February 2011 DC Beacon by The Beacon Newspapers

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VOL.23, NO.2

Sex, drugs and HIV after 50

High infection rates here The Washington area has the fourthhighest rate of AIDS cases among U.S. metropolitan areas, while Washington, D.C. itself has the highest rate among U.S. states and territories. Perhaps most surprisingly, in D.C., Maryland and Virginia the highest proportion of HIV and AIDS cases is found among residents in their 40s and 50s. For example, while 3.6 percent of those ages 30 to 39 in the District of Columbia are living with HIV or AIDS, that rate soars to 7.6

PHOTO BY FRANK KLEIN FOR THE BEACON

By Barbara Ruben Ron Swanda turns 65 in April, a milestone birthday he never thought he’d celebrate. Diagnosed with HIV 25 years ago, the gay District of Columbia resident expected to die of AIDS long ago. But the advent of antiretroviral medications has kept the disease at bay. Ann Jones, 53, found out she was HIV positive just last February. Jones (not her real name), a resident of Landover, Md., discovered a former boyfriend had been infected with the virus only after he died. For a long time, she was so shocked and ashamed about being HIV positive that she told no one about her diagnosis. Jones and Swanda represent two sides of the growing population of older adults with HIV and AIDS. Some have grown old with the disease they acquired while they were young adults, while others are becoming infected at an age when many healthcare practitioners don’t even recommend using condoms, much less suggest HIV testing. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, which can lead to AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. HIV damages a person’s body by destroying white blood cells called CD4+ T-cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases. HIV is most commonly spread by having unprotected sex with others who have the virus, or sharing needles for drug use with infected persons. The days when hospital patients contracted the virus through blood transfusions are mostly over, as today’s blood supply is carefully screened.

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I N S I D E …

ARTS & STYLE

‘Life,’ according to the Stones’ Keith Richards; plus, boxing drama shows one’s biggest fight is internal, and Bob Levey on the joy of reuniting with old friends page 40

LEISURE & TRAVEL

Carolyn Massey, who was diagnosed with HIV 17 years ago, now works on a number of fronts to educate people about the disease. By 2017, more than half the cases of HIV and AIDS in the United States will be in people age 50 or older.

percent of those 40 to 49 and 5.9 percent of those 50 to 59. While the rates of the disease are far lower in Maryland, the proportion of older adults diagnosed with the disease is even higher and has been steadily climbing: In 1998, those ages 50 to 59 made up 8.9 percent of the total number of Marylanders diagnosed that year. In 2008, it was 15.7 percent. Similarly, the percent rose from 2.6 to 6.7 percent for those over age 60 in the same time period. According to experts at Yale Medical School, half of all those living with HIV in the United States will be 50 or older by 2017.

Early detection = normal life The good news amidst all the statistics is that if HIV is diagnosed early enough, “there is absolutely a normal life expectancy,” said Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, a Howard University associate professor of medicine who specializes in HIV. “But if you’re not finding them early in the disease, they may never recover so their immune system can function. We see a lot more of that with older patients just because they’re diagnosed later. Older people may already have some challenges with their immunity, and this would just See HIV AFTER 50, page 18

A feast for the senses in San Francisco’s Chinatown; plus, Palm Springs — a modernist oasis in the desert, and how to avoid nasty winter travel surprises page 47 FITNESS & HEALTH 4 k Why bad habits are hard to break k Better blood pressure from food VOLUNTEERS & CAREERS k Time-traveling docents

LAW & MONEY 27 k In the market for convertibles k Test your wits against scammers SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

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

Power of the people I have great news: It looks like any poAnd just a few weeks ago, Baltimore tential plans to dissolve the Maryland De- County’s Executive announced he is conpartment of Aging have been sidering merging the departdropped, at least for now. ments of health, aging and As many of you know, last social services into a single month the Beacon helped proagency in the interests of “efmote a grassroots campaign ficiency.” to urge Governor Martin We asked that readers let O’Malley not to dismantle the the governor’s office know Maryland Department of what they think of any atAging or distribute its protempt to downplay aging isgrams to other state agencies sues and bury programs for FROM THE in an attempt to cut costs. the fastest-growing demoIn particular, we wanted to PUBLISHER graphic of our state in deshow the governor how much By Stuart P. Rosenthal partments established to purwe value having a secretary of aging on his staff who represents the interests of older Marylanders at the cabinet level. Rumors had been flying that dissolving the department was being considered by the governor, just as it has become a common theme in recent months elsewhere in Maryland. For example, last fall Baltimore City’s mayor moved its independent Commission on Aging & Retirement Education into the health department, while Cecil County’s Commissioners threatened to do the same with their office on aging.

sue other priorities. You — our readers — responded in a phenomenal manner, cutting out and mailing to the governor the letter we printed for that purpose in our last issue. We know this because more than 300 of you called or e-mailed us to let us know what you had done. And we also know that far more than 300 letters were ultimately sent, because many of the responders told us they had done one or more of the following: passed copies along to friends, made announcements at their exercise class, distributed

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The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 (301) 949-9766 • E-mail: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com Website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.com Submissions: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial is the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 53 for classified advertising details. Please mail or e-mail all submissions. © Copyright 2011 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

copies at meetings (of NARFE chapters, retired union members, religious groups, etc.), encouraged members of their building or community association to write, had signing sessions at their senior center, etc. In addition to the letter we provided, we know that many chose to write their own personal letter, or called or e-mailed the governor’s office. One told us that when she called, the receptionist appeared so used to getting these calls that she simply asked: “what senior group are you calling from and how many do you represent?” Some of you called our office and spoke with me at length to be sure you understood the underlying issues and the arguments. In every case, the caller indicated he or she was going to write their own letter. I also gave speeches to three organizations last month, where I focused on the importance of advocacy (and this campaign in particular), and passed out more than 200 additional copies of the letter to attendees. Many of them indicated they would be mailing it in, intending to make copies first for other friends or groups. In short, I’m sure our joint efforts were seen as an overwhelming show of support for the Department of Aging and its role in our state. So I was extremely gratified to see that the rumored merger of the department with another state agency was not proposed as feared in the governor’s budget. Of course, we can’t know for sure that our campaign is what turned the tide, or

even how seriously the governor was considering the step in the first place. But it’s certainly better to be out in front of an issue and prevent an official announcement of a poor policy than to be playing catch-up once a high-level decision is made and announced. We also learned that our state’s older adults and their community of friends and family are a formidable force who will act in a political way when the situation calls for it. As one e-mailer wrote us to say, “I don’t often ‘lobby’ friends, but this [issue] is too important to let it pass quietly!” I also think that the state’s political powers will remember what we’ve all done the next time they consider taking a step that might adversely affect older Marylanders. That doesn’t mean we won’t be called on again to flex our political muscles (and possibly quite soon, if the General Assembly jumps on the agency consolidation bandwagon). But now they know we can do it! Please consider this column my way of expressing thanks to all of you who took an action in support of this campaign. I sincerely address the following statement to each of you: Thank you for getting involved and speaking your mind. I believe our actions had the intended effect and that we should all feel proud.

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. You may also submit letters via the “Contact us” link on our website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Editor’s note: We received more than 300 messages from readers telling us how they responded to our grassroots campaign in the last issue. We print the following five comments simply as samples of the thoughtful notes we received. Dear Editor: I made an announcement about your sample letter re: Deparment of Aging and budget cuts to our exercise class and sent my own to the Governor. Thank you for doing this! Selma Cohen Via e-mail Dear Editor: I have sent the letter to the Governor and made copies for friends to send. Appreciate the Beacon’s support very much. Margaret Smith Via e-mail Dear Editor: Thank you for creating this opportunity to let the Maryland governor’s administration know our views on the threat to subsume the Department of Aging into another division. I have sent a copy of the letter

to the State House and hope it will have impact. Kandy Hutman Jewish Community Center Dear Editor: Per your appeal, I called the Governor`s office and expressed my opinion on the importance of retaining the Department of Aging. It is a critical issue for the welfare of seniors and I hope we prevail. Les Trachtman Via e-mail Dear Editor: I have sent my comments to the Governor indicating that as someone who has worked with older adults for over 25 years, and twice been appointed by the Governor of Maryland as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, that I considered it very unwise to abolish the office of secretary or the department of aging in a time of rapid growth of our senior population and that we wanted to insure that Maryland remains a state welcoming to See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 52

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Health Fitness &

SMOKING GUN No smoking (or smoke) is safe, says Surgeon General’s report NO HORSING AROUND See a doctor if your hoarse voice doesn’t get better in two weeks GIVE SLEEP APNEA A REST A pacemaker-like device that keeps your airway open is being tested YOUR DOCTOR CUTS DEALS Try negotiating with doctors and hospitals to lower your medical costs

Why unhealthy habits are so hard to break By Lauran Neergaard Uh-oh, the new year is only a month old, and already you’re finding it hard to keep those resolutions to junk the junk food, get off the couch or kick smoking. It might make you feel better to learn there’s a biological reason a lot of our bad habits are so hard to break — they get wired into our brains. That’s not an excuse to give up. Understanding how unhealthy behaviors become ingrained has scientists learning some tricks that may help good habits replace the bad. “Why are bad habits stronger? You’re fighting against the power of an immediate reward,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and an authority on the brain’s pleasure pathway. It’s the fudge vs. broccoli choice: Chocolate’s yum factor tends to beat out the knowledge that sticking with veggies brings an eventual reward of lost pounds. “We all as creatures are hard-wired that way, to give greater value to an immediate reward as opposed to something that’s delayed,” Volkow said. Just how that bit of happiness turns into a habit involves a pleasure-sensing chemical

named dopamine. Dopamine is released from a cluster of nerve cells, called the nucleus accumbens, lying deep in the brain. It conditions the brain to want that reward again and again — reinforcing the connection each time — especially when it gets the right cue from your environment.

We resist temptations poorly People tend to overestimate their ability to resist temptations around them, thus undermining attempts to shed bad habits, said experimental psychologist Loran Nordgren, an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. “People have this self-control hubris, this belief they can handle more than they can,” said Nordgren, who studies the tugof-war between willpower and temptation. In one experiment, he measured whether heavy smokers could watch a film that romanticizes the habit — called “Coffee and Cigarettes” — without taking a puff. Upping the ante, they were told they’d be paid according to their level of temptation: Could they hold an unlit cigarette while watching? Keep the pack on the table? Or did they need to leave the pack in

another room? Smokers who predicted they could resist a lot of temptation tended to hold the unlit cigarette — and were more likely to light up than those who knew better than to hang onto the pack, said Nordgren. He now is beginning to study how recovering drug addicts deal with real-world temptations. But temptation can be more insidious than how close at hand the cigarettes are. Always snack in front of your favorite TV show? A dopamine-rich part of the brain named the striatum memorizes rituals and routines that are linked to getting a particular reward, explained NIDA’s Volkow. Eventually, those environmental cues trigger the striatum to make some behaviors almost automatic. Even scientists who recognize it can fall prey. “I don’t like popcorn. But every time I go to the cinema, I have to eat it,” Volkow said. “It’s fascinating.” Much of what scientists know about dopamine’s role in habit formation comes from the study of alcohol and drug addiction, but it’s a key player in more common habits, too, especially overeating. In fact, for anything that links an action and a reward, “dopamine is indispensable

for the formation of these habits,” Volkow said.

Cravings get hard wired Furthermore, recent research shows that there’s more involved than just dopamine. Dopamine interacts with another neurotransmitter, glutamate, to hijack the brain’s system of reward-related learning. According to the current theory, repeated exposure to an addictive substance causes nerve cells in the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex — the area of the brain involved in planning and executing tasks — to communicate in a way that links pleasure with desire and action (seeking the substance). Meanwhile, the hippocampus and the amygdala store information about environmental cues associated with the desired substance, so that it can be located again. These memories help create a conditioned response — or craving — whenever your environment cues the desired substance. The question is how to circumvent the cravings. Some companies offer employees outright payments or insurance reSee UNHEALTHY, page 5

How to beat high blood pressure with diet Fiddling with diet to control cholesterol makes perfect sense. After all, some of the cholesterol that ends up in our arteries starts out in food. But changing your diet to control hypertension (high blood pressure) doesn’t seem quite so straightforward. Yet food can have a direct and sometimes dramatic effect on blood pressure. Salt certainly plays a role. But there’s far more to a blood pressure-friendly diet than minimizing salt intake. Fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, beans, nuts, wholegrain carbohydrates and unsaturated fats also have healthful effects on blood pressure. There isn’t a single “magic” food in this list. Instead, the whole package is a foundation for an all-around healthful eating strategy that’s good for blood pressure and so much more. Rigorous trials show that eating strate-

gies such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, DASH variants like the OmniHeart diet, and Mediterranean-type diets lower blood pressure in people with hypertension and those headed in that direction. They also help prevent some of the feared consequences of high blood pressure.

A danger you can avoid Why bother? Hypertension is the ultimate stealth condition. You’d never know you have it without having your blood pressure measured — or until high blood pressure begins to damage vital organs. Half of the 65 million American adults with high blood pressure don’t have it under control. That’s worrisome given the insidious consequences of high blood pressure. It is the leading cause of stroke in the United States. It contributes to thousands

of heart attacks. It overworks the heart muscle, leading to heart failure. It damages the kidneys, erodes sight, interferes with memory, puts a damper on sexual activity, and steals years of life. Drugs that lower blood pressure tend to work well. But they don’t necessarily attack the cause of the problem. And no matter how safe they are, all drugs have some unwanted or unintended side effects. A healthful diet is an effective first-line defense for preventing high blood pressure. It is an excellent initial treatment when blood pressure creeps into the unhealthy zone, and a perfect partner for medications.

10 dietary tips Unfortunately, translating the dietary strategies tested in clinical trials into diets for daily life hasn’t been easy. Drs. Frank M. Sacks and Hanna Cam-

pos, of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, have attempted to do just that. In the New England Journal of Medicine, they offer ten pieces of evidence-based advice about diet and blood pressure: 1. Eat more poultry, fish, nuts and legumes (beans), and less red meat. 2. Choose low-fat or nonfat milk and other dairy products instead of full-fat versions. 3. Turn to vegetables and fruits instead of sugary or salty snacks and desserts. 4. Select breads, pasta, and other carbohydrate-rich foods that are made from whole grains instead of highly refined white flour. 5. Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice. 6. Use unsaturated fats like olive, See BLOOD PRESSURE, page 6

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What you can do However paying for behavior plays out, researchers say there are some steps that may help counter your brain’s hold on bad habits: • Repeat, repeat, repeat the new behavior — the same routine at the same time of day. Resolved to exercise? Doing it at the

BEACON BITS

Mar. 5

HOW FOODS FIGHT CANCER This free nutrition and cooking class will teach you how to make

the right food choices that can help reduce the risk of developing cancer, as well as overcome the disease after it has been diagnosed. It will be held on Saturday, March 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellness Community — Greater Washington, D.C., 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 100, Bethesda, Md. To register, call (301) 493-5002 or e-mail twcdc@wellnesscommunitydc.org.

THE MATURING MIND

Feb. 16

Attend a lecture titled “The Power and the Potential of the Maturing Mind” on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Learn about

the potential for continued growth, creativity and wisdom during this free seminar at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, 18131 Slade School Rd., Sandy Spring, Md. The program will be preceded by a complimentary light supper. RSVP by Feb. 14 by calling Toni Davis at (301) 924-2811, option 3 or e-mailing tdavis@bgf.org.

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Learn more about the area’s housing options Check the boxes of communities from whom you would like to receive information and mail or fax this form. Washington D.C. ❏Friendship Terrace (See ad on page 18) ❏The Georgetown (See ad on page 32) ❏Methodist Home of D.C. (See ad on page 14)

Maryland ❏Asbury Methodist Village (See ad on page 13) ❏Brooke Grove (See ad on page 31) ❏Charter House (See ad on page 18) ❏Churchill Senior Living (See ad on page 22) ❏Covenant Village (See ad on page 35) ❏Emerson House (See ad on page 35) ❏Homecrest House (See ad on page 35) ❏Landow House Assisted Living (See ad on page 6) ❏Mrs. Philippines Home (See ad on page 35) ❏Park View at Bladensburg (See ad on page 37) ❏Park View at Columbia (See ad on page 37) ❏Park View at Ellicott City (See ad on page 37) ❏Park View at Laurel (See ad on page 37) ❏Renaissance Gardens Riderwood (See ad on page 10) ❏Riderwood Village (See ad on page 15) ❏Ring House (See ad on page 6) ❏Springvale Terrace (See ad on page 23) ❏The Village at Rockville (See ad on page 33) ❏Willow Manor (See ad on page 22)

Virginia ❏Ashby Ponds (See ad on page 15) ❏Chesterbrook Residences (See ad on page 12) ❏Culpepper Garden (See ad on page 11) ❏Greenspring Village (See ad on page 15) ❏Kendrick Court (See ad on page 12) ❏Olley Glen Retirement Community (See ad on page 9) ❏Quantum Affordable Apts. (See ad on page 35) ❏Renaissance Gardens Greenspring (See ad on page 10) ❏Sommerset (See ad on page 21) ❏The Virginian (See ad on back page) Name________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________ City______________________________________State______Zip________________ Phone (day)__________________________(evening)_________________________ E-mail_________________________________________________________________

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bates for adopting better habits. It’s not clear yet just how well a financial incentive substitutes as a reward. In one experiment, paying smokers at General Electric up to $750 to kick the habit nearly tripled the number who did, said Dr. Kevin Volpp, who directs the Center for Health Incentives at the University of Pennsylvania. A similar study that dangled dollars for weight loss found no difference — and environmental temptation might help explain the differing results. It’s getting hard to smoke in public but “every time you walk down the street, there’s lots of sources of high-calorie, tasty, low-cost food,” Volpp said.

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From page 4

same time of the morning, rather than fitting it in haphazardly, makes the striatum recognize the habit so that eventually, “if you don’t do it, you feel awful,” said Volkow the neuroscientist, who’s also a passionate runner. • Exercise itself raises dopamine levels, so eventually your brain will get a feelgood hit even if your muscles protest. • Reward yourself with something you really desire, Volkow suggested. You exercised all week? Stuck to your diet? Buy a book, a great pair of jeans, or try a fancy restaurant — safer perhaps than a box of cookies because the price inhibits the quantity. • Stress can reactivate the bad-habit circuitry. “You see people immediately eating in the airport when their flight is canceled,” Volkow pointed out. • And cut out the rituals linked to your bad habits. No eating in front of the TV, ever. “What you want to be thinking about is, ‘What is it in my environment that is triggering this behavior?’“ said Nordgren. “You have to guard yourself against it.” — AP, with additional information from Harvard Health Letters

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Unhealthy

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

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Blood pressure From page 4 canola, soybean, peanut, corn, or safflower oils instead of butter, coconut oil, or palm-

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

kernel oil. 7. Rely on fresh or frozen foods instead of canned and processed foods. 8. Choose low-sodium foods whenever possible; use herbs, spices, vinegar, and

BEACON BITS

Feb. 14

VALENTINE’S DAY WORKSHOP FOR THE BEREAVED Montgomery Hospice’s bereavement workshop “Forever Yours: a

Valentine’s Day Workshop,” is a special program for widows, widowers and life partners who want to honor and remember their loved ones on Valentine’s Day. It will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 14 at Montgomery Hospice, 1355 Piccard Dr., Rockville, Md. Registration is required for this free class by calling (301) 921-4400.

other low-sodium flavorings instead of salt. 9. Don’t skip meals; try to eat one-third of your calories at breakfast. 10. If you need help, record everything that you eat day by day for a week. Have this information reviewed by a dietitian. If you are a do-it-yourselfer and enjoy puttering around the kitchen, you can build a blood pressure-friendly diet from these tips. If you like more direction, plus menus and recipes, a cornucopia of help is available. Drs. Sacks and Campos extracted their advice from the DASH, OmniHeart, and Mediterranean-type diets. Much has been published about two of the three. A 64-page guide to the DASH diet is available at www.health.harvard.edu/148 for free, or can be mailed to you for a small

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fee by calling the NHLBI Health Information Center at (301) 592-8573. The DASH Diet Action Plan, by Marla Heller, and The DASH Diet for Hypertension, by Thomas Moore and Mark Jenkins, are available in bookstores. A number of books have been written about the Mediterranean diet, from How to Eat Well and Stay Well the Mediterranean Way, written in 1959 by pioneering nutrition researcher Ancel Keys and his wife, Margaret, to Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet, published in 2007 by Emilia Klapp, a registered dietitian. Information about the OmniHeart diet is harder to come by. A summary of it can be read at www.health.harvard.edu/BPdiet. © 2011 President and fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 14

NEW TO MEDICARE?

Attend a class for those turning 65 to learn about enrolling in and using Medicare. The free class will be held on Monday, Feb. 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Human Services Center, 2100 Washington Blvd, Lower Level Meeting Room B, Arlington, Va. To register, call (703) 228-1700.

Feb. 2+

ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS

Arden Courts Silver Spring offers two support groups for Alzheimer’s caregivers. The first is a general support group, which meets the first Wednesday of the month from 2 to 3 p.m. The second is for those who are caregiving for someone with early onset Alzheimer’s (diagnosed before the age of 65). It meets the first Wednesday of each month from 6 to 7:15 p.m. The next meetings for both groups are on Feb. 2 and March 2 at Arden Courts Silver Spring, 2505 Musgrove Rd., Silver Spring, Md. Register for the free group by calling (301) 847-3051.

Feb. 23

BE AS JUNG AS YOU FEEL

Discover surprising things about yourself and others by taking a brief personality profile based on the work of Carl Jung. Get interesting insights into personality, style and temperament on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. at the Walter Reed Senior Center, 2909 S. 16th St., Arlington, Va. Register for this free event by calling (703) 228-0955.

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Surgeon general: 1 cigarette is 1 too many regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. The government had hoped to drop the smoking rate to 12 percent by last year, a goal not only missed but that’s now been put off to 2020. The report was the 30th issued by U.S. surgeons general to warn the public about tobacco’s risks. “How many reports more does Congress need to have to say that cigarettes as a class of products ought to be banned?” asked well-known nicotine expert Dr. K. Michael Cummings of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, who helped to review the report. “One-third of the patients who are in our hospital are here today because of cigarettes.” Still, this newest report is unusual because it devotes more than 700 pages to detail the biology of how cigarette smoke accomplishes its dirty deeds — including the

latest genetic findings to help explain why some people become more addicted than others, and why some smokers develop tobacco-caused disease faster than others. There is no safe level of exposure to cigarette smoke, whether you deliberately in-

hale it or are a nonsmoker who breathes in other people’s fumes, the report concludes. Nor is there reason to think efforts to See SMOKING, page 9

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By Lauran Neergaard Think the occasional cigarette won’t hurt? Even a bit of social smoking — or inhaling someone else’s secondhand smoke — could be enough to block your arteries and trigger a heart attack, according to a recent surgeon general’s report. Lung cancer is what people usually fear from smoking, and yes, that can take years to strike. But the new report says there’s no doubt that tobacco smoke begins poisoning immediately — as more than 7,000 chemicals in each puff rapidly spread through the body to cause cellular damage in nearly every organ. “That one puff on that cigarette could be the one that causes your heart attack,” said Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. Or the one that triggers someone else’s: When Pueblo, Colorado, banned smoking in all public places in 2003, the number of people hospitalized for heart disease plummeted 41 percent in just three years, the report found. “I advise people to try to avoid being around smoking any way that you can,” Benjamin said.

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Big killer and source of disease About 443,000 Americans die from tobacco-caused illnesses every year. While the smoking rate has dropped dramatically since 1964, when the first surgeon general’s report declared tobacco deadly, progress has stalled in the past decade. About 46 million adults — one in five — still smoke, and tens of millions more are

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Cardiologist Scott Shapiro discusses common heart-related medications, whether for cholesterol control, managing blood pressure or coronary heart disease. He will offer tips to manage medications and talk about discussing medication concerns with your doctor. This free program will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 1:15 p.m. at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Dr. Wheaton, Md. Call (240) 777-4999 for more information.

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

I want more than I am getting from Original Medicare and Medicaid.

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A sales person will be present with information and applications. During the seminar, the Bravo Health Medicare Advantage plans (HMO, PPO, SNP) available in your service area will be discussed. For accommodations of persons with special needs at sales meetings call Bravo Health Member Services at 1-800-291-0396 (TTY 711), seven days a week from 8 am to 8 pm. Bravo Health plans are offered by subsidiaries of Bravo Health, Inc. A Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. This plan is available to anyone who has both Medical Assistance from the State and Medicare. Enrollment is open year round. All cost-sharing is based on your level of state medical assistance - premiums, copays, coinsurance, and deductibles may vary based on your income. The benefit information provided herein is a brief summary, not a comprehensive description of benefits. For more information contact the plan. Benefits, formulary, premiums, and copayments may change on January 1, 2012. H2108_11_0034 File and Use 12142010

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

Smoking From page 7 develop so-called safer cigarettes really will pan out. In fact, the evidence indicates that changing cigarette designs over the last five decades, including filtered, lowtar, and “light” variations, have not reduced overall disease risk among smokers and may have hindered prevention and cessation efforts.

Even a little is too much Recently it’s become clear that some of the harms — especially those involving the heart — kick in right away, said Dr. Terry Pechacek of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means social smoking, the occasional cigarette at a party, can be enough to trigger a heart attack in someone whose arteries already are silently clogged, he said. “Too often people think the occasional social cigarette is not so dangerous, when in fact this report says yes, it is,” he said. Why? Cigarette smoke immediately seeps into the bloodstream and changes its chemistry so that it becomes more sticky, allowing clots to form that can squeeze shut already narrowed arteries,

the report explains. That’s in addition to the more subtle long-term damage to blood vessels themselves, making them more narrow. And no one knows how little it takes to trigger that clotting. Some other findings in the report: • Smoking one to four cigarettes a day increases the risk of heart disease almost as much as smoking a pack a day. • The chemicals and toxicants in tobacco smoke damage DNA, which can lead to cancer. Exposure to tobacco smoke also can help tumors grow. • Smoking can weaken your body’s ability to fight cancer. With any cancer — even those not related to tobacco use — smoking can decrease the benefits of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. • The body makes white blood cells to respond to injuries, infections and cancers. White blood cell counts stay high while smoking continues, meaning the body is constantly fighting against the damage caused by smoking, which can lead to disease in almost any part of the body. • The chemicals in tobacco smoke complicate the regulation of blood sugar levels, exacerbating the health issues resulting from diabetes. Smokers with diabetes

have a higher risk of heart and kidney disease, amputation, eye disease causing blindness, nerve damage and poor circulation. Kicking the habit lets your body start heal-

ing, Benjamin stressed: “It’s never too late to quit, but the sooner you quit the better. Even if you’re 70, 80 years old and you’re a smoker, there’s still benefit from quitting.” — AP

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Feb. 3+

CHRONIC PAIN PHONE SUPPORT The Pain Connection offers live conference call support groups.

They are held the first Thursday of the month from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (the next are on Feb. 3 and March 3) and the second Thursday of the month from 7 to 8 p.m. (the next are on Feb. 10 and March 10). To take part, you must register at http://painconnection.org/support/regconfcall.html. At the scheduled time of the group, call (610) 214-0000 and enter participant access code T171649#. There is no charge for participating, but standard long distance rates apply to the call. For more information, call (301) 231-0008.

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Feb. 12+

THE EYE-HEART CONNECTION Learn more about what your eyes can tell you about your heart

health at two programs sponsored by the Prevention of Blindness Society. The first is on Saturday, Feb. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, Great Hall and A-Level, 901 G St., N.W., Washington, D.C. An ophthalmologist and a cardiologist from Howard University Hospital will speak, and there will be exhibits, screenings and workshops. The second will be held on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Charles E. Beately Central Library, 5005 Duke St., Alexandria, Va. The keynote speaker will be a researcher at the

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Health Shorts Lose weight with water Drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner may be just the backstop your willpower needs to help you shed pounds permanently, according to a recent study published in Obesity. Researchers instructed two groups of overweight or obese men and women to follow a low-calorie diet, asking one group to also drink two cups of water before meals. After 12 weeks, the water drinkers had lost an average of 15½ pounds, compared with 11 pounds for the control group. Those who continued the habit for a year lost an additional 1½ pounds on average. “I would never promote this as a getslim-quick scheme,” said senior study author Brenda Davy, an associate professor in the department of human nutrition, foods and exercise at Virginia Tech University. But she noted that the practice slows the emptying of the stomach. “This is simply an additional strategy that could help people manage their hunger.” The study examined the effect only on

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

middle-age and older adults, but Liwei Chen, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Public Health, thinks it’s a smart strategy for everybody, particularly if it causes them to cut back on soda. American adults average 28 ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages per day, said Chen, who led a study that found even a small reduction in sugar intake significantly lowered blood pressure. “Aim to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages altogether,” she advised. That way, you battle two risk factors at once. — U.S. News and World Report

Two drugs are better than one New drug combinations are helping women with early breast cancer. Using two drugs that more precisely target tumors doubled the number of women whose cancer disappeared compared to those who had only one of the drugs, doctors reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December. The good news study was the first test of Herceptin and Tykerb together for early-stage disease. They aim at a protein called HER-2 that is overproduced in about one-fourth of all breast cancers. Herceptin blocks the protein on the cell’s surface;

Tykerb does it inside the cell. Dr. Jose Baselga, associate director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, tested these drugs alone and in combination in 455 patients who also were given the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel. (The study was done when he worked previously in Barcelona, Spain.) The patients were treated for about four months before surgery to remove their tumors and for nine months afterward. Doctors have been testing drugs in advance of surgery to shrink tumors and make the operation less drastic, and to get an idea quickly if these drugs will help a patient. Just over half of the women who received Herceptin and Tykerb were discovered to have no signs of invasive cancer when their surgeries were done, versus only 25 to 30 percent of those given just

one of these drugs. Tykerb had more side effects, mostly diarrhea. But the main side effect of combo treatment is to the wallet: Tykerb pills cost $5,000 to $6,000 per month. Herceptin costs more than $4,000 a month plus whatever doctors charge to infuse it. “The possibility that we have here is to enhance the number of patients that are cured” and avoid more treatment down the line that might cost more, Baselga said. Dr. Neil Spector of the Duke Cancer Institute said cost “is a real consideration.” Yet he called the results “really exciting” and said the future of cancer care is approaches like this that use targeted drugs well matched to patients’ tumor profiles. British-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC See HEALTH SHORTS, page 11

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May 17

50+ EMPLOYMENT EXPO

Mark your calendar for the 50+ Employment Expo on Tuesday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Rd., N. Bethesda, Md. There will be more than 50 recruiters from nonprofit, government, healthcare, retail and technology industries, as well as seminars on interviewing skills, changing careers, online job searching and more. The keynote speaker will be Bob Ryan, WJLA meteorologist. For additional information contact Micki Gordon at (301) 2554231 or mgordon@AccessJCA.org.

Ongoing

CATCH OR PROVIDE A RIDE

The Senior Connection, a Silver Spring-based organization, is expanding its services for seniors into the northern section of Montgomery County, including Germantown and Gaithersburg. The nonprofit group schedules volunteers to provide transportation to medical appointments and other support services. As long as a volunteer is available, the services are available for anyone over 62 years of age and always offered free of charge. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.seniorconnectionmc.org or call (301) 962-0820.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Health shorts From page 10 makes Tykerb; California-based Genentech, now part of the Swiss company Roche, makes Herceptin. Glaxo helped pay for the study. A second study in Germany pitted the two drugs against each other in 600 women with early breast cancer also getting standard chemotherapy for six months before surgery. Herceptin won: 31 percent saw their tumors disappear versus 22 percent on Tykerb. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; AP

Atrial fibrillation: donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t blame caffeine Caffeine has long been suspected to be a trigger for atrial fibrillation, an all-toocommon problem that turns the steady, coordinated beat of the heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upper chambers into a fast, erratic churn. While it is possible that drinking eight cups of espresso in an afternoon could

spark atrial fibrillation, moderate caffeine consumption has little effect on its development, according to a large Harvardbased study. Researchers followed more than 33,000 participants of the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health Study for 14 years. Over the course of the study, atrial fibrillation developed in just as many women in the group with the lowest caffeine intake, about one cup of coffee a week, as it did in the group with the highest caffeine intake, about six cups a day. The source of caffeine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate â&#x20AC;&#x201D; didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make a difference. This study is in line with others showing little effect of moderate daily doses of caffeine on the development of atrial fibrillation. A few laboratory studies even suggest that moderate caffeine intake may help protect the heart against this problematic rhythm disorder. Two things to keep in mind here are the terms â&#x20AC;&#x153;moderateâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;individual.â&#x20AC;? Large doses of caffeine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the definition of large

can vary â&#x20AC;&#x201D; may set off atrial fibrillation and other potentially dangerous rhythms. How you respond to caffeine depends on how your body handles it and how accustomed you are to it. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Harvard Heart Letter

How to report bad drug reactions For years, the only way an individual could alert the medical community about a bad reaction to a drug or device was by telling his or her doctor, who might â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or might not â&#x20AC;&#x201D; pass the report along to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Today you can tell the FDA directly through one of two programs. Call a Consumer Complaint Coordinator to report a problem that arises from taking a prescription or over-the-counter medication or dietary supplement, or from using a

medical device. Coordinators follow up on the complaint and add the information to a national database. The number for the coordinator serving Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia is (410) 779-5713. Contact MedWatch to report a more serious event, such as a life-threatening reaction to a drug or device, a permanent disability, or a reaction that required medical care. MedWatch is also the place to turn if you think you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t getting the same results from a generic medication that you had gotten from the brand-name version or from another generic version. You can reach MedWatch at 1-800-3321088, or access an online reporting form at www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm Adverse reactions to a vaccine should be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) at https://secure.vaers.org/VaersDataEntryintro.htm. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Harvard Heart Letter

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SENIOR OLYMPICS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The Northern Virginia Senior Olympics committee is seeking volunteers to assist with events, registration, marketing and distribution of materials. Computer knowledge helpful. There is a monthly meeting in Annandale. You must be able to attend events in September. For more information, call (703) 228-4721.

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

When to see a doctor about a hoarse voice By Dr. Dale Ekbom Dear Mayo Clinic: I’ve had a hoarse sounding voice for a few weeks. My husband thinks it could be more than just a cold and that I should be seen by my doctor, but isn’t what I’m experiencing normal for this time of year? Answer: Nearly everyone has experienced hoarseness, whether as the result of a nasty cold or too much cheering at a sports event. Usually, the problem goes away after several days with self-care and by resting your voice. However, hoarseness can be more than a temporary nuisance. I recommend that anyone experiencing hoarseness who hasn’t gotten better after two weeks should

see a doctor. Hoarseness can result from numerous treatable problems. It also may be a sign of certain forms of cancer, and catching it early improves the odds of successful treatment. Your speaking voice is formed when air from your lungs is pushed out through the vocal cords in your voice box (larynx). The vocal cords consist of two folds of mucous membrane that cover muscle within a framework of cartilage. As air passes over the vocal cords, they vibrate, producing sound and allowing you to speak. Swelling and inflammation of the vocal cords — called laryngitis — is a common cause of hoarseness. Fortunately, most laryngitis is acute, meaning it comes on quickly and usually clears up in a few days

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to two weeks. Laryngitis is most often associated with a viral respiratory infection — such as a cold — or extended periods of yelling, talking or singing. Simple self-care tips that may help include drinking plenty of liquids, sucking on lozenges or hard candy, and resting your voice. When hoarseness lasts more than two weeks, the list of potential causes grows much larger.

Diagnosing a cause To diagnose your condition, a doctor will begin with a review of your history, including potential triggering factors, your occupation, hobbies and other medical problems. The sound of your voice can offer important clues. Different problems may cause your voice to change in different ways, including sounding coarse and scratchy, breathy, strained, weak, wet, whisper-like or having a tremor. A visual inspection of your vocal cords may be done using either a light and a tiny mirror, or a small camera attached to a thin, flexible tube. The vocal cords are examined to look for any sores, rough patches or nodules. Treatment strategies for hoarseness typically depend on the cause. Causes include: Repeated irritation of your vocal cords — Sources of irritation include smoking, repeated voice overuse, allergies, corticosteroid inhalers used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), frequent heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD), excessive alcohol use or chronic coughing. Ongoing irritation can cause sores on the vocal cord (contact ulcers), small vocal cord swellings (polyps), or callus-like patches (nodules) on the vocal cords.

Treatment options Treatment often begins by addressing the likely source of irritation. Aging of tissues — Vocal cords can lose some tension and fullness with aging. Depending on the degree to which this impairs your ability to talk, consideration may be given to a surgical procedure in which an injected substance can add bulk and fullness to your vocal cords. Cancer of the larynx — Risk factors for this cancer include age over 60, smoking and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Detected early, vocal cord cancer can often be successfully treated with surgery or radiation. Complications of another problem — Hoarseness can be caused by many underlying diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and multiple sclerosis. Damage to voice box nerves can cause hoarseness and occur as a complication of different types of surgery involving the neck, such as thyroid gland surgery. When possible, treatment of an underlying cause may improve hoarseness. If there’s nerve damage, injected bulking agents can provide temporary vocal cord support if nerves are expected to recover. If nerves aren’t expected to recover, surgery may be done to realign vocal cords, or injected agents can be used to form more permanent, artificial vocal cords. Nodules, polyps and contact ulcers — These often heal with voice rest and elimination of an irritant. Surgery may be needed to remove a polyp or nodule that doesn’t go away with more conservative care. Spasm of a vocal cord muscle — This causes undue tension on part of your vocal cord. It usually occurs intermittently. The See HOARSE VOICE, page 13

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Experimental device zaps sleep apnea By Lauran Neergaard Loud snoring may do more than irritate a spouse: It can signal sleep apnea, depriving a person of enough sleep to trigger a car crash or a heart attack. Now scientists are beginning to test if an implanted pacemaker-like device might help certain sufferers, keeping their airways open by zapping the tongue during sleep. Wait, what does the tongue have to do with a good nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleep? One of the main causes of obstructive sleep apnea is that the tongue and throat muscles relax too much during sleep, enough to temporarily collapse and block breathing for 30 seconds or so at a time. This causes the person to gasp for air while still sleeping, a cycle that can repeat itself 30 or more times an hour, depriving patients of crucial deep sleep. The idea behind the experimental im-

plant: Stimulate the nerve that controls the base of the tongue with a mild electrical current during sleep, and maybe it will stay toned and in place like it does during the day rather than becoming floppy. Minneapolis-based Inspire Medical Systems (www.thestartrial.com) is starting to enroll 100 apnea patients in a key study in the U.S. and Europe to see if so-called hypoglossal nerve stimulation really could work. Two competitors are developing similar implants: ImThera Medical of San Diego said it hopes to begin U.S. studies later this year, and Apnex Medical of St. Paul, Minnesota, has announced some small-scale testing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this kind of research, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not looking for little changes,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Meir Kryger, a sleep medicine specialist at Gaylord Hospital in Connecticut, who is helping to lead Inspireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for is actually cure.â&#x20AC;?

A dangerous condition More than 12 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea, according to the National Institutes of Health. It is particularly common in people who are overweight and in middle-aged men, but anyone can have it. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undisputed best treatment, called CPAP, uses special bedtime masks to gently blow air through the nose to keep airways open. But studies suggest at least 30 percent of diagnosed apnea patients wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t or canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use CPAP. They cite masks that fit poorly and leak, or say they feel claustrophobic, or rip them off while tossing and turning during the night. Yet going untreated is more dangerous than just feeling tired. Sleep apnea stresses the body in ways that increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack,

stroke and diabetes. More immediately, severe apnea increases the chance of a car crash sevenfold. In 2009, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that pilots, truck drivers and other commercial transportation operators start being screened for apnea, saying it has been a factor in incidents involving every mode of transit. Surgeons sometimes try removing part of the roof of the mouth or other soft tissues to treat apnea by widening airways. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to predict when these difficult operations will help, so theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re usually reserved for the most severe cases. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It got to the point where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d dread going to bed,â&#x20AC;? said Rik Krohn, 67, of suburban Minneapolis. Sleep studies showed his apnea was awakening him an average of 35 times an See SLEEP APNEA, page 14

Hoarse voice From page 12 problem can often be successfully treated with an injection of botulinum toxin (Botox) that paralyzes the muscle in spasm. Symptom relief usually lasts for three to six months, after which a repeat injection will be needed. Because your hoarseness has lasted for more than two weeks, I recommend that you see your doctor for an evaluation. Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an educational resource and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t replace regular medical care. To submit a question, write to: medicaledge@mayo.edu, or Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic, c/o TMS, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY, 14207. For health information, visit www.mayoclinic.com. ÂŠ 2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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Sleep apnea From page 13 hour. He tried five different CPAP masks unsuccessfully before giving up in frustration, and surgeons turned him away.

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

How the new device works

trolling nerve. A sensor at the diaphragm detects when a patient takes a breath, signaling the implant to zap the nerve. Researchers adjust the power so that the nerve is stimulated just enough to keep the tongue from falling backward during sleep but not to stick out. Patients turn on the device at bedtime with a remote control, complete with a timer they can set so they fall asleep before the pulses begin. “I don’t have any idea while I’m sleeping that it’s on,” said Krohn, who’d given up on apnea treatment until volunteering for an early Inspire study last year. He said he now gets a good night’s sleep. “It’s a gamechanger for me.” A caveat: Potential participants in Inspire’s upcoming study must undergo a special exam where a tube snaked down the airway documents whether a tongue collapse or a problem with some other tissue is the true cause of their apnea,

Enter hypoglossal nerve stimulation. With Inspire’s system, doctors implant a small pacemaker-like generator under the skin near the collarbone, and snake a wire up under the jaw to that tongue-con-

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Ongoing

INTENSIVE JOB SEARCH TRAINING CLASSES

Are you 50 or over, looking for a job, and a Montgomery County resident? The Career Gateway is an innovative program that will help you turbo-charge your resume, hone your interviewing skills, network effectively, discover the hidden job market, and develop a personal job-search plan. The program offers small classes, a long-term mentor, 30 hours of intensive training over two weeks, take-home materials, and a choice of sessions starting in early February and running through mid-May. The cost is $75. Classes begin February 7, March 7, April 4, and May 9. Call JCA University at (301) 255-4200 or e-mail JCAUniversity@AccessJCA.org.

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stressed Connecticut’s Kryger. “It’s very important to see where the obstruction is and tailor the treatment,” agreed Dr. Rick Odland, Krohn’s surgeon at a Minneapolis’ medical center. He turned away another potential candidate in earlier testing when that exam showed zapping the tongue would have targeted the wrong spot. These experiments are only now beginning, with a handful of implants performed so far — and while it’s an interesting concept, frustrated patients should try some proven steps first, cautioned Dr. Amy Atkeson of Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Her advice: Don’t give up on CPAP without first seeing an experienced sleep technician to adjust humidity levels and take other steps that not every CPAP prescriber knows to try. And if you’re overweight or obese, apnea greatly improves with weight loss. — AP

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Ongoing

BE A LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN

Help residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities advocate for their rights, resolve conflicts and improve their lives. The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program needs volunteers who can commit four hours a week for one year. Volunteers are needed in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William. Visits occur between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays. Contact (703) 324-5861; TTY 711 or www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ltcombudsman for more information.

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Not your grandfather’s nursing home By Nicole Graner and Jan Hamill Dear Ombudsman: Recently, my father’s health has been declining, and it is time to begin looking for a nursing home for him. I have been hearing more and more about “culture change” lately. What does it mean, and how can I recognize it in nursing homes I visit? Are there resources available to help me find the best nursing home for my father? Culture change — meaning efforts to make nursing homes more home-like and less institutional — has been a buzzword in long-term care since the mid-1990s. One of the ways to recognize such changes in a nursing home is to observe how much input the residents have into their day-today activities and routines. Culture change is more than a fresh coat of paint on the walls. It is a systemic reinvention of long-term care that approaches reform from a variety of aspects, including advocacy, regulations, legal and practical aspects. It fosters a new way of thinking about aging. Culture change involves changing how services are provided and involves input from everyone, including staff, management, families and residents. The primary focus of culture change is deinstitutionalization of care so more individualized services can be provided.

Traditional nursing homes In a traditional nursing home environment, routines are set and services are provided in a way that best meets the needs of staff. Medications and self-care services are delivered and administered in a manner that is efficient for the staff, but very little attention is paid to what would work best for individual residents. For example, an individual who moves into a nursing home will likely inherit the same shower schedule as the previous resident — not because the schedule works for the resident, but because the schedule allowed the staff to execute their job duties more efficiently. In an environment focused on culture

change, the new resident would be able to sit with his or her care staff and set a shower schedule that met the resident’s needs and desires. In a nursing home that has achieved 100 percent culture change, residents direct all resident-related activities, the living environment looks more like a home than an institution, and there are close relationships evident between the residents, family members and the community at large. The Pioneer Network is an organization working with the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care and others around the United States to spread the message and principles of culture change. Pioneer Principles are used to guide the work of these change agents. These principles include knowing each person and recognizing that each person makes a difference; putting the person before the task and responding to spirit as well as mind and body; promoting the growth and development of all and recognizing that culture change and transformation are not end points, but are works in progress. There are different strategies for culture change depending on organizational limitations and constraints. Two popular approaches are known as the Eden Alternative and Wellspring. When contacting a potential nursing home, you can ask if they are currently using either of these culture change techniques. Further information on culture change in nursing homes and other aspects of long-term care can be found at www.PoineerNetwork.net.

(such as “Medicare’s Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home”), call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov/NHCompare. The nursing home checklist provides a comprehensive list of things you want to be sure to ask about when visiting a nursing home for the first time, including the overall appearance of resident rooms, relationships with staff, menus and food, as well as activities. Download the checklist at www.medicare.gov/nursing/checklist.pdf or call Medicare. Another resource is your local LongTerm Care Ombudsman program. Under the Older American’s Act, each state is required to have an ombudsman program that provides advocacy for long-term care residents and family members.

Representatives from the ombudsman program make frequent oversight visits to each long-term care facility, participate in facility surveys, and ensure that quality of life and care issues are addressed for each resident. Your local ombudsmen will have a vast knowledge of the facilities and services in your area. You can find the contact information for your local ombudsman program online at: www.ltcombudsman.org. In the Greater Washington area, their numbers are: Montgomery County: (240) 777-3369 Prince George’s County: (301) 265-8483 Northern Virginia: (703) 324-5415 Washington, DC: (202) 434-2190 Nicole Graner and Jan Hamill work with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services.

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Finding a nursing home Finding the right nursing home placement for a loved one can be a very stressful and challenging time, and there are a number of national and local resources available to help with the process. Medicare provides a five-star rating system that is designed to help consumers, their families and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and help identify areas about which you may want to ask questions. To utilize the rating service, or download a number of related publications

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

Many doctors will reduce fees if you ask Getting a diagnosis isn’t the only nerveracking aspect of a medical visit. The bill you’re handed can be even scarier, especially when you lack health insurance or face an intimidating deductible or co-pay. But just as big employers and insurance companies negotiate prices down as a matter of course, individuals can bargain with doctors and hospitals, too, according to Erin Moaratty, chief of external communications at the nonprofit Patient Advocate Foundation. Ideally, the time to make your case for a discount is before you go in for a procedure. Call the medical facility and ask for the projected fees. If you have insurance, contact the company next to find out how

much it will pay. Then talk over your situation with the billing department, requesting a break. You might win as much as 50 percent off full price if you offer to pay quickly by cash or check, said Cindy Holtzman, a medical billing advocate in Marietta, Ga. She’s part of a growing industry of professionals dedicated to aiding patients with billing disputes. Providers accustomed to accepting less than they’d like from insurers often realize that getting payment without hassle or delay is preferable to waiting for the full amount or having to hire a collection agency. If you can’t pay even a discounted amount promptly, you’ll likely still be able

to get a good deal if you promise regular payments of an agreed-upon size, Holtzman said. Patients with severe financial problems (especially those brought on by illness) may find their physician is compassionate enough to accept the insurer’s portion as full payment. And uninsured low-income individuals who make too much to qualify for Medicaid may be eligible for free or reduced charity care. The most effective way to get the billing department to trim its fees is to request, rather than demand, assistance. “People are always more likely to lend a hand when you acknowledge them as fel-

low human beings, rather than as bureaucrats,” advised Michelle Katz, author of Healthcare for Less. Once you hammer out a payment plan, ask for your revised balance in writing. You’ll also want to scrutinize all bills for errors. Katz’s husband was once billed $11,000 for a three-hour ER visit because the hospital had recorded him as having checked in the day before. The corrected total was thousands of dollars less. Holtzman recalled one hospital charging nearly $1,000 for alcohol swabs and cups for medications. Those items, at least, come with the room. — U.S. News and World Report

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Ongoing

MEALS ON WHEELS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Help ensure that older neighbors in Fairfax County who cannot

prepare meals for themselves receive a nutritious meal and a brief friendly visit. Take on a Meals on Wheels delivery route near your neighborhood or job. Meals must be delivered Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Deliver once a week, once a month, or as a substitute. Program treasurers and coordinators are also needed. Call (703) 324-5406, TTY 711.

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Feb. 12

MARYLAND SENIOR OLYMPICS WINTER GAMES The Maryland Senior Olympics will present the 2011 Winter Games, featuring ice hockey and curling, on Saturday, Feb. 12 at

the Gardens Ice House in Laurel. The Winter Games are open to all athletes age 50 and above. Registration fees are $30 per player for hockey and $10 per player for curling. For participation and information on ice hockey, contact John Buchleitner at Jbuchl@verizon.net. For participation and information on curling, contact Bob Pelletier at robepelleti@aol.com. For registration, visit

Preferred Riderwood Realtor

www.TheGardensIceHouse.com. For more information, call Maryland Senior Olympics at (240) 777-8080.

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

Partners in Preparedness Pepco is working hard to improve your electric service. Occasional power outages, however, are unavoidable due to storms and other causes. So, for the past two months, we have been providing Beacon readers with information about community services to help you weather outages and other emergencies.

This month we are pleased to share additional information about services available from the governments of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the District of Columbia. Feel free to cut out and save this info. Take a moment to share it with family and friends. If you live in Montgomery County, please take note of the helpful informa-

From the District of Columbia Office on Aging: D.C. OFFICE ON AGING (202) 724-5626 The Information and Assistance Office can link you with needed services. Open Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (202) 727-6161 Provides information about shelters, blankets, heaters, oil and the health clinic nearest you. Open 24hr/7 days a week.

DC CITYWIDE CALL CENTER — 311 To access all District government services, including utility assistance.

HYPOTHERMIA HOTLINE (202) 399-7093, 800-535-7252 Provides information on emergency transportation, shelters and cold weather information. Open 24hr/7 days a week.

From the Prince George’s County Administration on Aging: The Prince George’s County Department of Family Services Administration on Aging provides services to support older adults so they can maintain the highest possible quality of life with independence and dignity. Unfortunately, older adults with limited or fixed incomes may not be able to adequately maintain their basic living needs. Our

Maryland Access Point

program is committed to helping older adults remain safe and healthy in their homes and communities with independence and personal choice. For more information about services and programs for older adults and their families in Prince George’s County — including utility assistance, referrals and advocacy — contact the Administration on Aging at (301) 265-8450.

tion below for the Police Department’s Community Services Officers. And if you live in Prince George’s County, learn more about services of Maryland Access Point, also featured below. There are times when we all need a helping hand. That’s why Pepco wants to be your partner in emergency preparedness.

From Montgomery County’s Aging & Disability Services and its Police Department: Montgomery County Senior Resource Line: (240) 777-3000 Mon. and Fri: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Tues., Wed., Thurs. 8:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. For an emergency planning brochure or information, call (240) 777-2300 In an emergency, dial 911. To contact the police in a nonemergency situation, call (301) 652-9200 (24 hours a day)

Community Services Officers at each district police station can assist residents in staying safe (ask for a free home safety survey and a free 911 cell phone), avoiding scams, and obtaining county services of all sorts. Call during office hours to schedule an appointment or to talk. If the officer is not in, leave your name and number and your call will be returned. Also, attend a free monthly crime-prevention presentation followed by a free movie at Montgomery Mall on the first Wednesday of each month, starting at 9:30 a.m.

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

HIV after 50 From page 1 compound that,” Fitzpatrick said. That’s what Carolyn Massey, an HIV patient and activist from Laurel, Md., discovered. “People with HIV tend to present as much older than they are, so they’re experiencing things that folks 10 or 12 years older are experiencing. I’m 54, but they tell me my physical age is around 68,” she said. Massey was infected by a boyfriend who had already been diagnosed with HIV but did not tell her. She was diagnosed 17 years ago, the same year her brother died of complications of AIDS. Massey now works to increase awareness of HIV in a number of ways: She is a member of the Anne Arundel County HIV Commission, directs HIV education efforts as part of Positive Impact Ministries with the New Samaritan Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and helps organize conferences, such as the annual Legends and Young’uns intergenerational conference on HIV in Baltimore. Bringing up the subject of HIV within the church has been challenging, Massey said. “I have had to get the blessing [to do the education program] from layers of leadership of the church. I am fighting this practically one heart and one mind at a time,” she said.

But Massey knew she was successful when one Sunday the church’s bishop took a rapid HIV test (which involves swabbing the inside of a cheek) right at the pulpit.

Ageism prevents prevention “HIV is a preventable disease. It bothers me that there is still such a stigma attached to it. It bothers me, also, that ageism issues prevent clinicians many times from even talking about sexual behavior with older people,” she said. Jane Fowler feels the same way. She founded the national group HIV Wisdom for Older Women to help steer more attention to prevention in older adults. Fowler, who is 75, was diagnosed at age 50. “It was to put an old, wrinkled face on the epidemic that I began to speak out in 1995. I chose to tell my story because this virus can be contracted by anyone at any age,” she said at the White House’s Aging and HIV Conference last October. “Those of us aging with HIV face a double stigma — that of contracting it through sex or drug use and that of ageism. After all, the thinking is that grandma or grandpa shouldn’t be out there screwing or shooting up. “Because of the stigma, many live in isolation, fearful to admit even to family mem-

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Focus on older adults needed Fitzpatrick feels doctors need to be much more proactive in educating their older patients. “I have a patient, a 73-year-old gentleman, and one of his first questions was, ‘how did I get this?’ It’s just a lack of education and awareness about HIV,” she said. “It’s interesting that providers will be giving out Viagra, but they are reluctant to talk about sexual health.” In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidelines for who should be tested for HIV, expanding it from traditional high risk groups to everyone ages 13 to 64. Fitzpatrick said she is flabbergasted that there is an upper age limit. “It’s as if they think everyone stops having sex at age 64,” she said. But some progress is being made on broaching the subject. Last year, both the White House and a coalition of local District of Columbia groups held their first conferences focusing on HIV and aging. And last fall, a storyline on the popular ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters” revolved around a major character in his 70s getting tested for and diagnosed with HIV after discovering a partner from long ago was positive. These are all steps in the right direction, said Ron Swanda. “We need to have an HIV prevention program for seniors. They are the only population without one in D.C. I was shocked there was absolutely no information about HIV and no condoms in sen-

ior centers,” he said. Swanda helped organize last year’s daylong workshop on HIV/AIDS and aging in Washington, D.C., sponsored by a number of organizations, including the D.C. Office on Aging. Many recommendations were made as a result of the meeting, and Swanda hopes to see them enacted. These include developing HIV materials that depict older heterosexual adults and distributing them through governmental and non-governamental agencies, as well as improving data reporting systems for new HIV infections to more accurately measure how many older adults are being diagnosed. Over the last 25 years, Swanda has swung from despair to cautious optimism over not just his own prognosis, but that of other older adults with the disease as well. “When you first get the diagnosis, you’re shocked, you’re dismayed, you’re saddened because you think it’s a death sentence. I never expected to live this long, that’s for sure,” he said. “But today my life is no different because I’m HIV positive. I’m encouraged because at last we’re getting attention on this important issue.”

For more information These resources can provide information on HIV and support for older patients: • “Growing older with the epidemic: HIV and aging,” a 56-page report issued in 2010 by GMHC, formerly called Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Inc, 1-800-243-7692, www.gmhc.org/files/editor/file/a_pa_agi ng10_emb2.pdf • A video of last October’s White House meeting on HIV and aging is available for online viewing at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=qCWR60LIljc&feature=player_e mbedded. • HIV Wisdom for Older Women, offers resources and stories about older women at www.hivwisdom.org, (913) 722-3100. • Whitman-Walker Clinic offers HIV/ AIDS testing, care and counseling for residents throughout the Washington area, www.wwc.org, (202) 745-7000. • Older Women Embracing Life (OWEL), a Baltimore-based support group for women with HIV and AIDS, (443) 799-6005, owel606@comcast.net.

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bers about their disease,” Fowler said. Fitzpatrick talked about an older patient who has not told her daughters about her diagnosis. “I could never understand why she got her meds wrong,” Fitzpatrick said about the patient. “I would explain it to her in great detail. It turns out she’s hiding to take her medicine. That’s extremely common,” she said. For Ann Jones, getting her diagnosis “has changed my whole perception of life. I’m angry. I did not expect this. I was, like, no way this can be happening to me. No way I’m going to let anyone know.” Jones cares for both her mother, who is in a wheelchair, and her brother, who is dying of bone cancer. “I’m so stressed out. If I’m sick, I can’t help anyone,” she worried.

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Health Studies Page

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Treatment study seeks patients with HIV To take part in the study, patients must be HIV positive, but have never had antiretroviral therapy. Their CD4+ cell count must be greater than 500 cells/mm3. Most HIV patients start medication when their CD4+ count is between 350 and 500. Those who have progression of HIV, such as oral thrush or unexplained weight loss, cannot take part in the study. Also ineligible are volunteers who have had a heart attack, angioplasty or other cardiovascular event, or have been on dialysis, within the last six months. Volunteers accepted for the study will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. They will have an equal chance of being assigned to either of the groups. The early treatment group will start taking HIV medicines immediately after enrollment. Those in the deferred treatment group will wait to start HIV medicines until their CD4+ cell count drops to below 350

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Ongoing

MAXIMIZE YOUR POTENTIAL Join an informative discussion group to discuss issues on aging,

with an emphasis on the positive. The group, which is led by a social worker, meets every Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Schweinhaut Senior Center, 1000 Forest Glen Rd., Silver Spring, Md. For more information, call (240) 777-8085.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involved Patients will participate in the study for at least three years. Before participants are split into two groups, they will visit the clinic twice for blood tests and a complete medical history. They will then be randomized to the early or deferred treatment groups. Patients will return after one and four months for evaluations that include: a physi-

cal exam, including vital signs and body weight checks; questions about daily life, including sexual behaviors; blood and urine tests, and heart tests with electrocardiogram. They will return for follow up once every four months after that. While no compensation is provided, all care and medications are included in the study. To volunteer for the study, contact one of the following: â&#x20AC;˘ Douglas Thomas, VA Medical Center, (202) 745-8000, ext. 7558 â&#x20AC;˘ David Wallace, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, (202) 782-8705 â&#x20AC;˘ Irma Barahona, National Naval Medical Center, (301) 319-8673 â&#x20AC;˘ Jessica Springer, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, (301) 443-7106

â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO â&#x20AC;˘

Check off the health studies youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to receive FREE information about. â?? Gout Study (See ad, p. 19) â?? HIV Study (See article, p. 19) â?? Insomnia Study (See ad, p. 19) Name_________________________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________________ City______________________________________State______Zip________________ Phone (day)________________________ (eve)___________________________

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Return to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 or fax to (301) 949-8966

â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO â&#x20AC;˘

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3DLQIXO VZROOHQ EXUQLQJ MRLQW" <RX PD\ EH H [SHULHQFLQJ V\PSWRPV RI JRXW Consider the following criteria for possible participation in a local clinical research study for gout: â&#x20AC;˘ Men 18 years of age or older â&#x20AC;˘ Never taken any of the following â&#x20AC;˘ Women 45 years of age or older medications for gout: allopurinol â&#x20AC;˘ Experienced a gout ďŹ&#x201A;are (painful, (ZyloprimÂŽ), febuxostat (UloricÂŽ), swollen joint, redness over joint)

Contact Your Local Clinical Research Center: Or visit: www.study4gout.com

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Who may join the study

cells/mm3, or until they develop AIDS or other symptoms of HIV infection. This is what is recommended by current treatment guidelines. The specific HIV medicines taken will be chosen from a list of the best regimens that doctors currently recommend for people starting treatment.

H E A LT H S T U D Y I N F O â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO

Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the National Naval Medical Center and National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md.

H E A LT H S T U D Y I N F O â&#x20AC;˘ H EALTH STU DY I N FO

By Barbara Ruben While antiretroviral drugs are the cornerstone of treating patients who are HIV positive, doctors do not know the best time to begin treatment. Patients who have symptoms are always treated, but for those who are feeling well, doctors generally wait until the number of CD4+ T-cells (white blood cells that help fight infection) drops below a certain number to begin treatment. Researchers are conducting a study of 4,000 patients across the country in an attempt to determine the best time to begin HIV medications. They are also looking to see if starting HIV drugs earlier might affect other things, such as chances of developing other illnesses or resistance to HIV medicines (where the HIV virus changes so that some medicines no longer work against it), how often patients need to see a doctor, the cost of medical care and general health. The study is called Strategic Timing of Anti-Retroviral Treatment, or START for short. The study is taking place at several locations around the Washington area: the VA Medical Center and Walter Reed Army

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

Good advice on exercise and dining out What’s the best kind of exer- swimming and active yard work. Q: cise to help reduce high blood presOnce your fitness begins to improve, sure? add strength training to keep A: Aerobic activity will from losing muscle, imporhave the biggest impact on tant for overall well-being. your blood pressure. You can use inexpensive Depending on your starting hand-held weights, elastic relevel of fitness, you might sistance bands, or machines begin with walking three days at a Y or fitness center. a week for 10 or 15 minutes. For those with high blood couple weeks add anEvery pressure, most experts say other five minutes a day until that low and moderate activity you are walking or doing is more effective (and safer) other aerobic activity five to NUTRITION than vigorous exercise. seven days a week for 30 min- WISE Those who take beta-blockBy Karen Collins, utes or more. er medicines to control their It would be terrific to accu- MS, RD, CDM blood pressure can’t gauge mulate 60 minutes of aerobic their activity by their heart activity each day, which could come from rate. So use a scale of how hard it feels like several sessions of 15 to 20 minutes. Be- you are working — something that feels sides walking, other aerobic activities in- “light” to “somewhat hard” is the recomclude biking (inside or out), dancing, mended range.

When strength training, lighter weights with more repetitions are better than straining to hoist very heavy weights. The combination of regular moderate activity with healthy eating habits and working to reach and maintain a healthy weight can lower your blood pressure and reduce your need for medicine to control it. Experts says that most healthy people don’t need to check with their doctor before increasing exercise, but for those with high blood pressure, that is the smart thing to do. Q: I think of Indian restaurants as a great place to get loads of healthy vegetables. Is it true that many dishes are actually high in calories? A: Indian restaurants offer lots of plant-based dishes focused on vegetables. However, some contain large amounts of ghee (clarified butter), coconut milk or cream. Also, yogurt sauces are usually made from full-fat yogurt, not the reduced- or non-fat type you may buy at the grocery store. These are all high in both calories and cholesterol-raising saturated fat. For example, appetizers called samosas may contain only vegetables, but because they are deep-fried, they are not at all low-calorie. Instead, start with a soup like lentil or Mulligatawny. The latter soup might contain some cream, but usually just a tablespoon or so per serving. You might even choose to make a meal out of one of these

soups along with side dishes of dal (lentils or split peas) and vegetables. To keep calories under control, follow authentic Indian tradition of having bread or rice with a meal, but not both. When it comes to bread, ask for naan without butter brushed on it or chapati (a whole grain option). Those are healthier than poori or paratha breads, which are deep-fried or have extra oil in the dough. Vindaloo chicken or fish is usually made without high-fat ingredients, so it’s a good option if you like spicy dishes. Since recipes for the same type of dish vary from one restaurant to another, the best advice is to ask about those high-fat ingredients that are so concentrated in calories before you order. And then remember that, as in all meals, portion size matters. If you are served large portions, ask for take-out containers right from the start so you can save some for another meal and aren’t tempted to overeat. The American Institute for Cancer Research offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800843-8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This free service allows you to ask questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. A registered dietitian will return your call, usually within three business days. Courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research. Questions for this column may be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Collins cannot respond to questions personally.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 26

MASTER YOUR GARDENING SKILLS

Montgomery County Master Gardeners’ 11th Annual Mini-Conference, “Random Acts of Gardening,” offers numerous workshops on Saturday, Feb. 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Topics include growing fruits, vegetables and herbs; new trends in horticulture; pruning demonstrations; and attracting bees and butterflies. The event will be held at the Montgomery County Office of the University of Maryland’s Extension, 18410 Muncaster Rd, Derwood, Md. Advance registration is $50 and includes a box lunch; bring a friend and the cost is $90 for two. For details and application form, visit www.mastergardener.umd.edu/local/Montgomery or e-mail mastergardenconf@gmail.com. The registration deadline is Feb. 16. Call (301) 590-9650 for more information.

Feb. 26

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A vegetable curry that’s spicy, but not hot One of my favorite cookbooks features 660 curries. All of them are Indian, from comforting, mildly spiced potato-filled samosas, to vinegar-sharp, sizzling hot pork vindaloo. Their variety helps to explain how Indians eat curry every day — and perhaps gain protection from Alzheimer’s and heart disease, thanks to the potential health benefits of the spices used to make them. How can so many dishes be considered curry? More important, if you do not like spicy heat, how can you enjoy these tasty dishes, too? Curry, to Indian cooks, simply refers to dishes made with spices, and that are moist and stew-like or served with a sauce, such as the combination of long-cooked yellow split peas, tamarind, ginger and chiles served with samosas. Not all spices used in curries bring heat. Bangala garam masala, for example, combines ground cinnamon, cloves and coriander. A pinch of it adds sweetly fragrant flavor to sautéed spinach or to the pan juices from pork chops. The blends of spices in curry powders we buy vary by brand, but they usually include some combination of turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, fenugreek and black pepper. Cayenne pepper, caraway seed and cloves are other frequent ingredients. This gives each brand its own flavor. It also lets you choose the degree of heat,

ranging from mild to hot. Curry powder gives vegetables a big flavor boost. The turmeric in this chunky vegetable curry suggests how flavorful the dish is. Chickpeas add protein, making it a meal, especially when served with brown rice.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry with Potatoes 4 cups bite-size cauliflower florets 1 medium yellow-flesh potato, peeled and diced (roughly 1 cup) 1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, divided 1 cup red onion, cut in thin crescents 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp. curry powder, hot or mild (add more or less to taste) 3 cups green cabbage, in 1/2-inch strips 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and

drained 1 cup frozen cut green beans 3/4 cup reduced-fat coconut milk, preferably organic Salt and ground black pepper 4 hard-cooked eggs, halved — optional, for garnish In medium pot of boiling water, cook cauliflower and potatoes for three minutes. Drain, and set aside. In large Dutch oven, heat 1/2 cup broth until it bubbles around edges. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is translucent, four minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in curry powder until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until it wilts, four to five minutes, adding 1/4 cup water if the pot gets dry before cabbage is limp. Add chickpeas, green beans, cauliflower and potatoes. Pour in remaining 1/2 cup

broth and coconut milk. When liquid starts to bubble around edges of the pot, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and cauliflower is tender-crisp, 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, divide curry, including liquid from pot, among 6 soup bowls. If using eggs, discard egg yolks or reserve for another use, and coarsely chop the whites. Sprinkle the whites as garnish over the curry. Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 182 calories, 4 g. total fat (2 g. saturated fat), 33 g. carbohydrate, 8 g. protein, 8 g. dietary fiber, 257 mg. sodium. Dana Jacobi is the author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to the American Institute for Cancer Research’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.

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Feb. 14

SMART GROWTH

Feb. 22

NATURE CENTER GRANDKIDS AND ME PROGRAM

How can the design of cities address the challenge of climate change? Patrick Condon, author of Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities, presents simple guidelines for community design that can help cities flourish in the post-carbon world. A book-signing follows the free program, which will be held on Monday, Feb. 14 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the National Building Museum, 401 F St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Register by calling (202) 272-2448.

Come to the Meadowside Nature Center, 5100 Meadowside Lane, Rockville, Md., with your grandchild age 6 to 9 to learn about maple trees, the process of maple sugaring, and taste some sweet syrup. Then whip up some delicious maple syrup recipes, and make a maple craft to take home. Sign up grandkids for $8; grandparents are free. Sign up at www.parkpass.org or call (301) 258-4030 for more information.

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

An onion a day keeps the doctor away? Dear Pharmacist: keep your blood nice and thin and halt the I attended a lecture of yours, and you growth of dangerous pathogens including announced to the audience, “I want you salmonella and E. coli. Peel it and purify all to eat an onion today to yourself! keep the doctor away.” In Georgia, where Vidalia You left the topic quickly onions are cultivated, the and didn’t call on me durmortality rates from stomach ing the question/answer cancer are about half the averperiod. I’m still wondering, age for the United States. why onions? Did you mean Also, the Chinese rank to say eat an apple a day? among the largest population — J. W. of onion lovers, and guess Dear J.W.: what? Their risk of getting Apples are worth eating stomach cancer is 40 percent DEAR every day, but I did mean lower than it is for people who PHARMACIST onions. We were on a tangent shy away from the bulbous By Suzy Cohen during that talk, and onions beauties. happen to lower the risk for Onions are extremely rich stomach cancer, improve breathing, fight in fructo-oligosaccharides —compounds bacteria and improve cholesterol. that feed your friendly flora. Think bifiOnions (and garlic) are rich in several dobacteria, a micro-organism thought to sulfur compounds that offer protection relieve inflammatory bowel conditions and against tumor growth, specifically in the boost immune function. In addition to stomach and intestines. Folks, that’s natu- breaking down certain cancer-causing ral sulfur, which is completely different compounds and reducing the body’s abfrom sulfa-based drugs, which can spark sorption of cholesterol, these particular allergies for some. friendly bugs also fight fungus. Moreover, the sulfur compounds in this For all you social types, onions provide little pharmacological powerhouse might relief from gas and flatulence. Obviously,

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they could give you dragon breath, so pick your stink. Onions are great for people with asthma, cough and colds or other breathing problems. Chewing a raw onion for two to three minutes can kill all the bacteria in your mouth! And that’s not all the humble onion has to offer. Rich in flavonoids, it helps prevent heart disease. So make onions a part of your daily diet. I’m good with any type of onion you like including shallots, leeks, scallions, chives, pearl, red, yellow, white or Vidalia. Juice it, sauté it or eat it raw in salads — whatever you want! See, I’m not fussy. I want you to get well. Remember, onions with stronger flavors and aromas are better for you because they have higher amounts of sulfur compounds, which are the true healers in these perfect pungent veggies. Unfortunately, they’re also the compounds that make you run from the kitchen with tears in your eyes. Dear Pharmacist: I crave saffron, and have loved this spice for many years but stopped buying it because it’s expensive. I know you are educated about herbs, so can you tell me if there are any health benefits? — T.S. Dear T.S.: Great question. I love saffron too! So precious and resilient is saffron that this centuries-old flower extract is even mentioned in the Bible. Harvested from a type of crocus (Crocus sativus L), the spice is actually the three tiny red stamens that must be plucked from the center of each flower by hand. It’s the most expensive spice you can buy. Saffron imparts a distinctive taste and aroma along with a lovely yellow color to a variety of exotic dishes. I stir it into rice, soups and teas. As a pharmacist who pays attention to alternative remedies, I can’t help but note that any herb that’s been used for centuries likely has something going for it.

Sure enough, researchers are starting to verify the amazing healing potential of saffron in clinical studies. In Iran, for example, researchers have found that saffron lifts depression as well as fluoxetine (Prozac). For both the herb and the drug “the remission rate was 25 percent.” If you have mild or moderate depression why not give it a try? It won’t interact with medicine as far as I can tell, but do consult with your physician first. Saffron is a super strong antioxidant with “housekeeping” benefits that clean you up from head to toe. Pay attention here because I’m going to summarize the research. Saffron has anti-cancer effects for all sorts of tumors. It enhances male fertility. It helps relieve anxiety and tension. In Texas, researchers proved that saffron improves circulation to the retina, so it’s a promising treatment for macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness. One clinical trial concluded “preliminary evidence of a possible therapeutic effect of saffron extract in the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease.” It’s also an anti-spasmodic. Whew! Do you see why I think saffron is one of the best kept health secrets?! If you’d like to try a saffron supplement — and I’ve just begun taking one myself — make sure you buy from a reputable company, such as Exir. I have to warn you, pure authentic saffron is expensive, but worth it. Fake makers of it cut the saffron with other yelloworange spices, but Exir is 100 percent saffron and they source from organic flowers. It’s not popular (yet) so you will need to ask your local health food store to order it, or just buy it online like I did at their website, www.epicuregarden.com. 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.dearpharmacist.com.

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Grandpa won’t keep his hands to himself Dear Solutions: Dear Older Sister: My husband pinches all the grandYou can call this Gullible’s Travels since children ever y time he sees them. she’s traveling from man to man. Now our 5-year-old grandIt appears she was in a bad, daughter doesn’t want to emotionally abusive marriage, even visit here for a little so her self esteem is low, while because “Grandpa which is why she doesn’t trust will pinch me.” that a man might be interestMy husband just laughs ed in her for reasons other it off and says it’s just his than her money. “little love taps.” My How do they know about daughter is furious. her money anyway? It sounds It’s almost like a war as if she sets things up so it now between him and my will meet her expectations. SOLUTIONS daughter. I want her to be I don’t believe you can By Helen Oxenberg, respectful to him, but I’m change things by yourself. I MSW, ACSW not sure how to handle believe she should absolutely this. spend some of that money on — Need Help some good therapy to help her achieve Dear Need Help: some positive self respect and realistic exEnd this war. Tell your husband in no pectations for her future. uncertain terms that he’d better trade in Dear Solutions: his pinch of love for the dove of peace if he I’ve become interested in collectibles wants to see his grandchild. and antiques. I have a very old pain-inYou want your daughter to respect him, the-neck uncle who considers himself an but respect has to be a two-way exchange. expert on everything, especially anHe should respect the fact that she is a tiques. good mother who is protecting her child Every time I buy something, no matfrom hurt. ter how I’ve researched it and made Your granddaughter has every right to sure it’s legitimate, he comes around refuse to see someone who is hurting her and tells me it’s fake. and refuses to stop. You can tell her that he He doesn’t know that he’s talking loves her, but her experience of his kind of about, and it’s getting under my skin. love is that it is painful, and that’s not what He’s in his mid-90s. How can I put love is supposed to feel like. Sometimes 5- him in his place, since he’s wrong year-olds know best. about knowing about antiques? Dear Solutions: — Emma I’m very upset about my younger Dear Emma: sister. She’s in her 50s and was in an Maybe you have to be one to know one. unhappy marriage for over 35 years. However, instead of “putting him in his Now she’s a widow and, luckily, was place,” try putting yourself in his place. left a lot of money. He’s very old, and like most very old peoSomehow men she meets seem to ple, he still wants to feel needed and reknow this, and she thinks any man spected — and less lonely. who’s interested in her is after her Ask him to help you research the next money, so she keeps looking for something you want to buy, and take him with one else. She keeps getting hurt, but you when you look at it. If you allow him to she’s also very gullible and keeps going feel he’s an important part of your decifrom man to man. sion, he’ll be less critical and more content I don’t know what to call this or how — and so will you. to stop this. Dear Solutions: — Older Sister I sent a very nice engagement gift to

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a cousin’s daughter since I couldn’t attend a party and couldn’t give it in person. It’s been a couple of weeks now, and I haven’t heard a thing from her. I have to know if it was delivered correctly, but I feel uncomfortable asking. Should I? — Reva Dear Reva: If you don’t ask, she may never tell. Some people are very bad at sending thank you notes on time, if at all.

Use your “need to know” privileges. Call and say you have to know if the gift was delivered properly because if not, you have to have it traced. After that you should get a thank you note for raising her consciousness about thank you notes and manners. © Helen Oxenberg, 2011. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also e-mail the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 17

ARE YOU THE NEXT MS. SENIOR VIRGINIA? The Ms. Virginia Senior America committee is seeking candidates

60 and older for the 2011 competition. An orientation luncheon for candidates will be held Thursday, Feb. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Fountains at Washington House, 5100 Fillmore Ave., Alexandria. The deadline to enter is Apr. 1. The state pageant will be held May 19 at the Lee Center in Alexandria. The winner will represent Virginia at the National Pageant in October in Atlantic City, N.J. For more information, call Annmarie Pittman at (703) 549-7012 or e-mail annmariep@comcast.net. The website is www.msvirginiasenior.com.

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Careers Volunteers &

Does your organization use senior volunteers or do you employ a number of seniors? If so and you’d like to be considered for a story in our Volunteers & Careers section, please send an e-mail to info@thebeaconnewspapers.com.

Share a love of history by portraying the past

Museum docents needed Hickey is one of about 50 volunteers with the society, which runs the BeallDawson Historic House Museum in Rockville, where Dr. Stonestreet’s reconstructed office can be seen. The house was built in 1815 for the family of the county’s clerk of the court. Today, volunteers give tours of the house, staff the shop and answer tele-

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phone inquiries. Additional docents are needed to work two weekday afternoons or one weekend afternoon per month. Volunteer Mel Kornspan enjoys giving tours of the house, but said he “draws the line at wearing a costume.” “I enjoy meeting people, and I think this is something well worthwhile,” said Kornspan, who retired from a career with the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development in 1997 and lives in Laytonsville, Md. A self-proclaimed “history and architecture buff,” he is nonetheless glad he doesn’t own a historic home himself. “As a docent I get to work in a historic house, but I don’t have to deal with any of the work owning one entails — or pay for it,” he said.

PHOTO COURTESY MCHS

By Barbara Ruben Clarence Hickey is a time traveler of sorts. He regularly dons late 19th century clothing to re-enact the work of Dr. Edward Stonestreet, who practiced medicine in for more than 50 years in the 1800s in Rockville, Md. As a volunteer for the Montgomery County Historical Society, Hickey also coordinates the organization’s 20-member speakers program, in which costumed interpreters visit numerous locations, including senior centers and communities. But it’s portraying Dr. Stonestreet at the society’s museum and regional events that he enjoys most. A retired biologist who lives in Rockville, Hickey feels an affinity for the doctor, and has even written a book about him for the society. “He was a doctor in the Army in the 1860s. I was a medic in the Army in the 1960s. In my research, I have trekked where he has trod, driving the routes he traveled to get to his patients,” Hickey said.

Share history with students Volunteers also provide tours to second, fourth and fifth grade students who visit the museum. Some also go into kindergarten classrooms to share their love of history. These volunteers work two to three mornings a week. “Kids really, really enjoy this, especially when docents wear costumes,” said Liz Otey, the society’s education director. “We tell them we’re from the past, and they’ll ask us how we got here. They’re always so astonished.” Another group of volunteers helps with the society’s large library of publications, photos and genealogical records. Volun-

The USM Annual State Legislative Rally has been rescheduled to Wed., March 9, 2011. Tickets already purchased are still good. If you bought tickets for Jan. 25 and cannot attend on March 9, e-mail unitedseniors@verizon.net for a refund.

Clarence Hickey helps two school children use 19th century instruments to remove a bullet — with a piece of bread standing in for an injured limb. Hickey portrays 19th century Rockville doctor Edward Stonestreet for the Montgomery County Historical Society.

teers help keep the library holdings up to date by clipping pertinent newspaper articles, cataloguing new acquisitions, doing historical research and helping library users. The Montgomery Historical Society began in 1949 as an all-volunteer organization, but grew over the years to include several paid staff. However, much of the work is still provided by volunteers, espe-

cially since Montgomery County cut funding for the society by 50 percent this fiscal year. The society is also supported by private grants and donations. “Volunteers don’t need to be historians, but they do need to be a people person and have an interest in history,” Otey said. Volunteers receive initial orientation See VOLUNTEERS, page 25

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Volunteers & Careers

Boomers need to blaze new career trails The oldest baby boomers started turning to work longer, let’s help those who are al65 in January. For the next two decades, ready determined to go in that direction get from aspiration to action.” America’s 78 million boomers Freedman urges creation of will be qualifying for Social Sepublic policies and programs curity at a rate of roughly that can help with these criti10,000 a day for the next 20 cal life transitions. “Right now, years. the only transition we do a deThe age of 65 may be a cent job on is the one young symbolic milepost for aging people make from adolescent — mainly because it was to adulthood. At this later adopted as the official retirejuncture, it’s a do-it-yourself ment age when Social Security was created in the 1930s RETIRE SMART process: You’re on your own. “People are hungry for help under Franklin Delano Roo- By Mark Miller with this. What we need are new sevelt. But rising longevity and advancements pathways for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s. in healthcare (and healthier living) have Let’s meet them halfway with additional edureduced the relevance of 65 as a harbinger cation, internships or service projects. Let’s of retirement. Many boomers express a make it easier for this group to do what they desire (or need) to continue working long want to do — and what we need them to do as a society.” after they reach “retirement age.” If the largest generation in American history can look forward to many more years Innovative ideas Expect to hear more from Freedman on of usefulness and engagement, what will they do with those years? I posed this ques- how to make these transitions easier when tion recently to Marc Freedman, one of the his book is published in the spring, but country’s leading thinkers and writers on here are some of the key ideas: Education: Our higher education syshow Americans can redefine life after 50. Freedman is the CEO of Civic Ventures, a tem offers undergraduate training for 18non-profit that’s leading the charge for the to-25-year-olds and lifelong learning for encore career movement — the idea that those who are over 70 and truly retired. But “a school for the second half of life older adults can blaze new career trails that has not been developed yet,” Freedman can transform the country. His soon-to-be-released book, The Big Shift said. “It would be tailored for those who (PublicAffairs, April 2011), argues that we have another phase of their working lives need to recognize and develop a new stage of yet to come.” Freedman sees community colleges as life between midlife and true old age. the best candidates to offer this new enKeeping willing workers on the job core career pathway, since they already Freedman advocates continued partici- offer career training, can offer affordable pation in the labor force by older people classes, and are well-connected to local who need and want to keep working. labor markets and employers. Labor force participation generates ecoFinancing transitions. Freedman wants nomic growth, and can contribute to na- to re-think the way retirement assets are tional deficit reduction. There’s even evi- used by splitting savings into two buckets — dence that working longer could extend one for lifetime security and the other investthe solvency of Social Security. ed to produce income that can help pay for a But don’t count Freedman among those mid-life career transition. who argue for a mandated higher Social Some people already are using 529 eduSecurity retirement age. He prefers the cation accounts and Roth IRAs for this purcarrot to the stick. pose, but Civic Ventures has been advocat“I think what we need to do is focus on ing creation of a new type of savings vehithose who voluntarily are going to work cle to support midlife education. longer — not necessarily [on] those who It’s called an Individual Purpose Acdon’t want to, but have to,” he said. count (IPA). IPAs could incorporate valu“Rather than try to raise the retirement able features such as tax credits, employer age or coerce someone who doesn’t want matches and loan options.

Volunteers From page 24 and training, and then attend two update trainings each year. They also have the opportunity to attend enrichment lectures

and field trips. For example, in February, volunteers will be visiting the National Archives. There are also several volunteer recognition events each year. For more information, call (301) 3402825 or visit www.montgomeryhistory.org.

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Volunteering as a pathway. The Serve America Act of 2009 funded a dramatic expansion of public service programs, and it envisioned national service “encore fellowships” to help people transition to public service in the non-profit sector. But the fellowships haven’t yet been funded. In the meantime, some corporations are adding encore career programs and some community colleges are starting programs. Freedman still hopes the fellowship program will be funded and expanded. Does the push for encore careers make practical sense in a period of high unemployment and scarce jobs? Freedman argues that the new life stage he envisions involves “a long-term structural change in

the shape of our lives, and it will include upturns and downturns in the economy. “And it’s not a zero-sum game of competition between the old and young for jobs. When we develop the new concept of this period of life and work, it’s something we’re doing not just for people at this juncture now, but for those who will live even longer later on.” Mark Miller is the author of The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security: Practical Strategies for Money, Work and Living (John Wiley & Sons/Bloomberg Press, June 2010). Subscribe to Mark’s free weekly eNewsletter at http://retirementrevised.com/enews. Contact him via mark@retirementrevised.com. © 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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You’ll start feeling better the minute you see how much you save on generic prescriptions. If you or your family are taking prescription medications, you may want to try generics. Generics are safe and eﬀective, FDA approved, and work the same way that name brands do, but cost up to 80% less. Speak to your CVS Pharmacist to learn more.

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

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

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Money Law &

CAN YOU SPOT A SCAM? Test your knowledge of common frauds and how to avoid them LOWER YOUR VET BILL Assistance programs can help pay for your pet’s vet care NO LONGER IN THE MAIL Tax forms for 2010 aren’t being mailed; try the library or go online HOW TO CLEAR YOUR NAME Debt collectors can be aggressive, even if they have the wrong man

Convertible securities offer smoother ride If I were a betting man, I’d wager that Less volatile than stocks 2011 turns out to be a better year for Here’s the good part: Convertibles typistocks than for bonds. With cally have provided investors the extension of the Bush tax with higher returns than cuts and the clear resolve of bonds, yet have boasted the Federal Reserve to spur fewer losses and lower volatileconomic growth, I think that ity than stocks. the stock market will do well When the stock market for the remainder of this year goes up, convertibles tend to — albeit with its customary rise, too, though not as much stomach-churning dips. as stocks. When the market By the same token, ecofalls, convertibles usually lose nomic growth, especially acground also, but again, not as SAVVY SAVER companied by the huge federmuch. By Steven T. Goldberg al deficit, likely means higher Lots of people steer away interest rates on bonds. When from convertible securities bond yields rise, their prices decline. because they either haven’t heard of them But I don’t like to bet. And for conserva- or they don’t understand them. And the tive investors — and most sensible seniors truth is that convertibles are complex belong in that category — convertible se- beasts. curities offer a wonderful way to make I wouldn’t recommend that anyone but money if the stock market does indeed the most sophisticated investors buy and chalk up healthy gains this year, yet cush- sell individual convertibles. But you can ion your losses if the economy turns south hire a mutual fund manager to do the again. heavy lifting for you — and not worry A convertible security is a hybrid: Nei- about whether you understand all the ins ther stock nor bond, it contains something and outs of convertibles. of each. Like a bond, a convertible security pays you a fixed amount of interest regu- Two good fund choices larly. Like a stock, it rises and falls with the My favorite fund for navigating this fortunes of the underlying company, espe- tricky sector is Vanguard Convertible Secially the common stock. curities (telephone 1-800-635-1511). This

fund charges just 0.72 percent of assets annually. For the past 10 years to mid-January, the fund has returned an annualized 7.6 percent — an average of 6.5 percentage points better per year than Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index. Over those years, the fund ranks in the top 1 percent among convertible funds. It yields 3.8 percent. Vanguard outsources the management of almost all its actively managed stock funds. Since the 1986 launch of this fund, it has paid highly respected Oaktree Capital to manage it. Larry Keele has been lead manager since 1996. In January, Oaktree announced it had appointed two co-managers, Abe Ofer and Jean-Paul Nedelec, to help the fund expand its purchase of foreign convertible securities. The fund also employs several analysts. Keele, 54, has done a terrific job, yet keeps his humility. Of convertible securities, he says: “Convertibles make sense if you don’t know what the future holds, and I don’t know what the future holds.” Howard Marks, chairman of Oaktree, probably puts it even better. He calls convertibles “equities with training wheels.” Perhaps Keele’s most notable accomplishment: Since he began running the fund, it has never had a bond issuer default

on an interest payment. But the fund has one big negative. The initial minimum investment is $10,000. Vanguard boosted it that high to keep too much money from pouring into the fund. For the same reason, it’s very difficult to buy the fund via online brokerages. A good second choice is Fidelity Convertible Securities (1-800-544-6666). Annual expenses are 0.68 percent, a tad lower than Vanguard’s. Over the past 10 years, the fund has returned an annualized 6.6 percent — one percentage point per year, on average, less than the Vanguard fund. Manager Thomas Soviero has run the fund since 2005. It yields 3.2 percent Despite my affection for convertible funds, I wouldn’t make them the only fund you own. Any solid portfolio needs a good mix of bond funds and stock funds. But keeping a nice 10 to 20 percent of your investments in a convertible fund will likely boost your returns — and may even help you sleep at night. Steven T. Goldberg is a freelance writer and investment advisor in Silver Spring, Md. He welcomes reader questions. E-mail steve@tginvesting.com or write to Steven Goldberg, 9005 Woodland Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20910. You may also call him at (301) 650-6567.

Now’s a good time to review your portfolio By Mark Jewell Mutual funds have been put to the test. Over the last three years investors saw their balances nose-dive, then edge back toward prior heights. But few investors have fully recovered. On the bright side, all that drama should make it relatively easy to perform an annual portfolio checkup, to decide which funds to keep and which to cast out. How a fund performed through meltdown and recovery are good indicators of how it will fare from here, whether the current rally has legs or not. Consider selling funds that took a steeper dive than their peers when the market was tumbling, then lagged during the recovery as well. If a fund fared well through both halves of that volatility, stick with it.

“I can’t think of anything fundamentally decent that hasn’t outperformed in at least one of those two environments,” said Christine Benz, personal finance director with fund tracker Morningstar. “The last three years have provided a terrific lens through which to view what your holdings are, and what kind of performance you can expect them to deliver.”

How to check out funds Examining a fund’s three-year record is one quick test, but it shouldn’t be the only one. Here are seven checkup tips, including special considerations for 2011: 1. Keep short-term performance in perspective: Evaluating a fund’s performance over more than three years is important, especially if it’s one you expect to

stick with for decades. “Don’t discard any fund if it has one bad year,” said Cliff Caplan, a financial planner and president of Neponset Valley Financial Partners in Norwood, Mass. “But if I see three years in a row with questionable performance, then I have a problem.” 2. Use the right performance yardstick: Assess a fund’s performance only against its peers. It’s misleading to compare funds investing in different segments of the market. For example, performance can vary widely between a fund specializing in stocks of medium-sized companies and one focusing on bigger companies. That can be true even if both emphasize companies with the same earnings growth characteristics.

Mid-cap growth funds have averaged a 22 percent gain this year, compared with 14 percent for large-cap growth funds. Comparing funds in these two groups is apples-to-oranges. 3. Consider dropping what’s been hot lately: There’s no certainty that yesterday’s champs will become tomorrow’s laggards, or vice versa. But market shifts are to be expected. This year, funds specializing in smallcompany stocks have given investors an average return of more than 20 percent. Funds that specialize in stocks of real estate investment trusts also deserve special scrutiny after their average 21 percent gain. 4. Stick with a long-term plan: Be See VOLATILITY, page 28

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Volatility From page 27 careful not to disrupt the balance of your portfolio between stocks and bonds. Maintain a long-term plan that accounts for your age, income needs and tolerance for risk. Benz recommends rebalancing if the stock or bond portion of your portfolio has veered 5 percentage points or more off target. For instance, you may want to ease back on stocks if market gains have left you with 65 percent in stocks, rather than an intended 60 percent.

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

If you haven’t rebalanced within the past three years, you may not need to. That’s because the market recovery has gone a long way — but not all the way — to restore balance in portfolios that had become bond-heavy after stocks plunged in 2008. 5. Look beyond stocks vs. bonds: Don’t make a change without determining whether it might leave you under- or overexposed to certain segments of the market. For example, ditching a large value fund in favor of a small growth fund might be problematic. Your portfolio could lag if big

companies with steadily growing earnings surge while smaller companies hit a rough patch. Keep an appropriate mix of bond holdings with short-, medium- and longterm maturities, and diversify among corporate and government debt of varying credit quality. 6. Examine factors other than performance: If a fund’s management has changed, study the new arrival’s credentials to gauge whether they’re up to the task. If the managers have shifted the fund’s investment style — by veering from small-company stocks to large, for example — consider whether the move might run afoul of your goals.

If the fund has raised the ongoing management fee, consider finding a comparable fund with a lower expense ratio. 7. Don’t overdo it: If you’ve got a sound long-term plan, it’s generally better to make no changes or only minor ones each year. Potential pitfalls include unintended transaction costs or tax penalties. While it’s generally cheaper to move around than it used to be — consider that companies like Vanguard, Fidelity and Charles Schwab now offer commissionfree trades of certain exchange-traded funds — frequent moves only increase the chance of a misstep. — AP

BEACON BITS

Mar. 9

LEGISLATIVE RALLY FOR SENIORS United Seniors of Maryland will hold its 34th annual state rally on

Wednesday, March 9 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Francis Scott Key Auditorium at St. John’s College, 60 College Ave., Annapolis, Md. Speakers include Mike Miller, president of the state Senate; Michael E. Busch, speaker of the House; and Gloria Lawlah, secretary of the Maryland Dept. of Aging. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has been invited to speak as well. Participants will learn about legislation affect-

Saturday March, 19, 2011 • 10:00-1:00

ing older adults and have the opportunity to meet with legislators. The $15 registration fee includes continental breakfast and box lunch. Parking is available at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, with a free shuttle bus to the rally. To purchase tickets online, go to http://unitedseniors.net/join-pay.htm. For more information, call (301) 854-2971.

Feb, 10

CONSIDERING SEPARATION AND DIVORCE A seminar presenting the legal, financial and emotional issues of separation and divorce and providing an introduction to the flexi-

ble, solution-oriented process of collaborative divorce will be held by the Jewish Social Service Agency on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at JSSA, 3018 Javier Rd., Fairfax, Va. The cost is $35. To pre-register, call (703) 896-7901

Feb. 9

Do you provide a product or service of interest to people over 50? (And today, what business doesn’t?) Reach hundreds of thousands of customers throughout the Greater Washington area by advertising in

starting at 12:30 p.m. with a social hour, followed at 1 p.m. by speaker Michael Horrigan, associate commissioner, Office of Prices and Living Conditions. The meeting will be held at Culpepper Garden Senior Center, 4435 N. Pershing Dr., Arlington, Va. For more information, call Ed Weiler at (703) 241-8798.

Feb. 9+

Housing Counseling Services offers free foreclosure prevention

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By Barbara Ruben Ron Swanda turns 65 in April, a milestone birthday he never thought he’d celebrate. Diagnosed with HIV 25 years ago, the gay District of Columbia resident expected to die of AIDS long ago. But the advent of antiretroviral medications has kept the disease at bay. Ann Jones, 53, found out she was HIV positive just last February. Jones (not her real name), a resident of Landover, Md., discovered a former boyfriend had been infected with the virus only after he died. For a long time, she was so shocked and ashamed about being HIV positive that she told no one about her diagnosis. Jones and Swanda represent two sides of the growing population of older adults with HIV and AIDS. Some have grown old with the disease they acquired while they were young adults, while others are becoming infected at an age when many healthcare practitioners don’t even recommend using condoms, much less suggest HIV testing. HIV stands for human immunodeficien cy virus, which can lead to AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. HIV damages a person’s body by destroying white blood cells called CD4+ T-cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases.

FEBRUARY 2011

I N S I D E …

Feb. 24

ARTS & STYLE

Boxing drama shows one’s biggest fight is internal; plus, ‘Life,’ according to the Stones’ Keith Richards, and Bob Levey on the joy of reuniting with old friends page 40

LEISURE & TR AVEL

HIV is most commonly spread by having unprotected sex with others who have the virus, or sharing needles for drug use Carolyn Massey, who was diagnosed with HIV with infected persons. The days when hos- of fronts to educate people about the disease. 17 years ago, now works on a number By 2017, more than pital patients contracted HIV and AIDS in the half the cases of United States will be the virus through in people age 50 or blood transfusions are older. mostly over, as percent of those 40 to 49 and 5.9 today’s blood supply is carefully percent of Early detection screened. those 50 = normal life to 59. The good news amidst While the rates of the High infection rates here all the statistics disease are far is that if HIV is diagnosed lower in Maryland, the The Washington area early enough, proportion of older has the fourth- adults “there is absolutely a normal diagnosed with the disease highest rate of AIDS life expectanis even cy,” said Dr. cases among U.S. higher and has been steadily Lisa Fitzpatrick, a Howard metropolitan areas, while climbing: In University Washington, 1998, associate professor of medicine those ages 50 to 59 made D.C. itself has the highest up 8.9 per- who specializes rate among U.S. cent in HIV. of the total number of states and territories. Marylanders “But if you’re not finding diagnosed that year. In Perhaps most surprisingly, them early in 2008, it was 15.7 the in D.C., percent. disease, they may never Similarly, the percent rose Maryland and Virginia the recover so from their immune highest propor- 2.6 system can function. We to 6.7 percent for those tion of HIV and AIDS see over age 60 in a lot cases is found the more of that with older same time period. among residents in their patients just 40s and 50s. For because they’re diagnosed According to experts example, while 3.6 percent later. Older at Yale Medical people of those ages School, may already have some half of all those living with 30 to 39 in the District of challenges HIV in with their Columbia are liv- the immunity, and this would United States will be 50 ing with HIV or AIDS, that just or older by rate soars to 7.6 2017. See HIV AFTER 50, page 18

ington, D.C. Call Elias Cohn at (202) 667-7006 for more information.

5 0

PHOTO BY FRANK K LEIN FOR THE BEA CON

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The next National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Arlington Chapter 7 meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 9,

The VOL.23, NO.2

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Palm Springs is a modernist oasis in the desert; plus, a feast for the senses in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and how to avoid nasty winter travel surprises page 47

ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR Review the basics of estate planning with professionals from Merrill Lynch. The free seminar includes wills, trusts, powers of attor-

ney, and an inventory of your assets. The event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 1:15 p.m. at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, MD. For

FITNESS & HEALTH 4 k Why bad habits are hard to break k Better blood pressure from food VOLUNTEERS & CAREERS k Time-traveling docents

LAW & MONEY 27 k In the market for convertibles k Test your wits against scammers SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

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more information, call (240) 777-4999.

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

Test your knowledge of common frauds Con artists are very good at tricking consumers into parting with money or divulging personal information that can be used to steal funds or run up thousands of dollars in fraudulent credit card charges. How good are you at telling a scam from a legitimate offer or advertisement? Take the following quiz to see. Correct answers follow. 1. You agree to sell your valuable collection of superhero comic books from the 1960s to a complete stranger who mails you a cashier’s check. Because you want to be sure the check is “good” before you part with your prized possessions, you should: (a) Confirm that the dollar amount and your name on the check are correct. Apart from that, cashier’s checks are always safe to accept. (b) Deposit the check into your bank account and wait at least two business days before letting go of the items. (c) Contact the bank that issued the cashier’s check to make sure the check is legitimate. 2. You agree to rent your vacation house to a far-away stranger who sends you a check as a deposit, but when the check arrives, it’s for more money than you agreed upon. The person apologizes and asks you to deposit the check and wire back the difference. This is: (a) Safe for you to do because you’ll be depositing a check for more money than you expected anyway. (b) Safe for you to do because, if there’s a problem, money sent by wire is very easy to recover. (c) Likely to be a scam. 3. You’ve just realized that your ATM/debit card has been lost or stolen. To get the maximum legal protection against losses from unautho-

rized withdrawals, you should notify your bank: (a) Within two business days of discovering the card missing. (b) Within 10 business days. (c) Before your next statement arrives, even if that is weeks later. 4. A company offering to rescue your home from foreclosure may be running a scam if it: (a) Says it will stop the foreclosure from taking place. (b) Suggests that you transfer ownership of the home to the company so you can rent and buy the property back from them. (c) Advises you to stop talking to your lender, lawyer or housing counselor. (d) Any of the above. 5. Your credit report may suggest that you have been a victim of identity theft if it shows: (a) You have a credit card, loan or lease in your name that you know you don’t have. (b) A company you never tried to do business with has requested a copy of your credit report. (c) A home address for you that you never had. (d) Any of the above.

If you simply deposit the check into your account and a week later it is returned unpaid, your bank will deduct from your account the original deposit amount, even if you’ve already spent the money. You could also be held responsible for any fees triggered by your reduced account balance. Not only that, you will no longer have your valuable collection of comic books. So, when presented with a cashier’s check by a stranger, “you need to confirm that the check is legitimate,” said Michael

1(c) There’s been explosive growth in all forms of counterfeit checks, including cashier’s checks. Crooks also know that consumers trust cashier’s checks, money orders and other official checks. Although federal rules require that the funds from most deposited checks be available for withdrawal within two business days (unless the bank provides a written notice to the contrary), that does not mean there isn’t a problem.

Don’t Become a Victim of Fraud!! REPORT QUESTIONABLE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID CHARGES AND PRACTICES Has this happened to you or someone you know?

• Billed for products or services not received?

• Double billed for services or products received?

• Oﬀered free services, equipment, or supplies in exchange for your Medicare or Medicaid number?

The IRA Charitable Rollover is back and may be right for you, if • You’re age 70½ or older and • You have an IRA account and • You want to support excellent pediatric health care. Make your tax-free gift to Children’s National today!

• Oﬀered money in exchange for

your Medicare or Medicaid number?

• Used your personal information – Identity Theft?

Report fraud, waste, and abuse

Call the Senior Medicare Patrol District of Columbia Hotline

Rita S. Corwin 301-565-8524 www.childrensnational.org

See FRAUD, page 30

Quiz Answers

“If it’s between Uncle Sam and Children’s National, guess how I’m using my IRA.”

rcorwin@cnmc.org

Benardo, chief of the FDIC’s Cyber-Fraud and Financial Crimes Section. To have the check authenticated, he said that your best strategy is to contact the bank the check is drawn on or take the check to your bank’s branch manager to contact the other bank on your behalf. You can also ask how to safely proceed. 2(c) “Be suspicious any time you receive a check for more money than you are

202-434-2099 (Se Habla Español)

Legal Counsel for the Elderly

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

Facing long-term care insurance changes By Mark Miller Harry Margolis is an elder law attorney who regularly helps clients plan for possible risk that they’ll need long-term care. He’s helped many of them select a longterm care insurance policy, but these days he’s ambivalent about how to counsel them. Margolis has seen numerous cases where long-term care insurance has protected clients from financial devastation. But he’s worried by the turmoil the indus-

try is experiencing. Metlife, one of the industry’s biggest players, announced recently that it would stop writing new long-term care (LTC) policies, although it reaffirmed its commitment to stand by current policyholders. And another huge underwriter, John Hancock, recently suspended sales to employers who offer LTC insurance as an employee benefit, although it continues to sell policies to individuals. The Metlife and Hancock developments MetLife Bank

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Premium increases Unpredictable premium hikes are a key problem facing the industry. LTC policies require that customers keep current on premium payments from the time of purchase up until the point when a claim is made, but there’s no guarantee that rates won’t rise. Insurance companies need the approval of state insurance commissions to put through rate hikes and several have sought double-digit hikes this year. For example, Hancock has asked state regulators for permission to boost rates on most of its

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come against a backdrop of other signs of problems in the LTC market. Sales fell 24 percent in 2009, but bounced back 11 percent from that level in the first 10 months of 2010, according to LIMRA, an industry research and consulting group. LIMRA reports that just seven million LTC policies are in force — less than 5 percent penetration of the total possible market.

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due,” warned Benardo. “And be especially skeptical if you’re asked to deposit the money and wire back some or all of it, because if you comply and the check is fraudulent, the scam artist will have your payment and you’ll probably owe your bank the amount you took out of your account.” Benardo also explained that money sent by wire is very difficult, if not impossible, to get back. 3(a) Under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), if your debit card or ATM card is lost or stolen, your maximum liability is limited to $50 if you notify your bank within two business days of discovering that the card is missing. If you wait more than two business days but no more than 60 days after receiving a bank statement that includes an unauthorized transfer, you could be liable for losses up to $500. But if you wait longer than that, the law doesn’t require your bank to reimburse you for any unauthorized transfers made after the 60-day period, even if that would clean out your account. Note: After you report a lost or stolen card, under most circumstances you will limit your liability for unauthorized transactions from that point on. However, to promote the worry-free use of debit cards and ATMs, some banks may voluntarily waive all liability for unauthorized transactions if the cardholder took reasonable care to avoid fraud or theft, but consumers must still report errors promptly. A good rule of thumb is to review your checking account and credit card statements promptly and report unauthorized transactions to your bank as soon as possible. While you may have time under the law to report a suspicious transaction and

existing customers by about 40 percent. “I’d like there to be something I could comfortably recommend to my client,” said Margolis. “This is what the premium is and this is what the benefit is and it’s not going to change. But it’s not there.” The rate hike requests are driven, in part, by the current ultra-low interest rate environment, which makes it difficult for insurance companies to earn an adequate return on the investment portfolios that help fund policy payouts. Insurers need a 10 to 15 percent increase in premiums for every one percent drop in interest rates, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. Also, John Hancock conducted a study that found the number of claims, the length of claims, and the use of benefits from 1990 to 2010 were much higher than the company had expected — particularly the open-ended expense of providing lifeSee LTC INSURANCE, page 32

limit your liability, you should always try to nip these problems in the bud. 4(d) Many homeowners having difficulty making their monthly mortgage payments are being targeted by criminals who falsely claim they can rescue a home from foreclosure, then charge large upfront fees and fail to deliver on their promises. In some of the worst cases, homeowners are tricked into signing away their ownership of a house. If you’re having trouble paying your mortgage, contact your lender or loan servicer immediately, perhaps with the help of a reputable housing counselor. If a company advises you to cut off communications with your lender or another advisor, that’s another warning sign of a scam. 5(d) There are many good reasons to frequently review your credit reports, and one is to look for warning signs that an identity thief has been or is trying to obtain loans or commit other fraud in your name. “The most important warning sign of ID theft in a credit report is a credit card, loan or lease in your name that you know nothing about,” said Benardo. “Any one of these may indicate that someone has learned enough information about you to be able to steal your identity and conduct business acting as you.” Also pay close attention to the “inquiries” section of the report that shows who has requested a copy of your credit history. That’s because thieves sometimes falsely claim to represent a company with a legitimate right to obtain credit reports and then use the information to commit fraud. Excerpted from the Fall 2010 issue of FDIC Consumer News. To read the full story online, go to www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnfall10/fraudquiz .html.

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

BGRV Ranks #1 Among Area Memory Walk Fundraising Teams B

rooke Grove Retirement Village’s (BGRV) fundraising efforts for Memory Walk 2010 resulted in $26,739.35 in contributions to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association, earning the organization praise as the top fundraising team in the National Capital Area for the third consecutive year. This year’s total significantly surpassed the team’s goal of $16,060 and represents the highest amount ever raised by the BGRV team. “Brooke Grove is recognized as our top fundraising team year after year,” noted Tony Sudler, outgoing president and chief executive officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, National Capital Area, during a December 13 Awards Luncheon held at BGRV. “They are so successful because of the people. Staff members truly care about the community and have a passion for what they do, especially for those with Alzheimer’s disease.” After a week of rainy weather, blue skies prevailed as hundreds of enthusiastic participants gathered at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., for the October 2 Memory Walk. The throng of people “On the Move” to end

Alzheimer’s disease included 62 BGRV employees, volunteers, residents, family members and friends. More than 100 BGRV Memory Walk team members also joined forces prior to the event to raise awareness of the disease and to raise funds to help “Knock Alzheimer’s Out of the Park.” Memory Walk festivities included live entertainment, testimonials and Memory Lane, where posters and photos highlighted the stories of loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s. As participants prepared to begin their one or two-mile walks, BGRV Memory Walk Team Captain Janet Wright encouraged the crowd to continue raising funds and advocating for the cause of Alzheimer’s while also taking the time to help a caregiver or spend time with someone with the disease. “Even though they may not know who you are, they still realize that you are someone who loves and cares about them,” she said. The Alzheimer’s Association is the world leader in Alzheimer’s research, care and support, and it is committed to finding not just the cure, but preventative methods and treatment.

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LTC insurance From page 30 time benefits in an era when people live longer thanks to medical advances and then require extensive long-term care. But some LTC insurance providers also under-priced their policies due to wrong bets on the way customers would manage their policies. For example, just 3.8 percent of policyholders allowed their coverage to lapse between 2005 and 2007, and the rate was just 1.5 percent on policies at least six years old, according to LIMRA.

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

That’s good news from a consumer perspective, since it’s rarely a good idea to walk away from an in-force LTC policy. But the low lapse rates have squeezed industry profits.

Still a valuable type of coverage Certainly, the need to insure against long-term care risk hasn’t changed; the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR) said about one-third of Americans turning 65 this year will need at least three months of nursing home care sometime during their lives.

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Medicare covers only a small portion of long-term care needs, and the cost of a semi-private room averages $79,000 per year. CRR calculates that the mean lifetime exposure to long-term care costs for a 65year-old couple is $260,000, with a 5 percent risk of a $570,000 expense. If you do have LTC coverage and find yourself facing a big rate hike, it probably won’t make sense to drop your coverage — especially if you bought your policy many years ago. Your premium almost certainly is much lower than you’d get on a new policy today at an older age — even with a steep rate hike thrown in. And the policy’s benefit may have increased substantially since you bought it if it has an inflation rider; about 40 percent of LTC policies sold have this feature. If you just can’t afford the rate hike, cutting back the coverage always is an option — and it’s better than canceling the policy altogether. Your options include reducing the daily benefit, the length of time that benefits would be paid, or extending the waiting period before benefits begin. Another possibility would be to switch to a reduced inflation option, if your current policy has an inflation rider. If you haven’t purchased LTC coverage but want to get coverage, this is a time to proceed with caution. Study the market with the assistance of unbiased expert, such as a

fee-only financial planner or attorney. The LTC market likely will be changing over the next couple of years as the insurance industry tries to come up with more attractive offerings. Some insurance companies already are introducing less expensive policies with more limited benefits; others are introducing hybrid life-and-LTC products aimed at the affluent end of the market. For example, Hartford Financial Group now offers a universal life insurance product through financial advisors featuring a “life access accelerated rider” that gives policyholders an option to begin drawing death benefits early to fund a LTC need, with flexibility on how the payout is used. The rider adds no more than 15 percent to the policy’s cost, said a spokesman, who added that the vast majority of buyers are affluent boomers. “It’s really been exceeding our expectations,“ he said. Sales are up 66 percent in the past 12 months. Mark Miller is the author of The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security: Practical Strategies for Money, Work and Living (John Wiley & Sons/Bloomberg Press, June 2010). He publishes RetirementRevised.com, featured recently in Money Magazine as one of the best retirement planning sites on the Web. Contact him with questions and comments at: mark@retirementrevised.com. © 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Little-known program protects assets To qualify for Medicaid, you must meet your state’s limited income and asset requirements. These can be extremely low, which can create a problem when one spouse, for example, must go into a nursing home and relies on Medicaid to fund their stay. The couple will need to “spend down” their own assets to a critically low level so the nursing home resident will qualify for aid, leaving the spouse remaining at home with little to live on. Enter a new program that addresses this problem, at least for those who choose to purchase long-term care insurance. The program involves a partnership between certain states and certain insurance companies that enables residents who buy “qualified” policies to hold onto significantly more assets and still qualify for Medicaid. More than 30 states, including Maryland and Virginia (but not the District of Columbia), have such alliances. In general, for every dollar a longterm care partnership policy pays out in benefits, a dollar of personal assets can be protected. The program was developed to encourage people to buy longterm care insurance instead of giving away or spending most of their assets and then applying for Medicaid. The policies also carry inflation protection.

For a policy to be qualified for the partnership program, it must have been issued after the program began in your state. Virginia began the program in 2007 and Maryland adopted it in 2009. Earlier policies will not automatically convert to partnership policies, but you may be able to get a new partnership policy to replace your current policy. Check with your insurance agent to see if your have a partnership-qualified policy. That information is not always printed on the policy itself. While almost every long-term care policy now offered in Virginia is partnership qualified, not all plans in Maryland are because the program is relatively new, and the state is still approving plans. For a list of Maryland approved plans, as of December 2010, go to www.mdinsurance.state.md.us/sa/documents/IndLTCInsPolicies12-09-10-Web.pdf. For Maryland’s “Consumer Guide to the Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program,” visit www.mdinsurance.state.md.us/sa/documents/Long TermCarePartnership09-09updated.pdf. To learn more about the program in Virginia, visit the website of the Virginia LTC Partnership at http://valtcpartnership.org. — Barbara Ruben

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

How to find affordable care for your pets By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior: Are there any resources that can help older pet owners with their veterinary bills? I have a dog and two cats that mean the world to me, but the vet care has become too expensive. What can you tell me? —Living On A Budget Dear Living: Struggling with the high cost of veterinary care is a common problem for millions of pet owners today, especially for those living on a tight budget. Routine medical care can cost hundreds of dollars, while urgent/specialized treatments and procedures can run into the thousands. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to reduce your vet bills without sacrificing your pet’s health. Here are some tips and resources that can help.

Shop around If you’re not attached to a particular vet, one way to save some money is to shop around and compare costs. Call different vet clinics in your area and get price quotes on basic services like annual exams and vaccinations, as well as biggerticket items like to repair a broken leg, and be sure to ask for references, too. Also, check to see if you live near a vet-

erinary medical school (see veterinaryschools.com for a listing). Many schools provide low-cost care to limited income pet owners. To help make your vet bills more manageable, see if your vet’s office accepts payment plans. Some clinics accept monthly payments so that you don’t have to pay the entire cost up front. Also, find out if your vet offers discounts to seniors or reduces fees for annual checkups if you bring in multiple pets. It’s also suggested that if your vet prescribes an expensive treatment for your pet, it’s a smart idea to get a second opinion. It will cost you another consultation fee, but another vet may have other, less expensive ways to treat your pet. Many municipal and nonprofit animal shelters offer free or low-cost spaying and neutering programs and vaccinations, and some work with local vets who are willing to provide care at reduced prices for lowincome and senior citizen pet owners. Call your local shelter or humane society to find out what’s available in your area.

To locate these programs, the U.S. Humane Society provides a listing of national and state programs on their website at www.humanesociety.org/petfinancialaid. If you don’t have Internet access, ask a friend or family member to help you, or visit your local public library. Another good resource is the American Animal Hospital Association’s “Helping Pets Fund” (www.aahahelpingpets.org, 1866-443-5738). In order to qualify, your animal hospital must be AAHA accredited, and your vet will need to submit an application requesting assistance on your behalf. To find an AAHA accredited hospital near you, visit www.healthypet.com. Medicine purchased at the vet’s office is usually much more expensive that you can get online. Instead, get a prescription from your vet (ask if a generic is available) so you can shop for the best price. Good deals can be found at sites like

www.1800petmeds.com (1-800-738-6337) or www.absolutelypets.com (1-888-5117387). Or see discountpetmedicines.com, a resource that has links to sites that offer lower-priced medications. It also doesn’t hurt to ask the vet if he or she has free samples to give you. If you can afford it, pet insurance is another option worth looking into. You can get a basic policy for under $10 per month, and some insurers offer discounts for insuring multiple pets. See www.petinsurancereview.com to compare policies. Membership discount plans like Pet Assure (www.petassure.com) are another way to save, but you’ll need to use a vet in their network. Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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Feb. 7

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

IRS no longer mails packages of tax forms By Carole Feldman The start of tax season used to be heralded by the arrival of tax forms in the mail. Not any more. The Internal Revenue Service decided this year not to automatically mail them to individual and business taxpayers. “It’s a sign of the times,” said Terry Lemons, IRS senior spokesman. “More people are going electronic. We’re interested in saving taxpayers money.” He said the agency realizes that not everyone has access to the Internet or to computers. “We think most people are going to have options to get this information,” he said. Forms will be available at many public libraries, post offices and other community sites. They also can be ordered through the IRS Web site, www.irs.gov. In addition, there are programs such as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly, Lemons said. Kathy Pickering, executive director of the Tax Institute at H&R Block, said the decision against mass mailing of forms has another benefit. “With [Congress’s] late passage of the tax bill, the IRS did not have to send out forms that were obsolete,” she

said. “It provided them with some agility.” Congress passed a tax bill, which included extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, during a post-election session that ended just before Christmas.

pared tax returns were received electronically by the IRS. Tax experts expect the trend to continue.

Speedier refunds The IRS Web site says benefits of filing

Paper forms gradually phased out electronically include faster refunds and Lemons said only 8 percent of individual taxpayers got paper tax packages in the mail last year. Those people were mailed postcards last fall informing them about the decision against mass tax-form mailings and telling them where they could get the required forms. Still, some may have missed the postcard. “Some people are just waiting for their forms to come before they file,” said Barbara Weltman, author of some of J.K. Lasser’s tax publications. “Don’t wait,” she said. “It’s not coming.” Electronic filing of tax returns is gaining in popularity. The IRS said nearly 99 million returns were filed electronically last year, up 3 percent from 2009. While nearly two-thirds of the electronic returns were filed by professional preparers, the biggest growth — 8 percent — was among those who did their taxes themselves. Last year, 34.8 million self-pre-

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greater accuracy. J.K. Lasser’s Your Income Tax 2011 says that with electronic filing, taxpayers can expect a refund within one to two weeks if they choose direct deposit, or in three weeks if they opt to have a check mailed to them. Under the IRS’ Free File program, taxpayers earning less than $58,000 a year can use tax preparation software and file

electronically at no cost. Some of the tax preparation software companies also provide no-cost filing for taxpayers under certain income levels. The government also provides forms that can be filled out online and filed electronically by taxpayers of all income levels. The “Free File Fillable Forms” service does basic math calculations for taxpayers but does not include any tax preparation software. Taxpayers who must submit certain documentation with their return, such as those claiming the homebuyer tax credit or the adoption credit, will still have to file paper forms. — AP

Tax return tips from experts With tax season upon us, tax experts are ready with advice. “Everybody needs to put some effort into understanding what the law is for 2010, how things changed, how things didn’t change,” said Greg Rosica, tax partner at Ernst & Young. Some pointers: • Documents. “Get your records in order, get everything together, don’t be in a rush,” said Barbara Weltman, author of tax guides for J.K. Lasser. Needed records include W-2s, 1099s and receipts for charitable deductions. • Deductions and credits. Make sure you’re claiming every one you’re entitled to, said Turbotax Vice President Bob Meighan. For example, he said, if you volunteer at the food kitchen, you can’t deduct your time but you can deduct your mileage to get there. Don’t underestimate the value of goods you donate to charity. • Check for errors. “Review, review, review,” the Internal Revenue Service said. Don’t forget to include

your Social Security number and sign your return. • Don’t go it alone. “Software serves as a double-check,” said Mark Luscombe, a principal tax analyst at CCH. So do professional preparers. • File electronically. “You’re going to get a more accurate return,” said Terry Lemons, chief spokesman for the IRS. It also will help speed your refund, especially if you choose direct deposit. • Remember the deadlines. This year, taxpayers have until April 18 to file 2010 tax returns. • Look ahead. It’s not too early to start planning for your 2011 taxes. Are you having too much tax — or too little — withheld from your paycheck? Should you be doing more to save for retirement — and lower your tax liability in doing that? Are you considering selling a house or business? If so, you might want to consider doing it this year, when capital gains rates are still low. “All items ought to be on the list and examined,” Rosica said. — AP

BEACON BITS

Feb. 18

WINDS CONCERT Guest composer Matthew Tommasini joins the University of Mary-

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land Winds Orchestra for a concert of works inspired by the intellectual, visual and aural visions of poets, painters and musicians. The concert will be on Friday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. Tickets are $27. For more information, e-mail tickets.claricesmith@umd.edu or call (301) 405-2787.

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

Debt collectors can tag the wrong person If you have a common name, watch out. care. They let me know that if I didn’t pay You could get “tagged” with the debt I’d be in big trouble.” someone else’s debt. How it happens Debt tagging is the term The problem of debt tagused in the collections field ging has gotten worse in refor a situation in which an incent years because banks and nocent consumer is mistakencredit card companies are inly blamed for someone else’s creasingly selling debt for overdue debt, usually because pennies on the dollar. of a similarity in names or “This rarely happens when some other type of mix-up. the original credit issuer is But even though it’s a misdoing the collecting,” said take, the person who is tagged MONEY Bill Bartmann, president of can go through a lot of trouble MATTERS By Kathy Kristof CFS II, a collection company to clear his or her name. headquartered in Tulsa, Okla. It happened to Michael Hughes, a retiree in Virginia, who sudden- “But when debt gets sold, it’s like that old ly started getting calls from collection game of telephone.” “You start out with all the information agents telling him he owed $12,000. Hughes, who had always been financially cau- about the person who owes the money, but the file gets transferred and something tious, knew it could not have been him. “I tried to tell them that they had the wrong Mike Hughes,” he said. “They didn’t See DEBT COLLECTION, page 37

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that’s only 4 inches high— so you can get in and out easily. Simply open the easy-to-turn door latch, walk in and close the door. It’s that safe and easy. Our design engineers have thought of everything. From the 17-inch high seat (no struggling to get up or down), to both water and air-jet therapy, to built-in heating. It will give you the freedom and independence to bathe in safety, comfort and convenience. Why not rediscover the soothing, luxurious pleasure of a comfortable bath… in the home you love? The Safe Step Tub is the best value on the market. Call now.

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

Debt collection From page 35 gets lost or misinterpreted. Then the debt is sold again and again, and the problem is magnified.” You’re most likely to be a victim of debt tagging when you have a common name, said Adam Levin, president of Identity Theft 911, which specializes in identity theft resolution services. In some cases, the name and an address — or perhaps an old cell phone number — are all that a collection agent has to go by. “Maybe you have a new cell phone number that used to be assigned to somebody who didn’t pay their bills,” Levin said. “Some of the [collection agents] don’t care whether they’ve confused you with someone else. They have a live fish on the line, and they’re going to pressure you to pay.”

Your legal rights It’s important to know that debtors have rights. Those rights also extend to those who have been wrongly tagged with a debt. The most important of these rights, in this situation, is that you’re legally entitled to detailed information about the debt you supposedly owe. So “the first thing to do is to ask for verification of the debt,” Bartmann said. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires the collection company to provide you with the precise amount owed, the company to which it’s owed, and information about when the debt was incurred. You can ask for the original loan application, a payment history and other documentation. Some collection agents will attempt to send an affidavit that simply states you owe the debt, Bartmann said. But in these days of robo-signing, affidavits are not as compelling evidence of a debt as they once were. Demand to see written proof that this debt is yours and when it originated, he suggested. Keep as much as possible of your communications with the collection company in writing so that if you end up in court you’ll have documentation.

Clearing your name If you receive information about the debt and know it isn’t yours, you may dispute it by sending the collection company a written letter, explaining that while your name is Jane Young, you are not the same

BEACON BITS

Feb. 12+

HELLO DOLLY! Hello Dolly!, a musical

about love, life and Yonkers, will be performed on Sat., Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. and Sun., Feb. 13 at 2 and 6 p.m. at Temple Beth Ami, 14330 Travilah Rd., Rockville, Md. Tickets, $15 to $25, can be ordered at www.bethami.org or by calling (301) 340-6818. Temple Beth Ami is at 14330 Travilah Rd., Rockville, Md.

Jane Young who owes $10,000 to Sears, for example. It’s helpful to include the discrepancies between the real you and the person who took out this debt. In Hughes’ case, he had a different middle initial, street address and Social Security number. The only similarity, besides the first and last names, was that the other Michael Hughes worked at the same tire manufacturing company as the mistaken Hughes. “A blind person could see that I was not the same person,” Hughes said. “But they said they knew I was lying and I had to go ahead and pay my bills.” Hughes didn’t bother with the letter once he realized that the real debtor was a former colleague. He got the real debtor’s phone number and gave it to the collection agent. That stopped the phone calls and even caused the collection agency to acknowledge its error. If you get debt tagged by mistake, your dispute letter to the collection agency should say you do not want to be contacted

"%34 6!,5%

again. Also insist that the erroneous debt not be included in your credit file, and, if it’s already there, that the collection agency have it removed. Then be sure to check your credit reports later to make sure it’s not there. You have the right to get all three of your credit reports, once every 12 months, for free.

Go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com — the only government-authorized site for the free credit reports — to get them. Kathy M. Kristof welcomes your comments and suggestions but regrets that she cannot respond individually to letters or phone calls. Email her at kathykristof24@gmail.com © 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 10+

FREE TAX HELP

Friendship Terrace Retirement Community is partnering with AARP to offer free assistance with tax preparation. AARP tax counselors will be at Friendship Terrace on Feb. 10, March 10, March 24 and April 14 from 1:30 until 4:00 p.m. Friendship Terrace is located at 4201 Butterworth Pl., N.W. in Washington, D.C. Call (202) 244-7400 for more information.

-/2%¨

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:Xcc +('$)+-$.+00 fi <dX`c J\e`fiC`mè^7j_\ck\iîg%Zfd kf èhlì\ XYflk \c`^`Y`c`kp i\hlì\d\ekj Xe[ kf XiiXe^\ X gi`mXk\ kfli% Professionally managed by The Shelter Group. www.thesheltergroup.com The Shelter Group is committed to Equal Housing Opportunities for people of all races, religions, ethnic groups, and disabilities and all other groups protected by federal, state, or local law.

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

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging VOLUME XXVI, ISSUE 2

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

February 2011

Inaugural Ball Ms. Senior D.C.

By Dr. Clarence Brown The D.C. Office on Aging and the Aging and Disability Resource Center (DCOA/ADRC) have officially leased both District-owned nursing home facilities. On Dec. 14, 2010, the Office on Aging and Department of Real Estate Services (DRES) entered a long-term ground lease with the Vital Management Team (VMT) to operate and manage the JB Johnson Nursing Center (JB Johnson). VMT managed this nursing facility for the past two decades and was the firm selected to operate it for the next 20 years. Additionally, this past summer, the District executed a lease with Stoddard Baptist Foundation for its other nursing facility, Washington Center for Aging Services (WCAS), as unanimously approved by the Council and Mayor. Stoddard Baptist Foundation also owns and manages Stoddard Baptist Nursing Home here in the District. Both VMT and Stoddard responded to the District’s solicitation to lease the two facilities and were selected through a competitive bidding process. Congratulations to VMT and Stoddard Baptist Foundation! Although the District continues to own both JB Johnson and WCAS, the two facilities are no longer under a management contract with DCOA, in which we paid the contractor to manage the facilities and funded all capital improvements and renovations. The management firm (tenant) will now pay the District rent and fund the capital improvements themselves. These are just two major differences between the lease and contract that illustrate the benefits to the District. With this change, DCOA’s oversight responsibilities will be limited, However, we will continue to be a key stakeholder and voice for our fellow seniors and residents at both facilities. The nursing homes changes resulted in: additional revenue for the District, support for keeping the Office on Aging budget from reductions in program services for FY 2010 and FY 2011, and enhancements in medical transportation services. As this agency moves forward during this century under the new leadership of Mayor Vincent Gray, I look forward to finding more innovative ways to ensure that the more than 100,000 residents age 60 and older have access to the necessary programs and services that help them remain in their homes for as long as possible. Don’t forget, February is Heart Health Month. Begin this month by being good to your heart. Ask your doctor if it is safe to begin exercising at one of our senior wellness centers or senior nutrition program sites. Begin eating right. Call the DCOA lead agency in your Ward and ask about getting nutrition counseling or the nearest nutrition site you may begin attending. At home, cut fat and salt from your diet and begin portion control. These simple steps can start you on your way to a healthy life style. For more information about programs to help, call our Information and Assistance Unit at 202-724-5626. Celebrate Black History Month with the Administration on Aging with the program “Our History, Our Health” on Wednesday, February 16, at 11 a.m. at the Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center, 324 Kennedy St., N.W. For more information, call 202-201-6170. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Top: Ward 7 resident Vivian McClain, 105, posed with Dr. Brown and Commissioner on Aging Samuel McCoy during Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s Inaugural Ball. An estimated 11,000 persons at the ball, including many seniors, took advantage of free tickets available during the inaugural festivities to celebrate the swearing in of Mayor Gray. During his speech, the Mayor publicly thanked seniors for helping him get elected.

Would you like to represent the seniors of the District as Ms. Senior District of Columbia? Applications are now available for District residents age 60 and older who are interested in entering the Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant 2011. Call 202-289-1510 x1171 or 202-724-5626 for more information.

NCBA Estates The Samuel J. Simmons NCBA Estates, a 175-unit senior affordable housing community, is undergoing renovations to upgrade the residential units and to improve the building inside and out, including major systems repairs and the addition of a walking trail. To commemorate the renovations, the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged hosted a wall breaking. Pictured from left to right are Harry D. Sewell, executive director, D.C. Housing Finance Agency; Jim Graham, Ward 1 councilmember; Dr. Clarence Brown, executive director Office on Aging; and Joan McKinley-Shelton, board of directors vice chair of the NCBA Housing Management Corporation.

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

D.C. OFFICE

AGING NEWSLETTER

Community Calendar February events

17th • 11 a.m.

5th • 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Weekend Nutrition Program will host a Super Bowl party at the Washington Senior Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Ave., S.E. Call Evelyn Minor, director, for reservations at 202-581-9355.

11th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Seabury Ward 5 Aging Services hosts a Valentine’s Day party at the Teamsters Union Hall, 3100 Ames Place, N.E.. For more information, call Vivian Grayton at 202-529-8701.

11th • 8:30 a.m. to noon Volunteer with other Washington Seniors Wellness Center members to help out at Food and Friends, an organization that provides meals for people with lifechallenging illnesses. Meet at Food and Friends, 219 Riggs Rd., N.E. For more information, call 202-581WELL (9355).

26th • 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The DMV and the Office on Aging have joined forces to educate senior residents on how to access more than 30 online services and find out more about special services for seniors. DMV staff will be on hand to provide technical assistance. The Director of the DMV will also be available to answer questions. At the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center, 3500 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave., S.E. To request interpreter services, contact 202-727-8370 five days before the event.

March events 17th • 5 to 8 p.m. Meet IONA Senior Service’s new artist in residence, printmaker Liz Wolf, at a reception, along with special guest artist sculptor Hermann Burger, 88, a participant in IONA’s Day Health, Wellness and Art Center. IONA is located at 4125 Albemarle St., N.W. For more information, call 202-895-9448 or e-mail info@iona.org.

18th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 12th • 11 to 1:30 p.m. The Weekend Nutrition Program will celebrate Valentine’s Day with “Karaoke King” Mr. Hall at the Washington Senior Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Ave., S.E. Call Evelyn Minor, director, for reservations at 202-581-9355.

14th • 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Senior Program will host a Valentine’s Day party at 114 Wayne Place, S.E. Contact Margaret Forbin, director, for reservations at 202-562-1041.

Take a trip to the Frederick Douglass Museum with the Washington Seniors Wellness Center, 3100 Alabama Ave., S.E. For more information, call 202-581-WELL (9355).

23rd • 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Washington Seniors Wellness Center’s Men’s Initiative will hold an event “Passing It On: An Intergenerational Discussion About Relationships” at 3100 Alabama Ave., S.E. For more information, call 202581-WELL (9355).

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Free emergency preparedness training will be taught by first responders. Share with family, friends and community! The course includes fire safety, disaster triage, light search and rescue, terrorism awareness, and structured response.

The CERT training will be held at 441 Fourth St., N.W., 11th Floor Conference Suites from Monday through Friday, Feb. 21 to 25, 6 to 9 p.m. To register or for more information, visit www.serve.dc.gov or e-mail Shirley.Hall@dc.gov.

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING Spotlight On Aging is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Office on Aging for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Office on Aging or by the publisher. 441 4th St., N.W., 9th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 202-724-5622 • www.dcoa.dc.gov Dr. Clarence Brown, Executive Director Darlene Nowlin, Editor Adrian R. Reed, Photographer The D.C. Office on Aging does not discriminate against anyone based on actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national ori-

Get help with your taxes and other financial issues and forms at the Eleanor Holmes Norton Tax and Financial Services Fair for D.C. Residents. It will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W., Rooms 143-152. Other services that will be offered on that day include FAFSA form help, housing and mortgage counseling, credit counseling and more. For more information, call 202-225-8050.

gin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, disability, source of income, and place of residence or business. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination which is prohibited by the Act. In addition, harassment based on any of the above protected categories is prohibited by the Act. Discrimination in violation of the Act will not be tolerated. Violators will be subjected to disciplinary action.

The Office on Aging is in partnership with the District of Columbia Recycling Program.

3rd• 10 to 11:30 a.m. Starting March 3, IONA will hold memory loss support groups for individuals diagnosed with memory loss, as well as their families and friends. The groups will be held the first Thursday of each month. The fee is $15 per person per session, and limited scholarships are available. You must pre-register for the group by calling 202-895-9448. IONA is located at 4125 Albemarle St., N.W.

7th • 10 to 11 a.m. Attend a five-part memory fitness workshop on Mondays starting March 7. Gain valuable information, resources and techniques to keep your memory sharp. Topics will include normal and abnormal memory changes, health habits to support good memory, managing stress, brain games and other brain fitness strategies. This group is not intended for individuals who have a medical diagnosis of memory impairment, such as mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The fee is $60, and limited scholarships are available. You must pre-register for the group by calling 202895-9448. IONA is located at 4125 Albemarle St., N.W.

D.C. Dept. of Health Has New Official Address The D.C. Department of Health’s main building, previously known as 825 North Capitol St., N.E., has changed its address to 899 North Capitol St., N.E. The United States Postal Service will continue to deliver mail addressed to 825 North Capitol for a short period of time in order to ensure that mail and packages are not lost in the change.

Aging Service Providers by Ward Barney Neighborhood House Senior Program

South Washington West of the River

Ward 1 and 4 202-939-9020

Ward 6 202-608-1340

Emmaus Services for the Aging

East River Family Strengthening Collaborative

Ward 2 202-745-1200

Ward 7 202-534-4880

IONA Senior Services Ward 3 202-966-1055

Access Housing Inc. Senior Program

Seabury Ward 5 Aging Services

Ward 8 202-562-6860

Ward 5 202-529-8701

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

Style Arts &

Does the Stones’ Keith Richards tell all in his memoir? See story on page 42.

Boxer drama shows real fight is internal most memorable was Requiem for a Heavyweight, broadcast on the CBS anthology show “Playhouse 90” in 1956. This look at a washed-up boxer (played by Jack Palance) won him a mantel full of awards, including a Peabody. It is often described as “the best sports drama ever.” Serling later went on to create and write the best episodes of the iconic TV series “The Twilight Zone.” That thought-provoking and eerie series can still be found in endless cable TV reruns after half a century, but most of his other work has disappeared into the ether, along with television’s golden luster.

PHOTO BY HERITAGE-O’NEILL THEATRE COMPANY

On stage in Silver Spring That’s why I jumped at the chance to see the currently running local production of the rarely staged live theater adaptation Serling did of Requiem. I have seen and enjoyed the kinescope of the original TV broadcast, and have a dim memory of the 1962 movie version starring Anthony Quinn. But it seemed that a stage version might be the best incarnation of all. Serling might have felt freed from any constraints imposed

Seats are subject to availability. Due to the nature of theatrical bookings, all shows and dates are subject to change.

Sean Coe (left) portrays washed up boxer Mountain and Dexter Hamlett plays his friend and handler in the Heritage-O’Neill Theatre Company’s production of Requiem

for a Heavyweight.

by sponsors, censors, and network and studio suits. Well, the results are mixed. The Heritage-O’Neill Theatre Company in Silver Spring deserves much credit for taking on the project — part of their mission to revive American classics (concentrating on the work of Eugene O’Neill). But both the script and this production have flaws. Serling’s boxer is Mountain McClintock (Sean Coe), a battered-faced giant from the hills of Tennessee. At one time a contender (“I was almost the heavyweight champion of the world,” he says over and over), he’s now facing forced medical retirement from the ring, his 14-year career over. But his long-time manager Maish (Frank Vince) — broke and facing a mobster’s looming deadline for money owed — sees further exploitation of the boxer as his only way out. It is as much Maish’s story as it is Mountain’s, perhaps even more so.

For tickets & information visit www.AmericanCentury.org or call 703.995.4555

By Michael Toscano Rod Serling was one of the best writers television has ever had. His keen eye for unique characters and situations, combined with sharp and incisive dialogue, was first put to good use in what is often called the “golden age” of television. Those were the early years of the medium, the 1950s, when much of the programming was live and featured original, New York-based drama. Those broadcasts were often produced by and featured top theater talent, adding a literary element that eventually disappeared as production shifted to Los Angeles, and film and videotape became the preferred style of presentation. Our only records of those live performances are through grainy, low-quality kinescopes (filmed off black-and-white TV monitors). We can see via these flickering relics that sponsors and networks at the time treated their audience like adults. They assumed those watching had healthy attention spans and would sit still for fulllength, absorbing stories. Serling churned out more than 200 television plays over the years. One of the

Maish, after all, is more aware of both the choices available and their ramifications than is the punchy fighter. It is Maish’s battle with his innate sense of decency and loyalty where the real dramatic tension is found, at least as performed here. We feel sorry for the boxer, who is illequipped for a new career or for life in general. But Maish’s soul is up for grabs.

Some weaknesses It’s been reported that Serling never saw his stage version produced. If that’s true, it’s easy to imagine him paring back some of the material he used to pad out the story, if only he had seen how weakly it plays. The first act sags in places, burdened with exposition and with the repetition of several points. Director Karey Faulkner’s

The American Century Theater presents

January 14–February 12, 2011 Gunston Theatre Two

See HEAVYWEIGHT, page 41

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

Heavyweight From page 40 pacing is sometimes lethargic in this act, although the energy does begin to ramp up to more tension-inducing speeds as the play progresses. Sean Coe does a nice job displaying the boxer’s pitiable condition. But it is a lowkey, gentle performance, and the occasional flashes of anger are not as frightening as they should be. Mountain is supposed to be a giant of a man, a loping ape with a wrecked face that is frightening to behold. But Coe is neither a giant nor battered, and he plays it all so gently that so we don’t fear the volatility. When Mountain lets out what should be the primal scream, “I am not a bum,” the moment is underplayed, the impact diminished. Coe sparks to life mostly in scenes with Amy Rauch, who plays Grace Miller — a woman approaching spinsterhood who takes an interest in the fighter. Coe’s Mountain, it seems, may be more lover than fighter.

Stronger performances Vince is more successful in the role of the tormented manager. In Vince’s nuanced, dynamic performance, Maish is not the snake we’re expecting. He’s not necessarily a bad guy; he may just have to do some bad things to survive. That’s even scarier than Mountain’s situation because it’s something we can all imagine having to face.

Dexter Hamlett turns in high-energy work as Army, Mountain’s friend and handler, often keeping the momentum of scenes churning by himself. Faulkner makes good use of the performance space, moving her 11 actors about efficiently for the multiple scene changes. It’s played with just a few props and a neutral background, but the bare bones are less notable as the pacing ratchets up. The murky, spotty lighting from Benjamin Fan is unfortunate, though. It manages to be both boring and distracting simultaneously, as the actors mill about in pools of dim light. There is much pleasure to be found in most of Serling’s incisive dialogue, and the energetic second act should hold audiences’ attention fully. What we come away with is that it’s what happens outside the ring that is brutal. That’s where the truly agonizing and suspenseful fight takes place: in a man’s heart. Requiem for a Heavyweight continues through Feb. 19, performed by the Heritage-O’Neill Theatre Company at the Randolph Road Theatre, 4010 Randolph Rd., in Silver Spring, Md. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $25 to $30, with a $2 to $3 discount for seniors depending on date of show. For tickets and more information, visit www.theheritagetheatre.org or call (301) 770-9080.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 5+

TALES OF LINCOLN Discover how the teenage Abe won a “talking contest” against a

grown man, how he used “t-mail” to communicate with generals during the Civil War, and how his vivid dreams often predicted the future. Celebrated storyteller Jon Spelman explores the varied tales of Abraham in his one-man show on Saturdays Feb. 5, 12 and 19 at 11:30 a.m. Tickets to “Tales of the Lincoln” can be reserved free of charge at the Ford’s Theatre Box Office. Ford’s Theatre is located at 514 10th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Advance reservations are also available through Ticketmaster (fees apply) at 1-800-899-2367 or www.fords.org. Seating is available on a first-come basis.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 13

MOZART SING-ALONG

Singers of every ability are welcome to join in Mozart’s Requiem at the Washington National Cathedral, part of the Cathedral Sings! sing-along program on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. Score rental is also available. The cathedral is located at 3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. For more information, go to www.cathedralchoralsociety.org or call (202) 537-5510.

Feb. 13

POETIC PAINTINGS

Join two of Ireland’s most eminent actors, Dearbhla Molloy and Dermot Crowley, for an imaginative stroll through the National Gallery in London. The actors will read poems from celebrated Irish poet Paul Durcan’s book Give Me Your Hand, in which he interprets some of the world’s most famous paintings in verse. The event will take place at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 550 17th St., N.W., Washington, D.C., on Sunday Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. The cost is $30. Call (202) 639-1770 to register.

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

‘Life,’ according to the Stones’ Keith Richards loose-hanging white T-shirt. He has on turquoise sneakers, a distant cousin to blue suede shoes. Unlike Mick Jagger, Richards has never been knighted. But he can claim honors in the world of letters: Nearly 30 years after Jagger gave up on writing a memoir, alleging he had forgotten everything, Richards has emerged as a best-selling author who seems to have retained it all. “Another feather in my cap,” he said with his smoke-ringed laugh, lighting up the first of several Marlboros. “It’s been a much harder journey than I expected,” he said. “At first, it was like, ‘Oh, sure, I’ll tell you anything,’ without realizing how things connect together and the effect they have on you.

Donate your vehicle and support three agencies. Jewish Foundation for Group Homes Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington Jewish Council for the Aging

240.283.6000

WWW.CAR-J.ORG

“Hey, it’s not easy to relive the death of your own son [Tara, who died in infancy in 1976]. Old wounds are opened here and there, only to heal them.”

AP PHOTO

By Hillel Italie Mother Nature knows how to welcome Keith Richards. The afternoon is sunny minutes before Richards is to be interviewed at his manager’s office in downtown Manhattan — a veritable Keith shrine with posters and pictures on the wall, and a director’s chair with his name on it, ready for him to be seated. At the top of the hour, the clouds darken. The door swings open and the grinning Rolling Stone guitarist and songwriter arrives. He is 66, his face tanned and lined, his walk slightly bent, an old cowboy gone electric. He’s wearing a tan, wide-brimmed hat, black leather jacket, black pants and a

A wild ride through the ‘60s Co-written by journalist and White Mischief author James Fox, Richards’ memoir Life topped the best-seller list on Amazon.com even before publilast October. cation Richards has received a rave (“achingly, emotionally direct”) from The New York Times where it is currently number six on its best seller list.. Life, a firsthand journey from wartime London through the wilder parts of the 1960s and 1970s and beyond, could as easily be filed among the works of Richards’ friend William Burroughs as alongside Keith Richards writes about his life with the Rolling the memoirs of Bob Dylan Stones and exploits during the ‘60s and ‘70s in his memoir Life, currently on the New York Times’ bestseller list. or Eric Clapton. Life is told in Richards’ offhand, conversational rhythms, through and arranged. Private letters, diaries and recording sessions and concerts, orgies journals were discovered, old friends conand true romance, drugs and drug busts, sulted. Fox worked hard with Richards to family fights and domestic comforts, gui- freshen his memory. “We got underneath the years of telling tar tunings and adventures with Mick. the stories. They were always the best stoIt’s the rare rock memoir with recipes (for bangers, English sausages), guide- ries, and always good, but he had flattened lines on street brawling (flash the knife as some of them by repetition over the a decoy, then kick your enemy where it years,” Fox said. “I wanted to build them and we often rehurts), and staying awake for days. “I thought [co-author Fox] did a remark- turned to stories, just by accident or beable job,” said Robert Greenfield, an au- cause I wanted more, and this always prothor and former writer for Rolling Stone duced more detail each time, and it slowly magazine who traveled with the band dur- built up and came more alive — at least in ing its 1972 tour and interviewed Richards a literary way.” Richards was born east of London, in the year before. Dartford, in 1943. The Nazis were drop“He not only drew Keith out and got him ping bombs at the time, his mother told to talk and provide information, but some of the language is so literary and I think it him. “That was evidence that Hitler was on my trail,” Richards writes. comes from Keith.” He remembers “landscapes of rubble,” Jagger writes most of the Rolling bombed-out streets and beatings in the Stones’ lyrics, but in countless interviews Richards has laid down his own take. He is schoolyard. His father, a foreman at Genercandid and philosophical, jaded and ten- al Electric, was often away. But Richards was close to his mother der, Bogart with a guitar, inspiring such and adored his grandfather, Gus Dupree, a books as What Would Keith Richards Do? and Stone Me: The Wit and Wisdom of bohemian and musician who harmonized with Keith on radio songs and taught him a Keith Richards. His stature on paper is nearly as long, few chords on guitar. One of the great discoveries of working and as great, as his musical catalog. Quotes from over the decades — “I’ll just on Life was remembering his grandfather keep on rocking and hope for the best,” and “how much in his own way he had to “I’ve never had a problem with drugs; I’ve do with what I became, how much I had problems with the police” — are mot- learned from him.” Richards was a choir boy, crushed at tos for his fans. age 13 when his voice changed and his talLife is like the ultimate Keith Richards ents were no longer needed. “It still ranalbum, as if all the interviews were scraps of music that Richards and Fox fleshed out See RICHARDS, page 43

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

Richards From page 42 kles, that humiliation. It still hasn’t gone out, that fire,” he writes. “That’s when I realized there’s bigger bullies than just bullies. There’s them, the authorities.”

By writing the memoir “I was hoping to explain a lot of what went down to be part of the Stones,” Richards said. “Also, in a strange way, I wanted to put order into it myself. “It’s a very kaleidoscopic life, rock and roll, and trying to find some order and narrative is probably the hardest, because in real life, you don’t think of things in such clear-cut terms.”

Early influences Rock ‘n’ roll, he likes to say, changed the world from black and white to Technicolor. On the radio, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry were shouts from a party he was dying to join. On paper, he found a lonely, fictional soulmate in Holden Caulfield of The Catcher in the Rye. “It just opened me up, just, wow,” Richards said of J.D. Salinger’s novel. “A kid from another country, and a certain sense that the emotions were pretty much universal. You could feel just as disconnected in Iowa or New York as you can in Berlin or London or anywhere else.“ In 1961, he was on a train and ran into Mick Jagger, a childhood acquaintance from the cleaner side of town, Posh Town. Jagger was carrying rock and blues albums under his arms and a musical bond was born. Mick liked to sing. Keith could play. By 1962, the Rolling Stones were a working band. By 1963, a live sensation, and by the mid-1960s, international outlaws — the dark side of their friends and rivals the Beatles.

Richards’ take on Jagger His words are sometimes too well remembered, so Richards uses the interview to laugh off his latest cracks about Jagger. He said he doesn’t hate Mick Jagger, despite his comments in recent days about his bandmate’s “tiny todger.” Many of the negative remarks in his book date from the 1980s, when Jagger’s solo career nearly broke up the band. The Stones have material to work on, and Richards hopes to tour next year. “You don’t expect relationships to remain in the same groove all the time. It goes up and it goes down and we always end on middle ground and find our spot together,” he said. Richards said Jagger has read the book and had only minor objections. Richards doesn’t know if fellow Stones Ron Wood or Charlie Watts have read it and didn’t seem worried. (Both come off fine.) Richards, the father of four and husband since 1983 to actress-model Patti Hansen, said his family is enjoying Life but they had

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no more to say about its content than Jagger did. “If I had let my daughters and my family edit my book ...,” Richards said, trailing off in laughter. “What kind of guy do you think I am?” He is a grandfather, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a movie star, a friend of Bill Clinton, a landed Connecticut gentleman with a private library. He is off hard drugs, but still enjoys a drink and smoke. He shrugs at the latest trends: “Damned good try, girl,” he said of Lady Gaga. Times hurry on and he takes in the show. “Technology, for example, is sort of an

obvious illustration of that. And, of course, doing what I was doing, recording, I was very much aware of the speed of how things were developing, in front of my eyes, in front of my ears,” he said, adding that he never did take to cell phones. “You accept the pace and things changing, and you’re able to roll with it, and at the same time you try to remember a simpler life, before everybody could find you, even in a john, which is why I don’t have a phone. “If I had one, it would just be ringing all the time.” — AP

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Old friends are best (at least once a year) Forty-eight years ago, I grasped my Since I live in Washington, I am very diploma, shook the principal’s hand and used to conversations that center around graduated from high school. What Do You Do? It’s as if It was a sun-splashed day you’re a mobile resume, meetin June. It felt as if sun would ing others. You are looking for always splash. common cause when you inI said goodbye to my classtroduce yourself, but also for a mates and said I’d see them way to shine. It’s a world of again soon. With a handful, I winners and losers. kept my promise. With most, Not so with these boys from I floated away — to another the class of 1962. Although we city for college, then another five might have boasted of our for most of my adult life. accomplishments — and there I hadn’t seen a handful of HOW I SEE IT have been many — we spent By Bob Levey my best pals since that day. most of the evening talking But recently, we made a about our parents. date to reconnect for dinner (isn’t the InterAll but one are long dead. The survivor net wonderful?). It would be five of us, in is a 96-year-old mom who doesn’t know New York City, spouses and significant oth- what day it is any more. ers welcome, nothing else on the agenda. But rather than mope about this, we It turned into one of the best evenings agreed that our parents had faced huge I’ve ever spent. odds in the 1940s, when we were born. We retold locker room jokes. We re- They were admirable for having proscalled teachers — especially the Spanish pered. teacher who couldn’t pronounce “YanOne father had emigrated from the kees.” We played “What Ever Happened to Caribbean. He came to New York City to Him” through three bottles of wine. seek his fortune, as the saying goes. But all of that could have been expected. But he didn’t define success in terms of What wasn’t: How easily we reconnected. dollars. He defined it in terms of books. He These were five men who inhabit all the became an English teacher in the New points of a star. One is a lawyer. Two are in York public schools. He never did anybusiness at opposite ends of the world. A thing else. fourth is a prominent doctor and academic And he wore a bow tie every day. It was in California. The fifth has typed for a liv- his way of saying, “I may not have been ing for a very long time. born on an estate in Bucks County, but I’m As I walked to the designated restaurant a classy guy nonetheless.” from the subway, I told myself to prepare Another father worked on Wall Street. for the worst. Life gouges people. Perhaps He faced everything from anti-Semitism to divorce or disease or destitution has anti-left-handedness. robbed my guys of their sun-splashed spirBut he founded and ran his own brokerit. Perhaps the long-awaited evening would age, and his son still has the certificate the be a bust. father received on the day he bought a Foolish fears. seat on the New York Stock Exchange. The one sentence that got uttered more The doctor among us has been a superthan any other that evening was, “How in star. A leader in his field, a research giant, the world did we go 48 years without doing now a senior professor. this?” He said he thinks about his father every In second place was: “Next year, same day — and about how his father couldn’t time, same place.” go to medical school because of the Great

Depression. “We aren’t just islands living by ourselves,” the doc said. “We all represent our parents, and what our parents couldn’t be.” And how did these oldster pals of mine look? The doc and I happened to walk into the restaurant at the same moment. He eyeballed my face. Then my snow-white hair. “Except for the scalp, you look exactly the same,” he said. I eyeballed his face. Then his virtually bald head. “You, too,” I said. Then giggles and hugs. We agreed that our looming 50th reunion would be a must-attend. We vowed to exchange cell phone numbers — and

we have. We vowed to help scout job prospects for our now-adult children. We vowed to bring along a copy of the yearbook when we meet again next year. But mostly, we vowed not to get stuck in the past. It was great to see my oldest friends. As the cliché has it, we picked up as if we had never left off. But as I trudged back to the subway, I realized that these guys would be my friends if I had just met them. I chose them then — and rechoose them now — for one simple reason. The best reason of all. We click. Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

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BEACON BITS

Feb. 20

FREE ARMY BAND CONCERT Attend the U.S. Army Band’s 89th anniversary concert on Sunday,

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Travel

Leisure &

Enjoy a cultural feast in San Francisco’s Chinatown. See story on page 49.

Palm Springs, California’s desert oasis and embellished over the years. Nestled at the base of the stunning San Jacinto Mountains — visible from nearly every point in the city — Palm Springs offers a vibrant downtown, featuring open-air cafes, galleries and shops along palm tree-lined streets. Its stunning mid-century modern neighborhoods and premier golf courses also attract visitors from around the world, who come to enjoy its rich history, many attractions and year-round sunshine.

A life on stage

PHOTO BY TROY PETENBRINK

Palm Springs drew Naber when she joined the Follies five years ago after owning and operating a dance studio, the Wheaton Studio of Dance, for nearly half a century. (She still maintains a home in Silver Spring, Md.). Naber’s performing career began with appearances on local television in the nation’s capital when she was in her teens, touring the U.S. with various dance troupes, including the Roxyettes, a rival troupe to the Rockettes, and traveling the world with the USO as a precision line dancer. Though she has shared the stage with such legends as Louis Armstrong, Gordon MacRae, Eddie Fisher and Bobby Darin, Naber includes her Follies cast members among her favorite co-stars. “They are a bunch of swell, happy, healthy people,” she said. “When we are on stage, we just have a good old time.” She connected with the Follies when her in-laws, from San Diego, gave her and her husband tickets for a Christmas show. She enjoyed it so much she flew back cross-country by herself, unannounced, for a successful audition. It was not just her love of dance and an eternal drive to entertain others, but also her fascination with the city of Palm Springs that drove her to start a new chapter of her life. “This is paradise out here,” said Naber. “It is just fabulous…opening the door everyFormer dance studio owner and Washingtonian Joni day and seeing the beautiful Naber, 74, now kicks up her heels with the Fabulous sunshine.” Palm Spring Follies, whose cast members range in age from 56 to 81.

PHOTO BY TROY PETENBRINK

By Troy Petenbrink It is my favorite part of the show: A grand staircase appears on the middle of the stage, and among all the dazzling show lights the lovely ladies of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies take to the stage one at a time, adorned in rhinestoned, feathered and flowered regalia. Watching Washington, D.C. native Joni Naber in her purple halo of a headdress gracefully descend the stairs with her long, statuesque legs, I forget for a moment that she is 74. Founded in 1991, the Follies is a song and dance troupe that features a core cast of performers, all 55 or older, who perform up to nine shows a week from October through May. Each year, a series of special guest variety acts and performers join the cast. Past guests have included ventriloquist Sammy King, burlesque star Tempest Storm, entertainer John Davidson, and former Supreme Mary Wilson. The Follies is just one of the many appeals of Palm Springs. The southern California destination, just over 100 miles east of Los Angeles, is a jewel among desert cities. Its village atmosphere has been preserved

A bronze Sonny Bono sits on the edge of a fountain at a downtown square in Palm Springs. Bono is credited with revitalizing the desert city when he served as mayor about 20 years ago. The Springs, about 100 miles from Los Angeles, is nestled at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains.

History and Hollywood The land that Palm Springs occupies is the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. They knew the area as “la palma de la mano de Dios“ — the palm of God’s hand. Their ancient healing mineral waters are still a part of the success story of Palm Springs, showcased at their downtown Spa Resort Casino, one of six major casinos in the Palm Springs area. Palm Springs remained a sleepy village until the late 1800s, when it drew pioneers after the Southern Pacific Railroad came through the desert. This early history is kept alive and shared at the Village Green Heritage Center on S. Palm Canyon Drive (the city’s main street). The center houses the McCallum Adobe Cornelia White House Museum with memorabilia of local pioneers, the charming Ruddy’s 1930s General Store Museum, and the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. The city’s early settlers could not have foreseen that the elite of Hollywood would flock to “The Springs” and make this piece of desert the international playground of the stars. Falling prey to the magic of Palm Springs were the likes of Rudolf Valentino and Theda Bara back in the 1920s, and Lucille Ball and Kirk Douglas in the ’60s.

These tinseltown adventurers and many, many others played hard in Palm Springs and many bought hideaway homes as refuge from the Hollywood studios. But as actors and actresses became less geographically tied to Hollywood, Palm Springs briefly lost its luster. The late Sonny Bono, who served as the city’s mayor from 1988 to 1992, is credited by many for the revitalization of the city, including the establishment of the Palm Springs International Film Festival held each January. The city has since added the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, held in June. These events have helped attract a whole new generation of Hollywood stars to Palm Springs. A life-sized bronze statue of Bono sits on the edge of a large fountain in the center of downtown along S. Palm Canyon Drive, where the Walk of Stars honors pioneers and entertainment celebs. It is here that you also find the historic Plaza Theatre, the scene of many Benny and Hope radio broadcasts in the ’40s and the home of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. Every Thursday evening the downtown section of S. Palm Canyon Drive is the site for VillageFest, when the street becomes a See PALM SPRINGS, page 48

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Palm Springs From page 47 pedestrian promenade and is lined with more than 200 booths offering beautiful art, handcrafted items and unique food.

Attractions for all tastes On the eastern edge of downtown, the Palm Springs Art Museum is one of the top cultural attractions of the community, with renowned traveling exhibitions and an extensive permanent collection among the 28 galleries and two sculpture gardens. A visit to the Palm Springs Air Museum provides a look back at aircraft of the World War II era. The large, air-conditioned hangars house one of the country’s largest collections of WWII flying aircraft. The many programs and flight demonstrations bring this era to life.

Visitors can also take to the sky on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which has been delighting visitors for more than 30 years with a 10-minute trip from the desert floor up the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon to an alpine forest 8,516 feet above in the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. The tramway features two state-of-theart tramcars that rotate 360-degrees so riders can see the spectacular views of the mountains and valley below. More than 54 miles of hiking trails, great views and a mountaintop restaurant make this a must-do. Palm Springs is also famous for its eclectic, adventurous architectural style. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which produces an annual list of the nation’s cultural tourism destinations for architecture, named Palm Springs to its 2006 list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations.

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

The city has one of the largest concentrations of mid-century modern architecture in the world. There is still an aura here brought about by famed mid-century modern architects, such as the late Albert Frey. He was a long time resident who designed Palm Springs City Hall, many homes in the posh Smoke Tree Ranch, and the Tramway Gas Station, which is now the Palm Springs Visitors Center, among other buildings. The city holds Modernism Week each February to formally promote and preserve its unique architectural heritage. The event draws fans from around the world for extensive home tours, lectures and a Modernism show and sale. A popular stop during Modernism Week and year-round is the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway, the five-bedroom house that Elvis leased for a year and where he and Priscilla spent their 1967 honeymoon.

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It’s Showtime “Sugar”

at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre Saturday, March 26, 2011 Sugar is the hilarious musical comedy, based on the Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot. It is about two unemployed musicians who witness the St. Valentine's Day massacre and escape the mob by joining an all-girls band. Before the show you’ll enjoy Dutch Apple’s luncheon buffet. $129 per person

“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

at Riverside Dinner Theatre Sunday, May 1, 2011 This is a country-music extravaganza, based on the last days of Miss Mona’s “Chicken Ranch,” a legendary Texas brothel. It is loaded with great country songs and hilarious humor. Before the show you’ll enjoy a delicious luncheon elegantly served at your table. $129 per person

There is no shortage of quality restaurants to help keep one fueled as you explore all that Palm Springs has to offer. Johannes, located in the downtown core on S. Indian Canyon Dr., has been one of the city’s top restaurants for more than a decade. It offers diners a sophisticated menu of American- and European-inspired dishes. For great Mexican food, El Mirasol never fails to deliver. Classic dishes such as chile rellenos, enchiladas and carne asada go well with the restaurant’s margaritas. Barry Manilow, a Palm Springs resident, is known to dine here occasionally. Since opening its first location in 1953, Sherman’s has become a landmark in the desert. The family restaurant, still owned and operated by Sherman Harris and his family, offers an extensive menu for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, reminiscent of a New York deli. Among Naber’s favorite restaurants is LG’s Prime Steakhouse, locally owned by the husband and wife team of Leon and Gail Greenberg. It is located just a short walk from Plaza Theater on S. Palm Canyon Drive.

When it comes to accommodations, Palm Springs has an array of options, from large full-service resorts, to boutique hotels, to unique vacation rentals. One of the city’s newest and largest hotels, the 24-acre Riviera, has a rich history. Opened in 1959, the original Riviera Palm Spring immediately became the city’s hot spot for celebrities and cultural sophisticates around the world who wanted the ultimate “Palm Springs experience.” The hotel was featured in the 1963 film Palm Springs Weekend, where actress Connie Stevens had her rendezvous lunch by the pool with actor Robert Conrad. Following a nearly $100 million dollar rejuvenation, Riviera re-opened in late 2008. Rates start at $181 for a double room, if purchased at least 21 days in advance. For more information or reservations, call 1866-588-8311 or go to www.psriviera.com. Its modernist architecture, relaxed atmosphere and South Beach vibe, make the boutique Movie Colony Hotel a transporting getaway. There are 16 rooms with custom furnishings, many with private patios or private terraces. In addition, there are three large poolside townhouses with mountain views and private balconies. A true modernist gem, the Movie Colony Hotel was built by Frey in 1935 and is located within easy walking distance to downtown Palm Springs. Rates start at $149 a night. For reservations: www.moviecolonyhotel.com or 1-888-953-5700. Many of homes and estates formerly owned by the rich and famous of Palm Springs’ golden age are now available as daily, weekly or monthly rentals through various rental agencies, such as Vacation Palm Springs (www.vacationpalmsprings.com, 1800-590-3110), which handles properties previously owned by the likes of Bing Crosby and Tony Curtis. Roundtrip air fares start at about $330 in late February on both United and American from all three area airports. For more information about Palm Springs, visit www.visitpalmsprings.com or call 1-800347-7746. Troy Petenbrink is a Washington, DCbased travel writer.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 5+

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY TOUR Take a free guided tour of the Josiah Henson Historic site, 11420

“Music of the Night”

Old Georgetown Rd., N. Bethesda, Md. The tours will be offered each Saturday in

atAmerican Music Theatre Saturday, June 11, 2011

February from noon to 3 p.m. Visitors will learn about the life of Rev. Josiah

Andrew Lloyd Webber has penned some of the most widely recognized and beloved music of all time. Show-stoppers from Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita and more will take center stage as The AMT Band, Singers and Dancers pay tribute to the music of this Broadway master. Before the show bring your appetite for lunch at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord. $129 per person

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Henson, whose autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and historical events at the site. For more information, go to www.JosiahHensonSite.org or call Department of Parks Museum Manager Shirl Spicer at (301) 650-4373.

Feb. 24

A WALK ACROSS ENGLAND World traveler Ralph Driscoll will present an illustrated travelogue describing his 190-mile walk across England, from the Irish Sea

to the North Sea in Yorkshire, on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 10:15 a.m. the Walter Reed Senior Center, 2909 S. 16th St., Arlington, Va. For more information, call (703) 228-0955.

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San Francisco’s Chinatown feeds the senses

Chinese New Year With the Year of the Rabbit beginning Feb. 3, a visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown is a great way to experience ChineseAmerican culture. And the best way to experience Chinatown is by foot, so it’s no surprise there are a number of walking tours available. At the Chinese Culture Center, tours begin with a look at art exhibits at the center, which blend contemporary and traditional works. Then it’s a short stroll to Portsmouth Square, where you will find dozens of residents playing mah jongg and other games,

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or just sitting and talking. With housing space at a premium in bustling Chinatown, the square is “like a living room” for area residents, explained Fengyuan Ji, deputy program director of the Chinese Culture Foundation. “This is where they play chess, they play poker, they talk.” San Francisco’s Chinatown is the district that almost wasn’t. After the 1906 earthquake, city leaders pressed for relocating the Chinese to the city outskirts. But Chinatown businessmen pointed out that getting rid of the Chinese immigrants would also mean losing the rents and taxes they paid. They came up with a plan to rebuild the area and make it a tourist attraction that would bring more money to the city. American architects were hired to create the new district, and pagodas were slapped up just about everywhere, along with generous helpings of red and gold dragons. Chinatown’s outward appearance may be more picturesque than authentic, but what goes on behind the colorful facades is the real deal.

Herbs and fortune cookies At the Great China Herb Company, herbalists carefully weigh out intriguinglooking bundles of this and that aimed at restoring vitality, improving digestion and generally curing what ails you. They also sell high-quality ginseng, which comes from the exotic locale of Wisconsin. Incense is the signature of the Tin How temple on Waverly Place. Climb a few flights of stairs to find the small temple dedicated to the Goddess of Heaven. Pause to admire the ceiling, a blaze of hanging red lanterns that commemorate the dead. Tucked into narrow Ross Alley, the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is the kind of place you smell before you see — the sweet, sugary scent of baking cookies floats out the door. It’s a tiny place where workers fold cookies by hand. You can buy a bag of your own for a few dollars. Everywhere you turn there are things to see, like the markets on Stockton Street

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By Michelle Locke Smack in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown, Portsmouth Square is a kaleidoscope of sounds, smells and colors. The cadence of Chinese dialects fills the air, and splashes of red and gold glow from shop windows to banners strung across the narrow streets. The rich smell of roast duck curls out of hole-in-the-wall eating places, blending with the faint smell of incense burning on modest shrines. Hard to believe that only a few blocks away lay the designer boutiques and gourmet coffee shops of a cosmopolitan Western city. But that’s what it means to visit San Francisco’s Chinatown — a magic carpet of a destination that can take you from West to East in zero to 60 steps. “What’s really significant about San Francisco’s Chinatown is that it has survived for over 100 years. Despite the hardships early on, the community is still here,” said Sue Lee, executive director of the San Francisco-based Chinese Historical Society of America. And not just survived, but thrived, she added. Although many of the original inhabitants have moved out to other areas of the city as well as suburbs, this is still a starting point for many new immigrants from Asia. “It’s a shopping district, it’s a residential neighborhood and it’s a tourist destination. And that’s not by accident,” she said.

You’ll know you’ve entered Chinatown when you start seeing red lanterns hanging high above the street and smell the fragrant Chinese cooking wafting from restaurants and noodle shops.

that have all manner of foods still swimming, clucking and croaking. There are plenty of places to eat in Chi-

natown, from hole-in-the-wall noodle shops See SAN FRANCISCO, page 50

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San Francisco

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

The Tin How Temple is located at 125 Waverly Place. Free admission, but donations accepted. The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory is at 56 Ross Alley, parallel to Grant Avenue and in between Washington and Jackson streets. Free admission, although a sign asks 50 cents for pictures. Great China Herb Co. is at 857 Washington St.

required to speak multiple dialects to serve the diverse population. And there are signs of the future — the new immigrants who come to find their fortune in California just like generations did before them. East, West, past, future — all are here. “What’s so fascinating about Chinatown,” said Lee, “is it’s so multifaceted.”

From page 49

If you go The ornamental gateway for Chinatown is located at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Bush Street. The main thoroughfares are Grant Avenue and Stockton Street. By public transportation, take BART to Powell Street, then take the Powell-Hyde or Powell-Mason cable cars to Chinatown. The Chinese New Year parade takes place Feb. 19, 5:15 p.m.-8 p.m., from Market and Second to Kearny and Jackson.

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to dim sum palaces. A popular spot, albeit one on the outskirts of Chinatown, is City View Restaurant (662 Commercial St.). Also in abundance are the stores that sell paper replicas of worldly possessions designed to be burned for the dead so they can arrive in the afterlife fully equipped. You can buy the basics — furniture, food, money. And you can go way beyond that with replicas of computer equipment, fast cars, fine liquor and even designer purses. There are glimpses of the past, like the East West Bank branch office (743 Washington St.), a green-and-red marvel of curved eaves plunked down between two resolutely Western structures. The building was once the home of the telephone exchange, where Chinese operators were

Chinese Culture Center: is at 750 Kearny, (415) 986-1822, www.c-c-c.org. The center offers heritage walking tours Tuesday to Saturday, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Cost: $30 adults, $25 under age 15, free for children under 5. The Chinese Historical Society of America is located at 965 Clay St., (415) 3911188, www.chsa.org. — AP

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Once Again Sweeps National Awards The Beacon continues to garner top honors at the National Mature Media Awards and the annual journalism competition of the North American Mature Publishers Association. Among our recent awards: · General Excellence

The gateway to Chinatown is one of many decorative touches added by American architects when the area was rebuilt after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

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Be sure to pick up your FREE copy of the Beacon every month at any of our 1500+ local distribution sites.

Call (301) 949-9766 for the location of a site near you or to place an advertisement.

The annual Chinese New Year parade attracts residents and tourists alike to see the colorful dragons and symbols of the year to come. This year’s parade is on Feb. 19.

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

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Sex, drugs and HIV aft er 50

By Barbara Ruben Ron Swanda turns 65 in April, a stone birthday milehe never thought he’d celebrate.

PHOTO BY F RANK KLEIN FOR THE BE ACON

Have you learned anything about travel rope, Washington/Dulles is a better winter from the recent wave of winter storms? gateway bet than airports to the north, and Certainly, despite tremendous Los Angeles beats San Frantechnological development, cisco for travel to Asia. you learned (or re-learned) Schedule flights to minithat air travel is still somemize risks. Delays and canthing of a gamble during realcellations have a domino efly bad weather. fect throughout the day. And that’s not likely to Avoid tight hub connections. change very much, or very On most routes, book yourfast, over the next year or two. self on flights as early as posIf you’re planning a trip during sible — the later in the day, the remainder of the winter the worse the situation gets. TRAVEL TIPS that involves heading to or In a few places, however, By Ed Perkins passing through a bad weather local weather patterns may area, the watchword is simple: anticipate. dictate a different strategy: Our airport Here are eight “rules” of winter weather here in Medford is prone to early-morning travel — none new, but all worthy of re- fog, for example, so savvy winter travelers peating. try to book themselves on mid-morning or Pad your schedule. Balance the possi- midday departures. San Francisco travelbilities of delays or cancellations against ers face the same choice. the importance of your arriving on time. If Check the forecasts. You can someyou have a “can’t miss” meeting, celebra- times spot delays before your airline offition, or secondary departure, pad your cially lets you know about them. That schedule to allow for a major air travel means keeping tabs on weather forecasts snarl. That may even mean traveling a full several days in advance for any airport you day early. Recovering from any delay or plan to use — departure, hub or destinacancellation involves a minimum of several tion. extra hours; an extra day is not out of the Especially check inbound arrivals at any question. originating airport where you plan an Avoid hubbing. Try to arrange nonstop early-morning departure: If the plane can’t flights. Even if most flights to/from your get in the night before, it won’t be there for home airport or destination airports require your morning departure. connections, consider driving up to several Keep in touch with your airline. hours at either end of your trip to catch non- These days, airlines may “proactively” canstop flights. Here in my home area of Med- cel flights to avoid upcoming problems. ford Ore., for example, lots of winter season And they often waive change penalties sevtravelers drive four hours or more to Port- eral days before an anticipated storm. land or Sacramento to avoid connecting Have a plan B. Figure that something through fog-prone San Francisco. might go wrong, and be ready with your Avoid trouble hubs. If you can’t avoid own suggested alternative schedule rather hubbing entirely, you can at least minimize than wait to see what your airline offers. the risks of delays by routing yourself The earlier you start to change, the more through a hub not likely to encounter se- likely you are to avoid extended delays. In vere winter weather. any major weather event, you airline is During the first quarter of the year, Dal- likely to waive re-ticketing fees, so be las/Ft. Worth, Houston and Phoenix gen- ready. erally report the lowest percentages of late Use a travel agent. During bad weatharrivals. Despite lots of snow, Denver and er, your departure or hub airport will likely Salt Lake City also do pretty well — at least be a madhouse with thousands of travelers they know how to cope with heavy snows. trying to find alternate flights. Instead of Even though it’s in the South, Atlanta standing in line at a customer service doesn’t do quite as well as other sunbelt desk, have an agent working on your deal hubs. as soon as a problem arises. The dishonor roll of hubs to avoid is obNo matter what, you can’t avoid all probvious: Chicago/O’Hare, the New York air- lems. But at least you can minimize the ports, and San Francisco. For travel to Eu- risks. Anticipate.

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2011

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Diagnosed with HIV 25 years ago, the gay District of Columbia resident expected to die of AIDS long ago. antiretroviral medication But the advent of s has kept the ease at bay. disAnn Jones, 53, found out she was HIV positive just last February. Jones (not real name), a resident of Landover, her discovered a Md., former boyfriend had been infected with the virus only after he died. For a long time, ARTS & she was so shocked STYLE ashamed about and being HIV positive Boxing drama she told no one shows one’s about her diagnosis. that biggest fight is Jones and Swanda internal; plus, represent two ‘Life,’ accordin of the growing sides g to the Stones’ population of older adults Keith Richards with HIV and , and Bob Levey AIDS. Some have grown old on the joy of reuniting with the disease they with old were young adults, acquired while they friends while others are becoming infected at an page 40 healthcare practitione age when many rs mend using condoms, don’t even recommuch less suggest HIV testing. HIV stands for human immunode cy virus, which ficiencan lead to AIDS, quired immune or deficiency syndrome acdamages a person’s . HIV body by destroying white blood cells called CD4+ T-cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases. LEISURE HIV is most commonly & TRAVE L spread by havPalm Springs is ing unprotecte a modernist d sex with others oasis in the desert; who have the virus, or sharing plus, a feast needles for drug for the senses with infected persons. use Carolyn Massey, who was in San Francisc diagnosed with The days when o’s pital patients contracted HIV hos- of fronts to educate people Chinatown, and about the disease. 17 years ago, now works how the virus through HIV and AIDS in the on a number By 2017, more blood transfusio United States nasty winter travel to avoid than half the ns are mostly will be in people surprises cases of over, as age 50 or older. today’s blood supply is carefully screened. percent of those 40 to 49 and 5.9 percent page 47 those 50 to 59. of Early detectio High infection n = normal life While the rates rates here The good news of the disease The Washingto amidst all the are far is lower in Maryland, FITNESS & HEALTH n area has the statistics that if HIV is the proportion fourth- adults highest rate of diagnosed early of older “there 4 k Why bad habits AIDS cases among diagnosed with enough, is absolutely a are hard to break the disease is metropolitan U.S. higher normal life expectaneven cy,” k Better blood areas, while and has been said Dr. Lisa pressure from Washington, steadily climbing: D.C. itself has Fitzpatrick, a food 1998, those ages the highest rate In University Howard 50 to 59 made among U.S. associate professor states and territories VOLUNTE ERS up 8.9 percent of the total of medicine & CAREERS . who specializes number of Marylande 24 in HIV. k Time-traveling Perhaps most diagnosed that rs docents surprisingly, “But if you’re year. In 2008, in Maryland and not finding them it was 15.7 Virginia the highest D.C., percent. Similarly, early in the disease, they LAW & MONEY the percent rose propor- 2.6 tion of HIV may never recover from their to 6.7 percent and AIDS cases 27 so immune k In for the those is market system can function. among residents found the over age 60 in for convertibles same time period. in their 40s and We see a lot more of k Test your wits 50s. For that with older example, while against scammers According to patients just 3.6 percent of because experts at Yale those 30 to 39 in the Medical people they’re diagnosed later. Older District of Columbia ages School, half of all SPOTLIGH T ON may already have those living with AGING are liv- the ing with HIV or HIV in with some challenges 38 United States k Newsletter for AIDS, that rate their immunity, will be 50 or soars to 7.6 D.C. seniors and this would older by 2017. just PLUS CROSSW ORD, BEACON See HIV AFTER BITS, CLASSIFI 50, page 18 EDS & MORE

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ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

s a ft! e ak gi M eat gr

Letters to Editor

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people of all ages and to seniors, in particular, who pay taxes and are a resource for our community. Austin Heyman Bethesda, Md. Dear Editor: Very brave of the Beacon to publish the body art article on the cover of the December issue. No doubt [tattoos are] taboo, if not also offensive, to many traditional seniors in this metropolitan region. Caution to those brandished seniors who are considering community service as a volunteer in nonprofit organizations. Blatantly visible large tattoos and/or body modifications frighten many seniors and toddlers alike, especially those who were raised in

religiously observant environments. A spike-faced, nose-ringed and tattooed D.C. animal control officer no doubt intimidates rebellious animals into compliance. However, at a community disaster training class I taught in D.C., the attendees recoiled at seeing a goth attendee. Now imagine the community reaction when such individuals try to provide help to homeless or displaced persons. Not a good match for front-line duties. Donald E. White Director of Safety and Security N. Va. Mental Health Institute Falls Church, Va. Dear Editor: I will be asking neighbors and friends to sign the attached letter in support of a $5,000 appropriation for Fairfax County’s Senior Center Without Walls program. The budget amendment [for the appropriation] was sponsored by Delegate Surovell. We hope that a $5,000 grant from the State of Virginia could provide more seed money to expand the Senior Center Without Walls concept county wide — and assist the rest of the state in our common goal to improve the quality of life for all our citizens, including our senior citizens. I hope that you could publish this letter and assist us in getting more support for expansion countywide in Fairfax County of the concept of the Senior Center Without Walls that began in the Burke/West Springfield area in 2009. Corazon Sandoval Foley Burke, Va. Editor’s response: While we do not have the space to print the letter here, those who would like to participate in the campaign for additional funding for the center can access the letter at the following website: http://fairfaxstories.community.officelive.com/Documents/LetterSupportingSurovellAmendment275item5hExpandingFairfaxSrCenterWithoutWalls.pdf. Dear Editor: In reference to your article “Not a big talker? Cell phone plans for you” in the December 2010 Beacon, I wanted to make you aware that we have launched Assurance Wireless in the entire D.C. metro area. Assurance provides a free cell phone and 250 free minutes of monthly wireless service to eligible low-income residents. It is our hope that this resource will provide Washington-area residents with a tool to contact potential employers and save money on phone service that can be used to buy food, pay rent, mortgage and other essential bills during this difficult economy. Eligible residents can apply for Assurance Wireless by calling 1-800-395-2171, or visiting www.assurancewireless.com. Jack Pflanz Sprint

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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 below. 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.

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LOOKING TO TAKE THE LEAP? I’ll take you on a tour of the community, show you floor plans, discuss campus amenities, & offer how to best coordinate your move. I will preview units & contact you with a match. I also offer exceptional service selling your home. I’m a Seniors Specialist, Buyer Broker, Top 1% of Agents Nationwide, and a Leisure World resident! You can see my current listings on page 16. Contact me: 301-580-5556, SueHeyman@aol.com, www.SueHeyman.com, Weichert, Realtors.

Computer Services COMPUTER LESSONS – Personal Computer training at your home. Email, Internet, general computer use, and more. Learn at your own pace with gentle and patient tutor. We also fix computers, setup your new computer, and troubleshoot. Working with Seniors since 1996. Ask about your Senior discount. Call David, 301762-2570, COMPUTERTUTOR. PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. HOME. BUSINESS. Call: D. Guisset at 301-642-4526.

Business & Employment Opportunities LOVE TO DECORATE? We are expanding in DC/MD/VA. Turn your passion into a career. We have successful decorators of all ages. Your talent, our tools. We provide training, marketing & business support, and wholesale vendors. Call 202-253-0354 or email KevinA@DecoratingDen.com for details. ALL CASH VENDING ROUTE Be your own boss 25-machines/candy all for-$9,995. 1-877915-8222 Vend 3 “S.S.REGNO.299” AINB02653 Void in AK,CT,IA,IN,LA 880 Grand Blvd, Deerpark, N.Y.

Entertainment PUT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE BACK IN YOUR LIFE! Enjoy live jazz and swing on the first Friday of the month at Hollywood East Café, Westfield Wheaton Shopping Mall, 7 to 10 PM. Listen to the Night & Day Combo perform the classic standard songs of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, from Cole Porter, Gershwin, et al. Great music, great food, no cover charge! http://nightanddaymusic.com/clubpage.html. FASHION SHOW - SHOPPING EVENT TaylorMarie’s Apparel is available to host a fashion show - shopping event for your organization. Call for details: 301-471-9171

Caregivers

Financial Services

CHEVY CHASE HOME CARE – reliable certified caregivers at time of illness, infirmity, loneliness. Personal assistance, ALL AGES, 4- to 24hour shifts, homes, hospitals, nursing homes. MD, DC, No. VA. Tel.: 202-374-1240. www.ChChHomecare.com.

PREPARATION OF ALL ESTATE, AND TRUST, FIDUCIARY TAX Returns; PROBATE Court ACCOUNT REPORTING. Preparation of INDIVIDUAL and BUSINESS Tax Returns. Michael Todd Berson, CPA 301-571-7242.

CAREGIVER – College educated (in English & Literature), more recently counselor to special needs people, will provide excellent support/companionship/assistance for you. CPR/First Aid certified. Low rates, call Amy 301-592-9449. QUTECARE HOUSEHOLD STAFFING SERVICES Dependable and attentive domestic service solutions. *Housekeepers *Senior caregivers/companions *Nannies *Personal assistants/Errand Services *Private Tutors. No placement fees, carefully screened personnel. We handle payroll so you can relax. 301-2170024. www.qutecare.com. ELDER CARE & house cleaning. reasonable rates - N.S. - Spanish speaking. Call Angelica 301-949-7520 LOVING HOME CARE “Care you can trust and afford.” Licensed, bonded, insured. Companionship, hygiene supervision, meal preparation, housekeeping, errands, shopping, doctor’s appointments, etc. Loving, dependable caregivers for Live-In/Out, FT/PT. Call for your FREE consultation: 301-490-1146. www.lovinghomecare.org.

$$$ ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!!! Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need fast $500$500,000+? We help. Call 1-866-386-3692 www.lawcapital.com

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate ROOMS FOR RENT in a private home – shared facilities. Only for non-smoking female, fully furnished, no pets. $695 per month, utilities included. 301-233-4722. LEISURE WORLD® - $119,500. 2 BR 1 FB “Hampton” model with access to Broadwalk. Wood floors, upgraded carpet, recent updates. 1200 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $234,900. 2 BR 2 FB “K” model in “Greens” with enclosed balcony, garage space, golf cart space. Pond view. 1520 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463 LEISURE WORLD® - $119,000. 2BR 1 FB 2 HB “Berkeley” townhouse with new appliances, fresh paint and carpet, custom Florida sunroom. 1600 sq ft, Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463.

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD S O R E

T R O T

P C T S

A H O P

C A S T E

O T H E R

From page 54.

A C C O M P A N Y

Y A K A S O T E R R O

S S C R A L O O O O T M P S T

R A N L O W

O R D A R E

P O O N I S A F E W

R O S E

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

W I T S A R E A S O N G N E E A S T S S A R U M O S U R B O R K I C K O N H O O M O O N B O Z O A D E S

LEISURE WORLD® - $114,900. 2 BR, 2 FB “F” model in the “Greens”. Enclosed balcony, close to the elevator. 1115 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $89,000. 2BR 2FB “Warfield” model with updated kitchen. Needs some TLC. 1030 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $99,000. 2 BR 1FB 1 HB “Elizabeth” model. Rare first floor location with custom patio enclosure, Extras and upgrades. 1308 Sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $249,000. 2 BR + den, 2 FB “R” model in “Fairways”. Ceramic tile enclosed balcony, table space kitchen, garage parking, new carpet. 1420 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors,301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $119,000. 2BR 2FB “Riviera” model. Loaded with extras and upgrades, covered carport parking. 1273 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $239,000. 3 BR 2FB “L” in the Greens. Fresh paint and new carpet, enclosed balcony overlooking the golf course. 1610 sq ft, Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WOLRD - Luxury, sunny 2BR 2BA condo with great view, beautifully furnished, ALL amenities. Open lease. $1,350 + utilities. jmltheater@aol.com or 978-810-5618. ***FREE FORECLOSURE LISTINGS*** OVER 400,000 properties nationwide. Low down payment. Call now 800-250-2043. OWN 20 ACRES Only $129/mo. $13,900 Near Growing El Paso, Texas, (Safest City in America!) Low down, no credit checks, owner financing. Free map/pictures 866-257-4555 www.sunsetranches.com.

For Sale FOR SALE - Handmade Persian rugs, 1940 antique Detroit Jewel gas cooking stove, Two mahogany dining room hand-crafted china buffets. Beautiful, must see. For appointment please call 240-477-2158. Much More.

LEISURE WORLD® - RENTAL - $1400. 2 BR 2 FB “N” model in Turnberry Courts. Garage space included. Top floor with table space kitchen. 1042 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

USED CAR/USED COMPUTER SALE Montgomery County Students Automotive and Information Technology Foundations - Saturday, February 19, 2011, 911 a.m., Damascus HS (snow date February 26). Phone 301-929-2190 for pricing info; www.foundationsoffice.org.

LEISURE WORLD® - $219,000. 2BR 2 FB “Modified Sherwood” patio home. Updated kitchen, new paint and carpet. Garage converted to family room and extra storage. 1193 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463.

DIRECT to home Satellite TV $19.99/mo. FREE installation, FREE HD-DVR upgrade. New customers - No Activation Fee! Credit/Debit Card Req. Call 1-800-795-3579

LEISURE WORLD® - $139,000. 2BR 2FB “GG” model in “Greens”. Fresh paint and carpet, garage space included, enclosed balcony, golf course view. 1195 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $87,000. 2 BR 1 FB 1HB “Elizabeth” model. Freshly painted, new appliances, enclosed balcony. 1308 sq. ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463. JUST WAIT ‘TIL YOU SEE IT! Fabulous renovation! New kitchen with up-graded appliances, wood floor, pretty cabinets, granite counter tops + breakfast bar! Fresh paint & new carpet! More! Call Nancy Einwaechter @ 301-460-6976 to see this super condo at 3330 North Leisure World Blvd, today. 2BR, 2BA – 1195 sq.ft. $179,900. Weichert Realtors 301-681-0550. FURNISHED RENTAL – LEISURE WORLD 55+. Beautiful large 2BR, 2BA condo plus garage. 1480 sq. ft. $1500/month, ($1450 unfurnished). Call Mark at 301-299-4546. FOR RENT LEISURE WORLD 55+, 2BR/2BA, almost new hi-rise, 8th floor, 9ft ceiling, enclosed balcony to stunning view, washer/dryer, parking, storage, no pet, cable TV included for $1,300. Call 301-251-1998 evenings/weekends/leave message.

FREE HD FOR LIFE! Only on DISH NETWORK Lowest price in America! $24.99/mo. for OVER 120 CHANNELS! PLUS-$500 Bonus Call Today, 1-888-904-3558. STEEL BUILDINGS: 4 only 20x24, 30x48, 40x52, 45x82. Selling For Balance Owed! Free Delivery! 1-800-211-9593 x232. FREE HD FOR LIFE! DISH Network. $24.99/mo. - Over 120 Channels. Plus $500 BONUS! Call 1-800-915-9514.

Health MASSAGE IN YOUR HOME! Increase circulation and flexibility. Decrease pain. Licensed female. Women only please. Low prices. Call Razan 443-517-8224 for appointments or questions. Thanks!

Classifieds cont. on p. 55.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 20th 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, offer a personal service, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $15 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Commercial Party Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing commercial business enterprise. Each ad is $35 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one commercial ad.

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

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

For information about display advertising, or to request a media kit, call (301) 949-9766.

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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

Crossword

Puzzle Page

NEW! Daily Crosswords on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus How to Decide

By Stephen Sherr

How to Decide 1

21 24

22 27 31

48 53

55 57

60 66

61 67

3. Add in the background music 4. Himalayan beast 1. Instruction to Fido 5. Was in short supply 5. Rock climber’s tools 6. Truth ___ 10. Ingenuity 14. Largest member of the dolphin family 7. Part of m.p.g. 8. 1946 RBI leader, Slaughter 15. Place to see a Monster Truck 9. Clearance event 16. Type of code 10. Existed 17. Elvis output 11. Straightens hair 20. Ike’s command in W.W. II 12. Precept 21. Patty Hearst kidnapping grp. 13. Wise guys 22. Observe 18. The Jetsons character with the most legs 23. Wedding announcement word 19. Baseball position, briefly 24. General ___ 25. Star-spangled contraction 27. Abstains 26. Least able to attend school 29. Office knickknacks 28. Cute button go-between 33. Eight-time Love Boat guest 29. Poll results (abbrev.) 34. Middling grade 35. Boxing promoter and rival to Don King 30. ___, skip, and a jump 31. “That’s interesting!” 39. Unit of measure of fun 32. That girl 40. Fireplace tool 42. Letters in a Buckeye’s e-mail address 36. Wealth redistributor 43. A ___ Journey (Memoir of a CIA agent) 37. Grp. formerly chaired by Peter Ueberroth 38. Gloomy darkness 45. The loneliest number 40. Kalua pig ingredient 46. ___ Day (the 4th Friday in April) 41. Switch positions 48. Karate or swimming maneuver 44. Mailer of over 140 million checks 52. Pink hue each yr. 55. Moon of Neptune 46. ___ World Turns 56. From ___ Z 47. Studio that gave birth to Bringing Up 57. Paddle Baby 60. With 61A, an extended sneeze 49. Coagulate 61. See above 50. Spoke to a crowd 64. Have high aspirations 51. Piles of loot 68. Office helper 52. Social class 69. Lauder, who had a lotion notion 53. Last choice in many polls 70. Character portrayed by Willard Scott in 54. House units 1960 58. About three or four 71. While lead-in 59. February purchase 72. Uses a hoe 62. Seep 73. Fruit drinks 63. John Lennon’s in-laws Down 65. Make a decision 1. Peeved 66. This clue’s number goes to LA 2. A horse gait 67. Wharton award (abbrev.)

Across

JUMBLE ANSWERS

Scrabble answers on p. 53.

by Stephen Sherr

Answers on page 53.

Answer: What the gossip columnist became when she got divorced - A NAME DROPPER Jumbles: THYME BARGE SECOND PAUPER

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

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Health

Personal Services

Wanted

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS WANTED Research volunteers are needed, aged 18 or older to participate in a study investigating the role of healthy aging on cognitive function. The study will require up to three, 2-hour visits to the Cognitive Aging Laboratory on the Catholic University of America Campus in Northeast Washington. We have testing locations both in O’Boyle Hall and in Nursing/Biology. The campus has ample free parking and is conveniently located on the CUA/Brookland METRO stop. You will be reimbursed with a gift certificate worth $25 per visit for your time. Please contact Alissa at Catholic University’s Cognitive Aging Laboratory at 202-319-5748 or by email at cuaaging@cua.edu.

WOW! GREAT HAIRCUT at a great price! Professional family hair salon conveniently located in Bethesda, MD. State board certified. Call 240-432-7211.

WANTED TO BUY old magazines, books, postcards, posters, etc., pre-1975. Also bookends, antique bookcases with glass fronts. Please call 301-946-0941 anytime.

GUITAR LESSONS - Ages 9 - 96. Play your favorite songs. Patient teacher. Guitar rentals. Affordable rates. Vienna/Oakton. Weekdays/weekends. Call Wen Little 703-938-6064

HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES. Compare my price before you sell! Serving entire metro area. Call for a free consultation, and professional service. I will purchase one piece or your entire estate. Including Furniture, Artwork, Glassware, Jewelry, Rugs, Costume, Gold and Silver, Watches, Sterling Items, Flatware, Lladro & Hummel Figurines, All Military Items, Guns, Swords, Helmets, Bayonets, Medals, Scout Items, Clocks, Music Boxes, Toys, Baseball Memorabilia, Trains, All String Instruments, Including Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins, Fishing Rods and Reels, Lures, Historical Items, American tools, Posters, Outside Iron Furniture. I am a very reputable dealer with two locations in Silver Spring and Bowie, MD. Please call Christopher Keller 301408-4751 or 301-262-1299. Thank you.

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. We make house calls. Ask for Tom or Katherine. Call anytime 301-6548678.

Home/Handyman Services STOTTS GARDENING, lawn care, cleaning attic, basements, garages, apartments, hauling, etc. Realtors & seniors welcome. Please call 240477-2158 or 301-987-1277.

Miscellaneous PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? You choose from families nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6292, 24/7 Void/Illinois. DONATE YOUR CAR. FREE TOWING. “Cars for Kids”. Any condition. Tax deductible outreachcenter.com, 1-800-597-9411. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM HOME, 6-8 Weeks. ACCREDITED. Get a diploma. Get a job! 1-800-264-8330, www.diplomafromhome.com ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from home. Medical, Business, Paralegal, Accounting, Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial aid if qualified. Call 800494-3586 www.CenturaOnline.com

Personal Services PRESERVE YOUR FAMILY MEMORIES! Don’t let your precious photos be forgotten or fade over time. I’ll transfer your photos, slides, and negatives to a CD so they can be easily shared with friends and family. Once they’re scanned, I can bring your photos to life in a memorable DVD slideshow that will make a creative and unique gift for any occasion! Call Kim at Virtual Computer Services, 301-438-3140. STRESSED? TIRED? OVERWHELMED? Changes in work status, family life, friendships, health and aging can produce increased levels of stress. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with training and experience in cognitive/behavioral therapy. I support people who are undergoing change to help them transform “limitations” into possibilities. Convenient Bethesda location. Accept Medicare. Don’t struggle alone: Call for support today. Judith R. Peres, LCSW-C 301-455-5140. VAN MAN – For your driving needs. Shopping, appointments, pick-up and deliver – airport van. Call Mike 301-565-4051. CHERYL’S ORGANIZING CONCEPTS. Specializing in residential and small business organizing, paperwork management and senior move management. Member National Association Professional Organizers (NAPO). Bonded, insured. www.CherylsOrganizing.com. 10% senior discount 301-916-9022. DO YOU HAVE A NOVEL IN YOU? Award winning writer with 25 years experience will help you write, edit, and help find agents and publishers for your work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or your memoir. Hourly rate reduced for senior citizens. Phone Jack Ryan at 703-8552501, or email to jryan12558@aol.com. MOTHER WILL DRIVE YOU to your appointments, do your shopping, clean your house, cooking, personal assistant. Do you need to plan an event? Also does Elder Care. Honest, reasonable rate, and references provided. 240-595-7467. PARALEGAL: Experienced in trusts, estates and will preparation and other paperwork. Call 301-565-2917. WILL TYPE YOUR MEMOIRS, manuscripts, etc. For info and rates, call 703-671-1854.

LADY LOOKING FOR full-time or part-time job house cleaning, cooking, errands, etc. good company, reliable. Please call 301-987-1277 SAVE MONEY - Correct Billing Errors - Especially in Health Care bills. Get effective assistance. Experienced with successfully resolving billing inaccuracies. Amelia: 301-913-9491. HOME POR TRAITS Original water color paintings of your home, street, or place of worship. $500 up. Call 703-237-2738. GUARDIAN HOME SERVICES provides a senior moving service that is superior and caring. We pack your household items and furniture with care and move them safely to your new location. We will unpack your boxes, arrange your furniture, hang pictures and mirrors, put up shelves, make your beds, and seasonally set up your closets. We also make all the necessary repairs and assure that everything is working properly. We make your new location your home. Contact Sandi Cerkez, Senior Move Consultant at 703-901-5323 for a free estimate or additional information. TRANSPORTATION to doctors, airport, community center; help with forms, phone calls, appointments; help you organize; record your memoir; friendly listener; mature college-educated, woman 301-468-9594.

Personals IT’S MY BIRTHDAY (Feb 13) and Valentine’s Day. I like to celebrate the entire month. ISO attractive male to help enjoy the time. Exceptionally attractive female ex-model and professional (55+) seeks warm, down-to-earth, not wealthy but reasonably generous, affectionate, sensitive, socially conscious man. ultimately would like to find someone who wants to spend time with me and an exclusive relationship. Bobbie, 301-439-0833. OLD FASHION 63 YEAR OLD White male seeking old fashion female 65-100 years old, for fun, walks, movies, TV and cuddling. 703-751-1037. ACTIVE widowed Christian lady, seeking active Christian gentleman, 78-85, non-smoker. Let’s meet for coffee! Please reply to P.O. BOX 12154, Silver Spring, MD 20908. ATTRACTIVE WHITE FEMALE - Unhappy with present relationship. Wishes to meet attractive, warm, loving male who would like to share and enjoy all the good things that life hast to offer. You - divorced, separated, married and perhaps in same situation? Please be (60+). 703597-9015.

Vacation Opportunities SELL/RENT YOUR TIMESHARE FOR CASH!!! Our Guaranteed Services will Sell/ Rent Your Unused Timeshare for CASH! Over $95 Million offered in 2010! www.sellatimeshare.com (800) 882-0296

Wanted STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHS purchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, covers, paper memorabilia. Stamps are my specialty – highest price paid! Appraisals. Phone Alex, 301309-6637. Stampex1@gmail.com. HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES, ESTATES. FREE evaluations and house calls. We pay the most for your valuable treasures because we get the most money on ebay – the worldwide internet. Serving entire metro area – Maryland, Washington, DC, Northern Virginia. Buying the following items – furniture, art, paintings, silver, gold, old coins, jewelry, vintage wristwatches, military items, including guns, rifles, swords, daggers, knives, musical instruments, guitars, violins, banjos, old toys, dolls, trains, old golf clubs, baseball, football, tennis equipment and memorabilia, old fishing, tools, books, photographs, comic books. Please call Tom 240-476-3441, Thank you.

WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, GUITARS, BANJOS, MANDOLINS, ETC. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack (301) 279-2158. HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES– Old and good quality furniture, glass, pottery, china, paintings, art, toys, advertising, costume and high-grade jewelry, gold, silver, silver flatware, wind-up watches, clocks, dolls, musical instruments, music boxes, sports & paper memorabilia, sterling, fishing, hunting, rugs, lamps, Hummels, political, rock & roll memorabilia, posters, military items, helmets, guns, swords, bayonets, medals, weapons, guitars, banjos, prints, art, sculptures, Lladro, bronzes, trains, fishing rod reels & lures, cast iron outdoor furniture, hi-grade American made tools, presentation and other unusual items. Purchasing one piece or entire estates. I have over 30 years experience and I am a very ethical dealer located in Bowie, Md. Also a permanent vendor at Eastern Market in Southeast Washington, DC on Sundays. Please call Mike Keller, (301) 731-0982 or (301) dc742-5031. WE PAY CASH for antique furniture, quality used furniture, early American art, pottery, silver, glassware, paintings, etc. Single items to entire estates. Call Reggie or Phyllis at DC 202726-4427, MD 301-332-4697.

ELECTRONIC CLEAN-OUTS WANTED, Absolute Best Price, Collections, Contents, Electronics, Attic-Basement-Garage, Speakers, Accumulations, Generous Offers, Honest Pricing, Unlimited Funds, Will Travel, CASH. Call Alan 410-740-5222 or 240-478-1100. 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 rungs 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: ANTIQUE ELECTRONICS, radio tubes, ham radios, tube HIFI amps; huge old speakers, vinyl records, scientific curiosities, antique computers, calculators. 202-527-9501. DONATE TO EDUCATE Donate your vehicle to the MCSATF, a non-profit foundation for use by Montgomery County Automotive Technology students. Provide automotive students with valuable educational experience; give yourself a tax deduction. 301-929-2190; www.autocareers.org. WANTED JAPANESE MOTORCYCLES KAWASAKI,1970-1980, Z1-900, KZ900, KZ1000, H2-750, H1-500, S1-250, S2-250, S2350, S3-400. CASH PAID. 1-800-772-1142. 1310-721-0726. CASH PAID for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS - up to $17/Box! Shipping paid. Sara 1-800-371-1136. www.cash4diabeticsupplies.com. SELL YOUR DIABETES TEST STRIPS any kind/brand unexpired $16.00 box shipping paid 1-800-266-0702 www.selldiabeticstrips.com

MILITARY ITEMS WANTED: Collector seeks to purchase military uniforms; flight jackets, patches, insignia, medals, etc. from the Civil War through Vietnam. Especially seeking U.S. Army Air Corps, USMC, Airborne, and German/Japanese/Italian items from WWII. ALSO BUYING old Boy Scout, Airline Items, Toys, Lighters. Call Dan (202) 841-3062.

Thanks for reading!

BEACON BITS

Mar. 17+

CHINA ADVENTURE

The Women’s Travel Club is offering a special sale price on its trip to three cities in China (Beijing, Shanghai and Xian) from March 17 to 25. The price, starting at $1,799 plus taxes, includes airfare from New York, hotels, many meals and tours. For more information about this and other trips, see www.womenstravelclub.com or call 1-800-480-4448.

June 14+

STUDY ART IN ITALY

Enjoy two weeks of intensive study with some of Italy’s most outstanding paper artists and teachers. The course, “Paper, Print and Book,“ is led by artist Lynn Sures with Giorgio Pellegrini of the Museum of Paper and Watermark, Fabriano, Italy and will take place June 14 to 29. It is hosted by Silver Spring-based Pyramid Atlantic art studio. The cost of $3,000 covers tuition, materials, hotel and field trips, but not airfare. For more information, e-mail jdominguez@pyramid-atlantic.org or call (301) 608-9101.

Feb. 20

BARBERSHOP CONCERT

The Harmony Heritage Singers will present a concert of barbershop-style music at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Lane, Alexandria, Va., on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. The program will emphasize patriotic music such as “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “America,” and “Armed Services Medley” in honor of President’s Day. Ninety-sevenyear-old soloist Bix Doughty will sing an audience favorite, “Old Bones.” A free-will offering will be taken to support the work of United Community Ministries. For more information, contact Ron Brandt, (703) 765-4779, brandtron@verizon.net.

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

The life you know, a home you’ll love At The Virginian, a premier Continuing Care Retirement Community located in Fairfax, Virginia, residents enjoy an ideal location and an enriching lifestyle complete with a variety of amenities, activities and of course, a friendly, caring staff. With a reputation for maintaining a family atmosphere, The Virginian is considered amongst Northern Virginia’s most respected Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC’s) since opening in 1980. As a CCRC, we have multiple living options available including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Enhanced Assisted Living and Long Term Care. We’re proud to offer our residents plans that include no large entrance fees, and we accept residents at all levels of care. Visit our newly renovated facility, and see for yourself why residents and their families love to call The Virginian home.

9229 ARLINGTON BOULEVARD FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA 22031 (703) 385-0555 www.thevirginian.org