June 2014 | Howard County Beacon

The Howard County

I N

F O C U S

VOL.4, NO.6

F O R

P E O P L E

O V E R

McMahon, who selected his retirement date four years ago in a deferred retirement payment program, became a national figure last January, after the murder of two young people and the suicide of the killer at the Columbia Mall.

While supervising scores of police officers on the scene of the killings, he became Howard County’s face and voice to the nation, delivering continual updates to the press as events unfolded.

The police chief said one of his first thoughts after getting the news of the mall shooting was that “the people involved were the same age as my kids.”

The two victims were Brianna Benlolo, 21, of College Park, and Tyler Johnson, 25,

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HOWARD COUNTY POLICE DEPT.

Taking charge during tragedy

5 0 JUNE 2014

More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard County

Howard’s top cop recalls career

By Robert Friedman “It’s not a bad time to leave, when you are still excited about your job and not burnt out,” said 51-year-old William McMahon, who retires on June 30 after 28 years on the police force and eight years as the police chief of Howard County.

“I’m blessed. I still love what I’m doing day after day,” McMahon said, as he was interviewed just before taking off on a 300mile bike ride from Philadelphia to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The event, in which other police chiefs around the country are also taking part, is meant to raise funds for the families of police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Is McMahon, who apparently is still in tiptop shape, ready now for a second career?

“I have no plans yet,” he acknowledged.

“I don’t have anything lined up. I don’t know if I’ll stay in law enforcement.”

One thing he does know is that his wife, Annette, a professional tutor, won’t want him around their Ellicott City home all day. ”I’m sure she is going to want me to do something,” he laughed. They have three adult children, Megan, 26, Krissy, 24, and Brian, 19.

Maj. Gary Gardner, 55, a 30-year veteran of the Howard County Police Department, will take command after McMahon retires. The department has 649 full-time police and civilian employees and operates on a budget just under $100 million.

FREE

I N S I D E …

ARTS & STYLE

June is busting out all over, with both the annual Columbia Festival of the Arts and Capital Jazz Fest scheduled. page 27

L E I S U R E & T R AV E L Howard County Police Chief William McMahon will retire at the end of June after 28 years on the force. In January, he became nationally recognized as the face and voice of the county as he briefed the press during the hours and days following the tragic shooting at Columbia Mall.

of Ellicott City. Darion Aguilar of College Park, their killer who later committed suicide, was 19.

McMahon, who was on his way to St. Michaels for a short vacation with his wife, hustled back when he first got news of the mall shooting. He was one of the first ranking police officers on the scene. His calm, professional presence under the glare of national TV earned him kudos both locally and nationwide.

The Baltimore Sun, among others, lauded the police chief for his handling of the situation. The newspaper said in an editorial: “During those trying few days, it was McMahon who was in the midst of it all, keeping us informed of what his officers

learned, and more importantly, providing the kind of leadership that gave the community at-large the kind of confidence that everything that could be done to make some sense of this tragedy was being done.

“It was McMahon at his best, and to those around the country, showed Howard County at its best during the worst of times.”

McMahon indicated that the professional police response did not come out of a vacuum. “We’d been doing exercises on responding to an active shooter in the mall,” he said.

Guns, media and mental health The chief seemed reluctant to get into a See TOP COP, page 28

A Puerto Rican island’s transformation from bomb site to beach destination; plus, exploring the Amazon’s many wonders page 23

FITNESS & HEALTH 3 k Statins for (almost) everyone k Hepatitis C cure: quick but costly THE SENIOR CONNECTION 16 k Howard County Office on Aging newsletter LAW & MONEY 18 k The effect of higher interest rates k Is gold glittering again?

PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

2

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Privacy for sale There was a time we spoke about our sleazy publications would actually seek out “right to privacy” or our “reasonable expec- private information about their personal tation of privacy” as though behavior and relationships. we understood what those When I was growing up, my phrases meant. It was a given mother was good friends with of American values that every the Washington corresponindividual had a fundamental dent for our local paper in Fort right to be left alone to pursue Worth, Texas. Years later, my his or her own form of happimom told me that the reporter ness as long as the rights of had confided in her about others were respected.

President Kennedy’s many liThere was a whole realm of aisons during his first years in private life, where what you office, which were well known did “behind closed doors” was FROM THE among the press corps. generally not subject to public PUBLISHER When I asked why the rescrutiny. Yes, many states long By Stuart P. Rosenthal porter hadn’t publicized the had laws proscribing certain fact, my mom said it wasn’t behaviors in bedrooms, but they were gener- considered appropriate to do so at the ally ignored and virtually never enforced. time. First, it was a private matter. And secSpeaking of which, people who lived ond, JFK was such a respected and admuch of their lives in public — politicians, mired public figure that no one wanted to celebrities — naturally had a more con- damage his image. strained expectation of privacy. They, in a Similarly, even until rather recently, prosense, earned their livings off the public, fessional paparazzi were denounced for so they were expected to understand that snapping photos of the rich and famous in their private lives would be of particular in- their private lives for personal gain. Reterest to the masses. Still, generally only member the revulsion at the paparazzi car

Beacon The Howard County

I N

F O C U S

F O R

P E O P L E

O V E R

5 0

The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of Howard County, Md. and is privately owned. Other editions serve Greater Baltimore, 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

chase of Princess Diana that ended in her untimely death?

But today, things appear to have completely changed. We are all paparazzi, every one of us with a cell phone, either brazenly or surreptitiously snapping, videoing or recording whatever we choose at any time — the more private, the better.

In our post 9/11 world, cameras are filming every inch of every public thoroughfare 24 hours a day, in some places whiffing the odors that escape our bodies or packages.

And it’s not just out on the street. The interiors of almost every mall and building, including the elevators and probably a number of bathrooms, are wired (or wi-fied) for sound and closed-circuit television.

Those “security cameras” were placed there, with general public consent, to help protect us from (or catch) terrorists and criminals. Within hours, we knew what one of the Boston Marathon bombers looked like, thanks to them.

But how quickly they’ve morphed into means for security guards or passers-by to make a fast buck by copying salacious or amusing footage and selling it to a TV station, gossip website or political enemy.

Even private cellphone conversations can be easily hacked and taped, then publicized worldwide within minutes. A person’s whole life can change in an hour.

In addition, much of our “identity” — our credit card numbers, personal information, shopping history — is now in the “cloud,” where it can easily be stolen by hackers, even from huge, sophisticated organizations like (the ironically named) Target.

It’s not just the new technology and concern over national security that have shrunk our zone of privacy to almost nothing.

We the people are also responsible. We

live in an age where most of us willingly “agree” to turn over much of our private information to companies when we like the discounts or coupons we get in return.

We shower publicity, and often adulation and even money, on people who “share” with us personal information, photos and film about the private lives of the rich and famous, not to mention classified data and security secrets of government at every level.

Popular mobile apps like Snapchat were created to simplify the sending of naked photos to friends and others.

For years now, reality shows have been the most popular shows on television. People willingly put their whole lives on public display — their search for a job, their search for a spouse, their home life — for the sheer pleasure of becoming celebrities of a sort or winning a big prize at the end.

We seem to have an insatiable appetite for such material. Salacious videos “go viral” (reach millions of people online within hours) because there’s such a demand for them. In a culture where another person’s private life is deemed sacrosanct, videos of private encounters simply would not go viral. There’s a great supply because there’s a great demand.

To maintain a sphere of privacy, we as a society — and as individuals — have to value personal privacy, make an effort to maintain our privacy, and discourage or ostracize those who invade others’ privacy.

Until we do so, we can’t be surprised that we get the world we deserve; the world we have made for ourselves.

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.

• Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory • Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock, ................................................ Steve Levin, Jill Joseph • Publishing Assistant ....................Rebekah Sewell

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 (410) 248-9101 • Email: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com Submissions: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial and advertising is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 31 for classified advertising details.

Please mail or email all submissions.

© Copyright 2014 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

Dear Stuart Rosenthal: Like many readers, I was touched by the recent column that you wrote about your father (“A man of valor,” April). It was a moving and heartfelt story that resonated with me. I hope you will write more about your family history. Where were your grandparents from? What were they like? Did they raise a large family?

I’m a new Beacon reader, attracted by the recent article on self-publishing. It was an informative and enlightening piece that led to my placing a classified ad — I’m the “freelance writer” in the May (Howard County) edition. I’m a storyteller, so your personal stories will always find a home with me.

As I read about your father, I thought of my own dad who would have turned 92 this year. He was a “tin man,” a first-generation Baltimorean, a son of Russian immigrants.

I know he would have loved the Beacon.

In high school, he wrote a column for the school newspaper; his byline was “Nat Hanson” (making two words out of our last name). In retirement, he self-published a free newsletter. He made his living selling aluminum siding, but I think he really wanted to be a newspaperman.

Thank you again for sharing your personal story. I look forward to reading many more.

Marsha Nathanson

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Health Fitness &

3

DARK SECRETS Not only is dark chocolate yummy, it helps fend off diabetes and dementia TENNIS ELBOW? You don’t have to play the game to get this painful, inflammatory condition NEW HEPATITIS C CURE A new drug can help cure hepatitis C in 12 weeks, but it costs $1,000 a pill SMOOTH SKIN SANS SURGERY Fillers, lasers and chemical peels can rejuvenate skin without surgery

Half of US adults 40 to 75 eligible for statins

By Marilynn Marchione Almost half of Americans ages 40 to 75, and nearly all men over 60, qualify to consider cholesterol-lowering statin drugs under new heart disease prevention guidelines, an analysis concludes.

It’s the first independent look at the impact of the guidelines issued in November, and shows how dramatically they shift more people toward treatment.

Supporters say the guidelines reveal the true scope of heart risks in America. Critics have said they overreach by suggesting medications such as Zocor and Lipitor for such a broad swath of the population.

“We wanted to be really objective and just quantify what the guidelines do, and not get into a discussion about whether they are correct,” said Michael Pencina, the Duke University biostatistician who led the analysis, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Under the new guidelines, 56 million Americans ages 40 to 75 are eligible to consider a statin; 43 million were eligible under the old advice. Both numbers include 25 million people taking statins now.

“That is striking, eye-opening,” Dr. Daniel Rader of the University of Pennsylvania said of the new estimate. But since too few people use statins now, the advice “has the potential to do much more good

than harm,” said Rader, a cardiologist who had no role in writing the guidelines.

Nearly half a million additional heart attacks and strokes could be prevented over 10 years if statin use was expanded as the guidelines recommend, the study estimates.

The guidelines, developed by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology at the request of the federal government, were a big change. They give a new formula for estimating risk that includes blood pressure, smoking status and many factors besides the level of LDL or “bad” cholesterol, the main focus in the past.

Tailored guidelines For the first time, the guidelines are personalized for men and women and for blacks and whites, and they take aim at strokes, not just heart attacks. Partly because of that, they set a lower threshold for using statins to reduce risk.

The guidelines say statins do the most good for people who already have heart disease, those with very high LDL of 190 or more, and people over 40 with Type 2 diabetes.

They also recommend considering statins for anyone 40 to 75 who has an estimated 10-year risk of heart disease of 7.5 percent or higher, based on the new formula. (This means that for every 100 peo-

ple with a similar risk profile, seven or eight would have a heart attack or stroke within 10 years.)

Under this more nuanced approach, many people who previously would not have qualified for a statin based on LDL alone would now qualify, while others with a somewhat high LDL but no other heart risk factors would not.

The Duke researchers gauged the impact of these changes by using cholesterol, weight and other measurements from health surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They looked at how nearly 4,000 people in those surveys would have been classified under the new and old guidelines, and projected the results to the whole country.

Helped those 60+ the most The biggest effect was on people 60 and older, researchers found. Under the new guidelines, 87 percent of such men not already taking a statin are eligible to consider one; only 30 percent were under the old guidelines. For women, the numbers are 54 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

Dr. Paul Ridker and Nancy Cook of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have criticized the risk formula in the guidelines. Ridker declined to be interviewed, but in a statement, he and Cook

noted that most people newly suggested for statins do not have high cholesterol, but smoke or have high blood pressure.

They feel those problems, and lifestyle changes that address them, should be tried before prescribing medications.

Dr. Neil Stone, the Northwestern University doctor who helped lead the guidelines work, stressed that the guidelines just say who should consider a statin, and they recommend people discuss that carefully with a doctor.

“We think we’re focusing the attention for statins on those who would benefit the most,” Stone said.

Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a Yale University cardiologist who has long advocated this approach, agreed. “The guidelines provide a recommendation, not a mandate” for statin use, he said.

Pencina, the leader of the Duke study, said his own situation motivated him to look at the guidelines more closely. His LDL was nearing a threshold to consider a statin under the old guidelines, but under the new formula for gauging risk, “I’m fine,” he said.

For more information on cholesterol see http://tinyurl.com/2dtc5vy. A risk calculator can be found at http://my.americanheart.org/cvriskcalculator.

— AP

Think twice before giving up all grains

By Marsha McCulloch, R.D. Though going grain-free is a popular diet trend, grains — especially in their whole form — provide a significant portion of important nutrients in the diet.

You’ve likely noticed the proliferation of books, websites and specialty foods aimed at helping people avoid gluten-containing grains — and all other grains, too.

While a small group of scientists, medical professionals and bloggers are leading the charge for grain-free diets — declaring grains a mismatch based on human evolution — the majority of experts believe grain-free diets for the masses are a wrong move.

If you’ve considered ditching grains, it’s important to understand the science and the potential pitfalls if you do so.

Who should avoid certain grains?

Clearly, those with an allergy to wheat or other grains must avoid them. And the one percent of the population with celiac disease, and the six percent with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, must avoid all gluten — a protein found in grains, including wheat, rye and barley.

With a doctor’s approval, most people with a gluten sensitivity can eat small amounts of uncontaminated oats; all other uncontaminated, gluten-free grains are typically allowed.

According to an August 2013 review in Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, multiple case reports suggest gluten can play a role in some autoimmune diseases beyond celiac disease, but large studies are lacking. Autoimmune diseases that occur most

commonly in combination with celiac disease are autoimmune thyroid disease, autoimmune liver disease, Type 1 diabetes, Sjogren’s syndrome and psoriasis.

If you have an autoimmune condition or health concern that has a scientifically documented relationship with gluten, talk with your doctor about celiac disease testing.

The nutrient gap Gluten-free diets carry the concern of nutritional deficiencies, and completely grain-free diets only heighten that risk.

Julie Miller Jones, PhD, CNS, LN, professor emerita of nutrition at St. Catherine University, St. Paul, Minn., summarizes data showing grains provide the following amounts of nutrients in the U.S. diet: Seventy percent of folate; 60 percent of

thiamin; 50 percent of iron; 40 percent or more of niacin, riboflavin and selenium, and 25 percent of magnesium and zinc.

Jones is especially concerned about the impact a grain-free diet could have on folic acid intake. “Since the mid-1990s, when it became mandatory to add folic acid to enriched grain products, the incidence of neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida, has dropped by more than 50 percent,” she said.

Proponents of grain-free diets voice concern about “anti-nutrients” in grains.

Grains, especially whole grains, contain a substance called phytate that impairs the body’s absorption of some minerals. However, in populations with well-balanced diets, this may be of little consequence.

See GOOD GRAINS, page 4

4

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Health Shorts Vaccine cuts senior pneumonia rates and complications A vaccine against pneumonia, blood and other infections met its goal of preventing illness in vulnerable older adults in a huge study required by the Food and Drug Administration.

Prevnar 13 protects against 13 strains of pneumococcal disease, which can cause painful children’s ear infections, pneumonia and life-threatening bloodstream infections.

The study, known by the acronym CAPiTA, included about 85,000 patients 65 and older. It found that, compared to study participants getting a dummy shot, those getting the vaccine had about 46 percent fewer cases of pneumonia and about 75 percent

Good grains From page 3 There are ways to minimize phytate, too.

“Breads made with longer fermentation times, such as Julia Child’s French bread (which requires at least six hours of rise time), and classic sourdough bread, have sig-

fewer cases of invasive pneumococcal disease such as bloodstream infections.

The top-selling vaccine in history, Prevnar 13 brings its maker, Pfizer, Inc., $4 billion in annual revenue. Launched at the end of 2009, it’s now on sale in more than 120 countries.

In the U.S., it’s approved for children from six weeks to 17 years old and for adults aged 50 and older. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to use the vaccine in the 65and-up group, but required a large study to verify it actually prevented illness in them.

Seniors are particularly vulnerable to infections by pneumococcal bacteria, and potentially life-threatening complications, because their immune systems don’t work as well as when they were younger. For the same reason, vaccines generally are only about 50 percent effective in patients 65 and older.

Pfizer noted the study is the first of any pneumococcal vaccine showing a signifi-

nificantly lower phytate levels,” Jones said.

Lectins, another type of anti-nutrient in grains, also may be inactivated by lengthy fermentation, and some are destroyed by heat.

Unique fiber in grains Fiber in grains is not the same as the fiber in other foods.

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

cant reduction in pneumococcal infections in adults. That could help Prevnar 13 take more market share from rival Merck & Co.’s Pneumovax vaccine.

— AP

Fixing heart valves without surgery A new study gives a big boost to fixing a bad aortic valve, the heart’s main gate, without open-heart surgery. Survival rates were better one year later for people who had a new valve placed through a tube into an artery instead.

The results prompted some doctors to predict that, in the near future, far fewer people will be having the traditional operation.

“It’s going to be very hard to tell a patient that if they need an aortic valve, surgery is going to be their best option,” said Dr. Prediman K. Shah of Cedars Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles.

A bad aortic valve can stiffen and nar-

“Some people reason that if they eat more broccoli, for instance, then it won’t matter if they don’t eat grains. But thinking you don’t need grain fiber because you get a lot of vegetable fiber is like saying that if you get enough vitamin A you don’t need any vitamin C. That’s just plain wrong,” Jones said.

For example, beta glucan, the fiber best at lowering cholesterol, is present only in oats and barley. And it’s grain fiber, rather than fiber from any source, that is linked with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

A 2009 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that healthy adults on a gluten-free diet for a month had a significant decrease in protective gut bacteria, while potentially unhealthy bacteria increased in number. These findings are similar to an earlier study of children with celiac

row with age, keeping blood from passing through as it should. Until a few years ago, the only solution was a major operation to open the chest, cut out the bad valve, and sew in a new one.

That changed in 2011, when Edwards Lifesciences Inc. won federal approval for an expandable valve that could fit in a catheter into a leg artery, be guided to the heart, and be placed inside the old valve.

Studies showed survival was comparable to surgery or a little better, but strokes were more common after the catheter approach, making some leery of it.

Earlier this year, a rival device — Medtronic Inc.’s CoreValve — was approved for treating people at too high a risk to have surgery. The new study tested it in nearly 800 people who were less sick — eligible for the operation but still with elevated risks.

One year after treatment, 19 percent of See HEALTH SHORTS, page 6

disease following a long-term gluten-free diet (Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2007).

In the typical American diet, wheat supplies at least 70 percent of inulin and oligofructose, which are prebiotic starches that fuel the growth of good bacteria.

When all is said and done, the more restricted your food options are, the more careful you’ll need to be to ensure your body gets what it needs. So, look beyond diet books’ bestseller headlines and sensationalistic stories to make sure any dietary change is appropriate for you.

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.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

5

What’s all the fuss over dark chocolate?

I N F O R M AT I O N F R E E ★

❏ Brooke Grove (see ad on page 32) ❏ Charlestown (see ad on page 8) ❏ Heartlands (see ad on page 26) ❏ Homecrest House (see ad on page 4) ❏ Park View at Colonial Landing (see ad on page 21) ❏ Park View at Columbia (see ad on page 21) ❏ Park View at Ellicott City (see ad on page 21) ❏ Park View at Emerson (see ad on page 21) ❏ Shriner Court (see ad on page 19)

F R E E

❏ Somerford Place (see ad on page 7) ❏ Vantage House (see ad on page 6)

❏ Fall Prevention Study (see ad on page 11) ❏ Hard To Treat Cancers Study (see article on page 11) Name_________________________________________________________________

I N F O R M AT I O N

Health Study Volunteers

Address________________________________________________________________ ★

Phone (day)________________________(evening)________________________

Email_________________________________________________________________

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this form to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 or fax to (410) 248-9102.

6/14 HC

I N F O R M AT I O N

Please provide your e-mail address if you would like to receive monthly links to the Beacon online and occasional notices of events and programs of interest.

F R E E

City______________________________________State______Zip________________

✃

❏ Alta at Regency Crest (see ad on page 13)

★

I N F O R M AT I O N

Housing Communities

I N F O R M AT I O N

F R E E

For free materials on housing communities and health studies, just complete and clip this coupon and mail or fax it to the Beacon.

F R E E

★

FREE INFORMATION

★

★

F R E E

I N F O R M AT I O N

★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★

I N F O R M AT I O N

Please patronize our advertisers.

der to your foods. (Try it in hot oatmeal!)

One to two tablespoons of natural cocoa powder provide a similar level of flavonoids as the amount of dark chocolate used in studies suggesting health benefits. The powder alone tastes quite bitter, however, so some sweetener is typically called for.

As for chocolate milk and hot cocoa mixes: those are typically made with Dutched cocoa. Unfortunately, the processing that makes Dutch cocoa also removes most of the flavonoid compounds.

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.

I N F O R M AT I O N

Chocolate is made from beans harvested from the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao.

The ancient Mayans first discovered chocolate’s health potential. They ground the beans into a bitter brew that they used as traditional medicine for heart ailments, depression and other conditions.

Today, chocolate manufacturers remove cocoa beans from their pod and ferment, dry, roast and grind them into cocoa liquor.

The beans may be further processed into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla are then combined to make chocolate.

Dark chocolate contains higher amounts of cocoa solids and smaller amounts of sugar than milk chocolate, re-

F R E E

How it’s made and processed

sulting in a richer, deeper flavor.

When shopping for chocolate, go as dark as your palate allows for the biggest boost of flavonoids and health benefits.

Most studies use chocolate with 70 percent or higher cocoa content. Ingredients should include cocoa butter (but not other fats such as palm or coconut oils), sugar, vanilla, and not much else.

Note that just one ounce of 70 to 85 percent dark chocolate has 168 calories and 12 grams of fat, so it’s best to keep portions petite — about one ounce. Pair your squares with other flavonoid-rich treats like red wine (in moderation) or a handful of almonds.

An alternative way to the health benefits of dark chocolate — one with fewer calories and fat — is to add natural cocoa pow-

★

F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★ F R EE I N FOR MATION ★

effects against cognitive decline, including dementia and stroke.

In addition to the gustatory pleasures of enjoying a rich square of dark chocolate, it also may improve mood, with the potential to ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to a study in a 2013 Journal of Psychopharmacology.

F R E E

By Lori Zanteson In addition to its great taste and enduring popularity, dark chocolate may help you fend off heart disease, diabetes, dementia and stroke.

Chocolate has a variety of health-protective qualities thanks to its antioxidant flavonoids. The darker the chocolate, the higher level of flavonols (the main antioxidant found in cocoa and chocolate) it contains.

Dark chocolate has a protective effect against cardiovascular disease. It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and may protect the heart by improving the function of cells that line the heart and blood vessels (the endothelium). It also improves insulin resistance, a predictor of diabetes, according to a November 2013 study in the journal Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition Metabolic Care.

In addition, cocoa flavonols are absorbed into, and accumulate in, the areas of the brain involved in learning and memory. According to a study in a 2013 Neuroscience and Biobehavior Reviews, long-term flavonol consumption may have protective

6

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Blood test rules out heart attacks in the ER

By Marilynn Marchione A simple test appears very good at ruling out heart attacks in people who go to emergency rooms with chest pain — a big public health issue and a huge worry for patients.

A large study in Sweden found that the blood test plus the usual electrocardiogram of the heartbeat were 99 percent accurate at showing which patients could safely be sent home rather than be admitted for observation and more diagnostics.

Of nearly 9,000 patients judged low risk by the blood test and with normal electrocardiograms, only 15 went on to suffer a heart attack in the next month, and not a single one died.

“We believe that, with this strategy, 20 to 25 percent of admissions to hospitals for chest pain may be avoided,” said Dr. Nadia Bandstein of the Karolinska University

Health shorts From page 4 the surgery patients, but only 14 percent of those given a CoreValve, had died.

Stroke rates also seemed lower, though this was not one of the main results researchers were tracking. After one year, 13 percent of surgery patients and 9 percent of the others had had a stroke.

People may feel reassured by being admitted to a hospital so doctors can keep an eye on them. But a hospital stay raises the risk of picking up an infection and having expensive care they’ll have to pay a share

of, plus unnecessary tests.

The study included nearly 15,000 people who went to the Karolinska University hospital with chest pains over two years.

About 8,900 had low scores on the new blood test for troponin, a substance that’s a sign of heart damage. The test has been available in Europe, Asia and Canada for about three years, but it has not yet been approved for use in the United States.

The patients were 47 years old on average, and 4 percent had a previous heart attack. About 21 percent of them wound up being admitted.

Researchers later looked back to see how the blood test and electrocardiogram would have predicted how they fared over the next month.

They determined that in order to find one heart attack in patients like this, 594

would have to be admitted — a huge waste of resources.

A test like this would be “enormously useful,” and the study’s results are “almost too good to be true,” said Dr. Judd Hollander, an emergency medicine specialist at the University of Pennsylvania. He believes the test should be available in the U.S. and that the amount of evidence that FDA regulators are requiring to approve it is too high.

Dr. Allan Jaffe, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, said the problem is not what the test rules out, but what it might falsely rule in. It’s so sensitive that it can pick up troponin from heart failure and other problems, and cause unnecessary tests for that.

“I think the strategy long-term will be proven,” but more studies underway now in the U.S. are needed to show that, he said.

— AP

Two-year follow-up is not complete, but “we are certainly encouraged” that trends appear to be continuing, said one of the study’s leaders, Dr. David Adams of New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital.

There were drawbacks to the CoreValve, though — twice as many patients needed pacemakers afterward.

Other complications were a tradeoff — more vascular problems with the

CoreValve but more problems with a fluttering heartbeat called atrial fibrillation among those who had surgery.

Still, several independent experts praised the results. “It’s a great leap forward” for fixing valves through blood vessels, said Dr. David Kandzari of Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta.

The study was paid for by Medtronic, and many study leaders consult for

Medtronic, Edwards or other heart device makers. Results also were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Doctors say both companies’ artificial valves need more long-term study to see if they hold up as well as the ones implanted surgically, which typically last 20 years.

Other firms are also testing catheterplaced valves.

— AP

Hospital in Stockholm.

She helped lead the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented at the cardiology college’s annual conference in April.

Chest pain sends more than 15 million people to emergency rooms in the United States and Europe each year, and it usually turns out to be due to anxiety, indigestion or other less-serious things than a heart attack. Yet doctors don’t want to miss one — about 2 percent of patients having heart attacks are mistakenly sent home.

Hospitalization risks and costs

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

7

Replacing hips and knees at record pace

By Marilynn Marchione It’s not just grandma with a new hip and your uncle with a new knee. More than 2 of every 100 Americans now have an artificial joint, doctors are reporting.

Among those over 50, it’s even more common: Five percent have replaced a knee, and more than 2 percent, a hip.

“They are remarkable numbers,” said Dr. Daniel J. Berry, chairman of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Roughly 7 million people in the United States are living with a total hip or knee replacement.

He led the first major study to estimate how prevalent these procedures have become, using federal databases on surgeries and life expectancy trends. Results were reported at an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons conference.

More than 600,000 knees and about 400,000 hips are replaced in the U.S. each year. But until now, there haven’t been good numbers on how many people currently are living with new joints.

The number is expected to grow as the population ages, raising questions about cost, how long the new parts will last, and how best to replace the replacements as they wear out over time.

Why the boom? “People are aware that they’re a success” and are less willing to put up with painful joints, Berry said.

The term “joint replacement” is a little misleading, said Dr. Joshua Jacobs, chair-

man of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and president of the orthopedic surgery association.

What’s replaced is the surface of a joint after cartilage has worn away, leaving bone rubbing against bone and causing pain and less mobility. In a replacement operation, the ends of bones are removed or resurfaced, and replaced with plastic, ceramic or metal materials.

Arthritis is the main reason for these operations, followed by obesity, which adds stress on knees and hips. Baby boomers are wearing out joints by playing sports and doing other activities to avoid obesity.

Knee replacement surgeries have more than tripled in the 45-to-64 age group over the last decade, and nearly half of hip replacements now are in people under 65, federal numbers show.

Surgery not for everyone “It’s not for anybody who has pain in the joint,” Berry warned. Surgery won’t help people with pain and stiffness from arthritis but whose joints are not damaged, said Berry, who gets royalties from certain hip and knee implants.

Surgery also is not for people who haven’t first tried exercise, medicines and weight loss, Jacobs said.

But for a growing number of people, it can mean a big improvement in quality of life. Mary Ann Tuft, 79, who owns an exec-

Recall and failure concerns Not all patients have fared as well, though.

Implant recalls and big patient lawsuits show the danger when a device is flawed.

Last June, Stryker Corp. recalled cer-

tain hip implant products because of corrosion and other problems. Last month, another device maker, Biomet, agreed to pay at least $200,000 each to hundreds of people who received artificial hips that were later replaced.

And in November, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle roughly 8,000 patients’ lawsuits over an all-metal hip implant it pulled from the market in 2010.

Even good implants can fail over time — about 1 percent or fewer fail each year.

After 10 years, more than 90 percent of them are still functioning, Jacobs and Berry said.

It costs about $20,000 for a knee or hip replacement, but a recent study suggests they save more than they cost, because they reduce lost work days and improve mobility. “There’s a cost for not doing the procedure,” Jacobs noted.

To help a joint replacement succeed and last, doctors recommend doing physical therapy to strengthen bones, muscles and the new joint. Other tips include maintaining a healthy weight, cross training so you don’t overdo one type of activity or sport, spending more time warming up, and letting muscles and joints recover between workouts.

For more information, see www.orthoinfo.org and www.aaos.org/research/stats/ patientstats.asp.

— AP

24 HOURS A DAY, OUR NURSES ARE HERE

BEACON BITS

June 4

utive search firm, said her right knee was painful for a decade before she had it replaced in 2005.

“I live in downtown Chicago, take a lot of walks along the beach. I could barely walk a block” by the time the operation was done, she said. “I’m very social, but I found going to cocktail receptions where you had to stand a long time, I would just avoid them.”

After the operation, “I felt better pretty much right from the beginning,” she said.

“You don’t even know you have it in there, which is amazing.”

Cynthia Brabbit, a dental hygienist from Winona, Minn., had hip replacement in 2007 when she was 52. She developed hip problems in her 20s that distorted her gait and even caused one leg to grow longer than the other.

“I was running marathons, doing half marathons, playing tennis,” but the problem grew so bad she couldn’t even walk more than half a mile, she said.

“Now I can walk an hour a day,” and is training for a 100-mile bike ride this summer, she said. “What a world of difference.”

for your loved one. peace mind.

MANAGING INCONTINENCE

Urologist Jennifer Bepple will offer a seminar on incontinence and diagnostic tests and treatments available to women on Wednesday, June 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Howard County General Hospital’s Wellness Center, 10710 Charter Dr., Columbia. To learn more about the program and to register, visit www.hcgh.org or call (410) 964-9100.

OF

W

hen you can’t alwayss be there, who better than a nurse to take care of your loved one?

Right at Hom R H Home me he h helps elps wit with: Bathinnngg & Persona n l Care Com ompanionship anion Transfers & Standdby Safety Superv r is isioon Meal Planning & Preeparation Medication Remindeers/Administ stra ratiionn Alzheimer or Parkinsson Care Transportation too Dooctor, Groceery, etc. c Diabetic/Hypertensioon/Stroke Re R co c veryy Hospice and Palliiat a ivve Support Care

While many communities offer on-call nursing services, Somerford Place in Columbia has a nurse on site, 24 hours a day.

CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE A TOUR AND COMPLIMENTARY LUNCH.

Celebrating 10 Years of Caring!

8220 Snowden River Parkway • Columbia, MD

410-313-9744

Care Available 24/7!

(410) 461-2055

www. w riigh ghta tath tath ho om m me e.n ne et/ t/ce cen nttra ralm mdh how owarrd

www.SomerfordPlaceColumbia.com Pet Friendly

© 2014 Five Star Quality Care, Inc.

PROVIDING ALZHEIMER’S & MEMORY CARE

8

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Is one drink a day too much? It depends

By Dr. Terry Schneekloth Dear Mayo Clinic: I enjoy a glass of wine each night with dinner and sometimes have another before bed. My husband is concerned and thinks I should take a break from it to make sure I’m not becoming addicted.

Is it possible to become an alcoholic just by having one or two drinks at night? I never drink to the point of feeling drunk.

Answer: For most people, an occasional glass of wine with dinner or a drink in the evening is fine. When drinking becomes a daily activity, though, it can put you at risk for health problems. From your description of your drinking habits, it may be time to take a closer look at how much you drink.

In general, drinking alcohol in moderation is not a cause for concern. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or NIAAA, no more than three drinks in any one day, and no more than seven drinks a week, is considered to be in the moderate or low-risk range for women.

For men, it’s no more than four drinks a day and no more than 14 drinks a week.

How large is a drink?

Those guidelines are based on standardsize drinks. One standard drink contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol. That equals 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, 8 to 9 ounces of malt liquor and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits or “hard” liquor.

If you’re not careful, it’s easy to drink

more than a standard drink in one glass.

For example, many wine glasses hold far more than 5 ounces. You could easily drink 8 ounces of wine in a glass. If you have one of those glasses during a meal and another before bed, you’re actually consuming about three standard drinks in one evening.

You mention that you never drink to the point of feeling drunk. Although that’s a common way people gauge how much they should drink, it can be quite inaccurate.

In fact, researchers who study alcohol abuse find that people who do not feel the effects of alcohol after they drink several alcoholic beverages are at higher risk for alcohol-related problems than those who do.

It is important to note that even though you may not feel the effects of alcohol, you still have the same amount of alcohol in your body as someone who does start to feel intoxicated after one or two drinks. Your lack of response to the alcohol may be related to an increase in your body’s alcohol tolerance over time, due to your regular drinking.

Drinking more than the NIAAA-recommended limits puts you in the category of “at-risk” drinking. That means you have a higher risk for negative consequences related to your alcohol use, including health and social problems. You’re also at higher risk of becoming addicted to alcohol.

Alcohol-related health issues Alcohol can damage your body’s organs and lead to a variety of health concerns.

For women, this damage happens with lower doses of alcohol because their bodies contain less water than men. That’s why the moderate drinking guidelines for women and men are so different.

The specific organ damage that happens with too much alcohol use varies considerably from one person to another. The most common health effects include heart, liver and nerve damage, as well as memory problems and sexual dysfunction.

Unless you or your husband notice specific negative consequences related to your drinking, it probably is not necessary for you to quit drinking alcohol entirely.

However, I would strongly encourage you to reduce the amount you drink, so it fits within the guidelines of moderate drinking.

For more information about alcohol and health, visit the NIAAA web site: www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health.

— Terry Schneekloth, M.D., Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

To submit a question, write to: medicaledge@mayo.edu. For health information, visit www.mayoclinic.com. © 2014 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All Rights Reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

“ We moved to Charlestown for the peace of mind and convenience.”

—Bernard and Mary Sikora, moved from Ellicott City

From Ellicott City to Columbia and beyond—your neighbors are making the move to Charlestown in Catonsville. Isn’t it time you discovered Howard County’s favorite destination for fun and affordable retirement living?

Retirement living close to Howard County.

Call 410-246-1734 for your FREE 45-page brochure.

FREE Catonsville EricksonLiving.com 9978835

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

FOR ADULTS WITH DUPUYTREN’S CONTRACTURE WHEN A “CORD” CAN BE FELT

YOU MAY HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAN YOU THINK, AND THAT’S

NO SMALL THING XIAFLEX FOR INJECTION

ASK YOUR DOCTOR IF SOMETHING NONSURGICAL CAN BE DONE NOW Dupuytren’s contracture is a disorder of the hand that can worsen over time. XIAFLEX is the only FDA-approved therapy that is administered during an in-office nonsurgical procedure to treat Dupuytren’s contracture where a “rope-like” cord can be felt. A hand specialist trained to inject XIAFLEX performs the procedure, and no general anesthesia is required for administration.

Studies show that prescription XIAFLEX may help straighten the affected finger and improve range of motion. These results have been shown in contractures ranging from less severe to more severe. And that’s no small thing.

In two clinical studies, 64% and 44% of people receiving XIAFLEX (versus 7% and 5% of patients receiving placebo) had a straight or nearly straight finger after up to 3 XIAFLEX injection procedures.

Most people required 1 or 2 injection procedures with XIAFLEX to help “break” the cord.

Since February 2010, approximately 45,000 people have had their Dupuytren’s contracture treated with XIAFLEX. Watch a video about one person’s treatment experience, and find more information at XIAFLEX.com. Then, talk with your doctor to see if XIAFLEX may be right for you.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Do not receive XIAFLEX if you have had an allergic reaction to collagenase clostridium histolyticum or any of the ingredients in XIAFLEX, or to any other collagenase product.

XIAFLEX can cause serious side effects including tendon rupture (break), ligament damage, nerve injury or other serious injury of the hand, or allergic reaction. Surgery could be required to fix the damaged tendon or ligament.

Call your doctor right away if you have trouble bending your injected finger after the swelling goes down, pain, tingling, numbness, or problems using your treated hand or if you get hives, swollen face, breathing trouble, or chest pain.

Bleeding or bruising at the injection site can happen in people who receive XIAFLEX. It’s important to tell your doctor about a prior allergic reaction to XIAFLEX, or if you have a bleeding problem or use a blood thinner.

Common side effects include hand swelling, bruising, injection site reaction or bleeding, and pain.

XIAFLEX should be injected into the cord by a healthcare provider who is experienced in injection procedures of the hand and treating people with Dupuytren’s contracture.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Important Product Information on the following page.

Find a XIAFLEX-experienced hand specialist near you.

Use the Physician Locator tool at XIAFLEX.com.

© 2014 Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All rights reserved. XDC-00721 April 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 1-877-XIAFLEX

9

10

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Important Product Information XIAFLEX® (Zī a flex) (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) For injection, for intralesional use Read this Important Product Information before you receive XIAFLEX for the treatment of Dupuytren’s contracture and each time you get an injection. There may be new information. This Important Product Information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.

What is the most important information I should know about XIAFLEX for the treatment of Dupuytren’s contracture?

XIAFLEX can cause serious side effects, including: 1. TTendon rupture or ligament damage. Receiving an injection of XIAFLEX may cause damage to a tendon or ligament in your hand and cause it to break or weaken. This could require surgery to fix the damaged g tendon or ligament. g Call your y healthcare pprovider right g awayy if yyou have trouble bending your injected finger (towards the wrist) after the swelling goes down or you have problems using your treated hand after your follow-up visit.

2. Nerve injury or other serious injury of the hand. Call your healthcare provider right awayy if you get numbness, tingling, or increased pain in your treated finger or hand after your injection or after your follow-up visit.

3. Allergic reactions. Severe allergic reactions can happen in people who receive XIAFLEX, because it contains foreign proteins.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of an allergic reaction after an injection of XIAFLEX: • Hives, swollen face, breathing trouble, chest pain What is XIAFLEX? XIAFLEX is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with Dupuytren’s contracture when a “cord” can be felt. It is not known if XIAFLEX is safe and effective in children under the age of 18.

Who should not receive XIAFLEX? Do not receive XIAFLEX if you: • have had an allergic reaction to collagenase clostridium histolyticum, or any of the ingredients in XIAFLEX, or to any other collagenase product. See the end of this Important Product Information for a complete list of ingredients in XIAFLEX. Talk to your healthcare provider before receiving this medicine if you have any of these conditions.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before receiving XIAFLEX? Before receiving XIAFLEX, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have had an allergic reaction to a XIAFLEX injection in the past, have a bleeding problem, have received XIAFLEX to treat another condition, have any other medical conditions, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if XIAFLEX will harm your unborn baby.

• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if XIAFLEX passes into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you receive XIAFLEX. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Using XIAFLEX with certain other medicines can cause serious side effects.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take: • medicines to thin your blood (anticoagulants). If you are told to stop taking a blood thinner before your XIAFLEX injection, your healthcare provider should tell you when to restart the blood thinner.

Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of these medicines, if you are not sure.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

How will I receive XIAFLEX? • XIAFLEX should be injected into a cord by a healthcare provider who is experienced in injection procedures of the hand and treating people with Dupuytren’s contracture.

• YYour healthcare provider will inject XIAFLEX into the cord that is causing your finger to bend.

• After an injection of XIAFLEX, your affected hand will be wrapped with a bandage. You should limit moving and using the treated finger after the injection. o Do not bend or straighten the fingers of the injected hand until your healthcare provider says it is okay. This will help to keep the medicine from leaking out of the cord. o Do not try to straighten the treated finger yourself.

• Keep the injected hand elevated until bedtime.

• Call your healthcare provider right away if you have: o signs of infection after your injection, such as fever, chills, increased redness, or swelling, numbness or tingling in the treated finger, trouble bending the injected finger after the swelling goes down • Return to your healthcare provider’s office as directed on the day after your injection. During this first follow-up visit, if you still have the cord, your healthcare provider may try to extend the treated finger to “break” the cord and try to straighten your finger.

• YYour healthcare provider will provide you with a splint to wear on the treated finger. Wear the splint as instructed by your healthcare provider at bedtime to keep your finger straight.

• Do finger exercises each day, as instructed by your healthcare provider.

• Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions about when you can start doing your normal activities with the injected hand.

What are the possible side effects of XIAFLEX? XIAFLEX may cause serious side effects, including: • See “What is the most important information I should know about XIAFLEX?” • increased chance of bleeding. Bleeding or bruising at the injection site can happen in people who receive XIAFLEX. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have a problem with your blood clotting.

XIAFLEX may not be right for you.

The most common side effects with XIAFLEX for the treatment of Dupuytren’s contracture include: • swellingg of the injection j site or the hand, bruisingg or bleedingg at the injection j site, pain p or tenderness of the injection site or the hand, swelling of the lymph nodes (glands) in the elbow or armpit (axilla), itching, breaks in the skin, redness or warmth of the skin, pain in the armpit Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

These are not all of the possible side effects with XIAFLEX. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

General information about the safe and effective use of XIAFLEX. Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in the Important Product Information.

This Important Product Information summarizes the most important information about XIAFLEX. If you would like more information, talk to your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about XIAFLEX that is written for health professionals.

For more information, go to www.XIAFLEX.com or call 1-877-663-0412.

What are the ingredients in XIAFLEX? Active ingredient: collagenase clostridium histolyticum Inactive ingredients: hydrochloric acid, sucrose, and tromethamine. The diluent contains: calcium chloride dihydrate in 0.9% sodium chloride This Important Product Information has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Manufactured and distributed by: Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Chesterbrook, PA 19087 Based on PL-1109-001.e Approved: 12/2013 XDC-00721

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Don’t have to play tennis to get its elbow

By Dr. Howard LeWine Q: My doctor says my elbow pain is due to tennis elbow. But I don’t play tennis. Could you explain how this has come about and what I can do about it?

A: “Tennis elbow” is a common term for a condition doctors call lateral epicondylitis. It’s caused by inflammation of the tendon that connects the extensor muscles of the wrist to the outside of the elbow.

Probably fewer than 10 percent of people get this by playing tennis. The usual causes are recreational activities such as gardening, job-related lifting, using a screwdriver or wrist overuse.

The medial epicondyle can also get inflamed. In this condition, called medial epicondylitis, the affected tendons connect the flexor muscles of the wrist to the inside of the elbow. It’s commonly called “golfer’s elbow” or “pitchers elbow.” Tightening and twisting the wrist from activities such as golfing or throwing a baseball can cause it.

Most people with medial or lateral epicondylitis feel pain when their doctor applies direct pressure to the inflamed area.

He or she might ask you to push your wrist against resistance, which could also cause pain. You might also feel pain with handshaking, lifting a briefcase or heavy pot, or similar activities.

Treatment options There is treatment for both conditions.

You could wear a wrist splint or forearm

brace to prevent overuse of the muscles of the forearm.

You can also try a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID, such as ibuprofen or naproxen) and ice packs to help relieve symptoms. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy, especially if you need to return to a job or activity that caused the problem.

Sometimes doctors recommend one or two steroid shots over the affected epicondyle. But there is some risk of tissue loss around the elbow with repeated shots.

The symptoms of “tennis” or “golfer’s” elbow normally get better within a few months with conservative therapy. Once the symptoms disappear, you should begin gradual stretching and strengthening of the tendon and muscle attachments.

Is a specific activity likely to have caused your condition? Try exploring a different swinging action or different equipment to avoid another episode.

Despite trying all the above, lateral or medial epicondylitis can sometimes persist for many months. If that happens, talk with your doctor about referral to an orthopedist.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is a practicing internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass., and Chief Medical Editor of Internet Publishing at Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School. © 2014 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

(410) 442-0191 A-1 Action Nursing Care, Inc.

®

Serving The Maryland Suburban Area Since 1978

(202) 333-0509 (DC) (301) 890-7575 (MD)

www.a1actionnursingcare.com

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

Health Studies Page

11

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Therapy for hard-to-treat cancers studied

By Carol Sorgen In the United States, more than 22,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and more than 14,000 will die of this disease. One reason the mortality rate is so high is because more than 70 percent of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease (stage III or IV).

The current standard of treatment for patients with advanced ovarian cancer is cytoreductive surgery (CRS), which removes part of a malignant tumor that cannot be completely excised, followed by systemic chemotherapy, administered intravenously.

Cancers of the appendix or lining of the abdominal cavity, which are biologically similar to ovarian cancer, are similarly hard to treat. Those cancers currently are treated with CRS plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) — a highly concentrated, heated chemotherapy treatment that is delivered directly to cancer cells in the abdomen during surgery, allowing for higher doses of treatment.

Heating the solution is intended to improve the absorption of chemotherapy drugs by tumors and to help destroy microscopic cancer cells that remain in the abdomen after surgery.

Mercy Medical Center has been successful in treating these cancers in this way. Researchers at Mercy believe that patients newly diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian, peritoneal (abdominal cavity), or fallopian tube cancers may be successfully treated with CRS/HIPEC, with the addition of systemic chemotherapy over a period of 18 weeks.

This treatment may decrease recurrence rates and improve overall patient survival without compromising long-term quality of life.

Patients sought for study Mercy is currently recruiting women with these types of cancer for a study designed to assess recovery related to surgery and chemotherapy, demonstrate improvement in overall survival, identify risk factors, determine prognoses and factors affecting treatment, and evaluate healthrelated quality of life.

Forty-eight patients will be enrolled in the study. They will be randomly divided into two groups.

Patients in the first group will undergo CRS alone followed by systemic chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel every 21 days for a total of six cycles.

Quality of life questionnaires will be administered throughout the study.

Patients in the second, or experimental, arm of the study will undergo CRS with HIPEC, using carboplatin, administered for 90 minutes. Six weeks post-surgery, a systemic combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel will be given every 21 days for a total of six cycles. Quality of life questionnaires will also be conducted throughout the study.

Gynecologic and general physical examinations, as well as the appropriate diagnostic tests, will be performed, and tumor response rate, disease progression and quality of life will be measured periodically over five years.

To enroll in the study, patients do not have to be current or prior patients of

That word on the tip of SM

SM

Finally, a treatment program that builds your brain’s capacity to resist memory loss and cognitive decline.

Call or visit NeurExpand online to schedule a free memory screening today!

www.NeurExpand.com/BeaconHow

Phone: 443.842.6333

Mercy Medical Center. They may be selfor physician-referred.

They cannot, however, have had any prior treatment for ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancers, including no prior cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation treatments.

There is no financial compensation for

study participants. The patients’ insurance will be billed for all study portions, except the HIPEC portion, which will be paid for by the study. Patients will be responsible for any balance or normal co-pays.

For more information, contact Michelle Sittig, RN, at (410) 783-5828, or msittig@mdmercy.com.

Have You Fallen?

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 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 of time per visit

CaLL Today!

12

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

New hepatitis C pill is quick, costly cure

By Matthew Perrone U.S. health officials recently approved a highly anticipated hepatitis C drug from Gilead Sciences Inc. that is expected to offer a faster, more palatable cure to millions of people infected with the liver-destroying virus.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the pill Sovaldi in combination with older drugs to treat the main forms of hepatitis C that affect U.S. patients.

Current treatments for hepatitis C can

take up to a year of therapy and involve weekly injections of a drug that causes flulike side effects. That approach only cures about three out of four patients.

Sovaldi is a daily pill that in clinical trials cured roughly 90 percent of patients in just 12 weeks, when combined with the older injected drug cocktail.

Baby boomers at risk The new treatment option comes as the U.S. government urges all baby boomers

Going Home Cremation Service Beverly L. Heckrotte, P.A. Personalized

Professional

Dignified

Affordable

• 24-hour service specializing in direct cremation • Return of the urn and memorial merchandise to your home • Serving Maryland and Washington, D.C. • Serving Md. & Washington D.C. since 2000 without any increase in prices!

(301) 854-9038 or 1 (866) 728-4663 (toll free) call for your FREE information package

Visit us at www.GoingHomeCremation.com

Coalition of Geriatric Services We’re a coalition of nonprofits, agencies, businesses and professionals who come together to advocate for and help older adults.

June Meeting date: Time: Location:

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Heartlands Senior Living Village 3004 North Ridge Road, Ellicott City, MD

speaker:

Ofelia Ross Ott, Division Manager, Home & Community Based Services, Howard County Office on Aging

Topic: Elder Abuse Please note the earlier start time for this event. Reservations Required.

Please visit our website – www.cogsmd.org to register for this event.

Thank you to our 2014 Executive Members PLaTInUM MeMBer Howard County General Hospital – A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine The Beacon Newspapers

GoLd MeMBers Being There Senior Care, LLC • Howard County Office on Aging

sILVer MeMBers Brooke Grove Retirement Village • Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr, LLP Copper Ridge – EMA • Deborah L. Herman, CPA • Oasis Senior Advisors The Bob Lucido Team of Keller Williams Select Realtors

Bronze MeMBers Earl Wilkinson, M.D., ENT • Gentiva Health Services • Home Instead Senior Care Homewatch CareGivers • Lighthouse Senior Living Village at Ellicott City Paladin Advisor Group • Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc.

PaTron MeMBers Alzheimer’s Association – Greater MD Chapter • Candle Light Funeral Home by Craig Witzke Home Call of Maryland • Home With You Senior Care • Ivy Manor Normandy, Inc. New Life Assisted Living • Right At Home In Home Care & Assistance • Visiting Angels

to get tested for the disease. People born between 1945 and 1965 are five times more likely than other age groups to have hepatitis C, with many having contracted the virus by sharing needles or having sex with an infected person in their youth.

Hepatitis C symptoms may not appear until two or three decades after infection, though the virus can cause liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer if left untreated.

Between 3 and 4 million Americans, many of them baby boomers, are estimated to carry the blood-borne virus, though most do not even know they are infected.

Dr. Donald Jensen of the University of Chicago said he’s optimistic that new drugs like Sovaldi will increase treatment of the disease, which is blamed for 15,000 U.S. deaths per year.

“I’m hoping that these new, less toxic therapies will drive more people to get tested, and more primary care physicians to test their patients, knowing that the therapy is going to be more effective and easier,” said Jensen, who directs the university’s center for liver diseases.

Gilead Sciences Inc., based in Foster City, Calif., is one of a half-dozen companies battling over the market for more effective treatments for hepatitis C.

Pricey pill But the drug isn’t cheap, and at $1,000 per pill, critics have complained it will be unaffordable for many patients. A 12-week supply costs $84,000.

Patients with a less common subtype of the disease may need to take the drug for 24 weeks, raising the cost to $168,000 for one course of treatment. Drugs already on the market run between $25,000 and $50,000 for a course of treatment.

For most of the last 20 years, the standard

treatment for hepatitis C involved a grueling one-year regimen of pills and injections that caused nausea, fever and headaches, and cured fewer than half of patients.

Then in 2011, the FDA approved two new drugs from Merck and Vertex Pharmaceuticals that raised the cure rate to about 65 and 75 percent, respectively, when combined with the older treatments.

Gilead’s once-a-day pill pushes the cure rate much higher. In a company study of patients with the most common forms of the disease, 90 percent of participants had undetectable levels of the virus after 12 weeks taking Sovaldi plus the older pill-and-injection cocktail. The forms of the disease studied in the trial account for more than 75 percent of hepatitis C cases in the U.S. Gilead’s drug is less effective in treating a less common form of the disease that accounts for about 10 percent of U.S. cases. Patients with that strain of the virus had to take the drug for 24 weeks, twice the normal duration, to achieve an 85 percent cure rate.

But even for those patients, experts say Gilead’s drug represents an important step forward.

No more injections?

In February, Gilead filed for FDA approval of a combination pill containing sofosbuvir and ledipasvir, another antiviral drug, that could become the first all-oral regimen for the most common form of hepatitis C, long viewed as the holy grail of treatments by drugmakers. The combination oral drug can cure some types of hepatitis C in eight weeks.

Similar development efforts are underway from competitors, including Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Vertex Pharmaceuticals and others.

— AP

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

13

Preserving youthful skin without surgery Age isn’t kind to skin. Years of accumulated sun exposure leave their mark in the form of fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration.

By the time you reach your 60s or 70s, much of the damage has already been done, but that damage isn’t indelible.

“There are a lot of things you can do about the changes that time, aging and sun exposure have brought about,” said Dr. Kenneth Arndt, clinical professor of dermatology at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, Mass.) and medical editor of the Harvard Medical School Special Health Report, Skin Care and Repair (www.health.harvard.edu/SCR).

The first step is to slow the pace of further damage by staying out of the sun and wearing adequate sun protection whenever you are outside. That means completely covering exposed skin with an SPF30 or higher sunscreen, and wearing sun-protective clothing, wraparound sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat that shields your face, neck and ears.

Time erasers To minimize wrinkles and age spots that have already etched themselves into your skin, Arndt suggests the following nonsurgical cosmetic techniques.

1. Smooth and fill The most common skin rejuvenation tools Arndt uses on his patients are dermal

fillers and neuromodulators.

Neuromodulators (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin) are injections to relax the muscles that create the appearance of wrinkles when you smile, frown or laugh.

“These products diminish the frown lines and forehead lines, and sometimes the crow’s feet, and they do it well, reliably and safely. People are almost always happy with the results,” Arndt said.

Dermal fillers are injections that plump up sagging areas of skin. They’re sometimes called “liquid facelifts,” because they can create a more youthful look without the downtime and risks associated with cosmetic surgery. Dermal fillers are often used to soften the “laugh lines” that run from the side of the nose down to the mouth.

Often the two treatments are used together. Neuromodulators diminish frown lines, while fillers plump up the appearance of the lower face, cheeks, chin and laugh lines. Combining the two enhances and prolongs their effects. Arndt said both techniques are safe, with very few side effects.

Botox and similar injections may cause a little bruise at the injection site or a slight heaviness of the brow, but these effects are temporary. Fillers also may cause some slight, temporary bruising.

Also remember that the effects of these treatments are temporary. To keep seeing

results, you’ll need to return for repeat sessions — Botox two or three times a year, and fillers once or twice a year.

2. Rejuvenate For skin discoloration, including freckles, age spots and liver spots, Arndt recommends laser resurfacing or pulsed light therapy.

Fractional laser resurfacing aims very small beams of high-energy light at the skin to smooth and tighten the surface and stimulate the development of collagen —

the protein that gives skin its elasticity.

Because fractional laser resurfacing works only on fractions of the larger areas treated at a time, redness is minimized and healing is quick. However, you may have some itching and swelling in the treated area.

Pulsed light therapy exposes the skin to intense broadband wavelengths of light energy — unlike the laser, which emits one specific wavelength. This technique, See YOUTHFUL SKIN, page 15

• Eye Care for All Ages • Specialists in Cataracts, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Degeneration • Contact Lens Specialists • LASIK - Laser Vision Correction • Plastic & Reconstructive Eye Surgery

Full In-House Optical Department Outpatient No-Stitch Cataract Surgery • Laser Surgery MEDICARE ASSIGNMENT ACCEPTED BRIAN J. WINTER, M.D. CRISTINA F. ROUILLER, O.D. VANESSA LIMA, M.D.

LENARD H. HAMMER, M.D., F.A.C.S. GORDON LUI, M.D. SCOTT B. BECKER, M.D. MEDICARE EYE EXAMS

410-997-9900

8860 Columbia 100 Parkway, Suite 101, Columbia, MD

Starting at $1,570

APARTMENT HOMES FOR ACTIVE ADULTS 62 OR BETTER

More ways to say “I love you.”

Regency Crest is an extraordinarily carefree community because of the convenient lifestyle enjoyed by those who live here. We go the extra mile to provide our residents with distinctive amenities and service that cannot be found in ordinary active adult communities.

If you, or a loved one, is Deaf, hard of hearing, Deaf-Blind, or have difficulty speaking, Maryland Relay offers many calling options to keep you connected by phone.

COMMUNITY AMENITIES

You may also qualify for a free assistive device through the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications program.

Calling Options t TTY (Text Telephone) t Voice Carry-Over t Hearing Carry-Over t Speech-to-Speech t Captioned Telephone t Spanish Relay Just dial 7-1-1 to make a Relay call.

Visit mdrelay.org to learn more.

800-552-7724 (Voice/TTY) 443-453-5970 (VP)

• Beautiful club room with theatre and demonstration kitchen • Salon • Indoor saltwater pool • Yoga studio & classes • Bingo, and many more planned activities • Movie theatre & Billiards room • Business center – 24 hours • Incredible courtyard and meditation garden with koi pond and gazebo • Guest suites PLANNED ACTIVITIES SUCH AS WATER AEROBICS, RESIDENT MIXERS, COOKING CLASSES, ZUMBA, MOVIE NIGHTS, BBQ’S AND MANY MORE!

3305 Oak West Drive Ellicott City, MD 21043

855.446.1131 www.RegencySeniorApartments.com

14

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Early primary and early voting in Maryland

By Barbara Ruben Until this year, Maryland voters had a mere two months between the primary election for governor and the general election. But that changes on June 24. All gubernatorial primaries will now take place in June rather than September.

That gives military and overseas voters more time to receive absentee ballots and vote. And, of course, it extends the general election campaign season as well.

In addition to the primary for the gover-

nor’s race, voters will also be choosing candidates for attorney general, state senators and delegates, county council, state’s attorney and several other offices at the June 24 primary.

The deadline to register to vote for the primary is June 3. If you have a Maryland driver’s license or MVA-issued ID card, you can register online at http://bit.ly/maryland_voter_registration. You can also mail a registration form (download at www.electionsmaryland.com) or register in person

at the Board of Elections, 9770 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 200, Columbia.

For those who will vote by absentee ballot, a request for a ballot must be made by June 17 if you want to receive the ballot by mail or fax, and by June 20 if you want to download it from the website. The addresses above can also provide and receive absentee ballots.

Another option for casting your vote in the primary is early voting. Early voting is available from June 12 through 19 at these

three Howard County locations: • Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City • Florence Bain Senior Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia • Ridgely’s Run Community Center, 8400 Mission Rd., Jessup For more information, see the Howard County Board of Elections’ website at http://bit.ly/hocoboardofelections or call (410) 313-5820.

Youthful skin

“medspas” — nonmedical facilities that offer a range of cosmetic services.

Well-trained estheticians can perform some of these procedures. However, Arndt cautions, “In some spas and similar offices, people who are not well trained do some of the treatments. That’s where it gets dangerous.”

In October 2013, a study in JAMA Dermatology found that the percentage of lawsuits from skin laser surgery performed by nonphysicians more than doubled from 2008 to 2011, calling into question the safety of some medspas.

If you do decide to see an esthetician instead of a dermatologist, make sure the

practitioner is licensed in your state and is certified by the National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors and Associations (NCEA).

— Harvard Women’s Health Watch © 2014. President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

From page 13 which also stimulates collagen production, reduces the look of sun damage and brown spots, and minimizes wrinkles. Side effects are usually mild, but there may be some redness afterward.

Less costly options The treatments listed above can be pricey — Botox injections range from $300 to $700 per session, and fractional laser resurfacing can exceed $1,000. If you don’t want to invest quite as much money, consider these options: Chemical peels use chemicals such as glycolic acid to strip away the outer layer of damaged skin.

“They’re reasonably mild,” Arndt said.

“The skin is left refreshed, a little pink, and shiny.” A glycolic acid peel can cost as little as $80, but it needs to be repeated every few weeks or months to continue showing an effect.

Microdermabrasion uses tiny exfoliating crystals to buff off the top layer of skin and reveal the smoother surface below. Although the technique is different from a chemical peel, the results are similar, according to Arndt. The cost is around $100.

Mild laser resurfacing (Clear and Brilliant) is a gentler version of fractional laser resurfacing. It involves smaller areas of skin, and the beam is less intense, so there’s less downtime and discomfort afterward than with a traditional laser resurfacing procedure. The cost ranges from $200 to $500, depending on the area of skin treated.

Where to go Most of these techniques are available at both dermatologists’ offices and

BEACON BITS

June 9

CONTROLLING OVEREATING

Dr. Pamela Peeke draws on her latest New York Times bestseller The Hunger Fix: The Three-Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction to provide tips and tools to help change lifestyles and individual wellness goals in a talk on Monday June 9 at 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. For more information, call (410) 313-7860.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

FROM ADVOCACY TO AMUSEMENT, WE DO A LOT FOR YOU.

We work hard d to su upport familly caregiive erss, spur change in your comm munity an nd crreate fi fin nancial tools to help you u save for retirement. But what else we e’rre doing g might surprise you. We’’re hossting free movie e nigh hts, networkin ng events and d sociial opp portuniities alll around Marylan nd. If you don n’t thiink “R Real Possibilities” when you think AARP P, then you do P, on’t know “aarp.” p”

Gett to know AARP in Maryland at aa aarp rp.o rp ..o org g//M MDSurpr p isess Real Possibilities is a trademark of AARP.

or 1-866-542-8163

15

16

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

VOLUME 4, NO. 6 • JUNE 2014

A Message from the Administrator

By Dayna Brown, Office on Aging Administrator In Howard County, the number of adults age 65 and over is forecast to increase by more than 50 percent over the next 10 years. Recognizing that the capacity of our existing senior centers and facilities may not be adequate to meet the projected demand for senior services, plans are underway to define how the County can best serve the future needs of our rapidly expanding older adult population. The Howard County Master Plan for the Aging Population is a comprehensive planning initiative to design the types of services, programs and facilities that will address the future needs for this segment of the population (see article, right).

Those charged with the task of drafting the comprehensive Aging Master Plan with us will be introduced to Howard County residents and community partners at two public meetings we have scheduled to announce the Master Plan project — on Wednesday, May 28 at 11 a.m. at the Miller Library, 9421 Frederick Rd. in Ellicott City and on Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Bain Center in Columbia. In addition, I encourage Howard County residents to share their perspectives on services and programs they would like to see implemented now and in the future. To do so, there will be ample opportunities for the community to have input through online surveys, focus groups and other community forums which will also be announced and available soon.

It is clear that the challenges and opportunities presented by an increasing aging population are many. Unfortunately, research has shown that elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation is one of the biggest issues facing senior citizens. World Health Organization data suggests that 4 to 6 percent of elderly suffer from some form of abuse, a large percentage of which goes unreported. To help spread awareness of this alarming trend, the United Nations sponsors World Elder Abuse Awareness Day each year on June 15 to focus global attention on the physical, emotional, and financial abuse of older adults.

Please take a moment to learn how to spot, stop or report cases of Elder Abuse by visiting ww.howardcountyaging.org/ElderSafety.

Take an active role to protect the vulnerable older adults in your community – reach out to those at risk, and report suspected abuse by calling 911 or contacting one of the agencies listed on our website. And, as always, if you need information, assistance or a referral from the Office on Aging, contact a Maryland Access Point Specialist weekdays at 410-313-5980, email to map@howardcountymd.gov or visit ww.marylandaccesspoint.info.

Master Plan to Address Future Needs of Howard County’s Aging Population Institute for Alternative Futures and No matter what you call it — the the Boomer Project to bring greying of America, the Silver Tsunami — it’s hard to ignore that our additional expertise to the study. The goal is to have the Plan completed by world is undergoing significant November of this year. demographic changes. Estimates An integral part of the planning indicate that by 2050, the global process includes having substantial population of people above the age input from the Howard County of 60 will exceed the number of community. To learn more about the younger people. In Howard County Master Planning process, all are alone, the number of adults aged 65 invited to attend one of our initial and over is expected to increase by public meetings, either on Wednesday, more than 50 percent over the next May 28 at 11 a.m. at the Miller 10 years. Of course, with increasing numbers comes increasing needs and Library, 9421 Frederick Rd. in Ellicott City or on Tuesday, June 3 at 7 p.m. demands. at the Bain Center in Columbia.

Responding to concerns that the Plans are underway to provide capacity of Howard County’s existing senior centers and facilities may not be opportunities for the community to share their input online as well. Survey adequate to meet the projected links will soon be available at demand for senior services, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman recently howardcountymd.gov/AgingMasterPlan for residents to express their opinions announced that work is underway to and share their perspective on services lay out a Howard County Master Plan and programs they would like to see for the Aging Population. The Master implemented now and in the future.

Plan for the Aging Population is a Log on and let your voice be heard! comprehensive planning initiative to design the types of services, programs and facilities to address future needs for this segment of the County’s population.

The Department of Citizen The Senior Connection is published monthly Services and its Office on by the Howard County Department of Aging will work closely with Citizen Services’ Office on Aging.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. the Department of Public To contact us, or to join our Works’ Bureau of Facilities to email subscriber list, email seniorconnection@howardcountymd.gov facilitate the planning process with “subscribe” in the subject box. over the next several months. !"#$%&'!()*+&,-./0&!)&123)2 KGRW & Associates, a 4567&'!8(9:3#&;#*0"#+&<$= Howard County based '!8(9:3#>&?<&@7AB4 architectural and planning firm B7ACD7DC4B7A specializing in senior facilities, """=E!"#$%/!()*+#23)2=!$2 will provide the needed """=F#/0:!!G=/!9H !'!'3*3I0) professional assistance and <#+)#&?=&J$!")>&1%93)3K*$#*!$ support to develop this twenty Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by year Master Plan. KGRW has the Howard County Office on Aging or by the publisher. also teamed up with the

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

Say you saw it in the Beacon

The Senior Connection

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Wednesday, June 4, 7 p.m.

Paws4Comfort Pet Evaluations • Bain Center Want to volunteer with your pet?

Paws4Comfort pet evaluations and information sessions are held the first Wednesday of each month. Call Ingrid Gleysteen at 410-313-7461 for more information.

Tuesday, June 3, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

A Moment to Honor • Bain Center Take time to honor the significant people in our lives who are no longer with us, featuring a guest speaker, quiet reflection to music, individual sharing, and a group commemorative activity. Free; open to all.

Light refreshments served; contact Elaine Widom, 410-313-7283 to RSVP.

Monday, June 16, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Medicare 102: Why Medicare Isn’t Enough • HCGH Wellness Center, 10710 Charter Dr., Suite 100, Columbia 21044 Learn about Medicare Part C/Health Plans and Medigap Plans. Free; call 410-740-7601 to register.

Learn about services and programs for aging family members and explore options for aging in place, assisted living and nursing home care. Free; call 410-313-5980 to register.

Monday, June 16, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Father’s Day Cookout • Elkridge Senior Center

Wednesday, June 24, 10:30 a.m.

Floral Arranging • East Columbia 50+ Center

Enjoy a traditional cookout to celebrate Father’s Day, featuring music by the Joint Venture Quartet, plus games and prizes. Cost: $5; call 410-313-4930 to register.

Express your creativity by making a beautiful floral arrangement. Cost: $5.

Call 410-313-7680 to register.

Tuesday/Wednesday, June 17 - 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Food, Fun & Fiction • Glenwood 50+ Center

Thursday, June 5, 5 to 7 p.m.

A World of Thanks • North Laurel Community Center

Join the Glenwood Senior Council in the lobby for our annual book and bake sale. Grab your beach reads at great prices. Book donations are welcome. Call 410-313-5440 for details.

Are you an Office on Aging volunteer?

Join us for a celebration in your honor, in appreciation for all you do to support our programs and services. RSVP by May 30 to Tia Coleman, 410-313-6552.

Tuesday, June 17, 12:30 p.m.

Frank & Trish Curreri: The Glory of Love • Ellicott City Senior Center

Monday, June 9, 10 to 11 a.m.

Medicare 101: What to Expect from Medicare • HCGH Wellness Center, 10710 Charter Dr., Suite 100, Columbia 21044 Learn what to expect from Medicare. Call 410-740-7601 to register.

Monday, June 9, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

It’s Election Time • Bain Center Facilitators from SeniorsTogether will cover Maryland’s primary system, the candidates, contested races and more. Call Elaine Widom, 410-313-7283 for more information.

Tuesday, June 10, 11 a.m.

Terry Marsh Sings • Ellicott City Senior Center Enjoy vocal music by Terry Marsh — Broadway tunes, the standards, classics and more. Free; call 410-313-1400 for details.

Monday, June 23, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Prepare to Care • Claret Hall, 6020 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, MD 21029

Join Frank & Trish as they take you on an enjoyable journey down memory lane, singing songs of the past. Free, but seating is limited; call 410-313-1400 to attend.

Thursday, June 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

SeniorsTogether Luncheon • Peking Chef, Hickory Ridge Village Center Join us for lunch! Choose an entrée: House Triple Delight, General Tso’s Chicken, or Vegetable Lo Mein, and call 410-313-7283 to RSVP by June 12. Cost: $17.50. Partial scholarships are available. Call HT Ride at 800-270-9553 to arrange transportation.

Friday, June 20, 9:45 to 10:45 p.m.

Spring Art Workshop: Bracelets • North Laurel 50+ Center Learn how to make trendy bracelets using fun techniques with guidance from art instructor.

Cost: $7; includes all materials.

Call 410-313-0380 to register by June 18.

Wednesday, June 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nutrition Counseling with Rona Martiyan • Ellicott City Senior Center Nutritionist Rona Martiyan, RD, LDN presents nutrition tips and answers your questions. To schedule an appointment call 410-313-1400.

Wednesday, June 25, 11 a.m.

The Fall of Saigon • East Columbia 50+ Center Tom Glenn, a former National Security Agency Operative in Saigon, discusses the final days when North Vietnamese attacked the city. Free; call 410-313-7680 to register.

Thursday, June 26, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Medicare 103 – Using Medicare’s Plan Finder • Bain Center Learn how to use the ‘Plan Finder’ tool on the www.medicare.gov website, to help you compare and review Medicare Prescription Drug Plans. Free; call 410-313-7391 to register.

Friday, June 27, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Atlantic City Trip • Elkridge Senior Center Travel via motor coach to Atlantic City; walk the boardwalk, try your luck in the casino, or relax on the beach. Cost: $30; includes $25 in slots play plus bus. Call 410-313-5192 to register.

Friday, June 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jimmy Buffet Party • Glenwood 50+ Center Join us on the patio for lunch and dance to your favorite Buffet songs. Cost: lunch donation; call 410-313-5440 to register.

Tuesday, June 10, 11 a.m. to noon Master Gardeners Series: Native Plants in the Home Landscape • North Laurel 50+ Center

To request accommodations to attend any of these events, call 410-313-5980 one week in advance.

Find out how growing native plants benefits both the gardener and the environment. Free; call 410-313-0380 to register.

(PRWLRQDO 6H[XDO )LQDQFLDO 3K\VLFDO

Wednesday, June 11, 1 to 3 p.m.

Healing through Writing • Bain Center Join authors Tom Glenn and Shirley Brewer, who will discuss how they learned to deal with trauma by writing books about it.

Cost: $10; call 410-313-7213 to register.

$EXVH LVQ·W DOZD\V YLVLEOH

5(3257 $%86( 0DNH WKH FDOO WR

Wednesday, June 11, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Father’s Day Tee Time Lunch • North Laurel 50+ Center Celebrate Father’s Day with a lunch shared by golf enthusiasts, featuring entertainment and games. Cost: $5. Call 410-313-0380 to register by June 4.

Wednesday, June 11, Noon Glamour at Glenwood • Glenwood 50+Center Don’t miss our annual fashion show by Christopher and Banks. Cost: $15.

Call 410-313-5440 to register.

www.howardcountyaging.org/eldersafety

17

18

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Money Law &

TAMING THE PAPER TIGER Some financial records can be thrown away (such as old utility bills or tax returns over three years old) or stored electronically to cut down on clutter

How higher interest rates will affect you

By Nellie S. Huang Rising rates have been the talk of Wall Street — and Main Street — for months.

The yield on 10-year Treasuries has climbed more than one-half percentage point over the past 12 months, to 2.7 percent.

But not all rates are rising. What you earn on your savings accounts and money market funds hasn’t budged, and don’t hold your breath expecting that to change.

Short- and long-term views Short-term rates are “anchored” by the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, said Warren Pierson, a fixed-income strategist at Robert W. Baird, an asset-management firm in Milwaukee. The Fed controls the federal funds rate — the rate that certain banks charge each other for overnight loans — which in turn guides other short-term rates.

That rate has been set at nearly zero since late 2008, and the Fed has said it will stick with its strategy “for a considerable time,” perhaps even beyond the point that unemployment falls below 6.5 percent, a trigger point it has previously suggested.

Unemployment isn’t expected to reach that level until some time next year.

Longer-term rates, however, are driven by the market. Until recently, the Fed’s purchases of Treasuries and mortgage bonds have successfully held down longterm rates. As the economy improves and those purchases continue to shrink, longterm rates will rise.

Investing and borrowing advice Here’s how the changing landscape will affect savers and borrowers.

Investors. Rising rates can do damage to your bond assets because when rates

rise, bond prices fall. So with short-term rates stuck and long-term rates on the rise, the best place to invest is intermediateterm corporate and government bond funds with maturities of six to seven years, said Jeff Moore, a fixed-income fund manager at Fidelity.

If the threat of rising rates still keeps you up at night, stick with short-term investment-grade bond funds, such as Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade (symbol VFSTX).

Savers. Interest rates on money market accounts, savings accounts and shorterterm certificates of deposit will not climb much this year, if at all, said Greg McBride, of Bankrate.com. Boost yields without locking in low rates by laddering CDs with maturities of one to five years, with average yields ranging from 0.22 percent to 0.79 percent. Credit unions often

do better: The rate on a five-year CD from PenFed with a $1,000 minimum deposit is 2.0 percent.

Borrowers. Mortgage rates will grind higher in 2014, said McBride. Kiplinger expects the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, recently averaging just over 4.4 percent, to rise to 5 or 5.5 percent by year-end. Consider locking in your rate once you have set your closing date. For credit cards and home-equity loans, 2014 could be the last hurrah for low rates, said McBride. Pay down your variable-rate debt before rates rise.

Nellie S. Huang is a senior associate editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Send your questions and comments to moneypower@kiplinger.com. And for more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com. © 2014 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Follow Keynes to make money in market John Maynard Keynes is recognized as wealth, referenced in the book, that are one of the great historical economists. still valid today.

• Over time, stocks beat Aside from his theoretical bonds: From 1926 to 2012, work, though, he accomlarge company stocks replished something few other turned an average of 9.8 peracademic economists have: cent, and small-company He was a successful investor. stocks 12 percent. Naturally, Keynes used his expertise there will be periods in which to build a multimillion dollar stocks fall in value, but longfortune in the stock market term investors, even those in while providing counsel to the retirement, should maintain a likes of Winston Churchill significant percentage of their and Franklin Roosevelt.

THE SAVINGS portfolios in stocks in one John Wasik, an award-winform or other. ning columnist who has cov- GAME • Probability is not the ered investor issues for many By Elliot Raphaelson same thing as certainty: Just years, has written an excellent book, Keynes’s Way to Wealth (McGraw because a stock went up in value last year Hill), which contains excellent advice for doesn’t mean it will go up this year. Don’t incurrent investors. The book has received vest on the assumption that past returns are a praise from writers and investors I respect, good predictor of future prices.

• Opposed risks will help balance including John Bogle, William Bernstein your portfolio: You need a mix of assets and Larry Swedroe.

David Swensen, who has managed Yale that are truly uncorrelated during market University’s endowment very successfully downturns to give you real diversification. since 1985, has used many of Keynes’ in- This means balancing stocks with bonds, vestment practices at Yale and has refer- real estate, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) in periods of high inflaenced them in the books he has written. tion, and some alternatives. Swensen bePrimary principles lieves that this key is one of the significant Here are some of Keynes’ keys to reasons for his success.

• Take advantage of the value quotient: Keynes concentrated on a companies’ intrinsic value in the 1930s when markets were falling. He concentrated on factors such as worth if a company was broken up, earnings potential, rising dividends and low price/earnings ratio. A well-diversified portfolio should have a significant percentage of value stocks/funds/ETFs. • Dividends don’t lie. Keynes purchase a great deal of utility companies in the 1930s because of consistent dividends, and they performed well. Utilities continue to pay consistent dividends, and the stock prices are still reasonably priced. For several years, I have maintained a significant holding in utility funds, and the performance has been very good.

• Don’t move with the crowd: Being a contrarian pays off. A significant percent of investors increase their purchase of stocks at market peaks, and sell at market bottoms. Many investors bailed out of stocks in 2008 at market bottoms and either never returned or returned at much higher stock values. Investors who utilize dollar-cost averaging consistently will do better than investors who try to time the market.

• Invest for the long term: It is essential to have a long-term investment policy.

Don’t invest based on what you perceive as

the current environment.

Rebalance once a year. This will ensure you do not have too much invested in one asset class. In this way you will be taking some profits and investing in an asset class that may be currently undervalued. Use leverage sparingly if at all. If you have a good long-term investment policy, you don’t need leverage. Markets are too volatile.

• Invest passively: Put most of your money in inexpensive index funds. You don’t need many of them to have a diversified portfolio. Remember, the index fund is the market. Purchasing index funds or index ETFs are the most cost-effective way to build a diversified portfolio.

• Drink more champagne: Apparently this is said to be Keynes’s one regret — that he had not enjoyed life more. His point is that the objective of investing is to ensure prosperity, not become obsessed with making money.

My investment philosophy is consistent with these keys. I believe that if you follow them, you will do better than the vast majority of investors.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com © 2014 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

19

Why you might give gold funds another go

By Stan Choe Gold is back on the rise after dropping like lead last year. Although it has recovered just a portion of its steep loss from 2013, the shift in momentum has been enough to halt the stampede of investors from gold-related funds.

The price of gold has jumped 14 percent this year, towering over the nearly flat performance of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. The stocks of gold-mining companies have been even better. The FTSE Gold Mines index of miners around the world has jumped 25 percent.

It’s a welcome change for anyone who stuck with the precious metal throughout 2013, when its price sank 28 percent. It was the first down year for gold in more than a decade and its biggest loss since Muhammad Ali last boxed in 1981.

To be sure, many analysts don’t expect gold’s mini-rebound to last. Barclays Capital, for example, projects gold will average $1,260 an ounce in the last three months of this year. At the end of April, an ounce was valued at $1,284.

Many of the conditions that led to last year’s decline are still in place: Inflation remains low, the Federal Reserve is slowing its bond-buying stimulus program, and the economy is making some progress, even if

it’s less than hoped.

Investors are nevertheless giving goldrelated funds another chance, albeit tentatively. The SPDR Gold Shares exchangetraded fund (GLD), one of the most popular ways to buy gold, now holds 26.1 million ounces for investors. That’s up from 25.7 million ounces at the end of 2013.

Although that may not sound like a big change, it’s a sharp turnaround from last year. Over the course of 2013, the fund’s gold assets fell by 41 percent from 43.4 million ounces.

Choose mines, not metal Some managers of gold-related funds say shares of miners look to be a better choice than the metal itself. Mining stocks often swing more sharply than the price of gold — climbing faster in a rising market and falling more sharply during downturns — and miners were hit particularly hard last year. That leaves them more attractive than gold, managers say.

The First Eagle Gold fund (SGGDX), rated five-stars by Morningstar, can buy either gold or the companies that pull it from the ground. The fund makes its choice based on whichever looks cheaper, and it has a big preference for miners: It has nearly 80 percent of its assets invested in

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

HOME REPAIR PROGRAM GEARED TO SENIORS

The Columbia Association and the Howard County Office on Aging are offering applications for financial assistance with home repairs and modifications for seniors or for homeowners of any age with a disability. Income limits and other restrictions apply. To learn more, call the Office of Aging’s Maryland Access Point at (410) 313-5980 or Relay 711 for the deaf or hard of hearing. Or visit online at ColumbiaAssociation.org.

June 25

WOMEN’S BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

The Maryland Women’s Business Center is offering its annual business plan competition to businesses in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia that are at least 51 percent women-owned, start-up, pre-start-up or in business for three years or less. Deadline for submissions is 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 25 online at www.marylandwbc.org/startright, where all entry requirements and deadlines are listed.

gold mining stocks versus 18 percent in gold bullion.

“If you’re willing to buy gold in a vault, you should be willing to own it in the dirt,” said Matt McLennan, portfolio manager of the fund. “It’s been ugly, but there has been an opportunity to invest in the miners.”

Another benefit is that gold-mining stocks often pay dividends, said Michael Bradshaw, senior portfolio manager at the

Wells Fargo Advantage Precious Metals fund (EKWAK). Each of the fund’s five biggest stock investments pays a dividend.

The FTSE Gold Mines index had a 1.7 percent dividend yield at the end of February, while gold yields nothing.

Investors are buying in, and mutual funds that own gold-mining stocks have attracted $358 million in net investment See GOLD FUNDS, page 20

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

WEATHER ON CALL Remember being able to call to get the weather? The service is back. Telecompute Corporation is offering free time and weather

phone information. The report starts with a 15-second commercial that helps pay for the service, followed by current weather and forecasts. It also offers a menu to access weather in other locations, sports scores and lottery results. The number is (410) 235-1212.

Are you an Active Senior of Moderate Income?

Discover Great Senior Living at our Affordable Community Conveniently located near the Union Bridge Community Center. 24-hour emergency on-call maintenance.

Affordable rent. Caring & dedicated staff.

550 Shriner Court Union Bridge, MD 21791

410-775-2940

www.qpmgmt.com Rent starts at $485. Income restrictions apply.

Call or visit our web site to view this community.

T/A Quantum Property Management

•

&

•

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Elder Law, Estate & Special Needs Planning Medical Assistance Planning and Eligibility Advance Medical Directives / Living Wills Trusts / Estate Planning Administration Wills / Powers of Attorney Disability Planning / Special Needs Trusts Guardianship

410.337.8900 | www.frankelderlaw.com | 1.888.338.0400 Towson | Columbia | Easton

20

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Ways to tackle clutter of financial records

By Alex Veiga Tax season offered an opportunity to finally dig through that shoe box or file cabinet where you’ve amassed a trove of old receipts, bank statements, pay stubs and other personal financial information.

Before it’s out of sight and out of mind again, here are some tips on how to thin out that clutter of financial records you may have accumulated over the years: 1. The 3-year rule A key reason to hold on to your past tax

returns and supporting documentation is so you can address any issues should the Internal Revenue Service question any entries on a previous tax return.

In most cases, the IRS only has three years after the return was filed to conduct an audit. That means one generally needs to keep past tax returns for at least three years, said Jackie Perlman, principle tax research analyst at the H&R Block Tax Institute.

“That does not mean when three years

are up you should take your return and throw it in the trash,” she said. “If you have some concern about being vulnerable to an audit, or you think the IRS might look at your return later, you might want to keep that longer.”

In the event the IRS suspects you’ve under-reported your income by 25 percent or more, the agency can audit your returns going back six years. And if the agency believes you committed fraud, it can go audit your returns as far back as it wants.

If you’ve filed your tax return electronically, you can retrieve a copy on the IRS website. But it’s best to consider that only

a backup copy.

2. Consider future tax implications Some records, like weekly pay stubs, can be discarded after you’ve received your year-end pay statement. Even if you need to go back to a specific pay period, that stub can likely be recovered from your employer.

Still, you should hold on to records that may be a factor in future tax returns.

“Very often your tax return is your very best record of a lot of things you’ve done or haven’t done,” Perlman said. “You could

Gold funds

the Federal Reserve would pare back its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases.

A wind down of the stimulus program means less demand from investors who had been worried that the Fed’s efforts would lead to higher inflation. Gold has traditionally been seen as an investment whose price will rise with inflation.

The Fed has since begun to trim its monthly bond purchases, and inflation was relatively low at 1.6 percent in January.

This year’s climb for gold has been due to the return of a familiar reason: fear. Investors often buy gold when they’re worried, and several weaker-than-expected reports on the economy heightened concerns. Tensions in Ukraine also drove increased interest in gold.

First Eagle’s McLennan said that’s why investors should keep a portion of their portfolios in gold — say 5 to 10 percent. It provides insurance because it has tended to perform well when fear is high.

“Ultimately,” he said, “gold’s value is the inverse of confidence.”

— AP

From page 19 through February of this year, according to Morningstar. It’s a sharp turnaround from 2013, when investors pulled an average of $355 million from the group every two months.

Many of the companies in gold-related stock funds are based outside the U.S., in countries such as Australia and South Africa. That raises concerns because changes in currency values can wipe out gains made by their stocks. But currencies from gold-producing countries often move in concert with gold’s price, limiting the risk, managers say.

A bigger concern is the politics of mining abroad. Companies can run into troubles with labor groups or local governments.

Price fluctuations Another risk could be gold’s price falling like it did in 2013. Gold’s descent accelerated last spring amid speculation that

See CLUTTER, page 21

Clutter From page 20 want that information months or years later.”

One example pertains to individual retirement accounts, or IRAs. If you make a non-deductible contribution to an IRA this year, for example, you might want to keep a record of that for years to come, when you begin to take distributions from the retirement account.

At that point, such documentation could be necessary to establish that part of that future payout should be tax-free, Perlman noted.

3. Keep property records Financial records that apply to assets that could grow in value, such as a home, should be retained until you sell the asset.

In addition, keep any records of major upgrades or additions, which can help establish the value of the property.

4. Know rules for employers Own your own business or have employees? The IRS requires that you keep employment tax records at least four years after any taxes for a given year become due or are paid, whichever is later. For more details, see IRS Publication 15: www.irs.gov/publications/p15/index.html.

5. Consider going digital These days, banks, credit card issuers and most other businesses issue electronic statements, which you can retrieve at

will online or retain as copies on your computer.

For paper records, make digital copies and store them on your computer.

“The original is the best evidence, but scanned copies will suffice for most purposes,” said Ted England, a tax attorney in Ventura, Calif.

It’s critical that copies be legible. Should a dispute arise with the IRS over a deduction on a certain expense, the agency will be looking to determine that the receipt — whether digital or not — is credible and not tampered with or incomplete.

Another consideration is where to store digitized documents. Computer hard drives can get damaged by viruses. Flash drives can become corrupted. CDs can malfunction.

One option is to back up data online.

Cloud-storage services such as Dropbox and those offered by Google and Microsoft, among others, provide online storage for free, as well as gigabytes of extra space for paid subscribers.

But data stored in cloud services like these can potentially be susceptible to identity theft. Some cloud-storage services offer encryption features to ease such concerns. Among them: Spideroak, Tresorit and Wuala.

For more guidance on how long to keep financial records, check out IRS Publication 17: http://bit.ly/irsrecords.

— AP

21

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

BEACON BITS

May 24

NEW COLUMBIA DOGPARK OPENS

The grand opening of the Columbia DogPark will take place on Saturday, May 24 between 10 a.m. and noon at the site, 5901 Rivendell Ln., Columbia. The park is adjacent to Columbia Sports Park in Harper’s Choice. For more information, visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/DogPark or call (410) 312-6330.

June 5

HERBS THAT HELP

Anne Roy, a Howard County master gardener, will describe ways to use herbs to deter common garden pests and to clean in place of harsh detergents in a talk on Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m. at the Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. Call (410) 313-1950 for additional information.

June 12

LEARN THE SCIENCE OF HOME BREWING

Retired brewer Art Lydick will discuss the various facets of home brewing in a talk on Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at the Glenwood Branch Library, 2350 Rt. 97, Cooksville. For more information, call (410) 313-5577.

NewBegins Here

Your

Lifestyle

APARTMENT HOMES FOR THOSE 62 AND BETTER!

Ask about our Smoke-Free Communities

DESIGNED AND MANAGED FOR TODAY’S SENIORS AT THESE LOCATIONS: ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

EASTERN SHORE

• Furnace Branch 410-761-4150

• Easton 410-770-3070

• Severna Park 410-544-3411

HARFORD COUNTY

BALTIMORE CITY

• Bel Air 410-893-0064

• Ashland Terrace 410-276-6440

• Box Hill 410-515-6115

• Coldspring 410-542-4400

HOWARD COUNTY

BALTIMORE COUNTY

*Newly Renovated! • Colonial Landing 410-796-4399

• Catonsville 410-719-9464

• Columbia 410-381-1118

• Dundalk 410-288-5483

• Ellicott City 410-203-9501

* Fullerton 410-663-0665 *Newly Renovated! • Ellicott City II 410-203-2096 • Miramar Landing 410-391-8375

• Emerson 301-483-3322

• Randallstown 410-655-5673

• Snowden River 410-290-0384

* Rosedale 410-866-1886 *Newly Renovated! PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY • Taylor 410-663-0363

* Bladensburg 301-699-9785

• Towson 410-828-7185

• Laurel 301-490-1526

• Woodlawn 410-281-1120

• Laurel II 301-490-9730

• 55 or BETTER!

www.ParkViewSeniorLiving.com Call the community nearest you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour or email parkviewliving@sheltergrp.com.

Professionally managed by The Shelter Group. www.thesheltergroup.com

22

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

23

Leisure &

A riverboat trip through the heart of the Amazon. See story on page 26.

From a bomb site to a beach destination

Uncrowded world-class beaches For many people, the greatest appeal is what Vieques does not have. That includes

streets lined by souvenir shops, a movie theater or even a traffic light.

Instead of the likes of McDonald’s and Burger King, fast food means tortillas, empanadas, and grilled chicken and shrimp on skewers available from vendors like Sol Food. That rather ramshackle truck is permanently parked at the front gate of Camp Garcia, a former Navy compound.

What the beaches lack are the crowds encountered on many better known Caribbean islands. That prompts the local tourist board to boast that “crowded” on Vieques can mean more than one group of people every 50 yards. It’s often possible to find a sandy seaside refuge to call your own for the day. (Another lack, which may partly explain the first, is that only one beach has restroom facilities.)

The beaches range from broad, gently curving seashores overlooking sweeping bays, to tiny slivers of sand hidden at the end of narrow dirt roads punctuated by some of the most forbidding potholes I’ve encountered anywhere.

The island has been ranked by TripAdvisor among the top 25 destinations in the world for outstanding beaches, and it doesn’t take long to understand why. Each beach has unique attractions, and together they offer something-for-everyone variety.

Silver Beach (Playa Plata) is tucked away at the end of a motion-sickness-inducing road, which discourages many people from seeking it out. Those who do, howev-

PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTOR BLOCK

By Victor Block A jet plane bearing the identifying emblem of the U.S. Navy streaked low over a broad stretch of beach, dropped a bomb onto the island below and banked sharply to return to its base. The U.S. Navy was attacking a tiny corner of its own country — sort of.

Today, a smattering of beach towels and colorful umbrellas dot the sand not far from where that bomb fell, and the only sounds are the surf and chatter of people enjoying a relaxing day in the sun.

Welcome to Vieques island, just off the coast of Puerto Rico. If the name sounds familiar, that’s probably because you have read or heard about use of the destination by our country’s Navy as a place to conduct training exercises, including ship-toshore artillery fire and bombing runs.

Beginning in 1941, large tracts of land at both ends of the 21-mile-long island were acquired for use by the U.S. military. One area was set aside as a storage depot, while the other was the site of a live impact zone.

Since the Navy departed in 2003, after a series of protests over its use of the island, a trickle of vacationers has been making its way to Vieques to discover and enjoy its attractions. The beaches, some still called by the color-based code names given by the military, are a major draw.

Boats line a harbor on Vieques Island in Puerto Rico. The U.S. Navy used the island’s beaches for artillery fire and bombing exercises from 1941 until 2003. Today, wild horses and calm tourists roam the beaches.

PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTOR BLOCK

A food truck provides Vieques’ version of fast food: tortillas, empanadas, and grilled chicken and shrimp on skewers.

er, find inviting shade in which to spread out a towel, and good offshore snorkeling.

Navio Beach (Playa Navio) is framed by palm and sea grape trees, and nestled among rock cliffs interspersed by waves perfect for diving into or riding.

The beach at Sun Bay is the only one on the island with restrooms and a small restaurant. It is also the only one that charges a fee to enter — but just $2 a car.

It’s more than a mile wide, and, because it is the favorite among the Viequenses (as the locals are called), it can be somewhat crowded on weekends by local standards.

Sun Bay has won the coveted Blue Flag designation, which is awarded to beaches around the world that meet strict criteria for water quality, environmental management and other standards.

Aquatic light show While the inviting, uncrowded beaches tempt sun-worshippers, swimmers and snorkelers, a more unusual and intriguing attraction appeals to those in search of a more dramatic experience.

Picture this: You’re gliding over a shallow bay at night, with the sky lighted by a blanket of stars. Each time a canoe or kayak paddle dips into the water, an explosion of blue-green sparkles dances across the surface as if vying for attention with the light show overhead.

This is the extravaganza of nature found

at the unfortunately, but accurately, named Mosquito Bay. The show is put on by microscopic single-celled organisms (dinoflagellates), for which the bay environment provides a perfect home. When agitated, they emit a bright burst of light as a defense mechanism that makes them seem larger to would-be predators.

When conditions are at their best, the result resembles a mini-fireworks display in the sea. Even on nights that are less than perfect, you’re likely to have at least a hint of why this body of water has been declared

by Guinness World Records to be the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world.

Back on land, other forms of life show up, at times in unexpected places. That can present a challenge to anyone driving on the narrow streets, when a chicken or rooster suddenly decides to seek an answer to the eternal proverbial question by darting to the other side of the road, or an iguana finds a perfect spot to enjoy the sun at the edge of the pavement.

Wild horses, Spanish history Much more frequent are encounters with horses that roam free on the island, grazing wherever they please, and pleasing visitors with frequent sightings. They are genuine celebrities of Vieques island, and their ancestry is said to be traceable back See VIEQUES, page 24

24

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Vieques From page 23 to 16th century Spanish Conquistadores.

Few places are off limits to them. I spotted a pony eyeing the swimming pool at the posh W Retreat & Spa, as if it were considering taking a cooling dip. Small groups of the animals often graze on the W’s perfectly manicured lawns, at times giving proof to signs posted for guests that warn, “Caution – Wild Horses Poop.”

When the Conquistadors claimed Vieques after Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in 1493, they found it inhabited by the Taino people, one of the Arawak Indian tribes. A subsequent rebellion by the Taino resulted in most of them being killed, imprisoned or enslaved. Traces of the Taino culture remain in some place names, food and the use of medicinal plants.

While not a treasure trove of historic sites, visitors to Vieques may discover several places that depict chapters of its past.

Among artifacts recovered at the Puerto Ferro (iron fort) archeological site is a human skeleton buried with shells dated back to about 1900 B.C. A good place for a short course in island history is the El Fortin Conde de Mirasol (Count of Mirasol Fort), built 1845-1855 on a steep hill overlooking the town of Isabel II. It houses the Vieques Museum of Anthropology, History and Art. Exhibits range from archeological items to crossbows, swords

and other early instruments of warfare.

Isabel II (Isabel Segunda) is the larger of the two main towns on Vieques and is its administrative center, with a cluster of government offices. It was named for Queen Isabel II, who ruled Spain from 1843 to 1868.

Esperanza, the only other town of any note, is little more than a gathering of casual restaurants, bars and modest guest houses that line the Malecon — a paved esplanade squeezed between the main (and virtually only) street and the harbor.

The town has a distinct dual personality.

During the day, there’s so little activity a person could almost take a nap on the street through town.

But that changes dramatically in the evening, especially on weekends. That’s when strings of colored lights brighten the setting, music blares from several establishments, and people crowd the streets and sidewalks chatting, laughing and sipping from paper cups.

The relative hustle and bustle in Isabel II and Esperanza contrasts sharply with the tranquil, laid-back atmosphere that pervades most of Vieques. Men who gather to sip rum and exchange banter each day at the tiny bar in the El Encanto convenience store ignore the horses that sometimes graze near their cars parked outside.

For the visitor to Vieques, these are among attractions that give the island diversity and appeal well beyond its small size.

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

If you go The least expensive flight to San Juan, P.R. is $328 roundtrip on American Airlines from all three area airports. After flying to San Juan, the quickest way to reach Vieques is the 25-minute flight on Cape Air ($218 round-trip) or Vieques Air Line ($242 round-trip).

The passenger ferry is much less expensive (round trip $4, patrons 60 to 74 $2, 75 and older free). But it can take close to two hours from San Juan to reach the departure dock in traffic, the crossing itself takes 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the weather, and it can be rough.

In keeping with the island’s noncommercial persona, most accommodations on Vieques are in tiny inns, guest houses and rental properties. The major exception is the super-luxurious W Retreat & Spa, part of an upscale chain that boasts it caters to “jetsetters and local tastemakers.”

The property’s 156 spacious rooms are scatted throughout a sprawling compound that offers the amenities one would expect in such an elegant setting.

The resort’s two cozy beaches are as pleasant as most others on the island. Not surprisingly, all of this panache does not come inexpensively. Rates for a double room begin at $379. For more information, call (877) 946-8357 or log onto www.whotels.com.

Typical of less grand, less costly housing that abounds on the island is the Ababor Suites, a four-unit guest house perched on a small beach just outside Isabel II. Its rooms are modestly furnished but clean, and include a fully equipped kitchen.

Rates are $130 (up to four guests) and $150 (up to six people), and genial hostess Wanda Bermudez is a font of knowledge about the island. For more information, call (787) 435-2841 or log onto www.ababorsuites.com.

While the Sorcé restaurant at the W is outstanding, with food and service in keep-

ing with the luxurious setting, my wife Fyllis and I preferred to rub shoulders with locals at dinner time.

Bili is typical of restaurants in Esperanza, a casual open-air spot that serves good food in ample portions. Popular dishes with regulars include turnovers filled with pork and cheese ($8) and chicken breast over a cassava pancake ($8). For more information, call (787) 741-1382 or log onto bilirestaurant.com.

Overlooking the water in Isabel II, Al’s Mar Azul achieves its goal of capturing the fun and funky atmosphere of the island.

Those who aren’t put off by the ambience, or rather lack of it, will feel welcomed by the friendly staff and other diners.

The light fare includes a grilled chicken wrap ($6.50) and individual pizza ($5). For those who like their food spicy, the menu lists a dozen hot sauces rated by intensity, with names like the Ultimate Dragon and Passionate Frog. For more information, call (787) 741-3400.

For information about visiting Vieques, call 1-800-866-7827 or log onto www.seepuertorico.com/en/destinations/culebraand-vieques.

Editor’s note: The Navy’s decades-long bombing and ship-to-shore shelling of Vieques is also the theme of The Surrounding Sea, a recently published novel by Howard County Beacon writer Robert Friedman.

The novel, set in the year 2000, when the protests were in full swing, involves a young New York-raised Puerto Rican who returns to the island of his birth as a student at the University of Puerto Rico.

Friedman lived in Puerto Rico for more than 20 years, working for the English-language San Juan Star newspaper. The Surrounding Sea, published by Floricanto Press of California, is currently being sold in paperback and e-book editions at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; J U N E 2 0 1 4

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

25

26

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Exploring the Amazon’s many wonders

By Fyllis Hockman I am a hiker. But at home in Maryland, no one uses a machete to blaze the trail prior to walking on it as did Souza, our Amazon guide. He created a path for us in the overgrown rainforest step by step. Slicing, swatting, swooping and chopping, no branch, bush, vine or twig was safe.

The hike was one of four daily activities during our eight-day adventure exploring the Amazon rainforest. We traveled more than 200 miles along the River Negro in Brazil, calling the 16-passenger riverboat Tucano our home.

For our daily excursions, we clambered aboard a small power launch that took us hiking, bird-watching and village hopping, as well as on night-time outings that dramatized the allure of the river not experienced in any other way.

Souza demanded quiet during our launch rides, using all of his senses to read the forest. He would listen for the breaking of a branch or a flutter through the trees, sniff for animal odors, scan leaves above and below for motion, or the water for ripples, and then alert us at every junction of what he had discovered. On our own, we would have heard, felt and discerned nothing.

A birder’s paradise Souza’s most amazing talent was his abili-

ty to identify (and communicate with!) the multitudes of birds traversing the river and forest. He could replicate many of their calls precisely, imitating more birds than the most gifted comedian can impersonate celebrities.

Like a modern-day Doolittle, he carried on such a long, intimate “conversation” with a blackish gray antshrike that I think they became engaged by the time he was through. Then Souza, fickle male that he is, romanced a colorful blue-beaked trogon perched on a dead branch high in a tree.

As one of my travel companions observed, “If you don’t like birds, you might as well take the next flight home.”

Our forest walks with Machete Man also were a time for observation, not conversation. On a stop to view teca ants swarming over the bark, Souza wiped his hand across it, proceeding to rub the ants over his forearms. Instant mosquito repellant –- a handy tool in the Amazon.

At one point, I looked down and saw a long brown twig draped across a log.

Souza saw a snake. I looked again and still saw a twig, albeit one that now had an eye.

I stepped more gingerly.

And then there were the leaf cutter ants! A long assembly line of tiny leaves paraded up a hill, as synchronized as a marching band. A closer look revealed leaf cutter ants to be the burly carriers. Hard to believe something so

fragile can carry so large and unwieldy a load as much as half a mile to its colony.

Surprised at how much he learned about himself on the trip, a fellow traveler, Ritesh Beriwal, (a 23-year-old burned-out Wall Street trainee) said, “I didn’t realize how interested I’d be in the little things, like how insects such as the leaf-carrying ants build homes. Before it was just an ant; now it’s an ant with an entire life and work history.”

Each day brought new revelations and insight into our surroundings, whether on land or water. Our visits to several villages, isolated from civilization with little if any modern conveniences, only reinforced that impression.

The Amazon after dark Although every day was an adventure, nothing compared with our nighttime jaunts. Our post-dinner sojourns pitched Souza and his searchlight against the dark horizon, scanning shoreline and trees, desperately searching for something to entertain his eager customers.

An all-pervasive quiet loomed, magnifying whatever sounds were audible: dolphins snorting, fish jumping, caimans slithering, monkeys howling -– all vying for attention in the pitch blackness.

Eventually, the flashlight, seemingly darting randomly above, below and beyond the trees, alighted (so to speak) on a caiman lizard in the brush, his whole snout protruding for a moment before slinking away. Or perhaps instead the light reflected off a kingfisher’s eyes, temporarily blinding him so that we could drift in almost close enough to touch.

Then for an encore, we watched a spider grab a dragonfly from a crack in a tree directly in front of us -– and diligently devour it.

Whereas during the day, the trills, tweets and twerps of the birds dominate the landscape, at night it’s the croaks, caws and throaty outpourings of the frogs and caimans.

From our first launch at 6 a.m. to our final return sometime after 9 p.m., we pretty much spend our non-exploring time eating. The native foods, beautifully prepared

and presented, are a pleasant surprise this far from civilization.

Waiting for the fish to bite As much as that is a typical day, there were also exceptions. One particular day we got to “sleep in” until 6 a.m., still early enough to watch the sun pull itself over the forest, and late enough to feel the already oppressive heat seep into my lightweight, washable, bug-repellant-treated blouse.

We were going fishing.

I sat with my Tom Sawyer fishing pole, thinking the Amazon’s a long way from the Mississippi. I attached the chunks of beef to the end of the line thinking this was strange bait, until I remembered our intended prey.

Watching Souza rattle the water with his pole, I remembered that being quiet was the order of the day on most fishing expeditions. Still, I followed his lead — make the quarry think there’s a wounded fish thrashing about.

Within a minute, I knew I had snagged the big prize: at the end of my line was the famed carnivorous (actually omnivorous) fish — a 6-inch piranha.

Souza held it up to a tree and used its mouth like a scissors to cut a branch in two. Just looking at the piranha’s imposing teeth, we knew it came by its reputation honestly.

Still, the predator gets a bad rap. The truth is, unless they’re starving, or you’re bleeding, humans aren’t really in their food chain.

But they are in ours. The fried piranhas we had that night as appetizers were scrumptious, their tiny bones crunchy and the meat flaky, proving the wise adage that more people eat piranhas than piranhas eat people — at least in Amazonia.

My trip was arranged through the travel company Latin American Escapes. The cost for the eight-day Tucano trip (one of many offered in the Amazon), starts at $3,450, plus airfare to Brazil. For more information on this and other trips, call 1-800-510-5999 or visit www.latinamericanescapes.com.

Fyllis Hockman is a travel writer living in Montgomery Village, Md. She happens to be married to travel writer Victor Block.

All Pet Crematory, Inc.

(410) 552-0703 or 1(888) 552-0703 (toll free)

• open directly to the public for private cremations only • caring & professional staff • memorial urns and merchandise available

“Pet Lovers Serving Pet Lovers” WWW.APCrematory.com

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Style

27

Arts &

Singer Chaka Khan will perform during the Capital Jazz Fest.

June arts and jazz festivals in Columbia

Jazzing it up John Legend kicks off the Capital Jazz Fest at 7:30 p.m., Friday, June 6 in a soul session with vocalist Erykah Badu.

On Saturday, June 7, from noon until 10 p.m., the sounds of jazz will resound from the stages of the Merriweather Post Pavilion and Symphony Woods. At the Pavilion, Al Jarreau and Stanley Clarke will host a tribute to keyboard pioneer George Duke, who died last year. Appearing at the show will be Dianna Reeves, Rick Braun, Down to the Bone and Michael Franks.

Chaka Kahn takes to the Symphony Woods stage Saturday, along with the Brand New Heavies, Klymaxx featuring Bernadette

Cooper, Dwele and Regina Belle.

Activities on Sunday, June 8, will also take place from noon to 10 p.m. at the Pavilion and Symphony Woods. The Pavilion stage will host local pianist Marcus Johnson, as well as Kem, Incognito, Rachelle Ferrell, the Jeff Lorber Fusion, and Keiko Matsui.

Appearing at the Symphony Woods venue will be the O’Jays, Faith Evans, Peabo Bryson, Loose Ends and Joe. New artists will be featured in all three concerts in “Catch A Rising Star” showcases.

Capital Jazz Fest said that the concerts will be held rain or shine, noting that “the talent lineup and schedule are subject to change without notice” and that all ticket sales are final. Ticket prices for Friday range from $56.50 to $92.50. Tickets for Saturday performances are $69.50 to $185. Tickets for Sunday’s shows are $75.50 to $185.

Also listed as part of the festival is a “mix and mingle reception featuring Bela Dona,” an all-female band, from 10:30 pm. to 1:30 a.m., and a “late night dance party and jam,” Saturday, from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Both events will be held at the Marriott BWI Hotel Further information is available at www.capitaljazz.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

By Robert Friedman It’s festival time in Columbia.

In June, the city will host both the 22nd annual Capital Jazz Fest and the 2014 Columbia Festival of the Arts.

First, from June 6 to 8, will be the jazz fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The event is scheduled to feature, among others, singersongwriter-nine time Grammy winner John Legend, jazz vocalist legends Al Jarreau and Dianna Reeves, bassist innovator Stanley Clarke, singer Chaka Khan, and the Rhythm and Blues group the O’Jays.

Starting just five days later, from June 13 to 28, the arts festival will bring to Columbia acrobats from Peking, theater-dancecircus performers from Australia, a cappella country music singers, fiddle masters, a staged radio drama and much more.

The Columbia Festival of the Arts opens the weekend of June 13 to 15 with a variety of free events, including children’s performances, live music, arts and crafts, and more at the town center lakefront. Ticketed events, from acrobats to movies, take place over the following two weeks.

among other things, live music, arts and crafts exhibits and strolling performers.

Listed as a highlight of the weekend’s free events will be the appearance of Australia’s Strange Fruit performance group,

presenting a premiere piece called “The Spheres” — a fusion of theater, dance and circus performed atop 14-foot flexible See FESTIVALS, page 29

Two hilarious shows at Toby’s

Arts of all kinds The Festival of the Arts gets underway with a free opening weekend, June 13 to 15, with events at the lakefront by the town center. The opening weekend will include,

THROUGH JUNE 22

OPENING JUNE 26

Bring the kids and the grandkids

Based on the Oscar®-winning film!

Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular comic opera!

Wacky, irreverent and entertaining!

TOBY’S DINNER THEATRE OF COLUMBIA • CALL 410-730-8311 Based on availability. Due to the nature of theatre bookings, all shows, dates and times are subject to change.

D in

TobysDinnerTheatre.com

ner & S h o w

RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY!

28

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Top cop From page 1 discussion about laws that would more closely scrutinize who should or shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun “I think people who want to do evil things will do evil things. I’m not sure more gun laws will stop them,” he said.

McMahon appeared more concerned about authorities dealing with the mental health issues that were found confronting many mass shooters, including the Columbia Mall killer.

“I think the conversation should go beyond guns,” he said. “We have to make sure that people who have serious mental health issues get the treatment they need.”

The police chief did reluctantly express one criticism about the handling of the mall shootings by the media. “You recog-

nize that the media has a job to do,” he started out. “But the main frustration was some of the misreporting — such as the reports that the victims and the shooter had a relationship; that there may have been a romantic involvement. How bad must that have been for the parents.”

No connection has been found between the killer and the victims.

Falling crime rate During McMahon’s eight-year reign as police chief, crime in the county reportedly dropped by some 9 percent. He noted that, since he became police chief in 2006, auto thefts have been reduced by half, robberies cut by about one-third, and burglaries were down by 10 percent.

He said his department has been making special efforts to crack down on repeat offenders and on domestic violence.

BEACON BITS

June 15

STRING QUARTET Winner of the Chesapeake Chamber Music 2014 Gold Medal, the

Wasmuth String Quartet will perform a program of Haydn, Ligeti and Mendelssohn on Sunday, June 15 at 3:30 p.m. in the Smith Theatre of the Horowitz Performing Arts Center, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia.

Presented by the Candlelight Concert Society, the admission is $32 for adults, $30 for seniors and $12 for students. To order or for more information, call (410) 997-2324 or visit www.candlelightconcerts.org.

Put The Spring Back In Your Step!

For over 87 years, The Neighborhoods at St. Elizabeth has been providing individually tailored care to help our community members reach their highest potential. So if you are planning an elective surgery or find yourself in need of world-class nursing care, consider The Neighborhoods at St. Elizabeth.You’ll instantly underr rstand why families choose St. Elizabeth for their rehabilitation and nursing care needs generation after generation. g

Featuring: • On-site Board Certified Geriatriccian • Individuallyy tailored, Eldercentered care • 26 acres of pristine outdoor spacce • On-site Chaplain and Pastoral care team

(410)644-7100 • 3320 Benson Avenue • Baltimore, MD 21227 www.cc-md.org/St-Elizabeth

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Until the mall killings, there had been four or five homicides a year among the county’s 300,000 residents.

The police chief said policing in Howard County has had “special challenges, both good and bad,” since it is located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. — both high crime areas in the recent past.

The people who move to Howard County have been “very protective” of the high quality of life in their communities,” he said, noting that the department has started strong outreach programs. “We make sure that the community knows we are there to help them, that this trickles down to the officer on the street.”

McMahon has put an accent on reassuring seniors on crime, assigning an officer to be in charge of outreach to them. (See sidebar, “Protecting older residents.”)

“For many older residents, their perception is that their community is changing, so we spend a lot of time” in offering help to them, he said.

Asked why he has served close to three decades as a police officer, McMahon responded: “Well, my family has no history of policing. But I took interest when I was about 14 or 15 years old.

“I decided then, as corny as it sounds, that I wanted to do things that make a difference, and to help people.”

Protecting older residents Officer Andre Lingham has served as the police liaison with older adults for the past five months, taking over for officer Holly Burnham, who recently retired after seven years.

Lingham said in an interview that he goes to senior centers and senior communities around the county for hourlong question-and-answer sessions and discussions on crime prevention programs.

He sees the major threats to seniors as being scams and frauds. “What I’m seeing now is a prevalence of [phony] foreign lotteries and sweepstakes sent to seniors through the mail,” Lingham said. “Once you respond to them, they tell you you’ve won, and you have to send money to get the winnings.

“They keep asking for maybe $5 with each response. This soon adds up. In one recent case, someone gave $35,000 over seven months.”

He said only one in five seniors report such cases, since they are embarrassed at falling for the scams. But he urged residents to report such incidents to the police to help protect others from a similar fate.

Another growing threat, the officer said, are “home improvement” scams,

which target senior communities.

“Someone knocks on the door and offers to fix up the senior’s home for a cheap price. They then do shoddy work with shoddy materials and raise the price after they’re finished.”

The homeowners are cowed into “going right to the bank to pay in cash. It’s construction workers vs. older people.”

Lingham said such cases should be reported to the police and that they will be “vigorously prosecuted.”

He noted that a conference titled “Protecting Vulnerable Adults” will be held June 17 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the James Robey Public Safety Training Center in Marriottsville. The event will discuss such topics as “Protecting the Elderly from Financial Exploitation,” “Intimate Partner Violence in Later Life” and “Fraud and Scams that Target Vulnerable Adults.”

While the conference is designed for police, eldercare professionals and healthcare workers, the general public is invited to attend. Admission is free, but registration is required by June 4.

Call (410) 313-1364 for more information.

—Robert Friedman

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

From page 27 poles. The performances, which include special lighting effects, will take place Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14 from 9 to 9:30 p.m. and from 10:30 to 11 p.m.

Other weekend lakefront events include model yacht races on Lake Kittamanqundi, a “Chalk-It-Up” street painting contest, and juggling, plate spinning and various other whirling and tossing demonstrations by the Center Ring Circus School.

The weekend finale on Sunday will feature Deanna Bogart, the local jazz-blues-boogie woogie pianist, saxophonist and singer.

The free weekend on the lakefront hours are Friday, June 13, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, June 14 noon to 11 p.m.; Sunday, June 15, noon to 7 p.m. A free shuttle will be available between Howard Community College campus parking and the lakefront.

Among the ticketed events: The Hampton Rock String Quartet — four classical musicians who swing out with their own arrangements of rock songs made famous by the Who, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, among others. (Wednesday, June 18, 7:30 p.m., Smith Theater, tickets $30 to $45.)

The Intergalactic Nemesis: A Live Action Graphic Novel, Book One: Target Earth, described as “a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience recalling classic radio drama combined with comic book art.” (Friday, June 20, 8 p.m., Rouse Theater, tickets $25 to $45.)

The Peking Acrobats — A troupe from China of tumblers, contortionists, jugglers, cyclists and gymnasts “who push the envelope of human possibility” with various feats “defying the laws of physics.”

(Rouse Theater, Saturday, June 21, 8 p.m., tickets $30 to $50.)

Masters of the Fiddle — Celebrated fiddlers Natalie MacMaster and Donald

FROM PAGE 30

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD A R E A B E I G C O N N S A R A T T I C E O H I O T E N N I S P O O P E N N A T E R I M E T A D E N

S E A T E D C O R P S M A N

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

D O G L L E I G A M E S N T S E E R M I I N S G

D A N I S H

T R U E S T

N O E L

T W A S

L E E D O D

Leahy use their bows and strings to play Celtic, French, Cajun and American bluegrass. (Thursday, June 26, 7:30 p.m., Rouse Theater, tickets $30 to $55.)

Letters Home — The Griffin Theater from Chicago brings the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan home through the dramatizing of excerpts from actual letters written by soldiers serving at those far-off fronts.

(Friday, June 27, 8 p.m., Smith Theater, tickets $20 to $35.)

Home Free — Five guys, five mikes, and no instruments compose what may be the world’s first country music a cappella band.

Last year, the group won the NBC-TV show “The Sing Off.” (Saturday, June 28, 8 p.m., Rouse Theater, tickets $40 to $55.)

Also scheduled are Movie Mondays, which will screen Sundance art house film shorts (Monday, June 16, at Monteabaro Hall, the Horowitz Center at Howard Community College, tickets $15) and a Sprout Film Festival showcase, which features short films created by and about people

with disabilities (Monday, June 23, at the same place and ticket price as the Sundance event.)

Also scheduled for the arts festival are free book events, art exhibits, receptions, and a daylong hair and makeup competition, Sunday, June 22, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Historic Savage Mill.

A full schedule and further information are available by calling (410) 715-3044, or visiting the festival website at www.columbiafestival.org. Click on the logo for “2014 Festival Brochure.”

Grammy-winning musician John Legend and other wellknown jazz artists, such as Al Jarreau and Keiko Matsui, will perform at the Capital Jazz Fest, which will be held at Merriweather Post Pavilion from June 6 to 8.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILION

Festivals

29

30

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Puzzle Page

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

by Stephen Sherr 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

17

11

21

24

35

29

41

38

42

61

43 48

47

49 53

52

51

50

60

34 37

46

40

30

36

45

39

26

33

32

31

13

22

25 28

12

19

18

27

Scrabble answers on p. 29.

10

16

20

44

9

15

14

23

8

54

55

57

58

62

63

64

65

66

67

56 59

Across

Down

1. Regions 6. Cried crocodile tears 11. Banned pesticide 14. Like mocha ice cream 15. “With friends like ___ ...”

16. Pinta propeller 17. Waterbury watercolorists 19. Serengeti migrator 20. Prom dress fabric 21. Ornamental anagram for 22 Across 22. Dishonest anagram for 21 Across 23. Spilled the beans 25. Without some New Englanders 27. Soda fountain offering 28. Impressive impressionist 30. Like well-laced ice skates 31. State with only four letters 33. Grand total 34. Med. or Red 35. Product of Nashville’s General Assembly 41. The end of TV 42. Last fig. on the front of a 1040 form 43. Miss White’s first name 44. Hound’s trail 47. Walks wearily 49. Alternative to coffee and me 50. Ben Franklin, and buddies 52. Supporters of the arts 54. Gorged on gorgonzola 55. Distributer of 37% of US fed. expenditures 56. Further under the weather 57. Canyon’s edge 58. Just across the Ala. border 62. LAX prediction 63. Not free marketeers 64. Searched for shiny rocks 65. Comfy room 66. Ice-less drinks 67. Clapton ___ (1960’s graffiti slogan)

1. Fundamental 2. Vintage car 3. Genius whose name ends like it starts 4. “You strain out ___ but swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24) 5. Inside the bumper car 6. Env. notation 7. Greek letter that looks looks like an “X” 8. Electric cars 9. ___ Park, Colo.

10. Abstained from 11. Golf course bend 12. Dessert tray option 13. Most accurate 18. Takes the bus 23. Run amok 24. Heart or tooth malady 25. Dogs and hogs, but not frogs 26. Actors Neeson and Hemsworth 29. Trident, for example 32. Stew ingredient 34. With a sneer 36. Extra on M*A*S*H 37. Sixth word of the Gettysburg Address 38. Walking down the red carpet 39. Christmas carol 40. Start of a Christmas carol 44. Converted the 7-10 split 45. Small and dainty 46. Band with a small payroll 47. Yellow part of blood 48. Cracker stacker 51. “All kidding ___...”

53. Final four games 56. Arab name parts 59. After ready; before go 60. Zodialogical sign of baseball’s Durocher 61. Actor Byrnes

Answers on page 29.

Answer: What the basketball player and his son had in common. -- DRIBBLING Jumbles: FIORD GAILY BABOON INBORN

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — J U N E 2 0 1 4

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either.

Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Business & Employment Opportunities FREELANCE WRITER, helping businesses and professionals tell their important stories.

Writing, editing, ghostwriting, 20+ years professional writing experience. References. 410531-8012.

Caregivers

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Health ACUPUNCTURE GRIEF/LOSS SUPPORT – A safe space to express your loss. Feel more relaxed, able to cope. Town center, Columbia.

Adele Morales, 301-490-0165.

Home/Handyman Services STARCOM DESIGN BUILD – We are certified aging in place, low-threshold showers, walk-in tubs, first-floor master and in-law suites, ramps, elevators and lifts. We are Howard County’s largest remodeler, in business for over 25 years. Come visit our design Center! Starcomdesignbuild.com. 410-9977700. MHIC# 24247-01.

SANFORD & SON HAULING Trash removal, house & estate clean-outs, garage clean-outs, yard work & cleanups, demolition, shed removal. 410-746-5090. Free Estimates.

Insured. Call 7 days a week 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

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).

Personal Services LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN – FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversational. Grammatical. Private lessons. Reasonable Rates. Tutoring students. 443-3528200.

Wanted

LICENSED, BONDED CNA with over 12 years clinical experience seeks full-time overnight caregiving position. Extensive resume, stellar references & pet-friendly. If interested, please call Jacqueline at 301-787-3555.

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.

IN SEARCH OF AAF SINGLE, retired (6575) to provide services for senior relative living in Baltimore County. Will share house/rent, $450/month. For further information, call 410313-8949.

OLD AND NEW WE BUY Sterling Silver Flatware, Tea Sets or Single Pieces., Furniture, Tools, Cameras, Good Glassware, Artwork Too. Toys From Trains to Hotwheels, Action Figures to Star Wars. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

Computer Services PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call: D. Guisset at 301-6424526.

Financial Services ACCOUNTING, BOOKKEEPING, TAXES – conscientious CPA, 37 years experience, reasonable rates, looking for additional business, personal and eldercare clients. Call 410653-3363.

For Rent CASH FOR YOUR UNWANTED REAL ESTATE – I will pay cash for your unwanted Real Estate. There are never any fees, real estate commissions or other chargers to you.

Any condition acceptable. Please call Neal at 410-419-1289.

For Sale 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.

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, Howard County Classified Dept.

P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 BEACON BITS

June 13

ARTISTS GALLERY RECEPTION

The Artists Gallery in Columbia will host a reception on Friday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m. during the Lake Fest weekend of the Columbia Art Festival. The event will honor the more than 20 member artists working in a wide variety of media displayed in the “All Member Summer Show” that runs through Friday, June 27. The gallery is located in the American City Building, 10227 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. For more information, visit www.artistsgallerycolumbia.com or call (410) 740-8249.

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, 301-279-8834. Thank you.

WE BUY OLD AND NEW COINS, Jewelry, Silver and Gold, Paper Money too. Watches, Clocks and Parts, Military Badges and Patches Old and New. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

BEACON BITS

June 14

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED

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. 410655-0412.

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 301-9100783, Thank you. Also Lionel Trains.

SINGER-SONGWRITER PERFORMANCE The Howard County Historical Society presents John Emil, singer,

songwriter and guitarist on Saturday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at its Music in the Museum Concert Series at the Howard County Historical Society Museum, 8328 Court Ave., Ellicott City. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at hchsmd.org/event/ or by calling the Historical Society at (410) 480-3250.

31

HB6/14

32

J U N E 2 0 1 4 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Assisted living - memory support

BROOKE GROVE RETIREMENT VILLAGE CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO ATTEND AN

OPEN HOUSE Thursday, June 12, 2014 10 A.M. – 12:30 p.m.

The Meadows Assisted Living • 1641 Hickory Knoll Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860 Discover our innovative approach and programs designed to stimulate memory.

Explore our memory support homes, gardens and secure walking paths.

Meet our staff, trained in assisting those with Alzheimer’s and memory loss.

Enjoy our 220-acre campus and our live-in pets.

Please RSVP to Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org by June 9.

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860

301-260-2320 or 301-924-2811 www.bgf.org

RESIDENTIAL COTTAGES INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLED NURSING CARE MEMORY SUPPORT REHABILITATION