October 2015 “Celebrating Age and Maturity�
History leaves its mark on many local homes and cemeteries
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Join Us for Our Next Free Seminar! “Elder Law Forum and Estate Planning Issues” Presented by: The Glen Retirement System Caddo Council on Aging Dora Miller, Social Security and Medicare Consultant Kenya Mitchell, VA Kyle Moore, Attorney Vickie Rech, Client Care Coordinator
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The Best of Times
October 2015 l Vol. 24, No. 10 Founded in 1992 as Senior Scene News ISSN Library of Congress #1551-4366 A monthly publication from: TBT Multimedia, LLC P.O. Box 19510 Shreveport, LA 71149 (318) 636-5510 www.TheBestOfTimesNews.com
Radio Hour
Hosted by Gary Calligas Proudly Presented by:
Publisher Gary L. Calligas Gary.Calligas@gmail.com Editor Tina Miaoulis Calligas Editor.Calligas@gmail.com Design Jessica Rinaudo Karen Peters Account Executives Patrick Kirsop kirsop@sbcglobal.net Mary Driscoll Ad.TBT.Mary@gmail.com Webmaster Dr. Jason P. Calligas Writers Kelly Phelan Powell Contributors John Michael Alost, Lee Aronson, Katie Branch, Judge Jeff Cox, HauntedLA.com, Irv Green, Andrea Gross, Dr. Terry L. Jones, Nathaniel Sillin, Nick Thomas, David White THE FINE PRINT: All original content published in THE BEST OF TIMES copyright Š 2015 by TBT Multimedia, LLC, all rights reserved. Replication, in whole or in part by any means is prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication, TBT Mulitmedia, its publishers or staff. Always consult properly degreed and licensed professionals when dealing with financial, medical, legal or emotional matters. We cannot accept liability for omissions or errors and cannot be responsible for the claims of advertisers.
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Oct. 3: Exploring the Florida Space Coast Guest: Broadcasting from Melbourne, Florida with special area guests
Remote Broadcast
Oct. 10: Tips on avoiding Investment Fraud Scams Guest: Nancy Boudreaux, with the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions
Oct. 17: Improving area services for seniors Guest: Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler
Oct. 24: The LA State Fair
Remote is not just for kids Broadcast Guest: Chris Giordano, State Fair General Manager. Broadcasting LIVE from the Louisiana State Fairgrounds.
Oct. 31: Haunted North Louisiana
Guests: Dr. Cheryl White, LSUS history professor, author and guide for Historic Haunts of Shreveport, and Bess Maxwell, Case Manager Northern Chapter of Louisiana Spirits Broadcasting every Saturday morning 9 to 10 a.m. on News Radio 710 KEEL, a Townsquare Media radio station in Shreveport, LA. Streaming live on the internet at www.710KEEL.com Listen to previously aired programs at www.TheBestOfTimesNEWS.com
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& Senior Day
The State Fair
of Louisiana
at the Louisiana State Fair Thursday, OCtober 29, 2015 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Hirsch Coliseum at the Louisiana State Fair Grounds 3701 Hudson Avenue in Shreveport, LA Free admission at entry to the event with the donation of canned goods or non-perishable food items for donation to the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana. Free parking. Free admission to the State Fair Midway. Attendees of all ages are invited. Fun and entertainment provided by Louisiana State Fair performers and others. Free health care screenings offered.
Flu and pneumonia shots available. (No charge for Medicare beneficiaries presenting their Medicare card. Payment required for all others.) Informational exhibits from 100+ organizations, agencies, and businesses Exhibitors will be selling products and services during this event that are not available on the State Fair Midway. CONTESTS, GIVEAWAYS AND DOOR PRIZES Emcee: Gary L. Calligas, host of The Best of Times Radio Hour
For businesses, organizations, or agencies who wish to exhibit or become a sponsor, please email your request to gary.calligas@gmail.com by October 26, 2015. (Exhibit spaces are subject to availability) DOOR PRIZE ENTRY FORM FOR SENIOR DAY AT THE STATE FAIR ON OCTOBER 29, 2015. (Must be present to win door prize)
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October Index
Features
9 Historic Hometown Haunts by Kelly Phelan Powell 14 Haunted in North Louisiana by Katherine Michelle Branch
Advice 18 Money Matters by Nathaniel Sillin 10 Reasons Why You Might Be Financially Stressed 20 From the Bench by Judge Jeff Cox Empty Nest Syndrome 22 Counselors Corner by John Michael Alost Take Advantage of Your Smart Phone 24 Laws of the Land by Lee Aronson The Thief Who Went to Hawaiian Harley
Columns 26 Traveltizers by Andrea Gross Star Struck in Hollywood South 28 Tinseltown Talks by Nick Thomas Last of 'The Honeymooners' 30 Pasttimes by Dr. Terry L. Jones Hippos in the Heartland 32 Whites Wines by David White Looking for a Wine List Bargain? Go Off the Beaten Path
In Every Issue 34 What’s Cooking? Great Grapes 36 Get Up & Go! An October calendar filled with fun activities 38 Our Famous Puzzle Pages Crossword, Sudoku, & Word Search 41 Parting Shots Fabulous folks having fun!
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feature and photos by Kelly Phelan Powell
ouisiana enjoys many distinctions, but not many realize that it is the number-one state in the country for paranormal activity – and not, as some might presume, just because of New Orleans. You might be surprised to learn that Shreveport’s haunted folklore is as rich as its history, and, in many cases, the two are inextricably intertwined, a fact that concerned citizens in our community utilize to help engage the public both in local history and in historic preservation. Bess Maxwell is the case manager of the Northern Chapter of Louisiana Spirits (www.laspirits. com), a group of paranormal investigators located in the Shreveport-Bossier area. In this admittedly unusual line of work, they investigate places where paranormal activity has been reported, and they attempt to prove or disprove those claims. “Our main mission is to help people,” said Maxwell. “Sometimes we do public places, but most often we are called into private homes. People contact us through our website, or they find us individually by accident, or they just hear about us. People start experiencing things in their homes that they can’t explain, and they are frightened, and their kids are frightened and won’t sleep in their rooms. When kids are involved, that is usually the last straw, and that’s when people reach out to us. A lot of times they just want somebody who believes them, and they want somebody to tell them they are not crazy.” Louisiana Spirits, which makes it clear on their website that they do not condone the use of Ouija boards and do not practice any forms of black magic or witchcraft, are actually quite scientific in their approach. “We come in and set up infrared cameras, digital recorders and devices to measure electromagnetic energy,” explained Maxwell. “Unlike some groups, we don’t go in to prove a place is haunted. We do our best to find logical explanations for the activity. If we can’t, then we have to say it’s something we can’t explain.” The group charges no fees for their work and does not disclose any information without the client’s consent. “When we can go in and help a frightened family understand what is going on and help them to not be afraid of it, then [we] really feel like [we] have accomplished something,” she said. Maxwell said that most people who begin doing this kind of work have had some sort of paranormal experience that sets them on this path, but she never really did. “I have just always been fascinated by ‘things that go bump in the night,’” she said. “We used to go out ‘looking for ghosts’ as kids. When I worked for a local radio station, we went out to a local cemetery around Halloween one year with a man who was a parapsychologist and had some really strange things
The Best Of Times
^ Photo: The entryway at Logan Mansion Cover photo: A turret at the Ogilvie-Wiener Mansion October 2015
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Dr. Cheryl White gives the history of Oakland Cemetery to a Historic Haunts of Shreveport tour.
happen, and after that, I was hooked.” She became acquainted with Louisiana Spirits in 2006 when they first investigated Municipal Auditorium in downtown Shreveport. In fact, Municipal Auditorium, along with the Spring Street Museum (which, pre-dating the Civil War, is actually Shreveport’s oldest building), are her two of her favorite places to investigate. “Both of those places are just insanely active all the time,” she said. But aside from the realm of the paranormal, Maxwell believes preserving Shreveport’s historic sites should be a top priority. “Preserving our history, haunted or not, is so important,” she said. “If we can’t look back at where we have been, we don’t have a frame of reference for where we are now. You can read about our past as a city or hear about it, but when you can go into a building that dates back 100 years or more or touch something that belonged to someone from the 1800s, it all comes alive. You are connected to all those people who came before. So many of our ghost stories spring from the history of a place, so the haunts and the history go hand in hand.” Dr. Cheryl White, Associate Professor of History at LSUS, who characterizes herself as the world’s biggest skeptic, nevertheless wholeheartedly agrees that the haunted aspects of Shreveport’s history are a great way to get people interested in Shreveport’s history in general. “It’s a smart use of the haunted lore to get people engaged in the story of the city,” she said. “It’s a very entertaining way to do it. It’s a great thing to tie to historic preservation. It seems like a natural marriage.”
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White conducts tours with Historic Haunts of Shreveport (www.historichauntsofshreveport.com), a group dedicated to the preservation of local historical sites. The tours, which take place two or three times per month and include admission to the sites on the tour, transportation by trolley and a light dinner, invariably sell out within hours of their announcement on Facebook or via email. All proceeds benefit historic preservation projects in Shreveport. “I can’t do [the tours] enough,” she said. “I love it. I love the fact that last year, if you include our special events, we raised about $27,000. And that’s not significant when you think about the cost to do historic preservation, but…people are having fun. There’s a real community benefit.” The Historic Haunts of Shreveport tours typically include Oakland Cemetery, Logan Mansion, the Ogilvie-Wiener mansion, Hunter Hotel or the Spring Street Museum and an 1895 home in the Fairfield Historic District. Each of these places, like Shreveport itself, is rich not only in historic significance, but in haunted folklore as well. “The ‘haunted history’ angle has been very effective…there is haunted lore associated with these places, but that’s not the only thing I emphasize,” White said. The tours include plenty of ghost stories, to be sure, but White’s tours also include intriguing information about the history of the sites, their previous owners or tenants, their historic significance and even their architecture. For example, Logan Mansion and the Ogilvie-Wiener mansion are among the only surviving Queen Anne Victorian architecture remaining in the city. Recently, the organization began conducting Haunted East Side Tours, which take place in Bossier and delve into its haunted history. Sites include the Taylortown Bell Tower, where a young bride may have hanged herself in the early 1900s; the 1832 Oakland Plantation, where legend has it that the owner, Dr. Skannal, slept in a coffin; Fillmore Cemetery; and the Legend of JuJu Road. These tours have proved just as popular as their Shreveport counterparts, also selling out within hours of their announcement. “There is a revived interest in the community we live in,” White said. “There’s kind of a sense of social www.TheBestOfTimesNEWS.com
responsibility that is blossoming in this town. This sort of historic renaissance is not unique to any demographic within our community, but young people seem particularly interested in Shreveport’s storied past. “There’s something radical about the past for young people,” White said, “because they know the world they live in, but there’s something radically appealing about the world they’re not living in.” But why does Shreveport, in particular, abound with paranormal activity, haunted folklore and ghost stories? “[It’s] rooted in Shreveport’s original identity as a frontier town,” White explained. “This was the farthest point West in the United States in 1839. You’ve got everything that goes along with that: the prostitution, the vice, the gambling, the violence. Both of our first two mayors were killed in duels. That says a lot about the atmosphere of the city. A lot of that haunted folklore comes out of our early history. Kind of our wicked reputation.” The historic site about which White is most passionate, though, is not at all wicked: Oakland Cemetery, which she calls “our most significant landmark.” In fact, White co-wrote a book with Dr. Gary Joiner, Shreveport’s "Historic Oakland Cemetery: Spirits of Pioneers and Heroes" (available on Amazon and by emailing historichauntsofshreveport@gmail.com), and in the introduction, it says of the site, “It is a veritable ‘who’s who’ of Shreveport history, for walking among its markers reveals much about the past. Recorded burials began elsewhere in Shreveport in 1840, even though the city did not officially establish Oakland Cemetery until 1847. By mayoral decree that year, Lawrence Pike Crain required that all bodies buried within Shreveport should be placed in Oakland Cemetery…” The oldest burial there appears to be Rufus Sewall, the second mayor of Shreveport, who was killed in a duel in 1842. The last was in 2011, when, by special arrangement, the city permitted the burial of Shreveport historian Eric Brock. The preservation challenges at Oakland Cemetery, in particular, are overwhelming. Located in an area of Shreveport commonly referred to as The Bottoms, remains buried in the mass grave known as the Yellow Fever Mound have had to be reinterred after flooding. Repairing and preserving the headstones, which is a special type of stone masonry that requires a cemetery preservation expert, runs into the tens of thousands of dollars. Even saving the beautiful old oak trees presents problems. The most disturbing to White is desecration (a felony offense), which has necessitated the Oakland CemThe Best Of Times
Top Left: A Historic Haunts of Shreveport tour group learns about the history of Logan Mansion from its owner, Vicki LeBrun. Bottom Left: A creepy addition to Logan Mansion’s infamous attic. Photo: The first floor of the historic Hunter Hotel in Shreveport.
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etery Preservation Society keeping an ever-closer watch on the grounds. But despite all this, White says, “Especially on a pretty day or a cool evening, it is a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful walk through there. There are so many stories…it’s a special place.” The Historic Haunts of Shreveport and Haunted East Side Tours are a wonderful way to get an up-close-and-personal look into Shreveport and Bossier’s historic sites, have a little ghostly fun and, best of all, help preserve these landmarks for future generations. On Halloween (Saturday, October 31), Historic Haunts of Shreveport will present a special event, “Midnight at the Mansion: A VERY Special Halloween Tour.” Taking place from 9 p.m. to midnight, the event will begin at Logan Mansion on Austin Place in downtown Shreveport. From there, revelers will take a spooky stroll through Oakland Cemetery (security will be provided) and wind up at the Ogilvie-Wiener mansion, where Louisiana Spirits will conduct a professional paranormal investigation inside the home, including the recently re-opened attic. Costumes are welcome but not required, and comfortable walking shoes are a must. Don’t forget your camera! Tickets are $60 each and are available at www.historichauntsofshreveport.com or by emailing historichauntsofshreveport@gmail.com. You
can find more information about Midnight at the Mansion and other upcoming tours on the Historic Haunts of Shreveport Facebook page, www.facebook.com/historichauntsofshreveport. Private tours are also available. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, everyone can benefit from learning about the history of our city and its significant sites. And if people can have a little fun while aiding historic preservation efforts, then so much the better. “We all benefit from saving our history,” White said. And, as Maxwell said, “It doesn’t hurt to find a ghost!”
> The attic windows at Logan Mansion, where legend has it that a little girl accidentally fell to her death. According to many, her spirit still haunts the attic to this day.
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compiled by Katherine Michelle Branch
N
orth Louisiana is host to many abandoned buildings, ghost stories, violent history and things that go bump in the night. Jonathan Penick and the contributors to Hauntla.com have put together a great resource of these haunted sites, including stories of the things that have made them haunted and first hand accounts of the brave who have ventured to these locations to witness the supernatural first hand. Here are a few of those locations.
ELLERBE ROAD SCHOOL
The infamous Ellerbe Road School was opened in 1957 under the name George Washington Carver School and was intended for black children. It was later integrated, but poor attendance caused its ultimate closure in 1973. The building was leased in 1981 by Baptist Tabernacle, which moved their Baptist Christian College into the facility. However, the college endured many difficulties, including financial and accreditation problems. The site closed in 1985 and has remained vacant since. Legends of the building’s haunting persist. A fire was said to have occurred here, killing some of the young students. It was also rumored that a janitor and some children “went missing� after he was accused of molestation. Some visitors to the site claim to have heard the sounds of children laughing or screaming. There is also a water tower on the property and those brave (or 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. There is some evidence that the school has been the site of satanic worship. In fact, rumors state that a high priest and priestess are buried near the tower. Oh, and it is also believed to have been the site of a Civil War battle! Yikes!
THE PEA FARM
The Pea Farm (short for penal) is an old, unused prison that lies deep in the woods of south Shreveport. It is now covered in vines and debris and reportedly is haunted by former inmates. Prisoners were sent there to serve their time farming the land. It is rumored that numerous bodies are buried on the land and that at night you can hear the moans and screams of the prisoners that were beaten or killed there. Visitors to the site claim to have an eerie or sick feeling, seeing ghostly figures in white, and report cold spots throughout the property. They also claim to have heard
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OLD 98 ROCKS STUDIO
The original 98 Rocks studios was located behind KTAL NewsChannel 6. Supposedly it is haunted by two ghosts. One is reportedly a former Disc Jockey who died right before coming to work back in 1986. If you fell asleep in the control room at night, he would tap you on the shoulder and wake you up. Also, cigar smoke could be smelled and footprints in the carpet of boots would appear. A former night jock reports discussing the ghost when the air became very heavy, and a mist entered the room. Other DJ’s complained about CD’s and records being thrown in locked rooms in the back of the building. I never heard this. Frequently was the lights in the control room would turn off for no reason.
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TAYLORTOWN BELL TOWER
Taylortown is a small spot on the map right outside of Bossier City. 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. The Gothic-style architecture church was only used for sermons once a month by a circuit pastor. As the small church’s congregation dwindled, the church was eventually abandoned. Legend has it that a bride was waiting in the tower for her fiancé, who was killed in a car crash. She apparently was so grief stricken she either fell down the stairs and died or hung herself in the bell tower. On moonlit nights, they say you can hear the ringing of the bell and a woman’s scream. Another legend states that the church was burned down The Best Of Times
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by a grief stricken father over the death of his only daughter who was going to be married in the church. In reality, stored hay caught fire in the abandoned church that was being used as a barn. (See right).
C.E BYRD HIGH SCHOOL
C.E. Byrd was built in 1925 and is Shreveport’s oldest high school. It’s still a popular choice for high school students, but Byrd has a dark side that is unknown to some, but shared by many. There are two tales that are shared by both students and faculty. Many have told of the swimming pool that used to be in the school’s sub-basement, known around campus as “the Catacombs.” Legend has it that the school is haunted by the ghost of a young girl who drowned in the pool in the 1930s, although that story has largely been debunked. The second tale involves the ghost of an instructor who shot himself in the firing range for the JROTC students, which is also located in the basement. The legend states that the instructor used one of the rifles inside the firing range to commit suicide, although records indicate the coroner ruled the death as an accident. It’s important to note that some Byrd teachers tell stories of a light coming from inside the basement of the school, with no visible source of where the light is actually coming from.
OAKLAND PLANTATION
Legend has it that the old Oakland Plantation on Sligo Road is haunted. Supposedly, Dr. Abel Skannal, who built the house in the 1830’s, killed his wife there and kept her in the attic in a coffin. It was said the body was discovered after the doctor’s death. There are accounts from people sleeping at the plantation that they woke up in the middle of the night freezing because their blankets were ripped off and tossed into a corner.
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LOGAN MANSION
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.
FORBING RAILROAD TRACKS
The train tracks that run through Forbing are said to be haunted by a man with no head. 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. The Best of Times is grateful to Jonathon Penick and all of the contributors to www.hauntla.com for permission to share this information and photos from their website.
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MONEY matters
10 Reasons Why You Might Be Financially Stressed By Nathaniel Sillin tress can come from everywhere – career, school, family, relationships, health – and especially money. The American Psychological Association (APA) recently reported that money remains the number one stressor for 72 percent of Americans. In fact, money has led the APA's annual stress survey since its debut in 2007, the year before the financial crash that took the U.S. economy into its worst slump since the Great Depression. Are you financially stressed? Here are 10 major signs of financial stress and ways to take action.
S
1. You wonder if your job is secure. Even though
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the economy has improved in recent years, employers still cut and reassign workers and make occasional adjustments in pay and benefits. If you've spotted changes in other departments or news accounts suggest a shift in your industry, start thinking ahead. Action Plan: Build up your emergency fund to cover six months or more of basic living expenses, update your resume and get organized for a potential job search.
2. There's no money to save or invest. If meeting basic expenses is a struggle and you have no savings or investments at all, it's time for a serious review of where your money is going. Action plan: Making a basic budget is the first step to tracking every penny spent. Figure out extras you can cut and set more aside for savings and debt payoff. 3. You have disagreements with a spouse or partner about money. A 2013 University of Kansas study noted that arguments about money are the top predictor of divorce. Action plan:
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Share information about all debt and legal issues and exchange respective credit reports and credit score data as you plan to solve all money problems together.
4. You are paying bills late. Late payments can hurt your credit score (www.myfico.com). Action plan: Set up a physical or digital calendar to keep track of payment dates and budget in order to put more money toward debt and eventually savings. 5. You imagine a windfall. Waiting for a bonus, an inheritance or even a winning lotto ticket to ease your financial stress indicates you have a tendency toward financial denial. Action plan: If your current efforts at budgeting, saving money or paying off debt aren't working, consider a reality check with a qualified financial advisor. 6. You use your home equity like a cash register. Home equity loans or lines of credit can provide an interest-deductible solution for a variety of important needs, but a down housing market can wipe out your equity. Action plan: Either refinance if you qualify or stop using the line entirely until you can pay down the balance. 7. You're considering drawing from retirement funds to solve money problems. Think twice before taking out loans against these funds. Interrupting your retirement planning, particularly over the age of 50, can have significant financial consequences. Action plan: Re-budget your finances and seek qualified advice to help you find another solution. 8. Late and overdraft fees are piling up. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, the average bank overdraft fee is $35; credit card late fees are similar. Action plan: Schedule bill payments and opt for online billing when possible to save time on mailing. If you have to pay additional late fees, ask your bank or credit card company if it might forgive the fee; many will remove one fee a year. 9. You're late on student loan payments. It is difficult to have student loans (www.studentaid.ed.gov/sa/) forgiven, cancelled or discharged (eliminated) in bankruptcy if you can't pay. Paying late can also hurt your credit score. Action Plan: Seek qualified financial advice that specifically addresses the type of student debt you have and resolve to pay bills on time. 10. Your accounts are disorganized. It's difficult to reach important financial goals when you really can't track your finances. Action plan: Get some advice from a trusted friend or a qualified financial professional about how to best organize your accounts and whether online account management may be right for you. Bottom line: Reducing your financial stress is a healthy decision. Review your money habits and get qualified help if necessary to lessen this burden. Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa's financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney. The Best Of Times
October 2015
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from the BENCH
Empty Nest Syndrome by Judge Jeff Cox
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ell it has finally happened! The kids have graduated and they are off to college. The house gets bigger and a lot quieter. Questions started running through my head. What do you do with yourself now that they are gone? Will you ever see and hear from them again? Where will they move and what will they do? Will they get married and have children? What type of job will they have and where will it take them? These are some of the questions that ran through my head as our last child left for college this month. For approximately twenty years, my wife and I have been raising our children. Every night seemed filled with football games, soccer, or softball, endless homework, dances, social events, carpools, chaperoning, and lots of prayer for their safety in between learning to ride a bike to driving. At times, trying to make all the events was an endless struggle between juggling work, meetings, and other commitments. Now those days have
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ended and the kids are starting their own lives, getting their first taste of freedom, and hopefully learning to be responsible adults. Many of you that read this column have gone through this passage and come out on the other side to have grandchildren and great grandchildren. Many of the readers that I have talked to have told me that grandchildren are the greatest gift ever because you can spoil them and then send them home. Grandparents
get to go to all the games and get to be the supporter and not the coach or the instructor when the child comes home. Grandparents get to spend the time with the grandchild just loving them and instructing them according to the readers I’ve listened to over the years. My wife and I are very fortunate that our children are going to college only an hour away. We will fill our time with work and date nights and adjust to the empty home until holidays and summer breaks. Each time the kids come home will be a little sweeter and special and we will enjoy the time we spend with them. I am sure that life will be just as hectic but we will understand that life will go on even if we step back a little to spend time with our now adult children. I know that this article usually discusses the law, but from time to time I like to include little milestones we all reach in our lives. This milestone reminds me to be thankful for the family that we have, the friendships that we have developed and the hope in the future for little feet around the house again in the form of grandchildren that we can spoil and send home. Judge Jeff Cox is the 26th Judicial Court Judge for Bossier/Webster Parishes, Div. C. www.TheBestOfTimesNEWS.com
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Security. Like all computers, your smart phone is a
Counselor's corner
Take Advantage of Your Smart Phone by John Michael Alost
T
echnology today is evolving at an increased rate and people are always gearing toward the next best thing on the market. Smart phones and tablets are among the most popular trends. Younger generations are using technology to stay connected with each other, through outlets such as social media and smart phones applications, also known as “apps”. It can be a stressful experience for older generations who are new to using these devices, leaving them feeling out of touch or overwhelmed. There are many benefits, however, to learning tricks to the trade. People are seeing the latest news as it happens in real time on their phones before it ever makes it onto the six o’clock news or into the newspaper. Your family is keeping in constant contact through text messaging and email directly on their phones, sharing memories and photographs with the click of a button. Technology can at times seem overwhelming, but it isn’t as confusing as you might think. There is no need to stress! Phones and tablets are becoming more and more user-friendly. Whether you are about to purchase your first smart phone, or if you have one and want to find ways to maximize its use, here are some useful apps and features to help you take advantage of that little computer in your pocket:
potential gateway to your personal information. Your emails are probably the most vulnerable, as they are easily accessible if you link your email accounts to your phone. When you do this, you won’t have to log on to view them, unless you change your email password. This may make people nervous, but it is a very convenient way to check your emails on the go. Apart from your email, your contacts and text message conversations are also vulnerable. To protect them, there is a passcode that you can set, so that only you can get into your phone. Every type of smart phone has a different method for this. For example, the iPhone has a four digit number combination that you can set on your lock screen. Once you set it, your iPhone will automatically lock every time you put it down or click the lock screen button. The passcode protection can be set up by locating the option under the “settings” application. Another way to keep your phone safe is to keep track of it. If you are a very methodical person, that may be an easy task. If not, there are simple ways to locate your smart phone when you lose it. If you have an Android, there is an app you can download called “Where’s My Droid.” This app has many different features, including being able to locate your smart phone on a GPS map or increasing the volume so that you can hear it ringing. The iPhone has a similar app called “Find My iPhone.” These tools make it easy to keep up with your smart phone and keep it secure.
Voice Command.
There are many neat features on the smart phone, but the voice command feature might be the easiest way to take full advantage of your mobile device. It can compose a text message or an email for you as you say it aloud. It can find directions to the new restaurant that
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opened on the other side of town. It can search the internet for you and pull up options for news articles and online magazines. It can also make calls for you and set reminders on your calendar. As long as you speak clearly, the voice command feature will direct you to what you need fast. The most famous version of this is “Siri” for the iPhone. Siri works as a small personal assistant, helping you get what you need done. The application can be used hands-free so you can be doing other things, such as driving. Every smart phone has this ability and it is easily accessible.
Emergency. A smart phone
can be a great tool in the event of an emergency, whether it is health related or otherwise. Everyone is familiar with the acronym I.C.E. for “In Case of Emergency.” There are plenty of apps for any smart phone that will allow medical professionals, or those helping you during an emergency, to access your contacts and alert your family in a crisis. An example of this would be the apps: “If Found” (iPhone), “Contact Owner” (Android), and “ICE Standard” (both cellular devices). These apps allow you to add contact information to your lock screen, or in the case of the “ICE Standard” app, utilizes your mobile device as a copy of your medical information as a backup to an emergency card if you have allergies. There are all sorts of apps you can download to help alert those you need in the event of an emergency. Just browse the app store and choose the apps that you feel would work best for you.
Internet.
Google is also a great tool to use for cultivating ideas and reading reviews of certain apps. There are so many ways that your smart phone can be of benefit to you, all you need to do is research your options and set it up to where you are taking full advantage of your smart phone. If the information on the Internet becomes too overwhelming, most major cellular providers offer inservice, free classes on their phones. Find your local provider’s store and just call to sign up for a tutorial! John Michael Alost is the Media Specialist for The Center for Families, a non-profit counseling agency serving NW Louisiana. The Best Of Times
October 2015
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LAWS of the land
The Thief Who Went to Hawaiian Harley by Lee Aronson
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hile on vacation in Hawaii, Marcia (not her real name) got robbed. They didn’t take her purse or her traveler’s checks. (I know traveler’s checks are rare today, but Marcia is a child of the 70’s.) They just stole her credit card. So it took Marcia a couple of days to notice that it was missing. As soon as she did, she called the police and the credit card company. The credit card company told Marcia not to worry and that she wouldn’t be responsible for anything. A couple of weeks later, when the statement came, there was a charge for $650 that Marcia did not make. Rather than calling
the credit card company, she sent them a letter. She explained how her credit card was stolen; how she had contacted the credit card company and that the $650 charge to Hawaiian Harley was not hers. About a month after sending her letter, Marcia got a letter back from the credit card company that basically said, “We got your letter and we’ll look into it.” Marcia didn’t hear anything for a couple of months, but then she started getting phone calls from a collection agency. The collection agency said that her credit card was seriously past due and that she needed to pay the $650 plus an additional $45 in interest right away. Once these phone calls started, they didn’t stop. Then Marcia found out that the credit card company had ruined her credit by reporting the $650 plus interest as more than 90 days past due. As the phone calls
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continued, Marcia got more and more angry, so she decided to sue the credit card company. Here’s what the law says: once you get your credit card bill, if there is a charge on there that is not yours, then you have 60 days to contact the credit card company. But you have to contact them in writing and you have to dispute the charge in writing. If you do that, then you don’t have to pay the disputed charge right away. But just calling the credit card company is not good enough; you have to make your dispute in writing. Once you do, the credit card company has to do three things. First, it has to send you a letter acknowledging your dispute within 30 days. Then the credit card company has to investigate the matter. And third, the credit card company then needs to provide you with a written explanation of its decision as to whether the charge is valid. The law says that until the credit card company does all three of these things, it can’t make any attempt to collect the disputed debt. That includes reporting the disputed charge as delinquent to any collection agency or credit reporting agency. It would also be illegal to even threaten to ruin someone’s credit until the credit card company until it has completed all of these three legal requirements. In Marcia’s case, she had disputed the $650 charge in writing within her 60 day deadline. The credit card company had sent her a letter acknowledging her dispute within 30 days, but the credit card company had no proof that it had done any investigation at all and it hadn’t sent Marcia anything about its decision regarding whether the charge was valid. Marcia ended up winning her case. Which brings me to a very important point: when you get your credit card bill, you need to open it and go through it with a fine tooth comb. If there are charges on there that you did not make and you don’t dispute them in writing within 60 days of getting the bill, then you are legally responsible for them. That’s why giving authority to someone you trust to be able to do a thorough document review for you in case you can’t do it yourself is such an important part of a good estate plan. On a final note, the law is different for debit cards and ATM cards than it is for credit cards. If Marcia’s debit card has been stolen instead of her credit card, then she could have been on the hook for the unauthorized charge because did not notice and report the theft right away. Lee Aronson is a Shreveport attorney with Lineage Law, LLC, an estate and business planning law firm serving clients throughout Louisiana.
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The shops along Natchitoches’ Front Street sell magnolia magnets and mugs that recall the town’s glory days as a movie set.
Elvis sang Crawfish, the opening song in the 1958 movie King Creole, from a grillwork balcony in New Orleans. The antebellum mansion on Houmas House Plantation as well as the magnificent gardens make it attractive as a location spot for projects ranging from films to TV series and commercials.
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ome people prepare for
trips by researching facts and reserving accommodations. I prepare for them by watching movies. I hope that in some mystical way the film will help me better understand the culture of the place I’m about to visit. This explains why the night before my husband and I leave for Louisiana, with my suitcase still not packed, I’m watching Steel Magnolias. The film takes place in Natchitoches, a small town 75 miles southeast of Shreveport. It was written by native son Bobby Harling, depicts local events and was filmed there, thus showing the society as well as the scenery. For millions of fans, Natchitoches represents the archetypical Southern community. More important, the film pumped money into the town’s economy. State officials took note, and today Louisiana is one of the major film producing areas in the world. Indeed, it is often called “Hollywood South.”
Thus my husband and I embark on a road trip through Louisiana that takes us to places where many of these motion pictures were filmed. We begin in New Orleans, hopping aboard a ten-passenger van that’s outfitted with video screens in front of each seat. I look out the window to see a pink building with a green balcony, then switch my eyes to the video screen to see Elvis standing on that very balcony as he croons the opening song of his 1958 hit movie, King Creole. In short order, we see the French Market, where Clint Eastwood filmed Tight Rope; Frenchmen Street where Jean-Claude Van Damme had a shoot-out scene in Hard Target, and the cemetery where Peter Fonda rendezvoused with his dead mother in Easy Rider. Jonathan Rae, owner of New Orleans Movie Tours, hands out bags of popcorn, and we munch away as we drive through the Garden District where the real stars are the grand old houses. Scenes were filmed in virtually every room of the house that was used as a retirement center in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, possibly giving it more on-screen time than the star-of-record, Brad Pitt. Finally, we drive down a street in the Central Business District, which often is used to represent Chicago in one movie, Dallas or New York in another. “People don’t notice details,” Jon explains. “A row of tall buildings could be anywhere.” Like French director Jean-Luc Godard said, “Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world.” www.TheBestOfTimesNEWS.com
Of the hundreds of movies that have been filmed in Louisiana, only one has won the film industry’s big prize, the Oscar for Best Picture. That’s 12 Years a Slave, which was filmed on eleven Louisiana sites, five in New Orleans and six on various Louisiana plantations. We stop first at the closest of these, Destrehan, located on the Great River Road that runs seventy miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. There we see the grand eight-columned main house, the slave quarters, and many of the out-buildings, including the mule shed that was used in the film to represent the gin house. But it’s at Oak Alley, where films such as Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Interview with a Vampire were made, that I feel as if I’m living on a movie set. There’s the stately plantation home filled with elegant antiques, six reconstructed slave quarters and Alley of Oaks, a quarter mile of 300 year old trees that frame the house so perfectly as to please the soul of the pickiest cinematographer. The most opulent plantation is Houmas House, home to a museum-quality collection of art, magnificent gardens and an award-winning restaurant. It’s mostly used as an entertainment venue and wedding site, which makes it the perfect place to film ABC’s highly-rated Revenge of the Bridesmaids. En route to Shreveport, the northwest hub of Louisiana’s film industry, we stop in Baton Rouge, the film site of Showing Roots, starring Elizabeth McGovern and Cicely Tyson. Like Steel Magnolias, Roots
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celebrates life in a small Southern town, one where community - and beauty parlors - are a fact of life. Movie stars a definitely a fact of life in Shreveport and the surrounding towns, so much so that Webster Parish has a welldeveloped and well-marked Northwest Film Trail, complete with a visitor-friendly map and brochure. But it’s in Shreveport, where the brochure lists 15 film sites, that we see the true magic of the film industry. While New Orleans can turn its business district into a generic downtown, Shreveport has doubled for the North Pole, the Bering Sea and even the Biblical City of Sodom. Before ending our star-studded Louisiana tour, we make our way to Natchitoches. The houses that were used in the film are private homes, and the people strolling down Front Street don’t have the dazzling smile of Magnolias star Julia Roberts. But the atmosphere still resonates. I ask a resident what it’s like to live in Natchitoches. “Have you seen Steel Magnolias?” she asks. “That’s what it’s like. We’re a small Southern community.”
One of the scenes from 12 Years a Slave was filmed at Destrehan, which is the oldest documented plantation home in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Oak Alley Plantation has been featured in films and TV programs starring heavyweights such as Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Fay Dunaway, and John Travolta.
Sometimes it really is a good idea to prepare for a trip by watching a movie.
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tinseltown TALKS
Last Of ' T he Honeymooners'
by Nick Thomas rom “I Love Lucy” and “All in the Family” to “Married with Children” and “Seinfeld,” structuring a sitcom around four lead characters often proved a successful formula. “It was the perfect format for ‘The Honeymooners,’” said Joyce Randolph, who starred as Trixie in the popular 1950s series based on two tenement-dwelling couples – the Kramdens and the Nortons. As the sole surviving member of the original series cast – which included Jackie Gleason, Art Carney and Audrey Meadows – Randolph, who turned 90 last year, continues to be identified with the show. “I worked mostly in theater and early TV, but people still recognize me as Trixie,” said Randolph. “I’m amazed by the show’s longevity.” “The Honeymooners” was originally a series of short sketches on the DuMont Network’s “Cavalcade of Stars,” and later
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featured regularly on “The Jackie Gleason Show” at CBS. “I had done a breath mint commercial and got a call that Jackie wanted ‘that serious actor’ to audition for a skit called ‘The Honeymooners’ and to play the sewer worker’s wife,” recalled Randolph. “It didn’t pay much and my character was less developed than the other three, but I was happy to have a job.” Gleason soon recognized that the chemistry between himself, Carney, Meadows and Randolph had sitcom potential, and expanded “The Honeymooners” into a half-hour series that ran initially for 39 episodes during 1955-1956. The show was filmed with a live audience at the Adelphi Theater in Manhattan, and generally without full rehearsals. “Jackie hated to rehearse and wanted shows to be spontaneous, so Art, Audrey and me would go over the script together on Saturday mornings,” said Randolph. “Jackie ran everything and
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nobody told him what to do. He was extremely talented, and for a big guy was incredibly light on his feet doing physical comedy. For one roller-skating skit, I went with Art and Audrey to practice at a roller-skating palace here in New York. But we never saw Jackie practice. He just came out on the skates and amazed us.” Gleason, however, was not the most convivial of coworkers. “Jackie was a very strange man, not overly friendly and very moody,” said Randolph. “He just never sat around and talked. Andrey was very professional and would have the whole script memorized. If Jackie forgot a line, she got him back on track. Art was quiet and it was well-known he had a long history of problems with alcohol, but was a wonderful and talented guy.” And while fans like to imagine their sitcom stars from a favorite show paling around after hours, that wasn’t the case with “The Honeymooners” foursome. “We just didn’t hang out,” said Randolph. “At 9 o’clock, when we finished filming, we all went our own way.” Randolph continued in the role when it once again became
part of a new Jackie Gleason show. But when Gleason moved to Florida and revived “The Honeymooners” in several TV movies and in another show from 1966-1970, Randolph wasn’t invited. “Years later I saw Audrey and she said Jackie had looked for me, but couldn’t find me,” Randolph recalled. “Well, that was a lot of nonsense. Jackie wanted to use his long-time friend Jane Kean to play Trixie, and that’s what he did. But that was fine with me because I wasn’t going to move from New York where my husband had his job and I was happily raising my son.” Today, when she ventures from her New York apartment of 55 years, Randolph happily greets devoted Honeymooners’ fans. “Strangers still come up and want to hug and kiss me and tell me how much they love the show,” she said. “You learn to accept it, but it’s fun and people are nice. The show continues to influence my life.” Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, AL, and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 600 magazines and newspapers. Follow on Twitter @TinseltownTalks.
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29
Pastimes
Hippos in the Heartland by Dr. Terry L. Jones e all fantasize about that hunt of a lifetime. Mine would be floating down Bayou Teche on a balmy winter day. Scanning ahead for my quarry, I spot a large bull, snatch up my trusty .375 Holland & Holland double, and drop the trophy with a wellplaced head shot. My buddies whoop and share high fives as we take photos of the beast and then ponder how to load the four-ton hippopotamus into the boat. Sounds outrageous? Well, if Teddy Roosevelt and Rep. Robert Broussard had their way back in 1910, today’s hunters might well have a hippo stamp to fill the freezer with some bayou bacon. At the turn of the 20th century, immigration was causing the nation’s population to soar, and meat was becoming scarce. Prices were rising so dramatically that many people either boycotted meat out of protest or were forced to limit their consumption dramatically.
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To alleviate the shortage, British adventurer Frederick Russell Burnham hatched a scheme to transplant various African animals to the U.S. to be domesticated for the market and hunted for food. Burnham, a famous British soldier and African expert, was the inspiration for both the Boy Scouts and Indiana Jones. Burnham wrote an article outlining his plan and quickly gained the support of the New York Times and former president and hunting enthusiast Teddy Roosevelt. Robert Broussard, a Louisiana congressman from New Iberia, liked the idea and saw Burnham’s plan as a way to kill two birds with one stone. By the early 20th century, many South Louisiana bayous were clogged with invasive Japanese hyacinths. Japanese delegates to the 1884 New Orleans international cotton exposition had introduced the hyacinths to Louisiana, but they quickly escaped confinement and spread across the lower part of the state.
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Broussard was told that African hippos loved to eat hyacinths and that their meat was delicious. Figuring that South Louisiana was a lot like Africa, he believed hippos would easily adapt to our bayous, and, while they cleaned up the streams, Louisiana’s sportsmen could hunt them for meat. In 1910, Broussard introduced H.R. 23261, more commonly known as the “hippo bill,” and held an agricultural committee hearing on the subject. Broussard enlisted Burnham and Fritz Duquesne to drum up interest in transplanting hippos and raise money from investors. While Burnham was a well-respected international figure, Duquesne was a rather mysterious con man. A South African Boer, he had fought against Burnham in the Boer Wars and was known as the “Black Panther.” Both men had served as scouts and were once issued orders to kill the other. Now, the former enemies put aside their differences to work together on Broussard’s plan. William Newton Irwin, a researcher for the federal bureau of plant industry, also
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supported Broussard when he testified at the hearing. Irwin insisted that hippo meat was quite tasty and that the only reason Americans had not tried it before was “because nobody ever told them it was the proper thing to do.” “Killed under right conditions and cooked properly it is not only good, but it really is a delicacy. In flavor it is a blend between good beef and turkey. Sometimes one might say it is a combination of beef and fine sweet pork.” Bringing hippos to Louisiana was just one part of the overall plan to end the nation’s meat shortage. At Broussard’s hearing, experts advocated putting zebras on the Great Plains, Giraffes in Virginia and Arizona to provide both meat and leather, and white rhinos (whose meat was said to be delicious) in the desert southwest. Other animals on the transplant list included yaks, llamas, African buffalo, gemsbok, and gnus. Broussard’s hearing elicited support from around the nation. The Indianapolis Sunday Star noted, “We have enriched our native stocks of flowers, fruits and vegetables with contributions from all
over the world. But we have strangely overlooked the earth’s stocks of useful, edible and ornamental mammals. We hope the Louisiana legislature will look into this matter, as requested by its forests, fish and game commissioner, and that congress will pass Broussard’s bill.” The San Francisco Call wrote, “Lake cow bacon, made from the delicious hyacinth fed hippopotamus of Louisiana’s lily fringed streams, should soon be obtainable from the southern packing houses.” Alas, in the end, no hippos ever made it to Bayou Teche. Despite Broussard’s hearing and all of the publicity, the Department of Agriculture decided the meat shortage could be better addressed by converting more land to ranching and finding new ways to increase beef production. Perhaps it was for the best. If you think feral hogs are a problem…. Dr. Terry L. Jones is a professor of history at the University of Louisiana at Monroe who has received numerous awards for his books and outdoor articles.
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white’s WINES
Looking For a Wine List Bargain? Go Off the Beaten Path by David White
O
ne recent Saturday morning, a friend sent me the wine list for Green Zebra, one of Chicago's top vegetarian restaurants, and asked for my advice. He was dining there that evening with friends who enjoyed wine but weren't obsessive about it. So he would be tasked with ordering for the table. When hanging out with other wine enthusiasts or having a nice meal at home, my friend will happily open a bottle that costs upwards of $30. But when dining out, he typically opts for beer, as restaurant markups are too hard to stomach. I could see his conundrum. As the resident wine geek, my friend would be expected to find something delicious. But ordering the sort of wine he'd open at home -- say, Littorai's "Les Larmes" Pinot Noir, which retails for $45 but is on Green Zebra's list for $95 -- would be gauche. My advice was simple. I urged him to look for off-the-beatenpath varieties from off-the-beaten-path regions. As New York
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University economics professor Karl Storchmann once explained, "[The market] adds a premium for certain places or grapes." Consider Pinot Noir. The best examples of the variety are seductive and ephemeral, to be sure. But because Pinot Noir is so popular -- and so challenging and expensive to grow -- even "budget" options that offer little in the way of character are quite expensive. Pinot Noir obviously does well with the fare at Green Zebra; when it comes to reds, the sommelier has dedicated 35 percent of her list to the variety. The wines range from $48 to $105 per bottle. But if I were in my friend's shoes, I'd order the $55 Gamay from Georges Descombes, one of the top producers in Beaujolais. Pinot Noir is quite different than Gamay, of course. But serious examples of the variety effortlessly combine vibrant acidity with depth and complexity, just like top Pinot Noir. And I wouldn't shy away from the list's least expensive option, a $36 Cabernet Franc from Calcu, a producer in Chile's Colchagua Valley. Since there isn't much demand for either Cabernet Franc or wines from Chile, this bottle essentially comes with two built-in discounts. Plus, at high-end restaurants everywhere, sommeliers take great care to make sure their inexpensive wines are impressive, knowing that such offerings are introductions to their programs. The search for affordability is even easier with Green Zebra's whites. While six of the list's 26 offerings are Chardonnay, with prices ranging from $56 to $90, the list is packed with unusual varieties from unheralded regions. For $40, patrons can enjoy an intensely aromatic Gewurztraminer from Elena Walch in Alto Adige, Italy, that's full of charm. For just $38, there's a delightful blend of Assyrtiko and Athiri from Domaine Sigalas in Santorini, Greece. For even less, there's a rich blend of Roussanne and Viognier from Arizona. The choices go on. While the list at Green Zebra is well curated - and well-priced -- it isn't particularly unique. Any restaurant with a serious wine program will make sure its cellar is stocked with fun, food-friendly options that won't break the bank. At The Best Of Times
Bourbon Steak in Washington, D.C., for example, wine director Julian Mayor offers dozens of affordable, offbeat wines in a section of his list dubbed "Secrets of the Sommelier." Asking for advice helps, too. Most sommeliers are keen to help patrons find the perfect wine, regardless of price. When dining out, one of my friends simply asks for "something weird" -- and he's almost always pleased with both the wine and its price. One recent evening at a D.C. steakhouse, his request resulted in an affordable, captivating blend of Savagnin and Chardonnay from legendary Jura producer Jacques Puffeney. Wines from blue-chip regions like Burgundy and Napa are almost always expensive. Fortunately, sommeliers love stocking their lists with bottles that they, too, can afford to drink. So next time you're looking for a bargain, just go off the beaten path. David White is the founder and editor of Terroirist.com, which was named "Best Overall Wine Blog" at the 2013 Wine Blog Awards. His columns are housed at GrapeCollective.com.
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FAMILY FEATURES
W
idely recognized as portable and tasty, grapes are an easy way to enjoy an extra serving of fruit. Not only are grapes a super snack, they’re a terrific fresh ingredient to enhance any meal. In addition to great taste and versatility, grapes are also healthy. They are a natural source of antioxidants and other polyphenols, which contribute to a healthy heart. For more recipes, visit www.grapesfromcalifornia.com.
Grape and Smoked Mozzarella Flatbread
Servings: 4 2 large wholegrain flatbreads or naan (about 8 ounces) 1¼ cups grated smoked mozzarella 3 cups arugula 1 cup sliced red, green and black grapes 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 small clove garlic, minced Salt Freshly ground black pepper
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Heat broiler to high. Place flatbreads on baking sheet and broil until crisp and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cover with mozzarella. Broil until melted, about 2 – 3 minutes. While mozzarella is melting, toss together arugula, grapes, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place on top of flatbreads and cut into wedges.
Shrimp Thai Salad
Servings: 4 3 cups shredded savoy cabbage 2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed 1½ cups green California grapes, cut in half 1 large cucumber ¼ cup lime juice 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons minced shallots 1 tablespoon safflower oil 1 red Thai chili, thinly sliced 1½ cups cooked medium shrimp 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro 3 tablespoons Thai basil, torn Combine cabbage, bean sprouts and grapes in large bowl. With vegetable peeler, peel cucumber into long thin strips and put on top. In small bowl, combine lime juice, vinegar, sugar, shallots, oil and chili. Pour over vegetables and mix well. Divide among 4 serving plates, top with shrimp and sprinkle with cilantro and basil. www.TheBestOfTimesNEWS.com
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Your locally owned and operated company
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Get Up & Go! CADDO COUNCIL ON AGING Senior Center Fun - Randle T. Moore Center, 3101 Fairfield Avenue, Shreveport. Caddo Council on Aging. Every Thursday and Friday. Coffee and cookies at 9:30 a.m. FREE. Programs begin at 10:00 a.m. • Thursday October 1 - “Pain Management vs Medication ” Marsha Holder • Friday October 2 - Senior Tech Talk • Thursday October 8 - “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” by Rachel Stern • Friday October 9 - Senior Tech Talk • Thursday October 15 - “Fall Gardening” by Jennifer Williams • Friday October 16 - Senior Tech Talk • Thursday October 22 - “Shreveport Energy Efficiency Program” by Tracey Graham • Friday October 23 - Senior Tech Talk • Thursday October 29 - “Aging in Place” by Kristin Schneider CONCERT Cirque de la Symphonie: Halloween Extravaganza - Saturday October 31 at 7:30 PM at RiverView Theater, 600 Clyde Fant Pkwy, Shreveport. Featuring aerialists, jugglers and surprises. Tickets are $20 - $65. Call (318) 227-8863 or email tickets@shreveportsymphony.com.
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EVENTS Elder Law Forum and Estate Planning Issues Seminar - Thursday Oct. 15, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The Glen auditorium, 403 East Flournoy Lucas Road, Shreveport. Presented by The Glen Retirement System; Caddo Council on Aging; Dora Miller, Social Security and Medicare Consultant; Kenya Mitchell, VA; Kyle Moore, Attorney; Vickie Rech, Client Care Coordinator. Learn about Social Security and Medicare, veterans benefits, Medicaid benefits for nursing home care, legal documents that you shouldn't live without, what happens if you lose capacity and you haven't appointed a representative, and when and how to communicate important information with your family as you age. FREE. RSVP is requested to The Glen at 318-798-3500. Krewe of Elders Halloween Party Sunday, October 25, from 2:00 until 6 p.m., at the American Legion Post #14, 5315 South Lakeshore Dr., Shreveport. Entertainment by Road House Band. 50/50 raffle, best costume prizes, snacks, open to public. $6 members, $8 nonmembers. 752-9175, 631-8865. Master Gardeners Fall Bulb Sale presented by The Northwest Louisiana
Master Gardeners. Saturday, October 24 at the Randle T. Moore Center on Fairfield Avenue at Kings Highway from 8 AM until noon. Hard to find heirloom bulbs are featured. Come early for the best selection. For more information, call the Master Gardener Hotline at (318) 698-0010. Midnight at the Mansion - Saturday, October 31. Special Halloween Tour 9:00 pm - midnight, ending up with a ghost hunt inside the old Ogilvie Weiner mansion with Louisiana Spirits Paranormalists. $60 per person. Reserve tickets at www.historichauntsofshreveport.com. Net proceeds benefit historic preservation efforts. Other Historic Haunts tours are October 8, 29, and 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more info about tours visit the website or email hauntedshreveport@ gmail.com or historichauntsofshreveport@ gmail.com. Senior Day at the Louisiana State Fair Thursday, October 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Hirsch Coliseum, 3701 Hudson Avenue in the Louisiana State Fair Grounds in Shreveport. Presented by The Best of Times and The State Fair of Louisiana. FREE parking, FREE admission to the event, and FREE admission to the State Fair midway. Please help those in need by bringing one or more canned goods or non-perishable items to be donated to the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana. Fun, entertainment, prizes, and information - including State Fair Midway performers, musical entertainment, dancing performances, presentations, games, free health screenings, flu and pneumonia shots (A limited
www.TheBestOfTimesNEWS.com
number will be available. A Medicare card is required for “no charge” flu and pneumonia shots.), many giveaways, educational presentations, information from over 130 exhibitors, and over 200 door prizes. See page 5 for more info. MEETINGS Ark-La-Tex Genealogical Association Meeting - Saturday, October 10 from 1 to 3 PM at the Randle T. Moore Center, 3101 Fairfield Ave., Shreveport. Featured speakers are Mary Linn Wernet, archivist and Nolan Eller, assistant archivist at Northwestern State University. "Genealogical Resources in the Cammie G. Henry Research Center at NSU". FREE and open to the public. For info: 7461851 or jjohnson747@suddenlink.net." GENCOM Genealogical Computer Society meeting - Sunday October 25 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at the Broadmoor Branch Library, 1212 Captain Shreve Drive, Shreveport. The topic will be “Collateral and Cluster Genealogy Research – Searching for Your Cousins”. FREE and open to the public. For info (318) 773-7406 or jgjones09@gmail.com. THEATRE The Bishop's Wife: Oct. 2, 3, 9, 10 at 7:30 PM, Oct. 4, 11 at 3:00 PM. Emmett Hook Center, 550 Common Street, downtown Shreveport. Building a new cathedral is driving the Bishop to distraction, but divine intervention becomes less than heavenly when an angel comes to visit and the Bishop’s wife becomes his special project. Tickets are $16, Seniors $14, children $12. For tickets call 4296885 or emmetthookcenter.org.
The Best Of Times
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SHREVEPORT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Puzzle answers on page 40
MICHAEL BUTTERMAN, MUSIC DIRECTOR
Fill Your Life With Music WILLIS-KNIGHTON MASTERWORKS SERIES
CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE: HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA
SATURDAY, OCT. 31 7:30 PM
RiverView Theater, 600 Clyde Fant Pkwy Michael Butterman, conductor
Celebrate Halloween Circus style with a special show celebrating the spookiest holiday of all. Featuring aerialists, jugglers and surprises—it’s a hit with all ages!
Tickets start at $20; Students $12
www.shreveportsymphony.com
318.227.TUNE (8863)
SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE SHREVEPORT REGIONAL ARTS COUNCIL WITH FUNDS FROM THE CITY OF SHREVEPORT
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Suduko
Difficulty:
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ANSWERS FROM THE EXPERTS
(Puzzles on pages 38-39)
Will Medicare cover my mother’s care in a Vicki Ott nursing home? NurseCare Nursing and Rehab Center While Medicare does not pay room & 1736 Irving Place board fees for one actually “living” in a Shreveport, LA 71101 nursing home, there are portions of nurs(318) 221-1983 ing home care that are covered. Medicare See our ad on page 48. covers 100 days of skilled nursing care when the doctor feels that either nursing or rehabilitation services for Medicare Part A insured persons are needed following a recent hospitalization of 3 or more days. Additionally, Medicare Parts B & D may pay for your mother’s medications and physical, speech or occupational therapies ordered by a physician while she is in a nursing home. Depending upon the financial situation, nursing home room & board is generally paid by the individual, Medicaid, or Long Term Care Insurance. I have a rotator cuff tear. Do I need John J. Ferrell, M.D. surgery? Mid South Orthopaedics It depends. Rotator cuff tears are a 7925 Youree Drive; Suite 210 common source of shoulder pain, which Shreveport, LA 71105 increases in incidence with advancing age. (318) 424-3400 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. Chris Shelby, MD How long do the positive effects of CK last? Pierremont Eye Institute Will I ever have to wear reading glasses 7607 Youree Dr. again? Shreveport, LA 71105 Conductive Keratoplasty, or CK, is 318-212-3937; www.ShelbyEye.com a wonderful procedure to help reduce See our ad on page 30. your dependence on reading glasses. The positive effects of CK will last a lifetime, but everyone becomes more presbyopic with advancing age. As time goes on, patients will find themselves needing to use reading glasses more often. The good news is, because CK has such a high safety profile, it can be enhanced years later. For more info on CK and its benefits, visit us online at www.ShelbyEye.com or call us at (318) 212-3937.
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Share your photos with us. Email to editor.calligas@gmail.com
CHEN
(l to r) Amanda Allen, Jodi McAllister, Valerie White, and Pat Russ
(Community Health Education Network) University for medical personnel was held on September 9. (l to r) Megan Pearce, Jodi The Best of Times legal conMcAllister, and Amanda Allen from tributor attorney Lee Aronson Garden Park Nursing Home was one of the presenters.
Toni Camp and Emily Jones
Karen Thomas and Shari Malmay
The Best Of Times
Jennifer Brocato and Kathy Deer
Amanda Rogers and Vicki Larson
October 2015
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NE W
No t Contrac
m 40 pr in 0 Ge ic ut mo t e W of es f nth EM 2 or ly TA 00 th LK wi e FREE . th
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TBT
publisher Gary Calligas spoke to the Shreveport Writers Club on September 5.
O
ctober PARTING SHOTS (continued)
M
edicare 101 was presented at the Glen on September 10.
Jim Freeman and Kathleen Ward Douglas Fowler and Margaret d’Aquin
Mary Alice Rountree of the Caddo Council on Aging explains the fine points of Medicare.
Ken Shively and Lela Robichaux
Attendees Pat and Bill Stell
Information and Referral
Hearing Aids
Skills Training
American Sign Language Interpreting
Consumer Center Loan Closet – Durable Medical Equipment CPR/First Aid Employment Services
Advocacy Peer Support Non-Profit
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There was a time when people thought “independent living” was limited to “accessible doorways” and “special parking...”
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Website: www.nhilc.org www.Facebook.com/NHILC 1111A Hawn Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana 71107 The Best Of Times
October 2015
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O
ctober PARTING SHOTS (continued)
T
BT publisher Gary Calligas gave a presentation to the senior group of First Baptist Church of Benton on September 15.
Robert Beadle, Benny Nunnery, and Billy Thorn (seated)
(l to r) Joyce Brown, Ginny Stickell, Edith Rossen, and Mary Hazelwood
(l to r) Carl and Sandy Greig with Sonja and Charles Crick
(l to r) Elizabeth Cox, Mary Hazelwood, Benny Nunnery, and Ethelyn Lunsford
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O
ctober PARTING SHOTS (continued)
B
lue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana donated $50,000 to help with the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana’s BackPack™ Program on September 2. The program helps hungry children by secretly placing food in their backpack at the end of the school week to help them through the weekend.
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Printing Small and large format (up to 44 inches wide) Posters Banners, Personalized note cards Giclee printing from artwork Paper variety including canvas
(l to r) Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation President Michael Tipton, Food Bank Board of Directors Chair Margaret Shehee, Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler, Food Bank Executive Director Martha Marak, and Kevin McCotter.
Slide Show Compilation High Resolution Scans VHS-DVD Transfers
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www.beyonddigitalimaging.com Beyond Digital Imaging, L.L.C. 106 E. Kings Hwy, Suite 103
Shreveport, LA 71104
MACULAR DEGENERATION Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler packs food boxes to be distributed to needy area seniors
The Best of Times Radio Hour producer Angela Thomas packs boxes for seniors
S
hirley OlivieriMathies, Chairman, Operation Support Our Troops, Inc. speaking at the Freedom Is Not Free 9/11 Hill Crest Memorial Program
Imagine A Pair Of Glasses That Can Help You See Better! Ever look through a pair of field glasses or binoculars? Things look bigger and closer, and easier to see. Dr. Mona Douglas is using miniaturized binoculars or telescopes to help people who have decreased vision, to see better. In many cases, special telescopic glasses can be prescribed to enhance visual performance. She can often help people read, watch TV, see the computer and sometimes drive. Telescopic glasses cost between $1900-$2600. It is a small price to pay for the hours of enjoyment with better vision and more independence.
For more information and a FREE telephone interview call:
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red and Dorothy Gilliam pose by their Norwegian Cruise Ship during their tour of the Bahamas. The Best Of Times
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Dr. Mona Douglas, Optometrist Shreveport . Monroe . Lafayette www.IALVS.com October 2015
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O
ctober PARTING SHOTS (continued)
T
he 29th annual Centenary Book Bazaar was held in the Gold Dome in mid September.
Gail Cavazos (left) and Betty Storar
WWII veteran Paul Madden enjoyed volunteering in the WWI and WWII section Sim McCarty finds the book he wanted.
WILLS SUCCESSIONS ELDER LAW John E. Settle, Jr. Attorney at Law 742-5513
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We Know Our Community After 90 Years of caring for our community we know how to deliver the healthcare you need with outstanding doctors and caring nurses and staff. And we have the technology you deserve in convenient, comfortable locations just 8 minutes from every home in Shreveport & Bossier City. We’re recognized nationally for excellence in healthcare. But the recognition that matters most to us is your recognition of us as your preferred choice for healthcare.
Thank you for choosing WK!
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Vicki Ott
Kacee Ferrier
Chasity Ellis Angie Hayes Charlotte McCune
Donnie Flint
A Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility Vicki Ott, Executive Administrator Angie Hayes, Assistant Administrator Donnie Flint, Director of Nursing Charlotte McCune, Assistant Director of Nursing Kacee Ferrier, Director of Rehab Chasity Ellis, DPT
1736 Irving Place Shreveport, LA 71101
www.nursecareofshreveport.com admissions@nursecareofshreveport.com
(318) 841-8704
Some specialty services offered: Nurse Practitioner in-House Wound Care Tracheotomy Care Post Acute Rehab Electrical Stimulation Therapy (E-Stim) IV Therapy Dementia Management Cardiac Care Diabetic Care Dialysis Management Pain Management Restorative Nursing Program
NurseCare of Shreveport highlights:
NurseCare of Shreveport welcomes all persons in need of our services without regard to race, age, disability, color, national origin, religion, marital status, or gender and will make no determination regarding admissions or discharges based upon these factors. We comply with Section 504 of the Civil Rights Act.
Basic cable television and Wi-Fi offered at no charge Beauty and Barber Shop services Transportation services to and from medical appointments Exciting social events Faith based services Music, crafts, and creative activities Dining prepared for taste, health, and nutritional value Entertainment resources including resident computer system IT’S NEVER 2 LATE with internet access