The Best of Times October 2008

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 October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

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THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008 

Make Your Choice...

Retirement • Rehabilitative Services • Long-Term Nursing Care s 3TATE OF THE ART REHABILITATION lTNESS CENTER s NEW FULLY lNISHED GUEST QUARTERS s %LEGANT INTERIOR DESIGN WITH THE lNEST FURNISHINGS s 3ETTING A NEW STAND IN LUXURY EXEMPLARY SERVICE AND CARE

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 October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

If you’ve ever wondered if putting together a magazine is hard work, take a look at this jammed issue. We had to shoehorn everything in, repeatedly changing the layout to accommodate all the important and fun things we wanted to include. Not one, not two, but three uninterrupted features, plus lagniappe sidebars. Then we tossed in a big fat regular issue. Over-achievers?

Who? Us? While we usually try to lean far, far away

from divisive politics in this fine magazine (for which we’ve heard you’re grateful), on occasion such things cannot be avoided.

Such is the issue of health and health care in America. No other topic could be of more importance to our readers and every citizen on a daily basis. You will want to read the Special Report.

There’s nothing but smiles at the women’s groups we report in this issue.

Amanda Newton finds warmth, friendships, fun fundraisers, good food and laughter. The world could use a whole lot more of what those women have.

Also on tap is a spooky photo feature on haunted places around town. I’m not a big fan of scary, so I don’t plan to go looking for the local “hanging trees” or that eerie railroad crossing. But I’ll bet some of you

will. (Happy Halloween!)

We’re pleased to announce that it’s time for YOU to send in photos for another one of our popular photo features. This time we celebrate “The Company We Keep.” We want to see you with friends, family, pets, coworkers, etc. For details see page 53.

Art director Mike Jameson went on a San Francisco honeymoon, Gary and I traveled to visit family, and a hurricane came through. Surely October will be less hectic.

We can only hope its days will be The Best of Times. Capitalized, italicized, boldfaced or not. -- Tina Calligas, editor

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008 

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Acadian On Call All About Care Home Services ArkLaTex Home Health, Inc. Azalea Estates Assisted Living Balentine Ambulance Better Hearing Systems Bible Correspondence Course Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana BluePrint Louisiana Brentwood Hospital - Senior Care

21 Carter Federal Credit Union 48 Centuries Memorial and

Hillcrest 9,29 Certified Limb and Brace 16 Clear Digital Entertainment 44 Comfort Keepers 3 Community Hospices of

America 17 Cruises, Inc. 39 Daniel C. Scarborough, IV,

Attorney 51 Dr. Bryan Vekovius 24 Dr. Gary Booker 11 Dr. Diego Miranda 21 Family Care Services 60 Gutter Helmet 39 GWS Mortgage, LLC 36 Healthy Choices, LLC 51 Home Assistance Services 12 Home Health Medical

Supply

 October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

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Humana Imperial Wok IV Plus Pharmacy Joe Gilsoul, Attorney Judy Holland, realtor Kingsley Place -Shreveport KEEL News Radio 710 AM LATAN Lil’ Rascals Pet Care Live Oak Retirement Community Louisiana Drug Card Northwest INCS, Inc. NurseCare of Shreveport Odyssey HealthCare Pierremont Eye Institute Radiant Life Church ResCare Home Care ReVitalize Non-Profit Foundation Robinson Film Center Sage Financial Services Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino Seniors Club Serio Investments ShoeBooty’s Restaurant Shreveport Little Theatre Shreveport Opera Shreveport Symphony Orchestra Shreve Hearing Aid Service Shreve Town Ghost Walk Skin Technology – Jeany Mitchell Snell’s Orthotics and Prosthetics Southwood Square Apartments Spring Lake Assisted Living St. Joseph Hospice Sterling Health Plans T & W – EZ-Tilt-N-Tote TES Regional Healthcare Federal Credit Union The Bradford, LLC The Center for Families The User Friendly Phone Book The Waterford at Shreveport Total Care Medical Clinic Town & Country Total Wellness United Home Health Care of Shreveport Willis-Knighton Breast Center

Jason Alderman, Lee Aronson, Al Bolton, Suzy Cohen, Judge Jeff Cox, Mirabai Holland, Ted Kooser, Alan M. Schlein, Emily Smoak

Louisiana ranked least healthy state in the United States* *United Health Foundation

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It’s time to give our uninsured patients first-class access to health care. Blueprint Louisiana, with input from people like you, has developed a plan that improves access to local care and strengthens doctor training. And we need your help. Spend five minutes at www.blueprintlouisiana.org to learn how you can make a difference in improving not only health care, but ethics, education and roads, too. Together, we will make it happen. lll#WajZeg^ciadj^h^VcV#dg\ Paid for by Blueprint Louisiana

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THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008 

DHH launches new era of transparency in government

This just in l The announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that the monthly Part B premium will remain at $96.40 is “welcome news” for older adults and people with disabilities who have seen the premium charged for doctor visits and other Medicare outpatient services more than double, from $45.50 since 2000, said Robert M. Hayes, President of the Medicare Rights Center, a national, notfor-profit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities. The Part B premium will remain the same in 2009 for a number of technical reasons, including more than adequate contingency reserves in the Part B trust fund account, according to CMS. l October 15, 2008 is the deadline to file a stimulus return form to obtain the Economic Stimulus Payment. Even if you were not required to file a federal tax return for the year 2007 but you or your family had at least $3,000 in Social Security Benefits, certain VA Benefits, and/or certain Railroad Retirement Benefits, you can still get a payment (i.e. $300 for a single person and $600 if married filing jointly) before the end of the year.

You must use a 2007 Form 1040A, write “Stimulus Payment” across the top, complete the name and address section, insert your Social Security number where it is requested, and check your filing status.

Insert the amount of your benefits received in 2007, then sign and date the form on the back. If you live in Louisiana or Texas, you must mail this completed form to: Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service Center, Austin, TX 73301-0099.

For more information, you can call toll free 1-866-234-2942 or visit the IRS website at www.irs.gov

 October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

The Department of Health and Hospitals has unveiled an online, searchable system that makes the Department’s contracts accessible to the public. This database requires state agencies to pursue a higher level of transparency and accountability in state government. The order aims to give the public greater accessibility in viewing how public funds are allocated and spent.

In addition to this action, the administration successfully sought legislative approval of bills which will lead to unparalleled transparency in Louisiana’s healthcare system. These bills require the publishing, online, of health care quality and cost information.

The Executive Order also includes mandates for improving communications between agency Information Technology departments, creating an online state spending database, and enhancing transparency in the state’s regulatory processes. DHH will continue its work to improve the site to include as much information as can be assembled, even if not required by the executive order.

The online system can be easily accessed by clicking on the “DHH Contracts Online” icon on the DHH home page at www.dhh. la.gov.

Governor Bobby Jindal and PSC Commissioner Foster Campbell announced the identification of $10 million in state funds to assist Louisianians struggling with the high cost of utility bills, which will provide assistance for an estimated additional 12,700 Louisiana families.

The $10 million in assistance will be split in half between two existing federally funded state programs – the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP] and the Weatherization Assistance Program [WAP].

The LIHEAP initiative primarily provides assistance to low-income households by temporarily assisting in paying energy bills. The WAP initiative helps fund the weatherization of homes and other energy conservation and efficiency improvements to offer long-term energy savings.

Both programs have the same income requirements for eligibility at 60% or less of state median income for families of similar size. Priority is given to families with children five years old and younger, disabled family members and elderly family members.

Energy assistance funds available

New study examines impact of ‘doughnut hole’

A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation quantifies the number of Medicare Part D plan enrollees in 2007 who reached a gap in their prescription drug coverage known as the “doughnut hole,” as well as the changes in beneficiaries’ use of medications and out-of-pocket spending after they reached that gap. The study of Part D prescription drug utilization finds that one in four Part D enrollees who filled any prescriptions in 2007 reached the coverage gap. This includes 22% who remained in the gap for the remainder of the year, and 4% who ultimately received catastrophic coverage. Applying this estimate to the entire population of Part D enrollees, the analysis suggests that about 3.4 million beneficiaries reached the coverage gap and faced the full cost of their prescriptions in 2007. The study found evidence of patients changing their use of prescription drugs when they are required to pay the full cost of medications in the coverage gap.

Marketing of Medicare private health and drug plans: Avoid marketing fraud People with Medicare can receive their health care benefits in one of three ways: (1) Original Medicare (the traditional feefor-service coverage from the federal government); (2) Original Medicare with supplemental insurance (such as a Medigap or retiree plan); or (3) a Medicare private health plan, also known as a “Medicare Advantage” plan. Prescription drug coverage (Part D) is available either through stand-alone drug plans (PDPs) that work with Original Medicare (and a few private health plans), or as part of Medicare private health plan benefits packages.

The companies that sell Medicare private health and drug plans must follow certain rules when promoting their products.

The guidelines are meant to prevent plans from deceiving you - through marketing materials or through someone representing the plan - about what the plan offers and how much it costs. That is called marketing fraud. Plans can market their plan through direct mail and radio, television and print advertisements. Agents can even visit your home, but only if you have invited them.

However, Medicare private plans must follow certain rules. By knowing what is and is not allowed, you can protect yourself from falling victim to marketing fraud. Plans cannot: • enroll you over the telephone if they called you. If you would like to enroll, you should call the plan back yourself; • ask for your financial or personal information if they call you. Beware if you are asked for your Social Security or Medicare number or your bank information; • request payment over the telephone; • visit you in your home or nursing home room without an invitation. You can ask the plan to send someone to your house, but they cannot just knock on your door uninvited; • provide gifts or prizes worth more than $15 to encourage you to enroll. Gifts or prizes worth more than $15 must be made available to the general public, not just to people with Medicare; • disregard the National Do-Not-Call Registry and “do not call again” requests. You can register online for the National Do-Not-Call Registry or by calling from the number you wish to register.

• send you unsolicited e-mails. You must have specifically requested information in order for a plan to e-mail you; • compare their plan to another plan by name in advertising materials; • include the term “Medicare Endorsed” or suggest that it is a preferred Medicare drug plan. Plans can use “Medicare” in their names as long as it follows the plan name (for example, the Acme Medicare Plan) and the usage does not suggest Medicare endorses that particular plan above any other Medicare plan; • use information that they have obtained from you to market non-health-related products and services without your written consent. Plans cannot use information about you (such as your name and address) that they got by providing you Medicare services to try to sell you other products, like auto insurance.

To learn more, log on to Medicare Interactive Counselor at www.medicareinteractive.org, a resource provided by the Medicare Rights Center.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008 

Music, photos and art help loved ones with Alzheimer’s

Medical Briefs

l Women age 70 and older who sleep five hours or less per night may be more likely to experience falls than those who sleep more than seven to eight hours per night, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/ Archives journals. Additionally, the use of sleep medications does not appear to influence the association between sleep and risk of falling. l Patients who require therapy to lower their blood pressure following a stroke do not appear to be at a higher risk for bleeding or other adverse outcomes after receiving anti-clotting therapy, according to a report in the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. l The widespread adoption of the use of drug-releasing coronary artery stents into routine practice is associated with a decrease in the need for repeat procedures to unblock coronary arteries and also do not appear to increase the risk of death, compared to bare-metal stents, according to a study in JAMA. l Almost half of all American adults will develop osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, and their odds increase if they are obese in middle age, a new study says.

10  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

As a result of difficulties accessing their memories, people with Alzheimer’s disease often experience depression, become upset or agitated and may have a number of behavioral issues.

Today, there are important therapies that can help make Alzheimer’s disease more manageable for both caregivers and their loved ones, and may improve their ability to retrieve long-lost memories.

One of these - reminiscence therapy - involves using personal items such as old photos, home videos and music to rekindle their loved ones’ memories from the past and create a sense of familiarity and safety.

First used in the 1980s, reminiscence

therapy has been found to benefit those with Alzheimer’s disease by stimulating mental activity, decreasing feelings of being alone, easing agitation and creating positive interactions between a caregiver and a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.

Reminiscence therapy acts as a strong complement to treatment with medication.

In fact, studies have shown that cognition and mood among people with Alzheimer’s disease improved within four to six weeks after beginning reminiscence therapy, with some indication of improved functional ability.

(NAPSI)

Combination therapy helps to combat Multiple Myeloma

Patients with multiple myeloma who could not tolerate high dose chemotherapy lived longer and better by adding the drug Velcade to standard treatment, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found. The finding could make multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood’s plasma cells, a chronic rather than a lethal disease. And it would be particularly valuable to older patients and those with medical conditions that preclude them from receiving high doses of the standard drug therapies melphalan and prednisone, or a transplant, experts said.

Symptom screening plus a blood test increases early detection of ovarian cancer

Women’s reports of persistent, recent-onset symptoms linked to ovarian cancer – abdominal or pelvic pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and abdominal bloating – when combined with the CA125 blood test may improve the early detection of ovarian cancer by 20%, according to new findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published online in CANCER. Research has found that when used alone, a simple four-question symptom-screening questionnaire and the CA125 ovarian-cancer blood test each detect about 60% of women with early-stage ovarian cancer and 80% of those with late-stage disease. This study found that when used together, the questionnaire and blood test may boost earlydetection rates to more than 80% and late-stage detection rates to more than 95%.

It is the increase in the detection of early-stage disease that is the most exciting. Cure rates for those diagnosed when the disease is confined to the ovary are approximately 70% to 90%. However, more than 70% of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, when the survival rate is only 20% to 30%. (Newswise)

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THE BEST of TIMES ï&#x192;¼ October 2008 ï&#x192;¾ 11

Cinnamon is key ingredient in anti-mold wrapper

Here’s to your good health l Go Nuts! Studies have found that those who eat more than 5 ounces of nuts a week are one-third less likely to have either heart disease or a heart attack.

Just don’t overdo it - nuts can pile on the pounds. l Flaxseed is one of the most potent sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fats.

Studies indicate that adding flaxseed to your diet can reduce the development of heart disease by 46% while helping keep red blood cells from clumping together and forming clots that can block arteries. l Grab garlic. Just one clove a day reduces the risk of a heart attack at least three ways: It discourages red blood cells from sticking together and blocking your arteries, lowers cholesterol a modest amount, and may lower blood pressure, to help reduce arterial damage. l In a recent small study, extracts from green tea helped men burn 17% more fat during a 30-minute cardio workout. l Artichokes, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, leeks, radishes, spinach, and onions were the chart-topping antioxidant-rich veggies in a recent study. l Blueberries are age-fighting nutrition stars. They’re linked not only to skin, heart, eye, and urinary health but also to a lower risk of cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. l Vitamin B12, a nutrient found in meat, fish and milk, may protect against brain volume loss in older people, according to a study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Cinnamon is a spice added to some breads and other bakery items. Soon, it might also be an ingredient in the wrapper around the bread as a way to keep out mold.

In addition to its sweet, woody aroma, cinnamon kills microbes - it was one of the ingredients used by ancient Egyptian embalmers. Spanish researchers took advantage of that property in developing an anti-mold wrapper. In The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they report that even with bread deliberately tainted with mold, a wax paper made with 6% cinnamon oil inhibited the growth by 96%, prolonging freshness by up to 10

days. (Plain wax paper did not slow the mold at all.)

In addition, the wrapper may be also be effective in keeping fruits, vegetables and meats fresh. The researchers said the cinnamon wax paper was safe and environmentally friendly.

Sometimes the wrapper adds a cinnamon aroma to the food. Adding cinnamon directly into the bread is not as effective, because the protective compounds are not released uniformly.

Vitamin E may ward off decline

Researchers found people aged over 65 who had lower levels of vitamin E performed worse on tests of basic physical ability. The key may be that vitamin E is an antioxidant, protecting the body’s tissues from damage caused by charged particles called free radicals. The Yale University School of Medicine study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers measured levels of vitamins in the blood of volunteers. The volunteers’ performance on three physical tests - a short walk, balance and standing up from a seated position - were monitored over a three-year period.

The odds of declining in physical function was 1.62 times greater in persons with low levels of vitamin E compared with persons with higher levels.

While the researchers found an association between vitamin E and performance, their work suggested no such link with other essential vitamins, such as folate, B6, B12 and D. Vitamin E can be found in foods including wheat germ, soya, nuts, seeds, olives, corn, vegetable and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and asparagus.

Men should eat a healthy, balanced diet containing 4 mg of vitamin E a day. For women the figure is 3 mg a day. But some research has indicated very high amounts of vitamin E can be harmful, raising one’s overall risk of death.

Vitamin K - The calm, quiet vitamin

Inflammation is super bad for your body. Inflammation is your body’s response to injury or infection. And when it occurs in your blood vessels, inflammation can be a sign of bad things to come - like ruptured arterial plaques, clot formation, heart attack, and stroke. Know what’s a great way to quiet inflammation? Get your fill of vitamin K. Good choices: just about anything leafy and green -- from spinach and kale to collards and turnip greens. They pack a real vitamin K punch, and more and more research is linking high vitamin K intake to a lower bodywide inflammation index.

In another study of older adults, those with higher blood levels of vitamin K were significantly less likely to develop the bone spurs and cartilage damage that are common in painful osteoarthritis. Hands seemed to benefit most, but people’s knees got some protection, too. Just one word of caution: If you’re on blood thinners, check with your doctor about appropriate K intake.

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update

MARCI’S Medicare Answers

Dear Marci, I went in for my annual mammogram last month, but my doctor wants me to come in for another one because he saw an abnormality. Do I have to pay out of pocket for the second mammogram?

--Sally Dear Sally, No. Your second mammogram is what is known as a diagnostic mammogram, and Medicare covers as many diagnostic mammograms as necessary. In addition to diagnostic mammograms, Medicare covers 80 percent of the cost of one screening mammogram (what you had last month) every 12 months for women who are 40 or older. Medicare will also pay for one baseline mammogram for women 35 to 39 years of age. Screening and baseline mammograms will be covered with no Part B deductible required. ~Marci Dear Marci, I have been homebound and receiving physical therapy at home for several months. I am now well enough to leave my house and get out and about on a regular basis. My doctor wants me to continue physical therapy at his office.

Will Medicare pay? --Arnold Dear Arnold, Yes, Medicare will pay as long as your doctor submits a new plan of treatment stating that you now need to get therapy at

14  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Mammograms, OutPatient Services, and Home Health Benefits his office. In 2008, if you get therapy at a doctor’s office or at home, Medicare will cover up to $1,810 for physical and speech therapy combined, and another $1,810 for occupational therapy. Exceptions to the limits are allowed if more therapy is medically necessary. No matter where you receive your therapy, your doctor must periodically review your plan of treatment and state whether your needs have changed. ~Marci Dear Marci, My mother has cancer. We know that Medicare will not cover the costs of an aide to clean her house and cook her meals. But now that my mother is in declining health, and needs a nurse to visit her at home, will Medicare pay for that? --Terry Dear Terry, If your mother qualifies for the home health benefit, Medicare will pay in full for skilled nursing, which includes services and care that can only be performed safely and effectively by a licensed nurse.

Such services may include medication administration, tube feedings and regular observation and assessment of your mother’s condition.

Your mother qualifies for the home health benefit if (1) her doctor certifies that she is homebound (it takes considerable and taxing effort for her to leave home); and (2) she needs skilled physical, speech or occupational therapy services, or skilled

nursing on an intermittent (less than seven days a week) or part-time (less than eight hours a day) basis. If she required only skilled nursing, she must either need it fewer than seven days a week (even as little as once every 60 to 90 days) or daily (seven days a week) for a short period of time (usually two to three weeks); and (3) her doctor certifies her need for home care; and (4) she receives her care from a Medicare-certified home health agency (HHA).

If your mother’s condition were to be diagnosed as terminal and she elected palliative care, Medicare would continue to cover skilled nursing for her as part of Medicare’s hospice benefit. ~Marci Marci’s Medicare Answers is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (www. medicarerights.org), the nation’s largest independent source of information and assistance for people with Medicare. To subscribe to “Dear Marci,” MRC’s free educational e-newsletter, simply e-mail dearmarci@medicarerights.org. To learn more about the services that Medicare will cover and how Medicare works with Medicaid, log on to Medicare Interactive Counselor at the Medicare Rights Center’s website at www.medicareinteractive.org.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  15

16  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Medicare Rights Center Every year, between November 15 and March 31, everyone with Medicare can change how they receive their Medicare benefits - to Original Medicare or to one of the private health plans (also known as “Medicare Advantage” plans). It is a good time to review your current coverage and remind yourself of your coverage options. If you are unsatisfied with your current plan, you should consider making a switch during the enrollment season. And remember that private health plans can change their rules, provider networks and costs every year. So even if you are happy with the coverage you have now, review how your plan will be changing to make sure it will still cover your health needs at a cost you can afford next year.

Most people who have Medicare stick with Original Medicare, the traditional fee-for-service program run by the federal government. People who have Original Medicare are covered to go to virtually any doctor, specialist or hospital in the country, without ever having to get special permission (prior authorization) or a referral.

You also have the choice to get your Medicare benefits from a Medicare private health plan. Medicare private health plans have contracts with the government and are paid a fixed amount to provide Medicare benefits. They must cover at least the same inpatient (Part A) and outpatient (Part B) services covered by Original Medicare.

However, they can offer that coverage with different rules, costs and restrictions.

Some plans may offer additional benefits, like dental or vision care, that Medicare does not cover. Many also offer Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) as part of their benefits packages.

Private health plans often charge a premium in addition to the Medicare Part B premium. They also generally charge a fixed amount called a “copayment” whenever you receive a service. The most common types of Medicare private health plans are health maintenance organizations (HMO), preferred provider organizations

Original Medicare or a Medicare Private Health Plan?

What to consider before you decide (PPO), and private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans.

Whether or not you change your health coverage now, once the enrollment periods are over, you will be locked into your choice until the end of the calendar year.

Because of this, it is very important to use this opportunity to review your options now. Here are some things to consider before you decide which option is best for you.

Before you sign up for a Medicare private health plan, make sure you will be able to see the doctors, specialists and hospitals that you prefer. Private health plans often have provider networks, and may restrict you to seeing in-network providers. Some plans require that you get a referral from your primary care doctor before you can see a specialist. Your doctor may also have to follow certain rules, such as seeking the private health plan’s approval before prescribing a treatment or admitting you to the hospital. These limitations may make it difficult for you to get urgent care or care that you need when you travel outside your private health plan’s network.

Make sure you can afford a private health plan before you enroll in it. Some charge higher copays for certain types of care, such as cancer care. If a plan says it has an annual cap on how much you will have to pay out of pocket, ask if all services count toward the cap.

It is important that you understand the private health plan’s rules in advance, because you may have to pay up to the full cost for services when you do not follow

the rules. Keep in mind that different types of plans have different rules (for example HMOs v. PPOs), but even plans of the same type (two HMOs) may not work exactly the same way. Always check with the plan you are interested in directly for exact coverage rules.

If you choose Original Medicare, it is best to also have supplemental coverage, which helps cover health care costs that Medicare does not cover. If you do not have coverage from an employer to supplement Original Medicare, you can buy a supplemental plan known as a Medigap plan. You can also buy a standalone Medicare private drug plan (PDP) that works with Original Medicare to give you Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D).

People with Medicare who have limited incomes may be eligible for Medicare Savings Programs that help with the outof-pocket costs of Original Medicare, and Extra Help - a federal program that helps with the costs of Medicare prescription drug coverage.

To read more about Medicare private health plans, Medicare prescription drug coverage, supplemental coverage and programs that can help you pay for health care costs, log on to Medicare Interactive Counselor at www.medicareinteractive. org. Medicare Interactive is a resource provided by the Medicare Rights Center, the largest independent source of health care information and assistance in the United States for people with Medicare.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  17

SPECIAL REPORT: John McCain’s and

By Alan M. Schlein via Senior Wire In a presidential campaign focused more on the rock star personalities of Democrat Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, John McCain’s running mate, than on discussions of the vital issues facing the American voter, the most important issue to many seniors – health care cost containment -- is getting lost in the ether, crowded out by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, housing foreclosures and of course, the ever-important lipstick and pigs.

Gas prices and energy dependence on foreign countries have taken the wind out of discussions about health care’s spiraling costs – an issue that underpins almost every critical economic and budgetary decision the next president will face. Health care hasn’t fallen out of favor, it has just been eclipsed.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain agree that the key to revitalizing the nation’s health care system is to rein in escalating costs. Americans spend way too much on drugs and doctors, the two candidates agree, and both understand that health care desperately needs to be fixed in order to help bring the federal budget under control. Big change is needed and that change is critical.

But it’s about the only “change” they agree on in this election. Beyond the cost control starting point, that’s where almost all agreement ends.

In fact, they couldn’t be more different in how they would go about making those sweeping changes. Nowhere are McCain and Obama’s different approaches more striking than in their health care proposals.

The sharpest difference – as it is on many non-health issues as well – is over what role government plays in the federal and state health care systems. Republicans and Democrats have sparred over these differences for decades, and that sparring has been the biggest obstacle to sweeping changes.

Obama’s Plan

Democratic nominee Obama calls for increased government control over health care. His plan incorporates the long-held Democratic party goal of covering the

18  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

estimated 47 million Americans who lack health insurance.

Instead of starting from scratch, Obama’s approach is to build on the existing Medicare, Medicaid, and federal government system rather than impose something from the top down. Noting that 158 million Americans are insured through an employer, Obama’s plan would increase the role that employers, insurers, individuals and government would each have in assuring coverage through a number of proposals designed to close gaps in the system.

But Obama’s plan falls short of mandating that every American has guaranteed health coverage.

Instead, he would require all parents to buy health care for their children. His goal is to have every American to have health coverage by 2012. He has not ruled out additional mandates, if necessary, to get everyone covered.

His plan would be to expand state children’s health insurance programs (the controversial S-CHIP program that President Bush vetoed in October 2007 and Congress was unable to get the votes to override.) Obama would also use Medicaid and have employers cover some of those costs. It also allows people who don’t have insurance through their jobs and don’t qualify for Medicaid of S-CHIP to buy into plans now are available for some federal government employees.

Self-employed workers and small businesses that can’t afford coverage for their employees also could join the plans.

Premiums and co-pays would be charged, but federal subsidies would help low-income people.

To make it easier for people to find affordable coverage, Obama would set up a national health-insurance exchange that would set coverage standards of participating insurers. This would help individuals and businesses buy into either a government or a private health plan.

But instead of mandating coverage, Obama’s plan bars any insurer in the exchange from denying coverage to

anyone because of illness or pre-existing condition. If you apply for the expanded federal programs, you cannot be denied coverage.

In addition, Obama would require employers who don’t offer health insurance to their workers to instead make a “meaningful” contribution to their employee’s coverage or to contribute a specified percentage of their payroll toward the cost of the public health plan. So under Obama’s plan, employers that don’t offer coverage and don’t help pay workers for their health coverage would be forced to contribute to the cost of covering the uninsured.

Obama would also expand eligibility for Medicaid and the S-CHIP program to let additional people get their health coverage that way.

How would Obama pay for this ambitious program?

He argues that it would cost between $50 billion and $65 billion and would be financed by eliminating President Bush’s tax cuts for people who earn more than $250,000, savings in Iraq war spending and a number of cost-saving health care proposals. But critics – even nonpartisan ones – argue Obama is assuming health care cost savings from prevention programs and other things that nobody has been able to demonstrate they could actually produce.

McCain’s Plan

John McCain takes a different approach.

While many key Republicans have been moving toward mandates to get the millions of Americans insured, McCain takes a more traditionally Republican approach – that it’s best to put the decision-making power and some resources in the hands of individuals and they will motivate themselves to get health coverage. McCain’s less-government-involvement approach is clear throughout his health care plan.

Instead he tries to bring about more health care competition by trying to make the private-insurance marketplace more affordable by radically changing the tax treatment of health-care benefits.

But McCain’s tax incentives for indi-

Barak Obama’s Health Care Plans Differ viduals goes far beyond anything President Bush has suggested.

For many years, employers have been able to exclude the cost of health benefits from their employees’ taxable income.

Self-employed workers and those who buy private health coverage don’t get that same benefit. McCain wants to level that playing field, so in his plan, he would not exempt employees’ health benefits from income taxes. Instead, he would provide refundable tax credits of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to help purchase private insurance.

McCain campaign adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin argues that the Arizona senator wants to let the free market work its will – with a huge incentive. If you put $5,000 per family on the table it ought to get the insurance companies to figure out a product they can sell.

And if a family had money left over from insurance costing less than the $5000 tax credit, they could deposit the remainder into a health savings account. People could get insurance through any organization or association, including an employer, and workers could carry policies from job to job – also called portability.

Unlike Obama, who would place greater controls on insurance companies, McCain would remove some requirements. To improve competition and choice, McCain also would allow insurance to be sold across state lines.

McCain would not require anybody to buy anything and his plan would try to loosen the relationship between employer and insurance coverage.

McCain’s aides say the tax measure would generate about $3.6 trillion over 10 years, which would pay for the tax credits, making the entire proposal budget neutral.

Holtz-Eakin said the proposal would help some 20 million uninsured Americans get coverage under the plan.

Critics of McCain’s plan worry that sick, older Americans won’t be able to get coverage in the private market. For these folks, McCain proposes a guaran-

teed-access coverage plan that also would subsidize low-income people who need it.

But the McCain campaign has not provided additional details of the campaign other than to say the plan would require up to $10 billion a year in federal money.

Health care advocates praise the McCain plan for its potential for containing health-care spending.

Now the Bickering

To no surprise, both McCain’s and Obama’s camps each have strong disagreements with the other’s proposals. Each campaign is aggressively stoking fears about the other’s proposal.

Obama argues that McCain’s plan to end the tax bias against those who buy insurance individually and to replace it with health tax credits for all, would increase costs for many people and leave others uninsured.

Obama’s Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Sen. Joe Biden, argues that the $5,000 tax credit, is in effect a huge hidden tax increase.

If you get health care through your employer, Biden argues, you currently do not pay the federal, state and payroll taxes on that amount, which for most families is about $14,000. Under McCain’s plan, you would pay those taxes in the future, Biden charges. Biden called McCain’s overall health plan “a bridge to nowhere,” and regularly says “They want to tax your health-care benefits; I am not making this up.”

McCain charges that Obama’s proposal, which would allow the privately-insured to maintain their coverage while creating a heavily subsidized government plan for the uninsured, would “force families into a government-run health care system.”

Do the Differences Actually Matter?

For all their differences, their health care plans may make no difference once one of them becomes president.

Just look at history as a guide. Since neither candidate considers himself a “health

expert,” like Hillary Clinton did, Obama and McCain would put greater emphasis and political capital on policies they hold closer to their heart. That could mean that both McCain and Obama might be open to negotiate the details with Congress, when and if they try to get health care reform turned into law.

McCain, for example, has a long history of working with both parties in Congress on health care issues. In 21 years in the Senate, the National Journal magazine reported in June, McCain’s leadership on health care has consisted of heading a 1989 attempt to delay implementation of a catastrophic health insurance law and sponsoring a controversial patients’ bill of rights in 2001 that would have allowed patients to sue their managed care plans – a mostly Democratic effort.

In 2004, McCain was one of five Senate Republicans to co-sponsor legislation that would have allowed pharmacists and wholesalers to re-import drugs from Canada and Europe, originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration. McCain also was one of eight Republican Senators who opposed final passage of legislation that eventually created a prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients.

Obama, according to National Journal, has served on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee since joining the Senate in 2005. His limited leadership on health care has focused on reducing the number of medical errors, preparing to combat avian flu and expanding stem-cell research.

While both lawmakers advocate finding bipartisan compromise to fix the Social Security system for the long haul, so far in this presidential race, neither McCain nor Obama have discussed at length any solutions for the financial problems facing Medicare and Medicaid.

For more info on the candidates views on health care issues, look at the Kaiser Family Foundation 2008 Presidential Candidate Health Care Proposals Side-by-Side Comparison at www.health08.org/sidebyside_results.cfm?c=5&c=16 (Editor’s Note: For a look at areas where an Obama or a McCain administration and the next Congress might find health care common ground, see page 20.)

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  19

ELECTION

Alan M. Schlein

Democratic nominee Barack Obama, D-Ill, and Republican nominee, John McCain, R-Arizona, sharply disagree over their opponent’s health care proposals, but behind the scenes, health care groups on all sides of the political landscape are actively studying each candidate’s detailed proposals, statements, staff background information, and more to see if there are any points of bipartisan agreement that might produce at least an incremental change when the new administration and new Congress convene in January.

After a detailed analysis of their Congressional records, statements during the primary and general campaigns, and what they advocate on their web sites, there are at least half a dozen significant areas in which Obama and McCain do agree that might lead to bipartisan agreement after a new administration and a new Congress takes over in January 2009. Some areas of agreement offer strong promise for compromise, but an analysis reveals that some of these may face unexpected hurdles along the way.

Here are a few of the areas where an Obama or a McCain administration and the next Congress might find health care common ground to start working together.

• Reimporting Drugs: A critically important subject for seniors, and to anyone who doesn’t have health insurance and has had to buy prescription drugs, both Obama and McCain, have, as senators,

20  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Where Compromise Could Bring Bipartisan Support on Health Care Issues supported legislation that would have allowed pharmacists and wholesalers to re-import drugs from Canada and Europe, originally approved by the FDA. Both have expressed their support for such a program if they become president.

While they logically would both support such re-importation – and will likely find strong support on Capitol Hill, given the House and Senate’s repeated approval of such legislation – the new president might not move very quickly on this, despite strong pressure from overwhelming support in the U.S. House and strong support in the Senate.

As both Bill Clinton and George Bush found out when they became president, the next president may want to quickly get his new Secretary of Health and Human Services, and then a new head of the Food and Drug Administration at least nominated, if not approved. Even if the next president doesn’t put his team in place, he would also have to, for the first time, consider the safety issues involved in re-importing drugs. These drugs originate in the United States and then are sold by pharmaceutical companies to other countries and then brought back to the U.S. The powerful pharmaceutical industry strongly opposes re-importation and will no doubt pull out all the stops to prevent it.

While it’s one thing to support re-importation as a senator, it’s a very different situation to be president and be legally and morally responsible for the safety and welfare of every American who could

be affected by tainted drugs. Given the problems over the past few years with e-coli, salmonella, food recalls from fruit and vegetable imports from overseas, the next president might at least let his new team get up to speed on their issues and re-evaluate the safety concerns involved in overhauling these laws, before drastically changing the laws. But at least there is the start of some compromise.

• Stem Cell Research: That same logic might slow down, but will not likely change the strongly held views of both Obama and McCain in support of relaxing restrictions on financing of embryonic stem cell research. In the Senate, Obama, his vice presidential running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and Republican McCain all voted to lift President Bush’s current restrictions and expand federal funding on embryonic stem cells. There is strong support on both sides of Capitol Hill for this as well. Not surprisingly, however, Biden has argued that McCain may cave toward the views of his pro-life running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Scientists believe stem cells hold the key to curing a large number of diseases because they can some day be programmed to become any human cell. McCain also opposes abortion rights, but is among a number of pro-life Republicans who support embryonic stem cell research.

McCain, in March, told the Washington Post, that he still favors embryonic stem cell research.

• Generic Drugs: Both Obama and

McCain favor the continued development and usage of generic drugs as a way to save dollars for consumers.

• Electronic Record Keeping: Both McCain and Obama support the continued development of electronic record keeping to reduce errors. McCain supports the concept, while Obama goes further, urging the launch of a federally-backed system.

• Health Insurance Portability: Both McCain and Obama are strong advocates of allowing you to take your insurance with you when you change jobs or lose your job. This subject, known as portability, is showcased in McCain’s proposal and Obama has also strongly supported the idea of portability in the past.

• Walk-ins: Both McCain and Obama favor the continued growth and use of walk-in clinics for people who have routine care situations. This is a costsaver and is hoped to unclog emergency rooms and allow them to deal with actual emergencies.

• Best Practices: Both McCain and Obama also strongly favor providing more information to consumers about the costs and quality of care and both urge that doctors routinely be informed and urge use

of “best practices.” They also, in general, favor paying doctors more for positive outcomes over the current payment fee structures used. But there appear to be differences in the details.

• Improving Care: Both Obama and McCain support better coordination of care. Obama supports the idea of what his advisers call a “medical home” – a primary care doctor who would help coordinate and oversee care.

• Anti Smoking: They also both support smoking cessation. McCain, 71, who quit smoking in 1980, still faces some increased risk of cancer from smoking two packs a day for 25 years, studies suggest. Obama, who says he has struggled to stay off cigarettes since quitting last year, may have less long-term risk because he smoked fewer cigarettes per day.

But both are strongly on board in favor of smoking cessation and weight-loss programs, especially those offered by employers. Obama has also considered the idea of paying doctors to spend time with patients on preventing disease and rewarding the doctor for better outcomes.

(Also contributing to this report was the National Journal. Via Senior Wire)

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THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  21

From the Bench

Judges are Called to Serve the Public Judge Jeff Cox

I know that this is an unusual article for me to write in this column, but over the last couple of months, I have been asked why I serve as a Judge and what do Judges in our state get paid. I thought that this column would be a good way to answer these questions.

First of all, why do I serve? I consider it an honor to serve. I believe that each person who serves in public office has to be called to serve. It is definitely not for the pay, as I will discuss in other parts of this column. I feel that I was called to do this job. It is a tough job from the part that people walk out not liking you or your decisions. One party always wins, and one party always loses. Even though it is a tough job, it is a rewarding job. This job allows me to help people, if I can. It allows me to affect change in people’s lives that

22  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

hopefully will help them down the road of life. I get to see the best in people and the worst in people. Fortunately, more times than not, most people at least understand that I am calling the case according to the rules given to me by the law. The reward in the job is seeing a life changed for the better and knowing that I got an opportunity to be an integral part of a person’s life.

The second question is what do Judges in the State of Louisiana get paid? Judges received a cost-of-living pay raise by the Louisiana Legislature in 2006. District Court Judges, by the year 2010, will make $118,289.00. Each Judge gets a $5000.00 allowance to attend required training seminars. These seminars are mandated by the Louisiana Supreme Court and if they are not attended can cause a Judge to be removed from the bench for lack of training and education. In addition, Judges are paid mileage to and from work since many of them are in rural parishes

and have to travel a number of miles to get to the courthouse. In the 26th Judicial District, Judges are required to travel to both to Benton and Minden. Each Judge pays for their health insurance and makes an 11% contribution to their retirement out of each paycheck. These deductions take a healthy bite out of each check. Judges are paid once a month. Even with the costof-living pay increase given to Judges in 2006, Louisiana ranks 39th in the nation in Judge’s pay.

As you can see, Judges make a good salary. However, most attorneys will make far more in private practice. A person who chooses to be a Judge does so out of a duty to serve the public and help people. It is a wonderful job with awesome responsibility to the public and the people we serve.

Jeff Cox is the 26th Judicial District Court Judge for Bossier/Webster Parishes, Division C.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  23

ADVICE

Successful Women Take Steps to Ensure Their Health Emily Smoak

Recently on TV I saw Nancy Reagan hosting the Reagan Library Debate at more than 80 years old! In the last six months I have see Priscilla Presley at over 60 years old on Dancing with the Stars with some amazing moves. We could possibly have our first woman, mother of five children, as Vice President here in the United States in just a few short months.

How do these women do what they do?

Whenever I feel tired, out of shape, depressed, overwhelmed, detached from my faith I start thinking about all the strong women who have come before me as well as those who are making a difference in the world today. What I think about them is what did or does it take for them to accomplish all of their great achievements.

The more I think, I realize that they must all be very healthy; healthy in mind, emotion, body, and spirit.

Novels, crossword puzzles, instruction manuals for your computer; have these made your cognitive juices flow lately?

Have you called a family member, a friend, or a counselor recently to have a shoulder to lean on when life got too heavy for you to carry on your own? When was your last head-to-toe physical with your physician? Has your spirituality taken a back seat to what you know is far less important “stuff?” If these questions have you thinking that you need to take a better look at your overall health, then here are a

24  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

few things that might peak your interest.

When life gets busy what seems to fall by the way side are usually things that are more important than we give them credit.

After 12 or more years of school we have a tendency to get tired of “education” and don’t want to have to stretch our brains to the maximum capacity anymore. As adults we use only a small percentage of what our brain is capable of doing. Recent studies have shown that making our mind work even a little every day can help keep it working for years to come. Make a list of all the things that you would like to know something about, prioritize if the list is really long, and get started. Books, the World Wide Web, magazines, newspapers, and travel agents are great sources of food for the mind.

Not only do we forget to give attention to our cognitions, we also sweep our feelings under the rug because they too take up much of our time. Everyone wants and needs to have a confidant that they can go to when life becomes a roller coaster. It is hard to turn our emotions on and off like a light switch. Sometimes it takes a lot of phone calls to family, several chat sessions with friends, or a few appointments with a counselor to resolve the feelings surrounding life’s challenges. So if something has been bothering you for days, weeks, months, or even years make a list of your support system and start dialing.

Not only do we neglect our mind and our emotional needs, but our physical needs as well. Most of us will take an aspirin if we have a headache. That’s easy.

Going to the doctor to have our cholesterol checked, heart listened to, breasts smashed, or insides probed is NOT what any of us get excited about doing. The doctor might tell us that we have to quit eating our favorite foods, start walking or doing some other form of exercise, or that we need more rest. Other information from the doctor such as needing surgery, medical treatments or medications could be something that is harder to hear, therefore we avoid the doctor. Yes, we will all at some point in our lives come to a physical stopping point, but not today. Go play ball with your grandchildren, play Frisbee with your puppy, walk with your children, laugh until your sides hurt with a friend, and even take an occasional nap, but don’t forget the head-to-toe check up.

After, or maybe before, attending to your cognitions, emotional needs, and physical needs don’t forget to get connected with you spiritual well-being. Most of us have some faith in a higher power and even those who choose not to believe in God have to recognize that we are all connected to this world in a way that is beyond complete human understanding.

Our spiritual strength may be the most important part of our health as it is who we are and who we will always be. Maybe it’s been a while since you talked with God or recognized how beautiful the flowers are or were thankful for all the good things in your life. Good news, today is a new day!

Emily Smoak is a therapist with The Center for Families.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  25

financial

Borrowing From Retirement Accounts a Costly Mistake Jason Alderman

The current housing crisis and other economic woes are taking their toll on people’s wallets. Caught between escalating mortgage payments and rising fuel and food costs, many folks are having difficulty paying their bills. Not so long ago, some people probably would’ve just taken out a home equity loan, but with property values plummeting, their equity may already be exhausted – not to mention, those loans are now harder to get.

Which leads me to cite a disturbing behavior that’s on the rise: Tapping long–term retirement savings accounts to pay short–term bills.

Loans and withdrawals from 401(k) plans, IRAs and other tax–sheltered plans are allowed in many cases but the financial consequences can be extremely costly, because of taxes, penalties and lost investment income.

Here are a few cautions to consider before raiding your nest egg: 401(k) loans. Many employer– sponsored 401(k) retirement plans let participants borrow from their account to buy a home, pay for education or medical expenses or for certain other reasons. Usually you must pay back the loan within five years (sometimes the timeframe is longer for home purchases).

26  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

However, if you miss payments or leave your job, you must pay off the loan immediately (usually within 30 to 90 days) or you’ll owe income tax on the remainder – as well as a 10 percent early distribution penalty if you’re under 59 ½. That 10 percent penalty could quickly erase any investment gains your account might have earned.

Another potential downside to 401(k) loans: Because you would now have a loan payment, you might be tempted to reduce your monthly contribution amount, thereby reducing your potential long–term account balance and earnings.

401(k) plan and IRA withdrawals.

Some 401(k) plans also allow hardship withdrawals to pay for certain medical or higher education expenses, funerals, buying or repairing your home or to prevent eviction or foreclosure. You’ll owe income tax on the withdrawal – and often the 10 percent penalty as well.

Unlike employer plans, traditional IRAs let you withdraw from your account at any time for any reason. However, you will be subject to income tax on the withdrawal – and usually the 10 percent penalty as well.

With Roth IRAs, you can withdraw the money you’ve contributed at any time, since it’s already been taxed. However, if you withdraw the interest earnings before 59 ½, you’ll face that 10 percent

penalty.

Further tax implications. Note that with 401(k) and traditional IRA withdrawals, the money is added to your taxable income for the year, which could bump you into a higher tax bracket or even jeopardize certain tax credits, deductions and exemptions that are tied to your adjusted gross income. All told, you could end up paying half or more of your withdrawal in taxes and penalties.

Compound earnings. Finally, if you borrow or withdraw your retirement savings, you’ll lose out on the power of compounding, where interest earned on your savings is reinvested and in turn generates more earnings. You’ll lose out on any gains those funds would have earned for you, which over a couple of decades could add up to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income.

Bottom line: Think long and hard before tapping your retirement savings for anything other than retirement itself.

If that’s your only recourse, be sure to consult a financial professional about the tax implications; if you don’t know one, www.plannersearch.org is a good place to start your search.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. Sign up for his free monthly e-Newsletter at www.practicalmoneyskills.com/newsletter.

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THE BEST of TIMES ď&#x192;ź October 2008 ď&#x192;ž 27

LEGAL

Legal Aspects of Faith Healing Lee Aronson

I recently read an article about an 11 year old child who died because her parents refused to let her be treated by doctors. The parents, for religious reasons, decided to rely on prayer rather than medical care.

And according to the facts I read, the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death was likely preventable had she been treated with Insulin.

The parents were subsequently charged with second degree reckless homicide and if convicted, could end up in jail. Now I know that we have freedom of religion here in America, but how far should this freedom extend? Should this childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents be found not guilty because of their religious freedom? The United States Supreme Court has held that a parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;right to practice religion freely does NOT include the liberty to expose [his or her] child to ill health or death.â&#x20AC;?

But in the state that this tragedy took place, Wisconsin, the law says that â&#x20AC;&#x153;A person is not guilty of an offenseâ&#x20AC;Śsolely because he or she provides a child with treatment by spiritual means through prayer alone for healing.â&#x20AC;? Based on that, if you were the judge, would you find the parents to be guilty?

Louisianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s law is similar to Wisconsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. In Louisiana, it is a crime to commit cruelty to a juvenile. The crime is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment with or without hard labor for up to 10 years, or both. However, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the providing of treatment by a parentâ&#x20AC;Śin accordance with the tenets of a well-recognized religious method of healing, in lieu of medical treatment, shall not for that reason alone be considered to be [criminal cruelty to a juvenile.]â&#x20AC;?

Louisiana also has laws allowing the state to take children away from their parents in certain situations involving child abuse or neglect. However, â&#x20AC;&#x153;whenever,

in lieu of medical care, a child is being provided treatment in accordance with the tenets of a well-recognized religious method of healing which has a reasonable, proven record of success, the child shall not, for that reason alone, be considered to be neglected or maltreated. However, nothing herein shall prohibit the court from ordering medical services for the child when there is a substantial risk of harm to the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health or welfare.â&#x20AC;?

This law does not answer the questions of what religious method of healing has a â&#x20AC;&#x153;reasonable, proven record of success.â&#x20AC;?

Does prayer alone, instead of medical care, have a reasonable, proven record of success? What do you think?

And what do you think about this: many states, including LA, have laws that require kids to wear helmets while riding a bike.

But 2 states, Oregon and Pennsylvania, have religious exemptions from their bicycle helmet laws. Apparently these exemptions were passed because some

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people believe that they should trust God exclusively for their safety.

Fundamental rights such as freedom of religion are not absolute. I can’t go around chopping people’s heads off because my religion tells me to. Our government is allowed to pass laws that limit fundamental rights, but those laws will be subject to what is called “strict scrutiny” by the courts. In other words, laws that limit fundamental rights have to be necessary to further a compelling interest. And if such a law does not pass a court’s “strict scrutiny,” then it will be declared unconstitutional. For example, in 1965 the United States Supreme Court found that a law prohibiting married persons from using contraceptives to be unconstitutional as it was not necessary to further a compelling interest. However, the United State Supreme Court has also held that laws that prohibit “fighting words” or face-to-face insults which “tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace” are necessary to further a compelling interest and are therefore not unconstitutional.

Lee Aronson is an attorney with Legal Services of North Louisiana. His practice areas include consumer protection law, housing law and health care law.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  29

30  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

In the United States, the history of women’s clubs began with their formation following the Civil War. Women’s roles outside the home during the war made it more acceptable for them to seek secular interests away from the home. Those early clubs were serious undertakings, with self improvement and study as the focus. After the turn of the 20th century, the aim of women’s clubs was most often civic in nature. The women in the clubs worked as activists to bring about change in food laws, social services and finally, the right for women to vote. In the mid 1920s, women’s clubs began declining as more women entered the workforce, though not in huge numbers, and it became more acceptable for women to play a larger role in society.

Today, in northwest Louisiana, many

women still gather in modern day versions of women’s social clubs. Even when it is not a formal organization, the women in the groups realize many benefits from this fellowship with other women. They gather to be entertained, educated and to just have fun.

Many of the women say these groups are good for their soul and good for their heart.

Several medical studies suggest that this regular social activity is beneficial for mental and emotional health and might even help ward of dementia. Research has also shown that keeping your brain active keeps you brain sharp.

Since the benefits are so numerous, it is little wonder that the women in these groups say they love it and many can’t imagine their lives without them.

One of the best known women’s social clubs in the area is the Woman’s Department Club, founded in 1919. At the time, Shreveport had a population of 43,000 and there were not many cultural activities in which women could participate. The club was formed “to provide a center of thought and action, thereby focusing the strength of the women for promotion of educational, literary and artistic growth of Shreveport and vicinity.” Today, almost ninety years later, the club is still committed to “enhance friendship among women of our community by providing opportunities for participation in a variety of settings including meetings, luncheons, committees, interest groups and special events.”

Christine Griffin, 84, joined the Woman’s Department Club about 10 years ago. The Shreveport resident now also serves in a managing position at the club.

“We offer a lot of educational programs,” Griffin said. “It was created for that very purpose. We offer (programs on) home enhancements, the arts, literature and educational type things.”

There have been bonds and friendships established at the club that last for years and years, she said. There are currently about 200 members who have a wealth of activities to take part in each year. A travel chairman plans travel programs, art classes are held once a week, and there are monthly book review luncheons.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  31

When someone shows an interest in joining, they are invited to one of the club’s functions as a guest. If they show an interest after the visit, they can be proposed by a member. One member proposes membership and another co-sponsors it. Then it is voted on.

Griffin said the social aspect and the opportunity to meet the other members and have outings with them are the best things about being a club member.

“It is just a good, wholesome, interesting, enlightening experience,” she said. “It is good for (you) and you meet the nicest people.”

A more recently formed women’s group is Krewe de les Femmes Mystique. This women-only Mardi Gras krewe was formed in 1999. According to their website, the goal was to “bring women of different backgrounds together to celebrate Mardi Gras and to provide service to the community in the form of volunteerism and charitable donations.” They are a diverse group of “married and single women, mothers and grandmothers, homemakers and professionals, all creeds and races.”

Stephanie Holoubek is the current captain of the krewe and has been a member for 10 years. She said there are currently about 50 members, ranging in age from approximately 30 to 80. A woman must be at least 25 years old to join.

Holoubek said the people she considers her best friends

32   October October 2008 2008   THE THE BEST BEST of of TIMES TIMES 32

she met through the group. She also said it is “definitely, very, very important” for women to gather with other women.

The big event each year is Mardi Gras and the events associated with it.

“Mardi Gras is a ball,” she said. “We do have work involved getting ready for our coronation and our ball each year. But it is fun because we have a grand time doing it. There is work, but a lot of it is play as well as work.”

After 10 years, Holoubek said she has so many great memories during her time in the krewe that she can’t name just one.

Trips to New Orleans and Dallas to buy supplies for Mardi Gras are always a good time.

Then, of course, there is the yearly ball.

“I have been on the court,” she said. “In year five, I was Lady of Music.

To come on stage in your costume and hear everyone hollering and throwing beads…”

Another group that always has a good time is the Red Hat Society. According to information on the national Red Hat Society website, the society was “inadvertently begun by Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, California, when she and a few friends took inspiration from a popular poem entitled ‘Warning’ by Jenny Joseph, which begins ‘When I am an old woman...’ Since the poem mentions wearing a red hat and purple attire, she and her friends formed a group that met on a regular basis for tea in their red hats and purple dresses, in public. When Sue Ellen and her friends were featured in ‘Romantic Homes’ magazine in July 2000, they began fielding inquiries from other women who wanted to start their own chapters.” And that was the start of this funloving group with virtually no rules and whose only mission is to have fun.

Ginny Bates, 65, learned about the Red Hatters two years ago through a friend.

She joined a friend’s chapter of the Red Hat Society, and then joined another and soon after, she started her own chapter.

Now, she is a queen.

The Divinely Aging Divas, of which Bates is queen, is like all the other chapters in the world in that it is all about fun.

Most chapters meet at least once a month for a variety of activities. Sometimes, it might be lunch and a play. Other times they gather in local restaurants for a lot of visiting.

Or, as on a recent outing, it might be a fun trip to the ballpark to catch a baseball game.

“We just do things that are fun,” Bates said. “It is all about you. It is so good for a person who needs help with (making) friends. As a matter of fact, I had one lady tell me her doctor recommended a Red Hat group for her.”

“Maybe you have lost a husband or a loved one and you just don’t know where to go. Well, you get so close to others in the group because we do things together.

We are always there for each other. We are like sisters.”

Even though her group has only been up and running since February, Bates already has 10 members and would like to get 20. Although not all chapters are open to Pink Hatters, Bates said she would love to have one in her chapter.

Pink Hatters are women under the age of 50, which is the minimum age for being in the Red Hat Society. “(A Pink Hatter should be) a more mature person,” Bates said. “Somebody in their 30s is mature enough they would really enjoy some of the silly things we do.”

Bates believes it is very important for people to maintain social contacts as they get older. Being together and having fun is good for the mind and spirit.

“The more you laugh and the more fun you have, the better you feel,” she said.

“It keeps you from just sitting day to day, going downhill, as I have known people to do. And we do laugh a lot.”

After Delores Ivy, 68, retired in 2000, she had a little extra time on her hands. Her sister had helped her with a few things with the stipulation that she would have to join her garden club.

“I thought, oh Lord, shades of Mother,” said Ivy. “I could just see myself with the

little gray-haired ladies. Well, most of them may be gray-haired ladies but they have got an interest in life and will go anywhere on a field trip if we stop and eat on the way. They are wonderful people and I have gotten to know so many through the garden club that are now really good friends.”

Today, Ivy is the District Director for the Louisiana Garden Club Federation.

She said most of the garden clubs in this

area are still all-female, although there are a couple of clubs that have several male members as well.

Being in a garden club is a lot more than digging in the dirt. There is a large educational aspect to it, with members learning new gardening information, as well as sharing their own knowledge with others. Ivy said she didn’t know what to expect at first, but it wasn’t long until she was hooked.

“An average garden club will have about half of their monthly programs on horticulture and half on flower design,”

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  33

Ivy said. “Generally, we have a flower show in the spring. It has to meet national guidelines. It has horticulture and a (flower) design section. It is absolutely beautiful, the things that these ladies come up with.”

Many garden clubs go on field trips in addition to regular programs on topics like composting, attracting butterflies or pruning.

“You can ruin something real quickly by pruning at the wrong time,” Ivy said. “I pruned something once at the wrong time and that was the last time I saw it.”

One of the best things about being a member of a garden club is the large knowledgeable network you become a part of. Ivy said she can just pick up the phone anytime

34  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

she has a question about a bug or a plant and find the answers from someone in her garden club.

“Every club welcomes visitors to come see what they are doing,” Ivy said. “We are not a high-pressure group. It is just made up of people who like to garden.”

Although Ivy might have been hesitant in the beginning about joining a garden club, she certainly does not regret her decision now.

“My mother and sister are both yard people and my mother used to tell me I needed to do it; that digging is therapy.

I told her I would take mine some other way, thank you. But, it does help and is therapeutic. To see (something) bloom and it actually comes up and looks good - that’s rewarding in itself.”

When Lisa Berry, 39, gets together with a group of women, it tends to be indoors.

She is the member of not just one, but two Bunco groups that play once a month. These female-only groups know how to have a good time.

Berry had started a group of her own when a friend asked her to sub in another group. After she played as a substitute, they asked her to join. Now, twice a month, she

gathers with a group of women to play Bunco, an easy to learn card game.

Berry, who lives in the Keithville area, said that when you live outside of a city, “it is nice to have community type groups where everyone just lives right down the street.”

Her groups are made up of women of all different ages.

“My mom plays in my group and my best friend and her mom also play in the group,” she said. “It ranges from probably 35 to 67.”

The dates are arranged in advance and the groups rotate meetings from house to house each month. Berry said it is important to plan things in advance.

“It is a set date because you don’t always make time to do those things, the girls-night-out things. And this way, it is easier since you know when you are going to do it.”

Berry said this is a good way to meet other people, since there are often subs.

She also emphasized that though each member takes a turn hosting, it is not at all stressful.

“We don’t put a lot of stress (on the hostess),” Berry said. “The group I started, most

of the women love to cook and entertain - really go all out. But, there is no pressure to do that. If you don’t cook, we say ‘order pizza.’ It doesn’t matter. You do whatever you want to do. The goal is to have fun.”

Pam Twohig, 50, of Shreveport, plays Pokeno once a month with a group of women who have been having fun and enjoying each other’s company for a long time - some for close to 30 years.

Twohig has been playing with the group for about 10 years, ever since a friend asked her to play as a sub.

“We had so much fun they asked me to stay,” she said. “I am the youngest in the group right now.”

It is a close group of women who keep up with each other outside of the games, too.

“They have all been together through marriages, divorces and the deaths of spouses.

And also through the births of kids and now their grandkids.”

She has gained some really close friendships from the group and says they are there for each other whenever bad situations arise. Recently, one of the player’s sisters passed away and the group pulled together to help.

“Whichever one of us finds out something like that (a death or illness) first, we call somebody and we make sure (we spread the word). After the last incident, we

decided we needed to get closer together when it came to things like that. We just do things that normal people wouldn’t do.

Like everybody else would bring food, but we might see if they need their house cleaned.”

It is very important for women to get together with other women, to talk and share a laugh, said Twohig. All the women come from different backgrounds in one way or the other so it is not like they are with the same people that they see everyday, and that is part of the charm, she added.

“They took me in, too,” she said. “It wasn’t like I was an outsider. After the first one or two times, it was like I had always been there. I plan on keeping it up as long as I can. We laugh about it sometimes, trying to figure out what nursing home we will all go into together.”

(Thank you to the LSUS ArchivesNoel Memorial Library for the use of the photos on page 31.)

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  35

Pharmacy

Suzy’s Secrets for Clear, Healthy Skin Suzy Cohen, R.Ph.

Skin problems seem to run in my family. I have severe rosacea, my husband has a new scar on his face, and my daughter has acne and warts! Help us we look like the Munsters from TV. What are some “Suzy Secrets” to help clear the skin? – D.V., Tulsa, Oklahoma Suzy Secrets? That’s funny. Okay then, just between you and me, this is what to do.

Rosacea: This is an inflammatory condition in the body that causes redness and pustules all around the nose and center of the face. Avoiding alcohol, direct sunlight, and spicy foods will help, but stress is the biggie. Because inflammatory chemicals need to be reduced, doctors often prescribe prednisone packs or steroid creams. Before I took steroids, I would buy probiotics, a digestive enzyme supplement and a digestive acid (like betaine hydrochloride)

36  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

and take this with each meal. If you feel heartburn, stop the digestive acid supplement. I’d also take a B-complex and drink fenugreek tea daily. A day wouldn’t go by without me consuming a superfood like chlorella or spirulina (sold online or at health food stores).

Scars: Some people rub raw garlic cloves on their scars (or their pimples), which helps fight bacteria and reduce scars.

I would take 4mg astaxanthin or 400 IU vitamin E by mouth each day. Some people rub vitamin E oil on the skin and this is fine to do as well. Drink orange juice daily and keep an aloe vera plant handy, rubbing it on your skin can work wonders.

Acne: Kids with lots of acne breakouts may be low in zinc, or in vitamin A. They may also have high levels of processed junk foods, trans fats and sugar! Tea tree oil sold in health food stores, can be applied to the zits. Routine facials help clean and exfoliate your skin. But if you can’t afford that, buy some conventional products like Clearasil, Oxy 10 Balance or Bye Bye Blemish. Naturopathica makes an all-natural, organic Moss Extract Blemish Remover, which contains Kaolin clay,

calendula and other flower extracts to dry out blemishes, kill bacteria and remove redness (www.naturopathica.com).

Warts: These skin growths are caused by a type of Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. Your immune system has to be weak in order for these little guys to erupt. So eat better and take immune-building supplements, which I’ve discussed in detail in many prior columns and in my book, The 24-Hour Pharmacist. Some people paint clear nail polish or apply duct tape to the warts in order to starve them from oxygen.

Conventional treatments like Wartner or Dr. Scholl’s Freeze Away are sold nationwide. Stubborn warts will require your trusty dermatologist.

Did You Know? If you peel the banana upside down (away from the stem), you won’t have to pick off any of the strings - they come off with the peel.

This information is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition.

Suzy Cohen is the author of “The 24-Hour Pharmacist.” For more information view www.DearPharmacist.com. ©2008 Suzy Cohen, RPh. Distributed by Dear Pharmacist, Inc.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  37

Review by Mike Jameson, with Tina Calligas. Technical assistance by José Navarro & food photos by Gary Calligas.

What does it say about a place when, during its opening weeks, also opens its arms to local charities? It was the Bistro Byronz’s generous embrace of the Caddo Council on Aging and a host of other causes that first caught our attention. But I’m also here to report that the extraordinary quality of their food and the loud din that is movers-and-shakers moving and shaking, make for an unforgettable experience.

Mike and Jill Kantrow brought their wildly-successful Baton Rouge concept to Shreveport this summer, opening the second in a planned intimate chain. PGA golfer David Toms, along with a number of other bold-face names, is an investor in the Line Avenue spot, and Clay Cook, the former executive chef for Willis-Knighton Health System in Shreveport and a longtime restaurateur/caterer, heads operations here.

Putting Chef Cook in charge of the kitchen was a master stroke. This gig finally puts him firmly in the spotlight, where his talents belong. He brings a thorough understanding of technique and insightful creativity. Every dish that hit our table, no matter how “bistro casual” it may have appeared to appear, was a study in impressively careful craftsmanship.

As evidence, ladies and gentlemen of the foodie jury, may I present the deceptively simplesounding Spinach  & Artichoke Dip ($6.95) and the  Blue Cheese Chips ($4.95 for a small; $7.95 for enough).

Perhaps it seems a small matter that the artichoke hearts

38  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

were chopped just so, with startlingly fresh spinach blended with a tasty variety of cheeses. A brilliantly balanced texture/ flavor matrix is strikingly realized. This is a wake-up call to those too accustomed to hastily-thrown-together versions everywhere else.

The Bleu cheese on the Bleu Cheese Chips is the real thing (I suspect Maytag). Ripe and deliciously pungent on the tongue, this isn’t some “sauce,” gentle reader, it’s true Bleu and melty and staggeringly delicious.

taurant; no carpet, no drapes, no tablecloths, no upholstered chairs, no acoustic ceiling, not a thread of fabric except the luxuriant napkins. With the lunch crowd shoehorned in, the noise level quickly became chaotic, with everyone continually escalating to be heard above it. It was energizing and annoying at the same time. The only respite came as waves of fabulous food flowed from the effi-

However, the real star of this pair of appetizers is what they have in common: The chips.

Clearly, somebody in this kitchen knows their way around a deep fryer. These housemade miracles of the chip-making art are so greaseless they defy logic. You’ll be tempted to drive to Fort Worth and slap Mr. Frito and Mr. Lay. When our party arrived at 12:30 for a Saturday lunch, the place was jumpin’!

Folks cluttered the door hoping for an available table. But our reservation was waiting, and so was Elizabeth, our eager and accommodating waitress. She’s a joy.

Our table was (as requested) in the smaller of three rooms that radiate from the central dining room. The main room is mostly filled by a long, happy-looking bar.

We were surprised to note that there isn’t a soft surface to be found in the entire res-

cient kitchen and happy diners elbowed aside the din.

The exquisite control this kitchen exercises is apparent in the French peasant dish called Cassoulet ($9.95). An attentive, classic version is offered by Chef Cook, featuring perfectly cooked white beans and a sausage of tasty chicken and one of completely sublime duck. The spice is restrained and yet the creamy bean “liquor” is rich and deeply satisfying. This ain’t your mom’s beanie-weenies!

A Turkey Burger á Gruyere ($9.95) battled the familiar dry effect of such lean meat with strategic additions of the creamy/nutty cheese within the burger, and a spinach / red pepper topping with its own dressing. The house-made bun was a huge plus and the sweet potato frites were an even huger plus. (Huger? Yes, thank you.)

The man who took these pictures ordered the Steak Frite Salad, ($13.95). This is one of those can’t-miss entrées involving generous chunks of perfectly-cooked filet strewn across a bed of fresh-today Romaine

lettuce. a treasure of Bleu cheese chunks is nestled next to it. A generous splash of cane dressing and a mound of those very special frites makes this dish one that Gary is compelled to photograph.

Your favorite editor ordered the Roasted Veggie sandwich ($7.95). It came with the requisite veggie medley and two Italian cheeses, along with a just-right drizzle of excellent Balsamic vinegar (that I’m betting came from Modena, Italy), and a side of “Bistro Slaw.” The slaw was bland-ish; the sandwich was delicious.

The standout with all the sandwiches is the bread rolls that surround them. Housemade and always fresh, they offer “regular” and “7-grain.” We chose regular every time, but have been assured by third parties that the 7-grain is just as delicious.

We followed our Cassoulet, Turkey Burger á Gruyere, Roasted Veggie Sandwich, and Steak Frites Salad lunch with a couple of desserts for the tasting.

The Bistro Cheesecake with Blackberry Merlot Sauce ($6.95) was ordered out of pure curiosity about the sauce. What arrived at our table was one of the best cheesecakes we’d ever eaten, and that covers a lot of territory. The wonderful sauce aside, the cake is a revelation to anyone who (mistakenly) believes that Sara Lee® or The Cheesecake Factory® know how to do it right.

Theirs are manufactured; The Bistro Byronz’s cakes are created.

Also host to four eager spoons was the Bistro Bread Pudding with Vanilla Cream Sauce (3.95). Think of warm, soft, lightly sweetened “lost bread” smothered in melted ice cream. Yes, it’s that good. You will murmur, “Oh, my!”

Shreveport is home to an impressive array of excellent restaurants. A list of my favorite spots takes both hands now, but a head-turning Four-Thumbs-Up has been earned by the nothing-short-of-fabulous Bistro Byronz. Shreveport welcomes you!

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  39

40  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  41

The train tracks that run through FORBING are said to be haunted by a man with no head.

This is the “infamous” Ellerbe Road School.

It was opened under the name George Washington Carver School and was intended as a school for black children. It was later integrated, but poor attendance caused its ultimate closure. The building was later purchased by Baptist Tabernacle, which moved their Baptist Christian College into the facility. However, the college endured many problems, the least of which included financial irresponsibility and an inability to achieve accreditation.

The Baptists finally fled the property and it has remained vacant since.

Legends of the building’s haunting persist, fed by the sad history of the place. A fire was said to have occurred here, killing some of the young students. Also, a janitor and some children “went missing” after he was accused of molesting.

There is also a water tower on the property and those brave (i.e., foolish) enough to climb the rusted ladder can supposedly look into the top of the tower and see their reflection on the day that they die. Rumors also persist that a Wicca High Priest and Priestess were buried near the tower. Oh, and it was also the scene of a Civil War battle! Yikes!

The story says that the man was hit by a train many years ago, taking off his head. He can be seen at midnight looking for it. But the living can only see a light from his lantern moving down the tracks.

There is also a disturbing story that a school bus full of children was hit on these tracks. It is said that if you dust flour onto the rear end of your car and then put it in neutral just before you get to the tracks, you will be pushed over the tracks to safety by the spirits of the schoolchildren, who leave behind sad, tiny handprints in the flour.

42  September October 2008 2008  THE THE BEST BEST of TIMES of TIMES

If you attended a baseball or soccer game at Cargill Park, it’s more than likely didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Fields and

parking lots are the standard. But there’s something about the park you may not know.

Many years ago, before the park was there, Cargill was then known as the Standard Oil (Exxon-Mobil) T a n k F a r m and was a popular hang out for teenagers in the 70’s. Large tanks were stored there and there are even some spots where the grass will not grow because of the oil that was spilled.

Although the place sounds ...um... harmless enough, like most stories,

this one has an even darker side. As the story goes, there was a grain elevator that was on the property and someone locked a young boy inside of it. He screamed and screamed for help, but by the time

help finally came, he had suffocated from the heat.

The story that if you walk along the railroad tracks that run along side of Cargill Park you can hear the boy banging and screaming from inside the elevator that is no longer there.

Taylortown is a small spot on the map right outside of Bossier City. Admittedly, there’s not much there. But it is infamous for one thing: the bell tower. At one time, the bell tower was part of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Taylortown, built in 1907. Designed by John Dorch in Gothic-style architecture, the church was only used for sermons once a month by a circuit pastor, who stayed at the homes of town residents, due to the great distances between the churches on his circuit. As the small church’s congregation dwindled down, the church was eventually abandoned. Legend has it that a bride was waiting at the church for her fiancé, who was killed in a car crash on his way. She apparently was so grief stricken she hung her self in the bell tower.

On moonlit nights, they say you can hear the ringing of the bell and a woman’s scream.

The Hanging Tree is located close to Cross Lake, off of Blanchard Road. There is also another tree that is said to be on Lakeshore Drive.

According to legend, the Lakeshore Drive tree is where a plantation owner hung the slaves who broke any of the rules of slave life. According to stories, he would also burn and otherwise torture them as they were dying, all perfectly legal

The Logan Mansion is located right behind the Municipal Auditorium, and right next door to the Oakland Cemetery.

It was built by L.R. Logan, who was a local ice and beer distributor. Many years ago, a little girl was said to have fallen to her death from a 3rd story window. Some have said that her ghost likes to play tricks and is sometimes seen wandering around the house.

behavior at the time.

There are also some old shacks around that area that were used to film a movie titled Mountaintop Motel Massacre.

It is said to be 10 to 15 degrees colder under these trees. (Note: The area is also said to be quite dangerous due to an active drug trade and juvenile delinquency, which is why we’re not telling you exactly where they are.)

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  43

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W W W. C o m f o r t K e e p e r s . C o m

2008 Junior Achievement of North Louisiana Business Hall of Fame Inductees Announced - Junior Achievement of North Louisiana (JANLA) recently introduced three Laureates who were inducted at this year’s Junior Achievement of North Louisiana Business Hall of Fame. George Fritze, Executive Committee Advisor and Laureate Liaison served as MC. He introduced the 2008 Laureates: (left to right) Joe N. Averett, Jr. is retired President and CEO of Crystal Gas Storage, Inc. (fka Crystal Oil Company), Robert B. “Bob” Hamm, is recently retired District Manager of Berg Mechanical, a Division of Johnson Controls. Thomas J. “Tommy” Williams is the founder, President and Certified Financial Planner of Williams Financial Advisors and Chair of its Advisory Board. Each fall JANLA celebrates business role models in our community who have realized the American dream through ethics, responsibility, leadership, determination, and giving back to the community. This year’s dinner event will be October 7 at Sam’s Town.

LATAN Receives Grant - LATAN recently announced that it has received a $7,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

The award was one of almost 100 grants totaling almost $800,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that help improve opportunities, access and day-to-day quality of life for individuals and their families.

LATAN will use the grant to purchase AT devices and equipment so that individuals with spinal cord or traumatic brain injury, or Cerebral Palsy, as well as any and all types of disabilities will be able to make an informed decision before purchasing devices and equipment that assist in their daily lives.

44  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Nursing Home Care

My father is taking many prescription medications and is about to be admitted to a nursing home for rehab care from hip surgery. How will he get prescriptions refilled and will Medicare cover them?

The hospital’s discharging physician will write orders for medications. Generally, the nursing home’s primary pharmacy will dispense the meds and they will be delivered to the center the same day. As to cost, if your father admits under Medicare Part A, the medications are paid for by the nursing center. If he admits as private pay, either your father or his prescription drug plan will be billed for the costs. If he is eligible for Medicaid and has been awarded benefits, the pharmacy will bill Medicaid for reimbursement.

Vicki Ott

NurseCare Nursing and Rehab Center 1736 Irving Place; Shreveport, LA 71101 (318) 221-1983 Please see our ad on page 30.

Neurosurgery Who are candidates for balloon kyphoplasty to relieve back problems?

The best candidates for balloon kyphoplasty are those who have new (within a few days or a couple of weeks) fracture. Fractures are most common in older patients with osteoporosis and the typical symptom is severe, immediate onset back pain. Kyphoplasty has to be one of the most satisfying procedures - there is practically immediate relief in most cases, and people go home with only 2 tiny needle incisions. We treat other back-related problems which affect pain down the legs of ‘fatiguing” down the legs, and not every patient needs surgery - just an honest assessment.

Dr. Ravish Patwardhan

The Comprehensive Neurosurgery Network 8001 Youree Drive, Suite 970 Shreveport, LA 71115; (318) 797-5543 www.neurosurgery.ws; www.theins.net

Social Security

Some years ago the age of retirement began to increase. How do I find out exactly when I will be of “full retirement” age?

Full retirement age gradually increases based on the year of your birth. Those born in 1937 and before reached full retirement age at 65 years old. Those born in 1938 or later will see a gradual increase in the full retirement age with those born between 1943-1954 reaching full retirement age at age 66 and those born in 1960 or later becoming eligible for full retirement benefits at 67 years old. No matter what your full retirement age is, you may start receiving reduced benefits as early as age 62 or a larger benefit by delaying retirement as late as age 70. For more info, visit website at www. socialsecurity.gov or call toll-free at 1-800-7721213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Dora Miller, Public Affairs Specialist Social Security Administration 318-676-3173; fax 318-676-3141 dora.miller@ssa.gov

Opthalmology

My mother is in her 70s and over the past few months has had extremely dry eyes. We are concerned that she is over-medicating with over-the-counter eye drops. What could suddenly cause dry eyes and should she see an eye doctor before it gets worse?

Dry eye syndrome is very common among the elderly. It generally develops and worsens over time. There are some diseases and medications that cause dry eyes. Over-the-counter medications are fine to use up to 4 times a day. If your mother is having to use tears more than 4 times a day she needs to see an Ophthalmologist. There are treatments to relieve the symptoms and restore ocular health. Call today at (318) 212-3937 to find out more.

Christopher Shelby, MD

Pierremont Eye Institute 7843 Youree Dr., Shreveport, LA 1105 318-212-3937; www.ShelbyEye.com Please see our ad on page 28.

Orthopaedics (Bone and Joint) I have a rotator cuff tear. Do I need surgery?

It depends. Rotator cuff tears are a common source of shoulder pain, which increases in incidence with advancing age. A person can have a rotator cuff tear without experiencing pain. (The incidence varies from a reported 5% to 40%.) 40% of tears will enlarge, and of these, 80% will be symptomatic. 20% of patients remain symptom free for a 5 year period. There is no evidence that delaying surgery to attempt a non-operative treatment protocol adversely affects results.

If you have significant weakness and/or a large tear, surgery may be advisable sooner. MRI’s are valuable tests to determine tear anatomy and degree.

John J. Ferrell, M.D.

Mid South Orthopaedics 7925 Youree Drive, Suite 210 Shreveport, LA 71105 (318) 424-3400

Food Bank What are the top foods that the Food Bank would like to have donated?

Peanut butter, cereal, canned vegetables, canned tuna packed in water, canned chicken packed in water, canned soup (hearty style), instant oatmeal, rice, boxed broth and family sized boxes of crackers and cookies are a especially needed for the individuals that the Food Bank serves. But any nonperishable food items are needed and greatly appreciated. For our BackPack program we need peanut butter, beef jerky, cereal (1 oz bowl or box), fruit cups, snack size boxes of raisins, pudding cups, 100% juice boxes, and granola bars.

Food Bank of NWLA

2307 Texas Avenue Shreveport, LA 71103 Phone: (318) 675-2400 Email: info @ foodbanknla.org

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  45

Sudoku

That’s all they really want - Some fun

Fill in the blank squares in the grid, making sure that every row, column, and 3 x 3 box includes all digits 1 through 9. (Solution on page 48)

46  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Amusement Antic Ball Blast Diversion Delight Enjoyment Festivity Frivolity Frolic Fun Gaiety Glee Gusto Happy Hilarity Jest Jocularity Laughter Merriment Mirth Nonsense Play Pleasure Recreation Zest College football season in the South vs in the North Getting Tickets: NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus.

SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus, make a large financial contribution, and put name on a waiting list for tickets.

Parking: NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.

SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.

Game Day: NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV. SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting ‘Game Day Live’ to get on camera and wave to the idiots up north who wonder why ‘Game Day Live’ is never Broadcast from their campus.

ACROSS 1 Formal judicial order 5 Make oneself presentable 12 Designed to conform 20 Ring above the collar?

21 Red phone 22 Bad repute 23 Red-eye service?

26 Catholic prayer book 27 Buckeyes’ sch.

28 Hesitation sounds 29 Machu Picchu ruler 30 Disgusting conditions 33 Pay attachment?

34 Balanced conditions 36 Eiger or Matterhorn, e.g.

39 Old English characters 40 Fort Stewart’s neighbor 43 Above disagreement?

50 Above 51 Bad pun 52 Verbena plant 53 Nickel, but not dime 55 Aide to an exec.

56 Small musical combo 59 Broadway smashes 60 Pester persistently 62 Hidden listening device 64 Early stage 67 Fish eggs 68 Speaking of major expenses?

75 Genetic letters 76 Radioactivity pioneer 77 In good working order 78 Gee! 79 Water in Andalusia 81 Gillette shaver 83 Wall St. letters 86 Soprano

BG’S AEIOU

Beverly 90 Poetic time of day

By Willy A. Wiseman, NY, NY; Edited by Wayne Robert Williams 93 Superlatively sticky and viscous 96 Extra-wide shoe size 97 Organic fuel delivery is delayed?

101 Jerkwater 102 Young or Diamond 103 Make lace 104 Defies authority 108 Long, narrow inlet 109 Bull’s-eye 111 Alternatives to lagers 112 Against 113 Cleanup hitter’s stat 115 Of the eye 119 ‘50s sci-fi/ dance movie?

125 Was present at 126 Blood deficiency (var.)

127 Part of UNLV 128 Marine celebrities?

129 Author of “Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter” 130 Cleansing 17 Lendl and 45 More yummy 74 Robber 106 Siamese agent Pavlov 46 Water depth: 80 Qty. fighting fish 18 Put into words abbr.

82 Old Greek 107 __ Park, CO DOWN 19 Bombeck et al.

47 Laissez __ market 109 Befell 1 “For __ the Bell 24 Candidate 48 Insect: pref.

84 Cassia plant 110 Ballet skirts Tolls” Ralph 49 Levels in 85 Fragrant 112 Ham-radio 2 Sitarist Shankar 25 Penal labor London compound oper.

3 French islands camps 54 Secular 87 Departed 113 Ex-Cub 4 Body’s trunk 31 “Star Trek” role 57 Stallone sequel 88 “Star Wars” Sandberg 5 Hot lunch?

32 Windows basis 58 India or role 114 Lima or fava 6 Bump’s place?

33 In plain sight indelible 89 Offshoot group 116 Funny Jay 7 Afr. nation 34 Actress 61 Wildebeest 91 Old Greek coin 117 Opera song 8 Certain singers Thompson 63 Sch. 92 Silver and 118 Invitation 9 Points of pens 35 Watery organization Wood letters 10 Two-toed sloth 36 Small matter 65 DDE’s 94 Cries of pain 120 Way in, in 11 Cribbage 37 Adoration command 95 Type of brief marker 38 Pound or Frost 66 Spanish uncles molecular 121 Nutrition label 12 Bullheaded 40 “Illness as 68 Hobo geometry fig.

13 Excavates Metaphor” 69 Rolling Stones 98 Burial wraps 122 Corn serving 14 NASD writer hit 99 In the act of 123 Fr. woman’s competitor 41 Homer’s dad 70 Auto racer Niki 100 Baldwin and title 15 Lowly mil.

42 Can’t be beat 71 Farm Guinness 124 OPEC output letters 44 Mischievous 72 Bridle part 104 Indian princes 16 Actress Shire trick 73 Violet essence 105 Privileged few THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  47

Have you made prearrangements for your family, or do you still have that to do?

Leaving these decisions to your children on the worst day of their lives is a terrible emotional burden.

Call Today To Receive a FREE Family Planning Portfolio

Hill Crest Memorial 601 Hwy. 80 East Haughton, LA 71037 (318) 949-9415

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48 ď&#x192;ž October 2008 ď&#x192;ź THE BEST of TIMES

Puzzle Solutions {from pages 46 - 47}

Meteorology

Al Bolton

Weather Facts for Thought

Any thoughts about what October’s weather will be like?

October has had some hot temperatures and some very cold temperatures. Our hottest October temperature of record was 99° on the 1st in 1938. Coldest of record was 28° on the 31st in 1993.

Wettest was 14 inches in 1949. Driest was in 1963. There was no official rainfall measurement. Only a trace of rain (not enough to measure) was reported in 1908, 1924, and 1934. Last October the hottest temperature was 93° on the 7th and 8th. Coldest was 40° on the 24th and the 26th. The official rainfall measurement was 2.36 inches. Normal October rainfall is 4.45 inches.

Here’s an old weather saying that has a lot of truth to it. “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.” Weather moves in a general west to east direction, thus a rising sun would light a towering thunderstorm cloud in the west, therefore sailor’s take warning. A setting sun would light a thunderstorm cloud in the east, a sailor’s delight.

As you know we have many sunny days but apparently not enough to rank with the sunniest cities in the United States. They are Yuma, Arizona; Tucson, Arizona; Phoenix, Arizona; Redding, California, Las Vegas, Nevada and El Paso, Texas.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  49

FITNESS

Moving Free® With Mirabai Easy shape-up formula will leave you healthier and looking great Mirabai Holland, M.F.A.

I got an interesting email question recently. I think this one is worth sharing Q: Well, it’s Fall and I haven’t lost the 20 pounds or gotten on the fitness program I promised myself last Spring.

I tried it a couple of times but I found it really hard. I never stuck with it more than a few days. I’m afraid that since with the holidays around the corner I might not ever get started. Is there any trick to this that I might try?

A: YES! EASE into the best shape of your life.

That’s right I said EASE! After all it is only Fall and it’s never too late to do the right thing by your body. The reason most diets and exercise programs fail is people ask too much of themselves and expect to see results too soon.

We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare. Well, this story is not a classic for nothing. A killer diet coupled with a killer workout is a killer. It’ll never work.

Over my career, having seen hundreds of these types of programs, including my own, fail, I’ve developed a method that works for virtually anyone.

Of course, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning this or any fitness program.

First, weigh in. You don’t need to tell anybody how much you weigh, but you need to know.

One pound = 3500 calories. So, to lose

50  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

a pound you have to either not eat, or exercise off 3500 calories. The right way is to do a combination of both. But start slowly and build up at your own pace.

You need to break your goals up into small chewable bites. You want to lose 20 pounds. Break that up into 5-pound increments. And don’t try to lose 5 pounds in a week or two. The first 5 pounds is the hardest; so give yourself a full six weeks to lose it, while easing into a fitness program. After that you can safely lose about 1 pound a week. Here’s how it works.

Get a notebook and write down everything you put in your mouth for the first week.

Get a calorie book and look up everything you ate every day. If you’re like most people, you’ll be shocked by how much food that is.

Aerobic exercise carries tremendous health benefits. It also burns calories, boosts your metabolism and keeps you in a positive frame of mind. So, that first week, make it your business to do 10 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, every single day.

The second week, eat everything you normally eat, but cut your portions in half.

Then try to exercise 15 minutes a day.

The week you first cut your portions down is usually the toughest. But have faith; it

gets easier.

By week three you should be looking at the kinds of food you eat and trying to eliminate the empty calories; sugary soft drinks, salty snack foods, fat filled fast food etc.

Start consuming smart calories .Try to substitute foods you actually like, foods with fewer calories that fill you up and have some nutritional value.

Try not to eat more than 1500 calories a day.

Gradually build up your aerobic exercise until you’re doing a half hour every day.

After six weeks you will be on a fitness program you can stick with and you’ll probably have lost your first five pounds.

You’ll be eating smarter, feel and look better, be healthier and more equipped to stick with it for the next 5 pounds and the next and the next.

By week twelve you’ll never want to stop. And you won’t.

Mirabai Holland M.F.A. is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and public health activist who specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for women. Her Moving Free™ approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn’t feel like work. Mirabai can be reached at www.babyboomerexercisevideos.com. ©2008. www.movingfree.com

Giving the Human Touch

The hours James Nix spends with his grandchildren are perhaps his most cherished time. After all, he almost never got the chance to even see his grandchildren.

Back in 1981, while working for the electric company, James came in contact with some high voltage that left him seriously injured and burned. Both of his arms were amputated as a result, but with strong determination James has been able to overcome new challenges one day at a time.

“It all just depends on you and your positive attitude about things,” explains Nix. “When somebody tells you that you can’t do something, prove them wrong!”

That same kind of determination drives our practitioners and technicians to keep improving the devices we fit and fabricate. We want to make life a little easier for those we serve. But we also believe that while biomechanics, technology, and mathematical precision play a large part in the services we provide, the true heart of our work is based on the human touch rather than the scientific one.

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Don’t miss the C-Leg Roadshow November 18th! Call (318) 424-4167 for details on this innovative microprocessor technology

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  51

A world champion lives right here in Shreveport. If you saw her in the grocery store or a restaurant, you wouldn’t necessarily recognize her as such; but she most definitely is one.

Nell Cahn, 73, won the World Team Championship of Bridge, held in Yokohama, Japan, in 1991. So, how did this mother of two end up taking top honors in a world competition? Well, it is an interesting story that involves boredom and her mother’s fear of polio.

Cahn was never allowed to go to summer camp growing up because polio was a very real and scary possibility. The summer when she was 11, she and a friend

52  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

were bored and hot. They would lie across the bed in the house in Monroe, which lacked air conditioning, and let the fans blow “the awful, hot air across us,” trying to stay as cool as possible. Looking for a way to pass the time, she asked her mother to teach them how to play bridge and that began her live-long fascination with the game.

“That is all we wanted to do, both of us, from then on,” Cahn said. “I loved it from the start. I would tell my mom I didn’t have any homework at night and try to get her to have some of her friends come over to play bridge.”

Cahn continued playing bridge through high school and college at the University of Alabama. When the basement of her college sorority house flooded, she packed her bags, came home and soon was engaged to her husband, Abry. Prior to her marriage to Cahn, it is perhaps prophetic, or maybe just curiously coincidental, that her maiden name was Bridge.

She got married, had two children, and was carpooling with someone who asked her one day if she played bridge. She said she did and they began playing duplicate bridge.

“We were hooked and that was it,” said Cahn. “We were too good to play with the bad people and too bad to play with the good people. We decided that it was time we learned something about the game.”

For the next two years, Cahn and three other women took lessons from a local building contractor who happened to be the number one player in Shreveport at the time.

Bridge has changed so much since then, said Cahn. The systems have gotten more complicated and as they get more complicated, the players are obligated to give full disclosure to their opponents. Bid boxes also changed the game. Now, unless you are playing social bridge, all bids are made through electronic boxes, so you never speak your bids in competition.

“Years ago you could get away with murder,” Cahn said. “Playing a system was almost unheard of. The game has come such a long, long way - some for the better and some for the worse.”

When asked why she loves the game and why she is so good at it, Cahn said her love for the game and her skill goes hand in hand.

“I am a natural at it and it is very easy to be focused on something you love,” she said. “To me it is like someone working a jigsaw puzzle.

Each (bridge) hand is a puzzle and to me the fun is putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Through what (each person) bids and negative inferences, you figure out high cards. It is what makes some people better than others. I was told years ago by one of the top players in the world that if you aren’t a queen finder then you will never win tournaments. Some people are better at it than others.”

Winning the World Championship of Bridge was “the absolute ultimate” of her bridge experience, Cahn said.

“It wasn’t just winning, it was the fact we were doing it for our country. It was without a doubt one of the most emotional

experiences of my life. It was not about me. I wanted to win the medal for the United States.”

After her win, Cahn earned enough points to become an American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Grand Life Master, the highest rank in the ACBL. It is an elite group, but Cahn said her 13,000 or so points are “just a drop in the bucket” compared to others. She doesn’t want to play 360 days a year, she said, so she won’t rack up huge points numbers.

She plays four or five tournaments a year now, after taking a few years off to care for her mother.

Her mother, the one who started her on the road to a bridge world championship, was a New Orleans resident who became a Katrina evacuee. Right after the hurricane, Cahn and her family could not locate her mother. One guess as to what she was doing.

“She and her bridge game had checked into the Windsor Court and they were playing bridge through Katrina,” Cahn recalled with a laugh.

After her mother passed away in 2007, Cahn got back into tournament play with a friend from Monroe who was herself

just getting back into the game. Cahn’s one prerequisite for playing with the friend was that they would only travel to tournaments that were fun.

Cahn recently returned from tournaments in Las Vegas and Omaha. In Omaha, she sat at a table and played Warren Buffett. Buffett, an avid bridge player, was actually coached by Cahn’s former world championship teammate.

Like Buffett, who is known for his philanthropy, Cahn believes in giving back.

She has always told those who approach her about teaching them that if she does take them on as students, they must agree to teach at least one person the game.

“They have all done that. It is a dying art and we have to do what we can to keep it alive.”

Spoken like a true world champion, with a love and passion for the game.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  53

54  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

So often, reading a poem can in itself feel like a thing overheard. Here, Mary-Sherman Willis of Virginia describes the feeling of being stilled by conversation, in this case barely audible and nearly indecipherable.

The Laughter of Women From over the wall I could hear the laughter of women in a foreign tongue, in the sun-rinsed air of the city.

They sat (so I thought) perfumed in their hats and their silks, in chairs on the grass amid flowers glowing and swaying.

One spoke and the others rang like bells, oh so witty, like bells till the sound filled up the garden and lifted like bubbles spilling over the bricks that enclosed them, their happiness holding them, even if just for the moment.

Although I did not understand a word they were saying, their sound surrounded me, fell on my shoulders and hair, and burst on my cheeks like kisses, and continued to fall, holding me there where I stood on the sidewalk listening.

As I could not move, I had to hear them grow silent, and adjust myself to the clouds and the cooling air.

The mumble of thunder rumbled out of the wall and the smacking of drops as the rain fell everywhere.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www. poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright (c) 2007 by Mary-Sherman Willis. Reprinted from “The Hudson Review,” Vol. LX, no.

3, (Autumn 2007), by permission of Mary-Sherman Willis. Introduction copyright (c) 2008 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  55

56  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Meals on Wheels

Every day the Caddo Council on Aging (CCOA) delivers over a thousand meals to the elderly through the Meals on Wheels program. A very important part of the program are volunteer stations - businesses and organizations that help deliver meals to homebound seniors. Anyone interested in helping should contact the CCOA. Organizations and businesses currently involved in Volunteer Stations are: • The ARC • Avant Properties • Azalea Estates • Booker T. Washington Nursing Home • Broadmoor Assembly of God • Broadmoor Presbyterian Church • Broadmoor United Methodist Church • Caddo Sheriff’s Department • Christ United Methodist Church • Church of Christ North • Church of Christ Southern Hills • Claiborne Healthcare • Daisy a Day Florist • Division of Probation and Parole • Ellerbe Methodist Church • Galilee Baptist Church • Grace Community Church • Harmony House • Heritage Manor South • Heritage Manor Stratmore • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church • Humana • Jayne Tappe Realty Executives • Kilpatrick Insurance • Landmark Nursing Home • LANO • Mangum United Methodist Church • Nurse Care • Odyssey Hospice • Parkview Baptist Church • Promise Hospital of Shreveport • Air Force Sergeant’s Association • Soc. of St. Vincent De Paul • Social Security Administration • Southern Care Hospice • Southland Home Health • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Cath. Church • St. Joseph Catholic Church • St. Luke United Methodist Church • St. Paul Episcopal Church • St. Pius Catholic Church • Stat Home Health North • Summer Grove United Meth.Church • The Radio Group • Tower Book Store • Trinity Heights Baptist Church • University Church of Christ • VOA/Highland Center • Westwood Manor Nursing Home THE BEST of TIMES  October 2008  57

CALENDAR

Get Up and Go!

Driver Education AARP Driver Safety Program - An 8 hour classroom refresher course for drivers age 50+ which may qualify participants for an automobile insurance premium reduction or discount. Where two days are listed, participants must attend both days.

Call to preregister. Fee: $10.

• October 16 & 17 - 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Eastwood Baptist Church, 2801 Hwy 80 East, Haughton. Contact: Jamie Bell (318) 949-9433; Instructor: James Smith • October 16 & 17 - 8:00am to 12:00pm.

Live Oak Retirement Community, 600 E Flournoy-Lucas, Shreveport. Contact: Denise Hiller (318) 797-1900; Instructor: Ray Branton.

• October 20 & 21 - 8:30am to 12:30pm.

First United Methodist Church, Head of Texas, Shreveport. Contact: Carl Rhoads (318) 424-7771; Instructor: Robert Davis • October 20 & 21 - 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Broadmoor Baptist Church, 4110 Youree Dr., Shreveport. Contact: Sue Meredith (318) 868-6552; Instructor: Malcolm Parker • October 23 & 24 - 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Noel Methodist Church, 520 Herndon, Shreveport. Contact: Sue Kamm (318) 221-5207; Instructor: Robert G. Davis • October 30 & 31 - 12:00 to 4:00pm.

Claiborne Council on Aging, 608 E. Fourth St., Homer. Contact: Cindy Anstead (318) 927-6922; Instructor: Ray Branton

58  October 2008  THE BEST of TIMES

Dances

Silver Screenings

Cajun Party - Sponsored by The Krewe of Elders. Sat., Oct. 18, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. American Legion Hall, 5315 South Lakeshore, Shreveport. Cajun food.

Music provided by Cookie and The King Cakes Cajun Band. Outside/Inside, cash bar, raffle, door prizes. $15 per person.

Open to public. For more info contact Jay Prudhomme at 635-4901 or Wanda Smith at 752-9175.

Halloween Dance - Sponsored by The Krewe of Elders. Oct. 26, 2:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. American Legion Hall, 5315 South Lakeshore, Shreveport. Music provided

by Louisiana Outlaws Band. Costumes optional. Prizes for best costumes. Door prizes, raffle, cash bar. $7 per person.

Open to public. For more info contact Jay Prudhomme at 635-4901 or Wanda Smith at 752-9175.

“From Here to Eternity” - Starring Burt Lancaster and Donna Reed. Offered by the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport. Wednesday, October 22. The film will screen at 10:30 AM, followed by lunch from Abby Singer’s Bistro. To reserve tickets – which are $14.00 for lunch and the film or $5.75 for film admission only – contact Kim Sizemore at (318) 4594124. Seating is limited and reservations are required. No free admission passes issued by The Robinson Film Center will be accepted for these special screenings.

Free customer parking is available in the Robinson Film Center lot just south of the intersection of Louisiana Ave. and Texas Street. Individuals interested in bringing large groups should contact Clare France at (318) 459-4117. For more info visit www.robinsonfilmcenter.org or call (318) 424-9090.

Senior Health Fair - Tues., October 21.

9 am - 1 pm. Senior Center Building, 1015 Polk Street in Mansfield, LA. Businesses, organizations, and agencies wishing to participate contact Tamara Jackson, Activity Coordinator at 318-872-3700 or email her at dcoa@bellsouth.net.

Caregivers Support group - Monday, October 13 at 12 noon in the ARK at Noel UMC, 520 Herndon St., Shreveport.

Speaker will be dietitian Lauren DeFreese on nutritional issues. A light lunch will be available for $3. Call 221-5207 to make reservations by Friday, October 10.

Health Fair

Seminar

“What you think you know about breast cancer…is it enough to save your life?” - Sat., Oct. 18. 10:30 p.m. Fitness Lady, 1700 Old Minden Rd, Suite 180, Bossier City. Seminar will cover new research and the importance of awareness in the screening and treatment of breast cancer for men and women. FREE and open to the public. Reservations required (318) 747-1897.

Support Groups

Amputee Support Group - Tues., Oct 2 (1st Thursday of each month). 6:30 p.m. Certified Limb and Brace, 3227 Portland Ave., Shreveport. Guest lecturers, questions answered. For more info call 636-9145

Program

Emergency Preparedness Presentation - Available for groups - As part of the National Organization on Disability’s Emergency Preparedness Initiative for the State of LA. Available to seniors, individuals with disabilities, their family members, caregivers, and concerned citizens in the community. Each participant will receive an emergency Readiness Wheel with valuable info which could save you or a loved one’s life. This free program was designed to give all individuals the opportunity to learn and take steps themselves towards preparedness in emergencies. To request this presentation, please contact Susie Stewart at 318-841-1548 or email her at sstewart@latan.org

Senior Days

Exhibit

“Humana Senior Days at the Louisiana State Fair in Shreveport” - Thursday, October 30th and Thursday, November 6th. 10:00 am to 3:00 PM. Sponsored by Humana. FREE State Fair Admission and FREE Parking. Humana will have a booth at both entrances to the State Fair to distribute “Humana Fair Bucks” to all persons with a valid Medicare Card and Photo Identification. “Humana Fair Bucks” are worth $1 each and may be redeemed at participating concession stands on the midway of the Louisiana State Fair. For more information about this event, please call Humana at 318-861-8609 or toll free 1-877-499-2798.

“Dye It Black: Death Practices and Superstitions.” - The Spring Street Historical Museum offers visitors a glimpse at past and present death practices and superstitions. The exhibit, featuring a Victorian wake in the museum’s parlor, is on display from Thursday, Sept. 25 through Saturday, Nov. 22. “Dye It Black” showcases stages of mourning clothing, typical letters and announcements and traditional memorials, including grave offerings and human hair jewelry. The Spring Street Historical Museum is located at 525 Spring St. in downtown Shreveport. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The museum will have extended hours during the Nov. 2 tour of Oakland Cemetery, presented by the Oakland Cemetery Preservation Society and the LSU-Shreveport History Club.

Admission is free. For more information call 318-424-0964 or visit www.sos. louisiana.gov/museums.

Concerts Shreveport Symphony Season Opening Concert - Oct. 18. 7:30 p.m.

Shreveport’s Civic Theatre, 600 Clyde Fant Parkway on the Riverfront. Kevin Puts Millennium Canons, Ludwig Van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5, and Antonin Dvorák Symphony No. 8. With guest artist Wideman Gold Medalist Janice Fehlauer. Free pre-concert lectures given by the Symphony’s Paul Christopher start at 6:30pm prior to each concert. Tickets: $15, $25, $35, $40.

Call 227-8863 or order online at www.

ShreveportSymphony.com

Fall Fest

Fall-Fest Celebration 2008 - Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. and Oct. 18 beginning at 10 a.m. Ladies only. Music and ministry.

Radiant Life Church, 12022 Mansfield Rd., Keithville. RSVP by Friday Oct. 10 by calling 318-925-0907.

Theatre

A Tuna Christmas - Presented by the Shreveport Little Theatre. October 31, November 1, 7, 8, 2008 at 8 p.m.

November 2, 9, 2008 at 2 p.m. Woman’s Department Club Auditorium - next door to Shreveport Little Theatre, corner of Line Ave. & Margaret Place. It’s Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas.

Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including a hot competition in the annual lawn display contest. Many colorful Tuna denizens join in the holiday fun.

Tours

Shreve Town Ghost Walk - Saturdays through Nov. 29. Departure times are 5pm and 7pm. Walk and listen to tales of Shreveport’s history, and some of its haunted places. Walk lasts approximately 90 minutes and are conducted in the downtown area, covering half a mile in total length, starting and ending at the Caddo Courthouse (at the front steps, by the Confederate Monument), located at 501 Texas Street. $10 per living person. Children 12 and under, $5. Cash or Travelers Checks, only. For more info call 318-865-1218 or visit www.shrevetownghostwalk.com.

Oakland Cemetery Tour - Saturdays through Nov. 29. Departure times are 1 pm and 3 pm. 90 minute tour of the oldest landmark in Shreveport and learn about the lives of some of its “citizens”.

Oakland contains some of the most unique tombstones in the city. Bring your camera, and capture the beauty of Oakland, and possibly shadowy images, too! Tour includes a walk down Austin Place, past the haunted Logan Mansion and Municipal Auditorium on Grand Ave. (Elvis Presley Boulevard). $10 per adult, $5 for children 12 and under. Cash or Travelers Checks, only. For more info call 318-865-1218 or visit www.shrevetownghostwalk.com.

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Parting Shots

1 - MSGT Jerry Welch (with mother Ruby Welch) was presented the Medal of Honor for Dedicated Service in the United States Air Force from Barksdale’s 917th commander.

2 - (l to r) Vickie Rech, Hank Minton, Joe Gilsoul, and Julie Bass after Gilsoul’s presentation on VA Cash Assistance Benefits at Summerfield Estates.

3 - Vicki Ott, Administrator of NurseCare of Shreveport welcomes administrator, Amanda Landry of Franklin Nursing Home, along with their 85 patients and staff who evacuated to Shreveport to be housed during Hurricane Gustav at NurseCare.

4 - Alma Rozeman with mother Alicia Pineda at LSUHSC Wellness Luncheon at Ernest Orleans Restaurant.

5 - It was a surprise 68th birthday party for Opal Marshall given by her daughters. (l to r) Latonya Lewis, Opal Marshall, Sparkle Marshall and Candy Welch.

6 - Betty Nicholson with friend Kiki Casten at the Silver Screenings of “Breakfast at Tiffanys” at the Robinson Film Center.

7 - A gathering of old friends Carolyn & Jerry Hicks from Atlanta, GA with Shirley Weaver (right).

8 - Debbie Grand celebrated her 55th birthday with tennis pals at Superior Steakhouse.

(Standing l to r) Sue Watts, Pat LaBorde, Jean Baldwin, Hannah Speer, Jan Glasgow, Pam Parsons; (sitting l to r) Neal Mottet, Barbara Head, Debbie Grand, and Judy Talley.

9 - (l to r) Ella Mae Juneau, Dot Lott, Elsie P. Cathey, and Tommie Lue Maddox enjoying a game of dominos at Azalea Estates.

10 - Paul Pratt and Sarie Joubert (right) of Chesapeake Energy make a $6500 donation as a LSUHSC Wellness Luncheon sponsor to Lisa Babin of LSUHSC Foundation.

11- (l to r) Paul Pratt, Tommie Strawther, Tommie Hill, Candy Welch and Kevin McCotter attend the Multicultural Tourism Commission Scholarship luncheon.

12 - Volunteers Lonnie Lindsey and Carol Middleton were recently honored at an Amer.

Red Cross Board Meeting. Congratulating them is Executive Director Reid Brau (center).

13 - Charles and Janette Cox, members of The Diamond Set Group of First Baptist Church of Bossier, following a presentation by The Best of Times publisher Gary Calligas.

14 - The Krewe of Elders Coronation Ball. (a) King and Queen of the Krewe of Elders – Chuck and Jeri Lancaster, Krewe de les Femmes Mystique Queen Catherine Vanderberry and Bossier Council on Aging Executive Director Mary Anne Rankin; (b) Marvin Muegge and Mary Jones.

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