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VOL.31, NO.12

Historian makes history as CEO

Jersey roots prepared him Bunch, the first African American secretary of the 173-year-old Smithsonian, grew up in a white suburb in northern New Jersey. “As the only black kid in the neighborhood, you learn so much about how people judge you without knowing you,” he said. “Jersey taught me to run, to fight and to talk

PHOTO BY KATHY HUTCHINS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

By Margaret Foster A girlfriend convinced Lonnie G. Bunch III to jump out of an airplane when he was 17 years old. “I jump out, and I’m yelling, screaming, cursing,” Bunch — now the new head of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. — recalled in an interview with the Beacon. But he learned something important from the experience. “It taught me that I could do things that scare the heck out of me if I took a deep breath and took the step,” said Bunch, now 66. “That’s really what’s shaped my career.” Since then, he’s figuratively taken the leap into the unknown more than once. In his new role, for example, he oversees 19 museums, 21 libraries, research centers and the National Zoo, which together attract more than 30 million visitors a year. But perhaps even more of a leap of faith was his prior gig, as founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. When Bunch accepted that position in 2005, the museum was little more than an idea. It had no money, no artifacts — not even a plot of land. Bunch tells the story of how that museum, the National Mall’s newest, finally opened in 2016 in his most recent book, A Fool’s Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama and Trump, which was published in September.

DECEMBER 2019

I N S I D E …

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

Post-hurricanes, Puerto Rico once again enchants visitors; plus, hiking through Northern Ireland, and winter travel tips page 44

ARTS & STYLE

Historian Lonnie G. Bunch III is shown accepting the NAACP President’s Award in 2017 for his work as founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Bunch, who recently published a memoir about the museum’s creation, was installed as the new Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution on Nov. 1. He is the first African American to hold the position.

my way out of things. Those are skills that have served me throughout my career.” Bunch credits his grandfather, a former sharecropper from North Carolina, with in-

spiring his love of history. Bunch was intrigued by photographs in his grandfather’s See LONNIE BUNCH, page 57

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This month’s Kennedy Center honorees; plus, a powerful play about autism, and Bob Levey counts his blessings page 50

TECHNOLOGY k Shop thriftily online

FITNESS & HEALTH 10 k When to bypass a bypass (or stents) k A closer look at coconut oil SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

LAW & MONEY 36 k A stress test for your portfolio k When parents need your help ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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Show your creativity Then we invited readers to submit phoRegular readers of the Beacon will recall that we sponsored an amateur art competi- tos of their original artworks through a special competition website tion for people over 50 last made possible by the Maryyear. land Federation of Art. Called the Beacon’s “CeleI’m not sure what kind of bration of the Arts,” it was inresponse we were expecting. spired by moving stories Maybe a hundred or so items. from readers who had either So we were pleasantly surreturned to an earlier love of art after years away from it, prised (flabbergasted, actualor developed a passion for it ly) to receive more than 900 later in life. entries! We wanted to encourage And such beautiful works: those who have never tried FROM THE Paintings, drawings, statues painting, drawing, pottery PUBLISHER and busts, ceramics, fabric By Stuart P. Rosenthal and the like to take a class or works, photographs, even a find a mentor and start expecopper lamp and a mobile riencing the pleasure of expressing them- sculpture. selves through art. In short, it was an eye-opening experiWe also wanted to offer those already ence, and an inspiring one as well. You can engaged in making art an opportunity to see for yourself, by viewing the winning enter their best works in a professionally works on our website at thebeaconnewspajudged competition for cash prizes and the pers.com/celebration-of-the-arts. Also, see our story and list of winners on page 55 of chance to exhibit in a gallery. To set the stage, so to speak, we ran a this issue. series of stories about area art classes, and So I am pleased to announce that, due to highlighted local amateurs who were the success of last year’s project, we will painting, making ceramics or hand-painted be holding another Celebration of the Arts scarves, taking photos and engaging in competition in early 2020. other creative activities

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Washington DC area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Greater Baltimore, Howard County, Md. and Richmond, Va. Readership exceeds 400,000. Subscriptions are available via first-class mail ($36) or third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. D.C. and 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 Vice President of Operations – Gordon Hasenei Vice President, Sales & Marketing – Alan Spiegel Managing Editor – Margaret Foster Art Director – Kyle Gregory Director of Operations – Roger King Advertising Representatives – Doug Hallock, Dan Kelly, Hubie Stockhausen Editoral Intern – Ivey Noojin

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 (301) 949-9766 • Email: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com Website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.com Submissions: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial is the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 15th of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 63 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions. © Copyright 2019 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

Some changes next year We learned some important things from the last event, so there will be a few changes for next year’s competition. First, we will have some different categories. In part, that’s because we combined several types of art in broad categories last time, and now want to give those working in different media their own categories as much as possible. Also, we had a poetry category last year which, though also ver y popular, felt somewhat out of place (especially at the gallery show for winners). Our hope is to have a separate writing competition later that may offer categories for poems, short stories, autobiographical sketches and the like. So next year we will award first-, secondand third-place cash prizes, as well as honorable mention certificates, in these seven categories: — Painting (watercolor, oil, acrylic) — Drawing (pen and ink, graphite, pastels, calligraphy) — Sculpture/Carving — Ceramics — Jewelry/Stained Glass — Mixed Media/Textile Art — Digital photography Amateur artists 50 and older may enter up to three original artworks (created after the age of 50) in each category. Those who entered last year are of course welcome to enter again, but not to reenter any artworks that were selected by judges in last year’s competition. The online competition will open in mid-January and run through March 20, 2020. Winners will be announced in April. In addition to the cash awards and certificates, winners will have the opportunity to exhibit their works in one or more area

galleries. Also, bios of winning artists and photos of their works will be published in a special Celebration of the Arts section to be printed in the Beacon in the spring. And winners will be honored at our 50+Expos taking place in the fall in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia. While there is a modest fee of $10 for each entry, entering at least one work of art will entitle you to a one-year membership in the Maryland Federation of Art (new members only; value: $70). Among other things, the membership will enable you to have your own web page on their site, where you can share images of up to 20 artworks with friends and family. Community partners, including dozens of area nonprofits and government entities, will help us spread the word about the Celebration throughout the region. Communities, businesses and nonprofits wishing to become sponsors or community partners may call the Beacon at (301) 949-9766 or email alan@thebeaconnewspapers.com for more information. Additional details about the competition will appear in the January issue of the Beacon, and complete rules will be posted on thebeaconnewspapers.com. I think this contest is well named. There is so much to celebrate when people try something new later in life and discover a new passion. We’re very excited about the 2020 Celebration of the Arts, and look forward to seeing your work! Questions? Call us at (301) 949-9766.

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to info@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: Your November article by Kristin M. Hall, “A tour of country music’s highlights,” is a gem. The use of towns, villages and rivers to describe the classic C&W music is, in fact, a classic. Keep up the great articles. John H. Eckert Ellicott City, Md. Dear Editor: America has the potential to be great, the desire to be great. The Constitution and Bill of Rights support that plan. So, what happened? America has never lived up to its creed. Begin with the Indians, who were here and welcomed the immigrants, slavery and reconstruction, Jim Crow...So much damage has been done. There is so much that has hindered America from being great. Americans

have done it to themselves. The American’s unwillingness to accept responsibility for what he has done and continues to really prevents America from living up to its promise. Argentine Deigh Washington, D.C. Dear Editor: Many preventable deaths occur each year in the U.S. We should do studies to learn how to bring down the number of these deaths. For instance, 5% of annual deaths are attributed to poverty. We could reduce our poverty rate dramatically by offering salaried apprentice programs spanning hundreds of white- and blue-collar occupations to our young people. See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 63

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

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Technology &

Innovations Apps can track spending in retirement By Mary Kane and Emma Patch When Lauren Lindsay joined a large group of about 20 friends for brunch in Houston recently, things quickly got complicated. “Different people ordered different things, and some had to come and go at different times,” said Lindsay, 49, a financial planner. “And the place wouldn’t do separate checks.” But the friend who organized the brunch had a simple solution, Lindsay said. She paid the entire bill and then used the payment sharing app Venmo, letting people know what they owed and how much the tip was, so she could be reimbursed. Lindsay also regularly uses Venmo to split dining and other expenses.

“It’s very handy, so you aren’t chasing people down when they owe you money,” she said. “Not very many people carry cash in general anymore, so this is the way things are going.” For retirees, organizing expenses and splitting checks equitably are key ways to keep a handle on everyday spending, which can be stressful when adjusting to life without a steady paycheck. While your grandkids may be familiar with a range of apps that help manage spending, you may be on a financial tech learning curve. Four in 10 seniors now own smartphones, which is double the number in 2013, according to the Pew Research Cen-

ter. But some remain wary of using financial apps. For others, it may just be a matter of getting comfortable using such an app, said Rick Kahler, a financial planner in Rapid City, S.D.

Keep track of receipts, expenses Kahler said he only recommends to clients the apps that he actually uses. He likes TurboScan, which uses your phone’s camera to scan a receipt and helps keep the virtual receipts organized. Another favorite is GasBuddy, which Kahler accesses when he rents a car while traveling. Instead of taking the option to return the car with the tank empty and face a more costly rental company charge for fill-

ing it, he uses GasBuddy to find the lowest priced gas station in an unfamiliar area. Kahler said he and some of his older clients also like Mint, a money-management app. You can create a monthly budget with it, putting your expenses in as many as 20 categories. You can even keep track of charitable gifts, which you can then use as a record at tax time. After you’ve entered the target amounts for each category, you link your bank account and watch your recent expenses automatically fill progress bars for each category. Or you could use an expense-tracking app such as Fearless Finance. See APPS, page 9

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Spend your Christmas helping the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception give away hundreds of meals to the poor, homeless and elderly. Volunteer to help serve 2,000 dinners at the basilica’s cafeteria. Different positions are available. The event takes place on Wed., Dec. 25 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. To register, visit http://bit.ly/BasilicaChristmas.

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Online, items may be more expensive than at an actual thrift store, especially

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Easier to find what you want

when you add in shipping costs. But in many cases, it’s also easier to find stuff — no dusty racks, no piles of clothing, and you can search for a brand name and item without leaving your couch. Furthermore, there’s often room to negotiate price. The best sites create an experience for shoppers that’s not only easier to navigate than an actual thrift store, but better than going to a traditional store and buying something new (at full price), said Anita Balchandani, a McKinsey partner. It’s hard to determine how big the usedclothing market is, but you can see increasing consumer interest in it due to the growing number of companies engaged in it, said Balchandani. She is co-author of a report predicting that consumers will use more “pre-owned” or rented clothing, like Rent the Runway’s model of renting out clothes to its subscribers. The best-known online marketplace that connects individual sellers and buyers is eBay. But sites built for different purposes also function as bargain-hunting middlemen. You can list your wares on neighbor-

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Online thrift shops offer new ways to save By Tali Arbel It’s not just eBay anymore. A slew of websites and apps act as virtual thrift stores for vintage devotees, deal hunters and those just looking to unload stuff they don’t want anymore. These sites have proliferated as the recession of a decade ago and the slow comeback in wages since then dramatically altered how people shop. Discounters like T.J. Maxx have been sweeping up, while many traditional retailers have shrunk, gone bankrupt or disappeared. The stigma of “used” has fallen away, and many now shop knowing full well they can sell their pieces later and get some money back. Some consider buying used clothes online a more eco-conscious approach to trends. There’s a range of consignment stores on the Internet. Some cater to kids or young adults; some are specifically for high-end fashion; some are a free-for-all.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Technology & Innovations | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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

Stay Safe on the Roads Interested in being a lifelong driver? Years of experience may make you a safe driver. Changes due to aging, however, may create driving challenges. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you are safe:

Have your vision checked annually.

Have regular check-ups and discuss with your doctor the side effects of medications that could impact driving.

Exercise regularly to maintain strength, range of motion, flexibility, and coordination.

Also, consider how you “fit” in your car. For instance, how easily can you see over the dashboard and reach the pedals? Have you positioned your side view mirrors to avoid blind spots? CarFit is a free program that enhances the “fit” between drivers and their vehicles for comfort and safety. Go to car-fit.org to see when a local CarFit event is scheduled.

Brush up on your driving skills and learn about types of crashes common to older drivers. For example, older drivers crash more frequently when making left turns at intersections and when merging with traffic at speeds of 40 - 45 mph.

AARP offers a refresher course for drivers age 50 and older. Go to www.aarp.org or call 1-877-846-3299 for details. Your local library or senior center may be a host site. Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) offers information on its website about how certain medical conditions can affect your driving skills. Go to www.mva. maryland.gov and search for “Driving and Your Health.”

Why not experiment with alternatives to driving? Montgomery County has a range of options—including free and discounted public transportation, volunteer programs and discounted taxi service.

For free help finding the best options for you, call Connect-a-Ride at 301-738-3252 to discuss your unique situation. To learn how to use public transportation, register for the free “Ride Smart Travel Training” workshop.

Check out the County’s detailed transportation network directory for people with disabilities and adults age 50 or older, www. montgomerycountymd.gov/tnd

Montgomery County’s website has resources for older drivers. Google search “Montgomery County older driver.”

• 3-1-1 or 240-777-0311 for County programs and services; 9-1-1 for emergency • www.montgomerycountymd.gov/senior

• “Seniors Today” airs on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 6 p.m. on Comcast/RCN 6, Verizon 30

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Apps From page 6

Many apps to choose from To use an app, download it from Apple’s App Store if you have an iPhone, or from Google Play if you have an Android mobile device. Many apps are free, but double check for any charges or fees first. You can log in to Venmo using your

Thrift shops From page 7 hood app Nextdoor, Craigslist and Facebook’s marketplace. In these cases, you’re typically limited by geography as these sites mostly connect locals, pointed out Kathy Kristof, editor of the SideHusl website that gives tips on gig jobs. Some people also use Facebook’s groups function, dedicated to specific brands, and ship to each other across the country. Etsy also is more wide-ranging.

Buyer protection varies Fraud protections vary on these platforms. Etsy and eBay have a process to resolve disputes. On the others, it may be free to post listings, but that means there is no mediator when things go wrong. On some sites, sellers manage their own “closets.” They can try to develop a personal following by using social media to promote themselves, and ingratiate themselves to buyers by enclosing thank-you notes with purchases. “A lot of my sales come solely from Instagram,” said Haley Gibbs, 24, who resells clothes that she picks up from thrift stores in Minneapolis, where she lives. She sells them on Poshmark, a site that’s a grab-bag of styles and prices. She sends handwritten notes to her buyers, whom she considers a supportive community that helped her transition to selling full-time. She “advertises” her

BEACON BITS

Dec. 9

START YOUR OWN NONPROFIT

Are you considering starting a nonprofit? Learn more about the process, as well as alternative solutions, at a free class on Mon., Dec. 9 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Rockville Memorial Library, 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md. To learn more, call (240) 777-0140.

Dec. 14

WREATHS FOR VETERANS

Celebrate our veterans by laying wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery. Everyone is welcome, including grandchildren. The event takes place on Sat, Dec. 14 from 7 to 11 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Ave., Arlington. To register, visit http://bit.ly/ArlingtonWreath.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

Facebook account, which lets you pull in your friends list. To pay or request to be paid back, enter the username or phone number of the recipient within the app. Enter the amount and what the money is for, then select “Pay” or “Request.” To transfer money you receive in Venmo to your bank account, select “Transfer to Bank.” Note the instant transfer fee is 1% of the transfer amount, with a minimum

fee of 25 cents and a maximum of $10. To send money without burdening the recipient with a transfer fee, consider the gifting app called NextRound. You also can use Tab, another app, to make it easier to request payments through Venmo. Tab gives you a code to share with friends, so they can join in on the bill from their smartphones. You also can send money to friends

through Zelle and PayPal. If apps aren’t for you, you could instead create an Excel spreadsheet to track spending. Or you might decide that it’s more important to enjoy a meal with friends and family than to worry about splitting the bill, and let it go. © 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Poshmark offerings on Instagram. The whole look and feel of Depop, an app popular with teens and young adults, is reminiscent of Instagram, complete with stylized posts by wannabe influencers. Other sites cater to parents of young children, like Kidizen. It’s a market that makes particular sense for used clothing, since kids grow so fast.

and gently used handbags that cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, a model like TheRealReal guarantees that the merchandise is authentic. The company’s employees, not individual sellers, set prices, and the site takes a hefty cut — it can be more than half of the selling price. But buyers are able to trust that a Hermès scarf is actually Hermès. Reselling and refurbishing used clothes is attracting so much attention that some resale sites are striking partnerships with retail names more than a century old.

J.C. Penney and Macy’s are working with ThredUP, which operates similarly to TheRealReal in that a customer buys from the middleman, not from another individual. (ThredUP does not have the same singular high-end focus, though.) Neiman Marcus has an arrangement with Fashionphile, in which it owns a minority stake. There’s a plan for customers to be able to sell their old handbags and accessories to Fashionphile inside Neiman Marcus’ luxury department stores. —AP

Designer discounts For those focused on high-end items, like deluxe watches, designer garments

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Health Fitness &

MORE INTELLIGENT DIAGNOSES? Bayer is developing artificial intelligence apps to help doctors with diagnoses COCONUT OIL MYTHS Is coconut oil truly healthy, or is the saturated fat something we should avoid? HELP FROM HEMP Some studies suggest CBD helps with anxiety, but talk to your doctor, too KNOWLEDGE IS POWER Are you at risk for dementia? Most people misunderstand their risks

Study questions value of stents, bypass By Marilynn Marchione People with severe but stable heart disease from clogged arteries may have less chest pain if they get a procedure to improve blood flow, rather than just giving medicines a chance to help. But it won’t cut their risk of having a heart attack or dying over the following few years, a big federally funded study found. The results challenge medical dogma and call into question some of the most common practices in heart care. They are the strongest evidence yet that tens of thousands of costly stent procedures and bypass operations each year are unnecessary or premature for people with stable disease. That’s a different situation than a heart attack, when a procedure is needed right away to restore blood flow. But for nonemergency cases, the study shows “there’s no need to rush” into invasive tests and procedures, said New York University’s Dr. Judith Hochman. There might even be harm: To doctors’ surprise, study participants who had a procedure were more likely to suffer a heart problem or die over the next year than those treated with medicines alone. Hochman co-led the study and gave the

results at an American Heart Association conference in Philadelphia last month. “This study clearly goes against what has been the common wisdom for the last 30, 40 years” and may lead to less testing and invasive treatment for such patients in the future, said Dr. Glenn Levine, a Baylor College of Medicine cardiologist with no role in the research. Some doctors still may quibble with the study, but it was very well done “and I think the results are extremely believable,” he said.

Reinforces earlier study results About 17 million Americans have clogged arteries that crimp the heart’s blood supply, which can cause periodic chest pain. Cheap and generic aspirin, cholesterol-lowering drugs and blood pressure medicines are known to cut the risk of a heart attack for these folks, but many doctors also recommend a procedure to improve blood flow. That’s either a bypass — open-heart surgery to detour around blockages — or angioplasty, in which doctors push a tube through an artery to the clog, inflate a tiny balloon and place a stent, or mesh scaffold, to prop the artery open. Twelve years ago, a big study found that

angioplasty was no better than medicines for preventing heart attacks and deaths in non-emergency heart patients, but many doctors balked at the results and quarreled with the methods. So the federal government spent $100 million for the new study, which was twice as large, spanned 37 countries and included people with more severe heart disease — a group most likely to benefit from stents or a bypass. All 5,179 participants had stress tests, usually done on a treadmill, that suggested blood flow was crimped. All were given lifestyle advice and medicines that improve heart health. Half also were given CT scans to rule out dangerous blockages and then continued on their medicines. The others were treated as many people with abnormal stress tests are now: They were taken to cardiac catheterization labs for angiograms. The procedure involves placing a tube into a major artery and using special dyes to image the heart’s blood vessels. Blockages were treated right away, with angioplasty in threefourths of cases and a bypass in the rest. Doctors then tracked how many in each group suffered a heart attack, heart-related death, cardiac arrest or hospitalization

for worsening chest pain or heart failure. After one year, 7% in the invasively treated group had one of those events versus 5% of those on medicines alone. At four years, the trend reversed — 13% of the procedures group and 15% of the medicines group had suffered a problem. Averaged across the entire study period, the rates were similar regardless of treatment.

Medicines just as effective If stents and bypasses did not carry risks of their own, “I think the results would have shown an overall benefit” from them, said another study leader, Dr. David Maron of Stanford University. “But that’s not what we found. We found an early harm and later benefit, and they canceled each other out.” Why might medicines have proved just as effective at reducing risks? Bypasses and stents fix only a small area. Medicines affect all the arteries, including other spots that might be starting to clog, experts said. Drugs also have improved a lot in recent years. See HEART PROCEDURE, page 12

Doctors safely edit genes to fight cancer By Marilynn Marchione The first attempt in the United States to use a gene editing tool called CRISPR against cancer seems safe in the three patients who have had it so far, but it’s too soon to know if it will improve survival, doctors reported in November. The doctors were able to take immune system cells from the patients’ blood and alter them genetically to help them recognize and fight cancer, with minimal and manageable side effects. The treatment deletes three genes that might have been hindering these cells’ ability to attack the disease and adds a new, fourth feature to help them do the job. “It’s the most complicated genetic, cellular engineering that’s been attempted so far,” said the study leader, Dr. Edward Stadtmauer of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “This is proof that we can safely do gene editing of these cells.”

Two of the patients have multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, and the third has a sarcoma, cancer that forms in connective or soft tissue. All had failed multiple standard treatments and were out of good options. Their blood was filtered to remove immune system soldiers called T cells, which were modified in the lab and then returned to the patients through an IV. It’s intended as a one-time treatment. The cells should multiply into an army within the body and act as a living drug. So far, the cells have survived and have been multiplying as intended, Stadtmauer said. After two to three months, one patient’s cancer continued to worsen and another was stable. The third patient was treated too recently to know how she’ll fare. The plan is to treat 15 more patients and assess safety and how well it works. “It’s very early, but I’m incredibly en-

couraged by this,” said one independent expert, Dr. Aaron Gerds, a Cleveland Clinic cancer specialist. Other cell therapies for some blood cancers “have been a huge hit, taking diseases that are uncurable and curing them,” and the gene editing may give a way to improve on those, he said.

Supercharges immune system Gene editing is a way to permanently change DNA to attack the root causes of a disease. CRISPR is a tool to cut DNA at a specific spot. It’s long been used in the lab and is being tried for a number of diseases. This study is not aimed at changing DNA within a person’s body. Instead it seeks to remove, alter and give back to the patient cells that are super-powered to fight their cancer — a form of immunotherapy. Chinese scientists reportedly have tried this for cancer patients, but this is the first

such study outside that country. It’s so novel that it took more than two years to get approval from U.S. government regulators to try it. The early results were released by the American Society of Hematology; details will be given at its annual conference this month. The study is sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy in San Francisco and a biotech company, Tmunity Therapeutics. Several study leaders and the university have a financial stake in the company and may benefit from patents and licenses on the technology. “This is a brand new therapy,” Stadtmauer said, so it’s not clear how soon any anti-cancer effects will be seen. Following these patients longer, and testing more of them, will tell, he said. —AP

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Possible shortage of sterile surgical tools By Matthew Perrone Hospitals could soon face shortages of critical surgical tools because several plants that sterilize the equipment have been shut down, government health officials said last month. The Food and Drug Administration flagged the issue in an online statement to medical professionals, saying the result could be years of shortages of supplies used in heart surgery, knee replacements, C-sections and many other procedures.

Hazardous methods used The warning follows the recent closure of several sterilization facilities that use ethylene oxide. The gas is critical for cleaning medical equipment, but it can be hazardous at elevated levels and is increasingly being scrutinized by state health and

environmental officials. “The impact resulting from closure of these and perhaps more facilities will be difficult to reverse,” said FDA acting commissioner Ned Sharpless in a statement, adding that the shortages “could compromise patient care.” The FDA urged hospitals to inventory their supplies and alert government officials if they face major shortages. The agency said regulators could help identify alternative devices for those impacted by the issue. Sterilization, a daily process at hospitals and many other health care facilities, is used to remove bacteria from medical scopes, catheters, surgical kits and other reusable instruments. Hospitals use various cleaning methods, including heat, steam and radiation. But the oxide gas is the only method for

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Dec. 19

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Learn how to prevent and manage chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and dementia at a workshop hosted by the African American Health and Wellness Program. There will be nutritional demonstrations, along with other resources to combat these health issues. The free event will be held on Thurs., Dec. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Germantown Library, 19840 Century Blvd., Germantown. To register, call (240) 777-1833 or email info@aahpmontgomery.org.

cleaning many devices made from plastic, metal or glass, according to the FDA. About half of all sterilized medical devices in the U.S. are cleaned with the gas, according to studies cited by the agency.

Gas is carcinogenic Exposure to dangerous levels of ethylene oxide can cause cancer including leukemia and lymphoma, according to the National Institutes of Health. Factories that emit the gas are subject to safety standards by both state and federal environmental laws. Earlier this year, Illinois authorities closed a large plant owned by sterilization company Sterigenics after detecting high

outdoor levels of the gas. This month, the company announced the plant would not reopen. Another Sterigenics plant in Georgia has been closed for maintenance since August after state officials detected potentially dangerous emissions at the Atlanta facility. The company voluntarily closed the plant to speed up the installation of technology to reduce gas emissions. State officials said the plant was operating within the emission limits of its governmentissued permits. The FDA will hold a two-day meeting this month to discuss new sterilization techniques for devices. —AP

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Medicare Part B premium rising in 2020 By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Medicare’s “Part B” premium for outpatient care will rise by nearly 7% to $144.60 a month next year, officials said in November. They blamed rising spending on medications. The $9.10 monthly increase follows a smaller $1.50 rise this year. It comes after Social Security announced a modest costof-living raise for 2020 that works out to about $24 a month for the average retired worker. “People who are really counting on that Social Security [raise] will lose some of that to this Medicare increase,” said Fred Riccardi, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a group that advocates on healthcare issues.

“For people who live with little to no savings, any increase in Medicare premiums or drug costs is going to be a struggle.” Medicare blamed the premium increase largely on rising spending for drugs administered in doctors’ offices. Those medications are covered under the Part B outpatient benefit and include many cancer drugs. “These higher costs have a ripple effect and result in higher Part B premiums and deductible,” the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a statement. Medicare also announced that the annual Part B outpatient deductible will increase by $13, to $198 next year, while the Part A in-patient deductible will increase by $44, to $1,408 in 2020.

Efforts to limit drug costs The announcement on premiums comes amid growing uncertainty about pending legislation to rein in drug costs for seniors. Pharmacy drugs are covered by another part of Medicare, the Part D prescription program. The White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi parted ways in November on her bill that calls for Medicare to negotiate drug prices. President Donald Trump instead has thrown his support to a bipartisan Senate bill that would require drugmakers to pay rebates to Medicare if they increase prices beyond the inflation rate. Meanwhile, a Trump administration

regulation that would tr y to lower what Medicare pays for drugs administered in doctors’ offices has yet to be finalized. The Part B standard premium is what many seniors use as an unofficial yardstick to track what healthcare is costing them. Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care. Upper-income retirees pay higher premiums, and those are also going up. A recent study found that more than half of seriously ill Medicare enrollees face financial hardships over medical bills, and prescription drugs are the leading problem. [See “Hardship with medical bills is common,” on page 37.] —AP

Heart procedure

results — people who know they had a procedure tend to credit it with any improvement they perceive in symptoms. Dr. Alice Jacobs, a Boston University cardiologist who led a treatment-guidelines panel a few years ago, said any placebo effect fades with time, and people with a lot of chest pain that’s unrelieved by medicines still may want a procedure. “It’s intuitive that if you take the block-

age away, you’re going to do better, you’re going to feel better,” but the decision is up to the patient and doctor, she said. The bottom line: There’s no harm in trying medicines first, especially for people with no or little chest pain, doctors said. When told they have a problem that can be fixed with a stent, “the grand majority of patients in my experience will opt to undergo that procedure’’ to get improvement right away, said Dr. Jay Giri, a cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania with no role in the study. Maryann Byrnes-Alvarado is not among

them. The 66-year-old New York City woman said she joined the study six years ago after having trouble walking, which “scared me to death,” but so did the idea of a heart procedure. She was relieved when she was assigned to the medication treatment group. Her doctor altered her blood pressure medicine, added a cholesterol drug and aspirin, and adjusted her diet. Now her risk factor numbers are better, and she can walk again without difficulty. “I believe I got the best care that I could get” and avoided an operation, she said. —AP

From page 10 Having a procedure did prove better at reducing chest pain, though. Of those who had pain daily or weekly when they entered the study, half in the stent-or-bypass group were free of it within a year versus 20% of those on medicines alone. A placebo effect may have swayed these

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Computers may improve drugs, diagnoses By Linda A. Johnson Drugmakers have embraced artificial intelligence (AI), using computers to analyze reams of data and then make predictions or recommendations. Germany’s Bayer has been testing how the technology can help diagnose complex or rare conditions, hasten drug development and more. The aspirin creator has partnered with startups and tech companies to develop software and apps to speed diagnosis and guide treatment. The company is working with hospitals, academic researchers and others to compile everything the AI software needs to “learn’’ before it analyzes a patient’s condition. That includes information on disease causes, symptoms and progression, plus many past patients’ test results, doctor reports and scanned images. The Associated Press recently interviewed Angeli Moeller, who heads artificial intelligence projects across Bayer’s

pharmaceutical business. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. Q: Why use partners for developing AI software and apps? A: These areas are so new and so exploratory that you just wouldn’t get there on time alone. We partner with companies that have that expertise and can accelerate development. We believe we will save a couple years. Q: How is Bayer using AI? A: We’re looking at cardiovascular disease, oncology and women’s health. Our focus is on diagnosis but also on digital therapeutics, where you’re using the technology to recommend a patient make a change in behavior to improve their health, or you’re recommending medication changes. Q: How would Bayer and other drugmakers working on AI software get hospitals or insurers to pay for using it? A: We would show that the software

does what it says. It becomes cost effective and attractive for them when we can prove the improved outcomes with our app. Q: How are you using AI to improve design and patient testing of experimental drugs? A: When developing a new drug, we can model how it will behave in a cell in combination with other drugs the patients might be taking. We’re looking at how we can identify the right patients and sites to run our clinical trials. We would be able to run shorter studies and show where the medication is the right one for those patients earlier. Q: How might this eventually affect doctors and patients?

A: Everything we’re doing in our artificial intelligence program is for decision support, because we want the doctor to make the decision on treatment. In the doctor’s office, you would have a computer dashboard showing recommendations, but the really high-powered computing would happen somewhere else. What’s most important for patients is that they’re still in control of their treatment. Q: How long will it be before this is helping average patients? A: It’s probably going to take two years before it really hits mainstream medical practice. Getting the technology to the patient is still the hard part. —AP

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Take a closer look at coconut oil advice By Vasanti Malik Coconut oil has seen a surge in popularity in recent years due to many touted health benefits, ranging from reducing belly fat to strengthening the immune system, preventing heart disease and staving off dementia. These claims are often backed by celebrity endorsements and bolstered by proponents of popular diets such as ketogenic and Paleo, with little support from scientific evidence. On the flip side, and further adding to the confusion, you also may have seen headlines calling out coconut oil as “pure poison,” implying that it shouldn’t be consumed at all. Given these contradictory claims, a question of much public and scientific in-

terest is whether there is room for coconut oil in a healthy diet.

benefits. Unsaturated fats are predominantly found in oils, nuts, seeds and fish.

Bad fats, good fats

Saturated fats should be limited

Coconut oil largely consists of saturated fat (80% to 90% of fat in coconut oil is saturated), making it solid at room temperature. Other sources of saturated fat include animal products, such as meat and dairy, and other plant-based tropical oils like palm oil. Consumption of saturated fat has long been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to its ability to raise harmful LDL cholesterol levels. Unlike saturated fats, unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. They can improve blood cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation, among other cardiovascular

The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming no more than 10% of total calories from saturated fat. And last year the American Heart Association (AHA) released a scientific advisory statement recommending the replacement of saturated fats in the diet, including coconut oil, with unsaturated fats. In their statement, the AHA cited and discussed a review of seven randomized controlled trials, in which coconut oil was found to raise LDL cholesterol levels. The rationale behind the AHA recommendation is that consuming unsaturated fats in place of saturated fat will lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and improve the ratio of total cholesterol to “good” HDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease. For those at risk of, or who already have, heart disease, the AHA advises no more than 6% of total calories from saturated fat, or about 13 grams based on a 2,000-calorie diet. One tablespoon of coconut oil comes close to that limit, with about 12 grams of saturated fat.

the replacement of saturated fat, including coconut oil, with unsaturated fat for optimal cardiovascular health, where do the myriad health claims for coconut oil come from? Many of the health claims for coconut oil are based on studies that used a special formulation of coconut oil made of 100% medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). This is not the coconut oil available on supermarket shelves. MCTs have a shorter chemical structure than other fats and are quickly absorbed and metabolized by the body, which is thought to promote a feeling of fullness and prevent fat storage. However, the coconut oil found on most supermarket shelves contains mostly lauric acid, which is absorbed and metabolized slower than MCT. As a result, the health benefits reported from specially constructed MCT coconut oil cannot be applied to regular coconut oil. Interestingly, lauric acid itself has also been purported to have health benefits. While lauric acid has been shown to increase LDL cholesterol levels, it also raises HDL cholesterol levels, suggesting a potential heart-protective role of coconut oil. However, large epidemiological studies have failed to report protective associa-

Health claims undermined With such salient evidence supporting

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The evidence for using CBD for anxiety Dear Mayo Clinic: Is there any harm in trying CBD for anxiety? It seems to have helped my co-worker, but I am hesitant to tr y it without knowing more about it. A: Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat anxiety. Although some research appears to indicate that CBD might help treat anxiety-related disorders, more study is needed. Cannabidiol may interfere with other prescriptions and have side effects, so talk with your healthcare provider before taking any form of CBD. Cannabidiol is a chemical found in marijuana, but it doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive in-

gredient in marijuana that produces a high. The typical formulation of CBD is a liquid that you take orally. But CBD also is sold as an extract, a vaporized liquid and an oil-based capsule. Foods, drinks and beauty products are among the many CBD-infused products available. Epidiolex is the only CBD product authorized by the FDA. This prescription medication is approved to treat two types of epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Aside from Epidiolex, which is approved for use nationwide, U.S. state laws vary regarding other forms of CBD.

Studied for many conditions Cannabidiol has been studied as a treatment for a wide range of conditions, in-

cluding Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and anxiety. But research supporting the drug’s benefits for these disorders is limited. For example, one recent review of research looked at results from numerous studies that examined the effectiveness and safety of medical cannabis — including both CBD- and THC-based medicines — to treat mental disorders. The review found that, when given with other medication, as well as psychotherapy, CBD and THC medications were associated with some symptom improvement. But the researchers emphasized the need for more thorough investigation before making a firm recommendation on the use of any form of medical cannabis to treat mental disorders. Another study involving 72 participants that was published in January examined whether CBD can help improve anxiety and sleep quality. It found a decrease in anxiety symptoms in 57 of the study participants, and concluded that CBD may hold benefit for anxiety-related disorders.

But, again, the researchers indicated that larger, controlled clinical research studies are needed to confirm this initial finding.

Coconut oil

Neither superfood nor poison

From page 14 tions between lauric acid and cardiovascular disease. Findings from epidemiological studies that report low rates of cardiovascular disease among populations who consume coconut oil as part of their traditional diets (in India, the Philippines and Polynesia, for example) have also been cited as support for the health benefits of coconut oil. However, in these studies many other characteristics of the participants, including background, dietary habits and lifestyle, could explain the findings.

Side effects, dosage concerns There are potential risks to be aware of with CBD use, too. In some cases, it can cause side effects, such as dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness and fatigue. Rarely, it may have an effect on liver function. CBD also can interfere with the effectiveness of other medications you’re taking, such as blood thinners. Another cause for concern is the unreliability of the purity and dosage of CBD in nonprescription products. A recent study of 84 CBD products bought online showed that more than one-quarter of the products contained less CBD than labeled. In addition, THC was found in 18 of the products. Before you use a product that contains CBD, talk to your healthcare provider. See CBD FOR ANXIETY, page 17

Based on the current evidence, coconut oil is neither a superfood nor a poison. Rather, its dietary role falls somewhere in between. Coconut oil has a unique flavor and is best consumed in small amounts, as a periodic alternative to other vegetable oils like olive or canola that are rich in unsaturated fat. This dietary choice should be made in the context of an overall healthy dietary pattern and within the recommended limits for saturated fat intake. © 2019 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

PSAPs: affordable hearing aid alternative? By David M. Vernick, M.D. Growing up, I had to wear glasses. Back then, glasses were considered socially unacceptable, but necessary to be able to see. Sixty years later, everyone wears glasses and they are even a fashion statement. Now as an aging adult, I need to wear hearing aids. This was, and still is in many age groups, considered socially unacceptable — a sign of being old and maybe a little senile. But it appears that hearing aids are in the process of a similar transformation. A pared down, more affordable category of products — personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) — may lead to greater use of hearing enhancers at a younger age.

Hearing aids: excellent but costly One of the major complaints about hearing aids is that they are expensive; they can run from $1,000 to $6,000 apiece. Further-

CBD for anxiety From page 16 And discuss other possible treatment options for anxiety, too. In many cases, a type of psychotherapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy, along with anti-anxiety medication, can reduce anxiety symptoms significantly. — Brent Bauer, M.D., Complementary

more, their average lifespan is about five years, making them a recurring expense. Not everyone can afford, or wishes to spend, that amount to improve their hearing, especially if their hearing loss is mild and can be managed without aids. A large segment of the population has mild hearing loss. They struggle in certain situations — such as when there is a lot of background noise, as in noisy restaurants, large crowds and large rooms. But they do fine in quiet situations with small groups or one-on-one conversation. These people could benefit from “readers” for the ears — inexpensive help that they can use occasionally, or even continuously, for a little boost. Until recently, the laws have been a barrier for development of such help. Hearing aids have been defined by law and regulated. High certification costs have served as and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. Email a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org. © 2019 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

a barrier to market entry. Hearing aid prices have not come down much over the years, though the quality of the aids and the sophistication of the instruments have improved as fast as any electronic device available. What you get now for the same price you would have paid 10 years ago is a far superior device. What’s more, the cost to dispense, service and maintain the devices has increased with the cost of living. All of this has led to a gap between the demand for and supply of inexpensive hearing aids.

A more affordable option

aid product offerings. They provide a lesser certified, less feature-filled, but lowercost entry-level product for hearing loss sufferers. PSAPs cannot be called or marketed as “hearing aids,” as they do not meet the same definition and rigorous manufacturing and safety standards. PSAPs range from simple volume amplification devices to more sophisticated devices that can do many of the simpler tasks that hearing aids can perform. They are self-fitting and can be self-programmed using a smartphone or computer app. They are sold over the counter and

Along come PSAPs, which have the potential to fill a gap in the existing hearing

See HEARING AID, page 18

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How daylight saving time affects health By Lindsey Tanner Many sleep scientists and circadian biologists are pushing for a permanent ban of daylight saving time because of potential ill effects on human health. Since returning to standard time last month, losing an hour of afternoon daylight feels like a gloomy preview for the dark winter months. And at least one study, in Scandinavia, found an increase in people seeking

help for depression after turning the clocks back to standard time in November. But other research shows the springtime start of daylight saving time may also be harmful, linking it with more car accidents, heart attacks in vulnerable people, and other health problems that may persist throughout the time change. Here’s what science has to say about this twice-yearly clock-changing ritual that

affects nearly 2 billion people worldwide.

Hearing aid

them that audiologists bring to the job. They are devices that can fill the need for those with mild hearing loss, who just need a little more volume in certain situations. The good ones — the ones you should try — will be marketed as hearing aids in the near future.

Getting started with a PSAP

From page 17 thus eliminate the expense of fitting. PSAPs are not a replacement for hearing aids. They cannot match the sophistication of hearing aids or the skill in fitting

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Sleep effects Time changes mess with sleep schedules, a potential problem when so many people are already sleep deprived, according to Dr. Phyllis Zee, a sleep researcher at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. About 1 in 3 U.S. adults sleep less than the recommended seven-plus hours nightly, and

Suppose you want to try a PSAP. How do you know that what these products advertise is actually what they deliver? How do you know that they are safe? The FDA has stepped in to regulate this new market. Legislation was passed in 2017 and goes into effect in 2020 to allow these low-end hearing aids to be advertised as such, if they meet certain (still-to-be-finalized) criteria on performance and safety. Many of the devices are on the market today without any such oversight. That will change in 2020 to allow those devices that meet the established criteria to be marketed as hearing aids and not PSAPs. Many of the new devices require some sophistication in setup and maintenance. You become the dispenser, fitter and maintainer of the devices. You provide yourself with the services that an audiologist pro-

more than half of U.S. teens don’t get the recommended eight-plus hours on weeknights. One U.S. study found that in the week following the spring switch to daylight saving time, teens slept about two and a half hours less than the previous week. Many people never catch up during the subsequent six months. See DAYLIGHT SAVING, page 20

vides for hearing aids. YouTube videos and online support can resolve most, if not all, issues that may come up. Mandated trial periods can allow for return of goods when the issues cannot be resolved. Money is clearly not the only issue preventing hearing aid use: Even in countries where hearing aids are free, more than half of the people who could use hearing aids do not use them. Starting people earlier in the process and giving them control over the use of such devices can only encourage a greater long-term acceptance and usage of hearing aids as we age. Having more people use the devices eliminates the social stigma that has surrounded hearing aids. © 2019 President and Fellows of Harvard College. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Daylight saving From page 18 Research suggests that chronic sleep deprivation can increase levels of stress hormones that boost heart rate and blood pressure and of chemicals that trigger inflammation.

Car crashes Numerous studies have linked the start of daylight saving time in the spring with a brief spike in car accidents and with poor performance on tests of alertness, both likely due to sleep loss. The research includes a German study published this year that found an increase in traffic fatalities in the week after the start of daylight saving time, but no such increase in the fall. Other studies on how returning to standard time in the fall might impact car crashes have had conflicting results.

Internal clocks Circadian biologists believe ill health effects from daylight saving time result from a mismatch among the sun “clock,” our social clock (work and school schedules), and the body’s internal 24-hour body clock. Ticking away at the molecular level, the biological clock is entrained — or set — by exposure to sunlight and darkness. It regulates bodily functions such as metabolism, blood pressure and hormones that

promote sleep and alertness. Disruptions to the body clock have been linked with obesity, depression, diabetes, heart problems and other conditions. Circadian biologists say these disruptions include tinkering with standard time by moving the clock ahead one hour in the spring. A mismatch of one hour daily is enough for ill effects, especially if it lasts for several months, according to Till Roenneberg, a circadian rhythm specialist.

Pressure to change In the U.S., daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. It was first established 100 years ago to save energy. Modern-day research has found little or no such cost savings. Federal law allows states to remain on standard time year-round, but only Hawaii and most of Arizona have chosen to do so. Proposed legislation in several states would have them join suit — or switch to year-round daylight saving time, which would require congressional approval. Roenneberg and Northwestern’s Zee are co-authors of a recent position statement advocating returning to standard time for good, written for the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms. “If we want to improve human health, we should not fight against our body clock, and therefore we should abandon daylight saving time,” the statement said. —AP

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Is there an anti-Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supplement? By Veena Alfred Over the past few months, there has been an aggressive advertising campaign on television and in the print media to promote a product that goes by the name Prevagen. In the advertisements and commercials, Prevagen is touted as a breakthrough product that can improve memory and other cognitive functions for those who are experiencing the effects of aging. Though not overt, there is clearly an appeal to the increasing population of older people who are experiencing or beginning to experience the effects of Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;magicâ&#x20AC;? ingredient in Prevagen is a protein, apoaequorin, originally discovered in a species of jellyfish. This fact is used in the advertising to suggest that the product is made from â&#x20AC;&#x153;naturalâ&#x20AC;? ingredients and is therefore superior to â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or safer than â&#x20AC;&#x201D; pharmaceutically manufactured products. Accordingly, Prevagen is marketed and sold as a dietary supplement. (Its ads say it

can be found in the vitamin aisle.) However, the apoaequorin in Prevagen is synthetically produced and thus does not qualify as a dietary supplement, according to FDA (Food and Drug Administration) specification. Based on the information provided by the company that produces Prevagen, it should be classified as a drug. However, the FDA has never approved it as a drug. In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in conjunction with the New York attorney general, filed a lawsuit against the company. Litigation is ongoing.

What is the basis for claims? What is the science behind Prevagen, and why did the FTC sue its manufacturers? The brain needs calcium to function properly, but it must have just the right amount. To prevent an excess buildup of calcium, the brain has proteins that bind to the excess calcium and make it inactive. As we age, the brain produces less and less of these calcium-binding proteins, and an excess of calcium can build up in the brain,

causing damage to brain cells and producing the cognitive decline associated with old age. The protein apoaequorin also has the ability to bind to calcium, and the developers of Prevagen reasoned that the brainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s declining supply of calcium-binding proteins could be supplemented with apoaequorin. Their literature cites a study that they conducted in which there was an improvement in performance on a few cognitive tests among one group of study subjects (those with minimal or no cognitive impairment) taking Prevagen. However, in the study as a whole, there was â&#x20AC;&#x153;no statistically significantâ&#x20AC;? difference in performance between those taking Prevagen, those taking a placebo and those

taking nothing at all. Also, by the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own admission, apoaequorin does not have a chance to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain, where it is supposedly needed to do the job of calcium binding. Meanwhile, the FDA has expressed concern that the company has failed to disclose more than 1,000 reported cases of adverse side-effects of Prevagen, including seizures, strokes, chest pain, fainting and even confusion and memory impairment. If you are tempted to go out and buy Prevagen, think again. Veena J. Alfred, PhD., is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and CEO/Administrator of AlfredHouse.

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Most misperceive likelihood of dementia By Lindsey Tanner Many older American adults may inaccurately estimate their chances for developing dementia and do useless things to prevent it, new research suggests. Almost half of adults surveyed believed they were likely to develop dementia. The results suggest many didn’t understand the connection between physical health and brain health and how racial differences can affect dementia risk. Substantial numbers of people who

rated their health as fair or poor thought their dementia chances were low. At the same time, many who said they were in excellent health said they were likely to develop the memory-robbing disease. Many said they tried at least one of four unproven memory-protecting methods, including taking supplements like fish oil and ginkgo. The most popular strategy was doing crossword puzzles. Mental stimulation is thought to help, but there’s stronger evi-

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dence for more challenging activities than puzzles — things like playing chess, taking a class, reading about unfamiliar topics, said Keith Fargo, who oversees research and outreach programs at the Alzheimer’s Association. He was not involved in the study.

Lifestyle can affect risk Research has shown that regular exercise, a good diet, limiting alcohol and not smoking make dementia less likely. Supplements have not been shown to help. “We really haven’t done a good job of getting the word out that there really are things you can do to lower your risk,’’ said Dr. Donovan Maust, the study’s lead author and a geriatric psychiatrist at the University of Michigan. The survey asked people to assess their likelihood of developing dementia, and whether they had ever discussed ways to prevent it with their doctor. Few people said they had, regardless of their self-rated risk for dementia. The results raise concerns because doctors can help people manage conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes that have been linked with dementia risk. Among those who said their physical health was only fair or poor, a substantial 40% thought they were at low risk for Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. Al-

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most the same portion rated their chances as likely even though they reported very good or excellent physical health.

Minorities are at higher risk More whites than blacks or Hispanics surveyed believed they were likely to develop dementia, and almost two-thirds of African Americans said they were unlikely. Only 93 blacks were surveyed, making it difficult to generalize those results to all U.S. blacks. But U.S. minorities face higher risks for dementia than whites — blacks face double the risk — and the Alzheimer’s group has programs in black and Hispanic communities. “There’s lots of work to do…to educate the public so they can take some actions to protect themselves,’’ Fargo said. One in three seniors die with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. While there are no medicines or medical treatments proven to prevent it, rigorous European studies have shown that healthy lifestyles may help prevent mental decline. The Alzheimer’s Association is sponsoring similar U.S. research. The study was published online in November in JAMA Neurology. It’s based on a nationally representative health survey of 1,000 adults aged 50 to 64. —AP

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

There are ways to minimize NSAID risks By Christian Ruff, M.D. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly referred to as NSAIDs, are one of the most common medications used to treat pain and inflammation. Ibuprofen, naproxen, indomethacin and other NSAIDs are effective across a variety of common conditions, from acute musculoskeletal pain to chronic arthritis. They work by blocking specific proteins, called COX enzymes. This results in the reduction of prostaglandins, which play a key role in pain and inflammation. There are two types of NSAIDs: nonselective NSAIDs and COX-2 selective NSAIDs (these are sometimes referred to as “coxibs”). There is a growing body of evidence that NSAIDs may increase the risk of harmful cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Given the widespread use of NSAIDs, these findings have generated significant concern among patients and healthcare providers. I am frequently asked by patients: Is it safe to continue to take NSAIDs?

Minimizing the risks There are several factors to consider when evaluating the potential risk of NSAID therapy. The first is the duration of treatment. The risk of having a heart attack or stroke

is extremely small over a short course of therapy (less than one month), such as would be the case in treating acute pain from a musculoskeletal injury like tendonitis. Another important consideration is dose and frequency. The risk tends to increase with higher doses and increased frequency. The third factor is whether the person has existing cardiovascular disease. In people without known cardiovascular disease, the absolute increase in risk is incredibly small (one to two excess cardiovascular events for every 1,000 people who take NSAIDs). My general principles for NSAID use are: —In all patients, I recommend the lowest effective NSAID dose for the shortest duration of time to limit potential side effects. —In people without known cardiovascular disease, the increase in risk is so minimal that it rarely influences my decision about whether to use NSAIDs. —In patients with known cardiovascular disease, I might advise an alternative treatment. Many patients with pre-existing heart disease can be safely treated with short courses of NSAIDs. However, the choice of a specific NSAID and dose is more important in these patients. I generally recommend the nonse-

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lective NSAID naproxen or the COX-2 selective NSAID celecoxib, as studies have demonstrated that these two drugs may have the best safety profile in higher-risk patients.

Overall risk is low Although all NSAIDs are associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, the magnitude of the increased risk is minimal for most people without cardiovascular disease taking them for short periods of time.

For patients who have heart disease or who require long-term treatment with high doses of NSAIDs, the increased risk is more of a concern. If you fall into this category, discuss your options with your healthcare provider to determine whether an alternative therapy is possible or to help select the safest NSAID option for you. © 2019 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Health Shorts Childhood measles hurts lifetime immunity to other germs Measles has a stealth side effect: New research shows it erases much of the immune system’s memory of how to fight other germs, so children recover only to be left more vulnerable to bugs like flu or strep. Scientists dubbed the startling findings “immune amnesia.” The body can rebuild those defenses — but it could take years. And with measles on the rise, “it should be a scary phenomenon,” said Dr. Michael

Mina of Harvard’s school of public health, lead author of research published in November in the journal Science. “This goes under the radar” because doctors wouldn’t necessarily connect a child’s pneumonia to measles from a year earlier, Mina explained. “But would they have gotten it if they hadn’t gotten measles?” The Harvard team analyzed blood samples from 77 children before and after a measles outbreak in an unvaccinated community in the Netherlands. They looked for antibodies, which remember viruses and bacteria they encounter to guard against a repeat infection. After recovering from measles, the youngsters were left with plenty of antibodies against that virus — but ones they’d previously harbored against other germs had decreased. In the most severe cases, “they’re just as vulnerable as if they were infants,” said

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

study senior author Stephen Elledge, a Harvard geneticist. A separate study, published in November in Science Immunology, supported the findings. Researchers from Britain’s Wellcome Sanger Institute used the Dutch blood samples to genetically test antibody-producing cells and concluded measles is eliminating enough to reset the immune system to a baby-like state. “There really are profound gaps and holes” in someone’s immunity after measles, said Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which helped fund the Harvard work. “You ultimately recover, but after a year or two or sometimes more.” “It’s doubly important to vaccinate children,” agreed Dr. Mark Mulligan of NYU Langone Health, who wasn’t involved with the new research. “It’s a vaccine that protects against the specific target, measles virus, but also against immune suppression.” Measles is one of the world’s most contagious viruses, able to spread through coughs and sneezes for four days before someone develops the characteristic rash. It can leave children with brain damage or hearing loss. While deaths are rare in the U.S., measles killed 110,000 people globally in 2017. So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has counted more than 1,200 U.S. measles cases, the most since 1992.

Biogen to seek approval of new Alzheimer’s drug Massachusetts drug company Biogen Inc. said it will seek federal approval for a medicine to treat early Alzheimer’s disease — a landmark step toward finding a treatment that can alter the course of the most common form of dementia.

The October announcement was a surprise because the drug company earlier this year stopped two studies of the drug when partial results suggested it was not likely to be successful. The company now says a new analysis of more results suggest that the drug at the highest dose helped reduce a decline of thinking skills. The drug, called aducanumab, aims to help the body clear harmful plaques from the brain. Cambridge-based Biogen is developing it with a Japanese company, Eisai Co. Ltd. More than 5 million people in the United States and millions more worldwide have Alzheimer’s. Current drugs only temporarily ease symptoms and do not slow the loss of memory and thinking skills. Dozens of efforts to develop a drug to slow or reverse the course of the disease have failed. The two studies tested aducanumab, given as monthly infusions, in more than 3,000 patients with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s. The company said in October that, in one study, those given a high dose showed 23% less decline on one measure of thinking skills and smaller declines on other measures. However, no details were given on how much that decline meant in absolute terms. For example, the company didn’t say how much difference it made in practical matters, like whether patients were able to dress or feed themselves or live independently longer, just that these skills overall declined less for those on the high dose of the drug. “It’s a tricky question” whether the results are truly meaningful for patients until more details are known, said Dr. Ronald Petersen, a Mayo Clinic dementia specialist who has consulted for Biogen on the studies. But filing for federal Food and Drug Administration approval “gives some hopes for See HEALTH SHORTS, page 26

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Why sudden fainting calls for evaluation By Paul Takahashi, M.D. Dear Mayo Clinic: I had a fainting spell the other day, which had never happened to me before in my 64 years. I don’t feel unwell, but a friend I was with at the time insists I should see my doctor. Is that necessary? What would they be looking for? A: Yes, make an appointment to see your healthcare provider. Fainting, or passing out — a temporary loss of consciousness also known as syncope (sin´-co-pee) — is caused by insufficient blood flow to the brain. Some causes of syncope are fairly benign, such as from dehydration, or during a frightening or uncomfortable event, such as a blood draw. But there are potentially serious and even life-threatening causes, including heart and neurological conditions, especially in adults over 60. Your healthcare provider likely will perform a detailed history to look for any medical, environmental or behavioral factors that may have caused you to faint. For example, missed doses of a medication, prolonged standing, or anxiety in a crowd may contribute to syncope. A physical examination may offer important clues. This includes measurement of your blood pressure and heart rate, listening to your heart and completing a neu-

rological exam. Syncope occurs when your blood pressure falls too low, which may occur when your heart rate is excessively fast or slow, such as with an arrhythmia. Examples of heart disturbances that could cause syncope include bradycardia, a slower-than-normal heart rate; tachycardia, a faster-than-normal heart rate while at rest; and aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valves. Neurological conditions such as a seizure or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), often called a “ministroke,” also can result in loss of consciousness. A condition known as vasovagal syncope, sometimes called “neurocardiogenic syncope,” occurs when you faint as a result of your body overreacting to certain triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. The trigger causes the part of your nervous system that regulates heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly, reducing blood flow to the brain and causing you to faint. A detailed history and exam may identify the cause of syncope. Often, an EKG or additional heart testing also will be recommended to look for any abnormal heart rhythms. Other tests may include a complete blood count, electrolyte panel and tests of your blood sugar and thyroid function. You may

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be referred for a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram), stress test or tilt table test. If you took a hard fall, imaging tests may be performed to look for fractures or other trauma. Management of syncope depends on the underlying cause. Most often it involves learning to avoid triggers and recognize warning signs. If you feel lightheaded, dizzy or clammy, or if you have unusual sweating, nausea or heart palpitations, sit or lie down until you feel stable or are able to call for assistance.

Be sure to be evaluated if this occurs. The fainting spell you experienced may be a one-time occurrence, but it’s still in your best interest to see your healthcare provider so he or she can determine what, if anything, should be done to explore the cause further. — Paul Takahashi, M.D., Community Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. © 2019 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

High-tech rivals may replace stethoscope By Lindsey Tanner Two centuries after its invention, the stethoscope — the very symbol of the medical profession — is facing an uncertain prognosis. It is threatened by hand-held devices that are also pressed against the chest but rely on ultrasound technology, artificial intelligence and smartphone apps instead of doctors’ ears to help detect leaks, murmurs, abnormal rhythms and other problems in the heart, lungs and elsewhere.

Some of these instruments can even yield images of the beating heart or create electrocardiogram graphs. Dr. Eric Topol, a world-renowned cardiologist, considers the stethoscope obsolete, nothing more than a pair of “rubber tubes.” It “was okay for 200 years,” Topol said, but “we need to go beyond that. We can do better.”

Medical schools show value In a longstanding tradition, nearly every U.S. medical school presents incoming

students with a white coat and stethoscope to launch their careers. It’s more than symbolic — stethoscope skills are still taught, and proficiency is required for doctors to get their licenses. Over the last decade, though, the tech industry has downsized ultrasound scanners into devices resembling TV remotes. It has also created digital stethoscopes that can be paired with smartphones to create moving pictures and readouts. Proponents say these devices are nearly as easy to use as stethoscopes and allow doctors to watch the body in motion and actually see things such as leaky valves. “There’s no reason you would listen to sounds when you can see everything,” Topol said. At many medical schools, it’s the newer devices that really get students’ hearts pumping. “Wow!” “Whoa!” “This is awesome,” Indiana University medical students exclaimed in a recent class as they learned how to use a hand-held ultrasound device on a classmate,

watching images of his lub-dubbing heart on a tablet screen. The Butterfly iQ device, made by Butterfly Network Inc., went on the market last year. An update will include artificial intelligence to help users position the probe and interpret the images. Students at the Indianapolis-based medical school, one of the nation’s largest, learn stethoscope skills but also get training in hand-held ultrasound in a program launched there last year by Dr. Paul Wallach, an executive associate dean. He created a similar program five years ago at the Medical College of Georgia, and predicts that within the next decade, handheld ultrasound devices will become part of the routine physical exam, just like the reflex hammer. The devices advance “our ability to take peek under the skin into the body,” he said. But Wallach added that, unlike some of

Health shorts

entist at the Alzheimer’s Association who had no role in the studies. Biogen said it would offer aducanumab now to patients enrolled in these and earlier studies of it. Biogen shares were up more than 26% to $281.87 after the announcement, but some on Wall Street remained skeptical. Mizuho Securities USA analyst Salim Syed said he wants to know more about the FDA’s involvement in Biogen’s decision. He also said in a research note that it’s still just a hypothesis that removing beta amyloid plaques can benefit Alzheimer’s patients. The company’s announcement “does not guarantee approval, and questions remain,” he said. —AP

From page 24 patients and families that there may be disease-modifying therapies out there,” he said. The company said more details, including about safety, would be given at a conference in December. The company said the most common side effects were inflammation in the brain, most of which did not cause symptoms or lasting problems, and headaches. The brain inflammation has been seen in other studies of Alzheimer’s medicines that target the brain plaques. “We’re really encouraged by the information that they’ve provided today,” the largest benefit so far for any experimental medicine, said Rebecca Edelmayer, a sci-

See STETHOSCOPE, page 27

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Stethoscope From page 26 his colleagues, he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ready to declare the stethoscope dead. He envisions the next generation of physicians wearing â&#x20AC;&#x153;a stethoscope around the neck and an ultrasound in the pocket.â&#x20AC;?

Originally wood tubes Modern-day stethoscopes bear little resemblance to the first stethoscope, invented in the early 1800s by Frenchman Rene Laennec, but they work essentially the same way. Laennecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation was a hollow tube of wood, almost a foot long, that made it easier to hear heart and lung sounds than pressing an ear against the chest. Rubber tubes, earpieces and the often cold metal attachment that is placed against the chest came later, helping to amplify the sounds. When the stethoscope is pressed against

the body, sound waves make the diaphragm â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the flat metal disc part of the device â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the bell-shaped underside vibrate. That channels the sound waves up through the tubes to the ears. Conventional stethoscopes typically cost under $200, compared with at least a few thousand dollars for some of the hightech devices. But picking up and interpreting body sounds is subjective and requires a sensitive ear â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and a trained one. With medical advances and competing devices over the past few decades, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the old stethoscope is kind of falling on hard times in terms of rigorous training,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. James Thomas, a cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some recent studies have shown that graduates in internal medicine and emergency medicine may miss as many of half of murmurs using a stethoscope.â&#x20AC;?

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Tech helps with diagnosis Northwestern is involved in testing new technology created by Eko, a Berkeley, California-based maker of smart stethoscopes. To improve detection of heart murmurs, Eko is developing artificial intelligence algorithms for its devices, using recordings of thousands of heartbeats. The devices produce a screen message telling the doctor whether the heart sounds are normal or if murmurs are present. Dennis Callinan, a retired Chicago employee with heart disease, is among the study participants. At age 70, he has had plenty of stethoscope exams but said he

feels no nostalgia for the devices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they can get a better reading using the new technology, great,â&#x20AC;? Callinan said. Chicago pediatrician Dr. Dave Drelicharz has been in practice for just over a decade and knows the allure of newer devices. But until the price comes down, the old stalwart â&#x20AC;&#x153;is still your best tool,â&#x20AC;? Drelicharz said. Once you learn to use the stethoscope, he said, it â&#x20AC;&#x153;becomes second nature.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;During my work hours in my office, if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have it around my shoulders,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as though I was feeling almost naked.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;AP

BEACON BITS

Dec. 17

STRENGTH TRAINING

Take care of your body at an exercise class for people 60 and up. Challenge yourself with cardio, strength, core, balance and flexibility training. Seated and standing options are available. Bring your own water bottle. The free class will be held on Tues., Dec. 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information, call Lena Frumin at (202) 895-9485.

Ongoing

KEEP PARKINSONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IN CHECK

Do you have Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s but want to improve your mobility and strength? Join the Energized Fitness for Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program for physical therapy geared toward you. The free classes take place every Friday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Kensington Falls Church assisted living facility, 700 West Broad St., Falls Church, Va. To register, visit http://bit.ly/EnergizedParkinsons.

Dec. 11

FREE MONEY MANAGEMENT COURSE

Learn how to analyze your finances and work with a budget at this free workshop. Instructors from the nonprofit Housing Counseling Services will explain how to understand and improve your credit score and how to avoid predatory lending and identity theft. The event takes place on Wed., Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at 2410 17th St. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information, call (202) 667-7006, email info@housintetc.org or visit housingetc.org.

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Your role in next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national census They say that the only constants are time. The Census Bureau hopes this change and taxes. I would add another method will be more efficient and ultimateitem to this list: the census. ly reduce costs. Since our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foundSo next year, there will be ing, the census has been three ways to complete the taken every 10 years with the census: online, by phone or by intention of counting all indimail. The process takes about viduals living in the United 10 minutes and is required by States and logging their delaw. Most households will remographic information. ceive a letter in the mail startYouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re probably more than ing in mid-March 2020. familiar with how the census If people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t respond in works â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or, should I say, any of these ways, they will be worked: For 2020, the census GENERATIONS visited at home by a Census is changing. For the first time, TOGETHER Bureau employee equipped By Alexis Bentz it will be primarily conducted with a smartphone rather than online. a pen and paper. Even from While the census was conducted mainly home, residents will be asked to complete on paper for hundreds of years, the 2020 the questionnaires digitally, with the help census will offer U.S. citizens the opportu- of a census worker, on an iPad, laptop or nity to respond via the Internet for the first smartphone.

Balancing privacy interests The notion of an online census is certainly appropriate, given the time period in which we live. Additionally, the digital nature of the reconfigured questionnaire will make it far easier for demographic information to be stored, processed and reviewed. However, while these benefits of the online census are evident, so too are the potential problems associated with its digitization. First, many Americans may be anxious about what an online census means for their privacy and information security. However, the Census Bureau states it is taking measures to protect all personal data and prevent any hacks. Another issue is that the transition to an online census can be intimidating for some older adults who are not as easily able to navigate the Internet. In fact, for many, the switch from paper to screen may prompt

&RSSHU LQ QHZ GHYLFH VWRSV FROG DQG Ă X New research shows you can stop a cold in its tracks if you take one simple VWHS ZLWK D QHZ GHYLFH ZKHQ \RX ÂżUVW IHHO a cold coming on. Colds start when cold viruses get in your nose. Viruses multiply fast. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop them early, they spread in your airways and cause misery. But scientists have found a quick way to kill a virus. Touch it with copper. Researchers at labs and universities agree, copper is â&#x20AC;&#x153;antimicrobial.â&#x20AC;? It kills microbes, such as viruses and bacteria, just by touch. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why ancient Greeks and Egyptians used copper to purify water and heal wounds. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why Hippocrates, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;father of modern medicineâ&#x20AC;?, used copper to heal skin ulcers, and why Civil War doctors used it to prevent infection of batWOHÂżHOG ZRXQGV 7KH\ GLGQÂśW NQRZ DERXW viruses and bacteria, but now we do. Scientists say the high conductance of copper disrupts the electrical balance in a microbe cell and destroys the cell in seconds. Tests by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show copper surfaces kill germs that are left on them. That way the next person to touch that surface does not spread the germ. As a result of this new knowledge, some hospitals switched to copper for various touch surfaces, like faucets and doorknobs. This cut the spread of MRSA and other illnesses by over half, and saved lives. 7KH VWURQJ VFLHQWLÂżF HYLGHQFH JDYH inventor Doug Cornell an idea. When he felt a cold coming on he fashioned a smooth copper probe and rubbed it gently in his nose for 60 seconds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It worked!â&#x20AC;? he exclaimed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cold went away completely.â&#x20AC;? It worked again every time he felt a cold coming on and he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had a cold since. He asked relatives and friends to try it. They said it worked for them so he patented CopperZapâ&#x201E;˘ and put it on the market.

Soon hundreds of people had tried it and given feedback. Nearly 100 percent said the copper stops their colds if used within 3 hours DIWHU WKH ÂżUVW VLJQ (YHQ up to 2 days, if they still get the cold it is milder than usual and they feel better. Users wrote things 1HZ UHVHDUFK &RSSHU VWRSV FROGV LI XVHG HDUO\ like, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It stopped my cold right away,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is it supposed to work D ZKDFN MRE Â´ %XW KH ÂżQDOO\ WULHG LW DQG to his surprise, the copper cleared up his that fast?â&#x20AC;? Pat McAllister, age 70, received one sinuses right away. Judy and their daughfor Christmas and called it â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of the ter both said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has changed our lives!â&#x20AC;? Some users say copper stops nighttime best presents ever. This little jewel really works.â&#x20AC;? Now thousands of users have VWXŕľśQHVV WRR LI WKH\ XVH LW MXVW EHIRUH bed. One man said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best sleep Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had simply stopped getting colds. &RSSHU PD\ HYHQ VWRS Ă&#x20AC;X WKDW VWDUWV LQ in years.â&#x20AC;? People have used it on cold sores the nose if used right away and for several days. In a lab test, scientists placed 25 and say it can completely prevent ugly PLOOLRQ OLYH Ă&#x20AC;X YLUXVHV RQ D &RSSHU=DS outbreaks. You can also rub it gently on wounds, cuts, or lesions to combat infecNo viruses were found alive soon after. People often use CopperZap preven- tions. 7KH KDQGOH LV FXUYHG DQG ÂżQHO\ WH[WLYHO\ )UHTXHQW Ă&#x20AC;LHU .DUHQ *DXFL XVHG WR JHW FROGV DIWHU FURZGHG Ă&#x20AC;LJKWV 7KRXJK tured to improve contact. It kills germs skeptical, she tried it several times a day SLFNHG XS RQ ÂżQJHUV DQG KDQGV WR SURWHFW on travel days for 2 months. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sixteen you and your family. Copper even kills deadly germs that Ă&#x20AC;LJKWV DQG QRW D VQLŕľˇH Â´ VKH H[FODLPHG Businesswoman Rosaleen says when have become resistant to antibiotics. If people are sick around her she uses Cop- you are near sick people, a moment of perZap morning and night. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It saved me handling it may keep serious infection last holidays,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The kids had away from you and your loved ones. It colds going round and round, but not me.â&#x20AC;? may even save a life. The EPA says copper still works even Some say it also helps with sinuses. Attorney Donna Blight had a 2-day sinus when tarnished. It kills hundreds of difheadache. When her CopperZap arrived, ferent disease germs so it can prevent seshe tried it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am shocked!â&#x20AC;? she said. rious or even fatal illness. CopperZap is made in the U.S. of pure â&#x20AC;&#x153;My head cleared, no more headache, no copper. It has a 90-day full money back more congestion.â&#x20AC;? 2QH PDQ KDG VXŕľľHUHG VHDVRQDO VLQXV guarantee when used as directed to stop a problems for years. It was so bad it ru- FROG ,W LV *HW Rŕľľ HDFK &RSined family vacations and even dinners perZap with code MDSB5. Go to www.CopperZap.com or call out with friends. His wife Judy bought CopperZaps for both of them. He was so toll-free 1-888-411-6114. Buy once, use forever. skeptical he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh Judy, you are such (paid advertisement)

them to ignore the questionnaire altogether. However, it is very important to be counted. An undercount results in less money for schools, roads, hospitals and other public services in your area. The purpose of the census is to ensure that all citizens receive proper representation in the House of Representatives. Furthermore, governments at the state and federal level require data from the census to budget for social welfare programs, some of which assist older adults. And the information from the census is also used to plan local developments, such as new hospitals and housing. Finally, the census forces us to acknowledge the ways in which our country is changing and to modify our behaviors to ensure a safe and healthy future. An example of this that is extremely pertinent to seniors is that the United States will soon join Japan and several European countries in having more adults over the age of 65 than children. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2035, people age 65 and over are expected to number 78 million, while children under age 18 will number 76.7 million. In addition, the median age of the U.S. population is expected to grow from age 38 today to age 43 by 2060. This demographic shift leads to a host of entirely new problems: How do we manage healthcare? What do we do about the increasingly imbalanced work-dependency ratio, as now fewer young people must support a nation of older adults? How will the government continue to fund Medicaid? This is the reality that the census is forcing us to confront. In fact, these would be great questions to consider the next time you have a conversation with a younger friend.

Where to get help The process of filling out the census questionnaire online does not have to be intimidating. If you are struggling to complete the census, you can contact the Census Bureauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call center at (301) 763-INFO (4636) or 1-800-923-8282 or visit ask.census.gov. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have access to a smartphone, online response kiosks may be available at libraries, post offices or cityowned buildings. This could also be a great opportunity for some intergenerational bonding. If your teenage friend has a knack for technology, they may be able to help you to navigate the web and access the questionnaire.

Ways to help others (for pay!) And if you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fazed by the technological aspect and are interested in helping facilitate the data collection process, there are ways for you to get involved (especially if you speak another language in addition to English). You can take roughly 30 minutes to complete the online job application at 2020census.gov/en/jobs and be hired to a position See CENSUS, page 31

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Maximize your body’s benefit from protein By Matthew Kadey You don’t need be a bodybuilder to pay close attention to your protein intake. This macronutrient is required for the structure, function and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs, including muscle and bone. These days, there’s been increased interest in how dietary protein affects things such as how full we feel and weight loss. Increasingly, a lot of emphasis has been placed not just on the quantity of protein we eat, but also on the quality.

Not all proteins are complete It’s true, not all protein is created equal. Let’s start with a quick nutrition lesson. Proteins are composed of amino acids — 20 of them in total. Non-essential amino acids are ones that your body can make, while the nine essential amino acids are ones that you must get from your diet, since the body lacks the machinery to produce them. Protein sources that contain a full set of the essential amino acids are considered “complete” proteins, and are particularly effective at maintaining and building muscle tissue, something that is essential as we age. Animal products, such as poultry, dairy, eggs and seafood, tend to be complete proteins, but there are also a handful of plantbased options as well, including soy, quinoa, hemp hearts, buckwheat and chia seeds. Foods like beans, corn and nuts are “incomplete,” since they lack one or more of the essential amino acids. They definitely aren’t devoid of nutrition, but the biochemical reality is that they simply don’t provide all the amino acids we need.

Maximize your body’s production To turn on and maximize protein synthesis in the body, you’ll want all the essen-

tial amino acids to be available in sufficient quantity at most of your meals. Instead of relying on leftover amino acids from previous meals and snacks, it’s a sudden spike in the amount of essential amino acids in the blood that appears to kick the body into a protein-making mode. This is easy when you prioritize complete protein foods when eating your meals and snacks. But you can absolutely get the essential amino acids you need from incomplete plant-based proteins as well; you just need to put a little more thought into your menu. The key is to combine complementary plant proteins in order to create a “complete” protein. For instance, legumes supply the essential amino acid called lysine, which is low in many grains. But whole grains provide methionine, which is low in many beans and lentils. So a black bean and brown rice salad for lunch will give your body a good dose of complete protein. Besides, it’s not a great idea to rely solely on animal-based foods for all your complete protein needs. A large study in a recent issue of JAMA Internal Medicine found evidence that plant proteins are more protective against cardiovascular disease than animal proteins, especially processed red meats. Furthermore, complete plant proteins such as quinoa and edamame deliver heart-healthy items like fiber and antioxidants not found in steak and chicken. That said, don’t fret too much about keeping an eagle eye on your protein intake. If you eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of whole-food-based complete and incomplete proteins during the day, you should get all the amino acids you require without needing to spike your oatmeal

with protein powder. Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 1-800-829-

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Introducing

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More and more Americans are reaching the age where mobility is an everyday concern. Whether from an injury or from the aches and pains that come from getting older– getting around isn’t as easy as it used to be. You may have tried a power chair or a scooter. The Zinger is NOT a power chair or a scooter! The Zinger is quick and nimble, yet it is not prone to tipping like many scooters. Best of all, it weighs only 47.2 pounds and folds and unfolds with ease. You can take it almost anywhere, providing you with independence and freedom. Years of work by innovative engineers have resulted in a personal electric vehicle that’s truly unique. They created a battery that provides powerful energy at a fraction of the weight of most batteries. The Zinger features two steering levers, one on either side of the seat. The user pushes both levers down to go forward, pulls them both up to brake, and pushes one while pulling the other to turn to either side. This enables great mobility, the ability to turn on a dime and to pull right up to tables or desks. The controls

are right on the steering lever so it’s simple to operate and its exclusive footrest swings out of the way when you stand up or sit down. With its rugged yet lightweight aluminum frame, the Zinger is sturdy and durable yet convenient and comfortable! What’s more, it easily folds up for storage in a car seat or trunk– you can even gate-check it at the airport like a stroller. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life. It folds in seconds without tools and is safe and reliable. It holds up to 275 pounds, and it goes up to 6 mph and operates for up to 8 miles on a single charge. Why spend another day letting mobility issues hamper your independence and quality of life?

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Just think of the places you can go: • Shopping • Air Travel • Bus Tours The Zinger Chair is a personal electric vehicle and is not a medical device nor a wheelchair. Zinger is not intended for medical purposes to provide mobility to persons restricted to a sitting position. It is not covered by Medicare nor Medicaid. © 2019 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.

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• Restaurants– ride right up to the table! • Around town or just around your house

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Health Studies

INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Volunteers needed for inflammation study By Margaret Foster If you have diabetes or had a heart attack, a stent placement procedure or a stroke, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) need your help. They hope to better understand how inflammation — the immune system’s response to injury or infection — affects the body. “There is emerging evidence that inflammation is a significant risk factor for developing high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, heart attack and stroke,” said Dr. Nehal Mehta, the principal investigator of a new study, via email. “In our study,” he said, “we are trying to understand how inflammation affects the blood vessels, blood and skin in those patients with cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, compared to those without disease.”

Healthy volunteers, too The study will observe three groups: diabetics, healthy volunteers and cardiovascular disease patients. Participants will make up to six visits to the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. During the visits, researchers will draw blood and ask a few health-related questions. The participants will be given an electrocardiogram, which takes less than 10 minutes, and a PET/CT scan, which takes up to an hour. Some people will have an MRI

Census From page 28 updating maps, working as an office clerk, conducting follow-up interviews with citizens in your area and more. Most of these jobs will begin in late April 2020 and, not including some mandatory training, last a month or two. For more information about jobs, scheduling and pay, you can call 1-855-562-2020 or visit 2020census.gov/en/jobs. Whether you are choosing to play your part in the census by simply participating or by lending a working hand, you can be proud to take part in a process that goes back hundreds of years and, hopefully, goes forward many hundreds more. And when you next encounter your younger friend, take some time to discuss the pros and cons of the census-taking process, the transition from paper to digital questionnaires, and the ways in which the census benefits our country.

Write a letter to the editor. See page 4.

scan or CT scan of the heart, and some will have the option to have small samples of skin and fat tissue taken. Researchers hope the clinical trial will help flesh out the relationship between the immune response of inflammation and diseases that affect millions of Americans. “Despite our recent advances in cardiovascular disease, it is still poorly understood how inflammation is linked to cardiovascular disease and metabolic diseases like diabetes,” Dr. Mehta said. “There is no cost for study-related tests and procedures, and you will receive compensation for participation,” according to NIH.

For more information or to volunteer, call the NIH Office of Patient Recruitment at 1-800-411-1222 (refer to study 13-H-0194

CMD/diabetes). To learn more, visit https://go.usa. gov/xQWqE.

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Enjoy (indoor) grilled fish all winter long By Wolfgang Puck Many people refer to the Labor Day weekend, now months past, as the unofficial end of summer grilling season. But those of us who love to grill know that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop just because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve turned the calendar page. There are diehards, of course, who brave the elements to continue grilling outdoors. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve even known people who protect their food and themselves with an umbrella in the pouring rain to keep practicing their favorite cooking method, regardless of the fact that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll trudge back indoors soaking wet and saturated with smoke â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but feeling happy that their food still turned out perfect. I prefer an easier approach: indoors. When I want to grill food, I like to use a ridged grill, whether a countertop one thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electrically heated or a simpler model that you heat up right over a burner on your stove. When preheated before food is placed on it, the pan produces flavorful seared markings very similar to those you get from an outdoor grill. You may not get the exact same tastes, of course, because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll lack the scent that comes from fat and juices dripping onto hot coals or gas-heated lava rocks be-

neath an outdoor grillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cooking grid. But if you start with a recipe full of lively seasonings, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t notice a big difference between the results of outdoor and indoor grilling. That said, there are other important points to bear in mind. First, I make sure to use a ridged grill with a nonstick surface, so you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to grease or spray it. More importantly, I prefer to prepare items that cook quickly, because the highheat method will still fill the kitchen with very fragrant scents and some smoke â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want the cooking to go on for too long. (Be sure to turn on your kitchen fan and crack open a window as well, so you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set off any smoke alarms!) For an example of a recipe that fulfills these requirements perfectly, I hope youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll try my recipe for grilled marinated fish with garlic, ginger, lime and chiles. It bursts with bright flavors, and the swordfish steaks (you can also use other mildtasting fish like halibut or yellowtail tuna) cook in about 10 minutes. No wonder it became one of the most popular recipes I used when I first began demonstrating my own reversible electric grill/griddle years ago on the Home Shop-

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

ping Network. (You can also make it with a hinged electric countertop grill, which cooks both sides at once, cutting the cooking time in half.) Serve the fish with a rice pilaf and your favorite tomato salsa. Then close your eyes, and imagine youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re dining outdoors!

Grilled marinated fish with garlic, ginger, lime and chiles Serves 4 Ingredients: 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Juice of 3 medium limes Grated zest of 1 medium lime 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 small fresh serrano chiles, or 1 large jalapeĂąo, halved, stemmed, seeded, deveined and finely chopped 1 small bunch cilantro leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon brown sugar 4 swordfish (or tuna or halibut) steaks, each about 6 ounces and 3/4 inch thick Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Directions: In a large sealable food-storage bag, combine the olive oil, lime juice and zest, garlic, chiles, cilantro, ginger and sugar. Seal the bag, and gently shake to combine the ingredients.

W A K E

Trim the skin and any traces of connective tissue from the sides of the swordfish steaks. If you like, carefully cut out the darker red areas of meat, known as the bloodlines, which have a slightly stronger flavor that some people do not like. Open the bag and put the swordfish fillets inside with the marinade. Seal the bag, eliminating any air, and gently move the fillets to coat them evenly. Put the bag inside a pan or shallow bowl large enough to hold it comfortably. Place in the refrigerator, and leave the fish to marinate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight, turning the bag over occasionally. Over high heat, preheat a nonstick ridged electric indoor grill or stovetop grill pan. Meanwhile, remove the fish steaks from the marinade, and pat off excess moisture with paper towels without wiping off the pieces of zest, garlic, chiles, cilantro and ginger. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper, and place them on the grill. Cook them undisturbed, turning them once, until well seared and cooked through to a temperature of 145Â° F on an instantread thermometer carefully inserted into the center, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Serve immediately. ÂŠ 2019 Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Bitter melon appears to fight oral cancer There’s a famous quote by Hippocrates melon in one of them. But it’s in there for that underpins today’s article: Let food be blood sugar and insulin sensitivity conthy medicine and medicine be cerns. thy food. Today’s article isn’t about Bitter melon is a gourd that any of that. It’s about mouth belongs to the pumpkin and cancer. zucchini family. It’s also a food Early signs of oral cancer that has a new potential use are easy to ignore. They infor an unusual cancer. clude chronic mouth sores, You’ll likely be told by your white or red patches in your doctor that this is just a folk mouth, numbness, pain, diffiremedy and not “approved” culty swallowing, jaw swelling for anything important. I disor voice alterations. DEAR agree. Bitter melon’s constituents As you know, my life’s work PHARMACIST have been studied for the past is devoted to researching nat- By Suzy Cohen few years for treating fast-growural foods and extracts that ing malignancies, especially work along the same pathways as drugs. mouth cancer, which many smokers get. I’m a pharmacist, so I understand all of Support from recent study that. In a new study published in October in Full disclosure: I also happen to formulate dietary supplements, and I want to be Cell Communication and Signaling, refully transparent. I have included bitter searchers found that bitter melon inhibit-

BEACON BITS

Jan. 2

JOB HUNTING ADVICE

Are you looking for a job and could benefit from some one-on-one assistance? Get help from people who can develop an employment plan, review resumes, conduct job researches and complete applications with you. The free event takes places on Thurs., Jan. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon at the White Oak Library, 11701 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, Md. To register, call (240) 773-9555.

Dec. 16

CENSUS JOBS

If you’re looking for some extra side money or full-time employment, the 2020 Census could be for you. A Census Bureau recruiter will assist with filling out online job applications at this free information session on Monday, Dec. 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Connie Morella Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda, Md. To register, call (240) 777-0970.

ed both glycolysis and lipogenesis, which is hugely beneficial to oral cancer patients. The full article can be read online at PubMed on nih.gov. This should be making headlines everywhere, but since it’s not heavily funded, and foods don’t make money for drug companies, you probably won’t hear much about it. The latest news is solid and suggests that bitter melon extracts can slow down the growth of oral dysplasia and squamous cell cancer in the mouth and throat. This makes me suspect it could help with stomach and colon cancer too. This also makes me think all smokers should read this article. Your oncologist might be interested in evaluating certain immune checkpoints that bitter melon is known to suppress. I list the specific pathways and cytokines in an extended version of this article, which I can email to anyone who wants it. Just join my online community at suzycohen.com.

A paradigm shift must occur in your mind if you’re being treated for cancer. In my opinion, many malignancies have natural, proven treatments that can help. Bitter melon is considered a food, but it’s also sold as a tea and dietary supplement. Of course, you want to be prudent, but keep an open mind. I hope this article gives you renewed hope and a new therapy to consider. My intention is to help improve or extend the life of someone you know and/or augment their chemotherapy. This is purely educational, so please ask your doctor what is right for you. This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit SuzyCohen.com.

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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VOLUME XXXI, ISSUE 12

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE By Laura Newland, Director D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living Happy holidays! We’re looking forward to welcoming all of you to the Mayor’s 21st Annual Senior Holiday Celebration on December 19th at the D.C. Armory. If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, you can reserve one online at www.dcseniorholiday.splashthat.com, visit a senior site, or give us a call at 202-724-5626. Our theme this year is also our agency’s new tagline: Live boldly! Last month, I saw a news article about Ms. Willie Murphy, an 82year-old bodybuilder who fought off a home intruder so hard that she sent him to the hospital! When police officers arrived, they asked to pose for a photo with her. When I read this story, I was glad that Ms. Murphy was unharmed, and I was a little irritated with the journalist and the police for perpetuating the stereotype that seniors are frail and helpless. Ms. Murphy found herself in a circumstance that no one should have to face, much less our seniors, but the intruder got more than he bargained for. Just like so many people in our society, he underestimated how bold, energetic and determined seniors are. What’s so extraordinary about Ms. Murphy isn’t just that she beat off a home intruder — although that’s impressive! It’s that she didn’t let anyone tell her that she’s too old to lift weights or too frail to lift so much. Her age didn’t get in the way of her doing what she wanted to do every day. Now, not everyone is a competitive weightlifter like Ms. Murphy. But in my time getting to know

our District seniors, I’ve thought a lot about what makes someone extraordinary — about what makes an extraordinary life. What I’ve learned from you is that choosing kindness, love and compassion — for yourselves and others — makes for an extraordinary life. Being extraordinary doesn’t always make front-page news. Whether you choose to be a bodybuilder, dancer, volunteer, advocate, friend, mom, grandma, neighbor, or the many other choices you make in your life, living boldly means treating each day as an opportunity to love more, learn more and laugh more. During my time as director, I’ve met some extraordinary seniors. People like Mr. John Bassett, who has volunteered at Oasis Senior Center for many years, serving lunch daily to men experiencing homelessness. I’ve spoken to residents at senior buildings who take time to knock on doors to remind their neighbors that lunch is being served downstairs. This is extraordinary. There are also people like Ms. Trayci Campbell, who spends her free time visiting with homebound seniors, running errands and checking in on them through her volunteer role with the Mary’s Center Senior Peer Support Program. Or Ms. Olivia O’Neal, who works to create a safe space for LGBTQ seniors to openly talk about their unique challenges in her volunteer role as a peer facilitator. Then there’s also Ms. Olivia Chase, a grandparent who is serving as the primary caregiver for

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

December 2019

LGBTQ Programs Offered Through DACL

No matter how you identify, LGBTQ programs funded by the Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL) are designed to create a space for connection for LGBTQ older adults and adults with disabilities. Through specialized wellness programs, community events, and peer-led support groups, our programs can help you navigate complex challenges and continue to live boldly while connecting with a community of peers.

conversation groups, social lunches and outings.

Intergenerational OUT (IOUT) Support services and socializing to foster intergenerational mentoring, learning and social engagement.

Out & About Wellness programs, cultural events and conversations around a meal.

Silver Circles

Peer-led support groups held twice a month. The DC Center For more information on how Social and educational opportuni- you can participate, call DACL at ties including weekly coffee and 202-724-5626. her 11-year-old grandson. This, too, is extraordinary. In D.C., we have the good fortune of having a vibrant senior community. We see it every day in you. You’re extraordinary, and you exemplify what it means to live boldly at every age. Our holiday celebration is for you. We’re celebrating all the ex-

traordinary things that you accomplish every single day. You may not make front-page news, but we see you, we appreciate you, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to celebrate you! Thank you for showing us how to live boldly! I can’t wait to see you on December 19th. Aging is Living!

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Spotlight on Aging

DC Census 2020: You Matter. Get Counted.

Get Involved Monday, December 2 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday, December 7 10 - 11 a.m.

The (DACL) Department of Aging and Community Living displays information on our many resources and services MedStar Washington Hospital Center Physician’s Office Building 106 Irving Street, NW – Ward 5

The DACL will provide a presentation on our many resources and services Exercise with William Yates & the YMCA Fit & Well Senior Program Nineteenth Street Baptist Church 4606 16th Street, NW – Ward 4

Tuesday, December 3 Noon – 3 p.m. DC Senior Resource Group Meeting with light lunch Washington Hebrew Congregation 3935 Macomb Street, NW – Ward 3

Tuesday, December 3 6 – 7 p.m. From left to right: Ms. Shelley Mack, Director Newland, Ms. Carolyn Williams, and Ms. Emily Best.

Department of Aging and Community Living Director Laura Newland joined AARP DC for a Senior Town Hall on the 2020 Census at the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center. Melissa Bird, Executive Director of DC Census 2020, also joined the conversation, which also livestreamed over Facebook. Seniors from Congress Heights participated in the discussion and were joined by other residents across the city, participating by phone. Every 10 years, a census count is conducted to count every resident in the country. This information is used to determine how federal funds are distributed to each state, including the District of Columbia, and will also impact local political representation. Executive Director Bird explained that the Census will begin around midMarch, and each household will receive a card with information on how to fill out the census online. An option will also be available to take the census by phone or have a paper form mailed to the resident. It will take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and will ask basic information such as name, age, sex, race and ethnicity, relationship of household members, and homeownership status.

She also emphasized that undocumented residents should not fear — information provided is only used for the census count and will not be shared with any law enforcement agency. Everyone is encouraged to respond as soon as possible and not wait for the follow-up knock on the door for households that do not respond. Director Newland explained why Census 2020 is so important to D.C. residents. The District receives billions of dollars in federal funding, which goes towards programs that include Medicaid, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), Housing Vouchers and education grants, based on census data. A complete count means the District receives the funding and services it is entitled to for residents in all eight wards. Each resident that is not counted means the District will lose about $4,000 annually. Census data is also how the District plans and creates policy and makes budgeting decisions. For seniors who want to help make sure that everyone is counted, the 2020 Census is hiring! Apply online today at https://2020census.gov/en/jobs.html. More information about the 2020 Census and DC can be found at: https://dccensus2020.dc.gov/.

Director Laura Newland

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

Darlene Nowlin

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

Say you saw it in the Beacon

The DACL will provide a presentation on our many resources and services Park 7 Apartments 4020 Minnesota Avenue, NE – Ward 7

Wednesday, December 4 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Senior Zone & Department of Parks and Recreation 2019 Senior Spa Day Fort Stanton Recreation Center 1812 Erie Street, SE- Ward 8 Contact: Shawn Perry, 202-671-1040

Friday, December 13 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Vida Senior Services Holiday Party Nineteenth Street Baptist Church 4606 16th Street, NW – Ward 4 Contact: 202-483-5800, Ext. 106

Thursday, December 19 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Mayor’s 21st Annual Senior Holiday Celebration D.C. Armory 2001 East Capitol Street, SE – Ward 6 Event is free to all District seniors age 60 and older Tickets are required for entry. Call 202-535-1372 to reserve your ticket today.

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Money Law &

MERGER MANIA Charles Schwab bought rival TD Ameritrade. What does the merger mean for you? ROTH IRA FAQS An overview of the pros and cons of Roth IRAs, plus rules for IRA conversions and how to avoid penalties REPORT SCAMMERS The Social Security Administration needs people to report calls from imposters posing as agents

How to give your portfolio a stress test By Anthony Pellegrino “You need to manage your stress.” How many times have you heard those words from your doctor or spouse — or maybe said them to yourself? The thing about stress is that the problems it causes often lurk beneath the surface. It’s easy to ignore the effects of stress until they lead to a major health problem — high blood pressure, headaches, stomach issues or even a heart attack. Plus, dealing with the aftermath can cost precious time and energy. Just like your physical health, your financial health also can be threatened by stress. Your portfolio may appear healthy and thriving, but without proper attention, it could develop weaknesses that might not show up until economic conditions shift or you experience a life change like retirement. One such concern is the market risk in your portfolio, which could expose you to significant losses if the market drops. As stocks have risen in recent years, it’s been tough for investors to think about anything but watching their account balances grow. But all good things must eventually come to an end. If the market hits a major speed

bump, retirees and soon-to-be retirees may regret not protecting their nest egg by moving their assets to safer strategies. Another concern can arise when investors ignore how the money in their different investment accounts has grown — and how it will be taxed when they make withdrawals. Investors often establish accounts at various times in their life and for various needs — an IRA here, an annuity there — until they end up with an assortment of assets that aren’t designed to work together cohesively to reach their goals. A financial “stress test” can identify these portfolio concerns, so that you can generate a plan that helps avoid future financial ailments. Here’s how you can diagnose and treat any existing symptoms or potential problems: Discuss your goals. Every saver has short- and long-term goals. Perhaps you want to explore early retirement. Maybe your goal is to work until you’re 65, then travel or spend more time with your family. Understanding your goals is a crucial step in pinpointing potential issues in your

current portfolio. Examine what you have. An analysis of your existing assets can help you develop a clearer picture of what stressors are hiding in your portfolio and overall retirement plan. A healthy portfolio will present a mix of asset types, balanced specifically to meet your individual goals. These assets typically fall into one of three “buckets,” each designed with a specific purpose: —Safety: Assets in the safety bucket are protected and liquid, and they’re meant to be accessible. They include things like cash, savings and money market accounts and certificates of deposit. —Income: The income bucket includes assets that can act as a “paycheck,” providing money both now and in retirement. These investments should be reliable and capable of outpacing inflation. Income investments can include dividend-paying stocks, bonds, real estate rentals or annuities. —Growth: These assets carry the greatest risk, but they’re meant to bring the biggest returns over time through capital appreciation and compounding. Stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and

mutual funds can offer portfolio growth. Prescribe a plan. After identifying your current position and where you want to go, you can create a strategy to help bridge any gap. This involves identifying the proper mix of assets for your plan, and realigning existing assets to relieve any pressure points in your portfolio. Avoid a financial breakdown. Recent market volatility is a crucial reminder to be proactive with your financial health. Identifying and reducing potential sources of stress in your portfolio is the best prevention against future problems. Make your financial health a priority; don’t wait until an unexpected problem or hidden ailment forces you to act. Anthony Pellegrino is a Registered Investment Adviser and founder of Goldstone Financial Group. Kim Franke-Folstad contributed to this article. This article was written by and presents the views of the authors, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. Check adviser records with the SEC or FINRA. © 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Could your tax bill explode in retirement? By John Creekmur Remember when you first started earning a decent salary, and it seemed as if everybody — your parents, your boss, the nice lady in Human Resources and, of course, your tax preparer — all told you to put as much money as you could into your employer’s 401(k) plan? Grab the employer match, they said. Get the growth that the market has to offer. And take advantage of the tax break, for crying out loud. Why not avoid paying taxes on that money now, while you’re in a higher tax bracket, and worry about it later, when you’re in retirement? But what they didn’t tell you then (because they probably didn’t know) is that as you kept stuffing money into that tax-deferred account, you were chaining yourself to a ticking tax time bomb. Because there’s a good chance your tax rate won’t be lower when you retire. And if you don’t do something to help defuse the situation before you start withdrawing money

from that 401(k) (or SEP IRA or 403(b)) for retirement, you could be sending a sizable chunk of your nest egg to the IRS every year.

Tax rates could rise Tax rates may go up in the future. Don’t think so? Here are just a few points to consider: • Most people think taxes are too high now, but they could be much worse. They certainly have been in the past. In 2019, the top rate is 37% for individuals whose taxable income is over $510,300 ($612,350 for married couples filing jointly). In 1944, the highest rate — for anyone who made over $200,000 — was 94%. And the top rate stayed high for decades. It wasn’t until 1987 that it dropped below 40%. The national debt is sitting at more than $22 trillion, and it’s growing by the second. Most experts agree the only clear way to help reduce the country’s deficit and pay down that debt is to collect more money. (That usually means higher taxes.)

• A large percentage of the federal budget goes toward various kinds of social insurance, including Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Those programs are funded by dedicated taxes that no longer generate enough revenue to cover their costs. Our leaders can either cut those programs or raise taxes to pay for them. • Two words: baby boomers. By 2030, when all members of that generation have reached age 65, the Pew Research Center projects that 18% of the nation will be at least that old. As the aging population continues to tap into Social Security, Medicare and other benefits, it can only further drain the system.

Tax-cutting strategies So, you basically have two choices. You can ignore the data, the trends and the experts and see what happens. Or you can incorporate some tax strategies into your retirement plan now, bring some balance to your portfolio, and maybe even get your-

self to a tax rate of 0% with these steps: Make a list of all your investments. Recognize that your investments fit into three different tax buckets: tax always (brokerage accounts, CDs, etc.); tax later (401(k)s, 403(b)s, traditional IRAs); and tax never (Roth IRAs, cash value life insurance, municipal bonds). Work on a strategy to move money from the tax-always and tax-later buckets into the tax-never bucket. And if possible, do it in the next five years, before the current tax reforms sunset. As with most investment decisions, the right strategy for you will be based on your personal situation. One option is to do a Roth IRA conversion — move money from a traditional IRA or 401(k), pay taxes on it at today’s rates, and then let the funds grow inside the Roth, knowing the principal and earnings will never be taxed again. You can do this all at once or, to keep the tax bite lower as you go, See TAXES, page 37

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Hardship with medical bills is common By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar More than half of seriously ill Medicare enrollees face financial hardships with medical bills, and prescription drug costs are the leading problem, according to a study published last month. The study in the journal Health Affairs comes as legislation to curb drug costs for seniors languishes in Congress and the growing financial exposure of patients with insurance is getting more attention in the nation’s healthcare debates. The survey findings were a surprise to researchers, since Medicare is considered relatively good coverage, with most people having supplemental insurance to fill its gaps. After drug costs, the most often cited issues were hospital bills, ambulance rides and emergency visits. “It points to a real issue that has gone under the radar,” said Tricia Neuman, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, who was not involved with the study and reviewed it for the Associated Press. “Survey after survey shows that people are satisfied with Medicare, but this analysis shows that people with Medicare who have serious health problems can face very high out-of-pocket costs,” Neuman said. “That’s an issue that hasn’t gotten much attention.” All told, 53% of seriously ill Medicare patients said they had major trouble paying their medical bills. More than a third reported using all or most of their savings to pay medical bills, 27% said they were contacted by a collection agency, and 23% were unable to pay for basics such as food, heat and housing. Nearly half (45%) reported emotional or psychological distress, and 1 in 4 said their medical costs had become a major burden on their families.

Surprised by findings “We did not expect to see this extent of financial hardship in the Medicare population,” said Michael Anne Kyle, lead author

Taxes From page 36 convert the funds over a period of years. Another option is to take the money out of your tax-deferred account and put it into a cash value life insurance policy from which you can take policy loans tax-free. (This is best done with the help of an experienced financial professional.) No matter which strategy you choose, if you’re concerned about the money that’s piling up in your tax-deferred accounts, don’t delay. Help defuse the ticking tax bomb before it can blow up your retirement plan. John Creekmur, CFP, is co-founder of Creekmur Wealth Advisors. Check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA. © 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

of the study and a doctoral candidate at Harvard University. She said lawmakers may need to devote more attention to the needs of Medicare beneficiaries with catastrophic costs. “Out-of-pocket costs are very concentrated,” Kyle said. “The sickest population is also getting the biggest bills. Especially if you are sick over time, you are slowly draining your bank account.” The study defined seriously ill people as those with a condition that over the past three years required two or more hospitalizations and visits to three or more doctors. Included in the study were Medicare recipients 65 and older as well as younger beneficiaries who qualified for coverage because of disability. Over half had seen five to nine doctors in the past three years. Among the most prevalent conditions were heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Thirty percent reported that the cost of prescription drugs was their major hardship.

Is legislation likely? Legislation to curb the costs of medicines for seniors has advanced this year in Congress, but it’s unclear if it can pass because the House and Senate remain far apart. House Democrats want Medicare to directly negotiate prices for the costliest drugs — a nonstarter for Senate Republicans. However, there is widespread agreement on putting an annual out-of-pocket limit on drug costs for Medicare enrollees. Although President Donald Trump wants a bill, the House impeachment inquiry has overshadowed efforts to move legislation. As a candidate, Trump had backed Medicare drug price negotiations. It’s uncertain if the White House will try to find a com-

promise now between the House and Senate. A second study out last month also called attention to seniors’ out-of-pocket costs. Focusing on people with traditional Medicare, the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that the average enrollee spent $5,460 out of their own pocket for health care in 2016, counting premiums and medical services. That figure also included long-term care costs. The average was lower — $4,519 — for people living in their communities and not in institutions. The Health Affairs study was based on a 2018 national survey of people of any age who suffered from a serious illness. Researchers decided to go back and take a closer at the Medicare group because of the unexpectedly high degree of problems. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. —AP

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Free stock trading leads to industry shift By Stan Choe Charles Schwab is buying rival TD Ameritrade in a $26 billion stock swap, a blockbuster agreement brought about by massive disruption in the online brokerage industry. Bowing to competitive pressure, brokerages have recently made it free for customers to trade U.S. stocks online. A combination of two of the biggest players in the industry would allow Schwab to save billions of dollars and make up for revenue lost from no longer charging investors such commissions. The tie-up creates a company so big, however, that it may draw scrutiny from antitrust regulators. The combined company would have more than $5 trillion in client assets under management.

The transaction would give Schwab an additional 12 million client accounts, $1.3 trillion in client assets and approximately $5 billion in annual revenue. The combined company is expected to control 24 million client accounts. By itself, Schwab controls roughly half the market for holding money managed by, and providing other services to, registered investment advisers, according to estimates by Kyle Voigt, an analyst with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. TD Ameritrade may control about 15 to 20%, The rewards for passing regulatory muster would be lucrative: A combined company “makes strong strategic sense,” Voigt said. It could also save up to $2 billion in annual costs.

Our aging community and the elders we love need heroes today! Your gift to the Jewish Council for the Aging will make this a wonderful winter and a wonderful 2020 for older adults in need. Guided by sacred Jewish values and open to all, JCA programs have been helping older men and women maintain independence, dignity, vitality and selfrespect since 1973. The needs are greater every year.

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8127

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The deal could also herald more mergers across the industry.

enue hit to be up to $240 million per quarter.

Reasons to merge All brokerages follow suit The full impact of the merger on consumers is still to be determined. But it’s the result of several industry-shaking moves that have drastically lowered costs and made trading easier for customers. Schwab sent shockwaves through the industry less than two months ago when it said it would do away with commissions for online trading of U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds, fees that have long fueled the industry. All major brokerages have followed suit. Beyond players like Schwab, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity and E-Trade Financial, apps like robinhood.com out of Palo Alto, California, have entered the fray in recent years to help customers get invested in the market. It marks a golden age for investors, because minimizing costs is one of the easiest ways they can maximize returns as they save for retirement, college tuitions and other goals. But the fee war has sapped brokerages’ revenue. TD Ameritrade, for example, said last month that it expected its earnings to fall in the current quarter because it dropped commissions. It estimated the rev-

Merging with another company helps to lower costs. Such combinations in the industry typically see the acquirer shaving off 50 to 70% of the costs of its buyout target, while holding onto about 90 to 95% of its revenue, according to analysts at Barclays. Beyond commissions, brokerages make money from account fees and from interest earned on customers’ cash, among other things. Schwab and TD Ameritrade made a combined $2 billion in net interest revenue in their latest quarters, for example. Rival Fidelity pointed out how Schwab and TD Ameritrade make some of that money by paying customers lower rates for cash in their trading accounts, known as “sweep accounts.” Fidelity, which is privately held, would still have more in total customer assets than a combined Schwab. The deal between San Francisco’s Schwab Corp. and TD Ameritrade Holding Corp., of Omaha, Nebraska, would marry the biggest publicly traded brokerages. Schwab had $3.85 trillion in total client assets at the start of November, while TD Ameritrade had $1.3 trillion at the end of See MERGER, page 41

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Understand pros and cons of a Roth IRA Based on the mail I receive, many readers value of the IRA at year-end and the life exmisunderstand Roth IRAs, including the pectancy of the IRA owner. All withdrawals benefits for the initial owner from traditional IRAs are taxed and for beneficiaries. I’ll explain at ordinary income tax rates. some of the basics associated An individual with earned with Roth IRAs below. income can make contribuHowever, I should preface tions to the Roth IRA of a this by saying that Congress spouse who is not working or is contemplating modificahas limited income, as long as tions in the regulations that the working spouse has suffiwill affect the length of time cient income to cover the conbeneficiaries will be able to tributions for the non-working stretch out benefits from both spouse plus any contributions traditional and Roth IRAs. If THE SAVINGS made for the working spouse. Congress does pass new leg- GAME If you have earned income By Elliot Raphaelson islation that becomes law, I after age 70½, you can still will discuss the impact in a make contributions to a Roth subsequent column. IRA (not true of traditional IRAs). Even if you are under 59½, you can withBenefits for original owners draw any contributions you made to a Roth A significant benefit of a Roth IRA is that (not including earnings thereon) without all income earned in the account — penalty. If you make any withdrawals from a whether from interest, dividends or capital traditional IRA, you would be subject to a gains — is tax free. 10% early withdrawal penalty and income When you invest in a Roth IRA, you are taxes. investing after-tax income. Any withdrawals you make from your Roth after re- Benefits for Roth beneficiaries tirement will be tax free, regardless of These are some of the advantages of a whether the withdrawals exceed the Roth IRA to beneficiaries: amount of your initial purchases. Withdrawals of Roth IRA contributions Tax-free distributions from Roth IRAs are income tax free. Earnings can be withwill not expose investment income to the drawn tax free as long as the five-year rule 3.8% surtax either. has been met (i.e., the account was at least Another benefit to original Roth IRA five years old when the owner died; see owners is that there are no required distri- “Penalties” at the end of this article). butions. This is very important in compariBeneficiaries can, under present regulason to the regulations applicable to tradi- tions, stretch tax-free distributions over their lifetimes. (Proposed congressional tional IRAs. Under current regulations, at age 70½ proposals may change that limit to 10 owners of traditional IRAs are required to years.) Spouse beneficiaries are not required start taking required mandatory distributions (RMDs) from their IRAs. The RMD to take RMD distributions. Non-spouse amount changes each year based on the beneficiaries (such as children) are re-

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quired to take RMDs based on their age from the IRS Single Life Expectancy Table, starting the year after the owner’s death. Each year the life expectancy for non-spouses is reduced by one year. (See IRS 590-B for instructions and the appropriate table.)

Back-door contribution loophole If you earn more than the maximum (for 2019 the limit is between $193,000 and $203,000 for married filers and between

$122,000 and $137,000 for single filers) and if you are younger than 70½, you can make a contribution to a traditional IRA and then convert that account to a Roth. This can be done the same year. [However, note that this requires paying tax up front on any pre-tax IRA contributions and any earnings using “pro-rata” rules that take into account the value of all IRAs you own. This can be somewhat comSee ROTH IRA, page 41

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

When parents need your financial help By Liz Weston Most parents in the U.S. provide some sort of financial support to their adult children, multiple surveys have found. But often, financial aid goes the other way. A 2015 survey by TD Ameritrade found 13% of American adults provided financial support to a parent. Millennials were far more likely than older generations to report they were helping their folks. Of people born between 1981 and 1996, 19% helped support their parents, compared with 13% of Gen Xers (1965 to 1980) and 8% of baby boomers (1946 to 1964). Sometimes the money is provided happily, or at least without resentment, by those following cultural norms or personal conviction that they owe it to their parents. Other times, financial aid to parents is a source of tension — between parent and adult child, among siblings and between partners. Certified financial planner Austin A. Frye had no idea when he married his wife four decades ago that they would one day support her parents. The older couple, now in their 80s, cover their day-to-day expenses with a union pension and Social Security. Frye and his wife cover unexpected expenses and travel for her parents, Frye said, and also pay $15,000 a year for a long-term care policy. Frye said that though he’s happy to be in a position to help his in-laws, he still wishes they had saved money for their retirement. “They just spent what they made,” Frye said. “They didn’t really plan.” Certified financial planner Kashif A. Ahmed, on the other hand, comes from a Pakistani culture where younger people get into arguments about who will have the honor of caring for an older relative. Ahmed said he needed a spreadsheet to coordinate the dozens of relatives who volunteered to help his great-grandparents in their final illnesses. Ahmed invited his mother to move in with him after his father died in 2001. His wife, Simona, an economist who grew up with similar values in Romania, supported the move, and Ahmed’s mother is helping to raise their four daughters, ages 6 to 16. Ahmed says financial advisers from other cultures often have trouble grasping

the deep sense of obligation. He’s heard peers criticize clients who aren’t saving enough for retirement or are neglecting other goals while supporting parents, saying the clients don’t “get it.” “I’ll say, ‘No, no, no. You don’t get it,’” Ahmed said. Balancing competing goals is what financial planning is all about. If you’re supporting a parent or think you may in the future, the following steps could help make the balancing act a bit easier: Talk to your partner. If you’re married or in a committed relationship, it helps to get on the same page about how much you’re willing and able to give. Brainstorm different scenarios, such as emergency expenses (how much can you give, and what constitutes an emergency) or long-term care (can you provide care in your home or help pay for in-home or nursing care?). If you’re not clear on what you can afford, a consultation with a financial planner could help. If you don’t have a partner, talking to a trusted friend or a financial planner can help you clarify what you can offer and when. Talk with your parents. Just over half of the people supporting parents in the TD Ameritrade survey had ever talked with them about the situation. Financial planners say that understanding the parents’ financial situation can help you prepare and might also provide an opportunity for you to reduce their need for your help. You could help them budget, give them a session with a financial planner, or check Benefits.gov for assistance programs. You also can let them know how much help you can afford to provide. Rope in your siblings, if you have them. Even if they can’t contribute financially, they may be able to help in other ways: running errands, taking parents to the doctor, handling bill paying and other paperwork or providing respite care. Take care of yourself. You may have to delay retirement, buying a house or having kids in order to support your parents. Many people do, according to the survey. But you should have a plan to eventually reach your own goals. Unlike your parents, you may have only yourself to rely on when you’re older. —AP/NerdWallet

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needs legal assistance? This program offers pro bono legal help for civil cases. The free consultations take place on Mon., Dec. 9 and Mon., Dec. 23 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gaithersburg Library, 18330 Montgomery Village Ave., Gaithersburg. To register for an appointment, call (240) 773-9490.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Roth IRA

version done in 2018 or onward.

From page 39

Penalties

plex, so consult an adviser before doing this.] Also note: You are no longer allowed to undo (called a recharacterization) a con-

Although Roth contributions can be withdrawn without penalty, some withdrawals would be subject to penalties and taxes. If you make a withdrawal that exceeds

Merger

The deal is expected to close in the second half of next year. It’s anticipated to take 18 to 36 months to integrate the two businesses once the transaction is complete. —AP Business writer Michelle Chapman contributed to this story.

From page 38 September. TD Ameritrade stockholders would receive 1.0837 Schwab shares for each TD Ameritrade share they own.

your original contribution and are under age 59½, or you have not waited five years after your contribution, you would be subject to a 10% penalty and income tax liability for the amount of the withdrawal that exceeds your contributions. Beneficiaries are not subject to the 10%

early withdrawal penalty, but they are liable to income tax on earnings related to funds that were not held in the account for five years. Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2019 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Report scammers to Social Security The Social Security Administration has launched a new Online Reporting Form for Imposter Scam Calls at oig.ssa.gov to receive reports from the public of Social Security-related scams. These scams — in which fraudulent callers mislead victims into making cash or gift card payments in order to “avoid arrest” for purported Social Security number problems — skyrocketed over the past year to become the number-one type of fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission and the Social Security Administration. To help combat these scams, report robocalls and live callers, as well as email, text and in-person scams. Social Security employees do occasionally contact people by telephone for business purposes. However, Social Security employees will never threaten a person, or promise a Social Security

benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money. In those cases, the call is fraudulent and people should just hang up. Social Security will not: • Tell you that your Social Security number has been suspended. • Contact you to demand an immediate payment. • Ask you for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. • Require a specific means of debt repayment, like a prepaid debit card, a retail gift card or cash. • Demand that you pay a Social Security debt without the ability to appeal the amount you owe. • Promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money. —Cour tesy of the Social Security Administration

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Cars still more efficient than newer SUVs By Tom Krisher Yes, your sport utility vehicle has gotten smaller and more fuel efficient over the years. But even with those gains, SUVs are still behind cars when it comes to gas mileage. The reason: SUVs are taller and heavier than cars, and no matter how sculpted their bodies are, they still run into more wind resistance. “It comes down to the laws of physics,” said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing for Consumer Reports. “All things being equal, if you put the same powertrain (engine and transmission) in a vehicle that is taller and heavier, you’re going to get better fuel economy out of the car than with an SUV.” A comparison by the Associated Press of the 10 top-selling 2019 SUVs and comparable cars with similar gasoline powertrains found that in all cases, cars beat the SUVs in mileage, in several instances by 14% or more. The comparison is between two-wheel-drive vehicles.

Fewer sedans being made The Detroit Three automakers all have stopped making many of their sedans as buyers shifted dramatically toward SUVs and trucks. But the companies said they would be ready with more efficient gaspowered SUVs as well as hybrid and electric utilities if gas prices spike. About 70% of new-vehicle sales in the U.S. are SUVs and trucks and 30% cars as buyers opt for higher seating and more space to haul people and goods. It was about 50-50 just six years ago. SUVs also often are all-wheel-drive for better bad-weather performance, and they usually can tow heavier items. Around a decade ago, many SUVs were based on truck underpinnings, and often their names were preceded by the words “gas-guzzling.” But as fuel prices spiked at times during the early 2000s, more efficient car-based SUVs started to gain in popularity. Large truck-based SUVs are still around now, and they, too, get better mileage. But few gasoline-powered SUVs come anywhere close to comparable cars, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. For instance, the most efficient gas-pow-

ered SUV in 2019, the small Nissan Kicks, gets 33 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. But the most efficient gas-powered car, the compact Mitsubishi Mirage, gets 39 mpg, 18% better. Another good comparison is Honda’s CRV compact SUV and a similarly equipped Civic compact car. With the same engine and transmission, the Civic gets far better mileage. A two-wheel-drive CR-V gets 30 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, but a Civic with the same 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission gets 36, or 20% higher. On the highway, the difference is even more pronounced with the Civic’s 42 mpg beating the larger CR-V by almost 24%. Likewise, Toyota’s Highlander midsize SUV with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine gets 22 mpg in combined driving, but the recently updated Camry midsize car gets 34 mpg with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. The Camry has a more efficient transmission that pushes its mileage 54% higher than the comparable Highlander, which will be updated for 2020. Jeep’s Cherokee small SUV falls short of the mileage of the discontinued Dodge Dart compact car, even though the Cherokee was updated in 2019 and the Fiat Chrysler stopped making the Dart in 2016. A front-wheel-drive Cherokee with a 2-liter four-cylinder engine gets 26 mpg in cityhighway driving, while the Dart mileage with a similar engine is 1 mpg, or 4% higher, at 27.

SUVs also compete on mileage Even though SUVs and truck sales keep growing, research shows buyers still want better fuel economy, said IHS Markit Principal Automotive Analyst Stephanie Brinley. Most buyers, though, pick the type of vehicle they want and then check for mileage, she said. That’s exactly what Sabrina Walker, 28, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, did when she bought her 2010 Toyota RAV4 small SUV. She wanted the added cargo space to haul things for her house, go camping and transport her two dogs. She decided on an SUV, but then picked

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the RAV4 in part for its mileage. It can get up to 24 mpg in combined driving and 28 mpg on the highway, according to EPA estimates. “I won’t ever go back to a small car, not unless it’s a sports car,” she said. “It’s always going to be an SUV for me.” Brinley said consumers will return to cars en masse if gas prices spike at the same time economy goes sour and people think their jobs are threatened. “I have a hard time seeing that it’s going to happen anytime soon,” she said, adding

that they’ll quickly change back if gas prices drop. Brian Moody, executive editor of Autotrader, predicts some buyers will return to cars after they no longer need larger SUVs to transport children and their gear. As more automakers cancel car models in favor of SUVs, sedans that are left will be top-notch vehicles, updated with new technology that includes smaller, more efficient turbocharged engines, he said. —AP

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Travel Leisure &

Reflect on Northern Ireland’s beauty and troubled history on a hiking tour. See story on page 46.

Puerto Rico once again enchants visitors ber to see more. Tourist dollars are crucial to people of this U.S. territory, who have made impressive strides since the hurricanes with perseverance and positive attitudes. Any resentment toward the federal government’s response was expressed with a shrug of acceptance of bureaucracy. Today’s focus is on lessons learned — and the future.

Nature blossoms again Since Christopher Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico in 1493, it has stood the test of time, hurricane season after hurricane season. Mother Nature recovered quickly after Irma and Maria. Mountains so battered that they looked burned returned to vibrant green after just a few months. Smaller plants emerged, and today there’s no shortage of flowers. It’s the tropics, after all. In El Yunque — the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system — new growth is steadily restoring the lost tree canopy. Visitors can access about 70% of the trails now, according to Carolyn Krupp of the Forest Service, who recommends a stop at the temporary visitors center in Palmer, about an hour’s drive from Old San Juan.

PHOTO BY RUTH PETERKIN/DREAMSTIME.COM

By Ann Cochran The sprawling 300-year-old Nispero tree — in the outdoor courtyard of the former Carmelite convent that dates back to 1651 — stretches up 50 feet, beyond the fifth floor of what is now the El Convento hotel in Old San Juan. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria’s 155-mile-per-hour winds savaged the tree, along with the rest of Puerto Rico. Hotel management called on expert arborists, but they had no luck resuscitating the tree. It would have been cut down but for the hotel’s longtime gardener, who, inspired by a dream, announced that the tree needed 40 pounds of larvae. Somehow the odd cure worked, and the tree is thriving today. An estimated 2,982 people died after the dual hurricanes of Irma and Maria, only two weeks apart. Although not every resident’s life is back to normal after two years, the lush island remains a premier destination. Resilience, community, ingenuity, hard work — those were the themes of every conversation I had this fall with people in Puerto Rico about the island’s recovery. On an earlier visit via Caribbean cruise last winter, my husband and I explored San Juan’s historic, colorful architecture and sampled the island’s unique cuisine. Intrigued, we returned to the city in Novem-

The Spanish fort Castillo San Felipe del Morro, known as El Morro, was built nearly 500 years ago to protect Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Administered by the National Park Service, the six-story fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site open to the public.

Tourists are returning to the island, too. Last summer, Frank Comito, CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, reported that Puerto Rico’s recovery is ahead of schedule, with at least 90% of hotel rooms open. PHOTO BY BROOK WARD

Old San Juan’s colorful Spanish Colonial and Art Deco buildings, along with its cobblestone streets and plazas, give a European look and feel to the National Historic Landmark district.

Walkable Old San Juan Beginning in 1520, the Spanish settled in Old San Juan, constructing many of the buildings that still stand in the sevensquare-block historic district. The Spanish forts of El Morro and San Cristóbal, the latter of which is the largest fort built by the Spanish in the New World, protected the city of San Juan from the English and Dutch. They have been preserved as National Historic Sites and are open to the public seven days a week. We found a great way to get familiar with Old San Juan: a culinary walking tour. The guides at Flavors of San Juan combine personal stories, informative observations and historical facts. Walking around Old San Juan, where some streets are 400 years old, we delighted in the pastel Spanish Colonial and Art Deco architecture. The district is chockfull of small restaurants, boutique hotels, specialty shops and a few luxury-brand stores.

Historic sites One of the most peaceful, beautiful places to visit is the Casa Blanca Museum, at the edge of Old San Juan near the immense fort of El Morro. The two-story white mansion, which also served as Puerto Rico’s first stone fort, was built in 1523 for Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, the island’s first governor. (By the way, his supposed search for the Fountain of Youth is today considered a myth.) Although he died before he could move in, his family and their descendants lived there for 250 years. It has been open to the public as a museum since 1974. As I walked around the serene rooms and lush grounds full of palms and flowers, I felt envious. Facing the sea, with a warm, perfumed breeze on my face, I thought about the lucky people who lived at this post. Worth much more than the few dollars’ mansion entrance fee, and no charge at all for the grounds, Casa Blanca is a lovely oasis to explore. Juan Ponce de León is buried in a marble tomb at the nearby Catedral de San Juan Bautista, or Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. The second oldest church in See PUERTO RICO, page 45

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Puerto Rico From page 44 the Western Hemisphere, it will be celebrating 500 years in 2021. Its placement near the city’s main entry gate from the sea was deliberate, offering arrivals a place to give thanks for a successful journey. Like many wooden buildings on this island and others, the original was destroyed by a hurricane, and another took off its thatched roof. The current stone cathedral, first constructed in 1540, has survived, along with the rest of the island.

Where to stay Choose a hotel in historic Old San Juan or a resort in the Condado, a pedestrianfriendly oceanfront area about a 15-minute cab ride away. For those who love history, Old San Juan’s El Convento, across the street from the cathedral, is a charming choice. Its rooftop restaurant offers stunning sea views at sunset. In addition to the Nispero tree, its priceless antiques include a lobby tapestry, iron bell and a convent gate. In a ground-floor meeting room, there’s a full-wall tiled kitchen mural that was hidden and forgotten for six decades until a ceiling leak repair revealed it. Hurricane winds blew out all the windows in the Caribe Hilton, a 1949 waterfront resort in the Condado, whose claim to fame is the invention of the piña colada. The resort, along with its spectacular grounds, was repaired and finally reopened in May 2019. Another top-tier beachfront hotel is the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Where to eat and drink Puerto Rican coffee has a wonderful,

mild flavor; sugar is unnecessary. Try the island-grown coffee at Cuatro Sombras. Two of the many places that serve authentic island dishes are Triana and Hecho en Casa. Triana Tapas & Flamenco restaurant not only has great Puerto Rican and Spanish food, including paella, but live flamenco and rumba music and dancing Tuesday through Sunday. You’ll find a delicious dish called mofongo all over Puerto Rico. It’s made with fried plantains mashed with a mortar and pestle, with lots of garlic and either meat or beans. Try mofongo or empanadillas at Hecho en Casa, a family restaurant whose name means “made at home.” There is plenty of upscale dining in San Juan. Mexican-born Puerto Rico resident Chef Paulina Escanes offers guests locally sourced organic food at Paulina Escanes Gourmandize. As delicious as the main courses are, desserts are another level of nirvana. The bread pudding has a flan-like element, and her key lime pie is piled with an unusual marshmallowy meringue. Mario Pagán Restaurant is the flagship of chef’s chef Mario Pagán, friend of celebrity chef José Andrés. Both chefs procured major donations and fed the masses after the hurricane. Pagán’s signature black Chilean sea bass, with its port wine, veal stock and foie gras reduction, is not to be missed. From the octopus tacos to the chocolate souffle, a divine meal can be had here on earth. A great treat after walking San Juan’s cobblestone streets are handmade popsicles from Señor Paleta. Pure, grown-up flavors include peanut, guava-queso and strawberry mojito. Daytime or dusk, enjoy Chocobar Cortés, where chocolate pancakes and marbled waffles are listed along with more unexpected savory dishes like a chili

cocoa chicken. High quality, local, sustainably sourced chocolate makes a welcome edible souvenir.

By boat or plane San Juan, a popular cruise port, was our final destination on a 10-day Silversea cruise to Grand Turk, St. Bart’s, Antigua and Virgin Gorda last winter. Silversea’s Silver Wind is an ideal ship for travelers who like quiet luxury. Because the ship has a capacity of fewer than 300 people and almost as many crew members, the service is exemplary. Our fellow passengers were friendly, so-

phisticated travelers who enhanced our journey with stimulating conversations. Internet service was excellent, unlike on many cruises. We took a few onboard Spanish classes, a nice bonus for our time in Puerto Rico. San Juan is serviced by short, direct flights from D.C. and much of the East Coast. A direct, round-trip flight from the D.C. area to San Juan in January costs $438 on United Airlines. For more information about the island, visit Discover Puerto Rico at discoverpuertorico.com. For Silversea cruise schedules, call 1-877-382-6908 or visit silversea.com.

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Off the beaten track in Northern Ireland Decades of violence between Irish Republicans and British Unionists began in the 1960s and finally ended with a peace agreement between the British and Irish governments in 1998. More than 3,500 people in the small country of 1.5 million lost their lives in a 30-year period of unrest known as “the Troubles.”

The walls of Belfast The painful history is most visible in the two main cities of Northern Ireland. In the capital city of Belfast, we took a Black Cab tour of the murals on both sides of the Peace Wall — a forbidding, 2,625foot-long structure of cement, chain link and razor wire that separates the Protestant, Unionist side in the Shankill section of the city from the Catholic, Republican side along Falls Road. Our tour guide led us to Bombay Street, where the Troubles finally reached Belfast after several days of violence in Derry (or Londonderry, depending on which side of the Unionist/Republican divide you fall). The 1969 riots between Catholic residents and Protestant residents and police lasted four days, killing eight people and injuring almost 800. More than 150 houses were burned, and 275 businesses were destroyed — about 80% of which were Catholic-owned.

PHOTO BY MANEER/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

By Don Mankin The story of Northern Ireland is a tale of natural beauty and convivial people bound up in a singularly dark and bloody history. For a week and a half last summer, my wife Katherine and I traveled through Ireland — from Dublin, through “Game of Thrones” country along the windy coast of Northern Ireland, to the Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast and back to Dublin. The trip — my fifth visit to Ireland — began on a sunny day in Dublin, where we walked around the city, taking in the sights along the River Liffey. We got our first Irish history lesson at the excellent museum in the General Post Office, the site of the Easter Rising in 1916, which marked the modern beginning of the long, contentious path to Irish statehood. After two nights in Dublin, we joined the “Magnetic North Adventure Tour” by Vagabond Tours of Ireland, my host on this trip. Vagabond describes this as their “most active and off the beaten track tour,” an apt description indeed. We traveled for a week through northwestern and Northern Ireland in a van, led by our guide, Aidan, who (when he wasn’t leading the way up a steep, muddy, rocky trail) filled us in on the bloody turmoil that shaped the history of the region.

Tourists must watch their step while enjoying the scenery on the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

After the riots, the government built more than 100 “peace walls” that still stand throughout the country. I was traveling in Europe in 1969 on an extended summer vacation and happened to be in Belfast on August 15. I’m sure that some of the smoke I saw billowing up into the darkening sky from the upper deck of

the overnight ferry to Glasgow was from Bombay Street. It was a very emotional moment for me on this trip to recall that 50-year-old adventure, the first trip on my own in a foreign country, essentially marking the beginSee NORTHERN IRELAND, page 47

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

From page 46 ning of my traveling life. (You can read about it in my story, “Belfast: Bloody Past, Hopeful Future” on my website).

Derry’s divisions Two days later, my wife and I took a walking tour along the ramparts surrounding the beautiful, weathered city of Derry. We stopped for several minutes at a spot overlooking the Bogside, where most of the violence occurred. Almost everyone we talked to was concerned that Brexit might change everything and re-establish the hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. I wondered if the strife was really over or just waiting for a new spark to light the fuse. Things are quieter now, of course, but there are still some diehards trying to stir up new “troubles.”

The winds were so strong I felt like a CNN reporter in a hurricane.

Irish cuisine The history, weather and breathtaking beauty will not come as a surprise to most readers, but the great food might. I ate three of my top-five all-time best meals on this trip — the oysters at Nancie’s in Ardara; the seafood chowder at Lizzie’s Diner in Dunfanaghy; and the fruit scone at the cafe in the visitors’ center at Ballycroy National Park. I’m already considering a sixth trip to the Emerald Isle. The warmth of the people, the beauty of the land and sea, and its powerful history keep pulling me back. The approximate cost of this Vagabond tour, not including airfare, is about $2,000, depending on the conversion rate for the Euro. Airfare from D.C. to Belfast starts at $800. For more details and photos see the blog on the author’s website, adventuretransformations.com.

PHOTO BY IMBIBLIO/FLICKR

Northern Ireland

The city of Belfast is bisected by 100 walls known as “peace lines.” Built after the Northern Ireland riots of 1969, the walls separated Catholic Nationalists from Protestant Loyalists.

The green scene Although Ireland’s history is fascinating and compelling, most of our tour focused on the country’s pristine scenery, which must account for at least some of the overthe-top popularity of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which was filmed in the area. Among the highlights were the Giants Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, as well as the views of sea, fields and bog along the way. We also stayed in a couple of grand 19thcentury manor houses — the Beech Hill Inn near Derry and Mount Falcon in Mayo. To this city boy, they looked and felt like castles, surrounded by woods, pathways, ponds and fields with horses and sheep. We even spotted rabbits just outside our windows at the Beech Hill Inn. The trip was quite active. We did something physical — and often challenging — almost every day, including a choppy three-hour jaunt in kayaks along the coast. We also took an eight-mile bike ride along the Great Western Greenway, a windy bike path on the Wild Atlantic Way from Newport to Westport. One of our hikes was especially memorable, a wind- and rain-swept hike to Horn Head, a lookout point for German subs during WWII near Dunfanaghy, a former fishing village on the Northwest coast.

BEACON BITS

Dec. 5

BASIC MICROSOFT WORD

Do you know how to best use Microsoft Word? Learn about how to create different formats, including letters, invoices, calendars and lists, and other basic functions like inserting a hyperlink, counting words and tracking changes. The free class takes place on Thurs., Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 North Quincy St., Arlington, Va. To register, call (703) 228-5993.

We Turn Addresses

into homes

MOST COMMUNITIES ARE 62 AND BETTER

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

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

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

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

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

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Tips for winter travel and nabbing deals With the coldest months ahead, it’s a good time to take a look at important winter travel developments:

737 MAX return to service

airlines are pretty good about figuring out which plane they will use for each flight, and once set, changes are few. And they’re being really cautious about rescheduling the MAX until they’re sure.

The biggest travel question Where to travel this winter is a carryover from With all the various uncerlast spring, summer and fall: tainties floating around, I exWhen will airlines finally be pect to see some really great able to resume flying the Boeairfares and good hotel rates ing 737 MAX? for winter travel to major Although new, the 737 MAX cities — through mid-Decemwas already an important part TRAVEL TIPS ber and again after January 2. of the fleets of many airlines, By Ed Perkins If you’d like to visit a big most notably American and Southwest in the U.S. and Norwegian for North American city, Atlanta, New Ortransatlantic service, when the grounding leans, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver are generally comfortable all hit. The good news is that everybody has winter. Boston, Chicago, New York, Toronpretty well decided what caused the two to and other big centers present a rich horrendous crashes. Boeing says it has the fixes in hand, and the plane will be ready by the end of the year. But Southwest and United plan on resuming flights no earlier than late January, pending a combination of mechanical modifications and pilot re-training and qualification. Norwegian could take even longer, because the Europeans have announced they won’t blindly accept FAA re-certification. My guess is that full-scale flights will start again no earlier than February. A related question: Would you fly the recertified 737 MAX? Airlines are expecting that, at least for a while, lots of travelers would answer, “No.” They’re promising that anyone who booked a flight on a different plane that was subsequently switched to a MAX can rebook with no change penalty. That shouldn’t happen very often. The

menu of activities along with the ice and snow. Don’t forget about Europe, either: You can expect some really good airfares. And winter weather in England, Italy and Spain is usually not bad. Of course, if you’re headed for a beach or ski destination, you can expect the usual high season prices.

When to buy tickets United Airlines recently announced the results of mining its own fare data for a year: 1. The best time to buy is three months ahead of travel. 2. Buying super early is a good idea only for peak holidays. Otherwise, airlines do not load their lowest-fare inventory a full year ahead; they dole it out along the way in response to demands. 3. Tuesday is the least expensive day to fly, and the best time to score a low fare is

between 6 a.m. and noon (time zone not specified). These findings generally agree with other reports. My only disagreement is that waiting until about 30 days in advance is not a bad gamble; fares don’t go up much between 90 days and 30 days, and waiting may let you catch a great flash sale deal. But don’t wait too long: Fares go up rapidly within 30 days of departure. I would also add George Hobica’s longstanding advice: “When you see a good deal, pounce.” Also, if you have to book late and can’t find any good deals, check for air/hotel packages, which often include seat availability at reasonable fares when airlines say only the expensive seats are left. Send email to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net or visit his website at railguru.com. © Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

THANKS! To ALL Our Partners and Supporters

For making this years Friendsgiving food collection for MUM a huge success!

to benefit

MUM

BEACON BITS

Dec. 28

FREE MOVIE: 9 TO 5

As part of the Dolly Parton Movie Series, the D.C. Library is screening several of the country music singer’s films. The 1980 film 9 to 5 will be presented on Sat., Dec. 28 at 1 p.m. at the Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information about the free event, email tenleylibrary@dc.gov or call (202) 727-1488.

Dec. 7

Mid-County United Ministries

REAL ESTATE INVESTING

Retire on your own terms by learning how to invest in real estate. The class, taught by Hands on Real Estate Investing, will be held on Sat., Dec. 7 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Springdale Professional Center, 5105 Backlick Rd. Suite E, Annandale, Va. To register for the free class, visit http://bit.ly/REIAnnandale.

2019 Extraordinary Donors

AFCM A First Class Move CarePlus Home Health, Inc. Corewood Care Debra Levy Eldercare Associates District Mobile Dental Eden Homes of Potomac Aging Network Services asap graphics +interiors360 Family & Nursing Care

Joseph Gawler’s Sons Kensington Park Senior Living GROWS Mobile Medical Imaging The Angels Garden The Beacon Newspapers Wheaton & Kensington Chamber of Commerce

iHop Wheaton Kaizen of Kensington Renew Me Fitness

RLAH Real Estate Susan I Wranik, SpeakSkill LLC The Landing of Silver Spring

The Villages of Kensington • Visiting Angels MUM Provides Emergency Food and Assistance to People in Crisis in the Kensington · Silver Spring • Wheaton · Rockville · Aspen Hill regions. www.mumhelp.org

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DFREE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Style Arts &

Sally Field will be among the honorees (all 50+) at the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 8. See story on facing page.

Ingenious play about an autistic genius a 2003 novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. Although the acclaimed, bestselling novel was narrated by Christopher in the first person, the play uses other devices, such as readings by Christopherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teacher from a book Christopher is supposedly writing.

Difficult jobs done well The character of Christopher, who must (and does) carry the show, is performed by Harrison Bryan, who conveys the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sensory-overloaded universe expertly. His believable performance offers the audience an emotional understanding of what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;the other.â&#x20AC;? His stutter, the face tics, the yowling, the body contortions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially when Christopher discovers the letters written to him by his mother and hidden by his father â&#x20AC;&#x201D; push Christopher to a deeper, more credible life. The wonderful stage-crafting helps the audience delve into what is going on inside Christopherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head by graphically exposing it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all done with video projections and choreographed crowd movements. What is most true about Christopher â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

PHOTO BY C. STANLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

By Robert Friedman Imagine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or allow the Round House Theatreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellent cast and stage crew to imagine for you â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the story of a 15-yearold math genius with Asperger Syndrome (a form of autism), whose attempts to solve the murder of a neighborâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dog leads him to delve into the mysteries of the human mind and heart. The boy, whose relations with others of the human species are, at best, on the borderline of humane, wants to use the methods of Sherlock Holmes, one of his few heroes, to solve the pitchfork killing of the pet. The crime-detecting attempts by young Christopher Boone, who hates to be physically touched and is literal to a fault, brings about another enigma â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one surrounding his separated parents, who have hidden the reasons they are no longer together as a family. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the plot of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, now playing at the Bethesda theater. The Tony Awardwinning play opened in London in 2012, played on Broadway in 2014, and is now having its D.C.-regional theater debut. Playwright Simon Stephens based it on

Harrison Bryan stars as Christopher Boone, a brilliant but troubled teenager with Asberger Syndrome, in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Bethesdaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Round House Theatre through Dec. 22.

the confusion and love and intellect inside the head and the heart â&#x20AC;&#x201D; become almost magically visual through the London Underground crowds, the sound, the light, and scribblings on the back of the set. Kudos to co-directors Ryan Rilette and

Jared Mezzocchi, who is also credited with the truly imaginative projection design. Choreographers Colette Krogol and Matt Reeves moved the crowd, while Sherrice See CURIOUS INCIDENT, page 52

PLAYING THROUGH JANUARY 5

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NOW PLAYING THROUGH DECEMBER 29 Photo of Jake Epstein and Amelia Pedlow by Tony Powell.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Kennedy Center honors stars, shows 50+ By Ashraf Khalil Actress Sally Field and the long-running children’s TV show “Sesame Street” will be honored and feted at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors gala this month. Others chosen to receive the award for lifetime achievement in the arts include singer Linda Ronstadt, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, and the musical group Earth, Wind and Fire. Field, 72, was a television star at age 19 and went on to forge a distinguished career that included two Academy Awards and three Emmys. She starred last year in a Netflix miniseries called “Maniac.” “Sesame Street” debuted in 1969 and remains a force in children’s educational television. The show now airs new episodes on HBO, and they are rebroadcast months later on the show’s original home, PBS. In recent years, the creators have worked to embrace more modern issues, introduc-

ing a puppet named Julia with autism. The co-founders of “Sesame Street,” Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, will accept the award on behalf of the show. Ronstadt was one of the faces of American music in the 1970s and 80s, landing on the cover of Time magazine in 1977. Her four-decade career moved smoothly between country, pop and rock with occasional deviations into Mexican folk songs. In 2011, she announced her retirement from singing, citing the advancing effects of Parkinson’s disease. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ronstadt professed to a fairly ambivalent relationship to the collection of prizes, awards and honors she has accrued. “I don’t think a lot about prizes,” she said. “You do the work for the work.”

From youngest to oldest Tilson Thomas, who has served as music

BEACON BITS

Dec. 16+

MEMOIR WRITING Have you ever wanted to write your life story? Explore writing

memoir writing and learn from other writers every other Monday morning at the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. Washington, D.C. The next free sessions are Dec. 16 and Dec. 30 at 9:30 a.m. For more information, email chris.stevenson@dc.gov or call (202) 243-1187.

Dec. 7

ART AND ACTIVISM Join local artists and community organizers to make a difference

through art. Learn how to screen print to spread messages of empowerment. The free event will be held on Sat., Dec. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE, Washington, D.C. For more information, visit Anacostia.si.edu.

director of the San Francisco Symphony for the past 24 years, has become particularly renowned for his interpretations of the entire works of Gustav Mahler. Asked why he felt he was chosen for the award, Tilson Thomas laughed and said, “I guess I’ve just been around a long time! I started out always being the youngest person on stage, and now I’m the oldest person on stage.” Earth, Wind and Fire was originally formed in Chicago by lead singer Maurice White. The group drew elements from rhythm and blues, funk and disco in a flashy crowd-pleasing mix that spawned eight No. 1 hits. Songs such as “September” and “Shining Star” remain in heavy rotation for both radio station programmers and wedding DJs. Maurice White died in 2016, but his brother Verdine, the group’s longtime bassist, said he was proud of how their songs have become part of the soundtrack of American music. “We’re part of the culture. We’re part of people’s lives,” he said. “The music makes people happy. When you come to a show, you leave happier than when you came.” The 42nd annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8. The presenters and performers are usually kept secret from the honorees until the show. Ronstadt played a role in the tribute to

Actress Sally Field, pictured here in New York City in June 2018, will be celebrated at this month’s 2019 Kennedy Center Honors, along with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the band Earth, Wind and Fire, and the children’s television show “Sesame Street.”

The Eagles, 2016 Kennedy Center Honorees, and she said she enjoys the surprise format of the evening. “I’ll be curious to see who they come up with,” she said. The event will be broadcast on CBS on Dec. 15. —AP

BEACON BITS

Dec. 7

KNITTERS, UNITE

Get inspired by other knitters in the area. Learn new techniques or learn the basics at the Creative Knitter’s Guild. The group meets on Sat., Dec. 7 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Kensington Park Library, 4201 Knowles Ave., Kensington. For more information on the free event, call (240) 773-9515.

A journey of the heart this holiday season

The Velveteen Rabbit Now until Jan 1

Directed by Jenna Duncan Based on the book by Margery Williams Adapted by Patrick Flynn All performances held in Glen Echo Park

& ATMTC ACADEMY see theatre. be theatre.

BUY TICKETS

www.govelveteenrabbit.com | 301.634.2270

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Curious Incident From page 50 Mojgani is credited with the flashing mood-lighting and Andre Pluess with the mind-boggling (for Christopher) sound effects. Paige Hathaway was scenic designer for

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

the play, in which doors, windows and boxes at first visually presented on a screen open three dimensionally. The cast also included Tessa Klein as Siobhan, who sympathetically portrayed Christopherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind teacher; Tonya Beckman as Judy, Christopherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confused-onthe-outside, loving-on-the-inside mother;

BEACON BITS

Dec. 16

WOODWORKING WORKSHOP Accomplish those small woodworking projects you have been

dreaming about for years with the help of experienced craftsman Steve Ortado. You can make a container, musical instrument, table or other small object during class. The free workshop takes place on Mon., Dec. 16 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington,

and Cody Nickell as Ed, the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father â&#x20AC;&#x201D; malicious in words and certainly in some deeds, but also a loyal (if maybe too often loudly angry) patriarch. Ed wants and aims for nothing but the best for his sometimes confused, sometimes clearer-minded-than-most son. Others in the excellent supporting cast playing neighbors, London subway riders, etc., include Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, Laura C. Harris, Eric Hissom, Kimberly Schraf, Kathryn Tkel and Cody LeRoy Wilson. There is also an incredibly well-behaved puppy (on the matinee when the show was reviewed) making an entrance in the final scene.

Allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well that ends well

D.C. To register, contact Brittany Miller at Brittany.Miller@dc.gov or call (202)

Several issues are resolved for the principal characters, which make for the playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happy ending. There is also a brief epilogue when Christopher comes back (after the standing ovation) to show his mathematical

282-2201.

LIMITED HOLIDAY ENGAGEMENT!

prowess, and to remind probably all of us, certainly this reviewer, of all our geometry, algebra and calculus shortcomings. The two-act play, which runs about two and a half hours with one long intermission, is a true theater experience. Not only will you enjoy the excellent acting and wonderful adaption of a novel with deeply moving characters. A Curious Incident also offers a thought-provoking view of the mind and soul of its principal character through scintillating stage crafting. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time runs at the RoundHouse Theatre through December 22. Many performances offer a post-show discussion. Tickets are $51 to $83. No senior discounts, but all tickets to Tuesday night performances are buy one, get one free. The theater is located at 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Md. For tickets, visit roundhousetheatre.org, email boxoffice@ roundhousetheatre.org or call (240) 6441100.

BEACON BITS

Dec. 13

HOLIDAY SINGALONG

DECEMBER 17 - JANUARY 5 5IF/BUJPOBM%$ DPN t

photo by Warwick Saint

Grab your holiday sweater and Santa hat and sing with your neighbors at the annual Alexandria Holiday Singalong. Get in the festive spirit with the Alexandria Citizens Band and songbooks with all the lyrics youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve forgotten. The free singalong will be held on Fri., Dec. 13 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Del Ray United Methodist Church, 100 East Windsor Ave., Alexandria, Va. To learn more, call (703) 920-8675.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

December/ January Events Celebrating Slatkin at 75 Kern plays Rachmaninoﬀ In celebration of his 75th birthday, former NSO Music Director Leonard Slatkin conducts an exciting new set of commissioned variations on the famous Paganini Caprice No. 24. The program continues with extraordinary Russian pianist Olga Kern, whose “star quality” (The Washington Post) radiates in Rachmaninoﬀ’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

December 5 & 7 | Concert Hall

NSO Pops: A Holiday Pops! with Leslie Odom, Jr. Our annual tradition conducted by Steven Reineke, complete with Santa, the joyful voices of The Choral Arts Society of Washington, and even “snow!” Warm your spirit with fresh takes on comforting classics and sing-along favorites in the festively decorated Concert Hall. This year, we welcome Leslie Odom, Jr., whose remarkable talents continue to inspire audiences across the globe, from his Tony®-winning role in Hamilton to singing “America the Beautiful” at the 2018 Super Bowl™, and his new album Mr..

December 13 & 14 | Concert Hall

NSO Pops: Diana Ross— Music Book 2020

HANDEL’S

messiah Since its debut nearly three centuries ago, one work reigns unchallenged as the ultimate celebration of holiday cheer: Handel’s Messiah. This year, experience Messiah’s supreme glory in Sir Andrew Davis’s must-hear orchestration of the beloved classic. A stellar cast of singers joins Davis, the Orchestra, and The Washington Chorus.

December 19–22 | Concert Hall

Kennedy-Center.org

January 9–11 | Concert Hall

Bronfman plays Beethoven Holst’s The Planets Embark on a majestic journey through the solar system as the NSO performs The Planets, Gustav Holst’s epic, seven-movement orchestral ode to the heavens. The program also spotlights world-renowned pianist Yeﬁm Bronfman, who brings his lyrical brilliance to Beethoven’s sublime Piano Concerto No. 4.

January 16, 18 & 19 | Concert Hall

Groups call (202) 416-8400

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

AARP is the Presenting Sponsor of the NSO Pops Season.

The January 16–19 NSO concert week is generously sponsored by Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman.

(202) 467-4600 The Blue Series is sponsored byUnited Technologies Corporation.

Legendary entertainer and Kennedy Center Honoree Diana Ross returns to perform hits from her remarkable career!

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

HOW TO FIND AND SHARE YOUR INNER ARTIST By Margaret Foster ne day, on a whim, Martha Weiss, 76, a retired psychiatric social worker living in Washington, D.C., wandered into an art studio and signed up for a class. “Painting was something I had never done in my life,” she said. “I didn’t even think I could draw.” Slowly, with the support of other new painters in her class, she found that creating art was soothing. “Most of the time your mind is wandering or you’re worrying about this or that, but when I was sitting there painting it was totally involving, so that was great. We say in our group that this is our therapy.” “Autumn Evening” Weiss entered one of her works in the Beacon’s By Donna J. Battle Celebration of the Arts contest last year and, to her surprise, was awarded an honorable mention in the then has taken time to explore various forms of art, Painting and Drawing division. She was one of three including writing poetry. winners and 12 honorable mentions selected from Though he has been playing the piano since the among 418 entries. age of 10 (and still performs today, mostly for local “It was amazing that, at an older age, I was recog- retirement communities), he said, “I never thought nized for something. In my whole life I of myself as a creative person” until don’t think I was ever recognized indihe branched out into the ﬁne arts. vidually,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Wow, I’m Art has always been part of life for good at something!’” Donna Battle, 64, a longtime D.C. resiIn anticipation of the Beacon’s Celedent who won an honorable mention bration of the Arts 2020 competition, in the 3-D/Mixed Media category of which begins accepting entries in Janthe Beacon’s Celebration of the Arts uary, we contacted some of the winfor her collage “Autumn Evening.” ners and honorable mentions from Since then, Battle has continued last year’s inaugural competition. adding to her series of collages of The experience was overwhelmurban architecture. ingly positive for the entrants, who She recalls her modest start with art: enjoyed seeing their art displayed “I started it in elementary school. They for a month at the Pepco Edison would always ask me to help out makPlace Gallery in downtown D.C., during the bulletin boards,” Battle said. ing December 2018. She attended McKinley High School D.C. resident Victor Dyni, 88, was and completed its art program before “Lady In Glass” pleasantly surprised to win a thirdheading to Howard University. By Victor Dyni place award for his stained-glass art. Battle has started making greeting His “Lady in Glass” was one of 172 entries in the Sculp- cards based on her artwork. Now she is scouting ture/Jewelry/Pottery/Mixed Media category. around for inspiration for her next creations. “I have “It was quite a surprise and very exciting,” Dyni to think of some other type of series to do,” she said. said of his win. Dyni retired as chief music librarian Like Battle, Weiss plans to submit other pieces in for the D.C. Public Libraries in the 1990s, and since January’s competition. Whether she wins or not isn’t the point, she said. She likes having the inspiration to produce art. She also encourages other retirees to give art a chance. “Find the right [class], where you’re not threatened, where people aren’t competing with each other, where you’re just there to see what you can do and nobody cares. “That’s an unusual thing in life. We always feel like we’re being judged. You work for 35 years and you’re constantly being judged and having to perform,” Weiss said. Weiss considers herself “lucky” to have found the art studios and a new, enriching hobby. “For me it was a totally new experience, the paint“Amanda” ing — and especially winning something.” By Martha Weiss

The page is supported by Celebration of the Arts sponsor

2018 Celebration of the Arts Award Winners Painters

First Place: Clara Herner, Silver Spring, Md. Second Place: Cecilia Capestany, Alexandria, Va. Third Place: Nathalie Pouliquen, Bethesda, Md. Honorable Mentions: John Anderson, Beltsville, Md. Brenda Claiborne, Fort Washington, Md. Virginia Gordon, Cockeysville, Md. Roselyn Harding, Baltimore, Md. Benjamin A. Jackson, Silver Spring, Md. Karla Kombrink, Alexandria, Va. Loretta Lechlider, Silver Spring, Md. Mary Jane McKee, Potomac, Md. Perry Dale Skaggs, Mechanicsville, Va. Diana Ulanowicz, Elliott City, Md. Steven Marshall Waugh, Fallston, Md. Martha Weiss, Washington, D.C.

Multi-dimensional First Place: Nathalie Pouliquen, Bethesda, Md. Second Place: Michael Smith, Columbia, Md. Third Place: Victor Peter Dyni, Washington, D.C. Honorable Mentions: Lorraine Arden, Washington, D.C. Donna J. Battle, Washington, D.C. Jennifer L. Blake, Columbia, Md. Norman Frederick Estrin, Silver Spring, Md. Addison Newton Likins, La Plata, Md. Nathalie Pouliquen, Bethesda, Md. Sarah Lee Province, Silver Spring, Md. Christopher Ruch, Ebony, Va. Richard Starr, Crofton, Md. Sharon Lee Weinstein, Ellicott City, Md. Edward C. Wlodarczak, N. Potomac, Md. John J. Yeager, Perry Hall, Md.

Photographers First Place: Vella Kendall, Monkton, Md. Second Place: Rich Isaacman, Edgewater, Md. Third Place: Richard Weiblinger, Laurel, Md. Honorable Mentions: Beth Altman, Washington, D.C. Brad Balfour, Potomac, Md. Margaret Ann Chambers, Upper Marlboro, Md. Judith Ann Guenther, Springfield, Va. David Allen Harris, Washington, D.C. James Francis Hollan, Arnold, Md. Philip Kanter, Pikesville, Md. Addison Newton Likins, La Plata, Md. Rodney Errol Mathis, Oxon Hill, Md. Nan Thompson, Nottingham, Md.

Poetry First Place: Liliana Dossola, McLean, Va. Second Place: Kathleen F. Powers, Springfield, Va. Third Place: Thomas Stephens Corbit, Olney, Md. Honorable Mentions: Rita Alston, Washington, D.C. Sidney Louise Brown, Alexandria, Va. Jack Calman, Silver Spring, Md. Henry E. Crawford, Silver Spring, Md. Karen Whitney Curry, Washington, D.C. Margarita Magdalena Dilone, Washington, D.C. Eugene C. Harter, Salisbury, Va. Addison Newton Likin, La Plata, Md. Kathleen Loverde, Baltimore, Md. Stephen G. Smith, Odenton, Md. Martha Wessells Steger, Midlothian, Va. Douglas C. Taylor, Silver Spring, Md.

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Lonnie Bunch From page 1 books, particularly those whose only caption read â&#x20AC;&#x153;anonymous.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;That so bothered me,â&#x20AC;? Bunch said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I became a historian in part through photography. I looked at those pictures and tried to figure out what kind of life they had.â&#x20AC;? Bunch attended college in Washington, D.C. in the early 1970s, earning his bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees in history from American University. In his early career he was curator of history and program manager for the California African American Museum in Los Angeles. In his book, he recalls sleeping in the museum for a week to guard the collection, which included Muhammad Aliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boxing glove. After working as curator of the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. from 1989 to 2000, he moved to Chicago for a five-year stint as director of the Chicago Historical Society. After that, Bunch spent 11 years as founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In the process, which he calls â&#x20AC;&#x153;my calling,â&#x20AC;? he crossed paths with presidents, historians like Studs Terkel, celebrities like Oprah Winfrey (who has donated over $20 million to the museum), and descendants of enslaved people, who donated artifacts to the Smithsonian.

Building a collection Inspired by PBSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Antiques Roadshow,â&#x20AC;? Bunch put out a national call in 2008 for artifacts through a program called Save Our African American Treasures. Smithsonian curators traveled to 14 cities, including Jacksonville, Detroit and Brooklyn, eventually acquiring 40,000 objects for the museum. About 70% of the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artifacts came from the attics, garages and closets of ordinary Americans. To Bunch, those everyday artifacts are the real history. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was trained as a social historian, which meant that, yes, I was interested in people like George Washington and Frederick Douglass, but I was really interested in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whose names we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know,â&#x20AC;? he said. Some of the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most powerful objects include a slave cottage from Edisto Island, South Carolina; Harriet Tubmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bible; the guard tower from a brutal Louisiana prison; a segregated railcar; and the casket of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was exhumed in 2005 for an autopsy and reburied. Bunch personally sought out many of the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artifacts. For instance, he spearheaded the search to find the wreckage of ships that had carried enslaved people. In 2015, his network of archaeologists unearthed the first such wreck off Cape Town, South Africa: 212 people, many from Mozambique, died when the SĂŁo JosĂŠ sank in 1794.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

Bunch delivered a bag of Mozambique soil to the wreck site at the request of a chief whose tribe still honors those lost ancestors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By the simple act of sprinkling that soil into the ocean, I was contributing to their being remembered, and that was powerful,â&#x20AC;? he said. During discouraging moments as the founding director of a museum that addresses our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s racial issues, Bunch stayed motivated by remembering his own ancestors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Can I make my grandparents smile? Would they be happy about the work Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing? And then, after my dad died, how would he feel about it?â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then it extended to other people who Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never know. Maybe theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re resting more in peace now.â&#x20AC;? Today Bunch is working to increase the relevance of the Smithsonian by addressing

contemporary issues such as climate change, the impact of technology and shifting national identity. When Bunch was officially installed as secretary on Nov. 1, he said in a speech that the 21st-century Smithsonian will be â&#x20AC;&#x153;the place America looks to understand itselfâ&#x20AC;Ś.We must be the glue that helps to hold our nation together.â&#x20AC;?

Museum-goersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stories Many of the 6 million people who have visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture so far have brought their children and grandchildren to see its exhibits about slavery, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights era. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the things Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proudest of in the museum is that it has become this pilgrimage site,â&#x20AC;? Bunch said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Watching the interSee LONNIE BUNCH, page 58

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Counting one’s blessings despite tears By Bob Levey You know what they say about rain. Into each life some of it must fall. But gushers of it? Count your lucky stars if that has never happened to you. I’m counting mine after a tear-soaked dinner recently with a woman I hadn’t seen in more than 50 years. She was a high school classmate, but we were not close. We hadn’t laid eyes on one another since that day in 1962, when all the girls wore white gloves, all the boys

sported never-before-worn blue suits, and the principal said we were ready to take the post-high school world by storm. I hadn’t thought about my classmate since that graduation day. But she ran me down via Facebook and said she’d be in town one day soon. Could we have a meal together? We met at a noisy restaurant (aren’t they all?). Ever the gentleman, I said to her: “You go first. Catch me up on the last 57 years.”

She was eager to do so. She wanted to vent — about her two miserable marriages, the rotten son who had stolen all her money, the daughter who seldom speaks to her, the neighbors who disrespect her. I kept sipping my wine and saying uhhuh a lot. It was a bracing, disheartening tale. I asked if she could ever have foreseen so many bumps that sunny afternoon in 1962, when we all reached for our diplomas with the left hand and shook the prin-

cipal’s hand with our right, as we had been sharply instructed to do. Never, she said. I thought it would all be a breeze, she said. “I thought I’d have a career, a family, a nice house, a dog I liked, a nice car. What in the world happened?” she wanted to know. Then tears. Then a second glass of wine for her. Then more tears. Finally, it was my turn. I told her about my

Lonnie Bunch

stand what strength you have that you don’t even know you have yet.’” He understands this on a personal level, too. Bunch and his wife, Maria MarableBunch, have two grown daughters and two grandchildren, ages 5 and 1. “I want my grandkids to be the people to

stand up for the kid that’s being bullied,” he said. “I want them to understand fairness and that ultimately their job is to fight for fairness.”

play a major role at the Smithsonian museums and National Zoo, with thousands more participating in projects online, such as transcribing historic documents. Volunteers log thousands of hours as information desk specialists, behind-thescenes contributors, docents and educators. More than half of them are retirees. According to a 2017 Smithsonian study, “Those in their 60s and 70s contributed 60% of [total] volunteer hours to the Smithsonian.” Bunch is grateful to those volunteers, and hopes they will engage visitors by asking them to share their own stories. “There is nothing more powerful than sharing the oral stories, the memories,” he said. “If you help families preserve their memories, then we have made a major contribution. “They think their story is minor, and they might only be famous to their family, but that’s good enough. That’s what I want them to do.” Bunch’s message to those looking for a way to find meaning in retirement: Just “find your good fight — what is the thing that motivates you?” he said. In his current job as Secretary of the Smithsonian and in his past role establishing a new museum on the Mall, Bunch stays motivated not by politicians or celebrities, but by ordinary, “anonymous” people, he said. “I did it for all those people whose names we don’t know, all those people who stop me on the street and say ‘thank you.’ If I could make those people smile and feel that their story is a part of this bigger story, then I’ve done everything I could do.” A Fool’s Errand is available on Amazon. com, in Target and Barnes & Noble stores and at Smithsonian museum gift shops. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, located at 1400 Constitution Ave. NW, near the Washington Monument, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. Admission is free. From September to February, walk-up weekday entry begins at 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. From March to August and on all weekends, timed passes are required. You can obtain a pass up to three months in advance at http://bit.ly/AAmuseumpass.

From page 57 generational sharing is so powerful…To see those folks who come and say, ‘I lived that history’ or ‘I understand that history’ and ‘I want you as my grandchild to under-

Older volunteers essential Every year, more than 7,000 volunteers

From left: Louis Davis Jr. AARP DC State Director, Wendellene Dupree 2019 AARP DC Andrus Award winner and Reverend Doctor Kendrick E. Curry AARP DC State President. Photo by Rick Reinhard

CONGRATULATIONS TO WENDELLENE DUPREE 2019 AARP DC ANDRUS AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE WINNER

Named after AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, the award honors outstanding individuals whose volunteer work has improved the community, supported AARP’s vision and mission, and inspired other volunteers. Learn more at aarp.org/DC

Facebook.com/AARPDC

@AARPDC

See BOB LEVEY, page 59

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Beautiful books address varied interests By Dinah Rokach As Garrison Keillor once said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” Consider these exceptional coffee-table offerings for the readers in your life — from star gazers to sports fans to art lovers. Mission Moon: How 50 Years of Space Exploration Defined Houston, by Houston Chronicle, 160 pages, Pediment Publishing hardcover, 2019 It’s been 50 years since the historic moon landing. Journalists from the home

Bob Levey

of the Johnson Space Center have compiled over 200 photographs and illustrations — more than 40 of them full-page in size — to accompany this stunning account of space flight. Follow the trajectory of American manned space missions from their launch by President John F. Kennedy at Rice University in 1962 to today’s more muddled plans for manned expeditions to Mars. Timelines show the historical progression of space travel, moon landings, interna-

piness, I told her. It’s how you get in touch with your rhythms and your reality, and From page 58 stay in touch with them. You never really know yourself until you professional misfortunes (more than a few). I told her about my health bumps (far more come face-to-face with something bad, I said. In a way, I added, you should welthan a few). come the bad. Year-round I told her about the deaths good happens only on televiof parents, stock market disassion. ters, the time my neighbor got I’m also a big fan of countmad at me and left my trash ing one’s blessings, I said. can (full of orange peels and Believe it or not, I told her, I rancid fish bones) overturned still go out of my way to say on my lawn. nice things to my wife. I actual“So it isn’t just me?” she ly think our adult children are asked. making the world a better “Not at all,” I said. place (most of the time). “But you seem so happy,” HOW I SEE IT I get up each morning, she said. By Bob Levey make a list of everything I I admitted that I am. “How did you get that way?” she asked. have to do that day — and enjoy the length I ordered us both more wine and told of the list. I don’t waste time sighing, beather how I had always made it a point to ing my breast and wishing my list were shorter. I brew a coffee and hop to it. learn from the bumps in my life. “Bob,” said my classmate of yesteryear, Don’t stay mad and don’t be bitter, I said. Move on, for sure. But don’t move all “you have really, really helped me. Thanks the way on until you can honestly say that for listening.” Isn’t that a blessing for this old high you’ve studied what went south. Then and only then can you handle it school grad? Isn’t that one I can count? Bob Levey is a national award-winning better next time. Or avoid a next time. This isn’t some Hallmark notion of hap- columnist.

tional space ventures and more. Learn about the scientists, astronauts and mission directors who were part of the team that made the moon landing successful. See where the astronauts socialized in Houston, the places on the moon’s surface they trod, and where their memories are honored. Read about the 13 women who almost

joined the initial corps of astronauts. Learn about the diverse careers of America’s space heroes when their flying days were over. This coffee-table book explores the many influences of spaceflight on our earthbound culture. Whether viewed by See BEAUTIFUL BOOKS, page 61

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 60 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

A T T A C H

M A I T A I

P A P E R P R O F I T

A T O A N T H O O P A P P T O U F L P F R S E S A C L I P C M E D I A L O O N S

L A B S A R I A P C O N S T E A A P M U S E I N E X T R A U L O P S U N E L E S L O P O N E R E D G

D E S I

C R I T I C

A L A A N N D P F A O E

O R N Y U P E E T I O N S S K I I A N S S L I T A U T O I T D A L S T I P R I O R P O N Y O N E L S L Y

ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: RUGBY HUMID TYCOON SCORCH Answer: "The Star-Spangled Banner" became the national anthem in 1931, making it -- COUNTRY MUSIC

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Crossword Puzzle

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Pre-Op Clearance 1

Stephen Sherr

26 32

33 35

42 45

57 62

Across 1. A current unit of measure 4. Organic chemistry classrooms 8. Trite 13. The Tax Administrative Assistance Act of 2012, briefly 15. Operatic song 16. Indian coin 17. eBay listing claim 20. “It was a brave man who first ___ oyster” (Jonathan Swift) 21. Leaves un-edited 22. “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, for one 23. Favorite drink of Capt. Picard and Winnie the Pooh 26. Do/say go-between 27. End to brew- or buttin30. Ice-T, Ice Cube, and Vanilla Ice 34. Convince to join 35. Common Oscar runway dress feature 36. “You come and go like ___ song” 38. Actor in a crowd scene 41. Not manual 42. Vegan’s protein source 43. Cafe ___ (coffee and milk) 45. Beachwear that reveals a lot of skin 51. Arrange the silverware 52. Try to catch a bus 53. What all good things must do 54. Add 15% to the bill 55. First line on many Income Statements 57. Previous criminal conviction 59. Harbinger of incoming mail, circa 1860 64. Communication channels 65. The first Roman emperor to commit suicide 66. Scott Turow book about his first year at Harvard Law School 67. Minnesota’s state birds 68. Advantage 69. Cunning

Down 1. Add a picture file to an e-mail 2. Cocktail with a tiny umbrella

Jumble answers on p. 59.

Scrabble answers on p. 59.

63 66 69

3. Unrealized capital gain 4. Drink like a cat 5. Beltway portion 6. Book jacket profiles 7. Seasonal mall hires 8. Entertainment Weekly employee 9. Most innings have six 10. Univ. established in 1824 by Stephen van Renssselaer 11. Opposite of paleo12. Urge for eastern currency 14. ___ loss for words 18. Using one of the bunk beds 19. He loved Lucy 24. Fencing sword used in every Olympics since 1900 25. “Acting is ___ of luck and choice” (John Travolta) 27. Starts to “Dear John” letters 28. Create booties for baby 29. Analogy words 31. Climb onto the examination table 32. Put away the keg for next time 33. “You did what ___ you would” 36. Letters on booze-cops’ hats 37. One who saw only Warsaw 39. Clever deception 40. The only actor in Alda episodes of M*A*S*H 44. Ma ___ business 46. Noisy quarrel 47. Make one sleepy 48. The most common final score in English soccer matches 49. Toy train company 50. How a member of the Senior PGA Tour swings 55. Go on the Dumbo ride at Disneyland 56. Did 60 in a 40 58. “Run-pass option” to a QB 59. Just the Roman numerals in “crumple” 60. One born during the dog days of summer 61. The groom’s line 62. End of Greenpeace’s web address 63. Boris Badenov, to Bullwinkle

Answers on page 59.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Beautiful books From page 59

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

people who remember the space program from its apex or those too young to have experienced it, turning the pages of Mission Moon will take readers to Cloud Nine without ever leaving the ground. NFL 100: A Century of Pro Football, by National Football League, edited by Rob Fleder, 304 pages, Harr y N. Abrams hardcover, 2019 This comprehensive and highly readable account marking the centenary of the National Football League will be enjoyable for football fans. Ten decades of NFL history are explored in essays, illustrations, creative statistics and infographics highlighting the stars, coaches, owners, individual achievements and championship teams. Explore the pivotal innovations that transformed football into the game as played today. Players, coaches and on-the-field action are captured close-up and in vivid detail in the more than 220 stunning photographs, of which more than 30 are two-page spreads and more than 60 are full-page. Editor Rob Fleder is the former executive editor of Sports Illustrated. Included in NFL:100 are essays by retired quarterback Peyton Manning, noted writers Michael MacCambridge, Dan Jenkins, Red Smith, Frank Deford, Michael Lewis, Dick Schaap and David Halberstam, among others. Recall local heroes Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jurgenson, Doug Williams, relive the best game ever played, The Catch, The Drive, The Longest Day and other iconic moments. Mine the mountain of statistics and stump your friends. As there is no index in the book, readers will have to read each page to find their favorite memories. Art in the White House: A Nation’s Pride, by William Kloss, 442 pages, White House Historical Association their emancipation. hardcover, third edition, 2019 Landscapes include the city of WashingOpen the pages of this exton, Niagara Falls, Boston quisite book and you’ll be overHarbor, the Rocky Mounwhelmed by the beauty inside. t a i n s , t h e P l a t t e R i v e r, It’s like holding a museum in Yosemite National Park, your hands. Leisurely absorb Monterey, California, and the distinguished portraits of Taos, New Mexico. Presidents and Founding FaAr t historian Professor thers, superb depictions of William Kloss sheds light on First Ladies, realistic rendermore than 100 of these works, ings of still life, sensitive sculpincluding recent acquisitions, tures and vivid works of modwhich are included in a supTHE ern art. plement. The book’s recreations of BIBLIOPHILE Art in the White House may By Dinah Rokach iconic events include the landbe purchased on the website ing of the Pilgrims, an engraving of the White House Historical based on Trumbull’s painting of John Han- Association, shop.whitehousehistory.org/ cock receiving the draft of the Declaration of bookstore. Proceeds are returned to the Independence from the delegates, Confeder- publications program and used to acquire ates cannonading the Potomac, and a mid- furnishings and memorabilia for the White night meeting of enslaved people waiting for House.

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FULLY FURNISHED ROOMS for rent in Clinton, MD 20735. $595-$695. Call/text: Dr. Walton: (240) 609-9172. Photo and proof of income (paycheck/retirement, etc.) required. GARDEN TWO BEDROOM, two bath condo available for lease the middle of November. Premier community of Leisure World for adults 55 plus! This condo features fresh paint, side-byside washer/dryer and new quartz kitchen counter tops. Living room, small enclosed sun room, and outdoor patio with a spectacular view. Call (301-598-6451) to schedule an appointment to see this exceptional home. No smoking! Pets considered. A reserved parking space, utilities, basic cable and basic internet are included. FOR RENT - LEISURE WORLD. Vantage Point West-6th floor $1800.00 per month. 1035 Sq Ft 2 BEDROOM, 2 FULL BATH, Enclosed patio, eat in kitchen, xtra large garage space included. Available Feb 1, 2020. Call Karen (301) 529-0900 IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO TAKE THE LEAP to a retirement community, try our newly announced Real Estate Partnership: Sue Heyman, Rick Winkler, and Sudha Baxter. Rely on our combined strengths: Top Weichert Producers, plus backgrounds in Teaching, Tax, and Business. We are located at the Leisure World Plaza Weichert Office and have personal knowledge of the Community from the investor and resident perspective. We will take you on a tour of the Community, show you floor plans, discuss campus amenities & offer how best to coordinate your move. We will set up an automated search for you, preview units, and contact you to arrange a showing when there is a match. We also offer exceptional service selling your current home. Call for your free Community booklet. You can see our current listings in this issue. Office 301-681-0550, Sue 301-580-5556, Rick 301-404-3105, Sudha 202368-8536. A PLACE FOR MOM. The nation’s largest senior living referral service. Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is FREE/no obligation. CALL 1-855-502-4495

Health PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-851-0949. DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. NOT just a discount plan, REAL coverage for [350] procedures. Call 1-844366-1003 for details. www.dental50plus.com/320. [6118-0219]

Home/Handyman Services STAY IN YOUR HOME LONGER with an American Standard Walk-In Bathtub. Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1-877-240-2061 or visit www.walkintubquote.com/beacon **STOP STRUGGLING ON THE STAIRS** Give your life a lift with an ACORN STAIRLIFT! Call now for $250 OFF your stairlift purchase and FREE DVD & brochure! 1-855-8503183. ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off and 0% financing for those who qualify. PLUS Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-844-359-6933.

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

Personals Services HELPING HANDS: I provide first class care for your loved ones. My services include household chores, general housekeeping, and transportation as needed. I have a varied background working with all types of issues and aging concerns. Please contact Mrs. Paul (240)898-7956 or email hands2help@gmail.com SELL YOUR SILVER AND OLD GOLD JEWELRY. Gold 4 Good (8241 Georgia Ave., Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910) buys gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver and silver flatware, gold watches and gold and silver coins. I will come to your house and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). Call Bob, (240) 938-9694. Gold 4 Good pays an additional 5 percent to all military veterans (and their spouses). Gold 4 Good is a Maryland licensed precious metals dealership, not a pawnshop or private home based business.

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

Wanted BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1990. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae, Punk, Blues, and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201. TURN YOUR SILVER AND OLD GOLD JEWELRY INTO CASH. Gold 4 Good (8241 Georgia Ave., Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910) buys gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver and silver flatware, gold watches and gold and silver coins. I will come to your house and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). Call Bob, (240) 938-9694. Gold 4 Good pays an additional 5 percent to all military veterans (and their spouses). Gold 4 Good is a Maryland licensed precious metals dealership, not a pawnshop or private home-based business. TOP PRICES PAID for fine antiques, artwork and high quality decorative items including decorated crocks and jugs, rare antique clocks, music boxes and antique phonographs, unusual lamps, slot machines, country store and advertising items, great old toys and dolls to name a few. I am 66 years old with over 40 years in the antique business, well educated and financially capable. Why pay expensive auction house, estate sale, or consignment store commissions when you can get a fair upfront price for your pieces immediately? If you have something unusual and interesting, rare and valuable and are prepared to sell it I would like to speak with you. Please call Jake Lenihan 301 279 8834. No calls after 7 pm please. Thank you. CASH FOR RECORDS, CDS AND DVDS. Best price guaranteed. No collection too large. Free appraisals. All types of music {33, 45, 78 & CDs.} Also buying turntables and stereo equipment. Will make house calls. Call or text Steve at 301-646-5403. COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars & countries. Also Lionel Trains, & slots/coin operated machines. Will pay top prices. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783

SEEKING FULL/SEALED BOTTLES of Vintage Bourbon & Rye (Pre-1990). Examples include, but are not limited to: Old Grand Dad, Pikesville Rye, Wild Turkey, Old Fitzgerald, I.W. Harper, Old Forester and more! Inquiries are welcome. Call Alex 443-223-7669. I BUY MILITARY ANTIQUES. I have an MA in History and buy American and foreign military medals, documents, uniforms, insignia, books, swords, and historic firearms -Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I offer fair prices for single items or collections especially items from generals. Trusted for over 30 years in the Washington, DC area. My biography and testimonials from veterans and their families are on my website. www.midatlanticmilitaryantiques.com Tim Frank 703-447-7243. ESTATE LIQUIDATION/ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES: One call solves it all when you hire us to handle your estate liquidation, down-sizing and/or home cleanout. We sell your treasures, take care of charitable donations and provide junk removal. We also purchase partial estate contents/collections. Always buying antiques, jewelry, fine art, vintage toys, collectibles, advertising, sports memorabilia, military, vintage cars, Mid Century Modern furniture, vinyl records, gold and silver coins and more. Based in Silver Spring, we serve Montgomery, Howard and Baltimore Counties, Washington D.C., NOVA and beyond. Also provide appraisal services for insurance/estates. Friendly, conscientious staff. Call Chris on cell (202) 7319447. www.OrionsAttic.com. WILL BUY MILITARY, WWII, WWI, Civil War memorabilia items. Uniforms, weapons, helmets, photos, war souvenirs, medals, photos or any other items associated with U.S., German, Japanese or other military history. Call Dave (240-4640958) or email (david.obal63@gmail.com). I BUY CARS, SUV’S, AND TRUCKS. I am a licensed dealer. I reside in Montgomery County. I will meet you or come to you to see the vehicle. I will buy as is. I have many years experience. I will only look in the Montgomery County area. I will look at almost any vehicle, with a reserve on age or condition. I can make your selling experience easy. Please call Tom at 301-806-8140. LADY WHO LIKES CHINA and other pretty things would like to buy yours. Favorites include Herend, Meissen, Royal Copenhagen, Shelley and Villeroy & Boch. Some Lenox and Johnson Brothers. I love English bone china cups and saucers. Baccarat and Lalique too. Paintings and pottery. I’ve collected antique Christmas and Halloween for thirty years and am always looking to add to my collection. Sterling and jewelry. MD license no. 2753. Call, 301-785-1129. CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. Ask for Tom. Call anytime, 301654-8678 (Reg. 883). $$$ CASH $$$ FOR MILITARY USMC ARMY USAF USN ITEMS - Buying Military Uniforms, Patches, Medals, Insignia, Flight Jackets, Weapons etc. from the Civil War through Vietnam. Especially seeking U.S. Army Air Corps, USMC, Airborne and German/Japanese/Italian items from WWII. Call or Text Dan at 202-8413062 or email MILITBUFF@AOL.COM.

BEACON BITS

Dec. 21+

NEIL SIMON PLAY

Looking for some laughs this holiday season? The Jewish Company Theater of Montgomery County is presenting Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds from Broadway, a comedic play about life’s struggles. The play takes place at Temple Beth Ami, 14330 Travilah Rd., Rockville on Sat., Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. and Sun., Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $18 on Saturday and $15 on Sunday. To purchase a ticket, visit http://bit.ly/45SecondsDec.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

Letters to editor From page 4 Instead, we encourage all young people to enroll in college, where over half fail to graduate — and where many who do graduate fail to find work making use of college level skills. In 2018, 36,560 Americans died in automobile accidents. What do we do to re-

duce those deaths? Not much. Where I live, there is no effective motor vehicle law enforcement. Everybody speeds. Many tailgate. There are many reckless drivers. More use of speed cameras along with a public education campaign would reduce the death and injury toll. Richard C. Kreutzberg Bethesda, Md.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

DONATE FURNITURE Moving or downsizing? Donate your furniture to A Wider Circle. The nonprofit can pick up your items within a few months and dis-

tribute them to poor families in the metro area. Drop-off hours at its warehouse at 9159 Brookville Rd., Silver Spring, Md., are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 6 p.m. For more information, call (301) 608-3504 or email furnish@awidercircle.org.

Dec. 6+

HOLIDAY POP CONCERT Enjoy classic holiday songs with a pop and jazz twist. The Alexandria Singers will perform on Fri., Dec. 6 from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

and Saturday, Dec. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Groveton Baptist Church, 6511 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria, Va. Tickets for seniors cost $15, with children under 5 for free. To purchase one, visit alexandriasingers.com.

Ongoing

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

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

Dec. 9

FREE POETRY READINGS On the first Monday of every month, hear local poets read their work at The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, Md. Open

HOLIDAY SIP AND SHOP Visit Capitol Hill stores and enjoy a glass of wine. Shoppers

receive a complimentary shopping tote, map and wine, while supplies last. The

mic sessions will follow each free performance to allow others to share their

free event takes place on Mon., Dec. 9 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Eastern

poems. The next meetings are at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6 and Feb. 3. For more informa-

Market Metro Plaza, 7th and Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. To register,

tion, call (301) 654-8664.

visit bit.ly/2019SipShop.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Studies

Home Improvement

Exercise Memory Study................31 Hearing Research Study................31

Luxury Bath ....................................3 PG Builders...................................59 Renewal by Anderson .....................2

Computer/Technology TheBeaconNewspapers.com.........48

Dental Services Friedman, Stephen, DDS ..............33 Oh, Judy, DDS ..............................21

Events Celebration of the Arts ............54-55 Friendsgiving ................................49

Financial/Insurance Services Children’s National Hospital.........41

Funeral Services Going Home Cremation................43

Government Services DC Census 2020 ...........................29 DC Dept of Insurance ...................41 DC Office on Aging ................34-35 DOEE/DC .......................................7 Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services .................8, 27

Home Health Care/ Companion Services Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Options for Senior America ..........59

Housing AlfredHouse..................................26 Ashby Ponds .............................1, 21 Brooke Grove Retirement Village ..................................17, 64 Chesterbrook Residences .................................24 Chevy Chase House ......................18 Churchill Senior Living ................29 Culpepper Garden .............17, 22, 27 Falcons Landing ...........................14 Five Star Premier Residences .......23 Friendship Terrace.........................27 Gardens of Traville, The................33 Greenspring...............................1, 21 Harmony Chantilly........................22 Harmony Spring Hill ....................22 Homecrest House..........................45 Homewood at Frederick................26 Landing of Silver Spring, The.......23 Kensington Park............................49 Quantum Property Mgmt .................20 R Homes Communities ....................47 Riderwood.................................1, 21 Sommerset Retirement..................18 Springvale Terrace ..................20, 25 Tribute at Loudoun .........................5 Tribute at the Glen ........................15 Victory Housing............................25

Wilshire Estates ............................13

Legal Services Farr Law Firm ...............................37 Law Offices of Lee Holdmann .......................41 Law Offices of Nancy Feldman ....43 Law Offices of Paul Riekhof ........39

Medical/Health Acumedicine Health .....................13 Allied Pharmaceutical Svcs ..........26 Arya Wellness Center....................11 Cherry Blossom CBD...................16 CopperZap ....................................28 Health For Life Dispensary...........16 I Hate Knee Pain .............................9 Lesner Hearing..............................23 Medical Eye Center ......................25 Providence Health System ............12 Silver Spring Medical Center .......14

Miscellaneous JCA .........................................38, 39 City of Rockville Mansion............57 Green House H St. ........................29

Real Estate Long & Foster/ Eric Stewart..........................32, 40 Weichert/Sue Heyman ..................14

Retail/Auction Cameo Coins & Collectibles...........6 Cherry Blossom CBD...................16

Healthy Back Store .......................19 Oakridge Auction Gallery.............11 Perfect Sleep Chair .......................46 Quinn’s Auction Galleries .............33 Zinger Chair..................................30 Zoomer Chair................................42

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Manor Care Health Services.........24

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

Theatre/ Entertainment Adventure Theatre.........................51 Arena Stage...................................50 F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre ............51 Kennedy Center ......................53, 56 National Theatre............................52 Senior Zone...................................52 Toby’s Dinner Theatre .............50, 57

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

Volunteers & Careers AARP DC .....................................58 Career Gateway.............................39 Old Towne Trolley.........................39

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

TIS THE SEASON FOR

Warmth & Cheer Assisted Living at Brooke Grove offers comforts that feel like home along with a vibrant lifestyle that encourages residents to remain physically and socially active throughout the cold winter months.

OUR AMENITIES Private rooms ﬁlled with natural light from over-sized windows and skylights

MEMORY SUPPORT PROGRAM For residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia, we offer a special assisted living option with:

Live-in pets

Specially trained memory support staff

Secure courtyards and walking paths

An interactive lifestyle that maximizes choice and independence

24-hour on-site clinical support from licensed and caring nurses

Tailored LIFE enrichment programming that connects each resident to his or her past

Warm, friendly staff members to assist with the activities of daily life

Pianos, ﬁreplaces, and game and craft rooms promote invaluable social experiences that stimulate memory

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 301-260-2320 or 301-924-2811