June 2012 Howard County Beacon Edition by The Beacon Newspapers

The Howard County

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More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard County

Deanna Bogart and all that jazz

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PHOTO ©MICHAEL G. STEWART

By Robert Friedman Deanna Bogart has often had to battle her way into playing music the way she wanted in a genre dominated by men. As a middle school student, she yearned to wail on the saxophone like Charlie Parker and Ben Webster. Instead, she was handed a clarinet and told, “This is what girls play.” “I was 11 years old and I knew that wasn’t right,” Bogart said. “But I couldn’t say why.” What she could do is prove them all so wrong, building a successful career as a jazz and blues pianist, vocalist, songwriter, band leader and, yes, award-winning saxophonist who has played with such luminaries as Ray Charles and BB King.

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Nationally renowned jazz and blues musician Deanna Bogart, who lives in Woodbine, will give a concert at Howard County’s WomenFest on June 16. Bogart, one of the country’s leading saxophone players, also plays piano, sings, and writes many of her own songs.

wherever she and her eponymous band play, whether in area music clubs, festivals around the country, for U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait, on rhythm-and-blues cruises to the Caribbean, or at the Great Pyramids in Egypt, as she did during a “Blues on the Nile” tour. DownBeat, a leading jazz and blues magazine, has called her “an extravagant entertainer.” She has also been described as a female Jerry Lee Lewis, which Bogart says is fine, even though she owns no Jerry Lee recordings and feels her piano playing is more from the old Kansas City swing jazz

and boogie woogie school. Her keyboard influences, she said, start with Kansas City great Jay McShann and move on to boogie woogie innovator Pete Johnson, modern jazz masters Thelonius Monk and Dave Brubeck, and classical phenom Glenn Gould. Her style is to combine the blues, boogie woogie, rock, country and jazz as she works out on the piano, wails on the tenor sax, and sings her soulful songs. She calls her blending and bending of the musical genres “bluesion.” See DEANNA BOGART, page 28

Why are public sculptures sprouting across Howard County? Plus, singer Melanie finds a brand new audience page 26

FITNESS & HEALTH 4 k A way to predict heart attacks? k Don’t overdose on vitamins THE SENIOR CONNECTION 16 k Howard County Office on Aging Newsletter LAW & MONEY 18 k Reliable investment advice k The risks of Treasury bonds PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

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

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How we see ourselves This month, I am pleased to cede my usual “From the Publisher” space to a guest columnist. Please feel free to share with us your thoughts about this topic through a letter,

email or phone call. Thank you.

Ageism affects everyone By Leslie A. Morgan, Ph.D. Social scientists contend that we most typically engage in stereotyping and discrimination against groups to which we don’t (and won’t ever) belong. The one major exception is ageism. We all will grow old, if we’re lucky, and face possible prejudice and discrimination because of our old age — we may even evaluate ourselves more negatively based on these views. Consider: If you’re on the road behind a slow-moving silver-haired driver and you immediately label that behavior as due to the driver’s age, you are reacting in an ageist way. You’re not alone. Much of our thinking about old age is negative, focusing on decline, dependency, dementia and, increas-

ingly, the demand being placed on the government and economy by the growing number of recipients for Social Security and Medicare. Our culture encourages us to think about life in specific stages, and attributing traits and characteristics to each of those stages. We have the “terrible twos” and expectations about the behavior of “teenagers,” as well as notions about those in middle age or later life that become stereotypes. The stereotype for old age includes poor health, bad memory or (worse) dementia, holding outdated ideas, and being asexual, unable to learn new things and unproductive. We learn these ideas from our culture, reinforced by the ageist humor in birthday cards, public discussion about older people, media and marketing images, and our

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of Howard County, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Greater Baltimore, Greater Washington, and the Coachella Valley in California. Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher.

daily interactions with others. So it’s not surprising that we hold negative attitudes toward this group, seemingly separating ourselves from “them.” People in the United States have high levels of “age anxiety,” or fear of growing/being old. But what we fear is the stereotype, not the reality of aging. While many think of this stage as a dreary, unhealthy, sad and isolated time of life, research consistently shows that most older people are living independently, married, able to support themselves financially, and socially engaged — even while dealing with chronic health conditions and perhaps a lower income. So while the reality of aging differs from our stereotypes and anxieties, both the media and all of us persist in our negative views of later life. We sometimes exempt specific individuals from this stereotype, insisting that our Aunt Barbara or Grandpa Ken somehow are distinct from other “old people.” This exception arises because we know them as

individuals, with specific histories, talents and experiences, or sometimes because we’ve known them before they became old. So perhaps the key to breaking our ageist world view is to learn to see each older person as an individual. Social scientists suggest that we become more distinct from each other as we age, rather than more alike. Rather than persist in grouping old people into one stereotype that is negative and rightfully feared, we need to understand that we all are growing older and that holding onto an ageist view will constrain each of us in our own futures. Having a “better old age” isn’t just about health and money. It involves older people — all of us — having a positive place in society, meaningful things to do, and fewer negative attitudes directed at us by others — and by ourselves — as our hair grays, our years climb, and we all eventually enter the ranks of the old. Dr. Morgan is a professor of sociology & gerontology at UMBC.

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: A round of applause to Stuart Rosenthal for pointing out how politics and blame are getting in the way of this country’s ability to remedy its weaknesses and to listen to voters about real problems (“No patience for politics,” May). We all need to work toward solutions

that are for the good of the country, not the good of one party getting elected. Let’s bring back some substance to decisionmaking and work together to move forward in a positive direction. Beth Hayden Columbia, Md.

BEACON BITS

June 8

RELAY FOR LIFE

Relay for Life of Western Howard County is sponsoring a free overnight event to celebrate cancer survivorship and to raise money for the American Cancer Society on Friday, June 8 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Western Regional Park, 14800 Carrs Mill Rd., Woodbine. Teams of volunteers will camp out and take turns walking around a track throughout the night, symbolizing that “cancer never sleeps.” For more information, email claudia.klahre@cancer.org or call (410) 781-4316.

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

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

June 16

WALKATHON FOR DOGS AND THEIR OWNERS

A benefit walk for the Marshall Legacy’s Institute, which provides mine detection dogs to search and clear land mine-infested areas around the world, will be held on Saturday, June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Glenelg Country School, 12793 Folly Quarter Rd., Ellicott City. The day includes a 9K walk through the school’s 87-acre campus, dog agility courses, canine massage therapy, and games, raffles and food from local restaurants. Registration is $15 for students, $25 for adults; children five and under are free. For more information, visit www.mli-k9-9k.org or call the school at (410) 531-7336.

June 30

KUTZTOWN FOLK FESTIVAL TRIP

Take in a full day of Pennsylvania Dutch crafts, food and music on a bus tour sponsored by the Department of Recreation & Parks on Saturday, June 30 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $78. For more information or to register, call (410) 313-7279 or (410) 313-7275.

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

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

Health Fitness &

GENE SCANS FOR EVERYONE? Mapping your own genome will only offer vague health predictions at best LOSING COMMON SENSES Aging nerves and certain meds can contribute to loss of taste and smell HORMONES CAN HELP Taking estrogen lowers breast cancer risk in those with hysterectomies NEW NATURAL PRODUCTS Good for you cookies, toothpaste, sunscreen, cleaning powder and more

Blood test may help predict heart attacks By Lauran Neergaard Too often, people pass a cardiac checkup only to collapse with a heart attack days later. Now scientists have found a clue that one day may help doctors determine if a heart attack is imminent, in hopes of preventing it. Most heart attacks happen when fatty deposits in an artery burst open, and a blood clot then forms to seal the break. If the clot is too big, it blocks off blood flow. The problem: Today’s best tests cannot predict when that is about to happen. “We don’t have a way to get at whether an artery’s going to crack, the precursor to a heart attack,” said Dr. Eric Topol, director of California’s Scripps Translational Science Institute. Recently, Scripps researchers reported a new lead — by searching people’s blood for cells that appear to flake off the lining of a severely diseased artery. Topol’s team measured high levels of those cells, deformed ones, floating in the blood of 50 people who’d just had a heart attack. The research is reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Next, Topol said his team will soon begin needed studies to learn how early those cells might appear before a heart attack, and if spotting them could allow use of clotpreventing drugs to ward off damage. Some San Diego emergency rooms will study an experimental blood test with chest-pain sufferers whose standard exams found no evidence of a heart attack, he said.

Much more study needed Do not expect a test to predict heart attacks any time soon — a lot more research is needed, caution heart specialists not involved with the study. But they are intrigued. “This study is pretty exciting,” said Dr. Douglas Zipes of Indiana University and past president of the American College of Cardiology. It suggests those cells are harmed “not just in the minutes prior” to a heart attack, he said, “but probably hours, maybe even days” earlier. “It’s a neat, provocative first step,” added Dr. William C. Little, cardiology chief at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “But it is not a biomarker ready for prime time.”

About 935,000 people in the U.S. have a heart attack every year, according to government figures. Doctors can tell who’s at risk: People with high blood pressure and cholesterol, who smoke, have diabetes, are overweight or sedentary. But there’s no way to tell when a heart attack is imminent. Tests can spot that an artery is narrowing, or if a heart attack is under way or already has damaged the heart muscle. They can’t tell if the plaque inside arteries is poised to rupture. So it’s not that uncommon for someone to suffer a heart attack shortly after passing a stress test or being told that their chest pain was nothing to worry about.

Looking for abnormal cells The published study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, investigated cells shed from the endothelium, or the lining of blood vessels, into the bloodstream. They’re called “circulating endothelial cells.” First, Topol’s team paired with Veridex LLC, a Johnson & Johnson unit that makes technology used to find cancer cells float-

ing in blood. Could it find these cardiovascular cells, too? The team took blood samples from 50 heart attack patients — before they had any artery-disturbing tests or treatments — and from 44 healthy volunteers. They counted lots of the endothelial cells floating in the heart attack victims’ blood, and very little in the healthy people’s blood. The big surprise: The cells in the heart patients were grossly deformed. “Sick cells,” is how Topol describes them. The study couldn’t tell when those abnormal cells first appeared — and that’s key, said Wake Forest’s Little. It’s not clear how many heart attacks happen too suddenly for any warning period. But Topol theorizes there are plaques that break apart gradually and may shed these cells for up to two weeks before the heart attack. He cites autopsy studies that found people’s arteries healed several plaque ruptures before the final one that killed them. Topol said Scripps and Veridex have filed for a patent for a blood test to detect the abnormal cells. — AP

FDA panel supports new painkiller study By Matthew Peronne A panel of arthritis experts recently recommended that the federal government allow continued testing of an experimental class of pain drugs for arthritis, despite links to bone decay and joint failure. The Food and Drug Administration’s 21member panel of arthritis experts voted unanimously that research on the nerveblocking drugs should continue, with certain safety precautions. Reports of joint failure led the agency to halt studies of the drugs in 2010 before any of the medications could be submitted for U.S. approval. Pfizer Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals have asked the FDA to lift the moratorium on testing of their drugs. The FDA will weigh the advice of its panel before making a final decision. “There’s clearly a worrisome safety signal, but in spite of that, I think there’s an unmet need in certain patient populations,” said panelist Dr. Sherine Gabriel, of the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn.

Blocks nerve signals Panelists noted that not all patients respond to medications currently on the market, like Aleve and aspirin. The experts also said that the drugs could prove useful in treating a variety of other chronic pain conditions for which there are few options. “Anything that has the hope of helping pain patients is worth pursuing,” said Susan Broyles, the patient representative on the panel. Drugmakers have touted the drugs, known as nerve growth factor inhibitors, as a potential breakthrough for treating osteoarthritis, back pain and other chronic pain conditions. They’ve pointed to strong results in early testing and shortcomings of familiar painkillers like aspirin and Advil, as well as powerful opiate-based drugs. Anti-inflammatory painkillers like Advil can cause stomach bleeding, while opiates carry a high risk of addiction. The injectable nerve-silencing drugs offer a new approach, by blocking proteins that

control pain sensations throughout the body.

But it can backfire Experts said more study is needed to determine why some patients taking the drugs saw their arthritis worsen, in some cases to the point of joint failure. One industry theory is that patients become more active after their pain subsides, leading to increased damage at their most problematic joints. Data analyses by the FDA showed a higher rate of joint problems among patients taking nerve-inhibitors and anti-inflammatory drugs at the same time. However, there were also cases of bone deterioration in patients taking the newer drugs alone. The FDA’s panel said the new drugs should not be mixed with older medications in future studies. Additionally, patients should be warned of the safety risks in a detailed informed consent waiver. The drugmakers should also take X-ray and MRI images to track the strength of pa-

tients’ bones throughout the trial. Problems with nerve growth factor inhibitors first emerged in the summer of 2010, when the FDA asked Pfizer to halt studies of its experimental injection tanezumab in patients with osteoarthritis, low back pain and diabetic nerve pain. The action came after Pfizer researchers reported that osteoarthritis actually worsened in certain patients, requiring joint replacements in some cases. In December that year, the FDA put a research hold on all drugs in the class after similar problems emerged, halting studies by Johnson & Johnson and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Regeneron was developing a compound called REGN475, in cooperation with Sanofi-Aventis. Johnson & Johnson was testing its drug fulranumab in several pain conditions. The FDA lifted its hold on a trial of the drug for cancer pain last summer, though studies for osteoarthritis remain on hold. — AP

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

Understanding and managing migraines

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most evidence is biofeedback, but the problem is that biofeedback is not widely available and often isn’t covered by insurance. My own personal favorite for patients is yoga, because it is so widely available and affordable, and it probably has other health benefits. Q: How has your own understanding of migraine evolved over the years? A: Certainly our knowledge about migraine has improved. But if I had to pick one thing, it would be my appreciation of just how much of an impact migraines can have on people’s lives. It took me 15 to 20 years to really under-

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Endep, others), one of the older tricyclics, to be particularly effective, often at a low dose: 10 milligrams a day compared with the 100to 150-milligram dose that was used for depression. Sedation and weight gain are side effects. Amitriptyline is long-acting, so I usually recommend that people take it around dinnertime so they don’t sleep too late. Q: Are there any alternative approaches that work? A: Complementary and alternative therapies are usually not strong enough to treat a tough migraine problem alone, but they might be helpful for a mild one. And a lot of these treatments are very hard to study in a double-blind fashion. The technique for which there is the

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not a lot you can do about them. You can’t control weather changes, for example. I think triggers have often been overemphasized in some of the self-help approaches to migraine. Advice on managing triggers can suggest a sense of personal control over migraines that often isn’t there. Q: And dietary triggers? A: They exist, but I also think that people can drive themselves crazy trying to identify them. We frequently hear patients report that when they are adequately treated, chocolate, alcohol and other dietary triggers disappear. Q: Have drugs like Imitrex made a big difference? A: Imitrex (sumatriptan) is one of the triptan drugs. The triptans have revolutionized treatment of migraine headaches once they start to occur — what we call abortive treatment. They allow people to take a specific medicine to target a specific condition and often get back to having a fairly normal day. Q: People also take medication on an ongoing basis to keep the headaches from occurring, don’t they? A: Yes, we have three major groups of preventive medications that we prescribe: anti-seizure medications, blood pressure drugs, and the older tricyclic antidepressants. It is a diverse set of agents, and why they work is not entirely clear, but they seem to reduce headache reactivity — the triggers may still be there, but they fail to set off the migraine event. Botulinum toxin — Botox — injections into various places on the head also seem to help reduce headache reactivity in some people. Q: Is there one drug that you prescribe more than the others? A: I have found amitriptyline (Elavil,

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Dr. Paul B. Rizzoli, director of the John R. Graham Headache Center at Faulkner Hospital, Boston, Mass., is an expert on migraines. Co-author of The Migraine Solution: A Complete Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Pain Management (Harvard Health Publications/St. Martin’s Press), Rizzoli shared some of his expertise with editors of the Harvard Health Letter. Q: What is a migraine headache? A: Migraine can be defined as a limiting headache — a headache that stops you from functioning. The pain is not a mild, insignificant thing you can ignore; you must actively decide what to do about it. Nausea is also a common symptom. More and more, it seems like migraine is a separate illness. In the future, it’s likely that we’ll be able to define migraine by its distinct genetic pattern. Q: Where does the pain come from? A: We think that migraine “lives” in the brain. The brain doesn’t have pain receptors, but it processes pain signals from other parts of the body. It’s the pain processing networks, or centers, in the brain that are overly reactive or dysfunctional in migraine. Q: Isn’t there a theory that the pain comes from the dilation — widening — of blood vessels in the brain? A: That was the dominant theory in the 1960s. But much of the evidence now is that blood vessel constriction and dilation is an epiphenomenon — something that accompanies the pain from migraine but doesn’t cause it. Q: Where do triggers fit in? A: The notion of triggers is central to the diagnosis of migraine. We look for patterns of reactivity and for events or circumstances that set off individual headaches. The problem is that even when you identify triggers, there’s frequently

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

An ‘overdose’ of vitamins can hurt you By Anna Miller Recently, on “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart’s guest, David Agus, a physician and author of the best-selling book The End of Illness, fretted about what could be called America’s vitamin abuse problem. There have been 50 large-scale studies on supplements, Agus said, and not one has shown a benefit in heart disease or cancer. “I don’t get it,” he said. “Why are we taking these?” Agus is not alone in his frustration. Other experts liken buying vitamins to flushing money down the toilet. In some cases, they mean it literally: If the body gets more of certain vitamins than it needs, it often excretes the excess in urine. That doesn’t stop Americans from spend-

ing about $28 billion a year on dietary supplements, including vitamins and herbal supplements. In some cases, people may be spending money only to put their health at risk. “As Americans, we think more is better, but that’s not the case with vitamins,” said Dee Sandquist, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, based in Chicago, IL. Here are three popular vitamin supplements that prove you can, in fact, get too much of a good thing:

Vitamin E Supplement skeptics often point to the story of vitamin E, which was once considered a promising tool for cancer prevention. The National Cancer Institute was so hope-

Your New Lifestyle Begins Here

ful that vitamin E supplements would decrease rates of prostate cancer that in 2001 it funded a study designed to test the theory. Instead, the findings revealed that the men who took vitamin E were 17 percent more likely — not less — to develop the disease. While vitamin E is a key player in immune function and cell communication, it’s best obtained through diet — in foods like wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and broccoli — and worst when taken regularly as a supplement in high doses. Like many vitamins, it appears to lose its main benefits when taken in excess.

Vitamin A Vitamin A is what gives carrots their good-for-your-vision reputation. Found in both animal and plant-based products, it’s also important for reproduction, bone health and immune function. Vitamin A supplements can be important for people with certain conditions that hinder fat absorption, including celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and pancreatic disorders. But vitamin A deficiency is uncommon among healthy Americans. And partly because the nutrient can build up to toxic levels in the body, taking more than you need over time can lead to serious liver problems, birth defects and disorders of the central nervous system.

Migraines Designed and managed R<$!B<;&GN9!9(%><$9!&B! these locations: ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY ! "#$%&'(!)$&%'*!410-761-4150 ! +(,($%&!-&$.!410-544-3411 )/0123456!7218

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From page 5 stand what migraine patients are going through and what a huge impediment migraine is on their lives. I’ve also come to understand that it often takes a lot for people to come in for care. Many patients have some level of shame about their migraines.

A form of vitamin A called beta-carotene is thought to help prevent cancer — but perhaps only when obtained through the diet. In pill form, it seems to do just the opposite. Much as the pivotal vitamin E study backfired, so did the Alpha-Tocopherol BetaCarotene Cancer Prevention Study, which found that male smokers who took betacarotene supplements were 18 percent more likely to develop lung cancer, and 8 percent more likely to die, than the ones who did not. Gerard Mullin, director of integrative gastrointestinal nutrition services at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md., and author of The Inside Tract: Your Good Gut Guide to Great Digestive Health, has cared for patients who developed liver fibrosis because they overdosed on vitamin A. “A lot of people don’t know it can be dangerous,” he said. “They think it fights infections.”

Vitamin C Infection-fighting prowess is often attributed to vitamin C, as well. From orange-flavored chewables to Emergen-C packets, mega-doses of vitamin C are staples in many American medicine cabinets. While the natural form of the vitamin supports immune function, there’s only a weak scientific link between regular use of vitaSee VITAMINS, page 7

Q: Shame? Really? A: Shame is a strong word, but I think it’s appropriate. They have shame because they think they should be able to handle it on their own. And shame because they have often made an effort to talk to doctors about migraine and have been passed off as complainers. — Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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Is there benefit to mapping your genome? By Lauran Neergaard Gene scans for everyone? Not so fast. New research suggests that for the average person, decoding your own DNA may not turn out to be a really useful crystal ball for future health. Today, scientists map entire genomes mostly for research, as they study which genetic mutations play a role in different diseases. Or they use it to try to diagnose mystery illnesses that plague families. It is different from getting a genetic test to see if you carry, say, a particular cancer-causing gene. But as genome mapping gets faster and cheaper, scientists and consumers have wondered about possible broader use: Would finding all the glitches hidden in your DNA predict which diseases you’ll face decades later? Johns Hopkins University developed a model using registries of thousands of identi-

cal twins, who despite their shared genes can develop different diseases. They examined 24 ailments, including different types of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Under best-case scenarios, most people would be told they had a somewhat increased risk of at least one disease, said Dr. Bert Vogelstein, a Hopkins cancer geneticist and the study’s senior author. But a negative test for most of the rest of the diseases does not mean you will not get them. It just means that you are at no more risk than the general population. Those are the findings Vogelstein’s team reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Why? Cancer, for example, typically does not result from inherited genes but from mutations that can form anytime, Vogelstein explained. Many other common diseases are inSee GENOME, page 8

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$16,981 Average Price of Funeral in 2030 (based on 4% annual price increase)

For assistance with your pre-planning needs call Kathy Clark, Family Service Coordinator 2150 Mount View Road Marriottsville, Maryland 21104

(410) 442-5700

Vitamins From page 6 min C supplements and shorter or less severe colds. There’s no good evidence that vitamin C pills can prevent a cold altogether. Unlike vitamin A, vitamin C is water soluble, which means that if you take more than your body can use, the excess is usually excreted without causing harm. However, Sandquist said, adverse reactions like diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea can occur. “In high-enough doses, vitamin C can cause kidney stones,” added Mullin. Any amount larger than 500 milligrams per day can be enough to cause a problem, he said. Sandquist recommends that healthy people abide by the Institute of Medicine’s “Tolerable Upper Intake Levels,” which indicates the maximum daily intake of a vitamin you should consume through a combination of diet and supplements. Taking more than that amount means the risks likely outweigh the benefits. The recommended amount is often less than the limit. “When the IOM makes their recommendations, they look at all the available research,” she said, so its conclusions are more reliable than any single study, even one that gets a lot of publicity. Because taking supplements is second nature for many consumers, vitamins are often overlooked as a potential culprit for symptoms like headaches or diarrhea, Sandquist said. It’s important to be conscious of what you’re consuming — in natural, supplement and fortified forms — and to tell your doctor about every last one. “The best strategy is to follow the ‘choose my plate’ method,” she said, referring to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s healthy food guide. If people do that, she said, “then they probably wouldn’t have to worry about a vitamin supplement unless they have a specific medical condition.” For the Institute of Medicine’s charts showing tolerable upper intake levels, visit http://bit.ly/upperlimit. © 2012 U.S. News and World Report

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For more information or to sign-up, please visit CA’s Membership Service Center (10221 Wincopin Circle, Downtown Columbia on the Lakefront) any time Monday-Saturday from 10am-7pm or call 410-730-1802.

Offer is valid for CA Residents, ages 65+, and cannot be combined with any other special offer or discount. 20% discount applies to one-year Individual Facility, Outdoor Pool, Package Plan or Package Plan Plus memberships. 25% discount applies to multi-year Individual Facility, Package Plan or Package Plan Plus memberships. Discounts are valid on new memberships only. Additional fees and restrictions may apply for classes, indoor tennis courts and greens fees. Offer expires July 31, 2012.

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

If your senses of taste and smell change By Dr. Paul Takahashi Dear Mayo Clinic: Why do we lose our sense of taste and smell as we get older? I’m 86 and very much miss tasting food the way I used to. Is there anything I can do to reverse the loss? Answer: A decrease in taste and smell commonly occurs with aging. But if you lose these senses suddenly, or if you notice a significant change in your ability to smell and taste, see your doctor, as certain medications or an underlying medical problem could be to blame. Although nothing can be done to reverse the process if it’s related to aging, there are ways to make eating more enjoyable and ensure you get proper nutrition, even if your taste and smell aren’t what they used to be. Our senses of smell and taste are closely related. The tongue has taste buds and

taste receptors that allow us to perceive sweet, sour, salty and bitter. In addition, when we eat, food releases odors that engage olfactory nerves within the nose. Those aromas combine with the tastes on our tongue to contribute to the overall enjoyment of food.

Nerve loss and other causes With aging, nerves within the nose tend to degenerate, decreasing the ability to smell and taste. To some degree, nerve degeneration also affects the taste buds. For most people, that is less of a problem, though, because the tongue has more nerves than the nose. So, quite a bit of nerve loss would have to occur before you noticed a decrease in taste due to problems with taste buds alone. Age-related changes to taste and smell occur gradually over time, and there’s no

way to reverse those changes. In some cases, however, loss of taste and smell may not be a product of aging alone. Nasal and sinus problems — such as nasal polyps, allergies or sinusitis — can lead to a decrease in these senses. Dental issues, including an abscess, tooth decay or poor dental hygiene, may also interfere with your ability to taste and smell. Cigarette smoking is another common cause for a decrease in taste and smell. In certain cases, a loss of these senses could be a sign of a more serious underlying medical concern. For example, some neurologic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, may cause loss of taste and smell in their early stages. If your ability to taste or smell changes abruptly, or if you notice a big decrease in these senses, that should be evaluated by your doctor.

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Other steps you can take In addition, if you are taking medications talk to your doctor about the possibility that they could be interfering with taste and smell. Many drugs can affect those senses, particularly beta blockers and angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Sometimes a change in medication or treatment for an underlying medical concern may help relieve the loss of taste and smell. For many people, though, these senses simply fade with age and the loss is permanent. If that’s the case for you, take steps to make eating more pleasant by eating with other people as much as possible. When eating is a social event, people often enjoy their meals more. Also, experiment with different flavors. You may be able to taste some types of food, seasonings and spices better than others. Just be careful not to put too much salt on food, as excess sodium in your diet could lead to additional health concerns. As taste and smell begin to decrease, be mindful of your eating habits. Some people eat less or begin to eat in unhealthy ways when they lose these senses. Eating three nutritious meals a day, as well as healthy snacks, is important to staying healthy and preventing some common health problems associated with aging. Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. For health information, visit www.mayoclinic.com. © 2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Genome From page 7 fluenced by lifestyle and environment — so you would still have to eat well, exercise and take the other usual precautions. The study examined just one possible future use of genome mapping. It does not mean there are not other benefits from the effort. Make no mistake: This technology does have huge promise for customizing care for certain people, especially children with otherwise undiagnosed illnesses, said Dr. James Lupski of Baylor College of Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the study. Last year, Baylor researchers reported one of the first examples of genome mapping directly benefiting a patient. It found a mutation that pointed to the right treatment for a 14-year-old girl’s baffling trouble breathing. But even if finding a genetic explanation does not lead to treatment, knowing whether it was inherited can help parents decide whether to chance having another baby, Lupski added. “There are families where this can be transformative,” said Lupski. He had his own genome mapped to identify the cause of a rare nerve disorder. — AP

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Free Medicare counseling benefit If you’re a Medicare beneficiary, you can get one “intensive behavioral therapy” session aimed at preventing heart disease, and weekly sessions for a month or more for help dealing with obesity — no co-pay required. Both benefits are available only in a “primary care setting.” For Medicare’s purposes, that means the office of a general or family practitioner, internist or geriatrician. Cardiologists don’t seem to qualify as primary care physicians according to this definition, although some perform pri-

mary care functions. Medicare also won’t pony up if these services take place in a hospital, outpatient surgery center, nursing home or diagnostic testing facility. Both programs focus on changing behavior to achieve agreed-upon goals. The cardiovascular program is a one-shot deal, and includes counseling about healthful eating. While it’s aimed primarily at people with cardiovascular risk factors, if you already have heart disease, no conceivable harm could come from taking advantage of this free session. The obesity program is more extensive but is restricted to people with a body mass index of 30 or higher. It offers weekly visits for one month, followed by every-otherweek sessions for another five months. Medicare will pay for additional monthly sessions for up to a year if the beneficiary

BEACON BITS

June 28

LEARN ABOUT LONG-TERM CARE PLANNING Get an overview of long-term care planning with a certified

long-term care (CLTC) specialist at a seminar on Thursday, June 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Somerford Place Alzheimer’s Assisted Living, 8220 Snowden River Parkway, Columbia. A question and answer period will follow the presentation. Food and literature will be provided. R.S.V.P. to Victoria Dudek at (410)

Shrub’s secrets could fight aging A flowering Tibetan shrub that tricks cells into thinking they are starving could become a weapon against multiple sclero-

rs 34 Yeraing a of C

sis and even old age. The roots of the blue evergreen hydrangea (Dichroa febrifuga) have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat malaria. Now Tracy Keller and colleagues at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston have found that halofuginone — a chemical based on the roots’ active ingredient — blocks immune reactions that can cause disease. Cells stop the synthesis of non-vital proteins when amino acids are in short supSee HEALTH SHORTS, page 11

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loses at least 6.6 pounds during the first six months. For more information about these Medicare freebies, visit http://MyMedicare. gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. — Harvard Heart Letter

Health Shorts

HT RIDE GENERAL PARATRANSIT ALERT! Beginning July 1, 2012, if you would like to register for HT Ride General Paratransit service, please call HT Ride at 1-800-270-9553, option 3. Thank you!

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You’re on top of your medications. But we make a good back up. You know it’s important to stay on your medications exactly as prescribed. However, if you miss a dose, want a lower-cost alternative, or experience any side effects, we can answer any questions. Speak to your local CVS Pharmacist to learn more. Find a store near you at www.cvs.com

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

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Health shorts From page 9 ply. Keller’s team discovered that halofuginone mimics such a shortage by blocking an enzyme that feeds one amino acid to the protein-making machinery. Keller found that the drug triggers a chemical cascade that responds to amino acid scarcity. This inhibited the growth of malaria parasites, stopped blood cells from making proteins that cause inflammation, and stopped the development of specific white blood cells that trigger conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis, according to a study in Nature Chemical Biology. This could make the drug effective against autoimmune disease. But as halofuginone mimics nutrient deprivation, there is another possible use. Animals that receive only just adequate nutrition live longer because diseases that involve inflammation are prevented. That, said Keller, means halofuginone might work as an anti-aging drug. — New Scientist

Best meds for resistant high blood pressure If you have resistant high blood pressure (hypertension), you’re probably already doing a lot to lower it. But a study suggests that people with resistant hypertension rarely get two particularly effective drugs, and often they get a drug combination that’s not very helpful. Resistant hypertension occurs when blood pressure stays high despite taking three or more drugs, or when a person needs four or more drugs to reach blood

pressure goals. Colorado researchers reviewed insurance claims for more than 140,000 such people. Only 3 percent were receiving chlorthalidone (Hydone, generic), a diuretic (water pill) that several studies suggest is more effective at reducing blood pressure and curbing bad cardiovascular consequences than the most-often-prescribed diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDiuril, generic). Also, only 6 percent of the people were prescribed an aldosterone blocker such as spironolactone, which guidelines recommend for resistant hypertension. Meanwhile, more than 15 percent received an ACE inhibitor plus an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB), a combination that evidence indicates is not very effective. In late 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first chlorthalidone-ARB combination (Edarbyclor), which could make taking this effective combo more convenient. If your blood pressure is stubbornly high and you’re not taking chlorthalidone or spironolactone, or if you’re taking the ACE-ARB combination, ask your doctor why. There may be good reasons, but you should know what they are. Keep in mind that people who have both kidney disease and high blood pressure should take a loop diuretic like furosemide (Lasix), which is easier on the kidneys. — Harvard Heart Letter

Tattoos have long served as fashion statements, but a small number of Americans are now relying on them for a more practical, potentially lifesaving purpose: to warn first responders about important medical conditions. Some medical tattoos are being used to

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bracelets for years to identify her as a diabetic, but she kept losing or breaking them. The 31-year-old decided months ago to get a 3 1/2-inch tattoo on her left forearm that includes the medical symbol and identifies her as a Type 1 diabetic. It also declares her allergies to penicillin and aspirin. The American Medical Association does not specifically address medical tattoos in its guidelines. But Dr. Saleh Aldasouqi, an endocrinologist at Michigan State University, hopes that might change. Aldasouqi, who has written about the tattoos, has seen them among his diabetic patients and feels they are becoming so popular that the medical profession needs to help guide their development. It would be helpful, for instance, if the tattoos were uniform or placed in the same area of the body so responders would know where to look, he said. — AP

Tattoos take on a medical purpose

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take the place of bracelets that commonly list a person’s allergies, chronic diseases or even end-of-life wishes. “Bracelets are nice, but something as strong as a tattoo ... that is a strong statement,” said Dr. Ed Friedlander, a Kansas City pathologist who has “No CPR” tattooed in the center of his chest, where a paramedic would see it. Friedlander, 60, got the tattoo to emphasize his decision to forgo CPR if his heart stops. Medical tattoos don’t appear to carry much legal weight. It’s unclear whether an ambulance crew racing to treat a gravely ill patient could honor a request such as Friedlander’s based on the tattoo alone. But the markings do offer a simple and permanent way to give rescuers important health details. Melissa Boyer, of Nashville, Mich., wore

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Health Studies Page

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

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Get paid to try new colorectal cancer test By Barbara Ruben Colorectal cancer is often considered the most preventable, yet least prevented, cancer. It is highly treatable if found early, but 40 percent of adults age 50 and older do not get screened as recommended. As a result, colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States. About 51,000 people will die of the disease this year, according to the National Cancer Institute Exact Sciences, a molecular diagnostics company focused on colorectal cancer, is

now studying a new screening test to detect colorectal cancer and pre-cancerous conditions. The test works by detecting specific altered DNA sequences in cells that are shed from the lining of the colon into the stool. Stool samples are collected at home with a test kit and returned via FedEx for evaluation. “We hope to find that the home-based stool sample test has strong enough predictability to detect colon and colorectal cancer that this will become the gold stan-

dard for overall screening,” said Christine Pierre, president of RxTrials in Columbia, which is conducting a local study of the test. “We hope this will be a good alternative for the vast majority of society, who sadly do not undergo a screening colonoscopy when they turn 50. Why not? One reason is patients have some hesitancy about the procedure. Sometimes it’s cost. Sometimes it’s flat-out fear,” she said. Pierre said that if the test gets FDA approval, it could be on the market in about two years.

BEACON BITS

June 25

ARE YOUR EYES TOO DRY?

June 10+

ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS

Get a colonoscopy, too

Dr. Mahsa Salehi of the Wilmer Eye Institute will discuss the causes of dry eyes and the care and treatment of conditions affecting ocular surface disease in a lecture on Monday, June 25 at 7 p.m. at the Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center, Medical Pavilion, 10710 Charter Dr., Suite 100, Columbia. For more information, call (410) 740-7601.

Informational pamphlets dealing with elder abuse concerns and sources of assistance will be available during the week of June 10 at the Ellicott City Senior Center, 9401 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. For more information, contact Officer PFC Holly Burnham at (410) 313-6089.

Trouble Sleeping?

Volunteer for a Sleep & Sensory Tes ng Study Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are looking for volunteers to par!cipate in a research study examining the associa!on between sleep and sensory abili!es.

Those taking part in the study will make one 15- to 30-minute visit to RxTrials for a pre-colonoscopy visit and to obtain a takehome stool sample collection kit. Study participants will also make an appointment to have a colonoscopy within 90 days. Researchers will compare the results of the new stool test with the findings of the colonoscopy. Compensation of $100 is offered for collecting the sample and completing the colonoscopy. In addition, RxTrials offers transportation to and from its office and the

colonoscopy. (Patients are not allowed to drive themselves following the colonoscopy because of the sedating effects of the anesthesia used.) Participants must use their own health insurance or Medicare to cover the cost of the colonoscopy.

Who can participate? To qualify for the study, participants must be between 64 and 84 years old and be at average risk for colon cancer. That means those with inflammatory bowel disease, including chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC) and Crohn’s disease, cannot take part, nor can those with parents, siblings or children who have had colorectal cancer. Participants cannot have had colorectal cancer, adenoma or aerodigestive tract cancer. They cannot have had colorectal surgery for any reason other than sigmoid diverticular disease. They also cannot have had a positive fecal occult blood test within the last six months and cannot have had a colonoscopy within the past nine years. Those who have never had a colonoscopy qualify for the study. To learn more about the study, or to volunteer, call (410) 964-8512.

BEACON BITS

May 31

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF AGING

The Mental Health Players from the Mental Health Association of Maryland will perform three thoughtful and humorous vignettes on the challenges and demands of aging, with audience interaction encouraged. The free program, called “Life Keeps Blooming,” will be held on Thursday, May 31 at 6 p.m. at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keaton Way, Columbia. It will be followed by light refreshments. For further information, call (410) 313-7213.

June 12

FATHER LOSS WORKSHOP

A workshop for adults who have experienced the death of a father, grandfather or male guardian will be held on Tuesday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Gilchrist Hospice Care-Howard County, 5537 Twin Knolls Rd., Suite 433, Columbia. The program is free, but pre-registration is required. To register, call (443) 539-4086 or email GHC_bereavement@gilchristhospice.org.

Want to Prevent Falls in the Elderly? ➢ To par cipate in this study, you must be: • 50 Years of age or older • Have Trouble Staying Asleep • Be otherwise Healthy

➢ Compensa on up to $330.00

➢ This study involves: • 1 Sleep study conducted in your home • Sensory and Physical tes!ng @ Johns Hopkins • 1 Blood draw • Parking and Tests provided at no cost

Michael T. Smith, Ph.D., Principal Inves!gator Protocol: NA_00011802 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Approved 04/5/2010

For informa on, please call (410) 550-7906

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

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

CALL TODAY!

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

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Estrogen lowers breast cancer risk in some By Maria Cheng Women who take estrogen after menopause appear to have a lower risk of breast cancer even years after they quit taking the hormone, according to a new analysis of a landmark study. The results are reassuring news for women who have had hysterectomies and use the pills to relieve hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, the researchers and other doctors say. Previous observational studies have suggested a possible connection between estrogen and breast cancer. The new research found women who had a hysterectomy who took estrogenonly pills for about six years were about 20 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who didn’t take the hormone, and the benefit lasted for at least five years. The study was published in the journal Lancet Oncology. “If women are suffering from serious menopause symptoms and have had a hysterectomy, then estrogen alone is a reasonable approach,” said Garnet Anderson, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the study’s lead author.

Heart risk concerns Doctors have long prescribed hormones for women after menopause to relieve symptoms like hot flashes and night

sweats. The pills were also believed to be good for bones, the heart and have other health benefits. In the 1990s, researchers began a large, U.S.-funded study, known as the Women’s Health Initiative, looking at the effects of estrogen-progestin combination pills and estrogen-only therapies. The estrogen-progestin part of the study was stopped in 2002 when the combo pill was linked to higher risks for heart attacks and breast cancer. In 2004, the estrogen study was halted after researchers detected stroke and blood clot risks in that group. Those results shook up conventional wisdom about hormone replacement therapies and led women to stop taking them in droves. Now the advice is to take the hormones to relieve symptoms at the lowest dose possible for the shortest amount of time because of the potential risks. Estrogen-only pills are recommended for the approximately 25 percent of women in menopause who have had hysterectomies. Other women are prescribed the combo pill: estrogen alone can raise their risk of cancer of the uterus. In the new analysis, Anderson and colleagues tracked more than 7,600 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 who had a hysterectomy. Roughly half took estro-

gen while the other half took placebo pills for about six years. Most women in both groups had yearly mammograms. The women were followed for about 12 years. In the group that took estrogen, there were 151 cases of breast cancer versus 199 in those on fake pills. That amounted to a 23 percent lower risk of cancer, researchers said.

there were six deaths among those who had taken estrogen compared to 16 in those who took placebos. The lower risk of breast cancer didn’t apply to women with a family history of the disease or those who previously had benign breast lumps. Doctors said women should not take estrogen to lower their breast cancer risk since the hormone comes with slightly higher chances of stroke and blood clots.

Lower cancer death rate, too In women who developed breast cancer,

See ESTROGEN, page 14

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

New all-natural products to try and enjoy Dear Readers: paste by Redmond: They mean it! EarthI attended the 2012 Natural Products paste only contains their famous “Real salt” Expo West trade show in Calialong with Redmond clay, xylitol fornia to scout out new healthy, and natural essential oils. That’s delicious or unique products. it. Their label even says, “EarthThe companies mentioned paste is safe to eat. Rinse or below did not know that I was swallow at your discretion, eiwith the media as I was samther way would be fine.” Earthpling their goodies, and I repaste comes in three flavors, ceive nothing from this. wintergreen, peppermint and Caveman Cookies: I like cinnamon. www.earthpaste.com the “Alpine” and “Original” flaInner-Eco to Go: It’s covors; they are gluten and grainconut kefir, so if you can’t hanfree (and therefore Paleo diet DEAR dle dairy but still love kefir, PHARMACIST compliant). Made with nuts, here’s your dream come true. By Suzy Cohen honey and berries. No preservThis is a 100 percent pure and atives or table sugar. These are natural, dairy-free, sugar-free, chewy and delicious, and I grabbed a hand- gluten-free, soy-free and certified vegan livful of their samples when the rep turned ing food! This kefir product provides probiaround! www.cavemancookies.com otics. It tastes like coconut soda! www.innerEarthpaste Amazingly Natural Tooth- eco.com

All Purpose Cleaning Powder by Poppy’s: It contains only natural ingredients, such as plant-derived surfactants, sodium bicarbonate, and essential oils of tea tree and peppermint. This company makes toxin-free dishwashing soap, laundry detergent and more. www.poppysnaturallyclean.com Mineral Sunscreen SPF 32 by Dolphin Organics: This company makes a line of personal care products targeted at babies and young children, but I believe everyone should use toxin-free products on their body! This sunscreen contains natural, organic ingredients to protect you from UVA and UVB rays. See their entire line: http://dolphinorganics.com Bambooee Reusable Towels: This is a cleaning towel made from bamboo, which is a fast growing tree, and it requires no pesticides or fertilizers. You use

these all over the house; they are machine washable. Best when slightly damp. http://www.bambooee.com Yogavive Apple Chips: No sugar added, just USDA certified organic Fuji apples that are dried and “popped” so the fruit is a little crunchy. These are addictive, with all sorts of fruity flavors. www.yogavive.com. Maqui Berry Antioxidant Powder: Mix the powder with fruits, juice, yogurt or ice and make a smoothie. Contains maqui berries, acai berries, vanilla flavor, stevia and brown rice (emulsifier). It’s organic. www.organicmeetsgood.com. Dear Readers: The most wonderful thing about our planet is that it grows good medicine. Making herbal teas is one of my secret passions. You can drink teas, and in some cases apply them to your skin. I’ve been playing with herbs for years. It’s fun and I honestly think it’s a wonderful adjunct to other medical treatments. Here are the basics. Use 1 tablespoon of herbs per cup of water. Consider brew time, as you will lose some health benefits over brewing certain herbs. An “infusion” is best when using delicate parts of the plant, like the leaves, flowers and See DEAR PHARMACIST, page 15

Estrogen From page 13

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Research published last year found those problems appeared to fade after women stopped taking the pills. “Estrogen on its own appears to be safe,” said Dr. Anthony Howell, professor of medical oncology at the University of Manchester, who co-authored a commentary in the journal. Scientists aren’t sure why estrogen appeared to lower the risk of breast cancer, but Howell said altering the amount of estrogen in the body might help stop tumor growth, since fluctuating levels could interfere with tumor development. Other experts weren’t convinced. “It’s inconsistent with the totality of evidence that finds estrogen increases breast cancer risk,” said Valerie Beral, director of the cancer epidemiology unit at Oxford University. She said the analysis was a subset of a larger trial that wasn’t designed to specifically look at breast cancer. “If you want to take hormone replacement therapy, estrogen-only has a much lesser effect on breast cancer than with progestin,” she said. “But to say it protects against breast cancer is wrong.” Dr. Peter Bowen-Simpkins, medical director of the London Women’s Clinic and a spokesman for Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the study was still reassuring news for women who had hysterectomies seeking relief from menopausal symptoms. “A lot of their suffering could be spared,” he said. — AP

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

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How do you see yourself after the divorce? Dear Solutions: may see you as having more money (inI’ve been divorced for some time herited from your husband); more ready from a man I was married to do things and have fun? to for more than 20 years, On the other hand, what so I was known as a didoes “divorcee” mean to you? vorcee. He recently died, Do you think people may see and since I never remaryou as a failure at marriage? ried, I am entitled to some As a rejected woman? As an of his Social Security. angry woman? Do you think The Social Security office men will be afraid you couldn’t says I am officially considmake a man happy and so ered a widow since neither of steer away from you? us remarried. My question The other side of the “failed SOLUTIONS is, can I now call myself a divorcee” is the “gay divorcee.” By Helen Oxenberg, widow instead of a divorcee? Do you think people may see MSW, ACSW — Agnes you as a woman who had choicDear Agnes: es; as a risk taker; as an indeOf course you can call yourself anything pendent, adventurous, fun person? you choose, but the question to examine is Think it over, Agnes, and let me know. why. Also, how about honesty? If you’re diWhat does “widow” mean to you? Do you vorced, you’re not really a widow, even think people may feel sorry for you? Be though after that long marriage you may more compassionate toward you? See you as feel like one. What do you think? a victim? Do you think men will be more inP.S. Readers: I’m interested in your opinterested in you and more protective of you? ion about this. Let me know what you think. The other side of the “poor me” widow Dear Solutions: is the “merry widow.” Do you think people A woman who was an acquaintance of

mine while I was married will be at a dinner party I’m invited to. I’ve heard from others that she keeps asking some of them how my former husband is doing. I know she used to be very fond of him and sort of gloated when he left me. I’m sure she’s going to ask me about him. We’ve been divorced for a couple of years, and he’s remarried and I’m fine. I’m not in touch with him any more, and I really don’t want to get into any discussions about him. Even though I’ll probably resent her questions, I don’t want to be nasty or impolite or throw any cold water on the party. How can I avoid getting into hot water with a nasty answer and still be pleasant? — The Former Dear Former: It’s hard to get into hot water while you’re throwing cold water on the party, so don’t do either. Just say, “I’m really not in touch with him. All I know is that he’s remarried. I hope he’s happy because I certainly am” — and move on. Dear Solutions:

I still live in the same house I lived in before I got divorced. My children grew up here, and they like to come back to it on holidays and whenever they have time. They don’t want me to sell it because they like the memories. It makes me very sad, though, and keeps reminding me of better times. I’m afraid if I sell it I won’t see my children much, and that scares me. I keep going back and forth with this. What do you advise? — Undecided Dear Undecided: Sell! Your children’s memory lane runs right through your ghost town. It may be pleasant for them to look backward once in a while, but looking backward all the time has got to cause a pain in the neck! Explain to them how difficult this is for you, how it keeps you from moving on with your life, and how important their visits are to you no matter where you live. Tell them to leave the ghosts there and take their memories with them. Move out and move on! © Helen Oxenberg, 2012.

Dear Pharmacist

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, herb 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.

From page 14 aromatic aerial portions (I’m thinking rose petals or wood betony). Infusing means you steep the herbs in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes, as opposed to simmering them on the stove. Some herbs take a cold water infusion versus boiled water. Roots, bark or seeds are tougher parts of the plant and therefore require a “decoction.” You simmer them for 20 to 45 minutes in gently boiling water. Experiment with combinations of various herbs to find the best taste and physio-

logical effect. Herbs are medicine, so do some research on them first to make sure they are safe for you. My favorite book on teas is Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. It’s amazing that some herbal teas improve heart rhythm, reduce blood pressure, clear brain fog or ease hormonal concerns. Most herbal teas are safe for people with kidney stones. Talk to your doctor about any possible interactions with medications you are taking. Health food stores sell herbs, or look online, or Google “herbal apothecary.” I insist on organic herbs.

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A mind-body-spirit program that incorporates 40 minutes of laughter exercises and group sharing will be held every Monday beginning June 4 at 9 a.m. at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keaton Way, Columbia. For further information, call (410) 313-7213.

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VOLUME 2, 2N Â&#x2021; $ O. 6 â&#x20AC;˘ J UNE 2012 92/80( 1 35,/

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A Message from the Administrator By Dayna Brown, Office on Aging Administrator

I want to begin this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message with an invitation to join us on Saturday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gary Arthur Community Center for WomenFest, a day designed to inspire women to live more balanced, healthy and fulfilled lives. This year, a free jazz concert by Deanna Bogart rounds out the day â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I hope to see you there! Visit www.howardcountyaging.org/womenfest for details. I want to also take this opportunity to share a very important message with you. Each year in the United States, 1 to 2 million reports of elderly and vulnerable adult abuse are made, yet the real number of victims is even higher because most cases are not reported. In fact, it is estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of elderly and vulnerable adult abuse is reported. In Maryland alone, the number of cases of suspected abuse or neglect reported in 2011 is sobering: â&#x20AC;˘ The Maryland Department of Human Resourcesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Adult Protective Services Program received 6,579 reports of abuse, neglect, self-neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults. â&#x20AC;˘ The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Health Care Quality, received 866 reports of alleged vulnerable adult abuse regarding residents/patients in licensed and/or federally certified facilities. â&#x20AC;˘ The Maryland Department of Aging, Long Term Care Ombudsman Program investigated 2,392 complaints, of which 159 were alleged resident abuse cases. â&#x20AC;˘ The Maryland Attorney General's Office, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives between 250 and 500 referrals regarding abuse and neglect of vulnerable persons every year. And the list goes on. The Office on Aging and Howard County Police have joined forces to spread awareness of elder abuse. This is a growing problem not just in Howard County and in Maryland, but across the country and throughout the world. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15, and I urge you to join me in wearing purple on this day in support of our most vulnerable citizens. But more importantly, take a moment to learn how to identify the signs of abuse and neglect among older adults in your own community by visiting www.howardcountyaging.org/eldersafety. To report a case of suspected abuse, call 9-1-1 or contact one of the Maryland agencies listed above.

+RZDUG &RXQW\ 0DU\ODQG Emotional. Sexual. Financial. Physical. Abuse isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always visible.

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+,-.$,$/011.2.34.5$$+,-.$67.$4,885 #.9:26$%;<=.$6:$>?@?@ Many older adults in our country and throughout the world endure suffering every day. As victims of financial exploitation, neglect, and physical or emotional abuse, they may be afraid to speak out because their abuser is often a family member, caregiver or other individual whom they rely on for assistance. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15. To spread awareness in Howard County, the Office on Aging and Howard County Police Dept. have joined forces to educate residents about Elder Abuse and highlight the important role that citizens can play in recognizing and reporting suspected abuse. Throughout the month of June, Howard Transit buses will feature ads

identifying various types of abuse and encouraging people to make a difference by calling 9-1-1 to report abuse or neglect. In addition, posters and brochures will be available throughout the county with information, resources and contact numbers. To obtain information and resources regarding elder abuse and safety online, visit www.howardcountyaging.org/eldersafety. Raising awareness in Howard County involves not only teaching citizens how to spot abuse, but also helping to change attitudes and behavior. Join us to show the world you care about ending elder abuse and neglect by wearing something purple on June 15.

www.howardcountyaging.org/eldersafety The Senior Connection is published monthly by the Howard County Office on Aging, Department of Citizen Services. We welcome your comments and suggestions. To contact us, or to join our email subscriber list, email seniorconnection@howardcountymd.gov with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;subscribeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the subject box. Howard County Office on Aging

6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046 410-313-6410 | www.howardcountyaging.org www.Facebook.com/HoCoCitizen Dayna Brown, Administrator Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the Howard County Office on Aging or by the publisher.

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

Coming Events

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The Senior Connection

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Kindred Spirits, Glenwood 50+ Center Our social program for those with an early stage memory disorder features speakers, yoga, art therapy, support and more. A $30 daily fee includes snacks, lunch, coffee or tea. Contact Judy Miller at 410-313-5441.

Wednesday, May 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Game Day at Glenwood, Glenwood 50+ Center Join us for basketball, table tennis and horseshoes, or enter our chip and putt contest. Free; call 410-313-5440 for details. Wednesday, June 6, 10 a.m. – From Slave Ship to Harvard: Talk and Book Signing, Glenwood 50+ Center Author Jim Johnston will discuss his new book, From Slave Ship to Harvard: Yarrow Mamout and the History of an African American Family. Free. Call 410-313-5440 for details.

Wednesday, June 6, 10 a.m. to noon – Genealogy: Bizarre Family Stories, Ellicott City Senior Center Join Bill Amos to explore genealogy through unusual family stories. Free. Call 410-313-1400 for details.

Wednesday, June 6, 11 a.m. – Medicare 101, Kiwanis-Wallas Rec Center, 3300 Norbert’s Way, Ellicott City Learn how Medicare works, what the benefits are, how it relates to supplemental health insurance, and get information about Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage. Sponsored by the Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP); call 410-313-7391 to register. No fee.

Thursday, June 7, 10 a.m. to noon – Home Repair Scams, Elkridge Senior Center PFC Officer Holly Burnham will share tips on how to avoid being a victim of a scam. Get the facts; knowledge is protection! Call 410-313-5192 for details.

June 7, 11, 14, 28 – Brain Fitness, North Laurel 50+ Center Robin Zahor, R.N. teaches brain stimulating exercises to improve memory retention. Cost: $12. Call 410-313-0380 for class times and details.

Thursday, June 7, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – SPRING Wellness Seminar: Our Mind, Our Body, North Laurel 50+ Center Dr. Andy Lazris looks at the connection between physical wellness and mental well-being. Free; contact Karen Hull, 410-313-7466 for details.

Tuesday, June 12, 6:30 p.m. – Orlando Phillips, East Columbia 50+ Center Welcome summer with the music, flavors and movement of the Caribbean. Free; donations welcome. Call 410-313-7680 for details.

Wednesday, June 13, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Father’s Day Cookout, North Laurel 50+ Center Join us in the North Laurel Park Pavilion for a summer cookout just in time for Father’s Day. Cost varies by age. Call 410-313-0380 for reservations.

Wednesday – Friday, June 13-15, Bain Center Council Book & Bake Sale, The Bain Center Donate books, CD’s and DVD’s in good condition by Friday, June 8; call Barbara Woodard, 410-730-3341 to volunteer at the sale, or call Jeane Evans at 410-730-9093 to donate home-baked goods. Thursday, June 14, 10 a.m. – Flag Day Ceremony, North Laurel 50+ Center Honor our country as veterans from the American Legion present a Flag Ceremony. Free. For more information, call 410-313-0380.

Friday, June 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Vascular Screening, Ellicott City Senior Center The Maryland Vascular Center at Baltimore Washington Medical Center will offer free screenings for carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) for those age 50 or older who have hypertension, diabetes, a family history of vascular disease, high cholesterol or who smoke. Call 410-787-4367 for reservations.

Monday, June 18, 11 a.m. – 1812: Musically Singing, The Bain Center Celebrate the War of 1812 Bicentennial with a musical journey back to the 19th century, featuring songs that inspired a nation. Register at Bain, or call 410-313-7213.

Wednesday, June 20, 11 a.m. – Medicare 102, Kiwanis-Wallas Rec Center, 3300 Norbert’s Way, Ellicott City Learn about the gaps in Medicare coverage, ways to cover them, and which insurance plan best suits your needs. Discussion includes information on Medicare Supplement Policies (Medigap) and Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C). Sponsored by SHIP; call 410-313-7391 to register. No fee.

Thursday, June 21, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – The Dahlia Flute Duo, The Bain Center Mary Matthews and Melissa Wertheimer, the Dahlia Flute Duo, will perform live chamber music. Free. Call 410-313-7213 to sign up.

Wednesday, June 27, 10 to 11:30 a.m. – Creative Flower Design, East Columbia 50+ Center Columbia Garden Club returns to guide your creativity in floral design. Cost: $5. Call 410-313-7680 for details. Thursday, June 28, 10 a.m. – Easy as Pie, Glenwood 50+ Center Join us for a cooking demonstration featuring three simple summer pie recipes. Make and take home mini pies. Call 410-313-5440 to pre-register (required). Cost: $6.

Friday, June 29, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. – Atlantic City Bus Trip, Elkridge Senior Center Travel on a comfortable coach bus to Atlantic City. Walk the boardwalk, shop, get a bite to eat, enjoy the beach, or try your luck in the casino. Cost: $35/person, includes bus & FREE slot play. Call 410-313-5192 for details.

Thursday, July 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – SPRING Luncheon at Timbuktu Restaurant, 1726 Dorsey Rd., Hanover, Md. Celebrate summer with SPRING! Choose your entrée: Crab cake, Chicken Timbuktu or Pasta Primavera; price varies with selection. Seating is limited. Call Elaine Widom, 410-313-7283, or stop by the Bain Center or Ellicott City Senior Center by July 12 to register.

AN INTERACTIVE DAY DESIGNED TO INSPIRE YOU TO LIVE A MORE BALANCED, HEALTHY AND FULFILLED LIFE!

Don’t Miss this Year’s Exciting Changes! Now a weekend event by popular demand! NEW for 2012... Deanna Bogart in Concert!

Saturday, June 16, 2012 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

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TTE BITTING

Jewelry; Fashion; Home Decor; Health & Fitness; Arts & Crafts; Financial Services; Home Goods; Travel and MORE!

• Relevant & Engaging Seminars

Gary J. Arthur Community Center at Glenwood 2400 Route 97, Cooksville, MD 21723 PREMIER SPONSORS

PHOTO BY BE

The Benefits of Wine & Chocolate; Cool Tips for Hot Flashes; The Power of Caring for Yourself; Clearing Clutter to Create Calm; Myth Busters: Health Facts & Fiction and MORE!

• Important Health Screenings Blood Pressure; Dental; Hearing; Osteoporosis; Vein and MORE! Lunch available for purchase Bring a lawn chair for the Deanna Bogart concert

SIGNATURE SPONSORS ADVANCED RADIOLOGY • BATH FITTER • CAREFIRST BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD • CURVES OF GLENELG • ELIZABETH COONEY CARE NETWORK HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE • HOWARD COUNTY COMMISSION FOR WOMEN • LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE • PHYSIOTHERAPY ASSOCIATES

MEDIA SPONSORS HER MIND MAGAZINE • HOWARD MAGAZINE • WOMEN’S JOURNAL • THE BEACON

For more info: 410.313.5440 www.howardcountyaging.org/womenfest

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

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Money Law &

There’s a huge gulf between three- and five-year stock mutual fund return rates because of the market meltdown in 2008. How to evaluate the rates? See p. 21.

Reliable and readable investment advice By Elliot Raphaelson Readers ask me all the time for reliable sources of information on personal financial topics. So many books and periodicals are available that it would be impossible for anyone to read everything. It can take a lot of time just to figure out what is worth reading. I have spent more than 25 years in the personal finance field in various capacities — as a faculty member, a consultant, and a writer of books and articles. I read as many new books as I can, as well as all the major magazines and newspapers that cover personal financial planning. Below I cite the ones I have found the most reliable. Every individual and every family has different investment objectives, and not every subject is equally interesting to everyone. My list doesn’t include every worthwhile book or subject area, but I believe these selections are reliable — and readable. Comprehensive guidebook: Making the Most of Your Money Now, by Jane Bryant Quinn (Simon and Shuster, 2009). This book, a revision of Quinn’s 1991 best-seller

of a similar title, has more than 1,200 pages and covers every important personal financial planning topic. Quinn writes clearly and accurately on a broad range of topics, including how to get the most out of a bank while avoiding fees, the simplest ways of getting out of debt, and how to select a competent financial planner. Investment primer: A straightforward investment primer with a sense of humor is The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, revised ed., by Andrew Tobias (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011). He has good advice about how to outperform most stock market investors and how to prepare for a comfortable retirement. I also recommend his daily blog, “Money and Other Subjects” (andrewtobias.com/column), in which he suggests some speculative short-term investments. Tobias clearly states that these recommendations are speculative and should be bought only with money you can afford to lose. If you are a conservative politically, you may not like his blog.

Retirement planning: If you have significant retirement savings, you should read the books written by Ed Slott. A good one is Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map (Ballantine Books, 2007). His books are readable and informative. His advice can save you thousands of dollars in taxes. He points out common mistakes investors make regarding naming beneficiaries. He also makes a persuasive case that many attorneys are not sufficiently knowledgeable about retirement account issues. I can’t recommend his books highly enough. Index fund investing: Most investors don’t have the time or the expertise to make individual selection of common stocks and bonds. I am a strong believer that most investors will be better off with a portfolio that consists primarily of no-load index funds of common stocks and bonds. If you want to learn how to follow this strategy, and how to do periodic rebalancing, I recommend A Random Walk Down Wall Street, 10th ed., by Burton Malkiel (Norton Press, 2012). Other excellent

guides are Winning the Losers Game, 5th ed., by Charles Ellis (McGraw Hill, 2009), and The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You’ll Ever Need by Larry Swedroe (St. Martin’s, 2004). Diversified investment: David Swenson managed Yale University’s endowment very successfully for many years. His books discussing diversified portfolios are excellent, and I recommend Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment (Free Press, 2005). Swenson provides sample portfolios to suit different investors’ objectives and stages of life. Buying individual stocks: I recognize that many investors prefer to select their own individual investments rather than use mutual funds. For common stock investors, I recommend Stocks for the Long Run, 4th ed., by Jeremy Siegel (McGraw Hill, 2007). For investors who want to concentrate on common stocks that pay significant dividends, I recommend The Strategic Dividend See GOOD INVESTING, page 19

Don’t overdo Treasury bonds in portfolio By Mark Jewell Take a close look at your bond portfolio, and you might be in for an unwelcome surprise. The Federal Reserve’s attempt to revive the economy by buying up government debt has left many mutual fund investors with huge stakes in Uncle Sam’s IOUs. Owning more Treasurys is sticking investors with disappointing recent returns, and in some instances losses. To be sure, Treasurys are super-safe investments that can help minimize losses when stocks decline. So they have a place in any well-diversified portfolio. Yet yields remain so low that investors with substantial Treasury stakes could suffer modest losses when interest rates eventually creep up from their current super-low levels.

Higher interest rates pose risk With the economic recovery regaining momentum, that risk is growing. When interest rates rise, bond prices decline because investors can get newly issued bonds paying higher interest.

A recent uptick in rates is one reason why the worst-performing mutual fund categories this year are those specializing in government debt. Funds primarily investing in short- and intermediate-term government bonds are earning a paltry 0.2 percent on average this year, while those specializing in long-term government debt have lost 5.5 percent, according to Morningstar. It’s also been a rough year for broadly diversified index funds that passively track the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. Most are barely breaking even, returning about 0.3 percent. The Barclays index, the most widely used bond benchmark, has undergone a makeover in recent years, with Treasurys making up an increasing share of the index. At the end of 2007, just before the financial crisis, Treasurys made up about 22 percent. That’s the Treasury weighting that index funds tracking the Barclays Aggregate sought to maintain. Fast-forward to the end of 2011, and the index’s Treasury component jumped to

more than 35 percent. Consequently, higher-yielding corporate bonds make up a comparatively smaller piece of the index. The main reason? “It’s the Treasury market that has been the most manipulated by the Fed,” said Warren Pierson, comanager of the Baird Core Plus Bond Fund (BCOSX). The Federal Reserve has spent trillions of dollars buying government bonds since the financial crisis, hoping to stimulate the economy and encourage investors to venture into higher-risk investments. The purchases, and the government’s increased issuance of Treasurys to keep up with its growing debt, have kept Treasury yields artificially low. They’re so low that it’s hard to get a decent return unless you accept more risk and invest in stocks or riskier categories of bonds. Plenty of investors have done that, and stocks have recovered most of their losses since the market peaked in late 2007. Yet Treasurys continue to hold appeal for many nervous investors seeking refuge from stock volatility. That high demand has also kept yields low.

Index or managed funds? Modest exposure to Treasurys is appropriate, but Pierson said an index approach isn’t wise now. It risks leaving bond investors overexposed to investments that he believes are likely to underperform, and possibly suffer losses. Of course, index funds offer cost advantages over managed funds like the one that Pierson helps run. For example, Vanguard Total Bond Market Index charges an expense ratio of 0.22 percent, compared with 0.55 percent at Baird Core Plus Bond. Those are the ongoing charges for operations, expressed as a percentage of assets. The Baird fund recently held about 16 percent of its portfolio in Treasurys — about half the Treasury weighting in the Barclays Aggregate index. That’s not unusual. Actively managed bond funds held an average 14.5 percent weighting in Treasurys at latest count, according to Morningstar. Many managers, like Pierson, are discouraged by the meager Treasury yields. See TREASURY BONDS, page 19

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Good investing From page 18 Investor, by Daniel Peris (McGraw Hill, 2011) and The Ultimate Dividend Playbook by Josh Peters (Wiley, 2008). Periodicals: I always read Barron’s weekly. I especially like the issues when investment experts from various disciplines are interviewed together, and make specific recommendations of individual common stocks, bonds and mutual funds. I also read the Wall Street Journal daily, and especially

like the Saturday issue for its additional section on personal finance topics. Many individuals prefer using financial planners or depend on their stockbrokers. Not everyone wants to be his own financial planner. However, I believe that if you read reliable publications, you will become a better investor and will be able to have comprehensive, worthwhile discussions with your financial advisors and attorneys. © 2012 Elliot Raphaelson. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

From page 18 Losses can occur when a fund generates less interest income than going market rates. A fund’s returns will vary because the fund manager must continually reinvest as bonds mature. A recent modest rise in Treasury yields means previously issued bonds paying lower interest are worth less than they once were. A fund with too much invested in those older bonds can end up with losses. While the Fed continues to keep shortterm interest rates near zero, pressure to raise them is mounting. Recent economic strength has pushed Treasury yields up slightly higher. For example, newly issued Treasurys maturing in 10 years are yielding around 2.2 percent, up from 1.8 percent a couple months ago. Of course, Treasurys aren’t the only

types of bonds that could deliver disappointing returns, or losses, when the Fed eventually raises rates, or if inflation begins to spike. Plenty of other lower-risk, lower-yield bond categories share that vulnerability. But the Treasury components of many investors’ bond portfolios deserve special scrutiny now, and may be in need of some careful trimming. Treasury yields remain historically low, and the Treasury component in the overall bond market has spiked. The bottom line: Take a look at the latest holdings data for your bond funds, and check how much is invested in Treasurys. If it’s substantial, be aware you could be facing losses if the economy continues its recovery. They won’t be as painful as the hit you could see from a sharp decline in the stock market. But any loss from a supposedly safe investment like Treasurys is a disappointment. — AP

May 30

LONG-TERM CARE COSTS

Representatives from the Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program of the Howard County Office on Aging will discuss facets of long-term care insurance, including the question of whether or not to buy the insurance. The free workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 30 at 11 a.m. at the Kiwanis Wallas Recreation Center, 3300 Norbert’s Way, Columbia. For further information or to register, call (410) 313-7391.

LIBRARIES LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer opportunities are available at libraries throughout the Howard County system in a variety of areas. To check out the possibilities, visit www.hclibrary.org or call the Volunteer Coordinator at (410) 313-7750.

Ongoing

B&O RAILROAD MUSEUM SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

The Ellicott City Station of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum is seeking volunteers of all interests, abilities and skill levels. Positions are available for greeters, docents and interpreters. The station is a living history site, and volunteers are invited to dress in period clothing. The station is located at 2711 Maryland Ave. in Ellicott City. For more information, call (410) 461-1945 or visit www.ecborail.org.

HONORING LOVED ONES

Deborah Rollison, Ph.D. from Loyola University will lead a program of reflection to honor significant people in our lives who are no longer with us, including a time of quiet reflection with music by Kathy Lilley, individual sharing time, and a group commemorative activity. The program is on Friday, June 1 at 10:30 a.m. at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keaton Way, Columbia. For further information on “A Moment to Honor” or to RSVP, call Elaine Widom at (410) 313-7283 or email ewidom@howardcountymd.gov.

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LEADERSHIP AWARDS NOMINATIONS

The Howard County Commission on Disability Issues is seeking nominations for its 2012 Leadership Awards program that recognizes outstanding efforts in advancing full participation in community life for all residents, and promoting both the spirit and intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The deadline is Tuesday, July 31. For further information, call (410) 313-6400.

June 1

BEACON BITS

HOME REPAIR SCAM ALERT

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Police Department are notifying residents of recent reports of scams involving door-to-door sales for driveway repaving and other home improvements. Before signing a contract, homeowners can check the contractor’s license online at www.dllr.maryland.gov/license/ or call the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation at (410) 230-6309. For questions about licenses of door-to-door solicitors, homeowners can call the Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs at (410) 313-6420 or email consumer@howardcountymd.gov.

July 31

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

The stock dividend boom is here to stay By Mark Jewell The news keeps getting better for dividend investors. But can it last? The latest sign of a dividend renaissance is Apple’s decision to begin sharing some of its profits with shareholders for the first time in nearly two decades. The world’s most valuable company will start paying a dividend later this year, rather than continue to stockpile cash from iPhone and iPad sales. That announcement came a week after major banks moved to restore their dividends, after cutting them during the financial crisis to conserve cash. At least nine top banks plan to raise their payouts or are considering doing so after the government conducted stress tests to ensure the banks can survive another crisis. It adds up to better times ahead for dividend investors. Payouts by companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index are expected to climb 15 percent from last year to $277 billion, according to S&P Indices. That amount would top the previous record of $248 billion, set in 2008. Threequarters of the S&P 500’s dividend-paying companies are making higher payouts than they did last year. Interest is so intense that hedge funds and many other Wall Street pros who normally avoid dividend stocks have been

rushing into them lately, and Apple’s actions can only add to the frenzy, said analyst Howard Silverblatt of S&P Indices.

Dividends delivered best returns In fact, dividend stocks have been among the market’s strongest performers the past 12 months, a fact that hasn’t been lost on investors. Over that period, they have deposited a net $25 billion into mutual funds specializing in dividend stocks — usually labeled “equity income” funds — according to industry consultant Strategic Insight. That number wouldn’t normally be impressive, except that the cash came in as investors pulled out of nearly all other types of stock funds. A net total of $136 billion was withdrawn from all other stock fund categories, reflecting investors’ continuing fear of market volatility. It’s fueling talk that a dividend stock bubble might be developing. In one scenario, the economy hits another rough patch, companies conserve cash again by cutting dividends, and dividend stock share prices tumble.

Reasons to invest in dividends It’s dangerous to invest in a hot segment of the market, expecting the rally will continue — just ask anyone who lost big in the dot-com era. But here are five reasons that

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dividend stocks are still sound investments. 1. Dividends are a long-term approach, not a trading strategy: The income that dividend stocks generate accounts for more than 40 percent of the total return of the S&P 500 since 1926, according to a study by Ibbotson Associates. The rest of the market’s return came from rising stock prices. Companies can cut or eliminate dividends, as many did in 2009. But payouts usually are restored to their old levels in time. Dividends among S&P 500 companies are back to record levels now, thanks to the moves by banks and Apple. 2. Dividend-paying stocks are less volatile: Dividend-payers tend to rise more slowly during market rallies, but suffer smaller losses when stocks decline. So if a market downturn is around the corner, dividends will offer some protection. That’s why they’re so appealing to retirees, and any investor wanting to limit risk. “In the stock market, dividends are sort of the kids’ end of the swimming pool. They’re not too volatile for the average investor,” said David Kelly, chief markets strategist at JPMorgan Funds. 3. Boomers will remain yield-hungry: Expect demographic trends to continue fueling demand for income-generating investments. Baby boomers are beginning to retire in large numbers. That trend is still young, and those retirees will need regular cash flow. Many will rely on dividends, creating demand that could help drive dividend stock prices higher. 4. Corporate cash is at record levels: Profits have risen so sharply the past couple years that the cash held by S&P

500 companies totaled a record $1 trillion in the fourth quarter. With such a big stash, the ratio of dividends being paid relative to cash on balance sheets remains historically low, Silverblatt said. That puts companies in a good position to increase dividends, or follow Apple’s example and initiate payouts. Last year, a record 22 companies initiated dividends, and Apple became the fourth to do so this year. 5. Dividends can survive possible tax hit: Since 2003, tax rates that investors pay on dividend income have topped out at a historically low 15 percent. President Obama’s latest budget proposal would raise the rates on top earners to as high as 39.6 percent. That means the wealthiest could lose a quarter on every dollar of dividend income, compared with their tax hit under current rates. Yet it’s hard to say whether Obama’s proposal can clear Congress in an election year. Current rates are due to expire at year-end, unless Congress extends them. Higher rates would make dividends less appealing to many investors, but wouldn’t necessarily cause dividend stock prices to decline. A study this year by Nuveen Investments and Santa Barbara Asset Management found no link between past changes in dividend tax rates and dividend stock prices. It all points to a dividend comeback that still has momentum. Said S&P’s Silverblatt: “In the late 1990s, when tech stocks were the hottest thing, nobody wanted to touch dividend stocks. Now, people can’t get enough of them, and it’s not likely to let up soon.” — AP

BEACON BITS

June 15

FREE VASCULAR SCREENING

The Maryland Vascular Center at Baltimore Washington Medical Center is offering free screening for carotid artery-related diseases for persons age 50 or older who have risk factors of hypertension, diabetes, family history or vascular disease, high cholesterol, or smoking. The screening will be held on Friday, June 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ellicott City Senior Center, 9401 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. Reservations are required; call the Medical Center at (410) 787-4367.

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

Recent mutual fund returns can mislead By Mark Jewell Investing is all about numbers. Portfolio returns are critical, details about how they were achieved secondary. But numbers sometimes confuse more than they inform. Understanding that reality is essential to make sense of current 3- and 5-year returns for stock mutual funds. Current gaps between those common performance benchmarks are so huge that they don’t seem credible. For example, most index funds tracking the Standard & Poor’s 500 have delivered 3-year annualized returns around 28 percent a year — phenomenal, if those numbers could be sustained. Yet over five years, returns averaged less than 2 percent, roughly keeping pace with inflation. The index fund results are on par with the 26 percentage-point difference between 3- and 5-year returns for diversified stock funds, the type that make up the bulk of most investor portfolios.

stocks, delivering double the average monthly gains — or losses — of the Russell 2000. And there’s no shortage of mainstream, large funds whose volatile returns have resulted in 3- vs. 5-year gaps far wider than the 26 percentage point average. For example, Legg Mason Capital Management Opportunity (LMOPX) has a 48-point gap, while Vanguard Capital Value (VCVLX) has a 42-point spread. The bottom line for investors is that it’s crucial to put current 3- and 5-year returns in context. They’re a quirk of the calendar, and an illustration of the market’s bust-toboom cycle the past few years. The huge gaps are mostly noise for long-term investors who stay on track with a well-designed plan. But over a volatile stretch like the past five years, the damage can be long-lasting for investors who got scared and sold investments as the market was hitting bottom, missing the recovery.

How to choose a fund 5-year returns include meltdown The reason the numbers are so disparate? Funds are now wiping their 3-year records clean of the stock meltdown that ended March 9, 2009. Five-year records look comparatively awful because they include the market’s 57 percent plunge from October 2007 to March 2009. The gaps are even larger at many funds using high-risk strategies unsuitable for most investors. Among more than 5,000 diversified stock funds, the biggest gap is 92 percentage points, belonging to Direxion Monthly Small Cap Bull 2x (DXRLX). Its annualized 3-year return is a dazzling 75 percent per year, while it has lost an average 17 percent over five years. The fund tracks an index of volatile small-company

Here are a few tips for keeping current 3- and 5-year fund returns in proper context: • Seek steady returns: Funds with unusually volatile returns frequently outperform peers over brief periods, and in some cases for several years. But such volatility can often bring out the worst in investors prone to making short-term moves based on emotion. Fear bred by market declines often causes investors to miss eventual recoveries, and greed during rallies can lead to buying into a market that’s near its peak. Consider a low-volatility approach. Tom Roseen, a Lipper Inc. fund analyst, puts it this way: “Find a fund with a good steady manager at the helm who can hit doubles

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and triples, even if they don’t hit many home runs.” Several funds that aim to deliver smooth returns currently have small 3- vs. 5-year gaps, with strong overall returns. One example: Forester Value (FVALX), with a 3year average return of nearly 17 percent, and a 5-year average of 3 percent. Credit manager Tom Forester’s defensive style, emphasizing stable dividend-paying stocks. This fund also frequently maintains a large cash position in its portfolio, providing a cushion when stocks are declining. • Be mindful of the difference a year can make: Many funds with the best records of recent years stand out because they limited their losses in 2008, when stocks plunged 38 percent. Outperformance during market declines can be crucial, because losses have a bigger impact on long-term results than comparable gains. If stocks lose 50 percent in value, it’s important to remember that you’ll need a 100 percent gain — not 50 percent — to get back to where you started. It’s a reality that led to standout performance from Reynolds Blue Chip Growth (RBCGX). Sensing trouble in the housing market, manager Frederick “Fritz” Reynolds began selling stocks and holding on to cash as subprime mortgage troubles rippled into the stock market.

His fund lost just 5 percent in 2008, among the smallest losses that year for large-cap growth funds. As the market turned in March 2009, Reynolds was shifting back into stocks. Reynolds’ 5-year record, with an average annualized gain of 14 percent, is best among hundreds of funds in its category. Reynolds achieved that distinction with just 9 percentage points separating its 3- and 5-year returns. • Invest based on performance over long periods: Quirks like the current 3- vs. 5-year gaps crop up from time to time after the market has gone through a volatile stretch. Volatility is likely here to stay, so don’t overemphasize those 3- and 5-year numbers when assessing a fund’s record. Give more weight to a fund’s 10-year record, or even a longer period if data are available. • Diversify: For most investors, diversification — spreading holdings among several types of investments, across a broad swath of the stock and bond markets — pays off. It means an investor will rarely outperform the market by a significant margin. But diversification can limit losses in downturns, and usually results in stronger longterm returns. To stay truly diversified, rebalance holdings periodically to restore an appropriate balance of stocks to bonds. — AP

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

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Travel

Leisure &

Which credit cards help make your travel dollars go farther? See story on page 25.

Day trips back to early American history others less so, that are filled with fascinating tidbits from the past.

Waterford, Va.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOURISM COUNCIL OF FREDERICK COUNTY

Waterford, the hamlet that grew around Janney’s Mill, is now a bucolic settlement of about 300 residents. The entire town, and farmland surrounding it, is designated as a National Historic Landmark District, and visitors to this quaint site in nearby Loudoun County soon learn why. The community has changed so little in size and shape since its founding that were Amos Janney to miraculously return, he would feel right at home. Within several decades of its founding, Waterford had grown into a bustling commercial center, one whose future was greatly impacted by the Civil War. Because its largely Quaker population remained loyal to the Union, the town suffered harassment from Confederate troops as well as from Union forces, which sought to destroy anything that could be of value to their enemy. After the war, a westward extension of the railroad bypassed Waterford and carried business, and expansion, to other towns. In the long run, the stagnation that resulted turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because the community remained undisturbed for decades, it retained not only its architectural treasures but also its atmosphere and original character. Since 1943, the Waterford Foundation has spearheaded renovation of buildings and preservation of the area. While most houses in Waterford date back Frederick County, Md., was the site of both Revolutionary and Civil War military action. Each year, the area’s history is to the first quarter of celebrated at the Middletown Heritage Days Festival, featurthe 19th century, building historic encampments from the 18th century, live music ings in a variety of and great food. After the annual heritage parade, shown styles form an eclectic here, visitors can meet local artisans and crafters while hodge-podge of archilearning about this area, home to several Civil War battles. tecture. Modest stone This year’s festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22.

and log houses contrast with more elaborate Victorian and Queen Anne structures. A little one-room school house built with Quaker support was erected about the same time as a brick Gothic-Revival Baptist church. Wandering along the handful of streets that comprise the town, visitors encounter various traces of life as it used to be. Miniscule smokehouses and icehouses still stand in some back yards. A small stone structure that was built in the early to mid1700s now serves as the kitchen of a large 19th-century brick home. The names of several Harper’s Ferry, W. Va., about 65 miles from downtown buildings serve as re- Washington, is most famous for the story of abolitionist minders of their former John Brown, but was also home to a 19th century inventor use. These include the who helped pave the way for industrialization. Bank House, the Doctor’s House, with a small addition that boarding and horse hoof trimming. When a resident pointed me in the diserved as a medical office, and Williams rection of what she called “New Town,” I Storehouse, a diminutive structure once somewhat fearfully anticipated coming used by a Quaker merchant. The Waterford Market fills several roles. upon a discordant enclave of recently built Antiquated soft drink machines in front, contemporary houses. I was relieved to which dispense beverages for a somewhat learn that the term applies to a mini-neighantiquated 50 cents, set the stage. Inside, a borhood that was given the name when it few shelves are stocked with a sparse sup- was originally started, back in 1815. ply of canned goods and other basics. Linda Landreth, the jovial proprietor, The way to Waterford Waterford is about an hour and 15 often is on hand, either spinning wool provided by sheep she raises or knitting minute drive from Columbia. The post office and store, but not private socks, ear warmers and other items that homes, are open to the public throughout are for sale. The laidback lifestyle of the tiny town the year. However, a number of historic greets visitors in other ways as well. Dur- homes are open for touring during the aning my recent outing, only occasionally nual Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exwas the constant sound of birds chirping hibit, taking place this year Oct. 5-7. During the 3-day event, more than 150 artisans drowned out by a passing car. The sign identifying the little post office, demonstrate traditional craftsmanship, a which has been in operation since 1897, Revolutionary War militia establishes an lacks a zip code because it was installed encampment, and Civil War soldiers reenbefore they came into use. Among hand- act a battle. written notices on the bulletin board just outside it are ads for services like horse See DAY TRIPS, page 24 PHOTO COURTESY OF THE W. VA. DIVISION OF TOURISM

By Victor Block In 1733, a Quaker named Amos Janney moved from Pennsylvania to an isolated corner of northern Virginia, where he built grist and saw mills along the banks of a narrow creek. About a decade later, a group of German immigrants established a frontier community in Maryland that became a place of rest and provisioning for hardy pioneers driving wagon trains to the West. In 1761, English colonist Robert Harper launched a ferry service across the Potomac River, and a settlement gradually evolved at the site that still carries his name and that of his ferry. Today, each of the historic towns that trace their birth to those modest beginnings provides an inviting day trip destination from the Howard County area. The stories of Waterford, Va., Frederick, Md. and Harper’s Ferry, W.Va. relate chapters of American history, some well known and

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Day trips From page 23 For more information about Waterford, or to purchase tickets to the event ($15, with discounts for multi-day visits), log onto www.waterfordfoundation.org or call (540) 882-3018. While there are no restaurants in Waterford, a good place to have lunch during a day trip is Magnolias, located a short drive away in Purcellville. It occupies a mill building constructed in 1905, and old milling equipment overlooks the tables from above. The full menu ranges from beet salad

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

($7) and fried green tomatoes ($9) to comfort food like hickory grilled meatloaf ($12.75). For more information, see magnoliasmill.com or call (540) 338-9800.

Frederick, Md. Many Americans believe that the Boston Tea Party was the first act of rebellion against Great Britain that eventually led to the Revolution. Many Americans are wrong! Eight years before that well-known event in December 1773, citizens of Frederick, Md., bravely repudiated the Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on legal transac-

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tions and printed material in the colonies. Frederick County Court judges declared the hated law to be null and void, and angry residents reportedly hung the tax collector in effigy and buried a copy of the act in a mock funeral. That often-overlooked fact is one of many that come to life during a visit to Frederick. Originally laid out in 1745, the community was settled by German and Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants. Located along a natural migration route, it served as a major crossroad beginning in colonial times. To exert control during the American Revolution, the British stationed a Hessian regiment in town, and two stone barracks where they were garrisoned still stand as reminders of their presence. The Civil War also played a major role in Frederick’s story, as both Union and Confederate troops marched through. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Maryland Campaign, and a number of special events will commemorate General Robert E. Lee’s first advance into the North. Frederick was the largest northern city that he occupied during the fighting. As a number of Civil War battles raged in the area, the many churches in downtown Frederick became temporary hospitals. They served as the site of innovations in handling the wounded that were implemented for the first time. That tale is told at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Exhibits depict a number of advances in medical treatment that date from the war, including triage, evacuation and lifesaving improvements in battlefield care. Stories of real people put a human face on the medicine of the time. So do interactive exhibits, which extend beyond the main focus of the museum to introduce Civil War camp life, African-American life, and the role of women and children during the war. However, one of the best known and most beloved anecdotes relating to the Civil War in Frederick is most likely fictional. Many people are familiar with the poem by John Greenleaf Whittier that lauds the bravery of Barbara Fritchie, a frail 95-year-old Unionist, as Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson marched his troops through the town in 1862. Most historians doubt that, as Whittier wrote, Fritchie waved the Stars and Stripes from an upstairs window and uttered the memorable challenge to “Shoot if you must this old gray head, but spare your country’s flag.” Nevertheless, a replica of the house where this incident did, or did not, occur continues to be a favorite site among visitors. Whittier’s poem also describes how the “clustered spires of Frederick stand greenwalled in the hills of Maryland,” and those words remain true to this day. The skyline of church steeples and towers that watches over the town continues to attest to the religious diversity for which it became known. Given this rich past, it’s not surprising that Frederick became only the 13th city in the country to establish a local historic dis-

trict. Many of the 2,500-plus historic properties in this area have been meticulously restored, and visitors encounter a streetscape that remains relatively little changed from its early days. Frederick is about a 45-minute drive from Columbia. For more information, visit www.fredericktourism.org or call 1-800-999-3613. A favorite restaurant among locals, especially for seafood and overstuffed sandwiches, is Griff’s Landing at 43 S. Market Street. A “fresh catch” sandwich costs $10.99, and a jalapeno lime shrimp taco goes for $8.99. For information, see griffslanding.com or call (301) 694-8696.

Harper’s Ferry, W.Va. While most closely associated with the quixotic story of the abolitionist John Brown, Harper’s Ferry played a starring role in other chapters of the nation’s history and development. The town was the site of a number of Civil War skirmishes, it is a treasure-trove of stories relating to African-American history, and it is associated with little-known but important advances in American manufacturing. Harper’s Ferry National Park, which includes part of the town itself, extends into West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland at the point where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet. At the park visitor center, and museums and exhibits throughout town, information about several themes that run through the area’s history are introduced. Each is interesting enough alone to warrant a visit. Together they present a multilayered introduction to aspects of not only the town’s, but also the nation’s, past. Of course, it is the story of John Brown that most people know. In October 1859, he led a band of 21 men in a raid on the Harper’s Ferry arsenal, hoping to use captured weapons to launch a slave uprising throughout the South. Most of the raiders were killed or wounded, and Brown was convicted of treason and hung. While his short-lived plan failed, it was one of a number of incidents that focused the nation’s attention on the issue of slavery and became catalysts for the Civil War. Brown’s raid and the Civil War are part of the story of African-Americans in Harper’s Ferry, which began before the Revolution. At one time, the town had 150 slaves and an equal number of free blacks, and during the Civil War it provided refuge to runaway slaves from the South. Because of its key location along an important rail line, Harper’s Ferry switched between control by Union and Confederate troops eight times. The Battle of Harper’s Ferry in September 1862 pitted Robert E. Lee against Stonewall Jackson in a tactical game of troop movements, attacks and counter-attacks. Many historians consider the result to have been Jackson’s most brilliant victory. As a sucker for little-known historical See DAY TRIPS, page 25

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

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Credit cards that stretch your travel dollar Deciding between a cash-back card and a travel rewards card? Cash-back cards, such as Chase’s Freedom card, may let you redeem your points periodically for cash, travel, gas or merchandise, or post a credit to your account. Or you could select, for example, the Fidelity Investment Rewards American Express card, which automatically deposits the cash in your brokerage account. Travel rewards cards, such as the Simmons First Visa Platinum Rewards card and the PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express card, generally require at least 22,000 points for a round-trip ticket to fly anywhere within the contiguous 48 states. A cash-rebate card is probably a better option if the travel card has an annual fee and you don’t spend enough to accumu-

late the points you need for a flight within a year or two. And if you tend to carry a balance on your card, note that the extra cost of paying interest would probably offset any rewards you’d earn on your purchases. Rewards points and cash back aren’t the only goodies that come with credit cards. Your card may also offer valuable perks that you may not know about. • Warranties. Gold and platinum MasterCards, Visa Signature cards, and American Express cards all extend the manufacturer’s warranty by up to one year when you purchase an item with your card — even for products you buy overseas. • Purchase protection. If, for example, your iPad is stolen from your hotel room, MasterCard and American Express

will reimburse you if you paid for the room with a gold or platinum card. Drop that new iPad, and Visa Signature cardholders can have it repaired or replaced at a cost of up to $500 within 90 days from the date of purchase. Citibank and American Express offer protection up to $1,000. • Luggage protection. Was your luggage lost or damaged by the airline on your last flight? If you paid for your ticket with a Visa Signature card, you can be reimbursed for up to $3,000. • Rental-car coverage. Most Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards cover damage to a rental car (if you use the card to reserve and pay for the vehicle) that your primary auto insurance doesn’t. That means you probably don’t need the rental company’s collision

damage waiver (CDW) insurance. • Concierge services. They’re available 24 hours a day for Visa Signature, World and World Elite MasterCard customers, as well as American Express platinum cardholders, to help you get tickets to sold-out events, book travel, make dinner reservations and find unusual gifts. • Travel assistance. If you become ill while traveling or your passport is lost or stolen, Visa, MasterCard and American Express will provide referrals to medical care, legal aid, and help replace your passport (you pay the costs of the services you receive). Send your questions and comments to moneypower@kiplinger.com. And for more on this and similar money topics, visit www.Kiplinger.com. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Day trips

Harper’s Ferry also delivers light touches for the entertainment of visitors. For example, a plaque identifying a mid-19th century tavern near the Armory notes that workmen would “raise a glass or two — or three” during breaks. Their supervisors complained that the practice “ruined morals, work ethic, and even threatens Armory production.” A very different aspect of life awaits at Cool Confectionaries, where shopkeeper Susan Benjamin turns out recipes for candy as close as possible to those made

some 150 years ago. She also enjoys sharing factoids such as that the first known candy was a honey treat from Mesopotamia, and tells visitors which confections on her shelves were once included in military rations. A stop at her shop provides a sweet ending to an interesting day. Harper’s Ferry is about an hour drive from Columbia. For information, see

www.nps.gov/hafe or call (304) 535-6298. The Coach House Grill at 160 High St. is one of the better full-service restaurants that serves lunch. Along with the usual hamburgers ($9.99-$11.99) and salads, choices extend to baked brie with honey and almonds ($8.99) and a tasty crab cake sandwich ($13.99). For more information, call (304) 535-1257.

From page 24 facts, I found the story of a man named John Hall equally intriguing. He was an inventor who devised the concept of making rifles with interchangeable parts, and using machinery to replace workers with hand tools. The novel methods he implemented in an old saw mill at Harper’s Ferry set the stage for transforming the United States from an economy of workshop craftsmen to one of industrialized mass production.

BEACON BITS

June 20

TRIP TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Enjoy the George Bellows exhibit and others at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. on a Department of Recreation & Parks bus trip leaving at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20 and returning at 4 p.m. Tickets are $45. For more information or to register, call (410) 313-7279 or (410) 313-7275.

June 27

A VISIT TO THE HILLWOOD ESTATE

A bus tour to the Marjorie Merriweather Post mansion in Washington, D.C., built in 1926 and housing her extensive Faberge egg collection, will leave on Wednesday, June 27 at 9 a.m. and return at 4:30 p.m. Lunch is included. Tickets are $71. For more information or to register, call (410) 313-7279 or (410) 313-7275.

We promote communication, cooperation and education among nonproﬁts, agencies, businesses and professionals serving older adults in Howard County.

Learn more by calling (410) 997-0610 or visit us at www.cogsmd.org.

Join us at our

annual meeting & Breakfast* date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 time: 8:00-10:00 a.m. Location: Heartlands Senior Living Village 3004 North Ridge Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043

Are you an Active Senior of Moderate Income? Discover Great Senior Living at our Affordable Community Conveniently located near the Union Bridge Community Center. 24-hour emergency on-call maintenance. Affordable rent. Caring & dedicated staff

Speaker: Dayna Brown, Administrator, Howard County Oﬃce on Aging topic: “The ABCs of Getting to What’s Possible: A Vision for Aging in Howard County” *Reservations required and can be made online at www.cogsmd.org. Tickets = $35 each.

Thank You to Our 2012 Sponsors PLatinum SPonSorS Howard County General Hospital – Johns Hopkins Medicine • The Beacon

GoLd SPonSorS Being There Senior Care • Howard County Oﬃce on Aging • Visiting Angels

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Bayada Home Health Care • Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr LLP • Deborah L. Herman, CPA Ellicott City Pharmacy • Gary L. Kaufman Funeral Home at Meadowridge Memorial Park

Bronze SPonSorS Earl Wilkinson, M.D., ENT • EverCare Hospice & Palliative Care • Homewatch Caregivers Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc. • Transitions Healthcare Patron memBerS Alzheimer’s Association – Greater MD Chapter • Brooke Grove Retirement Village • Elizabeth Cooney Care Network Gentiva Health Services • Home With You, LLC Ivy Manor Normandy • Meals on Wheels • Morningside House of Ellicott City Premier Planning Group • Right At Home Russell Craig Witzke – Funerals & Cremations, P.A. Whaley Financial Services • Winter Growth • Wood Builders Collaborative

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

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Style Arts &

Outdoor sculptures are popping up across Howard County.

Outdoor sculptures make art accessible Now displayed in the “public realm” are works by such modern masters as Claes Oldenburg, whose giant, “soft” sculptures front public buildings around the country. Local artists in other areas also have been commissioned to enhance their community’s sense of culture and place.

Hopping by the library Husband-and-wife sculpturing team Friedheim and Kyner are the creators of the six-foot-tall, eight-foot-long, powdercoated steel “Pink Rabbit” mounted in front of the Elkridge branch of the Howard County Library on Washington Boulevard. The airy-looking hare, which seems to have been caught at full gallop, could mean many things to many people, according to Friedheim. “It’s Easter, it’s Harvey the giant rabbit of the James Stewart movie, it’s the Velveteen Rabbit — bring your own association,” said the sculptor, who teaches at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. Friedheim noted that the mounted rabbit, not yet painted pink, debuted some years ago at the Kennedy Center, as one of a series of giant pull toys on wheels that he and his wife created for the Galumpha acrobatic dance troupe. He and his wife have also sculpted a giant bat and a very large frog. Friedheim said his influences range from ancient Mayan sculpture to Tex Avery cartoons (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, etc.), and from classical art to pop culture.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HOWARD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL

By Robert Friedman There’s a gigantic pink rabbit in front of the Elkridge Library, and a red daddy longlegs on steroids on the grounds of the George Howard Building in Ellicott City. No, Howard County isn’t being invaded by B-movie creatures. Rather, these and 10 other sculptures now appearing in front of libraries, hospitals, government buildings and at other county sites have been placed by the Howard County Arts Council “to generate interest in public art and make art more accessible to the community.” The year-long exhibit features a variety of styles, ranging from pop art-like to abstract to kinetic. The sculptors use such materials in their works as steel, copper, fiberglass, marble and reflective tape. Among the sites where the works are displayed: the Howard County Government building in Ellicott City, the Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, community centers in Laurel and Cooksville, and public libraries in Columbia, Elkridge and Cooksville. The 12 works were chosen by a county panel from 73 pieces offered by artists around the country. Four of the chosen works were created by local artists Sam Noto of Silver Spring, Ed Kidera of Woodbine, Paul Daniel of Baltimore, and Trisha Kyner and David Friedheim of Gwynn Oak. The county-wide outdoor exhibit is in keeping with a recent trend of mounting works by serious artists in public spaces.

A gigantic pink rabbit is one of a dozen sculptures placed outside public and private buildings throughout Howard County to interest residents in contemporary art. Artists Trisha Kyner and David Friedheim of Gwynn Oak created the rabbit, which perches next to the Elkridge branch of the Howard County Library.

A moving sculpture “Rotors,” an installation of six steel and aluminum, eight-feet-tall, blue-colored columns that twirl in the wind has been mounted at the North Laurel Community Center on Whiskey Bottom Road. It is the work of kinetic sculptor Paul Daniel, a Baltimore native, who has numerous public artworks in that city. His

outdoor movable pieces can be found at, among other locations, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and Tourism on Saint Paul Street, and at the Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. While he works primarily in metal, he has covered the Laurel rotors with See PUBLIC SCULPTURES, page 28

JUST ANNOUNCED! Chamber Music at its Finest...

Candlelight Concerts® Season Finale Sunday, June 17, 2012 3:00 PM Monteabaro Recital Hall, Howard Community College Columbia, MD

CALIDORE QUARTET 2012 Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition Gold Medal Winner Haydn: String Quartet in G Major, Op. 76, No. 1 Hindemith: String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 Mendelssohn: String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13

$15 Advance; $20 At the Door

410.997.2324 www.candlelightconcerts.org Funded in part, by grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Howard County Arts Council through a grant from Howard County, The Columbia Foundation, and The Rouse Company Foundation.

Orchestral Fireworks Saturday, June 2, 2012 • 7:30 .. • Jim Rouse Theatre Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3 • Zhou Tian: A Thousand Years of Good Prayers Marquez: Conga del Fuego Nuevo • Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol plus the 2012 Young Artist Competition Winners!

(410) 465-8777

www.columbiaorchestra.org

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

Singer Melanie finds brand new audience the rest of my life,’ she recalled about the song’s first incarnation during an interview with the Beacon. Despite the fact that she has recorded 11 CDs in the last decade alone, Melanie, now 65, admits that a lot of people don’t remember her or have never heard of her music. That’s why she called her newest CD “Ever Since You Never Heard of Me.” “I have pockets of absolute fame and pockets of ‘Melanie who?’ And then you have to sing a few lines of something and then it’s, ‘Ah yes, that was her? Is she still alive?’” she quipped.

Remembering Woodstock Many of Melanie’s songs are the antithesis of her “Brand New Key.” She wrote the powerful Woodstock anthem “Lay Down” (also known as “Candles in the Rain”) after performing there in 1969 when the throngs held candles following a downpour during her performance.

BEACON BITS WILLOWBROOK ART SHOW OPENING

June 1

A reception for the opening of an exhibit of works by the artists of the Willowbrook Studio will be held on Friday, June 1 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Oliver’s Carriage House, 5410 Leaf Treader Way, Columbia. The show continues on Saturday, June 2 from noon to 3 p.m. For more information, call (410) 446-7584.

ORCHESTRAL FIREWORKS

June 2

For its season finale the Columbia Orchestra will present “orchestral fireworks” with Beethoven and Rimsky-Korsakov classics along with selections of new works by Zhou Tian and Arturo Marquez. Winners of the Young Artist Competition will also be featured. The performance will be held on Saturday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m., with a pre-lecture at 6:30 p.m. by Bill Scanlan Murphy, at the Jim Rouse Theatre, 5460 Trumpeter Rd., Columbia. Tickets are $20; $16 for those 60 and over. For more information, visit www.columbiaorchestra.org or call (410) 465-8777.

AN INTERACTIVE DAY DESIGNED TO INSPIRE YOU TO LIVE A MORE BALANCED, HEALTHY AND FULFILLED LIFE!

Don’t Miss this Year’s Exciting Changes! Now a weekend event by popular demand!

Saturday, June 16, 2012 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Gary J. Arthur Community Center at Glenwood 2400 Route 97, Cooksville, MD 21723 NEW for 2012... Deanna Bogart in Concert! Plus, a great offering of... • Dynamic Vendors • Engaging Seminars • Important Screenings

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HOWARD MAGAZINE

Call 410.313.5440

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WOMEN’S JOURNAL

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THE BEACON

Visit us at www.howardcountyaging.org/womenfest

The New Jersey native with an earthy and raw, if high-pitched, voice knew some of the promoters planning Woodstock and asked if she could be on the program. No one knew just how massive the iconic rock festival would become. “Early on, I pictured families with blankets having a picnic, and arts and crafts, and maybe some shopping for beads and incense,” she recalled. With just one hit, “Beautiful People,” on the radio at the time, Melanie had a cult following, but wasn’t well known. Just 22, her mother drove her to Woodstock. She recalled starting to panic Hits like “Brand New Key” and “Look What They’ve Done about performing in front to My Song, Ma,” propelled Melanie to fame in the early of the huge crowds when 1970s. She has recorded dozens of albums since then. their car got stuck in the ‘People.’ miles of backed-up traffic. “‘No that can’t be people,’ I thought. “I get there and there’s Sly Stone walking across the hotel lobby and Janis Joplin ‘There’s too much of that. It must be some slugging her Southern Comfort answering weird crop.’ But it was people. It was the questions from people in a circle around tops of their heads as far as you could see,” her, and I knew it was big stuff,” she said. she recalled of her first view of the half-mil“Media trucks were everywhere. These lion concert goers. Over the next year, Melanie starred at were big star people, and I was completely major outdoor festivals around the world, inunknown and very young.” It wasn’t until she was ushered onto a cluding England’s massive Isle of Wight feshelicopter taking her to the back stage area tival, where she was introduced by the for Woodstock performers that she really Who’s drummer Keith Moon. From there, she soared to the top of the understood how many people were there. “I looked out the window at the field and See MELANIE, page 29 said to the pilot, ‘What is that?’ and he said PHOTO COURTESY OF MELANIE

By Barbara Ruben The commercial begins with a wide-eyed baby whizzing down the highway in a baby walker, accompanied by the stratospherically high refrain of the song “Brand New Key.” (“Oh, I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates, you’ve got a brand new key.”) Kooky and catchy, the ad for Hewlett Packard printers went viral on YouTube and catapulted the 1971 hit song and its singer Melanie back into the spotlight 40 years later. Melanie, who sang at Woodstock and has penned such other hits as “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma,” said that while a new audience has discovered her music because of the HP commercial, she doesn’t want to be defined only by the breezy, whimsical song about roller skates and young love. “When my husband first heard [me sing it], he said, ‘We’ll speed it up a little bit, and this will be a hit.’ But I said ‘Oh my God, if this is a hit, I’ll be doomed to be cute for

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Deanna Bogart

WomenFest Schedule

From page 1

The woman on the bus Bogart and her husband had a daughter, and they separated when the child was five. Bogart’s now divorced, and she calls her 18-year-old daughter “the single best part of my life.” Because of her career, Bogart has lived what she calls a hyphenated life as road musician and full-time-mom. Her former husband, also still a Howard County resident, has taken care of their daughter when Bogart has been on the road. When the girl grew older, she accompanied Bogart on many of her trips. Bogart has racked up many miles on the road during her musical career. It can be lonely for any musician, but particularly for a woman. “I’m the only woman on the bus about 98 percent of the time,” she said. Despite the difficulties, the power music holds over her keeps her going. “You keep playing for those moments when you transcend where you are. You get in the zone where you forget everyone else is there; it’s where the present and the past, joy and pain meet. You’re completely free,” Bogart said. Then there are times she revels in being the only, or the first, woman in her position. When she became the first woman to win the Blues Foundation award for her saxophone playing in the instrumental category, she told the audience at the awards ceremony, “As an adult, winning this is wonderful. But I can’t tell you guys,” she said, tapping her chest, “how cool it is for the 11-year-old girl in here.” She wasn’t alone in feeling the pride. When Bogart was crowned queen of the blues horn, other struggling female musicians were “overjoyed,” she said. Until recently, women instrumentalists

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

In addition to the Deanna Bogart outdoor concert (which will be moved inside in case of rain) at 2 p.m., the following seminars and screenings will be held during the day on June 16 at the Gary J. Arthur Community Center at Glenwood, 2400 Route 97, Cooksville: 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. — “Spice it Up! Cooking with Herbs,” Eleonora Gafton, herbal medicine clinical intern, Tai Sophia; “All the Best for Your Breasts,” Dr. Lisa K. Jacobs, Johns Hopkins breast surgeon and medical director of the Breast Center at Howard County General Hospital; “Why Yoga? Try Yoga!” Mary Garratt, yoga instructor; “Get the Look for Less,” Mary Gontkovic, make-up specialist

in jazz and the blues felt looked down upon by the boys in the bands. There were some exceptions, for example, the great jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams, who has an annual women’s jazz festival at the Kennedy Center named for her. But in general, female instrumentalists have seldom been recorded through the years, Bogart said. Still, many women have made terrific music, which now is finally being acknowledged because, she said, “Art will always find a way.”

Déjà vu at the check-out Her past and present often mesh in the songs she writes, as what she observes taps into her life story — and the stories of people she meets. One day Bogart was in a shopping mall near her home, and a young cashier struck

10:30 to 11:20 a.m. — “The Benefits of Wine & Chocolate,” Barbara Grose, master herbalist; “Cool Tips for Hot Flashes,” Dr. William M. Mayer, gynecologist, “Patapsco Myth Busters: Health Facts & Fiction,” Jade ConnellyDuggan; “The Power of Caring for Yourself,” Sue Bender and Carolyn Moore. 12:30 to 1:20 p.m. — “All Stressed Up & Nowhere To Go,” Molly Dearstine, acupuncture clinical intern; “Clearing Clutter to Create Calm,” Sue Bender and Carolyn Moore; “Keep Your Spine Feeling Fine,” Dr. Oren Blam, orthopedic surgeon; “Create a Kitchen Garden,” Ginny Matthias, master gardener; “Faeries Are Real Inside You: Let Them Help and Heal You,” Ballet Mobile, Inc.

up a conversation. The girl was a musician who played bass, and she poured out her feelings to Bogart of being an outcast from her peers. “She said she didn’t care if people made fun of her,” Bogart recalled. The girl reminded Bogart of herself as a youth. “When I was young, you could hurt me, but you couldn’t redefine me,” she said. So, recognizing her years-ago self in this young woman, Bogart wrote a song about their meeting. It’s called “Still the Girl in the Band” and has become a signature number for Bogart. She performs it with a hard-swinging beat: Time caresses as it flies, I feel its breeze from where I stand. New gray hairs bring out my eyes, I’m still the girl in the band. She is sure that life won’t beat her, I say how nice it was to meet her. The future has many a door and I walk through one from the store . .

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Suns will set and moons will rise, life will spring upon the land. I see clearly with these eyes, I’m still the girl in the band.

Public sculptures From page 26 Scotchbrite tape, all the better for passing motorists to catch headlight rebounds at night. Daniel does kinetic, or moveable, sculpture. The stationary elements in his pieces are abstract, he said, “because I don’t want to confuse the message.” He wants “to take people out of their routine by making them aware of art being made by the environment . . . by the wind, light and sound.” The sculptor’s work is propelled by “the transfer of air moving through space — the force of the unseen,” he said. Other works around the county include:

Health screenings in the community center gym and in the hallways will check blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose, dental health, feet, osteoporosis, veins, eyesight and glaucoma. There will also be monitoring for body mass index, HIV testing, massage therapy, nutrition and general health counseling, and an exercise class for stroke survivors. Vendors and exhibitors will feature jewelry, fashions, home décor, arts and crafts, household goods, financial services and travel opportunities, among other show-and-sell items. The Beacon, Howard County General Hospital and the Howard County Commission for Women are some of the event’s many sponsors.

Growing older has only made Bogart more excited about making music. “I woke up on my 50th birthday feeling I was just getting up to bat,” she said. “I had a whole resurgence of interest and of oxygen. “No one ever told me this would happen. Getting older kind of works for me. I guess it comes down to realizing who you really are. Some people realize this at an early age. Not me.” Since she hit the half-century mark, her confidence in herself and her work has deepened, and Bogart said she is becoming “endearingly cantankerous.” “I only hope those feelings are 10-fold when I reach 60!” she said. Deanna Bogart will entertain at this year’s WomenFest — a one-day health and wellness event featuring health screenings, seminars and informative exhibits. The event, which is presented annually by the Howard County Office on Aging, will be held Saturday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Gary J. Arthur Community Center at Glenwood in Cooksville. Bogart’s concert will start at 2 p.m. For more information, see box at top of this page.

“A Carpenter’s Dream” by Kevin Vanek, “Ringii” by John Parker, both at the Corporate Offices Properties Trust in Columbia; ”Daddy Longlegs” by John Parker at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City; “Eat the Rain” by Andrew Yff at the Howard County Library in Cooksville; “Homage to Pi” by Glenn Zweygardt at the Central Library in Columbia; “Prism Arc” by Carl Billingsley at the East Columbia branch library; “ “Summer Tree” by Sam Noto at Gary J. Arthur Community Center in Cooksville; “Swallowtail” by John Parker at Howard County General Hospital; “The Cycle” by Hanna Jubran at Howard Community College in Columbia, and “Temple Bell” by Ed Kidera at Wincopin Circle in Columbia.

Melanie From page 27 charts, and in 1970 garnered Top Female Vocalist of the Year awards from Billboard and a number of other music outlets. She also became the first pop solo artist to play Carnegie Hall. In addition to her own work, Melanie had top 40 hits with covers of the Rolling Stone’s “Ruby Tuesday” and Carole King’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” Conversely, Ray Charles had a hit single with his cover of Melanie’s “Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma,” which she penned in her dressing room at the “Dick Cavett Show” after being told network censors wanted to alter the way she sang one of her songs. It wasn’t the first time Melanie experienced meddling by producers. She was surprised when her first album was printed with just her first name on the cover. Producers thought that her last name Safka was too “ethnic.” Melanie continued to have hits through the ‘70s and in more recent years performed in a Woodstock reunion tour through the U.S. and Europe and has headlined the “Hippie Fest” tours of musical stars from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

All in the family Through the years, Melanie has recorded more than 50 albums, most produced by her husband Peter Schekeryk. She was devastated when he died in 2010, after more than 40 years of marriage. “It’s just such an adjustment and a loss in so many ways. Besides being my husband and friend, he did everything. It’s a

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

different universe now because he drove, he booked things, he was the manager, the agent, the producer of every record I ever did,” she said. “The first year was very hard. The first year we kept working and kept the dates he booked. I don’t even know how I did this, but I didn’t know what else to do.” Melanie’s son Beau Jarred, 32, continues to work with her, as he did when his father was alive. He accompanies her on guitar at her shows and has also recorded CDs of his own. In addition, Melanie’s two daughters, Leilah and Jeordie, are featured on her newest album singing background harmonies. Melanie lives in Nashville, as does Leilah, who has three children. Melanie said she loves doting on her grandchildren. Growing older has changed her voice a bit, she said, causing it to lose some of its trademark quiver. She says age has also helped refine her songwriting skills. “When I was young, it was verging on magic when a song would come to me. I was channeling. I didn’t feel like I was doing anything, except that it was coming through me. “Now I have that aspect, but I also can observe and create on top of it, so I can refine it a greater extent and articulate even more than I did,” she said. Because she skyrocketed to fame at such a young age, Melanie said she always wanted to appear more mature. “It was an effort on my part to sound like an older, wiser woman when I was young — and I got my wish. “Watch what you wish for,” she laughed. Read more about Melanie at her website, www.melaniesafka.com.

BEACON BITS

June 7+

ART CLASSES

Experienced or not, area artists are encouraged to explore their creative potential in a drawing and painting class taught by Carol Zika. The six-week course costs $51 and begins on Thursday June 7 from 1:15 to 3:45 p.m. at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keaton Way, Columbia. For further information, call (410) 313-7281.

June 15+

COLUMBIA FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

A free three-day celebration of the arts will open on Friday, June 15 from 5 to 11 p.m. at the Town Center lakefront in Columbia with performances by the Crique Carpe Diem aerial acrobats from Montreal and the MarchFourth Marching Band. Festivities continue on Saturday, June 16 from 5 to 11 p.m., and on Sunday, June 17 from noon to 7 p.m. The festival also includes a juried invitational show of artisans exhibiting and selling original artwork including jewelry, leather, ceramics, photography, mixed media and textiles. For more information, visit www.columbiafestival.com or call (410) 715-3044.

June 17

CALIDORE STRING QUARTET

The Candlelight Concert Society presents the Calidore String Quartet on Sunday, June 17 at 3 p.m. at the Horowitz Performing Arts Center in Monteabaro Hall on the campus of Howard County Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For further information, visit info@candlelightconcerts.org or call (410) 715-1327.

June 21

ART EXHIBIT AND IMPROV

The Howard County Arts Council will participate in the Columbia Festival of the Arts on Thursday, June 21 with a free reception for exhibits by local artists from 6 to 8 p.m. and performances by the “All County Improv” and “What Improv Group” in the black box theater from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Rd., Ellicott City. For more information, visit www.hocoarts.org or call (410) 313-2787.

BEACON BITS

June 19

TAKING CONTROL OF ACID REFLUX

Learn the causes of acid reflux and how to manage the condition at a free lecture presented by Kester Crosse, M.D. on Tuesday, June 19 at 7 p.m. at the Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center, Medical Pavilion, 10710 Charter Dr., Suite 100, Columbia. For more information, call (410) 740-7601.

June 12

DO YOUR MEDS CAUSE FALLS?

Learn about elder safety and making the right decisions about medications in a free seminar presented by Dr. Anirudh Sridharan and nurse practitioner Francie Black on Tuesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at the Howard County General Hospital Wellness Center, Medical Pavilion, 10710 Charter Dr., Suite 100, Columbia. For more information, call (410) 740-7601.

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD T I M I N G

A C A N O E

A N G L O

I M P O L A O S L O L L L O I F S M E T E P E E W S T R E

From page 30.

E C T O O A R G E E R T U A P T J O O R E E S S

G R I F F E Y R A S H

G O L F L O O B U R N T A S

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Deanna Bogart and all that jazz

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Do you provide a product or service of interest to people over 50? (And today, what business doesn’t?)

For demographic information and advertising rates, call Alan at

(301) 949-9766.

JUNE 2012

I N S I D E …

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

A promising beginning Born in Detroit and raised in Queens, N.Y. and Phoenix, Ariz., Bogart’s musical voyage began just a few years after birth, when she was “climbing on any available piano bench to plunk and play with preternatural panache,” as her website puts it. Such panache apparently was too unorthodox for the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music which, she said, “gently removed” her from the school because she insisted on playing piano by ear rather than learning to read those stodgy written notes. None of it stopped her from deciding to make music her career. Bogart moved to Howard County in her early 20s to join the western swing band called Cowboy Jazz. Four years later, still with the band, she Nationally renowned jazz and blues musician married the road manager, Deanna Bogart, who who hailed will give a concert at Howard County’s lives in Woodbine, WomenFest on June from an “old Howard 16. Bogart, one of County family.” A country’s leading saxophone players, also the plays piano, sings, and own songs. few years later, she writes many of her formed her own group, the Deanna Bogart Band. She has wherever she and her eponymous been a resident of Howard band and boogie woogie County since play, whether school. in area music clubs, festivals 1981, living for the last eight years in around Her keyboard influences, the country, for U.S. troops she said, start Woodbine. in Iraq with Kansas City and Kuwait, on rhythm-and-blue great Jay McShann and Surprisingly, she didn’t s cruises move on to start playing the to the boogie woogie innovator Caribbean, or at the Great sax until she was 26 years Pete Pyramids Johnson, modern old. Now 52, in Egypt, jazz masters Thelonius as she did during a “Blues she’s a three-time winner on the Monk and Dave of the national Nile” Brubeck, and classical tour. Blues Music Award’s Horn Instrumentalphenom Glenn Gould. DownBeat, a leading jazz ist of the Year Award and blues mag(2008, 2009 and azine, Her style is to combine has called her “an extravagant the blues, boo2010) for her saxophone enter- gie woogie, rock, playing. She has tainer.” country and jazz as she also won 22 Wammies — the music works out on the piano, She has also been described wails on the tenor awards given by the as a female sax, and sings Washington Area Jerry her soulful songs. She calls Lee Lewis, which Bogart Music Association for says is fine, her blending “significant career even and bending of the musical though she owns no achievements.” Jerry Lee genres “bluesion.” recordings and feels her Bogart brings down house piano playing is after house more from the old Kansas City swing jazz See DEANNA BOGART, page 28

Day trips back to early American history; plus, credit cards that stretch your travel dollar page 23

ARTS & STYLE

Why are public sculptures sprouting across Howard County? Plus, singer Melanie finds a brand new audience page 26

FITNESS & HEALTH 4 k A way to predict heart attacks? k Don’t overdose on vitamins THE SENIOR CONNECTION 16 k Howard County Office on Aging Newsletter LAW & MONEY k Reliable investment advice k The risks of Treasury bonds

PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

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

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Puzzle Page

Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Fabulous by Stephen Sherr 1

4 14

17 20

39 42

JUMBLE ANSWERS

45 48

50 54

59 63

Scrabble answers on p. 29.

47 51

33 35

25 28

Answer: Training for submarine duty has to be -UNDERTAKEN Jumbles: CRACK TESTY BARREN PUNDIT

Across 1. Acela stopping pt. 4. Future turtle 7. Cuban dance 13. Flaky mineral 15. ___-Magnon 16. Refs 17. Easternmost part of the Arabian Peninsula 18. “Shop ___ you drop” 19. Esoteric 20. Fab song recorded the same year as I Want to Hold Your Hand 23. Tobacco regulator, since 2009 24. Word painted on a famed B-29 25. Closest state to St. Thomas 26. Complete group of baseball cards 28. Fab song that hit #1 9 years before and 9 years after Come Together 33. Pooh pal 34. Group that recorded the Star Wars theme 35. Bring across the border 39. Decay 41. Cambodian neighbor 42. Sophisticated 46. Fab festivals that debuted 22 years after the Beatles’ rooftop concert 51. Park place 52. ___ Lanka 53. C3PO, for one 55. Partner of “ands” and “buts” 57. Fab song released a decade before Back in the U.S.S.R. 60. Dinosaur decimator 62. Bather’s reward, in 25 Across 63. Sierra Club founder 64. Youth sports division 65. Grampa Simpson 66. Phaser setting 67. Emphasize 68. Humpty Dumpty’s first verb 69. Breakfast times

Down 1. Campfire treat 2. Comedian’s forte 3. An outdoorsman’s purchase 4. Prefix meaning “outer” 5. Reds All-Star 6. Facility at the British Open 7. Presidential advisor 8. Blasphemous opinion 9. Where The Love Boat could be found 10. More like Martha Stewart than Jimmy Stewart 11. Hokey Pokey offering 12. Where The Love Boat could be found 14. WASP part 21. Member of a rowing team 22. Scattered RAIN 27. Award Susan Lucci won on her 19th try 29. Stop hitting the snooze bar 30. Rx identifier 31. Sgt., for example 32. First square in 59 Down 35. Nauseated 36. The only person named in Revolution 37. Questioning one 38. Site of the Nobel Peace Prize award 40. Shuffle the office chairs 43. Diaper difficulty 44. ___ a witch (executed) 45. He said “Open Sesame” 47. “Eat ___” 48. Streaks ahead 49. “How ___ nice game of chess” (The War Games computer’s last line) 50. Half a portion of salt 54. Endearing seabirds 55. Brats 56. Pool measure 58. Miner quest 59. Web address ending 61. “___ and Me” (story about Dolly and her clone)

Answers on page 29.

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

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Miscellaneous

Wanted

ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from Home. *Medical, *Business, *Criminal Justice, *Hospitality. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. Call 800494-3586 www.CenturaOnline.com.

$$OLD GUITARS WANTED$$ Gibson,Fender,Martin,Gretsch. 1920’s to 1980’s. Top Dollar paid. Toll Free: 1-866-433-8277.

CLASSIFIEDS

Business & Employment Opportunities

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

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A JOB near your home that is fun and rewarding? Are you personable, dependable, trustworthy, and have good communication skills? Richcroft, Inc., a non-profit agency, is seeking to fill a part-time CSLA position in the Howard County – Woodstock area working with a woman with an intellectual disability. Pay is $12.36 an hour. Wed, Thurs, Fridays 6-9 pm and every weekend, Saturday 10 am-8 pm, and Sunday 10 am-8 pm. We are looking for someone with experience who is good at setting limits, yet fun. You must have reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license w/less than 3 pts. If interested, please contact Malisa Fulks, 410-316-9562 or apply in person M-F 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Richcroft, Inc. Executive Plaza IV, 11350 McCormick Road, Suite 700, Hunt Valley, MD 21031, or visit us on the web at www.Richcroft.com Richcroft is an equal opportunity employer.

DIVORCED BLACK FEMALE, 55, average, 5’2”, Christian, independent, educated, caring, creative, love the arts. Friendship/more of a single, divorced or widowed black male. Email me at: byzyb@aol.com.

Financial Services

Wanted

OWNER WILL FINANCE. Bank or Seller won’t finance? We Help! No qualifying. No credit! Low Down. Call Today! 1-800-563-2734. kanthony@cigrealty.com.

WE BUY QUALITY BOOKS, CDs, DVDs, Records. We come to you for certain collections. For more info, call 443-864-2280. SecondEditionBooks.com.

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. WIN or Pay Nothing! Start Your Application In Under 60 Seconds. Contact Disability Group, Inc. Licensed Attorneys & BBB Accredited. Call 1-888-606-4790.

VINYL RECORDS WANTED from the 20s through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections preferred. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

A National Trade Association we belong to has placed some of the above classifieds. Determining the value of their service or product is advised by this publication. In order to avoid misunderstandings, some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply the readers with manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or give the client your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment. EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Business & Employment Opportunities

For Sale 2 SALVADORE DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed. Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve 410-913-1653. STEEL BUILDINGS: 4 only 25x30, 30x38, 40x52, 45x82. Selling For Balance Owed! Free Delivery! 1-800-462-7930x131. STOP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR TV! Satellite is cheaper than cable! Packages from $19.99/mo.FREE movies, FREE upgrades & FREE HD: Limited Offer-CALL NOW! 800-259-9178.

Health

AIRLINE CAREERS begin here - Become an Aviation Maintenance Tech. FAA approved training. Financial aid if qualified - Housing available. Job placement assistance. Call AIM (866)453-6204.

CANADA DRUG CENTER. Safe and affordable medications. Save up to 90% on your medication needs. Call 1-888-734-1530 ($25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping.)

DRIVERS! Driver Resource Services accepting applications 16 day company paid CDL training. No experience needed. 1-800-991-7531 www.DriverResourceServices.com.

Home & Handyman Services

EARN UP TO $50/HR!! Get paid to Shop and Eat! Start Now. Training Provided. 1-888-7500193.

RICHARD YOUNG PLUMBING * Master plumber * Over 30 years experience * locally owned and operated husband and wife team * Contact us about our discounts 301-562-9100, richardyoungplumbing@gmail.com. MPL#21098.

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

FINISH HIGH SCHOOL at home in a few weeks. First Coast Academy, 1-800-6581180x130. www.fcahighschool.org. PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? You choose from families nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6292, 24/7 Void/Illinois.

Personals

CA$H PAID- up to $26/Box for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS. Hablamos Espanol. 1-800-371-1136. CASH FOR CARS, Any Make or Model! Free Towing. Sell it TODAY. Instant offer: 1-800-8645784. TOP CASH FOR CARS, Any Car/Truck, Running or Not. Call for INSTANT offer: 1-800-4546951. WANTED UNEXPIRED DIABETIC TEST STRIPS UP TO $26/BOX. PAID SHIPPING LABELS. HABLAMOS ESPANOL! 1-800-2679895 www.selldiabeticstrips.com. WANTS TO PURCHASE MINERALS and other oil and gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, Co. 80201. YEARBOOKS “Up to $15 paid for high school yearbooks1900-1988. yearbookusa@yahoo.com or 972-768-1338.”

Thanks for reading The Beacon!

BEACON BITS

June 16

ENJOY THE MUSIC MAN ON D.C. TRIP

Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin stars in the popular musical at the Mead Center, part of the Arena Stage complex in Washington, D.C. The Department of Recreation & Parks is sponsoring a bus trip to the matinee on Saturday, June 16, leaving at noon and returning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $99. For more information or to register, call (410) 313-7279 or (410) 313-7275.

a es ift! k Ma at g e gr

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

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We’re #1 in Montgomery County & #6 in Maryland

At Brooke Grove, we know our staff is dedicated to the individuals we serve. It’s easy to notice, since many of them have been with us for more than 20 years. We see their compassionate commitment and the positive patient outcomes every day. But it was wonderful to hear it from you. The new pay-for-performance standards are high. So being ranked as the top facility in Montgomery County—and #6 in the state out of over 208 others—is worth celebrating.

“We couldn’t be more proud of our staff. It is an honor to work with such a dedicated team and to witness our mission, “We Touch People’s Lives,” being demonstrated [every day].” – Keith Gibb, President, Brooke Grove Foundation

301-260-2320 or 301-924-2811 ~ ~ ÛJdY\]ÛJ[`ggdÛIgY\ÛÝÛJYf\qÛJhjaf_ ÛD;Û