May 2022 | Howard County Beacon by The Beacon Newspapers

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Krummeck was born in South Africa but spent some of her early years in Namibia, where her father worked as a banker. Her mother, a painter working in watercolors and oils, also taught art. Krummeck’s aunt was a classical pianist, while both of her grandmothers taught piano. After growing up in this artistic family, Krummeck pursued a degree in drama and art history at the University of Cape Town. She started acting, “taking words on a page and turning them into dialogue,” as she put it. Over time, though, she said, the stage lost its luster. “Sadly, I found [the marketing] aspect of the acting world — pressing the flesh, networking, et cetera — really depressed me.” Krummeck grew up at a time when the

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Radio host writes of her journeys By Tony Glaros For 24 years at the same microphone, radio host Judith Krummeck, her wellmodulated voice sounding both authoritative and soothingly sweet, has rattled off breaking news while queuing up the next classical music piece from Dvorak to Mozart. During her four-hour weekday presentation, Krummeck unveils a fount of selections featuring piano and violin sonatas, oboe concertos, wind quintets and Hungarian dances. Sometimes there’s a fandango for guitar blended in, giving things that much more texture and richness. In February, Krummeck marked her 24th year at WBJC-FM, whose powerful, 50,000-watt signal creates a vast audio footprint that reaches several states. Krummeck is the drive-time radio host of the station, which is licensed to Baltimore City Community College. WBJC’s studios and offices are located in a drab building in aging Reisterstown Road Plaza, a grab-bag of offices housing fingerprinting and juvenile justice services, Giant Food shopping carts and quickserve pretzels and custard. Given classical music’s more refined and dignified image, locating the station in such an unlikely atmosphere “is very bizarre,” said the radio host and author. “It’s like walking through the pages of a Kafka novel.”

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Judith Krummeck has hosted a radio show on Maryland’s classical music station, WBJC 91.5 FM in Baltimore, since 1998. Krummeck is also an author, having published two books based on her South African upbringing and immigration to America.

specter of apartheid dominated and defined South Africa’s social, political and economic infrastructure. In her first year at the University of Cape Town, she took part in anti-government protests. “I sat on the steps of St. George’s Cathedral,” she recalled. “There were photographs of students being beaten by batons.” The news media, too, “was very much under the thumb of the nationalist government. My brother had his mail opened for years because of his stand against apartheid.” In time, the brutal, decades-long struggle drove Krummeck to a personal crossroads, and she decided, “This is not a country I want to live in.”

husband, Douglas Blackstone, an American attorney, “I didn’t know what I was going to do here,” she said. “I looked at all my training — theater, broadcasting, arts. I was really throwing the net wide.” Krummeck came across an ad in a broadcasting trade magazine: WBJC was looking for a staff announcer. So, hoping to realize a dream of finding a job at a classical music station on the East Coast, she applied, auditioned and was hired. “I got the job out of the blue,” she remembered. Still, the road connecting acting to radio was tough, she admitted. “Technical stuff was really terrifying,” she said. “I had never operated a [control] board before. I needed two weeks’ training.”

Moving to America Emigrating to the U.S. in 1996 with her

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Alzheimer’s drug saga Last year, we covered the controversy tionally expressed uncertainty even as to over the FDA’s approval of Aduhelm, the the role of amyloid in Alzheimer’s disease. Not only did the studies new — and first ever — drug not prove Aduhelm to be eftreatment to claim the ability fective, they revealed some to slow the progress of very serious — in one case Alzheimer’s disease. More fatal — side effects, including has happened in the last few falls, brain bleeding and brain weeks. swelling. To summarize, the FDA approved the drug under a Despite its uncertain (unprocess that bypassed its likely?) benefit, the drug’s deusual “safe and effective” veloper, Biogen, proposed to standard. Instead, Aduhelm charge patients (in most received “accelerated ap- FROM THE cases, that means Medicare) proval” based on an expecta- PUBLISHER $56,000 a year for the prodtion that its proven ability to By Stuart P. Rosenthal uct. remove clumps of amyloid Today, more than one out protein in the brains of paof 10 Medicare recipients suftients (one of several biomarkers of the fer from Alzheimer’s. As a result, when disease) ought to reduce patient symp- Medicare set its premium rates for 2022, it toms. raised them by the largest dollar-amount Unfortunately, the studies on which the ever: $21.60 per month, about half of approval was based were in conflict on this which it said was due to the expected cost point. In fact, two early studies of the drug of covering this one drug. That means 56 million Medicare recipiwere halted by the manufacturer itself due to disappointing results. ents are each being charged $130 more Furthermore, of the 11 medical experts this year to cover the cost of this dubious convened by the FDA to consider all the treatment for eligible patients. In my view, there are several parties restudy evidence, 10 indicated the studies failed to show “clinical effects,” and addi- sponsible for this egregious situation: The

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

researchers who pushed the FDA to approve the drug despite the absence of the usually required evidence; the patient advocacy groups who have sought a treatment — any treatment! — for Alzheimer’s for decades and lobbied the FDA heavily for approval; the manufacturer, who reportedly priced the drug based on “comparables” from life-saving cancer treatments (Aduhelm is not a life-saver, or even a proven life-extender at present); and even competitor drug manufacturers pursuing similar lines of research who hoped to piggyback on the approval of Aduhelm to promote their own treatments. Fortunately, though the FDA overlooked its “safe and effective” standards in this case, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers Medicare, did not ignore its “reasonable and necessary” standards for covering the drug’s cost. Normally, Medicare pays for all FDA-approved drugs. This year, however, CMS announced it would cover Aduhelm’s cost only for patients enrolled in an approved double-blind study of the treatment’s effectiveness. I will also note that, due to a great outcry over Aduhelm’s originally proposed cost, and also to the reluctance of many leading hospitals and medical practices to prescribe the treatment, Biogen cut the price in half. As a result, Medicare is now considering whether to reduce the current premium. They certainly should, not only because of the price drop, but due to the very limited coverage Medicare is offering. Here’s how I view the characters in this modern-day morality play: • The FDA, in providing accelerated approval, succumbed to political and other pressures, ignoring long-standing rules, established expectations, and the judgment of its experts. • Biogen was guilty of overreach both in pushing for full approval without satisfactory evidence, and aggressively pricing this drug of limited effectiveness. On the

plus side, at least the company responded to market pressures and reduced the price, though it’s still exorbitant. • Medicare made two smart calls: first, in pricing this drug into 2022 premiums, and second, in publicizing the degree to which the new drug was responsible for the increase. This transparency appropriately galvanized public response. I think it would be wise for Medicare to act similarly whenever extraordinarily priced drugs have a measurable effect on premiums. • CMS was not wrong to both limit coverage of the drug and to require all patients receiving it to participate in a study. However, I wish those studies were not required to be placebo-controlled, because that means half the patients will not be receiving the real drug, and that the number (and locations) of participants will be highly limited. Another, less onerous route exists for collecting study data on new drugs: a CMS-approved registry. That would permit more patients to obtain Aduhelm from doctors all over the country, and require those doctors to submit data to CMS that could be used to prove (or disprove) the new drugs’ effectiveness over time in realworld settings. CMS’s position is that placebo-controlled studies must first establish evidence of effectiveness so that registry data can be compared against those results. Once such studies are complete, the registry can be utilized to gather data more broadly through the population. That means most Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers and families will have to wait several more years before finding out if they will get a chance to try the much-hyped, much hoped-for Aduhelm or one of the other treatments still in development. Let’s hope that day comes. It can’t be too soon.

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Dear Editor: I am so glad to see your editorial about voting in the April Beacon. I am a lifetime GDI, well, we will just say Independent. You missed one thing which has irritated me for almost 60 years, since I first voted after I turned 18. I have long insisted that if GOP and DEMs wanted a closed primary, the parties should pay for them. Smaller parties could do a caucus or some such so they

would not need to pay as much. Then each party can put their choice on the general election ballot. This could include Green, Libertarian etc. parties. Why should independents have to pay for elections in which we are not allowed to vote? And of course, ranked voting is a good answer to multiple runoffs. I think even multiple runoffs are better than having See FROM THE PUBLISHER, page 9

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For more happiness, try fewer choices By Kelly Bilodeau, Harvard Health Blog If the events of the past two years have left you feeling emotionally deflated, you’re not alone. Cheer has been in short supply during the pandemic, and you may be in serious need of a mood boost. Yet while this slice of time may have been unusually stressful, people often struggle to find happiness even in normal times. This is why the field of positive psychology first emerged in the 1990s. It sought to answer the questions: Why is it sometimes hard to be happy? And is there a way to help people improve their mood and life outlook? The answer to the second question is yes. You can do a lot to improve the quality

of your daily life and feel more fulfilled. Test out this recipe for improved happiness, which includes a mix of three physical and emotional strategies. Try each of these options for a week. Assess whether one or more of these positive steps increased your happiness — and then keep doing it!

Get out and get active Fresh air and exercise are a powerful mood-lifting combination. Take the opportunity to get outside and get moving. Regular exercise can help to improve both your health and your mood. Aerobic activity like walking, biking or running releases mood-boosting hormones that can reduce

stress and confer a sense of well-being. Also, when your muscles contract in a repetitive pattern, as they do when you are walking, swimming or doing activities such as yoga, it bumps up levels of a chemical in your brain called serotonin, which is what many antidepressants are designed to do. Higher levels of serotonin are associated with better mood. In fact, one study found that just 90 minutes a week of activity provided mood improvements similar to an antidepressant. When combined with medication, exercise can even help mood disorders that have been resistant to other treatments. How much movement should you strive for? Research shows that ideally you should try for at least 30 minutes of moder-

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Can COVID bring on a case of shingles? Dear Savvy Senior: And the more severe case of COVID you How effective is the shingles vaccine, get, the greater your risk for shingles. and what is the CDC’s recThe reason for this is beommendation for getting it? cause when you contract My older brother and sister, COVID-19, your immune sysboth in their 50s, got tem becomes compromised as COVID a few months back, it fights the virus, which gives followed by shingles. Do you shingles — a virus that already know if there is a connection exists in your body if you’ve between these viruses, and had chickenpox — a chance to would the shingles vaccine reactivate. have protected them? Here’s what you should —Scared of Shingles know about shingles, the SAVVY SENIOR shingles vaccine, and the recDear Scared: Great question! Many health- By Jim Miller ommendations of the Centers care professionals across the for Disease Control and Precountry have been urging their older patients vention (CDC): to get the shingles vaccine (in addition to the COVID-19 vaccinations) during the pandemic What are shingles? because getting COVID-19 can indeed inShingles, also known as herpes zoster, crease your chances of developing shingles. is a burning, blistering skin rash that af-

fects 1 million Americans each year. The same virus that causes chickenpox causes shingles. What happens is the chickenpox virus that most people get as kids never leaves your body. It hides in the nerve cells near the spinal cord and, for some people, emerges later in the form of shingles. One out of every three Americans will develop shingles during their lifetime. While anyone who’s had chickenpox can get shingles, it most commonly occurs in people over age 50, along with people who have weakened immune systems. But you can’t catch shingles from someone else. Early signs of the disease include pain, itching or tingling before a blistering rash appears several days later, and can last up to four weeks. The rash typically occurs on one side of the body, often as a band of blisters that extends from the middle of your back around to the breastbone. It can

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also appear above an eye or on the side of the face or neck. In addition to the rash, about 20 to 25% of those who get shingles go on to develop severe nerve pain (called post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHN) that can last for months or even years. And in rare cases, shingles can also cause strokes, encephalitis, spinal cord damage and vision loss.

The shingles vaccine The vaccine for shingles, called Shingrix, provides much better protection than the old shingles vaccine, Zostavax. Manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, Shingrix is 97% effective in preventing shingles in people 50-69 years old, and 91% effective in those age 70 and older. Shingrix also does a terrific job of preventing nerve pain that continues after the rash has cleared — about 90% effective. Because of this protection, the CDC recommends that everyone age 50 and older receive the Shingrix vaccine, which is given in two doses, separated by two to six months. Even if you’ve already had shingles, you still need these vaccinations because reoccurring cases are possible. The CDC also recommends that anyone previously vaccinated with Zostavax be revaccinated with Shingrix. You should also know that Shingrix can cause some adverse side effects for some people, including muscle pain, fatigue, headache, fever and upset stomach. Shingrix, which averages around $205 for both doses, is covered by most private health insurance plans, including Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, but there may be a cost, depending on your plan. Contact your insurer to find out. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP

JCS of Baltimore hosts a support group for people who are care partners for someone with Parkinson’s disease via Zoom on the third Tuesday of each month from 10 to 11 a.m. For more information, visit bit.ly/JCSSupportGroup, email Beth Hecht at bhecht@jcsbaltimore.org or call (410) 843-7456.

Happiness From page 3 Focus on small daily events the same way you would big ones like a wedding day, the birth of a child or a relaxing vacation. After all, it’s those little moments that make up most of your life. Savor time spent gardening (yes, potted plants count) or sitting in a sunny window with a cup of tea; laugh with family members over a good meal; or settle in with a good book. Also, celebrate tiny milestones and

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achievements — a project well done or a daily goal met. Make a conscious effort to pause and enjoy small pleasures like these every day.

Limit your decisions It may sound like a dream to have endless options, but in truth having lots of choices can generate more worry. Happiness does depend partly upon choices — after all, it would be highly stressful not to have any control over your life. However, research has found that peo-

ple given more options have more opportunity for regret. This is why people who run meditation or spiritual retreats often limit selections. Not having to make numerous decisions all day long can be freeing. A simple exercise can help you ease the choice burden. Decide that if a decision won’t bring major consequences, you’ll limit

the amount of time you give yourself to pick, or you’ll give yourself fewer options. Don’t allow yourself to second-guess the decision once it’s made. Save the heavy deliberations for bigger, more consequential issues. However, even when making these choices, try to avoid looking back. © 2022 Harvard University. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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

What do they mean by male menopause? By Howard LeWine, M.D. Q: Do men go through a phase of menopause similar to what women experience? A: Like women, men experience a drop in sex hormone levels as they age. But in men, the pace of these changes is quite different. In women, levels of estrogen — the primary female sex hormone — remain high for many decades. Then, around age 50, the levels plunge over a period of about five years. The lower levels of estrogen cause the

physical and psychological changes of menopause, including the cessation of menstrual periods. When a woman enters menopause, it’s easy for her to tell. For the vast majority of men, the change is much more gradual. Levels of a man’s main sex hormone, testosterone, begin to drop as early as age 30. Instead of plunging within a few years, testosterone levels drop slowly (about 1%) each year for the rest of his life. This change is so gradual that many men don’t

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notice the effects for several decades. So, the question remains: Do the progressively lower levels of testosterone cause symptoms in a man, the way lower levels of estrogen do in a woman? There is no doubt that they can, but it can be hard to tell. There are situations when a man might experience an abrupt fall in testosterone because of an injury or illness, chemotherapy or radiation treatment, or certain medications. Extremely low levels can clearly cause loss of muscle mass and bone strength, increased body fat, drop in energy, less interest in sex, and erectile dysfunction. In these cases, the term “male menopause” could be applied, and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may improve the symptoms. However, in the average man, linking testosterone levels to symptoms is tricky, and it’s hard to predict which men with low levels can benefit from TRT. Testosterone levels vary among men of the same age, and men experience testosterone deficiency symptoms at different levels. In fact, many

men with low levels have no symptoms. If you’ve experienced changes that could be related to low testosterone, speak with your doctor. He or she will first want to explore whether your symptoms are related to another cause — such as overuse of alcohol, a thyroid problem or depression. The next step is to measure your blood level for total testosterone. Because levels fluctuate throughout the day, the test should be done in the morning and repeated at least once to ensure accuracy. Most laboratories use 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter as the normal range for total testosterone. Based on your results and your symptoms, you and your doctor might discuss TRT. But keep in mind that your testosterone level and how you feel may not be connected. Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Visit health.harvard.edu. © 2022 Harvard University. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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May 19

PET LOSS SUPPORT GROUP Chesapeake Life Center is hosting a free virtual workshop for peo-

ple who are grieving the loss of a beloved pet. The workshop takes place Thurs., May 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. and includes an introduction to the grieving process, an opportunity to share stories and an art activity. To register, visit bit.ly/PetLossEvent. For more information, call 1-888-501-7077.

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DEPRESSION AWARENESS TRAINING Howard County General Hospital has launched a Congregational Depression Awareness Program to train volunteers to provide

informal support to people impacted by depression and to help them access mental health services and resources. To learn more, call (410) 720-8788 or email hcgh-j2bh@jhmi.edu.

May 6

HUMANE SOCIETY FUNDRAISER On Fri., May 6 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. the Baltimore Humane Society hosts its Black Tie and Tails Gala, with a seated dinner,

music, pet fashion show and auction. Guests are encouraged to bring their pets! To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/BHSGala.

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

Amazon’s Alexa can get you a doctor 24/7 By Tom Murphy and Anne D’Innocenzio If there is no doctor in the house, Amazon’s Alexa will soon be able to summon one. Amazon and telemedicine provider Teladoc Health are starting a voice-activated virtual care program that lets customers get medical help without picking up their phones. The service, for health issues that aren’t emergencies, will be available around the clock on Amazon’s Echo devices. Customers can tell the voice assistant Alexa that they want to talk to a doctor, and that will prompt a call back on the device from a Teladoc physician. The program, announced this spring, marks Amazon’s latest expansion into healthcare and another push by the retail giant into a form of care that grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Telehealth now is something that patients have gotten used to and may come to expect as an option for their care,” said Lori Uscher-Pines, a senior policy researcher with Rand Corp. “[Before] the pandemic, there might not have been this much awareness that this was a service that was available.”

Disrupting healthcare Amazon already dispenses prescription drugs and is expanding an Amazon Care program it launched in 2019 that offers telemedicine visits with an option to send a care provider to the patient if they need an in-person visit. The company’s latest healthcare expansion comes as several competitors, includ-

BEACON BITS

May 7

SEE SCULPTURES RACE!

Watch ordinary people race over land, water, sand and mud in human-powered, artful contraptions on Sat., May 7 beginning with opening ceremonies at the American Visionary Art Museum at 9:30 a.m. The event concludes at the Museum with an awards ceremony from 6 to 7 p.m. For more information, visit bit.ly/SculptureRace or call (410) 244-1900.

May 12+

HARRY POTTER KNOCKOFF

Howard Community College Theatre presents the comedy spoof of the Harry Potter series, “Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” from Thurs., May 12 through Sat., May 14 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sun., May 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the Horowitz Center. Tickets cost $15 for general admission, $10 for students, seniors and military. For more information, visit bit.ly/HCCTheatre of call (443) 518-1500.

ing Walmart, CVS and Walgreens, also beef up their medical offerings. They are adding care clinics or virtual programs to make it easier for patients to find regular help in the fragmented U.S. healthcare system. Insurers and employers that pay medical bills are pushing for this as a way to improve health and cut down on hospital stays or other big medical expenses. “Healthcare is a huge industry of enormous value, and it is ripe for disruption,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail. “And Amazon views itself as a disruptor.”

Used in British hospitals Some hospitals already use Alexa as a voice assistant in patient rooms. In Great Britain, Alexa works with that country’s National Health Service to help answer

Senior Living Columbia

medical questions with advice from the country’s official website. The service will be available for customers who create an Alexa voice ID. After telling the voice assistant that they need to talk to a doctor, people will be connected to a Teladoc call center and then get a call back from a physician. The calls are audio-only for now, but the companies say they expect to add video soon. In some cases, doctors will be able to prescribe medications. Customers can get a call back the same day, but that may depend on the availability of doctors in the state where the patient is located, Teladoc spokesman Chris Savarese said. He noted that the ongoing pandemic may lead to longer wait times. The cost for a visit can vary depend on the patient’s coverage. Without insurance, the calls will cost $75.

Savarese said Amazon will not be able to access, record or store the content of the ensuing call.

Won’t replace in-person visits Telemedicine in general grew rapidly when the pandemic first hit the United States and patients wanted to hunker down at home instead of visiting the doctor’s office. Virtual visits have since leveled off a bit as office visits have widely resumed. But Uscher-Pines said research shows that patients remain interested. Many want telemedicine available when they need its convenience, not as a replacement for in-person care. “Most people don’t want that to cannibalize their in-person care,” she said. “They still want those options.” —AP

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Fitness & Health | Subscribe online! See how on p. 22

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

Health Studies INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS Say what? Study helps focus on hearing By Margaret Foster If you have trouble keeping up with a conversation in a noisy restaurant, you’re not alone. After all, as we age, our ears and brains age, too. Now researchers at the University of Maryland’s Hearing Lab are launching a study to teach older adults how to listen

better. They’re seeking 100 volunteers between the ages of 65 and 85. “For someone who has trouble understanding what’s going on at a dinner table at a restaurant and would like to be able to understand better, this might help them,” said Jonathan Simon, principal investigator. “It could also help us determine what

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We are studying why falls and balance disorders occur in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia and how falls impact their lives. Individuals 60+ may be able to join our research study. We take the burden of travel away from you by traveling to your home (if desired). We provide compensation up to $100 for our participants.

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DATE: SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: YURI AGRAWAL, MD APPLICATION NO.: NA_00087648

helps other people.” Simon’s team has designed a training program to help listeners understand more of what others are saying and to reduce the effort it takes to do that.

Six weeks, mostly at home The six-week study includes five in-person visits to College Park, Maryland. Parking is free, and compensation will be provided. But most of the study can be done at home on a computer. Each participant will listen to a 30-minute session and answer questions about what they’ve heard. Even “for people who don’t feel that comfortable with computers, it works just fine,” Simon said. His staff will check in “at the beginning and the end [of each session] to make sure everything is working and that participants are comfortable.” Once enrolled, participants will be placed at random into one of three groups. One group will watch instructional videos and answer questions about them. Another group will listen to a speaker while someone else talks over them at varying volumes. The third group will take a memory test, which

“involves much more of the brain and brings in memory and listening,” Simon said. For each participant, both before and after the training, Simon said, “We measure how difficult it is for them to understand speech in noisy conditions, and, critically, also their brain activity.” To track brain activity, everyone will have a magnetoencephalography (MEG) scan, a non-invasive test that measures the magnetic fields produced by the brain’s electrical currents. Eligible participants will also have a 15-minute MRI during the study. People tend to prefer a MEG scan to an MRI scan because they’re “quiet and not confining,” Simon pointed out. “We want to see what good things have happened to their brains — how these improvements have made their brains better,” Simon said. Taking part in the study could improve your hearing and pave the way for future scientific developments, he said. “There’s potentially something in it for them and for the greater community.” If you’re interested in participating in the Speech Perception and High Cognitive Demand study, call (301) 405-5629.

Have conﬁdence

IN EVERY CONVERSATION. &Q RJQPG ECNNU GXGT UQWPF OWHƃGF QT JCTF VQ HQNNQY! Captioned Telephone can help! Similar to a standard telephone— but with one big difference—a Captioned Telephone displays captions of your conversations so that you can listen to what is being spoken, while reading captions on the device’s screen. As a service of Maryland Relay, Captioned Telephones can be «ÕÀV >Ãi` ` ÀiVÌ Þ vÀ > Ì À` «>ÀÌÞ «À Û `iÀ° 9 Õ V> w ` Ài information at mdrelay.org. The /CT[NCPF #EEGUUKDNG 6GNGEQOOWPKECVKQPU (MAT) program also offers Captioned Telephones, provided by the State, to those who qualify. The MAT program includes a variety of equipment «Ì Ã Ì ÃÕ«« ÀÌ V i>ÀiÀ V Õ V>Ì ] V Õ` } > « wi` phones. Visit our website to see if you or a loved one qualify for no cost assistive equipment through the MAT program. CapTel® is a registered trademark of Ultratec, Inc.

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Makes a great gift! | Fitness & Health

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

Make meatballs with pesto for big flavor

Serves 4 Ingredients: Vegetable oil spray 1 pound (93% lean) ground turkey ¾ cup pesto ½ cup panko bread crumbs ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes Directions: 1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.

Letters to editor From page 2 only a small percentage of voters, like 7% or 14% of those who come out and vote, to [choose] the winners. If you can’t win 50% of the few voters in a primary, you should not be the winner, even as your party’s nominee. And that should never be enough to be the winner of the election. Thanks for your editorial. These are efforts which could lead to more moderate people from either direction being the winners. Maybe they would actually work together. Any change of getting these ideas passed? Hollis Jackson Baltimore, MD Dear Editor: Your comments appear to lump voters into three categories: Democrats, Republi-

cans and Independents. “Independent” identifies a voter as non-Democratic and non-Republican but has become a catch-all term for a number of genuine alternatives. The Libertarian Party and the Green Party run on the general ballot and often have restricted primaries within their own memberships. The Bread and Roses Party that ran on the 2020 ballot (now disbanded) had just one candidate and no need for a primary. Beyond those, a voter might still be truly “independent” of course, holding to an ideology such as communism, anarchy or any position the others chose not to push. In the early days of the country, Whigs and Democratic-Republicans were the majors. Today’s Republican Party was once small. Greens have become major in several European countries. A multi-party system would be good for America. Kenneth Kepler Columbia, MD

Adding pesto gives these meatballs a big boost of flavor. Serve them on pasta or on a sub roll.

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Pesto Turkey Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, pesto, panko, salt and pepper. Use your hands to gently mix until well combined. 3. Lightly wet your hands. Use your wet hands to roll turkey mixture into 16 meatballs. Arrange meatballs evenly on the baking sheet. Wash your hands. 4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until meatballs are just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. 5. While meatballs bake, add oil to Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat for 1 minute (oil should be hot but not smoking). Stir in garlic with wooden spoon and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. 6. Use oven mitts to remove the baking sheet with meatballs from the oven. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. 7. Use tongs to carefully transfer meatballs to sauce in Dutch oven. Cook, gently stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and register 165 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Serve. For 25 years, confident cooks in the know have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 athome recipe testers. See more online at americastestkitchen.com/TCA. © America’s Test Kitchen. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

PHOTO BY AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

By America’s Test Kitchen For a new spin on meatballs, add basil pesto for big flavor. The pesto replaces the minced herbs, minced garlic and grated cheese in standard meatball recipes. Buy pesto from the refrigerated section of the supermarket — it has a fresher flavor than the jarred pesto sold in the grocery aisles. [Non-dairy vegan pesto made with nutritional yeast may also be used.] This kid-friendly recipe is easy to follow, so young ones can join in on the cooking fun. Just be sure an adult is nearby to help, especially when using the oven.

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

Subscribe online! See how on p. 22

A Publication of the Department of Community Resources and Services

Volume 12, No. 5 • May 2022

A Message from Howard County Executive

Calvin Ball

he Age My Way initiative is an opportunity for older adults to explore the many ways they can remain active and involved with their communities. With the implementation of the Age-Friendly Howard County Action Plan now underway, the 2022 theme of Older Americans Month seems especially timely. We asked Howard County’s Commission on Aging members to share their thoughts on how “Aging My Way” aligns with building an age-friendly community. “Aging My Way has meant having more time to contribute to the community through volunteer work,” said Commissioner Jennifer Asher. “There are so many fulfilling ways to volunteer in Howard County. For me, serving on the Commission on Aging and participating in the Age-Friendly initiative are great options.” Jennifer encourages residents of all ages to join the effort to make the county an even better place to live and to age. A resident of Western Howard County, she also enjoys taking exercise classes at the Glenwood 50+ Center and visiting Western Regional Park as often as possible. As a commissioner and local realtor, Victoria Hathaway has found that sometimes the stereotypes of older adults can apply, but just as often they do not. “Whether they do or don’t, you can’t go by chronology,” she explains, “I know some 94-year-olds who run circles around me at 57! But I also meet others who are so busy looking backward or wishing they were “younger” that they miss living in the moment and finding joy in each day simply by being in the game. Aging my way means letting who I am as a person shine through the process of aging.” “Aging is what we all have to face in the future,” says Commissioner Wei Guo. “If we can find ways to keep our health both physically and mentally, we will live a life of happiness. Aging my way means keeping active every day, learning something new, connecting with friends new or old.” Wei also suggests joining a community group that shares your interests — like gardening, reading or travel. “I think it’s very important to keep your spirit of optimism and try to enjoy every day of your life.”

ith the arrival of Spring, there is much to be hopeful about. May is Older Americans Month and we are redoubling our efforts to ensure Howard County promotes and supports an Age-Friendly community. In my proposed Fiscal Year 2023 capital budget, I have included funding to complete the construction of the new, long-awaited 29,600 square foot East Columbia 50+ Center by the summer of 2023. Additionally, this year I’ve proposed record funding of $8.24 million for bike and pedestrian projects, so that more residents can safely walk or roll to libraries, community centers, grocery stores, and more. Improved walkways will also make it easier for residents to access our parks and green spaces – which I’ve dedicated $19 million to in our budget this year to improve and expand our recreational facilities. As part of the downtown Columbia revitalization, we have designated $1.7 million to begin the design of a new Central Branch Library and anticipate construction of a new state-of-the-art facility will begin in fiscal year 2024. As we continue our recovery from the pandemic, it is our priority to ensure that Howard County emerges stronger and more resilient. Our investments in critical infrastructure and community gathering spaces are a testament to my commitment that residents of all ages and abilities can thrive. Wishing everyone a healthy month ahead, and a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms, grandmothers, godmothers, and caregivers in our lives.

Do you have your own “Age My Way” story to share? Email kahenry@howardcountymd.gov. For more details about how you can get involved in the Age-Friendly Howard County initiative, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/agefriendly. Ellen Elliott is AGING HER WAY! “My husband and I have always been very physically active — canoeing & kayaking, sailing, scuba diving, bicycling, hiking,” says the Ellicott City resident. “We are now in our 70’s and we want to keep on doing these things, so we are ﬁnding ways to do them with a little help. This past winter, we traveled (safely) to Kauai, an island we had never visited but always wanted to explore. The trail that called to me was the Kalalau Trail, 11 strenuous miles along the Na Pali. But with arthritic knees and a slower pace, we knew we wouldn't be able to carry our tent, food and all the other gear by ourselves. So, I contacted our nephew, who willingly came along, carried most of our heavy stuff and, along with his wife, provided great company. It’s good to stay connected with the younger generations!"

Tell us your “AGE MY WAY” story by emailing kahenry@howardcountymd.gov!

The 50+ Connection

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

Makes a great gift!

Cycle2Health is Back!

Cycle2Health (C2H) Howard County is a non-competitive, peer-led, bicycling club for adults of all ages and riding abilities, coordinated by the Health Promotion and Nutrition Division of the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence. The 2022 season kicks off May 10 with ride options each week for new and experienced cyclists. Join us to explore the beauty of Howard County from a new perspective and meet new people. Registration is required at www.howardcountymd.gov/C2H or stop by any 50+ Center to register in person ($15 annual fee applies).

OLDER AMERICANS MONTH A G E M Y WAY : M AY

50+ CENTER 2022

EVENTS

Play Fitness BINGO! Celebrate Senior Health & Fitness Week (May 23-27) at all the Howard County 50+ Centers. Drop in to any location between May 9 and 20 to pick up a bingo card. Then begin marking off entries on May 23. Once a line is completed horizontally, vertically or diagonally, you can earn a prize. Turn in your card at prize pick-up at the Bain 50+ Center on Tuesday, May 31 between 10 a.m. and noon. All card entries will be entered in rafﬂe for a $25 credit toward Howard County programs. Free, but you must be a member of a 50+ Center to participate. Call 410-313-6073 for more information.

Wafﬂe Bar, Law Day and Age My Way Fair Monday, May 2 • 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. • Glenwood 50+ Center Grab a free wafﬂe, then meet with an attorney to prepare your advanced directives at no cost. Call 410-313-5440 to schedule an individual (30 minute) or a couples (one hour) appointment. The “Age My Way” Fair will be open in the lobby from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with information ew resources.

Mother’s Day Luncheon with Iris Music Project Friday, May 6 • 11 a.m. • North Laurel 50+ Center Celebrate Mother’s Day and enjoy an interactive musical performance by the Iris Music Project followed by a Mother’s Day lunch. Plus, join us on May 18 at noon for our Older Americans Month luncheon. Sign up for both of these events in advance at the front desk.

Mother’s Day Luncheon with “A Girl Called Evan” Friday, May 6 • 11:30 a.m. • Bain 50+ Center Enjoy the music of Evan Nicole Bell, a Maryland-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and join us for lunch provided by La Madeleine (donation suggested). Limited seating; register and pick up tickets at the front desk.

IN-PERSON CLASSES with Bonus SESSION ZERO* Tuesdays • May 24 THRU July 5, 2022 6:00 TO 7:30 pm SEVEN CONSECUTIVE TUESDAYS

Ellicott City 50+ Center 9401 Frederick Road, Ellicott City 21042

VIRTUAL CLASSES with Bonus SESSION ZERO* Tuesdays • June 21 THRU August 2 6:00 TO 7:30 pm SEVEN CONSECUTIVE TUESDAYS

Virtual Presentation via Webex Note: materials and access code to the class will be provided prior to start date; computer and internet access are required.

— FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER —

Kathy Wehr CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM MANAGER

410-313-5955 (VOICE/RELAY) • kwehr@howardcountymd.gov *Session Zero focuses on the Basics of Dementia

ShowTime Singers Sunday Concert Sunday, May 15 • 2 to 3 p.m. • Elkridge 50+ Center The ShowTime Singers are back! Enjoy a Sunday concert with a cappella and accompanied songs from Broadway and the Silver Screen, jazz, blues, pop standards, and rock and roll. FREE. Reserve your spot at 410-313-5192.

Jessie Barnes Dance Party Wednesday, May 25 • 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. • East Columbia 50+ Center Come dance, laugh and enjoy an evening of fun and friendship to celebrate Older Americans Month! FREE. Call 410-313-7680 for more information.

Older Americans Month Luncheon: “Age My Way” Thursday, May 26 • 11:00 a.m. • Ellicott City 50+ Center Tim Amann performs a live set of music from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Plus, enjoy a boxed lunch from Honey Baked Ham ($10 suggested donation). Sign up at the front desk or call 410-313-1400 to register.

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 the subscriber list, go to https://bit.ly/3o4GAee. 9830 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, MD 21046 410-313-6410 (VOICE/RELAY) • www.howardcountymd.gov/aging Find Us on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter — @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.

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

Subscribe online! See how on p. 22

Upcoming Programs for 55 Years +

Recreation & Parks

To view all of our programs and activities, visit www.HowardCountyMD.gov/rap.

Speaker Series

Drop-In Programs

• Info/Fitness Waiver: Tessa Hurd, 410-313-7311 or thurd@howardcountymd.gov.

• Info: Tracy Adkins, 410-313-7279 or tadkins@howardcountymd.gov.

Historical Archaeology: How Documents Help In The Telling Of History

Come show us what you know! Fire up those brain cells while you compete. Meet in the lobby.

Trivia Time

During this presentation, examine the documents that were useful in telling the story of what happened at numerous historic sites in Howard County. Enjoy time reading primary documents (diaries, wills, land records, indentured servant agreements, census records, slave census records, letters, inventories, and maps). Key sites include Owings Mill, Simpsonville Mill, Iglehart’s Mill, Athol, Mt. Pleasant, and Dr. Warfield’s Longwood.

Bain 50+ Ctr 10-11am Last Friday of each month

Roger Carter Comm Ctr Instructor: M. Lee Preston Jr. RP3506.702 May 19 10-11:30am Th $20

Health & Relaxation

Classes: 1

Race Is Not Just Black & White: Exploring The Racial History Of Asians, Latinos And Jews

Conversations about race in America tend to focus on White versus Black to the exclusion of the racialized experiences of Asians, Hispanics, Latinos, Jews, and other ethnic groups. What has been their experience with racism in America? Join us in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Month and Jewish-American Heritage Month as Claudia M. Allen, Outreach Coordinator for the Howard County Office of Human Rights & Equity, provides a historical, cultural and legislative exploration of the racialization of Asians, Latinos or Hispanics, and Jews. N Laurel Comm Ctr Instructor: Claudia M. Allen RP3506.705 May 12 6:30-8pm Th Free

Classes: 1

Scan the QR code for more 55 years + programs! tinyurl.com/55plusprograms

Free

Wii Bowling Club

Why let the kids have all the fun? Bowl in a virtual alley without leaving the building. Improve hand-eye coordination while getting some exercise. Bain 50+ Ctr 10-11am

Free

• Info/Fitness Waiver: Tessa Hurd, 410-313-7311 or thurd@howardcountymd.gov.

Emerge With Pamela Schuckman

Are you looking to get fit after an illness, an injury or quarantine? This class helps you take the first steps towards your fitness goals while having fun and building confidence. Focus on core strength, balance and flexibility while teaching participants proper body mechanics and ways to modify exercises. Class is tailored to individual needs. Roger Carter Comm Ctr Classes 10 RP3544.702 May 17 10:15-11:15am Tu,Th

$75

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

Makes a great gift!

Buy Tickets Today! • Information: Tracy Adkins, 410-313-7279 or tadkins@howardcountymd.gov • Pick-up locations: Bain 50+ Ctr and Long Gate Park & Ride • Trip venues may have different COVID-19 requirements (ex: mask mandates, proof of vaccination and/or negative COVID test). Visit www.howardcountymd.gov/recreation-parks/programs for the most up-to-date info.

NEW! Planet Word Museum RP4542.701 21 yrs +

May 20

10am-4pm F

$75

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre Presents Piano Man RP4543.701 21 yrs +

May 27

10am-4pm F

May 21 & 22

$149

• Maryland Wineries

• Juried Artisans

• Live Bands

• Wine Education Seminars

• Gourmet Food

www.WineInTheWoods.com

Nature Programs Call 410-313-0400 for info or to register.

Encore Adventures Intro To Fishing

New angler? Coming back to the sport? Learn or review how to cast, identify fish, rig a pole, tie knots, and more. Equipment and bait provided. Info: Dawn Thomas, 410-313-1754 or dthomas@howardcountymd.gov. RP9171.702 Centennial Pk South May 10 9:30am-noon Tu $25

Kayak Paddling Basics

Try kayaking! Learn paddling techniques, safety and gear selection. This is an American Canoe Association-certified instructional program. Info: Matt Medicus, 410-313-1769 or mmedicus@howardcountymd.gov. RP9171.703 Centennial Pk South May 17 9:30-11:30am Tu $30

Registration

410-313-7275, www.howardcountymd.gov/rap, or 7120 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD 21046

www.howardcountymd.gov/recreation-parks/programs

Sr. Naturalist Program

The Sr. Naturalist program provides a foundation of understanding on a variety of topics through hands-on exploration and demonstrations in a casual, social atmosphere. Search for frog, toad and salamander specimen around the property while learning how to recognize the differences between species. Robinson Nature Ctr Days: 1 RP4831.753 Amphibian ID May 12

2-3:30pm Th $12

Thursday Planetarium Movies

Enjoy a movie under the dome in Robinson Nature Center’s planetarium with newly upgraded seating! Call 410-313-0400 to reserve tickets. No online reservations. No late seating. Robinson Nature Ctr $5 per ticket with admission or annual pass Film: Faster than Light (CC) RP4804.722 May 26 2-2:30pm Th

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

Subscribe online! See how on p. 22

Money Law &

Take a university course for free. See story on opposite page.

TIPS for investing in a time of inflation Many investors are looking for conserva- tween prices and interest rates. That is, tive investments that will protect them when interest rates go up, the prices of bonds, and bond funds and against inflation. The recent ETFs, go down. fall in the stock market has many investors on edge, so they are looking for safe investBe careful where you buy ments that will provide some Note that there is a distincprotection of their asset base. tion between buying TIPS diThere are a few investrectly from the Treasury at ments that investors expect TreasuryDirect.gov and buywill provide them some proing TIPS in the form of shares tection, namely Series I savfrom mutual funds or ETFs. ings bonds [see “A good time THE SAVINGS You can purchase TIPS from for inflation-protected bonds” GAME the Treasury for terms of 5, 10 in the February Beacon], and By Elliot Raphaelson or 30 years. You may hold them mutual funds and exchangetraded funds that invest in Treasury Infla- to maturity or sell them before maturity. Your principal will increase in value based tion Protection Securities (TIPS). Series I bonds and TIPS are designed to on the CPI. At maturity, you are paid either protect investors against increases in infla- the adjusted principal or the original price, tion because their returns are linked to the whichever is higher. consumer price Index (CPI). Interest is earned twice a year at a fixed Unfortunately, some investors in TIPS rate which is applied to the adjusted princivia mutual funds and ETFs have found the pal. So, if your principal increases because value of their underlying shares recently of an increase in the CPI, the interest dropped significantly in value as interest earned would also increase. rates have risen. However, the interest is taxable in the That’s because, in general, for bond year earned — even though you won’t refunds there is an inverse relationship be- ceive the interest until maturity if you pur-

chase the TIPS directly from the Treasury. You could also purchase TIPS mutual funds and ETFs from a financial institution, but they would not have fixed 5, 10 and 30-year terms. [Instead, the fund’s return would reflect a mix of the maturities of the TIPS it purchases.] The advantage is that you would actually receive the interest paid semi-annually. However, there is a major disadvantage: You no longer have the protection of principal you get when you purchase TIPS directly from the Treasury and redeem them at maturity. When you purchase shares in the form of mutual funds and ETFs, there is no maturity date. Your shares will fluctuate in value, and when interest rates increase your shares will likely fall in value.

Recent investors got burned This has already happened this year, and I have received mail from investors complaining about the recent fall in prices. Many of them were under the false impression that, because TIPS returns are based on the CPI, their principal would also be protected and they would be receiving a positive return.

That has not been the case for shortterm investments in TIPS mutual funds and ETFs in 2022, so these investors are facing unanticipated losses. The bottom line is that investors in TIPS who want to be sure their principal is protected should ONLY purchase TIPS directly from TreasuryDirect.gov and should hold them to maturity. For example, the total return of 10-year TIPS in 2021 was 5.5%. Most investment advisers expect the Federal Reserve to continue increasing short-term interest rates in 2022. So it is expected that investors in TIPS funds and ETFs will likely see a negative return on these investments. If you had invested in these funds in prior years, you would have received good results for three and five prior years, and modest positive returns for the past year. But recent investors in these vehicles are now seeing negative returns. Year-to-date returns for many of these has been -3%. Contact TresuryDirect.gov for more information about these investments. Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2022 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Con artists target people who owe taxes By Rivan V. Stinson With tax season under way, the IRS is once again warning taxpayers to be wary of “Offer in Compromise” scams. These promotions claim that they can help taxpayers pay back taxes for just “pennies on the dollar.” But victims often end up paying the promoters thousands of dollars in fees and still end up owing money to the IRS. While the IRS’s Offer in Compromise (OIC) program allows taxpayers to request a reduction in unpaid taxes, the guidelines are strict and only a small percentage of applications are approved. To be eligible for the program, you must be up-to-date on your tax returns and have received at least one bill from the IRS. You’ll be required to provide supporting documents, including a breakdown of your expenses. The IRS will then review your income and the assets you own, such as equity in

your home, to determine whether you’re eligible to have some of your tax debts forgiven. If it determines that you can afford to repay your taxes in full through an installment program, it will likely reject your offer. You can find out if you pre-qualify for the OIC program by going to irs.treasury.gov/ oic_pre_qualifier. The IRS charges a $250 application fee, but waives it for low-income taxpayers.

“catch” the scammer. The imposter then uses that information to drain your account. Never give out sensitive information over the phone or send money to people you don’t know. If you’re not sure whether a call is legitimate, hang up and contact your bank di-

rectly. While your bank may ask you to verify your identity or account information, this usually happens when you initiate the call. © 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

May 5

SPOTTING INVESTMENT FRAUD Learn how to protect yourself from investment fraud in this free

Bank officer impersonators Consumers also need to be on the lookout for con artists who claim to be fraud officers from their bank. Here’s how it works: You receive a fraud alert via text or email asking you to verify a purchase you didn’t make. Respond “no,” and you’ll receive a phone call from a fraud impersonator requesting personal information, such as your username and password, in order to

virtual event hosted by AARP and presented by a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorney on Thurs., May 5 from 6 to 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/AARPInvestmentFraud.

Ongoing

SCAM AWARENESS Learn how to identify and report scams involving Social Security numbers by visiting oig.ssa.gov.

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

Take a free course at Harvard from home By Cal Sefer The first time I heard about MOOCs, I thought it must be some kind of hybrid cow. The name caught my attention, so I did what I always do when I want to know about something: I Googled it. Turns out MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. What’s that? Massive — thousands of students. Open — anyone can participate. Online — over the internet. Course — college classes. About 45 colleges in the United States and nearly 140 around the world offer online courses that you can either audit for free, or pay a modest fee of about $40 and get a certificate. (There are online courses from major universities that offer credit and degrees too, but for this article I’m writing only about free or certificate courses.)

Learning for fun I’ve taken several MOOC courses just to learn something. Most were recorded lectures, so I could go at my own pace. I could even replay any class if I thought I had missed something. What’s more, some professors talk rather slowly, and I could speed up the playback and get through an hour’s lecture in 45 minutes. Some courses require you to pass a quiz before going onto the next lecture, but others allow you to skip the quizzes. Since I don’t want a certificate, sometimes I skip the quizzes. I can usually complete a sixweek course in a couple of weeks. Being loose with how I take the courses means I probably miss something, but at the end I know more than when I started, and that fits my goal of learning something new every day. For example, I’ve taken a course on Financial Markets from Robert J. Shiller, a noble laureate at Yale; a course on Cybercrime from the University of Maryland; a course on Ancient Israel from New York University; and I just completed a course from Tel Aviv University called “The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem.” All for free!

Almost endless choices When I first came across MOOCs, there weren’t a lot of choices. Since then, the idea of MOOCs has gained traction. Search “MOOC platforms” and one result will be a list of the top 10. Just put any one of them in your web browser and then go bonkers choosing from the hundreds of

BEACON BITS

May 6+

ART SHOW

courses you might want to take. (The platforms I have used are Coursera and edX.) The list of courses seems endless: music, math, astronomy, computer programming, taxes, cinema, art, culinary, biology, history. You can also search by subject to find courses. Just to make the point, I looked up something I thought kind of obscure: a “mooc course on how clocks work.” I got a list of possibilities! Before COVID, I audited at least one course at Howard Community College every semester to keep my brain working. Since COVID, I’ve used MOOC courses as a substitute. Currently I’m into ancient Middle Eastern history. Without the MOOC classes, I’d have never thought to travel there. Now I’m finding it fascinating and contemplating a trip. Whether you’re still working or retired,

you can reward yourself by learning something new or reviewing a subject you haven’t thought about in a while. And you can do it at your own pace at no cost. I keep thinking about going back over algebra. I use equations every day, but can no longer figure out where two trains traveling in opposite directions at various speeds would meet — and I don’t see how I can possibly go on without knowing how to do that! Even after my life gets back to a post-

pandemic normal, I’ll keep making use of the learning opportunities made available in MOOCs. Try it; you’ll like it. Visit edx.org or coursera.com for a list of their free classes. You can also search for a specific university’s free courses at their website (for example, Open Yale Courses at oyc.yale.edu; Professional and Lifelong Learning Courses at pll.harvard.edu, etc.). Note: some courses on these sites do charge for tuition.

BEACON BITS

May 20+

HOLST’S THE PLANETS The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra hosts a performance of

Holst’s “The Planets” and Debussy’s “Nocturnes” at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Fri., May 20 at 8 p.m. and Sun., May 22 at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $65 and can be purchased at bit.ly/BSOThePlanets.

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Members of the Working Artists Forum are exhibiting their artworks at the Columbia Art Center from Fri., May 6 to May 29. For more information, visit bit.ly/WAFShow or email hubercarla@gmail.com.

Call the community of interest to you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour.

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PHOTO BY ANETA WABERSKA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Travel Leisure &

Philadelphia’s Elfreth’s Alley, the nation’s oldest residential street, dates to 1702. The city is full of interesting neighborhoods to explore on foot. See opposite page.

Fun in the sun: South Padre Island, Texas

More than just fishing Sunbathers, bike riders, surf fishermen

and vacationers have long been attracted to the sand that stretches in an unbroken line from White Sands Beach in the north to Pearl at its southern end. Fishing is by far the favorite pastime for both residents and visitors. Anglers seek their dinner in the flats of Laguna Madre Bay, which separates SPI and Port Isabel, by surf casting off beaches, dropping a line from a pier or trolling the offshore depths of the Gulf. So productive are the waters that the advertising of one charter boat captain offers “Guaranteed fish. No fish — no charge.” The popularity of that activity also becomes clear in other ways. One is the fact that streets on SPI are named after swordfish, tarpon, marlin and other denizens of the deep. In some sports bars, along with TV sets tuned to the usual athletic events, there are others beaming fishing programs. Fortunately, for visitors to the area seeking other activities, a lengthy catalog awaits their perusal and participation. Of course, the A (antiquing) to Z (ziplining) list includes many that are water-related. For starters, there’s kayaking and canoeing, snorkeling and sailing, speeding along on a jet ski and loping along a beach on horseback. Nature attracts fans to the South Padre

PHOTO BY SOUTH PADRE ISLAND VISITORS BUREAU

By Victor Block “Fish. Party. Repeat.” Those words, printed on a sign hanging on the wall of a restaurant in South Padre Island, Texas, refer to two of the most popular pastimes there. SPI, as the locals call it, and Port Isabel, perched at the other end of a causeway that connects the two, have outstanding beaches, a long list of both land and water activities, and intriguing historical tidbits that add color to the setting. The resorts are well known to “Winter Texans” — people primarily from the Midwest who spend several winter months soaking up the sun, and fun, in those twin towns on the Gulf of Mexico at the Lone Star State’s southern extremity. At first glance, both communities present the atmosphere of many beachfront locations. Hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops abound. Colorful golf carts are a popular mode of transportation. The favored attire gives new meaning to the words “casual clothing.” But much more awaits those who find their way to this inviting destination within a seashell’s throw of Mexico, which has a strong influence on the local culture.

Tourists can ride a Ferris wheel and watch the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico, just off South Padre Island, Texas.

Island Birding, Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary, a good place to observe a variety of native wildlife. An observation tower, blinds and a 3,300-foot-long boardwalk provide close-up sightings of some of the 350-plus species of birds that have been seen in the area. During my visit, a wall chart that lists recent identifications included colorful monikers like marbled godwit and semipalmated plover. Another expedition took my wife, Fyllis, and me on a Breakaway Cruises dolphin watch excursion in Laguna Madre Bay. Captain Bob pointed out the first one as soon as we left the marina. Whenever someone spotted a telltale fin, or better yet a dolphin leaping out of the water, a collective “oooh, aaah” echoed among the passengers. Adding to the enjoyment, and education, was inspecting at close hand various specimens that a net had dredged up from the bay floor. Among sea life we examined were a stingray, several small fish and shrimp.

Shrimp a large draw Morning and evening horseback rides along the beaches of South Padre Island give visitors a chance to explore the area when it’s quiet and cool.

It’s no surprise that shrimp were found there because those crustaceans have been the source of an industry that has thrived in

the area since the middle of the 19th century. Today, Texas consistently ranks among the top three producing shrimp states, along with Alaska and Louisiana. The trawlers typically drag their nets along the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico for as long as three weeks at a time, working at night, since shrimp are nocturnal. When not at sea, trawlers may be spotted docked at several locations in Port Isabel. Also not surprising are the variations on shrimp dishes served at local restaurants, which augment the Tex-Mex cuisine on many menus. Dishes using shrimp that were new to me included tacos, quesadillas, omelets, Eggs Benedict and even a BLT sandwich. The story of shrimping is among many told at the Port Isabel Historical Museum. Exhibits there portray the area’s past, beginning with the Spanish exploration period and moving on to the arrival of Native Americans, the Civil War and colorful tales of border folklore. The museum is housed in an 1899 building that in the past served as a dry goods store, post office and railroad station. Port Isabel is also home to a landmark lighthouse that was completed in 1853 to See TEXAS, page 18

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

Philly may bring out your inner wanderer By Don Mankin I learned the art of urban wandering in Philadelphia, the city I grew up in. The French have a word for it: A flâneur is someone who strolls, rambles or saunters almost randomly through city streets, observing people and places, looking for the novel, the interesting and the unexpected. Flâneurs will peek down a street and change course, pulled in by the architecture, the look of the people, the hidden parks, the stores that support the neighborhood, or a café where others take a break from their own explorations and perambulations. Sometimes it’s simply the way the sunlight filters down through the trees. The keys to successful flânerie are spontaneity, serendipity and discovery. As the feet wander, so does the mind, revealing observations, memories and insights. When I was growing up, my father, a great wanderer in his own right, would lead me through the narrow streets of what is now known as Old City — the historic district near the Delaware River, where in 1681 William Penn founded the “greene country town” now known as Philadelphia. I reluctantly left the city behind 45 years ago when I moved to Los Angeles. As a travel writer, whenever I visit a city, I spend a day or two exploring it on foot. But after all these years, my favorite place to explore is still Philly, especially the Old City and the Society Hill and Queen Village neighborhoods to the south. Their narrow, tree-shaded streets, many of them cobblestone, are lined with restored 18th- and 19th-century townhouses, small parks and squares, hidden courts and mews, and a restaurant scene that is as creative and lively as it gets.

Time travel to a quieter era On a four-day visit last November, my wife and I chose to stay in Society Hill, just south of Old City, a neighborhood of historic row houses built 200 to 300 years ago. The streets, buildings and squares look much as they did when Ben Franklin walked these very same streets more than 250 years ago. Our apartment, rented from Airbnb, was in a classic townhouse in the heart of Society Hill. Horse-drawn carriages clipclopped past our door. Across the street, visible from our living-room window, was the historic HillPhysick House, former home of the “father of modern surgery,” who treated the elite of Philadelphia society as well as several of the founding fathers. Also visible from the window was Delancy Street, a cobblestone street with some of the most faithfully restored 18th-century Federalist and Greek Revival-style townhouses in the neighborhood. After a day of wandering through the neighborhood, we headed a few blocks north to the Historic District to check out the most historic sites of all: Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross House and Elfreth’s Alley, a narrow passage lined with restored houses built between 1720 and 1830. The website of Visit Philadelphia calls it “the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited residential street.” On subsequent days, we explored South Street and Queen Village, just three short blocks south of our apartment. In my youth, South Street was a rundown commercial district where I would go to buy cheap, invariably ill-fitting suits. In the 70s and 80s, it turned into a hippie, bohemian, punk haven, and then evolved into the tourist destination it is

today, overflowing with “exotic” boutiques, tattoo parlors, headshops, hipster bars, and inexpensive places to eat. Its lively street scene is perfect for peoplewatching.

Art galleries and a riverwalk Just south of South Street is Queen Village. Queen Village is just as old and walkable, almost as historic, but not as upscale as Society Hill, so the restaurants, shops and art galleries tend to be more quirky, lively and cutting-edge.

A couple of blocks east is Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River, where — you guessed it — William Penn (almost) landed about 350 years ago (he actually landed further south, but the City of Philadelphia purchased the right to use the name). There you’ll find more places to eat, plus a promenade and plazas along the river. It also hosts the Independence Seaport Museum and several historic warships — including a See PHILADELPHIA, page 18

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Texas From page 16 guide ships bringing supplies to U.S. military posts. During the American Civil War, it was used as an observation tower by both Confederate and Union forces. Of 16 lighthouses along the Texas coastline, this is the only one that’s open to visitors. The importance of Port Isabel’s role during the United States-Mexican War (1846-1848), following annexation of Texas by the U.S., and the American Civil War comes alive at the Walk of Generals. It consists of 21 medallions set in sidewalks sur-

rounding the lighthouse that commemorate military men who served and fought in the area during those conflicts. Among the men so honored are Generals Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and Zachary Taylor (12th President of the Unites States).

Local art scene Both Port Isabel and SPI also lay claim to being art appreciation destinations, though in a non-traditional way. Any flat surface inside or outside a shop, restaurant, home or other building can serve as a palette for paintings, usually depicting sea life.

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

There are two “trails” that visitors may follow. The Sea Turtle Art Trail leads to 10 colorfully painted Fiberglass replicas of those reptiles as they’ve never been seen before. The largest, named Tank, covers the entire front of a building. Images on Miracle’s shell depict the challenges of turtle life, from emerging as hatchlings to avoiding predators in the deep oceans. More than two dozen sandy creations comprise the Sandcastle Art Trail, supporting SPI’s claim as Sandcastle Capital of the World. Along with traditional castles, the creations include a singing mermaid and wildlife (such as pelican, alligator and dolphin) that frequent the area. In addition, a tent-like structure called the Sandcastle Village houses an eclectic collection of works. Santa stands not far from Neptune; an enormous butterfly dwarfs a nearby iguana. If seeing sand animals isn’t your thing, perhaps world-class fishing or relaxing on celebrated beaches is. They’re among the many treats that await those who visit SPI and Port Isabel, Texas, a welcome wonderland in any season.

If you go Flights from Washington, D.C. or BWI to Harlingen, Texas, start at $430 on

Philadelphia From page 17 World War II-era submarine, the SpanishAmerican War cruiser USS Olympia, and a four-masted steel barque built in Scotland in 1904 that now serves as a floating restaurant.

How to be a flâneur If you are planning a visit to Philly, find a place to stay in or close to the Historic District and bring a reliable pair of walking shoes. Get a good map, take a look at it to get an idea of where you are going, then

Southwest Airlines. The Harlingen airport is about an hour from the coast, as is the Brownsville airport. Accommodations include the selection expected at a beach resort destination. Typical of the budget hotels in SPI is La Copa Inn, a beachfront property with a pool, restaurant and fitness room. Rates begin at $90; lacoparesort.com. Fyllis and I opted for a three-bedroom Airbnb condo with a full kitchen, balcony and use of a swimming pool shared with occupants of the three other condos nearby. Many restaurants in SPI and Port Isabel are similar in decor (casual) and menus (lengthy). Ceviche is a common appetizer, sometimes touted as the best in SPI, all of Texas and the world. Many seafood restaurants offer to “cook your catch” for reasonable prices. Because entrees, like Texas, are oversized, Fyllis and I usually shared one and, at times, an appetizer, which was enough for two hungry people. Jake’s Restaurant is a typical local eatery which has been “serving fun since 1982.” Specialties include fish, shrimp, oyster and chicken baskets with sides ($10.95-$12.95) and a bountiful seafood platter with sides ($23.95); Jakesspi.com. For more information visit sopadre.com and portisabel-texas.com. put it away and just wander. Check the map from time to time to orient and guide your wanderings, but let your heart, not the map, be your guide. If a street looks interesting, go down it. If a café looks like a good place for a break, take a seat. If a house strikes your fancy, don’t be shy: Stop, stare, take a photo. And don’t be afraid to eat one of those gigantic cheese steaks. The worse that can happen is a good case of heartburn and a grease-stained shirt — the mark of a genuine, fully-fledged Philly flâneur. For more information see visitphilly.com.

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

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Our cover story about WBJC's Judith Krummeck continues on page 20.

‘Rocky the Musical’ packs a punch at Toby’s lumbia. Although there are two scenes featuring boxing, the musical touches on universal themes of class, hope and love. “It really isn’t a story about boxing,” Minnick said. “It’s an underdog love story about people needing people. So, if people are hesitant to come, thinking all they will see is boxing, they are really mistaken.”

Viewers get front-row feeling The theatre is in-the-round, so there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. For the two fight scenes, a boxing ring is carried onto the stage, transforming the scene in the blink of an eye. The ring is very effective, giving the audience the feeling of watching actual combatants in a ring fighting for the world championship. It’s not easy to pull off a production of this magnitude — and to make it something audiences want to see. But the result is a first-class show performed by longtime actors with the backing of a strong leadership team. Rocky Balboa is played by Howard County native Patrick Gover, in his first appearance at Toby’s. Gover’s role requires choreographed boxing scenes in which he runs around the stage (literally) and does push-ups. Gover is as adept physically as he is linguistically. He’s quite good at yelling out Stallone’s signature line, “Yo Adrian!” with a south Philly accent, which he’s able to maintain throughout the play. Rocky’s girlfriend, Adrian Pennino, is

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By Eddie Applefeld Earlier this year, Toby Orenstein, owner of Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, was walking to the corner bakery when she happened to notice a new gym, Title Boxing Club. The gym reminded her of Rocky, the famous 1976 boxing film and subsequent 2014 musical, which coincidentally had just been licensed globally. Excitedly, Orenstein called her colleague, executive producer Mark Minnick. “It’s a sign,” she said. “Rocky is available!” Orenstein had wanted to bring Rocky to her theater since 2014, when it premiered on Broadway and starred two actors who had performed at Toby’s in their early careers. The beloved 1976 film written by Sylvester Stallone was adapted as a musical in 2012, premiering in Germany, followed by a brief run on Broadway in 2014. The movie, made for just $1 million, was the highest grossing film in its year of release and eventually grossed $225 million globally. It also garnered 10 Oscar nominations, with three wins, including best picture. Eight movie sequels followed. This is the first time Rocky the Musical has been produced in our area. The current production at Toby’s Dinner Theatre is directed by Orenstein and Minnick. The script is by Thomas Meehan and Sylvester Stallone, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. The fight choreography and training was provided by Title Boxing Club of Co-

In Rocky the Musical, Howard County actor Patrick Gover, as Rocky, kisses his girlfriend Adrian (Lydia Gifford) as Apollo Creed (Gerald Jordan) claims the title.

played by Orlando native Lydia Gifford, also making her Toby’s debut. Gifford possesses an easy-to-listen-to singing voice and is effective at showing the progression

of her character from shy and introverted to outgoing and emotive. See ROCKY, page 21

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Radio host From page 1 However, station managers had a different timetable. “I had three days. I was plunged on the air on the fourth day. Of course, things went wrong.” What does an experienced radio broadcaster do while the music is playing? Krummeck dispelled the myth that announcers simply sit back with their feet up, hitting the on-air button. “I am so busy!” she said, explaining, “I am compiling half-hourly newscasts during the peak hour of drivetime. I am pro

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gramming ahead for the next day. Once the playlist is finished, I am pulling my CDs for the next day’s shift.” Then there are emails to answer and social media-related assignments she tends to. “It’s pretty hectic.” Along with her daily radio program, Krummeck hosts Book Notes on the station, a twice-monthly feature where she interviews an array of local and national authors covering all genres. Her personal web page, a refreshingly subdued affair, is peppered with her bitesized reflections. Her site also features dates of Krummeck’s public appearances

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at book stores, concerts and beyond. There’s also news about conversations with notable figures like James Conlon, the artistic advisor of the Baltimore Symphony.

Gifted writer Nearly a quarter-century in Charm City has seen Krummeck digging deeper into her vault of innermost thoughts. One goal she folded into an already chockablock schedule was to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts degree at the University of Baltimore, which she earned in 2014. Marion Winik teaches the creative nonfiction course there. Krummeck, she recalled, was “such a lively and unusual person. Her whole manner, her elegant accent. She’s a very gifted writer. She’s very kind and gives classmates her support. She’s also very determined.” The thesis topic assigned for graduation required students to self-publish a book of creative nonfiction. “They had to design, market and arrange [their book] for printing,” Winik explained. Krummeck published Beyond the Baobab, her collection of essays chronicling the triumphs and the travails she encountered as a newly minted American. Energized by the acclaim generated by her debut book (Writer’s Digest called it “an excellent read”), Krummeck followed up in 2019 with Old New Worlds — a biographical memoir that colorfully knits immigrant accounts of “my great-great grandmother

from England to Africa, and mine from Africa to America almost 200 years later.” When asked her preference if she had to make a choice between radio and writing, Krummeck, with a softly measured cadence, put a finer point on it. “If I absolutely had to choose, I would choose writing because I could do that for the rest of my life, and it holds so many challenges for me still.” All the same, she made certain to layer her sentiment with a sense of balance. “I find working concurrently in the media of the spoken word and written word a wonderfully complementary combination.” In her years living, working and playing in Baltimore, Krummeck has nurtured a deep fondness for its people, the vintage rowhouses, world-class museums and major-league symphony orchestra. Nevertheless, despite the horrors of apartheid, her native soil occupies center stage. “Cape Town is still my soul city,” she said, her comforting, signature vocalese dripping in each syllable. “It’s the smells, the lights, the people. It’s absolutely in my blood.” In May, Krummeck will make two public appearances. On Fri., May 13 at 6 p.m., she will be a panelist at Greedy Reads: The Lost Weekend, speaking about the book, If You Love Baltimore, It Will Love You Back by Ron Cassie. On Sun., May 15, at 4:30 p.m., Krummeck and composer James Lee III will host a preconcert discussion before the Shriver Hall Concert Series at Johns Hopkins’ main campus.

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Makes a great gift! | Arts & Style

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

Rocky From page 19 There are 22 actors in the cast, and not one is miscast. The show includes many Toby’s regulars. You may recognize David Bosley-Reynolds, Jeff Shankle, David James, Janine Sunday and Bob Biederman — all seasoned professionals with excellent singing voices. Early in Act One, the song “Holiday,” by the characters Gloria (Janine Sunday), Angie (Kalen Robinson) and Joanne (MaryKate Brouillet), sets the upbeat tone of the musical. One of the most recognizable of the show’s 20-plus songs is “Eye of the Tiger,” a hit by Survivor that was part of the 1982 film “Rocky III.” It’s used in this show in Act Two as part of the exciting training

montage performed by the full company. Another uplifting song of note ended the first act — “One of Us,” again by the company.

About Toby’s Toby’s has been a treasured part of the entertainment scene in Howard County for many decades. At one time there were about six or seven dinner theaters in the Baltimore area. Toby’s remains the only local dinner theater with live music. We’re lucky to have such high-quality live theater in our area. The theater has made many accommodations to continue per formances despite the pandemic. Audience size is limited to 75% of capacity, and the staff does its best to leave room between tables.

Before the pandemic, capacity was about 325 people. Several COVID-related restrictions remain in place. Masks are optional, but you do need proof of vaccination. Gloves are required at the buffet, of course, because everyone touches the same utensils. For this show, the salad bar has returned, but not the ice cream bar. The ample buffet includes baked ham, turkey, roast beef, tilapia, and steamed veggies like Brussels sprouts and broccoli. For this show, chef Chuck Cofield added Mickey’s cheesy macaroni, Paulie’s scalloped potatoes, and Philly cheese

steak casserole. Remember, at a dinner theater, it’s all you can eat. From what I observed, many people take advantage of this perk. The buffet opens at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. On Sundays, doors open at 5 p.m., and for the Wednesday and Sunday matinees, the buffet opens at 10:30 a.m. “Rocky the Musical” runs through June 5. Tickets are $68-$72 for adults and $52.50 for children 12 and under. Patrons 65 and over can attend Tuesday and Wednesday performances for $57.80. For questions or reservations, call the box office at (410) 730-8311.

BEACON BITS

May 3+

IMPRESSIONISTIC ART EXHIBIT

The Artists’ Gallery hosts “Safer at Home,” an exhibition of impressionistic oil paintings created during the pandemic by Chris Rappa. The show is on display from Tues., May 3 through May 29 at 8197 Main Street. The reception takes place Sat., May 7 from 3 to 6 p.m. For more information, visit artistsgalleryec.com or call (443) 325-5936.

May 5

MLK ARTISTIC CELEBRATION

The MLK Artistic Celebration at the Walters Art Museum takes place Thurs., May 5 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Poet Kondwani Fidel will share new work accompanied by musician John Tyler and guests Akilah Divine, APoetNamedNate, Kooz, Zyaa, HLVII KIRA, Black Assets and Eddie Vanz. To register for this free event, visit thewalters.org/event/mlk-2022.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 22 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

S A G A

A L A S

D O N T B E

I T C H E S

T I A R T A

R I N D

I N J U R P Y H O S E A B L E J M E I D X I

S E A L I O N P O T U S

P U P L A O U R I N S O W A S H E D

A P R S

V O O D O T O A N I G O N O U O T A D A R E R I E Y A D

E N T I C E N O T E D

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

A Network of Professionals Dedicated to Serving Older Adults Our members enjoy: • Monthly Networking Meetings • Social Gatherings • Directory & Website Advertising • Professional Development Programming

To review our complete menu of marketing opportunities, visit cogsmd.org. Prospective members are welcome to attend one meeting as our guest.

To register, email info@cogsmd.org.

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

Subscribe online! See how below

Crossword Puzzle Find a new crossword every day on our website at www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com/puzzles. Instant Oats 1

By Stephen Sherr 5

35 38

46 50

54 61

41 45

57 63

Across 1. Offerings at an Indian clothing stare 6. Create a bike path 10. Bog down 14. Wedding gown style 15. ___ the Roof (Drifters classic co-written by Carole King) 16. More than 21, in blackjack 17. Drug taxed by the British in 1856 18. Early model 20. Without any pizzazz 22. Site of the 2016 Olympics 23. Natl. Bat Appreciation Month 24. Donkey 27. Proceed cautiously 33. On the House, or Off the Hook, briefly 34. Columbus’ favorite ship 35. Eagle’s nest 36. Sergeants and corporals 38. ___-law (such as Meathead to Archie) 41. Whip mark 42. US news org. since 1846 44. Blunder 46. Sense of Humor, in personal ads 47. Totally defeated 51. Dir. from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale 52. Chinese “way” 53. Make an incorrect ruling 54. How to prepare instant oatmeal (or solve this puzzle) 60. Vacation property 63. Acid in proteins 64. Like Las Vegas and Tatooine 65. New York canal with 35 locks 66. Tears to pieces 67. Lift to the airport 68. Twosome (such as a 31 Down) 69. Sprinkle on the vinaigrette HB522

Scrabble answers on p. 21.

22 27

Down 1. War and Peace, for example

2. “Oh dear!” 3. Drink garnish 4. An insult makes it worse 5. Fisherman’s Wharf sunbather 6. Insect stage 7. Car loan figs. 8. Spooky curse 9. Offer a carrot 10. Closet pest 11. Brown league 12. Member of the AFL-CIO leadership 13. Before, poetically 19. Roman port that is an anagram for IOTAS 21. Name of 18 French kings 24. Motionless 25. Site of an early Civil War battle 26. Boil with rage 27. “___ such a pushover” 28. Penalties from poison plants 29. One of the Friends 30. End of an INFERNO 31. Dance in Evita and Rent 32. One of the Testaments 37. Gal of song 39. Promise to pay 40. Prominent 43. Denizen of Pennsylvania Ave. 45. Book section usually paginated with Roman numerals 48. Ready to be returned to the wardrobe 49. Witness to a signature 50. Constitution co-writer 54. Users of the Force 55. Diva’s solo 56. Title : Car :: ___ : House 57. Pitchfork part 58. Gets to the closing credits 59. Another one of the Friends 60. Make lace 61. Good name for a financial planner 62. Trail ___

Answers on page 21.

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

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

Business & Employment Opportunities ARE YOU SEMI-RETIRED looking for parttime work? Do you like working with dogs? Are you able to lift 30lbs? Do you enjoy being outside? Are you active enough to keep up with puppies? If so, give Tiki’s Playhouse in Glenelg, MD a call 410-489-7889.

Caregivers MATURE, EXPERIENCED KIND, CAREGIVER/COMPANION. Available up to 32 hrs/week. Cooking, bathing, meds, transportation, errands. Call or text 410-925-4501

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Makes a great gift!

Health ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO HEAR, LISTEN, and/or communicate? Are conversations frustrating for you? Do you have hearing loss? “ASA Speech-Language-Hearing Therapies” provides listening training, lipreading /speechreading training, as well as strategies for communication which can support/enhance your abilities. Antoinette Allen, CCC-SLP is a certified and licensed speechlanguage pathologist who has provided aural rehabilitation /listening/communication therapy services to hard-of-hearing, deaf, and Deaf adults for 35 years. If you (or a loved one) have hearing loss and seek a provider who combines expert knowledge with sensitive and compassionate care, we are here to assist/support. Feel free to contact us at asallen@asahearingtherapies.com MOBILEHELP, America’s Premier Mobile Medical Alert System. Whether You’re Home or Away. For Safety and Peace of Mind. No Long Term Contracts! Free Brochure! Call Today! 1240-650-9189. 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. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-844366-1003 www.dental50plus.com/320 #6258.

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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 1250 • $35 for 251-500. • $50 for 501-750 (maximum length). The website will calculate this for you. Note: Maryland contractors must provide a valid MHIC number. • Each real estate listing qualifies as one ad. • All ads are subject to publisher's discretion. Payment will be refunded if unacceptable for any reason.

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

TV/Cable

REALTOR SPECIALIZING IN SENIOR HOME SALES. I’m a preferred agent for several retirement communities & a regular speaker at the 50+ centers & county libraries on topics like how to get the highest home price, preparing your home for sale, decluttering tips, & retirement community options. I will be with you every step of the way as we go through the process of SELLING YOUR HOME. CALL ME—KAREN GATZKE, RE/MAX Solutions, 410-218-0578 (preferred #); karengatzke@remax.net. Office-410-7472800.

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Personals SINGLE, ATTRACTIVE, PETITE, AA FEMALE seeking male companion 55-65 years of age. Seeking physically and socially active male. Would like to meet for coffee and conversation. Phone 410-404-8834. Ask for DeDe.

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Wanted CASH FOR ESTATES; I buy a wide range of items. jewelry, silver, art, rugs, cultural items, collections, etc. buy out/clean up. Gary;301-5200755. Website; theatticllc.com. I have my own trucks, my own crew & insurance. WANTED OLD MOTORCYCLES: 1970’s & Older. Any condition good or bad. Buying AS IS paying CASH & PICKING UP. Kawasaki Norton Honda Triumph BMW Yamaha Harley BSA Suzuki Indian Etc. Call for CASH offer 1(800)220-9683, WEBSITE: www.wantedoldmotorcycles.com COLLECTOR PAYING CASH FOR COMIC BOOKS! from the 1940s to the 2000s. So check your attic and your closets and let me know if have any you would like to sell! Call or text Joe at 443562-8082 or by email: joebuyscomics@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading the Beacon!

We thank our advertisers who make our publication possible. Please patronize them and let them know you saw their ad in the Beacon. Career Opportunities

Home Health Care

Beacon Inside Salesperson . . . . . .18

A-1 Action Nursing Care . . . . . . . .9 Options for Senior America . . . . .18

Clinical Health Studies Balance & Memory Study . . . . . . .8

Funeral Services Cremation Society of Maryland . .18 Going Home Cremation . . . . . . . .20 Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, Inc. . . . . . . . . .17 MacNabb Funeral Home . . . . . . .18 Sol Levinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Home Improvement/ Remodeling Amazing Walk-in Tubs . . . . . . . . . .5

Housing Brightview Senior Living . . . . . . .7 Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Charlestown/Erickson . . . . . . . . . .9 Enterprise Residential . . . . . . . . .15 Homecrest House . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Morningside House of Ellicott City . .6 Oak Crest/Erickson . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Park View Apartments . . . . . . . . .15 Shriner Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Medical/Health Dr. Jeannine GeorgeRichardson, DPM . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Maryland Vascular Specialists . . . .4 Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Patapsco Acupuncture . . . . . . . . . .3

Retail Zinger Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Senior/Government Services COGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Howard Co. 50+ Connection .10-11 Howard Co. Recreation & Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-13 Maryland Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Subscriptions Beacon Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . .22

Theater/ Entertainment Columbia Orchestra, The . . . . . . .21 Columbia Pro Cantare . . . . . . . . .19 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . .19

Travel Eyre Tour & Travel . . . . . . . . . . . .17

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

Subscribe online! See how on p. 22

ASSISTED LIVING

ENJOY NEW

BEGINNINGS Begin a new season of independence, comfort and care at Brooke Grove Retirement Village. Assisted living with a difference LIFE® enrichment programming to enhance individual discovery, partnerships with families and inspiring experiences • Private rooms with oversized windows and skylights • Cozy family rooms, intimate dining rooms and sunny decks • Innovative memory support • Large, secure courtyards and enticing walking paths • Flower and sensory gardens • Playground for visiting kids

... because what surrounds you really matters.

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