january 2014 | washington, dc beacon

By Barbara RubenAlthough Frank Gold suffered from

polio as a child, it didn’t stop him from be-coming a paratrooper in the Pacific duringWorld War II. A stroke a couple years ago slowed his

gait and slurred his speech. But like thedetermined, independent young man hewas in the 1940s, Gold, now 89, can’t imag-ine moving into a nursing home.Instead, he lives with his daughter in

Burke, Va., and joined InovaCares for Sen-iors’ PACE program. PACE, which standsfor Program of All-inclusive Care for theElderly, is designed to offer a home-basedalternative to nursing homes for olderadults who need skilled nursing care.The comprehensive program, affiliated

with the Inova Health System, offers an adultday program every weekday in Fairfax, Va.,with one-stop shopping for healthcare serv-ices. The center is staffed with a doctor,nurse, and physical and occupational thera-pists, and transportation is provided to theoffices of specialists affiliated with Inova.Two meals a day are provided, along with

social and recreational activities. When par-ticipants go home at day’s end, additionalhomecare, if needed, is also available. PACE manages the participants’ pre-

scriptions, provides transportation to andfrom the center, and offers respite careservices for family caregivers. “All the staff collaborate to keep people

living at home as long as possible,” saidRose Mario, manager of marketing andbusiness development for the program. “Do they need help bathing? Are they

going to need food on the weekend? Dotheir caregivers need a break? These areall things we look at,” Mario said. “There isno other model of care in Northern Vir-ginia like this.”In fact, while there are 90 similar PACE

programs across the country, there are noothers in the entire Washington metroarea, and none are planned in the near fu-ture, according to the National PACE As-sociation. The closest one is located in Bal-timore, affiliated with the Johns HopkinsBayview Medical Center. The Northern Virginia program opened

in 2012 and has 51 participants, with roomfor about 25 more.

To qualify for PACE, individuals mustbe 55 or older, need a nursing facility levelof care, and live in the program’s “servicearea,” which includes 45 Fairfax CountyZip codes, including those in Centerville,Herndon, Reston, Falls Church, McLean,Springfield, Vienna and Alexandria.The typical PACE participant is on aver-

age 80 years old, has eight medical condi-tions, and is limited in approximately threeactivities of daily living. Nearly half ofPACE participants have been diagnosedwith dementia, as well.

No place like homeWhile Gold needs help with several ac-

tivities of daily living, including such things

as bathing and dressing, he balked at livingin a nursing home after moving from Cali-fornia to be closer to his daughter.What sold Gold on PACE? “I liked the

idea that I can go home at night to my ownbed,” he said. “It makes you feel like you’renot in jail.”Gold, who enjoys piecing together intri-

cate jigsaw puzzles at PACE, serves as akind of unofficial welcome wagon for newmembers. “I’m very happy with the program. I think

it’s great, and I tell people that,” he said.Wayman Gooden has a similar view. Di-

agnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly 20

Oscar Fritz reaches to catch a ball during a session with a physical therapist at the InovaCares for Seniors’ PACE program. Based in Fairfax, the program is one of 90PACE programs nationwide that enable older adults with significant health needs tocontinue living in their own home rather than move to a nursing home.

The

I N F O C U S F O R P E O P L E O V E R 5 0More than 200,000 readers throughout Greater Washington

I N S I D E …

FITNESS & HEALTH 4k Gene therapy kicks cancerk Winter raises heart attack risk

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING 27k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

LAW & MONEY 31k 2014 stock outlookk A better return on savings

CAREERS & VOLUNTEERS 38k Inspiring young scientists

PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

See PACE, page 18

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A R T S & S T Y L EThe musical Gypsy offers up ablast of old Broadway; plus,singer Graham Nash’s newmemoir recalls his ‘60s roots,and Bob Levey warns againstgold diggers

page 47

L E I S U R E & T R A V E LWarm(er) winter destinationsbeckon; plus, a safari toBotswana’s Okavango Delta,and tips for getting a wheel-chair at the airport

page 41

A change of pace in healthcareVOL.26, NO.1 JANUARY 2014

F R E E

Most people I speak with — regardlessof their age — tell me they prefer reading areal newspaper (on paper)rather than a virtual one on acomputer screen.

They like the “old-fash-ioned” tactile experience,where they can turn thepages, skim the headlines,choose which ads to read, cliparticles of interest, and gener-ally feel like they have accom-plished something when theyare through. (You’re some-how never “through” with on-line media.)

Being the publisher of aprinted newspaper, it’s possible that I, per-haps unconsciously, choose to speak withpeople who are likely to agree with me onthis.

But there is evidence that a preferencefor reading on paper rather than screens iswidely shared. Scientific evidence. Scientif-ic American evidence, even.

In its November issue, that premier mag-azine of scientific research published an ar-ticle titled, “Why the Brain Prefers Paper.” Itreports that, in many studies conductedover the past 20 years, researchers havefound that people comprehend and recall

text better when it’s read on paper ratherthan a screen.

Compared with paper, peo-ple find reading on a computer,smartphone or tablet screen tobe more taxing — both men-tally and physically. Prolongedreading on screens also causesmore eyestrain, headachesand blurred vision than read-ing printed paper.

I think this is all true. Andwe like to point out these factswhen speaking with those adagencies and potential adver-tisers who believe that theonly place to advertise today

is online. (Obviously, advertisers you see in the

Beacon do not share that bias, for whichwe are grateful, as there would be no Bea-con without them.)

But even I have to admit that there aretimes and places where having access to abroad range of reading material in one’spocket can come in handy: waiting for atrain, sitting in a doctor’s office, standingin line and, as the British say, “on the loo.”

I own a smartphone and admit to usingit to read various news sources in those sit-uations. I also just obtained my first tablet

(an iPad). While I marvel at its beauty, Iam still figuring out how and when I willuse it. So why did I buy it?

Drum roll, please.Because the Beacon has recently un-

veiled our first “mobile app” for both tabletand smartphone users and, believe it or not,not a single member of our 13-person staffowned a tablet on which to check it out!

Let me pause for a moment to define “app”for the more technologically challengedfolks who may be reading this. An app (shortfor “application”) is a software program thatenables your smartphone or tablet to dosomething particularly useful for you.

For example, there’s an app to convertyour phone or tablet camera into a documentscanner, or its flash into a powerful flash-light, or to make your device function as analarm clock or stopwatch or radio or soundmachine or GPS or...well, you get the idea.

So what does the Beacon app enable youto do? Well, basically it provides versionsof our website, newspapers and ResourceGuides that are designed to be easier toread on a smartphone or tablet.

If you’re familiar with our website, youknow that it features many options, includ-ing feature articles from our four editions,blog posts from me and our managing edi-tor, an events calendar, comics, puzzles,videos and more.

Using a smartphone, you can open andview our website, but you’d better be hold-ing a magnifying glass if you want to readanything on it!

But now, if you access our websitethrough a smartphone or tablet, youshould get a message inviting you to down-load our free “mobile app,” which makes itmuch easier to scroll through a list of sto-ries and topics and to pick one article at atime to read.

You can also view our archives and selectany of our editions (Greater Washington,Greater Baltimore, Howard County, or PalmSprings, Calif.) to view them exactly as theyappear in print. You “flip” through the pagesby swiping the image with your finger.

Even though you can significantly ex-pand the size of the text (and ads) to makeviewing easier, I don’t think you’ll preferreading the Beacon in this manner to pick-ing up a paper. But the app can certainlygive you an overview, help you find some-thing from a past issue, or call up an ad toremind you of a special offer or phonenumber while you’re out and about.

And you may find reading our print edi-tions on a large tablet can be helpful, espe-cially if you’re out of town or otherwise un-able to pick up a printed copy now and then.

Our mobile app will also let you accessother sections of our website in a simple for-mat, such as videos, information about up-coming Expos, and the like. We will be addingmore functions to the app as time goes on.

Please don’t be alarmed. Our app willnot be taking the place of our printed prod-uct! You will continue to be able to pick upour paper from thousands of free local dis-tribution sites.

We do expect, however, that youngerpeople, travelers and out-of-towners willdiscover the Beacon more readily thanksto this app. In fact, we are already seeingsome evidence of this.

Our new app went “live” just a few weeksago, and we have not even announced itpublicly. This is my first reference to it inprint. But as I write this column, 127 peoplehave already downloaded it and another862 have visited our website using a tabletor a smartphone.

To download our app, visit http://bea-con.mobapp.at, or search for The BeaconNewspapers at the Apple App Store or theGoogle Play Store.

I will keep you informed as we makeprogress. And if you choose to read theBeacon on a mobile device, please returnthe favor: Let us know what you like (ordon’t like) about it, and what else you’dlike to see our new app do for you.

At your fingertips

FROM THEPUBLISHERBy Stuart P. Rosenthal

2 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedi cated to inform, serve, and en ter tain the citi zens of the GreaterWashington DC area, and is pri vate ly owned. Other edi-tions serve Greater Baltimore, Howard County, Md. andGreater Palm Springs, Calif. Readership exceeds 400,000.Subscriptions are available via first-class mail ($36) or

third-class mail ($12), pre paid with order. D.C. and Maryland residents: add 6 percent for sales tax. Send sub scrip tion order to the office listed below.

Publication of advertising contained herein doesnot necessarily con sti tute en dorse ment. Signedcol umns represent the opinions of the writers, andnot necessarily the opinion of the publisher.

• 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• Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory• Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King• Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock, ................................................Dan Kelly, Cheryl Watts

• Publishing Assistant ....................Rebekah Sewell

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915(301) 949-9766 • Email: [email protected]

Website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.comSubmissions: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial is the 10th of themonth preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 15th of the month preceding themonth of publication. See page 55 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions.

© Copyright 2014 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

BeaconThe

I N F O C U S F O R P E O P L E O V E R 5 0

Letters to the editorReaders are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressedin the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mailyour Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring,MD 20915, or email to [email protected]. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Dear Editor:In response to Bob Levey’s column in the

November Beacon (“Tackling the car keyissue with an elder,”) the issue of elders giv-ing up their cars in favor of using taxis isnot solely a matter of cost. There’s also thematter of convenience and practicality.

When a person goes to an appointmentby taxi, they can place a request in ad-vance for a pickup at a specific time. Thecab will arrive plus or minus about 15 min-utes. But an “as needed” call is likely totake a half hour for a response.

Then one has to get a taxi to returnhome. That requires carrying a cell phonebecause there are no longer pay phonesavailable.

How about grocery shopping? Pay a taxito wait while you do it? Have family takeyou or do it for you? Giant’s Peapod andSafeway’s similar service have a hefty min-imum order, plus a delivery charge. Andnot doing your own shopping is furthererosion of independence.

See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 36

WASH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com 3

For 20 years, Michael Maletta lived in fear. Because of the constant threat of seizures, there were days he was afraid to drive or go to work for his home improvement business.

Michael, 49, had averaged one to three seizures a year since his late 20s. Last year, after suffering four seizures in a single day, the Adelphi resident sought treatment at Holy Cross Hospital. “That’s what changed my life forever,” he says.

Holy Cross Hospital has one of the region’s most sophisticated epilepsy programs, led by neurologists specially trained in epilepsy. One of these epileptologists, Gregory Mathews, MD, started Michael down the path to a new life.

“I met Michael when he came into the hospital after having seizures,” says

Dr. Mathews. “Many times people come to us because their treatments aren’t controlling their seizures.With epilepsy, you needthe correct diagnosis

to know what you’re dealing with.” Much of this detective work is done in Holy Cross Hospital’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, with technologically advanced tests to pinpoint

where seizures originate in a patient’s brain.

With that data, Holy Cross Hospital’s epileptologists can respond with the proper treatment, which may involve medications, diet, implanted devices to control seizures or brain surgery.

The Right DiagnosisDuring Michael’s stay in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, the epilepsy team safely withdrew him from all medication and monitored and assessed his seizures when they occurred. “We learned that Michael’s epilepsy involved his entire brain throughout the seizure, so it was not treatable by surgery,” says Dr. Mathews. “But we could see he wasn’t taking the right type of medicine.”

A Permanent ImprovementIn just one admission to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Dr. Mathews and his team were able to diagnose the source of Michael’s seizures, prescribe the right medication and ultimately give Michael his life back.

Michael has been completely seizure-free since March, when he started his new medication. “I have such a clear head. I feel incredible. And I live completely without fear, thanks to Dr. Mathews and Holy Cross Hospital.”

To learn more about the Epilepsy Center at Holy Cross Hospital call 301-754-8266 or visit HolyCrossHealth.org/epilepsy

Long-time epilepsy sufferer is back in business and seizure-free.

View a video about Michael’s treatment at HolyCrossHealth.org/epilepsy-michaels-story

Gregory Mathews, MD Epileptologist Medical Director, EEG

F R E E P H Y S I C I A N L E C T U R E S

All lectures are held at Holy Cross Hospital, 1500 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910. To register or for more information, call 301-754-8800 or visit HolyCrossHealth.org.

Wednesday, March 26, 6 p.m.Neuro Interventional Treatments for Stroke James Jaffe, MD, Interventional Neuroradiology

Wednesday, April 30, 6 p.m.Kyphoplasty for Management of Acute Spinal Compression FracturesAnil Narang, DO, Neuroradiology

Wednesday, May 28, 6 p.m.Stroke PreventionShahid Rafiq, MD, Neurology

Wednesday, June 25, 6 p.m.What is Epilepsy?How Does It Affect You?Gregory Mathews, MD, Epileptology

Think Again.Think Holy Cross Hospital for some of the brightest minds in Neuroscience Care.

By Kathy MathesonNeed a hand lifting something? A robot-

ic device invented by University of Penn-sylvania engineering students can help itswearer carry an additional 40 pounds.

Titan Arm looks and sounds like part ofa superhero’s costume. But its creatorssay it’s designed for ordinary people —those who need either physical rehabilita-tion or a little extra muscle for their job.

In technical terms, the apparatus is anuntethered, upper-body exoskeleton. Tothe layman, it’s essentially a battery-pow-ered arm brace attached to a backpack.

Either way, Titan Arm’s cost-efficientdesign has won the student team acco-lades and at least $75,000 in prize money.

No longer science fiction“They built something that people can

relate to,” said Robert Carpick, chairmanof Penn’s mechanical engineering depart-ment. “And, of course, it appeals clearly towhat we’ve all seen in so many science-fic-

tion movies of superhuman strength beingendowed by an exoskeleton.”

The project builds on existing studies ofsuch body equipment, sometimes called“wearable robots.”

Research companies have built lower-body exoskeletons that help paralyzedpeople walk, though current models aren’tapproved for retail and can cost $50,000 to$100,000. [See “Exoskeletons enable para-lyzed to walk,” July 2013 Beacon, p. 8.]

The Penn students were moved by thepower of that concept — restoring mobilityto those who have suffered traumas — aswell as the idea of preventing injuries inthose who perform repetitive heavy-liftingtasks, team member Nick Parrotta said.

“When we started talking to physicaltherapists and prospective users, or peoplewho have gone through these types of in-juries, we just kept on getting more andmore motivated,” said Parrotta, now ingraduate school at the university.

So for their senior capstone project last

year, Parrotta and classmates ElizabethBeattie, Nick McGill and Niko Vladimirovset out to develop an affordable, light-weight suit for the right arm. They mod-eled pieces using 3-D printers and comput-er design programs, eventually makingmost components out of aluminum, Beat-tie said.

The final product cost less than $2,000and weighs 18 pounds — less than thebackpack that Beattie usually carries. Ahandheld joystick controls motorized ca-bles that raise and lower the arm; sensorsmeasure the wearer’s range of motion tohelp track rehab progress.

Help for grandparentsSince its unveiling, Titan Arm has won

the $10,000 Intel Cornell Cup USA and the$65,000 James Dyson Award, an interna-tional award for engineering design.

The resulting publicity generated a slewof interest from potential users, includinggrandparents who find it hard to lift their

grandchildren. “We found out that somepeople can’t even lift a cast-iron pan tocook dinner,” McGill said.

Experts say the aging population repre-sents a potentially big customer base forexoskeletons, which originally were re-searched for military applications.

“There is certainly a market, but it’sslowly emerging because the systems arenot perfect as yet,” said Paolo Bonato, di-rector of the Motion Analysis Lab atSpaulding Rehabilitation Hospital inBoston.

Titan Arm’s design impressed Yong-LaePark, an assistant professor of robotics atCarnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh,who watched a video demonstration. Henoted, though, that its low cost representsparts only, not the salaries or marketingbuilt into the price of other products.

Park’s research is focused on makingexoskeletons less noticeable — “more like


IN A NUTSHELLRegular nut eaters live longer (and arethinner), plus have fewer diseases

ARE FEARS INHERITED?Genes may pass information to off-spring about traumatic experiences

WINTER HEART ATTACKSCold temps, snow shoveling andovereating raise winter heart attack risk

BUBBLING WITH BENEFITSFermented foods, from pickles tocheese, have many health benefits

HealthFitness &

First successful gene therapy for cancerBy Marilynn Marchione

In one of the biggest advances againstleukemia and other blood cancers in manyyears, doctors are reporting unprecedent-ed success by using gene therapy to trans-form patients’ blood cells into soldiers thatseek and destroy cancer.

A few patients with one type of leukemiawere given this one-time, experimentaltherapy several years ago, and some re-main cancer-free today. Now, at least sixresearch groups have treated more than120 patients with many types of blood andbone marrow cancers, with stunning re-sults.

“It’s really exciting,” said Dr. JanisAbkowitz, blood diseases chief at the Uni-versity of Washington in Seattle and presi-dent of the American Society of Hematol-ogy. “You can take a cell that belongs to apatient and engineer it to be an attack cell.”

In one study, all five adults and 19 of 22children with acute lymphocytic leukemia(ALL) had a complete remission, meaningno cancer could be found after treatment,although a few have relapsed since then.

These were gravely ill patients whowere out of options. Some had tried multi-

ple bone marrow transplants and up to 10types of chemotherapy or other treat-ments.

Cancer was so advanced in 8-year-oldEmily Whitehead of Philipsburg, Pa., thatdoctors said her major organs would failwithin days. She was the first child giventhe gene therapy, and shows no sign ofcancer today, nearly two years later. Towatch a video about her treatment, seehttp://bit.ly/VxB0dL.

Doctors say this has the potential to be-come the first gene therapy approved inthe United States, and the first for cancerworldwide. Only one gene therapy is ap-proved in Europe, for a rare metabolic dis-ease.

What’s involvedThe treatment involves filtering pa-

tients’ blood to remove millions of whiteblood cells, called T-cells, altering them inthe lab to contain a gene that targets can-cer, and returning them to the patient in in-fusions over three days.

“What we are giving essentially is a liv-ing drug” — permanently altered cells thatmultiply in the body into an army to fight

the cancer, said Dr. David Porter, a Univer-sity of Pennsylvania scientist who led onestudy.

Several drug and biotech companies aredeveloping these therapies. Penn haspatented its method and licensed it toSwitzerland-based Novartis AG. The com-pany is building a research center on thePenn campus in Philadelphia and plans aclinical trial next year that could lead tofederal approval of the treatment as soonas 2016.

Talking with the researchers, “there is asense of making history ... a sense of doingsomething very unique,” said Hervé Hop-penot, president of Novartis Oncology, thedivision leading the work.

Lee Greenberger, chief scientific officerof the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,agreed. “From our vantage point, thislooks like a major advance,” he said.

“We are seeing powerful responses...and time will tell how enduring these re-missions turn out to be.” The group hasgiven $15 million to various researcherstesting this approach.

Nearly 49,000 new cases of leukemia,70,000 cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

and 22,000 cases of myeloma are expectedto be diagnosed in the United States in2014.

Many patients are successfully treatedwith chemotherapy or bone marrow orstem cell transplants, but transplants arerisky, and donors can’t always be found. Sofar, gene therapy has been tried on peoplewho were in danger of dying becauseother treatments failed.

The gene therapy must be made individ-ually for each patient, and lab costs noware about $25,000, without a profit margin.That’s still less than many drugs to treatthese diseases and far less than a trans-plant.

The treatment can cause severe flu-likesymptoms and other side effects, but thesehave been reversible and temporary, doc-tors say.

Many success storiesPenn doctors have treated the most

cases so far — 59. Of the first 14 patientswith chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL),four had complete remissions, four had

See GENE THERAPY, page 5

A robotic arm that makes you stronger

See ROBOTIC ARM, page 6

partial ones, and the rest did not respond.However, some partial responders contin-ue to see their cancer shrink a year aftertreatment.

“That’s very unique to this kind of thera-py” and gives hope the treatment may stillpurge the cancer, said Porter. Another 18CLL patients were treated, and half haveresponded so far.

Penn doctors also treated 27 ALL pa-tients. All five adults and 19 of the 22 chil-dren had complete remissions — an “ex-traordinarily high” success rate, said Dr.Stephan Grupp at the Children’s Hospitalof Philadelphia.

Six have since relapsed, though, anddoctors are pondering a second gene ther-apy attempt.

At the National Cancer Institute, Dr.James Kochenderfer and others havetreated 11 patients with lymphoma andfour with CLL, starting roughly two yearsago. Six had complete remissions, six hadpartial ones, one has stable disease, andit’s too soon to tell for the rest.

Ten other patients were given genetherapy to try to kill leukemia or lym-phoma remaining after bone marrow

transplants. These patients got infusions ofgene-treated blood cells from their trans-plant donors instead of using their ownblood cells. One had a complete remissionand three others had significant reductionof their disease.

“They’ve had every treatment known toman. To get any responses is really en-couraging,” Kochenderfer said. The can-cer institute is working with a Los Angelesbiotech firm, Kite Pharma Inc., on its genetherapy approach.

Patients are encouraged that relativelyfew have relapsed.

“We’re still nervous every day becausethey can’t tell us what’s going to happen to-morrow,” said Tom Whitehead, father of 8-year-old Emily.

Doug Olson, 67, a scientist for a medicaldevice maker, shows no sign of cancersince gene therapy in September 2010 forCLL he had had since 1996.

“Within one month he was in completeremission. That was just completely unex-pected,” said Porter, his doctor at Penn.

Olson ran his first half-marathon lastJanuary and no longer worries about howlong his remission will last. “I decided I’mcured. I’m not going to let that hang overmy head anymore,” he said.

— AP

WASH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 5

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a Spider-Man suit than an Iron Man suit,”he said.

The Titan team hopes to refine its pro-totype, although three members are nowbusy with graduate studies at Penn andone is working on the West Coast.

Among the considerations, Parrottasaid, are different control strategies andmore innovative materials and manufac-turing.

And, of course, a second arm.For more information, see www.titan-

arm.com. — AP

By Marilynn MarchioneSometimes you feel like a nut, and that’s

a good thing. Regular nut eaters were less likely to die

of cancer or heart disease — in fact, wereless likely to die of any cause — during a30-year Harvard study.

Nuts have long been called heart-healthy, and the study is the largest everdone on whether eating them affects mor-tality.

Researchers tracked 119,000 men andwomen and found that those who ate nutsroughly every day were 20 percent lesslikely to die during the study period thanthose who never ate nuts. Eating nuts lessoften lowered the death risk, too, in directproportion to consumption.

The risk of dying of heart diseasedropped 29 percent and the risk of dying ofcancer fell 11 percent among those who

had nuts seven or more times a week com-pared with people who never ate them.

The benefits were seen from peanuts aswell as from pistachios, almonds, walnutsand other tree nuts. The researchers didnot look at how the nuts were prepared —oiled or salted, raw or roasted.

Weight control benefits, too A bonus: Nut eaters stayed slimmer. “There’s a general perception that if you

eat more nuts, you’re going to get fat. Ourresults show the opposite,” said Dr. YingBao of Harvard-affiliated Brigham andWomen’s Hospital in Boston.

She led the study, published in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine. The NationalInstitutes of Health and the InternationalTree Nut Council Nutrition Research &Education Foundation sponsored thestudy, but the nut group had no role in de-

signing it or reporting the results. Researchers don’t know why nuts may

boost health. It could be that their unsatu-rated fatty acids, minerals and other nutri-ents lower cholesterol and inflammationand reduce other problems, as earlierstudies seemed to show.

Observational studies like this one can’tprove cause and effect, only suggest a con-nection. Research on diets is especiallytough, because it can be difficult to singleout the effects of any one food.

People who eat more nuts may eat themon salads, for example, and some of thebenefit may come from the leafy greens,said Dr. Robert Eckel, a University of Col-orado cardiologist and former president ofthe American Heart Association.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, a University of Miamineurologist who also is a former heart as-sociation president, agreed. “Sometimes

when you eat nuts you eat less of some-thing else like potato chips,” so the benefitmay come from avoiding an unhealthyfood, Sacco said.

The Harvard group has long beenknown for solid science on diets. Its find-ings build on a major study earlier thisyear — a rigorous experiment that found aMediterranean-style diet supplementedwith nuts cuts the chance of heart-relatedproblems, especially strokes, in older peo-ple at high risk of them.

Many studies agreeMany previous studies tie nut consump-

tion to lower risks of heart disease, dia-betes, colon cancer and other maladies.

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administra-tion said a fistful of nuts a day as part of alow-fat diet may reduce the risk of heartdisease. The heart association recom-mends four servings of unsalted, unoilednuts a week, and warns against eating toomany, since they are dense in calories.

6 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

To live longer and be slimmer, eat nuts

Robotic armFrom page 4

See NUTS, page 7

The new research combines two studiesthat started in the 1980s on 76,464 femalenurses and 42,498 male health profession-als. They filled out surveys on food andlifestyle habits every two to four years, in-

cluding how often they ate a serving (1ounce) of nuts.

Study participants who often ate nutswere healthier — they weighed less, exer-cised more and were less likely to smoke,among other things. After taking these andother things into account, researchers stillsaw a strong benefit from nuts.

Compared with people who never atenuts, those who had them less than once aweek reduced their risk of death 7 percent;once a week, 11 percent; two to four timesa week, 13 percent; and seven or moretimes a week, 20 percent.

“I’m very confident” the observationsreflect a true benefit, Bao said. “We did somany analyses, very sophisticated ones,”to eliminate other possible explanations.

For example, they did separate analyseson smokers and non-smokers, heavy andlight exercisers, and people with and with-out diabetes, and saw a consistent benefitfrom nuts.

At a heart association conference in No-vember, Penny Kris-Etheron, a Pennsylva-nia State University nutrition scientist, re-viewed previous studies on this topic.

“We’re seeing benefits of nut consump-tion on cardiovascular disease as well asbody weight and diabetes,” said Kris-Etherton, who has consulted for nut mak-ers and also served on many scientific pan-els on dietary guidelines.

“We don’t know exactly what it is” aboutnuts that boosts health or which ones arebest, she said. “I tell people to eat mixednuts.”

— AP


NutsFrom page 6

HOME HEALTHCARE DISCUSSIONDupont Circle Village presents a Live and Learn session featuringMaura Barillaro, RN, who will address home healthcare issues. The

program will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27 at Scion Restaurant,2100 P St. NW, Washington, D.C., which is wheelchair-accessible. The talk is freefor Village members; $10 for others. For reservations, call (202) 234-2567.

LEARN TO PLAY BASKETBALL The Langston-Brown Senior Center, 2121 Culpepper St., Arlington,Va., is hosting a basketball clinic for women over 50. Beginners

sessions focus on learning and refining the basic skills of the game and will starton Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. Intermediate classes focus on playing 3-on-3half court games and will begin Wednesday, Jan 22 at 8 p.m. The cost is $24 forfour sessions. The center is located at 2121 N. Culpeper St., Arlington, Va. Toregister, call (703) 28-4771 or email [email protected].

FREE CLASSES IN FAIRFAXFairfax County is offering Independent Living Project, a free eight-week program led by professional social workers, that includes

gentle exercise to improve strength and balance, presentations on county servic-es, a healthy cooking demonstration, and advice on how to manage your health-care and prescriptions. The program meets on Thursdays from Jan. 16 to March 6from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Kingstowne Center for Active Adults, 6488Landsdowne Center, Alexandria, Va. Register online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/independent.htm or call (703)324-7210, TTY 711.

FREE GLAUCOMA SCREENINGSAs part of Glaucoma Awareness Month, Friendship HeightsVillage Center, located at 4433 South Park Ave., Chevy Chase,

Md., is hosting free glaucoma screenings. Appointments are suggested; walk-inswill be seen if time allows. To schedule, call (301) 656-2797.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 27

Jan. 22+

Jan. 16+

Jan. 23

By Quinn EastmanTrauma can scar people so indelibly that

their children are affected. History pro-vides examples of generations who weretraumatized by war and starvation bearingchildren with altered physiology.

Now researchers at Yerkes National Pri-mate Research Center at Emory Universi-ty have found an instance of animals pass-ing on more specific information about atraumatic experience to their offspring.That information comes not through socialcommunication, but through inheritance.

Researchers have found that when amouse learns to become afraid of a certainodor, his or her pups will be more sensitiveto that odor, even though the pups havenever encountered it. The results were

published in last month’s Nature Neuro-science.

“Knowing how the experiences of par-ents influence their descendants helps usto understand psychiatric disorders thatmay have a trans-generational basis, andpossibly to design therapeutic strategies,”said senior author Dr. Kerry Ressler, pro-fessor of psychiatry and behavioral sci-ences at Emory School of Medicine.

Ressler is a Howard Hughes Medical In-stitute-supported investigator at theYerkes National Primate Research Centerat Emory University, and worked with doc-toral fellow Brian Dias on the mouse study.

Trained to fearThe researchers trained mice to be-

come afraid of an odor by pairing exposureto the scent with a mild electric shock.They then measured how much the animalstartled in response to a loud noise at base-line, and in conjunction with presentationof the odor.

Surprisingly, they found that the adultoffspring of the sensitized mice also star-tled more in response to the particularodor that one parent had learned to fear,even when the offspring had never experi-enced the odor before.

In addition, they were more able to de-tect small amounts of that particular odor.Smell-sensitized offspring were not moreanxious in general. In separate experi-ments not involving odors, the mice werenot more afraid to explore the bright, ele-vated areas of a maze.

Researchers took advantage of previousstudy on the biology of odor detection. Sci-entists knew that the chemical acetophe-none, which smells somewhat like cherryblossoms, activates a particular set of cellsin the nose and a particular “odorant re-ceptor” gene in those cells.

Brain cells affectedBoth the parent mouse who had been

sensitized to a smell and his or her pups hadmore space in the smell-processing part oftheir brains, called the olfactory bulb, devot-

ed to the odor to which they are sensitive.Both mothers and fathers were found to

pass on a learned sensitivity to an odor, al-though mothers can’t do it with fosteredpups, showing that the sensitivity is nottransmitted by social interaction. Futuremothers receive their odor-shock trainingbefore (and not during) conception andpregnancy.

The inheritance takes place even if themice are conceived by in vitro fertilization,and the sensitivity continues to appear inthe second generation, i.e., “grandchil-dren.” This indicates that, somehow, infor-mation about the experience connectedwith the odor is being transmitted via thesperm or eggs.

The DNA from the sperm of smell-sensi-tized father mice is altered. This is an ex-ample of an “epigenetic” alteration, foundnot in the letter-by-letter sequence of theDNA, but in its packaging or chemicalmodifications.

In mice taught to fear acetophenone, theodorant receptor gene that responds toacetophenone has a changed pattern ofmethylation: a chemical modification ofDNA that tunes the activity of genes.

However, it’s not clear whether thechanges in that gene are enough to make


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Can our genes transmit our traumas?

See EPIGENETICS, page 10

By Jane Bennett ClarkThese days, turning 65 doesn’t have to

mean hanging up your career, but it doesrepresent one big milestone: Medicare eli-gibility.

In most cases, signing up for MedicarePart A is a no-brainer. This coverage paysfor in-patient care in the hospital. There’sgenerally no premium, although you dopay a deductible and share other costs.

You can sign up as early as three monthsbefore the month in which you turn 65, andas late as three months after your 65th-birthday month. To avoid any delay in cov-erage, enroll before you turn 65, said JoeBaker, of the Medicare Rights Center.

Do you need Part B yet?At the same time, you can also enroll in

Medicare Part B, which covers doctors’visits and outpatient care. This coverageexacts a monthly premium ($104.90 formost people in 2013, more for those withhigh incomes), plus a deductible and coin-surance.

If you’re collecting Social Security whenyou turn 65, you will automatically be en-rolled in Part A and Part B, and the Part Bpremium will be deducted from your bene-fits.

If you still have health coverage throughwork or are covered by your spouse’s em-ployer, you may be better off keeping thatcoverage and delaying Part B. Ask youremployer for help deciding, or call SocialSecurity at 1-800-772-1213.

Once you lose employer coverage, youhave eight months in which to sign up forPart B. (You should do so because both re-tiree health benefits and coverage throughCOBRA are secondary to Medicare assoon as you’re eligible, whether you signup or not.)

If you don’t sign up for Part B withinthat window, you’ll have to wait until thenext open-enrollment period (Jan. 1 toMarch 31), and your monthly premiumwill permanently increase by 10 percentfor each 12-month period you delay.

To sign up for Medicare parts A and B,call 1-800-772-1213 or visit www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.

How to fill in the gapsAlso consider Medicare supplement

coverage, also known as medigap. Theseplans cover part or all of the costs youwould otherwise still owe under parts Aand B, including deductibles and co-pays.

The 10 plans available are labeled by let-ter. Benefits for each are standardized, butinsurers may and do charge different pre-miums, so shop around.

The six-month initial enrollment periodstarts on the first day of the month inwhich you are 65 or older and are enrolledin Medicare Part B. During that window,you can’t be turned away by medigap in-surers because of a preexisting condition.

Miss the deadline, and you could end uppaying more or be denied coverage alto-gether. The Obamacare ban on denyingcoverage based on preexisting conditionsdoes not apply to Medicare.

Medicare Part D, offered through pri-vate insurers, covers prescription drugs.You pay a monthly premium plus co-paysor coinsurance, and some plans also have adeductible.

The plans cover you up to a certainamount each year, after which you pay amuch higher share of the cost — a gap incoverage known as the doughnut hole.Once you’ve hit the maximum out-of-pock-et cost for the year, your share goes waydown until year-end.

You can join a Medicare drug plan duringyour medigap initial enrollment period. Ifyou don’t, and you go 63 days or more with-out “creditable” coverage (such as throughan employer), you’ll pay a penalty based onthe national base premium and on how longyou delayed before you enrolled.

Another option: a Medicare Advantageplan, which combines medical and pre-scription-drug coverage and other bene-fits, such as coverage for vision and hear-ing care. These plans, offered through pri-

vate insurers, generally limit your choiceof providers and require more cost sharingthan Part D and medigap, but premiumstend to be lower.

You can enroll in a plan during your ini-tial enrollment period or during open en-rollment (Oct. 15-Dec. 7). To find medigap,Part D or Medicare Advantage plans inyour area and compare premiums, go towww.medicare.gov/find-a-plan.© 2013, Kiplinger. All rights reserved. Dis-

tributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Explore Medicare choices before age 65WASH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 9

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the difference in an animal’s odor sensitivity.“While the sequence of the gene encod-

ing the receptor that responds to the odoris unchanged, the way that gene is regulat-ed may be affected,” Ressler said.

Many questions remain“There is some evidence that some of

the generalized effects of diet and hor-mone changes, as well as trauma, can betransmitted epigenetically. The differencehere is that the odor-sensitivity-learningprocess is affecting the nervous system —and apparently, reproductive cells, too —in such a specific way.”

What the researchers don’t know yet:

• Are these effects reversible – if sensi-tized parents later learn not to be afraid of anodor, will effects still be seen in their pups?

• Does it only happen with odors?Could mice trained to be afraid of a partic-ular sound, for example, pass on a sensitiv-ity to that sound?

• Do all the sperm or egg cells bear epi-genetic marks conveying odor sensitivity?

• How does information about odor ex-posure reach the sperm or eggs?

“We are really just scratching the sur-face at this point,” Dias said. “Our next goalmust be to buffer descendant generationsfrom these effects. Such interventionscould form the core of a treatment to pre-vent the development of neuropsychiatricdisorders with roots in ancestral trauma.”

— Emory University

EpigeneticsFrom page 8

By Dr. Diane DahmDear Mayo Clinic: I am 60 years old and tore my ACL.

Should I have surgery to fix it, or is itOK to just let it heal on its own?Answer: No matter what your age, the

decision about how best to treat an injuredanterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, shouldbe based on the type of activity you’d liketo be able to do after treatment, as well asthe stability of your knee overall.

Ligaments are strong bands of tissue thatconnect one bone to another. Your ACL isone of two ligaments that cross in the mid-

dle of the knee that connect your thighbone,or femur, to your shinbone, or tibia. TheACL also helps keep your knee joint stable.

When the ACL is torn, it often results inknee pain and swelling. After an ACL in-jury, some people also have instability inthe knee, or a feeling that the knee is “giv-ing way” when they attempt to turn quick-ly or pivot on it.

The purpose of treatment for an ACL in-jury is to reduce the pain and swelling, re-store normal knee movement, strengthenthe muscles around the joint, and allow re-turn to full activity. For some people, that

can be achieved with physical rehabilita-tion alone.

Rehab vs. surgeryRehabilitation usually involves doing ex-

ercises to regain full knee motion, as wellas muscle-strengthening and stability ex-ercises. You may need to use a knee bracefor certain activities.

Rehabilitation without surgery usuallyworks best for people who have a less ac-tive lifestyle and whose knee stabilitysteadily improves with rehabilitation.

If you want to participate in activitiessuch as skiing, singles tennis, hiking onuneven terrain — or other sports that re-quire pivoting, cutting, jumping or twisting— then surgery followed by rehabilitationis more likely to be necessary to fix theACL and ensure stability in your knee.

Also, if your knee continues to give wayeven after you have gone through rehabili-tation, then you may require surgery toimprove long-term knee stability.

A torn ACL can’t be sewn back together.Instead, during surgery the ligament is re-placed with a piece of tissue called a graft.

That graft may be a tendon or ligamentfrom another part of your knee or leg. Or agraft from a deceased donor may be an op-tion. If you decide to have surgery, talk toyour surgeon about which choice is bestfor you.

Surgery OK at any ageIf you’re in good health, age typically is

not a factor in whether or not to have ACLsurgery. Research has shown that withthis surgery, older patients can achieve re-sults similar to those in younger patients,without a significant increase in the risk ofcomplications.

A final item to note is that, while ACLsurgery typically provides improved kneestability, it does not always provide signifi-cant pain relief.

If chronic knee pain is your only symp-tom, it may not be coming from the ACLtear. Rather, it’s more likely to be related toanother knee condition, such as a menis-cus tear or arthritis.

As you consider the best course of ac-tion, talk to your doctor about what youhope to achieve with ACL treatment. Yourlevel of activity and knee stability shouldguide you as you make your decision. — Diane Dahm, M.D., Orthopedic Sur-

gery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an ed-

ucational resource and doesn’t replace regu-lar medical care. To submit a question,email [email protected]. For healthinformation, visit www.mayoclinic.com.© 2014 Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research. All Rights Re-served. Distributed By Tribune ContentAgency, LLC.


Want Information and Services from Montgomery County Government?

Call 311 to Get it Done! or visit mc311.com Call 240-777-0311 outside Montgomery County or near the County Border

Is surgery or rehab best for bum knee?

To subscribe, see page 52.

By Jim MillerDear Savvy Senior:I had a mild heart attack about six

months ago. My doctor told me I needto be extra careful during the winter,when recurring heart attacks are morecommon. Is this true? How can the seasons

affect your heart?— Leery Senior

Dear Leery:Everyone knows winter is cold and flu sea-

son, but most people don’t know that it’s alsothe prime season for heart attacks, as well,especially if you already have heart diseaseor have suffered a previous heart attack.

In the U.S., the risk of having a heart at-tack during the winter months is twice ashigh as it is during the summertime. Why?

There are a number of factors, andthey’re not all linked to cold weather. Evenpeople who live in warm climates have anincreased risk.

Here are the areas you need to pay extraattention to this winter:Cold temperatures: When a person

gets cold, the body responds by constrict-ing the blood vessels to help the bodymaintain heat. This causes blood pressureto go up and makes the heart work harder.

Cold temperatures can also increase lev-els of certain proteins that can thicken theblood and increase the risk for blood clots.

So stay warm this winter. And when youdo have to go outside, make sure you bun-dle up in layers, with gloves and a hat.Place a scarf over your mouth and nose towarm up the air before you breathe it in.Snow shoveling: Studies have shown

that heart attack rates jump dramatically inthe first few days after a major snowstorm,usually a result of snow shoveling.

Shoveling snow is a very strenuous ac-tivity that raises blood pressure and stress-es the heart. Combine those factors withthe cold temperatures, and the risks ofheart attack surge.

If your sidewalk or driveway needsshoveling this winter, hire a kid from theneighborhood to do it for you or use asnow blower. If you must shovel, pushrather than lift the snow as much as possi-ble. Stay warm and take frequent breaks.New Year’s resolutions: Every Janu-

ary, millions of people join gyms or startexercise programs as part of their NewYear’s resolution to get in shape. Manyoverexert themselves too quickly.

If you’re starting a new exercise pro-gram this winter, take the time to talk toyour doctor about what types of exercisemay be appropriate for you, and howmuch.Winter weight gain: People tend to eat

and drink more, and therefore to gainmore weight, during the holiday season

and winter months. This is hard on theheart and risky for someone with heartdisease. So keep a watchful eye on yourdiet this winter and avoid binging on fattyfoods and alcohol.Shorter days: Less daylight in the win-

ter months can cause many people to de-velop “seasonal affective disorder” orSAD, a wintertime depression that canstress the heart.

Studies have also looked at heart attackpatients and found they usually have lowerlevels of vitamin D (which your body pro-duces when exposed to sunlight) than peo-ple with healthy hearts.

To boost your vitamin D this winter, con-sider taking a supplement that contains be-tween 1,000 and 2,000 international units

(IU) per day. And to find treatments forSAD, visit the Center for EnvironmentalTherapeutics website at cet.org.Flu season: Studies show that people

who get flu shots have a lower heart attackrisk. It’s known that the inflammatory re-action set off by a flu infection can increaseblood clotting, which can lead to heart at-tacks in vulnerable people.

So, if you haven’t already done so,get a f lu shot for protection. Seewww.flushot.healthmap.org to find a vacci-nation site nearby. Send your questions to: Savvy Senior,

P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, orvisit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a con-tributor to the NBC Today show and authorof The Savvy Senior book.


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Guard against wintertime heart attacks

AFTERNOON SUPPORT GROUPMontgomery Hospice presents an afternoon support group for

those mourning the death of a loved one. This six-week program

is led by professional counselors from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, beginning Jan.

14, at Faith United Methodist Church, 6810 Montrose Rd., Rockville, Md.

Registration required. For more information or to register, call (301) 921-4400.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 14+

By Carol SorgenWhile it’s certainly beneficial to your

health if those all-important “numbers” —cholesterol, blood pressure and bloodsugar — are in the normal range, thatdoesn’t mean you’re not at risk for devel-oping heart disease.

According to Baltimore internist BorisKerzner, research has shown that formore than 50 percent of people, the firstsymptom of asymptomatic coronary ar-tery disease is sudden death or a heart at-tack.

But now, a simple noninvasive fingersensor test has been shown to be “highlypredictive” in identifying the risk of amajor cardiac event, such as a heart attackor stroke, even in people otherwise con-sidered at low or moderate risk.

Measures blood flowThe finger test device, known as En-

doPAT, was developed by Itamar Medical,an Israeli company. It evaluates the healthof your arteries by measuring what thecompany calls a PAT (Peripheral ArterialTone) signal.

The lining of your arteries, known asthe endothelium, regulates blood flow andacts much the way a layer of Teflon does ina nonstick pan. When the endothelium isfunctioning normally, it protects the bloodvessels from atherosclerosis (hardeningof the arteries) and plaque buildup.

However, if the endothelium is dam-aged from such lifestyle choices as smok-ing, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and toomuch stress, what develops is known asendothelial dysfunction, which is the earli-est indicator of cardiovascular disease.

The presence of endothelial dysfunction

strongly predicts cardiovascular events inpeople in the early stages of heart disease,even if they don’t have other recognizablerisk factors, such as high cholesterol andhigh blood pressure.

Its effects also go beyond coronary dis-ease, and have been implicated in other se-rious illnesses, such as sleep apnea, erectiledysfunction, renal disease and dementia.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic andTufts-New England Medical Center inBoston used EndoPAT to test 270 patientsbetween the ages of 42 and 66, and fol-lowed their progress from August 1999 toAugust 2007. Forty-nine percent of pa-tients whose EndoPAT test indicated poorendothelial function had a cardiac eventduring the seven-year study.

The study was presented at the 2009American College of Cardiology AnnualScientific Session. Prior to the EndoPAT,there was no simple test for endotheliumfunction, according to Dr. Amir Lerman, aMayo Clinic cardiologist who was the sen-ior author of the study.

Available locally The test uses a standard blood pressure

cuff and finger probes, takes 15 minutes,and can be conducted in a doctor’s office.It is available from certain doctors aroundthe country.

Kerzner believes the EndoPAT is a sig-nificant tool in the fight against cardiovas-cular and other systemic diseases. “Bypredicting the risk of a heart attack — upto 7 years before it could happen — manymore lives could be saved,” he said.

Because it is an elective test, its cost


Simple test helpspredict heart attack risk

See NEW TEST, page 13

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may not be covered by health insuranceplans. Be sure to check with your own in-surance carrier. It is covered by Medicarefor patients with vascular disease.

The following doctors offer the En-

doPAT test in the Washington area: Ad-vanced Cardiology Center, Rockville, Md.,(301) 816-9000; Dr. Parmjit Singh Aujla,Bladensburg, Md., (301) 699-8333; and Dr.Suresh K. Muttath, Riverdale, Md., (301)277-8100.

For more information on EndoPAT, seewww.itamar-medical.com/EndoPAT.

By Lindsey TannerTestosterone treatments may increase

risks for heart attacks, strokes and deathin older men with low hormone levels andother health problems, according to alarge Veterans Affairs study recently pub-lished in the Journal of the American Med-ical Association.

The results raise concerns about thewidely used testosterone gels, patches andinjections that are heavily marketed forlow sex drive, fatigue and purported anti-aging benefits, the authors and other doc-tors said.

Men who used testosterone were 30percent more likely to have a heart attackor stroke, or to die, during a three-year pe-riod than men with low hormone levelswho didn’t take the supplements.

Hormone users and nonusers studiedwere in their early 60s on average, andmost had other health problems, includinghigh blood pressure, unhealthy choles-terol and diabetes.

Not a definite linkThe research doesn’t prove that testos-

terone caused the heart attacks, strokes ordeath, but echoes a previous study in oldermen and should prompt doctors and pa-tients to discuss potential risks and bene-fits of using the products, said the study’slead author, Dr. Michael Ho, a cardiologist

with the VA’s Eastern Colorado HealthSystem in Denver.

The nationwide study involved an analy-sis of health data on 8,700 veterans withlow levels of testosterone, the main malesex hormone. All had undergone a heartimaging test, and many had risk factors forheart problems, including blocked heartarteries. Risks linked with testosteronewere similar in men with and without ex-isting heart problems.

Nearly 26 percent of men using testos-terone had one of the bad outcomes withinthree years of the heart test, comparedwith 20 percent of nonusers.

It’s unclear how the hormone might in-crease heart risks, but possibilities includeevidence that testosterone might makeblood platelets stick together, which couldlead to blood clots, the study authors said.

Previous studies on the supplements’health effects have had mixed results —with some research suggesting potentialheart benefits — but none of the studieshas been conclusive.

A concern for all agesAn editorial in the journal said it is un-

certain if the study results apply to othergroups of men, including younger menusing the hormone for supposed anti-aging benefits.

“There is only anecdotal evidence that

testosterone is safe for these men,” saideditorial author Dr. Anne Cappola, a hor-mone expert at University of Pennsylvaniaand an associate journal editor.

“In light of the high volume of prescrip-tions and aggressive marketing by testos-terone manufacturers, prescribers and pa-tients should be wary” and more researchis needed, she wrote.

Annual prescriptions for testosteronesupplements have increased more thanfive-fold in recent years, climbing to morethan 5 million and $1.6 billion in U.S. salesin 2011, the study noted.

Dr. Nathaniel Polnaszek, a urologistwith Scott & White Healthcare in RoundRock, Texas, said he prescribes testos-terone for many men, mostly in their 40s

and 50s, who have low levels and erectiledysfunction or other symptoms. He calledthe study “concerning.”

“This is something I’m going to be dis-cussing with my patients,” he said.

Testosterone levels gradually decline asmen age, and guidelines from doctors whospecialize in hormone-related problemssay hormone supplements should be con-sidered only in men with symptoms of lowlevels, including sexual dysfunction.

They’re not advised for men withprostate cancer because of concerns theycould make the disease spread, said Dr.Robert Carey, a former Endocrine Societypresident and a professor of medicine atthe University of Virginia Health System.

— AP


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New testFrom page 12

By Lauran NeergaardAn experimental device is letting para-

lyzed people drive wheelchairs simply byflicking their tongue in the direction theychoose.

Key to this wireless system: Users gettheir tongue pierced with a magnetic studthat resembles jewelry and acts like a joy-stick, in hopes of offering them more mo-bility and independence.

Researchers reported that 11 peopleparalyzed from the neck down rapidlylearned to use the tongue device to pilottheir wheelchairs through an obstaclecourse full of twists and turns, and to oper-ate a computer, too.

“It’s really powerful because it’s so intu-

itive,” said Jason DiSanto, 39, who wasamong the first spinal cord-injured patientsto get his tongue pierced for science and tryout the system. “The first time I did it, peo-ple thought I was driving for, like, years.”

The team of researchers in Atlanta andChicago put the Tongue Drive System tothe test against one of the most widely usedassistive technologies, called sip-and-puff,that users operate by breathing into a straw.

Using the tongue, patients operatedtheir wheelchairs a bit faster, but just as ac-curately — and on average, they per-formed about three times better on videogame-like computer tests, said lead re-searcher Maysam Ghovanloo, director ofGeorgia Tech University’s bionics lab.

The research, reported recently in thejournal Science Translational Medicine, isan early step. It allowed use of the deviceonly inside laboratories. Larger studies inreal-world conditions are required beforethe device could be sold. And the tonguepiercing may put off some potential users,the researchers acknowledge.

But the work is attracting attention fromspecialists who say there’s a big need formore assistive technologies so they can cus-tomize care for those with severe disabilities.

“For people who have very limited abili-ty to control a power wheelchair, therearen’t that many options,” said Dr. Brad Di-cianno, a rehabilitation specialist at theUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical Centerwho wasn’t involved with the new re-search. “There is some interesting prom-ise for this tongue control.”

Inventive technologyHere’s how the system works: A head-

set worn by a user detects her tongue’s po-sition when she flicks that magnetic stud.Touch a spot on the right bottom tooth togo right, for example.

The headset wirelessly beams that infor-mation to a smartphone the user carries.An app then sends the command to movethe wheelchair or the computer cursor.

Why the tongue? “It’s unobtrusive, easy

to use and flexible,” said Ghovanloo, a bio-medical engineer who created the systemand has started a company that is workingwith Georgia Tech to commercialize it.

Most people with spinal cord injuries —or neurologic diseases that also can para-lyze — still can move their tongues. Itdoesn’t require special concentration. Thetongue is pretty tireless.

And the amount of real estate the brain’smotor cortex dedicates to the tongue andmouth rivals that of the fingers and hand, of-fering multiple complex movements, Gho-vanloo said. He led the team of researchersfrom Atlanta’s Shepherd Center for spinalinjuries, the Rehabilitation Institute ofChicago and Northwestern University.

DiSanto, an electrical engineer who be-came paralyzed from the neck down in a2009 diving accident, said the headset is lessintrusive than the sip-and-puff device that henormally uses, which requires a straw-liketube to be worn in front of his face.

More important, he said, the tonguedrive gave him more control, allowing himto move diagonally, for example.

Not for everyoneAs for the piercing, “there is some get-

ting used to it,” said DiSanto, who got his


Helping paralyzed wheelchair users move

See TECHNOLOGY, page 17

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By Lori ZantesonMost of us aren’t likely to recognize the

long list of fermented foods in our lives,though we’d never want to be withoutthem.

Pickles, sauerkraut, cheese, coffee, soysauce, bread and, of course, beer and wine,are but a few of the foods transformed bymicroorganisms and elevated in flavor,preservation or health benefits as a result.

Fermented foods have a history thatreaches every corner of the globe andgoes back many thousands of years. Out ofnecessity, people used fermentation to pre-serve food during lean times when vegeta-bles weren’t available, or to prepare fortimes when cows weren’t giving milk.

Today, fermented foods have becomestaples in every culture — from soy saucein Japan to kefir in Eastern Europe.

What is fermentation?Fermented foods are those produced or

preserved by microorganisms, such asyeast or bacteria, which occur naturally inthe environment or may be introduced tofoods to hasten fermentation.

Fermentation generally describes theconversion of natural sugars found infoods into acids, gases or alcohol, usingyeast. But it’s also widely used to makesour foods, such as pickles and yogurt,

through the use of lactobacillus bacteria. Through fermentation, juice turns to

wine, grains become beer, and vegetablesugars become acids that naturally pre-serve cabbage as kimchi and cucumbersas pickles.

Eating fermented foods introduces ben-eficial bacteria called probiotics into thegut, which help maintain a healthy balanceof bacteria. A healthy gut is more receptiveto the absorption of food nutrients, vita-mins and minerals.

Research shows that probiotics maylead to improved digestive health, immunefunction and, according to preliminary re-search, may even help reduce allergiesand aid in weight loss. [See “The right bac-teria may help fight obesity,” November2013 Beacon.]

Fermentation begins the process ofbreaking down food. When milk is fer-mented — as in the case of yogurt — thelactose (natural milk sugar) is brokendown, making it more digestible for peoplewho have difficulty tolerating lactose. Dur-ing the fermentation of vegetables, such aswith Korean kimchi, enzymes help tobreak down the food, easing the absorp-tion of nutrients.

Faux fermented foodsPlentiful as foods are that we think of as

fermented — olives, pickles and sauer-kraut — chances are they’re not ferment-ed. Courtesy of today’s large-scale and fastmanufacturing practices, fermented foodsare no longer the norm.

Pickles, for example, are most likelyprocessed in vinegar and calcium chloridebefore they’re cooked at high heat andpasteurized, killing off naturally-occurringbacteria. Most foods in supermarkets arepasteurized for health and safety purposes.

Though there is concern over contami-nation of fermented foods, the process cre-ates an environment that’s unfriendly tofood-borne pathogens. There has neverbeen a documented case of food poisoningfrom eating them, with the exception of

home-brewed kombucha tea, which hasbeen involved in some cases of serious ill-ness related to unsanitary conditions.

While fermented dairy products arereadily found in supermarkets, a variety ofmore exotic fermented products are show-ing up in health food stores. Check labelsfor the words, “contains live cultures” tobe sure you’re getting authentic fermentedfoods. Beware that these items may carrya higher price.

Reprinted with permission from Envi-ronmental Nutrition, a monthly publica-tion of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com.© 2014 Belvoir Media Group Distrib-

uted. By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


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Voted #1 in Prince William County

By Rachael Moeller GormanFood labels can guide you toward

healthier choices. Or they can lead youastray.

Consider this: “Organic” doesn’t alwaysmean low-calorie, but consumers tend tolink the two, according to some research.

And even a true label claim may influ-ence you in the wrong direction. Such isthe case with a “reduced calorie” label thatactually leads you to eat more. Don’t getswept up in the “health halos” of commonclaims.

Here are some ways labels might mis-lead you:1. Be wary of nutrient callouts.

That tabbed banner of nutrition informa-

tion emblazoned on the front of variousproducts (cereals, granola bars, pasta) iscalled Facts Up Front. It was created bythe food industry. You’ll see numbers forsaturated fat, sodium, sugar and calories,as well as two “nutrients to encourage.”

For example: Lucky Charms cereal cantout its calcium and vitamin D levels, eventhough a 3/4-cup serving has 10 grams ofsugar, and marshmallows is the second in-gredient. In addition, nutrient-content call-outs, such as “low-fat” or “cholesterol-free,” sometimes appear on unhealthyfoods. Sure, Jujubes are fat-free, but theyalso have 18 g. of sugar per serving.2. Read the fine print.

In a 2010 report, “Food Labeling Chaos,”

the Center for Science in the Public Interestsaid that many ingredient lists are intention-ally unclear.

First, “they are often printed in small,condensed type, and many manufacturersuse all capital letters that studies show aremore difficult to read than (a combinationof) upper and lower case letters.”

Also, “some companies print the list invarious colors of ink against poorly-con-trasting backgrounds, or insert the ingre-dient list in a fold or other area where itwill not be visible unless the consumermakes an extra effort to reveal the list.”3. Beware of health claims.

If you’re not well-versed in FDA food-la-beling regulations (and, really, who is?),it’s hard to distinguish among the varioustypes of “health claims” that appear onfood products.a) Don’t believe high-fiber fibs.Sixty-six percent of consumers look for

the phrase “high fiber,” according to Tech-nomic, a food-industry consulting firm. Yetthe product might be “high fiber” becauseit contains isolated fibers in the form of pu-rified powders, such as maltodextrin.These fibers don’t have the same benefi-cial health effects as intact fibers fromwhole grains, fruits and vegetables. Otherfaux names: oat fiber, wheat fiber and oathull fiber.b) Look for whole grains.The phrase “Made with Whole Grains”

doesn’t guarantee the product is made pre-dominantly of whole grains. In fact, only aminiscule amount may be there. Look forthe word “whole” (whole wheat, wholegrain, whole plus the name of grain) listedfirst in the ingredient list.

Similarly, the Whole Grain Stamp —which appears on products that contain atleast 8 g. whole grains per serving — does-

n’t guarantee the healthiest choice. A re-cent study in Public Health Nutrition foundsome grain products marked with thestamp were higher in sugar and caloriesthan grain products without the stamp.

The best way to identify the healthiestgrain product? Look for at least 1 g. fiberfor every 10 g. total carbohydrates.4. Don’t judge a product by its name.

To get around FDA labeling regulations(which don’t cover product names), com-panies create wholesome monikers fortheir unhealthy foods and beverages.

Vitamin Water, for example, is basicallysugar water (31-32 g. sugar per bottle)with some vitamins thrown in. Otherhealth-evoking product names includethinkThin nutrition bars, SmartFood pop-corn and Snackwell’s snacks.5. Small serving sizes.

Tiny serving sizes make unhealthy sub-stances (fat, sugar) look less bad. Exam-ple: a 15-ounce can of organic soup labeled“healthy” contains “about two” servings.The FDA says that a food can’t be called“healthy” if it contains more than 480 mgper serving. So guess what? Each servinghas 480 mg. of sodium. But most peopleeat everything in the can at once (960 mg).

A better way: A February 2013 studyfound that for products containing twoservings that are customarily consumed ata single eating occasion, displaying twocolumns on the label (one for the entirepackage and one for a split of the package)helps consumers make healthier choices.

Manufacturer claims to considerThe claim: HealthWhat it is: Links a nutrient to a health

condition or disease. Example: “Calcium


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A guide to deciphering nutrition labels

See NUTRITION LABELS, page 17

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in 2011. It took about a week to heal, andspeaking and eating felt funny initially, buthe got used to the sensation.

It’s not for everyone. The current studytested the device in 23 able-bodied partici-pants and 11 paralyzed volunteers. By study’send, all of the disabled volunteers preferredthe tongue system to their regular assistivedevice, said co-author Joy Bruce, who headsthe Shepherd Center’s spinal cord injury lab.

But patients who were older or worried that atongue stud wasn’t acceptable in their profes-sion decided against participating.

Ten other patients signed up but droppedout. One had the piercing fall out, re-searchers reported, while others had prob-lems finding transportation to the study site,unrelated medical issues or lost interest.

Ghovanloo plans to add functions to thesmartphone app to let users turn on theTV or the lights with a flick of the tongue,too. He’s also made the device less visible— putting the headset’s sensors on a den-

tal retainer instead. Studies begin soon totell if that approach works without compro-mising users’ speech.

DiSanto has signed up for that nextround of testing.

“Somebody that’s in a wheelchair al-ready has a stigma,” he said. “If there was

something that could be developed to con-trol my wheelchair and the environmentaround me, to make me more independentwithout having to have medical devicescoming out of my mouth, it would be ahuge benefit.”

— AP

may reduce risk of osteoporosis.”What to know: Must be preapproved

by the FDA. Only 24 of such claims are au-thorized for foods — and all are supportedby strong scientific evidence. The foodalso can’t be too high in unhealthy sub-stances. These claims are reliable.The claim: Nutrient ContentWhat it is: Tells how much of a particu-

lar nutrient a food contains — low, high,reduced, free, etc. Example: “A goodsource of calcium” or “high in calcium.”What to know: Less regulated. May be

used without FDA review, but FDA definesthe level of each nutrient that constitutes

“high,” “low,” etc. These claims are reliable.The claim: Structure/FunctionWhat it is: Describes the effect of a nu-

trient on the normal function of the body(with no reference to disease).Example: “Helps support your immuni-

ty.” Or “calcium builds strong bones.”What to know: Least regulated. Manu-

facturers self-police to ensure claimsaren’t misleading. They also must have re-search to support the claim in the (unlike-ly) event that the FDA asks for evidence.These claims are unreliable.EatingWell is a magazine and website de-

voted to healthy eating as a way of life. On-line at www.eatingwell.com.)© 2013 Eating Well, Inc. Distributed by

Tribune Content Agency, LLC


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TechnologyFrom page 14

Nutrition labelsFrom page 16

POST-TREATMENT HEALING PLAN

The Smith Center for Healing and the Arts presents a class that

helps develop a personal healing plan after cancer treatment, as part of their pro-

gram “Navigating Cancer.” This class takes place on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 6 to

9 p.m. at the Smith Center, 1632 U St. NW, Washington, D.C. The class costs

$10; $8 if you register before Monday, Jan. 13. For more information or to regis-

ter, visit http://bit.ly/HealingPlan or call (202) 438-8601.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 16

years ago, he had no intention of leavinghis apartment in Alexandria, Va., wherethe 59-year-old lives alone.

“MS hasn’t defeated me. I was staying

home. Period,” Gooden said. “I can stillclean. I can wash my dishes. Cooking is agray area because I can only stand but solong.”

Gooden said he relishes coming to thePACE program and appreciates the homehealth aides that come to his apartment.

“My life is most definitely easier. I am soglad for all of it: food, information, fellow-ship with people. You get out of the house.Keeps me out of trouble, too. PACE is won-derful. I recommend it to anybody.”

Unlike most PACE participants, OscarFritz lives in an assisted living communityjust down the street from the InovaCarescenter. But after suffering a stroke, heneeds a little more help than it offers. Hesaid, however, “I wouldn’t even think abouthaving to live in a nursing home.”

“I really like that this is so close to me,and the people are so friendly,” Fritz said.“There’s a doctor on hand if I need one,and they send aides to my apartment toclean and do the laundry.”

Paying for itThe entire cost of the PACE program is

covered for Medicaid beneficiaries. Thosewhose incomes and assets are too high to

qualify for Medicaid must shoulder thecost themselves. If they spend down alltheir savings, however, PACE helps themapply for Medicaid.

The cost for those without Medicaid is$5,041 a month, considerably less than theaverage nursing home cost in NorthernVirginia. (In 2012, the average cost of asemi-private nursing home room here was$279 a day, or $8,370 a month, according tothe MetLife Survey of Long-term CareCosts.)

For Audrey Mirsky-Ashby, who pays fullfare for her mother, the wrap-around careoffered by PACE is priceless.

Her mother, Edith Mirsky, who hasmemory impairments, lived in New YorkCity on her own, but one day she went tothe bank and couldn’t find her way home.She forgot how to use her cell phone.


New Year, New You$0 INITIATION

Turn Your New Year’sResolution into Reality

PACEFrom page 1

ARTFUL PRIMARY COLORSDel Ray Artisans presents a movie night and art exhibit on Satur-

day, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. The exhibit in many media will explore the

use of the colors red, yellow and blue, and will be open until Sunday, Feb. 2. The

film Primary Colors will be shown for free, but $3 donations are suggested. The

gallery is located at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave.,

Alexandria, Va. The gallery is free and handicap accessible. For more information,

visit www.TheDelRayArtisans.org or call (202) 276-0695.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 18+

DANCING AT AGE 40+Jane Franklin Dance presents FORTY+, a performance by the com-pany’s dancers over 40 on Tuesday, Jan 21 from 10:30 to 11:30

a.m. This event takes place at Theatre on the Run, located at 3700 S. Four MileRun Dr., Arlington, Va. Tickets cost $5. To order tickets, visitwww.janefranklin.com/performances/tickets or buy at the door.

FUNNY STORIES“True Stories” is an afternoon of true, humorous stories for adultsand teens, told by Emmy Award-winning actress Melissa Leebaertand others. It will take place on Sunday Jan. 19 at 4.30 p.m. at

the Tikvat Israel Synagogue, 2200 Baltimore Rd., Rockville, Md. Tickets cost$13 at the door; $11 in advance. Healthy snacks are included. For more informa-tion, call (301) 762-7338.

SEEKING GOLFERSVirginia golfers 55 and older are invited to join the Burke LakeSeniors Golf Club. Benefits include reserved tee times on Tuesdayand Thursday mornings at the Par 3 Burke Lake Golf Course on

Ox Rd. Annual dues for the season (from Apr. 1 through Oct. 31) are $20, plusgreen fees at a reduced rate. For more information, call Charlie Ryan at (703)690-4227.

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Jan. 19

Ongoing

See PACE, page 19

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So Mirsky-Ashby moved her mother toFairfax to live with her and her family.Even after employing home health aidesfor 10 hours a day and adding the servicesof an adult day center for her mom, shestill found caregiving stressful.

But PACE “has made a tremendous,tremendous difference. It’s been a god-send,” she said.

“When I realized that I was paying $15an hour for the home health aides andtheir Social Security, and going throughthe horrors of scheduling them and all thedoctor appointments, and the nightmare ofkeeping track of all her prescriptions, Ifeel like I get a lot for my $5,000,” Mirsky-Ashby said.

She is also happy that PACE offersrespite care. When Mirsky-Ashby went ona camping trip with her son and husbandlast summer, PACE placed her mother in aSunrise assisted living community for theweekend.

A liberating serviceSimilarly, Naja Brown has found the

PACE program invaluable in augmentingher caregiving for her parents.

“I do not have a medical background,and being the liaison between my parentsand all of their various physicians was avery stressful position to be in,” saidBrown, who lives in Burke, Va. “The factthat I could hand that component of theircare to an organization that could definite-ly do it better was liberating.”

Bobbi Longworth, of Centreville, hasalso found more peace of mind with PACE.Longworth had been helping care for her

mother, who lives in an independent livingcommunity for seniors but needed morehelp than was provided there. Her motherwas one of the first participants to sign upfor InovaCare’s PACE.

“I would have appreciated any help atall, so the comprehensive coordination ofcare appealed to me and almost seemedtoo good to be true. Fortunately, it wasn’t,”Longworth said.

“The benefits have been great inthat our mother-daughter relationship hasimproved. I’m no longer as overwhelmedby the numerous, seemingly endless care-giver duties that precluded us from actual-ly enjoying some of our time together.

“It’s not always easy, but life is muchmore balanced for myself and my motherthanks to our partners at PACE.”

For more information on the InovaCaresfor Seniors PACE program, call (703) 239-5888 or see www.inova.org/pace. Informa-tion on the program nationally is availableat www.pace4you.org.

WA SH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 19

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PACEFrom page 18 AFRICAN CHILDREN’S CHOIR

The African Children’s Choir will perform at the Northeastern Presby-terian Church, 2112 Varnum St. NE, Washington, D.C., on Sunday,

Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. They will be singing children’s songs, traditional spirituals andgospel favorites. Though the concert is free, an offering is taken at the performance.For more information, visit www.africanchildrenschoir.com or call (202) 526-1730.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 12

FOOTBALL TALKThe National Activeand Retired Federal

Employees will have as its speakerAlan Ferraro, commissioner of theWashington District Football OfficialsAssociation, whose talk will be “TheMysteries of Football Officiating.”Ferraro will discuss football at all lev-els: high school, college and profes-sional, as well as the challenges thatare faced by officials in making theright call. The meeting will be held atthe Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, Md. from 1:30to 3 p.m. For more information, call(301) 871-6734.

MUSICIAN VOLUNTEERSThe Lewinsville Adult

Day Health Care Center of McLeanneeds a volunteer musician to per-form once or twice a month. Formore information, visit www.fairfax-county.gov/olderadults and link toVolunteer Solutions or call (703)324-5406, TTY 711.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 22

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By Barbara RubenSixty to 70 percent of those with diabetes

develop nerve damage throughout theirbody called neuropathy. The condition cancause pain, tingling and numbness, mostcommonly in the arms, feet and legs. Thosewho have had diabetes for 25 years or moreare the most likely to have neuropathy.

Because diabetic neuropathy is morecommon in people who have trouble con-trolling their blood glucose and those whoare overweight, a study is now looking athow diet might bring glucose levels downand at the same time help stop the tinglingand pain of neuropathy.

The Physicians Committee for Respon-sible Medicine (PCRM) is now enrollingpeople ages 18 to 65 with type 2 diabetes ina research study examining whether a low-

fat vegan diet that contains no animal prod-ucts might be able to reduce neuropathy.

“We’ve spoken to a number of people whosay their neuropathy is worse after they eat,or when they eat certain foods, which sug-gests that they can feel a direct correlationbetween their blood sugar levels and theirneuropathy on a day-to-day and hour-to-hour basis,” said Anne Bunner, Ph.D., asso-ciate director of clinical research for PCRM.

Though “That may not be true for every-body, we think in general there is a connec-tion between glucose levels and neuropathicpain,” she continued. “And if we can get theglucose levels down, then not only will thenerves not be aggravated, they may have theopportunity to recover and to regenerate.

“[Diabetics] may be able to gain sensa-tion where they have lost it, and have a re-

duction in pain where there was daily pain.”

Vegan and non-vegan groupsThose who participate in the study will

be randomly divided into two groups. Onewill take a weekly nutrition class and sup-port group at PCRM’s Friendship Heights’office for 20 weeks while following a low-fat vegan diet, which eliminates all meat,poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs. Theclass includes cooking demonstrations.

The other group will continue to eattheir normal diet and not participate in theclasses during the study. However, thosein that group will be able to attend an infor-mation session about the diet after thestudy is completed.

Study participants in both groups will takea vitamin B12 supplement. B12 helps main-tain healthy nerve tissue and blood cells.

“We’ve done this diet with thousands ofparticipants, and people always find it to beeasier than they thought it would be, espe-cially in the context of the classes we do,”Bunner said. “They meet every week anddiscuss how the diet is going and how theillness is going.

“We answer questions on how can I fitthis diet into my life? What am I going toeat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Whatam I going to have for snacks? We providelots of advice: How do you deal with holi-days? Going out with friends? Travel?”

Four study assessmentsAll those in the study will fill out ques-

tionnaires related to diabetic neuropathy,diet and exercise. During the first visit,they will also have blood tests to assess

general health. During the study, there will be four

health assessments — at the beginning,after 10 weeks, after 20 weeks and oneyear after the study ends. Each assess-ment includes a blood draw at a Quest Lablocation of the participant’s choice.

Participants will also complete a Su-doscan test, which measures how wellskin produces sweat. The test scans palmsof the hands and soles of the feet, andwhile it is painless, some participants mayexperience a tingling sensation because ituses a very low electrical current to stimu-late sweat glands.

During the study, participants will becalled or visited at two random times by adietician and interviewed about what theyate during the past 24 hours. During thestudy, alcohol consumption is limited totwo drinks per day for men and one drinkfor women.

All of those in the study will remain ontheir current medications.

Those who are not in the diet group willreceive $25 Whole Foods gift cards aftereach assessment. Those in the diet inter-vention group are not paid, but do receivetwo free books on cooking and diabetes, aswell as the classes and support group with-out charge. The cost of all lab tests andB12 supplements are covered by PCRM.

Those interested in participating in thestudy must contact PCRM by Thursday,Jan. 16.

For more information or to volunteer,call toll-free 1-855-788-3977. PCRM’s officeis located at 5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW,Washington, D.C.


Health Studies PageTHE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Can a vegan diet help diabetic nerve pain?

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By Nicci Micco Long gone are the days when all fats were

“bad.” Now we know that what’s importantare the types of fat we eat and how much. Forinstance, oils — full of unsaturated fatty acids— generally fall into the “healthy” camp.

When you choose oil over a solid fat likeshortening or butter, you’re helping to cutback your consumption of saturated fats —one of the nutritional bad guys. Similarly,when you choose nuts over crackers, youmay be limiting your intake of trans fats,another type of unhealthy fats.

All food sources that we think of as “fats”— we’re talking butter, shortening, oils —are made up of a combination of fatty acids:monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and satu-rated.

All fats contain all three types, but areclassified by the type of fatty acid thatmakes up most of the fat. For example, oliveoil is about 78 percent monounsaturated fat,so it’s considered a monounsaturated fat.

Trans fats are man-made fats used inprocessed foods to increase their shelf life.[The FDA announced in November it in-tends to ban the use of trans fats in the nearfuture. For now, FDA estimates 12 percentof packaged foods still contain them.]

Choose these good fats1. Monounsaturated fatsCommon sources: Olives, avocado,

nuts and seeds, cooking oils, includingolive oil and peanut oil

How to spot them: They’re liquid atroom temperature, but become semi-solid(or cloudy) in the refrigerator.Health effects: When substituted for

saturated fats, research suggests that mo-

nounsaturated fats may help keep “bad”LDL cholesterol low and boost levels of“good” HDL cholesterol and, in that way,reduce risk for heart disease.2. Polyunsaturated Fats (includes

omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats)Common sources: Fatty fish like

salmon, tuna and mackerel; nuts andseeds; cooking oils including sunflower oil,canola and walnut oilHow to spot them: They’re always liq-

uid, even if you put them in the fridge.Health notes: Like monounsaturated

fats, polyunsaturated fats may help improveblood cholesterol levels, thereby reducingrisk for heart disease. Although both omega-6 and omega-3 fats (two specific types ofpolyunsaturated fats) are essential for goodhealth, omega-3s may have additional heart-health and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Limit (or avoid) these bad fats1. Saturated fatCommon sources: Butter, lard, fatty

meats and full-fat dairy products, includingwhole-milk cheese and yogurtsHow to spot them: They’re solid at

room temperature.Health notes: A diet high in saturated

fat has been linked with elevated choles-terol levels and increased risk for heartdisease, so it’s best to limit your intake.The American Heart Association suggestslimiting your intake of saturated fat to 7percent of total calories — that’s 16 gramsfor a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.2. Trans fats/partially hydrogenated

fatsCommon sources: Many packaged

snacks, commercially prepared baked goods,

salad dressings, deep-fried fast food andsome margarines.How to spot them: Check ingredient

lists for the terms “hydrogenated” or “par-tially hydrogenated” fats. Food manufac-turers don’t have to report the trans-fatcontent if it’s less than 0.5 gram per serv-ing, so a product may include trans fatseven if the label reports 0 grams.Health notes: Trans fats are the un-

healthiest of all: they increase (“bad”) LDLand decrease (“good”) HDL cholesterol.Aim to limit trans fats to less than 1 percentof total calories per day. Some experts rec-ommend trying to avoid them altogether.

Fast fat swapsCut back on saturated fat — and benefit

from nutrition bonuses — with these easyswaps:

Salmon for steak: You’ll not only cutback on saturated fat, but also gain heart-healthy omega-3s. 1.1 g. sat. fat (3 oz.) vs.9.1 g. (3 oz.)

Avocado for brie: Replacing high-in-satu-rated-fat brie with avocado gets you “good”monounsaturated fats and a good amountof dietary fiber, vitamin C and potassium.1.1 g. sat. fat (1/4 avocado) vs. 4.9 g. (1 oz.)

Extra-virgin olive oil for butter: You’llsave 5 grams of saturated fat per table-spoon and gain antioxidants found in extra-virgin olive oil. 1.9 g. sat. fat (1 Tbsp.) vs.7.3 g. (1 Tbsp.)© 2013 Eating Well, Inc. Distributed by

Tribune Content Agency, LLC


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Q: I want to lose weight, but when Iget too hungry, I overeat. How can I tellwhen to ignore the urge, versus whenit’s time to eat before I’m too hungry?A: It’s not always easy to know the best

time to eat, especially if you’ve spent yearsdieting with a mindset of trying to ignoreyour body’s hunger signals.

The good news is that the skill of know-ing when you are truly hungry becomeseasier the more you practice it, and thiswill not only help you lose weight, but canplay a key role in helping you maintain ahealthy weight.

Begin by training yourself to recognizedegrees of hunger by rating it on a one-to-ten scale before and after you eat. (Ten

equals stuffed, one equals feeling so hun-gry you’d gulp down anything, and fiveequals “neutral.”)

With practice, you’ll learn to recognizesignals of hunger and know when to eatsomething before you get to the point ofout-of-control overeating. For some peo-ple, it’s stomach rumbling; for others, it’sdecreased ability to focus attention.

You can also practice recognizing non-hunger urges to eat. For example, you mightnotice that you’re sensitive to cues like see-ing others eat or smelling pleasant aromasfrom a bakery. You may also learn that youuse eating as an “excuse” when you need abreak or as a way to cope when upset or tired.

Behavioral therapists often note that this

desire to eat when not hungry tends to comein a wave. If you aren’t hungry, the urge willusually pass if you can distractyourself with something else fora little while. The problem isthat most of us don’t realize that,and give in to the urge too soon.

The bottom line is learningto tune in and trust your bodysignals. Keeping some form ofjournal can be very helpful tothis process.

If you find losing weightchallenging, a few sessionswith a registered dietitian (RDor RDN) trained in behaviormodification can help you learnto read your body signals andunderstand how eating choices can set youup for more long-lasting hunger satisfaction.

If you don’t know how to find one in yourarea, go to the website of the Academy ofNutrition and Dietetics (http://eatright.org)and enter your location information under“Find a Registered Dietitian.”Q: How much nutrition do I lose by

using frozen spinach instead of fresh? A: Spinach is a powerhouse food con-

taining vitamins and minerals, and is a richsource of phytochemicals, such ascarotenoids and flavonoids.

In general, the nutrients and other protec-

tive compounds in spinach are similarwhether you use fresh or frozen. Freezing

spinach does not seem to meanany loss in beta-carotene con-tent.

Compared to the frozenform, freshly har vestedspinach provides more folate— a B vitamin that some stud-ies have found may preventheart disease according to theAmerican Heart Association.

However, a study at Pennsyl-vania State University showsthat when fresh spinach sits ina truck for transportation overlong distances, or sits in yourrefrigerator for a week, folate

content drops so much that frozen spinachbecomes the better source.

Frozen spinach is terrific to keep onhand for an easy nutrient boost in soupsand sauces. For other uses, cook spinach(fresh or frozen) by steaming, microwav-ing, stir-frying or sautéing to retain folateand vitamin C. Boiling spinach in a pot ofwater, then draining it, can cut these vita-mins’ content in half.

When using frozen spinach, you can re-duce vitamin C losses by cooking it directly


NUTRITIONWISEBy Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDM

How to learn when (and how much) to eat

See NUTRITION WISE, page 23

from the freezer without thawing it first.However, to add frozen spinach to a casse-role or pasta dish such as lasagna, your dishmay turn out best if you do first thaw it (usingthe microwave makes it quick and easy),then place in a sieve or colander and use alarge spoon to squeeze out the excess water.

By squeezing this water into a bowl, youcan refrigerate it and save to add to soupor pasta sauce, thus avoiding loss of vita-

min C or other water-soluble nutrients. The American Institute for Cancer Re-

search offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800-843-8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday. This free service allows youto ask questions about diet, nutrition andcancer. A registered dietitian will returnyour call, usually within three business days. Courtesy of the American Institute for

Cancer Research. Questions for this columnmay be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St.,NW, Washington, DC 20009. Collins cannotrespond to questions personally.

Most recipes call for canned beans, asthough they were the only option. Usingthem is exquisitely convenient, but mak-ing dried beans is almost as easy andmuch less expensive. Hear me out, please,before you turn the page.

I sometimes use canned beans whencooking for myself, so I’m not an uncom-promising purist. But no canned brandmatches the flavor and texture of home-cooked beans — certainly not after yourinse canned beans to reduce their sodiumcontent and remove the remains of canned“bean juice.”

Some dried beans do not require longsoaking or hours to cook. For example, theblack-eyed peas for this recipe need just afour-hour soak. They cook in 30 to 40 min-utes, about what it takes to make a nice potof soup.

Or use the quick-soak method andblack-eyed peas will be ready in only twohours. Of that time, only 10 minutes in-volves you; the rest, while the beans soakand then simmer, is untended. For thismethod, bring the dried peas to a boil in alarge pot, like cooking pasta, then removefrom heat, cover and set aside for 1 hour.

Drain, replace the water, and cook untilthe beans are tender, about 40 minutes.

This soup — almost a stew thanks to allthe good stuff in it — includes what south-western Native Americans called the threesisters – beans, corn and squash. Warmingand aromatic with smoked paprika, itmakes a complete winter meal.

Southwestern Bean Soup3/4 cup dried black-eyed peas, or 1 3/4

cup frozen, or a 15 oz. can, no salt added,rinsed and drained

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil1 medium red onion, chopped 2 cups chopped butternut squash, in

3/4-inch pieces 4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken

or vegetable broth1 cup frozen yellow corn 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano1/2 tsp. smoked paprika1 cup steamed beet greens or chard (4

cups raw, chopped)Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to

taste1/3 cup chopped cilantro, optional, for

garnish

Soak dried black-eyed peas in 3 cups waterfor 4 to 6 hours. (If using frozen or cannedblack-eyed peas, skip these first steps.)

Drain in colander, then transfer soakedpeas to medium saucepan. Add 3 cupswater and set pot over medium-high heat.Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar. When waterboils, reduce heat to simmer and cookpeas for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Drain in colander, and set cooked beansaside. Or refrigerate, tightly covered, forup to 3 days.

In large saucepan, heat oil over medi-um-high heat. Add onions and cook, stir-ring, for 1 minute. Add squash, stir to com-bine and coat with oil, and cook 1 minute.Cover pot tightly, reduce heat to medium-

low, and cook for 5 minutes. Add broth, corn, oregano and paprika.

Cover and simmer soup until squash is ten-der, 10 minutes. Add greens and black-eyedpeas and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide soup among 6 wide, shal-low soup bowls. Sprinkle cilantro over eachserving, dividing it evenly among bowls.

Makes 6 servings. Unused portion canbe refrigerated for use the next day.

Per 1½ cup serving: 158 calories, 3 g.total fat (<1 g. saturated fat), 27 g. carbohy-drate, 9 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 428mg. sodium.

— The American Institute for CancerResearch


Southwestern bean soup is a meal in itself

Nutrition wiseFrom page 22

Call to set up your appointment today301-441-8632

If no answer, please leave a message.

• House Call Service• Licensed in Maryland & D.C.

Dr. Allen J. Moien

Dear Pharmacist:What are the best medications to

help me sleep? I’ve tried all the natu-

ral remedies, I need somethingstronger!

— V.E.

Dear V.E.:Why, as a nation, do we have trouble

sleeping? It should be such anatural act.

I urge you to find the un-derlying cause of your chron-ic insomnia and to changeyour sleep habits, becauseyou can’t rely on medicationforever.

Chronic insomnia may becaused by sleep apnea and, inthis situation, sleeping pillsare dangerous. For others, adeficiency of your sleep hor-mone, melatonin, causes youto wake up very early.

The point is that sleep disorders aren’talways related to neurotransmitter imbal-ances, so sleeping pills (which affect neu-rotransmitters) often just mask the under-lying problem.

Here are the most popular medications:Ambien (zolpidem) — Introduced in

1992, this helps put you to sleep and keepyou asleep. Many people reported havingmorning grogginess, so the makers cameout with a controlled-release version in2005 that works longer.

Ambien usually puts you to sleep within15 to 30 minutes. There are other brandnames containing the same chemical in-gredients, such as a sublingual low-dosetablet called “Intermezzo” that you cantake in the middle of the night. There’salso “Zolpimist,” an oral spray.

Every now and then you hear a report ofsomeone sleep-driving, having sex, mak-ing phone calls, sleep-walking and cookingmeals while on Ambien.

Lunesta (eszopiclone) — Everything Isaid about Ambien applies to this drug aswell. It is similar in mechanism of action,as well of duration of action.

Sonata (Zaleplon) — Again, similar toAmbien, however, it has a very short dura-tion of action. The advantage is you won’t

have morning grogginess. The disadvan-tage is you may be staring at the alarm

clock by 3 a.m. Rozerem (Ramelteon) —

This is my favorite sleep med-ication because it affects yourmelatonin receptors, increas-ing the length of time yousleep. You can start and stopas often as you wish, sincethere is no physical depend-ence. The drug may affect pro-lactin and testosterone levels,so if you use it long-term(greater than 3 or 4 months),have these levels evaluated.

Silenor (Doxepine) — Intro-duced in 2010, this medication blocks hista-mine receptors. It contains the same activeingredient as a popular antidepressant, butin a much lower dose. I like that it does nothave addictive potential.

Benzodiazepine drugs (temazepam, al-prazolam, clonazepam, lorazepam and oth-ers) — Very affordable, and used fordecades, these drugs have strong addictivepotential and may cause daytime drowsi-ness. This category helps with someseizures.

Insurance companies may have restric-tions on which sleeping pills are covered,and will obviously expect you to buygeneric. They often require you to tryother approaches to your insomnia first.

If you are interested in natural herbs or vi-tamins to help you sleep, I’ll send you an ex-panded version of this article. Just sign upfor my free newsletter at www.DearPharma-cist.com.This information is opinion only. It is not

intended to treat, cure or diagnose your con-dition. Consult with your doctor before usingany new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist

and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacistand Real Solutions from Head to Toe. Tocontact her, visit www.dearpharmacist.com.


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Trouble sleeping? An overview of options

DEAR PHARMACISTBy Suzy Cohen

Send a letter to the editor.See page 2.

Our Mission: To secure the well-being of Montgomery County Seniorsthrough 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.

Networking Extravaganza • March 6, 8-11 a.m. Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center, 1000 Forest Glen, Silver Spring

Early registration (by 2/28) $40 members/$55 non-members. Registration required. Call (301) 765-3325.

Dear Solutions: My son and daughter-in-law recently

had an adorable baby boy.Before he was born, theysaid they would name himafter my husband, who diedtwo years ago. But when hewas born, my daughter-in-law said she loved a differentname and gave that name tothe baby instead. They don’t plan to have

any other children, so thisis my only grandchild. Ifeel that this was a prom-ise, and I’m upset. I wouldlike them to at least add amiddle name for my husband. Our religion has a special naming cer-

emony, and I would like to do this there.But my daughter-in-law is of a differentreligion, so how do I handle this?

— EmmaDear Emma:

With great care. Talk to your son first,and make it clear to him that you love thebaby and your daughter-in-law, and youdon’t want to upset anyone, but this is im-portant to you. If you son doesn’t wish togo further, then drop it.

One day, you can tell your grandsonabout his grandfather and include your

husband in talking about family history.Give priority to being a part of your grand-

son’s life and experiencing thepleasure this will bring bywhatever name.Dear Solutions: My daughter is getting

married soon. Good friendsand relatives threw her atasteful, lovely bridal shower. Now, though, her col-

leagues at work are planningto surprise her by taking herto a “bachelorette” party at aclub with male strippers.

I took a message for mydaughter when she wasn’t

home, and that person told me about itin secret. I’m sure my daughter will notappreciate this tacky kind of entertain-ment, but I don’t know if I should warnher about it because it’s supposed to bea surprise.

— Not SureDear Not Sure:

Tacky to you, titillating to others —maybe. Say nothing. Your daughter will sur-vive it, even if she finds it offensive. What shewon’t survive as well is the embarrassmentof having her mother interfere.

These are people she works with, andshe won’t want to insult them or have to

put on an act if she knows about it. It’s one evening. They care about her, and

it’s their version of fun. Stay mum, mom!Dear Solutions: My cousin’s husband died over a year

ago. From that time on, she has absolute-ly refused to go anywhere where otherwomen are there with their husbands. Many of these people were good

friends of hers and her husband in thepast, and they keep telling her theywant her company. Two of the womenare also widows, and they are happy tojoin the group.It’s true she was the quiet one and

counted on her husband to be the so-cial being, but I’m afraid she’s makingherself more and more isolated and

depressed. Any suggestions?— Molly

Dear Molly: Sounds like she believes that since she’s

“unmanned” she’s uninteresting and is bet-ter off being unavailable.

Perhaps, if you know the other women,you might suggest to them that they inviteher to join them for lunch or other activi-ties without any men present.

At those gatherings, they could reas-sure her about joining the couples eventsalong with them. In addition, it sounds likeshe should get some counseling to helpwith her bereavement and her ability to goon with her life.© Helen Oxenberg, 2014. Questions can

be sent to [email protected].


9631936

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SOLUTIONSBy Helen Oxenberg,MSW, ACSW

Does grandma get a say in baby naming?


ALEXANDRIA (703) 765-23721636 Belle View Blvd.ANNANDALE (703) 256-40307205 Little River TurnpikeBAILEY’S CROSSROADS (703) 820-46573535 South Jefferson StreetCENTREVILLE (703) 631-1448 5652 Pickwick RoadCHANTILLY (703) 378-0162 3919 Centreville Road RD.DALE CITY (703) 680-94544338 Dale Blvd.FAIRFAX (703) 378-7550 13031 Lee-Jackson HighwayFAIRFAX (703) 204-31813053 Nutley StreetFALLS CHURCH (703) 538-6918 6637 Arlingon Blvd.FALLS CHURCH (703) 204-3180 8124 Arlington Blvd, Yorktown Center

FALLS CHURCH (703) 532-5715 1150 West Broad StreetHERNDON (703) 471-9478 1062 Elden StreetMCLEAN (703) 883-01571452 Chain Bridge RoadSPRINGFIELD (703) 764-0665 8928 Burke Lake RoadSPRINGFIELD (703) 644-63236436 Springfield PlazaSPRINGFIELD (703) 644-62898330 Old Keene Mill Rd/Cardinal ForestVIENNA (703) 938-9490 337 East Maple StreetWOODBRIDGE (703) 494-9781 13600 Jefferson Davis Highway

WASH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 27

VOLUME XXV, ISSUE 1 A newsletter for D.C. Seniors January 2014

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGEBy John M. Thompson, Ph.D., FAAMA

As this issue of “Spotlight on Aging” is the first edition for 2014, Iwould like to talk about health and wellness. These topics are alwaysrelevant, regardless if you are an individual who will be turning 60years of age this year or a seasoned senior. By focusing on thesemeasures now, we can help ourselves to remain physically active formany years.According to 2010 data from the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, there were approximately 2.3 million nonfatal fall in-juries among older adults treated in emergency departments, andmore than 662,000 of these patients were hospitalized due to hipfractures, lacerations and head traumas — or even admitted to nurs-ing homes. The total direct medical costs associated with these falls were

$30.4 billion. As you can imagine, seniors who have suffered thesekinds of injuries find it difficult to remain independent, and may suf-fer from an increased risk of early death. In extreme cases, 21,700seniors died from unintentional fall injuries in 2010. Beyond the fact that seniors are prone to fall injuries, some sen-

iors live with different types of chronic diseases, such as heart dis-ease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and arthritis. According to the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention, 7 out of 10 deaths annuallyamong Americans are linked to chronic diseases. About 25 percent of people with chronic conditions have limita-

tions with one or more activities of daily living (ADL). Arthritis is themost common cause of disability, impacting nearly 19 million Amer-icans who report that they have issues with performing some ADLs.Diabetes can also adversely impact ADLs when individuals go blindor require non-traumatic lower-extremity amputations due to thecondition. Although I have shared some staggering data with you, seniors

and future seniors can take control of their lives to prevent falls andprevent or alleviate ailments associated with a number of chronicdiseases. Seniors can access free wellness programs at any of theDistrict of Columbia Office on Aging’s Senior Wellness Centers,which are located in Wards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. At these senior wellness centers, you can engage in tai chi classes

to improve balance, and take part in strength training classes tobuild leg strength to prevent falls. You can exercise on the treadmilland the elliptical machine, and take aerobics classes to prevent or al-leviate the ailments associated with cardiovascular disease, highcholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosisand stroke. Moreover, aerobic exercises strengthen your immune system,

which means that you will be healthy, active and productive ratherthan being sick at home. Lastly, aerobic exercise strengthens yourheart and your body’s ability to supply oxygen throughout yourbody, which helps it to function properly, while burning calories andreducing body fat. For those who frequently come to our senior wellness centers, we

welcome you back in 2014! If you are a District senior age 60 andolder and have not been to one of our senior wellness centers, wewelcome you to get started this week by visiting any of our six loca-tions. See the list at right, or contact the District of Columbia Officeon Aging at 202-724-5626 for more information.

Centenarian Receives Mayoral Award for ServiceMayor Gray recently presented

104-year-old Virginia McLaurinwith the National Service Awardduring the Mayor’s CommunityService Awards. The awards arepresented annually to District resi-dents making a notable impactthrough volunteerism and service.Grandma McLaurin, as she is

known, is a long-time resident of theDistrict, and was aware of the chal-lenges the city faced when meetingthe academic needs of students withsevere special educational needsand disabilities. In 1994, because she lives near C. Melvin

Sharpe Health School, she decided to volunteerto make a difference in the lives of the mentallyand physically disabled children attending theschool by working alongside the teaching staffand administration as a United Planning Organi-zation (UPO) Foster Grandparent. She has volunteered an average of 40 hours

per week for the past 19 years. Grandma helpsthese special children acquire and develop socialskills, basic skills in speech, reading, writing andmath. Grandma believes that love conquers all,saying, “I love everybody.”After the ceremony, while waiting for her ride

with Cheryl Christmas, program manager for the

Foster Grandparent Program, she was dis-cussing upcoming calendar events. When Christ-mas was trying to recall one of them, GrandmaMcLaurin quickly chimed in to correct her. The centenarian takes part in many activities,

but is definitely committed to the children sheserves. At age 104, Grandma McLaurin contin-ues to walk the two blocks from her home to theschool without assistance. Her presence as a volunteer inspires every-

one to work beyond the aches and pains of age,to dance in the face of setbacks and loss, and togive love freely to all. Foster GrandparentMcLaurin is a shining example of the commit-ment to service and humanity that is theessence of volunteerism.

Happy New Year!Start off the year by adopting a healthier lifestyle! Attend one of six wellness centers citywide

designed for persons age 60 and older. Participation is free for District residents age 60 and older

Bernice Fonteneau Senior WellnessCenter Ward3531 Georgia Ave. NW • 202-727-0338

Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center324 Kennedy St. NW • 202-291-6170

Model Cities Senior Wellness Center1901 Evarts St. NE • 202-635-1900

Hayes Senior Wellness Center500 K St. NE • 202-727-0357

Washington Seniors Wellness Center3001 Alabama Ave. SE• 202-581-9355

Congress Heights Senior WellnessCenter3500 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave. SE202-563-7225

The BODYWISE program promotes health, wellness and fitness for persons 60 years ofage or older in the District of Columbia. Some of the benefits that may be achieved include:an increase in participant’s cardiovascular efficiency, muscular strength, flexibility andoverall life satisfaction. A key component of the program is to promote health, wellness anddisease prevention knowledge. Call 202-274-6651 for more information.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray presented 104-year-old Virginia McLau-rin with the National Service Award during the Mayor’s CommunityService Awards.

28 J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

D.C. OFFICE ON AGING NEWSLETTER

Mystery Shopper Scams Grow Bigger and More Sophisticated:Don’t Get Sucked in by Con Artists

Message from the D.C. Department of Insur-ance, Securities and BankingThe articles in places like Forbes

magazine and the website Gizmododescribe it as one of “Seven Fun Waysfor Retirees to Make Money” and aneasy way to “Make Money on YourLunch Break.”Mystery shopping can be fun and rea-

sonably profitable. It can also be a scamdesigned to separate you from yourmoney before you realize it’s even gone.Real mystery-shopping companies pay

people to shop at the companies’ clientsand report their experiences. Big retail-ers, for instance, will contract with mys-tery-shopping companies to find out howtheir sales people treat customers.Started in the 1940s, mystery shopping

has since grown into a $1.5 billion busi-ness, says the trade association MysteryShopper Providers Association, which es-timates 1.5 million Americans are at leastoccasionally mystery shoppers.“Mystery shopping is the only reliable

way to quantify and benchmark the cus-tomer experience,” says the trade associ-ation in its pitch to clients. “Mysteryshopping provides data that lets the busi-ness owner make quick adjustments sothat the customer’s expectations are met

and the customer is satisfied. That bringsthe customer back, builds loyalty and al-legiance, and protects the bottom line.”

How the scams workBut as the industry has grown, so have

the once penny-ante scams involving theindustry now grown to cost victims sev-eral thousand dollars.Here’s how it works, according to the

National Association of Mystery Shop-pers, which represents the shopper sideof the industry: Someone, often a woman,will call offering to pay you to mysteryshop. Or you may get the cashier’s checkor money order unsolicited in the mail,typically from $1,000 to $4,500, for you todeposit in your bank, deducting a coupleof hundred for your fee. You’re then supposed to wire the bal-

ance to them, usually to an address in an-other country, often Canada, supposedlyin order to evaluate a money transmitterlike Western Union. By the time yourbank discovers the check you depositedis a fake, you’re out the entire amount,plus you’re potentially liable for multiplebank charges, and there’s no way to re-cover your money. What’s more, thescam artist may also steal personal infor-mation to tap into your credit cards or ac-

counts. “Scams involving counterfeit checks

have become one of the most prevalenttype of frauds in North America,” saidAndrea Rosen, Canada’s deputy commis-sioner of competition. “These scams area particular concern since they target un-employed people anxious to earn moneyin the current economic climate.” The Toronto Strategic Partnership,

formed in 2000 to fight cross-borderfraud, focuses on fighting scams like this(Toronto is the Canadian capital of white-collar crime.) The partnership consists ofCanadian consumer protection and lawenforcement officials and representa-tives from British law enforcement andthe U.S. Federal Trade Commission andPostal Inspection Service. Just two conartists arrested by Canadian policescammed people for $150,000.These new scams are a big step up

from the old penny-ante con where scamartists would buy classified ads and getpotential shoppers to send $100 to startgetting assignments.There are two major warning signs of

the new scam: Legitimate mystery shop-ping companies don’t directly contact po-tential shoppers, says the Mystery Shop-per Provider Association. And they rarely

send a check before you’ve even com-pleted your assignment.The District’s Department of Insur-

ance, Securities and Banking hasn’t re-ceived any formal complaints about mys-tery shopping scams so far, but two eld-erly men at a fraud-prevention event re-cently complained to the department’sconsumer advocate that they had re-ceived checks in the mail in the last year.Neither man deposited them. Last year, New York State’s attorney

general shut down two websites thatconned people into accepting $2,000bogus checks in return for a $300 “fee.” Uncertain economic times like these

create rich hunting grounds for thesescam artists, said Attorney General EricSchneiderman. “These scams,” he said,“are particularly insidious because theytarget individuals looking for ways to bol-ster their income in today’s challengingjob environment.”Mystery shoppers find assignments

through ads online and in newspapersfrom legitimate companies. These com-panies usually only pay shoppers afterthey’ve finished their assignments andfiled reports. If someone wants to send

Now is the time to prepare for possi-ble winter emergencies. Once youlearn of a cold or winter weather alert,such as a winter storm warning, listento the broadcast media about theweather conditions. Seniors are urged to follow certain

protective measures, including: stayingin warm places, wearing several layersof dry clothing, wearing a windproofouter layer, rescheduling appointmentsif possible, and storing canned goodsand prescription medicines in case youcannot get out to a store.

See www.72hours.dc.gov or www.snow.dc.gov for additional importantinformation. Here are important phone numbers

that also may be helpful in cold weath-er emergencies.

IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• Emergency Assistance 911In a life-threatening situation, call

911 for Police, Fire and ambulanceservices. There is a charge for DC am-bulance transportation to healthcarefacilities. Medicare Part A recipientscan be reimbursed.

• Hypothermia/Shelter Hotline202-399-7093 or (800) 535-7252The hotline offers assistance to per-

sons in need of overnight shelter, andsupport for those living on the streets.Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE•DC Consumer and RegulatoryAffairs 202-442-9557If the heating system is not working in

your rental apartment building, notify theproperty management. If you do not re-ceive a response, you can call the Hous-ing Inspections Office for assistance dur-ing business hours. On weekends andafter hours, call the Office of EmergencyManagement at 202-727-6161.

• DC Call Center 202-3113-1-1 is the number to report public

streets that need snow and ice clearingand removal. It’s also the main numberfor DC residents to report a problemor violation, offer feedback to theMayor, or obtain government informa-tion.

• Homeland Security andEmergency Management Agency202-727-6161This office can give you information

about shelters, where to get blankets,heaters and oil, and whom to contactfor other assistance. Also for non-med-ical emergency assistance and serviceinformation on holidays, weekendsand after hours. Open 24 hours a day, 7days a week.

• D.C. Office on Aging 202-724-5626The Information and Assistance Of-

fice can link seniors with needed serv-ices and provide general informationon keeping warm. The Office is open

Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to4:45 p.m.• D.C. Energy Office 3-1-1Emergency energy assistance is

available to low-income District resi-dents who have received a disconnec-tion notice for electric or gas service,or are currently disconnected. Assis-tance is also available to residentswithout home heating oil. The amountof assistance is based on householdsize, total household income, heatingsource, and type of dwelling.

Be Prepared for Winter Emergencies

Citizen Snow Team Volunteers Needed

Serve DC, the Mayor’s Office onVolunteerism, is seeking volunteersfrom across the District to join the2013-2014 Citizen Snow Team thatwill clear the sidewalks of elderlyand disabled residents after itsnows.The District requires property

owners (residential and commer-cial) to clear the sidewalks sur-

rounding their property within 24-hours after a snowfall. Even a dust-ing of snow can be too much for eld-erly or disabled residents to shovel.Volunteers are needed to make win-ter a little easier on everyone. Persons interested in volunteering

their time to help those in need canregister by calling 202-727-8421 orvisit www.serve.dc.gov.

See SCAMS, page 30

More than 3,200 seniors enjoyed theMayor’s Annual Senior Holiday Cele-bration held at the DC Armory lastmonth. D.C. Office on Aging Execu-tive Director John M. Thompson intro-duced Mayor Vincent C. Gray, whogreeted the seniors and spoke of thegreat things the District is doing to im-prove transportation for seniors, in-cluding increasing the budget to servemore seniors, increasing the numberof life support and medical transporta-tion trips, and providing more recre-ational trips for senior citizens.

The event was held under the theme,

Live, Work and Play: An Age-Friendly Holiday Celebration. Theexhibit area included many governmentand community-based resources provid-ing information, immunizations andhealth screenings, free facials, mani-cures, massages, giveaways and muchmore. A festive holiday meal was servedby volunteers from the Armed Forces,PEPCO and the JR ROTC. The MC for the event was Robert

“Captain Fly” Frye, host on WPFW89.3 FM and WYCB’s Senior Zone.The featured performer for the eventwas local R&B group HALO. Other

performers included Captain Fly andfriends for the holiday including ThePhilly Sound. Senior performers forthe event included the MC Steppersperforming “Rhythm Nation,” and theTR/Crest Soulinesters performing adance to “Jazzy Lady.”Senior participants from the Vida

Senior Center sang “Feliz Navidad,”and the API Senior Center SilverSingers sang a holiday medley of songsin Chinese, Mandarin and English.Seniors received a workout from

Hayes Senior Wellness Center fitnesscoordinator William Yates, which in-

cluded dance movement and yoga.Many of the attendees stayed on thedance floor hand dancing, performingline dances like the “Wobble,” and justenjoying the music that was provided.Known as the District’s largest holi-

day event held for seniors, the event ishosted annually by the D.C. Office onAging and its Senior Service Network.In its 16th year, the free event bringsseniors from across the city to cele-brate the season. This year, the eventwas rescheduled because of inclementweather forecast for the area in earlyDecember.

WA SH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 29


Seniors Celebrate Holiday at Annual Event

Mayor Vincent C. Gray joined hundreds of seniors for the Mayor's

Annual Senior Holiday Celebration, held at the D.C. Armory

The MC Steppers performed “Rhythm Nation.”

Commission on Aging Chair Romaine Thomas brings greetings

during the event.

Those at the event received information on DCOA services.

DCOA Executive Director Dr. John Thompson, Mayor Vincent C.

Gray and Lester Austin of the Social Security Administration at-

tended the holiday celebration.

Local R&B group HALO performed at the celebration.

30 J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON


Spotlight On Aging is published by theInformation Office of the D.C. Office onAging for D.C. senior residents. Advertis-ing contained in the Beacon is not en-dorsed by the D.C. Office on Aging or bythe publisher.

500 K St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002

202-724-5622 • www.dcoa.dc.gov

John M. Thompson, Ph.D., FAAMAExecutive DirectorDarlene Nowlin

EditorSelma Dillard, Vadym Guliuk,

Darrell Jackson, Jr.Photographers

The D.C. Office on Aging does not dis-criminate against anyone based on actual

or perceived: race, color, religion, nationalorigin, sex, age, marital status, personal ap-pearance, sexual orientation, familial sta-tus, family responsibilities, matriculation,political affiliation, disability, source of in-come, and place of residence or business.Sexual harassment is a form of sex dis-

crimination which is prohibited by the Act.In addition, harassment based on any ofthe above protected categories is prohibit-ed by the Act. Discrimination in violationof the Act will not be tolerated. Violatorswill be subjected to disciplinary action.

The Office on Aging isin partnership with the

District of Columbia Recycling Program.

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING

January events7th and 21st • noonJoin in the D.C. Caregivers Chat Online at Noon,

designed to provide resources, tips and other infor-mation to assist persons caring informally for olderadults. If you miss the noon chat, go back to the site(http://dcoa.dc.gov/page/caregiver-chat), and hitreplay to view the conversation. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected] or 202-535-1442.

9th • 10 a.m. to noonDCOA and the Office of Unified Communications

will present Smart911 to residents of Fort Lincoln.The presentation will be held at 2855 Fort LincolnDr. NE. Residents will have an opportunity to sign upfor a safety profile designed to give first respondersimportant information on homes and their occupantswhen contacted for emergency assistance. Residentswill also learn more about programs and services

available to assist them. For more information, con-tact [email protected] or call 202-727-8364.

11th and 12th • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.DCOA will have a booth a the NBC4 2014 Health

& Fitness Expo at the Walter E. Washington Con-vention Center, Halls B & C, Booth 1541, 801 Mt.Vernon Pl. NW. Join us for this great annual eventhealth and fitness demonstrations, resources, freegiveaways and more. For details about the event,call 202-249-3600.

14th • 11:30 a.m.Learn how to prevent bedbugs at a program at the

Kibar Nutrition Site, 1519 Islamic Way NW. Forreservations, call Vivian Grayton at 202-529-8701.

16th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. DCOA will present a Community Health and Infor-

mational Fair at Holy Temple of Christ Church, 43912th St. NE. Come out and receive valuable informationon DCOA programs and services, and receive healthscreenings and resources to keep you safe. For moreinformation, call Alice Thompson at 202-535-1321.

20th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. DCOA Executive Director John M. Thompson, Ph.D.,

FAAMA will discuss the Affordable Care Act and host aCommunity Health and Informational Fair at BethesdaBaptist Church, 1808 Capitol Ave. NE. Contact ShirleyMitchell at 301-318-2990 for more information.

23rd and 28th • 11:30 a.m.Learn about Medicare savings programs on Jan.

23 at the Kibar Nutrition Site, 1519 Islamic Way NW,and on Jan. 28 at the Edgewood Terrace Nutritionsite, 1519 4th St. NW.

Community Calendar

Seniors and Food in the District

DCOA Executive Director John M.Thompson, Ph.D. was a recent guestcolumnist for the National Foundationto End Senior Hunger. The column fo-cused on the District’s efforts to com-bat hunger among older residents.According to the American Commu-

nity Survey 2011 estimates, there werenearly 70,000 seniors age 65 years andolder who headed households in theWashington Metropolitan Region withincomes under $30,000 annually. To read the column and find out

more, visit www.nfesh.org.

Mayor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS

Mayor Vincent C. Gray recentlyswore in members of the Commis-sion on HIV/AIDS, which includedgovernment and community repre-sentatives who will work to contin-ue progress and save lives. Newmembers include DCOA ExecutiveDirector John M. Thompson. According to the Centers for Dis-

ease Control (CDC), 15 percent ofnew HIV/AIDS cases in the District

of Columbia are among older adults.While this is a slow increase overseveral years, 75 percent of olderadults are late testers, meaning thatthey test within 12 months of HIVcontraction and are typically diag-nosed with AIDS at the same time.For more information on older

adu l t s and HIV/AIDS , s eehttp://bit.ly/hiv_seniors.

you a check before you have done any-thing, especially to test a wire service’sfund transfers, beware. So you’re not accepting checks, you’re

not accepting solicitations for work byphone: Now, how do you tell whether thecompanies that are advertising are legiti-mate? Most will send you an email or re-quire you to log in to get an assignment.You can check them with the Better Busi-ness Bureau or with the trade association;you could even Google them. Don’t hesi-tate to call and ask questions. If there’s nophone number on the company’s website,that could be a bad sign.If they ask for money upfront on a web-

site for certification, a directory of mys-tery shopping companies, or a guarantyof a job, they are probably shady, saysthe Federal Trade Commission, since allthis information is available on the Webfor free. They may try to sell visions of you

checking into fancy hotels or dining infashionable restaurants, but mystery

shoppers tell the FTC it’s at best a part-time job for most people.If you try to get your money back, says

the FTC, “usually you are out of luck. Ei-ther the business doesn’t return thephone calls, or if it does, it’s to try anoth-er pitch.” If you have been the victim of a scam,

or even merely been contacted by one ofthese con artists, contact the District’sDepartment of Insurance, Securities andBanking at www.disb.dc.gov or 202-442-7832.You can also find more information on

the scam and report problems to the Fed-eral Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov andwww.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/.“Con artists are constantly upping

their game by coming up with newscams and figuring out ways to use newmedia to defraud people, so we want tomake sure people are aware of the manypitfalls out there,” said Gregory Marsillo,director of enforcement at the Depart-ment of Insurance, Securities and Bank-ing. “If you think you may be the victimof a financial scam like this in the Dis-trict, we want to hear from you.”

ScamsFrom page 28

Seeking CentenariansThe D.C. Office on Aging is prepar-

ing for the Annual Salute to District ofColumbia Centenarians. If you orsomeone you know will be 100 years ofage or older by April 30, please let usknow so that they may be registered

as a District of Columbia Centenarian. All centenarians will be invited to at-

tend a special luncheon in their honor.You may call Darlene Nowlin at 202-727-8364 or email [email protected] more information.

By Steve RothwellDon’t bet your shirt on a repeat per-

formance. That’s the message from some of the

biggest U.S. investment firms as the DowJones industrial average closed above 16,000for the first time at the end of 2013 and theStandard & Poor’s 500 index is on track as ofthe last days of December for its best year ina decade, with a gain of 28.65 percent. Although investment professionals re-

main optimistic, investors shouldn’t expectsuch outsized gains will be repeated in 2014. The S&P 500, the Dow and other stock in-

dexes have risen steadily as the Federal Re-serve has maintained its economic stimulusto keep long-term interest rates low, and theeconomy has continued to strengthen. Al-though economic growth hasn’t been spec-tacular, it has been strong enough enablecompanies to keep increasing their earnings. We asked professionals at three big

money managers — T. Rowe Price,Franklin Templeton and BlackRock — fortheir thoughts on how the stock marketwill shape up this year.

The outlook for stocks Another double-digit gain is not out of

the question. Many of the tail winds for the stock mar-

ket are still in place, but they may start toweaken. Corporate earnings are strong,but profit margins could be peaking. Interest rates are still low compared tto

historical levels, but will likely rise gradu-ally, particularly when the Fed starts topull back on its bond-buying stimulus pro-gram, as it recently indicated. However, the biggest challenge to the

stock market is that valuations have risenso much this year, said Larry Puglia, port-folio manager of T. Rowe Price’s Blue ChipGrowth fund.

That is to say, investors have been will-ing to pay more for a company’s futureearnings, pushing up prices. The price-earnings ratio for S&P 500 companies hasrisen to 15 from 12.5 at the start of lastyear, according to FactSet. “We still find selected stocks attractive

and think that the market’s OK, but I wouldbe surprised if the market....was able to du-plicate the type of gains we’ve had [in2013],” said Puglia. He still thinks stockscould rise as much as 10 percent in 2014. Conrad Hermann, a portfolio manager

at Franklin Templeton said that statisticsshow that when the market logs an annualgain of 20 percent or more, it has been fol-lowed by another year of gains on two outof three occasions — for an average gainof 11.5 percent the next year.

The best industry to invest in Technology companies are the big favorite.

The tech industry should benefit fromrising spending in an improving globaleconomy, said BlackRock’s chief invest-ment strategist Russ Koesterich. He alsosaid that technology stocks are typicallyless sensitive to rising interest rates thanother industry groups. Many tech stocks don’t pay a dividend,

making them less sensitive to higher bondyields, and with strong new products theyshould grow profits. That suggests if inter-est rates climb, tech stocks should per-form better than the overall market. Tech companies are also less richly

priced than some other parts of the mar-ket, while still offering good growthprospects. Those in the S&P 500 are trad-ing at 14.4 times their projected earningsover the next 12 months. That makes them less expensive than

WA SH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 31

GO PAPERLESSHow to use digital devices to organizeand store statements and bills

SAVINGS SUGGESTIONSWhere to stash your cash for the future,with at least some growth

DEADLY SINS OF INVESTINGDon’t follow the herd when buyingstocks, or give in to fear when selling

DOLLAR STORE DUDSWhy you shouldn’t buy batteries,electronics or tools at a dollar store

MoneyLaw &

Don’t bet on a great stock market in 2014

As families scramble to meet deadlinesfor college applications, the cost of educa-tion is hitting home in a big way. Although the College Board recently re-

ported that the rate of tuition increases atU.S. colleges and universities has sloweddown in recent years, it’s still a huge bur-den for American families. Many grand-parents are helping out.The average annual tab for public col-

leges is $8,893, though after subtractinggrants and financial aid, the net averagecost is $3,120. Private universities total$30,094, with a net cost of $12,460.Tack on room and board, and the price

tag increases by another $10,000 or so. A bigcommitment, for sure, but as anyone search-ing for a job knows, a college degree helps. As of September, the national unemploy-

ment rate stood at 7.2 percent, but here ishow the rate breaks down based on educa-tional attainment:Less than HS Degree: 10.3 percentHS Degree, no college: 7.6 percentSome College/Assoc. Degree: 6 percentBA and higher: 3.7 percentAdditionally, college grads earn more

over their lifetimes. According to Priceo-nomics blog, a college degree offers a 30-year wage premium of over $200,000, or

$6,667 a year, in extra income compared toa high school graduate’s salary.

How grandparents can helpBecause the value of a college diploma

is so great, families are increasingly seek-ing the help of older generations to footthe bill. But how the extended family helps can

have a big impact on a student’s financialaid chances. That’s why it’s important tounderstand some of the rules surroundingcollege savings and financial aid.On the positive side, a grandparent’s

assets are not included when collegesdetermine eligibility for financial aid. Myfavorite education-funding vehicle is the529 plan, which allows for tax-advan-taged investing for college. Contribu-tions within the account grow tax-freeand are not taxed upon withdrawal, pro-vided they’re used for qualified highereducation costs.Another benefit of 529 plans is that they

can be a terrific estate planning tool, becausewealthy grandparents can remove assetsfrom their estates either using the annual gifttax exclusion of $14,000 or by making a lumpsum that’s far larger. The nice part is that thedonor can maintain control over the invest-

ments and the ultimate use of the money.However, there is a big downside to

using a 529 plan that’s in thegrandparent’s name. Whenmoney is withdrawn to make apayment on behalf of the ben-eficiary of the plan, studentsmust disclose those amountsas income. For every dollar ofincome, a student’s financialaid eligibility may be reducedby as much as 50 cents.

Some work-aroundsSo, if you fund a 529 plan for

a grandchild, consider one of these work-arounds:1. Wait to use money in the 529 until the

student’s senior year: Tapping the accountfor the last year of school shouldn’t affecteligibility, because the year in which theincome will be reported (as income for theprevious year) will also be the year inwhich the student graduates.2. Transfer ownership of account: A few

years before the first aid application is due,grandparents could transfer ownership ofthe account to a parent of the beneficiary.Assets in a parent-controlled account getassessed for financial aid purposes, but

disbursements do not appear on the in-come statement of either the parent or the

student. Fair warning on thisidea: Some states, like NewYork, do not allow changes inaccount ownership unlessthere’s a court order or theowner dies.3. If the 529 plan ownership

seems too complicated, grand-parents might consider giftingthe money to the parents, whocan then deposit the gift intotheir own 529 accounts thathave been established for the

kids. It makes sense to wait until after the aidhas been determined before making the gift. 4. Alternatively, extended family mem-

bers may choose to wait until the studenthas graduated, and then help with collegeloan repayment.It takes a family, a village and just about

everyone else to fund an education. If youare willing to help, make sure you are notdoing any harm.

Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is the Editor-at-Large for www.CBSMoneyWatch.com. Shewelcomes comments and questions [email protected].

© 2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Helping pay for college? Learn the rulesSee STOCK MARKET, page 32

RETIRE SMARTBy Jill Schlesinger

By Lisa GerstnerDigital files are your best weapon in the

battle to conquer clutter.1. Stop paper buildup in its tracks.

Sign up to receive online statements andbills from utilities, banks, credit card is-suers and other service providers. To help stay on top of payments, sign up

for your bank’s bill-paying service. Or linkyour accounts to Manilla.com, which or-ganizes and stores documents online andsends alerts when bills are coming due.2. Scan, scan, scan. A good scanner

can eliminate a mountain of paper. The Fu-jitsu ScanSnap iX500 desktop scanner($405 on Amazon.com) connects wireless-ly to your PC, creates searchable PDFs,and can handle two-sided scanning.

Once you’ve digitized those documents,take them, along with all the other unwant-ed items sitting on your desk, straight tothe shredder. A good shredder for homeuse is the Fellowes Powershred W-11C($66 at Amazon.com).3. Prepare a backup plan. Save im-

portant documents in multiple places incase your computer fails, said Julie Bestry,president of Best Results Organizing, inChattanooga, Tenn. In addition to keeping copies on an ex-

ternal hard drive or a flash drive, storedocuments using secure “cloud” services.File items in folders and add tags for easysearching.4. File it on the fly. A scanner that fits

into a bag or suitcase can be useful for, say,

digitizing handouts while you’re at a con-ference, said Erin Rooney Doland, editorin chief of Unclutterer.com. For example, the 12-ounce Fujitsu

ScanSnap S1100 ($180 on Amazon.com)can process letter-size documents as wellas receipts, postcards and business cards.With the free version of the CamScannerapp (for Android, iPhone and WindowsPhone), you can snap photos of documentswith your phone’s camera and convertthem to PDFs. The CamCard Free app lets you photo-

graph business cards and store and file thecontact information. With the free Bumpapp (for Android and iPhone), you canshare your contact information by tappingyour phone with phones of other app users.5. Get a handle on receipts. To or-

ganize all of your receipts and track spend-ing, try OneReceipt for iPhone, which lets

you snap pictures of receipts and savethem by using the free app or e-mailingthem to your account. The tool can also automatically pull elec-

tronic receipts from your e-mail account.Not sure the store will accept an image of areceipt? Hang on to the original.6. Paper still has a place. In addition

to Social Security cards, and certificates ofbirth, death and marriage, you’ll want tokeep hard copies of estate documents,medical records, insurance policies, proofof mortgage and other loan payoffs, and ti-tles and deeds for cars and homes.

Lisa Gerstner is an associate editor atKiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.Send your questions and comments to [email protected]. And for more onthis and similar money topics, visitwww.Kiplinger.com.

© 2013 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

healthcare stocks, which are priced at 16.7times expected earnings, and industrialcompanies, which are valued at 16.1 timesearnings.

Reduction of Fed stimulus Investors were obsessed with the Fed

all last year, and the stock market’sbiggest setbacks have come when theythought that policymakers were poised tocut back on economic stimulus. The S&P 500 dropped in only two

months last year, June and August. In bothmonths, investors sold stocks on concernthat the Fed was about to stop its stimulus. Instead, the central bank surprised in-

vestors in September by continuing its

stimulus, and investors got more accus-tomed to the idea that the Fed’s effortsmust end at some point. Then the announcement came late last

month that the Fed would indeed graduallypull back its buying of bonds, and the mar-ket reacted positively, setting new highs.That suggests investors have come to

see the end of stimulus as a sign that theeconomy is continuing to improve. Fedpolicymakers also stressed that the end ofstimulus will not necessarily be immedi-ately followed by higher interest rates. Puglia of T. Rowe Price called it “a posi-

tive signal to the market that the economycan stand on its own two feet and doesn’tneed this super aggressive Federal Re-serve action.”

32 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

Stock marketFrom page 31

Digital devices can help you go paperless

See STOCK MARKET, page 33

INVESTMENT CLUB MEETINGThe Washington Metro Investment Club (WMIC) is having an openhouse meeting on Saturday, Jan. 18 the McCourt Building, 1 Coun-

ty Complex Ct., Woodbridge, Va. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. WMIC meets oncea month to discuss investments in the stock market. For more information, con-tact Ken Wright, (703) 801-1465.

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The biggest risks Unsurprisingly, the dysfunction in

Washington is still at the forefront of in-vestors’ minds. The 16-day partial govern-ment shutdown in October hurt consumerconfidence and crimped economic growth.A repeat of that political wrangling thisyear, when the debt limit comes up, wouldlikely hurt the economy again. Stocks are also vulnerable to a sharp

rise in interest rates. The market’s rallyfrom its lows in March 2009 has been un-derpinned by low interest rates, which

have made stock market returns more at-tractive. If bond yields were to rise sud-denly, the economy would suffer. The Fed’s policy is predicated on buy-

ing bonds to hold down interest rates. If in-vestors get nervous as the central bankcuts its bond purchases, removing a sup-port for the market, bond yields couldjump as investors dump bonds. “If interest rates were to (go) back up

dramatically, that would probably be a badthing,” said Franklin Templeton’s Her-mann, who manages the Franklin FlexCap Growth fund. “We’re still in a veryfragile economy and we don’t want to sud-denly tilt into another recession.” — AP

By Jeffrey R. Kosnett If you took out a certificate of deposit a

few years ago, when banks were still pay-ing respectable interest rates, you mighthave thought of it as an investment. Butnow, with rates as low as they are, think ofthe money as savings. And the way to manage savings is to ear-

mark the money for when you’re going toneed it: immediately, in a few years, or per-haps not for 10 years or more. That willpoint you toward the best place to put themoney now.

Cash reserveYour current bank is almost certain to

offer so little in interest that it makessense to open, or add to, a deposit accountat an online bank. Although a yield ofabout 1 percent may not seem like much,you’ll have instant access to the money —without fees, and with Federal Deposit In-surance Corp. protection. If six-month or one-year CD rates begin

to outpace what the online savings accountpays, you can put some money into short-

term CDs every three or six months.

Three to five years Many people take out CDs to make sure

they’ll have cash at a specified time — say,when it’s time to pay tuition. Although wedon’t know what interest rates will be in2017 and beyond, we see no profit in lock-ing in a CD yield today. As long as the Federal Reserve restrains

the cost of credit, you can comfortablyhouse the money in a short-term, low-risk,low-cost bond fund. We like VanguardShort-Term Investment-Grade (symbolVFSTX, current yield 1.6 percent) and BairdAggregate Bond (BAGSX, 2.9 percent). You maintain overnight access to the

money (so it still counts as savings), andyou should be able to realize a total returnof 3 to 5 percent.

Longer than five yearsIf you already have cash in the bank or

some other super safe place, we suggestyou move part or most of the CD proceedsinto exchange-traded funds or stock or bal-

anced funds that pay 2 to 4 percent in in-terest or dividends. You can reinvest the investment income

as you receive it, a plan that lets you buysome fund shares when they are cheapand others when they are not so cheap. All the while, watch those bank rates. If

you get a chance to buy a CD that yields

more than, say, a fund that follows Standard& Poor’s 500-stock index (currently about 2percent), you may want to go back to thebank, especially if you have other money,such as an IRA, in the stock market.

Jeffrey R. Kosnett is a senior editor atKiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.


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By Kimberly LankfordThere are steps you can take before

going through the task of appealing the de-nial of a Medicare claim. First, talk withthe doctor, hospital and Medicare itself tosee if you can spot the problem and get the

claim resubmitted. If you can’t fix the problem that way, look

on the back of your Medicare summary no-tice for the appeal rules, and see the deci-sion notice at each level of appeal for detailsabout the information you need to submit.

Children acting on their parents’ behalfcan call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 and askquestions without their parents’ specificpermission. But to file an appeal, you’ll need to ask your

parents to fill out an “Appointment of Repre-sentative” form (available at Medicare.gov).You may also have to get a medical informa-tion release form to get details from the hospi-tal or providers about your parents’ care.

Traditional Medicare claimsThere are five levels of claims appeals

for traditional Medicare. At the first level,you are given 120 days after receiving thesummary notice to request a “redetermi-nation” by a Medicare contractor — thatis, the person who reviews the claim. Circle the item you’re disputing on the

summary notice; then send any support-ing information, such as an explanation of

the problem and a letter from the doctorexplaining why the charge should be cov-ered. The claims reviewer assigned toyour case will usually decide within 60days of receiving your request.If the redetermination is denied, you

can request reconsideration from anotherclaims reviewer and submit additional evi-dence. Reconsideration is usually decidedwithin 60 days.Still no luck? Disputes involving

amounts less than $140 go no further. Forcharges of $140 or more, you can request ahearing with an administrative law judge. If you have to go to the next level, you

can submit the claim for the appeals coun-cil to review. For amounts of at least$1,400, the final level of appeal is judicialreview in U.S. district court.

Medicare Advantage and Part D You have 60 days to initiate an appeal in-

volving a Medicare Advantage or Part Dprescription-drug plan. In both cases, youstart by appealing to the plan, rather thanto Medicare. Follow the plan’s instructionson its explanation of benefits. Part D has fast-track appeals of 72 hours

if you haven’t received the medication andyour health would be jeopardized by wait-ing. Otherwise, the plan must notify you ofits decision within seven days.See “How Do I File an Appeal?” in the

“C l a im s & App e a l s ” s e c t i o n o fMedicare.gov for more information abouteach type of appeal.

Jessica Anderson is an associate editor atKiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.



A sense of cultural community and belongingis a powerful tool for living. To feel secureand at home in new surroundings, to be amongpeople who remember what it was like towalk to school and wait for their mothers’freshly baked strudel to cool, to share memorieswith those who seem already familiar with them.That’s what it’s like to live at Revitz House.

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How to appeal a Medicare claim denial

FREE EVENT FOR

GRANDCHILDREN

On Jan. 25, the Corcoran Gallery of

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“Snow Much Fun!” is a seasonal

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By Kathy KristofYou’ve probably heard of the seven

deadly sins. Well, the investing world hasits own set of deadly sins. To be a better investor, you’d do well to

recognize the following missteps and learnhow to overcome them.

Following the herdFollowing the herd works when you

shop for a product. A car or washing ma-chine that’s performed well in the past islikely to excel in the future. The opposite is often true in finance.

What’s hot today is likely to be cold tomor-row, and vice versa.“If you expect investment performance

to repeat, you are likely to be disappoint-ed,” said Fran Kinniry, a strategist at theVanguard funds. In fact, the herd tends togather the most strength right before theinvestment it is chasing goes off a cliff. Ill-timed moves in and out of funds, sec-

tors and markets go a long way toward ex-plaining why the performance of fund in-vestors is decidedly poorer than the re-ported results of their funds.Redemption: Follow rules, not herds,

suggested Bill Allen, vice-president of theprivate client advisory group at CharlesSchwab. These rules can be as simple asrefusing to buy or sell in response to newsreports, or making sure you invest thesame amount every month no matter whatthe market is doing. Resisting the urge to follow the crowd

can prevent you from committing the sinof buying high and selling low.

Giving in to fearAvoiding losses is Warren Buffett’s

first rule of investing. Since the 2008-’09

stock market meltdown, however, manyinvestors have taken the Oracle’s adviceto an extreme and abandoned stocks forthe seeming safety of such things asbonds, bank accounts and money marketfunds.But what the typical investor sees as

risk is merely volatility — normal day-to-day swings in the market. Although volatil-ity can be frightening, the real danger liesin being too afraid of risk: You lose buyingpower — permanently.For example, suppose you invest in a

Treasury security or bank account thatpays 0.5 percent annually. With inflation at2 percent today, you’ll actually lose 1.5 per-cent per year in buying power. The losswill be greater if inflation reverts to itslong-term average of 3 percent per year.Redemption: Put the stock market’s

day-to-day volatility out of your mind and

focus on the long term. Since 1926, U.S.stocks, as measured by Standard & Poor’s500-stock index, have returned nearly 10percent a year. Even if you had invested in the market

at the March 2000 peak and held on

through two horrific bear markets, youwould have earned 3.4 percent annualized— not great, but not disastrous, either.

Kathy Kristof is a contributing editor toKiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.



Beware of the deadly sins of investing

EVALUATE

VALUABLES

Learn how to determine the value of

diamond jewelry, gold, silver and coins,

and what to look for in a potential

buyer from NOVAGold, LLC, on Tues-

day, Jan. 7 at 1:30 p.m. at the Lee

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ton, Va. The second half of this free

presentation includes a private consul-

tation. Appraisers will provide a verbal

evaluation and assessment. This pro-

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10 at the Arlington Mills Senior Cen-

ter, 909 S. Dinwiddie St., Arlington,

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early; space is limited. For more infor-

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ior Center at (703) 228-7369.

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Jan. 7+

By Cameron HuddlestonIf you want to save money on everyday

items, dollar stores can be a great place toshop. And, contrary to popular belief, thequality of most items at national dollar-store chains is good, said Jeff Yeager, au-thor of four popular books on frugal living,including his latest, How to Retire theCheapskate Way.However, Yeager and other money-sav-

ing experts say that there are some itemsthat you should avoid buying, either be-cause you can find them for less else-where, or the quality is inferior to competi-tors’ merchandise. Here are eight common purchases to

skip at dollar stores:• Batteries. Cheap batteries may be

prone to leakage, said money-saving ex-pert Andrea Woroch, and they may notrun your gadgets as long as pricier brands.Many dollar stores sell carbon-zinc batter-ies, which are less efficient and have ashorter shelf life than the alkaline variety.• Electronics. Consumer Reports found

in 2012 that some dollar-store electronicsand extension cords may lack labels fromthe UL that vouch for their safety. Othersmay have fake labels, and those can be dif-ficult to detect.• Foil and plastic wrap. There’s a rea-

son these items are so inexpensive at dol-lar stores: The quality is inferior, said Yea-ger, who shops frequently at dollar storesbut avoids foil and plastic wrap products.• Knives. Knives sold at dollar stores

tend to be of poor quality, Woroch said.And these aren’t items you want to havefall apart while you’re using them.• Paper goods. Napkins, paper tow-

els and toilet paper at dollar stores don’tdo the job as well as the products sold atgrocery stores and big-box retailers. Ifyou buy napkins or paper towels that areso flimsy you have to use five to do thejob of one, Yeager said, that’s not a goodvalue.• Tools. Yeager said that hammers,

screwdrivers and other tools he hasbought at dollar stores have broken easily.As an avid do-it-yourselfer, he recom-mends buying the best tools you can af-ford because they’ll last longer and makethe job you’re tackling easier.

• Toys. Most toys from the dollar storebreak easily, said Andrew Schrage, co-owner of the personal finance blog MoneyCrashers. Even if you’re spending only adollar, it’s just not money well spent, hesaid.• Vitamins. Consumer Reports re-

search in 2012 found that off-brand multi-vitamins at dollar stores didn’t always havethe amount of nutrients claimed on thelabel. You may be better off buying store-brand vitamins at Rite Aid, Walgreens orCVS.

Cameron Huddleston is an online editorat Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazineand the author of Ask Kim for Money SmartSolutions (Kaplan, $18.95).



Items you shouldn’t buy at dollar stores

I’ve been in the position that your friendis in, wanting a parent to stop driving. In afew years, I’ll be on the other side of thatequation. There are seemingly endlesssurveys and studies as to the public trans-portation needs of seniors. They have pro-duced nothing.Why don’t you try getting around in Ar-

lington and/or Fairfax County by cab for acouple of weeks, and then write a follow-up? It would also be of interest for readersto know whether Karen persuaded hermother to give up her car, and each oftheir opinions on how that has worked out.

Happy R. CohenVienna, Va.

Dear Editor:During the last Thanksgiving holiday, I

noticed a traumatic change that has slow-ly, but steadily, taken place over the lastfew years. When we were young, and our children

were small, we, the big people, sat aroundthe dining room table, while the childrenwere relegated to a card table. As time went on and the children became

older, they would invite a few friends to thedinner. They could still all sit around thecard table. However, as time progressed fur-ther, the kids became adults, and their num-

ber multiplied as girlfriends, boyfriends andmarriage partners were invited. As one-by-one many at our table aged and

eventually died, it has become apparent thatour children, and not we older folks, are nowthe dominant group. They have taken over. They are preparing the meals and we

are guests in their homes. So far they havenot told us to sit at the card table, but thatis because we have dwindled in number somuch that it would not matter. What this means, and it is difficult to con-

template, is that our generation is on theway out. That is the way it has always been,but seeing it so graphically makes it real. Time marches on and we must hold on

for dear life.Murray Katz

Silver Spring, Md.Dear Editor:I was appalled when I read the letter in

the December issue stating that the Holo-caust was not that important an historicalevent, and in any case, there should be novengeance exacted on those who partici-pated in the murder of six million Jews. Perhaps the author would not have been

so cavalier about the tragedy if it had befall-en his coreligionists. Would he choose tolet the perpetrators of these 6 million mur-ders walk free, as unfortunately many did?

Nelson MaransSilver Spring, Md.

Letters to editorFrom page 2


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By Lee Ann N. BrownleeIf you ask Richard “Nick” Brown when

he first discovered his love of science andmath, he quickly replies, “I grew up on afarm. Nature was everywhere, and it’s nat-ural to be a scientist. Scientists — theywant to know everything about everything.It’s all about the frontier of knowledge.”

Brown has been a pioneer in the frontierof science. The author of 200 scientific andgovernment publications and three books,Brown earned a Ph.D. in environmental sci-ence at the University of Delaware in 1969.

That year, he invented what is known asthe “Brown funnel” —a device he designedwith oil cloth to separate insects from leaf lit-ter. It is used to help investigate the break-down of molecular matter in an ecosystem

Now retired, Brown, 75, continues tospread his passion for science, technology,engineering and math (commonly referredto as STEM subjects) to young studentsand their parents as a volunteer for the Chil-dren’s Science Center in Northern Virginia.

Taking science on the roadThe center doesn’t have a permanent loca-

tion yet, but takes mobile labs to family sci-

ence nights at 40 schools across the re-gion, inspiring students to explore and beinspired by STEM through hands-onlearning.

Brown said the excitement is palpableas children discover the science aroundthem.

“I’ve seen the awe and the wonder thatthe parents are catching from watchingtheir kids collectively,” Brown said. “Youhave kids at one project and then otherkids at other projects and they’re all going,‘Awesome! Wow! That’s great!’

“And the parents get caught up in that,and it becomes a lifetime activity with thekids and their parents. That won’t goaway.”

Brown said the most rewarding part isthe family engagement. “The parents,from then on, will be involved in their kids’scientific curiosity, and that’s what it’s allabout.”

The Children’s Science Center’s goal isto create a world-class hands-on STEMmuseum for children in the next five yearsin the Dulles Technology Corridor.

“This museum we’re looking to build isnot stagnant, and that’s what’s exciting to

me. It’s really dynamic, withkids being able to touch and feeland use exhibits that would beof the highest quality and cal-iber.”

Brown is energized as hetalks of the packed school buseshe envisions rolling into thisamazing new museum. But heknows it will take lots of hardwork, primarily from volunteersand donors in this region, tomake it a reality.

Many volunteers;more needed

The Children’s Science Cen-ter runs on volunteer power.More than 250 active volunteerstouch every facet of the organi-zation. They serve on workingcommittees, and engage and in-spire children at Mobile LabsFamily Science Nights, new pre-school programs, and variousSTEM events throughout the year.

While the organization has expandedits mobile labs offerings by 150 percent in

2013, the popularity of this program andhigh demand from schools led to a lottery

CareersVolunteers &Did you (or someone

you know) change careers, start a business or go back to school

after retirement?Please share your story. Email

[email protected] or call Barbara at (301) 949-9766.

Volunteers help inspire young scientists

See SCIENCE CENTER, page 40

Nick Brown visits Northern Virginia elementaryschools in the Children’s Science Center mobile labto help instill an interest in science. The centerplaces several hundred volunteers in its preschooland elementary school programs, but continues toneed additional volunteers.

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By Matt SedenskyWhen Charlie Worboys lost his job, he

feared searching for a new one at his agemight be tough. Six years later, at 65, he’sstill looking.

Luanne Lynch, 57, was laid off threetimes in the past decade, and previous lay-offs brought jobs with a lower salary. Thistime, she can’t even get that.

They’re not alone. A new poll by the As-sociated Press and NORC Center for Pub-lic Affairs Research finds many peopleover 50 reporting great difficulty findingwork, and feeling that their age is a factor.

After Worboys was laid off, and his huntfor another teaching job was fruitless, hesought counseling positions. When thoseleads dried up, he applied for jobs in juve-nile detention centers, in sales and else-where. He finally settled for part-time work,all the while still scouring online listingsand sending out applications each week.

“They’re looking for the younger per-son,” he said. “They look at the number 65,and they don’t bother to look behind it.”

The AP-NORC Center poll found 55 per-cent of those 50 and older who have sought ajob in the past five years characterized theirsearch as difficult, and 43 percent thoughtemployers were concerned about their age.

Further, most in the poll reported find-ing few available jobs (69 percent), few

that paid well (63 percent) or that offeredadequate benefits (53 percent). About athird were told they were overqualified.

Some good news, tooStill, some companies are welcoming

older workers: 43 percent of job seekerssurveyed found a high demand for theirskills, and 31 percent said there was a highdemand for their experience.

And once on the job, older workers werefar more likely to report benefits related totheir age — 60 percent said colleagues hadcome to them for advice more often, and 42percent said they felt as if they were receiv-ing more respect in the company.

Of course, people of all ages have beenfrustrated by the job market in recentyears. In fact, the unemployment rate forthose 55 and older was 4.9 percent in No-vember — lower than the 7.0 percent rateamong all ages. By comparison, unemploy-ment among those age 20-24 was 11.6 per-cent, and among those 25-54, 6.2 percent.

But long-term unemployment has beenrampant among the oldest job seekers. Un-employed people aged 45 to 54 were out ofwork 45 weeks on average, those 55 to 64were jobless for 57 weeks, and those 65and older average 51 weeks.

Younger workers were unemployed forshorter periods of time.

Sixty-three percent of those who searchedfor a job cited financial need and 19 percentsaid it was because they were laid off. Farsmaller numbers searched because theywanted to change careers, find a bettersalary or benefits, escape unhappiness at aprior job, or simply get out of the house.

Lynch, of San Gabriel, Calif., hated tak-ing a step down after the earlier layoffs,but this time only one interview has comefrom 70-some applications.

“It’s starting at the bottom,” she said.“And frankly, I’m getting too old to bestarting at the bottom.”

Bob Gershberg, a corporate recruiter inSt. Petersburg, Fla., said unemployed peo-ple, regardless of age, have had troublegetting rehired. But he said older workers

have faced an added layer of skepticismfrom employers.

“They’ll say, ‘Give me the young guy. Giveme the up-and-comer. Someone with fire inthe belly,’” he said. “But there’s always beena bias against the unemployed. They say, ‘Ifshe was so good, why’d she get cut?’”

Employer concernsSharon Hulce, who runs a recruitment

firm in Appleton, Wis., said she’s foundsome employers are concerned that appli-cants in their late 50s or 60s may not stickaround for the long haul.

And Kerry Hannon, who authored GreatJobs for Everyone 50-plus, said managers

WA SH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Volunteers & Careers 39

Older workers feel discriminated against

See OLDER WORKERS, page 40

Call for a free market analysis - Call for a free community booklet -Call to learn about NEW CONSTRUCTION in this 55+ community!

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to select the 40 schools to visit. That meant

30 schools had to be turned away. ”Our region’s families, educators and

children are hungry for fun, hands-onSTEM learning,” said Nene Spivy, execu-

tive director. “While we are fortunate tohave many volunteers, having regular,highly-dedicated volunteers like Nick,makes all the difference in our efforts togrow our programs and build the futuremuseum. Volunteers are essential to en-sure we can make these experiences ac-cessible to all of the children in our re-gion.”

Currently, the Children’s Science Cen-ter has a working partnership with RSVP-Northern Virginia, a regional volunteerprogram that is sponsored by VolunteerFairfax, Volunteer Arlington, and Volun-teer Alexandria.

RSVP is part of Senior Corps — a na-tional program that matches individualsage 55+ in meaningful volunteer opportu-nities at local nonprofits and agencies thatmeet critical community needs.

Brown, who has also volunteered for Re-ston Interfaith (now Cornerstones) andwas named Reston Citizens Association’sCitizen of the Year, has a natural tendency

to help and volunteer.But he emphasizes that you don’t need a

scientific degree or an abundance of timeor money to help with this project; you justneed a passion for helping kids. “I like tohelp people. That’s what I live for,” he said.

Upcoming information sessionsIf you are interested in learning more

about volunteering with the Children’s Sci-ence Center, attend one of these upcominginformation sessions (called “virtualtours”):

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.Wednesday, Jan. 22, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.The tours take place in Herndon, Virginia.

For location details and to register, [email protected] orcall (703) 648-3130. To learn more about theorganization, visit www.childsci.org.

Lee Ann N. Brownlee is a board memberof the Children’s Science Center.

40 Volunteers & Careers | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

www.ParkViewSeniorLiving.com

Professionally managed by The Shelter Group. www.thesheltergroup.com

Call the community nearest you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour or email [email protected].

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Science CenterFrom page 38

may be leery of a lengthy resume fromsomeone they can’t afford, salary-wise.“They’ll look at your background and justfigure you’ll be insulted,” she said.

About 4 in 10 who have been on the jobmarket said they felt they lacked the rightskills or felt too old for the available jobs.Many reported trying to improve theirskill set (20 percent) or present them-selves with a fresher resume or interviewapproach (15 percent) to make them-selves more marketable.

Bret Lane, 53, of San Diego, was out ofwork for 22 months until finding a job lastsummer through Platform to Employ-ment, a training program. He lost count ofhow many jobs he had applied for — it waseasily in the hundreds.

Once, after seeing applications would betaken for a janitorial job paying $14 hourly,he got up at 3 a.m. to get an early start.There were already 400 others in line.

“I wasn’t getting any interviews. I was-n’t getting in front of any decision mak-ers,” he said. “People in our age group arevery discriminated against.”

One in five respondents in the AP-NORCCenter poll said they personally experi-enced prejudice or discrimination in the jobmarket or at work because of their age.That doubles to 40 percent among thosewho have sought a job in the last five years.

Faye Smith, 69, of Dallas, Ga., said sheneeded to find work after losing much ofher savings in the downturn, but felt thehesitance of employers when they saw thedates on her resume. “You could tell whenthey found out the age,” she said. “There’sa change in their face and demeanor.”

The AP-NORC Center survey involvedlandline and cell phone interviews in Englishand Spanish with 1,024 people aged 50 andolder nationwide. Results from the full sur-vey have a margin of sampling error of plusor minus 4.1 percentage points.

— AP

Older workersFrom page 39

WASH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon 41

By Victor BlockThe new year has begun with an outlook

for weather that’s cold and peppered withthat dreaded wintry mix. Basking in thesun on a Caribbean island is alluring.

But in case your time for a getaway andyour travel budget are limited, here aresome alternatives that combine a welcomerespite from frigid temperatures with thewarmth of both the sun’s rays and tradi-tional Southern hospitality.

Great gardens of CharlestonMany people were surprised when a lead-

ing European guidebook listed NiagaraFalls, the Grand Canyon and Charleston’sMagnolia Gardens as the three most out-standing attractions in North America.

Anyone who appreciates floral beautymight agree. Magnolia Plantation and Gar-dens in Charleston, S.C., is a fairyland ofcentury-old camellias (in late winter) andazaleas (in spring) in a setting of unsur-passed beauty.

Visitors to nearby Cypress Gardens

quickly come to understand why it often isdescribed as mysterious and enchanting,as they float along eerie dark lagoons sur-rounded by brooding ancient cypresstrees. The blaze of color provided by plant-ings along the banks is intensified by re-flections in the dark water.

A more formal, yet no less magnificent,floral extravaganza greets visitors to thegardens at Middleton Place, America’s old-est landscaped floral display. Carefullymanicured exotic shrubs and flora are setamong terraced lawns, reflecting poolsand a historic rice mill.

Color seems to explode around visitorslike a fireworks display from masses ofcamellias and magnolias in January andFebruary, as well as azalea bushes, wiste-ria vines and flowering peach and dog-wood trees come March.

For more information, call 1-800-774-0006or log onto www.explorecharleston.com.

Sun and shore in SarasotaThe choice of where to warm up in Flori-

da can be daunting be-cause there are somany inviting alterna-tives. One destinationthat combines much ofwhat the SunshineState has to offer isSarasota.

Those seeking littlemore than a sun, sandand sea vacation find aselection of beaches tofit almost any prefer-ence. The stretch ofbeaches along thewestern shoreline ofSiesta Key has beenrecognized by theWoods Hole Oceano-graphic Institute forhaving the finest,whitest sand in theworld.

Lido Key is smallerin size but not variety,with three outstandingseashores that are opento the public. LongboatKey is a more privatebeachfront communitygeared primarily to peo-

ple staying at its resort hotels. But these only scratch the surface of at-

tractions in the area, whose residents takepride in its self-proclaimed role as “Flori-da’s Cultural Coast.”

Just one example of the reason for thatclaim is the elegant mansion built in 1926for John Ringling, which demonstratesthat his cultural legacy matched his fameas a circus magnate.

The four-story, 32-room Italian-style res-idence awes visitors with its lavish archi-tectural touches, elaborate decorationsand rich furnishings. The adjacent Johnand Mable Ringling Museum of Art hous-es a world-class art collection with worksby the likes of Rubens and Rembrandt — alegacy left to the people of Florida by theavid collectors.

Opportunities for encounters withMother Nature also are close at hand.Myakka State Park offers narrated toursin what’s billed as the world’s largest air-boat, along with miles of gentle hikingtrails. Historic Spanish Point is home tomore than 300 species of native plants,as well as resident birds and otherwildlife.

The veritable symphony of bird songs,calls and whistles that greets visitors toSarasota Jungle Gardens gives new mean-ing to the term “surround sound.”

Colorful cockatoos and multi-huedmacaws vie with peacocks and pink flamin-

goes for preening honors. Venomoussnakes and menacing-looking alligatorsadd an ominous touch, while curious crit-ters like hissing cockroaches and spinyhedgehogs provide a bit of humor.

For more information, call 1-800-348-7250 or log onto www.visitsarasota.org.

Georgia on your mindGranted, most winter visitors to Savan-

nah don’t want to try a swim in the oceanand aren’t likely to return home with adeep tan. But the Georgia sun warms thetemperature this time of year into thepleasant 50s on most days.

That’s perfect weather for strollingthrough one of the loveliest cities in theworld. Among a number of accolades it re-ceived during 2013 alone were beingnamed “America’s most charming accent”(Travel & Leisure) and “A top 25 destina-tion in the world” (Trip Advisor).

The 2-1/2 square mile historic districtincludes more than 1,000 restored man-sions and row houses, many of themadorned with elaborate ironwork. Cobble-stone streets, canopied by giant oak treesdraped in Spanish moss, provide a lushbackdrop for sightseeing, shopping or sit-ting in the warming sun.

Should your feet give out before your in-terest does, you can continue the outing by

TravelLeisure &

Elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions andother wildlife are seen on a safari inBotswana. See story on page 44.

Warm(er) winter destinations beckon

South Padre Island, off the Gulf coast of Texas, is a 34-mile long barrier reef, draw-ing not just tourists for walks through the surf, but more than 300 species of birds.

A horse-drawn carriage tours Savannah, Ga.’s historic dis-trict, which boasts more than 1,000 restored mansions androw houses.

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42 Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

horse-drawn carriage. For more information, call 1-877-728-

2662 or log onto www.visitsavannah.com.A different but equally inviting setting

beckons from the Golden Isles that arestrung out along Georgia’s coastline.Miles of soft sand beaches are just the be-ginning of their attractions. Outstandinggolf, tennis, biking and fishing are amongthe many other diversions.

Jekyll Island and the exclusive Jekyll Is-land Club served as a winter retreat andplayground for some of the richest Ameri-cans from the late 19th century until theoutbreak of World War II. Most of thebuildings from the Jekyll Island Club erastill stand, serving as a reminder of thegracious lifestyle led by people who couldafford it.

The original sprawling Queen Anne-style club house is now the Jekyll IslandClub Hotel. It offers affordable accommo-dations to the traveling public.

The hotel is surrounded by 33 mansion-size “cottages” that were built by familieswith names such as Rockefeller, Gould andMorgan in an eclectic mix of styles, includ-ing French chateaux and Italian palazzo.Today, some of them offer additional lodg-ings, while others house museums, art gal-leries and shops.

More down-to-earth appeal may befound by meandering along oyster-shellpathways through low-lying woods andmarshes. Deer, wild turkeys, armadillosand alligators are among residents that re-luctantly share the island with human in-truders.

For more information, call 1-877-453-5955 or log onto www.jeykllisland.com.

A Cajun vacationDespite its many attributes, including

midwinter high temperatures that usuallyhover in the 60s, New Orleans isn’t foreveryone. A more laid-back warming expe-rience awaits in Cajun Louisiana, centeredin 22 of the state’s 64 “parishes.”

The Cajuns trace their roots back toFrench-speaking Canadians who, afterbeing ousted from their homeland in themid-18th century, eventually settled inLouisiana.

Since then they have clung proudly totheir traditions and ways of life. They con-tinue to speak French, savor spicy, palate-numbing cuisine, and translate a zest forlife into a seemingly never-ending series ofweekend festivals.

Various attractions offer glimpses oflocal life and culture. The Acadian Villageat Lafayette is a realistic re-creation of a19th century settlement.

The town of Martinsville is home to a mu-seum that displays artifacts of early settlers,as well as the tomb of Emmilene Labiche —the subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfel-low’s well-known poem “Evangeline,” whichdescribes the uprooting and resettlement ofthe Acadians.

Also on the must-see list for visitors areany of the hundreds of bayous that criss-cross the area. They served as water high-ways for early pioneers and settlers, andtheir sluggish waters still provide some ofthe fish, crayfish and rice that form thebasis of much Cajun cooking.

For more information, call 1-800-346-1958 or log onto www.lafayettetravel.com.

South Padre IslandFor those willing to travel a bit further,

South Padre Island, perched on the GulfCoast of Texas, is a favorite wintering des-tination for visitors from both northernareas of the Lone Star State and sun-seek-ers from elsewhere.

There are a number of reasons whythe 34-mile-long barrier reef, which has

only about 5,000 permanent inhabitants,attracts as many as 1 million visitors an-nually.

Many of them are retirees, called “win-ter Texans,” who seek a warm place to es-cape the cooler temperatures at theirhome further north. With its sub-tropicalclimate and an average winter temperatureof 65 degrees, South Padre provides an ap-pealing getaway destination.

For people seeking a bit of R and R, thecasual, laid-back atmosphere that per-vades the island provides an enticing set-ting. One example of the fun-loving envi-ronment is a “proclamation” that banishesthe wearing of neck ties. It calls for first-time offenders to receive a written warn-ing and a T-shirt, and for any scofflawscaught a second time to pay a fine equal tothe price of a silk tie.

Active vacationers find a long list ofchoices. Boat trips range from eco-toursand close-up encounters with dolphin, towildlife tours and sunset cruises. Fisher-men may try to catch their dinner in bayand gulf waters. The island also is a bird-ers’ paradise, with more than 300 speciesthat add sound and color to the setting.

For more information, call 1-800-657-2373 or log onto www.sopadre.com.

Perhaps exploring the streets of Savan-nah or strolling through the magnificentgardens in and around Charleston is youridea of a dream winter escape. Maybeyou’d prefer to immerse yourself in the

culture of Cajun Louisiana, or find out whyso many sun-seekers head for South PadreIsland.

Whatever your choice, you’re sure to re-turn home sufficiently refreshed to bearup under the onslaught of the Washingtonwinter.

WA SH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel 43

Warm placesFrom page 41

By Charmaine NoronhaI’m jolted from sleep by a deep and

rolling roar and what sounds like the slith-ering paws of a large cat trawling throughmy cabin.

“Oh my God, I think something’s in ourroom,” I whisper, waking up my friend androommate, Patricia Lawton.

“I know,” she whispers back, adding afew expletives.

It might sound like the start of a Mau-rice Sendak story, but as we lay in ourdreamy cabin in the great wilderness ofBotswana’s Okavango Delta, we were trulysnoozing where the wild things are.

Days before, when our safari began, wewere told never to leave our tent at night toavoid encounters with wild animals. But

what if they came to us? For several hours, Patricia and I lay still,

so afraid to move that we dared not evencall for help. If this creature was in ourroom, the only thing that separated usfrom the potential intruder was a flimsymosquito net billowing around our four-poster bed. At one point it sounded like ananimal was dragging our backpacksaround.

I cursed Patricia under my breath,thinking she had once again left the patiodoor to our cabin open — a massive no-nowhile lodging deep in the savannah.

Finally I picked up the phone beside thebed, punching in random numbers since Ihad no directory.

“Something is in our room. We need

help,” I stuttered to the woman who an-swered.

She alerted the safari staff on patrol.They discovered an elephant had beenroaming around all night on the deck thatlined the lodge perimeter, feasting on fo-liage shading our cabin.

Drenched in sweat — not fromBotswana’s sweltering heat but from ouranxiety — Patricia and I hugged eachother and laughed, slightly embarrassedthat we genuinely thought we were aboutto be a large cat’s meow.

A trip of wonder and dramaThat drama-filled last night of our safari

was a fitting end to what had been a weekof pure magic and wonder.

We landed in Botswana, zombie-like butexcited, after 48 hours with no sleep, tra-versing time zones on two back-to-backovernight flights plus another four flights.

The safari began as soon as we got toPomPom airport in Muan, Botswana. Wejumped in a 4x4 after being greeted by twoguides from our safari company: andBe-yond Safaris. Guide Kgosikebatho Marotaasked that we call him Chief, and guideKutlwano Mobe said he goes by Kuks.

Minutes into driving deep into the sa-vannah, we were shaken out of our bleari-ness by the sight of vervet monkeysswinging through tree tops, herds of im-palas prancing by, and graceful woodlandkingfishers with fringed, bright blue wingssweeping through the cloudless sky.

As if this wasn’t enough to tickle myAfrican-born but North American-bredfancy (I was born in Nairobi but raised inCanada), Chief beckoned us to look to theright of our jeep.

“Lions came through here this morning,probably tracking the buffalo we saw yes-

terday. Those are their footprints,” he said,instructing the driver to follow them.

We drove through the vast expanse ofsun-drenched land, sprinkled with acaciatrees, bulbous baobab trees and toweringtermite mounds, steering over and throughbushes.

Hundreds of speciesWe turned a corner and spotted a pride

of six lions sprawled in the grass, loungingin the blistering afternoon sun in post-killsplendor. Their lolling yawns revealed for-midable fangs and hinted at the hard workthat goes into ruling such a fine kingdom.The moment was pure magic, a NationalGeographic episode come to life.

The big cats are among more than 100species of mammals and 400 species ofbirds that call the delta home. This diversi-ty —found amid the lily-speckled marshes,blue lagoons and picturesque woodlands— make this place set along the banks ofthe Okavango River one of Africa’s richestgame-viewing destinations, albeit one ofthe continent’s pricier ones for tourists, aswell.

Conde Nast Traveler magazine recog-nized the Botswana government’s effortsto conserve the Okavango’s environment,while balancing the needs of local people,with a 2013 World Savers Award for a sus-tainable destination in a developing coun-try. Our tour company has also been work-ing with the government to reintroducerhinos into the delta.

After hours exploring the bush, weheaded back to our campsite, bathed in atepid outdoor rain shower under a sliver ofa crescent moon. Then we prepared for aBotswanian feast of seswaa — beef stew


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served over thick pap, a type of maize por-ridge.

We stuffed ourselves silly and tradedstories under the stars with fellow safari-goers. Tuckered out, we retreated to ourluxury tents — with indoor plumbing toboot — which we slept in every night ex-cept the last, when we were in the cabins.

National Park teems with life A 5:30 a.m. wake-up call began another

day of exploring, where zebras, hyenas,water buffalo, elephants and giraffe coex-ist and roam free. We left the wilderness ofthe delta to head to Chobe National Park— the third-largest game park in

Botswana and one that boasts one of thelargest concentrations of game in Africa,including the largest herds of elephants.

It lived up to its reputation: Just after en-tering the gates into the lush terrain, wewere greeted by a journey of giraffesmunching on acacia trees that dot theplains.

Our guides imparted this interestingfact: As a defense mechanism, once theacacia foliage is torn by a foraging giraffe,the plant emits an airborne gas, ethylene,alerting nearby plants to increase tanninproduction, which the giraffes don’t like.The animals then move upwind to dine onplants that failed to catch the drift.

Our exploration and biology lessonswere not limited to land. We jumped into aboat and cruised down the Okavango

River, where we saw elephants frolickingin the water alongside their adorable off-spring, glimpsed a hippo bobbing in andout of still water, and staked out a croco-dile hoping to see its jaw snap.

Back in the 4x4, a torrential downpoursuddenly lashed us without a moment’s no-tice. Chief hit the gas and it was like we werein our own version of Noah’s Ark meets Lifeof Pi, as animals whizzed past, the wind-swept rain making it difficult for us to evenopen our eyes in the open-sided car.

“You’re not in Canada, anymore, areyou?” he shouted from his water-soakedseat.

Definitely not, I thought, as water buffa-lo bolted by us. Drenched and slightly star-tled, though, there was no place I’d ratherhave been than this self-contained sanctu-ary where nearly every creature I’d readabout since childhood came out to play.

“Let the wild rumpus start!” I holleredback.

For more information on Botswanatourism, see www.botswanatourism.co.bw.Okavango Delta information is available atwww.okavangodelta.com.

We used andBeyond Safaries, www.and-beyond.com. Rates vary by length of tour,time of year and other details. — AP

WASH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel 45

SafariFrom page 44

Elephants take a drink from the Chobe River in Botswana’s Chobe National Park. Thepark hosts the largest herds of pachyderms in Africa, along with giraffes, lions, waterbuffalo and hundreds of other mammal and bird species.

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TRAVEL TO BRANDYWINE

The Northwest Neighbors Village is sponsoring a two-night, three-

day tour from Friday, March 28 to Sunday, March 30, to the Brandywine Valley in

Pennsylvania and Delaware. The trip includes Longwood Gardens, Brandywine River

Museum (Wyeth Collection), the Hegley Museum, Auburn Heights, Marshall Steam

Museum, Winterthur, Brandywine Arts Museum, High Tea, theater performances

and overnights at the Du Pont Hotel. For more information, contact [email protected]

or call (202) 362-6100 for full program details.

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A reader had a six-hour cancer surgeryat the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.After discharge, he was stillquite weak, so he asked hisairline to provide wheelchairservice at Rochester, his con-necting airport, and his finaldestination.

The trip started out reason-ably well, but at his home air-port, he had to stand in thecold at the open airplane doorfor 15 minutes before some-one came to help with thewheelchair.

And during the trip, one ofthe wheelchair attendants told him thatthey were paid at less than minimum wagein an employment category, along withrestaurant waiters, of workers dependenton tips for a majority of their income.

If you are routinely required to use awheelchair, the Americans with Disabili-ties Act requires airlines to accept wheel-chairs either as cabin baggage or checkedbaggage without charge, along with lots ofother requirements for suitable seatingand access to lavatories. Their contracts ofcarriage spell out these requirements indetail.

Airports are similarly required to accom-modate wheelchair travelers. But wheel-

chair service to travelers who just need as-sistance coping with the often extensive

walks between gates or be-tween counters and gates iscontractually and legally insomething of a twilight zone.

Service can be spottyI found only one airline that

specifically commits to wheel-chair service in its contract ofcarriage: Alaska promises it atevery airport it serves.

Delta makes a similar prom-ise in its Customer ServicePlan, and JetBlue’s plan states

that wheelchair service is available from a“business partner.” The other airlines areeither vague or mention nothing at all.

As far as I can tell, the folks who actuallyprovide airport wheelchair assistance areusually employees of third-party passen-ger service companies. Big airports havetypically outsourced this and similar workto subcontractors, in many cases at verylow wages.

I see plenty of evidence that these em-ployees work at very low pay. Some largeairport operators, led by San Franciscoand Seattle, have enacted minimum wagerequirements. Workers at the three mainPort Authority airports at New York City

are currently organizing for a minimumwage drive.

But those are isolated instances. Mostattendants you encounter are likely to beat or below minimum wage.

You’ll want to tipOne of the (few) bright spots of air trav-

el these days is its relative freedom fromthe excessive tipping that plagues otherfacets of travel. The last time I had to tipanyone for an air trip was way back whenthe only way to reclaim a checked bag wasto hand your baggage check to a skycapwho took your bag off a cart and handed itto you — a procedure many of you are tooyoung to remember.

Given the low wages paid to wheelchairattendants, however, I suspect most of youwould want to tip. Published tipping“guides” range from $2 to $20, dependingon the extent of the service. My takewould probably be around $5.

Because services are provided by third-party outfits not directly managed by air-lines or airports, coordination can be lessthan ideal, so you might want to pad yourconnecting time at any big hub airport, ifyou can.

On a different subject, my reader en-countered another not-well-understoodproblem. Because he was unsure abouthow long he would have to stay at theMayo Clinic, he chose to fly to Rochesteron American Airlines and paid the extra$68 for a ticket that allowed a “no-fee ticketexchange.”

Paying no change fee, however, doesn’tmean you don’t pay more. When youchange, you have to pay the lowest cur-rently available fare for your replacementticket, which can be a lot more than youroriginal fare. Be warned.

Send e-mail to Ed Perkins [email protected].

© 2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


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What if you need an airport wheelchair?

TRAVEL TIPSBy Ed Perkins

NEW ENGLAND FALL CRUISEFun & Fitness Travel Club presents Legend of the Seas, a cruisealong New England and Canada, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 23,

2014 for 11 days. Early booking means lower rates, beginning at $789. The tripincludes all meals, entertainment and daily exercise classes, including water aer-obics, yoga and ballroom dancing. For full details, visit www.fun-fitness.com/cruises/newengland-cruise-2014.html or call (703) 827-0414.

VISIT HARPER’S FERRYVisit Harper’s Ferry, the town that made abolitionist John Brownfamous, on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dress warmly,

bring binoculars to look for bald eagles, and have lunch in town or bring yourown. Participants will meet at the Black Hill Visitor Center, 20926 Lake RidgeDr., Boyds, Md. at 9 a.m. and will return at 4 p.m. To register, visitParkPASS.ORG (257199). Trip costs $30.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 23

Jan. 25

Did you know?You may qualify for assistance in paying your home phone bill. Discounts for basic telephone service are available to eligible District of Columbia low-income residents.

Verizon Washington, D.C. Lifeline Plans:Verizon Washington, D.C.’s Lifeline service, known as “Economy II,” offers reducedrates on Verizon’s monthly telephone bill and one-time discounts on the cost of installing phone service. Additionally, toll blocking is available to Economy II customersat no charge.Economy II Service*: $3.00 per month for unlimited local calling. Value-added servicesare not included (e.g., Call Waiting, Caller ID). No connection charges apply. Also, cus-tomers will not be charged for the federal subscriber line charge. Economy II customerswho are 65 years of age or older can have this service at a further reduced rate of$1.00 per month.

• Full terms and rates for these services, including terms of eligibility, are as set forth in federaland in Verizon’s tariffs on file with the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia.Rates as stated here are effective as of September 1, 2011. But, the rates and other terms aresubject to change in the future.

Link-Up AmericaLink-Up America is for District residents who are eligible for social service

assistance. New customers or customers who move to a new address may qualify for a 50 percent reduction in service connection charges.

Contact DDOE at 311 to applyTo learn more about the Lifeline program, visit www.lifelinesupport.org.

By Michael ToscanoThere is more than one way to enjoy

Signature Theatre’s energy-packed pro-duction of the Broadway classic Gypsy.

If you wish, you can head out to the the-ater in Shirlington hoping to bathe in thewarm glow of nostalgia. After all, Gypsy isan old-fashioned stage warhorse, featuringsturdy songs, some unsophisticated butpleasing dance, a rapidly unfolding story,and instantly recognizable characters.

First staged in 1959, there’s even alengthy (if slightly enervating) overture.And scenic designer James Kronzer hastouched up the interior of Signature’s MaxTheatre to make it look like the audience isin a comfortably musty vaudeville house orold-timey Broadway theater. Think of it ascomfort theater for a cold winter’s night.

Songs from Sondheim Or perhaps you’re checking off shows

to see on your Sondheim list. Gypsy fitsthat bill, too. (Number 23 Sondheim showfor Signature.)

Yes, that’s right. This straightforwardshow with pop-sounding hits from theearly Mad Men era may be most closely

identified with the legendary Arthur Lau-rents, who wrote the book, and the greatJule Styne, who delivered the music.

But Signature’s artistic icon StephenSondheim, then still a relative newcomer,wrote the lyrics to such up-tempo numbersas “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “MayWe Entertain You?” and “Together Wherev-er We Go.” There’s also the tune Sinatra sortof made his own, “All I Need is the Girl,” andthe poignant “Small World.”

And those are just the tunes that becamestand-alone hits. There are other songs inthe show that electrify audiences when per-formed to their full potential. Is that poten-tial reached here? Absolutely, yes.

Perhaps you’re a fan of local stage pres-ence Sherri L. Edelen (and who isn’t?).This is your opportunity to see her have allthe room she needs to fully embrace alusty, meaty role, with tunes allowing herto belt out the big numbers.

Edelen always shines in whatever roleshe takes on, but there aren’t many partslike Momma Rose — where she can bull-doze her way onstage, command the place,and fill the venue with lung-bursting vi-brancy. It’s nice to see her let loose here.

Much of my personalp leasure in th is showcomes from the captivatingperformance of somebodywho may just be cominginto her own. Maria Rizzo’swork as the withdrawnyoung lady named Louise,who blossomed into thewoman known the worldover as Gypsy Rose Lee, isnuanced, fascinating and af-fecting.

She and Edelen should betop contenders when HelenHayes Awards time nextrolls around.

Momma Rose (Sherri L. Ede-len) gives a pre-performancepep talk to daughter BabyJune (Erin Cearlock) in Gypsy,sometimes called the “great-est American musical.” It isplaying at Signature Theatrethrough Jan. 26.

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Arts & StyleGypsy offers up a blast of old Broadway

See GYPSY, page 48

Graham Nash talks about makingmusic in his memoir Wild Tales. See story on page 50.

All about Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy is based on the true story of

Gypsy Rose Lee, who some may remem-ber from her guest appearances on televi-sion in decades past. Long before her pres-ence on the tube, however, she was avaudeville trooper in the fading days of thegenre, just as it was descending into bur-lesque.

Little Louise traveled the circuits withher Momma Rose, the original ApacheHelicopter Mom, and her vastly morecharismatic and talented younger sisterJune, played here by Nicole Mangi. (Juneeventually abandoned the stage for Holly-wood, and became known as the success-ful actress June Havoc, appearing in suchfilms as Gentleman’s Agreement.)

Louise ended up as star strip-tease artistGypsy Rose Lee, with the accent on artist.This show is based on her memoir of livingin her sister’s shadow and under her moth-er’s tyrannical will to succeed in show

business. “Everybody needs something impossi-

ble to dream for,” Momma Rose statesfirmly. And in guiding her daughters toseemingly impossible stardom, Rose sacri-fices a normal life for them, for herself, andfor those who were drawn into her orbit.

That includes the saintly, long-sufferingHerbie, the loving agent she never mar-ried. Mitchell Hébert delicately makes hisway through the story, his portrayal ofHerbie providing warmth in counterpointto Edelen’s unrelenting (and entertaining)brassiness.

A rising young starKeep an eye out for young Erin Cear-

lock, who plays Little June in horrifyinglysharp detail. While she’s only a fifth-graderat St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School inAlexandria, she already boasts an impres-sive resume of roles.

Actually, you won’t have to look all thathard. Erin pretty much grabs you by theeyeballs and the ears. She perfectly nailsthose poor kids who have been drilled into

performing automatons by overbearingstage parents, their faces a show-biz rictusof wide eyes and fake smiles broadcastingnothing more than desperation.

And our little Erin does all that andmakes us enjoy it! Let her entertain you,she begs us in song and dance. And she re-ally, really does.Gypsy is directed here by Joe Calarco,

admirably honoring the original, indeliblework of Jerome Robbins while allowing abit of modern nuance, especially in theportrayal of Louise in the years before hermetamorphosis into Gypsy Rose Lee.

Oddly, that evolution seems to getglossed over here, leaving us unsure exact-ly how Louise, so inhibited and introverted,manages it. As a result, we barely recognizeher when she becomes the big star hermother pushed her into becoming.

Calarco and Edelin have the ghosts oflegends past to contend with, beginningwith the director/choreographer Robbinsand various Momma Roses, includingEthel Merman and Angela Lansbury onstage and Rosalind Russell on film. (Theshow premiered on Broadway in 1959 andwas revived in 1974, 1989, 2003 and 2008.)

But they don’t seem intimidated, andEdelen’s portrait may actually differ a bitat the margins from what you might beused to. This Rose has all the requisitethorns, but she is not always larger-than-life.

Edelen pulls her into a recognizablyhuman scale, and the show benefits. Rosemay be loud and pushy, but Edelen lets ussee that at least some part of it is an act —armor she dons to ward off her disappoint-ments and to keep her girls’ spirits high.

The 11-piece band, capably conductedby Jon Kalbfleisch, does an adequate job ofreducing the full Broadway score to fill theMax. Karma Kamp’s meat-and-potatoeschoreography won’t send you home think-ing about it, but this is vaudeville and bur-lesque, not the ballet, so it meets theshow’s artistic ambiance.

I would have preferred more color inJames Kronzer’s scenic design, a series ofproscenium-like frames setting off brickwalls. Kronzer makes it look like all ofshow biz is conducted in drab alleys, andwhile there is innovative scene-changingwith smaller pieces moving on and offstage, the eye soon starts longing forsomething to relieve the visual drudgeryon stage.

With intermission, the show’s runningtime edges toward the three-hour mark.But you won’t wear out, because Edelinand company never do. Gypsy is a high-en-ergy blast of old Broadway.

Tickets and performancesGypsy continues through Jan. 26 at Sig-

nature Theatre’s Max Theatre, 4200Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va.

Performance schedule: Tuesdays andWednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays andFridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased online atwww.signature-theatre.org, by calling Tick-etmaster at 703-573-SEAT, or by visiting thebox office during business hours, week-days 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends fromnoon to 6 p.m.

Prices range from $40 to $104. Seniorgroups of 10 or more can save 30 percent.Rush tickets (if seats are available) can bepurchased at the theater box office for $30one hour before the show.

The theater is accessible for people withdisabilities, and it is recommended thatspecial seating needs be mentioned whentickets are purchased. Free listening de-vices are available. Free parking is avail-able in nearby public garages.

For general information, contact Signa-ture at (703) 820-9771 or visit www.signa-ture-theatre.org.

If you’re thinking of bringing the grand-children, Signature Theatre says Gypsy is“best suited for ages 12 and up; no oneyounger than 6 years old will be admitted

48 Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA SH I NG TON B E A CON

GypsyFrom page 47

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

WASH I NG TON B E A CON — J A NUA R Y 2 0 1 4 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 49

The Kennedy Center welcomes patrons with disabilities.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY CONCERTS

(202) 467-4600 nationalsymphony.org

Tickets also available at the Box Office Groups (202) 416-8400 | TTY (202) 416-8524

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.

The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by Roger and Vicki Sant.

The Blue Series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation.

The Green Series is sponsored by

Beyond the Score® is produced by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Gerard McBurney, Creative Director; Martha Gilmer, Executive Producer.

Stephen Hough plays LisztSir Mark Elder, conductorStephen Hough, piano

David Hardy, celloDaniel Foster, viola

ELGAR: In the SouthLISZT: Piano Concerto No. 1R. STRAUSS: Don Quixote

THU., JAN. 16 AT 7 | FRI., JAN. 17 AT 8 | SAT., JAN. 18 AT 8AfterWords: Thu., Jan. 16 performance followed by a free discussion.Part of the Blue Series.

Dvorák’s 9th: “From the New World”ˇChristoph Eschenbach, conductor Martin Grubinger, percussionMOZART: Symphony No. 35 “Haffner”DORMAN: Frozen in TimeDVORÁK: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”

THU., JAN. 23 AT 7 | SAT., JAN. 25 AT 8AfterWords: Thu., Jan. 23 performance followed by a free discussion.Part of the Green Series.

Beyond the Score re r ®—Whose World?Ankush Kumar Bahl, conductor (Beyond the Score)Christoph Eschenbach, conductor(full symphony)

John Lescault, actorClark Young, actorVanessa Williams, gospel singerNigel Boon, narrator

Take your musical appreciation to the next level with this half-concert, half-multimedia educational experience.DVORÁK: Symphony No. 9—Whose World?

FRI., JAN. 24 AT 8Part of the Green Series.

Joshua Bell plays MendelssohnChristoph Eschenbach, conductorJoshua Bell, violin

Matthias Goerne, baritoneMichelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano

The Choral Arts Society of Washington, Scott Tucker, artistic directorMENDELSSOHN: Violin ConcertoHINDEMITH: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d: A Requiem “For Those We Love”

THU., JAN. 30 AT 7 | FRI., JAN. 31 AT 8 | SAT., FEB. 1 AT 8 Organ Postlude: Thu., Jan. 30 performance followed by a mini-recital on the new Rubenstein :Family Organ, free with purchase of concert ticket.

Steven Isserlis plays SchumannChristoph Eschenbach, conductor Steven Isserlis, celloHAYDN: Symphony No. 72SCHUMANN: Cello ConcertoBRAHMS: Piano Quartet, orch. Schoenberg

THU., FEB. 6 AT 7 | FRI., FEB. 7 AT 8 | SAT., FEB. 8 AT 8 AfterWords: Thu., Feb. 6 performance followed by a free discussion.Part of the Blue Series.

Anne-Sophie Mutter plays DvorákˇCristian Macelaru, conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter, violinJANÁCEK: The Cunning Little Vixen—SuiteMARTINU: Symphony No. 1CURRIER: Time Machines (Thu. ONLY)DVORÁK: Violin Concerto (Fri. & Sat. ONLY)

THU., FEB. 13 AT 7 | FRI., FEB. 14 AT 8 | SAT., FEB. 15 AT 8 AfterWords: Thu., Feb. 13 performance followed by a free discussion.Part of the Green Series.

Beethoven’s Symphonies 1 & 2Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Christian Tetzlaff, violinBEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 1WIDMANN: Violin Concerto (U.S. PREMIERE)BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 2

THU., FEB. 27 AT 7 | FRI., FEB. 28 AT 8 | SAT., MAR. 1 AT 8 AfterWords: Thu., Feb. 27 performance followed by a free discussion.

JOSHUA BELL STEPHEN HOUGH ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER

By Hillel ItalieGraham Nash is in the recording studio,

having a hard time saying the words. “It was such a tumultuous smoke-ridden

cocaine-driven moment that it’s hard to re-member everything as it went down,” hereads, stumbling over the word “tumul-tuous” and later saying “1977” instead of“1967,” an epic slip for Nash’s generation.

The “moment” was Woodstock and thestudio was in midtown Manhattan, whereNash recently taped the audio book of hismemoir Wild Tales. Digital technology en-abled him to quickly correct his errors,but the memories will not be erased as herelives a time he still helps embody.

Few were so profoundly changed byrock ‘n’ roll and the 1960s as Nash — a

child of working class, World War II-eraBritain, who first became a star as a grin-ning harmony singer for the Hollies and,just as he feared he was locked into a life ofscreaming teenagers and two-minute lovesongs, let his hair down as part of Crosby,Stills and Nash.

His hair a full and flawless white, helooks improbably fit and trim at 71, espe-cially for someone who by his own accountsmoked and snorted through much of his20s and 30s.

But he is mindful that his luck won’t lastforever, and decided it was time to tell hisstory, if only for his baby granddaughter,Stella Joy. “I wanted to make a record ofwhat my life was about and who I was as aperson,” he said.

A magical time The man he became, the life he came to

lead, began during a Hollies tour of theU.S. in the mid-1960s. He was befriendedby Mama Cass of the Mamas and Papas, aborn mixer who sensed that the gentle-manly Nash would click with the Byrds’trouble-making David Crosby.

He was soon living the American dream,late ‘60s style, recording a million-sellingdebut album with Crosby and StephenStills, and sharing a house in LaurelCanyon with Joni Mitchell.

In his memoir, he gives his take on howCrosby, Stills and Nash first joined in song.It was 1968 and they were at Mitchell’shouse, and Crosby and Stills were workingon the ballad “You Don’t Have to Cry.”Nash listened, asked them to run throughit again, and added his high tenor to Still’shusky low and Crosby’s mellow middle.

“Something magical had happened, andwe all knew it,” Nash writes. “When yousing with two or three people and you getit right — when the whole thing becomesgreater than the parts — everything kindof lifts a couple of feet off the ground.... Itwas there, complete, a minute into our re-lationship.”

They were instant royalty, crowned bytheir performance at Woodstock, but soontorn apart. Neil Young joined the band

after the first record and began feudingwith Stills, as they had done while in theband Buffalo Springfield. Crosby’s girl-friend at the time, Christine Hinton, waskilled in a car crash. Mitchell broke upwith Nash, a loss clearly fresh decadeslater.

“How could you live with Joni Mitchellfor two years and not still feel something,”said Nash, married since 1977 to actressSusan Sennett. “She was this incrediblecombination of beauty and balls, and she’llalways be a very special part of my life.Everybody knows that. My wife knowsthat, and that’s just the way it is.”

Tough loveYoung is the book’s enigma and fatal at-

traction — a hard-headed genius with awell-documented reluctance to commithimself to a band, whether Buffalo Spring-field or Crosby, Stills and Nash. In WildTales, Nash sees his time with Young as a“long, strange trip” with a man whom heregards as having a heart with two faucets:hot and cold.

One tale from the cold side: Young’smemoir, Waging Heavy Peace, which cameout in 2012.

“My ego got in the way,” Nash said dur-


Remembering and continuing rock ‘n’ roll

Graham Nash recalls his relationships with Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Neil Youngand Stephen Stills in his recent memoir, Wild Tales. He is shown, on right, with DavidCrosby at the Occupy Wall Street protest.

AP

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See NASH, page 51

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ing the interview when asked about thebook. “When he talked about his wife’sdog more than he did about me andStephen and David, it pissed me off. I’vemade music with Neil Young for 40 years,and I don’t deserve a better mention thanas an appendage to his dog?”

Working with him is inspiring, Nashsaid, at least when he actually gets to workwith him.

“I love him to death. I’ll make musicwith him for the rest of my life, but he’s avery selfish man. Part of me admires thefact that he has the strength to follow hismuse, but he doesn’t realize that there areother people involved in this world,” Nashsaid.

“For instance, when you tell 40 peopleyou’re going to Europe and do a massivetour at the end of June, and then you de-cide you don’t want to do it because themuse doesn’t wave to you right? These 40people don’t know what to do because youdon’t feel like it? That pisses me off.”

A spokesman for Young did not immedi-ately respond to a request for comment.

Nash is tough on Crosby, too, althoughin a far more loving way. They are the clos-est of friends, and have shared girlfriends(both dated Mitchell), political causes,songwriting credits and thousands ofstages.

But Nash also adds to Crosby’s past con-fessions about his descent into drug addic-tion in the 1980s, when one of rock’s greatwise guys transformed into a scarred anddead-eyed monster, “filthy, always sickly,irrational, covered in sores,” Nash writes.

“The only time legal ever called me wasabout the story I put in there about Crosbyselling his Mercedes to a crack dealer, andthe guy OD’s, and Crosby breaks into thehouse while the body is still warm andstole back the sales slip [for the car],”Nash said during the interview.

“Legal wanted me to check with Crosbyone more time to make sure that hap-pened. He said, ‘Not only was it true, but Ire-sold the car.’”

Still on stage Crosby cleaned up years ago, and vari-

ous combinations of Crosby, Stills, Nashand Young continue to sing around theworld — whether a CSN show last fall atLondon’s Royal Albert Hall or a 2011 con-cert at Strathmore Music Center in N.Bethesda, Md. Nash sang solo at theBirchmere in Alexandria, Va., in Septem-ber.

In an impromptu visit in 2011 to the Oc-cupy Wall Street protests, Nash and Cros-by turned up and performed at ZuccottiPark in lower Manhattan, the crowd join-ing in for Nash’s signature song, “TeachYour Children.”

“I think I wrote music that made people

think, and broke their hearts, and de-pressed them, and made them laugh,”Nash said, adding that completing thebook only added to his amazement at hisown life.

“I think I did a decent job with what Iwas given as a child. I’m from an incredi-bly poor family from the north of England.And look at me! I mean, c’mon.”

— AP


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They say that love is lovelier the secondtime around. If it works that way, hats off.If it doesn’t, it can snare families in awhirlpool of hurt feelings — and lighterbank accounts.

So it has gone for my pal, Susan. We re-connected a few weeks ago. Over coffee, Iasked about her family.

Kids good. Grandkids good. Husbandgood.

And her father? Well, not so good.He became a widower at 80. A divorcee

who had long been in his social circle

made a beeline for him.The family thought this was excellent,

because the beeliner was excellent. Smart.Sassy. Accomplished. Generous. Whowouldn’t want such a companion for one’saging Dad?

The nightmare began shortly after theymarried. Susan’s father began to slip men-tally.

Nothing big at first. But as time went on,he began to fumble basic details. His sec-retary called Susan and asked if maybe theold guy should retire.

She broached it to him. He scoffed andrefused.

Meanwhile, the new wifestarted piloting a snazzy goldMercedes-Benz (she had pre-viously been a Ford Focuskind of girl).

She began wearing “clothesthat weren’t bought at Tar-get,” Susan said. The coupletook a six-week trip aroundthe world, staying only insuites. Gifts got delivered toall sorts of friends and family— expensive gifts.

“I was very reluctant to smell rats,”Susan says. “I thought it was just nice. Twoolder people enjoying life, you know?”

About six months later, Dad’s secretarycalled Susan again. She said Susan had tocome over to Dad’s office right away. Shehad something to show her.

The secretary produced two pieces ofpaper.

One was a power of attorney, executedthe day after Dad and New Wife had mar-ried. It designated New Wife as the onlyperson with control over Dad’s finances.

Previously, Susan says, she and herbrother had shared power of attorney.They had not been asked or told about thechange.

The second piece of paper was Dad’spersonal checking account statement. Itshowed that New Wife had systematicallywithdrawn between $12,000 and $15,000 amonth across three years.

Where had that money gone? Obviouslyto the Mercedes, to the gifts, and to theclothes that weren’t bought at Target.

Did Dad know about any of this? Thesecretary said she doubted it.

When Susan sat down with her father,he was as shocked as anyone. But he re-fused to confront New Wife.

Susan huddled with her brother tomake a plan. They decided to ask NewWife to explain. “No confrontations,”Susan said. “Just three adults who caredabout my father’s welfare.”

New Wife refused to meet. “My busi-ness,” she told Susan.

It was a stunning rebuff — and to Susan,a clear admission that New Wife was awareof and ashamed of what she had done.

Lawyers were brought in. They said nocrime had been committed. A spouse has

priority over adult children in situationslike this, the lawyers said.

An exclusive power of at-torney means exactly that. Itdoesn’t matter what a previ-ous power of attorney mayhave said. It doesn’t matterwhether New Wife went be-hind Dad’s back. She waswithin her rights.

Seeing her father out half amillion dollars without hisknowledge was bad enough.Worse: He began to declinerapidly.

Dementia was diagnosed. He was deadwithin a year.

Susan and her brother appealed to NewWife directly. “We asked her please not tohoard all the rest of his money,” Susansaid. “He had always said he wanted tohelp with college tuition for the grandchil-dren. But he had never said so in a will.”

Sorry, New Wife said. His estate ismine. Please don’t call me again.

Susan says she was “as furious as I’veever been in my life.” She recognized thatshe was legally powerless. And she doesn’tthink that “money is the be-all and end-all.”

Still, “this was my father, and he had beensteamrollered.” Her instinct was to “dosomething — not something that would lashout at this woman, because that wouldn’thave accomplished anything. But some-thing that might protect other families.”

I said that spreading the word to otherfamilies was my department. You’ve justread the results.

Moral of this story: If you are an oldergentleman of some means, and you sud-denly become a widower, don’t give fullcontrol over your dough to your newspouse. It will cause problems now andbigger problems later.

Second moral: Trust your adult chil-dren. They don’t want to interfere withyour late-in-life happiness. But they don’twant to see you hoodwinked, either.

By the way, Susan reports, her father’ssecond wife now has a new male friend.

He’s a recent widower. A man of somemeans.

They have just announced plans to takea six-week trip around the world together.History is reloading for a repeat.Bob Levey is a national award-winning

columnist.

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Morals from a story of second marriages

HOW I SEE ITBy Bob Levey

COLUMBIA LIGHTHOUSE FOR THEBLIND, a nonprofit organization serving peo-ple of all ages in the Washington metropolitanarea who are blind and visually impaired, isrecruiting adult volunteers to serve as Read-ers and Friendly Visitors. Participants in theReaders & Friendly Visitors program areadult volunteers who are matched one-on-onewith blind or visually impaired adults. Volun-teers arrange weekly meetings with clients attheir homes to assist with activities, such asreading mail, grocery shopping or running er-rands. If you are interested in learning moreabout this opportunity, please contact JocelynHunter at 202-454-6422 or [email protected] toattend an upcoming orientation.

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

HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES,JEWELRY, ESTATES. I have been adver-tising in the Senior Beacon for 20 years.Montgomery County resident – will travel toD.C., MD, VA. Buying the 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, swordsetc. Also buying: old toys, dolls, trains, comicbooks, photographs, autographs, musical in-struments, guitars, violins, etc. Also oldsports memorabilia and equipment – base-ball, golf, football, fishing etc. Please call Tomat 240-476-3441.

OLD AND NEW WE BUY Sterling SilverFlatware, Tea Sets, Single Pieces, FountainPens, Lighters, Tools, Cameras, Glassware,Art Work. Toys From Trains to Hotwheels toStar Wars. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, di-amonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches,coins, flatware, etc. We make house calls. Askfor Tom. Call anytime 301-654-8678 or 301-654-0838.

WE PAY CASH for antique furniture, quali-ty used furniture, early American art, pot-tery, silver, glassware, paintings, etc. Singleitems to entire estates. Call Reggie or Phyllisat DC 202-726-4427, MD 301-332-4697.

MILITARY ITEMS WANTED: Collectorseeks to purchase military uniforms; flightjackets, patches, insignia, medals, etc. fromthe Civil War through Vietnam. Especiallyseeking U.S. Army Air Corps, USMC, Air-borne, and German/Japanese/Italian itemsfrom WWII. ALSO BUYING old Boy Scout,Airline Items, Toys, Lighters. Call Dan, 202-841-3062.

VINYL RECORDS WANTED from 1950through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul,Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

BUYING MILITARY MEMORABILIAWW2, WW1, Civil War uniforms, weapons,photos and items associated with US, Ger-man, Japanese or items of other MilitaryHistory. DAVE, 240-464-0958.

CASH FOR ESTATE BUYOUTS, estateclean-outs, jewelry to furniture, one item orwhole state. Free Estimate, Will Travel. 301-520-0755.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS ANDQUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS want-ed by a serious, capable buyer. I am very well ed-ucated [law degree], knowledgeable [over 40years in the antique business] and have the fi-nances and wherewithal to handle virtually anysituation. If you have a special item, collection orimportant estate, I would like to hear from you. Ipay great prices for great things in all categoriesfrom Oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rareclocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classiccars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phonypromises or messy consignments. Referencesgladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-279-8834. Thank you.

WANTED: ANTIQUE ELECTRONICS, engi-neers’ estates, Hi-Fi Stereo, huge old loudspeak-ers, ham radios, records, professional qualitymusical instruments, antique computers, scien-tific curiosities. 202-527-9501, [email protected].

STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHSpurchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, cov-ers, paper memorabilia. Stamps are my spe-cialty – highest price paid! Appraisals. PhoneAlex, 301-309-6637. [email protected].

STERLING SILVER – I WILL PAY TOPDOLLAR for your silver marked “sterling,”“925,” “800.” Please, no silver plate. Wantflatware, bowls, plates, candlesticks, etc. CallRichard, 301-646-0101.

CASH FOR RECORDS & CDs. BESTPRICE GUARANTEED. Free appraisals.All types of music, 33, 45, 78 & CDs. CallSteve 301-646-5403. Will make house calls.

Volunteer Opportunities

Wanted


ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

D E F T L E N S C O S TA X L E A S A P T H R E WS P A S M A Z E O U N C EH O W T O B U I L D A G A T E

S S E S L I T M S TA C A L A B P E L ER U B Y O U R N O S E I N I TE L H I I R A A T I ES T O P A L E A K Y D R A I N

R E B A S U E L I TO R R A S P S P L OM E E T T H E T O P A Z T E CA N N I E T A X I O R A LH A C K S T R E E N A S AA L E E Y E N S E Y E D

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

Classifiedscont. frompage 55.

FROM PAGE 54

Wanted Wanted

JOIN THE ENCORE CHORALEEncore Chorale in

Northern Virginia is looking for singers55+ for the spring season. There are noauditions, and singers may sit torehearse and perform. The choirsinclude a group that rehearses at theLangston Brown Senior Center, 2121 NCulpeper St, Arlington, Va. (whichbegins on Tuesday, Jan. 14) from 2 to3:30 p.m.; a group that meets at theGW Masonic National Memorial, 101Callahan Dr., Alexandria, Va. (whichbegins on Monday, Jan. 13), andrehearses from 10:30 a.m. to noon; anda group that meets at the Potomac ArtsAcademy of George Mason University,4260 Chain Bridge Rd., Fairfax, Va.(which begins on Tuesday, Jan. 14),which rehearses from 11 a.m. to 12:30p.m. To register, and for information oncosts, visit http://encorecreativity.orgor call (301) 261-5747.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing


Puzzle Page

Scrabble answers on p. 53.

Crossword PuzzleDaily crosswords can be found on our website:

www.TheBeaconNewspapers.comClick on Puzzles Plus

Answers on page 53.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15

16 17 18

19 20 21

22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

32 33 34 35 36 37

38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45

46 47 48

49 50 51 52 53 54 55

56 57 58 59 60 61

62 63 64

65 66 67

68 69 70

DOWN1. The middle of a date range2. International fair3. Fly in the ointment4. Personality identifiers5. Green Bay Packers’ field6. Jacob’s biblical twin7. Those fanatically obsessed with rules8. Write eight instead of 89. Guzzle drinks10. Just for show11. The Joy of ___ (religious guide)12. Send a 139-character message15. Exactly20. European city with best quality of life,

according to fDi Magazine21. Baba ghanoush, and the like25. Son of Zeus and Hera26. Group of worshippers27. Complete loathing29. French dairy-producing region31. User of statistics, according to

Mark Twain33. “Holy Toledo!”34. Pistol stay-men (abbr.)35. Acorn droppers36. 4, on a Rolex37. Boy scout’s construction42. Moves down on a pain scale43. Punishment unit in 12 Years a Slave44. Newsweek declared 1984 to be their year45. The middle of two cremes49. Largest Cornhusker city50. Of the kidneys52. Inconsequential53. Violate guidance regarding the sun55. .6 parts per million of Earth’s atmosphere57. Kidlet58. Plow pullers59. Fast food loaner60. Sugarcoat61. Like Adam, after expulsion

Hidden Gems by Stephen Sherr

ACROSS1. Nimble5. Hubble component9. Set one back13. Toll booth unit14. “Right away!” (not written all the way)15. Hosted a party16. Pampering locales17. Confusing grid of streets18. One 32,000th of a ton19. Baby proofing instructions22. General dir. down Peru’s coastline23. Space enough for light to pass24. Clock setting for TV’s Breaking

Bad scenes25. Product of the 111th Congress, but

commonly called Obamacare28. Coat, generally white30. Noted Brazilian footballer32. Add insult to injury38. Post pre-school; pre post-school39. Name that is also a retirement plan40. End in ___ (satisfy no one)41. Do a plumber’s job46. Country singer McEntire47. Name that is also a legal plan48. Turned on a candle49. 3-time NHL MVP51. Nile snakes54. Arafat’s org.56. Say hi to Montezuma62. Girl orphaned in a comic, play,

and 3 movies63. Tony Danza sitcom64. Type of thermometer65. 63 Across extras66. Shoe shape preserver67. Its first logo was approved by Ike

in 195968. Downwind69. Hankerings70. Studied from afar

Jumbles: FORAY SYNOD BANTER CHALET

Answer: What she did when she told a joke to the sewing circle -- LOST THE "THREAD" OF IT

JUMBLE ANSWERS


EXPERIENCED NURSE FROM SLOVAKIAis looking for a live-in position to care for theelderly or the sick. Excellent references. Call301-384-9663.

CNA/MEDTECH – Very mature with refer-ences and own transportation for eldercare. Call571-575-3354 for services.

“A” HOME HEALTH CARE – Experiencednurses, CNA, GNA are available 24/7. Compan-ionship, personal care, housekeeping, shopping,driving. Full/Part-time or live-in. Flat rate forlive-in. 15 years experienced. 240-533-6599.

ABSOLUTE HOMECARE SERVICES, INC.– Licensed, Bonded and Insured. Reliable andqualified health aides and nursing staff avail-able. Trusted personal assistance for your lovedones. Serving all Washington Metro Area. 4-24hour services. Our rates are 10% lower than theaverage in the DC Metro Area! Tel: 703-347-6755. Email: [email protected]. Visitus: absolutehsi.com.

CNA/COMPANION FOR SICK OR ELDER-CARE. I am experienced, compassionate andreliable. Available days, nights, Mondaysthrough Fridays and weekends full time or parttime with 23 years experience. Own transporta-tion. Call 301-442-9324.

CNA/MED TECH ELDERLY CARE for live-in/live-out, taking care of the elderly. 15+ yearsexperience. Own transportation. Excellent refer-ences upon request. 240-482-9027, 202-710-3127.

COMPASSIONATE CAREGIVER – LADYCOMPANION available for elderly or adultwith disabilities. Very reliable, experienced, owncar with excellent references. CPR/FirstAid/Hospice/Mental Health Aide Certified. I canprovide respite care, concierge, plus more servic-es for your loved one. Please call 240-426-3548and kindly leave me a message.

HERE AND NOW HOME CARE – Very reli-able and certified caregivers who provide carewith quality, dignity and respect. Personal care,companionship and light housekeeping at com-petitive prices. 24 hours around the clock.Homes, hospitals, nursing homes. 240-507-7120.www.hereandnowhomecare.com.

ALLOW YOUR LOVED ONES to live wherethey are most comfortable... in their own home!Quality and reliability at an affordable price.Errands, shopping, meal preparation, hygieneassistance, light housekeeping. Alzheimer’s anddementia care. Temporary or long-term, up to24-hour care. Bonded and insured. 301-490-9050, [email protected]. www.vis-itingangels.com/Laurel.

LOOKING FOR A LOVING, caring, compas-sionate, dependable and reliable caregiver withyears of experience and references for your eld-erly loved ones? Have experience with MS,Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and other health prob-lems. Please call, 301-908-9134.

PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NET-WORK? Computer Systems Engineer will cometo you with help. Call: D. Guisset at 301-642-4526.

COMPUTER LESSONS – Personal Computertraining at your home. Email, Internet, generalcomputer use. Windows 8, Smartphone/tablet,digital camera. Learn at your own pace withgentle & patient tutor. We also troubleshootproblems & setup new computers. TeachingSeniors since 1996. Senior Discount. Call David,301-762-2570, COMPUTERTUTOR.

THE SHALOM SIGNATURE CLUB offersdynamic social programs and classes geared topeople 50+. Many have a Jewish theme; mostare free of charge and take place in the Friend-ship Heights neighborhood of Chevy Chase.Regular events take place twice a month onTuesday afternoons at 1 p.m. For further infor-mation or to RSVP for upcoming programs, visitwww.ShalomSC.org or call (240) 200-4515.

AFFORDABLE ACCTG/TAX SOLUTIONS @BAI-TECH. Automation, Bookeeping, PayrollTax Planning, Preparation & Representation.CPA on Demand 24/7. 26+ years experience.Email [email protected] or call 301-608-2248.

MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INSURANCE –Good news! Medicare Supplement plans – withthe same benefits as your current plan – maynow be available at rates that are significantlylower than your current plan. To find out if youqualify for these new, lower rates, call today.Find out how much you might save! Call 1-888-270-4203.

LEISURE WORLD® - $247,500. 3BR 2FB1HB “M” in Greens. Table space kitchen, sepa-rate dining room. Large enclosed balcony. Newpaint and carpet. 1530 sq ft. Stan Moffson, We-ichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $118,500. 2BR 2FB1HB “Berkeley” Condo. Updated kitchen, newpaint, new carpet and flooring. 1600 sq ft. StanMoffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $279,000. 2 BR 2 FB FFin Overlook with Garage + Golf cart space. Tablespace kitchen open to enclosed balcony with cus-tom shades. Close to elevator. 1320 sq ft. StanMoffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $185,000. 2 BR 2FB “O”with Garage + Golf Cart space in Fairways.Table space kitchen with window, separate din-ing room, enclosed balcony. 2nd bedroom withbuilt-in. 1138 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Real-tors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $145,000. 3 BR 2 FB“Ellicott” model with table space kitchen, sepa-rate dining room, separate laundry room, newpaint and carpet, enclosed balcony. 1400 sq. ft.Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $275,000. 2BR 2FB “E”in “Villa Cortese.” Table space kitchen, large en-closed balcony, and garage parking. 1340 sq ft.Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $249,900. 3BR 2-1/2B“M” in the “GREENS.” Great space with en-closed balcony, new paint and carpet and sepa-rate storage room in basement. 1530 sq ft. StanMoffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - RENTAL - $1400. 2 BR2 FB “F” in the “Greens.” Updated kitchen, en-closed balcony, treetop view. 1115 sq ft. StanMoffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463. 55+Senior Living Community.

LEISURE WORLD® - $268,000. 2BR 2FB “D”in Villa Cortese. Table space kitchen, separatekitchen, enclosed balcony, new paint and carpet.Garage space. 1300 sq ft. Stan Moffson, We-ichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - RENTAL - $1600. 2BR2FB “GG” with Garage space. Move-in ready,new paint, treetop views. 1195 sq ft. Stan Moff-son, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463. 55+ Sen-ior Living Community.

LEISURE WORLD® - $85,000. 2BR 1FB 1HB“Elizabeth” Co-op. Renovated with wood floorsand new carpet, gated patio, washer and dryerin unit. 1308 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Real-tors, 301-928-3463.

SPIRITUAL, PROGRESSIVE HOUSEHOLDOF WOMEN (39-69) in Takoma Park, MD (at DCedge) seeks two-three separate compassionatewomen – with these kindred underlying values –for friendships & mutual supportiveness. Non-smokers. No pets. $950 for lower level small suite(small efficiency) with unfurnished private carpet-ed bedroom, private tiled full bathroom, privatefull kitchen, partly private/partly shared storagearea, and access to back porch (mostly private use)and yard – And $750 for top level unfurnished car-peted private Master Bedroom, private tiled fullbathroom with two sinks and skylight, walk-incloset, and double floor-length windows/glass-dooropening to small private deck overlooking lowerdeck/forest…includes all the shared outdoor frontporch/deck with hot tub, and open spaces in the 3story charming Gingerbread house. Smaller car-peted room with closet/window and hall bathroom:$650. Shared utilities (1/3) + deposit. One re-ducible for bartering & help. Begin March 1 orlater. Email: [email protected].

WE’LL BUY YOUR HOME Without the Has-sles. Local Company in business since 2003.BBB Accredited. Call 877-948-3232 today for de-tails. No Obligation or Fees.

LOOKING TO TAKE THE LEAP? I’ll takeyou on a tour of the community, show you floorplans, discuss campus amenities, & offer how tobest coordinate your move. I will preview units& contact you with a match. I also offer excep-tional service selling your home. I’m a SeniorsSpecialist, Buyer Broker, Top 1% of Agents Na-tionwide, and a Leisure World resident! You cansee my current listings on page 39. Contact me:301-580-5556, [email protected], www.Sue-Heyman.com, Weichert Realtors.

I BUY HOUSES ANY CONDITION – FairfaxCounty, VA. Save time, money and worry. Not anagent, no commissions. Female owned. 703-969-5847, [email protected].

BEAUTIFUL HOME ON RIVER in quietneighborhood. 1 bdrm, office, bath. Finishedattic. Washer/Dryer. Screen porch. New kitchen.Garage. Large yard. $1265. Call 703-430-7988.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints fromDante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures ifdesired. Call Steve, 410-913-1653.

WHERE IS YOUR PAIN? Back, neck, nerve,arthritis, joint & muscle pain, etc. Give us youropinion on our homeopathic, topical pain relieflotion. Free sample & follow up on request. 202-726-2602.

MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING withhome-bound seniors in lower MontgomeryCounty by state licensed counseling provider.For an appointment, please call 301-340-1510.

QUIT SMOKING - ONLY IF YOU ARE SE-RIOUS about quitting. Send $20 to E. Harris,Box 3113, Gaithersburg, MD 20885. Nopills/drugs. Results are guaranteed or moneyback!

EXPERT ROOF REPAIRS and new installa-tions. 40 years experience. 5 year warranties.Rated A on Angie’s List. See our photo gallery atRamboandRamboConstruction.com. MHIC#8342. Call, 301-220-4222.

PARALEGAL EXPERIENCED IN WILLS,trust and estate administration as well as otheraccounting and administrative paperwork. Willmake house calls. 301-565-2917.

GO LIVE! MARYLAND LIVE! Casino everySaturday from Lakeforest Transit Center,9:15am &11:45am; Shady Grove Metro (EastSide), 9:30am & 12pm; Leisure World Plaza(front of Giant Food), 9:45am & 12:15pm. Sun-days, Lakeforest Transit center, 10:45am; ShadyGrove Metro, 11am; Leisure World, 11:15am.Cost $20. Get $30 in slot play from Casino. Re-serve your seat at 301-337-0517 or visit www.ic-carundelshuttle.com.

THE GOLDEN NETWORK offers Jewish seniorsand retirees a variety of engaging programs, in-cluding lectures, classes, one-on-one learning inperson and by phone, concerts, sing-alongs andmore! For more information and details about up-coming events, call 301-338-4810, [email protected], or see goldennetwork.org.

NEED HOUSE CLEANING? PROFESSION-AL SERVICE at an affordable rate! Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly or One Time. Call Fulvia for afree estimate, 240-644-4289.

READY TO DE-CLUTTER? I CAN HELP.Sort, DONATE, DISCARD. Reasonable rates.Call Jan, 301-933-7570.

CHERYL’S ORGANIZING CONCEPTS LLC –Professional Organizing Services. Help with all as-pects of home organizing. Experienced – Refer-ences – Member NAPO. All work confidential. Li-censed – Bonded. $25 discount on initial appoint-ment. www.CherylsOrganizing.com. 301-916-9022.

VAN MAN – For your driving needs. Shopping,appointments, pick-up and deliver – airport van.Call Mike, 301-565-4051.

WILL TYPE YOUR MEMOIRS, manuscripts,etc. For info and rates, call 703-671-1854.

WILL DO PERSONAL CARE, meals andlaundry, for elderly person. Part-time, M-F, 4 or5 hours a day. Good references furnished, 301-759-5159. PG and DC area only.

CLASSIFIEDSThe Beacon prints classified advertising

under the fol low ing headings: Business &Employment Opportunities; Caregivers;Computer Services; Entertainment; ForSale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free;Health; Home/ Handy man Services; Miscel-laneous; Personals; Per son al Services; Va ca -tion Opportunities; and Want ed. For sub -mis sion guide lines and dead lines, see thebox at the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!The Beacon does not know ing ly ac cept

ob scene, of fen sive, harmful, or fraudulent ad-vertising. How ev er, we do not in ves ti gate anyad ver tis ers or their prod ucts and can not ac -cept re spon si bil i ty for the in teg ri ty of either.Re spon dents to clas si fied ad ver tis ing shouldal ways use cau tion and their best judg ment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept

ad ver tis ing in violation of federal, state, andlocal laws pro hib it ing dis crim i na tion based onrace, color, national origin, sex, fa mil ial sta tus orhandicap in connection with employment or thesale or rental of real estate.

Caregivers

Computer Services

Financial Services

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

Entertainment

Classifieds cont. on p. 53

Miscellaneous

Personal Services

For Sale

Health

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATESDeadlines 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’sissue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached inthe event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nordo 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:

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.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

Home/Handyman Services

Health

Legal Services

56 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

because what surrounds you really matters.

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january 2014 | washington, dc beacon

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