May 2016 | DC Beacon

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A concert for remembering PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPITAL CONCERTS

By Barbara Ruben For many Americans, Memorial Day is a harbinger of summer, a day off work, and a time to fire up the grill. But for actor Joe Mantegna, Memorial Day ranks as the country’s most important holiday.

Mantegna, who has co-hosted the National Memorial Day concert on the Capitol lawn for 10 years with fellow actor Gary Sinise, says he wishes people would take a more contemplative view of the holiday.

“That’s because I realized without Memorial Day we’d have no other holiday. It’s the holiday that provides us the freedom to celebrate the Fourth of July and Christmas and President’s Day and Labor Day and all these things, because of the sacrifices made by the military over the history of this country,” the star of “Criminal Minds” told the Beacon in an interview.

Mantegna will return to the concert stage, set up in the shadow of the Capitol, on May 29.

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LEISURE & TRAVEL

A visit to magnificent Prague (and beyond) in the Czech Republic; plus, get your fill of cowboys, art and steak in Oklahoma City page 47

Paying respects Mantegna, 68, wants to boost Memorial Day’s profile and have people experience it with, if not more gravitas, at least a bit more respect.

“Unless they have active military in their families, I think a lot of people tend to say of Memorial Day, ‘Oh, great, I’ll have a three-day weekend, or I’ll watch the Indianapolis 500 and have a barbeque.’ I think what the concert does, or I hope it does, is show that there’s a lot to this holiday, and this is the reason why we have it and why it’s important. That’s why I do it.”

Mantegna first became involved with the concert as a performer in 2002, the first concert that followed 9/11. In that show, he read remembrances by four New York firemen who had lost their sons on that day, with the firemen in the front row of the audience.

“I’m standing in front of a quarter million people, and many millions watching on television. It was all I could do to get through it. I had the National Symphony Orchestra behind me playing Mozart’s requiem, and huge screens on either side of me showing footage of the planes going into the World Trade Center.

“It was one of those moments I’ll never forget as long as I live, where I felt I almost

ARTS & STYLE

Actors Joe Mantegna (left) and Gary Sinise have co-hosted the National Memorial Day Concert on the Capitol lawn for the last 10 years. Mantegna stars in the TV show “Criminal Minds,” and Sinise can be seen on a recently launched spinoff of that show.

Both work closely with veterans’ issues when not on camera.

might levitate off the stage. One of those moments where it’s not an acting moment. This is not me performing. This is the real deal.

This is history. These are real people’s lives.

“That moment made me feel this was really something special. I’ve had moments in that same vein every year.”

This year, the show features General Colin Powell, the Beach Boys, opera singer Renee Fleming, country music singer Trace Adkins, and Trent Harmon, winner of this year’s “American Idol,” who will sing the national anthem.

So it’s not surprising that Mantegna says, “Veterans are my hot button issue.

I’m very pro military.” He is the national spokesperson for the campaign to build the National Museum of the United States

Army in Ft. Belvoir, Va. It will be the first museum to represent all 14 generations of American soldiers.

Peter Pan flies high at Toby’s in Columbia; plus, the man behind the Mall’s patriotic concerts, and Bob Levey’s advice to future grandchildren page 53

TECHNOLOGY k The latest tech scams k The lure of virtual reality

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Teaming up with Gary Sinise Mantegna also works with the Gary Sinise Foundation, which aids wounded veterans by providing home modifications, adapted vehicles and mobility devices, and constructs specially adapted smart homes.

The foundation also sponsors festivals and music events for veterans.

Sinise, 61, was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Forest Gump, where he played a Vietnam veteran who lost his legs in the war. His Lt. Dan Band, in which he See MEMORIAL DAY, page 56

FITNESS & HEALTH k Benefits of worrying

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SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

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LAW & MONEY 35 k Perks for older consumers k Post-retirement employment ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

A healthy mind...

While I’ve long been interested in mental conditions affecting the brain (which, health issues, and the Beacon has always among other things, affects our behavior). covered these topics and the But it can have different meanlatest research, in recent years ings in different contexts.

I’ve gained a deeper sensitivity Maryland government agenthrough some interactions cies, for example, usually use with people close to me. the term to include mental illThe combination of new innesses, substance use disorformation and a growing ders (abuse and addiction), and awareness are starting to brain injury. These are the conhelp me understand present ditions that fall under the — and even past — experipurview of the Behavioral ences in a new light.

Health Administration within In that spirit, I want to share FROM THE Maryland’s Department of some information I learned in PUBLISHER Health.

By Stuart P. Rosenthal a recent presentation by Kim But the wider “advocate Burton, Director of Older community” considers behavAdult Programs at the Mental Health Asso- ioral health to include any brain-based disorciation of Maryland (MHAMD). der, including cognitive impairment and deTo start with, let’s look at the term “be- mentias of all types, while advocates for older havioral health.” If you’ve ever seen it and adults may extend it even further to include not been clear what it means, you’re not medication side effects and delirium (confualone. It has become the preferred term for sion and disorientation caused by dehydra-

Volunteer opportunity: Reader with a good voice is being sought to record contents of the Beacon each month for Metropolitan Washington Ear’s audio information service for the blind. Recording studio is located in northern Silver Spring, Md. A short audition is required; training provided. For details, call Rene Schecker at (301) 681-6636. For more info about the Ear, visit www.washear.org.

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• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President of Operations ....Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock, ......................Dan Kelly, Rena Pensky, M.K. Phillips • Editorial Assistant ........................Rebekah Sewell

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tion, urinary tract infections and the like).

You may wonder why these disparate conditions would be lumped together under “behavioral health” when they arise from very different sets of causes.

In part, it’s due to a growing understanding of our mind-body connections. Burton notes that many physical health problems — including common chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and even hearing loss — have been shown to increase one’s risk of depression and anxiety. And at the same time, we now know that depression can raise the level of our stress hormones, which impair our body’s ability to fight off disease.

In short, the old adage “a healthy mind in a healthy body” addresses only one aspect of the mind-body connection. At all times, the health (or disease) of our body affects our mind and vice versa. As a result, the old-fashioned stigma that once attached to those with “mental illness” has become out of date and off the mark.

That’s another reason for using the less pejorative, more inclusive, term “behavioral health.” We can all see ourselves as susceptible to health issues that affect our bodies and minds, and therefore as needing to learn how to recognize and treat, or cope with, them — both inside ourselves and in interacting with others.

A friend recently reminded me that public buses in this area play a recording periodically that says, “Thank you for saving priority seating for older adults and people with disabilities. Remember: not all disabilities are obvious.”

While that last line is meant to refer to less evident physical conditions, my friend noted it’s also true that many of us, “in one way or another, face our own undercover disabilities. Each of us has something that challenges us in a deep way — emotionally, mentally or otherwise.”

Of course he wasn’t saying we can all start vying for those convenient priority seats on the bus. There are disabilities that make it more difficult to walk and to stand, and there are those that affect how well we remember things or how much anxiety we feel, and we must respect that different accommodations are required for the former than the latter.

But he has a point. Behavioral health problems can be debilitating and yet quite hidden in many cases. We can all try to be-

come more attuned to the less obvious, but nonetheless serious, struggles and challenges we, our friends and our family members face.

One reason behavioral health may be on people’s minds more today than in the past is that so many of us are living longer than our forebears.

Burton reported that those with serious mental health issues used to pass away, on average, 20 to 25 years earlier than they do today. Today there really are more people suffering from these conditions.

Furthermore, despite the good health and medical care that has so extended our physical lives, Burton pointed out that many behavioral conditions that we may have escaped in our youth can develop after a long life.

This applies, for example, to substance abuse, which is a growing issue among older adults. While late-life depression and loneliness may be factors, the aging of our bodies may be even more important. We simply have more trouble metabolizing alcohol and drugs as we age. Studies also suggest we become much more susceptible to addiction later in life, for reasons that aren’t yet fully understood.

And when we find ourselves changing as we age — developing conditions and facing challenges we thought would never affect us — we can have a particularly difficult time accepting that fact and taking steps to address it.

That may help explain why the highest risk for suicide is found among those 65 and over (particularly among men 80 and over).

I think we can all benefit from gaining a greater awareness of the effects our bodies can have on our minds and vice versa.

For those interested in more information on this topic, as well as practical advice, I refer you to a helpful book published by the MHAMD: Mental Health in Later Life: A Guidebook for Older Marylanders and the People Who Care for Them. It can be downloaded free of charge in pdf format from www.mdaging.org or ordered in print form (including in bulk) by calling (443) 901-1550, ext. 210.

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 just read your April editorial on government, and I am so glad you wrote it.

Every day I am listening to “the people” who cannot fathom what is going on with our election year politics. It is very hard

for them to have a bigger picture.

You said it beautifully.

Laura Feldman via email See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 61

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

The most meaningful words to describe Holy Cross Germantown Hospital are:

Your Very Own.

With Chris Every Step of the Way Through Joint Replacement Chris Wuerthner’s knees have been taking a pounding for decades. Basketball, years of intense physical training and day-to-day work as a contractor took their toll. Like a lot of people, Chris hung tough until the pain in his right knee became more than a simple nuisance—it was affecting the quality of his life.

Holy Cross physicians use evidence-based practices to provide patients with better outcomes through a full continuum of pain management, rehabilitative support, surgical expertise, and health and wellness programs that promote joint health.

While there is no place like home, especially when recovering from surgery, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital offers patients the comfort of a private room.

“I had previous surgeries on my knees to clear away debris of cartilage that was causing pain. But toward the end of last year, the time was right to replace one of them,” he says.

Selecting a surgeon was an easy choice for Chris. He went straight to James Gilbert, MD, orthopedic surgeon, Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, who had performed his previous procedures.

“Repeated injuries had resulted in arthritis of the medial compartment in Chris’ knee—one of three compartments of the joint,” Dr. Gilbert explains. “Because his problem was limited to just one part of the knee, Chris was a good candidate for a partial knee replacement,” he adds. “With a partial replacement patients have much better range of motion in all directions after surgery—and that was perfect for an active, 53-year-old like Chris.”

Chris’ surgery was scheduled for late December 2015 at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, but preparation began weeks before with a pre-

“At my eight-week post knee surgery appointment with Dr. Gilbert, I was feeling remarkably better— and already back to work remodeling a kitchen,” explains Chris Wuerthner.

operative class to explain exactly what to expect before, during and after surgery.

The class is just one component of a comprehensive joint replacement program that features a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and therapists who guide our patients’ experience from the planning stages through recovery.

All of these resources came together for Chris—and the results are proof of the program’s excellence. “Hours after my surgery, the therapist had me up and walking,” he says. “The nurses and technicians were terrific and I was home the very next day.”

The joint replacement team works with patients and their families or support person to determine what type of follow-up services are best after discharge from the hospital.

Chris says, “The hospital arranged for a couple of weeks of home physical therapy— and outpatient therapy after that.”

To find a physician or surgeon at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, visit HolyCrossHealth.org or call 301-754-8800.

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S AT H O LY C R O S S G E R M A N T O W N H O S P I TA L Our free “Ask the Doctors” events are held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 19801 Observation Dr., Germantown, MD 20876.

To register or see a full list of events, call 301-754-8800 or visit HolyCrossHealth.org.

May 17 IMPROVING LUNG & PULMONARY HEALTH

May 24 or August 16 IMPROVING YOUR DIGESTIVE HEALTH

June 9 DEFEATING SPORTS INJURIES

June 21

Bryan Steinberg, MD, Thoracic Surgery, discusses the latest advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of lung conditions and diseases.

Satyanisth Agrawal, DO, Gastroenterology

Akil Benjamin, DO, Pain Medicine

Faisal Bhinder, MD, Gastroenterology

Ricardo Cook, MD, Orthopedics

Jason Brodsky, MD, General Surgery

James Gilbert, MD, Orthopedics

Expert orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons present an overview of strategies for managing and treating back pain, including temporary relief, or surgery as a long-term solution.

George Conrad, MD, General Surgery

Matthew Levine, MD, Orthopedics

Jocelyn Idema, DO, Orthopedics

Joshua Felsher, MD, General Surgery

Douglas Murphy, MD, Orthopedics

Jay Rhee, MD, Neurosurgery

Rami Makhoul, MD, Colorectal Surgery

Gabriel Petruccelli, MD, Orthopedics

Navinder Sethi, MD, Orthopedics

OVERCOMING BACK PAIN

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Technology &

Innovations Scams can lurk in your Google Alerts

By Bob Niedt Google Alerts are designed to keep you up-to-date on the latest online chatter surrounding your chosen areas of interest. It’s simple to sign up, pick any topic, and receive alerts by email as Google finds relevant new results.

But hidden dangers can lurk in the links that land in your inbox on a weekly, daily or even real-time basis.

Always evolving scammers are succeeding in getting their links to show up in Google Alerts results seemingly by inserting popular keywords in the titles and pages of their fraudulent sites.

So a Google Alerts user who wants to see, say, anything new on the Web related to

“Kiplinger” might receive, in addition to legitimate links to Kiplinger.com and to news about Kiplinger, links to spammy or even malicious sites that are making surreptitious use of the name to attract potential victims.

Google, which didn’t respond to a request for comment, certainly strives to identify and block bogus sites, but there’s evidence that some scammers are getting around its defenses.

Watch out for malware Spam disguised in this manner is a new trick, said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at McAfee. “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” he said. Davis examined some of the suspicious links Kiplinger discov-

ered in Google Alerts and determined that they led to potentially harmful malware that could infect a computer “instantaneously.”

One popular scam making the rounds is a “Blue Screen of Death” pop-up window that tells a PC user that their machine has been hacked — and to call a certain phone number for “tech support.”

According to Web security site MalwareBytes.org — which maintains a rolling blacklist of rogue Web sites and companies offering phony tech support — calling the number only worsens the problem. Beyond shaking you down for “repair money” (really a ransom for restoring your computer), the “technician” on the other end of the line may use the opportunity to load your

computer with spyware to steal valuable personal and financial information.

How to prevent problems What can you do to protect yourself from deceptive links in Google Alerts? For starters, before you click a link in the email, hover over it with your cursor to see if the Web address (URL) points to a legitimate site. If the Google Alerts result purports to be a news story from CNN, but the URL has no connection to CNN, then it’s very likely a scam.

Also, be sure to report the issue. Go to Google.com/alerts, scroll to the bottom of See SCAMS IN GOOGLE, page 5

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the page and click on “feedback” to file a complaint. You can report the alleged spammer to the Federal Trade Commission too.

If you want to reduce the chances of spam showing up in your Google Alerts, Davis suggests narrowing your search parameters. Let’s say you’re an investor who is interested in the latest news about dividend stocks. When you first set up your alert, put “dividend stocks” in quotes to indicate that you’re only interested in returning results in which the terms appear together.

District of Columbia

I N F O R M A T I O N

You can also limit the sources of your results to “news” and “blogs,” which would exclude broader “web” results.

Also, set your Google Alerts to “Only the best results” as opposed to “All results.”

Finally, unless you’re specifically looking for results from sites outside the U.S., limit the region to “United States.” The shady links we found in Google Alerts pointed to sites in Germany and France, as indicated by the “.de” and “.fr” URL suffixes, rather than the familiar “.com” suffix.

All contents © 2016 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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that can be placed in a shirt pocket.

The OrCam has the ability to read almost any printed text — including newspapers, books, signs, labels on consumer products, and text on a computer screen or smartphone. New faces can be added to its facial recognition library by the user.

When the user points a finger at the text or item that they want to identify, the device relays the relevant information to the wear-

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A recently released device can read aloud text on everything from restaurant menus to road signs — and even recognizes faces — to help those with visual impairments navigate everyday life. Users simply point to text, objects or faces, and the device tells them what it says or who it is.

Called the OrCam, the device is a small, light and discreet smart camera that is mounted on the frame of the user’s eyeglasses. It is connected by a thin cable to a base unit about the size of a glasses case

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From page 4

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Here’s what “virtual reality” is really like bling to keep up with the torrent of programs that, however more plentiful and varied their providers, still contain themselves in two dimensions.

Even so, VR seems a force to be reckoned with. So I grabbed a Samsung Gear VR headset for a maiden voyage.

‘Walk’ into movie scenes Virtual reality is the link to an alternate reality, and instantly I’m all in! For example, I find that a wooded, birds-twittering forest

on a sunny day is a far more agreeable environment than my stuffy apartment. And that’s even before Reese Witherspoon appears over a rise and, puffing with her backpack, rests herself on a nearby rock.

In character from her 2014 film Wild, she is bedraggled but radiant, and seems close enough and real enough to bother for a sip of her water. Alas, all too quickly Witherspoon resumes her solitary trek, vanishing through trees in the opposite direction, too absorbed in her odyssey to have paid me any notice.

But a dinosaur does. With “Jurassic World: Apatosaurus,” I am in a different kind of forest, stationed a few yards from a colossal dozing reptile sprawled on the forest floor. Then, during this two-minute interlude, it blinks awake, clambers to its feet, spots me and, staring me right in the face, takes a curious sniff.

Join the circus These adventures pale in wonder to Cirque du Soleil’s “Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities,” which sweeps me into a wondrous spectacle. Beautiful and dazzlingly weird, the dozen-and-a-half performers cavort on a stage where they accept me as a spellbound intruder. They put on quite a show.

Or, maybe more accurately, many shows. As I share their 360-degree space,

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By Frazier Moore It doesn’t take a high-tech headset to see that virtual reality (VR) is the rage. It’s being touted as the future for all things sensory — from games to film and television, from storytelling to visual art.

My response as a television critic — and as a dyed-in-the-wool TV viewer — is to ask what this all means to me.

I am not typically an early adopter. My beat as a journalist isn’t newfangled gadgetry. I’m a TV-centric content guy, scram-

Virtual reality headsets put viewers in the middle of the action.

where and what I look at is up to me. I am free to bob and swivel my head to fix my gaze on anyone or anything. I literally get to call the shots. And after a half-dozen viewings, with my attention leap-frogging from one direction to another, I still can’t take in all the revelry.

If joining a famed entertainment troupe is remarkable, an even bigger blast is gaining entry to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Thanks to a VR reimagining of Van Gogh’s 1888 “The Night Cafe,” I can take my place within the brushstrokes of the Café de la Gare, whereupon its scattering of tables and chairs, billiard table and lone See VIRTUAL REALITY, page 7

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Virtual reality From page 6 patron come to life.

But there’s more to explore than the single room the painting has immortalized.

Through a doorway in the corner, I can stray into a never-before-seen side room, where a pianist plays a melancholy tune and — lo and behold — Vincent himself sits listening while meditatively smoking his pipe.

Unlike VR video captured with stationary 360-degree cameras, this Van Gogh tribute is more like a video game, letting me interact more authentically with my surroundings. I can step up to a table or a person, but no farther, as if these objects were really in my way.

And unlike many VR experiences, this

OrCam From page 5 er via a small personal speaker mounted on the glasses near the ear. It generally cannot be heard by other nearby people.

In a recent independent study at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, legally blind test subjects were provided with OrCam devices in order to measure its effect on their quality of life. The majority said their quality of life had increased because they could read independently. One patient described the use of the device as “liberating.”

OrCam costs $3,500, and may be covered by some insurance plans. The cost includes a one-on-one training session for the device.

The OrCam will be demonstrated at a free Prevention of Blindness Society program titled “Revolutionary Technology Is Here!” on Thursday, May 12 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library, 5005 Duke St., Alexandria, Va. For more information and to register, call Kym at the library at (703) 746-1762.

one is open-ended. I am free to linger in this otherworldly, painterly realm to my heart’s content. At this cafe, there is no last call. And I am in no hurry to leave.

Why would I? Despite the possible onset of a headache or queasiness (nothing comes without a price, including this technology in its infant stage), VR is a habitat of countless possibilities, an exhilarating refuge that yanks me from the sidelines and thrusts me into the action.

Could VR ever become the default mode for its audience? I can imagine a time when immersion in VR might be as normal a state of self-imposed isolation as earbuds piping music from an iPod is now.

But more pertinent to me, a television guy, is this question: As VR evolves as technology and art, what will be its impact on the For more information about the OrCam, see www.orcam.com or call 1-800-713-3741.

— Barbara Ruben

act of vegging out with old-fashioned TV? Television has long reigned as the province of the couch potato, viewing passively while free to do other things: answer email, fix a snack, or just nurse a beer. But lost in VR’s altered state, I could easily miss my mouth when trying to take a sip.

VR demands full commitment.

Could be, as VR comes of age, television

7

will become not quite old hat, but instead, what radio became with TV’s birth: an atmospheric add-on, just one part of the everyday sensory mosaic.

Similarly, TV, with its grip on public consciousness downgraded, might be recast as an omnipresent supplement to real life.

Not supplementing, but supplanting real life: That’s what VR aims to do.

— AP

8

Technology & Innovations

Asbury Methodist Village 409 Russell Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 301-987-6291

DO MORE WITH EMAIL

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent 3 sessions Limit: 10 Fee: $50 # 524 Mon May 9 – May 23 9:30am-11:30am Learn to take full advantage of your web-based email service. This course covers all aspects of email, including attachments and contact management. You use your own mail provider for most lessons. You need your email User ID and password for class.

MASTER MICROSOFT EDGE® BROWSER

Prerequisite: Computer experience & Windows 10 PC Fee: $35 2 sessions Limit: 10 # 525 Tue May 10 – May 1 9:30am-11:30am # 526 Mon Aug 1 – Aug 8 9:30am-11:30am Edge is the new web browser provided with Windows 10. It contains a number of useful features that make your browsing easier. This course shows you how to setup the browser to best meet your needs and how to take advantage of the new features.

HOW CORTANA® CAN ASSIST YOU

Prerequisite: Computer experience & Windows 10 PC Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 10 # 527 Tue May 24 9:30am-11:30am Cortana is the new digital personal assistant integrated into Windows 10. This course shows you how you can use Cortana to find information, answer questions, find things on your computer and do different computer tasks.

HOW THE WEB WORKS

Prerequisite: None 1 session Limit: 10 Fee: $20 # 528 Tue May 31 9:30am-11:30am You use World Wide Web every day. Ever wondered what goes on “behind the scenes” to make it all happen? You will be surprised. This class explains from start to finish how the Web page appears on your monitor screen nearly instantaneously. Come and learn – it is pretty amazing.

EXPLORE WINDOWS® 10 APPS

Prerequisites: Computer experience & Windows 10 PC Fee: $35 2 sessions Limit: 10 # 529 Tue Jun 7 – Jun 14 9:30am-11:30am Windows 10 comes with a number of Universal apps that provide useful features. This course explores several of the apps and shows you how to use the Windows Store to obtain additional ones. You will also learn how to manage apps on the Start menu.

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

MOVING UP TO WINDOWS® 10

Prerequisite: Computer experience & Windows 10 PC Fee: $85 6 sessions Limit: 10 # 530 Fri May 13 – Jun 17 9:30am-11:30am # 531 Tue Jul 5 – Aug 9 9:30am-11:30am You have upgraded your PC to the new Windows 10.

Now you want to know how to take advantage of the several new features it introduces. This course explains what’s new and what’s familiar in Windows 10 and shows you how to use it to improve your computing experience.

TOTAL PHOTO WITH PICASA

Prerequisite: Experience taking digital photos and using a computer Fee: $65 4 sessions Limit: 10 # 532 Fri Jul 8 – Jul 29 9:30am-11:30am You need something that can do it all for your digital photos – organize, edit, and share – without investing a lot of money or buying features you don’t need. The free Picasa program from Google can do the job for you. This course shows you how to use Picasa’s tools to import, organize in albums, edit and then share your photos. Also, the future of Picasa is discussed.

ORGANIZE YOUR FILES WITH WINDOWS® 10

Prerequisite: Computer experience & Windows 10 PC Fee: $50 3 sessions Limit: 10 # 533 Mon Jul 11 – Jul 25 9:30am-11:30am Do you need to bring a little organization to your computer-based life? This course shows you the features of the new Windows 10 File Explorer application and how to use them to bring organization to your collection of documents and photos. File Explorer has a new “look” plus serval built-in features to assist you in crating and viewing folders, as well as moving, copying and renaming files.

WINDOWS® 10 & YOUR SMARTPHONE

Prerequisite: Computer experience & Windows 10 PC Fee: $20 1 sessions Limit: 10 # 534 Fri Aug 5 9:30am-11:30am You have a Windows 10 PC and a smartphone using the google Android of apple iOS operating system.

Would you like to see your Windows 10 email, calendar and contacts on your smartphone? This class shows you how using the Phone Companion Universal app that comes with your Windows 10. Please bring a fully charged smartphone to class (this class in not for people with an iPhone).

ONEDRIVE® & THE CLOUD

Prerequisite: Computer experience & Windows 10 PC Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 10 # 535 Fri Aug 12 9:30am-11:30am The Cloud is a new place to store files and do computing. Windows 10 provides you with free storage space on the OneDrive service. This course shows you what you can do with OneDrive and how you can use the Cloud to do computing.

ASSISTED PRACTICE

FREE sessions: an integral part of your learning. You must be registered for at least one class to participate.

No Fee Wed May 11 – June 15 9:30am-1:30pm Wed Jul 6 – Aug 10 9:30am-1:30pm

JCA Bronfman Center 12320 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 240-395-0916

COMPUTER BASICS WITH WINDOWS® 7

Prerequisite: Windows 7 6 sessions Limit: 8 Fee: $85 # 536 Wed May 18 – Jun 22 1:30pm-3:30pm This course is for students who want to refresh or expand their computer skills. It covers the start menu and taskbar, files and folders, the World Wide Web, and use of applications; such as the word processor.

MICROSOFT WORD 2010: FROM THE BEGINNING AND BEYOND

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent Fee: $75 5 sessions Limit: 8 # 537 Mon June 6 – Jul 18 10:00am-12:00pm Learn basic word-processing skills using Microsoft Word, including hands-on experience creating documents of varying levels of complexity plus more advanced skills, such as illustrating documents with graphics, using templates, creating tables and advanced formatting.

FILE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic computer skills Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 538 Tues Jul 19 1:30pm- 3:30pm Learn how to manage your files – documents you’ve created, copied, downloaded, pictures and more.

YOUR IPAD® AND YOU

Prerequisite: iPad needs to be updated to the ios9.1 and have an Apple® ID and password. Bring fully charged iPad to class Fee: $65 4 sessions Limit: 8 # 539 Thurs Jun 9 – Jun 30 10:00am-12:00pm Learn the basics about what you can do with your iPad and how using a tablet is different from using a desktop or laptop computer. Topics include basic navigation, apps and where you get them, how to set up your email account, managing your contact list, taking and sharing pictures, listening to music, how to keep your iPad safe and running efficiently, and how to back up data.

10 AMAZINGLY USEFUL WEBSITES YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 540 Tues Jun 14 10:00am-12:00pm # 541 Wed Aug 10 10:00am-12:00pm Learn about a wide range of useful websites. Tired of waiting for a company’s help desk to answer? There’s a website that gets them to call you! Print web pages without all the ads, find a manual for that appliance that needs repair, get great recipes and nutritional information, FREE coupons, FREE books and more!

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

IPHONE®,

AN INTRODUCTION

Prerequisite: Bring fully charged iPhone to class 2 session Limit: 8 Fee: $35 # 542 Wed Jun 15 – Jun 22 10:00am-12:00pm Learn to navigate the iPhone, make phone calls, surf the web, send messages, manage apps and more!

IPHONE®

APPS

Prerequisite: Bring fully charged iPhone to class 1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 543 Wed May 11 10:00am-12:00pm # 544 Wed Jul 13 10:00am-12:00pm Learn to use and organize apps. Explore apps to create reminders, read or listen to books, find directions, track health and fitness activities, share photos and more! Share YOUR favorite app!

IPHONE®,

PHOTOGRAPHY

Prerequisite: Bring fully charged iPhone to class Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 545 Wed Jul 27 10:00am-12:00pm Learn how to use the iPhone’s capabilities to take great pictures, organize photos, and share photos with friends and family.

SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS USING THE ANDROID OPERATING SYSTEM WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent Fee: $ 20 1 session Limit: 8 # 546 Thurs May 5 10:00am-12:00pm Learn what the Android operating system is and how to work with its direct manipulation interface and see demonstrations of popular applications (apps) that run on Android.

BROWSING AND SEARCHING THE WEB **NEW**NEW**

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent Fee: $ 20 1 session Limit: 8 # 547 Tues May 24 10:00am-12:00pm # 548 Wed Jul 20 10:00am-12:00pm Using Internet Explorer®, Google Chrome®, and Google® search to teach how to more effectively use the World Wide Web. We will teach the basics but go beyond including setting up favorites and bookmarks, creating a bookmark bar, opening multiple tabs, and adding extensions to the browser. Learn many techniques to more precisely find the information you want.

DO MORE WITH EMAIL

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent 3 sessions Limit: 10 Fee: $50 # 549 Tues Jul 12 – Jul 26 10:00am-12:00pm Learn to take full advantage of your web-based email service. This course covers all aspects of email, including attachments and contact management. You use your own mail provider for most lessons. You need your email User ID and password for class.

DISCOUNT! STUDENTS RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT WHEN BILL IS PAID IN FULL 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE START OF CLASS. If you have questions, call 240-395-0916 or email seniortech@accessjca.org

Technology & Innovations

JCA SENIORTECH EXCEL: THE BASICS

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent 3 sessions Limit: 8 Fee: $50 # 550 Thurs Jul 14 – Jul 28 10:00am-12:0pm Develop and learn how to create a basic spreadsheet and enter data, edit the cells, adjust columns and rows, “crossfooting” spreadsheets, using formulas in spreadsheets.

FACEBOOK IS EASY WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Bring a picture of yourself and a picture you’d like to share in digital form (jpg).

1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 551 Tues Jun 7 10:00am-12:00pm Find out how set up a Facebook account and keep it as private or public as you want. Share pictures, thoughts, or quotations with chosen friends.

IN’S AND OUT’S OF DESKTOP PUBLISHING – MICROSOFT PUBLISHER WORKSHOP

the pros and cons of various hardware options and look at the application that run on the various platforms.

WINDOWS® 10: WHAT’S NEW

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 25 # 557 Tues Jun 21 10:00am-12:00pm Microsoft is offering free upgrades to existing Windows users to go to the new Windows 10 operating system. In this 2 hour lecture and demonstration we will examine the new features that you will see in Windows 10 including: the new start menu and desktop, Microsoft App Store, tablet mode, using multiple desktops, looking at the upgrade process, and new apps included in Windows 10.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CLOUD

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 25 # 558 Wed Jun 22 1:30pm-3:30pm There has been a lot of talk about “the cloud” recently.

Learn what the cloud is and how to use it for storage, backup and sharing of files, pictures and music.

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 552 Wed Jun 29 10:00am-12:00pm Ever wonder how to make flyers, newsletters, business cards or holiday letters look professional? This class will teach you a quick and easy way using Microsoft Publisher.

CUTTING THE OF CABLE

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent 2 sessions Limit: 8 Fee: $35 # 553 Mon May 9 – May 16 10:00am-12:0pm In this course you will learn to create your own Microsoft PowerPoint presentation by adding and deleting slides, creating different layouts, formatting your presentation and inserting images.

HEALTH INFORMATION ON WEBSITES

POWERPOINT®

MEET THE TECHNOLOGY GURUS! BRING US YOUR PROBLEMS!

Fee: $30 per individual session Limit: 8 # 554 Date and time to be determined by Tech Guru Have a one-to-one lesson with our Tech Gurus. Experts are available to help individuals with hardware or software issues. Topics: Windows® 10, buying a new computer, securing your computer, backing up the cloud, laptop/desktop Issues, photos/videos, PowerPoint® and more. Your session will last 2 hours. After you register, you will be contacted to select a date and time for your session and to discuss the questions or issues you will be working on with one of our Tech Gurus.

MEET THE MAC TECHNOLOGY GURUS!

 NEW  NEW  NEW 

BRING US YOUR PROBLEMS!

Fee: $30 per individual session Limit: 8 # 555 Date and time to be determined by Tech Guru Have a 1:1 lesson with our Mac Tech Gurus. Experts are available to help individuals with hardware or software issues. Topics: iPhone®, iPad®, Apple® Laptops/computers. Your session will last 2 hours. After you register, you will be contacted to select a date and time for your session and to discuss the questions or issues you will be working on with one of our Tech Gurus.

TECH TALK

Presentations and Discussions on hot topics in technology

WHAT SHOULD I BUY?

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 25 # 556 Tues May 24 10:00am-12:00pm As our desktops, laptops, phones and tablets come to the end of their useful lives consumers are unsure what purchase of new technology makes the sense. Questions you might be asking are: Can my phone or tablet replace my computer? Should I buy one of the new hybrid laptops? Does switching to an Apple computer make sense for my needs? How has camera technology ev olve in various devices? Should I upgrade to Windows 10? This two-hour discussion/class will consider

9 8

CABLE – TV WITHOUT THE PRICE

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 25 # 559 Wed July 13 1:30pm-3:30pm With the availability of high-speed broadband internet, it is possible to enjoy television without the high price of cable TV. Learn about programs that are available online and how to watch on a standard HDTV set.

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 25 # 560 Tues July 12 10:00am-12:00pm Health information can be confusing, so many of us turn to the Internet for guidance. This class will present several Internet sources for reliable health-related information, government and non-government sites.

You will learn how to navigate through them, learn how to evaluate websites, plus also gain some basic knowledge that can be used generally to evaluate Websites for the quality, reliability and credibility of their content. NOTE: This class presents general health websites, NOT medical information.

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REFUND POLICY:

Students who wish to withdrawl and receive a full refund must notify JCA at least 48 hours before the first class begins.

A 50% refund is given after the first class.

ATTENTION:

Instruction, course materials and all computer language settings are in

English.

Courses are taught with Windows computers.

10

Technology & Innovations

Crystal City

1750 Crystal Drive Shops, Crystal Square Arcade, Arlington, VA 703-941-1007

COMPUTER BASICS: INTRODUCTION TO THE PERSONAL COMPUTER USING WINDOWS© 10

Prerequisite: Bring a flash drive to class Fee: $85 6 sessions Limit: 8 # 561 Tues May 3 — Jun 7 10:30am-12:30pm # 562 Tues Jul 5 — Aug 9 10:30am-12:30pm This course is intended for people seeking to refresh or expand their computer skills. It covers the start menu and taskbar, files and folders, the World Wide Web, and use of applications such as the word processor.

EXCEL BASICS

Prerequisite: Computer Basics or equivalent Fee: $85 6 sessions Limit: 8 # 563 Thurs May 5 – Jun 9 10:30am-12:30pm Develop a basic spreadsheet, learn how to enter and format text and numbers, adjust column width to accommodate data, add or delete rows and columns, and align data within and across columns.

EXCEL – BEYOND BASICS

Prerequisite: Excel Basics or equivalent Fee: $50 3 sessions Limit: 8 # 564 Thurs Jul 7 — Jul 21 10:30am-12:30pm Develop and format pie charts and columns charts.

Use Excel as a database. Explore other subjects of interest.

THE CLOUD – WHAT IS IT? SHOULD YOU CARE? WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic computing, keyboarding and mouse skills Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 565 Thurs May 12 1:00pm–3:00pm # 566 Thurs Jul 21 1:00pm–3:00pm Students will learn what functions can be performed in the cloud and about cloud storage – who the providers are, what’s free and what isn’t. Students will also explore Microsoft’s OneDrive in some depth, setting up an account and briefly looking at a cloud computing application.

FACEBOOK IS EASY WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Bring a picture of yourself and a picture you’d like to share in digital form (jpeg).

1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 567 Thurs Jul 28 10:30am-12:30pm Find out how set up a Facebook account and keep it as private or public as you want. Share pictures, thoughts, or quotations with chosen friends.

VOLUNTEER TO TEACH OR COACH We are looking for volunteers who are computer savvy, willing to share their knowledge, and would like to help people age 50+ learn new computer skills.

JCA SENIORTECH FILE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic computer skills 1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 568 Thurs Jun 16 10:30am-12:30pm # 590 Mon May 23 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Learn how to manage your files – documents you’ve created, copied, downloaded, pictures and more.

GRAPHICS EXPLORERS

Prerequisite: Knowledge of Photoshop® Elements software Elements 10 or 11 software Fee: $40 ongoing sessions Limit: 4 # 569 Mon May 2 – Jun 27 10:30am-12:30pm # 570 Mon Jul 11 – Aug 29 10:30am-12:30pm Graphics Explorers is a series of meetings with no fixed agenda or syllabus. There is no instructor. Students use Photoshop Elements 10 or 11 to enhance photographs, using several workbooks. Students provide their own copies of Photoshop Elements and workbooks.

GUIDE TO BUYING A PERSONAL COMPUTER (WORKSHOP)

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 571 Thurs Jun 23 1:00pm-3:00pm Learn about important issues to consider and features to look for when purchasing your next personal computer.

INTRODUCTION TO POWERPOINT® WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic computer knowledge and mouse skills 1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 572 Thurs Jun 30 10:30am-12:30pm PowerPoint is a program in Microsoft Office that enables you to make digital presentations. This workshop describes the basics of how to use PowerPoint for those who have never used it.

SECURING YOUR COMPUTER

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 573 Mon Jun 20 1:00pm-3:00pm Learn about important security issues, including how hackers choose computers, phishing, spam email, website drive-by, botnets, passwords, administrative accounts, keeping applications updated, keeping the operating system updated, and malware protection.

ORGANIZING, EDITING AND SHARING PHOTOS WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic computer and mouse skills Fee: $50 3 sessions Limit: 8 # 574 Wed Jun 1 - Jun 15 10:30pm-12:30pm # 575 Wed Aug 3 – Aug 17 10:30am-12:30pm Learn to import digital photos from cameras, phones, and tablets and use Picasa, a free photo-editing program.

SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS USING THE ANDROID OPERATING SYSTEM WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: None. Bring your own fully charged device to class.

1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 576 Wed Jun 22 1:00pm-3:00pm Learn what the Android OS is and how to work with Android’s direct manipulation interface on smart phones and tablets.

TAMING WORD WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic computer knowledge and mouse skills 2 sessions Limit: 8 Fee: $35 # 577 Wed May 4 – May 11 10:30am-12:00pm # 578 Wed Jul 6 – Jul 13 10:30am-12:30pm Learn how to make Microsoft Word your personal tool for word processing.

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

UNDERSTANDING YOUR APPLE IPAD® WORKSHOP Prerequisite: Bring a fully charged Apple iPad to class 3 sessions Limit: 8 Fee: $50 # 579 Mon May 2 – May 16 1:00pm-3:00pm This course demystifies the iPad, starting with the hand gestures used to operate the device and the purpose of external buttons and switches, and progressing to hands-on use of a variety of standard iPad applications.

USING YOUR APPLE IPHONE® WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Bring fully charged iPhone to class 1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 580 Mon Jun 27 1:00pm-3:00pm # 581 Mon Aug 22 1:00pm-3:00pm Learn how to use your iPhone to surf the Internet, take and share photos, play games, read books – and much more.

USING SKYPE® TO MAKE VIDEO OR AUDIO CALLS WORKSHOP

Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 582 Thurs May 5 1:00pm-3:00pm # 583 Thurs Jul 14 1:00pm-3:00pm Learn how to use the free Skype application to communicate with relatives and friends.

VIEWING MOVIES ON YOUR PC WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic computer skills 1 session Limit: 8 Fee: $20 # 584 Wed Jun 1 1:00pm-3:00pm This is your chance to find out how to view movies in your home and pay little or nothing for viewing.

WINDOWS® 10 – HOW TO INSTALL IT WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Ownership of a computer with Windows 7 installed and desire to update to Windows 10 Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 585 Mon Jun 6 1:00pm-3:00pm An update to Windows 10 is available free for a limited time to anyone now using Windows 7 as their operating system. Students will learn how to download and install Windows 10.

WINDOWS® 10 HOW TO USE IT WORKSHOP

Prerequisite: Basic Computer Skills Fee: $20 1 session Limit: 8 # 586 Wed May 18 1:00pm-3:00pm # 587 Thurs Jun 9 1:00pm-3:00pm # 588 Thurs Aug 11 10:30am-12:30pm Students will learn how to use Windows 10, the latest Microsoft operating system, including comparisons with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1; how to customize Edge, the new Internet provider replacing Internet Explorer; and file management.

ASSISTED PRACTICE

No Fee Limit: 5 FREE sessions: an integral part of your learning. You must be registered for at least one class to participate. When no classes are being offered, volunteers are available to help registered students practice what they learn in classes and workshops. Speak with your instructor for details.

For more information, call 240-395-0916.

Email seniortech@accessjca.org Website www.accessjca.org

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

DESCRIPTION AND GUIDELINES

SeniorTech The Microsoft operating systems vary by site and include Windows® 7 and Windows® 10.

Classes are designed to help adults, 50+, refresh or advance their computer skills and learn to use social media. Courses are taught by volunteer instructors and coaches. Courses are almost always “hands on” in which students practice skills and techniques on a computer during class.

Notice: Within the limits of its resources, JCA serves people of all faiths and from all walks of life.

Indeed, we try to be as inclusive as possible in all that we do.

Sometimes, however, JCA may deny a person or group the option to enroll or to continue to participate in all or particular programs and services.

We reserve the right to do so, at our sole discretion, should we believe that our action is in the best interest of the individual or program or for any other reason not precluded by applicable law.

SENIORTECH REGISTRATION FORM

COMPUTER TRAINING

WAYS TO REGISTER:

BY MAIL:

Include your payment with form to JCA SeniorTech 12320 Parklawn Drive Rockville, MD 20852-1726

BY PHONE: Call 240-395-0916 with your credit card information

NOTE: ALL REGISTRATIONS ARE DUE 7 DAYS PRIOR TO START OF CLASS. Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________ City: ____________________________________________________ State: _______ Zip Code: _______________ Phone#: ______________________________ Email: __________________________________________________ I have taken a JCA SeniorTech class before: ____ Yes ____ No

Student ID (Office use only)_______________

I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER FOR: Class #

Class Title

Location

Start Date

Start Time

Fee

#

$

#

$

#

$

#

$

#

$

#

$

10% DISCOUNT WHEN BILL IS PAID IN FULL 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE START OF CLASS

-

TOTAL $ _________

PAYMENT METHOD:

❒ Master Card ❒ VISA ❒ American Express ❒ Check (Make Checks payable to JCA SeniorTech.)

WB5/16

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY

✃

1 11

Technology & Innovations

JCA SENIORTECH

Name as it appears on card: ____________________________________________________________

-

-

Card Number

-

____________ ____________ ____________ _____________

Exp. Date

______ /______

Sec. Code

__________

OFFICE USE ONLY Course #_____ Paid_____ Registration #_______ Date________

Each JCA SeniorTech center follows the weather-related decisions of the public school system in its jurisdiction, except that if a school system is closed for even part of the day, the center will be closed the entire day. As soon as possible, your instructor will arrange to make up any classes cancelled due to inclement weather.

Course #_____ Paid_____ Registration #_______ Date________

Course #_____ Paid_____ Registration #_______ Date________

Course #_____ Paid_____ Registration #_______ Date________

Course #_____ Paid_____ Registration #_______ Date________

Course #_____ Paid_____ Registration #_______ Date________

NOTICE: WITHIN THE LIMITS OF ITS RESOURCES, JCA SERVES PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS AND FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. INDEED, WE TRY TO BE AS INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE IN ALL THAT WE DO. SOMETIMES, HOWEVER, JCA MAY DENY A PERSON OR GROUP THE OPTION TO ENROLL OR TO CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN ALL OR PARTICULAR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DO SO, AT OUR SOLE DISCRETION, SHOULD WE BELIEVE THAT OUR ACTION IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR PROGRAM OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON NOT PRECLUDED BY APPLICABLE LAW. Each contribution or remittance of payment by check is considered authorization to convert that particular check into an electronic fund transfer. If your check is unable to be converted, it may be processed as a Check Replacement Document drawn against your account. When we use information from your check to make an electronic fund transfer, funds may be withdrawn from your account as soon as the same day you make your payment, and you will not receive your check back from your financial institution. You have the right to opt out of Electronic Conversion. If you choose to exercise this right, write the words ‘Opt Out’ in the memo field of your check and JCA will process it as a draft against your account.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Health Fitness &

WHAT, ME WORRY? Worrying is actually a self-protection mechanism for some people REV UP YOUR METABOLISM Exercise, spicy food, coconut oil and eating more often can help HONORING ADVOCATES Two long-time Montgomery County volunteers are presented with awards CALCIUM CONUNDRUM Bones need calcium, but too much, especially from pills, can be harmful

Drug distribution can block competition

By Matthew Perrone The same strategy that Martin Shkreli used to get away with a 5,000-percent price increase on an old drug is used by many other drugmakers to maintain sky-high prices on billions of dollars’ worth of medications.

Before the price hike that made him infamous, the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals had to ensure that no competitor would be able to launch a cheaper version of Daraprim, the 60-year-old anti-infection pill that is no longer under patent.

Shkreli had the perfect weapon: A tightly-controlled distribution system that would make it virtually impossible for a competitor to obtain enough Daraprim to develop their own version.

Shkreli, who resigned in December, did not invent the closed distribution technique.

And his former company, Turing, notes that Daraprim was already distributed under such a system when it acquired the drug.

Blocking access Many larger drugmakers have also turned drug distribution into a powerful tool against competition. The strategy takes advantage of a simple fact: If generic drugmakers can’t get their hands on the original product, they cannot perform the tests needed to develop a generic version.

Typically generic drugmakers purchase drugs in bulk from third-party suppliers.

But when the original drugmaker controls the drug’s distribution, they can simply refuse to sell.

The effect on patients is higher prices for drugs that would otherwise be available as low-cost generics. Doctors say these tactics “continue to stand in the way of patients’ access.”

“The most effective way to improve access and lower prices is to ensure that generic drugs get to market as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Ameet Sarpatwari, of Harvard Medical School, who has studied the issue.

At least 40 drugs worth an estimated $5.4 billion are sheltered from competition by distribution hurdles, according to a study commissioned by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, an industry trade group.

The Food and Drug Administration is aware of the misuse of distribution programs. The agency said in a statement it has received 100 letters from companies that say they have been blocked from obtaining drugs for testing purposes. The agency’s own regulations prohibit drugmakers from using certain types of distribution plans to block generic access, but the agency does not penalize companies for the practice.

The trend began in 2007, when the FDA began requiring risk-management plans for certain drugs. The plans often feature various restrictions to make sure drugs are used safely, including limits on who can distribute them.

But drugmakers realized these measures could also be used to keep their

drugs away from competitors. And even drugs that didn’t require risk-management could utilize the strategy.

Huge price increase Daraprim is an example of a drug that has no major safety risks and was previously available through various wholesalers and distributors. But last June — three months before its sale to Turing — Daraprim was moved into a closed distribution program, allowing the manufacturer to refuse sales to competitors.

The effect for patients was jarring. The drug — which treats an infection mainly found in people with HIV and cancer — had previously been available through local pharmacies. Now it is distributed through a specialty division of a single pharmacy chain, which sells the drug at Turing’s list price of $750 per pill. In the See DRUG DISTRIBUTION, page 13

You can fight back when drugs are denied

By Eleanor Laise You make a routine trip to the pharmacy to fill a prescription. But the pharmacist tells you your Medicare drug plan won’t cover the drug. You walk away with no medication — and no clear explanation about why you were denied coverage.

More and more seniors are finding themselves in this confusing and potentially dangerous situation, patient advocates say.

Questions about pharmacy-counter denials — and what to do next — are among the most common issues raised by callers to the Medicare Rights Center’s national helpline, said Joe Baker, the center’s president.

“The problem of pharmacy denials and people being confused by Part D prescription-drug coverage is a growing trend,” he said.

It pays to appeal Seniors who are denied coverage at the pharmacy may pay out of pocket for increasingly unaffordable drugs — or, even worse, go without needed medication.

They may need to make several calls to their drug plan to find out the exact reason coverage was denied, and then navigate a complex appeals process to seek a reversal.

But persistence often pays off: In 2013, nearly 80 percent of denials that were appealed were subsequently approved, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Drug denials are rising in part because Medicare drug plans aiming to control costs are imposing “utilization management restrictions” on a growing number of drugs.

These restrictions include step therapy, which requires you to try a cheaper alternative before a pricier drug; limits on the quantity of a drug that your plan will cover in a certain time period; and prior authorization, which means your plan must give approval before the prescription is filled. Such restrictions were applied to 39% of drugs on Medicare drug plans’ formularies in 2015, up from 18% in 2007, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

In other cases, coverage is denied because the drug is not on your plan’s formulary. Each fall, review your plan’s annual notice of change, which explains how coverage and costs are changing in the coming year.

Also call the plan to make sure specific drugs you take are still on the formulary and not subject to any new coverage restrictions. You can switch drug plans during Medicare open enrollment, which runs from October 15 to December 7 each year.

If a drug you’re taking is dropped from your plan’s formulary, or you change to a plan that doesn’t cover the drug, you are entitled to a onetime “transition refill” — typically a 30-day supply of the drug.

Nearly 80% of denials that were appealed were subsequently approved.

How to appeal Don’t take the pharmacist’s “no” as your final answer. Take note of the drug name and dosage that you were prescribed, the name of the pharmacy, and the date when you tried to fill the prescription. Then call your plan and ask for a “coverage determination” — a written explanation of the coverage decision.

The plan generally has 72 hours to respond. But you can ask for an expedited decision, which requires the plan to re-

spond within 24 hours, said Diane Omdahl, president of 65 Incorporated, a Mequon, Wis., firm that helps seniors navigate Medicare.

If the plan tells you that the drug is not on the formulary or that it’s subject to a restriction, you can ask for a coverage “exception.” In this case, your doctor must write a supporting statement. “It has to really explain why this drug and no other is what the patient needs,” said Jocelyne Watrous, an advocate at the Center for Medicare Advocacy. The 72-hour clock won’t start ticking until the plan gets the doctor’s statement.

If the coverage determination is not in your favor, you have 60 days to ask for a “redetermination,” the first level of appeal.

If significant dollars are at stake, you can pursue several more levels of appeal — and ultimately have your case heard in federal court.

Since in many cases denials are inappropriate, “our advice to clients is always to push back,” Baker said. “When we do that, we find that people get the coverage.”

All contents © 2016 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Drug distribution From page 12 months after the price hike, some patients faced co-pays as high as $16,000 when trying to fill a prescription.

“Mr. Shkreli set up a very complicated system to ensure profits, and patients have really suffered,” said Sean Dickson, of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.

Turing says it has improved access to Daraprim, including making it available through a patient assistance program for those who can’t afford it.

Drugmakers argue that closed distribution simply protects their interests, making sure drugs are shipped and handled appropriately.

Undermining generics But generic drugmakers say the tactics threaten their business model. “It undermines the whole generic drug approval process,” said Steve Giuli, an executive with generics firm Apotex Corp.

Apotex has repeatedly tried to purchase two specialty cancer drugs sold by drugmaker Celgene. Together the drugs, Thalomid and Revlimid, account for $5.2 billion in sales — more than two-thirds of Celgene’s revenue for 2014.

That’s despite the fact that Thalomid is a 1950s-era drug whose key ingredient is no longer under patent. Because the drug can

cause severe birth defects, it is subject to a rigorous distribution program controlled

by Celgene.

“They will never freely sell you the product, even if you negotiate with them for weeks, months, and perhaps years to satisfy all of their onerous concerns,” said Omar Jabri, another Apotex executive.

A Celgene spokesman did not return calls and emails seeking comment on the risk-management program.

In one case, New Jersey-based Celgene went on the offensive, suing Barr Laboratories for attempting to introduce a generic version of Thalomid. Celgene said Barr’s effort would infringe on its intellectual property, since it had patented Thalomid’s risk-management plan.

When generic drugmaker Lannett sued Celgene in 2012, alleging that the company’s tactics illegally blocked competition, the companies reached an out-of-court settlement. Details of the agreement were not disclosed, but Thalomid remains unavailable as a generic.

Meanwhile, the FDA has remained on the sidelines. “The FDA is hesitant to make a call on whether a manufacture is actually intending to delay generic competition,” said pharmaceutical attorney Kurt Karst.

With no apparent solution from the courts or the FDA, generic drugmakers and their allies are seeking a fix from Congress. A bill introduced in the House

BEACON BITS

May 14

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would direct the FDA to impose stiff fines on drugmakers that refuse to sell their products to generic drugmakers.

Introduced last summer, the legislation has made little headway on Capitol Hill, but Dr. Sarpatwari hopes recent concerns about drug prices will attract more atten-

13

tion to the proposal.

“You’re getting Congress to amend the system to require that drug samples be shared under the penalty of actual sanctions,” he said. “That’s ultimately where we need to get to.”

— AP

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Surprising benefits of worrying (for some)

By Srini Pillay Everyone worries, but some people worry more than others. When worry is excessive, people may develop generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). In fact, close to a quarter of people who go to their primary care physicians with anxiety suffer from the condition.

In general, stressful events in childhood and adulthood, having strained economic resources, being divorced, and being female all put you at risk for GAD. But what do all of these different highrisk groups have in common psychologically? Why do they worry so much? And what can they do about it?

A recent study explained why people with GAD worry so much — and the findings may surprise you.

Worry as self-protection While many people think they are just worriers, they do not realize that they actually worry for a reason. Their worry is an attempt to protect themselves!

If you’re wondering how such a nagging, persistent, annoying and sometimes distressing psychological state can be helpful, you’re probably not alone. But the findings do in fact make some sense.

It turns out that worrying about something puts your mind into a negative state, but this helps, because when something negative does happen, you don’t feel that much worse. You’ve already been feeling bad.

For people with GAD, it’s better to feel bad most of the time so that a negative event — someone being ill, sudden finan-

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cial challenges, or rejection from a loved one — doesn’t have the power to create a massive emotional swing.

It’s the sudden shift from a neutral or positive mood to a negative one that is of most concern to worriers. They will do anything to avoid this, include preparing to be miserable. They really hate the contrast of a situation unexpectedly going south.

To people who aren’t worriers, this would sound counterintuitive, but they don’t have the same sensitivity to sudden emotional shifts. In fact, for them, worry is undesirable, whereas worriers find worry helpful.

This poses a dilemma for treatment, then. If someone has GAD, just asking them to lose the worry will not work. And if you have GAD, expecting your brain to simply stop worrying on command is a tall order.

Another study has helped us understand that people who are prone to worrying are soft-wired to pay attention to threatening news, thereby building up a library of evidence in their brains that worrying is necessary.

Think about it. On any given day, there are so many threatening things happening in the world — anything from new viruses, terrorist attacks or political conflicts to a hostile email or upcoming storm are all real events.

Yet, if you only pay attention to the threats, you have no space left in your brain to process anything else. Threat becomes your reality, and worry becomes your justifiable response. Anyone telling you to give up your worry will sound out of touch, to say the least.

Getting worry under control As challenging as this sounds, there are things that you can do to retrain your brain to stop worrying. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of talk therapy where you simply revisit your assumptions in an attempt to reframe your thoughts, works according to some studies but not others.

It’s important to remember that you can benefit from other forms of talk therapy, though, and that you can benefit from medications as well.

But if you want to try changing the way you think right now, prior to therapy or while you’re waiting, you might consider the following approach.

Rather than challenging yourself or someone else about worry, you can actually accept that the worry is serving a purpose — to avoid a sudden negative swing.

Then, start to delve deeper so you can discover that the negative swing you most fear is probably less negative than you think.

Giving up the struggle and control with worry, and accepting that it has not been helpful, is the next step. You can then reexamine your library of negative “proof” and swap out threatening realities for positive ones. In fact, this kind of deliberate optimism can protect you from GAD. Worry in GAD can be debilitating, but there is an increasing amount of data that shows you can address this effectively.

Srini Pillay, M.D., is a contributor to Harvard Health Publications. © 2016. President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Major diet changes not required for GERD Dear Mayo Clinic: I’m 62 years old and am having difficulty keeping healthy weight on due to GERD and acid reflux. I am really confused about what foods and beverages I should avoid, and what foods will not make my reflux act up.

What foods do you recommend mature adults with this condition avoid, and what healthy foods are best?

Answer: In the past, doctors recommended quite a few dietary restrictions for people who had gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. But more recent recommendations advise against such restrictive diets.

In fact, eliminating the wide range of foods that could be associated with reflux is no longer the norm. Instead, we now suggest only avoiding foods that you know make your symptoms worse. In addition, maintaining a healthy weight is important because being overweight has been shown to increase reflux.

Acid reflux happens when stomach acid flows back up into your esophagus — the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. Occasional acid reflux is very common. Almost everyone experiences it from time to time.

Acid reflux starts to become a problem when it happens frequently or if it involves large amounts of acid. When acid reflux

leads to frequent symptoms or complications, then it’s called GERD. The most common symptom of GERD is frequent heartburn. Other signs and symptoms may include regurgitation of food or sour liquid, difficulty swallowing, coughing and chest pain. In some patients, symptoms may be worse while lying down at night.

Fewer restrictions recommended Over the years, a long list of foods has been associated with an increase in GERD symptoms. They include caffeine, carbonated beverages, chocolate, spicy foods, highly acidic foods (such as oranges and tomatoes), and foods with high fat content.

Doctors used to suggest that you completely take all of these foods out of your diet to help decrease GERD. But such a restrictive diet was hard for many people to follow.

Research since then has also shown that taking away all these foods simply isn’t necessary to control GERD. Instead, an individual approach works best.

To help find the foods that make your symptoms worse, keep track of what you eat, as well as the severity of your symptoms. Then avoid the foods and beverages that seem to trigger your symptoms.

Avoiding fatty foods is still recommended, however, because in addition to being a possible trigger for reflux, there is little nu-

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tritional value to these foods.

Focus on healthy foods You can take a similar approach to healthy foods. Try to include a variety of healthy foods in your diet each day: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean protein. If you notice an increase in symptoms when you add something new, try to steer clear of that food and see if it makes a difference. As much as possible, focus on including healthy

1

choices in your diet.

Although extra weight isn’t a problem for you, getting to and staying at a healthy weight is important for GERD control because excess weight can make reflux worse.

If you continue to have difficulty controlling your symptoms, talk with your doctor.

He or she may recommend additional GERD treatment.

A consultation with a dietitian may also See GERD, page 16

16

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Queries on ED, prostate, blood pressure

By Howard LeWine Q: I recently saw my doctor for urinary symptoms. He said that I have an enlarged prostate. We decided to wait to start treatment.

But now I wonder if I should take Cialis since the TV ads say it helps with symptoms from an enlarged prostate as well as erectile dysfunction. Any suggestions?

A: Difficulties with urination become more and more common in men over age 50. Often the cause is the noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland — benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. As the prostate puts pressure on the urinary plumbing, men experience symptoms such as difficulty starting urination,

straining to empty the bladder, and having to get up frequently at night to urinate.

Some men try to live with it, but at some point they may feel the need to explore medical solutions.

BPH’s frequent fellow traveler is erectile dysfunction (ED). A fair number of men develop both ED and symptoms of BPH. And it sounds appealing to take one pill that might help with both.

Since you and your doctor decided to wait before starting medication for the BPH symptoms, perhaps the more important issue for you is ED. If that is the case, I would suggest contacting your doctor to focus on this issue.

Daily tadalafil (Cialis) is the only drug currently FDA-approved for use in men

shrink the swollen gland and take pressure off the bladder neck.

For men with ED and mild to moderate BPH symptoms who are willing to take a pill every day, tadalafil for daily use is certainly an option.

Q: Which blood pressure number is more important, the top number or the bottom number?

A: When doctors started paying attention to the dangers of high blood pressure more than 50 year ago, experts recommended focusing on the bottom number.

That’s the diastolic blood pressure, the pressure in your blood vessels when the heart is at rest.

The top number was pretty much ignored. That’s called the systolic pressure, which reflects the force produced by the heart when it pumps blood out to the body.

Get a free Consumer’s Guide

with both ED and BPH. If you did desire medication for ED, you may not need or want to take a pill every day. Most often men use an ED drug on asneeded basis. Examples include a stronger dose of tadalafil and several similar drugs, such as sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and avanafil (Stendra).

If later you decide it’s time for medication to help with BPH symptoms, there are two types of drugs that doctors prescribe.

Alpha blockers — such as alfuzosin (Uroxatral), doxazosin (Cardura), silodosin (Rapaflo), tamsulosin (Flomax), and terazosin (Hytrin) — relax the smooth muscles in the bladder neck and prostate. This improves urine flow and leads to less frequent need to urinate.

If the prostate is enlarged, the doctor may add a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, such as dutasteride (Avodart) or finasteride (Proscar). These drugs can help to

For a free copy call:

GERD

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.

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From page 15 be helpful to find foods that work well for your situation and allow you to maintain a healthy weight.

— Marcelo F. Vela, M.D., Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Ariz.

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Queries From page 16 So treatment for high blood pressure (hypertension) was aimed at keeping the diastolic pressure under 90. People who had only a high systolic reading did not get

treatment to lower blood pressure.

In the 1980s, new research showed the importance of both the top and bottom number. And then more studies suggested that a high systolic pressure might even cause more strokes and heart disease than a high diastolic pressure.

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

A recent study of more than one million people confirms the greater impact systolic pressure has on our health. Although there currently is some debate as to what is an abnormal systolic blood pressure, the long standing number is a top number reading of 140 or higher. That’s the number the researchers used in this study to identify people with systolic hypertension.

The researchers analyzed electronic health records of people age 30 and older.

They did not have any history of heart disease, stroke or blood vessel disease. About 20 percent of them were taking medicines to lower blood pressure at the time of the first record review.

The records were reviewed again several times over a median of 5.2 years. Researchers were looking for a first event of heart disease (angina, heart attack or heart failure), stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm (bulging aorta in the belly) or peripheral ar-

tery disease (narrowed arteries in the legs that cause pain with walking).

Abnormally high systolic pressures were linked with a greater risk of heart disease, stroke and peripheral artery disease. Diastolic hypertension was only associated with a slightly higher chance of developing an aortic aneurysm.

Today we know that just like cholesterol, lower blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic pressure, is healthier. But when deciding when and how to treat high blood pressure, doctors primarily focus on systolic pressure readings.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2016 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

May 10+

CAUSES OF BLURRED VISION

The Prevention of Blindness Society presents a special discussion on what blurry eyesight can mean for your eye health. There are two opportunities to attend: Tuesday, May 10 from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, located at 110 Irving St. NW, Washington, D.C. To register and reserve a light lunch, call Sharon at the Eye Center at (202) 877-6159. Or attend on Thursday, May 19 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Village of Friendship Heights, located at 4433 South Park Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. To register and reserve a light lunch, call the Village Center at (301) 656-2797. For more information, visit www.youreyes.org/events.

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19

What foods help boost your metabolism?

By Nicci Micco So you’re trying to lose weight. Join the club!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just turn a knob and rev up your metabolism — your calorie burn — just like that? Well, we all hear about diet and exercise strategies that supposedly do just that.

But do they work? Yes — and no. Here’s what we know about the subject: 1. Spice things up. Studies suggest that capsaicin, an antioxidant in chile peppers (and also what makes them hot), increases the body’s metabolic rate — slightly.

Is it recommended? Sure! While the metabolic boost you get by adding chiles to your diet isn’t likely to melt away pounds, some research also suggests that capsaicin may stimulate brain chemicals in a way that helps you feel satisfied. And when you make your foods delicious with spices — instead of huge amounts of but-

ter or cream — you save calories.

2. Eat more often. By having several mini meals each day instead of fewer, larger ones, you can shift your metabolism into a higher gear more often — and burn more calories. Our metabolisms rev up slightly each time we eat, as our bodies process what we’ve consumed.

Is it recommended? Sure, if it helps keep your hunger in check so that you don’t overeat when you finally sit down to a meal. (And if you’re not having a bunch of snacks that are actually the calorie-equivalent of big meals.)

3. Add coconut oil to your diet.

There is some preliminary research to suggest that using coconut oil in place of butter, olive oil or canola oil might help people lose weight by boosting their calorie burn. The fatty acids in coconut oil (called medium-chain triglycerides, or MCT) are shorter and more water-soluble

BEACON BITS

May 14

HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR

The City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation and Vienna Parks and Recreation present a free Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Green Acres Senior Center, located at 4401 Sideburn Rd., Fairfax, Va. Attendees will benefit from medical screenings and educational opportunities. There will also be fitness class demonstrations. No pre-registration is required. For more information, call Green Acres at (703) 273-6090.

than those in other oils, such as olive or canola, so they’re routed directly to the liver where they’re readily burned for fuel.

There’s no scientific evidence to show that

simply consuming coconut oil helps people lose weight. But research suggests that See METABOLISM, page 20

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Montgomery County honors advocates dents 60 and older, whose lifelong efforts through work and volunteerism had a positive impact on the local community and made them role models for all ages.

Later, the award was named in memory of former County Executive Neal Potter, who passed away in 1994. The awards are co-sponsored by the Beacon Newspapers and the Montgomery County Commission on Aging.

Championing women workers Gotbaum’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine. She was born in 1924 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After graduating on a full scholarship from Brooklyn College, Gotbaum was granted a fellowship from Columbia Uni-

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versity to earn her master’s degree.

Decades later, she went on to earn her doctorate in urban sociology from Yale University at the age of 65. Her dissertation focused on the effects of education and first jobs on the lifelong occupational status of men and women in the 1960s — an early look at the issue of pay equity for women, which she has continued to fight for.

Her son Josh described Gotbaum’s early activism as primarily volunteer-focused. “While we were growing up, she was much more like the women of her generation. You didn’t work for pay then,” he explained.

She and her then-husband Victor lived in Evanston, Ill. with their four children.

Among other things, she was the service chair of Evanston’s League of Women Voters, ran a local youth group, and volunteered on political and social justice campaigns.

Following the couple’s divorce, Victor relocated to New York and led an active career as a labor leader. Sarah eventually settled in Washington, D.C., where her advocacy and career switched into high gear.

Metabolism From page 19 using an MCT oil in place of olive oil might.

Is it recommended? Not really. Even if coconut oil does indeed help people lose weight, few nutrition experts recommend it, since coconut oil is loaded with saturated fat: 12 grams in 1 tablespoon versus 7 grams in a tablespoon of butter. It also has 120 calories per tablespoon, like all other oils.

4. Exercise. As we age, muscle metabolism decreases — by 1 to 2 percent each decade after age 30. So even if you maintain the same level of exercise and calorie intake as you age, you will tend to accumu-

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH GOTBAUM

By Rebekah Sewell Sarah Gotbaum is the very definition of a firebrand. Now 91, the sociologist and social justice advocate has been a champion of women’s issues — from equal pay for working women to protecting the rights of retired women — since she earned her master’s degree in social work, with a focus on community organization and group dynamics.

For her many services to Montgomery County, Gotbaum will be presented with the county’s Neil Potter Path of Achievement Award, alongside Gene Counihan, another local volunteer and activist.

The Path of Achievement Award was established in 1998 by County Executive Douglas M. Duncan to honor county resi-

Sarah Gotbaum, who has advocated for women’s issues for over 60 years, is one of two winners of the 2016 Path of Achievement Award.

Gotbaum was appointed to the ClintonGore transition team, where she assisted See AWARDEES, page 21

late fat over time. Regular exercise (and/or calorie reduction) can help offset reduced muscle metabolism and help you stay lean.

Is it recommended? Absolutely! Exercise not only boosts your resting metabolism so that you’re burning more calories when you’re at rest, heart-thumping activity blasts away calories while you’re doing it and makes you feel great. If you’re just getting started with an exercise program, check with your doctor first.

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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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Awardees From page 20 in a nationwide search for the best female candidates to fill federal executive and sub-cabinet positions.

Under President Jimmy Carter, she served as coordinator for a group promoting women for federal judgeships. Carter had been persuaded to name a female to the U.S. Court of Appeals. After much research and discussion, the group recommended Ruth Bader Ginsberg for her abilities and her defense of women’s rights.

Ginsburg was appointed to the court in 1980, and went on to become the second female Supreme Court Justice.

After earning her PhD, Gotbaum worked as a researcher for the Department of Labor’s Glass Ceiling Commission, where she gathered testimony from young women who were struggling to find employment after graduating. “They were very interested in making opportunities for those women,” Gotbaum said.

As she got older herself, Gotbaum “wanted to work on behalf of women aging,” she said. As chairperson of the Member Advisory Council of the Group Health Association, she founded a senior advocates group to address their concerns about managed care.

She also focused on aging in place and senior health and wellness issues during her years as an active member of the Montgomery County Commission on Aging.

Gotbaum said one of her “proudest achievements” was as founder and program chair of the Older Women’s League of Montgomery County (now called Elderly Women’s Aging Alliance). She continues to run the group’s monthly meetings to educate members on their rights and bring resources to their attention.

Though her volunteer service and career work have been long and varied, Gotbaum said she did not know she’d been nominated for a Path of Achievement Award. When she found out, “she was thrilled,” said her son Josh.

According to those who know her, many of her accomplishments were made possible through her diligent pestering of those in charge of public policy and legislation, sometimes to their chagrin. For example, she remembers calling many local legislators to tell them that cutting Social Security was a terrible plan.

“Most of the time, as an advocate, she’s been thought of as kind of a gadfly,” her son explained. So, getting an award for her efforts comes as a pleasant surprise. “It’s relatively rare that someone says thank you for advocating on behalf of those who can’t.”

The icing on the cake? The ceremony will take place on May 2, Gotbaum’s 92nd birthday.

A life in education, politics Gene Counihan also didn’t know he’d been nominated for the award, though his record is just as storied and committed as Gotbaum’s.

Counihan’s work has primarily focused

on his commitment to local education — from his early work as a teacher, to his transition to being an administrator, to becoming a “founding father” of the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md. Counihan, 75, says that loving his work is what keeps him going. “I really enjoy what I’ve been doing. Some of my greatest senses of satisfaction have come from volunteer things that I’ve come to along the way,” he said.

Counihan’s early life taught him that civic duty could be rewarding. He was active in student government and committees throughout his education. “I learned as a kid there are lots of ways you can help a community, as well as the individuals within that community,” he said.

Counihan began his career in the county as a public school teacher in 1963. He spent six years in the classroom with the students, and learned there was much to See PATH AWARD, page 22

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From page 21 be done to improve the educational experience. He spent the next 24 years as an administrator, a role where, he said, he felt he could make more of a difference.

During this time, he also served three terms in the Maryland House of Delegates. After retiring from both his legislative and administrative positions, he began work as a government relations officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

“Metro gave me flexibility to be involved in a number of community activities,” he said. “I went hyper in community involvement because I felt I wanted to give back for what the community had done for me.

“I was awfully active, and chaired half a dozen boards in the county. I really en-

joyed doing that. My experience had trained me how to get things done.”

After Counihan left WMATA, County Executive Ike Leggett appointed him to his current position as a commissioner on the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Bringing higher ed to Montgomery Counihan’s crowning achievement, though, was as a “founding father” of the Universities at Shady Grove — a Montgomery County college campus where students can earn undergraduate and graduate-level degrees.

Before it opened in 2000, area students who completed coursework at Montgomery College, a two-year institution, had to seek four-year and graduate degrees elsewhere. The mission of the new campus was to keep those bright minds in

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Today, the campus of the Universities at Shady Grove offers more than 4,000 transfer and graduate students access to 80 of the most popular degree programs from nine other colleges in Maryland.

Over the years, Counihan has worked with numerous projects and organizations, including service on the board of Olney Theater and as a trustee for Montgomery College.

It’s important for older adults to stay active “so they don’t become potted plants,” Counihan joked. “It’s important to model that community involvement as a senior citizen,” he said.

Counihan feels doubly committed to illustrate what one can do because of his age and his physical disability. After a surgery, he contracted a MRSA infection, which led to the eventual amputation of his left foot.

He also had to get reconstructive surgery on his back, where the infection spread.

Today, after months of rest and rehabilitation, he can walk with the assistance of a crutch.

He hasn’t let it slow him down, though.

Counihan and his wife recently said goodbye to Montgomery County and moved to Easton, Md., to be closer to their grandchildren. He is already involved in the local goings on there.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GENE COUNIHAN

Path award

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Gene Counihan co-founded the Universities at Shady Grove, and is a commissioner of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Counihan’s newest interest? He’s recently begun kayaking with “wounded warriors” at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He calls it a “good exercise” for his back.

For more information about the Neil Potter Path of Achievement Awards, visit www.montgomeryserves.org/montgomeryserves-awards-2016.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

May 2016

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Ass expe A experts ts in senior en caree aand memory mo support, up B Brooke rooke Grove Re Retirement Village is pleased to offer seminars ve that promote m a mental en l well-being. well-bein w in All seminars and events will be held at and events physical, spiritual and ok Grove ve Rehabilitation ili an Nursing ng Center, te locatedd at 18131 181 18 Brooke and Slade School Road on the Brooke Grove Villaage campus. caam mpus. Please lea register with wi Toni Ton on ni Davis Davi at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Get calcium from food, and not too much

By Judy Thalheimer, R.D. Americans are encouraged to get more calcium to build and maintain strong healthy bones. But recent headlines sug-

gest that too much calcium could actually be bad for your health and may not, after all, do much to protect your bones.

So, what should you do? Until new re-

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search provides clear answers, ditch those supplements in favor of calcium-rich foods — and don’t overdo it.

Muscles, nerves, veins and arteries, enzymes and hormones all depend on calcium to function properly. When we don’t get enough calcium in our diets to do these important jobs, our bodies take some from our bones. It stands to reason that if we don’t take in enough calcium, our bones will eventually become weak and easily broken.

Too much of a good thing?

But how much is enough? Is there such a thing as too much? And what is the best way to get calcium?

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends most adults should aim for 1,000 milligrams (mg.) per day, and women over 50 and men over 70 should get 1,200 mg.

Since vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption, the IOM recommendations include guidelines for vitamin D intake as well: 600 to 800 International Units (IU) a day for adults.

While lots of experts, like the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the Dietary Guidelines and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research agree with the IOM’s recommendations, a number of researchers think the recommendations are

too high. They cite numerous studies that fail to show any relationship between calcium intake and bone density or fracture risk.

To make matters worse, calcium supplements make a lot of people constipated, and some studies suggest they may increase risk of kidney stones and heart attacks. Supporters of the recommendations counter that a lot of these studies are inconclusive or flawed.

While all of this confusion gets sorted out, here is what we know for sure: Food is better than supplements.

Everyone is in agreement that we should get our calcium from food first. If you are unable to get enough calcium through food, then use supplements to make up the shortfall.

Don’t overdo it. There is no benefit to eating or taking more calcium than the recommended daily amount, and too much may even be harmful.

Got D? Vitamin D is added to milk and a number of other foods, and it’s found naturally in some fatty fish like salmon, but spending 15 minutes outside two or three times a week (without sunscreen) may be all you need. (In colder climates, increase vitamin D dietary intake from October through March, since the sun is weaker.)

See CALCIUM, page 25

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Health Studies Page

25

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

New treatment for hepatitis C being studied

By Barbara Ruben Baby boomers, who were born from 1946 to 1964, make up more than 75 percent of those infected with hepatitis C, which leads to serious liver problems, including cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus is primarily spread through contact with blood from an infected person.

Many could have gotten infected from contaminated blood and blood products before widespread screening of the blood supply was adopted in 1992. Others may have become infected from injecting drugs. Still, many people do not know how or when they were infected because symptoms may not show up for many years.

While recently approved drugs to treat hepatitis C are effective in up to 80 percent

of patients, doctors are still trying to find the best treatment for the disease, which can infect people the rest of their lives.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, in Bethesda, Md. are now looking at combing a newly approved medication for hepatitis C with one that is still being studied. The study is for those with four particular types of hepatitis C who have either never been treated for the disease or were treated previously with an interferon drug (with or without the drug ribavirin), but were not cured.

Calcium

ening exercise two or three times a week.

Hold the salt. The more sodium you eat, the more calcium you excrete. If all that calcium came from your bones, you could lose up to 1 percent more bone a year for each extra gram of sodium you eat a day.

We need more research to work out the inconsistent and inconclusive information we have on calcium. Until then, aiming for — but not above — the current recommendations (preferably from food), eating a healthy balanced diet, and staying active are the best.

Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2016 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

From page 24 Phosphorus for us. Other nutrients, like phosphorus, also are critical to bone health. Phosphorous is found in foods like fish, dairy, poultry, meat, lentils, nuts and whole grains.

Dairy plus. Dairy foods are an excellent source of calcium, but they are far from the only source. Non-dairy foods such as tofu, greens and brown rice are good sources of calcium.

Grin and bear weight. Exercise doesn’t just build muscle; it also builds bone. People of all ages should do weight-bearing exercises — like running, brisk walking, climbing stairs or dancing — for a total of 30 minutes a day. And do muscle-strength-

Fewer side effects The purpose of this study is to learn more about the safety and efficacy of drugs without interferon and ribavirin and to learn if a shorter course of these new

Georgetown Seeks Volunteers for New Immunotherapy Clinical Trial for Mild Cognitive Impairment Georgetown University is seeking volunteers to participate in a clinical trial of Aducanumab, a potential new treatment that, in an early phase study, has demonstrated promise in slowing mental decline in Alzheimer’s disease. The purpose is to evaluate the possible benefit and safety of the drug in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease.

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therapies will work better to clear the hepatitis C virus. Researchers think the drugs will have fewer side effects than interferon, which causes side effects, from flulike symptoms to depression, in nearly all patients who use it.

The NIH study combines the drugs sofosbuvir (sold as Sovaldi) with a drug

under study, known just as GS-5816 at this point. All patients in the study will be treated with the drugs.

Potential participants will first be screened with a medical history and physical exam.

They will have blood and urine tests and See HEPATITIS C, page 26

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Hepatitis C From page 25 complete questionnaires. Next, they will have a Fibroscan, an ultrasound that measures liver stiffness, as well as other liver scans. They will have an electrocardiogram.

Those who meet the eligibility for the study will then have a liver biopsy, an outpatient procedure that involves inserting a needle through the abdomen to remove liver cells for further study.

Participants will take the first dose of the drug (a tablet that is taken once daily) at the Clinical Center and then take it home for 12

weeks. They will return for six study visits, where blood and vital signs will be taken, and they will complete questionnaires.

At week four of the study, participants will have another liver biopsy. After their last drug dose, participants will have five follow-up visits, where they will have the same blood tests and vital signs taken. They will discuss their medications and side effects and may have another Fibroscan.

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

any other significant illness or a gastrointestinal disorder that would interfere with the absorption of the study drugs. They cannot have significant pulmonary or cardiac disease or have been treated for cancer in the last five years.

New tests help choose best treatment

Who can participate To take part in the study, participants must be 18 or older and have genotypes 1, 2, 3 or 4 of hepatitis C. They cannot have

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Those in the study also cannot have certain chronic liver diseases or also be infected with the hepatitis B virus.

For further information about the study, contact Nancy Fryzek at (301) 435-6122 or nancy.fryzek@nih.gov.

New tests designed to help doctors pick the right hepatitis C medicine for patients could mean faster cures and lower costs.

Quest Diagnostics Inc.’s latest two tests can predict whether two recently approved medicines — Zepatier and Daklinza —will fight a patient’s specific type of hepatitis C, or whether the liverdestroying virus likely would “resist’’ them. Several months ago, Quest launched other tests to help doctors decide if four older medicines would suit patients.

There are six hepatitis C “genotypes,’’ plus some subtypes, and now six approved medicines that each treat one or more of those types. The right choice of drug should mean the patient will be cured quickly. It would also avoid wasting considerable money, as the new generation of hepatitis C drugs each costs tens of thousands of dollars for a course of treatment.

Patients are tested before treatment starts to determine which hepatitis genotype has infected them so their doctors can pick a drug approved for that type.

Now doctors can also have patients’ blood tested to determine if the virus has a mutation that would limit that drug’s effectiveness. If a virus has mutated during treatment, a patient would then need to switch to another medicine.

The tests cost about $700 to $750 each, but most insurers cover them, and Quest offers some patients financial

help. Which test or tests are run depends on which genotype the patient has, whether they’ve had prior treatment, and how much damage the virus has caused.

Until recently, treating the hepatitis C virus required taking multiple daily pills and getting frequent injections for up to a year. Barely half of patients were cured with those regimens, and flu-like and other side effects left many patients miserable or unable to complete their treatment.

But since late 2013, Gilead Science Inc., Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and AbbVie Inc. have launched drugs that are better tolerated and cure 90 percent or more of patients in eight to 12 weeks.

While doctors and patients have gravitated to the new drugs, many insurers are limiting the number of patients receiving them because of the staggering cost of treatment. The expense is also straining the budgets of government health programs. The most expensive and most widely used of the six drugs, Gilead’s Harvoni, for example, carries a list price of $94,000 per patient.

But the newest one, Merck’s Zepatier, approved in January, was launched with a list price about 40 percent below that.

Because of the increased competition, insurers now are demanding discounts of up to 45 percent off list prices to cover specific hepatitis C drugs.

— AP

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

27

Nasal rinses for chronic sinus problems As spring rolls around, allergies and hay the ethmoid sinuses (near the bridge of fever cause problems, and so do lingering your nose) or sphenoid sinuses (behind strains of colds and flu. Maybe your eyes). Luckily those conyou are one of the 40 million ditions are rare, and you’ll people in America who are need a CT scan of your sinusexperiencing uncomfortable es to uncover ethmoid or symptoms from chronic sinusisphenoid sinus problems. tis? It translates to a lot of Pro — It’s affordable and Kleenex, Flonase and Sudafed! readily accessible at health Are you experiencing some food stores and pharmacies. of these issues: Sinus pressure, Con — You have to tilt your headaches, cheek pain, eyeball head in an awkward position pain or pressure behind the to use, and this is problematic eyes, puffy eyes, nasal dry- DEAR if you have neck or back pain.

PHARMACIST ness, or a stuffed up nose? Do Also, you need to buy distilled

By Suzy Cohen you have moving headaches or water. Please don’t skimp and shocks in your scalp, dental use tap water, because your sipain, or a foul odor that no one else can smell? nuses are not equipped to defend against Today I’m reviewing some popular de- pathogens very well. People have died from vices that can help with chronic sinusitis: a brain-eating amoeba found in tap water, so Neti Pots — These are small plastic or be sure to use distilled. porcelain containers from which a saline NeilMed Rinse solution is poured into the nostrils. I recPro — This squeeze bottle devise flushommend the porcelain kind. Neti pots and es you out really well, and is more efficient other such devices discussed below are than a neti pot. Many people claim it better than oral decongestants like pseu- helped them after years of congestion. It doephedrine (Sudafed) because they don’t comes with individual packets of salt with raise your blood pressure or cause spaci- baking soda, which is instantly alkalinizness or insomnia. ing. You control the pressure or “flush” by But they work superficially, addressing squeezing the bottle yourself. nasal and maxillary sinus problems Con — You may get a sinus headache af(around your cheekbones), not those of terwards. Some people say it causes a sen-

sation similar to the feeling you get when you jump into a pool and water gets up your nose, but this goes away.

Navage Nasal Irrigation — Getting used to this device — which sends water up one nostril and literally suctions it out the other — takes a try or two. It has a “pulling” effect rather than a pushing effect like other devices. Once you get used to the sensation, you can reap the benefits.

Pros — It doesn’t require awkward head positions.

Cons — You have to buy their proprietary brand of salt pods, and the sensation of suction can feel bizarre. You also can’t control or adjust the flow.

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

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

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Is there a link between dairy and cancer?

Q: Does a lactose-free diet play a role in reducing cancer risk?

A: For people who can’t digest lactose, a naturally occurring sugar in milk, eating or drinking milk and other dairy products can lead to uncomfortable cramping and diarrhea.

Overall, research shows no reduction in cancer risk by avoiding foods with lactose (dairy products). In fact, the latest report from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) analyzing the evidence links milk and calcium intake with lower risk of colorectal cancer.

There is some research linking consumption of dairy products with increased risk of prostate cancer, but the evidence

here is not strong.

A few studies have also linked high consumption of lactose with greater risk of ovarian cancer, but overall research does not show any clear link between lactose or dairy consumption and ovarian or other cancer. Limited animal research even shows possible protective effects of lactose for the colon.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend two to three servings of dairy per day as part of an overall healthy eating plan. One serving equals 1 cup milk or yogurt or 1 1/2 ounces natural cheese.

Q: How do lentils compare nutritionally to dried beans like kidney beans, black beans and chickpeas?

A: Like all pulses (a term that includes etable-based mixed entrée. dried beans, dried peas and lentils), lentils The little red lentils and yellow lentils are a great source of fiber. dissolve into sort of a purée, Just a half-cup of cooked so they’re great for thickenlentils provides nearly as ing soups and stews, or much fiber as two cups of mashed as in some Indian cooked oatmeal, and much of dal recipes. it is the type of fiber that helps You may also see French lower blood cholesterol. Iron lentils, which are smaller than and the B vitamin folate that is more common types, but so important for maintaining these take longer to cook. healthy DNA are high in all French lentils retain their pulses. shape and firmness and add a As do other pulses, lentils NUTRITION peppery flavor, making them provide both protein and WISE a great choice for salads.

By Karen Collins, health-protective phytochemiWhatever your choice, enjoy cals like flavonoids. Their easy MS, RD, CDM lentils as a quick and easy way preparation requires no soakto work more legumes into ing like other dried beans, so you can go your eating habits. from pantry to table in about 20 minutes.

The American Institute for Cancer RePulses are similar in nutrition, but you search offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800can enjoy exploring the many types for a 843-8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday variety of flavors. through Friday. This free service allows you Cook brown lentils until tender but not to ask questions about diet, nutrition and mushy, holding salt and any acid ingredi- cancer. A registered dietitian will return ents (such as lemon or tomatoes) until the your call, usually within three business end to avoid toughening the lentils and in- days. creasing cooking time.

Courtesy of the American Institute for Brown lentils are part of renowned dish- Cancer Research. Questions for this column es all around the world. They can serve as may be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St. a meat replacement or extender in your fa- NW, Washington, DC 20009. Collins cannot vorite stew, soup, chili, or rice- or veg- respond to questions personally.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

29

Baked egg rolls can be as good as fried

By Melissa D’Arabian Alice was our au pair from China, and when she joined our family she brought with her a slew of tasty dishes.

Our family fell in love with her complex fried rice, dumplings with juicy meat fillings, and her crispy egg rolls with garlickymeaty-mushroom fillings. The tricky thing was that Alice was one of those cooks who worked her magic without a recipe.

I would watch, taking mental notes of the ingredients and quantities (writing it down felt, well, wrong), but replicating her dishes proved similar to me trying to capture the exact taste of my grandma’s cooking — impossible.

Though we loved all of her cooking (well, except for her take on chocolate muffins, but that’s another story), her egg rolls were the family favorite. And why not? Minced up goodies wrapped in delicate, fried (essentially) pasta? Yes, please!

So I took the liberty (since I was missing the mark anyway) to create my own version, one that managed to get most of the crispy goodness with far less fat.

After experimenting with a variety of methods — from spraying the eggrolls with an oil mister or cooking spray as well as dry-baking — the clear winner was the pastry brush method combined with a hot oven while also using a baking rack to allow for full air circulation during cooking.

So what if these egg rolls are not completely traditional? I did capture the essence of Alice’s cooking, and when the girls are missing her, I know fond memories are only an egg roll away.

And by the way, my experimenting also proved that quickly sauteed bananas sprinkled with a little orange juice and a dark chocolate chip or two also make for a perfect dessert egg roll filling! Brush with co-

conut oil before baking, and dip cooked eggrolls in tangy Greek yogurt. Yum!

Baked egg rolls Start to finish: 1 hour 20 minutes (1 hour active) Makes 15 eggrolls 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon 1 link spicy turkey sausage (about 1/5 pound), casing removed 8 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped (or pulsed in a food processor) 3/4 cup finely chopped celery (about 2 medium stalks) 3/4 cup shredded carrot (about 1 medium carrot) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 2 cups finely chopped Napa cabbage (or regular cabbage) 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 teaspoon cornstarch 15 large (5- or 6-inch) egg roll (wonton) wrappers Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil, then set a wire rack over it.

Mist the rack with cooking spray.

In a large saute pan over medium-high, heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once cooked, transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside, leaving the residual oil in the pan.

Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms, celery and carrot. Cook until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger and scallions, then cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the peas, cabbage and sesame oil and cook until

the cabbage softens, another 2 or 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the soy sauce and cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Pour the mixture into

the pan with the vegetables, then add the sausage. Stir, then cover and cook for 2 See BAKED EGG ROLLS, page 30

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Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Hard to help loved one with mental illness Dear Solutions: My husband (we’re separated) has been diagnosed as bi-polar. He is not taking his medication, and is so depressed he cannot function.

He’s not going to work, or bathing, or cleaning his apartment, which is filthy now with mice. He will not go to the psychiatrist he was seeing.

How can I persuade him to see a psychiatrist and take his medication?

He will not say how I can help.

I’m afraid he will lose his apartment and his job, and become homeless. I do not want to forcibly get him to the emergency room. What can I do?

Please help.

— Anonymous

Dear Anonymous: You must seek the help of the doctor he had been seeing. That doctor will probably need to have your husband committed to a psychiatric facility on the basis that he may be of danger to himself or others.

Of course, it’s hurtful to do this, but this sounds like a necessity for his own safety, as people in this state are often suicide risks.

Also — very important — have someone look through his apartment and make sure there are no guns or other weapons there.

Please speak to a doctor and follow through for everyone’s sake and safety.

Dear Solutions: My daughter’s husband left her over a year ago, and they’re still in the

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midst of conflict over a settlement. I’m Dear Maimie: furious at him.

Put the blame on Mame – I mean Mom. I always have my whole I know you want to help your family, including my daughdaughter, but allowing this ter and her children (my boor to bully you won’t help grandchildren) over for her. If your daughter thinks dinner on every holiday. So it’s necessary to appease him, that’s when he calls my then she can do it in her house, in the middle of dinspace, not yours. ner, and insists on talking Remember who you are. to his children no matter This is your home, your dinwhat I say. ner and your telephone. Tell My daughter doesn’t him quietly and firmly that want me to say anything or SOLUTIONS no one is allowed to interto use the answering ma- By Helen Oxenberg, rupt your dinner in your chine, because she doesn’t MSW, ACSW home, and you’ll tell the chilwant to antagonize him, dren he called. Then hang up and he knows we’re all here. I get very and let the answering machine do the upset. talking.

I don’t want to make things harder © Helen Oxenberg, 2016. Questions to be for my daughter, but my stomach considered for this column may be sent to: churns every time I hear his voice. The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, How do you think I should handle MD 20915. You may also email the author this? at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about — Maimie reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

Baked egg rolls

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From page 29

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minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool just until easily handled.

Set a wonton wrapper on the work surface. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the vegetable mixture onto the wrapper. Start with one side and roll up the wrapper over the filling, folding in the sides as you go. As you finish rolling, use a finger to spread a little water on the edge to help create a seal. Repeat with remaining wontons and filling.

Place the egg rolls on the rack on the prepared baking sheet. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to brush the egg rolls.

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Bake until golden and crispy, about 20 minutes. If you do not have a baking rack, place the egg rolls directly on the baking sheet and turn the egg rolls over halfway through the cook time.

Nutrition information per serving: 140 calories; 25 calories from fat (18 percent of total calories); 2.5 g. fat (0 g. saturated; 0 g. trans fats); 5 mg. cholesterol; 350 mg. sodium; 23 g. carbohydrate; 2 g. fiber; 1 g. sugar; 6 g. protein.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Celebrating 40 Years

31

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging VOLUME XXVII, ISSUE 5

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

CELEBRATING & SUPPORTING OUR LIVING TREASURES

By Muriel Bowser Mayor of the District of Columbia Each May, the District of Columbia joins the nation in celebrating Older Americans Month. Designated in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, this is a month when we pay tribute to our older friends, family and neighbors. The theme this year is “Blazing a Trail,” in recognition of the many contributions our elders have made to our country and to our society.

We have some great activities lined up for Older Americans Month, including senior proms, senior games, forums, art shows and community days.

Our seniors are central to the vibrancy and success of our city, and I look forward to honoring you. I hope you’ll come out and join me and members of my team at events in all 8 Wards, as we celebrate the diverse and invaluable contributions of our older residents.

You can find a list of events at DCOA’s website at http://dcoa.dc.gov/.

Here in D.C., we don’t just honor our seniors during May. We honor them every single month by creating an environment in which they can thrive. As Mayor, I am focused on making the District a world class, age-friendly city. It is our creed that any person, of any age, should be able to have a great life in D.C. — whether you’ve been here for five minutes, or five generations. We are proud that D.C. has one of the most active and widely recognized agefriendly efforts in the world. We are constantly looking for new ways to support our older residents, so that people can live independently — in their homes and communities — as long as they choose.

For example, this year we launched Safe at Home, a program that provides up to $10,000 in financial support to seniors and people

with disabilities, for home adaptations. To date, more than 240 people have started the process to enroll in the program, and the list continues to grow. I recently had a chance to meet Sidney Glee, who was one of the first to contact us for help. After multiple hip surgeries, Mr. Glee has a hard time climbing the stairs in his home. He saw an ad for Safe at Home and called right away. Eighteen days after a consultation with an occupational therapist, the D.C. Office on Aging installed a stair lift and grab bars at his home. And Mr. Glee now has peace of mind that his house will always be his home.

We are also on the lookout for new laws and regulations that can help our seniors. It recently came to my attention that recently passed federal regulations had hampered the ability of older residents to get proper D.C. identification. You may remember Virginia McLaurin, the beautiful 107year-old who enjoyed a dance with the President. Because of her age, some of the newly required forms of documentation weren’t even around when she was born. So we righted that wrong by issuing a new D.C. regulation that will help seniors like Mrs. McLaurin get the proper ID to access the many activities, benefits and services they deserve. I had the great privilege of helping Mrs. McLaurin finalize her paperwork, and I look forward to watching her continue to dance and thrive.

As we prepare for Older Americans Month, we are looking ahead to our annual Mayor’s Senior Symposium.

The symposium will take place on Aug. 4, 2016 at the historic Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School.

See MAYOR’S MESSAGE, page 34

May 2016

DC FUND$: New Federally Funded Program for Persons with Disabilities & Seniors Many District of Columbia residents do not have the necessar y assistive technologies and devices they need because of a lack of coverage by medical insurance or other funding sources. DC FUND$, a federally supported initiative, can fill these funding gaps for Washingtonians of any age with a disability and seniors through a low-interest financing program.

Hearing-aids, communication and speech devices, wheelchairs, mobility equipment, adapted vehicles, accessible home modifications, medication management systems, personal emergency and fall prevention devices, computers, communication and speech devices are just some of the thousands of assistive technologies they can help to finance.

The program offers a much lower interest rates than a traditional bank (current rate is 4 percent.) Prior to accepting a loan application, DC FUND$ first provides valuable information about other potential funding resources as well as consumer credit education as necessary.

Washingtonians of all ages, income levels and disabilities are eligible to apply. Loans can also be extended to family members and guardians for the purchase of wheelchairs, adapted vehicles, ramps and other “assistive” devices. Low monthly payments help make assistive technology much more affordable.

DC FUND$ is the Statewide Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program funded under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as amended.

DC FUND$ is one of the services offered by The Assistive Technology Program for DC (ATPDC), which offers many services that can highly benefit persons with disabilities and seniors.

This program is administered and funded by the Administration for Community Living at the Department of Health and Human Services. Implemented by the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the District of Columbia Department on Disability Services and University Legal Services.

If you are considering an assistive technology purchase, call Sheena Jaffer for assistance and more information at 202-547-0198, Ext 105, or TTY 202-547-2657, or sjaffer@uls-dc.org.

Please also visit www.atpdc.org.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

D.C. OFFICE

ON

AGING NEWSLETTER

D.C. Seniors Blazing a Trail

Ron L. Swanda, Vice Chairperson, Commission on Aging Romaine Thomas, Chairperson, Commission on Aging and Age-Friendly DC Task Force Member

Ron Swanda is the Vice Chairperson of the Commission on Aging and a dedicated volunteer advocate for Washington, D.C.’s older residents. He was appointed by Mayor Bowser as a member of the Age-Friendly DC Task Force. He also serves on the AARP D.C. Executive Council and is an avid cycler. Commissioner Swanda has been an advocate for older adults in the LGBTQ community.

Romaine Thomas is the former president of AARPDC and received the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service. A Ward 5 Democratic State Committee Member, she has been a delegate to the Democratic Convention.

She is a retired educator and served as principal in various schools, including Leckie Elementary when students and faculty lost their lives in 9/11.

Wendy Bridges, Ms. Senior D.C. Wendy Bridges is a retired educator. She is active in her community, where she attends the Lamond Recreation Center and conducts a computer workshop for seniors. She also tutors children and volunteers with SOME and Central Union Mission. As Ms. Senior D.C., she serves as a representative for her peers, traveling the District, performing, moderating events and sharing her smile and royal wave to all she encounters.

Bernard Gibson, DC Senior Games Bernard Gibson, a 28-year veteran, is active in the fitness community in the District. He leads weekly fitness classes for seniors in the Ft. Lincoln community, which are known as “Bernie works his magic on seniors.” He volunteered at the VA as a senior and as a member of the Washington D.C. Golden Age Games Team. He has won several medals, including a Silver Medal in table tennis. The games are held nationally for veterans across the country. He plans to participate in the D.C. Senior Games sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation in discus, shot put, table tennis, badminton, billiards and pickleball, just to name a few.

Photo unavailable Barbara B. Cline, Housing Inspections and Enforcement Task Force Barbara B. Cline, CPA, writes the High-Rise Life columns. She has been a high-riser since 1979 and a housing advocate since 2009. Cline is a member of the city-wide Housing Inspections and Enforcement Task Force. In 2010, She coordinated the first D.C. workshop on a little-known provision of D.C. rent-control law that entitles seniors and persons with disabilities to lower annual rent increases.

33

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

D.C. OFFICE

ON

AGING NEWSLETTER

Mayor Bowser Presents Virginia McLaurin with New ID; Issues Senior-Friendly ‘Real ID’ Regulations On April 26, Mayor Bowser announced a new regulation that allows the Department of Motor Vehicles to help District senior citizens aged 70 and older who need a Real ID, but who may lack the necessary documentation to get that ID.

In Observance of Mother’s Day, Hattie Homes Senior Wellness Center, in conjunction with Washington Performing Arts Society, will present a concert by Bernard Mavritte — http://bernardmavritte.com.

Also, a table-decorating contest will be included. Hattie Homes Senior Wellness Center, 324 Kennedy St. NW. For more information, contact 202-291-6170.

May 6th from 2 to 4 p.m.

Artists’ Reception to celebrate the participants in IONA’s Adult Day Health Program for those with memory loss or other dementias, or physical challenges. IONA Wellness & Arts Center, 4125 Albemarle St. NW. For more information, call 202-966-1055.

May 14th from 2 to 4p.m.

Ward 5 Senior Community Day. Seabury Aging Services, Ward 5, at North Michigan Park Recreation Center, 1331 Emerson St. NW. For more information, call 202-529-8701.

May 19th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

East River Family Strengthening Collaborative Annual Senior Prom. For tickets and information, call 202-534-4880.

May 19th at 5p.m.

“Our seniors deserve easy access to a government photo ID so they can take advantage of the many benefits, activities and services that other residents enjoy,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “These common sense regulations will ensure that District seniors can

TERRIFIC, Inc. Older American’s Month Health & Wellness Fair. Celebrate Older Americans

DC Department of Housing and Community Development

EIGHTH ANNUAL

DC HOUSING EXPO AND HOME SHOW

Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center Anniversary Celebration. Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center is located at 3500 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. Call 202563-7225 for more information.

May 20th from 1 to 3 p.m.

Senior Health and Fitness Day at Bernice Fonteneau, showcasing the activities that take place at the wellness center. Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center, 3531 Georgia Ave. NW. Call 202-727-0338 for more information.

Saturday, June 11, 2016 10am – 3pm Walter E. Washington Convention Center

May 25th from 9 a.m. to noon

Older Americans Month Senior Health and Wellness Fair hosted by Model Cities Senior Wellness Center and DCOA with free screenings, resources and information exhibits.

Model Cities Senior Wellness Center is located at 1901 Evarts St. NE. For more information, call 202-635-1900.

presented Mrs. McLaurin with a temporary ID that will be valid until she receives a Real ID in the mail.

“I thank the Lord, Mayor Bowser and everyone who helped me get my photo ID renewed. I am especially happy to know that now all seniors in D.C. will be able to get an ID more easily,” said longtime resident Virginia McLaurin.

The new regulation provides the DMV Director the latitude to expand the list of acceptable documents for residents age 70 and older to allow these seniors to secure a District-issued Real ID credential necessary for travel and completing other personal business requiring identification. D.C. DMV initiated the exception process in June 2015, which required coordination with the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Government of the Di District of Columbia

Month, featuring entertainment, fun, health and wellness exhibits, free health screenings and more.

The 19th Street Baptist Church, 4606 16th St. NW. For more information, call 202-882-1383.

For more information call (202) 442-7200 or visit 2016expo.eventbrite.com to register

Home Purchasing Assistance

Tenant and Landlord Resources

Affordable Housing Showcase

Aging in Place Planning

Small Business Strategies

Remodeling and Repair Demos

Design and Decorating Tips

Youth Financial Literacy Training

May 25th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m

THIS FREE EVENT FEATURES: Over 150 Exhibitors

Celebrate Older Americans Month with Hayes Senior Wellness Center. Hayes Senior Wellness Center is located at 500 K St. NE. For more information call 202-727-0357.

May 25th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

May 20th from 10:30am to 2:00p.m.

get an ID if they lack the kind of documentation that may not have been around when they were born.”

The new regulations, which meet federal requirements, go into effect immediately.

A recent Washington Post report by Courtland Milloy found that Virginia McLaurin, a long-time District resident who received national attention for her dance with President Obama, could not get a Real ID because of new federal regulations. The Bowser Administration has been working with our federal partners on a regulatory fix, which enables seniors like Mrs. McLaurin to receive a proper Real ID. Mayor Bowser, Deputy Mayor Kevin Donahue and DMV Director Lucinda Babers visited with Mrs. McLaurin to complete her paperwork. The Mayor

• Prizes and Giveaways • Access to Affordable Rentals

Over 20 Workshops • Free Credit Reports • Credit and Foreclosure Counseling GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR

34

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

D.C. OFFICE

ON

AGING NEWSLETTER

Community Calendar information, contact linda.irizarr y @dc.gov or call 202-535-1442.

10th • 2 to 4 p.m.

10th and 13th • 11 a.m.

A doctor from Howard University’s Geriatrics Division will speak on “Living Healthy” on May 10 at Edgewood Commons, 635 Edgewood St. NE. The program will be repeated on May 13 at Petersburg, 3298 Fort Lincoln Dr. NE. For more information, call Norma Hardie at 202-529-8701.

10th+ • 11 a.m. to noon Seabury Resources for Aging Ward 5 presents a free six-week diabetes selfmanagement workshop by the DelMarva Foundation. The first session begins on May 10 and will continue each Tuesday for the next five weeks. It will take place at Vicksburg, 3005 Bladensburg Rd. NE. For more information, call Norma Hardie at 202-529-8701.

10th and 24th • noon Join the DC Caregivers Online Chat at Noon to discuss caregiving for an older adult on May 10 and caregiving for someone with a mental health problem on May 24. Visit http:// dcoa.dc.gov/page/caregiver-chat at noon or visit at your convenience and hit replay to see the chat. For more

Take part in a session called “Constituent Services: Who Do You Call?”, part of Iona’s spring Advocacy Series.

This session will educate you on the how-to’s — from filing a 311 report, to dealing with uneven sidewalks, reporting street lights that are out, sewer and tree problems, nuisances related to businesses, etc. Guest speakers include Commissioner Jackie Blumenthal, ANC3B chairperson; Dee Smith, director of Constituent Services and deputy chief of staff to Council member Mary Cheh; Anthony Cassillo, deputy director of Constituent Services; and Michael Matthews, from the Mayor’s Office of Community Outreach Services for Ward 3. It will take place at the Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library, Second Floor, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Registration is appreciated! Call 202-895-9448.

11th • 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

DCOA, in collaboration with Resident Council Community Preservation & Community Development and the Edgewood Commons Community, will present a Community Health andWellness Fair. It will take place at Edgewood Commons, Crawford Hall, 9th Floor, 635 Edgewood St. NE. For more information, call Norma Hardie at 202-529-8701.

12th and 26th • 11 a.m.

A breast cancer awareness program

by MedStar’s Get2BreastCareProgram will be held at two times. On May 12 it

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING Spotlight On Aging is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Office on Aging for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Office on Aging or by the publisher.

500 K St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 202-724-5622 • www.dcoa.dc.gov Acting Executive Director Laura Newland Editor Darlene Nowlin Photographer Selma Dillard The D.C. Office on Aging does not discriminate against anyone based

on actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, disability, source of income, and place of residence or business.

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination which is prohibited by the Act. In addition, harassment based on any of the above protected categories is prohibited by the Act. Discrimination in violation of the Act will not be tolerated. Violators will be subjected to disciplinary action.

The Office on Aging is in partnership with the District of Columbia Recycling Program.

will be at Delta Towers, 2412 Franklin St. NE. On May 26, it will be held at Ft. Lincoln I, 2855 Bladensburg Rd. NE. For more information, call Norma Hardie at 202-529-8701.

13th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Ft. Stanton Recreation Center’s Second Annual DCOA-sponsored Community Health, Wellness and Informational Fair will be held at Martha’s Table, 1812 Erie St. SE. To learn more, contact Mr. Jones at 202-671-1040

14th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A caregiver forum with social workers and exhibitors will take place at Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, 4606 16th St. NW. For more information, contact Alice Thompson at 202 535-132.

19th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Train to become a DCOA Ambassador, an initiative to train community residents about the programs and services offered by the DC Office on Aging and its Senior Service Network. The ambassadors serve as points of contacts for distributing information about the programs and services available to seniors, people living with disabilities and caregivers in their wards and communities. To register, call 202-724-5622 or email Darlene.nowlin@dc.gov.

19th • 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A celebration for Older Americans Month will be hosted by Terrific, Inc. at Nineteenth Street Baptist Church,

4606 16th St. NW. To learn more, contact Edwinta Jenkins at 202-882-1824.

19th • 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A celebration for Older Americans Month with the theme “Let’s Blaze a Trail” will be held at Ward 5 Senior Community Day at North Michigan Park Recreation Center, 1333 Emerson St. NE. For more information, call Norma Hardie at 202-529-8701.

19th • 5 p.m.

The KEEN Seniors Program presents their annual senior prom at St. Luke’s Center, located at 4923 E. Capitol St. SE. There will be dinner, dancing and music by WPFW 89.3 FM’s DJ Nate D. Skate. Dress code is all white.

Tickets cost $30 for singles; $55 for couples. After May 6, tickets cost $35 each. For more information, contact Robin Gantt at 202-534-4880

21st • noon to 3 p.m.

A Ward 8 Seniors Day Fashion Show will be held at the UPO Petey Green Center, 2907 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. For more information, call Katie Shephard at 202-562-1024.

25th DCOA, in collaboration with Model Cities Senior Wellness Center, will host an Older Americans Month Community Health, Wellness & Informational Fair at 1901 Evarts St. NE To learn more, call Stacie Thweatt at 202-635-1900.

State Plan Survey D.C. Office on Aging (DCOA) is currently developing the State Plan on Aging. The plan will outline the agency’s work over the next two years toward accomplishing Mayor Bower’s vision to create an urban environment that promotes active and healthy aging.

DCOA needs your help to identify and develop goals and objectives that meet the demands of the senior community in D.C. Take a few moments and provide your feedback.

Our survey is available online at www.dcoa.dc.gov, or you can call 202724-5622 for more information.

Mayor’s message

porting independent living in the community. I believe that living well means more than just taking care of our basic needs. It means fostering a community where everyone is able to live their fullest life. But we cannot do it alone. We want your input and your ideas, so please send in any thoughts, questions or comments to Age.Friendly@d.c..gov.

Thank you for joining me in celebration of Older Americans Month, as we build on our progress to make D.C. the most age-friendly city in the world.

From page 31

The theme, Healthy Homes. Healthy Hearts. Healthy Living, will touch on my Administration’s priorities for an age-friendly D.C. With input from the community, we are putting together a great lineup of workshops related to healthcare, housing, transportation, estate planning, nutrition and technology. To sign up, please contact D.C.OA at 202-724-5622 or d.c.oa@d.c..gov.

We are committed to enhancing the lives of older Americans, and sup-

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Money Law &

35

TIME TO INVEST IN CHINA? With plummeting stock prices abroad, some companies are now bargains A BRIDGE TO RETIREMENT More are trying part-time, flexible jobs as they transition to retirement ENDOW A SCHOLARSHIP How to help young students by setting up a scholarship fund LESS TAXING WIDOWHOOD Uncle Sam offers several tax breaks for those who are newly widowed

Tax-free muni bonds: not sexy, but steady

By Stan Choe The municipal-bond market looks to be regaining its reputation for delivering reliable if unsexy returns, following several big swings since the financial crisis.

It’s remained sturdy in recent months, even as stocks and other types of bonds have jerked up and down. That has investors, mostly high income earners, once again pouring in dollars in search of safety.

Municipal bonds are issued by states and local governments to raise money to build the school down the street or expand the local sewer system.

In exchange for funding projects meant to be good for the community, investors generally do not have to pay federal income taxes on the interest payments they receive. In some cases, they’re also exempt from state and local taxes.

The largest municipal bond fund returned 2.9 percent last year, more than the largest stock fund’s 0.3 percent. More importantly for twitchy investors, Vanguard’s Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt fund is on pace for its 10th straight month without a loss.

Demand has been strong enough that roughly $16.5 billion has flowed into municipal-bond mutual funds over the last

year, according to the Investment Company Institute.

Contrast that with the $73.6 billion that left taxable bond mutual funds, in large part because investors were fleeing highyield funds on worries about their riskiness. Stock funds had even faster rates of withdrawals.

Low, but tax-free, returns Just remember that the reason for muni bonds’ recent popularity is precisely because they’re boring. Don’t come in with expectations of getting rich quickly. Yields are low, which cap future returns, and their strong performance last year and so far in 2016 has pushed yields even lower.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of downside, but the upside is limited too,” said Guy Davidson, director of municipal bond management at AllianceBernstein. “Muni funds can offer stability and income in a volatile world, but I don’t think you should be preaching for excitement given these yields at the moment.”

Yields are low for muni bonds relative to their history, and they can also be lower than taxable bonds with a similar maturity and credit rating. That’s traditionally been the case because muni bonds’ income is

free of taxes.

Top income earners have a federal tax rate of nearly 40 percent, which means a taxable bond yielding 3 percent would generate the same spending power after taxes as a muni bond yielding just 1.8 percent.

Many websites have online calculators that help investors figure out the “taxequivalent” yield of their bond funds.

That’s also why investors hold muni bonds in taxable accounts. If they were in a 401(k) or another tax-deferred account, their tax advantage would be wasted.

The muni bond market has historically been relatively sleepy. Then the financial crisis hit.

Municipal bond funds held up better than most investments, but the largest category of them still lost an average of 2.3 percent in 2008. Returns rocketed higher the next year, but another shock came in late 2010 and early 2011. That’s when a high-profile prediction for a wave of municipal defaults sent investors running for the exits.

The default wave never materialized, but panic set in again in 2013, when worries spiked that interest rates could rise faster than expected. Since then, the muni bond market has dealt with more scares,

like the recent debt crisis in Puerto Rico.

Some trouble spots and risks It’s not just Puerto Rico that has raised concerns. Investors are worried about Chicago and areas that have big pension obligations.

Governments heavily reliant on revenue from the oil industry are also under pressure, following the collapse in the price of crude. The fear is that if local tax revenue craters, it will be difficult for the municipality to pay back investors.

But fund managers say the market sees these as isolated trouble spots. In the rest of the country, tax revenue is on the upswing due to the stronger economy. And many local governments slashed their expenses and held off on issuing debt following the financial crisis.

“Throwing out Chicago and Puerto Rico, muni credit is kind of as good as it’s ever been,” said Nick Venditti, portfolio manager at Thornburg Investment management. “It’s very easy for a muni bond buyer to come into the market and avoid the Chicagos and Puerto Ricos and find more fundamentally strong credits.”

See TAX-FREE MUNIS, page 36

Nine financial perks for older consumers

By Kaitlin Pitsker If you’re age 50 or older, be prepared to start getting carded again. Many discounts, tax breaks and other perks for seniors start earlier than you think.

Here are nine ways that getting older can help you keep a little more cash in your wallet.

1. Lower car insurance rates. Years of experience behind the wheel are a plus: Allstate cuts rates up to 10 percent for most drivers 55 and older. Geico and other insurers offer similar discounts if you take a driving class.

2. Beefed-up retirement savings. If you’re 50 or older, you can make a “catchup” contribution of $6,000 to your 401(k), for a total of up to $24,000 in 2016. You can also stash an extra $1,000 in an IRA, for an annual contribution of up to $6,500.

3. Deals on travel. American, Southwest and United Airlines offer fliers 65 and

older discounted fares on some domestic routes. Travelers 62 and older are eligible for 15 percent off some Amtrak fares and 5 percent off Greyhound bus tickets. Best Western trims 10 percent from its room rates if you’re 55 or older, and Marriott cuts the price of your room by 15 percent if you’re at least 62. (Note: Don’t jump at senior discounts without doing some comparison shopping first. You may be able to find a better price elsewhere, regardless of age.)

4. More for your HSA. If you’re 55 or older, you can add an extra $1,000 to a health savings account in 2016. That’s in addition to the $3,350 limit for individuals or $6,750 for families. You’ll need an eligible high-deductible health insurance policy to qualify for an HSA. 5. Tax breaks from Uncle Sam. If you and your spouse are both 65, the standard deduction for 2016 is $15,100 (singles

can claim a standard deduction of $7,850).

And if you or your spouse is 65 or older, you can deduct eligible out-of-pocket medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income (rather than the 10 percent threshold for younger taxpayers).

6. Discounts galore. You can get discounts on everything from Kohl’s shopping expeditions (15 percent off on Wednesdays for shoppers 55 and older) to Harris Teeter groceries (5 percent off on Thursdays if you’re 60 or older).

And AARP’s $16-a-year membership for anyone 50 or older comes with a plethora of benefits, including discounts on hotels, restaurants and shopping. Members can also take advantage of a car-buying program and discounts on insurance coverage and car rentals.

7. Cheaper tickets to ride. Some cities let older adults take public transit

free or for a reduced fare. For example, riders 65 and older pay half price to take the subway in Greater Washington, New York City and St. Louis.

8. A bargain on national parks. Nature lovers 62 and older can buy a lifetime pass from the U.S. National Park Service for access to more than 2,000 national parks and federal recreation areas. The senior pass costs $10 at federal recreation sites or $20 either by mail or online.

9. Free (or low-cost) classes. Many public colleges and some private universities allow seniors to audit classes free or at low tuition rates. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute sponsors programs for people 50 and older at 119 campuses.

Membership generally costs about $200 to $600 per year.

All contents © 2016 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Some say: to “buy low,” invest in China

By Stan Choe While the rest of the world scrambles to get out of the crumbling Chinese stock market, a trickle of investors is heading straight into the wreckage.

Managers of Chinese stock mutual funds have seen huge drops many times before, and they even find things to like about them.

Instead of taking cover, and preserving cash in their portfolios, this time these managers say they are buying stocks of companies set to take advantage of how the Chinese government is reshaping the economy.

This most-recent plummet has been even swifter and sharper than past ones, but managers of Chinese stock funds say it’s also brought down share prices enough that they’ve been buying compa-

nies that they thought were too expensive just a few months ago.

“With a volatile market like China, buy it when the world hates it, and sell when no one’s worried,” said Jim Oberweis, who runs the Oberweis China Opportunities fund.

“That’s worked pretty well over the last 20 years in China, and now sure seems to me like a period where everyone hates it.”

A downward trend for years Only time will tell if he and other Chinese stock fund managers are right. They could have made the same argument after each of the Chinese market’s many selloffs the last five years, and it wouldn’t have netted them much, if anything.

The MSCI China index has had seven

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declines of at least 10 percent over the last five years, including the 19 percent tumble since late October, which itself followed a 34 percent plunge from April into September by just weeks.

After all those ups and downs, the MSCI China index has lost 12 percent over the last five years, and is close to its lowest level since the summer of 2009.

That’s why fund managers say an investment in Chinese stocks will require lots of patience, maybe even a decade.

Oberweis’ fund, for example, has lost 15.9 percent over the last year, even though it’s been one of the top performers in its category. But over the past 10 years, it’s returned an annualized 8.9 percent, better than the S&P 500’s 6.1 percent annual return.

China’s economy grew last year at its slowest pace in a quarter century, and economists expect it to slow even more this year.

Part of that is by design. The Chinese government is steering the economy toward consumer spending and away from exports and investments in infrastructure.

It hopes that will yield a more sustainable, though slower, rate of growth.

The government is also pushing anticorruption measures and efforts to make the country’s huge state-owned banks and telecom communications companies more efficient.

The goal is to try to slow growth without

Tax-free munis From page 35 Like any bond fund, a municipal-bond fund will fall in price as interest rates rise.

So far, rates have remained low, but most expect them to eventually rise. If it happens slowly enough, the bigger income payments that higher rates would bring could offset price drops.

When assessing the market, muni fund managers also look at how much supply and demand exists for tax-free bonds. Supply hasn’t grown as much as in the past, because local governments have been slow to borrow since the financial crisis.

Managers see the strength of demand

stopping it. The worry is that the government will lose control of the slowdown, and the economy will fall hard.

“It’s painful at the moment, and there could be some more pain to come,” said Jasmine Huang, manager of the Columbia Greater China fund. “Eventually it will be good for the economy.”

Areas primed for growth Huang is avoiding companies from what’s known as “Old China,” and owns no raw-material producers and few companies in the industrial and energy sectors.

But instead of hiding out in cash, she has been investing in “New China.” She has been focusing on e-commerce companies, where she expects revenue to grow even if the overall economy stumbles, because more Chinese shoppers are going online.

She also sees big growth for healthcare companies. They make up only about 2 percent of the MSCI China index, and she said they could grow to become the 10 or 20 percent of the market that healthcare represents in developed markets.

Andrew Mattock, lead manager at the Matthews China fund, understands if investors are feeling gun-shy about Chinese stocks. “For five years now, if you’ve made money, it’s been hard to get, and you’ve See CHINESE STOCKS, page 37

as the bigger potential threat to future returns. The municipal-bond market is dominated by individual investors, rather than big institutional investors or hedge funds, and they have shown in the past that they can be quick to sell.

For now, muni bonds’ steady returns mean demand has remained consistent and strong. Managers say they see few reasons for that to change, at least in the near term.

“I am expecting more of the same,” said Regina Shafer, who runs municipal bond funds at USAA. “I think investors appreciate the stable market that municipals bring. We’re steady as she goes.”

— AP

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Inherited IRAs require careful planning If you own a traditional or Roth IRA, it’s the beneficiary of an inherited IRA, it is imvery important to designate beneficiaries portant to understand the differences. with the official form maintained by the account’s trustee.

Inheriting from a spouse It’s also important to upIf you are the beneficiary of date that form as needed an IRA inherited from a dewhenever there is a relevant ceased spouse, you have more life-changing event, such as a options than other beneficiardivorce or death. Your will’s ies: provisions will not override • You may simply change the beneficiary designation the name on the account to maintained by your IRA your own. This makes sense if trustee. you are satisfied with the inTHE SAVINGS The IRS differentiates be- GAME vestment performance of the tween IRAs inherited by spous- By Elliot Raphaelson IRA and do not intend to es and those inherited by other change trustees.

• You may establish the acparties. Accordingly, whether you are planning your estate, or expect to be count in a new IRA with a different trustee.

Chinese stocks From page 36 lost it quickly in these sell-offs,” he said.

But the most recent drops for Chinese stocks have brought them close to their cheapest level since the financial crisis, relative to their earnings. The MSCI China index was recently trading at about 8.5 times its expected earnings per share over the next 12 months. That’s down from a price-earnings ratio of nearly 10 at the start of the year.

Mattock, like Huang, has steered his fund toward stocks that he sees profiting from China’s shift toward consumer spending.

His top holdings at the start of the year included Tencent, which operates the popular WeChat social media service, and JD.com, one of China’s largest e-commerce sites.

“This time, I think, is different because there’s actually change going on now,” Mattock said of the economic reforms underway in China. “There are doubts about whether they can do it, but what they’re trying to do is positive.”

— AP

Ask the new trustee for the paperwork necessary to transfer the account.

• You may roll over the IRA into an account you already have. This makes sense if you want to manage the new IRA in the same manner as you are now managing your existing IRAs. (NOTE: If you are inheriting a Roth IRA, you should only roll it over into an existing Roth account.) Ask your trustee for the paperwork to transfer the funds.

• If you are younger than 59 1/2 and would like to withdraw some funds, estab-

lish an “inherited IRA.” Your name would be listed as a beneficiary. The account would include the name of the original owner and the date the original account holder died. This allows you to make withdrawals prior to age 59 1/2 and not pay a 10 percent penalty to the IRS. After you reach 59 1/2, re-title the IRA in your name to give you and your beneficiaries more options.

• If you are younger than 59 1/2 and inSee IRAs, page 39

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Bridge jobs that transition to retirement

By Adam Allington The transition from employment to retirement used to be marked by a date on a calendar, along with some sheet cake, and a maybe a gold watch. Those days are long gone for most workers in the United States.

Today, the journey toward complete withdrawal from the labor force can last many years. Economists refer to the transition period as “bridge employment.” As more and more Americans either choose, or are forced, into bridge employment, the expectation of what retirement actually means is rapidly changing.

“We shouldn’t even use the word ‘retirement’ any more. It obscures more than it enlightens,” said Boston College economist Joseph Quinn.

Quinn’s research has shown that, for many seniors today, retirement is not a one-time event but rather a process. He attributes it to a changing economic picture that encourages more seniors to choose work over leisure.

ing to Quinn.

His data also suggest the propensity to seek out bridge employment is highest at both ends of the wage spectrum — with blue-collar workers acting out of financial necessity, while wealthier workers think of it more as a lifestyle choice.

Laura Thompson drove a bus for 25 years in Detroit before retiring 16 years ago. “For a while I was completely retired,” said Thompson. “But eventually, I just felt like I still had it in me to do something, plus the extra income is nice too.”

These days Thompson keeps busy by working part time as a chef at a local homeless shelter. She said the decision was less about necessity and more about a desire to help out.

Still, she said it isn’t uncommon for retired bus drivers to keep working. “Our pensions have already been cut by the city,” Thompson said, “I mean, I could probably scrape by without working, but I don’t want to do that, not if I can help it.”

Flexible, part-time jobs

Lower retirement security

Bridge jobs, Quinn said, “tend to be lower pay and less likely to have pension and health benefits. But since many people are taking these jobs voluntarily, they obviously provide some advantages — most likely flexible hours, since more than half of the bridge jobs are part-time.”

According to data from the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Study, roughly 6 out of 10 men and women of retirement age don’t plan to leave the labor force when they leave their full-time career jobs.

Factors leading to the appeal of bridge jobs include longer life expectancies and less physically demanding work, accord-

A somewhat open question is whether bridge jobs are truly bridges to retirement or just another job change, perhaps one of many, in a seemingly unending working career.

“I don’t want to be too Pollyannaish about bridge jobs, because part of this is likely a reaction to the erosion of retirement security in the U.S.,” said Monique Morrissey, an economist with Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank with ties to organized labor.

Morrissey said older Americans are facing a gradual erosion of retirement beneSee BRIDGE JOBS, page 39

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Bridge jobs From page 38 fits. Specifically, she points to the transition to 401(k)s over defined-benefit pensions, as well as the eventual increase in the retirement age up to 67, a move she said amounts to an “across-the-board cut in benefits.”

The fact that bridge jobs occupy an increasing portion of the labor force suggests that wage income is an increasingly important part of retirement planning for many seniors.

The traditional model of a retirement income is a “three-legged stool,” composed of Social Security, pensions and savings.

However an analysis of census data by the Social Security Administration found that since the mid-1980s, employment earnings as a percentage of income has more than doubled and is still rising (for people 65 and older).

Gloria Adamson, 81, said she never planned to be working this late in life. “I simply have to work,” she said. “Retire-

IRAs From page 37 herit a Roth IRA, there is no need to establish an inherited IRA. Try to avoid making any withdrawals from Roth IRAs that have not been established for five years. Otherwise there will be a 10 percent penalty.

There is no income tax due or penalty for Roth IRA withdrawals that have been in place for five years.

Keep in mind that all withdrawals from traditional IRAs (not Roths) will be taxed at ordinary income tax rates. Accordingly, you should try to “stretch out” withdrawals as long as possible to benefit from the tax-deferred advantage.

Inheriting from other than a spouse If you inherit an IRA but are not the spouse of the decedent, you may not roll the funds over into your own IRA. However, you have other options.

• Even if you are younger than 59 1/2, you can withdraw some or all of the IRA assets. You will not have to pay a 10 percent penalty, but all of your withdrawals

39

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

ment isn’t even in the picture, to tell you the truth.”

To cover her bills, Adamson started working as an adjunct professor in the Colorado community college system 13 years ago. According to a 2014 congressional report, most adjuncts receive no benefits, and often earn a fraction of what tenuretrack faculty make. Therefore, Adamson said she was never able to build up much savings, or make adequate contributions to her pension.

For the past year, she has worked fulltime teaching writing and rhetoric to freshmen at the University of Colorado in Boulder — a job with better pay and benefits than what she got at the community college. She teaches three classes, in addition to spending 10 hours a week tutoring students at the campus writing center.

Still, Adamson said doesn’t feel cheated out of her retirement. “I learned a trick some time ago — that if I make my work important enough to me, I won’t have a lot of time to do other things,” she said, with a slight smile. will be subject to ordinary income taxes.

• You may establish the account as an inherited IRA in your name. This option allows you to maintain the tax-deferred advantage (tax-free if the account is a Roth IRA) for a long while. Based on your age, you will be required to withdraw a percentage of the value of the IRA each year.

The minimum amount of the required withdrawal will be based on your life expectancy (tables provided by the IRS) and the year-end value of the IRA. This option is very attractive and, unless you have an immediate need for funds, you should withdraw only the minimum amount required by the IRS. It is very easy to make mistakes when inheriting retirement accounts. Work closely with your trustees and knowledgeable financial planners. An excellent information source is The Retirement Savings Time Bomb ... and How to Defuse It, by Ed Slott.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com. © 2016 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Some interesting encore gigs for retirees

By Jane Bennett Clark Maybe you’ve always fantasized about racing down the sidelines as a soccer ref, or expounding to tourists on the charms of your city. Once you retire from your career job, you’ll have time to make that fantasy happen, but you’ll have to get up to speed on the skills involved.

Here’s a rundown of the basic requirements for six dream retirement gigs.

English-language teacher overseas

You don’t need teaching experience for this gig, but you do need certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) or TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), a comparable credential more common in the United Kingdom.

The American TESOL Institute offers an online-only program ($295) and one that combines online study with in-class training ($995 to $1,620).

Salaries depend on the country and

cost of living. For more information, see www.tefl-tesol.net.

You may be able to teach English as a Second Language in U.S. public schools with TESOL certification, but many states set additional requirements. Check with your state’s education department.

A private practice is like any small business, said Trisha Torrey, founder and director of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates. But for this profession, liability insurance is a must. You can generally charge fees of $100 to $250 an hour, depending on your background, services and location.

City tour guide

National Parks employee

Prerequisites for this job range from nothing at all, to passing a test administered by your local jurisdiction, to getting a license (or both), depending on where you plan to operate.

To find out the specifics in your area, go to the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and click on “Our Members.”

Then contact the association closest to you.

In addition to keeping track of local requirements, these associations offer training programs, continuing education, jobnetworking opportunities and certification.

Expect to make about $40 an hour, said Ellen Malasky, vice-president of the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations.

For a seasonal gig at a national park (or at a guest lodge, summer camp or ski resort), check out Cool Works, which lists postings from employers in spectacular settings around the country. Listings include openings for cooks, reservation clerks and gift shop employees, as well as for, say, a hovercraft captain or trolley driver.

Employees who can work the full season (as opposed to decamping for college in August) are in demand, making retirees a hot commodity. You’ll be paid minimum wage or a little more for entry-level jobs. Employers typically provide low-cost and sometimes free housing, ranging from private rooms to dormitories, or hookups for RVs. Some employers offer accommodations for couples, too.

Most retirees take these jobs for the fun and the chance to meet new people, not the compensation, said Patty Ceglio, director of operations at Cool Works. You’ll find job listings geared to retirees on the “Older and Bolder” section on the Cool Works site” coolworks.com.

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Being a private patient advocate can involve anything from sorting out billing snafus to helping families navigate the healthcare system.

No state requires a license for patient advocacy, and there is currently no nationally recognized certification, although one is in the works through the Patient Advocate Certification Board.

Your own experience with, say, an ailing parent or a health crisis can be a starting point. To add to your qualifications, review the list of competencies and best practices at the patient advocate certification site, then go to Health Advocate Resources to see which educational programs can fill in any gaps.

Youth-sports official If giving back and having fun are more important than a paycheck, this gig is worth checking out. At minimum, you’ll have to be physically fit enough to tackle the demands of the sport.

See POST-RETIREMENT, page 41

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

41

Credit inquiries affect your credit score

By Andrea Cannon Note: Last month’s story, “Banks are giving out free credit scores,” discussed the importance of knowing this vital information.

This month, we describe how credit inquiries by you and others can affect your score.

Have you noticed inquiries on your credit report? Not sure what they mean?

So-called “soft” and “hard” inquiries are the result of potential creditors assessing your credit report after you’ve applied for things such as a credit card, mortgage or car loan. Hard and soft inquiries each affect your credit differently. Read on to learn more:

What are soft inquiries?

Soft inquiries typically occur when your credit report is pulled for a background check. This can occur when you are applying for a new job, getting pre-approved for

Post-retirement From page 40 To get started, register with the area governing association (your local high school or recreation department can tell you which one to contact). You’ll probably have to pay a fee of, say, $10 to $50. Registration gives you access to lectures, exercises, demonstrations and rulebooks on the mechanics of the sport. Experienced refs or umpires may also be willing to mentor you.

Expect to buy your own equipment — including shoes, the appropriate shirt and pants, and any protective gear — and to work your way up the ladder from youth leagues to high school varsity games. Fees range from zero to $35 or so for youth games, up to $65 for high school varsity games.

Professional organizer Let your neat-freak flag fly by helping

lending offers, and even when you check your own credit score.

While they will usually show up on your credit report, this isn’t always the case. Plus, they won’t affect your credit score, so you don’t need to be concerned about them.

What are hard inquiries?

Hard inquiries occur when a lender pulls your credit report to make a lending decision. This takes place most commonly when you apply for a loan, credit card or mortgage.

However, there are other reasons that your credit may reflect a hard inquiry, such as when you request a credit limit increase.

These inquiries can, in some cases, lower your FICO score by one to five points, and can remain on your credit report for up to two years. Typically, the more hard inquiries on your credit report, clients declutter, organize paperwork or photos, straighten up their closets, garages, junk drawers or home offices — even the way they structure their time.

As with any business start-up, you’ll need to decide on your business model, get insurance, and file the appropriate paperwork with local and state agencies.

For training, business tips and networking opportunities, join the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). You can add to your clean cred by becoming certified

by NAPO. Certification — which requires completing 1,500 hours of paid client work and passing a proctored exam — costs $450, with a $100 annual maintenance fee.

Hourly fees for professional organizers run from $25 to $100, with the most common fees in the $50 to $75 range.

All contents © 2016 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

the likelier it is to affect your score.

Multiple hard inquiries in a short period of time can cause significant damage to your credit. When multiple hard inquiries come through at once, the credit bureaus assume you are desperate for credit or can’t qualify for the credit you need. Any future creditors may also take this information and assume that you are a high risk borrower, which will reduce your chances of getting the credit you need.

In fact, according to myFICO, people with six hard inquiries or more on their credit are up to eight times as likely to file for bankruptcy, compared to people with no inquiries — meaning that more inquiries usually means greater risk.

Exceptions to the rule There are certain instances that are gray areas, which may result in a soft or hard inquiry depending on the situation (such as when you rent a car, or sign up for new cable or Internet service).

If you aren’t sure about whether your actions will result in a soft or hard inquiry, you can simply ask the financial institution you are requesting financing from.

Another exception is when you are rate shopping. Generally, your FICO score will only record one single inquiry within a 14 to 45 day period if you are shopping for the best mortgage, auto loan, or student loan See CREDIT INQUIRIES, page 42

42

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Steps to setting up a scholarship fund

By Kimberly Lankford Q: My uncle passed away last year, and I’d like to establish a scholarship fund in his name. What steps do I need to take, and how much money do I need?

A: Creating a scholarship fund can be a

great way to remember your uncle and help students pay for their education. You can also take a charitable deduction for the money you give to a college, community foundation or other eligible charity.

You usually need about $20,000 to

Our Mission: To secure the well-being of Montgomery County Seniors through the shared strength of diverse organizations and individuals.

Professionals working with seniors are invited to our Monthly GROWS meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 8:15 a.m. usually at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, Md.

Annual Silent Auction benefit June 16, 8 - 11 a.m., Brooke Grove Retirement Village Register at www.growsmc.org. To donate, call (301) 765-3325.

$25,000 to endow a scholarship that pays out $1,000 every year. The requirements vary by organization.

Some let you create a shorter-term scholarship fund with less money. San Diego State University, for example, requires $50,000 to endow a $2,000 annual scholarship, or you can commit to giving $5,000 a year over three years to finance three $5,000 scholarships for one year.

Contact the development office The development office at a school or community foundation will help you set up the scholarship. You may want to focus on students who live in your uncle’s hometown, or those who plan to major in his line of work, or who have a certain grade point average and attend his alma mater.

The organization can help you determine the type of requirements to impose without

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Or work with a foundation A community foundation can help you set up a scholarship that isn’t tied to a particular school — helping local students who are interested in studying engineering, for example.

You can find a community foundation in your area at www.cof.org/locator. There are foundations for most counties and jurisdictions in the Washington area. Some have more experience than others with See SCHOLARSHIP FUND, page 43

Credit inquiries E-

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It may also help you create a fund even if you don’t have enough money to endow an annual scholarship. Rather than paying for college tuition, for example, your gift could pay for students to attend a study-abroad program or educational camp.

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From page 41 rates. By doing all of your shopping for the same type of loan within a two-week span, you can reduce the effect on your credit.

If a hard inquiry occurred without your permission, you may be able to dispute it.

This can be done by calling or writing the creditor and asking them to remove the unauthorized hard inquiry from your credit report. You can also dispute them directly with the credit bureau. Otherwise, if you’ve authorized the hard inquiry, it can take up to two years to disappear from your credit report.

How inquiries will affect your future As is the case with anything that negatively affects your credit score, inquiries can affect your ability to get good loan rates. More hard inquiries means a lower credit score, which means fewer credit options or a higher interest rate. This will ultimately mean you will pay more over the life of the loan.

The good news about a hard inquiry is that if you aren’t doing them often, they aren’t going to have a big effect on your credit. For instance, factors like your payment history, credit history, and credit utilization rate are weighted much more heavily.

Continue monitoring your credit every month to ensure that there are no unauthorized hard inquiries or other issues so that you can continue to maintain the highest score possible.

On the other hand, if you already have bad credit, then an additional hard inquiry can have an even greater impact on your score. Try keeping your hard inquiries to only one or two a year, if possible.

This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website.

All contents © 2016 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

43

How to set up a solo 401(k) with low fees

By Kimberly Lankford Q: I am self-employed and want to open a solo 401(k), but most of the firms I’ve investigated charge hundreds of dollars in setup fees and a yearly fee of 1 to 2 percent or higher. Can you help me find a company where I can get this set up more economically?

A: The first generation of administrators offering solo 401(k)s — back in the early 2000s — tended to charge high fees for the accounts. But you now have many less-expensive options from a variety of brokerage firms and mutual fund companies.

Fidelity, Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade, for example, have no setup or annual fees for solo 401(k)s, and let you invest in anything available to their IRA and brokerage customers, including many notransaction-fee mutual funds and commission-free exchange-traded funds. Contact the brokerage firms and mutual fund companies where you have other accounts to see if they offer low-fee solo 401(k)s.

Self-employed people may be able to save

more in a solo 401(k) than they can in a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP). Solo 401(k)s let you make both employee and employer contributions, meaning you can contribute up to $18,000 for 2015 (or $24,000 if you’re 50 or older) as an employee, even if that is 100 percent of your self-employed earnings for the year. You can also contribute 20 percent of your net self-employment income.

Your total contributions can’t exceed your self-employment income for the year, up to a total of $53,000 for both types of contributions (or $59,000 if age 50 or older).

There are also ways to convert 401(k)s to non-taxable Roth IRAs. See “How high earners can contribute to a Roth IRA” in the December 2015 Beacon.

SEP contributions for sole proprietors, on the other hand, are limited to 20 percent of your net self-employment income (business income minus half of your selfemployment tax), up to a maximum contribution of $53,000 for 2015.

“For a lot of small-business owners who are looking for ways to maximize their re-

Scholarship fund

tised, how the recipient will be selected, and if there are any fees. Find out how involved you can be; you may be able to sit on the selection committee but not be the main decision maker, for example.

Some people who don’t have enough money to set up an endowed scholarship themselves make contributions to a donoradvised fund for a few years and, after their balance reaches a certain level, give the money to a college or community foundation to start a scholarship. (In that case, you get the charitable tax deduction when you give the money to the donor-advised fund rather than when you start the scholarship.) © 2016, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

From page 42 managing scholarships.

Ask what types of assets you can give, and how the school or community foundation will invest the money. You can give cash, appreciated stock or other investments to create the scholarship fund.

People over age 70½ can now transfer up to $100,000 tax-free from an IRA to charity every year, which counts as their required minimum distribution but isn’t included in their adjusted gross income and can be a source of money for a scholarship fund.

Ask how the scholarship will be adver-

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tirement savings, this is a great way to accelerate their savings,” said Brian Hogan, director of small-business retirement products for Fidelity.

Self-employed people can calculate the amount they can contribute to a solo 401(k) or a SEP with Fidelity’s Self-Employed Plan Contribution Calculator.

If you already have a solo 401(k) that has high fees or limited investment options, you can transfer your account to a different administrator. The new company can provide the forms to make the tax-free transfer.

All contents © 2016 the Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

May 26

CENTENARIAN CELEBRATION

All Arlington residents age 100 and older are invited to join in a celebration of centenarians. The event includes a lunch and program. It takes place on Thursday, May 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 N Quincy St., Arlington, Va. For more information and to RSVP, call (703) 228-1747.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Tax breaks exist for the newly widowed

By Kevin McCormally Because federal tax law reaches deep into all aspects of our lives, it’s no surprise that the rules that affect us change as our lives change. This can present opportunities to save, or create costly pitfalls to avoid.

Being alert to the rolling changes that come at various life stages is the key to holding down your tax bill to the legal minimum.

If you’ve experienced the loss of your spouse recently, know that the tax code has ways to help you at this difficult time.

joint-return rates, but you don’t get an exemption for your late spouse.

Starting in year three, if you have a dependent child living with you, you can claim head-of-household status, for which tax rates are less favorable than for joint returns and qualifying widows and widowers, but better than the rates for single taxpayers.

Life insurance The proceeds you receive from a life insurance policy are income tax-free. It doesn’t matter whether your spouse paid the premiums or his or her employer paid for the policy. Don’t report the proceeds as taxable income.

Filing status If your spouse died this year, you may still file a joint return for the year. This gets you the most favorable tax rates and the largest standard deduction (if you don’t itemize). You may also claim a full exemption amount for your late husband or wife regardless of when during the year the death occurred.

For the first two years after your spouse’s death, you can file as a “qualifying widow or widower” if you have a child living with you who qualifies as your dependent. This filing status also lets you use

Inherited IRA See “Inherited IRAs require careful planning,” on page 37.

Stepped-up basis The tax basis of most assets you inherit from your spouse is stepped up to the property’s value on the day he or she died.

See TAX BREAKS, page 45

BEACON BITS

May 21

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May 18+

DC RENTERS SEMINARS

The Office of the Tenant Advocate presents Renters 101, a seminar focusing on Washington, D.C. renters and their rights and responsibilities. Topics include leases, rent increases, rent control, evictions, housing code problems, reasonable accommodations and security deposits. There will be sessions on Wednesday, May 18 from 6 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 21 from noon to 2 p.m. at their office, at the Reeves Center, located at 2000 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information or to reserve a space, email delores.anderson@dc.gov or call (202) 719-6560.

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INVESTMENT CLUB MEETING

The Washington Metro Investment Club (WMIC) is having an open house meeting on Saturday, May 21 at 4 p.m. This small group of novice investors meet once a month to discuss investments. Meetings are in the McCourt Building, located at 1 County Complex Ct., Woodbridge, Va. The group will devise a monthly plan of investing directly with companies, and participate in their respective Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs). For more information, contact Ken Wright at (703) 801-1465 or Lavoy12@yahoo.com.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Tax breaks From page 44 (The exception to this rule applies to retirement accounts.)

Since the basis is the amount from which gain or loss is figured when you sell the asset, this means that tax on any appreciation prior to the death is forgiven. Say, for example, that your husband had stock in a brokerage account for which he had paid $10,000 but was worth $50,000 when he died. Your basis would be $50,000.

Only if you sold the stock for more than $50,000 would you owe any capital gains tax.

If you sold it for less than $50,000, in fact, you would have a tax-saving capital loss.

If you and your spouse owned investments jointly, at least 50 percent of the basis is stepped up to the date-of-death value. If you live in a community-property state, 100 percent of the value may be stepped up.

Rental property and real estate If you inhverit rental property from your spouse, note that the step-up in basis discussed above will increase the depreciation deductions you may claim on the property. The higher basis needs to be cranked into your calculations if you continue to rent the property. It will also reduce taxable capital gains when you sell the property.

There’s a special rule for widows and widowers who sell the family home within

two years of the day their spouse died. Single homeowners can take up to $250,000 of profit on the sale of a home tax-free. For married couples, the maximum tax-free amount is doubled to $500,000. To qualify for this break, you must have owned and lived in the house for two of the five years leading up to the sale.

But if you and your spouse met the ownership and use tests before his or her death, you get to use the full $500,000 exclusion if you sell within two years of your spouse’s date of death. You may not need to rush to sell to protect the profit. The stepped-up basis rule discussed earlier would also limit the possible taxes on home-sale profit.

Tax-free inheritance Property you inherit from your spouse is generally income tax-free. But there are major exceptions.

If you inherit or are named the beneficiary of a retirement account (such as an IRA or 401(k)), withdrawals will be taxed to you just as the money would have been taxed if your spouse were alive and withdrawing the cash. When a traditional IRA is involved, for example, withdrawals are fully taxable (except to the extent, if any, that your spouse had contributed after-tax dollars to the account). If it’s a Roth IRA, however, withdrawals are generally tax-free.

If you are the beneficiary of a commercial annuity purchased by your spouse, you’ll owe tax on a portion of each payout

— just as your spouse would have.

All contents © 2016 the Kiplinger Wash-

45

ington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BEACON BITS

May 11

TECH FAIR

Montgomery County is holding a free technology fair on Wednesday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both the tech savvy and newbies are welcome to view the demonstrations about online shopping, Skype, Facebook, digital photography, the Cloud and more. Admission is free, and the café will be open for lunch. This event will take place at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, Md. For more information, call (240) 777-4999.

June 14

SENIOR SAFETY AND TECH SEMINAR

In honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, there will be a seminar on senior safety and technology on Tuesday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event features technology sessions, resource exhibitors, blood pressure checks and free lunch (while meals last). The seminar will take place at Holiday Park Senior Center, located at 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, Md. For more information, call (240) 777-1131.

46

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

47

Leisure &

Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Canal is lined with warehouses converted to restaurants, shops and clubs. See story on page 50.

Prague and beyond in the Czech Republic

Medieval masterpieces Prague’s entire center is a designated UNESCO heritage site. Its buildings, unlike those in many other European cities, survived World War II remarkably intact.

The 13th century “Old Town” (Stare Mesto) consists of a labyrinth of winding alleys and picturesque squares, as does the not-quite-so-old “New Town” (Nove Mesto), which dates back to 1348.

Little wonder that the city was ranked sixth in the TripAdvisor 2016 list of best destinations throughout the world. Among rea-

sons for that claim to fame are its extensive collection of museums and theaters, along with hundreds of concert halls, galleries and other arts and entertainment venues.

It’s rare to find an architectural treasure-trove as rich and varied in such a compact area. The profusion of ancient palaces, castles and cathedrals creates a rich mosaic of outstanding masterpieces.

Romanesque chapels stand in the shadow of soaring Gothic cathedrals. Baroque palaces are neighbors to late 19th-century Art Nouveau buildings and examples of the early 20th-century Cubist style.

A famous landmark in the Old Town’s central square is an imposing tower that has looked out over the setting for nearly seven centuries. A crowd gathers each hour from dawn to dark to watch the 15th century astronomical clock put on its eclectic show. A small door opens and a miniature statue of Christ marches out followed by his disciples, as the skeleton of death tolls the hour on the clock’s bell.

The Lesser Town (Mala Strana), also known as the Little Quarter, is clustered around the foothills on which the Prague Castle is perched. That neighborhood was born in the 8th century as a market settlement. Its cobbled streets are lined by small shops, traditional restaurants and pubs, and restored ancient buildings.

© TTSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK

By Victor Block Many people who travel to the Czech Republic confine their stay to its capital, Prague, and with good reason. Known as “the city of a hundred spires” — although it’s actually decorated by nearly a thousand towers and steeples — it ranks among the most magnificent capitals of Europe and tells a story that stretches back over a millennium.

The setting overwhelms visitors with its architecture, which provides a feast for the eyes, then envelopes them in an aura of living history. Just when you think you’ve seen the most majestic building possible, you turn a corner and come upon another gem that surpasses it in grandeur.

Even so, those who fail to explore the countless treasures that abound throughout the rest of the country miss a lot. A perfect itinerary combines the attractions of both the capital Praha and the countryside.

Castles and bridges The sprawling Prague Castle, the largest PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTOR BLOCK

The Czech Republic brews some of the best beers in the world, and in the town of Ostrava, visitors can even take a beer bath or have a beer massage. The country has the world’s highest per capita consumption of beer, about 40 gallons per person a year.

Prague’s 14th century Charles Bridge spans the Vltava River and is accessible only to pedestrians. Prague is famed for its nearly 1,000 towers and steeples, and ranks sixth on TripAdvisor’s best destinations in the world.

medieval castle complex in the world, dates back to 880 C.E. and overlooks the city from a steep hill. It served as the seat of power for a parade of kings and emperors, and today is the official residence of the country’s president.

The buildings and courtyards sprawl over an area of 18 acres. They include four palaces and other residences, cathedrals and churches, defensive towers and several museums.

A ditch that encircles the castle, dug centuries ago to provide added protection, is still called the Deer Moat, named for the animals that early rulers kept confined there. Adding color to the setting are six terraced gardens, including the impressive Renaissance Garden, which was laid out in 1534.

Another must-see in Prague is the graceful Charles Bridge, which well deserves its reputation as one of the most beautiful stone bridges anywhere. It has spanned the Vltava River since the 14th century, and today is one of more than 30 within the city. A line of statues that were placed along its balustrades in the 17th and early 18th centuries depicts saints who were venerated at that time.

It has been a pedestrian-only bridge since 1978. Throughout the day, the bridge is packed with throngs of people

who traipse across it, pausing to check out souvenirs, jewelry and other goods for sale in stalls, to listen to the sounds of musicians playing to earn tips, and simply to enjoy the beautiful view of Prague Castle in the distance.

Charming Czech towns After taking in the architectural riches and vibrant setting of the Czech Republic’s capital, the treasures that abound throughout the rest of the country provide a sharp, and welcome, contrast.

For starters, the varied landscape is strewn with shimmering lakes and crisscrossed by sparkling rivers. Rolling farm fields and orchards lead to forested highlands that are overlooked by mountain ranges that virtually surround the country, which is about three times the size of Maryland.

Even with its magnificent examples of Mother Nature’s handiworks, the greatest assets outside of Prague are man-made.

Many of the charming towns that are scattered throughout the Czech Republic are built around an inviting central square surrounded by narrow winding streets. At the same time, each community has its unique charms.

See CZECH REPUBLIC, page 48

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Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Czech Republic From page 47 The tiny village of Telc could have been lifted from the pages of a Hans Christian Andersen story. Its fairytale main square is lined by the decorative facades of arcade-fronted Renaissance townhouses painted a variety of pastel hues and set off by ornate gables, intricate designs and decorations.

Visitors to the Czech Republic seeking to explore its Jewish heritage often head for Trebic. Among many vestiges of the Jewish aspects of the country’s history, that small city stands out.

The presence of Jewish people in present-day Trebic was first documented in 1338, but it wasn’t until the early 18th century that a ghetto was established. Today, it’s one of the best preserved ghettos in

Europe and the only Jewish monument outside of Israel which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The neighborhood encompasses 123 historic buildings, including two synagogues, a rabbi’s house, hospital and two schools.

“Taking the waters” at mineral spring spas has been a part of life for people living in this region for centuries. Close to two dozen spa towns attract visitors in search of healing for various ailments or simply a relaxing experience. Among the most famous spas are Marianske Lazne, which is surrounded by nearly 100 natural springs, and Luhacovice Spa, which has been providing healing and hedonism for nearly 350 years.

It’s hard to beat the excitement and enjoyment of taking in the major attractions of Prague, as well as strolling through its hidden back streets and off-the-beatenpath neighborhoods. Visiting other histo-

M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

ry-rich towns throughout the Czech Republic that share similarities, yet have their own stories to tell, adds much to a visit to that enticing nation.

If you go Dining — and drinking — play an important role in the lifestyle and culture of people in the Czech Republic, and provide enjoyable opportunities for visitors to share in those experiences.

There are reasons why beer is known as “liquid bread.” The beverage has been brewed here for centuries, and Czech beer is recognized as among the best in the world. It’s not surprising that the country has the world’s highest per capita consumption — about 40 gallons a year per person.

In addition to famous national brands, including Pilsner, which was created in the town of Plzen in 1842, most towns have at least one brewery, and there are hundreds of local and regional brands.

When it comes to dining, I agreed with a Czech friend with whom I was sharing a restaurant meal who admitted to me, in an understatement, “Our food is not very healthy.” Local specialties include thick soups, roast pork and duck, cabbage and dumplings. He pointed to the children’s

menu, which featured pork filet and fried cheese.

Residents of Prague seeking traditional favorites often head for Milynare (“At the millers”). Favorites on the lengthy menu include beef goulash ($10) and the bountiful “Miller’s plate,” which is piled high with duck, pork sausage, cabbage, dumplings and potatoes ($35). For more information log onto www.restauraceumlynare.cz.

A good place to enjoy typical fare in Ostrava is Moravska Chalupa (“Moravian cottage”). It is located on Stodolni Street — a thoroughfare lined by restaurants, bars and night clubs — which locals rightly call “the street that never sleeps.” Roast duck with cabbage ($15) and pork filet and bacon encased in an oversize potato pancake ($21) are among the very filling choices. For more information, log onto moravskachalupa.cz.

The Hotel Pyramida in Prague offers value-priced accommodations. Amenities including a pool and sauna, not to mention a convenient location within walking distance of the castle and city center. Rates begin at $57. For more information, log onto http://www.hotelpyramida.cz/en/.

For more information about visiting the Czech Republic, log onto www.czechtourism.com.

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May 29

MARINE BAND AND FIREWORKS

Arlington County is hosting a daytrip to see the “The President’s Own” Marine Band and a fireworks display at Wolf Trap on Sunday, May 29. The bus will depart from Lubber Run Center at 300 N Park Dr., Arlington, Va. at 6:30 and will return at 10:30 p.m. The cost is $6 for residents and $7 for non-residents. For more information, visit bit.ly/ArlingtonTrips or call (703) 228-4744.

Ongoing

SENIOR CENTER TRANSPORTATION

Montgomery County Recreation offers door-to-door daily transportation Monday through Friday to the five senior centers.

County residents 55 and older are eligible if within service area.

For more information about registering and pickup areas, call (240) 777-8085.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

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Ostrava: Czech city of pints and puppets

By Fyllis Hockman I’m not at all a connoisseur of beer. I know a Pilsner Lager is a good beer; Bud Light is not. I know beers from the Czech Republic are among the best in the world.

But it wasn’t until I was marinating in a beer barrel in Ostrava, Czech Republic that I really got to experience a good beer so “up close and personal.”

A beer massage is one of the de rigueur options offered at the Chateau ZamekZáb eh Hotel and Brewery in Ostrava, a city about a three-hour train ride from Prague.

And why not? After all, I was told beer washes harmful substances from the body, relieves stress, rejuvenates skin and hair, moisturizes the body, and boosts immunity. And you thought it was just to cool off with on a hot summer day!

Okay, so personally, I think the claims are a tad grandiose. Sounds too much like a break-through miracle cure. But then I found out I could also drink beer while bathing in it, and I reconsidered.

The recommended therapy? Pour a pitcher each of light and dark beer, replete with a concoction of Brewer’s yeast and selected varieties of hops, malt and peat extract, into a bath barrel. Hardly seems enough for the body to get high on.

As I submerged myself in the large

wooden cask filled with foam bath and filled the beer tankard from a tap attached to the tub, I realized it was the first time the suds in my bath competed with that of the head on my beer mug.

I stayed in the barrel long enough to revel in the experience, but eventually had to relent and leave the beer behind in pursuit of less heady adventures.

A visit to the Silesian Castle, a 13th century structure that was rebuilt in the 16th century and then again in 2011, only perpetuated my connection with intoxicating pursuits. A series of gnomes, devils, dybbuks and other fanciful creatures guard the different entrances — a more entertaining approach to a castle than the more usual imposing knights in armor.

Although many parts of the castle have been rebuilt, some parts still hearken back to the 13th century. Still, I question the presence of the Museum of Mysteries and Witches, a gloomy underground cave-like chamber filled with large dioramas of fearsome puppet-like figures resembling devils, demons, goblins and witches the size of children in various scary scenarios.

And a similar sense of wonder followed us to the next attraction: the Mini-Uni Exposition, where over 30 miniatures of famous European buildings — from the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and Leaning Tower of

Pisa, to Dutch windmills, the Brandenburg Gate and the Acropolis (all built to a scale of 1:25) — cover the lawn. At 5’ tall, I usually feel dwarfed by such sightseeing wonders; now I reveled in towering over them!

I was delighted by the Science and Technology Museum, where every interactive exhibit is an exciting visual and tactile experience celebrating civilizations, nature, electricity, people and animals.

Ostrava is not as historical or romantic as Prague, and it doesn’t boast luminous

squares full of elaborate castles, ornate monasteries and sumptuous chateaux, with history streaming out over the streets to capture you in the 12th to 19th centuries at every turn.

But it’s a tourist’s delight in its appealing off-beat attractions and lack of crowds visiting them. It’s a real town where real people live. And its gnomes and beer bath alone are enough to justify a visit.

For more information, visit www.ostrava.cz/en/turista.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Cowboys, art and steak in Oklahoma City

By Beth J. Harpaz What might be Oklahoma City’s bestknown attraction is also a reminder of one of its darkest days: the Oklahoma National Memorial & Museum. The site honors the 168 people who died, and hundreds more who were injured, when the Alfred P. Murrah Building was bombed in 1995.

Once you’ve paid your respects, take a deep breath and spend some time exploring all the other things this friendly city has to offer — from a museum devoted to cowboy culture, to Vietnamese food and a famous steakhouse.

What’s new The big news in Oklahoma City this

spring is a $45 million whitewater rafting facility called Riversports Rapids, due to open in the city’s Boathouse District in May. The manmade course will accommodate 2,000 people rafting and kayaking each day.

Also opening in May: the Criterion, a 4,000-seat concert venue on the east end of Bricktown — named for the area’s historic brick warehouses, which have been converted to restaurants, shops and clubs.

This summer, a new hotel in the 21c Museum Hotel chain (that features art galleries in each lobby and has eight locations), is scheduled to open in a 100-yearold historic building downtown that once served as an assembly plant for Model T

cars. The hotel will have 135 rooms and a contemporary art museum onsite with rotating exhibitions.

Spend a few quiet moments contemplating the 168 empty chairs — including 19 small chairs that symbolize the children who perished — that are the primary feature of the Oklahoma National Memorial & Museum.

Then take a short walk to the nearby Myriad Botanical Gardens. The outdoor grounds are free to stroll, with landscaped paths that offer a quiet, green respite from the busy downtown. Admission to the onsite Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, which has a wet zone and a dry zone, is $8.

The gardens’ flowers and grasses provide a lovely setting for a spectacular view of the city’s tallest building, the sleek Devon Energy Center.

Understanding America’s West Allow yourself a few hours to explore the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. There’s a lot more here than you might expect — not just the history of cowboys, but a context for visitors to contemplate what the American West means to them.

There are exhibits on Native Americans, how cowboys lived from the time the West was settled to now, and the impact of cowboy culture on pop and mainstream culture — movies, TV and more. Everything from rodeos to boots and hats is explored with the passion of an anthropologist.

Outside you’ll find a striking sculpture of four cowboys on horseback, waving whips and guns in the air. Also on the grounds are burial sites for horses that were famed on the rodeo circuit, like Poker Chip, eulogized on a grave marker as having the “speed, strength, balance and coordination of a superb athlete.”

New temporary exhibitions opening this season at the museum include one on bolo ties and another called “The Cowboy Returns: Photographs by Bank and John Langmore,” which offers photos by a father and son about the daily, gritty lives of cowboys over two generations.

In June, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art will host “Matisse in His Time: Masterworks of Modernism from the Centre Pompidou, Paris.” It’s the only venue for that show outside of Europe.

An early evening stroll in Bricktown on the paths lining the Bricktown Canal is a lot of fun. You can also take a tour by water taxi. Restaurants along the waterfront are mostly chains, but you’ll find more interesting places to eat elsewhere around the city.

The Red Earth Festival attracts thousands of Native American artists and dancers each year. This year’s event is scheduled for June 10-12 at the Cox Convention Center, and includes a parade through downtown and a dance competition.

Basketball fans will want to catch a game featuring Oklahoma’s only major league sports team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Take a walk on the Oklahoma City SkyDance Bridge, a pedestrian bridge on Harvey Avenue spanning Interstate 40 near Robinson Avenue south of downtown. It’s illuminated nightly, and features a soaring four-pronged sculpture, 197 feet tall, designed to evoke the state bird, a scissortailed flycatcher.

Where to eat The Paseo Arts District offers art galleries, a few boutiques and gift shops. A First Friday gallery walk is held each month. Nearby, check out Cheever’s Cafe, 2409 N. Hudson St. (try the shaved brussels sprout and kale salad, and the roasted pecan ice cream ball for dessert).

Terrific pho noodle soup is on the menu at the Vietnamese restaurant Pho Lien Hoa, 901 NW 23rd St. And of course, do not miss Cattlemen’s Steakhouse, 1309 S. Agnew, where you’ll get one of the best steak dinners you’ve ever had.

A horse-and-buggy offers a free ride from the parking lot to the restaurant, steps away.

And go ahead and try the dish you’ll hear lots of other diners ordering: lamb fries. It’s a nice name for a tasty dish of lamb testicles.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

51

Follow rules to collect travel insurance If you’re starting to think of your big get better by the time you’re supposed to summer trip, it’s time to start thinking leave. This limitation applies to any travelabout travel insurance. Beer in a family or group covcause what you buy and when ered by the insurance. you buy it often makes the dif• You must insure the “full ference between a great idea value” of the trip. But this reand a waste of money. quirement is a bit tricky. With Although various travel insome policies, this means the surance policies cover a lot of total cost, including refundcontingencies, there are only able components that you can two risks that could cost you recover or re-use. With oththousands of dollars: trip caners, you need cover only the cellation or interruption (TCI) nonrefundable components of and medical. The other stuff TRAVEL TIPS your trip. In any case, the policy may not allow you to cover can be handy, but it’s periph- By Ed Perkins only a portion of the value; eral. you can’t “round down” the trip cost to Pre-existing conditions concerns squeeze in under a lower insurance price With TCI and medical, the most fre- bracket. quent bone of contention between travel• If you add additional nonrefundable ers and insurance companies is the ques- payments later, you must increase the tion of pre-existing medical conditions. value of coverage, typically within 21 days Most travel insurance policies specifically of the added prepayments. exclude pre-existing medical conditions as • In any case, most policies clearly “covered reasons” for canceling or inter- cover only “unforeseen” circumstances, inrupting a trip and for a medical claim. cluding some that would normally be conBut most insurance companies specifi- sidered “covered” reasons. cally waive that exclusion provided you buy the insurance within a specified period Secondary coverage Coverage for almost all TCI and many after you make your first prepayment for the trip. The waiver period is generally a medical policies is secondary. That means week, 10 days, or two weeks, but a few the insurance covers only those payments companies extend it to as much as 30 days. that you can’t first recover from your airA waiver for the exclusion for pre-exist- line, cruise line, resort, tour operator, or ing conditions does not add a penny to the other medical insurance.

Moreover, some secondary insurance cost of the insurance; it’s just something you have to do soon after you start arrang- requires that you pay up front for whatever ing your trip. But a few caveats are impor- out-of-pocket expenses you encounter while traveling, and subsequently ask the tant: • With any policy, you must be physical- travel insurance company or your regular ly able to travel on the day you buy the in- health insurance for reimbursement. surance. You can’t buy insurance if you’re That’s probably not a problem for a quick unable to travel at the time but expect to doctor visit, but if you have to be hospital-

ized or buy an expensive one-way air ticket, paying the bill could amount to a big hit on your checking account or credit card.

Many travel insurance policies cover onsite medical expenses, as well as early return home. But to take advantage of the policy’s coverage, you have to follow the policy’s rules. And that almost always means going through the insurance company’s designated representative before you take on any initiative of your own.

If you need to return home early, for example, don’t just go out and buy a new airline ticket or charter a business jet. Instead, inform the insurance representative, who may say, “let me take care of that” rather than authorizing you to go

ahead. Money you spend without authorization may not ever be reimbursed.

Because of differences in the fine print, my recommendation is that you compare policies carefully and don’t blindly take whatever your airline, cruise line or tour operator suggests.

Most of the big online travel insurance agencies publish elaborate side-byside comparisons of different policies, including g1g.com, insuremytrip.com, quotewright.com, squaremouth.com, totaltravelinsurance.com, travelinsurancecenter.com and tripinsurancestore.com.

Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. © 2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Style

53

Arts &

Learn how Jerry Colbert produces the Memorial Day and Fourth of July concerts on the Mall. See story on page 57.

Peter Pan flies high at Toby’s in Columbia don) of the origin of the play.

And let us note that the play is definitely a fantasy for — to use another true cliché — kids of every conceivable age, who made up the audience at a recent Friday night performance. The youngest ones were happily glued to their seats as part of several two-and-three-generation families in attendance.

Fabulous cast As far as the stellar cast is concerned, MaryKate Brouillet soars, sings and leaps around in wonderful fashion as the young Peter Pan. She follows the tradition of women playing the flighty boy on stage (Mary Martin on Broadway and TV, Sandy Duncan, Mia Farrow and many others).

Through her glorious vocalizing, Ms. Brouillet sets the scene in the bedroom of the Darling kids, who soon will be flying away with her. She sings to them about “Neverland,” after boasting a bit with “I Gotta Crow,” and leads them up into the air with “I’m Flyin.’”

And once they all arrive in Neverland, there’s very little letup in song, and especially dance, as they get together with

PHOTO BY JERI TIDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY

By Robert Friedman Wild Indians, bungling pirates and kids who know what’s important (not growing up) are whooping, flailing and flying all over the small stage at Toby’s in the dinner theater’s gleeful and invigorating Peter Pan. The inspiring energy — which has been achieved in a very disciplined form through terrific choreography, strong vocalizing and faultless acting — almost never lessens in this production.

Of course, the musical (based on J.M. Barrie’s classic story) is packed with by now somewhat clichéd wisdom: that imagination born in childhood fades in “maturity;” that individual freedom eventually gives way to family and society; that the vitality of the “moment” should be as treasured as the remembered past and the anticipated future.

And critics have negatively noted that Native Americans get a rough going-over in the play: they’re called “Redskins” (sound derisively familiar?) and made to ugh and wug around the stage.

Still, and all, let’s consider the time (1903) and the place (Scotland and Lon-

Peter Pan, played by MaryKate Brouillet, and the Darling children, played by Anderson Franco, Katie Tyler and Jace Franco, fly through the nursery before heading to Neverland in Toby’s Dinner Theatre’s production of Peter Pan, playing through June 12.

these imaginary home-away-from-home inhabitants, i.e., the Lost Boys, the Wild Indians, and Captain Hook and his Pirates.

The ensemble dancing, especially in “Hook’s Tango,” “Indian Dance,” “I Won’t

Grow Up,” and “Ugh-A-Wug,” is very special. I imagine major credit for the marvelous dancing — besides to the dancers, See PETER PAN, page 54

54

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Peter Pan

BEACON BITS

May 13+

JEWISH BROADWAY TRIBUTE

From page 53

The Fun and Fancy Theater Group of Leisure World will present a tribute to the many Jewish composers and lyricists who have won Tony Awards for their musicals. A Walk on Jewish Broadway will feature a 23voice chorus and a four-piece band, including violin virtuoso Vladimir Gamarnik, and will run from Friday, May 13 through Sunday, May 15. The performances will take place in the Clubhouse 2 auditorium at Leisure World, located at 3701 Rossmoor Blvd., Silver Spring, Md. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased in Clubhouse 1, located at 3700 Rosmoor Blvd., Silver Spring, Md. For more information, call (301) 598-3534.

themselves — must go to choreographer Mark Minnick, who also directed the play along with Toby Orenstein.

Further credit, I imagine, should also go to the great Jerome Robbins, who originally choreographed and directed the 1954 Broadway production.

Dual roles FREE CHORAL CONCERT

May 13

The Encore Chorales of Schweinhaut Senior Center and the Washington Conservatory of Music present a free choral concert called “With a Song in My Heart” on Friday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m.

The combined 140-person chorale will present a program that includes a medley of Rodgers and Hart pieces, blues favorites by Hoagy Carmichael, and a medley from the Broadway show Guys and Dolls. The concert will take place at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, located at 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Md. No ticket is required. Doors open at 7 p.m., and seating is on a firstcome basis. For more information, visit http://encorecreativity.org, call (301) 261-5747 or email info@encorecreativity.org.

Veteran actor David Boszley-Reynolds deserves kudos for his dual role as the somewhat cranky family father, Mr. Darling, and the mean, blustery Captain Hook (who, however, I would have liked to see portrayed a bit more despicably).

Special mention should also be made of Katie Tyler, who shines sweetly as Wendy, the surrogate mom of the Neverland kids; David James as Smee, Captain Hook’s nutty first matey; Amanda Leigh Corbett, as the Indian maiden Tiger Lily, who

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May 22

VISION SEMINAR

May 3+

MALL-WALKING PROGRAM

Vision Matters presents “The Remarkable Retina: Understanding Disorders of the Macula and More,” a free seminar, on Sunday, May 22 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, located at 9901 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, Md. For more information, contact Debbie Sokobin at (301) 348-3760 or dsokobin@jccgw.org.

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dances up several storms; and Heather Marie Beck, who plays Mrs. Darling when she’s not slithering across the floor as the Crocodile, which has a special taste for Captain Hook.

The crocodile has bitten off the captain’s arm, causing him to attach his famous curved metal hand. Luckily for the captain, the croc has also swallowed a ticktocking clock, so Hook is always aware when it closes in for another bite.

The assorted giraffes, lions, living and breathing trees, Indians, pirates, and big and little kids are all first-rate. The hidden orchestra led by Brandon Fullenkamp swings and sways with precision.

Considering the small space available, the set designs by David Hopkins are well evocative of, among other settings, Indian pow-wows and pirates’ dens. The lighting design by Lynn Joslin and sound engineering by Mark Smedley give giddy stage life to the firefly-like Tinker Bell.

What does not fully pan out, however, is the somewhat confusing pirate-ship scene, in which planks are walked and a bomb is thrown to unbluster Captain Hook forever.

Be prepared for an intermission-and-ahalf, between Act I and Act II, while the actors (who double as servers) collect payment for the dinner bills. But when the play finally becomes the thing again, get ready for fun and fantasy that even old fogies can enjoy as kids again.

Peter Pan is onstage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre through June 12. Tickets, which include a matinee champagne brunch or dinner buffet, cost $50 to $60 for adults (depending on performance) and $41.50 for children 12 and under.

The theatre is located at 5900 Symphony Woods Rd., in Columbia. For tickets, call (301) 596-6161. More information is available at www.tobysdinnertheatre.com.

2016 SUMMER SEASON

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Virginia Hospital Center presents an ongoing free mall-walking program at Ballston Common Mall on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The kickoff event will take place on Tuesday, May 3. The mall is located at 4238 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. For more information, call (703) 558-6859.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Alban Gerhardt

Leila Josefowicz

Nathalie Stutzmann

The Beach Boys

Alban Gerhardt plays Elgar Vaughan Williams’s Symphony No. 4 Sir James MacMillan, conductor Alban Gerhardt, cello

MACMILLAN: The Sacrifice Three Interludes ELGAR: Cello Concerto VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No. 4 THU., MAY 12 AT 7 | FRI., MAY 13 AT 8 | SAT., MAY 14 AT 8 May 12: AfterWords free post-concert discussion

Leila Josefowicz plays Salonen Symphonies by Schumann and Haydn

Forever Gershwin Steven Reineke, conductor Celebrate the timeless music of George Gershwin, including selections from his opera Porgy and Bess, with Tony®-nominated baritone Norm Lewis, soprano Alicia Hall Moran, Blue Note recording artist baritone José James, pianist Jason Moran, and the acclaimed Heritage Signature Chorale. Part of Jason+.

FRI., JUNE 17 AT 8 | SAT., JUNE 18 AT 8

Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Leila Josefowicz, violin

The Beach Boys Vinay Parameswaran, conductor You can capsulize most pop music acts by reciting how many hits they’ve had and how many millions of albums they’ve sold. But these conventional measurements fall short when you’re assessing the impact of The Beach Boys. In addition to founding Beach Boy Mike Love (lead vocals) and Beach Boy vet Bruce Johnston (vocals/keyboards)—Jeffrey Foskett (guitar/vocals), Brian Eichenburger (bass/vocals), Tim Bonhomme (keyboards/vocals), John Cowsill of The Cowsills (percussion /vocals), and Scott Totten (guitar/ vocals) round out the band.

HAYDN: Symphony No. 104, “London” SALONEN: Violin Concerto SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 4 THU., JUNE 2 AT 7 | FRI., JUNE 3 AT 8 | SAT., JUNE 4 AT 8 June 2: AfterWords free post-concert discussion

Nathalie Stutzmann sings Mahler Bruckner’s “Romantic” Symphony

TUE., JULY 19 AT 8

Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Nathalie Stutzmann, contralto

MAHLER: Rückert-Lieder BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4, “Romantic” THU., JUNE 9 AT 7 | FRI., JUNE 10 AT 8 | SAT., JUNE 11 AT 8 No late seating until intermission.

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.

ALL PERFORMANCES IN THE CONCERT HALL

The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by Victoria and Roger Sant.

The Blue Series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation.

Forever Gershwin is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additional support for the 2015–2016 NSO Pops Season is provided by The Honorable Barbara H. Franklin and Mr. Wallace Barnes.

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Memorial Day

BEACON BITS

May 15

FREE PIANO CONCERT

From page 1

The Washington Piano Society presents a free spring concert on Sunday, May 15 at 3 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church, located at 9545 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Md. The concert features both four-hand and solo pieces by Grieg, Debussy, Chopin, and Liszt. A reception will follow. No advance tickets are required. For more information, visit www.dcpianosociety.org or call (301) 793-1863.

Ongoing

DRESS (OTHERS) FOR SUCCESS

The Northern Virginia Clothing Closet is looking for volunteers to assist in their clothing closet for the Training Futures program.

The closet serves as a resource for adult students by providing professional attire for job searching and interviews. Volunteers are needed to oversee “Dress Days,” coordinate monthly donations of business clothes, and organize the donations.

Volunteers should commit to 4 to 6 daytime, weekday hours per week.

Scheduling is flexible. For more information or to sign up, visit www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp2109009.jsp.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

plays bass, is named after that character.

It performs at veterans events.

After Ossie Davis, who had hosted the Memorial Day concert for 11 years, passed away, Mantegna was invited to lead it. He proposed that Sinise would make a good co-host because of his work with veterans.

The collaboration has even led to Sinise’s latest TV role, as the star of “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” on CBS, a spinoff of Mantegna’s long-running “Criminal Minds” show.

Mantegna introduced his “Criminal Minds” executive producer to Sinise at last year’s concert. “When she came up with the idea for a spinoff, he was kind of a natural choice for her.

“In a way, the Memorial Day concert helped make that happen. So we’re not only next to each other on stage, we’re back to back on Wednesday nights on CBS.” Sinise also starred in “CSI:NY” for 10 seasons.

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Mantegna has been playing FBI agent David Rossi on “Criminal Minds” since 2007. An Italian-American, Mantegna early on shaped the character’s background to be similar to his own.

“I thought if this thing has legs, I’ll be doing this character for a long time, and I want to be able to draw on as much as I’m familiar with as possible,” he said.

“I’ve shot over 200 hours of it as this character. So it’s been nice to be able to tap into parts of Joe Mantegna, which is easy enough. I just say, well, what kinds of foods does he like to eat? Does he like cooking? Soccer?”

He also voices mobster Fat Tony on “The Simpsons,” a character that has recurred about once a year since 1991.

Acting was all Mantegna ever imagined as a profession. “I’m lucky that at 16 years old I knew what I wanted to do,” he said.

“That hasn’t changed. I still enjoy it. I’ve been doing it professionally for more than 40 years.”

Asked what his favorite memories have been, he cites winning the Tony Award for his starring role in Glengarry Glen Ross on Broadway in 1984.

He was also excited to play one of his idols, Dean Martin, in the 1998 TV movie The Rat Pack. His daughter Gia, also an actor, appeared with him in an episode of “Criminal Minds.”

“I’ve got no complaints. It’s been a wonderful career. I have nothing to regret or feel there’s more that I want,” he said. “If it all ended tomorrow, I’d say it’s been a good ride.”

BEACON BITS

May 17

ONLINE GENEAOLOGICAL ANSWERS

Mount Vernon Genealogical Society presents a free seminar exploring the ways the Internet can resolve genealogical questions on Tuesday, May 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. Genealogist Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D. will suggest online sources and research strategies for tracing ancestors who seem to disappear and reappear. The talk will take place at the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society meeting in Room 112 of the Hollin Hall Senior Center, located at 1500 Shenandoah Rd., Alexandria, Va. For more information, visit www.mvgenealogy.org or call (703) 768-4101.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

57

He’s behind the Mall’s patriotic concerts

By Barbara Ruben Without Jerry Colbert, there would be no crowds of hundreds of thousands on the National Mall, no swelling strings of the National Symphony Orchestra in the al fresco concerts broadcast live to millions of homes on PBS, no roster of celebrities celebrating the country’s most patriotic holidays.

Colbert is the founder and executive producer of both the Memorial Day and Capitol Fourth concerts for PBS. He’s responsible for everything from lining up an impressive array of stars for the stage, to coordinating myriad layers of security, to wrangling funds to keep the concerts beaming live through PBS stations across the country.

It all started 35 years ago. Colbert, who was already producing pieces for PBS, heard that the National Symphony Orches-

tra would be playing its first concert on the lawn of the Capitol for the Fourth of July.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t this be a great event for the country?’ It’s become a blessing and an institution,” said Colbert, who is 73 and lives in Bethesda, Md. Eight years after the first July 4th concert, the inaugural Memorial Day show was performed.

Highly rated The shows are hugely popular, both consistently ranking in the top four PBS primetime shows broadcast each year.

Last year, “A Capitol Fourth” was the second-most popular show (only outranked by “Downton Abbey”), and the “National Memorial Concert” was number four. In fact, last year’s July 4th concert beat NBC’s coverage of Fourth of July fes-

BEACON BITS

May 21

FAIRFAX ANTIQUE CAR SHOW

The City of Fairfax Antique Car Show will be held on Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The show draws a wide variety of vehicles 25 years and older, and is held at Fairfax City Hall, located at 10455 Armstrong St. The show will feature bluegrass music, food by the Knights of Columbus, and 20 trophies sponsored by local businesses. For more information, visit www.visitfairfax.com or www.nvrg.org, or email info@nvrg.org.

May 13+

BONSAI DAY FESTIVAL

The National Arboretum presents the three-day National Bonsai Day Festival from Friday, May 13 through Sunday, May 15. There will be activities for all ages and levels, including a beginner’s workshop, demonstrations, special exhibits, museum tours, vendors, children’s activities, and drawings of trees. Admission is free, but some programs have fees.

The Arboretum is located at 3501 New York Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.potomacbonsai.com or www.usna.usda.gov or call (202) 245-4523.

May 14+

AARP LUNCHEONS

AARP is holding two meeting luncheons in May. The first will take place on Saturday, May 14 at noon at the Sea Catch Restaurant, located at 1054 31st St. NW, Washington, D.C., featuring an à la carte menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, fish and chips and more. The price range is $15 to $19 plus tax and gratuity, and is cash only. The second luncheon will take place on Wednesday, May 18 at noon at Tony and Joe’s Seafood Pl., located at 3000 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. and features an à la carte menu of sandwiches, soups and salads. The price range is $8 to $18 plus tax and gratuity. For more information, contact chapter president Betty Jean Tolbert Jones at bettyjeantolbertjones@yahoo.com or (202) 554-0901.

tivities in New York.

“I felt pretty good about that, that a show on public television can beat NBC,” Colbert said.

Colbert spends the entire year working on the shows. “We’re constantly out there begging — that’s one big challenge,” he said of the annual search for funds from PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Park Service and private donors.

Another challenge is working through the labyrinth of permits and security issues, since so many players are involved.

“You’ve got the Capitol Police, the various Congressional oversight committees, Park Service police, PBS, National Symphony, Kennedy Center, the five military

services, the DC cops. The list goes on.”

Colbert said he hopes that viewers can find solace in the Memorial Day show. “I have a Biblical phrase from Isaiah that basically says, ‘Soothe the broken hearted and help those who mourn.’ I think that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We get a tremendous response from people, because someone is remembering their loved ones and praising them.”

Colbert recalled the story of one couple who watched a Memorial Day concert that focused on Korean War veterans. One woman wrote to Colbert saying that, although they had been married for 50 years, her husband had never spoken See MALL CONCERTS, page 58

58

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M AY 2 0 1 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Mall concerts

BEACON BITS

May 10

MAKE AND DONATE BLANKETS

From page 57

Montgomery Community Education is looking for volunteers to make blankets for sick and needy children. You may knit, crochet or quilt. (Yarn & fabric provided.) Date: May 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Extension Office, 18410 Muncaster Rd., Derwood, Md. Donations of acrylic yarn and fabric are gratefully accepted. For directions or for more information, call Pat at (301) 460-5451.

May 21

GAITHERSBURG BOOK FESTIVAL

The Gaithersburg Book Festival will take place on Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Gaithersburg City Hall, located at 31 S. Summit Ave. Over 100 best-selling and award-winning authors will participate in panel discussions and book signings. Other activities include interactive writing workshops, a Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Village, an announcement of short story contest winners, literary exhibitors and onsite book sales by Politics & Prose. Free admission, parking and accessible shuttle buses from Shady Grove Metro, 15903 Somerville Dr., Rockville, Md. and Lakeforest Mall, 701 Russell Ave., Gaithersburg, Md. For more information, visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org or call (301) 258-6350.

about his experiences in the war. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They stayed up all night, and he told her the whole story. They went through two pots of coffee as he told her about his harrowing adventures. She wrote us a thank-you note at dawn saying how much it had meant to him and to her, and how relaxed he was now,â&#x20AC;? Colbert said.

During another show, actor Forest Whitaker talked about a young veteran in the audience with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). â&#x20AC;&#x153;The young man [whose story had just been told] came up after the show and grabbed me and gave me a big hug. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You know, this is like Christmas for me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been through so much. All of a sudden Colin Powell is giving me a hug, and Forest Whitaker is hugging me and thanking me.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It was very moving.â&#x20AC;?

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Unlike the often sober and respectful tone of the Memorial Day concerts, those on the Fourth of July are â&#x20AC;&#x153;a big party for our nation,â&#x20AC;? Colbert said. This year will feature Tony Bergeron, Smokey Robinson, the Broadway cast of On Your Feet, Sutton Foster and Kenny Loggins, among other celebrities.

Among Colbertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special memories: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ray Charles came and did â&#x20AC;&#x153;America the

Beautifulâ&#x20AC;? on the millennium and blew it away. As he was singing, we had the fireworks, and it was a real moment that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never forget,â&#x20AC;? he recalled.

Another year, the skies opened up with a torrential downpour during a concert that featured the Pointer Sisters. They performed holding umbrellas, but still got drenched. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think their dresses actually shrank they got so wet,â&#x20AC;? Colbert laughed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because of it, the authorities were able to give us enough money to get a new band shell, because the one we had was so small it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cover the performers. What a wild day that was.â&#x20AC;?

Colbertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son Michael has worked with him as a producer for 15 years in their company called Capital Concerts. While the elder Colbert isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ready for retirement, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cut back his frenetic pace in coordinating the concerts, giving more responsibility to his son.

But Colbert has invested so much of himself in the concerts for so long, he just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see stepping away entirely. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody feels this is really substantive. So much of the stuff coming out of Hollywood is just show business or commercial. The Grammys are selling music, and the Academy Awards are promoting movies,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing something for the country you couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do on a commercial network.

We all feel pretty good about it.â&#x20AC;?

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Sage advice for my grandchild yet to be Four old birds meet for coffee. They disDear Grandchild That I Don’t Have Yet: pense with the reading of the minutes and Thank you for the chance to help you get straight to business. with this homework assign“My grandson — the one in ment. I can’t see into the futhe second grade — just got a ture with certainty — no one homework assignment,” says can. But I can give you some Bird One. educated guesses about what “Homework in the second you can expect over the next grade?,” grumps Bird Two. few decades. Based on that, “No wonder the country is I’m happy to give you some going to hell.” advice.

“You probably did the asYou’ll be living in a time of signment for him,” says Bird HOW I SEE IT technology. You already do.

Three, the hopeless cynic.

But you will also be living in a

By Bob Levey “What was the assigntime of massive population ment?,” asks Bird Four, who is always too growth. Those two worlds are going to colcurious for his own good (and looks a lot lide. They already do. like the guy who’s typing this).

The one thing that my generation did The assignment: interview one’s grand- very, very well was to extend the average father. The topic: What advice would he life span. Human beings now live far give to his grandchild? longer than any humans ever have. Gosh, “I told him to marry someone pretty neither of my grandfathers lived to be 65. and rich,” says Bird One. Now you can pick up a magazine and see “Invest in anything Apple makes,” says 75-year-olds training for marathons. It has Bird Two. been a real revolution.

“Buy beachfront property in Nevada,” But the planet hasn’t gotten any bigger, says Bird Three, who has been predicting and our resources haven’t gotten any a major California earthquake for ages. more plentiful. You take food and water for “I’m going to answer in print,” says Bird granted. So do I. Always have. But that Four. might not be possible by the time you get The other birds say, with utmost sincer- to be my age. ity, that they can hardly wait. Now they See BOB LEVEY, page 61 don’t have to...

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Arlington Philharmonic presents a free professional symphony orchestra concert called “Inspired by…” on Sunday, May 8 at 3 p.m. The concert will feature Ibert’s “Hommage a Mozart,” themes by Carl Maria von Weber, and a piano solo by Rachel Franklin, and will take place at Washington and Lee High School, located at 1301 N. Stafford St., Arlington, Va. Tickets are not required, but a $20 donation is suggested. For more information, visit www.arlingtonphilharmonic.org.

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M AY 2 0 1 6 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Across 1. Auto co. formed in 1954 by the (then) largest merger in US history 4. Woodshop tools 8. Perlman partner, on early Cheers 12. New York region, “South of Houston Street” 14. Mouse catcher 15. Arch enemy 16. Whale hunter 17. Opera highlight 18. Curb one’s enthusiasm 19. He took his first cuts on 2/20/1816 22. Visit the school nurse 23. Make hush puppies 24. Springfield widower 25. It was actually signed in Portage des Sioux, Missouri on 12/30/1816 32. Radical 1960’s grp.

33. Nordic name 34. “Too much is ___ enough” 35. Picks paper or plastic 37. With averted eyes 39. Miniature 40. ___ let the dogs out?

41. Got out of control 42. “Aunt” homophone, to some 43. Indianan milestone, on 12/11/1816 49. Pickle protector 50. “La-la” lead-in 51. Apple option 52. Political result of 1816 58. Early calculators 59. Frequent flyer reward 60. Ruination 61. Lets off steam 62. Folk song canal; in some versions it goes for “15 miles” 63. Plant that produces a blue dye 64. Pub licks 65. Wyoming city, named for Buffalo Bill 66. Man-tracking org.

1. Blind ___ 2. Knitter’s material 3. Flapper dance

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4. Like a cloudless night 5. Seasonal desert stream 6. Dickens character 7. Mineral springs 8. Sex drive 9. Sometime soapdish shape 10. In brief, the N in NCAA or NAACP 11. Musical series that ended in 2015 13. LOBBY center 15. Becomes tangled 20. Newt growth: eggs ... tadpoles ... ___ ... adults 21. Admittance 26. Handbills and billboards 27. His highest grossing movie was 1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood 28. Folk song mule; in some versions she works for “15 years” 29. Non-trinity Christians 30. What evolution and religion have in common 31. Pigpen 35. Complete the layaway plan 36. Greek letter that looks like an “O” and an “I” combined 37. Unlike an egg, it could contain an X or a Y 38. It’s not black or white 39. Trinitrotoluene, imploded to three letters 41. Period of inactivity 42. His first Grand Slam win was in 1968 44. Leaves James Bond’s Aston Martin quickly 45. Hot and heavy 46. Day off play, for Ferris Bueller 47. Sport where love is worth nothing 48. Famous Ford failures 52. The number 4 synonym on Coffee.org 53. The first human to die 54. Lion’s main feature 55. Grp. of 13 non-European countries, with HQ in Vienna, Austria 56. Emperor after Claudius 57. Oldest of the four boxing sanctioning orgs.

Answers on page 59.

Answer: What he awaited when he won the marathon by a large margin -- A RIVAL ARRIVAL Jumbles: BRIAR GRAVE KILLER ADVICE

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Bob Levey From page 59 So the big struggle of your life will be political — finding ways to divvy up what we have so that everyone can have his or her fair share. And finding ways to harness technology so that it provides us with what we need, and doesn’t just provide us with Facebook.

This should be easy. It should work the way it does in the second grade. Everybody sits in a circle. Everyone gets a turn to speak. No one interrupts. They take a vote at the end. And everyone gets a snack once “circle time” is over.

Politics doesn’t work that way, unfortunately.

Many grown-ups think that the point of life is to outdo or outfox the other guy. They think that you’re only as good as the size of your house or the size of your bank account.

They compete endlessly to win at the game of life. They don’t really care about other people. They just care about a newer, bigger car and a newer, bigger beach house.

That way lies lots of political trouble, Dear Grandchild That I Don’t Have Yet. People who are shunted aside, or who are treated as if they don’t count, react the way you do when your brother gets more cookies than you. They cry ouch. They lash out.

Every war in history has started because someone is unhappy. I can’t promise you that you’ll never be unhappy. But I can promise you that war solves nothing.

Never has, never will.

What you and your pals need to do is use technology to make the world better for everybody.

Your generation will figure out how to use technology to cure cancer. To reduce or eliminate global warming. To build new and better businesses.

Yet technology can never replace people. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that sending a text message is the same as having a face-to-face conversation.

You are human. Revel in that, and use that fact to make friends, not enemies. That will be harder than ever, I realize, because so many young people never look up from their smartphones. But I know you can do it.

Oh, yes. One more thing. Don’t ever

Letters to editor From page 2 Dear Editor: I moved to a senior community in Howard County in 2014 after living in Annapolis for 12 years. The day after that year’s mid-term election, I asked at our community’s weekly coffee get-together, “How did you like the election?” No one answered — and I was dismayed when they seemed unaware it had taken place.

So much for any political discussions here!

I sincerely thank Stuart Rosenthal for his column “Political musings” in the April issue — and for his tactful and inspiring analysis of how blessed we are to have the “checks and balances” of our form of government.

I have voted for many years and never

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

have coffee with old birds. They aren’t as young as they used to be. And they never pick up the check.

Love and kisses, The Grandfather That You Don’t Have Yet. Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist. strayed from the principle that Thomas Jefferson so eloquently expressed, “Government to grow — liberty to yield.” I fear, however, that I am part of a minority in Howard County and the state of Maryland.

Instead of voicing my personal political views, I will try to emulate Mr. Rosenthal on espousing the importance of people becoming engaged in choosing our leaders.

I look forward to seeing the “Voters Guide” for the November elections. Furnishing addresses and phone numbers of our elected officials should continually be a part of the media’s responsibilities. More often than not, we go to the polls unaware of the candidates’ history and attributes.

Our freedoms are too precious to lose.

Barbara Green Elkridge

WB 5/16

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COMPUTER LESSONS – Personal Computer training at your home. Email, Internet, general computer use. Windows 10, Smartphone, tablet, digital cameras. Learn at your own pace with gentle & patient teacher. Troubleshooting & setup new computers. Since 1996. Senior Discount. Call David, 301-762-2570, COMPUTERTUTOR.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate NORTH POTOMAC VILLAGE CONDOMINIUM – $274,900. Price reduced by $10K! 62 y.o.+ community. Sunny, quiet/wooded, rear corner 2BR/2FB apt. in secure elevator building with underground garage parking. Updated kitchen appliances, carpeting. Balcony, gas cooking, heat. Handicap accessible. Conveniently located across from Kentlands. Nr. Seneca PT & Wellness Center. Michael Greenberg, Weichert, Realtors. 301-674-7928.

WESTERN PA: RUSTIC HOUSE, barn, nut grove, approximately 28 acres. New septic. Summer place or hunting camp. $182,900. 567 Wilt Hollow, Zip 15559. 410-461-5908.

LEISURE WORLD® – $374,000. 2 BR+ Den, 2 FB “KK” Model in “Overlook.” Huge enclosed balcony, open table space kitchen with passthrough to separate dining room, 1510 sq ft.

Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

Caregivers

LEISURE WORLD® – $274,900. 2BR, 2 FB + Garage “E” Model in Villa Cortese, new paint and carpet, large enclosed balcony, 1340 sq ft.

Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

“A” HOME HEALTH CARE – Experienced nurses, CNA, GNA are available 24/7. Cooking, companionship, personal care, housekeeping, driving. Full/Part-time or live-in. Flat rate for live-in care. 15 years experience. 240-533-6599.

LEISURE WORLD® – $114,900. 1 BR 1 FB “A” in “Fairways.” New paint, upgraded carpet, walk-in shower, 5 yr old HVAC, 850 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

I WILL CARE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES night/day. Own transportation. Good references.

Lots of experience. 301-502-2258.

LICENSED PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVER – 25 years experience available for long-term work. Please call Babeth at 240-351-7295.

ELDERLY CARE – FEMALE care provider, English speaking, with car. I cook, clean and take to all appointments. I’m experienced in caring for people with MS, Alzheimer’s and other health problems. Excellent references. 301-2757283.

FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA CAREGIVER – Licensed Nursing Assistant and Medication Technician. Excellent references provided. Assistance with all personal and medical needs.

Warm, kind, and gentle care. Excellent references provided. 703-727-5861.

LEISURE WORLD® – $139,000. 2 BR 1FB 2HB “Berkeley” townhouse coop, new paint, new carpet, backs to open space, Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® – $274,900. 2 BR 2FB + Garage “O” Model in Fairways. Golf Course view. Enclosed balcony, 1138 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® – $379,000. 2 BR 2FB + Den + Garage “F” Model in Villa Cortese. Table space kitchen, separate dining room, enclosed balcony. 1490 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

HYGIENE CARE, MEAL PREPARATION, Housekeeping, Errands, Appointments, Medication reminders, Companionship. I’m a loving, experienced, trusted caregiver available for FT/PT or Live-In care for a flat rate. Call 301490-1146.

LOOKING TO TAKE THE LEAP? I’ll take you on a tour of the community, show you floor plans, discuss campus amenities, & offer how to best coordinate your move. I will set up an automated online search for you, preview units, and contact you to arrange a showing when there is a match. I also offer exceptional service selling your home.

I’m a Seniors Specialist, Buyer Broker, Top 1% of Agents Nationwide, and a Leisure World resident!

You can see my current listings in this issue. Contact me: 301-580-5556, SueHeyman@aol.com, www.SueHeyman.com, Weichert Realtors.

COMPASSIONATE CAREGIVER – Companion available now to care for your loved one.

Kind, devoted, dependable and experienced with car and excellent references. Certified Mental Health Aide, Hospice and CPR. Please Call Sadie at 301-263-5695, kindly leave a message.

GET A FAST OFFER ON YOUR NOVA HOUSE today! We buy your house as is. No need to repair. No commissions. Free no-obligation consultation. Female owned, references.

Call 703-969-5847 or email IBuyFairfaxHouses@gmail.com.

CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT – 17 years experience working in Nursing Home/Assisted Living. Very reliable/flexible caregiver.

Excellent references. CPR/own car and legal.

Please call, 240-645-2528. Ready for work anytime.

LOOKING FOR LOVING, CARING, compassionate, dependable and reliable one with years of experience and references for your loved ones? Have experience with MS, Alzheimer’s diabetics and other health problems. Please call Brigitte @ 301-908-9134.

For Sale CEMETERY SITES AT MT. LEBANON George Washington Memorial Gardens in Adelphi, Md. 2 sites at discount $1,500 per site. Contact Mr. Harris, hsaaba@aol.com; Cell, 301-655-0606.

FORT LINCOLN CEMETERY. Holy Trinity Section. Last two side-by-side plots overlooking landscape with mature trees. Current value, $8,918. Sale price, $6,500. Email for photo.

Fluxusart@yahoo.com. 301-233-1601.

2 MEDICAL WHEELCHAIRS, $300 each. 2 portable toilets, $100 each. Raised toilet seat with arms, $75. Blind cane, $30. Cash only. 202549-8801.

CEMETERY SITES AT GEORGE WASHINGTON Memorial Gardens in Adelphi, MD. Two sites at $1,500 per plot, or $2,500 for both. Please contact Marcia Massey at mbm1748@yahoo.com.

Cell, 301-412-7917.

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

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

Home/Handyman Services GARDEN ANGLE LANDSCAPING SERVICE: Lawn and yard cleanups etc. Hauling anything. For all your household needs, please give Robert a call at 240-477-2158 or 301-987-1277.

Free estimate.

Miscellaneous THE GOLDEN NETWORK offers Jewish seniors and retirees a variety of engaging programs, including lectures, classes, one-on-one learning in person and by phone, concerts, sing-alongs and more! For more information and details about upcoming events, call 301-732-1773, email info@goldennetwork.org, or see goldennetwork.org.

Personals CLASSY, INTELLIGENT, PROFESSIONAL JWDF, seeks her JWDM best friend (68-78) w/ like interests in music, theatre, books, sports, family, pets, food, ocean. Should also be working, well educated, cultured, want long-term relationship. Be well adjusted – no baggage. Mensch’s please email: stracomsol@hushmail.com.

Personal Services I PURCHASE GOLD AND SILVER JEWELRY and coins for my company Gold 4 Good. I will come to your home and provide a no-fee, noobligation estimate. If you decide to sell, I will transport you to and from my shop in Silver Spring. Local refer ences. Montgomery County license #2327. Call Bob, 240-938-9694.

READY TO DE-CLUTTER? Sort, donate, discard. Reasonable rates. Call Jan, 301-933-7570.

HOUSE CLEANING SERVICE – Looking to clean house. Good reference and experience.

Please call Vio, 301-706-6317.

PIANO LESSONS FOR AGES 9 TO 90! Regret not learning to play the piano as a child? Or have a child who has been begging for lessons?

Want to learn without the stress of recitals and auditions? I teach beginners from 9 to 90. Studied piano at University of Maryland and Washington Conservatory of Music. Patient, understanding. My Kensington home. Very reasonable rates. Email for more information: bla ckandwhitekeys4U@gmail.com or call 301-942-2589.

Wanted 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.

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.

SELL YOUR GOLD AND SILVER JEWELRY and old coins. Licensed dealer in Silver Spring buys gold and silver. I will meet you at your home or bank, analyze your jewelry, or coins, and tell you how much I can pay if you should decide to sell. No fees or obligation. Call Bob, 240-9389694. Gold 4 Good. 8431 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring. License #2327. I have references.

CASH FOR RECORDS, CDs, DVDs AND TAPES. Best price guaranteed. Free appraisals.

All types of music, 33, 45, 78 & CDs. Call Steve 301-646-5403. Will make house calls.

ESTATE SALES, ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES: One call solves it all when you hire us to handle your estate sale, estate liquidation and home cleanout. We provide a variety of services to help you sell your treasures. We run wildly popular estate sales, purchase estates, offer consignment options and clean out homes. We serve greater Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia region. No home is too pac ked for us to handle! We are always looking for Antiques, Advertising, Fine Art, Asian Decorative Arts, Rare Books, Collectibles, Coins, Curiosities, Vintage Electronics, Furniture (Mid Century Modern and Antique), Decorative Glass, Historical Artifacts, Hollywood Memorabilia, Jewelry (gold, silver, fine and costume jewelry for men and women), Military, Records, Sterling Silver, Sports Memorabilia, Vintage Toys, Western and Southwestern items and so much more. Learn more about us at www.OrionAttic.com. Contact Chris at 202-731-9447.

WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins, etc. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack, 301279-2158.

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

GOT PENS? LONG-TIME COLLECTOR seeks fountain pens. Free appraisals of your pens, information about restoring them, and always looking to buy or trade for fountain pens, especially Sheaffer, Eversharp, and Waterman fountain pens. David, 301-221-6596.

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

HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES, JEWELRY, ESTATES. I have been advertising in the Beacon for 20 years. Montgomery County resident – will travel to D.C., MD, VA. Buying following items: Furniture, art, jewelry, gold, sterling silver, old coins, vintage pocket and wrist watches, old tools, books, camera, military items – guns, rifles, knives, pocket knives, swords etc.

Also buying: old toys, dolls, trains, comic books, photographs, autographs, musical instruments, guitars, violins, etc. Also old sports memorabilia and equipment – baseball, golf, football, fishing etc. Please call Tom at 240-476-3441.

CASH FOR ESTATE BUYOUTS, estate clean-outs, jewelry to furniture, one item or whole estate. Free Estimate, Will Travel. 301520-0755.

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. We make house calls. Ask for Tom. Call anytime 301-654-8678 or 301-654-0838.

STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHS purchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, covers, paper memorabilia. Stamps are my specialty – highest price paid! Appraisals. Phone Alex, 301309-3622. Stampex1@gmail.com.

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 fro m 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, 301-2798834. Thank you.

Classifieds cont. on p. 63

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 6

Wanted MILITARY ITEMS WANTED: Collector seeks to purchase military uniforms; flight jackets, patches, insignia, medals, etc. from the Civil War through Vietnam. Especially seeking U.S. Army Air Corps, USMC, Airborne, and German/Japanese/Italian items from WWII. ALSO BUYING old Boy Scout, Airline Items, Toys, Lighters. Call Dan, 202-841-3062.

LADY WHO LOVES DISHES and figurines wants to buy yours. Especially Royal Copenhagen, Deco Noritake, Limoges, Herend and English bone china. Do you have a collection of cup and saucers, dog and cat figurines, Royal Doulton ladies or salt and pepper shakers? Also mid-century Scandinavian ceramics and glass, Asian items, silver, paintings and costume jewelry. Anything else old and interesting, please cal l me. 301-785-1129.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Wanted 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.

WE PAY CASH for antique furniture, quality used furniture, early American art, pottery, silver, glassware, paintings, etc. Single items to entire estates. Call Reggie or Phyllis at DC 202-726-4427, MD 301-332-4697.

GET A FAST OFFER ON YOUR NOVA HOUSE today! We buy your house as is. No need to repair. No commissions. Free no-obligation consultation. Female owned, references.

Call 703-969-5847 or email IBuyFairfaxHouses@gmail.com.

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 20th 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 $15 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $35 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:

Thanks for reading the Beacon!

The Beacon, D.C. Classified Dept.

P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 For information about display advertising, or to request a media kit, call (301) 949-9766.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies

Diabetes Clinical Studies . . . .25 Cognitive Impairment Study . .25 Optimal Research . . . . . . . . . .25

Computer Classes

Hearing Services Auditory Services, Inc .............16 Mendelson Group.....................27 Sound Hearing Centers ............26

Home Health Care

Friedman, Stephen, DDS .........22 Oh, Judy, DDS .........................30 Sklar, Andrew, DDS .................27

A Second Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . . .13 Elder Caring .............................18 Holy Cross Homecare & Hospice .............................24 Home Care Assistance . . . . . .29 Options for Senior America .....48

Employment

Home Services

55+ Employment Program .......39

Camden Enterprises . . . . . . . .39 Conquer the Clutter..................15 Dan Kugler’s Design Center................52, 64 Homefix Custom Remodeling ...7 In Order....................................29

JCA SeniorTech ....................8-11

Dental Services

Events Beacon 50+ Expo.....................56 GROWS ...................................42 Journey to Hope Conference....30 Vision Matters 2016.................41

Financial Services Capital Bank...............................4 Car-J .........................................36 Children’s National Hospital....39 Eversafe......................................5 Group Benefit Resources...........7 PENFED Credit Union ............37

Funeral Services Fram Monuments .....................41 Going Home Cremation...........38

Government Services DC Board of Elections .............43 DC Office on Aging ...........31-34 Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services ................40 Montgomery County Senior Nutrition Program.......14

Housing Almost Home Senior Living ....21 Arden Courts............................18 Ashby Ponds.......................16, 60 Aspenwood Senior Living........19 The Bonifant at Silver Spring ..27 Brooke Grove Retirement Village ...................................23 Buckingham’s Choice ..............56 Charles E. Smith Life Communities .................44 Chesterbrook Residences .........16 Churchill Senior Living ...........21 Culpepper Garden ....................44 Fairhaven ..................................24 Falcons Landing .......................17 Friendship Terrace....................19 Glover Park Senior Living .......57 Greenspring........................16, 60

Homecrest House .....................41 Olney Assisted Living..............24 Park View .................................42 Potomac Place ..........................56 Quantum Property Mgmt...........59 Riderwood..........................16, 60 Senior Quality Home Care.......13 Springvale Terrace....................43 Tribute at the Glen ...................22 Tribute at Heritage Village.......22 Village at Rockville ...................6 Waltonwood .............................48

Legal Services Law Firm of Evan Farr.............37 Law Offices of Paul Riekhof ...36

Medical/Health Grace in Motion .......................24 Holy Cross Germantown Hospital ...................................3 Medical Eye Center..................50 Montgomery Medical Clinic....29 Providence Hospital .................18 SI Back Pain.............................15 Silver Spring Medical Center...19 Virginia Integrative Health.......13

Pet Care Sampson Smiles Pet Care ........28

Real Estate Long & Foster/Eric Stewart..38, 45 Long & Foster/Inderjeet Jumani ...................................37 Weichert/Doug Brasse .............20 Weichert/Sue Heyman..............40

Restaurants

Original Pancake House...........50

Retail/Pawn/Auction Five Colors .................................7 Four Sales LTD ........................43 Patriot Coins USA....................45 Quinn’s Auction Galleries ........40 WOW! Computer .....................46

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Communicare Health ...............20 Greenspring Rehab Services.................................30 HealthSouth Rehab Hospital....15 Manor Care Health Services ....14 Vitality to You ..........................26 Village at Rockville /My Potential.........................28

Subscriptions Beacon Subscription ................61 Capital Community News........58 Washington Jewish Week.........50

Theatre/ Entertainment Ford’s Theatre...........................53 National Symphony Orchestra ...............................55 Options Prime Time .................26 Toby’s Dinner Theatre ..............53 Wolf Trap .................................54

Tour & Travel Eyre Travel ...............................51 Festive Holidays .......................51 Tripper Bus ..............................49 US Navy Memorial ..................57 Vamoose...................................51 Walper Travel ...........................49 Yates Tours ...............................49

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