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Good friends bring good health

How friends keep you healthy Good friends may already know how helpful they can be to one another, but

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MYERS

By Carol Sorgen Valentine’s Day is the traditional celebration of sweethearts. But it might also be worth your while to lift a glass of bubbly in recognition of the friends in your life as well. “What would life be without friends?” asked Randy Jacobs. “Oh God!” “I’d be at a loss without my family and friends,” continued the 61-year-old Jacobs, who has known her best friend, Pam Schneider, virtually since birth. The two are just six months apart in age, grew up as next door neighbors, and now live around the corner from each other in Northwest Baltimore County. Not only are Jacobs and Schneider best friends, so too are their daughters. Though Jacobs is long divorced and Schneider long married, that makes no difference in their relationship. “I’m one of the family,” said Jacobs. The two families even take an annual beach trip together every summer. “She is my go-to person,” said Jacobs, director of clinical operations at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. “She knows everything — and more — about me, and vice versa. She’s my rock.” The two “besties,” as the young folks say, do have other friends as well. Jacobs has two friends whom she first met in fourth grade, and though she doesn’t see them as often as she sees Schneider, when she does, “time melts away.” “And there’s never been a family event that we haven’t shared together,” Jacobs added. “We’ll always be Ellen/Laurie/Randy…all one word,” referring to her grade school friends. Jacobs has also always made it a priority to make new friends, especially since her married friends are not always available to join her on, say, a trip to Alaska. But it’s her longtime friends who share her history — ”they knew me when” — are part of her present, and hopefully will be there in the future to share in both the good times, such as a child’s wedding, and the sad times, such as the deaths of parents. “Friends mean support,” said Jacobs.

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

Escape to Aruba’s varied island culture and terrain; plus, a walking tour through picturesque Tuscany, and Europe’s low-cost airlines page 23

ARTS & STYLE Pam Schneider (left) and Randy Jacobs, who grew up next door to each other, have been best friends their whole lives and now live around the corner from one other. Having friends generates benefits in one’s mental as well as physical health — from improved cancer survival to a lower risk of developing dementia.

now scientists are finding out that friendships also offer the benefit of good health. So says developmental psychologist Susan Pinker, author of The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make us Healthier, Happier and Smarter. Unfortunately, said Pinker, the middleaged are the loneliest group of all in the United States. A third of those between the ages of 45 to 49 say they have no one to confide in. For those people, Pinker’s advice is succinct: Find a friend — and preferably more than one! “Those with a tightly connected circle of friends who regularly gather — even if it’s just to eat and share gossip — are likely to live an average of 15 years longer than a loner,” said Pinker.

She also observed that people with active social lives have greater physiological resilience and recover faster after an illness than those who are solitary. She cites a recent study of women with breast cancer that found that those with a large network of friends were four times as likely to survive as women with sparser social connections What researchers are beginning to find, Pinker explained, is that social contact switches on and off the genes that regulate our immune responses to cancer and the rate of tumor growth. Some other intriguing and perhaps startling statistics: The lowest rate of dementia appears in people with extensive social See FRIENDS, page 32

Vagabond Players production digs deep into human psychology; plus, new books look at aging mindfully page 28

TECHNOLOGY 4 k How businesses track you k Manage health records online FITNESS & HEALTH 8 k Generic drugs go through the roof k Get the most from your produce LAW & MONEY 18 k Cheap oil’s risks and rewards k The outlook for bonds in 2015 ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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Facing facts, part II In last month’s column, I started to lay al and state governments, in most cases on out some generally well-known facts in a 50/50 split, though there are variations. hopes they can facilitate an Medicaid is an entitlement, important discussion that I meaning a state cannot cap feel Americans need to be participation at a certain numhaving with each other. ber. Everyone must be acTo summarize very briefly: cepted who qualifies under Thanks to modern medicine their state’s particular eligibiland healthier lifestyles, we ity rules. (These generally reare living longer. While that’s quire poverty-level income a good thing for the most and assets or something part, more and more older close). Americans are outliving their With our longer lives, savings. more expensive medical care, FROM THE This problem is likely to PUBLISHER and steady growth in cases of grow, as many in the baby By Stuart P. Rosenthal Alzheimer’s and other deboomer and later generations mentias (which can completehave put aside far too few resources to sup- ly incapacitate and last a decade or more), port themselves in their later years. Medicaid expenditures are forecast to rise Furthermore, our growing longevity substantially into the foreseeable future. will add trillions of dollars to the cost of SoHow will we pay for the unstoppable, uncial Security and Medicare — programs cappable costs of our social and health that, as presently structured, are already safety nets in an era of rapidly rising needs forecast to fail to meet long-term needs, and, at least at the moment, declining reveven based on current life spans. enues? Now for some additional facts: In Maryland, for example, shortly beFor those who basically run out of sav- fore Governor O’Malley left office in Januings and assets, Medicaid steps in to cover ary, he announced that this fiscal year’s essential medical and long-term care costs. budget would produce a $400 million This program is jointly funded by the feder- deficit that needed to be plugged. Further-

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Baltimore area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Howard County, Md., Greater Washington DC and Greater Palm Springs, Calif. Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. • Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Contributing Editor ..........................Carol Sorgen • Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory

more, the budget being prepared for the coming year indicates an additional deficit expected to be $1.2 billion. At the same time, Maryland’s new governor, Larry Hogan, campaigned on a promise to roll back many of the new taxes that Gov. O’Malley instituted in an effort to eradicate what he called Maryland’s “structural deficit” when he first came into office in 2007. According to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2007 and 2012 state and local governments in Maryland alone spent over $6 billion more than they raised in revenue. Throughout the country as a whole, state expenses exceeded revenues over that period by more than $118 billion. Growing population. Longer lives. Burgeoning rates of disability and dementia. Additional destitute retirees. Mushrooming state and federal liabilities. Inadequate Social Security and Medicare funds. This is where we’re heading. What can we do about it? Fortunately, we needn’t feel paralyzed. There are many options to choose among — some good, some fair, some poor, some terrifying. Here are a few examples of those options. We should be having a national conversation about them NOW. Some options for individuals and families: Work longer, save more, invest better, adopt healthier lifestyles, expect less, stick together and help each other out, encourage adult children to support older parents, reduce end-of-life medical care, sign do-not-resuscitate orders/living wills. Some options for state and federal governments: Take steps to boost the economy, improve tax collection, crack

down on waste and fraud in government programs, incentivize healthier lifestyles, raise payroll taxes (for Social Security and Medicare), raise local taxes (which cover about half of Medicaid costs), raise estate taxes, reduce entitlement payments and/or their cost-of-living increases (for better-off recipients), limit usage of the most expensive healthcare treatments, cap end-of-life care expenses, restrict or further tax transfers of wealth to younger generations (especially when done to qualify for Medicaid). Clearly, some of these are more palatable than others. I invite you to join the conversation and express your opinion, as well as your willingness to support some of these options politically. These financial realities will affect you, your children, your grandchildren and many generations to come. Older adults, particularly those who are well-off and well-prepared for retirement, may want to recognize their relative advantages and support proposals that cut back on their entitlements (yes, even their earned benefits), in the interests of assisting those less fortunate (yes, including those who could have saved more than they did). Our future is one of longer and better lives, but comes with financial costs we may not be able to bear equitably if we don’t take at least some of these steps. The sooner we act — and the wider a variety of approaches we use to ameliorate the consequences — the better it will be for all of us and our progeny.

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

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Feb. 28

ON THE FUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET

Since 2008 veteran performers Christine Lavin and Don White have brought their unique brand of clean and hilarious musical comedy to audiences across the U.S., proving that comedy can be smart, friendly and funny without being vulgar or pejorative. Lavin and White will appear together in concert Saturday, Feb. 28, at Temple Emanuel, 909 Berrymans Lane, in Reisterstown. Tickets are $25. Show time is 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. For tickets and information, call (410) 922-5210 or visit

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Technology &

Innovations Companies stealthily study customers By Mae Anderson Think you’re in control? Think again. OKCupid, an online dating site, recently became the latest company to admit that it has manipulated customer data to see how users of its service would react to one another. The New York-based Internet company’s revelation followed news last July that Facebook let researchers change news feeds to see how it would affect users’ moods. The fact is, big companies use customers as unwitting guinea pigs all the time — online and in the real world. OKCupid’s claim, that its research was aimed at improving its services, is common. But some find that manipulating situations in order to study consumer behavior without consent raises troubling privacy concerns. “Every company is trying to influence consumers to purchase their product or feel a particular way about their company,” said Kit Yarrow, consumer psychologist at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. “The question is, when is it manipulation, when consumers are in some ways tricked, and when is it just influence?”

In a blog post, OKCupid founder Christian Rudder detailed the experimentation: The company removed text or photos from profiles and in some cases told people they were a 90 percent match with another date-seeker instead of a 30 percent match. Rudder was unapologetic, and said the results are being used to improve the sites’ algorithms. “If you use the Internet, you’re the subject of hundreds of experiments at any given time, on every site,” Rudder wrote. “That’s how websites work.” Facebook’s disclosure last year set off a firestorm on social media services and in the press. During one week in January 2012, the company let researchers manipulate 689,000 users’ news feeds to be either more positive or negative in order to study how the changes affected their moods. But Internet companies aren’t the only ones studying unsuspecting customers.

Retailers research as well Retailers have been at it for decades. Brick-and-mortar stores and restaurants have long used data drawn from customer

loyalty programs, satisfaction surveys and exit interviews, to figure out how to best target consumers. For example, Darden, which operates the Olive Garden, analyzes customers’ checks to see what types of dishes people tend to combine. The restaurant chain also analyses how long customers wait for a table. Darden said the research, along with customer surveys, helps the company improve the customer experience. “We collect all sorts of information about any interaction we have with guests to understand who our customers are, and who is visiting the restaurant,” said Chris Chang, senior vice president of technology strategy at Darden. While Darden’s methods are considered traditional, retailers are beginning to use more high tech ways to study consumer behavior, too. Alex and Ani, a New York-based jewelry and accessories maker that runs its own stores and also sells goods at department stores nationwide, works with technology company Prism Skylabs to use data taken

from video footage to create so-called “heat maps.” Using video they can track how customers flow through the store, and rearrange displays and move them to places where customers linger. That’s just one piece of data the jewelry company uses, said Ryan Bonifacino, vice president of digital strategy. Once the company has the traffic patterns, they also evaluate timestamps on receipts and other point-of-sale information in an effort to create a profile of what types of people are shopping in the store so they can customize products to them. “It’s not about one individual coming into a store. It’s about understanding the journey” of customers as a group, Bonifacino said.

Tracking cell phone movement Another example is Forest City, a Cleveland-based real estate developer, which operates malls around the country. The company works with U.K. firm Path IntelliSee CUSTOMER DATA, page 6

What happens to online files after you go? By Anne Flaherty You’ve probably decided who gets the house or that family heirloom up in the attic when you die. But what about your email account and all those photos stored online? Grieving relatives might want access for sentimental reasons, or to settle financial issues. But do you want someone reading your exchanges on an online dating profile, or a spouse going through every email? The Uniform Law Commission, whose members are appointed by state governments to help standardize state laws, recently endorsed a plan that would give loved ones access to — but not control of — the deceased’s digital accounts, unless specified otherwise in a will. To become law in a state, the legislation would have to be adopted by the legislature. If it did, a person’s online life could become as much a part of estate planning as deciding what to do with physical possessions. “This is something most people don’t think of until they are faced with it. They

have no idea what is about to be lost,” said Karen Williams of Beaverton, Oregon, who sued Facebook for access to her 22year-old son Loren’s account after he died in a 2005 motorcycle accident.

Valuable assets The question of what to do with one’s “digital assets” is as big as America’s electronic footprint. A person’s online musings, photos and videos — such as a popular cooking blog or a gaming avatar that has acquired a certain status online — can be worth considerable value to an estate. Imagine the trove of digital files for someone of historical or popular note — say former President Bill Clinton or musician Bob Dylan — and what those files might fetch on an auction block. “Our email accounts are our filing cabinets these days,” said Suzanne Brown Walsh, an attorney who chaired the drafting committee on the proposed legislation. But “if you need access to an email account, in most states you wouldn’t get it.”

But privacy activists are skeptical of the proposal. Ginger McCall, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, said a judge’s approval should be needed for access, to protect the privacy of both the owners of accounts and the people who communicate with them. “The digital world is a different world” from offline, McCall said. “No one would keep 10 years of every communication they ever had with dozens or even hundreds of other people under their bed.”

Passwords aren’t enough Many people assume they can decide what happens by sharing certain passwords with a trusted family member, or even making those passwords part of their will. But in addition to potentially exposing passwords when a will becomes public record, anti-hacking laws and most companies’ “terms of service” agreements prohibit anyone from accessing an account that isn’t theirs. That means loved ones technically are prohibited from logging

onto a dead person’s account. Several tech providers have come up with their own solutions. Facebook, for example, will “memorialize” accounts by allowing already confirmed friends to continue to view photos and old posts. Google, which runs Gmail, YouTube and Picasa Web Albums, offers its own version: If people don’t log on after a while, their accounts can be deleted or shared with a designated person. Yahoo users agree when signing up that their accounts expire when they do. But the courts aren’t convinced that a company supplying the technology should get to decide what happens to a person’s digital assets. In 2005, a Michigan probate judge ordered Yahoo to hand over the emails of a Marine killed in Iraq after his parents argued that their son would have wanted to share them. Likewise, a court eventually granted Williams, the Oregon mother, acSee ONLINE FILES, page 6

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The website of the American Grandparenting Association is chock full of tips and information for grandparents. Brush up on the hottest toys and parenting advice. Watch videos of celebrities, including Tim Daly and Bruce Willis, talking about being grandparents. Join a forum with such reader-posted topics as “My daughter-inlaw is having an affair” and “Empty nest no longer,” about adult children and grandchildren moving back home. www.grandparents.com

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Technology & Innovations | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Customer data From page 4 gence to identify shopper patterns through mobile phone movements. The system uses cellular data, wi-fi and Bluetooth. Forest City emphasizes that it does not collect personal data or any data that could be used to identify an individual shopper. The company has used the data to deter-

Online files From page 4 cess to her son’s Facebook account, although she says the communications appeared to be redacted.

How new law would work Enter the Uniform Law Commission.

Last year, we saved

mine whether it should move an escalator in one mall to make the flow of traffic more efficient. Another time they were able to tell a retailer whether they should change locations or not. “In the past, we would have used a gut feeling or anecdotal evidence, more lowtech ways to determine whether or not we should move the escalator,” said Stephanie Shriver-Engdahl, vice president digital strategy.

The use of “big data” and other ways to study consumers are likely to get more pervasive. The key to conducting studies without sparking outrage — both online and offline — is transparency, said marketing expert Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates. “Big data is everywhere, and people know that and are willing to deal with it,” he said. “If you tell consumers this is what you’re doing to make sure you’re meeting

their needs and be able to offer the right merchandise, they’re usually accepting and understand.” That’s true for Lucas Miller, 24, of Phoenix, who wasn’t fazed when OKCupid disclosed its experiments. “In terms of tracking behavior, I’m far less worried about for-profit companies doing it than I am about the government,” he said. — AP

According to the proposal, the personal representative of the deceased, such as the executor of a will, would get access to — but not control of — a person’s digital files so long as the deceased didn’t prohibit it in the will. The law would trump access rules outlined by a company’s terms of service agreement, although the representative would still have to abide by other

rules, including copyright laws. That means, for example, a widow could read her deceased husband’s emails, but couldn’t send emails from that account. And a person could access music or video downloads, but not copy the files if doing so violated licensing agreements. Williams said she supports letting people decide in their wills whether accounts should be kept from family members. “I could understand where some people don’t want to share everything,” she said

in a phone interview. “But to us, losing him (our son) unexpectedly, anything he touched became so valuable to us.” And “if we were still in the era of keeping a shoebox full of letters, that would have been part of the estate, and we wouldn’t have thought anything of it.” To access Google’s inactive account manager: http://bit.ly/XuvgqD. Facebook’s page on deleting or memorializing accounts is at http://on.fb.me/1cyCi5e. — AP

This year, the goal is

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FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTING AND TECHNIQUES

Volunteer Allen Miller will be at the Parkville Senior Center to lend a helping hand with your computer issues, from troubleshooting hardware and software problems to helping you install and master techniques of new software. He will be in the staff office at the center, 8601 Harford Rd., at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28. For more information, call (410) 887-5338.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

How to manage your health records online By Eleanor Laise Doctors and hospitals traditionally have been the gatekeepers of patients’ medical records. That’s changing as a growing number of digital tools place these records at consumers’ fingertips. Patients can now view their medical records, download them to a computer or mobile device, and organize key information such as allergies and drug side effects. They also can use these tools to transmit the data to doctors or caregivers. One such tool already allows Medicare beneficiaries, veterans and other groups to electronically access their medical records. In September, the federal government launched a national campaign to raise consumer awareness of this “Blue Button” tool, developed in partnership with the healthcare industry (See sidebar). Tech companies, meanwhile, are racing to develop apps and online storage systems. Apple, for example, announced last June that a new Health app would be part of its next operating system. The app’s fea-

tures include an emergency medical card listing medical conditions, allergies and other key information.

Risks and benefits But as patients take charge of their records — and become responsible for safeguarding them — the “risks are very real,” said Joseph Lorenzo Hall, chief technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology, which promotes online privacy. If a thief obtains your insurance information and seeks drugs or treatments under your name, for example, he could wreak havoc with your own medical care and credit report. Still, health policy experts see the benefits outweighing the risks. “When people have access to their own personal health information, they’re inclined to be more engaged in their care,” said Joyce Dubow, principal for health policy and strategy at AARP. Indeed, patients who manage their medical records electronically can help spot potentially dangerous errors. For exam-

Accessing records with Blue Button Patients can start to access records electronically by looking for the Blue Button logo. Visit http://bluebuttonconnector.healthit.gov to search for hospitals, labs, pharmacies and insurers that offer access to records through Blue Button. Medicare beneficiaries can create an account at www.mymedicare.gov to review records and select Blue Button to download information. Humetrix’s iBlueButton app (www.iblue button.com) helps users manage and share medical records directly from a

smart phone. The app organizes your information into sections for medications, conditions, allergies and immunizations. When visiting a doctor who uses a companion Humetrix app designed for medical professionals, patients can transmit records to the doctor’s iPad. Likewise, doctors can use the app to transmit visit summaries, wound-care instructions, or other information to patients. The consumer app, which costs $9.99, is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. — Eleanor Laise

Send a letter to the editor. See page 2.

ple, if one of your drugs is inadvertently missing from your record, you run the risk of a doctor prescribing a drug that could interact adversely with it. Much medical harm “can be prevented if the patient or family caregiver has a look at that information,” said Dr. Bettina Experton, chief executive officer of Humetrix, developer of an app that works with Blue Button.

An electronic “vault” Microsoft HealthVault (www.healthvault.com) also helps organize and share your medical records while connecting with health and fitness apps and devices such as blood pressure monitors. The free service stores records on secure servers,

so users can access the information from any device that has an Internet connection. Both iBlueButton and HealthVault are highly secure tools for managing electronic medical records, Hall said. But he warns that the push toward electronic medical records may spawn startup companies offering apps that are less secure. Read the privacy policy before downloading any app, paying particular attention to whether the company might share your data with third parties or use it to generate targeted advertisements — a warning sign that your information “can be very promiscuously shared,” Hall said. — Kiplinger’s Retirement Report © 2014, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Health Fitness &

MORE STATIN BENEFITS Taking statins for five years in middle age can lower risks later in life MEDICARE CHANGE New payments to doctors are meant to encourage care coordination PRESERVING NUTRIENTS Try some of these ways to retain more vitamins in your fresh produce CLINICAL TRIALS ON TRIAL Few clinical trials publicize their results, but new rules may be coming

Soaring generic drug prices draw scrutiny By Matthew Perrone Some low-cost generic drugs that have helped restrain healthcare costs for decades are seeing unexpected price spikes of up to 8,000 percent, prompting a backlash from patients, pharmacists and now Washington lawmakers. A Senate panel met in November to scrutinize the recent, unexpected trend among generic medicines, which usually cost 30 to 80 percent less than their branded counterparts. Experts said there are multiple, often unrelated, forces behind the price hikes, including drug ingredient shortages, industry consolidation and production slowdowns due to manufacturing problems.

But the lawmakers convening the hearing said the federal government needs to play a bigger role in restraining prices. “If generic drug prices continue to rise, then we are going to have people all over this country who are sick and need medicine and who simply will not be able to buy the medicine they need,” said Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging. Sanders is a political independent who usually votes with the liberal wing of the Democratic party.

Bill for drug rebates Sanders introduced a bill that would require generic drug makers to pay rebates

to the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs when prices of their medications outpace inflation. Those payments are already mandatory for branded drugs, but have never applied to generics. Sanders and House Rep. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, sent letters to the makers of 10 generic drugs that have seen price increases of over 300 percent or more in recent months. The price for one of those, the antibiotic doxycycline hyclate, rose more than 8,280 percent during a six-month period from an average of $20 per bottle to $1,849 per bottle. (See “There are many ways to cut your drug costs” on page 9.) The increases cited by the Senate subcommittee were calculated by the Health-

care Supply Chain Association using the average prices of the drugs and other price data. The Generic Pharmaceutical Association said in a statement that the 10 drugs cited by lawmakers do not reflect the broader U.S. market, which includes 12,000 generic medications that have reduced drug costs by billions. But pharmaceutical experts testifying said the price spikes reflect broader price increases for generics, which have traditionally fallen over time. An analysis of 280 common generic drugs by Professor Stephen SchondelmeySee GENERIC DRUGS, page 11

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There are many ways to cut your drug costs By Dr. Howard LeWine Q: Recently, my doctor prescribed a 10-day course of doxycycline. I always ask for a generic since I need to pay full price. I was shocked when the pharmacist said it would be almost $65. I took this medication three years ago and I think it cost me less than $8 then. How could that be? A: The prices of certain generic drugs have skyrocketed. Doxycycline is one of them. Reasons for the price hikes vary from drug to drug. The sharp increase for doxycycline was linked with shortages of raw materials needed to make the drug.

Only two or three generic drug makers were able to continue to manufacture doxycycline. With less competition, those companies hiked their prices. The higher prices were passed on to the retail pharmacies and consumers. In some cases, the prices went from as low 7 cents per pill to over $3 per pill. The good news is that only a handful of generic drugs have become extremely expensive. You can almost always save by buying a generic drug rather than a brand name. So, ask your doctor whether a generic version of the same drug will work as well as the brand-name drug. Here are some other ways to help save money on drugs. As your doctor starts to write a prescription, ask:

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Are there lifestyle changes I can make to either avoid taking this drug or at least start at a lower dose? If no generic is available, is there another option that costs less and works as well as what you’re prescribing? Can I split this pill in half? For many drugs, the higher dose doesn’t cost much more than the lower dose. By splitting a higher-dose version in half, you can save a lot of money. After you have a prescription, you can save in other ways, too. Shop around, especially if you don’t have a drug plan and need to pay retail prices. I called a couple of nationallyknown pharmacies to ask about retail cost for 30 doxycycline pills. One quoted a cost three times higher than the other.

Consider buying a three-month supply of drugs that you know you will take for a long time. Examples include drugs for high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. You may save on insurance copays if you do this and order by mail. Talk with your pharmacist about ways to save money. Given the thousands of drugs on the market today, your doctor may not know about all the options. Howard LeWine, M.D., is a practicing internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and chief medical editor of internet publishing at Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School.) © 2015 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Health Shorts Early statin use offers long-term benefits Taking a cholesterol-lowering drug for five years in middle age can lower heart and death risks for decades afterward, and the benefits seem to grow over time, a landmark study of men in Scotland has found. Doctors say it’s the first evidence that early use of a statin can have a legacy effect, perhaps changing someone’s odds of disease for good. “It might be a lifetime effect,” said one study leader, Dr. Chris Packard of the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

Not only did original benefits of statins continue into late life, but researchers were surprised to see new ones become evident over time, he said. The results are from the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Trial, the first study ever to show that statins could prevent heart problems in people who had not yet developed clogged arteries but had high LDL, the bad type of cholesterol. The watershed trial led to these drugs — sold as Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor and now in generic form — becoming a mainstay of treatment and one of the most prescribed medicines around the world. The long-term results were discussed at an American Heart Association conference in Chicago late last year. The study, which started in 1989, involved about 6,600 Scottish men, ages 45 to 64, with

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high LDL — around 190, on average. Half were given the statin Pravachol and the rest, dummy pills. Five years later, there were 35 percent fewer heart-related deaths and also fewer heart attacks in the statin group. Once the study ended, the men went back to their regular doctors, and about one-third of both groups kept or started taking a statin. This means any differences seen years later probably is due to whether they took statins during the fiveyear study, Packard explained. Twenty years after the study began, the risk of heart-related deaths was 27 percent lower among the men who took Pravachol for those first five years rather than dummy pills. The chance of dying from any cause was 13 percent lower in the statin group at the 20-year mark, a benefit not seen earlier on. “The big surprise” was a 31 percent lower risk of heart failure in the group initially assigned to take the statin, Packard said. Heart failure occurs when a heart damaged from a heart attack or other cause gradually weakens over time and can’t pump blood effectively. —AP

Younger patients more likely to get best kidneys New rules are bringing changes to the nation’s kidney transplant system that will

give younger patients a better shot at a longer-lasting organ, and move others up the waiting list. The goal is to get the maximum benefit out of a scarce resource: kidneys from deceased donors. “Not everyone’s going to get the same benefit out of a kidney transplant,” said Dr. Matthew J. Ellis of Duke University Medical Center, who is optimistic the new policy will help. “We’re trying to apply commonsense principles to address those issues.” The long-awaited changes from the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS, come as the gap between who needs a new kidney and who gets one widens. Nearly 102,000 people are on the national waiting list for a kidney, while fewer than 17,000 transplants are performed each year. Roughly 11,000 transplants are thanks to kidneys donated from someone who just died rather than living donors. How long you’ve been waiting is the main factor in deciding who gets the next available cadaver kidney. But since November, the fittest of those kidneys — based on donor age and medical history — are being offered first to patients who are expected to survive a transplant the longest. Called longevity matching, the hope is that these typically younger adults won’t outlive their new organ and need another See HEALTH SHORTS, page 11

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Health shorts From page 10 that could have gone to someone else. Nearly 15 percent of transplant candidates are awaiting a repeat operation, and “the potential here is that we will reduce return to the waiting list,” said Dr. Richard N. Formica of Yale University, who chairs

Generic drugs From page 8 er found that roughly a third recorded prices increases in 2013. The University of Minnesota researcher said those numbers show that generic price increases are not limited to a few isolated cases. “The markets are broken, and we need to do something to fix it,” he told the panel. “I think the government needs to step in and develop and monitor solutions.” Dr. Aaron Kesselheim of Harvard Medical School recommended several new government policies, including allowing the Food and Drug Administration to accelerate the clearance of generic drugs for which there are few manufacturers. He also said that federal officials should be notified of all drug price increases greater than 100 percent. In previous cases where drug shortages have led to price spikes, FDA has approved emergency imports of extra supplies from foreign sources.

UNOS’ kidney transplant committee. Another big change: People who started dialysis before getting in line for a transplant will be credited for that dialysis time, moving them up on the waiting list. The less time spent on dialysis, the better the prognosis after a transplant. Yet how quickly people are put on the transplant list varies around the country, and minorities

and people who live in rural and poorer areas tend to spend more time on dialysis. Recalculating waiting lists and estimating patients’ life expectancy has been a big job for transplant centers. “We’re scrambling to get this done,” said Dr. John Roberts, transplant chief at the University of California, San Francisco, one of the nation’s largest kidney programs.

But he called the changes necessary to begin dealing with rapid growth in transplant demand, mostly by people over age 50, which in turn has lengthened wait times. In parts of the country, the wait can average five years. Last year, 4,485 people died waiting. Children already get priority for transplants. — AP

The lower prices of generic drugs make them the first choice for both patients and insurers. Generic drugs account for roughly 85 percent of all medicines dispensed in the U.S., according to IMS Health. Typically, generic drug prices fall as more companies begin offering competing versions of the same drug. But recent examples suggest the market forces that have kept generic prices low are not working properly. The average price of albuterol sulfate, a common asthma treatment, shot from an average of $11 per bottle in October 2013 to $434 per bottle in April 2014, an increase of over 4,000 percent, according to the Healthcare Supply Chain Association’s calculations. The hearing followed requests for congressional action by the National Community Pharmacists Association, which said independent pharmacies are being squeezed by the price hikes. In some cases, pharmacists are losing money on drugs that are purchased at new sky-high prices but are

still reimbursed at the older, lower rates by pharmacy benefit managers. “Community pharmacies are put in the untenable position of having to absorb the difference between the large sums of

money that they spent to acquire the drugs and the lower amounts that they are paid,” said Rob Frankil, who testified on behalf of the pharmacist group. — AP

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Medicare pays to coordinate chronic care By Lauran Neergaard Adjusting medications before someone gets sick enough to visit the doctor. Updating outside specialists so one doctor’s prescription doesn’t interfere with another’s. Starting in January, Medicare pays primary care doctors a monthly fee to better coordinate care for the most vulnerable seniors — those with multiple chronic illnesses — even if they don’t have a face-to-face exam. The goal is to help patients stay healthier between doctor visits, and avoid pricey

hospitals and nursing homes. “We all need care coordination. Medicare patients need it more than ever, “ said Sean Cavanaugh, deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. About two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease. Their care is infamously fragmented. They tend to visit numerous doctors for different illnesses. Too often, no one oversees their overall

health — making sure multiple treatments don’t mix badly, that X-rays and other tests aren’t repeated just because one doctor didn’t know another already had ordered them, and that nothing falls between the cracks.

A new strategy Medicare’s new fee, which is about $40 a month per qualified patient, marks a big policy shift. Usually, the program pays for services in the doctor’s office. “We’re hoping to spur change, getting physicians to be much more willing to spend time working on the needs of these patients without necessitating the patient to come into the office, “ Cavanaugh told the Associated Press. To earn the new fee, doctors must come up with a care plan for qualified patients, and spend time each month on such activities as coordinating their care with other health providers and monitoring their medications. Also, patients must have a way to reach someone with the care team who can access their health records 24 hours a day, for proper evaluation of an after-hours complaint. Many primary care physicians already do some of that. “Quite honestly, I just didn’t get paid for it, “ said Dr. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Wergin estimates he spends about two hours a day doing such things as calling elderly patients who have a hard time visiting his office in rural Milford, Neb. Say someone with heart failure reports a little weight gain, a possible sign of fluid buildup but not enough to make the pa-

tient call for an appointment. Wergin might adjust the medication dose over the phone, and urge an in-person exam in a few days if that doesn’t solve the problem. The new fee could enable physicians to hire extra nurses or care managers to do more of that preventive work, Wergin said. Patients must agree to care coordination; the fee is subject to Medicare’s standard deductible and coinsurance. Wergin plans to explain it as, “This is how we’re going to hopefully manage your illnesses better at home. “

Time-consuming work But for some patients, care coordination can require a lot more work. It’s like being a quarterback, Dr. Matthew Press wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine last summer in describing the 80 days between diagnosing a man’s liver cancer and his surgery. The internist, while at Weill Cornell Medical College, sent 32 emails and had eight phone calls with the patient’s 11 other physicians. That’s something CMS’ Cavanaugh said a doctor in private practice would find hard to squeeze in. The chronic care management fee is one of multiple projects Medicare has underway in hopes of strengthening primary care, and in turn save money. For example, about 500 practices in a demonstration project involving Medicare and private insurers are receiving monthly payments, averaging $20 a patient, to improve care management and coordination for everyone, not just those at high risk. Stay tuned: Medicare is tracking data on quality and costs to see if the experiment is working. — AP

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How to preserve the nutrients in produce By Clare Tone, R.D. Food preparation techniques such as peeling, chopping and cooking make an impact on the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. Follow these tips to preserve more nutrients in your produce: 1. Fresh is best, frozen is next. Fresh, ripe produce in-season — with virtually no cooking required — will usually be highest in nutrients. But what about produce in the middle of winter? U.S. Department of Agriculture data indicates that freezing produce immediately after harvesting retains 95 to 100 percent of most vitamins and minerals, with the exception of vitamin C, which diminishes by up to 30 percent in frozen produce. 2. Be water wise. According to the USDA, up to 50 percent of vitamin C, thiamin, vitamin B6 and folate content in food can be lost to the water it’s cooked in. In order to retain water-soluble nutrients, try to use cooking methods such as steaming or stir-frying that use less water. Also reduce water used in steaming and boiling, and reuse cooking water in soups or sauces to capture escaped nutrients. 3. Cut cooking times. As a rule of thumb, the longer foods are exposed to heat, the more nutrients are lost. To reduce cooking times, cover the

pot to retain heat and avoid evaporation; place vegetables in already boiling water, and learn to enjoy vegetables with a crunchier texture. 4. Make friends with your microwave. Since it cuts cooking time and water use, the microwave is a nutrient-friendly kitchen appliance. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Food Science found microwaving preserved higher antioxidant activity in a majority of 20 vegetables studied compared to any other cooking method. 5. Chop less. Chopping foods into smaller pieces increases the surface area exposed to light, heat and water — three factors that degrade nutrients. One exception is garlic and other foods in the allium family (onions, leeks, shallots). Chopping these foods and allowing them to sit for 10 minutes before cooking increases their active components. 6. Preserve the peel. Keeping peels on foods like potatoes, yams and carrots preserves more nutrients, which tend to concentrate just near the surface. In place of peeling, opt for a good vegetable brush and scrub vegetables thoroughly. 7. Use it all. The next time you’re getting ready to throw away those beet or carrot tops,

think again. Many vegetables are entirely edible and rich in nutrients, so using the entire plant, from root to stem, is a sure way to add nutrients to your day. 8. Keep it cool. Nutrient loss in many fruits and vegetables can be decreased with cooler temperatures, high humidity and less air contact. Store produce in airtight containers in the fridge. 9. Cooking helps, sometimes. Not all vegetables need to be eaten raw. In fact, cooking methods such as baking, microwaving and stir-frying can increase the antioxidant activity of many vegetables, such as celery, carrots and green beans, according to a 2009 Journal of Food Science study.

10. Eat more produce. No matter how we slice them, chop them, cook them — or not — simply eating more produce may be the best way to optimize nutrient intake. Nutrient synergy — how the total sum of nutrients in a food interact with each other and respond to cooking methods — helps explain why using a variety of cooking techniques and ingredients might be the best policy for optimizing the nutrient quality of your produce. Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2014 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Health Studies Page

FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Restoring independence after hip fracture By Carol Sorgen Hip fractures are fairly common among older adults. In the United States alone this year, approximately 350,000 people 65 and older will break a hip. Despite improvements in therapy, a hip fracture can still result in decreases in the strength of bone and muscle, making it difficult to walk and perform daily activities. Physicians and physical therapists believe that regular activity and exercise are beneficial in reducing disability in older individuals, yet the majority of older adults do not regularly exercise. This is true even for older adults who have suffered a hip fracture and completed the prescribed rehabilitation program. As a result of their lack of ongoing activity, significant disability often remains in older

persons after a hip fracture. Currently, the goal of post-fracture therapy is for patients to be able to function independently in a safe household two to three months after surgery. One year after hip fracture, however, 20 percent of patients need help putting on pants, 50 percent need assistance to walk, and 90 percent need assistance to climb stairs. This means that many patients are functioning at a lower level than they were before rehabilitation.

Seeking post-fracture volunteers The University of Maryland, Baltimore, is sponsoring a study to compare two 16week supervised multi-part physical therapy programs beginning up to five months after hip fracture. This randomized controlled multi-site

trial will include 300 people age 60 and older. Participants will join the study after standard rehabilitation is completed, approximately 20 weeks after admission to the hospital for hip fracture. The goal of the study is to enable older adults who have experienced a hip fracture to recover sufficiently to function at home and in the community. The primary outcome the study will measure will be the ability to walk 300 meters or more in six minutes 16 weeks after being accepted into the study. This reflects the minimum distance a person needs to be able to walk to carry out usual activities. Additional outcomes the researchers hope to measure include endurance, balance, quadriceps muscle strength, lower extremity function, fast-walking speed, ability to perform activities of daily living, quality of life, balance confidence, depression symptoms, cognition, and nutritional status.

Help comes to you at home Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two arms of the study, identified as PULSE and PUSH. PULSE participants will receive flexibility exercises, active range of motion (AROM) for the upper and lower extremities, breathing exercises, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Over a 16-week period, participants will receive 40 visits from a study physical therapist (three visits per week for the first eight weeks and two visits a week during the second eight weeks). Visits will take place in the participant’s home.

During the AROM exercises, participants will work to increase flexibility and range of motion. Exercises include the neck, shoulders, arms, trunk, hips, knees and ankles. During all AROM exercises, the participant focuses on deep breathing techniques. The second part of the session uses TENS on lower extremity muscle groups to decrease pain, in order to allow greater ease of mobility. The PUSH program seeks to improve specific requirements needed to walk and perform activities of daily living at home. It addresses endurance (with continuous upright exercise for 20 minutes); function (by improving fast walking), standing from a chair and stair negotiation; muscle performance (by exercising to enhance lower extremity strength); and balance (by performing unilateral activities and activities with decreased base of support). As with the PULSE group, over a 16week period, PUSH participants will receive 40 visits from a study physical therapist at their home (three visits per week for the first eight weeks and two visits a week during the second eight weeks). All participants in both the PULSE and PUSH arms of the study will receive 2000 IU vitamin D3, 600 mg. calcium, and a multivitamin daily for the duration of the 40-week study. Nutritional counseling is also provided. Weight will be monitored every four weeks. For more information, or to find out if you are eligible for the study, contact Denise Orwig, PhD, at (410) 706-2406 or dorwig@epi.umaryland.edu, or Lynn M Lewis, MA, at (410) 706-5144 or llewis@epi.umaryland.edu.

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CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP

A caregiver support group meets the first Thursday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Spiritual Care Department Conference Room at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, 7601 Osler Dr., in Towson. For more information, call Spiritual Care at (410) 337-1109.

Want to Prevent Falls in the Elderly? Seeking Men and Women to participate in a research study at the University of Maryland &Veterans Aﬀairs of Baltimore to better understand balance and the prevention of falls in aging individuals. You will receive:

• Health evaluation • Balance, step, strength, and/or flexibility exercises • Compensation for your time If interested call: 410-605-7179 & Mention code: LIFT at Baltimore VA/University of Maryland Gerontology Recruitment Line *You must be at least 65 years old and in good health *Participants will be seen at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine *You will attend approximately 41 visits for 1 to 4 hours each per visit

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Few clinical trials publicize their results By Lauran Neergaard Doctors and patients may soon find it easier to learn if clinical trials of treatments worked or not, as the government has proposed new rules expanding what researchers are required to publicly report. Thousands of Americans participate in clinical trials every year, to test new treatments or diagnostics, compare which older therapies work best, or help uncover general knowledge about health. Many of the studies are reported in scientific journals or trumpeted in the news.

Disappointing results not revealed But researchers don’t always publicly reveal their results, especially when the findings show a treatment doesn’t work as initially hoped, said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

Collins cited one recent analysis that found less than half of studies had been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal within 30 months of completion. “This is simply not acceptable,” Collins said. “This dissemination of trial results is the way in which medical progress occurs.” The proposals aim to change that by increasing information available on a public database — www.clinicaltrials.gov — that already is a major source for patients and doctors seeking to find the latest studies that need volunteers. That site lists basic registration information — what’s being studied, in whom — about more than 178,000 clinical trials here and abroad. Some are enrolling participants; some already are completed. By NIH’s count, just 15,000 of the listings include a summary of the findings, indicating whether the work succeeded or failed.

New rules proposed by NIH Under the new proposals, all clinical trials that receive funding from the NIH would have to start listing a summary of the study results within a year of completion. So would certain other studies, under an expansion of Food and Drug Administration rules that could require compliance even if they involve products not approved for sale. Some clinical trials would still be exempt from revealing results, and companies could request extra time to report about unapproved treatments. But NIH estimated the proposals, if finalized, would mean the public could start seeing results of about 650 additional

agency-funded studies a year. “These proposed changes should be good for patients, for scientists and for the taxpayer,” Collins said, noting that even failed studies are important to learn from — and so scientists don’t waste money repeating them. The proposals are open for public comment through Feb. 19. Written comments on the proposed NIH policy should be submitted electronically to the Office of Clinical Research and Bioethics Policy, Office of Science Policy, NIH, via email at clinicaltrials.disseminationpolicy@mail.nih.gov, via mail at 6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20892, or by fax at (301) 496-9839. — AP

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HEALTH SERVICES FOR UNINSURED MEN

The Men’s Health Center (MHC), operated by Total Health Care, Inc., is located at 1515 W. North Avenue and provides primary care, screening and health education to uninsured males residing in Baltimore City. Based on screening, the center provides referrals to various specialty care services including oral health, STD, podiatry, radiology, cardiology, urology, ophthalmology, substance abuse, and mental health services. All services are free to uninsured Baltimore City men. For more information, call (410) 396-3835.

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Why warm up and stretch before exercise Q: How important is it to warm up and stretch before exercise? A: Warming up before exercise is very important for people of all ages to reduce the chance of soreness or injury, and to prepare your cardiovascular system for exercise. Older adults and those who have been inactive should be especially sure to make time for this vital element of physical activity. You can do a slow and easy version of whatever type of exercise you’ll be doing as your warm-up, whether that means walking, swimming, dancing, tennis or working with weights. Pay special attention to warming up when exercising outdoors in cold weather. Even if your body as a whole feels warm, make sure the muscles in your arms and

legs, which may be exposed to the wind and cold, have moved enough to feel warm. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, muscles are more elastic and ready to be stretched when they are warm, so warm up first and then stretch. As one option to stretch the muscles you’ll be using, simply move them through the full range of motion you’ll be using during your exercise. Another option is called a static stretch; you gently stretch each muscle you’ll be using to the point of feeling slight tightness, and then hold that position for 10 to 30 seconds without bouncing. In addition to the pre-exercise warm-up and stretch, the cool-down and after-exercise stretch are important. Take five to 10

minutes of low-intensity movement to help ars and starches than most vegetables, makyour body settle back down to its normal ing them higher in calories. One-half cup of state. sweet potatoes has about 90 calories comThen, while your muscles pared to 30 to 40 calories in are loose, general stretching one-half cup of pumpkin or with focus on the muscles you winter squash. just used will decrease chances Many recipes with these of muscle soreness, and help vegetables include so much improve and maintain the flexibutter, margarine, sugar or bility that makes all life activisyrup, that they become ties easier. quite high in calories. HowevTry these flexibility exercise er, those additions are not from the NIH SeniorHealth webnecessary to enjoy the vegsite (http://bit.ly/flexibility_exetables’ wonderful flavor. ercises) that show 12 major mus- NUTRITION For a quick-and-easy way to WISE cle areas that all benefit from boost nutrients and color to stretching regularly, from neck By Karen Collins, your meal, add puréed frozen and shoulders, through back, MS, RD, CDM or canned winter squash or arms and each area of the legs. pumpkin to soup, stew or Q: How do pumpkin, winter squash even smoothies. (Just be sure the canned and sweet potatoes compare nutrition- pumpkin is pure, unsalted pumpkin and ally? What are healthy ways to prepare not sweetened pumpkin pie mix.) them? Cubes of fresh squash, pumpkin or A: Pumpkin and winter squash (includ- sweet potatoes are delicious in stir-fries ing acorn, butternut and hubbard) are in and stews, and mix well with many differthe same plant family and their nutrient ent flavor combinations. content is similar. As with sweet potatoes, All three choices are also terrific roasted the deep orange color of pumpkin and win- in the oven, either alone or with other vegter squash signals that they are very high etables, drizzled with just a bit of olive oil. in compounds called carotenoids. You can cook them by steaming as well. In laboratory studies, carotenoids funcThe American Institute for Cancer Retion as antioxidants and aid in controlling cell search offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800-843growth, which could mean they help reduce 8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through cancer risk. Human studies link higher con- Friday. This free service allows you to ask sumption of foods containing carotenoids questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. A with lower risk of some cancers. registered dietitian will return your call, usuAll three vegetables are also packed ally within three business days with potassium, which seems to promote Courtesy of the American Institute for good blood pressure control. All are good Cancer Research. Questions for this column sources of vitamin C, too, with sweet pota- may be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St., toes containing the highest amounts. NW, Washington, DC 20009. Collins cannot Sweet potatoes are richer in natural sug- respond to questions personally.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 30

EAT WELL FOR LESS

Volunteer Linda James will show you how to prepare a nutritious meal on a shoestring budget at the Rosedale Senior Center on Friday, Jan. 30 at 11 a.m. The cost is $2. Sign up and pay at the center’s front desk by Friday, Jan. 23. The center is located at 1208 Neighbors Ave., Rosedale. Call (410) 887-0233 for more information.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

Does granddad or mommy know best? Dear Solutions: Dear Tom: I don’t know whether my problem is His cold shoulder must take precedence with my daughter or with my grandson. over her warm heart! Cool it. It feels flatterMy daughter and my 4-yearing to you that she pays attenold grandson have to live tion, and it feels flattering to with us for a while, and she her that you give her gifts. But has him enrolled in every it obviously feels threatening activity possible. He has to him. sports class dates, tutoring What are you “doing wrong?” dates, swimming dates, play You’re around all day, and he’s dates and more. not. That’s enough. Now he’s refusing to go Start looking elsewhere for to the swimming class, but single women friends. I asmy daughter insists he sure you there are many who SOLUTIONS should go. When he gets also have warm hearts and are By Helen Oxenberg, there, he won’t go in the willing, even eager, to share. MSW, ACSW water. She thinks if he Dear Solutions: doesn’t go, he’ll never get My sister has five chilover his fear. I think she should leave dren. Four of them are doing very well him alone. What do you think? — doctors, successful business peo— Her Dad ple, good marriages, etc. One, the Dear [Grand]Dad: middle daughter, is struggling along. It just goes to show –— you can lead a As my sister says, “nothing ever works child to water, but you can’t make him out right for her,” and that’s all my sisswim! I think your grandson is over- ter concentrates on now. whelmed and may be too young for this inShe keeps talking about it and is detensive dating game. He could probably pressed and gloomy all the time. She benefit from a “do nothing” date. doesn’t know what to do about it, and Children’s imagination and creativity have I don’t know what to do about her. a chance to develop when they have some I keep telling her to feel good about time to just invent their own play activity how well her other children are doing, without adults telling them how. I would ad- but she doesn’t seem to get any joy out vise your daughter to back off for a while. He of that. I’m afraid she’ll make herself can get in the swim later when he’s ready. sick. What do you think? Dear Solutions: — Ellie My wife died recently, and my next Dear Ellie: door neighbor has been very kind. I’m I think that a mother is only as happy as retired and home all day and so is her unhappiest child. The first thing you she, but her husband is still working. can do is express your understanding of Because she’s been so kind to me that, because that’s where she’s at. listening to my need to talk and everyShe doesn’t worry about her other chilthing, I’ve gotten her a few small gifts. dren because she doesn’t think she has to I’m beginning to get a bad feeling from do anything for them. But she thinks she her husband, though. does need to fix things for this one, and He doesn’t say anything, but I can that’s the problem. sort of feel his annoyance, and he’s She’s feeling powerless. Unless there’s acting very cold to me. some practical way she can change things I’ve been giving his wife gifts because for this daughter, she needs help to accept she has such a warm heart. Do you think that she can’t fix things. She can only be I should explain to him that I’m not after supportive. his wife? What am I doing wrong? Perhaps she can help her daughter get — Tom professional help. She should also get

some counseling for herself. That would let both her and you off the hook. © Helen Oxenberg, 2015. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to:

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

Diabetes Research Study 50-80 year old men & women with Type 2 Diabetes are needed to participate in an exercise research study at the University of Maryland/Baltimore VA Medical Center. Parking and compensation for your time will be provided. Call 410-605-7179. Mention code: EPC-DM.

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After our rehab team worked with Mary, she was up on her own two feet, managing all of her own needs and, in no time, was discharged and back to her regular routine. As an added bonus, ManorCare’s exercise regimen jump-started a weight loss which helped her to resolve her diabetes. Mary says, “Thanks to ManorCare, I feel great!”

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FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Money Law &

WHICH FUNDS DO BEST? Much higher expenses reduce the returns of actively managed funds, helping index funds come out on top. See story on page 21.

Why oil is so cheap; what it means for us By Jonathan Fahey The price of oil has fallen by nearly half in just six months, a surprising and steep plunge that has consumers cheering, producers howling, and economists wringing their hands over whether this is a good or bad thing. The price of a barrel of oil is just under $55, down from a summer high of $107, and lower than at any time since the U.S. was still in recession in the spring of 2009. So what’s going on? A global imbalance of supply and demand that is rippling across the world economy, for better and worse.

elsewhere. A balance was struck: Increasing supplies from outside of OPEC and from Iraq’s recovering oil industry helped meet rising demand around the world as other OPEC supplies waivered. But now those OPEC supplies look more certain despite continuing turmoil, and those non-OPEC supplies have swamped the market. OPEC estimated last month that the world would need 28.9 million barrels of its oil per day this year — the lowest in more than a decade. At the same time, OPEC countries plan to produce 30 million barrels of oil per day next year. That supply surplus is sending global prices lower.

Supplies go boom Years of high oil prices, interrupted briefly by the recession, inspired drillers around the world to scour the earth’s crust for more oil. They found it. Since 2008, oil companies in the U.S., for example, have increased production by 70 percent, or 3.5 million barrels of oil per day. To put that in perspective, that increase alone is more than the production of any OPEC member other than Saudi Arabia. As U.S. production was ramping up, turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa reduced supplies from Libya, Iran and

Demand goes bust Global demand is still expected to grow this year, but by far less than many thought last year. The economies of China, Japan and Western Europe — the top oil consumers after the United States — all appear to be weakening. Oil demand falls when economic growth stalls. The U.S. is still the world’s largest consumer, but more fuel-efficient cars and changing demographics mean demand for oil and gasoline is not increasing. The Energy Department predicts a slight decrease in gasoline demand this year even though the price is expected to be sharply lower and

the economy is expected to grow.

Consumers are happy For drivers, shippers, airlines and other consumers of fuel, there’s nothing not to like about the drop in oil prices. The national average gasoline price has fallen for 97 straight days to $2.30 a gallon, its lowest level since October of 2009, according to AAA. It’s $1.40 a gallon less than at its high last year, saving U.S. households more than $100 a month. Diesel and jet fuel prices have also plunged, helping boost the profits and share prices of airlines and shippers. Heating oil is the cheapest it has been in four years, reducing home heating prices just in time for winter for many in the chilly Northeast.

Economists, producers worried Falling fuel prices act like a tax cut and help boost consumer spending, which in turn accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy. But economists are growing concerned that there are other, more troublesome forces at play. The depth of oil’s plunge could be a signal that the global economy is struggling even more than economists think. A weak global economy could hurt the U.S. econo-

my by reducing exports, employment and spending, which together could outweigh the economic benefits of cheaper fuel. For oil companies, oil-producing states, and oil-exporting countries, the oil price collapse is painful. Oil companies generally keep producing oil from wells they’ve already drilled, but lower prices sharply reduce revenue and force them to cut back spending on new exploration projects. BP announced last month it would try to trim $1 billion in spending in 2015 in a move that analysts say could result in thousands of job cuts. States that rely on taxes from energy production, such as Alaska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas, will see lower revenues. Some have already had to trim budgets. Major oil exporters such as Iran, Iraq, Russia and Venezuela rely heavily on revenues from state-owned oil companies to run their governments and are struggling under major budget shortfalls. For example, Bank of America estimates that every $1 drop in the global price of oil costs Venezuela $770 million in annual revenue. Current prices are now $47 below 2013’s average, putting the country on pace for a $36 billion reduction in revenue. —AP

What does 2015 hold in store for bonds? By Stan Choe Don’t expect much from your bond mutual fund this year. The bond market will likely produce modest returns, if they’re positive at all, according to many bond-fund managers. It’s a matter of math: Bonds are offering very low interest rates following a decades-long drop in yields. That means they’re producing less income. It also means bonds have less protection from rising interest rates. When rates climb, the price for existing bonds falls because their yields suddenly look less attractive than those of newly issued bonds. If bonds were yielding 8 or 10 percent, they could more easily make up for a decline in price with their interest payments. But a 10-year Treasury note offers a yield

of just 2.25 percent. Less income coming in means it takes a smaller price decline to saddle bond investors with losses. “We’re getting to the point where it’s really dangerous,” said Bill Eigen, manager of the JPMorgan Strategic Income Opportunities fund. He says he’s the most nervous about the prospect of rising rates that he’s been in his career. Investors got a taste of what bond losses feel like in 2013, when the average intermediate-term bond fund fell 1.4 percent due to a rise in rates. It was the biggest loss for the bond market in nearly two decades. Managers say that, at the very least, it’s best to prepare for big swings in bond returns this year. To be sure, many managers predicted bond losses a year ago, and they were

wrong. Interest rates unexpectedly fell, and last year the average intermediateterm bond fund returned nearly 5 percent. But even the more optimistic bond fund managers say returns will likely be lower in 2015. Virtually all economists expect the Federal Reserve to raise short-term interest rates this year, which would be the first increase since 2006. The central bank already ended its bond-buying stimulus program, shuttering it in October. “Given where bonds are, you should not be thinking about a return like last year,” said Matt Freund, chief investment officer of USAA mutual funds. “It could happen, but I wouldn’t want to base my financial plan on it.” Here are some questions set to shape the bond market in 2015:

— Rates are rising, right? Nearly everyone is planning for the Fed to raise rates this year because the economy may have finally caught enough momentum. The unemployment rate hasn’t been this low since 2008, and the economy just delivered its strongest back-to-back quarterly growth since 2003. Many fund managers forecast the Fed will begin raising rates in mid- to late-2015. It has kept the federal funds rate at a range of zero to 0.25 percent since 2008. — But maybe not too much? Even though the economy is improving, it’s still fragile. That could lead the Fed to move more slowly in raising interest rates than many investors expect, said USAA’s See BONDS, page 20

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

What’s the outlook for small-cap stocks? By Stan Choe 2014 felt like a hangover for owners of small-cap stock funds. On several occasions, small-cap stocks dipped by more than 7 percent in just a matter of weeks. All told, they were close to flat for the year, a letdown from 2013 when they surged 37 percent. And the performance looks even worse when compared with large-cap stocks, which were up 11 percent in 2014. The last time small-caps had this bad a year relative to large-caps was when Google was still operating out of a garage in 1998. The stall for small-cap stocks isn’t a big surprise. Many fund managers early last year called them overpriced following their heady performance in 2013 and much of the decade before. Small-caps also often lag the rest of the market when the economy moves out of the early stages of recovery and begins to gain momentum. But the underperformance has also raised optimism for some mutual-fund managers because it has made small-caps relatively less expensive. To be sure, no one argues that smallcaps as a group are cheap, whether they’re valued based on their earnings or other measures. But managers point to several factors that could help small-caps in 2015. Since hitting a bottom in mid-October, the Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks has risen faster than the broader market. Consider Drew Weitz, one of the managers of the Weitz Hickory fund, which focuses on smaller companies with a market value of less than $10 billion. Weitz considers himself a value investor, and if he can’t find any attractively priced stocks, he’s comfortable not buying anything. Bargains were so tough to find at

•

the end of 2013 that the Hickory fund had more than 30 percent of its assets in cash, versus its norm of 10 to 20 percent. Prices have since dropped enough to grab his attention. By the end of September the fund was down to about 20 percent in cash. In the first two weeks of October, small-caps had another jagged drop, quickly losing nearly 5 percent. Weitz pounced and bought more, including stock in Allison Transmission. He had been watching the maker of transmissions for trucks and other vehicles since last January, waiting for it to get cheap enough to buy. Allison Transmission now trades at 27.5 times its earnings per share over the last 12 months. In February its price-earnings ratio was above 42. Here are some other factors managers say could help small-cap stocks: — Buy American Companies that do most of their business at home appear to have the advantage heading into next year. That would favor small-cap stocks, which depend less on foreign sales than their bigger rivals. The U.S. economy finally seems to have reached a higher gear. Employers have added more jobs than in any year since 1999, and economic growth just had its best backto-back quarterly performance since 2003. Other countries around the world, meanwhile, aren’t doing as well. Japan’s economy is back in recession. Europe’s is growing, but only barely. China is trying to navigate a slowdown in its growth. Small-cap companies generally get about 15 to 20 percent of their revenue from abroad, said Christopher Beck, chief investment officer of the small-cap value team at Delaware Investments. Large-cap companies, meanwhile, get closer to 50 percent of their revenue from outside the U.S.

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— Stick with the dollar Small-cap stocks offer greater protection from not only weaker economies abroad but also their weaker currencies. Procter & Gamble, for example, sells its razors and detergent around the world. It gets about 65 percent of its revenue from outside the United States. Last quarter, it would have reported a 9

percent rise in its core earnings per share if currency values around the world had stayed flat. But the dollar is close to its highest level in years against the Japanese yen and other currencies. That made each yen of sales worth less in dollars than a year earlier. Procter & Gamble reported See SMALL-CAP STOCKS, page 20

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Bonds From page 18 Freund. Inflation also remains low, with the price of oil close to a four-year low and the dollar at its strongest level in years. That gives the Fed more leeway to take its time in raising rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury could

FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

be around 2.5 percent at the end of 2015, according to Joe Davis, Vanguard’s global chief economist. That’s only a little higher than its current yield, and Davis expects the taxable bond market to return 2 to 3.5 percent annually over the next several years. — Aren’t short-term bonds safe? Long-term bonds lock investors into yields for a longer time period, so rate increases can hurt them more than short-

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

term bonds. That’s pushed many investors to pile into short-term funds, hoping to reduce their risk. The $22 billion that they put into shortterm bond funds over the last year is 10 times what they put into intermediate- and long-term bond funds combined, according to Morningstar. But short-term bond investors aren’t getting a free lunch, said Karl Dasher, cohead of fixed income at Schroders asset management company. Yields are so low that they’re in danger of losses when the Fed begins raising short-term rates. Longer-term bonds may actually be in a better position, Dasher believes. Longterm rates may not rise as much for several reasons. Pension funds and other big institutional investors will continue to buy

long-term bonds to cover their liabilities, for example, and that demand should help to support prices for longer-term bonds. — What about credit risk? Interest rates have been so low that investors searching for yield have reached into areas they may have avoided before. Junk bonds, for example, are issued by companies with poor credit ratings. They pay higher yields to attract investors, but they’re riskier. Default rates have been low recently and are expected to remain so. But prices for junk bonds can swing more widely than others, and volatility looks set to rise with interest rates. The fear is that many of the newbies in the junkbond market will rush to sell at once, which could cause even sharper price declines. —AP

Small-cap stocks

strength to make the purchases. They’re sitting on a near-record amount of cash, and low interest rates make it cheap to borrow. A boost in buyouts should help smallcap stocks, which can make for attractive targets, said Delaware Investments’ Beck. Last month, two of the companies in his Delaware Small Cap Value fund announced they were getting bought. And such deals generally mean a quick surge in price: Susquehanna Bancshares jumped 32.5 percent the day it said it was being acquired by BB&T. —AP

From page 19 growth of only 2 percent last quarter. — Ride the rise in buyouts CEOs are growing more confident, and they’re more willing to make deals to boost growth. The total value of mergers and acquisitions this year is on track to be the strongest since at least 2007. Buyouts can offer a quick way to jumpstart revenue growth, something that’s been tough to deliver since the recession. Companies certainly have the financial

No more ups and downs do in

winter

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together

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

Do you need an actively managed fund? Not all experts agree whether actively your single managed stock fund, you can managed funds can outperform index funds. congratulate yourself for being an astute Some do in the short term, but it is certainly fund picker. The Vanguard Total Stock not easy to select actively manFund is also an excellent fund. aged funds that will outperform It’s a standard index fund of a index funds in the long term. large, well-known company. If An index fund manager you buy it, you won’t exactly buys all of the securities of a impress your friends for your specific index, such as the S&P originality (it has assets more 500, or at least a representative than six times larger than the sample. The objective is to Dodge & Cox fund). Howevtrack the index’ performance er, you will be just as pleased as closely as possible. by its performance. Index funds are commonly THE SAVINGS Let’s compare. described as “passively man- GAME Dodge & Cox Stock Fund aged.” An actively managed By Elliot Raphaelson (DODGX) fund, by contrast, is one in Expense Ratio: 0.52 which the manager selects inTrailing total returns (according to dividual securities in an effort to outperMorningstar) form specific indexes. 1-year: 13.47 percent One of the most important factors to 3-year: 24.93 percent consider is the annual cost associated with 5-year: 15.31 percent an actively managed fund you are consid10-year: 7.48 percent ering in comparison to the annual cost of Vanguard Total Stock Market Index the indexed mutual fund or exchange-tradFund (VTSAX) ed fund (ETF) you are comparing it to. Expense Ratio: 0.05 Morningstar has done extensive reTrailing total returns (according to search in this field and has pointed out that the annual cost of the fund is one of the Morningstar) 1-year: 14.61 percent best predictors of long-term performance. 3-year: 21.32 percent A tale of two funds 5-year: 15.66 percent What follows is a comparison between 10-year: 8.32 percent the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index An investment of $10,000 made 10 years Fund (VTSAX) and the Dodge & Cox ago would be worth $20,576.80 if you Stock Fund (DODGX). chose Dodge & Cox. It would be worth The Dodge & Cox fund is in the top per- $22,233.13 if you chose the Vanguard fund. formance echelon for long-term value (Those figures are from Morningstar.) funds. Morningstar gives it a four-star rating; in terms of trailing total returns, it’s Expenses make a difference There is no question that the Dodge & ranked No. 1 in three-year and 15-year returns. It has fairly consistently outper- Cox fund is an excellent fund and is well manformed the S&P 500. If you chose this as aged. However, no actively managed fund

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can compete with index funds on a cost basis. Note the difference in expense ratios: 0.52 for the Dodge & Cox fund vs. 0.05 for the Vanguard fund. On a long-term basis, it becomes very difficult for any well-managed active fund to outperform an index fund in the same category. Index funds also have one additional advantage over actively managed funds — savings on income taxes. There will be more “turnover” in actively managed funds than there would be with index funds. For any investments other than retirement accounts, you will have more of a tax liability with actively managed funds because you

will incur more capital gains taxes. In my opinion, most investors will be better off in the long-run by investing the majority of their common stock investments in index funds. You can still diversify within index funds, investing in smallcap, mid-cap, large-cap, value and other types of index funds. You can do this with both mutual funds and ETFs, but you should limit your investments to those funds with the lowest expense ratios. Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com. © 2014 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

Leisure &

Ryanair and EasyJet are Europe’s largest low-cost carriers. See story on page 25.

Aruba’s varied island culture and terrain

Dutch touches Evidence of Aruba’s Dutch heritage can be seen around every corner. Oranjestad, the capital and largest city

(the word translates to “orange town” in Dutch), is named for King William van Oranje-Nassau, the first heir to the royal family House of Orange. Many buildings sport pastel colored facades and whimsical architectural touches that have been described as Spanish Mediterranean, with overtones of Dutch influence. Streets with names like Nieuweweg and Arendstraat would not be out of place in Amsterdam. Adding to the cross-cultural blend is a distinctive landmark familiar to anyone who has visited the island. Looking out of place in a landscape of palm trees and cactus is an authentic windmill that once drained water from low-lying areas of Holland. Built in 1804, the structure was dismantled, shipped to Aruba, and reassembled in its unlikely Caribbean setting, where it has housed several restaurants and night clubs over the years. Despite these inviting hints of the “old country,” most people who visit Aruba come to enjoy its soft sand beaches overlooking crystal clear water. A magnificent seven-mile stretch of beaches backs up to the high-rise hotels that rim the sheltered southwestern and western coastlines. The windswept northern and eastern coasts, which are battered by the sea, have been left largely undeveloped. Each

PHOTO BY LEN KAUFMAN

By Victor Block A gleaming white sand beach that rims the azure sea is set off by an explosion of scarlet, purple and other vivid colors of lush tropical foliage. Nearby, stretches of rocks and pebbly soil interspersed with cactus comprise a very different terrain — bleak and desert-like. The dramatic variety of landscapes that greets visitors to Aruba is echoed by the equal diversity of its attractions. Together, they make the island an inviting winter destination for vacationers with a broad range of interests. Those seeking nothing more than a relaxing sun-and-sand getaway have a choice of magnificent white sand beaches that are among the most beautiful in the Caribbean. Others interested in something with a European flair will discover touches of it around the island. The continental influence dates back to times when both Spain and, for a brief period, Great Britain held sway over Aruba. The Dutch took the island over in 1636, and today it is an autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Aruba’s capital and largest city, Oranjestad, features casinos, museums and Dutch colonial architecture.

PHOTO BY LEN KAUFMAN

stretch of shoreline, along with the arid island interior, has its own appeal. Rugged limestone cliffs that run along much of the northeastern coast mark one boundary of Arikok National Park, an ecological preserve that sprawls over nearly 20 percent of Aruba. Hiking trails crisscross the park, and those that lead through its more isolated areas offer opportunities to spot native parakeet, burrowing owls and other wildlife that makes it their home. Intriguing chapters of Aruba’s history come alive in this setting. Shallow cave formations recall a time when a branch of Arawak Indians inhabited the island. Brownish-red drawings that ornament walls and ceilings attest to their presence. Reminders of Aruba’s agricultural past in the park include a long-deserted adobe farm house, while abandoned mines recall a mini-gold rush that got underway in 1825 and lasted for nearly a century.

Casinos and museums Aruba’s arid, desert-like terrain, where cacti abound, contrasts with its tropical beaches, palm trees and turquoise water.

Speaking of gold, the 12 casinos on the island have earned it the nickname “Las Vegas of the Caribbean.” While most casinos are located in major resort hotels,

there are two in Oranjestad. The capital city also has other attractions. The Dutch colonial architecture and pastel hues of many buildings, some dating back to the late 18th century, impart a Disneyworld atmosphere. The busy port teems with the coming and going of boats, and sidewalks with crowds of sightseers and shoppers. Jewelry, designer fashions and perfumes are popular buys, along with blue Delft ceramics and Dutch cheeses. When not spending money on shopping or gambling, visitors have a choice of several small but interesting museums. The Archaeological Museum is housed in a cluster of colorfully painted homes that were occupied by a local family for nearly 130 years, beginning in 1870. The exhibits inside showcase the history of Indians on Aruba. They range from an ancient long house and native hut, to artifacts dating back as far as 2500 BCE. The Historical Museum of Aruba is tucked away in Fort Zoutman. That fortification was built in 1796-1798 to protect the island from pirates, and the town soon See ARUBA, page 24

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Aruba From page 23 began to grow around it. The museum has exhibits describing farming, fishing and other aspects of island life, including interesting tidbits about villages that I explored. For example, I strolled through the small town of Noord, which began as an Indian community, and the hamlet of Rancho, that was established around 1855 as a fishing village. Visits to other communities also provided introductions to what locals call “the real Aruba.” San Nicolas is the second largest town after Oranjestad, but is worlds away in atmosphere. While it once jumped to the beat of workers from the now-abandoned oil refinery nearby, it’s usually on the quiet side these days. A mini-promenade along the main street is lined by several shops and restaurants, but the biggest draw in town is Charlie’s Bar. Beginning in the early 1940s, scuba

divers who dropped by that establishment attached their underwater finds to the walls and ceiling, creating what eventually evolved into a bric-a-brac heaven. Today, virtually every inch of available space is adorned by automobile license plates, paper money and business cards from around the world, and other memorabilia too varied and numerous to list.

Ancient rock formations Very different is the main claim to fame of Paradera village, which is its location close to two natural sites that were sacred places to the Indians. The Ayo and Casibari rock formations consist of huge boulders that rise up from the sandy desert terrain. Over time, prevailing winds have carved the rocks into unusual shapes which, with a little imagination on the part of the viewer, resemble birds, dragons and other identifiable figures. Steps have been carved into the rock at the Casibari site, and those who climb to

FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

the top are rewarded with a panoramic view over the island. Some of the stones at Ayo still bear petroglyphs scratched and painted onto the surface by Indian artists. Those boulders rising from a flat, stark landscape provide a setting very different from the white sand beaches of Aruba. The small, silent caves in Arikok National Park present an environment that contrasts sharply with the clamor and commotion of the island’s casinos. Yet these scenes and many more are among the something-for-everyone variety that makes Aruba an inviting destination to explore and enjoy.

If you go Restaurant meals can be a bit more expensive here than on some other Caribbean islands, but the over-sized portions served by a number of eateries are large enough to share. There also are early bird specials and other meal deals that can stretch your dining dollar.

At Fusion, a sophisticated piano bar adjacent to Alhambra Casino, some of the hot and cold tapas ($6-$12) are ample enough to be an entrée. Main courses include rib eye steak with French fries, and paella, the typical Spanish seafood soup (each $19.50). For more information, call (297) 280-9994 or email marritf@megaresorts.com. A very different décor and cuisine are offered at the Pelican Nest, a casual outdoor café perched at the end of the pier in front of the Holiday Inn. One chef’s special is the excellent ceviche ($7.75), which is large enough to make a meal from. A merger of shrimp and chicken salad on greens is a land-sea entrée combination ($16), and grilled fresh-caught fish is served with French fries ($8.25). For more information, call (297) 586-2259 or log onto www.pelican-aruba.com. The challenge when seeking a place to stay is narrowing down the numerous choices. The studio apartment at the Aruba Beach Club Resort validated the belief of my wife Fyllis and me that checking into a timeshare property can provide good value. It was surprisingly roomy, and the kitchenette offered the option of eating some meals in. The low-rise property lacks the hustle and bustle of much larger hotels, and sits on one of the finest beaches on the island. Basic rates begin at a reasonable $200 a night for a suite that can accommodate four people, although taxes and other charges add to the total. For more information, call (297) 524-3000 or log onto www.arubabeachclub.net. If you check into the Hyatt Regency Resort, Spa & Casino you may never want to leave (that is, until your money runs out). As the name indicates, it combines Hyatt Regency excellence with a top-flight spa, in-house casino and other amenities one expects from that hotel brand. The landscaping alone is worth stopping by to see even if you’re staying elsewhere. Fields of flowers surround a massive three-level swimming pool with a slide and waterfalls, all leading to the beautiful beach. High-season rates start at $565 a night. (Low season starts April 20.) For more information, call (888) 591-1234 or log onto www.aruba.hyatt.com. The lowest roundtrip fare in late February is $411 on United Airlines from BWI. For more information about Aruba, call (800) 862-7822 or log onto www.aruba.com.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 6

LUNCH BUNCH IN TIMONIUM

Lansdowne Senior Center invites you to join its Lunch Bunch trip on Friday, Feb. 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Famous Dave’s BBQ. You pay the cost of your meal and $2.50 each way for CountyRide. Call Lansdowne Senior Center at (410) 887-1443 to reserve a seat.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

Flying around Europe on low-cost airlines If you’re heading to Europe next year, Ryanair’s main London base is at Stanstand if you plan to move around a bit, you ed Airport, which has no flights from the United States, but lots of Euromay consider some intra-Eupean flights. You get to Stanstropean flights. You will quicked by an express rail service, ly find that Europe hosts which leaves every 15 minutes more than 100 low-cost airfrom Liverpool Street station at lines, some huge, some tiny. a cost of about $36. On my recent trip to EngRyanair also has a few flights land and Italy, I tested Eufrom Luton, and a very few rope’s two largest low-fare from Gatwick to Ireland. Its lines, and came away with main bases in France are Beausome impressions that may vais (which it calls Paris/Beaube helpful to you. TRAVEL TIPS vais) and Marseille. The main EasyJet and Ryanair, the By Ed Perkins base in Germany is Hahn largest and second-largest European airlines in terms of annual intra- (Frankfurt/Hahn). In several cities, it uses nearby city airEuropean passengers, operate from bases spread around the continent. You stand a ports rather than the main fields, such as good chance of flying one or the other just Bergamo for Milan, and access to/from the nominal primary city may be difficult. about anywhere you want to go. Fares are capacity controlled, and if you buy well enough in advance, they start out EasyJet My flight cost $183, including a checked very low. Service is probably closer to Spirit and bag and an assigned seat. All EasyJet flights Allegiant than any other U.S. airlines. That are on A320s and 319s, with seats wider than is to say, seating is extremely tight, almost Ryanair’s but, at 29-inch pitch, punishingly everything is priced a la carte, and you pay limited front-to-rear space. EasyJet runs large London operations extra for buying with a credit card (Easyfrom Gatwick and Luton, and limited operJet does not take American Express). ations from Stansted and Southend. Ryanair Flights from Gatwick give EasyJet an I flew Ryanair from London to Bari, immediate $20 price advantage over Italy, and EasyJet back to London a week Ryanair because of cheaper ($16) rail ticklater, about three hours each way: ets to/from central London. Main bases on My flight to Bari cost $107, including a the continent include Amsterdam, Berlin, checked bag and an assigned seat. All Geneva, Milan/Malpensa, Paris/Orly and Ryanair flights are on 737s, meaning very Rome/Fumicino. narrow seats; legroom, at 30-inch pitch, is Although the flight crews always urge you a bit tighter than on large U.S. lines. to “enjoy your flight,” the only enjoyment on

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FRIENDLY SENIORS AT CCBC ESSEX

CCBC’s Friendly Seniors program is celebrating 40 years of learning and service. Friendly seniors offers lifelong learning opportunities to adults 60+ in art, literature, religion, music, history, current events, theater, government and the environment. Over the years, many members have also been involved in other activities such as volunteering for Cockpit in Court, the Health Fair, CCBC Foundation and the Ethnic Heritage Festival. The group meets each Wednesday. For more information, call (443) 840-5842.

these lines is getting where you want to go, expeditiously, with your baggage, and at a good price. There’s no way you can actually “enjoy” a few hours on these cattle cars. For a humorous take on Ryanair, check the “cheap flights” skit on YouTube at http://bit.ly/youtube_cheapflights. On Norwegian, Europe’s third-largest low-fare line, I’ve flown only its long-haul service. Local services are based mainly in Scandinavia. It has been rated “best European low fare line” in several surveys. Unable to compete with the low-fare lines, Air France and Lufthansa are establishing their own low-fare subsidiaries.

Finding flights, trains If you’re considering an intra-European flight, you have a good chance of finding what you need on either EasyJet or Ryanair.

Metasearch engines such as TripAdvisor and Kayak show both lines. But if you don’t find the flights you want there, log onto www.attitudetravel.com or www.skyscanner.net for extensive “who flies where” information and airline links. For trips under 300 miles or so, also consider high-speed trains. These days, rail prices, like airfares, are capacity controlled, and lowest ticket prices often match lowest air prices. But rail travel is much more comfortable than flying, terminals are in city centers, you have no security hassles, and you avoid the cost of airport access. Where schedules work out for you, taking a train is almost always a better choice than flying. Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. © 2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 14

THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Become a citizen scientist for a day at Cromwell Valley Park as you collect data, look for birds, and discover ways to help our feathered friends. The day’s activities begin at 9 a.m. with a free adult bird walk, followed by build a blue bird box at 10 a.m. ($15), a free children’s bird walk at noon, and make-a-treat-for-a-bird at 1 p.m. No reservation required. The event takes place at the Willow Grove Nature Education Center, 2002 Cromwell Bridge Rd. Phone (410) 887-2503, email info@cromwellvalleypark.org, or visit www.cromwellvalleypark.org.

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FEBRUARY 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; BALTIMORE BEACON

A walking tour thru picturesque Tuscany one direction and walked in the other. They handled all the logistics: hotel reservations, shuttles to and from the train, baggage transfers, detailed walking directions and even a cellphone for emergencies. Our responsibilities were few. We only needed to have our bags packed by 9 a.m. each day, bring enough water, and try not to lose the directions. (After dropping them once on the roadside, I took a picture

and along a short stretch of the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrim route running from France to Rome. It was another typical day on our selfguided trip walking from town to town in Tuscanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Val dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Orcia. If we could avoid encountering vipers and wild boar, we had nary a care in the world.

Tour company handles logistics My husband and I had booked the tour through Girosole, which specializes in customized Italian walking tours and conveniently has a U.S. office. Because the trips are private, we got to pick the departure date and duration. We opted for seven nights in five towns. On the other two days, we were shuttled in

of them each day with my phoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camera as a backup.) Otherwise, we were free to walk and sightsee at our own pace. The directions, while not infallible, were very specific, referencing distances, landmarks, topography, and the occasional marker from the Italian alpine club. They also included useful tidbits like the See TUSCANY, page 27

ÂŠ MINNYSTOCK | DREAMSTIME.COM

By Karen Schwartz Walking from the towns of Buonconvento to Montalcino as part of a weeklong trek through Tuscany, I was faced with a tough decision. How many bottles of wine could I reasonably carry in my daypack? The road that led to this quandary had passed right by the Caparzo winery â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so naturally, we stopped in for a sample. Now I weighed the taste of the awardwinning Brunello against the realities of being only midway through our 9-mile walk on a warm day: A grueling ascent up a steep grade to Montalcino still lay ahead. I opted to carry only one bottle. Once it was packed away, we topped up our water and continued on, past rolling vineyards

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BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

Tuscany From page 26 amount of shade, the availability of water, the locations of bathrooms, and whether neighborhood dogs were friendly. The landscape — with large farmhouses and borders of cypress trees — often seemed familiar, immortalized in countless paintings during the Renaissance by artists from the Sienese School. Ten years ago, the Val d’Orcia, about 25 miles south of Siena, was named a UNESCO World Heritage site, chosen for its artistic influence, and its association with the utopian ideals of sustainable rural development.

Off the beaten path Often we walked on dirt roads around vineyards or while watching a lone tractor traverse a wheat field. Some days we passed through the forest where unseen wild boar left hoof prints on muddy paths. We visited two monasteries and skirted one truffle reserve. Other travelers were few. Most days we covered about eight miles, with an average elevation gain of 1,200 feet. We’d generally pass through the gates of the next walled town in the afternoon, just as the buses with the hordes of day-trippers from Siena and Florence were leaving. That was ideal. Although the hill towns thrive on tourism, it was nice to move beyond the cheese, wine and souvenir shops, and explore their historic fortifications (including spectacular views from the ramparts in Montalcino), small museums (like the mansion of the Piccolomini clan in Pienza) and beautiful churches. We were fortunate to catch the start of the annual Festival of Barbarossa in San Quirico d’Orcia, held each June, in which the town’s four quarters re-enact a 12th century competition with flag and archery contests. Adding to the ambiance in San Quirico was the discovery that our room at the hotel Palazzo del Capitano had a turret that afforded great sweeping views. When booking the tour, we had a choice of three levels of hotels and opted for the middle, somewhere between standard and luxury. All of the hotels we stayed in were welcoming, clean and comfortable. Our bags were always waiting in our room, giving us plenty of time to clean up and explore the town before choosing

BEACON BITS

Feb. 14

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

American Legion Post #130 Auxiliary, located at 8666 Silver Lake Dr. in Perry Hall, will host a Valentine’s Day celebration on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $25. Dinner includes stuffed shells, meatballs, Italian sausage, salad and dessert, along with beer, wine and soda. Entertainment. Call (410) 870-0625 for tickets.

where to have that night’s sumptuous dinner. Being Tuscany, the food was fabulous, often featuring dishes made from local truffles, pecorino or cinghiale — wild boar. For wine, there was no place like Montepulciano, where restaurants like La Bottega del Nobile boasted as many as 60 local offerings by the glass. The famous city is often associated with the Val d’Orcia, and was a stop on our trip, even though it sits in a neighboring territory. And that bottle of Brunello? It was exquisite. But I was glad I had decided to carry only one, because it turned out that the winery shipped. So, many months later, with a case in my basement, I’m still enjoying the fruits of my trip.

/list/1026. UNESCO World Heritage site in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. Walking itineraries: www.parcodellavaldorcia .com/en/itinerari.asp

Palazzo Del Capitano: www.palazzodelcapitano.com/en/index.html. Hotel located in San Quirico d’Orcia. Rates vary by room and date. — AP

If you go Girosole: www.girosole.com. Tour company organizes small group walking tours of Italy. Val D’Orcia: http://whc.unesco.org/en

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Style Arts &

Daniel Klein traveled to Greece to write a book on growing older mindfully. See story on facing page.

Play digs deep into human psychology

Pianist seeks a patron The plot of this three-act, two-intermission play, which comes in at about two and a half hours, is simple. A young woman, engaged to an aspiring pianist, serves as companion to a wealthy, wheelchair-bound lady. In hopes the lady will become her fiancé’s patron, she introduces him. And then things start to get interesting.

The entire play takes place in the music room of Mrs. Price, the aforementioned lady of wealth, in Gramercy Park, New York City. The play is set just after World War II. Hilde, the young female companion, is played by Karina Ferry, who portrays Hilde as good-hearted, if slightly naïve, with a strong desire to see the best in all those around her. It’s a character that undoubtedly resonates with Ferry, who also played set-upon heroine Bella in the psychological drama, Gaslight, at Baltimore’s Spotlighters Theater in 2010. Rick Lyon-Vaiden is the pianist Paul, a recent immigrant from Stuttgart, Germany and survivor of the Nazi concentration camps. Lyon-Vaiden’s body language might be called the stereotypical Germanic male, that is, upright, head back and proud. But inside he is as malleable as the bread dough at the bakery where he toils. In Paul, playwright Levin has crafted an intriguing character who, like Hilde, undergoes a metamorphosis in the presence of master manipulator Mrs. Price, played pitchperfect by veteran actress Laura Gifford. While Paul at first has no interest in Mrs. Price’s “charity,” he falls prey to her

sophistry, as it becomes quickly apparent that Mrs. Price has designs on the young musician. Lyon-Vaiden makes Paul a character simultaneously likeable and dislike-

able as he vacillates between wants and desires, between what is right and what is exSee INTERLOCK, page 31

PHOTO BY TOM LAUER

By Dan Collins Chances are, if you’re a fan of stage and screen, you’re acquainted with Ira Levin’s work. Levin, who died of a heart attack in 2007, penned Deathtrap, the longest running comedy thriller on Broadway, and cult-classic novels-turned-films, The Stepford Wives and Rosemary’s Baby. Chances are, however, that you have not heard of his foray into the dark corners of human frailty, Interlock, now playing at Baltimore’s Vagabond Players’ Theater through Feb. 8. And that’s a shame. Interlock was Levin’s first play and, as the dramaturg’s notes relate, it “came and went without much notice.” It debuted in 1958 and perhaps was just a bit ahead of its time.

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In the Vagabond Players’ production of Interlock, Laura Gifford, front, plays the wealthy, manipulative Mrs. Price, who becomes a patron to pianist Paul, played by Rick Lyon-Vaiden. Hilde, played by Karina Ferry, may be sorry she brought the two of them together.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

New books look at growing old mindfully By Carol Sorgen Author Daniel Klein had a wake-up call when his dentist suggested he get implants as opposed to dentures. They would be more convenient, more attractive and more youthful. And who wouldn’t want to appear more youthful? After giving it some thought, though, it appeared that Klein didn’t actually care about putting his best smile forward. Too much time and too much money, he concluded. Not to mention, he was unsettled with the thought of not coming to grips with who he was at this stage of life — a man in his early 70s, who had earned the right to enjoy that age before he arrived at “old” old age, when many decisions might not be left to him at all. To contemplate his new old age, Klein, a successful TV writer and bestselling author, packed a suitcase of philosophy books — many he hadn’t read since his days as a philosophy major at Harvard — and returned to the Greek island of Hydra, where he had spent time a half-century before. The result of his sojourn there is the entertaining and thought-provoking book, Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life. While on the island, Klein spent much of his time reading, especially the works of Epicurus, born in 341 BCE on the Aegean island of Samos. Epicurus concerned himself with the question of how to live the best possible life,” especially considering that we only have one of them” (the Greek philosopher didn’t believe in an afterlife). Klein also spent his time visiting the other old men of the island, comparing their acceptance of growing older (or just plain old) with that of the youth culture in the U.S., where Viagra, breast implants and numerous other procedures, medications, potions and lotions are available to

help us stave off, if not the years, the appearance of those years.

A philosophical journey Though Klein subscribes to the theory of Thomas Merton, who wrote, “take more time, cover less ground,” he acknowledges that the question of “what is the best way to be an old man” is open-ended. Whereas Epicurus’s prescription for happiness in old age is to free oneself from “the prison of everyday affairs and politics,” Klein acknowledges that many old men and women in this country genuinely want to remain involved in the affairs of the day, and even continue to work. “To be true to oneself, a person needs to make his own decisions about what brings him happiness,” Klein writes, observing that he himself, in writing this book, clearly thought he still had work to do before reaching the next stage of old age. Klein concludes by musing on the Buddhist principle of mindfulness, suggesting that no matter what we choose to do in order to live a good old age, we try to remain mindful that we are indeed old...”that this is the last stage of life in which we can be fully conscious, that our time in this stage is limited and constantly diminishing, and that we have extraordinary opportunities in this stage that we never had before and will never have again.”

The art of slowing down Though not designed as a companion piece to Klein’s book, Pico Iyer’s The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere makes for an interesting and worthwhile addition to the literature of letting go, even if only for minutes a day. A travel journalist, Iyer has crisscrossed the globe too many times to count, and now

makes his home in both California and Japan. At 58, he is more than 15 years younger than Klein, but still is realizing that the world continues to speed up just as he might be ready to start slowing down. For Iyer, that doesn’t mean not traveling or writing anymore, but it does mean making time for a time-out...whether by going on a retreat, meditating, or simply sitting still. “It’s only by taking myself away from clutter and distraction that I can begin to hear something out of earshot and recall that listening is much more invigorating than giving voice to all the thoughts and prejudices that…keep me company twenty-four hours a day,” he writes. “By going nowhere — by sitting still or letting my mind relax — I find that the

thoughts that come to me unbidden are far fresher and more imaginative than the ones I consciously seek out.” For many of us, Iyer notes, it takes courage to step away when there is so much to do in our daily lives, much of it urgent and necessary. But one doesn’t have to go somewhere to accomplish this, he observed. “Nowhere has to become somewhere we visit in the corners of our lives by taking a daily run or going fishing or just sitting quietly for 30 minutes every morning,” he writes. “The point of gathering stillness is not to enrich the sanctuary or mountaintop, but to bring that calm into the motion, the commotion of the world.” Whatever age you’re at now, these two books can show you a path worth exploring.

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BEACON BITS

Jan. 28

UNITED SENIORS OF MARYLAND FORUM United Seniors of Maryland will hold its annual forum on

Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the President’s Conference Center, Main Floor West Wing, Miller Senate Office Building, 11 Bladen St., in Annapolis. Meet and greet with legislators at registration from 8 to 9 a.m. A leadership program runs from 9 to 11:15 a.m., followed by a caucus on senior issues from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and a box lunch from 12:30 to 1 p.m. Volunteers are needed for the event. Call Elizabeth at (410) 608-7966 or email ew@elizabethcoonbeyagency.com to volunteer. The fee for attendees who are not volunteers is $15. Mail payment in full to USM, P.O. Box 1094, Sparks, MD 21152.

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FREE TUITION FOR SENIORS AT CCBC Explore expanding job opportunities in the fields of education, social services and allied health — particularly strong areas of

interest to mature students — by taking advantage of CCBC’s free tuition program for students age 60 and older. For more information, visit www.ccbcmd.edu or call (443) 840-4700.

Ongoing

HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED For more than 30 years, Stella Maris has provided hospice care to individuals facing a life-limiting illness. Stella Maris Hospice vol-

unteers are required to complete a mandatory hospice volunteer training program. This program helps develop the necessary skills for working with the dying. Additional educational opportunities are also available throughout the year. Hospice volunteers are expected to make at least a one-year commitment to the Stella Maris Hospice program. If you are interested in this program, call (410) 252-4500, ext. 7315 or email myannare@stellamaris.com.

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

Interlock From page 28 pedient — not an easy feat. Born into a wealthy family himself, Paul is drawn to Mrs. Price, a mirror image of his mother (dubbed “the Ice Queen” by Paul’s father), and their relationship is nearly Oedipal in nature. In the final act of the play, there’s a scene where one can see a piece of sheet music among Paul’s belongings. The piece is entitled, “The Student Prince,” and that is exactly what Paul is — an eternal student, both of music and of life, and a would-be prince who must decide between life in the ivory tower or his soul.

Multifaceted performance Gifford is stellar in her portrayal of a wolf in invalid’s clothing, playing the sympathy card for all its worth as she pulls in Paul while pushing out Hilde. She manages to evoke laughs, sympathy and anger from the audience in her performance of a woman who today would likely be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Rounding out the ensemble are Lisa

Walker as Lucille and Grant Chism as Everett, Mrs. Price’s long-time servants who make the most of rather small support roles. Lucille is Walker’s acting debut; she plays well the part of a favored servant who now feels displaced by Hilde’s presence. While Lucille is willing to excuse her employer’s “meanness,” one senses in Chism’s tone and body language that he is not as forgiving and bears more sympathy for Hilde, herself a one-time servant in Paul’s family home. The Google online dictionary defines “interlock” as the process by which “two or more things engage with each other by overlapping or by the fitting together of projections and recesses.” Levin’s play is suitably titled, as the “pieces” — Paul, Hilde, Mrs. Price, Lucille and Everett — all fit together and overlap, with bonds of friendship and love, service and loyalty, deceit and death.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

prince, and Hilde in the title role, but a more modern, feminist take on the fairy tale character, who learns to save herself. Kudos to director Roy Hammond for instilling a quick pace and seamless choreography as actors weave in and out of a two-level stage. Charlie Danforth’s lighting builds upon mood while Sarah Kendrick’s costume designs are on target, appropriate to the era, and also revealing of character. In the first act, for example, Paul is a proud but poor man. His jacket is clean, but with a visible tear. As the play progresses, Mrs. Price’s influence can be

seen in his changing attire: a rich suit and sharp red tie. Interlock runs through Feb. 8 with show times at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. There will be a special $10 performance on Thursday, February 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $20, depending on day of the week, with a $3 senior discount off the Saturday and Sunday $20 ticket price. The Vagabond Players theater is located at 806 S. Broadway in Fells Point. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.vagabondplayers.org or call (410) 563-9135.

A twisted Cinderella? Taken another way, Interlock is kind of a twisted take on Cinderella: Mrs. Price as a combination fairy godmother and evil stepmother, Paul a less than charming

See useful links and resources at www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Finding new friends So what do you do if you’re fresh out of friends you can meet up with? Perhaps you’re newly single, or have moved to a new city where you don’t have any connections. While it’s important to have that face-to-face contact, don’t overlook the Internet in helping ease your way. Sites like Meetup (www.meetup.com), for example, can help you find people with the same interests (hiking, book clubs, theater…you name it!) in your geographic area and you can take it from there. (Meetup is not a dating site, and has both male and female members.) Or if you’re a woman and looking for more girlfriends in your life, try GirlFriendCircles (www.girlfriendcircles

.com). This site works along the same lines as Meetup, but is geared just to women, helping them find others where they live who are also looking for new friends, and providing ways to meet up in the real world. There are four ways they make that happen: Connecting Circles, in which you’re matched in a small group; Classified Circles, in which you specify the friends you want to meet; Choose My Circle, where you search for members to connect as friends; and Calendar Circles, where you sign up to attend a local event or activity. Membership ranges from free to $5 to $7 per month, depending on the features you want to access. — Carol Sorgen

FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Friends From page 1 networks; 50-year-old men with active friendships are less likely to have heart attacks than more solitary men; people who have had a stroke are better protected from grave complications by a tight, supportive social network than they are by medication.

Face-to-face is best “Social connections are as protective as regular exercise,” said Pinker. “Those with the most face-to-face connections have a twoand-a-half year survival advantage over those with the same disease who are isolated.” “A hug, a squeeze on the arm, or a pat on the back lowers one’s physiological stress responses, which in turn, helps the body fight infection and inflammation,” she continued. “Being there in person is key.” Which means, said Pinker, that while Facebook may help you reconnect with

people from your past or even meet new friends, carrying on a friendship solely online will not provide you with the same physiological and emotional benefits that a night out with your BFF will. “The people most likely to survive to old age are those with solid face-to-face relationships,” she said. “They are married, they get together with friends and family frequently, they belong to a religious group, or have another regular social commitment, such as choir practice, a hiking group or a bridge club. “Each of these factors individually predicts mortality independently of how healthy, wellto-do, overweight or physically fit you are.” Men should especially take note, said Pinker. While men are likely to flip through their contact list with its hundreds of names, their actual close relationships tend to be fewer and less intense than women’s. “When it comes to friendships, it’s quality vs. quantity when you’re talking about the difference between men and women,” Pinker observed. See FRIENDS, page 33

BEACON BITS

Feb. 21+

A SWEET TREAT FROM NATURE

On Saturday, Feb. 21 and Sunday, Feb. 22, Ladew Gardens will present the 10th Annual Maple Magic, where guests can experience the process of making real maple syrup. Participate in an indoor presentation, followed by a nature hike to identify maple trees, learn to tap maple trees, collect some sap and boil it down into delicious, amber syrup. End the day with tasty treats of Ladew syrup, maple candy, and a pancake snack. Two programs will be held each day: noon or 2 p.m. Call (410) 557-9570 to register for your preferred date and time. Admission: adults $10; seniors (62+) and students $8; children $5 (ages 3 - 12). Ladew is located on Jarrettsville Pike (MD 146), 14 miles north of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695), exit 27B (Dulaney Valley Road North).

Ongoing

VOLUNTEER AT THE WALTERS The Walters Art

Museum brings art and people together for enjoyment, discover and learning. To learn about volunteer opportunities at the Walters, call (410) 5479000 or visit www.thewalters.org.

Friends From page 32

Childhood friends are special Marilyn Wenglin Smith, who grew up in Baltimore and now lives in Chevy Chase, is still part of a group she lovingly refers to as “the growing up girlfriends.” All between the ages of 65 and 67, their lives have taken decidedly different turns since they were all youngsters together in the Baltimore City neighborhood near Reisterstown Road Plaza. “We went to the same elementary school, the same junior high, and some of us to the same high school,” recalled Smith. But after that, some went to college and to illustrious careers — Smith herself earned a doctorate and is a writer and writing instructor — while one member of the group became a hippie, another won the lottery, another worked in a cafeteria, etc. “But it doesn’t matter,” said Smith. “We’re in almost daily contact via Facebook and email, and we meet for lunch every two to three months to catch up.” Back in the day, said Smith, having such a close group of friends meant there was always somebody to play with. “I never remember being alone,” she said. Besides the group of eight girls, there were “hundreds” of young people in that city neighborhood, and you could find 50 to 60 of them every summer night hanging out together. “Nobody back then had a car!” said Smith. All these years later, the friends share the same roots. “We know each other’s families, and we’re there for each other now as we’re starting to go through more serious things,” said Smith. About the only topic that can cause any tension among the friends is politics. Not everyone shares the same world view, so “it doesn’t make sense to get into that conversation,” Smith said. Whatever their political viewpoints may

be, these women provide each other a significant source of continuity and stability, warmth and comfort. “We may have taken different professional and educational paths,” said Smith, “but we have a shared history. We know each other.”

New friends are important, too As we get older and our friends move away, become ill or die, it’s even more important to keep adding to your roster of friends. “If you have no one to talk to, the effects can be pretty alarming,” said Pinker. Marcia Loebman Goldman has longtime friends, including her three sisters, high school and college friends — “my touchstone friends”— and her “true best friend” since 7th grade, who just happens to be a man and happily married. But Goldman, who is 55 and lives in Fells Point, is always open to making new friends, especially since her divorce three years ago and her move back to Baltimore. “Fortunately, I never disconnected with my Baltimore friends,” said Goldman, adding that through Facebook she was also able to connect with other old friends, all of whom have been “lifesavers” during the traumatic days of her divorce. But new friends, many of them single women like herself, are also helping her to get out more and do things she didn’t used to do, like going to a club to listen to music or taking a bike ride. “Having a lot of friends — not just in Baltimore, but all over the world — has many benefits,” said Goldman. Emotionally, it was her friends (and her sisters and mother) who pulled her through the dark days of her divorce. Physically, she now has friends to hike and bike with. Socially, there are friends to play mah jongg or travel with. My friends enlighten and broaden my world,” said Goldman.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

BEACON BITS

Jan. 28

DON’T GET ROBBED

Residential burglary is one of the most frequently reported crimes. Learn how to prevent burglary in your home at a presentation at the Catonsville Senior Center with Baltimore County Police Officer Bryan Dietsch. The presentation takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 12:45 p.m. The center is located at 501 N. Rolling Rd., Catonsville. For more information, call (410) 887-0900.

TAX APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Ongoing

Join the United Way’s team of appointment scheduling volunteers during the busy tax season now through April. Volunteers work alongside professional call specialists to assist local residents by scheduling free tax appointments. No tax knowledge is needed, and training is provided. Excellent customer service skills a must, with good computer skills and a willingness to learn. Volunteers serve a flexible two-hour schedule at the Inner Harbor location, 100 S. Charles St., weekdays anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.uwcm.org.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 34 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

A D O B E

T Y S O N

C H E F

H A V E

O N L Y S T A T E D

T H R H A I E N T G E

M E O W H U H E O S E S R I E D E E F A E R R M

A L M O S T

L O O F A H

M O D E L

A S I N I N E

P O T O R R I E S K R E E A C R T T S O N G H E A T T L O S E G O S A N T

D A N D I F Y

D R A W S A

P B R O O R E F A I L

A E I O

Y A N L S L F

I N S I D E I N F O

R E S T

S E T S

A G N E W

U S E R S

FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Crossword Puzzle

Puzzle Page

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

Fairy Fails 1

24 26

11 16

25 28

39 42

49 56

BB2/15

7 14

Scrabble answers on p. 33.

by Stephen Sherr

Across

Down

1. Molecule part 5. Place for a Swiss stake 8. 6/6/44 12. 1/100,000th of a newton 13. Ransack 15. “Sanity and happiness ___ impossible combination” (Mark Twain) 17. Scandinavian capital 18. Drop anchor 19. Manicurist’s canvas 20. Callow canine cook 23. Nixon’s start and end 24. Olympic chant 25. Competes in the Winter Olympics 26. C, C+, and C32. Pandemonium 34. ___ for help 35. Amal Clooney, ___ Alamuddin 36. “___ leads to suffering” (Yoda) 37. Quarterbacks Ryan, Schaub, and Leinart 39. (hey, you) 40. She was naked, but not ashamed 41. Garden-variety 42. Most actors in Harry Potter movies 43. She ate the food, instead of delivering it 47. Garden ideal 48. Van Gogh’s gift 49. It’s bottled in Cannes 52. Ingredients in a fruit cupcake 57. The largest city in northern Israel 58. Bloodhound’s pride 59. Interstellar actress, Hathaway 60. Obey a door sign 61. Fragile traits 62. End of Jenn or Luc 63. Foe of Howard Hughes 64. Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character in A Bug’s Life 65. Down times

1. Brick made of mud 2. ESPN ranked him the hardest hitter in heavyweight history 3. Not written down anywhere 4. Feline tagline 5. Just about 6. Body scrubber 7. Impoverished 8. Dress-up all fancy 9. ___ blank 10. Its not complete without U 11. “You guys”, down South 14. Divide into thirds 16. Bank stamp 21. Shades 22. Those who just barely get by 27. Garden tool 28. Turn state’s evidence 29. Good dirt 30. Use a Barcalounger 31. Distributes silverware 32. Food Network show host 33. One of the elites 37. Tiny airplane 38. Moronic 39. Sunday football player 41. Colt .45, for example 42. Force to yawn 44. ___ Madness (1930’s propaganda film) 45. Boards a train 46. Least sickly 50. Veep before Ford 51. Readers of a guide 52. Most common English word 53. Punish, permanently 54. Baptism or bris 55. Roman-themed party attire 56. Botch a fairy tale (in this puzzle)

Answers on page 33.

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2015

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

Events FREE RANDALLSTOWN BIBLE STUDES – What the Bible really teaches about the Trinity? Where’s hell? God’s name is important to life everlasting. John 17:3, Psalms 83:18. Ben, 410-286-1357.

Financial Services TAXES – ACCOUNTING, BOOKKEEPING, conscientious CPA, 37 years experience, reasonable rates, accepting additional business, personal and eldercare clients and preparation of business plans. Call 410-653-3363.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

For Sale BOOKS, THOUSANDS, for the collector and reader, all ages and subjects. Antique Depot, historic Ellicott City, Booth 119, 3rd floor. PARKWOOD CEMETERY – Taylor Avenue – Poplar Lot 831 – Site 2. Also includes one burial vault and one opening and closing of grave site – value $6,685. Sell for $3,300 or best offer, 410529-1191. 2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed. Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve, 410-913-1653.

Home/Handyman Services HANDYMAN AND HONEY-DO SERVICE – Small jobs are my specialty. Prices by the hour, day or job. MHIC # 95672, Fully Insured. Dave, 443-514-8583. BALTIMORE’S BEST JUNK REMOVAL – Clean Outs: Whole House, Emergency, Attics/Basements. Furniture and Junk Removal, Yard Waste Removal, General Hauling, Construction Debris Removal. Free estimates. 10% Senior Discount. Licensed, Bonded and Insured. Call Jesse, 443-379-HAUL (4285).

Miscellaneous PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT ON CLUTTER – Looking for participants. Do you struggle with clutter? I am a photographer looking for people who are willing to have their cluttered or messy living spaces anonymously photographed. Compensation provided. Call 571331-9316 or visit everittclarkphotography.com for more information.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month. Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards. Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $10 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word. Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word. Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad. Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, Baltimore Classified Dept. P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 Wanted

Wanted

MILITARY ITEMS Collector seeks: helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, webgear, uniforms, inert ordnance, ETC. From 1875 to 1960, US, German, Britain, Japan, France, Russian. Please call Fred 301-910-0783, Thank you. Also Lionel Trains.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree] knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-2798834. Thank you.

WE BUY OLD AND NEW JEWELRY, Coins, Silver and Gold, Paper Money Too. Watches, Clocks and Parts, Military Badges and Patches Old and New. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. OLD AND NEW WE BUY Sterling Silver Flatware, Tea Sets, Single Pieces of Silver, Large pieces of Silver Plates, Fountain Pens, Lighters, Tools, Cameras, Art Work. Toys From Trains to Hotwheels to Star Wars. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

Personal Services

CASH BUYER FOR OLD COSTUME JEWELRY – pocket and wrist watches (any condition). Also buying watchmaker tools and parts, train sets and accessories, old toys, old glassware & coins. 410-655-0412.

LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN – FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversational. Grammatical. Private lessons. Reasonable Rates. Tutoring students. 443-352-8200.

VINYL RECORDS WANTED from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

Thank you for reading the Beacon!

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies

Dementia Study . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Diabetes Research Study . . . . .17 Elderly Falls Study . . . . . . . . .14 Gall Bladder/Kidney Stone Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 HYPNOS Diabetic Sleep Study .14 NeurExpand Memory Study . .15 Parkinson’s Disease Study . . .14

Financial Services

Bennett Senior Services . . . . .19 Debt Counsel for Seniors and the Disabled . . .21 Golden Real Estate . . . . . . . . .26 JSR Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Ridgebrook Insurance . . . . . . .19 Salvation Army . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Funeral Services

Holly Hill Memorial Gardens . .24 Sterling Ashton Schwab Witzke Funeral Home . . . . .33

Hearing Services

Clarity & Comfort Hearing Center . . . . . . . . . . .17 Hearing & Speech Agency . . . .9

Maryland Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Legal Services

Options for Senior America . .12

Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm . . . . . . .19

Housing

Lifelong Learning

Home Health Care

Benet House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Blake & Sons Waterproofing . .7 Brightview Senior Living . . . . .3 Charlestown . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Green House Residences . . . . .12 Liberty Village . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Meadows of Reisterstown . . . .30 Memorial Apartments . . . . . . .25 New Shiloh Village . . . . . . . . . .7 Oak Crest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Park Heights Place . . . . . . . . .30 Park View Apartments . . . . . .27 Shangri-La Assisted Living . . .31 St. Mary’s Roland View Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Wayland Village . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Westminster House Apts . . . . .27 Williamsburg Homes . . . . . . .26 Woodholme Gardens . . . . . . . .26

Housing Referral Service

Senior Placement Service/ Care Patrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Roland Park Country School . .29

Medical/Health

Cleanse Institute . . . . . . . . . . .15 Dr. Richard Rosenblatt, DPM . .10 Dr. Stuart Goldman, DPM . . . .11 Health Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Ideal Health Chiropractic . . . .12 Low Vision Specialists of Maryland & Virginia . . . . . .11 Mishpacha Dental . . . . . . . . . .10 Progressive Rehab Services . .16 Smart Pain Management . . . . . .8

Movers

Easy Movers . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Pharmacies

CVS Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Rite Aid Pharmacy . . . . . . . . .22 Walgreen’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Retail

Shelf Genie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation

Communicare Health . . . . . . .13 Holly Hill Nursing & Rehabilitation . . . . . . . . . .10 Manor Care Health Services . .17

Theatres/ Entertainment

Alz Pals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Bruce Thomas Music . . . . . . .29 Hollywood Casino . . . . . . . . .36 Radio Flea Market . . . . . . . . . .28 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . .28

Tour & Travel

Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel . . . . .25

Utility Services

BGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Fuel Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Volunteers

Baltimore City RSVP . . . . . . .20

FEBRUARY 2015 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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FEBRUARY 28 7PM–9PM

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