nearly 500 milligrams was associated with the lowest risk for cancer- and heart disease-related mortality. You can reach this mark by consuming at least four to five servings of colorful veggies and fruits each day. (Sorry, Skittles don’t count.)

Different colors = different benefits Different colors of fruits and vegetables offer up different antioxidants with varied functions. —Orange-yellow fleshed vegetables and fruits such as carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and mango are brimming with the carotenoid antioxidant betacarotene, which can also be converted to vitamin A in the body to bolster immune health. —Red tinged tomatoes, watermelon and grapefruit are known to possess the phytonutrient lycopene, which has gained recognition for its anti-cancer efficacy. —Brain-boosting anthocyanin antioxidants are found in blue and purple options such as blueberries, plums, purple potatoes and the skin of eggplant. —Leafy green vegetables, such as kale and spinach, deliver healthy amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, a potent antioxidant duo shown to bolster eye health. You can eat more of these antioxidants by looking for ways to up the color factor of other plant foods, such as trying red quinoa

instead of the beige variety or sprinkling green pistachios over your oatmeal. The greater the diversity of cheery colors you consume, the better. Some colors work together synergistically for a more powerful health punch. A watershed study from Colorado State University found that women who ate a greater botanical diversity of fruits and vegetables, and in turn a greater range of antioxidants, experienced lower levels of DNA oxidation, an indication of free radical damage and accelerated aging, than those who ate a lower variety of items from the plant kingdom and, therefore, a reduced diversity of phytochemicals. Fiber, vitamins and minerals contained within a kaleidoscope of fruits and vegetables up the health ante. Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 1-800-8295384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2020 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 25+

TRY IMPROV

Need a laugh? Try storytelling and spontaneous theater in a supportive group — it’s good for your health. An improvisational class for people 60 and up will meet on Wednesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at West End Neighborhood Library, 2301 L St. NW, Washington, D.C. The free classes start on March 25 and end May 13. No experience necessary. Register by email at my.nguyen@dc.gov or call (202) 724-8698.

Mar. 17+

LEARNING LINKEDIN

Are you looking for a job? LinkedIn is an online networking tool that can help. In a free seminar, learn the basic functionalities of the website and how to strategically connect with potential employers. Two classes will take place on Tues., March 17 and Thurs., March 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Marilyn J. Praisner Library, 14910 Old Columbia Pk., Burtonsville, Md. To register, call (240) 773-9460.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

New cookbook aims to bring out flavors By Stuart Rosenthal This month’s recipe comes from Deep Flavors, a new cookbook described as “a celebration of recipes for foodies in a kosher style.” The author is Ken Horwitz, an attorney and CPA from Dallas, Texas, with a passion for cooking. He tells stories before (and within) almost all his recipes, giving context and history, and he describes stepby-step instructions to maximize the flavor and presentation of the dish. While that means instructions can be highly prescriptive, the recipes themselves are not so complex that they might put you off from trying them. Some recipes offer the cook options, such as mushroom soup made either with or without a roux. With either choice, there are simple, but detailed, instructions. The book’s 15 chapters cover the food landscape, from spice mixtures and pickles, to meaty (and vegetarian) main courses and decadent desserts (lots, but not all, with chocolate). The “kosher style” element means there are some traditional “Jewish foods,” many using family recipes, and that non-kosher ingredients are either not used or kosher substitutes are suggested. The book has an international flavor as well, including a selection of Iraqi, Mexican, Italian, French and Indian recipes. We’ve selected a curried fish recipe for the following except from the book. Enjoy!

Easy Indian fish You may think that preparing Indian food is daunting and beyond the scope of your capabilities. This is simply not true, now that there are numerous Indian spices and mixtures available from your normal grocery. Or you can buy from online spice mar-

kets such as Penzeys.com or a local Indian or Asian grocer so that you do not need to assemble multiple spices yourself. In this recipe, use a white-fleshed fish such as Chilean sea bass, black cod (also known as sablefish), red snapper, grouper, cod, haddock or other similar mild-flavored fish. Do not use salmon, which does not meld well with these flavors. Also be sure to remove the skin from black cod or Chilean sea bass before cooking. Also note that the type of fish used, and its thickness, will determine how long the cooking time is. For example, a thin snapper fillet will cook much faster than a thick fillet of black cod or Chilean sea bass. Also, these latter two varieties need to be fully cooked, while you need to be careful not to overcook ordinary cod or snapper. The final flavor of the dish will vary depending on the spice mixtures used. It is easy to change the flavor of the recipe as desired.

Coconut-curry fish Ingredients: Neutral-flavored oil or butter for sautéing 2 large shallots or ½ sweet onion, finely chopped 2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped 3 pounds fish (see note above) 1 can high-quality, unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk 1 tablespoon garam masala (Indian spice mix) 1 tablespoon sweet curry powder (or another mixture, such as tandoori or tikka masala spice blend) 1 lemon or lime, zested and juiced 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger in a small amount of butter or oil until they have wilted and the aroma is incredible. If you are sautéing in an over-proof pan, add the fish, spices, coconut milk and citrus zest. Otherwise, transfer all of the ingredients except the citrus juice and cilantro to an oven-safe Corning Ware or Pyrex dish. Reserve the cilantro and citrus juice to be added a couple of minutes before cooking ends.

Place the pan or dish into the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the fish is just cooked (time will vary depending on its thickness and variety. See note above.) Serve with basmati rice and a salad or vegetable, and you will have a wonderful Indian-style meal ready in less than an hour. Deep Flavors, published by Inspire on Purpose, is available from Amazon.com for $39.95 ($9.99 on Kindle). For more about the author and the book, visit www.deepflavorscookbook.com.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

How the jojoba plant can help your skin There is a plant with beautiful foliage that I formulated for anti-aging benefits. that provides year-round food for deer, so Here are six benefits of jojoba oil: they call it the deer nut plant. 1. Collagen synthesis. In But you might know it as jojoseveral studies, jojoba oil has ba (pronounced huh-hoé-ba). been used to accelerate the Just like cactus plants, jojoproduction of both kerba is a desert plant that can atinocytes and fibroblasts. tolerate high heat, long hours This could mean improved of sunlight and very little skin wound healing, reduced water. It’s botanically known scar formation and hair as Simmondsia chinensis. growth. Other delightful, hilarious 2. Anti-inflammatory. Jojonames include goat nut, ba-based products may be useDEAR pignut and quinine nut. Call it ful for rosacea, psoriasis, derPHARMACIST what you will, the plant is still matitis, acne or sensitive skin. By Suzy Cohen an exceptional ingredient to 3. Hair growth. If you are find in your lotion, face cream currently dealing with some and serum. eyebrow loss due to aging, dieting or hyIt’s so similar to your own sebum (the pothyroidism, jojoba oil might be good to oily secretions of our skin cells) that your apply to your brows. skin immediately absorbs jojoba, which 4. Strengthen the barrier. Our skin’s can enhance the absorption of other topi- barrier is termed the stratum corneum, cal treatments, nutrients or medication. and it traps moisture inside, while keeping I think jojoba is one of the healthiest, out pollutants, environmental toxins, dirt most moisturizing, skin-healing and wrin- and pathogens. This barrier is important kle-reducing oils one can use on the skin. because it is what keeps your skin looking Full disclosure: I’ve put it in a facial serum clear and moisturized. Studies have

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proven that jojoba oil has major skin barrier reparative powers. 5. Nourishing. Jojoba oil contains a natural source of skin-benefitting nutrients such as vitamin E, zinc, iodine, copper, selenium and chromium. Zinc is known to help with acne. Vitamin E protects us from sun damage and free radicals. Copper and selenium may help with collagen formation. Iodine is a natural type of skin antibiotic. 6. Scars. Jojoba oil is known to be a wonderful scar healer, especially for acne scars. There was a study showing that after just six weeks, 154 participants using a jojoba oil-based face mask experienced a 55% perceived reduction in acne scars. The magic is from the high content of vitamin E in jojoba.

Jojoba oil is great for practically any skin type. You can simply buy a plain bottle of it to use for manicures, pedicures or even a massage. You can also add any essential oil to jojoba for fragrance and additional benefits. One of my favorite things to do is rub jojoba oil onto my dry, itchy or cracked heels. It keeps my feet looking pretty and soft. Be well and pamper yourself with this hydrating, natural oil. This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit SuzyCohen.com.

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 3

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE By Laura Newland, Director D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living Our Performance Oversight Hearing was last month before the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization. We always look forward to hearing directly from you about your experiences and how we can do an even better job of meeting you where you are, so thanks to everyone who testified, attended and watched! Our Budget Oversight Hearing is scheduled for April 3, and we look forward to continuing the conversation before the Committee. As I said in my testimony, the Department of Aging and Community Living is committed to making sure that the work we do within the agency is always reflective of the community we serve. That means that we’re always listening and interested in knowing how we can best serve you. We take this feedback back to the office — good, bad and everything in between — and we ask ourselves, “how can we make this experience better for our residents?” I’d like to personally invite you to join us for one of our budget town halls taking place during the week of March 23. Check out our flyer on the following page for specific dates and locations. This is an opportunity to learn about how Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed 2021 investments will go towards ensuring every District resident has a fair shot at opportunity here in the District — especially our seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers. I look forward to seeing you there! This month is also National Social Work Month! With more than 700,000 social workers in the United States and 5,000 in the District alone, chances are that you have known or currently know people who have dedicated their lives to the field of social work. In District government, we’re fortunate to have social workers at many levels, whether they’re in the community working with our residents, or influencing policy and creating programs that enable our residents to thrive. Social workers view all of us as we want to be seen — by our potential and not our mistakes. They recognize every individual’s inherent value and help people realize their own ability to overcome obstacles and reach their full potential. Social workers are advocates, teachers, guidance counselors, problem solvers, innovators, organizers and activists. At DACL, I’m fortunate to work with social workers who inspire me to lead with my heart, not just my head. Many thanks to all of the DACL social workers, the Senior Service Network social workers, and all social workers in D.C. for making this city a place where we can all live boldly!

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

March 2020

Cupid’s Kids Spread Love to Homebound Elderly

More than 2,400 homebound seniors received handmade Valentine’s Day cards as part of the Cupid’s Kids Campaign. In its fourth year of the campaign, the Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL) reached out to D.C. Public and Charter Schools to ask elementary and middle school students to make cards as part of an intergenerational project to connect schoolchildren with the frail elderly, who may also be isolated. “Programs like Cupid’s Kids are helping us bring our younger generations into this conversation, and teaching them about how they can be a part of the solution. We’re proud to provide an introduction that will hopefully create lasting and impactful con-

nections,” said Director Laura Newland, Department of Aging and Community Living. This year, 25 schools representing all eight wards participated in the project. DACL thanks the D.C. Public Schools and Charter Schools who helped spread love and positivity to over 2,400 homebound seniors. A special thanks to the students of Charles Hart Middle School and the students of Ida B. Wells Middle School (pictured above), who entertained and passed out cards to seniors at Colony House and Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center, respectively. We also want to thank “Good Morning America” for highlighting the Cupid’s Kids story on their website and social media.

Everybody Counts DC Census 2020 is coming, and this will be the District’s one chance to ensure federal dollars come to D.C. for programs that benefit every community in all eight wards over the next 10 years. Starting the week of March 12, your household will be mailed a series of invitations to complete your census form online, by phone, or in print. Your data is confidential, and will never be shared with any law enforcement agency of any kind. You count! And your neighbors count on

you to help D.C. get the resources we need to build stronger communities. If you need assistance, the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living and other D.C. agencies are here to make completing the census easy! Call us at 202-724-5626 if you need help completing the census.

Spotlight on Aging

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Thursday, March 5 10:15 – 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, March 19 1 – 2 p.m.

Community presentation provided by DACL & Partners, at the Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center, 3531 Georgia Avenue, NW – Ward 1 Contact: Michelle Singleton 202-727-0338

Community presentation provided by the US Attorney’s Office of D.C. Behrend-Adas Senior Fellowship Adas Israel Congregation 2850 Quebec Street, NW – Ward 3 Contact: Vivian Henning-Bailey 202-777-3243 Open to the public

DACL will provide an informational table to the patients and staff of the Physician’s Office Building at Washington Hospital Center, Samet Atrium – First Floor 106 Irving Street, NW – Ward 5

Wednesday, March 11 9 a.m. – Noon Workshop for soon-to-be-released D.C. inmates, Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens, Beckley Federal Prison, 1600 Industrial Park Rd., Beaver, West VA 25813

Friday, March 13 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Community presentation and workshop with a health component, rendered by DACL and partners for the residents of St. Mary’s Court, 725 –24th Street, NW – Ward 2

Saturday, March 14 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Friday, March 20 10 a.m. – Noon DACL and partners community presentation Vida Senior Center 1842 Calvert Street, NW – Ward 1 Open to the public

Pictured left to right are Center Director Thelma Burless; Sheila Poole, Ms. Senior D.C. 2010; CDC Seniors Cameo Club Member Margaret Carter; Ms. Senior D.C. Trinette Chase; Toni Jackson, Ms. Senior D.C. 2014; Wendy Bridges, Ms. Senior D.C. 2015; and seated are Mr. Robert Sanders and Ms. Mildred Dickerson.

Wednesday, March 25 1 – 2 p.m. Community presentation provided by the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking Behrend-Adas Senior Fellowship Adas Israel Congregation 2850 Quebec Street, NW – Ward 3 Contact: Vivian Henning-Bailey 202-777-3243 Open to the public

Wednesday, March 25 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

DC – Census 2020 Training by DACL Gethsemane Baptist Church 5119 4th Street, NW – Ward 4 Contact: Shirley Fields 202-746-6082

Workshop for soon-to-be-released D.C. inmates Gilmer Federal Correctional Institute 201 FCI Lane Glenville, West VA 26351

Monday, March 16 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 25 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Community presentation provided by DACL and partners Model Cities Senior Wellness Center 1901 Evarts Street, NE – Ward 5 Contact: Stacie Mack 202-635-1900

The Senior Zone Senior Spa Day Emery Heights Community Center 5701 Georgia Avenue, NW – Ward 4

Tuesday, March 17 1 – 2 p.m.

DACL and partners graciously support the New Edgewood Recreation Center Senior Group Early Spring Fair 300 Evarts Street, NE – Ward 5 Open to Ward 5 Seniors age 50 and up

Community presentation provided by Transport DC Behrend-Adas Senior Fellowship Adas Israel Congregation 2850 Quebec Street, NW – Ward 3 Contact: Vivian Henning-Bailey 202-777-3243 Open to the public

Thursday, March 19 10 a.m. – noon

Friday, March 27 10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 31 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Community Presentation and Workshop by the Board of Elections Hayes Senior Wellness Center 500 K Street, NE – Ward 6

Train to become a DACL Ambassador. To register contact: dacl.communications@dc.gov or call 202-727-0374

Director Laura Newland

Editor Spotlight On Aging is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living or by the publisher.

Valentine’s Day Pageant

Get Involved Monday, March 9 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Darlene Nowlin

Photographer Richard Williams 500 K St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 724-5626 | www.dcoa.dc.gov

Congratulations to the first winners of the Mr. and Mrs. Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Center title! Six participants competed in the pageant that was held on Valentine’s Day and judged by members of the D.C. Seniors Cameo Club. The candidates answered the question, “What advice would you give to our youth to encourage them to age gracefully?” All of the responses were well received. The talent portion of the competition was a dance-off contest, and seniors showed off their fancy footwork. All of the candidates were outstanding, and the judges had a difficult task at

hand to select the new King and Queen. Ms. Senior D.C. Trinette Chase crowned Ms. Mildred Dickerson and Mr. Robert Sanders as Mr. and Mrs. Genevieve N. Johnson. This couple will represent Genevieve Johnson Senior Center all year, and the center plans to host this event next year. The Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant is searching for the next Ms. Senior D.C. If you know a District woman age 60 or older who should compete in the pageant, register online at www.dacl.dc.gov. For more information, contact darlene.nowlin@dc.gov or call 202-727-8364.

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Money Law &

SMARTER WAYS TO GIVE Three ways to maximize the tax benefits from your charitable contributions RENT-A-DRESS TREND Clothing stores are meeting a need by offering their better clothes for rent LEAVING A LEGACY An annuity can be a great way to pass on wealth to your grandchildren CENSUS 2020 SCAMS Is that email, or that person at the door, really from the Census? How to tell

Should you or a pro prepare your taxes? By Riley Adams For some people, tax season poses little worry, and the process occurs painlessly. For others, preparing taxes is a stressful situation. Imagine handling numerous W-2s, 1099s, navigating new rules and tracking a laundry list of write-offs related to your business, side jobs, real estate holdings or other income sources. While certainly not impossible to do it yourself (DIY) with the best tax software, this can still be a time-consuming activity. In some instances, it may make sense to outsource your tax preparation to a professional simply to avoid the headache or mistakes. When debating which path you should follow, ask yourself how comfortable you feel doing your own taxes. Then, to help gauge when it makes sense to DIY your tax return versus hire a tax professional, consider the following circumstances.

Do it yourself if: • You only have W-2 income and claim the standard deduction. If you only claim Form W-2 income on your return and do not need to enter income

information from multiple accounts, financially speaking, you would be best served by filing your own tax return. This is especially the case when you also only claim the standard deduction to reduce your taxable income. Tax reform sought to reduce the complexity of preparing tax returns for individuals by doubling the standard deduction. In tax year 2019 (filing returns in 2020), the standard deduction amounts come to $12,200 for individual filers and $24,400 for those married filing jointly. To make it worth itemizing deductions now, you will need to have a lot of charitable contributions, mortgage interest or other deductible expenses to itemize. • You experienced no changes from your previous tax situation. If nothing major occurred regarding your tax situation this year, relying on your work from last year with numbers from this year might make sense. This is especially the case where hiring a tax professional doesn’t fit in your budget. If nothing changed, in all likelihood you can roll forward most of the information and elections included on last year’s return. However, make sure to track any other sources of income or deductible expenses.

Hire a tax pro if: • You were self-employed or owned a small business. Tax reform brought significant change to the tax code, especially for those who worked for themselves or owned a business. Of note, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act introduced the qualified business income (QBI) deduction, allowing eligible self-employed people and small-business owners to deduct up to 20% of their QBI on their taxes. This and other self-employment deductions can be difficult to calculate on your own, given the litany of expenses you need to track. Handing off these responsibilities can seem tempting because so much paperwork is involved. However, even to do that you must still organize your files, receipts and proofs of income as well as any other supporting evidence for positions you claim on your return. • You sold a business en route to retirement. If you sell your business, hiring a tax professional becomes almost requisite. While preparing the forms yourself is certainly within the realm of possibility, none

of the DIY tax software options offers support for preparing Form 8594, Asset Acquisition Statement. As such, you will need to wade through the process of agreeing on a sales price with the seller, classifying your assets appropriately, and then ensuring the forms match on both the buyer’s and seller’s tax returns for the year. Whether you file your taxes yourself or hire a professional, set aside time to review your tax return for accuracy. While a professional certifies accuracy, your return is only as good as the information you provide. In other words: garbage in, garbage out. Therefore, pay close attention to the details on your return, whether you handle it yourself or not. Keep a copy of it and any supporting documents for your records for at least three years in case of an audit. This article was written by and presents the views of Riley Adams, CPA, owner of Young and the Invested. Check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA. © 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

How online stores trick you into buying By Joseph Pisani Sale ending soon! Only two left! This is a hot item! If you’ve shopped online, you’ve probably seen those messages. What you may not realize: They’re designed to make you spend more. Online stores have adopted tricks used for years by infomercials and home shopping networks. The only difference now: Online stores are trying to get you to click the buy button. After reviewing 200 of the top shopping sites, including Amazon, eBay and Macys.com, the University of Michigan’s School of Information found that all the sites had an average of 19 features that could encourage impulse buying, such as limitedtime discounts and wording that made an item seem like it was almost out of stock. The best way to combat them? Be aware of the tactics retailers use. “The onus is on the consumer,” said Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The

Science of Shopping. Here’s what to watch out for:

“Almost sold out” Be suspicious of messages that say an item is almost sold out. They’re easy to fall for, since more people are shopping on their phones and have less time to shop, said Underhill, who is also the founder of retail consulting firm Envirosell. He said shoppers should take a break and check back a couple of hours later, especially if it’s an item you don’t really need. Chances are the item is not really selling out, and you may decide you don’t want to buy it after all. Another thing to watch out for: messages saying an item is in high demand. It can make you feel like the item may sell out soon and entice you to buy. A study by Princeton University and the University of Chicago singled out online clothing seller Fashion Nova, which tells customers that items in their cart “are in

high demand.” The problem? The message appears for any item added to the cart. Fashion Nova’s cart also tells shoppers that their items are being “reserved” for 10 minutes. But nothing happens to the items after the 10 minutes are up. (Fashion Nova didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.)

Falling prices On Amazon, it’s common for the online shopping giant to show a crossed-off “list price” and a lower price it is selling the item for. Don’t rely on that, said Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate who runs ConsumerWorld.org. He recommends searching for the item on other sites to see if there’s an even lower price. Another tip: Use price tracking site CamelCamelCamel.com, which can show you how the price has changed over time and let you know if it has been cheaper. And be wary of sites that say there’s a limited-time discount but don’t give you a

final date. That’s a sign it’s just a way to get you to buy now.

Confusing emails If you visited a store’s website, expect to get an email in your inbox soon. Online stores use artificial intelligence technology to send you emails if you browse or add something to the cart, even if you don’t end up purchasing anything. Read them carefully — they’re designed to get you back to shop. Dworsky has received emails where the subject line made a promise of offering $10 off or free shipping, for example, but then the small print said you have to buy much more to qualify.

Fighting back If you see a sale countdown clock that keeps restarting, savings that are too good to be true or other misleading activity, Dworsky said you should alert the authorities. See ONLINE STORES, page 35

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; M A R C H 2 0 2 0

What do you know about financial fraud? Promissory notes and Ponzi schemes not sold through public stock exchanges. He recommended NASAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investor are the leading products or schemes that fraud quiz (nasaa.org/investorare likely to trap investors in education/investment-fraud2020, according to Christoawareness-quiz). I took the pher Gerold, the president of quiz and found it to be informathe North American Securitive. ties Administrators AssociaHere are some of the question (NASAA). tions and answers (see the webAlso on the top five list site for a detailed discussion of (based on investor comthe answers to the quiz): plaints and ongoing investiga1. Which of the following tions) are real estate investphrases should raise your ments, cryptocurrency-relatconcern about an invested investments, and social THE SAVINGS ment? media- and Internet-based GAME By Elliot Raphaelson a. High rate of return investment schemes. b. Risk-free NASAA is the oldest interc. Guaranteed against loss national organization devoted to investor d. You must invest now protection in the United States, Canada e. All of the above and Mexico. It is the voice of 50 state secuAnswer: e. Beware of any salesperson rity agencies responsible for efficient capital formation and grassroots investor pro- who tells you an investment is risk-free and provides a guaranteed high rate of retection. I spoke with Gerold and other NASAA turn. 2. Security laws protect investors by representatives to determine how investors can protect themselves against requiring companies to: a. Show profits before they can sell common signs of investment scams. According to Gerold, the most common stock b. Provide investors with specific infortelltale sign of an investment scam is an offer of guaranteed high returns with no mation about the company c. Pay dividends risk. d. Repay investors who have lost money He also indicated that many of the Answer: b. Securities regulation is threats facing investors involve private offerings, which are exempt from federal se- based on a disclosure system: Laws recurities registration requirements and are quire companies to provide investors with

Online stores From page 34 Try your local consumer affairs office, state attorney general or the Federal Trade Commission, which takes con-

sumer complaints on its website. Also try complaining to the online store itself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Until someone stops them,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to keep doing stuff that crosses the line to being deceptive.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;AP

BEACON BITS

Apr. 4

WRITING YOUR WILL Have you written or revised your will lately? Get free advice from local lawyers on writing your will on Sat., April 4 at 11 a.m. at the

Rockville Memorial Library, 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md. To learn more, call (240) 777-0140.

specific information. Companies donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to show profits or pay dividends to sell stock. There is no requirement to repay investors who lost money investing.

3. In which situation are you taking the least amount of risk? See FINANCIAL FRAUD, page 36

NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK MARCH 1-7

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND AVOID SCAMS The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities BOE #BOLJOH %*4# IFMQT QSPUFDU SFTJEFOUT GSPN mOBODJBM scams. DISB also provides ďŹ nancial education programs and services: Q 'JOBODJBMMZ 'JU %$Â&#x2030;'SFF POMJOF mOBODJBM QMBOOJOH UPPMT Q Bank on DCâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;low cost bank accounts Q DC BizCAPâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;small business loans Q Student Loan Counseling File a Complaint with DISB: *G ZPV BSF B WJDUJN PG B mOBODJBM TDBN PS GFFM ZPV BSF CFJOH USFBUFE VOGBJSMZ CZ B %JTUSJDU PG $PMVNCJB mOBODJBM TFSWJDFT provider, report it to DISB at 202-727-8000 or disbcomplaints@dc.gov. 7JTJU EJTC ED HPW GPS mOBODJBMGSBVE UJQT 'PMMPX VT PO Twitter @DCDISB and like us on Facebook @DISBDC. #NCPW2020

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

How to reduce taxes when giving charity By Jaime Eckels When it comes to tax planning, there are few more emotionally charged decisions than those around charitable giving. People tend to see their donations as a vital way to give back to society and to feel connected to a broader community, whether it be on a local, national or even spiritual level. The task of deciding where and how to give has become more important, and more complex, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which reduced a key incentive for charitable giving. The near-doubling of the standard deduction for joint-filing married couples (it stands at $24,800 in 2020) means that many families no longer get a benefit from itemizing their deductions, of which charitable giving has traditionally been a significant component. Only around 16 million households are estimated to have itemized their deductions in 2018, down from 37 million. There are early signs that charities are suffering the effects of this change. Individual giving fell 1.1% in 2018 to $292 billion, or by 3.4% adjusted for inflation, according to Giving USA 2019: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2018. Giving by individuals declined from 70% of total giving to 68% that year. There are several options to donate in a tax-efficient way, so long as you’re willing to plan ahead. Here are three tax strategies to help your charities and reduce your tax bill:

ers should be considering bunching two years’ worth of donations into a single tax year and giving every other year rather than giving the same amount annually. This has always been a viable tax strategy, but the drastic rise in the standard deduction has made it relevant for a much broader swath of households. Consider a family that has potential deductions of $10,000 in mortgage interest payments, $8,000 in property taxes, and wants to give $5,000 to charity ($23,000 total). On an annual basis, the family wouldn’t have enough deductions to break through the standard deduction threshold and so would get zero tax benefit from their donations. By bunching two years’ worth of their $5,000 in donations into the same tax year, they would exceed the standard deduction level by $3,200 (in 2020) and thus be able to reduce their taxable income by that amount.

Give from a retirement fund Since older adults often own their home outright and thus don’t deduct mortgage interest, they’re even less able to achieve tax benefits through itemized deductions. But they do have a powerful alternative in qualified charitable distributions (QCDs). If you’re taking required minimum distributions (RMDs), it can be advantageous to donate directly from your IRA account via QCDs. These distributions, which were made

Bunch your donations Most philanthropically minded taxpay-

Financial fraud From page 35 a. Buying a certificate of deposit (CD) in the U.S. b. Investing with someone you know from your church or community association c. Investing offshore d. Investing with someone who contacted you by phone Answer: a. Although buying a CD is low risk, you should investigate insurance levels in the event of the bank’s failure. In addition, you should consider inflation risk when you invest in low-return investments. All your investments shouldn’t be in low-risk investments if you need capital growth as part of your investment objectives. 4. A fellow book club member tells you about an investment opportunity that has earned 20% during the past year. Your investments have been performing poorly, and you are interested in higher returns. This person is your friend and you trust him. What should you do? a. Ask your friend for more information about the investment so that you can un-

See GIVE SMARTER, page 39

derstand the risks before you make a decision b. Invest only a small amount to see how things go before you make a larger investment c. Call your securities regulator to see if the investment has been registered or is properly exempted for sale d. Both a and c Answer: d. You should never make an investment simply based on word of mouth, even if the recommendation comes from a family member, friend or acquaintance. Ask for more information and call your securities regulator to see if the investment has been registered or exempted for sale. For other questions and answers, visit the fraud center website. NASAA provides a link to the interactive map of state security regulators in the U.S. at nasaa.org/contact-your-regulator. It provides investor alerts at nasaa.org/category/investor-advisories. Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2020 Elliott Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Growing trend in clothes shopping: rent By Anne D’Innocenzio Renting clothes could be the future of fashion — or it could just be a fad. A growing number of traditional retailers are now offering customers the option to rent clothes for a monthly fee instead of buying them. Bloomingdale’s, Banana Republic and Urban Outfitters are the latest to offer the services. Even footwear chain Designer Brands said it’s considering launching a shoe rental service. Now a booming $1 billion business, the clothing rental sector is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2023, according to research firm GlobalData. When combined with resale, it will account for 13% of the total $360 billion U.S. clothing market within the decade, up from 7.3% today. “You no longer have to buy into the myth of continuous consumption...There’s pride in wearing something as opposed to pride in owning something,” said Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway, which in 2009 pioneered the business model that many retailers are now trying to replicate. For clothing retailers, rentals offer a glimmer of hope at a time when they are dealing with mounds of unsold goods that often need to be deeply discounted. Several have already gotten into the secondhand business, led by companies like the Real Real and ThredUp. J.C. Penney and Macy’s, for instance, have partnered with ThredUp to sell gently-worn clothes in a couple dozen locations. Nordstrom is testing resale at its women’s flagship store in Manhattan and online.

Better profit margins Many in the industry consider these necessary steps as clothing retailers watch their fortunes erode. Last year, clothing retailers accounted for an outsized share of retail bankruptcies, according to a recent report by consulting firm AlixPartners. “Clothing retailers are dealing with pressures on multiple fronts,” said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics. “Heavy promotions, chronic traffic declines, e-commerce investment. And now they’ve got rental and resale services as well. The rental market is small, but it’s going to grow, and they have to invest in it.” Christine Hunsicker, CEO and founder of CaaStle, a startup that manages inventory and shipping for retailers, said rental services have anywhere from a 20% to 25% operating profit, compared with only 5% for traditional retailers. But unlike Rent the Runway, a dedicated rental service for high-end designer clothing, the economics for traditional retailers — from added expenses for marketing, dry cleaning and shipping — pose significant challenges. Some experts wonder whether it even makes sense for lower-priced clothing chains to get into the rental business, since customers could just buy the clothes used or get them at a deep discount. Also, the clothes may not hold up well after multiple wears. Elizabeth Kashin, 53, of Indianapolis, said she tried Urban Outfitters’ Nuuly rental service last month. She never received her package of six items but was charged anyway. After contacting customer service via social media, she got another package but

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Apr. 2

INVESTING BASICS If you’re interested in investing, learn more about the risks. The

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said the clothes didn’t look clean. “I can go to a second-hand store to get a better experience,” she said. Urban Outfitters said that it is listening to feedback so that it can “make the experience even better for Nuuly’s subscribers.” It said it’s on pace to have 50,000 subscribers in the first 12 months of operation.

Returns can be a hassle Retailers face the same challenges that still dog Rent the Runway. Consumers complain about spotty customer service and a slew of added fees. For example, Rent the Runway charges $50 for every day that a customer is late returning an item, up to double the retail value of that item.

Although retailers should have return kiosks in their stores in key cities, right now most don’t have any. Shoppers must drop off their garment bags at a UPS or the post office. Rent the Runway has had to adapt to increasingly demanding customers. It started out with special-occasion dresses but launched children’s wear last year, as well as pillows and home decor items through a partnership with West Elm. Vara Pikor, a 26-year-old insurance broker from Manhattan who’s been using Rent the Runway for many of her clothing needs, said she is hooked. “This could be my forever habit,” she said. “I have less stuff in my home.’’ —AP

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Leave grandchildren an annuity as legacy By Ken Nuss A trust is one way to leave a legacy, but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to hire a lawyer to draw it up. And there may be ongoing management fees that will reduce the amount your loved ones will receive. There are simpler, cheaper ways to leave a legacy. For instance, you can buy a cash-value life insurance policy or fund a 529 college savings plan. But one of the best options, an income annuity, is usually overlooked. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an ideal vehicle for leaving a legacy. An annuity offers unique benefits. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only gift guaranteed to keep on giving for a lifetime. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how it would work: You buy a longevity annuity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; also called a deferred income annuity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for your grandchild. This type of annuity defers payments until a future date that you choose. For example, your grandchild is 10

years old. You make a $100,000 deposit. You decide to have income payments begin when your grandchild reaches age 25 and continue for the remainder of his or her life. One top insurer will guarantee a payment of $481.68 per month, with $335.73 of it taxable. If your grandchild lives to age 85, he or she will collect $346,809.60: $246,809.60 in interest plus the $100,000 of principal.

Pros and cons An income annuity has no cash value, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that can be both a pro and a con. As a pro, after youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gone, your grandchild wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to blow the money on a fancy pickup truck or whatever. Upon request, some insurance companies will even add a non-assignable/transferable

clause to the policy in order to prevent your loved one from selling their annuity on the secondary market. While lack of cash value has advantages, it does have some downsides. Of course, you must be sure that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never need the money before you give it away for good. I used the example of a $100,000 deposit, but you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to spend that much. You can buy an income annuity with as little as $10,000. In addition, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trading your cash for the insurerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promise to pay a stream of income. So, you need to take care to choose a financially strong insurance company. Depending on your stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laws, once you buy an annuity you have 10 to 30 days to change your mind and get your money back. But once the â&#x20AC;&#x153;free lookâ&#x20AC;? period is over, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get out of the contract,

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though you or your heirs may be able to sell an income annuity on the secondary market, if you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a non-assignable/transferable clause added to the policy as described above.

A lifelong gift (or more) Another pro is that since your grandchild will receive a check from you every month or year, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be remembered fondly. If you choose annual payments, you might have the annuity check arrive each year on your grandchildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday or on Christmas, Hanukkah or another holiday. You can also extend your legacy. With the right type of annuity and strategy, you can choose to have annuity payments continue to go to his or her child or children for the remainder of their lives, too. While you may never even meet your greatgrandchildren, they too can receive a regular gift from you. This option, however, does reduce the amount of income your grandchild will receive.

Inflation protection available In addition, the checks can increase. For an added cost, you can add an inflation-protection rider so that the amount will go up over time. This will help the recipients retain future purchasing power. Over time, an initial deposit of $100,000 could grow to $300,000, $400,000 or more in total gifts received. It depends on how long the income pays out, the internal rate of return offered by the insurance company, and how many recipients are set up to receive the income payouts. What other financial product will let you do this?

Only partly taxable Another advantage is tax efficiency. When income is received, only a portion of it will typically be taxable. This is because part of the income from an annuity is considered to be a return of principal and part is considered to be earnings. While earnings are taxed, return of principal is not.

Is it right for you? Buying an annuity for a child or grandchild is probably not the best approach for someone with a relatively large estate and sufficient resources to hire estate planning attorneys and accountants, as well as having the necessary time and patience to implement a more complex estate plan involving various forms of trusts, etc. But for someone who wants a quick, easy and inexpensive way to be remembered as giving the gift of guaranteed lifetime income to younger loved ones, it can be a good fit. Keep in mind that this strategy is not intended to replace your entire estate plan; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just an option for part of it. While others may give gifts that are soon forgotten, providing those loved ones with an ongoing gift of income that will last for the remainder of their lives or longer See ANNUITY, page 39

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Give smarter From page 36 permanent in 2015 as part of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, allow retirees to avoid paying income tax on distributions of up to $100,000 and can satisfy their minimum distribution requirement. The donations get transferred straight from the IRA to a qualified charity, and the income never shows up on their 1040. This strategy has a secondary benefit of reducing adjusted gross income (AGI), which can affect your Medicare premiums and the taxability of Social Security benefits. [For more about required minimum distributions, see “New law changes RMD and IRA rules” in the January Beacon.]

Give appreciated securities The longest U.S. stock market bull run in history has left a lot of people’s brokerage accounts inflated with unrealized gains. These profits are a great source of charitable gifts, but the moment you sell the stock, you’ll have to pay capital gains tax. For annual donations of $1,000 or more,

Annuity From page 38 will ensure that you have created a legacy for yourself as well as a nice financial cushion for the younger generation of your heirs.

you may be far better off to transfer the long-term appreciated stock directly to a charity. The gain simply disappears, leaving neither you nor the charity on the hook for it. The one catch is that this doesn’t lend itself to a last-minute scramble to organize your donations at the end of December. It generally takes time to make sure your charity has a brokerage account, arrange the transfer, and allow time for it to go through. Give yourself a few months or ask those questions now, when the people who run the charity might be in less of a rush, too. If you’re giving consistently to charity, it means you’ve given thought to who you want to support and why. It only makes sense, then, to give more thought to how you support them as well. This article was written by and presents the views of Jaime Eckels, CFP, relationship manager at Plante Moran Financial Advisors. Check adviser records with the SEC or FINRA. © 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article was written by and presents the views Ken Nuss, CEO and founder of AnnuityAdvantage. You can check adviser records with the SEC or FINRA. © 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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ESTATE PLANNING Learn the basics about wills, trusts, probates and estate plans

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RETIREMENT PLANNING Thinking about retirement? Learns tips to make your money last longer. The free seminar will be held on Tues., April 7 from 7 to 8

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Beware of potential 2020 Census scams By Jim Miller Unfortunately, scams have become a persistent problem when the U.S. Census Bureau does its once-a-decade count of the U.S. population. Here’s what you can expect from the 2020 Census in the coming weeks, and how you can protect yourself from potential scams.

is especially important for older adults, who tend to be prime targets. The Census Bureau warns against phishing email scams as well as con artists masquerading as census workers who will try to solicit your personal financial information. Here are some tips that can help you protect yourself:

Guard financial information Census forms coming soon In mid-March, you and nearly every other U.S. household will receive an invitation in the mail to respond to the 2020 Census. It only takes a few minutes to complete the census questionnaire. This year, you will have the option of completing the questionnaire either online, by mail or by phone. The invitation will include detailed instructions of what you need to do. If you don’t respond to this invitation letter, you will receive several follow-up postcard reminders from the Census Bureau by mail. If you still don’t respond by late April, a census worker will come to your door to collect your response in person. While census participation is very important and required by law, you also need to be vigilant of census-linked scams. This

Don’t give out your personal or financial information. The Census Bureau or a legitimate census worker will never ask for your Social Security number, bank account number, credit card number, money or donations. And they will never contact you on behalf of a political party. If you’re asked for any of these, whether it be via phone, mail, email or in person, it’s a scam and should be reported to rumors@census.gov.

Don’t fall for email The Census Bureau will not send you an unsolicited email to request your participation in the 2020 Census. So, ignore any emails you get that may direct you to a census website. It may look real, but is fake — and may be infected with malware. Also, don’t reply to the email or open any attachment because they could contain

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viruses that could infect your computer. Forward the email or website address to the Census Bureau at rumors@census.gov. Then delete the message.

Check ID of census workers If someone visits your home to collect a response for the 2020 Census, make sure you verify their identity. A legitimate census taker must present a field badge that includes a photograph of themselves, a Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date. Census workers will also be carrying a Census Bureau laptop or cellphone, as well as a bag with a Census Bureau logo. Also, remember that a Census worker will only ask you the questions that appear

on the questionnaire — your name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, phone number, type of residence and number of people living with you. They will not ask for sensitive personal information, such as your Social Security or credit card number. If you have questions about their identity, you can call 1-800-923-8282 to speak with a local Census Bureau representative. If it is determined that the visitor who came to your door does not work for the Census Bureau, contact your local police department. For more information on the 2020 Census, visit 2020census.gov. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Say you saw it in the Beacon

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Travel

Leisure &

In Indonesia, tour villages, snorkel with sharks, hike its peaks and spot rare birds. See story on p. 45.

Barcelona’s architecture, history, sports

Rambling along La Rambla The city’s boulevards have wide sidewalks, plentiful cafés and comfy benches, all ideal for people-watching. Budget-conscious

visitors can easily explore Barcelona on foot, by bus or subway. Total immersion is the only way to fully feel the vibes of the mile-long La Rambla, a broad, plane-tree-lined, pedestrian avenue traversed by 150,000 people a day. At times, it seems like all of the city’s 7.5 million annual visitors are ambling along the road from the Placa de Catalunya to the sea. Walkers can easily spend half a day poking in and out of cafés, shops and flower stalls (and dodging souvenir hucksters). At the midpoint of Placa de la Boqueria is Joan Miró’s sidewalk mosaic, his gift to the city, centered by an anchor, a reminder of Barcelona’s attachment to the sea. At the Mercat de la Boqueria, a market that opened in 1217, barrels bulge with products like ham, snails, dried mushrooms, fish, fruit, vegetables and olives.

By Glenda C. Booth Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona’s renowned architect, once observed, “There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature.” Straight lines are few in Gaudí’s hometown of Barcelona, a Mediterranean city of 5 million in northeast Spain, sprawled between the mountains and the sea. A winding, narrow street connects with yet another winding street, which spills onto a bustling plaza of merry buskers — and from there, more narrow, winding streets lead to other plazas. Many buildings sport decorative ironwork, balconies, bay windows, turrets, painted tiles, flower boxes, carved relief, mosaics, frescoes and statues. Inspired by nature, Gaudí’s one-of-akind buildings throughout the city are fanciful amalgams of swoops, curves, wavy lines, undulating roofs, pillow-like corners and ornate turrets. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a region proud of its identity. Most locals speak two languages, Spanish and Catalan, and English is common. The Catalonian red and yellow flag hangs from many balconies — a reminder of movements to secede from Spain.

Barcelona’s largest and most celebrated building, La Sagrada Família, is unfinished but open to tourists. Construction began 137 years ago but was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War and lack of funding. The city hopes to complete the basilica by 2026, the centennial anniversary of the death of Antonin Gaudí, its primary architect.

Gorging on Gaudí Barcelona’s jewels are the Catalan Modernism architectural wonders designed by the beloved Gaudí (1852-1926). Exploring his creations feels like an adventure on par with Dr. Seuss or Alice in Wonderland. Gaudí’s flamboyant, imaginative designs include parabolic archways, organic shapes, cone-shaped towers, tree-like columns and colorful tiles. Many towers and turrets have imaginative “toppings.” Gaudí’s masterpiece is La Sagrada Familia Basilica, a fantastical, unfinished © OLGACOV | DREAMSTIME.COM

cathedral. Gaudí became its chief architect in 1883, and planners hope it will be finished by 2026, the centenary of the architect’s death. (He is buried in its crypt.) Another Gaudí masterpiece withing walking distance of the basilica is La Pedrera, built between 1906 and 1912. The building combines geometry and nature in its flowing forms, undulating lines, wavy walls and 30 chimneys that resemble medieval knights. In the center of Barcelona, Casa Batlló — with its sinuous facade, wave-shaped window frames and dragon’s-back-shaped roof — is another Gaudí spectacle of light and color. With its broken tiles resembling fish scales, it invokes the sea and its creatures. Even the wooden handrail undulates. Park Guell, a former estate that Gaudí planned, is another dramatic merging of architecture, fantasy and nature.

The original Roman city

Tourists and locals walk, shop and people-watch on La Rambla, Barcelona’s busy pedestrian walkway. The tree-lined esplanade stretches about a mile through the center of the city to its harbor on the Mediterranean Sea.

The labyrinthine Barri Gotic, or Gothic Quarter, dates back to the Romans and is the historic core of the old city. Visitors can explore the ruins of the Roman colony called Barcino under the Museum of History and learn how the ancients accomplished everyday tasks, such as preparing the Mediterranean condiment garum (fermented fish sauce), making wine, and storing food and drink in large Greek jugs called amphorae.

Centered in the Barri Gothic’s heart is the soaring Barcelona Cathedral. The main part was built between 1298 and 1460, with the facade added in 1870. One legend says Christopher Columbus brought Native Americans there and converted them in the baptismal pool. If you navigate the nearby cobblestoned streets and alleyways, you’ll find the Picasso Museum, where you’ll learn about his formative years and long, creative life by studying his paintings, sketches, lithographs, etchings, aqua tints and linocuts. A ride to the top of Montjuic, the “city’s green lung,” offers views of the city and the art of Barcelona native and surrealist, Joan Miró at the Fundacio Joan Miró. Exhibits explain: “He tortured the canvas with unconventional practices like perforating and burning it, almost ‘anti painting.’” Miró believed that “one line, one color can make a painting.” Soccer fever infects Barcelonans, and even soccer agnostics can catch it at Camp Nou, the city’s famed soccer (called football in Europe) stadium. This hallowed ground and museum is the most visited site in Barcelona, tourism promoters contend. The museum’s walls display medals and trophies, some five feet See BARCELONA, page 44

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Spring break: Dates to mark and avoid Spring break, generally before and after of more than 80% on the weekend of Easter Easter Sunday, is observed by a large ma- Sunday (April 12 this year), according to jority of U.S. schools and colthe folks at Your First Visit leges. Families with young (yourfirstvisit.net), a leading children head for theme parks guide to the Disney parks. and other such attractions, But lots of kids are out of while teens and college-age school April 4 to 9, and many kids head off in bunches to a others are out April 13 to 19. beach destination or cruise. All in all, you’re better off If you have one or more stuavoiding the entire April 4 to dent-age kids in your family, 19 period. you’re probably already aware Of course, if you enjoy minof the dates for spring break. gling with raucous, rowdy But a large number of you TRAVEL TIPS and often drunken teenagers, who don’t have kids don’t By Ed Perkins head for the popular break have to worry about school spots. schedules. Although the “in” spots may change a Most of you will probably want to make bit from year to year, you generally find sure you don’t head for the same places spring breakers in the U.S. concentrated at the spring break families and kids do. beaches in South Florida, especially DaySpring break shows a pronounced peak tona, Ft. Lauderdale and Key West; the

Florida panhandle around Panama City; and the Texas beaches from Galveston to Padre Island. Further afield, Cancún, Cabo San Lucas and Punta Cana have become famous (or notorious) spring break centers. A big attraction for offshore destinations is that most beaches in the Caribbean and Mexico either have a minimum drinking age of 18 years or no minimum at all. Non-beach centers such as Las Vegas and Lake Havasu City also attract crowds. If you’re longing for a relaxed time at sea, your worst nightmare is to get on a cruise overwhelmed by spring-breakers. In general, the kids choose relatively short trips on mass-market lines like Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean to destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico. If you want to cruise during this time, to be safe, book through a travel agency and

We Turn Addresses

into homes

MOST COMMUNITIES ARE 62 AND BETTER

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

BALTIMORE COUNTY (CONT.)

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

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

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

BALTIMORE COUNTY Cove Point Apartments I: 410-288-2344 Cove Point Apartments II: 410-288-1660 Evergreen Senior Apartments: 410-780-4888 The Greens at English Consul: 410-789-3000 The Greens at Liberty Road: 410-655-1100 The Greens at Logan Field: 410-288-2000 The Greens at Rolling Road: 410-744-9988 Park View at Catonsville: 410-719-9464 Park View at Dundalk: 410-288-5483 • 55 & Better Park View at Fullerton: 410-663-0665 Park View at Miramar Landing: 410-391-8375

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

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

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

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

Call the community of interest to you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour. www.rhomecommunities.com PET-FRIENDLY

ask the agent to make sure any cruise you’re considering hasn’t been heavily booked for spring break. For a cruise, you won’t find many spring breakers in the Mediterranean or on a Danube or Mississippi River cruise. If you still want to visit a beach center during spring break period, concentrate on centers farther down the Caribbean or Central America than Cancún, or head for Hawaii, which doesn’t seem to get as much spring break traffic as other beaches. Email Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. © 2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Barcelona From page 43 tall, covering Fútbol Club Barcelona games from 1902 to the present. Videos blast out historic game highlights. Visitors who squeeze through hordes of teenagers taking selfies can see the players’ room, sauna and press room and tour several levels of the stadium.

A day trip to Monserrat Monserrat — the name refers to a mountain range, a monastery and an 8,900-acre national park — is 31 miles from Barcelona, an easy day trip by hourly train and a funicular up the mountain. The highest peak is 4,000 feet. Pressed against the imposing rock formations is a Benedictine monastery established in 1025. Many tourists find respite in the beautiful basilica with a facade that features carvings of Christ and the 12 apostles. The interior sparkles with white marble and gold. Above the altar sits the Black Madonna, a statue of the Virgin Mary with a dark complexion. On the park’s trails, visitors may spot nightingales, eagle owls, titmice, bats and 1,250 plant species. For more information, visit monserratvisita.com.

Affordable dining In Barcelona, it’s easy to eat well for less. One restaurant, Fernando Serato, brags, “Our Bellota pigs live in freedom,” meaning they are free range and forage for nuts and whatever else they find outdoors. Butcher Enrique Tomas’s motto: “Keep calm and eat ham.” Lunch typically begins around 2 p.m., and dinner is late, served at 9 or 10 p.m. If people show up at 6:30 or 7 p.m., “They must be Americans,” one local quipped.

If you go Barcelona weather is pleasant yearround, thanks to steady sea breezes. The tourist agents under Placa de Catalunya can be your best friends, from giving instructions on using public transportation to arranging tours. For planning information, visit barcelonaturisme.com. Several airlines have $600 to $800 roundtrip flights in April from D.C.-area airports to Barcelona.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Having peak experiences in Indonesia

Views worth climbing for Aside from the whale sharks, what most appealed to me during the trip was the lush scenery. To get to the best view of my trip, I had to climb an almost-vertical trail over sharp volcanic rocks, pulling myself up via roots, strong branches and thin tree trunks — plus a rope for the last 10 yards or so. I was drenched in sweat by the time

I reached the top, but the view was worthy of a poster or brochure. The climb back down was hairy, requiring serious concentration to return safely to the trailhead. After that climb and descent, though, I felt proud that I still had some adventure left in my aging body. Our two birdwatching outings involved getting up very early, stumbling through the forest in the dark and sitting quietly for an hour or more. But the rewards for enduring the early hours and being patient (not one of my strong points) were great, especially for serious birders. Who wouldn’t be thrilled watching a Bird of Paradise showing off its brilliant, colorful plumage? The serious birders were able to see several of them, plus many other species, adding to their already impressive life lists. We also visited a number of indigenous villages along the way. Each visit involved a warm greeting, a welcome ritual, dancing and singing, speeches by village dignitaries, and an exchange of gifts. We were also given an opportunity to make fools of ourselves by joining in the dancing while smiling children held our hands and led us through the movements. Then we’d wander the village, buying tchotchkes and sampling coconut, fried fish and other, often unidentifiable, treats. Perhaps these greetings were just an attempt to separate tourists from their dollars. But I looked closely at the faces of the villagers as they danced, sang and interacted with us and did not detect even a hint of insincerity. Yes, of course they want tourist dollars. But the opportunity to show us who they are was at least as important as the few bucks we spent on wall hangings, masks and penis gourds.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DON MANKIN

By Don Mankin The whale shark swam directly at me. As I feared becoming whale shark canapé, it veered slightly and slid past me, just a couple of feet away. If I had been so inclined (or stupid), I could have touched the 25-foot-long shark as it glided by. I’ve had some pretty amazing animal encounters in my life — lions in Namibia, mountain gorillas in Uganda, whales in Alaska and Antarctica, polar bears in Siberia — but this snorkeling sighting ranked near the top. Of course, knowing that whale sharks only eat plankton, not overweight Americans, helped. My shark encounter came about halfway through a recent two-week trip on Heritage Expeditions’ “Indonesian Explorer” adventure cruise through some of the most beautiful tropical scenery in the world. We saw plenty of wildlife in Raja Ampat, more than 1,500 steep, jungle-covered islands at the eastern edge of Indonesia. It’s one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet. It was an active trip. At least two or three times each day we either hiked, snorkeled, swam off pristine white sand beaches, visited local villages or cruised around in a Zodiac (an inflatable boat used for shore excursions and close-up views of the islands).

Author Don Mankin ascended a jungle-covered peak in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat island chain for a beautiful view of its crystalline bay. The 1,500 islands are home to exotic birds, colorful coral reefs and diverse marine life.

WWII battles and current unrest I expected lush scenery, snorkeling, birds and villages in Indonesia. What I didn’t expect was to be touched by the human tragedy, past and present, of this

tropical paradise. It started with a visit to the Japanese Caves on Biak Island. During World War See INDONESIA, page 46

ARK ENCOUNTER, Apr 20 – 23 ...............................................................................$899pp Featuring a life size replica of Noah’s Ark! Price based on double occupancy BARNES FOUNDATION MUSEUM, May 20 ....................................................$166pp Grand collection of Impressionist paintings, lunch onboard a 103-year-old tall ship. AMERICAN VALOR, May 24 – 25 ..............................................................................$575pp Price based on double occupancy Pay tribute to our American Heroes in the Nation’s Capital. Tour operator VIP seating for Memorial Day Parade.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

How to avoid crowds in Italy’s Riviera By Rick Steves When I first visited the Cinque Terre, then an isolated stretch of the Italian Riviera south of Genoa, it was a classic “back door” — a string of five pastel-hued hamlets, gently and steadily carving a good life out of difficult seaside terrain. It was authentic, romantic, and without a tourist in sight. Fast forward several decades, and the once-sleepy villages are now on Instagram bucket lists and mobbed in high season by organized tours and cruise-ship excursions. The resident population of the five towns (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manorola and Riomaggiore) is just 4,000, but it’s estimated that some 2.5 million travelers visit annually. And it’s not just foreign tourists who flock here: Italians love the Cinque Terre, too. The result, especially when day-trippers hit, is that trains and platforms can be mob scenes, the iconic coastal hiking trail becomes almost impassable, and the towns’ tiny lanes are clogged to bursting. Even so, I still recommend this seductive corner of Italy. You can (and should) have a memorable trip here. Avoid the worst of the logjams by following these tips: Consider your timing. April can be

ideal, with fewer crowds and cooler temperatures. The busiest months are May, June, September and October. July and August can be less congested, but hotter. Avoid holiday weekends, especially Easter and Italian Liberation Day (April 25). I thought reports of catastrophic crowds were exaggerated — until a three-day weekend hit. On one recent Easter holiday, 95,000 visitors to little Vernazza caused shoulder-to-shoulder gridlock. Sleep in the Cinque Terre, not nearby. The towns of Levanto and La Spezia are near the Cinque Terre and well connected by train, making them popular home bases. But it’s easier to take advantage of the cool, relaxed and quiet morning and evening hours if you’re sleeping in one of the five towns. Skip town at midday. Cruisers and day-trippers start pouring into the Cinque Terre around 10 a.m. and typically head out by 5 p.m. Those midday hours are your time to hit the beach or find a hike away from the main trails. Be a reverse commuter: Leave town during the day and come back in the late afternoon, just as the crowds are thinning out. Hire your own boat. If the regularly scheduled boats between towns are over-

whelmed, consider hiring your own boat to zip you to the next village. Captains hang out at each town’s harbor, offering one-way transfers to other towns, sightseeing cruises and more. It’s cheaper than you might think (about $35 to $60) and very affordable if you split it among other travelers. Plan alternative, crowd-free activities. When the towns are jammed, find something fun to do that’s off the beaten path. Pick a scenic spot for a wine tasting (the area is known for its white wine made from bosco grapes), or sign up for a pesto-making class (the tasty basil-and-nut sauce originated here). Hike smartly. Most travelers aim for the well-known main coastal trail, which can be a human traffic jam and very hot at midday. Making matters worse, recent landslides have closed two key segments of the trail, pushing more hikers onto the remaining pathway. If you’re determined to hike it, go early (by 8 a.m.) or late (around 4 or 5 p.m.). Before setting out on an evening hike, find out when the sun will set, as there’s no lighting on the trails. Escape to alternative trails and towns. If you hear that it’ll be a busy cruise day, plan your activities elsewhere. If you’d like to hit the beach but Monterosso’s is a parking lot of bodies, hop the train a few minutes to nearby Levanto, rent a bike and pedal on a level path to the de-

lightful (and far less-crowded) beaches at Bonassola or Framura. You don’t have to join the tourist conga line on the coastal trail, either. The entire Cinque Terre is crisscrossed with hiking trails where you’ll scarcely encounter another person. The offices of the Cinque Terre national park (there’s one in each town) are a great resource for learning about your options. Don’t let the vertical terrain intimidate you. On a recent trip, I took advantage of the shuttle buses that connect the towns to higher trailheads: I rode up, soaking up the scenery, then hiked down. Those upper trailheads are often where you’ll find remnants of older Cinque Terre settlements, including evocative cemeteries and churches. High above the tourist crowds, I could hear the birds and feel the maritime air pushed up with the breeze — and I was alone. The tranquility was heaven. I’ve come back to the Cinque Terre nearly every year for decades. And even though the region is now well discovered, I love that the magic still survives — if you know where to find it. Rick Steves (ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook. © Rick Steves. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Indonesia

we observed broken windows and burneddown buildings on the way to the lake. We also heard stories of demonstrators shot by Indonesian police and military. A large hospital ship was docked in the harbor to treat the wounded. As an indication of just how serious the situation was, we were not allowed to take photos of the ship. I got a first-hand account of the problems that day. After the welcoming ceremony, I strolled through the village, where I met Jacob (not his real name). He talked openly but quietly about the conflict, his aspirations, and his role in the efforts to help achieve self-determination for his people. Despite the local tensions, though, we never felt threatened or in any danger. Everyone was friendly and relaxed in our presence. The manifestations of the conflict seemed distant to us.

From page 45 II, the Japanese used the underground chambers to hide from U.S. soldiers, who were trying to take back the island in the final months of the Pacific war. The Japanese soldiers would pop out of the caves to attack the U.S. troops, then slip back into hiding. The Japanese army had forced out the local people, executing those who resisted. The locals tipped off the U.S. military, who then bombed the caves, dumping gasoline on them to kill anyone who survived the bombing. It’s a grisly story: 3,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in the attacks. Current events in Indonesia belie its beauty, too. The Papuans on the easternmost island of Indonesia, an island shared by Papua New Guinea, have a separate culture, ethnic origin, religion and language. They feel discriminated against by the Indonesians, and they don’t have access to the same economic opportunities. Many would prefer to be politically independent, separate from Indonesia. Their discontent has turned violent in often deadly public demonstrations. We saw the consequences of this conflict on one of our shore excursions to visit a freshwater, inland lake. Civil unrest had broken out a couple of weeks earlier, and

If you go Heritage Expeditions offers tours of Raja Ampat starting at $6,995. Visit heritage-expeditions.com, or call 1-866-2857884. One-way airfares from the D.C. area to Sorong, Indonesia, where the trip begins, start at around $700. Airfare home from Madang, Papua New Guinea, where the trip ends, is about $1,400. For more information and photos, see Don’s website, adventuretransformations.com.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; M A R C H 2 0 2 0

When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re traveling with grandchildren By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, My husband and I are interested in taking our two grandkids on a big trip this summer and are looking for some good ideas. Can you recommend some travel companies that offer special travel packages for grandparents? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Doting Grandparents Dear Doting, There are a number of travel companies today that offer specialized, multi-generational trip packages for grandparents and grandchildren. They plan everything for you, with most activities for the two generations together, but some just for adults so you can get an occasional breather. Available in various trip lengths and price ranges, these tours are designed for children, typically between the ages of seven and 18, and are usually scheduled in the summer, or sometimes during breaks when the kids are out of school. Here are some top tour companies to check into that will take you and your grandkids on a fun, well-planned vacation: Road Scholar (RoadScholar.org): This well-established not-for-profit organization has offered educational travel to older adults since 1975. They currently offer 130 different programs geared to grandparents and grandchildren.

About 75% of the grandparent trips are domestic; the rest are international. Some of the most popular destinations include the U.S. National Parks, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands and Paris. The average cost per person per night is $250 for domestic trips; $360 for international. Tauck (Tauck.com): This is a large tour operator that offers 22 foreign and domestic multi-generational trips. Some of their most popular excursions are Costa Rica, European riverboat cruises, and Cowboy Country, which takes you through Wyoming and South Dakota. Austin Adventures (AustinAdventures.com): This adventure travel tour operator offers 119 family friendly trips ideally suited for grandparents and grandchildren. Popular packages include destinations such as Yellowstone National Park, Alaska, Costa Rica, Austria and Holland. Adventures by Disney (AdventuresByDisney.com): This offers more than 35 vacations all over the world, including itineraries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Smithsonian Journeys (SmithsonianJourneys.org): They offer seven different family journey trips to London and Paris, Tuscany, Iceland, Galapagos Islands, Botswana, Yellowstone and a Rhine River cruise.

Journeys International (JourneysInternational.com): This group offers customized multi-generational trips primarily to Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

Take the right travel docs Depending on where you go and your mode of transportation, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to gather some documents for your grandchildren to make sure everything goes smoothly. Most travel experts recommend you bring a notarized travel consent form (letter of permission from the parents), and a medical consent form in case any emergencies arise. Also bring copies of insurance cards. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re traveling domestically, you should know that airlines and trains donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t re-

W A K E

quire any form of ID for children under 18. But if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re traveling to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or other areas of the Caribbean by land or sea, grandchildren 15 and under will need certified copies of their birth certificates. And if your grandkids are 16 or older, or youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re traveling to these locations via air, passports will be required. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re traveling overseas, all children, even infants, must have a passport. Some countries also require a visa for entry, and vaccinations may be required. Before booking a trip, check the U.S. Department of Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website at Travel. State.gov for country-specific information. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

“I am walking away deeply inspired and profoundly moved!”

5,000 YEARS OF CIVILIZATION REBORN

—Rita Cosby Emmy Award-winning journalist

“It was a very spiritual experience and it moved me and I cried. I kept thinking, this is the highest and the best of what humans can produce.” —Oleva Brown-Klahn, singer and musician

“I just wish there is a way that I could cry out to mankind, they owe it to themselves to experience Shen Yun.” —Jim Crill, veteran producer, watched Shen Yun 5 times

Inspiring Millions Worldwide, but Cannot Perform in China. ALL-NEW PROGRAM

New York-based Shen Yun revives 5,000 years of divinely-inspired culture almost destroyed under communist rule.

January 31–February 2 Hippodrome Theatre

March 10–11

Jan Feb Feb Feb

Mar 10 (Tue) 7:30 pm Mar 11 (Wed) 2:00 pm

12 N Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

31 (Fri) 7:30 pm 1 (Sat) 2:00 pm 1 (Sat) 7:30 pm 2 (Sun) 2:00 pm

TICKETS: $180, $150, $120, $100, $80

Scan here to go to the website and buy tickets.

GMU Center for the Arts

4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030

TICKETS: Mon–Fri: $180, $150, $120, $100, $90, $80 Sat–Sun: $200, $165, $130, $110, $95, $85

ORDERING TICKETS: ShenYun.com/DC • 888-974-3698

WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

April 7–12 Kennedy Center Opera House 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566

Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr

7 (Tue) 7:30 pm 8 (Wed) 1:30 pm 8 (Wed) 7:30 pm 9 (Thu) 7:30 pm 10 (Fri) 7:30 pm 11 (Sat) 1:30 pm 11 (Sat) 7:30 pm 12 (Sun) 1:00 pm

TICKETS: Mon–Fri: $250 (VIP), $180, $150, $120, $100, $90, $80

Sat–Sun: $270 (VIP), $200, $170, $135, $115, $100, $90

Use code BEACON to waive all fees. Expires 02/28/2020. Valid only at Shen Yun’s official website and hotline above or authorized booths. Not valid at theater box office or third-party retailers. Excludes Baltimore.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Style

Arts &

The talented musicians of the U.S. military give hundreds of free performances each year. See story on p. 54.

From rich to poor and from love to hate scenic and costume designer, in a way almost as gaudy as their flattery. The Painter (Zachary Fine) and Poet (Yonatan Gebeyehu), among others, make it hilariously clear why they are attending: for the free giveaways. Timon lavishes gifts on her guests, not to win them over, but due to her confidence that they share her devotion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are born to do benefit,â&#x20AC;? she says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and what better or properer can we call our own than the riches of our friends?â&#x20AC;? Tellingly, she also bestows money without thought of return: to allow her faithful servant to pursue matrimony above his station, and to support the cause of the dashing rebel Alcibiades, played by Elia Monte-Brown with a modern swagger. But Timonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steward lets us in on a secret: Her fiscal house is not in order. He has urged budgetary restraint, but she refuses to listen, just as she refuses to see the insincere praise that surrounds her. When the money and gifts vanish, â&#x20AC;&#x153;men shut their doors against a setting sun,â&#x20AC;? says the philosopher Apemantus, played with world-weary urbanity by Arnie Burton. They literally shut their doors against

PHOTO BY HENRY GROSSMAN

By Lynda Lantz Timon of Athens is the much-anticipated first production by Simon Godwin since he joined the Shakespeare Theater Company as artistic director last year. It is a restaging of the play performed in 2018 under his direction at the Royal Shakespeare Company and earlier this year off Broadway as a co-production with Theatre for a New Audience. In this play, which Shakespeare originally wrote for only one female character, a prostitute, Godwin cast nearly half of the roles with women, including the title role as well as a greedy senator, a faithful servant, and the aristocratic rebel leader Alcibiades. Acclaimed actress Kathryn Hunter, who is known as the first woman to play King Lear in 1997, reprises her role as Timon from the RSC production. As she told the Guardian a decade ago, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If an audience can accept that an actor is a king from the distant past, why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they imagine that a woman has made that transformation?â&#x20AC;? The storyline, unlike many Shakespeare plays, is straightforward. The play opens with a lavish party, all actors decked out in gold, courtesy of Soutra Gilmour,

A party scene from Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Timon of Athens, directed by Simon Godwin, the Shakespeare Theatre Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new artistic director. Godwin cast award-winning actress Kathryn Hunter in the title role and included many other women in the production.

her requests for aid. Now cloaked in white and full of rage, Timon throws a shocking, final vengeful dinner party for her false friends before leaving Athens and removing herself from society.

Fatal flaw revealed The second half of the play finds Timon in a solitary encampment, where she struggles to meet her daily needs for food See TIMON OF ATHENS, page 51

Colonel Don Schofield, Commander and Conductor

FREE CONCERT Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center Alexandria, VA

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

TAKE ON THE FIRST STEP

TO PURSUING

YOUR PASSIONS

TODAY

Today is yours to own. Or paint. Or write. Because AARP believes that possibilities only expand as you age. That’s why we salute all of the artists participating in The Beacon Celebration of the Arts Competition. Take on Today and every day with AARP DC. Visit us at aarp.org/dc /AARPDC @AARPDC

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

Amateur art competition closes March 20 Amateur artists 50 and over are invited to enter their best works in a variety of media in the Beacon’s 2020 Celebration of the Arts, an online art competition, open now through March 20. The Celebration of the Arts was inspired by moving stories from readers who have returned to an earlier love of art after years away from it, or who developed a passion for it later in life. Amateurs may enter digital photos of their original works created after the age of 50 in seven categories (up to three items per category): Painting (watercolor, oil,

acrylic), Drawing (pen and ink, graphite, pastels, calligraphy), Sculpture/Carving, Ceramics, Jewelr y/Stained Glass, Mixed Media/Textile Art and Digital Photography. Judging will be by professional artists, none of whom participated in the last competition, so all new eyes will be on this year’s entries. Winners will be announced in April, will receive cash prizes, and will be exhibited throughout May at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery in Washington, D.C. In addition, photos of winning artists

and their works will be published in a special Celebration of the Arts section to be printed in the May edition of the Beacon. Winners will also be honored at senior expos in Baltimore County and Montgomery County, Maryland, and in Fairfax County, Virginia. While there is a modest fee of $10 for each entry, all entrants will be entitled to a one-year membership in the Maryland Federation of Art (new members only; value: $70). Among other things, the membership will enable artists to have their

own web page on the MFA site, where they can share images of up to 20 artworks with friends and family. Sponsors of the Celebration of the Arts include AARP DC, the Maryland Federation of Art, Brooke Grove Retirement Village, Pepco and Sommerset. The online competition is open now, and will close on March 20. For complete rules of the competition or to enter, visit theBeaconNewspapers.com/ COTA2020. For more information or assistance uploading entries, call (301) 949-9766.

Timon of Athens

body Timon at her most foolishly munificent and contemptuous. There’s no catharsis, no epiphany for Timon. She has experienced the extremes of wealth and poverty, of love and hatred toward humankind. Yet it seems her fatal flaw that she is not able to recognize and accept what Apemantus calls “the middle of humanity,” including the loyalty of her servants and grudging fondness of Apemantus. This point, though, becomes clear to the audience during this tragedy.

from the start. Even before the lights dim, Timon’s servants, the stylish Helen Cespedes and John Rothman, set the table for a feast and offer audience members canapes. The audience hears buoyant Greek music from a trio of talented musicians (including Greek singer Kristen Misthopoulos), who remain on stage. Actors march down the aisles, and Apemantus declaims from a perch above (and behind) the audience. The humor that Godwin and fellow editor Emily Burns mine from the text (a joke

about worms, for instance) keeps the audience engaged. With its fresh casting and inviting accessibility, Godwin and Burns have transformed this sometimes bleak, sometimes speech-heavy play to a more expansive reading that rings true today. The play, with a run time of two and a half hours, runs through March 22 at the Michael R. Klein Theatre at the Lansburgh. Ticket prices range between $35 and $120. For tickets, visit shakespearetheatre.org or call the box office at (202) 547-1122.

From page 49 and shelter. In her disillusionment, she hates humankind so much that when she finds gold while digging for edible roots, she does not choose to use the new fortune to return to society. Even the loyalty of her former steward — whom she calls “the one honest man” — and the warmly physical sparring between Timon and Apemantus cannot dull her misanthropy. As she encounters, in turn, her faithful steward, thieves and rebels, she offers them the money while urging them to kill and starve Athenians without mercy. Hunter is a small, very physical actor whose movements and raspy voice em-

Engaging production As a rarely staged and less familiar work of Shakespeare and his co-writer Thomas Middleton, the language in this play challenged me at times, but the staging of the play intimately embraces the audience

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Families need to show love, acceptance Alexis Bentz is a senior at Wootton High contemporary society. Just turn on the telSchool in Rockville, Maryland. She has been evision: Commercials and shows portray writing this intergenerational biracial and gay couples, sincolumn for the Beacon since gle-parent households and middle school. other familial configurations, The structure of the typical revealing just how much socifamily has changed drastically ety has adapted. in the last 100 years. Gender roles within the In the early and mid-1900s, family have also changed. the traditional family consistToday women have more ed of a mother, father and freedom and opportunities to children. Divorce, homosexuwork and less pressure to ality, single parents and birahave several children. cial relationships all existed, GENERATIONS More recently, the whole but because they were taboo, TOGETHER question of gender has bethey were often hidden in pub- By Alexis Bentz come a topic of the news and lic. other conversations, with more Today, nontraditional types of relation- recognition of individuals who identify as ships have become far more accepted in neither male nor female, or as a gender dif-

BEACON BITS

Mar. 15

MEN’S CHORAL CONCERT Celebrate our country with traditional and popular music like

“God Bless America” and “Take Me Home, Country Road” at an a capella concert with the Harmony Heritage Singers. The free event will be held on Sun., March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Ln., Alexandria, Va. To learn more, contact Ron Brandt at (703) 765-4779 or gronbrandt@gmail.com.

ferent from the one assigned at their birth. With these rapidly changing views, and resulting changes in family dynamics, many older adults may at first be taken aback. However, since many of these changes may be occurring within their own families or those of friends, it is important to be cognizant of these new realities. Regardless of a family’s composition, teens and seniors can agree that loved ones are an integral part of life.

What teens need from elders You’re probably all familiar with the moody teenager trope. As a certified teenager myself, I can say that the stereotype of being grumpy, avoidant and perpetually embarrassed by our parents isn’t true for all teens. Even if adolescence is a time of rocky family dynamics, that doesn’t mean that family becomes unimportant. Quite the contrary. Many emotional challenges and changes occur during the teenage years, making the nurturing presence and support of parents — and grandparents — imperative. Some people incorrectly assume that teens want nothing to do with older adults — a stereotype I, and others, are working to overcome. According to a 2001 Gallup Youth sur-

vey, “eight in 10 American teens say they see their own grandparents or the grandparents of close friends at least five or six times per year, while 57% say they visit their great aunts, great uncles, older cousins or other older relatives that frequently.” The survey also revealed that 77% of teens age 13 to 15 have a close friend who is an older adult. In other words, the bond between teens and older adults can vastly impact the younger generation. Taking this into consideration, it becomes even more important for older adults to model acceptance of the modern family. Teens should feel as if their living situation, even if different from the traditional one, is normal, healthy and acceptable. The next time you interact with a teenage friend, have a discussion about the changing face of the American family. Talk about changes in relationships and gender roles, and perhaps consider what societal conditions and historical context prompted these changes. And be sure to remind each other to be respectful of differences, and to love and accept your family for what it is. In the process, you’ll be spending some bonding time with a teen who needs and appreciates your guidance and support.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

How do you protect a child born into danger?

Blue

Kenneth Kellogg and Aaron Crouch, photo by Karli Cadel

March 15–28 | Eisenhower Theater Music by Jeanine Tesori / Libretto by Tazewell Thompson Sung in English with projected English titles. Casting available at Kennedy-Center.org/wno

Kennedy-Center.org

Groups call (202) 416-8400

(202) 467-4600 Major support for WNO and Blue is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales /\e <ßPR Na ! # %"!

WNO’s Presenting Sponsor

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO. WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.

Additional support for Blue is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Military bands perform free year-round pop, Latin, country, R&B and rock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roll numbers, they play the experimental compositions of John Cage, a tribute to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Birthday,â&#x20AC;? John Williamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; music from Star Wars, songs inspired by the poets William Blake and Walt Whitman, scores from the film Dracula and other exploratory pieces. Members of the U.S. Marine Corps Band who officially serve the White House are vetted through blind auditions and a rigorous interview process that can be as selective as any of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top orchestras.

Marines play diverse styles Founded in 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps Band, known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Own,â&#x20AC;? is Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest continuously active professional musical group. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t simply strike up â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hail to the Chiefâ&#x20AC;? at formal state dinners, however. Over the last few years, they have performed creative and diverse musical selections â&#x20AC;&#x201D; something for everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in their many free shows at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University, the Rachel Schlesinger Musical Hall in Alexandria, Virginia, and at their home base, the John Philip Sousa Band Hall at the Marine Barracks, in Southeast D.C. Last year, the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ensembles performed nearly 500 shows. In addition to

Navy hosts famed musicians The U.S. Navyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band, which calls itself â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finest,â&#x20AC;? plays around 270 free public concerts each year, performing in six primary groups and several smaller ensembles. They often invite musical stars such as Branford Marsalis, Itzhak Perlman and Vince Gill to the stage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The U.S Navy Band is widely recognized as one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier musical ensembles, ranked among the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest professional orchestras, that happens to be located right here in the D.C. metro area,â&#x20AC;? according to spokesperson April Enos. With such a â&#x20AC;&#x153;wide variety of musical

THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE BAND WA S H I N G T O N , D . C .

&RORQHO 'RQ 6FKRĂ&#x20AC;HOG &RPPDQGHU DQG &RQGXFWRU

2020

F R E E CO N C E R T

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center Alexandria, Virginia

MARCH 19 AT 7:30 P.M. GEORGE CURRAN bass trombonist

U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTO BY GUNNERY SGT. BRIAN RUST

By Christopher Jones When musicians play music for the president of the United States, they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to make a mistake. The flagship bands of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines play not only for politicians but for public audiences throughout the D.C. area. In addition to boosting morale, these military bands highlight some of the best musicianship in the world, promote crosscultural understanding and offer creative song selections.

The United States Marine Band performed patriotic songs and popular marches at a concert in Alexandria, Virginia in February. All U.S. military band performances are free and open to the public. Many take place in the greater Washington area.

styles,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the U.S. Navy Band has an eclectic appeal that transcends age, race, ethnicity and culture.â&#x20AC;? Highlights from the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calendar include a Holiday Concert Series, a Concert on the Avenue summer series, and its U.S. Navy Birthday/Patriotic Celebration Concert held on October 2 each year.

Armyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer festivals On Friday evenings during the summer months, the U.S. Armyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flagship band, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pershingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Own,â&#x20AC;? plays 12 free performances on the west side of the U.S. Capitol â&#x20AC;&#x153;with the National Mall as a backdrop,â&#x20AC;? according to Jennifer S. Maly, director of public affairs. At Brucker Hall at historic Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, the band hosts several education outreach events and solo competitions each year, Maly said. Musical artists from some of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best symphonies are often featured. During the holiday season, the group also hosts the annual interfaith American Holiday Festival at DAR Constitution Hall, performing in four free concerts for a total of over 10,000 patrons last year. The yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest bang-for-the-buck show is Tchaikovskyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;1812 Overtureâ&#x20AC;? (held last year at Fort Myer), featuring members of the Old Guard Presidential Salute Battery, who fire blank shells from World War II-era antitank guns for the finale.

Air Force has six ensembles For live-music aficionados, the United

States Air Force Band is â&#x20AC;&#x153;made up of some of the finest professional musicians in the world,â&#x20AC;? according to spokesperson Matthew Irish â&#x20AC;&#x201D; himself a member of one of the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six ensembles, the popular Singing Sergeants ensemble. Others, like the Air Force Strings, play everything â&#x20AC;&#x153;from classical symphonic selections and Broadway show tunes to classic rock, bluegrass and patriotic compositions,â&#x20AC;? Irish said. The Air Force Band also has a rock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roll band, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Max Impact.â&#x20AC;? Its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Airmen of Noteâ&#x20AC;? ensemble plays big band jazz songs of Glen Miller â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who led the Army Air Forces band during WWII. (The Army Air Force eventually became the U.S. Air Force.) Miller had volunteered for the service (being already 38 years old) and rose to be a major. He died in a plane crash in 1944, before the war was over. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of his death last April, the Air Force Band performed a tribute to Millerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music at Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Air Force Band has played at a variety of intimate and larger local venues such as the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia, the Plaza Stage at National Harbor, DAR Constitution Hall, on the west-side steps of the U.S. Capitol, and at the U.S. Air Forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. For more information about performances, visit usarmyband.com, navyband.navy.mil, marineband.marines.mil and music.af.mil/ bands.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 21

LEARN HOW TO ADD TO WIKIPEDIA Contribute to the spread of knowledge by adding the biographies of female photojournalists on Wikipedia with the help of the Library of

Congress staff. Bring a computer. The free event takes place on Sat., March 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10

for FREE tickets, please visit: usafband.eventbrite.com

First St. SE, Washington, D.C. To register, visit http://bit.ly/femalephotojournalists.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

April Events Kozhukhin plays Grieg’s Piano Concerto Following his celebrated NSO debut last season, acclaimed Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin returns to perform one of the most-loved concertos of all time, Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Conducted by incoming Music Director for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno, the program also includes Shostakovich’s brilliant Symphony No. 1. Written at the age of 18, the work is already characteristic of Shostakovich’s trademark style: unafraid, exuberant, and delightfully dramatic.

April 2–4 | Concert Hall Coﬀee Concert: Fri., Apr. 3 at 11:30 a.m.

Langrée conducts Brahms Hough plays Beethoven With its grand orchestration and stormy, romantic movements, Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto is a vital precursor to the composer’s “heroic” middle-period style, which the NSO explores later this season in Beethoven at 250. Stephen Hough eﬀortlessly conquers the concerto, which demands remarkable mastery and range of color from the soloist. Brahms’s radiant First Symphony and Julia Wolfe’s Fountain of Youth complete the program, making a thrilling NSO debut for conductor Louis Langrée, Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

April 16 & 18 | Concert Hall

Eschenbach conducts Boléro Carpenter plays Poulenc Conductor Laureate Christoph Eschenbach returns once more to lead an all-French program featuring Ravel’s famous Boléro. The sultry slow-burn never fails to excite audiences, unfolding with increasingly rich combinations in the longest-sustained crescendo of any orchestral work. Rock star organist Cameron Carpenter, “a modern-day throwback to the ﬂamboyant virtuosos of the 19th century” (NPR), joins the Orchestra in Poulenc’s vibrant Organ Concerto.

Cameron Carpenter

Kennedy-Center.org

April 23–25 | Concert Hall

Groups call (202) 416-8400

(202) 467-4600 The April 23–25 NSO concert week is generously sponsored by The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation.

The Blue Series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation.

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales /\e <ßPR Na ! # %"!

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Artist From page 1 cousin’s silkscreen print and became intrigued with the art form. “I didn’t have any idea how to do it, so I went downtown to those galleries in Dupont Circle, looking for somebody who could help me,” Akman said in an interview with the Beacon. Eventually he found Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, then located in Silver Spring, Maryland. He showed them a beloved family photo and said he wanted to turn it into a print. “Here’s what I want to do,” he told them. “Can you help me? Is it possible?” Two of the art center’s associates

agreed to teach Akman. “It took about nine months to [make the print], but it came out pretty well,” he said. Akman never looked back. Now he creates images with as many as 41 colors — no small feat. He has created dozens of works, all from photographs of his family, nature or D.C. scenes. Akman creates 10 to 15 original screened prints of each image, and each series takes him about three months to complete. “I do it because it’s a challenge,” he said of his craft. “You have to come up with a scheme — what order are you going to print those layers…It feels like a puzzle.”

Patience, precision required First Akman chooses a favorite photo-

BEACON BITS

Mar. 30

FIND YOUR VOLUNTEER WORK

If you want to volunteer but don’t know where to start, learn about your options from the Montgomery County Volunteer Center at the 50+ Volunteer Network, which offers personal consultations. The free event will be held on Mon., March 30 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Potomac Library, 10101 Glenolden Dr., Potomac, Md. To learn more, email 50plus@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Apr. 1

DIVERSITY EMPLOYMENT DAY

Celebrate the area’s 20th diversity employment day career fair for people with disabilities, women, veterans, older adults and the LGBTQ community. More than 30 employers will be recruiting. The free job fair will be held on Wed., April 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Embassy Suites, 1300 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, Va. To register, visit http://bit.ly/diversityemployment.

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

graph — a van beside a Yellowstone lake, his wife at a Nationals game, tulips at Brookside Gardens — and alters the digital photograph on his computer with Adobe Photoshop. He crops the image, “corrects” imperfections such as crooked trees, and decides how many colors should comprise the image. In the case of the tulips, for instance, he chose no fewer than 10 shades of red and purple to produce the finished image. Next, he prints out transparencies for each color element of the photograph and transfers them to individual silkscreens using a light-sensitive chemical called an emulsion. When the emulsion is exposed to UV light, it leaves a stencil on the screen to be used for that particular color. He secures the screen to a wood frame and carefully lines up a piece of paper. Then it’s time to apply ink to the screen. Akman spends hours mixing each color to his liking, carefully labeling plastic cups with the “recipe” — two tablespoons of red, half a tablespoon of white, etc. Then he puts a dollop of custom-mixed paint on the screen and carefully draws the squeegee across the paper. Each color requires its own screen, all of which must be lined up perfectly or the image will blur. “You have to be precise; otherwise, it will turn out fuzzy,” he said. It’s always a surprise to see the results, he said, and there is wisdom in “adjusting my dreams to the reality of the squeegee,” as Akman puts it on his website. “Some days, I don’t know why, but it just goes perfectly,” he said. “Most days it doesn’t. Then you have to figure out why.” Akman’s parents inspired him to pursue art: His mother enrolled him in fine arts classes, and his father creatively painted signs for his grocery store’s weekly sales. His father, who once advised Allan against art as a career, created intricate mosaics in his own retirement.

A community of artists This winter, Akman is hard at work on his next project — an urban image he took

of Hong Kong skyscrapers. Twice a week, Akman drives to the Pyramid Atlantic studio, where he began, to work in its collaborative environment. During confounding moments, Akman can ask for help from fellow artists there. “Everybody helps everybody,” he said of the studio. “There’s something special about being able to help people get to other places. The fact that I could do all this [art] is because other people helped me. I couldn’t do this on my own.” Akman’s family admires his work; they even created T-shirts emblazoned with his tulip series for an annual reunion at Bethany Beach. Although his grandson was “flattered” to be the subject of several prints, his wife was a reluctant subject, Akman said. He finally convinced her at a Nationals game, when he snapped her photo after she caught a foul ball. He told her, “If you don’t like it, I’ll keep it down in the basement.” That’s where the print, titled “My Catch,” now hangs beside his desk. His most recent work focuses on the current political climate. Akman describes them as “local scenes with a twist.” One image of the Capitol dome, for instance, is titled “Dysfunction Junction,” a collage is dubbed “The Star Trumpled Banner,” and a pastoral scene of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument is called “American Giants.” Akman’s advice to retirees who might be curious about trying art: Push through your self-doubt. “Do it. People shouldn’t be afraid of doing [art],” Akman said, “because everybody is an artist in their own way. You might not paint pictures, but you might bake cookies or make cakes. That’s artistic.” To see all of Akman’s works, visit akman.us. If you have artwork or photographs you’d like to enter in the Beacon’s Celebration of the Arts amateur art contest, visit thebeaconnewspapers.com/COTA2020. The contest closes on March 20. For more information, call (301) 949-9766.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 25

JOB SEARCH ONLINE

Optimize your ability to job search online with the latest career websites and tricks for age-proofing your resume. The free class takes place on Wed., March 25 at 11 a.m. at the Benning Library, 3935 Benning Rd. NE, Washington, D.C. To register, call (202) 281-2583.

Mar. 29

SHOP UNTIL YOU BARK

Bring your dog to the Ides of Bark Dog Festival, and shop from local pet-friendly vendors. The free festival will be held on Sun., March 29 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Grist Mill Park, 4320 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., Alexandria, Va. To learn more, visit http://bit.ly/IdesofBark2020.

Mar. 31

SECRETS OF SECRET SERVICE

U.S. Secret Service agent Patricia Acheson will discuss her career as the protective detail to George H.W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth and the pope. The free talk takes place on Tues., March 31 at 1:30 p.m. at the Lee 55+ Center, 5722 Lee Hwy., Arlington, Va. To register, call (703) 228-0555.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

Books about baseball for the new season To many, the call “play ball” heralds the tics of every Nationals batter and pitcher. beginning of spring. For fans in the na- Check out a chart of the team’s yearly histion’s capital, opening day no tory since 2005 and every longer ushers in a season of game of the 2019 season. dashed expectations. This Concluding the book are the year, it marks revisiting the 12 pivotal moments of the memory of a cherished 162-game regular season. achievement. Full-page drawings by Fight to the Finish: How sports illustrator Cristiano the Washington Nationals Siqueira depict stars Ryan Rallied to Become 2019 Zimmerman, Max Scherzer, World Series Champs, by Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, the Washington Post, 128 Sean Doolittle and World SeTHE pages, Triumph Books pa- BIBLIOPHILE ries MVP Stephen Strasburg. perback, 2019 The book is a rememBy Dinah Rokach Nats fans are sure to treasbrance of an impossible ure this keepsake of last year’s champi- dream fulfilled; a campaign replete with an onship. The introductory essay is by the astounding number of baseball firsts. Relvenerable Washington Post columnist, sep- ish them all in these pages. tuagenarian Thomas Boswell. The book inBallpark: Baseball in the American cludes several of his contemporaneous City, by Paul Goldberger, 384 pages, columns that were published during the Knopf hardcover, 2019 astounding season. Read again coverage Architecture critic Paul Goldberger has by beat reporter Jesse Dougherty. written an exquisite history in homage to The one-game wildcard playoff, five- baseball parks. With more than 135 hisgame National League Division Series, toric photos of the edifices, stars and four-game sweep in the National League sportsmen, as well as illustrations of souChampionship Series and seven-game venirs and newspaper clippings, Ballpark World Series are recapped with box describes the fields that house the beloved scores. Alongside are color photographs American pastime. of the action. Baseball fans will appreciate learning Scan the season and postseason statis- more about the history of early franchises

and the evolution of baseball from game to civic institution to entertainment enterprise. The genesis and development of local Baltimore and D.C. ballparks are well told. You’re sure to learn new details that will enrich your love of the sport. Recall with fond nostalgia Griffith Stadium, the Astrodome, Memorial Stadium, Ebbets Field, Candlestick Park, RFK Stadium, Comiskey Park and old Yankee Stadium among many others. You may even find yourself adding a few of the current parks to your bucket list. Many teams, including the Nats and Orioles, offer tours of their ballparks for fans to gain behind-the-scenes access beyond where they may venture with game-day tickets. Check mlb.com/nationals/ballpark/ tours or mlb.com/orioles/ballpark/tours for details. As Humphrey Bogart said, “A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.” Just Show Up: And Other Enduring Values from Baseball’s Iron Man, by Cal Ripken Jr. and James Dale, 208 pages, Harper hardcover, 2019; paperback May 2020 Hall of Famer baseball great Cal Ripken Jr. has written an advice book. Since 1995, he has held the Major League record for consecutive games played, thus earning

the moniker Iron Man. Cal Ripken Jr. and his wife Laura, an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge, reside in Annapolis. Co-author James Dale is a business consultant. Ripken played his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles, with whom he won a World Series crown. As such, he is well positioned to proffer advice. As a living legend, he has the potential to influence young people and contemporary culture. In his post-playing career, he mentors young people as co-owner of Ripken Baseball, which operates youth baseball facilities in Aberdeen, Maryland, and other locations. What Ripken preaches — and the values he wishes to impart — are music to the ears of the older generation and anyone with a desire to pass on time-honored truths. Be dependable, work hard, don’t be easily discouraged, be loyal, keep your friends, don’t value wealth, stay honest even when no one is looking. Ripken draws these lessons from his own experiences and provides real-life examples of the lifestyle he advocates. He includes many reminiscences from his storied career on the diamond. For those liberated from the daily grind, here’s a worthwhile corollary to contemplate: Show up for others.

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Reaching and passing 100, a day at a time A cross-country plane ride is usually an The duck I read about still has her marexcuse to secede from the world. Naps. bles, her health, her money and (most imCrossword puzzles. Novels that portant) her friends. are so bad that you find the She lives in a retirement nearest trash can once you land. community, but she routinely But on a recent flight from connects with as many fellow California, I chanced upon a residents as possible. The ennewspaper story that enthralled ergy and mental stimulation me. she gets from them is what It was about a woman who sustains her, she said. had just celebrated her 110th Of course, many people of birthday. She thus belongs to many ages draw sustenance a very exclusive club called su- HOW I SEE IT from human interactions, but percentenarians. most don’t live to see 90, By Bob Levey According to the story, much less 110. there are about 1,000 of these lucky ducks So, what was the larger lesson here? As in the world (in a population of 7.8 billion). the flight attendant offered me coffee (no About 100 reside in the United States. thanks) and the guy next to me offered me

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his magazine (no thanks again), I realized that the story of the 110-year-old woman was really the story of randomness. She had surmounted many challenges in her super-long life. She grew up in Pittsburgh when that city was one of the most polluted on the planet. She moved to Southern California in 1929, long before sunblock. She bore two children, which is never a picnic. She navigated famously dangerous Los Angeles traffic for decades without a fatal accident. Did she eat a special diet all those years? No. Did she exercise religiously? No again. Did she consult with spiritual gurus? No, a third time. And she was not one of those oldies who reach a milestone birthday and ascribe their long lives to multiple lovers, innumerable cigarettes and nightly shots of bourbon. Our 110-year-old had lived a very steady life, with one spouse, one mortgage and nothing exotic in the food or drink department. So, this woman had no secret, no special sauce to offer her fellow humans. She had played it one day at a time. She had just been lucky. Randomly lucky. As we bounced through the clouds (why are my flights always bumpy?), I read other stories in the newspaper. They were all about mastering the universe, in one way or another. Beating the stock market. Winning the Super Bowl. Getting elected president. But here was a woman who had truly mastered the universe for 110 years — by listening to her friends, sharing in their joys and sorrows, and caring (via TV news) about what happens in the world. She was extraordinary because she was ordinary. Yet, curiously, the Census Bureau will

not confirm the status of supercentenarians, according to the newspaper story, because many of them cannot prove that they were born on a certain day. Nor will the bureau reveal publicly who and where these people are. The bureau routinely protects the privacy of individuals, the story said. To point one, I say: Let’s not split hairs. If someone says they are 110, who are we (youngsters!) to doubt that? Even if they were born in a log cabin and are actually 109.7, isn’t that great shakes? I care less about an exact birthday than I do about the fact that a very old person is still alive and kicking. As for the Census Bureau policy of not revealing who “supers” are, I can certainly understand that. Very old people do not need to be targeted by hucksters or phony salesmen. They deserve to be surrounded by adoring great-grandchildren. But maybe the bureau could ask supercentenarians for permission to publicize their stories? Think of how inspiring this could be. And (if we really want to think big), can you imagine a mass birthday party for all 100 or so American supercentenarians? The “Today” show would go crazy. But let’s not miss the major message here. There is no single, fail-safe way to live to be 110. We can jog each morning, lift weights relentlessly and never eat more than 400 calories at any meal. No guarantee of a long life. We can also gorge on potato chips and exercise only by getting out of a chair. No guarantee of a shorter life. To reach 110 is truly wonderful. Happy birthday to all who have done it. The rest of us can and should keep flipping a coin. Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

FROM PAGE 60 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD M A T T B R A U A K I N A S H E T I X A N E C U D R A B U T R O I S B G N U A B S U L O I S E X E S

E N G L I S H E R O R R

A T O M S A R A I S R E N T P O O A M S W L A B A O H A S R A N T A D J E C C O A H T H K I E E K N D A N D A O V E R N Y E T

H O B O O W E D O W N E D R U P S A M P S T M E V E R B I N T O T I V E D U O N E N Y D S A T B S U R D L A N A I E R O D E

ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: GRAFT ANKLE FEWEST WISDOM Answer: The appeal of being a fashion model was — WEARING OFF

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

He’s spent his life betraying women. Now time’s up.

February 29–March 22 | Opera House Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte Sung in Italian with projected English titles. Casting available at Kennedy-Center.org/wno

Kennedy-Center.org

Groups call (202) 416-8400

(202) 467-4600

Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales /\e <ßPR Na ! # %"!

WNO’s Presenting Sponsor

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO. WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.

Don Giovanni is a production of the Clarice Smith Opera Series. Generous support for WNO Italian Opera is provided by Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello.

Ryan McKinny as Don Giovanni, photo by Cade Martin

Don Giovanni

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Crossword Puzzle

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Grand Slams 1

Stephen Sherr

28 32

70. 71. 72.

Jumble answers on p. 58.

55 59

Shine-less Smallest amount of an element Vagabond Manscaping manufacturer “Nobody doesn’t like ___ Lee” Was subject to the terms of the credit card agreement Part 1 of a grammar observation (by t he Grand Poobah) Key, usually next to the spacebar Impoverished FedEx foe Word following “my pronouns are...” “___ the Walrus” Features of Alligator Alley StubHub offering Full portion of ribs M&T Bank lobby feature Part 2 (at the Grand Canyon) DOCUDRAMAS’ middle section Start of -acid and -arctic He’s Just Not That ___ You Part 3, grandly descriptive One with Middle-Earth malevolence Home to the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden Number that is its own square root Part 4 (the least grand part of all) Thanksgiving table-mates At least six ft. Lion’s lunch Imitate a corpse flower Member of the 2019 World Series champs Grand finale of the grammar observation Coworker of Clark and Jimmy ___ the moon with joy Hawaiian Island, 97% owned by Larry Ellison Xerox end-points Security Council veto Chip away at

Down 1.

50 54

Across

20. 21. 22. 23. 26. 28. 30. 31. 33. 34. 40. 41. 42. 43. 48. 49. 50. 51. 54. 55. 56. 57. 59. 61. 67. 68. 69.

49 53

17.

37 42

Scrabble answers on p. 58.

21 26

1. 6. 10. 14. 15. 16.

18 20

Grad. of MIT Sloan School of Mgmt.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 18. 19. 23. 24. 25. 27. 29. 32. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 44. 45. 46. 47. 51. 52. 53. 56. 58. 60. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66.

Noah’s construction project Mai ___ (drink served at 49 and 69 across) Sushi fish Language of Australia Obnoxious jerk Rain delay cover-up Cold Stone Creamery mix-ins He was named the greatest racehorse of the 20th century by ESPN ___ the West was Won Accept responsibility Words from R2D2 All the houses on one side of the street Prefix relating to a Mediterranean nation Give a campaign speech Right fielder Rusty, in the Mets Hall of Fame Member of an Indian religion Put forth, as effort “Pa has the car today; ___ it yesterday” Year in Pope Benedict XVI’s Pontificate Instrument Taylor Swift strums on “Mean” Chocolate substitute Ruth’s Chris specialty Diplomat He lines up against the lft. tackle Forecasts, ominously “ERROR” with a transposition error Used the information from the briefing Host for the 2022 Winter Olympics Able to be adjusted, as a grand piano Place for unread mail Wake Up Little ___ Subject to a baggage surcharge Severe wind It is often bent in Game of Thrones Russian ruler Battleship letters A-Team actor (after completing his dissertation) Game with Reverse and Skip cards “Far out!” Fizzle out, as a bonfire

Answers on page 58.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Letters to editor From page 4

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

on the county Board of Education. Mitra Ahadpour, M.D. Via email Dear Editor: After reading several well-written and informative articles in the February Beacon addressing healthy diets and healthy lifestyles, it seemed counter-productive to see you publish a coronary squeal meal recipe for chocolate spice cookies that contained very unhealthy fats and refined ingredients. Perhaps you could have used the space to publish a healthy meal recipe or two. Being a world-famous cook (Wolfgang Puck) does not equate to being a health-conscious cook. Steven J. Berkowitz Bethesda, Md. Dear Editor: Burning question: How can Mao Tse Trump borrow billions from Beijing for our military to protect the U.S. from China? D. Graham Arlington, Va. Dear Editor: Bob Levey’s January column referenced senior drivers. Those older adults who use mass transit, a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation, would be better ser ved if they were afforded unrestricted, free access to Metro Ride-On and MetroBuses. In Montgomery County, where I live, such service is now provided for children under 18. Seniors’ free fares, however, are limited to non-rush hours Monday through Friday, restricted hours on Saturdays, but no free service at all on Sundays. Dinah Rokach Silver Spring, Md.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 7

ROCK PAINTING

Does your garden or yard need a little color? Paint some rocks to brighten the outdoors. Materials, including rocks, will be provided. The free class takes place on Sat., March 7 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Kate Waller Barrett Library, 717 Queen St., Alexandria, Va. To register, call (703) 746-1703.

Mar. 8

CLASSICAL AND JAZZ PIANO CONCERT

Become encapsulated by three centuries of piano classics from Beethoven, Schubert, Coleridge, Kapustin and Joplin in a spring concert with the Washington Piano Society. The free event will be held on Sun., March 8 at 3 p.m. at the Calvary Lutheran Church, 9545 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Md. To learn more, visit dcpianosociety.org or call (301) 793-1863.

Mar. 9

LOVE STORY OF KAHLO AND RIVERA

Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera had an epic love story. Learn more about their lives with art historian Joan Hart on Mon., March 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Aurora Hills 55+ Center, 735 S. 18th St., Arlington, Va. To register, call (703) 228-5722.

Mar. 26

BOOK SWAP

Share your love of reading with a book swap. Bring as many books as you’re willing to part with, and add to your collection with new ones. The free event takes place on Thurs., March 26 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Eaton Workshop, 1201 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information, visit futureisfestival.com.

WB320

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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 page 63. 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. Caregivers A CARE AGENCY - Been in business for more than 10 years. Experienced nurses, CNAs, GNAs. Any hours you need. Flat rate for live-in. Duties include cooking, housekeeping, bathing, errands, etc. Tel: 667-231-8235 CAREGIVER, I WILL CARE FOR YOUR LOVE ONES night or day. Great references and own transportation. Willing to work immediately. If interested, please call 301-502-2258. A HOME HEALTHCARE - Experienced nurses, CNA, GNA are available 24/7. Cooking, companionship, personal care, housekeeping, driving. Full/Part-time or live-in care flat rate. 15 years’ experience. 240-533-6599

Computer Services COMPUTER LESSONS AND SERVICES — Personal Computer training in your home at your convenience. Windows and Mac. Learn Email, Internet, and General computer use. Print Digital photos, search with Google. Word processing. Troubleshoot PC issues. Shop for and Setup new computers, printers, internet. Setup and train on all consumer electronics — Smartphone, Smart TV, Tablet, Digital cameras, and Alexa. Gentle & patient teacher using plain English. Since 1996. Call David, 301-980-5840. COMPUTERTUTOR PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call David G. Computer Services at 301-642-4526.

For Sale PUT ON YOUR TV EARS and hear TV with unmatched clarity. TV Ears Original were originally $129.95 - NOW WITH THIS SPECIAL OFFER are only $59.95 with code MCB59! Call 1-833-934-0843. TURTLE CAY RESORT CONDO WEEK for sale 37th week. Usually second week in September. $2,500 deeded property. Condo fees paid for 2020. All deeds to be filed in Virginia Beach for Turtle Cay Property. Call 202-812-3346. GREAT DEAL - CEMETERY PLOTS FOR SALE in National Memorial Park cemetery in Falls Church, VA. Regular price if you buy from cemetery is $7,100 per plot but we are selling our family plots for $4,000 per plot or $7,000 for 2 plots. Plots are in a nice and peaceful location. Funeral prices are unbelievably high nowadays, so take advantage of this rare offer to reduce the cost on you and your loved ones. Plots expected to sell quickly. Contact john.ck.pappas@gmail.com or 703-869-9705.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

Home/Handyman Services

Wanted

MID-ATLANTIC FUNDING GROUP — Pays cash for Owner Financed Mortgages. Professional Service / Fast Closing. Call Us Today! 1 (800) 641-9521 or visit midatlanticnotes.com

ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off and 0% financing for those who qualify. PLUS Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-844-359-6933.

CASH FOR ESTATES, moving etc; I buy a wide range of items. Buy out/clean up. www.atticllc.com Gary Roman; 301-520-0755.

LOVELY, SPACIOUS ROOM AVAILABLE. In convenient location, near public transportation. Burnt Mills, Silver Spring, MD Available March 15. Vegetarian, non-smoking household. Seeking quiet, friendly, easy-going woman (50 & over) to live with two other female roommates. Call Carol early evenings at (301) 754-1289. GARDEN TWO BEDROOM, two bath condo available for lease the first of March. Premier community of Leisure World for adults 55 plus! This condo features, side-by-side washer/dryer and new granite kitchen counter tops. Living room with a spectacular view and a large patio. Call (301-598-6451) to schedule an appointment to see this exceptional home. No smoking! Pets considered. A reserved parking space, utilities, basic cable and basic internet are included. A PLACE FOR MOM. The nation’s largest senior living referral service. Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is FREE/no obligation. CALL 1-855-502-4495

Health PAID RESEARCH STUDY: Healthy 65-85yr olds with normal hearing needed for MRI study of speech comprehension at Univ. of Maryland College Park. Earn $10-15/hr in 2 sessions (34hrs total). Contact 240-630-0461, EffComLab@gmail.com, http://ter.ps/listen FACED WITH A LIFE ISSUE? Our Counselors, Life Coaches, Recreation Therapists, Advocates, Family/Case Management experts COME TO YOU. Our team includes a variety of seasoned professionals assisting children, adolescents, adults, seniors and families. We are happy to meet one time only to coordinate referrals for those unable to navigate the system. Contact HOUSE CALLS LLC. www.Callingonbeth.net/ or call 301-346-6732. CAREGIVER MEDICAL CANNABIS SERVICES (CMCS). At CMCS, we provide reliable, professional caregiver services to MMCC registered medical cannabis patients. If you or a loved one need assistance contact me at 713 927 3780. I am a registered MMCC caregiver located in MoCo and available to travel. Flexible hours and reasonable rates. Call 713 927 3780 today! RESEARCH STUDY: Are you taking care of a family member or friend with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia? We invite you to participate in a paid research study (PI: Hae-Ra Han, PhD, RN; Johns Hopkins IRB#: IRB00198665). The study will involve doing a phone or online survey. If you complete the survey, you will receive a $10 gift card as a thank you for your time. You may be eligible to participate if you • Are caring for a family member or friend with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia • Have a chronic condition or disease • Speak and understand English • Are 18 and older, and • Own or have access to a mobile device. If you are interested, please contact the research team at (410) 929-4327 or tech4caregiverhopkinstudy@gmail.com 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. DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. NOT just a discount plan, REAL coverage for [350] procedures. Call 1-844366-1003 for details. www.dental50plus.com/320. [6118-0219]

Home/Handyman Services **STOP STRUGGLING ON THE STAIRS** Give your life a lift with an ACORN STAIRLIFT! Call now for $250 OFF your stairlift purchase and FREE DVD & brochure! 1-855-850-3183. MIKE SMITH HAULING & JUNK REMOVAL. Complete clean out of houses, apt., attics, basements etc. FREE Estimates.13 years in business. references available from satisfied customers. (including real estate agents) reasonable rates. central and northern PG county, eastern and southern Montgomery county. demo and moving services avail. (www.mikesmithHauling.com)Call 301-346-0840.

STAY IN YOUR HOME LONGER with an American Standard Walk-In Bathtub. Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-877-240-2061 or visit www.walkintubquote.com/beacon

Legal Services APPLYING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY or Appealing a Denied Claim? Call Bill Gordon & Assoc., Social Security Disability Attorneys, 1-866-970-0779! FREE Consultations. Local Attorneys Nationwide [Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington DC. Office: Broward Co. FL (TX/NM Bar.)]

Personal Services SELL YOUR SILVER AND OLD GOLD JEWELRY. Gold 4 Good (8241 Georgia Ave., Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910) buys gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver and silver flatware, gold watches and gold and silver coins. I will come to your house and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). Call Bob, (240) 938-9694. Gold 4 Good pays an additional 5 percent to all military veterans (and their spouses). Gold 4 Good is a Maryland licensed precious metals dealership, not a pawnshop or private home based business. PIANO TEACHER. Studied at U. of Md. and Washington Conservatory of Music. Specialize in beginners 9 to 90. No auditions, recitals or separate theory books. In my Kensington, Md. home. Patient. Reasonable rates. Call Geri at (301) 9422589 or email blackandwhitekeys4U@gmail.com

TV/Cable DISH NETWORK $59.99 For 190 Channels! Add High Speed Internet for ONLY $19.95/month. Call Today for $100 Gift Card! Best Value & Technology. FREE Installation. Call 1-844-560-5837 (some restrictions apply) GET NFL SUNDAY TICKET FREE w/ DIRECTV Choice All-Included Package. $59.99/ month for 12 months. 185 Channels PLUS Thousands of Shows/Movies On Demand. FREE Genie HD DVR Upgrade. Call 1-888-572-4953.

Wanted PAYING CASH merchandise pre 1980. Old toys, silver, records, books, photographs, smoking pipes and lighters, fountain pens,movie posters. If you have old stuff to sell cal Carl 312316-7553. Sorry no furniture or glassware. Located Silver Spring MD. WILL BUY MILITARY, WWII, WWI, Civil War memorabilia items. Uniforms, weapons, helmets, photos, war souvenirs, medals, photos or any other items associated with U.S., German, Japanese or other military history. Call Dave (240-4640958) or email (david.obal63@gmail.com). WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, GUITARS, BANJOS, MANDOLINS, UKULELES, ETC. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack (301) 279-2158. TURN YOUR SILVER AND OLD GOLD JEWELRY INTO CASH. Gold 4 Good (8241 Georgia Ave., Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910) buys gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver and silver flatware, gold watches and gold and silver coins. I will come to your house and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). Call Bob, (240) 938-9694. Gold 4 Good pays an additional 5 percent to all military veterans (and their spouses). Gold 4 Good is a Maryland licensed precious metals dealership, not a pawnshop or private home based business.

CASH FOR JEWELRY; I buy a wide range of jewelry; gold, silver, costume, watches, turquoise, coins, school rings, etc. Gary Roman; 301-520-0755. BOOK COLLECTIONS WANTED. Moving? Downsizing? Estate? Together the 2 Book Guys have over 85 years experience as professional buyers & sellers of quality books in the D. C. area. Best prices paid for good books. Examples: Easton Press, Folio Society, First Edition Science Fiction & Mysteries, Military, History, Scholarly & Academic Press publications. Call Nelson at 240-472-4615 to set up an appointment at your house. Also will consider DVDs & CDs. CASH FOR RECORDS, CDS AND DVDS. Best price guaranteed. No collection too large. Free appraisals. All types of music {33, 45, 78 & CDs.} Also buying turntables and stereo equipment. Will make house calls. Call or text Steve at 301-646-5403. LADY WHO LIKES CHINA and other pretty things would like to buy yours. Favorites include Coalport, Herend, Meissen, Royal Copenhagen, Shelley and Villeroy & Boch. Some Lenox and Johnson Brothers. I love English bone china cups and saucers. Paintings and pottery. I’ve collected antique Christmas and Halloween for thirty years and am always looking to add to my collection. Sterling and jewelry. MD license no. 2753. Call, 301-785-1129. BUYING OLD STEREO-AUDIO ITEMS from the 1940’s-1980’s Speakers, Receivers, Amplifiers, Turntables, etc. working or not. Also interested in parts. (540)999-1486 SEEKING FULL/SEALED BOTTLES of Vintage Bourbon & Rye (Pre-1990). Examples include, but are not limited to: Old Grand Dad, Pikesville Rye, Wild Turkey, Old Fitzgerald, I.W. Harper, Old Forester and more! Inquiries are welcome. Call Alex 443-223-7669 BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 to 1990. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae, Punk, Blues, and Disco. 33 1/3 LP’s, 45’s and some 78’s, Some Groups Of CD’s Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201. TOY SOLDIERS We buy large and small collections of old metal, not plastic, toy soldiers. Please contact: Neil Rhodes, 703-598-5583 or psclark@verizon.net. CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. Ask for Tom. Call anytime, 301654-8678 (Reg. 883). DO YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR PROPERTY? Whether you’re downsizing, dealing with bad tenants, facing huge repair costs, or wondering what to do about inherited property, I’d like to help. My name is Don and I’ll buy your house quickly in as-is condition. You’ll get a fair price so you can solve your problems and move on. Imagine how you’ll feel to get rid of that headache. (I’m a licensed real estate agent in Virginia, but I want to buy your house.) Let’s make it happen. Call me at 703-239-4212. ESTATE LIQUIDATION/ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES: One call solves it all when you hire us to handle your estate liquidation, down-sizing and/or home cleanout. We sell your treasures, take care of charitable donations and provide junk removal. We also purchase partial estate contents/collections. Always buying antiques, jewelry, fine art, vintage toys, collectibles, advertising, sports memorabilia, military, vintage cars, Mid Century Modern furniture, vinyl records, gold and silver coins and more. Based in Silver Spring, we serve Montgomery, Howard and Baltimore Counties, Washington D.C., NOVA and beyond. Also provide appraisal services for insurance/estates. Friendly, conscientious staff. Call Chris on cell (202) 7319447. www.OrionsAttic.com.

Classifieds continued on p. 63

Say you saw it in the Beacon

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 2 0

Classifieds cont. from p. 62 Wanted

Wanted

WANTED TO BUY: MILITARY ANTIQUES. I buy American military medals, documents, uniforms, insignia, gear, surplus items & books from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I buy single items or collections - especially items from admirals and generals. I also buy historic firearms and fill out the Maryland/Federal paperwork for the background check to do the transfers so that you will have a record of it. I buy Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard items. I have a BA and an MA in History and have been trusted for over 30 years in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC area. Read my biography and testimonials from veterans and their families on my website. www.midatlanticmilitaryantiques.com Call Tim Frank 703-447-7243. I BUY CARS, TRUCKS, AND SUV’S. I am a licensed dealer. I operate in the Montgomery county area. I will consider any vehicle with the reserve on age and condition. I will come to look at vehicle or meet you at a designated place. I will buy as is and make the experience as easy as possible. Please call Tom at 301-806-8140.

TOP PRICES PAID for fine antiques, artwork and high quality decorative items including decorated crocks and jugs, rare antique clocks, music boxes and antique phonographs, unusual lamps, slot machines, country store and advertising items, great old toys and dolls to name a few. I am 66 years old with over 40 years in the antique business, well educated and financially capable. Why pay expensive auction house, estate sale, or consignment store commissions when you can get a fair upfront price for your pieces immediately? If you have something unusual and interesting, rare and valuable and are prepared to sell it I would like to speak with you. Please call Jake Lenihan 301 279 8834. No calls after 7 pm please. Thank you. COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars & countries. Also Lionel Trains, & slots/coin operated machines. Will pay top prices. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

Thanks for reading!

HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD All classified ads must be submitted and paid for online, via our website, www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/classifieds Deadlines and Payments: To appear in the next issue, your ad text and payment must be entered by the 5th of the preceding month (for Baltimore and Howard County editions); by the 20th (for Washington and Richmond editions). Cost will be based on the number of characters and spaces in your ad: • $25 for 1-250 • $35 for 251-500. • $50 for 501-750 (maximum length). The website will calculate this amount for you. Note: Maryland contractors must provide a valid MHIC number. • Each real estate listing qualifies as one ad. • All ads are subject to publisher’s discretion. Payment will be refunded if unacceptable for any reason.

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

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Studies Hearing Research Study...........27 Heart Attack/Stroke Study .......27

Computer/Technology TechMedic4u..............................6 TheBeaconNewspapers.com ....42

Dental Services Friedman, Stephen, DDS .........28 Oh, Judy, DDS .........................26

Events Brooke Grove Retirement Village ..........15, 24 Celebration of the Arts.........5, 50 JCA 50+Employment Expo .....38

Financial/Insurance Services Children’s National Hospital......7 Edward Jones/Mark Evanko ....37

Funeral Services Going Home Cremation...........58

Government Services DC Census 2020 ......................28 DC Dept of Insurance ..............35 DC Office on Aging ...........32-33 DC Water..................................64 Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services ............8, 26 Montgomery County Public Library .......................41

Home Health Care/Companion Services Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . . .25 Chesapeake Home Health . . . .13 Options for Senior America .....45

Home Improvement LeafGuard ..................................2

Housing 555 E. Street...............................6 AlfredHouse.............................21 Ashby Ponds.............................22 Brooke Grove Retirement Village ..........15, 24 Chesterbrook Residences.............................16 Chevy Chase House .................21 Churchill Senior Living ...........18 Culpepper Garden ..............23, 25 Falcons Landing ......................23 Five Star Premier Residences...23 Friendship Terrace....................29 Greenspring..............................22 Harmony Chantilly...................14 Harmony Spring Hill................14 Homecrest House .....................20 Homewood at Frederick ...........26 Landing of Silver Spring, The .................16 Quantum Property Mgmt............36 Pointe View at Aspen Hill ...........11 R Homes Communities...............44 Riderwood................................22

Shenandoah Senior Living .......29 Sommerset Retirement.............31 Springvale Terrace..............18, 25 Wilshire Estates........................11

Legal Services Farr Law Firm ..........................37 Law Offices of Lee Holdmann ..................35 Law Offices of Nancy Feldman .....................35 Law Offices of Paul Riekhof ...39

Medical/Health Acumedicine Health.................29 Adventist Medical Group...........1 Allied Pharmaceutical Svcs .....22 I Hate Knee Pain ......................17 Lesner Hearing.........................18 Medical Eye Center..................16 MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute .....................12 MedStar Orthopedic Institute...19 Silver Spring Medical Center...14 Virginia Medical Marijuana Doctors ................13

Miscellaneous Car-J .........................................20 City of Rockville Mansion.......47 Green House H St. .....................9 JCA Senior HelpLine...............20

Real Estate Long & Foster/ Eric Stewart.....................39, 47

Retail/Auction Cherry Blossom CBD ..............17 Nu Images Hair Salon................9 Oakridge Auction Gallery........57

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Brooke Grove Rehab................15 Manor Care Health Services ....31

Subscriptions Beacon Newspaper...................61

Theatre/ Entertainment F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre .......51 Ford’s Theatre...........................51 Kennedy Center .......3, 53, 55, 59 Senior Zone..............................58 ShenYun ...................................48 Thirteen, The............................51 Toby’s Dinner Theatre ..............49 Tyson’s Showplace ICON ........52 US Air Force Band .............49, 54

Tour & Travel Eyre Travel ...............................45 Shillelaghs................................45

Volunteers & Careers Beacon......................................56 Career Gateway ........................41 JCA 50+ Employment Expo ....38

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