August 2015 | Howard County Beacon

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Remembering WWII 70 years later

70 years since WWII’s end At 97 years of age, Holdredge — a native of Wyoming who now lives at the Heartland Senior Living Village in Ellicott City — remembers fairly easily the salient details of his military life, which extended from 1936,

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By Robert Friedman On Dec. 7, 1941, Tech Sgt. Joseph Pesek of the 5th Bomber Group was waiting outside the Pearl Harbor Naval Station for a bus to take him to Honolulu, where he was going to play some rounds at the Wai Lai Golf Course.

While sitting on a bench, Pesek noticed a great number of planes approaching the naval station. “At first, I thought they were preceding our aircraft carriers coming into port, as I had seen in the past,” said Pesek.

“Then the planes started peeling off in steep dives. I saw the Rising Sun emblems on the wings and realized they were Japanese planes.

“A large, torpedo-shaped bomb dropped from the first plane, followed by a huge explosion. Others followed, and the sky went black.”

Pesek rushed back to his barracks. The United States was at war.

Four and half years later, in August 1945, Army Air Force Col. Fred Holdrege was scheduled to fly a B-29 Super Fortress from March Field, Calif., in a training exercise for the invasion of Japan.

A little before takeoff, Holdrege — who previously had headed a squadron of B-24 pilots on bombing missions over Germany — learned that the Japanese had surrendered. When he got the news, he felt “very relieved.”

Instead, he took the B-29 on a sightseeing trip over the Grand Canyon, which he had never seen before.

Howard County residents Holdredge and Pesek are among the some 1 million surviving U.S. veterans of the more than 16 million who served during World War II. More than 400,000 service members lost their lives in the war and over 670,000 were wounded.

On August 14, we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of VJ (Victory in Japan) Day, when the world learned of the Japanese surrender. It seems an appropriate time to interview several local veterans of the war and to share their stories.

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Frances Lynch, 92, enlisted in WWII as a Navy WAVE at the age of 21, against her parents’ wishes. She served for five years.

when he enlisted, to his retirement in 1970.

A West Point graduate, his career could be divided into two phases: a decorated combat veteran (two distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, the Croix de Guerre, among other medals) and, later, as a military psychologist.

Holdrege noted that during the first phase, he flew 30 bombing missions over both Germany and occupied France — including a raid on Berlin where two planes in his squadron were shot down and, on another mission, an 88-mm anti-aircraft round went through the bomb bay of the plane he was piloting.

When asked if the round exploded in the plane, he replied, “If it did, I wouldn’t be here talking to you now.”

Holdrege flew still another bombing mission during the Korean “conflict.” The Air Force then sent him to Ohio State University, where he earned a doctorate. He then served as a military psychologist from 1953 until his retirement 17 years later. He went on to become the first department head of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership.

Holdrege, a recent widower who was married for 67 years, was asked whether he was glad to have devoted so many of his adult years to the military.

In understated sincerity, he replied, “It was worthwhile doing a job for my country, both during the war and after.”

See WWII VETS, page 8

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FITNESS & HEALTH 4 k Cocoa can boost memory k A blood test to replace biopsies THE SENIOR CONNECTION 15 k Newsletter for Howard County seniors LAW & MONEY 19 k Freebies for retirees k Healthcare funds still strong ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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What could we have done?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been the car at the next station. He was found going over and over in my mind what’s and arrested two days later. been reported about a recent It’s a terrible tragedy and a murder on the Washington horrific scene to contemMetro. plate. But in the world we live For those who didn’t hear in, it could happen in front of about it, or perhaps missed — or to — any of us at any the details, let me recap: A time. In broad daylight, on an knifing took place in the early ordinary Metro car, without afternoon on the 4th of July warning, we could be conaboard a train heading toward fronted by a murderous asthe National Mall for the Insailant, or we could be eyedependence Day celebration. witnesses to such an attack.

Apparently about a dozen FROM THE I can’t stop asking myself, people of various ages were PUBLISHER “If I had been a witness, what on this particular train car. An By Stuart P. Rosenthal would I have done? What 18-year-old (later reported to could I have done?” be 5’ 5” tall and 125 lbs.) grabbed the cell Some of the passengers told reporters phone of a 24-year old passenger, who re- that everyone else huddled together at sisted the theft. each end of the railcar as the attack took The grabber punched and kicked the place. When some passengers suggested victim until he collapsed, and proceeded to perhaps they should do something, others stab him more than 30 times with a pocket sharply disagreed, pointing out that police knife, leaving him to bleed to death on the say bystanders should not try to intervene floor. The murderer then robbed the other in such cases. passengers before he calmly walked off One person tried to call the train opera-

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tor to ask for help, and the assailant, who appeared to be high on drugs, apparently threatened him and told him to shut up.

Clearly, everyone was afraid for their own lives. They felt powerless, and hunkered down in self-preservation mode. No one who wasn’t there could judge them for their behavior. We all might well have done the same thing.

And yet, did it have to be that way? If the victim had been our child, grandchild, spouse or parent, would we be so philosophical about the sensible advice not to get involved?

Let’s imagine instead that the other passengers, gathered at the end of the railcar, had been able to quickly decide on a strategy together.

Perhaps one would run screaming at the assailant, using his backpack or laptop as a shield. Another would go charging at him with two umbrellas. Someone would try to buckle the fellow’s knees and knock him to the ground. Still others could try to grab his arms or wrest the knife from his hand.

Meanwhile, the rest of the passengers would be ready to jump on him and pin him to the ground until the train reached the next station and security guards could take over.

True, any one of those people would be crazy to lunge at the attacker alone. But together? Even were all the bystanders terribly out of shape and unfamiliar with selfdefense, could the attacker have overpowered ten adults at once?

Again, I’m not criticizing those who were there for any failure to act. It all unfolded so quickly, and they didn’t have the opportunity we now have to consider all the options in advance.

But now I’m talking to you — and to myself — and asking this question: Having learned of, and thought about, this incident, can all of us — and I do mean each and every one of us — make a decision, right now, not to remain aloof if we should ever find ourselves in a similar situation?

(And I do mean similar: I’m not talking about a coordinated terrorist attack or taking on someone armed with a gun.)

It may require one of us to act as a leader, to rally everyone to the cause. But multiple followers are equally essential. In fact, it may be the expectation that others will follow that gives the leader much of his or her courage.

A Washington Post columnist took many “online second-guessers” to task for writing bravely online about “the heroic ways they claim they would have dealt with the attacker.” She noted how easy it is to be a blowhard after the fact, if you weren’t there. It’s all just easy talk, she implied.

But I think such talk can be a good thing.

If each of us will imagine now what we could do in such a situation, then maybe, just maybe, a future criminal can be stopped in his tracks, and a life can be saved.

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

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Health Fitness &

LIQUID BIOPSIES Simple blood tests can identify cancer cell DNA without a tumor biopsy TIMING IS EVERYTHING Maximize the effectiveness of your vitamins, minerals and medications WHO MAKES THE FIRST MOVE? Our advice columnist addresses the issue of a shy-vs.-shy couple PREVENTING ALZHEIMER’S How to join a large study on preventing Alzheimer’s in healthy seniors

Vitamin B3 may help prevent skin cancer

By Marilynn Marchione For the first time, a large study suggests that a vitamin might modestly lower the risk of the most common types of skin cancer in people with a history of these relatively harmless yet troublesome growths.

In a study in Australia, people who took a specific type of vitamin B3 for a year had a 23 percent lower rate of new skin cancers compared to others who took dummy pills.

In absolute terms, it meant that vitamin takers developed fewer than two of these cancers on average versus roughly 2.5 cancers for the others.

The study did not involve melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Instead, it aimed at more common forms — basal and squamous cell cancers. More than 3 million cases are diagnosed each year in the United States.

“These are sort of the run-of-the-mill skin cancers that so many people get,” said Dr. Richard Schilsky, chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, an organization of cancer specialists.

“They’re rarely lethal, but they’re very persistent and they keep coming back.”

They are also expensive to remove, usually through surgery, freezing off the spots or radiation.

certain ones can be harmful.

Researchers also stressed they were not suggesting vitamin use for people who have not yet had one of these cancers.

“At the moment, it’s not something for the general population,” said the study’s leader, Dr. Diona Damian of the Dermatology University of Sydney in Australia.

“We must always remember the basics of sun-sensible behaviors” — avoiding overexposure and using sunscreen — as the best ways for anyone to lower risk, she said.

The study involved 386 people who had at least two skin cancers in the previous five years. They took either 500 milligrams of the vitamin or dummy pills twice a day for a year. Neither they nor their doctors knew who got what until the study ended.

Besides reducing the rate of skin cancers, vitamin use also seemed to cut the rate of pre-cancers — scaly patches of skin called actinic keratoses — by 11 percent after three months of use, and by 20 percent after nine months.

Participants were tracked for six months after they stopped taking their pills, and the rate of new skin cancers was similar in both groups.

“The benefit wears off fairly quickly,” Damian said. “You need to continue taking the tablets for them to continue to be effective.”

More research needed Schilsky and other doctors with the oncology group said the vitamin, called nicotinamide, could offer a cheap, easy way to lower risk.

However, Australia has higher rates of skin cancer than the U.S. and other parts of the world, and some doctors may want more evidence beyond this single study before recommending the pills. Vitamins have long proved elusive for cancer prevention, and some studies have even found

A special kind of vitamin B3 Nicotinamide (nih-kuh-TEE’-nuh-myd) is thought to help repair DNA in cells damaged by sun exposure. It is not the same as nicotine, the addictive stuff in tobacco. It’s also not the same as niacin and some other forms of B3, which can cause flushing, headaches and blood pressure problems.

Those problems were not seen with nicotinamide in the study.

Nicotinamide is sold over the counter, is

easy to take, and “there are essentially no side effects,” Schilsky said.

However, it might be a little tough to find.

A check of one major drugstore chain found only other forms of B3, such as niacin, or combination B vitamins. Online, some retailers offered nicotinamide for prices ranging from a nickel to a dollar a tablet, sometimes

combined with other things.

Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council funded the study.

Information on vitamin/cancer evidence can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ktuquta.

Lear n more about skin cancer at www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer/index.

— AP

These drinks may protect your skin Sunscreen is the first line of defense against sun damage (experts say slather on an ounce — about a palmful — of SPF 30 or higher and re-apply every two hours).

But now it has some help. New research suggests that these beverages may also deliver nutrients that protect your skin:

skin cancer) than those who don’t.

Moreover, the risk was lowest for those who drank the most — three cups a day lowered risk by 20 percent in women and 9 percent in men. Researcher Fengju Song, Ph.D., thinks the caffeine in coffee helps reduce potentially-cancerous UV-damaged cells by stimulating them to naturally die off.

Green tea Study results published in the Journal of Nutrition found that women who drank four cups of green tea per day for 12 weeks lowered their risk of sunburn by 25 percent. Plus their skin density and elasticity — qualities that make skin look younger — improved.

According to the 2011 study, powerful antioxidants in green tea called catechins absorb UV light, protecting the skin.

Coffee That morning cup of coffee can do more than boost your energy. A 2011 study out of Harvard Medical School found that people who drink coffee are less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma (the most common type of nonmelanoma

Red wine Although white wine might be your summer sip of choice, preliminary research out of the University of Barcelona points to a new reason to choose red. Researchers found that proanthocyanidins, antioxidants found in red grapes, may help prevent oxidative reactions in your skin.

Oxidative reactions, often stemming from sun exposure, can damage and kill cells, which in turn may lead to sunburns, wrinkles and possibly skin cancer. Before you pour yourself another glass, though, remember that the recommended cap on alcoholic beverages is one a day for women, two for men.

— EatingWell

Cocoa improves thinking skills, memory Chocolate is more than just a tempting treat. Certain compounds in chocolate, called cocoa flavanols, have been shown to boost health. But that doesn’t mean you should start loading up on the sweets.

“Consuming cocoa flavanols in chocolate is tricky. You need to understand the risks and benefits first,” said Dr. Miguel Alonso-Alonso, a neuroscientist at Har-

vard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Mass.

Magic beans Flavanols are a type of plant nutrient found in many foods and drinks — such as tea, red wine, blueberries, apples, pears, cherries, and nuts. They’re particularly abundant in cacao beans, which are

the seeds of the cacao tree. Fermenting, drying and roasting cacao beans yields cocoa powder, which is used to make chocolate.

Flavanols in cocoa have been studied for many years. They’ve been shown to help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the brain and heart, prevent blood clots, and fight cell damage. They’ve also been

shown to help thinking skills.

A study published in the February 2015 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that older adults with normal thinking skills who consumed between 500 and 900 milligrams (mg.) of cocoa flavanols every day for eight weeks made significant See COCOA, page 5

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Other sources of cocoa flavanols include baking and beverage cocoa from the grocery store, and “fortified” supplements and powders from health food stores.

But be careful: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not review and approve dietary supplements based on their safety and effectiveness. Consumer groups studying the amounts of cocoa flavanols in products have found that the actual amount in supplements and cocoa powders varies widely.

Alonso-Alonso said it’s best to get cocoa flavanols from unsweetened cocoa powder that has not been processed using the Dutch method. The label may state that it’s not Dutch processed or simply that it’s natural cocoa, but if it said “alkalized” or “Dutch processed,” look for another brand. It should come from a major manufacturer and guarantee at least 200 mg. of cocoa flavanols per serving. It will have a bitter taste, but it may have sweet results. © 2015. President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Since cocoa flavanols are so beneficial, it would seem that you should add chocolate to your daily diet. But you must use caution. The amount of cocoa used in chocolate varies by manufacturer, and flavanols are often destroyed in the production of chocolate.

Remember, too, that chocolate candies are high in sugar and saturated fat. Adding chocolates to your diet without taking out other foods can lead to weight gain, which may cancel out any health benefit. In addition, too much saturated fat can raise blood levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol.

In the U.S., there are not yet recommendations for daily consumption of cocoa flavanols. But the European Food Safety Authority concluded that 200 mg. of cocoa flavanols per day is a good target for the general population. Alonso-Alonso agrees that 200 mg. can help maintain a healthy blood circulation.

To find out how much you’re getting, though, you’ll have to do some detective work about the source of your cocoa flavanols, especially in chocolate. The amount of flavanols in chocolate is not always listed.

While as a general rule dark chocolate has more cocoa and therefore more fla-

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Not all chocolate is healthful

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improvements on tests that measured attention, executive function and memory.

A similar study in 2012 showed that daily consumption of cocoa flavanols was associated with improved thinking skills in older adults who had cognitive problems.

“From laboratory and animal studies, we know that flavanols facilitate brain cell connections and survival, and protect brain cells from toxins or the harmful effects of inflammation,” said Alonso-Alonso.

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From page 4

vanols than milk chocolate, the amount can vary enormously depending on how the chocolate has been processed.

If you can, avoid chocolate that’s been processed with the Dutch method — which includes alkali to reduce acidity, but reduces the flavanol content. The ingredients in “Dutched” chocolate will list cocoa processed with alkali.

If a chocolate bar doesn’t list the cocoa flavanol amount, see if it lists the concentration of what’s called “cacao.” Generally, dark chocolate with a higher concentration of cacao contains more cocoa flavanols. And remember that chocolate candies containing caramel, marshmallow and other flavorings add no more flavanols — just more calories.

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Cocoa

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Health Shorts Blood test may replace cancer biopsies for some A new type of blood test in the U.S. is starting to transform cancer treatment, sparing some patients the surgical and needle biopsies long needed to guide their care.

The tests, called liquid biopsies, capture cancer cells or DNA that tumors shed into the blood, instead of taking tissue from the tumor itself. A lot is still unknown about the value of these tests, but many doctors think they are a big advance that could make personalized medicine possible for far more people.

They give the first noninvasive way to re-

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

peatedly sample a cancer so doctors can profile its genes, target drugs to mutations, tell quickly whether treatment is working, and adjust it as the cancer evolves.

Two years ago, these tests were rarely used except in research. Now, several are sold, more than a dozen are in development, and some doctors are using them in routine care.

The huge potential for these tests is clear. The problem: There are no big, definitive studies to show they help patients, how accurate they are, which type is best, or who should get them and when.

Still, patients do better when drugs are matched to their tumors, and liquid biopsies may give a practical way to do that more often.

“I’m really excited about all of this,” said Dr. Razelle Kurzrock, a University of California, San Diego cancer specialist. “I spent most of my life giving drugs that were useless to people” because there was

no good way to tell who would benefit, or quickly tell when one wasn’t working, she said. “This is so much better.”

— AP

Competency tests for older doctors?

Unlike U.S. pilots, military personnel and a few other professions where mistakes can be deadly, doctors have no mandatory retirement age. All doctors must meet state licensing requirements, and some hospitals require age-based screening. But there are no national mandates or guidelines on how to make sure older physicians can still do their jobs safely.

It’s time to change that, according to a new report by an American Medical Association council that says doctors themselves should help decide when one of their own needs to stop working.

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The report notes that the number of U.S. physicians aged 65 and older has quadrupled since 1975 and now numbers 240,000 — one-fourth of all U.S. doctors — although not all still see patients.

The report asks the AMA to spearhead a doctor-led effort to develop national guidelines and screening methods.

The AMA’s Council on Medical Education wrote the report and says “physicians should be allowed to remain in practice as long as patient safety is not endangered.” But physicians should develop guidelines and standards for monitoring and assessing both their own and their colleagues’ competency.

Doing so “may head off a call for mandatory retirement ages or imposition of guidelines by others,” the council’s report says.

Typical age-related changes in hearing, vision, memory and motor skills could potentially affect physicians’ competence, the report says, but notes there is no evidence that directly links these changes to worse outcomes for patients.

While some physicians think they will know when it’s time to hang up the stethoscope, the report says evidence disputes that.

It’s a touchy topic for older doctors, and not all welcome the prospect of extra scrutiny.

“I don’t myself have any doubts about my competency and I don’t need the AMA or anybody else to test me,” said Dr. William Nyhan, an 89-year-old pediatrician, genetics researcher, runner and tennis player who works with the University of California, San Diego and a children’s hospital there.

“There are a lot of people overlooking my activities” already, he said. “This is a litigious society — if we were making mistakes, we’d be sued.”

The University of Virginia Health System and Stanford Health Care, at Stanford University, are among institutions that require additional scrutiny of older doctors.

The University of Virginia’s screening began in 2011 for doctors and some other medical staff starting at age 70. It involves physical and cognitive exams every two years.

“The vast majority of them score very well,” said Dr. Scott Syverud, chair of the university medical center’s credentials committee.

Those who don’t “can choose to cut down their practice or even to retire,” Syverud said, although he declined to say if any have been deemed incompetent.

— AP

More is better in breast cancer surgery Having a little extra tissue taken off during breast cancer surgery greatly lowers the risk that some cancer will be left behind and require a second operation, according to a new study that could change care for more than 100,000 women in the United States alone each year.

S TAY S See HEALTH SHORTS, page 9

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Groundbreaking Heralds Start of Construction on 70-bed, Dedicated Rehabilitation Facility xcitement was high when Brooke Grove Retirement Village recently broke ground for a new, 70-bed, dedicated rehabilitation facility that will replace Sharon wing at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (BGRNC). The $25 million project will add an additional 77,000 square feet to BGRNC and will increase capacity to 190 beds.

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The rehabilitation facility is designed to meet the post-acute needs of the growing aging population in BGRV’s service area.

Equipment and technology upgrades will ultimately optimize the rehabilitation potential of those in BGRNC’s care, shorten lengths of stay and reduce expenditures by the Medicare program.

“We live to provide an environment and corporate culture that allow us to share intimate spaces with those in our care in a way that allows people to thrive,” said Brooke Grove Foundation (BGF) Vice President of Operations Dennis Hunter, who will oversee the project. “Brooke Grove was founded to care for people. It’s in our DNA. We live and breathe to care for people. That’s where my heart is — and where the heart of every committed person here is too.”

“We aim to be the provider of choice in this community, in this county and beyond,” added BGF President Keith Gibb. “At the end of the day, though, a building — even a really cool building — is still just a building,” and it is the people and environment that make the biggest difference. Mr. Gibb shared the story of Bill Rosenberger, who sustained multiple, life-threatening injuries as a result of a head-on collision with a drunk driver in 2008. After spending four months in Maryland Shock Trauma and another acute care facility, he transferred to BGRNC. “Bill said that the exceptional care and rehabilitation he received helped with recovery, and the serene surroundings were extremely important and therapeutic as well. He is able to stand here and help us break the ground today as one of Brooke Grove’s real success stories.”

District 14 Delegate Craig Zucker presented a check for state bond bill funding for the project in the amount of $150,000 before joining BGF board and management team members, Mr. Rosenberger, and project partners from Morgan-Keller Construction; M&T Bank; and Reese, Lower Patrick and Scott for the ceremonial “turning of the dirt” to mark the beginning of construction. The grand opening of the new facility is slated for 2017.

The new facility will include state-of-the-art equipment and technology to optimize the rehabilitation potential of those in BGRNC's care.

For more information about Brooke Grove, call

301-260-2320 18131 Slade School Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860

www.bgf.org

8

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WWII vets From page 1

Remembering Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor survivor Pesek, also 97, said in a recent interview that while he tries not to remember the day that President Franklin Roosevelt said “will live in infamy,” it never leaves his mind. “I still think of friends who didn’t make it” on that day.

After reaching the Hicam Field barracks, he and a friend, Joe Barrett, had to hit the ground several times to avoid bombs as they ran across the parade grounds to a line of hangars.

On their way, “We ran into Dave Jacobson and three other guys trying to set up an old World War I water-cooled machine gun,” he said. He and his friend helped them put up the tripod to hold the gun.

Shortly after Pesek and Barrett left, they learned that “Dave and his crew took a direct hit that blew them to bits.” The

only way they identified Jacobson, said Pesek, was “by finding a section of Dave’s finger with his ring still in place.”

“I believe had there not been a lull in the strafing, we would have stayed right there [with them]. But I guess it was not to be.”

Pesek, who was raised in Auburn, N.Y., enlisted in 1939. “The people I talked to at the gas station where I worked, many who were World War I vets, all said there was another war coming on, and I figured I might as well join up.”

On VJ Day, Pesek was in China with the famous Flying Tigers air combat unit. “We all knew about the atom bomb being dropped [a few days before] and that the war would soon end. We were happy when it was all over,” he remembered 70 years later.

Pesek retired from the Air Force in 1960, as a lieutenant colonel. Like Holdredge, he resides at the Heartland facility in Ellicott City, where he lives with Georgiana, his wife of 69 years.

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Joining the Navy WAVES Francis Lynch had to wait until 1944, when she reached her 21st birthday, to join up as a Navy WAVE. She was raring to go when the war started — but at the time, she needed the signature of her parents, and they did not want her going into the military.

“They couldn’t quite understand that [enlisting] was very important to me,” said Lynch, who is 92 and lives at the Vantage House retirement community in Columbia. “I wanted to join for patriotic reasons,” she said, noting that the women who joined the service (there were approximately 400,000 of them) freed the men from desk jobs to fight the enemy.

Lynch served from 1944 to 1949, becoming a yeoman first class while doing clerical and secretarial work at the Navy base in Cape May, N.J. Soon after her enlistment, her parents came around to realizing she was doing important work.

“They were very proud of me.”

She recalled VJ Day at the base and in

the surrounding communities when “mothers came out of their houses, hugging one another and crying, knowing their children would be coming back home. It was a wonderful scene.”

Her five years spent as a WAVE “was an experience that shaped my life and made me a better citizen,” said Lynch, a New Jersey native and the mother of four.

“Women proved during the war that they could handle so many jobs that previously only men were allowed to do. I was privileged to serve my country,” she said.

A meeting with Patton Donald Eddy, 91, another Heartlands resident who took part in the Second World War, was born and raised near Morgantown, W.V. Serving from 1943 to 1946, Eddy saw action as part of the 94th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge.

That well-known battle took place in Belgium’s Ardennes Forest, where the German Army made a last ditch offensive in the last days of December 1944 and the beginning of January 1945. They both inflicted and suffered heavy casualties, holding the Allies at bay for several weeks before retreating to their own country, then surrendering in May 1945.

After the battle, Eddy was in Dusseldorf, where he was wounded when a rock bounced under the back of his helmeted head during a German “screaming Mimi” rocket attack. He was taken to a nearby hospital.

The 94th Infantry was part of the U.S. 3rd Army, which happened to be commanded by Gen. George Patton. One day, Eddy recalled, “I see sitting on the side of my bed this guy who looks like Gen. Patton. He asked me, ‘What are you doing here?’”

“I answered him: ‘I got hit in the head with a rock.’”

“He asked: ‘Are you doing OK?’” “I said, ‘So far.’”

“He looked at my wound, which wasn’t really bad, then said, ‘Well, Mr. Eddy, no Purple Heart for you.’

“I told him, “I didn’t come over here to get one.’”

Eddy said that Patton also denied to him (and others) the report that he had slapped two soldiers suffering from “shell shock” during previous hospital visits. The incidents, however, were well-documented and led then-Army Chief in Europe Dwight Eisenhower to order the fierce fighting general to apologize to the two soldiers and to the hospital staffs, which he reportedly did, reluctantly.

Prisoner of war Sam Dalfonso, 92, a WWII vet from Baltimore, was drafted into the Army in 1943.

Among his indelible memories of the time were the six months he spent as a prisoner of war in Germany.

Dalfonso shipped out to the European theater in December, 1944, six months after the D-Day invasion of Europe. He was a private in the 84th Infantry Division, which See WWII VETS, page 9

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 — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

Health shorts From page 6 Women having a lump removed dread learning there was a positive margin, an area at the edge of the tumor that looked healthy but turned out to harbor cancer when studied later. There are no good ways to tell during the surgery whether the doctor has gotten it all.

The new study tested cavity shaving — routinely removing an extra thin slice all around the margins — as a way to lower this risk.

“With a very simple technique of taking a little more tissue at the first operation we can reduce the chances that somebody would

WWII vets From page 8 fought along the Siegfried Line — a principal German defense fortification that stretched more than 390 miles from the Netherlands down to the German border with Switzerland. It was equipped with over 18,000 bunkers, tunnels and tank traps.

“While we were in this small German town we had captured near the line, German tanks rolled back in at three in the morning and captured 32 of us,” Dalfonso recalled.

“We were put into a box car, the same type used to transport concentration camp victims, and spent five days in there being taken to a POW camp, Stalag II-A, near New Brandenburg.”

Dalfonso spent his time in the camp on a work gang fixing railroad tracks (a considerable irony as he later had a civilian career with the Pennsylvania Railroad and Amtrak). The prisoners were fed morsels of black bread (one loaf divided among seven) and “soup that tasted like it was made from horse meat.”

The German guards more or less knew they were losing the war, so the Ameri-

need to go back to the operating room a second time by 50 percent,” said the study leader, Yale Cancer Center’s Dr. Anees Chagpar. “When you think about the emotional impact, let alone the economic impact, of those second surgeries, that’s a big deal.”

The study rigorously tested cavity shaving. First, 235 women were given the usual surgery and while they were still in the operating room, doctors opened letters telling them what to do next. Roughly half of the women were randomly assigned to get the extra cavity shave.

Only 10 percent of those who had extra tissue removed needed a second surgery versus 21 percent of the others. There was no difference in how women in the groups cans were not treated harshly, said Dalfonso. However, when a Jewish prisoner was not returned from work detail one day, Dalfonso said, other POWs reminded the Nazi guards that “one day the war would end, and you will be held accountable.”

The Jewish GI was returned to his companions shortly afterwards.

Dalfonso noted that as the Russians were advancing close to the camp, the German guards left the gate open for the POWs to take off, “which, rather than be with the Russians, some of us did.”

He and his fellow escapees walked through heavily wooded areas for five days before coming in contact with a British tank corps. They were taken to British headquarters, then turned over to American forces and shipped back to the states.

Sometime during that period, the Germans surrendered. Dalfonso doesn’t remember what he was doing that day. But he said he will always remember his overall two years, nine months in the Army, including ample time in combat, of which he would rather not speak.

“I’ll never forget those years,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to forget them.”

regarded their cosmetic results.

The study could change practice, said Dr. Deanna Attai, a University of California, Los Angeles surgeon who is president of

the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

“We now have much stronger evidence than we’ve ever had” that it helps, she said.

— AP

BEACON BITS

Aug. 17

AARP DRIVER SAFETY COURSE

The Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center will host a refresher safety course for drivers ages 50 and over on Monday, Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fees are $15 for AARP members; $20 for nonmembers. The Wellness Center is located at 10710 Charter Dr. in Columbia. For more information, call (410) 740-7601.

Ongoing

9

PAID MEMORY STUDY

A Johns Hopkins Medicine-approved program is looking for healthy male and female volunteers between the ages of 18 and 75 for a research study on short-term memory. The project involves one visit lasting two to three hours of testing using computerized games and eye tracking. Payment is $20 per hour. For more information, call (410) 502-4664.

10

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

11

Timing of vitamins, minerals can be critical We are better off getting our nutrients Taking some medicines too late in the day from healthy foods and beverages. But di- will make you wide-eyed at 3 a.m.! Interacetary supplements can fill a tions with minerals can defeat nutritional gap. the purpose of taking medicaIt’s confusing to know when tions. you should take certain nutriSince there are thousands of ents, especially the minerals medications and supplements, I which can bind or “chelate” obviously can’t cover them all with a lot of different medicahere, but I’ll hit the big catetions. It’s also difficult to time gories. When you’re done readyour supplements around ing today’s column, visit my meals and medications. website (suzycohen.com) and Over the years, I’ve used sign up for my newsletter so DEAR my own vitamin list to help me you will receive the longer verPHARMACIST remember when and how to sion of this article, along with a

By Suzy Cohen take supplements. I think it sample “Vitamin List” that you could help you, especially if can adapt and use for your own you have to take a lot of different things. regimen.

You can download my form for free at my Medicines and supplements that are website and fill in the blanks with your own best taken in the morning: supplements. This cheat sheet will help you Thyroid medication stay on track.

Modafinil (Provigil) As a pharmacist, it’s kind of in my blood to Stimulants (Ritalin, Concerta, Adderal) “approach with caution,” and I don’t necesDiuretics like HCTZ, furosemide, dansarily mean pharmaceuticals. Supplements delion, berberine, neem, green tea (the high quality ones that really work) will Osteoporosis drugs (Boniva, Fosamax, act in your body exactly like a drug, and the etc.) timing of ingestion affects their efficacy.

Medicines and supplements that Before you embark on any supplement are best taken with food: regimen, I suggest you ask a holistic-minded Mineral supplements (iodine, magnepractitioner what is right for you, giving con- sium, calcium, iron) sideration to your allergies, your liver, kidVitamin A, D, E or K (fat-soluble vitamins) ney function and even genetic mutations.

Anti-fungals By learning all you can about vitamins CoQ10 and minerals, you can make better choices Probiotics can usually be taken anytime about dosages. There are times when I Medicines and supplements that are need to dump out half of one capsule to get best taken in the evening or bedtime: a lower dose, and other times I will take Diphenhydramine more than what is typically recommended.

Aspirin Each of us is unique.

Magnesium Today, I will teach you more about timAshwagandha ing your medications and supplements so Goto kola you can optimize effect and minimize risk.

Skullcap

Muscle relaxants Statin cholesterol reducers ACE inhibitors (like enalapril) ARB class of blood pressure pills (candesartan, etc) Do NOT combine: Vitamin K or ginkgo with anticoagulants Folate with methotrexate or phenytoin Minerals or dairy foods with minocycline or doxycycline Grapefruit or pomegranate foods/supplements with statins Chocolate with Nardil

Licorice extract with digoxin or HCTZ HCTZ with vitamin D (raises calcium too much) 5-HTP with any antidepressant St. John’s wort with any antidepressant This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Who makes first move when both are shy?

Dear Solutions: I am basically shy and also have a hard time making a real commitment to someone. It seems I’m always unsure.

Now I met a man who I really like, but I’m told by friends that he’s shy, too, and also has trouble with commitment. We’ve been seeing each other for quite a while now, and I know the feelings are mutual. But I don’t say anything, and neither does he.

I want this relationship to move forward seriously, but I’m afraid to say anything. We really get along very well and seem to have much in common.

Do you think it will spoil things if I say something to him about being serious?

— Joan

Dear Joan: Indeed you do have something in common — fear. Sounds like you’re in a race to see who won’t speak first!

If you want forward motion but won’t do anything, the winner will be the loser — you — because this is a race where everyone stands still.

Move! Take the risk. Say what you want.

If you’re sure of your feelings and are pretty sure of his, you have nothing to lose but your uncertainty. And if you don’t get what you want? Well, you’re not getting it now, are you?

Dear Solutions: Almost every time that I invite my husband’s older son and family to a holiday dinner or Father’s Day or

something, he finds an excuse not to so frustrating for me when I’m waiting come. I’m sure my husband feels bad around for her, and embarrassing if about this, but he never she’s supposed to meet says anything. I know it other people with me. Any makes me angry. suggestions?

We’re in a second mar— Lisa riage, so I haven’t said anyDear Lisa: thing to my husband or to So you’re the “punctual” his son. Should I speak to one. You must be very lonely. my husband about how I After all, waiting around alone feel or just stay out of it? for someone is sad and infuri— Janice ating I’m sure.

Dear Janice: I don’t know that you can Give your husband a SOLUTIONS get someone like that to chance to speak — and then By Helen Oxenberg, change, but at least make it stay out of it. Ask him what he MSW, ACSW more comfortable for yourthinks about this — what he self. Reverse the order. Figure would like to say to his son — and then out how late she’s going to be, and don’t stay out of it. get there until you know she’s there. Let He may never say it to his son, but being her do the lonely waiting. able to express it somewhere will help him Also when you’re meeting with other to get it out of his system. Try it — and people and she’s late, introduce her as “the then stay out of it! late Ms. whatever,” because she is dead Dear Solutions: wrong!

I was trained when I was a kid to al© Helen Oxenberg, 2015. Questions to be ways be on time, so I am. I have at considered for this column may be sent to: least one friend who is never on time, The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, even though she always has an excuse MD 20915. You may also email the author and always promises to be on time. at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about I don’t want to give her up, but it’s reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 20

SAFETY TIPS FOR SENIORS

Elkridge 50+ Center presents a free police lecture covering safety precautions at home, shopping and on the road on Thursday, Aug. 20. The program begins at 10 p.m. at the center, located at 6540 Washington Blvd. in Elkridge. For more information, call (410) 313-5192.

Ongoing

CHECK OUT THOSE CONTRACTORS

The Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) reminds residents to always check a home improvement contractor’s license and complaint history by calling the commission office at (410) 230-6309 or toll-free at 1-888-218-5925.

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 — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

Health Studies Page

13

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Join a landmark Alzheimer’s prevention study

By Lauran Neergaard Sticky plaque gets the most attention, but now healthy seniors at risk of Alzheimer’s are letting scientists peek into their brains to see if another culprit is lurking.

No one knows what actually causes Alzheimer’s, but the suspects are its two hallmarks — the gunky amyloid in those brain plaques, or tangles of a protein named tau that clog dying brain cells. New imaging can spot those tangles in living brains, providing a chance to finally better understand what triggers dementia.

Now researchers are adding tau brain scans to an ambitious study that’s testing if an experimental drug might help healthy but at-risk people stave off Alzheimer’s.

Whether that medication works or not, it’s the first drug study where scientists can track how both of Alzheimer’s signature markers begin building up in older adults before memory ever slips.

“We are thrilled and excited to be participating in this crucial trial for preventing Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Paul B. Rosenberg, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University and principal investigator at Johns Hopkins for the new Alzheimer’s trial, known as the A4 study.

“Amyloid imaging has made it possible to identify people who are functioning well but have amyloid in their brains, and we believe the amyloid is being deposited 10 to 20 years before the first symptom.

“This provides a window of opportunity for prevention of Alzheimer’s, and A4 is targeting just that window. I think this is the right treatment for the right people at the right time, and a very timely trial,” Rosenberg said.

In addition to Johns Hopkins University, the study is being conducted at two locations in Washington, D.C. (Georgetown and Howard Universities) and more than 60 sites altogether across the country.

Stopping disease before it starts The A4 study — it stands for Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s — aims to enroll 1,000 healthy seniors like Judith Chase Gilbert, 77, of Arlington, Va. The recently retired government worker is mentally sharp but learned through the study that her brain harbors amyloid buildup that might increase her risk. In May, researchers slid Gilbert into a doughnut-shaped PET scanner as she became one of the first study participants to also have their brains scanned for tau.

“We know that tau starts entering the picture at some point, and we do not know when. We do not know how that interaction happens. We should know,’’ said chief science officer Maria Carrillo of the Alzheimer’s Association, which is pushing to add tau scans to other dementia research, too.

More than 35 million people worldwide have Alzheimer’s or similar dementias, including about 5 million in the U.S. Those numbers are expected to rise rapidly as the baby boomers get older.

There is no good treatment. Today’s medications only temporarily ease symptoms, and attempts at new drugs, mostly targeted at sticky amyloid, have failed in recent years.

Maybe that’s because treatment didn’t start early enough. Scientists now think Alzheimer’s begins quietly ravaging the brain more than a decade before symptoms appear, much like heart disease is triggered by

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gradual cholesterol buildup. Brain scans show many healthy older adults quietly harbor those sticky amyloid plaques: Not a guarantee that they’ll eventually get Alzheimer’s, but an increased risk.

Yet more recent research, including a large autopsy study from the Mayo Clinic, suggests that Alzheimer’s other bad actor —

that tangle-forming tau protein — also plays a big role. The newest theory: Amyloid sparks a smoldering risk, but later spread of toxic tau speeds the brain destruction.

Normal tau acts sort of like railroad tracks to help nerve cells transport food and See ALZHEIMER’S STUDY, page 14

Seeking Men and Women The University of Maryland & Veterans Affairs of Baltimore are conducting a research study to better understand balance & prevent falls as we age.

With your participation you will receive: • Health evaluation • Balance, step, strength, and/or flexibility exercises • Compensation for your time

For Information, please call the Baltimore VA/University of Maryland Gerontology Recruitment Phone Line

410-605-7179 Mention code: LIFT *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 for approximately 41 visits for 1 to 4 hours of time per visit

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Alzheimer’s study From page 13 other molecules. But in Alzheimer’s, the protein’s strands collapse into tangles, and eventually the cell dies. Most healthy people have a small amount of dysfunctional tau in one part of the brain by their 70s, Sperling said. But amyloid plaques somehow encourage this bad tau to spread toward the brain’s memory center, she explained.

The A4 study, which is enrolling participants in the U.S., Australia and Canada, may give some clues. The $140 million study is funded by the National Institutes of Health, Lilly and others. The Alzheimer’s Association helped fund the addition of the tau scans.

Taking part in the study To qualify for the study, participants must be ages 65 to 85 and have normal thinking and memory abilities. Those who enroll will be given a PET scan to check for amyloid. People who do not show evi-

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dence of elevated amyloid in their brains will not be able to participate in the main study, but may be able to participate in a separate study where they will complete memory tests every six months to compare changes in cognition over time.

Those in the primary study will be checked for tau three times over the threeyear study, as researchers tease out when and how it forms in those who are still healthy. They won’t be told the results — scientists don’t know enough yet about what the scans portend.

At the same time, study participants will be chosen randomly to receive either an experimental anti-amyloid drug — Eli Lilly & Co.’s solanezumab — or a placebo (an inactive substance) as researchers track their memory. The drug or placebo is administered through an IV infusion that takes up to one hour. Those in the study will receive the infusion once a month for three years.

If the drug proves to be helpful, it might be tamping down amyloid formation, which in turn reins in toxic tau. In previous studies, solanezumab failed to help full-blown Alzheimer’s but appeared to slow mental decline in patients with mild disease, raising interest in testing the still healthy.

“We’re trying to remove amyloid’s downstream effects on tau formation,’’ said Dr. R. Scott Turner of Georgetown University Medical Center, where Gilbert enrolled in the study.

Seeing how amyloid and tau interact in living brains “is opening a whole new chapter into possible therapies,’’ Turner added.

For Gilbert, learning she had amyloid buildup “was distressing,’’ but it has prompted her to take extra steps, in addition to the study, to protect her brain. On her doctor’s advice, she’s exercising more, and exercising her brain in a new way by buying a keyboard to start piano lessons.

“It’s exciting to be part of something that’s cutting edge,’’ said Gilbert, who had never heard of tau before.

And she has a spot-on question: “So what’s the medication for the tau?’’

Stay tuned: A handful of drugs to target tau also are in development, but testing will take several years.

To learn more about the study, go to www.a4study.org.

Johns Hopkins University is seeking individuals for the A4 study and other trials in Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias.

The studies take place mainly at the Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center at the Bayview Campus.

Compensation may be offered to study participants for time and travel. For more information, email Sarah Woody Lawrence at swoody1@jhmi.edu or call her at (410) 550-9020.

For information about the study at Georgetown University, email ec912@georgetown.edu or call Erica Christian at (202) 687-8800.

The Howard University site contact is Saba Wolday at swolday@howard.edu or (202) 8657895.

AP, with additional reporting by Carol Sorgen

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

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Say you saw it in the Beacon

Senior

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NEWS and EVENTS from the Howard County Office on Aging

Connection

Department of Citizen Services

Volume 5, No. 8 • August 2015

A Message from

Starr P. Sowers Administrator, Howard County Office on Aging

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s we continue our efforts to meet the changing needs and attitudes of Howard County’s older adults, the Office on Aging has announced that our network of senior centers will now be called 50+ Centers. The renaming and future branding of the centers has been undertaken to attract those who may not have engaged with the centers in the past, but would benefit from their services. This is in line with the priorities of our Master Plan for Aging Services.

Of course, we will continue our dedication to serve those that we have always served, in centers and through other programming. No matter what they are called, our centers will always play an essential role in the delivery of services for older adults. Our greatest aspiration is to develop new and expanded centers that will incorporate a greater choice of both programs and services.

As an example, the Ellicott City 50+ Center has expanded to include the 50+ Fitness Center. The Fitness Center, located on the site of the former Miller Library at 9411 Frederick Road in Ellicott City, houses an exercise studio, and a state of the art fitness room. Fitness equipment orientations are scheduled throughout the week (see the article in this issue for details). Join us for the official ribbon cutting with County Executive Allan Kittleman on Thursday, September 17, at 11:00 a.m.

Last but not least, I hope to see many friends old and new at Senior Day at the Fair on Tuesday, August 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 4-H Activities Building at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Remember, admission to the fair is free that day for everyone age 62+. Join us for some old-fashioned fun while learning about new services and programs from the Office on Aging and others.

Creating Communities For All Ages 50+EXPO Keynote Speaker Announced

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ajor demographic shifts are having a profound impact on communities and the nature of age relations. Increasing age and racial/ethnic diversity presents both opportunities and challenges for individuals, families, government and non-profit organizations. What are our obligations to each other as we move through the life course? What opportunities and supports do we need at each stage and how can we work together for the common good? How can we combat ageism and foster interdependence across generational divides?

These questions and others will be a topic for discussion at this year’s 50+EXPO as we welcome keynote speaker, Nancy Z. Henkin, Ph.D. Dr. Henkin, founder and former executive director of the Intergenerational Center at Temple University, is a senior fellow at Generations United and an international consultant in intergenerational Nancy Z. Henkin, Ph.D. policy and practice.

Dr. Henkin’s 50+EXPO address will focus on creating a community for all ages, one which views aging as a lifelong journey rather than a time–related event, and recognizes generational commonalities and differences. It is based on a sense of collective rather than individual responsibility for the health and well-being of individuals of all ages. Strong social networks, opportunities for community engagement and lifelong learning, housing and transportation options that address changing needs, high quality support services, and a physical environment that promotes healthy living are some of the characteristics of a community that is all-age friendly.

Join us at the 50+EXPO on Friday, October 16 at Wilde Lake High School as we explore ways to make Howard County a healthy, vital and welcoming place for growing up and growing older.

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The Senior Connection

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Get Fit in Good Company at the 50+ Fitness Center State-of-the-Art Facility Opens in Ellicott City

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ost days, former swimmer Estelle Santana, 60, feels she is in “pretty good shape” — enjoying activities at her local Howard County 50+ Center and keeping up with her grandchildren. But nagging back pain from an injury she suffered while diving on vacation two years ago still crops up from time to time. A recommendation from her chiropractor to try strength training led her to the new Ellicott City 50+ Fitness Center. With low monthly rates for Howard County residents, the fitness center is proving to be a convenient and affordable option for older adults like Estelle and others.

Located within the former Miller Library at 9401 Frederick Road, the Ellicott City 50+ Fitness Center is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Monday and Wednesday evenings until 7:30 p.m. New users are encouraged to sign up for a free, small group orientation which lasts about an hour. Jennifer “Jen” Lee, the Office on Aging’s Exercise Specialist, recently demonstrated the proper technique and form to a group of motivated individuals ranging in age from 60 to 82.

Bernard and Mary Ellen O’Neill plan to attend the new 50+ Fitness Center together a couple of days a week. Mary Ellen, 80, has been attending Zumba classes at the center for some time now to build endurance. “I wanted something we could do together,” she says of her husband, 82, who on this day is watching from a nearby bench.

“He depends on me to get all the information, so I made him attend his own orientation so he would hear it too,” she says, laughing.

Gail Kujuwa, 67, and her husband, Mike, 71, also plan to work out together. After recovering from hip surgery a year ago, Gail tripped and fell, requiring a knee operation. Although feeling a bit unsteady without her walker, she is determined to regain lost strength and mobility. As Gail settles into the seat of the leg extension machine, Mike is by her side with a steadying hand. “I’m gonna be with her all the way,” he says. Jen Lee suggests an alternate handhold, assuring Gail, “If one setting doesn’t feel right, there’s another that will.”

Exercise Specialist Jen Lee, left, makes adjustments to the leg extension machine for Gail Kujuwa, who is recovering from hip and knee surgery and joined the Center to regain strength and mobility.

Making adjustments to accommodate varying physical limitations is just one benefit to attending a fitness center run by the Howard County Office on Aging. Gail’s physician recommended she join a gym, which she and her husband did, but with disappointing results. “We were the oldest people there,” she says, “And they offered the same routine to everyone, whether 17 or 70.”

In contrast, Lee stresses a “train, don’t strain” philosophy. “Muscles should feel warm during a workout; some soreness the next day is normal,” she explains, “But your workout should never feel painful.”

Lee recommends the “talk test” to maximize efforts. “You should be able to hold a conversation while working out; if you can sing a song, increase the intensity.”

After the orientation, the group felt more confident about using the equipment as well as comfortable with one another. Socialization and peer support is another bonus to joining a fitness center. Cindy Fitzpatrick, 59, encouraged her friend Afaf Desouki, 69, to join.

Says Afaf, “Working out together will make it more fun and help us both stay motivated.”

Contact the Ellicott City 50+ Fitness Center at 410-313-0727.

The Senior Connection is published monthly by the Howard County Department of Citizen Services and the Office on Aging.

This publication is available in alternate formats upon request.

To join our subscriber list, email seniorconnection@howardcountymd.gov Howard County Office on Aging, 6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., Columbia, MD 21046 410-313-6410 (VOICE/RELAY) • www.howardcountyaging.org Find us on

Friends and neighbors Afaf Desouki, 69, left, and Cindy Fitzpatrick, 59, work out at the 50+ Fitness Center together several times a week.

www.Facebook.com/HoCoCitizen

Kim Higdon Henry, Senior Connection Editor kahenry@howardcountymd.gov Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the Howard County Office on Aging or by the publisher.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

The Senior Connection

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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Learn How to Protect Yourself From Distraction Burglaries and Other Door-to-Door Scams

by Rebecca Bowman, Administrator, Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs

he Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) and Howard County Police Department are warning residents to be wary of door-to-door solicitors or utility company representatives who make unannounced visits to your home.

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• Don’t feel pressured to make any decisions on the spot. Take the time to research the company and compare prices before agreeing to sign a contract or pay money. Offers that are made on a “now or never” basis are usually either bad deals or scams.

An Ellicott City resident recently reported that someone knocked on her door who claimed to be from a water company, and stated that he needed to read the water meter. A family member of the resident let the person inside, where the suspect distracted him in the basement while other unknown individuals stole clothing, jewelry and money from the home. After a few minutes, the victim became suspicious and forced the suspect to leave the residence.

Residents can report unlicensed solicitors to OCA at 410-313-6420 or the Howard County Police at 410-313-2200. To report suspicious activity to the Police, call 410-313-2200. Dial 911 if the incident is in-progress.

While this is the only reported case in recent months in Howard County, residents should remain alert for this and other door-todoor scams. Summer is prime time for traveling con artists who offer low-cost home improvements, tree trimming or driveway repair but deliver substandard or no service.

OCA and the Police suggest the following tips: • Always ask solicitors to produce their Howard County Peddler/ Solicitor ID card. Licensed solicitors are required to carry their ID cards and show it on request. If they do not have one, ask the person to leave and report the solicitor to the Police or OCA. • Ask for other identification from the company they claim to represent and call the company directly to confirm if they have sent a representative to your area.

• Never let someone you don’t know inside your home until you have verified their identity.

CONSUMER PROTECTION We’ve got you covered.

Take Advantage of US Before Someone Takes Advantage of YOU! Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs 410-313-6420 • consumer@howardcountymd.gov

www.howardcountymd.gov/consumer

SENIOR DAY AT THE FAIR Howard County Fair 2015 FREE ADMISSION for ADULTS 62+

Tuesday, August 11 • 10 am - 3 pm

Thriving After “Living Well” Are You a Living Well Program Graduate? !"#"$%&'!&'()%&*+(,-%&!.&/!$,&+%(0'+&12'+&'+23&.(*202'('%4&-,!$56 • focus on individual progress !!"##$!%&'((#)*#+,+#$!)#-!*.'(+! !!.5#3%."#!+#$6'%7+!

• share successes !!*'/)!'00/1.)'(!2##3!+422.3$ !!3#%&'3*#!".15'1.)!

Visit the Activities Building for Fun Things to Do: • Entertainment and Exhibits • Healthy Aging Programs and Services • Bingo, Games and Prizes • Demonstrations

DON’T MISS SENIOR DAY AT THE FAIR!

Starting Tuesday, September 8 • 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

North Laurel 50+ Center 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel 20723

To register, contact Karen Hull 410-313-7466 (VOICE/RELAY) • khull@howardcountymd.gov If you need accommodations to attend, contact Maryland Access Point (MAP)

at 410-313-5980 or map@howardcountymd.gov

www.howardcountymd.gov/aging

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The Senior Connection

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

August 2015 Calendar of Events Don’t miss these exciting programs and services at one of the dynamic Howard County Office on Aging 50+ Centers near you!

Bain Center Tuesday, August 11 • Noon — FISH FRY Enjoy fish fillets seasoned with herbs and fried to order. Limited seating; pick up tickets at the front desk by August 4. Cost: lunch donation.

Tuesday, August 18 • 10 to 11 a.m. — BRAIN FITNESS-NEUROBICS

Ellicott City 50+ Center Tuesday, August 4 1 to 2:30 p.m. — MEDICARE 101

Improve your cognitive capacity and build your brain capacity. Instructor: Robin Zahor, RN, BSN. FREE; register at 410-313-7213.

Learn how Medicare Parts A (hospital), B (medical) and D (prescription drugs) work, the benefits, and when to make decisions related to your coverage. Sponsored by SHIP. Register at 410-313-7391.

Tuesday, August 25 • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — OPERA LOVER’S LUNCH

Tuesday, August 11 • 1 to 2:30 p.m. — MEDICARE 102

Dr. Sam Stern discusses Rusalka, a dark fairy tale composed in 1900 and Der Zarewitsch (The Czar’s Son) composed by Franz Lehar in 1927. $13; register by August 18 to 410-313-7213.

Learn about Medicare Part C/Health Plans and Medicare Supplement Policies (Medigap Plans), and how to protect yourself from health care fraud. Sponsored by SHIP. Register at 410-313-7391.

Wed., Sept. 23 - Nov. 4 • 1 to 3 p.m. — A MATTER OF BALANCE

Thursday, August 13 • 11:30 a.m. — HOWARD COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT OLDER ADULT SAFETY PROGRAM

This evidence-based program helps reduce fall risks, controls the fear of falling, and increases strength and balance with exercise. $28; register with Wendy Farthing: wfarthing@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-3506.

East Columbia 50+ Center

Pfc. André Lingham, Senior Citizen Liaison, will discuss current safety tips, scams and fraud prevention. Details at 410-313-1400.

Tuesday, August 18 • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — PICTURE THIS

Try your hand at an expert level coloring book. FREE; materials provided.

“Develop” a better relationship with your camera! Sign up for a FREE 30-minute session with your digital SLR camera or smart phone.

Details at 410-313-1400.

Wednesdays in August • Noon — SEVEN UP: THE DOCUMENTARY

Thursday, August 20 • 9:15 a.m. — BRAIN FITNESS

Tuesdays • 10 to 11 a.m. — COME COLOR WITH US

Follow a group of 14 British children from different socio-economic backgrounds through interviews every seven years as they age from seven to 56. Cost: lunch donation.

Robin Zahor R.N., B.S.N. introduces a new brain exercise program to help keep the mind sharp; learn brain games, how to live a more healthy lifestyle and good nutrition decisions. FREE; register at 410-313-1400.

Friday, August 7 • 10 a.m. — TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS

Glenwood 50+ Center

You may have seen them at the center, now come make your own! $5 fee for materials. Register at 410-313-7680.

Tuesday, August 18 • 7 p.m. — LOVE YOUR JOB: THE NEW RULES FOR CAREER HAPPINESS Meet author Kerry Hannon as she unlocks the secret to finding true career happiness at any age. FREE; details at 410-313-7680.

Elkridge 50+ Center Wed. in August • 10:30 a.m. to noon — iPHONE/iPAD CLASSES Have a new phone or tablet or thinking about getting one? Learn how easy it is to use them and have fun! FREE; details at 410-313-5192.

Fridays in August • 1 p.m. — AT THE MOVIES: NEW RELEASES! August 14: Welcome to Me August 28: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel $1 admission; details at 410-313-5440.

Monday, August 10 • 11 a.m. — HISTORY OF BROADWAY Steve Freidman continues this popular series on Rodgers and Hammerstein. FREE; details at 410-313-5440.

Wednesday, August 19 • 9 to 11 a.m. — WAFFLE BAR Join us in the lobby café for waffles with all the toppings, sausage, and juice. FREE; details at 410-313-5440.

Friday, August 28 • 11 a.m. to noon — DRUMMING CIRCLE

HOWARD COUNTY 50+ CENTERS Bain Center ................................5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia .........410-313-7213 East Columbia 50+ Center .........6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia ...........410-313-7680 Elkridge 50+ Center ...................6540 Washington Blvd., Elkridge...........410-313-5192 Ellicott City 50+ Center ..............9401 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City ............410-313-1400 Glenwood 50+ Center ................2400 Route 97, Cooksville ....................410-313-5440 Longwood 50+ Center ...............6150 Foreland Garth, Columbia ............410-313-7217 North Laurel 50+ Center ............9411 Whiskey Bottom Rd., Laurel .........410-313-0380

SENIOR CENTER PLUS SITES Ellicott City Senior Center Plus .......410-313-1425 Glenwood Senior Center Plus .........410-313-5442 North Laurel Senior Center Plus......410-313-7218

Reduce your stress levels using drums and various percussion instruments.

FREE; register at 410-313-5440.

North Laurel 50+ Center Monday, August 10 • 1 to 2 p.m. — TALKIN’ BROADWAY Follow the evolution of Broadway’s rich history through discussion and live song presentation. FREE; details or to sign up at 410-313-0380.

Thursday, August 13 • 10 a.m. to noon — GAMES IN THE GARDEN Share a friendly game of scrabble, dominoes, cards or rummikube in the garden. Refreshments & snacks provided. FREE; sign up at 410-313-0380.

Wednesday, August 19 • 11 a.m. — SUMMERTIME SERENADE Enjoy live music by singer and guitarist, Tom Cooke, followed by lunch at noon. $3 plus lunch contribution (age 60+); register at 410-313-0380.

FOR A FULL LISTING OF EVENTS at our 50+ Centers this month, visit:

www.howardcountyaging.org/50pluscenters

www.howardcountyaging.org/50pluscenters

To request accommodations to participate, call Maryland Access Point (MAP) at 410-313-5980 (voice/relay) one week in advance.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Money Law &

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PROFITABLE HEALTHCARE Healthcare stocks remain a solid bet, but be wary of biotech stocks that rise far and fast JUNK THESE BONDS? As junk bonds fluctuate in popularity, it can be difficult to tell if it’s time to hold or sell these high-yield investments

Alternative funds seek lower-risk returns

By Stan Choe For most of us, investments fall into two simple categories: stocks or bonds.

Some investors are adding an “other” category in their search for possibly safer or better returns. They’re pouring into what the industry calls alternative funds, which are generally bringing hedge-fundlike strategies to the masses. It’s still a niche corner of the market, but nearly $13 billion flowed into alternative funds over the last year, according to Morningstar.

Still, there’s confusion about what these funds do and whether they’re worth the costs they charge over more straightforward index funds.

The Gateway fund is one of the largest and oldest alternative funds in the market.

Managers Mike Buckius and Paul Stewart recently discussed their fund’s strategy.

They invest in stocks, like a traditional stock fund, but they also buy and sell options, which they use to steady returns. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

Q: What’s the broad objective of the fund?

Buckius: We own stocks because they go up most of the time, and we do some things on the management side to smooth the ride out. We’re trying to get a decent amount of the return with a lot less of the risk. That means we have smaller losses in downturns and shorter recovery periods.

In bull markets, we tend to lag, but we still have positive returns.

Q: You’ve historically generated about two thirds of the S&P 500’s returns, but with milder swings. Wouldn’t a diversified portfolio, in which bonds balance out the risk of stocks, be similar?

Stewart: The thing is that the 10-year Treasury yield is hovering around 2 percent (about half what it was a decade ago).

It’s very difficult, nearly impossible, for the bond market to replicate the returns they had over the last 10 years.

Buckius: We’re not investing in bonds, but the problem we’re trying to address is:

How do I manage the risk of my equity portfolio the way bonds have historically done?

Q: So the people coming into your fund are moving money that had been in bonds? Or are they selling stocks instead?

Buckius: I think a little bit of each. People in our fund are a little more on the conservative side, or they’re older and they don’t have the time to accept a three-, fiveor seven-year time horizon to recover their losses from a bear market.

Q: Is there a wrong reason to get into a fund like yours?

Buckius: If you think a market crash is coming. We’re there to cushion that, but we’re not betting against the market. We expect the market to go up over a long period of time. We just don’t want to ride the roller coaster.

Q: So much focus recently has been on keeping fees low. Your fees are maybe triple what an S&P 500 index fund charges.

Stewart: Yes, it’s more expensive than

an index fund. There’s no denying that.

But I would submit we’re doing a lot more work than an index manager.

Q: How much of a portfolio should be in alternatives?

Buckius: We see people having anywhere from 10 to 20 percent either in us or in a portfolio of two or three alternatives.

The thought process behind that is you want to have enough to make a difference, but you still want to have exposure to traditional asset classes. A more aggressive portfolio may have 10 percent in alternatives, while a more conservative one may have as much as 40 percent.

Q: Was it difficult to convince your parents to invest in the fund?

Buckius: I think our parents probably fit the typical profile of someone who invests in us. It would be tougher to convince someone who’s 20 years old and has all the time in the world until they retire. If they have 30 years or more, that’s when they should be taking risks.

— AP

A review of useful freebies for retirees

By Cameron Huddleston Senior discounts abound, making life in retirement a little more affordable. In some cases, though, older adults can get more than just a lower price; some goods and services that appeal to retirees come free of charge.

Here are eight great freebies many retirees can enjoy. Some are available only for those who’ve reached a certain age.

Others are accessible to people of all ages, but can be especially beneficial for retirees living on fixed incomes.

1. Free preventive care The Affordable Care Act of 2010 now requires health insurers to cover certain preventive care — ranging from flu shots to cholesterol screenings — without these services being subject to the policy’s deductible or co-payments. Medicare beneficiaries can also get many preventive benefits without co-payments or deductibles.

The list includes mammograms, screenings for cervical and colorectal cancer, pneumonia shots, and an annual wellness visit and personalized prevention plan. See Medicare’s Preventive and Screening Services, www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs /pdf/10110.pdf, for a full list. You become el-

igible for Medicare at 65.

2. Free prescription drugs Several supermarket pharmacies, including Harris Teeter and Publix, offer select antibiotics, diabetes medications and other generic drugs for free. You might need to enroll in a pharmacy loyalty program to receive the free drugs.

Pharmaceutical companies also offer free and low-cost drugs to low-income people who do not have prescription-drug insurance. You can use the RxAssist database, http://www.rxassist.org/patients, to find free medication through drug companies’ patient assistance programs.

3. Free eye care EyeCare America, a public service program of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, provides free eye exams and up to one year of care for any disease diagnosed during that exam for those who are 65 and older and haven’t seen an eye doctor in three or more years. Visit EyeCareAmerica.org for program guidelines and to see if you qualify.

4. Free education About 60 percent of accredited, degreegranting institutions offer tuition waivers for older adults, according to an American

Council on Education study. State-supported colleges in Maryland and Virginia and some other states offer free tuition.

Some tuition-waiver programs allow credit to be earned for the course, while others only allow the course to be audited.

In Virginia, for example, those who are 60 and over with incomes under $15,000 can get credit. The University of the District of Columbia offers free courses to those 65 and over, but you must pay half of the regular tuition to receive credit.

5. Free tax preparation The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program offers free tax help to all taxpayers, with an emphasis on those 60 and older. Volunteers, who are certified by the IRS, specialize in pension and other retirement-related tax issues. Use the TCE locator tool at http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep to find a site near you.

And AARP Foundation Tax-Aide offers free tax preparation for low- to moderate-income taxpayers, especially those 60 and older, at more than 5,000 locations. Its locator page, at www.aarp.org/applications/VMIS Locator/searchTaxAideLocations.action, is operational only from January through April

15 each year.

6. Free museum admission Most museums offer senior discounts for admission, but a few actually let older adults visit for free on certain days. For example, the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City gives people 65 and older free admission the first Monday of every month.

In Washington, D.C., of course, admission to Smithsonian museums is free for everyone. The same goes for the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.

Several museums offer free admission one day a month to residents of the city, county or state where they’re located. For example, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta offers free admission for Fulton County, Ga., residents the first Saturday of each month, and the Art Institute of Chicago lets Illinois residents visit for free on Thursday evenings. And Bank of America cardholders can gain free admission to more than 150 museums on the first full weekend of every month.

7. Free state park admission Several state park systems — including those in Maryland, New Hampshire, New See FREEBIES, page 20

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Healthcare continues to offer good returns

By Steven Goldberg Healthcare stocks, traditionally defensive investments, are proving to be the market’s best all-weather sector. Since the start of the last bear market on October 9, 2007, Standard & Poor’s Healthcare index has been by far the best performing of S&P’s ten sectors, climbing 140.3 percent, or 12.2 percent annualized.

Over that period, health stocks beat the number two sector, consumer discretionary, by an average of 0.7 percentage point per year, and topped Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index by an average of 5.9 points per year.

Healthcare’s dominance, moreover, is long-lived. The sector held up remarkably well during the 2007-09 bear market. The S&P Healthcare index was the second top sector during the bloodbath, falling 38 percent, compared with a 55.3 percent tumble for the S&P 500.

And since the bear market’s nadir on March 9, 2009, healthcare has returned

287.4 percent, or 24.3 percent annualized.

That beat the S&P 500 by an average of 1.7 percentage points per year.

Endless demand Healthcare has long been one of my favorite stock sectors. Why? Because of the unquenchable demand for healthcare products and services, and the continuing breakthroughs in medical science that further spur demand.

Just ask yourself one question: Would you rather have a new BMW or two more years of life?

That’s why healthcare is the classic defensive sector. Most people don’t cut their health spending much, even during a recession. After all, if you have a heart attack, you’re going to the hospital regardless of the state of your finances.

What’s more, several strong tailwinds have propelled health stocks to record heights. Obamacare has swelled the ranks of

Americans with health insurance by more than 11 million. Aging populations in most of the developed world, including the U.S., are boosting demand for healthcare. Incomes are rising in many emerging countries, further swelling spending on healthcare.

In addition, after a long dry spell during the ‘00s, biotech breakthroughs are now coming at a breakneck pace, and biotech stocks are on a rampage.

But here’s the rub: In the stock market, everything has a price. And major parts of the healthcare sector — biotechnology and some drug companies — have seen their shares rise too far, too fast.

the S&P 500 is 15.5. Yes, many biotech and pharmaceutical companies will see sharply rising earnings in the coming years. But their stock prices already reflect a whole lot of future growth. According to Alec Lucas, a Morningstar analyst, “Scientific breakthroughs can boost stock prices, but they can’t immunize them from sell-offs.”

Stock sectors almost never turn around on a dime when they reach an inflated P/E. More typically, their stocks continue to rise for months or years, becoming increasingly overpriced — and only falling when some catalyst precipitates a sell-off in the sector.

High price-earnings ratios

What to expect in the future

Consider a few price-earnings (P/E) ratios (the ratio of the company’s current share price to its earnings per share). The S&P 500 Healthcare sector boasts a P/E of 19 based on analysts’ earnings estimates for the coming 12 months. The Nasdaq Biotechnology index carries a P/E of 31.

The P/E of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (symbol REGN) is 46, that of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) is 33 and that of Illumina (ILMN) is 58.

By contrast, the long-term average P/E of

What does all this mean for you, the investor? Unfortunately, it’s a complicated picture. The P/Es of many biotech stocks are crazy, and I wouldn’t buy them. Hundreds of companies have developed promising compounds only to have them fail in late-stage trials, often because of deleterious side effects. (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration must find a product to be both safe and effective before approving

Freebies

example, Ride On buses in Montgomery County, Md., offer free rides for those 65 and older from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Pennsylvania Free Transit Program allows people 65 years and older to ride bus, trolley and rapid-transit lines for free with a senior transit identification card (which also is free). Some places, such as Orange County, Calif., offer free community transit programs that help older adults get to select locations. © 2015, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

From page 19 York and Texas — offer older adults free admission or a free annual pass. Some passes require a small processing fee, and some state sites are not included in the admission-fee waiver. Virginia offers several types of annual and lifetime discounted admission and parking passes.

8. Free transportation Some localities and states let older adults ride for free on public transportation. For

&

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

21

High-yield (junk) bonds: hold or sell?

By Stan Choe Don’t know what to make of the junkbond market? Join the club.

One month, dollars are flooding into junk-bond mutual funds and exchangetraded funds. The next, dollars are pouring out the opposite direction.

Consternation is nothing new for this part of the market: Junk bonds are essentially loans made to companies with poor credit ratings, and they have to offer relatively big yields to attract investors.

But skittishness has been particularly high recently, with $9.3 billion fleeing junk-bond funds in December only for $9.6 billion to go right back in two months later.

Since then, flows have continued to be erratic into and out of junk-bond funds, which are also called high-yield bond funds. Several factors worry investors. The biggest is the threat of rising interest rates, which would knock down the price of all kinds of bonds.

Last year’s plummet in the price of crude was also a big scare, because oil producers make up a big part of the high-yield market.

In addition, skeptics are warning about the high number of “tourists” in junk- bond funds. These are investors who would otherwise put their money in investmentgrade bonds but are desperate for higher yields. They could quickly abandon junk bonds en masse, driving down values.

Doing well this year Even with all the jitters, junk bonds have produced better returns this year than most other parts of the bond market. The average high-yield bond mutual fund has posted a return of 3.7 percent, versus 1 percent for intermediate-term bond funds, the largest bond-fund category by assets.

If interest rates continue to rise gradually and if the economy avoids a recession — and granted, those are significant ifs — many strategists say junk bonds can continue to outperform the rest of the bond market.

“Right now, you’re getting paid for the risk of owning high-yield debt,” said Jim Kochan, chief fixed-income strategist for Wells Fargo Funds Management. That hasn’t always been the case, he said, citing periods when junk-bond yields weren’t high enough to make up for their riskiness, such as before the Great Recession and last summer.

“If the high-yield market gets too expensive, like it was in 2007 and in June of 2014, it’s due for a correction. But it’s not that expensive now,” he said.

To judge whether junk bonds are expensive, one factor to consider is how much more interest they pay over high-quality bonds. Yields for junk bonds are generally around 6 percent today. That’s not as much as they have been historically, but strategists say they’re still comfortably above what

high-quality bonds are paying. The 10-year Treasury note has a yield of 2.10 percent.

Effect of higher interest rates Because of that cushion, Kochan and others say high-yield bonds can better withstand a gradual rise in interest rates. It’s a key question because the Federal Reserve is expected to raise its benchmark short-term interest rate from its record low later this year. Rising rates drag down prices of bonds that have already been issued because their

yields suddenly look less attractive.

Prices for junk bonds would also fall as rates rose, but the increased income that they pay could help protect total returns. And given how wide the gap is between the yields of junk and investment-grade bonds, the cushion has room to shrink. If that were to happen, price drops could be less severe for junk bonds than for investment-grade bonds.

Defaults, another traditional fear for junkSee JUNK BONDS, page 22

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Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Good returns From page 20 its use.) Hundreds of other biotech companies have simply run out of money.

But future growth in healthcare spending is inevitable, and some of these biotech firms will hit pay dirt. Shares of health insurers and some drug companies do trade at more palatable prices. Plus, mergers and buyouts should further help drive up

Junk bonds From page 21 bond investors, also look relatively benign for now. The default rate is below 2 percent, as companies have refinanced their debt and earnings growth means they have enough cash to make good on their bond payments.

Many fund managers expect the default

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

healthcare stocks.

Healthcare accounts for 15 percent of the S&P 500. I think that’s a sensible allocation for most investors. You can find out what percentage each of your funds has in healthcare at Morningstar.com.

If your portfolio is light on healthcare, consider adding a dose of Vanguard Healthcare (VGHCX) to your investments.

Run by Wellington Management, the fund has beaten the S&P 500 every year but one

since 2007. Over the past 10 years, it has returned an annualized 13.6 percent — an average of 5.4 percentage points per year more than the S&P. With a distinct value tilt relative to most healthcare funds, Vanguard has been 15 percent less volatile than the S&P over the past 10 years. Only 13.4 percent of assets are currently in biotech. The retirement in 2012 of longtime manager Ed Owens is a loss, but Wellington has plenty of good managers. Ex-

penses are just 0.34 percent annually.

In sum, many health stocks appear to be overpriced, but over the long term, this sector will perform well — even if you end up buying at a peak. Just don’t overdo it, particularly now.

Steve Goldberg is a local investment adviser and former Beacon columnist.

All contents copyright 2015, The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

rate to tick higher as energy companies struggle with the lower price of crude oil.

But unless a recession is imminent, they don’t see the default rate jumping higher for other areas of the junk-bond market.

To be sure, if interest rates were to spike sharply and quickly, or if the economy does fall into a recession, most everyone agrees junk bonds would suffer. And losses for junk

bonds can be more swift and severe than for other areas of the bond market.

“High-yield acts like stocks in a recession,” said James Swanson, chief investment strategist at MFS Investment Management.

The average junk-bond mutual fund lost 26.4 percent in 2008. That’s closer to the 37 percent loss for the S&P 500 index than the 5.2 percent return for investment-grade bonds.

lower liquidity.

Prices for bonds move more quickly than they did in prior years, said Richard Lindquist, head of the high-yield fixed-income team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Last year, for example, when the high-yield market was struggling with the fallout from the plunge in oil, bond prices were quicker to fall. This year, as the highyield market has recovered, prices have been quicker to rise. But he said he still can find buyers for bonds he wants to sell.

Regardless of how much confidence anyone has in high-yield bonds, most advisers say they should still be only a small portion of a bond portfolio. Wells Fargo’s Kochan said they likely shouldn’t be more than 15 or 20 percent, for example.

“It’s very difficult to generate income outside of high-yield corporates,” he said, “but it’s only sensible to maintain some discipline.”

— AP

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If high-yield bond prices start to tumble, there’s a concern that the market will become illiquid — meaning fund managers will have a tougher time finding buyers when they want to sell bonds. In the past, big banks would help with liquidity by buying when the market was too skittish. But new regulations are making banks less willing to step in when there’s a sell-off in the market.

Market watchers have been warning that liquidity is worryingly low. Fund managers say they’ve already seen signs of

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

23

Leisure &

Considering a big trip? Here are the dos and don’ts of acquiring travel insurance. See story on page 24.

Eager to visit Cuba? Some things to know Few amenities

REGIEN PAASSEN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

By Beth J. Harpaz “Is travel to Cuba for tourist activities permitted? No.” That’s what the U.S. Treasury Department website says.

And yet Havana is loaded with Americans, from the Floridita bar, where they pose for photos with a bust of Ernest Hemingway, to the Rum Museum, where they swig rum samples after trudging through dim displays of old casks.

Sure, some Americans follow the rules on sanctioned travel — bringing supplies to Cuban churches or synagogues, for example, on a religious activities license.

Others come on approved group tours known as “people-to-people” trips with themed itineraries like the arts.

But the 36 percent increase in American visitors here since U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced a thaw in relations includes many travelers who sidestep the rules.

Some travel via third countries by flying to Cuba from Mexico or the Bahamas.

Others fly on their own from the U.S., casually filling out paperwork for one of 12 categories of travel authorized by the U.S., without much worry that anyone will check on its accuracy.

The fact is, “there’s been almost no active enforcement” of the tourism ban under the Obama administration, according to attorney Robert Muse, an expert on the legal aspects of Cuba travel.

Add to this the fact that travel experts and upscale magazines are urging travel to Cuba — before it changes. But visitors envisioning salsa in the streets and glamorous vintage cars should also be prepared to manage without ATMs, credit cards, wi-fi, air-conditioning, seat belts or toilet paper.

Here are eight tips for visiting Havana.

If you need it, bring it I forgot to bring my toothbrush to Havana.

It took me three days to find a new one.

Granted, I was in a “casa particular,” a Cuban homestay booked through Airbnb in a rundown part of town. Street vendors sell Che Guevara T-shirts and tropical fruit. But good luck buying sunscreen or Band-Aids.

The fancy hotels sell some things in shops onsite, of course, but Havana just doesn’t have many stores. Even Harris Brothers, a market on Monserrate at O’Reilly Street, isn’t overflowing with consumer goods — though you can buy souvenir bags of coffee.

Public bathrooms aren’t bad, but I was glad I’d brought a roll of toilet paper in my bag.

Hustled in Havana “Happy holiday, lady!”

This cheerful salutation greeted me as I walked past crumbling buildings and rub-

American-made cars from the 1950s pass by Cuba’s National Capitol Building in Havana. The building, modeled after the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., was the seat of government in Cuba until the communists took power in 1959, after which it fell into disrepair. After renovations earlier this year, Cuba’s National Assembly now operates from the building.

KAMIRA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

ble-filled streets in many sections of Old Havana. Blonde, 5 foot 10, map in hand: Yeah, I stood out.

But conversations with overly friendly strangers often devolved into shakedowns.

They wanted to sell me cigars or exchange my dollars. Could I buy them drinks or give money for their children?

Violent crime in Havana is rare. I never felt threatened — just hassled.

Don’t look for logic For my flight home, I got to Havana’s airport at 5:30 a.m., just like the paperwork specified. Too bad the airport didn’t open until nearly 7 a.m.

I also went to the famous H. Upmann cigar factory for a tour, only to be sent to a different location for a ticket. There I was told, “There are no tours today, but we can sell you a ticket for tomorrow!”

And so it went. Havana is not always a logical place.

Money

Street musicians that play for tips from tourists are a common sight in Havana. More U.S. visitors are now visiting Cuba as restrictions begin to loosen.

Are you old enough to remember traveling without credit cards, ATMs and smartphones? Then visiting Cuba will be a trip back in time.

Bring cash to change into convertible

pesos, also known as CUCs (not CUPs, the currency used by locals). And budget carefully: There are only a handful of ATMs in Havana, and U.S. bank cards aren’t currently accepted.

On paper, one U.S. dollar is worth one CUC, but the Cuban government takes a 13 percent fee, so you get 87 cents for your dollar. Privately, Cubans may offer 90 cents or more on the dollar; be careful whom you trust.

I have MasterCard, Visa and American Express cards, but none could be authorized for use in Cuba in May. Even when the rules change (or if your card is from a non-U.S.-bank), businesses in Cuba rarely accept plastic.

Limited Internet and wi-fi Cuba’s offline culture makes trip-planning complicated. It takes days to confirm arrangements because most Cubans can’t check email from home. Automated online reservations are rare.

If you must go online in Havana, hotels sell Internet cards for lobby wi-fi for $4 or $5 per 30 minutes. Even then, though, the wi-fi may not work.

See CUBA, page 25

24

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

How to avoid travel insurance disputes

By Ed Perkins If you’re planning a big trip, chances are you’re at least considering travel insurance.

Travel insurance can either be a great idea — or a waste of money if you encounter a gotcha or two. Fortunately, you can avoid most gotchas if you buy and act carefully.

Pre-existing conditions As with health insurance, pre-existing conditions can become a major gotcha for both trip-cancellation/interruption insur-

ance and medical insurance. But that’s an easy issue to dodge if you follow the specific requirements of each policy.

Most travel insurance policies specifically exclude pre-existing medical conditions as “covered reasons” for canceling or interrupting a trip and for covering a medical claim. However, most insurance companies specifically waive that exclusion provided you buy the insurance within a specified period after you make your first prepayment for the trip.

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The waiver period is generally a week, 10 days, or two weeks, but a few companies extend it to as much as 30 days. A waiver for the exclusion for pre-existing conditions does not add a penny to the cost of the insurance; it’s just something you have to do soon after you start arranging your trip.

But policies vary a bit in the way they treat prepayments: — With any policy, you must be physically able to travel on the day you buy the insurance. You can’t buy insurance if you’re unable to travel at the time but expect to get better by the time you’re supposed to leave.

This limitation applies to any traveler in a family or group covered by the insurance.

— You must insure the “full value” of the trip. But this requirement is a bit tricky. With some policies, this means the total cost including refundable components that you can recover or re-use. With others, you must cover only the nonrefundable components of your trip. In any case, the policy may not allow you to cover only a portion of the value; you can’t “round down” the trip cost to squeeze in under a lower insurance price bracket.

— If you add additional nonrefundable payments later, you must increase the value of coverage, typically within 21 days of the added prepayments.

In any case, most policies clearly cover only “unforeseen” circumstances — even those that would normally be considered “covered reasons.”

Almost all cancellation/interruption policies and many medical policies provide only secondary coverage. That means can-

cellation/interruption insurance will cover only those prepayments that you can’t first recover from the primary supplier — airline, cruise line, resort or tour operator.

Similarly, secondary medical insurance will cover only what you can’t first recover from your regular health insurance.

Follow the rules Many travel insurance policies cover onsite medical expenses, as well as early return home. But to take advantage of the policy’s coverage, you have to follow the fine print. And that almost always means going through the insurance company’s designated representative before you take on any initiative of your own.

If you decide to return home early, for example, don’t just go out and buy a new airline ticket or charter a business jet. Instead, inform the insurance representative, who may say, “let me take care of that” rather than authorizing you to go ahead. Money you spend without authorization may never be reimbursed.

Because of differences in the fine print, my recommendation is that you compare policies carefully. Do not blindly take whatever your airline, cruise line, or tour operator suggests.

Most of the big online travel insurance agencies publish elaborate side-by-side comparisons of dif ferent policies, including g1g.com, insuremytrip.com, quotewright.com, squaremouth.com, totaltravelinsurance.com, travelinsurancecenter.com and tripinsurancestore.com. © 2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

Cuba From page 23 A paper map is essential — drivers don’t have GPS, and there’s no Googling an address on the fly.

About those cars Cuba’s vintage cars sound picturesque — until you’re in one with no seat belts, no air-conditioning in 90-degree heat, broken windows, belching smoke, and doors that open in transit.

The old cars aren’t just American. One 20-something driver told me he inherited his 1981 Russian-made Moskvitch car from his grandfather, who was awarded the car for being a good worker.

Havana’s official, government-owned taxis seemed to be in better condition than privately owned cars — though tourists are routinely overcharged. Meters supposedly exist, but I never saw one.

(Calle 92, number 267), whose owner showcases what he sees as the best of traditional Cuban cuisine.

A safe bet in most eateries is a ham and cheese sandwich — called a Cuban in the U.S., but jamon y queso here. Cafe con leche is uniformly superb, as is tropical fruit.

For a drinking tour, consider Ernest Hemingway’s advice: “My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita.” The handwritten quote, allegedly scribbled by Hemingway himself, is framed at La Bodeguita del Medio over a bar mobbed with tourists. The Floridita is nicer: great airconditioning, icy daiquiris and a bust of Hemingway, perfect for selfies.

The Hotel Nacional’s outdoor bar is lovely, on a lawn with a view of the sea.

Have a Cuba libre (rum and cola, but not Coke) or a Cristal beer, then check out the photo gallery of famous guests — mobsters and Hollywood celebs.

Attractions Food and drink Government-run cafeterias in public places like museums are dreadful. Stick to “paladares” — privately owned restaurants.

You’ll need reservations for the best.

Prices are moderate but not cheap; food is good but not outstanding. My best meals were at 304 O’Reilly (the restaurant name is also the street address), which offers trendy, light fare (terrific ceviche, lobster and pasta), and Cafe Ajiaco in Cojimar

Havana’s best attractions include: the waterfront promenade known as the Malecon, Old Havana, Hemingway’s estate at Finca Vigia, and the Museo de la Revolucion, where “Cretins’ Corner” mocks Ronald Reagan and the Bush presidencies.

The stunning Cuban collection at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes ranges from colonial portraits to 20th century political pop art.

The show at the Tropicana is on many

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

top 10 Havana lists. If spending nearly $100 to see skinny dancers in see-through bodysuits with sequin pasties and chandeliers on their heads sounds fun, by all means, go. Otherwise, try the music scene at Casa de la Musica in Central Havana.

To learn about the array of hotels, go to the website Cuba Hotel Bookings, www.cubahotelbookings.com.

Hotel rates are lower than in the US. For example, the Melia Havana, which bills itself as a luxury hotel, charges $175 for a room with breakfast ($198 with an ocean view). The hotel boasts the largest swimming pool in Cuba and a cigar bar. For more

25

information, call 1-877-696-6252 or see www.melia.com/en/hotels/cuba/havana/ melia-habana/index.html.

Tourists cannot book their own flights to Cuba or easily search for them online — and must use a travel agent. Nor do U.S. airlines offer flights from the U.S. directly to Cuba.

One travel agency, Island Travel & Tours, will start to offer nonstop flights from BWI-Marshall Airport to Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport twice a week starting on Sept. 30. Round-trip fares will be $775, but the first two flights are offered at a discounted rate of $695.

— AP

26

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Style Arts &

Jamie Murray of the sci-fi television show “Defiance,” will be at Shore Leave 37. See more on page 28.

Singers welcome at new Columbia chorus Each semester is approximately 15 weeks long, and concludes with one or more performance opportunities. Area Chorales may also combine for community concerts or special occasions at venues such as the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and the Renwick Gallery.

No audition required Kelly outlined the basics of all Encore chorales: There are no auditions, and singers may sit both to rehearse and perform. A musical background is not required. One needs only to love to sing, Kelly said. And for some, she added, this may be the first time they have sung with a group.

The joy of singing with others was Kelly’s primary interest when she founded Encore Creativity eight years ago, after 30 years of professional performing, teaching, conducting and arts management in Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Her resume includes faculty positions at the Baltimore School for the Arts, Hood College in Frederick, the U.S Naval Academy, and the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. She has conducted the Georgetown University Concert Choir and

COURTESY OF ENCORE CREATIVITY FOR OLDER ADULTS

By Anne Ball Encore Chorale, the Maryland-based nationwide choral program for men and women 55 and older, is opening a new chorale in the Columbia area. Rehearsals begin Aug. 31 and culminate with a concert of combined local chorales at Silver Spring’s Cultural Arts Center in December.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing our nationally recognized program to the older adult singers of the Columbia area,” said Jeanne Kelly, Encore Chorale’s founder and director. “The community of Columbia values excellent and accessible music, and Encore Chorale is looking forward to offering challenging and exciting four-part choral music to older singers.”

The Columbia Encore Chorale will be based at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way in Columbia, with rehearsals scheduled on Mondays from 10:30 a.m. to noon starting Monday, Aug. 31 through mid-December. A second semester will begin in January.

The first semester features a variety of seasonal holiday music. The second semester focuses on more contemporary selections.

Encore Chorale, a choral group for adults 55 and over, is looking for new members in the Columbia area. Here, the chorales from Asbury Methodist, Schweinhaut Senior Center and the Washington Conservatory of Music at Glen Echo join forces for a public concert.

the Naval Academy Woman’s Glee Club.

Two early signers-on for the Columbia Chorale, Lane Jennings and his wife Cheryl, both 70, of Owen Brown Village, have not sung with Encore before, but have attended performances.

“It was so energizing to see all those seniors up there on stage, smiling and really enjoying themselves,” Cheryl recalled. “I sang in my high school chorus in PittsSee CHORALE, page 29

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

27

Caine, Keitel, Fonda shine in the film Youth

Baring almost all Caine’s semi-naked 82-year-old body is frequently in close-up — a point about

which the two-time Oscar-winner retains much humor.

“It didn’t matter to me because it’s the only body I’ve got, an aging body. To people who are not old, this is what’s going to happen to you. So don’t get too smug about it,” Caine quipped.

“The only alternative to playing elderly people is playing dead people. So I’m quite smart, I picked elderly people. I thought that’s a better idea,” he added.

Harvey Keitel, 76, turns in a solid performance as a once-great director whose best work is behind him. Throughout his career Keitel himself has chased vibrant new directing talent, from Jane Champion to Quentin Tarantino, Abel Ferrara to Ari Folman.

That’s also what led him to Sorrentino.

After seeing the Italian director’s Il Divo and his Oscar-winning The Great Beauty, he told his agent to get him a part in Youth.

“He changed the playing field for me with (The Great Beauty) so I wanted to work with him, the way any disciplinarian of the arts would want to work for any master,” said Keitel.

“I’ll be damned if I don’t think Paolo makes certain things go together that no one has made go together before,” said Keitel, who starred in Taxi Driver, The Piano and Pulp Fiction.

“I said to myself, ‘My goodness, we’re always youthful in some sense,’” he continues.

“We’re always learning something. Even in death, we’ll learn death. But you shouldn’t afraid of it because I’m going to come back and tell you about it.”

Scene-stealing Jane Fonda

PHOTO BY DENIS MAKARENKO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

By Thomas Adamson Paolo Sorrentino’s bittersweet age drama, Youth, features a tour de force performance by Michael Caine as a retired conductor reflecting on the passing of time and memories of his wife, a former singer.

Caine’s character, Fred, bitterly refuses a request by Queen Elizabeth to conduct his most famous work at a royal gala — because it used to be performed by his wife.

But as Fred tries to move beyond the pain of loss, he’s able to look to the future; the theme of aging introspection riffing on Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning 2013 smash The Great Beauty.

“That is the only subject that really interests people — passing time,” said Sorrentino at the Cannes Film Festival press conference, calling his latest work, “very optimistic.” The film is scheduled for release in the U.S. later this year.

“The future gives us freedom and freedom gives us a feeling of youth. Whatever one’s age, one can look toward the future,” he added.

But the film’s poignancy about age is in large part because of the real-life wrinkled flesh of its stars.

Jane Fonda, 77, plays Keitel’s one-time muse and steals her scenes in a performance as a cantankerous older actress. She has exaggerated makeup and a near-drag-queen wig, which at one point humiliatingly falls off in a hysterical diva scene on a plane.

Fonda said she relished the Harvey Keitel stars in the new film Youth, a warts-and-more performance.

“There’s something very vul- poignant movie about aging. He is shown at the nerable about an old woman who Cannes Film Festival in May, where the movie premiered. puts on the mask of make-up and everything, and when that’s stripped away she becomes very that age is much a question of attitude. If you vulnerable, and it’s fun to play,” she said. have passion in your life... you remain young Fonda — she is famously honest about and vital in your mind — which is your spirher age — said the message of Youth it,” said the age-defying Barbarella star, who struck a chord. with two Oscars and a six-decade career to “For me, this movie called Youth says her name, has nothing left to prove. something that I agree with very much — — AP

BEACON BITS

Aug. 3+

JURIED ART SHOW

The eighth annual showing of selected works by artists in a variety of media will open on Monday, Aug. 3 through Friday, Aug. 28 at the gallery in the American City Building, located at 10227 Wincopin Circle in Columbia. The artists featured are from Howard County and around the state. A reception and awards presentation for the artists will be held on Friday, Aug. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the gallery. The Artists’ Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.artistsgallerycolumbia.com or call (410) 740-8249.

Sept. 9

PREVIEW AUTUMN AT HILLWOOD ESTATES

Recreation & Parks presents a bus trip to visit Hillwood Estates in D.C., the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Participants will explore the museum and gardens on the grounds. The bus will leave at 9 a.m. and return at 5 p.m. The $79 fee includes the tour and lunch. For more information or to register, call (410) 313-7279.

HB8/15

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Some local late-summer festivals to enjoy

By Carol Sorgen It may seem that summer is zipping by, but there’s still plenty of time to enjoy some of Baltimore’s favorite summer events and activities!

Cool off! If you can’t make it “downy Ocean” for a dip in the ocean or bay, take a water taxi ride to pubs, restaurants and parks along Baltimore’s waterfront; enjoy the spray from the Walter Sondheim Foun-

tain with its 53 interactive jets in the Inner Harbor; taste your way along Maryland’s Ice Cream Trail at any of the Cow to Cone dairies; or stop at a local Sno-ball stand to enjoy Maryland’s unique icy treat. www.visitmaryland.org/article/top-thingsdo-summer Farmers market fare. Locally-grown produce is on display — and for sale — at more than 100 farmers markets around the

BEACON BITS

Aug. 8+

HISTORIC WALKING TOURS

Howard County Historical Society presents three-quarter mile walking tours of Ellicott City on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, beginning at 11 a.m. at the historic Mt. Ida, 3691 Sarah’s Lane. The walk ends at the B&O Railroad Museum on Main Street. The cost is $10 per person with discounts for Historical Society members and groups of 10 or more. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.hchsmd.org/programs or call (410) 480-3250.

state. Here at home, don’t miss the Baltimore Farmers’ Market and Bazaar under the Jones Falls Expressway. www.promotionandarts.org/events-festivals/baltimorefarmers-market-bazaar. For a complete list of Maryland farmers’ markets, visit www.mda.state.md.us and click on “farmers’ market directory.”

Pints in the Park. Every second Friday through September 11, head down to Center Plaza for $2 beers, live music, corn hole and ping-pong. www.godowntownbaltimore.com Shore Leave 37. Calling all science fiction-lovers. The 37th edition of Shore Leave, a fan-run science fiction convention, runs from August 7 to 9 at the Hunt Valley Inn. It showcases everything science fiction, and features celebrity guests including John Barrowman of “Arrow,” “Torchwood” and “Doctor Who,” and Jaime Murray of “Defiance.” There will also be writing

workshops, a game room and a Saturday evening dance. www.shore-leave.com.

Jazz in the Sculpture Garden.

Through August 9, enjoy the al fresco setting of the Baltimore Museum of Art’s Sculpture Garden and performances by regional and national jazz musicians. Tickets range from $30 to $45. www.artbma.org Hamilton Street Festival. If it’s summer in Baltimore, there’s a festival somewhere.

On July 25, enjoy this free, family-friendly street fair with live music, craft vendors, and local eats. www.bmoremainstreet.com Outdoor film festivals. Grab a lawn chair or a blanket and head outdoors to one of the region’s eight outdoor movie series: The Wine Bin’s Summer Movies (in Howard County); Shops at Kenilworth Summer Moonlight Movie Series; Bel Air Outdoor Movies; Pics in the Park; Little Italy Cinema Al Fresco; Fells Point Films on the Pier; AVAM Flicks on the Hill; and Ravens Family Movie Night. www.bmoreinterested.com Summer Restaurant Week. From July 24 to August 2, enjoy one of your favorite eateries or try someplace new with discounted lunches and dinners at more than 100 dining establishments in town. www.harboreast.com Baltimore Summer Antiques Show.

The 33rd annual event, held from August 20 to 23 at the Baltimore Convention Center, features more than 550 international exhibitors from across the U.S., Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, South America and Asia. www.baltimoresummershow.com Maryland State Fair. An end-of-summer ritual for 134 years, with rides, horse racing, exhibits, livestock and horse shows, and all the food you can eat! www.marylandstatefair.com Maryland Renaissance Festival. Travel way back in time (and down to Crownsville, just outside of Annapolis), to enjoy this annual display of Renaissance-inspired live entertainment, crafts and refreshments from turkey legs to meat pies and mead. Jousting, Maryland’s state sport, will also be on display. The Festival village at 1821 Crownsville Rd. is open from August 29 to October 25. www.rennfest.com

BEACON BITS

Sept. 15+

LIFESTYLE CHANGES COURSE

Howard County General Hospital presents a six-week course incorporating nutrition, gentle yoga and other healthful practices.

“Healthy Weight Connection” takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and runs from Tuesday, Sept. 15 through Tuesday, Nov. 3. Classes will be held at the Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center, located at 10710 Charter Dr. in Columbia. The fee is $195. For more information, call (410) 740-7601.

Chorale From page 26 burgh, and I’ve always loved theater. But I haven’t really done anything since the mid‘60s when I sang with the American Light Opera Company in D.C.” For his part, Lane sang with his high school glee club in Chicago and did some Gilbert and Sullivan later, but has mostly focused on his career (he currently is editor of the World Future Review published by the World Future Society in Washington, D.C.) Cheryl works at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda as a Heart, Lung and Blood Institute contract administrator.

Both have enough flexibility in their work schedules to allow for the chorale’s weekly 90-minute rehearsals.

Adding your voice Currently there are 17 Encore Chorales in the Washington/Baltimore area serving over 700 singers. There are also affiliate chorales around the country, in Salt Lake City, Sarasota, Fla., Reading, Pa. and Hudson, Ohio, among others.

Tuition for the 15 weeks of instruction, sheet music and concert performances is $150. Advance registration is encouraged and may be processed through the Encore website: www.encorecreativity.org. Some need-based tuition assistance is available.

A preview of the upcoming semester includes musical selections such as a “Jingle

Bells/Hallelujah Chorus” combination arranged by Jonathan Miller; the spiritual “Rise Up Shepherds and Follow”; “Ose Shalom,” a prayer for peace in Hebrew by John Leavitt, and Craig Courtney’s variations on “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” ranging from the Gregorian chant through historic musical styles all the way to the present.

Stephen Harouff, director of the Towson Encore Chorale and music director and organist at Towson Presbyterian Church, will direct the Columbia Chorale.

An experienced choral director and musician, he holds an undergraduate degree in music education from West Virginia University and a masters degree in music from the Peabody Conservatory.

Although Harouff is himself considerably shy of the singers’ starting age requirement of 55, he has worked with Encore for several years and admires the zest and vitality the singers exude.

“I am just so happy to be doing this work,” Harouff said. “I value so much the goals and mission of Encore.”

During the summer months, Kelly and her Encore Creativity associates present five-day Institutes at Washington College in Chestertown. Md., and at the Chautauqua Institution in New York.

Encore also offers “Singing at Sea” voyages on cruise ships with performances by the Chorale singers during the trips.

Harouff said singers from other area communities are welcome to participate in

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

PASSPORT SERVICES AT LIBRARIES

Both Glenwood and East Columbia branches of the Howard County Library System now offers full passport services at their locations on Monday through Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments aren’t necessary, but all applicants must appear in person. The library system charges a $25 fee in addition to the State Department fees, and if needed will take a passport photo for $15. Processing takes between four and six weeks, and potential users of the library-based service should visit www.hclibrary.org for application details, fees and a comprehensive list of items needed.

The Glenwood branch is located at 2350 Rte. 97 in Cooksville. The phone number is (410) 313-5577. The East Columbia branch address is 6600 Cradlerock Way in Columbia. The phone number is (410) 313-7770.

Ongoing

COUNTY FARMERS MARKETS

Local fresh produce will be available through October at most Howard County farmers markets. The East Columbia Farmers Market, located at East Columbia Branch Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way. in Columbia is open now on Thursdays from 2 to 6 p.m. through Nov. 19. Ellicott City Old Town Market located at the Little French Market, 3731 Hamilton St. in Ellicott City is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 31. Glenwood Community Farmers Market is located at Glenwood Branch Library, 2350 Rte. 97 in Cooksville, and open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 31. For a complete list of locations and open times, visit http://hceda.org/newsevents/news/2015/2015-farmers-market.aspx.

Aug. 31+

WATERCOLORS EXHIBIT

The Artists’ Gallery presents a watercolors exhibit featuring local artist Bonita Glaser during the month of September at the Artists’ Gallery in Columbia. The show opens Monday, Aug. 31 and continues through Friday, Oct. 2. There will be a reception for the artist at the gallery on Friday, Sept. 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. The Gallery is located in the American City Building, 10227 Wincopin Cir. in Columbia. It is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.artistsgallerycolumbia.com or call (410) 740-8249.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

Columbia’s chorale. He noted that one woman who lives along the Route 29 corridor in Montgomery County has switched her membership from the Encore Chorale in Silver Spring to Columbia — partly for the excitement of being involved in the formation of a new chorale and partly for “an easier commute.”

Those interested in joining the chorale may call the main Encore office at (301) 261-5747 or visit the website www.encorecreativity.org to register prior to the first rehearsal Aug. 31. The website also offers information about the group’s cruises and other chorales throughout the area and around the country.

BEACON BITS

Aug. 12

FUNKY SOUL MUSIC CONCERT

The Sunset Serenades concerts will feature the funky, soul, fusion music of the Higher Hands band on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. in Centennial Park South, 10000 Rte. 108 in Ellicott City. Sponsored by Recreation & Parks, the concert is free with refreshments available for purchase. For more information, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/summerconcerts.htm or call (410) 313-4635.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 30 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

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

A N A G R A M R A G S

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H H A M J O I O W A

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PUZZLE PAGE

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

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1. Santa’s subordinate 4. Molten rock 9. Dickens’ characters 14. “More grass, please” 15. Some have “Double Stuf ” 16. She said “I didn’t want to be just another orphan” 17. Holiday or Comfort 18. Quickly forgotten event 20. “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles is not a ___” (David Ben-Gurion) 22. Expense report category 23. Chip’s partner 24. Barbie’s partner 25. The Belmont Stakes, for example 26. Kite connector 28. Network that hosted “Renovation Realities” 29. Sheets of stamps 30. Fourth base 31. Word repeated in the chorus of the Beatles’ “Nowhere Man” 32. See 39 Across 33. Accrue interest 34. Puckered (or one potential title for this puzzle) 36. “Hey; quiet down” 39. Part of lipstick.com 40. Sculler hauler 41. What buffalo do 42. Liver leavers 45. 1960’s US Attorney General 46. Instrument for June Carter Cash 47. Change for a five 48. Clumsy moron 49. Impacts heartstrings 50. Cherry ___ 52. Zeppelin 55. Low commitment fashion statement 57. “That was a pretty firework” 58. Look away 59. The reindeer, before Rudolph 60. She sheep 61. Tries out a new car 62. Makers of psychedelic shirts 63. Was a witness

1. Arabic prince 2. Like Texas’ star 3. Quickly change one’s plans 4. Home or phone (but not a home phone) 5. Juliet’s metaphor 6. Mannerly man 7. Bon ___ (clever comment) 8. One of the Olsen twins 9. Beaver believer 10. Maraschino, for harmonicas 11. Third of five, by depth 12. Future bride 13. Ridged fabrics 19. Long, long, long, long, long time 21. Daily Planet byline 24. Go away! (or one potential title for this puzzle) 26. However, briefly 27. Palindromic praise 28. Apply sour cream 29. It boils in Hell’s Kitchen 31. Batting average increaser 32. Mangy mutt 34. Third part of UCLA 35. Poison ___ 36. Comfy footwear 37. The ___ (Uris novel) 38. Med. care provider 39. Mousse, maybe 41. Material for Cinderella’s first dress 42. Californian carnivore 43. Head over heels 44. West African currency 45. Force a bill through Congress 46. Overfills a balloon 48. Middle FLOORED 49. Exxon symbol 51. HS students’ stressors 52. Pay to play 53. Part of the Louisiana Purchase 54. “That was a close one” 56. Slippery

Answers on page 29.

Jumbles: ROBIN SHINY ACCEDE UNLIKE Answer: Important when buying an audio system -- A "SOUND" CHECK

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

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 and Employment Opportunities LOCAL HOME IMPROVEMENT COMPANY is looking for Mature Responsible Adults to work part-time representing our company and products at home shows, fairs, festivals. Weekends or weekday work available. Paid training, hourly wage, mileage reimbursement, bonus program!

Call 301-829-1313 or email info@marylandsunrooms.com.

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Caregivers HYGIENE CARE, MEAL PREPARATION, Housekeeping, Errands, Appointments, Medication reminders, Companionship. I’m a loving, experienced, trusted caregiver available for FT/PT or Live-In care for a flat rate. Call 301490-1146.

For Sale ACCOUNTING, TAXES AND BOOKKEEPING, eldercare. CPA 38 years, reasonable rates.

Call 410-653-3363.

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.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month.

Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question.

Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards.

Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $10 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise.

Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad.

Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, Baltimore Classified Dept.

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

Health MOBILE EYE EXAMS – Comprehensive and/or low vision eye exams provided to Baltimore seniors with limited mobility. Visit www.HomeEyeOD.com or call 443-802-9920 for more information.

Home/Handyman Services HAULING & JUNK – LOW UPFRONT PRICING. Free Estimates, Senior Discounts.

365 days. Licensed and Insured demolition. Estate & Eviction Services, Recycling, Organizing.

ATTIC SWEEPERS HAULING, 443-838-2353.

Personal Services

Wanted

LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN – FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversational.

Grammatical. Private lessons. Reasonable Rates. Tutoring students. 443-352-8200.

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.

Wanted 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.

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).

OLD AND NEW, WE BUY STERLING SILVER FLATWARE, Tea Sets, Single Pieces of Silver, Large pieces of Silver Plate. Attic, Basement or Garage. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. You have something to SELL, we are looking to BUY.

SANFORD & SON HAULING & RECYCLING. Trash + Junk removal, house & estate cleanouts, garage + basement cleanouts. Demolition – Shed, deck fence + pool removal. Licensed + insured. Free estimates over the phone. Call 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm. 410-746-5090.

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, rifles, shot guns, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Large quantities are okay.

Will pay top prices for my personal collection.

Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

WE BUY JEWELRY, SILVER, GOLD, AND COSTUME. Coins, Paper Money Too. Watches, Clocks, Military Badges and Patches Old and New. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

BUYING MILITARY MEMORABILIA WW2, WW1, Civil War uniforms, weapons, photos and items associated with US, German, Japanese or items of other Military History. DAVE, 240-464-0958.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies Dementia Behaivior Study ..........13 Fall Prevention Study ..................13

Events Beacon 50+Expo.........................10 Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center......................................20 COGS Casino Night....................28

Funeral Services Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, Inc. .................22 Going Home Cremations ............24 Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc...........21

Home Health Care A-1 Action Nursing Care ..............9 Homewatch Caregivers ...............12 Options for Senior America...................................27

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Housing Brightview Senior Living..............3 Brooke Grove ..........................7, 32 Charlestown/Erickson Living......13 Gatherings at Quarry Place .........14 Heartlands of Ellicott City .........21 Homecrest House ........................12 Homewood at Willow Ponds .......24 Ivy Manor Normandy .................25 Park View ....................................22 Shriner Court/Quantum...............24 Somerford Place/5 Star Senior Living ............................6

BW Eye Center ...........................11 Freedom Mobility .........................8 Medical Eye Center.....................14 Salt Sanctuary ...............................9

Retail Comic Book Collector ................26 Columbia’s Village Centers.........25

Senior Services The Senior Connection ..........15-18

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation

Legal Services

CommuniCare .............................11

Frank, Frank & Scherr, LLC .......20 Law Office of Karen Ellsworth...21 Law Offices of Rick Todd...........20

Theatre/ Entertainment

Medical/Health Audiology First, LLC....................5 BrightLife Direct...........................5

Toby’s Dinner Theatre .................26

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

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A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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August - September 2015

UPCOMING SEMINARS & EVENTS at Brooke Grove retirement village

As experts in senior care and memory support, Brooke Grove Retirement Village is pleased to offer seminars and events that promote physical, spiritual and mental well-being.

All seminars and events will be held at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 18131 Slade School Road on the Brooke Grove Retirement Village Campus.

Please register with Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org.

Support for the Caregiver Seminar: The Language of Dementia August 18, 2-3 p.m.

Falls prevention program: Ways to reduce your risk of falling September 22, 2-5 p.m.

Hear about helpful strategies for reducing misunderstandings and frustrations when communicating with a person with dementia.

FREE. Register by August 16.

Lecture 3-4 p.m. • Balance screenings 2 and 4 p.m.

Living Well Seminar: Heart Healthy Cooking September 16, 6:30-8 p.m.

Learn how easy it is to commit to a healthier lifestyle.

Light complimentary dinner 6:30 p.m.; Seminar begins 7 p.m.

FREE. Register by September 14.

A discussion on the various causes of falls, ways to prevent falls and suggestions on how to “safety-proof” your home to reduce your chances of falling. FREE. Register by September 20.

Support for the Caregiver Seminar: Managing caregiver stress September 22, 2-3 p.m.

Learn to identify and manage your stressors as a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

FREE. Register by September 20.

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 301-260-2320 www.bgf.org

Independent living assisted living rehabilitation long-term care memory support