March 2020 | Howard County Beacon by The Beacon Newspapers

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McDermott’s parents emigrated from Ireland to Brooklyn, where she was born. She was raised on Long Island before moving to Maryland in 1989. Her husband, David Armstrong, is a retired National Institutes of Health neuroscientist. They have three grown children. McDermott was only 12 years old when she finished her first novel — “a romance featuring a singing group that vaguely resembled the Beatles.” Even then, she said with a smile, “I had an appreciation for storytelling.” She had to wait another 19 years before her first (real) novel, A Bigamist’s Daughter, was published in 1982 by Random House. (The Beatles were not mentioned.) Charming Billy, her fourth novel, won the National Book Award in 1998. The story about an Irish-American family was adapted for the stage in 2011; the play de-

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Alice McDermott on life and faith By Robert Friedman On a gray afternoon this winter, novelist Alice McDermott paused for a pint of Guinness at the Irish Inn in Glen Echo, Maryland, to chat with a reporter about, among other things, life, literature and what it means to be an American. “What makes all Americans Americans, regardless of the hyphenation, is that they are from someone, or are someone, who left [their home], whether for reasons of ambition or desperation,” said Irish-American McDermott, 66. “That is the essence of the American character. It’s a kind of contrariness — and, at the heart, a certain optimism and imagination,” she said. McDermott is a National Book Award winner, bestselling author and three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her stories, essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker and elsewhere. She also teaches writing as the Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. McDermott will speak about matters Irish and literary at the 42nd Annual Evening of Irish Music and Poetry sponsored by the Howard County Poetry and Literary Society (HoCoPoLitSo). The event will take place on February 21 at Howard Community College in Columbia.

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Alice McDermott, a Johns Hopkins University writing professor and best-selling author, has written eight novels, one of which won the National Book Award. She will read from The Ninth Hour, her latest book, which draws on her Irish ancestry, at an Irish Music and Poetry evening in Columbia on Feb. 21.

Kinky Boots struts its stuff at Toby’s Dinner Theatre through March 22; plus, HoCoPoLitSo, a literary group that lures famous writers to the area page 26

buted at RoundHouse Theater, in Bethesda, Maryland. NPR reporter Alice Leccese Powers once described McDermott’s tone and her place in today’s literature: “With pitch-perfect voice, she claims Long Island her territory, just as surely as Faulkner’s was Mississippi. No detail escapes her.” Her eight novels about the ups, downs and sideways moves of seemingly ordinary Irish-American families are known for “closely examining the cracks and crevices of the human heart” (O, The Oprah Magazine). “Ordinary life is made extraordinary” by her “tender characterizations of

women, of husbands, of sons, of parents,” according to The Kansas City Star.

Musings on great writers McDermott said that like many other American writers, she came of age with appreciation of “the big three: Faulkner, Fitzgerald and Hemingway.” Now, she said, her students want to read more than just books by those “three white men.” Young writers today, she said, seek out books by minority writers from other countries. “It’s no longer just Dickens, Conrad, See McDERMOTT, page 28

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Understood too well? We all want to be understood by our et), can send your spouse a gift in the right close friends and, particularly, by our size, perhaps even with a card having an mates. We want them to know appropriate message. what our preferences are, Publications that you frewhat we like to eat, with quent online know what topwhom we like (and don’t like) ics you like to read and will to socialize. “curate” their content for you, We want them to rememshowing you only the artiber our birthday, what types cles, op-eds and blogs that reof gifts please us, what music flect your political opinions we like to listen to at different (or, if you appear to like gettimes of day. These are ting upset, showing you the among the myriad ways in ones most sure to raise your which people who love each FROM THE blood pressure). other show they understand PUBLISHER We don’t even need to exBy Stuart P. Rosenthal and appreciate each other. plicitly ask these devices for But today, a device can do such favors. Unlike people, all of this for us and more, and probably do they don’t need to be told or reminded it better. A “smart refrigerator” can re- about our preferences. They figure them order your preferred foods when they’re out on their own and, seemingly, never forrunning low and have them delivered. get which clothing items we once lingered Digital assistants from Amazon, Google over while shopping online. and other know-it-all companies will reBetter yet, they don’t try to change our member your spouse’s birthday and, once opinions or expose us to different ways of it gets to know their taste (and your budg- thought the way a spouse might.

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These examples of useful artificial intelligence (AI) come from companies that say they are simply trying to make our lives easier, more convenient, less burdened. Personal assistants theoretically have only our interests at heart. (After all, catering to our every whim is how they make money.) And it’s true that many of us do appreciate the benefits we derive from such technology. 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 birthday” 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.

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Dear Editor: I’m writing to compliment you on your very useful and informative editorial (“Innovative solutions,” January 2020). I’m interested in knowing the name of the national conference that you attended, which highlighted some of the latest innovations in products and services for older adults. Life is certainly changing very quickly, and it’s so important that you keep up with

everything — and, more importantly, that you share it with all your readers. Sandy Kursban Silver Spring Ed.: That event was called the Washington Innovations in Aging Summit, held each December in Washington, D.C. It is produced by Mary Furlong & Associates, which also offers “What’s Next Boomer Business Summits” throughout N. America each year. See maryfurlong.com.

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Innovations Surveillance products grow in popularity By Matt O’Brien From the face scanner that checked in some attendees to the cameras-everywhere array of digital products, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was all-in on surveillance technology — whether it called it that or not. Nestled in the “smart home” and “smart city” showrooms at the sprawling consumer tech conference were devices that see, hear and track the people they encounter. Some of them also analyze their looks and behavior. The technology on display included eyelid-tracking car dashboard cameras to prevent distracted driving and “rapid DNA” kits for identifying a person from a cheek swab sample. The new talking speakers, doorbell cameras and fitness trackers come with the promise of making life easier or more fun, but they’re also potentially powerful spying tools. And the skeptics who raise privacy and security concerns can be easily drowned out in the flashy spectacle of geewhiz technology. The annual showcase, which took place in early January, is where big companies and startups unveil and promote their latest

gadgets, many of them infused with microphones, cameras and artificial intelligence. Though weighted toward the consumer market, much of what was on display may also be useful to law enforcement, not to mention prying employers or government agencies.

Growing appetite for surveillance There’s been some push back, at least on facial recognition and other surveillance technology from China. Hikvision and iFlytek, two Chinese tech companies that showed off their artificial intelligence at CES 2019, now face U.S. export restrictions because the Trump administration says the technology has been used in the repression of China’s Muslims. But China isn’t the only place where the lines have blurred between consumer technology and government surveillance operations. Watchful residents of American neighborhoods are increasingly encouraged by Ring, Amazon’s security camera division, to share their doorbell video footage with police detectives. Ring recently had to defend its safety

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practices following reports of hackers breaking into their camera systems and harassing children. It’s also faced criticism from privacy advocates and U.S. lawmakers over its growing partnerships with police. At CES, the company announced a new “control center” for camera owners to adjust their privacy settings and opt out of police requests for footage. Still, device-makers seem to be counting on consumers buying into ever-more elaborate forms of surveillance and other artificial intelligence (AI) technology for peace of mind. Camera-maker Arlo recently launched its first wireless floodlight camera — with night vision, a siren, two-way audio to converse with intruders and an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust its brightness. Another company, Sunflower Labs, showed off its “home drone security” system. If trespassers step onto your lawn, a cameraequipped drone flies out from its resting place to take a look at them and streams the live video to your phone. Sound like something that might guard the lair of a James Bond villain? CEO Alex Pachikov pointed out it’s actually less in-

trusive to neighbors than your run-of-themill doorbell camera because it’s only looking down at your own property.

Privacy laws haven’t caught up Serious talk about privacy protections and regulations wasn’t completely absent at CES. The schedule included panel talks connecting policymakers with privacy executives from companies like Apple and Facebook. Venture capitalist Rajeev Chand, who moderated one of those panels, said tech companies are getting better at seeing themselves as custodians, not owners, of user data, but much more needs to be done. “We are probably at the first or second inning for how privacy re-shapes the consumer tech industry,” said Chand, a partner and head of research at Wing Venture Capital. But even as some U.S. policymakers seek to restrict or ban facial recognition, the conference is getting its attendees more accustomed to everyday uses of surveillance technology in commercial and security settings. Attendees at the gadget show were able See SURVEILLANCE, page 5

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to use their face to pick up their event badges for the first time. “We’re experimenting with it,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which organized CES. He dismissed privacy concerns, saying that attendees have a choice. “You’re opting in,” he said. “If you want to do it, you’ll

have an opportunity to do it.” Cohn, of EFF, said she skipped the face scanners because she doesn’t know who has control over the images they collect. However, she said there’s only so much that consumers can do to guard against misuse. “There is a risk treating this as an individual decision,” Cohn said. “That’s not really fair or right to do to people. We need to fix the policies.” —AP

Segway has a completely different approach to helping people with challenges getting around. The company, known for its stand-up motorized vehicles, unveiled the S-Pod, a motorized seated scooter on two wheels that somewhat resembles the chairs from futuristic movie “Wall-E.” Riders sit in the pod and steer with a small controller. The S-Pod will go on sale later this year to commercial customers. The company envisions it being used in airports or enclosed corporate campuses. —AP

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Not all of us can tell when a plant needs more water, more light or less heat. For that, Luxembourg startup Mu Design has created the Lua smart plant pot to give greenery an animated face. Emotions, such as thirsty, sick or cold, are displayed on a digital screen. “It transforms the needs of the plant into emotion that you can easily understand, so you won’t be able to kill your plants,” said Vivien Muller from Mu Design. “You just have to look at it, and you’ll know exactly what it needs.” An accompanying app lets users generate information specific to that plant. The pot itself is fitted with sensors to monitor moisture, light and temperature. The device is

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Companies are also trying to improve the mobility of your own body. Samsung showed off an exoskeleton system called GEMS, or Gait Enhancing & Motivating System. It uses small motors connected to your hips or knees to help you lift your limbs and complete exercises. The company envisions GEMS will be helpful for people with limited mobility and those in physical therapy or rehab from surgery. But GEMS is still early in development and doesn’t yet have a release date. Meanwhile, Startup Unlimited Tomorrow has designed a prosthetic arm created with a 3D printer. The arm senses grip and is Internet-connected for regular, personalized software updates. Those updates help

fine-tune grip and movement for each person. The arm goes on sale later this year for about $5,000.

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Google is adding a privacy “undo” feature to its Google Assistant voice technology. Just tell Assistant to disregard something if you happen to notice the device was listening when it wasn’t supposed to. By saying, “Hey Google, that wasn’t for you,’’ Assistant will delete whatever you just said. Although Assistant is supposed to send voice commands out for processing only when it hears “Hey” or “OK, Google,” it can mishear other conversations as the trigger word. Another new feature will let you use your voice to ask Google about your own privacy settings. The new features supplement privacy controls Google rolled out last year to let

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The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place in early January, when tech companies brought their best and brightest new inventions to Las Vegas. Here are some intriguing new products from the annual show:

people delete their voice recording histories with voice commands. That came after revelations that Google and other companies were using human transcribers rather than just machines to listen to some audio recordings. Assistant will also debut new tools such as household notes, which lets people leave virtual notes with voice commands for other members in their families. The notes will show up as reminders on Google’s smart Nest Hub displays.

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Tech Shorts

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

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PARKINSON’S POINTERS

“What’s Your Parkinson’s Score?” A free, livestream event followed by a question-and-answer session

Presented by Randy Stephenson, M.D., neurologist, Neurology Center of Fairfax

Thursday, March 5 6:30-8 p.m. check-in & Hors d’oeuvres • 6 p.m. Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center 18131 Slade School Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860

The Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area has developed a scorecard with focused questions as a tool to help patients understand key holistic areas to consider in the management of Parkinson’s disease. Join Dr. Stephenson for an introduction to the scorecard and a discussion on how it can be used to create and execute a plan to ﬁght Parkinson’s. For information or to register, contact Toni Davis, 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org, by March 3.

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Health Fitness &

WHAT, ME WORRY? There’s a difference between concern over your health and hypochondria BUSYBODIES Walking (or just tapping your feet) can reduce blood sugar and help your heart A DOG’S LIFE A new pill might slow the aging of dogs — and eventually of their owners CLINICAL TRIAL Study seeks ways to reduce the odds of stroke and heart attack

Inadequate sleep raises risk of dementia By Veena J. Alfred, Ph.D. The main cause of the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease is the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain as we age. Beta-amyloid is a toxic protein that is discharged as a waste product into the fluid surrounding brain cells. If it is not cleared away in a timely manner, it clumps together to form plaques that prevent the brain cells from communicating with one another. The body has a mechanism for clearing away this waste product, but the process can be slowed down and thus overtaken. Or the rate at which the beta amyloid is released may exceed the brain capacity to clear it away. Scientists have recently discovered that it is during sleep that this waste disposal system goes into high gear. When we are awake, the brain’s resources are channeled into supporting the activities of waking life. But when we are asleep, these resources become available for “housekeeping” duties, that is, cleaning up the messes of the day and clearing out the toxins that are produced by waking activities. This housekeeping function in the brain is extremely important — that is why we spend approximately one-third of our lives sleeping. Lack of sleep or insufficient sleep robs the brain of the opportunity to carry out the necessary tasks of maintenance and repair.

Research finds connection A research team at the National Institutes of Health conducted a study, published in April 2018, to investigate the connection between sleep and dementia. The team scanned the brains of 20 healthy individuals, aged 22 to 72, after a full night’s sleep and again after a night of sleep deprivation (that is, after 31 hours without sleep). The scans showed that there was an average 5% increase in betaamyloid in the brains of the participants following the night of sleep deprivation. The researchers noted that this increase was located especially in those brain regions (the thalamus and the hippocampus) that are associated with brain functions that decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

The team also found that those in the study who had larger beta-amyloid increases reported being in a worse mood after the sleep deprivation than those with lower increases. Earlier studies have shown that the brain regions affected by

sleep deprivation are also key areas of the brain involved in mood disorders. Earlier studies published in 2016 found that older individuals who do not get sufficient or proper sleep at night are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and

other dementias. One larger study, conducted by the Departments of Medicine at various universities across the U.S., focused on 7,444 See LACK OF SLEEP, page 8

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Over-worrying about health is unhealthy By Craig Sawchuk Dear Mayo Clinic: What is the difference between occasionally worrying that something is wrong with me and somatic symptom disorder? How can I stop worrying that I’m not as healthy as my doctor says? A: A little worry over your health is normal. But for some people, fear and concern over symptoms can get out of control. These people can become convinced that they have a particular illness, even when

test results are normal. These are common features of somatic symptom disorder, a mental health concern that’s thought to affect roughly 5% of the population. People with somatic symptom disorder develop an excessive preoccupation with physical symptoms, including pain or fatigue, that results in significant emotional distress or disruptions to daily living. Stress responses such as dizziness, heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain or short-

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ness of breath may further amplify worries. These symptoms may or may not be attributed to a diagnosed medical condition. The thoughts, feelings and behaviors of somatic symptom disorder may manifest in several ways, including constant worrying about illness, interpreting normal sensations as potentially threatening or harmful, and fearing that symptoms are serious or life-threating, despite exams or testing that suggest otherwise. It’s also common for people with somatic symptom disorder to feel that medical evaluations or treatments haven’t been adequate. Repeatedly checking the body for abnormalities, researching symptoms online and making frequent healthcare visits or testing that don’t relieve concerns — or make them worse — also are signs of the condition. Women are more likely to show signs of somatic symptom disorder, as are people with more than one health condition. Also, people with a history of childhood illness, sexual abuse or other trauma are at increased risk of developing the disorder, as are those with depression or anxiety. Several related conditions share common features with somatic symptom disorder, including illness anxiety disorder (formerly known as hypochondriasis) and functional neurologic disorders, which consist of neurological symptoms that can’t be explained by a neurological disease or other condition.

Ways to obtain help If you’re experiencing unusual symptoms, it’s important to be evaluated by a healthcare provider to rule out any medical problems. Your healthcare provider can perform a comprehensive examination that focuses on your specific concerns. However, keep in mind that evaluations may need to be limited, as repeated or extensive testing may worsen your level of distress.

Lack of sleep From page 7 women aged 65 to 80 years. The study found that those women in the study who got six hours of less of sleep per night were at a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and/or dementia. The researchers also found that older adults suffering from insomnia are at a significantly higher risk of developing dementia than those without a sleeping disorder. Other studies have investigated the connection between sleep apnea and dementia. Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which

Regardless of whether an identifiable medical diagnosis is present, if you’re in distress, you may be given a questionnaire to evaluate your level of health anxiety. Or you may be referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist. The symptoms of somatic symptom disorder and related disorders often come and go. But recovery is possible — studies suggest that 50% to 75% of people with somatic symptom disorder show eventual improvement. The main goal of managing these disorders is to improve your ability to cope with your symptoms, tolerate uncertainty and reduce health anxiety. The most effective treatment is psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy. Individual or group cognitive behavioral therapy can help you change behaviors, such as learning how to resist the urge to excessively seek reassurance. Therapy also can provide social support and challenge any disease-related worries and beliefs, such as learning alternate ways to interpret unusual and uncomfortable physical sensations. Help also can be given to restore your work, social or volunteer activities. Antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Endep) and fluoxetine (Prozac or Sarafem) may be recommended for these disorders. However, they have shown only limited benefit. At Mayo Clinic, we recommend that antidepressant and anti-anxiety drugs be used to treat only the mood or anxiety-related disorders that often coexist. Craig Sawchuk earned his Ph.D. in psychology at the Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org. © 2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. the airway is partially or completely closed for brief periods of time during sleep, disproportionately affects older adults. The temporary stoppage of breathing caused by sleep apnea disturbs sleep, thus increasing the risk of developing dementia. Even if older adults are not afflicted with a sleeping disorder, they tend to sleep less, on average, than younger people. Therefore, it is especially important for older adults to make an extra effort to get between seven and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night on a regular basis. Alfred is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and the CEO of AlfredHouse Assisted Living.

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Boost your health by walking, fidgeting By Karen Asp Spending too much time on your tush can lead to numerous health woes. But here’s an easy fix: After an hour of sitting, walk around for two minutes. It could reduce your risk of early death by a third, according to a report in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Here are three more benefits of walking: 1. Stable blood sugar A short jaunt around the block after you eat could help keep your blood sugar steady, especially if you have type 2 diabetes, according to research published in the journal Diabetologia. When adults with the condition walked for 10 minutes following every meal, they lowered their blood sugar 12% more, on average, than when they took a single 30minute stroll each day. “Walking uses large muscles in your legs and torso — which require a lot of energy,” explained Andrew Reynolds, Ph.D., lead study author at the University of Otago in New Zealand. “To get that energy, those muscles remove sugar from circulation, and your blood sugar goes down.” He added that after-meal walks may also help prevent diabetes in the first place. 2. Better heart health You don’t need crazy-hard cardio to

strengthen your heart. A review of data from more than 130,000 women, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that those who walked for at least 30 minutes a day significantly lowered their risk of heart failure. Other research has found that exercisers — and most of them were walkers — reduced their systolic blood pressure (the top number) by an average of nearly 9 mmHg, an improvement similar to that from medication, according to a metaanalysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, each week is the benchmark for heart benefits, according to the American Heart Association. 3. Improved fer tility, decreased inflammation Researchers from UMass Amherst found that overweight and obese women who regularly walked for at least 10 minutes at a time were nearly twice as likely to conceive as those who didn’t go for a stroll. The researchers said that being at an unhealthy weight — which applies to nearly three-quarters of us — is linked to higher levels of chronic inflammation, which can affect fertility. Walking reduces

that inflammation and also may lower stress levels.

Even fidgeting helps Researchers at the University of Missouri discovered that fidgeting can reduce the arterial damage that happens from spending too much time on your derrière. In the study, healthy men and women were asked to intermittently tap one foot while keeping the other one still. After three hours, researchers compared the

blood flow in each leg and found that the fidgeting one showed improved vascular function, while the stationary leg was worse off. Considering that the average person sits 15 hours a day, a little fidgeting could have very real benefits. EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at eatingwell.com. © 2019 Eating Well, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

The value in steroid injections, placebos Q: I was going to ask my doctor for a steroid injection in my knee that has osteoarthritis, but I heard the steroid shots can do more harm than good. Is that true? A: Osteoarthritis is a common and potentially debilitating condition. It’s a degenerative joint disease (often called the “wear-and-tear” type) in which the smooth lining of cartilage becomes thinned and uneven, exposing the bone beneath. Medications, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or injections of steroids or hyaluronic acid (a type of lubricant), can help. However, they don’t always work well, don’t cure the condition and may be accompanied by side effects. Non-medication approaches can also help, such as loss of excess weight, physical therapy or use of a cane or brace. Surgery is usually a last resort, reserved for people who have declining function, unrelenting pain or both despite trying these other treatments. Steroid injections can quickly provide pain relief that lasts from several weeks to several months. But a new report of one medical center’s experience and a review of past research came to some concerning conclusions about joint injections for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, including: —a lack of compelling evidence that they work —about 7% to 8% of people getting steroid injections seem to worsen —unusual fractures may occur (in about 1% of people) —bone damage may develop (in about 1% of people) Other side effects include a temporary increase in blood sugar, bleeding into the joint and, rarely, infection. And the injection itself can be painful, although numbing medication is usually provided.

The findings of this report are disappointing, especially for those who have not improved with other treatments. Even if the average benefit of a treatment is small, some individuals do report significant improvement with steroid injections. It’s also not entirely clear that the problems described in this study are actually caused by the steroid injections. And, from my own experience, these rates of complications seem high. I think steroid injections still have a role in the treatment of osteoarthritis, but only after a careful review of the potential risks and benefits. If one injection is not terribly helpful, I would not encourage repeated injections. On the other hand, if it works well, a limited number of injections (up to three or four per year is a common limit) may reduce pain and improve function and quality of life. Restricting the injections to those who improve the most and limiting the number of injections each year may be a better strategy than eliminating steroid injections altogether. By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, medical editor at Harvard Health Publishing, and former clinical chief of rheumatology at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Q: I started a new pain medication, and it seems to be helping. But I wonder if the improvement is just a placebo effect. Can a fake pill be that effective? A: A placebo is commonly used in clinical trials to test the effectiveness of a specific therapy, especially when evaluating how well a drug works. For instance, people in one group get the tested drug, while the others receive a “fake” drug, or place-

bo, that they think is the real thing. This way, the researchers can measure if the drug works by comparing how both groups react. If they both have the same reaction — improvement or not — the drug is deemed ineffective. However, experts have concluded that reacting to a placebo is not proof that a certain treatment doesn’t work, but rather that another, non-pharmacological mechanism may be present. How placebos work is still not quite understood. The placebo effect is more than positive thinking — believing a treatment or procedure will work. It involves a complex neurobiological reaction that includes everything from increases in feel-good neurotransmitters, like endorphins and

dopamine, to greater activity in certain brain regions linked to moods, emotional reactions and self-awareness. Results of a study published three years ago in PLOS Biology showed how brain activity differs when people respond to a placebo. Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of people with chronic pain from knee osteoarthritis. Then everyone was given a placebo and had another brain scan. The researchers noticed that those who felt pain relief had greater activity in the middle frontal gyrus brain region of the frontal lobe. See Q & A, page 12

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

10,000 dogs needed for study of aging By Carla K. Johnson Can old dogs teach us new tricks? Scientists are looking for 10,000 pets for the largest-ever study of aging in canines. They hope to shed light on human longevity, too. The project will collect a pile of pooch data: vet records, DNA samples, gut microbes and information on food and walks. Five hundred dogs will test a pill that could slow the aging process. “What we learn will potentially be good for dogs and has great potential to translate to human health,” said project co-director Daniel Promislow of the University of Washington School of Medicine. If scientists find a genetic marker for a type of cancer in dogs, for instance, that could be explored in humans. For the study, the dogs will live at home and follow their usual routine. All ages and sizes, purebreds and mutts are welcome. Owners will complete periodic online surveys and take their dogs to the vet once

a year, with the possibility of extra visits for certain tests. Their welfare will be monitored by a bioethicist and a panel of animal welfare advisers. The five-year study was formally launched in November at a science meeting in Austin, Texas. To nominate a pet, owners can visit the Dog Aging Project’s website at dogagingproject.org. The National Institute on Aging is paying for the $23 million project because dogs and humans share the same environment, get the same diseases, and dogs’ shorter lifespans allow quicker research results, said deputy director, Dr. Marie Bernard. The data collected will be available to all scientists. Leslie Lambert of Parkville, Maryland, enrolled her 11-year-old rescue dog, Oscar, in an early phase. “I would selfishly like to have him around forever,” said the 33-year-old veterinarian. “Unfortunately, he ages much, much faster

Q&A

tion by testing how people reacted to migraine pain medication. One group took a migraine drug labeled with the drug’s name, another took a placebo labeled “placebo” and a third group took nothing. The researchers discovered that the placebo was 50% as effective as the real drug to reduce pain after a migraine attack.

From page 11 Placebos often work because people don’t know they’re getting one. But what happens if they know it’s a placebo? A 2014 study published in Science Translational Medicine explored this ques-

Compared to farm dogs in the past, today’s pampered pups live longer and get more geriatric diseases, said veterinarian Dr. Kate Creevy of Texas A&M University, the project’s chief scientific officer. Yet no standard measures exist for frailty or prognosis in sick, aged dogs, Creevy said. The project will develop those tools. One dog year is roughly equal to seven human years, Creevy said, but that varies by breed. Large dogs have shorter lifespans than smaller dogs. A Great Dane’s lifespan is about half that of a toy poodle’s. That makes large dogs better test subjects for the pill. Dogs weighing at least 40 pounds will be eligible for an experiment

with rapamycin, now taken by humans to prevent rejection of transplanted kidneys. The drug has extended lifespan in mice. A small safety study in dogs found no dangerous side effects, said project co-director Matt Kaeberlein of the University of Washington. Human devotion to dogs drives projects like this, the scientists said. Owners will gladly fill out surveys, send records and submit a pup’s poop for analysis if they think it will help all dogs live longer, even if it won’t help their pet. “People love dogs,” said Promislow, who normally studies aging in fruit flies. “No one has ever come up to me and said, ‘Oh my goodness, I just love fruit flies.’” Promislow’s mixed breed, 14-year-old Frisbee, will not participate to prevent a conflict of interest. “It’s too bad because she’s a terrific example of a really healthy ager,” he said. —AP

The researchers speculated that a driving force beyond this reaction was the simple act of taking a pill. People associate the ritual of taking medicine as a positive healing effect. Even if they know it’s not medicine, the action itself can stimulate the brain into thinking the body is being healed. By Howard LeWine, M.D., 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. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

than I do.” But she’s torn by the prospect of an antiaging pill because so many abandoned dogs go without care. “Just because we can, should we?” she asked.

Larger dogs needed

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

Chocolate spice cookies offer subtle kick By Wolfgang Puck If you’ve been a reader of my column, you know you can expect one thing from me as surely as the fact that I love to help people cook and eat the best food possible: When winter rolls around, at some point I’m going to turn my attention to cookies. My love of baking goes back to my earliest childhood memories. Every year, the kitchen of our little home in the southern Austrian town of Sankt Veit an der Glan seemed always full of the rich, sweet and spicy aromas of cookies being baked by my mother and grandmother. Guests who dropped by were offered cookies with coffee or tea. Of course, my brother, sisters and I ate plenty of the cookies ourselves at home, some of which we’d be served as snacks or desserts — and some, of course, that the four of us would sneak when the grownups weren’t looking. I’d like to share with you this cookie recipe: Chocolate Coconut Spice Cookies, a classic from Spago. I think they make a great cookie to add to your seasonal repertoire, for a number of reasons. First of all, they’re easy to make. I think that is essential not only because this is the busiest cooking time of the year, but also because they are something the whole family can enjoy preparing together. You probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry or can find them in any supermarket. And, being slice-andbake cookies, the dough can be mixed in advance and kept chilled in the refrigerator, ready for baking as needed. Next comes the wonderful way in which these cookies are both familiar and yet different enough to make people open their eyes with surprise and delight at first bite. At first glance, they’re simply chocolateflavored, buttery cookies with an attractive rim of shredded coconut. But the very first bite reveals a very pleasing surprise: very subtle but noticeable hints of black pepper and cayenne, not too spicy at all, but just

enough to counterpoint and emphasize the delicious chocolaty flavor. When you think about how many other cookies have the word “spice” in their names, you’ll instantly understand how perfectly appropriate these seasonings are here.

Chocolate coconut spice cookies Makes about 5 dozen Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/ 8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 6 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut Directions: In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, and black and cayenne peppers. Set aside. In the large bowl of an electric stand mixer, using the paddle or beaters, soften the butter at medium speed. Sprinkle in the sugar and, as soon as it is incorporated, raise the speed to high and continue mixing until fluffy, stopping as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the speed to medium, add the egg and vanilla, and continue beating just until they are incorporated. Reduce the speed to medium-low and, still beating, gradually add the flour mixture, continuing to mix just until combined. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a clean work surface. If it seems too soft to shape, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until it firms up a bit, about 1 hour. With very lightly floured hands, roll the dough into an even log shape about 15 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Sprinkle the coconut evenly on the work surface

and then roll the log in the coconut to coat it evenly all around and from end to end. (Gather up and reserve excess coconut.) Wrap up the log in clean plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled and very firm, preferably overnight but at least 2 to 3 hours. Before baking, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 1 or 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Remove the plastic wrap from the dough log. Sprinkle the remaining coconut on a clean work surface and reroll the log as needed to coat areas that don’t have enough coconut. With a very sharp knife, cut the log cross-

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BEACON BITS DEER HUNTING ALERT

Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks will conduct its annual deer control program during the month of March. For dates and locations where managed hunting and sharpshooting will take place, go to howardcountymd.gov/wildlife or call Recreation and Parks at (410) 313-4724.

13974242

March

wise into slices about ¼-inch thick, forming about 60 slices total, placing them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking trays. Bake until the coconut looks lightly toasted, about 10 minutes total, rotating the baking trays back to front about halfway through. When the cookies are done, use a wide metal spatula to remove them from the baking tray, transferring them to a wire rack to cool. When completely cooled, store at cool room temperature in an airtight container in single layers between sheets of waxed or parchment paper. © 2019 Wolfgang Puck. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Catonsville

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

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

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

Health Studies

INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Drug may reduce stroke, heart attack risk By Margaret Foster Every year, about 795,000 people suffer a stroke and about 805,000 people have heart attacks, according to the CDC. Furthermore, people with a history of stroke or heart disease and who are overweight are at risk for another stroke or heart attack. Now a massive study of 17,500 people in more than 700 locations around the world, including 200 in the U.S., is underway to help increase their lifespans. Researchers are testing a medication called semaglutide, known on the market as Ozempic, against a placebo (a harmless, inert substance). Ozempic isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an experimental drug.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic in 2017 for adults with type 2 diabetes. In prior studies, when tested alongside a placebo, the drug reduced the risk of heart attack by 26% and stroke by 39% in diabetics. Now researchers want to know if it can help non-diabetics avoid heart attack or stroke, too.

Volunteers sought A local medical center in Elkridge, Maryland, is seeking 10 more participants for the phase-three, randomized, blind study. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This [drug] could be a game-changer,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Steven Geller, internist at Centennial Medical Group. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It could have a huge

BEACON BITS

Feb. 21+

drug or a placebo in a pen-like injection device, and they will be responsible for delivering their own injections every week. Parking is free, and a $50 honorarium will be provided for each visit. Centennial Medical Group is enrolling patients now until the end of this year. Geller said the study is impressive because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s testing a drug that is truly unique. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The funny joke is that now cardiologists are going to have to learn how use diabetes drugs because now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a cardiology drug, not a diabetes drug,â&#x20AC;? Geller said. For more information, call Heather Dye, study coordinator, at (443) 698-8606 or email hdye@centennialmedical.com.

BEACON BITS

PIRATES OF PENZANCE

The Victorian Lyric Opera Company presents a new take on Gilbert & Sullivanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Pirates of Penzance, playing at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21, 22, 28, 29, and at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23 and March 1. Tickets are $28 for adults, ($24 if 65+), and $20 for students. For tickets, call (240) 3148690 or email theatre@rockvillemd.gov.

Ongoing

impact on reducing the chance of somebody having a heart attack or stroke. [Participants] could make a real difference in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives.â&#x20AC;? The study will last five years. It requires 26 visits to a medical center located at 8186 Lark Brown Rd. in Elkridge, but the study drug (or placebo) can be administered at home. To be eligible for the clinical trial, you must be over age 45 with normal blood sugar levels and a prior history of a heart attack, stroke or peripheral artery disease. Once enrolled in the study, participants will visit Gellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office 10 times in the first year and once every three months for the remaining four years. They will receive the

Mar. 12

NUTRITION WORKSHOP

Do you want to eat healthier foods this year? Learn how to avoid malnutrition, which can lead to muscle loss and falls. Howard County General Hospital will present â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stepping Up Your Nutritionâ&#x20AC;? from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thurs., March 12 at the Laurel Community Center, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Rd., Laurel. The program has a $5 registration fee payable the day of the class. For more information, call (410) 740-7601 or visit hcgh.org.

ART GRANTS AVAILABLE

For arts nonprofits not currently served by an existing grants program, the Howard County Arts Council has a new grants program. Details are available online at hocoarts.submittable.com or by phone at (410) 313-2787.

Mar. 8

Have you ever had a heart attack or stroke?

WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HISTORY MONTH AT B&O STATION

The B&O Ellicott City Station Museum celebrates Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s History Month with a review of archaeological studies of Marylandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Patapsco Female Institution and a showing of artifacts. The free program is scheduled for Sun., March 8 at 3 p.m. The B&O Ellicott City Station Museum is located at 3711 Maryland Ave., Ellicott City. To learn more about the event, call (410) 313-1945.

Mar. 14

Do you have poor circulation?

HEALTH SCREENING FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is partnering with Howard County Hospital to offer a Spanish language free health clinic covering blood pressure and cholesterol testing and opportunities to talk with health professionals, medical providers and wellness organizations in the community. The event will take place Sat., March 14 from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd., Columbia. To learn more, call the hospital at (410) 740-7601.

Have you considered participating in a clinical study? Participating in a clinical study can improve future treatment options for you and other people with cardiovascular diseases

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What are the benefits of being involved in the SELECT study? â&#x20AC;˘ Study-related care, including regular health check-ups â&#x20AC;˘ General talks with a dedicated team of doctors and nurses â&#x20AC;˘ Guidance on healthy lifestyle choices

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

The Invention of the Year The world’s lightest and most portable mobility device Once in a lifetime, a product comes along that truly moves people. Introducing the future of personal transportation... The Zinger. Throughout the ages, there have been many important advances in mobility. Canes, walkers, rollators, and scooters were created to help people with mobility issues get around and retain their independence. Lately, however, there haven’t been any new improvements to these existing products or developments in this field. Until now. Recently, an innovative design engineer who’s developed one of the world’s most popular products created a completely new breakthrough... a personal electric vehicle. It’s called the Zinger, and there is nothing out there quite like it. “I can now go places and do things that I wasn’t able to go or do before. It has given me a new lease on life and I am so happy I found it!” –Dana S., Texas The first thing you’ll notice about the Zinger is its unique look. It doesn’t look like a scooter. Its sleek, lightweight yet durable frame is made with aircraft grade aluminum. It weighs only 47.2 lbs but can handle a passenger that’s up to 275 lbs! It features one-touch folding and unfolding– when folded it can be wheeled around like a suitcase and fits easily into a backseat or trunk. Then, there are the steering levers. They enable the Zinger to move forward, backward, turn on a dime

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and even pull right up to 10” a table or desk. With its compact yet powerful motor The Zinger folds to a mere 10 inches. it can go up to 6 miles an hour and its rechargeable battery can go up to 8 miles on a single charge. With its low center of gravity and inflatable tires it can handle rugged terrain and is virtually tip-proof. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life. You can even gate check it at the airport like a stroller. Why take our word for it. You can try the Zinger out for yourself with our exclusive home trial. Call now, and find out how you can try out a Zinger of your very own.

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

A Publication of the Department of Community Resources and Services

Learn to Eat Right, Bite by Bite

Calvin Ball March brings excitement and anticipation for the coming warm weather, as we say goodbye to winter and hello to spring. There’s also plenty to learn about, including Women’s History Month and the 2020 Census, which opens online March 12.

ational Nutrition Month focuses on the importance of making informed food choices, as well as developing sound eating and physical activity habits. The 2020 theme — Eat Right, Bite by Bite — promotes eating a variety of nutritious foods every day, planning and creating healthful meals each week and the value of consulting a registered dietitian or nutritionist. Most older adults know that choosing nutritious foods and getting enough physical activity can make a significant difference in their health; what many do not know is that proper nutrition can also decrease their risk of falling. Stepping Up Your Nutrition — a 2.5-hour workshop offered through the Office on Aging and Independence (OAI) — investigates how nutrition impacts this risk. “Participants learn how to recognize the signs of malnutrition and formulate an action plan to improve their eating habits,” explains Malarie Burgess, of OAI’s Health Promotion and Nutrition Division. “The workshop is great for those who want more information about how to adjust their food intake as they age, as well as for caregivers and others who work with older adults.” In additional to defining malnutrition and addressing the link between nutrition and falls, the workshop covers topics including muscle loss; protein content in foods; reading food labels; the role of fluids; and how to create a strength-building eating plan. “Stepping Up Your Nutrition is an excellent course,” said Bill, age 86, “Presenters helped us build a plan that was backed by facts, information and research.” The small-group setting adds to the appeal, according to Sandra, age 57, who said, “The facilitators did a great job of creating an open environment that made it comfortable to talk amongst the group.”

The Howard County Historical Society (HCHS) is celebrating an entire “Year of the Woman” to honor the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Special HCHS exhibits this month and throughout the year will honor many of the extraordinary women who have lived and worked in Howard County. Every year during Women’s History Month, the Commission for Women inducts up to five Howard County women into the Women’s Hall of Fame. Join me to honor the accomplishments of the 2020 class of inductees on Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City. The event is free and open to all. The 2020 Census is also heading your way this month. The Census questionnaire can be completed online, by phone, or by mail. It’s important to know the census is easy, it should take just 10 minutes to complete and only asks about 10 questions. It’s also safe – the US Census Bureau must keep all information confidential, including resident’s citizenship, income and other personal data. The Census ensures that Howard County and our community receives the federal funds needed for our population – and supports schools, hospitals, roads and other vital programs and services. Please be sure to complete your census, so that all our residents are counted. Wishing you a happy and healthy month ahead!

Offered at • Howard County 50+ Centers • places of worship • assisted living facilities • independent living facilities • OAI’s ofﬁce: 9830 Patuxent Woods Drive Columbia 21046

Thursday, March 12 • 10:00 a.m to 12:30 p.m. North Laurel 50+ Center 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road Laurel, MD 20723 $5/person includes workshop and educational materials

To register or for more information, contact Malarie Burgess, Exercise Specialist 410-313-6073 (VOICE/RELAY) or mburgess@howardcountymd.gov

Volume 10, No. 3 • March 2020

A Message from Howard County Executive

March is National Nutrition Month

The next session will be held

The Census is Coming! HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. U U U U U

Check your mail beginning March 2020 for your invitation to complete the Census online. All households will have the option of responding online, by mail or by phone. You should be counted at your usual residence (where you sleep most of the time). If you have a son or daughter away at college, they will be counted there. Every member of your household should be counted, including newborns!

howardcountymd.gov/census2020 census2020@howardcountymd.gov • 410-313-6325 (VOICE/RELAY) Calvin Ball, Howard County Executive • Jackie Scott, Director, Department of Community Resources and Services

EVERYONE IN HOWARD COUNTY COUNTS!

The 50+ Connection

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

OAI Celebrates Social Work Month 2020

Center Highlights

By Erica Mollet, OAI Social Work Intern

Thursday, March 5 • 11:15 a.m. Elkridge 50+ Center Wednesday, March 11 • 12:15 p.m. Ellicott City 50+ Center

he 2020 theme of National Social Work Month — Generations Strong! — honors the powerful, positive impact the social work profession has had on our society for generations. The National Association of Social Workers defines the profession as “the professional activity of helping individuals, families, groups or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning or creating societal conditions favorable to that goal.” Since the early 1900s, social workers have been pioneers for social justice for all, improving access to community resources for those in need. Social workers of all ages strive to make a positive impact for individuals regardless of their age, meeting people where they are and helping them live to their fullest potential. Currently, the Office on Aging and Independence staff includes 14 social work professionals and three social work interns, ranging from MAP resource specialists, case managers and ombudsmen to administrators and program managers. These social workers educate residents about aging services within Howard County, connect older adults and their caregivers and families to those resources, and coordinate services to best fit the needs of their clients. “It is hard to put into words my appreciation for all you’ve done for our family. You’ve been an invaluable resource and a great listener. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Howard County is SO lucky to have such a caring employee!” - Maryland Access Point client

OAI’s social workers strive to empower their clients by actively listening to their stories, treating each person with dignity, and providing tools that older adults and their families can use to improve their daily lives.

Thank you to our devoted social work professionals... and HAPPY NATIONAL SOCIAL WORK MONTH! To learn more or request assistance, contact Maryland Access Point of Howard County at map@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-1234 (voice/relay).

A 2020 Studio Collaborative

Cooking for One or Two: Tips for Simple Meal Preparation

Learn how to create healthy, simple meals for one or two with registered dietician, Carmen Roberts. FREE; register at Ellicott City (410-313-1400) or Elkridge (410-313-5192).

General Nutrition Overview Tuesday, March 10 • 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Elkridge 50+ Center Carmen Roberts joins our Nutrition Specialist, Marcus Hockaday, for a nutrition overview of food and drink topics. Register at 410-313-5192.

Nutrition Consultation Wednesday, March 11 • 1:15 p.m. Ellicott City 50+ Center Schedule an individual consultation with Carmen Roberts, RD, LDN, to discuss your dietary concerns. Appointments are limited; register at front desk.

Fresh Conversations: Vitamin D Deﬁciency Tuesday, March 24 • 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Elkridge 50+ Center Learn about the key role vitamin D plays throughout the body. FREE; sponsored by the UM Extension program. Register at 410-313-5192.

SAVE THE DATE!

Women’s Hall of Fame 24TH ANNUAL INDUCTION CEREMONY Thursday, March 26, 2020 • 7:00 PM George Howard Building, The Banneker Room 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City 21043

Space is limited • $30/person You must be a 50+ Center member to participate Attendance at all sessions is expected as techniques are progressively taught during the course of the program.

410-313-6400 (voice/relay) • women@howardcountymd.gov WWW.howardcountymd.gov/cfw

North Laurel 50+ Center

9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel 20723

April 16, 23 and 30 Thursdays • 9 am to Noon

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, CONTACT

Cathy Burkett at the North Laurel 50+ Center

410-313-0380 (VOICE/RELAY) OR cburkett@howardcountymd.gov A partnership between Howard County Ofﬁce on Aging and Independence, the American Visionary Arts Museum, Howard County Arts Council and Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks

The 50+ Connection is published monthly by the Howard County Ofﬁce on Aging and Independence. This publication is available in alternate formats upon request. To join our subscriber list, email kahenry@howardcountymd.gov 9830 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, MD 21046 410-313-6410 (VOICE/RELAY) • www.howardcountymd.gov/aging Find us on

www.Facebook.com/HoCoCommunity

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

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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

Money Law &

ALL THIS WILL BE YOURS SOMEDAY Some tips for how to talk to your grown children about their inheritance: No need for details, but leave a paper trail, and share insurance information SIDE HUSTLES Evaluate your skills to find ways to make some money on the side and to discover passions to pursue in your retirement

Simple driving tips that save gas, money By David Muhlbaum When fuel prices spike, lots of tips and tricks to save on gas get trotted out. They’re not all worthy. Here are several that don’t violate the laws of physics, compromise safety or insult your intelligence:

Every time you accelerate, you’re using gas. How much more? This depends on your car, but the EPA estimates a 1% reduction per 100 pounds. On a per-gallon cost basis, that’s about $0.03, using the EPA baseline figures.

Combine your trips Get the junk out of the trunk Car engineers spend a lot of time engineering pounds, ounces and grams out of today’s cars. Don’t undo their efforts by leaving anything unnecessary in the luggage compartment. Golf clubs are a common violator, but so are those bags slated to go to the secondhand store or a case of water bottles.

Planning ahead can save gas because grouping trips means fewer miles driven. But even if you have to go in multiple directions, all non-electric cars use more fuel when the engine is cold. So, the fewer times you to bring the engine up to temperature, the better. Cold starts aren’t good for your car (or the environment, for that matter).

Shut the engine off

Drive slowly but wisely

Once you’re stopped, your car is wasting fuel after about 7 to 10 seconds of idling. That’s why newer gas cars (and virtually all hybrids) have a feature that shuts the engine off during stops when the brake is applied. The car’s still on, but the engine isn’t. Push the accelerator pedal, and the engine snaps back on — off you go. Some people find this maddening (and in truth the smoothness of the systems varies among vehicles), but the gas savings is real. If you want to maximize mileage, don’t disable the auto on-off feature. And everyone can stop leaving their car on while running back into the house or whatever short errand you’re doing.

Lower speeds require less fuel, since aerodynamic resistance increases with the square of speed. But driving to save fuel doesn’t have to be a dull crawl in the slow lane. Try thinking of it this way: Brakes turn your money into heat, so can you avoid using them? This isn’t meant to encourage dangerous behavior, like not stopping for stop signs. Rather, anticipate. Look down the road farther, and coast down when you know the traffic signal’s going to change to red. As for accelerating, if you know you’re going to be holding a higher speed for a See DRIVING TIPS, page 21

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

How to talk inheritance with your kids By Lisa Brown One of the most important conversations you can have with your grown children involves plans for your estate â&#x20AC;&#x201D; where assets will end up when one or both parents pass away. If you feel the time has come to broach this topic, find an hour or two to pull everyone together for a conversation. Here are some tips for speaking with your adult children: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel you need to provide specific numbers.

While this may seem counterproductive, there are good reasons to avoid disclosing the details. One is that you and your spouse or partner donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how long you will live. The longer you do live, the more money will be needed to pay for lifestyle needs, long-term care and other expenses. If your children believe they stand to inherit a specific amount â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a large sum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it could impede their own plans. They may decide to save less money

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or lose the drive to achieve their goals â&#x20AC;&#x201D; neither of which matches the set of values you probably desire to pass on. In addition, the children could begin to influence your spending decisions. For example, would you choose a mid-range nursing home instead of a better one, knowing this expense will impact their inheritance? And, finally, if your adult children share information about their potential windfall with their spouses, a spouse could use this information to their advantage in the event of a divorce. Which of your children will make your healthcare and financial decisions? Consider letting the children know which one of them has been designated to make key financial and medical decisions in the event you and your spouse or partner become incapacitated. The person charged with the financial responsibility needs to have access to key data â&#x20AC;&#x201D; legal documents, financial statements and computer passwords. Place this information in a sealed envelope for your child(ren), and instruct them to open it only when needed, if you desire to keep your financial affairs private until then. For your healthcare agent, make sure you discuss your wishes for food, water and life support with them, and provide them with the signed healthcare power of attorney document. If something happens to you, this healthcare document needs to be quickly accessed.

How will they receive an inheritance? Let your children know how they will receive any inheritance. Will it be outright or in a trust? A common reason to establish a trust is to help protect any assets from an unfavorable event, such as a divorce or lawsuit. A trust can also help ensure your money is passed along to any grandchildren if the adult child dies prematurely. Share insurance information. Your adult children are likely the people who will care for you later in life or coordinate your caregiving needs. They need to know information about your medical and long-term care insurance and what to do if there are gaps in coverage. For example, will long-term care insurance cover all your nursing home expenses, or will you need to use personal funds to supplement the cost? Also, provide children with all life insurance information, including the companies that issue the policies and contact information for your insurance agents. Gather information about professional advisers. Make a list of all people your children will need to know and contact in the event of your death or inability to act on your own behalf. These include attorneys, financial planners and accountants, as well as the insurance agents menSee INHERITANCE, page 21

BEACON BITS

Mar. 1+

LUNCH & BOOK GROUP FOR VETERANS

Central Branch Library will offer a free lunch and book discussion for both active and retired military at 1 p.m. on the first Sunday of March and April. For more information or to register, visit Central Branch at Little Patuxent Parkway or call (410) 313-7800.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

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

Driving tips From page 19 while, like when you’re merging onto a highway, go ahead and shove the gas as hard as you need. Not only is slow acceleration in this situation potentially dangerous, it doesn’t actually save fuel.

Don’t rely on the tire light All cars built since 2007 have what’s called Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), which monitor the air pressure of your tires. The hitch is this: That light may not come on until a tire is more than 25% lower than the recommended pressure. If you wait for that, you’re endangering yourself (an underinflated tire can compromise your car’s handling or even lead to a tire

Inheritance From page 20 tioned above. Take their questions. While it may be difficult for a parent to share this information, it’s even more difficult for most children to discuss their parents’ eventual demise. But it’s much better to provide them with information and answer any tough questions while you are alive and mentally healthy. A lack of information now may cause confusion and possible conflict among family

blowout) and wasting money (underinflated tires reduce your gas mileage by roughly 0.2% per pound that they’re low). Doesn’t sound like much, but try this math: If your recommended inflation pressure is 40 psi, and you’re 25% low on air, that’s a 2% hit to your gas mileage. Plus, underinflated tires wear more quickly and unevenly, reducing your tire life. There’s just no substitute for buying a decent-quality tire gauge (between $5 and $15) and using it at least once a month.

Get the apps and join the club Phone apps like Gas Buddy, Gas Guru and Fuelzee make it easy to find the best gas deals. Since you can screen for brands, you can also make sure you’re getting good quality fuel, which, in the long run, members down the road. So, consider finding a sliver of time to help them understand your financial and estate plans and how you’ve prepared to make life easier for them for years to come. Lisa Brown, CFP®, is partner and Wealth Advisor at Brightworth. This article presents her views, not those of the Kiplinger editorial staff. Check adviser records with the SEC or FINRA. © 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

matters to the health of your car. Joining a membership club like Costco or Sam’s Club could also pay off. Figuring how quickly you’ll recoup your member-

ship cost with the per-gallon savings on their discounted fuel is pretty easy math. © The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

RECREATION & PARKS VOLUNTEERS Howard County Recreation is seeking volunteers for events in the

spring and summer. Persons interested in applying may contact Shawnee Berry at (410) 313-4624 or sberry@howardcountymd.gov, or Melissa Byrne at (410) 313-4704 or mbyrne@howardcountymd.gov.

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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

Ways to make some money on the side By Neale Godfrey As we recovered from the recession, many people who wanted to work took any extra jobs they could. In my day, we called these gigs part-time work, second jobs or moonlighting. But today they have been dubbed “side hustles.” A side hustle is usually taken in addition to your other work, or you can string a bunch together. You are freelancing to supplement your income. Let’s face it: To avoid having to offer benefits, many companies don’t want to have full-time employees. Also, there’s a market for those interested in side hustles. In addition, side hustles can be a way to pursue some of your passions, which, if done full time, may not cover all of the bills.

A growing phenomenon “Temporary employment has been grow-

ing steadily for the last several years…Nearly 480,000 jobs were added from 2012 to 2019 with companies seeking more flexibility in how they staff, and workers seeking greater control over when and where they work,” according to the New Job Forecast from TrueBlue and Emsi. The big news was that almost 20% of these workers were 55 or older. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that about 40% of people 55 and older are actively looking for work. (The vast majority of these job seekers are women who are looking for the best job for the next phase of life.) Also, the New Job Forecast found that these side jobs are projected to increase into almost 3.2 million total jobs for all age groups by 2025, growing by 8.5%. Compare that to only 6% growth for all U.S jobs from now to 2025. Before you seek out a side hustle, howev-

er, evaluate your skills and passions. Here are some lucrative side hustles to consider: Bookkeeper: $30/hour — You could work with clients via phone or online to set up and track monthly budgets, pay bills, hunt down mistakes on credit card statements, track investments, complain to Medicare about them rejecting doctor bills, etc. You don’t need to be a CPA, but you should be organized; be a whiz at QuickBooks and Excel; and coordinate with your client’s accountant to create quarterly or year-end tax filings and payments. Career Coach: $20/hour — You could work with clients of any age to help them create resumes, roleplay for interviews, or identify jobs to suit their qualifications. If you have worked in a large or small company before, you will be perfect for this. Copy Editor: $25/hour — If you have an eye for detail and grammar, you could

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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

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be a freelance copy editor. Many people need someone to review their blog posts before they go live. If you love this work, consider ghostwriting for others. Specialized Consultant: $100+/hour — If you previously worked in a specialized industry, offer your expertise to others. For instance, I have a friend who owned car dealerships. He created a side hustle helping venture capitalists and individual buyers of car dealerships properly value prospective targets. Sharing your talents: Fee varies — If you are a great cook, baker, athlete or musician, you could give lessons; if you can paint, you could do portraits of people or of their homes. Side hustles aren’t a passing fad. They give the employee flexibility, which is important for the next generation as well as for today’s reitrees. Sara Sutton, CEO of FlexJobs, told me, “Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen people 55 and older increasingly seek out freelance, part-time and project-based work. We expect this trend will continue, thanks largely to the rise of remote work. “Usually we see this semi-retirement work arrangement because people want to stay active and contribute professionally, while also supplementing their income.” A side hustle is also a great way for you to put a toe in the water not only to see if you like your passion as work, but also to see if you can earn money at it before jumping in with both feet. Neale Godfrey is president and CEO of Children’s Financial Network, Inc. This article was written by and presents his views, not those of the Kiplinger editorial staff. © 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 11+

RESEARCH OR WRITE FAMILY HISTORY

Have you always wanted to learn more or write about your ancestors? Learn easy ways to get started at a free talk at the Howard County Genealogical Society’s monthly meeting on Wed., March 11, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Residences at Vantage Point, 5400 Vantage Point Rd., Columbia. In addition, the society runs a free Help Desk on the third Saturday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. No appointment needed; just stop by and let experienced genealogists help you get started. For more information, visit hcgsmd.org and click on Events.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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

Travel

Leisure &

A new book offers a colorful peek inside New York City’s quirky Hotel Chelsea. See story on p. 24.

WWII history via biking in the Netherlands paths on leafy lanes and country roads, along the tops of dikes overlooking canals and rivers, and through villages of redbrick gingerbread houses. The scenery was serene, pristine and tidy — fields of flowers; grand homes and castles; ponds, lakes and rivers; and some of the healthiest farm animals I’ve ever seen.

Battlefields and barns

By Don Mankin Bucolic. Picturesque. Charming. Clichés, perhaps, but in my 50 years of world travel, I’ve visited few places where those words are more appropriate. The Netherlands is one. Last summer, I pedaled for several days through the beautiful countryside in southeastern Netherlands, near the border with Germany. It’s hard to believe that such a peaceful place was the site of some of the fiercest fighting of World War II. This region was the first line of defense against the invasion by the Germans in 1940. After several years of brutal occupation by Nazi forces, the Allies liberated the region in 1945 as they fought their way from the beaches of Normandy to Germany. Tripsite, the company that hosted me on this trip, aptly calls it “Holland: World War II Reflections.” There were four of us on the tour, including our guide, Martin, a local who grew up hearing stories about the war from his mother, who lived through it all. All of us were in our 70s. What I experienced as I glided through the pastoral countryside was probably the most effective blood pressure “medicine” I have ever taken — enough exercise to raise my heart rate and burn off some calories, plus scenery that would chill the most hyper Type A personality. Our daily excursions of 30 miles, more or less, took us on mostly flat, shady bike

The natural beauty of the area belies a dark history. The first four days of the trip focused on the invasion in 1940, which took place in the area around the village of Amerongen. The village is near the Grebbeline, first constructed in 1745 as a line of defense against invading armies. It’s a vast low-lying area that could be flooded, backed up by classic trench fortifications. Unfortunately, the Grebbeline was not able to withstand the Germans’ modern artillery and bombs. The Dutch put up a valiant resistance, however, holding them off for five days, rather than the one day the Germans had expected. More than 5,000 Dutch soldiers and civilians lost their lives, and many houses, barns and villages were destroyed. The occupation added to the toll, as Nazi sympathizers turned in their neighbors and had them shipped off to labor camps. Despite that bloody history, our stay in-

The small Dutch village of Amerongen is situated near many World War II-related sites in the Netherlands. Famous battles such as Operation Market Garden, depicted in the 1977 film “A Bridge Too Far,” took place in the Netherlands, which has many museums and cemeteries dedicated to this history.

PHOTO BY HANS SLEGERS/SHUTTERSTOCK

Hills do exist in the Netherlands. A good bike tour company will have e-bikes on hand to help a tour run smoothly.

Amerongen was quite pleasant. Our accommodations were in a former tobacco barn, the Napoleon Schuur, which is now a boutique hotel featuring the latest in high tech and modern, fashionably-functional interior design. The historic Amerongen Castle, church and a national park are only a few minutes’ walk (or bicycle ride) away. We ate breakfast and dinner every day on the attractive, airy patio of the Restaurant Hotel Buitenlust, a café on a cobblestone street near the hotel.

Museums and cemeteries Highlights of my first four days in the region included the Het Depot (“the Depot”), an art museum in Ede-Wageningen that features modern and avant-garde sculpture from young Dutch artists, and an old Jewish cemetery tucked away behind a row of houses just down the street from the museum. After four days in Amerongen, we moved on to Otterlo, a quiet town about a 40minute taxi drive away. Otterlo’s history essentially completes the story of WWII in the region, namely, the liberation by the Allies in 1945. This is the region where the Allies launched Operation Market Garden to take the bridges that were critical to their advance toward Germany.

This is also the site of the book and movie A Bridge Too Far, which tells the story of the ill-fated attempt to capture the final bridge at Arnhem. The Battle of Otterlo was the last big battle to take place in the Netherlands. Our group visited the Airborne Museum in the Hotel Hartenstein in Oosterbeek and the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery, also known as the Airborne Cemetery. The museum is dedicated to the Battle of Arnhem, and the hotel served as the headquarters for the British 1st Airborne Division. In the basement of the museum is a realistic, loud and adrenaline-inducing depiction of the Battle of Arnhem. The cemetery visit was just the opposite: tranquil and beautiful, but sad. Both sites elicited deep but different emotions.

E-bike helped The cycling took us through forests, villages and the city of Arnhem. We climbed more hills than in the first four days, so for this section of the trip, Martin advised me to opt for an e-bike, which provides battery-powered assistance on demand, helping me ascend the long, steep hills. I had trained hard for this trip, going for 30+ mile rides several days a week on the See NETHERLANDS, page 25

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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

New York City’s bohemian Hotel Chelsea

Colorful walls and residents After much legal wrangling and a few changes of building ownership, between 50 and 60 people still live in the Chelsea, a National Historic Landmark in Manhattan’s

Chelsea neighborhood. Nineteen of them are featured in the hefty coffee-table book. Miller calls it “a story of resilience, an exploration of how people adapt in New York City.” “I’m not sure I could see myself living in some of these situations, but they’re really beautiful,” Miller added. “It seems like every door that opens enters into a whole different world.” Mock, who wrote the text, concurs. “You never know what to expect when walking into these apartments,” he said. “I had a real ‘Oh, wow!’ moment when I walked into Tony Notarberardino’s apartment, for example. Earthy rich colors on the walls and ceiling. It immediately opened a window into the past.” The apartment consists of two rooms joined by a colorfully painted curved hallway and is one of the most visually arresting apartments featured in the book. The rooms are crowded with “wondrous objects, photographs, furniture and garments, yet each has its own visual identity owing to the elaborate murals left behind by a previous tenant, the enigmatic artist Vali Myers, in what is now Notarberardino’s bedroom,” reads a description in the book. It goes on to describe Notarberardino’s own first impressions of the building he has long called home. “It was late at night.

PHOTO BY COLIN MILLER

By Katherine Roth When Colin Miller and Ray Mock set out to document the remaining inhabitants of Hotel Chelsea, the bohemian haven where Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, William S. Burroughs and others once lived and worked, they imagined it as a sort of requiem. After all, much of the 12-story Gilded Age building, once New York City’s tallest, has been gutted and is being converted into hotel rooms and apartments. Instead, they found daring, dramatic style alive and well in many of the hotel’s remaining homes. Their new book, Hotel Chelsea: Living in the Last Bohemian Haven (The Monacelli Press), is a big, colorful celebration of more than two dozen residents, their living spaces and their stories. “I went into this thinking I was making some kind of eulogy, recording something that was being lost. But I discovered that while there are huge portions of the hotel that were gutted, it’s still a living place, with vibrant amazing lives being lived there,” photographer Miller said.

New York City photographer Tony Notarberardino lives in this colorful apartment in the legendary Hotel Chelsea. Many writers and musicians have lived in the landmark hotel, including Mark Twain, O. Henry, Thomas Wolfe, Jim Morrison, Leonard Cohen and Madonna.

I walked in and immediately loved it. I felt like I had walked into a movie set,” he’s quoted as saying.

Liberating décor Describing the book project, Mock said, “Maybe part of what attracted me to Hotel Chelsea is some of these apartments reminded me of my college apartment.

“There are living spaces where no wall is unpainted. People just get an idea in their head and they go for it. It’s very liberating.” The residents of Hotel Chelsea can teach us all something about the rooms we live in, he and Miller said. “In terms of my own apartment, it emboldSee HOTEL CHELSEA, page 25

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Netherlands From page 23 beach bike path in Los Angeles. But if I hadn’t switched to the e-bike, I would have struggled to get up the few hills we did encounter in one of the flattest countries on earth. I took the last couple of days off and joined my wife, Katherine, in exploring the area around Otterlo on foot. It was a good decision. Otterlo is located a short walk from the National Park De Hoge Veluwe, and we found many hiking trails in and around the park and town. The excellent Kröller-Müller Museum

Hotel Chelsea From page 24 ened me a little bit,” Mock admitted. “It reinforced my belief that it’s okay to be a little wild and different, and a little clutter is okay.” Miller, a self-described minimalist, said immersing himself in the world of Hotel Chelsea made him push his aesthetic limits. “One of the things I love so much is how bold the living spaces are. All the walls are black, or all the walls are red. They show how to be really brave when you’re making design decisions,” Miller said. “I generally have a pretty minimalist aesthetic, but now I’m thinking about doing a room of my home in wallpaper. I saw an apartment all done completely in antique wallpapers at Hotel Chelsea,” he said. “I never would have considered that before.” He was referring to the home of Suzanne Lipschutz, an antiques dealer and wallpapers expert who moved into Hotel Chelsea in the 1990s and immediately set to work transforming her one-bedroom apartment. The book describes her wallpaper as “exquisite period papers and borders selected to amplify the mood in every corner of the apartment. “The small private hallway of her unit, which she shared for years with her nextdoor neighbor, the actor Ethan Hawke, was

and Sculpture Garden are in the heart of the park. The art museum is spacious, filled with natural light and beautifully laid out. It also has a great collection, including many Van Goghs, second only to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The sculpture garden was the best I’ve ever seen, with miles of trails and almost 200 impressive pieces scattered along the paths and in the forest. Our accommodations in Otterlo were at the Hotel De Sterrenberg, a sleek, modern four-star hotel that deserves every one of those stars. We splurged one night in the excellent restaurant in the hotel and ordered the four-

covered in American arts and crafts wallpaper showing a lush forest scene. She later donated rolls of the same wallpaper to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.” Lipschutz said of her home, “It became this gem, this jewel box of an apartment.”

Sense of community and family The book’s other big takeaway is Hotel Chelsea’s sense of community, particularly unusual in a big city like New York. “Some of that is lost, but there are so many stories of dinner parties attended by all the residents on an entire floor, of people who always left their doors open, and neighbors who were also good friends,” Mock said. “After hearing all these stories, I asked myself what I can do in my life to foster a sense of community, with maybe shared gatherings on the rooftop, or other ways to reach out to neighbors,” he said. While it remains to be seen when and whether Hotel Chelsea will open to a mix of new tenants and hotel guests, as was planned at one time, Miller and Mock said everyone featured in the book will be able to remain there. “And some are raising kids, so there’s another generation growing up in Hotel Chelsea,” Miller said. “Its story is continuing.” –AP

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

course “Chef’s Surprise.” I couldn’t begin to describe all of the food in those four courses, though I do remember trout, bass and duck, plus a whole bunch of ingredients that I couldn’t recognize or even pronounce. The most important element in the success of the Netherlands trip was our guide, Martin. His knowledge of the area ensured that we took the most scenic, historic and safe routes each day, and his stories bought the history to life, adding an important personal perspective to what we saw and experienced. And I’m especially grateful to Hosea Libbey, inventor of the e-bike. If it wasn’t for

him, I might have spent way too much time puffing and grinding my way up gentle hills rather than enjoying scenery as bucolic, picturesque and charming as it gets.

If you go Tripsite’s week-long bike tours through the Netherlands range from $1,200 to $2,700. Check tripsite.com or call 1-800951-4384. Flights from BWI to Asterdam in March start at $760 on United Airlines. More information on WWII history in the Netherlands is available at holland.com/ global/tourism/holland-stories/liberation-route.

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Style Arts &

In The Ninth Hour, Alice McDermott weaves a story spanning multiple generations. Our cover story continues on page 28.

Joyful musical Kinky Boots at Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boot that could save the company. The show opened on Broadway in April 2013. With a book written by Tony-award winning Harvey Fierstein, the play received 13 Tony nominations with six wins, including Best Musical and Best Score. Both music and lyrics were written by singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper. When a reporter asked Lauper what it was like to write for the theater, she replied, â&#x20AC;&#x153;How much of a stretch is it for me to write songs about fashion, funny relationships and people changing their minds and shoes?â&#x20AC;? A West End (London) production opened in 2015 and won three Laurence Olivier Awards.

JERI TIDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY

By Eddie Applefeld When I first heard the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;kinky boots,â&#x20AC;? I expected to see boots with Xrated comments on them. I mean, what else could it mean? As it turns out, plenty. Seems as if there was a 2005 British film called Kinky Boots that I missed. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until 2013, when a musical by that name opened on Broadway, that I finally got it. I recall seeing the musical at the Hippodrome some years ago. But it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until I saw the current production at Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dinner Theatre in Columbia that I realized how good this show could be. Of course, the cast goes a long way, and this cast is superb. Based on true events, the story goes back to the W.J. Brooks Shoe Company, run by Steve Pateman in Northampton, England, which was in deep financial trouble. In the fictionalized version, Charlie Price (Matt Hirsh) inherits a failing shoe company from his father in the 1990s. To save the business, he forms an unlikely relationship with Lola (DeCarlo Raspberry), a cabaret performer and drag queen. The ultimate goal: to produce a high-heeled

Live music is a highlight This production is directed by Mark Minnick and choreographed by Minnick and David Singleton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were lucky to secure the area rights for the show,â&#x20AC;? Minnick said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the first locally-produced production of this show outside of the tour. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were also lucky in securing the best talent. This show features some of our regulars and many new faces,â&#x20AC;? Minnick added.

THROUGH MARCH 22

DeCarlo Raspberry stars as drag queen Lola, the unlikely key to success of a shoe factory, in Kinky Boots, at Tobyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s through March 22.

The production is a huge undertaking, with a cast of about 30. Kudos to the costume designer, Janine Sunday, the sound designer, Mark Smedley, and the scenic/lighting designer, David A. Hopkins. The music emanates from a booth above the stage and is live, not recorded. It makes a big difference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We continue to step up our game with each show and cast,â&#x20AC;? Minnick said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The mes-

sage of this show is timely and important.â&#x20AC;?

A story of acceptance For me, that message has to do with acceptance of others. The playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main characters, drag queen Lola and factory owner Charlie, are from totally different parts of town and lifestyles, yet they eventually come to accept and trust each other. The See KINKY BOOTS, page 28

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

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

Offering residents diverse literary talent By Ivey Noojin Hundreds of authors, including Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners and poet laureates, have visited Howard County because of one organization’s quest to make literature accessible to everyone. The Howard County Poetry and Literature Society (motto: “Let there be lit”) was established in 1974 by Ellen Conroy Kennedy to bring art to the newly formed city of Columbia. Since then, the nonprofit group, known as HoCoPoLitSo, has provided residents throughout the county “a chance to hear what other people have to say and how they see the world,” Managing Director Pamela Kroll Simonson said. Kennedy and her husband, Padraic Kennedy, moved to Columbia shortly after its founding in 1967. Padraic, who was one of the first 10 employees of the Peace Corps, headed the Columbia Association, which manages most of the city’s governmental services, for 26 years. Ellen, in turn, dedicated herself to developing its arts scene. The couple ran the organization out of their home for 30 years, hosting board meetings in the basement and dinner parties for visiting writers, including Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg and Maryland poet laureate Lucille Clifton. HoCoPoLitSo has since moved to a space at Howard Community College, but its tightknit community has not changed. Several staff members have been there for decades. In 1998, Simonson applied for an assistant position there. “I thought I would give it a try for six months, and I’ve been here for 20 years,” she said.

Sharing writers’ wisdom Another member of HoCoPoLitSo, Susan Thornton Hobby, has also been a part of the organization for 30 years. As a consultant and board member, Hobby, 54, was tasked with organizing and digitizing the archives, which led to the “Writing Life” — a series of half-hour discussions with writers available on YouTube. “We have 30 years of Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners, and they were in these deep, 30-minute conversations about their writing

and the power of literature,” she said. “I thought, ‘These just can’t sit on the shelf.’” Hobby’s work posting these interviews on YouTube has expanded HoCoPoLitSo’s audience. “Not only is a poet here for the day, but he’s recorded for history on YouTube,” Padraic Kennedy said. “When people see the possibility of [writers] telling their stories, it opens the possibilities of their own experiences being told,” Hobby added.

One example of this cultural investment is the annual Irish Evening, which he spearheaded 42 years ago to honor his family’s heritage. [See cover story]. Another annual event is the Blackbird Poetry Festival, which began in 2009. Past guests include Billy Collins, a former U.S. poet laureate, and Terrance Hayes, who won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2010. This year’s festival in April will showcase Beth Ann Fennelly, poet laureate of Mississippi, and Teri Ellen Cross Davis, the cur-

rent writer-in-residence for HoCoPoLitSo. In addition to these special events, HoCoPoLitSo provides a monthly calendar of other literary local happenings. More than 45 years ago, Ellen Conroy Kennedy made sure that art was a foundational aspect of Howard County. “Her persistence and her belief in the power of literature is something that Columbia can never repay,” Hobby said. For more information about the organization and upcoming events, visit hocopolitso.org.

Mathematician turned writer David Hugo Barrett, 76, was inspired by the poets he met in Howard County. He had never met a poet or heard one read their works until moving from urban Newark, New Jersey, to Columbia in 1977. After listening to Gwendolyn Brooks share her poetry at the Oakland Mills Interfaith Center, Barrett searched for more literary events in the area and found HoCoPoLitSo. “To come to a city with a group who was having meetings with poets and essayists, for me, was too good to be true,” Barrett said. Barrett joined the board of HoCoPoLitSo 40 years ago in part to provide local children with the opportunity to meet and talk with famous authors. Due to his advocacy and that of other board members, HoCoPoLitSo now has a writer-in-residence program, which brings published authors to high schools in Howard County for writing workshops. Past writers who have participated include Michael S. Glaser, a former poet laureate of Maryland, and Marion Winik, a former NPR commentator and winner of the 2019 Towson University Prize for Literature. In addition to bringing writers to students, HoCoPoLitSo has also helped Barrett hone his artistic talent. Last year, he published his first book, A Newark Childhood: A Memoir, which details his life in New Jersey during the Civil Rights era.

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McDermott

A tough, smart nun

From page 1 Bellow — the wonderful writers who young writers can still learn from — but also non-mainstream writers. “In the long run,” she added, “I think this is a good thing, trending in the right direction.” How did Ireland inspire so many great writers, from Irish-Americans like Flannery O’Connor, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Eugene O’Neill, to those born on the Emerald Isle — Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Seamus Heaney and Samuel Beckett? “When oppressed people struggle to keep their culture, they do it through language, written and spoken,” McDermott said. “There is power in telling a story, controlling the telling, mastering the means of expression. “The Irish did it. So did the Jews,” she said. “Both have a respect for the power of humor, which is a way for the ‘underdog’ to undercut the powers-that-be, bring them down a peg.”

Kinky Boots From page 26 end result is better for both of them. As Lauper said, “It makes me feel great that the show can help change people’s moods and add a little joy to their lives.”

The Irish evening at the Smith Theater on the Howard Community College campus will feature live music and dance, as well as a reading by McDermott. She plans to read from her most recent book, The Ninth Hour, published in 2017. The book, which has received mostly rave reviews, goes into the heads, hearts and souls of nuns who work as nurses, tending to needy families in an Irish Catholic neighborhood of Brooklyn in the early 20th century. McDermott said she never expected to write a book about nuns. “I just wanted to create one nun who embodied someone tough and smart.” But, inspired after learning about two religious orders from France and Ireland who moved to Brooklyn, she ended up inventing her own Brooklyn-based order for the novel. She hopes the novel will help dispel a still-prevalent notion that the sole occupation of nuns is to whack Catholic school students with rulers. Like all human beings, McDermott said, Since this is a dinner theater, a comment about the food. Let’s just say after my initial trip through the buffet line, I made two more visits. Start at the healthy salad bar and end at the ice cream bar, where you’ll find your choice of desserts (chocolate cake,

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

nuns are complex characters. “They are wonderful; they are selfish. Some have a real vocation to help the suffering of others. Some are power-hungry when running schools and hospitals. Some even have a complicated sexuality.”

McDermott said her Catholic upbringing has played an essential role in her development as a writer. Prayers and hymns “were, in many ways, my first poetry,” she noted. She remains a practicing member of the church, attending mass at St. Bartholomew Church in Bethesda. She regularly prays. But she is also critical of the church in general. “I’m discouraged and dismayed and often disgusted by the failings of the institution and the hierarchy,” she said. “I don’t know a Catholic who isn’t.” Last year, she published an op-ed in the New York Times in which she urged the Catholic Church to accept female priests. She considers barring women from the po-

sitions “a moral error.” She has also been involved with a group called 5theses.com, which she described as “a reform movement that started in my dining room.” She continues to be outspoken about the church’s failings. “I’m not terribly optimistic, but stubborn, I suppose.” Still, McDermott retains her faith because it “offers something really essential to us human beings. “How do we deal with our mortality? How do we make sense of and reconcile the briefness of life with how deeply we care for one another? “That’s what I often think about and want to write about.” she said. Does McDermott believe in an afterlife? “I don’t know. It could be a glorious delusion. But I live in hope.” In addition to McDermott, the Feb. 21 HoCoPoLitSo event will feature music by O’Malley’s March and step dancing by the Teelin Dance Company, and be followed by a book signing. For tickets ($40 plus service fee), visit hocopolitso.org.

cheesecake). In between, try the veggies, fruit, shrimp, stuffed shells, chicken milanese, sliced turkey or roast beef. As you may have guessed, Kinky Boots is not exactly a family show (though Toby’s next show, Shrek, will be). There are drag queens dancing their way

throughout the story. They are excellent; they’re just not traditional family-friendly entertainment. For more information or to make reservations, go to tobysdinnertheatre.com or call (410) 730-8311. The play runs through March 22.

Faith during hard times

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

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

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. The Beacon held its first Celebration of the Arts competition in 2018, when it attracted more than 900 entries in four categories. This year’s competition has expanded to seven categories. Winners in each category will receive awards, cash prizes (up to $100), as well as the opportunity to exhibit in one or more area galleries. 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. In addition, photos of all winning artists and their works will be published in a special Celebration of the Arts section to be printed in the Beacon in the spring.

— Mixed Media/Textile Art — Digital Photography “Last year’s entries were beautiful and inspiring. And meeting our winners — some of whom were totally new to art — was truly a thrill,” said Stuart Rosenthal, publisher of the Beacon. “We’re very excited to be holding this event again, with support from AARP, and look forward to seeing work from many new artists as well as from those who entered before.” The online competition is open now, and will close on March 20. Winners will be announced in April, and there will be an artists’ exhibition in May. Winners will also be honored at boomer/senior expos in Baltimore County and Montgomery County, Maryland, and in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Seven categories

Perks for participants

Amateurs may enter digital photos of their original works created after the age of 50 in these categories (up to three items per category): — Painting (watercolor, oil, acrylic) — Drawing (pen and ink, graphite, pastels, calligraphy) — Sculpture/Carving — Ceramics — Jewelry/Stained Glass

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. The Celebration of the Arts was in-

BEACON BITS

Feb. 14+

GLASS, TEXTILES AND MORE AT ARTS CENTER

Columbia Arts Center is featuring three women artists in its show running through Sat., Feb. 27. Titled “Melding Media,” the exhibit includes collages by Diane Dunn, fused glassware by Sarah Pick, and Cheryl Taylor’s textile art. Located at 6100 Fireland Garth, the Center is open Mon. through Thurs., 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (410) 730-0075.

Feb. 20+

REP STAGE OFFERS AFTERLIFE DRAMA

The play “Kill Move Paradise” by James Ijames runs at the Studio Theatre at Howard Community College through Sun., March 8. Set in a waiting room for the recently deceased, the drama explores their lives and what brought them there. Post-show discussions will follow performances on Feb. 23 and Feb. 26. Ticket prices range from $5 for ADA patrons to $35.To learn more and order tickets, go to repstage.org, email boxoffice@howardcc.edu or call (443) 518-1500. The Horowitz Center is located at 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia.

FROM PAGE 30 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD H U R O A R E S H I G H A M O P A M A G S A V E C H E A A T L H E A L E M O P E A G A S Z I T S E C H O

N O T C R I S P

R A N G A S E A I P P E R T I I T I D A S S C S H A C C O A L H A P P Y H I R E S A D G E D E N A H S S T D L A B D S P H B A L A O B I T G T O T E S

C R O C R O O S T

H I P H O P M U S I C

A C T E D

P A S S E

G R E C O

S T E W

S N C E D O U R D W E E T

spired by moving stories from Beacon 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. Community partners, including dozens of area nonprofits and governmental entities, are helping spread the word about the Celebration throughout the region. Note that there is no poetry category in the 2020 competition. The Beacon intends to hold a separate writing competition in the near future.

Current sponsors of the event include AARP, the Maryland Federation of Art, Brooke Grove Retirement Village, Pepco and Sommerset. Other communities and businesses wishing to become sponsors or community partners may call the Beacon at (410) 248-9101 or email alan@thebeaconnewspapers.com for more information. For complete rules of the competition, visit theBeaconNewspapers.com/COTA 2020. Questions? Call (410) 248-9101.

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

Crossword Puzzle

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

Stephen Sherr 4

21 26

Scrabble answers on p. 29.

HC320

36 40

53 58

Across

Down

1. The Great Lake with the most islands 6. Summoned the desk clerk 10. Injure one’s lips 14. “Enemies ___ stimulating” (Katharine Hepburn) 15. “Law floats in ___ of ethics” (Earl Warren) 16. Costa ___ 17. Waitress’ desire 19. Chooses to be pessimistic (or not) 20. When the wait for Godot starts 21. Desires calamine lotion 23. Messy head of hair 26. Purge 27. Stubborn one 28. A poem meant to be sung 29. Wave ___ wand 31. Key to a Little Red Corvette 33. Blocks a slapshot 34. Source of 17% of US energy production in 2017 35. “Oh my god”, in text-speak 37. Bar bargains 41. N.L. East city 42. They bring ceasefires to an end 43. Left-side balance sheet item 44. Surrounded with shrubbery 46. Tempt 47. Bitter beer 49. Checkup sounds 50. First half of the S&P 51. Single whale female 52. Some vehicles in the bike lane 54. Classes with Bunsen burners 56. “I’m Jumping Jack Flash; it’s ___” 57. Chemically neutral, and like all of this puzzle’s theme answers 63. Comic strip which first popped in 1997 64. Piece about one at peace 65. Cornucopia component 66. Say that again 67. Refuse the porter’s services 68. Like Splenda

1. “That’s a laugh!” 2. The biggest sch. in the smallest state 3. Option at Starbucks or Chevron 4. Labor Dept. component since 1971 5. Sort of soggy 6. Quick, like some public transit 7. Egyptian snake 8. Jessica Timberlake, ___ Biel 9. In a loud and tasteless manner 10. Its head is narrower than a ‘gator’s 11. Most of Hamilton’s soundtrack 12. Feigned innocence 13. Like last-year’s dresses 18. Suffix with arthr- or paras22. Fed. agency that employs more than 300 dogs 23. Like chico, but not chica 24. Warren Buffett’s hometown 25. Be a trailblazer 27. Bosses’ demand letters 30. Boxer Daniel (and an acronym for EAGLE) 31. Struggled through, successfully 32. Bat’s daytime spot 34. Gives a damn 36. ___-Roman wrestling 38. The most memorable part of an excursion 39. Purses 40. Maintain one’s sense of dread 45. Fred Flintstone or Homer Simpson 46. Card catalog abbr. 47. Dumbfound 48. Subject first written about in Aristotle’s Prior Analytics 50. Chalkboard material 53. Exxon predecessor 55. Cause of a February school delay 58. The (financial) winner of The Game of Thrones 59. Took the bait 60. Unnumbered pool ball 61. Homophone of air and heir 62. Insecticide, banned in the US since 1972

Answers on page 29.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the right. CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment. EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

For Sale BURIAL SITES (2) at the beautiful Crestlawn memorial gardens in Marriottsville Md. $7100 each includes liner. $13500. Side by side pair. Contact. A. LaMana. 571-271-8555, amylamana@gmail.com 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.

For Rent/Sale: Real Estate 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 BALTIMORE COUNTY, RANDALLSTOWN MD, two bedroom kitchen and a living room and dinning room combined. With a quit country setting, private entrance, no pets and or smoking, all utilities included $ 900.00 first month rent and deposit due when contract is signed. CONTACT # 410-655-0080. 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 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 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 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 1-844-366-1003 for details. www.dental50plus.com/320. [6118-0219]

Home/Handyman Services

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 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 TV/Cable

Wanted

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)

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) 731-9447. www.OrionsAttic.com.

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 1888-572-4953.

Wanted **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. ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! LeafFilter, the most advanced debrisblocking 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. 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

CASH FOR ESTATES, moving etc; I buy a wide range of items. Buy out/clean up. www.atticllc.com Gary Roman; 301-520-0755. CASH FOR JEWELRY; I buy a wide range of jewelry; gold, silver, costume, watches, turquoise, coins, school rings, etc. Gary Roman; 301-520-0755.

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

SENIOR SOFTBALL PLAYERS WANTED Age 60+ to play in Baltimore Beltway Senior Softball league. Starting in April, Mondays and Wednesdays 10am to 1pm. Call Larry at 443622-6539.

SELL ME YOUR CAR, Truck or SUV for CASH today instead of a maybe tax deduction tomorrow. I come to you. NO FUSS NO MUSS. 410-916-0776 I also buy Motorcycles, Scooters & Bikes. If it’s got wheels, I am a Buyer.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 24

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.)]

FREE GARDENING CLASS

The Master Gardeners of Howard County will offer a free class to learn about “pruning ornamental trees and shrubs and the critters you may encounter along the way.” The class is scheduled for Mon., Feb. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Stonehouse, 8775 Cloudleap Ct., Columbia. Register online at LRCA.eventbrite.com. For more information, call (410) 730-8113 or email events@longreach.org.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Studies Centennial Medical Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Elections Horvat for Circuit Court Judge . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Events Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Celebration of the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 COGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12, 28

Funeral Services Going Home Cremations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 MacNabb Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Home Health Care

PG Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Housing Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 32 Charlestown/Erickson Living . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Country Gardens Assisted Living . . . . . . . . . .11 Park View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Residences at Vantage Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 R Home Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Shriner Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Legal Services

Senior/Government Services Howard County 50+ Connection . . . . . . . .17-18 Maryland Senior Call Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Subscriptions The Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Technology Computer Doctors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 TheBeaconNewspapers.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Frank, Frank & Scherr, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Theatre/Entertainment

Medical/Health

Columbia Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Columbia Pro Cantare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Gentleneedle Acupuncture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Nourishing Life Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Tour & Travel

Real Estate

Eyre Tour & Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

A-1 Action Nursing Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 At Home Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Homewatch Caregivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Options for Senior America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Coldwell Banker/Debbie McGrann . . . . . . . . .19 Sachs Realty/Ruth Lyons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Volunteers/Employment

Retail/Services

Meals on Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 The Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Home Improvement

Columbia’s Village Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Maryland Pipe Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Oakridge Auction Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Bath Fitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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.

living well seminar: “Nine to Ninety” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 1-2:15 P.M.

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. PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP Second Wednesday of Each Month 2-3:15 p.m.

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.

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.

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