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Many upsides to downsizing

FEBRUARY 2017

I N S I D E …

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MYERS

By Carol Sorgen Roberta and Ira Greenstein had never lived in a city. So when they started to consider downsizing four years ago, they thought downtown Baltimore might be just the spot for them. In short order they sold their four-bedroom Columbia home, purchased a twobedroom condominium in Fells Point, and have wholeheartedly embraced this new stage in their lives. While many people have intense fears about downsizing, Roberta, who is 64 and retired but is an active volunteer, says, “I don’t miss anything about the house.” Actually, that’s not quite accurate. When pressed, she admits she misses steps (“as long as I’m still able to climb them, I’d like to have some”) and, despite not being a gardener, the open green space that surrounded her home. “But now we have city green space,” she says of the nearby parks. Husband Ira, 65, is a state employee and cantor at Beth Am Synagogue. The couple only had a week after selling their home before the new owners were to take possession. So, while they both found getting rid of many of their possessions was difficult from a logistical standpoint, they say it wasn’t as difficult emotionally as they had anticipated. “Our goal was to take only what we needed,” said Roberta. “We gave things to our kids (though they didn’t want as much as we would have liked them to take!), we donated art to an art sale, took furniture to consignment shops, and made many trips to the dump. If it doesn’t fit, you have to be able to say goodbye.” In fact, in the four years since they moved to the condo, the couple has continued to downsize even more. “When you live in a larger space, you can have an eclectic style,” Roberta explained. “A smaller space needs a more cohesive style so it doesn’t look cluttered. We’re moving more in the direction of mid-century modern now, and I’m really enjoying the process of making the space our own.” Without having to spend as much time on house-related chores, the Greensteins are finding that they have more time to “upsize” the rest of their lives — from serving on

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

Good times in Louisiana’s Cajun country; plus, a bucket list trip to exotic Bora Bora, and vacation bliss in the colorful Cook Islands page 22

Roberta and Ira Greenstein downsized to a two-bedroom condo in Fells Point four years ago, and say they are happy with a less cluttered, more modern space. While downsizing can be a positive experience, some have a hard time parting with possessions and their long-time homes.

neighborhood committees, to exploring new restaurants, museum exhibits and nearby theaters. “It’s easier for us to access these activities now that we’re in the middle of things,” she said.

Not so simple for others For Patricia Owens, on the other hand, downsizing has been difficult both emotionally and logistically. “Moving is so much more work than I thought!” she said. At 88, Owens admits that “it’s hard to let go of your old life...I knew I had to do it, but I moved kicking and screaming.” For 37 years, Owens lived in a three-bedroom 1912-era home in Charles Village. Last year, she moved to the Edenwald Retirement Community in Towson when she

realized that she was no longer able to keep up with her home the way she used to, especially when it came to chores such as shoveling snow. Despite her initial reluctance, she now feels grateful for her new home. “The staff is incredible, the other residents are very friendly, and I have a lovely apartment with bigger closets than I had in my house,” she said. Unlike the Greensteins, who moved from the suburbs to the city, Owens has moved from the city to the suburbs, though she appreciates that Edenwald is in the heart of Towson and has something of the urban feel she was used to. Owens sold many of her possessions and See DOWNSIZING, page 8

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Laura Lippman’s books focus on her local roots; plus, many activities celebrate Black History Month in Baltimore page 26

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Dignity vs. quality of life I was struck by a thought the other day but not for those who have taken the lives (happens now and then). I still haven’t decid- of others? ed exactly how I feel about it, It seems to me that the but I’d like to explore it with “cruel and unusual” claim you. about lethal injection obfusMore Americans appear to cates what is really going on be moving to the view that here. The objection at root, as capital punishment is not acsome opponents admit, is ceptable. Nearly half of all against the death penalty itself. states have abolished it or had As I said before, there are their courts overturn it, and many reasons that people the number continues to grow. might oppose the death Many arguments are made penalty, and it is not my purin support of this position, but FROM THE pose in this column to try to one of them is that we have no PUBLISHER explain or address those. By Stuart P. Rosenthal means of actually taking the Nor do I have space here to lives of those on death row — adequately discuss the arguincluding the most popular, lethal injection ments for and against assisted suicide. — that doesn’t qualify as “cruel and unusu- These are both huge issues with tremenal punishment,” which is forbidden by our dous ramifications, and I’m sure we will be Constitution. debating them as a society for years to come. At the same time, Americans seem to be But I am interested in raising some quesmoving, perhaps more slowly, but moving tions I think we should be asking as we still, toward a position in favor of assisted grapple with these life and death matters. suicide. That is, they favor allowing certain First, I wanted to know how big a “probindividuals — who are judged mentally fit lem” we have, potentially at least, with the but terminally ill — to take their own lives infliction of the death penalty. How many through a fatal, doctor-prescribed dose of people are we talking about? barbiturates that puts them into a coma So I went to look up some basic statiswithin minutes and kills within half an hour. tics. Perhaps you will find them as surprisNow, I don’t know about you, but when I ing as I did. considered these two facts at the same Over the past couple of years, the estitime, I experienced cognitive dissonance. mated number of homicides committed in Can we honestly say that we have a pain- the United States ranged between 14,000 less, easily administered means of death and 16,000 per year. I thought that soundfor those who wish to take their own lives, ed pretty ominous. For an unfair compari-

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Baltimore area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Howard County, Md., Greater Washington DC and Greater Palm Springs, Calif. Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. • Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher ..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Contributing Editor ..........................Carol Sorgen • Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory • Advertising Representatives ............Steve Levin, .................................................................... Paul Whipple • Editorial Assistant ......................Rebekah Alcalde

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son, Great Britain, with one-fifth our population, reported one-thirtieth the number of homicides in 2014 (515 total). So I was surprised to read that, according to FBI data as reported by FactCheck.org, “the murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate nationwide (4.6 per 100,000 population) in 2014 was at its lowest point since at least the early 1960s.” (For reference, it was 10.2, more than twice as high, in 1980.) And just as murder rates have been declining, so the number of criminals executed throughout the country has also been falling, from a high of 98 in 1999 to 39 in 2013 and 20 in 2016. Then I turned to look at the numbers of Americans committing suicide and found more surprises, including a trend in the opposite direction. The number of Americans committing suicide in recent years exceeds 40,000. And a study from the CDC last year reported a 24 percent increase in the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States from 1999 through 2014. In its coverage of the report, the Washington Post noted that “suicide in the United States has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years.” What does it say about our society that our attention to the unfairness of the death penalty increases even as our murder (and execution) rates precipitously decline; while we are tending to greater acceptance of helping people kill themselves even as our suicide rate explodes? One thing it might say about us is that we have situational views about the quality of life, or even about the basic dignity of human life. A major argument made in support of assisted suicide is that it is a legitimate quali-

ty-of-life decision that a terminally ill person should be allowed to make for herself. On the other hand, we understandably don’t seem to worry about the quality of life of convicted murderers. Take Charles Manson, for example, who has spent the last 45 years serving nine life terms in a California prison. Wouldn’t his execution back at the start have enabled him to escape a poor quality of life on death row all these years? Should we have given him the choice? Or have we decided as a society that this lack of choice is part of his punishment? Perhaps instead we agree with the Washington Post, which argued in a recent editorial inveighing against the death penalty for Dylann Roof — who murdered nine black people in church during a Bible study class — that “The practice of killing human beings, even with all the due process in the world, is...in tension with the inherent dignity Americans should ascribe to human life.” But if so, doesn’t the life of a terminally ill person possess that same inherent dignity? Or does “poor quality of life” trump life itself? I would also like to note that in much of Europe, physician-assisted suicide (termed “euthanasia”) has grown significantly in popularity in recent years. Even in countries like the Netherlands, where it is officially illegal, it is widely practiced because the government turns a blind eye. And importantly, the original practice to limit it to the terminally ill has dropped by the wayside. In a 2015 cover story, Newsweek reported that “the Dutch don’t require proof See FROM THE PUBLISHER, page 21

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 read with great interest the recent crafters/knitters piece (“Crafts knit enthusiasts together,” January), but found it lacking a mention of the Lovelyarns shop in Hampden. It was the recipient of Baltimore Magazine’s Best Knitting Shop and City Paper’s Best Yarn Store. I had the pleasure of meeting its owner, Melissa, at Christmas Day dinner and was charmed by her and her dedication to the needle arts. Kindly consider an oversight mention in your next issue. DonnaPia Vocci, novice knitter Via email Editor’s response: The article’s author, Carol Sorgen, contacted Lovelyarns but did not get a response. Dear Editor: A $2,000 mountain bike was stolen from inside my home. Police took report, including serial number. Thirty days later, bike

hits database, found in a city pawn shop. Thirty-one days later, the bike is back to rightful owner. Big shout out to Precinct 12 of the Police Dept. Know your serial numbers! David Feinstein Via email Dear Editor: I read your piece, “Listen up, Washington” in the January issue. You mentioned several ways to fix Social Security in order that it will continue to pay future benefits, and one way is to impose a “means test.” When I think of Social Security, I also think of Medicare, and I lump the two together. Your monthly Social Security benefit amount is reduced by your monthly Medicare premium. Your Medicare premium is determined by how much yearly income you make and report on your tax return. See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 12

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

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| 410-358-6856 | myerberg.org

beginning February 2017

HAPPENINGS AT THE EDWARD A. MYERBERG CENTER NEW! Music of Imperial and Soviet Russia Mondays, March 6, 13, 20 & 27, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. $70 members / $95 nonmembers By the middle of the 19th century a unique Russian sound began to emerge beginning with Glinka and flowering with Tchaikovsky. Whatever the faults of the Soviet Government (and there were lots of them) it was a system that produced some of the finest and longest lasting music of the 20th century. Come and explore some of the great music from this most fascinating country. Instructor: Jonathan Palevsky

RESERVE YOUR SPOT! Annual Intergenerational Model Seder Tuesday, March 28, 11:00 a.m. $5 members / $7 nonmembers Join fourth grade students from Krieger Schecter Day School to share in the telling of the Passover story and lunchtime seder. Dietary laws observed. Call Toba to reserve your spot early as this program sells out: 410-358-6856, x10

Pastel Drawing Wednesdays, now through April 26, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. $295 members / $330 nonmembers Beginner and intermediate artists will explore the pastel medium and improve overall skills in accurately portraying subjects of their choice in terms of perspective, proportion and the proper handling of values and color. Instructor: Joyce Lister

First Thursdays: Women @ the Myerberg Monthly, 1:30 p.m. $10 per lecture or 3 lectures for $25

February 2 Wayne Schaumberg, Well-known Baltimore historian will speak

Philadelphia Museum of Art Field Trip American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent Wednesday, March 29, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Registration required before March 1 $80 members / $100 nonmembers This exhibition explores watercolor painting’s remarkable rise in the United States in the years between 1860 and 1925. See the artistic revolution that occurred during the lifetimes of Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent, the two most influential American watercolorists. *Significant walking required

on “Baltimore During the Good Old Days, 1930-1960.”

March 2 Marlene Trestman, Attorney and author of Fair Labor Lawyer.

Calling All Gardeners!

The discussion will center on the life of the new deal attorney and Supreme Court advocate Bessie Margolin.

Thursday, April 6, 3:00 p.m.

NEW! Sex and Religion in the Supreme Court

Meet Valley View Farms planting expert, Carrie Engle and get great ideas for beautifying the Myerberg landscape. Then join the committee that will help to carry out the plans.

Fridays, March 3 - 24, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. $55 members / $75 nonmembers There are many landmark Supreme Court decisions that involve sex and religion. Learn how sometimes brilliant men have made decisions that shock us by today’s worldview. Instructor: Barbara Blumberg

NEW! The Taming of the Shrew Tuesdays, March 7 - 28, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. $70 members / $95 nonmembers What does Shakespeare’s controversial play have to say about love and marriage? We will read the play together and come up with our own interpretations. The instructor will suggest a good annotated edition for purchase, or you may use a copy of the play that you already own. Optional trip after the course to see a performance of the play by the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore. Instructor: Gail Lipsitz

Fall in Love with Fitness! February marks American Heart Month. Join in February, wear red and get $20 oﬀ a new 6-month or one year membership.

FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Health Fitness &

RELIEVE BPH SYMPTOMS Limit your intake of fluids, alcohol and decongestants to ease prostate symptoms CELEBREX EXONERATED A study found Celebrex is no riskier for the heart than Motrin or Tylenol HELPING HOARDERS Understand the signs and causes of hoarding to assist in cleaning up FIVE-MINUTE CURES Easy, inexpensive fixes for foot cramps, headaches, hangovers and more

New statin shrinks artery-clogging plaque By Marilynn Marchione For the first time, a new drug given along with a cholesterol-lowering statin medicine has proved able to shrink plaque that is clogging arteries, potentially giving a way to undo some of the damage of heart disease. The difference was very small, but doctors hope it will grow with longer treatment. And any reversal or stabilization of disease would be a win for patients and a long-sought goal. The drug, Amgen Inc.’s Repatha, also drove LDL, or bad cholesterol, down to levels rarely if ever seen in people before. Heart patients are told to aim for below 70, but some study participants got theirs as low as 15. “There doesn’t appear to be any level at which there is harm” from too little LDL, and the lower patients went, the more their plaque shrank, said one study leader, Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic. Too much cholesterol, along with other substances, can build up and form plaque in arteries. Statins such as Lipitor and Crestor curb cholesterol production. Repatha and a similar drug, Praluent,

block PCSK9 — a substance that interferes with the liver’s ability to remove cholesterol from the blood.

Expensive, injectable drugs The new drugs have drawbacks, though. Statins are pills sold as generics for as little as a dime a day. The new ones are biotech drugs that are expensive to make — Repatha costs $14,000 a year and insurers often won’t pay. They must be given as shots every two weeks or once a month. People can do it themselves with a penlike device. In the study, about 900 heart disease patients were given a strong statin and monthly shots of either Repatha or a dummy solution. Ultrasound images were taken of an artery with plaque at the start of the trial and 18 months later. The average for bad cholesterol stayed around 93 for people given only the statin, but dropped to 37 for those on both drugs. The amount of artery plaque stayed about the same for the statin-only group but shrank 1 percent in those also given Repatha. Some people with more dramatic

LDL declines saw plaque shrink 2 percent. “It’s small, but it probably took patients 60 years to accumulate that plaque,” so to see any change after just 18 months of treatment is good, said a cholesterol expert, Dr. Raul Santos of the University of Sao Paolo. Dr. Vincent Bufalino, president of Advocate Medical Group, a large cardiology group in suburban Chicago, agreed. “It sounds small, but it’s a beginning” and still a win, he said. Amgen sponsored the study, and Santos has consulted for the company. Nissen said his fees for doing the study were donated to charity. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and discussed at a recent American Heart Association conference. The best test of the new drugs’ value will be large studies underway now to see whether drops in cholesterol will lead to fewer heart attacks and deaths. Results are expected later this year.

Another new drug also helps Also at the conference, doctors gave results of a safety study of an experimental treatment aimed at rapidly removing cholesterol after a heart attack to help prevent a second one. “When you have a heart attack, your ability to get cholesterol out of plaque is actually worsened. Your plaques grow more plump....the pipes are getting even more clogged,” said Dr. C. Michael Gibson, professor of medicine at Harvard University. He led a study in 1,250 people testing infusions of ApoA-1, the main component of HDL, or good cholesterol, which helps remove the bad kind. The substance is taken directly from human blood, not synthesized in a lab. An earlier version showed side effects on the liver; this one was modified to try to avoid that, and no safety roadblocks were seen, said Gibson, who consults for the treatment’s maker, CSL Behring. — AP

Ways to improve your cholesterol levels By Joyce Hendley If one-third of Americans have unhealthy cholesterol levels, why did the U.S. recently change its advice to limit the cholesterol we eat daily? Well, for most of us, dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on the cholesterol that ends up in our arteries. But keeping your blood cholesterol numbers down is still key to preventing heart disease. Two types of cholesterol are found in the blood, LDL and HDL — and LDL is traditionally targeted as the bad stuff that you want to lower. But it’s now known that not all LDL particles are equally dangerous. Small, dense LDL seems to be able to sneak through artery walls more easily and oxidize more readily into a damaging form, compared to the larger, lighter particles. Fortunately, eating the right foods can help keep this cholesterol out of your arteries. Here’s what you should know. Cut saturated fats and refined carbs.

Saturated fats do make LDL cholesterol in the blood, and many experts still urge limiting these fats — especially from meat — to less than 10 percent of your daily calories. But new research suggests that cutting carbs may be more important for heart health. “Highly processed carbohydrates — particularly sugary and refined carbs like white bread and cookies — are the main dietary influence on small dense LDL particles,” said Ron Krauss, M.D., director of atherosclerosis research at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute. When people replace saturated fats with sugary, refined carbs, “good” HDL drops, while LDL and triglycerides rise — as does heart disease risk. The USDA says to keep added sugars to 10 percent of daily calories, but Krauss would go further and recommends limiting refined carbs as well. Yes, you can eat eggs. Dietary cholesterol is officially a nonissue for most

healthy folks, so eggs’ cholesterol content — around 185 mg. apiece — shouldn’t pose a problem. (Same goes for shrimp.) That said, people with diabetes might want to keep to an egg a day. Research has shown that eating eggs raises the risk for heart disease in diabetics, so American Diabetes Association guidelines still recommend keeping daily cholesterol intake under 300 mg. For better cholesterol levels, exercise. Regular exercise helps boost levels of heart-healthy HDL cholesterol that serves to clean up your arteries. While any exercise is good, moderate cardio — like jogging — raises HDL levels. And more-intense aerobic exercise, like spinning, tends to up the ante further by lowering LDL and triglycerides. Eat an avocado. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats, which boost “good” HDL cholesterol while lowering triglycerides and LDL. Also, avocado’s fiber and phytosterols may give its cholesterol-lowering power a boost.

When overweight people ate an avocado daily, their LDL levels dropped significantly more than in those who didn’t eat an avocado. Sow your oats (and barley). These grains are rich in beta glucan, a soluble fiber and a great way to slash small, dense LDL. Benefits kick in when you get at least 3 grams of beta glucan daily. That’s the amount in 1 1/2 cups cooked oatmeal or 1 1/4 cups cooked pearl barley. Nibble some nuts. Eating between 1 and 3 ounces of nuts — including walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios — each day can help nudge small dense LDLs down. When people with high cholesterol added about 24 walnut halves a day to their usual diets for six weeks, their small dense LDLs dropped 12.7 points. EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com. © 2016 Eating Well, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Simple steps relieve prostate symptoms Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.har-

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• If you are taking a diuretic for high blood pressure or heart problems, take it in the morning when you first wake up. Also ask your doctor if you can reduce the dose. • Never pass up a chance to use the bathroom, even if your bladder does not feel full. Take your time, so you empty your bladder as much as possible. If you can live comfortably with BPH, do it. But if your symptoms are too bothersome, you have a few medications to choose from: • Alpha-blockers relax smooth muscle cells in the prostate and bladder. The two that doctors prescribe most often are tamsulosin and alfuzosin. They start working within a couple weeks. About 70 percent of men with BPH improve. Initially, you might feel lightheaded with standing, but this should subside quickly. Other potential side effects include nasal stuffiness, headache, dry mouth, and decreased amount of ejaculate. • Hormone blockers, such as finasteride and dutasteride, actually shrink the size of the gland. These drugs work slowly — over six months or longer — and they are only helpful for men with rather large prostates. Side effects may include decreased sexual function. • Low dose tadalafil (Cialis) is another possible option for men who have erectile dysfunction along with BPH. Howard LeWine, M.D. is an internist at

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By Dr. Howard LeWine Q: I have a frequent urge to urinate, and need to get up three times a night to empty my bladder. According to my doctor, I have an enlarged prostate. Otherwise, I am healthy. He suggested medication. Do I need to start treatment immediately? A: Doctors call it benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In some men, it is severe enough to require immediate treatment. But in most men, BPH progresses slowly. They can decide for themselves when and if they should be treated. Some simple adjustments in lifestyle may help enough to avoid starting medication now. • Reduce your intake of fluids, particularly after dinner. • Limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine, and avoid them completely after mid-afternoon. Both are diuretics that increase urine flow. • Avoid medications that stimulate muscles in the bladder neck and prostate, such as pseudoephedrine and other decongestants. • Avoid medications with anticholinergic properties that weaken bladder contractions. Antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) are the most common offenders. Various antidepressants and antispasmodics have similar properties.

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Three pain drugs equally safe for arthritis By Marilynn Marchione A new study gives some reassurance to arthritis sufferers who want pain relief but are worried about side effects. It finds that Celebrex — a drug similar to other Cox-2 inhibitors withdrawn 12 years ago for safety reasons — is no riskier for the heart than some other prescription pain pills that are much tougher on the stomach. “We do not want patients to suffer with pain, and we need to know what is safe to give them,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, the Cleveland Clinic’s heart chief, who led the study. Fear that Celebrex would be worse than alternatives proved unfounded, and “on almost every endpoint it actually comes out the best.”

Some other doctors were less confident, partly because follow-up information was missing on one-fourth of the participants, and many others stopped taking their assigned drug. Still, several independent experts said the main results are believable. “I find this reassuring,” said Dr. Brian Strom, a drug safety expert and chancellor at Rutgers University in Newark. No new side effects emerged and Celebrex “seemed safer that way.” Results were discussed at an American Heart Association conference and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Here are some things to know about the study and options for soothing throbbing joints.

Why the concern? Many of the 52 million Americans with arthritis need long-term pain medicines, and higher doses than over-the-counter ones. But some can cause serious stomach trouble. The drugs Vioxx and Bextra became blockbusters because they avoided this problem, but heart concerns emerged and the drugs were withdrawn from the market. Some research suggested that Celebrex, the lone drug left among Cox-2 inhibitors, might pose risks at high doses. So the government required its maker, Pfizer, to do this new study to prove it was safe enough to keep on the market.

Study results

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The study tested daily use of Celebrex versus prescription-strength ibuprofen or naproxen in 24,000 arthritis patients with heart disease or a risk factor for it such as diabetes. The results only apply to these drugs and amounts — not to occasional use of lower, over-the-counter doses (ibuprofen is sold as Motrin, Advil and other brands; naproxen is sold as Naprosyn and Aleve), or to other painkillers such as Tylenol. The findings are not relevant to “somebody who takes an occasional ibuprofen or naproxen for a headache,” Nissen said. All of these drugs are available as generics, but Celebrex is not sold over the counter. After more than two years in the study, about 2 percent of participants had suffered a heart attack, stroke, heart-related death or other heart problem, regardless of what drug they were taking. This was a surprise: Earlier studies suggested naproxen would be safest. Serious stomach problems were more common with ibuprofen and naproxen. Kidney problems were more common with

ibuprofen. The study was not designed to compare the drugs for pain relief, but naproxen showed a small advantage on one measure of that over Celebrex.

Still some unknowns The study doesn’t tell us whether any of these drugs is safer than no drug — there was no placebo group. All we can say is that if they raise heart risks, they do so equally. No information was available on how many participants also were taking aspirin, which can interfere with ibuprofen and naproxen. Two-thirds of participants stopped taking their assigned drug — a dropout rate typical of pain studies but still a problem for interpreting results. Discontinuation rates were similar for all three drugs, though. Still, researchers did what they could to account for these flaws, and the results are believable, said Dr. Bruce Psaty, a drug safety expert at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Big caveats The study was aimed at people at high heart risk. Yet only 20 percent of participants already had heart disease; the rest just had risk factors. Also, people on ibuprofen or naproxen had more room to escalate their doses than those on Celebrex did because that drug’s label limits it to what is considered safe now. “It’s a low risk group getting a low dose” of Celebrex, said Dr. Elliott Antman, a past president of the Heart Association and a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “I remain worried about See PAIN DRUGS, page 9

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BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Health Shorts You can mitigate genetic heart risks Clean living can slash your risk for heart disease even if your genes are heavily stacked against you. A large study found that people with the most inherited risk cut their chances of having a heart attack or other heart problems in half if they didn’t smoke, ate well, exercised and stayed slim. The opposite also is true: You can largely trash the benefit of good genes with unhealthy habits. “DNA is not destiny, and you have control,” said the study leader, Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, genetic research chief at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Many people assume that if your father had a heart attack, you’re destined to have a problem,” but the results show that’s not the case, he said. The study was published online in the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed at a recent American Heart Association conference. It’s long been known that genes and lifestyle affect heart risk, but how much influence each one has, and how much one factor can offset the other, are unknown. Researchers combined information on more than 55,000 people in four studies around the world. One included imaging to check for plaque building up in heart arteries. Participants were checked for 50 genes related to heart risks and placed in five groups based on how many they had. They also were sorted into three groups by healthy lifestyle factors — not being obese, exercising at least once a week, eat-

ing a healthy diet and not smoking. The favorable lifestyle group had at least three of these four factors; the unfavorable group had one or none. The results: people with the most gene risk had nearly twice the chance of developing heart problems than people in the lowest gene risk group did. Roughly the same was true for those in the unfavorable lifestyle group versus the favorable one. But the interesting part was the difference in risk when gene and lifestyle factors were combined. “If you have an unfavorable lifestyle and high gene risk, your risk of having a heart attack over the next 10 years is 10 percent,” but with a good lifestyle, it was only 5 percent in one of the groups in the study, Kathiresan said. When researchers looked at the imaging results, genetic and lifestyle factors matched how much artery plaque was seen. Again, a healthy lifestyle mitigated the damage from flawed genes. Dr. Pamela Morris of the Medical University of South Carolina, who heads the American College of Cardiology’s prevention committee, said some patients with a strong family history of heart problems will say, “I’m doomed. Why should I bother?” But this study shows that “when you do the work, it makes a difference,” she said. “It’s not horribly complicated” to do either, she said. People don’t need to run a marathon, be vegans or “be a twig” in terms of weight, she said. — AP

looking to shed a few pounds. However, in the last two decades research has uncovered numerous health benefits of tree nuts — such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts and cashews — for heart health and brain protection. Now those benefits even extend to achieving a healthy weight, as research shows that consuming nuts can actually help people lose pounds and keep them off. Results from research suggest that adults who consume nuts regularly may have a lower body weight compared to those who don’t regularly eat nuts. A 2014 Loma Linda University study found that high consumers of tree nuts had the lowest prevalence of obesity compared to those with low nut consumption. Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared

the body weight of nut-enriched diets to similar control diets without nuts, and found that intake of nuts did not increase body weight, waist circumference or body mass index. Other research links nut consumption with less weight gain over long periods of time. Nuts are calorie-dense, but are comprised of nutrient-rich components — including good fats, vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber — which make them high in satiety value, resulting in reduced overall calorie consumption. Studies also have suggested that nuts can boost metabolism. In addition, nuts have fewer calories than previously thought. Research on pistachios and almonds shows that the calories absorbed by the body are lower than See HEALTH SHORTS, page 9

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Downsizing From page 1 gave others away. While it was heartening for her to see other people enjoy some of her collectibles, “it was a tremendous emotional toll...But you can’t let yourself get too attached to things,” she said.

Making it easier emotionally Sherry Parrish, a social worker and director of resident life at Charlestown, suggests looking at the process as “rightsizing” instead of “downsizing.” She believes that rightsizing is more likely to be “internally

driven,” while downsizing may be the result of external circumstances in your life. “Where you are in your life, and the reason for your move, will determine whether you consider such a move [to be] an adventure or a cause for grieving,” said Parrish. To make “letting go” easier, Parrish advises honoring the possessions, or the memories associated with the possessions, by using them one last time. For example, set the table with your grandmother’s china and have one last dinner party. And be sure to take photos that you can put into an actual photo album or a digital one on your computer or mobile device.

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The Catonsville Center of On Our Own, Inc., offers one-on-one peer counseling services for those seeking recovery from mental health issues. For more information, call (410) 747-4492, ext. 1203, or visit www.onourownbaltimore.org.

FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Also, don’t feel you have to get rid of everything, Parrish observed. “If you like Grandma’s teapot, keep the teapot,” she said. “Keep ‘a’ thing, not ‘every’ thing.” “Just as a piece of paper requires margins or else the words run off the page, our lives require margins that allow us more freedom, more peace, and more joy,” Parrish said.

Loving what you keep When Barbara Laricos “rightsized” from her four-bedroom home in Elliott City to a 1,600-square foot condominium in the active adult community of Waverly Woods, she followed the advice of the best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Japanese author Marie Kondo. Kondo has created an industry by admonishing people to only “keep what they love.” Laricos, who is 65 and retired, took that to heart. “My tastes have changed over the years,” she said. “I didn’t have much trouble letting go because I really did just want to be surrounded by the things I love. I was pretty ruthless about getting rid of things. I don’t want to be a prisoner to my possessions.” [For some practical suggestions from a professional organizer see “Tips from the experts” on page 9.] Laricos acknowledges that what she misses the most from her previous home are the trees that she could see from every window. But she is learning to appreciate having neighbors nearby and being part of a community. “And I’m really looking forward to the first snow of the season, when I can sit inside and enjoy it and not worry about having to shovel it!” she said. Indeed, it was last year’s major snowstorm that was the deciding factor for Ross and Nancy Kelbaugh when it came to giving up the home they had owned in Colonial Village for 44 years. A fall two years ago that required sur-

gery — and kept Ross housebound on the second floor — was their first inkling that it might be time to downsize. The snowstorm, which led to a shoulder injury that still troubles him, was the final straw. Though the Kelbaughs wanted to remain in Baltimore, they liked what they saw at Waverly Woods, where Ross’s sister had moved. They bought a single-family home where the main living space is on one level, with a lower level that has a home office, family room and bathroom. Ross, 67, now makes use of the basement for his work as an on-air appraiser for “Chesapeake Collectibles” on Maryland Public Television, and for his own research firm, Historic Graphics. A retired teacher and an avid collector, Kelbaugh found it difficult to give up his books, collectibles and, in some cases, good pieces of antique furniture. “There were a lot of trips to Goodwill and to the dump,” he said. “Some people are probably very happy now. But it had to go.” Now that a good part of his belongings, not to mention his home, from the last 40some years are gone from his life, Kelbaugh is pleasantly surprised that he doesn’t miss anything. “It was easier than I expected to cut my ties emotionally to that house,” he said. “I’m enjoying not having clutter,” he admitted, adding ruefully, “I might have been bordering on being a hoarder.” “And though the young couple who is now living in the house and re-doing it to their taste have invited him and his wife over, Kelbaugh said, “I don’t want to go back. I have a really nice place now.” Kelbaugh wishes that someone had told him when he was younger to buy a house he could grow old with, so he could avoid the upheaval that comes along with such a major life change. But when all is said and done, he’s happy to have let go. “Basically, it’s just stuff.”

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Tips from the experts Professional organizer Cindy Bernstein (www.Aim4Order.com) offers these tips to make the downsizing process easier, both logistically and emotionally: 1. Interview movers and commit to your moving day. “It helps to not have the process drag on and on. Be realistic, however, in the date you pick. You don’t want to stress yourself out by picking a date that’s too soon.” 2. Start by deciding on the large pieces: furniture first. “Place tags on everything you definitely want. Measure the new place to make sure it will all fit. When in doubt, leave it out!” 3. If possible, have at least a week in your new home before you close up the old place. This allows you to have a change of heart if you’ve left something behind that you really miss/need. It also helps you to initially say “No” to things you’re not sure about, because you’ll have a small window of time to change your mind after you move. 4. Very few people regret bringing too little. Less is more! “The less you have, the more peace you will have in your new place. It can be very stressful to find places for everything, especially when you’re moving to a smaller home.” 5. Get help (a piece of advice reiterated

by all the “downsizers” we spoke to!). “Having a warm body with you to help make tough decisions can really speed things along. If you can find a friend or relative that you feel comfortable with and trust, great. If not, hire an organizer who can make the whole process easier (and more fun) for you.” 6. If your move is a few years away, start now by going through stuffed closets, drawers and boxes to unearth the things that have been sitting there for a long time. “Don’t pay to move things that you haven’t looked at or opened in 30-plus years!” Set up bins/boxes in the room labeled TRASH, RECYCLE, DONATE, SELL. Say yes to any donation pick-up services that contact you, or make a weekly trip to local donation places to keep the process moving along. Interior designer Wendy Appleby (www.yourhomebywendy.com), who has many downsizing clients, notes that the quickest way to feel at home in your new space is to hang artwork. “It never seems like a home until there is art on the wall,” she said. “Bring all your art and your family photos with you. You’ll find a home for them!” — Carol Sorgen

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Pain drugs From page 6 the patient with known heart disease,” and do not feel comfortable about any of these pain drugs for them, he said. Dr. Carl “Chip” Lavie of Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, said the results confirm what he has been telling patients: Celebrex seems safer than many alternatives, and can be combined more safely with blood thinners and other medi-

Health shorts From page 7 once thought, because the complex matrix of whole nuts makes their fat content resistant to absorption. This means your body is not taking in the full amount of

cines many people need. Any vindication of Celebrex may be coming too late to benefit Pfizer. In 2013, the drug had U.S. sales of $2.2 billion, but that fell to around $185 million in 2015, the first full year there was a generic version, which sold $636 million that year, according to QuintilesIMS, a health research company. In 2015, about 8.3 million prescriptions were filled for Celebrex or its generic version in the U.S., versus 43 million for ibuprofen and nearly 20 million for naproxen. — AP

calories contained in the nuts you eat. Keep in mind that overindulging in nuts can still cause you to pack on pounds. So, practice portion control by keeping consumption to approximately a handful or an ounce (160 to 180 calories) daily. — Environmental Nutrition

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Understanding and treating hemorrhoids Dear Mayo Clinic: Every few months, I develop hemorrhoids that are quite painful, but after a few days, they seem to go away on their own. Is there a way to avoid getting them altogether? Do I need to see my doctor the next time they return? Answer: Hemorrhoids are quite common, and they often follow the pattern you describe. Making some lifestyle changes may lower your chances of developing hemorrhoids. But if those changes aren’t enough to keep them from coming back, and the

hemorrhoids cause you considerable discomfort, then consider making an appointment with your doctor for an evaluation to see if treatment may be necessary. Hemorrhoidal cushions are part of the body’s natural anatomy in the anal canal. They help keep stool in and control continence. The problem with hemorrhoids develops when veins in those cushions become swollen and bulge. Hemorrhoids can occur inside the rectum. Those are called internal hemorrhoids. Or they can happen under the skin around the anus. Those are called external

hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids don’t cause any pain and usually don’t require treatment unless they start to bleed. External hemorrhoids are the ones that typically lead to the pain and discomfort people often associate with hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids develop due to increased pressure on the pelvic floor. That pressure often comes from straining during bowel movements and sitting for long periods of time on the toilet. It also may be a result of chronic constipation or diarrhea, obesity or pregnancy. External hemorrhoids tend to occur in the pattern you mention, developing over a three- to four-day period and then slowly going away.

Self-help measures One of the key factors in preventing hemorrhoids is being able to pass stool regularly without straining. There are a number of lifestyle changes you can try to help make that happen. They include exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet that is high in fiber, drinking plenty of fluids, and avoiding sitting for long periods of time. When painful external hemorrhoids develop, self-care steps usually can relieve the discomfort. Over-the-counter creams, ointments, suppositories or pads designed to treat hemorrhoids contain ingredients such as witch hazel or hydrocortisone that can lessen pain and itching. These products are often effective, but don’t use them for more than a week at a time. If used too often or for too long, they may cause side effects — such as a skin rash, inflammation or skin thinning. Soaking in a warm bath or a sitz bath with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes, two

or three times a day may reduce hemorrhoid swelling. Ice packs or cold compresses also can ease swelling and pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, aspirin or acetaminophen, may help relieve some discomfort, too.

When to see your doctor If hemorrhoids last more than a week despite home remedies, or if they cause pain and discomfort, then it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor. You also should see your doctor if you’re experiencing painless rectal bleeding, so he or she can rule out other more serious conditions. If your symptoms are due to hemorrhoids, your doctor may recommend removing the hemorrhoids surgically. A variety of techniques can be used to accomplish this. Most of them can be done in your doctor’s office and do not require an overnight hospital stay. Incorporating changes into your exercise and diet routines now may help you avoid hemorrhoids in the future. If they do come back, try the self-care steps listed above. In most cases, no further treatment will be needed. But if hemorrhoids continue to cause significant pain, see your doctor. — John Pemberton, M.D., Colon and Retal Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@ mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org. © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Use a gentle touch in helping hoarders By Joan Van De Moortel The moment the elevator doors opened, the stench was overpowering. Eyes watered, nostrils burned, fight or flight impulses activated. We hadn’t even gotten into the apartment yet — the trash was crammed so tightly floor to ceiling it was nearly impossible to open the door. Inside: Narrow paths from room to room. Boxes filled with junk mail, old newspapers, invitations to exhibitions that happened years ago. This is just one example of an apartment of a hoarder, far different from mere clutter. A hoarded home and a home with excessive clutter have one thing in common — excessive clutter — but that’s where the similarities end. Keeping a house clean and well-lighted requires time, energy, a level of physical health and, sometimes, other financial resources with which to hire help, rent a truck to take trash to the dump, and pay the dump fees. It can get away from us. Though it may take a while for it to get to the point where we can’t deal with it by ourselves, it happens.

A psychological issue A person who lives with excessive clutter is happy to be rid of it, and frequently will take steps to deal with it. In contrast, a true hoarder finds it almost impossible to act. The process is too painful. Throw the broken chair, the moldy box spring, the 100 margarine tubs away? To hoarders, that’s like throwing away parts of themselves. Despite appearances, Compulsive Hoarding Syndrome actually isn’t about things — it’s about trying to fill a psychological need through acquiring and keeping things.

As Sandy S., a compulsive hoarder put it: “You’re pulling everything in around you, building the hamster’s nest, building the wall. Part of it is for the high. It’s an addiction, sort of. But it’s also to fill a void. It fills a lot of void.” The difference, then, between the excessively cluttered and the hoarded home is — almost always — the person living there. It’s important to note: Hoarding is not a moral failing. It is a distinct mental illness recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, and it can indicate many additional problems. Some 60 percent of people who hoard are affected by depression, 30 percent by social anxiety disorder, 20 to 23 percent are in varying stages of dementia, as shown by Dr. David Tolin. An equal-opportunity disorder, hoarding syndrome affects those of all ages, races, genders, educational levels, nationalities and socio-economic statuses.

Signs of hoarding Might someone you know have a hoarding problem? Here are some tell-tale traits: Hoarders don’t tend to let people into their homes. This doesn’t mean they’re anti-social. Often they are happy to meet you somewhere for coffee, take in a movie together, or visit you in your home. The shades are always down, the curtains are always drawn. The person who hoards won’t invite you in, and they don’t want you to see in, either. Things are outside that should be inside, such as appliances, upholstered furniture and knick-knacks spilling onto the porch or into the yard. Frequently, even the car is packed with stuff. They’re using an off-site storage facility (or two or three) to house be-

longings. Meanwhile, their home is so full that you’re not sure if the couch is even there anymore. Living spaces are so cluttered they cannot be used. Often, hoarders cannot cook in the kitchen, sleep in their beds, bathe in their bathrooms — they’re buried in clutter. Plumbing, electricity, heating, air conditioning may not function well, if at all. Insect and animal infestations are common.

How to help If you’re seeing these signs, it’s time to initiate the remediation process. The alternative is to wait until an eviction notice is served and state agencies get involved. Bringing the home to a level that can be easily maintained is crucial but, good in-

tentions notwithstanding, the “slash and burn” method is more likely to produce trauma than promote gratitude. During the project, the tasks will include everything from donating, recycling and trashing, to mold removal, heavy cleaning and construction. And sometimes more. Afterwards, ongoing support will be needed, as the underlying causes of hoarding do not go away. (Without regular support, the behavior reappears quickly after remediation.) But before the declutterers, exterminators, cleaners and appraisers can even begin, your job is to communicate with your loved one — to help them see that See HOARDERS, page 12

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Hoarders From page 11 they have a problem and that it needs to be dealt with immediately. Here are 10 ways to make the process go as smoothly as possible: 1. Set boundaries. Communicate what you can and cannot, will and will not do — respectfully, but firmly. 2. Respect the person who hoards. You can judge the living situation; not the individual.

Letters to editor From page 2 If you make over certain income limits, you get hit with what I call a premium surcharge. It’s known as IRMAA, or incomerelated monthly adjustment amount. There is a table for various scenarios, such as different income levels and marital status.

FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

3. Listen to the individual’s ideas and plans for their belongings. 4. Find a positive space to begin. Even if it’s just a one-square-foot space that’s not cluttered. It builds on hope, faith and ability, which is often lacking. 5. Encourage them to voice their hopes — realistic or not. 6. Then, help them be realistic. “You’re in violation of health and fire codes, and you’re being evicted. You won’t be able to go home until we change that.” 7. Be firm in identifying the prob-

lem, even when you’re screamed at. One roach means hundreds. One mouse seen equals scores not seen. All carry disease. This is dangerous to health and safety — everyone’s. 8. Professional help is needed. Family and friends, landlords and boards, need help in order to be able to help people who hoard. Legally, physically, psychologically, the remediation is a complex project — a collaboration, not a confrontation. 9. Pace the work. Account for the time it takes to go through years of memo-

ries, stories and fears. Steady progress in decluttering is most important. 10. How much is good enough? The space needs to be clean and safe, not perfect. No one wants to disrespect a parent, the sweet neighbor next door, the colleague. But is hoarding a threat to health and safety? Yes. The most respectful and caring thing one can do is take action. The sooner action is taken, the sooner that person is safe. Joan Van De Moortel is executive director of Care for You, a homecare services company.

I believe the IRMAA can be considered a means test, and it is already being imposed. Milton E. Glodek, Jr., CPA, USAF (Ret.) Perry Hall Dear Editor: I commend Stuart Rosenthal on his common sense, on-the-mark “From the Publisher” column in December.

He points out “how nearly half of all Americans must have felt when President Obama won reelection in 2012 with 51 percent of the vote.” Mr. Rosenthal further points out that “our system is not a pure democracy. It incorporates elements purposefully crafted by our founding fathers to elevate the influence of states and dilute the voting power of individuals.” I realize our condo community is an ex-

ample of this democratic and republic difference. We may have different opinions — but we are subject to decisions made by board members we elected to represent us. Earlier [last] year, our residents received a letter stating we cannot have a table by our door due to fire regulations. We were also told we cannot have any Christmas decorations on our decks. I was told by our on-site management office that other condos in this community are allowed to have decorations at that time of year. Perhaps if everyone in our building signed a petition asking for permission to display them, our Board members would reconsider and allow their neighbors to decorate their decks for several weeks at the end of each year. Barbara G. Green Elkridge

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Health Studies Page

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Reducing anxiety in Parkinson’s patients By Carol Sorgen Anxiety is a serious medical condition that can have a debilitating effect on people’s lives, negatively affecting their thoughts, feelings and ability to function normally. Anxiety is not uncommon among the general population, but individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease seem to be at a much higher risk, with an estimated 40 percent or more suffering from anxiety. Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder that causes tremors, rigidity and other problems with normal movements. The disease symptoms are believed to be caused in large part by the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the midbrain. Researchers theorize that anxiety in Parkinson’s may be associated with the loss of dopamine caused by the disease, and therefore may respond to dopaminebased treatments. Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, is conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a rotigotine transdermal patch — a dopamine replacement medication also known as Neupro — in reducing anxiety symptoms in people with Parkinson’s. According to the National Parkinson Association (NPF), as many as two out of five people with Parkinson’s will experience one of several forms of anxiety during the course

of their illness —including generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety attacks, social avoidance or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Who can take part Treatments for anxiety Currently accepted treatments for anxiety in both the general population and among Parkinson’s patients include a combination of medications (anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs) and/or psychological counseling (“talk” therapy). NPF recommends that Parkinson’s patients undergo a personalized, holistic and comprehensive treatment program for mental health problems that takes into account their individual health needs and preferences. Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to receive either rotigotine or a placebo patch for eight weeks. Neither the patients nor the doctors will know who is assigned to which group. All participants will be evaluated at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before using the medication and after two, four and eight weeks of the study. Psychiatric, cognitive and movement assessments will be performed, along with a review of anxiety symptoms. All participants will be offered continued routine psychiatric care with the study physician upon completion of the study.

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LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN

Ombudsman volunteers visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities to advocate for the needs of residents and to promote their rights and quality of life. To learn more about volunteer opportunities with the Baltimore County Dept. of Aging, call (410) 887-4200.

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Common side effects of rotigotine include headache and skin irritation.

BALT COUNTY HOME TEAM

The Home Team is a community-based volunteer program serving homebound Baltimore County residents 60 years of age or older who lack social supports and are at risk of social isolation. Eligible clients are matched with a volunteer who provides friendly in-home and telephone visits. To learn more, call (410) 887-4141.

Participants in the study must be 21 to 89 years old, have had Parkinson’s for at least a year, have a diagnosis of anxiety order, and have been on a stable treatment for Parkinson’s for at least two weeks before enrolling.

They cannot take part if they currently have an unstable medical disease, another psychiatric disease or dementia. They also cannot currently be undergoing treatment with a dopamine agonist. For more information or to see if you qualify, contact Dr. Gregory Pontone at (410) 502-0477 or gponton1@jhmi.edu, or Kate Perepezko at (410) 614-1242 or kperepe1@jhu.edu.

Supervised Exercise Research Healthy men & women 50-80 years old needed to participate in an exercise research study at the University of Maryland / Baltimore VA Medical Center. Work with Doctors and Exercise Physiologists to safely start exercising. Participation involves tests to measure your fitness and function. You will receive medical and fitness evaluations

Parking and compensation for your time will be provided. Call 410-605-7179. Mention code: EPC-DM.

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FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Five-minute cures for common problems Pimple: Put a dab of essential oil of tea ing into my finger! The water from the tree on it. Or make a clay paste from a dab faucet wasn’t helping, nor any of the of bentonite clay mixed with shameful words I mumbled water and put that on it. You while hopping from one foot can do both back to back (tea to another…. So I poured tree then clay mask), and some cayenne pepper on leave the paste on it there and took a deep breath overnight. waiting for a burn. SurprisingFoot cramp or Charlie ly, no pain! But it did control horse: If these occur only octhe bleeding. Super cool for a casionally from over-stretchhot pepper extract. ing or dehydration, long travHeadache: Sometimes a el, wearing high heels too cup of coffee or black tea will DEAR long and so forth, just drink help because of the caffeine it PHARMACIST some coconut water (available contains. You can also take By Suzy Cohen at grocery stores and pharmatwo ibuprofen. If that doesn’t cies). The electrolytes in it help, put a cool pack on both work to stop the cramp and spasms. If you your temples, and take 250 to 350 mg. of get them frequently at night, drink some chelated magnesium. right before bedtime. Any electrolyte Hangover: Truthfully, I have no experidrink will work, but many of them unfortu- ence with this one, as my drinking habits nately contain artificial colors. amount to probably one drink (or a few sips Kitchen cuts and wounds: Cayenne of one drink), about 3 times a year. I just powder, the spice, is a well-known hemostat, don’t like feeling ‘messed up’ in my head, meaning it stops bleeding within seconds. and drinking causes insomnia for me. Outdoor survivalists know this and often But lots of my friends drink, and some get carry it in their backpack. It’s amazing that hangovers. I suggest you take two N-acetylyou can pour this onto a cut and within 10 cysteine supplements (approximately 1200 seconds, the bleeding will pretty much stop. mg. of NAC) and also a B1 (thiamine) tablet I found this out when I cut some crusty together with your drinks or in the morning. bread one day and the knife slipped, slic- There’s a biochemical reason why this

BEACON BITS

Jan. 22

GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH DAY

The Baltimore County Genealogical Society (BCGS) will hold a free research day on Sunday, Jan. 22. Everyone is invited to use all of the research assets of the library from noon to 4 p.m. Currently, the library of the BCGS contains more than 4,000 volumes, church records, vertical files, surname file, maps, computers, CD-ROMs, microfilm and microfiche. The Baltimore County Genealogical Society is located in Room 308 at Parkville Senior Center, located at 8601 Harford Rd. For more details, visit www.baltimoregenealogysociety.org/BCGShome/library/ or call (410) 665-8769.

works better than drinking raw eggs or sweating in a sauna. Just take my word for it. Dr y, chapped lips: Drink more, always infuse your water with marshmallow root (keep it in the fridge), and apply honey to your lips instead of lip gloss. You’re more kissable that way, too. Stuffy nose: Take a hot shower so it gets really steamy in there, and breathe in the moist air through your nose. Also drop a few drops of essential oil of Eucalyptus (a known decongestant) on your shower floor, which helps the steam work even better. Also,

Basil essential oil is a good expectorant. I have a much longer version of this article with more five-minute health solutions. It’s available free at my website: www.suzycohen.com. This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Registration is open now for 24-weeks of noncredit courses given by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for those age 50 and older. Classes start Feb. 20. Subjects include history, film, literature, philosophy, art, science, music, theater and politics. Call (410) 516-9719 for an information packet, or visit www.osher.jhu.edu and look for “Current Offerings, Baltimore & Columbia.”

FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Money Law &

RESUMÉ REVAMP Refresh your resume by highlighting actions and results rather than merely listing your jobs ANNUITIES FOR ILLNESS With a medically underwritten annuity, the sicker you are, the higher your monthly income BUDGETING APPS Track your income and expenses with an array of apps and websites that make it easier to stay on budget

Securities hotline protects you from fraud It’s no secret that many people reach re- ties touch every aspect of the securities tirement with a nest egg inadequate to last business, and it administers the largest the rest of their expected life. dispute resolution forum for Many will be looking for ininvestors and firms. vestments with above-average Impartial portfolio review rates of return. FINRA operates the SecuriBut higher returns requires ties Helpline for Seniors at 1assuming higher risk. This can 844-574-3577. The helpline inmake retirees especially vulforms investors how to review nerable to fraud. their investment portfolio and Studies have shown that account statements, and it adpeople start losing mental cadresses concerns about the pacity after age 70. After 85, it handling of a brokerage accan be much worse. THE SAVINGS count. Accordingly, it may be dan- GAME The group’s website (www. gerous for older investors to By Elliot Raphaelson finra.org) provides several ininitiate new types of investments, and they may be especially suscep- vestor tools and resources, such as Brotible to promises of high returns from kerCheck — a research tool that provides investors valuable information about brokerquestionable financial salespersons. For all of these reasons, investors should age firms and individual brokers, such as retake advantage of the support of independ- cent work history, qualifications, state licensent parties to help them make intelligent in- es, regulatory actions, and violations and complaints. vestment decisions. Since the helpline was initiated in 2015, FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority — the largest independent FINRA has received more than 7,000 quesregulator for all securities firms doing tions and complaints from people in all age business in the U.S. — can help. Its activi- groups. These calls have resulted in more

than $2.6 million in voluntary reimbursements from firms to callers. Callers were concerned about products associated with variable annuities, mutual funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and energy-sector investments. Thanks to these calls, FINRA has been able to identify frauds associated with taxes, bogus lottery wins, fake check scams, and binary options. FINRA reports examples of these frauds on its website as “investor alerts.” Here are two examples: If you receive a call from the IRS, it is fraudulent — the IRS will never contact you by phone. Neither will they ask you to wire transfer funds. FINRA points out that binary options (a type of option, but considered by some regulators to be a form of gambling) are high risk. Often the product offered is fraudulent. When you initiate a complaint to FINRA on its helpline, it can result in an investigation. If FINRA discovers fraudulent activity that is not under its jurisdiction, it will report that information to the appropriate regulator or Adult Protective Services (APS) organization. FINRA has made 110 referrals to 16 APS agencies and to additional state agen-

cies; 483 other issues have been referred to state, federal and foreign regulators.

Better investment information Many of the callers to the helpline are looking for additional information about products they are being solicited to buy. FINRA provides additional sources to callers so they can do better research before committing to buy. Other agencies can also provide important information about possible fraud in financial and other products, for example: AARP, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Investor Education, NASAA’s Serving our Seniors, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unfortunately, most scams are reported after they have already ensnared many victims. If you are uncertain about the value of a product being offered to you — or the reliability of the organization or individual selling it to you — take advantage of the resources of FINRA and other independent agencies before you buy. If you have family members who you See SECURITIES HOTLINE, page 17

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

When your kid is a financial train wreck By Liz Weston Financial planners and credit counselors see plenty of examples: The grown son who lost a job, moved home and stopped looking for work. The daughter who constantly mismanaged her checking account — and turned to payday lenders when parents stopped covering her overdrafts. The father working into his 70s to support spendthrift children in their 40s and 50s. Kristi Sullivan, a certified financial planner in Denver, once worked with an older couple whose offspring constantly turned to them for help. “The clients couldn’t understand why their grandchildren had all the latest iPads and phones, but when a car or home repair came up, their adult children always had to ask them for money,” Sullivan said. Giving adult children money is the norm in the U.S. Six out of 10 parents with adult children said they had given those children financial help in the previous 12 months, according to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey.

Damaging results Parents usually give because it feels good. Eight out of 10 parents who help adult children — with money, child care, housework or home repairs — said doing so is rewarding, Pew found. But the toll can be steep, advisers say. Supporting able-bodied children, or repeatedly bailing them out of debt, creates dependency when parents should help

Securities hotline From page 16 suspect may lose, or are losing, mental capacity, do what you can to make sure that they do not make any new financial trans-

Frank, Frank

them become self-sufficient. The unwise spending also can: • Delay or derail the parents’ retirement. • Fuel sibling resentment and family discord. • Enable dangerous behavior, including addiction or untreated mental illness. The advice to “just say no” doesn’t get far with parents stuck in these patterns, advisers say. Many parents don’t understand the harm they’re doing, and the children certainly have no incentive to change, said Bruce McClary, a former credit counselor and spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling in Washington, D.C. Change is possible, though, when parents set limits and communicate those limits to their kids.

What planners advise Figure out what you can af ford, Delia Fernandez, a certified financial planner, uses retirement planning software to show what happens if clients continue spending on their kids at their current level. Often, the results are eye-opening. “They’ll say, ‘Why is the chart turning red?’” Fernandez said. “They thought they’d be retiring at 62, but now they’re looking at 66 or later.” If parents can’t agree on a figure, a third party — such as a planner, accountant or even a therapist — may be able to help. Set expectations. Many parents who support adult kids have never talked about actions without input from you or an independent organization such as FINRA. Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2016 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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money with those children, planners say. Parents should be clear about when they will and won’t help. If the children aren’t trying to be self-sufficient, any help should have an expiration date. If the offspring needs basic budgeting help, credit counselors can offer advice, classes or debt-management plans. Plan for ‘emergencies.’ Those who are financially irresponsible often limp from crisis to crisis, so parents who set boundaries should expect to get pleas for emergency help. If possible, avoid kneejerk responses, planners say. Parents who decide to step in should set and communicate limits, Fernandez said. For example, they can offer to pay one or two months’ rent to stave off an eviction,

but tell the offspring to find affordable shelter after that. Target your help. Very wealthy parents may hand over annual checks as a way to reduce their estates and avoid future estate taxes. But giving cash to irresponsible adult children is a bad idea. Instead, parents should direct the money toward something specific, such as paying the mechanic for a car repair or taking over certain bills, planners say. Consider your other kids. Money shouldn’t equal love, but it often does in the siblings’ minds when financial help is doled out unequally, said Laura ScharrBykowsky, a certified financial planner. — NerdWallet via AP

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FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Focus your resumé on actions and results Q: How can I refresh my old resumé? A: Target one area at a time. You would get off to a good start by concentrating on the biggest section of a resumé, the one typically labeled Professional Experience. I’ll point out a few places there where editing could serve to make your resumé more powerful.

ments tell the “buyer” (in this case, the employer) the specific benefit he/she will get from the “purchase” (in this case, the candidate). Therefore, your resumé should be customized over and over again — to respond to the specific needs of each employer you contact.

Necessary data

Most resumés are based on a collection of facts about one’s Keep in mind that the purpast that relate to the job pose of a resumé is to win an CAREER COACH sought. The facts cover all the interview. Therefore, your re- By Judy Smith mandatory information: the cansumé should be written in a didate’s job titles, names of emway that convinces the prospective employ- ployers, lists of duties performed and dates of er that you have what it takes to be success- service. ful in the position they want to fill. To that However, simply listing the jobs one had end, your resumé is a marketing document. makes for a boring resumé. The critical Consider, too, that effective advertise- facts simply tell the reader the tasks you per-

Underlying principles

formed, but not how you performed them. Substantiated data stands out. Results of your efforts, plus how the company benefited from your performance, is the ‘juice’ in a resumé. First, clarify what the prospective employer is looking for and what you have to offer in that regard. Ask yourself, “What would make someone the perfect candidate for that job?” Then write or type everything you’ve ever done that demonstrates you fit with what the employer in each case needs and wants.

Validated data Think about how you performed the tasks listed on your resumé better than anyone else. Then validate your actions in terms of accomplishments, such as: increased revenue, reduction in required time, new programs created, improved management out-

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comes, etc. Your accomplishments should not be generalized. To be believable, your performance has to include quantifiable terms. For example: • Oversaw agency fundraising campaigns; raised over $1.5 million annually • Designed, developed and administered broad range of regional events; some functions involving as many as (number of) participants Accomplishments expressed in measurable terms help you stand out. They clarify your ‘brand’. (See “On the job search? How to market yourself,” June Beacon, www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/select-stories/lawmoney/job-search-how-market-yourself).

Key words are key Companies use databases to manage the large number of resumés they commonly receive. These databases have builtin search engines to find key words in the resumés submitted. Key words are the words in a job description that collectively describe the job. Those words identify job duties that typically refer to things like technical expertise, management skills, industry know-how, etc. The first three bullet points in a job description usually contain significant key words. Use these key words appropriately in as many sections of your resumé as you can. How to select the key words to incorporate in your resumé: • Make a list of approximately 15 to 20 terms that describe your qualifications for the position you’re seeking. • Print the job post and highlight the key words you find there. • Match the key words in the job post with the relevant ones on your list of personal qualifications. • Use the matching words in your resumé. The resumé is an essential part of getting a new job. Taking the time to learn how to write a powerful one gives you the best chance of getting the job you want. Send your job search questions to Smith at smithjudit@gmail.com, or visit her website at www.judysmith.solutions.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

JOBSEEKER WORKSHOPS The Baltimore County

American Job Centers will be offering a range of professional development workshops for jobseekers including interviewing, job search strategies, resume and cover letter, computer basics and social media. For more

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details, visit https:/mwejobs.maryland.gov to access or view the events calendar for each Job Center (located in Essex, Hunt Valley, and Randallstown).

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Can’t qualify for insurance? Try an annuity By Eleanor Laise The vast majority of older adults don’t have long-term care insurance. For all but the wealthiest, deteriorating health or an imminent need for care can raise real concerns about running out of money. One solution: a medically underwritten single-premium immediate annuity (SPIA). Like traditional immediate annuities, these contracts offer a lifetime of monthly payments in exchange for a single up-front investment. But unlike plain-vanilla immediate annuities, which base payouts on your age and gender, a medically underwritten annuity throws your health into the mix: the sicker you are, the higher your monthly income. That feature can make these annuities critical tools for seniors with serious health conditions. “When you’re sick, you can’t qualify for long-term care insurance,” said Stan Haithcock, an annuity agent. If you are in that boat and need care, he said, a medically underwritten SPIA may be “the only hope you have of enhancing a payout to cover those expenses.”

No claims to file Unlike long-term care insurance, medically underwritten SPIAs don’t require any claims filing or ongoing assessment of your eligibility for benefits. And you can use the money for any purpose — whether it’s paying for care or covering other living expenses. But the annuities do have their drawbacks: You’re typically locking up a big chunk of money, and if you die shortly after buying the product, you may receive far less in benefits than you paid in premium. Although medically underwritten SPIAs are niche products today, offered by just a handful of insurers, industry experts ex-

pect the market to grow as baby boomers age. One sign of fresh interest in the products: The insurance giant Genworth recently launched its first medically underwritten SPIA.

Assessing eligibility To qualify for the higher payouts offered by medically underwritten SPIAs, you’ll need to prove that your life expectancy is shorter than standard actuarial tables suggest. Some insurers, such as Genworth, require an in-person assessment by a nurse. Others may simply ask you to complete a detailed health questionnaire and provide medical records. At Mutual of Omaha, for example, applicants are asked to list all medications, and disclose any cigarette use, cancer, heart attacks, lung disease, diabetes, strokes and other conditions, said D.J. Kohlhaase, an actuary at the firm. The underwriting process may take 30 days or more. The payoff: People in poor health can get significantly more income than they would receive from a traditional SPIA. Consider a 75-year-old widower with heart disease, diabetes and dementia, who needs help with some daily activities such as bathing. He needs $30,000 in annual income to help cover his care expenses. If he opts for a traditional SPIA that pays income for his life only, with no inflation protection, he’d have to spend roughly $336,000 to get that much income. But Genworth’s medically underwritten SPIA, the Income Assurance Immediate Need Annuity, would give him $30,000 in annual income for just over a $150,000 payment. Generally speaking, “if someone is in poor health, they can get a quarter to a third more from this annuity than from a traditional non-underwritten SPIA,” said

Debapriya Mitra, senior vice president for product and business strategy at Genworth. While medically underwritten annuities aren’t for people in good health, they’re also not appropriate for the sickest seniors. If you have a very short life expectancy, it doesn’t make sense to pay the big upfront premium for this product. Insurers offer optional features, such as inflation protection and enhanced death benefits. But these bells and whistles can take a big bite out of your monthly income.

For example, a 75-year-old man with heart and lung disease investing $100,000 in Genworth’s annuity would reduce his monthly income by 12 percent by opting for a death benefit that would guarantee him at least three years’ worth of income. (The Genworth annuity comes with a built-in early death benefit if you die within six months of buying the product.) © 2016, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Websites and apps help with budgeting By Lisa Gerstner We admit it: Budgeting is drudgery, a pain, the pits among personal finance tasks. But at the start of a new year, when people are brimming with resolutions to get organized, accelerate saving and all that, it’s a good time to talk about the B word. Maybe you already track income and expenses. But if not, it’s a good idea to put yourself through the budgeting paces periodically. Developing a blueprint for how you intend to spend and save money is an important step to reach your goals, both in

the short term and in the distant future. Plus, budgeting doesn’t have to be painful if you take advantage of websites and mobile apps that help you get organized. No matter how you prefer to budget, you can probably find one to match your style and perhaps automate the task. Some sites cater to detail-oriented types who want to know “how much they spent on Coke versus Pepsi over the past six months,” said Steve Shaw, vice president of strategic marketing for the digital banking group at Fiserv, a financial-technology com-

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

SENIOR COMPUTER CLASSES CCBC will offer a series of computer classes for seniors at its dif-

ferent campus locations. Classes include an introduction to social media for boomers and beyond, Android phones and tables, apps to make your life easier, and getting to know email. For more information, call (443) 840-4700 or visit www.ccbcmd.edu/ConEd.

Ongoing

TAX HELP AARP Tax Aides will be providing free tax preparation services at most senior centers throughout Baltimore County and several

other sites. This service is for individuals with low to moderate incomes and especially for those 60 or older. Contact your local senior center to schedule an appointment.

pany. Others take a broader approach, providing simple expense and income tracking. Here we describe options that fit a variety of users. Some require you to share user names and passwords for your bank, credit card and other online accounts for quick, automatic updates of where your finances stand. A few let you enter transaction data manually — a plus if you’d rather not share your log-in credentials with a third party. But all of them use security measures, such as encryption and password protection, to safeguard your information. These websites and apps are free except where otherwise noted.

Mint Website: www.mint.com Best if: You want to budget the easy way Introduced a decade ago, Mint continues to be a go-to application because it offers attractive, easy-to-use tools for tracking financial accounts and creating budgets. Mint can link to your checking, savings, credit card, loan and investment accounts to let you see how your finances stack up, including a snapshot of your net worth. You can see estimates of your home’s value from Zillow, and your car’s value from Kelley Blue Book. You can also set spending limits in various categories (such as shop-

ping and entertainment), view how much you’ve spent in each area throughout the month, and receive alerts if you go over budget. Plus, you can monitor your progress toward savings goals, such as building a fund for emergencies or a vacation. Mint will slice and dice your finances into graphs over periods you select, displaying how your net worth has changed over the past year, for example, or in which categories you’ve spent the most during the past month. You can also sign up to get a free credit score from Equifax, and alerts of significant changes to your credit report. Mint recommends credit cards, brokerage accounts and other financial products, but keep in mind that many of the suggestions are from “partner companies,” so you may be able to get a better deal elsewhere.

Mvelopes Website: www.mvelopes.com Best if: You budget the old-fashioned way With the classic budget-by-envelope method, you label envelopes by expense category and stash cash in each. Once an envelope is empty, you’re done spending in that category until the next refill. Mvelopes updates that system for the digital era, allowing you to link your bank See BUDGETING, page 21

Winter bills can bring some chills. Colder temperatures make your heating system work harder to keep your home feeling comfortable— and your energy bills may show it. Why not consider BGE’s Budget Billing? Here’s why: ✔ Budget Billing spreads out your BGE bills evenly over the year. ✔ Despite changes in the weather, your energy bills remain predictable. ✔ There’s no charge to switch to Budget Billing. Visit BGE.COM/WinterReady, where you’ll find the tools and resources you need to cope with the cold weather. Now that’s smart energy.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Budgeting From page 20 and credit card accounts. As income and expenses flow through your Mvelopes in-box, you assign transactions to customizable on-screen envelopes and set up rules to have recurring transactions directed automatically. If you like, you can attach photos of receipts to your transactions, as well as create a savings envelope. You can earmark cash to an envelope up to a year in advance, applying the same monthly limit to the ones that hold regular expenses, and individually marking the rest. If you find that one envelope is too low on funds to cover expenses, or if you have extra money left at the end of the month in another, you can transfer money among envelopes. You’ll have to stick with somewhat broad budgeting categories if you use the free version of Mvelopes, which comes with 25 envelopes and lets you link four accounts. For $95 a year, you get unlimited envelopes and can connect as many accounts as you wish, plus you get access to debtmanagement tools and other features.

Personal Capital Website: www.personalcapital.com Best if: You’re an investor who wants

the big picture Personal Capital’s strong suit is monitoring your whole financial picture. Link bank, credit card, loan and investment accounts to Personal Capital (or enter data manually) to see a dashboard with charts and graphs that show your net worth, cash flow, portfolio balance and allocation, and best- and worst-performing stocks. You can drill down into each section for more analysis. Within cash flow, for example, you can view how much of your income came from cash deposits, interest, investment income and other sources over a period of 30 days to a year, as well as a breakdown of expenses by category. The displays in each section are colorful, detailed and easy to navigate. And it’s broadening its budgeting capabilities. It will soon allow users of its web application (not just Apple users of the mobile app) to set a spending limit and track how they’re faring against it. Personal Capital’s tools for tracking investments are especially robust. Along with digging into your portfolio to view it from different angles, you can use the Investment Checkup tool to get a suggested target portfolio allocation based on your goals, and the Retirement Fee Analyzer to see an estimate of how much of your earnings in retirement

accounts may be lost to fees over time.

Prosper Daily Website: www.prosper.com/daily Best if: You have a fear of fraud Detailed budgeting is best left to other apps, although Prosper Daily’s moneytracking component is useful for keeping an eye on overall spending. This tool’s strong suit is its ability to identify fraud. Regularly checking your bank and credit card accounts for unauthorized charges is a task that can easily fall through the cracks. After you link it to your accounts, Prosper Daily (accessible only through a mobile

From the publisher From page 2 of a terminal illness to allow doctors to ‘help’ patients die...The Dutch can now choose death if they’re tired of living.” One last set of stats: In 2013, 4,829 Dutch turned to a doctor to end their lives. That constituted one in every 28 deaths that year. Were the United States to have had a similar proportion of voluntary deaths last year, the number would be 93,800 people. I share these thoughts about capital punishment and assisted suicide to inspire

app) pulls in your transactions and prompts you to verify whether you made them. The app highlights duplicate charges as well as those that occur in unusual locations. You’ll also get an alert when a merchant with which you’ve done business suffers a data breach. You can choose to be notified when your credit or debit card is used out of proximity of your cell phone (under the assumption that you carry your phone with you most of the time). Free monthly credit score updates are available from TransUnion. © 2016 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by TCA, LLC

Make February Special!

www.ParkHeightsPlace.com

you to think about these issues. I make no pretense of adequately addressing either of them, much less squaring them with each other. I just wanted to raise some questions I think we need to start asking ourselves. I invite you to share your thoughts. Please email info@thebeaconnewspapers.com, or mail us a letter to the editor. We will print a representative sample of responses in future issues.

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FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Travel Leisure &

Resorts in Bora Bora offer private glass-bottomed huts above the crystal clear Pacific. See story on page 24.

Good times in Louisiana Cajun country This is also Creole country — home to people descended from settlers of French or Spanish origin. Some have African or Native American ancestry, too. Acadiana is truly an ethnic potpourri known for its unique culture and history.

Bayous and zydeco The region is a mushy, marshy maze of sluggish channels called bayous that connect sprawling floodplain forests, cypress-tupelo swamps, backwater lakes and wetlands. These hot and humid wilderness “saunas” exude mystery and enticement, qualities that inspire a savory cuisine, like famous slowcooking gumbos, shrimp étoufeé and crawfish stew. Many Cajun dishes merge multiple ingredients that gurgle and simmer like a smarmy swamp on a hot day. And there’s something about these wetlands that brings out the musical talents of the people, both professionals and amateurs. Remember the song that goes “Shrimp boats are acomin’. There’s dancing tonight”? Or that Hank Williams line, “Jambalaya, crawfish pie, filé gumbo”? It doesn’t take much to get most locals onto the dance floor twirling to fast-paced, zydeco tunes like “Lache Pas Pa La Pate” (Don’t Let Go of the Potato) or “Les Haricot Sont Pas Salés” (The Snap Beans Aren’t Salty). Zydeco bands, featuring guitars, accordions and apron washboards called frot-

By Glenda C. Booth Let the good times roll, they say. In French, “Laissez les bons temps rouler.” And roll they do in southern Louisiana’s Cajun Country. Locals love to sing, dance, cook, eat and party hard in year-round festivals that celebrate cracklin’s, catfish, crawfish, shrimp, boudin, gumbo, okra, frogs, ducks, alligators, zydeco, petroleum and sugarcane, for starters. And that’s all in addition to the big February blowout — Mardi Gras — with its orgy of beads, masks, parades, king cakes and extravagant balls. New Orleans’ revelry is renowned, but Mardi Gras also explodes in Cajun Country towns like Lafayette, Eunice, Jeanerette and New Iberia. Cajun Country is a part of southern Louisiana consisting of 22 parishes (or counties) in the 150-mile Atchafalaya Basin — the nation’s largest river wetland. Also called Acadiana, the region is named for L’Acadie, the Nova Scotia homeland of French-speaking settlers who were kicked out by the British when they refused to pledge allegiance to Britain and forsake Catholicism in the 1700s. The refugees were attracted to Louisiana’s French heritage (Louisiana is named for France’s king Louis XIV), and they adapted over time to the region’s watery landscape.

Each year, the town of Mamou, La., like many in the Cajun country of Louisiana, holds a colorful and raucous Mardi Gras celebration on the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

toirs, are as common as coffee pots.

Happy Lafayette

COURTESY OF LAFAYETTE CONVENTION & VISITORS COMMISSION

Acadian Village in Lafayette, La., depicts life in 19th century southwest Louisiana, showcasing historic homes alongside winding bayous, as well as a blacksmith shop and general store. Most of the buildings are authentic and were relocated to the village from nearby towns.

Lafayette is the unofficial “capital” of Acadiana, and the center of Cajun lore, the region’s rich mix of French, Spanish, African and Caribbean traditions. “If you want to know Cajun culture, this is the place to come,” said Dianne Monteleone, a retired history teacher and volunteer at the visitor’s center. The Wall Street Journal’s Marketwatch.com labeled Lafayette “the Happiest City in America.” The Acadian Cultural Center tells the Cajuns’ story through exhibits, ranger programs, films, wetland walks and boat tours. It recounts how, after decades of suppressing their heritage (speaking French in school was stigmatized as a sign of ignorance), Cajuns restored pride in their culture. This National Park Service site shows a film, The Cajun Way: Echoes of Acadia, documenting the Cajuns’ exile. It includes clips from a 1929 silent film, Evangeline — the story related in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1847 poem about an Acadian girl searching for her lost love, Gabriel, during the deportation. Vermilionville, a 23-acre living history folk life park, honors Acadian, Native American and Creole 18th and 19th centu-

ry cultures. In 19 Acadian-style structures, including traditional homes, artisans spin cotton, carve wooden decoys, make cornhusk dolls and weave palmetto leaves. Front and center is the dance hall, where jam sessions heat up every Saturday and dancers of all skill levels take to the floor in lively jigs, waltzes and twosteps. In the St. John the Evangelist Cathedral, a Dutch-Romanesque edifice, visitors seeking spiritual comfort are reminded of nature’s wrath in these parts by a flyer, the “Prayer for Safety in Hurricane Season.” It reads in part: “The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy...yearning for a stormless eternity.” Union soldiers once camped on the church’s grounds, under the now-500-yearold, 126-foot-high St. John oak, and among the churchyard’s aboveground tombs dating back to 1820.

Small towns and swamps Straying from America’s happiest city may be tough, but many gems await the curious in nearby small towns, eateries, historic churches, oyster bars, antique shops and dance halls. St. Martinville spotlights Evangeline See LOUISIANA page 23

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Louisiana From page 22 with a statue in the graveyard next to the Mother Church of the Acadians, St. Martin de Tours. At the Acadian Memorial, a bronze wall of names honors 3,000 Acadians who fled to Louisiana, and an eternal flame symbolizes human resilience. Next door, the African American Museum traces the diaspora from West Africa. Alligators are part of life here, central to the local culture. Confederate soldiers wore alligator shoes, and today, farmed alligators end up on dinner plates. Chances are you’ll see some on a boat tour in the Atchafalaya Basin’s 860,000 acres of swamps, bayous and backwater lakes. You’ll also likely see slithering snakes, great white egrets taking flight and basking turtles.

Passionate cooking, eating Whether it’s sauce piquant, gumbo, jambalaya, turtle soup, oyster pie, shrimp remoulade, catfish Orleans, oysters Rockefeller, crawfish étoufée or grilled gator tail, people in southern Louisiana live to eat, they say. In her Cajun cookbook, titled Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux?, Marcelle Bienvenu, the “Queen of Cajun Cooking,” says that cooking is a passion, and preparing and serving it are “an intimate form of communication.” The cuisine, like the people, is a rich mélange: tomatoes from the Creoles; the spicy herb filé from Native Americans; okra from Africans; rice from the Chinese;

the roux from the French. Gourmands might say that Cajun cooking combines multiple ingredients in a single dish that Cajuns created originally to feed large families. Creole dishes, with French and Spanish origins, often feature sauces. Today, these distinctions are blurred. Louisiana chefs maintain that Cajun and Creole dishes start with the “holy trinity”: sautéed celery, bell pepper and onion. And good food is a good reason to party. For example, Scott, Louisiana, the “Boudin Capital of the World,” just west of Lafayette, stages the annual Boudin Festival. Boudin? “Boudin is a unique Cajun specialty, a familiar recipe that has been passed down from one generation to the next,” explains the festival’s website. “It’s basically a combination of rice, a special blend of seasonings, and traditionally pork, but you may also find Boudin made with shrimp, crawfish or even some alligator, and rolled up in sausage casing.” This popping-eating-dancing fest made the top 20 events compiled by the Southeast Tourism Society in 2016. Speaking of zingy cuisine, tabasco sauce was invented on Avery Island, 28 miles south of Lafayette. The 70,000-square-foot Tabasco Pepper Sauce Factory, run by the founder’s great-grandson, spews out 700,000 bottles of the signature sauce daily — a tangy elixir that “excites the appetite, promotes digestion, and is pronounced by connoisseurs to be the finest condiment in the world.” It’s made from capsicum peppers using the founder’s patented 1868 recipe. Visitors can watch a conveyor belt of

BEACON BITS

Jan. 31

TRAVEL TIPS

Join travel expert Marlene Meizlish on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. at the Pikesville Senior Center, located at 1301 Reisterstown Rd., to get tips on easy traveling. Call (410) 887-1245 for more information or visit www.baltimorecountymd.gov/pikesville.

Mar. 8

SHOWBOAT DAYTRIP

Join the Essex Senior Center for this trip to Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia to enjoy lunch and a performance of Showboat on Wednesday, March 8. Tickets are $80. Call (410) 687-5113 for information and reservations.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

bottles jiggle along being filled and capped before heading off to 160 countries. The tasting bar tempts with flavors like garlic, chipotle and habanero. The tabasco name? A Native American word, it means “land of the hot and humid.” Friendly small towns, azaleas blooming year-round, crawfish boils, praline-flavored bacon, shrimp freshly plucked from the water, mysterious swamps, live oaks draped in dangly Spanish moss, zydeco spilling out of dance halls — it’s all in Cajun country, where the natural, cultural, culinary and musical combine into a really good time. Let the good times roll!

If you go Visit www.lafayettetravel.com for a trip planner, lodging, events, food and swamp tours and more. Lafayette is 153 miles east of New Orleans, a 2.5- to 3-hour drive. In late January and early February, round-trip flights from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to New Orleans range from $285 to $450; from Reagan National, $220 and up. Spring and fall are the best times to visit weather-wise, with average daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s. In February and March, the average temperatures are from the mid-40s to 70s.

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FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

A bucket list trip to exotic Bora Bora By Jennifer McDermott Somehow, I convinced my husband that the fifth wedding anniversary is the Tahitian anniversary. (The traditional gift, actually, is wood.) For years, I had dreamed of going to Bora Bora in French Polynesia. The lagoon’s glimmering turquoise, jade and cobalt blue waters, the overwater bungalows, the seclusion — for me, it was the ultimate bucket list destination. Some of the world’s most famous celebrities vacation in Bora Bora. Jennifer Aniston honeymooned there. Pictures of Justin Bieber swimming naked in Bora Bora circulated far and wide online. Usain Bolt celebrated his Olympic victories there last September.

go too — if they can afford it, that is. Our trip for a week, including flights and our hotel stay (with breakfast), cost just under $10,000. My husband and I spent a week lounging on the deck of our bungalow at Le Meridien Bora Bora. We woke early to catch brilliant orange and pink sunrises. We got up-close-and-personal with sea creatures, from moray eels and trumpetfish, to sea turtles, sharks and stingrays. We discovered that the saying heard in pearl shops, “You don’t choose the pearl, the pearl chooses you” is surprisingly true. Most of all, we tried to relax and take it all in. Bora Bora, located about 160 miles northwest of Tahiti, was formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Mount Otemanu, a remnant of the volcano, rises nearly 2,400 feet on the island and serves as the backdrop of many photos. About 9,000 people live in Bora Bora.

A real splurge That doesn’t mean normal couples can’t

BEACON BITS PODIATRY PROBLEMS

Jan. 23

Bunions and hammertoes form when the normal balance of force that is exerted on the joints and tendons of the foot becomes disrupted. This can lead to instability in the joint, cause deformity and increase falls. Join Dr. Jay Seidel on Monday, Jan. 23 at noon as he discusses how these problems occur and what you can do to prevent them. The program takes place at the Edgemere Senior Center, 6600 N. Point Rd., Sparrows Point. To learn more, call (410) 887-7530.

The temperature is a relatively consistent 80 degrees. The island is set in a lagoon and surrounded by a string of motus, or small islets, where luxury resorts are located. The colors are stunning. A friend said my photo looked like a watercolor painting. We flew to Los Angeles, where many U.S. flights to Tahiti converge. From Los Angeles, it’s about an eight-hour overnight flight to Papeete, Tahiti. It’s less than an hour by plane from there to Bora Bora. Then it’s a short boat ride to the main city, Vaitape, or to one of the luxury resorts. We didn’t need vaccinations or a visa. Our overwater bungalow faced outward to the lagoon, which we requested when booking. Others are turned in, toward the resort. It featured a glass floor for fish watching, and a spiral staircase for climbing directly into the lagoon. We splurged on massages early in the week, before our pale skin turned a reddish hue. And we fed baby sea turtles at the Turtle Center established at Le Meridien. We took the hotel’s boat to The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort to dine at the exclusive Lagoon restaurant by acclaimed French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and to check out the lavish bungalows with private swimming pools over the lagoon.

Aquatic adventures We tried paddle boarding. Then we tried snorkeling to find the sunglasses we lost while paddle boarding. Adventurous couples buzzed around the island on jet skis. Feeling adventurous ourselves, we signed up for a snorkeling trip to swim with stingrays and sharks. There are so many stingrays there, you feel their slick, rubbery bodies hitting your legs. One is an older, docile stingray the guides call “grand-

SAVE T HE DATE!

ma.” Our guide from Teiva Tours lifted grandma and kissed it — on the mouth! But when the guides started “chumming” the waters with fish parts to draw blacktip sharks, we climbed back into the boat. The sharks were much more interested in the fish than in us, but we weren’t taking any chances of a misdirected chomp. In deeper waters, we snorkeled at the surface as 9-foot lemon sharks glided along the bottom. We also spent a day in Vaitape. There’s a center where locals sell their crafts, a small marketplace to stock up on sunscreen, juice and inexpensive French wine, and a cafe. The mountainside is home to cannons left behind by U.S. forces during World War II. The main thing we did, though, was shop for Tahitian pearls. We were leaving one of the stores when I caught a glimpse of a pair of green pearl earrings. I walked away but no other pearl could compare, so we returned at the end of the day to buy the pearl that chose me. There’s a must-visit spot along the coastline, about 3 miles from the city center: Bloody Mary’s, a funky restaurant known for its seafood and celebrity visits. I enjoyed the restaurant’s signature plate of teriyaki wahoo, and the house drink — a Bloody Mary of course — while my husband loved trying meka, a broadbill swordfish found in the South Pacific. By the entrance, there’s a long list of famous people who have dined there. At the hotel, we ended the week as we began. We lounged on the deck, telling each other how unbelievable it was that we got to see such beauty in person and check Bora Bora off our bucket list. Flights to Papeete in French Polynesia start at $1,800 roundtrip from BWI, and take 17 to 24 hours, depending on layovers. — AP

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BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Vacation bliss in the colorful Cook Islands By Giovanna Dell’Orto Swaying in a hammock hung from coconut trees, floating down a cyan-blue channel, or swimming in a cloud of tropical fish, all I could think was, this place is too perfect to be real. Aitutaki consists of a handful of small islands encircled by a lagoon in the middle of the South Pacific. It’s the paradise you always dreamed of, but never quite believed could exist: uncrowded, inexpensive, safe and friendly, and stunningly gorgeous around, in and under the ocean. Here’s the catch on visiting Aitutaki: It’s not that easy to get to. First you fly to Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands — 15 volcanic islands and atolls scattered over an area the size of the Mediterranean. There are flights to Rarotonga from Los Angeles, Tahiti, New Zealand and Sydney. From Rarotonga’s open-air airport, I walked into town for the quintessential Polynesian souvenir, black pearls, then hopped on the city bus that circles the island in an hour to snorkel off Aroa Beach. A 50-minute Air Rarotonga flight took me to Aitutaki, which has about 2,000 inhabitants and only 229 rooms for visitors, hidden among the palms. When three couples from the luxury hotel next to my cabin took out kayaks, the miles-long white beach felt outrageously packed.

pitch-black road through the fragrant night, but I cannot think of anywhere else I would have considered either option safely possible. Even in larger Rarotonga, an airport representative told me I could safely spend a short overnight layover napping on the terminal’s outdoor picnic benches after the building closed. “There may be some roosters though,” was the one note of caution he sounded. Because the Cook Islands are independent but in “free association” with New Zealand, they use NZ dollars, speak English (and Maori), and drive on the left side of the road. Although I visited in early July, during the Southern Hemisphere winter, Aitutaki was bursting with palm fronds, in shades of mint to lime to shamrock green, and luxuriant blossoms of bougainvillea, hibiscus

and frangipani. Many of the latter ended up around my neck in an elaborate ‘ei (what leis are called in the Cook Islands) after I passed by a health conference in a village hall. I was invited to stay for opening prayer, with a rippling polyphonic Maori hymn, and to return for that night’s party, when we washed down a gargantuan home-cooked buffet with fresh coconut water.

Technicolor travel Within wading distance of my bed, I snorkeled among cobalt blue starfish and Pixar-worthy creatures in silver, black or yellow patterns with names like Moorish idol, threadfin butterflyfish and lemonpeel angelfish. During a daylong cruise to uninhabited motu — tiny reef islands — on Lisa’s husband’s fishing boat, I saw purple coral and

football-sized, sapphire-blue clams. But the colors were even more surreal above water: transparent over the sand bars, periwinkle in the surf, swirls of turquoise, green and aquamarine in the lagoon, while the lapis-lazuli Pacific roared against the reef. It struck me that Aitutaki sits blissfully inside its reef like the best vacation amid real life: Sharks, capsizing waves, and cold abysses are still out there, but they can’t get at you here. For travel information on the Cook Islands, see www.cookislands.travel. Two to four flights daily on Air Rarotonga connect Rarotonga with Aitutaki. Air New Zealand flies from BWI. The lowest early February roundtrip fares to Rarotonga start at about $2,000, and take a total of 38 to 45 hours, including layovers. — AP

lifestyle

Your NEW begins here

communLi are SMOKties E FREE

APARTMENT HOMES FOR THOSE 62 AND BETTER

Huts on the beach For Bora Bora-style overwater bungalows at over $1,000 a night, check in at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort and Spa. For 1/20th of that price, at Matriki Beach Huts, I got a cabin on the sand with private outdoor shower and deck exactly 19 steps from the lagoon surf. See www.matriki.com. Bright red petals were on the bed, but manager Lisa Green also shared a jar of peanut butter, drove me to three tiny grocery stores for picnic lunch provisions, and let me pick star fruit in the garden. For about $20, including cold beer, I had just-caught tuna steaks with homemade passion-fruit marinade at Puffy’s Beach Bar, and ika mata — raw tuna cubes in coconut cream — at the Boat Shed on the eastern tip of the island.

A safe destination I went to the Boat Shed on a rented bicycle from Matriki, and was told that if the half-hour after-dinner ride was too much, I could just park it outside the restaurant (no locks required) and any driver would get me home. I decided to pedal instead along the

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Furnace Branch 410-761-4150 Severna Park 410-544-3411

Bel Air 410-893-0064 Box Hill 410-515-6115

BALTIMORE CITY

HOWARD COUNTY

Ashland Terrace 410-276-6440 Coldspring 410-542-4400

Colonial Landing 410-796-4399 Columbia 410-381-1118 Ellicott City 410-203-9501 Ellicott City II 410-203-2096 Emerson 301-483-3322 Snowden River 410-290-0384

BALTIMORE COUNTY Catonsville 410-719-9464 Dundalk 410-288-5483 Fullerton 410-663-0665 Miramar Landing 410-391-8375 Randallstown 410-655-5673 Rosedale 410-866-1886 Taylor 410-663-0363 Towson 410-828-7185 Woodlawn 410-281-1120

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY Bladensburg 301-699-9785 55 AND BETTER! Laurel 301-490-1526 Laurel II 301-490-9730

EASTERN SHORE

ALL PARK VIEW COMMUNITIES

Easton 410-770-3070

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www.ParkViewSeniorLiving.com Call the community nearest you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour or email parkviewliving@sheltergrp.com. Professionally managed by The Shelter Group. www.thesheltergroup.com

FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Style Arts &

National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is one of many places to celebrate Black History Month. See story on facing page.

Lippman’s books focus on her local roots naturally. Her father was an editorial writer for the Sun, her mother a school librarian, and her sister a local bookseller. She began writing novels while working as a full-time reporter, and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism 16 years ago. Her work has garnered such prestigious honors as the Edgar, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. Perhaps even more important, several of her 25 books (15 of which feature private investigator Tess Monaghan) have become New York Times best sellers.

Fond high school memories Lippman has “very fond and affectionate memories” of her 1974-1977 high school years at Wilde Lake High. Her latest novel, in fact, opens at a celebration for the high school’s 1980 graduates. The opening events haunt the rest of the novel as it moves between past and present in alternating chapters. In Wilde Lake, the newly elected state’s attorney — a position that her father had famously held — sees a way to quickly build

PHOTO BY LESLIE UNRUH

By Robert Friedman and Carol Sorgen You don’t have to be from Maryland to appreciate best-selling author Laura Lippman’s mystery novels, as her legions of fans and many national awards will attest. But if you are a Marylander, you’ll enjoy the local settings — from the Baltimore of her Tess Monaghan series, to Columbia, the locale of her latest novel, Wilde Lake, named after the village of her real-life high school years. The 57-year-old author — who grew up in Baltimore, attended city schools through ninth grade, and was a journalist for some 20 years (12 with the Baltimore Sun) before she became a full-time novelist in 2001 — took questions from the Beacon and replied via email. Today, Lippman once again makes her home in Baltimore, where most of her novels are set. She said a sense of place is paramount to her writing. “I’m pretty sure everything in my life shaped me as a writer. In the case of Columbia, it was probably Wilde Lake High School itself. I was given a lot of freedom to write [there].” Lippman comes by her love of writing

her reputation by trying a homeless man accused of murdering a woman in her home. “It’s not the kind of case that makes national headlines,” says the book jacket, “but peaceful Howard County doesn’t see many homicides.” Lippman was recently named by The Atlantic magazine as one of the outstanding female writers of crime fiction, a field that the writer Terrance Rafferty said has been taken over by female writers. “The most psychologically acute and exciting crime fiction these days is being written by women, who know all the new (and old) places to look for the darkest mysteries,” Rafferty wrote. “Fortunately, the best Baltimore author Laura Lippman set her recent novel, of the women now writ- Wilde Lake, in the Columbia neighborhood where she ing in the genre have grew up. She’s now co-writing a musical together with her husband David Simon, who created “The Wire,” and more on their minds than crime novelist George Pelicanos. bamboozling credulous readers…In Laura Lippman’s non-serial novels, like What the the past; mysteries are solved; elegantly, Dead Know and the new Wilde Lake, she but the dominant mood is elegiac.” likes to shuttle between the present and See LIPPMAN, page 29

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Baltimore celebrates Black History Month By Carol Sorgen Black History Month — created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a renowned African American historian, scholar, educator and publisher — began as “Negro History Week.” It became a month-long celebration in 1976, and the month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Baltimore actually began its Black History Month celebration in January with a parade to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But February offers a full complement of activities in recognition of the individuals and accomplishments of the African American community.

Saturday, Feb. 4+ To Catch a Thief Tour 3 p.m., USS Constellation historic ship, 301 E. Pratt St. www.historicships.org/constellation.ht ml Every Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. during Black History Month, Historic Ships in Baltimore will offer its To Catch a Thief Tour aboard the USS Constellation. These tours focus on the ship’s capture of the slave ship Cora in 1860, and its general role in the fight against the international slave trade.

Saturdays in Feb. Free Tours Frederick DouglassIsaac Myers Maritime Park Museum Noon to 4 p.m., Frederick DouglassIsaac Myers Maritime Park Museum www.douglassmyers.org Throughout the month of February, in celebration of Black History Month, the museum will be open every Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. for tours at no charge.

Saturday, Feb. 11 Baltimore Black Memorabilia Fine Art & Crafts Show 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. www.lewismuseum.org Spend the day acquiring black memorabilia, fine art and crafts. Meet Malcolm X’s daughter, Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, for a book signing.

Saturday, Feb. 11

Enjoy late-night admission to the galleries and a live musical performance. Doors open at 5 p.m., with performances beginning at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16 Book talk and reception for Never Caught: Ona Judge, the Washingtons, and the Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave 5 p.m. reception followed by talk at Mason Hall Auditorium, 3101 Wyman

Park Drive Free, advance registration requested (410) 516-5589 Historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar, professor of black studies and history at the University of Delaware, discusses her new book, recounting the powerful narrative of Ona Judge — George and Martha Washington’s runaway slave who risked it all to escape the nation’s capital and reach freeSee BLACK HISTORY, page 28

Creativity Exchange: Intersections between Black Artists & Black-Owned Businesses Noon to 5 p.m., The Baltimore Museum of Art www.artbma.org Participate in a lively discussion with Baltimore-based artists and entrepreneurs about the unique ways they collaborate on innovative projects. Chat with the panelists, network with others during the reception and vendor fair, and join in a free workshop to creatively strengthen your business skills. Space in the workshop is limited. Reserve your ticket at artbma.org.

Feb. 14-20 Frederick Douglass Week Tours Contact Lou Fields, (443) 983-7974 Join BBH Tours to celebrate the life of abolitionist Frederick Douglass with lectures, re-enactments, tours and discussions.

Thursday, Feb. 16 Third Thursday Late Admission and Music 5 to 8 p.m. at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. $8 members/$10 non-members www.lewismuseum.org

It’s never too late to

MAKE MUSIC at the Peabody Preparatory Our Adult and Continuing Education program offers private music lessons and classes for lifelong learners at all experience levels. Lessons and classes available at our convenient Towson location include piano, violin, cello, guitar, voice, chamber music, chorus, and more. Registration now open!

Senior Apartments LIVE WELL FOR LESS Roland View Towers • One- and Two-Bedroom as well as Efficiencies • Rents from $521-$878* Utilities Included! • 24/7 on-site Maintenance and Reception Desk • Beauty/Barber Shop on premises • Bus Trips and Social Events and many more amenities! • Only 2 blocks from Hampden’s ‘The Avenue’ Spectacular View

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To schedule a personal tour call

410-889-8255 peabody.jhu.edu/ace 667-208-6640 peabodyprep@jhu.edu

St Mary’s Roland View Towers 3838/3939 Roland Ave • Baltimore, MD 21211

www.rolandviewtowers.com *All residents must meet specific income guidelines.

Make new friends

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Black history

the African philosophy of “Ubuntu,” a sense of community and humanity.

From page 27 dom. The event is hosted by Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Museum, an 1801 National Historic Landmark property built by Maryland’s Carroll family.

Saturday, Feb. 18 The Gigi Gumspoon Show 2 p.m. at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. www.lewismuseum.org Sing along with early childhood teaching artist Gigi Gumspoon as she promotes

Sunday, Feb. 19 “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” 2-3:30 p.m. at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. www.lewismuseum.org Follow the 18 African American athletes who defied Adolf Hitler and Jim Crow to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Olympics. A post-film discussion with filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper and local Olympians will follow.

Cars, boats, furniture, antiques, tools, appliances Everything and anything is sold on

Radio Flea Market Heard every Sunday, 7-8:00 a.m. on 680 WCBM

FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Saturday, Feb. 25

Artist Talk: “Seventeen Men: Portraits of Black Civil War Soldiers” 6:30 p.m. at Evergreen Museum & Library, 4545 N. Charles St. Michigan artist Shayne Davidson discusses her exhibition, “Seventeen Men: Portraits of Black Civil War Soldiers,” on view through June 4 at Johns Hopkins University’s Evergreen Museum & Library. Free. Advance registration is requested by calling (410) 516-0341. Walk-in registration is based on seating availability.

Black History Month Lunch Cruise 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on the Spirit of Baltimore, 561 Light St. This cruise will include a lunch buffet, and feature a special narration highlighting moments of black history across Baltimore’s waterfront. A DJ will play a set list in tribute to notable African-American artists, including Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Diana Ross, Prince and others.

Through Feb. 28 Saturday, Feb. 25 Verizon Open House at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. Free www.lewismuseum.org Verizon sponsors this annual event, and provides programming and information tables related to black organizations.

Saturday, Feb. 25 Tea and Tour with American Girl Doll Addy Walker 2 p.m. at Mount Clare Museum House, 1500 Washington Blvd. $6 members/$10 non-members www.mountclare.org American Girl Doll Addy Walker was an enslaved girl who sought freedom with her mother in Philadelphia. Learn about the difficult decisions Addy had to make, and her adjustment from slavery to freedom, during this tea for children ages 4 to 12. The event includes tea, conversation, crafting a wooden spool doll like Addy’s, and a tour of Mount Clare that explains the history of slavery at Mount Clare and in Baltimore.

FROM PAGE 30 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

W I N S A H A L A W I N L E D

W E N C H

S W I N E

I N U R E

N A M E R

A K P E B Y A S I T L U M S M O S O M A L O G A N E M E L B L E A D N

C O N D O

O B O E S

B E L O W

A L A

C A O S M E E S

D E E Y S E G E L L A B S O S W B A R G A E S N T

C H O R O U S N E

R O B O T

L E S O G A S O R E A S R L S T E V E E P E P

A L I V E

M E T E R

A Y M E P S H E A P S

Through Dec. 31, 2017 “Sons: Seeing the Modern African American Male” Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. www.lewismuseum.org “Sons” is more than a photographic study of the modern African American male. It is also an examination of how African American men are perceived. From this microcosm of African American males, visitors can learn of some of the realities and challenges facing them.

Through Feb. 28 The Eubie Blake Cultural Center www.eubieblake.org One Baltimore family, three generations of photographers, documenting the strength, beauty and pride of the African American community during 1940’s-’60s segregation and the Civil Rights Movement.

February

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD S W I M

“Makers of the Railroad: African Americans on the B&O” The B&O Railroad Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate www.borail.org The exhibition includes rare images from the B&O Railroad photograph collection, uniforms of dining car porters, baggage and equipment used by African American workers for passenger service, and the history of African Americans on the railroad — serving as porters, waiters, chefs and innovators.

Y A M S

The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum www.greatblacksinwax.org Celebrate Black History Month throughout the entire month of February at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum. The museum hosts an assortment of events, including roundtables, documentaries, panel discussions and more. For more information on Baltimore’s celebration of Black History Month, visit http://baltimore.org/article/black-history-month-baltimore or call VisitBaltimore at 1-877-BALTIMORE.

Write a letter to the editor. See page 2.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

Lippman So what are the main differences between male and female crime fiction writers? For Lippman, “This is one of those cases where one must answer a question with a question. ‘What are the differences between males and females in life?’”

Always Rings Twice and Mildred Pierce, all of which were made into film noir classics in the 1940s. Lippman listed Mildred Pierce as one of her all-time favorite crime novels, along with When Will there Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson, Baby, Would I Lie? by Donald Westlake and Freeze My Margarita by Lauren Milne Henderson.

More than murder

Writing a musical

Lippman was also asked how she feels about being seen as a “genre” writer, which usually means not being recognized as writing “serious” fiction. “Genre,” Lippman said, “is really more of a market niche than a defined way of writing a book. There definitely are no formulas. There aren’t even requirements beyond the inclusion of a crime.” How did this serious writer of crime fiction get her training in the “genre”? It wasn’t so much the P.I. Big Boys like Phillip Marlowe (Raymond Chandler) or Sam Spade (Dashiell Hammett) or Lew Archer (Ross Macdonald) that spurred on Lippman’s Tess Monaghan. In the beginning (as a pre-adolescent), Lippman read Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and Encyclopedia Brown — a couple of girls and one boy detective. Then she read “the big three,” she said, “but they had less influence on me than James A. Cain,” the master of such nailbiters as Double Indemnity, The Postman

What she is now working on may come as a surprise. Lippman said she remembers being moved by the plays of Eugene O’Neill and William Inge while in high school. So now Lippman is co-writing a play, actually a musical drama, along with her husband David Simon, the creator of the hugely praised television series, “The Wire,” and crime novelist George Pelecanos, who writes novels of Washington, D.C.’s mean streets, and who also wrote for “The Wire.” “The songs will be taken from the vast catalog of songs written by the Pogues,” a Celtic punk band, Lippman said. Asked what the play was about and how the project was going, Lippman would only say, “I think it’s going well, because none of the collaborators want to kill each other yet.” Back to her latest work. Washington Post book critic Patrick Anderson called it one of Lippman’s best novels, adding that it

From page 26

“feels like one of her most personal. “You rarely find characterization as sen-

sitive as these in genre fiction or, indeed, in any fiction.”

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

SENIOR BOX OFFICE TIX

Senior Box Office offers complimentary and discounted tickets to members for cultural, educational and entertainment events, in addition to exciting travel opportunities to members and non-members. The 2016-17 membership year runs through Sunday, Sept. 30. For more information, visit www.seniorboxoffice.org or call (410) 887-5399.

Feb. 5

BACH IN BALTIMORE

The Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major and Cantata 91 will be performed on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 4 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church, 5407 N. Charles St. This concert is part of Bach in Baltimore’s First Sunday Concerts performed by the Bach Concert Choir and Orchestra in some of Baltimore’s most beautiful spaces. For more information, tickets, or to audition to join the choir, visit www.BachinBaltimore.org or call (410) 941-9262.

FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Crossword Puzzle

PUZZLE PAGE

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Imperfection 1

By Stephen Sherr

24 27

21 25

26 29 32

BB217

Scrabble answers on p. 28.

52 57

58 62

Across

Down

1. Envelope letters, smeared by lipstick 5. Create software 9. Study past midnight 13. Authorize a credit card 14. Follow orders 15. Jeans flaw (or improvement, to some) 16. Eke out a narrow victory 18. Passing notice 19. ___ and outs 20. Polygon’s edge 21. Track which spirals through vinyl 23. Vegetarian’s no-no 25. Fade over time 27. Performs vocal exercises 29. Daily Planet byline 30. Rental car company named for a Texas landmark 32. Streisand, in the tabloids 34. Early potato chip baron Herman 37. Be imperfect (like this puzzle) 41. Reached the quarter pole first 42. “There oughta be ___” 43. Responds to stunning news 44. Corporate image 46. Talk shop at a party 47. Do well on The Price is Right 52. Like most of the Pacific Northwest in May 1980 55. The hardest substance in a human body 56. Gelatin substitute 58. Grassland 59. Prepare a patient for a root canal 60. Gets all tuckered out 63. Native Canadian 64. Word of approval, stated 25 times in the Gospel of John 65. FDR had the most, at 3 66. Organize one’s sheep 67. Bird’s ___ soup 68. Enlivens

1. Flu strain since 2009 2. Earns all the poker chips 3. (Police band) radio call letters 4. Southernmost part of Florida 5. Vacation rental 6. Double-reed instruments 7. ___ Moines, Iowa 8. Personal light bender 9. Pick a side 10. Citizen of Westworld 11. Still breathing 12. It’s a little longer than a yard 13. Use the deep end 17. Is under the weather 22. Get away from the zombies 24. Antacid sold since 1930 26. River’s bend 28. Jersey “sure” 30. Piercing tool 31. Party icebreaker: Two Truths and a ___ 32. South of 33. Pie ___ mode 34. Stay up too late 35. Roadie’s responsibility 36. Word on the top-left of a Ouija board 38. He started (but did not complete) the first trip around the globe 39. Megalomaniac’s specialty 40. She played Darlene on Roseanne 44. Gave birth (according to ewe) 45. ___ hit wonder 46. Most clip in the back 47. Working girl 48. Become accustomed to 49. Informant 50. Dozens of cans of beer 51. Human phone operator 53. Untidy piles 54. Thanksgiving sidedish 57. Respond to an Evite 61. Cockney residence 62. Golf gadget that looks more like the letter l

Answers on page 28.

BALTIMORE BEACON — FEBRUARY 2017

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 investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment. EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Financial Services TAXES, ACCOUNTING, AND BOOKKEEPING, eldercare. CPA Over 40 years of experience, reasonable rates. Call 410-653-3363.

For Rent/Real Estate OCEAN CITY, MD. Oceanfront Quay. Two bedroom, two bath, full kitchen, large living and dining rooms with beautiful view, W/D, Xfinity. Call 410-668-4116. ACTIVE SENIOR, FEMALE seeking unfurnished one-bedroom apartment in a quiet neighborhood, reasonable priced. Parkville, Carney, Perry Hall. No pets, non-smoker. Call 410-668-3641.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

For Sale 2014 BUICK VERONA STATE INSPECTED. 25,000 miles. Pristine condition, dark brown, $14,000. Call Mrs. Brown. Home: 410661-3156. Cell: 443-722-6141. 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.

Health ADULT SIBLING SUPPORT GROUP. Free group for those suffering from the consequences of dysfunctional sibling relationships. Let’s talk and support one another. Park Heights/Pikesville area. Joyce, 410-358-0977.

Home/Handymand Services BORN AGAIN REFINISHING c/o Vernon E. Madairy Sr. Because your antique and fine furniture is an investment. Photographs at www.bornagainrefinishing.com. Furniture refinishing & repairs. All pieces hand stripped. Restorations. Missing pieces hand-carved. Veneer repair and replaced. Upholstery. Kitchen cabinets refinished. Hand-woven natural cane. Cane webbing. Natural rush. Fiber rush. Wood splint. Residential and commercial. Since 1973 (43 years). 410-323-0467. SANFORD & SON JUNK REMOVAL. 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.

Personals PRETTY WF 50s YOUTHFUL LADY, nonsmoker, down to earth, seeks SWM, 50s-60s, honest, sincere, handsome gentleman with hefty build, non-smoker, for old fashioned fun, friendship, possible relationship, who enjoys the great outdoors, dining out, cinema and dancing. Be my Valentine! 301-880-6977. Please leave a voice message with your phone number.

For Sale Wanted BURIAL PLOTS (BALTIMORE HEBREW CEMETERY) – Two plots, Division 7, Section 1C, #170, #171 of said cemetery. $2,000, deed available. Call Shelly or Walter, 410-653-1132 or 941-493-9927.

WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER JEWELRY. Costume too. Gold and silver coins, paper money, military, crocks, old bottles and jars, etc. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

TWO BURIAL SPACES – At Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. Very desirable Holy Cross Garden, valued at $5,000. Negotiable. Call Tom, 443-415-4213.

WE BUY STERLING SILVER FLATWARE, tea sets, single pieces of silver, large pieces of silver plate. Attic, basement, garage. You have something to SELL, we like to BUY. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

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

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

Wanted

CASH BUYER FOR OLD COSTUME JEWELRY – wrist and pocket watches (any condition). Also buying watchmaker tools and parts, coins, quilts, old toys, postcards, trains, guns, pocket and hunting knives, linens, fishing equipment and tackle boxes, fountain pens, Christmas garden items, crocks and jugs, lamps and lanterns, pottery, military items, sports memorabilia, advertising signs, paintings and contents of attics, basements and garages. Professional, no pressure individual with over forty years of experience. Lloyd D. Baker. 410-409-4965. 717-969-8114, office.

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, rifles, shot guns, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Large quantities are okay. Will pay top prices for my personal collection. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

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 ANTIQUES, ESTATES. 20-year Beacon advertiser. Cash paid for jewelry, gold, silver, old coins, pens, art, old toys, dolls, trains, watches, old comics, sports memorabilia, military guns, knives, swords, all collections. Tom, 240-476-3441. BUYING VINYL RECORDS 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. ADRIAN BUYS CARS – A convenient way to dispose of an unwanted car for top cash dollar. My buy price is usually hundreds higher than a CarBox quote. I come to you. 410-916-0776.

Thanks for reading the Beacon!

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies Alzheimer’s Caregivers Study . .13 Cognitive Impairment Study . . .13 Elderly Falls Study . . . . . . . . . .13 Exercise Research Study . . . . . .13 Stroke Exercise Study . . . . . . . .12

Dental Services Denture Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Maryland Center for Periodontal and Dental Implants . . . . . . . . .7 Mishpacha Dental . . . . . . . . . . .15 Northern Parkway Family Dental10

Education CCBC Senior Institute . . . . . . . .15 Johns Hopkins Peabody Prep . .27

Events Myerberg Center . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Financial Services Bennett Senior Services . . . . . .16 Debt Counsel for Seniors and the Disabled . . . .19

JS Richardson Insurance . . . . . .17 PENFED Credit Union . . . . . . .19

Hearing Services Hearing & Speech Agency . . . . .9

Home Health Care Options for Senior America . . . .21

Housing Atrium Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Bayleigh Chase/Integrace . . . . .24 Brightwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Buckingham’s Choice/Integrace 24 Charlestown/Erickson . . . . . . . .6 Christ Church Harbor Apts. . . . .15 Fairhaven/Integrace . . . . . . . . . .24 Gatherings at Quarry Place/Beazer Homes .12 Linden Park Apts. . . . . . . . . . . .29 Oak Crest/Erickson . . . . . . . . . .6 Park Heights Place . . . . . . . . . .21 Park View Apartments . . . . . . . .25 Shangri-La Assisted Living . . . .24 St. Mary’s Roland View Towers 27

Virginia Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Legal Services Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm17 Law Office of Karen Ellsworth .21 Southard & Greenbaum, LLC . .16

Medical/Health Adult Day Health . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Carle Center of Pain Management . . . . . . . . . .29 Dr. Richard Rosenblatt, DPM . . .6 Dr. Stuart Goldman, DPM . . . . . .9 Hamilton Foot Care . . . . . . . . . .10 Physical Therapy and Wellness Center . . . . . . . . . . .11 Skin Cancer EB . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Services Global Messenger . . . . . . . . . . .29 Sudzy Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 TechMedic4U . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Shopping Perfect Sleep Chair . . . . . . . . . .14

Radio Flea Market . . . . . . . . . . .28 WOW! Computer . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation CommuniCare Health . . . . . . . .11 Keswick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Manor Care Health Services . . . .7

Subscriptions The Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Theatres/ Entertainment Columbia Orchestra, The . . . . .26 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . .26

Travel Eyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Fire Museum of Maryland . . . . .23 Nexus Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Utilities BGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

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FEBRUARY 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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