January 2015 | Howard County Beacon

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Program takes bite out of hunger

A growing problem In the U.S., 9.3 million people over the age of 60 — one in six — face the threat of hunger, according to the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging, which coordinates senior nutrition programs around the country.

The number of “food insecure seniors”

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PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MYERS

By Robert Friedman By the middle of the month, after paying her bills, Linda Umstead finds her $1,077 Social Security check stretched about as far as it can go. But she still needs groceries for the rest of month.

The 71-year-old Ellicott City resident said she “definitely would have difficulties” affording the food she needs without the “Food on the 15th” program — an allvolunteer effort that provides free groceries to older Howard County residents around the 15th of each month.

“I have diabetes and high blood pressure, and I can’t work anymore,” said Umstead, who spent 45 years as a bartender before she stopped working in 2004. “I feel blessed” to be a Food on the 15th recipient, she said.

Sharlotte Wilcox, 66, who receives food stamps (the daily allowance is about $4.50) is also helped by the program. Wilcox used to interview patients at healthcare facilities, but lost her job two years ago. Also living on her Social Security check, she is helped by Food on the 15th to fill her monthly nutrition needs.

“They are outstandingly nice people,” Wilcox said of the volunteers, most of whom are local students — from elementary to high school — and their parents.

Umstead and Wilcox each live alone in the 25-unit Tiber Hudson low-income senior apartments in Ellicott City. Each month, Food on the 15th makes a “grocery-store” delivery to Tiber Hudson, setting out food by categories on tables in the building’s community room.

Many are canned goods, though sometimes fresh fruits and vegetables are available. The residents then do their “shopping,” the food is bagged, and the students and their parents help carry the packages to the apartments.

“For those of us who don’t drive and can’t go grocery shopping, it’s a wonderful thing,” said Umstead.

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Henry Bouchat, a resident of the Tiber Hudson senior apartment building in Ellicott City, selects groceries provided by Food on the 15th with the help of student Gabriel Pellerano. With contributions from the community and the help of local students, the nonprofit donates food to older adults in several Howard County apartment communities in the middle of each month, when money can start to get tight.

is expected to increase 50 percent by 2025, when the youngest of the baby boom generation reaches age 60.

The latest Census Bureau figures show that Howard County residents have an average annual household income of $108,000, the second highest in the nation. Nevertheless, “food insecurity” among seniors in the county is a “serious problem,” according to Maryland Hunger Solutions, a Baltimorebased non-profit that fights hunger.

Enter Julie Rosenthal of Clarksville and Food on the 15th. [No relation to the publisher of the Beacon.]

In 2006, working in conjunction with the county’s Coalition of Geriatric Services (COGS), Rosenthal founded the awardwinning program she still runs on what

she proudly says is a “zero” budget.

The food, mostly non-perishables, is donated by students, teachers, parents and staff of the schools involved in the program, as well as from companies, nonprofits, churches and members of the local community. Some nonprofits, such as COGS, make Food on the 15th a prime beneficiary.

For the past eight years, students and their parents have been sorting, bagging and delivering food to residents of two lowincome senior buildings: Tiber Hudson in Ellicott City and Morningside Park Apartments in Jessup. During the summer, area churches have taken up the collections and made deliveries.

See FOOD ON THE 15th, page 8

ARTS & STYLE

Mary Poppins works her magic at Toby’s Dinner Theatre; plus, a concert of music with African influences page 26

FITNESS & HEALTH k How to wean off sleeping pills k Toxins can speed aging

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THE SENIOR CONNECTION 15 k Newsletter for Howard County seniors LAW & MONEY k Risky Chinese stocks k Good news on estate taxes

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Facing facts Perhaps because so many readers have of the U.S. population will be 65 or older. recently told me how much they’ve enjoyed Plus, as we continuously drive down my recent columns, I’ve dedeath rates from the most cided to risk spending some common diseases, such as of that capital this month by heart disease and cancer, we sharing a number of statistics make longevity gains every that I think paint a rather trouyear at every age. bling picture and lead to some We might not be surprised controversial conclusions. when the Centers for Disease Because I can’t possibly lay Control tells us that Americans’ out all the pertinent facts, average life expectancy at birth much less their ramifications, rose 1.9 years from 2000 to 2010 in one column, this will have (from 76.8 to 78.7). But did you to be continued next month. know average life expectancy at FROM THE But let’s start with some PUBLISHER the age of 65 rose by 1.5 years good news, which has been By Stuart P. Rosenthal over the same decade (from well-covered in the Beacon 82.6 to 84.1), and by 1.1 years and elsewhere: Americans are living longer for those who were 75 (from 86 to 87.1)? and healthier than ever before.

These generally positive developments In part due to that — and in part due to give rise to some serious financial implicademographic effects set in motion by the tions. baby boomers’ parents decades ago — our A 2009 study by the MacArthur Foundapopulation as a whole is aging rapidly. tion estimated that “adding 3.1 to 7.9 years According to the Census Bureau, in 1970, to life expectancy by 2050 would add an esti9.8 percent of U.S. residents were 65 and mated $3.2 trillion to $8.3 trillion to Medicare over. In 2010, 13 percent were 65+. By 2030, and Social Security outlays above current exwhen the remaining boomers will have pectations,” Businessweek reported. reached or passed 65, more than 20 percent That could be a real problem, given that

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even based on current funding streams, Social Security is anticipated to be able to pay only 75 percent of promised benefits in 2030 unless significant changes are made, and the Medicare program is in nearly as bad a shape.

This year alone, the two programs are already costing U.S. taxpayers more than $350 billion out of general revenues, according to the latest Trustees’ report.

So with the prospect of reduced federal benefits in the future, are boomers in a position to self-fund their longer, more active retirements thanks to regular savings and judicious investments? On the contrary.

But Businessweek reports that, “until 2007, when the oldest boomers were staring down the barrel of retirement, baby boomers’ average annual saving rate was negative 0.5 percent. They weren’t just saving too little, they were piling on debt in what should have been prime saving years.”

In contrast, earlier generations raised during or shortly after the Great Depression and living through WWII typically saved more than 10 percent of their income during their middle earning years.

Fortunately, boomers are now saving about 11.6 percent per year on average, but given the importance of compound interest to building up a nest egg, it may be too little, too late.

And their children, the millennials, are doing even worse, at least for the moment.

Americans under 35 are currently spending 1.7 percent more than they are making each year.

There is one group, however, that is sit-

ting rather pretty: Americans 75 and over.

Despite the fact that over the past decade median U.S. household net worth has declined from $115,000 to $81,200, according to the Federal Reserve, among those 75 and up, median household net worth increased from $131,000 (in 1989) to $195,000 in constant 2013 dollars.

No doubt we should be happy that the 65 and over age group — which had the highest rate of poverty in the country in 1959 (35 percent) — today has the lowest poverty rate of any age group (9.5 percent).

But we might not be so happy to learn that the current poverty rate of children under 18 is more than twice as high (19.9 percent).

We haven’t even begun to talk about Medicaid — the joint federal/state healthcare and long-term care program for the poor and those with disabilities — and how its fast-rising needs are straining that program in many states as well as on the national level.

There are facts about that program and many others I could share, and next month I may do some of that. But I think you see where I am going with this.

Please pick up the Beacon next month and give me a chance to finish my thoughts, because I feel there is an important discussion we need to be having in this country.

It starts with facing certain facts. Who knows where it will end?

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

Dear Editor: I found your December cover story, “Being gay and gray in Howard,” very interesting and informative.

However, I believe there is another reason why LGBT seniors might not feel safe coming out in an assisted living or nursing home situation. The increasing number of health aides coming from other cultures and/or countries that do not view LGBT people favorably could present an uncomfortable situation for the resident.

For example, one of my former neighbors, with whom I was on friendly terms and even socialized with, is from Uganda, a country that mandates life in prison (before international condemnation, it was the death penalty) for LGBT people.

Perhaps I did my neighbor a disservice, but I was never out to them because I was afraid of, at the least, losing their friendship or, the worst, encountering hostility. And if I

couldn’t come out to my neighbor, there’s no way I would come out to a health aide.

As a woman, I would feel uncomfortable having a male aide no matter where he came from, but I’ve visited friends in those facilities and saw that they had no control over even that. One friend was always bathed by a male aide (despite her repeated objections) who would strip her naked and shower her down like she was an animal in a zoo.

And I certainly would not come out as a lesbian to him. In fact, I would feel very much that I was in a hostile situation.

Again, perhaps I am doing a disservice to male health aides everywhere, but that is how it is for me.

Thank you though for writing and publishing this article. It is good to have the dialogue begin.

Barbara Johnson Burtonsville, MD

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SPICE UP YOUR HEALTH Curry, coriander, cardamom and cumin have a variety of health benefits FEAR OF FLAVORS Are artificial flavors in food a boon for taste buds or something to fear?

ALZHEIMER’S DEPRESSION A study seeks Alzheimer’s patients for a drug to alleviate depression REVERSING VISION LOSS In experimental use, stem cells helped those with macular degeneration

Google plans pill to search for illnesses

By Brandon Bailey Google is working on a cancer-detecting pill in its latest effort to push the boundaries of technology.

Still in the experimental stage, the pill is packed with tiny magnetic particles, which can travel through a patient’s bloodstream, search for malignant cells, and report their findings to a sensor on a wearable device.

As many as 2,000 of these microscopic “nanoparticles” could fit inside a single red blood cell to provide doctors with better insights about what is happening inside their patients.

The project is the latest effort to emerge from Google’s X lab, which has been trying to open new technological frontiers to solve nettlesome problems and improve the quality of people’s lives.

The same division is also working on several other futuristic projects that have little to do with Google’s main business of Internet search and advertising: Self-driving cars, a computer called Glass that looks like a pair of eyeglasses, Internetbeam balloons, and contact lenses for dia-

betics that can measure glucose in tears.

Some investors frustrated with the costs of financing X’s projects ridicule them as expensive flights of fancy, but Google CEO Larry Page likens them to moon shots that could unleash future innovation and money-making opportunities.

How pill would work At this point, Google believes the cancerdetecting nanoparticles can be coated with antibodies that bind with specific proteins or cells associated with various maladies.

The particles would remain in the blood and report back continuously on what they find over time, said Andrew Conrad, head of life sciences at Google X, while a wearable sensor could track the particles by following their magnetic fields and collecting data on their movement through the body.

The goal is to get a fuller picture of the patient’s health than the snapshot that’s obtained when a doctor draws a single sample of blood for tests that aren’t comprehensive enough to spot the early stages of many forms of cancer.

“We want to make it simple and automatic and not invasive,” Conrad added.

Just as Google is doing in the contact lens project, the company is here looking for ways to proactively monitor health and prevent disease, rather than wait to diagnose problems, he said.

Data from the sensor could be uploaded or stored on the Internet until it can be interpreted by a doctor, he said. That could raise questions about privacy or the security of patient data. But when asked if Google could use the information for commercial purposes, Conrad said, “We have no interest in that.”

Aiming for early detection The effort to develop a better way to detect cancer was inspired by the experience of Google engineer Tom Stanis.

After getting hit by a car while bicycling, Stanis wound up in a hospital emergency room where a medical scan looking for internal bleeding alerted doctors that there was a tumor growing in his kidney.

The diagnosis probably wouldn’t have

been made at such an early stage if Stanis hadn’t been seriously injured, prompting Google’s X lab to explore better ways for doctors to keep watch for early warning signs. Stanis, who is now cancer-free, is part of the team working on X’s nanoparticle technology.

Conrad described the project during an appearance at a tech industry conference organized by the Wall Street Journal.

He said the team working on the nanoparticle project includes a cancer specialist and other doctors, as well as electrical and mechanical engineers and an astrophysicist who has been advising on how to track the particles through the body.

Google is looking for partners who would license the technology and bring products to market. “Our partners would take care of all that stuff. We’re the inventors and creators of the technology,” Conrad said.

It could be a decade before Google’s nanoparticle research pays off, according to the company, based in Mountain View, California.

— AP

It’s not easy to discontinue sleep meds Do you take a drug to help you sleep every night? You’re not alone. Millions of Americans rely on prescription sleep medications, called sedative hypnotics.

“People believe they can’t sleep without them, and they stay on them for years,” said sleep expert Dr. Lawrence Epstein, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. But you can wean yourself off the drugs using a combination of dose reduction and behavior changes.

Epstein points to two challenges when it comes to fighting sleep aid dependence.

One is that when you stop taking the drugs, you get a withdrawal response that keeps you from sleeping well.

“If you stop too quickly you can get rebound insomnia, which makes symptoms worse,” said Epstein.

The other challenge is that the rebound insomnia then convinces users they need the drugs to sleep. In reality, the medication is just preventing withdrawal symptoms.

That cycle creates dependence, which is different from an addiction that’s charac-

terized by compulsive use and preoccupation with a drug that interferes with normal life.

A gradual process The encouraging news is that Epstein helps people get off sleep medications every day. It starts with a gradual, progressive reduction in the amount of sleep medication you take.

Make sure this is done under the direction of a physician. Abrupt stopping can trigger seizures in some people.

Reducing the medication requires planning. “Each time you lower the dose, your sleep will be disrupted because you’ll have the withdrawal effect. So be prepared, and know your sleep won’t be as good for a few days,” said Epstein.

The longer you’ve been on the medications, the slower your doctor will make the taper. It’s a process that can last from weeks to months.

Reducing medications may not be enough to help you rest each night. So

your doctor will likely pair the process with tools to counter behaviors that do not promote sleep. These include: 1. Cognitive behavior therapy, which helps you redirect your thoughts to reduce anxiety about sleeping 2. Relaxation techniques, such as guided visualization 3. Recognizing the stimuli that prevent sleep, such as television, computer and smartphone screens 4. Improving sleep hygiene by — using the bed for sleep and sex only; blocking as much noise and light as possible; going to bed and waking at the same times each day; and getting out of bed if you haven’t fallen asleep within 20 minutes 5. Dietary changes, such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine and foods that promote acid indigestion.

Sleep drugs may help you get a decent night’s rest, but they come with the risk of impairment — even amnesia — the next morning.

You’ll know you’re affected if you have a

hard time getting started in the morning, or if you’re groggy when you wake up.

That may also put you at risk for impaired driving.

It’s vital to know how long these drugs last in your body. Some, like zolpidem (Ambien), are short-acting. Others, such as eszopiclone (Lunesta) and temazepam (Restoril), are medium-acting. Long-acting drugs include flurazepam (Dalmane) and clonazepam (Klonopin).

“If the problem is falling asleep, pick a drug that doesn’t last long. If the problem is awakening during the night, pick one that lasts longer, but learn how long it takes you to get rid of the medication, and put aside enough time for sleep to let the drug clear from your body,” Epstein advised.

If you’re groggy in the morning, talk to your doctor about a different medication or dose, and don’t get behind the wheel of a car.

— Harvard Health Letter © 2014. All Rights Reserved. Distributed

by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Environmental toxins make us age faster Why are some 75-year-olds downright spry while others can barely get around?

Part of the explanation, according to research published recently in the Cell Press journal Trends in Molecular Medicine, is differences from one person to the next in exposure to harmful substances in the environment — chemicals such as benzene, cigarette smoke, even stress.

While the birth date on your driver’s license tells you your chronological age, that might mean little in terms of the bio-

logical age of your body and cells.

The researchers, including UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Ned Sharpless, M.D., say that what we need now is a better understanding of the chemicals involved in aging and biomarkers to measure their effects.

“The rate of physiologic, or molecular, aging differs between individuals in part because of exposure to ‘gerontogens’, i.e., environmental factors that affect aging,” said Sharpless. “We believe just as an un-

derstanding of carcinogens has informed cancer biology, so will an understanding of gerontogens benefit the study of aging.

“By identifying and avoiding gerontogens, we will be able to influence aging and life expectancy at a public health level,” he said.

From a public health perspective, cigarette smoke is likely the most important gerontogen, according to Sharpless. Cigarettes are linked with cancers but also with atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis and other diseases associated with age.

UV radiation from the sun makes us older too. And Sharpless and his colleagues recently showed that chemotherapy treatment is also a strong gerontogen.

The researchers call for a concerted research effort to understand the clinical uses for molecular tests of aging, as well as

the epidemiology of accelerated aging.

“We believe the comparison of molecular markers of aging to clinical outcomes should begin in earnest,” Sharpless said.

For example, he asked, can biomarkers to aging predict toxicity from surgery or chemotherapy in patients in whom chronological age is already a known risk factor?

Sharpless does caution against making tests of molecular age available to consumers and patients directly. “The potential for miscommunication and other harm seems real,” he said.

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; from WhatDoctorsKnow, a magazine devoted to up-to-the minute information on health issues from physicians, major hospitals and clinics, universities and health care agencies across the U.S. Online at www.whatdoctorsknow.com.

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Jan. 19

KITCHEN WISDOM Learn how to cook healthy food with a variety of spices and fla-

vors. The session is free and available at the Wellness Center Medical Pavilion, Suite 100, 10701 Charter Dr., Columbia, on Monday, Jan. 19 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Register online at events.www.hcgh.hopkinsmedicine.org. For more information, call (410) 740-7601.

Howard County’s Only Life Care Retirement Community.

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Join us for our Lunch and Learn Event.

Wednesday, January 14 • 11 am The excitement is building at Vantage House.

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410-988-3957 5400 Vantage Point Road, Columbia, MD 21044 Space is limited – call today. Ask about our new Free Signature Club Membership to receive special invitations to Vantage House Events.

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Don’t trust those online Alzheimer’s tests

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ages and spatial relationships 6. New problems with words in speaking or writing 7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps 8. Decreased or poor judgment 9. Withdrawal from work or social activities 10. Changes in mood and personality —Alzheimer’s Association

FREE INFORMATION

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If you notice any of the following warning signs of dementia, see a doctor.

(For more details, go to www.health .harvard.edu/alzsigns): 1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life 2. Challenges in planning or solving problems 3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure 4. Confusion with time or place 5. Trouble understanding visual im-

If you have concerns about your memory, talk to your doctor. Diagnosing dementia requires a range of tests and an expert to interpret and explain the results properly.

If your doctor refers you for comprehensive memory testing, be prepared for more than a simple check-box quiz. The process can take the better part of a day and may be broken into two visits. But you will get more out of it than just peace of mind.

Medicare now covers an Annual Wellness Visit, at which you and your doctor can discuss any concerns about your memory and mental skills. This provides a reference point to understand any future changes you may experience.

— Harvard Men’s Health Watch © 2014. President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Warning signs of Alzheimer’s

Talk to your doctor

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The tests may seem like harmless fun, but they may not be.

“What we saw was definitely very concerning,” said Julie Robillard, the lead researcher on the study. “These tests expose a vulnerable population to predatory marketing strategies.”

Another potential downside is the anxiety a person could suffer after test results indicate a memory impairment that may

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Many possible harms

Researchers based at the National Core for Neuroethics at the University of British Columbia evaluated 16 online tests. Two independent panels of experts recruited for the study said that the tests they examined fall short in several important ways: • Most of the sites are “poor” or “very poor” in their ability to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease based on current scientific understanding.

• The tests are often unreliable, which

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Tests get an F

actually have nothing to do with dementia.

“There are many reasons why people can have memory problems,” Rentz said.

“You might just not be sleeping well, or have something else that’s correctable.”

On the other hand, an “all clear” test result may discourage a person from following up on signs of a real memory impairment.

“The test could give you a false negative, saying you’re perfectly fine when actually you should worry,” Rentz added. “You’re not truly going to understand what’s going on just by taking a test like that.”

Robillard and her colleagues are planning additional research to see if taking online Alzheimer’s tests leads to poorer health or other problems.

“It could have potential benefits down the road, but there are definitely some potential harms that need to be evaluated,” Robillard said.

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means that taking them on different days could lead to different results. This means that day-to-day ups and downs in fatigue or nervousness could throw off the test results.

• The sites do not clearly explain their privacy policies, including how personal information in the test process could be used. Some websites ask for dates of birth, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information. Companies sometimes use the tests to hawk ineffective memory supplements and other products.

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There are memory tests all over the Internet, but they’re notoriously poor at evaluating your memory and mental skills. If you’re genuinely concerned about memory lapses and fear they might point to Alzheimer’s disease, talk to a professional.

“If people are that worried, they really should make an appointment with a doctor,” said Dorene Rentz, clinical neuropsychologist and co-director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Harvard Medical School.

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Health Shorts Dim lighting at home hurts vision In examinations of older adults, average scores on vision tests can be better in the clinic than at home. Sometimes patients are able to read at least two or more lines extra on an eye chart in the clinic compared with what they could read at home.

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., suggests dim lighting may be the culprit. “The major factor contributing to this difference was poor lighting in the home,” said Dr. Anjali M. Bhorade, a Washington University ophthalmologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital

in St. Louis. The study was published online in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

The researchers studied 175 patients ages 55 to 90, including 126 with glaucoma. All patients had their vision measured at home and at the Glaucoma and Comprehensive Eye Clinics at the School of Medicine.

The average scores on vision tests were better in the clinic than at home, Bhorade said. Nearly 30 percent of the patients with glaucoma were able to read at least two or more lines extra on an eye chart in the clinic than on the same chart at their homes, and 39 percent of those with advanced glaucoma read three or more additional lines in the clinic.

The same results were observed with up-close vision. More than 20 percent of patients were able to read two or more additional lines of text at the doctor’s office than they did at home.

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Patients without glaucoma had similar differences.

“The lighting levels were below the recommended range in more than 85 percent of the homes we visited,” Bhorade said.

“Since most older adults spend the majority of time at home, our study suggests that better lighting may increase vision and possibly improve the quality of life for a large number of people. The houses we visited were almost three to four times less bright than an average clinic.”

Although the study didn’t look specifically at potential dangers associated with low light, such as falls, other research has determined that a difference of two or more lines on an eye chart is associated with a significant difference in how a person functions in daily life.

“Our study results also suggest that not all older adults benefit from increased lighting.

Clinicians should refer their patients for a customized in-home evaluation by an occupational therapist or low-vision rehabilitation specialist who can make suggestions to optimize the lighting in people’s homes.”

— What Doctors Know

Medicare may cover end-of-life counseling Medicare will consider paying doctors to counsel patients about their options for end-of-life care, the same idea that spurred accusations of “death panels” and fanned a political furor around President Barack

Obama’s healthcare law five years ago.

The announcement came in a voluminous regulation on physician payment. It will “give the public ample opportunity to weigh in on the topic,” said Medicare spokesman Aaron Albright.

Medicare will consider a change for 2016.

Such counseling would be voluntary, aiming to make patients aware of their options so they can determine the type of care they want at the end of life.

It’s an idea that has wide support in the medical community, and some private insurance plans already pay for such counseling. Supporters say counseling would give patients more control and free families from tortuous decisions.

Before former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin ignited the “death panel” debate in 2009, there was longstanding bipartisan consensus around helping people to better understand their end-of-life choices and decisions.

In 2008, a year before debate over the Obama’s health overhaul spiraled into tea party protests, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation requiring doctors to discuss issues like living wills with new Medicare enrollees.

That effort dissipated almost instantly when Palin said the end-of-life counseling provision in the legislation would result in bureaucrats deciding whether sick people get to live. The language, modeled after a bill by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., was ultimately removed.

Now the administration is dipping its toe in the water again.

— AP

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7

Cook with spices that work like medicine I recommend these: I’m one of those cooks that combines Garam masala. This is not one spice, it’s whatever I find in the fridge or pantry without a plan. I’ll throw spices and foods togeth- a blend which differs regionally. It usually contains cinnamon, nutmeg, er like a mad scientist, kind of cloves, peppercorns, turmeric how I did in my 1987 organic and mace (not the kind of mace chemistry class (hoping I you spray in a mugger’s face, wouldn’t blow up the lab). this “mace” is a waxy red coatRecently, I went to my first ing off a nutmeg seed.) Garam cooking class, “Secrets of Inmasala can help you with digesdian Cuisine,” at Sur La tion and respiratory conditions.

Table. Focusing was difficult Curry. This is actually a since I was distracted by the blend of spices, including incredible aroma of the garlic, turmeric, which is known for its onion and seasonings which DEAR anti-cancer benefits and ability were simmering in the pot.

PHARMACIST to reduce inflammation. Curry Our chef taught us how to

By Suzy Cohen blends may cause diarrhea in create the most amazing sensitive people. In case you Chicken Tikka Masala I’ve ever tasted! In between bites and moans, I have ever experienced an Indian food reacasked why his tasted so much better than tion, curry is the ‘laxative.’

Coriander. It’s from the seeds of the the restaurant version.

He said, “The secret is the spice you use.” He did not use the powdered spices you get from a regular grocery store. His were fresh, and he turned both the cumin and coriander seeds into powder using a little electric coffee grinder.

Our eyes widened as he passed around his freshly ground spice and the same spice in a store-bought version. The color and aroma were completely different. One whiff and his point was made!

I decided it’s worth the extra five minutes to use spices his way. Indian spices are some of the healthiest on the planet and can act as an aphrodisiac, antibacterial, immune booster, respiratory aid and digestive tonic.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING

Blood pressure screenings are available at the Ellicott City Senior Center, 9401 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City on Tuesdays (except Dec. 30) from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call (410) 313-1400.

STROKE SUPPORT

Jan. 22+

GROUP This stroke support

group meets the fourth Thursday of the month. The next session will be on Jan. 22 at the Bolduc Family Outpatient Center Classroom, 5755 Cedar Ln., Columbia, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more information or to register, call (410) 740-7601.

cilantro plant, but it tastes nothing like cilantro. Lightly toast them to extract more flavor. This spice reduces insulin and blood sugar, and one study suggests it binds heavy metals such as lead.

Green cardamom seed. During cooking class, I gently popped open the seeds in a mortar and pestle by tapping them, and then simmered both the seeds and outer shells in oil. What a difference compared to the store-bought powdered type!

Cardamom is rich in minerals, especially potassium, so its medicinal action on the body reduces blood pressure and controls blood clot formation.

Chewing the seeds helps with bad breath. This spice is also used in chai tea.

There’s also a black cardamom seed which has more of a smokey flavor.

Cumin seed. This is rich in iron, in case you have anemia. Cumin is the seed

of a small parsley plant. It helps you secrete bile acids and pancreatic enzymes, and that helps you break down your food.

It also has anti-diabetic actions, like the sulfonylurea medicines.

Fenugreek. You can buy the seeds and crush them. They have estrogenic properties, so some women use them to control hot flashes. Older folks can also benefit from the cholesterol lowering properties of fenugreek.

Visit my website for more information and the recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

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

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Food on the 15th From page 1 County schools involved in the project include Pointers Run Elementary in Clarksville, Dayton Oaks Elementary, Clarksville Elementary, Clarksville Middle School and Atholton High School in Columbia.

A new Asian pantry Residents at Longwood Apartments in Columbia were added to the program in 2014 with the help of the University of

Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC).

Rosenthal, who works in UMBC’s Asian Studies Program as a program management specialist (which involves marketing and community outreach, among other things), told the program director that there were many low-income Asian seniors living at Longwood. An internship was created for UMBC students to work as translators and food pantry workers for the many Chinese and Korean residents living there.

The Asian Food Pantry, based on the Food on the 15th model, was started last

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

AQUA ZUMBA Enjoy a cardio dance-based workout with the added resistance of water. Classes are offered for people 55+ for $48. Classes start

Jan. 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cedar Lane School, 11630 Scaggsville Rd., Fulton. For more information, call (410) 313-7311 or email cvigus@howardcountymd.gov.

Jan. 13

DIETARY COUNSELING Get individualized nutritional counseling to discuss your dietary concerns. Half-hour sessions are available Tuesday, Jan. 13

between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. for $35. Sessions will be held at Suite G010 of the Wellness Center Medical Pavilion, 10710 Charter Dr., Columbia. Payment is due at the time of registration. Register at events.www.hcgh.hopkinsmedicine.org.

For more information, call (410) 740-7601.

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

year at the five-story building. Now about 90 of the 170 residents receive their special noodles, soy beans, seaweed, fish, canned fruit and Asian condiments without charge.

The student interns implemented and maintain the pantry. Besides translating for the residents, many of whom are immigrants who speak little or no English, they also assist with music, English and exercise classes at the complex.

Intentionally intergenerational Rosenthal, 56, said in a recent interview that, so far, Food on the 15th has delivered more than 18,000 bags of groceries and toiletries free to low-income seniors.

The program began, she said, when she realized that her then 10-year-old daughter thought that food was easily available to everyone. “She thought that if you didn’t have food, you just went to the ATM and got out money and bought it,” said Rosenthal.

So she set out to teach her daughter and other youngsters that, even in such an affluent community as Howard County, food could be in short supply for a significant number of older people. Many of them, she noted, even had to choose between buying needed medications and groceries as their monthly income ran out.

Rosenthal decided to start a community service project for children of all ages who

would donate their time and learn the hard facts of life for many of their elders.

“I wanted them to see the beginning, the middle and the end of the project, when they collected the food, sorted it and delivered it,” Rosenthal said. “The parents also were involved.”

How much time does Rosenthal still put into the project? “I am generally working on Food on the 15th or the Asian Food Pantry seven days a week,” she said, “since I’m always checking e-mail, texts and Facebook to make sure that I respond to interns and volunteers on a timely basis so that the program moves forward.”

What drives the mother of two, who in 2013 won the Association of Community Services Volunteer of the Year Award, to continue to devote what she figures must be “thousands of hours” to the program?

“I get a great pleasure in helping people,” she said. “It makes me happy.”

For more information on the program, or to make a donation, visit the organization’s website at www.foodonthe15th.org or look for its Facebook page. Rosenthal can be emailed at foodonthe15th@gmail.com.

Tax deductible donations may also be made out to the Coalition of Geriatric Services (COGS) and mailed to The Coalition of Geriatric Services, P.O. Box 2131, Ellicott City, MD 21041. Please write “Food on the 15th” on the memo line.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 21

LIVING WITH DIABETES Learn how to improve your health whether you have just been

diagnosed with diabetes or having been living with it for a while. The next session will be held on Jan. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Wellness Center Medical Pavilion, Suite 100, 10710 Charter Dr., Columbia. For more information or to register, call (443) 718-3000.

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9

Are flavorings in food something to fear?

By Candice Choi They help give Coke its distinctive bite and Doritos their cheesy kick. But the artificial and natural flavors used to rev up the taste of processed foods remain a mystery to most Americans.

“Artificial and natural flavors” have become ubiquitous terms on food labels, helping create vivid tastes that would otherwise be lost in mass production. As the science behind them advances, however, some are calling for greater transparency about their safety and ingredients.

Recently, five consumer and environmental groups sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expressing their concern about the flavor industry, which determines the safety of its own ingredients. The letter noted that safety is sometimes declared based on scientific data that isn’t publicly available.

Invisible ingredients “If we’re eating the stuff, it shouldn’t be such a secret,” said Lisa Lefferts, senior scientist at Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group that was among those who sent the letter.

The call for more transparency comes as Americans pay closer attention to what they eat. In some cases, they’re petitioning companies to remove chemicals.

Many food scientists say the fears are unfounded because the unfamiliar ingredients often just mimic chemical structures found in nature or are used in trace amounts. But complaints have prompted companies including PepsiCo and Subway to reformulate recipes.

As a result of the attention given to chemicals and ingredients as a whole, artificial and natural flavors are starting to get attention as well. But they can be frustrating because people often have no clue what’s in them.

“Natural flavors can mean whatever,” said Sara Budowsky, a New York City resident who runs a vegan eating website and has become more aware of added flavors.

“I’ve always been curious when I see that last part of the ingredient list.”

The FDA says natural flavors have to be derived from ingredients like fruit, meat or spices, and obtained through processes like distillation or fermentation. Artificial flavors can be made chemically, say, by mixing an alcohol with a fat.

It seems straightforward, but the sophistication involved in making them varies broadly. Some may just be a blend of spices, while others create the illusion that a product contains certain ingredients, like grapes, when it doesn’t.

Flavors can also conjure cooking styles.

With frozen dinners, for instance, “natural

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flavors” are often used to give the impression the meat was grilled or roasted.

“A company can’t grill all that meat,” said Terry Miesle, a senior flavorist who specializes in savory tastes at Innova Flavors in the Chicago area. “But flavors can mimic the chemical process of cooking.”

A flavorist might use materials like beef stock, fats and sugar to ignite the reactions to create the “grilled” taste, he said.

Tracking the size of the flavor industry is difficult in part because food companies

may have their own flavorists. But consulting firm Leffingwell & Associates estimates the global industry at about $23.91 billion, up 19 percent from $20 billion in 2000.

About half that was for flavors in foods, while the rest was for fragrances, said John Leffingwell, the firm’s founder and a former flavorist who helped invent Sunkist.

Big flavor makers including Givaudan, Symrise and International Flavors & FraSee FLAVORINGS, page 10

10

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Flavorings From page 9 grances declined to make representatives available.

Are safety concerns founded?

The safety of flavors is determined by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA), an industry trade group. In any given year, FEMA may declare as few as 10 or as many as 100 to be safe, said John Hallagan, the association’s senior adviser and general counsel.

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

In all, FEMA says it has found around 3,000 different flavors to be safe. They’re usually used in minute quantities, typically far less than 1 percent of a product.

Even so, disclosing their ingredients would likely attract more consumer complaints for companies, which are already facing pressure over ingredients.

Last year, a petition noted an ingredient in Subway’s bread, azodicarbonamide, is also used in yoga mats. Subway removed the ingredient, even though it is widely used in other breads. PepsiCo removed an ingredient from Gatorade after a petition

by a teenager linked it to a flame retardant.

The groups asking the FDA to look into the flavor industry don’t necessarily think the ingredients in flavors should be listed on packaging, since the chemical names would be meaningless to most. But companies might post information online or elsewhere, said Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that sent the letter to the FDA. A representative for the FDA said the agency is looking into the concerns raised by the groups.

In the meantime, flavors are opening up

new possibilities.

Senomyx, based in California, makes ingredients that interact with taste receptors to block or amplify attributes like sweetness. They have no taste or smell but are listed as artificial flavors.

Senomyx recently said it expects one of its ingredients, which allows manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar and high fructose corn syrup in products, to be used starting this year. PepsiCo, which has exclusive rights to use it in non-alcoholic drinks, declined to comment.

— AP

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ANNUAL HOLIDAY TRAIN GARDEN

The Howard County Department of Fire & Rescue Services will host its 17th annual holiday train display at the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department, Station #2, 4150 Montgomery Rd., Ellicott City.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted. The display will be open Wednesday through Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Closed Dec. 25. The final day of the display is Sunday, Jan. 4. For more information, call (410) 313-2036.

Jan. 21

FROM SEEDS TO SEEDLINGS

Learn about planting flowers and vegetables indoors to get ready for the spring. Join Jo Ann Russo, University of Maryland Extension Howard County Master Gardeners, at the Howard County Glenwood Branch Library, 2350 State Rt. 97, Cooksville, on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. Register online or by calling (410) 313-5577. For more information, visit www.hclibrary.org.

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

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12

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Health Studies Page

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

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Hopkins studies Alzheimer’s depression Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and memory loss in older adults. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that Alzheimer’s currently affects 5.2 million Americans, and that this number will likely triple by the year 2030.

While most people are familiar with Alzheimer’s as a disease that causes memo-

ry loss and functional decline, many patients with AD also have changes in mood that increase suffering for patients and families alike, according to Dr. Paul Rosenberg, a geriatric psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center, who specializes in improving treatment in

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Alzheimer’s-related mood symptoms.

One of the most common mood changes in AD is depression, which affects an estimated 40 percent of persons with the disease and can seriously decrease quality of life. In addition to the usual stresses of life and aging, Rosenberg observed that there are several specific causes of depression in AD. First, those with AD, particularly in the early stages of the disease, may be keenly aware of their loss of memory and difficulties functioning. Alzheimer’s can cause considerable psychic distress because people are afraid that they are “losing their minds,” even when the symptoms are very mild.

“Many patients spend inordinate amounts of time and energy trying to fight the disease,” said Rosenberg. “They make lists, use post-it notes, ask family members to remind them of appointments, etc. The effort of trying to remember and to keep one’s mind organized can be anxiety-provoking and exhausting.”

In addition, Rosenberg continued, the biologic effects of Alzheimer’s on the brain likely make patients vulnerable to depression. “We have evidence that the neuro-degeneration of AD affects important circuits controlling mood regulation, including those involving the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine,” he explained.

Depression in AD has different symptoms than depression in young people, according to Rosenberg. Alzheimer’s patients are less likely to overtly say they’re depressed, to have sleep/appetite disturbances, or to wish for death or feel suicidal. But they are more likely to be nervous, anxious, agitated or ruminative, with anxious thoughts that are difficult to get out of their head. The common denominator in depression is loss of enjoyment of life, known as anhedonia (Greek for “not taking pleasure in life”).

Medications are widely used to treat ADrelated depression, but researchers are still trying to determine if they are actually effective. The most commonly used medications are in the class of antidepressants called se-

lective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.

Unfortunately, in one study of the SSRI sertraline, Rosenberg and his fellow researchers found that the drug was not effective for depression in AD.

Drug study underway Since SSRIs only affect serotonin, and other neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine are affected in AD and depression, Rosenberg is currently studying a drug that also affects norepinephrine. These medications are called selective noradrenergicserotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

Rosenberg’s current study will examine the effect of a particularly potent SNRI, venlafaxine, in depression of AD patients. While venlafaxine has been FDA-approved for major depression in general, Rosenberg and his fellow researchers want to find out if it is effective for patients with depression and AD. Those selected to participate in the study of the drug will visit the Johns Hopkins Bayview Memory Center five times over the course of three months. Participants will receive $20 for each visit.

During the study visits, they will undergo neurological and physical examinations by the study physician, including lab tests such as blood tests; be given tests of thinking, memory, mood and activities of daily living; and agree to have a study partner who will answer questions about the participant’s thinking, memory, mood and activities of daily living.

The study will be recruiting for approximately two more years and aims to recruit up to 50 participants.

In addition to medication, one of the primary treatments for depression in AD is behavioral intervention, noted Rosenberg, remarking that setting up an appropriate degree of supervision as well as a structured environment, including regular times for See DEPRESSION STUDY, page 13

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

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13

Stem cells safely reverse some vision loss

By Maria Cheng An experimental treatment for blindness that uses embryonic stem cells appears to be safe, and it improved vision in more than half of the patients who got it, two early studies show.

Researchers followed 18 patients for up to three years after treatment. The studies are the first to show long-term safety of an embryonic stem cell treatment in humans.

“It’s a wonderful first step, but it doesn’t prove that (stem cells) work,” said Chris Mason, chair of regenerative medicine at University College London, who was not part of the research. He said it was encouraging that the studies proved the treat-

Depression study From page 12 bedtime and awakening, can be crucial.

“Alzheimer’s patients feel less depressed when they are well supported and don’t need to worry as much about keeping track of day-to-day activities, and this sort of cognitive supervision and emotional support is usually supplied by families,” he said.

For this reason, the Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center also offers a Dementia Needs Assessment for both patient and caregiver.

“Many patients with Alzheimer’s dis-

ment is safe and dispelled fears that stem cells would promote tumor growth.

Embryonic stem cells, which are recovered from embryos, can become any cell in the body. They are considered controversial by some because they involve destroying an embryo, and some critics say adult stem cells, which are derived from tissue samples, should be used instead.

Treated macular degeneration Scientists have long thought about transforming embryonic stem cells into specific types of cells to help treat various diseases. In the new research, scientists turned stem cells into retinal cells to treat ease benefit from increased socialization and activities,” Rosenberg continued.

“Early in the disease they can often utilize services of a senior citizens’ community center, while as the disease progresses they may benefit more from the increased level of services offered in an adult day care center. The latter often provides transportation as part of the package which offers extra respite for family members as well.”

To learn more, contact recruitment coordinator Wendy Golden at (410) 550-9022 or visit www.hopkinsmedicine.org/ psychiatry/specialty_areas/memory_center /research.html.

older adults with macular degeneration and children with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, the leading causes of blindness in those populations.

In each patient, the retinal cells were injected into the eye that had the worst vision. Ten of the 18 patients later reported they could see better with the treated eye than the other one. No safety problems were detected. The studies were paid for by the U.S. company that developed the treatment, Advanced Cell Technology, and were published in the journal Lancet.

Dr. Robert Lanza, one of the study authors, said it was significant the stem cells survived years after the transplant and weren’t wiped out by the patients’ own immune systems.

For some of the patients, Lanza noted their improved vision changed their lives, referring to a 75-year-old horse rancher who had been blind in one eye before the treatment.

“One month after his treatment, his vision had improved [substantially], and he can even ride his horses again,” Lanza said in an email. He said other patients have regained their independence with their newfound vision, and said some people are now able to use their computers again, read their watches or travel on their own.

“The next step will be to prove these (stem cell) treatments actually work,” Mason said.

“Unless there is a sham group where you inject saline into [patients’] eyes, we can’t know for sure that it was the stem cells that were responsible.”

— AP

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

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

T

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Senior

15

NEW WS annd EVENTS from m the Howaard Countyy Offificce on Aginng

Connection

Department of Citizen Services

A Message from

County Executive

Allan H. Kittleman

D

uring the next 25 years, Howard County’s “65 and over” population will make up 65% of the county’s total population growth.

With so many folks in this age bracket choosing to call Howard County home, it’s imperative that we act now to ensure we can successfully accommodate these changing demographics.

One of my initiatives as your new Howard County Executive is to give our aging community the attention it deserves by creating a Department of Aging. I am committed to ensuring Howard County Government is at the forefront of meeting the needs of Maryland’s fastest-growing senior population by making sure we are offering the types of services, programs and facilities our aging community needs to continue to call Howard County their home.

As I traveled to all parts of the county during the past year, I heard time and time again your concerns over the lack of affordable housing and healthcare. Through the creation of this new cabinet-level office we will address those concerns. We will examine options for expanding property tax credits for seniors, as well as serve as a catalyst to assure seniors get the health services they need.

The growing number of seniors in our county, and the desire to provide a welcome and nurturing environment where they can age in our community, will demand new and imaginative strategies. My administration is hard at work developing the roadmap to meet that challenge head on!

Together, we will further Howard County’s promise as being a great place to live, work, play AND retire.

Volume 5, No. 1 • January 2015

Howard County Updates Residents on Master Plan Initiative Full Plan to be Released in Late January

O

ver the next two decades, the population of older adults age 65 or older in Howard County is projected to double, from 39,150 in 2015 to 79,640 in 2035. With this in mind, Howard County launched a comprehensive planning process in May 2014, to determine what services, programs and facilities will be needed to address the emerging needs of this increasing demographic.

The project has been coordinated by the Department of Citizen Services and its Office on Aging with the support of a consultant team led by KGRW & Associates, an Ellicott City-based architectural firm. The initiative has included an online community survey, focus groups, a review of national trends and past studies done locally, and input from a wide array of stakeholders who participated in discussions to define a “preferred future” for the County.

Public meetings were held in December to share what has been learned through the survey and focus groups and the priorities that have emerged for future action. Among the survey findings is the fact that while the majority of the 1,200 respondents rated their own quality of life in Howard County to be high, these same respondents rated adults ages 65 and older, as a group, as having the lowest quality of life in the county.

According to Matt Thornhill of the Boomer Project, who worked with KGRW to design the online survey and interpret the findings, this is consistent with other studies he’s conducted nationally.

“We typically see adults rating the quality of life for older adults at lower levels than their own, even if they are over 65 themselves.”

According to Thornhill, this reflects a common attitude that sees aging as a problem, rather than seeing the promise in increased longevity.

Respondents also had differing views on the importance of various services versus how well those services are delivered in the county. The availability of healthcare services ranked highest in importance to most respondents, and the delivery of these services received favorable marks as well. But gaps between “importance” and “performance” were notable in two areas: the ability to remain in your home as you grow older (to be able to “age in community”) and the availability of transportation options that make it easy to get around.

In a recent interview, Lois Mikkila, Director of the Department of Citizen Services, said these issues became even more pronounced in the focus groups, which were held to reach ethnic and lowerincome residents who were underrepresented among survey continued on page 16

16

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The Senior Connection

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

15 Ways to Get Fit in ‘15 Keep your New Year’s Resolutions with Help from the Office on Aging No matter what your 2015 resolutions include — a desire to lose weight, eat better, manage chronic conditions or just be more active — the Office on Aging can help.

From A to Z, here are 15 ways to help you get you started off on the right foot!

IS FOR ACUPUNCTURE. Address your stress with a private 1 Asession of traditional acupuncture or try Relaxupuncture, a onehour session of relaxation, meditation and auricular acupuncture in a group setting.

IT OUT! Contact Maryland Access Point of Howard County 2 MAP (MAP) at 410-313-5980 to find health and wellness classes, locate a senior center, or identify resources to make a plan you’ll stick to.

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT. Fad diets don’t work. Instead, 3 GET call MAP or your local senior center to make an appointment with Rona Martiyan, the Office on Aging’s nutritionist, to develop a sensible, healthy eating plan.

AN EXERCISE THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU. Contact Jennifer 4 FIND Lee, the Office on Aging’s exercise specialist, 410-313-5940, to find an activity that meets your needs.

CHARGE OF YOUR HEALTH. Learn to manage high blood 5 TAKE pressure, obesity, arthritis and other chronic conditions with Living Well, a 6-week self-management program. Contact Wendy Farthing, 410-313-3506, to find out more.

WITH DIABETES. The companion class to Living Well, Living 6 DEAL Well with Diabetes is especially helpful to those newly diagnosed with the disease. Call Wendy Farthing, 410-313-3506, for a schedule of upcoming classes.

7

REDUCE YOUR RISK OF FALLING. Enhance Fitness is a series of exercises designed to improve balance, flexibility, bone density, endurance, and decrease risk of falling.

YOUR PROGRESS. Too cold to walk outdoors? Try the 8 TRACK cushioned, indoor walking tracks at the Glenwood and North Laurel 50+ Centers (13 laps equals a mile!)

TO GET FIT. Work at your own level in Agewell Sit and Fit 9 SIT classes at the Glenwood 50+Center, co-sponsored by Howard County General Hospital.

GENTLE YOGA. Enjoy all the benefits of yoga in this seated 10 TRY exercise offered at Howard County senior centers.

YOUR BRAIN FIT. Robin Zahor, R.N., B.S.N. teaches how 11 KEEP to keep your mind sharp and improve cognitive performance in brain fitness classes at the Bain Center and the Ellicott City Senior Center.

YOUR WAY TO FITNESS. Country line dance, jazz, 12 DANCE modern, ballroom or tap – it’s your choice!

PRACTICE PILATES. Build flexibility, lean muscle, strength and 13 endurance in the hips, back and abdominal core. Pilates is offered at the Bain Center, East Columbia and Glenwood 50+ Centers.

STRESS. Take a cue from ancient China: try Qi Gong, a 14 REDUCE powerful system of healing and energy medicine from China, or Tai Chi, which focuses on balancing body, mind and spirit.

ZUMBA. This is a fun, Latin-inspired workout, designed 15 ZforIStheFORactive older adult but performed at a lower intensity.

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Master Plan Updates

Howard County Paws4Comfort

continued from page 15

This special program fosters special bonds between pets, their owners and the County residents they visit.

If you are interested in volunteering, or wish to attend a free evaluation for your pet, contact:

respondents. “Many live in houses, condos and apartments that are not suitable for older adults with reduced mobility,” she said, “But they really didn't see they had any options," Mikkila said.

On a positive note, Mikkila has been encouraged by the level of enthusiasm, interest and support this important planning initiative has engendered among residents and community leaders alike, and is particularly optimistic that the resultant collaborative spirit will help ensure its successful implementation. “We have brought folks together who have never sat at the same table before – all with one objective, to devise a plan that will positively impact the quality of life for older adults in Howard County over the next two decades.”

Acknowledging that many strategic plans never make it past the paper they are printed on, she is counting on the community’s continuing engagement, “It will take the involvement of all sectors, not just the Office on Aging, or even Howard County Government, to make Howard County a truly wonderful place to age.”

The results of the online community survey may be viewed online at www.howardcountymd.gov/agingmasterplan, along with the Power Point of the public presentations. The full planning report will also be posted when it is released, which is expected to be later in January.

Ingrid Gleysteen 410-313-7461 igleysteen@howardcountymd.gov Evaluations are held at the Bain Center 1ST WEDNESDAY of every month FIRST QUARTER 2015: Wed., 7:00 p.m.

January 7

February 4

March 4

The Bain Center 5470 Ruth Keeton Way Columbia, MD 21044

www.howardcountyaging.org

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

The Senior Connection

Say you saw it in the Beacon

17

January Calendar of Events Don’t miss these exciting programs and services from the Howard County Office on Aging Mondays, 11 a.m.

Cardio Latin Groove • Glenwood 50+Center Heat up your workout with a high energy Latin dance class. Similar to Zumba, low impact and a great workout! Call 410-313-5440 to register.

Mondays, 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.; Tuesdays, 2 p.m.

Traditional Yoga • East Columbia 50+ Center Seated Yoga g offers all the benefits of traditional yoga y g without the floor work. January fee: $24. Call 410-313-7680 to register.

Tuesdays, 10-10:30 a.m.

SeniorsTogether Low Vision Group • Bain Center A low vision resource facilitator shares information about low vision issues, treatments and outreach. Call 410-313-7466 for details.

Mondays & Wednesdays, 5:30-8 p.m.; Tuesdays 1-3:30 p.m.

Acupuncture • Ellicott City Senior Center Schedule an acupuncture p treatment with Youngg Gerstmyer y ND, LAC. Initial consultation: $125; each 1 hour visit: $75; credit cards or checks only. Call 410-313-1400 to schedule.

Fridays, By Appointment Only Acupuncture • Glenwood 50+Center Try this ancient form of healing. Dawn Kulak offers appointments on Fridays; insurance accepted. Call 410-313-5440 to schedule.

Thursdays, beginning January 7, 1 p.m.

Authentic Latin Jam Dance • East Columbia 50+ Center Dance yyour wayy to fitness with Laurie Anderson, professional dance instructor. $24. Call 410-313-7680 to register.

Thursdays, January 8 – March 19, 10 a.m.

Qi Gong • Ellicott City Senior Center Experience p gentle g movements synchronized y with breathingg to promote p positive energy movement through your body. $57 (10 classes) (No Class Feb. 5). Call 410-313-1400 to register.

Fridays, January 9 – March 13, 10 a.m.

ManPower • Ellicott City Senior Center Join a group strength training class designed for men who want to regain/retain muscle tone. Work on form, bodyy composition p and lean muscle mass. $54 (10 classes); call 410-313-1400 to register.

Friday, January 9, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

New Year’s Celebration • Elkridge Senior Center Ringg in the New Year with a homemade lunch, entertainment, games and prizes. $5/person. Call 410-313-6192 to register.

Fridays, January 11 – March 13, 11 a.m.

Tuesdays, January 13 – February 17, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Intro to Ballroom & Latin Dance North Laurel 50+ Center Stay active and improve physical fitness while learningg basic steps p to a varietyy of dance styles. y No experience necessary. $52 (6 sessions). Call 410-313-0380 to register.

Friday, January 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Brunch • North Laurel 50+ Center Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with brunch and story sharing; music and the history of drumming presented by James Gilliam.

Donations appreciated. Call 410-313-0380 for reservations by January 7.

Tuesday, January 20, 1 p.m.

Clutter Busters Reunited! • East Columbia 50+ Center Face clutter issues with a sense of humor (and find your keys without a search party). Call 410-313-7680 to register.

Wednesdays, January 21 & 28, 10-11:30 a.m.

WisdomWell Series: Living Well with the Season • Glenwood 50+ Center Join Acupuncturist and Wellness Educator, Leah Turner, for guided meditation, interactive discussion, seasonal tips, and practical everyday skills for living well. Call 410-313-5440 for details.

Thursday, January 22, 10 a.m.

RELAXupuncture • East Columbia 50+ Center Let your y energy gy flow in a 1-hour ggroup p session of relaxation, meditation and auricular acupuncture. $20/person; call 410-313-7680 to register.

Thursday, January 22, 10:30 a.m.-noon Affordable Insurance • Elkridge Senior Center The Maryland Insurance Administration will show you how to save hundreds of dollars a year on insurance. Call 410-313-6192 to register.

Wednesday, January 28, 11 a.m.-noon The Needle Trades • North Laurel 50+ Center The Baltimore Museum of Industry presents a special presentation of the history of the garment industry in Baltimore. Call 410-313-0380 to register.

Mondays, January 5 to March 9 New Year Yoga Flow: Gentle or Chair • North Laurel 50+ Center Practice ggentle and chair yyoga g to reduce stress,, cultivate strength g and build balance. Gentle Yoga: g 11 a.m.-12:15 p p.m.,, $56 (8 sessions). Chair Yoga: 10-10:50 a.m., $52 (8 sessions). Call 410-313-0380 to register.

Budget and Credit Counseling Workshop

All in One • Ellicott City Senior Center Combine all the elements of fitness into one class with a cardio work-out, strength g training, g, balance and flexibility. y Bringg a mat for floor work. $54 (10 classes). Call 410-313-1400 to register.

Wednesday, January 21, 1-3 p.m.

Tuesday, January 13, Noon

Aline Humphries, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Maryland and Delaware, Inc. presents the basics about credit and budgeting.

Ted Talks Panini Lunch • East Columbia 50+ Center Come for lunch and learn why older people are happier.

Donations appreciated. Call 410-313-7680 to register.

Tuesday, January 13, 7 p.m.

Finding Your Dream Job In your 40’s, 50’s and Beyond East Columbia 50+ Center Best-selling Author Kerry Hannon will present her latest book, k, What’s Next.t.t Call 410-313-7680 to register.

To request accommodations to attend any of these events, call 410-313-5980 one week in advance.

North Laurel Community Center 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel, MD 20723

Geared toward older adults and individuals with disabilities, this free workshop is presented by the Maryland Department of Aging and the Howard County Office on Aging.

For more information or to register, contact Maryland Access Point of Howard County at 410-313-5980 (VOICE/RELAY) or email map@howardcountymd.gov.

18

The Senior Connection

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

Save the Date

for the 7th Annual

A signature event designed to inspire women to live a more balanced, healthier and fulfilled life!

Saturday, April 25, 2015 • 10 am - 3 pm Gary J. Arthur Community Center at Glenwood 2400 Route 97, Cooksville, MD 21723 A one-stop event featuring over 90 EXHIBITORS, engaging SEMINARS,and important free health SCREENINGS!

ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS, VENDORS and EXHIBITORS! Don’t miss this opportunity to promote YOUR business, products and services!

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Courtney Barkley 410-313-5957 or email cbarkley@howardcountymd.gov.

www.howardcountyaging.org/womenfest

Thank You! The Howard County Department of Citizen Services and Office on Aging appreciates the outpouring of generosity by everyone whose thoughtful donations of time, gifts and money made Project Holiday 2014 an overwhelming success.

Almost 300 seniors will have gifts to open and memories to cherish, thanks to your selfless giving in honoring the true message of the season.

Wishing you and your families a very happy and healthy holiday season and many blessings in the new year!

HOWARD COUNTY OFFICE ON AGING

MARYLAND ACCESS POINT Aging and Disability Resource Center for Howard County Residents

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

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact us, or join our subscriber list at seniorconnection@howardcountymd.gov

The 2015 Resource Guide is now available!

Pick up your FREE COPY of the Guide at the Howard County Office on Aging, senior centers and libraries.

410.313.5980 5980 (VOICE / RELAY) @ map howardcountymd.gov

Howard County Office on Aging, 6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., Columbia, MD 21046 410-313-6410 • www.howardcountyaging.org Find us on

www.Facebook.com/HoCoCitizen

Kim Higdon Henry, Senior Connection Editor kahenry@howardcountymd.gov • 410-313-6531 Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the Howard County Office on Aging or by the publisher.

Did you know...?

Making Your Home More Accessible Today Could Earn You a Tax Credit!

THE HOWARD COUNTY LIVABLE HOMES TAX CREDIT Make improvements now to create a more accessible home for your future and save money!

When you install certain types of accessibility features in your primary County residence (ramps, stair glides, reinforced walls and grab bars) you could be eligible for credit against your county tax bill.

Applications are processed through the Howard County Department of Finance in the order received until all all program funds have been exhausted.

For more information, contact:

HOWARD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE 410-313-2062 or MARYLAND ACCESS POINT at 410-313-5980 FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND APPLICATIONS, GO TO

www.howardcountymd.gov/livablehomes

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

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Money Law &

19

FIX RETIREMENT FINANCES Pay off your mortgage and credit cards, rebalance your portfolio, and work longer to ensure more retirement assets INVEST IN HEALTHCARE Healthcare funds have done well in recent years. Can they stay on top? And should you invest in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology?

Investors face risks with Chinese stocks

By Paul Wiseman and Marcy Gordon Something about the deal smelled fishy.

China Marine Food Group Ltd., a Chinese company then on the New York Stock Exchange, spent $27 million in January 2010 to acquire a firm whose main asset was “algae-based drink know-how.” The weird thing: Three months earlier, the beverage formula had been valued below $8,800.

But when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission tried to review the deal, it got nowhere. The company’s Chinese accounting firm refused to provide documents. And the SEC has been stymied since.

And China Marine? Its share price topped $8 in 2010. It’s now around 12 cents.

The case represents a cautionary tale for investors eager to invest in Chinese companies on American exchanges. Chinese companies like Alibaba, whose initial public offering this year set a record high, operate under lax standards compared with other stocks on U.S. exchanges. That means higher risks for investors.

Worries about the risks of Chinese stocks also emerged from a recent Associated Press investigation of Tianhe Chemicals Group Ltd. When that Chinese company went public in June, the U.S. investment banking powerhouse Morgan Stanley

helped it raise $654 million from foreign investors. But Tianhe’s stock has lost 39 percent since allegations emerged that it had exaggerated the value of its business.

“The protections that are often taken for granted are just not there [with Chinese companies],” said Joseph Carcello, an accounting professor at the University of Tennessee.

More than 100 Chinese companies were suspended or kicked off U.S. exchanges in 2011 and 2012, most of them for failing to file timely financial reports.

These companies, including China Marine, had exploited a legal loophole so they could merge with American shell companies. By doing so, they elude much of the SEC oversight that comes from selling shares on U.S. markets for the first time.

About two dozen of these companies have also been hit with SEC fraud or accounting charges. Yet the investigations have stalled because the companies’ audit papers are in China — beyond the SEC’s reach.

Trade as holding companies There are currently about 100 Chinese companies trading on the NYSE and the Nasdaq Stock Market.

China restricts foreign investment in some businesses. To bypass that hurdle, Alibaba and many other Chinese compa-

nies deploy a structure called a “variable interest entity” or VIE. It works like this: The company listed on the U.S. exchange isn’t the actual Chinese company. Rather, it’s a holding company, typically based in a tax haven like the Cayman Islands. Foreign investors have no say in the company’s management.

As a result, Chinese managers can restructure a company in ways that threaten investors. Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, for instance, spun off Alibaba’s payment service into a company he controlled without telling Yahoo, a major investor in Alibaba.

The VIEs are also legally dubious in China. In 2011, a Chinese panel rejected a contract between Taiwan-based GigaMedia and a Chinese gambling business that GigaMedia thought it controlled through a VIE. The manager of the gambling business had seized documents required to operate in China. And GigaMedia could do nothing.

In 2012, China’s Supreme People’s Court threw out contracts a Hong Kong businesswoman had used to dodge Chinese rules to invest in a Chinese bank. It cited agreements that “conceal illegal intentions.”

Beijing could invoke similar reasoning to one day ban all VIEs, potentially imposing huge losses on American and other foreign investors, analysts say.

China bars U.S. inspectors from audits done by Chinese accounting firms — in order, it says, to protect its state secrets.

This means most Chinese stocks on U.S. exchanges don’t comply with American law.

“It’s a very serious problem,” said James Doty, chairman of the Public Company Oversight Accounting Board.

Why China bars auditors Experts say Beijing likely fears the documents would confirm suspicions that Chinese companies are delinquent on loans from state-owned banks or are involved in corruption. Its stance has hobbled U.S. investigations of stock fraud.

Consider the China Marine case. Shares in the snack and beverage firm began trading on U.S. markets in 2007. U.S. investigators grew suspicious over China Marine’s $27 million purchase of most of a company that was built around a drink formula it had bought a year earlier for just $8,776.

Had China Marine’s accounting firm reviewed the deal? If so, had it determined the value of the acquisition?

Problem was, the accounting firm wouldn’t turn over the papers. And China Marine’s stock price plunged.

Two years ago, the SEC sued the China See CHINESE STOCKS, page 21

Good news for heirs about estate taxes

By Sandra Block It’s not unusual for states to claim that they’re terrific places to live. But increasingly, states are trying to get out the message that they’re also great places to die.

In 2015, four states will increase the amount that’s exempt from state estate taxes, reducing or eliminating the tax that heirs will have to pay.

Maryland raises exemption On Jan. 1, Maryland’s exemption will increase to $1.5 million from $1 million, Tennessee’s estate tax exemption will jump to $5 million from $2 million, and Minnesota’s exemption will rise to $1.4 million from $1.2 million. On April 1, 2015, New York’s estate tax exemption will increase to

$3.125 million from $2.062 million.

More relief is on the way. Maryland and New York will increase their thresholds every year until 2019, when they’ll match the federal exemption (currently $5.34 million). Tennessee’s estate tax will disappear in 2016. Minnesota’s exemption will rise in $200,000 annual increments until it reaches $2 million in 2018.

Lawmakers in states with estate and inheritance taxes are concerned that well-off retirees will vote with their feet, depriving those states of much-needed income tax revenue, said Scott Grenier, a certified financial planner for Baird’s Private Wealth Management group, in Milwaukee. Taxes are one of the most common reasons retirees relocate to another state, Grenier said.

It’s not hard to understand why. Hawaii and Delaware have estate tax exemptions that match the federal level. But 14 states and Washington, D.C., have lower thresholds, with maximum tax rates ranging from 12 percent to 19 percent. New Jersey’s estate tax threshold is just $675,000, which could affect heirs of even relatively modest estates.

But beware inheritance tax Seven states have an inheritance tax, with maximum rates ranging from 9.5 percent to 18 percent. Unlike an estate tax, which is levied on an estate before it’s distributed, an inheritance tax is typically paid by the beneficiaries. Maryland and New Jersey have both estate and inheritance taxes.

If you live in a state that still has an es-

tate or inheritance tax and you don’t want to move, talk to an estate-planning professional about other tax-saving strategies.

Connecticut is the only state that imposes a gift tax while you’re still alive, but in the remaining states you can take advantage of gifts during your lifetime to reduce the size of your estate.

If you already have an estate plan, make sure it’s regularly updated to reflect revisions in your state’s law. More changes are likely as states try to make their jurisdictions more attractive to retiring baby boomers. For example, legislation has been introduced in New Jersey to phase out the state’s estate tax over a five-year period. © 2014 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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

Preparation can ease retirement finances Recent studies have shown that many prospective retirees have insufficient assets or sources of income for a comfortable retirement. A lot of factors play into this problem. I’ll discuss major ones below, and suggest ways to alleviate them.

Mortgage debt. More people than ever before are entering retirement with a significant mortgage. If you have a number of years left in your working career, you might benefit from refinancing your mortgage to a shorter term, say, 15 years rather than 30. Or you might make more or larger payments toward principal.

These steps can help you significantly reduce or eliminate the outstanding balance by the time you reach retirement. If you’re on the verge of retiring, you might

consider downsizing your home to reduce or eliminate mortgage costs.

Credit card debt. Retirees are also facing higher credit card debt than ever. I recommend taking steps to retire all credit card debt before you retire. If you are not paying your bill in full each month, use a different credit card for new purchases, and pay it in full monthly.

To deal with outstanding balances, initiate a plan to eliminate all credit card debt before you retire. If you are paying a high annual fee on outstanding balances, consider switching to accounts with lower annual rates.

Insufficient retirement assets. Make sure that your 401(k) contributions are high enough to ensure maximum employer matching. If you haven’t been making a max-

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imum contribution, cut down on unneces- in your portfolio, as well as the mix of comsary expenditures so you can increase your mon stocks. If you don’t have expertise yourcontribution. Make additional IRA contribu- self, you may initially need the services of a fee-only financial planner. tions.

College expenses. The Poor investment returns cost of colleges has increased and high commissions. Do dramatically, and many stunot keep large investments in dents expect significant finanvehicles with low returns or cial support from parents. management fees exceeding 1 Help your children choose percent each year. schools they can afford, and You should not have signifiencourage them to get scholcant investments in moneyarships and other aid. market instruments, certifiLet them know ahead of cates of deposit, or Treasury THE SAVINGS time that, because you are bills earning less than 1 per- GAME planning for retirement, they cent. You can’t afford invest- By Elliot Raphaelson should not depend on you to ments with returns lower than pay their college loans. the rate of inflation.

Premature retirement. If you possibly Invest in diversified stock and bond noload mutual funds and/or exchange-trad- can, retire later than you might otherwise ed-funds with low expense ratios. Consider intend. There are several advantages. You Vanguard, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price and dis- have more time to accumulate retirement funds. Your mortgage and credit-card debt count brokerage firms.

Inappropriate investment mix. When will be smaller. You can postpone taking Soyou retire, you will want a portfolio that is cial Security, which will increase the size of consistent with your retirement objectives. your benefit.

Conversely, if you retire prior to 65, you It is likely that you will need some consiswill not yet be eligible for Medicare, and tent income and inflation protection?

Determine how much recurring income your healthcare costs will likely be more you need from your retirement accounts, than you anticipate. and you should be in a better position to determine what percentage of bonds you need See RETIREMENT, page 22

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

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

21

Can healthcare stock funds stay on top?

By Stan Choe Stocks don’t come with guarantees, but healthcare stocks have held up better than others during past downturns. People get sick regardless of the economy’s strength, after all, and an aging population around the world means more demand for prescription drugs and hospital care.

Healthcare stock funds have returned an average of 19.1 percent annually over the last five years, more than any of the other 101 fund categories tracked by Morningstar.

The strong returns are luring more dollars: Investors put more into healthcare funds last month than they pulled out, contrary to the trend for stock funds in general.

But it’s important to keep in mind that conditions are much different for the sector than they were five years ago. Here’s a look at some questions to consider before buying a healthcare fund.

Are healthcare stock funds really safer investments?

Everything is relative, but they have been in the past.

“We’re investing in demand for health, and that comes in drugs, devices and hospital services,” said Jean Hynes, manager of the Vanguard Healthcare fund (VGHCX), whose $40.9 billion in assets makes it the largest fund in the category by far. Demand for those tends to be more stable than it is for, say, electronics or other non-essentials.

Consider how the financial crisis dragged the Standard & Poor’s 500 index to a loss of 37 percent in 2008, even after factoring in dividends. That year, healthcare stock funds lost an average of 23.4 percent.

Many of the big pharmaceutical companies and insurers in the sector also pay dividends, which can help offer a smoother ride. Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Merck are the three largest healthcare stocks in the S&P 500, and all have a higher dividend yield than the index.

What should I look for in a healthcare stock fund?

Even within the healthcare sector, some types of stocks are safer than others. On the more volatile end are biotechnology

Chinese stocks

Many analysts doubt it will come to that. Chinese companies want access to American capital. And American investment firms and stock exchanges want the fees they earn when Chinese stocks list on U.S. exchanges.

In the meantime, the stocks trade on American markets without offering investors the protections they’re supposed to enjoy.

For now, warns Dartmouth University finance professor Anant Sundaram, Chinese stocks aren’t safe: “I would not invest in those stocks,” he said.

—AP

From page 19 affiliates of the Big Five accounting firms, saying U.S. law required them to provide the documents. In January, an SEC administrative law judge agreed and barred the firms from auditing U.S.-traded companies.

The accounting oversight board is pursuing a deal with China to obtain the audits, an effort that Doty has made a high priority. Without a deal, more Chinese companies could be forced off U.S. markets. And more investors would be burned.

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stocks, which can be boom-or-bust investments depending on how much excitement their drugs under development are generating.

Puma Biotechnology, for example, has more than doubled this year, but that includes some extreme swings. This summer, it posted a one-day loss of 25.3 percent and a one-day gain of 295.4 percent.

Investors hoping for a smoother ride should look for funds with a smaller percentage of their assets in biotechnology stocks, said Eddie Yoon. He manages the Fidelity Select Healthcare Portfolio fund (FSPHX), which has a four-star rating from Morningstar.

Yoon has been paring back on biotech stocks: They make up 25 percent of his fund’s assets, down from 28 percent two years earlier. That’s even as surging prices for biotech stocks have made them a bigger part of the sector: They make up 22 percent of the index that Yoon bench-

marks his fund against, up from 16 percent two years earlier.

Why did healthcare stock funds do so well over the last five years?

Healthcare funds were available at bargain prices five years ago. That’s when Congress was debating how to reform the healthcare system, and some investors worried that new regulations could hurt profits.

Pharmaceutical stocks were hurt by worries about a slowdown in government approvals for new drugs. There were also concerns that a raft of patent expirations for high-profile drugs would send profits for large drugmakers off a cliff.

“Fast forward to now, and we have a system where we at least understand what the system is going to look like,” Hynes said.

“Companies have gotten through the patent cliffs in a way that was very preSee HEALTHCARE STOCKS, page 22

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

BEACON BITS

Healthcare stocks

Jan. 13

From page 21

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dictable, and we are in a new and exciting product cycle.”

The Affordable Care Act has meant more people have health insurance, which analysts expect will lead to higher demand for healthcare. That means investors are willing to pay higher prices for the sector: Healthcare stocks in the S&P 500 trade at 20 times their earnings per share over the prior 12 months. Five years ago, they had a price-earnings ratio of 12.

So the next five years will be just as good, right?

Unlike five years ago, healthcare stocks are no longer cheap. Many are close to their average price-earnings ratios over the last few decades.

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Poor budgeting and planning. It is important for both spouses to agree on retirement objectives. For example, how important is travel? How expensive are your planned retirement activities?

If you plan in advance, you will know

Biotechnology stocks in particular can look expensive, as demand for their strong potential growth has inflated price-earnings ratios. That makes it tougher for healthcare funds to replicate their returns.

But prospects for companies’ earnings look better today than five years ago, Hynes said. Long-term trends are encouraging for the sector.

Demand for healthcare tends to spike once a person gets past the age of 70. A similar leap occurs when someone enters the middle class. Both trends are occurring around the world, as the Baby Boom generation enters retirement and developing economies in China and India vault millions of families into the middle class.

“That tail wind is there regardless of whether the economy is expanding or contracting,” Fidelity’s Yoon said.

— AP what your expenses will be in retirement.

This will make it much easier for you to make other decisions, such as when and where to retire, and how much of an asset base you will need.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com. © 2014 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed

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

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

23

Leisure &

Ducks march daily through the lobby of Memphis’s historic Peabody Hotel.

Memphis — Elvis’ legacy and much more Music put Memphis on the map — blues, country, rockabilly, rock ‘n’ roll and soul.

A mid-city statue honors “Father of the Blues” W.C. Handy, who fused Mississippi Delta gospel and cotton-field songs in the early 20th century with lyrics that lament everyday struggles, tempered with hope for a better tomorrow.

Memphians love to recall the day in 1954 when a six-foot, 19-year-old, sideburned, Crown Electric Company truck driver dropped in at Sun Studio, where anyone could record anything for $3.95. In his soft country accent, he asked to record a birthday song for his mother.

Sun’s owner, Sam Phillips, was instantly wowed by Presley’s rocking rendition of “That’s Allright Mama,” which mixed country and blues, a sound Phillips had never before heard.

“It’s not black, it’s not white, it’s not pop, it’s not country,” Sam told his friend, disc jockey Dewey Phillips, who played it on his popular WHBQ radio show, “Red, Hot and Blue.” Call-in requests to replay it flooded in. Elvis Aaron Presley was on his way.

© NATALIA BRATSLAVSKY | DREAMSTIME.COM

By Glenda C. Booth Some teenage fantasies never die. For those who were teenagers in the 1950s and 1960s, there was a “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On” and millions got “All Shook Up”

by Elvis Presley’s pioneering gyrations and velvety vocals. Swoon.

Making the pilgrimage to Elvis Presley’s Memphis environs verges on a religious rite for many. After all, he was “The King.” Here, you can marinate in all that was Elvis as well as the broader Memphis musical mystique, the influences on him, and the forces that spawned other famous musicians.

It’s also a city of contrasts. Memphis offers the sweetness of the South — friendly, gentle people, and luscious cuisine like creamy banana pudding — against the dark backdrop of racism and slavery.

Many black musicians rose to their fame in Memphis, but Memphis is also the town where Martin Luther King was assassinated.

Memphis offers highs and lows, the stars who made it and stars who didn’t; the thrill of Elvis’s amazing rise to stardom alongside glimpses of his inner turmoil and untimely end.

Along famous Beale Street A city with spirit Memphis is perched on the banks of the Mississippi, a temperamental river, languid or roiling. And its famous music is infused with those elements as well. As bluegrass musician Marty Stuart put it, “Memphis is a hard core Mississippi River town.

There’s a lot of spirit in that town.”

That spirit seeps out of every crevice.

The town’s most famous thoroughfare, Beale Street, has clung to its historic, intertwined sacred and profane character.

The dreams of many aspiring musicians began there.

When a young man named Riley King performed in Memphis in the 1940s, he became known as the “Beale Street Blues Boy,” which was transformed to B.B. King. © STEVE KINGSMAN | DREAMSTIME.COM

The living room of Elvis Pressley’s Graceland features a 15-foot-long sofa and stained glass peacocks. The white-columned mansion is the second-most visited home in America after the White House.

Blues singers — from B.B. King, with his own nightclub, to Muddy Waters to Bobby “Blue” Bland — got their start on Beale Street, Memphis’s most famous thoroughfare.

B.B. King’s Blues Club is still a popular, live- music nightspot that serves “lipsmackin’ ribs” and “Southern comfort food.” Blues singers Muddy Waters, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Rufus Thomas, Memphis Minnie and many others started on Beale Street. Today it’s a seven-block entertainment district and host to an annual blues fest, next to be held May 1 to 3, 2015.

The Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, at 191 Beale St., traces the region’s musical evolution from southern cotton fields to contemporary performers. A 12-minute video reviews 60 years of “the Memphis sound.” There’s a 1946 Wurlitzer juke box; Ike Turner’s first piano, a black upright; Jerry Lee Lewis’s stage attire; Isaac Hayes’s mink coat; a Whitney Houston gown; and Elton John’s heart-shaped, baby blue eyeglasses.

Another video pulls your teenage heartstrings: Elvis’s first performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1956, which Sullivan partly censored. Viewers saw Elvis only above the waist, blocked from watching those famous, jackhammer gyrations that unhinged millions of screaming fans.

The STAX Museum of American Soul Music, which claims to be the only {solely) soul museum in the world, traces the history of gospel music and the blues. Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” and “Try a Little Tenderness” provide a soft, background soundtrack. With racial school segregation the norm, Stax Records

launched 1960s stars both black and white, like Redding, Hayes and Booker T and the MGs. Sam Phillips’s Sun Studio, which Elvis put on the map as the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, is a modest three-room building. “If music were a religion, then Memphis would be Jerusalem and Sun Studio its most sacred shrine,” say promoters.

When Elvis showed up, he said, “I don’t sound like nobody.” Phillips had instantly discovered a unique, new talent who could belt out uptempo rockabilly with gutwrenching rhythms, croon sensual comeons, and mix country, gospel and blues all into one. His sounds could be raw, emotive, wailing, tender or electric, and range over two octaves, Phillips recognized.

Phillips also recorded blues singers like B. B. King, Howlin Wolf and Rufus Thomas.

At Sun, Carl Perkins recorded “Blue Suede Shoes”; Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I’ll Walk the Line”; Roy Orbison, “Ooby Dooby”; and Jerry Lee Lewis, “Great Balls of Fire.”

Visitors can feel the vibes in the broadcasting booth and by caressing the actual microphone that Elvis poured his soul into.

Elvis’s Graceland “Graceland was the perfect expression of Elvis’s universe because it existed closest to his roots,” his wife, Priscilla, once explained.

See MEMPHIS, page 24

24

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Memphis From page 23 The 14-acre estate, bought for $102,500 in 1957, symbolizes the instant catapult of Elvis from near poverty to instant fortune.

The two-story, white-columned mansion, which hosts 3,000 visitors a day, is the second most visited home in the U.S. after the White House.

Japan’s President Junichiro Koizumi, an Elvis fan, had Graceland on his bucket list.

When former U.S. President George W.

Bush in 2006 escorted him there, Koizumi sang, “Wise men say, only fools rush in.”

En route on Air Force One, they dined on Elvis’s favorite food — grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Describing Graceland, Priscilla also said, “Elvis never did anything halfway.”

Floor-to-ceiling, stained glass peacocks greet visitors upon entry. The living room has a white, 15-foot sofa. The pool room’s walls and ceiling are swathed in 350 yards of fabric. The Jungle Room, laden with Polynesian décor, has images of monkeys,

BEACON BITS

Jan. 28

WEDNESDAY IN WASHINGTON

Explore the nation’s capital your own way on Wednesday, Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bus will pick you up at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia, and the Normandy Shopping Center, Ellicott City, and drop you off on 4th St. between the East and West Buildings of the National Gallery of Art. The cost is $45. For more information, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/rap or call (410) 313-7275.

Mar. 2

FLOWER POWER

Take a trip to see the blooms at the Philadelphia Flower Show on Monday, March 2. The theme of this year’s flower show is moviebased, “Lights, Camera, BLOOM!” The bus leaves at 8 a.m. from the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia, and the Normandy Shopping Center, Ellicott City, and returns at 7 p.m. The cost is $88. Lunch is on your own at the show or the adjacent Reading Terminal Market. For more information, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/rap or call (410) 313-7275.

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

tigers and cougars plus furry furniture and green shag on the floor and ceiling. “’Bring it on!’ he wanted his rooms to say,” wrote Pamela Clarke Keogh, a biographer.

The Trophy Room showcases his gold records, flamboyant jump suits spangled with sequins and appliqué, his Army uniform, a video of his 1967 wedding, wedding clothes, the movie script for “Jailhouse Rock,” and a tender telegram to his beloved mom, Gladys.

A Graceland visit is a journey through the twists and turns of the “explosion in

Memphis that changed the world.” Visitors’ awe of the material trappings is tempered by the fact that Elvis was found here in his bathroom, unconscious. His lifestyle caught up with him, some say.

Behind the mansion, at his grave in the Meditation Garden, an eternal flame burns near a quotation in German: “Life is fleeting, but you will remain in our hearts.”

Beyond the mansion, Graceland has a crammed, hyper-commercial side, with See MEMPHIS, page 25

Winter events in Memphis Graceland will be festooned inside and out at Christmas with hundreds of blue lights lining the driveway and spotlighting some original Presley decorations — a lifesized nativity scene, Santa and his sleigh and more. Visit www.graceland.com /events/christmas.aspx.

Elvis “turns 80” on Jan. 8 and Graceland will throw a celebration from Jan. 7 to 10, 2015. Festivities include conversations with co-stars, musicians and others who worked with Elvis, and a dance party with a disc jockey spinning Elvis dance tunes.

Fans can attend a birthday cake-cutting

ceremony and top the weekend off with a concert by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra performing “chart-topping hits that remind you why Elvis is and always will be the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Visit www.graceland.com/events/birthday.aspx.

From Jan. 20-24, blues musicians from around the world will compete when the Blues Foundation hosts what they tout as the world’s largest gathering of blues acts.

All the gigs are throughout Beale Street.

For details, visit www.blues.org/international-blues-challenge/2015-internationalblues-challenge.

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

Memphis From page 24 shops hawking every conceivable Elvis souvenir and trinket.

You can also visit an Elvis car museum, which includes a 1960 pink jeep and a 1955 pink Fleetwood Cadillac with white sidewall tires, and tour the Lisa Marie — his custom-made, Convair 88 jet with suede and velvet sofas, brass faucets from Spain, and gold-plated seat belts, named for his daughter.

Memories of MLK The Lorraine Motel, now the National Civil Rights Museum, is a must visit. It’s a mostly unchanged 1960s motel with turquoise doors. On its balcony, in 1968, civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King was gunned down at age 39 when James Earl Ray fired a high-powered rifle from a rooming house across the street.

Exhibits tell the story of five centuries of civil rights struggle, from slavery, through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to King’s death.

Videos recount the sanitation workers’ strike that brought Dr. King to Memphis, the Freedom Riders, Selma’s Bloody Sunday, and the 1963 March on Washington.

Seeing room 306, where King stayed, is certain to stir the emotions.

For a picker-upper, try the Peabody Hotel lobby for the famous “Peabody ducks.” With regal pomp and circumstance, the “Duck Master” introduces the permanent “residents” and “marches” mallard ducks to the lobby’s Romanesque fountain at 11 a.m. daily. At 5 p.m., he “directs” them back to their rooftop “room.”

Oprah, Larry King and Jordan’s Queen Noor have been honorary duck masters.

“The hardest part is getting them into the elevator,” quipped a recent duck master.

Memphis is music and more. When 19year-old Elvis exploded with “That’s Alright Mama” in Sun Studio, the legend began.

Today, the legend not only lives, it looms.

If you go The historic Peabody Hotel has hosted every U.S. president since Harry Truman.

The public spaces have marble columns

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

HAITI SISTER CITY PLANNING COMMITTEE

The Columbia Association is seeking volunteers for a planning committee to look into the possibility of developing a sister-city relationship between Columbia and Cap-Haitien in Haiti. Made up of Columbia and Howard County residents, the committee will work on a proposal to be presented in 2015. Volunteers should have an interest in Haiti and be able to be active participants in monthly evening meetings. For more information, call (410) 7153162 or send an email to Laura.Smit@ColumbiaAssociation.org.

Jan. 17

GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MEETING

The Howard County Genealogical Society will meet on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Miller Library, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Dottie Alshire will be speaking on “Creating Your Family History Narrative.” Registration is required but admission is free. To register, call (410) 313-1950 or visit www.hclibrary.org. An HCGS meeting will follow the lecture.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

and burnished woodwork. The hotel is themed around the Peabody ducks — duck soap, toilet paper and mints. For January, prices are $230 and up. For details and reservations, call (901) 529-4000 or visit www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody.

For Elvis nostalgia, try the Heartbreak Hotel near Graceland. There are four suites inspired by The King’s life. On your second honeymoon? Try the “Burning Love” suite and the heart-shaped pool. Room prices range from $115 to $650/night. Call (877) 777-0606 or visit www.graceland.com/visit /heartbreakhotel.aspx.

Hush puppies seem ubiquitous in Mem-

25

phis, but the city is truly famous for its barbeque. Memphians would never “spoil” their BBQ with vinegar, like those rascal North Carolinians. Instead, chefs specialize in a dry rub, tomato-based sauce.

At the One and Only, http://oneandonlybbq.com, (901) 751-3615, try the hickory smoked chicken, ribs or pulled pork, and the twice-baked potato salad.

The luscious, light banana pudding with whipped cream is to die for. Another option is Central BBQ, at (901) 672-7760, http://cbqmemphis.com/.

Round trip flights from BWI to Memphis start at $196 on US Airways.

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Style Arts &

The musical Mary Poppins combines elements of the 1964 film and the books by P.L. Travers.

Mary Poppins works her magic at Toby’s Brothers Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman wrote the original music and lyrics for such classics as “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Jolly Holiday,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” New songs and additional music and lyrics are by the team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, who also wrote music for productions of Peter Pan and other musicals.

The book is by Julian Fellowes, who has since risen to acclaim as the creator of the television series “Downton Abbey.” Mary Poppins, which takes place in 1910 in London, has some of the same upstairs-downstairs flavor, but is buoyed by lightheartedness that at times borders on slapstick.

PHOTO BY JERI TIDWELL

By Barbara Ruben From medicine magically transformed with a spoonful of sugar, to tap dancing chimney sweeps, to the titular nanny floating down from the rooftop with the aid of a duck-head umbrella, Toby’s Dinner Theatre’s production of Mary Poppins is — as one of its introductory songs is titled — “Practically Perfect.”

The splendid singing, magic tricks sprinkled throughout the show, colorful early 20th century costumes, and soaring musical score all blend to creative an enchanting evening of entertainment for all ages.

Those who have fond memories of Disney’s 1964 Mary Poppins movie may be scratching their heads. “Practically Perfect”? Never heard of it.

That’s because the production at Toby’s in Columbia, Md., through Feb. 1 is the stage version that melds the movie and elements of author P.L. Travers’ books on everyone’s favorite nanny with new songs and old favorites.

The musical, which had more than 2,600 performances on Broadway between 2006 and 2013, was nominated for seven Tony awards, including Best Musical.

A familiar tale, to a point Mary Poppins opens as a nanny storms out of the house, leaving her sometimes ill-behaved charges ungoverned.

Michael and Jane Banks aren’t really all that incorrigible; they are primarily begging for the attention of their father George, who works long hours at — where else? — a bank. They hide his spectacles and put toads in his pockets.

Champagne will be POPPIN with MARY on New Year's Eve!

Bert, played by Jeffrey Shankle, and Mary Poppins, played by Maura Hogan, take a spin on a carousel in a magical park where the statues come to life. Mary Poppins continues at Toby’s Dinner Theatre through Feb. 1.

Michael pines for him to take an hour off and just fly a kite with him.

Instead, the children terrify a series of nannies, until Mary Poppins drifts serendipitously into their lives. She seems to have all the requirements the children put on their wish list of ideal nanny qualities — and then some. She can pull a five-foot-high floor lamp out of a small carpet bag and imbue the taste of dreaded castor oil with the fla-

CC S

vor of cherry cordials. She is, as the song goes, practically perfect.

But perfection can last only so long.

After making a mistake at the bank, Mr. Banks is suspended from his job without pay, and he becomes more annoyed than ever by the kids. Jane flies into a rage at being dismissed by Dad and fights with See MARY POPPINS, page 29

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January 10

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

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Concert of music with African influences

A close-knit ensemble HOCOCO’s paid professional musicians perform at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City. (The group recently changed its name from the Orchestra of St. John’s in order to reach a wider audience.)

Mutchnik began the orchestra in 2008,

finding “people that I trust who I know are not only excellent players but are congenial and fun to work with.”

Most of the musicians began working with HOCOCO through their own personal connection with the music director.

Collette Wichert, a violinist since elementary school, said Mutchnik invited her to join. She had worked with him on various musical endeavors for 20 years. Similarly, Joan Bob, who has played violin for more than 35 years, had played with Mutchnik for years.

“The personal history with Ronald and so many of the orchestra members made it particularly worthwhile and welcoming,” Wichert said.

Thus, there are no auditions. “If you know somebody, and you know they play well and you’ve played music with them before, what’s the need to go through a formal audition process?” Mutchnik asked.

As all the musicians are professionals, minimal practice time is needed to put together a show. “They’re trained to put things together very quickly and efficiently,” said Mutchnik. “We rehearse the day before the concert.”

“We enjoy the challenge!” Bob declared.

“Music is my life and livelihood,” said Wichert. “Freelance musicians welcome the opportunity to perform in many venues, both for the financial benefits and the

BEACON BITS

Jan. 10

STRING QUARTET

The Momenta Quartet will perform a concert Saturday, Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. at the Horowitz Performing Arts Center, Smith Theater, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. The program features works by Webern, Janá ek, Carillo and Brahms. Tickets cost $32 for adults, $30 for seniors and $12 for students. For more information, visit www.candelightconcerts.org or call (410) 997-2324.

Jan. 8

EXHIBIT YOUR ARTWORK

Adults 18 or older can bring one piece of original artwork to be exhibited at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Rd., Ellicott City. Drop-off will be on Thursday Jan. 8 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. One-piece per artist will be accepted on a first-come basis. For more information, call (410) 313-2787 or visit www.hocoarts.org.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOCOCO

By Kate Petersen Purposely smaller than a symphonic orchestra, the Howard Country Concert Orchestra keeps its numbers to between eight and 45 musicians, depending on the pieces it performs.

“The music can be heard in greater detail, and you can highlight the different instrumental colors more easily,” said music director, Ronald Mutchnik, 56. “Some of our most famous composers originally wrote their famous big symphonic works for smaller orchestras.”

The Howard County Concert Orchestra (which goes by the melodious HOCOCO for short) will perform its next concert, titled “African Heritage,” on Jan. 11.

The survey of music includes classical pieces with African roots, African composers in Europe, and music with Latin influence. The concert will feature the works of George Walker, Fela Sowande, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and William Grant Still.

“This will probably be an ear-opening experience for our audience,” Mutchnik said.

The newly renamed Howard County Concert Orchestra, composed of professional musicians from around the area, will perform a program of music that has African roots on Jan. 11.

joy of using the talents they have worked so long and hard to develop.”

It is this passion for music that allows the orchestra to deliver a show. “It’s just working with colleagues who care and love the music and show that to the audience,” said Mutchnik.

ence at HOCOCO’s upcoming concert on Jan. 11?

Mutchnik “must stay up late nights dreaming up themes and matching music,” said Wichert. “One never knows what to expect.”

But Mutchnik says the ideas he comes up with have been percolating patiently in

A new look at African music So what will the audience get to experi-

See CONCERT, page 28

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

Concert

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his mind for many years. “I’m finally getting to program and play these pieces which I’ve known about since I was in high school,” he said.

Mutchnik heard recordings of the pieces he chose for this “African Heritage” concert a long time ago and filed them away in the back of his mind.

“These were wonderful, tuneful pieces, rhythmically exciting, well crafted, perfectly enjoyable music….They just weren’t being performed regularly by symphony orchestras,” he said.

“These are all solid pieces of music that deserve to be heard, and I suppose I should say they deserve to be heard regardless of whether they were written by composers of African heritage or not.”

While Mutchnik enjoys performing music that is new to audiences, he also programs pieces with extensive history.

So for the final concert of the season this spring, he will be looking to the 17th and 18th centuries.

“It’s important to always program Baroque music because it’s where all of this came from,” Mutchnik said.

The orchestra’s season will conclude on April 26 and will feature Vivaldi’s well known “Four Seasons,” among other Baroque period works.

All performances are held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 9120 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. Tickets are $28 for adults, $12 for students 18 to 24 years old, and are free for those 17 and under accompanying a ticket holder.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.howardcountyconcertorchestra.com or by calling (410) 461-7793.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 12

FREE OPEN REHEARSAL

Jason Love and the Columbia Orchestra are holding an open rehearsal at the Gathering Place, 6120 Daylong Ln., Clarksville, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The audience can enjoy wine and cheese and watch a working rehearsal in action.

For more information, visit www.columbiaorchestra.org or call (410) 465-8777.

Jan. 16+

ARTS COUNCIL EXHIBIT

The Howard County Arts Council presents an art exhibit from Friday, Jan. 16 to Friday, Feb. 27 at the Howard County Center for the Arts, 8510 High Ridge Rd., Ellicott City. The exhibit will feature work of Howard County artists in Gallery I and the works of Stanley Agbontaen and Marcie Wolf-Hubbard in Gallery II. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit http://hocoarts.org/ or (410) 313-2787.

Jan. 31

CINEMATIC INSPIRATIONS

Enjoy a performance of the score commissioned for the 1920 silent film One Week, composed by Andrew Earle Simpson, at the Jim Rouse Theatre, 5460 Trumpeter Rd., Columbia at 7:30 p.m. Works by Rossini, Mussorgsky and Grofé will also be featured.

Ticket prices range from $10 to $25.

For more information, visit www.columbiaorchestra.org or call (410) 465-8777.

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

Mary Poppins From page 26 Michael. Mary Poppins packs up her carpet bag and decides to flee.

The children’s mother, in a misguided attempt to appease her husband and find a new nanny, hires Mr. Banks’ dreadful old governess Miss Andrews (an amalgam of the Wicked Witch of the West and Miss Trunchbull, the horrible headmistress from Matilda). But Mary Poppins swoops in to again save the day, combining magic and common sense to help the family value each other again.

Magical music Magic is at the heart of Mary Poppins, and some of the most magical moments in the show are the tuneful numbers that include much of the cast.

In the song that added polysyllabic heft to the vocabulary of untold millions, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (it’s in the Oxford dictionary and on Dictionary.com!) pulls together numerous cast members in a giddy linguistic confection.

“A Chimney Swept (Chim Chim)/Step in Time,” gathers more than a dozen chimney sweeps, led by Bert, the jack-of-alltrades, on the rooftops of London in a toetapping, tap dancing frenzy.

In “Playing the Game,” Michael and Jane’s toys come to life at night, with dolls, ballerinas and toy soldiers cavorting in the nursery.

Choreographer Mark Minnick keeps it all moving in the small center stage of Toby’s theater-in-the-round.

But it is Maura Hogan as Mary Poppins herself who truly helps the whole show soar with her sparkling soprano. Hogan inhabits the part effortlessly, whether telling the children to get ready for bed “spit spot,” or putting evil nanny Miss Andrew (played a little too shrilly by Heather Marie Beck) in her place with a dose of her own medicine.

Hogan harmonizes well with Jeffrey Shankle, who plays Bert. Shankle channels a shorter Dick Van Dyke, who played the part in the movie, right down to the Cockney accent and tap dance prowess.

David Bosley-Reynolds and Elizabeth Rayca also shine as Mr. and Mrs. Banks, who eventually embrace their children as treasured members of the family, and not just troublemakers pawned off to the nanny du jour.

Poppins’ young stars Caroline Otchet plays Jane, by turns petulant and precocious, with vocal range beyond her years. (Seen in this production, Otchet alternates the role with another young actress, Samantha Yakaitis.) She has also performed in other Toby’s productions, including 2013’s Les Miserables.

Anderson Franco (alternating with Gavin Willard) plays little Michael with aplomb. The part requires memorizing numerous lines, lyrics and dance steps, and the second grader doesn’t flag through the

Coalition of Geriatric Services We’re a coalition of nonprofits, agencies, businesses and professionals who come together to advocate for and help older adults.

January Meeting Date:

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Time:

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Location: Topic:

Lighthouse Senior Living Village in Ellicott City 3100 North Ridge Road, Ellicott City, MD Networking Extravaganza – No Speaker

Learn more by calling (410) 997-0610 or visit www.cogsmd.org Thank you to our 2014 Executive Members PLaTinuM MeMber Howard County General Hospital – A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine The Beacon Newspapers

GoLD MeMbers Being There Senior Care, LLC • Howard County Office on Aging

siLver MeMbers Brooke Grove Retirement Village • Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr, LLP Copper Ridge – EMA • Deborah L. Herman, CPA • Oasis Senior Advisors The Bob Lucido Team of Keller Williams Select Realtors

bronze MeMbers Earl Wilkinson, M.D., ENT • Gentiva Health Services • Home Instead Senior Care Homewatch CareGivers • Lighthouse Senior Living Village at Ellicott City Paladin Advisor Group • Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc.

PaTron MeMbers Alzheimer’s Association – Greater MD Chapter • Candle Light Funeral Home by Craig Witzke Home Call of Maryland • Home With You Senior Care • Ivy Manor Normandy, Inc. New Life Assisted Living • Right At Home In Home Care & Assistance • Visiting Angels

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

two-hour production.

Sets and costumes also play a starring role. From Mary Poppins’ coat and dress ensembles with their poufy mutton chop sleeves to Bert’s straw boater hat, the costumes include lovely period details.

Backlit silhouettes of the London skyline set the scene around the walls of the theater. Projected images on screens also help establish a varying sense of place, from the rooftops, to a verdant park, to birds flitting by in the lovely “Feed the Birds.”

Sets change numerous times, with four poster beds and an enormous dollhouse wheeled in to illustrate the nursery, while Mary Poppins magically restores a fallen kitchen table laden with baking supplies and a collapsed cake (it’s unclear exactly how that bit of sleight of hand was accomplished).

Diminutive rooftops on wheels slide into place for chimney sweeping scenes.

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It takes until the very end of the first act to see Mary Poppins aloft, rising ceilingward perched on a swing. Bert somersaults midair in the second act with the help of two wires.

But in end, this Mary Poppins doesn’t need any artificial props to soar.

Mary Poppins continues at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, 5900 Symphony Woods Dr., in Columbia, through Feb. 1, seven nights a week, with matinees on Wednesdays and Sundays. Tickets range from $53 to $58 for adults and are $39.50 for children.

Ticket prices include a bountiful all-youcan-eat dinner or (at matinees) brunch buffet. Alcoholic and specialty drinks, and waiter tips (all actors also serve as waiters) are extra.

For more information or to purchase tickets, see www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or call (410) 730-8311.

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

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Crossword Puzzle

Puzzle Page

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

So Fine 1

2

3

by Stephen Sherr 4

5

6

13

14

16

17 19 22

28

50

43

62

63

44

52 56

53

57

58

59

60

64

65

66

67

68

69

1. Ole buddy 6. Bottom of England 9. Fine ___ (as spelled out by this puzzle’s theme clues) 13. Gun the engines 14. LAX conjecture 15. Free State athlete 16. Prepared to be knighted 17. Organize bricks 18. Spam distribution tool 19. A 22. California beach 24. Carnival city 25. Are we there ___?

26. Prince Valiant’s son 27. Winner of five 2012 Oscars 30. Three-handed card game 32. R 37. Lysol target 38. Item in Mae West’s closet 39. Pakistani language 40. T 45. ___-Dee delivery service 46. Color choice at the linen store 47. Morse code click 48. Swine shrine 50. Synonym for sphere 52. Where vinegar merged with oil 54. S 58. Lots of Lebanese 59. Valuable rock 60. Defeat 64. Balkan native 65. “The”, spoken with an affected German accent 66. Food submerged in oil 67. Company that emerged with oil 68. Election conclusion 69. Doctor repellent 1. Boat measured in cubits

36

47

51

55

Down

35

31

46

49

12

39

42

Across

HB1/15

30

38 41

11

25

34

45

Scrabble answers on p. 28.

29

33

40

10

21 24

37

54

9

18

20

27

32

8

15

23

26

48

7

61

2. Minority of college students since 1980 3. Impressive ending 4. Bodies of water 5. Best case 6. Part of the Batsuit 7. Its mostly made of Mormons 8. Local elected official 9. Prefix for sphere 10. All gassed up 11. Tot’s transport 12. Kerplam!

18. Bring to mind 20. Driver’s shout 21. Herring and smelt 22. Lion’s ladies 23. How to calculate Fido’s age 26. ___ of kangaroos (more than one) 28. Asian desert 29. “Party ___” 31. Stuck in ___ 33. Slow flow 34. The third label 35. Come out of denial 36. Song by Peaches and Herb 41. Bright lights 42. Gilda Radner’s Lisa Loopner character, for example 43. Killer whale 44. “Beware the ___ patient man” (John Dryden) 48. Pile of 20’s 49. Blind mice count 51. ___ cruise 53. Take over illegitimately 55. Decreases 56. Effective word in advertising 57. Like moose, it is its own plural 61. 15%, often 62. The 1st state 63. Poetic tribute

Answers on page 28.

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

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

CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investi gate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified ad vertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Caregivers LICENSED, BONDED & EXPERIENCED CNA and nursing student seeks full-time overnight position caring for your loved ones. I come with an extensive resume and stellar references. If interested, please call Jacqueline at 301-787-3555.

KIND, DEPENDABLE, EXPERIENCED caregiver for live-out care or live-in care for a flat rate.

Hygiene care, Meal preparation, Housekeeping, Errands, Appointments, Medication reminders.

Call 301-490-1146.

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Computer Services PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call: David G at 301-642-4526.

Financial Services

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

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

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

ACCOUNTING, BOOKKEEPING, TAXES – conscientious CPA, 37 years experience, reasonable rates, accepting additional business, personal and eldercare clients and preparation of business plans. Call 410-653-3363.

For Sale

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

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

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

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

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

CHOLESTEROL SPINACH and other medicinal plants for diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and triglycerides, kidney problems, etc. (propagate and grow your own easily). Email: alpong@verizon.net. 301-854-9969.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.

Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve 410-913-1653.

Home/Handyman Services BALTIMORE’S BEST JUNK REMOVAL – Clean Outs: Whole House, Emergency, Attics/Basements.

Furniture and Junk Removal, Yard Waste Removal, General Hauling, Construction Debris Removal. Free estimates. 10% Senior Discount. Licensed, Bonded and Insured. Call Jesse, 443-379-HAUL (4285).

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

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

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

The Beacon, Baltimore Classified Dept.

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

Wanted

WE BUY OLD AND NEW JEWELRY, Coins, Silver and Gold, Paper Money Too. Watches, Clocks and Parts, Military Badges and Patches Old and New. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

BUYING JEWELRY, MILITARY – Cash paid. Gold, silver, pocket watches, wrist watches. Old toys, sports, guns, knives, coins, collector’s, etc. Tom, 240-476-3441.

OLD AND NEW WE BUY Sterling Silver Flatware, Tea Sets, Single Pieces of Silver, Large pieces of Silver Plates, Fountain Pens, Lighters, Tools, Cameras, Art Work. Toys From Trains to Hotwheels to Star Wars. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

VINYL RECORDS WANTED from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree] knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-279-8834. Thank you.

BUYING MILITARY MEMORABILIA WW2, WW1, Civil War uniforms, weapons, photos and items associated with US, German, Japanese or items of other Military History. DAVE, 240-4640958.

Thanks for reading the Beacon!

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical research studies UM Elderly Falls Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

events COGS Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Financial services Golden Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Funeral services Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Homes, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .20 Going Home Cremations . . . . . . . .22 Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. . . . . . . .25 Witzke Funeral Homes . . . . . . . . . .27

Home Health Care A-1 Action Nursing Care . . . . . . . . .8 Homewatch Caregivers . . . . . . . . . . .6 Options for Senior America . . . . . . . .12

Housing Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Charlestown Independent Living/Erickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Heartlands of Ellicott City . . . . . . .12 Homecrest House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Ivy Manor Normandy . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Park View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Shangri-La Assisted Living . . . . . .12 Shriner Court/Quantum . . . . . . . . .21 Somerford Place/5 Star Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Vantage House . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 & 11

Pharmacies CVS Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Ellicott City Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . .8 Rite Aid Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

retail Columbia’s Village Centers . . . . . . .24 Shelf Genie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

senior services

Legal services

Senior Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Carney Kelehan Attorneys at Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

skilled nursing & rehabilitation

Medical/Health AA-Eastern Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Audiology First, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Low Vision Specialists of Maryland & Virginia . . . . . . . . . .29 Dr. Taylor & Associates Vision and Learning . . . . . . . . . . .9 Maryland Relay Dial 711 . . . . . . . .22 Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . .10 NeurExpand Brain Center . . . . . . . .10

CommuniCare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Theatre/ entertainment Candlelight Concert Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Columbia Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . . . .26

Tour & Travel Eyre Tour & Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Side by Side Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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Assisted living - memory support

During the last 64 years, Brooke Grove Retirement Village has built a reputation of excellence in Montgomery County. Partnering with national leaders in the field, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve set a new benchmark in memory support. Our staff have specialized training in anxiety-reducing techniques that decrease the need for medication. Creatively designed programs stimulate memory and build independence and self-esteem.

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860

301-260-2320 or 301-924-2811 www.bgf.org

Independent living assisted living rehabilitation long-term care memory support